The BLs of OU

Introduction

When newcomers try to get into competitive Pokémon, they'll inevitably learn of its tiering system. When getting into Pokémon and learning of its tier lists, people may think it coincides with traditional fighting games and their tier lists, like Super Smash Bros. and Street Fighter, where people believe that any character can beat any character so long as the player has the skills and knowledge to use them, so tier lists almost seem like opinions to some. But for Pokémon, it's a bit more complicated than that. See, Pokémon are organized by usage, not necessarily effectiveness, and are plopped in the appropriate tier. A Pokémon can be removed from a tier either by being banned from said tier or when its usage in the tier ranked above it is high enough. But when a Pokémon is banned from a lower tier yet does not receive enough usage from the above tier, it becomes what is known as a Borderline Pokémon, which means that it isn't allowed in one tier but doesn't get enough usage in the above tier to be placed there. For example, Diggersby is banned from UnderUsed but doesn't receive enough usage in OverUsed to reach OU status. When people don't understand this process, they may assume that BL Pokémon are simply utter garbage in the above tier even if they're actually adequate, leading people to believe that usage represents a Pokémon's effectiveness. This is one of the biggest misconceptions newcomers make and is a frequently seen issue seen in viability ranking threads, so let me say this right now: usage does not equal viability. This article will discuss some of the Borderlines that are most notable in OU and will hopefully give these guys some much-needed respect.

Diggersby

Diggersby isn't exactly the best wallbreaker in the game, but you'll be hard pressed to find something that can wall this thing. Huge Power with base 56 Attack means that Diggersby can have up to 464 Attack when running an Adamant nature, and getting STAB on Return and Earthquake, which provide good neutral coverage, makes walling Diggersby a tall order indeed. Diggersby also has some useful moves outside of Return and Earthquake, such as Quick Attack to revenge kill weakened foes, Fire Punch to incinerate Mega Scizor, Wild Charge to zap Water- and Flying-types, and U-turn to punish switches and maintain offensive momentum. Diggersby also comes packed with Swords Dance, which lets it bust down the walls that would otherwise stand a chance at taking it on, and is one of the niches it has over other wallbreakers. Agility is another interesting tool in its arsenal, as it can help Diggersby sweep both unprepared and weakened teams alike. With all of these tools, Diggersby is capable of crushing even some of the mightiest walls, including Clefable, Garchomp, Heatran, Gliscor, and Jirachi.

However, what makes a wallbreaker so dangerous at times isn't just its power, but also its ability to take a hit and retaliate, or its good Speed tier to outspeed certain walls, and Diggersby has neither of these qualities. What dooms Diggersby from the start is its poor stats outside of its Attack, as 85 / 77 / 77 defenses aren't helping it take hits well at all, especially with Fighting, Water, and Ice weaknesses, and base 78 Speed leaves it slower than most of its competition, leaving it in quite a bind. If choosing not to run Focus Sash, then Diggersby runs the risk of being KOed before doing its job. Choosing not to run Choice Scarf means nearly every relevant sweeper and even some slower attackers will be able to get the jump on Diggersby, and lacking a Life Orb can leave it somewhat lacking in power at crucial moments without a Swords Dance boost, meaning that the team may need to be built around its chosen flaws to compensate.

Nonetheless, despite its flaws, Diggersby is a rather underrated wallbreaker that can really put in work when given the right support.

Mega Pinsir

Mega Pinsir is a unique case, as it can be considered both a wallbreaker and a late-game sweeper. In terms of wallbreaking, Mega Pinsir has Aerilate to make its Returns absurdly powerful, turning it into a 133 Base Power Flying-type STAB attack backed by a sizable base 155 Attack stat. To complement this, Mega Pinsir also comes with Close Combat to threaten types that resist Flying, such as Rock, Steel, and Electric, as well as Swords Dance, giving it the power to OHKO tank Garchomp after Stealth Rock—and this is just with a Jolly nature. In terms of sweeping, all it really needs is Quick Attack, as it's effectively a 52 Base Power Flying-type priority move that can easily pick off weakened sweepers. What sets Mega Pinsir apart from Talonflame, a Pokémon that can perform a similar role, is Close Combat preventing Rock-types, Heatran, and Rotom-W from walling it, better overall defenses to give it more setup opportunities, and its moves being recoil free, meaning that it won't KO itself before the end of a battle.

I'd be lying if I said Mega Pinsir is flawless, though. For one, a 4x Stealth Rock weakness demands that an entry hazard remover be on the team, and its weaknesses to Electric-, Ice-, Fire-, and Flying-type moves mean that it will be forced out fairly often. Talonflame also provides serious competition for a teamslot, as it boasts a much more powerful priority move in Brave Bird, is immune to burns, has Roost to heal, and can mess with teams with Will-O-Wisp and Taunt as a stallbreaker, making it much more versatile. Mega Pinsir's simplicity is also part of its undoing, as it only really has its Swords Dance set going for it and nothing else, making it somewhat simple to play around. Base 105 Speed, while good for outrunning walls and tanks, doesn't quite match up to some of the tier's common sweepers, such as Latios, Weavile, and Mega Manectric, so it can put Mega Pinsir at a disadvantage when Quick Attack fails to KO.

Mega Pinsir might have a lot of crap to deal with in OU, but just remember this: one Swords Dance can be all it takes to turn the tide of any battle.

Togekiss

Togekiss is a somewhat versatile Pokémon, as it can be both a stallbreaker and a wall. With its Fairy / Flying typing, Togekiss boasts useful resistances to Fighting-, Dark-, Bug-, and Grass-type moves, as well as immunities to Dragon- and Ground-type moves, giving it an edge over its competition. Its 85 / 95 / 115 defenses are pretty solid, letting it take hits quite well, and base 120 Special Attack ensures that it isn't setup fodder. To complement its useful Special Attack, it has Nasty Plot to give it an offensive presence despite having a mainly defensive stat spread, which lets it act as a defensive stallbreaker of sorts. The rest of its notable movepool consists of Defog to remove entry hazards, Thunder Wave to cripple sweepers, Heal Bell to rid its team of status ailments, Roost to give it staying power, and Fire Blast to threaten Steel-types. Finally, Serene Grace gives its Air Slashes a 60% chance to make the foe flinch, so it can potentially whittle down the opposing wall's remaining health and receive no punishment. All of this makes Togekiss a threat to defensive and offensive Pokémon alike, making it seem like a perfect Pokémon.

Unfortunately, Togekiss isn't a foolproof Pokémon by any meaning of the word, as it's riddled with flaws that hold it back. For one, a Stealth Rock weakness is an immediately big flaw for a defensive Pokémon, especially for a Defogger, which limits how effectively it can remove entry hazards compared to other entry hazard removers. Its weaknesses to Ice-, Electric-, Poison-, and Steel-type moves are also crucial, and with powerful Pokémon like Weavile, Mega Manectric, and Mega Metagross as common as they are, its weaknesses are all the more exploitable. Togekiss also requires a Nasty Plot boost before it can actually KO most Pokémon, meaning that it can be setup fodder and an overall momentum killer until getting said boost. It also has a slight case of four-moveslot syndrome, as it can't have all of Defog, Heal Bell, Fire Blast, and Thunder Wave on one set, but it can just be built around its team's needs.

There are some bad sides to using Togekiss, but there are plenty of good sides to it as well, and it's a defensive Pokémon you should probably look into.

Victini

You wouldn't think of Victini as a wallbreaker from looking at its middling 100 / 100 mixed offenses, but it's actually one of the hardest-hitting things out there. This monumental power is all thanks to its signature move V-create, which is a 180 Base Power move BEFORE factoring in STAB, and its ability to hold a boosting item such as Choice Band makes even the mightiest of wallbreakers pale in comparison. To make a comparison, Adamant Victini's Choice Band V-Create does about 25% more damage than Adamant Mega Lucario's Close Combat... damn. But Victini isn't just a one-trick pony, as it has plenty other moves to take advantage of, such as Bolt Strike to beat Water-types, Brick Break to smash Rock-types and Heatran, U-turn to scout and maintain offensive momentum, and Taunt and Will-O-Wisp to break down walls; it even comes with special attacks such as Focus Blast, Blue Flare, Thunder, and Glaciate to catch physical walls off guard. With all of these factors in play, it's hard to believe Victini doesn't get more usage.

However, as with most other wallbreakers, Victini has some serious shortcomings that prevent it from excelling. For one, V-create has the serious drawback of lowering the user's Defense, Special Defense, and Speed by one stage, meaning that Victini has to play a hit-and-run strategy lest the stat drops cause it to be easily KOed. Its weakness to Stealth Rock makes this matter worse, as it has to switch out very often, so its health will quickly drop as it struggles to do its job. Victini is also weak to Water-, Dark-, Ghost-, and Ground-type moves, limiting how often it can stay in. Its 100 / 100 offenses are also rather lacking when V-create and Blue Flare aren't being used, making it hard to put any real dents in anything it doesn't hit super effectively. All of this means using V-create is a huge gamble that can easily blow up in your face, making Victini a high-risk, high-reward sort of Pokémon.

But even though its flaws are very exploitable, Victini's V-create is still one of the hardest things to get hit with and is reason enough for one to use it.

Volcarona

Volcarona is one of those setup sweepers that can easily end whole matches with just a slight window of opportunity—the setup move in question being none other than Quiver Dance, an interesting move that raises both Volcarona's offensive and defensive presence. This makes revenge killing Volcarona a tall order at times for special attackers, as even if they can withstand its power, they might not have the power to muscle their way past its improved special bulk. Volcarona doesn't get much for offensive options, but it gets enough to pose a threat, such as Fire Blast and Bug Buzz for STAB moves and Giga Drain for Water-types, and it can even run a risky move in Fiery Dance to potentially gain even more power without having to spend a turn setting up, but the power difference compared to Fire Blast is sizable. Defensively, Volcarona boasts resistances to Fighting-, Ice-, Grass-, Bug-, Steel-, and Fairy-type moves and a burn immunity, and its 85 / 65 / 105 defenses are decent enough, so it can find plenty of setup opportunities.

But Volcarona has a few major flaws that stop it from being a top-tier threat. For one, a 4x Stealth Rock weakness is extremely bad for a setup sweeper, so an entry hazard remover is mandatory, and its weaknesses to Water- and Flying-type moves are equally crucial, with the latter being fatal in the case of Talonflame. Volcarona's movepool is also pretty bare bones, as most Fire-types can easily wall it when it's not running Hidden Power Ground, and it's walled by some Dragon-types when lacking Bug Buzz. Base 65 Defense is also pretty bad, as even resisted hits will deal sizable damage, further limiting what Volcarona can set up on. Volcarona also needs to hold a Berry to get certain setup opportunities, leaving a bit to be desired in terms of power against bulkier Pokémon.

Even though it has some crippling flaws, Volcarona is a force that can't be underestimated, as one Quiver Dance can be all it takes to cleave its way through teams.

Honorable Mentions

Hawlucha

Hawlucha is a Pokémon that has the making of a truly threatening sweeper, but there are some flaws that are simply too great to overlook. For the pros, nearly unresisted STAB coverage in High Jump Kick and Acrobatics, Swords Dance, and Unburden are what truly make it shine, as nothing bar priority move users outspeeds a +2 Hawlucha. Substitute + Sitrus Berry make activating Unburden fairly easy, and a high base 118 Speed makes it even easier. This makes Hawlucha a one-time late-game sweeper that's capable of cleaning up nearly every offensive team with minimal support. It also has a Spikes immunity while not being weak to Stealth Rock, making the challenge of switching around easier. For the cons, it only has one shot to pull this job off, as it loses the Unburden boost upon switching out. This means that Hawlucha's use is very limited before the late-game, and it has an even harder time before getting a Swords Dance boost. Base 92 Attack can be very lacking without any boosts, and even getting to +2 can leave something to be desired when lacking a power boost from an item like Life Orb, making it usable only late-game, and it requires everything to be weakened if setting up Swords Dance isn't safe. Talonflame being as common as it is does no favors either, making its role even harder to perform. However, the fact that outspeeding a +2 Hawlucha basically requires priority is a real testament to how threatening it can be to offensive teams, and it isn't something to be taken for granted.

Mega Gallade

Mega Gallade is a rather middling Pokémon at times, but it isn't too shabby when it gets the right support, as it has some interesting strengths that make it a force to be reckoned with. As a sweeper, it has a massive base 165 Attack to throw around, and STAB Close Combat is definitely not something to take lightly. To complement this, Mega Gallade has a crucial base 110 Speed, Speed tying with the likes of Gengar, Latios, and Mega Metagross, as well as good moves in Zen Headbutt as a secondary STAB move, Knock Off for good coverage, Ice Punch for Ground-types, and Swords Dance to help it bust down walls. One might think this is enough to make Mega Gallade a top-tier threat, but it has some very crippling flaws, those being the inability to threaten Mega Sableye and bulky Fairy- and Psychic-types, struggling against many of the numerous burn spreaders in the tier, and being a rather garbage Pokémon before Mega Evolving. While the metagame becoming very offensive makes it hard for Mega Gallade to do its job, it can create great results when successful.

Mega Heracross

Being one of the most immediately powerful wallbreakers in the tier, Mega Heracross is pretty much the textbook definition of a bulky wallbreaker. A massive base 185 Attack is already intimidating on its own, but throw in two very powerful STAB moves in Close Combat and Pin Missile, and you have a real monster on your hands. Skill Link is also a very useful ability, letting multi-hit moves such as Pin Missile and Rock Blast deal the maximum number of hits and outclass Megahorn and Stone Edge as a result. 80 / 115 / 105 defenses are also good, letting it take hit and put frail Pokmeon that fail to OHKO in a bind. Burning Mega Heracross isn't even safe until it actually Mega Evolves, as regular Heracross can take advantage of Guts to hit even harder. Because of this, some people choose Megahorn over Pin Missile to take full advantage of Guts if they get the chance. However, it has critical weaknesses to Fire-, Flying-, Psychic-, and Fairy-type moves, and base 75 Speed means Mega Heracross will almost always be attacking last, meaning that revenge killing Mega Heracross can be easy with Pokémon like Talonflame and Mega Gardevoir. This makes it hard for Mega Heracross to do its job against offensive teams and makes it a bit of a momentum killer whenever it's forced to switch out. All in all, while the current metagame trends make its life hard, Mega Heracross can still put in work.

Terrakion

Terrakion is one of those multi-purpose Pokémon that have some unpredictability to it, which is one of the reasons why it's still relevant to this day. Due to its great Rock / Fighting STAB coverage in Stone Edge and Close Combat, Terrakion has the freedom to use its last two moveslots for whatever its team needs. Need a lead? Just use Stealth Rock and Taunt to get a strong start. How about a setup sweeper? Swords Dance and Rock Polish are great moves, and they can even be used together for a Double Dance set. Do you just want a powerful powerful all-out attacker? Terrakion has Earthquake, X-Scissor, Iron Head, and Zen Headbutt to nail what you need it to. Terrakion isn't particularly lacking in its stats either, boasting a mighty base 129 Attack to threaten walls and a respectable base 108 Speed that works very well with a boost, and its 91 / 90 / 90 defenses are good for taking hits. However, while it has great flexibility with teambuilding, it's a jack-of-all-trades sort of Pokémon that doesn't really excel at anything in particular. For leads, Garchomp and Skarmory have much more staying power, with the former pressuring physical attackers with Rocky Helmet and Rough Skin, and the latter having Spikes and Sturdy to be a more versatile lead, as well as Roost to wall certain attackers. Base 108 Speed, while good, also leaves it outsped by some common sweepers, and being weak to Steel-, Ground-, Fairy-, Water-, and Grass-type moves greatly limits what it can stay in on. Flaws aside, though, Terrakion's versatility is a godsend that can make approaching it a strenuous task, as one wrong move can lead to an unfortunate turnaround.

Conclusion

So even though some of the Borderlines are riddled with flaws, they are still legitimate threats that don't seem to get enough credit. The fact alone that they aren't officially OU might make newcomers think that these Pokémon are obsolete, but you'd be surprised at how effective BLs can be.

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