SS Pure Hackmons Retrospective

« Previous Article

Next Article »

Introduction

Pure Hackmons! The format where anything and everything is allowed! Before Smogon's shift to BDSP Pure Hackmons, there was a well-established metagame, unlike almost any other. One could use Eternamaxed Eternatus, also known as Eternamax, which was obviously an extremely dominant Pokémon in the metagame. Neutralizing Gas, because of it nullifying otherwise threatening abilities, was run on most Pokémon, making it almost just as centralizing. Some may believe that Eternamax and Neutralizing Gas would have made the metagame solely one-dimensional, where the only strategy was to spam six Eternamax and hope for the best, but this was not the case. In fact, Eternamax and Neutralizing Gas shaped the metagame into an intricate web where stats, typing, and moveset all made a huge difference. Even obscure mechanics had a huge effect on the metagame, adding on to SS Pure Hackmons' uniqueness.

As anything that's able to be hacked in-game was usable in SS Pure Hackmons, no other format had a comparable power level. This article will look into relevant mechanics, metagame Pokémon and their sets, advice on effective teambuilding, and common strategies run by less experienced players that didn't quite live up to their usage.

---

Comparison to Other Generations

Generation 8 Pure Hackmons was even more strongly centralized than previous generations due to Eternamax and Neutralizing Gas. The former could wall nearly every attacking Pokémon, forcing opponents to use unconventional attacks to attempt to damage it. The latter shut down abilities that used to be dominant, such as Innards Out, No Guard, and Wonder Guard.

• Due to such a high degree of centralization, this metagame was vastly different from any other. Standard balances and stall were impossible to use, with most Pokémon employing OHKO moves and other unconventional attacks to create an extremely offense-oriented metagame.
• As Eternamax was extremely difficult to reliably take down, ultra-offensive Shell Smash sweepers were occasionally used to attempt to KO it with a mixed moveset. These Pokémon most often used moves such as Spore and Taunt to gain turns to set up. As a sufficiently boosted Stored Power or Power Trip could deal significant damage to even resistant Pokémon, fully defensive Pokémon were limited to either sufficiently bulky Dark-types or Eternamax itself. However, as Shell Smash sweepers needed at least two, often three, Shell Smash uses to adequately threaten Eternamax, very rarely were they able to sweep whole teams. Additionally, Comatose users, Spectral Thief, phazing, Taunt users, teams running more than two Eternamax, and Zacian-C potentially outspeeding most +2 Shell Smash users made sweeping even more difficult.
• Neutralizing Gas limited the number of viable abilities, rendering most defensive and nearly all offensive abilities like Huge Power, Protean, and Prankster useless. Comatose was a defensive exception, not being nullified, and abilities like Magic Bounce and No Guard can find use despite being negated.

As Generation 8 omitted Mega Evolutions and and a few otherwise viable Pokémon, immediate offensive power in the metagame was mostly limited to Zacian-C and Calyrex-S. This made it even more difficult to KO Eternamax.

---

Notable Mechanics

One main way that Hackmons is so different from other formats is that there are a few mechanics players should learn before trying to teambuild.

Zacian-C, Zamazenta-C, and Eternamaxed Eternatus

Zacian-C and Zamazenta-C were able to be used without the Rusted Sword and Rusted Shield, enabling sets like Choice Scarf Zacian-C to have an effect on the metagame. Eternamaxed Eternatus being usable at all was unique, but it was also accessible right from the start for infinite duration. The need to break through it severely restricted the number of viable offensive Pokémon and sets; its decent Speed also meant that few Pokémon could take advantage of it being on the field.

Overflow

If a Pokémon's raw stat reached 655 and was further boosted by a positive nature, the stat "overflowed" to become 0. As Eternamax could reach a maximum of 658 Defense and Special Defense when fully invested, it was affected by this mechanic. When a Pokémon had 0 Defense or Special Defense, it took about 1-2 damage from any attack that hits that stat, making it "invincible" on that particular stat. In Eternamax's case, running 240 Defense or Special Defense EVs and a positive nature triggered the overflow effect for that stat, consequently making it a monster. Due to this, offensive Pokémon must have had a way to hit both physically and specially defensive Eternamax, whether through OHKO moves, having a mixed moveset, or some other way. Note that running more than 240 EVs and a positive nature for Defense or Special Defense would make that stat extremely low, allowing some opposing moves to OHKO Eternamax.

Because of the overflow mechanic's effectiveness and the need to check otherwise problematic threats in the metagame, running at least two Eternamax, one physically defensive and at least one specially defensive, was considered optimal.

Ability Suppression

While Neutralizing Gas was run on most Pokémon in Pure Hackmons due to it suppressing otherwise deadly abilities, it did not suppress all abilities. The most viable ability that's not suppressed is Comatose; this allowed Comatose + Sleep Talk + Roar or Whirlwind to thrive.

Another relatively common ability that was not neutralized was Gulp Missile, Cramorant's signature ability. In Hackmons formats, if Gorging Cramorant was selected in the teambuilder instead of base Cramorant, Cramorant would stay in its Gorging state the entire match. This made Cramorant an effective paralysis spreader that helps to check offensive Pokémon's presence.

A much less common, but viable, ability was Ice Face, the signature ability of a niche Pokémon in Eiscue. Ice Face let Eiscue safely switch into opposing OHKO moves, a useful perk in a metagame where OHKO moves were one of the most common ways to make progress. Additionally, after Ice Face was broken, Eiscue outsped overflowed Eternamax, allowing it to set hail and recover its Ice Face status.

---

Team Advice

There were several tips one should have kept in mind when creating a Hackmons team. All or nearly all effective Pure Hackmons teams should have had:

1. At least two Neutralizing Gas Eternamax.

Having at least two Eternamax allowed the user's team to easily check Pokémon that would chip one Eternamax otherwise, such as Zacian-C running Double Iron Bash against solo specially defensive Eternamax. If running exactly two, one should have been specially defensive, and the other should have been physically defensive.

Spectral Thief and Knock Off were valuable moves on Eternamax, as they provided a way to consistently chip switch-ins on top of serving critical functions; the former restricted most sweepers through stealing stat boosts and bypassing Substitute, and the latter removed otherwise annoying items. Spectral Thief was usually preferred because its function was more important than Knock Off's, though Knock Off was an option if at least one Eternamax already had Spectral Thief has a move.

Running more than two Eternamax helped the user better prepare for Shell Smash sweepers, as the opponent now has to guess which Eternamax were invincible on which stat; however, teams running more than two Eternamax may have had issues with passivity and a weakness to OHKO moves.

If a team is running Eiscue, it was possible to run only one Eternamax on the team; however, running two was still recommended, as Eiscue had trouble reliably keeping Ice Face protection active.

2. Ways to consistently pressure Eternamax.

This covers a broad range of strategies, including using OHKO moves and having support movesets on faster Pokémon like Zacian-C and Regieleki. Landing Taunt before Eternamax moves made it difficult for it to support its team or defend itself from offensive Pokémon. While Shell Smash sweepers may have been able to fulfill this role, it was important to scout opposing Eternamax's movesets before attempting to sweep, as sweepers could be punished otherwise.

3. Ways to deal with faster Pokémon.

This includes Pokémon that immediately outsped foes (one example is Choice Scarf Zacian-C), Eternamax with Rapid Spin, and Pokémon that didn't have many weaknesses like Grimmsnarl and Obstagoon. One unique option available was Gulp Missile Cramorant. Selecting Gorging Cramorant in the teambuilder let it always stay in its Gorging state, so Gulp Missile could always paralyze Pokémon, especially faster offensive threats; it was also not suppressed by Neutralizing Gas. Cramorant's unrivaled status spreading strongly supported its team.

4. Pokémon that are not affected by sleep.

Sleep moves from Shell Smash sweepers gave them turns to set up, which were nearly necessary due to their relatively poor stats (barring Calyrex-S). Thus, it was important to block sleep when facing these Pokémon. Safety Goggles blocks Spore, which was sufficiently useful for most Eternamax to run the item. Alternatively, Flame Orb could be used to block status altogether; this allowed the holder to stay in against the rarer Lovely Kiss. Using Comatose was another option; it wasn't suppressed by Neutralizing Gas, allowing Comatose users to act as effective status absorbers. As Shell Smash sweepers targeted both Defense and Special Defense, typing was key on Comatose users; Grimmsnarl was a great user, due to being immune to Stored Power and Psystrike and 4x resisting Power Trip.

5. Effective entry hazard removal.

Residual damage from entry hazards like Stealth Rock and Spikes could chip Eternamax every time it came in; this forced it to recover much more often than otherwise. Therefore, hazard removal was instrumental to Eternamax's success as a physical or special wall. Eternamax itself could use Rapid Spin in this regard, as it chipped the opposing Pokémon, removed hazards, and raised its Speed enough to outspeed everything bar Choice Scarf users and maximum Speed Regieleki.

As hazard removal was vital, teams running Spikes or Stealth Rock enjoyed having a Ghost-type, like Calyrex-S or Giratina, to block Rapid Spin.

6. A Magic Bounce Pokémon.

As said earlier, Comatose was not suppressed by Neutralizing Gas. This allowed a threatening Choice Scarf Comatose + Sleep Talk + Whirlwind or Roar combination, also known as ComaPhaze, to thrive in Hackmons. With entry hazards, this could slowly chip teams without a dedicated counter, landing it a spot on many teams. Thus, a Magic Bounce Pokémon was nigh necessary on every Hackmons team. Magic Coat did not fulfill this role, as teams may got chipped too much before phazing brought the Magic Coat Pokémon in.

7. Pokémon immune to OHKO moves.

OHKO moves were the most effective way to take down Eternamax in the metagame. Because of this, it was important to include Pokémon that have immunities to them. The main OHKO moves used were Fissure and Horn Drill or Guillotine. Sheer Cold was used less often, as it had only 20% accuracy when used by a non-Ice type. Because Sheer Cold was overshadowed, having an Ice-type to block the move wasn't necessary, but having a Ghost-type and a Flying-type (possibly even within one Pokémon) for the other three OHKO moves was essential.

---

Sample Sets

Now that we've established what to run, let's take a look at some sets in SS Hackmons!

Click on the sprites to reveal the set(s)!

---

What Not to Use

Unlike most other tiers, Pure Hackmons is riddled with sets that may look threatening at first but don't end up affecting the metagame. This was even more apparent in SS Hackmons, as the metagame was even more different than what users of such sets may have anticipated. Here are some strategies less experienced players may have tried in SS Hackmons:

1. Sturdy Shedinja, Burn Up + Wonder Guard, Huge Power, Imposter, Innards Out, etc.

These strategies fall into one category, as they are all denied any viability by the prevalence of Neutralizing Gas. Wonder Guard Regieleki is an exception, being able to use Gastro Acid first against the vast majority of unboosted offensive Pokémon. However, the rest are too slow to do anything against Neutralizing Gas Eternamax but spam OHKO moves.

2. Purely Physical or Special Offensive Pokémon

These Pokémon are made useless by the overflow mechanic, which allows physically or specially defensive opposing Eternamax to switch in and easily wall them. While this walling can be made more difficult by running OHKO moves, using a Choice Scarf and hitting the opposing switch-in with Trick is generally a much more effective strategy.

3. As One Users

While Neutralizing Gas does not suppress As One, Magic Bounce Pokémon will prevent any disruption method that the As One Pokémon will try to use, such as Taunt or Spore. In addition to this, the boosts that said users will gain from As One don't really help, as the user must be strong enough to offensively pressure Eternamax anyway.

---

How to Beat Eternamax

As Eternamax was the single most centralizing Pokémon in the metagame, it may seem daunting to have had to take it on. However, there were multiple ways one could have pressured or otherwise threatened Eternamax:

1. OHKO Moves

This was the most common way Eternamax was pressured, as most viable Pokémon could use this strategy. The user could use OHKO moves when they predicted that the opponent would switch into an Eternamax; thus, they were most effective on Pokémon that had nearly no answers besides Eternamax, such as Zacian-C. OHKO move users were recommended to be faster than Eternamax, Eternamax itself, or able to modify the opposing Pokémon's Speed, like Cramorant.

2. Final Gambit Eternamax

Final Gambit was surprisingly threatening on Eternamax, as it prevented opposing Eternamax from safely switching in. It allowed for a trade, an Eternamax for an Eternamax. Due to this move's self-sacrificing nature, it was best to use this move if there were more than two Eternamax on the user's team, as a sacrifice could have left a hole in their defenses otherwise. However, the opponent may have switched in a different Pokémon, so the user should have been careful to make sure one of the opponent's Eternamax would be hit.

3. Other Unconventional Attacks

While not as common as the above two methods, attacks like Night Shade and Nature's Madness annoyed Eternamax by slightly chipping it; they offered more than 8 PP, which helped in PP stall scenarios. In Nature's Madness' case, no opposing Pokémon could switch in safely, as nothing was immune to Fairy.

4. Shell Smash Sweepers

These Pokémon attempted to take Eternamax down using combined physical and special damage alongside brute force. In order to take down Eternamax, a sleep move like Spore was necessary. Most Shell Smash sweepers would use Stored Power to capitalize on the user's boosted stats. Preventing Spectral Thief stealing stat boosts was sufficiently important to warrant running a Normal-type for this role; thus, Obstagoon and Regigigas were two of the most prevalent examples. A couple of other Shell Smash sweepers one might have encountered are Calyrex-S and Rayquaza.

5. Faster Support Pokémon

Pokémon like Regieleki and Zacian-C outsped Eternamax and prevented it from doing anything useful with Taunt. As Eternamax often used Rapid Spin to boost its Speed, Regieleki was preferred.

6. Indirect Damage

Indirect damage includes residual damage, Curse, and chip damage from Cramorant's Gulp Missile. As Neutralizing Gas restricted Magic Bounce, Stealth Rock and Spikes were an option to try to chip Eternamax every time it switches in. Giratina was the main Curse user, as it was one of the only Ghost-types with enough bulk to reliably use the move. Cramorant's Gulp Missile, along with chip damage from Rocky Helmet, could damage and paralyze Eternamax, helping it support its teammates.

---

Conclusion

Generation 8 Pure Hackmons was a unique metagame, having an incredibly high power level unlike any other due to overflowed Eternamax and Neutralizing Gas dominating the metagame. They forced opposing Pokémon to develop unorthodox strategies to break through them. As Hackmons was extremely centralized, following the earlier team structure advice was greatly recommended.

Due to SS Hackmons' extreme centralization around Neutralizing Gas, Eternamax, and OHKO moves, Smogon has decided to transition onto BDSP Hackmons! As there's a lack of Eternamax, the metagame is expected to be much less centralized, and we hope that it will be enjoyable.

In order to understand this metagame, one will also have to try playing it. In addition, there are several resources that one can access. Check out the OM room, the Old Shark subroom, and the Pure Hackmons Discord! The metagame is far from fully explored; there may be a treasure trove of ideas that haven't been touched yet. Have fun and happy playing!

« Previous Article

Next Article »

All guides and strategy information are © 2004 Smogon.com and its contributors. Pokémon is © 1995 Nintendo. Privacy Policy