Pivots in SM OU

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Introduction

Throughout the generations, pivots have been an integral part of teambuilding. Pivots are Pokémon that can help garner momentum for your team by switching in and out of the battle several times per game whenever needed. The introduction of the moves U-turn and Volt Switch in Generations 4 and 5, respectively, only furthered the significance of pivots in teambuilding by making it easier to get them in and out of the game. Pivots have progressed in the metagame throughout the generations to the point they are at today, with basically every team in the tier requiring some sort of pivoting. The following Pokémon in this article are some of the pivots that define the USM OU metagame and are effective in the vast majority of games that they can be used in.

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Offensive Pivots

Tapu Koko is arguably the best offensive pivot in OU, having an insanely strong Electric Terrain-boosted Volt Switch with excellent offensive coverage. Tapu Koko's ability to gain momentum in the tier is unparalleled due to it threatening to take down most common Ground-types with Hidden Power Ice and dealing obscene amounts of damage to all other Pokémon with Electric Terrain-boosted Volt Switch. This set in particular is good at gaining momentum because Shuca Berry + Hidden Power Ice allows it to KO Ground-types early in the game and weaken them to spam Volt Switch later on. Additionally, Tapu Koko's blistering Speed stat allows it to outspeed the majority of Pokémon in the tier and pivot out before they can damage it. Roost is very useful on this set in particular because it allows Tapu Koko to remain healthy enough to check offensive threats that it needs to remain healthy to beat, such as Hawlucha and Mega Pinsir. This set is so effective due to it keeping up offensive momentum throughout the game and being able to lure in its own checks, such as Choice Scarf Landorus-T, before beating them with Shuca Berry and Hidden Power Ice while still having the defensive utility to check key threats like Mega Pinsir and Hawlucha.

Heatran is a fantastic offensive pivot, being able to switch into many threatening Pokémon like Mega Mawile that are otherwise a headache to deal with while simultaneously being incredibly frustrating to switch into. Heatran is a huge nuisance for defensive teams to deal with, as it can dispatch some of the mainstays of bulkier teams like Celesteela and Toxapex while being able to annoy pretty much everything else with some combination of its other moves. Heatran's ability to just come in on Pokémon that it forces out and take a guaranteed chunk out of something on the opposing team can be deadly with entry hazard support and can be a fantastic way to build on momentum from earlier in the match. Additionally, this set can use Will-O-Wisp over Toxic in order to break past teams that rely on Mega Sableye to pivot into Heatran as well as make it a more consistent check to Mega Mawile. This set is such a powerful pivot because it's a fantastic way to threaten bulkier teams with Magma Storm + Taunt + Toxic while simultaneously having the utility of checking Pokémon that otherwise very easily get out of control, such as Swords Dance Mega Scizor.

Choice Band Tyranitar is one of the most renowned offensive pivots in the tier, being able to switch into many common Pokémon on offensive archetypes, notably Zapdos and Latios. Tyranitar is an effective offensive pivot due to its ability to shift the offensive momentum of games completely in the Tyranitar wielder's favor with a timely use of Pursuit. Additionally, Choice Band Tyranitar is a very potent wallbreaker that can oftentimes pivot into slower defensive Pokémon like physically defensive Zapdos and even Clefable in specific instances and guarantee a KO with Stone Edge, presuming it hits, due to the lack to consistent Rock-resistant Pokémon in the tier. The utility of Pursuit is very high for offensive teams if used correctly because Pursuit allows Tyranitar to trap key offensive threats that would otherwise beat the rest of the team, such as a Choice Scarf Blacephalon and Choice Scarf Latios after your Steel-type has fainted, and it differentiates Tyranitar from the rest of the offensive pivots in this article. Earthquake is obviously a powerful coverage move that allows Tyranitar to nail several of the tier's premier Steel-types like Heatran, Magearna, and Mega Mawile.

Choice Scarf Greninja is a very effective offensive pivot in this tier due to it blanket checking several of the tier's more potent setup sweepers, the most notable of which being Quiver Dance Volcarona, as well as maintaining offensive momentum for the user. For teams that have an inconsistent answer to Ash-Greninja, Choice Scarf Greninja can pivot in and threaten it out with U-turn and continue maintaining momentum as it switches out or sets up a layer of Spikes to pressure the opposing team's defensive backbone. Ice Beam is very useful to pressure opposing Choice Scarf Landorus-T as well as check Swords Dance Kartana, as it OHKOes it with 80 Special Attack EVs. Rock Slide allows Greninja to check opposing Volcarona even after a boost and guarantees the OHKO on Mega Pinsir and Mega Charizard Y. Spikes can be very useful for offensive teams, as they can wear down checks to the team's main sweepers, such as Assault Vest Magearna for Tapu Lele or Toxapex for Swords Dance Mega Scizor. This set is such a good pivot by virtue of its versatility, maintaining offensive momentum with U-turn, wearing down defensive Pokémon by providing Spikes support, and having potent offensive moves to take down many top-tier threats.

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Defensive Pivots

Defensive Landorus-T is arguably the best Pokémon in the tier and makes for a fantastic pivot on nearly every playstyle. It can switch into many dangerous physical attackers such as Mega Charizard X and opposing Landorus-T. Earthquake is a very spammable STAB move with a solid 100 Base Power and is a staple on all of Landorus-T's sets. Additionally, Landorus-T can function as a method of getting wallbreakers like Tapu Lele, Mega Mawile, and Mega Medicham into the battle without taking damage due to its access to a slow U-turn. Landorus-T can smack opposing Landorus-T and Zygarde with Hidden Power Ice. Toxic is a nice utility option that can be used on this set to check Swords Dance Hawlucha and cripple common switch-ins like Tapu Bulu and opposing Landorus-T. Leftovers allows Landorus-T to passively heal HP to check Pokémon like Zygarde more consistently, but Rocky Helmet can be used on this set to deter U-turn from other teams and force the opponent to think carefully to avoid unnecessary damage on their Pokémon. Defensive Landorus-T is arguably the best pivot on offensive teams due to its ability to switch into such a wide range of physically offensive threats and fantastic utility with the ability to set up Stealth Rock and maintain momentum.

Assault Vest Magearna is the best blanket check to special attackers in the tier outside of Chansey, which is harder to fit onto teams. While this set is a defensive pivot that usually finds itself constantly pivoting in and out of some of the tier's most potent offensive threats like Tapu Lele and Ash-Greninja, it also doubles as an offensive threat due to it having access to the powerful Fleur Cannon and solid complementary offensive coverage in Hidden Power Fire that nails Mega Scizor and Ferrothorn. Iron Head may seem like a weird pick for this set, but it allows Magearna to check opposing Calm Mind Magearna as well as deal increased damage to Tapu Lele. Volt Switch finishes the set, providing a great pivoting move for Magearna to net the team momentum, especially since the powerful Fleur Cannon makes Ground-types wary to switch into it. Ice Beam is another option and can be used to net the OHKO on Landorus-T and have a generally spammable offensive move that can pressure a lot of Pokémon in this tier like Zapdos that are impossible to take on otherwise due to Fleur Cannon's side effect of lowering Magearna's Special Attack. However, this set lacks reliable recovery and can be worn down quickly by entry hazard damage and repeated attacks from powerful foes like Tapu Lele and Ash-Greninja. However, this set is absurdly bulky and still manages to check basically every one of the best special attackers in the tier and quickly gains momentum for your team with Volt Switch, so it's a very effective set.

Toxapex is undoubtedly the best purely defensive Pokémon in the tier, defining balance as an archetype and still being very common on bulky offense and stall teams alike. Toxapex possesses bulk so absurd that it can even pivot into super effective attacks in order to scout and has access to a myriad of useful utility moves that can annoy the opposing team. Toxic Spikes is a fantastic entry hazard that neuters some of the most common offensive and defensive Pokémon in the tier alike including but not limited to: Ash-Greninja, Tapu Koko, Tapu Bulu, and Zygarde. Toxapex's ability to set up Toxic Spikes as consistently as it does has warped teambuilding in the tier, causing Poison-types to become obligatory on certain builds for Toxic Spikes absorption, as otherwise they automatically lose to any remotely well-(AH)played Toxic Spikes Toxapex team. Haze allows Toxapex to check some of the tier's premier setup sweepers like Swords Dance Mega Scizor and Quiver Dance Volcarona and prevents Toxapex from becoming setup bait for boosting sweepers that utilize Substitute. Haze is incredibly useful and should be used on virtually every Toxapex set due to the utility that it provides. Rounding out the set is Scald, which is a solid STAB attacking option that allows Toxapex to fish for burns on problematic Pokémon and makes it much more difficult for physical wallbreakers to switch into it. Toxapex's combination of fantastic utility moves along with its great ability in Regenerator and bulk makes it a dominating defensive pivot that defines the USM OU metagame.

Assault Vest Tapu Bulu is a discovery with the release of USM that has quickly emerged as one of the best defensive pivots in the tier. Tapu Bulu is such a good defensive pivot due to its ability to switch into so many top-tier threats like Tapu Koko, Ash-Greninja, and Dragon Dance Zygarde. This ability to blanket check problematic foes in tandem with the team support that Grassy Terrain provides, healing up common teammates like Heatran and Magearna and making it significantly easier to pivot around Choice Scarf Landorus-T, makes Tapu Bulu a very potent Pokémon. Horn Leech helps compensate for Tapu Bulu's lack of reliable recovery, allowing it to quickly regain HP that it lost pivoting into key offensive threats. Wood Hammer seems like an odd choice on such a defensive Pokémon that already has a STAB move, but the increased power combined with the boost from Grassy Terrain allows it to chunk foes switching in that would take less from Nature's Madness and can be very effective in removing weakened foes. Nature's Madness is a fantastic move on this set due to it guaranteeing significant damage on Pokémon that normally switch into Tapu Bulu, forcing Pokémon like Mega Scizor to use up PP on their healing moves. Superpower completes the set, giving Tapu Bulu a move to nail Ferrothorn and Heatran when they switch in while giving it an offensive coverage move besides its Grass-type STAB attacks that can be used to KO opposing Pokémon. This is as good a pivot as it is due to its ability to pivot into so many Pokémon while simultaneously providing offensive support for teammates that appreciate the chip damage that it racks up on foes.

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Conclusion

In the last few generations, pivots have become an integral part of teambuilding in OU due to their ability to provide a balance of offensive and defensive utility, guaranteeing their user momentum in many instances. All of the pivots in this article are very effective in the current USM OU metagame and will be sure to slot into many teams seamlessly. I hope you enjoyed this article and make sure to try out some of these pivots if you haven't already!

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