What if Fairy-types didn't exist?
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Art by anundeadboy.
Introduction
The Fairy typing has had a massive influence on the competitive Pokémon scene. Upon its introduction in Generation 6, this typing was bestowed onto many older Pokémon, and its sheer defensive and offensive capabilities were enough to bring Pokémon like Clefable and Azumarill to the top of OU. In Generation 7, the introduction of the Tapu completely changed the face of the metagame, and they have since proven to be some of the most influential and centralizing Pokémon in the history of competitive Pokémon. The Fairy type's key resistances to types like Dragon, Fighting, and Dark, as well as ability to hit these same types super effectively, have allowed for it to establish itself as one of the best types in the game and helped to end the Fighting- and Dragon-type dominance of the fifth generation. Now, what would have happened if the Fairy typing was never introduced? What if Clefable stayed as a Normal-type, Tapu Lele was a pure Psychic-type, and moves like Moonblast and Dazzling Gleam simply didn't exist? This article will focus on the massive effects that one small change would have on the OU metagame, and how the metagame would be forced to evolve to such a change.
What Pokémon/typings/playstyles might increase in viability? How would they change?
Dragon-types
Before the introduction of the Fairy type in Generation 6, Dragons were some of the most dominant and powerful forces of the fifth OU generation. While the Dragon typing itself is not amazing offensively (only hitting one type, being itself, for super effective damage), the sheer power of moves like Draco Meteor and Outrage made Dragon-types a constant fear for many teambuilders, and the overall sheer power of Pokémon like Dragonite and Garchomp made them incredibly difficult to check, let alone counter. Fairy-types completely changed this, as their immunity to Dragon-type moves made moves like Outrage and Draco Meteor less spammable and often would force a switch if the user was Choice locked into that move. Offensive Fairies such as Azumarill, Tapu Lele, Mega Mawile, and Calm Mind Clefable could easily force Dragon-types out, and soon former OU staples such as Dragonite, Garchomp, and the Lati twins fell drastically in viability. Dragons certainly continue to hold a place in today's OU metagame, however; Kyurem-B, Garchomp, the Lati twins, and even Dragonite and Hydreigon are all OU threats that players need to look out for when constructing a team. However, the truth of the matter is that Fairy-types severely hold the Dragon type back from being able to maintain the centralizing presence that it enjoyed back in Generation 5. As long as the Fairy type exists, many Dragon-types will continue to struggle with maintaining the momentum and offensive pressure that they once held years ago.
In a metagame without any Fairy-types, however, it's likely that many Dragons would have never fallen from grace. No longer having to fear the possibility of their moves doing zero damage, Dragons would have a much easier time breaking teams through the use of sheer strength and power. The disappearance of offensive Fairies capable of forcing Dragons out would make them even more difficult to revenge kill, and players would likely have to rely on their own Dragons as well as the rare Ice-types in order to reliably revenge kill setup sweepers like Dragonite and Zygarde. The nerf of the Tapu, Clefable, Mega Diancie, and Mega Mawile would undoubtedly benefit Dragons greatly, removing a large number of the checks and counters that Dragon-types currently struggle to break through. All of these effects combined could potentially allow Dragons to return to the level of omnipresence that they exercised in past generations, creating a metagame that is much more fast paced and offensively driven. The main things standing in the way of Dragon-types would likely be Steel-types, but many Dragon-types have access to Ground and Fire coverage moves like Earthquake, Earth Power, and Fire Blast that they could utilize to get past these obstacles. Granted, it's no surprise that many Dragon-types would flourish in a Fairy-less metagame, but it's almost impossible to overlook the massive consequences that a rise in Dragon-types would have on the OU metagame.
Fighting-types and Dark-types
Similarly to Dragons , Fighting- and Dark-types took a big hit with the introduction of the Fairy type, which added one additional weakness to these two typings and an additional resistance to their attacks. Fighting-types, in particular, were rather popular during the fifth generation, with threats like Terrakion, Breloom, and Keldeo being dominant. Much like with the Dragons, the introduction of defensive and offensive threats like Clefable, Azumarill, Mega Mawile, and Mega Gardevoir knocked many OU threats down in viability and kept previous metagame terrors like Keldeo and Terrakion in check. The loss of Clefable, in particular, would create a much more inviting metagame for Pokémon like Hawlucha, Mega Medicham, Mega Heracross, and Mega Lopunny, all of which currently are Pokémon that can sometimes be awkward to fill in on a team due to their inability to effectively deal with Clefable. Ash-Greninja, which is already an S-tier Pokémon in the current metagame, would have an easier time spamming Dark Pulse without having to fear a bulky Fairy like Clefable, Assault Vest Magearna, or Tapu Fini switching in. Mega Sableye becomes an even more terrifying threat on stall teams now that it no longer has any weaknesses, and Mega Gyarados packs an extremely spammable Crunch that, along with Mold Breaker Earthquake and Waterfall or Bounce coverage, allows it to tear through many popular defensive cores with ease while really only having to worry about the bulky Grass-types of the tier. Avenues open up for Pokémon like Hoopa-U, Hydreigon, and Weavile, as the absence of Fairy-types means that their Dark-type STAB attacks become incredibly potent and versatile. All in all, it's clear to see that a Fairy-less metagame is not only a metagame that Fighting- and Dark-types would likely flourish in, but also one that they would almost certainly redefine.
Steel-types
It seems strange that a typing that loses one of its few super effective targets would be buffed in a metagame like this, but given the expected rise in Dragon-types, it's very likely that the already solid Steel typing could become even more relied upon as a way to check and counter the terrifying Dragon-types. Modern OU staples like Heatran, Celesteela, Ferrothorn, Mega Scizor, and even a pure Steel Magearna may continue to bask in the spotlight as the few remaining defensive anchors in what would certainly be a more offensively dominated metagame. The presence of the Steel typing means that Dragons still have to be extremely careful about locking themselves into a Dragon-type move. Magnezone would likely see even more usage than it currently does with its ability to trap and remove opposing Steel-types, such as Ferrothorn, Scizor, and Celesteela, that may stand in the way of a sweep from a Pokémon like Garchomp, Mega Latios, or Kyurem-B. The relationship between the Dragon type and the Steel type would undoubtedly be a dominating force of the metagame that would most certainly be a driving force in teambuilding, with teams likely becoming centralized around checking the opponent's Dragons with your Steel-types while eliminating the opponent's Steel-types to pave a path for your own Dragons to clean up the game. While the increased prominence of Fighting-types could threaten these Steel-types, popular Flying-types like Landorus-T, Tornadus-T, and Gliscor and other defensive behemoths like Mega Latias and Mega Sableye could easily be paired with a Steel-type Pokémon to create a potent defensive core that can deal with both Dragon- and Fighting-types while still being able to pack a punch. In an effort to counter the offensive prevalence of the Dragon-types, it's likely that Steel-types would adapt to more commonly fill defensive roles rather than offensive ones, and the loss of Shift Gear Magearna could prove to be a problem for anyone hoping to sweep the metagame with a team of offensive Steel-types. While Pokémon like Kartana, Mega Scizor, and Choice Scarf Magnezone are still able to fulfill this role, it'd be harder to pull them off with Pokémon like Ferrothorn, Celesteela, Skarmony, and Heatran constantly getting in their way.
Offense
With such a rise in the prominence of Pokémon like Kyurem-B, Mega Medicham, Mega Lopunny, Hydreigon, Dragonite, Garchomp, Latios, and Latias, it's no surprise if the most common type of playstyle would be offense. Offense is already a rather popular playstyle in the current metagame, but with Pokémon like Clefable no longer being able to hold off these offensive behemoths, we could expect to see offensive team styles rise even more in popularity. Many offensive cores would become much stronger and easier to use in the absence of Fairy-types, including, but not limited to, Ash-Greninja + Garchomp, Mega Medicham + Tornadus-T, Mega Mawile + Ash-Greninja, and Mega Lopunny + Ash-Greninja.
Miscellaneous
Bug-types like Mega Heracross and Volcarona no longer have to worry about their Bug-type STAB moves being resisted by bulky Fairy-types like Clefable and Tapu Fini, and they become much more potent threats, as moves like Pin Missile, Bug Buzz, and the omnipresent U-turn are given more opportunities to do serious damage to opposing Pokémon. Defensive Pokémon like Chansey, Mew, Alomomola, Amoonguss, and even Cresselia may have a chance to rise close to the top as players attempt to fill the voids left behind by common defensive Fairy-type Pokémon and cores. Ice-types like Mamoswine and Weavile (whose Dark typing is now less exploitable) might establish themselves as anti-metagame picks due to their ability to hit Dragon-types for super effective damage and may see more usage in competitive play.
What Pokémon/types/playstyles might decrease in viability?
Clefable
The main reason Clefable was able to soar to the top OU in Generation 6 was because of the new immunity and resistances that the Fairy typing gave to it, and while it was a decent defensive wall as a Normal-type, it's extremely unlikely that Clefable would continue to receive the same level of play that it currently enjoys in Generation 7 OU. Simply put, a pure Normal typing does not give Clefable enough to work with in terms of both offensive and defensive capabilities, and its lack of any resistances or notable immunities along with already lackluster stats means that it would easily be overwhelmed in such an offensive environment. The popular Moonblast + Calm Mind set would be completely nonexistent, and a lack of good STAB moves means that Clefable would have little to no offensive presence and would make it easy setup bait while also welcoming in powerful wallbreakers like Kyurem-B, Mega Medicham, and Greninja. The absence of Clefable would force teambuilders trying to construct a more balanced build to find a new "glue" Pokémon that could serve as a blanket check to many common metagame threats while forming both offensive and defensive cores with many of the other Pokémon on the team. Clefable is special in that it is able to synergize well with many common Pokémon in the metagame largely in part due to its great defensive typing, vast movepool, and helpful abilities, making it easy to slap onto many different types of teams. The absence of Clefable would certainly create a void in the metagame that would be difficult to fill with any other Pokémon and require a major revamp of a multitude of teams and cores. As mentioned earlier, the loss of Clefable would present a golden opportunity for Pokémon like Mega Heracross and Mega Lopunny to rise to the top of the metagame and would steer the metagame into an extremely offensively based environment centered around hit-and-run tactics with the use of sheer power to break through the few remaining defensive cores of the metagame.
Other former Fairy-types
It shouldn't come as a shock that most Pokémon that lose their Fairy typing would likely face a serious nerf and quickly fall towards the bottom of the tier. Azumarill sticks out for losing one of its strongest and most commonly used STAB attacks, Play Rough, meaning it is now forced to rely on Waterfall and Aqua Jet to do any serious damage, which unfortunately is not enough to break through the bulky Grass-type-centric metagame. Additionally, it loses out on some key resistances to Dark and Fighting, as well as an immunity to Dragon, which does it no favors whatsoever, as it loses out on opportunities to set up with Belly Drum. While Magearna could continue to be a good defensive option as a Steel-type, the loss of Fleur Cannon makes it difficult to utilize offensively and makes it more predictable, as players no longer have to dance around an unrevealed Fleur Cannon. Mega Mawile is an interesting case in that, while it does lose access to one of its more powerful STAB options, Play Rough, it still has a plethora of move options, access to Swords Dance, and an incredibly deadly ability, all of which mean that a pure Steel-type Mega Mawile could continue to be one of the most dominating and frightening offensive threats in the entire metagame, even while lacking Play Rough (which many current sets already do, anyway). Mega Diancie would certainly take a huge hit from gaining additional weaknesses to Fighting, a very common typing, and the loss of Moonblast would force it to rely on Diamond Storm as its strongest form of damage, transforming it into a rather one-dimensional sweeper that is forced to rely on Diamond Storm and Earth Power to do serious damage. In the current metagame, one of its main appeals is being able to threaten Mega Sableye with Moonblast and forcing Stealth Rock to go up, but without its Fairy typing, Mega Diancie struggles to do even that, as it's forced to rely on Diamond Storm with its low PP in order to do reliable damage to Mega Sableye and other bulky defensive Pokémon. Mimikyu would likely fall completely out of fashion, as it would lose one of its main attacking moves as well as access to Twinkle Tackle, forcing it to rely on Ghost-type STAB attacks in order to deal consistent damage, leaving it to be completely walled by Normal-types like Chansey and easy to revenge kill by Dark-types like Weavile, Bisharp, and Hydreigon. The decreased viability of offensive Magearna, Azumarill, Mega Diancie, and Mimikyu would leave voids in the metagame that would likely be filled by the rising offensive Dragon-, Fighting-, and Dark-types.
The Tapu Guardians
The Guardian Deities are another interesting case in that some of them may end up being hurt by the lack of a Fairy typing more than the others. For instance, Tapu Koko, the one that arguably relies on its Fairy typing the least, would still be a potent offensive pivot with its combination of Electric Terrain + Volt Switch and U-turn and would likely remain at the top of the metagame as one of the best ways to deal with untransformed Ash-Greninja and one of the most common Tornadus-T and Mega Pinsir checks. It has great synergy with both Kyurem-B and Hawlucha, two Pokémon that benefit greatly from a metagame with no Fairy-types, and its wide movepool gives it the tools necessary to fulfill various roles on a team and remain unpredictable in the eyes of the opponent. Tapu Lele is in a similar spot, as while it does not appreciate losing access to Moonblast, its ability to set up Psychic Terrain and fire off incredibly powerful Psychics while supporting Mega Alakazam and disabling priority at the same time makes it easy to justify placing on different teams. However, the increased prevalence of Steel- and Dark-types would create a more hostile environment for Tapu Lele, and it would likely drop a bit in the viability rankings. Tapu Bulu falls into a similar boat, with its pure Grass typing making it easy to wear down, as it no longer resists Fighting- or Dark-type attacks, but it is still able to perform many of the same roles that it currently does, such as checking Tapu Koko, Gliscor, and Mega Alakazam with its extremely powerful Grass-type attacks and access to solid coverage options. Tapu Fini would likely have a more difficult time adapting to the new metagame despite its usefulness in the current generation. Its loss of resistance to Dark- and Fighting-type moves would make it harder to use as a defensive wall, especially when it is already very easy to weaken thanks to its lack of reliable recovery. Even worse, Tapu Fini now becomes easy fodder for Greninja to set up Spikes and can no longer reliably sponge its attacks or threaten it back with a STAB Moonblast, causing it to lose one of the things that made it so good in the first place. As a bulky Water-type, it's easily overshadowed by Toxapex, which not only has reliable recovery and Regenerator but also can more easily deal with the prevalent Fighting-types while continuing to be a potent Toxic Spikes setter.
Conclusion
It's clear to see that the absence of the Fairy type would likely have resulted in a metagame that steers towards the direction of offensive builds, and would see a dominance of Dragon- and Fighting-types with a metagame centralized around being able to deal with these types of Pokémon, similar to the way Generation 5 OU ended before the onset of Pokémon X/Y. Niche Pokémon may rise from the shadows in an attempt to fill the voids left behind by offensive and defensive Fairy-types like Clefable, Tapu Fini, Mega Diancie, Mimikyu, and Tapu Lele, and Pokémon like Ash-Greninja may even enter banworthy territory, as they become even more difficult to deal with. Overall, it's important to remember that this is all purely theoretical, and it's impossible to understand the true implications of the removal of the Fairy type without extensive testing with a completely different metagame. Hopefully, we can all continue to develop a new appreciation for the Fairy type and the amount of variety and intricacy that it brought to competitive Pokémon and will hopefully continue to bring as we begin to say goodbye to Generation 7 and step into the world of Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield.
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