I'm no expert, but to me the thing that separates chi-yu and chien-pao and makes one absolutely broken is that special attacks are so much harder to deal with than physical attacks.
Physical attacks have a huge variety of counters; intimidate stops it with a swap, burn permanently nerfs it, rocky helmet punishes it, physical attackers have always had checks.
Special attackers on the other hand have no checks other than a special wall. That's why every generation tends to lean on special attackers. It really needs some equivalent like a special attack intimate or importing the frost status from loa.
Chien-pao is a great attacker, but he's limited by poor bulk, so all cha really need is a good defensive Mon or a really fast revenge killer. While I hate the design choices for the ruin mechanics, having a physical attacker like chien-pao forces the metagame to be more dynamic, rather than just turning things into a special cold war. Chi-yu was just broken, having the best attacking stats, taking out special walls passively with no obvious instant weakness or counters.
Every generation has universal threats every type needs to plan for, but chien-pao feels like he can be planned for reasonably without taking away from the rest of the team. He adds a new element to planning, and helps enable HO, rather than being so broken every team is either abusing him or built only to stop him.
Physical attacks have a huge variety of counters; intimidate stops it with a swap, burn permanently nerfs it, rocky helmet punishes it, physical attackers have always had checks.
Special attackers on the other hand have no checks other than a special wall. That's why every generation tends to lean on special attackers. It really needs some equivalent like a special attack intimate or importing the frost status from loa.
Chien-pao is a great attacker, but he's limited by poor bulk, so all cha really need is a good defensive Mon or a really fast revenge killer. While I hate the design choices for the ruin mechanics, having a physical attacker like chien-pao forces the metagame to be more dynamic, rather than just turning things into a special cold war. Chi-yu was just broken, having the best attacking stats, taking out special walls passively with no obvious instant weakness or counters.
Every generation has universal threats every type needs to plan for, but chien-pao feels like he can be planned for reasonably without taking away from the rest of the team. He adds a new element to planning, and helps enable HO, rather than being so broken every team is either abusing him or built only to stop him.
: This shit is amazing, stab head smash and flare blitz without recoil is really strong. 90 speed is rly not bad, scarf cleans really easily and band wallbreaks like crazy.
: Uber
: Ice + Flying :|, this is not relevant
: I like this but it sucks, the best it can do is CM sweep which is not relevant on flying because g-moltres exists and outclassed by better CM sweepers
: Lower spdef does not matter cuz its spdef is already trash, it has really good defense and great attack. However, it will still suck because ice + rock is garbo typing
: SO outclassed
: PLEASE BAN LAST RESPECT RATHER THAN BAN BASCULEIGON AND HOUNDSTONE. Assuming it's last respect that's banned and this is legal I think it can be really amazing. Adaptability or swift swim are both amazing. Ghost will prob run adaptability and water will prob run swift swim. Under rain, this + floatzel + baraskewda just go brr. On ghost, water stab is quite nice, 120 hp allows it to tank some hits, quite nice
: why use this over male? this mon's special attack movepool is so much worse than physical
: esper wing + tinted lens I feel is much better than sheer force. You can run SF LO but 65 speed is trash. However, this thing is very strong and I can see psychic and flying both running it.
: lmao
: Uber
: Uber
: Why use this over diancie?
: We got breloom, we got Decidueye-H, we even got Liligant-H, why use this other than for BP ID shenanigans.
: I think it would be a decent CM sweeper, i'm not sure about this one, it's bulk is really good.
: Why run this over bramble ghast?
: It's decent, triple arrows is a great move, not going above B tier though on either types
: This is actually pretty good, np + fire move + psychic move + fblast is pretty nice.
: Uber
: Uber
: Best stealth rocker on both fairy and rock. Diamond storm sweeper with BP is also quite nice. For rock though, even if diancie is best SR user, diamond storm would be the best niche as kleavor's presence makes setting up rocks manually not too worth it
: Just use iron treads.
: I actually think this is going to be great. Grass + electric is good combo and helps grass deal with flying and helps electric deal with ground better. However, considering clodsire walls this, I don't think it's going to be mandatory. Still, great addition
: Contrary+superpower is nice but I feel like CM+cute charm is going to be better though. Still this is S or A tier mon regardless, especially with springtide storm
: I think incarnate form is better, but the access to healing wish, overcoat, sprintide storm, etc is decent. If incarnate gets banned, we may run it but I don't think it's likely. 46 spe pokemon with no reliable recovery outside rest is bad
: Uber
: Uber
: Uber
: Could be decent on ice. Snow boosting defense means the WP agility set could work.
: This is a god sent to both dragon and steel. Steel traditionally lacked switchins to fire outside heatran which is extremely vulnerable any ground move and dragon lacks the switchin to fairy and dragon moves. This thing packs 150 spdef, 80 hp and 100 defense which is amazing for both types. On steel it gives it access to a great special attacker with a good movepool which steel lacked(tran and aegis are good but movepool is not enough to help steel) helps a lot. ice beam, surf, hydro pump, all are moves steel need. On dragon, this shit is basically mandatory. However, what holds this thing back is the lack of recovery outside life dew and rest both of which are trash.
: Uber
: |Corvi: welcome back old friend, we were waiting for ya.| Steel again, against all odds, completed the immunity core. Even with aegis gone, we got gholdengo and somehow, one of the steel birbs survived. Defo a great return. As for fire, steel typing is amazing, but I think fire needs to be offensive and with the lack of eruption, it's gonna be hard.
: Just use unbound
: Why does dark get another stupid ass great pokemon. This is legit not fair. Anyways, this thing is amazing, 160 170 offenses with 80 speed makes this the most absurd wall breaker. However, it might get banned.
: Uh why use this? water has so many better options.
: SR in a move boosted by sharpness, POG!!! This thing solves basically every problem bug have. Bug is weak to fire and flying, problems which kleavor basically solves. Even if corvi and lando switchs on this, kleavor is making sure rocks are up. As for rock, I think kleavor is just going to lead and spam stone axe to ensure rocks are up
: Uber
: SR+LO has like little switch, especially with sandsear storm, I advise a quickban
: |Corvi(this time on flying): My fren, where have you been!!! :D| This is landorus-T, I don't think I need to explain why landorus-T is good on both flying and ground.
: Victory dance sweeper is quite nice. You have ice spinner for lando and other flying types. However, not being to hit gholdengo at all is a huge nerf as both fighting and grass have problems with that pokemon.
: I want to use it, but I know it will get banned legit on gay 1.
: This is indeedee but with better stat spread but with serene grace instead of psychic surge. I would argue that both fill different niches and are extremely good on psychic. This is also much more useful on normal than indeedee.
: This is worse azelf/uxie, both of which are trash
: Psychic is really gonna need this thing's movepool. S or A tier, no questions asked.
: Uber
: Flame body is nice, but I feel like it's gonna compete for a team slot with a lot of good pokemon. Idk on this one.
: Double dance goltres is back baby WOOO!!! Honestly, considering how banworthy this thing was towards late SS meta, i think it is staying in S tier. Also dark gets another broken pokemon, I hate this.
: BRO, why does dark get all this attention. Not only is this a decently sturdy flutter mane check, it also absorbs t-spikes, it has knock off, toxic, disable, etc. On Poison, it provides the immensely useful psychic immunity. Honestly, how the f is psychic going to win the poison mu is this and the next pokemon exists.
: Great, another busted dark type. This can run sd or just set up tspikes and spikes, however, I feel this and muk might be competing for a slot. On poison, I mean, psychic is not gonna like this.
: Uber
: Uber
: dark has too many good options over this
: pincurchin+alola-rai is like discount koko-rai. However, un electric terrain, this is still amazing. S or A tier for sure. As for psychic, idt it's gonna run this.
: Uber
: Without tera type, this thing is still gonna be mid.
: Without tera type, this is not going to be the best thing we see in OU. However, it's also very valuable for electric and basically forces every non resist/immune type to run ground types.
: BRO WTF, this shit lost grassy glide, high horsepower, superpower. Great, now it has to rely on eq or drain punch/brick break to hit stuff heatran, the former doing half damage because of terrain. The latter being explotable because of steel and fire's access to ghost types. I know this is bad example but still, this is so sad. However, I think grass is still gonna run this. It's so much more reliable than seed sower arboliva.
: The only notable is that it has aqua jet, knock off, and swords dance which is not notable. It didn't even get sharpness WTF. Yeah don't use this
: Bro, another broken dark type, "depressed yeah". Spikes on a sharpness boosted move, knock off, swords dance, aqua jet, succer punch, xscizor, aqua cutter. I mean it's quite nice. However I think that this is going to do is just run a scarf/band set and spam ceaseless edge untill there are 3 layers of spikes and every attempt to remove it is countered but more layers being up.
: Man, both poison and psychic have better stuff. Especially its brother.
: AV glowking, S/A tier. Period.
: This thing has the most broken signature move ever, 80 base power, and has a WOPPING 50% TO STATUS OPPONENT(with sleep/para/poison). This is basically effect spore inflicted onto your opponent with 50% chance. Not really fair. This thing also has switcheroo to run choice sets, sd+unburden coupled with 120 speed 130 attack. To give you guys an idea, with 160 spe evs, no boosting nature, this thing outspeeds scarf dragapult with spe boosting nature. With 212 spe, you outspeed base 100s without the unburden boost. I leegit have now words. This thing is mandatory on both poison and fighting.
: Fast ghost type. I mean this is just flutter mane with, worse coverage and slightly worse speed but with special moxie, higher spa, and more bulk. I'd say this is going to be a staple. Not broken but pretty good.
: Sheer for sets are nice, normal is gonna like this thing but normal is still gonna remain trash.
: Prankster actually hurts with the abundance of dark types. If you run physical with defiant, you no longer have knock off, so I feel like running incarnate is better.
: to Wildbolt storm or to thunderbolt, that is the question. Anyways, this is great mon on flying but outclassed on another pokemon on electric.
: Like thunderus incarnate, run therian other this.
: It lost knock off but gained bleakwind storm, overall a nerf but still a great pokemon
: scarf eruption is its only niche, a decent one but not spectacular.
: ghost type scald is hex nice, especially since the same move is also hex and it helps enable hex psam on ghost. Overall, this is an A-tier mon in ghost and a better regular typlosion on fire because the extra spa and ghost type is better than the extra 5 spe.
: I genuinely think this needs to get banned. This is melm but with 2 stabs. Although flame orb does decrease its longevity, this thing's bulk and attack stat are way too high. Facade+headlong rush has like virtually no switch. If you aren't immune of resistant to this thing's attack, then you'r gonna get 2hko or mostly ohko. In fact, here is a list of pokemon that resists, its stabs: brambleghast, corviknight, decidueye, driftblim, and oricorio sensu. The first 3 get shat on by fire punch, the latter get wrecked by crunch. To show you how insane this thing is:
: Why in the world did these 2 get swords dance. Punching glove + SD + wicked blow = ban
: Punching glove + SD + rain + surging strikes = ban
: Bro, a bulky, no recovery psychic type with the only distinct thing being levitate and yawn. terrible.
: The only user of scald in the entire game, but seriously, why use scald when steam eruption exists. Water absorb paired with good spa and movepool makes this a great pokemon
: intimidate is great, 65 spe is not. I can you running a trailblaze psyshield bash set but even that is not more valuable over stuff like indeedee and meloetta.
: Uber
: Uber
: Here me out, this is not broken. First both forms got nerfed, second, the ability got nerfed. Yes ID + high speed + BP + dauntless shield is scary, but there are ways to play around it. I understand this outspeed flutter mane but I feel like fighting really needs it.
: Ok, I also don't want to see this banned, but with how steel got access to tran and how fighting got access to sneasler I feel like this could be a bid much. High speed, high bulk, and the fighting steel typing is pretty darn good however I believe counter play exists.
: Electric absolutely need this this. Electross and oricorio wasn't close to enough. Sadly, it lost defog and roost is only 8 pp, but it's still quite nice.
: This is back, sry flamigo and hawlucha, yall no longer are worth while on both fighting and flying.
: Why run this when meowscarada exists lol
: This is a god send to both ghost and normal. Illusion is omega predictable, however here is the thing, you don't need them to predict the illusion. You just need to abuse your ghost normal typing. For the longest type, the best answer normal had for fighting moves was either something like fluffy, or flying/psychic types, all pokemon belonging to those types are physicall frail which didn't help. Second, ghost had no way to switch into ghost type moves outside of dark types which spiritomb has no recovery and sableye is frail af. This thing is basically mandatory on both ghost and normal. Frailness hurts but common, 3 immunities with only a single weakness is really good.
(?)
I love the new catgon, he helps so much for Dragon teams as he provides a good Chien Pao answer with a Choice Scarf set. Its also notable that he outspeeds most Dragons (only RM and Dragapult outspeed w/scarf), and has not so bad bulk [it lives Scarf Meow's Play Rough for instance, but you're better off preserving health to deal with the stinky weasel]. For Water teams, you can use Protosynthesis: Spe with a spread such as 8 HP / 4 Def / 244 SpA / 252 Spe, allowing you to use a Choice Specs set with Hydro Steam (which is great for cteaming Specs Scovillain). The only downside of this is that its kinda hard to fit for Water teams (currently Peli/Swift Swim/Gastro or Quag/Pex/Quack/Gren or Dozo/Gren/Pex/Azu or Tatsu/Quack/Gastro or Quag). The only downside of this is that it...oddly only knows Flamethrower and not Fire Blast, lacks Calm Mind (which would've made it borderline bonkers), and has ...quite a movepool.
Is a decent asset for Psychic teams, sporting passable Speed and good offenses/coverage to use a Choice Scarf or Swords Dance set, but the moves it wants are kinda...a lot. Lots of coverage in Wild Charge, Close Combat, and Night Slash which lets it deal with Steels like Corviknight, Iron Treads, and Gholdengo, with Psyblade letting it cause pain for Ground / Water teams too. Trailblaze is funny if you can have space for it in Swords Dance sets, but as it is its a struggle to choose which 4 moves you want to use. Haven't tried it for Grass teams though...
