The Fury of Fighting-types in National Dex OU

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Introduction

National Dex is an incredibly expansive tier, adding mechanics from previous generations such as Mega Evolution and Z-Moves, removed or restricted moves such as Return and Toxic, and most notably, the entire National Pokédex's worth of Pokémon to peoples arsenal. As such, a wide variety of very strong Fighting-types are available to use, possessing strong wallbreaking capabilities and being able to circumvent their checks with their coverage. Their defensive utility is somewhat valuable as well, having a Dark-type and Stealth Rock resistance, letting them threaten out staples like Kingambit and enter the field without much worry. Pokémon such as Iron Valiant, Mega Lopunny, Great Tusk, and more cement themselves as strong and threatening pieces in the metagame, and this article will show you how the fierce fury of Fighting-types impacts the National Dex metagame.

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• Lopunny @ Lopunnite
• Ability: Limber
• EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
• Jolly Nature
• - Close Combat
• - U-turn / Quick Attack
• - Fake Out
• - Return

Mega Lopunny is a metagame staple due to its unresisted STAB moves in combination with its immense strength and stupendous revenge killing. It also has many opportunities to spam its STAB attacks, as people commonly use Pokémon with subpar bulk such as Tornadus-T as their Fighting-type switch-in. It provides invaluable speed control, fits on a majority of teamstyles, provides pivoting for other threatening wallbreakers such as Dragapult, Kyurem, and Tapu Koko, and always benefits a team in some way. The standard offensive set is its most used and optimal set, having utility such as Fake Out to serve as a threatening revenge killer against offensive teams, U-turn to make itself a very effective pivot, and Quick Attack to push its revenge killing abilities even further.

Teammates

Dragapult forms a devastating offensive pivoting core with Mega Lopunny, destroying Pokémon like Toxapex and Buzzwole while Mega Lopunny removes Kingambit and Weavile. Gholdengo can deal with Pokémon that otherwise would be annoying for Mega Lopunny to deal with, such as Choice Scarf Tapu Lele, Zamazenta, and Corviknight. Lastly, Kingambit can remove Pokémon like the aforementioned Choice Scarf Tapu Lele and Dragapult while also crippling checks like Toxapex.

Iron Valiant is a very versatile and threatening Pokémon, having a variety of sets it can adeptly use. Its high offensive stats are complemented by its high Speed stat that can be increased by its ability Quark Drive, allowing it to outpace Pokémon like Mega Lopunny, Dragapult, and Tapu Koko. Choice Specs is Iron Valiant's most fearsome set, as it easily punches holes through offensive teams while also being generally a pain to switch into due to its coverage options such as Thunderbolt, Shadow Ball, and Psyshock, hitting checks like Toxapex, Gholdengo, and Clodsire. Mixed Iron Valiant utilizes both of Iron Valiant's great offensive stats, using either an Expert Belt to add an extra punch to its super effective strong STAB attacks and colorful coverage or Life Orb to boost all of its attacks regardless, though at the detrimental cost of its longevity. Calm Mind turns Iron Valiant into a powerful win condition, as it pressures would-be checks such as Toxapex and Mega Scizor and is further exacerbated by its Booster Energy Speed boost. Wise Glasses is also an option that gives a slight boost to Iron Valiant's attacks and should be used if paired with a Pokémon like Tapu Koko. Tera Electric allows Iron Valiant to boost its Thunderbolt against Pokémon like Mega Scizor and Gholdengo and resist their Steel-type attacks in return. Tera Fairy boosts Iron Valiant's Moonblast to strong levels and help it clean teams, and Tera Steel gives Iron Valiant a solid defensive typing to exploit Pokémon like Tornadus-T, Gholdengo, and Mega Scizor while also avoiding chip damage from revenge killers like Mega Lopunny and Mega Medicham, letting it play in a more hit and run fashion. Choice Scarf functions as a potent revenge killer that can easily clean weakened teams and remove opposing speed demons such as Dragapult, Zamazenta, and Mega Lopunny.

Teammates

Tapu Koko is a near-requirement if using Iron Valiant, as it powers it up with its Electric Terrain, turning it into a formidable breaker with the Speed boost it obtains and turning the tables on would-be revenge killers like Mega Lopunny. In return, Tapu Koko threatens out defensive Pokémon that give Iron Valiant trouble, such as Tornadus-T and Toxapex. It also pivots into Pokémon like Ferrothorn and Heatran and boosts Thunderbolt because of Electric Surge, giving Iron Valiant more opportunities to break through the opposition and letting it hit its checks like Toxapex and Mega Scizor harder.

Kingambit can remove and threaten Pokémon such as Choice Scarf Tapu Lele, Gholdengo, and Victini, Pokémon that usually give Iron Valiant a hard time while also providing general utility with Knock Off, crippling checks to Iron Valiant such as Toxapex, Tornadus-T, and Galarian Slowking. Slowbro provides Future Sight support that pressures checks like Toxapex and Clodsire as well as slow pivoting for Iron Valiant to come in freely and start breaking. Garchomp is able to stack hazards to pressure Iron Valiant's switch-ins, while also messing with checks to it such as Clodsire, Toxpaex, and Gholdengo.

• Great Tusk @ Heavy-Duty Boots / Leftovers / Booster Energy / Icium Z
• Ability: Protosynthesis
• Tera Type: Water / Steel / Ground
• EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
• Jolly Nature
• - Headlong Rush
• - Close Combat
• - Rapid Spin / Stealth Rock
• - Ice Spinner

Great Tusk is commonly used for its excellent role compression, being a soft-check to physical attackers like Kingambit and Mega Lopunny, offering utility via Rapid Spin and Stealth Rock, and being a Dark-resistant Pokémon. Its solid offensive and defensive typing with its meaty Attack stat and coverage make it quite an annoyance to deal with as well, with Pokémon like Tornadus-T, Zapdos, and Landorus-T not being able to switch into Great Tusk safely due to Ice Spinner. As a Rapid Spinner or a Stealth Rock setter, it provides great defensive and offensive utility to a team, threatening out strong Pokémon like Kingambit, Garchomp, and Garganacl for teammates like Gholdengo and Mega Charizard Y and clearing or setting up hazards for its team. Its choice of item is also flexible, Heavy-Duty Boots for a Spikes immunity and a free Rapid Spin, Leftovers to accumulate valuable passive recovery, Booster Energy to make Great Tusk even more of a nuisance to deal with defensive while coming at the cost of it being a one-time item, and Icium Z to immediately remove its checks like Zapdos, Tornadus-T, and Landorus-T. Great Tusk can also use a defensive set with Rocky Helmet, but is often lacking with its traits and faces major competition from Landorus-T.

Teammates

Mega Charizard Y's sun activates Protosynthesis for Great Tusk while also pressuring its checks like Mega Scizor, Tornadus-T, and Landorus-T and maintaining a very threatening offensive presence in general. In return, Great Tusk is able to clear Stealth Rock off of the field and deal with Pokémon that pressure Mega Charizard Y, like Mega Tyranitar and Dragonite. Gholdengo is able to deal with Tapu Lele, Iron Valiant, and defensive checks to Great Tusk like Skarmory and Buzzwole, while Great Tusk can threaten Kingambit and Ting-Lu for Gholdengo in return. Lastly, Kingambit is able to trap and remove Pokémon like Dragapult and Tapu Lele for Great Tusk.

Zamazenta is a strong yet controversial Pokémon, being suspected a few months ago and remained unbanned in the tier. Its strong offensive profile is further complemented by its solid defensive utility, as its Dauntless Shield and solid bulk let it come into Pokémon like Mega Lopunny and Kingambit somewhat scot free and pose a major threat in its own right. With a Choice Band equipped, Zamazenta can turn into a menace in tandem with its expansive coverage and Tera Fighting, which allow it to either remove or brute force through checks like Tornadus-T, Zapdos, and Clefable. Iron Defense variants can perform as a solid sweeper while also becoming hard to take down or revenge kill once enough boosts are accumulated. Tera Water gives Zamazenta a good defensive typing, which can be an escape button in matchups with physical attackers like Urshifu-R. Howl with Electrium Z is the most threatening Zamazenta set, as it demolishes would-be checks like Toxapex, Slowbro and Zapdos once it racks up one or two Howl boosts.

Teammates

Tapu Lele is able to break through Zamazenta's checks like Toxapex and Buzzwole while also providing Future Sight to pressure switch-ins like Zapdos and Skeledirge. Heatran is able to pressure the aforementioned Toxapex and Skeledirge while also being a good way to make progress for Zamazenta to sweep late-game. Mega Scizor is able to deal with Pokémon like Iron Valiant and Tapu Lele, which would otherwise revenge kill or threaten out Zamazenta, and can pivot into Zamazenta to safely bring it in.

• Medicham-Mega @ Medichamite
• Ability: Pure Power
• Tera Type: Fighting
• EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
• Jolly Nature
• - Close Combat
• - Zen Headbutt
• - Fake Out
• - Ice Punch / Bullet Punch / Thief / Thunder Punch

Mega Medicham is an absurdly strong Pokémon, as its ability Pure Power makes it a very hard Pokémon to switch into, while its coverage options allow it to circumvent any problems that would come in its way while doing so. It also has strong priority in Fake Out and Bullet Punch to patch up its relatively mediocre Speed tier. Specifically Bullet Punch is able to revenge kill Mega Diancie and Iron Valiant. Mega Medicham is a great pick for offense due to its large offensive pressure and nifty utility, in which its teammates can assist by weakening opposing teams to the point where Mega Medicham can sweep near-effortlessly late-game. Other options Mega Medicham can include Trailblaze over Fake Out, as it can let Mega Medicham snowball late game as well, outspeeding would-be revenge killers like Dragapult, non-chipped Iron Valiant, and Mega Lopunny, and Thief to hit checks like Gholdengo for good damage.

Teammates

Kingambit can trap and threaten Pokémon that would give Mega Medicham a hard time, like Gholdengo, Hatterene, and Victini. It also appreciates Mega Medicham pressuring Pokémon like Great Tusk and Landorus-T. Tapu Koko deals with Tornadus-T and Slowbro, and provides a boost to Mega Medicham's Thunder Punch, letting it 2HKO Gholdengo after Stealth Rock and taking out Victini while threatening the aforementioned Slowbro. Lastly, Volcarona can sweep due to Mega Medicham pressuring its checks such as Toxapex and Clodsire, while Volcarona deals with Gholdengo in return.

• Urshifu-Rapid-Strike @ Punching Glove
• Ability: Unseen Fist
• Tera Type: Water
• EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
• Jolly Nature
• - Swords Dance
• - Surging Strikes
• - Close Combat
• - Aqua Jet / Ice Punch / Taunt / Substitute / Thunder Punch

Urshifu-R serves as quite the dangerous setup sweeper, as it has gained two new important tools; Swords Dance and Punching Glove. Swords Dance allows it to crush common defensive Pokémon like Toxapex and Rotom-W, and Punching Glove gives it a slight but notable boost to Surging Strikes while also disregarding contact punishment. Its coverage and utility lets it become even more threatening, with options like Aqua Jet to prevent being revenge killed by Pokémon like Mega Lopunny and Tapu Koko once they are chipped down, Taunt to prevent checks like Toxapex and Buzzwole from healing or tainting it with status; Substitute to exploit the switches Urshifu-R commonly forces and to prevent Pokémon such as Toxapex and Slowbro from posing harm to it with Scald and Future Sight; Thunder Punch to dent the aforementioned checks like Toxapex and Slowbro; and Ice Punch to hit Pokémon like Dragonite. All of these qualities, in combination with Terastallization into a Water-type to further exacerbate its damage output, make Urshifu-R a very formidable foe to face.

Teammates

Galarian Slowking is able to pivot into checks to Urshifu-R like Iron Valiant and Tapu Koko while also setting up Future Sight to threaten switch-ins to Urshifu-R such as Toxapex and Buzzwole. Mega Diancie is able to make good progress for itself and Urshifu-R, while also dealing with Pokémon like Tornadus-T and Buzzwole. Kingambit traps would-be revenge killers like Dragapult, while also chipping down checks they share like Toxapex and Skarmory.

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Final Thoughts

As you have seen in this article, there are a wide variety of Fighting-types to use in National Dex. Not only are they menaces offensively, they also can provide adequate defensive qualities that help them contribute to many teams. Play some National Dex, steal some teams or build your own, and play to see which one you like the most!

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