Resource Metagame Observations

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Introduction:

Ever since I started taking Battle Spot Singles seriously in early 2018, I have had two basic aims to what I wanted to bring to the community, first to increase the accessibility of BSS to newer players coming in and second to bridge the skill gap between the top players of Japan and the Smogon Community.Over the Crowned Tundra Expansion, I have watched close to 50 Hours of Cartridge footage, from Top Japanese players to players from our community, played hundreds of games of BSS as well as read around 100 articles from Top Players in Japanese detailing everything from Teambuilding to Metagame observations as well as comments from Twitter. I never had the correct mindset to compete in BSS at a high level, but I have acquired a lot of knowledge that I hope can be passed along to those aspiring BSS competitors that can take what I have observed and utilise it to up their game. This is the start of an ongoing thread that I hope to update at the end of every season or every few seasons depending on the speed that the meta progresses to keep people up to speed with what is going on on the Cartridge Ladder.

If there is any discussion, please go to https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/3v3-singles-bss-discussion.3656336/.

Metagame Observations: Season 13


As Season 13 comes to a close, the BSS metagame has finally started to stabilise a little and more answers to extremely oppressive threats have been found. Below I will detail changes in usage, the rise of certain team compositions, some of the new discoveries that have happened with regards to that particular Pokemon that are noteworthy and how the Meta has adapted around their presence. The data I use below generally comes from Nouthuca, Pokedb or Pikalytics. I’ve used this chart in particular from Pokedb to look at the usage trends as it shows it quite well:

https://swsh.pokedb.tokyo/pokemon/chart?season=13&rule=0

Here are the top 20 used Pokemon currently on Nouthuca for Season 13:

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Top 10 Pokemon in Overall Usage in S13:

:zapdos: Zapdos #1 (+1):


To no-one’s real surprise, Zapdos continues to be the king going into Season 14. Although it is not as terrifying as it was a few weeks into Season 13, it is still a staple that is omnipresent as it deals with large portions of the meta and is extremely easy to slot into teams. A tiny chink in Zapdos’s otherwise unpenetrable armour is that it doesn’t have much in the way of inherent setup and therefore there are situations that Zapdos can struggle with such as versus Nihilego, Tyranitar, Excadrill, Heatran, Dragonite, Porygon2, Thundurus-Therian and opposing Zapdos who can wall Zapdos even whilst Dynamaxed.

Therefore, compared to the first Season of Crowned Tundra, Zapdos has become more diversified in move selection as Life Orb Three Attacks Zapdos is not as easy a win condition as it was earlier on in CT, especially on the more defensive end as Zapdos also happens to be one of the best Zapdos checks. One set in particular that has come to the forefront is the Eerie Impulse set.

Zapdos @
Ability: Pressure
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Discharge
- Hurricane
- Roost
- Eerie Impulse

There are a variety of items that can be used, from Kee Berry, to Leftovers/Sitrus Berry to Heavy Duty Boots based on the composition however, they do not change the essence of the set. At the end of Season 12, the most common checks to Zapdos were Porygon2, opposing Zapdos and Nihilego. Nihilego was generally dealt with elsewhere in the composition but this set in combination with the Pressure ability gave Zapdos the ability to PP/Timer stall and force switches from two of its most common checks in S12 and started coming into prominence late S12 and can be seen popping up on a few top teams such as http://chihaya-poke.hatenablog.com/entry/2020/12/01/223624 but is more heavily seen in S13. This is part of the reason that alternative checks came to the forefront, especially ones that did not lose to Nihilego and were unphased by Special Attack drops such as Tyranitar and Excadrill. There are also other similar sets being utilised as people try to experiment with new ways to use Zapdos such as Charge, which grants a Spdef boost as well as a damage buff to electric moves, but it is harder to justify this set with the rise of Ttar and Excadrill.


:Cinderace: Cinderace #2 (-1):


Cinderace remains a very strong pokemon in the CT metagame, due to its broken ability Libero. It is noteworthy that its usage has dropped off significantly in blog teams, from around 29% in Season 12 to 21% in Season 13 and it is joint 3rd in usage there alongside Tapu Fini. The fall in Rillaboom and Celesteela usage in particular as well as the temporary dip in Porygon2 usage has limited the targets that Cinderace traditionally feasts on, instead having to deal with the hordes of Zapdos, Landorus-T, Tapu Fini, Dracovish and Dragonite. Kee Berry Mimikyu is also surprisingly difficult for Gmax-Cinderace to deal with in the Dynamax war and is a trade that Mimikyu often wins, something that traditionally was one of Cinderace’s strengths.

Life Orb Four Attacks continues to be the most popular Cinderace set, although Sash and to a lesser degree Lum Berry and Scarf are still very prominent. The overall sets have not changed too much, but move selection has changed a bit due to the rise in certain threats and I’ll go through a few of the interesting moves seen on Cinderace in order to combat the rise of certain fatter pokemon.

Cinderace @ Life Orb
Ability: Libero
Level: 50
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Pyro Ball
- High Jump Kick
- Zen Headbutt
- Giga Impact

Zen Headbutt in combination with Fire + Fighting coverage allows Cinderace to be a huge menace to Stall compositions which struggle to switch into Cinderace and often default to Toxapex as a primary Cinderace check. Stall teams have been using HDB Defensive Dragonite or even niche pokemon such as Pyukumuku/Arcanine as alternative switchins but it is still important to note. Gunk Shot is used similarly except for Tapu Fini which otherwise walls Cinderace’s typical Fire/Fighting/Dark moves and does not take much from Max Airstream. Lastly Giga Impact/Double Edge is of note, being able to counteract Max Airstream in the Dynamax wars giving multiple turns where Cinderace moves first vs. Metagame threats such as Landorus-T, Dragonite and in particular Zapdos whilst doing respectable Damage to Tapu Fini and is an alternative to Bounce. This is explained well by the 34th placer in S13 here: https://yutopoke2190.hatenablog.com/entry/2021/01/01/121226.


:Mimikyu: Mimikyu #3 (=):


Mimikyu continues to be a staple in BSS, especially on top teams where it is 2nd only to Zapdos. It is still highly valued due to its excellent Disguise ability and unparalleled ability to waste opposing Dynamax turns. Kee Berry is the item of choice on Mimikyu over Life Orb and Spell Tag which are the three main items seen at the top level. Life Orb is less common on Mimikyu compared to its effectiveness in large part to it being an item that can be better utilised by other pokemon such as Cinderace and Zapdos, which is why Spell Tag is often seen in place of Life Orb which also has the side benefit of making Mimikyu slightly more able to take hits. Not much has changed about Mimikyu as it is a pokemon that has been heavily explored since the beginning of Generation 7. One important change though is the preferred move selection in Kee Berry sets.

Mimikyu @ Kee Berry
Ability: Disguise
Level: 50
EVs: 148 HP / 252 Atk / 36 Def / 4 SpD / 68 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Play Rough
- Phantom Force
- Shadow Sneak
- Swords Dance
The EVs themselves on this set can be customised to be more bulky if you are not concerned about being faster than Celesteela or up to 128 Speed for Dracovish/Dracozolt. Mimikyu is being used in conjunction with Dynamax more in battle relative to earlier on in SWSH and therefore Play Rough + Phantom Force/Shadow Claw is more commonly used than the Drain Punch Set since it is better on Dynamax sets. Drain punch is still strong but you want the more powerful Max Phantasm vs. Zapdos, Cinderace and Tapu Fini. Snorlax is also far less prominent, there are better ways of dealing with Porygon2 and this set loses to Iron Defence Ferrothorn anyways. The above is a paraphrase of what is explained here as well as a few other blogs: https://oniyan0916.hatenablog.com/entry/2021/01/01/201911


:Tapu-Fini: Tapu Fini #4 (+1):


Tapu Fini is still a reliable pick in the current meta. Despite its inherent weakness to Zapdos, Nihilego, Rillaboom and Ferrothorn, it is still a pain enough for the rest of the metagame to deal with that it continues to see a lot of play. The most common set is still the Choice Scarf set at the top level, due to its ability to still check a variety of important pokemon such as Dracovish and Urshifu as well as Cripple Zapdos/Ferrothorn/Porygon2 switch ins followed by the CM Leftovers sets. One set that I want to point to in particular is the Choice Specs set, that has seen quite a bit of usage at the top level relative to its general usage, being on 16.7% of Tapu Fini teams.

Tapu Fini @ Choice Specs
Ability: Misty Surge
Level: 50
EVs: 180 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 68 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald / Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Moonblast
- Trick

An example of a team using this is the rank 23rd team in S13: https://rukiapoke.hatenablog.com/entry/2021/01/01/122936. The general idea behind using Choice Specs is to use the extra power to chip the opponents team significantly and punishing typical switch ins and it is less needed to click Trick on Tapu Fini as you can get mileage out of midgrounds as well as being able to invest in more bulk than Scarf sets. For example, in the Ferrothorn matchup, Ice Beam 3HKOs so using Ice Beam once will mean that Ferrothorn cannot switch in later in the match and set up Iron Defence or Leech Seed on Tapu Fini.


:Landorus-Therian: Landorus-Therian #5 (-1):


Landorous-T faces fierce competition from Hippowdon, a traditional favourite of the Japanese and Excadrill at the top level of play and even niche pokemon like Garchomp, Mamoswine and Rhyperior, however at lower levels is the go to Ground-type on team compositions. Its usage and application within team compositions is a great general example of how different Pokemon are used at the Mid and Top level. When competition exists, one has to ask what does Landorus-T offer that Hippowdon or Excadrill do not? Despite being able to do the job of both Hippowdon and Excadrill satisfactorily, it does not Stealth Rock lead better than Hippowdon, it does not check special attackers, especially those with Ice or Flying moves or Mimikyu as well as Excadrill. This likely explains its lower election in S13 on top placing teams.

When it is seen, the most common set is Swords Dance Dynamax Sweeper, something that it is best-in-class at.

Landorus-Therian (M) @ Life Orb / Sitrus Berry
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Tomb / Stone Edge
- Fly
- Swords Dance

An example of a top team with SD Landorus-T win condition is the 28th place team from S13.

https://ch.nicovideo.jp/akasakasakasama/blomaga/ar1824634

Around 60-65% of all Landorus-T sets on Nouthuca in S13 are some variation on an SD set despite it being 36% usage overall, sometimes with Lum Berry which is not shown here.Outside of Skarmory, hardly anything is able to switch into a +2 Dynamaxed Landorus-T so its breaking power is unparalleled. At lower levels, you are far more likely to see sets such as Assault Vest and more purely defensive sets which are still definitely good and used at the top level also.


:Nihilego: Nihilego #6 (=):


Nihilego is in a similar boat to Landorus-T at the top level for a completely different reason, being just a tad below the cutoff point of top 20 in usage, a severe drop off from when it was 9th in usage in Season 12. A lot of the reason for this is the linearity of what Nihilego is best at, which is the Power Herb + Meteor Beam combination and the rise of Excadrill and Tyranitar which Nihilego hates.To put it a simple way, Nihilego is very much like Breloom was in USUM BSS, a pokemon that preys on bad players and bad teams and this is perhaps why it sees a lot of overall success.

At high rating, team compositions generally have very solid ways to deal with Nihilego, a pokemon that can struggle if it does not get off its Power Herb + Meteor Beam combination and dies to most physical moves so can end up losing Dynamax wars vs. Physical attackers with passable special bulk. Similarly a rise in Stall usage annoys Nihilego which is walled indefinitely by the dual pink blobs of Chansey and Blissey even with +1 Psyshock. Giving Dracovish and Excadrill free reign is also really bad. If Power Herb + Meteor Beam can be successfully gotten off, Nihilego can still shine and is still an excellent choice. Current sets with Nihilego are generally Stealth Rock + Dual Stab + Grass Knot or sometimes Thunderbolt or Psyshock over Stealth Rock.


:Dracovish: Dracovish #7 (+1):


Unlike Nihilego, Dracovish is an utter menace at all levels of play. In particular part of what makes Dracovish so strong is that it deals well with all of Zapdos’s major checks. Dracovish’s major checks, bulky waters such as Tapu Fini generally struggle with Electric-types so the vast majority of the time outside of very bulky builds where Dracovish can be used as a fast mode or as a banded fat buster, expect Dracovish + Electric.

Dracovish is quite binary, similar to Nihilego but what makes it different is that there are not many meta pokemon that can trade favourably with Zapdos and Dracovish simultaneously, the only major example being Gmax-Lapras. In terms of sets, Scarf and Band are 50/50 on Nouthuca, likely due to Band’s ability to have a chance of breaking through Toxapex and Ferrothorn which are otherwise hard stops to Dracovish.


:Urshifu: :Urshifu-RS: Urshifu #8 (+3):


Both Urshifu-formes are seen at the top level of play, reminiscent of a similar situation in USUM with Mega Charizard-formes. Unlike Mega Charizard, both Urshifus do have overlapping checks, making them less unpredictable than the Zard-formes. If we were to combine both formes, Urshifu would be seen 3rd at the top level behind Zapdos and Mimikyu. Urshifu-SS is the one seen slightly more at top level though both are very common, generally seen with a Sash, Band or Scarf. Urshifu makes a particularly safe and solid lead as its dual stab combination is only really switched into by Tapu Fini, Skarmory and Toxapex. Banded Wicked Blow in particular is something that opponents have to respect as it 2HKOs even Hippowdon and the critical hits ignore hard set up from the likes of Ferrothorn, Dual Screens as well as Kee Berry.

There has been a rise in Scarf Urshifu as it can get surprise KOs on Dracovish, Dragapult and Power Herb Nihilego. If you are more concerned about Cinderace, generally you are using Urshifu-RS over Urshifu-SS. Iron Head can be a good last move in these slots, partly due to its ability to hit Fairy-types and give the possibility for Max Steelspike in Dynamax war.


:Ferrothorn: Ferrothorn #9 (+3):


Despite Ferrothorn’s innate weakness to Cinderace and Heat Wave Zapdos and Fire-type coverage in general, it has found itself a strong position within the top ten due to its great matchup vs. the rest of the cast. The list of pokemon Ferrothorn checks is not limited to Mimikyu, Tapu Fini, Porygon2, Dracovish, Hippowdon, Tyranitar, Excadrill, Chansey, Swampert and Lapras. With the amount that it can do within a limited slot and its ease of fitting on teams, it is unsurprising that despite a clear weakness it still sees significant placement on teams.

Iron Defence + Body Press sets as well as Leech Seed + Protect sets are both common seeing roughly equal usage, but for the most part Ferrothorn is running the same sort of defensive EV spread every game so little has changed. The item of choice is leftovers which is seen on almost every Ferrothorn as the recovery in conjunction with leech seed really helps as Ferrothorn can be on the field for a very long time in certain matchups such as Stall, baiting with Occa Berry generally is not worth it anymore since unlike with Togekiss, Ferrothorn cannot do too much back to Cinderace/Zapdos if the berry is proced.

:Rillaboom: Rillaboom #10 (-3):

Rillaboom is still in a strong place although faces some competition getting onto teams from Ferrothorn which can do a wider variety of things for team compositions due to its better defenses and Steel-typing as well as the rise in Steel Types and Dragonite. Choice Band is still the item of choice on Rillaboom, but has slowly been falling off as more people have been experimenting with Life Orb with ⅓ of Nouthuca teams containing Rillaboom using it this season. Rillaboom is a bit unlike something like Dracovish which always wants to click one move and Life Orb gives Rillaboom that flexibility and the drawback is somewhat negated by Grassy Terrain and gives it a way to deal with Ferrothorn and Toxapex without having to predict. An example of this set is shown here:

http://toptmptop.hatenablog.jp/entry/2021/01/01/183119

Rillaboom @ Life Orb
Ability: Grassy Surge
Level: 50
EVs: 28 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def / 4 SpD / 220 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Grassy Glide
- Superpower
- Knock Off
- Swords Dance

This set takes advantage of Rillaboom’s ability to force switches to defensive pokemon easily and allows it more free rein vs. Stall builds where it is otherwise ruined by Skarmory.
 
Noteworthy Pokemon outside of the Top 10 in Usage:

:porygon2: Porygon2 #12 (-3):


Porygon2 has gone on a rollercoaster ride of usage overall, but is still a Pokemon sworn-by at the top level, being 6th in usage on top Nouthuca teams. EVing specifically for Download has become even more common as a +1 SpA Porygon2 is a menace to deal with and it makes a very good dynamaxer for a primarily defensive pokemon. One set that has popped up in particular that takes advantage of this is the Facade + Iron Tail set, an example of this being on the rank 4 team:

https://roshipokepoke.hatenablog.com/entry/2021/01/01/232935

Porygon2 @ Eviolite
Ability: Download / Analytic
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Facade
- Ice Beam
- Iron Tail
- Recover

You can run defensive or specially defensive on this set, but the idea behind Iron Tail is to be able to 1v1 some pokemon that could set up over P2 such as Nihilego, Tyranitar and Mimikyu whilst keeping a positive matchup vs. Zapdos, Landorus-T and Dragonite. It also gives access to Max Steelspike. Facade covers status that P2 often picks up from Zapdos or Scald burns and can make it into a big threat.

:Dragonite: Dragonite #13 (+6):

Dragonite’s rise has been meteoric over the last season and it is a pokemon that everyone should be looking at when teambuilding in Season 14. Weakness Policy has always been a popular set on Dragonite and therefore I’ve decided to shed the light onto Dragonite’s use as a Defensive or Specially Defensive wall where it can dual function as a Cinderace check as well as checking several other prominent attackers due to Multiscale. Heavy Duty Boots is the item of choice on these sets as you need to take best advantage of Multiscale.

Defensive Dragonite popped up late S12, most prominently seen on the 19th place Stall:

https://daminmusaboro.hatenablog.com/entry/2020/12/01/173932

Dragonite @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Multiscale
Level: 50
EVs: 244 HP / 252 Def / 12 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hurricane
- Ice Beam
- Flamethrower
- Roost

This set continues to be seen as a check to Kartana, Rillaboom and Landorus-T which otherwise heavily threaten stall builds. Specially Defensive Dnite can be seen here on the 6th place team used as a Zapdos check:

https://raltsz.hatenablog.com/entry/2021/01/01/150546

Dragonite @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Multiscale
Level: 50
EVs: 244 HP / 12 Def / 4 SpA / 244 SpD / 4 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Air Slash
- Flamethrower
- Ice Beam
- Roost

:Tyranitar: Tyranitar #17 (+4):

Top players have been searching for different ways to deal with Zapdos on the Physical side of the spectrum since the rise of annoying sets such as Charge and Eerie impulse and Tyranitar has seen a rise in large part due to this. Tyranitar also benefits from being good against standard Dragonite sets due to it resisting Dnite’s dual typing and breaking Multiscale with Sand Stream and naturally checking a lot of the most scary special attackers such as Nihilego and Naganadel. Tyranitar can run pretty much any item, but leftovers seems to be the most prominent at the top level currently, though Weakness Policy and AV are still strong.

An example of SpDef Tyranitar is used in the 1st placed Stall: https://cramorant.hatenablog.com/entry/2021/01/01/142921

Tyranitar @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
Level: 50
EVs: 156 HP / 92 Atk / 4 Def / 244 SpD / 12 Spe
Careful Nature
- Rock Blast / Rock Tomb
- Superpower
- Stealth Rock
- Protect

Protect is not standard with Ice Beam generally taking this slot for better fighting Landorus-T and Dragonite. This is not just seen on stall but also on bulkier builds in general. Keep in mind that just because leftovers is there does not mean that TTar cannot run a Dragon Dance set, as Rock move, Ice Punch, Superpower, Dragon Dance is also a set that pops up.

:excadrill: Excadrill #18 (+12):

Excadrill is back in the meta in a big way and has been seeing a huge increase in usage as of recent, in large part due to the drop off of Celesteela which it hated fighting. Life Orb Three Attacks was the most preferred build with Sand Rush, taking advantage of Excadrill’s sweeping potential when there is not a Landorus-T, Skarmory or Hippowdon on the field and its ability to trade with almost anything. Here’s an example from the 46th Place Team:

https://yoshimaru-poke.hatenablog.com/entry/2021/01/01/130413

It can set up its own sand through Max Rockfall or be paired with a setter as it is here with Tyranitar. It also doubles as a good Zapdos, Mimikyu, Nihilego and Cinderace check, especially when Sand is available.

:Kartana: Kartana #20 (+8):

Kartana is another riser in the general rise of Steel-type pokemon during Seasons 12 and 13. Its usage is pretty consistent amongst all levels of play, with Life Orb being most popular followed by Focus Sash. An example can be found here on the 17th ranked team:

https://mist-gun.hatenablog.com/entry/2021/01/01/232812

Kartana @ Life Orb
Ability: Beast Boost
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Leaf Blade
- Aerial Ace
- Giga Impact
- Sacred Sword

This set can pretty quickly snowball out of control if a beast boost is gotten and the coverage adequately hits the entirety of the metagame. It does have a weakness of being outsped by Cinderace and being weak to special attacks, but it does not stop Kartana being a big threat at team preview and generally demanding Dragonite or Zapdos brings.

:Lapras: Lapras #28 (+9):

Lapras has seen a small resurgence in large part due to Dracovish + Zapdos compositions. Lapras is one of the few Water-type pokemon that can trade with Zapdos quite well with its Ice-type STAB, especially Dynamaxed due to Gmax-Resonance. The sets themselves are very similar to how they always have been, so I won’t go into further detail on Lapras, but only note it as a pokemon that people have started picking up a bit more.

:Toxapex: Toxapex #30 (+13):

The last pokemon I’ll touch on is Toxapex. Toxapex is a key component of stall and bulkier teams and its rise indicates a general rise in Stall/Fatter teams. In large part this is due to players getting a better grasp on the metagame and therefore making stall builds more viable than they were in Season 12 as team building catches up with big offensive threats. Its ability to wall large swaths of the metagame, especially pokemon such as Urshifu and Cinderace that can give Stall huge problems makes it a must have pokemon on those builds.

http://ikamirim.hatenadiary.jp/entry/2021/01/03/025331

The 9th/10th place finisher is an example of a typical Toxapex stall.

Toxapex @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Scald
- Poison Jab
- Recover
- Toxic Spikes

The moveset itself can be a variety of things based on the team, generally Haze is used in place of Poison Jab and Baneful Bunker or Toxic can be used in place of Toxic Spikes. Another major thing of note is Toxapex’s ability to wear down opposing teams with Toxic Spikes (especially Rillaboom, Cinderace, Dracovish, Dragapult and Urshifu), which are only removed by Toxapex, Nihilego and Naganadel so will stay up for most games.
 
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