Lower Tiers ORAS NU Role Compendium

[Jisoo]

Approved by Raseri.
Taken over from Sapphire.
OP adapted from Aerow

ORAS NU Role Compendium​

The idea of this thread is to provide a visual list of what Pokémon does what in the ORAS NU metagame. This will help new and experienced players alike in finding Pokémon that fit their teams when looking for specific roles, as well as help players build more diverse teams by not always using the same Pokémon to fill the same role.

Below, we have the various roles an ORAS NU team might want a Pokémon to fill. For each of these roles is a list of Pokémon which can fulfill that role; all of the Pokémon listed can work at least somewhat viably as a performer of the role, but they have been ranked very roughly by how viable it would be to use a Pokémon for said role in the current metagame. If there is a Pokémon which is not listed which can perform well in a certain role, please feel free to post about it, and we may add it. However, this thread is not meant to be a place for discussion about the viability of Pokémon in general, unless a Pokémon's placement is drastically off - we have a metagame discussion thread and Viability Rankings for that.

NOTE: Changing the rules to include all ranked Pokemon because the difference between C+ and C- is pretty irrelevant
​

Stealth Rock Users:
Offensive:

Defensive:

Spike / Toxic Spike Setters:
Offensive:

Defensive:

Hazard Control:
Offensive:

Defensive:

Archeops Checks:
Offensive:

Defensive:

Malamar Checks:
Offensive:

Defensive:

Electric immunities:
Offensive:

Defensive:

Mega-Audino Checks:
Offensive:

Defensive:

Fire-type Checks:
Offensive:

Defensive:

Water-type checks:
Offensive:

Defensive:

Normal-type Checks:
Offensive:

Defensive:

Fighting-type Checks:
Offensive:

Defensive:

Psychic-type Checks:
Offensive:

Defensive:

Priority:

Stallbreakers / Taunt Users:

Wallbreakers:
Physical:

Special:

Mixed:

Momentum:
Volt Switch:

U-turn:

Clerics:
Wish:

Healing Wish:

Heal Bell / Aromatherapy:

Weather Setters:

Rain Abusers:

Sun Abusers:

Boosting Sweepers:
Swords Dance:

Quiver Dance:

Nasty Plot:

Calm Mind:

Shell Smash:

Rock Polish:

Other:

 

[Karane]

Malamar @ Leftovers
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 252 HP / 220 SpD / 36 Spe
Careful Nature
- Superpower
- Knock Off
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Role: Bulky Sweeper

What it does: With full HP and SpD investment, Malamar becomes surprisingly bulky. This set is solely dependent on getting boosts from Superpower which acts as a better Bulk up due to its ability contrary. Knock Off acts as an utility move as well as punishing Ghost types that prevent it from getting boosts. The infamous rest + sleep talk gives it reliable recovery, and after a few defense boosts, Malamar becomes really hard to take down without a Strong bug type move. It has amazing matchup against slower teams because Malamar has no problem boosting to +6 and sweeping the team. It can easily set up to NU's physical walls like Uxie, Tangela, Weezing, Ferroseed (even with leech seed) etc and can even absorb status for the team.

Good Team mates: Poison types especially Rocky helmet Garbodor pairs up pretty well with Malamar. Garbodor can take on fairies and punish U-turners looking to grab momentum on Malamar while Malamar can check Psychic and Ghosts that give Garbodor trouble. Garbodor can set up spikes which Malamar can use to force switches and Malamar can set up on the aforementioned walls Garbodor can't touch.

What counter it: Strong fairy and bug moves. Scyther stands out as the ultimate check as it can come it on any unboosted move and click U-turn to gain momentum. Ghost types can switch on superpower as malamar is overly dependent on Superpower boosts but might have to sack their ghost to make it revengable. Phazers can phaze before it can accumulate to many boosts. Colbur mismagius can switch on anything and Destiny bond it.

Additional comments: fuk tentacool, malamar is the best squid in nu

 

[boltsandbombers]

Alright, I've finally copied over everything from the previous thread and added Karane's Malamar entry! Would really appreciate some more contributions / updates to current entries n_n

 

[Lord Alphose]

• Hmmmm, Malamar fits better under Bulky Attacker than Physical Sweeper. Although I understand the confusion, cause Karane's post says "Bulky Sweeper" which is the ungodly bastard child that is Malamar.
• Under "Bulky Attackers" you have a Golurk without a slashed Choice Band. /me cries
• One of Pyroar's "roles" atm says Mixed Sweeper but it lacks any physical attacking moves. I've seen Endeavor on it before, but it doesn't say that on the set that you've got there.
• lol, slash Audinite on Audino. Unless we treat those like separate Pokemon. Actually, maybe don't do that. Yeah, you should ignore this one.
• Omastar is RU, so that probably should be taken out of "Hazard Users"
• There are two almost identical Accelgor sets in "Hazard Users." Maybe you could merge those somehow. They have a similar EV spread, the only difference being that one is geared towards the use of Final Gambit and the other isn't.
• There are a few mentions of Dragalge, Slurpuff, Sceptile, and Altaria, which should probably be removed.

Weezing @ Black Sludge
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpA
Bold Nature
- Sludge Bomb
- Will-O-Wisp
- Flamethrower / Toxic Spikes
- Pain Split / Toxic Spikes

Role: Physical Wall

What It Does: Weezing's job is to switch in on and cripple physical attackers. Will-O-Wisp is used to halve the attack of potential threats, while also dealing chip damage to more stall based Pokemon. Sludge Bomb is its main STAB attack, and deals a fair bit of damage. Flamethrower is used to hit Steel-types that are immune to Sludge Bomb. Pain Split is used to keep opposing Pokemon from wearing it down and to take advantage of Weezing's low HP stat. Weezing also does well at setting Toxic Spikes, although this means opposing Pokemon cannot be burned. If running both Will-O-Wisp and Toxic Spikes, the player must decide: Will-O-Wisp does a better job at shutting down more offensively-oriented teams, as the burn will cripple their physical attackers. Two layers of Toxic Spikes can shut down stall teams that are dependent on their defenses to avoid being whittled down. One layer of Toxic Spikes does a good job of taking on more offensive teams where Will-O-Wisp is not needed. Black Sludge is used for recovery, and EVs max out physical defenses and minimizing Stealth Rock damage taken on switching in, as Weezing does switch into hazards often. It does an incredibly job against opposing physical attackers: Kangaskhan does little to it, burned Rhydon and burned Scyther deal little to it. It has one job, but it does that job extremely well.

Good Teammates: As Weezing is a strong physically defensive Pokemon, it works well with specially defensive Pokemon to form a nice core. (Mega) Audino or Lickilicky cover Weezing's weaknesses and depend on Weezing to cover their weaknesses. Weezing's job is to cover Pokemon that are especially weak to physical attacks, so any Pokemon with a low defense enjoys the ability to easily switch out to Weezing.

What Counters It: Psychic-types like Mesprit and Xatu OHKO or 2HKO with Psychic, respectively. Any Pokemon that can remove the potency of Will-O-Wisp or Pain Split through the use of Taunt or a Substitute severely debilitates Weezing's main function. One of Weezing's main objectives is to take on Fighting-types, but, sadly, many of them are able to take it on well enough. Sawk and Pangoro can both employ Mold Breaker Earthquake, enough to 2HKO in both cases. Guts Gurdurr doesn't really mind the burn, although there's little it can do to Weezing. Essentially, anything the can overwhelm Weezing's defenses, through the use of powerful special attacks and or just taking it out before it can do its job is a solid Weezing check or counter.

Any Additional Info: Fire Blast over Flamethrower gives it a really good chance to 3HKO max Special Defense Mega Steelix and a guaranteed 2HKO on regular Steelix. However, the chance of you hitting it all three times is about 61, so if you run Fire Blast you'd better pray to the RNG gods for a well-trained Weezing. Here is a replay where Teddeh uses a Weezing against TRC: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/nu-187297253. Since Weezing can be so difficult to deal with unless you have the right Pokemon, TRC literally just forfeits after it comes in. Plus, it's the evolution of Smogon's symbol, so if you don't use it, that's like sacrilege, right?

 

[boltsandbombers]

• Hmmmm, Malamar fits better under Bulky Attacker than Physical Sweeper. Although I understand the confusion, cause Karane's post says "Bulky Sweeper" which is the ungodly bastard child that is Malamar.
• Under "Bulky Attackers" you have a Golurk without a slashed Choice Band. /me cries
• One of Pyroar's "roles" atm says Mixed Sweeper but it lacks any physical attacking moves. I've seen Endeavor on it before, but it doesn't say that on the set that you've got there.
• lol, slash Audinite on Audino. Unless we treat those like separate Pokemon. Actually, maybe don't do that. Yeah, you should ignore this one.
• Omastar is RU, so that probably should be taken out of "Hazard Users"
• There are two almost identical Accelgor sets in "Hazard Users." Maybe you could merge those somehow. They have a similar EV spread, the only difference being that one is geared towards the use of Final Gambit and the other isn't.
• There are a few mentions of Dragalge, Slurpuff, Sceptile, and Altaria, which should probably be removed.

One thing - why would I slash a Choice Band on a Stealth Rock Golurk? Its like you're trying to combine two different roles / sets.

 

[Lord Alphose]

One thing - why would I slash a Choice Band on a Stealth Rock Golurk? Its like you're trying to combine two different roles / sets.

Oh, it's running SR. p much I was thinking that Golurk often run Choice Band nowadays in, like, wallbreaker sets, but I forgot that they were different roles altogether. Sorry bout that.

 

[boltsandbombers]

Oh, it's running SR. p much I was thinking that Golurk often run Choice Band nowadays in, like, wallbreaker sets, but I forgot that they were different roles altogether. Sorry bout that.

No problem. Fixed the mixed sweeper thing on Pyroar and added your weezing entry, and I'm going through and combing for mentions of banned / outdated pokemon.

 

[Nabilla Benattia]

Can I reserve typhlosion?

 

[Ares]

Can I reserve typhlosion?

sure

 

[Ares]

Change the Rapid Spin / Defog section to Hazard Control so you can add in Xatu.

Add in a Spike / Toxic Spike Section: Accelgor, Cacturne, Crustle, Ferroseed, Garbodor, Glalie, Qwilfish, Ariados, Weezing

Add in a Mega Glalie Check / Counter section

Add in a Mega Section up at the top: Audino-Mega, Camerupt-Mega, Glalie-Mega, Steelix-Mega

Add in relevant Taunt users: Archeops, Barbaracle, Glalie, Mightyena, Mismagius, Mr. Mime, Pangoro, Pyroar, Qwilfish, Samurott, Sawk, Serperior

Will suggest more later probably.

Edit: add in Fighting-type checks / counters

 

[Lord Alphose]

Yo, just an idea here, but maybe it would be cool if they were in order of viability.

I can do that since I'm bored and have nothing to do for a couple of hours.

 

[boltsandbombers]

Yo, just an idea here, but maybe it would be cool if they were in order of viability.

I can do that since I'm bored and have nothing to do for a couple of hours.

Do you mean for the sprites thing in the op?
Yeah if you want to rearrange them and give me a c/p that's cool.

 

[soulgazer]

just put them in alphabet (?) order lol

a->b->c->d->e->f->g etc

camerupt isnt a wallbreaker

whats your definition of pivot? frail stuff that can grab momentum or fat stuff that forces stuff out? you should decide cos atm its a mix lol.. tbh i hate the term 'pivot'

gurdurr is a glalie check

lots of stuff can be added in fire-types checks, like mantine/seismitoad/gatr/regirock/etc even vibrava

 

[boltsandbombers]

just put them in alphabet (?) order lol

a->b->c->d->e->f->g etc

camerupt isnt a wallbreaker

whats your definition of pivot? frail stuff that can grab momentum or fat stuff that forces stuff out? you should decide cos atm its a mix lol.. tbh i hate the term 'pivot'

gurdurr is a glalie check

lots of stuff can be added in fire-types checks, like mantine/seismitoad/gatr/regirock/etc even vibrava

Yeah I'll put them alphabetically.
Ok, fine.
What is your definition of pivot? I know that it's kinda mixed up, but I'm not sure if it should be just one or the other.
I'll add those.

 

[marilli]

SR:
Rhydon and Ferroseed have to be added. Camerupt maybe, Regirock too, then we got more niche leads like Aurorus but those are cool too actually.

Priority:
Liepard. Bunch of more minor Aqua Jet users should be added, on top of Samurott and Carracosta.

Also with the pivot issue you can probably add a Volt Switch / U-turn / Baton Pass user section maybe? Idk I feel like you are picking Garbodor or Tangela you don't go "oh i need a pivot so I'll add this" you add a mon like Garbodor or Tangela to check threats. And because you check things you can switch around with it.

I feel the 'bulky pivots' should be listed on the defensive niche they fulfill.

Also Ferroseed for Gatr check and hnng where's Leafeon

 

[Lord Alphose]

Spikes: Crustle sets spikes, yeah yeah?

Fighting-type checks: Granbull maybe.

Fire-type checks: Flareon

Setup sweepers: Nasty Plot Jynx is common, irrc

I'm gonna start doing descriptions, so I'll put do Archeops here.

Archeops
Ability: Defeatist
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Taunt
- Defog
- Acrobatics
- Roost / Earthquake

Role: Hazard Remover, Support, Fire-type check

What It Does: Taunt is used to keep opposing Pokemon from setting entry hazards and to keep opposing setup sweepers. It also allows it to break stall Pokemon, as most of them are dependent on non-attacking move to function. Defog is used for retroactive hazard removal. Often times, people will preserve their hazard setter until they have disposed of the opposing defogger so that they can set up their hazards without the threat of them being removed. Acrobatics is Archeops's strongest STAB attack, especially considering that it's carrying no item, meaning that it has a Base Power of 110. Roost is a good option for a fourth move, as it gives Archeops more longevity. Having to switch into Stealth Rock often and taking 25% of its health every time quickly wear it down. Roost allows it to recover some of that damage. Earthquake, on the other hand, allows Archeops to be more of an offensive threat, as very few things resist Flying + Ground coverage. You want to invest 248 EVs in HP as opposed to 252, so that Archeops takes less damage switching into Stealth Rock. Max Speed and a Jolly nature boost Archeops to 350 Speed, allowing to outspeed a good portion of the metagame. This means that it wall be able to get Taunt off before most Pokemon will be able to set up hazards.

Good Teammates: Seismitoad makes for a good teammate, as it resist Rock-type attacks and is immune to Electric- and Water-type attacks, all of which Archeops has to switch out of. Archeops is also able to check Grass-types, as a 110 Base Power Acrobatics is enough to deal significant damage to even the bulkiest Grass-types in the tier. Also, Pokemon that don't like entry hazards, such Scyther, Yanma, Vivillon, and others of the numerous Bug / Flying Pokemon in the tier, really appreciate Archeops' ability to reliably keep the field clear.

What Counters It: Many Pokemon that set hazards carry moves that hit Archeops for super effective damage. Steelix carries some Heavy Slam or Gyro Ball, Rhyhorn carries Rock Blast or Stone Edge, and Seismitoad carries Scald. These force Archeops to make a choice of Taunting them, risking being attacked the same turn, or switch out, at which point the opposing Pokemon can easily set up a layer of hazards. Some other Choice Scarf Pokemon, such as Rotom and Jynx, outspeed and KO Archeops before it can even consider moving.

Any Additional Info: You can also run 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe to deal more damage with Earthquake and Acrobatics once your job - Taunting / Defoging - has been done. Also, Archeops has some solid Rock-type STAB attacks, but you generally want to use Earthquake over those since Flying + Ground coverage hits pretty much everything but Rotom formes. Here's replay from a tournament of Archeops doing its job. It easily switches in, Defogs, and gets out: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/nu-193094079.

 

[Mister Magnus]

Fighting-type checks + Hazard control(Lord Togetic itself)

 

[snuggles n fluff]

maybe there should be a spot for specific item usage like av or good scarfers.

 

[lighthouses]

Maybe a slot for calm mind/psychic spam check ? Been strugling with this a lot on nu.

 

[Karane]

Maybe a slot for calm mind/psychic spam check ? Been strugling with this a lot on nu.

So that includes steels with toxic, dark types, psych up users, phazers. Too lazy to write it, if someone needs ideas refer to it.

maybe there should be a spot for specific item usage like av or good scarfers.

AV Yama is about the only decent one. However I'm seeing AV magmortar, AV samurott as of late but not sure of their viability.

 

[boltsandbombers]

Sorry for the wait, added all the suggestions Lord Alphose made. Also added Togetic to NP setup sweepers.
Not 100% too sure about having a Psychic-type checks section, I'd like some more input on that.
No to specific item usage, I dont think it deserves its own spot.

 

[pweav]

Mismagius @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 40 Def / 216 Spe
Timid Nature
- Taunt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Shadow Ball
- Pain Split

Role: Stallbreaker

What It Does: Mismagius excels at shutting down walls and being an amazing anti lead. Taunt prevents any type of setup, recovery, status, and even potential Defog. Thanks to its high Speed, it can reliably Taunt most boosting sweepers before it can setup. Will-O-Wisp wears down walls and cripples physical attackers. Shadow Ball is a reliable STAB that hits the majority of the tier for neutral damage. Pain Split is useful against bulkier mons and helps Mismagius to stay on the field for a long time while wearing down the opponent’s HP. Leftovers is the choice of item as Pain Split is its only form of recovery. 216 EVs with a Timid nature outspeeds base 100s to hit them with a Shadow Ball when it needs to. Max HP is used for maximum bulk possible and the rest goes to Defense to take physical hits better in conjunction with the burn from Will-O-Wisp. Overall Mismagius does a great job with hazard-stacking based teams and is a huge threat to defensive teams.

Good Teammates: Hazard users such as Garbodor and Qwilfish can take advantage of Mismagius’s ability to block Rapid Spin / prevent Defog. Setup sweepers like Pawniard and Pangoro can set up on weakened and worn down opposing teams. A strong Knock Off user also helps to further Mismagius's stallbreaking capabilities to get rid of the opponent’s Leftovers or Eviolite. While a strong Knock Off is great, it also appreciates partners that can repeatedly switch in on incoming Knock Off. Sawk, Gurdurr, Pawniard, and Pangoro fills those roles nicely.

What Counters It: Dark types resists Shadow Ball and can remove Mismagius’s Leftovers. Even when burned, Adamant Life Orb Pangoro still OHKOs it with Knock Off which is ensured after rocks. Liepard has access to Prankster Taunt, which completely shuts Mismagius down. Gurdurr doesn’t care about getting burned and can outright go for the KO. It turns out that most of Mismagius’s best counters are also its best teammates.

Additional Info: Just don’t let it get statused.

 

[wolfenstein]

Just to point out in the bulky attackers list, with golurk is says under the "good teammates" section that magneton is a good partner but it is in RU
Also may I please reserve Lilligant?

 

[boltsandbombers]

Just to point out in the bulky attackers list, with golurk is says under the "good teammates" section that magneton is a good partner but it is in RU
Also may I please reserve Lilligant?

Oops, guess I missed a magneton mention - thx.
To everyone - no need to ask, as long as it hasn't been completed already you can write up the entry for a pokemon. So yes.

 

[wolfenstein]

Updated it all, thank you Mont :]

Lilligant (F) @ Life Orb / Lum Berry
Ability: Own Tempo
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Sleep Powder
- Quiver Dance
- Hidden Power [Fire] / Hidden Power [Rock]
- Giga Drain

Role: Special Sweeper

What It Does: Lilligant's is superb at setting up Quiver Dances against slower Pokemon bye using Sleep Powder, making it a great Special Sweeper considering it is in a solid speed tier. Quiver Dance lets it get boosts to Special Attack, Speed and Special defense which allows you to sweep reliably with a solid move-pool, and the Special Defense boost helps you set up on a lot of special attackers even without Sleep Powder. Sleep Powder is used so you have free turns to set up your Quiver Dances on things slower than Lilligant or things that can otherwise not harm Lilligant. Sleep powder also acts as a way for Lilligant to get past things it cannot OHKO by putting them to sleep as well as being a great tool to put hazard setters to sleep on the first turn. Giga Drain acts as Lilligant's main STAB and form of recovery, which Lilligant will appreciate if you have taken damage from setting up or from the Life Orb. This also allows Lilligant to sweep longer because of the health regeneration which allows it to take more attacks. Hidden Power Fire allows you to break through grass types that resist Giga Drain and are immune to Sleep Powder as well as hit steel types for a large amount of damage so you aren't walled by them. Life Orb is the preferred item to maximize damage, however you can use Lum Berry so you don't have to worry about statuses like Thunder Wave and Toxic stopping you from sweeping. The EV's are simple, 252 speed with timid lets you have as much speed as possible to tie with other Lilligants as well outspeed adamant Kangaskhan and Klinklang whilst 252 Special Attack is to max out your damage output. Lilligant is one of the best special sweepers in the meta and uses a lot of upper tier pokemon as setup fodder and is big threat to a lot of play-styles like Bulky Offense and Balance.

Good Teammates: Because fire is such a prominent offensive type in NU, and Lilligant can do nothing about it, teammates that can switch in on hard hitting fire attacks are a great help to Lilligant. A great one is Mega Camerupt, which takes fire hits very easily and threatens Fire-Types, Steel-Types and Poison-Types with Earth Power as well as Ice-Types and bulky Grass-Types with Fire Blast. It also gives Camerupt a free opportunity to set up stealth rocks to help Lilligant clean sweep and wear down Fire-types. Bulky Water-Types like Seismitoad and Prinplup also do this well, being able to switch in on Fire-Type attacks well and get an opportunity to set up stealth rocks for free. It generally appreciates having teammates that can take care of Liepard, which can stop it from setting up with Encore and things that can kill common priority users as they can stop Lilligant from sweeping. A good example of this is Hariyama or Sawk which stops Kangaskhan and Sneasel which can both threaten Lilligant with priority and in general. Hariyama also serves as a fire and ice switch in for Lilligant with thick fat. Lilligant also appreciates anything that can stop grass types, as they often wall Lilligant by being immune to sleep powder and resistant to grass.

What Counters It: Fire-Types in general are the biggest counter to Lilligant as it can do almost nothing to them with Giga Drain or Hidden Power Fire. the most important Fire Type check to Lilligant is Magmortar which is immune to Sleep Powder with Vital Spirit and resists all of Lilligant's moves. It is also countered by Vileplume as Hidden Power fire doesn't do enough to KO to bulky variants and it is immune to Sleep Powder. Xatu is another counter as it is immune to Sleep Powder because of Magic Bounce and resists Giga Drain and it can set up Calm Minds on Lilligant. Assault Vest Muk is also a solid counter, factoring out luck.

Additional Info: Hidden Power Rock is an option over Hidden Power Fire as it helps you sweep past most Fire-Types as well as Xatu and Scyther, but it is more of a niche option.