Hello. As you know, the RU metagame is not strictly limited to Pokemon in RU. Some of the biggest powerhouses in RU are not from that tier, but from the NU tier. However, many players seem afraid to expand beyond RU, and never touch NU. My goal is to bring those NU behemoths to light, and to give your RU teams more options. Remember- NUs are not NU because they are weak. They are NU cause they are not used in RU. Methinks it's time to fix that.
Here is an example that, from my RU experience, can function well in the RU metagame despite its NU placement.
Tauros (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Fire Blast
- Rock Climb
Selling Points- Tauros, Tauros, Tauros. One of the biggest behemoths in NU, it can still hold its own when it steps into RU. A big selling point of this set is Tauros' brand new DW ability, Sheer Force. With this ability, Rock Slide, Fire Blast and Rock Climb get power boosts and prevent your LO recoil. This allows Tauros to do MAJOR damage to anything that wants to face it, Rock Climb especially being a very powerful move. Rock Slide and Fire Blast are its best coverage moves, with all still getting the Sheer Force Boost. However, all of these moves are slightly inaccurate. So, Earthquake makes a fantastic last option as it is 100% accurate, making it great for a revenge kill.
Why use it in RU? When looking at RU, you can see many threats that go unchecked. Nidoqueen and Moltres are quite likely the two biggest threats in the metagame, yet Tauros outspeeds both and hits them hard with Zen Headbutt and Rock Slide, respectively. Let's look at some others. Kabutops is weak to EQ, Entei is weak to EQ and Rock Slide, Sceptile is not strong enough to stand up to Rock Climb, and Archeops is taken out by Rock Slide. With that many threats handled, it is a great choice!
Why NOT use it in RU? But, there are always shortcomings. The big one is Poliwrath. Poliwrath can easily live one hit due to the lack of super effectiveness, and can easily set up a sub or phaze Tauros out. Tangrowth and Ferroseed can take one Fire Blast, and regains lost health with Leech Seed. Also, Accelgor can outspeed a Tauros and take it out swiftly with a Focus Blast. These problems are gigantic things to think about when using Tauros in RU.
However, the Pros outweigh the cons. Tauros is a great pick for RU teams, and one that has worked well for me in the past.
Here is an example that, from my RU experience, can function well in the RU metagame despite its NU placement.
Tauros (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Fire Blast
- Rock Climb
Selling Points- Tauros, Tauros, Tauros. One of the biggest behemoths in NU, it can still hold its own when it steps into RU. A big selling point of this set is Tauros' brand new DW ability, Sheer Force. With this ability, Rock Slide, Fire Blast and Rock Climb get power boosts and prevent your LO recoil. This allows Tauros to do MAJOR damage to anything that wants to face it, Rock Climb especially being a very powerful move. Rock Slide and Fire Blast are its best coverage moves, with all still getting the Sheer Force Boost. However, all of these moves are slightly inaccurate. So, Earthquake makes a fantastic last option as it is 100% accurate, making it great for a revenge kill.
Why use it in RU? When looking at RU, you can see many threats that go unchecked. Nidoqueen and Moltres are quite likely the two biggest threats in the metagame, yet Tauros outspeeds both and hits them hard with Zen Headbutt and Rock Slide, respectively. Let's look at some others. Kabutops is weak to EQ, Entei is weak to EQ and Rock Slide, Sceptile is not strong enough to stand up to Rock Climb, and Archeops is taken out by Rock Slide. With that many threats handled, it is a great choice!
Why NOT use it in RU? But, there are always shortcomings. The big one is Poliwrath. Poliwrath can easily live one hit due to the lack of super effectiveness, and can easily set up a sub or phaze Tauros out. Tangrowth and Ferroseed can take one Fire Blast, and regains lost health with Leech Seed. Also, Accelgor can outspeed a Tauros and take it out swiftly with a Focus Blast. These problems are gigantic things to think about when using Tauros in RU.
However, the Pros outweigh the cons. Tauros is a great pick for RU teams, and one that has worked well for me in the past.