Project Top 10 Titans of the Gen 8 NDUU Metagame

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The entire generation of National Dex UU was a rollercoaster tbh. From starting with around 3 people on just a small discord server, and every other Flying type becoming broken every other day (thanks Niadev), Spikes HO ruling the meta and Mega Charizard X sweeping just about every team. Due to DLCs, we also had Pokemon buffs mid generation, which had great influence on a lot of different Pokemon. As such, NDUU as a tier went through several key phases, with several Pokemon excelling in some but falling flat in others. This makes the evaluation process for the tier's Top 10 titans a very unique experience compared to previous iterations of this project.

The big question that we will try to answer with this thread is, which of all the Pokemon were the 10 most influential throughout Gen 8?

From May 26th to June 8th, you will nominate Pokemon that will be voted on for the top 10 most influential Pokemon throughout Gen 8. After that, you will all evaluate all the nominations and individually rank the Pokemon from 1-10 by vote. Of course, all the nominations will count as long as they're reasonable and fit the criteria. Please keep in mind that we're not ranking Pokemon based on how good they are, but we're ranking Pokemon based on how influential they've been. When nominating Pokemon, consider their influence not just in the current Crown Tundra format, but in the Isle of Armor, Home, and Pre-Home metagames as well (if they were there, of course)!

Please use the format below to frame your posts or we won't count them!

Enter your nominee's sprite here.
:ss/pokemon:


What effect did Pokemon have on the metagame?

Explain how the Pokemon effected the metagame as whole, and how the metagame adapted around it. A brief description of which Pokemon it countered and which Pokemon it did well against would be good here as well. Be sure to consider their impact in previous iterations of ND UU as well if they weren't removed.

In what main roles was Pokemon used?

Explain why this Pokemon was used on a team more often then most other Pokemon, and what was it particularly used for? What made it so good at this role?

What caused it to have a significant impact?

What exactly made this Pokemon have such a large impact on the metagame? Was it its stats, ability, useful resistances, amazing synergy, or the ability to sweep most of the metagame very easily? Did a certain Pokemon cause it to become that much better when it was partnered with it?

How do/did you deal with this Pokemon in ND UU?

What are the best checks/counters to this Pokemon? How does the metagame adapt to this Pokemon?

:ss/charizard-mega-x:

What effect did Pokemon have on the metagame?

We had him for like three days and he was insanely broken. You always lost lol

In what main roles was Pokemon used?

It clicked DD and clicked Flare Blitz + Earthquake and killed everything

What caused it to have a significant impact?

See above

How do/did you deal with this Pokemon in UU?

You didn't

please format your suggestions more seriously than this one it's just an example to show off the format

You're allowed to reserve nominations, but make sure to finish them in 24 hours, or they will be back up for grabs! Also, you can only reserve one nomination at a time. This is to make sure that your reservation gets done before you finish another. If you pick a Pokemon that has more than one form, be sure to clarify which it is. Happy posting!

Nominees
:ss/melmetal::ss/urshifu-rapid-strike::ss/slowking-galar::ss/altaria-mega::ss/scizor::ss/scizor-mega::ss/rotom-wash::ss/sableye-mega::ss/latias::ss/aegislash::ss/jirachi::ss/zarude::ss/zeraora::ss/amoonguss::ss/nihilego::ss/slowking:
 
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Keem

formerly Nezloe
:ss/melmetal:
What effect did Pokemon have on the metagame?
It clicked DIB vs non resist and even resist are were not safe and forced most teams to prep for it like how you had to prep for MALT.



In what main roles was Pokemon used?
It was used a offesive Pokemon but also defensive mon running CB set and Protective Pads set (or even leftovers) but regardless of it's sets always fulfilled its role as a defensive but hard hitting pokemon.





What caused it to have a significant impact?
Well it checked like 90% of the metagame

It's CB set was near impossible check and its bulk and typing. (and its ability iron fist) allowed it live hits that anything that wasn't mean would probably fall to in a blink of an eye and on top of that it was probably if not the best offensive answers to MALT (and long as it wasn't below half) and amoongus.


How do/did you deal with this Pokemon in UU?
:ss/moltres:

Basically resisted all of melms moves as long as melm wasn't running thunderpunch though unfortunately 80% of the time it probably was.

:ss/rotom-heat:
I used this on every team if I needed a defensive answer to melm,absolute life saver.

There's probably a lot more I'm missing but tbf I didn't play nduu for like 2 months and post mew ban for a awhile.
 
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:ss/urshifu-rapid-strike:

What effect did Urshifu-Rapid-Strike have on the metagame?

Urshifu-Rapid-Strike can generally be considered to be one of, if not the largest influence behind NDUU being an extremely contact move hostile meta, thanks to Surging Strikes, ordinarily an extremely spammable move, being punished extra hard by Rocky Helmet and contact punishing abilities. And punishing it will always be a good thing given that the alternative is having to repeatedly deal with a very powerful and very spammable Surging Strikes. Deterring the clicking of Surging Strikes as much as possible is always going to be desired due to how free it is otherwise, and how much teams can be left reeling from it. While Melmetal was also similarly punished, it almost always ran Protective Pads as it could more than afford to due to already being obscenely powerful, so realistically it was Urshifu who was the biggest influence.

Aside from giving rise to Rocky Helmet Hell: The Meta, it has also consistently been one of, if not the best physical wallbreaker ever since it dropped, aside from Pokemon who ended up banned, and one of the most important Pokemon to keep track of in the teambuilder. Having a check to it is a must on any team because the alternative is being ripped apart by some of the most powerful STAB moves the meta has to offer. Even some of the sturdiest defensive walls such as Skarmory can be 2HKOd by its neutral STABs, so unless you're obscenely bulky like Buzzwole or PhysDef Tangrowth, you almost always want to resist both of its STABs, or just resist Close Combat and make Urshifu's life hell with Rocky Helmet.

Additionally, Urshifu was once the posterchild of FuturePort, given that almost all of its checks disliked Future Sight and it was already a top Pokemon. While most physical wallbreakers benefitted immensely from it, Urshifu was among the fastest, meaning it forced in the defensive check to take a Future Sight, and most consistent on its own if Slowking was Pursuit trapped. On top of that, many HOs also still run double Urshifu check sweepers (usually Mega Altaria) and Urshifu proof leads, because the alternative is either having your lead be made useless by Surging Strikes OHKOing through Focus Sash, or having your team just kind of being blown clean through by Urshifu on account of it being faster than most typical unboosted Hyper Offense Pokemon.

In what main roles was Urshifu-Rapid-Strike used?

When Urshifu-Rapid-Strike first dropped, it predominantly saw usage as a Choice Scarf user. At the time, the meta was much more geared towards Hyper Offense, specifically Mega Tyranitar screens, and Bulky Offense, with basically no Balance or Stall to speak of. Choice Scarf Surging Strikes ripped the meta, especially HO, to shreds, revenging basically every relevant sweeper other than Mega Altaria and Latias and turning HO not packing double-Urshifu check into a fine, wet paste (during most of the time it ran Thunder Punch for Gyarados).

However, as time progressed and the meta adapted and shifted more and more towards Balance and Bulky Offense, Choice Scarf, for lack of a better phrase, fell off, and it became almost exclusively a wallbreaker. Choice Band has essentially been its flagship set throughout the majority of the rest of the meta's lifespan. Choice Band is a terrifying wallbreaker, thanks to Water/Fighting not having many resists here and two very powerful STABs to use with them, as well as Ice Punch rounding out its coverage perfectly and letting it 2HKO all the Water/Fighting resists bar Jellicent and Tentacruel, who have always been very niche. Other sets, like Protective Pads + Taunt and Bulk Up Icium came and went, but Choice Band has always eventually won out.

Occasionally, namely during the Alakazam and Blaziken meta, it saw use as a priority user with Choice Band Aqua Jet, and you see it occasionally after the fact for Nihilego. However, while it's reasonably powerful, and probably the third strongest relevant unboosted priority move in the meta behind Azumarill and Scizor, it fails to revenge kill much else as most of our sweepers are either bulky enough to not be worried without taking substantial chip, resist Water, or both, and so U-turn and/or Ice Punch is usually preferred.

Urshifu-Rapid-Strike @ Choice Band
Ability: Unseen Fist
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Surging Strikes
- Close Combat
- Ice Punch / Aqua Jet
- U-turn / Aqua Jet
Urshifu-Rapid-Strike @ Icium Z
Ability: Unseen Fist
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Bulk Up
- Surging Strikes
- Close Combat
- Ice Punch
Urshifu-Rapid-Strike @ Protective Pads
Ability: Unseen Fist
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Surging Strikes
- Close Combat
- Taunt
- U-turn

What caused it to have a significant impact?

Surging Strikes is a unique move, being a three hit Water-type STAB that crits with all three hits. This gives it an effective slightly-stronger-than 110 BP Water-type STAB that rips through stat boosts, screens, Sturdy, and many things that are more on the 'cheesy' side of Pokemon (not that Sturdy falls into that). Furthermore, it is 100% accurate despite being as powerful as it is, making it reliable and consistent, distinctly separating itself from the likes of Hydro Pump from special attackers. Additionally, 130 base attack, a very solid speed tier for a wallbreaker at base 97, and very solid physical bulk at 100/100 makes it bulky, reasonably fast, and powerful, making it the perfect wallbreaker statwise. An underwhelming Special Defense stat does little to hinder it, as generally it won't want to take many of those anyways. Water/Fighting gives it excellent neutral coverage, only really resisted by a handful of type combinations in lower tiers, and even then only a few of those actually have good users.

We also can't forget about its other STAB - Choice Band boosted STAB Close Combat coming from a base 130 attack stat is always going to hurt and is slightly stronger than Surging Strikes, at the cost of making it much easier to revenge kill. And of course, Ice Punch is almost perfect at rounding it out, letting it hit the significant majority of Water/Fighting resists super effectively. This gives it a very small pool of actual counters, mostly just really bulky PhysDef walls that aren't weak to its STABs like Buzzwole or Water/Fighting resists that are neutral to or resist Ice Punch. And what few walls there are to it are usually just U-turned on by Urshifu-Rapid-Strike. Uniquely, Unseen Fist means that it cannot be scouted by Protect moves, namely Aegislash's Kings Shield.

How do/did you deal with Urshifu-Rapid-Strike in UU?

Rocky Helmet is the bane of Urshifu-Rapid-Strike's existence - The mere possibility of a Pokemon having it will often deter Urshifu from clicking its Water STAB due to the fact it loses half of its health every time it Surging Strikes a Rocky Helmet user. Additionally, it also chips down Urshifu using U-turn to wear down its checks, preventing it from spamming U-turn to get the answer to its checks in safely and making it far easier to deal with in the long run. While Protective Pads + Taunt doesn't care about Rocky Helmet, it is also much weaker, relying on preventing recovery and pivoting out to wear down checks to power through late game.

Aside from that, there are a number of solid checks to it. Mega Altaria, especially defensive variants which can stomach Ice Punch more easily, Amoonguss, PhysDef Tangrowth, PhysDef Slowking (though it dislikes U-turn), Primarina, Azumarill, Roserade, to a degree Skarmory (it's more a deterrent to Surging Strikes against Choice Band due to its STABs 2HKOing it, but it has no problems with Pads + Taunt and Bulk Up), and especially Buzzwole are the most common answers that can switch into any of its attacks relatively safety, though with some fear of Ice Punch, but Salamence and Dragonite can also come in on it comfortably on anything other than Ice Punch, with Salamence deserving special mention as it outspeeds Urshifu, letting it deal with the Bulk Up Icium Z set with more ease than usual. Additionally, most speed control will suffice. While several can lose to Bulk Up Icium, Subzero Slammer is usually so choreographed that it can be outplayed with relative ease, and once it uses its Z Move, it is usually far easier to deal with than Choice Band due to needing a turn to reach the same power as its most prepared for set.
 
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Pubo

bom dia
is a Site Content Manageris a Top Social Media Contributoris a Forum Moderatoris a Tiering Contributoris a Contributor to Smogon
reserving Galarian Slowking

Enter your nominee's sprite here.
:ss/slowking galar:


What effect did Pokemon have on the metagame?

Starting with a amazing Assault Vest set, Galarian Slowking quickly became one of the best special defensive pivots in the metagame, completely outperforming its brother as a special sponge by checking huge threats like Primarina, Keldeo, Mega Altaria, and Infernape. However, a Calm Mind set with Scald and Sludge Bomb proved to be really dangerous, especially after Hoopa-Unbound and Weavile were banned, making Calm Mind a extreme popular set after that.

After destroying most Poison/Psychic counterplay with its Calm Mind Z set, new strategies began to appear like Refresh Swampert/Seismitoad and Rest Talk Galarian Moltres, the latter probably was one of the best checks to Galarian Slowking. Using common Pokemon like Special Mega Altaria, Amoonguss after Spore, Slowking, Tangrowth, and Mega Manectric as setup fodder, Galarian Slowking could break early game and, due to Regenerator, come back later to finish the job.


In what main roles was Pokemon used?

Galarian Slowking was a really good Assault Vest user, being able to sponge hits from powerful offensive Pokemon like Primarina, Mega Manectric and Special Mega Altaria. Its coverage was also amazing to hit Steel-types and provide Future Sight support to other wallbreakers like Urshifu-R.
:assault vest:
Slowking-Galar @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Future Sight / Psyshock
- Sludge Bomb
- Scald
- Flamethrower / Ice Beam

However, the Calm Mind Z set quickly became one of the most dangerous win conditions in the tier, using Scald to cripple would be checks to Poison- and Psychic-types, especially Ground- and Steel-types like Hippowdon, Swampert, Krookodile, Scizor, and Melmetal. Also, by using Waterium Z, Galarian Slowking could take Knock Off from Pokemon like Krookodile, Bisharp, and even Weavile much more easily and cripple all of them with a burn, or outright KOing all of them with Hydro Vortex after some boosts. Other items like Colbur Berry and Shuca Berry were also used to lure Pursuit Trappers or Ground-types and burn them. The prior bans and tier shifts of Hoopa-Unbound and Weavile made Calm Mind Galarian Slowking much more consistent on its new role, solidifying itself as a top tier threat, being banned some months after.
:waterium z:
Slowking-Galar @ Waterium Z
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Scald
- Sludge Bomb
- Slack Off


Alternative Items: :colbur berry: :shuca berry::grassy seed:

What caused it to have a significant impact?

A lot of factors helped Galarian Slowking to be considered too much for NDUU. Some Pokemon like Weavile and Hoopa-Unbound, although they weren't very reliable checks, were common and top tier threats, but eventually were banned. Its solid bulk let it take even some SE hits and cripple most counterplay with Scald and Sludge Bomb. However, Regenerator and Toxic immunity were probably the two biggest factors that made Galarian Slowking so hard to deal, especially since it can switch out and come back later to finish off the opposing team.

How do/did you deal with this Pokemon in ND UU?

Consistent counterplay to Galarian Slowking was generally restrictive and especific, as most teams relies on its Ground-types (Swampert, Hippowdon, Krookodile) to keep it in check. However, as already said, these Pokemon are all crippled by Scald and lose in the long run, since Galarian Slowking could just switch out and Regen off any damage. Some new sets like RestTalk Galarian Moltres and Refresh Seismitoad were developed to better deal with the King.
 
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:ss/Altaria-Mega:

What effect did Altaria-Mega have on the metagame?

In the post Mega Venusaur era of NDUU, Mega Altaria has been the undisputed king of the tier. It has been an essential part of many archetypes, keeping the tier healthy and (mostly) varied. A notable example of this is Altaria's usage on screens HO, acting both as a dangerous setup sweeper and as reliable a defensive measure against Urshifu such a team style might desire. On the opposite end of the spectrum, we can notice its use on stall. Altaria is easily the best Heal Bell user in the tier, and it contributes impressive bulk as well as almost countless useful resistances.

Altaria has always enjoyed the ability to switch into a solid portion of NDUU's most common pokemon. Out of the current S/A rank pokemon, it is able to effectively counter Rotom-Wash, Zarude, Urshifu, Mienshao, Buzzwole, Zeraora, Keldeo, Manectric-Mega, and Dragonite. A few other previously A rank pokemon it has matched up positively with are Hoopa-U, Infernape, Krookodile, Blaziken, Latias, and Hydreigon. Ever since Mega Diancie and Mega Gardevoir were banned, we've had very limited Fairy types, with Altaria being the only seriously good one with access to reliable recovery. Because of this, as well as Fairy's excellent synergy with Dragon, it has found itself on many teams due to its uniquely useful typing.


In what main roles was Altaria-Mega used?

Altaria's most important trait is its versatility. It has an insane number of sets, and the best one has changed according to the meta. Because of this, I'll try to cover all of its main sets separately, descriptions of each inside spoilers (kinda long, only read if you wish).

Setup Sweeper:
Altaria-Mega @ Altarianite
Ability: Natural Cure
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant / Jolly Nature
- Frustration / Facade
- Earthquake
- Roost
- Dragon Dance

This was the most common Altaria set for many months. It is very simple, but effective. Fairy Ground is excellent coverage, with Ground being super effective on both of Fairy's resistances. Having Roost means Altaria is able to be used defensively, but without bulk investment it cannot be recklessly thrown into powerful attacks. Roost also means Altaria can set up multiple times throughout a match, which is why it is such a potent wincon. This set was best during the era of Slowking-Galar, because at the time every Altaria wanted coverage to prevent it from being easily abusable by the horse.
1653655263480.png
Altaria-Mega @ Altarianite
Ability: Natural Cure
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 Spe
Impish Nature
- Body Slam / Frustration
- Refresh / Heal Bell
- Roost
- Dragon Dance

One of the more interesting Altaria sets, Refresh DD has the ability to set up on common status users such as Rotom-Heat, defensive Moltres (was common in the past), Hippowdon, and Swampert. Heal Bell makes it more difficult to set up in the face of Toxic users, but allows for useful team support. This set sacrifices the ability to break through Fairy resists which have the ability to threaten Altaria (Scizor, Nihilego, Amoonguss, Slowking-Galar, Melmetal, Celesteela) for easier setup and much more defensive utility. This spread is able to run almost maximum Defense investment, making it a fairly safe switch in to the many powerful attackers it resists hits from. It can also be safely thrown into status users early in the game, giving up momentum but preventing other members from being crippled by status.
Altaria-Mega @ Altarianite
Ability: Natural Cure
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naughty Nature
- Frustration
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
- Dragon Dance

This Altaria set has been the standard on HO teams for as long as I can remember, it is hard to imagine it being ineffective. Fire/Ground coverage allows Altaria to murder every Steel type except Celesteela, with the resists to Fairy/Ground (Scizor and Skarmory) being roasted by Fire Blast. As was mentioned previously, this set was a necessity on Screens HO because of the archetype's weakness to Urshifu as well as common Electric types. Other forms of HO also often share these weaknesses, and Altaria is the perfect way to provide outs.

Defensive:
Altaria-Mega @ Altarianite
Ability: Natural Cure
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 Spe
Impish / Bold Nature
- Frustration / Hyper Voice
- Roost
- Flamethrower
- Heal Bell / Toxic / Defog

This is a more support-oriented Altaria. It effectively switches into the same pokemon as Refresh DD Altaria, but it is able to support its team through Heal Bell, or less often spreading status/removing hazards. This set also notably is able to fit Flamethrower, and Fire has always been the single best coverage for hitting Steels in NDUU. Having the ability to slightly threaten Amoonguss is also significant, as Altaria without Fire coverage give Amoonguss free turns to spread Spore/Sludge Bomb poisons.

Breakers:
Altaria-Mega @ Altarianite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 248 HP / 36 Def / 128 SpA / 96 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hyper Voice
- Roost
- Fire Blast
- Toxic / Draco Meteor / Heal Bell

I discovered this set a while ago and I love it, Fairy/Fire is nice coverage and Toxic messes up almost all the SpDef walls that can consider taking both moves. Nihilego, Slowbro-Galar, and Nidoqueen switch in on this decently well, with Nihilego being the most common and important issue. Draco is able to chunk all 3 while also hitting common Fire types, but it does slightly struggle with Slowking. Heal Bell is less dangerous but Fairy/Fire coverage alone carries threat and Heal Bell is a generally useful move. The cool part of this set is that it manages to be a breaker without sacrificing the defensive utility that makes Altaria so great. The EV spread allows it to avoid the 2HKO from CB Urshifu CC after rocks, and max HP allows Altaria to shrug off tons of miscellaneous hits.
Altaria-Mega @ Altarianite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 156 Atk / 252 SpA / 100 Spe
Rash Nature
- Hyper Voice
- Roost
- Fire Blast
- Earthquake

This set is somewhat similar to the previous one, but it is far less bulky and less universally threatening. The main reason to use it is that it can lure poison types looking to switch in on Toxic, blowing away Nihilego and being EV'd to 2HKO Nidoqueen. Of course, the extra special attack investment means this set does hit harder, and Altaria's defensive proficiency sometimes distracts from the fact that its attacks hit hard. The reason for the 4 extra speed evs here is that Nidoqueen typically also creeps Aegislash/Primarina, and Nidoqueen is a potential target to be lured.

Six unique sets is a ton, and the most impressive part of Altaria's versatility is the fact that all of these sets are/have been extremely good. It's nearly impossible to guess its set because there are so many options. Realizing a team has Altaria as the only Urshifu switch in suggests it has bulk investment, but this doesn't show whether it is Defensive DD, Support, or a Special Breaker. All three could fit, but have vastly different counterplay. This factor makes all of its individual sets better.


What caused it to have a significant impact?

Altaria's position as the face of NDUU is the result of it having almost every positive attribute it could ask for. It has an excellent and rare typing, great coverage which supports its typing perfectly, solid offensive stats and bulk, and amazing support moves. Its Speed is somewhat lacking, but access to Dragon Dance and decent natural bulk make it perfect even for setup. Altaria doesn't have to be a complicated pokemon, it can run the same old sets of Fairy move + Roost + coverage for Steels + almost literally anything, and will remain useful.


How do/did you deal with this Pokemon in ND UU?

Being such an important mon in the tier, checking Mega Altaria has been a priority for a long time. Most teams carry multiple checks, as it is nearly impossible to counter all sets in one pokemon. A list of pokemon which have often been used to counter Altaria includes Amoonguss, Scizor, Celesteela, Nihilego, Slowking-Galar, Moltres, Slowking, Hippowdon, Rotom-Heat, Mega Beedrill, Melmetal, Roserade, Tangrowth, Nidoqueen, and Mega Venusaur. These are all checks (or even counters) to certain sets, but inevitably lose to others.

There are a few checks which are/have been especially reliable which I think should be mentioned separately. Celesteela walls every Altaria, only being worn down by repeated Modest Fire Blasts. Physically Defensive Slowking-Galar and Slowbro-Galar do well into every set, although Slowking-Galar could struggle with Adamant Earthquakes while Slowbro-Galar is unable to safely switch into Draco Meteor Altaria. Specially Defensive Melmetal did a similar job to Celesteela, but was easier to wear down. Crucify me but Mega Beedrill is the only decent way to outspeed and OHKO Altaria after a DD, most teams opt to simply live a hit of course. Finally, Mega Venusaur brutally countered every set, with the only hopes being catching it on a switch in before Mega Evolution and accumulating chip with entry hazards.

Altaria is also easily annoyed by chip damage. Its inability to hold an item leaves it without Leftovers to negate small amounts of damage, and without Heavy-Duty Boots to ignore entry hazards. Altaria's tendency to switch in on Pokemon with pivotting moves (Urshifu, Rotoms, Zeraora, Manectric, Zarude, etc) means it can easily be outplayed, and even without good prediction it is often forced to roost. If Altaria is forced to roost each time it switches in, its threat is eliminated and having a counter is not even necessary.
 
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What effect did Scizor/Mega Scizor have on the metagame?

Even through all of its time and occasional struggles with the metagame's direction at large, Scizor stood strong as a defining piece of the tier. Never always at the forefront of the metagame, but an absolutely crucial part of it regardless, being a huge part of many successful teams throughout the whole generation, and shaping much of the offensive landscape around it.

Scizor's main strength lies in its set versatility, that same versatility which has since allowed it to pick its spots and carve out its potent offensive niche as the metagame progressed. Between its extremely large pool of sets to choose from, ranging from defining options such as Choice Band, to the less oppressive but no-less formidable bulky Swords Dance set, Scizor has always enjoyed the ability to find its reliably way around its counters and onto more teams that have since appreciated both what it has done for the metagame and what has changed because of it. Its similarly great matchups against much of the offensive metagame warranting such high levels of usage that made it incredibly easy to fit in spite of the competition.


In what main roles were they used?

Scizor:

Choice Band

Scizor @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 120 HP / 252 Atk / 136 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Knock Off
- Superpower / Pursuit / Dual Wingbeat

Scizor's flagship set throughout most of the generation. Choice Band further inflated Scizor's monstrous Attack stat and once again, established it as one of the faces of the tier as soon as it arrived. An extremely threatening game-to-game presence that could effortlessly exert itself in a tier filled with other threatening presences, whether that would be shattering faster teams with a strong Bullet Punch that could easily revenge kill common offensive presences such as Mega Altaria and Weavile, or easily maintaining momentum for its team in response via a strong, difficult to punish STAB-boosted U-turn that would often go uncontested thanks to the threat of Knock Off. The power and simplicity offered by Scizor's U-turn with this set would always be such an overtly powerful weapon in the metagame, that most Pokemon threatened by Scizor would often have to pair up with a strong, contact-punishing teammate so as to avoid instantly being forced on the backfoot against the snowball effect easily facilitated by most of Scizor's teammates. The options to do this being significantly limited and exploitable as well, be it Buzzwole potentially being dropped by Dual Wingbeat, or Fire-types being crippled by Stealth Rock after a Knock Off. It was clear that no matter the matchup, this set was going to be incredibly consistent and reliable, always finding its way to win against the slew of great matchups offered to it in most games, and cementing the inevitability of Scizor's dominance for many years to come.


File:Bag Buginium Z Sprite.png

Scizor @ Buginium Z
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 88 Atk / 88 Def / 72 SpD / 4 Spe
Impish Nature
- Swords Dance
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Roost

Much of Scizor's presence would since then be shaped by the threat of the many attacking options at its disposal, but by switching over to a more defensive-inclined EV Spread and moveset, Scizor gained incredible longevity with this attacking route that allowed it to more easily stick around and leverage its excellent defensive qualities on account of an already useful defensive typing, superb bulk when invested, and naturally powerful Bullet Punches against most targets weak to it despite minimal investment. Playing both defensive and offensive roles at the same time, while also waiting for other offensive threats to be sufficiently worn down in the process, and eventually cornering the opponent for a late-game sweep with the combination of Swords Dance and Roost. Notably, Buginium Z stood out as the nail on the head for this set, allowing Scizor to bring in its hard-hitting teammates as usual on a forced switch via U-turn, but not before also threatening to blow past common checks with a brutally powerful Savage Spin-out in the mid-game that could feasibly destroy the opposing Amoonguss or Rotom-Wash, after a Swords Dance.

Being one of the more consistent checks to the terrifying Weavile at the time during its tenure in the tier, this as a whole, made Scizor's defensive niche more valuable than ever, and once again, added another layer to the amount of roles Scizor could be viably used for.



Scizor @ Life Orb
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Bullet Punch
- Superpower
- Dual Wingbeat / Quick Attack

While still not as consistent and splashable as the other sets above, Scizor's Offensive Swords Dance set could still pose a massive threat to most teams, packing expansive coverage options for breaking defense, and being tremendously difficult to counter safely without a free switch, finding its way onto common hyper offense teams as a result for its favorable matchups against opposing offense. Dual Wingbeat was usually the main option in the last slot for its ability to break past common roadblocks in defensive Grass-types and Buzzwole, but Quick Attack was also used to provide a better matchup against most weakened offensive Pokemon such as Infernape that could otherwise survive a boosted Bullet Punch and retaliate.


Heavy-Duty Boots

Scizor @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 28 Atk / 232 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Bullet Punch
- Knock Off
- Roost

A newer spin on the bulky Swords Dance variant, this variant eventually gained popularity after the bans of Mega Sableye and Weavile which had since lowered the need for a Z-Crystal to be run, allowing Scizor to begin experimenting with other options on its moveset. As it was soon discovered, heavy Special Defense investment alongside the excellent new item Heavy-Duty Boots to counteract common hazard stacking methods allowed Scizor to pose as a more effective check to the likes of Alakazam and Aegislash, both immensely dangerous threats that were tearing up the metagame at the time. While the bans had also opened up the opportunity for Scizor to run Knock Off instead, crippling usual checks such as Rotom-Wash and Moltres on the switch by ridding them of their item for its own sweep, making it a similarly valuable addition to most offense and bulky offense teams that required this important level of general role compression and offensive endgame potential.


Mega Scizor:

Scizorite

Scizor-Mega @ Scizorite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Superpower

Additionally, prior to its rise to OU, Mega Scizor would often utilize a 3 Attacks + Swords Dance set on DragMag/Sticky Web Hyper Offense teams that were popular during the early metagame, providing key utility against other offensive threats such as Latios and Mega Diancie, while also posing a significant threat to the likes of common defensive staples in Hippowdon, Mega Venusaur, and Empoleon thanks to its bulk effectively letting it trade or absorb crucial hits from most offensive and defensive Pokemon in a pinch to threaten a sweep or KO in return, dispatching of a huge roadblock to these teams, and being incredibly difficult to maneuver around as a result.


What caused them to have a significant impact?

Just off their stats and shared movepool alone, the set versatility and utility that both formes of Scizor brought to the table were utterly immense as a whole, combining the full might of an incredible breaker, sweeper, and pivot in the metagame that also packed good bulk and defensive typing to keep other threats in check allowed it to easily find its place on just about any type of team. Whether that would be offense, bulky offense, balance, stall; you name it, almost nothing could be safe to challenge the effects offset by its presence, being able to perform the role with ease like Scizor could was what kept this powerful bug on the top of the UU world, easily defining what would be made better or worse in the metagame, and making it an absolute menace to face even with a dedicated answer, hence being deserving of its ranking.


How did you deal with this Pokemon in ND UU?

Being such an essential piece of the tier for the longest time, not all would be roses for Scizor's swarm of fury. As NatDex UU's large pool of offensive and defensive checks were each present and often prominent enough to give Scizor a seriously tough time the way things were.

The list includes Skarmory, arguably its most reliable defensive answer in the tier given its massive Defense stat, ability to stay healthy with Roost, and access to with Whirlwind and Iron Defense to mess with Scizor's sweeping attempts. Buzzwole, Moltres, Rocky Helmet Amoonguss, Rotom-Wash, Tangrowth, Mega Sableye, Rotom-Heat, Mega Aggron, Mega Steelix, and even lesser known options such as Cobalion and Mandibuzz, all of which packed the bulk and resistances needed to take most of Scizor's attacks in a pinch and threaten it out or cripple it with status in return. Nevertheless, Scizor still had its fair share of options to get around these answers, making preparing for its versatility a massive pain overall.

However, on the offensive side, things were more apparent, enough to the degree that Scizor's powerful Bullet Punches and even Quick Attacks couldn't always make up for these comparatively underwhelming matchups in practice. Faster threats that resisted Bullet Punch were also everywhere, and this included various options such as Victini, Thunder Wave Melmetal, Urshifu-RS, Mega Manectric, and Analytic Starmie, limiting the progress that Scizor could make against more offensive teams. Furthermore, bulkier Scizor variants could often be hard-pressed into using Roost or Swords Dance in order to continuously check the Pokemon it would be tasked with switching into, opening up additional opportunities for these dangerous attackers to hit the field and force Scizor out.
 
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Gangsta Spongebob

"Mama I'm a Criminal" - Badass Smoking Caterpillar
is a Site Content Manageris a Forum Moderatoris a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Top Contributor
:ss/rotom-wash:

What effect did Pokemon have on the metagame?

Rotom-Wash's primary contribution to Nat Dex UU has been that of a glue that provides crucial defensive roles, while facilitating effective Voltturn cores at the same time. It is used check a plethora of meta threats, such as many of the dangerous Ground, Steel, and Flying Types littering the tier, and then take advantage of them with Volt Switch. Most notably, it was easily the best check to Melmetal while it was in the tier, as Rotom-Wash was both extremely good at this job and very easy to fit on teams.

Rotom-Wash is also one of, if not the most splashable defogger in the tier. It is often the go-to Defogger for many team styles, especially while Melmetal was unbanned, though it remains great during the current Meta as well.

Adapting to Rotom-Wash is complicated as usually it's less outright beating it but trying to handle whatever it pivots in. To this end many teams have ultimately found themselves investing heavily in chip and status to wear Rotom-Wash down to wallbreaker range, while managing a strong defensive backbone to stomach whatever Rotom-Wash brings in.

It's role as a bulky pivot does mean people are hardly agonizing over finding a reliable check for it, however at the end of the day Rotom-Wash has left an unmistakable impact on the Metagame. The sheer amount of teams Rotom-Wash has found itself in throughout Nat Dex UU's history goes to show just how significant of an effect it has had on Nat Dex UU. This is to the point where even the broken Melmetal ran Toxic largely for it. Rotom-Wash is rarely the flashiest Pokémon of a team, and has mostly been reprising the same role since it dropped, but it is a Pokémon that has often kept many teams and sometimes even the entire meta together.

In what main roles was Pokemon used?

Rotom-Wash's primary role in Nat Dex UU is as a Bulky Pivot, largely owing to its typing, ability, and movepool. Its success as a Defogger is largely owed due to its solid longevity and good matchup against most rockers. Combine that with how easy Rotom-Wash is to fit on teams, and we have a Pokémon we struggle to find instances where its not worth using.

Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 168 Def / 88 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Pain Split / Will-O Wisp / Thunder Wave
- Defog / Will-O Wisp / Thunder Wave

52 SpD is sometimes used for Primarina. Its Spread has varied in the past, but was generally as something along these lines.

It is also occasionally used as speed control with a Choice Scarf. This set is rarer as it struggles to fully realize Rotom Wash's defensive potential, but serves as effective speed control with good defensive attributes. This set can also fit some utility such as Defog if it chooses, reprising Rotom-Wash's role compression.

Rotom-Wash @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Trick
- Pain Split / Defog / Will-O-Wisp

What caused it to have a significant impact?

Rotom-Wash has a phenomenal defensive profile. Its Electric/Water Typing and Levitate ability gives it only one weakness to Grass, while giving it a resistance or an immunity to Flying, Ground, Fire, Water, Steel, and Ice. This allows it to check a plethora of dangerous meta threats, such as but not limited to Moltres, Krookodile, Celesteela, Mamoswine, Special Salamence, and Rhyperior. While 50/107/107 Bulk isn't spectacular, it is very much enough to carry it through games, especially when complemented by Pain Split and Leftovers. If its health is budgeted correctly, which many players have shown the capability to do, it is a nightmare to KO.

As a Pivot, Rotom-Wash is extremally hard to Volt Block due to the combination of Hydro Pump and Volt Switch. The vast majority of Ground Types, from Hippowdon to Rhyperior, simply cannot comfortably switch into Rotom-Wash's Hydro Pump, leaving most teams simply unable to stop it from pivoting without excessively dangerous predictions. This makes it a staple on Voltturn, and is a contributing factor as to why these teams have historically been very effective in Nat Dex UU. However, it is hardly a one-washing machine army. Fantastic fellow Voltturn users, such as Scizor, Moltres, Zarude, as well as great wallbreakers such as Terrakion and Nidoking, greatly complement Rotom-Wash by bolstering the effectiveness of its Voltturn teams.

As a Defogger, Rotom-Wash benefits greatly from being both immune to Ground and not weak to Rock, while also wielding a powerful Hydro Pump. This leads to the vast majority of viable Rockers being comfortably checked by Rotom-Wash, making it one of, if not the best Defogger in the tier. It's Spikes MU is admittedly shakier as it can't Defog on many of its setters, but Rotom-Wash does completely destroys Skarmory.

Finally, though it doesn't always use it, Rotom-Wash is an effective user of Status. Will-o-Wisp allows Rotom-Wash to check nearly every physical attacker in the tier, and Thunder Wave can cripple most set up sweepers and many wallbreakers.

How do/did you deal with this Pokemon in ND UU?

What are the best checks/counters to this Pokemon? How does the metagame adapt to this Pokémon?

Virtually every Grass-Type should be able to 1v1 Rotom-Wash, provided they aren't too frail or mind status too much. Amoonguss couldn't care less for whatever Rotom-Wash throws at it, and while most Tangrowth don't enjoy Burns, it still stonewalls Rotom-Wash. Roserade is a particularly nasty MU, as it can set up Spikes and remove Status with Natural Cure. Similarly most Zarude can heal off status with Jungle Healing and use Rotom-Wash as momentum or setup fodder. Special Walls such as AV Slowbro-Galar similarly don't care about anything Rotom-Wash can throw at them, while being able to damage or crippling Rotom-Wash in return.

Rotom-Wash also has a shaky MU vs. the Tier's ruler, Alteria-Mega. Rotom-Wash can't damage Altaria-Mega in any meaningful way, and while standard DD is crippled by Status, Special sets don't care and many Physical sets can run Heal Bell or Facade to take advantage of Rotom-Wash. However, it is important to mention that none of these checks are immune to Volt-Switch, and thus often struggle to switch-in.

As stated earlier, Rotom-Wash is very hard to Volt Block due to its access to Water STAB. The most splashable Rotom-Wash Volt-Blocker would be Swampert, as it isn't 2HKOed by Hydro Pump and can retaliate with Toxic, but Swampert struggles to deal with chip and Burns over the course of the game. On the other hand, the B-Tier Gastrodon and Seismitoad, and the C-Tier Mega-Sceptile serve as ironclad Rotom-Wash switchins, but they are not nearly as common as the A-Tiers.

Thus, as stated earlier the easiest way to actually defeat Rotom-Wash is to try to wear it down and then finish it off with a wallbreaker. Toxic cripples Rotom-Wash, while Burns still negate Leftovers, something crucial in the long-term. Stealth Rock chip subtracts 2 turns of Leftovers, something that can very well add up if the player isn't careful. Finally smaller hits such as a Moltres Flamethrower + U-Turn might not do too much in the short term but can gradually bring Rotom-Wash down to the KO range of something else. Pain Split does grant Rotom-Wash a great deal of longevity, but it isn't the most reliable form of Recovery plus it means Rotom-Wash isn't going for Volt Switch, killing a lot of the player's momentum.

However, as shown here, Rotom-Wash remains extremally hard to check due to it simply pivoting on whatever tries to check it. It isn't impossible to deal with, and a single misplay could spell doom for Rotom-Wash. But in the right hands, Rotom-Wash takes advantage of almost the entire tier for momentum, while being nigh impossible to pin down and kill.
 
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Enter your nominee's sprite here.
:ss/sableye-mega:


What effect did Pokemon have on the metagame?

Explain how the Pokemon effected the metagame as whole, and how the metagame adapted around it. A brief description of which Pokemon it countered and which Pokemon it did well against would be good here as well. Be sure to consider their impact in previous iterations of ND UU as well if they weren't removed.

it made every hazard setter unviable lmfao

In what main roles was Pokemon used?

Explain why this Pokemon was used on a team more often then most other Pokemon, and what was it particularly used for? What made it so good at this role?

it broke stall and literally was the best hazard control the tier offered, CM + wisp sets were also insanely hard to break

What caused it to have a significant impact?

What exactly made this Pokemon have such a large impact on the metagame? Was it its stats, ability, useful resistances, amazing synergy, or the ability to sweep most of the metagame very easily? Did a certain Pokemon cause it to become that much better when it was partnered with it?

it made every hazard setter unviable lmfao

How do/did you deal with this Pokemon in ND UU?

What are the best checks/counters to this Pokemon? How does the metagame adapt to this Pokemon?

mega altaria and that's it
 
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:ss/latias:

What effect did Latias have on the metagame?

Similarly to Gen 7 UU, Latias was an extremely dominant top threat, being the biggest reason to have a SpDef bulky steel, Blissey or Pursuit trapper and one of the premier breakers during its stay. Latias additionally kept multiple dominant offensive threats in line - The Rotoms, Urshifu-Rapid-Strike (kind of), Keldeo, Moltres, Infernape and several others, including, while they were here, the Thundurus formes, Xurkitree, and Mega Venusaur, though ultimately Latias wasn't enough to keep them around. This made Latias extremely splashable and a must-have on Bulky Offense and a big part of why BO was such a dominant playstyle.

It also set the minimum for what could be considered 'fast', and was a driving force behind Bulky Offense's dominance. It significantly influenced the viability of several steels based on if they could check Latias or not, aside from Skarmory who was more used for physical wallbreakers than for Latias. For instance, Empoleon dropped off the face of the planet once Electrium became the dominant set, while SpDef Jirachi went from what was otherwise a simply pretty solid steel to one of the best Pokemon in the meta due to being one of the few universal 'counters' to it (and Mega Diancie and Mega Gardevoir but that's by the by, and it was still dominant even when there was only Mega Diancie and Latias).

In what main roles was Latias used?

Latias was primarily used as a Calm Mind wallbreaker/win condition, but occasionally saw use as a Choice Scarf user with Healing Wish. Latias was almost always run with Calm Mind and some Z Move, though it very rarely ran Life Orb prior to Dragonium 3 Attacks taking its place on HO teams. Until it got Mystical Fire in DLC, this Z move option was rather colourful and varied (including niche lure options such as Surf/Waterium for Tyranitar and Mega Steelix or Shadow Ball/Ghostium for Jirachi and Aegislash before the latter was banned for a while), but the main ones it ran were Electrium with Thunder and Dragonium with Draco Meteor. However, after it got Mystical Fire, it almost exclusively ran Firium, with maybe the occasional Dragonium on Hyper Offense, as Inferno Overdrive hit everything the previous Z move coverage options did and more, ultimately leading to its ban. Choice Specs and Life Orb might have been used but I'm not entirely sure.

Post DLC:
CM Firium Z [Mystical Fire] (Latias) (F) @ Firium Z
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
- Mystical Fire
- Roost

CM 3 Attacks [Mystical Fire] (Latias) (F) @ Dragonium Z / Firium Z
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
- Mystical Fire
- Draco Meteor

Pre DLC:
CM Electrium Z (Latias) (F) @ Electrium Z
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
- Thunder
- Roost

Choice Scarf (Latias) (F) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psyshock
- Draco Meteor
- Trick
- Healing Wish

CM Dragonium Z 3 Attacks (Latias) (F) @ Dragonium Z
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
- Draco Meteor
- Thunder

CM Dragonium Z (Latias) (F) @ Dragonium Z
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
- Draco Meteor
- Roost

Funny Lure Sets:
CM Ghostium Z (Latias) (F) @ Ghostium Z
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
- Shadow Ball
- Roost

CM Waterium Z (Latias) (F) @ Waterium Z
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
- Surf
- Roost

Might have been run but I'm not sure:
Choice Specs (Latias) (F) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Thunder
- Trick


What caused it to have a significant impact?

Latias' high speed, respectable special attack, superb special bulk, great Dragon/Psychic typing and excellent movepool gave it a lot of opportunities to come in and do some damage. It also let it check a plethora of top threats, especially thanks to its access to Roost Z Moves also let it power through what would otherwise be walls to it after a Calm Mind, and a powerful Draco Meteor was always nice to have, though it only ran it on certain sets. Healing Wish and Trick also made Choice Scarf sets serviceable enough, though generally Choice Scarf was just an ok set outside of situations where some broken Pokemon was ripping the meta to shreds and only Latias could revenge it, or its specific niche was needed. Psyshock also let it get around Blissey, and was strong enough when invested at +1 to put holes in the Bulky Offense builds running around, and most Balance walls at the time were vulnerable to a +1 Psyshock, the exceptions being the mons who checked Latias. These factors combined made it the most splashable and dangerous wallbreaker/win condition around.

How do/did you deal with this Pokemon in ND UU?

Prior to it receiving Mystical Fire, SpDef Jirachi was by far its best answer, taking everything except the rare Ghostium (which almost entirely existed just to lure it after Aegislash was banned for a while) with ease and usually either Wished or U-turned into something else, though it could easily 1v1 Latias if the situation called for it. Blissey was also fairly reliable but not perfect, being able to take a +1 Psyshock and then being able to Toxic it and/or Teleport out into something else, though without Leftovers or after Stealth Rock it was able to be 2HKOd with a decent roll. Bulky Mega Altaria, at the time the only set it really ran, was also capable of handling just about every set with ease. Scizor was pretty similar to Jirachi but had to fear the occasional Hidden Power Fire, but in return had much more reliable recovery in Roost. Celesteela was able to handle every set other than Electrium, and Mega Steelix/Aggron could handle everything except +1 Devastating Drake and Hydro Vortex after a decent amount of (relatively simple to get) chip. Empoleon was used for a while but Electrium became dominant to the point that it fell off into obscurity.

Pursuit was also a popular way of dealing with it. Weavile and Choice Scarf Krookodile were both able to outspeed and trap it reliably - Krookodile in particular completely walled the CM Electrium 2 Attacks set as it was rare to run Draco Meteor over Psyshock due to Draco Meteor's special attack drop and Blissey's dominance. Tyranitar also completely shut out and Pursuit trapped every set apart from Waterium with Surf, which was about the only set Latias could afford to run in that meta, and maybe Dragonium if Tyranitar was chipped before hand. Mega Aerodactyl was also a decent Pursuit trapper to it, though it did require some previous chip and had issues in that meta prior to receiving Dragon Dance and Dual Wingbeat in the same DLC that broke Latias.

However, after it got Mystical Fire, Pursuit and Mega Altaria were about the only reliable answers to it, as +1 Inferno Overdrive smoked the vast majority of its previous checks. Jirachi could try and Protect on the Overdrive, but it still had to deal with +1 Mystical Fires afterwards, and given how easily Latias could run through teams now, it was able to weather Blissey's Toxic for long enough to blow through it and several teammates anyways at +1. Even worse, several defensive checks to Latias were being overwhelmed by Mega Diancie, so Latias had an even easier time. Pursuit went from a solid fallback plan to the only genuinely somewhat safe option other than Mega Altaria (and theoretically Latias could have just started running Ice Beam for it anyways on the 3 attacks set), with many teams relying on Blissey Teleporting out into the Pursuit trapper for an awkward 50/50.
 
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:ss/aegislash::ss/aegislash-blade:

What effect did Aegislash have on the metagame?


In what main roles was Aegislash used?


:ss/aegislash:
Aegislash @ Leftovers
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 212 HP / 252 SpA / 44 Spe
Modest Nature
- Shadow Ball
- King's Shield
- Close Combat
- Toxic / Substitute

Aegislash's flagship role. While initially eclipsed by other sets due to the prominence of Mega Venusaur running Earth Power among other things, Aegislash's infamous bulky King's Shield set makes its return in a metagame without it allowed to stall out entire teams with ease, while also contributing as a generally solid defensive presence against the likes of several Rock- and Psychic-types such as Deoxys-D and Terrakion lacking EQ, often taking advantage of these aforementioned switch-in opportunities to cause havoc itself. Close Combat is also generally preferred to hit Dark-types immune to Toxic, notably OHKOing Bisharp attempting to setup or click Pursuit while heavily damaging Zarude looking to shrug off Toxic with Jungle Healing, but having Substitute over Toxic allows Aegislash to take advantage of the many switches it can force, letting it safely hit the target with the correct move in spite of its low Speed. Specially Defensive spreads were also once used to increase the difficulty that bulkier teams would have dealing with it, while also making it a more effective check to the likes of Mew, Jirachi, and Alakazam, but are generally less reliable nowadays with the bans of these important Psychics and emphasis on Toxic-immune switch-ins necessitating Special Attack investment for Shadow Ball.

:ss/aegislash-blade:
Aegislash @ Spell Tag
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Close Combat
- Toxic / Flash Cannon
- King's Shield

:ss/aegislash:
Aegislash @ Leftovers
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 HP / 80 SpA / 176 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Shadow Ball
- King's Shield
- Toxic



:ss/aegislash-blade:
Aegislash @ Ghostium Z / Air Balloon
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Shadow Claw / Iron Head
- Close Combat
- Shadow Sneak

Swords Dance turns Aegislash into a menacing wallbreaker and sweeper against bulkier teams, utilizing its unique defensive profile and valuable type immunities to gauge setup opportunities. At +2, Aegislash's powerful Ghost + Fighting coverage can easily break past most defensive presences in the tier, notably tearing through a lot of the same Pokemon used to check the special sets, such as Galarian Moltres and Celesteela, after a boost. The set particularly shines on hyper-offense teams which appreciate the defensive security it can bring to the table. Air Balloon can also work to mess with Ground-types relying on direct damage to threaten it after taking an attack, giving Aegislash proper time to set up.

:ss/aegislash:
Aegislash @ Ghostium Z
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Shadow Claw
- Close Combat
- King's Shield

A more recent take on Aegislash's classic Swords Dance iteration, this set aims to break down targets on the physical side, much like its predecessor, but also comes with the massive upside of keeping important defensive utility on the same set with King's Shield, turning Pokemon like non-Bulk Up Zarude into setup fodder and completely ruining most revenge killing attempts on account of its bulk allowing Aegislash to easily play around most of them in Shield forme.

:ss/aegislash-blade:
Aegislash @ Choice Specs
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Flash Cannon
- Close Combat
- Steel Beam

While not as consistent as the listed sets above, Choice Specs still more than makes up for it in the right matchup by turning Aegislash into an absolute nuke against absolutely anything, with a boosted Shadow Ball even being able to flatout 2HKO Pokemon such as Assault Vest Tangrowth and specially defensive Hippowdon after Stealth Rocks, and boosted Flash Cannons being equally threatening to the plethora of Ghost-resists in the tier such as Mandibuzz. Steel Beam even serves as arguably the main draw on this set, allowing Aegislash to take a bulky wall like Amoonguss by surprise, and more or less making the payoff of supporting it worth it.

:ss/aegislash-blade:
Aegislash @ Choice Band
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shadow Claw
- Close Combat
- Shadow Sneak
- Pursuit

Choice Band gives Aegislash more immediate breaking power, albeit in a less conventional way against the overall metagame. Despite its problems against Moltres's Flame Body, Rotom-W's Will-O-Wisp, and popular Intimidate users like Krookodile and Salamence holding it back from being truly consistent. Its ability to make progress against teams over relying on specially-oriented checks like Celesteela often being a switch away from getting shredded by physical Ghost + Fighting coverage gives it at least something to work with for a attacking combination not resisted by much defensively. Pursuit even makes for the icing on the cake on this set, as this allows Aegislash to use its bulk and typing to switch into and trap Pokemon like Nihilego and Slowking forced to run from it, potentially opening the door for other offensive teammates like Moltres or Azelf to make progress.

:ss/aegislash-blade:
Aegislash @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Autotomize
- Shadow Ball
- Flash Cannon
- Close Combat

Autotomize + Weakness Policy uses Aegislash's huge bulk in Shield forme to take weaker super-effective hits like Tangrowth's Knock Off and Salamence's Flamethrower, grabbing a Speed boost and safely activating its Weakness Policy while doing it. At +2 Speed, this Aegislash set is capable of outspeeding and taking out common Pokemon like Krookodile and Moltres, potentially pulling off a sweep against a weakened team by taking away most of their ability to offensively check it. Finding the right opportunity to pull off this set off can be tricky overall, as even being close to getting KOed if not outright will leave it as an easy target to priority users like Azumarill afterwards, but can be a fun way of sweeping when done right.

What caused it to have a significant impact?

Aegislash, after the initial spook it caused, came to define its stance as among the most versatile and dominant forces in the metagame. A hybrid of an offensive-and-defensive behemoth unlike any Pokemon before it sporting immense base stats across the board, an incredibly influential defensive typing, and a solid overall offensive presence that allowed it to lend itself to a serviable role for almost any type of situation in the metagame. Aegislash itself being the culprit behind several metagame developments, such as forcing Buzzwole to run Earthquake and Galarian Zapdos to run Throat Chop while it was in the tier certainly attests to its impact on the metagame, the utility it provided in the builder between its many sets ranging from SubTox, Swords Dance, Special Attacker, and the like, being nearly unparalleled at the time and generally amazing to have on a lot of teams.

How did you deal with this Pokemon in ND UU?

Once lavishing as a former Uber in its previous kingdom of OU against the odds of the generational shift, Aegislash briefly dropped to UU in the early stages of the tier, and even with its potential diluted for success in the tier above, Choice Specs and Swords Dance sets of Aegislash had already established themselves to be too versatile and overcentralizing for the fragile, unearthly metagame at hand, resulting in its swift and unanimous ban from the council 4 days after its initial drop on May 1st 2020, the original reasoning of which can be found here. It eventually salvaged some slight semblance of a niche in OU within the following months, having seen occasional use with Swords Dance and Mixed King's Shield sets following the bans of several crucial threats, notably Dragapult, Cinderace, and Magearna.

Regardless, it was during several stages into the metagame's development that lead to the precarious plight of the great unban wave in November of 2020. Aegislash was ultimately amongst those reinvited to join the tier, and while many shivered in the fear of the two-time Uber potentially dropping down and wreaking havoc on the premises of its extreme threat potential for a second time, stacking counterplay to it had become much easier. Krookodile, Celesteela and Moltres were all familiar faces that had the bulk and offensive prowess needed to stop Aegislash in its tracks, and Scizor continued to dominate. Additionally, the tier was now rifled with Pursuit users such as the aforementioned Krookodile and the terrifying Choice Band Weavile, rendering the purely offensive variants that were previously so polarizing inconsistent at best and liabilities at worst. Ensuring that at the very least, Aegislash could be handled in various ways regardless of its sets and moveset adaptations.

Additionally,
 
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:ss/Jirachi:

What effect did Jirachi have on the metagame?

Jirachi was a decent option on both offense and defense thanks to its typing, stats and support moves (most notably Wish, U-Turn, 60}% Body Slams and more) that back then it managed to check threats like Mega Diancie, Mega Gardevoir or Mega Altaria, mainly the first two that were extremely opressive in the metagame and Jirachi being the only one that could reliable check them. It did a good job despite not being at a top level outside of those two being in the meta and also having other options if you wanted to deal with them but checking them was important enough that it left a decent presence alongside its Scarf set.

When the meta started to establish itself more and more, Jirachi may had lost the 2 mons that it was supposed to check but it also lost competition and checks & counters like Victini, Weavile, Hoopa-Unbound or Mega Sableye. This popularized the use of Z-Happy Hour Jirachi which turned the meta into a state where they always had to keep this threat in mind or else they would get destroyed instantly without a second thought.


In what main roles was Jirachi used?

The specially defensive variant was a pretty good fit to deal with the fairy megas that were previously mentioned but also the Choice Scarf variant was a pretty popular pick for speed control because it had good speed, easy momentum and the rare trade of Healing Wish that Offense absolutely loved in order to revive huge threats like Urshifu-RS, Weavile, Terrakion, Mega Gardevoir and Diancie, etc. The Z-Happy Hour set was an absolute demon for Hyper Offense, as if Jirachi didn't had a hard time setting up already, Screens allows it to have even more spots to setup and also prevent either most forms of revenge killing or ones that could take one hit and kill it while chipped.
Specially Defensive might not be accurate in terms of spread, this shit is really old pls have mercy.

Jirachi @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Iron Head
- U-turn
- Healing Wish
- Trick / Fire Punch

Jirachi @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 84 Def / 172 SpD
Careful Nature
- Wish
- Protect
- Iron Head
- Body Slam / U-Turn

Jirachi @ Normalium Z
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Happy Hour
- Iron Head
- Stored Power
- Thunder

What caused it to have a significant impact?

At the beginning, Jirachi has mostly been overlooked just like many other overpowered threats in the metagame because others such as Hoopa-Unbound, Mega Sableye or Weavile were much more opressive in the meta. This also happened with the other psychics like Glowking, Mew and Alakazam but by far the most direct competition was Victini which pretty much outclassed it on most aspects, even after the two fairies got banned, it outperformed it in terms of an Omniboost Sweeper. When Victini was banned and later on the previously mentioned Darks, Jirachi skyrocketed and became the most obnoxious mon in the metagame because of the Z Set just being a luck based machine that actually worked in its favor most of the time.

How do/did you deal with this Jirachi in ND UU?

The meta has some bulky Ground types like Swampert or Hippowdon as well as Steels like Scizor, Melmetal or Aegislash that could check it but all of them were prone to getting chipped into a +1 120 BP Stab Stored Power or Thunder, which left the tier with only 2 "Reliable" ways of beating it.

:zarude: By far the one answer everyone actually used, Scarf Zarude was able to take Thunders and Stored Powers while barely taking any damage from Iron Head and then revenge it with Darkest Lariat. It was a pretty good check but that was literally it and even then it can't even switch in safely because it risks a Thunder para that leads into Iron Head spam until the Jirachi user wins by haxing it, just like the next mon that im gonna mention.

:umbreon: Just Inner Focus > Synchronise lol, while some people got use out of it in that era, it wasn't really that good and was hard to fit on teams.

Overall the amount of counterplay was from pretty low to non-existant and extremely exploitable so you could say it didn't really had any viable counters, only checks. Jirachi was just overwhelming and we will only miss the scarf sets.
 
With a unanimous vote on Urshifu-RS, it officially wins the #1 spot as the most influential Pokemon of NatDex UU! We'll now be moving onto #2, which I will give people until the 23rd to vote on.

ps: Much like with Next Best Thing I'll be taking over this Project for Mareanie as well, if there's any questions you have, just ask.
 

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