OMotM/LCotM Spotlight: VoltTurn Mayhem and Partners in Crime

By UT. Released: 2023/01/04.
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Art by anundeadboy

Art by anundeadboy.

What is an OMotM/LCotM?

The OMotM, or Other Metagame of the Month, is the metagame that is voted by the players to have a ladder for a specific month. The LCotM, or Leader's Choice of the Month, is a second ladder that is chosen specifically by OM Forum Mods. For the most part, the LCotM is a metagame that needs more love, as it may not be able to compete with the metagames that get nominated for the OMotM voting.

For January 2023, the OM of the Month is VoltTurn Mayhem, while Leader's Choice is Partners in Crime.

Introduction to VoltTurn Mayhem

VoltTurn Mayhem is an old Gen 6 OM that was recently brought up to current gen. The premise is simple: every successful move that directly targets the opponent behaves like U-turn and provides a switch out after completion. Self-target and field-target moves, like Recover and Spikes, respectively, do not trigger a switch, but targeted status moves like Thunder Wave and Taunt do. This metagame is fast paced and hard hitting; negative effects like stat drops and recharge turns are negated by the immediate switch, and Choice items are now virtually drawback free. Effects that trigger on switches, like Regenerator and Stealth Rock, gain even more significance, as they will trigger a lot. Setup moves, which are so powerful in standard tiers, are virtually nonexistent here, as you forfeit your boosts after a single attack. What kind of Pokémon thrive in such a wild metagame?

Threats in VoltTurn Mayhem

Meowscarada

Protean was famously nerfed in Generation 9, now only triggering once per switch; thanks to VoltTurn Mayhem's mechanics, Meowscarada largely avoids that drawback by switching out after attacking. Great Speed and good Attack with the now-drawback-free Giga Impact make it a potent offensive threat, while Knock Off removes Heavy-Duty Boots and Choice items, Sucker Punch augments its revenge killing abilities while enabling it to switch out before faster Pokémon, such as Barraskewda, can hit it, and Spikes punish the plethora of switches.

Lokix

Honestly, the only move that matters here is First Impression. With Choice Band and Tinted Lens, Lokix hits hard and is one of the most feared revenge killers in the metagame, relying on the immediate switch to avoid the otherwise-debilitating drawback of Choice Band First Impression. Alternatively, Heavy-Duty Boots can be run to avoid the constant entry hazard pressure. Sucker Punch provides alternate priority coverage, while Leech Life and Throat Chop can be used on a predicted Protect.

Toxapex

Toxapex has always wanted a pivoting move, and it finally has one. Baneful Bunker takes advantage of the numerous Choice-locked attackers, safely scouting their move choice. Chilling Water not only pivots Toxapex out but also drops Attack to provide a safer switchfor a teammate, while Toxic Spikes again punishes switches.

Introduction to Partners in Crime

Partners in Crime is a doubles-based OM where both active allies share their moves and abilities with each other; this means that every Pokémon functionally has two abilities and eight moves at any given moment, and those moves and abilities can be shuffled with a single switch. This metagame takes team synergy to a whole new level, as teammates literally and directly buff their allies. Many Pokémon are valued for providing powerful moves and abilities to teammates, such as Spore, Quiver Dance, and Good as Gold. Others use newfound coverage or STAB moves to blow through their checks. The combinations are almost endless, but here are a few good examples to help you get started.

Threats in Partners in Crime

Torkoal

In a metagame where powerful sun-based abilities like Protosynthesis and Chlorophyll are common and Chi-Yu still exists, Torkoal provides great team support with Drought; running 9 Defense IVs even lets it benefit from Protosynthesis with a Special Attack boost. It can also donate Eruption and Heat Wave to teammates to further increase their damage output and appreciates Trick Room support to be a dangerous attacker in its own right.

Ting-Lu

Ting-Lu is borderline unkillable in standard play, but when it can borrow recovery moves from teammates, it might actually be immortal. Vessel of Ruin helps check the plethora of dangerous special attackers and enables bulkier setup teammates like Annihilape, and it provides great team support with phazing and entry hazards.

Oricorio-E

Oricorio provides the sinister combination of Quiver Dance + Dancer, allowing both its teammate and itself to set up in the same turn and potentially still attack; it also generates serious mind games with Protect, as it can use Protect while its partner uses Quiver Dance or vice versa. Additionally, Revelation Dance will fire twice as well, providing devastating damage output after a boost or two.

Final Thoughts

VoltTurn Mayhem and Partners in Crime are both metagames that offer unique experiences for anyone to enjoy. Enjoy these metagames this January and check out the Other Metas room on PS! to discuss them.

HTML by Lumari.
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