★ VGC 2023 Metagame Discussion: Regulation E

[flutterfan]

Why are some people using ?

Well, is very unique in a sense that it is the only special attacker that has access to the infamously busted ability Intimidate. Usually, physical attackers aren’t gonna have the greatest SpDef. So can quickly start blitzing through teams with Draco Meteor, Hurricane and Air Slash. It also gains access to Tailwind, and while is a better Tailwind setter. ’s Tailwind is still very fast with a Choice Scarf. The main downside of this is that you’re gonna have to switch out after you use Tailwind, because no one wants to lock into Tailwind, trust me.

makes a pretty decent duo with . Hurricane is very strong, and becomes 100% accurate in rain, making it extremely scary to deal with. also benefits from the Tailwind and there are many strong water types in the meta that benefit hugely from rain(, , even if you have the silly idea of using it with rain)

There is one problem with , the same problem that plagues every single Dragon type in the meta.

!!

Flutter can dish out huge damage and Booster speed Flutter can still outspeed Salamence even with a Choice Scarf. also doesn’t have the best defenses, and a Specs or even Booster SpAtk Gleam will probably one shot it(Have not done my mence calcs I’m sorry)

In conclusion, is starting to emerge as a potential niche option as an Intimidator and a Tailwind setter. And sure, while there are Pokemon that outclass it in both of these roles( and for Intimidate and for Tailwind) It is an interesting Pokémon and I expect it’s usage to rise a bit more as the Regulation goes on.

Feel free to discuss your opinions below. Do you agree? Do you disagree?

 

[Choruto]

I've been dabbling in recently, and even though I think it definitely won't be a meta staple and will remain pretty nieche, it certainly has its place and can be great in some teams. has a pretty great MU into the -- core that has been pretty dominant, especially with its coverage and intimidate (Hydro for harc, even banded doesen't kill with rock slide due to intim). Against a lot of balance teams it also has a good MU with the Flying and Dragon.
Ice and Fairy weakness is a pretty big pain but if you have ways to deal with those its pretty solid. Im a fan

 

[flutterfan]

I've been dabbling in recently, and even though I think it definitely won't be a meta staple and will remain pretty nieche, it certainly has its place and can be great in some teams. has a pretty great MU into the -- core that has been pretty dominant, especially with its coverage and intimidate (Hydro for harc). Against a lot of balance teams it also has a good MU with the Flying and Dragon.
Ice and Fairy weakness is a pretty big pain but if you have ways to deal with those its pretty solid. Im a fan

I agree with this. It’s certainly niche but can fit on certain compositions. Rain in particular is one that jumps out to me.

 

[JacobMR]

Ok, we need to talk about
According to Pikalytics, is on 3.9% of teams, usually running a set with Body Press and Iron Defense. However, recently Wolfe Glick popularized a version of a set with Clangorous Soul that partnered it with Heal Pulse and Hospitality to keep it healthy.
I have recently been going on both the bo1 and bo3 ladder with various centered teams that use Throat Spray, all with some success. After a lot of testing, I think I have found a team that perfectly counters the meta. I wrote out this entire page before using this team once, this is all theory crafting.

The Big Man @ Throat Spray
Ability: Bulletproof
Level: 50
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Flash Cannon
- Protect
- Clangorous Soul
- Aura Sphere
The Big Man himself, is the guy who started this whole thing. While the Pokemon and Item I wanted to use were always obvious and was never enough of an issue to use Overcoat over Bulletproof, I went back and fourth on the moves and Tera type. I always used Clangorous Soul, that was a given, but the attacks were harder to determine. I had four options with three move slots, Flamethrower, Flash Canon, Clanging Scales, and Aura Sphere. If I drop Flamethrower, then I can't hit , which recently has gained popularity and is just overall not a great match-up for a Pokemon who's best partners are the ones weak to steel and ghost. If I drop Flash Canon, then I can't OHKO after a boost and a tera steel, a big deal because is a big deal. If I drop Clangorous Soul, then I lose out on the "Instantly kill anything neutrally" move, and if I drop Aura Sphere, I no longer have the coverage to hit , a big deal because struggle busses hard on Heatran, especially if is Tera Steel. And that brings up an interesting point. Tera steel or Tera Fire? I want one because I have STAB options for both and they make my 4x weakness into a resistance. Tera Steel gives me stab super effective against , but makes me weak to and . Tera Fire minigates those weaknesses, but now I'm weak to . And throughout all of this, I kept thinking, damn. If only I had five moves, so I could run protect. I would be able to stop Fake Out, the biggest issue for . So I decided, screw it. I dropped Flamethrower AND Clangorous Scales in favor of Protect. This set perfectly counters a lead of and , a lead that hurts hard. We can't hit Gholdengo, but an addition added in this version of the team that I will get to later fixes that issue. This may be the best I've theory crafted yet.

His Little Friend @ Eviolite
Ability: Friend Guard
Level: 50
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Heal Pulse
- Helping Hand
- Protect
- Follow Me
Ironically, a fairy is The Big Man's best partner. has three things that make it far and away the best partner to pair with . 1. Friend Guard. This is what trumps it over Clefable in my eyes, as it loses the ability to shield it's partner from 1/4 of damage from opposing attacks when it evolves. 2. Heal Pulse. Clangorous Soul sacrifices 1/3 of 's health to use, and if you predict right, you can end the turn with a max hp, omniboosted . 3. Follow Me. Self Explanatory. is the only Pokemon with these three atributes. I gave it a standard moveset that accomplishes everything it needs to do.

Joe Caine @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
Level: 50
Tera Type: Flying
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- U-turn
- Stomping Tantrum
- Rock Slide
- Tera Blast
I had to cope hard on this one. I had to use a Pokemon that I swore all the way back in 2013 that I would never use again, no matter how good it supposedly is. I despised it in gen 5, and I despise it now. But Joe Caine is just the perfect :landorous: for this job. It's a standard scarf set that is quite literally everywhere. Thankfully, for this team, was never that big of a deal, but it partners quite well with the team. Intimidate is nice and all but the nice part about this guy is the offense. Joe Caine has all of 's bad matchups, , , and under wraps. This may be the start of an uneasy rekindled alliance between me and the dreaded OU terror that is , or maybe this is a one time thing. Reminder, I'm just theory crafting.

Mr Eggs @ Assault Vest
Ability: Quark Drive
Level: 50
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Drain Punch
- Heavy Slam
- Fake Out
- Ice Punch
Mr Eggs has been my friend since the very beginning. Ever since was legal, Mr Eggs and I have been side by side, ladder after ladder. His Heavy Slamming have swallowed after . This one is interesting, as it refuses to run an electric move. I have used as a partner to before, but I've always ran Wild Charge or Thunder Punch, but I'm opting for Ice Punch for one reason. . I've never lost a game to the OU terror before with before, but that's because I've always had something to deal with it. Water Pulse , Icy Wind , Scarf , always something. I don't have that here. This is my best option. The rest of Mr Eggs does what Mr Eggs does best, eat for breakfast. Maximum Sp Def to live Moonblasts all days of the week, and Tera Steel Heavy Slam to send the fancy ghost to kingdom come. So please, give a round of applause to the legendary Mr Eggs.

AK-47 @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
Level: 50
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Dual Wingbeat
- Bug Bite
- Close Combat
My old friend who has fallen from glory but is ready to find his place, hasn't had much use. But it does have this, it MURDERS . Like, annihilates them. Bullet Punch is a 60* base power move, boosted by stab, on a strong physical attacker, with priority, into a Pokemon that not only eats it for super effective, but is paper thin physically. AK-47 may be a new addition, but a welcome one to the family.

*technician boosted from 40 to 60 bp

My Favorite @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Hospitality
Level: 50
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Matcha Gotcha
- Shadow Ball
- Rage Powder
- Strength Sap
's cup of tea before he murders all the opposing Pokemon. Hospitality is a broken ability and you can't tell me otherwise. Between this and , The Big Man has his options to heal up and set up even more Clangorous Souls. I bet this will be even better on the team that has Protect on . When it comes to Mon's that support the main event with frequent supplies of tea, is definitely My Favorite.

Now I will hop on the ladder and test this team out. The paste if your interested: https://pokepast.es/682917b5f4cda59d

Update: HOLY CRAP THIS TEAM IS REALLY GOOD
Update 2: After laddering on the bo3 ladder for a few hours, I can confirm that this team has some major benefits and real issues. Benefit #1: It really stops the meta. Flutter Mane is completely stopped, Landorus-T doesn't cause any issues, and Urshifu is allergic to tea. The biggest problem Pokemon is Iron Hands (Mr Eggs you traitor!!!) which is pretty much always running AV and has been picking up Ice Punch more often. Also is it just me or is Chien-Pao just not being used right now? I thought that it would be a big issue for my team while building, but I haven't run into it much and Mr Eggs has handled it pretty well when it has showed up. The biggest issue is taunt. Kommo-o getting taunted before it can omniboost up is not good. I haven't run into too many taunters, and when I have I used the general strat of protecting Kommo and using Landorous to use U-turn into Sinistcha or Clef and redirect the taunt, then switch back to Lando the next turn. And if you think I can just lead with Sinistcha you're wrong because the most prevalent taunter is Tornadous paired with Iron Hands which means I need to be careful of Fake Out and Bleakwind. It's all complicated and I'm so glad for OTS so I know if the Tornadous has Taunt or Covert Cloak or Rocky Helmet and if the Hands has Fake Out and I am rambling at this point. Bottom line I spent a lot of time on this team please use it it is really good.

 

[Jesuuuus]

Very nice. I think there are some surprising inclusions such as no clang soul, no wild charge, etc. I can really see how supportive moves like taunt, encore could cause issues tho. Additionally the evs seem a little undercooked but I get it if you dont wanna work on the spreads yourself. Also with all the "kill flutter" options on the team i do wonder if you will be better served with something like wild charge over heavy slam. Overall tho a very cool team

 

[JacobMR]

Very nice. I think there are some surprising inclusions such as no clang soul, no wild charge, etc. I can really see how supportive moves like taunt, encore could cause issues tho. Additionally the evs seem a little undercooked but I get it if you dont wanna work on the spreads yourself. Also with all the "kill flutter" options on the team i do wonder if you will be better served with something like wild charge over heavy slam. Overall tho a very cool team

The EV's being standard are just a result of me not being good at ev spreads. thanks for the feedback!

 

[TheEeveeAnimations]

my only real opinion on the current state of Regulation E is that if you aren’t running Taunt on your team somewhere, you’re throwing

 

[flutterfan]

LAIC starts tomorrow, I’m gonna discuss the current metagame and feel free to discuss below.

There is a clear elephant in the room here, . It has won all Reg E Regionals and it is even seen as a better Intimidator than in some cases(Not on every team, though both are amazing on Tailwind) Another Intimidator that has started to pick up in usage is , but you can just read my post up thread about that one.

Another Pokemon, or 2 Pokémon(Though if I were going to mention one of them it would certainly be ) that have been really starting to find their way back into the meta are and . Two mons that have certainly given people nightmares competitively, especially the infamous “Self Proc Setup” variant. Though TR Psyspam is still certainly hard to deal with. I’ve been using Psyspam the past couple of weeks and there’s no denying it’s damage output is OP. In fact, I’ve instantly won some games because my opponents just didn’t have a good solution into Psyspam.

Another Pokémon that I feel like was very overlooked until its Top 4 placement in Toronto was , I’ve been seeing Drago a lot in online tournaments specifically. It has some very neat tools including its signature move Dragon Energy. It also gets access to many nice damage options when you aren’t at full HP, such as Draco Meteor. And while it does lose to , that make it a great candidate for Terastalization. Tera Steel specifically.

Overall, that’s my opinion on some recent interesting meta developments that have been happening recently. Thoughts?

 

[LovelyLuna]

Flutter Mane , a pokemon dominant ever since release, being at the top of the usage charts and perceived as the best pokemon in every Regulation so far. I think there has been some doubt for that in Regulation E however. I intend to break down what makes Flutter Mane so strong and why I believe it is still #1.

Text wall

The main concept is, it's stats are min-maxxed to the next level. It is the fastest meta threat alongside Chien-Pao outside of Iron Bundle , and has one of the best special attack stats in the game. It wastes minimal of its 570 BST with 55 Atk, and keeps superb special bulk of 55/135, which is infact almost as bulky as Heatran ! The poor physical bulk is indeed a flaw, on the surface that is. This is only further boosted by Flutter Mane 's Ghost-Fairy typing which it extraordinarily well. Giving it unresisted stabs and an excellent defensive typing, having limited weaknesses. Not to mention, due to being so fast, Flutter Mane has to pretty much only worry about itself, and the few offensive steel types out there. Because of this, Flutter Mane only needs to invest to live strong neutral hits and can make its physical bulk look very deceptive. Despite having pathetic physical bulk, because you're stuck hitting it with neutral moves, it will live and then hit you back with massive damage.

Now, Flutter Mane on paper, doesn't seem any stronger than Chien-Pao , Rillaboom and Landorus-T , let alone Urshifu . However, if you look deeper, you can begin to see why.

When looking at Ghost and Fairy types, there is nothing that begins to compare to Flutter Mane . Unlike other pokemon, who have plenty of competition by typing. Outside of most Ghosts and Fairies not bring that great, Flutter Mane is the absolute pinnacle of an offensive Pokemon.

You may have noticed that the meta is heavily physical, and this is all because of Flutter Mane . By being such a fantastic offensive Pokemon, any other offensive special attacker is just dismissed because, 1, why use this when I can use Flutter Mane ? and 2, why use this when it loses to Flutter Mane ? Because of its special bulk, it stat-checks almost every available special attacker. The only particularly good ones right now either pair especially well with Flutter Mane , or pokemon that are good into Flutter Mane . Gholdengo and Heatran , arguably the two best ones right now, threaten to OHKO it. Chi-Yu can pair to make one of the most threatening Hyper Offence duos. Iron Bundle , slows it down for partners to OHKO it. Hell, pokemon like Iron Hands run Heavy Slam solely because of Flutter Mane . Need I go on?

Flutter Mane single handedly warps the metagame around it to this extent. Its not like Landorus-T , who competes with another Intimidator in Harcanine , it's not like Iron Hands who finds some competition from Rillaboom , and to an extent, Urshifu . It's not like Urshifu , who finds itself occasionally competing with Wellspring or Iron Hands . None of these are the definitive best and definitely face competition, Flutter Mane just says no and has absolutely no replacement, no matter the team.

Flutter Mane presents itself as a staple on Balance and Tornadus Hyper Offence as the best special breaker, packing immidiete power and carrying through mirrors with its speed tier. A staple on Dondozo Hyper Offence as a supportive option for a Nuke such as Chi-Yu or Hearthflame . Bulky Offence compositions as a fantastic breaker again, and manages to find a place on some Semi-Room or Veil teams as a fast nuke option. This pokemon is absurd in terms of how easy it is to splash onto a team. "I don't know what to do here, I'll add Flutter Mane" is one of the most common things one does as a teambuilder. It's just that good, it's never going to make your team worse and will put in work even when it isn't the best pick.

A big reason why it's so splashable, is how versatile it is, having 3 different sets on the Smogon Strategy Dex and all having a variety of options. For example, Flutter Mane , has the option to run Misty Terrain on its Choice Specs set, which can help an Amoonguss or Ursaluna matchup. It can also run Perish Song if your team likes to position for said endgame, It's free to run Icy Wind as back-up speed control, and even gets a bunch of coverage options to fix up a bad matchup (Energy Ball, Thunderbolt, Power Gem, Psyshock, Mystical Fire..). It's SpA Booster Energy set can slot in Substitute to be extra annoying to remove and It's Speed Booster set can slot the same coverage options or even a niche support option like Taunt.

I know results make Flutter Mane seem like it's being outdone, but it's actually the most consistent pokemon of Regulation E so far. Out of Every Regional so far, Flutter Mane has 124 Day 2 Results, followed by Iron Hands who has 118 and Landorus-T with 112. Urshifu-Rapid took a moment before becoming dominant so it's only at 97 this Regulation, however, even if we counted from Lille, it's at 75 results vs Flutter Mane 's 80 (Iron Hands is right behind at 79 and Landorus-T has dropped at 69 Day 2 results for those curious). It might not be getting first or seeing the most Day 2 usage as often, but it is the most consistent pokemon so far, sticking with the Top 3. I'm in general not a big fan of results so these won't be used as the main argument, but just statistics further supporting your consistent Flutter Mane is.

Yes, Flutter Mane is incredibly dominant in the teambuilder, but it's no slouch in the game either. Some games going down to who has the faster Flutter Mane , and generally being a threatening presence that outputs massive damage, outspeeds your side of the field, and isn't dropping in 1 hit often.

 

[Choruto]

I had some free time today and made a few pretty cool graphs I thought would be interesting to share here

Link to the Spreadsheet

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wLqWyVLv9zCKxboWHrvNTxMk5JGNq0sHjkIJtdmvpmo/edit#gid=0

These 3 graphs show the usage stats of most of the mons that made Day 2 in the Reg E tournaments. Each event is a colour and the size of the bar is the amount of times it was used. Besides (In my opinion at least) looking nice, there are a bunch of pretty cool patterns you can notice.
First, America really likes its offense. , , , and same way more usage compared to the other regions, while more balance focused mons like and saw way higher usage in LAIC.

You can also spot some meta trends as the format goes on. , , and a few mons from the current HO core had little usage early on, but spiked near Toronto. Several early meta mons also dropped in popularity quite quickly, like , , , and most starkly
Im pretty happy with this honestly, just wanted to know what you guys thought. If theres anything wrong or any improvements, please tell me so I can try to add it!
(Also thanks to LameLiarLeo for sending me the raw data on usage stats)

 

[flutterfan]

I had some free time today and made a few pretty cool graphs I thought would be interesting to share here
View attachment 575214View attachment 575215
View attachment 575210

Link to the Spreadsheet

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wLqWyVLv9zCKxboWHrvNTxMk5JGNq0sHjkIJtdmvpmo/edit#gid=0

These 3 graphs show the usage stats of most of the mons that made Day 2 in the Reg E tournaments. Each event is a colour and the size of the bar is the amount of times it was used. Besides (In my opinion at least) looking nice, there are a bunch of pretty cool patterns you can notice.
First, America really likes its offense. , , , and same way more usage compared to the other regions, while more balance focused mons like and saw way higher usage in LAIC.

You can also spot some meta trends as the format goes on. , , and a few mons from the current HO core had little usage early on, but spiked near Toronto. Several early meta mons also dropped in popularity quite quickly, like , , , and most starkly
Im pretty happy with this honestly, just wanted to know what you guys thought. If theres anything wrong or any improvements, please tell me so I can try to add it!
(Also thanks to LameLiarLeo for sending me the raw data on usage stats)

This is really cool! It’s interesting to see the meta trends over time and the differences between the regions.

 

[TheEeveeAnimations]

 

[LovelyLuna]

DLC 2 pokemon and their stats are out!! Thoughts??

Stats

Archaludon
Type: Steel / Dragon
Base Stats: 90.105.130.125.65.85 (BST: 600)

Hydrapple
Type: Grass / Dragon
Base Stats: 106.80.110.120.80.44 (BST: 540)

Gouging Fire
Type: Fire / Dragon
Base Stats: 105.115.121.65.93.91 (BST: 590)

Raging Bolt
Type: Electric / Dragon
Base Stats: 125.73.91.137.89.75 (BST: 590)

Iron Boulder
Type: Rock / Psychic
Base Stats: 90.120.80.68.108.124 (BST: 590)

Iron Crown
Type: Steel / Psychic
Base Stats: 90.72.100.122.108.98 (BST: 590)

Terapagos
Type: Normal
Normal Form Base Stats: 90.65.85.65.85.60 (BST: 450)
Terastal Form Base Stats: 95.95.110.105.110.85 (BST: 600)
Stellar Form Base Stats: 160.105.110.130.110.85 (BST: 700)

Will give my full thoughts in a bit but so far I believe Raging Bolt > Terapagos > Archaludon > Gouging Fire > Iron Boulder > Hydrapple > Iron Crown

 

[Vinc2612]

I love Gouging Fire already and I believe in him. A bulky Pokémon with a great defensive typing that burns Landorus-T with Protect? Yes please.

Terapagos sounds broken. If you bring him, you are "forced" to Tera him. So you can abuse a 120 BP spread move from a 130 SpA Pokémon with 160/110/110 bulk. Oh also it counters any weather or terrain strategy.

Raging Bolt has a good typing with an Electric Sucker Punch from a 137 SpA stat, with 125/91/89 bulk. How could it go wrong?

This is my top 3. If I had to rank them, I guess Terapagos>Raging Bolt>Gouging Fire. Even if my heart put Gouging Fire before Raging Bolt (but not before Terapagos, my heart is not that stupid).

Then come Iron Boulder and Archaludon. Or rather, Archaludon and Iron Boulder, for the sake of ranking.
Iron Boulder has a cool signature move : 95 BP 100 Acc Rock that goes through Protect. Iron Boulder has the Atk and the Spe to abuse that. It also counters my new best friend, alas.
Archaludon sounds always-good, so I guess it will be a good Pokémon. It just doesn't sound as broken as the three formers.

I don't believe in Iron Crown and even less in Hydrapple. The former is Archaludon with a worst typing, while the second looks just bad? Grass is already so stacked, there's no room for Hydrapple.

Terapagos > Raging Bolt > Gouging Fire > Archaludon > Iron Boulder > Iron Crown > Hydrapple

 

[Pyritie]

iron hands did not need to learn supercell slam, it's going to be even sillier

 

[Vinc2612]

iron hands did not need to learn supercell slam, it's going to be even sillier

Wild Charge is better, Iron Hands has the HP to take recoil, but can't risk losing 50 % of its life on Protect

 

[flutterfan]

While I personally think all the new mons in this dlc are probably gonna have at least a niche, there are 2 that draw my attention the most.

Raging Bolt is gonna be very strong and I think it will be pretty easy to fit on many teams. First off, it has amazing base stats. 125/73/91/137/89/75 are all very solid, especially 137 Sp. Atk. This allows its signature move, Thunderclap(Which is an Electric type Special Sucker Punch) to OHKO Urshifu Rapid Strike before it moves. This Pokémon also has a 75 Base speed stat. Allowing it to function pretty well in Trick Room environments as well.

Terapagos is receiving a bit less hype than what most people expected and I kinda get it. But it still will be a very strong mon. It’s got a great offensive movepool. But great defensive stats. Allowing it to function in both ways. I don’t think it’s be as good as we saw Ogerpon be, but it will still probably squeeze into the top 12 usage for the first couple regionals of Reg F. It’s also got 130 base Sp. Atk. Which is very powerful.

 

[a blue banana]

Has there been any confirmation on whether or not Terapagos is allowed in Regulation F? With the way it's treated in both marketing and in-game from what I've seen and heard, it feels like it'd be treated more as a Restricted similarly to Zygarde in previous gens (same/similar BSTs, uses a transformation gimmick).

 

[Choruto]

Has there been any confirmation on whether or not Terapagos is allowed in Regulation F? With the way it's treated in both marketing and in-game from what I've seen and heard, it feels like it'd be treated more as a Restricted similarly to Zygarde in previous gens (same/similar BSTs, uses a transformation gimmick).

Its not been confirmed, but im pretty sure terapagos wont be allowed, I think its a legendary so might come in restricteds

 

[TheEeveeAnimations]

I genuinely don’t think any of the new mons will make massive waves in the metagame other than Raging Bolt. Raging Bolt having a strong priority Electric move forces comps to shift away from click button turn 1. Nothing else really screams “awesome” or “making a statement” to me. Yes, I know about the Iron Boulder signature move. No, I don’t think it will actually be any good, because Landorus checks the shit out of it.

gets expanding force, apparently. y’all never gonna hear the end of me

returning mons:
is our savior. she will lead us to the promised neverland, a new form of tailwind offense. praise be upon her. (Prankster Encore, Prankster Charm, Prankster Tailwind, Prankster weather, this mon gets it ALL)
got some sauce, and tera does this pokemon some huge favors. It’s a non-intimidateable STAB heavy slam, so the AV set (or Kasib Berry if real) puts ridiculous amounts of pressure on Flutter Mane and soon to be king Whimsicott.
is a genuine abuser of Stella, if Contrary works with that Tera Blast interaction like I think it does. bout to be bussing smh
got follow me back! another flame body redirector, and this one can’t be ignored by Grass types. has some decent offense behind it as well, so it might be a niche pick for teams that really hate physical attackers.

new moves:
Psychic Noise looks like it’s a cute check to Iron Hands stuff. It also blocks Pollen Puff healing, which is massive. Expecting to see some niche stuff with this.
Temper Flare is Fire Type Stomping Tantrum, which is cute.

thats all folks have fun with the dlc

 

[LovelyLuna]

Raging Bolt (until wet get a Raging Bolt sprite) is easily the second best addition into Regulation F, superb answer into Tornadus Urshifu while having decent matchups into Gholdengo , Rillaboom and Harcanine . It'll definitely change the meta and slow it down imo. However I think it's also extremely overhyped, I do see it as a Top 15 pokemon due to its excellent stats, movepool, and matchup into a dominant core, one fantastic use of role compression. But, I've seen people go further, suggesting top 10 or it being flat out better than Tornadus or Gholdengo . While said matchup is amazing, it's still vulnerable to the common Flutter Mane and Chien-Pao :Chien-Pao; partners, while also doing poorly into meta staples such as Iron Hands , Landorus , and arguably Amoonguss , as it forces it to drop to -2 and prevents priority, while living a Booster Energy Draco Meteor into Thunderbolt relatively well. Adaptations such as Tera Grass Urshifu may also be problematic for it. We can't ignore how we also have a few Pokemon who already love Booster Energy, and how it overlaps with Iron Hands , meaning, it will be harder for it to find a place on teams. As I've said before, fantastic and I've theorymonned it myself.

Raging Bolt set

Raging Bolt @ Booster Energy
Ability: Protosynthesis
Level: 50
Tera Type: Grass / Fire
EVs: 196 Hp / 36 Def / 124 SpA / 52 SpD / 100 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Draco Meteor
- Thunderclap
- Protect

Archaludon (until we get an Archaludon spite) looks like it'll be a staple on Pelipper Rain and have a niche on Tornadus rain, however I think Rillaboom and will provide heavy competition for the AV (what I brought to be Archaludon 's best item as of right now) so I don't have too high hopes for it. Can perform really well in this archetype because getting +1 and throwing a 130 BP move is monstrous. Has two excellent abilities in stalwart to dodge follow me, fixing a Psyspam matchup and disputing balance cores in general, or stamina which rewards you with +3 defence for switching into a resisted Surging Strikes, it also brings rain an option into Raging Bolt who will be an unreasonable matchup otherwise. You still can't ignore its poor speed stat and how much of a waste it can be outside of Rain though, heavily restricting its viability. Not too interested in rain in general but I have it a go.

Archaludon set

Archaludon @ Assault Vest
Ability: Stalwart / Stamina
Level: 50
Tera Type: Fairy / Grass
EVs: 252 Hp / 28 Def / 36 SpA / 164 SpD / 28 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Flash Cannon
- Draco Meteor
- Tera Blast
- Electro Shot

Gouging Fire (you get it by now) sounds like a great pokemon on paper, really bulky to the point just Max hp lets you live two Adamant Chien-Pao Icicle Crashes and a Tera Fairy Choice Specs Flutter Mane Moonblast. Doesn't output much damage or have the best speed tier but gets Dragon Dance to make up for it, could go especially well with Clear Amulet or Booster Energy. Its Signature protect variant is in particular very good because the meta is filled with physical attackers, and it punishes your opponent severely while you're playing safe, almost Iron Hands proof as It doesn't want to risk getting burnt. Its typing is actually really solid however it struggles because Incineroar will be a very dominant balance and ho staple that restricts Gouging Fire from seeing too much play. My current idea for it would be;

Gouging Fire set

Gouging Fire @ Clear Amulet
Ability: Protosynthesis
Level: 50
Tera Type: Fairy / Water
EVs: 252 Hp / 116 Atk / 4 Def / 20 SpD / 116 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Dragon Claw / Tera Blast
- Dragon Dance
- Burning Bulwark

Hydrapple 's Fickle Beam has piqued my interest, believe its been confirmed to be a 30% chance to double which is great considering it has a 120 Special Attack stat, if Tinkaton actually had stats!? Hydrapple gets cool support options like Pollen Puff and Yawn, with access to Nasty Plot, Energy Ball, and Earth Power on the Offensive end. I can see teams that would love the pokemon, has a place, although it struggles with the plethora of competition right now, both Dragon and Grass types being very relevant right now. Separates itself with the aforementioned qualities and access to regenerator. Not much to say other than that though, functions as an offensive Amoonguss in a way. I'm indecisive on what set I want so I have yet to build for it.

Iron Boulder and Iron Crown are just disappointing to me. Iron Boulder wields a horrible typing and lacks rock slide to effectively use a Swords Dance set. Its signature move ignoring protect and the speed stat are respectable qualities but just loses to almost all of the top pokemon, as Zen Headbutt fails to ohko Urshifu . Iron Crown has the better typing and gets Expanding Force but lacks Nasty Plot or the speed tier, its Signature move can beat Focus Sash Chien-Pao and Flutter Mane which is really nice..if it didn't get ohkod by them first. Notably struggles into other top pokemon such as Landorus-T , Rillaboom , Gholdengo , Kingambit , Urshifu-SS , Roaring Moon , Chi-Yu ..yeah it's not very good. Sounds like it'll pair up with Indeedee and hope the Chien-Pao is only running Sucker Punch as dark stab, but that still doesn't like Ice Spinner or the ever present Rillaboom . Seems really gimmicky but it can at least outspeed Urshifu .

Some notes on returning pokemon!

Incineroar is the absolute king, handled Urshifu fine in gen 8, deals with it even better now that it can Tera or straight up partner with Raging Bolt . It got Knock Off back and gained helping hand so it's even better than before. I've been using a Tera Poison Safety Goggles set and it has never failed to impress me, bring it often and it warps the game around Incineroar vs Incineroar . Looks like it'll also be the downfall of Harcanine as it takes most of its place on the Tornadus Urshifu compositions. I still think Harc will be a great pokemon, will just struggle far more than before with the new competition. Heatran and Landorus will also moderately face the same issue imo.

Whimsicott will be an interesting approach to Tailwind, as it lacks rain dance and is more passive but has more supportive options than Tornadus . I do think it'll be worse because Tornadus is a much better Urshifu partner, but it'll be a great pokemon leading fresh Tailwind teams. I can expect Sun Hyper Offence with Landoeus-T or weatherless with a balance mode.

Porygon 2 is back and trick room gets better, will be interesting to see what type of teams will form around it as Farigiraf and Cresselia have very different qualities. It's other form, Porygon Z , while not very good, looks very fun with Tera.

Serperior will definitely see usage (Counting on Boyt), now that it can hit Heatran and other resists much harder, while still offering Glare support. I do expect it to face the same issues as Hydrapple though, far too much competition to be a consistent pick and will be niche if anything.

Kingdra got weather ball and looks really fun, maybe a gimmick with Sniper Dragon Cheer can be used but it's Specs Swift Swim set seems to be best, Stabs and Hurricane doing ridiculous damage into everything. Tera is also nice for it, I think it'll be used to boost its water stab, boost its hurricane, or a way to get around Amoonguss .

Metagross seems like it can cook being an intimidate/parting shot immune steel type, with access to Bullet Punch and Stomping Tantrum to threaten Incineroar . The let down though is that Bullet Punch only has a 30% chance to OHKO common spreads of Flutter Mane even with Life Orb. Not a big fan of how thy biggest intimidators threaten it for massive damage either, seems like a worse version of Kingambit :Kingambit most of the time?

gets expanding force, apparently. y’all never gonna hear the end of me

We are cooking, not going to hear the end of me either, definitely one of the first things I'm building.

 

[flutterfan]

, , and Raging Bolt is gonna be a very scary core.

First off, Whimsicott gets Sunny Day, PRANKSTER Sunny Day. Meaning that Sunny Day will always move first and since Flutter Mane is so fast, it doesn’t need Tailwind to outspeed everything in the meta(Unless you’re facing an opposing ) Then, can just spam Helping Hand and let Flutter deal massive damage with Specs Moonblast or Dazzling Gleam. Oh, let’s not forget that Fairy Tera Exists too. Also, what makes this even scarier is Chi-Yu.

Chi-Yu can switch in after Whims or Flutter is knocked out. And since both are very frail and it won’t take long to knock them out, Chi-Yu can deal absolutely devastating damage with something like an Overheat or a Heat Wave while sun is still active. Also, to make this even worse, the last Pokémon that I think can fit well on this comp.. Is Raging Bolt

Raging Bolt can destroy those nasty Urshifu Rapids that threaten Chi-Yu so much with a single Thunderclap. And that’s not all, from there, Raging Bolt can effortlessly spam Draco’s and TBolts until the last mon or so is gone. I honestly think Booster Bolt is definitely gonna be the move on this comp(Both Booster Speed and Booster Sp. Atk are amazing options) but I could see the argument for Life Orb or even Specs.

Thats my take on this archetype that could possibly be very devastating if positioned properly and unchecked. There are so many opportunities for damage that your opponents don’t have answers to unless they bring counters.

 

[Vinc2612]

I believe the first thing I'll try to build around is Beat Up

I strongly believe losing in usage since Reg D is more a issue than an one. Support just cannot compete against the current field, but probably can, and Tailwind fixes 's main weakness.

The addition of , which might become everyone's Ghost Resist, is also a blessing with Defiant.

Also (Archaludon) seems like another great teammate, Beat Up tripling his already high Defense (130 base) with Stamina, before eventually firing off Body Press.

The main question mark will be how will survive a turn to play both Tailwind and Beat Up, and, if it does not, how to turn its fainting as an advantage. Cannot wait!

 

[ChrystalFalchion]

Played a few rounds of bo3 on showdown and got obliterated almost every time. Really struggling to teambuild in this meta. Anyone have any good Metagross cores?

Also haven’t tried it yet but I like the idea of Decorate Smeargle.

 

[4Kuser]

Played a few rounds of bo3 on showdown and got obliterated almost every time. Really struggling to teambuild in this meta. Anyone have any good Metagross cores?

Also haven’t tried it yet but I like the idea of Decorate Smeargle.

You could probably try out Bulldoze Salamence + Weakness Policy Metagross