Metagame NP: Stage 0 - We've Only Just Begun (Welcome to SV NU) [Quickbans Post #142]

Status
Not open for further replies.
:Mabosstiff:
If you're willing to use your tera on the dawg dragon gives you a high bp attack in outrage and decent resists

:Ursaring:
Very eviolite bulky, very strong. Guts means you absorb glare and will-o-wisp. Tera ghost blocks the common close combats sent your way and gives you Stab on shadow claw. Rock nukes some dancers. Shame about no healing so wish support is appreciated.

:Veluza:
Veluza @ Scope Lens
Ability: Sharpness
Tera Type: Dark
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Aqua Cutter
- Night Slash
- Focus Energy

Tired of filet away? Turn into a crit machine with priority instead.
 
Last edited:

EonX

Battle Soul
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
Ok, time for what I'm looking at to really leap forward in viability with the recent bans. Aaaaaand, go!:

: Special sets in particular are way better. They were never bad because they could easily play off the threat level of physical sets, but now that Goodra isn't around to take a hit and KO back, it severely limits the options balance teams have to check this while threatening a KO to prevent potential set up. Specs in particular is very nasty with Scarf Passimian and the lack of a need for Sludge Bomb means it can run Psychic to run over Muk and Toxicroak. Its high Speed tier also means that SD sets can't be revenged by Jet Bruxish, which is kind of a big deal and Band STAB Knock Off in a tier with pretty limited (Tera) Fairy options is pretty good too. I can see this being a massive problem in a faster meta because it has the Speed tier to get ahead of plenty of offensive mons, and the few that do naturally outspeed it either can't switch in, hate Sucker Punch, or some combination of both. Tera Poison is also lethal on physical sets as it removes Scarf Passimian (without EQ) as an immediate response to revenge kill. Special sets probably want to stick to Tera Dark, but NP can run Tera Poison in the same vain as physical sets to prevent Pass from immediately revenge killing it.

: This was already quite the fine Pokemon, but with Zoroark likely on the rise and Goodra gone, it gets way better. Taunt + WoW is still a great combo to mess with stuff like Tera Vespiquen, Umbreon, and Tera QD mons and your dual STABs are really good in a tier where Rock types aren't very plentiful to resist them. You probably Tera Fairy to remove your Aqua Jet weakness while resisting Passimian CC and Zoro Sucker so you're hard for offense to revenge kill, but base 106 Speed to troll Zoroark is looking really good rn for offense.

: With Bruxish rising, this gets even better. Spikes is nice, SD is nice, a strong Sucker in a Bruxish meta is very nice. Goodra leaving also makes SD sets more viable and the mixed Spikes set can spam Leaf Storm a bit more freely. You probably need to fit in a Fighting move so that Copper doesn't slow you up too much, but that's fine.

: All of these Electrics get way better with Goodra gone. Punchshroom stole my thunder with Specs Analytic Magneton, but I do want to chime in that Specs Flash Cannon OHKOes physdef Sandaconda raw w/o Tera or Analytic boost... you're welcome. Moving on to Eel, it provides a slow Volt Swith / U-turn and Vespiquen has shown us how lethal that can be with all the potent offensive Pokemon in this tier. It can maybe Coil, but I feel the meta will be too fast paced for that to work consistently. Rotom (and Rotom-Frost) sits above base 85, which is key for Mabosstiff if it's taken chip earlier on. Normal Rotom's Ghost typing also prevents CC spam initially and Frost Rotom's STAB Blizzard pairs well with Electric and it too can become a Ghost through Tera.

: This is probably the Fighting type that benefits the most from Pom Pom and Venomoth leaving. Toxicroak loves a meta that is heavy on Water types and Vaporeon in particular will usually invite it in. Lum SD even sets up on Yawn Vaporeon while Sub SD makes it brutal for fat teams to beat. NP sets also exist, although relying on Focus Blast for your Fighting STAB is, uh, dicey at best. Band sets also probably aren't terrible considering the base 85 Speed tier and STAB Close Combat + Water immunity, though Tauros probably does that better with the base 100 Speed tier. Probably competes with Medicham now as the 3rd best Fighting type in the tier (I firmly believe Tauros is #2 with that high Speed tier and Initmidate)

: Don't look now, but we have another Sleep Powder QD mon. Granted, it's nowhere near the level of insanity that Venomoth was with Tinted Lens, but with Goodra gone and Fire types looking better to rip into Steel types, Vivillon looks to be in a good spot. Compound Eyes Sleep Powder is basically Spore- and STAB Hurricane is pretty good alongside Bug Buzz to rip up the Electrics. I don't think it'll be broken or anything, but if you allow yourself to sleep on it, you'll pay for it pretty quickly.
 
Probably competes with Medicham now as the 3rd best Fighting type in the tier (I firmly believe Tauros is #2 with that high Speed tier and Initmidate)
Don't let my man Crab :crabominable: out. Lose a bit of niche with Goodra out of the question but more offensive set still have the coverage to shine.
 
:sv/sandaconda:

Oricorio-Pom-Pom was the main check to Sandaconda,being immune to both Glare and Earthquake.Sandaconda can freely spread paralysis on the entire tier bar Eelektross right now.Thus it's kinda hard to pass off the utility it provides on every team.

:sv/dudunsparce:

With Goodra being gone,CM Dudunsparce doesn't mandate Fairy tera anymore.Remaining (p)hazers don't like switch on multiple boombursts and they get 2HKOed by Specs if trying to scout.AV Goodra could easily switch on Specs set and threaten back,now you rely on Chansey/Umbreon and hope he doesn't get 10 Air Slash flinches in a row.
I Just Saw "now you rely on Chansey/Umbreon and hope he doesn't get 10 Air Slash flinches in a row." and I Have To Sympathize. and also, coil. Dudunsparce is just as bulky and threatening, with 100% accurate serene grace rock slide.
 
Now that goodra and venomoth have been shown the door, I feel as though there is a special wall that REALLY benefits from the best quiver dancer being frosmoth.

Flareon

This mon cares nothing about frosmoth unless it is tera ground, it is also one of few wish passer in the tier and hits hard even without investment coming off it's base 130 attack. It also doesnt really care about Pyroar, blocking its fire stab and taking a max of 46% from a specs hyper voice (timid) when sp def invested.
Hell, even Vivillon has to be careful of this thing, its hurricanes do 55% max at +1 when modest nature and flare blitz easily ohkos it without any investment.
In addition, it also spreads status remarkably easily with a combo of yawn and will o wisp. It fits into the role of a support mon quite well and I have been using it in a couple teams.
It's not a meta definer but I feel it has a solid niche now so I thought I'd just put this here. It's weak to rocks and it draws in sandaconda quite easily, but I like it. It also shuts down sun harder than anything else (i've seen a couple manual sun teams playing around on ladder)
 
Last edited:
Don't let my man Crab :crabominable: out. Lose a bit of niche with Goodra out of the question but more offensive set still have the coverage to shine.
Pokemon don't always get worse just because something broken they happened to do decently against was banned. If anything the tier lost one of few Special attackers that could 2HKO Crabominable and as teams are able to become bulkier without fear of getting mowed down by Goodra and Venomoth, Crabominable will prey on those teamstyles.
 
Hi yall, I hope you remember me from my Venomoth post, thanks for all the comments and stuff! I'm glad I managed to accomplish getting Venomoth banned. Today, tho, there's a Pokemon I want to get banned which is my personal favorite: Crabominable.

Crabominable is an Ice/Fighting type Pokemon introduced in gen 7, and I'd like to note that my favoritism towards Crabominable is not the reason I'm trying to get it banned from the current lowest tier, as I'll be doing my best to keep bias out of this post. It's actually because it's a well-used powerhouse in this format, as you'll see from my reasons.

Looking at Crabominable's stats, they aren't ENTIRELY impressive. Crabominable has an amazing 132 base attack, which literally ties with Mega Abomasnow(I had to retype this because I keep accidently typing Obamasnow). Crabominable also has a good 97 baseHP, which is good as well because it gives Crabominable nearly 400 HP if the EVS and IVS are maxed out.

Crabominable also has one of the best offensive typings in the game: Ice/Fighting. It's STAB is super effective against 9 types: Ground, Grass, Flying, Dragon, Steel, Rock, Normal, Ice and Dark, but it is notably weak to six typings: Fire, Fighting, Fairy, Flying, Psychic and Steel. This, along with its slow 43 base speed, is the reason most people have not used it in past generations, and still in Scarlet and Violet despite Terastalization literally existing.

Its offensive power is boosted even further by its movepool and abilities, with Iron Fist being the most commonly used out of the three abilities Crabominable gets(Hyper Cutter, Iron Fist and Anger Point). It can learn powerful coverage moves such as Thunder Punch, Earthquake and Crabhammer, and it can also learn amazing STAB moves such as Drain Punch and Close Combat. The best of them all is Ice Hammer, Crabominable's signature move(I don't care if Tinkaton can learn it- It's still his signature move). Ice Hammer has a base 120 power, with the downsides of it being its 90% accuracy and lowering your speed each turn. That's still great, though, as Ice Hammer is not only boosted by STAB, it's also boosted by Iron Fist for some reason. This move, along with the base 132 attack, makes Ice Hammer a hard move to switch into if you don't have a Pokemon that can resist it.

Crabominable is great on Trick Room teams, running Choice Band and bringing fear to the enemy by slowing itself down every time it uses Ice Hammer. Most people, especially on this format, tend to run Assault Vest with max HP, which is fine since base 67 special defense is good enough for Crabominable to tank some hits.

All in all, I hope this gets a lot of attention like last time, and I hope yall see just how much of a threat this Pokemon really is.
Here's the most common set people use:
Crabominable@ Assault Vest
Ability: Iron Fist
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch
- Earthquake
- Ice Hammer
- Thunder Punch
EDIT: By the way, people run tera fairy so that moves like Passimian's Close Combat or Medicham's Mach Punch can be easily resisted, it's more of a defensive tera. It also was used to be immune to Choice Specs Goodra's Draco Meteor before it got banned.
 
Last edited:
A core that i started to really like is clawi+bruxish.

tera fighting clawitzer is a nuke in general.
252+ SpA Choice Specs Mega Launcher Tera Fighting Clawitzer Aura Sphere vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Vaporeon: 228-268 (49.1 - 57.7%) -- 55.5% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery. yikes. this is an absurd damage. rivalled by very few mons in the tier. if the opposing vaporeon is lets say tera fairynow they cant check ur bruxish anymore. cb bruxish just goes crazy. also fun fact its the much more common ph.def variant its not gonna like tera fighting aura sphere any way.
252+ SpA Choice Specs Mega Launcher Clawitzer Aura Sphere vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Tera Fairy Vaporeon: 105-124 (22.6 - 26.7%) -- possible 5HKO after Leftovers recovery thats actually serviceable damage also idt anyone is running tera fairy atm.


Clawitzer @ Choice Specs
Ability: Mega Launcher
Tera Type: Fighting
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Aura Sphere
- Water Pulse
- Ice Beam / Dark Pulse
- U-turn / Dark Pulse


Bruxish @ Choice Band
Ability: Strong Jaw
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Wave Crash
- Aqua Jet
- Psychic Fangs
- Crunch

this core is really strong especially now clawi need not run tera dragon for goodra. Bruxish is already stupid to switch into now u have to account for tera fighting clawi too . tera dark vapo is no longer that safe of an answer to this core. theres barely anymon i can think of that beats this core. Super strong core rn .
 
Hi yall, I hope you remember me from my Venomoth post, thanks for all the comments and stuff! I'm glad I managed to accomplish getting Venomoth banned. Today, tho, there's a Pokemon I want to get banned which is my personal favorite: Crabominable.

Crabominable is an Ice/Fighting type Pokemon introduced in gen 7, and I'd like to note that my favoritism towards Crabominable is not the reason I'm trying to get it banned from the current lowest tier, as I'll be doing my best to keep bias out of this post. It's actually because it's a well-used powerhouse in this format, as you'll see from my reasons.

Looking at Crabominable's stats, they aren't ENTIRELY impressive. Crabominable has an amazing 132 base attack, which literally ties with Mega Abomasnow(I had to retype this because I keep accidently typing Obamasnow). Crabominable also has a good 97 baseHP, which is good as well because it gives Crabominable nearly 400 HP if the EVS and IVS are maxed out.

Crabominable also has one of the best offensive typings in the game: Ice/Fighting. It's STAB is super effective against 9 types: Ground, Grass, Flying, Dragon, Steel, Rock, Normal, Ice and Dark, but it is notably weak to six typings: Fire, Fighting, Fairy, Flying, Psychic and Steel. This, along with its slow 43 base speed, is the reason most people have not used it in past generations, and still in Scarlet and Violet despite Terastalization literally existing.

Its offensive power is boosted even further by its movepool and abilities, with Iron Fist being the most commonly used out of the three abilities Crabominable gets(Hyper Cutter, Iron Fist and Anger Point). It can learn powerful coverage moves such as Thunder Punch, Earthquake and Crabhammer, and it can also learn amazing STAB moves such as Drain Punch and Close Combat. The best of them all is Ice Hammer, Crabominable's signature move(I don't care if Tinkaton can learn it- It's still his signature move). Ice Hammer has a base 120 power, with the downsides of it being its 90% accuracy and lowering your speed each turn. That's still great, though, as Ice Hammer is not only boosted by STAB, it's also boosted by Iron Fist for some reason. This move, along with the base 132 attack, makes Ice Hammer a hard move to switch into if you don't have a Pokemon that can resist it.

Crabominable is great on Trick Room teams, running Choice Band and bringing fear to the enemy by slowing itself down every time it uses Ice Hammer. Most people, especially on this format, tend to run Assault Vest with max HP, which is fine since base 67 special defense is good enough for Crabominable to tank some hits.

All in all, I hope this gets a lot of attention like last time, and I hope yall see just how much of a threat this Pokemon really is.
Here's the most common set people use:
Crabominable@ Assault Vest
Ability: Iron Fist
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch
- Earthquake
- Ice Hammer
- Thunder Punch
So it should be banned because... it's good? Even though it's slow and has 6 weaknesses?
 
Fairly new to playing NU, but with ori-pom pom gone I have been really enjoying sensu.
As a ghost it sets up for free on chansey and really enjoys goodra being gone.
:sv/oricorio-sensu:
Code:
Oricorio-Sensu @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Dancer
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 204 HP / 252 Def / 52 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Quiver Dance
- Revelation Dance
- Roost
I've been using it with substitute over hurricane as most of its switchins resist hurricane anyways/are super spdef. The ability to sub on all kinds of status is super nice, especially vs chansey/umbreon. They can't twave/yawn you anymore and u just get to keep quiver dancing.

If you can chip your opponent's copperajah/muk then it's immensely threatening and can catch some teams off guard/make a dent to weaken a pokemon for its teammates. It doesn't even need to Tera unless it's close to sweeping and its typing being an emergency check to the fightings/dissuading cc spam is nice.
 
Finally freed from the shackles of being in a tournament, gonna post some stuff I've developed that I think should be used more.

:ss/appletun:
Appletun @ Leftovers
Ability: Thick Fat
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Dragon Tail
- Apple Acid
- Curse
- Recover
Appletun with Tera Steel and Thick Fat hard walled pretty much every Goodra set, and it actually got Dragon Tail in SV, so it's not the passive do-nothing Pokemon it used to be. Although Goodra being gone takes away an admittedly large niche away from Appletun, it actually somewhat takes Goodra's niche as a bulky Dragon Tail phaser, but Appletun has access to Recover and Apple Acid is just a broken move that also forces a lot of switches, making Appletun a prime abuser of hazard stacking.

:ss/umbreon:
Umbreon @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Foul Play
- Curse
- Wish
- Protect
Umbreon is always going to be a broken Pokemon that hardly sees use for no reason other than its incredibly boring and slows down the pace of games due to its passive yet unkillable nature. Wish keeping 16 PP means it often wins wars of attrition and with Ghost-type Curse, it can very easily whittle things down and even put a stop to setup sweepers that it would otherwise hard lose to like Frosmoth, Coil Sandaconda, and both Coil and Calm Mind variants of Dudunsparce. Curse even bypasses Substitute and with a Wish up to restore the HP lost from using it, if you can't 2HKO Umbreon, you're going to get Cursed and lose to it 1v1. The Ghost type itself is amazing for Umbreon as it lets it turn the tables on Fighting-types and resist U-turn and other Bug-type moves.

:ss/camerupt:
Camerupt @ Leftovers
Ability: Solid Rock
Tera Type: Grass
EVs: 252 HP / 168 SpD / 88 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Spin
- Earth Power
- Tera Blast
- Stealth Rock
Camerupt is overall incredibly average but I'll do anything to use my favorite Pokemon, and Fire Spin is just what it needs in SV. Fire Spin makes for consistent damage even against the bulkiest of walls like Chansey, and traps incoming would-be checks like Sandaconda and Vaporeon, only to blast them with a Grass-type Tera Blast the next turn. Solid Rock when put on a better defensive type (like Grass) is just a silly Ability and it lets Camerupt tank Fire Blasts and the like while Terastallized, making it a pretty consistent Stealth Rock setter that has a positive matchup against most hazard removers.

:ss/qwilfish:
Qwilfish @ Leftovers
Ability: Poison Point
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Liquidation
- Spikes
- Toxic
- Protect
I don't think Qwilfish is really a super unique pick, but I do think Poison Point is something I've started using to great success that others should make more use of. Not only does Intimidate trigger Passimian's Defiant, which is a Pokemon Qwilfish is meant to check anyway, Poison Point and even Rocky Helmet punishes U-turn much harder than an Intimidate would. Spikes are an amazing way of making progress and access to Toxic in the year 2023 is amazing as well. Overall Qwilfish is a great defensive piece for all kinds of teams and definitely should be used much more.

:ss/zoroark:
Zoroark @ Choice Specs
Ability: Illusion
Tera Type: Dark
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Dark Pulse
- Psychic
- Flamethrower
- U-turn
I was put onto this by zS and honestly it's Choice Specs set is just laughably broken, especially when hidden behind Illusion. There's just a chance your metagame staples like Sandaconda and Oricorio get OHKO'd by a Tera Dark Pulse, while other Special walls like Muk and Copperajah get 2HKO'd and fold even harder to specific coverage by Zoroark. Trick and U-turn can make the few walls like Umbreon and Chansey completely useless and Psychic is a new coverage move given in SV that lets you destroy Fighting-types thinking they can pivot in. I haven't use Physical sets but I can imagine SD, Choice Band, and Choice Scarf sets are all amazing just because of Knock Off and U-turn.
 

Fragmented

procrastinating...
is a Pokemon Researcher
One last stats post before the shifts.
:copperajah:
Code:
+ ---- + -------------------- + ---- + ------- + ------- +
| Rank | Pokemon              | Uses | Usage % |  Win %  +
+ ---- + -------------------- + ---- + ------- + ------- +
| 1    | Passimian            |   10 |  55.56% |  50.00% |
| 2    | Goodra               |    9 |  50.00% |  33.33% |
| 3    | Copperajah           |    8 |  44.44% |  50.00% |
| 3    | Vaporeon             |    8 |  44.44% |  37.50% |
| 5    | Oricorio-Pom-Pom     |    7 |  38.89% |  85.71% |
| 5    | Sandaconda           |    7 |  38.89% |  57.14% |
| 7    | Muk                  |    6 |  33.33% |  66.67% |
| 8    | Drifblim             |    5 |  27.78% |  40.00% |
| 9    | Umbreon              |    4 |  22.22% |  75.00% |
| 10   | Perrserker           |    3 |  16.67% | 100.00% |
| 10   | Eelektross           |    3 |  16.67% |  33.33% |
| 10   | Scyther              |    3 |  16.67% |  33.33% |
| 13   | Cacturne             |    2 |  11.11% | 100.00% |
| 13   | Hattrem              |    2 |  11.11% |  50.00% |
| 13   | Pyroar               |    2 |  11.11% |  50.00% |
| 13   | Qwilfish             |    2 |  11.11% |  50.00% |
| 13   | Chansey              |    2 |  11.11% |   0.00% |
| 13   | Skuntank             |    2 |  11.11% |   0.00% |
| 13   | Tauros-Paldea-Combat |    2 |  11.11% |   0.00% |
| 20   | Bruxish              |    1 |   5.56% | 100.00% |
| 20   | Camerupt             |    1 |   5.56% | 100.00% |
| 20   | Clawitzer            |    1 |   5.56% | 100.00% |
| 20   | Crabominable         |    1 |   5.56% | 100.00% |
| 20   | Dudunsparce          |    1 |   5.56% | 100.00% |
| 20   | Haunter              |    1 |   5.56% | 100.00% |
| 20   | Rotom-Frost          |    1 |   5.56% | 100.00% |
| 20   | Toxicroak            |    1 |   5.56% | 100.00% |
| 20   | Whiscash             |    1 |   5.56% | 100.00% |
| 20   | Zoroark              |    1 |   5.56% | 100.00% |
| 20   | Electrode            |    1 |   5.56% |   0.00% |
| 20   | Indeedee-F           |    1 |   5.56% |   0.00% |
| 20   | Jolteon              |    1 |   5.56% |   0.00% |
| 20   | Klawf                |    1 |   5.56% |   0.00% |
| 20   | Misdreavus           |    1 |   5.56% |   0.00% |
| 20   | Rabsca               |    1 |   5.56% |   0.00% |
| 20   | Rotom                |    1 |   5.56% |   0.00% |
| 20   | Sawsbuck             |    1 |   5.56% |   0.00% |
| 20   | Tinkatuff            |    1 |   5.56% |   0.00% |
| 20   | Ursaring             |    1 |   5.56% |   0.00% |
| 20   | Vespiquen            |    1 |   5.56% |   0.00% |

:vaporeon:
Code:
+ ---- + -------------------- + ---- + ------- + ------- +
| Rank | Pokemon              | Uses | Usage % |  Win %  +
+ ---- + -------------------- + ---- + ------- + ------- +
| 1    | Oricorio-Pom-Pom     |    6 |  60.00% |  33.33% |
| 2    | Passimian            |    5 |  50.00% |  60.00% |
| 2    | Sandaconda           |    5 |  50.00% |  40.00% |
| 4    | Copperajah           |    4 |  40.00% |  75.00% |
| 4    | Muk                  |    4 |  40.00% |  50.00% |
| 6    | Goodra               |    3 |  30.00% |  66.67% |
| 6    | Umbreon              |    3 |  30.00% |  66.67% |
| 6    | Rotom                |    3 |  30.00% |  33.33% |
| 9    | Dudunsparce          |    2 |  20.00% | 100.00% |
| 9    | Qwilfish             |    2 |  20.00% | 100.00% |
| 9    | Camerupt             |    2 |  20.00% |  50.00% |
| 9    | Clawitzer            |    2 |  20.00% |  50.00% |
| 9    | Haunter              |    2 |  20.00% |  50.00% |
| 9    | Vaporeon             |    2 |  20.00% |  50.00% |
| 9    | Whiscash             |    2 |  20.00% |  50.00% |
| 9    | Perrserker           |    2 |  20.00% |   0.00% |
| 17   | Crabominable         |    1 |  10.00% | 100.00% |
| 17   | Hattrem              |    1 |  10.00% | 100.00% |
| 17   | Mabosstiff           |    1 |  10.00% | 100.00% |
| 17   | Toxicroak            |    1 |  10.00% | 100.00% |
| 17   | Bruxish              |    1 |  10.00% |   0.00% |
| 17   | Eelektross           |    1 |  10.00% |   0.00% |
| 17   | Flapple              |    1 |  10.00% |   0.00% |
| 17   | Medicham             |    1 |  10.00% |   0.00% |
| 17   | Scyther              |    1 |  10.00% |   0.00% |
| 17   | Skuntank             |    1 |  10.00% |   0.00% |
| 17   | Zoroark              |    1 |  10.00% |   0.00% |

:muk:
Code:
+ ---- + -------------------- + ---- + ------- + ------- +
| Rank | Pokemon              | Uses | Usage % |  Win %  +
+ ---- + -------------------- + ---- + ------- + ------- +
| 1    | Sandaconda           |    3 |  50.00% | 100.00% |
| 1    | Oricorio-Pom-Pom     |    3 |  50.00% |  33.33% |
| 1    | Passimian            |    3 |  50.00% |  33.33% |
| 4    | Chansey              |    2 |  33.33% | 100.00% |
| 4    | Drifblim             |    2 |  33.33% | 100.00% |
| 4    | Lycanroc             |    2 |  33.33% | 100.00% |
| 4    | Toxicroak            |    2 |  33.33% | 100.00% |
| 4    | Ursaring             |    2 |  33.33% | 100.00% |
| 4    | Goodra               |    2 |  33.33% |  50.00% |
| 4    | Umbreon              |    2 |  33.33% |  50.00% |
| 4    | Camerupt             |    2 |  33.33% |   0.00% |
| 4    | Muk                  |    2 |  33.33% |   0.00% |
| 13   | Qwilfish             |    1 |  16.67% | 100.00% |
| 13   | Appletun             |    1 |  16.67% |   0.00% |
| 13   | Dudunsparce          |    1 |  16.67% |   0.00% |
| 13   | Medicham             |    1 |  16.67% |   0.00% |
| 13   | Perrserker           |    1 |  16.67% |   0.00% |
| 13   | Pyroar               |    1 |  16.67% |   0.00% |
| 13   | Rotom                |    1 |  16.67% |   0.00% |
| 13   | Whiscash             |    1 |  16.67% |   0.00% |
| 13   | Zoroark              |    1 |  16.67% |   0.00% |

:drifblim:Cumulative Stats of the NU Kickoff Tour:drifblim:
Code:
+ ---- + -------------------- + ---- + ------- + ------- +
| Rank | Pokemon              | Uses | Usage % |  Win %  +
+ ---- + -------------------- + ---- + ------- + ------- +
| 1    | Sandaconda           |  135 |  40.91% |  55.56% |
| 2    | Passimian            |  132 |  40.00% |  50.00% |
| 3    | Goodra               |  121 |  36.67% |  48.76% |
| 4    | Copperajah           |  105 |  31.82% |  54.29% |
| 5    | Oricorio-Pom-Pom     |  104 |  31.52% |  56.73% |
| 6    | Vaporeon             |   88 |  26.67% |  55.68% |
| 7    | Muk                  |   53 |  16.06% |  60.38% |
| 8    | Drifblim             |   43 |  13.03% |  55.81% |
| 9    | Bruxish              |   41 |  12.42% |  53.66% |
| 9    | Jolteon              |   41 |  12.42% |  46.34% |
| 11   | Lycanroc             |   39 |  11.82% |  46.15% |
| 12   | Umbreon              |   38 |  11.52% |  57.89% |
| 13   | Chansey              |   36 |  10.91% |  63.89% |
| 14   | Dudunsparce          |   34 |  10.30% |  55.88% |
| 14   | Venomoth             |   34 |  10.30% |  32.35% |
| 16   | Vespiquen            |   33 |  10.00% |  60.61% |
| 16   | Zoroark              |   33 |  10.00% |  48.48% |
| 18   | Hattrem              |   30 |   9.09% |  60.00% |
| 18   | Frosmoth             |   30 |   9.09% |  40.00% |
| 20   | Eelektross           |   28 |   8.48% |  50.00% |
| 20   | Medicham             |   28 |   8.48% |  28.57% |
| 22   | Mabosstiff           |   27 |   8.18% |  51.85% |
| 22   | Braviary             |   27 |   8.18% |  33.33% |
| 24   | Haunter              |   26 |   7.88% |  61.54% |
| 25   | Scyther              |   25 |   7.58% |  60.00% |
| 25   | Whiscash             |   25 |   7.58% |  52.00% |
| 27   | Toxicroak            |   24 |   7.27% |  50.00% |
| 28   | Rotom                |   23 |   6.97% |  47.83% |
| 28   | Skuntank             |   23 |   6.97% |  47.83% |
| 28   | Tauros-Paldea-Combat |   23 |   6.97% |  43.48% |
| 31   | Perrserker           |   21 |   6.36% |  57.14% |
| 31   | Lurantis             |   21 |   6.36% |  38.10% |
| 33   | Crabominable         |   20 |   6.06% |  60.00% |
| 33   | Klawf                |   20 |   6.06% |  30.00% |
| 35   | Spiritomb            |   19 |   5.76% |  73.68% |
| 35   | Camerupt             |   19 |   5.76% |  31.58% |
| 35   | Oricorio-Sensu       |   19 |   5.76% |  31.58% |
| 38   | Farigiraf            |   18 |   5.45% |  33.33% |
| 39   | Crocalor             |   17 |   5.15% |  70.59% |
| 40   | Pyroar               |   16 |   4.85% |  68.75% |
| 40   | Jumpluff             |   16 |   4.85% |  31.25% |
| 42   | Clawitzer            |   15 |   4.55% |  60.00% |
| 42   | Qwilfish             |   15 |   4.55% |  60.00% |
| 42   | Quaxwell             |   15 |   4.55% |  46.67% |
| 45   | Houndoom             |   14 |   4.24% |  35.71% |
| 45   | Sawsbuck             |   14 |   4.24% |  35.71% |
| 45   | Morgrem              |   14 |   4.24% |  21.43% |
| 48   | Cacturne             |   12 |   3.64% |  58.33% |
| 48   | Oricorio             |   12 |   3.64% |  58.33% |
| 48   | Honchkrow            |   12 |   3.64% |  50.00% |
| 48   | Rabsca               |   12 |   3.64% |  41.67% |
| 48   | Zangoose             |   12 |   3.64% |  33.33% |
| 53   | Ursaring             |   11 |   3.33% |  45.45% |
| 54   | Spidops              |    9 |   2.73% |  44.44% |
| 54   | Indeedee-F           |    9 |   2.73% |  22.22% |
| 56   | Tinkatuff            |    8 |   2.42% |  12.50% |
| 57   | Veluza               |    7 |   2.12% |  57.14% |
| 57   | Masquerain           |    7 |   2.12% |  14.29% |
| 59   | Frogadier            |    6 |   1.82% |  83.33% |
| 59   | Carkol               |    6 |   1.82% |  66.67% |
| 59   | Misdreavus           |    6 |   1.82% |  50.00% |
| 59   | Vivillon-Fancy       |    6 |   1.82% |  50.00% |
| 59   | Rotom-Frost          |    6 |   1.82% |  33.33% |
| 59   | Appletun             |    6 |   1.82% |  16.67% |
| 65   | Basculin             |    5 |   1.52% |  60.00% |
| 65   | Electrode            |    5 |   1.52% |  40.00% |
| 65   | Glimmet              |    5 |   1.52% |  40.00% |
| 65   | Golduck              |    5 |   1.52% |  40.00% |
| 69   | Gogoat               |    4 |   1.21% |  75.00% |
| 69   | Rotom-Fan            |    4 |   1.21% |  75.00% |
| 69   | Toedscool            |    4 |   1.21% |  50.00% |
| 69   | Wugtrio              |    4 |   1.21% |  50.00% |
| 69   | Flapple              |    4 |   1.21% |   0.00% |
| 74   | Stonjourner          |    3 |   0.91% | 100.00% |
| 74   | Fraxure              |    3 |   0.91% |  66.67% |
| 74   | Leafeon              |    3 |   0.91% |  66.67% |
| 74   | Murkrow              |    3 |   0.91% |  66.67% |
| 74   | Scovillain           |    3 |   0.91% |  66.67% |
| 74   | Eiscue               |    3 |   0.91% |  33.33% |
| 74   | Glaceon              |    3 |   0.91% |   0.00% |
| 74   | Squawkabilly-Blue    |    3 |   0.91% |   0.00% |
| 82   | Dugtrio              |    2 |   0.61% |  50.00% |
| 82   | Falinks              |    2 |   0.61% |  50.00% |
| 82   | Magneton             |    2 |   0.61% |  50.00% |
| 82   | Squawkabilly         |    2 |   0.61% |  50.00% |
| 82   | Ampharos             |    2 |   0.61% |   0.00% |
| 82   | Delibird             |    2 |   0.61% |   0.00% |
| 82   | Persian              |    2 |   0.61% |   0.00% |
| 82   | Raichu               |    2 |   0.61% |   0.00% |
| 90   | Drakloak             |    1 |   0.30% | 100.00% |
| 90   | Dedenne              |    1 |   0.30% |   0.00% |
| 90   | Greedent             |    1 |   0.30% |   0.00% |
| 90   | Hypno                |    1 |   0.30% |   0.00% |
| 90   | Kricketune           |    1 |   0.30% |   0.00% |
| 90   | Luxray               |    1 |   0.30% |   0.00% |
| 90   | Oricorio-Pa'u        |    1 |   0.30% |   0.00% |
| 90   | Squawkabilly-White   |    1 |   0.30% |   0.00% |
| 90   | Sudowoodo            |    1 |   0.30% |   0.00% |
| 90   | Swalot               |    1 |   0.30% |   0.00% |
| 90   | Wigglytuff           |    1 |   0.30% |   0.00% |
There are some shifts in usage rankings, but nothing drastic. Win % doesn't mean too much imo since sometimes a pokemon on a winning team just ends up dying without doing anything, which is difficult to reflect. Still, this gives an interesting representation of what NU might look like if the bans hadn't taken place. Looking forward to next months tier shifts and seeing how well the tour usage stats compare :)

:bruxish::jolteon::lycanroc::umbreon::chansey::dudunsparce::venomoth::vespiquen::zoroark::hattrem::frosmoth::eelektross::medicham::mabosstiff::braviary::haunter::scyther::whiscash::toxicroak::rotom::skuntank::tauros-paldea-combat::perrserker::lurantis::crabominable:
 
Last edited:

EonX

Battle Soul
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus

Passimian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Defiant
Tera Type: Fighting
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Rock Slide

Zoroark @ Choice Specs
Ability: Illusion
Tera Type: Dark
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Dark Pulse
- Psychic
- Flamethrower
- U-turn


Playing a bit off of what Togkey brought up with Specs Zoroark, this core is hilariously dumb right now. Basically everything that wants to take a hit from Passimian is utterly destroyed by Specs Zoroark. It's pretty easy to toss out Specs Dark Pulse disguised as a Scarf Passimian because what Umbreon or Tera Dark Vaporeon in their right mind is going to come in on a potential Passimian? Oh, right, none of them. Poisons get thrashed by Psychic, but they honestly don't hold up well to Dark Pulse anyway thanks to their lack of reliable recovery. You're really only using Psychic for 2 reasons: to OHKO Tauros and Passimian trying to switch in after your Illusion is gone and because you literally don't need Sludge Bomb because Tera Fairy Sandaconda is already taking 47% minimum from Tera Dark Pulse. Meaning it's 100% 2HKOed with Rocks up... yeah that's kinda nuts. What's more is that you don't even have to play super aggressive with this core early on even though you could and probably get away with it most times. Each has U-turn to keep up momentum. The only defensive threat that this core doesn't truly have a direct answer for is Tera Fairy Calm Mind Umbreon. Not only is that 1 specific set on 1 specific Pokemon, but that's also easily fixable by throwing Copperajah on as a Stealth Rock setter.

I also want to discuss another Passimian set that doesn't get a lot of love, but is really good in its own right:

Passimian @ Leftovers
Ability: Defiant
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Substitute / Taunt
- Bulk Up
- Drain Punch
- Knock Off

Bulk Up is really good on Passimian right now as most are expecting its Choice Scarf set and tend to switch into more passive, defensive Pokemon as a result. This set easily sets up on Vaporeon, Sandaconda, Umbreon, and Vespiquen while also using Choiced attacks, such as Passimian Knock Off or Rock Slide, Bruxish Crunch, Zoroark Knock Off or Sucker Punch, and Tauros Stone Edge as points of entry vs offensive teams. Sandaconda and Vespiquen in particular are extremely notable as they are typically the best initial responses to Scarf Passimian on their teams. Sub vs Taunt is basically what you're more nervous of. Do you want to block status or do you want to block phazing; your choice. Sub is generally preferred though to make it harder for faster special attackers, like Specs Zoroark, Jolteon, and Pyroar, to revenge kill Passimian after it's picked up a KO. Fighting + Dark coverage is really good and even though it's resisted by Fairy, the bulkiest Fairy around, Tera Fairy Sandaconda, can't break Passimian's Substitutes at +2 Defense and must wake up on the first or second Shed Skin turn in order to avoid being soundly 3HKOed by +6 Drain Punch. The Tera type is generally aimed at setting up on most Vaporeon variants while also being a generally difficult type to OHKO. Altertnatively, Tera Grass is an option to remove the need for +2 Defense in order to set up on Sandaconda while retaining the Water resistance for Vaporeon.
 

wooper

heavy booty-doots
is a Forum Moderator
I also want to discuss another Passimian set that doesn't get a lot of love, but is really good in its own right:

Passimian @ Leftovers
Ability: Defiant
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Substitute / Taunt
- Bulk Up
- Drain Punch
- Knock Off

Bulk Up is really good on Passimian right now as most are expecting its Choice Scarf set and tend to switch into more passive, defensive Pokemon as a result. This set easily sets up on Vaporeon, Sandaconda, Umbreon, and Vespiquen while also using Choiced attacks, such as Passimian Knock Off or Rock Slide, Bruxish Crunch, Zoroark Knock Off or Sucker Punch, and Tauros Stone Edge as points of entry vs offensive teams. Sandaconda and Vespiquen in particular are extremely notable as they are typically the best initial responses to Scarf Passimian on their teams. Sub vs Taunt is basically what you're more nervous of. Do you want to block status or do you want to block phazing; your choice. Sub is generally preferred though to make it harder for faster special attackers, like Specs Zoroark, Jolteon, and Pyroar, to revenge kill Passimian after it's picked up a KO. Fighting + Dark coverage is really good and even though it's resisted by Fairy, the bulkiest Fairy around, Tera Fairy Sandaconda, can't break Passimian's Substitutes at +2 Defense and must wake up on the first or second Shed Skin turn in order to avoid being soundly 3HKOed by +6 Drain Punch. The Tera type is generally aimed at setting up on most Vaporeon variants while also being a generally difficult type to OHKO. Altertnatively, Tera Grass is an option to remove the need for +2 Defense in order to set up on Sandaconda while retaining the Water resistance for Vaporeon.
ive been running similar sets, both pre- and post-bans that i'd like to highlight as well!
Passimian @ Leftovers
Ability: Defiant
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 44 HP / 212 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Bulk Up
- Drain Punch
- Iron Head / Knock Off
- Taunt

Passimian @ Leftovers
Ability: Defiant
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 236 HP / 136 Atk / 136 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Bulk Up
- Drain Punch
- Iron Head / Knock Off
- Taunt
it's the same concept as eonx's. the first spread is a more offensive one that hits a lefties number while maintaining its speed, while the second one is a bulkier variant that maximizes its hp while still hitting a lefties number and outspeeds positive nature max speed base 65s, namely frosmoth. this latter spread can also run the remaining 136 evs in spdef to shore up its weaker defensive stat while it boosts its other with bulk up.

i opted for tera steel over a better defensive typing like water or fairy because it allows pass to completely flip its three weaknesses as a fighting type into resistances and capitalizes on them to set up and sweep. it also boosts your iron head, which really nice alongside fighting stab--the combo is only resisted by bruxish, oricorio, qwilfish, rotom, rotom fan, and veluza. you can definitely choose to run knock though for the utility and nearly-unresisted combo, only handled by fairy-types and toxicroak, but the move is quite weak once the opponent's item is gone. i personally prefer taunt to sub, because you can still be hazed and phazed behind a sub. this set in particularly preys on bulkier, more passive mons like sandaconda and vaporeon, so teammates like muk, bruxish, rotom appreciate its breaking capabilities. i also think that it pairs well with the aforementioned zoroark, because when disguised as a passimian and using uturn, you can bluff a standard scarf pass.
 
Last edited:
:vivillon-polar: :vivillon-ocean: :vivillon: :sv/vivillon-fancy: :vivillon-sun: :vivillon-archipelago: :vivillon-elegant:

Super excited to try out Vivillon more. It greatly benefits from all 3 of these bans. Goodra could come in on sleep powder freely and with it's amazing special bulk it took minimal damage from even boosted hurricanes. It could also phaze it out with dragon tail. Pom Pom of course could copy your QD if you attempt to setup, or just start setting up itself as it resists Vivi's stabs and most coverage it would want to run. Venomoth was more competition as a QD user who possessed sleep powder as well, along with slightly higher speed and access to the amazing Tinted Lens. This pokemon is going to be a lot better and quite annoying to deal with I think. It has Compound Eyes boosted sleep powders that it can spam more easily without goodra. Similar to Venomoth you sorta need two things to answer this as it could just put something to sleep freely. You also have to account for the risk of it immediately using quiver dance on the switch to a sleep absorber. Scary butterfly.
yes! I loved Vivillon even pre-bans, but now it's so much better without the goodra and pom-pom to threaten it. The almost 100% accuracy sleep powders + 90% Hurricanes make it one of the best QD mons in the tier, especially now with moth and Pom-Pom banned.
 
So it should be banned because... it's good? Even though it's slow and has 6 weaknesses?
Well, it's proven to be pretty bulky when going against things that try to set up and sweep, usually Pokemon with Trailblaze like Kricketune. Its offensive prowess is powerful too, since it can easily KO opponents such as Jolteon with Earthquake or Vaporeon with Thunder Punch(It's a 2-Hit-KO if they dont immediately use Wish).
As for the 6 weaknesses part, I have mentioned that Terastalization literally exists this gen, so you can terastalize to tank the hit better. It's useful against opponents trying to get the upper hand with super effective moves such as CC Passimian, and you can also terastalize to power up your coverage moves, the most common offensive tera being Tera Electric to power up Thunder Punch.
Not to mention Crabominable has a decently high win rate, so it's definitely being used the right way by other Crabominable users. I've seen my fair share of Trick Room teams, but a lot tend to run the AV set.
So as a result, it should be banned because it is a mad powerhouse, especially since one of the few special attackers that can KO Crabominable has been recently banned(Goodra). Slowness and having weaknesses is not really an issue in this tier, especially with a lot of slow Pokemon being used such as Medicham, Whiscash, and Copperajah.
 

Rabia

is a Site Content Manageris a Top Social Media Contributoris a Community Leaderis a Community Contributoris a Smogon Discord Contributoris a CAP Contributoris a Top Tiering Contributoris a Top Contributoris a Top Smogon Media Contributoris a Battle Simulator Moderator
GP & NU Leader
Goodra wasn't really a good Crabominable beater tbh... from my experience they were almost exclusively always Assault Vest Tera Fairy, so you really weren't ever worried about being KOed. I think Crabominable is solid but nowhere near broken, super prediction reliant for a slow Pokemon and revenge killed by a TON of our top guys unless it uses Tera. Of course, you can potentially smash a dude trying to revenge kill you with a well-timed Tera, but a lot of the Pokemon that may revenge kill you have ways to scout for that or play safely around it (Passimian can use U-turn, Paldean Tauros can use Bulk Up, etc).
 
Just wanted to hop in here and say that I think lurantis as a physdef defogger is being highly underrated by people in this tier. Pure grass type is nice, recovery in synthesis is nice, and contrary leaf storm + giga drain is really nice. It is a defogger that beats sandaconda (s tier threat) 1v1, and basically completely walls passimian, another S tier threat. just some food for thought!

Ive also gotten some surprising last ditch sweeps with this thing. tera fairy to surprise opponent and spam giga drain + leaf storm. ive really cheesed some undeserved wins through this.
 

MMF

Give me the strength to part this sea
Been using this combo of Specs Zoroark, SubBU Pass, and SubQD Oricorio-Sensu with spikes support. And its been pretty fun tbh. Be surprised at how often one of the Sub sweepers sets up a bit and weakens the others checks just to sweep through
 
Hey, y'all! Your favourite Flittle enthusiast Catalisador is here to give some hot takes on the current metagame!

:sv/squawkabilly:

Squawkabilly is a very underrated threat on the current metagame. Its decent Speed tier lets it outpace the common threats such as Medicham, Mabosstiff and Toxicroak while access to STAB, Guts-boosted Facades lets it 2HKO even the most sturdy defensive Pokémon such as Sandaconda and Dudunsparce. Furthermore, the combination of burn from Flame Orb and immunity to ground lets it wall and abuse variants of Sandaconda, arguably NU's most widespread Pokémon, lacking Rock-type moves. It does face competition for its role as a breaker, however, mainly from Zangoose, but its Speed tier, potential to wall Sandaconda and dual STAB gives it a solid niche right now. Definitely an underrated pick.

:sv/perrserker:

Perrserker stands out as an utility Pokémon with the premier Steel-type. Thanks to its aforementioned great defensive typing, Assault Vest variants are able to function as bulky pivots with access to hard-hitting, Tough Claws boosted moves - checking the likes of Vivillon and Oricorio-Sensu. Access to Fake Out also lets it break potential sashes from the likes of lead Lycanroc and get chip damage on the opposing team, while access to great coverage in Close Combat lets it bypass bulkier Pokémon like Copperajah and Dudunsparce. Overall a solid pick right now.

:sv/rotom:

Rotom stands out as an Electric-type pivot capable of bypassing common Ground-types like Sandaconda and Camerupt with its access to a secondary Ghost-type STAB and great ability in Levitate. Choice Scarf sets are great as they outpace the most common Scarf user in the tier in Passimian while Nasty Plot allows it to easily snowball and turn into a very big nuisance to teams. Furthermore, options like Tera Blast Fairy lets it bypass common checks like Umbreon and utility moves like Will-o-Wisp and Thunder Wave synergize well with its access to Hex.

:sv/dudunsparce:

Obscene 125/80/75 bulk, wide movepool utility with the likes of Glare and reliable recovery in Roost lets Dudunsparce act as a premier defensive Pokémon in the current metagame. Or as a secondary win-con with access to moves such as Calm Mind and Coil. Or even as a breaker with a surprisingly powerful Boomburst coming off of a solid base 85 Special Attack. Overall, Dudunsaparce is quickly solidifying itself as one of the metagame's most versatile and reliable Pokémon.

:sv/vivillon:

With the departure of Venomoth and Oricorio-Pom-Pom, a new Quiver Dancing star is rising. Vivillon's access to Compound Eyes boosting its Sleep Powder and Hurricanes and even Tera Blast Ground or Fighting for wannabe checks like Muk and Copperajah makes it an extremely threatening Pokémon in the current metagame. Coupled with how exploitable defensive cores are now thanks to strong wallbreakers like Medicham, Mabosstiff and Bruxish roaming around, the butterfly turns into a menance that can easily overwhelm teams late-game.
 

EonX

Battle Soul
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
Just another silly offensive core I've been loving featuring Zoroark... but not the set you're thinking:


Magneton @ Choice Specs
Ability: Analytic
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Flash Cannon
- Steel Beam
- Thunderbolt

Zoroark @ Black Glasses
Ability: Illusion
Tera Type: Dark
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Sucker Punch
- Swords Dance

Vivillon-Fancy @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Compound Eyes
Tera Type: Ground
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sleep Powder
- Quiver Dance
- Hurricane
- Tera Blast


Vivillon is the sweeper here, but you can put a lot of different things here. Just as long as it's more of a sweeper. SD Bruxish, BU Passimian, and BU Tauros can all work. The idea is to just use Magneton and Zoroark to force damage with VoltTurn to either allow Zoroark to sweep late-game when Dark resists are weakened, or open the door to Vivillon to sweep. U-turn looks strange on an SD Pokemon, but considering Zoroark is Black Glasses, it's a great way to bluff a Choice item early on only to capitalize on a more passive switch-in later with SD. Zoro's high Speed tier is something Magneton appreciates in general as it sits behind Medicham, Mabosstiff, and Bruxish, which can be problematic if it's a team's only wallbreaker. Vivillon is just the typical sweeper set. Nothing really special to note other than you want to try and hold Sleep Powder until your opponent is forced to switch in their best answer to it and that you generally shouldn't bring Viv out until you're ready to go for game. Like with any offensive core, you don't really want to commit to your Tera usage until one of the three members has a clear opening to take advantage of. Mag is probably the least likely to use Tera on this core as Tera Dark Knock Off or Sucker Punch can be game changing while Vivillon absolutely needs it should Magneton and Zoroark be unable to forcibly remove or weaken opposing Steel types. On the subject of Steels, Low Kick can be used over U-turn on Zoroark if you want it to be more of a dedicated sweeper, but I generally prefer for it to be a hybrid sweeper for this core considering Viv is already a dedicated sweeper.
 
Okay obviously Cetitan is broken (imo), here's some quick copium to help you guys manage it for the time being

:tauros-paldea:
Full Phys Def Pauros gets OHKO'd by +6 Cetitian, but Choice Scarf is faster than Cetitan even in Snow, and has a good shot of OHKOing with Close Combat after Belly Drum damage
252 Atk Tauros-Paldea-Combat Close Combat vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Cetitan in Snow: 332-392 (69 - 81.4%) -- 50% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
:appletun:
Tera Bug is the only tera that isn't weak to EQ that also isn't weak to Ice, but you can take one hit and Dragon Tail.
+6 252+ Atk Cetitan Play Rough vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Tera Bug Appletun: 324-382 (76.4 - 90%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
:crocalor:
Unaware moment
+6 252+ Atk Cetitan Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Unaware Crocalor: 124-146 (33.8 - 39.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
:abomasnow:
You can live a hit but you don't really do anything back.
+6 252+ Atk Cetitan Ice Spinner vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Abomasnow in Snow: 300-354 (78.3 - 92.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Abomasnow Leaf Storm vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Cetitan: 271-319 (56.3 - 66.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252 SpA Abomasnow Focus Blast vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Cetitan: 334-394 (69.4 - 81.9%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
:magneton:
SturdyBoots Magneton! You can live a hit and OHKO back
Magneton @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Sturdy
- Flash Cannon
 
Last edited:
Cetitan seems like a good vest candidate as its monstrous HP stat means you don't really need to invest in it letting you be specially fat while having priority and sheer force on your other attacks, similar to Copperajah's usage.

:Cetitan:

Cetitan @ Assault Vest
Ability: Sheer Force
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Ice Shard
- Ice Punch
- Liquidation
- Play Rough
 
Mabosstiff and Medicham: wreaking havoc on the tier

Daschbun:
mercy-overwatch-angel.gif


Other quick thoughts on the drops: Cetitan is insane and we should definitely keep a very close eye on it, it's the only snow abuser tho so Obama should be fine, physically defensive sets could even act as a semi-decent Bruxish check outside of snow. Daschbun and Bombirdier are what I’m really excited for though, Daschbun for the reasons stated above and also being a good Wish passer, and Bombirdier having insane role compression with Rocks + Knock Off + Parting Shot. Really looking forward to how these drops shake up this meta!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 1, Guests: 0)

Top