The Competitors: Premiere BW Threatlist

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Introduction

Ever since the Uncharted Territory forum was created, no, ever since the silhouettes of Tsutarja, Pokabu, and Mijimaru appeared on the web way back in May, many competitive battlers were already thinking about how the new generation 5 metagame would turn out, and which Pokemon, new or old, would reign over the standard tier. As you can probably guess by the title of this article, I've created a top ten Pokemon threat list after factoring in the opinions and data sent to me by the following users: Bloo, Locopoke, Destiny Warrior, Kevin Garrett, Alan, Megan_Fox, and Colonel_M; their opinions on each of the Pokemon mentioned in this article will be posted alongside my own comments. With the contributions of the aforementioned users, this "premiere" list will give you a sneak peek at what to expect in the new generation 5 standard metagame. Note that along with the top ten Pokemon, there will also be a small section in which other top contenders will be discussed; Pokemon who will probably also be top threats but did not manage to find their way into the top ten list.

The Premiere Threatlist

10. Manaphy

In generation 4, battlers often saw Manaphy as a "borderline" Pokemon, frequently making its way into the OU tier before returning to its final place of residence in the fourth generation, the Uber tier. The reason why it was so feared among the tiers it was placed in was arguably due to its all-around great stats, and access to great stat-up moves such as Calm Mind and Tail Glow, the latter being able to raise the user's Special Attack by two levels, just like Nasty Plot, a common sight in standard battles. Although Manaphy was a great sweeper due to the aforementioned moves in the fourth generation, generation 5 has brought the prince of the sea a new toy to play with: an improved Tail Glow which is able to raise Manaphy's Special Attack stat by not two, but three levels, making it much deadlier and a whole lot more potent as a sweeper, now able to combat foes that would've previously been able to easily dispose of it.

09. Garchomp

If you're a battler who has been battling since late 2008, when Garchomp reigned over the OU tier, you may know how Garchomp found its way onto the top ten Pokemon list as of preliminary-generation 5. With a sky-high base Attack stat, great bulk, an all important base 102 Speed stat, a great typing in Dragon and Ground, along with access to moves like Swords Dance, Garchomp can quite effectively play a large array of roles, from being a great revenge killer to a setup sweeper to a wallbreaker. There's not much explaining to do when it comes to Garchomp's awesomeness and viability in competitive battles.

08. Randorosu

Randorosu, dubbed the "Sand Genie", is one of the new Pokemon BW has brought us who has found its way into the (community-decided) top ten Pokemon threatlist for several reasons. The foremost would no doubt be because of its excellent base stat layout which allows it to outpace probably the most important Speed tier, as well as presenting Randorosu with a great amount of offensive prowess, allowing the Sand Genie to fully take advantage of Swords Dance, perform as a sweeper, or even function effectively as a Choice Scarf user. Another huge selling point would be Randorosu's ability, Sand Power, which powers up Randorosu's primary attacking options, Earthquake and Stone edge, during sandstorm. Lastly, its excellent typing which makes it immune to Spikes and Toxic Spikes along with Electric-type attacks, as well as its passable movepool which includes U-turn and Swords Dance, truly serve to bring out Randorosu's potential in competitive battles.

07. Roobushin

Definitely something I would not like to meet in a dark alley. The "brawny" Pokemon, another newcomer from BW, makes it to number seven on our top ten list for several reasons. The first reason is its awesome base stat layout; a base 140 Attack coupled with a great amount of bulk makes for a top-tier Pokemon. With the ability to create 101 HP Substitutes, Roobushin is nothing to scoff at. When you factor in Roobushin's awesome movepool into the mix, which includes Bulk Up, Taunt, Drain Punch, Hammer Arm, and probably the most notable, Mach Punch, which allows Roobushin to become a great revenge killer as opposed to the obvious bulky sweeper and wallbreaker, we can see how Roobushin differentiates itself from the likes of Machamp and Hariyama, Roobushin's top rivals for a place in a team.

06. Shaymin-S

Although Shaymin-S didn't gain much from the transition to BW (except for the move Troll), it is still capable of plowing through any unprepared team, courtesy of its awe-inspiring offensive traits. The first and plausibly the most important of these "traits" would be Shaymin-S's blistering base 127 Speed stat which alone can allow it to effectively play the role of a revenge killer. Secondly, its great Special Attack stat, which coupled up with Seed Flare is capable of tearing through even the likes of Blissey; to add to its offensive prowess, Shaymin-S has a spectacular ability, Serene Grace, which allows the Gratitude Pokemon to further abuse its awesome STAB in the form of Seed Flare, which after the boost from Serene Grace has a stunning 80% chance to lower the opponent's Special Defense by two stages. Straying away from Seed Flare, we find Shaymin-S having a couple of other moves that also benefit greatly from Serene Grace and an immense base 120 Special Attack stat; Air Slash would be the foremost of Shaymin-S's other options, as it provides a reliable form of secondary STAB while also having a 60% chance to flinch thanks to Serene Grace. It seems as though generation 5 will be a stroll in the park for Shaymin-S.

05. Deoxys

Using the term "Deoxys" to refer to the Pokemon is much too general, as it can quite literally, morph itself into four different personalities (or formes), each with its own advantages and disadvantages; this versatility and uniqueness is probably the reason why Deoxys has managed to reach such a high place on this threatlist. As the "normal" Deoxys is highly outclassed by its other transformations, it doesn't have much to do with the Pokemon being on this list; it's the other three formes which have peaked the interest of generation 5 battlers everywhere. I mean there is Deoxys-A which when looked at individually is a huge offensive threat courtesy of its enormous offensive prowess, great movepool, and access to a priority attack. Next up, Deoxys-S, the most common suicide lead seen in generation 4 Ubers, will probably be equally useful in generation 5 due to its ability to lay down Spikes and Stealth Rock and act once again as a great lead, as well as becoming a decent offensive force if given sufficient support. Last but not least (actually it probably is the least :P), Deoxys-D, the defensive behemoth, might find a rise in usage in generation 5 due to its immense defensive prowess as well as its ability to support its team in a variety of ways including entry hazards and status.

04. Latios

Speeding its way into number four in our threatlist, the Eon Pokemon Latios makes it into such a high place on the countdown for good reason. Latios has always been a prominent threat in generation 4 Ubers as it was capable of running a variety of sets, notable ones including Calm Mind, All-Out Attacker, and even (Special) Dragon Dance which all were capable of ripping through any unprepared team. It is highly likely that Latias's brother will be one of the top dogs in the generation 5 standard metagame as the new generation has given Latios a new toy to play with which will undoubtedly increase its offensive prowess: Psycho Shock, which will allow the Eon Pokemon to defeat foes it could not previously, the most notable being the defensive behemoth we know as Blissey. Coupling this new addition with Latios's older assets, it is now more than likely, nay, probably guaranteed that Latios will be unleashing upon generation 5 tenfold the amount of wrath he did in generation 4.

03. Wobbuffet

When one takes a glance at this … blob, it seems as though it was made by Nintendo to troll Pokemon fans; it has mediocre base stats bar its HP, and its entire movepool consists of only eight moves, from which none can deal direct damage! However, if you look a bit more closely, it's easy to notice that Wobbuffet clearly has some hidden talent, as its amazing ability Shadow Tag, along with access to moves like Mirror Coat, Counter, and Encore, make Wobbuffet one of the best trappers in the game, able to transform most opposing Choiced Pokemon into mere setup fodder for Wobbuffet's teammates. Wobbuffet demonstrated its talents and supporting prowess through all of both generation 3 and 4, almost instantly obtaining the status of Uber, because in the lower tiers it was almost impossible to stop an opposing sweeper from setting up if your opponent had a Wobbuffet hidden in the wings. This is why Wobbuffet has reached number three on the threatlist, as it is almost assured that the blue blob will continue to spread fear in the new generation 5 standard metagame.

02. Doryuuzu

Say hello to what seems to be the most anticipated Pokemon in the new generation, Doryuuzu. The Deep Earth Pokemon finds its way into number two on our countdown for a plethora of reasons, the first being its great base stat layout and of course, its awesome ability. With a base 135 Attack stat, passable bulk, and a base 88 Speed stat which doubles in sandstorm due to Doryuuzu's ability, Sand Throw, this Pokemon seems to be the new face of the term "offensive team", especially after you factor in Doryuuzu's immunity to both poison and paralysis, which are the Achilles' Heel of almost all other offensive sweepers! Even alone, all of these factors make Doryuuzu a fierce offensive threat, but there's another thing that further increases its offensive prowess: access to Swords Dance, which will inevitably make Doryuuzu an even bigger and more potent threat in the new generation 5 metagame.

01. Ditto

Rising all the way into number one in our countdown is none other than the infamous Ditto! In previous generations, the pink blob had always been disregarded due to its lackluster base stats, and its movepool consisting of only one move, Transform. Back in those days Ditto was basically a second Unown from a competitive battler's perspective. However, generation 5 has brought Ditto a way to rise into the higher tiers: the ability, Eccentric. Eccentric will allow Ditto to transform into the opposing Pokemon upon switching in and copy all stats of the opponent's Pokemon as of the turn Ditto switches in. Slap a Choice Scarf onto Ditto and you've got one of the (if not the) best revenge killers in the game, able to revenge kill almost any problematic foe. The world of competitive battling in generation 5 is sure to look awfully sunny for the pink blob, Ditto.

Honorable Mentions

Urugamosu

At a first glance this Pokemon looks like crap. With a 4x weakness to Stealth Rock (as well as being murdered by all other entry hazards), along with a horrible defensive typing Urugamosu doesn't seem to be much. Although this may all be true, the fiery moth does have a niche hidden in its wings; it has access to a move called Butterfly Dance which is essentially a combination of Calm Mind and Dragon Dance, as the move raises the user's Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed stat by one stage. Combine this with a great base 135 Special Attack stat, a passable amount of bulk, as well as a respectable base 100 Speed stat, and you've potentially got the best sun sweeper to exist. Even without Sunny Day support, Urugamosu does amazingly well when used as a sweeper, given its teammates provide the Solar Pokemon with a sufficient amount of support.

Borutorusu

Just like its distant cousin, Randorosu (who, by the way, made it onto the top ten threat list), Borutorusu is a very potent sweeper due to its amazing base attacking stats, and an all-important base 111 Speed stat, but unlike its desert relative, the Lightning Strike Pokemon can usually be seen running specially-oriented attacks due to its colossal base 125 Special Attack stat. Just from Borutorusu's amazing base stat layout, it looks like an exceptionally effective sweeper, but there's more: it even has access to Nasty Plot, which further increases Borutorusu's viability and efficiency as a special sweeper. Along with said role, Borutorusu can effectively play the position of a revenge killer, scouter, and a lead courtesy of its awesome movepool, containing moves like Taunt and Volt Change, the latter basically being a special, Electric-type U-Turn.

Breloom

Breloom is probably one of the Pokemon whom battlers are most psyched about; this is for good reason. Dream World has brought the fighting mushroom a cool new ability that was long awaited by competitive battlers everywhere: Technician. With Breloom's newly acquired ability, it presents a bigger and more formidable offensive threat than it could ever have in generation 4, as after you think about it, a Technician-boosted (and possibly Swords Dance-boosted as well), Bullet Seed or STAB Mach Punch coming from a high base 130 Attack stat doesn't look very good if you're the one getting hit. Even without Technician, it is highly likely that Breloom will continue to present a major threat in generation 5 OU, courtesy of Breloom's awesome movepool including Spore, Swords Dance, and a variety of great attacks including Stone Edge, Ankle Sweep, Seed Bomb, and the aforementioned Mach Punch.

Shandera

Insta-Uber. That's what basically everyone thought of Shandera at the time its details were released in the Uncharted Territory forum; although it seemed to be impossible to beat at the time due to its incredible base 145 base Special Attack stat, great bulk, and a passable Speed stat, along with Shadow Tag as its Dream World ability, competitive battlers have effectively found strategies to play around the ghost chandelier, making it significantly less of a threat. But this doesn't mean you can go about making teams without taking Shandera into consideration as an offensive threat, because if your team is unprepared for Shandera, the ghost will surely make quick work of you. Moving on: Shandera, while boasting to be one of the greatest revenge killers in the game, can also play a variety of other roles as well, some notable ones include Calm Mind which takes advantage of Shandera's excellent bulk and great movepool; the ghost chandelier is also capable of becoming a supporting player due to its access to great supporting moves like Will-O-Wisp and Haze.

Burungeru

The Floating Pokemon (lame name as it's still susceptible to Ground-type moves) is often classified as generation 5's new bulky Water/spinblocker. With its amazing bulk allowing the jellyfish to take hits from both sides of the spectrum, and great typing allowing it to act as a great spinblocker, Burungeru will probably be commonly seen in generation 5 OU battles. When you combine Burungeru's awesome defensive prowess with its decent movepool consisting of some noteworthy supporting and defensive moves such as Will-O-Wisp and Recover, as well as decent offensive options including STAB Boiling Water and Shadow Ball, the combination will undoubtedly make Burungeru a fierce defensive threat and a nice offensive pivot. Expect to see this Pokemon in many of the battles you are sure to participate in.

Conclusion

Generation 5 has brought the competitive battling scene a huge new array of offensive and defensive threats. While some of these newcomers, like Doryuuzu, inspire high hopes in the hearts of many battlers, older Pokemon like Ditto and Latios still prove to be no pushovers, with their new strengths and old assets. Not all of the Pokemon threats you will undoubtedly see in battle are mentioned here; this list was merely a sneak preview of how the premiere generation 5 metagame might turn out to be in the upcoming months. Pokemon like Rankurusu, Nattorei, and Terakion are all fearsome threats, though they were not mentioned in this premiere threatlist, so keep your eyes peeled for any surprising opponents, as well as previously seen strategies. However, as good as our guesses may be, only time will be able to tell what ultimately will happen to the new generation 5 OU metagame!

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