The Impact of the Isle of Armor DLC on UU
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Art by Ausma.
Introduction
Ever since Game Freak announced that they would be releasing two DLC packages for Pokémon Sword and Shield, competitive players have been bustling with excitement. The chance for previously established powerhouses to return is something many have been looking forward to for a long time. Now that the Isle of Armor DLC has dropped, every lower tier has undergone significant changes. UU has debatably been impacted more than any other tier Smogon has to offer; countless new Pokémon have entered the tier, though some ended up being too powerful for the tier's climate. Here's a look at some of the most influential new Pokémon UU has to offer.
The Quickbans
Chansey was the first Pokémon to be on the UU chopping block; its ludicrous Eviolite-boosted bulk meant that the only Pokémon that could reliably power through it were powerful Fighting-types, like Machamp and at-the-time staple Pangoro. On top of this, the addition of Teleport to its usable movepool meant that it could turn most attackers in the tier into free momentum. It was deemed far too centralizing for the tier and was unanimously banned in a council vote. Two weeks later, tier shifts happened, and fifty-nine Pokémon were made available for use in UU. Among these were Aegislash and Conkeldurr, two Pokémon that, prior to now, were highly viable and common OU threats. Unfortunately, the DLC saw the return of Magearna, OU's most dominant Steel-type by far, leaving Aegislash in the dust. The increase in Mandibuzz usage didn't help either. The DLC also brought Urshifu with it, whose Single Strike forme completely outclasses Conkeldurr, leaving the bodybuilder to rot in UU once more. Unfortunately for these two, they completely warped the metagame around themselves and demanded multiple checks each, which was deemed too constricting and unhealthy. Aegislash's set versatility allowed it to easily bypass its common checks depending on what it was running, while Conkeldurr's counterplay was limited to Neutralizing Gas Galarian Weezing, Colbur Berry Palossand, and Iron Defense Skarmory. Both were banned unanimously in a council vote. Finally, Scolipede was recently (and unanimously) quickbanned because of its Swords Dance set, which completely ripped through every Pokémon in the tier other than Skarmory. All of these Pokémon had a very brief stint in UU but were banned for one reason or another due to their sheer power or bulk.
The Unbans
Gengar, Obstagoon, and Crawdaunt were all freed at the same time; Weavile and Gyarados were also voted on at this time, but the council felt their presence would be too overbearing even now due to Gyarados's excellent bulk and movepool, and Weavile's blazing Speed and newfound access to Triple Axel. Gengar, unfortunately, was way too much for the tier and was quickly rebanned in a 12-1 council vote thanks to its phenomenal Speed tier, amazing coverage, high immediate power, and newfound access to Nasty Plot. Obstagoon and Crawdaunt, however, have made great additions to the tier, cementing themselves as powerful wallbreakers. Recently, Durant and Mamoswine were also freed from UUBL in a vote that consisted of those two and Primarina—both gave us formidable wallbreaking power and revenge killing capabilities. While Durant was still over the top and subsequently banned once more, Mamoswine was freed to roam the tier again. Primarina was deemed far too powerful for the tier to deal with, even with the additions of Blissey and Tentacruel. Its newfound access to Calm Mind and Flip Turn and the lack of Pokémon that kept it in check last generation, like Empoleon and Amoonguss, meant the council felt it would still be too much.
The Winners
Offensive Electric-types like Heliolisk, Rotom-C, and Rotom-W have benefited a lot from the drop in Grass-type usage. Skarmory and Jirachi being such good, reliable Steel-types has lessened the grip Pokémon like Celebi and Roserade had on the tier. Heliolisk's great Speed tier also puts it just above top threats like Terrakion and Keldeo, and it's immune to priority attacks from the likes of Crawdaunt and Doublade thanks to its typing and ability. The Rotom formes benefit from being able to freely pivot into omnipresent Pokémon like Skarmory and generate free momentum with Volt Switch. They can also check new Ground-types like Palossand and Krookodile. Keldeo has gotten even better thanks to the drop in Grass-type usage and its ability to tear through SkarmBliss cores. It has experimented with sets that were previously considered suboptimal, too, like Substitute + Calm Mind to punish Slowking lacking Psyshock. Galarian Weezing faces less competition from Sylveon now, as its unique blend of resistances, offensive presence, and Levitate make it a much better check to the likes of Krookodile and Mienshao.
The Losers
Roserade has gotten much worse because Pokémon like Skarmory, Blissey, and Jirachi are so common and make it so much harder for it to perform its wallbreaking duties. It's still quite good, though; Roserade has started to use more utility-oriented sets, with moves like Leech Seed and Stun Spore to punish Pokémon like Blissey, Jirachi, and Noivern. Some otherwise viable Pokémon like Golisopod have become much harder to justify—offensive Water-types like Crawdaunt and Keldeo are thriving, while Golisopod's First Impression is nowhere near as useful as it once was thanks to top threats like Terrakion and Mimikyu being able to tank it with ease. Bulky Normal-types like Porygon2 absolutely hate the influx of powerful Fighting-types like Mienshao and Heracross, and if that wasn't enough, Blissey is capable of doing almost everything they want to do and more—as a result, they have fallen off almost entirely. Gigalith deserves a special mention, as it went from a Pokémon that was incredible to a Pokémon that is now almost unviable thanks to the addition of Tyranitar, which does just about everything Gigalith could ever want and more. It's bulkier, faster, and stronger and has a better movepool—the only thing poor Gigalith has going for it now is its typing, leaving it less weak to Bug-type and Fighting-type attacks, though lacking a Psychic immunity hurts, too. Finally, Psychic-types like Necrozma, Reuniclus, and Gardevoir have all gotten worse thanks to powerful Dark-types like Tyranitar and Obstagoon entering the tier. The former two also miss Rillaboom, a partner that allowed them to take advantage of the combination of Grassy Seed + Calm Mind to act as potent late-game wincons; however, its rise to OU in the July tier shifts has left the Psychic-types without as many options. Some players have been experimenting with Pincurchin and using an Electric Seed to fill the Rillaboom-shaped hole in their hearts; this strategy is still pretty unexplored, though.
The New Top Dogs
Terrible puns aside, Lycanroc-D and Terrakion have cemented themselves as top-tier wallbreakers. They're powerful enough to OHKO or 2HKO the entire tier after a Swords Dance boost, making defensive counterplay to them limited to Unaware users like Quagsire and Pyukumuku and bulky Ghost-types like Palossand and Doublade. They're pretty fast, too, so checking them offensively isn't an easy task. Krookodile is less powerful than those two, but it's still very difficult to deal with. Its Stealth Rock set has proven very powerful, keeping the hazard up reliably while remaining a formidable offensive threat thanks to its access to Smack Down and Taunt, and there has been experimentation with a Choice Band set too thanks to its phenomenal STAB coverage. Kyurem was already a top-tier OU wallbreaker before now, so it's no surprise that its new stomping grounds are very kind to it, giving it plenty of opportunities to come in on passive Water-types and throw off powerful attacks. Slowking is a premier defensive pivot thanks to its incredible combination of Teleport and Regenerator, allowing it to keep itself healthy and also bring strong wallbreakers like Crawdaunt in for free. Its combination of Future Sight and Teleport can be very difficult to play around, too.
The Sleeper Picks
While they haven't quite caught the eye of the general playerbase as much as the previously listed top threats, these Pokémon are still very viable choices that have very strong niches. Druddigon is a capable Stealth Rock user that doubles as one of the best checks to Choice Scarf Jirachi, one of the most lethal Pokémon in the tier. Its great bulk and access to Rough Skin make it a nightmare for any physical attacker that uses contact moves, particularly when coupled with Endure. Dragalge acts as a formidable wallbreaker and Toxic Spikes user, taking advantage of the low number of Pokémon in the tier that can reliably handle its nuclear STAB attacks. It can also check certain special attackers like Roserade and Keldeo with ease. Talonflame's great typing and blazing Speed allow it to run both offensive and defensive sets, taking advantage of common Pokémon that can't hurt it much like Skarmory, Cobalion, and most Jirachi sets. Hatterene's Assault Vest set is the very definition of a tank, fending off annoying Pokémon like Celebi and Starmie while dishing out hard hits of its own; it's also great at denying entry hazards from Skarmory. Sharpedo is at home on entry hazard-based hyper offensive builds, taking advantage of its great coverage to rip through weakened teams. It uses a mixed set with Hydro Pump, Dark Pulse, Close Combat, and Protect, shredding common defensive cores consisting of Pokémon like Skarmory, Blissey, Palossand, and Krookodile.
Get Out There!
The Isle of Armor has certainly made UU a completely different tier; it's nearly incomparable to what it was a mere month ago. Change can often be for the better, though, and this is no exception. There are plenty of new toys to play with and countless helpful people in the UU Discord and UU Room on PS! to make sure you won't be completely lost, so get out there and give the new UU a try!
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