Intro to PU Old Gens

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Introduction

SM PU has taken so long to be formed that Nintendo's already gone ahead and announced the next game. It's been so slow that most Mega stones have been released, and even AZ pities how long PU mains have had to wait. However, left to their own devices, PU players began to experiment and innovate. Not with ORAS PU, which had already had plenty of time in the spotlight, but with older generations. PU wasn't even created until BW2 or made official until ORAS, but DPP and ADV PU were retroactively created, and BW PU was brought back to life. With most of the playerbase having little else to do, these new metagames quickly became popular and began to develop a following. The PU old generations renaissance has even spawned its own tournament, the PU Classic, which is based off of its more well-known OU counterpart. Despite this, many people simply haven't heard of these metagames due to how new and unusual they are. So, to help remedy that, here's a brief introduction to the new old gens of PU.

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BW

Unlike the following two metagames, people actually played BW PU before a few months ago. This has made it the most public and easiest PU old gen to pick up, as players didn't have to start from scratch. It even saw inclusion in the last two iterations of PU Premier League, providing more high-level replays to go off of. BW PU also benefits from being the most similar to ORAS PU of the older generations, both mechanically and in terms of the Pokémon allowed. Despite this the metagame has continued to evolve, with a community vote to ban Linoone and the discovery of previously underutilized threats and sets like Bronzor and defensive Volbeat proving that this previously retired metagame still has some life left.

Threat List

   

BW PU's threatlist is heavily tilted in favor of offensive threats with few checks. Dragon Dance Fraxure, Calm Mind or Trick Room Beheeyem, Choice Scarf Rotom-F, and Rain Dance Golduck are all currently S-rank in the metagame thanks to how hard it can be to keep them in check, and the list only keeps growing. Combusken can be a deadly physical or, especially when paired with NastyPass Togetic, special sweeper, Shell Smash Huntail and Rain Dance Mantine both give Golduck a swim for its money, and both Zebstrika and Jumpluff are excellent speed control options for most teams. There's no shortage of strong wallbreakers either; Zweilous, Ursaring, and Stoutland can clear most defensive threats off the field for teammates like Simipour and Sneasel to clean up afterwards. Most of the notable defensive Pokémon are useful for one of two traits. Some wall a few specific threats incredibly well, like how Chinchou invalidates Rotom-F and Zebstrika or how Frillish beats most Water-types. Others, such as Bronzor and Audino, check a wide variety of threats but are in danger of being worn down or lured by an unusual set. Sun offense is also a dangerous force with sweepers like Rapidash, Shiftry, and Victreebel, but it can have extreme difficulty facing dedicated sun checks like Cloud Nine Golduck and Chlorophyll Jumpluff. Last but not least, Spikes are incredibly potent in the current metagame. Dwebble, Glalie, and Maractus all bring unique and dangerous attributes to individual teams and hazard control options are limited to the easily spinblocked Tentacool and the highly mediocre Natu.

Things to keep in mind

   

In terms of mechanics BW PU is fairly similar to ORAS PU thanks to permanent weather and Mega Evolution not being a factor in either metagame. Knock Off isn't very relevant, Defog isn't relevant at all, Nature Power calls the actually useful Earthquake, and Gems exist but only Jumpluff uses them with any real frequency. Steel resists Ghost and Dark, but since there's so few offensive Ghost- and Dark-types this mostly just affects Zweilous and Sneasel. The overall metagame itself is a fairly offensive one with plenty of diversity in terms of choice. Classic hyper offense is a strong presence thanks to the power of Spikes, the diversity of Speed-boosting sweepers from Dragon Dance Fraxure to Salac Berry Simipour, and the sheer number of strong attackers to choose from. Bulky offense is hurt by but with tanks like Machoke, Torterra, and Beheeyem, it can still be a powerful option. It might seem difficult to succeed with more balanced or defensive teams thanks to the sheer number of offensive threats, but glue Pokémon like Torterra, Beheeyem, and Klang have managed to keep balanced teams a consistent presence in the metagame, albeit one that is is very hard to use right. Choice Scarf users are fairly mandatory to help keep the aforementioned Speed-boosting sweepers in check for offense, but teams cannot afford to skimp on checks to defensive boosters either as Vigoroth, Duosion, Munchlax, and Klang can all run through teams given the proper support. Pressuring them with immediately hard hitters like Choice Band Stoutland and trying to fit at least one Pokémon with Encore, Taunt, Toxic, or phazing can mean the difference between an easy win and a sudden surprise loss.

Sample Team

An example of balance being done right, HJAD balance favors a far more defensive approach utilizing the excellent synergy between Torterra and Klang to blanket check almost every physical attacker in the metagame. As for the rest of the team, Chinchou immediately removes most Water- and Electric-types as threats while Volbeat provides safety from setup sweepers and acts as one of the few consistent Machoke counters in the metagame. For offensive pressure, the team takes advantage of how difficult Rotom-F is to counter to whittle down teams before sweeping with either the insanely strong Fraxure or the incredibly bulky Klang. Although the team does come with a weakness to Fire-types, Chinchou counters special Combusken and Simisear, while Rapidash and physical Combusken are checked by Fraxure, Chinchou, and Torterra if they're kept healthy enough and can be brought down by Volbeat's Prankster Thunder Wave in an emergency.

DPP

The first of the older generations to be investigated during the PU old gen renaissance, DPP PU is the Gen IV iteration of PU. Gen IV was the last generation to not include Team Preview but it does have many staple items such as Choice Scarf, Focus Sash, and Life Orb. However, a lot of small differences still exist, such as Storm Drain not having a competitive use in singles, and these differences are something to keep in mind while exploring the generation. Even so, the number of sets and threats in DPP PU is vast.

Threat List

   

One of the most defining characteristics of DPP PU is the high amount of defensive synergy and impressive effectiveness of setup threats. Becoming a top threat requires both offensive and defensive prowess, as demonstrated by Pokémon such as Muk and Rhydon. Other choices that specialize in only one of these traits, such as Poliwrath with incredible defensive synergy or Victreebel with the potential to break teams by itself with one turn of setup, are also highly valued. There are also plenty of threats like Electabuzz that utilize their Speed and coverage to keep momentum going. Sun teams are also a threat in the tier due to access to strong attackers like Victreebel and Tangela, but these teams can have difficulties with specific counters such as Cloud Nine Golduck. However, they can still be deadly thanks to the importance of higher Speed. Pokémon such as Zangoose and Misdreavus are kept in check by Kadabra and Rapidash, which are in turn kept in check by Purugly and Sneasel, and so on. The metagame also still sports plenty of offensive tanks that come with a few perks. Machoke's Dynamic Punch can still cause deadly confusion, Metang and Marowak are strong Stealth Rock setters, and teammates like Gastrodon and Pelipper work as great glue for teams.

Things to keep in mind

   

Thanks to the lack of Team Preview and a variety of options in both item choice and moves, the lead metagame in DPP PU is intricate and varied to the point where lead choice is its own metagame. Entry hazards are also very strong in DPP PU, as Stealth Rock was introduced this generation and Cacturne and Glalie can set Spikes effectively, and the only truly viable spinner in the tier is Armaldo. This can make defensive play difficult at times, but there are plenty of choices such as Lickilicky and Gastrodon that can perform multiple roles at once with plenty of bulk and recovery. Other things to keep in mind is that revenge killers are common but Choice Scarf is largely optional. Fast threats such as Purugly and Sneasel, which have both high Speed and priority, can sometimes be effective enough for teams. There is also a large emphasis on checking huge threats such as Rhydon and Victreebel, so having a teammate such as Gastrodon or Golbat can be a worthwhile investment to keep some stronger threats at bay.

Sample Team

This is a bulky offense team with so much defensive synergy that it almost plays like stall. Poliwrath is chosen as the lead, as it has a lot of good matchups in the lead metagame, such as against Monferno and Purugly, and has enough bulk to be useful throughout the match as an EdgeQuake, Fire, Water, and Steel answer. Sableye is the Psychic, Normal, and backup Rhydon check that can Taunt other, slower walls to stall those out. Muk is the blanket specially defensive tank of the team and is primarily there for taking on Grass-types and the common Ghost attackers. Mr. Mime is the revenge killer of the team, which boasts a Choice Scarf to outspeed the tier and also has the option of Healing Wish to heal a teammate. Lickilicky is the second blanket special wall that can pass Wish to teammates, with Power Whip to lure in Rhydon and Misdreavus. Rhydon is the last member, and it is the wallbreaker of the team that also provides the all-important Stealth Rock.

ADV

People sometimes say that Smogon will keep making tiers until Farfetch'd is a viable option, but that's more easily accomplished by going backward through the generations rather than forward. The most immediately apparent feature of ADV PU is its shockingly low power creep. Most PU-associated Pokémon from later gens such as Drifblim and Poliwrath either don't exist or simply aren't bad enough to drop down to PU, giving Pokémon ridiculed in more current generations such as Dunsparce and Farfetch'd the chance to shine. ADV also comes with plenty of mechanics differences from what we know today, featuring a lack of expansive movepools, few useful items, no physical/special split, and little choice or customization when it comes to abilities.

Threat List

   

To the joy of every user who has theorymonned a potential Normal / Dragon Mega Evolution for Sun and Moon, Dunsparce is by far the best Pokémon in the metagame. It's currently undergoing a suspect (although the results will not affect the tier during the PU Classic) due to its comparatively stellar bulk, ability to punish switch-ins with Serene Grace Body Slam, incredible sweeping potential with Curse, and ability to lure and take out checks with a solid movepool including Ice Beam and Hidden Power Grass. Access to stat-boosting moves is fairly rare in the metagame, so Dragonair takes the second-best slot thanks to its ability to function as a special Agility sweeper, physical Dragon Dance sweeper, or Thunder Wave-spamming wall. Although boosting stats with moves isn't easy, Endure / Substitute + Salac Berry sweepers are incredibly dangerous due to the lack of Choice Scarf. Combusken and Beedrill are two very deadly examples, but the most threatening pinch Berry sweeper in the metagame is Yanma, simply because Speed Boost allows it to run the combination of Substitute + Liechi Berry + Reversal without needing to worry about boosting Speed. The deadliness of these sweepers makes Quick Attack nigh required for every single team, whether it comes from Choice Band users like Doduo and Vibrava or special attackers that manage to find a slot for it like Ponyta and Quilava. Even Minun, the fastest viable Pokémon in the metagame and a strong special attacker with plenty of diverse options, will still sometimes run Quick Attack thanks to how obligatory priority is. Other notable Pokémon include Omanyte for its access to Spikes, Aipom for having a Choice Band set that only Shuckle can completely counter, and Sealeo for being Dragonair's best defensive switch-in.

Things to keep in mind

   

Team Preview doesn't exist, which makes choosing a lead far more crucial than in later generations. There's no Focus Sash to fall back on, so popular choices include Snorunt to set Spikes early and Aipom for its immediate offensive presence and ability to Baton Pass out of bad matchups. The physical/special split is also gone, so coverage options are completely different for some Pokémon. Pokémon like Omanyte and Ivysaur won't bother using their Rock and Poison STAB attacks, respectively, since they automatically fall under their weakest attack stats. Some Pokémon such as Gastly and Dragon Dance Dragonair don't get to use STAB at all! Sleep mechanics are far different from what we know today, so check out the ADV PU mechanics page for more. As mentioned earlier, priority is a necessity on every team to combat pinch Berry and Reversal users, although only Zigzagoon has access to anything stronger than Quick Attack (Extreme Speed). Strong Choice Band users and other wallbreakers like Meditite are also effective, as much of the metagame has become dominated by Dunsparce bulky balance frameworks due to how tough it can be to break through. Normal checks such as Anorith and Rhyhorn are also important due to the prominence of Dunsparce and Aipom.

Sample Team

Slowbroth's description as seen on the sample teams thread: "A solid balance team that people should be able to pick up and use. It's essentially a Normal Spam "core" of Aipom and Dunsparce, with lead Aipom applying pressure Turn 1, while Dunsparce whittles down Pokémon that resist Normal and flinch + paralysis haxes the opponent's walls. Beedrill helps the core out by setting up on Shuckle, of which the prior two have trouble with. In return, Aipom and Dunsparce weaken Ghost- and Poison-types like Duskull and Koffing for Beedrill. Marshtomp and Shuckle was added as a defensive core that checks Dragonair, Aipom, Anorith, and many others. Defensive Dragonair was added as a sturdy Fire + Grass sponge so the team wouldn't fare too badly versus things like Quilava.

The team is somewhat unusual for its lack of any priority, but with three physically defensive titans, it can afford to play defensively versus sweepers like Yanma. The team utilizes the strategy of spreading paralysis with Dunsparce and Dragonair rather than bothering with multiple Salac Berry users for speed control, and it is a great example of how much pressure Dunsparce can apply to any team when combined with a strong sweeper like Beedrill.

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Closing Thoughts

Even with PU waiting well over half a year to enter Gen VII, it has remained a vibrant community with the exploration of the older generations. New sets and ideas and have been created and tested almost daily in spite of the newer generation moving without PU joining quite yet. These metagames bring life back to older generations and even have some interesting quirks in each generation that keep things fun and interesting. If a metagame where you can pull out a surprise Yanma sweep thanks to the lack of Team Preview or where Bellossom is a premier special wall interests you, be sure to check out the PU old gens hub for more information and resources.

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