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Once again, we begin to look at Sticky Web. For the past generations of Little Cup, Sticky Web proved too powerful a presence in the metagame to be healthy, forcing teams into running narrow and often sub-optimal options to be safe in the matchup. The current iteration of the archetype is reminiscent of the problems we've had with the archetype in the past: web teams exploit the variety of spin blockers and scant distribution of defog in LC to make removal of their trademark hazard near impossible for many teams. The introduction of Terastillization has introduced another boon to the archetype—the ability, to some degree, to pick and choose its checks and counters. Fast Flying-types like Wingull were usually nigh unwinnable matchups for webs in previous generations, but defensive Terastillization allows offensive Pokemon like Crabrawler, who would normally be forced out by Flying-types to tank normally solid options and KO back with coverage moves. To overcome the danger of losing any web check to the many techs that web teams can choose between, teams seeking to be perfectly safe against webs are forced to run multiple Pokemon that pose problems for the archetype.
Sticky Web teams are not untouchable, though. Even if the spinner or defogger found on nearly every team is successfully blocked, web teams cannot simply collect a free win. They still have to contend with bulky stops to their sweepers that don't care about the speed drop along with fast Flying-types that are able to offensively pressure web teams freely thanks to their immunity to the hazard. These options allow teams a fighting chance against web teams and has prevented them from dominating usage stats or win rates in tournaments, though this does not necessarily preclude the archetype from being unhealthy. If using those checks to webs gives teams a serious disadvantage against standard teams, then teams must choose between beating webs and standard in the builder. This often results in a rock-paper-scissors matchup dynamic that both cuts down on in-game skill and stifles creativity in the team builder. The question that voters will be answering is this: do web teams warp the metagame and create matchup problems to an extent that make them banworthy? Metagames where Sticky Web teams are balanced have existed in the past, where the options to deal with the archetype were widespread and viable enough to avoid significant warping of the metagame. This is somewhat of a sliding scale: at times webs have been fairly obscure and certainly not banworthy (Wingull meta in SM or late Vullaby in SS), and at others they have been a borderline case (a majority of XY and ORAS). Where the line should be drawn is subjective, and the purpose of this suspect.
special thanks to tazz for the writeup
The voting requirements are a minimum GXE of 76 with at least 50 games played. In addition, you may play 1 less game for every 0.2 GXE you have above 76 GXE, down to a minimum of 30 games at a GXE of 80. As always, needing more than 50 games to reach 80 GXE is fine.
| GXE | minimum games |
| 76 | 50 |
| 76.2 | 49 |
| 76.4 | 48 |
| 76.6 | 47 |
| 76.8 | 46 |
| 77 | 45 |
| 77.2 | 44 |
| 77.4 | 43 |
| 77.6 | 42 |
| 77.8 | 41 |
| 78 | 40 |
| 78.2 | 39 |
| 78.4 | 38 |
| 78.6 | 37 |
| 78.8 | 36 |
| 79 | 35 |
| 79.2 | 34 |
| 79.4 | 33 |
| 79.6 | 32 |
| 79.8 | 31 |
| 80 | 30 |
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Guess I'm on my way...
Guess I'm on my way...
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is stupidly hard to deal with under webs because anything that could otherwise outspeed and OHKO now underspeeds it. That mon was already really strong as is, and giving it that much speed control was terrible obnoxious.
was good at it too, with it wanting to run tera ghost normally to avoid getting hit by fighting type moves. Its not as good, but it can really spiral out of control.
is also notable for being fast on baseline and basically impossible to outspeed after webs are up. Also wingull and wattrel counterplay still fold to it.
can be run on webs which is funny because its stupidly hard to switch into.
because it can punish the spinners very hard with only access to acrobatics and will-o-wisp. Unburden Oran Berry sets can also sweep if you use tera flying acrobatics, meaning you have to be quite careful around it.
due to fluffy giving it a great defensive backbone, ability to use roar to phase out enemy pokemon, coverage options such as ice fang and stomping tantrum, and being really hard to kill if its running rest.
, even though im not a believer in it, some have definitely used it to great success due to weak armor turning it into a sweeper and having access to nasty plot and stored power
whose great typing and access to nasty plot and stab tera blast before and after tera make it a really fantastic sweeper that also blocks rapid spin.
which you can also use as a spinblocker on webs but has access to spin, spikes and healing with strength sap.
, who has fallen out of a favor due to its defensive profile being lackluster in a metagame with Grookey and Grimer-a around
, which had access to roost, rapid spin and moxie to be a defensive pokemon that could sweep lategame. Its not good currently due to dying to the grass and electric types around.
