Resource ORAS CAP Hub

[spoo]

approved by CAP Metagame mods

banner by Gummy​

Welcome to the first installment of a modern hub for ORAS CAP! With recent efforts being made in the community to get this tier back on its feet, it's about time we had a dedicated place for resources and discussion. Please use this thread to discuss anything related to ORAS CAP, including the viability rankings, sample teams, general metagame observations, questions about the tier, or anything else relevant. Below you'll be able to find an index of the resources that exist in this thread, as well as important information regarding tiering, unique mechanics, and teambuilder inaccuracies that are necessary to know when playing ORAS CAP.

Banlist and Rules

Clauses: All standard OU clauses apply.
Banlist:

• All Pokemon in the Uber tier.
• Cawmodore

Important Mechanical Changes

• Speed is calculated before Mega Evolution.
• Burn deals 12.5% per turn, not 6.25%.
• The Speed of a paralyzed Pokémon is decreased by 75%, not 50%.
• Thunder Wave is 100% accurate.
• The odds of Protect working on consecutive tries go down by 50% each time, not 66%
• Prankster affects Dark-types.
• Sucker Punch has a Base Power of 80.
• -ate abilities grant a 1.3x power boost, not 1.2x.
• Gale Wings grants +1 priority to all Flying-type attacks regardless of the user's HP.
• Base critical hit rate is 1/16 instead of 1/24.
• Destiny Bond does not fail with multiple uses.

Known Teambuilder Errors

• Crucibellite is a legal item in Gen 6, but the teambuilder shows it as illegal.
• Krilowatt can learn Surf, but the teambuilder shows it as illegal.
• Tomohawk can learn Earth Power and Reflect, but the teambuilder shows them as illegal.
• Arghonaut can learn Waterfall, but the teambuilder shows it as illegal.

Resources:

Viability Rankings
Sample Teams
Speed Tiers

 

[spoo]

ORAS CAP Viability Rankings​

Last updated 12/16/2024

Welcome to the official Viability Rankings for ORAS CAP! In this thread, we'll try to accurately represent the current state of the ORAS CAP metagame by ranking every single usable Pokemon based on their positive and negative traits. All Pokemon are ranked by alphabetical order. Please keep in mind that the viability rankings are only for reference, they should not be treated as a fact or anything more.

S Rank: Reserved for Pokemon who shape and define the CAP metagame and are a clear-cut above the rest. These Pokemon are typically very powerful offensive threats that are difficult to prepare for or are phenomenal support and defensive threats that provide significant utility or defensive potential, respectively. Also the home of Pokemon who can easily perform multiple roles effectively, increasing their versatility and unpredictability. If the Pokemon in this rank have any flaws, those flaws are thoroughly mitigated by their substantial strengths.

S Rank
(empty)

S- Rank
Clefable
Excadrill
Tornadus-T

A Rank: Reserved for Pokemon that are fantastic in the CAP metagame, and can sweep, support, or wall significant portions of the metagame. These Pokemon require less support than most others to be used effectively and have few flaws that can easily be overlooked when compared to their positive traits.

A+ Rank
Alakazam-Mega
Colossoil
Diancie-Mega
Gliscor
Kerfluffle
Lopunny-Mega
Metagross-Mega
Rotom-W
Serperior
Weavile

A Rank
Ferrothorn
Garchomp
Manaphy
Necturna
Scizor-Mega
Skarmory
Slowbro
Thundurus
Volcanion
Volcarona
Zapdos

A- Rank
Bisharp
Chansey
Charizard-Mega-X
Charizard-Mega-Y
Crucibelle
Gallade-Mega
Heatran
Keldeo
Landorus-T
Latias-Mega
Magnezone
Slowbro-Mega
Syclant
Talonflame
Tomohawk
Tyranitar

B Rank: Reserved for Pokemon that are good in the CAP metagame. These Pokemon have more notable flaws than those above them that affect how they function in the metagame. Their positive traits still outshine their negatives, but they require a bit more team support to bring out their full potential. Their niches are often smaller than those that are in A and S rank, which leads them to face some competition for a teamslot.

B+ Rank
Altaria-Mega
Amoonguss
Arghonaut
Crucibelle-Mega
Gyarados-Mega
Kitsunoh
Krilowatt
Kyurem-B
Latias
Latios
Medicham-Mega
Mollux
Pinsir-Mega
Suicune
Thundurus-Therian
Tangrowth
Tyranitar-Mega
Venusaur-Mega

B Rank
Azumarill
Cofagrigus
Crawdaunt
Cresselia
Dragonite
Gastrodon
Heracross-Mega
Hippowdon
Jellicent
Jirachi
Slowking
Stratagem
Victini

B- Rank
Alomomola
Breloom
Cloyster
Cyclohm
Fidgit
Gardevoir-Mega
Hydreigon
Manectric-Mega
Naviathan
Reuniclus
Seismitoad
Shuckle
Starmie

C Rank: Reserved for Pokemon that have notable niches in the CAP metagame, but have just as many notable flaws that prevent them from being effective. Pokemon in the C tier often require significant support to be effective. Pokemon from this rank tend to face a lot of competition with the more commonly used Pokemon.

C+ Rank
Aerodactyl
Azelf
Conkeldurr
Ditto
Gengar
Kingdra
Kyurem
Mamoswine
Mew
Politoed
Quagsire
Swampert-Mega
Volkraken

C Rank
Alakazam
Beedrill-Mega
Celebi
Diggersby
Garchomp-Mega
Gyarados
Klefki
Latios-Mega
Terrakion
Togekiss

 

[spoo]

Sample Teams (outdated)


Zard Y + Kerfluffle Sand by Tadasuke


Fidgit Hyper Offense by Jho


Mega Lopunny BO by spoo


Tomohawk Bulky Offense by spoo

 

[Lasen]

ORAS CAP SPEED TIERS


Note that in ORAS, Mega Pokemon do not have their Speed stat changed the turn they Mega-evolve. As such, the base form of all Megas has been added to account for that intricacy.


Tier 0 [>525; >max scarf 110s]

​

Speed​	Sprite​	Pokemon​	Base​	Nature​	IVs​	EVs​	±​
662​	​	Thundurus-Therian​	101​	Positive​	31​	252​	+2​
656​	​	Mega Charizard X​	100​	Positive​	31​	252​	+2​
656​	​	Volcarona​	100​	Positive​	31​	252​	+2​
638​	​	Naviathan​	97​	Positive​	31​	240​	+2​
630​	​	Terrakion​	108​	Neutral​	31​	252​	+2​
620​	​	Mega Charizard X​	100​	Positive​	31​	184​	+2​
620​	​	Volcarona​	100​	Positive​	31​	184​	+2​
606​	​	Mega Diancie​	110​	Neutral​	31​	188​	+2​
606​	​	Mega Metagross​	110​	Neutral​	31​	188​	+2​
604​	​	Excadrill​	88​	Positive​	31​	252​	+2​
602​	​	Thundurus-Therian​	101​	Neutral​	31​	252​	+2​
572​	/ ​	Gyarados / Mega Gyarados​	81​	Positive​	31​	252​	+2​
568​	​	Mega Altaria​	80​	Positive​	31​	252​	+2​
568​	​	Dragonite​	80​	Positive​	31​	252​	+2​
568​	​	Kabutops​	80​	Positive​	31​	252​	+2​
562​	​	Landorus-Therian​	91​	Neutral​	31​	252​	+2​
550​	​	Excadrill​	88​	Neutral​	31​	252​	+2​
530​	​	Mega Tyranitar​	71​	Positive​	31​	252​	+2​
526​	​	Kingdra​	85​	Neutral​	31​	252​	+2​

[406 - 525; >max speed base 135s to max scarf 110s]

​

Speed​	Sprite​	Pokemon​	Base​	Nature​	IVs​	EVs​	±​
525​	​	Gengar​	110​	Positive​	31​	252​	+1​
525​	​	Latios​	110​	Positive​	31​	252​	+1​
525​	​	Kitsunoh​	110​	Positive​	31​	252​	+1​
524​	​	Mega Swampert​	70​	Positive​	31​	252​	+2​
522​	/ ​	Gyarados / Mega Gyarados​	81​	Neutral​	31​	252​	+2​
522​	​	Necturna​	81​	Neutral​	31​	252​	+2​
519​	​	Keldeo​	108​	Positive​	31​	252​	+1​
519​	​	Terrakion​	108​	Positive​	31​	252​	+1​
518​	​	Mega Altiaria​	80​	Neutral​	31​	252​	+2​
518​	​	Dragonite​	80​	Neutral​	31​	252​	+2​
518​	​	Kabutops​	80​	Neutral​	31​	252​	+2​
510​	​	Diggersby​	78​	Neutral​	31​	252​	+2​
508​	​	Kingdra​	85​	Neutral​	31​	252​	+2​
499​	​	Garchomp​	102​	Positive​	31​	252​	+1​
492​	​	Mega Charizard X​	100​	Positive​	31​	252​	+1​
492​	​	Jirachi​	100​	Positive​	31​	252​	+1​
492​	​	Victini​	100​	Positive​	31​	252​	+1​
492​	​	Volcarona​	100​	Positive​	31​	252​	+1​
486​	​	Hydreigon​	98​	Positive​	31​	252​	+1​
482​	​	Mega Tyranitar​	71​	Neutral​	31​	252​	+2​
478​	​	Mega Swampert​	70​	Neutral​	31​	252​	+2​
478​	​	Naviathan​	97​	Positive​	31​	240​	+1​
475​	​	Colossoil​	95​	Positive​	31​	252​	+1​
475​	​	Kyurem-Black​	95​	Positive​	31​	252​	+1​
475​	​	Volkraken​	95​	Positive​	31​	252​	+1​
465​	​	Mega Charizard X​	100​	Positive​	31​	184​	+1​
465​	​	Volcarona​	100​	Positive​	31​	184​	+1​
463​	​	Landorus-Therian​	91​	Positive​	31​	252​	+1​
453​	​	Excadrill​	88​	Positive​	31​	252​	+1​
448​	​	Mega Charizard X​	100​	Neutral​	31​	252​	+1​
438​	​	Mega Alakazam​	150​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
433​	​	Volkraken​	95​	Neutral​	31​	252​	+1​
433​	​	Zygarde​	95​	Neutral​	31​	252​	+1​
430​	/ ​	Gyarados / Mega Gyarados​	81​	Positive​	31​	252​	+1​
427​	​	Mega Beedrill​	145​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
426​	​	Cyclohm​	80​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
420​	​	Diggersby​	78​	Positive​	31​	252​	+1​
417​	​	Heatran​	77​	Positive​	31​	252​	+1​

Tier 2 [351 - 405; >max speed base 110s to max speed base 135s]

​

Speed​	Sprite​	Pokemon​	Base​	Nature​	IVs​	EVs​	±​
405​	​	Mega Lopunny​	135​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
405​	​	Mega Manectric​	135​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
397​	​	Mega Tyranitar​	71​	Positive​	31​	252​	+1​
394​	​	Stratagem​	130​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
391​	​	Magneton​	70​	Positive​	30​	252​	+1​
391​	/ ​	Gyarados / Mega Gyarados​	81​	Neutral​	31​	252​	+1​
388​	​	Mega Altaria​	80​	Neutral​	31​	252​	+1​
388​	​	Dragonite​	80​	Neutral​	31​	252​	+1​
386​	​	Talonflame​	126​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
386​	​	Diancie​	50​	Neutral​	31​	252​	+2​
383​	​	Weavile​	125​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
381​	​	Dragonite​	80​	Neutral​	31​	140​	+1​
376​	​	Mollux​	76​	Neutral​	31​	252​	+1​
375​	​	Syclant​	121​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
375​	​	Tornadus-Therian​	121​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
372​	​	Alakazam​	120​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
370​	​	Kerfluffle​	119​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
364​	​	Tyranitar​	61​	Positive​	31​	252​	+1​
361​	​	Azelf​	115​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
361​	​	Starmie​	115​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
359​	​	Mega Crucibelle​	114​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
358​	​	Magnezone​	60​	Positive​	30​	252​	+1​
357​	​	Serperior​	113​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
356​	​	Serperior​	113​	Positive​	30​	252​	0​
353​	​	Thundurus​	111​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​

Tier 3 [300 - 350; >max speed neutral base 100s to max speed base 110s]

​

Speed​	Sprite​	Pokemon​	Base​	Nature​	IVs​	EVs​	±​
350​	​	Mega Diancie​	110​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
350​	​	Gengar​	110​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
350​	​	Kitsunoh​	110​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
350​	/ ​	Latias / Mega Latias​	110​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
350​	/ ​	Latios / Mega Latios​	110​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
350​	​	Mega Metagross​	110​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
349​	​	Mega Diancie​	110​	Positive​	30​	252​	0​
349​	/ ​	Latias / Mega Latias​	110​	Positive​	30​	252​	0​
349​	/ ​	Latios / Mega Latios​	110​	Positive​	30​	252​	0​
346​	​	Keldeo​	108​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
346​	​	Terrakion​	108​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
339​	​	Fidgit​	105​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
339​	​	Krilowatt​	105​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
339​	​	Lopunny​	105​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
339​	​	Manectric​	105​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
339​	​	Mega Pinsir​	105​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
337​	​	Crucibelle​	104​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
333​	​	Garchomp​	102​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
331​	​	Thundurus-Therian​	101​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
328​	​	Celebi​	100​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
328​	/ ​	Mega Charizard X / Mega Charizard Y​	100​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
328​	​	Mega Gardevoir​	100​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
328​	​	Manaphy​	100​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
328​	​	Mega Medicham​	100​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
328​	​	Plasmanta​	100​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
328​	​	Victini​	100​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
328​	​	Volcarona​	100​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
327​	​	Celebi​	100​	Positive​	30​	252​	0​
327​	​	Mega Gardevoir​	100​	Positive​	30​	252​	0​
327​	​	Manaphy​	100​	Positive​	30​	252​	0​
319​	​	Naviathan​	97​	Positive​	30​	240​	0​
317​	​	Colossoil​	95​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
317​	​	Kyurem-Black​	95​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
317​	​	Volkraken​	95​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
315​	​	Terrakion​	108​	Neutral​	31​	252​	0​
311​	​	Mega Garchomp​	92​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
310​	​	Mega Charizard X​	100​	Positive​	31​	184​	0​
310​	​	Volcarona​	100​	Positive​	31​	184​	0​
309​	​	Landorus-Therian​	91​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
309​	​	Mega Pinsir​	105​	Neutral​	31​	252​	0​
303​	​	Mega Diancie​	110​	Neutral​	31​	188​	0​
303​	​	Mega Metagross​	110​	Neutral​	31​	188​	0​
302​	​	Excadrill​	88​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
301​	​	Thundurus-Therian​	101​	Neutral​	31​	252​	0​

Tier 4 [263 - 299; >max speed base 70s to max speed neutral base 100s]

​

Speed​	Sprite​	Pokemon​	Base​	Nature​	IVs​	EVs​	±​
299​	/ ​	Mega Charizard X / Mega Charizard Y​	100​	Neutral​	31​	252​	0​
299​	​	Mega Gardevoir​	100​	Neutral​	31​	252​	0​
299​	​	Manaphy​	100​	Neutral​	31​	252​	0​
299​	​	Mega Medicham​	100​	Neutral​	31​	252​	0​
299​	​	Volcarona​	100​	Neutral​	31​	252​	0​
295​	​	Heracross​	85​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
295​	​	Hydreigon​	98​	Neutral​	31​	252​	0​
295​	​	Pinsir​	85​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
295​	​	Suicune​	85​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
295​	​	Tomohawk​	85​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
290​	​	Talonflame​	126​	Neutral​	31​	8​	0​
289​	​	Colossoil​	95​	Neutral​	31​	252​	0​
289​	/ ​	Kyurem / Kyurem-Black​	95​	Neutral​	31​	252​	0​
289​	​	Volkraken​	95​	Neutral​	31​	252​	0​
289​	​	Zygarde​	95​	Neutral​	31​	252​	0​
287​	/ ​	Gyarados / Mega Gyarados​	81​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
287​	​	Necturna​	81​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
286​	​	Jirachi​	100​	Positive​	31​	96​	0​
284​	​	Mega Altaria​	80​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
284​	​	Cyclohm​	80​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
284​	​	Dragonite​	80​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
284​	​	Gardevoir​	80​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
284​	​	Kabutops​	80​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
284​	​	Mamoswine​	80​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
284​	​	Medicham​	80​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
284​	​	Togekiss​	80​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
281​	​	Landorus-Therian​	91​	Neutral​	31​	252​	0​
280​	​	Diggersby​	78​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
278​	​	Heatran​	77​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
276​	​	Mollux​	76​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
275​	​	Excadrill​	88​	Neutral​	31​	252​	0​
273​	​	Beedrill​	75​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
273​	​	Mega Heracross​	75​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
273​	​	Mega Scizor​	75​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
269​	​	Heracross​	85​	Neutral​	31​	252​	0​
269​	​	Kingdra​	85​	Neutral​	31​	252​	0​
269​	​	Pinsir​	85​	Neutral​	31​	252​	0​
269​	​	Tomohawk​	85​	Neutral​	31​	252​	0​
265​	​	Mega Tyranitar​	71​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
264​	​	Landorus-Therian​	91​	Positive​	31​	88​	0​
263​	​	Garchomp​	102​	Neutral​	31​	92​	0​

 

[Lasen]

Tier 5 [200 - 262; >max speed neutral base 50s to max speed base 70s]

​

Speed​	Sprite​	Pokemon​	Base​	Nature​	IVs​	EVs​	±​
262​	​	Bisharp​	70​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
262​	​	Breloom​	70​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
262​	​	Metagross​	70​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
262​	​	Skarmory​	70​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
262​	​	Mega Swampert​	70​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
262​	​	Volcanion​	70​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
261​	/ ​	Gyarados / Mega Gyarados​	81​	Neutral​	31​	252​	0​
261​	​	Necturna​	81​	Neutral​	31​	252​	0​
259​	/ ​	Altaria /Altaria-Mega​	80​	Neutral​	31​	252​	0​
259​	​	Cyclohm​	80​	Neutral​	31​	252​	0​
259​	​	Dragonite​	80​	Neutral​	31​	252​	0​
259​	​	Gardevoir​	80​	Neutral​	31​	252​	0​
259​	​	Kabutops​	80​	Neutral​	31​	252​	0​
259​	​	Mamoswine​	80​	Neutral​	31​	252​	0​
259​	​	Medicham​	80​	Neutral​	31​	252​	0​
255​	​	Diggersby​	78​	Neutral​	31​	252​	0​
254​	​	Dragonite​	80​	Positive​	31​	140​	0​
251​	​	Mollux​	76​	Neutral​	31​	252​	0​
251​	​	Scizor​	65​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
249​	​	Mega Heracross​	75​	Neutral​	31​	252​	0​
249​	​	Mega Scizor​	75​	Neutral​	31​	252​	0​
244​	​	Garchomp​	102​	Neutral​	31​	16​	0​
244​	​	Celebi​	100​	Neutral​	31​	32​	0​
244​	​	Jirachi​	100​	Neutral​	31​	32​	0​
244​	​	Mew​	100​	Neutral​	31​	32​	0​
243​	​	Tyranitar​	61​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
241​	​	Tentacruel​	100​	Neutral​	31​	20​	0​
241​	​	Zapdos​	100​	Neutral​	31​	20​	0​
240​	​	Gliscor​	95​	Neutral​	31​	56​	0​
240​	​	Manaphy​	100​	Neutral​	31​	16​	0​
240​	​	Swampert​	60​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
240​	​	Zygarde​	95​	Neutral​	31​	56​	0​
239​	​	Bisharp​	70​	Neutral​	31​	252​	0​
239​	​	Breloom​	70​	Neutral​	31​	252​	0​
239​	​	Magnezone​	60​	Positive​	30​	252​	0​
239​	​	Mega Swampert​	70​	Neutral​	31​	252​	0​
239​	​	Volcanion​	70​	Neutral​	31​	252​	0​
233​	/ ​	Latias / Mega Latias​	110​	Positive​	31​	252​	-1​
233​	/ ​	Latios / Mega Latios​	110​	Positive​	31​	252​	-1​
229​	​	Crawdaunt​	55​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
229​	​	Scizor​	65​	Neutral​	31​	252​	0​
226​	​	Colossoil​	95​	Neutral​	31​	0​	0​
223​	​	Metagross​	70​	Neutral​	31​	188​	0​
222​	​	Landorus-Therian​	91​	Neutral​	31​	12​	0​
221​	​	Tyranitar​	61​	Neutral​	31​	252​	0​
219​	​	Rotom-Wash​	86​	Neutral​	31​	44​	0​
219​	​	Swampert​	60​	Neutral​	31​	252​	0​
218​	​	Azumarill​	50​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
218​	​	Diancie​	50​	Positive​	31​	252​	0​
218​	​	Magnezone​	60​	Neutral​	30​	252​	0​
218​	​	Victini​	100​	Positive​	31​	252​	-1​
217​	​	Diancie​	50​	Positive​	30​	252​	0​
210​	​	Tomohawk​	85​	Neutral​	31​	16​	0​
209​	​	Crawdaunt​	55​	Neutral​	31​	252​	0​
208​	​	Rotom-Wash​	86​	Neutral​	31​	0​	0​
206​	​	Suicune​	85​	Neutral​	31​	0​	0​
200​	/ ​	Altaria / Mega Altaria​	80​	Neutral​	31​	16​	0​
200​	​	Cyclohm​	80​	Neutral​	31​	16​	0​
200​	​	Necturna​	81​	Neutral​	31​	8​	0​
200​	​	Politoed​	70​	Neutral​	31​	96​	0​
200​	/ ​	Venusaur / Mega Venusaur​	80​	Neutral​	31​	16​	0​
200​	/ ​	Venusaur / Mega Venusaur​	80​	Neutral​	30​	20​	0​

Tier 6 [137 - 199; >uninvested base 50s to max speed neutral base 50s]

​

Speed​	Sprite​	Pokemon​	Base​	Nature​	IVs​	EVs​	±​
199​	​	Azumarill​	50​	Neutral​	31​	252​	0​
199​	​	Victini​	100​	Neutral​	31​	252​	-1​
196​	​	Togekiss​	80​	Neutral​	31​	0​	0​
193​	​	Fidgit​	105​	Negative​	0​	0​	0​
188​	​	Mollux​	76​	Neutral​	31​	0​	0​
186​	​	Arghonaut​	75​	Neutral​	31​	0​	0​
186​	​	Klefki​	75​	Neutral​	31​	0​	0​
186​	​	Mega Scizor​	75​	Neutral​	31​	0​	0​
183​	​	Mega Diancie​	50​	Neutral​	31​	188​	0​
180​	​	Magnezone​	60​	Neutral​	30​	100​	0​
177​	​	Azumarill​	50​	Neutral​	31​	164​	0​
177​	​	Tyranitar​	61​	Neutral​	31​	76​	0​
176​	​	Politoed​	70​	Neutral​	31​	0​	0​
176​	​	Skarmory​	70​	Neutral​	31​	0​	0​
166​	​	Alomomola​	65​	Neutral​	31​	0​	0​
166​	​	Scizor​	65​	Neutral​	31​	0​	0​
158​	​	Tyranitar​	61​	Neutral​	31​	0​	0​
156​	​	Clefable​	60​	Neutral​	31​	0​	0​
148​	​	Cyclohm​	80​	Negative​	0​	0​	0​
142​	​	Tyranitar​	61​	Negative​	31​	0​	0​

Tier 7 [<137; uninvested base 50s and below]

​

Speed​	Sprite​	Pokemon​	Base​	Nature​	IVs​	EVs​	±​
136​	​	Azumarill​	50​	Neutral​	31​	0​	0​
136​	​	Chansey​	50​	Neutral​	31​	0​	0​
130​	​	Hippowdon​	47​	Neutral​	31​	0​	0​
124​	​	Mega Scizor​	75​	Neutral​	31​	0​	-1​
122​	​	Tangrowth​	50​	Negative​	31​	0​	0​
121​	​	Tangrowth​	50​	Negative​	30​	0​	0​
114​	​	Gastrodon​	39​	Neutral​	31​	0​	0​
102​	​	Gastrodon​	39​	Negative​	31​	0​	0​
96​	​	Amoonguss​	30​	Neutral​	31​	0​	0​
96​	​	Reuniclus​	30​	Neutral​	31​	0​	0​
96​	/ ​	Slowbro / Mega Slowbro​	30​	Neutral​	31​	0​	0​
96​	​	Slowking​	30​	Neutral​	31​	0​	0​
95​	​	Quagsire​	35​	Negative​	31​	0​	0​
76​	​	Ferrothorn​	20​	Neutral​	31​	0​	0​
58​	​	Reuniclus​	30​	Negative​	0​	0​	0​
58​	​	Slowking​	30​	Negative​	0​	0​	0​
40​	​	Ferrothorn​	20​	Negative​	0​	0​	0​

 

[spoo]

Hi all, the first official ORAS CAP tour recently concluded, and the very generous Lasen provided usage stats for the whole tournament. Big thanks for him to doing this, I'm just posting them in this thread for future reference. There are some pretty interesting nuggets in here too –– I'd recommend checking out the tournament thread if you want to read Lasen's post pointing out some of the cooler statistics, or if you just want to watch any of the replays for yourself.

ORAS CAP

+ ---- + ------------------ + ---- + ------- + ------- +
| Rank | Pokemon            | Use  | Usage % |  Win %  |
+ ---- + ------------------ + ---- + ------- + ------- +
| 1    | Tomohawk           |   52 |  35.14% |  51.92% |
| 2    | Colossoil          |   43 |  29.05% |  60.47% |
| 3    | Crucibelle         |   38 |  25.68% |  47.37% |
| 4    | Rotom-Wash         |   37 |  25.00% |  40.54% |
| 5    | Serperior          |   35 |  23.65% |  48.57% |
| 6    | Ferrothorn         |   29 |  19.59% |  44.83% |
| 7    | Landorus-Therian   |   27 |  18.24% |  40.74% |
| 8    | Manaphy            |   25 |  16.89% |  60.00% |
| 8    | Jirachi            |   25 |  16.89% |  48.00% |
| 10   | Metagross          |   23 |  15.54% |  52.17% |
| 11   | Kerfluffle         |   21 |  14.19% |  33.33% |
| 12   | Amoonguss          |   20 |  13.51% |  60.00% |
| 12   | Scizor             |   20 |  13.51% |  60.00% |
| 12   | Clefable           |   20 |  13.51% |  30.00% |
| 15   | Necturna           |   19 |  12.84% |  63.16% |
| 15   | Excadrill          |   19 |  12.84% |  52.63% |
| 15   | Tornadus-Therian   |   19 |  12.84% |  36.84% |
| 18   | Talonflame         |   18 |  12.16% |  55.56% |
| 19   | Bisharp            |   16 |  10.81% |  68.75% |
| 19   | Heatran            |   16 |  10.81% |  37.50% |
| 21   | Cyclohm            |   15 |  10.14% |  60.00% |
| 22   | Volcarona          |   14 |   9.46% |  64.29% |
| 22   | Keldeo             |   14 |   9.46% |  64.29% |
| 22   | Slowbro            |   14 |   9.46% |  42.86% |
| 22   | Tyranitar          |   14 |   9.46% |  21.43% |
| 26   | Latios             |   13 |   8.78% |  53.85% |
| 27   | Gliscor            |   12 |   8.11% |  58.33% |
| 27   | Latias             |   12 |   8.11% |  50.00% |
| 29   | Mollux             |   11 |   7.43% |  63.64% |
| 29   | Syclant            |   11 |   7.43% |  45.45% |
| 29   | Zapdos             |   11 |   7.43% |  18.18% |
| 32   | Thundurus-Therian  |   10 |   6.76% |  50.00% |
| 32   | Volkraken          |   10 |   6.76% |  40.00% |
| 32   | Garchomp           |   10 |   6.76% |  10.00% |
| 35   | Azumarill          |    9 |   6.08% |  77.78% |
| 35   | Skarmory           |    9 |   6.08% |  55.56% |
| 35   | Diancie            |    9 |   6.08% |  55.56% |
| 35   | Shuckle            |    9 |   6.08% |  55.56% |
| 39   | Magnezone          |    8 |   5.41% |  75.00% |
| 39   | Chansey            |    8 |   5.41% |  50.00% |
| 41   | Pinsir             |    7 |   4.73% |  71.43% |
| 41   | Krilowatt          |    7 |   4.73% |  71.43% |
| 43   | Hippowdon          |    6 |   4.05% | 100.00% |
| 43   | Gyarados           |    6 |   4.05% |  83.33% |
| 43   | Slowking           |    6 |   4.05% |  66.67% |
| 46   | Fidgit             |    5 |   3.38% |  80.00% |
| 46   | Breloom            |    5 |   3.38% |  60.00% |
| 46   | Medicham           |    5 |   3.38% |  20.00% |
| 46   | Swampert           |    5 |   3.38% |  20.00% |
| 46   | Politoed           |    5 |   3.38% |  20.00% |
| 51   | Lopunny            |    4 |   2.70% |  75.00% |
| 51   | Stratagem          |    4 |   2.70% |  75.00% |
| 51   | Kyurem-Black       |    4 |   2.70% |  50.00% |
| 51   | Thundurus          |    4 |   2.70% |  50.00% |
| 51   | Dragonite          |    4 |   2.70% |  50.00% |
| 51   | Zygarde            |    4 |   2.70% |  50.00% |
| 51   | Alakazam           |    4 |   2.70% |  50.00% |
| 51   | Charizard          |    4 |   2.70% |   0.00% |
| 59   | Gastrodon          |    3 |   2.03% |  66.67% |
| 59   | Venusaur           |    3 |   2.03% |  33.33% |
| 59   | Kingdra            |    3 |   2.03% |  33.33% |
| 59   | Jellicent          |    3 |   2.03% |  33.33% |
| 63   | Kyurem             |    2 |   1.35% | 100.00% |
| 63   | Plasmanta          |    2 |   1.35% | 100.00% |
| 63   | Starmie            |    2 |   1.35% |  50.00% |
| 63   | Weavile            |    2 |   1.35% |  50.00% |
| 63   | Suicune            |    2 |   1.35% |  50.00% |
| 63   | Pyroak             |    2 |   1.35% |  50.00% |
| 63   | Altaria            |    2 |   1.35% |  50.00% |
| 63   | Gardevoir          |    2 |   1.35% |  50.00% |
| 63   | Magneton           |    2 |   1.35% |  50.00% |
| 63   | Kitsunoh           |    2 |   1.35% |  50.00% |
| 63   | Voodoom            |    2 |   1.35% |  50.00% |
| 63   | Mamoswine          |    2 |   1.35% |  50.00% |
| 63   | Heracross          |    2 |   1.35% |   0.00% |
| 63   | Naviathan          |    2 |   1.35% |   0.00% |
| 77   | Cresselia          |    1 |   0.68% | 100.00% |
| 77   | Beedrill           |    1 |   0.68% | 100.00% |
| 77   | Alomomola          |    1 |   0.68% | 100.00% |
| 77   | Klefki             |    1 |   0.68% |   0.00% |
| 77   | Nidoqueen          |    1 |   0.68% |   0.00% |
| 77   | Darmanitan         |    1 |   0.68% |   0.00% |
| 77   | Hoopa              |    1 |   0.68% |   0.00% |
| 77   | Arghonaut          |    1 |   0.68% |   0.00% |
| 77   | Gengar             |    1 |   0.68% |   0.00% |
| 77   | Diggersby          |    1 |   0.68% |   0.00% |
| 77   | Victini            |    1 |   0.68% |   0.00% |
| 77   | Crawdaunt          |    1 |   0.68% |   0.00% |
| 77   | Blastoise          |    1 |   0.68% |   0.00% |
| 77   | Manectric          |    1 |   0.68% |   0.00% |

 

[Yubellia]

Ok so I have been playing the ORAS Cap ladder thanks to it getting a chance to be playable due to RoA spotlights and here are my initial thoughts on the meta:


Still a stupid strong option that can really dictate how teams are built. It does have its fair share of checks, mainly being Mega Metagross, Slowbro (and it's Mega), Ferrothorn, and a soft-check in Intimidate Tomohawk and Landorus-T that can keep it at bay. However, the amount of momentum it can gain through U-Turn by pivoting into teammates that can threaten out the aforementioned checks is insane, especially when considering that residual damage against it can be mitigated both in its regular form and mega thanks to Regen and Magic Guard respectively. I have been getting great success pairing it with teammates like Keldeo, Tornadus-T, and Volkraken who can all severely weaken the aforementioned checks and just apply so much pressure to the opposing team with these two teamslots alone. Crucibelle also provides some nice defensive utility too, supporting moderately high bulk and a unique defensive typing that can help it check annoying threats like Talonflame, Tornadus-T, Clefable, and Tomohawk lacking Earth Power. All in all, while there exists other great mega options that can compete with Mega Belle's slot on certain teams, mainly being Mega Metagross, Mega Scizor, and Mega Slowbro, no singular threat really has this much of an impact on teambuilding besides options like Specs Keldeo and CM Clefable.


Speaking of Clefable, the king of ORAS still seems to shine in this Gen 6 metagame as well, albeit it being a bit more pressured by threats like Mega Crucibelle and Kitsunoh. CM sets are obviously at the main forefront of its viability although Stealth Rock sets are also great in spreading paralysis against common switchins like Mega Metagross, Mega Crucibelle, and Heatran. It just fits in well in a metagame where a lot of common defensive cores tend to fall prey to its inability to be chipped by passive damage in tandem with annoying support options like the aforementioned Twave, Knock Off, and a slew of other coverage options that all make it really annoying.


Another great defensive threat that seems to fit on a majority of balance and bulky offensive teams. The role compression it provides is huge, especially considering how it handles dangerous Ground-types like Collosoil, Excadrill, and Landorus-T. The addition of Earth Power to its movepool in this generation also just makes it even more of a pain to switchin to, as checks like Mega Metagross and Krilowatt need to think twice before coming into an expected STAB attack. It does hate the rise in Clefable, CM Mega Slowbro, and AV Tornadus-T usage of course, but it is really hard to not justify on a lot of teams despite this espeically considering how hazard removal is quite sparse this generation.

These are the big three that I wanted to point out, but standard ORAS picks like Keldeo, Gliscor, Mega Metagross, and Rotom-W also really shine in this environment as well.

Here are some teams I had cooked up and used on the ladder:

Mega Crucibelle + Specs Keldeo Bulky Offense

Mega Slowbro + Sand Balance

Syclant + Talonflame Bulky Offense

 

[Pitmore]

So the ORAS tour was super fun! I really enjoyed prepping for an older meta, especially because of the offense I could build around it! I only had two teams which were fun, but I'd hesitate to call them "good" lmao, but I enjoyed building them a lot so I thought I'd dump them here alongside my experiences in the tour!

Spikestack

https://pokepast.es/669b57fd983513af

Birdspam

https://pokepast.es/10e8d057de8e8ccf

I really like how aggressive the meta is. Pursuit is a very fun move imo and gets you thinking on a much deeper level on even bringing in mons like Lati twins, as well as planning ahead, thinking where it'd be advantageous to bring them in as a lure etc. The faster mons in the tier are frail enough to be threatened by strong priority and scarfers, but for the most part you can play around that threat with substitute, but only if you get your plays right, which makes every turn feel like it has a tangible impact on the game.

A standout mon I found was Jirachi. It is an excellent blanket check to a lot of major offensive mons, including Crucibelle, birds, and Diancie-M, a great pivot and cleric which even fits on aggressive teams. Its coverage lets it tailor itself to the team its on, with body slam and u-turn it can drain opponents momentum and add to your own, toxic can remove checks to partner pokemon (namely in my birdspam team Rotom-W). The scarf set is, whilst in my opinion not as strong as bulky sets, not to be slept on due to its solid speed tier, coverage, and access to the legendary healing wish, which wins games on its own. Rachi has options, great natural resists, and is one of the best glues for any team out there.

I might add more to this eventually, I just kinda wanted to throw some teams out and talk about my experiences in the meta :D

 

[Lasen]

ORAS CAP Spotlight Tour Stats

+ ---- + ------------------ + ---- + ------- + ------- +
| Rank | Pokemon            | Use  | Usage % |  Win %  |
+ ---- + ------------------ + ---- + ------- + ------- +
| 1    | Tomohawk           |   65 |  38.24% |  52.31% |
| 2    | Rotom-Wash         |   51 |  30.00% |  52.94% |
| 3    | Colossoil          |   45 |  26.47% |  53.33% |
| 4    | Crucibelle         |   40 |  23.53% |  55.00% |
| 5    | Serperior          |   33 |  19.41% |  42.42% |
| 6    | Tornadus-Therian   |   32 |  18.82% |  62.50% |
| 7    | Excadrill          |   29 |  17.06% |  48.28% |
| 8    | Slowbro            |   27 |  15.88% |  55.56% |
| 8    | Landorus-Therian   |   27 |  15.88% |  40.74% |
| 10   | Kerfluffle         |   26 |  15.29% |  73.08% |
| 10   | Necturna           |   26 |  15.29% |  57.69% |
| 12   | Garchomp           |   24 |  14.12% |  54.17% |
| 12   | Jirachi            |   24 |  14.12% |  50.00% |
| 12   | Bisharp            |   24 |  14.12% |  45.83% |
| 15   | Metagross          |   23 |  13.53% |  47.83% |
| 16   | Clefable           |   22 |  12.94% |  45.45% |
| 17   | Tyranitar          |   20 |  11.76% |  45.00% |
| 17   | Skarmory           |   20 |  11.76% |  40.00% |
| 19   | Scizor             |   19 |  11.18% |  63.16% |
| 19   | Keldeo             |   19 |  11.18% |  47.37% |
| 21   | Ferrothorn         |   18 |  10.59% |  50.00% |
| 21   | Manaphy            |   18 |  10.59% |  38.89% |
| 23   | Latios             |   16 |   9.41% |  75.00% |
| 24   | Mollux             |   15 |   8.82% |  66.67% |
| 24   | Thundurus-Therian  |   15 |   8.82% |  40.00% |
| 26   | Amoonguss          |   14 |   8.24% |  57.14% |
| 26   | Kitsunoh           |   14 |   8.24% |  50.00% |
| 28   | Talonflame         |   13 |   7.65% |  53.85% |
| 28   | Volkraken          |   13 |   7.65% |  30.77% |
| 30   | Heatran            |   12 |   7.06% |  50.00% |
| 30   | Slowking           |   12 |   7.06% |  50.00% |
| 30   | Lopunny            |   12 |   7.06% |  50.00% |
| 30   | Weavile            |   12 |   7.06% |  33.33% |
| 30   | Medicham           |   12 |   7.06% |  25.00% |
| 30   | Tangrowth          |   12 |   7.06% |  25.00% |
| 36   | Charizard          |   11 |   6.47% |  63.64% |
| 36   | Chansey            |   11 |   6.47% |  36.36% |
| 36   | Cyclohm            |   11 |   6.47% |  27.27% |
| 39   | Pinsir             |   10 |   5.88% |  60.00% |
| 39   | Magnezone          |   10 |   5.88% |  60.00% |
| 39   | Latias             |   10 |   5.88% |  20.00% |
| 42   | Shuckle            |    8 |   4.71% |  50.00% |
| 42   | Starmie            |    8 |   4.71% |  50.00% |
| 44   | Gardevoir          |    7 |   4.12% |  57.14% |
| 44   | Fidgit             |    7 |   4.12% |  57.14% |
| 44   | Azelf              |    7 |   4.12% |  42.86% |
| 44   | Gliscor            |    7 |   4.12% |  42.86% |
| 48   | Gastrodon          |    6 |   3.53% |  66.67% |
| 48   | Victini            |    6 |   3.53% |  66.67% |
| 48   | Kyurem-Black       |    6 |   3.53% |  50.00% |
| 48   | Manectric          |    6 |   3.53% |  33.33% |
| 52   | Azumarill          |    5 |   2.94% |  80.00% |
| 52   | Naviathan          |    5 |   2.94% |  80.00% |
| 52   | Stratagem          |    5 |   2.94% |  60.00% |
| 52   | Venusaur           |    5 |   2.94% |  40.00% |
| 52   | Breloom            |    5 |   2.94% |  20.00% |
| 57   | Plasmanta          |    4 |   2.35% |  25.00% |
| 57   | Syclant            |    4 |   2.35% |  25.00% |
| 57   | Thundurus          |    4 |   2.35% |  25.00% |
| 60   | Politoed           |    3 |   1.76% |  66.67% |
| 60   | Swampert           |    3 |   1.76% |  66.67% |
| 60   | Zapdos             |    3 |   1.76% |  66.67% |
| 60   | Zygarde            |    3 |   1.76% |  66.67% |
| 60   | Diancie            |    3 |   1.76% |  66.67% |
| 60   | Crawdaunt          |    3 |   1.76% |  33.33% |
| 60   | Altaria            |    3 |   1.76% |  33.33% |
| 60   | Pyroak             |    3 |   1.76% |   0.00% |
| 68   | Suicune            |    2 |   1.18% | 100.00% |
| 68   | Galvantula         |    2 |   1.18% | 100.00% |
| 68   | Krilowatt          |    2 |   1.18% |  50.00% |
| 68   | Sylveon            |    2 |   1.18% |  50.00% |
| 68   | Alakazam           |    2 |   1.18% |  50.00% |
| 68   | Alomomola          |    2 |   1.18% |  50.00% |
| 68   | Hippowdon          |    2 |   1.18% |   0.00% |
| 68   | Jellicent          |    2 |   1.18% |   0.00% |
| 76   | Raikou             |    1 |   0.59% | 100.00% |
| 76   | Quagsire           |    1 |   0.59% | 100.00% |
| 76   | Rotom-Mow          |    1 |   0.59% |   0.00% |
| 76   | Volcarona          |    1 |   0.59% |   0.00% |
| 76   | Klefki             |    1 |   0.59% |   0.00% |
| 76   | Magneton           |    1 |   0.59% |   0.00% |
| 76   | Gallade            |    1 |   0.59% |   0.00% |
| 76   | Mew                |    1 |   0.59% |   0.00% |

ORAS CAP tour from the Ruins Of Alph room/subforum has just included and we have usage stats! Big thanks to Reeece for compiling these over here! A few comments I wanted to make:

and
| 1 | Tomohawk | 65 | 38.24% | 52.31% |
| 4 | Crucibelle | 40 | 23.53% | 55.00% |

Both Crucibelle and Tomohawk are very dominant, as we expected, with both of them being in top 5 usage. The utility and power behind both of them make them just short of a mainstay in anything that isn't stall (PranksterHawk with Haze can definitely fit on stall fwiw!).


| 3 | Colossoil | 45 | 26.47% | 53.33% |

Colossoil provides a Pursuit trapper, hazard removal, status absorption, Knock Off, potentially a Choice Scarf user, fake speed in Sucker Punch and has great stats, so it's only natural it saw as much usage as it did. It reminds me of how Landorus-T was looked at in USM, with its ability to role compress extremely well and despite the fact you're always missing out on something from the 4 moveslot constriction, it's a Pokemon that always does a lot.


| 10 | Kerfluffle | 26 | 15.29% | 73.08% |

I am surprised this didn't see more usage, especially when its checks weren't seen too often outside of Tornadus-T who has a hard time checking it without its trusty partner in SS, Heavy-Duty Boots. The INSANE win rate, only surpassed by Latios and Naviathan (?!?!?!) shows that it's not to be underestimated in ORAS where defensive Poison-types are scarce.

and
| 5 | Serperior | 33 | 19.41% | 42.42% |
| 6 | Tornadus-Therian | 32 | 18.82% | 62.50% |

Gonna group these two together. Serperior was most definitely underutilized in this tournament but also struggled compared to standard OU due to having a new, dominant offensive check in Mega Crucibelle, struggling against Tomohawk and Tornadus-T being even better, as is shown by its usage. Speaking of, Tornadus-T might be one of the top 3 Pokemon in the metagame with its great bulk, ability to check multiple of the tier's strongest attackers and outspeeding everything not named Mega Lopunny or Weavile.


| 10 | Necturna | 26 | 15.29% | 57.69% |

Strong Pokemon that I thought would see more usage, lack of Z-Moves when compared to USM holds it back but it's still one of the best breakers in the tier. Talonflame is also a big YUCK for it.


| 42 | Shuckle | 8 | 4.71% | 50.00% |

| 21 | Manaphy | 18 | 10.59% | 38.89% |

?????? 39 winrate?! This mon is BONKERS versus anything short of Hyper Offense. Criminal.


| 68 | Alakazam | 2 | 1.18% | 50.00% |

Genuinely surprised this was only used by myself and one more person. Priority is very common in ORAS, that much is true. Still, Mega Alakazam's Speed Tier is nothing short of amazing even with a Modest Nature and it's got perfect coverage. I think it's a fantastic balance breaker that needs team support but CERTAINLY deserves more usage. Biggest issue it has in my opinion is you often end up missing out on a "better" Mega such as Crucibelle, Metagross, Scizor or even Lopunny.



I'm really happy with the way this tournament progressed. We saw a lot of different playstyles and builds and I am looking forward to see where else it's gonna be taken. I know me and the rest of the dedicated playerbase will try to push it even further and perhaps even update our resources. I genuinely think it has the potential to blossom into a tier that's beloved by a strong minority, just how USM did. I am looking forward to its potential inclusion in CAPPL soon!

 

[Steam Buns]

Some thoughts on the ORAS CAP metagame.

VR Discussion + noms ​

Just gonna quickly say I think C and C+ should be collapsed together as most C mons should and will be moved to unranked whenever we update this, so I'm gonna write this post assuming C+ doesn't exist

+ C --> B+
After a lot of success with a particular team I believe rain is a very effective playstyle in the current meta, and that should be reflected appropriately on the VR

is the team in question, I believe this basic structure is very solid the first 4 mons being something that shouldn't change and the last two slots having lots of room for creativity (I'd really like to see this team with a manaphy on it). Politoed and swampert are both vital and effective hence the nomination, poli despite what you might expect is more than just a throwaway slot to get rain up, it provides much needed support against special attackers as well as stallbreaking and anti setup utility, swampert on the other hand is an amazing cleaner/breaker and is extremely effective against opposing offense.

B --> A-
Believe it or not this is me being conservative, slowking is a phenomenal pokemon.

Slowking @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Slack Off
- Future Sight
- Thunder Wave

In one set slowking can wall all of the best special wallbreakers in the tier, aid it's teams own wallbreaking power, act as an amazing pivot and spread status to cripple opposing offensive pokemon, including would be checks. Colbur berry is what really allows this set to shine letting it avoid pursuit trapping and punish opponents for trying to trap it at all. I highly recommend trying this mon out.

A --> A+
there really isn't much to say about this, Colossoil is the epitome of role compression, very easy to fit onto teams, I think it deserves to rise

C --> B-
Breloom is a solid wallbreaker thanks to spore allowing it to put a single pokemon to sleep while also being able to hit super hard and having access to priority, I think it's a cut above the other mons in C

A--> A+
megabro sits alongside clefable and gliscor as one of the most potent setup sweepers in the tier and is not nearly being taken advantage of enough. Most of the current samples can't even stand up to it. Unlike gliscor and clefable it's also one of the most reliable defensive checks to the two top dogs competing for It's mega slot, making it an incredibly valuable pick for any team, I believe it belongs in a+.

 

[spoo]

Hi all, this update got hung up a couple times on its way to being pushed out so it's coming at a pretty weird time (middle of a major tour), but better late than never! This was based on information from the two forum tours before CAPPL started, so the first two weeks of CAPPL aren't factoring into this at all. You can expect another resource update some time after CAPPL is over because I'm sure a lot will change, but for now, consider this an interim update until the tour's over.

The people who voted on this slate for VR and sample teams are myself, D2TheW, dex, Jho, Lasen, againa, and Tadasuke - there isn't a formal VR team or council for this tier yet, but it would be nice to put them together after CAPPL is over to make these resource updates go smoother and potentially take a look at tiering decisions down the line. Anyways, here's what we've got:

New Rankings
-> A (not sure why this wasn't ranked before)

Rises
A- -> A+
B -> A-
B -> B+
B- -> B
B- -> B
B- -> B
C+ -> B-

Drops
S -> A+
A+ -> A
A+ -> A
A -> A-
B+ -> B
B+ -> B
B+ -> B
B+ -> B
B -> B-
B -> B-
B -> B-
B- -> C+
B- -> C+
B- -> C+
B- -> C+
B- -> C+
B- -> C+
C+ -> C
C+ -> C
C+ -> C
C+ -> C
C+ -> C
C+ -> C
C+ -> C
C+ -> UR
C+ -> UR
C+ -> UR
C+ -> UR

=====

Updated Sample Teams


Screens Hyper Offense by Lasen


Zard Y + Kerfluffle Sand by Tadasuke


Fidgit Hyper Offense by Jho


Mega Lopunny BO by spoo


Tomohawk Bulky Offense by spoo


Crucibelle Kerfluffle BO by Jordy

 

[Dj Breloominati♬]

Have been planning to make this post ever since cappl ended and im finally getting down to doing so. Didnt expect to enjoy oras as much I did, but I did end up playing once and building a little, which I found fun all in all. However it seems like im in the minority when it comes to being fine with the state of the meta rn, as many people have expressed their distaste for CrucPull (mega crucibelle + magnezone), and its severe restrictions on teambuilding in general. I share the opinion that it isnt as black and white as its made it out to be, and that there are more ways to deal with it, which involves branching out from our current team structure(s).

Think the main problem arises with the amount of breakers you need to try and check in the builder (I regard mmedi mmeta and mcruc to be the big 3 ), most of which have non overlapping checks on common team structures. Here are some techs/mons that I theorised/used during the tour :

• Hp ground on torn on teams where you dont want cruci coming in for free.
• Helmet chomp
• Modifying your ferro to bulldoze/shed shell : Though the lack of lefties hurt, its not going to stop ferro from doing ferro things, and you have the potential upside of basically winning the game if you click it properly vs cruc teams.
• Modifying talonflame as well to prevent it being a free switch (Willo on defensive, steel wing on offensive - which is run for Diancie anyways but worth a mention)
• Most of the time you can make out from preview whether its going to be low kick or wood hammer 4th move, so steel + ground (this combination implicitly exists on most teams so not an issue), is able to check or at the very least soft check cruc
• Rain in general is great (and should have a higher usage!!)

The team we used in finals involved using Torn + Krook to abuse how it usually comes in without thinking twice on torn for example. Once you uturn on cruc, you get a pretty safe switch into krook, and then the cruc user is essentially at your mercy - 1) if they uturn out/switch without mega evolving they die to pursuit 2) if they stay in, because of intimidate they dont kill (even with wood hammer!) and they risk dying to eq 3) if they mega and uturn out they take a big hit (around 70%) and lose regen so its not a good switch to torn anymore. Was very proud of how the team ended up and this synergy in particular, but we got kick timed so we dont talk about that ⌣̩̩́_⌣̩̩̀
Heres the sets if you want to try it out :

TornKrook

Tornadus-Therian (M) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- Heat Wave
- Smack Down / Knock Off
- U-turn

Krookodile @ Choice Band
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 76 SpD / 180 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Pursuit
-
-
(any 2 of toxic crunch edge knock off is a good idea!)

These are the techs that I can recall as of rn, but surely theres more room to explore even wack things like doublade and zygarde because this tier is nowhere as rigid as oras ou, offense (mainly ho) does not dictate as much in the builder (imo) and so you have much more liberty.

Even if you do not like my stance regarding this topic, I am requesting some discussion regarding this to take place so that the appropriate actions can be taken before the winter tt ( ORAS council do something ノ( º _ ºノ)
Also tagging BasedWhat? quziel Chazm to say a few things if they have the time, since iirc they were the ones who felt most strongly regarding this

 

[spoo]

Hey ya'll! We've got a couple important updates to share.

First of which being: a dedicated metagame council for ORAS CAP is officially in business! Previously, we had been taking a more casual approach towards voting on VR slates and making tiering decisions, ultimately using a larger group of rotating users involved in the tier. However, with the possibility for ORAS to be included in this upcoming team tournament, we saw fit to create a more official metagame council to handle tiering decisions. These are the users that make up the council:

D2TheW​

Dj Breloominati♬​

Lasen​

quziel​

SHSP​

spoo​

Steam Buns​

Every user here was heavily involved with ORAS CAP either during its initial revival, CAPPL, or both. As mentioned earlier, the main impetus of creating this council was to handle pre-TT tiering decisions, and we have done just that; the second major update I am sharing with you all today is that over the past few days, the council has conducted a vote on Crucibellite, and, by extension, Mega Crucibelle. You can find the results of the vote below:

With a 4-3 majority, Mega Crucibelle has been banned from Gen 6 CAP by council vote. Additionally, we have elected to revisit this ban following ORAS CAP's next significant tournament.



For anyone following this tier, this ban will not come as a major surprise. Mega Crucibelle possesses a vast number of incredible traits that make it arguably the strongest Pokemon in the tier, comparable only to Mega Metagross. Despite a traditionally subpar offensive typing, it is nonetheless offensively oppressive to the sweeping majority of teams in the metagame. The first factor behind its success is its access to Magic Guard; in a tier often reliant on entry hazards to limit the potency of strong offensive pivots, Mega Crucibelle is uniquely able to ignore a crucial setback which all of its competition is forced to deal with. More importantly, though, is that Magic Guard allows Mega Crucibelle to freely spam a recoil-less 150BP STAB move in Head Smash. Coming off of Mega Crucibelle's base-135 Attack stat, its Head Smash is an absolutely nuclear option even to some of the sturdiest resists or physical walls in the tier, of which Crucibelle is further able to break past with chip from U-turn and Gunk Shot poisons.

Another important factor to note is Mega Crucibelle's unpredictability. While not impossible to deduce Crucibelle's set at team preview or after minimal scouting, its access to multiple viable coverage options and setup in Coil can create a massive headache. We even saw this come into play multiple times over the last CAPPL; a Mega Crucibelle springing a Wood Hammer on an unsuspecting Hippowdon or Gastrodon was not an unordinary thing to witness. Certain Pokemon that check Mega Crucibelle in some situations will then fail to become reliable answers based on its set. This phenomenon is only amplified if one uses teammates that can adequately support it such as Magnezone. Steel-types like Skarmory and Ferrothorn can be trivially removed by U-turning out as they come in and going into Magnezone to trap them. These Pokemon, while perhaps the easiest targets, are far from the only ones; even Pokemon like Mega Metagross can eventually fall victim to this strategy. Once again, we see Pokemon that are normally capable of switching into Mega Crucibelle instead becoming liabilities to their team. It's not like the pool of switch-ins was particularly abundant to begin with, either; a physically-bulky Rock and Poison resist is mandated on essentially every build not hyper offense, with these checks often being easily bypassable due to their lack of reliable recovery, hazards being on the field, or small hax going in one's favor such as a Gunk Shot poison.

All of this is not to mention other factors such as its bulk and Speed tier. Mega Crucibelle can easily find entry opportunities on special attackers like Tornadus-T and Clefable, and is difficult to revenge kill outside of the select Pokemon that can outspeed it or threaten it with priority like Bullet Punch. It has the strength and set-up potential to be run on offense, the power and defensive utility for bulky offense, and the longevity for balance. It is laughably easy to use and much harder to check. These factors, and more, ultimately mean that it is extremely constraining both in the builder and in-game.

Despite all of this, however, there is a very real and substantive anti-ban argument. Dj Breloominati's post above mine goes into this with detail; there are a number of techs and adaptations one can take advantage of to limit Mega Crucibelle's potency, and it is possible these kinds of adaptations would see more wide-spread use in the next tournament as the metagame develops better to its presence. ORAS CAP is not a solved tier, and new counterplay to Mega Crucibelle might absolutely arise with time. One may also take the argument that Mega Crucibelle is a crucial part of the tier's identity, and these past-gen tiering changes should be held to a higher standard than those of the current gen. It is for these reasons that the council will be revisiting this ban after the next notable tournament in which ORAS CAP sees representation. For now, though, Crucibellite will be banned from the tier.

Tagging Marty and Kris to please implement this - thank you!!

 

[Garrett]

The team we used in finals involved using Torn + Krook to abuse how it usually comes in without thinking twice on torn for example. Once you uturn on cruc, you get a pretty safe switch into krook, and then the cruc user is essentially at your mercy - 1) if they uturn out/switch without mega evolving they die to pursuit 2) if they stay in, because of intimidate they dont kill (even with wood hammer!) and they risk dying to eq 3) if they mega and uturn out they take a big hit (around 70%) and lose regen so its not a good switch to torn anymore. Was very proud of how the team ended up and this synergy in particular, but we got kick timed so we dont talk about that ⌣̩̩́_⌣̩̩̀
Heres the sets if you want to try it out :

TornKrook

Tornadus-Therian (M) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- Heat Wave
- Smack Down / Knock Off
- U-turn

Krookodile @ Choice Band
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 76 SpD / 180 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Pursuit
-
-
(any 2 of toxic crunch edge knock off is a good idea!)

These are the techs that I can recall as of rn, but surely theres more room to explore even wack things like doublade and zygarde because this tier is nowhere as rigid as oras ou, offense (mainly ho) does not dictate as much in the builder (imo) and so you have much more liberty.

Even if you do not like my stance regarding this topic, I am requesting some discussion regarding this to take place so that the appropriate actions can be taken before the winter tt ( ORAS council do something ノ( º _ ºノ)
Also tagging BasedWhat?

Didn't make it in time but here are some rambling thoughts.

I should first say I think Torn-T comfortably belongs in S-rank because of its overall ability to be useful in every matchup. It's not affected by webs, threatens to Knock Light Clay holders, is faster than the big 3 hitters you mentioned, and functions either by LO/Assault Vest to be a nuisance to bulkier teams. I however think HP Ground Torn is silly as Superpower is good enough for Heatran, and Torn wants (needs, really) all 4 moves for other things anyway.

I think Rain is a rightfully dangerous pick (maybe moreso now as I find Ferrothorn to be less required) and was sort of the reason I called Rotom-W/Ferrothorn/Torn variants of cores the best in the tier. I definitely don't have new rain variants in my builder right now. The Torn + Krook team loses to rain on preview. I'm a pussy and didn't load any offense that entire tour so fair call.

The absence of M-Cruc has been great for variety-sake building and I agree with its decision to be banned with a revisit. Ironically, the tier feels more available for offense now. More detailed thoughts about the broken mon were in a CAPPL thread here.

 

[spoo]

Yo! CAP Champions League concluded a little while ago so I'm dumping usage stats. We've got some other Big Things (TM) in the works too, so expect more updates in this thread before CAPPL kicks off around late June.

CAPCL Stats
Moves and Teammates / Combos / Leads

+ ---- + ------------------ + ---- + ------- + ------- +
| Rank | Pokemon            | Use  | Usage % |  Win %  |
+ ---- + ------------------ + ---- + ------- + ------- +
| 1    | Tornadus-Therian   |   17 |  50.00% |  52.94% |
| 2    | Excadrill          |   15 |  44.12% |  46.67% |
| 3    | Rotom-Wash         |   11 |  32.35% |  54.55% |
| 4    | Ferrothorn         |   10 |  29.41% |  40.00% |
| 5    | Kerfluffle         |    8 |  23.53% |  62.50% |
| 6    | Metagross          |    7 |  20.59% |  71.43% |
| 6    | Slowbro            |    7 |  20.59% |  42.86% |
| 8    | Crucibelle         |    6 |  17.65% |  66.67% |
| 8    | Manaphy            |    6 |  17.65% |  50.00% |
| 8    | Talonflame         |    6 |  17.65% |  50.00% |
| 8    | Colossoil          |    6 |  17.65% |  33.33% |
| 12   | Tomohawk           |    5 |  14.71% | 100.00% |
| 12   | Landorus-Therian   |    5 |  14.71% |  60.00% |
| 12   | Weavile            |    5 |  14.71% |  60.00% |
| 12   | Tyranitar          |    5 |  14.71% |  20.00% |
| 16   | Garchomp           |    4 |  11.76% | 100.00% |
| 16   | Lopunny            |    4 |  11.76% |  75.00% |
| 16   | Kitsunoh           |    4 |  11.76% |  50.00% |
| 16   | Clefable           |    4 |  11.76% |  50.00% |
| 16   | Latias             |    4 |  11.76% |  50.00% |
| 21   | Pinsir             |    3 |   8.82% |  66.67% |
| 21   | Azelf              |    3 |   8.82% |  66.67% |
| 21   | Gliscor            |    3 |   8.82% |  66.67% |
| 21   | Aerodactyl         |    3 |   8.82% |  66.67% |
| 21   | Altaria            |    3 |   8.82% |  33.33% |
| 21   | Magnezone          |    3 |   8.82% |  33.33% |
| 21   | Suicune            |    3 |   8.82% |  33.33% |
| 28   | Dragonite          |    2 |   5.88% | 100.00% |
| 28   | Cyclohm            |    2 |   5.88% | 100.00% |
| 28   | Keldeo             |    2 |   5.88% | 100.00% |
| 28   | Latios             |    2 |   5.88% |  50.00% |
| 28   | Chansey            |    2 |   5.88% |  50.00% |
| 28   | Skarmory           |    2 |   5.88% |  50.00% |
| 28   | Quagsire           |    2 |   5.88% |  50.00% |
| 28   | Mollux             |    2 |   5.88% |  50.00% |
| 28   | Medicham           |    2 |   5.88% |  50.00% |
| 28   | Charizard          |    2 |   5.88% |   0.00% |
| 28   | Volkraken          |    2 |   5.88% |   0.00% |
| 28   | Zapdos             |    2 |   5.88% |   0.00% |
| 40   | Tangrowth          |    1 |   2.94% | 100.00% |
| 40   | Serperior          |    1 |   2.94% | 100.00% |
| 40   | Gardevoir          |    1 |   2.94% | 100.00% |
| 40   | Amoonguss          |    1 |   2.94% |   0.00% |
| 40   | Kyurem-Black       |    1 |   2.94% |   0.00% |
| 40   | Sceptile           |    1 |   2.94% |   0.00% |
| 40   | Alakazam           |    1 |   2.94% |   0.00% |
| 40   | Venusaur           |    1 |   2.94% |   0.00% |
| 40   | Heatran            |    1 |   2.94% |   0.00% |
| 40   | Jirachi            |    1 |   2.94% |   0.00% |
| 40   | Cofagrigus         |    1 |   2.94% |   0.00% |
| 40   | Necturna           |    1 |   2.94% |   0.00% |
| 40   | Volcarona          |    1 |   2.94% |   0.00% |
| 40   | Nidoking           |    1 |   2.94% |   0.00% |
| 40   | Plasmanta          |    1 |   2.94% |   0.00% |
| 40   | Ninetales          |    1 |   2.94% |   0.00% |
| 40   | Victini            |    1 |   2.94% |   0.00% |
| 40   | Manectric          |    1 |   2.94% |   0.00% |
| 40   | Starmie            |    1 |   2.94% |   0.00% |
| 40   | Diancie            |    1 |   2.94% |   0.00% |

As always, there's some interesting stuff in here! Torn at 50% usage is no shock to me personally, I think it's the best mon in the tier atm and is mandated on practically all BO just because of Specs Kerfluffle. Speaking of Kerf, this thing's winrate and usage is also no surprise to me - the mon hits like a truck in ORAS. The success of Metagross, Tomohawk, and Crucibelle had be a bit taken aback though; obviously Meta and Tomo are incredible metagame staples, but just how successful they were was somewhat unexpected. Granted, this is a pretty small sample size of games. Cruci doing well even after its Mega forme got banned is cool too! Scarf sets are nigh unkillable, offer a metric ton of utility, and are so damn good against offense. Though, at least half of its usage is probably just because of Heaven Jay, lol. Still, we love a comeback.

Also taking the opportunity to plug the post-tour team dump thread, where myself and others dumped the ORAS teams we used this season:
https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/post-capcl-set-team-dump.3697628/

Speaking briefly on the meta at large, I think it's definitely better after Mega Crucibelle's ban. Naturally though, new problems arise; imo Kerfluffle is the #1 problem in this tier and forces a lot of repetitive team structures because you basically need one of AV Torn, Amoonguss, Talonflame, or random shit like Slowking on BO and like, let's be honest it's probably gonna be a Torn. Even then, you can get rocks up and beat Torn after one or two cycles or just paralyze it and stop caring about its existence altogether. I'm not firmly within a ban/no ban camp atm, but it's something the council will be discussing before CAPPL so if you feel strongly one way or another then definitely post here.

 

[Garrett]

I am not 100% sure if Kerf is banworthy. It is very difficult to switch-in to, but there are offensive pivots (Torn/Talon), big Venusaur, and the shroom. ORAS being HO heavy, there are another (albeit small) number of soft checks that take a hit and threaten back/setup. In a canonically "more standard" tier, I imagine most people would offer the "deal with it" response to the centralizing nature of Kerf; however, this is CAP, and it appears most people here tend to care about enjoyability more than upholding subjective feelings/semantics about what it means for something to be demonstrably broken/uncompetitive.

That being said, I'd like to see a vote on it by the council and the grounds for which they're considering the vote on. I'd be happy to ban it for "it defeats the purpose of a tier within a subfield of Pokemon chaos which promotes creativity and a relatively balanced meta above all else." On the basis that it's absolutely broken, we have a more complicated discussion.

 

[spoo]

For anyone who has been following this tier at all lately, you're probably aware that there was a recent ongoing effort to nerf Mega Crucibelle and reintroduce it into the tier. Well, it's finally concluded, and here's what we're left with:

Mega Crucibelle is unbanned in ORAS CAP, and will no longer learn Low Kick and Head Smash

The ORAS council –– myself, quziel, Steam Buns, SHSP, D2TheW, Lasen, and Dj Breloominati♬ –– came to this decision collectively. Here is our rationale, and how the nerf roughly went down:

Before digging into the nerf options themselves, I first fielded some questions about where our priorities lied –– ie, was Mega Cruci's viability of greater or lesser importance than eliminating discrepancies between ORAS and SM? How much did we want to preserve its strength, or did we care if it became unviable? Ultimately, we decided that we should preserve Mega Crucibelle as a viable option in ORAS, but that we should still attempt to close the distance between ORAS and SM where we can. With this discussion in mind, we voted on two options:

Full SM Nerf (-Head Smash, -Low Kick, -6 Speed)​

quziel​

Partial SM Nerf (One to two of: -Head Smash, -Low Kick, -6 Speed)​

spoo, Steam Buns, SHSP, D2TheW, Lasen, Dj Breloominati​

​

It was then necessary to determine which aspects of the SM nerf we wanted to port over to ORAS. We discussed the impact of each of these options to try and determine the root cause of Mega Crucibelle's power, and Head Smash and Low Kick took most of the focus.

Head Smash is an incredibly risk-free move, even damaging Steel-types like Mega Metagross close to as much as Low Kick, and is the absolute peak amount of power that Mega Crucibelle can output. With this peak reduced, Mega Crucibelle could force fewer switches, get off fewer U-turns, revenge kill fewer foes, and would be newly checked by common Ground- and Steel-types like Gliscor, Mega Scizor, Garchomp, and Kitsunoh. Low Kick is a less polarizing option but more directly targets Cruci's performance into Steel-types like Excadrill and Ferrothorn, skewing those matchups heavily in Cruci's favor. The final option of removing Speed was seen as a valuable secondary tool for knocking down Cruci's power level, with the additional benefit of matching Cruci's stats between generations, but perhaps not the root cause of Cruci's problems itself. Given the focus on Head Smash and Low Kick, I proposed a vote on which one to remove first:

Remove Head Smash​

spoo, SHSP, D2TheW​

Remove Low Kick​

Lasen, quziel, Steam Buns, Dj Breloominati​

There was then a second vote on if any further nerfs were needed, or if simply removing Low Kick was enough:

Remove Head Smash​

spoo, SHSP, Steam Buns, Lasen​

Remove 6 Speed​

quziel, D2TheW, Dj Breloominati​

No Additional Nerfs​

-​

This marked the conclusion to the process. With a final approval from PRC / CAP moderators, this past-gen nerf is the first of its kind –– and, with any luck, it'll have the desired effect on Mega Cruci and the metagame at large. Going forward, the council will be keeping an eye on Kerfluffle's performance during this upcoming CAPPL as that seems to be the next big thing to address.

Tagging Marty and Kris to implement. Thank you both!!

 

[Garrett]

Personal Rises:
Tornadus-Therian -> S (metagame defining by being Kerf's best check, and useful is all MUs)
Kerfluffle -> S (the offensive threat we all know and love)
Excadrill -> A+ (sand I find to be incredibly good in a meta of Kerf and various HOs, and Excadrill is the best hazard removal; the best Clefable answer of the tier and is demonstrably better than Colo in every department except resisting a Pursuit or rare Shadow Ball.)
Weavile -> A+ (Weavile's synergy in trapping Kerf's checks is insane, it also matches up well into various HOs and fatter builds; its value in every matchup cannot be understated)
Syclant -> A+ (best offensive Spiker and the only relevant one with U-Turn, has either side setup, and is well-supported on teams that don't have immediate hazard removal to facilitate a Sash set that mimics BW Zam often)
Alakazam-Mega -> A (Zam sand)
Amoonguss -> A (super useful in all non-Gliscor matchups, we saw Eject Button twice in CAPPL playoffs?)

Personal Drops:
Metagross-Mega -> A+ (MMeta has some MUs where it cannot break efficiently/is too slow into HO and therefore is a waste of a mega slot compared to something like Scizor's, so in my eyes it's at the top of A+)
Serperior -> A (screens are harder to pull off in the face of Cruci and heightened utility of birdspam variants)
Garchomp -> A- (competes with Lando-T and Gliscor which are better as Ground-types)
Magnezone -> A- (the CrucPull dream has been worsened)

M-Cruc to top of A or bottom of A+ seems fair.

 

[Garrett]

Approved by SussyShroom and spoo (he'll give me the win)

I thought to make something good come out of Pannu bailing.

https://pokepast.es/c81370fe879dc64a
I didn't optimize Mollux or Skarm at all but I think Eruption Mollux absolutely has potential in this meta. This particular team only needs Mollux to run a single offensive move because I have 3 Heatran switch-ins, but Specs unironically be better in every matchup bar one against an HP Ground Kerf. I really like how this build turned out. Even in its few bad matchups, it has all the annoying mons and hazard stack to play with.

https://pokepast.es/2235db09bf1421ef
First of all, I had no idea how to EV defensive Tyranitar, so it's a BandTar spread. Anyways, given that Pannu could only load 1 Kerf max for this series setup, I was comfortable loading Mega Chomp Sand. You know I like sand. Trick Scarf Washtom + Sub Drill I found cool. Pannu never ran a Skarmory in his short (11 years old) life.

+2 252 Atk Normal Gem Cloyster Explosion vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Krilowatt: 499-588 (98.6 - 116.2%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO and that's Jolly!

Jellicent @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 240 HP / 216 Def / 52 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hex
- Will-O-Wisp
- Taunt
- Recover

• I think Jellicent is a great Washtom alternative right now for spreading burns, as it shuts down Clef and Mollux.
• 252 Atk Choice Band Weavile Icicle Crash vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Umbreon: 133-157 (33.7 - 39.8%)
• Setup Mew needs to be explored. I gave it a shot.

 

[spoo]

Hey everyone, it's been a while. With the next edition of CAPCL coming up, and ORAS being a likely inclusion, there was some major housekeeping to take care of before this tier receives any more tournament play - namely, figuring out what to do with Kerfluffle.

It's no stretch to say that Kerfluffle has been one of the singularly most defining Pokemon in ORAS CAP since the tier's revival almost two years ago now. People have been fielding their complaints about this CAP for a long, long time, but we haven't taken any action on it yet because there have been other more pressing issues (Mega Crucibelle) and because the metagame only gets played in a meaningful capacity twice a year, making tiering a slow and deliberate process. However, with Mega Crucibelle finally under wraps, the council had some new time and freedom to address the elephant-sized body pillow in the room.

​

Kerfluffle, like many other powerful Pokemon, is really more than the sum of its parts. It has absolutely phenomenal offensive STABs in the context of ORAS, strong set versatility between Hidden Power types and options like Life Orb Taunt or even Rest, an unblockable pivoting move that doubles as team support, great synergy with Pokemon like Weavile that can Pursuit trap its answers, a notable security against common forms of chip damage like status and hazards, and is outpaced by only a handful of other viable Pokemon and a small pool of Scarfers. These factors and more ultimately combine to produce a Pokemon with near-unmatched offensive prowess, and as a result, an incredibly small batch of reliable switch-ins.

Among them, the most common and viable would be Assault Vest Tornadus-T - however, with Stealth Rock on the field, or Pursuit users like Weavile or Colossoil in the equation, interactions become heavily skewed in the Kerfluffle user's favor. The same can be said about other less viable switch-ins like Talonflame, Charizard-Y, Mollux, Assault Vest Slowking, and Kitsunoh; even max HP Scarf Crucibelle, a strong utility option that gained popularity over CAPCL largely as a Kerfluffle countermeasure, has a chance to die to Specs Focus Blast with Stealth Rock up. Amoonguss and Mega Venusaur are generally the most consistent Kerfluffle answers, but these options alone are simply not enough to curtail Kerfluffle's dominance over the metagame. Stall as a playstyle is essentially mandated to carry one of these two Pokemon, heavily limiting the archetype as a result, while offense must rely on options like Volcarona and Talonflame as one-time switch-ins, or settle by revenge killing it with faster Megas, Scarfers, or priority users like Scizor and Mega Pinsir. The constraints that Kerfluffle puts on the tier is felt within essentially every team archetype - Life Orb sets are especially effective at dismantling balance and offense, too, despite Specs still being considered Kerfluffle's strongest set overall.

With all that said, the ORAS council (and its new addition Garrett) thought it was necessary to act. We looked at four main options: -Moonblast, -Focus Blast, a Special Attack nerf, and a Speed nerf. The first three were aimed at increasing defensive counterplay, while a Speed nerf increases offensive counterplay (oversimplifying here, but that's the main idea). In general, we were careful to preserve as much of Kerfluffle's healthy elements as possible and not overnerf it; it's a great differentiating factor between ORAS CAP and ORAS OU, and more to the point, just didn't require anything super heavy-handed to put it in its place compared to something like pre-nerf Mega Crucibelle. After a few days of intermittent discussion, two options clearly stuck out: removing Focus Blast, and nerfing Speed (somewhere between 108-110 being the most supported).

​

Remove Focus Blast​

spoo, Steam Buns, quziel, D2TheW, Dj Breloominati​

Nerf Speed​

Garrett, Lasen, SHSP​

In a 5-3 vote, Focus Blast has been removed from Kerfluffle. The rationale was to avoid nerfing Kerfluffle's overall damage output, which many saw as excessive, and instead make bulky Steels such as Mega Metagross and Mega Scizor far less punishable and require more chip damage to successfully force out. This also makes switch-ins such as bulky Crucibelle much safer, prevents Kerfluffle from OHKOing Ferrothorn, Heatran, and bulky Excadrill, and generally eases a lot of builder and in-game pressure without overly hitting Kerfluffle's viability or unique strengths. Though, there was one more thing we wanted to address while we had the time...

​

Even more than Kerfluffle, Aurumoth up until now has been a low-priority item while more pressing tiering decisions were taken care of. However, following precedent from Mega Crucibelle's nerf in which elements removed in SM (Low Kick, Head Smash) were ported back to ORAS, we have decided to unban Aurumoth and incorporate the changes it underwent in SM (Light Metal > Illusion, -Quiver Dance) into ORAS CAP. Having CAPs banned is a situation we try to avoid whenever possible, so this was a desirable outcome that neatly resolved the balance issues that Aurumoth once had. Cawmodore is a trickier case given that it exists unnerfed in generations both before and after ORAS, making nerfing it in only ORAS somewhat awkward, so for now it'll remain banned (although the council is open to potential solutions should they arise).

In sum:
Kerfluffle

-Focus Blast​

Aurumoth

-Illusion, +Light Metal, -Quiver Dance​

​

That about covers everything! We're conducting an update to VR and sample teams shortly, so be on the lookout for that, but otherwise this tier is all set until the next major tournament it sees representation in.

 

[spoo]

The pre-CAPCL VR update has been completed! It's been about a year and a half since the last one, so there was a lot that changed. Here are the results:

New Rankings

• Crucibelle-Mega -> A-
• Crucibelle -> A-
• Cofagrigus -> B+

Rises

• Kerfluffle A+ -> S-
• Tornadus-Therian A+ -> S-
• Excadrill A -> A+
• Alakazam-Mega A- -> A
• Manaphy A- -> A
• Scizor-Mega A- -> A
• Weavile A- -> A+
• Lopunny-Mega B+ -> A
• Medicham-Mega B+ -> A-
• Volcarona B+ -> A-
• Charizard-Mega-X B -> B+
• Diancie-Mega B -> B+
• Mollux B -> B+
• Slowking B -> B+
• Talonflame B -> A-
• Thundurus B -> B+
• Tyranitar-Mega B -> B+
• Gyarados-Mega B- -> B
• Victini B- -> B
• Kitsunoh C+ -> B+
• Krilowatt C+ -> B
• Thundurus-Therian C+ -> B-
• Volcanion C+ -> A-
• Azelf C -> C+
• Breloom C -> B-
• Politoed C -> C+

Drops

• Serperior A+ -> A
• Tomohawk A+ -> A
• Garchomp A -> A-
• Keldeo A -> A-
• Skarmory A -> A-
• Latios A- -> B+
• Tangrowth A- -> B+
• Azumarill B+ -> B
• Gyarados C+ -> C
• Mamoswine C+ -> C
• Naviathan C+ -> C
• Zygarde C -> UR

Keep in mind that these changes reflect the metagame before Kerfluffle's nerf + Aurumoth's unban since there hasn't been enough time to show how the tier has adapted in response. Samples will probably be updated at some point after CAPCL. Until then, though, this tier is all set!

 

[Garrett]

https://pokepast.es/b5bced71d3570b85 is still my favorite structure in all of ORAS CAP. Slowbro is notable by how it is one of the few mons to deal with popular threats in MMeta/MMedi/SD Gliscor. I used Gyro Chople Ferro in CAPPL Semis to lure Kerf (can be paired with Adamant MLop with Quick Attack > Toxic if you're crazy). Toxic Spikes + MLop is broken as hell to deal with Gastro and Slowbro with MLop aggression (not to mention allows the Volcanion matchup to be fine with sufficient aggression with Torn-T + Slowbro TWave threat in the back), and there are a couple moves you could definitely consider over Trick (Stone Edge mainly, even Stealth Rocks so Ferrothorn can run Spikes).

Despite no removal, this structure has the ability to outplay fat as well as the majority of offense structures.

Week 1 - https://pokepast.es/0223e50985f32051

This is an edit of what was brought vs. Gorex. This structure originates from the ORAS Bo3 I was supposed to play Pannu in. The 6 I brought against Gorex could not punish SpDef Excadrill, and so I've changed Skarmory to Helmet where Clefable denies Magnezone enough for the hypothetical matchup to be playable. Stored Power would be another possibility on MLati. I'm not proud of my limited ability to use a mouse this game.

Week 2 - https://pokepast.es/27f947bb47d2d938

I was convinced Lasen was going to coerce Buns to load something extremely unorthodox, and I was worried about HO/Rain perhaps too much. I ended up telling myself I would load a MMeta because of poorly it did last time I faced Buns (and thus he would prep for that and general offense less). My MMeta set was even HP Fire at some part; fortunately, I picked the right moveset for the game.

Week 3 - https://pokepast.es/c5b082b31d0a8f84

I made the poor call to think I could send someone after Pannu in ORAS. Trade ended up getting critical 50/50s wrong and Jay was able to convert the momentum to a solid win against this team.

Week 4 - https://pokepast.es/9a3c28a61fa35213

Not proud of this matchup fish at all. I enjoyed the funny concept of "bring BW sand to ORAS CAP" but suffered in the game for it. I do misplay this game hard by risking Clefable para's (it is far safer to risk high-roll Hex crits). The team struggles with select offensive threats I figured they would not use against me, Volcarona especially. Scarf Tar feels incorrectly on this structure, too. Band Weavile is an immediate improvement, with more speed and more offense. Trapping Torn-T is vital for this structure.

Then you probably replace Kril with another Water resist that stomachs Volcarona? Volcanion feels wrong unless I go Defog Skarmory. Keldeo maybe to increase Gliscor pressure? In either case, the 6 feel insufficiently cohesive.

Week 5 - https://pokepast.es/6316c10b0cc84b9d

Thank you Steam Buns for letting me use the funny mon.

Semifinals - https://pokepast.es/19a2a68a738b16da

I regret both matchup fishes, this one even more. Because they were my only two losses? That definitely contributed. While this game was winnable if I got fairly lucky (avoiding roll on 2 Iron Heads, getting EQ roll on Ttar to deny a sac later, no HP Ice crit--but I do think I need to avoid all 3 of these), the matchup was defeating on preview. When the Tusks got a sub, I should have been proactive and switched to semi-stall/stall which would have won very easily (Fakee's team cannot beat Gliscor long term).

PLEASE LET'S UPDATE SAMPLES (this is reserved for ideas I had not used in CAPCL)

https://pokepast.es/a945e10b374f7ffe

basically Gorex's w1 structure

might be ok, it has to be pursuit MMeta by how much AV Tang is responsible for (Zam, Keld, Kerf, etc.)

 

[pannu]

cotta oras cap ssn review + thoughts of meta at the end also can we please put mmeta out of S rank he does NOT belong there


w1 vs the guy that read tower of god

This was a funny start to the tour, from ainz calling me a "neet with GMT -6 timezone" after I clarified that I was playing at 5am my time, not pm, to shsp (who was hosting godbless this bald man) telling me he had to keep himself from laughing abt hearing me go "cofa isn't real,, no shot they bring it" at the same time has they were building the cofa team. this team is pretty cringe cuz no hazard removal but I like it it should've won tbh AHHHH. the spdef investment on zam lets u always live specs kerf moonblast from full (assuming u still have mguard or no hazards are up). loading cap-less is super lame btw

w2 owning my oras slot in cappl part 1

Firstly, i want to clown on EVERYONE because i somehow managed to gaslight everyone into believing I loaded splash plate krill???? guys there's LITERALLY calcs in the game that arent possible to get unless you're LO Krill...you guys don't ACTUALLY think I'm that stupid right? Always I assume ava would load HO or kerf bullshit so I wanted to be safe into that, I really like this team comp even tho its weak to a few things. Heart Swap krill is prolly my fave last (hp fire is unviable lol) just because of how good it is, guss is a very underrated kerf check and Wish chans on sand rlly does remind u of SMcap reunitarbao squads doesn't it.

w3 idk how these guys managed to go mega negative with such a good draft... corio curse forsure

it was gorex who didnt give a fuck abt the game, ofc bro was loading birdspam LOOOL idk how I almost lost after cteaming him. this team is rlly litty yuh chief check out these ev spreads ouuu I'm a genius

i accidentally pressed enter and cba to delete and post the whole thing I was gonna post but I was also gonna write about how necturna is rlly good and I was gonna post these teams too https://pokepast.es/b96bcb6d6038fa64 https://pokepast.es/dcc96733641d8469

 

[Lasen]

you guys don't ACTUALLY think I'm that stupid right?

 

[Garrett]

can we please put mmeta out of S rank he does NOT belong there

I'd be more inclined to remove Kerf than MMeta from S. The metagame's sort of transitioned to checking Kerf kind of how ORAS OU checks Keldeo: maybe not a dedicated counter but 1-2 solid checks with recovery and 1-2 neutral (and typically offensive) mons. We don't have a large sample size of games to work with, but I also think Kerf is overprepped for and I'm probably one of people that did that too much. It is messy to consider.

Between covering HO and its hardest checks, I once thought "MMeta requires TPunch in this metagame, and Bullet Punch has felt too useful to turn down." From that teambuilding perspective, I could see it feeling less S-rank worthy I suppose (because it lacks that 4 move mystery). Then again, it rivals M-Sciz/M-Lop in how splashable of a mega it is for its roles. Clef counterplay I regard very highly.

ainz calling me a "neet with GMT -6 timezone"

Not all heroes wear capes