With the usage of the new core mechanic consistently being optimized, I think now is a good time to provide some examples (not in any particular order or even necessarily the 10 best) of it taking effect in our metagame! Some of these examples may outline why Terastallization makes certain Pokemon problematic or why it may be problematic depending on how you view it, too.
Effective Examples of Terastallization in SV OU
Palafin-Hero @ Leftovers
Ability: Zero to Hero
Tera Type: Water or Steel
EVs: 236 HP / 252 Atk / 20 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Taunt
- Bulk Up
- Jet Punch
- Drain Punch
Palafin is perhaps the best Pokemon right now, and it is a major beneficiary of Terastallization. On the offensive end, many teams use Tera Water with it to bolster the strength of Jet Punch further; a double STAB priority Jet Punch off of 160 Atk with a Bulk Up boost or two is laughably strong to the point that it is very likely Palafin will be banned.
On the flip side, Tera Steel allows it to get around some would-be counters, which makes Palafin's whole presence even scarier. Take Grass types like Amoonguss, for example. In theory, it would counter the most common Palafin set, but if you Tera to a Steel type and Taunt to prevent status, then suddenly Palafin resists all incoming attacks and cannot be statused, rendering Amoonguss set-up fodder until Palafin is strong enough to break past it.
Iron Bundle @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Quark Drive
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Ice Beam
- Hydro Pump
- Freeze-Dry
- Taunt
Iron Bundle is another Pokemon currently on the tiering radar that benefits from a timely Terastallization; it is not as common a user as Palafin necessarily, but a timely STAB Water Tera can make it reach unreasonable levels of strength to the point that Blissey will be the only true answer to it (and even it is susceptible to Taunt, so it is only a true answer a couple of times if it is not allowed openings). Getting the extra boost on Hydro Pump makes it a nuclear option on Iron Bundle if it connects essentially. It also has defensive merit in that it no longer can get revenge killed easily by things like Mach Punch from Breloom while it also resists Bullet Punch from Scizor if it tries to pick off a weakened Iron Bundle.
Roaring Moon @ Booster Energy
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Flying
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature / Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Earthquake / Dragon Claw
- Crunch
- Acrobatics
Roaring Moon is one of the best examples of non-STAB Terastallization bolstering offensive and defensive prospects simultaneously. Roaring Moon initially began running Flying as its Tera type in order to resist Mach Punch and other Fighting moves, neutralize Fairy attacks to get away from a gnarly 4x weakness, and steal turns in the Great Tusk match-up. These are predominantly defensive attributes that you can see gained from a surprise change in typing as it is challenging to account for both Roaring Moon initially and Roaring Moon with a vastly different typing all in one. However, it soon morphed into much more as Booster Energy's consumption allowed for Acrobatics to be boosted by STAB, making Roaring Moon even more threatening offensively as well as it destroys many common Fairy and Fighting type Pokemon that do not suspect this.
Dragonite @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Multiscale
Tera Type: Normal / Steel / Fire
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake / Fire Punch
- Extreme Speed
Dragonite is the first old generation Pokemon we will discuss, and perhaps the offensively oriented Pokemon with the most viable Tera types. Let's break each down:
- Normal allows for boosted Extreme Speed to function at levels we have not seen since the days of Ekiller Arceus in Ubers while also giving you a sudden resist to Ghost from fast Pokemon like Dragapult and Scarf Gholdengo. It also grants neutrality to Fairy, Ice, and Dragon type attacks while the Fighting type weakness is hard to exploit initially as Dragonite resists it initially.
- Steel is the best defensive compliment as you turn many Fairy type Pokemon into set-up fodder and opposing Dragons suddenly have to rely on coverage to damage you. It lacks the offensive component of Normal or Fire, but in many match-ups it grants you a free turn or two upon being used if timed properly. Offensive teams in particular struggle to play around this as they are already flimsier into a Multiscale set-up sweeper with priority, so adding on a free turn can be very problematic.
- Fire is perhaps the least common of the three, but it allows for Dragonite to blow past a number of Steel types with Fire Punch while also resisting Fairy and Ice, which gives it a similar defensive profile to Steel in select match-ups.
Espathra @ Leftovers
Ability: Speed Boost
Tera Type: Fairy / Fight
EVs: 8 HP / 148 Def / 120 SpA / 232 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Protect / Substitute / Roost
- Stored Power
- Dazzling Gleam / Tera Blast
Espathra is a unique case because a lot of us pictured it to be a niche option and maybe more of a lower tier mainstay, especially given how fragile and free-turn reliant it could be, but it has developed into a nice OU win-condition thanks to Terastallization. Fairy is very common on it and it bolsters Dazzling Gleam's strength into would-be problematic Dark types while also flipping its defensive profile entirely -- suddenly it resists Sucker Punch, soaks up Dragon type attacks, and is not weak to Shadow Ball. Fighting functions similarly, but it is better off into things like Kingambit in exchange for the Dragon type match-up. Clear benefits are provided both offensively and defensively for Espartha via Tera.
Dragapult (F) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Infiltrator
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Shadow Ball
- Flamethrower
- U-turn
Dragapult is pretty straightforward as with Tera Ghost it does not change too much defensively; it just becomes much stronger with one of the most spammable moves in the game while being one of the fastest Pokemon in the game. Dragapult was quiet initially, but as soon as Flutter Mane was removed, it took over as one of the best Pokemon in the tier again and Specs Shadow Ball is awesome like it was last generation. Boosting that throughout games makes it very hard for offensive teams to contain it consistently.
Volcarona @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Flame Body
Tera Type: Grass
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Quiver Dance
- Fire Blast
- Bug Buzz
- Giga Drain
Volcarona has not been the most common Pokemon in the initial days of this generation, but it has a very clever niche with Tera Grass, especially in a Palafin and Iron Bundle infested metagame. It can go from being weak to Water type attacks such as a priority Jet Punch or a Hydro Punch from the two aforementioned Pokemon respectively to being resistant. It then gains STAB on Giga Drain, too, so it can quickly dispose of these Pokemon even without boosts.
Annihilape @ Chesto Berry / Leftovers
Ability: Defiant
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 156 SpD / 100 Spe
Careful Nature
- Drain Punch
- Rage Fist
- Rest / Taunt
- Bulk Up
Annihilape has swept the scene up recently, taking the metagame by storm with Rage Fist abuse. A timely Tera Water can help bolster it defensively a great deal with new resistances coupled with less weaknesses. It is very easy for Rage Fist to scale out of control due to this dynamic! Pair this with a timely Rest to increase the amount of hits it can tank or Taunt to force bulkier Pokemon to give set-up or attack it weakly to boost Rage Fist and you get a pretty awesome strategy, which is partially thanks to the presence of Tera Water defensively.
Chien-Pao @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Sword of Ruin
Tera Type: Fighting
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Swords Dance
- Sacred Sword
- Ice Spinner
Chien-Pao standalone is already quite strong thanks to Sword of Ruin dwarfing the defense of foes, but couple this with a potential Tera Fighting and you have a whole new ballgame. This grants you neutrality to otherwise surefire revenge killing options like Breloom Mach Punch and Scizor Bullet Punch for starters, but it also gives you STAB on Sacred Sword. It is pretty impossible to tackle STAB Dark+Ice+Fighting. Sacred Sword can suddenly muscle past Avalugg, Garganacl, Iron Treads, and others!
Slowking @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Surf
- Slack Off
- Chilly Reception
- Future Sight
As
ayevon alluded to
here and
here, Slowking is a very underrated defensive beneficiary of Tera Water. Despite it being a STAB already, losing the weakness to Ghost and Dark can go a long way against Gholdengo, Dragapult, Chi-Yu, and many other prominent special attackers while the extra boost to Surf's power cannot hurt either.
I hope this post gives everyone a sufficient outlook on how Tera can benefit Pokemon offensively and defensively (sometimes at the same time/in the same interactions). Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate, too.