SD 3a -- I would not use Defog Scizor
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- Thread starter Finchinator
- Start date
What do you think of Enamorus and Deoxys-S in the current metagame? I've noticed both have seen a decrease in usage.
Enamorus is hard to use. Cool typing and it provides a few good immunities, but it is bulky and dies too quickly. Choice Scarf requires locking into moves that are very resistable, which is gross, and other sets lack utility.
Deo-S is still good, but not really a master of any one role and people struggle to fit it. I think usage of it will bounce back up and then go down again just depending on specific fits we find our way in and out of as time goes.
Are there any anti-offense tools that aren't very appreciated in the metagame right now, but still hold a place? Scizor comes to mind for me (although it does struggle into IDBP Zamazenta stuff).
Fairy Boulder, Scarf Ghost Darkrai, AV Ting Lu, Lokix, RH Chomp
Lets say hypothetically that a group of aliens were going to destroy the entire earth UNLESS you beat their best pokemon player in a 6v6 ou singles match. You dont have a scout, but neither does your alien counterpart. What team style would you bring, and what mons would you rely on to save humanity?
What do you think of the viability of the weather playstyles rn? Those being sun, rain, sand and hail ofc.
And what's your favourite chicken wing shop?
What are your predictions for the finals of Smogon Champions League IV? Tiebreak predictions?
I think I would bring offense at this current moment -- might as well take control at that point, most games become outplayable. I would rely on the below Pokemon
(gl in future weeks boss)
Rain: Cheese, mid and limited
Sun: Cheese, kinda ok with some new structures we see on ladder
Hail: Veil is probably the best weather tbh, but cheesy
Sand: Not cheese, but pretty mid and limited
I would not frequent weather rn, but some veil is nasty and very hard to face at least.
Rooting for Machine slightly and think they have a good shot, but people on both sides are epic. Would love for Roro and Larry to win after our adventures on Platoon, but my favorite storyline is Piyu and rooting for him to complete the perfecto -- I do not think this goes TB honestly
Meh, regular Pon fell off and teapot peaked a few months ago, but is still ok. Hydrapple and Rilla got better recently, but not worldbeaters. Just kinda ok Pokemon overall.
Worst few hours of my life that night, with the 5th inning being the worst 25m of my life.
What would you consider the best core (2-3 mons; offensive or defensive) in SV OU to be right now? I know those Lando+H-Samurott+Crown cores are still quite strong all these months later, but do you have anything in mind that you'd see and go "yep, this is the core that completely defines how SV OU is played?"
Is there anything the council has on their minds regarding bans ? ( Looks accusingly at kinggambit)
I'd also like to know your opinion on offensive tornadus-therian with Nasty Plot and it's potential viability in the current meta-game.
(Great longevity, speed tier and coverage)
I'd also like to know your opinion on offensive tornadus-therian with Nasty Plot and it's potential viability in the current meta-game.
(Great longevity, speed tier and coverage)
I think they can be very good, but you need to be particular with builds as there’s little wiggle room defensively.
Probably just Wellspring + Kingambit TBH. Provides a ton of wiggle room to break, both cover basic defensive checklist items, and there is a ton of flexibility to fit on offense.
Not currently, but can change
It’s ok, but too reliant on inaccurate moves and being revenge killed honestly. Limited, but high ceiling
I think the concept of centralization is hugely misunderstood. Every good metagame has a degree of centralization and implying it’s “over” or “under” centralized is more personal preference than it is reflective of bad metagame states.
Look at competitive Pokemon historically — RBY is just a gang of viable Pokemon, GSC with Snorlax and the legendary Electric duo, ADV with Tyranitar and Skarmory, and DPP with Jirachi. Maybe these comparisons aren’t fair due to limited Dex and age, but you can find it in Fairygens too — the usage is arguably more spread out in SV than at points in any of ORAS (Clefable’s old peak), SM (LandoT’s peak), or SS (Clefable earlier on, LandoT nowadays, etc.) — the main thesis here being that just because 1 or 3 Pokemon are used a lot more than the next group doesn’t make a metagame worse and is not necessarily a bad thing.
You have to look at the content and the Pokemon themselves — people usually try to win and, therefore, use the best Pokemon to do the job. Are these Pokemon the best because of filling unique and practical roles that are hard to replace? That sounds healthy and good. Or are these Pokemon the best because they lack counterplay and put the opponent at an inherent, arguably uncompetitive disadvantage? That sounds less ideal and more like we need to reconsider their tiering placement.
Basically: centralization isn’t always bad, there’s nuance to it, and I do not view it as a greater problem with SV than I do virtually any other generation. Usage trends are in line with other generations, too.
Just to touch on the three you listed: Kingambit you can argue for a suspect for sure due to its impact, but it does add a lot and enable many structures. Tusk and Ghold do not feel remotely broken or bad to me at this time.
A few more questions, I suppose. Answer whichever ones you feel like answering:
- How are you today, or whichever day you end up reading this?
- Since you brought up Torn-T as a high-ceiling mon, what are some mons, be they in this meta or SwSh/SM, that you'd say have a lot of nuance and/or skill expression involved when you use them?
- How does one start getting involved in Smogon tournaments? I'm by no means a top-level OU player, but I'd very much like to dip my toes into that side of OU at some point, but I don't even know where to begin!
- Expanding on the previous question, how does one prepare for an OU tournament compared to standard ladder play? I know players tend to lean more towards consistent archetypes typically (i.e. in the past I've observed more BO/Balance, at some points in time a more noteworthy Stall presence than on ladder, less of those more extreme HO archetypes, etc.), but what constitutes a more "consistent" archetype?
- Why do you think OLT qualifiers (the laddering process) are historically when the more extreme archetypes like HO and Stall see a dramatic surge in usage and viability? Is it just a "this is the fastest way to get ladder reqs?" sort of thing, or is there more to it than that?
- What are some low-tier mons that are surprising you with how well they're performing in OU? What are some low-tier mons that you think deserve OU levels of usage right now?
- Did you/will you make a BWW flavors tier list? Would it include the dry seasonings as well as the sauces? And why is Asian Zing so damn good?
Can you make a 2024 best songs list like Obama
I’m alright. Been on vacation, but honestly half my family with me on this trip is either old or sick, so kind of just managing that and trying to have the best time. How about you?
SV OU HDB Pult and SS OU Slowbro.
Start by playing unofficials and individuals. If you do well in official individual tours or really stand out in unofficials, then you’ll position yourself nicely to keep moving up the totem pole. Stuff like OUPL and OU SSNL bode well, OLT OST STour as well.
Honestly there’s a lot of overlap, but I try to have an idea as to what I expect and what I don’t expect both given my own scout and my opponent’s scouts. From there, I’ll pick preferences or maybe even find some corners to cut depending on the specific setting. Usually if my opponent has to deviate from their comfort to have a good position, then they’ll need to go above-and-beyond to maintain a high level and it puts me in a position of strength to outplay. My biggest thought here is being versatile and open minded yourself is a huge advantage. I tend to lean towards balance and BO, but you always gotta pick your spots and read the trajectory of the metagame.
The OLT ladder is a human psychology experiment. Just the easier and most efficient ways of progressing. Varies every year though.
Rotom-W, Tornadus-T, Latios all come to mind.
Haven’t as of now, don’t like dry seasoning, Asian Zing is like A or A+ tier for sure
Lmao I always see these in my social media feed each December and whenever I have overlap with Obama I feel a little better about my taste
