Metagame Tier Shift

[G-Luke]

Ok so as we know alot of major shifts have happened within lower tiers, which means some mons got buffed (and nerfed) in Tier Shift!

Lets look at some of the promising standouts.

Recent Buffs

Altaria
Stats: 110/110/130/110/145/120

Stall and balance teams will have a blast using Altaria as a solid Fire type check and defogger. 110/130/145 bulk is amazing, and combined with its useful defensive typing allows it pivot into a myriad of offensive terrors such as Pyroar, Magmotar and base Sceptile.

Hoopa
Stats: 110/140/90/180/160/100

Enjoy it while its still legally allowed to get NU buffs. While Hoopa hates Pursuit, and it is common, not alot can viably switch into it. NP + 3 Attacks and Nasty Plot + Taunt allow it to absolutely terrorize stall teams. Its special bulk allows it to pivot into most resisted special attacks with ease, and proceed to NP up and get to town. This thing absolutely hates Dark types however, so it shouldn't be too hard to handle.

Omastar
Stats: 110/100/165/155/110/95

Rain is busted. Plain and simple. Even without Damp Rock, Rain still assures its dominance, and with Omastar dropping to PU, it will only become more problematic. Now, on to Omastar itself, it is a destructive beast under rain, and even without it, it has several viable sets, like an infamous Shell Smash + Z-Move set, or a decent hazard setter with Spikes. Be prepared to see alot of this mon.

Alolan Marowak
Stats: 80/100/130/70/100/65

One reason I brought up this mon, and is because of how it can unhinge teams under TR. Its Flare Blitz is ridiculous after +2, and if the tier wasn't as fat, I'd wager it would be a top ranked mon.

Better Megas

Alot of megas shifted in this Tier Update, so we will be analyzing each of them.

Mega Sceptile
Stats: 90/130/95/165/105/165

No longer completely outclassed by its base form, Mega Sceptile and its blazing fast speed tier and strong attacks are here to make a statement. It easily is a headache for plenty offensive teams, as it outpaces common speed demons like Raichu-A, Mega Beedrill, Manectric and Aerodactyl. It can run solid SD sets or special AoA sets, and generally mandates the use of Choice Scarf. Lightning Rod, while situational, can provide a dangerous boost in power against unsuspecting Volt Switchers.

Mega Slowbro
Stats: 115/95/200/150/100/50

Now, why would I run Mega Bro if I can simply run its base form? One reason. CM simply destroys teams without means to bust past it. its gargantuan physical bulk + CM and its surpringly high SpA attack allow it to run through offensive teams once its answers are gone. And boy, can it run through teams.

Mega Venusaur
Stats: 90/110/133/132/130/90

A great defensive typing + solid bulk and Thick Fat makes Mega Venu the face of balance and BO teams. While it faces very stiff competition from resident defensive Grass type Tangela, its much more balanced bulk, and very different set of checks thanks to its typing and ability allows it to stick out from the crowd.

Mega Banette
Still bad

Nerfs

A lot of playstyles and Pokemon have been directly and indirectly nerfed as a result of the shifts, so lets highlight them in detail.

Sand

With the recent banning of Gigalith from NU in combination of the rising of both Sandslash and Stoutland, sand as a playstyle is in its dark days.. Even still, its still a solid playstyle, and its only a matter of time before Sandslash and Stoutland make their return to PU, so take the ease in sand teams with a grain of sand and capitalize while you still can.

Gastrodon

Rising all the way from PU to OU means that poor Fidel Gastro loses a whooping 240 BST! While OU does celebrate is well deserved rise in standard, here in Tier Shift going from 151/123/108/132/122/79 to 111/83/68/92/82/39 is an auto unviable sign. Teams will have to find another mon to fill the void of the quintessential Electric/Water immunity (AKA, our best chance against rain). Luckly though, OU seems to be learning how to deal with Gastrodon, so we might just see it rejoining the viable mons within a couple months.

All around Tier Shift aint the same metagame it was last week, and I hope you all take note. In the meantime, I got a few announcements. We are assembling a council for Tier Shift, and I am accepting inquiries from interested people. Quantum Tesseract has already joined. Our first mission as council will be to tackle the rather uncertain future of this underappreciated meta + assemble some viability rankings. Peace!

 

[drfrankenbaum]

This is currently SLIGHTLY ahead in the race for next months OM of the month. Does that mean it will be exactly as the rules are now on the first post?

 

[G-Luke]

This is currently SLIGHTLY ahead in the race for next months OM of the month. Does that mean it will be exactly as the rules are now on the first post?

Yes the rules are as of right now are up to date

 

[VCrakeV]

So, in preparation for the case this meta becomes OMotM, how do you deal with rain (and possibly other weather)? There are several checks in OU, like energy ball Zam, Gastrodon, and various others. But there are so many buffed swift swimmers that you can't hope to check them all, I imagine.

 

[G-Luke]

So, in preparation for the case this meta becomes OMotM, how do you deal with rain (and possibly other weather)? There are several checks in OU, like energy ball Zam, Gastrodon, and various others. But there are so many buffed swift swimmers that you can't hope to check them all, I imagine.

Tangela, Alt and a few other natural Rain checks exists, but I won't pretend as if it isn't a very dominating playstyle. If rain proves to be broken even while Damp Rock is banned (very important to note), then more stringent actions will be swiftly :) taken into effect.

 

[VCrakeV]

Tangela, Alt and a few other natural Rain checks exists, but I won't pretend as if it isn't a very dominating playstyle. If rain proves to be broken even while Damp Rock is banned (very important to note), then more stringent actions will be swiftly :) taken into effect.

Isn't Altaria weak to Kabutops' Stone Edge and is outsped even after cloud nine? I'd say Ludicolo's ice beam too, but I'm not sure how fast it is... Kingdra also gets a mention for Draco (and can also run ice beam if it wants).

 

[Schpoonman]

Altaria is base 80 Speed, ties with Kabutops.

 

[AIPS]

Here's a very good counter to most bulky things:
Chimecho @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 44 SpD
Calm Nature
- Perish Song
- Wrap
- Protect
- Wish / Recover

It has 115 / 120 / 130 bulk with recovery, and is the best Perish trapper in this metagame (besides Lapras in rain teams)

 

[Yoavgreninja]

Ok so as we know alot of major shifts have happened within lower tiers, which means some mons got buffed (and nerfed) in Tier Shift!

Lets look at some of the promising standouts.

Recent Buffs

Altaria
Stats: 110/110/130/110/145/120

Stall and balance teams will have a blast using Altaria as a solid Fire type check and defogger. 110/130/145 bulk is amazing, and combined with its useful defensive typing allows it pivot into a myriad of offensive terrors such as Pyroar, Magmotar and base Sceptile.

Hoopa
Stats: 110/140/90/180/160/100

Enjoy it while its still legally allowed to get NU buffs. While Hoopa hates Pursuit, and it is common, not alot can viably switch into it. NP + 3 Attacks and Nasty Plot + Taunt allow it to absolutely terrorize stall teams. Its special bulk allows it to pivot into most resisted special attacks with ease, and proceed to NP up and get to town. This thing absolutely hates Dark types however, so it shouldn't be too hard to handle.

Omastar
Stats: 110/100/165/155/110/95

Rain is busted. Plain and simple. Even without Damp Rock, Rain still assures its dominance, and with Omastar dropping to PU, it will only become more problematic. Now, on to Omastar itself, it is a destructive beast under rain, and even without it, it has several viable sets, like an infamous Shell Smash + Z-Move set, or a decent hazard setter with Spikes. Be prepared to see alot of this mon.

Alolan Marowak
Stats: 80/100/130/70/100/65

One reason I brought up this mon, and is because of how it can unhinge teams under TR. Its Flare Blitz is ridiculous after +2, and if the tier wasn't as fat, I'd wager it would be a top ranked mon.

Better Megas

Alot of megas shifted in this Tier Update, so we will be analyzing each of them.

Mega Sceptile
Stats: 90/130/95/165/105/165

No longer completely outclassed by its base form, Mega Sceptile and its blazing fast speed tier and strong attacks are here to make a statement. It easily is a headache for plenty offensive teams, as it outpaces common speed demons like Raichu-A, Mega Beedrill, Manectric and Aerodactyl. It can run solid SD sets or special AoA sets, and generally mandates the use of Choice Scarf. Lightning Rod, while situational, can provide a dangerous boost in power against unsuspecting Volt Switchers.

Mega Slowbro
Stats: 115/95/200/150/100/50

Now, why would I run Mega Bro if I can simply run its base form? One reason. CM simply destroys teams without means to bust past it. its gargantuan physical bulk + CM and its surpringly high SpA attack allow it to run through offensive teams once its answers are gone. And boy, can it run through teams.

Mega Venusaur
Stats: 90/110/133/132/130/90

A great defensive typing + solid bulk and Thick Fat makes Mega Venu the face of balance and BO teams. While it faces very stiff competition from resident defensive Grass type Tangela, its much more balanced bulk, and very different set of checks thanks to its typing and ability allows it to stick out from the crowd.

Mega Banette
Still bad

Nerfs

A lot of playstyles and Pokemon have been directly and indirectly nerfed as a result of the shifts, so lets highlight them in detail.

Sand

With the recent banning of Gigalith from NU in combination of the rising of both Sandslash and Stoutland, sand as a playstyle is in its dark days.. Even still, its still a solid playstyle, and its only a matter of time before Sandslash and Stoutland make their return to PU, so take the ease in sand teams with a grain of sand and capitalize while you still can.

Gastrodon

Rising all the way from PU to OU means that poor Fidel Gastro loses a whooping 240 BST! While OU does celebrate is well deserved rise in standard, here in Tier Shift going from 151/123/108/132/122/79 to 111/83/68/92/82/39 is an auto unviable sign. Teams will have to find another mon to fill the void of the quintessential Electric/Water immunity (AKA, our best chance against rain). Luckly though, OU seems to be learning how to deal with Gastrodon, so we might just see it rejoining the viable mons within a couple months.

All around Tier Shift aint the same metagame it was last week, and I hope you all take note. In the meantime, I got a few announcements. We are assembling a council for Tier Shift, and I am accepting inquiries from interested people. Quantum Tesseract has already joined. Our first mission as council will be to tackle the rather uncertain future of this underappreciated meta + assemble some viability rankings. Peace!

Mega Slowbro and Mega Sceptile are quickbanned from RU, and everyone in UU is going to vote "ban" in Mega Venusaur's suspect test. :/

 

[VCrakeV]

Mega Slowbro and Mega Sceptile are quickbanned from RU, and everyone in UU is going to vote "ban" in Mega Venusaur's suspect test. :/

Enjoy Venusaur while it lasts, then. By the way, this was an older post, before any of those mons got banned.

Any suggestions for offensive stealth rock users? I'm tempted to use a suicide lead, like Omastar or Crustle, but I feel like the omnipresence of defog makes suicide leads unviable. This is my sentiment in many tiers, but these guys get big buffs that make them attractive.

 

[Zypher981]

What would happen in a case like Incineroar, with its 3rd highest stat being both Def and Sp.Def?

 

[Swagodile]

What would happen in a case like Incineroar, with its 3rd highest stat being both Def and Sp.Def?

Doesn't matter; it's NU so all of its base stats get boosted by 30.

 

[Muksu]

Ban this thing, it's able to wall so many mons thanks to its absurd bulk + unaware. It's a taunt/toxic bait but stall teams can play around the moves quite easily.

 

[rsbound]

pyukumuku needs to go
it can tank entire teams very easily

fraxure can 6-0 entire teams as well
this one is a bit op

 

[megacrazyhand]

Been playing around a bit today (not really a serious attempt to ladder yet), but I do want to say that the Mon that has consistently impressed me is Togedemaru. With 105/103/113 bulk and 138 attack backed by 136 speed you get a speedy Nuzzle paired with two moves that have a high flinch chance (zing zap and iron head). While it doesn't have a way to hit Ground types hard, there are a lot of water and grass types in the lower tiers that may be able to help with that.

 

[EchoGaia]

Another threat we should mention is Pikachu:

75/95/80/90/90/130

Overview:

PIkachu's stats doesn't look that impressive at first look, but this 95 attack and 90 special attack combined with Light Ball makes it reach almost the same wallbreaking capabilities as the ones of Mega Medicham! With a much higher base Speed too! While its bulk is still poor to make it able to switch into anything reliably, it's a threat to defensive teams with its powerful Electric STAB move in Volt Tackle and expensive movepool with options such as Grass Knot, Knock Off, Signal Beam and so on to take out its said checks and counters. It has also access to a powerful priority move in Extreme Speed, which allows Pikachu to pick off faster weakened threats easily. The little mouse has always tricks in its sleeve for Tier Shift!

Light Ball Wallbreaker

Pikachu @ Light Ball
Ability: Static
EVs: 200 Atk / 56 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Extreme Speed
- Volt Tackle / Thunder Punch
- Volt Switch / Hidden Power Ice
- Grass Knot

Volt Tackle is a powerful Electric STAB move that reliably 2HKOes nearly everything that doesn't resist it, but it comes with nasty recoil effect. Thunder Punch doesn't come with recoil, but the drop in power is really significant, considering how PIkachu is frail, Volt Tackle should always be considered first. Extreme Speed is extremely useful to pick off weakened faster threats and is somewhat a good tool for cleaning up in late game. Volt Switch can be used to grab momentum for the team as Pikachu forces a lot of switches on itself, whereas Hidden Power Ice hits the likes of Zygarde, Landorus T, Gabite and Gligar more reliably than any of its other moves. Grass Knot is somewhat mandatory to hit Quagsire and Swampert which otherwise walls it completely.

Spread is pretty standard, the Special Attack Evs are used to cleanly OHKO Offensive Zygarde variants with Hidden Power Ice after Stealth Rock and 2HKO bulky variants. It also cleanly 2HKOes at worse Landorus T, Gabite and Gliscor. The rest is poured into Attack and Speed stats in order to make Pikachu as fast as possible while powering up its main STAB move. Light Ball is mandatory, as it gives Pikachu its insane damage output.

Team Options:
Pikachu fits best into offensive teams, most notably hyper offensive ones, and really appreciates teammates that can setup entry hazards without losing momentum, as it lets Pikachu reliably wear down its checks and counters. For this Pokemon like Whirlipede, Accelgor, Froslass and Drilbur makes good partners. Drilbur is particularly effective, as it can reliably setup Stealth Rock against Mega Sableye, the main Magic Bounce user used in stall, thanks to Mold Breaker, it also provides Rapid Spin support which helps Pikachu pivoting in and out without losing too much health. Sticky Web setters are also notable teammates as they allow PIkachu to even outpace some grounded Choice Scarf users which would otherwise be able to revenge kill it easily. Rinbombee and Smeargle do this job effectively and fits nicely the archétypes where Pikachu is used on. If it lacks Hidden Power Ice, Pikachu struggles with Dragon types as they resist its other coverage options and take poor damage from Extreme Speed. In that sense, Fairy type partners such as Togetic, Marill, Mr Mime, the aformentioned Rimbombee and Slurpuff makes good partners. Due to its extreme frailty, Pikachu loves being brought onto the field with U turn and Volt Switch support. Scizor and Gliscor can provide a slow U turn support in order to bring PIkachu safely onto the field. Vikavolt is also notable as it brings Pikachu safely with its slow Volt Switch, and the duo of the two can be somewhat hard to handle, especially in the mid or late game, considering how hard the two hit, Vikavolt is also immune to Ground thanks to Levitate and takes down Grass types for Pikachu with its STAB Bug Buzz. Tapu Koko is also noticeable, as it brings Electric Terrain support for Pikachu, making it even more deadlier for defensive teams, being able to OHKO Mega Sableye if needed to. Tapu Koko also takes down many Dragon types that Pikachu cannot handle, especially if it lacks Hidden Power Ice, and brings it safely onto the field with U turn.

Other options:
Knock Off can allow Pikachu to hit bulky Psychic types for a good amount of damage without using Volt Tackle, and remove troublesome items from its checks, but it usually prefers its other options. Signal Beam can help hit many Grass types harder than Hidden Power Ice, but it leaves Pikachu unable to harm Dragon types significantly and the move itself is pretty weak. Substitute can be used to take advantage of the switches Pikachu forces, but without the appropriate coverage, it will get walled by a larger margin of threats, and without Extreme Speed it will be much more easily revenge killed. Plus the recoil from Volt Tackle stacked with Substitute wears PIkachu down extremely quickly. Finally, Brick Break lets Pikachu take on Alolan Dugtrio, but it doesn't have the moveslot for it.

Checks/Counters:
Bulky dragons not doubly weak to Ice: Pokemon like Dragalge, Specially Defensive Druddigon and Zweilous, Kyurem and Tyrantrum resist Volt Tackle and Grass Knot, take pitful from Hidden Power Ice, and are all able to knock Pikachu out in one hit due to its frailty. However Dragalge doesn't really like switching into Volt Tackle due to its low physical bulk, Zweilous, Tyrantrum and Kyurem must also watch out for the occasional Brick Break.

Bulky Ground types: Ground types such as Zygarde, Gligar and Gliscor, Hippopotas, Swampert and Camerupt/Mega Camerupt are immune to Volt Tackle and can all ko Pikachu with Ground STAB attacks. However the former ones much watch out for Hidden Power Ice, Hippopotas and Swampert must also watch out for Grass Knot. Alolan Dugtrio, Camerupt and Mega Camerupt are notables checks, as they are neither hit super effectively by Grass Knot, neither by Hidden Power Ice, and they can reliably knock Pikachu out with Earth Power, though Alolan Dugtrio must watch out for Brick Break.

Mega Venusaur: Mega Venusaur completely walls Pikachu thanks to Thick Fat and can whittle it down with Leech Seed or outright ohkoing it with Sludge Bomb.

Alolan Marowak: By virtue of its Lightning Rod ability, Alolan Marowak completely walls Pikachu, but must be wary of Knock Off variants.

Faster Pokemon: While PIkachu's speed is great, it is still outsped by many Pokemon. Zeraora naturally outspeeds it and 2HKOes with Close Combat, has Volt Absorb to prevent Pikachu from spamming its electric moves while it is unable to harm it for significant damage besides Extreme Speed. Choice Scarf users such as Gallade, Passimian and Tapu Lele can all knock Pikachu in one hit. Tapu Lele is very notable due to its immunity to Extreme Speed granted by Psychic Terrain, and prevents Pikachu from utilizing it freely. However this issue can be alleviated by using Pikachu with Sticky Web support.

Knock Off, Trick and Switcheroo: Pikachu heavily relies on Light Ball for its damage output, and that way really fears Knock Off, Trick and Switcheroo, losing its item will considerably lower Pikachu's wallbreaking capabilities, rendering it near to useless for the rest of the match. Trick and Switcheroo users can also cripple Pikachu by giving it a Choice Scarf.

Offensive pressure: Pikachu is extremely frail, and thus have hard times switching in onto the field to spam its powerful attacks. Offensive pressure is usually the best way to deal with it, as it will have few opportunities to come wreck havoc.

Status: While being immune to paralysis, Pikachu heavily dislikes being burned and poisoned, the former halving its Attack stat and the latter wearing it down even more quickly.

Looks like a real analysis :D

 

[GW8]

How would Zero Use, or ZU, play into this?

 

[Ivy]

How would Zero Use, or ZU, play into this?

I doubt it will become official before the month is over, but that would probably be up to G-Luke to decide. +50 would make a lot of NFEs and ZU monsters supremely powerful. The current meta is already quite full of PU mons.

 

[Chillllllow]

I love bulky offense and like to share some sets:

Medicham

Medicham has great damage with adamant pure power, which results into decent recovery with drain punch. Combined with max hp and AV, this mon will have quite some opportunities to hit hard. Also means you do not risk the hjk miss or outplay. Alternatively, lefties / orb with bulk up / sub / both. Orb, because the increased damage does mean more recovery from drain dispite the recoil. I for one am not a huge fan of bulk up, or of setup in general, because there is some real annoying stuff out there, especially unaware, which means I personally only run setup on moldbreakers like pinsir or fraxure / haxorus.

Wishiwashi

Wishiwashi somewhat depends on hp more than any other mon does. I love to use max defense or max spd (dependant on what my team needs more, but def is usually my choice) in order to protect its hp, combined with protect itself or restalk and obviously lefties. This mon does already have kind of as strong stats as many high tier mons and with the PU boosts this mon does aswell have many opportunities for whatever it wants to do. Especially scald hits and burns or uturn pivots.

Similiar sets? Anyone?

Bulu makes great use of terrain boosted horn leech and of the terrain recovery itself aswell, tho, it does not gain any stat boosts and unfortunately for that mon the stat boots are kinda busted. On the other hand, grassy terrain supports bulky offense really well and it might be usefully to counter things like raichu-alola + koko. Modest specs comfey might be cool with draining kiss and giga drain and its priority ability and the nice nu stat boosts. Would be cool to know if people have similar mons with similar sets.

I also started to use max hp modest abomasnow / mega-abomasnow. For one because of the stab boosted giga drain. Secondly, to have something in the back against sun and sand, eventhough rain is not really played anymore and it does nothing versus opposing hail. Bulu and grassy terrain does have some synergy with giga drain, eventhough I probably spam the obligatory blizzard anyway. Another option is to pair it with a veil user.

teh tame

Medicham @ Assault Vest
Ability: Pure Power
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch
- Psycho Cut
- Bullet Punch
- Fake Out

Tapu Bulu @ Terrain Extender
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Horn Leech
- Nature's Madness
- Leech Seed
- Brick Break

Abomasnow-Mega @ Abomasite
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 248 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Quiet Nature
- Blizzard
- Giga Drain
- Ice Shard
- Brick Break

Wishiwashi-School @ Leftovers
Ability: Schooling
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Scald
- U-turn
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Grimer-Alola @ Assault Vest
Ability: Poison Touch
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Poison Jab
- Knock Off
- Shadow Sneak
- Flamethrower

Empoleon @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Toxic
- Stealth Rock
- Defog

 

[twichlove(DeltaTurtwig)]

So after playing in a few tourneys i found Minior to be extremely helpful, being able to absorb status and being tanky enough to utilize reflect, it can be extremely good of a wallbreaker.

True God

G.O.D. (Minior) @ White Herb
Ability: Shields Down
EVs: 12 HP / 244 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shell Smash
- Acrobatics
- Earthquake
- Reflect

Reflect allows it to soak attacks from mons like Pidgeot and Medicham while it activates Shields down after a shell smash, being able to then easily sweep the opponent lest an unaware mon comes out.

 

[vegeta00007]

shuckle seems to be a decent wall,now that it has a 60 base hp instead of its usual 20
though the def and spD stats get capped at 255

maybe a contrary shell smash can work,maybe

 

[Chillllllow]

Some offense team. Actually it is pretty much all out attacking, but every mon has set up in the back, which it does not necessarily need, sothat you are not toally out against haze or unaware. Except fraxure, which depends on setup but runs moldbreaker versus things like unaware. Fast and fun and brain dead games.

teh tame

Rampardos @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Rock Slide
- Fire Punch
- Zen Headbutt
- Rock Polish

Fraxure @ Dragonium Z
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Outrage
- Poison Jab
- Swords Dance
- Dragon Dance

Zangoose @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Toxic Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Facade
- Quick Attack
- Knock Off
- Swords Dance

Gurdurr @ Flame Orb
Ability: Guts
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch
- Knock Off
- Mach Punch
- Bulk Up

Skuntank @ Black Sludge
Ability: Aftermath
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Dark Pulse
- Sludge Bomb
- Taunt
- Defog

Registeel @ Leftovers
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Seismic Toss
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
- Protect

 

[JimBob]

Audino is outrageously bulky in this game (143/126/126). It basically gets the defenses of Mega Audino, but you still have access to Leftovers and Regenerator. Plus you don't have those Poison and Steel weaknesses hanging around. Audino just hangs around, comes in whenever it wants, fires off a Heal Bell or Wish at will. With how bulky everything is in this meta, Wish support is real good.

Defenses shoot up to 133/156/156 if you Mega Evolve it, but losing Regenerator ain't worth it at all.

 

[Eddiegames]

Gonna mass post a whole buncha sets I've made, they ain't all good, but I tried to make them interesting at least.

All da sets

Spiritomb
Infiltrator
Leftovers
HP 252, SpA 4, SpD 252+, Atk -
- Shadow Ball
- Taunt
- Foul Play
- Nasty Plot
With Spiritombs great all around stats, and Infiltrator, it makes a great mixed bulky attack/support, it can run pretty much do whatever you want with mild success, although gearing it towards Special, and beating stall is the set that I typically like to run.

Shuckle (Memes)
Not Contrary
Metronome
HP 252, Atk 4, Def/SpD 252+, SpA -
- Rollout
- Defense Curl
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
Due to the fact that Shuckle now has Base 60 HP, and Base 50 Atk; this set actually doing damage is now a possibility, honestly once you've gotten going the only thing holding you back is how bad your luck is.

Golurk
No Guard
Assault Vest
HP 252, Atk 252+, SpD 4, SpA -
- Dynamic Punch
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Ice Punch
It has No Guard Dynamic Punch with Base 164 Atk, and a half decent typing, not really much more to it.

Drifblim
Flare Boost
Flame Orb
HP 248, SpA 252+, Spe 8, Atk -
- Trick
- Hex
- Thunderbolt
- Destiny Bond
Drifblim is honestly a complete monster if played right, with Base 190 HP, 84 Def, 94 SpD, 130 SpA, and 120 Spe; it's a strong bulky special attacker that can run a whole lot of versatile sets through both Flare Boost and Unburden (240 Base Spe god) this is a set that takes advantage of the raw attacking MIGHT that Drifblim contains, and in certain situations can use a 195 Power Stab Hex

Whimsicott
Prankster
Choice Specs
HP/Spe 252, SpA 252+, HP/Spe 4, Atk -
- Moonblast
- Giga Drain
- Cotton Guard
- Switcheroo
Can pivot between tricking Choice to its opponent, and doing big damage itself as needed, just all around pretty good. (Doesn't appreciate all the Poison types running around though)

Wailord
Oblivious
Leftovers
HP 252, Def/SpD (Do as you like but put the rest of the EVs here), - Atk
- Water Spout
- Aqua Ring
- Whirlpool/Toxic
- Substitute
Base 210 HP, 85 Def, 85 SpD Substitutes, 'nough said.

Wobbafet has Base 230 HP, 98 Def, and 98 SpD, but Shadow Tag is still banned on it so oh well.

Sandslash-Alola
Snow Cloak
Life Orb
HP 252, Atk 252+, SpD 4, -SpA
- Hail
- Aurora Veil
- Icicle Crash
- Iron Head
With HP 115, 140 Atk, and 160 Def, this thing can set up hail and veil, and proceed to take hits incredibly well while still hitting hard, any strong fire or fighting hits will break it in 1/2 hits though.

Rotom-Freeze
Levitate
Assault Vest
HP 248, SpA/SpD 252+/8, -Atk
- Discharge
- Blizzard
- Hex
- Foul Play
Paired with the Sandslash, this thing can start throwing out Strong Blizzards right out of the gate with a Veil for protection, or on its own can either serve as a 90 HP, 147 SpD Assault Vested bulky monster, or switch to an attacking varient and start knocking everything out.

Exeggutor-Alola
Harvest
Petaya Berry
HP 252, Spa 252+, SpD 4, - Spe
- Flamethrower
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb/Draco Meteor
- Trick Room
A strong Special attacker that, if you have trick room up when you get to low HP can potentially start sweeping through the whole enemy team with a little luck, since it really needs trick room to do work though it *really* hates Ninjask and Poison types.

Skuntank
Stench
Assault Vest
HP/Def 252, 4, Spa 252+, -Atk
- Acid Spray
- Dark Pulse
- Sludge Bomb
- Flamethrower
Acid Spray is wayyy more valuable then most make it out to be, since it lets it beat, or force the switch on most Special Tanks normally seen, Stench is also a nice bonus that gives all of its moves at least a 10% Chance to flinch, the only things that really hurt it are Earthquakes, and Contrary Shuckle.

Whiscash
Oblivious
Life Orb
HP 128, Atk 252+, Spe 128, -SpA
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Earthquake
- Bounce/Zen Headbutt
If you thought there weren't any strong Dragon Dancers in the tier you thought wrong, with 150 Base HP, and 118 Atk; Whiscash makes for a surprisingly hard hitting bulky D-Dance user, that can start cleaning through teams at an alarming rate if not checked, and due to Oblivious it's immune to Taunt, which is nice.

Those are all of the more notable sets I've made for my teams, I look forward to labbing around in Tier Shift even more!

 

[QY_CS]

idk if it should be posted here, but since I find nowhere else ill just do it.
I'm arguing for a BAN on the ability regenerator, and hope for a corresponding suspect

First of all, regenerator is extremely overpowered.
It allows some already very bulky pokemon to avoid chip damage attempted by offensive teams. Regenerator is even more painful for defensive teams to deal with, as the common residual damage would have barely any effect. With the nature of Tier Shift giving pokemon more bulk than power, the common regenerator users shrugs off hits that would threaten them without the tier mechanics, and is always ready to take that hit again after switching out. Thus the previously acceptable ability is extremely overpowered and broken in the metagame and should be banned.

Giving some calcs:

252 SpA Life Orb Articuno Hurricane vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Audino: 148-175 (30.2 - 35.7%) -- guaranteed 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Raichu-Alola All-Out Pummeling (190 BP) vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Audino: 204-242 (41.7 - 49.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Pure Power Medicham Thunder Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Slowbro: 146-172 (32.1 - 37.8%) -- 93.2% chance to 3HKO

I wanted to list some more physical attackers but considering how many good physical walls there are in the meta and how few physical attackers without some sort of attack boosting moves, so forget bout that.

The second reason, while not as convincing, does make me want to point out as well. There are many substitutes of the regenerator users, whether for pivots or a member of defensive core in all playstyles. Removal of regenerator would not only keep all playstyles valid, but would also make it more healthy: many previously unviable pokemons shutdown by regenerator counters which are basically impossible to be chipped down would shine again. However, with regenerator gone these pokemon can still be walled, only difference being the hp of these counters needing carefully management instead of mindless abuse of auto-recovery.