PokéCommunity Daily: [SPOILERS] Summarise competitive potential of Sun/Moon Pokemon!

I'll do a couple more:

Sandslash-Alola @ Life Orb
Ability: Slush Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 Def
Adamant/Jolly Nature
-Icicle Crash
-Iron Head
-Earthquake
-Rapid Spin

Hail got a few new toys to play with this generation, one of those being the new Ability Slush Rush, the Hail version of Sand Rush. Alolan Sandslash is basically like a poor man's Sand Rush Excadrill: It gets Earthquake and Steel STAB along with the useful Rapid Spin, but it slower, has less Attack, and an arguably worse defensive typing. You probably only want to use Alolan Sandslash on a dedicated Hail team, obviously with Aurora Veil Snow Warning Alolan Ninetales as support. Even so, with maximum Speed investment and a Jolly nature, it hits 502 Speed in Hail, outspeeding unboosted Pheromosa, to give you an idea of how fast it is.



Marowak-Alola @ Thick Club
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 248 HP / 16 Atk / 112 SpD / 132 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Shadow Bone
- Flare Blitz / Fire Punch
- Earthquake / Bonemarang
- Will-O-Wisp / Toxic / Stealth Rock / Swords Dance

I don't know exactly what it is people use on this thing, but it's something like this (pulled it off of a Smogon thread).

Something nobody really expected during the pre-release days to be any good at all, Alolan Marowak has proven itself to be decent in the early Sun/Moon OU metagame. While its typing comes with a few nasty weaknesses to common offensive types like Ghost, Dark, Ground, Water, and (Stealth) Rock, it also sports a number of useful resistances/immunities like to Fighting, Fairy, Fire, Grass, and Electric (Lightning Rod is really the only Ability worth using on it), as well as being unable to be burned or trapped. It normally finds use as a wallbreaker. While it has a very underwhelming base Attack stat of 80, Thick Club doubles its Attack stat, giving it the power it needs to fulfill the role, and you can further boost its power with Swords Dance if you choose to run that. Many walls--such as the stalwart Toxapex--have trouble stomaching its attacks, and few things really want to switch into it either due to its power and coverage.

One still has to be careful with Alolan Marowak though, as it is slow, vulnerable to all forms of entry hazards, and lacks recovery. While there is some level of bulk, it is not actually super bulky and will die to stronger attacks.


@BadSheep Rapid Spin can fit into Dhelmise's moveset too, new good spinners are always appreciated. It can even spinblock too!

I shall contribute one analysis, favourite Tapu is unclaimed, wynaut?


Tapu Koko

Tapu Koko has a lot to offer when considering using it on your team. It has a fantastic 130 Base Stat for Speed, meaning it out speeds almost anything that lacks a Choice Scarf. To accompany that speed, it sports a good 115 Base Attack stat and an acceptable 95 Base Special Attack. This may seem weak at a first glance, but Tapu Koko has another trick up it's sleeve in the form of it's ability, Electric Surge, which summons Electric Terrain to the field whenever it is summoned into battle. In addition to the rather niche ability of stopping RestTalk users, it also increases the power of Tapu Koko's Electric type moves by 50%, making it's offenses very potent. However, while Tapu Koko does have a lot to offer, it also suffers from some flaws. It's 70/85/75 defenses are poor at best and any neutral hit is likely to take a huge chunk out of it's HP. In addition, it's movepool is quite predictable and it struggles to deal with Ground types. Overall, Tapu Koko is an excellent contender to be one of your six Pokemon.

Sample sets:

Offensive:


Calm Mind

I may still be a beginner in the competitive scene, but I feel like adding my two cents in the discussion
Aloan Muk
A-Muk benefits from a Dark-Poison typing. The advantages: Poison is resistant to all of Dark's weakness, and Dark is immune to Poison's classic weakness. So you end up with a pokemon with no weakness apart from ground, one immunity and 4 resistances.
Mum benefit from having a powerful 105 base attack and naturally learns Gunk Shot, the most powerful Poison-type move, as well as being able to learn Rock's most powerful move Stone Edge. Combined with his decent Hp and special defence, Muk is a somewhat bulky offensive type.
As for abilities, the Muk I've been using has Poison Touch. Gluttony might be better to benefit from Stat-boosting berries earlier. Poison touch is only really useful on stalls, as it gives any contact move a 30% chance to poison (works well with Crunch), but then again, why not just teach it toxic if you want to poison opponents that bad. It's hidden ability Power of Alchemy is of course worthless in single battles, but could be of great use in double battles: Muk hp and Sp Def tend to make him outlive most allied pokemon.
Now, according to Bulbapedia, A-Muk has the same stats as classic Muk. I would tend to call them wrong, as my Muk out-speeds roughly half of the opposition it faces in Battle Tree, despite it's base speed being at 50.
Apart from the power of Gunk Shot and his better than average survivability, Muk doesn't any other trick up it's sleeve. No Poison spikes, no recovery move (unless you can breed a Muk with swallow AND stockpile). One could also teach it Venom Drench and toxic to further solidify it's role as a staller, which could work if combined with black sludge I guess. He also has access to Acid Spray, which sharply lowers Sp Defence as well as deal some damage, but Muk's low Sp. Attack prevents him from capitalizing on this: he would need a Sp. Attacker partner for Acid Spray to be viable.
Considering how common the Tapus are becoming, especially Tapu Leelee, A-Muk's high attack and access to a STAB Gunk shot could be considered as a counter to them. His high special defence will protect him against Moonblasts.
Bottom line: a good typing, but he seems to fall between the chairs of a nuker and a staller.

Finally, I also want to write a short paragraph about Buzzwole, which I used for a short while.
Buzzwole is a coin toss: his high defence makes and Leech Life could make him near unstoppable against opponents who only have Attacks. On the other hand, his special defence is horrendous, putting him in serious danger of being 1-KOed, and his lousy Speed will most probably make him go second. Combined with his bad typing: his weakness include Fire and Psychic, two powerful Special attack types, and a double weakness to flying will cause Brave Bird to 1HKO.
On the plus side, his high attack will cause Life Life to recover a decent portion of his health, and you might as well just Hammer Arm away since he is probably already going second.
Bottom line: using Buzzwole is a roller coaster of emotions. You'll laugh when an attack deals pitiful damage, then cry when he gets hit by special attacks.

Like I said, I'm still a beginner, but considering no one posted about them, I'll add this data for your consideration.

Thanks @ the above!

I've done some more myself and will get other writers to verify it's not garbage. We're down to 30 remaining.

I'll do Minior.

Minior is a new Shell Smash user introduced this generation. What makes Minior stand out from other Shell Smash users such as Cloyster and Barbaracle is its signature ability, Shields Down. When Minior is first sent into battle, it starts in its Meteor form, which has high defenses of 100 in exchange for low offenses and Speed of 60 each. This form is also immune to status problems. When Minior's HP gets to 50% or less, Shields Down activates, changing Minior to its Core form, which has twice the Speed as its Meteor form and inverted offensive and defensive stats. Other Shell Smash users commonly run White Herb to offset the defensive drops; however, Minior has access to a STAB Acrobatics to let it do massive damage after it sets up.

While Minior has decent bulk in its Meteor form, it's somewhat hampered by common weaknesses like Water and Ice, as well as a weakness to Stealth Rock. Even though this helps get it into Core form faster, there's also the possibility that Minior will be KOed without changing to its Core form at all, leaving the player with little control over when it changes form. As a Flying Pokemon, Minior is unaffected by Psychic Terrain, leaving it vulnerable to priority attacks, so it's best used mid to late game, once priority users are weakened or KOed.

Sample set:
-Shell Smash
-Stone Edge/Power Gem
-Acrobatics
-Earthquake
Nature: Adamant/Naughty
EVs: 76 HP/252 Atk/8 Def/4 SDef/168 Spe
Item: White Herb

The above set is Minior's most common, if not only viable, set. Once White Herb is consumed, Acrobatics becomes Minior's primary STAB attack. Stone Edge or Power Gem serve as Minior's secondary STABs, while Earthquake lets it hit Steel Pokemon.

Are we allowed to criticize Pokemon, saying they're out classed? I feel like I could do a Necrozma write up having used it in my team a fair bit, but I feel like Mew would overall be better than Necrozma (even more so now Bank is out).

Dhelmise was taken, but I love using that thing lol (I enjoy Assault Vest Dhelmise)

Frozocrone said:

Are we allowed to criticize Pokemon, saying they're out classed? I feel like I could do a Necrozma write up having used it in my team a fair bit, but I feel like Mew would overall be better than Necrozma (even more so now Bank is out).

Dhelmise was taken, but I love using that thing lol (I enjoy Assault Vest Dhelmise)

Click to expand...

Not everything introduced is going to be super good, so some of these will have to provide some criticism or even end up being "this thing is crap (in standard play) and this is the best it can do".

Frozocrone said:

Are we allowed to criticize Pokemon, saying they're out classed? I feel like I could do a Necrozma write up having used it in my team a fair bit, but I feel like Mew would overall be better than Necrozma (even more so now Bank is out).

Dhelmise was taken, but I love using that thing lol (I enjoy Assault Vest Dhelmise)

Click to expand...

That should be fine I think, just to get it out there. But also remember to provide how the pokemon can be chosen for a specific playstyle, which would probably make it better in that regard.

Eg: The only thing I believe Necrozma turns the tide against Mew because of it's ability to reduce Super-effective damage. Mew's faster yes, but Necro can tank a lot more hits, and has a better chance on setting up overall.

That is, if we're going for the Stored Power set at least; Mew can almost do anything else it can do almost better.

Yeah, I think the Stored Power set (especially coming off a Baton Pass Extreme Evoboost) is the only way it's not outclassed by Mew. Necrozma may have essentially Mold Breaker proof Filter, but Mew's faster, has Softboiled instead of weather dependent recovery, Taunt, Will-o-wisp, Knock Off, U-turn, Defog, has Nasty Plot to set up faster, better movepool, the recently released Mewnium-Z...Mew does it all and better.

Of, course, if Mew stays OU and Necrozma is UU then the game changes but I'll reserve Necrozma under the pretense that it's OU.

idk I'll try doing another one of these:


Xurkitree @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe / 4 Def or SpD
Timid Nature
-Thunderbolt
-Hidden Power Ice
-Energy Ball
-Volt Switch


Xurkitree @ Electrium Z/Shuca Berry
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe / 4 Def or SpD
Timid Nature
-Thunderbolt
-Tail Glow
-Hidden Power Ice
-Energy Ball


Sporting a massive base Special Attack of 173, ya boi Xurkitree packs some serious punch.
....Actually, it's raw power is rather obscene, as it gets Beast Boost and Tail Glow, living up to the name it once held pre-release of "Destruction". On top of this, it also has access to Grass moves, allowing it to cover more Ground types than some other Electric types might be able to between Energy Ball/Grass Knot and Hidden Power Ice. Sports a few other cute moves like Hypnosis, Calm Mind, and Volt Switch too. It however has a couple of flaws, mainly its poor bulk and subpar base Speed of 83. While Electric is a useful type in the current meta where things like Pelipper, Toxapex, Greninja, and Celesteela are common, Ground types (and Alolan Marowak) are common as well and make it difficult to freely make use of its STAB.

As for the sets....
Choice Scarf patches up its poor Speed, reaching 436--clocking in just two points under Mega Alakazam,--allowing it to put in some degree of work versus offense. Volt Switch allows it to bail out against non-Ground threats before they can act and attempt to retain some momentum. It lacks the power of the non-Scarf set (though base 173 with even just the possibility of a Beast Boost) is still somewhat threatening), and is Choice-locked, requiring you to predict correctly when using it. The speed seems to take people by surprise, or at least I've gotten a little mileage out of Scarf Xurk anyway. Faces a bit of competition from Tapu Koko and Scarf Magnezone as a speedy Electric types, as Tapu Koko does not require a Choice Scarf to be fast, does not have be Choice-locked, has a somewhat useful secondary type, gets both U-Turn and Volt Switch, has Roost, and auto-summons Electric Terrian to mess with opposing terrain users, while Magezone has mostly better bulk, can take on most Fairies, and has the use of trapping Steels.

The Tail Glow set functions as a godly wallbreaker, as seen here:
So basically any non-Ground/non-Lightning Rod wall gets beat down pretty hard. It doesn't directly compete with Electric types for a wallbreaking role, as none of the usual Electric types do that (Zapdos is a Defogger or some sort of bulky attacker thing, Rotom-Wash is a pivot, Tapu Koko and Specs Magnezone are not really used specifically to wallbreak). There is competition between wallbreakers in general however (there are plenty of wallbreakers to choose from, given how powerful things are getting these days). That, and like previously mentioned, the poor Speed and bulk (in addition to lack of recovery) hamper its usefulness to some degree.

Probably not ever going to be one of OU's premier threats, but still not something to ignore either.

Finally got round to Necrozma having been tied down with real life.


Necrozma is an unusual Pokemon. Despite sporting Filter that can't be negated by Mold Breaker and some fantastic stats across the board, save for speed...it doesn't seem to offer much that would warrant it's place over other Pokemon. Bulkier sets are outclassed by Mew, who can use Will-o-Wisp to decrease damage from Physical Attackers, as well as a form of Recovery that is not reliant on weather and Defog to lend further team support. Offensive sets are outclassed by Tapu Lele and Latios, who provide more thanks to their unique options of support, whether that be terrain in the case of Tapu Lele, or in the case of Latios, a Dragon typing and Defog/Memento to provide other team support options. Necrozma sits in the middle and just falls short of the mark.

There is however, one set it can perform relatively well and that is a Stored Power set. Thanks to Iron Defense and Calm Mind, Necrozma can, barring status or an untimely critical hit, set up and sweep through opponents. Note however, Dark types are completely immune to Necrozma's attack.

Sets:
Necrozma @ Leftovers
Ability: Prism Armor
EVs: 252 HP / 144 Def / 112 Spe
Bold Nature
- Calm Mind
- Morning Sun
- Stored Power
- Iron Defense

Partners it must have:
Fighting/Fairy types: Necrozma has no way in it's movepool to damage Dark types. These two types are essential to removing Necrozma's counters.

Partners to consider
Aromatherapy/Healer: Since Necrozma does not like status, having a cleric around to keep it free of status is something to consider.
Eevee: Extreme Evoboost can jump start Necrozma's stats, boosting Stored Power to 220 BP straightaway.

BUMP!

We've revived this work, and by we I mean Dragon has tackled the bulk of the remaining Pokemon. Only seven remain: Lunala, Nihilego, Xurkitree, Kartana, Guzzlord, Necrozma, Magearna.

If you still want to help out please fill in for those Pokemon! If you do then quote notify me and/or Dragon. Let's do this!

bobandbill said:

BUMP!

We've revived this work, and by we I mean Dragon has tackled the bulk of the remaining Pokemon. Only seven remain: Lunala, Nihilego, Xurkitree, Kartana, Guzzlord, Necrozma, Magearna.

If you still want to help out please fill in for those Pokemon! If you do then quote notify me and/or Dragon. Let's do this!

Click to expand...

Xurkitree was already done by Nah.

Anyway, I'll take Magearna:

Magearna's sports an excellent defensive typing and good bulk of 80/115/115, allowing it to tank hits from Pokemon such as Tapu Lele and Latios. This also leaves it with only two weaknesses in Fire and Ground. Its poor Speed can be compensated for with Shift Gear or Trick Room. Magearna's Soul-Heart ability allows it to get stronger each time any Pokemon other than itself is KOed; this also partially mitigates its signature Fleur Cannon's -2 Special Attack drop if it scores a KO.

Sets:

-Shift Gear
-Flash Cannon
-Fleur Cannon/Thunderbolt
-Aura Sphere/Focus Blast/Thunderbolt
Nature: Timid
EVs: 4 Def/252 SAtk/252 Spe
Item: Steelium Z/Fairium Z

While using Shift Gear without taking advantage of the Attack boost seems weird (considering that Magearna gets Iron Head and Brick Break as physical attacks), it's mainly used for the Speed boost, allowing Magearna to clean up late game. The Z Crystal is there to allow Magearna to fire off a strong, potentially lethal nuke. If a KO is scored, Soul-Heart will increase Magearna's Special Attack, allowing it to steamroll its way through a weakened team. If Fairium Z is used with Fleur Cannon, Magearna won't suffer the -2 Special Attack after the Z move.

-Trick Room
-Flash Cannon
-Fleur Cannon
-Focus Blast/Aura Sphere
Nature: Quiet
EVs: 248 HP/252 SAtk/8 SDef
Item: Fairium Z

This is Magearna's other way of circumventing its bad Speed. It has the bulk to set up Trick Room before firing off strong attacks. Fairium Z is used here in order to circumvent Fleur Cannon's Special Attack drop once and have a higher chance of KOing something, and therefore activate Soul-Heart.

-Flash Cannon
-Fleur Cannon
-Focus Blast/Aura Sphere
-Volt Switch
Nature: Modest
EVs: 248 HP/252 Def/8 SDef (Assault Vest) or 212 HP/252 SAtk/44 Spe (Choice Specs)
Item: Assault Vest/Choice Specs

These items let Magearna play differently with the same moves. Assault Vest allows Magearna to act as a defensive pivot with a slow Volt Switch, while Choice Specs allows it to tear holes in defensive Pokemon. The 44 Speed EVs when running Choice Specs let Magearna outspeed and KO 0 Speed Mantine with Volt Switch.

Note that Lightning Rod Alolan Marowak walls Magearna with these current moves, so Shadow Ball is an option on these sets to let Magearna handle it more reliably. Otherwise, teammates that beat Marowak like either form of Greninja help out. Extrasensory Greninja also handles Toxapex if Magearna lacks Thunderbolt. Slower attackers such as the aforementioned Alolan Marowak also pair well with the Trick Room set if Magearna can't stay on the field too long after setting up Trick Room.