UU Theorymon

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In this round of theorymon, we're going to explore some interesting changes that may happen soon in the UU metagame. There are often Pokémon who are pretty close to dropping from OU or moving up from UU, as well as Dream World abilities that could be released at any time. As always, I encourage you to join me in thinking about how these and other changes can affect UU gameplay. Which Pokémon will rise in usage to take on new threats? Which ones will drop due to being outclassed or flat-out countered? Will some of these additions be too overpowered? Let's find out by starting off with one of the premier bulky Water-types, who would get even more annoying with a gift from Dream World.

Water Absorb Suicune

And you thought CroCune versus CroCune was stupid enough. Suicune actually makes decent use out of its current ability, Pressure. Because of its amazing bulk and ability to use Rest relatively well, Suicune can stall an opponent out of a move's PP at times. Once Water Absorb is released, though, Suicune will have much more utility and something that will allow it to stand out among the many defensive Water-types swimming around in UU.

Albeit very unreliable, Suicune will really appreciate Water Absorb because it acts as another form of recovery, as its only other forms of recovery are Rest and Leftovers. Additionally, opposing bulky Water-types can no longer hit it with a Scald for the sole purpose of burning it. Although Suicune already does a good job, it can now hard counter nearly every other Water-type, most of which can do nothing to a Water Absorb CroCune. Offensive Suicune will also have a slightly easier time setting up a Calm Mind in the face of another Water-type.

There isn't much need to worry about Suicune moving back up to OU after this, though. Sure, Suicune now does a whole lot better against rain teams, but it still really doesn't like taking Thunders. Water Absorb is a nice little tool for Suicune to have, but it is by no means broken. The things that are currently effective against Suicune will continue to be as effective or maybe slightly more effective, since now they don't have to worry as much about being PP stalled out of a move. Really, this just means Suicune now does a better job at something it was already pretty good at.

Tornadus

No longer having to be outclassed in OU by its Therian forme, Tornadus can shine on rain teams, being by far the strongest user of Hurricane after factoring in STAB. Given that it also has access to priority Taunt, Superpower backed by a nice Attack stat to beat pink blobs, and a great Speed stat, it's not hard to see why in April, Tornadus's usage was actually barely above the 3.41% threshold, meaning that if this usage trend continues, Tornadus will move back up to OU during the next tier change.

What does losing Tornadus mean for UU players? Obviously, manual rain teams lose a powerful weapon, as there is no other good user of Hurricane legal in UU. Tornadus outspeeds every UU Grass-, Bug-, and Fighting-type, so Pokémon of those types have an easier time since they lose a threatening check. But as always, Pokémon like Crobat will continue to be able to do a great job of sponging hits from these Pokémon. Tornadus doesn't really outclass anything completely, as the two other special Flying-types who use Flying STAB well, Togekiss and Yanmega, have their own niches that separate them from Tornadus (sorry, Zapdos, maybe next generation you'll get good Flying STAB).

As the 46th most used UU Pokémon in April, Tornadus actually isn't used that much and isn't too good for the tier. Tornadus has a ton of excellent weapons, but it's ultimately still weak to Stealth Rock and not very bulky. UU is in a pretty balanced state right now, and I don't think that Tornadus leaving will disrupt the balance too much. There are certainly several great Fighting-types in UU, but alongside them are many solid Flying- and Psychic-types who can definitely continue to keep them in check.

Lightningrod Zapdos

Given that it's a legendary Pokémon, Zapdos is quite bulky for a fast, offensive Pokémon. Although Zapdos isn't meant to be a wall, it can use its natural bulk, access to Roost, and good defensive typing to stall opponents out of PP, so Pressure isn't completely useless. Lightningrod, however, turns Zapdos in the complete opposite direction, beefing up something that is already one of the best attackers in the tier. Lightningrod will be a fantastic ability for Zapdos that benefits it in several ways.

We know from Choice Specs Zapdos how powerful it can be at +1. Offensively, Lightningrod can transform it from a great attacker to a terrifying threat just by switching in on the right move. With a boost from Lightningrod, Life Orb Zapdos is nearly uncounterable and can even OHKO some pretty bulky Pokémon such as Bronzong, Virizion, and Cofagrigus, even without the aid of entry hazards. This is a great gift, since before it got Lightningrod, the only somewhat reliable way it could boost its Special Attack is by using Charge Beam.

Defensively, Lightningrod also helps Zapdos out a lot because it also provides Zapdos with an immunity from Electric-type attacks in addition to the Special Attack boost. Opponents will have to be more careful and can't spam Volt Switch as freely. This is a problem for Pokémon with Choice items, because not only will they give Zapdos a boost, but they will also have to manually switch out on the next turn. Zapdos would also be fantastic for absorbing Thunder Wave since it could prevent a teammate from being crippled and become stronger in the process. Overall, Lightningrod Zapdos is a threat that would be wise to think about when constructing a team.

Haxorus

Receiving extremely tough competition from other physical Dragons in Garchomp, Salamence, Dragonite, and especially Kyurem-B, as well as competition from the other several good specially-based Dragons, Haxorus finds itself having a hard time shining in OU. In the month of April, Haxorus was the only OU Pokémon to have less than 4% usage and was the least-used OU Pokémon by quite a large margin. Although its usage isn't quite low enough for it to be a sure drop in the near future, Haxorus could drop to UU, and if it does, it will have a significant effect on the metagame.

Boasting a ridiculous base 147 Attack, Haxorus would immediately become the strongest Pokémon in the tier. It has a couple of great boosting options in Swords Dance and Dragon Dance. At +2, Haxorus is nearly unstoppable, being able to OHKO literally the entire tier except Gligar, Dusclops, and Slowbro. Dragon Dance helps fix Haxorus's unimpressive Speed, allowing it to tear through slower teams. It's that Speed that really stops Haxorus from being able to destroy everything. Base 97 Speed is good, but there are many Pokémon who are faster (including the only other Dragon-type in the tier, which Haxorus actually loses to 1v1) that can OHKO Haxorus due to its poor bulk. Even with a Choice Scarf or one Dragon Dance boost, Haxorus is still not safe because some of the Pokémon that naturally outspeed it commonly carry Choice Scarfs.

The "MagDrag" combo is well known in OU. It consists of Magnezone using its Magnet Pull ability to trap and KO opposing Steel-types, which are the only Pokémon that resist Dragon, so that a Dragon-type can come in and spam a powerful STAB attack. Although Magnezone is locked away in OU still, Magneton is a viable candidate for a partner to Haxorus, forming a MagDrag combo in UU. With Magnet Rise to avoid Earthquake, Magneton can OHKO or severely dent every Steel-type in the tier so Haxorus can come in and starting mowing through the opponent's team.

Haxorus's awkward base 97 Speed must be taken into account in a different light in UU. Adamant Haxorus is outsped by Pokémon with base 85 Speed and higher that have full Speed investment. In OU, there are actually very few Pokémon between 85 and 97 base Speed, so Haxorus doesn't lose out on much by opting for more power. However, UU is a completely different playing field, with 16 Pokémon residing in that Speed range, and there are a few RU Pokémon that are seen in UU as well in that Speed tier. You might think that Dragon Dance will solve this issue, but many of the Pokémon in that range, including Darmanitan, Heracross, Krookodile, and Rotom-H, commonly carry Choice Scarfs. Obviously, Adamant will still be the preferred option in many cases, but it's important to keep in mind what outspeeds Haxorus when using it.

Haxorus will be an insane threat in UU that every team must think about. Defensively, Cresselia is possibly the best answer due to its massive bulk and access to Ice Beam. Although insanely powerful, Haxorus is still defeated by any fast Choice Scarf Pokémon due to its Speed and poor bulk. Still, its ability to destroy slower teams if it gets just one turn to boost will have a notable impact on the tier, as Haxorus adds a whole new element of wallbreaking.

Shadow Tag Chandelure

Enjoy using Chandelure while you can, because there is absolutely no way it's staying in UU once it gets Shadow Tag. If I had the power, I would personally ban it to BL the instant Shadow Tag is released. Flash Fire is a really nice ability, but Gothitelle, a vastly inferior Pokémon to Chandelure, was banned from UU due to how powerful Shadow Tag is. Chandelure already has secured its place in UU as a notable threat, but it will undoubtedly overrun the tier shortly after Shadow Tag is available.

Choice Scarf Chandelure would become an incredible revenge killer because, barring faster Choice Scarf users with either U-turn or Volt Switch, there's no need to even worry about prediction as Chandelure can use its massive Special Attack and boosted Speed to pick off nearly all weakened foes. Choice Specs is a fine option as always because Chandelure can OHKO many things that are naturally slower, and again, the ease of prediction is really valuable for Choice sets because there's little worry of being locked in on the wrong move.

Chandelure has access to Calm Mind and Acid Armor. Although extremely gimmicky, it's possible that Chandelure can set up to +6 in Special Attack, Defense, and Special Defense, probably on things that are Choice-locked into a move like Close Combat or Return. Besides Houndoom, even a Chandelure whose only attacking move is Flamethrower can pretty much sweep every team after it's completely set up barring hax, but due to Chandelure's many common weaknesses and the nature of UU, there's nearly nothing Chandelure can set up on because basically everything can break its Substitutes or phaze it out. Although the SubSplit set is a great set for Flash Fire Chandelure, Shadow Tag Chandelure can't really set up a Substitute on the switch, so you might be better off using it as a revenge killer. And by "you", I mean you people that play OU, because remember that in the long term, Chandelure's use in UU will be cut very short. Could it even be too broken for OU? I'll leave that discussion for another place and time.

What About You?

Your opinions are more than welcome too! What do you think about these and other subjects? UU is pretty balanced right now, but one single event could throw everyone for a loop. If you want to read more, there was a lot of discussion about sandstorm fairly recently, and as always, thanks for joining me.

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