Didn't notice this until just before writing this reply, but you also have to keep in mind the people who play the meta, but don't look at the forums and just go by base OU bans. That's effectively the only reason as to why Annihilape doesn't get more usage. The casual playerbase for OMs far outweighs the more competitive side of OMs due to the limited time they're around, and since more casual players take up much more of the meta, the same players who likely won't look at the forums, it means that pokemon banned in base OU, but unbanned in an OM, will receive much less usage. However, that doesn't make it to where they aren't overwhelming for a meta. Take Magearna and Phermosa in gen 8 pokebilities. Didn't get used much due to being banned in base OU, but it was quickly discovered how they restricted the meta to the point where it revolved solely around them, causing them both to eventually get banned. Why am I mentioning this? Because the similarities to Annihilape in terms of their effect on the meta is very similar and the reasoning for their low usage despite their strength is the exact same
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Metagame Pokébilities [META POLL: Page 9 Post 216]
- Thread starter Ivy
- Start date
so this is the reason i have seen literally no apes. i sure hope more people don't check the forums, i can totally see myself bullet seeding an annihilape without thinking about it.
Yeah, that's unquestionably the main reason why. I don't have any statistics and I don't think the people who do have the statistics are allowed to drop them, but from playing, around 80% of the players I've personally faced and watched gameplay of (through things like youtube) are strictly casual for OMotM. Only main OMs that aren't limited time have a real die hard fanbase. The diehard fanbase for pokebilities kind of just consists of me and the few people who always read and like my posts (btw, thanks to all who do that), probably because most people don't want to do what I have and invest the heavy majority of spare time for the past 6 years (using that timeframe as an example because it's how long I've been playing the meta, an entire 1/3 of my life) into a single metagame that comes back like once a year.
Tldr: Yes the reason why you see so little Apes and Chien-Paos despite them being unbanned is the fact that many don't have the knowledge of the two being unbanned
does anyone know why typhlosion is becoming so popular? i might be totally off the mark, but i don't feel like it benefits a ton from this meta. the only sets i've seen are scarfed eruption in the sun, and those would only benefit if you could switch it in on a fire move. by the time blaze activates, that eruption spam is pretty much shut down. i've seen more typhlosion on sun teams than pokemon i'd argue contribute more (tropius, ceruledge, sawsbuck, etc). i haven't been able to build a team around it, so if possible, could someone explain?
typhlosion is new to s/v so people are experimenting with it, since it could destroy in the current meta or it could be absurdly mediocre as it has been in the past. a similar thing happened with iron leaves i believe, since it's now completely outclassed by walking wake in every conceivable way, but the only reason people used it when it was new is because it was new. i don't really think it's going to get very far in any meta personally, besides maybe stabmons but who knows i guess
that makes total sense, thank you for clarifying!
i'd argue that stabmons would be similarly useless for typhlosion- after all, it seems to me that the one thing that the weird badger-thingy has going for it is that it's the fastest eruption user in the meta, and stabmons gives eruption to faster fire types (i.e., iron moth). tbh, i can see typhlosion dropping to UU (or lower) soon, as it requires a scarf to do the one thing it's good at and even then it's just kinda meh
yeah, it kind of already has all of the fire moves it'll ever use (just eruption/overheat).
i've been using it a bit in my old sun team instead of tropius, and "meh" is honestly the best word for it. sure, it's nice, but sun boosted eruption doesn't change the fact that it has suuuper mediocre bulk. it doesn't really have anything else going for it, plus once it gets chipped a bit breloom mach punch can do a ton
full hp: 252+ Atk Technician Breloom Mach Punch vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Typhlosion: 133-157 (44.6 - 52.6%) -- 22.3% chance to 2HKO
half hp: 252+ Atk Technician Breloom Mach Punch vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Typhlosion: 133-157 (44.6 - 52.6%) -- 31.3% chance to OHKO
typhlosion also doesn't have a lot for azu, which is a problem bc it's easily one of the biggest threats in the meta. the only way typh is hitting azu for super effective is tera eletric or poison tera blast, which would sacrifice the nuke of tera fire sun boosted eruption/overheat. overall it's just kind of meh
and if you're running eruption (and why else would you use typhlosion) then any damage significantly weakens your main damage output. even rocks kinda ruins it
that's why i chose to run overheat on it too. still didn't really do much, so time to go back to the eterrain team!!!
plus if you run hdb to avoid hazards, you get outsped by anything above base 100 speed, which has a lot more than you'd think. i did not know drakloak was 102, but that terrifies me now
I've been having a lot of fun with this OM and have had mild success (peaked at like top 60 before tanking with other teams) using this funny sand offense team. The limited dex ATM really hurts it but it's fun to pilot nonetheless. This is my first forum post here so bare with any mistakes I make.
Shifting Sand Land
Replay: Getting insanely lucky and winning off that
Replay: Winning the Weather Wars with a Smidgen of Bad Play and BM at the end
Wish I had more but I don't get into the habit of saving replays unless funny things happen
A brief (not) overview:
The astute reader might realize I listed just 5 mons and the average team consists of 6! The reason for this is I just can't decide on the 6th member. I've messed around with a few but none felt complete. I just generally like this role as 'thing that helps beat Azu' and generally I want them immune to sand
The Sixth Members
While writing this post I realized that Gholdnego might just be the perfect last slot, probably scarf trick Nego. I need to test this but it's Nego so it's probably crazy. Tusk is another boring but good option but the lack of resists it offers is worrying since it uniquely crumples to Azu AND Loom without having reliable recovery
If you're wondering about the other Sand Abusers: Gastro is worse Clod and Worse Hippo a lot of the time, Lycanroc doesn't seem worth it even if it outruns everything in sand thanks to being monotype and having non-existent bulk, Orthworm lost his tail and thus his usability beyond being a wall, Dug is turbo banned, Donphan is a less cool Conda with a gen 1 movepool (spin) and Houndstone died for Last Respect's Sins (would have loved to use him honestly)
There's definitely room for improvement in my team building and actual gameplay but it's been really fun to play and iterate on. I think everyone could do with a little sand in their life from time to time.
And some closing thoughts about the meta
Shifting Sand Land
Replay: Getting insanely lucky and winning off that
Replay: Winning the Weather Wars with a Smidgen of Bad Play and BM at the end
Wish I had more but I don't get into the habit of saving replays unless funny things happen
A brief (not) overview:
Hippowdon is the heart and soul of the team due to the fact it hits like a TRUCK in Pokeabilities thanks to the free Life Orb it gets off Sand Force. It shrugs off a ton of physical punishment and hits back with absurd damage and can heal off anything it takes. Tera Water lets is lure and KO Azumarills and Basculins that come in on it. The chip damage from Sand is incredibly good as always to force progress against difficult to check mons.
Phazing can be used instead of rocks since it occasionally comes up and Heavy Slam/Iron Head are worthy coverage options. Itemwise lefties gives extra longevity and Orb/Band turn Hippo into a KO machine. I like Smooth Rock since it makes positioning slightly less clunky with the extra turns of chip and boosted evasion you net.
Phazing can be used instead of rocks since it occasionally comes up and Heavy Slam/Iron Head are worthy coverage options. Itemwise lefties gives extra longevity and Orb/Band turn Hippo into a KO machine. I like Smooth Rock since it makes positioning slightly less clunky with the extra turns of chip and boosted evasion you net.
An obvious include for any sand team but I opted to build it more defensively than most people would. Helmet + Skin gives invaluable extra chip against the format's litany of physical attackers which stacked with Sand let's you fiend through things that otherwise would ruin you. Mostly comes in and out to force damage one way or another. Sand Veil also just occasionally wins you games because yeah.
EV'd to always outspeed Loom who's omnipresent in the format and runs Ace entirely to KO it. I like Spikes to establish progress when I'm otherwise stuck or need to sack Chomp but Dance could fit if you want her to be more aggressive
Also it's Tera Grass for some reason? I think it was to beat Loom sub spores but you might be better off running something else
EV'd to always outspeed Loom who's omnipresent in the format and runs Ace entirely to KO it. I like Spikes to establish progress when I'm otherwise stuck or need to sack Chomp but Dance could fit if you want her to be more aggressive
Also it's Tera Grass for some reason? I think it was to beat Loom sub spores but you might be better off running something else
It's Clod what more is there to say about it? Beats set up mons, absorbs T spikes, checks some special attackers, spreads toxic for more chip, and helps fiend through rain. You could run like cloak or Ability Shield for other purposes but boots is nice without hazard removal
It's Good
Like real good
Crazy good even
Really good revenge killer and finisher. 4 EVs in speed to occasionally win the mirror with other neutral gambit, Low Kick to beat the mirror, and I opt to run 4 moves as Sucker is too valuable to sacrifice and Dance never felt worth it over kick.
Not much else to say honestly other than it forces me to play the Sucker Punch mini game which is headache inducing
Like real good
Crazy good even
Really good revenge killer and finisher. 4 EVs in speed to occasionally win the mirror with other neutral gambit, Low Kick to beat the mirror, and I opt to run 4 moves as Sucker is too valuable to sacrifice and Dance never felt worth it over kick.
Not much else to say honestly other than it forces me to play the Sucker Punch mini game which is headache inducing
Okay hear me out this lil guy is actually really neat!
Thanks to the asymmetry of Pokemon design physical attackers naturally are more prominent in this meta since they generally stand the most to gain from the OM gimmick. Conda happens to be an absolutely monstrous physical wall resultant from the OM gimmick so it puts in incredible work sometimes.
Veil is the stand out ability since it just wins games sometimes but Spit and Shed Skin are amazing too. Spit lets you constantly reset weather without Hippo and lets you win vs rain via doing plays like Conda switch on the Pelipper to deprive them of a lot of momentum regardless if they U-turn or Pump it down. Shed Skin turns it into a good status absorber and makes rest into decently reliable recovery
If everything goes right you want to get rid of any threatening special attackers or immunities first and proceed to sweep with Coil spam. If you can't get off the coil win then Conda can force out certain physical attackers and tera can score some cheap kills on things like Gambit or Chien Pao. Also yeah sometimes Veil just wins you games. At minimum it's a non-hippo way to get sand up.
The Coverage combo leaves a lot to be desired thanks to both having common immunities but it does well enough. I run bright powder because I'm an evil person and I'm already praying for dodgehax so might as well sweeten the odds a bit. You can run lefties for consistency or even helmet for chip if you're less awful than me.
Thanks to the asymmetry of Pokemon design physical attackers naturally are more prominent in this meta since they generally stand the most to gain from the OM gimmick. Conda happens to be an absolutely monstrous physical wall resultant from the OM gimmick so it puts in incredible work sometimes.
Veil is the stand out ability since it just wins games sometimes but Spit and Shed Skin are amazing too. Spit lets you constantly reset weather without Hippo and lets you win vs rain via doing plays like Conda switch on the Pelipper to deprive them of a lot of momentum regardless if they U-turn or Pump it down. Shed Skin turns it into a good status absorber and makes rest into decently reliable recovery
If everything goes right you want to get rid of any threatening special attackers or immunities first and proceed to sweep with Coil spam. If you can't get off the coil win then Conda can force out certain physical attackers and tera can score some cheap kills on things like Gambit or Chien Pao. Also yeah sometimes Veil just wins you games. At minimum it's a non-hippo way to get sand up.
The Coverage combo leaves a lot to be desired thanks to both having common immunities but it does well enough. I run bright powder because I'm an evil person and I'm already praying for dodgehax so might as well sweeten the odds a bit. You can run lefties for consistency or even helmet for chip if you're less awful than me.
The astute reader might realize I listed just 5 mons and the average team consists of 6! The reason for this is I just can't decide on the 6th member. I've messed around with a few but none felt complete. I just generally like this role as 'thing that helps beat Azu' and generally I want them immune to sand
The Sixth Members
AV Max bulk Tar. It tanks special hits like a champ and dishes decent damage right back. It's also a third setter and was my first choice as the sixth member. Phazing is nice and low kick breaks Gambit's knees and frees up your own Gambit to run Dance
Just a solid damage dealer and pivot that occasionally spreads status. It has Expert belt probably for some Azu calc I forgot tbh. This guy has a lot of potential with things like booster energy and more support oriented sets
Gives the team a nice suite of resists and can chunk things real nicely with Technician Bullet Punch and U-turn if you can find room to run it (I cut it for Ace as extra Loom insurance, probably a bad idea in retrospect). Dance makes it function as a late game cleaner but it also provides strong Prio that the team really enjoys.
Metal Coat was for an Azu calc and other items probably work out to be better. I'm loving CB Scizor on other teams personally but I don't feel it fits here.
Metal Coat was for an Azu calc and other items probably work out to be better. I'm loving CB Scizor on other teams personally but I don't feel it fits here.
My latest test in the sixth slot. Traps and blows up pesky Steels like Corv and functions similar to Sandy Shocks except it has a bigger bomb, better typing, and has less utility. Protect is to scout moves and get lefties heals for sturdy/rack up sand chip
While writing this post I realized that Gholdnego might just be the perfect last slot, probably scarf trick Nego. I need to test this but it's Nego so it's probably crazy. Tusk is another boring but good option but the lack of resists it offers is worrying since it uniquely crumples to Azu AND Loom without having reliable recovery
If you're wondering about the other Sand Abusers: Gastro is worse Clod and Worse Hippo a lot of the time, Lycanroc doesn't seem worth it even if it outruns everything in sand thanks to being monotype and having non-existent bulk, Orthworm lost his tail and thus his usability beyond being a wall, Dug is turbo banned, Donphan is a less cool Conda with a gen 1 movepool (spin) and Houndstone died for Last Respect's Sins (would have loved to use him honestly)
There's definitely room for improvement in my team building and actual gameplay but it's been really fun to play and iterate on. I think everyone could do with a little sand in their life from time to time.
And some closing thoughts about the meta
It's fun!!!!!!
I really really dislike Breloom and Azumarill though since they're everywhere and you have to plan ahead of them unless you feel like getting rolled. it's not like game breaking but more like Chansey in BH where it's annoying but regrettably fine
PLEASE stop running Sitrus Drum Azu I'm on my knees BEGGING you it's not actually that good
Most Paradoxes are fine tbh nobody uses them because playing without the OMs gimmick is lame but if you need to fill a slot a paradox will probably do better than some NU mon that has two okay abilities now and worse stats
I really really dislike Breloom and Azumarill though since they're everywhere and you have to plan ahead of them unless you feel like getting rolled. it's not like game breaking but more like Chansey in BH where it's annoying but regrettably fine
PLEASE stop running Sitrus Drum Azu I'm on my knees BEGGING you it's not actually that good
Most Paradoxes are fine tbh nobody uses them because playing without the OMs gimmick is lame but if you need to fill a slot a paradox will probably do better than some NU mon that has two okay abilities now and worse stats
massive respect to you for making a solid sand team, i tried to and gave up (even when shed tail was unbanned)
the point about the limited dex is so real, it sucks that this won't be omotm by the time home comes out
REAL!! i hate feeling like all of my teams need to have flying coverage/bypassing sub to deal with loom. plus i ended up replacing uturn on my specs pult set for tbolt just for drum azu. i wouldn't say they deserve a ban but it does suck having to make sure you can deal with them in any comp.
In a way it is unfortunate, but I'm personally really glad we got to experience the meta like this and I hope pre DLC pokebilities can be recognized separately from post home pokebilities once it returns (pokebilities is too popular to not return). However, definitely doesn't mean there's nothing to look forward to. You may have seen my threat list when scrolling through, and I'm currently making one for all the datamined DLC pokemon that I think could be a threat, so you can look forward to whenever I finish and release that.
So, with the meta coming to a temporary close in two days (although it will remain a challengeable format, so feel free to continue playing with friends), I'd like to give some closing thoughts as someone who's been playing the meta for six years since gen 7 pokebilities.
I honestly really love how pokebilities has gone this gen. Do I have issues? Of course. I've made my thoughts on the unbanned pokemon and Shed Tail clear, so I won't dwell on those. Are those enough of a hindrance to make me not enjoy the meta? Absolutely not.
The meta has been really fun and enjoyable to both play and experiment with. Finding out about underrated threats that abuse the OM gimmicks to an insane degree and using them to great success has always been fun for me, and while there hasn't been much barring pokemon like Ursaring and Azumarill (a few more that I'm just not mentioning here), seeing pokemon that can fit small niches or have cool ability combinations is neat. While the experimentation possible can't match gen 7 pokebilities, it it far exceeds that of last gen's pokebilities meta imo.
In terms of competitiveness, I feel much the same other than issues I've expressed prior in the forums. With a few exceptions, the meta has felt extremely balanced and no game I've played or spectated has looked straight unwinnable. The variety in viable pokemon that provide significantly different, but important roles, is really nice. While there are your shoe-ins that are always going to be amazing like your bulky grounds, steel/flyers, and SpDef blobs, we get to see a really solid amount of pokemon make waves that wouldn't otherwise. Ursaring, Farigiraf, Honchkrow, Cetitan, Hariyama, even Basculin of all things is one of the biggest threats imaginable if it's simply under rain. And nothing so far has proven to break the game that hasn't already been spoken about.
With DLC on the horizon, who knows what could happen. I could end up loving the tier more than gen 7 pokebilities or feel more neutral about it than gen 8 pokebilities, but the future hasn't arrived yet and I can say I truly loved the meta this month and can't wait for the developments that arise once DLC releases.
To close, I'd like to give a few shoutouts. First, the mods, Ivy and Rach. These two are constantly putting their all into multiple metas and trying to make sure everything is as fun, balanced, and competitive as possible without getting toxic and chaotic. You guys are absolutely amazing. Second, I'd like to shout out some youtubers that really made the meta boom this month. Those two youtubers are DracoMenace and PikaPlayer. Both of these two have made several videos on the meta and brought a ton of attention to the meta that it otherwise likely wouldn't have had, so thank you to both of you.
I honestly really love how pokebilities has gone this gen. Do I have issues? Of course. I've made my thoughts on the unbanned pokemon and Shed Tail clear, so I won't dwell on those. Are those enough of a hindrance to make me not enjoy the meta? Absolutely not.
The meta has been really fun and enjoyable to both play and experiment with. Finding out about underrated threats that abuse the OM gimmicks to an insane degree and using them to great success has always been fun for me, and while there hasn't been much barring pokemon like Ursaring and Azumarill (a few more that I'm just not mentioning here), seeing pokemon that can fit small niches or have cool ability combinations is neat. While the experimentation possible can't match gen 7 pokebilities, it it far exceeds that of last gen's pokebilities meta imo.
In terms of competitiveness, I feel much the same other than issues I've expressed prior in the forums. With a few exceptions, the meta has felt extremely balanced and no game I've played or spectated has looked straight unwinnable. The variety in viable pokemon that provide significantly different, but important roles, is really nice. While there are your shoe-ins that are always going to be amazing like your bulky grounds, steel/flyers, and SpDef blobs, we get to see a really solid amount of pokemon make waves that wouldn't otherwise. Ursaring, Farigiraf, Honchkrow, Cetitan, Hariyama, even Basculin of all things is one of the biggest threats imaginable if it's simply under rain. And nothing so far has proven to break the game that hasn't already been spoken about.
With DLC on the horizon, who knows what could happen. I could end up loving the tier more than gen 7 pokebilities or feel more neutral about it than gen 8 pokebilities, but the future hasn't arrived yet and I can say I truly loved the meta this month and can't wait for the developments that arise once DLC releases.
To close, I'd like to give a few shoutouts. First, the mods, Ivy and Rach. These two are constantly putting their all into multiple metas and trying to make sure everything is as fun, balanced, and competitive as possible without getting toxic and chaotic. You guys are absolutely amazing. Second, I'd like to shout out some youtubers that really made the meta boom this month. Those two youtubers are DracoMenace and PikaPlayer. Both of these two have made several videos on the meta and brought a ton of attention to the meta that it otherwise likely wouldn't have had, so thank you to both of you.
Here Are Some Theorymons For Pokemon Leaked For The DLC, This Is Your Last Warning, Their Are Spoilers
I Really Hope This Doesn't Break Any Rules Of This Forum
This Is Just Ment To Be A Post For Sharing What Threatening Pokemon Could Be Returning Via The DLC.
Please Reply With ANy Changes I Should Make
In response to Izmagack: they are some of the most busted.
Cobra (Arbok) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate/Shed Skin
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Poison
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Coil
- Crunch
- Poison Jab
- Earthquake
Dosen't Fear Status As Much
Aw Sh*t, It's Here (Clefable) @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard/Unaware
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Wish
- Moonblast
- Flamethrower
Was Amazing Last Gen
Rain Threat (Poliwrath) @ Life Orb
Ability: Water Absorb/Swift Swim
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 Atk / 8 SpD / 248 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Bulk Up
- Close Combat
- Earthquake
- Liquidation
Rain Threat That Can Stop Water Move Spam
Pitcher Plant (Victreebel) @ Aguav Berry
Ability: Gluttony/Chhlorophyll
Tera Type: Grass
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Poison Jab
- Sucker Punch
- Leaf Blade
Sun Sweeper With Swords Dance
Thundercannon (Golem-Alola) (M) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Magnet Pull/Sturdy/Galvanize
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Rock
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Rock Polish
- Earthquake
- Explosion
- Superpower
Seal (Dewgong) (M) @ Loaded Dice
Ability: Thick Fat/Ice Body
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Curse
- Liquidation
- Icicle Spear
- Body Slam
Curse Sweeper
Round Kick (Hitmonlee) @ Normal Gem
Ability: Reckless/Unburden/Limber
Tera Type: Fighting
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Double-Edge
- Bulk Up
- Knock Off
Normal Gem Tera Normal Reckless Boosted Double Edge
Little Mac (Hitmonchan) (M) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Iron Fist/Inner Focus
Tera Type: Fighting
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Fire Punch
- Ice Punch
- Thunder Punch
- Drain Punch
No Flinches
Poison Gas (Weezing) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate/Neutralizing Gas
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Poison
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Taunt
- Toxic Spikes
- Dark Pulse
- Clear Smog
Physical Wall
Sir Poison Gas (Weezing-Galar) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate/Neutralizing Gas/MIsty Surge
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Poison
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Taunt
- Toxic Spikes
- Clear Smog
- Strange Steam
Physical Wall v2
Snoring (Snorlax) (M) @ Ganlon Berry
Ability: Gluttony/Thick Fat/Immunity
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Normal
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Belly Drum
- Body Slam
- Crunch
Hehe Belly Drum Go Brrrrr
Jira (Feraligatr) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Torrent/Sheer Force
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Liquidation
- Ice Punch
- Crunch
Rain Threat That Dosen't Need Swift Swim
Sky Armory (Skarmory) (M) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Weak Armor/Sturdy
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Iron Head
- Brave Bird
- Night Slash
Never Been Swept By A Skarmory, Have You
Sea Dragon (Kingdra) (M) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Swift Swim/Sniper
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Draco Meteor
- Hurricane
More Rain Threats
All Might (Blaziken) (M) @ Electric Seed
Ability: Blaze/Speed Boost
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Close Combat
- Acrobatics
- Swords Dance
Speedy Boi
Hyena (Mightyena) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Intimidate/Quick Feet/Moxie
Tera Type: Dark
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Howl
- Crunch
- Play Rough
- Taunt
New Intimidate+Moxie Pokemon
Dauntless (Crawdaunt) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Adaptability/Hyper Cutter/Shell Armor
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Crunch
- Close Combat
Yep, You Guessed It, Rain Threat
Serpentank (Milotic) (M) @ Flame Orb
Ability: Marvel Scale/Competetive
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Coil
- Recover
Wall
Rampage (Rampardos) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Mold Breaker/Sheer Force
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Rock
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Rock Polish
- Crunch
- Rock Slide
- Thunder Punch
So I Heard You Wish To Die
Superior (Rhyperior) @ Leftovers
Ability: Solid Rock/Lightning Rod
Tera Type: Ground
EVs: 248 HP / 16 Atk / 244 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Dragon Tail
Physical Wall v3
Drakonfly (Yanmega) @ Throat Spray
Ability: Speed Boost/Tinted Lens
Tera Type: Ground
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Bug Buzz
- Air Slash
- Protect
- Tera Blast
Does More Damage Then Your Mental Health Is Prepared For
Glitched (Porygon-Z) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Analytic/Adaptability/Download
Tera Type: Normal
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Tri Attack
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
- Shadow Ball
It's Time To Go. To God
Signature Look (Serperior) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Overgrow/Contrary
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Grass
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Leaf Storm
- Dragon Pulse
- Giga Drain
- Energy Ball
This Explains Itself
Boarserker (Emboar) (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Blaze/Reckless
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Head Smash
- Superpower
- Earthquake
Choice Banded Nuke Of A Pokemon
Thunderstrike (Zebstrika) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Lightning Rod/Motor Drive/Sap Sipper
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Volt Switch
- Overheat
- Low Kick
- Wild Charge
With Tera Water, This Thing Has No Weaknesses
Driller (Excadrill) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Rush/Sand Force/Mold Breaker
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Ground
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Iron Head
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
Ultimate Wall Breaker
Construction (Conkeldurr) (M) @ Flame Orb
Ability: Guts/Iron Fist/Sheer Force
Tera Type: Fighting
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Thunder Punch
- Ice Punch
- Drain Punch
- Bulk Up
Was Busted In Gen 8, Will Be Busted In Generation 9
Punk (Scrafty) @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate/Moxie/Shed Skin
Tera Type: Dark
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Close Combat
- Crunch
- Poison Jab
Best Intimoxie Pokemon
Scarfed (Cinccino) (M) @ Mirror Herb
Ability: Skill Link/Technician
Tera Type: Ice
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swagger
- Bullet Seed
- Aqua Tail
- Triple Axel
No Walls
Protoplasmesis (Reuniclus) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard/Regerator/Overcoat
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Psychic
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Acid Armor
- Focus Blast
- Calm Mind
- Stored Power
Was Amazing Last Gen, Will Be This Gen
Chandelier (Chandelure) (M) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Flash Fire/Infiltrator/Flame Body
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Energy Ball
- Fire Blast
- Shadow Ball
- Overheat
Chi-Yu At Home
Street Fighter (Mienshao) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Inner Focus/Reckless/Regerator
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Fighting
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- U-turn
- Poison Jab
- Blaze Kick
Hits Hard, Fast, And Regerates
Golem Of Prauge (Golurk)
Ability: Iron Fist/No Guard
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Fighting
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Dynamic Punch
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch
Hehe Iron Fist No Guard Dynamic Punch Go Brrr
Mrow (Meowstic-F) (F) @ Life Orb
Ability: Competitive/Infiltrator
Tera Type: Psychic
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Calm Mind
- Stored Power
- Thunderbolt
Double Dance
Haka (Kommo-o) (M) @ Salac Berry
Ability: Bulletproof/Soundproof/Overcoat
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Dragon
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Substitute
- Belly Drum
- Drain Punch
- Iron Head
*in tf2 Heavy voice* I Am Immune
Ability: Intimidate/Shed Skin
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Poison
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Coil
- Crunch
- Poison Jab
- Earthquake
Dosen't Fear Status As Much
Aw Sh*t, It's Here (Clefable) @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard/Unaware
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Wish
- Moonblast
- Flamethrower
Was Amazing Last Gen
Rain Threat (Poliwrath) @ Life Orb
Ability: Water Absorb/Swift Swim
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 Atk / 8 SpD / 248 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Bulk Up
- Close Combat
- Earthquake
- Liquidation
Rain Threat That Can Stop Water Move Spam
Pitcher Plant (Victreebel) @ Aguav Berry
Ability: Gluttony/Chhlorophyll
Tera Type: Grass
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Poison Jab
- Sucker Punch
- Leaf Blade
Sun Sweeper With Swords Dance
Thundercannon (Golem-Alola) (M) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Magnet Pull/Sturdy/Galvanize
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Rock
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Rock Polish
- Earthquake
- Explosion
- Superpower
Seal (Dewgong) (M) @ Loaded Dice
Ability: Thick Fat/Ice Body
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Curse
- Liquidation
- Icicle Spear
- Body Slam
Curse Sweeper
Round Kick (Hitmonlee) @ Normal Gem
Ability: Reckless/Unburden/Limber
Tera Type: Fighting
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Double-Edge
- Bulk Up
- Knock Off
Normal Gem Tera Normal Reckless Boosted Double Edge
Little Mac (Hitmonchan) (M) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Iron Fist/Inner Focus
Tera Type: Fighting
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Fire Punch
- Ice Punch
- Thunder Punch
- Drain Punch
No Flinches
Poison Gas (Weezing) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate/Neutralizing Gas
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Poison
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Taunt
- Toxic Spikes
- Dark Pulse
- Clear Smog
Physical Wall
Sir Poison Gas (Weezing-Galar) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate/Neutralizing Gas/MIsty Surge
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Poison
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Taunt
- Toxic Spikes
- Clear Smog
- Strange Steam
Physical Wall v2
Snoring (Snorlax) (M) @ Ganlon Berry
Ability: Gluttony/Thick Fat/Immunity
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Normal
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Belly Drum
- Body Slam
- Crunch
Hehe Belly Drum Go Brrrrr
Jira (Feraligatr) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Torrent/Sheer Force
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Liquidation
- Ice Punch
- Crunch
Rain Threat That Dosen't Need Swift Swim
Sky Armory (Skarmory) (M) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Weak Armor/Sturdy
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Iron Head
- Brave Bird
- Night Slash
Never Been Swept By A Skarmory, Have You
Sea Dragon (Kingdra) (M) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Swift Swim/Sniper
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Draco Meteor
- Hurricane
More Rain Threats
All Might (Blaziken) (M) @ Electric Seed
Ability: Blaze/Speed Boost
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Close Combat
- Acrobatics
- Swords Dance
Speedy Boi
Hyena (Mightyena) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Intimidate/Quick Feet/Moxie
Tera Type: Dark
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Howl
- Crunch
- Play Rough
- Taunt
New Intimidate+Moxie Pokemon
Dauntless (Crawdaunt) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Adaptability/Hyper Cutter/Shell Armor
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Crunch
- Close Combat
Yep, You Guessed It, Rain Threat
Serpentank (Milotic) (M) @ Flame Orb
Ability: Marvel Scale/Competetive
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Coil
- Recover
Wall
Rampage (Rampardos) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Mold Breaker/Sheer Force
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Rock
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Rock Polish
- Crunch
- Rock Slide
- Thunder Punch
So I Heard You Wish To Die
Superior (Rhyperior) @ Leftovers
Ability: Solid Rock/Lightning Rod
Tera Type: Ground
EVs: 248 HP / 16 Atk / 244 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Dragon Tail
Physical Wall v3
Drakonfly (Yanmega) @ Throat Spray
Ability: Speed Boost/Tinted Lens
Tera Type: Ground
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Bug Buzz
- Air Slash
- Protect
- Tera Blast
Does More Damage Then Your Mental Health Is Prepared For
Glitched (Porygon-Z) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Analytic/Adaptability/Download
Tera Type: Normal
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Tri Attack
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
- Shadow Ball
It's Time To Go. To God
Signature Look (Serperior) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Overgrow/Contrary
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Grass
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Leaf Storm
- Dragon Pulse
- Giga Drain
- Energy Ball
This Explains Itself
Boarserker (Emboar) (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Blaze/Reckless
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Head Smash
- Superpower
- Earthquake
Choice Banded Nuke Of A Pokemon
Thunderstrike (Zebstrika) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Lightning Rod/Motor Drive/Sap Sipper
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Volt Switch
- Overheat
- Low Kick
- Wild Charge
With Tera Water, This Thing Has No Weaknesses
Driller (Excadrill) (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sand Rush/Sand Force/Mold Breaker
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Ground
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Iron Head
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
Ultimate Wall Breaker
Construction (Conkeldurr) (M) @ Flame Orb
Ability: Guts/Iron Fist/Sheer Force
Tera Type: Fighting
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Thunder Punch
- Ice Punch
- Drain Punch
- Bulk Up
Was Busted In Gen 8, Will Be Busted In Generation 9
Punk (Scrafty) @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate/Moxie/Shed Skin
Tera Type: Dark
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Close Combat
- Crunch
- Poison Jab
Best Intimoxie Pokemon
Scarfed (Cinccino) (M) @ Mirror Herb
Ability: Skill Link/Technician
Tera Type: Ice
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swagger
- Bullet Seed
- Aqua Tail
- Triple Axel
No Walls
Protoplasmesis (Reuniclus) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard/Regerator/Overcoat
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Psychic
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Acid Armor
- Focus Blast
- Calm Mind
- Stored Power
Was Amazing Last Gen, Will Be This Gen
Chandelier (Chandelure) (M) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Flash Fire/Infiltrator/Flame Body
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Energy Ball
- Fire Blast
- Shadow Ball
- Overheat
Chi-Yu At Home
Street Fighter (Mienshao) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Inner Focus/Reckless/Regerator
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Fighting
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- U-turn
- Poison Jab
- Blaze Kick
Hits Hard, Fast, And Regerates
Golem Of Prauge (Golurk)
Ability: Iron Fist/No Guard
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Fighting
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Dynamic Punch
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch
Hehe Iron Fist No Guard Dynamic Punch Go Brrr
Mrow (Meowstic-F) (F) @ Life Orb
Ability: Competitive/Infiltrator
Tera Type: Psychic
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Calm Mind
- Stored Power
- Thunderbolt
Double Dance
Haka (Kommo-o) (M) @ Salac Berry
Ability: Bulletproof/Soundproof/Overcoat
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Dragon
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Substitute
- Belly Drum
- Drain Punch
- Iron Head
*in tf2 Heavy voice* I Am Immune
This Is Just Ment To Be A Post For Sharing What Threatening Pokemon Could Be Returning Via The DLC.
Please Reply With ANy Changes I Should Make
In response to Izmagack: they are some of the most busted.
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this is INSANE! these sets look so fun! i had no idea that my unova babies could be competitively viable! more excited than ever for DLC pokebilities :) also the names are fun
I lost the replays 4 this :(
HOW DOES WORRY SEED AND SKILL SWAP WORK?
Worry seed: it replaces only the selected ability, example: garganacl has purifying salt as the selected ability and a breloom with worry seed appears (even tho no one uses it), breloom uses WS and garganacl's purifying salt becomes insomia and therefore can be toxic'd or put to sleep.
Skill swap: also changes the selected ability, but from both sides. example: Sharpness Gallade (knock off & skill swap) vs Ability Shield Water Absorb Clodsire. Sharpness Gallade knocks off the ability shield and skillswaps to use aqua cutter, but its no longer boosted by sharpness since it isn't it's ability
Conclusions: worry seed and skill swap only change the selected abilities, so choose the least useful ability or just switch out, also never seen anyone use Skill Swap or Worry Seed
HOW DOES WORRY SEED AND SKILL SWAP WORK?
Worry seed: it replaces only the selected ability, example: garganacl has purifying salt as the selected ability and a breloom with worry seed appears (even tho no one uses it), breloom uses WS and garganacl's purifying salt becomes insomia and therefore can be toxic'd or put to sleep.
Skill swap: also changes the selected ability, but from both sides. example: Sharpness Gallade (knock off & skill swap) vs Ability Shield Water Absorb Clodsire. Sharpness Gallade knocks off the ability shield and skillswaps to use aqua cutter, but its no longer boosted by sharpness since it isn't it's ability
Conclusions: worry seed and skill swap only change the selected abilities, so choose the least useful ability or just switch out, also never seen anyone use Skill Swap or Worry Seed
So, to tease the document I'm working on for DLC threats, I'm going to drop one of the pokemon summaries. Everyone loves Cinccino, right? Adorable chinchilla with a scarf made of its own fur which is faster than the likes of Latios. So, what do I think it will end up like? Here's the teaser.
Cinccino- I already had a very uncommon opinion about Cinccino in the last two generations, thinking that while it definitely could work, it was mostly a “noob bait” pokemon, meaning that it draws in new players with appealing power, but gets worse the higher level of play. This is even more true in gen 9. While Cinccino didn’t receive a laundry list of nerfs, it received two huge nerfs, the loss of Knock Off and the loss of Triple Axel. Firstly, Knock Off let Cinccino remove multiple items that helped pokemon take its repeated assaults like removing a Landorus Rocky Helmet or a Corviknight Shed Shell to allow its teammate Magneton to trap it. Without Knock, it makes Cinccino more susceptible to be played around with certain items. Then we have the Triple Axel nerf. We still have Dragonite and Garchomp, Landorus is returning, and Amoongus has regained some of its old viability. While Cinccino can still hit Dragonite for super effective damage, it doesn’t have nearly the same power to mop away Chomp and Lando that it used to. With Amoongus rising and often running Rocky Helmet, Cinccino is also threatened by it if it doesn’t run Protective Pads. Another nerf, although indirect, is terastalization. Yes, Cinccino can terastalize itself to make its moves more powerful through the same type attack bonus, but there’s also many pokemon that terastalize into types that Cinccino doesn’t like handling. For example, many Great Tusks tera steel and most Ursarings tera ghost to avoid Breloom Mach Punch, which would also make it immune to Tail Slap. While Magnezone still exists to try to trap steels, the increase in steels is still a major dent to Cinccino’s viability. Now onto previous problems it carries into this generation. It no longer has 4 moveslot syndrome as Cinccino did lose two of the 5 moves competing for the second through fourth moveslots, but it does maintain single item syndrome as well as its status vulnerability. So, first, its status vulnerability. Cinccino already doesn’t have amazing stats or great setup, its only setup move being Work Up. While Cinccino has the capability of doing big damage, any status could potentially ruin it. Burn and paralysis are the main ones because they halve your attack and speed respectively. It really doesn’t have anything to get around status either with Heal Bell and Aromatherapy removed unless you run Lum Berry, which leads into the next issue, single item syndrome. Cinccino wants to avoid status, so Lum Berry would be very nice, but it also wants to avoid contact punishment from Rocky Helmet and Iron Barbs/Rough Skin, so Protective Pads can seem required. Even then, though, it desires the ability to ignore hazards with it liking to use U-Turn, so Heavy-Duty Boots are appealing. Even that isn’t all as it is left wanting for power. Silk Scarf only boosts its Tail Slap, Expert Belt requires moves to be super effective and will never boost its stab, Choice Band locks you into one move when Cinccino wants to be flexible with using different moves at different times, and Life Orb does damage to Cinccino for every attack, further compounding the weaknesses to contact punishment, hazards, and status. Cinccino is left wanting so many items and can only hold one. It’s not like Conkeldurr was last generation where it had several amazing options for items to run and could realistically give up on multiple of them and abuse one to amazing heights. Cinccino will always be left wanting for something no matter what item it chooses. While Cinccino will still have a place like it did in gens 7 and 8 pokebilities, its unquestionably going to be at the worst place it has been of all three generations.
Hope the teaser is enjoyed while I continue working on the rest of the document in my spare time
Cinccino- I already had a very uncommon opinion about Cinccino in the last two generations, thinking that while it definitely could work, it was mostly a “noob bait” pokemon, meaning that it draws in new players with appealing power, but gets worse the higher level of play. This is even more true in gen 9. While Cinccino didn’t receive a laundry list of nerfs, it received two huge nerfs, the loss of Knock Off and the loss of Triple Axel. Firstly, Knock Off let Cinccino remove multiple items that helped pokemon take its repeated assaults like removing a Landorus Rocky Helmet or a Corviknight Shed Shell to allow its teammate Magneton to trap it. Without Knock, it makes Cinccino more susceptible to be played around with certain items. Then we have the Triple Axel nerf. We still have Dragonite and Garchomp, Landorus is returning, and Amoongus has regained some of its old viability. While Cinccino can still hit Dragonite for super effective damage, it doesn’t have nearly the same power to mop away Chomp and Lando that it used to. With Amoongus rising and often running Rocky Helmet, Cinccino is also threatened by it if it doesn’t run Protective Pads. Another nerf, although indirect, is terastalization. Yes, Cinccino can terastalize itself to make its moves more powerful through the same type attack bonus, but there’s also many pokemon that terastalize into types that Cinccino doesn’t like handling. For example, many Great Tusks tera steel and most Ursarings tera ghost to avoid Breloom Mach Punch, which would also make it immune to Tail Slap. While Magnezone still exists to try to trap steels, the increase in steels is still a major dent to Cinccino’s viability. Now onto previous problems it carries into this generation. It no longer has 4 moveslot syndrome as Cinccino did lose two of the 5 moves competing for the second through fourth moveslots, but it does maintain single item syndrome as well as its status vulnerability. So, first, its status vulnerability. Cinccino already doesn’t have amazing stats or great setup, its only setup move being Work Up. While Cinccino has the capability of doing big damage, any status could potentially ruin it. Burn and paralysis are the main ones because they halve your attack and speed respectively. It really doesn’t have anything to get around status either with Heal Bell and Aromatherapy removed unless you run Lum Berry, which leads into the next issue, single item syndrome. Cinccino wants to avoid status, so Lum Berry would be very nice, but it also wants to avoid contact punishment from Rocky Helmet and Iron Barbs/Rough Skin, so Protective Pads can seem required. Even then, though, it desires the ability to ignore hazards with it liking to use U-Turn, so Heavy-Duty Boots are appealing. Even that isn’t all as it is left wanting for power. Silk Scarf only boosts its Tail Slap, Expert Belt requires moves to be super effective and will never boost its stab, Choice Band locks you into one move when Cinccino wants to be flexible with using different moves at different times, and Life Orb does damage to Cinccino for every attack, further compounding the weaknesses to contact punishment, hazards, and status. Cinccino is left wanting so many items and can only hold one. It’s not like Conkeldurr was last generation where it had several amazing options for items to run and could realistically give up on multiple of them and abuse one to amazing heights. Cinccino will always be left wanting for something no matter what item it chooses. While Cinccino will still have a place like it did in gens 7 and 8 pokebilities, its unquestionably going to be at the worst place it has been of all three generations.
Hope the teaser is enjoyed while I continue working on the rest of the document in my spare time
So, while DLC hasn't released and many of the mons in the doc I'm making are yet to drop, there are also several that have, and one specific move on a pokemon makes me curious. On Kleavor, of course, Stone Axe gets the Sharpness boost. But does it also lose the Rocks setting ability and get the boosted power from Sheer Force? We've never seen an interaction such as this because very few, if any, attacking moves set field effects, and I don't know if field effects from an attack would be considered secondary effects boosted by Sheer Force or not. If so, Stone Axe becomes an absolute nuke at 126.75 power, rounded down to 126, but if not, it's simply 97.5 power, rounded down to 97. I feel like with just how great an attacking type rock is, this could potentially be huge for the meta.
Looks like Showdown has it flagged as Sheer Force-able, presumably nixing the rocks in exchange for raw power. The Home update IS live on PS, by the way, so you could test this out in action.
I've updated the banlist with some tentative changes post-Home, mostly reflecting OU.
Nice, I'll make sure to check it out. Super psyched for the new meta that's in progress. Probably gonna have a lot of weather wars with H Lilligant and Basculegion. Although for H Lilligant, I'm a bit less concerned than Dracozolt last gen because there are multiple types that resist both of it's stabs instead of no types that do so
theorymonning once again, as i am wont to do, but h-braviary seems like it would be a monster with sheer force and tinted lens. psychic flying is a surprisingly good STAB combo (hitting approx. 27.9% of mons for super effective damage), and it has good sheer-force effected coverage with moves like shadow ball and heat wave. add on tinted lens, and imo it'll put in work. probably not gonna be fantastic, but i could definitely see a niche forming around it. thoughts?
With Luna already giving Trick Room a more legitimate role, even in pokebilities due to no Quick Feet, I could legitimately see H Braviary being a huge threat on those teams. You don't get the speed boost anymore from Esper Wing, but Sheer Force boosted Psychic+Hurricane/Air Slash will always be terrifying with the advent of Tinted Lens. We saw Sigilyph with the same type and no Sheer Force carve out a solid niche in the last two gens for pokebilities, so I wouldn't be surprised if H Braviary did the same with much higher power, although it doesn't have a Rocks immunity, even if only on Trick Room teams
huh. well i’m glad that my weird little idea might have some merit lol. trick room to take care of the oddly low speed would be nice, and its natural bulk could help too. and rocks could be dealt with via a simple pair of boots
So, first Home team, let's go.
Scarf Kleavor
First off, after hearing the confirmation from Kris about the Stone Axe buff from both Sharpness and Sheer Force, knew I had to use Kleavor. Higher attack than Scizor with admittedly a much worse typing and worse bulk, but some amazing abilities and one situational one. After Sharpness+Sheer Force, Kleavor has a base 126 power Stone Axe rounded down. Kleavor's purpose is to get in and hit hard, but it can have trouble outspending a lot due to only base 85 speed, which is why it has Choice Scarf. Kleavor can repeatedly throw out huge hits with the aforementioned Stone Axe as well as the Sharpness boosted X-Scissor, buffed from 80 base power to 120, and Close Combat, as well as the momentum gaining U-Turn that can help chip you into Swarm range if you come in repeatedly on Rocks. This is even further amplified by its bug tera type making it's U-Turns and X-Scissors even more powerful. Of course, Kleavor has its weaknesses, the primary ones being susceptibility to other Scarf mons and really common weaknesses in rock and water as well as the less common (for coverage) steel. This leads us into
Hisuian Goodra. Wanted to take a classic Goodra set and see if instead of teaching an old dog new tricks, I could teach the new one old tricks. Resists all of the types Kleavor is weak to along with having other genuinely great resistances. With amazing special bulk, it doesn't need any investment to take special hits well, especially with Assault Vest, so I went max PhysDef to take advantage of many of the useful resistances steel type has being predominantly physical. This also let's H Goodra make better use of Gooey. Dual stabs are obvious and Flamethrower to hit steel types. Heatran still walls it after that, so I gave H Goodra Earthquake for non-Balloon Heatran. But with Goodra being weak to both fighting and ground and Kleavor not resisting those types, I thought I should have a mon to cover those types. Of course, tera type is a good way to do so, so I chose fairy to gain not only the fighting resistance, but amazing dragon and dark resistances too. Of course, tera won't change every weakness of a mon and can be inconsistent, bringing us to the next member
Zapdos may have received some big nerfs with the Roost PP cut in half and no more Defog or Toxic, but this doesn't mean Zapdos is bad at all. Pressure gets overlooked quite a lot, but is a solid ability that got even better this gen. Let's look at an example. Zapdos against Cover Cloak Gholdengo, so it can't be Discharge paralyzed. Zapdos can spam Heat Wave and Gholdy can only Recover four times instead of 8, leaving it much more limited to check Zapdos defensively. Of course, this is just one situation out of multiple, but I wanted to show how useful Pressure can be. Speed and nature are to outspeed max investment base 85s without a plus speed nature. Rest is physical bulk to take advantage of the contact moves it will be punishing with Static. Of course, had to spread status with more than just an ability, and that's where Discharge came in. Heat Wave is to hit Kingambit, Gholdy, and the occasional Treads, but Hurricane can also be ran to hit Lando T harder as well as demolishing Great Tusk. Even after all this, though, the team isn't complete. Steel tera seemed obvious for Zapdos to me due to the rock and ice weaknesses being turned into resistances and Zapdos resisting fighting and being immune to ground before tera. While Zapdos's rock weakness is covered by H Goodra, it's ice weakness isn't. For this, I brought in
Heatran. A tried and true since it's introduction, now even better due to having both abilities. The loss of Toxic hurt, but Heatran never needed it. Heatran always ran several sets without Toxic in each prior gen, never truly needing the move. Of course, this doesn't mean it isn't a big deal, but it's far from the end of the world. Not only does Heatran have an amazing defensive profile with several resistances and two immunities, it also has surprisingly great attacking power with the ever reliable bulk that's made it amazing throughout it's existence. Magma Storm is great for trapping, Earth Power is to hit trapped Pex until they start running Shed Shell, Taunt to temporarily cripple mons like Clodsire switching in on a predicted Magma Storm, and I still needed a Rocks user, so I gave it to Heatran. For the tera type, I went with flying. It's an obvious choice, I know, but the ability to turn a 4x weakness into a resistance and making two of your three weaknesses a neutrality is too good to pass on. Now I had a great defensive core with every weakness of one of the defensive mons covered by at least one other, making me want to return to the offensive part of my team. After some thinking, I decided to make the next Mon
Sneasler. One of the most annoying mons to face just got even better. Not only does it have Dire Claw cheese, it has Poison Touch to amplify that without sacrificing Pressure or Unburden. Pressure is potentially huge as it can limit how much Corviknight can switch in on Sneasler's Close Combat, even if it also has Pressure to lower CC PP. Of course, though, even against something that completely walls it, Sneasler isn't hopeless as I gave it Choice Band+Switcheroo. A huge power boost with the ability to ruin bulky pokemon makes Sneasler the scariest mon on the team, even if Kleavor is the featured mon. Tera fighting ensures Close Combat will scare anything without an immunity or 4x resistance trying to switch in. So, this leaves one mon left and I haven't had any special attackers. And while Sneasler and Heatran are solid for steel types, I didn't have anything to hard hit water types, so I went with Magnezone. It still doesn't have Hidden Power as a possibility much like how it didn't have it last gen, but it also lost both Toxic and Teleport. However, terastalization does give it some nice coverage with Tera Blast fire or ground. I went with ground to annihilate Heatran switching in. Of course, Magnezone is often pretty slow, and it doesn't have any speed investment, so all of that goes into bulk instead for Magnezone to be even stronger with Analytic. No Flash Cannon can suck at times, but I felt it was worth it to cover both Gambit and Heatran as well as many water types with one mon
Scarf Kleavor
First off, after hearing the confirmation from Kris about the Stone Axe buff from both Sharpness and Sheer Force, knew I had to use Kleavor. Higher attack than Scizor with admittedly a much worse typing and worse bulk, but some amazing abilities and one situational one. After Sharpness+Sheer Force, Kleavor has a base 126 power Stone Axe rounded down. Kleavor's purpose is to get in and hit hard, but it can have trouble outspending a lot due to only base 85 speed, which is why it has Choice Scarf. Kleavor can repeatedly throw out huge hits with the aforementioned Stone Axe as well as the Sharpness boosted X-Scissor, buffed from 80 base power to 120, and Close Combat, as well as the momentum gaining U-Turn that can help chip you into Swarm range if you come in repeatedly on Rocks. This is even further amplified by its bug tera type making it's U-Turns and X-Scissors even more powerful. Of course, Kleavor has its weaknesses, the primary ones being susceptibility to other Scarf mons and really common weaknesses in rock and water as well as the less common (for coverage) steel. This leads us into
Hisuian Goodra. Wanted to take a classic Goodra set and see if instead of teaching an old dog new tricks, I could teach the new one old tricks. Resists all of the types Kleavor is weak to along with having other genuinely great resistances. With amazing special bulk, it doesn't need any investment to take special hits well, especially with Assault Vest, so I went max PhysDef to take advantage of many of the useful resistances steel type has being predominantly physical. This also let's H Goodra make better use of Gooey. Dual stabs are obvious and Flamethrower to hit steel types. Heatran still walls it after that, so I gave H Goodra Earthquake for non-Balloon Heatran. But with Goodra being weak to both fighting and ground and Kleavor not resisting those types, I thought I should have a mon to cover those types. Of course, tera type is a good way to do so, so I chose fairy to gain not only the fighting resistance, but amazing dragon and dark resistances too. Of course, tera won't change every weakness of a mon and can be inconsistent, bringing us to the next member
Zapdos may have received some big nerfs with the Roost PP cut in half and no more Defog or Toxic, but this doesn't mean Zapdos is bad at all. Pressure gets overlooked quite a lot, but is a solid ability that got even better this gen. Let's look at an example. Zapdos against Cover Cloak Gholdengo, so it can't be Discharge paralyzed. Zapdos can spam Heat Wave and Gholdy can only Recover four times instead of 8, leaving it much more limited to check Zapdos defensively. Of course, this is just one situation out of multiple, but I wanted to show how useful Pressure can be. Speed and nature are to outspeed max investment base 85s without a plus speed nature. Rest is physical bulk to take advantage of the contact moves it will be punishing with Static. Of course, had to spread status with more than just an ability, and that's where Discharge came in. Heat Wave is to hit Kingambit, Gholdy, and the occasional Treads, but Hurricane can also be ran to hit Lando T harder as well as demolishing Great Tusk. Even after all this, though, the team isn't complete. Steel tera seemed obvious for Zapdos to me due to the rock and ice weaknesses being turned into resistances and Zapdos resisting fighting and being immune to ground before tera. While Zapdos's rock weakness is covered by H Goodra, it's ice weakness isn't. For this, I brought in
Heatran. A tried and true since it's introduction, now even better due to having both abilities. The loss of Toxic hurt, but Heatran never needed it. Heatran always ran several sets without Toxic in each prior gen, never truly needing the move. Of course, this doesn't mean it isn't a big deal, but it's far from the end of the world. Not only does Heatran have an amazing defensive profile with several resistances and two immunities, it also has surprisingly great attacking power with the ever reliable bulk that's made it amazing throughout it's existence. Magma Storm is great for trapping, Earth Power is to hit trapped Pex until they start running Shed Shell, Taunt to temporarily cripple mons like Clodsire switching in on a predicted Magma Storm, and I still needed a Rocks user, so I gave it to Heatran. For the tera type, I went with flying. It's an obvious choice, I know, but the ability to turn a 4x weakness into a resistance and making two of your three weaknesses a neutrality is too good to pass on. Now I had a great defensive core with every weakness of one of the defensive mons covered by at least one other, making me want to return to the offensive part of my team. After some thinking, I decided to make the next Mon
Sneasler. One of the most annoying mons to face just got even better. Not only does it have Dire Claw cheese, it has Poison Touch to amplify that without sacrificing Pressure or Unburden. Pressure is potentially huge as it can limit how much Corviknight can switch in on Sneasler's Close Combat, even if it also has Pressure to lower CC PP. Of course, though, even against something that completely walls it, Sneasler isn't hopeless as I gave it Choice Band+Switcheroo. A huge power boost with the ability to ruin bulky pokemon makes Sneasler the scariest mon on the team, even if Kleavor is the featured mon. Tera fighting ensures Close Combat will scare anything without an immunity or 4x resistance trying to switch in. So, this leaves one mon left and I haven't had any special attackers. And while Sneasler and Heatran are solid for steel types, I didn't have anything to hard hit water types, so I went with Magnezone. It still doesn't have Hidden Power as a possibility much like how it didn't have it last gen, but it also lost both Toxic and Teleport. However, terastalization does give it some nice coverage with Tera Blast fire or ground. I went with ground to annihilate Heatran switching in. Of course, Magnezone is often pretty slow, and it doesn't have any speed investment, so all of that goes into bulk instead for Magnezone to be even stronger with Analytic. No Flash Cannon can suck at times, but I felt it was worth it to cover both Gambit and Heatran as well as many water types with one mon