Gen 7 OM Competitive Discussion

[Neverman]

Day 2 of SM testing...

EV Limits appear to be gone for LOCAL battles with other players (I used my other DS because I am lonely):

image proof, as spoiler free as possible (only psychic terrain and darkrais HP is viewable)

It's an Arceus

Eviolite is 1.5x still

Soul Dew lost SpDef boost.

Will-o-wisp from a prankster poke fails in psychic terrain, but status moves like calm mind do not.

Dark Void is dead on anything besides Darkrai.

Comatose acts as if the pokemon with the ability were asleep, but without the sleep status being applied. This includes status immunity and the inability to be put to sleep/use rest.

(For Marty ) Sheer force does not stop emergency exit from occurring. Emergency Exit "blocks" volt turns switching effect when it gets triggered.

Disguise is hardcoded for Mimikyu.

Either spotlight takes priority over follow me, or it is based on which comes first.

Dazzling does not block prankster haze.

I may have forgotten something, so if I mentioned it in OM and didn't include it here, please let me know.

Tomorrows priorities: Triage+attacking healing moves, protect and destiny bond in psychic terrain, spotlight and follow me on different speed tiers, wimp out doing the same thing as emergency exit, unique/signature moves, confirming unaware nerf, and soul dew damage calcs.

From what i understand of your findings Dazzling only blocks priority if the priority-move is used directly against the Dazzling user. If the move is used on the own priority pokemon or on both pokemon (like Haze) then Dazzling has no effect. I can imagine priority Defog, Parting Shot and Topsy-Turvy NOT working, but i guess priority Heart Swap would work. Could you verify this please?

 

[ih8ih8sn0w]

From what i understand of your findings Dazzling only blocks priority if the priority-move is used directly against the Dazzling user. If the move is used on the own priority pokemon or on both pokemon (like Haze) then Dazzling has no effect. I can imagine priority Defog, Parting Shot and Topsy-Turvy NOT working, but i guess priority Heart Swap would work. Could you verify this please?

I will add those to the list for day 3 of testing.

 

[DurzaOffTopic]

Day 2 of SM testing...

EV Limits appear to be gone for LOCAL battles with other players (I used my other DS because I am lonely):

image proof, as spoiler free as possible (only psychic terrain and darkrais HP is viewable)

It's an Arceus

Eviolite is 1.5x still

Soul Dew lost SpDef boost.

Will-o-wisp from a prankster poke fails in psychic terrain, but status moves like calm mind do not.

Dark Void is dead on anything besides Darkrai.

Comatose acts as if the pokemon with the ability were asleep, but without the sleep status being applied. This includes status immunity and the inability to be put to sleep/use rest.

(For Marty ) Sheer force does not stop emergency exit from occurring. Emergency Exit "blocks" volt turns switching effect when it gets triggered.

Disguise is hardcoded for Mimikyu.

Either spotlight takes priority over follow me, or it is based on which comes first.

Dazzling does not block prankster haze.

edit: emergency exit and wimp out only trigger once per battle from what I can tell.

I may have forgotten something, so if I mentioned it in OM and didn't include it here, please let me know.

Tomorrows priorities: Triage+attacking healing moves, protect and destiny bond in psychic terrain, spotlight and follow me on different speed tiers, wimp out doing the same thing as emergency exit, unique/signature moves, confirming unaware nerf, and soul dew damage calcs.

That's awesome, thanks for doing that.

Is Dazzling on any mega evolution? Because if so it would literally break Mix and Mega in half.

 

[Chopin Alkaninoff]

That's awesome, thanks for doing that.

Is Dazzling on any mega evolution? Because if so it would literally break Mix and Mega in half.

Sadly, no. No new Mega Evolution probably still makes Mix and Mega priority-happy, since the Dazzling/Queen Majesty Users are... pretty weak.

BUT, not all hope is lost. There's this mon called Tapu Lele with an Ability called Psychic Surge, which puts Psychic Terrain on the Field for 5 turns. So if you want a sweeper with Immunity to Priority, use Tapu Lele with Pidgeotite/Diancite/Lucarionite (it has 130 SpA and 95 Speed btw). Unlike Dazzling/Queen Majesty, Psychic Terrain is a Field condition, so it won't go away upon Megaevo. Use that to your advantage. Also I can imagine Lucarionite Tapu Lele with Psychic Terrain + Adapt Psyshock will hit really hard. Also has Calm Mind, Moonblast and Focus Blast btw.

 

[DurzaOffTopic]

Sadly, no. No new Mega Evolution probably still makes Mix and Mega priority-happy, since the Dazzling/Queen Majesty Users are... pretty weak.

BUT, not all hope is lost. There's this mon called Tapu Lele with an Ability called Psychic Surge, which puts Psychic Terrain on the Field for 5 turns. So if you want a sweeper with Immunity to Priority, use Tapu Lele with Pidgeotite/Diancite/Lucarionite (it has 130 SpA and 95 Speed btw). Unlike Dazzling/Queen Majesty, Psychic Terrain is a Field condition, so it won't go away upon Megaevo. Use that to your advantage. Also I can imagine Lucarionite Tapu Lele with Psychic Terrain + Adapt Psyshock will hit really hard. Also has Calm Mind, Moonblast and Focus Blast btw.

So Psychic Terrain will function as a 5-turn field condition Dazzling?

 

[Chopin Alkaninoff]

So Psychic Terrain will function as a 5-turn field condition Dazzling?

Yes. And give Psychic moves a x1.5 power boost, which is nice. Lucarionite Psychic Tapu Lele has 270 BP coming off 155 SpA btw.

+1 252 SpA Adaptability Mega Gardevoir (155 SpA) Psyshock vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Sablenite Blissey: 294-346 (41.1 - 48.4%) -- 70.3% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock

Pretty good deal, imo, 2HKO with Stealth Rock.

 

[DurzaOffTopic]

Yes. And give Psychic moves a x1.5 power boost, which is nice. Lucarionite Psychic Tapu Lele has 270 BP coming off 155 SpA btw.

+1 252 SpA Adaptability Mega Gardevoir (155 SpA) Psyshock vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Sablenite Blissey: 294-346 (41.1 - 48.4%) -- 70.3% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock

Pretty good deal, imo, 2HKO with Stealth Rock.

But it only functions before mega evolution, so would it best to pair with a bulky psychic mon (Mewtonite Y Mewtwo, Mew, even Slowbro) and lead with Tapu Lele and switch out to that mon to get most advantage out of the Terrain?
Honestly now that I'm thinking I feel like its best to hold of Mega'ing Tapu Lele as the more you take advantage of the terrain the better.

Well I better start building my Mix and Mega team based around this mon.

Blazikenite Lando T will get a huge buff indirectly as usually the only thing that can outspeed it is an atespeed.

 

[yetanotherperson]

But it only functions before mega evolution, so would it best to pair with a bulky psychic mon (Mewtonite Y Mewtwo, Mew, even Slowbro) and lead with Tapu Lele and switch out to that mon to get m
Honestly now that I'm thinking I feel like its best to hold of Mega'ing Tapu Lele as the more you take advantage of the terrain the better.

Well I better start building my Mix and Mega team based around this mon.

Blazikenite Lando T will get a huge buff indirectly as usually the only thing that can outspeed it is an atespeed.

But it only functions before mega evolution, so would it best to pair with a bulky psychic mon (Mewtonite Y Mewtwo, Mew, even Slowbro) and lead with Tapu Lele and switch out to that mon to get most advantage out of the Terrain?
Honestly now that I'm thinking I feel like its best to hold of Mega'ing Tapu Lele as the more you take advantage of the terrain the better.

Well I better start building my Mix and Mega team based around this mon.

Blazikenite Lando T will get a huge buff indirectly as usually the only thing that can outspeed it is an atespeed.

Except that Lando T is not affected by terrain and as such it does not enjoy the immunity to priority from Psy.Terrain.

 

[Slimmer]

Day 2 of SM testing...

EV Limits appear to be gone for LOCAL battles with other players (I used my other DS because I am lonely):

image proof, as spoiler free as possible (only psychic terrain and darkrais HP is viewable)

It's an Arceus

Can this have consequences for non-OM battles? oo

 

[Weiss Schnee]

I can confirm that the Unaware nerf is incorrect.

I have a small write up about it on reddit.

https://www.reddit.com/r/stunfisk/c...er_finds_that_unaware_is_not_changed/d9vdiv8/

 

[Anna says hi]

New defensive sets!

Zygarde-Complete @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 64 HP / 48 Atk / 252 Def / 128 SpD / 16 Spe
Impish Nature
- Thousand Arrows
- King's Shield
- Will-O-Wisp
- Shift Gear

Obscene bulk even on the special side, enough to survive Mewtwo Y's Ice Beam with no boosting item. EVs live certain hits, including Adamant Adaptability Garchomp's Choice Band Dragon Hammer! If you do not have a strong Pixilate or Refrigerated Boomburst, don't think about trying to OHKO this thing. It's extremely weak though, so stuff like PH Kyogre turns it into easy setup fodder.


Celesteela @ Darkinium Z
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 128 Def / 128 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Recover
- Topsy-Turvy
- Parting Shot
- Destiny Bond

Great typing for an unaware wall or Prankster. Think of it as Skarmory but better. EVs allow it to live Mewtwo Y's Overheat on the switch-in before Destiny Bonding. Darkinium Z has two purposes: The first is to make Celesteela immune to Trick and Knock Off, similar to how Giratina runs Griseous Orb. The second is to abuse Z-Parting Shot. Even though it's only one time, Z-Parting shot completely heals the HP of the incoming Pokemon, allowing you to give it a second shot. It's only usable once though, so be patient with it. And of course don't use it into a Magic Bouncer. Speed IVs can be adjusted, as it can't underspeed anything relevant.

 

[ih8ih8sn0w]

Can this have consequences for non-OM battles? oo

I'm not far enough in the game yet to know if there is a real cap. It most likely isn't removed, but I will try to get someone who has finished the story to test it for me.

 

[RedPaladin7]

I think the effects of the Z-status moves needs to be added to OP. Pyukumyuku's signature move for instance, purify, boosts all stats by one stage for instance. Z-Belly Drum fully heals the pokemon before subtracting the 50 percent health. Z-baton pass removes any negative stat drops. Z-splash boosts attack three stages.

A set that I plan on testing out is unaware pyukumyuku, holding a z-stone, max hp EVs, and the rest split between attack and defense, with Z-purify, Psych up, baton pass, and pain split. Main point of the set is to either pass the all stat boost from Z-purify to a stored power/power trip sweeper like espeon/latias/M-gardevoir (espeon has the advantage of magic bounce, while M-Gardevoir has perfect coverage between stored power and pixilate hyper voice, latias has the advantage of using draco meteor/dragon pulse and healing wish) or in power trip's case, krookodile or pangoro (Primeape also gets it, but doesn't benefit from STAB. Krookodile has Moxie which will raise the attack stat after a KO AND raise Power Trip's base power).

I think stored power sets are going to be scary powerful in this generation. In addition to Z-purify, Z-Celebrate and a few other moves boost all stats, and I'm sure there are other users that might be better at passing those boosts. Extreme evoboost is an even scarier alternative, passing a +2 in all stats to Espeon with dazzling gleam as coverage is basically GG.

 

[Wendig0]

Hyper Training doesn't change IVs, only increase them to what they would be at 31. This means you can have stuff like max speed hp fire

Edit: Source - https://twitter.com/pokemon_PhD/status/797148112796221440

 

[Jaguar360]

Theorymonned a bunch of Camomons sets. I know it's not one of the most popular metas, but it's one of the most interesting imo.

Sets

Decidueye @ Decidiyum Z / Darkium Z / Lum Berry / Leftovers
Ability: Long Reach
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Spirit Shackle
- Sucker Punch / Substitute
- Swords Dance
- Baton Pass / Low Sweep

Drampa @ Leftovers / Electrium Z
Ability: Berserk
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Roost
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
- Calm Mind

Tsareena @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Queenly Majesty
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Play Rough
- U-turn
- Aromatheray / Trop Kick / Toxic

Accelgor @ Life Orb / Waterium Z
Ability: Sticky Hold / Hydration
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest / Timid Nature
- Water Shuriken
- Giga Drain / Energy Ball
- Hidden Power Ice
- Spikes / Sludge Bomb / U-turn

Dodrio @ Life Orb / Lum Berry / Fightium Z / Flyingium Z
Ability: Early Bird / Tangled Feet
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Jump Kick
- Brave Bird
- Swords Dance
- Knock Off / Taunt / Roost

Exegggutor-A @ Sitrus Berry / Petaya Berry
Ability: Harvest
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
Quiet Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Flamethrower
- Substitute / Trick Room
- Giga Drain / Trick Room

Exegggutor-A @ Sitrus Berry / Liechi Berry
Ability: Harvest
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Brave Nature
- Dragon Hammer
- Earthquake
- Substitute / Trick Room / Flamethrower
- Swords Dance / Trick Room

Exeggutor-A @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Harvest
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Dragon Tail
- Sludge Bomb
- Synthesis
- Flamethrower

Mantine @ Leftoves
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 SpD
Calm Nature
- Scald
- Toxic
- Defog
- Roost

Toucannon @ Leftovers / Fightium Z
Ability: Skill Link
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Flame Charge / Roost
- Brick Break
- Roost / U-turn / Bullet Seed
- Rock Blast / Bullet Seed

Vikavolt @ Electrium Z / Zap Plate / Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 108 HP / 252 SpA / 148 Spe
Modest Nature
- Volt Switch
- Mud Shot
- Energy Ball
- Roost / Thunderbolt / Discharge

Salandit @ Life Orb / Fireium Z / Dragonium Z
Ability: Corrosive
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Dragon Pulse
- Fire Blast
- Toxic / Sludge Bomb
- Nasty Plot / Hidden Power Ground

Bewear @ Leftovers
Ability: Fluffy
EVs: 252 HP / 16 Def / 240 SpD
Impish Nature
- Toxic
- Hammer Arm / Force Palm
- Shadow Claw / Earthquake / Substitute
- Pain Split / Substitute

 

[MAMP]

we just found out that triage gives +3 priority and also boosts draining moves, so um

Rayquaza-Mega @ Life Orb
Ability: Triage
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Oblivion Wing
- Shell Smash
- Substitute / Taunt maybe
- Earth Power / Magma Storm / Moongeist Beam

i figured that the gale wings nerf killed tail glow+oblivion wing ray, but what a foolish mistake that was -- its back with a vengeance. +3 priority means that owing outspeeds extreme speed and ties with fake out, meaning that after a shell smash oblivion wing beats every priority move in the meta. anyone whos played against gale wings ray can attest to how brutally difficult it is to deal with once it gets a boost -- now imagine if you cant even revenge kill it with priority. it seems to me that dazzling/psychic terrain is probably one of the only reliable ways to deal with this thing, this will no doubt be a monstrous threat in the sm meta

 

[ih8ih8sn0w]

Day 3 of testing:

Z-moves do not use the priority of the base move.

With spotlight and follow me being used in the same turn, whichever appears first is what is followed for every other move.

The precious drizzle pdon (and download primals) still work the same way as before.

Sunsteel Strike/Moongeist Beam ignore Disguise's immunity, using a move on the next turn broke disguise as expected.

Topsy-Turvy, Defog, Parting Shot, etc. are blocked by Dazzling and everything else under that category.

Lustrous and Adamant Orbs have not changed.

Burn Up can only be used by fire types, the fire type loses its fire type status. If the user is pure fire, it becomes typeless, being neutrally hit by ghost and fighting moves.

Potential moves which could have been made to only be usable by a few Pokemon.

the list

Judgment:
Dark Void: Only works on Darkrai
Sketch: Works on anything
Sunsteel Strike: Works on anything
Moongeist Beam: Works on anything
Hyperspace Hole: Works on anything
Hyperspace Fury: Still Hoopa-U only
Thousand Arrows: Works on anything
Thousand Waves: Works on anything
Core Enforcer: Works on anything
Geomancy: Works on anything
Oblivion Wing: Assumed to work on anything (since it is paired with geomancy)
Steam Eruption: Works on anything
Multi-Attack: Works on anything
Fleur Cannon: Works on anything
Nature's Madness: Works on anything
Prismatic Laser: Works on anything
Diamond Storm: Works on anything
Burn Up: Fails if you are not currently fire type. Removes fire typing until you switch out.
The starter signature moves: Works on anything
Roost: When used with Moltres after Burn Up has removed it's fire typing (making it flying only), Roost only makes moltres "grounded" (as in, it takes resisted damage from fighting and neutral from ghost attacks).

Triage + Health draining moves are +3 priority

Triage + Leech Seed, Aromatherapy/Heal bell, Ingrain, Pain split are +0

Unaware: The final verdict™:
It is not nerfed. BH can rest easier since walls still exist.

 

[AlphaOmega007]

I want to point something.

RedPaladin7,: 7075867, member: 357519"]Extreme evoboost is an even scarier alternative, passing a +2 in all stats to Espeon with dazzling gleam as coverage is basically GG.

Eevee requires last resort to perform extreme Evoboost so if you have Baton pass you cannot pass stats as last resort well is used last.so unless you use Baton pass first you cannot use Extreme Evoboost

 

[ih8ih8sn0w]

I want to point something.

Eevee requires last resort to perform extreme Evoboost so if you have Baton pass you cannot pass stats as last resort well is used last.so unless you use Baton pass first you cannot use Extreme Evoboost

You don't need to use last resort to use the z-move. So you can baton pass without actually using baton pass first.

 

[AlphaOmega007]

You don't need to use last resort to use the z-move. So you can baton pass without actually using baton pass first.

Oh really? Then I guess it would be awesome to pass +2 boosts in everything if Eevee can manage to stay alive.

 

[EV]

Everyone's doing their SM analyses now that we have our hands on the data, so here's mine!

~Eevee General's☉☽ STABmons Predictions P1~

So since this is a move-based meta, I'll start with a list new moves that I feel are most relevant in STABmons.

MOVES

Normal

Revelation Dance: [Special] 90 BP / 100 Acc / 15 PP
Type is determined by user's type.

At first glance, Rev Dance looks appetizing. It's a less-powerful Judgment without relying on the Plate. But there are a few things to consider. Does the attack type take dual types into consideration or is it only looking at the user's primary type? If we go with the former, Normal is not a type you want to piggyback onto another because it doesn't score any additional SE hits and gives Ghosts a free switch. If it's the latter, only Pyroar and Heliolisk have a non-Normal primary type (bar things that evolve from Normal such as the Eeveelutions), but they already have Blue Flare and Thunderbolt, respectively, and in the case of the specially oriented Eeveelutions, better STAB as well. I can't really see this move having much of an impact unless there are some qualities I'm overlooking. For now, stick to Boomburst, Judgment, or a more relevant move.​

Multi-Attack: [Physical] 90 BP / 100 Acc / 10 PP
Type is determined by held Memory.

Now this is the more apt Judgment clone, but for physical attackers. 90 BP is not bad and we're yet to know if the Memories also power up the associated type. Regardless, I can see it working for physical attackers that can forgo their old items, such as Ursaring, which already had a pretty wide range of coverage but now can get a more reliable move (no -1 drops for Fighting coverage, 100% accurate Fairy coverage, stronger Fire coverage, etc). It may be worth it for new additions such as Bewear or Gumshoos, which until we get tutors, are a bit lacking for coverage and could use an Ice move to nail Landorus-T on the switch.​

Bug

First Impression: [Physical] 90 BP / 100 Acc / 10 PP, +2 priority
Only works first turn out.

Beta and I were talking earlier and I nicknamed this BugSpeed. Sure, it only works first turn like Fake Out but it's certainly going to make Psychic, Dark, and Grass-types reconsider their positions in life if you're packing a BugSpeed Scizor or Golisopod. Just don't be alarmed when your opponent goes into their Psychic Surge Tapu Lele.​

Lunge: [Physical] 80 BP / 100 Acc / 15 PP
Lowers target's Attack (unknown % chance).

Lunge's viability all depends on the chance it has to lower the target's Attack. If it's a paltry 10 or even 20%, I'd rather use Megahorn, U-turn, or something else.​

Leech Life: [Physical] 80 BP / 100 Acc / 10 PP
Restores 50% damage dealt as HP.

Okay so it's technically not a new move but it might as well be! The power buff is astounding and opens up a lot of avenues for quite a lot of Pokemon, considering it's going to be a TM move (for instance, the Litten line learns it lol). I can see bulky SD Mega Scizor with Leech Life working well or even on something like Guts Heracross, which will appreciate the recovery to mitigate its Flame Orb damage.
​

Dark

Darkest Lariat: [Physical] 85 BP / 100 Acc / 10 PP
Ignores target's stat modifiers.

So a Dark-type Sacred Sword doesn't appear too exciting at first blush, but there are enough anti-meta strategies out there that I think this move will be fairly common on Dark Pokemon, the biggest one being Cosmic Power. Mega Slowbro, Mega Latias, Espeon, and (I'm theorymoning) Tapu Lele can all abuse +1/+1 defensive boosts before running wild with Stored Power. Physical Dark Pokemon are already pretty well stocked with options as it is, between Knock Off, Sucker Punch, and Pursuit (and even Crunch at times) but I expect Darkest Lariat to be a mainstay in such a setup heavy metagame.​

Throat Chop: [Physical] 80 BP / 100 Acc / 15 PP
Target cannot use Sound moves for 2 turns.

This is really only helpful at blocking Boomburst and Sing (among a few others). Abusers of these moves don't like switching into Dark Pokemon normally anyway, but it may find usage on faster ones like Weavile that can Throat Chop a Normal Boomburster and Parting Shot out.​

Power Trip: [Physical] 20 BP / 100 Acc / 10 PP
Stored Power clone.

This is a potential game changer. Stored Power has its drawbacks. The first being it takes a few turns to get going. But the biggest drawback is that Dark immunity to Psychic. Power Trip has no immunities. Even better, it's physical. DD Tyranitar is probably too slow at boosting to abuse this, but consider something like Curse Umbreon or Defend Order Drapion boosting up and sweeping instead.​

Dragon

Core Enforcer: [Special] 100 BP / 100 Acc / 10 PP
Ignores target's ability if user moves after target.

Outclassed unless you need to bypass an ability. I can't think of any special Dragons that would need to that can afford to get hit first and wouldn't rather use Draco Meteor or Clanging Scales or even Spacial Rend. Shrug.​

Clanging Scales: [Special] 110 BP / 100 Acc / 5 PP
-1 Defense.

An alternative to Draco for sweepers. Just make sure that enemy priority is gone first!​

Dragon Hammer: [Physical] 90 BP / 100 Acc / 15 PP

A straight upgrade to Dragon Claw. Will see usage on Kyurem-Black and Garchomp mostly I bet.​

Electric

Zing Zap: [Physical] 80 BP / 100 Acc / 10 PP
30% chance to flinch.

Could see some usage on fast Electrics such as Tapu Koko, though an Electric Terrain boosted Bolt Strike is hard to pass up. Unfortunately there aren't any Serene Grace Pokemon with it.​

Fairy

Floral Healing: [Status] 10 PP
Restores 50% of user's HP. More during Grassy Terrain.

A better Moonlight as this one's not affected by weather. Not sure if you can self target with it, however.​

Fleur Cannon: [Special] 130 BP / 90 Acc / 5 PP
-2 Special Attack.

An alternative to Moonblast.​

Nature's Madness: [Special] 90 Acc / 10 PP
Halves target's HP.

Klefki just got twice as annoying.​

Fire

Fire Lash: [Physical] 80 BP / 100 Acc / 15 PP
Lowers target's Defense (unknown % chance).

Similarly to Lunge, Fire Lash could pan out to be underwhelming if it has a lower percentage rate to active the drop.​

Burn Up: [Special] 130 BP / 100 Acc / 5 PP
Removes user's Fire typing.

There's probably some nifty use to this for a Fire-type that I'm not thinking of atm but otherwise I think I'll stick to Blue Flare, especially because the chance to burn incoming Waters is probably more helpful than losing your Fire typing.​

Shell Trap: [Special] 150 BP / 100 Acc / 5 PP, -3 priority
Only works if user is hit with a physical move this turn.

So this one is interesting. It's incredibly strong but you have to survive and Fire-types aren't usually the bulkiest of Pokemon. Those that are, like Heatran, lack recovery and generally don't like having to take unnecessary hits. The reliance on taking a physical attack first is a bit of a downer, too.​

Flying

Beak Blast: [Physical] 100 BP / 100 Acc / 15 PP, -3 priority
Enemy Pokemon that contact the user this turn before the move receive a burn.

This I am really, really excited for. Unlike Shell Trap, Beak Blast will still do damage if the corresponding attack isn't used. The perk here is that burn you'll get for making contact, and I can see this being a staple on Landorus-T, Skarmory, Gyarados, heck, any remotely bulky Flying-type. 100 BP is no slouch either and it's not so far below Brave Bird, making the loss of recoil even more tantalizing. The low priority is a bit of a drag for Landorus-T I guess, as even the max Def sets still outspeed some things. The question now is where do you put it? Over hazards? Defog?​

Ghost

Spirit Shackle: [Physical] 80 BP / 100 Acc / 10 PP
Target can no longer escape.

Ghost got a HUGE upgrade in STABmons with SM. Spirit Shackle has a nifty side effect that can be splashed on just about any Ghost-type. I wonder if it will see any use on Sableye, which can shackle the incoming target and get a guaranteed Parting Shot off on that specific target.​

Shadow Bone: [Physical] 85 BP / 100 Acc / 10 PP
Lowers target's Defense (unknown % chance).

Depending on the chance to drop Defense, this move's viability is a big question mark. However, if GF decides to dick us on Spectral Thief and make it a Marshadow exclusive, then this one will be the go to for physical Ghosts that don't run Spirit Shackle.​

Spectral Thief: [Physical] 90 BP / 100 Acc / 10 PP
Steals target's stat boosts before attacking.

Unlike Darkest Lariat, Spectral Thief "ignores" the target's boosts and then actually applies them to itself before attacking, which is just mind blowing good. Marshadow is already a top candidate for the move (go figure) with its high Speed and Attack. Stat boosting is really common in STABmons so I expect this to be a hugely popular answer for it.​

Moongeist Beam: [Special] 100 BP / 100 Acc / 5 PP
Ignores target's ability.

Ignoring the target's ability is cool but finally having a special Ghost attack over 80 BP is much, much cooler. Gengar is smiling. Well, it's always smiling but now it's smiling wider.​

Grass

Strength Sap: [Status] 100 Acc / 10 PP
User recovers same amount of HP as the target's Attacking stat. Lowers target's Attack.

This looks goofy retarded on something like Whimsicott or a bulky mon like Mega Venu.​

Trop Kick: [Physical] 70 BP / 100 Acc / 15 PP
Lowers target's Attack (unknown % chance).

See all the other "This move's viability depends on the effect chance". Otherwise use Power Whip or Wood Hammer or Leaf Blade.​

Ground

Shore Up: [Status] 10 PP
User recovers 50% total HP. Recovers more during sandstorm.

My favorite new move by far! Shore Up gives so many Pokemon a breath of fresh air. First we got tank Chomp the ultimate FakeSpeed deterrent with chip damage and a recovery move so it can keep chipping away throughout the match. Then there's the Ttar set I mentioned earlier. Then there's Hippowdon, another great physical wall. Sure, it already has Slack Off, but (I'm assuming) Shore Up recovers 66% in sand, which is just nutters on Hippowdon. Then there's random shit that never was that great like Steelix, Rhyperior/Rhydon, and Stunfisk (new Thundurus check!). Then there's stuff to consider like Landorus-T dropping Roost for it. THEN there's the new Pokemon like Palossand (85/110/75 defenses, Ground/Ghost) and Mudsdale, which has Stamina, a move that boosts its Defense after each attack. The options are many and I plan to take advantage of this move a lot.​

Stomping Tantrum: [Physical] 75 BP / 100 Acc / 10 PP
BP doubles if user's last move failed.

So maybe your Krook's Sucker Punch failed last turn and you're mad. Precipice Blades is more reliable, even with the miss.​

Ice

Ice Hammer: [Physical] 100 BP / 90 Acc / 10 PP
Lowers user's Speed.

Another option over Icicle Crash. Might see usage on Banded Kyurem-Black.​

Poison

Baneful Bunker: [Status] 10 PP, +4 priority
User protects itself from attacks this turn. Pokemon that make direct contact get poisoned.

Could see some use on stuff like Mega Venu, Amoonguss, and Toxapex or even frailer shit like Gengar and Mega Bee to get a safe mega evolution.​

Psychic

Psychic Terrain: [Status] 10 PP
Negates priority attacks and powers up Psychic-type moves for 5 turns.

There's so much new priority and priority-counterplay in SM it's almost as if GF was trying to help us balance out the metagame. Tapu Lele is the first Pokemon that comes to mind, as it summons this move with its ability, making it now the single best response to priority revenge attempts in the entirety of STABmons. Other Psychics can carry this move for themselves, too, and use it to block revenge attempts while they setup.​

Instruct: [Status] 15 PP
Encore clone.

Same use as Encore, so fairly niche.​

Psychic Fangs: [Physical] 85 BP / 100 Acc / 10 PP
Destroys Light Screen and Reflect.

The best physical Psychic move now.​

Rock

Accelerock: [Physical] 40 BP / 100 Acc / 20 PP, +1 priority

Tyranitar can make use of this and be a better Zard Y check. Overall, any Rock Pokemon can now better revenge birds, which will be a big help with Aero and Mega Pidgeot most likely still being relevant.​

Steel

Anchor Shot: [Physical] 80 BP / 100 Acc / 20 BP
Target can no longer escape.

There are better attacks but if you want to trap now you have the option. Maybe bulky Mega Scizor can take advantage of this?​

Sunsteel Strike: [Physical] 100 BP / 100 Acc / 5 PP
Ignores target's ability.

A splendid physical Steel move if Meteor Mash and Gear Grind aren't your cup of tea.​

Water

Liquidation: [Physical] 85 BP / 100 Acc / 10 BP
Lowers target's Defense (unknown % chance).

This move will probably supplant Watefall in most scenarios but still get overshadowed by Crabhammer when it comes to raw power. That could change if the chance to lower the target's defense is substantial. Say, 30%.
​

I'll post again with my thoughts on individual Pokemon later!

 

[HotFuzzBall]

I'll address the lesser known buffs to existing mons (Hopefully no one beat me to it ;w; or else this is more of a reaction to these buffs)

Pyroar

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Pyroar @ Life Orb / Firium Z / Normalium Z
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Quiet Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Hyper Voice
- Hidden Power Grass
- Will-O-Wisp / Taunt / Fire Blast
Pyroar now gets Flare Blitz by Egg Move so it can now utilize it's fantastic hidden ability Moxie. I can see Pyroar being a quite unpredictable mon since it now has the option to run a mixed set or maybe a full physical attacking set. I believe Mixed Pyroar would be a bit more threatening then all-out physical however, it would need some kind of cleric to patch up the recoil damage.

Bibarel

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Bibarel @ Leftovers
Ability: Simple
EVs: 4 Hp / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Careful Nature
- Aqua Jet / Quick Attack
- Swords Dance
- Superpower
- Return / Waterfall
Let's be real, no one uses Bibarel at all lol... but I believe these buffs would make Bibarel quite a scary wall breaker in the lower tiers (however, I believe it will rise maybe 1 or 2 tiers). Bibarel now gets Swords Dance, Crunch and Aqua Jet. In combination with its ability Simple, Bibarel will be able to reach +4 easily and start dishing out heavy damage with its dual stab if it gets the opportunity to set up.

Diancie

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Diancie @ Diancite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 8 Atk / 248 SpA / 252 Spe or 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Naive / Timid Nature
- Moonblast
- Diamond Storm / Power Gem
- Hidden Power Fire
- Earth Power
Diancie basically gets it big in Gen7. The changes to the stat changes during Mega Evolution benefited this gem princess quite a bit, and now it received more buffs! Diancie now has access to Power Gem and Diamond Storm now has a chance to increase its Defense stat to +2 instead of +1. This gives Diancie an opportunity to run a fully Special set and, it doesn't need to run Protect anymore since the speed boost applies immediately.

Swellow

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Swellow @ Choice Specs
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Boomburst
- Heat Wave
- U-turn
- Sleep Talk / Tailwind / Hurricane
Swellow has been a pretty good mon in the NU tier, but now it received some pretty decent buffs. Swellow's SpA stat increased from 50 to 75 and now has access to Hurricane via Egg move. Swellow's Specs set received some pretty big buffs due to the nice boost to its pretty lackluster SpA stat while receiving another high base power move to utilize.

 

[motherlove]

So how do you thing Bewear is gonna do in Stabmons? It essentially has a resist to every form of priority with its pseudo fur coat ability, combine that with 120 / 80 Physical bulk means it has a really easy time setting up, Normal type means it has access to all the OP moves like Espeed, Milk Drink and Belly Drum, it learns Ice punch via Egg moves to hit lando, it can run Z belly drum to regain all his health after drumming, it has base 125 atk, it's a fighting type so it dunks on steel / rock types.
The only issue is that it struggles a lot against ghost types since the options are shadow claw, Payback and that Type:Null move that can be any type. But aside from that it's looking pretty amazing.

EDIT: Z-move belly drum heals the user before using belly drum apparently meaning that Bewear could be able to set up belly drum twice in the same battle.

 

[QY_CS]

In terms of AG, a lot of the current Pokémon are definitely meta changing despite their potentially frail stats.

Klefki is going to receive an upgraded form of Numel in Own Tempo Mudsdale, while the presence of Dazzling Bruxish doesn't help Prankster users much either. Mudsdale switching in on a Swagger could be devistating, along with its decent offensive/defensive typing in pure Ground. Based on its dex entry, it seems to be quite slow; however, if its Defense stat is high enough tanking Groudon's Precipice Blades wont be such a difficult task. In some situations it could potentially be more optimal than SD Ground Arceus just due to its Klefki immunity.

More on Bruxish, while it does technically stop the majority of Klefki's set, it is weak to Foul Play and in turn is an inferior Klefki check than Mudsdale. Albeit it also takes zero damage from the second most common move in the metagame, ExtremeSpeed. While this is nice and all, Leftovers Skarmory still sounds like a better Klefki check and Arceus check, due to its formidable defensive typing.

Tapu Koko is quite a nice addition as it sets up Electric Terrain on switch in, thus preventing Darkrai from spamming Dark Void. If it does begin to see usage, Sludge Bomb may become standard on Darkrai over Nasty Plot/Taunt, heavily hindering its capability.

On the cover legends, they don't necessarily impress me that much in terms of the AG meta. Lunala's screaming use Yveltal and Darkrai, and is an inferior Lugia by the looks of things due to Ghost/Psychic typing. Solgaleo seems like it could be a decent Xerneas/Fairy Arceus check based on its defensive typing and high HP stat as seen through the footage; however, is probably dead weight against Primal Groudon and Ho-Oh.

Both of the latter Pokémon may see decline in usage if Complete Zygarde ends up being as powerful as expected, with an incredibly high HP stat (seen through footage) and access to 1k Arrows which hurts Primal Groudon and Ho-Oh immensely. Trapping Primal Groudon with 1k Waves and Coil spamming may happen which is keeping me up at night.

Rock Z-Move will hurt Ho-Oh even more; however, the Z-move I'm looking forward to mostly is Ground Z-Move if Hidden Power counts as having a move of the same type. Xerneas may find a way to pass Primal Groudon (and Solgaleo if that becomes common). Fairy/Ground is lovely coverage, and is the major reason Xerneas is being held back.

Magearna looks to be an inferior version of Mega Diancie, due to Magic Bounce just being so useful; regardless, the Fairy typing looks to be as useful as it is in ORAS.

I still haven't gotten to the Pokémon I'm scared of mostly in Gen 7 AG are Scarf Fissure Machamp and Eviolite Fissure Machoke. Due to the virtual consoles and their abilities to transfer to the main series games, Gen 1 sets can be used. I'm especially fearful of when people are going to start pairing them with Gravity / Trick Room and other strategies. They look devastating in the theorymoning Thimo, me and a few others have done in Custom Battle. We might start to see dumb stuff like Banded Talonflame high ladder just to check this kind of stuff.

I'm extremely curious how the SM AG metagame is going to play out. Idk if you could tell or not.

Edit: The Ground Z-Move Point is somewhat redundant when considering GeoXern, since it requires Power Herb to function and cannot use the Z-move without the corresponding Z-crystal.

Dark void's accuracy is lowered to 50%, and I don't think anyone will ever use it again in AG.

 

[Imperator Romanum]

Triage is replacing Gale Wings on Mega Ray then, it's so broken... oblivion wing at +3 priority