National Dex throughout Generation 8

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Introduction

National Dex OU has experienced many developments and shifts over the course of its existence and seen a meteoric rise in both number of players and overall competitive level. Team creativity and exploration of new sets were in unprecedented abundance, with a boom of innovation throughout the multiple tours hosted, including the Ladder Tours, both National Dex World Cups, and ultimately the three National Dex Premier Leagues!

With that in mind, let's take a look at the highlights of Gen 8 National Dex!

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Early Days

National Dex was an extremely hostile metagame in its early days, centering around high-octane offensive threats and finding ways to break through their unreliable checks. Pokémon like Genesect, Mega Blastoise, Zygarde, and Mega Metagross could rip through most Pokémon with minimal or no setup and required some chip damage on them before going down themselves. While defensive staples like Heatran, Tapu Fini, Alomomola, and Hippowdon could hold off these insane threats, they wouldn't last for long and were easily exploited by other teammates like Galarian Darmanitan, Dragapult, and Ash-Greninja. When the dust had settled from the Isle of Armor expansion, several Pokémon (Genesect, Mega Blastoise, Mega Metagross, Galarian Darmanitan, Urshifu-S, Tornadus-T, and Ash-Greninja) had been sent to Ubers, leaving the metagame in the hold of balance teams. Then, offensive teams with a defensive backbone of Blissey and Slowbro came to ravage those balances, using those two to sponge hits while bringing in hard-hitting offensive threats in Dracovish, Cinderace, Magearna, and Kyurem. This led to a ban on Dracovish, a suspect for Cinderace, and people keeping an eye on Heavy-Duty Boots, Teleport, or Slowbro and Blissey when coming into the Crown Tundra metagame. With little regard for what Crown Tundra brought, National Dex proceeded with a Dragapult suspect and ban, which led to the rise and eventual ban of Spectrier, which ravaged teams with no method of revenge killing it. As the metagame entered the new year, the metagame-defining Cinderace and Magearna would come under the council's radar once again.

Prominent Threats

• Blastoise-Mega @ Blastoisinite
• Ability: Rain Dish
• EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
• Timid Nature
• IVs: 0 Atk
• - Shell Smash
• - Surf / Hydro Pump
• - Dark Pulse
• - Ice Beam / Aura Sphere

With newfound access to Shell Smash, Mega Blastoise used its above average bulk and nuclear firepower to decimate most Pokémon standing in its way. Few Pokémon that resisted Water could deal with Mega Blastoise's coverage options—Ferrothorn was ripped to shreds by Aura Sphere, and Toxapex had to pray to not go down to flinches from Dark Pulse. This was exemplified by the lack of revenge killers for the turtle; it outran Choice Scarf Kartana at +2 and resisted Ash-Greninja's Water Shuriken while shrugging off a few of Mega Lopunny's Fake Outs. With hazards and/or screens up, Mega Blastoise effortlessly became unstoppable, leading to its ban and a severe drop in hyper offense usage afterwards.

• Metagross-Mega @ Metagrossite
• Ability: Clear Body
• EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
• Jolly Nature
• - Meteor Mash
• - Zen Headbutt
• - Thunder Punch
• - Earthquake / Toxic

In the wake of Mega Blastoise's ban, Mega Metagross became the new face of the tier. Its explosive power and varied coverage backed by a stellar defensive typing made it a terror for both offensive and defensive teams. Even if these teams could handle Metagross's initial assault, they almost certainly couldn't handle the following cleanup from partners like Galarian Darmanitan, Ash-Greninja, and Choice Scarf Hydreigon. These cores were often so oppressive that they brought otherwise passive Pokémon like Tangrowth, Hippowdon, and Alomomola to the forefront of the metagame. Due to the way it halted metagame progress, Mega Metagross was suspected, but it ended up being kept unbanned until the Isle of Armor DLC, where it was one of five Pokémon to get quickbanned.

When the Isle of Armor DLC dropped, it introduced the immensely threatening Urshifu-S, which proceeded any and all fat teams to shreds with a near-unresisted STAB combination and high-BP moves. Notably, Urshifu-S fit into the metagame almost too well, taking advantage of the passive defensive cores to wreak havoc. In return, Mega Metagross would annihilate any Fairy-types that stood in Urshifu-S's way, while Galarian Darmanitan and Ash-Greninja made sure that Urshifu-S's wallbreaking wasn't in vain. This metagame was deemed so immensely uncompetitive that a massive wave of bans occurred, which sent Urshifu-S, Mega Metagross, Galarian Darmanitan, Tornadus-T, and Ash-Greninja to AG. These bans, alongside Mega Alakazam thanks to its newfound access to Nasty Plot, reshaped the entire metagame into slower balanced teams. Eventually, it was found that Ash-Greninja was a much healthier addition to said metagame, and it was unbanned thusly.

Here is a sample team showcasing Meta Metagross!

Mega Metagross + Zygarde Bulky Offense by Jordy

• Dracovish @ Choice Band
• Ability: Strong Jaw
• EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
• Adamant Nature
• - Fishious Rend
• - Crunch
• - Psychic Fangs
• - Outrage

While the high pace and prominence of bulky Water-types of the previous metagame had made Dracovish struggle, this slower metagame filled with many more passive Pokémon was a heaven for it. There's not much to say about Dracovish; a Pokémon must be sacrificed if the fish comes in on something slower than it, as even the bulkiest of Pokémon with a resistance could not withstand Fishious Rend. The pivot-heavy nature of the metagame also did Dracovish many favors, as Cinderace, Blissey, Tapu Koko, and Slowbro gave it a very easy entry on its favorite prey. Slowbro's Future Sight also made the few Pokémon that could withstand two Fishious Rends a non-issue, as the extra damage would surely knock them out. This overwhelming strength led to Dracovish being banned, but the pivoting offenses it fit on continued to thrive.

• Dragapult @ Ghostium Z
• Ability: Clear Body
• EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
• Jolly Nature
• - Dragon Dance
• - Phantom Force
• - Dragon Darts
• - Substitute

Dragapult was a relatively healthy Pokémon, performing the same tasks it did in the current OU metagame; a deadly offensive pivot with a powerful STAB that had little drawback. However, during the Isle of Armor, another set came to immense prominence: Dragon Dance with Ghostium Z. Dragapult's threat potential was such that it forced many Pokémon out to get free setup, after which it cut offensive teams apart with its STAB moves. Its STAB combination was so good that it could freely run Substitute in its last slot, protecting it from status, giving it free setup on Pokémon like Slowbro and Blissey, and letting it play mind games with Pokémon like Weavile. As a result, Dragapult was the first Pokémon to be banned via suspect in the Crown Tundra metagame.

In a post-Dragapult metagame, a new, previously unviable, threat cropped up in the form of Spectrier. With no speedy Dragon to revenge kill it, the horse went nuclear on the metagame, using its passive answers like Blissey and specially defensive Hydreigon as setup fodder while forcing niche Pokémon like Zarude onto teams just to handle it. Once Substitute + Will-O-Wisp and Normalium Z sets came to prominence, Spectrier was found to competent at beating its counters on its own and followed fellow Ghost-type Dragapult into NDAG.

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Popularity Boom

Team tournaments are typically a major catalyst for metagame development, and National Dex World Cup was no exception! The metagame revolved around Magearna and Cinderace, which rose to dominance with their overwhelming offensive presence and wide set versatility. Although Cinderace's Heavy-Duty Boots pivot sets were more common due to their versatility, a Bulk Up set utilizing Normalium Z to overwhelm most of Cinderace's checks popped up a few times during the tournament; its wallbreaking potential is what eventually lead to Cinderace being looked at for tiering action a second time further on in the year. In Magearna's case, although there were a myriad of additional sets being used such as Assault Vest, Shift Gear, and Pain Split, Choice Specs was what really rocked the meta. Choice Specs Magearna forced progress through its Fleur Cannon and hard-to-block Volt Switch, which tore through theoretical answers such as Excadrill and opposing offensive Magearna while still punishing dedicated special walls such as Blissey and Galarian Slowking by giving them its Choice Specs. In order to keep Cinderace and Magearna in check, common balance structures began to favor Blissey and Slowbro, which made teams extremely vulnerable to other offensive threats such as Kartana, Rillaboom, Weavile, and Thunder Punch Mega Medicham.

• Cinderace @ Normalium Z
• Ability: Libero
• EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
• Jolly Nature
• - Bulk Up
• - Pyro Ball
• - Double-Edge
• - High Jump Kick

Previously unknown as a set, Normalium Z Cinderace burst onto the World Cup scene in style. No matter what you were building at the time, you had to account for both the Heavy-Duty Boots pivot set and this wallbreaker. Normalium Z Cinderace can beat common defensive checks to the pivot set such as the ever-present Slowbro, physically defensive Toxapex, and Landorus-T, considerably denting the former and possibly OHKOing the latter two after Stealth Rock. Bulk Up works extremely well with Libero, letting Cinderace take powerful attacks such as Mega Swampert's rain-boosted Waterfall and Landorus-T's Earthquake. It had a great Speed tier, making it a solid revenge killer to a good portion of the tier and only outsped by Greninja, Tapu Koko, and Choice Scarf users like Landorus-T. The bunny also fit, unsurprisingly, on pretty much any kind of balance or offense team, and the Bulk Up set was no exception. Most commonly used on hyper offense, it was a great asset to an already stellar archetype alongside Magearna and Rillaboom. Bulk Up turned out to be the straw that broke the camel's back; accounting for it in the teambuilder proved to be near impossible, and it earned a suspect test and a ban not long after.

Here is a replay from NDWC 1 to exhibit the power of Normalium Z Cinderace, between astralydia and Raj.Shoot!

In this match, astralydia's Cinderace tore through Raj.Shoot's team, removing all of Zapdos, Mega Garchomp, and Heatran from play, which opened up opportunities for its partners in Hawlucha, Rillaboom, and Garchomp to potentially sweep. This was also a good showcase for the set's defensive capabilities, as the type change and Defense boost allowed Cinderace to easily take Mega Garchomp's boosted Fire Fang.

And here is a sample team showcasing Normalium Z Cinderace!

Final Gambit Victini HO by Jordy

• Magearna @ Choice Specs
• Ability: Soul-Heart
• EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
• Modest Nature
• IVs: 0 Atk
• - Fleur Cannon
• - Volt Switch
• - Focus Blast
• - Trick

The Sun and Moon wunderkind started the year off with a predictable bang. Choice Specs Magearna was a phenomenal wallbreaker thanks to its amazing Special Attack stat and Soul-Heart, which let it feast upon bulky offense and balance teams like nothing else. Furthermore, it was often paired with other powerful wallbreakers that it could pivot in with Volt Switch such as Cinderace and Mega Medicham. Blocking Volt Switch was important to not provide these Pokémon with free turns. It greatly appreciated pivot support from its partner in crime Cinderace, among others like Landorus-T, Tapu Koko, Rotom-W, and Slowbro. In tougher matchups, such as stall, it could simply cripple Chansey or Blissey with Trick and handicap Magearna checks. Additionally, its Volt Switch was nearly impossible to safely block, as it threatened every Ground-type with Choice Specs Fleur Cannon. Moreover, it had Focus Blast to dent Steel-types that could take Fleur Cannon such as Heatran, Ferrothorn, and Excadrill. Add the potency of Choice Specs with the potential of Shift Gear Z-Move and Draining Kiss + Stored Power sets, which all had different checks, and you have what many consider the best offensive threat in the tier at the time.

Heatran, Gliscor, and Excadrill saw increased usage because they could threaten to KO Magearna and somewhat switch into it. For a time, Magearna was the Pokémon to beat due to its many positive traits: a borderline broken ability, insane coverage, fantastic defensive typing, good bulk, and sheer number of viable sets. All in all, it was too much for the metagame. Magearna, like Cinderace, bit the dust after World Cup with a pro-ban majority in a suspect test.

Here is a replay from NDWC 1 demonstrating how oppressive it was in play at the time, between Kate and Skooma!

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Ladder

During the second iteration of National Dex's Ladder Tournament, the metagame began to take heavy inspiration from the hailstorm taking over SS OU, which can be attributed to the influx of players from SS OU. With a 100% win rate in NDLT playoffs, hail was quite the dominant playstyle. This resulted in players beginning to use more bulky Steel-types, like Ferrothorn and Melmetal. Offense as a whole became the dominant playstyle and nudged people into running faster Choice Scarf users such as Tapu Lele, Kartana, and Greninja to keep hail teams in check. The most popular hail team of the time can be seen here:

Hail Offense by Ox the Fox

• Arctozolt @ Leftovers
• Ability: Slush Rush
• EVs: 252 Atk / 20 SpA / 236 Spe
• Naughty Nature
• - Substitute
• - Bolt Beak
• - Blizzard
• - Low Kick

Arctozolt and its mandatory partner Alolan Ninetales saw a surge in usage during the early NDLT era, as Slush Rush Arctozolt's STAB combination threatened the entire metagame. Since counterplay was usually to switch around its STAB moves, which was hard since Arctozolt had near-perfect neutral coverage, Arctozolt donned Substitute to punish this type of passive play. Most teams would be forced to lose a Pokémon breaking the Substitute, and switching around it already came with the chance of getting KOed by making an incorrect switch. Common hail teams combined Arctozolt with threats such as Mega Diancie and Volcanion to aid it in wearing down its checks, namely Melmetal and Ferrothorn, while also forming a shaky but usable defensive backbone against threats like Greninja and Heatran. Additionally, since Arctozolt is easily worn down by entry hazards, Defoggers like Tapu Fini and Corviknight were mandatory teammates. With such immense power, it's no surprise it had such an impressive win rate across NDLT!

As a mandatory partner, Alolan Ninetales wasn't just relegated to setting hail for Arctozolt. Alolan Ninetales provided a lot of support in luring in and wearing down Gastrodon with Freeze-Dry, providing a semi-decent check to Ash-Greninja alongside Volcanion, and setting Aurora Veil to provide Arctozolt with easier setup opportunities.

Here are a few replays from NDLT showcasing how terrifying Arctozolt can be, between Ox the Fox and FatFighter2, and between ez and Maya! In both these matches, the opposing team quickly falters after Arctozolt manages to get a Substitute up. In Ox's game specifically, although FatFighter2 had Tyranitar to counteract the hail, Ox easily took advantage of the Pokémon that his Arctozolt forced out in order to exert a lot of pressure with its amazing coverage. Ez's game was very cut and dry after Maya's Landorus-T was KOed, allowing Arctozolt to use Bolt Beak freely.

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New Horizons

The metagame in the months leading up to the National Dex Premier league had shown itself to be slowly shifting to a more offensive state. Bulky offense had a great boom in viability due to its variety in approaches and win conditions that all still had good punch— though most teams ended up sticking with Mega Lopunny for its great Speed tier. Mega Lopunny wasn't the only Pokémon to see a renaissance, as Tapu Lele, Tapu Fini and Weavile all proved to be staples to their respective archetypes; Tapu Fini especially was considered a more viable Defog user than Corviknight. Magnezone, Ferrothorn, Mega Scizor, and Kyurem all garnered respectable usage during the later stages of the regular season and playoffs. Kyurem found a brand new set to break the metagame more efficiently: 3 attacks with Icium Z or Never Melt Ice.

• Lopunny-Mega @ Lopunnite
• Ability: Limber
• Happiness: 0
• EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
• Jolly Nature
• - Fake Out
• - Frustration
• - Close Combat
• - U-turn

Mega Lopunny's high Speed and power make it the premier pivot in the current metagame. The only common faster threats are Choice Scarf users and priority like Medicham's Fake Out. Its job is quite simple: clean. It does this task phenomenally and is especially potent against common offense teams. Furthermore, with Intimidate no longer affecting it, Mega Lopunny can easily break through Landorus-T. Mega Lopunny can revenge kill very powerful Pokémon like Tapu Koko, Choice Specs Tapu Lele, and both Greninja formes. It is even able to break through checks like Tapu Fini after enough chip damage; this can be done with one of Lopunny's many offensive partners, most commonly Tapu Lele or Kyurem, which puts immense strain on defensive teams. U-turn pivots out of unfavorable matchups, such as Slowbro and defensive Landorus-T, and pivot in powerful wallbreakers such as Kyurem and Ash-Greninja. Defensive Pokémon such as Clefable, Toxapex, and Corviknight have strayed away from Leftovers and Black Sludge and are turning to Rocky Helmet as an option to punish this consistent momentum spam. Mega Lopunny is not flawless; its frailty limits its opportunities a lot, especially if there is a Choice Scarf user on the opposing team. Despite this, Mega Lopunny is still an amazing Pokémon, as it forces the usage of faster Choice Scarf users to solely revenge kill it; furthermore, it can easily pivot against most walls/checks, letting it retain momentum.

• Kyurem @ Icium Z
• Ability: Pressure
• EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
• Modest Nature
• IVs: 0 Atk
• - Hidden Power Fire
• - Freeze-Dry
• - Earth Power
• - Roost

The Pokémon that punishes defensive play like no other has returned to the spotlight with a vengeance! Kyurem has dominated the metagame with its now infamous 3 attacks set, letting it bypass many of its old checks such as Mega Scizor and Ferrothorn by hitting them with Hidden Power Fire. With Icium Z, Kyurem can use Subzero Slammer and 2HKO physically defensive Clefable. It can leverage Roost to offset entry hazard damage and avoid many disadvantageous positions, unlike Choice Specs sets.

This Kyurem set is utilized best on VoltTurn archetypes. Rotom-W and Mega Lopunny wear foes down and bring it in safely with their pivot moves on more passive Pokémon such as Landorus-T and Tangrowth. They also help Kyurem against its biggest weakness in offense teams, removing revenge killers such as Choice Specs Tapu Koko, Choice Scarf Landorus-T, and Kartana, which allows Kyurem to better pressure the opponent's defensive backbone.

Here's a replay from NDPL 2 showing the consistency of this duo, between Clone and devin. Although Kyurem was KOed early on in this match, it removing Gastrodon and wearing down Galarian Slowking made Heatran and Tapu Koko much more potent, especially allowing the latter to use Volt Switch endlessly.

• Tapu Lele @ Choice Scarf
• Ability: Psychic Surge
• EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
• Timid Nature
• IVs: 0 Atk
• - Moonblast
• - Psychic
• - Focus Blast
• - Hidden Power Fire / Aromatherapy

Choice Scarf Tapu Lele rose up as one of the best revenge killers to Mega Lopunny and Weavile, two of the most popular threats in the metagame. Tapu Lele is also powerful enough in its own right to sweep offensive teams late-game, and given how popular offense is, it has became one of the most popular revenge killers in the tier! Tapu Lele also greatly benefits from popular teammates like Weavile and Kartana, as they can wear down Steel-types for Tapu Lele to clean up later on. Moreover, its Aromatherapy is key for offensive teams due to them generally fearing Static and Flame Body and lacking a way to punish Toxapex's Scald and Toxic.

• Weavile @ Choice Band
• Ability: Pressure
• EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
• Jolly Nature
• - Knock Off
• - Triple Axel
• - Ice Shard
• - Pursuit

Weavile, while common before, has seen a huge boom in usage recently with teams shifting towards more offensive playstyles, making it much harder to switch into. After Knock Off, most would-be defensive countermeasures such as Tapu Fini and Rotom-W are easily worn down. Furthermore, its high Speed tier lets it force out Pokémon such as Landorus-T, Mega Diancie, and Serperior, while also Pursuit trapping a myriad of Pokémon that have risen to prominence alongside it such as Mega Latias, Tapu Lele locked into a Psychic-type move, and Zapdos. Weavile pairs extremely well with other offense staples such as Choice Scarf Tapu Lele, Choice Scarf Kartana, and Mega Lopunny, as it can force damage on or outright KO their shared checks. Other offense-oriented Weavile sets also saw much more usage, namely Swords Dance with Darkinium Z to lure and KO the likes of Toxapex and Adamant Life Orb on hyper offense teams to deal massive damage and potentially clean up with Ice Shard. Weavile fits on pretty much every archetype, ranging from offense to semi-stall, simply due to its sheer set diversity, with more offensive teams loving the breaking power of its boosted Black-Hole Eclipse, while bulkier ones bulkier teams greatly appreciating it trapping and removing potentially annoying wallbreakers like Tapu Lele.

Here are some sample teams featuring these Pokémon to help give an insight into the metagame!

Offensive Zapdos + Weavile BO by astralydia

3 Attacks Kyurem BO by Jordy

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The New Year

With the generation concluding, a myriad of sets have become increasingly popular as the tier settles down, such as Sand Tomb Mega Scizor, which punishes bulkier teams using Toxapex or Heatran as their sole Mega Scizor counterplay, and Flyinium Z Zapdos, which trades in its solid defensive utility in order to function as a powerful wallbreaker. Both offense and balance rule the meta, with a healthy mix of stall and hyper offense as well. Mega Latias saw a great bump in usage due to its consistence as a solid long-term wincon while providing insanely useful defensive utility. Ash-Greninja has risen from its ashes, thriving on the increased prominence of much less sturdy checks such as Choice Scarf Tapu Fini, physically defensive Ferrothorn, and Toxapex , while SSOU trends such as the Gastrodon hype and Dragonite's increase in usage have also been seen in National Dex. Notably, Deoxys-D has been terrorizing both ladder and the tournament scene, proving itself to be much more threatening than the cheesy wincon that it was regarded as in the past. Overall, the tier is in an incredibly healthy state, with nothing being really overwhelming.

• Scizor-Mega @ Scizorite
• Ability: Light Metal
• EVs: 248 HP / 40 Atk / 220 Spe
• Adamant Nature
• - Swords Dance
• - Bullet Punch
• - Sand Tomb
• - Roost

Sand Tomb Mega Scizor is one of the most potent offensive threats currently, taking advantage of classic ClefPex defensive cores and shredding them while still providing immense defense utility by virtue of its great bulk. Sand Tomb was generally seen as a more niche option before, with more people opting for U-turn and bulkier specially defensive sets in order to check Tapu Lele and Kartana better, but with a uptick in Toxapex and Heatran-based defensive cores, Sand Tomb took the limelight. Sand Tomb is chosen over other moves specifically for its ability to trap and beat Toxapex, which other coverage moves like Superpower are incapable of doing. This Mega Scizor set pairs especially well with teammates that appreciate Toxapex being lured and removed such as Ash-Greninja and Calm Mind Clefable, fitting on a range of archetypes from offense to balance as a result. Tapu Fini deserves a special mention as an exemplary teammate with Sand Tomb Mega Scizor, preventing Toxapex from Scald burning Mega Scizor with its Misty Terrain and making sure it always loses. The EV spread allows it to get the jump on Timid Magnezone, letting it KO it with Sand Tomb.

• Zapdos @ Flyinium Z
• Ability: Static
• EVs: 40 HP / 252 SpA / 216 Spe
• Modest Nature
• IVs: 0 Atk
• - Hurricane
• - Thunderbolt
• - Volt Switch
• - Roost

Flyinium Z Zapdos rose the ranks due to the tier, as it takes advantage of the downtrend in Tyranitar usage while pressuring common Landorus / Tapu Fini / Ferrothorn-based defensive cores. With the tier's Flying-type answers generally being opposing Zapdos, Tapu Koko, Heatran, and the occasional Magnezone, it doesn't take much for Zapdos to wear them down with Volt Switch and Thunderbolt, then throw out a powerful Supersonic Skystrike once these are weakened enough. This Zapdos set also pairs amazingly well with Choice Band Weavile, another terrifying threat, with the latter being able to Pursuit trap Mega Latias and Chansey, paving the way for Zapdos to break through. While it does trade in its defensive utility and gets back its susceptibility to Stealth Rock, the cons aren't enough to outweigh the immensely powerful wallbreaking capabilities this set has, making it a threat to be accounted for in the current meta. The given EV spread lets it outspeed Modest Tapu Lele and Kyurem and maximizes its damage output.

• Deoxys-Defense @ Leftovers / Rocky Helmet
• Ability: Pressure
• EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
• Bold Nature
• IVs: 0 Atk
• - Cosmic Power
• - Night Shade
• - Taunt
• - Recover

Deoxys-D is a more recently established trend in National Dex that has taken the tier by storm, both on the ladder and in the tour scene. Despite being released from Ubers in National Dex, it stayed mostly outside of the spotlight for a good bit of time, seeing a bit of usage here and there, but nothing notable. Lately, however, Deoxys-D has made a name for itself on the big stage, being seen multiple times every week in NDPL 3, with a great winrate to boot. Cosmic Power Deoxys-D takes advantage of the common bulky offenses and offenses that struggle to break past it consistently and are easily outlasted due to Pressure draining the PP of softer checks that fail to consistently 2HKO it. Its solid Speed, which is not common for a Pokémon with this level of bulk, also allows it to outspeed and use Taunt to shut down more passive counterplay aiming to break through it via Toxic, Taunt, or Haze or by boosting alongside it. Leftovers makes it much less reliant on Recover in the long run, while Rocky Helmet lets it punish Normal-types like Chansey and Mega Lopunny that it cant touch with Night Shade. However, due to Night Shade's set damage output, Spikes support from Pokémon like Ferrothorn and Greninja is needed alongside it, letting it break past bulkier defensive cores utilizing Toxapex and Gastrodon much more consistently. However, while Deoxys-D can absolutely 6-0 matchups just based off of Preview, it can also struggle against some, especially those with a bulky Normal-type such as Chansey alongside a Regenerator Pokémon like Toxapex or Alomamola. Pokémon with high base HPs and passive healing such as Gastrodon and Gliscor can also cause issues for it, while much more hyper offensive teams can outright deny it any setup, preventing it from being able to do much.

Here's a replay from NDPL 3 showing just how potent Deoxys-D can be in the right matchup, between omicorio and baconeatinassasin. In the replay Deoxys-D's immense bulk is shown, with it easily setting up on a boosted Kommo-o and omicorio's team unable to break it the moment it clicked Cosmic Power, resulting in bacon winning instantly.

Here's the team used in the replay!

Deoxys-D Bulky Offense by nvk

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Looking Forward

National Dex as a metagame has been through a lot, and its popularity as a format on PS! and Smogon is staying strong! Player consensus on what was viable or not fluctuated during the past 12 months, from the era of Choice Band Rillaboom to when Mega Garchomp was considered far too much for the tier to handle. New developments such as Dragonite, Protean Greninja, and Assault Vest Melmetal are an everyday occurrence, and the future of National Dex will always be in flux.

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