Smogon's tiering system was built so Pokémon that would otherwise not stand a chance against the top-tier behemoths might be able to be viable in a lower tier. Within the environment of 1v1, however, many previously lower-tiered Pokémon are now sitting at the top of the meta. The secret to this lies in the philosophy of 1v1 as compared to 6v6. Within standard tiers, much of the game comes down to knowing when to switch. Thus, while some Pokémon may not be able to 1v1 an outstanding portion of the meta, utility such as pivoting, status spreading, hazard control, hazard stacking, and revenge killing is incredibly important to a Pokémon's viability. As a result, Pokémon like Toxapex and Landorus-T dominate the metagame. In 1v1, however, viability is determined by much more simple criteria: A) how many foes a Pokémon can beat with a given set, B) the unpredictability of the Pokémon in question, and C) how easy it is to build around. Because of these radically different criteria for viability, the 1v1 metagame can hardly be compared to the tier that it was based upon, OU, and many previously "bad" Pokémon gain new niches.
Low-Tiered Pokémon
Sturdy, because of entry hazards, is generally deemed to be a mediocre ability in most tiers. In 1v1, however, Sturdy is one of the best abilities in the game, allowing the user to survive any one hit and hit hard back. As a result of this, numerous lower-tier Pokémon enjoy relatively high usage and viability in 1v1.
Donphan & Golem
Donphan @ Groundium Z
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Ice Shard
- Rock Tomb
- Counter
Golem @ Groundium Z
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Blast
- Sucker Punch
- Counter
Donphan and Golem are 1v1's go-to "Sturdymons". Both of them accomplish much the same roles with the combination of a STAB Earthquake, Sturdy, and base 120 Attack but with slight nuances in their niches. Donphan brings higher speed than Golem to the table, allowing it to outspeed Pokémon such as Mimikyu and non-maximum Speed Charizard after a Rock Tomb. Golem, however, may use Rock Blast to beat much of the same. Priority also affects the Pokémon that each can beat, with Donphan's Ice Shard being a good method to beat Pokémon like Garchomp and Golem's Sucker Punch being more useful against Pokémon like Meloetta. The final important difference is typing. While Golem has powerful Rock-type STAB moves, enabling it to beat Pokémon like Charizard more reliably, Donphan has a better defensive typing, allowing it to beat Fake Out attackers like Lopunny. Alternatively, either Pokémon may opt to use a Rockium Z in order to hard counter Charizard, with Donphan opting for Head Smash and Golem opting for Stone Edge in order maximize the power of Continental Crush, although Golem is the more viable user of this item. Donphan may also use a Choice Band, enabling it to beat Pokémon like Landorus-T, Jumpluff, Snorlax, Genesect, Ferrothorn, Primarina, and Tapu Fini with its boosted coverage moves.
Avalugg
Avalugg @ Groundium Z
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 84 Atk / 172 Def
Lax Nature
IVs: 0 SpD
- Curse
- Mirror Coat
- Avalanche
- Earthquake
While in 6v6, Avalugg's pitiful Special Defense holds it back, it uses this to its advantage in 1v1. The fearsome combination of Mirror Coat + Sturdy allows Avalugg to effortlessly KO a variety of special attackers, especially Choice-locked ones such as Genesect. Against physical attackers, however, Avalugg instead relies on its massive defense stat to simply outtank them. As a result, every good Avalugg runs Curse, Avalanche, and Mirror Coat. The item and last move are considered slight nuances per set more than anything. This Avalugg opts to use Groundium Z in an effort to soft check Mega Charizard X and Mega Metagross. This said, Avalugg is lacking in reliability, as non-Choice-locked special attackers are able to play mind games with it, mixed attackers can break Sturdy with a physical attack before OHKOing with a special one, and many of the Pokémon it wants to check, like Mega Gyarados, have ways of beating it, like Taunt.
Sawk
Sawk (M) @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Rock Tomb
- Thunder Punch
- Counter
Sawk is the fastest viable Sturdymon in 1v1, with base 85 Speed. It hits very hard with its All-Out Pummeling and can check some of the best Pokémon in the meta such as Charizard and Mega Gyarados with its coverage moves. Other options for it include using Z-Bulk Up to counter Mega Gyarados, Choice Scarf to take better advantage of its high Speed tier, and Choice Band to boost its coverage moves like Ice Punch.
Crustle & Carracosta
Crustle @ Rockium Z
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 160 HP / 144 Atk / 204 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shell Smash
- Rock Wrecker
- Rock Blast
- Counter
Carracosta @ Rockium Z
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Stone Edge
- Aqua Jet
- Shell Smash
- Ice Beam
Crustle and Carracosta both utilize Shell Smash as a method to beat faster and bulkier Pokémon that they would otherwise be unable to deal with. Crustle is the more viable one of the two thanks to its higher base Speed and access to Rock Wrecker, Rock Blast, and Counter. However, Carracosta finds usage due to its access to priority and ability to check Landorus-T and Zygarde. Either one may run Substitute to beat Charm users like Chansey.
Relicanth
Relicanth @ Rockium Z
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 128 HP / 252 Atk / 128 Def
Adamant Nature
- Yawn
- Protect
- Head Smash
- Waterfall
Relicanth separates itself from other Sturdymons in 1v1 thanks to its access to Yawn. This, in most battles, essentially allots it an additional turn to KO the foe. Similarly to Crustle, it benefits from a higher power on its Z-Move due to its access to a 150-Base Power Rock-type STAB move. It does, however, lack a Ground-type STAB move and the ability to boost, leaving it quite helpless against Charm users and Steel-types.
These Pokémon have a name in 1v1 due to their powerful STAB attacks in Hyper Beam, Prismatic Laser, and Rock Wrecker, respectively. While the above moves seem useless in 6v6, in 1v1, so long as the foe is OHKOed, the recharge turn doesn't matter.
Meloetta
Meloetta @ Choice Specs
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 108 Def / 88 SpA / 44 SpD / 16 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 1 Atk
- Hyper Beam
- Uproar
- Focus Blast
- Hidden Power Ice
Meloetta has superb stats for the job, with a high Special Attack stat and mixed bulk that allows it to survive hits as strong as Mega Charizard Y's Blast Burn and Mega Lopunny's Fake Out + Giga Impact. The natural enemy of recharge attacks is Substitute, so to work around this, Meloetta runs Uproar, which bypasses Substitute. Focus Blast hits Pokémon such as Mega Tyranitar, and Hidden Power Ice hits Landorus-T and Zygarde. Another set for Meloetta has been gaining popularity as of late, featuring Calm Mind and Normalium Z, with some sets opting for Laser Focus. This allows it to break past miscellaneous special attackers and stall Pokémon like Magearna and Mega Slowbro.
Necrozma
Necrozma @ Choice Specs
Ability: Prism Armor
EVs: 252 HP / 16 Def / 228 SpA / 12 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Photon Geyser
- Prismatic Laser
- Heat Wave
- Signal Beam
Necrozma boasts two signature moves in Photon Geyser and Prismatic Laser. While Prismatic Laser has a whopping 160 Base Power, Photon Geyser ignores abilities. This allows Necrozma to OHKO both specially bulky Pokémon, like Primarina, and Sturdy users, like Donphan and Golem. Heat Wave is used to check Genesect, Mega Metagross, and Ferrothorn, while Signal Beam hits opposing Psychic-types for respectable damage. Hidden Power Ice may also be used to beat Landorus-T and Zygarde more reliably.
Rhyperior
Rhyperior @ Choice Band
Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 224 HP / 44 Atk / 4 Def / 236 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Blast
- Superpower
- Rock Wrecker
Rhyperior has incredible physical bulk paired with Solid Rock, allowing it to survive very powerful super effective physical attacks such as Blaziken's High Jump Kick and Mega Mawile's Iron Head. This set opts to invest heavily in Special Defense so that it can survive hits from Magearna, Heatran, and Naganadel and OHKO back. Rhyperior has a very hard-hitting STAB combo between Earthquake and Rock Wrecker and may also use Rock Blast to deal with Substitute users, Mimikyu, and Jumpluff. It also has great coverage, including Superpower to hit Snorlax and Air Balloon Heatran, Fire Punch to hit Genesect and Ferrothorn, and Avalanche to hit Garchomp and Landorus-T, which differentiates it from the aforementioned Donphan and Golem. Rhyperior may also elect to use a more physically defensive spread, an Assault Vest to beat Mega Charizard Y, or Blizzard and Icy Wind with Icium Z to beat Donphan, Golem, Landorus-T, and Zygarde.
In 6v6, any Pokémon may simply switch out to rid itself of Leech Seed, making Leech Seed-reliant strategies ineffective in such an environment. In 1v1, however, with the inability to switch, Leech Seed is there to stay, allowing Pokémon like Jumpluff and Whimsicott to SubSeed their way to victory.
Jumpluff
Jumpluff @ Wide Lens
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 48 HP / 208 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sleep Powder
- Leech Seed
- Substitute
- Protect
Jumpluff's goal is to outspeed the foe, put it to sleep, get behind a Substitute, and set up a Leech Seed. Once Jumpluff has accomplished this, it can simply spam Substitute and Protect until the opposing Pokémon has no health remaining. As such, Wide Lens is the item of choice, as it allows Jumpluff to win more reliably with this tactic. Counterplay to Jumpluff includes Grass-types, Taunt, recovery, Infiltrator, sound-based moves, Rock Blast, Ice Shard, and Flame Charge in addition to simply outspeeding it.
Whimsicott
Whimsicott @ Babiri Berry
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 128 HP / 252 Def / 100 SpD / 28 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Leech Seed
- Substitute
- Protect
- Moonblast
While Jumpluff takes the route of trying to outspeed the foe, Whimsicott has no concern for this due to its ability, Prankster. It instead must simply survive the incoming attack. To meet this end, it is common for Whimsicott to run Babiri Berry so that it can beat Pokémon like Magnezone, although Occa Berry may also be used to take on Charizard. Unlike Jumpluff, Whimsicott has an extra moveslot. This set opts for Moonblast to beat Dark-types like Mega Gyarados, which are immune to Prankster-boosted status moves like Leech Seed. It may also use Taunt to beat opposing users of the move as well as Pokémon with recovery.
Similarly to Leech Seed, the opponent may simply switch out to counteract Yawn. However, in 1v1, Yawn is one of the most consistent sleep-inducing moves with its 100% accuracy. The downside to using Yawn is that the user must also run Protect to take full advantage of the move.
Snorlax
Snorlax @ Normalium Z
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Yawn
- Protect
- Belly Drum
- Double-Edge
Snorlax's typical play is to tank a hit and use Yawn + Protect to induce sleep before using Z-Belly Drum followed by Double-Edge. This simple strategy is incredibly effective and allows Snorlax to beat a massive variety of Pokémon. Against other foes, especially those that may want to use Substitute, like Charizard, Snorlax may simply use Breakneck Blitz to go for an outright KO. Snorlax may also use a bulkier set with Curse, Amnesia, Recycle, a Figy Berry, and Gluttony. With this, Snorlax becomes a defensive behemoth with both burst and reliable recovery.
Mega Camerupt
Camerupt-Mega @ Cameruptite
Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 248 HP / 148 Def / 56 SpA / 56 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Yawn
- Protect
- Fire Blast
- Ancient Power
Mega Camerupt works very simply. It will first induce sleep with Yawn and Protect and then attack. Its Sheer Force-boosted Fire Blast hits very hard, and Ancient Power allows it to check Charizard. That said, its 4x weakness to Water is a large nuisance, and Substitute Mega Charizard X can be difficult to play around, so it's much less viable than Snorlax.
In 6v6, stall is considered to be a dedicated playstyle, but there are no playstyles in 1v1, making "stall" a term used to refer to specific Pokémon. As such, when opting to use a stall Pokémon, you can build your team in a way that makes up for the shortcomings of this Pokémon, using more offensively inclined teammates to deal with Taunt users and wallbreakers.
Porygon2
Porygon2 @ Eviolite
Ability: Analytic
EVs: 248 HP / 160 Def / 92 SpD / 8 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Recover
- Foul Play
- Ice Beam
- Substitute
Porygon2's massive bulk with Eviolite makes it a difficult Pokémon for many top-tier threats to deal with, being able to simply tank hits from even Mega Charizard Y and Hammer Arm Mega Metagross. Ice Beam allows Porygon2 to deal with Landorus-T and Zygarde despite their ability to boost, while the combination of Substitute and Foul Play can break Belly Drum users like Snorlax and Mega Charizard X. A more offensive set may also be used, featuring Tri Attack and / or Hyper Beam and a Quiet nature, allowing it to KO Taunt users with its Analytic-boosted attacks.
Umbreon
Umbreon @ Fairium Z
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Charm
- Foul Play
- Snarl
- Moonlight
Umbreon is one of the few viable Z-Charm users in 1v1 and has a few characteristics that help it stand out from the rest. At the basic level, Umbreon possesses a decent defensive typing paired with massive bulk, making it a good user of the move to begin with. However, access to Foul Play and Snarl further compound its viability, allowing it to beat many special attackers and Taunt users like Naganadel and Mega Gyarados. Another interesting trait of Umbreon's is its ability in Synchronize, which allows it to beat most Toxic users. While Umbreon doesn't have much variation from this set, other notable Z-Charm users include Blissey, Togekiss, Alolan Ninetales, and Meowstic, all of which find some way to differentiate themselves from the others.
Pyukumuku
Pyukumuku @ Psychium Z
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 248 HP / 124 Def / 136 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Light Screen
- Recover
- Toxic
- Soak
While Pyukumuku may seem obscenely good at a glance, featuring great bulk, a strong defensive typing, and Unaware, most players know that Pyukumuku boasts absolutely no offensive moves. This said, Pyukumuku has no shortage of ways to win a match. The above set utilizes Z-Light Screen to wall Pokémon like Mega Charizard Y and the combination of Soak + Toxic to KO the opposing Pokémon. Other sets may try to PP stall the foe with moves like Rest, Taunt and Spite, others may attempt to KO the foe with Counter, and others may use Hail in order to beat Substitute users. Each set has checks and counters unique to it, but Pyukumuku is consistently countered by Taunt, leaving it as an only okay Pokémon.
Quagsire
Quagsire @ Normalium Z
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 16 Def / 240 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stockpile
- Recover
- Toxic
- Scald
Quagsire works similarly to Pyukumuku in the manner of being an Unaware Water-type but achieves its win condition in a completely different fashion from it. Z-Stockpile, which restores Quagsire to full health and boosts both defenses by one stage, allows Quagsire to beat almost any offensive Pokémon that deals short of 86% of its health with its most powerful attack. From there, Quagsire will Stockpile again, spam Recover, and slowly work towards victory with moves like Toxic and Scald. However, Quagsire is severely disadvantaged against Taunt users, similarly to Pyukumuku.