Gen 9 Aleatory Alliance #4: Round and Rowdy (Rarely Used)

New post-DLC (Indigo Disk) usage stats, new (early) Aleatory Alliance.

20 formats: 1v1, Almost Any Ability, Anything Goes, Balanced Hackmons, Create-a-Pokémon, Doubles, Godly Gift, Little Cup, Mix and Mega, Monotype, Not Fully Evolved, Never Used, Overused, PU, Rarely Used, STABmons, Tier Shift, Uber, Underused, Zero Used

Number 15 is Rarely Used, or RU for short. With the cream of the crop in Overused and the cream of the cream in Ubers (not to mention the competitive king, Shadow Rider Calyrex), RU is the second tier below the former. It has 59 native Pokémon, whose odds are doubled, and 49 other usable Pokémon. Let’s see what the dice have to roll.

Ooh, this team has it all. Hazards from Overqwil (Toxic Spikes) and Chansey (Stealth Rock), a fat core in Chansey and Slowbro, setup sweepers in Bronzong and Bisharp, and some fast hazard removal in Noivern. A little of everything, just the way I like it. (Well, it has fair share of nuances, but I’ll get to that later.)

What do they do?

Chansey @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural Cure
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
– Seismic Toss
– Soft-Boiled
– Thunder Wave
– Stealth Rock

Since the fifth generation, Chansey has been bringing the fat with its effective 704/178/370 bulk thanks to Eviolite. However, its most reliable form of damage output is with Seismic Toss, which is a guaranteed 100 damage per use on non-Ghost-types. Soft-Boiled keeps it healthy, but not for long with its reduced Power Points. It is the only Thunder Wave user on the team, and a little speed control can go a long way, especially with Bisharp being the main powerhouse. Since Stealth Rock is one of its only five viable options (the other being Heal Bell, now that it has lost Toxic and Aromatherapy), it is the dedicated Stealth Rock user, with the only possible other two (Bronzong and Bisharp) playing more self-sufficient roles. Natural Cure is its go-to Ability, primarily capable of keeping it from being worn down or otherwise held back by non-volatile status conditions. Ghost Tera is intended for preventing Rapid Spin users from removing its Stealth Rock, in addition to turning its sole weakness to Fighting into an immunity.

Noivern @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Infiltrator
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 168 Def / 88 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
– Hurricane
– Flamethrower
– Defog
– Roost

Heavy-Duty Boots are essential for any Rock-weak hazard remover worth its salt. The way Noivern removes hazards is with Defog, which should be used carefully because it affects hazards set by allies, can be prevented by Taunt, and can trigger Defiant or Competitive. Hurricane is a staple on specially-oriented Flying-types; despite its shaky accuracy outside of rain, it has a higher expected BP value than Air Slash, which could otherwise be an alternative. (110 * 0.7 = 77; 75 * 0.95 = 71.25) The average Noivern runs Draco Meteor over Hurricane and U-turn over Defog, but the latter is the only possible form of hazard removal on the entire team, and it’s not good to run Draco Meteor without U-turn or a Choice item. Flamethrower rounds off its coverage nicely, only being resisted by Fire-resistant Electric-types (notably Heat Rotom) and every relevant Rock-type in the tier. Tera Fire makes this more powerful, in addition to turning Noivern’s Ice and Fairy weaknesses into resistances. Roost promotes longevity and, for the duration of the turn, makes it less prone to Ice- and Rock-type moves if it has not Terastallized. Infiltrator is always its preferred Ability for thwarting Substitute users like Grimmsnarl. The EV spread helps it take hits from Zarude, which may or may not be holding a Choice Scarf.

Slowbro @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
– Scald
– Future Sight
– Body Press
– Slack Off

Ever since gaining Regenerator in the fifth generation, Slowbro has also been a defensive force of nature. It was OU last gen, but losing Teleport adversely impacted its viability. Still, its solid physical bulk is compatible with Rocky Helmet, a means of discouraging physical attackers from going too wild. (This item can also mildly punish one use of Knock Off, the quintessential way to hinder Chansey’s defensive prowess.) It will mostly be using Scald as a reliable source of damage output with a high chance to burn the foes it hits. For a stronger hit that may not be as reliable but can keep the opposing team on its toes, it has the option to use Future Sight. This pairs well with Body Press, which deters the average Dark-type from attempting to block it. Plus, while Body Press has no same-type attack bonus, it uses Slowbro’s highest stat (Defense) as an attacking stat (meaning that it deals almost 1.5* as much damage as it would if it was a special coverage move, given the EV spread). And guess what? Slowbro also gets reliable recovery in Slack Off.

Tera Fairy turns Slowbro’s weaknesses to Knock Off and U-turn into resistances, while also maintaining its Fighting resistance that buttresses its synergy with Chansey.

Bronzong @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
Tera Type: Electric
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
– Iron Defense
– Body Press
– Stored Power
– Calm Mind

Type changing aside, Bronzong has always been the only Steel-type with Levitate, although generational power creeps and the sixth-generation loss of Steel’s resistance to Ghost and Dark have taken their toll on this bell. One of its best bets at present is the frequently used combination of Iron Defense and Body Press, a counterpart of Swords Dance or Nasty Plot boosting that also augments its physical durability. Iron Defense also boosts the base power of Stored Power by 40 per use until after three uses, which would bring it up to 140. Calm Mind does a similar thing on the special side, but the boost is less defensively oriented and can contribute up to 240 BP to Stored Power. Since Bronzong cannot regain HP without Rest, Leftovers are a must-have held item for it. Tera Electric leaves it with effectively no weaknesses, improving its matchup against opponents with Fire-, Ghost-, and Dark-type moves. The EV spread gives it 338/319/310 bulk, plenty to work with on both sides of the spectrum.

Bisharp @ Eviolite
Ability: Defiant
Tera Type: Flying
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
– Swords Dance
– Sucker Punch
– Iron Head
– Low Kick

Even without investment, 271/354/265 bulk with Eviolite (thanks to the existence of Kingambit) is still a considerable safety net in the context of setting up Swords Dance. There is also the possibility of switching into a Defog and having Defiant activate, or perhaps having an Intimidate user switch in to give it an effective +1 Attack. In any case, Bisharp cannot always rely on Chansey to control opposing Speed stats above 239, which is where Sucker Punch comes in. On the flip side, Iron Head lacks priority but is a stronger and more reliable move, additionally known for its flinch chance and being super-effective against Fairy-types. Low Kick is notable coverage against foes such as the following, listed by the base power it has against them.

80: Bisharp, Empoleon, Krookodile, Lucario, Zarude, Alolan Sandslash, Shiftry, Wo-Chien
100: Forretress, Magnezone, Bronzong, Drednaw
120: Cobalion, Mamoswine, Copperajah, Iron Thorns

Tera Flying makes Bisharp resistant to Fighting, immune to Ground, and neutral to Fire.

Overqwil @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
– Barb Barrage
– Crunch
– Toxic Spikes
– Taunt

While Overqwil is typically used as a rain sweeper, it has no rain to sweep with, so it’s better off as a Toxic Spikes setter on this team. This also calls for the use of Intimidate over Swift Swim. Unlike Chansey, Overqwil does not have the bulk or recovery to stick around for long, hence Leftovers. Black Sludge is typically preferred on Poison-types, but this Overqwil won’t always be Poison-type; it has Tera Ghost to prevent Rapid Spin users from removing its Toxic Spikes. Speaking of prevention, Taunt can prevent slower/unsuspecting Taunt, hazard, and Defog users from having their way. In case it gets taunted itself, Barb Barrage has a high chance of inflicting regular poison and boasts 120 base power against poisoned foes, while Crunch has a more consistent damage output and better coverage.

---

Importable: https://pokepast.es/144170a19a1c87f3

What went wrong?

Too much vulnerability to Knock Off. No U-turn, Volt Switch, or the like. Noivern is stuck with Defog, leaving no room for U-turn. Psychic, Steel, and Dark are represented twice each. Overqwil has no rain to pair with its usual Swift Swim. Other than that, not much; this is overall a pretty solid team.

Top 5 Watchlist

The team has a serious vulnerability to Knock Off, and Alolan Muk is the tier’s most threatening user to this team, due to its high Special Defense and the lack of Ground coverage against it. Also, it typically runs Rest to stave off status conditions such as from Chansey’s Thunder Wave and Slowbro’s Scald.

Krookodile is the second-most threatening user, the offensively oriented one. Alongside Earthquake and Knock Off, if a non-Choice set needs coverage, it will likely be Gunk Shot, which does not concern this team in the slightest. However, if it does have a Choice item, Chansey and Bisharp should watch out for Close Combat, while Noivern would not appreciate Stone Edge. Moreover, as a Stealth Rock lead, it may be packing a faster Taunt than that of Overqwil. The only bright side is that it’s weak to Body Press and Low Kick.

Competitive and Defiant users, like Empoleon (which newly gained the former over the latter) and opposing Bisharp, can take advantage of the fact that Defog is this team’s only means of hazard removal. Empoleon in particular has a leg up in momentum thanks to Flip Turn, and either one can set up Stealth Rock if so desired.

With the team’s lack of Ground or Fire coverage, Tinkaton will prove difficult to take down. It also runs Knock Off and is capable of Encore shenanigans.

Afterword

“I got a rock.”

“Rock? Where!?”

“Don’t look at me. The rocks on this helmet are not removable.”

“No weirdos rock the bells as hard as me since Quasimodo.”

“I don’t know much about rocks. Rooks, on the other hand…”

[listening to “Rock Lobster” by the B-52’s]

Gen 9 Aleatory Alliance #3: Demonic Danmaku (Godly Gift)

In a similar vein to the second installment, this Aleatory Alliance is in line with the usage stats that were announced at the end of the month when the Teal Mask DLC was released. That’s why this post is so much earlier than usual.

20 formats: 1v1, Almost Any Ability, Anything Goes, Balanced Hackmons, Create-a-Pokémon, Doubles, Godly Gift, Little Cup, Mix and Mega, Monotype, Not Fully Evolved, Never Used, Overused, PU, Rarely Used, STABmons, Tier Shift, Uber, Underused, Zero Used

Number 7 is Godly Gift, an Other Metagame where each team can contain one Uber/AG Pokémon (although the only current AG Pokémon is Shadow Calyrex, which is banned from the format) that gives its base stats to every other Pokémon on the team. This will make more sense in due time, but for now, let’s see which Uber is the “god” for this team. I skipped over Annihilape, Espathra, and Palafin because clearly their stat lines are not what makes them Uber (given that Hero Palafin is an in-battle form change like Crowned Zacian). Considering this and how Original Magearna is not different enough from its base form to justify being an extra number, I came up with an upper bound of 49.

29 corresponds to Origin Giratina. As for the remaining team members, I tripled the odds of the thirty eligible Pokémon currently in OU and added the ninety eligible sub-OU Pokémon with OU strategies (with the Godly Gift ban list also including Blissey, Chansey, Dragapult, Unbound Hoopa, Iron Hands, Kingambit, Toxapex, Ursaluna, and Zamazenta), which resulted in an upper bound of 180.

These numbers correspond to Maushold, Clefable, Scizor, Cloyster, and Sneasler. The majority is sub-OU, yes, but I think caring too much about that was one of the issues with the previous Aleatory Alliance. At any rate, let’s round up the team in a manner to further supplement my explanation of this Other Metagame.

Origin Giratina has a base stat line of 150/120/100/120/100/90, which is projected onto the rest of the team as follows:

• Clefable gets base 150 HP (150/70/73/95/90/60)
• Maushold gets base 120 Attack (74/120/70/65/75/111)
• Sneasler gets base 100 Defense (80/130/100/40/80/120)
• Cloyster gets base 100 Special Defense (50/95/180/85/100/70)
• Scizor gets base 90 Speed (70/130/100/55/80/90)

That should cover it for the format explanation. Origin Giratina holds the Special Attack slot since nothing else on the team really has much use for its Special Attack stat, and it is also best off as a special utility tank because of how physically oriented the team is as a whole. Maushold does what it usually does: throws out Population Bomb (now with an actual Attack stat) alongside minor utility in Tidy Up and Encore. What Clefable does best is passing Wishes (especially with its shiny new base 150 HP, which makes it resemble a souped-up Alomomola) and setting up Stealth Rock. Scizor is the source of raw power, complete with strong priority in Technician-boosted Bullet Punch, with a touch more Speed to match the average Uber. (At least, what used to be the average Uber, but who knows anymore?) Cloyster is the setup sweeper of the team, having the luxury of Shell Smash and solid mixed potential, and its gifted Special Defense is a much-needed supplement to its otherwise exploitable special frailty. As for Sneasler, the best way for it to complement the team is using Poison Touch alongside Dire Claw, U-turn, and Fake Out partly to facilitate boosting Giratina’s Hex.

What do they do?

Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
– Wish
– Protect
– Stealth Rock
– Moonblast

It’s crazy to think that Clefable has been OU in every generation since it became Fairy-type, even though all of its base stats are below 100. That’s the power of being pure Fairy with Magic Guard, perhaps. With this Ability, no hazards or status conditions can counteract its Leftovers recovery. Besides Leftovers, the combination of Wish and Protect is its primary source of longevity now that it has lost Soft-Boiled. The former can also contribute to the longevity of the team by healing its recipient for up to 252 HP per use. Stealth Rock serves to punish switches as much as any entry hazard can. Moonblast is its best method of dealing damage, given its swell one-move coverage and rather high chance of lowering Special Attack. Tera Water serves to turn its Steel weakness into a resistance while maintaining its total weakness count of 2.

Maushold @ Wide Lens
Ability: Technician
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
– Population Bomb
– Bite
– Tidy Up
– Encore

The funny multi-hit mouse family has already returned, largely unchanged from the first Aleatory Alliance, with the only difference being its Tera type and Origin Giratina’s Attack stat. Ghost Tera allows it to surprise an opposing Fighting-type attacker like Koraidon or Sneasler, or to thwart an opponent’s Rapid Spin attempt.

Sneasler @ Protective Pads
Ability: Poison Touch
Tera Type: Fighting
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
– Close Combat
– Dire Claw
– U-turn
– Fake Out

Speaking of Sneasler, its main purpose is to spread status conditions primarily using Poison Touch, and the ability of Dire Claw to inflict sleep is valuable with Sleep Moves Clause in effect (which prohibits sleep-inducing status moves including Yawn). Close Combat is a staple on any Fighting-type that can learn it, and Fighting-type Tera can make it especially devastating, although the defense drops present some extra difficulty in surviving opposing hits (which otherwise it would do more easily thanks to its increased Defense). U-turn is best used for predicting an opponent’s switch out or to preserve Sneasler at the expense of another ally. Fake Out serves as an extra quick way to activate Poison Touch, beating out all relevant forms of priority (e.g., Extreme Speed from Dragonite, Grassy Glide from Rillaboom, Sucker Punch from Hisuian Samurott). Since this set is so reliant on contact moves, Protective Pads are vital for circumventing users of Rocky Helmet, Flame Body (Volcarona), Static (Zapdos), and the like.

Giratina-Origin @ Griseous Core
Ability: Levitate
Tera Type: Poison
EVs: 248 HP / 88 Def / 116 SpA / 40 SpD / 16 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
– Draco Meteor
– Hex
– Will-O-Wisp
– Defog

Presenting the stat giver itself, the specially offensive powerhouse (kinda) that none of the non-Uber team members can be. The Griseous Core is required for Giratina to take its Origin form, which applies out-of-battle unlike the change into Zacian’s Crowned form. This gives it the Ability Levitate, the only immunity on the entire team to Ground-type moves, terrain effects, and grounded hazards. Draco Meteor is its hardest-hitting special attack, although Hex can match it in power if the target has a non-volatile status condition, whether inflicted by Sneasler or by Will-O-Wisp. The latter inflicts less residual damage than Sneasler’s poison, but it hinders physical attackers that don’t have Guts or Facade. Defog is an alternative hazard removal option from a less frail Pokémon that can freely switch into Spikes, Toxic Spikes, and Sticky Web. Poison Tera turns its Fairy weakness into a resistance while not giving it a weakness to Fighting, Fire, or Rock. (It also grants an immunity to opposing poison spreaders.)

The EV spread is just from a sample set; I have no idea what any of it does, apart from the extra Speed creep past opposing base 90s.

Cloyster @ White Herb
Ability: Skill Link
Tera Type: Rock
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naughty Nature
– Shell Smash
– Icicle Spear
– Rock Blast
– Hydro Pump

After a Shell Smash, neutral-natured Cloyster can outspeed any unboosted foe not named Regieleki, as well as Choice Scarf or Protosynthesis / Quark Drive users (granted, Booster Energy is banned) with base 95 Speed or lower (and ties with neutral-natured base 110). In addition, its Icicle Spear hurts more than any other thanks to Skill Link. This Ability also affects Rock Blast, which additionally covers Fire-types and opposing Ice-types. Hydro Pump benefits from being neutral against Steel-types and strong against foes with exploitable Special Defense. White Herb serves to negate the defense drops from Shell Smash, putting Cloyster’s gifted Special Defense to better use. Rock-type Tera is for when Cloyster wants to switch from Icicle Spear to Rock Blast as its primary weapon.

Scizor @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
Tera Type: Electric
EVs: 232 HP / 252 Atk / 24 Spe
Adamant Nature
– Bullet Punch
– U-turn
– Close Combat
– Tera Blast

Last but not least, here is the raw power representative of the team. Technician boosts Bullet Punch to 60 BP, making it an exceptionally strong priority move, especially when backed by the Choice Band. To ease prediction, Scizor can also opt to go for U-turn, which still deals decent damage despite no priority or Technician. Close Combat covers opposing Steel-types with high base power in exchange for the reduction of defenses. Electric-type Tera Blast primarily serves as coverage against Dondozo and Corviknight.

The Speed investment is another example of quirky creeping, a combination of going a cut above the Origin Giratina creep (lest anyone forget the gifted Speed) and keeping its HP odd.

---

Importable: https://pokepast.es/a7ee9834c4a6aa35

What went wrong?

Not enough special attackers. Not enough coverage. (No Fire, no Ground, no Flying, no Grass, and no Psychic.) Not enough switch-ins. Not enough OU material. The one source of Ice, Rock, and Water is a Shell Smash user. Origin Giratina is not the best “god” out there, with its only notable benefits in this case being those of Clefable and Maushold.

Due to the nature of this metagame, I’ll do the watchlist a little differently this time around: by adding 3 “gods” alongside the usual 5, which I’ll call “followers” for the sake of separation.

Top 3 “God” Watchlist

Ice Rider Calyrex has the highest base Defense of any current Uber: 150. It also has a super-effective Glacial Lance on Origin Giratina, although it cannot simply switch in because of Will-O-Wisp and Hex. Moreover, if its Defense stat is gifted to Iron Moth or Clodsire, then the team will be hard-pressed to stop it.

Groudon, while in second place with base 140 Defense, is scarier on its own due to its better typing, on which the team’s only super-effective moves are Cloyster’s Icicle Spear and Hydro Pump (the latter of which is weakened by Drought). Origin Giratina can burn it with Will-O-Wisp and target its lower defense, but Crunch is a possibility to not be overlooked. Clefable may also have a chance, but Groudon is faster and possibly has Swords Dance.

Although its stats are not as impressive for gifting, Magearna cannot be hit super-effectively by anything on the team. It also cannot be poisoned by Sneasler, and it does not mind Will-O-Wisp as long as it can avoid Hex. The best ways for the team to wear down this threat are Sneasler’s Close Combat, Cloyster’s Hydro Pump, and Scizor’s Electric-type Tera Blast.

Top 5 Follower Watchlist

Dondozo has insane natural physical bulk, not to mention Unaware to negate Cloyster’s Shell Smash and Maushold’s Tidy Up, and a gifted Special Defense can help it deal with the special attackers of the team.

Only weak to Cloyster’s Rock Blast and Hydro Pump, as well as immune to burn and poison, Iron Moth is capable of wreaking serious havoc if gifted a higher Defense stat. However, Origin Giratina resists all its relevant coverage except Dazzling Gleam and Psychic.

Corviknight with improved bulk is one tough nut to crack, especially with Scizor and Origin Giratina out of commission. Cloyster might be able to put up a fight with its physical bulk and White Herb, but it will likely not prevent a Defog or U-turn.

Better nerf Greninja. Besides Clefable, nothing on the team can safely switch into this thing. Cloyster needs a Shell Smash, Maushold needs a Tidy Up, and even Sneasler is slower. Not to mention, even if one of them does get a boost, Water Shuriken is a possibility. Origin Giratina is weak to Dark Pulse, while Scizor is neutral to Water-type moves and has rather exploitable special bulk. All of this is before mentioning Battle Bond, and of course a gifted Special Attack is likely.

While prone to pressure from Scizor and Sneasler, Alolan Ninetales can set up Aurora Veil on just about anything else, especially with a gifted Defense or HP. Origin Giratina, the one team member that can clear it, is weak to Freeze-Dry and Moonblast, especially if Special Attack is the gifted stat instead.

Afterword

“Just in time for Spooktober!”

“Cleanup on aisle 12!” “We’re in high demand, folks!”

“Just like a genie!”

“Some people think they can outsmart me. Maybe. *sniff* Maybe. I’ve yet to meet one that can outsmart bullet.”

“Get your head out of the gutter!”

“Just call me Freddy Krueger.”

Gen 9 Aleatory Alliance #2: Subsonic Firestorm (CAP)

I considered doing this last month, but with the recency of Pokémon HOME version 3 at the time, every newly released Pokémon including Hisuian Avalugg defaulted to OU, so naturally it was better to wait for the next round of usage stats.

20 formats: 1v1, Almost Any Ability, Anything Goes, Balanced Hackmons, Create-a-Pokémon, Doubles, Godly Gift, Little Cup, Mix and Mega, Monotype, Not Fully Evolved, Never Used, Overused, PU, Rarely Used, STABmons, Tier Shift, Uber, Underused, Zero Used

Number 5 is Create-a-Pokémon, or CAP for short. Existent since Gen 4, it’s a collaborative effort by the Smogon community to expand upon the Overused metagame with custom takes on Pokémon. The current number of fully-evolved creations is 35, but the only official Pokémon with any strategies is Iron Moth, so the rest would have to come from OU instead. Since Walking Wake is banned, that leaves 36 Pokémon directly in the tier and 78 lower-tiered Pokémon with strategies. Through much experimentation, I have found the latter quantity to be so overwhelming compared to the other two that I had to quadruple the odds of the CAP creations and OU Pokémon just to get fewer than two Pokémon below OU. (I didn’t remember that the last Aleatory Alliance was an “Uber” team with no Ubers (granted, Chien-Pao got banned later on), but now that I do, it frankly does not sit well with me.) The way I skewed the odds was by increasing the upper bound of the randomizer by triple the CAP and OU quantities: from 149 to 362. By this principle, Arghonaut is #1, #36, #71, and #106; Amoonguss is #141, #177, #213, and #249; and Alomomola is only #285. Out-of-battle forms such as Epilogue Venomicon and Therian Thundurus are counted separately until one has been drafted.

I paused here because of Charizard. Given something below OU that’s reliant on weather to have the slightest niche in the tier, I didn’t want a worse version of the Roaring Moon situation; I just had to have a sun setter no matter what. Not unlike how I handled weather setters and users when I rolled 2v2 Doubles as the format, I used the randomizer to choose among the three sun setters in this format: Torkoal, Jumbao, or Malaconda. (The order should have had Torkoal last, but it didn’t, and it’s not worth being a stickler about that.)

Malaconda obviously is a sun-setting pivot and Charizard a Specs nuke. Naviathan, Miasmaw, and Baxcalibur are all also offensively oriented, leaving Malaconda and Heatran as the only members with defensive potential. Granted, Naviathan has Slack Off with decent physical bulk, but the problem is that Flame Orb and Wave Crash are sources of residual damage in exchange for power. Considering that and Miasmaw are setup-oriented, I decided that Baxcalibur should be another Choice user.

What do they do?

Naviathan @ Flame Orb
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Tera Type: Normal
Jolly Nature
– Dragon Dance
– Wave Crash
– Facade
– Slack Off

The first CAP on this team is Water/Steel, a type combination in common with only Empoleon, with a stat line of 103/110/90/95/65/97 (560 BST). It used to be more versatile in Gen 6 when it debuted, but ever since it gained Guts over Water Veil in Gen 7, it rarely (if ever) serves any other purpose. (Its other Abilities are Heatproof and Light Metal. The former is neat but unfortunately eclipsed by Naviathan’s lack of utility.)

Specifically, it functions best as a balanced Dragon Dance user, sporting Wave Crash and Facade as high-power moves with decent coverage together. Notable Pokémon resisting both include opposing Naviathan, Necturna, Pajantom, and Dragapult. (Gone is the era of Ferrothorn…for now.) Tera Normal gives it pseudo-Adaptability STAB on Facade, optimizing its power at the cost of that which Wave Crash normally has, and lessens the effect of Salt Cure on it. Slack Off allows it to heal off some residual damage caused not only by Flame Orb and Wave Crash, but also possible hazards and Rocky Helmet / Rough Skin users. It also pairs well with the Steel part of its typing and the many resistances it offers.

Flame Orb is the obvious choice of item to pair with Guts, inflicting a status condition that only deals 1/16 residual damage per turn and comes with an Attack drop counteracted as long as Guts is active. Jolly with max Speed is recommended so that Therian Landorus and Wash Rotom with Choice Scarf cannot get the jump on it at +1.

Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 196 SpD / 60 Spe
IVs: 0 Atk
Tera Type: Flying
Calm Nature
– Magma Storm
– Protect
– Earth Power
– Stealth Rock

One of the most notable veterans to return via HOME v3 due to its legendary BST, exceptional typing taken to obscene levels with Flash Fire, and signature access to the strongest binding move in the game. Needless to say, Heatran cements itself as the defensive cornerstone of the team. Magma Storm, the binding move in question, deals decent damage even without investment and, at its best, can ease prediction by limiting the number of opposing switches. Protect allows it to scout an opponent’s coverage and gain an extra turn’s worth of Leftovers recovery. Earth Power is super-effective against Rock-types and opposing Fire-types, giving it two-move coverage notably resisted by Dragonite, Pelipper, Stratagem and Wash Rotom with Levitate. Since nothing else on the team can set up any hazards, Stealth Rock is a must-have fourth option. Tera Flying makes Heatran immune to Ground and resistant to Fighting, mitigating two out of three of its weaknesses while the third can be weakened by the sun.

60 Speed EVs is a creep past uninvested Gholdengo.

Miasmaw @ Loaded Dice
Ability: Neutralizing Gas
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Tera Type: Ghost
Jolly Nature
– Swords Dance
– Scale Shot
– Earthquake
– Substitute

The second CAP on this team, from Gen 8, has a unique type combination in Bug/Dragon (which some might say that Flygon or Yanmega deserves, but that’s beside the point), a stat spread of 85/135/60/88/105/99 (572 BST), and a normally exclusive (to the Koffing line) Ability in Neutralizing Gas. It also gets Compound Eyes and Hyper Cutter, the former of which is so cool with Megahorn, Dragon Rush, and Iron Tail that it feels like kind of a waste to always prefer Neutralizing Gas. Oh well, that’s just how this thing rolls…figuratively, at least.

Literally, it does so with the combination of Loaded Dice and Scale Shot, which makes the latter always hit 4 or 5 times for an effective 100 or 125 BP alongside its usual -1 Def and +1 Spe effect. Of course, Swords Dance is not to be overlooked, boosting that monstrous Attack stat to destructive levels. The best part? Not even Unaware users like Arghonaut and Skeledirge can comfortably switch into it. Incidentally, Earthquake hits the latter super-effectively, although its greater purpose is to address the Steel-types and Hemogoblin that resist or are immune to Scale Shot. (Notable Pokémon that resist both: Cawmodore, Jumbao, Corviknight, Enamorus) Substitute blocks status conditions and offers a little insurance against faster and priority attackers. Tera Ghost primarily blocks Rapid Spin like nothing on this team can, as well as Caribolt‘s and Hemogoblin’s Normal-type moves that are normally (no pun intended) boosted by Galvanize and Pixilate respectively.

Max Speed is a given, since Swords Dance is the main attraction here, not to mention base 86-99 Speed (which it would lag behind if it were Adamant) encompasses plenty of other OU and CAP Pokémon: Glimmora, Wash Rotom, Baxcalibur, Great Tusk, Therian Landorus, Caribolt, Colossoil, Volkraken, Jumbao, Naviathan, and Smokomodo.

Baxcalibur @ Choice Band
Ability: Thermal Exchange
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Tera Type: Ice
Jolly Nature
– Glaive Rush
– Icicle Crash
– Earthquake
– Ice Shard

Speaking of Baxcalibur, we now move on to this team’s representative of raw power. Base 145 Attack with a Choice Band is no joke. Glaive Rush hits as hard as Outrage without the nasty drawbacks, but it has half PP and leaves the user unable to evade and with effectively halved defenses until the next time the user acts. Icicle Crash is its strongest Ice-type move, capable of 2HKOing Corviknight and other would-be checks with Tera Ice, and has a flinching chance to further daunt slower foes. Earthquake rounds off its coverage almost perfectly, leaving Equilibra with Levitate as the only notable Pokémon to resist all three types. Ice Shard is not just the only form of priority on the team, but one of the strongest forms of priority in history, especially when Terastal is in effect. Baxcalibur’s signature Ability, Thermal Exchange, functions like Justified against Fire-type moves and more importantly prevents it from being burned.

Max Speed is just as important for Baxcalibur as for Miasmaw, if only because of Great Tusk in particular. The full range in this case is base 75-87, which also notably includes Heatran, Saharaja, Dragonite, Unbound Hoopa, Gholdengo, Hisuian Samurott, Glimmora, and Wash Rotom.

Charizard @ Choice Specs
Ability: Solar Power
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Tera Type: Fire
Timid Nature
– Flamethrower
– Solar Beam
– Focus Blast
– Overheat

GameFreak’s number-two cash cow This well-known but low-tier icon has been the best non-Mega Solar Power user since Gen 5, when it gained this Ability amid the debut of Hidden Abilities. What makes it so special is being Fire-type, which means that its Flamethrower and Overheat are boosted not only by sun + Solar Power + Choice Specs, but also STAB and possibly even Terastal. With all factors in play at once, Overheat effectively becomes a 130 * 1.5 * 1.5 * 1.5 * 2 = 877.5 BP move. (Nowadays, Chi-Yu is the emperor of destructive Fire STAB, but this veteran is not to be overlooked.) As nuclear as this move is, it’s not good for long-term use because of its low PP, imperfect accuracy, and sharply lowering Charizard’s Special Attack when it hits. Flamethrower, while not as powerful, lacks these drawbacks and has a 10% chance to inflict a burn. Solar Beam serves as valuable coverage against Water- and Rock-types that resist Fire-type moves, although it should not be used if the sun is not up or can be compromised. Focus Blast is a less accurate but less exploitable coverage option that also hits Rock-types and has the additional benefit of hitting Heatran super-effectively. The full trio of types is notably resisted by Hemogoblin, Mollux, Pajantom, Dragapult, Dragonite, and Iron Moth.

A Timid Nature keeps it atop the base 87-100 range, which notably includes Chromera, Plasmanta, and Zapdos alongside most of what Miasmaw has to stay on top of. An odd-numbered HP value is crucial, allowing it to survive switching into Stealth Rock twice.

Malaconda @ Heat Rock
Ability: Drought
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Tera Type: Fairy
Careful Nature
– Grav Apple
– Knock Off
– Parting Shot
– Rapid Spin

Finally, it’s here for you. It’s the last member of the scuffed sun crew.

Jokes aside, this third CAP from Gen 5 has far-from-unique Dark/Grass typing and a stat line of 115/100/60/40/130/55 (500 BST). It used to be primarily a Harvest user before it gained Drought in Gen 7, although this was not as significant back then with the presence of Mega Charizard Y, so it preferred to run a hard-to-justify Infiltrator set consisting partly of Glare, Knock Off, and Sucker Punch. Now, while Jumbao is the Drought user with the limelight (used to be more of a Trace user, but perhaps Terastal and Protosynthesis have changed that), Malaconda distinguishes itself as the only physically oriented one of the three, and arguably the one with the best utility.

Grav Apple puts pressure on opposing walls via Defense drops, but be wary of Pyroak when using it. Knock Off and Rapid Spin are forms of utility that nothing else on this team can wield, not to mention a solid combination in and of itself. The former is best used to remove Heavy-Duty Boots from the opposing team, increasing their vulnerability to Heatran’s Stealth Rock. More importantly, the latter greatly improves Charizard’s survivability by keeping Stealth Rock off the field, allowing it to spend more turns being affected by Solar Power. In a pinch, the Speed boosts of Rapid Spin can turn the tables on a faster foe. A slow Parting Shot helps Malaconda grant a free switch to one of its teammates, especially with the side effect of weakening the target, but be wary of Enamorus when using it. Tera Fairy mitigates Malaconda’s quad weakness to Bug and another common weakness in Fighting, on top of overall being the number-one defensive type that the team lacks.

Heat Rock extends the duration of Drought to 8 turns, maximizing the utility of this fruity snake. All told, the best way to put its utility into practice is by fully investing in its exceptional special bulk, which is on the cusp of the physical bulk of Great Tusk before Protosynthesis.

---

Importable: https://pokepast.es/38991e1e0b7d7bd8

What went wrong?

Not enough hazard setters. Not enough hazard removers. Both special attackers on the team are Fire-type. Everything else is hindered if anything by the weather. The only source of status conditions on the entire team is Charizard’s Flamethrower, which—again—has a 10% chance. Everything on the team is offensively oriented and/or weak to Fighting without Terastal. But, as the team name suggests, everything is so slow; apart from Speed boosting, Charizard is the fastest thing at base 100. Even when it comes to Speed boosting, Malaconda cannot do so against Ghost-types, Miasmaw against Fairy-types, or Naviathan against faster/Prankster Taunt/Encore/Haze users (like Iron Valiant or Tomohawk). The only priority user has 40 BP priority, which is laughable compared to Sucker Punch, Extreme Speed, or Revenankh‘s Drain Punch.

Top 5 Watchlist

Hazard stacking is baneful to this team, what with Malaconda being the only hazard remover on it. Glimmora is certainly a prominent hazard setter, given its signature Toxic Debris alongside access to both Stealth Rock and Spikes, and can keep hazards off its own side of the field using Mortal Spin. If it’s running Sludge Wave, then Malaconda is in danger of being hit super-effectively, Terastal or not. If it’s running Earth Power, then Heatran cannot stay in comfortably, which is a shame because it and Naviathan are the only team members than can block Mortal Spin. Regardless, it’s best to avoid leading with Malaconda when this thing is on the opposing team; if they both lead off, then nothing can stop Glimmora from getting at least one layer of hazards on the field, in which case Malaconda’s best bet would be to throw out a Parting Shot and force one of its teammates to switch into either Stealth Rock or a layer of Spikes. Beyond that, it’s a matter of scouting out what kind of set it is (Sash or Scarf) and what kind of coverage it has, which will likely take more risks than the team can bear.

Rain is the yin to the yang that is sun. Pelipper, the only rain setter to make it through the generation transition, is tough to take down because of the team’s reliance on physical attacks and lack of Electric-type attacks. At minimum Speed, it’s slower than the above Malaconda build, which allows its Drizzle to override Drought in the event that the two lead off against each other. On the bright side, Naviathan resists both its STABs prior to Terastal, and having Miasmaw on the field can prevent the rain from happening.

Great Tusk, widely considered the spiritual successor of Therian Landorus, is primarily capable of pressuring Heatran and removing hazards with Ground/Fighting typing and Rapid Spin respectively. (It can even set up its own Stealth Rock if it so desires.) Terastallized Miasmaw is vulnerable to Knock Off and has a hard time breaking through with Earthquake. Charizard can OHKO 252 HP / 4 SpD Impish with Overheat even before sun/Terastal, but good luck bringing that in and dealing with the aftermath. Speaking of sun, it counterproductively activates Protosynthesis for opposing Scarlet paradoxes like Great Tusk, usually making them tougher to handle.

In a vacuum, thanks to the lack of Electric immunity on the team, Sandy Shocks with max Speed can easily throw out a Volt Switch or Thunderbolt when it comes in. (Being Modest makes it slower than Naviathan, Miasmaw, and Charizard.) While Naviathan’s Dragon Dance, Miasmaw’s Scale Shot, and Baxcalibur’s Ice Shard are boons on this side (not so much Malaconda’s Rapid Spin, which requires at least three uses), Sandy Shocks has Protosynthesis going for it and can Tera Ice or Fairy, the former notably granting resistance to Ice Shard and, if snow is active, boosting Defense considerably. Whichever Tera type it runs, Miasmaw and Malaconda won’t appreciate it. All of these factors make Sandy Shocks a daunting offensive hazard setter if it’s running Stealth Rock or Spikes.

Priority is baneful to the setup-oriented members of the team, especially from Revenankh. This CAP creation is one of the first in existence, Ghost/Fighting with a stat line of 90/105/90/65/110/65 (525 BST), and pretty much the face of Bulk Up in the metagame. More importantly, in the seventh generation, it gained Triage—the signature Ability of Comfey—to pair with Drain Punch for one of the nastiest forms of priority that any kind of Pokémon can have. Sure, Miasmaw can neutralize the Ability, but Revenankh would rather use Shadow Claw or Shadow Sneak on that (and Charizard for that matter), especially factoring in Spell Tag and possibly Terastal on either side.

Afterword

♪ “Cast away, no turning back from long forgotten shores! We’ll show no mercy as they fall, the fire burns inside, now prepare for war!” ♫

 ♪ “For victory we ride, fury of the [Magma] storm!” ♫

*too gassy to sing*

 ♪ “Forever journey through the lands of ice and snow, will we face all the fears of the world? The cry of the brave!” ♫

 ♪ “Burning fires, burning lives on the long distant roads…” ♫

“Don’t want none unless you got buns, hon.”

…

“That’s not a Sonic Firestorm track.”

“So what? The team’s called Subsonic Firestorm.”

*gassy agreement noises*

Gen 9 Aleatory Alliance #1: Black Ice and Rodent Love (Uber)

With the ninth generation of Pokémon in full swing, I figured now would be a good time for a fresh start in the Aleatory Alliance series. I have selected seventeen competitive formats this time: 1v1, Almost Any Ability, Anything Goes, Balanced Hackmons, Create-a-Pokémon, Doubles, Godly Gift, Little Cup, Mix and Mega, Monotype, Not Fully Evolved, National Pokédex, Overused, Rarely Used, STABmons, Uber, and Underused. So, what’s it going to be? Drumroll, please…

Uber! Same start as last gen; what a coincidence. The tier currently consists of nine Pokémon, one whose form changes in battle, and 49 lower-tier Pokémon with strategies. That adds up to 58, which brings me to the next set of random numbers.

I’ve decided to introduce the team members like this from now on, because obviously I have to find them out before I decide upon their roles. First, there’s the obvious: Froslass is a lead, Maushold is a hazard remover, Alomomola is a wall/cleric, and Kingambit is a late-game cleaner. That just left the less one-sided Roaring Moon and Chien-Pao. I decided to make them both Choice Band attackers because the only other thing they do in the Uber tier (at least from what I can tell) is physical setup, which is better off left entirely to Kingambit and its signature Ability. (Figures that this had to be an Uber team with no actual Ubers.)

What do they do?

Roaring Moon @ Choice Band
Ability: Protosynthesis
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
Tera Type: Dark
– Crunch
– U-turn
– Earthquake
– Dragon Claw

This one has a Speed equivalent to Nature-boosted base 104, enough to exceed Palafin and Garchomp. With its considerable base 139 Attack, it will mostly either Crunch holes into the opposing team or use U-turn to keep itself scarce. Earthquake is strong and reliable coverage that hits every Fairy-type for neutral or more damage, thanks to the current absence of Fairy/Flying, Fairy/Grass, and Fairy/Bug. Dragon Claw is about on the same level of power as Crunch, falling a bit short due to its lack of a secondary effect, primarily useful for being super-effective against Koraidon, Miraidon, and opposing Roaring Moon.

Chien-Pao @ Choice Band
Ability: Sword of Ruin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
Tera Type: Ice
– Ice Spinner
– Crunch
– Ice Shard
– Sacred Sword

More of a speed demon, able to keep up with Flutter Mane, Koraidon, and Miraidon without needing any boosting or priority. Make no mistake, though; Sword of Ruin makes its Attack roughly equivalent to base 177. Ice Spinner is the reliable physical Ice-type attack that has been needed all along, and it has the added benefit of almost literally pulling out the rug from underneath the Violet paradoxes and their Quark Drive. (Aside: Strangely enough, there is no move, let alone one as reliable as Ice Spinner, that clears the weather.) Crunch is to Ice Spinner as Roaring Moon’s Crunch is to its Dragon Claw, putting aside the terrain removal utility, and it does neutral or more damage to most of the Pokémon that resist Ice. (Notable exceptions include Chi-Yu, Azumarill, and Kingambit, two of which are weak to Sacred Sword.) In case of even faster foes, like Dragapult and certain Speed boosters, Ice Shard is a possible clutch factor with its boosted priority. I chose Ice-type Tera by the logic that Dark would be redundant with Roaring Moon.

Kingambit @ Leftovers
Ability: Supreme Overlord
EVs: 112 HP / 252 Atk / 144 Spe
Adamant Nature
Tera Type: Ghost
– Swords Dance
– Iron Head
– Kowtow Cleave
– Sucker Punch

What Kingambit does best is switching in when its five allies have fainted, making Supreme Overlord boost its Attack to an equivalent of base 226, and cleaning up shop. Its EV spread looks to be a Speed creep past Scizor doing a Speed creep past Corviknight, on the grounds that Scizor now has Close Combat for coverage. (Also, the HP EVs give a value of 369, the lowest odd number that allows Leftovers to restore 23 HP per turn.) Swords Dance boosts Kingambit’s already nutty Attack to astronomical levels, although it requires mind games with Terastallization and Sucker Punch to pull off. The former is a quick way to become immune to its quad weakness to Fighting and neutral to its other weaknesses, while the latter is a decent form of priority against many possible foes faster than uninvested base 67. Others, or those who get outwitted, are at the mercy of its two most powerful moves: Iron Head and Kowtow Cleave. (Ironic in the latter case, as kowtowing is a gesture to beg for mercy.) Leftovers help keep Kingambit around for slightly longer, especially the more frequently prediction wars beget stalemates.

Alomomola @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 164 HP / 252 Def / 92 SpD
Relaxed Nature
Tera Type: Fairy
– Play Rough
– Wish
– Protect
– Whirlpool

This one will obviously take more hits than any of its teammates. Its HP EVs give it 512 HP, enough for a 256-HP Wish (at least 69% of every teammate’s HP, nice) and 32 HP per turn of Leftovers recovery. Fairy-type Tera gives it a whole different set of resistances and adds pseudo-Adaptability STAB to Play Rough, a tool strongest against foes like Annihilape, Koraidon, and Miraidon. Protect is used primarily for Alomomola to gain HP from its own Wishes, while Whirlpool serves to limit the number of switches on the opposing side and deal chip damage in the process.

Maushold @ Wide Lens
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
Tera Type: Normal
– Tidy Up
– Population Bomb
– Bite
– Encore

Funny multi-hit mouse family. Tidy Up removes opposing hazards even in the presence of Gholdengo, and it also provides a Dragon Dance boost. (With one Speed boost, it outspeeds the whole unboosted metagame, as well as Houndstone with Sand Rush active.) Wide Lens is essential in boosting the accuracy of Population Bomb to 99%, increasing tenfold the chance of each 30 BP (as boosted by Technician) hit to land.* Bite is 90 BP coverage against Ghost-types, and its 30% flinch chance is not to be overlooked. Encore is also not to be overlooked, as it can shut down a setup-reliant foe, which would offer a free switch or the opportunity for a Tidy Up boost.

*Wide Lens is more significant for Maushold alone than it ever has been since its debut. Here is some mathematical proof.

The “Miss” row consists entirely of fixed values, the one-to-nine-hit percentage formula is the cell above multiplied by 0.9 with Wide Lens and 0.99 without, the ten-hit percentage formula is 1 minus the percentages above it, BP is the percentage multiplied by what it would normally be with that many hits (e.g., 90 BP for three hits), and the Expected BP is the sum of all BPs above it.

Yep, just the one tenth makes that much of a difference. That is why Maushold always holds Wide Lens, instead of Heavy-Duty Boots to facilitate switching into entry hazards or Protective Pads as a measure against Rough Skin and Rocky Helmet users.

Froslass @ Focus Sash
Ability: Cursed Body
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
Tera Type: Steel
– Spikes
– Taunt
– Icy Wind
– Destiny Bond

One of the Spikes setters of all time. Focus Sash is a lifeline required of her flimsy 70/70/70 bulk and defensively unfavorable typing. The latter is what Steel-type Tera is for, but I would advise to use it sparingly. Taunt is a means to sabotage slower status move users, Icy Wind makes opponents slower if they are not already, and Destiny Bond uses her frailty to her advantage via the possibility of taking an opposing Pokémon down with her.

---

Importable: https://pokepast.es/5420851014cb437f

What went wrong?

Three Dark-types. (Again.) Two Ice-types. Not enough special attacks. Non-boosting Scarlet paradox (thanks in part to Kingambit) with no Koraidon. One flimsy Spikes user, and no Stealth Rock or Gholdengo. Not enough allies that benefit from Wish. No Aromatherapy or Heal Bell for the many allies that would prefer it. No shiny new offense-enabling tools like Shed Tail or Revival Blessing. No resistances to Fairy or Ground. Aside from Froslass, the only resistance to U-turn is when Alomomola or Kingambit Terastallizes. With the thorough lack of Flying, Dugtrio can trap and KO just about anything.

Top 5 Watchlist

Iron Bundle can run Taunt to prevent Froslass from setting up Spikes or taking it out with Destiny Bond. It is faster than the entire team, and its decent physical bulk enables it to take a Sucker Punch from Kingambit without a Swords Dance boost. Being quad resistant to Ice Shard also helps its cause. The best case scenario would be for Maushold to get a Tidy Up boost and hit it with a Population Bomb; even then, in the likely event that the opposing team has a Miraidon to activate Quark Drive, one boost is not enough.

Speaking of Miraidon, that in itself is a force to be reckoned with. The way it sets Electric Terrain to make foes like Iron Valiant and Speed-oriented Iron Treads harder to deal with, one can only hope to safely bring in Chien-Pao and remove the terrain, which is most likely a matter of switching it in after a fainted ally and hoping that it either can win the Speed tie or is dealing with a slower Miraidon.

Due to the offensive nature of this team, Shed Tail from Cyclizar can be quite a pain to deal with, especially when Maushold cannot use Population Bomb or Tidy Up to remove the Substitute. With Population Bomb being the only multi-hit move on the team, not to mention the lack of sound-based moves and Infiltrator, even slower threats can prove difficult to eliminate when given a free Substitute.

Pawmot is not weak to anything from the team, apart from Alomomola’s Play Rough and Roaring Moon’s Earthquake. Not to mention, its Mach Punch is dangerous against Roaring Moon, Chien-Pao, non-Tera Kingambit, and Maushold. If this little “Pika-clone” is left unanswered, it can use Revival Blessing to bring back two threats (or one threat twice) that should have been eliminated.

Corviknight can take advantage of the team’s lack of Fire- and Electric-type moves, and if Froslass sets up her Spikes too hastily, you can bet that it has free rein to remove them with Defog. Also, if it’s the physically defensive variant, it will be even harder to break with the dearth of special attacks.

Afterword

♪ “Don’t even need no shade, when your sun don’t shine, shine…” ♫

“Weavile, eat your heart out.”

“Most of you are mere pawns. Alomomola is my queen.”

“Dude, your Egg Group is Human-like, while I’m in Water 1 and Water 2. Besides, our genders aren’t even determined until the battle starts.”

“I can be like 10 pawns at once! En passant, mother-lovers!”

“I can put three pawns on the board, but…is that even legal?”

Aleatory Alliance #3: Wired to Weather (VGC22 Series 13)

I checked the competitive formats anew, and somehow I wound up with fewer to choose from than last time. Not only that…

…but this one is VGC22 Series 13, and I know nothing about VGC, so everything below is just a sample set. (Important disclaimer there.) This format is Doubles-based, Level 50, and limited only with Item Clause, Species Clause, and each Pokémon being either Galar-born or Battle Ready. In other words, Ubers and even Zacian from the realm of AG are naturally prominent. One more thing: Each player can only select four out of six Pokémon at a time, meaning that hazards like Stealth Rock and Spikes are trivial.

So here are the lucky six drafted by none other than random.org:

Kyogre @ Mystic Water
Ability: Drizzle
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
– Water Spout
– Origin Pulse
– Thunder
– Ice Beam

Stats: 176/94/110/202/160/156

I’m not gonna sugarcoat it: Water Spout at high HP, Origin Pulse at low HP. (The cutoff value for when Water Spout gets weaker is 73%, or 129 HP.) It also has Thunder for opposing Water-types (and a perfect-accuracy one at that, thanks to its own weather) and Ice Beam to round off its coverage for Water-absorbing Ground-types like Gastrodon. It holds Mystic Water for a boost to its Water-type moves that does not lock it into them.

Melmetal @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Iron Fist
Level: 50
Gigantamax: Yes
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 SpD
Adamant Nature
– Double Iron Bash
– High Horsepower
– Thunder Punch
– Protect

Stats: 211/214/163/90/117/54

Double Iron Bash? More like Dumb Iron Bash. An effective 144 BP with perfect accuracy and a too darn high chance to flinch, not to mention base 143 Attack, make this nutty beefcake a force to be reckoned with. Moreover, High Horsepower and 90 BP Thunder Punch round off its coverage perfectly excluding Electric- and Ground-immune Abilities. (High Horsepower is preferred over Earthquake in Doubles because it does not target the user’s ally, and it also benefits from not being hindered by Grassy Surge.) This gives it room for Protect, an omnipresent move that makes targeting opponents a guessing game. That said, Melmetal can take a hit even without it, in order for Weakness Policy to act as a makeshift Swords Dance and bolster its already outstanding physical prowess.

Calyrex-Ice @ White Herb
Ability: As One (Glastrier)
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Adamant Nature
– Glacial Lance
– High Horsepower
– Trick Room
– Protect

Stats: 207/238/171/94/150/70

Ice Rider Calyrex is Melmetal’s best friend, having Trick Room to compensate for both their low Speed stats and Glacial Lance to cover what Melmetal cannot. Speaking of Glacial Lance, it is the best physical Ice-type move in the game, being even stronger than five hits of Icicle Spear and, like Kyogre’s Water STAB, capable of hitting both foes at once. It holds White Herb to counteract one instance of Intimidate such as from Incineroar.

Grimmsnarl (M) @ Light Clay
Ability: Prankster
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 132 Def / 124 SpD
Impish Nature
– Light Screen
– Reflect
– Scary Face
– Spirit Break

Stats: 202/140/112/103/111/80

Returning from the first Aleatory Alliance, this hairy gremlin is just as ready as before to set up screens. This time, it packs Scary Face as a form of Speed control to which Ground- and Electric-types (particularly Regieleki) are not immune. It also runs Spirit Break to mitigate special attackers and because Yveltal does not typically run as much bulk investment as in Ubers.

Groudon @ Assault Vest
Ability: Drought
Level: 50
EVs: 252 HP / 156 Atk / 100 SpD
Adamant Nature
– Precipice Blades
– Heat Crash
– Rock Tomb
– Shadow Claw

Stats: 207/209/160/108/123/110 (184 Special Defense with Assault Vest)

The antithesis of Kyogre, but not nearly as threatening without the Red Orb that ORAS spoiled it with. Still, Precipice Blades hits more targets than High Horsepower and fewer than Earthquake, but with more base power despite rather low accuracy. Heat Crash is boosted by the sun and has the following BP values against the following weight values.

• 190 kg or less: 120
• Between 190 kg and 237.5 kg: 100 (notably Ho-Oh and Yveltal)
• Between 237.5 kg and 316.7 kg: 80 (nothing notable here)
• Between 316.7 kg and 475 kg: 60 (notably Zekrom, Kyogre, Crowned Zacian, and Dusk Mane Necrozma)
• More than 475 kg: 40 (notably Melmetal, Ice Rider Calyrex, and opposing Groudon)

Rock Tomb is a Speed control tool that Yveltal cannot block, as well as a means of hitting Ho-Oh for significant damage while counteracting its likely Max Airstream. Shadow Claw most notably hits Shadow Rider Calyrex, which otherwise tramples this team with its stupidly powerful special attacks, especially Astral Barrage. Assault Vest compensates for Groudon’s rather low Special Defense, improving its effectiveness as a tank.

Zekrom @ Life Orb
Ability: Teravolt
Level: 50
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Lonely Nature
– Bolt Strike
– Draco Meteor
– Earth Power
– Dual Wingbeat

Stats: 175/222/126/141/120/142

The one mixed attacker in the entire team. Bolt Strike is its number one power move, and physically defensive investment against it leaves its foes open to Draco Meteor and Earth Power. (Draco Meteor is chosen because the team is lacking in special attacks, while Earth Power is notable for being super-effective against Steel-types such as opposing Melmetal, Dusk Mane Necrozma, and Crowned Zacian.) Dual Wingbeat is its best physical coverage and covers Grass-types such as Amoonguss. It’s also worth noting that Zekrom is the most likely Dynamax candidate, capable of boosting its Speed with Max Airstream (from Dual Wingbeat) and its Electric STAB with Max Lightning (from Bolt Strike) while resistant to Behemoth Blade. Obviously, Max Airstream is best paired with Kyogre, the ally that benefits most from Speed boosts.* (On a lesser note, Max Lightning boosts Melmetal’s Thunder Punch. And speaking of Melmetal, it is the second most likely to Dynamax, or rather Gigantamax, with G-Max Meltdown to limit the opponent’s possible shenanigans.)

*Kyogre at +1 Speed is faster than Shadow Rider Calyrex.

---

Importable: https://pokepast.es/91a28bed9cdfa8bc

What went wrong?

Not enough checks for the absolute biggest threats of the metagame: Crowned Zacian and Shadow Rider Calyrex. At best, Grimmsnarl can soften blows from them using its screens and hope for Ice Rider Calyrex to set up Trick Room, or hope that Scary Face and Groudon’s Rock Tomb can provide enough Speed control for Kyogre or Zekrom to finish the job. Speaking of which, where’s the priority? (Aside from Prankster, of course.) Yveltal with Sucker Punch styles all over half the team, especially Ice Rider Calyrex, and there’s not a darn thing the other half can do about it. Also, despite rocking dual weather setters (which is honestly another thing that went wrong), there aren’t any real abusers aside from the setters themselves (and like…Kyogre mitigating the Fire weakness of Melmetal and Ice Rider Calyrex); I mean, wouldn’t it be better with a Chlorophyll user like Venusaur or an allied Fire-type like Ho-Oh?

Top 5 Watchlist

Crowned Zacian, this generation’s representative of AG (Intrepid Sword was a mistake), is a veritable threat against a team with no Intimidate or any Fire-types whatsoever. While the team has Trick Room, Scary Face, and Rock Tomb for Speed control, it will have to take a hit from this souped-up Koromaru before or upon executing whichever move. Whatever the case, nothing on the team resists any two of Behemoth Blade, Sacred Sword, and Play Rough apart from Melmetal’s resistance to the outer two.

A similar threat on the special side, watch Ghost Rider Calyrex come in with gamer glasses and dump its Astral Barrage all over the team. It would take a Light Screen or a Spirit Break for anyone but Grimmsnarl to withstand any more than two; even then, the other foe is not to be counted out.

With all the physical attackers on the team, it shouldn’t be all that surprising for every Doubles player’s favorite Intimidate user, Incineroar, to have its place on this list. The only thing that really daunts it is Kyogre, which is uncomfortable around Fake Out due to its special inclination.

Again, Yveltal has Dark Aura + Sucker Punch going for it, which is particularly baneful to Ice Rider Calyrex regardless of Trick Room. Foul Play is also concerning, as everything has a high Attack stat except Kyogre and, to a lesser extent, Grimmsnarl. Also worth noting that the former has Snarl to fear, so it falls primarily on the latter to check this threat.

With no Grass-types, Overcoat users, or sleep-immune Abilities, amogus Amoonguss can put anything to sleep with its Spore and redirect any single-target attack with its Rage Powder (particularly Grimmsnarl’s Spirit Break and all of the team’s Electric-type attacks), not to mention it can run Pollen Puff to keep its allies up and kicking.

Afterword

“Chocolate rain! Some stay dry while others feel the pain.”

“You can’t kill the Metal. The Metal will live on.”

(“Where do you work out?”) “Yes.”

“Don’t call it a comeback. I’ve been here for years!”

“I got a pocket, got a pocket full of sunshine!”

“Thunder! Feel the thunder! Lightning and the thunder!”

Aleatory Alliance #2: Suns Out, Dumbs Out (2v2 Doubles)

After some deliberation, I narrowed the competitive format count down to 36 by excluding formats that do not, or cannot, have any competitive analyses. Thankfully, no rerolls were necessary, but…

Number 2 corresponds to 2v2 Doubles (how fitting), a competitive format that I had never even known by name until the date in the random.org screenshot above. At least it’s easy enough to understand: a cross between 1v1 and Doubles. I gave the overview and analyses a once-over that led to selecting 17 of the 18 provided (because Whimsicott was banned some time after its analysis), alongside Incineroar and a few more weather/terrain setters (paired with abusers, if possible), resulting in the following overall roster:

1. Cinderace
2. Genesect
3. Incineroar
4. Indeedee-Female
5. Kyurem-Black
6. Naganadel
7. Nihilego
8. Ninetales (Drought) + Venusaur
9. Ninetales-Alola (Snow Warning) + Sandslash-Alola
10. Pelipper (Drizzle) + Barraskewda
11. Pheromosa
12. Pincurchin (Electric Surge) + Raichu-Alola
13. Regieleki
14. Rillaboom
15. Tapu Fini
16. Togekiss
17. Torkoal (Drought) + Venusaur
18. Tyranitar (+ Excadrill)
19. Urshifu-Rapid-Strike
20. Victini
21. Zapdos
22. Zeraora
23. Zygarde-50%

With that, here’s a rundown of how the dice rolled.

Ninetales @ Iron Ball
Ability: Drought
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
– Fire Blast
– Scorching Sands
– Protect
– Imprison

Venusaur @ Life Orb
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
– Leaf Storm
– Sludge Bomb
– Weather Ball
– Protect

Ninetales is an unfortunately fast weather setter, with the only faster one being its Alolan counterpart, meaning that it doesn’t take much for an opposing weather setter such as Tyranitar to have its Ability activate second and override Drought. Such is the reasoning for minimal Speed, Iron Ball and all. Fire Blast is a given, Scorching Sands is potent for coverage and spreading burns, Protect is the most common move in the metagame, and Imprison rounds off the set with utility in that exact vein.

Venusaur, obviously, is the butter for the bread that is Ninetales’s sun. It’s all about power, and its moveset exemplifies that. …Well, almost. Going Timid is the only way for it to outspeed non-Scarf Regieleki under the sun.

Incineroar @ Assault Vest
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 68 Atk / 188 SpD
Careful Nature
– Flare Blitz
– Knock Off
– Fake Out
– Drain Punch

One of the few Pokémon with Intimidate and Fake Out, as well as the only Fire-type one. Its Flare Blitz hits rather hard under the sun, even with the bare minimum investment required to OHKO Dragapult with Knock Off. (This is derived from the Doubles Pivot set.) Since neither U-turn nor Parting Shot does much of anything meaningful in this metagame, Assault Vest with Drain Punch is a better way to go. The latter also ravages Tyranitar, which makes for a whole lot of healing.

Victini @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Victory Star
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
– V-create
– Zen Headbutt
– Bolt Strike
– Trick

An alternative to Venusaur that’s more physically oriented and not as weather-dependent, but certainly not one for type synergy. Granted, V-create obviously hits like a truck and Bolt Strike is the only anti-Flying coverage on the entire team. Zen Headbutt wrecks Nihilego and gets its shaky accuracy boosted to 99% thanks to Victory Star (which also makes Ninetales’s Fire Blast 93% accurate). Trick throws a wrench into the plans of more defensively oriented / redirection users like Female Indeedee and Togekiss. A Speed-boosting nature is preferred because 50% Zygarde prefers it too. (Also, the 4 goes into Special Defense because the strongest attack Genesect has against it is Bug Buzz.)

---

Importable: https://pokepast.es/fb36acd0e9326c7e

What went wrong?

2.2/10 Too much fire. I also randomly generated 22 and 13 (Zeraora and Regieleki) after the three numbers above, but I didn’t know until after hitting the “Validate” button in Pokémon Showdown (which honestly I should have been doing the whole time, but it only just occurred to me) that only four party members are allowed. (There’s also a little fine print under the “Composition” header, and obviously I overlooked it.) Still wouldn’t have increased the type variety by much, but it’s something. I also came up with the name “Burning Sunder Bolts,” which I thought was clever, but alas. (For clarification, it’s a portmanteau of “burning sun” and “thunder bolts,” and the inner words combine to form “sunder,” a fresh and poignant verb that sounds strikingly close (no pun intended) to “thunder.”)

Ranting aside, this is a fine example of how not to make a team of four. Only one of the members is not Fire-type, and it goes without saying which teammate would accompany it. There’s just nowhere near as much mix-and-match potential as there ought to be. Guess I’ll call that the bottom line.

Top 6 Watchlist

(The change from 5 to 6 is just a measure to account for the weather pairs.)

The team has no Ice, Dragon, or Fairy moves (Victini could run Glaciate, but it’s not a very potent option, especially with the spread penalty), let alone any Ground or Dragon resistances, giving 50% Zygarde free rein to wreak havoc with Thousand Arrows. At best, Venusaur outspeeds under the sun (even in the face of a Choice Scarf or Dragon Dance) and does neutral damage with Leaf Storm, which barely manages a 2HKO on variants with minimal investment in bulk.

In a similar vein, Black Kyurem is only hit super-effectively by Incineroar’s Drain Punch, which is non-STAB with not much BP. It also tends to run special attacks (despite its new access to Dragon Dance and Icicle Spear that gave it the final push to the Uber tier), so it wouldn’t be all too bothered if Ninetales were to burn it with Scorching Sands. In return, Ice STAB hits Venusaur super-effectively, and everything else is covered by Earth Power.

If Tyranitar is holding an Iron Ball itself, then it wins the weather war, allowing its best buddy Excadrill to go wild in a similar vein to Zygarde, but with blistering Speed and significantly higher Attack despite its lesser coverage. (Keep in mind that this counts as two, so the next two are the last.)

In a similar vein, if Pelipper is holding an Iron Ball, then Barraskewda can get scary with Liquidation and Psychic Fangs to cover the entire team. (An alternative partner for Pelipper is Ludicolo, which functions similarly with Ice Beam for coverage and has considerably more backbone, but packs less raw power and lacks the benefit of outspeeding Scarf Regieleki (let alone the regular type, which has to have less investment to be slower) in the rain.)

Afterword

“Here comes the sun, doo doo doo doo. Here comes the sun! It’s all WRONG.”

“IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII’m gonna soak up the suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun! …Probably.”

“Don’t. you. be. intimidated.”

“V for victory! …Or perhaps vacuous.”

Aleatory Alliance #1: Black Sea of Fire (Uber)

I counted 48 competitive formats, although I learned the hard way that I should exclude Challenge Cup and Random formats because it’s literally impossible to build teams for them. (My first two rolls were 11 and 36.)

Number 42 corresponds to the Uber tier, which has 77 Pokémon listed (and Original Magearna, which is not different enough from standard Magearna to justify separating). So, here’s how the RNG went down.

Grimmsnarl (M) @ Light Clay
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
– Light Screen
– Reflect
– Taunt
– Play Rough

A dual screen set is the only way to play with Grimmsnarl, let alone in Ubers. I would normally not recommend Play Rough over Spirit Break because of the slight accuracy difference, but it’s important for dealing more damage than Yveltal can heal with Roost. (Yveltal is notable for being immune to Prankster Taunt and having Defog to clear away the screens.)

Dracovish @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Strong Jaw
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
– Fishious Rend
– Outrage
– Psychic Fangs
– Sleep Talk

Choice Scarf is the best way for Dracovish to double the base power of its Fishious Rend, which ultimately reaches a daunting 255 thanks to Strong Jaw. (Is there any wonder that this thing is Uber?) Note that Jolly Scarf is barely faster than base 136, whereas Adamant would merely be ahead of base 120. In particular, this range encompasses Eternatus, Marshadow, Mewtwo, Naganadel, Spectrier, crowned Zamazenta, Aerodactyl, and Weavile. Outrage is for quad resists and Pokémon with Water Absorb or Storm Drain, Psychic Fangs primarily offers the utility of breaking opposing screens, and Sleep Talk allows Dracovish to absorb a sleep move if the opponent packs it (e.g. Sleep Powder on Tangrowth).

Gastrodon @ Leftovers
Ability: Storm Drain
EVs: 216 HP / 252 Def / 40 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
– Scald
– Earth Power
– Toxic
– Recover

As the defensive backbone of the team, Gastrodon naturally takes on a mixed defensive role. The EVs provided give it 417 HP, the second-lowest HP value that allows Leftovers to recover as much HP as possible. Gastrodon is also good at spreading status conditions, namely Scald burns and Toxic poison, while also carrying Earth Power to discourage Heatran.

Reshiram @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Turboblaze
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
– Defog
– Blue Flare
– Draco Meteor
– Roost

Reshiram is the only Pokémon of the six that can remove hazards, as well as the strongest special attacker, so putting two and two together makes it an offensive Defogger. The most viable foe that resists both Blue Flare and Draco Meteor is Tapu Fini, but keep in mind that these moves can be easily PP stalled, given their paltry combined maximum of 16.

Weavile @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
– Knock Off
– Triple Axel
– Poison Jab
– Swords Dance

What good is a screen setter without anything to take advantage of the damage reduction? Such is the role of Weavile. Its Knock Off and Triple Axel hit lots of Ubers super-effectively (thanks to Psychic and Dragon being common Uber types), while Poison Jab primarily targets Tapu Fini.

Side note about Triple Axel: It has a 10% chance to miss, a 72.9% chance to hit three times, an 8.1% chance to hit twice, and a 9% chance to hit once. This gives its base power an expected value of 94.14, making it objectively the best non-signature physical Ice move to date. Its ability to break through Focus Sash / Sturdy leads can also be helpful.

Urshifu @ Choice Band
Ability: Unseen Fist
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
– Wicked Blow
– Sucker Punch
– Close Combat
– U-turn

It’s one thing to double up on Water- and Dragon-types, but tripling up on Dark-types? How deplorable. (Also worth noting that all three of the Dark-types are physically oriented.) Weighing my offensively oriented options, I decided to make Urshifu the figurehead of raw power. Wicked Blow and Close Combat effectively both have 120 BP, with the former having the added benefit of breaking through Iron Defense + Body Press users, meaning that each of them hits like a truck. Sucker Punch is the only damage-dealing form of priority on the entire team, just as U-turn is the only pivoting move. Also, Unseen Fist means that not even Protect is safe from the funny karate bear.

---

Importable: https://pokepast.es/787aad380ba34e89

What went wrong?

No hazard setters or clerics. Too many Dark-types. Not enough speed. The only hazard remover is weak to Stealth Rock. (Sure, that’s what Heavy-Duty Boots are for, but Knock Off and Trick/Switcheroo also exist.)

Top 5 Watchlist

Because the team is half Dark and one-third Dragon, Fairy-types are tough to handle. Tapu Fini in particular resists virtually the team’s entire coverage, has Misty Surge to defend against Toxic, and has a non-zero chance of packing Defog to remove screens (despite the downside of removing its own terrain).

Geomancy Xerneas can switch into anything but a Fishious Rend or Blue Flare, and nothing can stop it when it’s boosted.

Magearna, albeit weak to Gastrodon’s Earth Power and Reshiram’s Blue Flare, resists every single move between Weavile and Urshifu while packing Fleur Cannon to punch holes in the team. Also, Volt Switch can be annoying in the absence of Gastrodon.

Moving on from the Fairy-types, Tyranitar is worth noting as a Stealth Rock setter capable of pressuring Reshiram and soaking up Prankster Taunt.

While susceptible to Reshiram, Tangrowth soaks up everything else the team has to offer, punishes contact moves with Rocky Helmet (especially Weavile’s Triple Axel), and keeps itself healthy with Regenerator.

Afterword

This screening process is neither processing nor screening very well.

Waka waka waka (etc.)

The Amazing Mr. Absorbency!

Is it hot in here, or is it just me?

This dance contest is neither contesting nor dancing very well.

If fighting is sure to result in victory, then you must fight!