Eel, since the beginning of SM PU, was always good. It didn't "became" good, just more used. Exactly like Mesprit CM. Once they discovered how good it was during the PUPL or in every competitions before, almost everyone played it. The only thing that made Eel better imo was the big rise of Muds, which you can easily beat somehow with Eel. The recent rises didn't boost it either. At best, there was Guzzlord who walled it. But even there, it was easy to just Volt Switch or weaken it with Drain Punch/Superpower without feeling that your Eel set was badly influenced.
I just wanted to continue the discussion on Eelektross, because I personally think it is kinda unhealthy right now how powerful this mon has gotten. I am not saying that we should definitely suspect it or ban it or anything, however I do think there is lot's of reason to ask ourselves that question and have a discussion about it, because Eelektross has become dominant and meta-defining.
If there was one word you give to Eelektross, it is momentum. What role does momentum play in the metagame? Short answer is that it plays a HUGE role. Momentum means having control of the match, being the one in the driver's seat. It means making the opponent play defensively and making the plays that you want to make and execute the game plan you want to execute. Momentum is the equivalent of having an advantageous matchup with the pokemon on the field in a given moment, and using that advantage to make a play that will cripple the opposition. Momentum is something that is usually earned and rewarding in a match.
When Eelektross is successfully brought into the match, there is very little stopping it from granting a huge momentum swing in the user's favor. With Volt Switch and access to beautiful coverage in Giga Drain+Flamethrower, there are literally zero viable mons which are immune to volt switch and threaten Eelektross out. What this means is that there is no counterplay to stopping the momentum Eelektross generates once it is in the game safely, apart from well-played doubles which risk your Mudsdale or Lanturn getting it's item knocked off or Giga Drained. It has gotten to such a gross level of free momentum that people counter Eelektross by trying to run their own Eelektross and abuse it better. People even lower the speed IV's below 31 to try to underspeed opposing Eelektross and outpivot it.
Free momentum with no counterplay is not TERRIBLE for the meta (though definitely controversial), as long as it is hard to get yourself in a position to do so. However, Eelektross is actually bulky enough to where you can almost always lead with Eelektross and get free momentum right at the start of the game, with little to no drawback. The exception to this is bringing a powerful physical breaker such as Aggron or Stoutland, or a select few special breakers like Drampa, but if your team cannot fit this you are honestly out of luck. This is when you resort to leading with your own Eel and hoping your IV's underspeed the opposing Eel's IV's. We have seen multiple Eel vs Eel matchups in the beginning of snake games already because everyone uses Eelektross for the most part, and if you don't lead with it you are at a disadvantage. Eelektross also can switch into things like Mudsdale relatively free and get more free momentum, and this is really easy when the opposing Mudsdale is setting up stealth rocks. This is also just one of many things you switch into for free, with other things being Oricorios, Swanna, and Lanturn. So what i am trying to get across to you is this: Eelektross gives free momentum with no counterplay and it is very easy to get yourself into the position to gain this momentum multiple times in the match.
The only other way to deal with Eelektross besides to just try your best to outplay it and use your own Eelektross is by creating a team that massively pressures Eelektross to a point where it does not come in for free. This is very restrictive though because this automatically removes Oricorio-Pom Pom or Sensu from the question, Mudsdale, even stuff like Regirock and Metang honestly. It is very limited as to what you can build while trying to keep Eelektross 100% pressured, often forcing teams with Mudsale or Regirock anyways and just running that Eelektross of your own.
It has reached a point where almost every team could benefit from Eelektross and is almost at a disadvantage by not using it. Yes, you can have a strong breaker like Stoutland and you can even just have a really offensive team to pressure it, but at the end of the day if you are running balance with a strong breaker there will still be plenty of opportunities for Eelektross to get free momentum from the other 5 mons on the team. While it doesn't have recovery and can get weakened fairly quickly, by the time it is dead it has probably entered the game at least 3 times, meaning free moments of free momentum to do something big in the game. The meta is momentum-centric and eel-centric, and while I don't necessarily think that it means we need to ban eel I do think it is something to discuss and think about. Is Eelektross becoming too much? I am really curious to see other opinions on this.
Discussion Questions i'm interested in
1. How do you personally counter Eelektross in the builder, and what counterplay do you expect to have in games vs it?
2. Cores such as Muds/Vic/Eel are becoming very very popular. What do you think is the cause of this, and what is Eel's role in it?
3. What is your thoughts on the common Eel vs Eel lead and do you think this reflects the dominance of Eel, or something else?
4. Do you think Eelektross is unhealthy?
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of course this is all just my own thoughts/opinions and i am sure there are many who disagree as this is a controversial PU topic rn I would say. I am not saying we should suspect Eelektross, but I do think having discussion on this is reasonable and if that is something people reach a conclusion on, cool. I just want to see more thoughts/opinions on it because it is the elephant in the room rn.
This is quite common to say that Volt-Turn is fucking good in PU. As you said, there is no real way to pressure Volt Switch users since they literally all have a coverage move to pressure/beat your Ground types or Electric type immunities. Which prevents you to punish them back. You're saying that one of the reason that makes Eelektross too strong for the meta is because of that. Well, in that case, a lot of Volt Switch users are viable in PU and are not more completely stoppable than Eel. For example, Lanturn doesn't have any absolute counter (aside from Gastro if you're not HP Grass I guess) and always get free momentum for your team. The thing is, does that make Lanturn broken? Not really, especially if you take in count the fact that you don't need a counter to everything. Like, if I had to apply this logic universally, stuff like Drampa would be OP too since there is only Carbink who totally walls it. Yet, it's easily manageable. As Eel is. Have we forgot what are offensive pressure or chip damage? A lot of offensive teams centralize their special bulk into Eel. However, Eel only beats few special threats and doesn't really want to switch on stuff since this Pokemon is really not that bulky in general ngl. Threats like Oma, Ludicolo, Victreebel, Frostom-Z or even Simisear pressure a lot Eelektross. Even Pom-Pom for a mid/late game sweep can use Eel to set up itself or it can just chip it since most of the time, it will only click Volt Switch.
So free momentum with no counterplay is not terrible for a tier and yet you're saying that this is what makes Eel potentially broken. I appreciate the fact that you want to be objective but this is weird from you to say. Oh and also, you're saying that leading Eel is really good for every player since there is "no real way to pressure it". Well in fact, it is so obvious that people will do this that you can easily play around this as I said. The fact that Eel will be forced to Volt Switch or simply switch against some stuff that he can't really touches without loosing too much HP (especially if you need Eel in your team to bring safely a breaker/powerful sweeper) like Chan, Absol, Kangaskhan, Stout/Aggron, Altaria etc. forces you to leave the field. I mean yeah, Eel is good but you can't pray to have an ultimate answer for everything. We need to use our creativity somehow (offensive pressure and chip damage/toxic as I said) or just adapt your team if you're really that weak to it. You're weak to Eel and you still want to play Swanna? Why not Liquidation over Scald? Lanturn is too passive for Eel? Why not Specs? I liked this set since one year and nobody uses it, which is weird (252+ SpA Choice Specs Lanturn Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Assault Vest Eelektross: 166-196 (44.3 - 52.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock ). < Look at this lmao. S/o to gum who gives it a shot, I really hope you appreciate this set!
And even there, what does that change if Eel has the advantage with the lead? Does that mean that you automatically loose? Having th momentum is good as you said, but it is clearly not enough to win every match. The simple fact that Eel is not that much powerful, that you can wall the upcoming Pokemon that Eel will bring or that you can sack one of your teammate that is not useful anymore (which happens a lot in offense/HO teams) makes it waaaay easier for you. What's the deal then exactly? I want to remind to everyone that teammates in a team are here for a reason. A Pokemon will never be good enough for you guys if you only take in count its 1v1 capability. However, I would agree that Eel alone is not that threatening. It is the combination of Eel+breaker/set up mons or momentum gainers that is interesting.
Quick question: Is it unhealthy to adapt yourself to a metagame or a trend? Not necessarily. I hardly see how it is possible to be so weak to Eel in general. Do you guys always spam Ferro/Clef, slow stuff or something? I don't get it. It always comes naturally to me to have a breaker/physical damage dealer or even a specially offensive mon that can handle/pressure Eel. Ok, I know that the typing and the ability of Eel doesn't give it any exploitable typing weakness but having no weakness is not that great when you have literally 0 useful resists (Except for the Flying and Ground ones I guess). Take in count that Eel is not invincible and that it relies a lot on Giga Drain to keep it healthy also. This is easily abusable. This or the simple fact that it is slow af and makes the checks more easy to pick. Since everyone is obsessed with that "IV creep" on Eel, it is again more than easy for Gurdurr, for example, to outspeed it and beat it... Eelektross mostly seems strong only because a looooot of person spam Mudsdale as their rocker. I hope that you guys realize it's not the only rocker in PU :D It's just to be sure.
Balance is not that optimal in this tier. Not bad, just not optimal sometime. The simple fact that Vic or Eel, who are almost everywhere, can break your tanks most of the time is just too much (rip Gastro, Clef, Ferro, spe def Sand-A, Muds, Regi etc.). In fact, let's talk about this. At which moment you can say "yo I need one last mon, Imma just put Eel, it always feats everywhere and it is really versatile"? By that, I mean that Eel is not that splashable and it is really predictable. Also, it doesn't provide that much for a team aside from momentum, a little bit of spe def with the AV and balance/bulky Pokemon abuser somehow. This is definitely not a thing that I would put in every teams since it's clearly not the only one who can does this... Eel is not brainless at this point, let's be honest. As you said, "there is no real way to block volt switch from Eel and punish it effectively". But this is the same with others mons. This is why Primeape, Lanturn and all are popular when you think about it (not only for this ofc, but it helps a lot).
You could summarize my thoughts by:
1. Eel seems broken because Mudsdale is used as fuck, and when Muds dies to Eel, you don't have any other physical wall most of the time. Which means that any physical threat can just whoop your ass quite easily. This is what happens most of the time.
2. Sooooooo..... Primeape, Lanturn, A-Persian Vallys and all are broken because they can espace the coming switch in, bring safely an ally or create momentum? Most of them also have good coverage for the potential SI too lmao. Yet, they are not broken. Why so?
3. What do we really build in PU if our teams are, in general, weak to Eel? The build must have the most slowest/weakest mons on earth
4. Eel is glue mon for simple breaker strats, nothing more but nothing less too. Eel all alone won't do that much except if this mon has the MU in a match. It's when you pair it with some other good mons that it is effective in its entirety. However, it still doesn't necessarily means that it is unhealthy. It just means that this is a mon who deserves its S rank at best.
5. There is bunch of stuff that can stop Eel doing its work whenever you build properly (Ground type - Toxic/Tect - Psyshock users - Altaria/Camerupt/Lanturn/Golurk/Drampa and etc.). But as I said, you don't need a counter to everything to win.
I just want to see more thoughts/opinions on it because it is the elephant in the room rn.
That's all for me. I hope it helped you Tom and the others who are sharing the same opinion as him. Of course, this is only my opinion. I don't pretend to be right at 100% or anything.
Now I'm just waiting for the ones who said that "Victreebel is broken" to talk here. Boi, this is gonna be good.
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