Metagame NFE

5Dots · Feb 15, 2024

We have noted some of the most centralizing threats in the NFE metagame. Due to this, we held a ban slate for Piloswine, Gurdurr, Gligar, Qwilfish-Hisui, and Magmar. A simple majority of 3/4 votes to ban the Pokemon would be banned from NFE. Here are the results:

Gurdurr, Qwilfish-Hisui, and Magmar are banned from NFE!

Gurdurr stands out as an offensive tank that is too difficult to offensively take down without using Poison-types like Koffing or Mareanie, Flying-types like Gligar or Dartrix, or Clefairy, and even then both can be consistently overwhelmed with Knock Off and the proper coverage move (High Horsepower, Ice Punch, and Poison Jab, respectively). Several games have been decided based on Gurdurr dittos and sacrificing one's own Pokemon to let their Gurdurr flourish later on.

Qwilfish-Hisui's fantastic bulk compounded with Intimidate makes it an extremely potent wall and setup sweeper, bringing immense versatility with utility in Spikes, Taunt, and even Pain Split to centralize games, forcing special attackers like Electabuzz and Magmar risk serious chip damage to threaten it out. On the offensive side, Swords Dance sets have great offensive potential, boasting options like Water-type coverage to wash away Piloswine at +2 with enough chip, and Substitute to capitalize on opposing Qwilfish-H and other weak threats like utility Naclstack and non-Encore Quaxwell and Tinkatuff.

Magmar's insane offensive potential with Choice Specs and Belly Drum makes it very unpredictable to guess based on team preview. Fantastic power combined with entry hazard removals like Quaxwell and Gurdurr prone to being overwhelmed makes it easy for it to progress and threaten nearly all the metagame without many switch-ins. Base 93 Speed combined with a multitude of offensive coverage in Scorching Sands, Focus Blast, and even Psychic makes it hard to stomach its hits, and Belly Drum sets are consistent enough to force out and set up on threats like Servine and Thwackey without too much trouble.
These Pokemon have remained among the most problematic in the metagame, but we will look forward to hearing any feedback on these Pokemon's impacts as the metagame progresses.

Tagging dhelmise and Marty to implement.

In other news, ojr has decided to step down from NFE council; thank you for your time and contributions.

dhelmise · Feb 15, 2024

5Dots said:
Tagging Kris

demirab1 · Mar 12, 2024

PERSONAL SET COMPENDIUM + CALC IMPORTABLE
(most of these are from my builder, the rest i either took from various pastes (with credit) or recreated from memory.)

NOTE: "adamant pawniard" is just another way of saying "219 speed tier" i.e. 252 ev base 60 spe, which is a common benchmark to outspeed for the crowded base 80-90 spe club, due to low cost and high potential benefits from outspeeding everything below as well i.e. jolly pilo (218), timid hattrem (216), modest wartortle (215), base 55 danger zone (hgrowlithe, lampent, pignite). The next notable speed tier is frax, which is base 67, and can run jolly, so it's not rlly a common benchmark. None of this speaks to pawniard's viability, in fact it's kinda sucky.

NOTE: pokemon with an * before their sprite are unviable in the current meta and only kept here for completeness' sake.

Pokemon	Sets
*	One time offensive check to frog. .. offensive `Arctibax @ Eviolite Ability: Thermal Exchange Tera Type: Dragon EVs: 184 HP / 164 Atk / 160 Spe Adamant Nature - Substitute / Iron Head - Swords Dance - Outrage - Icicle Crash` Outspeeds adamant pilo. atk dump. 252 SpA Choice Specs Protean Frogadier Ice Beam vs. 184 HP / 0 SpD Eviolite Arctibax: 154-183 (41.9 - 49.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
*	.. mixdef `Bronzor @ Eviolite Ability: Levitate Tera Type: Steel EVs: 252 HP / 192 Def / 20 SpA / 44 SpD Bold Nature - Skill Swap - Stealth Rock - Body Slam - Flash Cannon`
*	.. spdef `Chinchou @ Eviolite Ability: Volt Absorb Tera Type: Water EVs: 252 HP / 36 Def / 172 SpD / 48 Spe Timid Nature IVs: 0 Atk - Rest - Sleep Talk - Scald - Volt Switch` .. elle's quax trapping set `Chinchou @ Eviolite Ability: Water Absorb Tera Type: Water EVs: 40 HP / 144 Def / 172 SpA / 32 SpD / 120 Spe Modest Nature - Thunderbolt - Whirlpool - Scald - Flip Turn`
	Clef's place in the tier isn't very clear at the time of writing this. .. mixdef `Clefairy @ Eviolite Ability: Magic Guard Tera Type: Fairy EVs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 SpD Calm Nature IVs: 0 Atk - Wish / Moonlight - Protect / Healing Wish - Trick - Moonblast` physdef dump. +2 252 SpA Morgrem Dazzling Gleam vs. 252 HP / 56+ SpD Eviolite Clefairy: 144-171 (41.8 - 49.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
*	.. maybca's offensive `Cranidos @ Life Orb Ability: Sheer Force Tera Type: Rock EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe Naughty Nature - Rock Slide - Ice Beam - Thunder Punch - Swords Dance`
*	.. physdef `Crocalor @ Eviolite Ability: Unaware Tera Type: Fire EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 SpD Bold Nature IVs: 0 Atk - Slack Off - Roar - Flamethrower / Will-O-Wisp - Mud-Slap`
	.. sash webs lead `Cutiefly @ Focus Sash Ability: Shield Dust Tera Type: Bug EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe Timid Nature - Sticky Web - Quiver Dance - Moonblast - U-turn / Bug Buzz` .. bulky webs lead `Cutiefly @ Eviolite Ability: Shield Dust Tera Type: Bug EVs: 248 HP / 208 Def / 4 SpA / 48 SpD Timid Nature IVs: 0 Atk - Sticky Web - Quiver Dance - Moonblast - U-turn / Bug Buzz` Outspeeds adamant pawniard. spa dump. 252+ Atk Piloswine Icicle Crash vs. 248 HP / 208 Def Eviolite Cutiefly: 118-141 (41.6 - 49.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO 252 SpA Contrary Servine Leaf Storm over 2 turns vs. 248 HP / 48 SpD Eviolite Cutiefly: 239-282 (84.4 - 99.6%) -- not a KO
	.. fast phaze `Drakloak @ Eviolite Ability: Infiltrator Tera Type: Dragon EVs: 252 HP / 184 Def / 72 Spe Jolly Nature - Rest / Will-o-Wisp - Sleep Talk / U-turn - Night Shade - Dragon Tail` Can run 184+ speed and reflect over any move to counter adamant combusken even with shadow claw.
*	.. ducksu `Ducklett @ Eviolite Ability: Hydration Tera Type: Water EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe Bold Nature IVs: 0 Atk - Roost - Defog - Hurricane / Brave Bird - Whirlpool / Liquidation`
	Just about any ev spread and moveset works, use what your team needs. .. generic utility `Dunsparce @ Eviolite Ability: Serene Grace Tera Type: Normal EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD Careful Nature - Roost - Stealth Rock / Glare / Coil - Body Slam / Headbutt - Thief` .. shing's cm toxic `Dunsparce @ Eviolite Ability: Serene Grace Tera Type: Normal EVs: 248 HP / 120 Def / 136 SpD / 4 Spe Bold Nature IVs: 0 Atk - Calm Mind - Ice Beam - Roost - Toxic` .. quagg's agility (waiting on team dump for this set) .. toxic 2a `Dunsparce @ Eviolite Ability: Serene Grace Tera Type: Normal EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA Modest Nature IVs: 0 Atk - Roost - Toxic - Earth Power - Ice Beam`
	.. double dance `Duosion @ Eviolite Ability: Magic Guard Tera Type: Psychic EVs: 252 HP / 212 Def / 44 Spe Bold Nature IVs: 0 Atk - Acid Armor - Calm Mind - Recover - Stored Power / Flash Cannon` Outspeeds nacl. physdef dump. .. support This set usually runs mixed defenses to handle ebuzz. `Duosion @ Eviolite Ability: Regenerator Tera Type: Psychic EVs: 252 HP / 156 Def / 56 SpD / 44 Spe Bold Nature IVs: 0 Atk - Recover - Thunder Wave - Night Shade / Energy Ball - Future Sight` Outspeeds nacl. spdef dump. 252+ Atk Piloswine Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 156+ Def Eviolite Duosion: 123-145 (36.8 - 43.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Stealth Rock .. trick room `Duosion @ Life Orb Ability: Magic Guard Tera Type: Psychic EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA Quiet Nature IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe - Trick Room - Psychic / Psyshock - Shadow Ball / Energy Ball - Thunder`
*	.. mixdef `Dusclops @ Eviolite Ability: Pressure Tera Type: Ghost EVs: 252 HP / 176 Def / 80 SpD Calm Nature IVs: 0 Atk - Rest - Sleep Talk - Will-O-Wisp - Night Shade` 252 SpA Contrary Servine Leaf Storm over 2 turns vs. 252 HP / 80+ SpD Eviolite Dusclops: 176-209 (61.9 - 73.5%) -- not a KO ^ after 3 layer spike
*	.. missy at home `Duskull @ Eviolite Ability: Levitate Tera Type: Ghost EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD Impish Nature - Pain Split - Will-O-Wisp - Night Shade - Thief / Trick`
	Knock bot that checks pika and ebuzz, and "checks" pilo. .. pivot `Eelektrik @ Eviolite Ability: Levitate Tera Type: Electric EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 SpD Relaxed Nature IVs: 0 Spe - Rest - Sleep Talk - Knock Off - U-turn` Min speed for slow uturns. +2 252 SpA Light Ball Pikachu Surf vs. 252 HP / 24 SpD Eelektrik: 282-332 (84.4 - 99.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
	Fletch pairs nicely with hattrem to troll mold break tink and fast pilo. It's got high potential to punish mons like thwackey and raboot but usually ends up doing barely anything... .. physdef `Fletchinder @ Eviolite Ability: Flame Body Tera Type: Fire EVs: 252 HP / 192 Def / 64 Spe Impish Nature - Roost - Defog - Will-O-Wisp / Thief - Brave Bird / Hurricane / U-turn` Outspeeds adamant pawniard. physdef dump.
*	.. maybca's mixdef `Foongus @ Eviolite Ability: Regenerator Tera Type: Grass EVs: 252 HP / 80 Def / 176 SpD Calm Nature IVs: 0 Atk - Clear Smog - Sludge Bomb - Synthesis - Protect`
	.. cb frax (waiting on team dump for this set) usually this is impression iron head filler filler .. offensive `Fraxure @ Eviolite Ability: Mold Breaker Tera Type: Dragon EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe Adamant Nature - Dragon Dance / Swords Dance - Substitute / Taunt - Outrage - Iron Head`
	Can run scarf or eviolite as well, but this mon is rlly difficult to make work... Specs isn't a thing anymore due to spdef pilos easily taking the hydro. .. froge `Frogadier @ Heavy-Duty Boots Ability: Protean Tera Type: Water EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe Timid Nature - Surf / Hydro Pump - Ice Beam - U-turn - Spikes`
	.. spdef (waiting on team dump for this set) rest talk dtail eq/scorching sand .. offensive `Gabite @ Eviolite Ability: Rough Skin Tera Type: Dragon EVs: 232 Atk / 24 SpD / 252 Spe Jolly Nature - Stealth Rock / Iron Head - Swords Dance - Earthquake - Outrage / Scale Shot`
	.. np bulky (waiting on team dump for this set) physdef rest cm/np psynoise tbolt .. np offensive `Girafarig @ Eviolite Ability: Sap Sipper Tera Type: Normal EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe Timid Nature IVs: 0 Atk - Nasty Plot - Hyper Voice - Psychic Noise / Psyshock - Thunderbolt / Thunder / Substitute` .. bloodace's wp agility `Girafarig @ Weakness Policy Ability: Sap Sipper Tera Type: Normal EVs: 252 HP / 80 SpA / 176 Spe Modest Nature IVs: 0 Atk - Agility - Calm Mind - Stored Power - Hyper Voice`
	.. agility `Glimmet @ Power Herb Ability: Toxic Debris Tera Type: Rock EVs: 16 HP / 140 Def / 252 SpA / 100 Spe Modest Nature IVs: 0 Atk - Rock Polish - Meteor Beam - Sludge Wave - Mud Shot`
*	Stunky better .. spdef `Grimer-Alola @ Eviolite Ability: Poison Touch Tera Type: Poison EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD Careful Nature - Rest - Sleep Talk - Curse / Poison Jab - Knock Off`
	Grotle is unviable. .. shing's offensive `Grotle @ Eviolite Ability: Overgrow Tera Type: Grass EVs: 48 HP / 252 SpA / 208 Spe Timid Nature IVs: 0 Atk - Shell Smash - Giga Drain - Tera Blast - Earth Power` .. spdef `Grotle @ Eviolite Ability: Overgrow Tera Type: Grass EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD Careful Nature - Synthesis - Stealth Rock - Seed Bomb - Roar`
	Sun cteam. Can invest a lot more into hp. .. offensive `Hakamo-o @ Eviolite Ability: Bulletproof Tera Type: Dragon EVs: 20 HP / 244 Atk / 244 Spe Adamant Nature - Substitute - Dragon Dance / Swords Dance - Close Combat - Dragon Claw / Scale Shot` Outspeeds ebuzz at +1. atk dump. 252+ Atk Choice Band Thwackey Grassy Glide vs. 20 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Hakamo-o in Grassy Terrain: 53-63 (20.7 - 24.6%) -- possible 6HKO after Grassy Terrain recovery ^ calc for sub
	.. physdef `Hattrem (F) @ Eviolite Ability: Magic Bounce Tera Type: Psychic EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD Bold Nature IVs: 0 Atk - Rest - Sleep Talk - Nuzzle / Calm Mind - Psychic` .. offensive `Hattrem (F) @ Eviolite Ability: Magic Bounce Tera Type: Psychic EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA Modest Nature - Healing Wish / Life Dew - Nuzzle - Giga Drain - Psychic / Draining Kiss`
	Can run sunny day weather ball, can run sub seed. .. offensive `Ivysaur @ Eviolite Ability: Chlorophyll Tera Type: Grass EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe Modest Nature IVs: 0 Atk - Synthesis - Knock Off - Leaf Storm / Giga Drain - Sludge Bomb`
	Koffing's ev spread determines how flexible it will be in handling servine and thwackey. .. mixdef `Koffing @ Eviolite Ability: Neutralizing Gas Tera Type: Poison EVs: 252 HP / 20 Def / 236 SpD Calm Nature - Pain Split - Will-O-Wisp - Thief / Toxic Spikes - Sludge Bomb / Toxic Spikes` +2 252 SpA Servine Leaf Storm vs. 252 HP / 236+ SpD Koffing: 150-177 (52.8 - 62.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and 3 layers of Spikes
*	.. offensive `Lampent @ Heavy-Duty Boots Ability: Flash Fire Tera Type: Ghost EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe Modest Nature IVs: 0 Atk - Calm Mind - Fire Blast - Shadow Ball - Energy Ball`
	best combusken counter in the game, can run physical attacks too. .. physdef biased `Mareanie @ Eviolite Ability: Regenerator Tera Type: Poison EVs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 SpD Bold Nature IVs: 0 Atk - Recover / Protect - Haze / Infestation / Toxic Spikes - Sludge Bomb / Acid Spray / Toxic - Surf`
*	Counters a lot of mons on paper, in practice it's very passive and vulnerable to hazards. i.e. unviable. .. physdef `Marill @ Eviolite Ability: Sap Sipper Tera Type: Water EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD Bold Nature - Rest - Sleep Talk - Whirlpool / Encore - Knock Off`
*	this isn't worth using over pilo or gabite atm .. mirbro's offensive `Marshtomp @ Eviolite Ability: Torrent Tera Type: Water EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe Adamant Nature - Stealth Rock - Earthquake - Waterfall - Ice Punch`
*	.. wp agility `Metang @ Weakness Policy Ability: Clear Body Tera Type: Steel EVs: 120 HP / 252 Atk / 136 Spe Adamant Nature - Agility - Meteor Mash - Zen Headbutt - Ice Punch`
	Missy can opt for psynoise to safely make progress against Monferno reliant teams, but in doing so it gives up the ability to deny Vullaby defog. .. physdef `Misdreavus @ Eviolite Ability: Levitate Tera Type: Ghost EVs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 Spe Bold Nature IVs: 0 Atk - Pain Split - Will-O-Wisp - Night Shade - Taunt / Psychic Noise` Outspeeds adamant pawniard. physdef dump. .. offensive `Misdreavus @ Eviolite Ability: Levitate Tera Type: Ghost EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe Timid Nature IVs: 0 Atk - Nasty Plot - Will-O-Wisp / Pain Split / Taunt / Substitute / Thunder - Shadow Ball / Hex - Draining Kiss / Dazzling Gleam` This set often takes some evs from spa to invest into physdef for switching into pilo better.
*	.. pivot `Monferno @ Eviolite Ability: Blaze Tera Type: Fire EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe Jolly Nature - Slack Off - Will-O-Wisp / U-turn - Knock Off - Flare Blitz`
	.. screens lead `Morgrem (M) @ Light Clay Ability: Prankster Tera Type: Dark EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD Bold Nature IVs: 0 Atk - Reflect - Light Screen - Dazzling Gleam - Parting Shot / Taunt` .. offensive `Morgrem (M) @ Eviolite Ability: Pickpocket Tera Type: Dark EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe Modest Nature IVs: 0 Atk - Nasty Plot - Dark Pulse - Dazzling Gleam - Burning Jealousy`
	.. physdef `Naclstack @ Eviolite Ability: Purifying Salt Tera Type: Rock EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD Impish Nature - Recover - Stealth Rock / Curse / Iron Defense / Protect - Salt Cure - Body Press / Heavy Slam` .. maybca's mixdef `Naclstack @ Eviolite Ability: Purifying Salt Tera Type: Rock EVs: 252 HP / 148 Def / 108 SpD Impish Nature - Stealth Rock - Salt Cure - Recover - Heavy Slam`
	.. offensive (waiting on team dump for this set) itemless sd iron head thief sucker .. spdef `Pawniard @ Eviolite Ability: Pressure Tera Type: Dark EVs: 252 HP / 232 SpD / 24 Spe Careful Nature - Thunder Wave - Thief - Sucker Punch - Iron Head` Outspeeds para frog. spdef dump.
*	.. mixdef `Phanpy @ Eviolite Ability: Sand Veil Tera Type: Ground EVs: 216 HP / 40 Def / 252 SpD Impish Nature - Encore / Stealth Rock - Thief - High Horsepower - Counter`
	Massive threat, good answer to missy, thwackey, servine. Best lure for quax and mare. .. fast `Pignite @ Eviolite Ability: Thick Fat Tera Type: Fire EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe Jolly Nature - Knock Off - Flame Charge - Close Combat - High Horsepower` Outspeeds Electabuzz at +1. .. bulky `Pignite @ Eviolite Ability: Blaze Tera Type: Fire EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD Adamant Nature - Knock Off - Flare Blitz - Close Combat / Drain Punch / High Horsepower / Wild Charge - Sucker Punch / Bulk Up / Will-o-Wisp`
*	pika hardly has a niche in gligarless ebuzz meta... .. special biased `Pikachu @ Light Ball Ability: Lightning Rod Tera Type: Electric EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe Timid Nature - Knock Off - Surf - Thunderbolt - Volt Switch`
	you know something's not right when pilo stays in on quax to click rocks and gets rewarded for it .. spdef `Piloswine @ Eviolite Ability: Thick Fat Tera Type: Ice EVs: 252 HP / 16 Atk / 240 SpD Adamant Nature - Stealth Rock / Roar - High Horsepower - Icicle Crash - Ice Shard` .. fast `Piloswine @ Eviolite Ability: Thick Fat Tera Type: Ice EVs: 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe Adamant Nature - Stealth Rock / Throat Chop / Trailblaze - High Horsepower - Icicle Crash - Ice Shard`
	.. h `Poliwhirl @ Leftovers Ability: Water Absorb Tera Type: Water EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe Timid Nature IVs: 0 Atk - Substitute - Encore - Whirlpool - Ice Beam`
*	.. defog deterrant `Prinplup @ Eviolite Ability: Competitive Tera Type: Water EVs: 224 HP / 240 SpA / 44 Spe Modest Nature IVs: 0 Atk - Roost - Surf - Ice Beam - Tera Blast`
	the hopes, the good wishes, the spit and glue that holds our tier together .. physdef `Quaxwell @ Eviolite Ability: Moxie Tera Type: Water EVs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 24 SpD / 32 Spe Impish Nature - Roost - Encore - Rapid Spin - Flip Turn` Outspeeds adamant Thwackey at +1. physdef dump. Optionally run torrent.
	.. spdef `Quilladin @ Eviolite Ability: Bulletproof Tera Type: Grass EVs: 252 HP / 16 Def / 240 SpD Careful Nature - Synthesis - Spikes - Super Fang - Wood Hammer`
	.. pivot `Raboot @ Heavy-Duty Boots Ability: Libero Tera Type: Fire EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe Jolly Nature - Flare Blitz - High Jump Kick - Sucker Punch / Taunt / Electro Ball - U-turn`
*	.. spdef `Rufflet (M) @ Heavy-Duty Boots Ability: Keen Eye Tera Type: Normal EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD Careful Nature - Roost - Defog - Brave Bird - U-turn / Facade`
*	.. mixdef `Sandygast @ Eviolite Ability: Water Compaction Tera Type: Ghost EVs: 252 HP / 8 Def / 248 SpD Bold Nature IVs: 0 Atk - Shore Up - Scorching Sands - Hex - Stealth Rock / Sludge Bomb`
	.. defensive `Seadra @ Eviolite Ability: Poison Point Tera Type: Water EVs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 Spe Bold Nature - Rest - Sleep Talk - Surf - Flip Turn`
	.. offensive `Servine @ Eviolite Ability: Contrary Tera Type: Grass EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe Timid Nature - Synthesis - Knock Off / Substitute - Leaf Storm - Tera Blast / Taunt / Glare` Scarf is viable on this set. .. spdef `Servine @ Eviolite Ability: Contrary Tera Type: Grass EVs: 252 HP / 28 Def / 196 SpD / 32 Spe Calm Nature - Synthesis - Glare / Mirror Coat - Knock Off - Leaf Storm` Outspeeds modest lampent. physdef dump. 252 SpA Protean Frogadier Ice Beam vs. 252 HP / 196+ SpD Eviolite Servine: 134-158 (41.3 - 48.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
*	.. mixdef `Shellos @ Eviolite Ability: Sticky Hold Tera Type: Water EVs: 252 HP / 104 Def / 152 SpD Calm Nature IVs: 0 Atk - Recover - Clear Smog - Surf - Stealth Rock` spdef dump. 252+ Atk Piloswine Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 104 Def Eviolite Shellos: 150-177 (42.1 - 49.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
	.. quagg's (? someone from deez nuzleaf) pivot (waiting on team dump for this set) pickpocket knock uturn encore .. weather setter `Shroodle @ Heat Rock Ability: Prankster Tera Type: Poison EVs: 252 HP / 196 Def / 60 SpD Impish Nature - Sunny Day - Encore - Knock Off - U-turn`
*	.. offensive `Sinistea @ Eviolite Ability: Cursed Body Tera Type: Ghost EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe Modest Nature IVs: 0 Atk - Shell Smash - Shadow Ball - Stored Power - Giga Drain / Tera Blast`
	.. specs (waiting on team dump for this set) .. curse `Sliggoo-Hisui @ Eviolite Ability: Sap Sipper Tera Type: Steel EVs: 248 HP / 16 Atk / 104 Def / 140 SpD Careful Nature - Rest - Sleep Talk / Protect - Curse - Iron Head`
*	Moody's not banned in this meta because the only user has always sucked. It still does currently (hazards, pilo, missy etc). Just remember that moody doesn't boost evasion since gen 8. .. cheese `Snorunt @ Leftovers Ability: Moody Tera Type: Ice EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe Jolly Nature - Substitute - Protect - Disable - Icicle Spear`
	safety net vs all physical sweepers .. utility `Stunky @ Eviolite Ability: Aftermath Tera Type: Poison EVs: 252 HP / 16 Atk / 176 SpD / 64 Spe Jolly Nature - Sucker Punch / Toxic / Poison Jab / Taunt / Protect - Sucker Punch / Toxic / Poison Jab / Taunt / Protect - Toxic Spikes - Knock Off` .. shing's offensive `Stunky @ Choice Scarf Ability: Aftermath EVs: 140 HP / 252 Atk / 116 Spe Jolly Nature - Knock Off - Toxic Spikes - Temper Flare - Sucker Punch`
	.. pivot `Thwackey @ Eviolite Ability: Grassy Surge Tera Type: Grass EVs: 240 HP / 252 Atk / 16 Spe Adamant Nature - Knock Off - Swords Dance / Wood Hammer - Grassy Glide - U-turn / Drain Punch` Outspeeds adamant pilo. hp dump. .. band `Thwackey @ Choice Band Ability: Grassy Surge Tera Type: Grass EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe Adamant Nature - Knock Off - Wood Hammer - Grassy Glide - U-turn`
	Tink can be a blanket check to many things, depending on the ev spread. Full investment on either defensive side, and anywhere inbetween is valid; use what your team likes best. .. physdef `Tinkatuff (F) @ Eviolite Ability: Pickpocket Tera Type: Fairy EVs: 252 HP / 224 Def / 32 Spe Impish Nature - Stealth Rock - Thunder Wave - Knock Off - Play Rough / Ice Hammer` Outspeeds adamant pilo. physdef dump. Physdef tinks can run balloon viably. .. spdef `Tinkatuff (F) @ Eviolite Ability: Mold Breaker Tera Type: Fairy EVs: 252 HP / 224 SpD / 32 Spe Careful Nature - Stealth Rock - Encore - Knock Off - Play Rough` Outspeeds adamant pilo. spdef dump. .. lure (who tf to credit for this madness shing or 5dots?) `Tinkatuff (F) @ Air Balloon Ability: Pickpocket Tera Type: Fairy EVs: 60 Atk / 252 SpA / 196 Spe Hasty Nature - Knock Off - Ice Hammer - Steel Beam - Thunder Wave`
	.. shing's mixdef `Varoom @ Eviolite Ability: Overcoat Tera Type: Steel EVs: 252 HP / 72 Def / 184 SpD Sassy Nature IVs: 0 Spe - Parting Shot - Poison Jab - Toxic Spikes - Thief`
	.. bu `Vigoroth @ Eviolite Ability: Vital Spirit Tera Type: Normal EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe Jolly Nature - Slack Off - Bulk Up / Taunt / Encore - Knock Off - Facade / Drain Punch`
	Physdef works too, or offensive with enough speed to outspeed ebuzz at +2. .. spdef `Vullaby (F) @ Eviolite Ability: Weak Armor Tera Type: Dark EVs: 248 HP / 236 SpD / 24 Spe Careful Nature - Roost - Defog - Knock Off - U-turn / Brave Bird / Toxic` Outspeeds timid frog at +2. spdef dump.
	.. special `Wartortle @ Eviolite Ability: Torrent Tera Type: Water EVs: 184 HP / 252 SpA / 72 Spe Modest Nature IVs: 0 Atk - Shell Smash - Substitute / Rapid Spin - Surf - Ice Beam` .. physical `Wartortle @ Eviolite Ability: Torrent Tera Type: Water EVs: 168 HP / 224 Atk / 116 Spe Adamant Nature - Shell Smash - Substitute / Zen Headbutt / Rapid Spin - Wave Crash - Ice Spinner`
	.. spdef sd sd recovery knock pjab (help i don't have a spread for this set)
*	funny hard wall for ebuzz and pika .. pooper `Wooper-Paldea @ Eviolite Ability: Water Absorb Tera Type: Poison EVs: 252 HP / 80 Def / 176 SpD Impish Nature - Recover - Stealth Rock - Spikes - Poison Jab`
	.. best pet `Zorua-Hisui @ Choice Scarf Ability: Illusion Tera Type: Normal EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe Jolly Nature - Knock Off - U-turn - Trick - Pain Split`
*	.. maybca's offensive `Zweilous @ Choice Band Ability: Hustle Tera Type: Dark EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe Adamant Nature - Crunch - Outrage - Ice Fang - Stomping Tantrum`
	DM me your sets!!! Notable missing mons: Charjabug, Dewott, Croconaw, Carkol, Krokorok, Braixen. 2024-04-03 added Marshtomp, Snorunt. 2024-07-22 removed Gligar, added psynoise > taunt as an option for defensive missy. 2024-09-03 a lot of changes, added Pignite, Mareanie, Varoom, Stunky, Phanpy, began update to nfepl meta. 2024-09-06 + gabite, ducklett, chinchou, sandygast, wooper-p, zorua-h, seadra 2024-09-19 removed Combusken and Electabuzz.

NOTE: for convenience, status moves were removed from this and where possible, replaced with the most common alternative attacks.

Code:

nfe offensive (Arctibax) @ Eviolite
Ability: Thermal Exchange
Tera Type: Dragon
EVs: 184 HP / 164 Atk / 160 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Outrage
- Dragon Claw
- Icicle Crash
- Iron Head

nfe mixdef (Bronzor) @ Eviolite
Ability: Levitate
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 252 HP / 192 Def / 20 SpA / 44 SpD
Bold Nature
- Flash Cannon
- Body Slam

nfe spdef (Chinchou) @ Eviolite
Ability: Volt Absorb
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 36 Def / 172 SpD / 48 Spe
Timid Nature
- Scald
- Volt Switch
- Flip Turn

nfe trapper (Chinchou) @ Eviolite
Ability: Water Absorb
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 40 HP / 144 Def / 172 SpA / 32 SpD / 120 Spe
Modest Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Whirlpool
- Scald
- Flip Turn

nfe mixdef (Clefairy) @ Eviolite
Ability: Magic Guard
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Alluring Voice
- Ice Beam

nfe offensive (Cranidos) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
Tera Type: Rock
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naughty Nature
- Rock Slide
- Ice Beam
- Thunder Punch

nfe physdef (Crocalor) @ Eviolite
Ability: Unaware
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Flamethrower
- Mud-Slap

nfe sash (Cutiefly) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Shield Dust
Tera Type: Bug
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Moonblast
- Bug Buzz
- U-turn

nfe bulky (Cutiefly) @ Eviolite
Ability: Shield Dust
Tera Type: Bug
EVs: 248 HP / 208 Def / 4 SpA / 48 SpD
Timid Nature
- Moonblast
- Bug Buzz
- U-turn

nfe phaze (Drakloak) @ Eviolite
Ability: Infiltrator
Tera Type: Dragon
EVs: 252 HP / 184 Def / 72 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Tail

nfe physdef (Ducklett) @ Eviolite
Ability: Hydration
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe
Bold Nature
- Hurricane
- Whirlpool
- Brave Bird
- Liquidation

nfe physdef (Dunsparce) @ Eviolite
Ability: Serene Grace
Tera Type: Normal
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Body Slam
- Headbutt
- Earthquake
- Thief

nfe offensive (Dunsparce) @ Eviolite
Ability: Serene Grace
Tera Type: Normal
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Earth Power
- Ice Beam

nfe double dance (Duosion) @ Eviolite
Ability: Magic Guard
Tera Type: Psychic
EVs: 252 HP / 212 Def / 44 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Psyshock
- Stored Power
- Flash Cannon

nfe support (Duosion) @ Eviolite
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Psychic
EVs: 252 HP / 156 Def / 56 SpD / 44 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Psyshock
- Energy Ball
- Future Sight

nfe trick room (Duosion) @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
Tera Type: Psychic
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Psychic
- Energy Ball
- Shadow Ball
- Thunder

nfe mixdef (Dusclops) @ Eviolite
Ability: Pressure
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 HP / 176 Def / 80 SpD
Calm Nature
- Thief

nfe physdef (Duskull) @ Eviolite
Ability: Levitate
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Thief

nfe pivot (Eelektrik) @ Eviolite
Ability: Levitate
Tera Type: Electric
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 24 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Giga Drain
- Thunderbolt

nfe physdef (Fletchinder) @ Eviolite
Ability: Flame Body
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 192 Def / 64 Spe
Impish Nature
- Brave Bird
- U-turn

nfe mixdef (Foongus) @ Eviolite
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Grass
EVs: 252 HP / 80 Def / 176 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Clear Smog
- Sludge Bomb
- Giga Drain
- Leaf Storm

nfe offensive (Fraxure) @ Eviolite
Ability: Mold Breaker
Tera Type: Dragon
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Outrage
- Iron Head
- Stomping Tantrum
- Poison Jab

nfe pivot (Frogadier) @ Eviolite
Ability: Protean
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- U-turn

nfe offensive (Gabite) @ Eviolite
Ability: Rough Skin
Tera Type: Dragon
EVs: 232 Atk / 24 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Outrage
- Scale Shot
- Iron Head

nfe np (Girafarig) @ Eviolite
Ability: Sap Sipper
Tera Type: Normal
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock
- Thunderbolt

nfe wp (Girafarig) @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Sap Sipper
Tera Type: Normal
EVs: 252 HP / 80 SpA / 176 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stored Power
- Hyper Voice

nfe agility (Glimmet) @ Power Herb
Ability: Toxic Debris
Tera Type: Rock
EVs: 16 HP / 140 Def / 252 SpA / 100 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Meteor Beam
- Power Gem
- Sludge Wave
- Mud Shot

nfe spdef (Grimer-Alola) @ Eviolite
Ability: Poison Touch
Tera Type: Poison
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Knock Off
- Poison Jab
- Drain Punch
- Ice Punch

nfe offensive (Grotle) @ Eviolite
Ability: Overgrow
Tera Type: Grass
EVs: 48 HP / 252 SpA / 208 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Giga Drain
- Tera Blast
- Earth Power

nfe spdef (Grotle) @ Eviolite
Ability: Overgrow
Tera Type: Grass
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Seed Bomb
- Crunch

nfe offensive (Hakamo-o) @ Eviolite
Ability: Bulletproof
Tera Type: Dragon
EVs: 20 HP / 244 Atk / 244 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Drain Punch
- Dragon Claw
- Iron Head

nfe physdef (Hattrem) (F) @ Eviolite
Ability: Magic Bounce
Tera Type: Psychic
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Giga Drain
- Draining Kiss
- Nuzzle

nfe offensive (Hattrem) (F) @ Eviolite
Ability: Magic Bounce
Tera Type: Psychic
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
Modest Nature
- Psychic
- Giga Drain
- Draining Kiss
- Nuzzle

nfe offensive (Ivysaur) @ Eviolite
Ability: Chlorophyll
Tera Type: Grass
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Knock Off
- Leaf Storm
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb

nfe mixdef (Koffing) @ Eviolite
Ability: Neutralizing Gas
Tera Type: Poison
EVs: 252 HP / 20 Def / 236 SpD
Calm Nature
- Thief
- Sludge Bomb
- Gunk Shot

nfe offensive (Lampent) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Flash Fire
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast
- Shadow Ball
- Energy Ball
- Psychic

nfe defensive (Mareanie) @ Eviolite
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Poison
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Surf
- Sludge Bomb
- Acid Spray
- Ice Beam

nfe physdef (Marill) @ Eviolite
Ability: Sap Sipper
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Whirlpool
- Knock Off

nfe tank (Marshtomp) @ Eviolite
Ability: Torrent
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Waterfall
- Ice Punch

nfe wp agility (Metang) @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Clear Body
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 120 HP / 252 Atk / 136 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Zen Headbutt
- Ice Punch
- Thunder Punch

nfe physdef (Misdreavus) @ Eviolite
Ability: Levitate
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic Noise
- Hex
- Shadow Ball
- Draining Kiss

nfe offensive (Misdreavus) @ Eviolite
Ability: Levitate
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Hex
- Draining Kiss
- Dazzling Gleam

nfe pivot (Monferno) @ Eviolite
Ability: Blaze
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Knock Off
- Flare Blitz
- Close Combat

nfe screens (Morgrem) (M) @ Light Clay
Ability: Prankster
Tera Type: Dark
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Dazzling Gleam
- Burning Jealousy
- Foul Play

nfe offensive (Morgrem) (M) @ Eviolite
Ability: Pickpocket
Tera Type: Dark
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Dark Pulse
- Dazzling Gleam
- Burning Jealousy

nfe physdef (Naclstack) @ Eviolite
Ability: Purifying Salt
Tera Type: Rock
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Salt Cure
- Body Press
- Earthquake
- Heavy Slam

nfe spdef (Pawniard) @ Eviolite
Ability: Pressure
Tera Type: Dark
EVs: 252 HP / 232 SpD / 24 Spe
Careful Nature
- Thief
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head
- Low Sweep

nfe mixdef (Phanpy) @ Eviolite
Ability: Sand Veil
Tera Type: Ground
EVs: 216 HP / 40 Def / 252 SpD
Impish Nature
- Thief
- High Horsepower

nfe fast (Pignite) @ Eviolite
Ability: Thick Fat
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Flame Charge
- Close Combat
- High Horsepower

nfe bulky (Pignite) @ Eviolite
Ability: Blaze
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Flare Blitz
- Close Combat
- Wild Charge

nfe pika (Pikachu) @ Light Ball
Ability: Lightning Rod
Tera Type: Electric
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Knock Off
- Surf
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch

nfe spdef (Piloswine) @ Eviolite
Ability: Thick Fat
Tera Type: Ice
EVs: 252 HP / 16 Atk / 240 SpD
Adamant Nature
- High Horsepower
- Icicle Crash
- Ice Shard
- Throat Chop

nfe offensive (Piloswine) @ Eviolite
Ability: Thick Fat
Tera Type: Ice
EVs: 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe
Adamant Nature
- High Horsepower
- Icicle Crash
- Ice Shard
- Trailblaze

nfe worrywhirl (Poliwhirl) @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Whirlpool
- Ice Beam

nfe tank (Prinplup) @ Eviolite
Ability: Competitive
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 224 HP / 240 SpA / 44 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Tera Blast
- Grass Knot

nfe physdef (Quaxwell) @ Eviolite
Ability: Moxie
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 224 Def / 32 Spe
Impish Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Triple Axel
- Flip Turn
- Brave Bird

nfe spdef (Quilladin) @ Eviolite
Ability: Bulletproof
Tera Type: Grass
EVs: 252 HP / 16 Def / 240 SpD
Careful Nature
- Wood Hammer

nfe pivot (Raboot) @ Choice Band
Ability: Libero
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Flare Blitz
- High Jump Kick
- Sucker Punch
- U-turn

nfe spdef (Rufflet) (M) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Keen Eye
Tera Type: Normal
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Body Slam
- Facade
- Brave Bird
- U-turn

nfe mixdef (Sandygast) @ Eviolite
Ability: Water Compaction
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 HP / 8 Def / 248 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scorching Sands
- Shadow Ball
- Hex
- Sludge Bomb

nfe defensive (Seadra) @ Eviolite
Ability: Poison Point
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 Spe
Bold Nature
- Surf
- Hydro Pump
- Flip Turn
- Ice Beam

nfe offensive (Servine) @ Eviolite
Ability: Contrary
Tera Type: Grass
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Knock Off
- Leaf Storm
- Tera Blast

nfe spdef (Servine) @ Eviolite
Ability: Contrary
Tera Type: Grass
EVs: 252 HP / 28 Def / 196 SpD / 32 Spe
Calm Nature
- Knock Off
- Leaf Storm
- Tera Blast

nfe mixdef (Shellos) @ Eviolite
Ability: Sticky Hold
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 104 Def / 152 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Sludge
- Clear Smog

nfe weather (Shroodle) @ Heat Rock
Ability: Prankster
Tera Type: Poison
EVs: 252 HP / 196 Def / 60 SpD
Impish Nature
- Knock Off
- U-turn

nfe offensive (Sinistea) @ Eviolite
Ability: Cursed Body
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Stored Power
- Giga Drain
- Tera Blast

nfe curse (Sliggoo-Hisui) @ Eviolite
Ability: Sap Sipper
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 248 HP / 16 Atk / 104 Def / 140 SpD
Careful Nature
- Iron Head

nfe moody (Snorunt) @ Leftovers
Ability: Moody
Tera Type: Ice
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Icicle Spear

nfe utility (Stunky) @ Eviolite
Ability: Aftermath
Tera Type: Poison
EVs: 252 HP / 16 Atk / 176 SpD / 64 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
- Poison Jab
- Temper Flare

nfe offensive (Stunky) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Aftermath
EVs: 140 HP / 252 Atk / 116 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Gunk Shot
- Temper Flare
- Sucker Punch

nfe pivot (Thwackey) @ Eviolite
Ability: Grassy Surge
Tera Type: Grass
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Atk / 16 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Wood Hammer
- Grassy Glide
- U-turn

nfe band (Thwackey) @ Choice Band
Ability: Grassy Surge
Tera Type: Grass
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Wood Hammer
- Grassy Glide
- U-turn

nfe physdef (Tinkatuff) (F) @ Eviolite
Ability: Pickpocket
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 HP / 224 Def / 32 Spe
Impish Nature
- Play Rough
- Ice Hammer
- Knock Off
- Stone Edge

nfe spdef (Tinkatuff) (F) @ Eviolite
Ability: Mold Breaker
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 HP / 224 SpD / 32 Spe
Careful Nature
- Play Rough
- Ice Hammer
- Knock Off
- Stone Edge

nfe mixdef (Varoom) @ Eviolite
Ability: Overcoat
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 252 HP / 72 Def / 184 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Gunk Shot
- Poison Jab
- Spin Out
- Thief

nfe bu (Vigoroth) @ Eviolite
Ability: Vital Spirit
Tera Type: Normal
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Facade
- Knock Off
- Drain Punch

nfe spdef (Vullaby) (F) @ Eviolite
Ability: Overcoat
Tera Type: Dark
EVs: 248 HP / 236 SpD / 24 Spe
Careful Nature
- Brave Bird
- Knock Off
- U-turn

nfe special (Wartortle) @ Eviolite
Ability: Torrent
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 184 HP / 252 SpA / 72 Spe
Modest Nature
- Surf
- Ice Beam
- Tera Blast
- Rapid Spin

nfe physical (Wartortle) @ Eviolite
Ability: Torrent
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 168 HP / 224 Atk / 116 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Wave Crash
- Ice Spinner
- Zen Headbutt
- Rapid Spin

nfe mixdef (Wooper-Paldea) @ Eviolite
Ability: Water Absorb
Tera Type: Poison
EVs: 252 HP / 80 Def / 176 SpD
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Poison Jab

nfe scarf (Zorua-Hisui) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Illusion
Tera Type: Normal
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Trick
- Pain Split

nfe offensive (Zweilous) @ Choice Band
Ability: Hustle
Tera Type: Dark
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Crunch
- Outrage
- Ice Fang
- Stomping Tantrum

o7 nfe ladder

5Dots · Jul 12, 2024

After over three months of no tiering action and being quite dominating in games, to the point of being overcentralizing. Council has decided to ban Gligar from NFE! A supermajority of 3/4 bans were required for this, and Gligar has met this threshold.

Gligar's excellent stats towers over NFE's power level - it is undoubtedly the best Spikes setter with its vast utility movepool, crippling potentially decent answers like Thwackey and Vullaby with Toxic and Knock Off, while being a great Toxic Absorber itself with Immunity, all crippled by its excellent physical and passable special bulk. It has been also an excellent pivot, pairing well with other elite VoltTurn forces like Thwackey and Electabuzz to rapidly chip down the opposition. Base 85 Speed also makes it an excellent breaker or cleaner; with its defenses and important, high base power moves gives it ample opportunity to set up. Several matches had Gligar duels where one would run Ice Fang just to improve the mirror matchup, evident of its impact. Gligar's impact has made games much bulkier and slower, to the point where hazard removal is an arduous task for the few viable ones in Vullaby and Quaxwell.

Tagging dhelmise and Marty for implementation on the challenge format. However, Gligar will remain legal for the rest of Round 2 for those participating in NFE Seasonal. From Round 3 onwards, Gligar will remain banned, so bringing it in a tour will result in an automatic loss.

NFE has gone through quite a bit of development over the past year, ranging from DLC drops to multiple bans. We would love to hear from your opinions, so we could continue to lead NFE into more tiering action (or none at all). Your opinion matters a lot for the future of this tier, so don't hesitate to take a minute to fill the survey in.

NewYorkNinjas · Jul 29, 2024

The real question is when will duraludon be unbanned?

PandaDoux · Jul 29, 2024

NewYorkNinjas said:
The real question is when will duraludon be unbanned?

Hopefully never

Kabilapok · Aug 11, 2024

Some teams made during a team tournament hosted by the French community (Arcade). I got the opportunity to be the co-captain of Maybca☆〜ゝ。∂ 's team and played in the NFE slot.
I have to say that my teams reflect how far behind I am in knowing the metagame. Mistakes were made during games but that's how you learn, and it was cool to fight my lovely opponents.

W1 vs. Jeza.p - Quilladin Hazard Stack

W2 vs. Lyna - Def Naclstack + Pignite

Inspired by Shing 's NFE seasonal R4 post.

W3 vs. Dragonillis - Volt-Turn Frogadier Webs

Mirbro · Sep 6, 2024

Dear NFE friends,

After some time of developing throughout the seasonals and the NFEPL, this meta has switched in a way that presents three main threats:

:Electabuzz:

One of the main NFE staples throughout several gens, this guy is now a bit broken/unhealthy. God speed tier, decent bulk, static ability, and a better movepool make it a strong mon that fits in all teams encompassing all archetypes. Generally it is used as a special attacker that is able to volt-switch while spamming Knock Off to weaken the ground mon, also known as Piloswine (Gabite and Marshtomp as well, but you know, they are less common). Generally, these mons can check Electabuzz if they run decent bulk or resttalk sets. Once they are itemless, then they need to rely on offensive pressure or resttalk. Focus Blast and Psychic hit them all quite strongly, also hitting other checks in the tier such as Grass-Poison mons (e.g., Ivysaur, Weepinbell). Servine can check it quite well, but it cannot threaten it due to being slower. This makes Electabuzz really good and even at some extent unhealthy, but then you realize that Electabuzz can also be physical, running Electroslam, Knock Off, Ice Punch/Cross and Bulk Up. This is a scary cleaner and very useful in HO archetypes. This Pokémon can also win against grounds and Grass-type Pokémon (ofc Servine cannot check it).

In summary, Electabuzz is fast, can be either physical or special, can spam Knock Off, and this metagame has practically no tools to deal with it consistently without being too oppressive for building. I would say that Electabuzz is broken.

:Combusken:

Great Pokémon that can clean late-game with ease, even mid-game if the oppo's team is unprepared. SD and Protect altogether with the Speed Boosts lead to Combusken clean with only one turn, which is quite easy to find as the tear has plenty of Grass-type Pokémon and others that can serve as setup fodder. STAB CC is crazy scary and hit practically everything besides Misderavus and Drakloak. Then, you have to choose which mons you want to deal with by running Thunder Punch for waters (e.g., Quaxwell and Mareanie), Shadow Claw for Ghosts (e.g., Misdreavus and Drakloak) or Flare Blitz or similar Fire type attack for STAB and to hit Grasses.

In summary, Combusken is really oppressive and there is not that much of counterplay, being necessary several checks in your team to stop the distinct possibilities. I would say that Combusken is at least unhealthy and even broken.

:Misdreavus:

Misdreavus has been on the radar for a while. In the last metagame, it helped to create a great scenario for hazard stacking altogether with Gligar. Even now oppresses hazard removal by blocking Rapid Spin from Quaxwell. Misdreavus has decent speed and bulk checking offensively some Pokémon such as Thwackey and even can come in against Piloswine due to its ability Levitate. Then, it can spam WoW and make progress. However, due to the recent usage of Girafarig and even Shroodle, its viability has seen a decrease as it has significant issues trying to deal with them, compared to Electabuzz and Combusken which can decide how to deal with their checks. Misdreavus can also be scary offensively, as CM and NP sets can surprise unprepared teams, but still they can have a rough time against Girafarig, Dunsparce, Naclstack based teams.

In summary, Misdreavus is still good, maybe worse than before, but still good. Oppresses teambuilding but not in an unhealthy way, in part because hazard stacking has been nerfed. Misdreavus is, in my opinion, healthy for this metagame.

Here goes my opinion regarding NFE's state-of-the-art. I hope we can improve the metagame before UMPL starts. I also want to ask for more activity in the forums! We need to spark this again.

AM · Sep 6, 2024

Quax, monferno, and tink are garbage until the 3 above are banned, please stop using them seriously. Buzz is blatantly broken, chicken probably is too, missy makes spin unviable makes everything a Spikes fest so ban all 3 or at least ban the first two and see how it goes.

Had a tough nfepl score wise but had fun when I was able to be active so thanks maybca sealeo for having me along. This meta is a bit more fun than like SS but the above def need the boot as they're too constraining for various reasons.

PandaDoux · Sep 9, 2024

I've learned a lot with NFEPL and i've explored a lot of different stuff in this tier, so since NFEPL is done this is my thoughts on the tier:
Here is my personal VR of the current metagame:

I will go through every Pokemon one by one, so this is gonna be quite a long post.

This tier only has Electabuzz, no other Pokemon do what it does, no other Pokemon demands as much prep as it does, being the fastest Pokemon, with Knock Off, a decent bulk, and a good SpA, as well as very good coverage and pivot, i mean it just has everything to make it the number 1 threat. This Pokemon is very controversial within the metagame, as a lot of people said, Electabuzz is unhealthy/broken due to how easy it is for it to make progress on its own and how fast it is, having to run ground + grass in almost every team to prevent it from being a problem in most games is absolutely ridiculous, however, people haven't talked about what Electabuzz brings to the tier at all.
Electabuzz checks Misdreavus, Wartortle, Frogadier, as well as being able to take advantage of Quaxwell, that alone is incredibly healthy in my opinion. Electabuzz prevents the Misdreavus and the Water-types from being out of control in my opinion, our Grass-types are not that good to handle Water-types, the only Dragon-type that does a good job at checking Water-types is Sliggoo-Hisui, Quaxwell does check Frogadier and Wartortle but people have already explored new techs to cripple Quaxwell with Pokemons like Air Ballon Tinkatuff who steals its Eviolite, which is extremely problematic, Pokemons like Pignite and Monferno,who are great Pokemons to force a Knock Off on Quaxwell in most cases.
Electabuzz also prevents Frogadier from being problematic, Spikes has been a constant nuisance to the tier throughout the entire generation, we've seen it with Qwilfish-Hisui and Gligar before, Spikes + Spinblocker is just too much for the tier, it's been proved twice already and i believe it will be proved again by Frogadier if Electabuzz gets banned from the tier. Our Defog users are just incredibly bad, and i don't think it's a Piloswine issue as Stareal stated in his post, it's just the way that it is, if Piloswine wasn't the best rocker, Gabite SD would still force Rocks against Defog Users, as well as Dunsparce, and probably Naclstack, Glimmet, Clefairy and Tinkatuff in most cases. The only Pokemon i'm interested to see to handle Frogadier Spikes is Hattrem. Anyway, all this yap just to say :
Electabuzz is not entirely unhealthy to the tier, it brings healthy stuff to the tier that no other Pokemon is capable of and that shouldn't be overlooked during the council vote, if Electabuzz gets banned, we will most likely need an action on this whole Spikes/Spinblocker situation.
Man i wish Servine got Defog....

A+

Misdreavus is a very versatile Pokemon and is one of the first Pokemon a team needs to handle, Ghost-type, Levitate, good Speed, decent bulk, an incredible moveset with Taunt, Nasty Plot, Night Shade, Dazzling Gleam, Trick, Will-o-Wisp, Pain Split... such an annoying Pokemon to deal with for a lot of teams. Having Misdreavus allows you to have Hazards on the field for the rest of the game, you don't even have to put it on the field a single time, Misdreavus existing just prevent the opponent from removing hazards, which gets you such a big advantage for the game, you don't have to find a strategy to handle Quaxwell in order to get rocks up with Piloswine, just put Misdreavus in your team and it's done, Misdreavus is able to 3HKO pretty much the entire tier thanks to Night Shade and the best way of handling it is to have a Normal-type like Girafarig, Dunsparce, or Vigoroth to take advantage of it, or to put Pokemons with Knock Off on it to force it out, but in most cases these Pokemons are slower and needs to be at 60+ % in order to live 2 Night Shade, and Electabuzz checks it for a limited amount of time.
I think Misdreavus is completely unhealthy to the tier, i don't think this Pokemon brings anything good for the tier, our only way to remove Hazards from the field is Rapid Spin and Misdreavus completely denies that, you might want to say "but why wouldn't we use other Ghost-types then?", well that's because Misdreavus is the only one to safely deny Quaxwell without being just "a spinblocker" Misdreavus is an actual threat in game that needs to be handled, unlike 99% of ghost-types in the tier, the next best Ghost-type is Drakloak and this Pokemon's only recovery is Rest, which completely makes you lose the momentum you have, the whole Rest/Talk strategy gets exploited by so many wallbreakers (Setups, Specs or Band users, Pignite, Encore, Taunt...), and if you wanna counter Drakloak you can also play Triple Axel Quaxwell.
We've seen multiple replays early NFEPL where a team with Misdreavus just destroys a team without Misdreavus without much struggle, and later some teams started to just give up on removing hazards lol because at the end of the day if you can't rapid spin with Quaxwell due to the opponent Misdreavus, might as well just use the slot for an additional threat or another useful Pokemon.
Misdreavus is unhealthy, it brings nothing enjoyable to the tier and is a big part of our whole Hazards issue.

:koffing:

Koffing is the best check to Thwackey & Servine, has recovery with Pain Split, some very good moves like Thief, Will-o-Wisp, and of course, Toxic Spikes. Toxic Spikes are incredibly good and basically forces every team to have either a Poison-type or a way to take advantage of Koffing like Girafarig Specs, Sliggoo-Hisui Specs, Duosion... Neutralizing Gas is also such an amazing ability, completely denying Servine from being a threat, ignoring Magic Bounce, making it able to steal Tinkatuff with Thief. This Pokemon does a simple thing very efficiently and that's why i put it so high, TSpikes vs a team without Poison-type and without a way to take advantage of Koffing is basically an easy win.

:quaxwell:

This ugly ass duck is unfortunately top tier, it's the only good and reliable Pokemon to remove Hazards of the field, yep, the only one, while Wartortle threatens Misdreavus, it doesn't have any recovery which makes it quite unreliable, and the Defog users are just incredibly bad since they're either overall just terrible Pokemons, or let Piloswine come for free to get rocks up again, which leads us to use whatever The Pokemon Company was smoking when making Quaxly's evolutions. This Pokemon is basically a staple of the tier at this point, if you don't have a way to keep hazards up against Quaxwell, you're in massive trouble.

:piloswine:

Piloswine has some massive stats, an incredible bulk with one of the best Attack stat of the tier, Piloswine is such an amazing wallbreaker when given the right support, i don't like Defensive Piloswine because i don't want to use Piloswine for its ability to check Electabuzz, i want to use it for its ability to break the opponent team with support. Piloswine does need either Misdreavus to keep Rocks up or Electabuzz to take advantage of Quaxwell, its incredible Ground/Ice typing covers perfectly the whole tier, Piloswine also brings some sort of Speed Control with Ice Shard. Although Piloswine is not a very good user of Stealth Rocks on its own, which is why teams with Tinkatuff became more common by the end of NFEPL. Piloswine doesn't need to be the rocks user of the team, it can act as a wallbreaker with Choice Band since a lot of teams rely on Quaxwell to be the ground resistance. Piloswine can also act as a sweeper with Trailblaze, Trailblaze is unironically an amazing move to have on Piloswine, at +1 Speed Piloswine can outspeed Thwackey, and at +2 Speed Piloswine outspeeds the entire tier, which makes it a great sweeper, it did not get a lot of uses but it has swept quite a few times in NFEPL, a very underrated set in my opinion. Anyway Piloswine is not unhealthy or broken, i don't think Piloswine is the one that prevents Defog users from being good.

:servine:

Servine is the best Grass-type of the tier in my opinion, it's the most reliable Electabuzz check of the tier, and is very threatening with Leaf Storm + Knock Off, being able to break Pokemons like Tinkatuff, Pignite, and even Vullaby with Rocks up. It forces Pokemons like Sliggoo-Hisui, Koffing, and Ivysaur in most teams, since Glare also prevents stuff like Raboot, Monferno, Girafarig from coming so easily. A simple but efficient Grass-type.

:thwackey:

Thwackey is an amazing Grass-type, while i ranked Servine right above it i think Thwackey is completely different from it and doesn't get any competition from it. Unlike Servine, Thwackey brings pivot and speed control with Grassy Glide. Very good in Voltturn teams and Offenses.

A
:combusken:

Combusken is completely broken, completely out of control for this metagame, Speed Boost + SD + 120 BP STABS is just complete bullshit, i feel like everyone agrees that Combusken is just a stupid and broken setup sweeper that has no issue setting up and taking multiple kills, if not sweeping the entire team. Reason why it's not A+ is because i don't feel like it's as splashable as the other mons and this mon only fulfill one role, unlike all of the Pokemons above.
Ban Combusken asap, this is completely broken.

:tinkatuff:

Tinkatuff is a very annoying Pokemon that got some people quitting the metagame when it was once centralizing the tier lol, and it's still a very good and annoying Pokemon, Stealth Rock + Knock Off makes it a very good Stealth Rock user and it has moves like Thunder Wave & Encore to be even more annoying to deal with for any kind of teams. As if all that wasn't enough, it's one of the rare Pickpocket user, which makes using Knock Off not so free and makes the opponent not only lose a turn when doing Knock Off, but also gives YOU progress by removing the opponent's Eviolite, which is one of the best ability to have in this tier. Steel Beam has been used a couple of times to lure Piloswine and kill it instantly which is huge depending on the team you have.

:raboot:

Raboot is just a standard offensive Pokemon, good Speed, good moves, U-turn, amazing Ability, a very good Pokemon to clean or break with.

A-
:ivysaur:

Ivysaur is a good Pokemon that can fulfill multiple roles a team needs (able to handle Electabuzz other Pokemons, removes TSpikes from the field, able to break a lot of teams who uses Fire or Poison-types as Grass-checks), a good Pokemon.

:wartortle:

Wartortle only sees uses on Offense, it's a very threatening sweeper with Shell Smash since most Grass-types will lose its Eviolite by the end of the game and Ebuzz will get weakened as well. Wartortle is not just a sweeper tho, it can check Fire and Ground-types as well as pressuring Pokemons like Koffing. The second best Rapid Spin user of the tier after Quaxwell if hazards become an issue, otherwise a set with Sub to get Torrent is a good option.

:pignite:

Pignite is a very good wallbreaker, Pignite is able to take a kill on its own and to make progress for other offensive Pokemons like Wartortle, Piloswine and Combusken thanks to Knock Off. Pignite is also able to check Grass-types and is able to trade against most Pokemons.

B+

Good wallbreaker with Specs, and a good check to a plethora of Pokemons (Servine, Thwackey, Ivysaur, Electabuzz at some extent, Girafarig, Wartortle....) and is a perfect example of a Pokemon that takes advantage of Koffing.

:gabite:

Good Stealth Rocks user that doesn't need Misdreavus to get rocks up thanks to Swords Dance, can act as a breaker and check Fire-types quite well.

:girafarig:

Girafarig Specs is a very good wallbreaker, able to completely take advantage of the lack of Dark & Steel-types in the tier, and completely takes advantage of Koffing and Misdreavus, a very threatening wallbreaker when given the right MU.

:fraxure:

Another good wallbreaker, Fairy and Steel-types are just not common by any means, which means that Band is able to get some amazing MUs, Dragon Dance or SD is also a good set.

B
:hattrem:

The only Pokemon that prevents Piloswine + Misdreavus from working, Magic Bounce is extremely good, unfortunately the Pokemon doesn't have much else for it, it's typing is bad, its moveset is limited, Nuzzle is its best way to not be passive so that says a lot about it.

:dunsparce:

This Pokemon is very versatile, can be the rock setter with Rocks + Toxic, can be CM, Agility Serene Grace... I just feel like there's always other Pokemons who do a better job than Dunsparce at something, probably underexplored but i don't feel like it deserves a better ranking at the moment.

:vigoroth:

Vigoroth is probably the best Misdreavus counter, it outspeeds and doesn't care about WoW thanks to Facade, a very good Pokemon against Misdreavus teams but quite mediocre against other MUs.

:frogadier:

Frogadier just struggles to be built with due to Electabuzz being so good right now, it a good Pokemon but Electabuzz is holding it back a lot.

:monferno:

Pignite is better but Monferno brings a good Speed and is able to pivot, which makes a big difference in some teams. Also able to be mixed and use stuff like Taunt and Slack Off.

B-
:glimmet:

Spikes + Rocks + TSpikes = annoying as hell, doesn't do much else than spamming hazards but does come on Pokemons like Tinkatuff & Koffing. Needs Misdreavus tho.

:duosion:

Future Sight is extremely good, unfortunately Duosion really suffers from Knock Off being everywhere, because otherwise it'd be an amazing Pokemon. Anyway yeah just another good Psychic-type taking advantage of the lack of Psychic-resist and of the presence of Koffing.

:vullaby:

25% on Rocks is tough but it's a decent Pokemon to check Grass-types and pivot or Thief/Toxic.

:mareanie:

Kinda hard to fit, since you want your Poison-type to check Grass-types but Mareanie doesn't check Grass-types. Also Pignite & Combusken have coverage so sometimes it doesn't even check those, but it's still a decent defensive Pokemons.

:clefairy:

Clefairy has a hard time fitting into the metagame, Poison-types are very good, but Clefairy Trick as a Koff Absorber is really good imo.

From now on Pokemons are not ranked in the tiers, this tier is for Pokemons that works with a niche, but wouldn't work other than this single niche.

C+
:dewott:

Good Pokemon to Koff Quaxwell and Grass-types for Water-types in a Water spam.

:drakloak:

Brings a different utility than Misdreavus with checking Raboot & Ebuzz (kinda) but barely more interesting than Misdreavus.

:grimer-alola:

This Pokemon got spammed a lot for what it is in my opinion, Poison Touch is very interesting but it stops there, i don't think it's a very good check to Grass-types, especially Ivysaur who wins the duel against it in some sets. Interesting double typing.

:seadra:

Resttalk full def flip turn surf, Poison Point allows you to cripple Quaxwell, not much else interesting with it.

:shroodle:

Pickpocket + Poison-type + U-turn, the setup set with Grassy Seed is kinda funny.

:varoom:

It's Shroodle but you drop Pickpocket for a much more reliable Grass check and TSpikes.

C
:crocalor:

Crocalor counters Combusken and checks Grass-types.

:morgrem:

Nasty Plot + Pickpocket is interesting, Prankster Light Clay is cool too.

:pawniard:

Pawniard doesn't check a lot of stuff reliably but Thief is very interesting with it which might be able to get Quaxwell's Eviolite.

:quilladin:

Spikes.

Aurora Veil Light Clay + 5 dumb offensive breakers can work.

C-
:braixen:

Magician is great to get Eviolite from Quaxwell but Braixen is quite slow and is weak to rocks and doesn't really do anything else besides that (even tho that's still good)

:krokorok:

Good scarf User with Moxie, Dark/Ground is interesting offensively and might be threatening to some teams.

:marshtomp:

ebuzz check + rocks

:naclstack:

Defensive Pokemon that doesn't check much lol but extremely annoying when on the field

:pikachu:

worse ebuzz

:porygon:

Specs goes kinda crazy sometimes but not very reliable

Webs Hater
:charjabug:

I'm just a Webs Hater in all honesty, not only most fast Pokemons play Boots. But you give Servine a +1 Speed lol this truly is an extreme fish that either gets you an amazing but very rare MU or it gets you a terrible MU against most teams.

I've seen people talk about a Gurdurr's unban a couple of times and i'd like to tell the council that it's a terrible idea, Gurdurr has literally, no switch-ins.
None, not a single one.
Guts paired with Drain Punch + Knock Off + HHP + PJab kills everything.
:koffing:

252+ Atk Gurdurr Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Neutralizing Gas Koffing: 51-60 (17.9 - 21.1%) -- possible 5HKO
252+ Atk Gurdurr High Horsepower vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Neutralizing Gas Koffing: 146-174 (51.4 - 61.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
After this, which is taking at least 18 + 51 = 69% (nice), Koffing will be able to do its first move (since you most likely come on a Knock Off since this move is free in most scenarios), you have 4 options :
- Pain Split https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2197853863
- Will-o-Wisp https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2197855562
- Thief https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2197856316
- Sludge Bomb https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2197857040
So here's proof that Koffing doesn't even fully trade against Gurdurr, it does 60% max.

:clefairy:

252+ Atk Gurdurr Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Clefairy: 37-44 (10.7 - 12.7%) -- possible 8HKO
252+ Atk Gurdurr Poison Jab vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Clefairy: 182-216 (52.9 - 62.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
10 + 52 = 62%, then clefairy is moving,
Trick means you have 38% at best but
252+ Atk Gurdurr Poison Jab vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Clefairy: 122-144 (35.4 - 41.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

TWave gives it Guts
252+ Atk Guts Gurdurr Poison Jab vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Clefairy: 272-322 (79 - 93.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Moonblast
0 SpA Clefairy Moonblast vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Eviolite Gurdurr: 158-188 (42.3 - 50.4%) -- 1.2% chance to 2HKO

So yeah Clefairy doesn't even trade as well, does 50% at best.

:misdreavus:

252+ Atk Gurdurr Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Misdreavus: 132-156 (40.7 - 48.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
0 SpA Misdreavus Dazzling Gleam vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Eviolite Gurdurr: 116-138 (31 - 36.9%) -- 73.3% chance to 3HKO
yet again can't even fully trade against gurdurr

Unlike SS, Gurdurr won't have any problems with 4MSS since HHP + PJab is literally the perfect coverage for it.

"PD can you make a summary of your yapping?"
Sure : Ban Combusken , Ban Electabuzz , Ban Misdreavus
Do Not Unban Gurdurr

Shing · Sep 9, 2024

Ebuzz is a very interesting mon for me in SV NFE. While many would make simplistic answers as to why Ebuzz is that good, I feel like we aren't too deep enough in details although I think Mirbro covered a lot of it enough in an easy way for anyone to understand. I'll tell my thoughts on Electabuzz in a language/way where it applies more to those who have been there from playing and building aspects. It's most likely going to be biased because of how you determine the counterplay, gameplay, interactions, etc, as it becomes very subjective.

For me, Electabuzz is a Pokemon that makes guaranteed progress in any position with minimal drawbacks and keeps an eye on everything in the tier at any point. There is this funny aspect of me where Misdreavus is held back from being truly oppressive because dealing with Electabuzz after they switch in Missy is covered in layers of trickiness to play around afterward in later turns. Usually, it leads into Electabuzz's favor the longer the games go, which made me drop Missy at times in teambuilding because it just doesn't have the defensive synergy enough against certain Ebuzz structures. Because of its unique coverage, it helps me keep an eye on some mons that are incredibly tricky to handle as well, e.g Vigoroth, Dunsparce, Wartortle, and Combuksen as long it's healthy and Combusken isn't CB or 2+ invested. Electabuzz is one of the main ones that lead SV NFE to have more interactions where you have to trade mons, similar to SM NFE as opposed to SS NFE's "keep your mons alive and there's no need to necessarily trade unless you're in Piloswine ditto". Electabuzz has its healthy aspect where it keeps broken things in check from itself or its cores, and forces teams to make more interactive interactions if that's the right word LOL.

My problem with Electabuzz is that it has such oppressive gameplay with little drawback or weakness that can be minimized in so many ways. We already know it's the fastest Pokemon in every NFE tier (as long as Sneasel is auto-banned), and it's known for having very strong coverage that creates teams to run with cores to handle it. The weakness it had back there was it couldn't break through mons that had Eviolite still on them, and therefore was forced to be active in much later games. However, in gen 9, Electabuzz received Knock Off, and that changed EVERYTHING. Now it can be more active basically in every game position, and combined with the traits above it's facing against Specs Ebuzz without the damn drawback of being locked. Imagine that shit in Natdex NFE, and it's still allowed but that's for another time that doesn't belong in here. Electabuzz has this funny ass coverage where it can decide to deal with its checks. It's not a 4mss here, Electabuzz Electric/Fighting/Knock Off coverage covers the majority of tier alone, it's just it can have Psychic to shut down checks such as Grass/Poison mons, which is why that combo with Koffing is quite strong won't you agree with that? Ice Punch or Physical Ebuzz while less desired has still the coverage to handle against the tier and takes advantage of teams using Gabite/Servine. Here's a thing most people don't discuss much or disagree with me, but most Ebuzz checks are so cheeks in this tier. Most of them are so simple and easy to cover those checks with other mons. Ivysaur and Weepingbell besides psychic, go right into Sliggoo-Hisui, Pawniard, and some degree of Koffing. Hell wouldn't be surprised if Hakamo-O would go and try to take advantage of both of these mons lol. Quilladin is an inconsistent af spiker and does not appreciate the Hattrem/Vullaby MU(though I could argue there are ways to develop it vs those though not at the same time). I like Gabite as a Mon, but that mon is something I don't fuck with because being so weak to Missy, Piloswine, and Thwackey is just cheeks and it can still get trolled by Physdef Vullaby like LMAO. Most other ground types aren't viable, and unfortunately, the counter like Marshtomp and Charjabug are just awful vs the meta itself. The best checks/counters are pretty much Thwackey and Service because they aren't as passive as the above ones, have the tools that matter in the late game, and don't completely hate Ebuzz's coverage. But even those mons can be specifically exploited by Ebuzz by other mons, or Ebuzz can opt for t-wave to cripple them so slower mons can take advantage of their not-so-perfect coverage.

A small mention that Clef does consistently check Ebuzz, but that mon is just too underwhelming and has a poor synergy to the whole tier so Ebuzz teams naturally handle Clef without needing to make much of a effort.

Electabuzz isn't like overwhelmingly powerful or feels unbeatable in practice, but it has such a restricting strength due to its skewed risk and reward which has affected team building and in-game in a way I don't like. I would like to see it get banned/suspected rather than it being in the tier.

:Misdreavus:

I've mentioned Missy above here, and plenty of times in previous metas and I don't really want to go deep into it again since that mon tires me out. I'll keep it simple and say that Missy is fine if only Electabuzz stays in the tier because I believe that Ebuzz prevents Missy from becoming too bullshit, and 90% of the good teams bring Electabuzz into their team anyway so why am I feeling to ban Missy before Ebuzz when I think Ebuzz is more unhealthier than Missy rn. If Ebuzz gets banned though, then ok sure I'm on the train banning Missy. Knock Off changes a mon as always, and there are not any other mons that have the attributes that Ebuzz has as Pikachu/Elekid are more frail, and Vigoroth lacks the power to output dmg. Missy is easily unhealthy as it gatekeeps most slower mons and then most faster mons are pretty easy to cover lol. It's not broken rn, but if Ebuzz is banned then obviously it deserves the ban IMO.

:Combusken:

Combusken should be quickbanned rofl. All you need to do is hyper-focus on removing Eviolite on Quaxwell/Water types and Koffing to win lol, which has been shown in recent NFEPL games with itemless Tinkatuff/Shroodle, and you can easily bait thief Koffing with Specs Sliggoo-Hisui for example. It's nearly impossible to stop Combusken from Eviolite alone, no point for me to talk more about it. Ban it before UMPL happens thx.

:Piloswine:

Piloswine doesn't feel right for me to belong in SV NFE as its bulk and power feel way too criminal for me lmao. As a whole? It's not too overpowered as an SV NFE mon as you have clear switch-ins that can go in and out many times without being passive, but I do admit that being forced to use Quaxwell(bonus points if with Prinplup), Physdef Missy, and Dunsparce isn't that healthy tbh. Especially you can use a similar strategy to cripple your counters above. Electabuzz being gone means this CB could be pushed even further, and I could easily see Piloswine becoming too overwhelmingly powerful in a more developed meta post-ebuzz ban. Not bannable now, but I resonate with Stareal's post as this meta has rlly sus af Piloswine checks even rn. It has its healthy aspect, but I am not denying that it can more than likely take advantage of meta and become too strong for the tier. Getting this ban changes the power dynamic in a big deal, which does interest me. I do become a bit afraid if grass types or Tinkatuff become annoying ass mfs, but Piloswine probably abuses them more than helps them lmao.

:Dunsparce:

Just gonna mention that Dunsparce can be a potential suspect after all the bans because most mons can't OHKO it, and Dunsparce is kinda bullshit I'm being for real. PandaDoux has just a skill issue building with it, does not take advantage of its utility tools, and realizes that Dunsparce can unironically go fast while being bulky as hell. Mon is a high-key troll mon and IMO would be looked up to alongside Pignite, Monferno, and Nacstlack as I predict so lol.

This is not the worst SV NFE state I've played in, but I did not enjoy it at NFEPL and there are a good amount of ways to make it better. I mean at worst if people don't like mons banned, we could lowkey ban Knock Off or unban tera idk lol. Just a reminder that the meta is developed slowly whenever there aren't big tours so UMPL will be the last NFE tier that will make significant meta development.

5Dots · Sep 15, 2024

We have compiled a new VR slate post NFEPL. We also welcome Stareal for joining council!

UR -> B-
UR -> C
UR -> C

S -> S+
A -> A+
A -> A+
A- -> A
A- -> A+
B -> S
B -> A
B -> A
B -> B+
B -> B+
B- -> B
C+ -> B-
C -> B-
C -> B-
C -> B+
C -> B
C+ -> B-
C- -> B-
C- -> C+

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

We will be taking tiering action on Combusken, Electabuzz, Misdreavus, and Gurdurr very soon. Stay tuned for updates! We will also be reviewing sample sets, as our old sample sets have been outdated. Post them in the resources thread or in this one!

5Dots · Sep 18, 2024

We've completed our ban slate on these Pokemon post-NFEPL. Combusken and Electabuzz are now banned from NFE, Misdreavus remains legal, while Gurdurr remains banned from NFE! The sheet can be viewed here.

Combusken's insane power after gaining access to Close Combat makes it extremely hard to defensively answer at +2, with even Quaxwell being prone to being overwhelmed by easily accumulated chip damage from checking other Pokemon, and some of the few viable offensive checks to it, like Scarf Frogadier, were hard to fit on teams. Any team misplaying against the Combusken could easily lose the game on the spot.

Electabuzz's prowess as a progress maker after gaining Knock Off improved ten-fold - most Ground-types after a Knock Off were insufficient checks to it; even something as sturdy as SpD Marshtomp and Gabite can no longer switch into two Focus Blasts without their Eviolites. Electabuzz also was extremely oppressive speed-wise, as outside opposing Electabuzzes, only Choice Scarfers could hope to outpace it, which was an opportunity cost for running Eviolite. Grass-types like Ivysaur and Servine would often forfeit momentum to have a reliable answer to Volt Switch, which could easily put teams on the back foot. Lastly, Electabuzz was still quite strong for a pivot, possessing a high Special Attack stat that rattled most neutral targets.

While certainly centralizing, Misdreavus didn't appreciate trends like Tinkatuff and the widespread use of Knock Off, not to mention being overreliant on Pain Split to perform as a wall. Grass-types like Ivysaur and Servine can comfortably stomach any of its moves and retalliate easily, while offensive threats like Girafarig and Pignite can similarly overwhelm it with typings and raw power alone. Normal-types like Dunsparce and Vigoroth can trouble it if Misdreavus lacks Taunt. Misdreavus certainly can annoy walls with Taunt, but loses out potential utility choices like Thief, Trick, or even Destiny Bond. Overall, while a consistent top threat, it has enough offensive and defensive counterplay from common Pokemon seen this NFEPL that doesn't push it over the edge.

Gurdurr has only benefited from past bans and has grown far stronger. Clefairy dropping in usage combined with Gurdurr easily overwhelming checks with coverage + Knock Off makes this extremely hard to answer throughout the course of a game, and while a solid Defogger, its offensive capabilities have proven to be far harder for foes to deal with.

Tagging dhelmise and Marty to implement the changes on the format.

PandaDoux · Nov 30, 2024

Teamdump UMPL
Week 1 https://pokepast.es/65e75d36a07ac574 :fraxure:

Week 2 https://pokepast.es/64c6412707c10285 :frogadier:

Week 3 https://pokepast.es/9fd53374e8870a33 :gabite:

Week 4 https://pokepast.es/9fdf3c00bdb4d258 :ivysaur:

Week 5 https://pokepast.es/acc9138282970e63 :girafarig:

Week 6 https://pokepast.es/dce22ed52ee5d844 :drakloak:

Week 7 Game 1 https://pokepast.es/733772f2a5bc2ecd :frogadier:

Week 7 Game 2 https://pokepast.es/b21c46cb4727ead6 :charjabug:

Week 7 Game 3 https://pokepast.es/ae56f9ca956c05b8 :drakloak:

Semis https://pokepast.es/ae59b9b51b130522 :girafarig:

Semis Tiebreak https://pokepast.es/973e174230ffb257 :girafarig:

I had fun, lost motivation towards the end of the tournament but i'm proud of my run, despite some games not being the cleanest going 7-0 was crazy and a great way to take a break from this game.
I'm gonna be honest about the meta, at first i was worried the ebuzz ban would make some stuff broken, then i thought it was kinda fine towards the middle of the tournament, and for the last few weeks, including right now, i think the meta is very unbalanced, Electabuzz should be unbanned in my opinion because i don't think we can get a healthier meta than Electabuzz meta (without Combusken), Spikes is completely broken, my first game vs sleid Week 7 shows that x1000, i literally got a spikes up early and played the most safest way possible and 6-0ed him which was ridiculous, some Pokemons are taking too much space as threats as well, like Thwackey who's now played with LO, since you don't need Eviolite anymore to tank Electabuzz, which means that Tinkatuff is no longer a switch in, Wartortle losing one of its 2 safe checks (Electabuzz and Thwackey) being very threatening, Girafarig goes absolutely crazy with no Psychic-resist considering Psychic-types, Steel-types, and Dark-types are all niche at best except for Tinkatuff, Girafarig, and Sliggoo-Hisui (who's kinda mid), TSpikes is also a major issue to the teambuilding in my opinion, no Poison-type vs TSpikes is usually a freewin for the TSpikes team.

Overall i think this meta is very unbalanced, once again, Spikes is proving to be absolutely ridiculous despite our best Spikes users being Frogadier, Quilladin, and Glimmet lol, Thwackey with Life Orb is broken, Girafarig is very restricting, none of these were issues in Electabuzz meta, due to Spikes users being way less viable, especially Frogadier, Thwackey Life Orb being very risky to use unless double Grass team, and Girafarig being slower than Electabuzz and a lot less splashable in teams.

Unless a Spikes ban is happening (which i doubt will), i think the best way to go is to unban Electabuzz, Electabuzz had some unhealthy traits, but from my experience from this tournament, the healthy traits it brought to the tier were a lot more numerous, making a lot of things that are restricting rn a lot easier to deal with.
Edit: Another way to make Spikes less of an issue is to ban Misdreavus, at least Quaxwell can run Triple Axel to hit Drakloak, but Misdreavus is not only a good Pokemon, but it also makes removing Spikes literally impossible since Quaxwell has no way of hitting it, Defog users are absolutely terrible, none of them are viable, and i've tried a lot of them, like Ducklett, Fletchinder, Dartrix, Vullaby, they're all omega bad, Hattrem is horrible to build with, forcing a very weird structure to your team, and other Spinners are really bad too except Wartortle, which i guess Wartortle might be the best MU against Spikes without being a niche Pokemon, but it's still not great to deal with it.

AM · Nov 30, 2024

Probably a good time to post some thoughts with Panda leading the charge after the No Johns tour.

Dont think the meta is as bad as described above and I think the Electabuzz meta was quite awful and we should not return that. Like for the people who hate Piloswine, you’re going to guarantee near 100% usage with it in Buzz meta. I agree with a Missy ban (we should’ve banned it past slate but I understand the hesitation) because it’s too constraining + Spikes and its ability to Wisp whatever. Contrary to its usage Quaxwell is quite awful in a meta where Missy is a top 2/3 mon, where Wartortle is the only good spinner because Shell Smash can apply pressure to Missy if it wants to try and block your spin. A missy ban would make Quax actually usable to spin off hazards and maybe from there could see how things progress (Idk what the next NFE related tour is (ssnl?)).

I have used Drakaloak a lot, you can see my replays in the no johns with lot of spike drak + missy cores and I dont think it would be a problem. On the other hand I think this tier will always be about hazard control to some extent (always have your poisons for Tspikes) but starting with a removal of Missy then keeping an eye on Thwacky could be a start.

I have a couple personal biases against Pikachu and Vigoroth as they feel constraining in builder without specific lines and structures but the above mentioned before could be a good start to consider.

Shing · Dec 1, 2024

PandaDoux If Hazard games are too overtuned in NFE, the solution would be to find who keeps making them so good, to begin with, which we can point to Misdreavus which has insane longevity, faster than all the defoggers while being incredibly frustrating to play against as you require your cores with a lot of layers in the long term while handling missy and its partners. At the same time, Missy has a very simplified gameplay that works way too well. With Missy gone, Defogs has more viability in the meta, even if it's only Dartrix and some degree of Fletchinder that would be used. I also disagree that we should unban Electabuzz to nerf spikes because that means we have to deal with Electabuzz centralization, which means 90% Piloswine since all the other grounds get dicked by Piloswine + Grass cores, and I am not sure if people enjoyed that meta as well.

Thwackey and Girafarig is a very interesting case I'll admit that. Thwackey kinda forces progress and you have to hold that, but I don't know if that feels justified when we have both slower and faster mons that can switch in and have meaningful progress after it u-turns. Girafarig is def a mon I can see people should look up to bc of their insane amount of very deadly sets, but I would like to see more of it in a missy-less meta.

T-spikes aren't the issue, it's just Koffing. Ngas + thief and pain split makes it a long-lasting mon that everyone has to respect. And it's annoying when the counterplay is bringing your own poison type; almost all of them are super mid and only exist because of Koffing and some degree to Servine. I am not opposed to Koffing suspect because of how restricting it puts in a meta like this. Koffing in an Electabuzz meta is also way more bullshit because Electabuzz abuses them way too well.

Not sure how the aftermath with Missy banned would go, but I have a feeling it will look almost similar to Dunsparce/Qwilfish meta in term of bulk, but bc of Piloswine and Pignite/Monferno that's not the case so lol.

5Dots · Dec 2, 2024

Would like to post some thoughts into the thread.

:sv/misdreavus:

This is still healthy despite being very centralizing in NFE's metagame. Yes it has a huge amount of set variety between its fast/bulky utility sets, Nasty Plot Sweeper, and even Choice sets, complemented with spinblocking duties, a deep movepool, and good Speed. However I believe Misdreavus is easier to pressure than some of the thoughts I've seen in the thread. Misdreavus is worse than a lot of other defensive staples (i.e. Koffing, Quaxwell, Servine, etc.) at taking Knock Offs because of its meh physical bulk and Ghost typing. In particular, Ivysaur and Tinkatuff have soared in usage with how customizable they are; and Misdreavus often gets severely crippled trying to check them even when using Taunt and Wisp, if not outright losing to them. Normal-types like Vigoroth and Dunsparce are on the rise and can easily wall its utility sets, while threatening it back with Knock Off (vigoroth) and status (dunsparce). Girafarig particularly is dangerous for it with its excellent power + STABs, and it cares significantly less about burns compared to the aformentioned Normals. Misdreavus also hates being statused since it would be not only even more reliant on Pain Split for longevity, but has to be on a timer do its job as a wall. Thunder Waves from opposing Misdreavus and Glare from Servine have popped up as ways to rapidly wear it down and threaten it. While alternative hazard control isn't great with Hattrem and Vullaby (shockingly poor winrates overall), I feel that Spikes aren't as insane as meant to be - the most prominent Spikers tend be quite frail and sport unfavorable matchups against Quaxwell, who is the best Spinner in the meta, and Misdreavus tends to be very as a switch-in considering that Quaxwell can Flip Turn on it to a favorable teammate.

Here's a few UMPL games to show how easily Misdreavus gets overwhelmed when tasked with handling threats in the meta:

1 2

:sv/Girafarig:

An easy top 5 mon. Barring relevant steels (Tinkatuff, Sliggoo-H, and mayyybeee Pawniard), Specs Girafarig is extremely hard to switch into. Base 90 offenses combined with outpacing titans like Thwackey, Monferno, and Gabite, and Speed tying itself makes it tricky to out offense. Defensively, walls like Clefairy and Duosion have had far harder times to fit on teams despite amazing abilities since their less helpful typings and relative passivity makes them much more prone to getting pressure sequenced by pivots and breakers alike (Tinkatuff's pool of Encore/Knock Off/Thunder Wave + Pickpocket + steel typing makes it far more splashable in comparison). Wearing down Tinkatuff have also been common and makes it steadily harder as the team's general blanket check, as Knock Off + Thunder Waving opposing walls like opposing Tuffs, Quaxwells and Ivysaurs make it much simpler for Giraf to start wreaking havoc.

Specs isn't even the only set where Giraf excels - it's also a great Choice Scarfer to revenge common threats like Frogadier, Raboot, and +1 Fraxure looking to exploit its typing/meh bulk, and has seen several instances of Double Dance sets on screens teams to tap into its tremendous power. Given how its BST towers over most Pokemon, it's not exactly surprising to see how scary it can be given free turns/the right pivot.

Here's a few UMPL games to show how much pressure Girafarig applies in the builder:

1 2 3

:sv/Sliggoo-Hisui:

As a breaker, think about it as a bulkier, slower Girafarig with a better defensive/offensive typing. Forget the gimmicky Curse sets you saw on the defunct ladder. Contrary to Pandadoux's thoughts I am really hyped every time I use it. A surprisingly deep movepool makes this a surprisingly dangerous Choice Specs breaker to use. Outside of Tinkatuff and Clefairy (niche, but still good!), Specs Draco Meteors are quite mean and have surprisingly little switch-ins. Quaxwells with SpD investment have trouble dealing with Thunderbolt as coverage, and likewise Tinkatuff (esp. Air Balloon variants!) do not appreciate Flash Cannon coverage. Here's some calcs below that highlight how, with a bit of feasibly paralysis support, makes it extremely menacing to switch into:

252+ SpA Choice Specs Sliggoo-Hisui Draco Meteor vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Eviolite Quaxwell: 259-306 (75.2 - 88.9%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
252+ SpA Choice Specs Sliggoo-Hisui Flash Cannon vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Tinkatuff: 186-220 (55.6 - 65.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock

The second most important thing comes with its defensive typing. Most Grass-types lack a way to feasibly damage Sliggoo-Hisui, and while Thwackey can elect Drain Punch, it's not the easiest move to fit. Meanwhile, it happens to be one of the few mons in the tier to resist Girafarig's STABs, and easily retaliates against anything Quaxwell can throw at it. It pressures Misdreavus quite well and with Speed investment, can even beat Piloswine! Certainly not the first thing in the builder when it comes to special breakers. The aformentioned Girafarig, Frogadier, or even Misdreavus tends to be your first thoughts! Shoutouts to Stareal for innovating this set during the Combusken/Electabuzz meta.

:sv/Monferno:

This mischievous Fighting-type have been terrorizing defensive cores with their fierce STAB combination and Knock Off since its inception in the tier. Monferno has always been a solid Pokemon to use, but the sheer set variety and still decent Speed makes it very hard on preview to guess what set it runs. Choice Band? Oops, your Girafarig/Raboot/Frogadier gets knocked down because Monferno has Scarf! Likewise, Koffing can get caught off guard by Choice Band's power. Not to mention that Monferno can always pivot out with U-turn and seize momentum. Utility sets have also picket up as of late, as Monferno's access to cool moves like Encore, Wisp, Slack Off, Taunt, and even Stealth Rock can make it surprisingly customizable.

Here's games where Monferno has pulled its weight.
1 2

If you're wondering about when you can see upcoming games for NFE, tune into UMPL's finals - Stareal and Dragonillis will be playing for a spot to see whose teams win the entire tournament.

In the meantime, council will work on a revamp of the VR slate. Stay tuned for additional news regarding NFE, and join the discord here!

Finchely · Dec 11, 2024

After playing in UMPL (Ubers UU), NFE looked pretty cool so I decided to give it a try. I've played a decent number of games since, and have a rough understanding of the meta. Some things are definitely a little strong, but nothing feels particularly broken. However, there's one thing that stood out that I think has no place being in a part of any serious metagame. I'm talking about Moody.

To quote the Tiering Policy Framework thread

Uncompetitive - elements that reduce the effect of player choice / interaction on the end result to an extreme degree, such that "more skillful play" is almost always rendered irrelevant ... This can be probability management issues; think OHKOs, evasion, or Moody, all of which turned the battle from emphasizing battling skill to emphasizing the result of the RNG more often than not.

It is already an established precedent throughout nearly if not every official Smogon tier that Moody is uncompetitive and unfit for use. I genuinely do not understand what the reason could be for keeping moody legal in this tier. Whether Moody is broken or not is irrelevant, because the issue is that Moody takes the concept of probability management to it's most extreme.

For those that may be wondering, yes I did get cheesed by Moody.

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nfe-2261151058-nc9o15lxj9jul15zsba65jkjcrpqux8pw

There is no world where a Sub/Protect/Disable/Icicle Spear should be able to break even a half-health Pignite. And yet, it happened anyways. Within four activations of Moody, the Snorunt had gotten 4 defense boosts, preventing my Pignite from OHKOing the Snorunt's substitute with Knock or HHP. This allowed the Snorunt to farm far more Moody boosts than it would have been able to otherwise, which allowed it to finally break my Pignite after some 20+ ish turns of Moody nonsense.

I understand that this isolated instance of Moody winning a game does not exclude all the instances where Moody does absolutely nothing. But Moody's place in a metagame is not an issue of how reliably it can or can't cheese a game, it's the issue that Moody's inherently nature creates a point where the outcome of a game can be decided not by input of either player, but rather the roll of the dice.

Even Ubers, one of the historically highest power-level tiers has moody banned. I'm unfamiliar with the history Ubers has with Moody, but that fact should be a testament that Moody's place in a meta should be irrespective of its power relative to the rest of the tier.

I really enjoy the rest of NFE, but Moody is just an unnecessarily bad point of contention. I don't see a single tenable reason for why it should stay. So given the points I've provided here, I hope that Moody will be banned.

fake tom numbers · Dec 11, 2024

+ For moody ban, I think it went under the radar for a while since the only user is snorunt, which has terrible stats and basically zero viable moves. However, with access to Disable you can shut down most offensive mons hitting you with a super effective move or more defensive mons trying to hit you with Taunt. It also does really well into the meta since mons like Tinkatuff and Quaxwell will click encore and you make you gain large amounts of boosts.

It's also pretty easy to build with:
:thwackey:

Always use this with Snorunt, extra healing from terrain and a slow U-Turn can get Snorunt in safely
:quaxwell:

Slow Flip Turn which also answers most of the fires that thwackey and snorunt have to deal with

Afterwards you can add a Fire to make an easy FWG core, add some offensive breakers like Girafarig and you're golden. Just gotta get lucky enough...

UM Swiss Top 16 - https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nfe-2231648571-8c06nvuiqxhebgjazepn0jeyq4y02pppw
UM Circuit Championship Top 16 - https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nfe-2259075812-5eyjcvv5xq85z5jpj26hzcaz34y81u2pw

Shing · Dec 11, 2024

Agree with both of them above since I've pulled out Moody Snorunt numerous times, winning and losing because of the RNG deciding the game.

Snorunt can also opt for Frost Breath > Icicle Spear to 1v1 vs set uppers, and its teammates can easily cripple the most important counters/checks such as using locked items vs Quaxwell(Trick) and Pickpocket Tinkatuff(Scarf/CB Knock Offs) as they're the only ones that prevent from Snorunt from Snowballing.

Some more counters and checks exist like Mareanie and Crocalor, but they're hardly viable and very exploited in this meta atm. Snorunt can be prepared, but you'll more than likely be worse than the normal teams so therefore I wouldn't mind Moody getting the ban.

fake tom numbers said:
For moody ban, I think it went under the radar for a while since the only user is snorunt, which has terrible stats and basically zero viable moves. However, with access to Disable you can shut down most offensive mons hitting you with a super effective move or more defensive mons trying to hit you with Taunt. It also does really well into the meta since mons like Tinkatuff and Quaxwell will click encore and you make you gain large amounts of boosts.

Just wanted to explain your post here that why it wasn't considered to be banned was because in previous meta had a better long-term answer vs it. The Dunsparce/Qwilfish-H meta had a ton of Mareanie + more teams had to prepare themself for Qwilfish-h and Dunsparce, which Snorunt teams couldn't afford(+Thwackey w/o Grassy Glide made it hard to work), while the Combusken/Electabuzz put a strong restriction where teams had to be prepared vs both of them which again Snorunt teams had still a hard time to cover. Rn though, I think Snorunt has a much easier way to cheese because of Thwackey + Quaxwell being so much better, but also there are still threats such as Fire/Fighting Knock Offers, Misdreavus and Girafarig making it harder to use other Snorunt counters.

sleid · Dec 15, 2024

Hello NFE community. I have joined the SV NFE Council and have been tasked with posting our recent VR Slate!

UR -> C-

A+ -> S
:tinkatuff:

A -> S
:girafarig:

A -> S-
:frogadier:

A -> A+
:quaxwell:

A -> A+
:dunsparce:

A- -> A
:monferno:

B+ -> A
:drakloak:

B+ -> A-
:pignite:

B+ -> A-
:vigoroth:

B+ -> A-
:charjabug:

B- -> B
:pawniard:

B- -> B
:fletchinder:

C+ -> B-
:grimer-alola:

C+ -> B-
:glimmet:

C -> B-
:lampent:

C -> B-
:dewott:

C- -> C

S -> S-
:koffing:

A+ -> A
:raboot:

A+ -> A
:fraxure:

A -> A-
:servine:

A -> A-
:duosion:

A- -> B+
:mareanie:

B+ -> B
:weepinbell:

B- -> C+
:crocalor:

C+ -> C

In other news, the Council is also discussing potential bans and should have an announcement of the sort on that coming soon. Let us know your thoughts on this recent VR update below!

sleid · Wednesday at 12:38 AM

I wanted to do a quick write up with some of the VR changes that came from the recent update!
:monferno:

I think Pignite should be above Monferno, maybe like A+ Pignite or Pignite to A and Monferno to A- or at the bare minimum have them in the same rank at A. Monferno does have more variety in sets, from SD, to Defensive and AoA with pivoting, but Pignite makes up for its lack of set variety with how well it performs as a breaker compared to Monferno. Knock, HHorsepower, and its dual STAB combination cover pretty much anything that wants to switch into it. It has an easier time bullying past Quax and is more threatening into Koffing. Some might say the Speed is where Monferno makes up for its shortcomings in power, but Pignite can sneakily run Sucker Punch to finish off already chipped foes like Girafarig, Misdreavus and Frogadier. It’s annoyingly good and very hard to check compared to Monferno.

I forsee this Pokemon being A or A+ after next VR. It’s the best check we have to Misdreavus, great speed tier, and Taunt + Knock and strong normal STAB is great for a stall breaker. It can be a solid check to non-Specs Girafarig in a pinch and takes even more surprising hits from a lot of the metagame. The only thing that can stand in its way is the ever annoying Tinkatuff who makes it trade its eviolite to deny hazards or twave. We will see this fella on more teams in the future I’m sure.

I don’t get it. This thing seems awful on paper. Doesn’t switching into anything besides Raboot without being punished and I guess Gabite as a rocker (which you’ll see way less often than other rockers). Seems way too niche to be B-.

This thing should not have dropped imo. I think it’s still a contender for best mon in the tier. It does rely on its teammates for it to succeed against Quax and Missy cores, but it can really run away with games after they lose their eviolite. It’s on 95% of teams and is a huge strain in the builder because you almost have to always run Quax or Defensive Missy (or both in some fashion) on every team. It stops the Dragons from running rampant, is a very solid revenge killer, and never seems to die from one attack which makes it great at trading with enemies to try to gain an advantage for its teammates. It’s just a really solid S tier Pokemon to me.

I’d love to hear what other people think about the current VR!

AM · Wednesday at 9:07 AM

Yeah agree with Sleid Pilo shouldn't have dropped. Some of that is the stuff mentioned, other things include the band set having no real switch ins. Also I'm pretty open in convos in saying Quaxwell is quite bad, the A+ rank is hilarious but won't argue it with how high its usage is in tours it seems. I also agree about Vig, this mon is very annoying.

I ended up taking a look at the VR out of curiosity now and some of the mons in their subrank seem a bit all over the place. not to continue the Quax hate but Thwackey is a mon miles better than it and really should be like S-. You also have stuff like Duosion that should be dropped because Sligoo and Hattem are better mons as well, it's also imo not as good as Clef for Magic Guard variants. I'll probably take a better look and make a personal VR post there in that thread, big maybe, but I agree with Sleids reasonings for the stuff they mentioned. Pika in B is diabolical.

Finchely · Wednesday at 6:55 PM

I'm a little inclined to Agree that Quaxwell isn't amazing. It feels great on paper in that it fills the role of mandatory fire-resist, alongside being a defensive pivot with roost and removal.

However, its defensive stats really aren't amazing. 70/65/60 defenses are serviceable with eviolite, and allow Quax to take on Flare Blitzes and whatnot, but even just neutral hits deal far more than is comfortable. Furthermore, Monferno and especially Pignite carry knock off, which leaves Quaxwell significantly crippled and unable to even wall the mons it's supposed to wall. It's better to think of Quaxwell as specifically a "Flare Blitz wall" rather than a "Pignite wall", if anything.

It's also just not great at removing hazards either. Missy is everywhere, and Quaxwell really can't make significant progress vs Missy. The best Quax can do is flip turn into something that does better into Missy, but depending on the team, the Missy check might not enjoy eating stealth rock at all. Missey doesn't exactly enjoy switching into Quaxwell, but it doesn't exactly mind doing that either, which can make stealth rocks rather difficult to get rid of if using Quax

Quaxwell feels weird since on one hand, it's hard to get away with not using it, due to the indispensible roles it provides. But on the other hand, it feels icky to use, since it just doesn't do those roles all that well, which is why I don't think that quaxwell should be ranked so high.

Metagame NFE

5Dots

And now for the next act

dhelmise

free palestine

demirab1

5Dots

And now for the next act

NewYorkNinjas

PandaDoux

PD

Kabilapok

Mirbro

AM

PandaDoux

PD

Shing

5Dots

And now for the next act

5Dots

And now for the next act

PandaDoux

PD

AM

Shing

5Dots

And now for the next act

Finchely

I am Magearna

fake tom numbers

formerly Tom1535

Shing

sleid

burgundy

sleid

burgundy

AM

Finchely

I am Magearna