The moment many have been waiting for is finally here; the third wave of quick bans! As a reminder, the threshold for a quick is 6/8 in our case.
As a result of our most recent discussion, the following are
banned from Monotype:
Houndstone, Palafin, Booster Energy
Tagging
Kris to implement
While far from the typical ban, let alone quick ban type of Pokemon at first glance - having a pretty average BST and unimpressive offensive stats. However, it is gifted with one of the most devastating attacks in the game ever - Last Respects. This move can reach up to 300 BP before the STAB boost, which is a level of damage output that has never been experienced before. After a couple teammates fainting, and Last Respects increasing by 50 BP for each, it becomes virtually impossible to survive Houndstone's onslaught. It can destroy even Dark-Type Pokemon that would otherwise resist it; the only real solution is having a Normal-Type to be immune to Last Respects. That option is not viable especially in Monotype where team options are scarce and limited. Moreover, Houndstone has access to two strong abilities that can aid it in becoming a greater threat. It can use Fluffy on something like Scarf to pack an insane punch of opponents while being difficult to kill, even if it isn't incredibly fast with Scarf. Another option is Sand Rush as it can make use of its natural bulk to set up Sandstorm and then blast through teams with Last Respects. Overall, the pressure Houndstone places in game and in the builder have resulted in it unanimously being banned in Monotype.
I know people are bound to ask but why Houndstone and not Last Respects since it would not be good without this move. The reason is that the policy of the site is to not ban moves that have such a limited distribution - it is unfair to call the move broken when the only evidence is that it is broken in combination with said Pokemon. To better understand this, you can refer to the post by the OU council
here.
After generations of asking for a Dolphin Pokemon, they finally delivered and decided to go all out. Boasting an incredible ATK stat of 160, making it one of the hardest hitting Pokemon ever. Besides its overwhelming hitting power, it has a a decent speed tier and good bulk. This bulk is particularly dangerous as it allows Palafin to run a Bulk Up set that can decimates teams with it's great new signature move Jet Punch, which is a 60 BP Water-Type priority move. It also has access to Drain Punch to increase its longevity and that move, alongside jet Punch, is boosted by the new item Punching Glove. Above all that, it can be boosted by the rain which powers up its already strong Jet Punch. The list of offensive Pokemon that can answer Palafin is scarce as they are like invalidated by Jet Punch, and defensive checks are rare because of tis access to Taunt. The one detriment of this Pokemon is that it need to switch out before obtaining its Palafin-Hero form which is the real threat in the metagame. While it may be troublesome having to switch out - it is not difficult due to the excellent support it receives on Water-Type teams. With good options for Eject Button users and other good pivots, it is unlikely that Palafin finds much pressure in getting in and out of the field prior to a transformation. Besides the oppressive Bulk Up set, it can also use a Choice Band set which makes Jet Punch a potent threat at all times and it can make use of Flip Turn to easily transform. In essence, Palafin is incredibly strong without even factoring in its moves and team support, and when you add those factors in - it makes losing to it almost inevitable because it is practically bound to transform and dash through your weakened team.
The voting for this item was probably the most contested one in a very long time. The council was torn between two decisions: banning the broken abusers of Booster Energy, or banning the item itself. This split stems from the fact that while this item can really push some Pokemon off the edge, many of the users would not pose an overwhelming threat. Moreover, the one time use of the item limits its opportunities for abuse. However, the item was ultimately banned by a majority due to how it can easily allow certain Pokemon to sweep opponents with minimal effort. Pokemon like Flutter Mane and Iron Valiant can come in and instantly be faster than the majority of the speed control options in the tier, and both have access to setup moves that boost their already staggering offensive stats. That speed boost is the key of their offensive presence as it is what greatly diminishes the amount of answers for them. As for Roaring Moon, the ATK boost paired with its nearly guaranteed Dragon Dance in most games allows it to just run through multiple types. Even without the Dragon Dance, the boost makes it difficult for many defensive answers to counter - not to forget that the boost contributed by this item cannot be removed by phasing moves like Haze and ignores abilities like Unaware. Overall, the council decided to remove Booster Energy before any of its abusers in order to observe how they would perform without the immense boost provided by it. In essence, we prioritized maintaining Pokemon which benefits the diversity and options of our metagame. However, we will be closely observing how the main abusers perform without the item and potentially revisit it if they are deemed too much for the metagame even without it.
A breakdown of all the votes:
| | | | | | | | | | |
|---|
| Houndstone | Flutter Mane | Palafin | Booster Energy | Roaring Moon | Baxcalibur | Iron Bundle | Annihilape | Chi-Yu | Chien-Pao |
| Kev | Ban | Ban | Ban | Ban | Ban | Do Not Ban | Do Not Ban | Do Not Ban | Do Not Ban | Do Not Ban |
| Zap | Ban | Do Not Ban | Ban | Ban | Do Not Ban | Do Not Ban | Do Not Ban | Do Not Ban | Do Not Ban | Do Not Ban |
| Attribute | Ban | Do Not Ban | Ban | Ban | Do Not Ban | Do Not Ban | Do Not Ban | Do Not Ban | Do Not Ban | Do Not Ban |
| Chaitanya | Ban | Ban | Ban | Do Not Ban | Do Not Ban | Do Not Ban | Do Not Ban | Ban | Do Not Ban | Do Not Ban |
| Floss | Ban | Ban | Ban | Ban | Do Not Ban | Do Not Ban | Do Not Ban | Do Not Ban | Do Not Ban | Do Not Ban |
| DugZa | Ban | Do Not Ban | Ban | Ban | Do Not Ban | Do Not Ban | Do Not Ban | Do Not Ban | Do Not Ban | Do Not Ban |
| maroon | Ban | Ban | Ban | Ban | Do Not Ban | Do Not Ban | Do Not Ban | Do Not Ban | Do Not Ban | Do Not Ban |
| Shiba | Ban | Ban | Ban | Do Not Ban | Do Not Ban | Do Not Ban | Do Not Ban | Do Not Ban | Do Not Ban | Do Not Ban |
Following this, our watchlist is:
- Flutter Mane : The Do Not Ban votes stem mainly from wanting to see its performance without Booster Energy before making a decision
- Anything else in the above list for which Do Not Ban was the overall decision
- We are currently thinking of how to deal with Cyclizar's insane new move Shed Tail. The ability to substitute + baton pass in one move, and to do so multiple times a game thanks to Regenerator is completely ridiculous. We are thinking of including Shed Tail as part of the Baton Pass clause, as it is simply a better form of dry passing which is currently banned. Alternatively, we would entertain banning Cyclizar as it is clearly the real threat with this move as Orthworm cannot abuse the move in the same way.
- Other observations that are made / presented in the thread after this post
Have fun with the new metagame everyone, looking forward to more posts!
