OMotM/LCotM Spotlight: Frantic Fusions and USM Pure Hackmons

By Gimmickyasitgets and Ransei. Released: 2023/09/06.
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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 September 2023, the OM of the Month is Frantic Fusions, while Leader's Choice is USM Pure Hackmons.

Introduction to Frantic Fusions

Frantic Fusions is a metagame where any Pokémon can fuse with another one if nicknamed after it! Fusing gives the Pokemon access to any of its own or donor's abilities, as well as a quarter of the donor Pokémon's base stats being added to the base Pokemon's, rounded down and barring HP. For example, Great Tusk has access to Protosynthesis and base stats of 115/131/131/53/53/87 but can choose to fuse with Slowbro, giving it access to either Protosynthesis or Regenerator as abilities and base stats of 115/149/158/78/73/94. There's no shortage of possibilities, with Frantic Fusions being a highly versatile metagame encouraging you to fuse unorthodox Pokémon and take advantage of both the base and donor's unique qualities! To see the stats that a Pokémon donates or what a fusion looks like, use the /fuse command on Pokémon Showdown.

Threats in Frantic Fusions

heatran uxie

By fusing with Uxie, Heatran gains access to Levitate and solid bulk, giving it an immunity to common Ground-type moves and allowing it to better serve as a bulky wallbreaker that can trap and eliminate foes with Magma Storm. With the addition of Levitate, Heatran completely stonewalls common Great Tusk and Landorus-T sets, as well as checking the powerful Baxcalibur fused with Scizor, which would otherwise blast Heatran open with a boosted Earthquake. Heatran is a perfect fit on bulky offense teams, as it is able to provide incredible defensive utility with the addition of a Ground immunity on top of its great bulk and a slew of resistances while still being threatening in its own right. Heatran is strong and can take neutral hits, but it appreciates bulkier teammates as well as faster cleaners that take advantage of the holes it breaks in a team.

great-tusk breloom

By fusing with Breloom, Great Tusk gains the coveted Poison Heal ability, giving it the recovery and status immunity to be a staunch physical tank. Great Tusk can reliably switch into strong physical attacks and either set up Stealth Rock or remove entry hazards with Rapid Spin. Earthquake hits many Pokemon hard thanks to Great Tusk's base 163 Attack stat, which is incredible even without investment. Protect allows Great Tusk to reliably proc Toxic Orb turn one or scout for a move and pivot into another Pokemon accordingly. Great Tusk is strong and bulky but slow and specially frail, so fast offensive teammates like Dragapult fused with Basculegion-F and special walls like Hisuian Goodra fused with a Regenerator Pokemon are naturally great teammates.

zapdos lycanroc-midnight

By fusing with Lycanroc-N, Zapdos becomes a terrifying status spreader and wallbreaker with the combination of No Guard and Zap Cannon. Zap Cannon and Hurricane are a deadly combination, threatening most of the tier with both high damage and the terrifying-to-face parafusion combo. Even with solid uninvested bulk letting Zapdos take hits well, No Guard makes it even more vulnerable to strong moves like Stone Edge, Magma Storm, and Gunk Shot, so watch out! Zapdos fused with Lycanroc-N fits best on offensive teams with teammates that can best take advantage of the paralysis and high damage of Zap Cannon such as Baxcalibur fused with Scizor and Iron Moth fused with Basculegion-F.

Introduction to USM Pure Hackmons

USUM Pure Hackmons is a metagame where anything directly hackable onto a set (EVs, IVs, forme, ability, item, and move) and is usable in local battles in Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon is allowed, including Crystal-free Z-Moves. It is what Balanced Hackmons would be without any bans. Since this metagame allows you to give your Pokémon any existing move and ability in the game, there is an extensive amount of variety for what sets you can utilize here. Abilities such as Wonder Guard, Huge Power, Innards Out, Prankster, Magic Guard, Imposter, Comatose, and Magic Bounce become heavily prevalent here, as they help overcome many of the possible strategies available otherwise. You can also expect to see powerful moves such as Sunsteel Strike, Moongeist Beam, Photon Geyser, and their Z-Move counterparts even without the use of a Z-Crystal.

Threats in USM Pure Hackmons

audino-mega

Mega Audino is the premier Wonder Guard user of USM Pure Hackmons. Its type combination helps filter out prominent Moongeist Beam users such as Necrozma-DW and Mega Gengar, and it has higher bulk than the majority of other Wonder Guard users, allowing it to take Photon Geyser and Mold Breaker coverage moves more efficiently. Mega Audino clears hazards and removes status conditions for your team while having Darkinium Z to reap the utility of Z-Parting Shot. Relaxed nature is preferred to take Photon Geyser most efficiently. This Pokémon is greatly recommended, as it is the best cleric and Wonder Guard user in the game.

gengar-mega

Mega Gengar is one of the most threatening presences in USM Pure Hackmons. Its base 130 Speed combined with base 170 Special Attack allows this Pokémon to outspeed and clear the majority of opposing threats in the metagame. Magic Guard helps Mega Gengar bypass entry hazards and Innards Out, helping it preserve the Focus Sash that grants it a free window to use Shell Smash or Spectral Thief. Moongeist Beam nukes metagame threats such as Mega Mewtwo X, Mega Mewtwo Y, and Necrozma-DM while hitting nearly every Wonder Guard user in the metagame. This set carries Secret Sword to deal with Innards Out Chansey more efficiently or Sludge Wave to threaten the most common Wonder Guard user in Mega Audino.

chansey

With so much variety in the USM Pure Hackmons, scouting is important. Imposter allows Chansey to copy everything about the opponent and still preserve its massive HP, and Eviolite works when transformed, turning Chansey into a much stronger version of the target. This makes it incredibly versatile as a reverse-sweeper and scouting tool. When this Chansey can't transform, usually due to opposing Substitute, it can either recover its HP, steal additional stat boosts from the target, phaze them out, set up hazards, or pivot out into a better Pokémon for its situation.

Final Thoughts

Frantic Fusions and USM Pure Hackmons are both incredibly versatile and dynamic metagames that reward creativity and offer wildly unique experiences that anyone can get into and enjoy. Enjoy these metagames this September, and discuss with friends in the Other Metas room on PS! to learn more about them!

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