Announcement On The Radar

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Finchinator

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OU Leader

The SV OU tiering council has been closely evaluating the preliminary metagame. After internal discussion prompted by both firsthand observations and external discourse, we have determined that a number of game elements (including Pokemon, moves, and a concept) are on our radar for prospective future tiering action. This post will be used to outline our tiering radar as we briefly touch on each matter. Keep in mind: THERE ARE NO BANS YET! Before we proceed, I would like to thank the Pokemon Showdown contributors who made generation nine playable on the simulator so promptly. Their tireless efforts make everything we do possible and they deserve our appreciation!

Terastallizing

The new core mechanic of generation nine is brought to you by the terastal phenomenon that is sweeping through the Paleda region. TPP does a great job introducing the concept of terastallizing and the move Tera Blast here.

There are no current plans to have any tiering action on Terastallizing, but this can change in the future. We intend to remove the blatantly banworthy Pokemon from the metagame first (hence the remainder of this post) so we can analyze the impact of Terastallizing and Tera Blast in the coming days and weeks. I believe we should focus on trying to normalize Terastallizing into our competitive experience at the start of this generation as we focus on other things initially, but if the process of normalization proves to be an impossible one and the mechanic proves to be uncompetitive in nature, we will act. Community feedback will be appreciated on this matter as we understand the offensive and defensive implications of typing shifts and the impact of Tera Blast continue to develop.

:Flutter Mane: Flutter Mane :Flutter Mane:

Flutter Mane has been that guy since the moment SV OU dropped. Boasting 135 SAtk with a dynamic STAB duo of Fairy and Ghost coupled with any coverage needed to dispatch common foes, it is not surprising that it is among the premier offensive options. Couple this with seldom matched base 135 speed and Protosynthesis, which can boost its highest stat by 50% at the expense of an item slot without any further restriction, many believe that Flutter Mane's offensive profile is that of an Uber rather than an OU mainstay. This is not even mentioning the fact that Terastallizing with Flutter Mane can bolster its power even further, which you do encounter on occasion. While it is true there is counterplay that exists in the metagame, it can require going well out of the normal realm of Pokemon you would see and is still more limited than some may deem comfortable for varied teambuilding to be deemed a possibility.

Here are some posts on the topic of Flutter Mane:

:Houndstone: Houndstone & Last Respects :Houndstone:



When it comes to Houndstone, it looks like a fairly pedestrian Pokemon that would not even grace the OU viability rankings, let alone be a part of the tiering radar on day one. Then, more information about its signature move, Last Respects, came out. This is a move that grows stronger for each fainted party member by 50bp while it also starts at 50bp, so if your Houndstone is the last Pokemon standing, it has an unprecedented 300 BP STAB move. This is unmanageable unless you run a Normal type. While Houndstone does lack many other great qualities, it has decent enough bulk and access to Sand Rush, which makes it an absolute monster on Sand teams later in games.

There is also some room for debate as to what we should do if tiering action is mandated. Do we ban the Pokemon Houndstone or the move Last Respects? If only one Pokemon has or is broken with a move, then we have to ban the Pokemon as it is impossible to isolate a move as broken when it is just an element of a whole Pokemon, which is what truly is broken when utilizing the move. Historical precedent backs this, too. However, if multiple Pokemon are problematic due to a single move, then that move suddenly can become the focus as there is a common thread and it can be isolated as a broken element of these Pokemon due to this. We do not have any other Last Respects users out currently, but with the release of Pokemon Home in a few months, it is heavily believed to be coming out on another Pokemon that will be even stronger than Houndstone, which will prove to be problematic if Houndstone already is. This means we can potentially avoid collateral of banning Houndstone now or potentially both upon the release of Pokemon Home in the future by banning the move, but it may be a hard sell to justify taking a stance that hinges on a future release. Only time will tell what the best policy decision is and if it is even needed, but this has been a major discussion in tiering circles today that I wanted to share.

Here are some posts on the topic of Houndstone and Last Respects:
:Chien Pao: Chien-Pao :Chien Pao:

Another new Pokemon at the forefront of OU is Chien-Pao, which has been assigned the nickname "Mega Weavile" due to it having the same typing as it with a superior overall presence. Despite the limitations on moves like Knock Off or not getting access to would-be helpful coverage moves such as Close Combat or Earthquake, Chien Pao has managed to ruin many defensive cores with the strength of many swords. This is largely in part to its ability, Sword of Ruin, which lowers the opponents defense by 25% -- needless to say, this has a substantial impact on limiting defensive counterplay.

Offensive counterplay is sporadic as well due to priority Sucker Punch and awesome speed limiting revenge killing prospects while a timely Terastallization can make matters even more challenging for the opponent. Chien-Pao is more interesting as it is not necessarily a single element like Houndstone and Last Respects, but rather the collective offensive profile being insanely limiting for defensive options and pesky for offensive options to dispatch of.

Here are some posts on the topic of Chien-Pao:
:Palafin: Palafin & Palafin-Hero :Palafin-Hero:

I have, unfortunately, yet to use Palafin myself firsthand, so my insight on this will be a tad more limited. While it may appear as the class clown of the seas of Paleda initially, a single switch in-and-out activates the Hero form, which makes it unmanageably strong with 160 base Attack while still boasting serviceable Speed. With a signature move being STAB priority Jet Punch, which is strong for a priority move, it can even overcome faster foes.

In terms of overall utilization, it can function as a pivot with Flip Turn or a win condition with Bulk Up. Tera Blast provides an awesome addition to its potential offensive arsenal while Close Combat and Wave Crash, which is a new strong physical Water move, help round it out. Taunt and Drain Punch may also be found on the aforementioned Bulk Up variant depending upon the team, which give it another dimension to play with. There are counterplays to it on the surface, but the Waters get choppy quickly around the hero of early SV OU.

Here are some posts on the topic of Palafin and Palafin-Hero:
:Roaring Moon: Roaring Moon :Roaring Moon:

Another potential Booster Energy Protosynthesis abuser is Roaring Moon, which joins the pantheon of high BST Dragon types with scary offensive profiles that we have seen grace OU metagames over the years. With the Dark typing present to compliment the aforementioned Dragon typing, it has a unique offensive presence that already covers just about everything with its STABs besides Fairy types. Enter Tera Blast, which can either bolster its STABs to unbearable levels or potentially solve the Fairy type issue with one terrifying click.

With a combination of 139 attack and 119 speed, it already has the tools to deal massive damage, but combine this with Terastallization, Dragon Dance, and coverage options like Earthquake, Acrobatics, and Iron Head or even pivoting options like U-turn and you get what may rival the above Pokemon for the most complete offensive presence in the metagame. Counterplay is largely circumstantial, dictated my guesswork if Tera Blast is in the equation and restricted to a limited pool of Pokemon regardless of this element. There may be slightly more pressing matters that the metagame is encountering right now, but Roaring Moon absolutely deserves to be on the radar as we see how it develops into the metagame. With this said, it is true that some people believe it is being focused on lots in preparation and more limited right now as well, so we will keep an eye on that as well.

Here are some posts on the topic of Roaring Moon:
:Iron Valiant: Iron Valiant :Iron Valiant:

Another Pokemon I, admittedly, have yet to try firsthand, so sorry for a limited account here. Iron Valiant is another Booster Energy beneficiary with an awesome physically oriented STAB combination of Fairy and Fighting. With access to Swords Dance, great coverage, and an offensive profile that is begging to be bolestered further by Terastallization, it is no surprise that Iron Valiant packs one of the hardest punches in the tier. There are very few things in the metagame that Iron Valiant cannot cover with the moves you see on it routinely.

This all is made possible by strong 130 attack and high 116 speed, which sets the tone for it to be able to dispatch many slower threats without encountering much trouble. In offensive games, it can be fragile and potentially revenge killed, but largely by the faster and stronger Pokemon we mention here rather than through a wider array of Pokemon, which is cause for concern in its own regard. With the Booster Drive, it outruns many ordinary Pokemon, even if they are electing to hold a choice scarf, thanks to the boosted speed. Priority can help, but it can be thwarted by timely Terastallization, too, so you have to really be creative and prepared to consistently minimize Iron Valiant.

Here are some posts on the topic of Iron Valiant:
:Cyclizar: Cyclizar and Shed Tail :Cyclizar:

Cyclizar is an interesting case as it is not a premium offensive option and some even indicate its presence outside of one element is quite underwhelming, so we are not necessarily committed to acting on it yet or even in the future. However, Shed Tail is a new move that has captured the attention of everyone.



Shed Tail allows for Cyclizar to essentially pass a Substitute all within one turn. Pair this with Regenerator and you make setting-the-table for the aforementioned scary offensive Pokemon be a little too easy, especially with all of the Screens support we are seeing in the metagame. Regenerator is already a strong enough ability, but pairing it with a repeated Substitute+BatonPass move admittedly seems like an uncompetitive concept at its core. It is still early and there is another Pokemon, Orthworm, who alos gets Shed Tail that I have yet to use myself, so I want to see and hear more, but it is absolutely on our radar for the time being.

Here is a post on the topic of Cyclizar:
---

Thank you to everyone for reading about what the SV OU council has on its radar. This was a lot to get out all on the first day of the metagame, but I am committed to the betterment of the metagame and look forward to working with you all to make this the best generation we have ever had! If you do not see something on the radar that you think should be on here, keep in mind it is just day 1 -- let us know what you think by sharing your thoughts here. I am following and responding to that metagame discussion thread as much as I can to have a channel of communication with you guys. As you can see, I alluded to some of the posts in there here as well, so it really does matter. We value your contributions and care for our metagame. Enjoy!
 

Finchinator

-OUTL
is a Tournament Directoris a Top Social Media Contributoris a Community Leaderis a Community Contributoris a Smogon Discord Contributoris a Top Tiering Contributoris a Contributor to Smogonis a Top Smogon Media Contributoris a Top Dedicated Tournament Hostis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnusis a Past WCoP Championis the defending OU Circuit Championis a Two-Time Former Old Generation Tournament Circuit Champion
OU Leader

Hello everyone. Welcome to the second SV OU tiering radar. For those of you that missed it, the first radar above led to a council vote last weekend, which resulted in Flutter Mane and Houndstone getting banned. We will now be going over the updated tiering radar, which will be voted on later this week as well.

Terastallizing

This topic is easily the most controversial of the bunch. We have been purposefully non-committal in messaging up to this point and continue to remain open-minded on it. We will be opening up a Policy Review thread and an Overused subforum thread on the topic of Terastallizing later this week so we can began formal tiering discussion on the matter, which will allow us to explore options ranging from the most black-and-white to the more complex.

:Palafin: Palafin :Palafin-Hero:

Palafin was on the radar last week, but only received one vote (Finchinator) to be banned. This is nowhere near enough support and even left it in jeopardy of falling off the radar altogether. However, there has been a recent surge in support for it staying on the radar and its potential future ban. Initially, people used the Choice Band and other all-out-attacker variants of it. These sets were ok, making decent use of the bolstered attack Palafin-Hero received and making it a premier threat on Rain teams, but they did not highlight its best offensive qualities well enough.

As of later last weekend, the Bulk Up variant of it, specifically when accompanied by Taunt, became the status quo. This is what likely pushed Palafin from being just good to potentially being banworthy. Palafin-Hero with Bulk Up is great at being able to circumvent would-be counterplay. Changing types with Terastallizing allows for you to dwarf Amoonguss with Taunt for Spore and its sudden inability to strike super effectively and outpacing foes with priority STAB boosted Jet Punch allows you to minimize revenge killing prospects from some of the more fragile speedsters in the tier.

Many people do cite Palafin-Hero's burden on its team as it has to enter and exist once prior to changing forms as a major downside, which is a very valid counterpoint. In addition, it has to wrack up potential hazard damage multiple times because of this, which can stunt longevity that is normally only bolstered by non-STAB Drain Punch. In an offensive metagame, this oftentimes does not matter as Palafin-Hero only needs to enter once or twice to leave its mark on a game given how devastatingly strong it is and how limited the pool of counterplay is, but we will see if any of these things hold it back enough to remain OU or if there is now ample support to get rid of it despite lackluster support initially.



:Iron Bundle: Iron Bundle :Iron Bundle:

If you had "Pokemon largely inspired by Delibird ends up in ban discussions within first week of most power-crept generation ever" on your bingo card, then you're lying because that is too awkwardly long to fit into a spot on a bingo card. Nobody saw this coming and the fact that it is the reality we are living in is laughable. But here we are. Iron Bundle has an absolutely ridiculous offensive profile, outrunning the vast majority of Pokemon seen with 136 speed and outmuscling the majority of Pokemon with 124 special attack. This is all great, but standalone does not necessarily mean it is going to be broken. Then you get what really pushes Iron Bundle from threatening to :worrywhirl: territory: STAB Hydro Pump + Freeze Dry is virtually perfect coverage, making it approach unwallability.

While specially defensive behemoths like Blissey can withstand a special assault from Iron Bundle, not many other Pokemon can switch-in once, let alone multiple times. Other options like Taunt, to stop defensive counterplay, and Encore, to take advantage of well-predicted entry, help clear the path for Iron Bundle to claim many kills upon entry, too. Ice Beam also can serve as great Ice STAB that goes beyond the lower base power of Freeze Dry, making it not reliant on coverage moves. This all makes Iron Bundle a complete powerhouse on the specially offensive side, leaving the metagame with hardly any defensive checks or counters.

Of course, it is true that Iron Bundle relies on Hydro Pump to make progress into a good portion of the metagame, meaning 20% of the time you use it, you will come up emptyhanded, and 100% of the time I use it, I will type "lol." in the battle chat immediately after clicking Hydro Pump. It is also susceptible to revenge killing from priority and Choice Scarf users, if it is not using Booster Energy, or the few Pokemon quicker than it. Overall, there are at least a few forms of offensive counterplay that exist, but they oftentimes require foddering around it due to coverage, which can lead to an uphill gamestate regardless of being able to force out Iron Bundle.

:Cyclizar: Cyclizar :Cyclizar:

Cyclizar is on the radar once more, after receiving only four ban votes last time around when it needed seven out of nine councilmen to be banned. It remains an interesting case as it is a pretty average Pokemon outside of a single, controversial move. However, Shed Tail is a new move that has captured the attention of everyone and this alone mandates its placement on the radar for the time being!

Shed Tail allows for Cyclizar to essentially pass a Substitute all within one turn to one of the many threatening Pokemon that still reside in the SV OU metagame. Pair this with Regenerator and you make setting-the-table for the aforementioned scary offensive Pokemon be a little too easy. Regenerator is already a strong enough ability on a fast Pokemon with pivoting potential like Cyclizar, but pairing it with a repeated Substitute+BatonPass move admittedly seems like it could be uncompetitive concept at its core. It is still early and there is another Pokemon, Orthworm, who also gets Shed Tail, so we want to see and hear more on both of these fronts. Right now, Cyclizar is the only one that qualifies for our radar, but we are monitoring the entire metagame and anything is subject to change!

:Chien Pao: Chien-Pao :Chien Pao:

After receiving no support for a ban in the initial slate after being included on the first radar, Chien-Pao has crawled back onto the radar for another go-around. Many believe that its offensive presence was dwarfed by some of the bigger players, including the two Pokemon that got banned, and wonder if new openings can be found in the current landscape.

We have seen what it is capable of already, too, so this is very plausible. Chien-Pao has managed to ruin many defensive cores with the strength of many swords. This is largely in part to its ability, Sword of Ruin, which lowers the opponents defense by 25% -- needless to say, this has a substantial impact on limiting defensive counterplay. Offensive counterplay is limited, but existent, as well due to priority Sucker Punch and awesome speed limiting revenge killing prospects while a timely Terastallization can make matters even more challenging for the opponent.

However, Chien-Pao can be a liability without support in terms of pivoting and may not even get a chance to set-up without perfect timing or something that can limit opposing offense such as being accompanied by screens. Given all of this, it is not as easy to slap onto teams as other Pokemon with more reliable and spammable priority or more redeeming defensive qualities. With the right supporting cast, Chien-Pao can absolutely thrive, but seeing it limited in such an early stage may cause some hesitation in potential ban voters despite the glowing review of its offensive profile provided above.

:Roaring Moon: Roaring Moon :Roaring Moon:

Much like Chien-Pao, Roaring Moon was unable to get any votes in support of a ban during the initial voting slate. In addition, it found out potentially limiting news today in the form of the Protosynthesis news! This makes the outlook for Roaring Moon pretty good when it comes to chances for remaining OU, but it is not entirely straightforward and a lock quite yet.

Roaring Moon has continued to take advantage of Terastallization, utilizing Tera Flying with Acrobatics to neutralize Fairy types and hit relatively hard along the way. This set has helped established Roaring Moon as one of the best win conditions in the metagame with Dragon Dance and one of the more consistent offensive abuser of Terstallization in the metagame as well. It is already strong and fast, both of which are bolstered by Dragon Dance. However, adding a third, complimentary "STAB" like attack goes a long way towards pushing Roaring Moon to stay on the radar.

Despite this, there are still limitations to what Roaring Moon can do as there is a massive barrier to entry and free-turns right now in such a hectic metagame. Couple this with revenge killing on the offensive end and checking on the defensive end at least being possible, especially when speaking relative to other members of the radar, and you find Roaring Moon in a more awkward place than some mentioned above perhaps. It is still a very dynamic offensive presence with great capabilities, but you can also minimize it in many cases and perhaps even dwarf it if you are prepared for a timely Terstallization.

---

The SV OU council also discussed :Iron Valiant: Iron Valiant, which was on the radar last time. However, it was seen as more of a fringe option to be included this time around. In addition, you could label :Garganacl: Garganacl and :Gholdengo: Gholdengo as "honorable mention" tier in a more loose sense -- neither is remotely close to being banned and neither is on the radar right now, but both are very much in the middle of council discussions as pesky presences in the metagame.

Please stay tuned for the thread on Tera and the next vote later this week! Thank you for reading and have a nice day.
 

Ruft

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OU Leader
We are adding two more Pokemon to the above tiering radar, which we will conduct a council vote on this weekend.

:gholdengo: Gholdengo :gholdengo:

The first few days of the metagame Gholdengo was overshadowed by fellow Ghost-type Flutter Mane. With the latter's ban, it became clear that Gholdengo has the right to compete with the top dogs. The first thing that may catch your eye when you check out Gholdengo is its fantastic Steel/Ghost-typing alongside a high Special Attack stat. It sports a great movepool alongside it, with moves like Shadow Ball, Focus Blast, Nasty Plot, Recover, Trick, and its signature move, Make It Rain, a 120 BP special Steel-type attack. This movepool allows it to serve as either a threatening setup Pokemon or a Choice Specs or Scarf user.

However, perhaps Gholdengo's greatest quality is its ability, Good as Gold, which not only blocks status moves like Thunder Wave and Spore, but more importantly blocks Defog as well. This means that Corviknight, which is otherwise one of the most reliable means of hazard removal in the tier, is unable to remove hazards when facing Gholdengo. Its Steel/Ghost-typing makes it able to block both Rapid Spin and Mortal Spin as well, cementing its position as the most surefire hazard removal-blocker we've ever seen. For this reason, you often see Air Balloon Gholdengo variants, which are immune to the Ground-type attacks from common Rapid Spin users Great Tusk and Iron Treads, paired with a dedicated hazard setter like Glimmora or Garchomp, which are able to set up both Stealth Rock and Spikes.

While Gholdengo is limited by its awkward speed stat and the fact that common Rapid Spin users Great Tusk and Iron Treads commonly run Knock Off and as such are able to circumvent the Air Balloon variants in some capacity, discussion has arisen within the community whether this strategy of stacking hazards and maintaining them is healthy or not.

:annihilape: Annihilape :annihilape:

Annihilape is another Ghost-type that was initially limited by the presence of Flutter Mane, but then came out of the woodwork as a strong offensive threat. First off, its Fighting/Ghost-typing grants it a STAB combination that is entirely unresisted (with the specific exception of Tera Flying/Poison/Bug Purifying Salt Garganacl). Its stats are nothing to sneeze at either, as it has a good attack stat and very respectable bulk.

The most important move in its arsenal is its signature move, Rage Fist, which has 50 BP but the power increases by 50 each time Annihilape is hit, capping at a monstrous 350 BP. Importantly, this does not reset upon switching out. Recently, to make the most out of this move, we've seen a rise in Bulk Up Annihilape sets that focus on longevity: they usually run Drain Punch and either Rest with a Chesto Berry, to grant it recovery and in turn allow it to take more hits to increase Rage Fists's power, or Taunt with Leftovers, to force slower Pokemon to deal with Annihilape by directly attacking it and increasing Rage Fist's power in doing so.

However, Annihilape is limited by an unideal speed stat and a rather unimpressive defensive typing, leaving it vulnerable to faster offensive threats like Dragapult. This issue can be patched up by Terastallizing, as many players opt for Tera Water to grant it a better defensive typing. At the end of the day, Annihilape can be a very punishing Pokemon that in many cases requires meticulous counterplay, as throwing off a bunch of weak attacks in its direction can prove to be regrettable later. We will keep an eye on this Pokemon to ensure that it does not become overbearing.
 

Finchinator

-OUTL
is a Tournament Directoris a Top Social Media Contributoris a Community Leaderis a Community Contributoris a Smogon Discord Contributoris a Top Tiering Contributoris a Contributor to Smogonis a Top Smogon Media Contributoris a Top Dedicated Tournament Hostis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnusis a Past WCoP Championis the defending OU Circuit Championis a Two-Time Former Old Generation Tournament Circuit Champion
OU Leader


Hello everyone. Welcome to the third SV OU tiering radar.

For those of you playing catch-up, here is what you missed:
With over 40 days having passed since our last tiering action and council vote, we feel now is the appropriate time to have another OU Tiering Radar as the metagame remains in its infancy.

:Chi-Yu: Chi-Yu :Chi-Yu:

If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me to ban Chi-Yu during the middle of the Terastallization suspect, I might be able to buy out Smogon. Sadly, I do not have the money and I do have a splitting headache.

Encountering a Chi-Yu can be a headache inducing practice in its own right. The combination of 135 base Special Attack with Beads of Ruin, an ability that dwarfs the opponent's Special Defense by a multiplier of .75%, gives the Pokedex's Ruinous Pokemon a ruinous presence in our flagship metagame. For practical intents and purposes, Chi-Yu has a Special Attack stat of 197, which would be higher than any Pokemon ever released and 57 higher than anything released this generation. Of course, raw stats and sheer strength can mean very little in the grand scheme of things if they are not backed by the proper presence, which we shall be examining when assessing Chi-Yu's place in Overused.

Couple this unmatched power with a respectable, but not overwhelming, 100 base speed and serviceable, but not impressive, special bulk and you find yourself with ample openings for Chi-Yu in most battles. It is also true that Chi-Yu is quite frail on the physical side of the spectrum, weak to Stealth Rock and other entry hazards at their peak, and reliant on support through pivoting in some match-ups to enter safely, however. Heavy-Duty Boots can help mitigate the aforementioned hazard vulnerability, but this comes with a large cost as you are not able to boost your damage output with Choice Specs or your Speed and revenge killing prowess with Choice Scarf when opting to utilize Heavy-Duty Boots.

These two sets -- Choice Specs and Choice Scarf -- are seen plenty on Chi-Yu as well, perhaps solidifying it as one of the most potent offensive presences SV OU has ever and likely will ever encounter. Choice Specs allows for it to be virtually uncountered aside from lower tier, fringe options such as Tyranitar. Even the bulkiest of Specially Defensive wall can be 2HKO'd by neutral STAB attacks while many Pokemon fall to Chi-Yu even through their own resistances as well. Choice Scarf trades off the extra power, which oftentimes is not necessarily needed due to how strong Chi-Yu already can be, for extra speed, allowing it to outrun the entire unboosted metagame as well as many slower boosted threats as well. This makes offensive counterplay outside of priority nonexistent, but does allow for some common defensive counterplay to exist such as Roaring Moon and Ting-Lu when healthy.

Finally, Terastallization allows Chi-Yu to achieve even higher levels of damage output with its frequent use of Tera Fire. It can also opt to Tera into a different type with Tera Blast, which is seen on Nasty Plot + Heavy-Duty Boots varints on occasion. Overall, Chi-Yu's diverse yet focused offensive assault on the metagame has remained largely unchecked thus far. This could play a role in its eventual removal from the tier, but there are faster Pokemon to revenge kill it and a very small handful of potential defensive answers as well depending on the set that can be used to minimize it. We will have to see what comes from the vote, but many speculate action is needed moving forward.
Chi-Yu @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beads of Ruin
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Overheat
- Dark Pulse
- Psychic OR Memento
- Flamethrower

Chi-Yu @ Choice Specs
Ability: Beads of Ruin
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Overheat
- Dark Pulse
- Psychic OR Fire Blast
- Flamethrower

Chi-Yu @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Beads of Ruin
Tera Type: Fairy OR Grass (OR Fire if Flame Charge)
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Flamethrower
- Dark Pulse
- Tera Blast OR Flame Charge


:Cyclizar: Cyclizar :Cyclizar:

Keep up the pressure they said. Just don't let them get free set-up turns they said. It will be easy they said. :psycry:

Cyclizar is on the radar for the third time this generation -- only it and Chien-Pao have achieved this! Unlike some of the other Pokemon you see on this radar, Cyclizar cannot destroy you offensively or perpetually wall you defensively, but rather it provides a premium in the utility arena via Shed Tail.

Before we discuss Cyclizar's presence, I want to note that Cyclizar will be voted on, not Shed Tail. Another Pokemon -- Orthworn -- exists with Shed Tail and is nowhere near being on this radar, even having dropped to UU recently. Cyclizar's unique characteristics such as high Speed, Regenerator, and having access to other utility moves are what truly allows it to support teams in a fashion some deem to be the catalyst of many issues, thus making it the root and focus of potentil tiering action.

Cyclizar does have these aforementioned traits -- it is fast, it has Regenerator, and, of course, it has access to Shed Tail to accompany other utility moves like Rapid Spin, Knock Off, and Taunt. With Regenerator being used in conjunction with Shed Tail, Cyclizar teams are able to turn every time a passive Pokemon switches in into an almost free Substitute for their most practically timed thread, making set-up spam teams potentially overbearing and breaker-heavy offenses lose the normal risk that is incurred with having their threats enter the battlefield.

Of course, there are the downsides and costs of Cyclizar, too, as it seldom accomplishes progress firsthand and can be pressured itself by a lot of Pokemon, making it limited in how many times it can safely pass off a Shed Tail. Some games find Cyclizar to be closer to a non-factor and it is defined by supporting Pokemon rather than fitting the conventional mold many see us quantifying things as broken with -- i.e: being too hard to counter or check. This opens up discussion to a larger debate on tiering and ban philosophy that this post cannot fully contain, but the community continues to discuss each and every day.
Cyclizar @ Heavy-Duty Boots OR Aguav Berry
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Ghost OR Steel
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature OR Timid Nature
- Shed Tail
- Knock Off
- Rapid Spin
- Taunt OR Draco Meteor

Cyclizar @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Steel OR Ghost OR Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Shed Tail
- Rapid Spin OR Overheat
- Draco Meteor
- U-turn


:Annihilape: Annihilape :Annihilape:

Sticks and stones may break my bones...but afterwards I will take out your entire team with a single attack.

What seemed to initially be a fun attempt at reviving an evolution line that was sorely lacking for many generations turned out to be the coming-out party for one of the most threatening Pokemon Overused has seen thus far. Dancing around Annihilape has to be done carefully, exhibiting more precision than navigating through the OU Room without having to question your life decisions in the immediate aftermath. With the new signature move Rage Fist taking centerstage, Annihilape can turn your primary means of defeating it -- through widdling it down with attacks -- into your own worst nightmare.

Taunt almost traps you into doing direct damage to Annihilape, finding itself on the most common variants of it as a result. Additionally, above-average natural bulk and Speed that allows it to outpace every common wall permits Annihilape to outright invalidate certain variants of balance while still leaving offensive teams to walk the tightrope around it in an attempt to minimize damage. Creative counterplay methods such as timely Rocky Helmets and Terastallization on Pokemon like Garchomp and Garganacl respectively can help in the efforts to chip it down, but oftentimes this is a multi-Pokemon effort and the risk of getting key turns wrong, setting you far back, is substantial. There are some means of more consistent defensive counterplay, but they are more scattered than numerous if you are looking for single Pokemon solutions rather than gameflow oriented approaches.

Offensively, it is more feasible that you can minimize, but not necessarily dwarf, Annihilape through consistent pressure. Of course, timely Terastallization of its own can play a large role in giving Annihilape extra turns to surprisingly survive and dispatch of specific foes as we oftentimes see Tera Water or Fire on its Bulk Up variants, letting it at least carry its own weight in even lackluster match-ups. Generally speaking more dedicated offensive teams are able to not get swept by Annihilape at the very least, which is a great step considering how common they are in this landscape. However, other teams are not so consistent into it and in general Annihilape can cost you multiple team members or a lot of ground in a lot of scenarios. Counterplay to it is still evolving and it is a stimulating endeavor to try and minimize it, which many cite as a positive of it remaining around, but there are large costs and risks associated with it that make Annihilape one of the premier members of this tiering radar.
Annihilape @ Leftovers OR Chesto Berry
Ability: Defiant
Tera Type: Water OR Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 232 SpD / 24 Spe (oftentimes runs more speed or even closer to 0 speed)
Careful Nature
- Bulk Up
- Drain Punch
- Rage Fist
- Taunt OR Rest

Annihilape @ Focus Sash
Ability: Defiant
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 24 HP / 228 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe (shifts to max HP if Final Gambit)
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Close Combat OR Final Gambit
- Rage Fist
- Taunt


:Garganacl: Garganacl :Garganacl:

The move Salt Cure actually causes infinitely more salt than it cures on Pokemon Showdown!

Garganacl, an addition to the radar that seemed to take some people by surprise today, has been one of the more understated oppressors of the metagame thus far. It certainly does not possess the outright strength to break through the metagame and it surely can be abused by certain strategies such as everyone's new favorite item: Covert Cloak. However, being a metagame defining wall with the ability to permanently chip through foes while sporting an immunity to status makes Garganacl very challenging to dispatch of without incurring a great deal of trouble along the way.

Blunt force on the Special Attacking side or timely super effective hits in general if it does not have a boosted Defense stat can go a long way towards minimizing what Garganacl can do, but these are not always easy to come by. Garganacl frequently Terastallizes into a more universally neutral type such as Water or Fairy, letting it continue to chip away at teams while remaining largely unbothered by what it encounters. While Iron Defense sets with Body Press proved to be a premier win condition earlier on in the tier and still looms large, the Stealth Rock variant, which abuses the combination of Salt Cure and Protect, has also become one of the hardest things to face as well.

Counterplay absolutely exists and Garganacl can even be abused by timely Covert Cloak use, which we have seen an uptick of recently. However, it is true that Garganacl can warp teambuilding a bit in a fashion that is novel to this generation, largely different from that of more offensively oriented threats in nature, but similar in that you need to use one of a smaller pool of strategies to assure it is covered when constructing teams. This pool of counterplay is likely more vast for Garganacl than some of the most oppressing Pokemon we mention here and that could be its saving grace, but it would be foolish to ignore Garganacl just because it is different in nature than the others listed in this post.
Garganacl @ Leftovers
Ability: Purifying Salt
Tera Type: Water OR Fairy OR Ghost
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature OR Impish Nature
- Recover
- Body Press
- Salt Cure
- Iron Defense

Garganacl @ Leftovers
Ability: Purifying Salt
Tera Type: Water OR Fairy
EVs: 252 HP / 228 Def / 28 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Recover
- Salt Cure
- Protect


:Espathra: Espathra :Espathra:

For those wondering the answer to the age-old question: what happens when you get access to Speed Boost with Stored Power and the ability to change your defensive typing on whim? We now have the answer, and it's not pretty.

Espathra has been tormenting people who thought they had games on-lock and sweeping unprepared teams for the bulk of the generation now. Speed Boost coupled with Stored Power and Calm Mind is an awesome set-up for a win condition, but the mono-Psychic typing leaves a lot to be desired. Enter Terastallization, which enables Espathra to become a Fighting or Fairy type when it encounters trouble, allowing it to flip over some would-be weaknesses to resistances or neutralities while bolstering would-be coverage moves to STAB.

Espathra is not without drawbacks, however, as despite heavy defense investments, it is capable of being picked-off by stronger STAB priority moves and limited by specific defensive presences such as Whirlwind Ting-Lu and Nasty Plot or Trick Gholdengo. Other Pokemon can comfortably function as counterplay once it either cannot Terastallize or its Tera type is known, too. For example, Tera Fairy Espathra will struggle with Scizor and Choice Specs or Nasty Plot Chi-Yu while Tera Fighting Espathra will rely on instant Terastallization to do much damage to Dark types with Tera Blast and have less convenience defensively overall with Fighting sporting less practical resistances and immunities than Fairy.

Espathra has a dangerously high ceiling and a great compliment of options to make it one of the best win conditions Overused has seen, but it also has some downsides and has become a one-trick pony in this metagame, which continues to adapt to it. Only time will tell if it surges back in the right direction or if people can contain it more and more, rendering it less likely to be acted on.
Espathra @ Leftovers
Ability: Speed Boost
Tera Type: Fairy OR Fighting
EVs: 252 HP / 236 Def / 20 Spe
Bold Nature
- Calm Mind
- Stored Power
- Dazzling Gleam OR Tera Blast
- Protect OR Roost


:Chien-Pao: Chien-Pao :Chien-Pao:

"Weavile's mega-evolution came a few generations late!" says the guy writing this as he utters the same joke for the dozenth time because he has no other material on Chien-Pao.

Joining Cyclizar as the only three-time radar member, Chien-Pao looks to get on the board with even a single ban vote this time as it continues to develop into a major offensive force in the metagame. Many believe that its offensive presence continues to grow as people realize how good it is with Terastallization on its own and how oftentimes people rely on defensive Terastallization to dwarf it, which comes with a substantial opportunity cost. In addition, the spectrum of common sets it uses continues to grow as Choice Band joins the fray over the last few weeks alongside the already common Heavy-Duty Boots and Life Orb.

Chien-Pao does come with a certain cost as it is quite fragile and can be reliant on intensive support through pivoting or hazard management, but the upside is present and the playerbase continues to entertain it on a variety of structures. Between Swords Dance sweeping variants and breaking-focused variants, Chien-Pao does quite the number to foes thanks to Sword of Ruin limiting the defensive prowess of foes coupled with its satisfactory 120 base Attack and great dual STAB. Coverage such as Sacred Sword can go a long way in mirrors or when facing Kingambit, too, if you can fit it. It even has priority such as the increasingly common Ice Shard and the mind-boggling Sucker Punch.

An elite Speed tier completes a great offensive profile on a very strong Pokemon in our metagame, but is it quite strong enough to get banned? That's where debate intensifies as there are some ways to defensively limit or neutralize it while revenge killing remains possible as well. Opposing priority is great into it while a couple of Pokemon either resist both STABs such as Quaquaval, Azumarill, and even itself and Chi-Yu despite their lack of defensive presence, a couple of Pokemon with mammouth natural bulk can stomach some hits such as Garganacl, Dondozo, and Iron Hands, and many more can work around it with (the threat of) timely Terastallization as well. Offensive and defensive counterplay exist, but they are limited as you can see and one wonders if this is enough to meet the threshold for acceptability or of Chien-Pao is beginning to warp the metagame.
Chien-Pao @ Heavy-Duty Boots OR Life Orb
Ability: Sword of Ruin
Tera Type: Dark OR Ice
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Ice Spinner OR Icicle Crash
- Crunch
- Ice Shard OR Sucker Punch
- Swords Dance OR Sacred Sword

Chien-Pao @ Choice Band
Ability: Sword of Ruin
Tera Type: Dark
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature OR Adamant Nature
- Ice Spinner OR Icicle Crash
- Crunch
- Ice Shard OR Sucker Punch
- Sacred Sword OR Sucker Punch


:Dragonite: Dragonite :Dragonite:

**conspiracies about Finch including this because of his one lost game to MudkipNerd intensify** (it was not my idea)

Dragonite has surged from the outskirts of relevancy to prominence once again. Multiscale in BW, Z-moves in SM, Heavy-Duty Boots in SS, and now Terastallization in SV serve as saving graces for the once-diminished original pseudolegendary that now remains very viable and effective. One could even say it is potent as it exists in the shadow of Ubers icon Extreme-killer Arceus-Normal with its Tera Normal antics. Of course, it lacks the natural bulk and other tools that Arceus possesses, making the comparison more for flavor than practice, but the general premise remains tantalizing. Dragonite can become a Normal type on whim to boost priority Extreme Speed and neutralize all of its would-be weaknesses, allowing for comfortable Dragon Dances.

There are some drawbacks to this strategy such as the common Unaware Pokemon, overwhelming offensive pressure, coverage limitations, and the great opportunity cost of relying upon Terastallizing to maximize its effect, not that it has to Tera each game. Dragonite is generally seen as being on the fringe of the radar for these reasons, but an outright omission would be more of an oversight than not just due to how much it forces certain structures to fit Unaware or other structures to gameplan carefully around its common strategy Other forms of counterplay such as Will-O-Wisp or Trick Rotom-Wash, Bulk Up Corviknight, and status in general also can thwart Dragonite's sweeping efforts. I personally struggle to write much more as I do not find it to be broken in the slightest, but rather a great Pokemon that belongs among the higher ranked options on something like the Viability Rankings or Usage Stats. Options like picking between Ice Spinner and Fire Punch, the rare Tera Steel Iron Head variant, and even sets optiong to use Hurricane can interchange some match-ups, but none feel overly oppressive individually per se. Others find its inherent limitations to restrict building, especially when citing how some little interchangeable details compliment each other when accounting for counterplay in-game, and this is something to at the very least monitor for now.
Dragonite @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Multiscale
Tera Type: Normal
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Extreme Speed
- Earthquake
- Ice Spinner / Fire Punch

Dragonite @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Multiscale
Tera Type: Normal
EVs: 144 HP / 252 Atk / 112 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Extreme Speed
- Earthquake
- Roost


:Gholdengo: Gholdengo :Gholdengo:

I feel like I find out something novel that Gholdengo is immune to via it's ability every single day ngl.

The curious case for the tiering of Gholdengo enters a new chapter with its second inclusion on the radar here, coming up emptyhanded last time. Gholdengo's argument to be acted on is not one of sheer strength so much as it is wholistic utility and metagame consequence. Gholdengo's ability can block Defog while the Ghost typing can block Rapid Spin, helping litter a metagame with more Spike distribution than ever with entry hazards.

Of course, Gholdengo being such a great Pokemon standalone helps solidify this role as prominent -- even metagame defining -- with a couple of fantastic sets that fit onto many archetypes, but I do not think many would argue that it is problematic offensively without the strings attached. It is a very strong presence offensively without a doubt as both Choice Scarf and Nasty Plot variants can serve a common role, but there is a firm line that can be drawn between it and some of the others on this radar perhaps.

Ultimately, the utility argument coupled with its strong offensive presence is enough to get discussion off the ground and make it a very complicated topic for us to dissect. Normally Pokemon who mandate a quickban require an overwhelming amount of evidence pointing towards a ban and I am unsure that we are approaching that territory, but we certainly have a lot of evidence pointing towards Gholdengo being one of the defining Pokemon that set-the-tone for a number of metagame dynamics that span far beyond just its usage. Is this a cause for trouble? I do not think we can say so without hesitation, but it is a cause for more discussion and observation as we dig deeper into the life span of our metagame.
Gholdengo @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Good as Gold
Tera Type: Fighting OR Ghost OR Flying
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Make It Rain
- Trick
- Focus Blast OR Nasty Plot OR Recover

Gholdengo @ Air Balloon
Ability: Good as Gold
Tera Type: Fighting OR Ghost OR Steel
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature OR Modest Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Shadow Ball
- Make It Rain
- Focus Blast OR Substitute

This is it for this radar. I hope you guys are enjoying the tier and for those curious, feel free to try out the sample sets I included for each Pokemon! Finally, if you prefer spoken-word to written-word, I uploaded my thoughts onto YouTube here!
 

Finchinator

-OUTL
is a Tournament Directoris a Top Social Media Contributoris a Community Leaderis a Community Contributoris a Smogon Discord Contributoris a Top Tiering Contributoris a Contributor to Smogonis a Top Smogon Media Contributoris a Top Dedicated Tournament Hostis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnusis a Past WCoP Championis the defending OU Circuit Championis a Two-Time Former Old Generation Tournament Circuit Champion
OU Leader
espathradar.png


Hello everyone. Welcome to the fourth SV OU tiering radar.

We have an ongoing SV OU tiering survey for the third time this generation. This survey happened in response to massive community outcry, most notably on Espathra. We believe it is our duty as a council to gauge community perception and act in the best interest of our playerbase, so we responded promptly to this outcry with a survey despite it overlapping with the Chien-Pao suspect.

A few factors came into play here, but most notably it is very early in the generation and the data from the last survey already reflected an outdated metagame state, so we felt this was most appropriate. Ultimately, the purpose of this survey, which remains open, was to determine what we would do after the Chien-Pao suspect ended. This suspect was ending later in the week and there was a good idea as to what was coming on this front.

With a substantial sample of replies to the survey already submitted, including both qualified and general datasets, Espathra has received an overwhelming amount of support for tiering action. This is more than other Pokemon on this survey as well as anything on any prior survey all generation (and I believe in the history of these OU tiering surveys altogether). For example, it dwarfed Chien-Pao with higher numbers in both demographics.

Given this, the council will be conducting a vote on the future of Espathra in SV OU this weekend. It already received 4 of 9 ban votes in the last slate, too, and has arguably improved since then, so this coupled with the survey results makes it feel very justified from our point of view. Of course, bans like this are subject to being overturned when Pokemon Home is released, so do not worry too much if it does happen to go.

---

Regarding :Espathra: in the metagame, it has been one of the most polarizing Pokemon in the tier from the preliminary stages. The combination of Speed Boost and Stored Power already projected to be gnarly. Throw in Calm Mind and the ability to change types defensively while bolstering your offensive profile and you get one of the most challenging Pokemon to prepare for or face in the brief history of generation nine. Stored Power can get out of hand very quickly. Espathra thankfully lacks the innate strength or movepool of other banned Pokemon such as Chi-Yu or Flutter Mane, but it does have the tools to be the most efficient sweeper SV OU has ever seen arguably.

One of the underlying factors that contributes to Espathra's prowess is the fact that it can virtually handpick its own counterplay thanks to Terastallization. For example, Tera Fairy allows you to suddenly resist Dark type attacks like Sucker Punch, which could otherwise revenge kill it, and neutralize Ghost type attacks. This also can bolster your offensive profile by making Dazzling Gleam STAB boosted, making it challenging to contain Espathra. This also applies to Tera Fighting, which covers Dark and Steel types in return for being reliant on Tera Blast. In a metagame with Kingambit and Chien-Pao, this can be a very practical option. Finally, the recent addition of Tera Fire bolstered the threat of Espathra even further as it can dwarf Scizor's checking attempts while breaking through Gholdengo.

Thankfully it can only run a single Tera type and the use of Tera comes with a large opportunity cost, which is a true limiting factor of Espathra. However, it only takes one timely attempt for Espathra to deal irreparable damage to your team or even sweep outright if provided enough turns. The main form of universal counterplay are Tera Dark Pokemon with Unaware or Haze such as Clodsire or Toxapex, with the latter generally preferring other Tera types. This is simply not a sufficient pool of Pokemon while everything else ranging from Steel and Dark type resists to general offensive pressure is at the mercy of specific Tera types. Given this, the council has understood the problem outlind by the community and looks to vote on the future of Espathra in the metagame this weekend.
 

Finchinator

-OUTL
is a Tournament Directoris a Top Social Media Contributoris a Community Leaderis a Community Contributoris a Smogon Discord Contributoris a Top Tiering Contributoris a Contributor to Smogonis a Top Smogon Media Contributoris a Top Dedicated Tournament Hostis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnusis a Past WCoP Championis the defending OU Circuit Championis a Two-Time Former Old Generation Tournament Circuit Champion
OU Leader

The SV OU tiering council has been closely evaluating the preliminary metagame. After internal discussion prompted by both firsthand observations and external discourse, we have determined that a number of topics are on our radar for prospective future tiering action. This post will be used to outline our tiering radar. Keep in mind: THERE ARE NO BANS YET! We intend to vote on each Pokemon this weekend, so stay tuned.

Before we proceed, I would like to thank the Pokemon Showdown contributors who made Pokemon HOME playable on the simulator so promptly. Their tireless efforts make everything we do possible and they deserve our appreciation!

---

:Magearna: Magearna :Magearna:

After running the show in generation 7 and ruining the show in generation 8, ultimately landing in Ubers, it is no surprise that after storing its OU power for the last couple of years, Magearna is back to reign terror over our generation 9 metagame. Many have kissed their ladder points goodbye as Magearna has drained them of hope. Magearna has shifted from recent OU drop to a whole new gear of prolific offensive potential that many are unable to be remain calm in the mind over.

Magearna is one of the most dynamic and versatile offensive Pokemon. It is capable of breaking through the bulkiest of teams with one set as it stacks boosts while capitalizing on fragile offenses with the next as it deploys seemingly perfect coverage. Terastallization bolsters its offensive profile while simltaneously granting free turns defensively for it to continue to position itself well, but other methods of team support such as dual screens or even Trick Room can run-up the score promptly on foes as well. This is not even mentioning the addition of Spikes, the sheer strength of Choice Specs -- which broke it last generation, or its newlyfound niche as a Trick Room setter with Fleur Cannon + Eject Pack!

:Ursaluna: Ursaluna :Ursaluna:

You look at Facade and see a 70 BP attacking move. Ursaluna looks at the same 70 BP, but also manages to bolster this by adding a 2x modifier with Guts, a 1.5x modifier with STAB, another 2x modifier with Swords Dance, an augmentation of the STAB modifier from 1.5x to 2x with Terastallization, and base 140 attack with maxed out EVs and the Adamant nature. Dude is built different :blobtriumph:

So this dog beaver bear hits quite hard as we can see, it has a good dual STAB, and even sufficient complimentary attacking options. It also possesses above average bulk that is headlined by 130 base HP. The thing is that in this early metagame, speed dictates everything as it is so volatile, and Ursaluna is quite slow. Trick Room can go a long way towards assisting it, but this requires team support and a very tight window, which can lead to tense predictions when trying to capitalize. With good enough natural bulk, Ursaluna also appreciates dual screens support to help it withstand more attacks, but this, too, requires specific support and an abbreviated window. Overall, Ursaluna is a monster offensively that seldom finds a counter, but it also is limited to specific, predictable windows of playability, which can oftentimes dictate the narrative if not piloted to perfection.

:Chien-Pao: Chien-Pao :Chien-Pao:

Junichi Masuda released his belove Mega Evolutions to the world in October of 2013, but ten years later it seems one of the ideas that did not make the initial cut ultimately found its way into the mainstream games! Chien-Pao, frequently dubbed Mega Weavile, was recently the subject of a study in which results found that it is the leading cause of recent Pokemon Showdown locks; rumor has it that dozens of stall players spiraled into fits of profanity-laden rage towards opponents after trying to withstand a mere Crunch from Chien-Pao. Of course, this Crunch was boosted by STAB, Terastallization, Sword of Ruin, and a Life Orb or Choice Band...

Back to its tricks from the pre-HOME metagame, Chien-Pao has been able to make use of its great two STABs alongside Sacred Sword to hit the vast majority of Pokemon in the metagame. Recently it even added an SD + Tera Blast set with Tera Ground to hit Magearna, making Chien-Pao effectively able to handpick its own counters throughout the entire metagame. This dynamic is a scary one and normal Chien-Pao sets themselves are similarly scary as it is stronger than most with Choice Band or a Swords Dance under its belt. Perhaps a saving grace for the Ruinous Pokemon is that Stealth Rock can ruin the day, it falls short against most Choice Scarf users, and both Zamazenta forms roam free for the time being, dampening the outlook for Chien-Pao in some cases.

:Zamazenta: Zamazenta :Zamazenta:

Zamazenta's original form -- Zamazenta-Hero -- is technically labeled as Hero of Many Battles in the subtext of the game as per Bulbagarden. However, many SV OU players are quick to note that it is their enemy of their battles as they continue with wrestling with trying to dispatch of it before it takes half of their teams as victim along the way. While many see Zamazenta as the second born son in the royal family of generation eight mythicals, falling in the shadow of the crowned one in the current competitive landscape, it still possesses an undeniable niche that warrants further discussion.

Zamazenta-Hero's ability Dauntless Shield gives it a mind numbingly powerful Body Press -- even if it still falls short of that of Zamazenta-Crowned -- that it can use alongside STAB. However, Zamazenta-Hero has one thing that the crowned variant lacks: freedom of an item slot. It can opt to run Leftovers or another item to bolster longevity or effect when operating with Iron Defense + Body Press. It also has access to high attack, allowing it to deploy a Choice Band on occasion or enabling it to deal strong, complimentary damage with non-Body Press options at the right time. There are ways to slow Zamazenta-Hero down when it comes to dealing damage immediately, but it is quite challenging to take out before it leaves its mark on any game.

:Zamazenta-Crowned: Zamazenta-Crowned :Zamazenta-Crowned:

After a wave of hype the size of blunder's subscriber count managed to start a grassroots campaign to retest Zamazenta-Crowned, suspect voters started their own campaign to return the Pokemon to the sender, Ubers. With its crown in hand, Zamazenta is a physically defensive juggernaut that gained access to Body Press this generation, making it certifiably "hard body" and capable of stomaching as many hits as I do chicken wings on a weekly basis (iykyk).

In a metagame known as Scarlet & Violet Overused, a mini-game known as Iron Defense + Body Press simulator exists when Zamazenta-Crowned is summoned onto the field. Few adversaries are worthy of trying to outmaneuver the king himself, but the handful that do are at least of prominence in the format. Truth be told: Zamazenta-Crowned is undoubtedly polarizing as it hits unreasonably hard for a Pokemon with bolstered defenses thanks to the newly found Body Press. Fortunately, durable Body Press resists or some 4x resists can dwarf this prospect. It is true that some coverage moves or STAB Heavy Slam can help chip through specific foes, but they are definitely not strong enough to match the rest of it's profile. All things considered, Zamazenta-Crowned fits an interesting niche to perfection and does so while greatly limiting the metagame, but is there enough to keep it in OU? We'll have to find out on the next edition of the simulator.


:Sneasler: Sneasler :Sneasler:

If you liked Mega Weavile -- Chien-Pao, then you will love overcooked Shiny Weavile! For those wondering why Pokemon HOME was delayed, Pokemon had everything lined-up, but the head count on Pokemon was short by one until they encountered Sneasler, whom they had left out in the sun during the entire production schedule. Without alternatives for recourse, they took this recolored bad-boy, gave him a new name and typing, and called it a day! The process they applied was dire, but ultimately they clawed their way to a solution at least.

Sneasler has access to a signature move, Dire Claw, which makes it so that your early-game check or counter to Sneasler has a better-than-not chance of being crippled for the remainder of the match. Couple this with access to Close Combat, Swords Dance, Switcheroo, Tera Blast, Acrobatics, U-turn, and plenty more, and you get a good Pokemon with a great set of tools and an arguably uncompetitive signature move. The thought experiments surrounding Dire Claw quickly became live target practice on the mental fortitude of many Pokemon Showdown gamers as Dire Claw began taking prisoners. The jury is still out as to if this move alone makes Sneasler too problematic or if its whole offensive profile will come into play as well -- if it is even deemed problematic, but it is certainly worthy of being on the radar for the time being.

:Volcarona: Volcarona :Volcarona:

Unlike some of the more recent Pokemon above, Volcarona needs no introduction. It's not because it is some famous Pokemon or because it dates back to generation five though. You simply do not have time to introduce Volcarona as it will use the free turn you spend introducing it to Quiver Dance in your face. From there, you may as well hand-over your ELO.

The arguably infamous match-up moth is back on the radar after being one of the main potentially actionable talking points from the pre-HOME metagame. There are some old counters to it such as Heatran that exist and can thrive against it, but can also struggle into the right Tera Blast. There are some new potential counters to it such as Skeledirge that can also thrive against it, but also hinge upon Tera match-ups here. With HOME, the specific variants of Volcarona have shifted to match its potential counterplay with the many new POkemon, but the overall dynamic behind the match-up moth has not shifted. Revenge killing is up and it is spread more thin than ever, which is very redeeming in this circumstance, but it is still very challenging to remain consistent in the face of Volcarona.

:Urshifu: Urshifu-Rapid-Strike :Urshifu:

While Urshifu-Single-Strike finds itself in Ubers for the second straight generation, Urshifu-Rapid-Strike, previously OU, is reintroduced to the tier it knew last generation as well. However, new circumstances arise as it can now drape its puny, yellow fists with a glove intended for punching and engage in some maneuver that involves dancing alongside swords. This Pokemon lore sure is something.

Urshifu-Rapid-Strike is revitalized this generation. It already has great attacking prowess with a good dual STAB, which mostly just falls short of Toxapex. Throw in Swords Dance as a move it now learns and Punching Gloves as a new item it can equip, and you get a stronger and more potent threat right-off-the-bat. Gauging it right now can be a bit clouded admittedly with new toys such as Zamazenta-Hero and Zamazenta-Crowned taking up a lot of the spotlight, but Urshifu-Rapid-Strike has stood out in many cases despite not having perfect coverage and now always finding its way onto teams.

Light Clay

Light Clay is a unique, non-Pokemon addition to our tiering radar. Many players have cited concerns about the dual screens -- Reflect and Light Screen -- archetype making many offensive Pokemon that are already very strong into overbearing, seldom countered threats. Light Clay doubles the length of these screens, giving many Pokemon more free turns as foes become more passive with diminished damage output. The burden of proof on banning an item is quite high and the default is to focus on Pokemon, but with a lot of people believing it could be the root of many issues now and for future iterations of the metagame, we felt it best to include as a part of the radar and upcoming vote.
 

Finchinator

-OUTL
is a Tournament Directoris a Top Social Media Contributoris a Community Leaderis a Community Contributoris a Smogon Discord Contributoris a Top Tiering Contributoris a Contributor to Smogonis a Top Smogon Media Contributoris a Top Dedicated Tournament Hostis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnusis a Past WCoP Championis the defending OU Circuit Championis a Two-Time Former Old Generation Tournament Circuit Champion
OU Leader

The SV OU tiering council has been closely evaluating the preliminary metagame. After the first waves of bans, we are taking one more look at our radar and voting again on what we deem to be banworthy or not this weekend!

Before we proceed, I would like to thank the Pokemon Showdown contributors who made Pokemon HOME playable on the simulator so promptly. Their tireless efforts make everything we do possible and they deserve our appreciation!

---

:Ursaluna: Ursaluna :Ursaluna:

From day one, it seemed like the cocaine bear was destined for Ubers, but it seems this was all a façade. Ursaluna has died down a bit recently, but at what cost? An entire population of Great Tusk found themselves victim of a boosted Ursaluna's assault in the meantime. With Magearna being banned, Trick Room took an enormous hit. Ursaluna made a comeback of sorts on dual screens teams with some investment into speed, but it was mostly capable of trading rather than snowballing out of control. Ursaluna still packs unmatched strength with the help of Guts and Swords Dance, but it is capable of being minimized. Of course, there are plenty of arguments still going for it such as having very few, if any, true counters. Fringe things like Tera Ghost Rotom-W are really all that fits the definition, but this is perhaps not enough.

:Zamazenta: Zamazenta-Hero :Zamazenta:

While the OU council has banned a number of dogs recently, it seems like they missed one last dog as Zamazenta-Hero remains on the throne within our metagame. Zamazenta-Hero's ability Dauntless Shield makes it daunting from the jump, giving it a powerful Body Press that it can use with STAB and Iron Defense boosts. In addition, unlike its now banned counterpart, Zamazenta-Hero can run an item of its own choice. It can opt to run Leftovers when operating with Iron Defense + Body Press, which makes it very hard to take out. It also has access to high attack, allowing it to deploy a Choice Band on occasion or enabling it to deal strong, complimentary damage with non-Body Press options at the right time. Some have stated how the counterplay between the two sets differs to an extent, making preparing for Zamazenta-Hero challenging. There are ways to slow Zamazenta-Hero down when it comes to dealing damage immediately from Body Press sets or making it predict right with offensive sets, but it is quite challenging to take out before it leaves its mark on any game if you lack one of the small pool of generally passive hard-stops to it. Iron Defense sets are definitely more common and problematic than offensive sets, which give players something to key-in on as things stand.

:Sneasler: Sneasler :Sneasler:

In an early submission for most annoying Pokemon to grace Showdown 2023, Sneasler has slept one too many of my Ground types that would otherwise serve as checks for me to write this while remaining in a good headspace, so bear with me. Sneasler, who may as well have Serene Grace, has access to a signature move, Dire Claw. Dire Claw makes it so that your early-game check or counter to Sneasler has a better-than-not chance of being crippled for the remainder of the match. Couple this with access to Close Combat, Swords Dance, Switcheroo, Tera Blast, Acrobatics, U-turn, Gunk Shot, and plenty more, and you get a good Pokemon with a great set of tools and an arguably uncompetitive signature move. The thought experiments surrounding Dire Claw quickly became live target practice on the mental fortitude of many Pokemon Showdown gamers as Dire Claw began taking prisoners. Of course, Sneasler itself is a strong Pokemon with optiosn like being a choiced attacker or, the perhaps more popular, Swords Dance Unburden strategy. The jury is still out as to if this move alone makes Sneasler too problematic or if its whole offensive profile will come into play as well, which at least has a handful of solid checks as it stands -- if it is even deemed problematic, but it is certainly worthy of being on the radar.

:Volcarona: Volcarona :Volcarona:

We had 4 council members recently post their thoughts on Volcarona:
njnp post | Finchinator post | xavgb post | ausma post

:Urshifu: Urshifu-Rapid-Strike :Urshifu:

Urshifu-Rapid-Strike is better than ever this generation! It already has great attacking prowess with a good dual STAB, which mostly just falls short of Toxapex. Throw in Swords Dance as a move it now learns and Punching Gloves as a new item it can equip, and you get a stronger and more potent threat right-off-the-bat. Urshifu-Rapid-Strike has stood out in many cases despite not having perfect coverage and not always finding its way onto teams, especially with stiff competition among fighters, simply due to the sheer strength it has. Be it with the boost of Rain, Swords Dance, or just Punching Gloves and STAB, it packs a serious punch and it has enough speed and natural bulk to position itself decently. Counterplay is quite limited here because of this, but there are still a solid amount of resists to STABs and revenge killing options admittedly.

Light Clay

Light Clay is a unique, non-Pokemon addition to our tiering radar. Many players have cited concerns about the dual screens -- Reflect and Light Screen -- archetype making many offensive Pokemon that are already very strong into overbearing, seldom countered threats. Light Clay doubles the length of these screens, giving many Pokemon more free turns as foes become more passive with diminished damage output. The burden of proof on banning an item is quite high and the default is to focus on Pokemon, but with a lot of people believing it could be the root of many issues now and for future iterations of the metagame, we felt it best to include as a part of the radar and upcoming vote.
 

Finchinator

-OUTL
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OU Leader

The SV OU tiering council has been closely evaluating the preliminary metagame after our quickbans took place. We are at a point where no more quickbans are being considered, but suspect tests are coming! There are really a small handful of Pokemon we are considering for a suspect right now (Ursaluna-Bloodmoon, Manaphy, and maybe Ogerpon-Wellspring in the future), but we have discussed a lot of Pokemon internally and feel it is best to be transparent as they could very well need action in the future!

:Ursaluna-Bloodmoon:

Ursaluna-Bloodmoon is right now the favorite to be suspected next. There are still other considerations though, so this is very much not a promise and just an update.

It was only the second highest survey scorer, behind Manaphy, but the tides continue to turn since the Ogerpon-Hearthflame ban and with other metagames shifts. In addition, more internal council and forum thread-based support has been present for Ursaluna-Bloodmoon at this time. It is almost overwhelmingly strong with superb natural bulk on the physical side already. Calm Mind + Moonlight sets tend to help minimize its lackluster special defense and circumvent most instinctual counterplay, too. It is a complete presence that is often only beaten by overwhelming pressure or a very specific check/counter; neither option is necessarily "free" either as even into the most strong offenses, Ursaluna Bloodmoon is more than capable of trading for a kill or two.

:Manaphy:

Manaphy is another potential suspect due to regular support on the surveys. It has been underwhelming to some, including a few people on the council, due to being limited in how many moves it can use and openings it gets. Revenge killing is very possible, but good natural bulk and potential team support can make it so that this can only be done from lower healths. Manaphy overall can do a lot of things and many of them well, but is it broken or just another dynamic offensive presence? A lot of the community is split and while I lean towards the latter personally, we cannot fully discard data and need to keep discussing this Pokemon for sure.

:Ogerpon-Wellspring:

Ogerpon-Wellspring has been one of the best Pokemon since release, including when Ogerpon-Hearthflame was roaming free even. It is a dynamic breaker with a practical enough defensive profile. With Tera, it is absurdly likely to nab a kill while even without it, Swords Dance sets are great options. Utility with U-turn, Spikes, Knock Off, and other options works, too, but these things do not necessarily push it over the edge. There is some counterplay to Ogerpon-Wellspring at least as revenge killing it frequently occurs and a small handful of things deal with it defensively, but the main question is if the latter pool of Pokemon is sufficient or not.

:Gliscor:

Gliscor is a unique defensive and utility presence that many believe warps the metagame. It is a more unique case as it has plenty of conventional checks and counters, but it provides a premium presence that can cause a different type of strain on team construction and gameplan execution. Initial survey support was very low, but we will continue to keep an eye on it as some people both within the council and externally raise concern over its presence.

:Kingambit:

Kingambit missed the banhammer in a close suspect before DLC and now is up to the same antics now. Many people wrote in that it should be looked at and believe it is a symptom of similar issues than before, but it is best we give it more time and focus on a few other things before potentially diving back into another suspect of it given our overall timeline.

:Gholdengo:

After many pages of discussion both on discord and the forums, the tiering council acknowledges that we are listening and have a longstanding diaogue on the hazard metagame and how Gholdengo can play a substantial role in making things unreasonable thanks to its ability, which blocks Defog. Of course, Gholdengo is also a superb Pokemon with great sets like Nasty Plot + Recover that allow it to carve itself one of the better niches in the format, too, but Gholdengo's overall presence will continue to be closely observed. It is not currently thought of as an immediate suspect candidate, but things can change as the metagame evolves.

:Iron Valiant:

Iron Valiant was likely the last addition to this radar, but it is a very dynamic offensive presence with a variety of possible variants that draw counterplay that does not always overlap. It is not straining the tier to an unreasonable point now, but we want to keep an eye on it as we proceed still.
 
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