RBY's Buried Treasure: Non OU Pokemon in OU

By A.
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art

Art by MamOwOswine.

Introduction

RBY OU is the first and arguably most developed competitive metagame of Smogon. Due to this, OU has a pretty small but concise list of the best of what the metagame has to offer, but that's not entirely the case. This article will showcase some of the threats that while not OU by usage, are certainly usable in one way or another. These Pokémon tend to have unique attributes that the standard cannot boast, which warrants using them in the first place.

Articuno

articuno

Articuno has coveted access to one of the highest Special stats in the tier as well as STAB Blizzard, being able to dismantle Pokémon like Rhydon, Golem, and Exeggutor with relative ease, as well as making it difficult for the likes of Tauros to come in safely. Despite all of these assets, it still finds itself commonly walled by the likes of common Ice-resistant Pokémon such as Lapras, Starmie, and Slowbro as well as Chansey with its enormous bulk, although the latter three do have to be careful of the potential freeze. Freeze in RBY basically results in death, and each time some of these checks switch in, they run the risk of being rendered useless. Articuno can work best if it's paired with the likes of Gengar, which can open holes for it by means of Explosion and Hypnosis. It is certainly not a bad option and can spell a nasty surprise onto your opponent if it's revealed mid or late-game as it attempts a sweep with Agility.

Dragonite

dragonite

Dragonite, while uncommon, is a rather frightening sight to come across thanks to its coveted access to Wrap. Wrap in RBY and similar trapping moves prevent the opponent from attacking, which is quite the threat to face. Given some paralysis support, Dragonite can single-handedly skew the game in your favor by eliminating daunting Pokémon like Starmie with Wrap if it connects or even sweeping teams as a whole. It is also the centrepiece of any Wrap team and often tries to set up situations where stalling out its PP would be the counterplay. Wrap's PP rollover glitch can also be devastating if one isn't keeping track. For every instance of "Dragonite uses Wrap", that counts as one PP being used. If one switches out after Dragonite's last PP, Struggle will not be used and Wrap will be set to 63 PP. This is if it connects, though, as Wrap's shaky accuracy leaves a lot to be desired, drawing a very thin line between victory and being knocked out by the common Blizzard. Surf is preferred due to reliably KOing Rhydon and Golem, though Blizzard can be used to dent Gengar, which commonly switches into Wrap. Thunder Wave is also a potential option, as Dragonite can definitely force switches. In a way, it can heavily support the likes of Tauros in facilitating victory. Underestimate it at your own peril.

Hypno

hypno

Hypno is an underrated alternative to the likes of Starmie and Exeggutor, being able to spread double status in the form of sleep and paralysis as well as make good use of its natural bulk in order to pivot into attacks. Hypno, unlike Exeggutor, can handle Jynx and Starmie in the lead slot and absorb sleep or spread status itself thanks to its 115 Special. Thunder Wave and Hypnosis are fairly standard, being able to cripple key targets on the opponent's team. Hypno's main drawbacks are its lack of reliable recovery outside of Rest and mediocre Speed. It can also forgo Rest to make use of Counter, which works in combination with Hypnosis, putting a target to sleep and heavily damaging the switch-in if Hypno happens to take a Normal-type attack. Hypno can also be used with Alakazam to some degree of effectiveness, as Counter allows it to be a safety net versus Tauros and it lets Alakazam safely sponge status.

Persian

persian

Persian has the potential to be an extremely dangerous late-game cleaner thanks to its 22.46% critical hit chance and a guaranteed critical hit move in the form of Slash. While Persian's Attack is rather lacking, its Speed and crit chance make up for its damage output. Thanks to Slash, Persian is able to bypass and shred through Reflect, which runs rampant in RBY. It also pairs well alongside Tauros as a cleaner duo, though one shouldn't overload on Normal-types. Bubble Beam, while fairly weak, gives coverage against Golem and Rhydon. Thunderbolt allows Persian to damage Cloyster and Slowbro, which otherwise wall it. Regardless, Persian's bulk is rather lacking, and it is extremely vulnerable to status, which effectively cripples it. It is definitely a viable option to use, however.

Victreebel

victreebel

Victreebel is quite the powerhouse thanks to its access to Razor Leaf, great mixed offenses, and overall versatility. While its bulk is rather lacking and its Speed can leave a lot to be desired, its two sets in Wrap and Swords Dance can be extremely difficult to answer for most team compositions. Victreebel can make use of Sleep Powder to generate free turns to set up and boost its Attack. Razor Leaf allows it to shred through the likes of Slowbro, Rhydon, and Golem with ease, which is not something that most physical attackers can boast. Alternatively, it can make use of Wrap late-game to clean up and swing the momentum of the game entirely. Due to these unique traits, it can set itself apart from Exeggutor, but it also struggles versus Exeggutor, which puts a hard stop to its plans. Victreebel is definitely something to be considered as an option.

Get out there!

While RBY OU may be quite the developed metagame, there's still options out there that deviate from the norm and still have relative success. Give some of these Pokémon a shot while playing some matches.

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