Gen 9 OM Discussion [SPOILERS]

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Sun team is going to be pretty broken with all the new protosynthesis abilities ngl
Flutter Mane
Base 135/135 Sp.Atk/Speed, run it with timid nature, choice specs AND in the sun, you got yourself 200/200 Sp.Atk/Speed mon. Not enough? Tera Fairy it, and even resisted hits are going to OHKO offensive mons, and Fairy/Ghost provides wonderful coverage. It's pretty much regieleki speed with specs kyogre damage
Quaquaval (unrelated to sun team but it's still broken)
Of course they're going to make the starters broken again, this time we have a dancing duck with 120/85 Atk/Speed. While it's not that good, it gets aqua step (80 bp, +1 speed) AND moxie AND SWORDS DANCE. Use SD on a mon it forces out, use aqua step once, and it'll start cleaning up on the rest of your opponent's team. btw It's also one of the only offensive spinners in ou as far as I'm concerned.
..Leafeon. (while tera blast is not banned at least)
I'd say it's a underrated sun team mon. It's not that viable in gen 8 because its sweep is ended once sun is gone, but now it gets Trail Blaze (50 bp, +1 speed) which is just Aqua Step but weaker. It can also Tera Rock to deal with Fire & Flying types with Tera Blast. Same deal as Quaquaval, one SD, one Trail Blaze, and it's off to sweep even when the sun goes out. Swept quite a few teams with it in SD
Roaring Moon
Base 139/119 Atk/Speed, it's just Flutter Mane but physical, and runs scarf instead of specs. Don't think I need to explain much anymore, just refer to Flutter Mane
Last but not least Torkoal.
Being the only and still the only one with Drought, it's like the most important member in a sun team. Same as gen 8, just the classic Stealth Rock Rapid Spin, good stuff.
That's all, in my opinion gen 9 is going to be mostly hyper offense since recovery moves nerf and all the setup sweepers and scald being avaliable to only 2 mons. Also like 90% of the mons gets spikes for some reason
(help how to make [pimg] work)
 
I played a pretty decent amount of AAA last gen, so I'm gonna post some things I've been messing with and brainstorming. Hopefully these sets are interesting and useful lol but this is a new gen.

Espathra @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Psychic Surge
Tera Type: Psychic
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Lumina Crash
- Dazzling Gleam/Shadow Ball
- U-turn
- Trick

Kinda works like Azelf last gen, but worse. Tera Psychic to spam Crash can eventually break through steels and Bliss as they can only take so many -2 SpDef drops. It has approximately 0 bulk so you really don't want to take hits with it though.
Avalugg @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Well-Baked Body
Tera Type: Fighting
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Ice Spinner
- Body Press
- Rapid Spin
- Recover

Really funny mon, survives tons of moves you'd think would KO and the Tera Fighting allows it to become a much better type defensively while bolstering it's offense with Press. It might be worth running Crunch for some Ghosts over Rapid Spin, but it's a fun set. Might not become meta but it's the type of Mon that if you're unprepared, can really cause a ton of trouble.
Houndstone @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Supreme Overlord
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Last Respects
- Destiny Bond
- Trick
- Memento/Play Rough

Last Respects + Overlord lmao. That's it. The rest is filler. Is it a meme? I think so, but there's no way at least 1 person isn't going to get a reverse 6-0 with this.
Ceruledge @ Life Orb
Ability: Triage
Tera Type: Fire/Fighting
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Bitter Blade
- Shadow Sneak
- Close Combat
- Swords Dance

Unfortunately, Triage isn't currently working with Bitter Blade, but it's a neat set with dual STAB priority that has great neutral coverage and CC is the icing on the cake.
Iron Hands @ Punching Glove/Life Orb
Ability: Triage
Tera Type: Fighting/Electric
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch
- Thunder Punch
- Ice Punch
- Belly Drum

That last set was all irrelevant because THIS is the true Triage abuser. It's just Buzzwole but legitimately unwallable. Neutral coverage alone is crazy. You don't even have to run Triage, but that just seems like the most insane ability for it. I haven't seen it at all, but I think once people really notice its power, it'll pressure people at team builder to run priority blocking or a ghost type that can outspeed and OHKO it like Flutter, which is probably gonna be suspected soon anyways. Speaking of...
Flutter Mane @ Life Orb/Choice Specs
Ability: Sheer Force/Adaptability
Tera Type: Doesn't Matter
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Moonblast
- Thunderbolt/Mystical Fire/Substitute
- Calm Mind/Taunt/Substitute

This thing out speeds almost everything, threatens OHKOs on an insane number of mons, has almost perfect neutral coverage, and can pick and choose what beats it with the last 2 moveslots. Everyone is using it, and those who aren't are running Dragapult to beat this. It's SFLO Lele but better in almost every conceivable way. Not my set but let's be real, this is what mostly everyone was thinking regarding this Mon lol.
Iron Bundle @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Water/Ice
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Flip Turn
- Freeze-Dry
- Hydro Pump
- Taunt

Now that Regen cores can't be used, I think offensive Regen is going to be the new way to abuse it. Bundle looks pretty solid, outspeeding Flutter, providing Taunt support, and getting fast pivots with Flip Turn. Iron Treads is also neat for the Rapid Spin + Volt Switch combo letting it run a vest, but it's not all that bulky and it's speed is passable but not great. I'm sure there's some combination of EVs that let it do well but I haven't gotten it.
Jolteon @ Choice Specs
Ability: Hadron Engine
Tera Type: Ice
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Shadow Ball
- Tera Blast

Not my set, but it was used against me and I was wholly unprepared. If you have no electric immunities or specially bulky mons, this will tear through you.
Talonflame @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Orichalcum Pulse
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Brave Bird
- U-turn/Taunt/Bulk Up
- Roost/Taunt/Bulk Up

Sun Talonflame from last gen but it trades Water immunity for a Life Orb boost while keeping boots. Honestly I don't have faith that it's better than MGLO, considering this set really only deals more damage than that set with Blitz.

Edit: my dumbass forgot to put Pulse as the ability on Talonflame lol.
 
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The best pokemon in my opinion gose to
Flutter Mane @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Normal
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Moonblast
- Mystical Fire
- Thunderbolt
Chien-Pao @ Choice Band
Ability: Sword of Ruin
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Icicle Crash
- Crunch
- Sacred Sword
- Psychic Fangs
Chien-Pao @ Choice Band
Ability: Sword of Ruin
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Icicle Crash
- Crunch
- Sacred Sword
- Psychic Fangs
 
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I'm planning to resubmit Category Swap, and I've almost finished my draft for the post, but I'm concerned that strategy section and sample sets lean too much into "new toy syndrome", since they mainly focus on the new Pokémon. That's mainly because a lot of top threats are gone, but I'd still appreciate some feedback.

Increased viability:
  • :Muk: :Gyarados: :Krookodile: A lot of Pokémon, especially older ones, learn a wide variety of attacks from their weaker category that they can finally put to use.
  • :Palafin: Already a powerhouse in standard play, Palafin can now use Hydro Pump, Ice Beam, Grass Knot, and Boomburst with its superior attack stat.
  • :Iron Treads: It still has reliable Ground and Steel STABs, as well as a lot of utility moves such as Rapid Spin, Volt Switch, and Stealth Rock. It can take advantage of Quark Drive on Electric Terrain teams and use Thunder on rain teams.
  • :Clodsire: While Clodsire doesn’t change much from standard play, its Water Absorb ability could make it a counter to rain teams, which were prevalent last gen. It also has all three hazards, other utility moves such as Recover, Haze, and the now-rare Toxic, and the fantastic ability Unaware.
Decreased viability:
  • :Luxray: :Heracross: Some dedicated physical attackers hardly learn any special moves…
  • :Flutter Mane: :Gholdengo: …And vice versa.
  • :Chien-Pao: As one of the very few Ice-types to not learn Ice Beam, Chien-Pao is stuck with Blizzard for Ice STAB and almost nonexistent coverage.
  • :Scizor: Scizor’s special movepool isn’t terrible, but it only has Normal and Flying for coverage, plus it doesn’t have a special Steel move that’s compatible with Technician.
Changes from last gen
  • :Pelipper: Pelipper has been severely nerfed in SV; it lost access to Scald and Defog, and Roost’s PP was reduced. Most of the rain abusers are gone as well…
  • :Torkoal: …Which is good news for sun teams. With the introduction of Protosynthesis, a wide variety of powerful Pokémon now benefit from the sun with no drawbacks.
  • :Gengar: :Polteageist: :Rotom: All the returning Ghost-type special attackers suffer from the loss of Poltergeist.
  • :Gallade: Unlike most physical Fighting types, Gallade has plenty of special moves to choose from — including Air Slash, which is boosted by its new ability Sharpness.
Watchlist
  • :Houndstone: Even with base 50 special attack, Last Respects at full power can still tear through walls; see the damage calculations below.*
  • :Dragapult: Last gen, Dragapult was banned for tearing through all but the most dedicated physical walls due to its combination of high speed, Dragon Dance, Shadow Ball, and coverage.
* In the actual draft, the damage calculations are further down, but here's what I'm referring to: 252+ SpA Houndstone Last Respects (300 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Hatterene: 420-494 (132 - 155.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO

Gyarados @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Hurricane
- Thunderbolt / Thunder
- Dragon Dance

Out of the sample sets in the original thread’s first post, Gyarados is the only one who returns. Hydro Pump is much stronger than Waterfall, and Hurricane is slightly more reliable than Bounce. Use Thunder if you have rain support; use Thunderbolt otherwise.

Iron Treads @ Booster Energy / Leftovers
Ability: Quark Drive
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Volt Switch
- Stealth Rock
- Knock Off / Body Press

As mentioned earlier, Iron Treads is one of the most versatile new Pokémon. This utility set lays hazards and then pivots; replace Knock Off with Body Press if you want to wear down your opponents. It lacks recovery, though, so use Leftovers if you have an Electric Terrain setter.

Iron Treads @ Booster Energy
Ability: Quark Drive
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant /Jolly Nature
- Earth Power
- Flash Cannon / Steel Beam
- Thunder
- Volt Switch

On the flip side, this offensive set works best on rain teams. Iron Treads learns Thunder but not Thunderbolt, and it can absorb Electric attacks that would threaten its Water-type allies.

Salazzle (F) @ Air Balloon
Ability: Oblivious
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Knock Off
- Flare Blitz / Fire Lash
- Poison Jab / Gunk Shot
- Nasty Plot

Salazzle hasn’t changed much since last gen. It’s one of the few returning Pokémon to keep Knock Off, so it has valuable utility on top of its special attacking prowess. You have a variety of STABs to choose from, depending on whether you prefer reliability or power.

Roaring Moon @ Booster Energy / Life Orb
Ability: Protosynthesis
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Flamethrower / Fire Blast
- Dark Pulse
- Dragon Pulse

Roaring Moon’s only physical Fire move is Fire Fang, so it can take even more advantage of the sun with its more powerful special Fire moves. With this stat spread, Protosynthesis boosts its attack, but 370 speed + Dragon Dance is nothing to sneeze at. If you’re not too worried about coverage, you could replace one of its attacks with U-Turn. It also learns Hurricane and Hydro Pump, so it could have a niche on rain teams.

And most importantly: who should replace Tapu Koko in the banner? I'm thinking Gyarados.
 

KaenSoul

FuegoAlma
is a Forum Moderatoris a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a member of the Battle Simulator Staff
I'm planning to resubmit Category Swap, and I've almost finished my draft for the post, but I'm concerned that strategy section and sample sets lean too much into "new toy syndrome", since they mainly focus on the new Pokémon. That's mainly because a lot of top threats are gone, but I'd still appreciate some feedback.

Increased viability:
  • :Muk: :Gyarados: :Krookodile: A lot of Pokémon, especially older ones, learn a wide variety of attacks from their weaker category that they can finally put to use.
  • :Palafin: Already a powerhouse in standard play, Palafin can now use Hydro Pump, Ice Beam, Grass Knot, and Boomburst with its superior attack stat.
  • :Iron Treads: It still has reliable Ground and Steel STABs, as well as a lot of utility moves such as Rapid Spin, Volt Switch, and Stealth Rock. It can take advantage of Quark Drive on Electric Terrain teams and use Thunder on rain teams.
  • :Clodsire: While Clodsire doesn’t change much from standard play, its Water Absorb ability could make it a counter to rain teams, which were prevalent last gen. It also has all three hazards, other utility moves such as Recover, Haze, and the now-rare Toxic, and the fantastic ability Unaware.
Decreased viability:
  • :Luxray: :Heracross: Some dedicated physical attackers hardly learn any special moves…
  • :Flutter Mane: :Gholdengo: …And vice versa.
  • :Chien-Pao: As one of the very few Ice-types to not learn Ice Beam, Chien-Pao is stuck with Blizzard for Ice STAB and almost nonexistent coverage.
  • :Scizor: Scizor’s special movepool isn’t terrible, but it only has Normal and Flying for coverage, plus it doesn’t have a special Steel move that’s compatible with Technician.
Changes from last gen
  • :Pelipper: Pelipper has been severely nerfed in SV; it lost access to Scald and Defog, and Roost’s PP was reduced. Most of the rain abusers are gone as well…
  • :Torkoal: …Which is good news for sun teams. With the introduction of Protosynthesis, a wide variety of powerful Pokémon now benefit from the sun with no drawbacks.
  • :Gengar: :Polteageist: :Rotom: All the returning Ghost-type special attackers suffer from the loss of Poltergeist.
  • :Gallade: Unlike most physical Fighting types, Gallade has plenty of special moves to choose from — including Air Slash, which is boosted by its new ability Sharpness.
Watchlist
  • :Houndstone: Even with base 50 special attack, Last Respects at full power can still tear through walls; see the damage calculations below.*
  • :Dragapult: Last gen, Dragapult was banned for tearing through all but the most dedicated physical walls due to its combination of high speed, Dragon Dance, Shadow Ball, and coverage.
* In the actual draft, the damage calculations are further down, but here's what I'm referring to: 252+ SpA Houndstone Last Respects (300 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Hatterene: 420-494 (132 - 155.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO

Gyarados @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Hurricane
- Thunderbolt / Thunder
- Dragon Dance

Out of the sample sets in the original thread’s first post, Gyarados is the only one who returns. Hydro Pump is much stronger than Waterfall, and Hurricane is slightly more reliable than Bounce. Use Thunder if you have rain support; use Thunderbolt otherwise.

Iron Treads @ Booster Energy / Leftovers
Ability: Quark Drive
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Volt Switch
- Stealth Rock
- Knock Off / Body Press

As mentioned earlier, Iron Treads is one of the most versatile new Pokémon. This utility set lays hazards and then pivots; replace Knock Off with Body Press if you want to wear down your opponents. It lacks recovery, though, so use Leftovers if you have an Electric Terrain setter.

Iron Treads @ Booster Energy
Ability: Quark Drive
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant /Jolly Nature
- Earth Power
- Flash Cannon / Steel Beam
- Thunder
- Volt Switch

On the flip side, this offensive set works best on rain teams. Iron Treads learns Thunder but not Thunderbolt, and it can absorb Electric attacks that would threaten its Water-type allies.

Salazzle (F) @ Air Balloon
Ability: Oblivious
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Knock Off
- Flare Blitz / Fire Lash
- Poison Jab / Gunk Shot
- Nasty Plot

Salazzle hasn’t changed much since last gen. It’s one of the few returning Pokémon to keep Knock Off, so it has valuable utility on top of its special attacking prowess. You have a variety of STABs to choose from, depending on whether you prefer reliability or power.

Roaring Moon @ Booster Energy / Life Orb
Ability: Protosynthesis
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Flamethrower / Fire Blast
- Dark Pulse
- Dragon Pulse

Roaring Moon’s only physical Fire move is Fire Fang, so it can take even more advantage of the sun with its more powerful special Fire moves. With this stat spread, Protosynthesis boosts its attack, but 370 speed + Dragon Dance is nothing to sneeze at. If you’re not too worried about coverage, you could replace one of its attacks with U-Turn. It also learns Hurricane and Hydro Pump, so it could have a niche on rain teams.

And most importantly: who should replace Tapu Koko in the banner? I'm thinking Gyarados.
Eh, I think you are overthinking it, one or two sample sets should be fine to give people an idea on how the meta works or what changes, you can later update that section with stuff that are actually meta relevant after the meta develops.
 
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