I haven't tried tagging a programmer yet about the Steel Beam double KO situation. I'd better come back here with the results!
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Metagame The Loser's Game
- Thread starter Lectrys
- Start date
SB Spam
https://pokepast.es/259d2a46231cafe3
Steel Beam spam is, as you would imagine, still one of the prevailing strategies in TLG. Steel Beam simply is too efficient and hard to disrupt than any other strategy. This team offers two fast Steel Beam + Imprison users for the mirror, Alolan Sandshrew for a weak Steel Beam, and Pawniard as a safe switch-in for Prankster Pokemon while still offering efficiency in its own Steel Beam use. Maushold is an honorary Steel Beam user thanks to its access to Copycat, although its main purpose is to use Tidy Up in the Court Change MU. Court Change is the only strategy faster than spamming Steel Beam, so checks like Maushold are a necessity. Maushold is far from something like Defog Noivern, though, so a fast Taunt user like Calyrex-Shadow is imperative to pair with it. I like this Taunt-Encore-Curse set here for Calyrex-Shadow instead of the normal Heal Pulse + Imprison because it keeps the momentum up while still offering good disruptive support. Calyrex-Shadow stops Court Change and has a quick KO for itself with Curse.
Standard
https://pokepast.es/9e07d4716112538c
Just the best mons all together. It wins. The weakpoint is clearly Noivern but as long as you play it smart, it can pickup the pace with Switcheroo into Black Sludge. Otherwise, it's there as a counter to Court Change and Knock Off, and there really isn't a Substitute by itself.
my vr. I don't think there's a reason to use anything below A- rank, so maybe you could split the A rank into A-B-C or whatever. I'll edit importable sets and descriptions as I go. Lectrys I think you did a good job but these sets have too many slashes and you also list a lot of stuff thats too unviable. Also some importables aren't optimized with IVs.
S tier:
No reason not to use this mon on virtually every team besides Court Change. Let's see why with the following:
+Weakest Steel Beam in the metagame: This is an insane benefit given that the best counter to Steel Beam is using a sack, so when even Impidimp only takes about 70% on the switch-in, it's at best a net neutral for the opponent instead of an opportunity to get ahead. Spamming Steel Beam versus Imprison + Heal Pulse users is also usually a net neutral, so there's practically no stopping the Alolan Sandshrew users from getting ahead.
+It itself is a Steel Beam switch-in: Let's not forget that thanks to its Ice typing and super low special bulk, Alolan Sandshrew can also add value to the team as a Steel Beam sack. No reason not to switch it in versus most Steel Beam users, including itself. Between its opportunity to be efficient in its own set while also being a check to most other Steel Beam users, how could you not use this?
+Item removal: With Knock Off, Alolan Sandshrew can check its best switch-in, Impidimp, by removing its Black Sludge or Toxic Orb. Impidimp is reliant on its item for a self KO, so it is certainly not a safe switch-in to Alolan Sandshrew if it is either running Black Sludge (the superior set for most teams) or if it has not had a chance to safely set up Toxic Orb's poison.
-Slow: Being on the slower side means that it is vulnerable to item removal, Heal Pulse, Encore, and trapping effects. Regardless, Alolan Sandshrew is so weak and efficient that it usually won't matter outside of the likes of combining multiple of these strategies; item removal with Heal Pulse would be the worst case scenario, but even then Alolan Sandshrew can KO itself after the Heal Pulse user is gone.
Probably should be banned again, please.
The fastest Imprison + Steel Beam user is certainly invaluable, but what I think has gone unsaid is just how safe Klefki is. With Prankster and a Speed faster than other Prankster Pokemon like Impidimp and Sableye, it's hard to stop Klefki from setting up Substitute and following with Steel Beam or Imprison. A slower Encore could be annoying, but at the very least Klefki is still behind a Substitute.
+
A+:
A:
Comfey is legit competition to Calyrex-Shadow thanks to Triage + Floral Healing and by taking more to Steel Beam. The issue is that it isn't fast outside of Floral Healing, which is both a security issue with its item removal weakness and an opportunity cost with Calyrex-Shadow's high Speed. Of course you can run both together, and I don't think that's an issue whatsoever, but not all teams will want to run both, and it almost becomes a sub strategy in and of itself. Comfey has a lot up its sleeve besides just Taunt + Encore, as Knock Off and Tailwind both have their uses, and even Protect on Toxic Orb is great. It's a shame its special bulk is so high, as its use as a Steel Beam sack is somewhat neutered / limited.
A-:
Gardevoir has a combination of multiple factors that can make it a good partner to Calyrex-Shadow, but not a replacement. It's faster than Klefki and it OHKOed by its Steel Beam, and its movepool allows it to potentially outstall slower Steel-types. The strategy is to Trick Toxic Orb over, set up Imprison to block Substitute, then spam Heal Pulse to prevent Steel Beam HP loss. This setup is not the most likely, but it can make the difference late-game, especially versus Steel Beam spam. At worst, Gardevoir can at least be a Knock Off absorber and potentially Trick Toxic Orb and steal Black Sludge from an appointment. This set also frees up Calyrex-Shadow to run sets that lack Heal Pulse, like Curse and Trick sets.
Murkrow
Arceus offers a lot of different niches that make it a jack of all trades. As a fast Steel Beam + Imprison user, it can have more utility than Zacian thanks to its access to Taunt, but it comes at the cost of being extra strong and significantly slower than Zacian. At least Cinderace is slower than Arceaus, which means that teams can rely on it as an extra Taunt to check Court Change teams if needed. Conversely, on Court Change teams, Arceus may function as an auxiliary Stealth Rock setter that can quickly KO itself with Steel Beam to then let Cinderace into Court Change. Due to its high Special Attack, this strategy can be a daunting gamble against prepared teams, which may also use faster Taunt users against Arceaus to prevent this interaction altogether. Arceas also works as a Perish Song user that could potentially be better than Scream Tail thanks to its access to Taunt, but having to run Mental Herb instead of the Booster Energy speed boost is a compromise. Another Trick set could be to pair Trick + Pecha Berry with Steel Beam, although the potency of this set largely comes from the surprise factor that Arceaus is able to pull off multiple different roles.
Tinkatink is probably the last Steel Beam user that I would consider worthwhile amongst the remainder. Like Alolan Sandshrew, it can take good damage from opposing Steel Beam users, adding to its use as more than just a weak Steel Beam pick. One idea is to use Tinkatink like a second Alolan Sandshrew, as it essentially functions the same even if it isn't as good. Another idea is to use its access to both Pickpocket and Thief to try and steal Black Sludge. With Taunt support, Tinkatink could come into Struggle, take great damage, and even passively steal the opponents item; a dangerous surprise. This strategy is likely hard to pull off, though, but Thief could be a decent option over Knock Off on this set, and the risk of not running Black Sludge is mitigated by Tinkatink's Steel Beam and frailty.
Chien-Pao should usually only be ran on Court Change teams as a Prankster check that offers a fast Taunt while being weak to both Stealth Rock and Steal Beam. Generally, it's better than Weavile due to its faster speed and access to marginally better utility moves, although the stronger Struggle damage is a small nerf. Being a Dark-type with a Taunt faster than Cinderace offers a lot of utility on most teams, but the item reliance and lack of good utility outside of Taunt means that Chien-Pao should rarely be seen outside of providing a Prankster switch-in for Court Change teams. It can either use Mean Look by itself as a means to potentially trap targets with Taunt and follow up the predictable Struggle damage to a designated teammate, or it can forgo Protect to combo Mean Look with Scary Face, which may help teams get Cinderace in on a faster Taunt user to secure the Court Change.
Scream Tail can pull off its Booster Energy + Protosynthesis thanks to its access to Perish Song + Trick. This means that Scream Tail will be by far the fastest Pokemon in the metagame with the Speed boost, and it can combo that into Trick to steal a crucial Black Sludge or Toxic Orb on any dependent target. This strategy offers a decent safety net in the fact that Scream Tail can always KO itself with Perish Song and then Roar out any foe so it doesn't take an opponent down with it. From there, Encore may help punish more efficient foes trying to gain a leg during the Perish Song turns. Ultimately, this strategy is still a big risk due to the inefficiency, even if Scream Tail has a reliable out for itself.
Hatenna is generally worse than Espeon, and teams likely won't have room for both. You would use Hatenna if you needed more fodder on your team, which isn't likely, and the cost comes at being much more vulnerable to item removal given Hatenna cannot Tera Ghost + Curse to KO itself if it loses its item. That's why I believe the primary set should be Toxic Orb + Trick, which at best could potentially pull off an Imprison "sweep" by spamming Heal Pulse. Surely, this is easier said than done. A more efficient set would be to run Black Sludge + Baton Pass, but that exasperates the item removal issue.
https://pokepast.es/259d2a46231cafe3
Steel Beam spam is, as you would imagine, still one of the prevailing strategies in TLG. Steel Beam simply is too efficient and hard to disrupt than any other strategy. This team offers two fast Steel Beam + Imprison users for the mirror, Alolan Sandshrew for a weak Steel Beam, and Pawniard as a safe switch-in for Prankster Pokemon while still offering efficiency in its own Steel Beam use. Maushold is an honorary Steel Beam user thanks to its access to Copycat, although its main purpose is to use Tidy Up in the Court Change MU. Court Change is the only strategy faster than spamming Steel Beam, so checks like Maushold are a necessity. Maushold is far from something like Defog Noivern, though, so a fast Taunt user like Calyrex-Shadow is imperative to pair with it. I like this Taunt-Encore-Curse set here for Calyrex-Shadow instead of the normal Heal Pulse + Imprison because it keeps the momentum up while still offering good disruptive support. Calyrex-Shadow stops Court Change and has a quick KO for itself with Curse.
Standard
https://pokepast.es/9e07d4716112538c
Just the best mons all together. It wins. The weakpoint is clearly Noivern but as long as you play it smart, it can pickup the pace with Switcheroo into Black Sludge. Otherwise, it's there as a counter to Court Change and Knock Off, and there really isn't a Substitute by itself.
my vr. I don't think there's a reason to use anything below A- rank, so maybe you could split the A rank into A-B-C or whatever. I'll edit importable sets and descriptions as I go. Lectrys I think you did a good job but these sets have too many slashes and you also list a lot of stuff thats too unviable. Also some importables aren't optimized with IVs.
S tier:
No reason not to use this mon on virtually every team besides Court Change. Let's see why with the following:+Weakest Steel Beam in the metagame: This is an insane benefit given that the best counter to Steel Beam is using a sack, so when even Impidimp only takes about 70% on the switch-in, it's at best a net neutral for the opponent instead of an opportunity to get ahead. Spamming Steel Beam versus Imprison + Heal Pulse users is also usually a net neutral, so there's practically no stopping the Alolan Sandshrew users from getting ahead.
+It itself is a Steel Beam switch-in: Let's not forget that thanks to its Ice typing and super low special bulk, Alolan Sandshrew can also add value to the team as a Steel Beam sack. No reason not to switch it in versus most Steel Beam users, including itself. Between its opportunity to be efficient in its own set while also being a check to most other Steel Beam users, how could you not use this?
+Item removal: With Knock Off, Alolan Sandshrew can check its best switch-in, Impidimp, by removing its Black Sludge or Toxic Orb. Impidimp is reliant on its item for a self KO, so it is certainly not a safe switch-in to Alolan Sandshrew if it is either running Black Sludge (the superior set for most teams) or if it has not had a chance to safely set up Toxic Orb's poison.
-Slow: Being on the slower side means that it is vulnerable to item removal, Heal Pulse, Encore, and trapping effects. Regardless, Alolan Sandshrew is so weak and efficient that it usually won't matter outside of the likes of combining multiple of these strategies; item removal with Heal Pulse would be the worst case scenario, but even then Alolan Sandshrew can KO itself after the Heal Pulse user is gone.
Probably should be banned again, please.
The fastest Imprison + Steel Beam user is certainly invaluable, but what I think has gone unsaid is just how safe Klefki is. With Prankster and a Speed faster than other Prankster Pokemon like Impidimp and Sableye, it's hard to stop Klefki from setting up Substitute and following with Steel Beam or Imprison. A slower Encore could be annoying, but at the very least Klefki is still behind a Substitute.+
A+:
A:
Comfey is legit competition to Calyrex-Shadow thanks to Triage + Floral Healing and by taking more to Steel Beam. The issue is that it isn't fast outside of Floral Healing, which is both a security issue with its item removal weakness and an opportunity cost with Calyrex-Shadow's high Speed. Of course you can run both together, and I don't think that's an issue whatsoever, but not all teams will want to run both, and it almost becomes a sub strategy in and of itself. Comfey has a lot up its sleeve besides just Taunt + Encore, as Knock Off and Tailwind both have their uses, and even Protect on Toxic Orb is great. It's a shame its special bulk is so high, as its use as a Steel Beam sack is somewhat neutered / limited.A-:
Gardevoir has a combination of multiple factors that can make it a good partner to Calyrex-Shadow, but not a replacement. It's faster than Klefki and it OHKOed by its Steel Beam, and its movepool allows it to potentially outstall slower Steel-types. The strategy is to Trick Toxic Orb over, set up Imprison to block Substitute, then spam Heal Pulse to prevent Steel Beam HP loss. This setup is not the most likely, but it can make the difference late-game, especially versus Steel Beam spam. At worst, Gardevoir can at least be a Knock Off absorber and potentially Trick Toxic Orb and steal Black Sludge from an appointment. This set also frees up Calyrex-Shadow to run sets that lack Heal Pulse, like Curse and Trick sets. MurkrowArceus offers a lot of different niches that make it a jack of all trades. As a fast Steel Beam + Imprison user, it can have more utility than Zacian thanks to its access to Taunt, but it comes at the cost of being extra strong and significantly slower than Zacian. At least Cinderace is slower than Arceaus, which means that teams can rely on it as an extra Taunt to check Court Change teams if needed. Conversely, on Court Change teams, Arceus may function as an auxiliary Stealth Rock setter that can quickly KO itself with Steel Beam to then let Cinderace into Court Change. Due to its high Special Attack, this strategy can be a daunting gamble against prepared teams, which may also use faster Taunt users against Arceaus to prevent this interaction altogether. Arceas also works as a Perish Song user that could potentially be better than Scream Tail thanks to its access to Taunt, but having to run Mental Herb instead of the Booster Energy speed boost is a compromise. Another Trick set could be to pair Trick + Pecha Berry with Steel Beam, although the potency of this set largely comes from the surprise factor that Arceaus is able to pull off multiple different roles.Tinkatink is probably the last Steel Beam user that I would consider worthwhile amongst the remainder. Like Alolan Sandshrew, it can take good damage from opposing Steel Beam users, adding to its use as more than just a weak Steel Beam pick. One idea is to use Tinkatink like a second Alolan Sandshrew, as it essentially functions the same even if it isn't as good. Another idea is to use its access to both Pickpocket and Thief to try and steal Black Sludge. With Taunt support, Tinkatink could come into Struggle, take great damage, and even passively steal the opponents item; a dangerous surprise. This strategy is likely hard to pull off, though, but Thief could be a decent option over Knock Off on this set, and the risk of not running Black Sludge is mitigated by Tinkatink's Steel Beam and frailty. Chien-Pao should usually only be ran on Court Change teams as a Prankster check that offers a fast Taunt while being weak to both Stealth Rock and Steal Beam. Generally, it's better than Weavile due to its faster speed and access to marginally better utility moves, although the stronger Struggle damage is a small nerf. Being a Dark-type with a Taunt faster than Cinderace offers a lot of utility on most teams, but the item reliance and lack of good utility outside of Taunt means that Chien-Pao should rarely be seen outside of providing a Prankster switch-in for Court Change teams. It can either use Mean Look by itself as a means to potentially trap targets with Taunt and follow up the predictable Struggle damage to a designated teammate, or it can forgo Protect to combo Mean Look with Scary Face, which may help teams get Cinderace in on a faster Taunt user to secure the Court Change. Scream Tail can pull off its Booster Energy + Protosynthesis thanks to its access to Perish Song + Trick. This means that Scream Tail will be by far the fastest Pokemon in the metagame with the Speed boost, and it can combo that into Trick to steal a crucial Black Sludge or Toxic Orb on any dependent target. This strategy offers a decent safety net in the fact that Scream Tail can always KO itself with Perish Song and then Roar out any foe so it doesn't take an opponent down with it. From there, Encore may help punish more efficient foes trying to gain a leg during the Perish Song turns. Ultimately, this strategy is still a big risk due to the inefficiency, even if Scream Tail has a reliable out for itself. Hatenna is generally worse than Espeon, and teams likely won't have room for both. You would use Hatenna if you needed more fodder on your team, which isn't likely, and the cost comes at being much more vulnerable to item removal given Hatenna cannot Tera Ghost + Curse to KO itself if it loses its item. That's why I believe the primary set should be Toxic Orb + Trick, which at best could potentially pull off an Imprison "sweep" by spamming Heal Pulse. Surely, this is easier said than done. A more efficient set would be to run Black Sludge + Baton Pass, but that exasperates the item removal issue.These are part of my personal VR right now (beware: it probably doesn't precisely match anyone else's):
S:
Smeargle simply does it all. Hazard removal, hazard setting, Court Change, disruption, item manipulation, Trick/Switcheroo/Knock Off absorbing, great switch-in, opponent healing, Perish Passing, and more...and what makes it all possible is Smeargle's Steel Beam being so weak that it fails to OHKO anything, enabling it to run Mental Herb and do its job through opposing disruption. Smeargle is immensely splashable and fits on every team archetype. Smeargle successfully adapts to the metagame; the metagame never successfully adapts to Smeargle. Moody randomly makes Smeargle even better, to the point where it can outspeed Deoxys-S after a single turn. Pretty much Smeargle's only weakness is its mediocre base Speed, meaning that it is often stuck between Mental Herb to do its job through the myriad faster Taunt users and a self-injuring item to reliably win the 1-vs.-1 against bulkier opposing healers. Smeargle is also stuck in an arms race with Gholdengo, with bulkier Smeargle able to tank exactly one regular-strength Gholdengo Steel Beam and do its job, while Gholdengo can opt for even more Special Attack in order to OHKO bulky Smeargle (and other hazard removers such as bulkier Maushold). Regular-bulk Smeargle is desirable in many match-ups to be OHKOed by Arceus Steel Beam, though.
S-:
Gholdengo switches into nearly the entire meta, with its sole ability Good as Gold blocking all sorts of moves. With Steel Beam, it is practically guaranteed to OHKO only one other mon at most while self-2HKOing. Gholdengo is the best Trick/Switcheroo blocker in the entire meta, and it is at its most format-warping when blocking Defog and Ghost Curse. Imprison-Steel Beam is perhaps the most reliable way to check Gholdengo, while its shameful ownership of the strongest viable Steel Beam in the entire meta makes it perform worse than you might think in some endgames. Gholdengo is also a mediocre Knock Off absorber - the move often forces it to use its deadly Steel Beam.
Sandshrew-A's main claim to viability fame is its proud ownership of the weakest Steel Beam in the entire meta, failing to OHKO anything. This makes it very easy to self-KO while KOing at most one and often zero opposing mons. A corollary of this is that Sandshrew-A is a great Trick/Switcheroo/Knock Off absorber. Sandshrew-A also has access to Knock Off to disrupt some of its few would-be checks, such as Imprison-Steel Beam users, and turn the tables on them. Sandshrew-A even manages to be viable Steel Beam fodder against Pokemon such as Zamazenta! Only Sandshrew-A's slow base Speed, lack of utility, and competition with Smeargle make it fail to fit on some teams.
Espeon is the best use of the dedicated Tera slot - Magic Bounce is great on its own; Tera Ghost Curse pushes it to very high levels by enabling the self-2HKO and letting it absorb Trick, Switcheroo, and Knock Off more easily. Espeon also provides great utility, with Baton Pass making it a great pivot, Roar pushing out Cursed opposing mons and more, Imprison disrupting some opponents, and Thunder Wave providing valuable speed control. Espeon is also the best Trick Room user in the entire meta, being nearly impossible to disrupt and a decent slow pivot post-Trick Room. Like all other Magic Bouncers, Espeon can be a liability against Stealth Rock users. Espeon also has distinct trouble with Gholdengo, the golden ghost blocking Ghost Curse, Roar, and the rarer Trick.
At 150 base Speed, Calyrex-S has crushingly good match-ups against most of the meta. If Taunt-Heal Pulse doesn't get them, perhaps Imprison-Pain Split, Encore, Trick, or especially Ghost Curse (which lets it self-2HKO and absorb Knock Off decently well) will. Calyrex-S has some trouble with Pranksters, with Tera Dark granting protection from them but cutting off Ghost Curse. Calyrex-S also has great trouble with Gholdengo, with Imprison and Grassy Terrain among its better ways to slow the gold ghost down.
Speed tying with Calyrex-S and with access to Chloroblast, Electrode-H is hard to sway from its self-2HKOing post. Taunt and Thunder Wave give it crucial additional utility, especially against Court Change teams. Chloroblast can OHKO uncomfortably many opposing Pokemon, though.
Deoxys-S is the fastest non-Prankster Taunt user in the entire meta, and its expansive movepool also includes Trick, Imprison, Knock Off, Pain Split, Teleport, and Thunder Wave. On a Court Change team, Tera Dark Stealth Rock Deoxys-S has no good anti-leads and no good switch-ins - its best switch-in under regular circumstances, Gholdengo, lets Stealth Rock go up for free, while Prankster leads are at real risk of being Tera Dark-ed on. Deoxys-S's main flaw is its inability to self-KO without a self-injuring item, making it more vulnerable to Trick and Switcheroo.
A+:
Thanks to Terastallization letting any one Pokemon become a Dark-type, Pranksters have dropped in performance compared to Gen 8, and it shows. Despite being ranked among the best Steel Beam fodder in the meta and being the proud owner of a mean Prankster Taunt and Trick, Impidimp's actions are more constrained than ever, its unprotected Taunt being punished by daring Trick/Switcheroo users who Tera Dark at the worst possible moment. Impidimp is no longer a sure bet against the nasty trappers of the Goth line as long as they can Tera Dark and turn the tables. Impidimp keeps some edges over its fellow Pranksters, being a safe switch-in into opposing Pranksters thanks to its Dark type and having Parting Shot to force out Magic Bouncers.
Arceus is incredibly versatile for a Steel Beam user. He outspeeds Cinderace and Taunts it, sets Stealth Rock Himself, competently uses Imprison-Steel Beam, Roars out opposing Imprison-Steel Beam users, and manipulates Himself and others with Trick, Perish Song, Tailwind, and more. Arceus's Steel Beam is rather strong, though, notably OHKOing Sandshrew-A and some Gothita, among others. But Arceus is nice additional insurance against Court Change teams. Among Imprison-Steel Beam users, Arceus can notably also Imprison Taunt (off Pawniard, Nosepass, etc.) and Roar (mainly off Zamazenta, which He does fail to outspeed), granting Him extra security. Tera Ghost Stealth Rock Arceus notably prevents Tidy Up-Rapid Spin Smeargle from removing hazards after burning through its Mental Herb.
Thanks to Prankster, Klefki is the fastest Imprison-Steel Beam user. It is notably the best Imprison-Steel Beam user at dealing with Gholdengo, as it still Imprisons first while paralyzed by Gholdengo's Thunder Wave. It is quite easily for Klefki to self-2HKO while KOing only one other mon at most. Thunder Wave, Switcheroo, and Trick Room provide extra, sometimes welcome utility. Shame that Klefki doesn't learn Taunt or Encore to protect its self-2HKO further.
A:
Talonflame is a great weapon for and enemy of Court Change teams, being both the fastest Defogger and the fastest 4x Stealth Rock-weak Pokemon. Its use of Taunt prevents slower Defoggers and Tidy Up users from removing hazards. Tailwind can help prepare a Court Change turn. Talonflame's biggest flaw as a Defogger is its resistance to Steel Beam. Sadly, Talonflame cannot Defog through Gholdengo alone and needs to partner with a different hazard remover in order to get a chance to remove hazards this way.
Thanks to its relatively weak Steel Beam, Pawniard is among the best Dark-types in the meta. Taunt lets it disrupt most Imprison-Steel Beam users (except Arceus). Pawniard is also a Prankster-immune Stealth Rock user that keeps up Court Change teams' fast tempo.
With Imprison as well as Taunt, Encore, and Trick, Sableye is the Prankster that can disrupt opposing Pranksters, especially Dark-types. Pain Split and some investment in HP even let Sableye trade with Sandshrew-A! Sableye is fortunate enough to have a base typing that lets it dodge both Pranksters and trappers. Sableye's increased bulk hurts it compared to other Pranksters, though.
Nosepass traps and Taunts many Steel Beam users, forcing trades with them or even successfully checking some of them. It does particularly well against Klefki. Nosepass is a competent Steel Beam user itself. Nosepass cannot fully deal with some of the best Steel Beam users, though, such as Gholdengo, Arceus, and Zamazenta.
While pointedly slower than Calyrex-S, Comfey has the advantage of an extremely high-priority Floral Healing, healing even a chipped Klefki before it can use Substitute! Comfey's movepool similarly goes to the moon, with Taunt, Encore, Knock Off, Trick, Tailwind, and Pain Split among its best moves. Comfey is also OK Steel Beam fodder, being OHKOed by Arceus Steel Beam.
Cinderace gets to headline an entire team archetype, thanks to its nearly unique access to Court Change. Relatively fast at 119 base Speed, it warps the hazard removal meta around it - hazard removers slower than it and not named Smeargle are pushed to the sidelines. Its weakness to Stealth Rock cements its position as a vital member of Court Change teams. Cinderace is a mediocre hazard manipulator in fair teams, though - Court Change fails to actually remove hazards and therefore doesn't delay the opponent as much as Tidy Up or Defog does. Resisting Steel Beam until it uses a move (thanks, Libero) also doesn't help.
While requiring great speed control team support in order to do well (Sticky Web is not good enough - Tailwind is), Gothitelle provides absurd returns when it does do well. Shadow Tag is a nasty trapping ability to pair with Taunt, Heal Pulse, Imprison, and Trick.
Gothita pretty much necessitates Trick Room, but when it works, it is even better than its final evolution Gothitelle thanks to being more frail. All the members of the Goth line can take advantage of slightly sloppy sequencing, even when you know the Trick is coming, and Gothita is no exception.
A-:
While slower than Talonflame, Noivern is still a Defogger that is faster than Cinderace. Switcheroo, Whirlwind, and a neutrality to Steel Beam give it some edges over Talonflame. However, just like Talonflame, it cannot Defog through Gholdengo alone and is forced to partner with another hazard remover, often another Talonflame.
Maushold is probably the only hazard remover not named Smeargle to not choke the Weak Steel Beam Spam match-up, thanks to its access to Copycat to copy Steel Beam itself. Taunt, Encore, Switcheroo, Baton Pass (which can pass Tidy Up boosts), and Thunder Wave give it plenty to do when not facing a Court Change team. Maushold needs speed control team support in order to remove hazards against Taunt-heavy Court Change teams, though, as it fails to outspeed Cinderace.
Ribombee is the fastest Sticky Web setter in the entire meta, giving it a powerful niche. Tailwind is even more speed control that works against opposing Magic Bouncer switch-ins. Mental Herb Switcheroo can be devastating against faster opposing Taunt-happy leads. Ribombee is rather passive when not using speed control or weaponizing Switcheroo, though, with Imprison and Baton Pass among its best remaining options, and only being about as good Steel Beam fodder as Sandshrew-A hurts.
Hatenna cannot self-2HKO, unlike Espeon, and is therefore merely the next best Magic Bouncer. Hatenna is forced to distinguish herself with her access to Heal Pulse. As long as she can bounce off a Taunt, Hatenna can profitably use Imprison and start the torturous opponent-healing process. Hatenna does happen to be a better pivot overall than Espeon, though, due to her much slower Baton Pass.
Zamazenta is mainly a faster and weaker but otherwise inferior Arceus. Imprison and Roar are both great boons against other Steel Beam users, though.
Zacian is just as fast and weak as Zamazenta, but unlike its partner in war, it doesn't even get to learn any phazing moves! Zacian has to compensate as an Imprison-Steel Beam user by actually being Steel Beam fodder, especially at less than full health.
So frail that Bronzor Steel Beam has a good chance to OHKO it and so fast that it speed ties with Calyrex-S and Electrode-H, Deoxys-A would be an excellent disruptor if its even faster brother Deoxys-S didn't exist. All of Deoxys-A's niches therefore depend on its extreme frailty, such as being among the best fodder partners for the Goth line.
As a budget Calyrex-S (that should typically be paired with Calyrex-S), Spectrier actually isn't that shabby. It turns out that Taunt, Ghost Curse, and Pain Split are enough to annoy a ton of the meta. Spectrier still outspeeds the majority of the meta with its 130 base Speed. Spectrier is essentially helpless against Gholdengo, though, and lacking utility such as Encore, Imprison, and Trick doesn't help.
Chien-Pao is the fastest non-Prankster Dark-type, making it a great switch-in to opposing Pranksters. Its weakness to Stealth Rock helps makes it a staple on Court Change teams. Chien-Pao is also decent Steel Beam fodder, especially when chipped by Stealth Rock. Chien-Pao's lack of utility outside of Taunt can make players want to reach for a different Dark-type such as Pawniard or Darkrai, though.
With a fairly weak Knock Off, Taunt, and an immunity to Taunt herself, Salazzle can be incredibly annoying to switch into. Encore and Thunder Wave pile on the disruption. Being weak to Stealth Rock helps. Salazzle's resistance to Steel Beam, part-Poison typing necessitating Sticky Barb, and inability to outspeed Cinderace all hurt her, though.
Charizard is among the best and fastest Belly Drummers and 4x Stealth Rock-weak Pokemon in the meta. In particular, it can outfox Imprison-Steel Beam users by stringing Sunny Day into Belly Drum for the self-2HKO that does not require Substitute. Roar is one final utility move that ejects Perish Songed opponents and opposing self-2HKOers. Charizard is a very strong consideration for Court Change teams that is not dead weight when the Court Change plan fails. A mere 100 base Speed hurts, though, as it speed ties with Comfey and fails to get going against most viable Taunters.
Shroodle is among the best Pranksters to get Encore, letting it disrupt Oblivious Belly Drummers such as Slowpoke. Shroodle is also decently frail and has access to Taunt, Parting Shot, Baton Pass, Knock Off, and even Copycat to copy opposing Steel Beam and Chloroblast. Shroodle's ability to use Switcheroo and surprise others with Pickpocket is crippled by its part-Poison typing, meaning it can only profitably accept Sticky Barb unless it Terastallizes.
The best reasons to run Cottonee instead of Shroodle are its increased weakness to Steel Beam and its ability to profitably hold Black Sludge and Toxic Orb. In particular, Naive Black Sludge Cottonee is guaranteed OHKOed by Nosepass Steel Beam, while Naive Sticky Barb Shroodle is only guaranteed OHKOed by Pawniard Steel Beam and stronger. Otherwise, Cottonee and Shroodle have similar utility, crucially both getting Encore along with Taunt and Trick/Switcheroo, although Cottonee loses out on Baton Pass, Knock Off, Copycat, and Parting Shot but gets Stun Spore in exchange.
Prankster-wise, in exchange for being overly bulky Steel Beam fodder (e.g. fails to be OHKOed by Zamazenta Steel Beam, unlike Shroodle), Murkrow gets to outspeed and Taunt the dangerous Prankster Klefki and also switch into its fellow Pranksters due to its Dark type. Murkrow is weak to Stealth Rock but rips open a weakness to Tera Dark hazard removers when in a Court Change team. Murkrow absorbs item manipulation well, thanks to Perish Song and Whirlwind. With Tailwind and Thunder Wave, Murkrow is a great speed controller.
Bronzor has the weakest Steel Beam that still OHKOes at least one other Pokemon - you'd be surprised how often it encounters a team it cannot OHKO any members of, though! Imprison lets it disrupt other Steel Beam users.
Orthworm is one of the few viable users of Mental Herb, thanks to its access to Shed Tail and Steel Beam. This lets it absorb opposing Trick/Switcheroo/Knock Off, although Mental Herb is a shockingly good item to re-Trick. Orthworm hates opposing Imprison-Steel Beam users as well as Taunt-healers, and its Steel Beam OHKO list is nastily wide enough to include Nosepass, Ribombee, and Sandshrew-A.
Slowpoke is the frailest and best Oblivious Belly Drummer in the entire meta, often forcing Encore and/or phazing into more controlling teams thanks to being immune to Taunt. Tera Ghost Curse lets it absorb item manipulation, while moves like Heal Pulse, Imprison, and Trick give it things to do while disrupted.
B+:
Skarmory is tied for the weakest Steel Beam user with a phazing move with Cufant (after Smeargle), and Skarmory has the edge with Taunt and higher base Speed. This gives Skarmory a niche in Weak Steel Beam Spam builds. Managing to be slower than Smeargle hurts, though.
Tinkatink is an overall worse Sandshrew-A but plays much like it. Mold Breaker Encore and Knock Off make her among the most annoying Steel Beam users to switch into and contain. Alternately, Pickpocket lets her scout for Knock Off and steal opposing items from unwary Knock Off users.
Swinub is very frail Steel Beam fodder - OHKOed by Bronzor Steel Beam - that has additional utility as a Taunt-immune phazer and Stealth Rock user. Its slow base Speed and lack of power moves like Taunt and Encore definitely hurt it substantially, though. At the cost of being the mostly dedicated Tera slot while still being vulnerable to Encore and Heal Pulse, Swinub has access to Tera Ghost Curse to pull off some of Espeon's job.
Hawlucha is the fastest Mold Breaker user in the entire meta, taking advantage of it with a Defog, Taunt, and Encore that Gholdengo cannot block. Being slightly slower than Cinderace definitely hurts, though, along with being poor Steel Beam fodder.
Flutter Mane is yet another fast Ghost-type with Taunt, Imprison, and Pain Split. Flutter Mane is the fastest one with Perish Song, though, letting it absorb Trick/Switcheroo/Knock Off and be a decent partner to Calyrex-S.
Weavile is a mostly inferior Chien-Pao (bulkier, slower) except for its access to Pickpocket, which lets it scout for Knock Off and steal the item of an unwary Knock Off user. If it steals a Toxic Orb, it turns into a reliable Knock Off switch-in. Weavile also knows a smattering of other utility moves over Chien-Pao such as Baton Pass.
B:
As a Tera Ghost Curse user and dedicated Tera slot, Lechonk's only edge over Espeon is its better performance as Steel Beam fodder, being OHKOed by Orthworm Steel Beam while Espeon won't even be OHKOed by Klefki Steel Beam. While it doesn't get Magic Bounce, Aroma Veil still grants immunity to two of Ghost Curse's biggest banes, Taunt and Encore.
Cutiefly is less likely to successfully use Sticky Web than its faster evolution Ribombee is. It is much better Steel Beam fodder, though, as it is OHKOed by Bronzor Steel Beam. Mental Herb Switcheroo is still a nasty piece of work on Cutiefly, turning the tables on many leads and switch-ins.
As the fastest Magic Guard-Skill Swap user, Clefable gets to foil many weaker Steel Beam users through Substitute, especially the otherwise troublesome Sandshrew-A. Clefable's most infamous strategy thuds into the several viable mons immune to Skill Swap, though, such as Calyrex-S, Gholdengo, Arceus, and Scream Tail. As a result, Clefable requires immense team support, ends up becoming a match-up fish, or both.
S:
Smeargle simply does it all. Hazard removal, hazard setting, Court Change, disruption, item manipulation, Trick/Switcheroo/Knock Off absorbing, great switch-in, opponent healing, Perish Passing, and more...and what makes it all possible is Smeargle's Steel Beam being so weak that it fails to OHKO anything, enabling it to run Mental Herb and do its job through opposing disruption. Smeargle is immensely splashable and fits on every team archetype. Smeargle successfully adapts to the metagame; the metagame never successfully adapts to Smeargle. Moody randomly makes Smeargle even better, to the point where it can outspeed Deoxys-S after a single turn. Pretty much Smeargle's only weakness is its mediocre base Speed, meaning that it is often stuck between Mental Herb to do its job through the myriad faster Taunt users and a self-injuring item to reliably win the 1-vs.-1 against bulkier opposing healers. Smeargle is also stuck in an arms race with Gholdengo, with bulkier Smeargle able to tank exactly one regular-strength Gholdengo Steel Beam and do its job, while Gholdengo can opt for even more Special Attack in order to OHKO bulky Smeargle (and other hazard removers such as bulkier Maushold). Regular-bulk Smeargle is desirable in many match-ups to be OHKOed by Arceus Steel Beam, though.S-:
Gholdengo switches into nearly the entire meta, with its sole ability Good as Gold blocking all sorts of moves. With Steel Beam, it is practically guaranteed to OHKO only one other mon at most while self-2HKOing. Gholdengo is the best Trick/Switcheroo blocker in the entire meta, and it is at its most format-warping when blocking Defog and Ghost Curse. Imprison-Steel Beam is perhaps the most reliable way to check Gholdengo, while its shameful ownership of the strongest viable Steel Beam in the entire meta makes it perform worse than you might think in some endgames. Gholdengo is also a mediocre Knock Off absorber - the move often forces it to use its deadly Steel Beam. Sandshrew-A's main claim to viability fame is its proud ownership of the weakest Steel Beam in the entire meta, failing to OHKO anything. This makes it very easy to self-KO while KOing at most one and often zero opposing mons. A corollary of this is that Sandshrew-A is a great Trick/Switcheroo/Knock Off absorber. Sandshrew-A also has access to Knock Off to disrupt some of its few would-be checks, such as Imprison-Steel Beam users, and turn the tables on them. Sandshrew-A even manages to be viable Steel Beam fodder against Pokemon such as Zamazenta! Only Sandshrew-A's slow base Speed, lack of utility, and competition with Smeargle make it fail to fit on some teams. Espeon is the best use of the dedicated Tera slot - Magic Bounce is great on its own; Tera Ghost Curse pushes it to very high levels by enabling the self-2HKO and letting it absorb Trick, Switcheroo, and Knock Off more easily. Espeon also provides great utility, with Baton Pass making it a great pivot, Roar pushing out Cursed opposing mons and more, Imprison disrupting some opponents, and Thunder Wave providing valuable speed control. Espeon is also the best Trick Room user in the entire meta, being nearly impossible to disrupt and a decent slow pivot post-Trick Room. Like all other Magic Bouncers, Espeon can be a liability against Stealth Rock users. Espeon also has distinct trouble with Gholdengo, the golden ghost blocking Ghost Curse, Roar, and the rarer Trick. At 150 base Speed, Calyrex-S has crushingly good match-ups against most of the meta. If Taunt-Heal Pulse doesn't get them, perhaps Imprison-Pain Split, Encore, Trick, or especially Ghost Curse (which lets it self-2HKO and absorb Knock Off decently well) will. Calyrex-S has some trouble with Pranksters, with Tera Dark granting protection from them but cutting off Ghost Curse. Calyrex-S also has great trouble with Gholdengo, with Imprison and Grassy Terrain among its better ways to slow the gold ghost down. Speed tying with Calyrex-S and with access to Chloroblast, Electrode-H is hard to sway from its self-2HKOing post. Taunt and Thunder Wave give it crucial additional utility, especially against Court Change teams. Chloroblast can OHKO uncomfortably many opposing Pokemon, though. Deoxys-S is the fastest non-Prankster Taunt user in the entire meta, and its expansive movepool also includes Trick, Imprison, Knock Off, Pain Split, Teleport, and Thunder Wave. On a Court Change team, Tera Dark Stealth Rock Deoxys-S has no good anti-leads and no good switch-ins - its best switch-in under regular circumstances, Gholdengo, lets Stealth Rock go up for free, while Prankster leads are at real risk of being Tera Dark-ed on. Deoxys-S's main flaw is its inability to self-KO without a self-injuring item, making it more vulnerable to Trick and Switcheroo.A+:
Thanks to Terastallization letting any one Pokemon become a Dark-type, Pranksters have dropped in performance compared to Gen 8, and it shows. Despite being ranked among the best Steel Beam fodder in the meta and being the proud owner of a mean Prankster Taunt and Trick, Impidimp's actions are more constrained than ever, its unprotected Taunt being punished by daring Trick/Switcheroo users who Tera Dark at the worst possible moment. Impidimp is no longer a sure bet against the nasty trappers of the Goth line as long as they can Tera Dark and turn the tables. Impidimp keeps some edges over its fellow Pranksters, being a safe switch-in into opposing Pranksters thanks to its Dark type and having Parting Shot to force out Magic Bouncers. Arceus is incredibly versatile for a Steel Beam user. He outspeeds Cinderace and Taunts it, sets Stealth Rock Himself, competently uses Imprison-Steel Beam, Roars out opposing Imprison-Steel Beam users, and manipulates Himself and others with Trick, Perish Song, Tailwind, and more. Arceus's Steel Beam is rather strong, though, notably OHKOing Sandshrew-A and some Gothita, among others. But Arceus is nice additional insurance against Court Change teams. Among Imprison-Steel Beam users, Arceus can notably also Imprison Taunt (off Pawniard, Nosepass, etc.) and Roar (mainly off Zamazenta, which He does fail to outspeed), granting Him extra security. Tera Ghost Stealth Rock Arceus notably prevents Tidy Up-Rapid Spin Smeargle from removing hazards after burning through its Mental Herb. Thanks to Prankster, Klefki is the fastest Imprison-Steel Beam user. It is notably the best Imprison-Steel Beam user at dealing with Gholdengo, as it still Imprisons first while paralyzed by Gholdengo's Thunder Wave. It is quite easily for Klefki to self-2HKO while KOing only one other mon at most. Thunder Wave, Switcheroo, and Trick Room provide extra, sometimes welcome utility. Shame that Klefki doesn't learn Taunt or Encore to protect its self-2HKO further.A:
Talonflame is a great weapon for and enemy of Court Change teams, being both the fastest Defogger and the fastest 4x Stealth Rock-weak Pokemon. Its use of Taunt prevents slower Defoggers and Tidy Up users from removing hazards. Tailwind can help prepare a Court Change turn. Talonflame's biggest flaw as a Defogger is its resistance to Steel Beam. Sadly, Talonflame cannot Defog through Gholdengo alone and needs to partner with a different hazard remover in order to get a chance to remove hazards this way. Thanks to its relatively weak Steel Beam, Pawniard is among the best Dark-types in the meta. Taunt lets it disrupt most Imprison-Steel Beam users (except Arceus). Pawniard is also a Prankster-immune Stealth Rock user that keeps up Court Change teams' fast tempo. With Imprison as well as Taunt, Encore, and Trick, Sableye is the Prankster that can disrupt opposing Pranksters, especially Dark-types. Pain Split and some investment in HP even let Sableye trade with Sandshrew-A! Sableye is fortunate enough to have a base typing that lets it dodge both Pranksters and trappers. Sableye's increased bulk hurts it compared to other Pranksters, though. Nosepass traps and Taunts many Steel Beam users, forcing trades with them or even successfully checking some of them. It does particularly well against Klefki. Nosepass is a competent Steel Beam user itself. Nosepass cannot fully deal with some of the best Steel Beam users, though, such as Gholdengo, Arceus, and Zamazenta. While pointedly slower than Calyrex-S, Comfey has the advantage of an extremely high-priority Floral Healing, healing even a chipped Klefki before it can use Substitute! Comfey's movepool similarly goes to the moon, with Taunt, Encore, Knock Off, Trick, Tailwind, and Pain Split among its best moves. Comfey is also OK Steel Beam fodder, being OHKOed by Arceus Steel Beam. Cinderace gets to headline an entire team archetype, thanks to its nearly unique access to Court Change. Relatively fast at 119 base Speed, it warps the hazard removal meta around it - hazard removers slower than it and not named Smeargle are pushed to the sidelines. Its weakness to Stealth Rock cements its position as a vital member of Court Change teams. Cinderace is a mediocre hazard manipulator in fair teams, though - Court Change fails to actually remove hazards and therefore doesn't delay the opponent as much as Tidy Up or Defog does. Resisting Steel Beam until it uses a move (thanks, Libero) also doesn't help. While requiring great speed control team support in order to do well (Sticky Web is not good enough - Tailwind is), Gothitelle provides absurd returns when it does do well. Shadow Tag is a nasty trapping ability to pair with Taunt, Heal Pulse, Imprison, and Trick. Gothita pretty much necessitates Trick Room, but when it works, it is even better than its final evolution Gothitelle thanks to being more frail. All the members of the Goth line can take advantage of slightly sloppy sequencing, even when you know the Trick is coming, and Gothita is no exception.A-:
While slower than Talonflame, Noivern is still a Defogger that is faster than Cinderace. Switcheroo, Whirlwind, and a neutrality to Steel Beam give it some edges over Talonflame. However, just like Talonflame, it cannot Defog through Gholdengo alone and is forced to partner with another hazard remover, often another Talonflame. Maushold is probably the only hazard remover not named Smeargle to not choke the Weak Steel Beam Spam match-up, thanks to its access to Copycat to copy Steel Beam itself. Taunt, Encore, Switcheroo, Baton Pass (which can pass Tidy Up boosts), and Thunder Wave give it plenty to do when not facing a Court Change team. Maushold needs speed control team support in order to remove hazards against Taunt-heavy Court Change teams, though, as it fails to outspeed Cinderace. Ribombee is the fastest Sticky Web setter in the entire meta, giving it a powerful niche. Tailwind is even more speed control that works against opposing Magic Bouncer switch-ins. Mental Herb Switcheroo can be devastating against faster opposing Taunt-happy leads. Ribombee is rather passive when not using speed control or weaponizing Switcheroo, though, with Imprison and Baton Pass among its best remaining options, and only being about as good Steel Beam fodder as Sandshrew-A hurts. Hatenna cannot self-2HKO, unlike Espeon, and is therefore merely the next best Magic Bouncer. Hatenna is forced to distinguish herself with her access to Heal Pulse. As long as she can bounce off a Taunt, Hatenna can profitably use Imprison and start the torturous opponent-healing process. Hatenna does happen to be a better pivot overall than Espeon, though, due to her much slower Baton Pass. Zamazenta is mainly a faster and weaker but otherwise inferior Arceus. Imprison and Roar are both great boons against other Steel Beam users, though. Zacian is just as fast and weak as Zamazenta, but unlike its partner in war, it doesn't even get to learn any phazing moves! Zacian has to compensate as an Imprison-Steel Beam user by actually being Steel Beam fodder, especially at less than full health. So frail that Bronzor Steel Beam has a good chance to OHKO it and so fast that it speed ties with Calyrex-S and Electrode-H, Deoxys-A would be an excellent disruptor if its even faster brother Deoxys-S didn't exist. All of Deoxys-A's niches therefore depend on its extreme frailty, such as being among the best fodder partners for the Goth line. As a budget Calyrex-S (that should typically be paired with Calyrex-S), Spectrier actually isn't that shabby. It turns out that Taunt, Ghost Curse, and Pain Split are enough to annoy a ton of the meta. Spectrier still outspeeds the majority of the meta with its 130 base Speed. Spectrier is essentially helpless against Gholdengo, though, and lacking utility such as Encore, Imprison, and Trick doesn't help. Chien-Pao is the fastest non-Prankster Dark-type, making it a great switch-in to opposing Pranksters. Its weakness to Stealth Rock helps makes it a staple on Court Change teams. Chien-Pao is also decent Steel Beam fodder, especially when chipped by Stealth Rock. Chien-Pao's lack of utility outside of Taunt can make players want to reach for a different Dark-type such as Pawniard or Darkrai, though. With a fairly weak Knock Off, Taunt, and an immunity to Taunt herself, Salazzle can be incredibly annoying to switch into. Encore and Thunder Wave pile on the disruption. Being weak to Stealth Rock helps. Salazzle's resistance to Steel Beam, part-Poison typing necessitating Sticky Barb, and inability to outspeed Cinderace all hurt her, though. Charizard is among the best and fastest Belly Drummers and 4x Stealth Rock-weak Pokemon in the meta. In particular, it can outfox Imprison-Steel Beam users by stringing Sunny Day into Belly Drum for the self-2HKO that does not require Substitute. Roar is one final utility move that ejects Perish Songed opponents and opposing self-2HKOers. Charizard is a very strong consideration for Court Change teams that is not dead weight when the Court Change plan fails. A mere 100 base Speed hurts, though, as it speed ties with Comfey and fails to get going against most viable Taunters. Shroodle is among the best Pranksters to get Encore, letting it disrupt Oblivious Belly Drummers such as Slowpoke. Shroodle is also decently frail and has access to Taunt, Parting Shot, Baton Pass, Knock Off, and even Copycat to copy opposing Steel Beam and Chloroblast. Shroodle's ability to use Switcheroo and surprise others with Pickpocket is crippled by its part-Poison typing, meaning it can only profitably accept Sticky Barb unless it Terastallizes. The best reasons to run Cottonee instead of Shroodle are its increased weakness to Steel Beam and its ability to profitably hold Black Sludge and Toxic Orb. In particular, Naive Black Sludge Cottonee is guaranteed OHKOed by Nosepass Steel Beam, while Naive Sticky Barb Shroodle is only guaranteed OHKOed by Pawniard Steel Beam and stronger. Otherwise, Cottonee and Shroodle have similar utility, crucially both getting Encore along with Taunt and Trick/Switcheroo, although Cottonee loses out on Baton Pass, Knock Off, Copycat, and Parting Shot but gets Stun Spore in exchange. Prankster-wise, in exchange for being overly bulky Steel Beam fodder (e.g. fails to be OHKOed by Zamazenta Steel Beam, unlike Shroodle), Murkrow gets to outspeed and Taunt the dangerous Prankster Klefki and also switch into its fellow Pranksters due to its Dark type. Murkrow is weak to Stealth Rock but rips open a weakness to Tera Dark hazard removers when in a Court Change team. Murkrow absorbs item manipulation well, thanks to Perish Song and Whirlwind. With Tailwind and Thunder Wave, Murkrow is a great speed controller. Bronzor has the weakest Steel Beam that still OHKOes at least one other Pokemon - you'd be surprised how often it encounters a team it cannot OHKO any members of, though! Imprison lets it disrupt other Steel Beam users. Orthworm is one of the few viable users of Mental Herb, thanks to its access to Shed Tail and Steel Beam. This lets it absorb opposing Trick/Switcheroo/Knock Off, although Mental Herb is a shockingly good item to re-Trick. Orthworm hates opposing Imprison-Steel Beam users as well as Taunt-healers, and its Steel Beam OHKO list is nastily wide enough to include Nosepass, Ribombee, and Sandshrew-A. Slowpoke is the frailest and best Oblivious Belly Drummer in the entire meta, often forcing Encore and/or phazing into more controlling teams thanks to being immune to Taunt. Tera Ghost Curse lets it absorb item manipulation, while moves like Heal Pulse, Imprison, and Trick give it things to do while disrupted.B+:
Skarmory is tied for the weakest Steel Beam user with a phazing move with Cufant (after Smeargle), and Skarmory has the edge with Taunt and higher base Speed. This gives Skarmory a niche in Weak Steel Beam Spam builds. Managing to be slower than Smeargle hurts, though. Tinkatink is an overall worse Sandshrew-A but plays much like it. Mold Breaker Encore and Knock Off make her among the most annoying Steel Beam users to switch into and contain. Alternately, Pickpocket lets her scout for Knock Off and steal opposing items from unwary Knock Off users. Swinub is very frail Steel Beam fodder - OHKOed by Bronzor Steel Beam - that has additional utility as a Taunt-immune phazer and Stealth Rock user. Its slow base Speed and lack of power moves like Taunt and Encore definitely hurt it substantially, though. At the cost of being the mostly dedicated Tera slot while still being vulnerable to Encore and Heal Pulse, Swinub has access to Tera Ghost Curse to pull off some of Espeon's job. Hawlucha is the fastest Mold Breaker user in the entire meta, taking advantage of it with a Defog, Taunt, and Encore that Gholdengo cannot block. Being slightly slower than Cinderace definitely hurts, though, along with being poor Steel Beam fodder. Flutter Mane is yet another fast Ghost-type with Taunt, Imprison, and Pain Split. Flutter Mane is the fastest one with Perish Song, though, letting it absorb Trick/Switcheroo/Knock Off and be a decent partner to Calyrex-S. Weavile is a mostly inferior Chien-Pao (bulkier, slower) except for its access to Pickpocket, which lets it scout for Knock Off and steal the item of an unwary Knock Off user. If it steals a Toxic Orb, it turns into a reliable Knock Off switch-in. Weavile also knows a smattering of other utility moves over Chien-Pao such as Baton Pass.B:
As a Tera Ghost Curse user and dedicated Tera slot, Lechonk's only edge over Espeon is its better performance as Steel Beam fodder, being OHKOed by Orthworm Steel Beam while Espeon won't even be OHKOed by Klefki Steel Beam. While it doesn't get Magic Bounce, Aroma Veil still grants immunity to two of Ghost Curse's biggest banes, Taunt and Encore. Cutiefly is less likely to successfully use Sticky Web than its faster evolution Ribombee is. It is much better Steel Beam fodder, though, as it is OHKOed by Bronzor Steel Beam. Mental Herb Switcheroo is still a nasty piece of work on Cutiefly, turning the tables on many leads and switch-ins. As the fastest Magic Guard-Skill Swap user, Clefable gets to foil many weaker Steel Beam users through Substitute, especially the otherwise troublesome Sandshrew-A. Clefable's most infamous strategy thuds into the several viable mons immune to Skill Swap, though, such as Calyrex-S, Gholdengo, Arceus, and Scream Tail. As a result, Clefable requires immense team support, ends up becoming a match-up fish, or both.
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I wish there was someway to make Clawitzer viable
Before The Loser's Game ladder is over, I may as well post the post-Indigo Disk "offence" teams I was testing against. You may find some of them to be familiar from my ladder games...
Stealth Rock Court Change
https://pokepast.es/de0a1acf698f471f
This is a cautious, slower, but surer build with 2 Stealth Rock users and 2 Court Change users. In particular, Smeargle has both Stealth Rock and Court Change. Deoxys-S is the fastest Stealth Rock user in the entire meta, having great odds to set Stealth Rock at least once. Smeargle has Mental Herb to block opposing Taunt once and is EVed to survive one usual Gholdengo Steel Beam. Nuzzle on Smeargle paralyzes hazard removers and Taunters so it can use Court Change and Stealth Rock against them more easily later. Gholdengo blocks Defog, as usual. Make It Rain on Gholdengo is for solely if you see multiple hazard removers on the opposing team and Stealth Rock is up. Gholdengo is EVed to OHKO Maushold and Hawlucha with Make It Rain along with OHKOing bulky Smeargle with Steel Beam. Talonflame is the fastest Pokemon that is 4x weak to Stealth Rock and fortuitously has Taunt, while Chien-Pao is mainly there to neuter opposing Pranksters and get an opening against them for its teammates. An ideal initial turn sequence involves leading with Deoxys-S, Turn 1 Taunt, Turn 2 Stealth Rock, Turn 3 Taunt, Turn 4 Teleport to Smeargle, and Turn 5 Court Change. Against opposing Court Change teams, do not set Stealth Rock if they have more mons that are 4x weak to Stealth Rock than this team does. Wait for them to set Stealth Rock, and then constantly Taunt them off Court Change. While using Tera Ice on Deoxys-S is the usual play, using Tera Dark on Smeargle is a good idea against Pranksters, and Tera Ghost Chien-Pao can block opposing Tidy Up-Rapid Spin Smeargle from removing hazards as long as their Mental Herb is burned up. Otherwise, Gholdengo may be the team's best hope against opposing Smeargle, OHKOing it before it can remove hazards.
Fast Self-2HKO Spam
https://pokepast.es/6ad434e0d822e4f0
The main emphasis is on trying your hardest to only ever use the self-2HKO move on each mon once each...except for Smeargle, who has to use it twice. Calyrex-S gets to join the team since it now learns Ghost Curse. Do be aware that using Taunt-Heal Pulse on it instead is often the better play. Smeargle is using an anti-Court Change set to free up the rest of the team. It has Mental Herb to block opposing Taunt once and is EVed to survive one usual Gholdengo Steel Beam. Use Tidy Up to remove hazards if Mental Herb has not already been used and Rapid Spin if Mental Herb has already been used. Do be aware that using Rapid Spin against Court Change users is dicey. Taunt on Smeargle is partially to prevent opposing Smeargle from getting hazards up on their side again. Chloroblast is on Smeargle so Imprison-Steel Beam users cannot hose it. Klefki is used instead of Arceus because the team otherwise can have a hard time against Pranksters, and it can afford to weaken its still-favourable Court Change match-up in order to fix this weakness.
Weak Self-2HKO Spam
https://pokepast.es/aa5ea1b4aab51b13
Having self-2HKO attacks weaker than those of faster demons, such as Klefki and Electrode-H, can prove advantageous. Anti-Imprison-Steel Beam mons include Espeon, Skarmory (phazes Imprison users out), and Smeargle (who has Chloroblast instead of Steel Beam for precisely this reason). Trick/Switcheroo fodder include Sandshrew-A and Smeargle. Smeargle is teched for the Court Change match-up, to the point where that match-up might finally be in this team's favour. The Calyrex-S match-up can be rough the moment you lose Espeon - try switching between mostly-full-HP mons or staying in with Sandshrew-A in this case.
Stealth Rock Court Change
https://pokepast.es/de0a1acf698f471f
This is a cautious, slower, but surer build with 2 Stealth Rock users and 2 Court Change users. In particular, Smeargle has both Stealth Rock and Court Change. Deoxys-S is the fastest Stealth Rock user in the entire meta, having great odds to set Stealth Rock at least once. Smeargle has Mental Herb to block opposing Taunt once and is EVed to survive one usual Gholdengo Steel Beam. Nuzzle on Smeargle paralyzes hazard removers and Taunters so it can use Court Change and Stealth Rock against them more easily later. Gholdengo blocks Defog, as usual. Make It Rain on Gholdengo is for solely if you see multiple hazard removers on the opposing team and Stealth Rock is up. Gholdengo is EVed to OHKO Maushold and Hawlucha with Make It Rain along with OHKOing bulky Smeargle with Steel Beam. Talonflame is the fastest Pokemon that is 4x weak to Stealth Rock and fortuitously has Taunt, while Chien-Pao is mainly there to neuter opposing Pranksters and get an opening against them for its teammates. An ideal initial turn sequence involves leading with Deoxys-S, Turn 1 Taunt, Turn 2 Stealth Rock, Turn 3 Taunt, Turn 4 Teleport to Smeargle, and Turn 5 Court Change. Against opposing Court Change teams, do not set Stealth Rock if they have more mons that are 4x weak to Stealth Rock than this team does. Wait for them to set Stealth Rock, and then constantly Taunt them off Court Change. While using Tera Ice on Deoxys-S is the usual play, using Tera Dark on Smeargle is a good idea against Pranksters, and Tera Ghost Chien-Pao can block opposing Tidy Up-Rapid Spin Smeargle from removing hazards as long as their Mental Herb is burned up. Otherwise, Gholdengo may be the team's best hope against opposing Smeargle, OHKOing it before it can remove hazards.
Fast Self-2HKO Spam
https://pokepast.es/6ad434e0d822e4f0
The main emphasis is on trying your hardest to only ever use the self-2HKO move on each mon once each...except for Smeargle, who has to use it twice. Calyrex-S gets to join the team since it now learns Ghost Curse. Do be aware that using Taunt-Heal Pulse on it instead is often the better play. Smeargle is using an anti-Court Change set to free up the rest of the team. It has Mental Herb to block opposing Taunt once and is EVed to survive one usual Gholdengo Steel Beam. Use Tidy Up to remove hazards if Mental Herb has not already been used and Rapid Spin if Mental Herb has already been used. Do be aware that using Rapid Spin against Court Change users is dicey. Taunt on Smeargle is partially to prevent opposing Smeargle from getting hazards up on their side again. Chloroblast is on Smeargle so Imprison-Steel Beam users cannot hose it. Klefki is used instead of Arceus because the team otherwise can have a hard time against Pranksters, and it can afford to weaken its still-favourable Court Change match-up in order to fix this weakness.
Weak Self-2HKO Spam
https://pokepast.es/aa5ea1b4aab51b13
Having self-2HKO attacks weaker than those of faster demons, such as Klefki and Electrode-H, can prove advantageous. Anti-Imprison-Steel Beam mons include Espeon, Skarmory (phazes Imprison users out), and Smeargle (who has Chloroblast instead of Steel Beam for precisely this reason). Trick/Switcheroo fodder include Sandshrew-A and Smeargle. Smeargle is teched for the Court Change match-up, to the point where that match-up might finally be in this team's favour. The Calyrex-S match-up can be rough the moment you lose Espeon - try switching between mostly-full-HP mons or staying in with Sandshrew-A in this case.
Tried tagging dhelmise about the Steel Beam double KO situation some days ago - in fact, I had to put the tag on their wall since they didn't accept PMs. I haven't heard back so far - darn.