AAA Almost Any Ability

1702740036281.png


Raging Bolt is now banned ! Its combination of STABS with Hadron Engine makes it a slower but even stronger Miraidon which turned out troublesome to switch into. Despite its low speed, Raging Bolt's solid bulk grants it more than enough space to click multiple times per game, each click being potentially a kill. The only pokemons that can survive a hit from the Specs variant are more or less Goodra-hisui and specially defensive Electric immune Dragon resists (Volt Absorb Corviknight, Lightning Rod Primarina, ...). Even an appealing check like specially defensive Swampert is ohkoed by Draco Meteor if knocked off. Calm Mind variants are also very dangerous, beating some of its counterplay and utilizing Raging Bolt's priority Thunderclap which makes up for its lack of speed.
252+ SpA Choice Specs Hadron Engine Raging Bolt Draco Meteor vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Swampert: 373-441 (92.3 - 109.1%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
252+ SpA Choice Specs Hadron Engine Raging Bolt Rising Voltage (140 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Deoxys-Defense in Electric Terrain: 348-411 (114.4 - 135.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Hadron Engine Raging Bolt Rising Voltage (140 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Assault Vest Meloetta in Electric Terrain: 274-324 (67.8 - 80.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Hadron Engine Miraidon Rising Voltage (140 BP) vs. 4 HP / 252+ SpD Blissey in Electric Terrain: 396-466 (60.7 - 71.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

:sv/iron-bundle:
Iron Bundle is unbanned ! With a brand-new metagame and a wide range of fresh counterplay, we've decided to give it a second chance. Have fun !
IsaiahTranquilityLordBoxQuantum TesseractDeepFriedMagikarpIvar57Atha
Raging BoltDNBBANBANBANDNBAbstainBAN
Iron BundleKeep bannedUnbanUnbanKeep bannedUnbanAbstainUnban
Kris :3
 
Last edited:

cat

anemoia
is a Community Contributoris a Smogon Discord Contributoris a Top Tiering Contributoris a Contributor to Smogon
It's just a Multiscale sidegrade...
yes and no actually. (thanks UT :3)
Code:
Turn 9

The opposing Volcarona used Quiver Dance!
The opposing Volcarona's Sp. Atk rose!
The opposing Volcarona's Sp. Def rose!
The opposing Volcarona's Speed rose!

Swampert used Stone Edge!
[The opposing Volcarona's Tera Shell]
The opposing Volcarona made its shell gleam! It's distorting type matchups!
It's not very effective...
(The opposing Volcarona lost 10% of its health!)
 
It's just a Multiscale sidegrade...
Not really. If I hit a dragonite with a rock ivy cudgel, it takes it from super effective to neutral damage. With tera shield, Dragonite would resist the move, which makes a really big damage difference. Plus, multi hit moves can't break it

yes and no actually. (thanks UT :3)
Code:
Turn 9

The opposing Volcarona used Quiver Dance!
The opposing Volcarona's Sp. Atk rose!
The opposing Volcarona's Sp. Def rose!
The opposing Volcarona's Speed rose!

Swampert used Stone Edge!
[The opposing Volcarona's Tera Shell]
The opposing Volcarona made its shell gleam! It's distorting type matchups!
It's not very effective...
(The opposing Volcarona lost 10% of its health!)
This is a great example. Mutliscale could never make volc take 10% from stone edge lmao
 
Some calcs and thoughts about bundle since it dropped.

Thing naturally outspeeds everything in the meta besides electrode-h and deoxys-s. Scarfers such as moon and zelf have many solid/splashable checks that are established in the meta (interesting calc below)
252 Atk Sword of Ruin Roaring Moon Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Iron Bundle: 199-235 (78.6 - 92.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO)

252 SpA Adaptability Iron Bundle Ice Beam vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Roaring Moon: 376-444 (107.1 - 126.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
As for regenvesters/spdef walls that I could think of, most get 2KO'D, with your only reliable checks being meloetta, Goodra-H, and deso-land heatran
:Deoxys-Defense:
252 SpA Choice Specs Adaptability Iron Bundle Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Deoxys-Defense: 180-212 (59.2 - 69.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

:Goodra-Hisui:
252 SpA Choice Specs Adaptability Iron Bundle Ice Beam vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Assault Vest Goodra-Hisui: 102-122 (28 - 33.5%) -- 0.1% chance to 3HKO

:Meloetta:
252 SpA Choice Specs Adaptability Iron Bundle Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Assault Vest Meloetta: 142-168 (35.1 - 41.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

:Scream Tail:
252 SpA Choice Specs Adaptability Iron Bundle Hydro Pump/Blizzard vs. 236 HP / 252+ SpD Scream Tail: 228-270 (53 - 62.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
(seen a rise of wabs bc of keld, but that could mean it runs phys def bc of secret sword, have never seen a max spdef stail)
252 SpA Choice Specs Adaptability Iron Bundle Ice Beam vs. 236 HP / 0 SpD Scream Tail: 252-298 (58.6 - 69.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
(If phys def wabs)

:Clodsire:
252 SpA Choice Specs Adaptability Iron Bundle Ice Beam vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Clodsire: 408-484 (87.9 - 104.3%) -- 31.3% chance to OHKO

:Swampert:
252 SpA Choice Specs Adaptability Iron Bundle Freeze-Dry vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Assault Vest Swampert: 456-544 (112.8 - 134.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO

:Manaphy:
252 SpA Choice Specs Adaptability Iron Bundle Freeze-Dry vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Assault Vest Manaphy: 216-256 (53.4 - 63.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

:Toxapex:
252 SpA Choice Specs Adaptability Iron Bundle Freeze-Dry vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Toxapex: 248-296 (81.5 - 97.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Black Sludge recovery

:Heatran:
252 SpA Choice Specs Adaptability Iron Bundle Ice Beam vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Heatran: 49-58 (12.6 - 15%) -- possibly the worst move ever
(so this guy is probably your best bet, but even then, bundle can simply switch-out)

:Iron Moth:
252 SpA Choice Specs Adaptability Iron Bundle Ice Beam vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Iron Moth: 130-154 (43.1 - 51.1%) -- 5.5% chance to 2HKO
Priority mon calcs
:dragonite:
252+ Atk Life Orb Aerilate Dragonite Extreme Speed vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Iron Bundle: 207-243 (81.8 - 96%) -- 18.8% chance to OHKO
(dies in one hit to ice beam)

:ceruledge:
252+ Atk Life Orb Triage Ceruledge Bitter Blade vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Iron Bundle: 183-216 (72.3 - 85.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
(dies in 1-hit to pump)

:Hatterene:
252+ SpA Life Orb Triage Hatterene Draining Kiss vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Iron Bundle: 183-216 (72.3 - 85.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
(wait this isn't weak to any of its moves surely not... 252 SpA Choice Specs Adaptability Iron Bundle Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Hatterene: 340-400 (106.9 - 125.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO)

:Poltchageist:
252+ SpA Life Orb Triage Poltchageist Matcha Gotcha vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Iron Bundle: 385-455 (152.1 - 179.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
(finally... a mon that wins the 1v1)

:Kingambit:
252+ Atk Black Glasses Adaptability Kingambit Sucker Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Iron Bundle: 186-220 (73.5 - 86.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
(same as Hatterene, gets OHOK'D by pump)

:Enamorus-Therian:
252+ SpA Life Orb Triage Enamorus-Therian Draining Kiss vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Iron Bundle: 181-214 (71.5 - 84.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
(OHKO'D by ice beam)
Priority is shaky at best, because if you simply run an azelf with bundle, you shut out these options almost entirely (it also adds some speed control and beats other bundles). Although even without zelf it still beats them in a vacuum.

This is calling for the worst case scenario, as it can run mglo or specs tinted, and although those sets do less damage, they can still be facilitated with hazards/allow for other teammates to clean-up/break. I'm just going to build with specs-adapt in-mind, because if I run into it and I only accounted for the other abilities, it won't be fun for me. While there is counter-play to bundle, I think it's limiting in what you can use in terms of special walls. Bundles speed is also another issue, as this was something that helped reign-in/balance other special breakers (usually cap out at 110/1 sp stat). Even though it is linear in what it does: with its aforementioned speed stat, amazing STAB combo, and reliable pivot allow it to excel at what it does much better than other mons in a similar role. It also has pretty decent physical bulk that lets it survive random hits on top of that. Will be interesting to see what ends up happening though.

hazards, hoodra, heatran, and wabs will be my friend for the foreseeable future with this and keldeo around. keld is so much more of a headache than bundle and will prob make bundle less annoying
 
Didn't intend to make this post but since both pannu and spacespeakers are out of om champs, I don't have to build post DLC 1 AAA anymore and I want to share a few teams I made for om champs. I don't like the meta that much but I thought the tour would motivate me to build. Turn out, it didn't and I ended up with only 5 new teams which is like way behind the schedule for me.

:gholdengo: :manaphy: :zamazenta-crowned: :dragonite: :cinderace: :great tusk:
Made this team while I was in team France discord in OMWC. Quite a while ago but it is still my favorite team out of all the teams in this post. I discorvered a lot of things while making this team like Lightning rod Ghold + Mana is a good core (I wanted to use this ghold set to counter other gholds by switching into twave but Atha already bashed me a bunch for that), Dnite can soft check a bunch of thing, Cinderace can function both as hazard setter and remover for offense team,... Overall, very fun team.

:Volcarona: :Roaring moon: :garchomp: :gholdengo: :mandibuzz: :electrode-hisui:
I wanted to test a few thinigs out with this team. First is fluffy moth as Chien counter. A lot of chien's answer are usually quite passive so I want to have something that at least have some offensive presence on the team. This volc set is walled by Zap and WBB ghold but it is still quite ok. Next, I want to try out adapt mix Chomp and turn out, it still doesn't have good switch in. Mandibuzz is also a mon I want to try out and I find that it is a pretty good answer to RMoon. You will see it in a lot of teams that I shared here.

:ogerpon-hearthflame: :heatran: :manaphy: :mandibuzz: :roaring moon: :great tusK:
This is the team that Space used in om champs. This team is built around hazard stack with my favorite ogerpon set aka magic guard. It is very good at threatening common removers like Corv and Tusk and just overall a good spiker. It is also a nice Manaphy check although you don't want to switch into too many u-turns. Rest of the team is fairly standard with mixed def mana to scout chien. When I gave this team to space he instantly liked it so I was too lazy to test this team and change a few things. Now looking back, I would've made this less weak to Zap.

:heatran: :manaphy: :great tusk: :chien pao: :mandibuzz: :kingambit:
I made this team for pannu. It is very similar to space's team with almost the same defensive core and offensive tusk. This team is more offensive however with dark spam in the last two slots. The idea with this team is that CB Great Tusk is a good breaker and Chien can clean things up very nicely. Kingambit is not a very good mon but I firgured it can work in the last slot as a check for ghold and rockerpon.

:ceruledge: :goodra-hisui: :dragonite: :enamorus-therian: :chien pao: :cinderace:
This is a very offensive built around broken Ceruledge. I took inspire from an Atha's team with eject button Great Tusk and used eject button Hoodra for this team. I think that AV is kind of unnecessary on Hoodra with knock being everywhere and I want momentum for Ceruledge. With that said this team still doesn't have a lot of momentum but I like to double so this team still works fine for me. Probably somewhat inconsistent tho.

:weezing-galar: :garganacl: :manaphy: :talonflame: :corviknight: :dondozo:
This team is kind of like when Picasso went crazy and drawn surrealism paintings. The team looks very weird but it makes sense in my head somehow. I chose Weezing-Galar because it is a good counter to RMoon + after tdebris ban I thought Moth usage would go down, absorbing tspike will be harder and people will start running offensive Scrappy Tusk so Weezing-G can capitalise on that. Talonflame is because I had a vision that Garganacl would be somewhat popular with Corv, Mana and Ghold running the meta and the lack of good MGLO mons. Because of that, I think people's main answer to something like Talonflame would be Garg or Physdef ghold and Talonflame can break past them. It is one of those teams that are made to counter a specific trend in the meta so don't use it on ladder.

That's it. I'm happy that I don't have to play that stupid meta ever again. Have a good day.
 
Last edited:
With the establishment as :manaphy: as the primary AV Regen Mon, I want to remind the people about SFLO :volcarona:, a Set first made by astralydia and polished to a deadly threat by myself. For the people unfamiliar what Set I am referring to:

Volcarona @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
Tera Type: Bug
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast / Flamethrower
- Bug Buzz
- Psychic
- Quiver Dance

I prefer Fire Blast for raw power but I respect people who told me they do not wanna miss

In AAAPL, I myself brought this set back to back and proved to be deadly twice.


The Set does unholy dmg. Psychic scatters through most PSea or Well Baked Body if there are any.
The Set shines best on screens and we got the pleasure of having deoxys speed and prankster in this tier for that. We have Regieleki as the best hazard control with optional screens as well. You can even experiement with Psy terrain without Screens to not half the prio damage but block it entirely. While also boosting psychic.
The best part about this Set is that you dont need to setup vs unaware thanks to it insane dmg from SFLO. and base 135 Special Attack. After one speed boost and one special Attack it is just enough often, you dont need multiple boosts just one in a favourable matchup where youn are guarantee to have a free turn. It doesn't have to win either it breaks many holes on it's own for your other sweepers to shine. With spikes support from a lead even AV Regen Mons will crumble long term or weakened enough. I am not trying to say that this Mon is not checkable at any means but the current Teams I see ppl bring in the OM Circuit or here in the Thread or made by friends are overall way to weak to a threat that should always be respected in the builder. If you want to build it Screens HO like make sure to have a ghost Type for spin Blocking (spikes support is really nice) and Brick Break Blocking if that matters. I don't know how popular Psychic Fangs are right now but I prefer always a Dark Type for the same reason. If you are going to run Prankster Lead, be aware u cant Prankster Taunt Dark Types. Pair it with Mons that are checked by AV Regen as well so the partner and Volc break for each other.
Some relevant Calcs I quickly put together to understand the damage output are showcased below wish you all much fun with the new Mons and a nice day otherwise :heart:

252+ SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Volcarona Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Assault Vest Goodra-Hisui: 125-148 (34.3 - 40.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
+1 252+ SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Volcarona Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Assault Vest Goodra-Hisui: 185-218 (50.8 - 59.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252+ SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Volcarona Bug Buzz vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Roaring Moon: 400-476 (96.6 - 114.9%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO

+1 252+ SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Volcarona Bug Buzz vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Assault Vest Manaphy: 203-239 (50.2 - 59.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252+ SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Volcarona Bug Buzz vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Dondozo: 265-312 (52.5 - 61.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252+ SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Volcarona Fire Blast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Ogerpon-Hearthflame: 352-417 (116.9 - 138.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+1 252+ SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Volcarona Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Heatran: 355-419 (91.9 - 108.5%) -- 50% chance to OHKO

+1 252+ SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Volcarona Psychic vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Cinderace: 354-417 (97.2 - 114.5%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO

252+ SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Volcarona Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Scream Tail: 224-265 (51.6 - 61%) -- 94.1% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

+1 252+ SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Volcarona Psychic vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Gouging Fire: 298-351 (84.9 - 100%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO
 

Isaiah

Here today, gone tomorrow
is a Site Content Manageris an official Team Rateris a Battle Simulator Administratoris a Top Social Media Contributoris a Member of Senior Staffis a Community Contributoris a Top Tiering Contributoris a Top Contributor
UM/OM Leader
Another mini voting slate:

First, the council had a vote on Keldeo following a lot of discussion (both within the community and in council discord) to establish early positions on it. Keldeo has already made a name for itself with the power and threat behind sets like Choice Specs + Adaptability/Tinted Lens and Substitute + Calm Mind sets, so it's no surprise that it has already come up so much in discussion.

A vote was also held on Giratina because several council members expressed interest in at least giving it a chance (and Giratina has come up multiple times in the last couple of surveys).

IsaiahDFMQTTranquilityAthaLordBoxIvar57Result
Ban Keldeo?YesNoNoYesNoYesABS3-3-1 NO ACTION
Unban Giratina-Base?YesNoYesYesNoABSNo3-3-1 NO ACTION

Both votes failed to meet the 2/3 requirement for the status quo to change, so the current stance is no action. Keep playing, keep chatting, and keep posting! There will probably be at least 1-2 more voting slates before next year's circuit starts, so keep a lookout within the next couple of weeks.
 
1702740036281.png


Raging Bolt is now banned ! Its combination of STABS with Hadron Engine makes it a slower but even stronger Miraidon which turned out troublesome to switch into. Despite its low speed, Raging Bolt's solid bulk grants it more than enough space to click multiple times per game, each click being potentially a kill. The only pokemons that can survive a hit from the Specs variant are more or less Goodra-hisui and specially defensive Electric immune Dragon resists (Volt Absorb Corviknight, Lightning Rod Primarina, ...). Even an appealing check like specially defensive Swampert is ohkoed by Draco Meteor if knocked off. Calm Mind variants are also very dangerous, beating some of its counterplay and utilizing Raging Bolt's priority Thunderclap which makes up for its lack of speed.
252+ SpA Choice Specs Hadron Engine Raging Bolt Draco Meteor vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Swampert: 373-441 (92.3 - 109.1%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
252+ SpA Choice Specs Hadron Engine Raging Bolt Rising Voltage (140 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Deoxys-Defense in Electric Terrain: 348-411 (114.4 - 135.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Hadron Engine Raging Bolt Rising Voltage (140 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Assault Vest Meloetta in Electric Terrain: 274-324 (67.8 - 80.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Hadron Engine Miraidon Rising Voltage (140 BP) vs. 4 HP / 252+ SpD Blissey in Electric Terrain: 396-466 (60.7 - 71.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

:sv/iron-bundle:
Iron Bundle is unbanned ! With a brand-new metagame and a wide range of fresh counterplay, we've decided to give it a second chance. Have fun !
IsaiahTranquilityLordBoxQuantum TesseractDeepFriedMagikarpIvar57Atha
Raging BoltDNBBANBANBANDNBAbstainBAN
Iron BundleKeep bannedUnbanUnbanKeep bannedUnbanAbstainUnban
Kris :3
252+ SpA Choice Specs Hadron Engine Miraidon Rising Voltage (140 BP) vs. 4 HP / 252+ SpD Blissey in Electric Terrain: 396-466 (60.7 - 71.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Why miraidon in the calc ?
 
ifffmage.png

I recently hit top 1 (I'm no longer top 1 as of writing this but the evidence is here) with a team I'd like to share. It has some unorthodox picks but I think I made a very good team here.
I also hit around 1635 but I have no photo evidence of it.
:muk-alola: :corviknight: :hippowdon: :moltres: :slither-wing: :gholdengo:


1703181149749.gif

Muk-Alola is an unorthodox regenvester, as Manaphy, Goodra-H, and a few others are the main choices. Alola-Muk does have servicable bulk, its slightly higher than that of Manaphy's and higher than Swamperts. It has very useful resistances, and it's rarity makes it something people don't take into account, as it can shut down many common wallbreakers with it's typing (Gengar, Zoro-H, Azelf). Unfortunately it does lose to the ones with strong neutral damage, and the new Keldeo which many regenvesters lose to already (Goodra-H being the biggest victim). It also is vulnerable to teams primarily focusing on special wallbreakers but in my experience they are rare. Muk-Alola in general serves the team well with knock off support and poison spreading, either through jab or fang, I have not seen a use for other moves and typically rock slide is only good for volcarona, but I keep it there anyways. If one hates Alola-Muk so much, they can replace it with my recommendation of Goodra-H with the set provided in the notes of the pokepaste.

1703181166757.gif

Corviknight, what can I say here, probably the most orthodox pokemon on my team. Basic intimidate and defog support. I run drill peck because I don't like recoil, and rocky helmet because it helps sometimes. I'd recommend boots or leftovers if you so choose, and brave bird for 50% more damage.

1703181187870.gif

Hippowdon, an extremely rare sight to see in AAA. Rarely do I ever see this pokemon. But it fitted exactly what I wanted, an unaware set up sweeper. Hippowdon can absolutely decimate teams weakened without their special attacker and no immediate power. If they have an Ogerpon or any other physical water/grass type, its a bit of a problem but other than that it can decimate. It laughs at the face of multiple physical set up sweepers. Zamazenta-Crowned? Pathetic. DD Dragonite? Pathetic. Triage Ceruledge? Pathetic. A seriously underrated ability typically used on the worst pokemon for it possible (scream tail, I'm welcome to discussing over discord about why I think unaware scream tail is the worst set ever to be popular). Unaware really shines in this use case, before this I used stealth rock whirlwind and it just did so little for the team, I do not recommend you use it but you can try whirlwind at the minimum.

1703181198500.gif

Moltres, I absolutely love this pokemon. Another extremely rare sight to see, perfect for my team. I decided to use MGLO with Brave Bird and Flare Blitz, with will-o-wisp support. If you've noticed I have some Chinese EV spreads, I decided moltres either does no damage (WBB corv, garganacl, WBB steels) or does a shit ton of damage. So I sacrificed some attack EVs and HP EVs for overall bulk (the current EV spread is better than 252hp 252atk adamant). No speed because it does have a very useful defensive typing I want to make use of. Aptly named Pack Smoker, this pokemon truly smokes the packs that are unprepared teams. If they do not have WBB flying resist or Garganacl, they will be smoked. I don't know what more I can say, I love this set. I was a previous talonflame enjoyer as well, with the same set but speed and attack. I much prefer this over Talonflame.

1703181238227.png

Slither Wing, not an unpopular pokemon but not a popular one either. I decided I would use scrappy to break through Gholdengo and Intimidate Corviknights. Not many things want to switch into a scrappy CC from any pokemon, without the proper typing and or ability (fluffy corv takes about 30%). Not much more I can say, you can replace this pokemon with any other scrappy CC'er but I decided slither wing for the STAB U-Turn and First Impression, as well as its surprisingly high sp.def stat, which helped me one game against Keldeo.

1703181258825.gif

Gholdengo, another orthodox pick for my team. I chose water absorb for health+keldeo check. My team also has no water resist so this is just nice to have. Gholdengo offers the team resistances and immunities it does not have, so I thought it would fit nicely on the team. Previously this was a Kilowattrel with HDB and Primordial Sea.

Weaknesses of the team
Many special wallbreakers
Physical set-up Fire Types with coverage for Ground types (you need to make sure you don't eat a +2 sun-boosted ivy cudgel for example on Moltres, on switch-in or below 70%)
Scrappy CC
Mold-Breaker Keldeo (calc if specs, if specs either make a ballsy play on predict of switch and recover or go to Muk)
Electric spam (no guard zapdos, hadron engine raikou), replacing muk with goodra should mitigate this issue
Stamina Scream Tail, max speed, max spatk, dazzling gleam, stored power, rest. shout out to drainage pimp, I still owe you one

You can offer criticism but if you want a more live chat with me, I'm on discord. knightman3721
Make any tweaks you want for my team, change my team past recognition, I don't care. I just want to share.
signed zezaktest
 
Last edited:
View attachment 582309
I recently hit top 1 (I'm no longer top 1 as of writing this but the evidence is here) with a team I'd like to share. It has some unorthodox picks but I think I made a very good team here.
I also hit around 1635 but I have no photo evidence of it.
:muk-alola: :corviknight: :hippowdon: :moltres: :slither-wing: :gholdengo:


View attachment 582325
Muk-Alola is an unorthodox regenvester, as Manaphy, Goodra-H, and a few others are the main choices. Alola-Muk does have servicable bulk, its slightly higher than that of Manaphy's and higher than Swamperts. It has very useful resistances, and it's rarity makes it something people don't take into account, as it can shut down many common wallbreakers with it's typing (Gengar, Zoro-H, Azelf). Unfortunately it does lose to the ones with strong neutral damage, and the new Keldeo which many regenvesters lose to already (Goodra-H being the biggest victim). It also is vulnerable to teams primarily focusing on special wallbreakers but in my experience they are rare. Muk-Alola in general serves the team well with knock off support and poison spreading, either through jab or fang, I have not seen a use for other moves and typically rock slide is only good for volcarona, but I keep it there anyways. If one hates Alola-Muk so much, they can replace it with my recommendation of Goodra-H with the set provided in the notes of the pokepaste.

View attachment 582327
Corviknight, what can I say here, probably the most orthodox pokemon on my team. Basic intimidate and defog support. I run drill peck because I don't like recoil, and rocky helmet because it helps sometimes. I'd recommend boots or leftovers if you so choose, and brave bird for 50% more damage.

View attachment 582328
Hippowdon, an extremely rare sight to see in AAA. Rarely do I ever see this pokemon. But it fitted exactly what I wanted, an unaware set up sweeper. Hippowdon can absolutely decimate teams weakened without their special attacker and no immediate power. If they have an Ogerpon or any other physical water/grass type, its a bit of a problem but other than that it can decimate. It laughs at the face of multiple physical set up sweepers. Zamazenta-Crowned? Pathetic. DD Dragonite? Pathetic. Triage Ceruledge? Pathetic. A seriously underrated ability typically used on the worst pokemon for it possible (scream tail, I'm welcome to discussing over discord about why I think unaware scream tail is the worst set ever to be popular). Unaware really shines in this use case, before this I used stealth rock whirlwind and it just did so little for the team, I do not recommend you use it but you can try whirlwind at the minimum.

View attachment 582330
Moltres, I absolutely love this pokemon. Another extremely rare sight to see, perfect for my team. I decided to use MGLO with Brave Bird and Flare Blitz, with will-o-wisp support. If you've noticed I have some Chinese EV spreads, I decided moltres either does no damage (WBB corv, garganacl, WBB steels) or does a shit ton of damage. So I sacrificed some attack EVs and HP EVs for overall bulk (the current EV spread is better than 252hp 252atk adamant). No speed because it does have a very useful defensive typing I want to make use of. Aptly named Pack Smoker, this pokemon truly smokes the packs that are unprepared teams. If they do not have WBB flying resist or Garganacl, they will be smoked. I don't know what more I can say, I love this set. I was a previous talonflame enjoyer as well, with the same set but speed and attack. I much prefer this over Talonflame.

View attachment 582332
Slither Wing, not an unpopular pokemon but not a popular one either. I decided I would use scrappy to break through Gholdengo and Intimidate Corviknights. Not many things want to switch into a scrappy CC from any pokemon, without the proper typing and or ability (fluffy corv takes about 30%). Not much more I can say, you can replace this pokemon with any other scrappy CC'er but I decided slither wing for the STAB U-Turn and First Impression, as well as its surprisingly high sp.def stat, which helped me one game against Keldeo.

View attachment 582333
Gholdengo, another orthodox pick for my team. I chose water absorb for health+keldeo check. My team also has no water resist so this is just nice to have. Gholdengo offers the team resistances and immunities it does not have, so I thought it would fit nicely on the team. Previously this was a Kilowattrel with HDB and Primordial Sea.

Weaknesses of the team
Many special wallbreakers
Physical set-up Fire Types with coverage for Ground types (you need to make sure you don't eat a +2 sun-boosted ivy cudgel for example on Moltres, on switch-in or below 70%)
Scrappy CC
Mold-Breaker Keldeo (calc if specs, if specs either make a ballsy play on predict of switch and recover or go to Muk)
Electric spam (no guard zapdos, hadron engine raikou), replacing muk with goodra should mitigate this issue
Stamina Scream Tail, max speed, max spatk, dazzling gleam, stored power, rest. shout out to drainage pimp, I still owe you one

You can offer criticism but if you want a more live chat with me, I'm on discord. knightman3721
Make any tweaks you want for my team, change my team past recognition, I don't care. I just want to share.
signed zezaktest
I just used this team, and it's really amazing. Scrappy Slither wing does much better than I expected it to, smashing intimidate corv and gholdengo
 
Last edited:
For the first time since the new meta came out, I hit top 10, enjoying the volatile nature of it right now, seeing so much new stuff everyday on the ladder is so cool. I usually use balance teams, but this time I did it with a stall team. It definitely isn't perfect, but hey if I'm able to get up there with LordBox 5 other alts, I'm content.

:skarmory: :gholdengo: :Garganacl: :Goodra-Hisui: :Toxapex: :Roaring-Moon:

The goal with this team was to stack hazards, keep them up, and phase out enemies for most chip.

:Skarmory: setup up spikes and phase w WW, physical bulk lets it tank so much and deal back some damage w RH. WBB is mainly for gouging, as otherwise that thing would just wreck this team.
:Gholdengo: levitate lends itself much better than EE to this team. This is because it allows you to ignore spikes, something becoming much more common due to new and better spikes setters. Colbur lets you sponge dark hits and lets you beat Tusk 1v1. Tbolt allows for one to 2HKO corv if ur put in a position to do that/if they're only expecting a 30% shadow ball. Doesn't work well against scrappy tusk but for that one can use skarm or fluffy garg to help counteract.
:Garganacl: Fluffy makes it a tank and setup rocks. ID lets it stay on the field for longer and be a nuisance. The special investment allows it to be bulky on both sides of the spectrum pretty well and not die to stray special attacks.
:Goodra-Hisui: What more to say, thing is a tank. Also allows for further phasing w d-tail. Very suspectible to chip from hazards and can be easily exploited since it doesn't have a way to pivot.
:Toxapex: Let's me sponge up t-spikes as well as set them myself. Very passive mon so idk how to feel ab it yet, but it's very bulky and the t-spikes have come in clutch a few times so I am liking it for now. VA lets the team not get stomped by electrics.
:Roaring-Moon: toxic absorber and can block defog/hazard set-up. I have run max hp/speed, atk/speed, but I think I am leaning more towards adamant max hp. This is because the team has no hazard removal, and if the opponent get sticky webs up, the speed investment won't be that helpful, so I thought, why not just put it into its bulk. Also allows me to run adamant. 370 is not even that good of speed control rn so no speed doesn't matter too much. Life orb doesn't help too much in the long run compared to lefties, and you are actually able to gain more than you'd expect over the course of a game with lefties equipped.

Team is definitely exploitable if not able to get up hazards/keep them on field. Even though a majority of the team does not mind spikes, the ones that do (if item knocked) really struggle against it, hoodra especially. Struggled with boulder and Ogerpon-C (esp the no contact ivy cudgel) but if hazards are up and the proper physical walls aren't chipped significantly, they can be beaten. Only ran into like 1 keld on ladder but this team theoretically doesn't do too bad against choice sets assuming it gets smoked by tinted bc its keld. It was fun to dip my toes into stall for the first time and I will def be working out the kinks in this team.
Screenshot 2023-12-23 at 1.50.09 AM.png
Screenshot 2023-12-23 at 3.22.40 AM.png
 

LordBox

you should love yourself... NOW!
is a Community Contributoris a Smogon Discord Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Contributor to Smogon
1703352146351.png

1703346959892.png

1703346969963.png

1703346980104.png

1703346991574.png

Hello I'm back again. Had a bunch of free time recently so I've been building and testing some more teams so here is a mini dump. Inspired by BH ladder I also decided to at the same time decide how many alts I could stack into the Top 10 while testing out teams. I currently have 5 within Top 10, LordBox, bearsociety, TriageTriageTriage, toomanybloodybirds and Birded Up all being my accounts. I have a 6th one climbing up as well but I'm mostly satisifed now, all in all I think I have some ok teams for ladder, maybe they suck in reality against good players but they've mostly worked pretty well so far and performed decently into some of the good players I've fought. Definitely can still be optimised but lol it's good enough for ladder so I'm going to just dump this and go zzz.

:meloetta::deoxys-defense::corviknight::iron-bundle::walking-wake::great-tusk:
:meloetta::deoxys-defense::corviknight::ceruledge::great-tusk::electrode-hisui:
:meloetta::deoxys-defense::corviknight::azelf::keldeo::great-tusk:

Did I just copy paste 3 of the same team and just alter the offensive core slightly? Yes. The 4 mon defensive core has proven exceptionally great for me to handle the majority of the meta unless you run into like a Hydreigon lol. Main reason its nice is because it can afford a Tusk as Meloetta is solo and that just provides so much nice utility and so accessible asf hazards means it makes your ability to break a lot more flexible. Best team is definitely the top, very consistent and strong as Wake Knocks RegenVests for Bundle and Wake can come in on Bundle switches like DesoTran/DesoMoth. Hard Wabs counters are more annoying but not unbeatable as with layers of Spikes and SR can render many of them into 2HKO range with good play. 2nd one has a Electrode-Hisui in a more supporting role to get Ceruledge in, you might prefer Deso/SoR Ceru but Triage also checks stuff like Volc which can be annoying. Honestly the Keldeo one was just because I was being lazy and wanted to test around Keldeo because people kept telling me they couldn't find Keldeo on ladder. Mold Breaker/Adapt/Tinted are all contentious for best ability I just chose Moldy for now cause it was funny owning hard cteams like Wabs Gholdengo and Unaware Deo-D. Keldeo is annoying but it's just broken in general lol, juggle Meloetta/Corv/Deo-D and hope you don't get the predicts wrong. Fairly solid core, but some dummy breakers/speed control last two slots and you can't go wrong even if some stuff may get banned or fall out of favour.

:jirachi::gholdengo::corviknight::ceruledge::walking-wake::garganacl:

A more iffy team I didn't test too much but it still worked fairly well. Main idea was just to build around RegenVest Jirachi, why? Because why the fuck not. Not recommended this things weaknesses are ass to account for especially with stuff like Keldeo in the mix still but it managed to come out alright. Ceruledge is chilling but now DesoLand because Specs PrimSea can still hurt Jirachi very badly (also Keldeo lol). EE Garg is goated because it checks the annoying Gouging Fires everywhere, Salt Cures and sets rocks all over the place and check other annoying stuff like DNite/Ceruledge.

:corviknight::garganacl::swampert::iron-moth::roaring-moon::chien-pao:
:corviknight::garganacl::swampert::iron-moth::azelf::slither-wing:

Originally it was just the first team but I made the second after noticing something very annoying. Double Dark is still pretty broken and can you can break down physical cores incredibly effectively since a bunch just forgot about CPao cause new toy syndrome lol. TSpikes Iron Moth is also lowkey broken with aggressive play as it can dissuade most removal easily and a lot of teams lack TSpike absorbers nowadays. I did realise uh that you get kinda owned by Drum Triage Kommo-o so hence the second team with PsySurge Azelf and a CB Fighting-type doesn't matter too much which one it is tbh. Keldeo is still once again ass. Sub is uhh kinda manageable cause Moth but you're super playing with Fire against Specs Tinted, in any either case try to preserve Moth. Grass coverage Fires are annoying, for Moth I'd go into your own Moth and war it out or go RMoon if you're confident or go into a sack war if desperate with Garganacl as a decent mon to also try to trade your way out.

:mandibuzz::primarina::gholdengo::ceruledge::walking-wake::corviknight:

Decided to lean away from Intim Corv structures and try out Tablets Mandibuzz. Ended up putting Corv back in again though lol. Toxic on Mandi is for the BU GTusk mu. For Gouging hard into Mandi and Foul Play, you might die but Wake should be able to revenge and from it's low so uh get good and play better I guess lol. Gholdengo covers some annoying stuff Mandi hates like Iron Boulder and CB Fighters (and absorb Tusk Knock) and Primarina is the RegenVest of choice in order to try to scout Pao. Triage Ceru once again shows up though I'm not too sure if it's much better than SoR/Deso this time but it does make stuff like Volc/Bundle MU a bit more bearable. Wake here is forced Scarf to check big Gouging and Flips into Ceruledge. Corv is here as support for Primarina and hazard removal. No hazards a bit annoying but I'm too lazy to optimise this team further.

:kingambit::roaring-moon::corviknight::gholdengo::manaphy::quaquaval:

I tried to make RegenVest Manaphy work. This is definitely the most scuffed team here I'll say so take that how you will. I spent a bit of time deliberating how to make it work and reverted to an old core I used before and it in theory can work ok. Main issue is Sub CM Keldeo uh kinda owns you, thus the Alluring Voice (as cope). Kingambit was here because Atha said it was cool and an extra Steel to soak up Freeze Dries from Bundle would be nice. I would really like Band RMoon but relying on Gambit speed control seems too unreliable so thus Scarf is here, still able to support with Knock on walls Gambit is irritated by. I still feel Manaphy can work (honestly it over Prima on the above team might work) but honestly I don't really care anymore and this still somehow managed to perform on ladder so that should tell you what ladder is like lol. Quaq set is cursed? Deal with it.

:swampert::latios::azelf::garganacl::heatran::corviknight:
:swampert::walking-wake:(:gouging-fire:/:dragonite:):deoxys-defense::heatran::corviknight:

Both team were the result of Swamp getting owned by random Grass coverage Fires. Teams are less offensively potent than previous Swamp teams but what can you do. Gouging Fire and DNite both do well in checking the Fire types with Grass coverage for obvious reasons while serving as decent offensive utility. Latios can also kinda do the same though it's more cope lol. Main issue with Bottom is WBB Corv/Skarm teams are kinda ass but shrug. For Latios, either Tinted/Adapt can work, not sure which one is better so try out for yourself lol. Obligatory speed control in the Scarfers but probably are adjustable?

:deoxys-defense::garganacl::electrode-hisui::great-tusk::meloetta::zoroark-hisui:
:deoxys-defense::garganacl::great-tusk::meloetta::zoroark-hisui::slither-wing:

I realise now I am running a really large amount of EE Garg but whatever. Ok I haven't actually tested this team it could be garbage and it probably is on ladder but what is actually heat in a Bo1 setting trust me. Zoro-H will SD on the RegenVest and absolutely claim trust me. Issue is that ladder just immediately adapts and you become useless. If you are boring, switch the Zoro-H to regular SFLO/MGLO mixed and run physical speed control to give entry way to Zoro-H, as demonstrated in the below team (Tinted FImp helps for situations like Volc being annoying). Desoland Tusk helps with random Barras and also a super cope check to Keldeo while providing spin support. Please help me the horse (Keldeo) tortures me perpetually.

:corviknight::quaquaval::gholdengo::swampert:(:barraskewda:/:roaring-moon:):kingambit:

Built from the ground up off the basis of WBB Corv might be viable since Heatran and Gouging Fire are painful to deal with. Quaq came naturally as Darks, especially CPao, hurt while Gholdengo synergises well with Swamp while serving as a secondary check to the likes of the Fighters. Barra/RMoon can serve as physical support intended to help break down physical cores for Kingambit to go in. Kingambit comes as a decent breaker, priority and also Iron Boulder check as this can struggle with Iron Boulder. Potential changes could possible be the Corv moveset change (maybe U-turn somewhere idk to help with Boulder). Mostly theory crafted team, haven't tested much so go out and test it yourself smh.


:deoxys-speed::iron-crown::thundurus::keldeo::cresselia::gouging-fire:

Braindead HO. NGL Deoxys-Speed might not the best screener cause Scarf RMoon is like lol and honestly might prefer Prank Corv but shrug. Nothing really much to say, Keldeo can be Adapt/Tinted/Moldy whatever you fancy on the day. Iron Crown set is a super hilarious sweeper, you can modify the abilities as you please. Unaware Cress is here to make sure I don't instalose to Dragonite and other random setup BS ladder can pull out of its ass while sweeping its fair share especially under screens.

:blissey::great-tusk::gholdengo::garganacl::scream-tail::ting-lu:
:skarmory::great-tusk::garganacl::scream-tail::roaring-moon::blissey:

Big Fat stall based off MG Blissey. Not much to say, though Ting-Lu is probably better replaced by some other Bulletproof mon as Thundurus's GKnot hurts it a lot but it gets Spikes so lol. Moldy CM Keldeo is annoying, can run CM on STail for this but no double rocks is sad. Garganacl has IDef for stuff like Gouging and other random setup sweepers. Blissey has TWave to help in case of random stuff like Zoro-H being annoying but could also be seismic, has CM for Gholdengo. GTusk set is probably also able to be modified.
 

Tea Guzzler

forever searching for a 10p freddo
is a Site Content Manageris a Social Media Contributoris a Forum Moderatoris a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Top Contributoris a Smogon Media Contributor
Moderator
This isn't totally related to the current metagame itself, but i've been asked this question a few times and thought it'd be best if I summed it all up in one post.

:sm/arceus: Arceus, and if it could be free* in AAA:sm/arceus:
Here's the rundown:
  • Normally, Arceus is always ability-locked (to Multitype) and requires a held Plate to initially change forme.
  • Arceus-Normal without Multitype will still change forme if it's given a Plate (the new forme will have Multitype). If it's given any other item, no change happens and it keeps its ability.​
  • Arceus can be hacked to have any forme, ability, and item it wants (this is how SIlvally worked last gen).​
  • It's unclear, and as far as I know untestable, how Arceus-Fairy would react to losing Multitype for another ability. Save editing would just leave it as Arceus-Fairy @ the new ability, but save editing doesn't follow conventional forme-change logic and probably shouldn't be used as precedent. Ability Capsule and Ability Patch also don't work, even if you remove Multitype in a save editor.​
  • If non-Normal Arceus experiences any item change, then it will instantly revert back to Arceus-Normal @ Multitype.
Interestingly, that last point above means that last gen Silvally was implemented incorrectly, and it should not be used as precedent here (provided that you treat AAA as a "Magic Ability Capsule" in regards to legality). Last gen, fully-custom Silvally was usable (eg. RegenVest Silvally-Dragon was legal), which under the "Magic Ability Capsule" idea shouldn't be possible; your Regen Silvally-Dragon would just go back to RKS System Silvally-Normal when you took off the Dragon Memory. I've tested this with Silvally itself in SS, and the code is seemingly the same as in SV.

This leaves a few resolutions provided the council actually wants to act (I've been asked by Isaiah a few different times, so i'm assuming it's a maybe):

  1. Completely free Arceus (as in BH): choose your own forme, item, and ability. This option makes the least sense for 2 reasons: 1 is that you would most likely end up with 0 legal Arceus formes, and 2 is that you're essentially breaking the forme change rules (with this Arceus logic, you'd have to allow Ogerpon-Fire @ Any Item).
  2. Allow Arceus with any ability, but restrict it to the right Plate: Follows the same precedent as Ogerpon. Goes off of the idea that removing Arceus-Fairy's Multitype won't cause any problems. As Multitype isn't actually necessary for Arceus-Normal -> Arceus-Fairy, inferring that Multitype does nothing (and thus wouldn't revert Arceus-Fairy if it were to disappear) seems reasonable.
  3. Complete restriction: Force Multitype + Plate on a non-Normal Arceus forme. Goes off of the idea that removing Multitype would break the forme change and cause Arceus-Fairy to change back to Arceus-Normal.
In all cases, Arceus-Normal can have any ability it wants, but it can't hold a Plate if going with option 2 or 3. Since we can't really test what happens if you lose Multitype while in a non-Normal forme, I think it's ultimately going to fall to what the forum mods decide to choose.
 
Iron Bundle and Keldeo are now banned!




Though recently freed, Iron Bundle has quickly proven too much for the current metagame. Thanks to its blazing 136 speed stat, Iron Bundle is tied for the third fastest pokemon in the metagame, and it makes full use of this speed with an unresisted stab combination powered off 124 special attack. While it does have a handful of checks, like Desolate Land fire types and the bulkiest regenvests, none of these actually prevent Iron Bundle from functioning; most of them still take significant chip damage from its attacks, and it can still chase out most offensive threats with impunity and then pivot for momentum. Since even extremely specialized counters aren't reliable to fend it off, the AAA council has chosen to let Iron Bundle go and give it time to focus on its christmas deliveries.


Though slower than Iron Bundle, Keldeo will also be joining it on the list of banned water types. While there are pokemon with more than base 108 speed, it's still sufficient to make Keldeo extremely fast, and it supplements this speed with a potent STAB combination of its own and more special attack than iron bundle. To make matters worse, Keldeo also gets Secret Sword, allowing it to hit opponents on their defense stat and bypass would-be answers like RegenVest Meloetta or Goodra-H with ease. In some ways, answering Keldeo defensively is even more restrictive than doing so for Iron Bundle, and the fact that it has access to pivoting, priority, and setup doesn't help matters. As such, the AAA council has voted to remove both of these pokemon from the metagame.
 
Last edited:
I'd like to share a team with which i managed to reach top 30. Its a balance team with a couple of uncommon mons that takes advantage of the current meta. There could be room for improvements, but currently it still performs quite well.


:Skarmory::Azelf::Hydreigon::Quaquaval::Swampert::Great Tusk:

:Skarmory: sets up spikes and whirlwinds set up sweepers. Completely walls physical moltres and gouging fire, and can occasionally sweep with a wbb proc as well.

:Azelf: Much needed speed control and anti prio for the team. Mostly pivots and acts as a late game cleaer.

: :Hydreigon: Amazing mon against slower teams. Dragon rush is to hit regenvest mons on the switch, but the jump in damage isnt as much except for Amuk. Could change Dragon rush and flash cannon for other coverage or sr/uturn.

:Quaquaval: The unsung hero of the team. Nothing really switches into it exept for wa ghold, which isnt so common now after the latest bans. Wave crash 3hkos defensive corv at -1 which makes it extremely easy to keep up rocks.

:Swampert: the reason i chose swampert as my regenvest was the slow flipturn that can bring in your breakers. I was using meloetta earlier but its matchup into manaphy is too annoying with uturn and knock off.

:Great Tusk: This mon is just too bulky. Safely switches into nearly every phys attacker and can threaten a sweep. Guarantees rocks against corv as it always swiches after a single bulk up.

Overall a pretty solid team in the current meta. I've seen the Slitherwing/moltres team that reached top 1 posted earlier on the ladder a few times, and its a matchup in your favour.I dont recall any particular bad matchups except tspikes if you cant get in quaquaval safely or theres too many 50/50s with ghosts and the occasional primarina. Playing agaisnt manaphy is annoying too, that thing is too bulky.


Also here's a bonus team with which I tried to make defensive gouging fire work. Im not too good with stall so idk try at your own risk:
:Gouging Fire::Deoxys-Defense::Brambleghast::Manaphy::Great Tusk::Skarmory:
 
I'd like to share a team with which i managed to reach top 30. Its a balance team with a couple of uncommon mons that takes advantage of the current meta. There could be room for improvements, but currently it still performs quite well.


:Skarmory::Azelf::Hydreigon::Quaquaval::Swampert::Great Tusk:
Smoked me and dropped me from like 2nd to 10th or so with beating me with this team. The hydreigon really just puts in so much work when you were hitting everything that I thought you were no guard.
 

LordBox

you should love yourself... NOW!
is a Community Contributoris a Smogon Discord Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Contributor to Smogon
:sv/hydreigon:

shake the room (Hydreigon) @ Life Orb
Ability: Dragon's Maw
Tera Type: Dark
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Draco Meteor
- Dark Pulse
- Flash Cannon

Was looking through Gen AAA 8 VR and thread because I wanted to steal some concepts for NDAAA (you should play it) when I came upon Hydreigon and was reminded this thing is a really funny nuke so decided to make a short little post. Doesn't really work well in Natdex because there are actual SpD Steels/Fairies over there but here it seems pretty perfectly positioned to wreak havoc with the absolute lack of bulky Fairies and SpD Steels there are in this tier. Seriously this things calcs are really absurd, OHKO'ing essentially every RegenVest that doesn't resist Draco, which are the majority (+2 252+ SpA Life Orb Dragon's Maw Hydreigon Draco Meteor vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Assault Vest Goodra-Hisui: 317-374 (87.3 - 103%) -- 93.8% chance to OHKO after 1 layer of Spikes). What happens if you load into a bulky Fairy like RegenVest Primarina? Well there's this neat little option called forfeiting...
 
Last edited:

cat

anemoia
is a Community Contributoris a Smogon Discord Contributoris a Top Tiering Contributoris a Contributor to Smogon
hi because I like being annoying I'm back with another annoying post on Triage yet again
:comfey: :ursaluna: :hariyama: Ban Triage. :iron hands: :kommo-o: :ceruledge:

It's gone on for long enough at this point, really. Triage is unhealthy by nature - not exactly super broken, kinda uncompetitive but not too uncompetitive, but rather being a mix of both that makes it unhealthy. We've seen this in (part of) multiple cases of Iron Hands', Ursaluna's, and Hariyama's bans as one of the ingredients in the fabled Triage + at least 4 of: Drain Punch + Belly Drum + Typing + Good Stats + workable coverage combo. There are other cases, like SD + Triage Ceruledge and CM ID Enamorus-T but the combo is the most notable.

Non-Banned abusers of the combo include Kommo-o and the very niche, unseen, and probably bad Poliwrath and Chesnaught. But what's keeping them legal? The answer lies in the current meta (not including the niche Armor Tail/Dazzling) - Azelf, Ghosts like Gholdengo, Dragonite, and Unaware Deo-D/Scream Tail, but are these really checks? Kommo-o can OHKO Dragonite with the help of Life Orb and mild chip. Under Light Screen, Scarf Azelf usually fails to OHKO Kommo-o with Max HP EVs at 75%. Ghosts fail to meaningfully harm Kommo-o bar the nicher, rarer Normalize Gengar. The remaining checks are Unaware Deo-D and STail with Deo-D even then being an if - depending on Deo-D's moveset, Kommo-o can win the 1v1 if packing Poison Jab and if Deo-D cannot meaningfully touch Kommo-o. This only leaves Scream Tail as the one reliable check, who has seen its better days.

My point doesnt really stop there - I genuinely don't see why Triage is still legal. Sure, while there hasn't been too much community discussion/outcry for Triage, its unhealthy traits are still there and are pretty obvious. The only arguments I've really heard from the DNB side is that Triage is kept in check by Azelf (which is partially true btw, since kommo-o can beat Azelf 1v1) or that it gets walled by x niche(r) mon. The latter argument is flawed since I could argue that Kyogre should be freed using that argument since it is walled by Hoodra, which is really extreme and something that I will not advocate for. I would geniunely appreciate everyone's view on Triage, regardless of stance. Lastly, I would like to encourage you to speak up if you wish for tiering action on Triage. Personally, I would advocate for a suspect or an outright QB on Triage.

probably missed out something important because im running on 5h of sleep.
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 1, Guests: 1)

Top