Fundamentally, Stealth Rock makes Pokemon weak to them unviable, like Butterfree, Zapdos, Pinsir, Aerodactyl, Gyarados, Beedrill, Pidgeot, Charizard, Cloyster, and Dragonite, while making every Pokemon that resists them, such as Melmetal, Hitmonchan, Marowak, Golem, and Meltan, far too powerful thanks to their improved relative longevity. Of course, this is much more manageable in other tiers that have good hazard removal, such as Gen 5 UU and Gen 4 OU, but when they can't be removed I don't know what to do. Options in the teambuilder are greatly restricted by the presence of Stealth Rock, such that only three Pokemon are even viable and it's barely worth running a full team. Looking at the matter from an objective stance, Stealth Rock are very clearly uncompetitive as they make the coolest Pokemon that everyone wants to use unviable in OU. Some users have stated they consider Stealth Rock good for keeping certain Rock-weak threats in check in a reasonable, healthy manner while also punishing passive play, but it's clear to us that the negatives outweigh the benefits.
You can see the voting slate below:
| Eve |
Stealth Rock | ban |
We believe this is the correct choice for the future of the tier, and hope that our players both enjoy the newfound freedom it will provide. The council will now be keeping an eye on Mew, Melmetal, Zapdos, Mega Alakazam, Mega Blastoise, Mega Gyarados, Mega Venusaur, Mega Aerodactyl, Starmie, Alolan Dugtrio, and the move Toxic.