Metagame USM Ubers Metagame & Sets Discussion (Check Post #107)

[Hoopas Dad]

Here is a set i tried out in upl:

Hp Ice Support PDon

Groudon-Primal @ Red Orb
Ability: Desolate Land
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
- Precipice Blades
- Hidden Power [Ice]

So this is a set that TTG and i came up during building, and it is the usual support don set, but bulkier and with HP Ice over Overheat. It can come handy in many situations, when opp sees that you are support don and switches a dragon or something. It does good amounts of damage and can be a lot helpful, obviously depending on the team you use it, since non fire can cause issues dealing with other mons.

WIll post some more later maybe.

 

[Cynara]

Here is a set i tried out in upl:

Hp Ice Support PDon

Groudon-Primal @ Red Orb
Ability: Desolate Land
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
- Precipice Blades
- Hidden Power [Ice]

So this is a set that TTG and i came up during building, and it is the usual support don set, but bulkier and with HP Ice over Overheat. It can come handy in many situations, when opp sees that you are support don and switches a dragon or something. It does good amounts of damage and can be a lot helpful, obviously depending on the team you use it, since non fire can cause issues dealing with other mons.

WIll post some more later maybe.

I understand the tech of this set is to lure in unsuspecting dragons like Zygarde and Mega Salamence; but my concerns with this set, is that it loses quite a lot of usefulness for two very specific targets, Support Primal Groudon isn't one of the top sets in the meta at the moment I feel either. More Primal Groudon are becoming offense orientated due to the abundance of strong Xerneas checks such as Magearna and Necrozma-DM and the need to have extra security against offensive variants of Necrozma-DM such as Swords Dance. The main issue of this set it leaves itself much more exploitable than standard support Groudon as targets it usually would be able to threaten such as Skarmory / Celesteela are able to take advantage of it once the set is scouted and could potentially give them free turns, other steels like Ferrothorn / Mega Scizor are also able to get away with plays they usually be able to, in specific situations, such as Ferrothorn getting a Leech Seed off or a layer of spikes and this can be deterring in the long run.

Yveltal is also capable of exploiting this set to some advantage, Particularly , as HP Ice doesn't do enough to it as one would like, likewise, Overheat has a clean chance of OHKOing Yveltal after Stealth Rock or Some chip, meaning not being able to click the Overheat button on a forced switch out or when the opponent gives Groudon a free switch in, can be a big loss.

More-so, Overheat is able to force Mega Salamence into roosting the turn it switches in, so it still remains somewhat of a punish as it still gives you the leeway to make some plays, unlike Max spa you miss out on the OHKO benchmark against Mega Salamence, meaning if Groudon is weakened enough a Healthy Mega Salamence can still do some considerable amount of damage against your team, Dragon Dance Zygarde is also still somewhat of a concern as Zygarde survives HP Ice if its healthy and comes in on Groudon to Dragon Dance, which can also be huge. Likewise, Overheat actually scores the 3HKO against Giratina-O, when HP Ice has to rely on Stealth Rock or additional chip if hazards aren't up.

I feel like Dragon Tail, would also be worth trying out, as it can phaze out Mega Salamence / Zygarde if they try to set up and doesn't trigger Zygarde's complete forme right away, meaning it has to be careful switching in later. Dragon Tail also makes it easier for the team to abuse hazards, Spikes/Toxic Spikes + Dragon Tail Groudon is something I wanted to look into, for example and it also can help keep hazards up for longer and Giratina-O teams become considerably easier to deal with.

I do admit this set can have some degree of usability however and I won't discredit it, as it can function on some very specific teambuilds that need the extra security against the targets you have mentioned and can justify it with a strong steels punish such as Ho-Oh or lures such as Heat Wave Yveltal. Mega Gengar builds come to mind as these types of builds sometimes can suffer from Mega Salamence or Dragon Dance Zygarde issues. Support Don also has Toxic to boost the potency of Hex and put support Arceus on a timer and Mega Gengar can trap the problematic steels that would otherwise be threatening. It's good that people posts sets like this for discussion and I do hope you continue to post more sets you have utilised in the future.

 

[Hoopas Dad]

This was a set i used in an upl team against a player, thanks for the answer tho.

 

[Serial]

Necrozma-Dusk-Mane @ Ultranecrozium Z
Ability: Prism Armor
EVs: 248 Atk / 8 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Photon Geyser
- Earthquake
- Outrage

Standard Ultra Nec but with Outrage as the last move instead of Sunsteel or Stone Edge. Outrage greatly improves the matchup against defensive Dark Types, allowing it to break through them after a small amount of chip, and can surprise Dragons such as Zygarde, Mega Salamence and Giratina-O expecting to live the initial Steel or Psychic move. Access to a STAB move more powerful that Photon Geyser that it can use straight after Ultra Bursting also helps against threats like offensive Arceus or the random Darkrais and Skymins that you run into on the ladder.

+2 252 Atk Necrozma-Ultra Outrage vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Sableye-Mega: 291-343 (95.7 - 112.8%) -- 75% chance to OHKO
+2 252 Atk Necrozma-Ultra Outrage vs. 252 HP / 160 Def Arceus-Dark: 354-417 (79.7 - 93.9%) -- 43.8% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock

252 Atk Parental Bond Necrozma-Ultra Outrage vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Zygarde: 375-442 (89.2 - 105.2%) -- 37.5% chance to OHKO
-1 252 Atk Parental Bond Necrozma-Ultra Outrage vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Salamence-Mega: 317-375 (95.7 - 113.2%) -- 75% chance to OHKO
(Parental bond is used for calcs as Neuroforce hasn't been updated to x1.25 yet)

One big downside is that after using Outrage, Fairy types are pretty much free to revenge kill you. Try to take out Fairy-types beforehand (faking DM to try and bait your opponent into sacking their Fairy thinking that it won't be useful can work) as if the opponent still has a Fairy alive, then at best you'll be trading 1 for 1 whenever you click Outrage.

I've been pretty successful with it on the ladder using a team where Toxapex takes advantage of Ultra Necro breaking Mega Sableye in order to be able to freely run Toxic over Scald to improve its matchup against Defoggers (and spam tspikes freely in general). Here's a replay of it in action:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ubers-753066089

 

[Cynara]

Choice banded Tyranitar

Tyranitar @ Choice Band
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stone Edge
- Crunch
- Pursuit
- Superpower / Earthquake

This is something that actually crept into some late night building spur of the moment. I feel like Choice Band Tyranitar is the only worthwhile set in the metagame currently, Tyranitar isn't an amazing Pokemon at large, but Choice Band seems to make the most of its niches. The issue I have with the utility set is that it isn't a good Stealth Rocker at all, it isn't consistent, it gives away too many free turns against common Pokemon such as Primal Groudon, Arceus-Ground, Zygarde-C and Primal Kyogre. It doesn't have the tools to punish common defoggers and stall teams are actually moving away from it and favouring Arceus formes for their Stealth Rock slot, due to their amazing compression abilities and ability to not be pressured as much, unlike Tyranitar. Gothitelle can also give the utility set issues, as it can actually trap it, pursuit doesn't do enough damage and Gothitelle can easily get a Charm off, rest up and eventually PP stall Tyranitar out. Therefore utility Tyranitar sets actually have to give up any support they could provide such as Pursuit for Crunch if they want to effectively combat Gothitelle which is rather disappointing.

Choice Banded Tyranitar is able to severely damage anything slower than it, such as Support Groudon, Necrozma-DM with little speed investment, the main reason for running Jolly nature, with an Adamant nature, you miss out on some crucial benchmarks. Mega Gengar is actually a reliable Pursuit target these days as most Mega Gengar sets are actually dropping Focus Blast in favour of dual stab coverage, on sets like utility Mega Gengar with Taunt + Destiny Bond or Hex. Sludge Wave/Sludge Bomb coverage is much more potent than Focus Blast due to the sheer amount of targets they gain over Focus Blast such as Fairies like Xerneas or Arceus-Fairy which are crucial for Mega Gengar to eliminate.

Furthermore Tyranitar is able to break defensive Pokemon such as Ferrothorn, Superpower can actually OHKO it after a small amount of chip, which is insane. Tyranitar also serves as an offensive Yveltal Check, which there is few of in USM Ubers and can also soft check threats such as Mega Salamence and Lunala if they lack Earthquake or Focus Blast respectively (most Lunala are dropping Focus Blast for Psyshock as of recently which is worth noting), and this can be useful. The only defoggers Tyranitar cannot punish or damage severely without being forced out are Support Arceus formes such as Arceus-Ground and Arceus-Water.

Tyranitar struggles against offensive Grounds, Marshadow, Xerneas and is unable to break support Arceus such as Fairy/Water and Ground, so Pokemon that deal with these are appreciated. What I have been pairing Tyranitar with is Calm Mind Arceus-Flying, due it being a Ground immunity and Marshadow check in one slot. It can also provide good offensive synergy, being a status sponge thanks to Refresh and a capable winning condition.

 

[Lotus]

As a former avid Tyranitar user I too have to say support set is in a tough spot at this moment, especially after Zygarde becoming more prevalent. Apart from being easily taken advantage by so many common threats the most serious issue about such set is moveslot capacity. SR and Pursuit are mandatory so that Tyranitar would fulfill its role, and the two last slots mostly end up being Rock Slide and Toxic (with Rest sometimes being used in stall). This means Tyranitar can't really run anything like Ice Beam or other useful moves and every support set has to decide between yielding momentum to 20 common threats by running a standard set or dedicating a moveset to be deadweight against certain things (for instance forgoing Toxic makes it reallt hard to keep SR on field due to worse matchup vs Defog users) and check a thing or two. Even when it compresses roles quite well in stall teams I see more and more people just using Shed Shell 'mons instead. On top of Tyranitar having to double switch into Gothitelle, it can't even make the trapping successful without specifically carrying Crunch or Taunt... which again results in other serious issues when the moveset was altered.

Choice Band set is indeed a fun and useful set to utilize though. STAB combination is at least decent and Tyranitar has enough damage output to 2HKO things like offensive Primal Groudon or Xerneas. OHKOing Mega Gengar on switch out after being burnt is another funny showcase. Superpower OHKOing Chansey after SR and some chip is another noteworthy usefulness as well. On top of this doing 40+% to Magearna with Superpower helps some special breakers like Xerneas or even Arceus-Flying dealing with their biggest checks. Giratina-O getting nuked / Defog Ho-Oh getting dented / generally creating many meaningful breaches on many threats and all the aforementioned things I have mentioned make CB Tyranitar a fun set to use and sometimes justifiable on certain balance builds.

 

[Lotus]

Hey all,

I talked with Nayrz for a bit and he let me take over this thread. I'll try my best to keep the thread in line and be filled with fruitful discussions. Also let's not forget to thank CKW for running this for around half a year.

The thread is now called "USM Ubers Metagame & Sets Discussion" instead of "USM Ubers Sets Discussion". This means that it is encouraged for posters to cover more than just going over creative and underrated sets. Much like last couple posts (e.g. Cynara's UPL recap and Serial Ekiller's Outrage Ultra Necrozma) did, it will be especially helpful to newcomers or users from different places for this thread to have showcases of sets that also cover the state of the current metagame.

Another reason why I felt this change is necessary is because it seemed to be that users who frequently stop by in SQSA thread or Discord tend to struggle finding a place to discuss their thoughts on the metagame. I hope this thread serves as a place where in-depth questions and discussions about the metagame will happen.

That's all I have for now. I will have OP updated shortly.

 

[Lotus]

After UPL and goth family suspect took place, I had a feeling that defensive teams are in rougher position than it had been before as Zygarde-C proves to be one of the premier setup sweepers in the current metagame and majority of its answers are trappable. This made me incline on the new tech:

Lunala @ Leftovers
Ability: Shadow Shield
EVs: 196 HP / 136 Def / 76 SpA / 100 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Roost
- Moongeist Beam
- Ice Beam
- Will-O-Wisp

Defensive Lunala is something that I believe to be a medicine for defensive teams that took some serious collateral damage as goth trapping started to happen and offensive Zygarde-C sets were getting discovered in USM. Introduction of Necrozma-DM also means that defensive teams have another setup sweeper that can't be Toxic'd and will likely remain as the last Pokemon to be a pain in the ass or will likely grab a KO or two with +2 SSS. What makes all of these worse for stall teams is that Pokemon they can viably employ and justify in their team structure are mostly vulnerable to Shadow Tag trapping. New techs like Arceus-Dark using Ice Beam has been developed to deal with Necrozma-DM, Zygarde-C, and Lunala simultaneously but defensive Lunala has some differentiable traits.

Much like how Lugia functions, Lunala is capable of blanket checking many things when it is at full HP with Shadow Shield intact. While Lugia is still somewhat functional after losing Multiscale (taking Arceus forms' Ice Beam / checking ekiller and such) and has other useful tools like phazing, Lunala is much more difficult to take advantage of with offensive foes. Most relevant setup sweepers will likely sustain heavy damage while setting up and taking Moongeist Beam or will be neutered by Will-O-Wisp. This is something Lugia can never do as a passive wall that checks sweeper by simply phasing or toxic stalling. Lunala's better offensive presence also allows it to simply 1v1 some dangerous foes instead of just phazing them. I will elaborate on EV spread a little later but with current EV spread Lunala can straightup OHKO offensive regular Zygarde that benchmark for Arceus formes' Ice Beam, 2HKO SD Primal Groudon after Stealth Rock (~70% chance), and 1v1 Necrozma-DM with its superior Speed and typing advantage. Moongeist Beam having 8 PP and Lunala needing some dedicated babysitting (entry hazard removal / cleric support) can be quite detrimental in the long run, but I believe Lunala to be much better Pokemon that can perform a role of 'emergency checking' out-of-control threats in defensive teams. Checking physical variants of Primal Kyogre is also noteworthy as Lugia will switch in, poison it with Toxic, and hope it will take low roll damage while avoiding defense drop from Liquidation and paralysis from Thunder. Lunala avoids this concern by switching in and pressing Roost with impunity by threatening to cripple Primal Kyogre with Will-O-Wisp.

196 HP EVs lets Lunala fully take advantage of Leftovers recovery by making its HP divisible by 16, 100 Speed EVs and Timid nature lets Lunala outspeed neutral-natured base 90 Speed Pokemon, and 76 Special Attack EVs have been elaborated previously (OHKOing regular Zygarde and 2HKOing offensive Primal Groudon majority of the time after SR). The rest of the EVs are invested in Defense to take hits better from Zygarde-C / physical Primal Kyogre / other things - it gives Lunala enough bulk to survive Adamant Necrozma-DM's +2 Searing Sunraze Smash.

Another concern you avoid by using Lunala over Arceus-Dark is that you get to free an Arceus slot and prevent Xerneas from switching in and using Aromatheraphy / Defog for free - this isn't defensive teams want to see happening every time they send in their Arceus forme.

I am probably going to try fitting Defog into this thing next (very unlikely going to be successful but it is all about forcing things to work!). If you would, please try and let me know what do you think.

 

[Cynara]

Stallbreaker Yveltal

Yveltal @ Dread Plate / Leftovers
Ability: Dark Aura
EVs: 252 HP / 72 SpD / 184 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Taunt
- Toxic
- Dark Pulse
- Roost

Not something that I originally came up with, but a set that I feel definitely deserves more usage in the current metagame, so I want to discuss it. Stallbreaker Yveltal takes advantage of recent trends in Bulky Offenses and usual defensive backbone combinations such as Support Arceus + support steels Like Ferrothorn that would usually try to soft check in a pinch, Blissey and Chansey which are all a few examples that this variant of Yveltal is able to shut down.

While it makes lacks power compared to Life Orb or Specs Yveltal, its utility really makes up for it along with the increased durability Life Orb Yveltal wish it had. Taunt and Toxic means its able to beat any support Arceus, wearing them down with Toxic and Dark Pulse, winning the 1v1 and roosting off the damage. Toxic is also good for catching common switch ins such as Xerneas which are becoming increasingly common on teams as a support role of Defog and Aromatherapy, utilising Choice Scarf.

I feel like this set pairs exceptionally well with Spikes users such as Ferrothorn, which are already potent options in the metagame and becoming quite dominating in itself. With a Dread Plate, Dark Pulse does a considerable amount of damage to anything that tries to switch in, the combination of pressure from hazards, damage from Dark Pulses and Yveltals utility options means defensive backbones are eventually going to fold to this set. Leftovers is definitely usable and increases Yveltals longevity and allows you to sit in on Magearna which is kind of ridiculous and Roost off the damage. It also makes dealing with the support Arceus better than Dread Plate. However my preference is Dread Plate because of the increase in power and racks up more damage throughout the game. I feel this is especially more valuable on teams that accommodate Spikes support as Dark Pulse can score a critical 2HKO on Mega Sableye which would otherwise make it difficult to get Spikes up against those kind of builds otherwise.

Obviously, this Yveltal is going need support such as your own cleric like an Xerneas or Magearna and additional breakers such as Swords Dance Primal Groudon are preferred to break past Fairy types and Ho-Oh. Marshadow also makes a great partner to help against the offense matchup, Hex variants of Mega Gengar also greatly appreciate with the spread of status that Yveltal provides, thus increasing its potency. A strong Mega Gengar team is something I eventually want to build with this set.

The EV spread allows it to tank Overheat from Mild Primal Groudon at full, A good chance to live Fire Blast after Stealth Rock and is never 2hko'd by support Arceus Ice beam after Stealth Rock, with Leftovers it avoids a Ice Beam 3HKO from full, enough speed is used to outspeed max speed base 90s such as Jolly Primal Groudon.

 

[Foggi]

Since i decided to kind of come back to playing ubers etc ill say word or two. I agree on the Yveltal set posted above, actually it was present on the first ever team i built in usum ou when it came and ive had it on plenty teams at early stages of the game simply because how amazing it is at handling bulkier teams, i didnt pair it with spikes as was said above but i had it paired with SD groundium arceus and a scarf xerneas with Aromatherapy, im not that up to date with ubers meta but seems like the stuff that ive compiled at the start of USUM is becoming more and more popular nowdays.
Anyway since it is a set discussion thread i will show you a set that i really liked since the early usum meta

Arceus-Fairy @ Pixie Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 HP / 64 SpA / 192 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast
- Judgment
- Recover
- Earth Power

There are probably more consistent EV's for this set but i've been rocking with this, the set does well vs bulkier offensive teams that lack Ho-Oh and it is a consistent switch to stuff like yveltal or marshadow while still being a considerable threat, i know people used to run CM Fairyceus but i feel that set is more flexible and it will always be useful vs the popular builds rn.

 

[Zenithial]

Necrozma-Dusk-Mane @ Ultranecrozium Z
Ability: Prism Armour
Evs: 252 Atk/ 4SpD/ 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Photon Geyser
- Earthquake
- X-Scissor

This set functions similarly to the outrage Ultra Necrozma set serial ekiller mentioned, however is more niche with the advantage of dealing more damage to Arceus-Dark (80x2x1.25 = 200) and not being locked into using the move. This allows you not to be easily revenged by any Fairy Pokemon. Arceus-Dark has become increasingly common, as it enables you to not be trapped by Gothitelle as well as having a reasonable Dusk Mane/Ultra Necrozma check. The main downside of this set is that X-Scissor is not able to hit Mega Sableye or Yveltal as hard as it only deals neutral damage to these Pokemon thanks to their ghost and flying type respectively. Ultra Necrozma's Z move can nuke any other non dark Pokemon for extremely high damage. Earthquake provides simple coverage to hit steel types such as Dusk Mane, Arceus-Steel and Magearna as well as Primal Groudon for increased damage.

Calcs:
+2 252 Atk Neuroforce Necrozma-Ultra X-Scissor vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Arceus-Dark: 450-530 (101.5 - 119.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252 Atk Neuroforce Necrozma-Ultra X-Scissor vs. 248 HP / 160 Def Arceus-Dark: 394-464 (88.9 - 104.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock

 

[shrang]

Necrozma-Dusk-Mane @ Ultranecrozium Z
Ability: Prism Armour
Evs: 252 Atk/ 4SpD/ 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Photon Geyser
- Earthquake
- X-Scissor

This set functions similarly to the outrage Ultra Necrozma set serial ekiller mentioned, however is more niche with the advantage of dealing more damage to Arceus-Dark (80x2x1.25 = 200) and not being locked into using the move. This allows you not to be easily revenged by any Fairy Pokemon. Arceus-Dark has become increasingly common, as it enables you to not be trapped by Gothitelle as well as having a reasonable Dusk Mane/Ultra Necrozma check. The main downside of this set is that X-Scissor is not able to hit Mega Sableye or Yveltal as hard as it only deals neutral damage to these Pokemon thanks to their ghost and flying type respectively. Ultra Necrozma's Z move can nuke any other non dark Pokemon for extremely high damage. Earthquake provides simple coverage to hit steel types such as Dusk Mane, Arceus-Steel and Magearna as well as Primal Groudon for increased damage.

Calcs:
+2 252 Atk Neuroforce Necrozma-Ultra X-Scissor vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Arceus-Dark: 450-530 (101.5 - 119.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252 Atk Neuroforce Necrozma-Ultra X-Scissor vs. 248 HP / 160 Def Arceus-Dark: 394-464 (88.9 - 104.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock

JW Have you considered Brick Break as well? It loses out on the OHKO on the physically bulky Darkceus variant, but on the flipside it kills Ferrothorn, which is always a great ability to have.



Also I have something of my own. Behold!

Parasect @ Leftovers
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Leech Seed
- Protect
- Spore / Aromatherapy
- Seed Bomb / Leech Life / Aromatherapy

Other fun moves you can use: Light Screen, Knock Off, Bullet Seed

Remember when this thing was touted as an Ogre check back in DPP but it ended up being shit anyway because Ogre could beat it anyway and it was dead weight against most other things? Well since then Parasect has gotten a few new toys sooooort of make it more viable. Leech Seed really helps with stalling and Aromatherapy can support teams. The fact that Ogre has stopped using Specs (for the most part) and physical being the standard set helps a bit too. Bug/Grass is a shitty typing in general, but it does conveniently 4x resist Zygod, which is pretty hilarious.

Seed Bomb breaks Ogre's Subs although if it's SubCM it's probably best you high tail if out of there anyways. Leech Life gives you the almost negligible probability of double critting Goth and escaping it after you've got down to -6, and Aromatherapy is team support.

Anyway here's some POgre calcs vs 248/252+ Parasect:
252 SpA Modest POgre: 71.21% - 84.21% - so basically the only way you're losing to Ogre is if you switch into this directly or they CM on your way in and OHKO you; so obviously if you see either go straight back to big daddy P Don :)
0 SpA POgre (the more current standard variant): 55.73% - 66.25% - With Dry Skin + Leftovers you avoid getting 2HKOed by this, which is excellent. In return you can just Leech Seed Ogre or whatever comes in if your opponent is smart enough to realise that they can't KO you next.

 

[Lotus]

Here is my share for today:

For those who are not aware, Aegislash is a Pokemon that is in Ubers by tiering but has been unfortunately dwelling in the low ranks on VR for a long time. It stayed in D rank for a few months and it hasn't been so long since it got back on C-. According to outdated analyses and what I hear from people, it is mainly because of its general passivity and facing competition with other Steel-types like Necrozma-DM or Ferrothorn which we like to staple in teams.

My interest towards Aegislash grew as it reminded me that Aegislash has a good offensive typing and a unique defensive typing that leaves it with 12 resistances and immunities altogether (let's ignore how many of them are irrelevant...), being a good offensive / defensive checks to a myriad of Pokemon in Battle Spot formats. Common sets like Ghostium Z, Weakness Policy, or SubToxic unfortunately cannot pull off any good work in Ubers, but there were a number of sets I played around in BSS that actually worked in Ubers and I'd like to showcase two sets that I have discussed with other users in Discord and used many times in ladder. Now let's change the point of view on this Pokemon for a second...

150 Stats in both offenses and an offensive typing of Ghost / Steel means switching into Aegislash can be quite difficult. The first set that other QC members favor the most turned out to be Choice Specs, which generally looks like this:

Aegislash @ Choice Specs
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpA
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Shadow Ball
- Gyro Ball
- Toxic
- Shadow Sneak / Flash Cannon

Especially with many balanced teams with loose checks to Ghost-types around, I found this set quite attractive. With Choice Specs-boosted Shadow Ball 2HKOing neutral max HP support Arceus formes and any variant of Primal Groudon, this set can catch people off guard when they attempt to just switch in an offensive check. Some fat Steel-types like Ferrothorn or Magearna can avoid 2HKO from full, but they will sustain at least ~40% of the damage which can potentially limit their ability to consistently pivot and neither of them really have a way to significantly threaten Aegislash on Blade Forme (Magearna can do around 50% with Fleur Cannon but then your xern check takes a second Shadow ball and is left at about 30%). I personally like using Flash Cannon on the fourth move over Shadow Sneak because straight up nuking Mild Yveltal that has taken Life Orb + Stealth Rock damage, but Shadow Sneak can be a better choice because most 'mons that can switch into Shadow Ball barring blobs and wishkiller Bisharp can be punished with Toxic. Hidden Power Rock is a way to troll Ho-Oh but getting locked into that is obviously not ideal.


Aegislash @ Macho Brace
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Gyro Ball
- Shadow Ball
- Toxic
- King's Shield

Regular SpDef Aegislash set except it holds Macho Brace. I used this set more often than Choice Specs because this set overall is a more reliable check to Xerneas. Gyro Ball doing upwards 52% to Arceus formes to force recovery means this set can justify investment on Special Defense and can switch into Moonblast twice and still take any +2 attack from geoxern later on. Straight up OHKOing +2 Speed Xerneas without chip damage and trolling Mega Salamence with King's Shield were another part of fun I had while using this set. As Ho-Oh posed a serious problem to this Aegislash (Choice Specs can at least OHKO offensive Ho-Oh with Shadow Ball after SR), I tried out pairing this with Mega Salamence that can pivot into Ho-Oh / Primal Groudon and such and used gimmicky Wish set to make up for this set's lack of recovery.


Even with these fun things possible with Aegislash's good typing / movepool / stats it is sadly a niche Steel-type that has to rely on hit and run even when it attempts to apply some offensive pressure and it generally isn't great against bulkier teams - but being an untrappable check to Xerneas that has a potency to mess with many common balance builds nowadays means Aegislash definitely can see a better use than just using a fat SpDef spread with Leftovers.

 

[zf]

Greninja @ Waterium Z
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Taunt
- Spikes
- Toxic Spikes

i'm an old dude who still loves hazard HO and i think greninja is underrated as a spiker atm. i think the meta has shifted away from HO and more towards balance; this is a mon that excels at getting layers against defog arceus and can muscle past SpD mega sableye with some small chip damage (~10%). z-hydro OHKOs 252 HP arc-ground and 0 / 0 ho-oh from full, while dark / water typing resists arc-water / dark STAB and lets you taunt them for free, ensuring hazards stay up. hydro also 2HKOs cloyster, while icicle spear only 3HKOs back, allowing you to taunt and kill cloy leads. Ash-Greninja can't learn T-Spikes, but it's definitely a solid option if you wanna run something like shadow sneak, icy wind, u-turn, or dark pulse in the last slot.

team

cowboy linus (Greninja) @ Waterium Z
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Taunt
- Spikes
- Toxic Spikes

charles xxiv (Excadrill) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Rock Tomb
- Toxic
- Rapid Spin
- Stealth Rock

parisian chic (Groudon) @ Red Orb
Ability: Drought
EVs: 224 SpA / 84 SpD / 200 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Precipice Blades
- Eruption
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Rock Tomb

saint-paradis (Gengar) @ Gengarite
Ability: Cursed Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Wave
- Hex
- Taunt
- Destiny Bond

heavyhand (Arceus-Ground) @ Earth Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Judgment
- Ice Beam
- Calm Mind
- Recover

winds & rain (Rayquaza) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Air Lock
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Ascent
- Aqua Tail
- Extreme Speed
- Dragon Dance

Deoxys-Attack @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Mild Nature
- Psycho Boost
- Ice Beam
- Superpower
- Dark Pulse

nothing creative here, it's just standard LO deo-a. i think deo-a is underrated because teams rely heavily on their steels (magearna / necrozma) and scarfers (xern / yveltal) to reliably check it; the best u-turn mons (yveltal / scizor) can take advantage of these checks and use the momentum to bring deo-a right back in. when you have the 4th coverage move, deo-a can break balances fairly easily and still trades 2 for 1 vs offense in many scenarios. i can see why it's fallen off relative to ORAS (more priority, actual checks exist) but it's still extremely potent and i think it should be explored more.

team

blind eye (Deoxys-Attack) @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Mild Nature
- Psycho Boost
- Ice Beam
- Superpower
- Dark Pulse

giftgiver (Arceus-Fairy) @ Pixie Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Judgment
- Toxic
- Stealth Rock
- Recover

kill switch (Zygarde-Complete) @ Leftovers
Ability: Power Construct
EVs: 56 HP / 84 Atk / 116 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Thousand Arrows
- Thousand Waves
- Rest

guns & vanity (Scizor) @ Scizorite
Ability: Light Metal
EVs: 248 HP / 52 Atk / 208 SpD
Careful Nature
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Toxic
- Roost

79th ave runner (Groudon-Primal) @ Red Orb
Ability: Desolate Land
EVs: 128 Atk / 252 SpA / 128 Spe
Mild Nature
- Precipice Blades
- Fire Blast
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Rock Polish

querencia (Giratina-Origin) @ Griseous Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 88 HP / 252 Def / 144 SpA / 24 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hex
- Will-O-Wisp
- Toxic
- Defog

i think this tier is actually very balanced atm; looking forward to some cool innovation and matches in snake

 

[Cynara]

Greninja @ Waterium Z
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Taunt
- Spikes
- Toxic Spikes

i'm an old dude who still loves hazard HO and i think greninja is underrated as a spiker atm. i think the meta has shifted away from HO and more towards balance; this is a mon that excels at getting layers against defog arceus and can muscle past SpD mega sableye with some small chip damage (~10%). z-hydro OHKOs 252 HP arc-ground and 0 / 0 ho-oh from full, while dark / water typing resists arc-water / dark STAB and lets you taunt them for free, ensuring hazards stay up. hydro also 2HKOs cloyster, while icicle spear only 3HKOs back, allowing you to taunt and kill cloy leads. Ash-Greninja can't learn T-Spikes, but it's definitely a solid option if you wanna run something like shadow sneak, icy wind, u-turn, or dark pulse in the last slot.

team

cowboy linus (Greninja) @ Waterium Z
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Taunt
- Spikes
- Toxic Spikes

charles xxiv (Excadrill) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Rock Tomb
- Toxic
- Rapid Spin
- Stealth Rock

parisian chic (Groudon) @ Red Orb
Ability: Drought
EVs: 224 SpA / 84 SpD / 200 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Precipice Blades
- Eruption
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Rock Tomb

saint-paradis (Gengar) @ Gengarite
Ability: Cursed Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Wave
- Hex
- Taunt
- Destiny Bond

heavyhand (Arceus-Ground) @ Earth Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Judgment
- Ice Beam
- Calm Mind
- Recover

winds & rain (Rayquaza) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Air Lock
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Ascent
- Aqua Tail
- Extreme Speed
- Dragon Dance

Deoxys-Attack @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Mild Nature
- Psycho Boost
- Ice Beam
- Superpower
- Dark Pulse

nothing creative here, it's just standard LO deo-a. i think deo-a is underrated because teams rely heavily on their steels (magearna / necrozma) and scarfers (xern / yveltal) to reliably check it; the best u-turn mons (yveltal / scizor) can take advantage of these checks and use the momentum to bring deo-a right back in. when you have the 4th coverage move, deo-a can break balances fairly easily and still trades 2 for 1 vs offense in many scenarios. i can see why it's fallen off relative to ORAS (more priority, actual checks exist) but it's still extremely potent and i think it should be explored more.

team

blind eye (Deoxys-Attack) @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Mild Nature
- Psycho Boost
- Ice Beam
- Superpower
- Dark Pulse

giftgiver (Arceus-Fairy) @ Pixie Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Judgment
- Toxic
- Stealth Rock
- Recover

kill switch (Zygarde-Complete) @ Leftovers
Ability: Power Construct
EVs: 56 HP / 84 Atk / 116 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Thousand Arrows
- Thousand Waves
- Rest

guns & vanity (Scizor) @ Scizorite
Ability: Light Metal
EVs: 248 HP / 52 Atk / 208 SpD
Careful Nature
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Toxic
- Roost

79th ave runner (Groudon-Primal) @ Red Orb
Ability: Desolate Land
EVs: 128 Atk / 252 SpA / 128 Spe
Mild Nature
- Precipice Blades
- Fire Blast
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Rock Polish

querencia (Giratina-Origin) @ Griseous Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 88 HP / 252 Def / 144 SpA / 24 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hex
- Will-O-Wisp
- Toxic
- Defog

i think this tier is actually very balanced atm; looking forward to some cool innovation and matches in snake

Hey man! It's always nice to see you around and posting sets still.

I quite like Life Orb Deoxys-A in the current meta and feel it deserves more of a spotlight.

Something I've been trying is the following set.

Deoxys-Attack @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Rash / Naive Nature
- Psycho Boost
- Ice Beam
- Superpower / Fire Punch
- Spikes

Spikes Deoxys-A is really interesting as a set in practice it works a bit like Greninja in OU, Since Deoxys-A tends to force a lot of switch ins, it makes it quite easy to get Spikes up, I feel Extreme Speed isn't as important as it has been in ORAS, the Extreme speed targets simply aren't there anymore. You can actually get away with Rash now cause Pokemon overall are on slower speed tiers too, though Naive is worth considering so you can outspeed MMY etc. The idea of Spikes is to punish the opponent when Deoxys-A gets free turns, the layer of Spikes can really make the difference in games and can open up avenues for your win conditions. One good partner is Geomancy Xerneas which I have been pairing this with, to give it the chip it requires against targets such as Necrozma-DM and Primal Groudon so it can clean effectively.

 

[shrang]

I know quite a few others have discovered this thing as well, so I won't waste too much time on it, outside of saying that it's cool af:

Araquanid @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Bubble
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Sticky Web
- Toxic
- Liquidation
- Icy Wind / Entrainment / Soak

I didn't think much of this thing until I saw its SpD stat and I was like daaaaaaamn. For a Sticky Web user, it has really good synergy with things like Primal Groudon, Dusk Mane and Mega Lucario. Its typing and ability give it some nice resistances (Ground, Ice, Water, effectively a resistance to Fire) - it pretty much walls the shit out of support and CM Groundceus, is a decent pivot into P Ogre and can even tank Fire Blast from Primal Groudon.

In terms of moves, Sticky Web and Toxic are pretty much non-negotiable. Liquidation even from minimal investment is actually not bad at all (356 Atk is like a fully invested neutral base Terrakion!). The last move can be pretty much anything. Icy Wind is probably the best all-round move just so you can dick Dragon Dancers or things that just switched into Webs and hadn't lost Speed. Entrainment is only there to let you escape Goth, and Soak lets you do things like Toxic the inevitable Ferrothorn switch-in (which I've done a few times for massive lols). Other moves you can use are like Confide, Spider Web or Bug STABs like Leech Life or Lunge (which aren't boosted so they're kind of bad anyway).

In terms of EVs, I've just put in the most minmalistic ones. There can potentially be a lot of customisation. 248 HP / 164 Atk / 96 SpD Careful lets you break standard 0/0 DD Zygarde's subs with Liquidation although they can easily just creep their Subs to avoid that so good luck with that I suppose.

 

[Stats Master]

Deoxys-Attack @ Darkinium Z
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Psycho Boost/Psychic
- Ice Beam
- Dark Pulse

On PsySpam Teams, this set works really nicely. Darkinium Z is a nice tech to OHKO Offensive Dusk Mane Necrozma unboosted and Specially Defensive Dusk Mane Necrozma at +2, which is quite easy to achieve given that Deo-A tends to force things to switch or take a massive blow from Psycho Boost. One thing I've been using this set for is to get rid of Geomancy Xerneas checks such as Primal Groudon and Dusk Mane Necrozma so that it can proceed to sweep the opposing team. Pairing this with Tapu Lele and Xerneas can be lethal and the offensive presence of Deo-A on PsySpam is unparalleled.

Calcs

252+ SpA Deoxys-Attack Psycho Boost vs. 252 HP / 56 SpD Groudon-Primal in Psychic Terrain: 493-582 (122 - 144%) -- guaranteed OHKO

252+ SpA Deoxys-Attack Black Hole Eclipse (160 BP) vs. 0 HP / 8 SpD Prism Armor Necrozma-Dusk-Mane: 339-399 (101.1 - 119.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO

+2 252+ SpA Deoxys-Attack Black Hole Eclipse (160 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Prism Armor Necrozma-Dusk-Mane: 498-586 (125.1 - 147.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO

Here is a team I've mostly been using on ladder - it has some unorthodox options that fit very nicely on this team. Double Dance PDon greatly weakens or breaks stuff easily, Scarf Ho-Oh is a beautiful and a very underrated revenge killer (thank you to HunterStorm for inspiring me to use it), and Specially Defensive Dusk Mane Necrozma serves as this teams primary SR setter and GeoXern counter.

https://pokepast.es/88588016a6c20132

 

[Lotus]

My recent activity in terms of playing Ubers has been about exploring uncommon moves on commonly used Pokemon. Some time ago after I broke my device and blew the teambuilder again, I remembered a user that I once looked upon as a player with utmost respect who called me "quadpara" after that one game I haxed him with 4 consecutive paralysis. With that theme, I tried to some uncommon things on commonly used Pokemon:

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Spikes
- Leech Seed
- Thunder Wave
- Filler

I always felt that Ferrothorn is way too passive even when it employs moves like Gyro Ball or Power Whip because Ferrothorn can't afford to run both most of the time. Bullet Seed somewhat worsens this passivity and I got tired of Ferrothorn giving free setups to SD + Morning Sun Necrozma-DM and Rayquaza one day. Mega Salamence also tended to switch into Toxic and force out slightly chipped Ferrothorn with Facade and Yveltal is another concerning threat if Ferrothorn lacks Gyro Ball.

With most Primal Groudon variants lacking defensive investment and one of the most popular sets being SD + SR, which lacks Fire-type move and has to avoid any chip damage to pressure Mega Salamence and other Defog users, I believe Ferrothorn has much bigger room to punish its switch-in's with Thunder Wave. Forgoing Toxic obviously sucks against offensive checks in the long run, but Ferrothorn is already able to cause enormous amount of chip with Stealth Rock setter in its team in addition to its own Spikes and Leech Seed. Paralyzing foes like Yveltal, some Arceus formes, and Necrozma-DM can be very beneficial to more offensive balance teams. Often times a paralysis from Thunder Wave ends up being the only condition that is needed for potential teammates like Mega Salamence and Primal Groudon to overpower Arceus formes easily, breaking down defensive backbones and giving better overall chance for Ferrothorn's Spikes to remain in the field. Thunder Wave is also nifty for punishing Mega Gengar, as well as Necrozma-DM, which can SD on Ferro and surprise offensive check like Primal Groudon if it is Ultra. I would only use Thunder Wave Ferrothorn on teams that have enough offensive partners, as this set on bulkier teams can be detrimental when a foe that is better poisoned ends up getting paralyzed by Ferrothorn instead.

Arceus-Fairy @ Pixie Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe (subject to customization)
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Judgment
- Calm Mind
- Recover
- Thunder Wave

I have seen Zesty using this set the other day and decided to give it a try. Similarly to Ferrothorn, I could see this set taking advantage of Steel-types' tendency to pivot into Arceus-Fairy (because of how chip / potential Toxic on Primal Groudon ends up being much more of a dire consequence) and having a potential to troll Mega Gengar quite hard. For some players this may not be something new but I wanted to bring Thunder Wave Arceus-Fairy to an attention where most people opt for Toxic and Will-O-Wisp instead. Status move on this Pokemon is mostly dependent on the rest of the team, but Thunder Wave seemed to have its unique merit. I believe Stealth Rock is potentially replaceable by Calm Mind, as most Defog users that can remove entry hazards against Arceus-Fairy dislike paralysis.


Thunder Wave has surely fallen out of favor compared to the ORAS days, but it may be still worth trying it on certain Pokemon that can support the team better by removing Speed advantage of a foe instead of maybe throwing Toxic or weak attacks. Peace

 

[0kay]

haven't posted on forums in a minute but this meta is cool and i got a couple things to share

Xerneas @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Fairy Aura
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Defog
- Aromatherapy
- Thunder Wave

aight this seems pretty cancer at first but the main thing switching in on u whether ur opp knows ur set or not is dusk-mane and twave cripples dusk-mane heavy and lets u chip it more easily w moonblast as well as set up with ur teammates. can also twave other mons and just hax thru ur opps team like a lame

Groudon-Primal @ Red Orb
Ability: Desolate Land
EVs: 248 HP / 60 SpD / 200 Spe
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
- Precipice Blades
- Hidden Power [Ice]

alright this set is kinda weird for a few reasons-the hp is maxed out but it's also speedy and it has rocks, toxic, AND hp ice. 200 speed is for zyg, almost every common spread is outsped except for max speed jolly, and the rest of the evs are into hp and spdef so u can live to get off rocks along w chip and status on more than 1 mon hopefully. against zyg ur usually faster so u can tox before they sub if they have it and u can hp ice if they're in range. tox is also useful for support arcs and ho-oh thinking ur standard defensive rocks.

 

[End Of The Storm]

Necrozma-Dusk-Mane @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Prism Armor
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Swords Dance
- Trick Room
- Sunsteel Strike
- Photon Geyser

Just wanted to take a moment to appreciate how underrated and great this set is. Dusk Mane Necrozma's natural bulk coupled with Prism Armor lets it tank almost any super effective hit and turn the tables on many offensively oriented teams. In fact, this set can fulfill multiple roles into one mon - it can serve as an effective Geomancy Xerneas counter and serve a mid-late game sweeper, as a SD/WP boost with TR up can spell the end of many offense teams. Note that even without TR, this mon rips through bulky mons and fat teams. Note Solganium Z can be used over Weakness Policy for similar results.

 

[SiTuM]

Hey. After my seasonal run, I wanted to make a post on something I think is seriously very good in ubers rn :

Sets

Gengar-Mega @ Gengarite
Ability: Cursed Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Taunt / Will-O-Wisp
- Shadow Ball / Hex
- Sludge Wave
- Destiny Bond

Arceus-Dark @ Dread Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Judgment
- Recover
- Refresh

You surely know what this core consists of, but I'll explain it to make my reflexion clear. Any good ceus type with CM is a huge annoyance atm, CM Waterceus, CM Groundceus, CM Flyceus and CM Darkceus are all very good in the meta atm, but I think CM Darkceus is the best one to use. It's only clear counter are Xerneas, Fairyceus and Magearna (only if it has Fleur Cannon, otherwise it can just click Pain Split and Heart Swap). As Magearna saw a drop of its usage with the gigantic use of Dusk Mane, the only things that can stop Darkceus are Xern and Fairyceus. We all know Gengar as a dangerous pokemon which forces a lot of plays as you don't want your mons to be trapped dumbly by it, but the fact that once Darkceus begins to CM it forces them to switch in is very good for Gengar because with a good mindgame you can very easily trap them and sweep without much problem with Darkceus if it was your only answer. You can also be drawn into a CM war with an other Ceus, and if you predict well when it does recover or click an attack, you can also trapkill the Ceus with your Gengar. The second fact that makes Darkceus very good is because of Refresh. A lot of teams relies on some status to creep mons and beat them. But with Refresh, you can't just twave or toxic it with your pdon and rk it/wait it dies.

For a little conclusion, I'm not saying that it is broken, it's not, it's often deadweight vs offense (or not as useful as vs balanced because you can't really set up), and if you're using balanced you can have some ways to beat it, the better being not letting it set up i guess lmao, it's clearly not unbeatable but it's a very good core in the actual metagame.

(i don't have replays, but im sure you can found good ppl using it sometimes, or even try it for yourself, you'll see it's very good. also sorry if i made spelling mistakes, english is not my first language)

 

[0kay]

Yveltal @ Choice Band
Ability: Dark Aura
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Sucker Punch
- Foul Play

While some people left banded Yveltal in Gen 6, I decided to test it out again in Gen 7 and it adjusted nicely. This set has not been seen in quite sometime but it is extremely powerful and is awfully underrated. While running this set on webs I've found that it serves well and gets lots of chip damage along with KOs if you get it in safely. The only mons that will constantly switch into you reliably are support Arceus forms, but you can U-Turn out on a predicted switch anyways. Try it out.


Also this meta is ridiculous in how polarized it is with the most used team styles lmfao, it's almost always some webs, stall, necro/xern/pdon/ygod/zyg/arceus-whatever, or a hex squad. All 4 skeletons are pretty different but almost every team I've seen, whether it be in tournament or friendlies, has followed one of those structures. I am seeing a bit of new mons and stuff along with different sets than I'm used to, which is nice, but otherwise people are getting kinda stale in what they use, so try switching shit up play with it it's mons!

 

[Vengeance417]

The Custap Berry has returned.

 

[Katy]

Lunala @ Lunalium Z
Ability: Shadow Shield
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psyshock
- Moongeist Beam
- Calm Mind
- Magic Coat

Pretty selfexplanatory, Lunala has the annoying ability in Shadow Shield so some mons try to Toxic wear it down, if you predict the Toxic just Magic Coat it back to them.
Same goes for hazards and other statusmoves, bounce their Spikes, Stealth Rocks and possible T-Waves back and punish their (Suicide) leads.
This Set is also able to beat Chansey / Blissey 1v1, since it has Psyshock over Psychic, Calm Mind to get the notable boost for Moongeist Beam with the use of it's Z-Power which will turn into the powerful Menacing Moonraze Maelstrom.


Some Calcs:

Hide

+1 252 SpA Lunala Psyshock vs. 0 HP / 252 Def Blissey: 403-475 (61.9 - 72.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
+1 252 SpA Lunala Psyshock vs. 4 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Chansey: 271-319 (42.2 - 49.6%) -- 89.1% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252 SpA Lunala Menacing Moonraze Maelstrom vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Xerneas: 346-408 (88 - 103.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
252 SpA Lunala Menacing Moonraze Maelstrom vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Arceus-Steel: 289-342 (75.8 - 89.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252 SpA Lunala Menacing Moonraze Maelstrom vs. 144 HP / 56 SpD Groudon: 348-411 (92.3 - 109%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
252 SpA Lunala Menacing Moonraze Maelstrom vs. 32 HP / 0 SpD Kyogre: 255-300 (73 - 85.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock

 

[Lotus]

The Custap Berry has returned.

Enigma Berry, Micle Berry, Custap Berry, Jaboca Berry and Rowap Berry were officially released yesterday so that will open a new possibility for Wobbuffet (though I believe I am one of the very few users who use it).