Kommo-o to Uber?

[Sirfetch’d]

As revealed today, Kommo-o will be getting a new exclusive Z-move. This move not only unleashes a high powered damaging attack that hits both Pokemon in double battles, but this move also raises every stat by 1 stage. This turns Kommo-o, an otherwise average Pokemon, into potentially one of the most deadly Pokemon in the game. What do you think this new Z-move means for Kommo-o? Will it become too broken for OU?

 

[Parivir]

It could go either way, I feel. +1 Kommo-O is still easily outsped by most revenge killers, and its double weakness to Fairy is exploitable (Scarf Lele shreds it to pieces, for example). As well, bulky fairies could switch in to block its Clang...orous Soulblaze? Damn these names, the people at Pokemon are enjoying themselves too much. Anyway, if that opportunity is wasted it very much becomes dead weight. Tapu Fini would fulfill this and still wall anything else Kommo-O can pull out of its arse (its best bet is Focus Blast, which does just under 30% unboosted), and stuff like Clefable could even switch into it at +1 and wall it (Flash Cannon only does 40%-ish iirc).

That being said, in the absence of Fairy-types it's an absolute monster, so I could still see it going into Ubers, though unlikely. At the very least, it would shake up OU considerably.

 

[jombii]

I have to agree. The mere presence of fairy-types that could hit back towards Kommo-o will check this Pokemon. I don't see it as being top notch, but it could be something of a niche pokemon in OU.

 

[HeroLinik]

Actually, I don't think it'll be that broken, like I said in the other thread. It's tiered RU because in UU, it's outclassed by Hydreigon as a special sweeper. Clangorous Soulblaze could potentially see Kommo-o getting banned from RU, but I don't see it making any waves in OU because fairies are all over the place - Magearna absolutely walls any set with Clangorous Soulblaze with its Assault Vest set, and the Tapus can give it a run for its money. Even in UU though, it'll still have to compete with Hydreigon, but even then you also have to consider that you might potentially be wasting your Z-Move slot on something where you could make better use of it on another mon - if you take it into OU, you lose the opportunity to use Supersonic Skystrike from Landorus or Devastating Drake from Zygarde for example. Also, Clangorous Soulblaze is likely a special move, so I don't see that and Close Combat being run on the same moveset. There is Focus Blast, but don't trust its shaky accuracy.

 

[Nah]

It'll probably be best to not switch Kommo-o in until Fairies are gone, then try for a sweep with Clangorous Soulblaze.

Getting +1 to everything with a stat spread, typing, and movepool like Kommo-o's while simultaneously firing off a nuke is kind of a big deal, though idk if it'll really be too much for standard play. Even if it is, it'd be better to ban the Z-Crystal and not the Pokemon itself.

Interested to see how this goes though, always liked Kommo-o but never really used it much in competitive battling. Seemed to be an almost but not quite kind of deal--maybe this'll be what it needs. Maybe.

 

[Reedneed45]

It'll probably be best to not switch Kommo-o in until Fairies are gone, then try for a sweep with Clangorous Soulblaze.

Getting +1 to everything with a stat spread, typing, and movepool like Kommo-o's while simultaneously firing off a nuke is kind of a big deal, though idk if it'll really be too much for standard play. Even if it is, it'd be better to ban the Z-Crystal and not the Pokemon itself.

Interested to see how this goes though, always liked Kommo-o but never really used it much in competitive battling. Seemed to be an almost but not quite kind of deal--maybe this'll be what it needs. Maybe.

I have to agree with this. The only way I can see a chance for Kommo-o to make any big difference is if you use it as a sweeper after fairies are gone. And either way there too many sets that could counter Kommo-o. Dragon/Fighting doesn't exactly seem appealing to OU right now imo. Definitely not Ubers with Scarfed Lunala on the loose.

 

[Dragon]

Yeah, the Z move would make it more viable, but it can still be played around with the fairies - especially the Tapus like Tapu Fini, etc.

I run Aurora Veil a lot, so, maybe it can work wonders there; though again with its typing, I'm not sure how it would compare to something like, Zygarde or Dragonite.

 

[wolf]

It reminds me of Mega Tyranitar. Relatively easy to revenge kill in terms of Speed, but the combination of its solid defenses and stat boosts will make it difficult to KO with a typical Scarfer. Even Scarf Latios and Scarf Tapu Koko can't get guaranteed OHKOes on +1 Kommo-o. Tapu Lele is the only Scarfer that comes to mind can reliably OHKO it. It goes without saying that Magearna, Clefable, Scarf Tapu Lele, Tapu Fini, and maybe even Azumarill and Primarina will see a rise in usage. Given that these Fairies are pretty hard stops to Kommo-o, in addition to its low Speed, crappy accuracy, and one-time usage, it's hard to say how effective it'll truly be in practice. I'm thinking it'll stay in OU, but we'll see.

 

[gimmepie]

There's now a Daily article focusing on Clangorous Soulblaze attached to this thread for anyone who wants to give it a read.

 

[pixelani]

In the VGC format, Clangorous Soulblaze will also help Kommo-o garner relevance. However, prediction will be even more important. The 2017 format has been filled with Fairy-types that can switch in and block the attack (e.g. Mimikyu and all four Tapus), and Kommo-o's 5 weaknesses means it may rely on the stat boost from a successful attack, or at least dedicated support from its partner, to stick around in battle. Add in competition from other Dragon-types like Garchomp and Salamence (both seen multiple times this weekend at Worlds and established staples in VGC), and one feels that Kommo-o is not terribly likely to drag itself into most teams.

Isn't VGC 2018 currently still limited to Sun and Moon? If that's the case, then this move wouldn't actually matter for VGC until 2019 unless they change the game and format mid-season.

 

[Pinkie-Dawn]

Didn't Totem Kommo-o had a +1 boost in all of its stats yet still gets destroyed by fairies?

 

[PlatinumDude]

I can see the standard Clanging Soublaze Kommo-o looking like this:
-Clanging Scales
-Focus Blast
-Flash Cannon/Poison Jab
-Flamethrower
Nature: Modest/Rash
EVs: 4 Def/252 SAtk/252 Spe
Item: Kommonium Z

Poison Jab is an alternative Fairy-killing option for Clanging Soulblaze Kommo-o, as it hits most Fairy Pokemon on their weaker Defense stat, like Tapu Lele. You only have one shot of sweeping with this like Z-Conversion Porygon-Z, so you really need to weaken or eliminate Fairies before Kommo-o does its thing. As mentioned above, Aurora Veil support from Alolan Ninetales is very helpful. That being said, I doubt that Kommo-o will be in Ubers because of its new Z-move because of all the Fairies running around, but at least it's enough to let it see a reasonable amount of usage in OU or UU.

I also hope that Kommo-o gets Low Kick from any move tutors that may be in US/UM in order to take advantage of the Attack boost more effectively. Sky Uppercut isn't a bad move, but really, it should have something better than that.

 

[char306jr]

Since seeing it, I don't really think that Kommo-o deserves Uber because of the Z-Move. Definitely OU, but Uber is cutting it way too close.