How about something Rarely Used?

[Miss Doronjo]

RARELY USED DISCUSSION

Overview

RU is a bag full of mixed fun. It was a tier created near the start of BW, which acted as the answer to the sheer number of Pokemon in the 5th generation. You can basically call RU the Underused of the underused; or in other words, it is a tier made of pokemon that are not commonly used in the UU metagame. Basically, the addition of the RU tier meant supplementing UU and NU, which allows for a situation in which nearly every Pokemon in existence can become viable additions to teams.

The Top 10 Most Used RU Pokemon (as of January, 2013)

Mainly, these are the pokemon that can define the RU metagame right now - bulky offensive, or possibly balanced. As you'll see, these pokemon are equipped with their common sets, as well as descriptions that fits with them. They are commonly straight forward to understand - as they are set with their own ways to be countered.

Nidoqueen
Typing: Poison / Ground
Base Stats: 90 HP / 82 Atk / 87 Def / 75 SpA / 85 SpD / 76 Spe
Abilities: Poison Point / Rivalry / Sheer Force

Common Moveset:
Modest @ Life Orb
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
~ Earth Power
~ Fire Blast
~ Thunderbolt
~ Stealth Rock

Whether you choose to face her or not, Nidoqueen is one of the most powerful forces in the RU metagame. Although her offensive stats don't look exactly stellar at first glance, thanks to her ability Sheer Force, she has the equivalent of essentially 112 Special Attack, which when combined with great coverage and the ability to run Life Orb without recoil, can deal massive damage to the majority of the tier. Nidoqueen also boasts a vast special movepool, and the sheer power behind her STABs in Earth Power and Sludge Wave puts massive dents in anything that does not resist them. Finally, she has good coverage between Fire Blast and Thunderbolt, so even Escavalier and bulky Water-types cringe at her power. If coverage is not needed, Nidoqueen can go for Stealth Rock to effectively lay the hazard for the team. Just be wary that Nidoqueen has a middling Speed stat, but she makes up for that in bulk and power. Overall, Nidoqueen is a true powerhouse that should not be underestimated.

Slowking
Typing: Water / Psychic
Base Stats: 95 HP / 75 Atk / 80 Def / 100 SpA / 110 SpD / 30 Spe
Abilities: Oblivious / Own Tempo / Regenerator

Common Moveset:
Calm @ Leftovers
EVs: 248 HP / 144 Def / 116 SpD
~ Slack Off
~ Fire Blast
~ Scald
~ Thunderwave / Toxic

If one is looking for a fantastic defensive pivot that has instant recovery, can spread status, and actually has enough power to put a dent into something, Slowking is the one. Slowking can use its massive Special Defense to switch into a ton of special attacking threats and attempt to attack back, cripple, switch to a Pokémon that resists the move in the case that the opponent is carrying a Choice item, or do a double switch if you predict the opponent will be switching to. Thanks to its amazing ab Own Tempo s able to stall the opponent with a combination of Toxic and Roost. It will usually be carrying Flamethrower for a STAB move due to its higher PP and accuracy over Fire Blast. h3strongility in Regenerator, it can heal its health by 33% whenever it switches, meaning it is able to repeatably switch into a threat and threaten it out. While its Defense isn't great, it's still good enough to be able to tank some hits. Keep in mind that Slowking has many common weaknesses, meaning the number of Pokémon it can switch into is a bit limited, but Slowking can still come in and threaten most of the special attacking Pokémon in the tier out. Slowking is also not just useful for tanking hits; it can attempt a sweep using a Trick Room + Nasty Plot set. If your opponent has a Slowking in it, be very careful in playing around it; it can and will do a lot of damage to your team if you let it.

Sceptile
Typing: Grass
Base Stats: 70 HP / 85 Atk / 65 Def / 105 SpA / 85 SpD / 120 Spe
Abilities: Overgrow / Unburden

Common Moveset:
Timid @ Life Orb
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
~ Leaf Storm
~ Focus Blast
~ Hidden Power Rock
~ Subsistute / Synthesis / Giga Drain

When one looks at Sceptile, they usually look at it as your standard special sweeper. However, Sceptile offers much more than that. Needless to say, it is a fantastic special sweeper. Sceptile can use its awesome offensive movepool that includes Leaf Storm, Earthquake, Leaf Blade, and Acrobatics to hit hard and fast on either attacking side. Sceptile can also utilize its decent bulk and fantastic base 120 Speed to form a decent SubSeed set. However, not all is good for the wood gecko. Sceptile lacks boosting moves in the special side and also suffers having a typing that gives it weaknesses to 5 types, 2 of which are really common in RU. Sceptile also lacks power to muscle through some of the common walls in RU. Despite this, Sceptile is a real force in the RU metagame.

Uxie
Typing: Psychic
Base Stats: 75 HP / 75 Atk / 130 Def / 75 SpA / 130 SpD / 95 Spe
Ability: Levitate

Common Moveset
Bold @ Leftovers
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 Spe
~ Stealth Rock
~ Psychic
~ Thunder Wave / Yawn
~ U-turn

Uxie resumes its role from DPP UU as one of the most versatile supporters available in the metagame. With huge mixed defenses, almost nothing in the tier can outright KO Uxie, which means it will almost always accomplish what it set out to do. Almost every support Uxie will be carrying Stealth Rock and U-turn, but aside from that commonality, most Uxie sets will be different. Uxie's support movepool takes on the colorful rainbow of Thunder Wave, Toxic, Yawn, Rain Dance, Sunny Day, Trick Room, dual screens, Memento, and Trick. But the fun doesn't stop there! Just when you think that Uxie couldn't get more dangerous than being able to support nearly any kind of team, it's also capable of going on the offensive with a bulky SubCM set. After a Calm Mind, very little in the tier can break its Substitutes in one hit, and from there Uxie can steamroll right over the opposing team with Psychic and Thunderbolt. In short, expect the unexpected when facing a Uxie, and use Team Preview to your advantage to prepare for a possible field supporter Uxie.

Gallade
Typing: Psychic / Fighting
Base Stats: 68 HP / 125 Atk / 65 Def / 65 SpD / 115 SpD / 80 Spe
Abilities: Steadfast / Justified

Common Moveset
Jolly @ Life Orb
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Att / 252 Spe
~ Swords Dance
~ Close Combat
~ Shadow Sneak
~ Zen Headbutt

The Martial Arts Zen Master is back for BW and ready to rip RU a new one, this time with a new toy from Dream World in the form of Justified. A vicious STAB Close Combat coming off a base 125 Attack stat makes Gallade the very definition of a power hitter. Combine that with Swords Dance and you have yourself a potent sweeper. While Gallade is not exactly Deoxys-S, it is not lacking in the Speed department either, and can use Shadow Sneak to ward off potential revenge killers. Gallade is also capable of running an effective Bulk Up set. Even though Drain Punch is illegal with Justified, Gallade's above average special bulk makes Bulk Up an excellent option. Superb coverage moves such as Night Slash, Psycho Cut, and Ice Punch make Gallade incredibly difficult to wall. Access to a plethora of support moves makes it extremely versatile and unpredictable. Taunt, Substitute, Disable, Trick Room, Thunder Wave... the list goes on and on. With that in mind, Gallade is not unstoppable, as many Pokémon can outspeed and exploit Gallade's weak Defense for a KO. Even so, Gallade is without a doubt one of the premier threats in BW RU and has the offensive presence to back it up.

Entei
Typing: Fire
Stats: 115 HP / 115 Atk / 85 Def / 90 SpA / 75 SpD / 100 Spe
Abilities: Pressure / Flash Fire (Unreleased)

Common Moveset
Adamant @ Choice Band
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Att / 252 Spe
~ Flare Blitz
~ ExtremeSpeed
~ Stone Edge
~ Hidden Power Grass

A laughingstock of all legendary Pokémon, Entei finally gets to shine as a top threat in the RU metagame. Entei has all it takes to be a successful Choice Band user: sky-high Attack, a high Base Power STAB, and strong priority. Without a bulky Water-type to absorb its hits, your opponent will easily be overwhelmed with a combination of its boosted Flare Blitz and ExtremeSpeed. The strong priority is also extremely convenient to check fast threats such as Aerodactyl at low health. The Substitute + Calm Mind set is an unexpected but viable option to sweep. Stealth Rock weakness, vulnerability to passive damage, and common weaknesses to Water-, Ground-, and Rock-type moves hold Entei back from becoming too dominant. Also, the predominance of bulky Water-types means that most teams will be prepared for Entei. Still, Entei is a strong attacker that can take apart a team if given the opportunity.

Hitmonlee
Typing: Fighting
Base Stats: 50 HP / 120 Atk / 53 Def / 35 SpA / 110 SpD / 87 Spe
Abilities: Limber / Reckless / Unburden

Common Moveset
Jolly @ Life Orb
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Att / 252 Spe
~ Hi Jump Kick
~ Double-Edge
~ Sucker Punch / Mach Punch
~ Stone Edge

Hitmonlee is typically seen capitalizing on its Reckless-boosted STAB Hi Jump Kick with either a Life Orb, Choice Scarf, or Choice Band. It will normally be carrying Stone Edge and Double-Edge for coverage, along with Mach Punch or Sucker Punch for priority. Also, while unorthodox, Hitmonlee is capable of using its Unburden ability; the ability is typically activated through a Fighting Gem-boosted Mach Punch or a Normal Gem-boosted Fake Out, and from there Hitmonlee is free to attempt to sweep the opposition with its boosted Speed and STAB Hi Jump Kick. This set lacks the raw power of the others, but it makes up for it with its far higher Speed.

Spiritomb
Typing: Ghost / Dark
Base Stats: 50 HP / 92 Atk / 108 Def / 92 SpA / 108 SpD / 35 Spe
Abilities: Pressure / Infiltrator

Common Moveset
Adamant @ Choice Band / Leftovers / Blackglasses
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Att / 8 SpD
~ Shadow Sneak
~ Sucker Punch
~ Pursuit
~ Trick / Will-O-Wisp

Spiritomb is one of the few Pokemon that has no weakness to any type, which is a blessing for any Pokemon. Spiritomb has great defenses that are off-set by a base 50 HP. Spiritomb is a good spinblocker that can combat common spinners such as Cryogonal. The even offensive stats mean that Spiritomb can go either physical or special, but a movepool with poor coverage hinders Spiritomb's potential. It can run a Calm Mind set with RestTalk and Dark Pulse, or even burn the opponent with Will-O-Wisp. Spiritomb has an innate ability to trap Psychic- and Ghost-types with the gambit of Sucker Punch, Pursuit, and Shadow Sneak. A Choice Band set is common to trap many Pokemon especially if they have low Defense, not just the aforementioned types. BlackGlasses can bluff a Choice Band to surprise the opponent. Defensive Pokemon aren't safe either because Spiritomb can Trick its Choice Band to cripple most defensive Pokemon. Spiritomb's low Speed and HP means that Spiritomb will almost always be outsped and can't take too many hits, respectively, and the only recovery move it gets outside of Rest is the unreliable Pain Split. Any Pokemon that resists Dark-type attacks can take Spiritomb.

Typhlosion
Typing: Fire
Base Stats: 78 HP / 84 Atk / 78 Def / 109 SpA / 85 SpD / 100 Spe
Abilities: Blaze / Flash Fire (Unreleased)

Common Moveset
Timid @ Choice Specs
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
~ Eruption
~ Fire Blast
~ Focus Blast
~ Hidden Power Grass / Hidden Power Rock

Typhlosion is one of the few Fire-types that gets blessed with the move Eruption. At full HP and wielding a monstrous 109 base Special Attack and 100 Speed, the typical Choice Scarf Typhlosion only has a few safe switch-ins since Eruption can 2HKO nearly any Pokémon that doesn't resist the move. Unfortunat 78 HP Abilities:h3downloadely there are also some hard counters to Choice Scarf Typhlosion. Slowking and Lanturn are very common in the metagame and can take any of Typhlosion's attacks easily. Rapid Spin support is also needed if Typhlosion wants to keep Eruption's maximum power. However, with proper support, Choice Scarf Typhlosion can cut through an entire team with its speed and power in the late-game. Thanks to Team Preview, Typhlosion can also create instant pressure as a lead if you see that the opponent lacks the proper resists. Even if Typhlosion's Eruption isn't at maximum power, opponents still have to worry about a Blaze-boosted Fire Blast, which is even more powerful than Eruption.

Druddigon
Typing: Dragon
Base Stats: 77 HP / 120 Atk / 90 Def / 60 SpA / 90 SpD / 48 Spe
Abilities: Rough Skin / Sheer Force / Mold Breaker (Unreleased)

Common Moveset
Adamant @ Life Orb
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Att / 4 Def
~ Outrage
~ Earthquake
~ Sucker Punch
~ Hone Claws

Druddigon has the second most powerful Outrage in the lower tiers. Coming off a whopping base 120 Attack stat, Druddigon can easily demolish any Pokemon that doesn't resist it. It also has solid base 90 defenses and base 77 HP, allowing it to tank hits much more solidly than one would expect. It also has access to two useful abilities in Rough Skin and Sheer Force, but Sheer Force is relatively useless since, in Druddigon's movepool, the only useful moves it powers up are Crunch and Fire Fang. Druddigon also has access to superb coverage in Earthquake and Superpower. Unfortunately, Druddigon has an awful base 48 Speed stat, and its pathetic base 60 Special Attack rules out the possibility of a mixed set.

Feel free to discuss!

Do you have any thoughts about the RU tier? How often do you play the RU tier? What pokemon do you like to use? What pokemon do you normally have trouble with? Any other thoughts?

Sources;
Smogon's RU threat list
Smogon's tier list
*smogon.com link removed*​

 

[Gym Leader Jake]

I believe that if people actually try to take the time to research good movesets, and good EV's, that the RU tier will produce some really packed battles. Have you ever watched or played in a RU battle? Most people have. Most of the time, I personally do not battle in the Rarely Used Tier. However, when I do, I participate in some battles that have me wondering how i am actually Winning. The Pokemon in the RU Tier are so closely matched that when pitted against each other in a battle, it produces some fun battles.

I prefer Gallade as my RU pokemon of choice. It is slow, but its huge movepool, excellent attack stat, and coverage of almost every type in the game allow for a perfect Choice Scarf Physical Sweeper.
-Jake

 

[halcyonic]

Ahh, nice RU guide, Doronjo! Since I'm a battling noob and I'm rusty, all I gotta say is this RU guide will be useful for a RU newbie like me. Keep up the good work!

 

[Miss Doronjo]

Some interesting things to note:

• The RU Metagame usage stats from January:
  weatherless...................91.19376%
  offense.......................47.86376%
  balance.......................28.11290%
  hyperoffense..................17.30142%
  hail.......................... 4.91706%

The RU metagame is pretty much weatherless, since people do rely on bulky offense, or just a balanced team. Though I kinda expected people to run Snover, and more hail teams. Oh well, I just found that interesting.

 

[KungFuPurp]

Love the RU guide you did a great job! I love having competitive battles with the RU Tier, I love to use Hitmonlee and i'm actually looking for a good moveset to be competitive with. Thanks again for the guide

 

[Miss Doronjo]

Just in case you're interested, there is a Nidoqueen Suspect discussion @ smogon. What do you guys think of Nidoqueen? Should it be banned?


In my opinion, Nidoqueen can be quite versatile - as a special attacker, as a physical attacker, and as a physical sponge. Nidoqueen itself already gives a lot of slower teams a lot of issues. Whenever I use Nidoqueen, I use her to destroy walls such as Tangrowth, Steelix, and other excellent Pokemon who counter much of the metagame are incredibly difficult to use with Nidoqueen around, as since they are slower and risk being OHKO'd by Nidoqueen, and Nidoqueen forces them into a lethal guessing game, that Nidoqueen has a significant advantage in.

So, maybe Nidoqueen might of had enough of an impact to the RU metagame that stall teams would have significant trouble against a Nidoqueen? Perhaps it might be a suspect because of that impact?