★ VGC 2024 Regulation G Metagame Discussion

[Choruto]

Welcome to the VGC 2024 Metagame Discussion thread for Regulation G! This metagame is currently not released however it will be up on May 1st through August 31st. Although this thread used to be for general restricteds discussion, this thread is now dedicated to Regulation G discussion ONLY. The ruleset of Regulation G legalizes All non-mythical Pokemon and is a 1 restricted format.

The following Pokemon are BANNED

Banned Pokemon

(BB)

NEW ABILITIES

New Abilities

Tera Shift: When the Pokémon enters a battle, it absorbs the energy around itself and transforms into its Terastal Form.
Tera Shell: The Pokémon's shell contains the powers of each type. All damage-dealing moves that hit the Pokémon when its HP is full will not be very effective.
Teraform Zero: When Terapagos changes into its Stellar Form, it uses its hidden powers to eliminate all effects of weather and terrain, reducing them to zero.

If you're new to VGC, be sure to check out the other posts in the forum and to join our Discord! You might also want to look into resources like VGCPastes, VGC Guide, VGC damage calculator to help you get started​

 

[Choruto]

I'll start.

I'd like to talk about Rayquaza , a Pokemon that I think has been severely overlooked and not properly considered, but who I think has a ton of potential, which I'll go through below.
I think theres 3 main characteristics that define Ray for me; total weather canceling, being a bulky swords dance user, and having access to excellent coverage and type. Lets go through each one-by-one

Total weather canceling is a much bigger deal than it looks like on first glance. In a weather war, the constant pivoting is a huge factor. In my experience a lot of the game is just pivoting your setter in and out, which burns a lot of turns. It also leaves your partner switching in vulnerable to pretty predictable attacks, as your not exactly likely to keep a Groudon in front of a Rain boosted Kyogre . Late games are also kinda annoying if two of your mons are dead, or when you only have one option to pivot into. Ray completely bypasses these issues, allowing it to completely neutralize both the dons, especially so thanks to its typing completely walling both, and to an extent Koraidon too with resisting CC. In most single restricteds online tournaments Groudon or Kyogre have either outright won the event or had the highest usage out of the restricteds, so this is a pretty big deal. Its also nice in blocking both weathers, so you dont have to deal with say a Rain team mirror if you were instead say running to deal with Sun. Finally blocking weathers is huge in one last way, enabling teamates. I'll give one example here, Urshifu-R . With Choice Scarf its able to outspeed many natural threats to Ray such as Flutter or Calyrex-S , and Urshifu-R appreciates the weather blocking ability immensely. I've seen Sunny Day Tornadus being used on a lot of teams as their Urshifu-R counter, and most pure Sun teams have literally no ways outside of a stray Bolt to handle the fast Water-type coverage. I'll talk more about partners later tho

The second thing is having SD and a great stat spread. I've seen a lot of people say its just worse Dragonite , which is just not really true imo, they both play very differently and I think Ray has the edge here. Dragonite is kinda locked into Choice Band and being paired with Chien-Pao to have any sort of bite, and even then its pretty easily handled by say a Steel- or Ghost-type. After a single Swords Dance, Ray is matching a Banded Tera boosted Extreme Speed from Dragonite , and its higher attack stat means its almost matching the same damage as if SoR active. With its very respectable bulk and support from teamates, Ray can set up a Swords Dance really easily, and Extreme Speed allows it to dodge a huge problem with many set up sweepers, in lacking Speed to properly utilize the boost. Another thing I've seen is that Inner Focus makes Dragonite superior, which I also disagree with. While Inner Focus is great, it doesen't actually apply to Ray as much. Thanks to not needing a Choice Band, it can run Camulet (Or another useful item) to gain the Intim immunity and more, as well as being able to Protect to dodge Fake Out. The flexibility is really nice, and not being Choice Locked is way more useful that you would think. Which (Kinda) leads me to my next point, in its coverage and typing.

I cannot really stress how useful having an actually good Flying-type move is. Flying is such a good stab option, it hits most relevant types for neutral as well as handling another big problem for set up sweepers, in Amoonguss . The Rock-type resistant is kinda irrelevant as theres not many good ones out there (I love you Glim but your like the only good Rock ;-;) , and while not hitting Electric- or Steel-type Pokemon is kinda annoying, it comes up a lot less than you might think, and you also have access Earthquake to hit all of the Flying-type resistances. Flying/Dragon is also a really solid defensive typing, resisting the Dons is super useful, and is a great switch in to a lot of mons.

I've been having great success with it so far on a variant of the classic Gouging Fire team, and honestly speaking Gouging deserves a whole post on its own but thats for later. Im not even running Howl with it, the damage output is already there from Ray and Urshifu-R , instead opting for a Snarl/Breaking Swipe combo. Being a fast de-buffer that bypasses redirection is really nice, and also slows down so many prevalent threats (Stuff like Caly-S just get so bodied by a single Snarl, losing out on all that momentum early is crazy bad for it). I've already talked about Urshifu-R already but yeah its just generally really solid. I was also told to talk about Caly-I , I dont really know what to say I have answers for that on my team too, the existence of a single bad match-up doesen't auto mean the mon is bad lmao, you got 3 other Pokemon to bring for a reason!

Anyways thats my rant on Rayquaza , this was way longer than it had any right to be but whatever. TLDR; Mon is good, Swords Dance + Extreme Speed is broken and blocking weather is really valuable, I even got a figure of it cuz its neat.

 

[Jesuuuus]

I'll start.

I'd like to talk about Rayquaza , a Pokemon that I think has been severely overlooked and not properly considered, but who I think has a ton of potential, which I'll go through below.
I think theres 3 main characteristics that define Ray for me; total weather canceling, being a bulky swords dance user, and having access to excellent coverage and type. Lets go through each one-by-one

Total weather canceling is a much bigger deal than it looks like on first glance. In a weather war, the constant pivoting is a huge factor. In my experience a lot of the game is just pivoting your setter in and out, which burns a lot of turns. It also leaves your partner switching in vulnerable to pretty predictable attacks, as your not exactly likely to keep a Groudon in front of a Rain boosted Kyogre . Late games are also kinda annoying if two of your mons are dead, or when you only have one option to pivot into. Ray completely bypasses these issues, allowing it to completely neutralize both the dons, especially so thanks to its typing completely walling both, and to an extent Koraidon too with resisting CC. In most single restricteds online tournaments Groudon or Kyogre have either outright won the event or had the highest usage out of the restricteds, so this is a pretty big deal. Its also nice in blocking both weathers, so you dont have to deal with say a Rain team mirror if you were instead say running to deal with Sun. Finally blocking weathers is huge in one last way, enabling teamates. I'll give one example here, Urshifu-R . With Choice Scarf its able to outspeed many natural threats to Ray such as Flutter or Calyrex-S , and Urshifu-R appreciates the weather blocking ability immensely. I've seen Sunny Day Tornadus being used on a lot of teams as their Urshifu-R counter, and most pure Sun teams have literally no ways outside of a stray Bolt to handle the fast Water-type coverage. I'll talk more about partners later tho

The second thing is having SD and a great stat spread. I've seen a lot of people say its just worse Dragonite , which is just not really true imo, they both play very differently and I think Ray has the edge here. Dragonite is kinda locked into Choice Band and being paired with Chien-Pao to have any sort of bite, and even then its pretty easily handled by say a Steel- or Ghost-type. After a single Swords Dance, Ray is matching a Banded Tera boosted Extreme Speed from Dragonite , and its higher attack stat means its almost matching the same damage as if SoR active. With its very respectable bulk and support from teamates, Ray can set up a Swords Dance really easily, and Extreme Speed allows it to dodge a huge problem with many set up sweepers, in lacking Speed to properly utilize the boost. Another thing I've seen is that Inner Focus makes Dragonite superior, which I also disagree with. While Inner Focus is great, it doesen't actually apply to Ray as much. Thanks to not needing a Choice Band, it can run Camulet (Or another useful item) to gain the Intim immunity and more, as well as being able to Protect to dodge Fake Out. The flexibility is really nice, and not being Choice Locked is way more useful that you would think. Which (Kinda) leads me to my next point, in its coverage and typing.

I cannot really stress how useful having an actually good Flying-type move is. Flying is such a good stab option, it hits most relevant types for neutral as well as handling another big problem for set up sweepers, in Amoonguss . The Rock-type resistant is kinda irrelevant as theres not many good ones out there (I love you Glim but your like the only good Rock ;-;) , and while not hitting Electric- or Steel-type Pokemon is kinda annoying, it comes up a lot less than you might think, and you also have access Earthquake to hit all of the Flying-type resistances. Flying/Dragon is also a really solid defensive typing, resisting the Dons is super useful, and is a great switch in to a lot of mons.

I've been having great success with it so far on a variant of the classic Gouging Fire team, and honestly speaking Gouging deserves a whole post on its own but thats for later. Im not even running Howl with it, the damage output is already there from Ray and Urshifu-R , instead opting for a Snarl/Breaking Swipe combo. Being a fast de-buffer that bypasses redirection is really nice, and also slows down so many prevalent threats (Stuff like Caly-S just get so bodied by a single Snarl, losing out on all that momentum early is crazy bad for it). I've already talked about Urshifu-R already but yeah its just generally really solid. I was also told to talk about Caly-I , I dont really know what to say I have answers for that on my team too, the existence of a single bad match-up doesen't auto mean the mon is bad lmao, you got 3 other Pokemon to bring for a reason!

Anyways thats my rant on Rayquaza , this was way longer than it had any right to be but whatever. TLDR; Mon is good, Swords Dance + Extreme Speed is broken and blocking weather is really valuable, I even got a figure of it cuz its neat.

How well do you think Rayquaza will handle Miraidon? Miradion looks really good into Ray as it threatens an OHKO will Dragon Pulse/Draco Meteor, and naturally outspeeds it. Additionally, only Earthquake can properly threaten it, and if you have an Earthquake user it implies you will not be running Rillaboom, which will be one of Miraidon's best checks due to it's ability to reset it's terrain. Ray could run Dragon Claw, but this could lead to it being walled by steel types, and on Swords Dance sets would have to give up one of Dragon Ascent and Extreme Speed (which I imagine will both be much preferred). On a two restricteds format (which I doubt will happen but everyone wants to talk about) this poor MU could be pretty crippling. Are there any Pokemon that you think could consistently beat Miraidon that you could put on a team with Ray?

 

[TheLoanRanger]

⬇⬇⬇This son of an Uber is beating high ranking ladder teams and basically, you are hella goofy.

Click here to find out how!➡https://pokepast.es/4255608e55242d6a​

Zacian is definitely still S tier. It has one of the best speed stats amongst all relevant mons, its typing is phenomenal, and it can now utilize tera to make it even harder to take down. Even with the nerf to its atk and ability, 150 base atk with a free boost is still very strong. It can also utilize swords dance to further pump iron beyond what its ability can provide, and thanks to tera it can have more opportunities to do so. Overall, it has so much going for it, yet people act like the nerf it got hit with makes it low tier trash or something. Idk guys, I don't think Zacian is going anywhere (except maybe back to worlds for another W).

 

[Choruto]

How well do you think Rayquaza will handle Miraidon? Miradion looks really good into Ray as it threatens an OHKO will Dragon Pulse/Draco Meteor, and naturally outspeeds it. Additionally, only Earthquake can properly threaten it, and if you have an Earthquake user it implies you will not be running Rillaboom, which will be one of Miraidon's best checks due to it's ability to reset it's terrain. Ray could run Dragon Claw, but this could lead to it being walled by steel types, and on Swords Dance sets would have to give up one of Dragon Ascent and Extreme Speed (which I imagine will both be much preferred). On a two restricteds format (which I doubt will happen but everyone wants to talk about) this poor MU could be pretty crippling. Are there any Pokemon that you think could consistently beat Miraidon that you could put on a team with Ray?

As I said, the presence of a single counter doesen't really invalidate a mon. Rilla , Flutter and Gouging with Snarl all work great as counters, and with good play Mirai hasen't been terribly hard to deal with. I can also just... not bring Rayquaza . Personally I dont run Earthquake, just an example. I run Dragon Ascent/Extreme Speed/Swords Dance/Protect.
Not having dragon is sometimes annoying but its worth it, and not hitting Steel- or Rock-types hasen't been a problem really, Gouging is good into Steels and Rocks as I said are pretty irrelevant.
For double restricteds formats, Idk I'll have to cook more for that, mostly talking about single restricteds, which Ray I think definitely works in. Also, the ray figurine I forgot to add earlier

 

[Choruto]

⬇⬇⬇This son of an Uber is beating high ranking ladder teams and basically, you are hella goofy.
View attachment 607679 Click here to find out how!➡https://pokepast.es/4255608e55242d6a​

Zacian is definitely still S tier. It has one of the best speed stats amongst all relevant mons, its typing is phenomenal, and it can now utilize tera to make it even harder to take down. Even with the nerf to its atk and ability, 150 base atk with a free boost is still very strong. It can also utilize swords dance to further pump iron beyond what its ability can provide, and thanks to tera it can have more opportunities to do so. Overall, it has so much going for it, yet people act like the nerf it got hit with makes it low tier trash or something. Idk guys, I don't think Zacian is going anywhere (except maybe back to worlds for another W).

Ye, people act like Zacian still aint doing 90-100% to Incin with CC lmao. Its definitely still really good.

 

[TheLoanRanger]

Since I have a bunch of Gen 9 GS Cup (ie double restricted) teams in my builder that are just kinda sitting there looking pretty and collecting dust, I want to share some of them with the people in case they need a sample team that they can use while dipping their feet into the waters of a Gen 9 restricted format.
(Note - nothing is really "standard" in a format that isn't even real yet; I use standard to mean straightforward and high power teams)

Standard teams:

Miraidon+ Zacian Bulky Offense

Kyogre + Zacian Rain Offense
Fun teams:

Spicy Extract Scovillain + Mirror Herb Koraidon

Pachirisu + ZacOgre

Remember that these are only samples, so feel free to use them as a starting point and edit them in any way that suits you.
And I'll finish by dropping one of the most fun calcs in the game, Amoonguss getting OHKOd by a fighting type move:
+2 132+ Atk Orichalcum Pulse Koraidon Collision Course vs. -2 252 HP / 252+ Def Amoonguss: 211-249 (95.4 - 112.6%) -- 75% chance to OHKO

 

[LovelyLuna]

My single restricted tier list! Heavily predicted to be the next format and as someone who loves to discuss, I engaged.

Reasoning

S rank:

Calyrex-Shadow - The best restricted available purely because of the damage, Astral Barrage and Expanding Force are some of the strongest moves in the game, bolstered by Caly-S 's ridiculous Special Attack and Speed stats. Terastallization gives it a way to minimize damage taken from stuff like Snarl, Knock Off, and Sucker Punch, BUT ALSO COVERAGE??? This Pokemon was barely kept in check due to the fact it couldn't touch Dark-types, but now it's able to just Tera Fighting / Fairy and Tera Blast away its supposed checks. Did I mention its ability, As One? Which prevents Incineroar from eating its Sitrus Berry and gives it a Special Attack boost every kill, meaning you can't effectively sac against it. To top it off, Yveltal , Caly-S 's best answer, is currently not in the game. Life Orb / Focus Sash 3 Attacks, Snarl, Choice Specs Tera Ghost, even Nasty Plot, are all legitimate sets that wreck teams. It is not without counters however, Snarl Incineroar can still prove to be annoying and so can Rillaboom , overriding terrain and making it harder for Calyrex-Shadow to handle Ghost resists. Terapagos and Lunala are good restricted answers with Calm Mind and Wide Guard respectively.

Zacian-Crowned - The one restricted that can compete with Calyrex-Shadow . Zacian bears equally devastating Attack and Speed stats, great bulk (My current spread can live Groudon 's Precipice Blades and two Calyrex-Shadow Astral Barrages as examples.), and arguably the best typing in the game. Sure, the ability nerf has hurt it a lot, making Incineroar a lot more consistent as an answer, however, Intrepid Sword is still a fantastic ability, +1 Atk allows for so many stupid calcs that sometimes it feels like your opponent just loses without Incineroar . Zacian can still be a great endgame Pokemon with its phenomenal stats and typing, escaping the Intimidate cycling when in the back. Zacian can also be a mid-game sweeper with Swords Dance, outdoing the Intimidate drops and doing monstrous damage, especially with Chien-Pao . You can also forego Swords Dance for Fighting or Tera Blast coverage and partner up with Gouging Fire (which ftr is insane rn, fast snarl and howl wrecks a lot of the metagame.), simply saying 'no' to Intimidate. Should note that Fire-types are still an issue for these teams, especially Tera Fire Groudon or Koraidon which care less about Ogerpon-W .

A+ Rank:

Nothing, I firmly believe the above two are so much better than everything else that this shouldn't belong to another restricted. In duel restricted formats this would definitely be filled, but here, when you choose another restricted Pokemon, you sacrifice the opportunity to use Calyrex-Shadow or Zacian-Crowned . The below tier is definitely great Pokemon but they're just not up there yet.

A Rank:

Kyogre - Pretty straightforward but it can do what it has been doing every other format, Water Spout in rain hurts and forces multiple water resists on a team. Its bulk is insane too, taking Zacian-C 's Play Rough, and with investment, outside of Electric Terrain, Miraidon 's Electro Drift which gets a boost on super effective hits. Water is a great defensive typing and I think Indeedee-F will be a unique partner helping against Raging Bolt and Rillaboom . I wouldn't be surprised to see Urshifu-R on these compositions doubling on the pressure and taking equal advantage of it. Kyogre allows this thanks to being so versatile, can go Choice Scarf, Choice Specs, and Mystic Water effectively. Psychic Terrain isn't a foolproof plan though as the two still hate Raging Bolt and Rillaboom

Koraidon - One of my hottest tajes but this is easily a Top 5 restricted Pokemon. Sun is in general great with our fantastic past paradox Pokemon, and Koraidon 's Orichalcum Pulse. The quad Fairy weakness looks bad at first but you're realistically going to Tera your Miraidon against Zacian and Flutter Mane anyway. Effectively having 3 STABs is pretty insane, and I have considered a Choice Scarf set to beat Zacian , Calyrex-Shadow , Miraidon , Flutter Mane . and more, too many times. Even without the Choice Scarf, Koraidon has a superb speed tier and can utilize Clear Amulet to get around the few Pokemon that can slow it down, like Incineroar, or copy Zacian and partner with Gouging Fire , which now doesn't even need to sacrifice its item slot to set up fast howls. Unfortunately you do get screwed over if the opponent is also running sun abusers, as they are splashable and sometimes it'll feel like you're not benefitting.

Miraidon - Honestly find this a toss-up with Koraidon , Miraidon individually looks more promising, having a better typing and Special attackers being blessed having not to worry as much about Incineroar, but also Electric Terrain nullifying Amoonguss ' spore. Can't forget Terrain control, which is huge with how great Rillaboom and Indeedee are. But Miraidon is truly missing something: Terrain abusers. The future paradox Pokemon are a lot worse and the list of viable abusers can be counted on one hand. Iron Hands with an ability sounds hype, and Iron Bundle seems pretty reliable, but the two are nowhere near as useful as Flutter Mane and Raging Bolt obtaining Protosynthesis boosts. Iron Bundle always faces the issue of worse speed control than Tornadus , and then its damage issue gets even worse in a higher power level format. Iron Hands would also still hate Incineroar and Landorus . Again, Miraidon is still an incredibly strong Pokemon, but I think its team support is exaggerated and puts it on the same pedestal as Koraidon .

Lunala - This is interesting, considering Lunala 's poor typing and underwhelming stats in comparison to everything else, but it makes up for it with its movepool and ability. Shadow Shield is something Lunala never got to utilize effectively because of both its quad weaknesses, now with Terastallization, it can steal games with Meteor Beam or set up a crucial Tailwind / Trick Room. Yes, Lunala got Tailwind back, makes it very flexible, and remember, it isn't passive at all thanks to Meteor Beam's Special Attack boost. Wide Guard makes Lunala a complete counter to Calyrex-Shadow , walling even Tera Blast Fighting variants and allowing for your teammate to clean up. Wide Guard also helps check Kyogre , Terapagos , and to an extent, Groudon . It's annoying how we have minimal good Trick Room abusers and I may be slightly overrating it in Single restricted, especially when it's not as offensive as the others and has to sacrifice Protect.

A- Rank:

Groudon - Still a great Pokemon in its own right, though notably worse than Koraidon . Clear Amulet Swords Dance sets can replicate the White Herb sets in the past, but be a lot harder for Incineroar to wittle down. Tera Fire Heat Crash does a number on Pokemon and helps cover the Grass types that threaten Groudon . Assault Vest sets are also really strong, being able to eat Calyrex-Shadow 's Astral Barrage for breakfast (Often a 4HKO lol, and Choice Specs is usually a 3HKO), Miraidon :Mitaidon:'s Draco Meteor for Lunch (Up to 60%, 3HKO after SpA drops), and Kyogre 's Mystic Water Water Spouts for Dinner (3HKO). Groudon can partner exceptionally well with Gouging Fire (Do we realize its strong yet?) which mitigates the Intimidate attack drops and minimizes the switching necessary. Similar to Koraidon , Gouging Fire and other paradox Pokemon gain an item slot. Groudon is just incredible team support and can pull its weight. Average speed tier and opposing Pokemon getting the sun boost will prove to be frustrating for Groudon players.

Calyrex-Ice - Trick Room's best abuser, and probably best setter too. Clear Amulet is its saving grace, allowing it to spam Glacial Lance and High horsepower without fear of Incineroar . Unnerve allows it to ignore Sitrus Berry and its ability makes sure it gets stronger with every kill, just like Calyrex-Shadow . I do think Swords Dance sets with another Trick Room setter can work well, wiping the board with every Glaciel Lance. Typing is pretty disgusting defensively, which is why we have big Tera to save the day, Water looks the best overall imo though Fire, Grass, and Fairy are worth looking into. Calyrex-I 's bulk is nothing short of amazing, being able to invest to survive Caly-S 's Life Orb Astral Barrage and avoid the 2HKO from Terastallized Ogerpon-W. allowing for Caly-I to steal endgames even when outside Trick Room. Amoonguss still sounds problematic and Incineroar with Knock Off doesn't sound pleasant either, things Calyrex-Ice definitely needs to watch out for.

Terapagos-Terastal - Terapagos is the DLC's new 'weird' restricted legendary. Its stats are very mediocre and would suit a Pseudo Legendary, however, it has the special Terastalization formes which bumps its BST up to that of Zacian-Crowned 's, Terapagos-Stellar . It has 2 good abilities, pre Terastallization it has a superior Multiscale and after that, it can remove weather and terrain, shutting down entire teams when used at the right time. Terapagos 's biggest issue is its underwhelming damage output, because after you Terastallize, you lose STAB on Tera Starstorm and in exchange get a 1.2 boost on all your moves permanently. This is where Calm Mind comes in, Terapagos can abuse a super supportive team that doesn't want to Terastallize and let Terapagos do the majority of the damage. The main issue with it though is how inflexible it can be and how vulnerable it is to strong physical attackers, especially Koraidon and Zacian-C . Being able to remove the battle effects only once per battle is also unfortunate but the Pokemon is still far from bad.

B rank:

I will be talking a lot less about these Pokemon because Im tired as they don't have much to offer, they are very mediocre and hard to justify in comparison to the Pokemon above.

Necrozma Dusk Mane - Necrozma-DM has a couple of niches with Terastallization, Swords Dance Trick Room sets in particular are pretty scary with Prism Armor, can even just be an unkillable Trick Room setter with Knock Off support. This thing BULKLESS is taking Choice Specs Flutter Mane 's Shadow Ball and Groudon 's Precipice Blades lmao.

Eternatus - Nice offesnive Pokemon with Meteor Beam and Choice Specs sets being decent. Like 1.3x bulkier than Zacian and we already mentioned how bulky it is, this takes advantage of how good of a defensive type Poison is and then it can get dangerous when you couple it with a good speed tier. Its stats alone mean you have to give it some credit

Palkia-Origin - Pretty much better Palkia as they used to run Life Orb and speed investment even on Trick Room sets. Water / Dragon will never be a bad typing and the Pokemon is both bulky and strong. Kyogre's Special Attack stat with a built in Mystic Water has to mean something.

Rayquaza - Choruto explained this very well, but just very few reasons for you to justify it in your restricted slot. Dragonite gets recommended because It's a mini Rayquaza that doesn't sacrifice your restricted slot which can be used on one of the above Pokemon.

C rank:

Reshiram - Nice Assault Vest Pokemon with glorified Mold Breaker, to my knowledge one of the few Special Attackers that can fight Terapagos . 150 SpA is never something to scoff at and Fire / Dragon is a nice defensive typing. Pretty good coverage to take advantage of its Special Attack stat ig.

Dialga-Origin - Better Dialga, Steel / Dragon is good but looks a bit meh vs this specific metagame, 150 SpA with built in boost is is still a cool tool and I can see this a bit worse than Palkia-Origin

Zacian - Mini Zacian-C that can hold Clear Amulet or Choice Band, allowing it to be fearless of Incineroar and the latter OHKOing Miraidon regardless of Terastallization. Probably almost never worth using but when used, it can be more impactful than all of the restricteds in its tier.

Kyurem-White - Stats go brr and also glorified Mold Breaker, considering itas a Scarfer and just accepting its defensive downsides. Definitely niche though like everything else in the tier.

Palkia - Honestly not sure if this should be D tier instead, Palkia that can hold an item and function better on heavier Trick Room may be real?

Zamazenta-Crowned - Usually a supportive restricted so much worse in Single restricted but with Body Press I believe in its ability to fit on a team, Wide Guard, Coaching, Snarl, Howl, etc are still great tools that help justify Zamazenta-Crowned a little.

D rank:

Don't use, trash cybertron thumbnail type shit..

That took me over 3 hours to write lmao, just for no one to read.

 

[flutterfan]

Just saw this thread and I just wanna say that as a Rayquaza player, it can be very scary. Swords Dance Tera Normal Extreme Speed is gonna run through teams after even just 1 Swords Dance and with only a couple counters, it’s bound to be a top threat in the next format.

I think we can all agree that Calyrex Shadow will be possibly even the #1 most used mon. It’s got higher offense than Flutter. Higher speed as well. And Expanding Force. And Nasty Plot. My god I’m scared.

 

[Pengu]

I think that Walking Wake will be really good going into a restricted format.
Walking Wake hasn't seen that much success, even though it's seemingly a monster. This guy works super well under sun and rain, which I think really gives it the upper hand in a restricted format. Kyogre will be the best rain setter, where Booster Speed or Choice Scarf sets of Walking can abuse. Not only will they out speed Miraidon and Koraidon with one of these items and threaten a KO with Draco Meteor, but Hydro Steam will blast through Pokemon that don't resist. The only issue with Walking Wake under Rain is that you get destroyed by Waterpon. Under the sun, Walking Wake is still a monster. Pair it with a Groudon or a Koraidon, and this behemoth is wrecking through everything. Even into Waterpon, Flamethrowers are going to chunk that thing if it doesn't Terastilize. Walking Wake can drop the Booster item for Choice Specs or Choice Scarf. Life Orb is also a solid option there, if you want free availability to your moves. For me, on rain, I prefer Hydro Steam/Crack Meteor/Dragon Pulse/Flip Turn, and on sun I use the same exact set, but drop Dragon Pulse or Flip Turn for Flamethrower. Walking Wake can even Tera into Water/Dragon for more damage (preferably water), Tera into Fairy to beat other Dragons, Steel with Tera Blast to destroy Fairies, and maybe something niche like Tera Ground Tera Blast to eliminate Miraidon. Walking Wake does kinda falter to Rayquaza, since it depends on weather for power. I think that if Kyogre, Groudon, and Koraidon are as good as I believe they will be, Walking Wake will be a monster. It can turn the tables on these weather setting legendaries, as it performs well in sun and rain.

 

[thacrow]

Haha behemoth blade

 

[Sugarbear]

A Pokemon I want to talk about.

This thing has similar bulk to Giratina-A, while packing a Special Attack stat on par with Lunala. While it doesn't have the immediate power of Pokemon like Zacian, Kyogre and Calyrex-S, it has a few ways to patch this up (see below), and it makes up for that with truly incredible bulk. There's also its ability: while it only works on the turn it teras, turning off all weather and terrains in this format is absolutely massive given how centralised the meta will be around weather and terrains. On the downside, it does take up the tera slot, so you want to pair it up with stuff that doesn't need to tera (Zacian-C is a good one).

Sets

Calm Mind (Terapagos) @ Leftovers
Ability: Tera Shift
Level: 50
Tera Type: Stellar
EVs: 36 HP / 252 Def / 76 SpA / 92 SpD / 52 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 15 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Tera Starstorm
- Earth Power
- Protect

76 Special Attack hits a jump point. Defence is maxed since HP is much higher. 36 HP EVs give a Leftovers number, with the Speed letting you outrun 252 Timid Calyrex-S in Tailwind, with the rest in SpD for more bulk. Earth Power gives you hits on Steel types.

Rock Polish (Terapagos) @ Power Herb
Ability: Tera Shift
Level: 50
Tera Type: Stellar
EVs: 148 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 100 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 15 Atk
- Rock Polish
- Meteor Beam
- Tera Starstorm
- Protect

100 Speed EVs let you outrun Timid Scarf Kyogre at +2. Meteor Beam gives you a Special Attack boost (and it can also OHKO Incineroar, Rayquaza, Calyrex-I and Ho-Oh).

Choice Specs (Terapagos) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Tera Shift
Level: 50
Tera Type: Stellar
EVs: 196 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 52 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 15 Atk
- Tera Starstorm
- Earth Power
- Ice Beam
- Tri Attack

And finally, just tera, click Tera Starstorm, and watch stuff die.

And some other Pokemon I feel could be good.

This thing's typing lets it check Groudon, Kyogre, Calyrex-S and Miraidon and with tera it can even put the brakes on Koraidon. It can provide team support with Pollen Puff and Snarl, and Ruination means it can chip anything.

With many more set up Pokemon, Smeargle can easily give them the space with Fake Out + Follow Me. While Miraidon being around might make Spore harder to slot, it can instead opt to run Wide Guard to let it shut down spread move users, or even Decorate to turn its ally into a monster.

You could potentially get a 3rd restricted with the pink slime. Zacian in particular needs to watch out for it, since if it transforms into it it gets +2 Attack.

 

[Pengu]

I think that Walking Wake will be really good going into a restricted format.
Walking Wake hasn't seen that much success, even though it's seemingly a monster. This guy works super well under sun and rain, which I think really gives it the upper hand in a restricted format. Kyogre will be the best rain setter, where Booster Speed or Choice Scarf sets of Walking can abuse. Not only will they out speed Miraidon and Koraidon with one of these items and threaten a KO with Draco Meteor, but Hydro Steam will blast through Pokemon that don't resist. The only issue with Walking Wake under Rain is that you get destroyed by Waterpon. Under the sun, Walking Wake is still a monster. Pair it with a Groudon or a Koraidon, and this behemoth is wrecking through everything. Even into Waterpon, Flamethrowers are going to chunk that thing if it doesn't Terastilize. Walking Wake can drop the Booster item for Choice Specs or Choice Scarf. Life Orb is also a solid option there, if you want free availability to your moves. For me, on rain, I prefer Hydro Steam/Crack Meteor/Dragon Pulse/Flip Turn, and on sun I use the same exact set, but drop Dragon Pulse or Flip Turn for Flamethrower. Walking Wake can even Tera into Water/Dragon for more damage (preferably water), Tera into Fairy to beat other Dragons, Steel with Tera Blast to destroy Fairies, and maybe something niche like Tera Ground Tera Blast to eliminate Miraidon. Walking Wake does kinda falter to Rayquaza, since it depends on weather for power. I think that if Kyogre, Groudon, and Koraidon are as good as I believe they will be, Walking Wake will be a monster. It can turn the tables on these weather setting legendaries, as it performs well in sun and rain.

Btw here are the sets I run:

Sun (Walking Wake) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Protosynthesis
Level: 50
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 52 HP / 4 Def / 180 SpA / 76 SpD / 196 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Steam
- Flamethrower
- Draco Meteor
- Dragon Pulse

You can swap out Dragon Pulse for Tera Steel Tera Blast, though I prefer this.

Rain (Walking Wake) @ Choice Scarf/Booster Energy
Ability: Protosynthesis
Level: 50
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 52 HP / 4 Def / 180 SpA / 76 SpD / 196 Spe
Timid Nature
- Flip Turn
- Hydro Steam
- Draco Meteor
- Dragon Pulse

Same spread, since you out speed max speed Timid Calyrex-Shadow and have a 25% chance to survive 252 Modest Choice Specs astral Barge off of Calyrex. Tera Steel Tera Blast can replace Dragon Pulse. Tera Steel may even be preferred here to resist Zacian's and Flutter's Fairy STAB attacks. If you choose Booster Energy or even Life Orb (life orb also works for the first set), then you almost definitely drop Dragon Pulse for Protect. Btw, the speed is just enough to boost with Booster Energy or Sun, and you can OHKO Miraidon with Draco Meteor and Choice Specs. You could shave off the bulk and go for a 252 SPATK/252 SPE set if you want, which should allow Tera Water Hydro Steam to KO a Terastilized Miraidon. Rayquaza drops to Draco Meteor even without Choice Specs.

I'll post some teams for these sets soon!

 

[Genuine_Angus_B33F]

I wonder if Ho-oh is going to be able to make a splash.

It has great matchups into Zacian (without Wild Charge) and Calyrex-Shadow thanks to its defensive typing and bulk, and it at least has solid tools into Koraidon , Groudon , Necrozma-Dusk Mane , Calyrex-Ice , and Terapagos .

Clear Amulet is probably best for it to not crumple to Intimidate, though Assault Vest and Charti Berry are also potentially good solutions to other issues. Rillaboom is a standout teammate to help vs Miraidon and Kyogre , two pretty bad MUs for Ho-oh. As for Tera, Dragon might be best to give resistances to both Electro Drift and Water Spout, while potentially giving it Dragon Tera Blast to hit Miraidon for at least neutral damage.

I also wonder if Ting-Lu might help as well, with Vessel of Ruin and Snarl helping shut down Miraidon , Meteor Beam Lunala , and locking down the Calyrex-Shadow MU (to whatever extent that's possible, at least.)

 

[Pengu]

Btw here are the sets I run:

Sun (Walking Wake) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Protosynthesis
Level: 50
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 52 HP / 4 Def / 180 SpA / 76 SpD / 196 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Steam
- Flamethrower
- Draco Meteor
- Dragon Pulse

You can swap out Dragon Pulse for Tera Steel Tera Blast, though I prefer this.

Rain (Walking Wake) @ Choice Scarf/Booster Energy
Ability: Protosynthesis
Level: 50
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 52 HP / 4 Def / 180 SpA / 76 SpD / 196 Spe
Timid Nature
- Flip Turn
- Hydro Steam
- Draco Meteor
- Dragon Pulse

Same spread, since you out speed max speed Timid Calyrex-Shadow and have a 25% chance to survive 252 Modest Choice Specs astral Barge off of Calyrex. Tera Steel Tera Blast can replace Dragon Pulse. Tera Steel may even be preferred here to resist Zacian's and Flutter's Fairy STAB attacks. If you choose Booster Energy or even Life Orb (life orb also works for the first set), then you almost definitely drop Dragon Pulse for Protect. Btw, the speed is just enough to boost with Booster Energy or Sun, and you can OHKO Miraidon with Draco Meteor and Choice Specs. You could shave off the bulk and go for a 252 SPATK/252 SPE set if you want, which should allow Tera Water Hydro Steam to KO a Terastilized Miraidon. Rayquaza drops to Draco Meteor even without Choice Specs.

I'll post some teams for these sets soon!

Here are the teams

Sun Single Restrict: https://pokepast.es/4783155235f954c9
Sun Double Restrict: https://pokepast.es/3cba52046304dcd9
Rain Single Restrict: https://pokepast.es/614e39cf0f28c8f4
Rain Double Restrict: https://pokepast.es/e23412542219b860

Not super sure on the spreads, plus, this is just a theory.

 

[TheLoanRanger]

Here are the teams

Sun Single Restrict: https://pokepast.es/4783155235f954c9
Sun Double Restrict: https://pokepast.es/3cba52046304dcd9
Rain Single Restrict: https://pokepast.es/614e39cf0f28c8f4
Rain Double Restrict: https://pokepast.es/e23412542219b860

Not super sure on the spreads, plus, this is just a theory.

I wonder if EVing for a SpAtk boost from proto would be better on the scarf sets on your rain teams. That way, if the opponent sets up sun you can benefit from it by doing a bit more damage and I'm not sure if the extra speed the protosynthesis boost would give you is super worth (unless you really want to outrun a speed boosted Flutter).

 

[Choruto]

I think that Walking Wake will be really good going into a restricted format.
Walking Wake hasn't seen that much success, even though it's seemingly a monster. This guy works super well under sun and rain, which I think really gives it the upper hand in a restricted format. Kyogre will be the best rain setter, where Booster Speed or Choice Scarf sets of Walking can abuse. Not only will they out speed Miraidon and Koraidon with one of these items and threaten a KO with Draco Meteor, but Hydro Steam will blast through Pokemon that don't resist. The only issue with Walking Wake under Rain is that you get destroyed by Waterpon. Under the sun, Walking Wake is still a monster. Pair it with a Groudon or a Koraidon, and this behemoth is wrecking through everything. Even into Waterpon, Flamethrowers are going to chunk that thing if it doesn't Terastilize. Walking Wake can drop the Booster item for Choice Specs or Choice Scarf. Life Orb is also a solid option there, if you want free availability to your moves. For me, on rain, I prefer Hydro Steam/Crack Meteor/Dragon Pulse/Flip Turn, and on sun I use the same exact set, but drop Dragon Pulse or Flip Turn for Flamethrower. Walking Wake can even Tera into Water/Dragon for more damage (preferably water), Tera into Fairy to beat other Dragons, Steel with Tera Blast to destroy Fairies, and maybe something niche like Tera Ground Tera Blast to eliminate Miraidon. Walking Wake does kinda falter to Rayquaza, since it depends on weather for power. I think that if Kyogre, Groudon, and Koraidon are as good as I believe they will be, Walking Wake will be a monster. It can turn the tables on these weather setting legendaries, as it performs well in sun and rain.

I think Wake will suffer the same problems it does now, being a poor typing and a big easy to play around nuke. Dragon/Water is pretty terrible in a restricteds format, it offers very few resistances as well as a weakness to Flutter (Who also gets a Speed boost under Sun), and being Dragon type in a restricteds format is also kinda ehh as your weak to pre much every restricted. Dragon/Water is also really easy to switch into, 2 premier mons in say Zacian and Ogerpon-W are completely immune to both STABs, and a wasted Draco just kinda cripples it.

Sure it can tera out of these weaknesses, but then your commit tera to a glass cannon on a strategy that already really needs tera, mons like Koraidon and to an extent Groudon are kinda screwed without being able to tera. In my practice matches, Wake just felt really easy to switch around and never really lasted for more than a turn, while a lot of the time eating up tera. I'll have to see but im not a believer :<

I wonder if Ho-oh is going to be able to make a splash.

It has great matchups into Zacian (without Wild Charge) and Calyrex-Shadow thanks to its defensive typing and bulk, and it at least has solid tools into Koraidon , Groudon , Necrozma-Dusk Mane , Calyrex-Ice , and Terapagos .

Clear Amulet is probably best for it to not crumple to Intimidate, though Assault Vest and Charti Berry are also potentially good solutions to other issues. Rillaboom is a standout teammate to help vs Miraidon and Kyogre , two pretty bad MUs for Ho-oh. As for Tera, Dragon might be best to give resistances to both Electro Drift and Water Spout, while potentially giving it Dragon Tera Blast to hit Miraidon for at least neutral damage.

I also wonder if Ting-Lu might help as well, with Vessel of Ruin and Snarl helping shut down Miraidon , Meteor Beam Lunala , and locking down the Calyrex-Shadow MU (to whatever extent that's possible, at least.)

My problem with Ho-oh is that it isen't really a win condition. It doesen't have the same pressure that say a Caly or a Groudon with SD has, while its defenses are nice its weak to Intimidate cycling and its Attack is pretty ass for a restricteds slot. Its lacking damage and a consistent way to end games, and so I think it will struggle to keep up in formats where you can leave the bulk to say Incineroar or even an Assault Vest user and instead choose to pick another high value restricted. Zacian players can just bring Urshifu-R to deal with a pesky Ho-oh :Ho-oh; and call it a day, while the Ho-oh is left scrambling.

 

[Pengu]

I think Wake will suffer the same problems it does now, being a poor typing and a big easy to play around nuke. Dragon/Water is pretty terrible in a restricteds format, it offers very few resistances as well as a weakness to Flutter (Who also gets a Speed boost under Sun), and being Dragon type in a restricteds format is also kinda ehh as your weak to pre much every restricted. Dragon/Water is also really easy to switch into, 2 premier mons in say Zacian and Ogerpon-W are completely immune to both STABs, and a wasted Draco just kinda cripples it.

Sure it can tera out of these weaknesses, but then your commit tera to a glass cannon on a strategy that already really needs tera, mons like Koraidon and to an extent Groudon are kinda screwed without being able to tera. In my practice matches, Wake just felt really easy to switch around and never really lasted for more than a turn, while a lot of the time eating up tera. I'll have to see but im not a believer :<

My problem with Ho-oh is that it isen't really a win condition. It doesen't have the same pressure that say a Caly or a Groudon with SD has, while its defenses are nice its weak to Intimidate cycling and its Attack is pretty ass for a restricteds slot. Its lacking damage and a consistent way to end games, and so I think it will struggle to keep up in formats where you can leave the bulk to say Incineroar or even an Assault Vest user and instead choose to pick another high value restricted. Zacian players can just bring Urshifu-R to deal with a pesky Ho-oh :Ho-oh; and call it a day, while the Ho-oh is left scrambling.

I definitely see where you’re coming from, but the partners you can run with it. Grimmsnarl learns Thunder Wave for speed control, which will then allow you to outspeed Flutter. Of course, you can run Tera Steel and a bulkier Lorb set, and you still beat loads of powerful mons. Idk, we’ll have to wait and see if it thrives. Liligant-Hisui may also be a great partner for Wake because it outspends these Pokémon, like Zacian and Ogerpon under the sun. Leaf Blade, CC, and Sleep Powder can’t be ignored either. Of course, you have Kyogre to beat Zacian and Rillaboom to beat Tera Water Zacian and Waterpon. I think Rain with this guy may be stronger, as a Scarf/Speed Booster set outspeeds and OHKOs Miraidon, or even Lorb under Tailwind next to Torn. Of course, like you said, Choruto, it does have its falters. I think it will definitely have some kind of niche though.

 

[Pengu]

I wonder if EVing for a SpAtk boost from proto would be better on the scarf sets on your rain teams. That way, if the opponent sets up sun you can benefit from it by doing a bit more damage and I'm not sure if the extra speed the protosynthesis boost would give you is super worth (unless you really want to outrun a speed boosted Flutter).

Thanks for the advice!

 

[Pengu]

My single restricted tier list! Heavily predicted to be the next format and as someone who loves to discuss, I engaged.
View attachment 608902

Reasoning

S rank:

Calyrex-Shadow - The best restricted available purely because of the damage, Astral Barrage and Expanding Force are some of the strongest moves in the game, bolstered by Caly-S 's ridiculous Special Attack and Speed stats. Terastallization gives it a way to minimize damage taken from stuff like Snarl, Knock Off, and Sucker Punch, BUT ALSO COVERAGE??? This Pokemon was barely kept in check due to the fact it couldn't touch Dark-types, but now it's able to just Tera Fighting / Fairy and Tera Blast away its supposed checks. Did I mention its ability, As One? Which prevents Incineroar from eating its Sitrus Berry and gives it a Special Attack boost every kill, meaning you can't effectively sac against it. To top it off, Yveltal , Caly-S 's best answer, is currently not in the game. Life Orb / Focus Sash 3 Attacks, Snarl, Choice Specs Tera Ghost, even Nasty Plot, are all legitimate sets that wreck teams. It is not without counters however, Snarl Incineroar can still prove to be annoying and so can Rillaboom , overriding terrain and making it harder for Calyrex-Shadow to handle Ghost resists. Terapagos and Lunala are good restricted answers with Calm Mind and Wide Guard respectively.

Zacian-Crowned - The one restricted that can compete with Calyrex-Shadow . Zacian bears equally devastating Attack and Speed stats, great bulk (My current spread can live Groudon 's Precipice Blades and two Calyrex-Shadow Astral Barrages as examples.), and arguably the best typing in the game. Sure, the ability nerf has hurt it a lot, making Incineroar a lot more consistent as an answer, however, Intrepid Sword is still a fantastic ability, +1 Atk allows for so many stupid calcs that sometimes it feels like your opponent just loses without Incineroar . Zacian can still be a great endgame Pokemon with its phenomenal stats and typing, escaping the Intimidate cycling when in the back. Zacian can also be a mid-game sweeper with Swords Dance, outdoing the Intimidate drops and doing monstrous damage, especially with Chien-Pao . You can also forego Swords Dance for Fighting or Tera Blast coverage and partner up with Gouging Fire (which ftr is insane rn, fast snarl and howl wrecks a lot of the metagame.), simply saying 'no' to Intimidate. Should note that Fire-types are still an issue for these teams, especially Tera Fire Groudon or Koraidon which care less about Ogerpon-W .

A+ Rank:

Nothing, I firmly believe the above two are so much better than everything else that this shouldn't belong to another restricted. In duel restricted formats this would definitely be filled, but here, when you choose another restricted Pokemon, you sacrifice the opportunity to use Calyrex-Shadow or Zacian-Crowned . The below tier is definitely great Pokemon but they're just not up there yet.

A Rank:

Kyogre - Pretty straightforward but it can do what it has been doing every other format, Water Spout in rain hurts and forces multiple water resists on a team. Its bulk is insane too, taking Zacian-C 's Play Rough, and with investment, outside of Electric Terrain, Miraidon 's Electro Drift which gets a boost on super effective hits. Water is a great defensive typing and I think Indeedee-F will be a unique partner helping against Raging Bolt and Rillaboom . I wouldn't be surprised to see Urshifu-R on these compositions doubling on the pressure and taking equal advantage of it. Kyogre allows this thanks to being so versatile, can go Choice Scarf, Choice Specs, and Mystic Water effectively. Psychic Terrain isn't a foolproof plan though as the two still hate Raging Bolt and Rillaboom

Koraidon - One of my hottest tajes but this is easily a Top 5 restricted Pokemon. Sun is in general great with our fantastic past paradox Pokemon, and Koraidon 's Orichalcum Pulse. The quad Fairy weakness looks bad at first but you're realistically going to Tera your Miraidon against Zacian and Flutter Mane anyway. Effectively having 3 STABs is pretty insane, and I have considered a Choice Scarf set to beat Zacian , Calyrex-Shadow , Miraidon , Flutter Mane . and more, too many times. Even without the Choice Scarf, Koraidon has a superb speed tier and can utilize Clear Amulet to get around the few Pokemon that can slow it down, like Incineroar, or copy Zacian and partner with Gouging Fire , which now doesn't even need to sacrifice its item slot to set up fast howls. Unfortunately you do get screwed over if the opponent is also running sun abusers, as they are splashable and sometimes it'll feel like you're not benefitting.

Miraidon - Honestly find this a toss-up with Koraidon , Miraidon individually looks more promising, having a better typing and Special attackers being blessed having not to worry as much about Incineroar, but also Electric Terrain nullifying Amoonguss ' spore. Can't forget Terrain control, which is huge with how great Rillaboom and Indeedee are. But Miraidon is truly missing something: Terrain abusers. The future paradox Pokemon are a lot worse and the list of viable abusers can be counted on one hand. Iron Hands with an ability sounds hype, and Iron Bundle seems pretty reliable, but the two are nowhere near as useful as Flutter Mane and Raging Bolt obtaining Protosynthesis boosts. Iron Bundle always faces the issue of worse speed control than Tornadus , and then its damage issue gets even worse in a higher power level format. Iron Hands would also still hate Incineroar and Landorus . Again, Miraidon is still an incredibly strong Pokemon, but I think its team support is exaggerated and puts it on the same pedestal as Koraidon .

Lunala - This is interesting, considering Lunala 's poor typing and underwhelming stats in comparison to everything else, but it makes up for it with its movepool and ability. Shadow Shield is something Lunala never got to utilize effectively because of both its quad weaknesses, now with Terastallization, it can steal games with Meteor Beam or set up a crucial Tailwind / Trick Room. Yes, Lunala got Tailwind back, makes it very flexible, and remember, it isn't passive at all thanks to Meteor Beam's Special Attack boost. Wide Guard makes Lunala a complete counter to Calyrex-Shadow , walling even Tera Blast Fighting variants and allowing for your teammate to clean up. Wide Guard also helps check Kyogre , Terapagos , and to an extent, Groudon . It's annoying how we have minimal good Trick Room abusers and I may be slightly overrating it in Single restricted, especially when it's not as offensive as the others and has to sacrifice Protect.

A- Rank:

Groudon - Still a great Pokemon in its own right, though notably worse than Koraidon . Clear Amulet Swords Dance sets can replicate the White Herb sets in the past, but be a lot harder for Incineroar to wittle down. Tera Fire Heat Crash does a number on Pokemon and helps cover the Grass types that threaten Groudon . Assault Vest sets are also really strong, being able to eat Calyrex-Shadow 's Astral Barrage for breakfast (Often a 4HKO lol, and Choice Specs is usually a 3HKO), Miraidon :Mitaidon:'s Draco Meteor for Lunch (Up to 60%, 3HKO after SpA drops), and Kyogre 's Mystic Water Water Spouts for Dinner (3HKO). Groudon can partner exceptionally well with Gouging Fire (Do we realize its strong yet?) which mitigates the Intimidate attack drops and minimizes the switching necessary. Similar to Koraidon , Gouging Fire and other paradox Pokemon gain an item slot. Groudon is just incredible team support and can pull its weight. Average speed tier and opposing Pokemon getting the sun boost will prove to be frustrating for Groudon players.

Calyrex-Ice - Trick Room's best abuser, and probably best setter too. Clear Amulet is its saving grace, allowing it to spam Glacial Lance and High horsepower without fear of Incineroar . Unnerve allows it to ignore Sitrus Berry and its ability makes sure it gets stronger with every kill, just like Calyrex-Shadow . I do think Swords Dance sets with another Trick Room setter can work well, wiping the board with every Glaciel Lance. Typing is pretty disgusting defensively, which is why we have big Tera to save the day, Water looks the best overall imo though Fire, Grass, and Fairy are worth looking into. Calyrex-I 's bulk is nothing short of amazing, being able to invest to survive Caly-S 's Life Orb Astral Barrage and avoid the 2HKO from Terastallized Ogerpon-W. allowing for Caly-I to steal endgames even when outside Trick Room. Amoonguss still sounds problematic and Incineroar with Knock Off doesn't sound pleasant either, things Calyrex-Ice definitely needs to watch out for.

Terapagos-Terastal - Terapagos is the DLC's new 'weird' restricted legendary. Its stats are very mediocre and would suit a Pseudo Legendary, however, it has the special Terastalization formes which bumps its BST up to that of Zacian-Crowned 's, Terapagos-Stellar . It has 2 good abilities, pre Terastallization it has a superior Multiscale and after that, it can remove weather and terrain, shutting down entire teams when used at the right time. Terapagos 's biggest issue is its underwhelming damage output, because after you Terastallize, you lose STAB on Tera Starstorm and in exchange get a 1.2 boost on all your moves permanently. This is where Calm Mind comes in, Terapagos can abuse a super supportive team that doesn't want to Terastallize and let Terapagos do the majority of the damage. The main issue with it though is how inflexible it can be and how vulnerable it is to strong physical attackers, especially Koraidon and Zacian-C . Being able to remove the battle effects only once per battle is also unfortunate but the Pokemon is still far from bad.

B rank:

I will be talking a lot less about these Pokemon because Im tired as they don't have much to offer, they are very mediocre and hard to justify in comparison to the Pokemon above.

Necrozma Dusk Mane - Necrozma-DM has a couple of niches with Terastallization, Swords Dance Trick Room sets in particular are pretty scary with Prism Armor, can even just be an unkillable Trick Room setter with Knock Off support. This thing BULKLESS is taking Choice Specs Flutter Mane 's Shadow Ball and Groudon 's Precipice Blades lmao.

Eternatus - Nice offesnive Pokemon with Meteor Beam and Choice Specs sets being decent. Like 1.3x bulkier than Zacian and we already mentioned how bulky it is, this takes advantage of how good of a defensive type Poison is and then it can get dangerous when you couple it with a good speed tier. Its stats alone mean you have to give it some credit

Palkia-Origin - Pretty much better Palkia as they used to run Life Orb and speed investment even on Trick Room sets. Water / Dragon will never be a bad typing and the Pokemon is both bulky and strong. Kyogre's Special Attack stat with a built in Mystic Water has to mean something.

Rayquaza - Choruto explained this very well, but just very few reasons for you to justify it in your restricted slot. Dragonite gets recommended because It's a mini Rayquaza that doesn't sacrifice your restricted slot which can be used on one of the above Pokemon.

C rank:

Reshiram - Nice Assault Vest Pokemon with glorified Mold Breaker, to my knowledge one of the few Special Attackers that can fight Terapagos . 150 SpA is never something to scoff at and Fire / Dragon is a nice defensive typing. Pretty good coverage to take advantage of its Special Attack stat ig.

Dialga-Origin :Dialgia-Origin: - Better Dialga, Steel / Dragon is good but looks a bit meh vs this specific metagame, 150 SpA with built in boost is is still a cool tool and I can see this a bit worse than Palkia-Origin

Zacian - Mini Zacian-C that can hold Clear Amulet or Choice Band, allowing it to be fearless of Incineroar and the latter OHKOing Miraidon regardless of Terastallization. Probably almost never worth using but when used, it can be more impactful than all of the restricteds in its tier.

Kyurem-White - Stats go brr and also glorified Mold Breaker, considering itas a Scarfer and just accepting its defensive downsides. Definitely niche though like everything else in the tier.

Palkia - Honestly not sure if this should be tier instead, Palkia that can hold an item and function better on heavier Trick Room may be real?

Zamazenta-Crowned - Usually a supportive restricted so much worse in Single restricted but with Body Press I believe in its ability to fit on a team, Wide Guard, Coaching, Snarl, Howl, etc are still great tools that help justify Zamazenta-Crowned a little.

D rank:

Don't use, trash cybertron thumbnail type shit..

That took me over 3 hours to write lmao, just for no one to read.

Going along with what is noted, Calyrex-S is gonna be absolutely terrifying. Indeedee-F may seem good because it is immune to Astral Barrage, but gives this thing access to overpower E-Force. Outspeeding this thing isn’t easy either. Choice Scarf Koraidon is an option, but can be easily be punished by a Incineroar switch in. This thing is busted, and we may see many niche Pokémon to beat this monster.

 

[Sugarbear]

Going along with what is noted, Calyrex-S is gonna be absolutely terrifying. Indeedee-F may seem good because it is immune to Astral Barrage, but gives this thing access to overpower E-Force. Outspeeding this thing isn’t easy either. Choice Scarf Koraidon is an option, but can be easily be punished by a Incineroar switch in. This thing is busted, and we may see many niche Pokémon to beat this monster.

I think Terapagos could be a great option, and a strong anti meta pick in general. It’s immune to Astral barrage, in its base forme any hit is resisted at full HP, and in its Stellar forme it takes away all weather and terrains.

Ting Lu could also work, resists both STABs and lowers its Special Attack, also has Snarl to get around Follow Me. Scarf Chi Yu does similarly well (could also be a good partner), it can get around Follow Me with either Snarl or Heat Wave. Incineroar is of course a great check, only fearing Tera Blast.

Dark types in general seem to be good checks, as it has to Tera to hit them. You could also use Speed boosted Flutter Mane.

 

[flutterfan]

I know this team looks terrible on paper, but trust me when I say it kinda cooks. The main idea is that you have Eject Pack Smeargle next to either Lunala or Gholdengo. You do whatever you want with Smeargle(Usually Fake Out or Follow Me, Spore and Protect are just kinda there to fill out the moveset a little bit), and you can set up with Lunala(Power Herb Meteor Beam shenanigans) or Gholdengo(Nasty Plot) depending on the matchup usually. Then either Smeargle gets KO’d or Eject Pack activates, sending in Tornadus. From here it’s very simple, try and get as many kills as you can under Tailwind. Your last slot is kinda random, its probably gonna be either Urshifu Rapid Strike or Incineroar most of the time but you do have your other Tailwind set up sweeper of choice available as well.

And if the set up Tailwind mode isn’t great, don’t worry. You can also go for a more traditional Tailwind mode with Tornadus, Incineroar, and Urshifu as a core. Then either Lunala or Gholdengo in the back(Incin kinda does Smeargle’s job if you wanna try out this mode of the team, so bringing Smeargle here is kind of worthless)

Here‘s the team itself if you want to try it out:

Lunala @ Power Herb
Ability: Shadow Shield
Level: 50
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 30 HP / 35 Def / 156 SpA / 35 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Meteor Beam
- Moongeist Beam
- Psychic
- Protect

Tornadus @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Prankster
Level: 50
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 50 HP / 100 Def / 86 SpA / 20 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Tailwind
- Taunt
- Bleakwind Storm
- Protect

Incineroar @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
Tera Type: Stellar
EVs: 68 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def / 4 SpD / 180 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Fake Out
- Flare Blitz
- Knock Off
- Parting Shot

Smeargle @ Eject Pack
Ability: Moody
Level: 50
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 4 HP / 141 Def / 111 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Fake Out
- Follow Me
- Spore
- Protect

Gholdengo @ Metal Coat
Ability: Good as Gold
Level: 50
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 18 HP / 76 Def / 86 SpA / 76 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Make It Rain
- Shadow Ball
- Nasty Plot
- Protect

Urshifu-Rapid-Strike @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Unseen Fist
Level: 50
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Surging Strikes
- Close Combat
- Aqua Jet
- Ice Spinner

Feel free to point out any issues there are with the team, specifically with the EV spreads which aren't good at all tbh.

 

[Jesuuuus]

I know this team looks terrible on paper, but trust me when I say it kinda cooks. The main idea is that you have Eject Pack Smeargle next to either Lunala or Gholdengo. You do whatever you want with Smeargle(Usually Fake Out or Follow Me, Spore and Protect are just kinda there to fill out the moveset a little bit), and you can set up with Lunala(Power Herb Meteor Beam shenanigans) or Gholdengo(Nasty Plot) depending on the matchup usually. Then either Smeargle gets KO’d or Eject Pack activates, sending in Tornadus. From here it’s very simple, try and get as many kills as you can under Tailwind. Your last slot is kinda random, its probably gonna be either Urshifu Rapid Strike or Incineroar most of the time but you do have your other Tailwind set up sweeper of choice available as well.

And if the set up Tailwind mode isn’t great, don’t worry. You can also go for a more traditional Tailwind mode with Tornadus, Incineroar, and Urshifu as a core. Then either Lunala or Gholdengo in the back(Incin kinda does Smeargle’s job if you wanna try out this mode of the team, so bringing Smeargle here is kind of worthless)

Here‘s the team itself if you want to try it out:

Lunala @ Power Herb
Ability: Shadow Shield
Level: 50
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 30 HP / 35 Def / 156 SpA / 35 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Meteor Beam
- Moongeist Beam
- Psychic
- Protect

Tornadus @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Prankster
Level: 50
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 50 HP / 100 Def / 86 SpA / 20 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Tailwind
- Taunt
- Bleakwind Storm
- Protect

Incineroar @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
Tera Type: Stellar
EVs: 68 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def / 4 SpD / 180 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Fake Out
- Flare Blitz
- Knock Off
- Parting Shot

Smeargle @ Eject Pack
Ability: Moody
Level: 50
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 4 HP / 141 Def / 111 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Fake Out
- Follow Me
- Spore
- Protect

Gholdengo @ Metal Coat
Ability: Good as Gold
Level: 50
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 18 HP / 76 Def / 86 SpA / 76 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Make It Rain
- Shadow Ball
- Nasty Plot
- Protect

Urshifu-Rapid-Strike @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Unseen Fist
Level: 50
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Surging Strikes
- Close Combat
- Aqua Jet
- Ice Spinner

Feel free to point out any issues there are with the team, specifically with the EV spreads which aren't good at all tbh.

what the hell is this half the pokemon aren't ev'd properly and the ideas behind the team seem just so volatile. I refuse to believe this is good.

 

[flutterfan]

what the hell is this half the pokemon aren't ev'd properly and the ideas behind the team seem just so volatile. I refuse to believe this is good.

I don’t know how to ev lol maybe should change them

and trust me its not volatile, there was one set where I led 3 different leads each game and I won.

 

[Jesuuuus]

I don’t know how to ev lol maybe should change them

and trust me its not volatile, there was one set where I led 3 different leads each game and I won.

bro theres not being able to ev but then theres this:
EVs: 4 HP / 141 Def / 111 SpD / 252 Spe
why are there odd evs? like what? you have to be trolling ik your a good player