Metagame USUM AG Metagame Discussion Thread

bdov · Jan 13, 2018

peer pressure sigh.... anyway posting a team that i've found a lot of success with this gen.

Arceus-Electric @ Electrium Z
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
- Recover

Necrozma-Dusk-Mane @ Leftovers
Ability: Prism Armor
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
- Sunsteel Strike
- Moonlight

Yveltal @ Life Orb
Ability: Dark Aura
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Dark Pulse
- Sucker Punch
- Foul Play
- Oblivion Wing

Arceus-Fairy @ Pixie Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 HP / 40 SpA / 216 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Judgment
- Toxic
- Recover
- Defog

Yveltal @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Dark Aura
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Def
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Foul Play
- Roost
- Oblivion Wing
- Toxic

Rayquaza-Mega @ Life Orb
Ability: Delta Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Ascent
- Dragon Dance
- V-create
- Extreme Speed

The team is based around Arceus-Electric, which is a great late game sweeper with the classic bolt-beam coverage that everybody loves. The great thing about this team is it is supplied with not just one but multiple counters for top tier threats such as Mega Rayquaza, Ultra Necrozma, etc. i put two yveltal in there for two reasons: 1. defensive yveltal is able to wall important mons such as marshadow, ultra necrozma, and even tank 2 dragon ascents from a life orb mega ray. Its access to foul play also allows it to surprise and kill these mons if they try to set up. i run roost AND oblivion wing in order to maximize its life span, as o-wing isnt very powerful without sp attack investment. 2.) the reasoning behind an offensive yveltal is i wanted a mon that has as much coverage as possible without becoming a burden for the team. i noticed that i wasnt overly weak to fairy at all even with double yveltal, and that xern never seemed to become an issue for me. i also noticed that with an offensive yveltal i was able to efficently deal with mons like ho-oh, lugia, and even primal groudon. dragon dance Mega Rayquaza gives me another offensive threat that helps deal with mons like ferrothorn, celesteela, and other defensive mons that would otherwise hinder the team. and lastly specially defensive dusk mane is a great mon to use for walling the ever present fairy types, as well as dwindling down support arceus's with toxic.
Overall, i love this team. it checks the meta very well, and ive been able to find a balance versus almost every kind of matchup. the only things that challenge the team are marshadow if i lose defensive yveltal early and they manage to get enough chip on arc fairy, or dragon dance mega rayquaza of their own. its really hard to lose vs non offensive teams with this and thats a main reason i like it a lot. Hopefully you appreciate this team as much as i do.

Balance Arceus-Electric
bdov

Ejthewolfy · Jan 13, 2018

bdov said:
peer pressure sigh.... anyway posting a team that i've found a lot of success with this gen.

Arceus-Electric @ Electrium Z
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
- Recover

Necrozma-Dusk-Mane @ Leftovers
Ability: Prism Armor
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
- Sunsteel Strike
- Moonlight

Yveltal @ Life Orb
Ability: Dark Aura
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Dark Pulse
- Sucker Punch
- Foul Play
- Oblivion Wing

Arceus-Fairy @ Pixie Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 HP / 40 SpA / 216 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Judgment
- Toxic
- Recover
- Defog

Yveltal @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Dark Aura
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Def
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Foul Play
- Roost
- Oblivion Wing
- Toxic

Rayquaza-Mega @ Life Orb
Ability: Delta Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Ascent
- Dragon Dance
- V-create
- Extreme Speed

The team is based around Arceus-Electric, which is a great late game sweeper with the classic bolt-beam coverage that everybody loves. The great thing about this team is it is supplied with not just one but multiple counters for top tier threats such as Mega Rayquaza, Ultra Necrozma, etc. i put two yveltal in there for two reasons: 1. defensive yveltal is able to wall important mons such as marshadow, ultra necrozma, and even tank 2 dragon ascents from a life orb mega ray. Its access to foul play also allows it to surprise and kill these mons if they try to set up. i run roost AND oblivion wing in order to maximize its life span, as o-wing isnt very powerful without sp attack investment. 2.) the reasoning behind an offensive yveltal is i wanted a mon that has as much coverage as possible without becoming a burden for the team. i noticed that i wasnt overly weak to fairy at all even with double yveltal, and that xern never seemed to become an issue for me. i also noticed that with an offensive yveltal i was able to efficently deal with mons like ho-oh, lugia, and even primal groudon. dragon dance Mega Rayquaza gives me another offensive threat that helps deal with mons like ferrothorn, celesteela, and other defensive mons that would otherwise hinder the team. and lastly specially defensive dusk mane is a great mon to use for walling the ever present fairy types, as well as dwindling down support arceus's with toxic.
Overall, i love this team. it checks the meta very well, and ive been able to find a balance versus almost every kind of matchup. the only things that challenge the team are marshadow if i lose defensive yveltal early and they manage to get enough chip on arc fairy, or dragon dance mega rayquaza of their own. its really hard to lose vs non offensive teams with this and thats a main reason i like it a lot. Hopefully you appreciate this team as much as i do.

Balance Arceus-Electric
bdov

I love this team but just 1 minor thing i think that dusk mane needs to be -spa and not - attack

bdov · Jan 13, 2018

Ejthewolfy said:
I love this team but just 1 minor thing i think that dusk mane needs to be -spa and not - attack

ah yes thank you i fixed it. dont know why it transferred like that but it was definitely careful before.

MAHOH · Jan 13, 2018

21pichus said:
CM Darkceus + Mega Gengar balance by Arushii

This is a pretty straightforward team built around my favourite Mega Gengar + Calm Mind Arceus-Dark core. They both go pretty hand in hand because Mega Gengar traps opposing Arceus-Fairy, Xerneas and Clefable which can trouble Arceus-Dark. In return, Arceus-Dark acts as a switch in to opposing Arceus-Dark and Yveltal. Next, I have a Zygarde-Complete which deals with pretty much every physical attacker you can think of. The idea of Haze on it is to haze Calm Mind Arceus's stats and sometimes also helps vs Sub Ekiller, Z-Geomancy Xerneas, if it is asleep, and DDance Ray so that Mega Gengar can outspeed and revenge kill. Primal-Groudon acts as my Xerneas and Primal-Kyogre check and also gets up Stealth Rock and badly poisons supportceus (and later Mega Gengar kills it with Hex after a bit of Poison Damage). I added in Arceus-Fairy which has Max Defense evs to tank a +1 Dragon Ascent (incase I lose Zygarde, or if it isnt 100%). It's also my primary defogger. Now, I was left with a free slot and I decided to add in Dusk Mane Necrozma because it pretty much works on every type of team and has almost 0 drawbacks. The set is pretty fun. It acts like a normal defensive Dusk Mane for the most part, while in the late game it can become your Bulky Sweeper with Swords Dance boosts and Morning Sun for recovery. I'd say it's a pretty easy and fun team to use and mostly doesn't require a lot of predictions to work.

Havananana (Gengar-Mega) @ Gengarite
Ability: Shadow Tag
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Wave
- Will-O-Wisp
- Taunt
- Hex

Camila (Arceus-Dark) @ Dread Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Judgment
- Recover
- Refresh

Arceus-Fairy @ Pixie Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Judgment
- Recover
- Toxic
- Defog

Zygarde-Complete @ Leftovers
Ability: Power Construct
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Haze
- Dragon Tail
- Glare
- Rest

Groudon-Primal @ Red Orb
Ability: Desolate Land
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
- Fire Punch
- Rest

Necrozma-Dusk-Mane @ Solganium Z
Ability: Prism Armor
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Sunsteel Strike
- Photon Geyser
- Morning Sun

I like these types of teams, I prefer sr necro dusk mane over sd mainly because I think Pblades is essential to have on mgar teams because you're with limited on responses to pogre (which you could probably replace the rocks for) but toxic/rest isn't bad. I also think wisp mgar looks interesting for weakening support dusk mane (no eq) and celesteela. I could see ho oh being kinda annoying for your team but honestly when isnt it.... Other than that, nice team :D

cromagnet · Jan 14, 2018

I want to post teams here but I don't want my secrets getting out. Ehh I'll do it anyway :]

MGar Balance feat Arc Dark

Groudon-Primal @ Red Orb
Ability: Desolate Land
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpD / 8 Spe
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Fire Punch
- Toxic
- Rest

Arceus-Fairy @ Pixie Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Judgment
- Perish Song
- Defog
- Recover

Arceus-Dark @ Dread Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Judgment
- Refresh
- Recover

Celesteela @ Leftovers
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Heavy Slam
- Toxic
- Leech Seed
- Protect

Zygarde-Complete @ Leftovers
Ability: Power Construct
EVs: 244 HP / 252 Def / 12 Spe
Impish Nature
- Thousand Arrows
- Dragon Tail
- Rest
- Coil

Gengar-Mega (M) @ Gengarite
Ability: Shadow Tag
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Wave
- Substitute
- Taunt

Its a very standard MGar + Arc Dark team but it has Celesteela over Dusk Mane, as many other people opt to do. I prefer Cele as it deals with support arcs far better and can act as a Mega Ray answer if it lacks vcreate. Even though most rays do run VC, there is also the max def zygarde and fairyceus to check what Cele cannot do. MGar is there to trap and remove fairies and weakened mons such as banded ray, as well as to beat lead smeargles and baton pass with a little prediction. This allows for the two sweepers, Zygarde and Arc Dark, to sweep easier. Arc Dark is really the main sweeper however, and can break balance teams with ease once the checks such as xerneas and marshadow are dealt with. Arc Dark can also set up on support fairyceus provided it CMs on the switch in. Don is there as the obligatory Ogre and GeoXern answer. The biggest weakness of the team overall are teams similar to it, with MGar + Arc Dark cores, as nothing on the team can take on a boosted Arc Dark. To mitigate this, Dragon Tail and Roar can be used to phase until proper offensive presence can be set up.

DD Ray + Spikes Bulky Offense

Necrozma-Dusk-Mane @ Solganium Z
Ability: Prism Armor
EVs: 252 HP / 40 Atk / 216 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Sunsteel Strike
- Toxic
- Morning Sun

Arceus-Fairy @ Pixie Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Judgment
- Perish Song
- Defog
- Recover

Ferrothorn (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Power Whip
- Leech Seed
- Spikes
- Protect

Arceus-Dark @ Dread Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Judgment
- Refresh
- Recover

Zygarde-Complete @ Leftovers
Ability: Power Construct
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe
Impish Nature
- Coil
- Thousand Arrows
- Dragon Tail
- Rest

Rayquaza-Mega @ Life Orb
Ability: Delta Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Dragon Ascent
- Earthquake
- Extreme Speed

So here we have a fairly standard team centered around DD Ray. This mon is fantastic and scary sweeper, but the structure of the team makes it even more lethal. With rocks and 1 spike, not even support arceus formes with max defense can tank an ascent.

+1 252+ Atk Life Orb Rayquaza-Mega Dragon Ascent vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Arceus-Fairy: 341-402 (76.8 - 90.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock and 1 layer of Spikes

I opted for EQ over V-create so that the sweep is not cut short by the drop, such as being picked off by MGar after taking out a Celesteela. I have zygarde and arc dark to handle most celesteelas as well as ferro to set up spikes and stall out non flame charge/flamethrower variants as well as perish song on arc fairy. Perish song was chosen over toxic originally as I feared the team was too weak to Arc Dark, but in the end, I decided to keep it due to its ability to help vs bp. Dusk Mane is there to take on support arceus as well as xerneas, ferro is there to take on kyogre and set the spikes for the sweep of ray. It has the Z crystal to surprise Gothitelle and do more damage overall. Arc Dark can be used to break stall in conjunction with ray or on its own depending on the team structure, and Darkceus and Zygarde can be used as backup sweepers. It is moderately weak to Offensive Z Dusk Mane, although the weakness can be played around through offensive pressure and double switches

More Coming Soon [Maybe]

PurpleGatorade · Jan 18, 2018

Posting a squad for sample team consideration (excuse the formatting im too lazy to make it look nice). I'll also post a couple more after I play pigeons bc i haven't decided what to use vs him yet.

Necrozma-Dusk Mane Hyper Offense

https://pastebin.com/snVxLyrv

Fairly linear HO, but extremely effective in the current meta. Magic coat + spa invested groundceus is an excellent lead vs opposing offense, and greatly annoys support arcs thinking they can get off a free toxic. It nearly always manages to set rocks. CM arc steel and sub lefties ekiller round out the 3-arc arc-hetype (see what i did there) by providing an excellent answer to support arc fairy and a way to beat celesteela respectively. Scarf yveltal is necessary to eat a hit from and revenge kill marshadow, opposing necrozma, and mega gengar. Mray is mray, nothing much to explain here, just dd and kill stuff. Double dance dusk mane is an insanely effective mon on hyper offense that can easily break stall when paired with DD mega ray. Only real weakness this team has is ho-oh, but that can be played around by getting rocks up/killing it with mray or boosted ekiller, and dusk mane can actually KO offensive variants with +2 searing sunraze smash, which is absolutely insane (+2 252+ Atk Necrozma-Dusk-Mane Searing Sunraze Smash vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Ho-Oh: 450-531 (108.1 - 127.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO. Overall this team is very easy and straightforward to use, so I think it's a perfect fit for samples as it can ease a new player into the metagame.

Pigeons · Jan 24, 2018

Nice to see there's a lot of submissions for samples, I may as well drop something here too.

Generic Ladder Balance by Pigeons

Rayquaza-Mega @ Life Orb
Ability: Delta Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Ascent
- V-create
- Extreme Speed
- Dragon Dance

Necrozma-Dusk-Mane @ Leftovers
Ability: Prism Armor
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Sunsteel Strike
- Toxic
- Morning Sun
- Stealth Rock

Groudon-Primal @ Red Orb
Ability: Desolate Land
EVs: 248 HP / 240 SpD / 20 Spe
Careful Nature
- Precipice Blades
- Stone Edge
- Rest
- Swords Dance

Yveltal @ Charti Berry
Ability: Dark Aura
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Foul Play
- Sucker Punch
- Roost
- Taunt

Arceus-Fairy @ Pixie Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Judgment
- Will-O-Wisp
- Recover
- Defog

Arceus-Ground @ Earth Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 248 HP / 136 Def / 124 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Judgment
- Ice Beam
- Recover
- Toxic

Most people who have laddered have come across a team structured similarly to this one and with good reason; I'd say it's one of the most solid and accessible builds at the moment. This teams uses Dragon Dance Mega Rayquaza as its main condition, and the rest of the team is there to keep the major threats in the metagame in check.

The defensive elements of the team are fairly basic, Dusk Mane Necrozma blanket checks Fairy-types and sets Stealth Rocks in order to facilitate a late-game Mega Rayquaza sweep and weakens support Arceus forms with Toxic. Primal Groudon is a secondary win condition and provides crucial counterplay against stall, the specially defensive spread allows Primal Groudon to act as an effective check to Primal Kyogre and backup check to Xerneas in addition to its offensive role. Defensive Yveltal answers a wide range of physical attackers including the new Necrozma forms, Charti Berry allows it to win against Ultra Necrozma consistently in addition to other physical attackers with Stone Edge such as Swords Dance Arceus-Ground. Arceus-Fairy is a check to Marshadow and Mega Rayquaza, I opted for Will-O-Wisp to prevent Dusk Mane Necrozma from freely setting up in front of Arceus-Fairy, being able to cripple other physical attackers is nice too. The last slot went to Arceus-Ground for a dedicated Primal Groudon check, Arceus-Ground takes some pressure off Arceus-Fairy when it comes to checking threats like Zygarde as well.

The benefit of this particular teambuild isn't just cohesiveness, it's flexibility. The last slot on the team is quite changeable, and the sets on all the other team members can be customized as well. You can move Defog to Arceus-Ground or Yveltal, you can run a more offensive Dusk Mane, a more supportive Primal Groudon, a different Mega Rayquaza set... the list goes on and on. Because there's so much room for change within this team, you can freely experiment with the sets to find a combination that best fits your own playstyle, but do make sure you don't open up other issues on the team when you make changes (for example if you opt to run a Swords Dance Dusk Mane Necrozma make sure you put Stealth Rock on Primal Groudon or an Arceus).

I might update this post with another team later but that's it for now.

GRNBLN · Jan 29, 2018

GRNBLNs Goth+BandRay+DDZygarde

Rayquaza-Mega @ Choice Band
Ability: Delta Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Ascent
- V-create
- Extreme Speed
- Waterfall

Zygarde-Complete @ Leftovers
Ability: Power Construct
EVs: 24 HP / 216 Atk / 28 Def / 240 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Substitute
- Dragon Dance
- Thousand Arrows
- Toxic /(Coil, Dragon Tail, Protect, Double Team, Extreme Speed)

Arceus-Dark @ Dread Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Recover
- Calm Mind
- Refresh
- Judgment

Arceus-Poison @ Poisonium Z
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 HP / 40 Atk / 56 Def / 136 SpD / 24 Spe
Impish Nature
- Poison Jab
- Will-O-Wisp
- Roar / (Stealth Rocks)
- Recover

R.i.P. LiL Peep (Gothitelle) (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Shadow Tag
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rest
- Taunt
- Charm
- Confide

Arceus-Fairy @ Pixie Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Recover
- Defog
- Toxic
- Judgment

I played around with Goth alot and this is one of the teams I had most fun and success with. Goth is standard double trap and is supported by Arceus Poison really well. It can Roar out potential CM Arceus which also makes it possible to trap them later when you manage to switch in on them at the right time cause you alreadyy pp stalled a few CM pp. Wisp helps with Ray, Duskmane, Marshadow and such especially when you force a switch vs a Fairyceus and helps to weaken physical offensive mons to succesfully Charm trap them. Arceus Poison also is the teams main Xerneas check as you can either Roar them out or OHKO with Z-Move. Arceus Fairy is there for Defog support and to help with Ray Pdon Marsh. I opted for 96+ Spe to outspeed Adamant Ray and help the team deal with taunt Yveltal better. Now for the offensiv part of the Team: Banded Ray is really good for pressure or forcing a switch in + recover for potentially trappable mons like Arceus Fairy and Celesteela also it kinda helps vs PKyogre which this team kinda struggles with. Arceus Dark is one of my favorite mons and benefitted from the meta changes from SM and USM. It really puts pressure on teams and once again helps luring in Arceus Fairy for Zygarde to Sweep if Arceus Dark doesnt sweep on its own. The Zygarde set could be changed but all you really need is Sub DD TArrows anyway so last move is filler and I kinda stucked with this. Goth isnt only useful trapping things but also to force the opponent to play around it so you can capitalize of of it. With opposing Rocks DD Ray can be become an issue if it gets (free) set up. In general the goal is the same as any Goth team remove troublesome defensive mons with Goth and use the turns they struggle to set up or get other advantages.

Dark swordman · Jan 31, 2018

Dark Swordsman's BO-Revival Of Legend

Extinct (Zygarde-Complete) @ Leftovers
Ability: Power Construct
EVs: 108 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Def / 140 Spe
Impish Nature
- Glare
- Rest
- Thousand Arrows
- Dragon Dance

Death (Gengar-Mega) @ Gengarite
Ability: Shadow Tag
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hex
- Hypnosis
- Substitute
- Sludge Wave

Burn The Dread (Arceus-Dark) @ Dread Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Refresh
- Judgment
- Recover

Smooth Death (Arceus-Fairy) @ Pixie Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 248 HP / 224 Def / 4 SpA / 28 SpD / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Judgment
- Toxic
- Recover
- Defog

Revived (Necrozma-Dusk-Mane) @ Leftovers
Ability: Prism Armor
EVs: 196 HP / 100 Atk / 88 Def / 124 SpD
Impish Nature
- Sunsteel Strike
- Morning Sun
- Stealth Rock
- Thunder Wave

Insight Slave (Arceus) @ Normalium Z
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Last Resort
- Extreme Speed
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake

lazy for description will add it later,pls add this team :P

jagonite · Jan 31, 2018

Jagonites semi-stall

Arceus-Fairy @ Pixie Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Judgment
- Toxic
- Defog
- Recover

Necrozma-Dusk-Mane @ Leftovers
Ability: Prism Armor
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Sunsteel Strike
- Toxic
- Morning Sun
- Stealth Rock

Arceus-Dark @ Dread Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Judgment
- Will-O-Wisp
- Recover
- Defog

Gengar-Mega @ Gengarite
Ability: Shadow Tag
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Disable
- Perish Song
- Sludge Bomb
- Substitute

Lugia @ Leftovers
Ability: Multiscale
EVs: 252 HP / 164 Def / 92 Spe
Impish Nature
- Roost
- Toxic
- Dragon Tail
- Substitute

Tyranitar @ Shuca Berry
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Foul Play
- Pursuit
- Rest
- Rock Tomb

Another Semi-stall team

Gengar-Mega @ Gengarite
Ability: Shadow Tag
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Disable
- Perish Song
- Sludge Bomb

Zygarde-Complete @ Leftovers
Ability: Power Construct
EVs: 208 HP / 252 Def / 48 Spe
Impish Nature
- Thousand Arrows
- Coil
- Rest
- Toxic

Arceus-Fairy @ Pixie Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Toxic
- Recover
- Judgment

Chansey @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Toxic
- Confide
- Soft-Boiled
- Heal Bell

Tyranitar @ Shuca Berry
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Foul Play
- Pursuit
- Stealth Rock
- Rest

Arceus-Dark @ Dread Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Judgment
- Defog
- Will-O-Wisp
- Recover

Edit: realised I needed a description for these teams

both these teams function by trapping support mons and whittling down the rest with toxic, here is the team breakdown mon by mon.
tyranitar:
checks ray, tanking eq with shuca and KO'ing back with foul play and traps the trappers i.e. mgar and goth

arceus dark: checks necrozma forms with wow + judgement and also helps with yveltal a bit which this team can struggle with

arceus fairy: beats marshadow, defogs stuff and does general support fairyceus stuff

mega gengar: main tool for beating stall teams by trapping most cleric mons allowing the toxic spam to continue. perish song checks BP and sub>disable stops cm darkceus.

chansey: checks Pogre and geoxern with toxic/confide, also supports team with heal bell

Zygarde-C: general physical wall for things like ekiller, ho-oh and sometimes marshadow if needed.

Chloe · Feb 1, 2018

Samples were updated finally! *hooray* Catalystic, Pigeons, Purple and I have been busy picking sample teams. We'll always be accepting new sample teams though. If your team didn't make it, don't worry or stress. A lot of the teams suggested were denied on the grounds of similarity, or because they lacked a Primal Kyogre check, or because they were BP. Congratulations to anyone whose team was accepted and we look forward to future submissions!

Kate · Feb 2, 2018

Finally! I have an Account! Woohoo! Took me long enough. Now, lets get into the nitty-gritty. There have been extreme changes in the meta since the advent of USUM, and I feel that these changes have shifted the metagame enormously. So where are we at this point in time? One thing has been made apparently clear: DM Necrozma is simply the best new pokemon to come of generation 7. DM has alienated and also made more pokemon popular. Think of it as the next marshadow. Its ability to easily stop xern sweeps makes xern very outclassed now. With so many counters to it, xerneas will probably drop in usage. Another thing to note: Yveltal has somehow gotten better. Scarf sets can OHKO Ultra, while LO and defensive variants can both easily deal with Dusk Mane. While it may seem like marshadow would rise, I fear it may continue to be left in the shadows, no pun intended. It simply lacks the power to kill DM, and being outsped by Ultra provides it with yet another glaring weakness. Therefore, Sash sets will become even more commonplace, and soon, either marshadow will disappear, or sash stes will rise in the high ladder. Pdon, like always, just gets better. No explanation needed here. So, to counter all of these pokemon, what is the best option? Banded Ray. I have used this set since October, and I have, over time, seen it become extremely prevalent. Band is better than LO for these reasons:

1. Jolly band still does slightly more damage than LO adamant
2.The advantage of having four attacking moves
3. Switchins on LO ray include fairceus. WITHOUT ROCKS, band ALWAYS 2HKO's. That goes for any non dragon ascent resisted arceus. (which is very few, as those arceus' are now more niche)
4. Not losing HP after every hit
5. Being able to run jolly 252 speed, allowing for threats to be killed w/o even landing a single hit.

The set? here

Rayquaza-Mega @ Choice Band
Ability: Delta Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Ascent
- V-create
- Earthquake
- Extreme Speed

Have fun wrecking everything! And leave your thoughts on the new meta, too.

Just saw Zesty's mray band set. I too like to copy people.

jk.

sorta.

cromagnet · Feb 2, 2018

Mixing Dat Beat(Respect) said:
Finally! I have an Account! Woohoo! Took me long enough. Now, lets get into the nitty-gritty. There have been extreme changes in the meta since the advent of USUM, and I feel that these changes have shifted the metagame enormously. So where are we at this point in time? One thing has been made apparently clear: DM Necrozma is simply the best new pokemon to come of generation 7. DM has alienated and also made more pokemon popular. Think of it as the next marshadow. Its ability to easily stop xern sweeps makes xern very outclassed now. With so many counters to it, xerneas will probably drop in usage. Another thing to note: Yveltal has somehow gotten better. Scarf sets can OHKO Ultra, while LO and defensive variants can both easily deal with Dusk Mane. While it may seem like marshadow would rise, I fear it may continue to be left in the shadows, no pun intended. It simply lacks the power to kill DM, and being outsped by Ultra provides it with yet another glaring weakness. Therefore, Sash sets will become even more commonplace, and soon, either marshadow will disappear, or sash stes will rise in the high ladder. Pdon, like always, just gets better. No explanation needed here. So, to counter all of these pokemon, what is the best option? Banded Ray. I have used this set since October, and I have, over time, seen it become extremely prevalent. Band is better than LO for these reasons:

1. Jolly band still does slightly more damage than LO adamant
2.The advantage of having four attacking moves
3. Switchins on LO ray include fairceus. WITHOUT ROCKS, band ALWAYS 2HKO's. That goes for any non dragon ascent resisted arceus. (which is very few, as those arceus' are now more niche)
4. Not losing HP after every hit
5. Being able to run jolly 252 speed, allowing for threats to be killed w/o even landing a single hit.

The set? here

Rayquaza-Mega @ Choice Band
Ability: Delta Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Ascent
- V-create
- Earthquake
- Extreme Speed

Have fun wrecking everything! And leave your thoughts on the new meta, too.

Just saw Zesty's mray band set. I too like to copy people.

jk.

sorta.

Dude band ray already is a thing lol

Kate · Feb 2, 2018

not what i mean. Its literally the exact same set. And i guarentee mine was first.just a weird coincedence

Chloe · Feb 2, 2018

Mixing Dat Beat(Respect) said:
not what i mean. Its literally the exact same set. And i guarentee mine was first.just a weird coincedence

Considering the set has existed since 2014, I sincerely doubt it.

Anyway Life Orb Rayquaza is better than Choice Band in the current meta in my honest opinion. I don't really care for the argument there though, I just thought claiming credit for Banded Ray was hilarious.

Xynix · Feb 7, 2018

This may just be another case of "I came up with it, but I wasn't the first to do so."

The Immortal · Feb 7, 2018

Let's move on people.

pooyou123456789q · Feb 7, 2018

Why was the Psy-Spam team by Thimo removed? I get that it doesn't reflect what people use, but it's still a team that's easy for beginners to pick up and does a great job showcasing how to build offence that takes advantage of the lack of species clause.

MZ · Feb 7, 2018

pooyou123456789q said:
Why was the Psy-Spam team by Thimo removed? I get that it doesn't reflect what people use, but it's still a team that's easy for beginners to pick up and does a great job showcasing how to build offence that takes advantage of the lack of species clause.

It was outdated and not terribly effective anymore. Psyspam has always been a playstyle that's a bit matchup based and not entirely reliable, but Scarfray being increasingly popular and the introduction of Dusk Mane which eats Psychic moves for days were just too problematic for it (e: also note how this was a pre-USUM team, very old team). It's not unusable and Psyspam definitely has the ability to adapt to the things that give it trouble, but at this point it's not something I would give to a new player if I wanted them to learn the metagame.
It's also in no way a showcase of how to build teams. Not that it's poorly built, just that it's a totally unique playstyle and is not how you'd build pretty much any other team.

Catniss Everdeen · Feb 9, 2018

Molten Steel
A Trick Room Offensive Team Utilizing Solrock+Mawile-Mega
By Sets

Alright, this team is pretty weird, made it one day and thought it might actually be good. Basically it relies on trick room usage, letting Mawile sweep things that would normally outspeed it (Ray, Xern, Zygarde, Yveltal, Marsh, Mewtwo, Lunala) as well as dealing heavy damage with a varied moveset. I run thunderpunch on my Mawile, you can switch that if you want.

The trick room user on the team is Dusk Mane, picked partially because who woulda guessed it had trick room, right? The Dusk Mane set I use is extremely bulky, basically living any hit in order to set up a trick room, then throw up rocks and even a reflect (order doesn't really matter in my opinion) to set up a nice environment for Mawile and Groudon-P to sweep.

Speaking of Groudon-P, the set on this team is swords dance+3 attacks. I've found that this works well, however you can certainly change up Groudon's moveset. I haven't experimented too much with it. It mainly deals with whatever Mawile can't by Swords Dancing it outta there.

Ray, despite having dragon ascent, does NOT mega evolve on this team. If you click that mega evolve button on Ray, Mawile can't evolve, and you're stuck with another average AG team (and who wants that lame bs). Ray is quick and powerful, allowing it to hit problem mons while trick room isn't active. Running V-create allows it to KO opposing solgaleo's and arc-steels, while surf lets it 0HKO those pesky Primal Dons.

Solrock is a nice lead mon, it has magic bounce to combat deo-s and other hazard leads. It also runs rock tomb, to slow down threats that can't be outright murdered through trick room shenanigans. Slow something down with solrock, send out ray or marsh to hit it once solrock dies, or once you find a good opportunity to switch. It runs toxic too, to give those heavy support arceus's and ho-oh's trouble.

Finally, Marshadow ties things together by giving you a powerful hitter that doesn't need trick room to kill. Bulk-up let's your Z-move hit like an ICBM, annihilating whatever stands in its path. Just beware, most tanky arceus-fairy's will survive a z-move at +1 atk, so be careful! Weaken it with rocks or Trick Room first! Marsh can also steal boosts from Dragon Dancers or Baton-Passers under Trick Room, which makes it an extremely valuable team member.

All in all, I hope someone likes this team. It's definitely a weird team for Ag, considering the lack of MegaRay. Have fun and good luck!

(Replay#1) https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7anythinggoes-701418518

Iron (Mawile-Mega) @ Mawilite
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Play Rough
- Sucker Punch
- Thunder Punch
- Iron Head

Copper (Solrock) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Toxic
- Morning Sun
- Magic Coat
- Rock Tomb

Ruby (Groudon-Primal) @ Red Orb
Ability: Desolate Land
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Brave Nature
- Swords Dance
- Precipice Blades
- Fire Punch
- Dragon Claw

Onyx (Marshadow) @ Marshadium Z
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Bulk Up
- Spectral Thief
- Shadow Sneak

Opal (Necrozma-Dusk-Mane) @ Leftovers
Ability: Prism Armor
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def
Relaxed Nature
- Sunsteel Strike
- Trick Room
- Reflect
- Stealth Rock

Emerald (Rayquaza) @ Life Orb
Ability: Air Lock
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Extreme Speed
- Dragon Ascent
- V-create
- Surf

Fardin · Feb 12, 2018

Xerneas @ Fairium Z
Ability: Fairy Aura
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Rest
- Ingrain
- Geomancy

Yaya (Giratina) @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 30 Spe
- Defog
- Dragon Tail
- Rest
- Toxic

Lugia @ Leftovers
Ability: Multiscale
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Ice Beam
- Whirlwind
- Roost
- Toxic

Arceus-Steel @ Iron Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Recover
- Will-O-Wisp
- Judgment

Ho-Oh @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 236 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Def / 16 Spe
Careful Nature
- Sacred Fire
- Brave Bird
- Curse
- Roost

Groudon-Primal @ Red Orb
Ability: Desolate Land
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Impish Nature
- Psych Up
- Earthquake
- Rest
- Stealth Rock

for samples

e.This team is your generic stall with a little bit of spice into it. Z-Geo Xern is a very underrated threat in AG. Literally, all of its checks can be dealt with if you got a good stall behind it. The only problem you might face with Xern is Magearna, but that mon does not threaten stall at all so you don't have to worry about it that much either way. Since the team has Lugia and Ho-oH, double defog is crucial to have and I've got the perfect mons for it. Steel ceus and Giratina just complement each other so well when it comes to defoging. Giratina can deal with almost all support Arceus, and Pdon, while Steel ceus can defog from Fairy/Dark ceus + Skarm and Ferro. Steel ceus can also handle Toxic Dusk Manes that would otherwise annoy Giratina. I've decided to give Ho-oH curse so its able to beat CM Arceus. Pdon is there so I have a way of checking pogre and also set rocks. The nature I chose for it is Impish, because it allows it to live a +2 EQ from pretty much any mon bar Mray. It's kind of like a safety check for Dusk Mane and SD Steel ceus. I didn't find a mon that could check all of Dusk's sets and still fit into my team, so I decided to give Steel ceus Wisp which will allow either Ho-oH or Pdon to deal with it easily. After it's burned, you can even bring in Lugia to phaze it out. There is really not much to say about this team, its quite straightforward. Once Dusk mane/Poison ceus is burned, if you bring in Xern the right time it can straight up just 6-0 a lot of teams. Hence why you dont necessarily have to go for stalling your opponent out from turn 1 and can just aim for a Xern sweep...or vice-versa, thats what makes this team great. Also about psych up on Pdon. It's mainly for opposing Z-Geo and can surprisingly help beating Cm pogre and certain Arceus formes. Make sure to keep rocks off at all times and think long-term when it comes to your plays!!!

Kate · Feb 13, 2018

the problem is that z-geo sucks

Cam · Feb 13, 2018

It'd be great if you could give us some insight to why its shit and maybe a better suggestion instead of making a shitty one line post.
Also it would be nice if fardin included a description

FallingPeasant99 · Feb 13, 2018

A Smeargle for laughs

Ability: Doesn't Matter
Item: Focus Sash
Moves:
1: Spore
2: Imprison
3: Transform
4: Your Choice

What To Do:

First you gotta Spore your opponent
Then you gotta Imprison
And then transform
Optional: If you want some serious humor, add a move like mean look to trap the opponent in a nonstop struggle!

A Key time to use this Smeargle is when then opponent is REALLY buffed so you can have a sweeping machine!!!
Weaknesses:
Grass types cant be affected by spore so this could cause a problem
Magic Bounce will end this Smeargle if it uses Spore
Being Poisoned or Burned will make the focus sash useless ultimately causing the demise for this artist
Other Smeargles can counter this Smeargle and then buff up (Note: this will only be a problem if your Smeargle loses the speed tie)

Kamen Galaxy · Feb 14, 2018

How much is Double team used in AG?

Metagame USUM AG Metagame Discussion Thread

bdov

Ejthewolfy

bdov

MAHOH

Banned deucer.

cromagnet

I pledge allegiance to the grind

PurpleGatorade

Pigeons

pidge pidge

GRNBLN

Dark swordman

jagonite

Chloe

Kate

Metamodernity

cromagnet

I pledge allegiance to the grind

Kate

Metamodernity

Chloe

Xynix

The Immortal

pooyou123456789q

MZ

And now for something completely different

Catniss Everdeen

Fardin

Tournament Banned

Kate

Metamodernity

Cam

The Colby Covington Of Smogon

FallingPeasant99

Kamen Galaxy

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