Mid-November usage stats are here! Credit to Kalalokki for the great visual below:
Code:Combined usage for OU (1695 stats) + ---- + ------------------ + ------- + | Rank | Pokemon | Percent | + ---- + ------------------ + ------- + | 1 | Zygarde | 24.764% | | 2 | Clefable | 21.344% | | 3 | Landorus-Therian | 21.289% | | 4 | Magearna | 20.554% | | 5 | Heatran | 20.003% | | 6 | Kyurem-Black | 18.993% | | 7 | Urshifu | 18.251% | | 8 | Spectrier | 18.097% | | 9 | Melmetal | 18.093% | | 10 | Toxapex | 17.735% | | 11 | Pheromosa | 17.189% | | 12 | Ferrothorn | 16.571% | | 13 | Zapdos | 14.633% | | 14 | Swampert | 12.018% | | 15 | Tapu Fini | 11.726% | | 16 | Buzzwole | 11.234% | | 17 | Cinderace | 10.770% | | 18 | Mandibuzz | 10.479% | | 19 | Pelipper | 10.377% | | 20 | Regieleki | 10.284% | | 21 | Rillaboom | 9.415% | | 22 | Excadrill | 9.368% | | 23 | Urshifu-Rapid-Strike | 8.984% | | 24 | Garchomp | 8.464% | | 25 | Latios | 8.346% | | 26 | Tyranitar | 8.279% | | 27 | Blissey | 7.734% | | 28 | Slowbro | 7.667% | | 29 | Dragapult | 7.492% | | 30 | Moltres | 7.403% | | 31 | Tapu Koko | 7.400% | | 32 | Zapdos-Galar | 7.132% | | 33 | Tornadus-Therian | 7.012% | | 34 | Kartana | 6.358% | | 35 | Landorus | 6.135% | | 36 | Corviknight | 5.682% | | 37 | Barraskewda | 5.481% | | 38 | Blaziken | 5.149% | | 39 | Dragonite | 4.727% | | 40 | Nidoking | 4.615% | | 41 | Tapu Lele | 4.317% | | 42 | Hippowdon | 3.373% | | 43 | Slowking | 3.230% | | 44 | Ditto | 3.222% | | 45 | Celesteela | 2.922% | | 46 | Aegislash | 2.870% | | 47 | Scizor | 2.766% | | 48 | Zarude | 2.684% | | 49 | Shuckle | 2.654% | | 50 | Hatterene | 2.578% | | 51 | Thundurus-Therian | 2.557% | | 52 | Porygon2 | 2.500% | | 53 | Kingdra | 2.487% | | 54 | Marowak-Alola | 2.436% | | 55 | Dracozolt | 2.294% | | 56 | Hawlucha | 2.216% | | 57 | Hydreigon | 2.155% | | 58 | Grimmsnarl | 2.129% | | 59 | Latias | 2.122% | | 60 | Crawdaunt | 2.076% | | 61 | Magnezone | 1.967% | | 62 | Cresselia | 1.950% | | 63 | Seismitoad | 1.947% | | 64 | Chansey | 1.927% | | 65 | Mamoswine | 1.811% | | 66 | Azumarill | 1.808% | | 67 | Glastrier | 1.805% | | 68 | Skarmory | 1.792% | | 69 | Mew | 1.767% | | 70 | Tangrowth | 1.732% | | 71 | Klefki | 1.724% | | 72 | Ninetales-Alola | 1.710% | | 73 | Tapu Bulu | 1.705% | | 74 | Suicune | 1.562% | | 75 | Victini | 1.512% | | 76 | Blacephalon | 1.491% | | 77 | Regidrago | 1.482% | | 78 | Quagsire | 1.448% | | 79 | Moltres-Galar | 1.411% | | 80 | Slowking-Galar | 1.361% | | 81 | Nihilego | 1.315% | | 82 | Amoonguss | 1.312% | | 83 | Volcarona | 1.160% | | 84 | Zeraora | 1.149% | | 85 | Arctozolt | 1.131% | | 86 | Bisharp | 1.106% | | 87 | Ribombee | 1.076% | | 88 | Kommo-o | 1.072% | | 89 | Volcanion | 1.061% | | 90 | Torkoal | 1.030% | | 91 | Jirachi | 0.985% | | 92 | Diggersby | 0.975% | | 93 | Salamence | 0.961% | | 94 | Venusaur | 0.851% | | 95 | Rotom-Wash | 0.824% | | 96 | Togekiss | 0.787% | | 97 | Zoroark | 0.759% | | 98 | Kyurem | 0.758% | | 99 | Stakataka | 0.744% | | 100 | Shedinja | 0.731% | | 101 | Rotom-Heat | 0.728% | | 102 | Metagross | 0.661% | | 103 | Gengar | 0.631% | | 104 | Nidoqueen | 0.620% | | 105 | Keldeo | 0.589% | | 106 | Incineroar | 0.516% | | 107 | Obstagoon | 0.513% | | 108 | Mimikyu | 0.491% | | 109 | Primarina | 0.484% | | 110 | Cloyster | 0.483% | | 111 | Weezing-Galar | 0.455% | | 112 | Gastrodon | 0.452% | | 113 | Araquanid | 0.445% | | 114 | Abomasnow | 0.441% | | 115 | Umbreon | 0.428% | | 116 | Azelf | 0.421% | | 117 | Omastar | 0.409% | | 118 | Weavile | 0.386% | | 119 | Krookodile | 0.382% | | 120 | Alakazam | 0.380% | | 121 | Articuno-Galar | 0.375% | | 122 | Rhyperior | 0.370% | | 123 | Conkeldurr | 0.351% | | 124 | Whimsicott | 0.324% | | 125 | Uxie | 0.316% | | 126 | Reuniclus | 0.309% | | 127 | Regigigas | 0.304% | | 128 | Avalugg | 0.292% | | 129 | Starmie | 0.291% | | 130 | Entei | 0.291% | | 131 | Toxtricity | 0.279% | | 132 | Thundurus | 0.265% | | 133 | Druddigon | 0.261% | | 134 | Mantine | 0.232% | | 135 | Raikou | 0.210% | | 136 | Porygon-Z | 0.208% | | 137 | Arctovish | 0.202% | | 138 | Lycanroc-Dusk | 0.199% | | 139 | Terrakion | 0.178% | | 140 | Xatu | 0.178% | | 141 | Aerodactyl | 0.175% | | 142 | Charizard | 0.170% | | 143 | Tornadus | 0.169% | | 144 | Pyukumuku | 0.167% | | 145 | Gyarados | 0.162% | | 146 | Vaporeon | 0.158% | | 147 | Indeedee | 0.156% | | 148 | Diancie | 0.154% | | 149 | Milotic | 0.154% | | 150 | Gigalith | 0.154% | | 151 | Chandelure | 0.151% | | 152 | Poliwrath | 0.150% | | 153 | Registeel | 0.145% | | 154 | Salazzle | 0.143% | | 155 | Slowbro-Galar | 0.139% | | 156 | Aurorus | 0.138% | | 157 | Kabutops | 0.137% | | 158 | Polteageist | 0.135% | | 159 | Articuno | 0.134% | | 160 | Necrozma | 0.134% | | 161 | Slurpuff | 0.132% | | 162 | Runerigus | 0.128% | | 163 | Flygon | 0.125% | | 164 | Tentacruel | 0.117% | | 165 | Cobalion | 0.115% | | 166 | Tyrantrum | 0.115% | | 167 | Darmanitan | 0.114% | | 168 | Golurk | 0.112% | | 169 | Haxorus | 0.109% | | 170 | Froslass | 0.103% | | 171 | Golisopod | 0.103% | | 172 | Meowstic | 0.102% | | 173 | Raichu-Alola | 0.101% | + ---- + ------------------ + ------- +
Changes to the Top 10:
#14 (12.207%) > #2 (21.34%)
After a slow start, Clefable is back to being at the top of OU's usage stats. It's a solid defensive mon that can switch into top threats like Zygarde, Pheromosa and Urshifu-S. Physically defensive Clefable is as reliable as ever, and it's a great Stealth Rock user that can support teams with Knock Off or Teleport + Wish.
#17 (11.254%) > #9 (18.093%)
Melmetal on the other hand might have had a slow start due to being overshadowed by the new DLC2 released mons, but it has finally gained more usage and broken into the top 10. It is a very strong physical tank that has been met with some new counterplay compared to DLC1, most notably in formes of Zapdos, Moltres, and Buzzwole. Melmetal often uses Choice Band or 3 attacks + Protect, with those attacking moves usually including Double Iron Bash, Earthquake, Ice Punch, and Superpower. It also has a ton of bulk, which makes it difficult for it to be 1HKO'd. This immense bulk along with Steel-typing lets Melmetal act as one of the best answers to Kyurem-Black.
Other notable increases in usage:
#19 (9.673%) > #12 (16.571%)
Ferrothorn has always been a reliable mon and with Melmetal and Magearna seeing more usage, Ferrothorn is becoming a little better as it may sometimes be able to handle them. Ferrothorn with Power Whip is also able to provide counterplay against Tapu Fini, who has begun gaining usage with a new Calm Mind set. Ferrothorn also gained a little bit of usage from rain becoming a little more common.
#25 (7.373%) > #14 (12.018%)
It's honestly kind of funny how regular Swampert managed to become solid in Gen 8 OU while Blaziken is nearly on the edge of falling into UU. Swampert is a pretty reliable Stealth Rock user that is able to provide defensive utility against Regieleki and Heatran while providing momentum through Flip Turn, which is actually pretty convenient given how slow Swampert is. A very slow Flip Turn is similar to Teleport, in that it allows safer switches to become possible.
#23 (8.188%) > #15 (11.726%)
Tapu Fini's defensive typing and bulk makes it a pretty reliable defensive mon that can switch into Zygarde and Heatran, but it also has a new Calm Mind set that's been growing in popularity. This set is usually Calm Mind + Taunt + Draining Kiss + Surf. This is very similar to what Primarina ran in the past, but Taunt is the main game changer here, as this allows Tapu Fini to prevent Toxapex from using Haze to remove boosts, as well as prevent both Toxapex and Blissey from using recovery moves. Draining Kiss helps Tapu Fini maintain its longevity, and the bulk and typing mentioned before make it difficult to immediately KO once it starts setting up Calm Mind.
#28 (7.039%) > #17 (10.770%)
Cinderace is starting to pick up some usage after being overshadowed by the new and returning mons. It's still running the same 4 attack pivot set as it did in the past, but with Sucker Punch and High Jump Kick being run more often. Sucker Punch is great for threatening faster mons like Spectrier, and High Jump Kick prevents Heatran from walling Cinderace. Gunk Shot is still useful for hitting Clefable, Tapu Fini, and dealing solid damage to Moltres while avoiding Flame Body.
#33 (5.445%) > #18 (10.479%)
Mandibuzz looks to be one of the more reliable answers to Spectrier, as there are not too many Ghost-resists in the tier. Its typing also allows it to handle Rillaboom, and Foul Play allows it to actively threaten physical threats that want to boost their attack, such as Excadrill. On top of switching into Spectrier, Mandibuzz can provide utility with Knock Off and Toxic, and also provide momentum with U-turn.
#29 (6.869%) > #19 (10.377%)
Rain is starting to become more common and Pelipper's increased usage is proof of it. Pelipper itself is mandatory due to providing Drizzle, and it looks like rain is doing well enough to where it may become more common as players continue to discover and fine tune a standard rain structure.
#39 (4.666%) > #25 (8.346%)
Latios had a pretty slow start due to a lot of stronger and newer options being released, but it is starting to pick up in usage. Its most common sets are Life Orb with 3 attacks, as well as Choice Specs sets with Trick. Latios has pretty good coverage with Draco Meteor + Psyshock/Psychic + Aura Sphere hitting everything for solid damage outside of Magearna. Mystical Fire can hit Magearna and other Steel-types, but misses out on Heatran. Trick alongside Choice Specs means that Latios can often cripple and opposing Steel-type or Fairy-type, with the most common victims being Magearna and Heatran.
(Rapid-Strike) #40 (4.636%) > #23 (8.984%)
Urshifu-R is usually seen on rain teams, where it looks to pose a sizable threat with Surging Strikes under the rain. Outside of Toxapex, Slowbro and Ferrothorn, not much wants to switch into Surging Strikes to begin with, but Urshifu-R also has the option to U-turn out as those mons come in, as well as Close Combat to deal with Ferrothorn on the spot.
Notable decreases in usage:
#11 (14.955%) > #20 (10.284%)
#15 (12.198%) > #31 (7.400%)
#13 (12.764%) > #32 (7.132%)
#16 (12.178%) > #38 (5.149%)
The above mons received a great deal of usage previously, which was most likely due to them being newly released, but now it appears that their usage is starting to more closely reflect their performance in OU, and their days as new toys is starting to die down. Regieleki and Tapu Koko have been met with an abundance of Ground-types, Zapdos-Galar has been alright, but nothing special, and it dislikes having physically defensive Clefable see a spike in usage. Finally, Blaziken's immense recoil from Flare Blitz along with struggling to set up at times was apparently enough to nearly make it drop to UU. These mons may continue to see less usage, or perhaps they'll find new ways to be used and see an increase in usage. It's worth noting that aside from Tapu Koko with Dazzling Gleam, the other 3 mons all strongly dislike Zygarde, who can usually sponge a hit and threaten back or cripple with Glare. Zygarde being the most used mon in OU definetely spells trouble for them, and this might also be a reason as to why they're currently struggling.
Rising to OU:
#44 (3.938%) > #16 (11.234%)
Buzzwole slightly saw a good deal of usage before, but over the last few weeks has really cemented its place in the metagame as a very solid defensive pivot that's capable of handling some of OU's biggest threats, including Zygarde, Pheromosa, and Urshifu-S. It's a lot more consistent than Clefable at checking these mons due to its immense physical bulk, and it is also able to pose a threat in return with thanks to Bulk Up. Finally, Buzzwole, like Melmetal, is one of the best in terms of being a defensive answer to Kyurem-Black. In this case, Buzzwole's massive bulk alongside Bulk Up and Drain Punch are what allow it to handle Kyurem-Black.
#54 (2.848%) > #37 (5.481%)
Rain teams are growing more common, and Barraskewda tends to be a staple thanks to its respectable attacking power in conjunction with its naturally high speed stat, which gets even further boosted by Swift Swim. Flip Turn plays a good part in what Barraskewda does, as it's able to deal decent damage while grabbing momentum in return.
#93 (0.915%) > #40 (4.615%)
Nidoking barely made the cut and is finally OU by usage after a very long time. Landorus-I getting banned opened the door for Nidoking to get used as a strong special attacking Ground-type, and it has been doing very well on that front thanks to its movepool providing solid coverage. It's able to threaten nearly every defensive mon, with Blissey being the lone exception, and it has a solid enough speed tier to threaten slightly faster defensive mons like Heatran and Buzzwole
Fall from OU:
#27 (7.143%) > #44 (3.222%)
With the metagame becoming less centralized around hyper offense, Ditto's time in OU was winding down and it's not terribly surprising that managed to drop right away.
I'll post the usual questions below:
1. What surprised you the most from these stats?
2. Among the mons with increased usage, which ones do you believe will continue to see an increase in usage?
3. Among the mons with decreased usage, which ones do you believe will continue to see a decrease in usage?
4. What mons do you think are underrated and may see higher usage in the future?
5. What mons do you think are overrated and may see less usage in the future?
6. How do you feel about the most common offensive mons in the tier?
7. How do you feel about the most common defensive mons in the tier?
8. How do you feel about team building? Does it feel like there are too many things to cover, or are there certain mons that restrict building?
9. What are your favorite mons to use in OU right now?
10. I hope you all have a wonderful rest of the day :)
Also, today officially marks the 1 year anniversary of Sword and Shield! It's been a long and rough year, but it's nice to see that we're in an enjoyable metagame now, and hopefully there's more to enjoy in the future.
I just wanted to preface this post stating how grateful I am to the OU Council for doing such a good job managing the tier, and I understand that it's kinda a thankless job, so thank you. I really appreciate how willing they are to listen to community feedback-- it's seriously so awesome. Keep up the incredible work you guys!
With that aside, I'd like to answer the questions now:
1. What surprised you the most from these stats?
Well there was certainly a lot of surprises- The meta is very unstable at the moment and honestly one of the biggest shocks is the fact that literally nothing dropped bar Ditto (which is Ditto so it gets a special exception here.) and the only things that rose were
Barraskewda, the best rain mon not counting Pelipper, a playstyle which definitely has had its ups and downs this gen but seems to be pretty great in the meta now as a dedicated playstyle. Other than that, 
Buzzwole rose which surprised nobody; it's such a consistent check to so many things, as well as 
Nidoking which actually was pretty unexpected. With the ban of Lando-I, someone needs to spam Earth Power/Sludge Wave and Nidoking does it pretty well. It is incredible at threatening defensive mons with its wide array of coverage and high power--only Blissey (of the current OU defensive mons) is a consitent defensive counter and even that is 2HKO'd by Superpower on a roll, so nothing is truly safe. That said, a rather low speed tier of 85 paired with unimpressive bulk means that offensive counterplay is plentiful. Substitute alleviates this at the cost of coverage- a reasonable sacrifice based on the team. I'd say in general, an All-Out Attacker set with STABs and BoltBeam is the way to go on most builds, but Nidoking has the movepool to do other things as well. 
Swampert seeing such huge usage thus far was a very pleasant surprise; Pre-DLC projections had it looking like it was headed for UU for sure, but here we are with it at 14th with over 12% usage. This has been said to death at this point, but Flip Turn was an incredible buff for it in this momentum-heavy generation. It is super consistent at getting rocks up especially with Grass type moves being few and far between nowadays. The best way to use it is liberally early-game to keep their breakers in check, keep up the momentum, and dish out chip and status among their team, and set up rocks when necessary. Its longevity is kinda a non-issue when it only needs to stick around for the first part of the game- and even then, WishPort Clef is a great partner for it. The other big surprise is how much of a non-threat 
Blaziken and 
Torn-T are. When they were first released they seemed very scary but the meta has not been kind to them. If they drop to UU I think they'll be back, but who knows?2. Among the mons with increased usage, which ones do you believe will continue to see an increase in usage?
I already gave my opinions on these fellas, just know that they are on the rise. 
Cinderace and 
Magearna should rise in not too long once the tier settles a bit more. Ace can do exactly what it did before, but it also has increasingly offensive sets emerging that can be very threatening. Scarf, Band, and LO all have their place as pivots and breakers- Cinderace's versatility and power continue to impress me. Magearna is a little scary to be honest and I can see it going sooner than we might be expecting. It still has countless sets and it can be pretty stupid at times. In any case, it's clearly very good and I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not, we'll have to see.3. Among the mons with decreased usage, which ones do you believe will continue to see a decrease in usage?
Gapdos is great, don't get me wrong. But I'm starting to see it drop more and more- Zapdos is great in this meta, which means that it takes away from Gapdos' usage and unlike Gapdos, Zapdos is pretty hard to replace on teams for what roles it fills. If you stick a Gapdos on your team, you might be open to another physical breaker which isn't very hard to find in this meta, meanwhile the unique qualities that Zapdos has (including checking said breakers, actually!) means that Gapdos just isn't that great. Will it drop to UU? Not sure but anything is possible. Other than Gapdos- 
Corv faces a ton of competition from the other birds in the tier, so much so that I think it will drop to UU. Unless some things change in the priorities people have in building, Corv is gonna drop.4. What mons do you think are underrated and may see higher usage in the future?
As a matter of fact,
Pult and 
Slowbro have shockingly low usage for how good they are- Pult is Pult with a coveted speed tier, the ability to check 
and 
better than most other things, and a plethora of sets that it can run. Slowbro is a top bulky water in the meta but doesn't see anywhere near as much usage as 
which is surprising, Future Sight is an incredible niche in and of itself.5. What mons do you think are overrated and may see less usage in the future?
Spectrier really just clicks Shadow Ball/Hex and prays that it gets a kill. Its speed tier and power are lowkey stupid, but the inability to touch literally any normal type hurts. It's still solid but I'm guessing it falls out of the top ten sooner or later. Most other things are about where I expect them to be in terms of usage otherwise.Expect a part two sometime where I answer the other half of the questions! As always, thanks!
all have potential to be problematic at one point or another, which is interesting and may or may not be a bad thing. The power level of offense is years ahead of DLC1.
Lando-I:
Clefable:
Heatran:
(with Bulk Up + Jungle Healing)
(can Explode, lol) 
(Rapid Spin, Sand Rush) 
(Aqua Jet if not Choice Band locked) 
(Scale Shot) 
(Teleport) 
(Teleport) 
(U-Turn, outspeeds) 
(Bullet Punch)
(not particularly easy to trap) 
(unless it is scarfed) 
