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*
Vouiv-review 
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