Gen 8 what we love and cherish (SS NatDex OU, 1000th Post)

[N_Mareanie]

Actually Donphan is one of the best pokemon in the actual format of national dex uu. It offers the team a solid hazard setter and an incredible hazard removal with Rapid Spin, making Donphan the best role compression in the metagame. On top of that it also has access to 2 of the best move in the game, earthquake and knock off, which only increases it viability. Donphan is also a potent revenge killer with acces to ice shard as a great priority attack and sturdy as an ability. Overall Donphan is considered by many the best pokemon of the national dex uu metagame and it'll only change if national dex ou starts to realise how amazing this pokemon is.

 

[CommanderWasp]

Congrats on 1000 posts boss you're goated

 

[MultiPokemon]

!!!!!
im gonna go hit 1500 or something with this team (ill find a way)
lets do another team tour someday

 

[Willro101]

View attachment 630219

1000 posts and most of it is NatDex larping, who would've guessed it. Its kinda silly how I go from a person who couldn't get past round 1 of a tour with barely any will to contribute to where I am today.

I first got into Pokemon Showdown I think when my IRL friends starting playing it a bit and I really wanted to try since before we're just messing around and cartridge but we still wanted a way to play since a lot of us were moving away (we were all children of US Air Force enlisted/contractors/officers) and I personally couldn't afford to shell out money for Nintendo switch online. Anyways fun fact, did you know that NatDex was the very first metagame I ever played? It kinda took a couple of months for me to get seriously engaged with the tier as opposed to random ladder bullshit with shitmons and that only happened when I was so graciously humbled by Shucklegigas's Reuniclus + Mega Scizor fat mauling me round 1 in my first ever tournament. After that I made far more effort at making sure that my teams were at least decent. From there I was just interested in doing a lot of NatDex stuff in general and I even started messing around in other tournaments like ND Monothreat and NDAG Open and I got past round 1 in those and felt super proud of myself. But it wasn't until that I picked up NatDex UU for its first seasonal is when big things started happening on smogon.com for me since I got 3rd place in that tour. I think about this conversation a lot when retelling it but it doesn't fully explain how it impacted my time on Smogon. Building for that tournament and doing the Galarian Moltres and Thundurus-T supects helped me understand how important it was to actively be involved in a community. Since before I was only doing tournaments for the prestige of winning them, and in NDUU's case the money, but now I actually got really invested in metagame developments and contributing to NDUU long well after that tournament. But yea after that I just do a lot in NatDex's various lower tiers. As a lot of you know, I'm apart of a lot of their council's now and even a Tier Leader for NatDex RU and two unofficial natdex tiers and I'm still definitely planning on committing a lot of my efforts to that section, but I'm still a NatDex mainer as a whole and still try to keep up to date in every tier.

To remind myself of this fact I wanted to make my 1000th post about the first NatDex tier and the first tier I ever cared about: SS National Dex OU

The Team
View attachment 630220
Deoxys-Defense @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Impish Nature
- Cosmic Power
- Taunt
- Night Shade
- Recover

Ever since I figured out how to build fat and stall teams in NatDex, I've always loved trying to build the Psychic type fat wincons like Reuniclus and Mew since they simultaneously feel like the most broken mons in the game and somehow the most useless pieces of garbage ever. Deoxys-Defense was something that was definitely up my alley, but I didn't really come to appreciate how terrifying it can be until I saw it in NatDex Lower Tiers in late Gen 8 and early Gen 9. Nowadays it's probably one of my favorite mons to use in this tier, second only to Toxapex or Mega Sableye. This team is centered around attempting to maximize the chances it has to sweep which is why the build is fat, since I just want to essentially wear down the opponent so they are incapable of properly responding to Deoxys. But the support isn't one sided for sure; Deoxys plays a major role at checking strong threats like Mega Medicham, Swords Dance Gliscor, Melmetal (via Pressure) as well as shutting down utility mons such as Defensive Landorus-T and Corviknight. The set itself is incredibly standard (I just ripped it from the sample sets), however occasionally I can find myself wanting to run a Timid nature to beat faster variants of Landorus.

View attachment 630221
Toxapex @ Icium Z
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 104 Def / 152 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Recover
- Toxic Spikes / Toxic
- Haze

Like I said above, Deoxys is probably only second to Toxapex. Well...here's Toxapex! I don't completely recall my first game with or against Toxapex but my most impactful game was probably against those PP Stall Ladder bots where I had beat one of them in a 800+ turn slug-fest. I don't think I seriously started using it until about when NDPL III happened? or the ladder tour that took place before hand I don't exactly remember. But yea I love making really fat ass shit with it. I became a big fan of Z-Haze Toxapex after I saw a team where Isza used it and after that my Toxapex builds were an addicted mix of that and Eject Button (another thing I saw from Isza I think). But on this team I thought Z-Toxapex would be really strong to block Trick from Scarf Tapu Fini and the occasional Scarf Rotom-Wash and Victini, but also to absorb Knock Off from threats such as Weavile and Scizor. My main preference is to run Toxic Spikes to harass grounded mons that might deal with Deoxys such as Urshifu or Weavile easier, but Toxic is also good in order to deal with Bulky Volcarona and Unaware Clefable.

View attachment 630222
Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 244 HP / 52 Def / 100 SpD / 112 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Defog
- U-turn
- Roost

Gliscor is another mon that's always been a fan favorite of mine and it was solely due to how powerful it was in the competitive landscape. I like Gliscor here as the next mon since it can role compress a lot of things for this team. Its main role is a defogger that can annoy rockers like Hippowdon and Landorus-T but its status absorbing abilities, after the Poison Heal proc, let me sit on threats like Toxapex and Mega Sableye. It also maintains a lot of offensive pressure for a utility so it's very useful for checking annoying threats such as Heatran (the main reason I chose to run the fast variant of Gliscor) and Tapu Koko for the team. U-turn was chosen here to capitalize off the switches its known to force against Heatran and Mega Mawile while also to prevent me getting bogged down by Taunt users such as Galarian Moltres or lead Mew.

View attachment 630223
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 24 Def / 232 SpD
Careful Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Spikes
- Knock Off
- Leech Seed
- Gyro Ball

Although its not really a favorite of mine per se, I still kinda love the utility Ferrothorn provides to a NatDex team especially in Gen 9. Of course the same can apply in Gen 8 NatDex but I just use it less there. Ferrothorn on this team is meant to secure the Rain MU mainly while also harassing utility mons like Gliscor and Clefable. Leech Seed is also great at punishing Heatran switch ins, which is very useful to assist Gliscor at beating it. It also directly supports Kommo-o as well. I ran Gyro Ball instead of Power Whip on this team in order to immediately dispatch Tapu Lele while also forcing out Calm Mind Clefable. Also given how my Gliscor isn't Knock Off it is good to have it on Ferrothorn so I can cripple threats such as Zapdos and Blissey for my team while also making Toxic Spikes more effective.

View attachment 630224
Ditto @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Imposter
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Def
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 30 SpA / 30 SpD / 1 Spe
- Transform

Ditto is something I grew more attached to after Gen 8 ended, since I really liked how it looked on those SM style fat/stall teams so I would constantly try to shoehorn this onto my fat teams even when it wasn't super necessary. On this team however, Swords Dance Kartana felt really scary to deal with on this team with it being really slow so I wanted to give myself a very strong out against it without fully dedicating a counter to it like Skarmory/Mega-Latias, Zapdos, etc because I felt they would clash with the team too much by stacking weaknesses. Having some speed control to deal with other offensive threats in case I run into hyper offense teams was also a big plus since a more defined Kartana check can't do that. In particular this gives me a strong way to also deal with threats like SD Garchomp and Manaphy which would be rather annoying to try to slot a check to on this team. Ditto is also really nice against stall teams whenever they might pop up.

View attachment 630225
Kommo-o @ Leftovers
Ability: Bulletproof
EVs: 252 HP / 116 SpD / 140 Spe
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
- Protect
- Drain Punch

Kommo-o is a mon I used to be a massive fan of because I thought it was the most broken thing in the tier and would get a rush whenever it got off a Belly Drum under screens. But gradually I started to more or less dislike the concept of using hyper offense to win games so I naturally started using it less. I saw defensive Kommo-o before but didn't really understand its value until using experimenting with it on this team. On this team Kommo-o is great as a check to various threats like Heatran and Seperior but it also helps secure the Sun matchup while making your matchup towards Rain more iron-clad. I thought a ToxTect set would be ideal for this team in order to harass utility mons like Landorus-T and Electric-types like Tapu Koko and Zapdos while also scouting their sets to check them more efficiently Protect is also great at making sure Choice Locked mons such as Kartana, Greninja, and Tapu Fini don't become massive burdens to attempt to deal with when trying to guess and play around their sets. I have this as my Stealth Rock setter because I didn't really have much other options if I wanted to keep the utility but its not terrible at it since it can easily get rocks off against the aforementioned mons. I chose Bulletproof as the ability in order to switch into Blacephalon and Venusuar easily, but Soundproof is also great at shutting down opposing Kommo-o. The speed investment is for Choice Band Tyranitar mainly.

Gameplay
- There are generally two ways I use this mon and it's fairly matchup dependent: First way is when there is no substantial counterplay to Deoxys on the opposing team, which means you are free to get it on the field whenever its safe to do so and win the game. The second way is more drawn out as they would have the tool needed to beat Deoxys, at which point you have to play it conservatively and only really send it out until the counterplay is removed or there is a Mega Medicham on the field. Switching it into known Toxic spreaders like Landorus-T, Gliscor, Ferrothorn, Toxapex, etc is ill-advised and you should be cautious until the moves are revealed. Para Spreaders like Clefable can be acceptable at times, for Burn spreaders I would avoid doing this against fatter builds but you should be ok if you're facing something more offensive.
Trapper Fini can mess you up so be sure to utilize Protect on Kommo-o to scout the set. If its Trapper Fini, attempt to use Deoxys to deal with it. Gliscor can also work in a pinch but using Ferrothorn is not a great idea. Otherwise feel free to switch into Fini in order to spread Toxic Spikes. Also very important to calc against certain boosted mons since some you can naturally deal with while others require you to use Z-Haze in order to respond, don't remember who exactly.
It generally just plays like a regular Gliscor if you've ever used it. Against setup sweepers I like to click U-turn in front off them in order to bring Ditto in safely, but this only really works if the move is unrevealed.
Generally I would be conservative with your Gyro Balls and more attempt to spam Knock Off and Leech Seed in order to wear down the opponents. You only need to reveal Gyro Ball if there is a threat that absolutely needs to be taken care of like Tapu Lele or CM Clefable.
Unless you're playing a stall or hyper offense MU then I would advise playing conservatively with Ditto unless there is an out of control sweeper that is setup. Against stall I would attempt to bring it in on a Knock user such as Mega Sableye and Gliscor since you essentially win the stall MU if you lose your Choice Scarf.
Unlike the rest of the team, you can kinda afford to be more agressive with Kommo-o since its really useful to force progress in the early game. Spamming ToxTect is nearly essential everytime it hits the field.

​

Weaknesses
I've yet to run into it but SD Sand Tomb Scizor can be really scary since it invalidates Toxapex as a check and Ditto isn't exactly great at revenge killing that either.
Volcarona with Psychic can give this team real trouble, especially if its a bulky variant.
The game pretty much ends if Hoopa enters the field, not a lot you can do stop stop it outside of guessing correctly or hoping to catch off guard with U-turn Gliscor.
You have an out with Ferrothorn but you need to be really careful of Specs Focus Blast and HP Fire. Outside of that it becomes a major predicition nightmare.

Replays
Mainly from room tours. Nothing super prestigious and it's more to show how it works vs some matchups.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8nationaldex-2085505654 vs a Mega Charizard X BO
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8nationaldex-2093071229 vs a Offrock Mamoswine Offense
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8nationaldex-2093068064 vs a Strat8246 meme HO
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8nationaldex-2093059737 vs a Rain team
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8nationaldex-2090428196 vs a Gyarados HO
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8nationaldex-2088188789 vs a Sub Calm Mind Keldeo Balance
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8nationaldex-2084682923 vs Mega Medicham + Greninja BO
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8nationaldex-2084674212 vs Stall
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8nationaldex-2084663935 vs Mega Medicham + Greninja BO pt. 2
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8nationaldex-2114375680 vs a Chansey BO

Importable
https://pokepast.es/e6a001d4c6209353

Shoutouts
Thank you to all the friends, partners, teammates, and general acquaintances who made me feel like I belong here. I know some of you guys haven't really chatted with me in a while, aren't super active in the community anymore, have left entirely, or are banned; but I still very much appreciate all of you guys and thought it would be strange to exclude you guys. This probably isn't everyone since I'm kinda forgetful about things so please be sure to bug me if I forgot about you >_<

3MoreMinutes, about15guys, adem, Adriyun, Amstan, anaconja, ANinjaDude, anique, Arishem, ARTYMASION, autumn, AvidApex, Bella, bill.is.me, blooclipse, Bobsican, bumboclaat, ChrisPBacon, Clas, clerica, CommanderWasp, CW1999, Daepiquejt, Dahness, Danbear02, db, Dead by Daylight, Dorron, dunoks, Eledyr, Elvira, entrocefalo, EqualsMC, Erindor, Evie, FayaWizard, Furret4ssb, Gangsta Spongebob, georgebowserjr, Gimmicky, hidin, Imperial, Ineros, kDCA, Kinzo, Lupla, MachJacob, Meminger21, MudkipBeans, MultiPokemon, Murphy Lawden, N_Mareanie, Nashrock, Niadev, nimzowitsch, Noglastica, Oculars, omarsgarciav, Parmesan Cheese, Pubo, R1C3M4N, R8, Rafadude, rarre, RGCultivation, RunicPower413, S0A0M0I0, SapoDaG30, scorbunnys, sealoo, seth, sir jelloton, slimyslug123, Slither Wing, Smashburn, Smudge, Solaros & Lunaris, Sulo, TBIC106, thebestever543, Thedeathsofbeings234, TheShowdownHoedown, tntblader, TTK, Velcroc, veti, Weirdhamster, Willro101, woo, Xurkiyee, Yoko, zastra, Zrp200

ok bye again :3

one of the goats of natdex . one of the greatest players i’ve ever seen play and have played.

 

[georgebowserjr]

Hm, not bad runo, not bad at all. Congrats.