On Nuzzle
Since the discussion it is resurfacing, I just have a question: what are the ways of handling Nuzzle?
(It is not about paralysis overall since it was a subject matter in the past I don't want to come back on it. Or maybe it is still something most have hard time realizing and the subject is seated on.)
The scenario I see happening almost anytime:
Team preview and you are certain that your opponent will get a Nuzzle off on you.
I'm always asking myself how I am able to handle Nuzzle more effectively in my matches. Being one who is still learning the tier, I looked for responses and wanted to see if they are just as effective or complex; skimming through posts I was not able to have a direct answer but concrete ones I wanted to mention:
These are the main resources used to handle Nuzzle. There are other ones some may not know about or just don't consider in their building because of how the main ones are more useful. Here what I considered:
I believe those can be incorporated into a team when building for specific matchups but I just wanted to share how they can be considered as other utilities against Nuzzle.
I also believe the Belly Drum ban helped shift the focus on Nuzzle and its impact on the tier it had for a while.
Makes me wonder if Nuzzle is prominent enough to have teams preparing for it especially.
There is also the consideration of using it as a tradeoff since the opponent has it thus making a match mostly at the same level of interactions.
Though, I believe it is somewhat unexplored? Most of the time you will get a Nuzzle off and be happy with it, not knowing what will be the appropriate next move: Double Nuzzle on their potential switch, using another move, hard switch one of your mon, or even seek a fullpara risk allowing other possibilities.
Also make me wonder:
Is your team relying on exclusively Nuzzle to slow down the opposing team? (is it the best way a Nuzzle team has to play where there is no concrete counterplay?)
I'm approching these as someone who want to know more about the tier current's state, as I believe it is fine as it is and there is room for exploration and exploitation. Seing what others are doing to show how the tier has still this unexpected factor helps its image of diversity, in my oppinion.
End note
For me Nuzzle is similar to Knock off where you just don't know what opposing mon has it. It's like the little beneficial progress Nuzzle has. I find items more important in matches that I am more scared of losing an item than to get Nuzzled. I see it as more important since just loosing items going from Heavy Boots to Leftovers can change the pace of the match.
sorry for many nuzzles
Since the discussion it is resurfacing, I just have a question: what are the ways of handling Nuzzle?
(It is not about paralysis overall since it was a subject matter in the past I don't want to come back on it. Or maybe it is still something most have hard time realizing and the subject is seated on.)
The scenario I see happening almost anytime:
Team preview and you are certain that your opponent will get a Nuzzle off on you.
I'm always asking myself how I am able to handle Nuzzle more effectively in my matches. Being one who is still learning the tier, I looked for responses and wanted to see if they are just as effective or complex; skimming through posts I was not able to have a direct answer but concrete ones I wanted to mention:
Most thought of resources when dealing with Nuzzleoften a risk-free punish, runnable on almost anything, and the counterplay is fairly limited with a whole 3 viable Nuzzle sponges (by typing) and solutions being 'just run heal bell you tool' (which I personally think is shit advice when PH is arguably the best legal ability).Electric and ground types aren't overly common given that mons like Zekrom and Don aren't super-tippy-top-of-the-meta and aren't as immediately horrifying as others like Blace, but really the main ways of dealing with this are poison heal, bounce for glare, typing, sacrificing a mon to it, and to a more nebulous extent simply putting on the pressure.Now to start, Nuzzle is one thing i think everyone deals with in BH. Nuzzle is only blocked by ground types or of course the magic guard toxic orb mons or poison heal mons. Nuzzle is very free to use as the risk of using it is near 0 and then can fully disable a mon from actually countering other mons. There is times where you can be paralyzed twice and in both occasions it could've been a deciding factor to the match.
- Groudon
Referencing Lunatic Hai's post
I have liked how Groudon has being evolving into a solid mon for the meta. From defensive sets in Pranster to offensive sets with Adaptability, it has showed how it could be one of the mons you have to think about when building. It takes advantage of vast defensive Nuzzle users to help the team.
Zekrom also has been evolving, though more in the hands of those who know how to use its full strength. I personnaly consider it horrifying immediately when I see one but I am still unsure why it is not used more with Nuzzle around. Its set of Magic Guard Life Orb can overwhelm teams when used correctly but there is nothing other than that.
Zygarde-Complete has somewhat of an in-between situation where there are just better utility mons. Being one that is a consistent anti Nuzzle while having defensive utilites helps it stay on top I would say. Maybe it has been seen enough to the point people immediately know what it will accomplish.
- Poison Heal
Always free to have, the moment it is activated it will force interactions which can be used in different ways. It can be used on defensive mons and still be as profitable. I always wondered how one would go on the step of its activation because I was proved it is not the same for everyone.
- Heal Bell / Aromatherapy
Is it as useless as people say? Doesn't the fact that any of your mon can be paralysed by Nuzzle be a reason to use this move? Is it that much of a wasted slot compared to what it is usually used? I personally find it as a no cost move since you have plenty of utility in the rest of the team, and it helps reduce the consistent Nuzzle issue.
These are the main resources used to handle Nuzzle. There are other ones some may not know about or just don't consider in their building because of how the main ones are more useful. Here what I considered:
- Flare Boost + Flame Orb (notable user: /)
- Guts + Flame Orb ()
- Lightning Rod / Volt Absorb (///)
- Psycho Shift (///)
- Jungle Healing (/)
- Magic Guard + Toxic Orb ()
- Normalize + Entrainment / Skill Swap ()
- Comatose ()
- Misty Terrain (//)
- Flower Veil ()
- Quick Feet (Prankster alternative. Trust.)
I believe those can be incorporated into a team when building for specific matchups but I just wanted to share how they can be considered as other utilities against Nuzzle.
Since then things have... not quite changed? I have seen people try plenty of things and still getting back on how paralysis is a problem. But just, are we in a point where the meta is considered good enough there is no other things to look out for? It helps understand a loser's point on itParalysis is nice in that it provides speed control, but it also turns every turn you click a move with the paralyzed Pokemon into a gamble. Part of playing the game when you're paralyzed is to minimize the amount of risks you need to take (which I definitely didn't do in my game lol), but it feels like a very low risk high reward status to be using. Not only is the speed control absolutely phenomenal in a metagame where status removal is difficult to fit, but it has a shot at providing you free turns to boot and it's no small percentage either. With all of that in mind, ways of dealing with this status seem fairly limited to me at first glance. I looked at Comatose and Poison Heal as surefire ways of countering Paralysis, but the issue with the status is that having one Pokemon that can absorb paralysis doesn't necessarily mean that I can check the opponent's way of spreading it. What do you guys do when playing against this, aside from what I've stated?
While the meta is fairly balanced at the moment, I find that building right now is terribly stale. The stranglehold that Xerneas, Regigigas, paralysis, and to somewhat lesser extents Eternatus and Zamazenta-C have on teambuilding has pretty much killed any motivation I have to build new teams. Building in BH has always kept my intrigued, wanting to innovate more and try new things out to see what sticks. But lately I've just been reusing teams that range from several months to over a year old because I find that almost every team revolves around the same dynamic.
I also believe the Belly Drum ban helped shift the focus on Nuzzle and its impact on the tier it had for a while.
Makes me wonder if Nuzzle is prominent enough to have teams preparing for it especially.
There is also the consideration of using it as a tradeoff since the opponent has it thus making a match mostly at the same level of interactions.
Though, I believe it is somewhat unexplored? Most of the time you will get a Nuzzle off and be happy with it, not knowing what will be the appropriate next move: Double Nuzzle on their potential switch, using another move, hard switch one of your mon, or even seek a fullpara risk allowing other possibilities.
Also make me wonder:
Is your team relying on exclusively Nuzzle to slow down the opposing team? (is it the best way a Nuzzle team has to play where there is no concrete counterplay?)
I'm approching these as someone who want to know more about the tier current's state, as I believe it is fine as it is and there is room for exploration and exploitation. Seing what others are doing to show how the tier has still this unexpected factor helps its image of diversity, in my oppinion.
End note
For me Nuzzle is similar to Knock off where you just don't know what opposing mon has it. It's like the little beneficial progress Nuzzle has. I find items more important in matches that I am more scared of losing an item than to get Nuzzled. I see it as more important since just loosing items going from Heavy Boots to Leftovers can change the pace of the match.
sorry for many nuzzles