Tournament SCL I RU Discussion and Replays

OP taken from all the different variations of this thread
Approved by EviGaro





Welcome to the Smogon Champions League 1 Discussion Thread -- RU edition! This thread will be used to discuss RU in SCL I related topics, whether it’s about the players, general metagame trends, matches, predictions and so on. Teams, Replays, and Usage Stats can be found [SOON].

Commencement
Schedule


RU Players Cores (starters in bold, manager support in italic)

Orange Islanders -- odr, pdt, OnArceus, mind gaming
Indigo Platoon -- CrashingBoomBang
Power Plant Dynamos -- Dragon Claw, The Strap, Lunala
Uncharted Terrors -- lax, Sensei Axew, Mac3
Technical Machines -- Confide, Ajna, Feliburn
Arena Spartans -- Charmflash, Ark
Showdown Shoguns -- TheFranklin, TDK
Mount Silver Foxes -- atomicllamas, tlenit, EviGaro
Circuit Breakers -- Punny, a rabbit
Studio Gible -- Nat

Power Rankings

Have fun everyone!​
 
Last edited:
I guess if i don't do it nobody will, uh. I will try to make a post every week as some sort of "recap" of the tournament so far, but for now i will just have a general analysis of the past weeks.


| 1 | Flygon | 15 | 50.00% | 40.00% |
(add one more win, unfortunately stats weren't updated to Week 4 yet)

First noticeable thing is ofc the high Flygon usage. Not really surprised here, its one of the most splashable Pokemon in the tier, while showing a ton of different sets like Dragon Dance, Scarf, Bulky Utility and Life Orb 3 Attacks / Toxic.


Another noticeable trend is Cosmic Power Metagross being an actual threat, as it can be seen in lax vs atomicllamas and Punny vs Ajna. I'm honestly a big fan of the set, probably the best Reuniclus check you could ask for while adding a really good win condition on your team. I can see this set getting more usage in the following weeks.


Rotom-Mow started getting a lot of usage seemingly out of nowhere, being used as many times as meta staples like Crobat and Reuniclus. While there was undoubtedly some overhype in its usage, it's still a good Pokemon that provides nice utility with Scarf, Trick, Levitate, Volt Switch + Leaf Storm and Defog. Main and huge downside is being an electric that loses to Togekiss, so most teams with Rotom-Mow end up being super weak to it.


Vaporeon has now been used 3 times and it won all 3 games! Pretty disappointed in all the people that lost to it but its a decent water that has nice utility in Wish and mainly Heal Bell. I'm personally not huge on it but it has its merits.


Dark types have been really dominating in usage, going from the more offensive ones like Pangoro and Obstagoon to more defensive ones like Umbreon, Incineroar and Guzzlord. Been especially a big fan of Pangoro lately, big strong Knock Off that punishes the few good absorbers is always nice to have, and with all the fast Flying Pokemon like Crobat and Noivern baiting the steels types, it feels way easier to play and hard to punish in this gen than SM.

More noticeable things have been an actual Suicune usage compared to the last RUPL and the total death of Toxtricity. Everything else has been pretty much like you would have expected the meta to be. First question that obviously comes to mind is if Grimmsnarl will have any real impact on the current meta. Dark types as pointed above have been on a rise, but i wonder if there will be space for Grimmsnarl.

Don't have much more to add, hope everyone has been enjoying watching the games so far. :heart:
 
Last edited:

Ampha

"They don’t call me Greed for nothing!"
is a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributor
Well, as the second post'er i'll paste w4 thing + some opinions on meta rn

+ ---- + ------------------ + ---- + ------- + ------- +
| Rank | Pokemon | Use | Usage % | Win % |
+ ---- + ------------------ + ---- + ------- + ------- +
| 1 | Umbreon | 4 | 40.00% | 75.00% |
| 1 | Nidoqueen | 4 | 40.00% | 75.00% |
| 1 | Crobat | 4 | 40.00% | 50.00% |
| 4 | Reuniclus | 3 | 30.00% | 66.67% |
| 4 | Cobalion | 3 | 30.00% | 33.33% |
| 4 | Golisopod | 3 | 30.00% | 33.33% |
| 7 | Togekiss | 2 | 20.00% | 100.00% |
| 7 | Registeel | 2 | 20.00% | 100.00% |
| 7 | Weezing-Galar | 2 | 20.00% | 50.00% |
| 7 | Gastrodon | 2 | 20.00% | 50.00% |
| 7 | Noivern | 2 | 20.00% | 50.00% |
| 7 | Necrozma | 2 | 20.00% | 50.00% |
| 7 | Steelix | 2 | 20.00% | 0.00% |
| 7 | Chandelure | 2 | 20.00% | 0.00% |
| 7 | Stakataka | 2 | 20.00% | 0.00% |
| 16 | Suicune | 1 | 10.00% | 100.00% |
| 16 | Metagross | 1 | 10.00% | 100.00% |
| 16 | Flygon | 1 | 10.00% | 100.00% |
| 16 | Toxicroak | 1 | 10.00% | 100.00% |
| 16 | Ferroseed | 1 | 10.00% | 100.00% |
| 16 | Gigalith | 1 | 10.00% | 100.00% |
| 16 | Guzzlord | 1 | 10.00% | 100.00% |
| 16 | Entei | 1 | 10.00% | 100.00% |
| 16 | Diancie | 1 | 10.00% | 100.00% |
| 16 | Starmie | 1 | 10.00% | 100.00% |
| 16 | Sigilyph | 1 | 10.00% | 0.00% |
| 16 | Milotic | 1 | 10.00% | 0.00% |
| - | Gourgeist-* | 1 | 10.00% | 0.00% |
| 16 | Gourgeist | 1 | 10.00% | 0.00% |
| 16 | Raikou | 1 | 10.00% | 0.00% |
| 16 | Obstagoon | 1 | 10.00% | 0.00% |
| 16 | Marowak-Alola | 1 | 10.00% | 0.00% |
| 16 | Xatu | 1 | 10.00% | 0.00% |
| 16 | Porygon2 | 1 | 10.00% | 0.00% |
| 16 | Xurkitree | 1 | 10.00% | 0.00% |
| 16 | Tsareena | 1 | 10.00% | 0.00% |
| 16 | Jellicent | 1 | 10.00% | 0.00% |

:umbreon:

Umbreon has legit dominated this week alongside w the queen, to no one's surprise it is probably one of the best defensive mons on the tier rn due to its enormous bulk

Talking about the Electrics

:raikou: & :toxtricity:
These guys legit disappeared from Tours scene, but I actually can see why, Flygon's just able to pressure both of them really hard(yeah scald can burn, but flygon's are usually prep'd for this) and I believe the meta is way more opressive for those 2 than it was before, altho Seism left this shift which is great for raik, both are usually not difficult to prep than it was before

:xurkitree: & :rotom-mow:

Well, i'm putting both on the same category due to their similarities, both learn grass moves and are great offensive pivots due to the ammount of pressure they can put on grounds because of that, Rotom Mow was a thing i've talked about before on Ladder tour and i'm glad it's potential actually got recognized, its defensive typing along w its offensive one was something I felt was underrated for a long time

I don't think there's much more to talk but I wanted to mention some things

:sharpedo: :pangoro:

I believe both are underrated rn, altho Shark's win rate was 0% I believe this thing's special sets are pretty underrated on this meta plus Speed boost is legit awesome vs offense
happy to see Pango getting usage as well, a former RUBL mon, which faded in usage w the DLCs, it's ability to lure in Flying and then knock their boots off is just highly appreciated and I wish ppl use it more on the following weeks


PS: #FlygonforSRank
 

Vaporeon has now been used 3 times and it won all 3 games! Pretty disappointed in all the people that lost to it but its a decent water that has nice utility in Wish and mainly Heal Bell. I'm personally not huge on it but it has its merits.
I think Vaporeon is more than decent and is honestly not much worse if not better than its bulky water-type competition being primarily Milotic but also Gastrodon. Functionally it checks a lot of the same Pokemon as Gastrodon and Milotic, but it provides something of extreme value; Wish and to a lesser extent Heal Bell, being able to heal up lets say a Steelix, Bronzong, or especially Incineroar is invaluable. Even in matchups that are unfavorable to Vaporeon if its healthy enough it can just throw up a Wish and swap to a teammate that does have a favorable matchup. Vaporeon's main issue is its passivity as its hard to afford Toxic or Flip Turn over Heal bell, and no its 2 turn recovery is not much of an issue stop complaining. Milotic's main advantages over Vaporeon that lend itself to be less passive are Toxic and Flip Turn, or being able to shut down Reuniclus with Haze. Toxic means Milotic is not helpless versus the likes of Volcanion and Gardevoir and to pressure a lot of other things like Nasty Plot Togekiss that may otherwise come in relatively freely. Milotic can even afford to run both Toxic and Flip turn, poisoning the water absorb Pokemon and pivoting on what doesn't. There are plenty of matchups where Vaporeon won't be much worse than Milotic and that its support could have in fact made it more valuable than a Milotic ever could be through supporting its team, especially considering how valuable Heal Bell and Wish support is currently. But what about Toxic or Flip Turn Vaporeon? the main issue with Vaporeon is its moveslot syndrome, due to its reliance on Wish + Protect as its way of healing its pressured more by Toxic than its competition which means it really wants to run Heal bell or be paired with Heal Bell support meaning Diancie, though using Diancie has its own issues usually involving opening yourself up to dangerous Psychic-types.

:raikou: & :toxtricity:
These guys legit disappeared from Tours scene, but I actually can see why, Flygon's just able to pressure both of them really hard(yeah scald can burn, but flygon's are usually prep'd for this) and I believe the meta is way more opressive for those 2 than it was before, altho Seism left this shift which is great for raik, both are usually not difficult to prep than it was before
I mean Toxtircity can very easily destroy Flygon with Boomburst. Toxtricity's problem for being overlooked is likely that its incredibly difficult to justify Toxtricity over Xurkitree. Xurkitree can afford Heavy-Duty boots so its not passively warn down by hazards and another huge advantage is the speed tier Xurkitree is faster than very importantly Togekiss but also some other threats such as Necrozma. Having your electric be an unreliable Togekiss check isn't good. Toxtricity since its choice locked can be more prediction heavy than Xurkitree and also thanks to the likes of Steelix and Reuniclus in the metagame its not even always better at wallbreaking than Xurkitree assuming it predicted correctly.

Raikou I do not think is bad by any means, its still a fast self sufficient pivot that can support its team well, forming Volt Turn cores with other great Pokemon like Crobat, Flygon, and Noivern. Flygon is admittedly annoying for it at best you can try and fish for a Scald burn whic can be devastating if your opponent lacks cleric support, and Toxic is pretty good at forcing Flygon on the backfoot to maybe Roost or if it doesn't have Roost even better. Seismitoad leaving and making Raikou better is a very on paper argument. Seismitoad wasn't that common and was also a mediocre Pokemon. Chances are if you saw a Seismitoad on the opposing team it would actually be more welcome for your Raikou than a Flygon which turns into momentum and/or a wallbreaking opportunity or a Gastrodon who eternally walls Raikou. At least Seismitoad lacks recovery and very strongly dislikes Toxic.
:umbreon:

Umbreon has legit dominated this week alongside w the queen, to no one's surprise it is probably one of the best defensive mons on the tier rn due to its enormous bulk
I think this one is more so Umbreon being a necessary evil in the metagame to stand up to Pokemon like Polteageist and Necrozma and many other Pokemon with its huge bulk, yes its good but its also very exploitable for a myriad of Pokemon like Cobalion, Heracross, Calm Mind Reuniclus, Taunt Nidoqueen and more.
PS: #FlygonforSRank
Sotrue
 

Ampha

"They don’t call me Greed for nothing!"
is a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributor
???

Code:
+ ---- + ------------------ + ---- + ------- + ------- +
| Rank | Pokemon            | Use  | Usage % |  Win %  |
+ ---- + ------------------ + ---- + ------- + ------- +
| 1    | Crobat             |    4 |  40.00% |  50.00% |
| 1    | Flygon             |    4 |  40.00% |  50.00% |
| 3    | Milotic            |    3 |  30.00% | 100.00% |
| 3    | Cobalion           |    3 |  30.00% |  66.67% |
| 3    | Registeel          |    3 |  30.00% |  33.33% |
| 6    | Steelix            |    2 |  20.00% | 100.00% |
| 6    | Dhelmise           |    2 |  20.00% | 100.00% |
| 6    | Gardevoir          |    2 |  20.00% | 100.00% |
| 6    | Tornadus           |    2 |  20.00% | 100.00% |
| 6    | Metagross          |    2 |  20.00% |  50.00% |
| 6    | Celebi             |    2 |  20.00% |  50.00% |
| 6    | Vaporeon           |    2 |  20.00% |  50.00% |
| 6    | Obstagoon          |    2 |  20.00% |  50.00% |
| 6    | Nidoqueen          |    2 |  20.00% |  50.00% |
| 6    | Incineroar         |    2 |  20.00% |  50.00% |
| 6    | Heracross          |    2 |  20.00% |  50.00% |
| 17   | Indeedee           |    1 |  10.00% | 100.00% |
| 17   | Diancie            |    1 |  10.00% | 100.00% |
| 17   | Xurkitree          |    1 |  10.00% | 100.00% |
| 17   | Starmie            |    1 |  10.00% | 100.00% |
| 17   | Roserade           |    1 |  10.00% | 100.00% |
| 17   | Sylveon            |    1 |  10.00% |   0.00% |
| 17   | Darmanitan         |    1 |  10.00% |   0.00% |
| 17   | Silvally           |    1 |  10.00% |   0.00% |
| 17   | Togekiss           |    1 |  10.00% |   0.00% |
| 17   | Barbaracle         |    1 |  10.00% |   0.00% |
| 17   | Weezing-Galar      |    1 |  10.00% |   0.00% |
| 17   | Suicune            |    1 |  10.00% |   0.00% |
| 17   | Mimikyu            |    1 |  10.00% |   0.00% |
| 17   | Pangoro            |    1 |  10.00% |   0.00% |
| 17   | Quagsire           |    1 |  10.00% |   0.00% |
| 17   | Umbreon            |    1 |  10.00% |   0.00% |
| 17   | Articuno           |    1 |  10.00% |   0.00% |
| 17   | Xatu               |    1 |  10.00% |   0.00% |
| 17   | Sableye            |    1 |  10.00% |   0.00% |
| 17   | Necrozma           |    1 |  10.00% |   0.00% |
| 17   | Gastrodon          |    1 |  10.00% |   0.00% |

Week 5 usages up and prob my favorite set from this week was:

:cobalion:
1633928900145.png


Lax's Choice Specs Cobalion put massive work against Nat's team, altho all 6 Focus Blasts hit, it does not take Coba's merit on 2 shotting Nat's Vaporeon

Also a fun set i'd like to mention as well was

:Tornadus:

ODR's defiant itemless Tornadus did a massive job against Ark's team, starting the game off 6-5 for ODR due to the Incineroar's intimidate buff, a cool set ngl

apart from that, I believe the week's usage was pretty normal, also as normal, i'd like to mention
#FlygonforSRank

P.S: sorry for the bad specs png, it was the best one I found on google :p
 

C0nfiden1 0yster

ヽ(o`皿′o)ノ
is a Pre-Contributor
RUPL Champion
Hello all! I wanna discuss week 6 a bit and then I'll conclude with some mons that have been doing well throughout the tournement.

+ ---- + ------------------ + ---- + ------- + ------- +
| Rank | Pokemon | Use | Usage % | Win % |
+ ---- + ------------------ + ---- + ------- + ------- +
| 1 | Registeel | 5 | 50.00% | 40.00% |
| 2 | Obstagoon | 4 | 40.00% | 50.00% |
| 2 | Flygon | 4 | 40.00% | 50.00% |
| 2 | Nidoqueen | 4 | 40.00% | 25.00% |
| 5 | Starmie | 3 | 30.00% | 33.33% |
| 5 | Reuniclus | 3 | 30.00% | 33.33% |
| 7 | Necrozma | 2 | 20.00% | 100.00% |
| 7 | Polteageist | 2 | 20.00% | 100.00% |
| 7 | Golurk | 2 | 20.00% | 50.00% |
| 7 | Crobat | 2 | 20.00% | 50.00% |
| 7 | Togekiss | 2 | 20.00% | 50.00% |
| 7 | Cobalion | 2 | 20.00% | 50.00% |
| 7 | Milotic | 2 | 20.00% | 0.00% |
| 14 | Darmanitan | 1 | 10.00% | 100.00% |
| 14 | Talonflame | 1 | 10.00% | 100.00% |
| 14 | Ditto | 1 | 10.00% | 100.00% |
| 14 | Weezing-Galar | 1 | 10.00% | 100.00% |
| 14 | Linoone | 1 | 10.00% | 100.00% |
| 14 | Slurpuff | 1 | 10.00% | 100.00% |
| 14 | Toxtricity | 1 | 10.00% | 100.00% |
| 14 | Ribombee | 1 | 10.00% | 100.00% |
| 14 | Golisopod | 1 | 10.00% | 100.00% |
| 14 | Guzzlord | 1 | 10.00% | 100.00% |
| 14 | Klefki | 1 | 10.00% | 100.00% |
| 14 | Lucario | 1 | 10.00% | 100.00% |
| 14 | Suicune | 1 | 10.00% | 100.00% |
| 14 | Bronzong | 1 | 10.00% | 0.00% |
| 14 | Volcanion | 1 | 10.00% | 0.00% |
| 14 | Umbreon | 1 | 10.00% | 0.00% |
| 14 | Rotom-Mow | 1 | 10.00% | 0.00% |
| 14 | Xatu | 1 | 10.00% | 0.00% |
| 14 | Metagross | 1 | 10.00% | 0.00% |
| 14 | Noivern | 1 | 10.00% | 0.00% |
| 14 | Sableye | 1 | 10.00% | 0.00% |
| 14 | Comfey | 1 | 10.00% | 0.00% |
| 14 | Incineroar | 1 | 10.00% | 0.00% |

+ ---- + ------------------ + ---- + ------- + ------- +
| Rank | Pokemon | Use | Usage % | Win % |
+ ---- + ------------------ + ---- + ------- + ------- +
| 1 | Flygon | 24 | 40.00% | 45.83% |
| 2 | Crobat | 16 | 26.67% | 50.00% |
| 3 | Registeel | 15 | 25.00% | 53.33% |
| 3 | Nidoqueen | 15 | 25.00% | 53.33% |
| 5 | Cobalion | 13 | 21.67% | 53.85% |
| 6 | Reuniclus | 12 | 20.00% | 58.33% |
| 7 | Togekiss | 10 | 16.67% | 70.00% |
| 7 | Obstagoon | 10 | 16.67% | 50.00% |
| 7 | Steelix | 10 | 16.67% | 40.00% |
| 10 | Necrozma | 9 | 15.00% | 66.67% |
| 10 | Milotic | 9 | 15.00% | 55.56% |
| 12 | Metagross | 8 | 13.33% | 62.50% |
| 12 | Starmie | 8 | 13.33% | 50.00% |
| 12 | Volcanion | 8 | 13.33% | 37.50% |
| 15 | Golisopod | 7 | 11.67% | 57.14% |
| 15 | Rotom-Mow | 7 | 11.67% | 42.86% |
| 15 | Umbreon | 7 | 11.67% | 42.86% |
| 15 | Xatu | 7 | 11.67% | 28.57% |
| 19 | Xurkitree | 6 | 10.00% | 66.67% |
| 19 | Stakataka | 6 | 10.00% | 50.00% |
| 19 | Gardevoir | 6 | 10.00% | 50.00% |
| 19 | Incineroar | 6 | 10.00% | 33.33% |
| 19 | Noivern | 6 | 10.00% | 33.33% |
| 24 | Dhelmise | 5 | 8.33% | 80.00% |
| 24 | Vaporeon | 5 | 8.33% | 80.00% |
| 24 | Tornadus | 5 | 8.33% | 60.00% |
| 24 | Heracross | 5 | 8.33% | 60.00% |
| 28 | Guzzlord | 4 | 6.67% | 100.00% |
| 28 | Roserade | 4 | 6.67% | 50.00% |
| 28 | Suicune | 4 | 6.67% | 50.00% |
| 28 | Darmanitan | 4 | 6.67% | 50.00% |
| 28 | Weezing-Galar | 4 | 6.67% | 50.00% |
| 28 | Pangoro | 4 | 6.67% | 25.00% |
| 28 | Gastrodon | 4 | 6.67% | 25.00% |
| 28 | Mimikyu | 4 | 6.67% | 0.00% |
| 36 | Seismitoad | 3 | 5.00% | 100.00% |
| 36 | Porygon2 | 3 | 5.00% | 33.33% |
| 36 | Chandelure | 3 | 5.00% | 33.33% |
| 36 | Vileplume | 3 | 5.00% | 33.33% |
| 36 | Bronzong | 3 | 5.00% | 0.00% |
| 41 | Ninetales-Alola | 2 | 3.33% | 100.00% |
| 41 | Arctozolt | 2 | 3.33% | 100.00% |
| 41 | Talonflame | 2 | 3.33% | 100.00% |
| 41 | Virizion | 2 | 3.33% | 100.00% |
| 41 | Diancie | 2 | 3.33% | 100.00% |
| 41 | Polteageist | 2 | 3.33% | 100.00% |
| 41 | Doublade | 2 | 3.33% | 50.00% |
| 41 | Sylveon | 2 | 3.33% | 50.00% |
| 41 | Ferroseed | 2 | 3.33% | 50.00% |
| 41 | Ditto | 2 | 3.33% | 50.00% |
| 41 | Gigalith | 2 | 3.33% | 50.00% |
| 41 | Lucario | 2 | 3.33% | 50.00% |
| 41 | Celebi | 2 | 3.33% | 50.00% |
| 41 | Golurk | 2 | 3.33% | 50.00% |
| 41 | Raikou | 2 | 3.33% | 0.00% |
| 41 | Durant | 2 | 3.33% | 0.00% |
| 41 | Sharpedo | 2 | 3.33% | 0.00% |
| 41 | Sigilyph | 2 | 3.33% | 0.00% |
| 41 | Sableye | 2 | 3.33% | 0.00% |
| 60 | Arctovish | 1 | 1.67% | 100.00% |
| 60 | Cresselia | 1 | 1.67% | 100.00% |
| 60 | Politoed | 1 | 1.67% | 100.00% |
| 60 | Kingdra | 1 | 1.67% | 100.00% |
| 60 | Toxicroak | 1 | 1.67% | 100.00% |
| 60 | Entei | 1 | 1.67% | 100.00% |
| 60 | Indeedee | 1 | 1.67% | 100.00% |
| 60 | Linoone | 1 | 1.67% | 100.00% |
| 60 | Slurpuff | 1 | 1.67% | 100.00% |
| 60 | Toxtricity | 1 | 1.67% | 100.00% |
| 60 | Ribombee | 1 | 1.67% | 100.00% |
| 60 | Klefki | 1 | 1.67% | 100.00% |
| 60 | Mantine | 1 | 1.67% | 0.00% |
| 60 | Snorlax | 1 | 1.67% | 0.00% |
| 60 | Regidrago | 1 | 1.67% | 0.00% |
| 60 | Altaria | 1 | 1.67% | 0.00% |
| 60 | Cryogonal | 1 | 1.67% | 0.00% |
| 60 | Clefairy | 1 | 1.67% | 0.00% |
| 60 | Heliolisk | 1 | 1.67% | 0.00% |
| 60 | Tyrantrum | 1 | 1.67% | 0.00% |
| 60 | Cloyster | 1 | 1.67% | 0.00% |
| - | Gourgeist-* | 1 | 1.67% | 0.00% |
| 60 | Gourgeist | 1 | 1.67% | 0.00% |
| 60 | Marowak-Alola | 1 | 1.67% | 0.00% |
| 60 | Tsareena | 1 | 1.67% | 0.00% |
| 60 | Jellicent | 1 | 1.67% | 0.00% |
| 60 | Silvally | 1 | 1.67% | 0.00% |
| 60 | Barbaracle | 1 | 1.67% | 0.00% |
| 60 | Quagsire | 1 | 1.67% | 0.00% |
| 60 | Articuno | 1 | 1.67% | 0.00% |
| 60 | Comfey | 1 | 1.67% | 0.00% |

:ss/Obstagoon:
This mon saw a good amount of usage appearing in 4 matches. It's role as a breaker that can defeat Reuniclus has become valuable and its lack of true counters and decent speed make it a really good option for a lot of teams. It also possesses good natural bulk, allowing it to take a hit a high percents.


Teams:
Anja :Bronzong::Reuniclus::Crobat::Flygon::Volcanion::Umbreon: vs Nat :Darmanitan::Starmie::Obstagoon::Talonflame::Registeel::Golurk:

In the Anja vs Nat game it picked up two kills, Facade on Crobat, then immediately after taking Flygon's Outrage to return with another Facade, then dealing a good chunk to Volcanion. Those kills allowed Nat's Fire-types to finish the game.

Teams:
atomicllamas :ditto::Obstagoon::Flygon::Registeel::Togekiss::Necrozma: vs CrashinBoomBang :Obstagoon::Rotom-Mow::Registeel::Xatu::Nidoqueen::Milotic:

In the atomicllamas vs CrashinBoomBang game we saw two Obstagoons against each other, both paired with Registeel. It was atomicllamas' Obstagoon that was seen first, going for Close Combat against Registeel and doing 60%, as Registeel went for Iron Defense. The next turn it goes for Switcheroo, giving Registeel a Flame Orb whilst also getting rid of its Leftovers. This was crucial for atomic's Togekiss, as it was a Nasty Plot variant that seemingly ran Heal Bell over Flamethrower. A couple turns after we see CBB's Obstagoon switching into Togekiss' Air Slash. This was followed by atomic switching Registeel into Obstagoon's Facade. Later on in the match it killed Flygon before dying to burn damage

Teams:
mac3 :Weezing-Galar::Zigzagoon::Slurpuff::Toxtricity::Polteageist::Ribombee: vs bruno :Cobalion::Obstagoon::Golurk::Metagross::Flygon::Milotic:

It was seen on bruno's team in the game against mac3 where it did not make an appearance.

We almost always see Obstagoon paired with a steel type being paired with Registeel 3 times and Metagross 1 time. This makes sense as Steel types often have a hard time with Reuniclus. In return, they can often tank the hits from threats faster the Obstagoon such as Crobat, Raikou, and Scarf Gardevoir.

:ss/nidoqueen:
This is the next pokemon I wanna look into. Ever since it dropped in September, it established itself as a top pokemon and a fantastic wallbreaker thanks to its coverage. It is similar to Obstagoon in the aspect it lacks a lot of true counters but is not similar in its speed and its bulk. Despite the bulk, however, is still has defensive utility, being able to switch into Xurkitree and some other electric types. It is also one of the best switch-ins to Steel types, notably, Registeel.

Teams
odr :Nidoqueen::Reuniclus::Incineroar::Registeel::Starmie::Togekiss: vs Sabella :Klefki::Polteageist::Flygon::Lucario::Necrozma::Suicune:

In the odr vs Sabella game it finished off a tweaked and paralyzed Necrozma. What is interesting to note was that this Necrozma was at +2 speed when Nidoqueen outsped and killed it, meaning it was Scarf. If I remember correctly, this is not the first time we saw a Scarf Nidoqueen, but I am having a hard time finding the replay so if you remember it please let me know. I wonder how well it did in that match as here we didn't get the best showing of it. In the end, it died to Suicune which ultimately won the match in the end..

Teams:
TheFranklin :Reuniclus::Cobalion::Nidoqueen::Golisopod::Guzzlord::Crobat: vs Charmflash :Nidoqueen::Noivern::Sableye::Starmie::Registeel::Comfey:

In the TheFranklin vs Charmflash game it was seen on both teams. TheFranklin's Nidoqueen was seen first chunking Registeel to half, then doing 65% to Starmie the turn after, which then forced it out. It came in again a couple turns later to then finish off Starmie which was sacked. Nidoqueen then kills Comfey as it attempts to set up. Charmflash's Nidoqueen had a hard time making progress thanks to AV Reuniclus.

Just to show teams again:
atomicllamas :ditto::Obstagoon::Flygon::Registeel::Togekiss::Necrozma: vs CrashinBoomBang :Obstagoon::Rotom-Mow::Registeel::Xatu::Nidoqueen::Milotic:

The last game that included Nidoqueen was the atomiclamas vs CrashinBoomBang game. Nidoqueen struggled to do much due to Togekiss' pressure, getting an Air Slash off when it came in against it, then getting flinched by Air Slash the turn after. Later in the game, Nido was sacked against Togekiss.

There wasn't as much consistency in partners with Nido as with Obstagoon, though Starmie was paired with it twice. In general, it is best used on balance teams, where its teammates can cover up for its lack of bulk and underwhelming speed. It also faces competition with Flygon

That's mainly what I wanted to talk about from Week 6. Overall I wanted to point out a few mons that have been doing well throughout the tournament. Rotom-Mow has been most impressive to me as it can easily Volt Switch around teams as there isn't really a pokemon that denies that and Leaf Storm. It reminds me very much of Xurkitree actually, in the aspect of how easy it is to pivot around with it. It also carries other utilities however, being able to trick a scarf onto a defensive steel, or be able to check electrics amongst other mons at high percents. I find its main issue to be its lack of power, as its volt switch is barely doing 50% to Togekiss. I believe that it is currently the best Electric type in RU and it is bringing back the Voltturn teams we used to see in Zarude meta, which have fallen off since for a number of reasons. Xatu is also another mon I want to mention as its presence for offensive teams is valuable, discouraging steel types like Bronzong and Registeel to use rocks or status. It has also been used on stall. Im also noticing this meta is slowly becoming NU :bloblul: ...

Also I wanna discuss some stuff about how the meta might change with the potential Reuniclus ban. In a previous post, These Dark types have been highlighted as great and underrated pokemon. They have been high in usage, and I wonder if they are going to stay as these underrated pokemon, or will they fall off if Reun were to get banned. I think the likes of Obstagoon and Pangoro can do well in a Reun-less meta but I'm afraid builders won't recognize this as the demand for Dark-types will decrease.

I think that's it for me. I hope you have a better understanding of some of the metagame trends and last week's SCL, thank you for reading! Also while I have your attention, RU Matchmaking Thread is accepting submissions for this week's Pokemon, Rotom-Mow! If you were to participate that would be greatly appreciated and if you have questions please let me know!
 

C0nfiden1 0yster

ヽ(o`皿′o)ノ
is a Pre-Contributor
RUPL Champion
Hello everyone! I'm going to do a similar recap of Weeks 7 & 8 as I did with Week 6. Since there weren't too many notable rises in usage, I wanna discuss some mons that have fallen off this week and this tour.

+ ---- + ------------------ + ---- + ------- + ------- +
| Rank | Pokemon | Use | Usage % | Win % |
+ ---- + ------------------ + ---- + ------- + ------- +
| 1 | Flygon | 7 | 70.00% | 42.86% |
| 2 | Reuniclus | 4 | 40.00% | 75.00% |
| 2 | Necrozma | 4 | 40.00% | 50.00% |
| 2 | Cobalion | 4 | 40.00% | 25.00% |
| 5 | Volcanion | 3 | 30.00% | 66.67% |
| 5 | Togekiss | 3 | 30.00% | 33.33% |
| 7 | Nidoqueen | 2 | 20.00% | 50.00% |
| 7 | Registeel | 2 | 20.00% | 50.00% |
| 7 | Grimmsnarl | 2 | 20.00% | 50.00% |
| 7 | Suicune | 2 | 20.00% | 50.00% |
| 7 | Diancie | 2 | 20.00% | 50.00% |
| 7 | Umbreon | 2 | 20.00% | 50.00% |
| 7 | Metagross | 2 | 20.00% | 50.00% |
| 7 | Tornadus | 2 | 20.00% | 0.00% |
| 15 | Klefki | 1 | 10.00% | 100.00% |
| 15 | Polteageist | 1 | 10.00% | 100.00% |
| 15 | Lucario | 1 | 10.00% | 100.00% |
| 15 | Glastrier | 1 | 10.00% | 100.00% |
| 15 | Cresselia | 1 | 10.00% | 100.00% |
| 15 | Golurk | 1 | 10.00% | 100.00% |
| 15 | Crobat | 1 | 10.00% | 100.00% |
| 15 | Jellicent | 1 | 10.00% | 100.00% |
| 15 | Vaporeon | 1 | 10.00% | 100.00% |
| 15 | Heracross | 1 | 10.00% | 100.00% |
| 15 | Bronzong | 1 | 10.00% | 100.00% |
| 15 | Starmie | 1 | 10.00% | 0.00% |
| 15 | Decidueye | 1 | 10.00% | 0.00% |
| 15 | Rotom-Mow | 1 | 10.00% | 0.00% |
| 15 | Obstagoon | 1 | 10.00% | 0.00% |
| 15 | Talonflame | 1 | 10.00% | 0.00% |
| 15 | Sharpedo | 1 | 10.00% | 0.00% |
| 15 | Mimikyu | 1 | 10.00% | 0.00% |
| 15 | Raikou | 1 | 10.00% | 0.00% |

+ ---- + ------------------ + ---- + ------- + ------- +
| Rank | Pokemon | Use | Usage % | Win % |
+ ---- + ------------------ + ---- + ------- + ------- +
| 1 | Reuniclus | 5 | 50.00% | 40.00% |
| 2 | Metagross | 4 | 40.00% | 50.00% |
| 2 | Nidoqueen | 4 | 40.00% | 50.00% |
| 2 | Flygon | 4 | 40.00% | 50.00% |
| 5 | Crobat | 3 | 30.00% | 66.67% |
| 5 | Umbreon | 3 | 30.00% | 33.33% |
| 7 | Obstagoon | 2 | 20.00% | 100.00% |
| 7 | Bronzong | 2 | 20.00% | 50.00% |
| 7 | Incineroar | 2 | 20.00% | 50.00% |
| 7 | Noivern | 2 | 20.00% | 50.00% |
| 7 | Starmie | 2 | 20.00% | 50.00% |
| 7 | Togekiss | 2 | 20.00% | 50.00% |
| 7 | Registeel | 2 | 20.00% | 50.00% |
| 7 | Golisopod | 2 | 20.00% | 50.00% |
| 7 | Suicune | 2 | 20.00% | 50.00% |
| 7 | Gardevoir | 2 | 20.00% | 0.00% |
| 17 | Jellicent | 1 | 10.00% | 100.00% |
| 17 | Vileplume | 1 | 10.00% | 100.00% |
| 17 | Passimian | 1 | 10.00% | 100.00% |
| 17 | Ditto | 1 | 10.00% | 100.00% |
| 17 | Necrozma | 1 | 10.00% | 100.00% |
| 17 | Diancie | 1 | 10.00% | 100.00% |
| 17 | Snorlax | 1 | 10.00% | 100.00% |
| 17 | Steelix | 1 | 10.00% | 100.00% |
| 17 | Rotom-Mow | 1 | 10.00% | 100.00% |
| 17 | Thwackey | 1 | 10.00% | 0.00% |
| 17 | Gastrodon | 1 | 10.00% | 0.00% |
| 17 | Milotic | 1 | 10.00% | 0.00% |
| 17 | Cobalion | 1 | 10.00% | 0.00% |
| 17 | Tornadus | 1 | 10.00% | 0.00% |
| 17 | Roserade | 1 | 10.00% | 0.00% |
| 17 | Guzzlord | 1 | 10.00% | 0.00% |
| 17 | Xurkitree | 1 | 10.00% | 0.00% |

+ ---- + ------------------ + ---- + ------- + ------- +
| Rank | Pokemon | Use | Usage % | Win % |
+ ---- + ------------------ + ---- + ------- + ------- +
| 1 | Flygon | 35 | 43.75% | 45.71% |
| 2 | Reuniclus | 21 | 26.25% | 57.14% |
| 2 | Nidoqueen | 21 | 26.25% | 52.38% |
| 4 | Crobat | 20 | 25.00% | 55.00% |
| 5 | Registeel | 19 | 23.75% | 52.63% |
| 6 | Cobalion | 18 | 22.50% | 44.44% |
| 7 | Togekiss | 15 | 18.75% | 60.00% |
| 8 | Necrozma | 14 | 17.50% | 64.29% |
| 8 | Metagross | 14 | 17.50% | 57.14% |
| 10 | Obstagoon | 13 | 16.25% | 53.85% |
| 11 | Umbreon | 12 | 15.00% | 41.67% |
| 12 | Starmie | 11 | 13.75% | 45.45% |
| 12 | Volcanion | 11 | 13.75% | 45.45% |
| 12 | Steelix | 11 | 13.75% | 45.45% |
| 15 | Milotic | 10 | 12.50% | 50.00% |
| 16 | Golisopod | 9 | 11.25% | 55.56% |
| 16 | Rotom-Mow | 9 | 11.25% | 44.44% |
| 18 | Suicune | 8 | 10.00% | 50.00% |
| 18 | Incineroar | 8 | 10.00% | 37.50% |
| 18 | Noivern | 8 | 10.00% | 37.50% |
| 18 | Gardevoir | 8 | 10.00% | 37.50% |
| 18 | Tornadus | 8 | 10.00% | 37.50% |
| 23 | Xurkitree | 7 | 8.75% | 57.14% |
| 23 | Xatu | 7 | 8.75% | 28.57% |
| 25 | Vaporeon | 6 | 7.50% | 83.33% |
| 25 | Heracross | 6 | 7.50% | 66.67% |
| 25 | Stakataka | 6 | 7.50% | 50.00% |
| 25 | Bronzong | 6 | 7.50% | 33.33% |
| 29 | Dhelmise | 5 | 6.25% | 80.00% |
| 29 | Guzzlord | 5 | 6.25% | 80.00% |
| 29 | Diancie | 5 | 6.25% | 80.00% |
| 29 | Roserade | 5 | 6.25% | 40.00% |
| 29 | Gastrodon | 5 | 6.25% | 20.00% |
| 29 | Mimikyu | 5 | 6.25% | 0.00% |
| 35 | Vileplume | 4 | 5.00% | 50.00% |
| 35 | Darmanitan | 4 | 5.00% | 50.00% |
| 35 | Weezing-Galar | 4 | 5.00% | 50.00% |
| 35 | Pangoro | 4 | 5.00% | 25.00% |
| 39 | Seismitoad | 3 | 3.75% | 100.00% |
| 39 | Polteageist | 3 | 3.75% | 100.00% |
| 39 | Talonflame | 3 | 3.75% | 66.67% |
| 39 | Ditto | 3 | 3.75% | 66.67% |
| 39 | Lucario | 3 | 3.75% | 66.67% |
| 39 | Jellicent | 3 | 3.75% | 66.67% |
| 39 | Golurk | 3 | 3.75% | 66.67% |
| 39 | Porygon2 | 3 | 3.75% | 33.33% |
| 39 | Chandelure | 3 | 3.75% | 33.33% |
| 39 | Raikou | 3 | 3.75% | 0.00% |
| 39 | Sharpedo | 3 | 3.75% | 0.00% |
| 50 | Ninetales-Alola | 2 | 2.50% | 100.00% |
| 50 | Arctozolt | 2 | 2.50% | 100.00% |
| 50 | Cresselia | 2 | 2.50% | 100.00% |
| 50 | Virizion | 2 | 2.50% | 100.00% |
| 50 | Klefki | 2 | 2.50% | 100.00% |
| 50 | Snorlax | 2 | 2.50% | 50.00% |
| 50 | Doublade | 2 | 2.50% | 50.00% |
| 50 | Sylveon | 2 | 2.50% | 50.00% |
| 50 | Ferroseed | 2 | 2.50% | 50.00% |
| 50 | Gigalith | 2 | 2.50% | 50.00% |
| 50 | Celebi | 2 | 2.50% | 50.00% |
| 50 | Grimmsnarl | 2 | 2.50% | 50.00% |
| 50 | Durant | 2 | 2.50% | 0.00% |
| 50 | Sigilyph | 2 | 2.50% | 0.00% |
| 50 | Sableye | 2 | 2.50% | 0.00% |
| 65 | Arctovish | 1 | 1.25% | 100.00% |
| 65 | Politoed | 1 | 1.25% | 100.00% |
| 65 | Kingdra | 1 | 1.25% | 100.00% |
| 65 | Toxicroak | 1 | 1.25% | 100.00% |
| 65 | Entei | 1 | 1.25% | 100.00% |
| 65 | Indeedee | 1 | 1.25% | 100.00% |
| 65 | Linoone | 1 | 1.25% | 100.00% |
| 65 | Slurpuff | 1 | 1.25% | 100.00% |
| 65 | Toxtricity | 1 | 1.25% | 100.00% |
| 65 | Ribombee | 1 | 1.25% | 100.00% |
| 65 | Passimian | 1 | 1.25% | 100.00% |
| 65 | Glastrier | 1 | 1.25% | 100.00% |
| 65 | Mantine | 1 | 1.25% | 0.00% |
| 65 | Regidrago | 1 | 1.25% | 0.00% |
| 65 | Altaria | 1 | 1.25% | 0.00% |
| 65 | Cryogonal | 1 | 1.25% | 0.00% |
| 65 | Clefairy | 1 | 1.25% | 0.00% |
| 65 | Heliolisk | 1 | 1.25% | 0.00% |
| 65 | Tyrantrum | 1 | 1.25% | 0.00% |
| 65 | Cloyster | 1 | 1.25% | 0.00% |
| - | Gourgeist-* | 1 | 1.25% | 0.00% |
| 65 | Gourgeist | 1 | 1.25% | 0.00% |
| 65 | Marowak-Alola | 1 | 1.25% | 0.00% |
| 65 | Tsareena | 1 | 1.25% | 0.00% |
| 65 | Silvally | 1 | 1.25% | 0.00% |
| 65 | Barbaracle | 1 | 1.25% | 0.00% |
| 65 | Quagsire | 1 | 1.25% | 0.00% |
| 65 | Articuno | 1 | 1.25% | 0.00% |
| 65 | Comfey | 1 | 1.25% | 0.00% |
| 65 | Thwackey | 1 | 1.25% | 0.00% |
| 65 | Decidueye | 1 | 1.25% | 0.00% |
:ss/golisopod:
This tournament I feel that Golisipod has been struggling to make as big of an impact as it did early on in this meta. This is somewhat reflected in the usage stats of this SCL, and the usage of RUPL. Just to show, in 8 weeks of SCL it was used 9 times, while in the RUPL Finals round alone it had been used 7 times. In battle, I also feel that it has been lackluster and a bit of a shadow of its former self. I believe there are two main reasons for such.

The main one is that the meta has naturally adapted to it, and spikes as a whole. The rise of Crobat has been a huge issue for it. At first you may think that Noivern was a even bigger problem for it, thanks to its water resistance, but it can only threaten the Emergency Exit. Crobat threatens the really big damage (enough damage where it can't check what it normally can) and can clear its spikes. In fact, Golisopod has been most effective this toury when not facing Crobat, as seen in atomicllamas vs TheFranklin, where llamas takes advantage of Noivern right from Turn 1, especially this Defog variant, as Gardvoir has been given this free switch for essentially no cost, while the Golisopod got rid of Noiverns boots, which reduces its ability to take hits. Ultimately in the end this did not matter as much as Steelix missed Head Smash which would have killed the Noivern. The important aspect (in context of Golisipod) that was shown in this battle was that Golisopod made progress on Noivern as it got rid of its boots and was able to create momentum off of it. In the contrast we see a Golisopod vs a Crobat in the atomicllamas vs bruno game. Crobat consistently thwarts its progress and Golisopod is often unable to get that extra layer of spikes. If it did get a few more spikes down, the game could have been different as bruno's team doesn't exactly welcome them, and would have likely had an easier time with Entei which won the game in the end (perhaps with a bit of fortune). Now we must remember than during RUPL, Noivern was favored over Crobat and hence Golisopod had an easier time with it.

Teams have also been less weak to spikes than they were before. For a bit of context, here are some replays of RUPL finals. There is also a list of mons that are affected by spikes, and all the mons that are removing spikes
SoulWind vs Yaily :Mimikyu: :Cobalion: :Seismitoad: Removal: :Crobat: vs :Rhyperior: :Sharpedo: Removal: none (potentially :aerodactyl: and :noivern:)
umbry vs Lilburr :Stakataka: :Dhelmise: Removal: :Dhelmise: (potentially) vs :Registeel: Removal: none (potentially :Togekiss:)
termi vs Sensei Axew :Diancie: :Golurk: :Cobalion: Removal: none (potentially :Noivern:) vs :Reuniclus: :Lucario: :Rhyperior: Removal: none (potentially :Noivern:)
Lunala vs Serene Grace :Vileplume: :Diancie: :Cobalion: Removal: :Tornadus: (potentially) vs :Mimikyu: :Reuniclus: :Seismitoad: :Cobalion: Removal: none (potentially :Aerodactyl:
umbry vs atomicllamas :Rhyperior: :Cobalion: :Reuniclus: Removal: :Crobat: (potentially) vs :Durant: :Diancie: Removal: none (potentially :Crobat: or :Flygon:, but unlikely)
Soulwind vs Punny :Rhyperior: :Durant: Removal: :Crobat: (potentially) vs :Cobalion: :Gastrodon: :Metagross: Removal: :Togekiss: (potentially)
And then here are some replays from the latest week of SCL, with the same mons highlighted
Davon vs odr :Thwackey: Removal: none (potentially :noivern:) vs :Jellicent::Reuniclus::metagross::Umbreon::Nidoqueen: Removal: :Crobat:
Sabella vs Ark :Nidoqueen: :Cobalion::Milotic::Umbreon: Removal: Togekiss (potentially) vs :vileplume::passimian: Removal: :Starmie:
TheFranklin vs Askov :Ditto: :Obstagoon: :Registeel: :Necrozma: Removal: :Flygon: and :ditto: -> :starmie: (lol) vs :Registeel: :Gardevoir: Removal: :starmie:
Mac3 vs CrashinBoomBang :Guzzlord::Metagross::Gardevoir: Removal: :Flygon: (potentially) vs :Nidoqueen: :Diancie::Snorlax::Metagross: Removal: :Noivern:
atomicllamas vs Nat :Reuniclus: :Steelix: :Suicune: Removal: :Rotom-Mow: vs :Nidoqueen: :Reuniclus::Metagross::Suicune::Umbreon: Removal: :Crobat:

The number of mons that are vulnerable to spikes are pretty consistent, in SCL we actually see a bit more spikes vulnerable mons, but we see every team has hazard removal, reliable hazard removal might I add. Davon had the only team without hazard removal, but even then, Thwacky was the only 1 of 6 weak affected by spikes. We see in the RUPL games that 6 teams lack hazard removal entirely, which pretty much proves that in the builder, hazards weren't a priority, while now it seemingly has. Also the number of hazard removal options has increased as Defog Flygon as become more popular, as well as Starmie.

The main reason why people are using other water types ahead of Golisopod is due to its lack of fire resist, which could be considered a water-type's primary job. In context of RU, Darmanitan, Incineroar, and Chandelure are the main fire-types and In RUPL, pokemon like Diancie and Rhyperior were able to cover that issue, with their bulk and typing. Other fire-resists like Noivern and Flygon also helped it cover that issue of its. Since then, Diancie as fallen off and Rhyperior has left the tier, leaving no rockers that resist fire (well you could still use Diancie but it wasn't as good). This becomes more of an issue when Golisopod can be seen on hazard stacking builds, meaning supporting it has become harder. So this begs the question, how are people supporting Golisopod now?
+ ---- + ----------------------- + ---- + ------- + ------- +
| 16 | [Golisopod] | 9 | 11.25% | 55.56% |
+ ---- + ----------------------- + ---- + ------- + ------- +
| Rank | Teammates | Use | Usage % | Win % |
+ ---- + ----------------------- + ---- + ------- + ------- +
| 1 | Cobalion | 4 | 44.44% | 75.00% |
| 1 | Nidoqueen | 4 | 44.44% | 75.00% |
| 1 | Noivern | 4 | 44.44% | 50.00% |
| 1 | Xurkitree | 4 | 44.44% | 25.00% |
| 5 | Reuniclus | 3 | 33.33% | 100.00% |
| 5 | Flygon | 3 | 33.33% | 66.67% |
| 5 | Gardevoir | 3 | 33.33% | 33.33% |
| 8 | Dhelmise | 2 | 22.22% | 100.00% |
| 8 | Stakataka | 2 | 22.22% | 50.00% |
| 8 | Guzzlord | 2 | 22.22% | 50.00% |
| 8 | Metagross | 2 | 22.22% | 50.00% |
| 12 | Incineroar | 1 | 11.11% | 100.00% |
| 12 | Umbreon | 1 | 11.11% | 100.00% |
| 12 | Crobat | 1 | 11.11% | 100.00% |
| 12 | Diancie | 1 | 11.11% | 100.00% |
| 12 | Snorlax | 1 | 11.11% | 100.00% |
| 12 | Sharpedo | 1 | 11.11% | 0.00% |
| 12 | Steelix | 1 | 11.11% | 0.00% |
| 12 | Marowak-Alola | 1 | 11.11% | 0.00% |
| 12 | Xatu | 1 | 11.11% | 0.00% |
| 12 | Porygon2 | 1 | 11.11% | 0.00% |
| 12 | Chandelure | 1 | 11.11% | 0.00% |
| 12 | Tsareena | 1 | 11.11% | 0.00% |
The main fire resists that have been used are the aforementioned Noivern and Flygon which are no doubt top mons, but they don't set hazards up, they don't counter Scarf Darm without investment, and they don't tank Scarf Chande Shadow Ball. Darmanitan and Chandelure aren't the most common pokes rn, so they are able to get away with it in some in instances, but this issue of its certainly decreases its usage.

So to recap, Golisopod's downfalls are caused by the meta adapting to hazards and it losing some of its best teammates. There's other things too like Mienshao leaving, which could switch in to its Close Combat and the rise of other waters such as Vaporeon and Starmie, which contribute to its gradual decline. For the future, I think Golisopod will stray away from Spikes and use Leech Life or Close Combat instead. Leech Life allows it to beat Reuniclus which is staying in the tier, and Close Combat allows it to put more immediate pressure on steels, which sometimes switch in to absorb First Impression. Something interesting that Odr did was combine Future Sight Reun with it, which makes a lot of sense as common First Impression switch ins are weak to it. I went is such detail with this as I haven't seen anyone talk about its decline.

Small Edit: I don't think Golisopod is bad, but I think its role as a spiker is outdated. 4 attacks is likely the way it will go.

:ss/Raikou:
Its safe to say Raikou is a major shadow of its former self as it consistently does absolutely nothing in all three 3 games it's been seen. Here are the replays:
TheFranklin vs Confide :Registeel::mantine::flygon::dhelmise::raikou::incineroar: vs :reuniclus::golisopod::cobalion::flygon::xurkitree::dhelmise:
TheFranklin vs Odr :stakataka::crobat::gastrodon::reuniclus::raikou::obstagoon: vs :golisopod::reuniclus::umbreon::cobalion::noivern::nidoqueen: (this was the FS + pod game I was talking about b4)
TheFrankin vs mac3 :grimmsnarl::flygon::reuniclus::bronzong::heracross::volcanion: vs :necrozma::tornadus::flygon::raikou::metagross::togekiss:

Only in the first game, TheFranklin vs Confide, did Raikou actually pivot around like it is supposed to, and that was at the end of the game, once the flygon had been taken down. In the other two games, it didn't feature at all (until the end of the game where it died). It's clear the Raikou user in each game is not choosing to bring in Raikou, even when it can. This is because these players know they will lose momentum, meaning there are other Pokemon that preserve momentum better or break better. Raikou, a pivot, is losing momentum... When I look at some of my games and some of the times I have used Raikou, its the same story. I keep it in the back and hope its bulky and fast enough to clean in the end game, and it appears other players unintentionally use this mon the same way. In all honesty, it is closer to Toxtricty than it is to Xurkitree in terms of viabilty.

So what has changed for it? Zarude has left, Rhyperior has left, Flygon has gotten much better, and Nidoqueen has joined. Just as a reminder, its relationship with Zarude was generally somewhat positive. Aura Sphere was used and brought direct pressure to it, and it could also Volt Switch on it, keeping momentum. Granted, since Zarude is slower, it could read your Volt Switch and respond with a U-turn of its own, which lost some momentum. In general, it was still able to pivot around Zarude which was important as it was the most common pokemon in the tier. With Rhyperior, it was able to threaten with Scald, which it was 4x weak to, and was able to Toxic it. It can apply direct pressure to it.. Then Nidoqueen dropped which it struggles with it as Nido is immune to toxic. You can't keep momentum against it, but you can put immediate pressure against it with Scald and Extrasensory. Xurkitree can not pressure Nido as well as Raikou does, which I think is a notable difference between the two. Before Nido joined however, Flygon was on a grand rise in usage and Flygon is probably its biggest check outside of Gastrodon or something of that sorts. Raikou can not pivot on Flygon, and does not have any moves that put reliable immediate pressure. Sure you can Toxic it, but Flygon often runs recovery and is not easy to chip otherwise, so that is rarely relevant. Even after you Toxic it, what happens the next time Raikou comes in? You use your second move on that does 35% and then immediately forced out again. The main issue for it seems to be that the new rising ground types are able to overcome Raikou in ways that Rhyperior or Steelix couldn't.

The other notable change that has occurred was Togekiss's decline in usage. A big part of why you use Raikou over Xurkitree is because of its enhanced Togekiss match up, and now that match up has become less important. From here, I can't see Raikou getting any better, though I am told Rhyperior might drop back to RU, which will certainly change things up if that happens. I'm noticing a lot of these gradual declines are caused by Rhyperior's absence, which means it affected the meta a lot more that we thought.

:ss/grimmsnarl:
This is the last pokemon I want to discuss briefly. We have only seen it in battle once in the TheFrankin vs mac3 game. We see it use a Choice Band Set and it doing 99% with a crit to Togekiss, which was important in this game as it led to Heracross sweeping in the end game. I think a set like this is most comparable to Pangoro, though it has some keep advantages and disadvantages. Grimmsnarl as a Pranker Trick option and can muscle through Flying types, specifically Togekiss, while Pangoro has Knock off and a 120 bp Stab. Grim also has a great priority option in STAB Sucker Punch which is also crucial.

I think I'm going to leave it off there. I hope the Golisopod section sparks more discussion as I really don't think its as good as people lead it on to be and I hope you better understand Raikou's decline and what has led it to that. I also lastly hope you enjoyed reading this and want to thank you if you read the whole thing! :blobthumbsup:
 
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