RicePigeon

Looking back at classic Power Rangers over 20 years later, I'll never be able to hear Rita's "Magic wand make my monster grow!" line the same way ever again... >:)

Singles OU Update Additions Added to C-: Rises : A -> A+ : A -> A+ : A -> A+ : B+ -> A- : B -> B+ : B -> B+ : B- -> B : B- -> B Drops : A+ -> A : A- -> B+ : B+ -> B : B -> B- Removals Removed from D:

The reason for the Shadowball transparency issues is because you're using PalFX to invert the colors while simultaneously applying an additive transparency, which causes the background color of the sprite, which is now white due to the inversion, to appear. This can be resolved by changing the alpha type of the transparency to subtractive instead of additive, and omitting the PalFX. Also I should point out that many of her projectiles are classified as melee attacks (S,NA) in her hitdef instead of as projectiles (S,SP), which causes some wonky results when used by characters that use counters.

Mega Salamence might be unbanned from Doubles OU

I'm sure all of you know about the XvX patch for the Mugen engine. However, after succumbing to curiousity, I find the download link only to discover the following message; source: http://www.mediafire.com/?a7g2wk5grggogsp If this is indeed legitimate this is quite... disturbing. Especially considering the patch had nothing to do with Nintendo?

PotW will be put on hold until further notice

Rock the Casbah

So with Aegislash failing to return to OU, we already have our next attempt to balance out Singles OU Kinda saw this coming. Pokemon Online already succeeded in banning this thing from their OU tier, so it was only a matter of time before Smogon followed suit. Keep in mind this suspect test only affects Landorus-Incarnate (), so Landorus-Therian () is unaffected by the results of this suspect test.

Tier rotation time, this time we look at an OU threat. This Pokemon we have all waited for to rise to OU ever since Gen 5, but was denied that opportunity when its Hidden Ability was never released. Now that it has, this Pokemon saw itself rising from rags to riches. Serperior Tier Status (Singles): OU Tier Status (Doubles): DNU Type: Grass Base Stats: 75 / 75 / 95 / 75 / 95 / 113 Abilities: Overgrow: When this Pokemon's HP is 33.3% of its maximum value, this Pokemon's Grass-type attacks will have their base power increased by 50%. Contrary (Hidden Ability): Any stat boosts or stat drops that occur to this Pokemon, whether self-inflicted, inflicted by an opponent, or inflicted by Sticky Web, will be reversed. Stat boosts or stats drops that are passed to this Pokemon via Baton Pass will not be reversed. Moves that boost or lower this Pokemon's stat levels will not have their stat changes reversed if the move was used by a Pokemon with the abilities Mold Breaker, Teravolt, or Turboblaze. Table of Contents Singles OU Overview Singles Ubers Overview Singles OU Overview ORAS Singles OU Viability: B+ Admit it. You all knew this was going to happen one day. Long has OU waited for Serperior to gain access to Contrary, allowing it to boost its Sp.Attack by +2 stages every time it uses Leaf Storm, while smacking the opponent hard with a 130 base power STAB move. 75 base Sp.Attack may be lackluster, but Contrary Leaf Storm easily compensates for this, easily turning Serperior into a powerful wallbreaker against defensive stall teams struggling to catch up with its stat boosts. 75/95/95 defensive stats isn't too shabby either, allowing it to survive several notable attacks, including Mega Pinsir's Aerialate Quick Attack. Its 113 base Speed is very impressive, allowing it to outspeed the noteworthy base 110 speed tier, so Serperior isn't dead weight against offense teams, and works as a fantastic cleaner. That being said, Serperior is not without its flaws. As mentioned before, 75 base Sp.Attack is lackluster, so Serperior will be struggling to deal any sort of meaningful damage without a boost from Contrary Leaf Storm. To put things into perspective, even Hidden Power [Fire] fails to OHKO Ferrothorn without a boost. Furthermore, Leaf Storm is held back by its low PP, so in longer games where Serperior is switching out often, it will have difficulty obtaining and keeping its boosts. Even with the boosts, Serperior has no option of getting past Heatran, Talonflame, and Mega Altaria, and will require significant support from teammates to handle these threats. Serperior's coverage options are also rather limited, forcing it to run moves such as Hidden Power [Fire] and Dragon Pulse, which don't exactly have that great coverage with Leaf Storm. ORAS OU Singles Moveset: Special Attacker Ability: Levitate / Item: @Life Orb Nature: Timid w/ EVs: 252 Sp.Attack / 4 Defense / 252 Speed IV Spread: 29/EE/30/30/31/30 Move #1: Leaf Storm Move #2: Dragon Pulse Move #3: Hidden Power [Fire] Move #4: Giga Drain, Substitute, or Taunt Tips: Leaf Storm, under normal circumstances a powerful nuke attack that cripples the user with a -2 Sp.Attack drop, becomes a formidable weapon when used with Contrary, essentially becoming a Nasty Plot that deals STAB damage Dragon Pulse allows Serperior to hit the Dragon type Pokemon that resist Leaf Storm, namely Latias, Latios, and Garchomp, but also dealing neutral damage to Talonflame on the switch in. Hidden Power [Fire] bursts through any Steel type not named Heatran, OHKOing both Mega Scizor and Ferrothorn after a Leaf Storm boost. For the last moveslot, Giga Drain provides Serperior with an alternative Grass STAB that, while weaker, does not expend Leaf Storm's PP once it has acquired a few boosts. Giga Drain also has the benefit of mitigating recoil damage from Life Orb. Substitute is another option that Serperior can use, as it will often force switches, allowing Serperior to capitalize on this by setting up a Substitute freely, allowing it to grab a boost without taking damage. It also provides Serperior with further utility by avoiding both status moves and Sucker Punch. Taunt is yet another option to shut down status, but is most effective against Stall teams, which often rely on Mega Sableye to reflect Taunt with Magic Bounce, except that Serperior easily sets up on Mega Sableye 1vs1. The given EV spread maximizes Speed and Sp.Attack, with a Timid nature to capitalize on its unique speed tier. Max Sp.Attack with a Life Orb is almost mandatory given Serperior's mediocre base 75 Sp.Attack, ensuring Serperior will hit its hardest once it obtains a boost. The given IV spread is necessary for Hidden Power [Fire]. The Attack IV can be any even number value, but ideally should be 0. The HP IV is set to 29 in order to minimize the amount of recoil damage taken from Life Orb without negatively impacting Serperior's HP too much. Serperior is extremely reliant on obtaining a boost with Leaf Storm in order to deal any kind of meaningful damage, as such getting it in safely is necessary. This can be accomplished through the use of Volt Switch, U-turn, or Baton Pass, ideally with slower users of the move such as Rotom-Wash. This set requires Serperior's checks and counters to be eliminated first before it can attempt to obtain any boosts due to its limited coverage moves. As such, this Serperior set works best in the mid to late game as a cleaner. Against defensive Stall teams, although Leaf Storm can enable Serperior to easily breeze through them, it must be used wisely due to its limited PP. Recommended Teammates: Heatran is a major thorn in Serperior's side as it resists or is immune to all of Serperior's common moves. Latios running Earthquake can lure in and potentially KO Heatran. Physical attacking variants of Mega Altaria running Earthquake, as well as Dugtrio can both KO Heatran as well. Mega Altaria is another Pokemon that can easily switch in to Serperior due to its typing. Mega Metagross, Mega Scizor, Gengar, and Victini are all reliable checks to the Fairy Dragon. Furthermore, Mega Scizor and Victini can also provide Serperior with free switch in opportunities with U-turn. Mega Charizard Y and Talonflame can easily dispatch Serperior. Latios, Latias, Mega Manectric, Raikou, and Talonflame can handle the former, while Rotom-Wash, both Slowbros, and Suicune can handle the latter. Tyranitar, however, is notable for handling both. As a cleaner, Serperior appreciates having the opponent's team weakened before it can clean up in the late game, so wallbreakers that can punch holes into the opponent's team work well as teammates. Mega Metagross, Azumarill, Bisharp, and Mega Gallade can all perform this role, as can others. Mega Aerodactyl is an interesting teammate for Serperior, as it can threaten the Fire types, Flying types, and bulky Grass types, especially Mega Venusaur, that can give Serperior problems. In exchange, Serperior can handle the bulky Water types that give Mega Aerodactyl problems. Honorable Mentions Although Serperior doesn't have that many coverage moves at its disposal, it does have a ton of additional move options it can use, most of which are utility moves that are used in the fourth moveslot over Giga Drain/Substitute/Taunt unless otherwise noted; Hidden Power [Ground]: Hidden Power [Ground] is an option to use over Hidden Power [Fire] if Heatran is a concern, as it turns Serperior into an effective lure for Heatran. To put things into perspective, Hidden Power [Ground] is a guaranteed OHKO against Heatran after a single Leaf Storm boost. However, Air Balloon variants of Heatran can circumvent this with smart switching, and running Hidden Power [Ground] means sacrificing important coverage against Ferrothorn and Mega Scizor. However, if you do opt to run Hidden Power [Ground], be sure to use an IV spread of 29/XX/31/30/30/31, with XX being any IV value, ideally 0. Glare: Glare is a semi-unique option for the fourth moveslot available to Serperior that allows it to cripple common faster switch-ins, including Talonflame, Mega Charizard Y, and Tornadus-Therian. Knock Off: Knock Off can be run in the fourth slot, granting Serperior a utility move to use against Pokemon that are heavily dependent on their item, making them easier to handle. Of note is Chansey, who loses a ton of bulk once its Eviolite is removed, and Heatran, who loses either passive recovery, extra speed, or Ground immunity, depending on the item it is holding. Synthesis: Synthesis is another option for moveslot #4 that allows it to both mitigate Life Orb recoil as well as any other damage it has sustained, improving Serperior's longevity. Leech Seed + Leftovers: If using Substitute in the fourth moveslot, Leech Seed is a viable option that can be used over Dragon Pulse in the second moveslot, as this allows Serperior to wear down switch-ins that it cannot deal with otherwise, such as Heatran and Unaware Clefable. Running Leech Seed+Substitute requires you to play Serperior with a different mindset; instead of spamming Leaf Storm for boosts, you will be spamming Leech Seed most of the time. This, combined with Leftovers, gives Serperior a much better matchup against bulkier and defensive teams, but a worse matchup against Hyper Offense. Expert Belt / Miracle Seed / Meadow Plate: If the recoil damage from Life Orb is off-putting, Serperior can use any of these three items to provide it with a boost to its moves' base powers, but note that the damage will be noticeably lower than that of Life Orb. Singles OU Checks and Counters to Serperior Heatran is perhaps the best check to Serperior, as it can switch into any attack safely except for Hidden Power [Ground]. Choice Scarf variants of Heatran easily outspeed Serperior and threaten to KO. Talonflame and Mega Charizard Y both quad resist Leaf Storm and only take neutral damage from Dragon Pulse, while threatening to OHKO with their STAB moves. Do note however that Talonflame is severely crippled by Glare, and both will not enjoy taking a boosted Dragon Pulse if Stealth Rock is on the field. Mega Altaria is immune to Dragon Pulse while resisting all of Serperior's other moves except Hidden Power [Ground]. Bulkier variants of Mega Altaria can use Serperior as setup fodder for Dragon Dance, while the support set has no trouble walling it. Offensive variants, however, will have trouble switching in. Most bulky Grass types can shake off most of Serperior's attacks. Mega Venusaur is the most notable, quad resisting Leaf Storm while taking neutral damage from Dragon Pulse and Hidden Power [Fire], and tossing out super effective Sludge Bombs. Amoonguss is in a similar boat, but does not take neutral damage from Hidden Power [Fire], though it can remove Serperior's boosts with Clear Smog. Ferrothorn can handle any Serperior running Hidden Power [Ground], but is otherwise not a good check to Serperior due to the fact most of them run Hidden Power [Fire]. , Choice Scarf () Naturally faster Pokemon, such as Tornadus-Therian, Mega Pidgeot, Mega Lopunny, Mega Manectric, Mega Beedrill, and Mega Aerodactyl can all outspeed Serperior and threaten it with one of their coverage moves. In a similar boat, common Choice Scarf users such as Black Kyurem, Victini, and Diggersby usually possess some kind of super effective coverage move or a move that can easily wear down Serperior. Singles Ubers Overview ORAS Singles Ubers Viability: F LOL Primal Groudon. But in all seriousness, Serperior's base stats just aren't enough to cut it in the Ubers environment, what with Primal Groudon and Mega Salamence running around. Xerneas pretty much outclasses Serperior in the whole "I can gain +2 Sp.Attack in one turn" department, while also giving it a massive boost to Sp.Defense and Speed. Ho-oh walls and kills it, and Latios and Latias both OHKO it with Soul Dew boosted Draco Meteors while narrowly avoiding a 2HKO from +2 Dragon Pulse. Even at +6, Serperior falls to consistently 2HKO Lugia when Multiscale is taken into account, when Lugia can easily 2HKO in return with Aeroblast or phaze it out. Doubles OU Overview ORAS Doubles OU Viability: Tier F Doubles may be a metagame that favors bulky special attackers over physical attackers (unless you're Mega Kangaskhan or Landorus-Therian), Serperior fails to make a splash in the Doubles environment. While it can threaten Mega Diancie, Keldeo, and Rotom-Wash, the abundance of Protect in the metagame can prevent it from acquiring boosts, thus wearing it out of PP while leaving it exposed. It is also outclassed by Sky Shaymin, who more or less does the same thing with Serene Grace Seed Flare. External Links Smogon Analysis (Singles OU)

Singles Ubers changes, the biggest one being that the S- rank is now removed. All Pokemon that were formerly of the S- rank have been moved down to A+, while all the A subranks have been shifted down by one to compensate Additions None Rises : E -> C Drops (Ghost): S- -> A+ : S- -> A+ : S- -> A+ : S- -> A : S- -> A (Ground): A+ -> A : A+ -> A : A+ -> A : A -> A- : A -> A- : A -> A- : A -> A- : A -> A- : A -> A- : B -> B- Removals None

Singles OU update Additions None Rises : B- -> B : B- -> B : C+ -> B- : C+ -> B- : C -> B- : C -> C+ : C- -> C (Super): C- -> C : C- -> C Drops : A- -> B+ : B+ -> B : B -> C+ : B- -> C+ : C- -> D Removals None Reasonings : Life Orb + Magic Guard threatens balance teams and is hard to switch in to. The immunity to entry hazards and passive damage also helps. : A decent defensive setup sweeper that doesn't care about status or entry hazard damage, the latter of which is very popular at the moment. : Immunity to Spikes and Toxic Spikes, while sporting a Stealth Rock resistance, helps it immensely, and is a decent switch-in to Landorus-Incarnate, Mega Metagross, and Mega Altaria. In general, it provides more defensive utility than most defensive Pokemon currently in C+. : Rain teams, while not as dominating as they were in Gen 5 OU, are still a massive threat to prepare for, which Gastrodon single-handedly takes care of. Also puts a stop to popular Voltturn cores due to its typing, which is pretty huge. : Many teams are unprepared for Infernape as it gained viability as a direct result of Weavile's rise in both popularity and viability. : Is able to threaten both hazard removers and hazard setters. Can run either 3 attacks + Rapid Spin, or 4 attacks All-out attacker, the latter of which has been gaining popularity lately due to its decent matchup against balanced teams. : Has a solid niche in being able to trap specific, yet important, threats such as Tyranitar and Volcarona, which can enable a teammate to begin a sweep. (Super): Is much better than many of the Pokemon currently in C-. The addition of Synthesis in ORAS allows it to hard wall Excadrill, and the combination of Leech Seed + Will-o-Wisp allows it to harass every Pokemon in the OU metagame except Clefable. Even with no investment, Seed Bomb, Shadow Sneak, and Rock Slide still put in work against frailer offensive teams. Also fits well on stall, balance, and bulky offense teams. : Can break balanced teams with Sub+Roost, as well as Pressure stall. Essentially a fully special based version of Black Kyurem. : Threatened by alot of Pokemon in the OU metagame, and is not on the same levels as Black Kyurem and Weavile, who are now the premier Ice types. This is evidenced by the fact that it recently dropped to UU. It can still threaten slower team builds, however. : Defensive set is reliant on matchup, and Belly Drum set is more deserving of B than B+. : Is a strong check to Landorus-Incarnate, but more or less a team-specific asset, as the first choices for defensive Psychic type for many people are Slowbro, Mega Slowbro, Slowking, and Mega Latias. : Passive stall teams are no longer viable, as many effective stall builds now rely on both entry hazard damage and defensive win conditions with Calm Mind, such as Mega Slowbro, Mega Latias, Mega Sableye, and Suicune. : Hits hard, but is more or less outclassed by Infernape. In addition, to maintain consistency with the other tiers' rankings, OU now has an E rank, which pretty much consists of Pokemon that should never be used in any kind of serious competitive setting for that tier's metagame.

So along with the Tier shifts for Singles, we also have the Doubles tier shifts. Rises moved from Doubles UU to Doubles OU moved from Doubles UU to Doubles OU moved from Doubles UU to Doubles OU moved from Doubles UU to Doubles OU Drops moved from Doubles OU to Doubles UU moved from Doubles OU to Doubles UU moved from Doubles OU to Doubles UU moved from Doubles OU to Doubles UU moved from Doubles OU to Doubles UU moved from Doubles OU to Doubles UU moved from Doubles OU to Doubles UU moved from Doubles OU to Doubles UU moved from Doubles OU to Doubles UU In addition to this, however, a new Doubles metagame known as Doubles NU (DNU) was created. The following are all Pokemon that are currently DUU, and thus banned from the new tier;

Singles RU update Additions Added to S: Added to A+: Added to B: Rises : A+ -> S : A -> A+ : A- -> A+ : A- -> A : B -> A : B+ -> A- : B+ -> A- : B- -> A- : B- -> B+ : B -> B+ : B -> B+ : C+ -> B+ : B- -> B : B- -> B : C+ -> B (XL): C+ -> B- : C+ -> B- : D -> C : C- -> C Drops : S -> A+ : S -> A- : S -> A- : A+ -> A- : A+ -> A : A -> B+ : A -> B+ : A- -> B+ : A- -> B+ : A- -> B+ : A- -> B+ : A- -> B+ : B+ -> B : B+ -> B- : B -> C+ : B -> C : B -> B- : B -> C+ : B -> B- : B -> B- : B -> B- : B- -> C : C+ -> C- : C+ -> C : C+ -> D : C+ -> D : C -> C- : C- -> D Removals Removed from B: Removed from C+: Removed from C: Removed from C-: Removed from D: Also updated the RU viability ranks with descriptions just like the other tier viability rankings that have them.

Fuck the Police :p

I'm pretty sure no sensible Aegislash player is going to leave Aegislash in once they see the first turn of Phantom Force... Not to mention there are no viable users of Phantom Force in OU anyway...

Mega Charizard X, or any physical attacker that exclusively uses contact moves for that matter, isn't exactly the best way to deal with Aegislash especially considering King's Shield's attack drop effect. The only exception to this is Bisharp thanks to Defiant, but even then, Aegislash commonly carried Sacred Sword.

Dante the Demonkiller

To keep consistent with the "official" tiers, I decided to add a viability ranking for UUbers Singles. Keep in mind this is only a preliminary list and subject to change Singles UUbers Viability Rankings (last updated 05/09/16) Pokemon that have not yet been ranked are recent additions to the metagame, and have not yet enough time to determine an adequate rank placement for them. Use and/or discussion about these Pokemon are highly encouraged in order to determine the appropriate ranking for each of them. Not Yet Ranked (Dark)(Fighting)(Flying) Pokemon in the S rank are Pokemon that are near flawless in the UUbers metagame. These Pokemon have a very low opportunity cost due to their low risk and high reward, and are able to either perform multiple roles very well or greatly excel at a single role. As such, these Pokemon can easily be put onto most teams. S Rank Pokemon in the A+ and A ranks are Pokemon that are fantastic, being able to support, sweep, or wall a significant portion of the UUbers metagame. These Pokemon are low risk, high reward with few flaws, but require more support than those Pokemon in the S rank. A+ Rank (Dragon) A Rank (Psychic) (Steel) Pokemon in the B rank are Pokemon that are good in the current UUbers metagame. These Pokemon have flaws that hold them back, but their pros and cons are generally equal. Given the right amount of team support, these Pokemon can easily reach their full potential. B+ Rank (Grass) B Rank (Electric)(Ice)(Poison) Pokemon in the C rank are Pokemon that have small niches in the UUbers metagame, able to perform specific roles that a team may require, but otherwise have numerous flaws. These Pokemon are high risk, and require a great amount of support in order to be truly effective. As such, these Pokemon usually cannot be slapped onto just any team. Pokemon that receive heavy competition from, or are partially outclassed by, Pokemon in the higher ranks can also be found in the C rank. C Rank (Fire) Pokemon in the D rank are Pokemon that are simply mediocre in the UUbers metagame, but are just barely viable enough to be used on very specific teams. These Pokemon are usually high risk, low reward, and usually can only pull off one very specific role and nothing more, thus they are heavily outclassed by other Pokemon in the higher ranks. D Rank (Bug)

The main reason they wanted to suspect test Aegislash and see if it could be allowed back in OU was because, currently, there are so many powerful threats in OU that it's impossible to prepare for all of them, removing the skill aspect from the game and making the metagame matchup reliant, and allowing Aegislash back in OU would have provided a blanket check to many of these Pokemon, which would be an ease on teambuilding. The problem with Aegislash is that it takes things to the opposite extreme, and becomes too centralizing. The metagame then shifts to the point where the only viable teambuilds are; build a team around Aegislash, or build a team with the explicit purpose of checking Aegislash. Both of Aegislash's sets, Crumbler (KS/ShadowBall/FlashCannon/SacredSword) and SubToxic (Sub/Toxic/KS/ShadowBall) have different sets of checks and counters (if you're using Aegislash as a Swords Dancer in OU then you're using Aegislash wrong) which makes Aegislash VERY difficult to check. And lets not forget that Shadow Ball only has one resist and one immunity, and when backed by STAB and 150 base Sp.Attack makes it VERY difficult to switch in to. Then there's another problem with Aegislash; because its blanket checks so many Pokemon, certain Pokemon who are already pretty damn good become even better since they no longer have to deal with the Pokemon that Aegislash checks. The two worst offenders are namely Mega Lopunny and Landorus-Incarnate, as they no longer have to deal with Pokemon like Latios, Latias, Mega Metagross, Jirachi, Tornadus-Therian, and much more. Landorus-Incarnate is already a Pokemon that many people want to be suspect tested next after Aegislash, do we really need to make it even more broken? Psychic types in general become unviable. This was exactly the case when Aegislash was allowed back in XY OU; (Mega) Alakazam, Latios, Latias, Starmie, Celebi, Jirachi, Mew, (Mega) Gardevoir, and (Mega) Medicham all drastically rose in viability after Aegislash's ban, and in all cases those who were UU or BL at the time all rose to OU. A lot of arguments both for Aegislash being unbanned and against Aegislash being unbanned can be found here for those interested in delving into understanding why Aegislash was banned from OU both times.

So this idea came to me and a someone else I talked to on Skype; what if Ubers was a usage based tier just like all the other tiers in competitive battling? How would the OU metagame look? To simulate this, I figured using this idea as a tournament might bring something new. Also because there's been some confusion regarding this tier, allow me to say, this is NOT an official tier on neither Smogon nor Pokemon Online, and is not officially supported on any simulators. Furthermore, this tier is not officially endorsed by Nintendo/Gamefreak/TPCi. I'm not sure what would make you think the latter was the case, but people have asked me that. For those who wish to play this tier on simulators, you can do so as either under the Singles Ubers option or, on Showdown, under "Custom Battle" under the Singles Battle option. General Rules All Battles will be done as 6vs6 Single battles or 6v6 Doubles. Participants will be required to post battle videos as proof of their victories/losses. Battles must be done on either Pokemon Omega Ruby or Pokemon Alpha Sapphire, or on a battle simulator capable of showing replays (either Pokemon Showdown or Pokemon Online). Single Elimination style: if you lose, you cannot progress to the next round of the tournament Item Clause: OFF (you may use any number of the same item). Species Clause: ON (You cannot use two of with the same Pokedex number). Sleep Clause: ON (only one Pokemon may be put to sleep at any given time. This does not include sleep induced by the move Rest) Evasion Clause: The moves Double Team and Minimize cannot be used. OHKO Clause: The moves Fissure, Guillotine, Horn Drill, and Sheer Cold cannot be used. Self-KO Clause: In the event of a tie caused by the use of Selfdestruct, Explosion, Destiny Bond, Perish Song, Memento, Final Gambit, or any similar suicidal move, the user of these moves will be considered to have lost the match. Self-KOs caused by recoil moves and Life Orb also fall under this category. Arceus Clause: Arceus may be used, but must be holding a plate item. In addition, Arceus cannot be holding the Spooky, Earth, Stone, or Splash plates. Eligible Pokemon must have attained no more than 3.41% usage in the Ubers metagame, according to Smogon's 1630 ladder stats. Tier shifts will every 3 months, just like every other tier. Pokemon listed as D-rank in Smogon's Single Ubers Viability ranking thread at the time of a tier shift update are not banned, regardless of their usage, unless that Pokemon has explicitly been banned from the UnderUbers tier (Kyogre). List of Banned Pokemon The following Pokemon are banned from the tournament as per their Ubers 1630 use stats for the past three months (February, March, & April 2016); Aegislash Arceus-Normal, Arceus-Fairy, Arceus-Ghost, Arceus-Ground, Arceus-Rock, & Arceus-Water Blaziken & Mega Blaziken Darkrai Deoxys [Attack forme] & Deoxys [speed forme] Dialga Mega Diancie Ditto Ferrothorn Mega Gengar Giratina [both formes] Greninja Primal Groudon Ho-oh Mega Kangaskhan Klefki Kyogre & Primal Kyogre Kyurem [White Forme only] Latias & Mega Latias Latios & Mega Latios Mega Lucario Lugia Mewtwo, Mega Mewtwo X, & Mega Mewtwo Y Rayquaza & Mega Rayquaza Mega Sableye Mega Salamence Shaymin [Sky forme] Xerneas Yveltal Zekrom List of Banned Items Earth Plate Pixie Plate Splash Plate Spooky Plate Stone Plate Red Orb Blue Orb Griseous Orb Diancite Gengarite Kangaskhanite Lucarionite Mewtwonite X Mewtwonite Y Sablenite Salamencite

The Aegislash suspect test for Singles OU is over; Aegislash remains banned from Singles OU.

Edited the above post because some people apparently failed the read the red text at the top of the forum telling them not to request illegal content.

Tier rotation time. This vote was a close one, as the Ubers vote was a tie. As a result, this is the second of two PotW for Ubers that were queued. This time we stare into the face of the devil himself... Altered Giratina & Origin Giratina Tier Status (Singles, Altered): Ubers Tier Status (Singles, Origin): Ubers Tier Status (Doubles, Altered): DUbers Tier Status (Doubles, Origin): DUbers Type (Altered): Dragon/Ghost Type (Origin): Dragon/Ghost Base Stats (Altered): 150 / 100 / 120 / 100 / 120 / 90 Base Stats (Origin): 150 / 120 / 100 / 120 / 100 / 90 Abilities (Altered): Pressure: Attacks that target this Pokemon lose an additional 1 PP. Outside of battle, if this Pokemon is placed in the lead spot of the team, the Wild Pokemon encounter rate increases. Telepathy (Hidden Ability): In Double and Triple Battles, this Pokemon is immune to damaging attacks from its Ally. Has no effect in Single and Rotation Battles. Abilities (Origin): Levitate: This Pokemon is immune to all damaging Ground-type attacks. This Pokemon is also immune to the effects of Spikes, Toxic Spikes, and Sticky Web. Table of Contents Singles Ubers Overview Singles Ubers Overview ORAS Singles Ubers Viability: C+ ORAS Singles Ubers Viability: A As an angel created by God, Lucifer one day took arms against the almighty. With his rebellion crushed, the almighty banished him to the depths of hell. Lucifer, now known as Satan, glared up one last time and uttered the words that shall echo through time; "Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven." Giratina and its backstory are the very embodiment of John Milton's Paradise Lost in Pokemon form. By default, Giratina exists in its Altered forme when outside of Hell the Distortion World, sporting massive mixed bulk rivaling that of Lugia. Sadly, it has lost many of its niches this generation with Defog being the primary method of hazard removal. In general, Lugia tends to do a better job at acting as "the Great Wall" and must now contend with Aegislash and Mega Sableye for the role of bulky Ghost type. The worst part of Altered Giratina, however, is that it faces the fiercest competition from itself; Origin Giratina, said to be Giratina's true form, is truly a terrifying sight. By essentially swapping its defensive and offensive stats, Origin Giratina can perform many of the roles Altered Giratina can while still posing as an offensive threat. It serves as one of the more reliable Defog users in Ubers, sporting immunity to all grounded entry hazards while not being weak to Stealth Rock, all while simultaneously serving as a spinblocker. With the reintroduction of Soul Dew in ORAS, Origin Giratina must now contend with Latios and Latias for the role of a Defog user, as both sport reliable recovery while performing the same duties, though Origin Giratina's typing provides it with more resistances and immunities, and a different set of checks and counters. Griseous Orb is a double edged sword, in that while it grants Giratina Levitate and boosts Giratina-O's STAB moves by 20%, enough to grant it dangerous offensive presence, it is essentially a lost item slot as Origin Giratina is forced to hold a Griseous Orb in order to maintain its forme. ORAS Ubers Singles Moveset: Physical Defog (Origin) Ability: Levitate / Item: @Griseous Orb Nature: Adamant w/ EVs: 248 Attack / 248 Defense / 12 Speed Move #1: Defog Move #2: Shadow Sneak Move #3: Dragon Tail Move #4: Shadow Force, Earthquake, Will-o-Wisp, or Stone Edge Tips: Origin Giratina is a very good user of Defog due to its typing and ability to switch in without fear of most entry hazards. Shadow Sneak provides Origin Giratina with great utility, serving not only as a STAB priority attack to finish off weakened opponents, but also allows it act as an anti-lead against the Deoxys formes, guaranteeing that Origin Giratina can remove both them and their entry hazards. Dragon Tail prevents Origin Giratina from being set up on by set up that this set cannot normally touch otherwise, such as Swords Dance Arceus-Normal and Rock Polish Primal Groudon. For the last moveslot, Shadow Force is the preferred option, as it reaches 216 base power with both STAB and the boost from Griseous Orb, and will allow Origin Giratina to KO Geomancy Xerneas with Shadow Sneak and Stealth Rock damage afterward. Shadow Force also completely bypasses Protect and King's Shield, so it can force switches. Earthquake, however, is an option to hit Primal Groudon, Klefki, and Mega Diancie harder. Will-o-Wisp can punish physical attackers and is exceptionally useful against Arceus-Normal, as well as getting chip damage on bulkier targets. Lastly, Stone Edge is used specifically for Ho-oh and Yveltal, both of which can take on Origin Giratina. 12 Speed EVs allows Origin Giratina to outspeed Diancie on the turn that it Mega Evolves. 248 Defense EVs guarantees that Origin Giratina will survive a Shadow Claw from +2 Arceus-Normal, while the remaining EVs with an Adamant nature are used to maximize Origin Giratina's damage output. If you already have a Defog or Rapid Spin user on your team, Defog can be replaced with any of the move options listed for the fourth moveslot. If you do, this will turn Origin Giratina into a check for specific physical attackers rather than a Defog support Pokemon. Because it lacks any form of recovery, you must utilize Origin Giratina's resistances and immunities in order to bring it in safely. Try to preserve as much of Origin Giratina's HP as possible. If you have Stealth Rock set up on your opponent's side of the field and your opponent has no Fairy types, it may be a better idea to simply spam Dragon Tail than to use Defog. Other Move Options: Draco Meteor + Shadow Ball/Hex: Origin Giratina is capable of running an effective mixed attacker set. The main advantage is that Draco Meteor hits Primal Groudon much harder than Earthquake, while the combination of Draco Meteor and Shadow Ball allows Origin Giratina to tear down physically bulky Pokemon that it could not otherwise. Hex is a more powerful alternative against statused foes that can be used if running Will-o-Wisp. The downside is that Origin Giratina is hard pressed to fit these moves and requires a specific EV spread. Substitute: Substitute helps ease prediction and grants Origin Giratina a buffer against burn and poison. It is recommended to use alongside Shadow Force, as it makes spamming the move much easier, but will quickly cut into Origin Giratina's longevity with no recovery. Iron Tail: Iron Tail has a niche to hit Fairy types on the switch, as Origin Giratina tends to lure them in. However, its accuracy and coverage may be disappointing. Roar: Roar can be used over Dragon Tail if Fairy types and imperfect accuracy are a concern, but can easily be stopped by Taunt, and does not wear down the opponent's team as effectively as Dragon Tail does. Toxic: Toxic can be used in the fourth slot to cripple many of Origin Giratina's switch-ins, and is more effective than Will-o-Wisp against Calm Mind users, Arceus formes, Ho-oh, and Primal Groudon, the latter two of which are immune to Will-o-Wisp. Recommended Teammates: Entry hazard users, especially Stealth Rock users, are recommended, as they greatly increase the effectiveness of Dragon Tail spam. Primal Groudon and Dialga are two great examples, though others certainly do exist. Origin Giratina is hard pressed when facing Fairy types, so checks and counters to them are nice to have. Primal Groudon, Ho-oh, Klefki, Mega Scizor, Aegislash, Mega Metagross, and Arceus-Poison are a few examples. Fairy types help mitigate Origin Giratina's weaknesses to Dark and Dragon. Xerneas, both Diancies, Klefki, and Clefable are all good choices. Diancie and Clefable also have to option to run Wish in order to keep Origin Giratina healthy. Blissey and Alomomola can be used on more defensive teams in order to pass huge Wishes, greatly extending Origin Giratina's longevity. Due to Origin Giratina's ability to run Defog, offensive variants of the Arceus formes can be used as the support formes of Arceus are no longer required for the team. Arceus-Normal and Arceus-Dark are two examples of such, with the former using Swords Dance and the latter using Calm Mind. Other Arceus formes commonly used as setup sweepers include Arceus-Ground, Arceus-Ghost, Arceus-Poison, Arceus-Rock, and Arceus-Water. ORAS Ubers Singles Moveset: Wall (Altered) Ability: Levitate / Item: @Leftovers Nature: Bold or Impish w/ EVs: 248 HP / 252 Defense / 8 Sp.Defense Move #1: Rest Move #2: Sleep Talk Move #3: Dragon Tail Move #4: Will-o-Wisp Tips: Rest, coupled with Sleep Talk, is Altered Giratina's only form of recovery outside of Leftovers. As a wall, being unable to do anything for 2 turns after using Rest is a serious detriment, fortunately Sleep Talk allows it to do something outside of becoming setup fodder. Dragon Tail allows Giratina to get off chip damage against the opponent while shuffling them preventing Giratina from being complete setup bait against setup sweepers. Will-o-Wisp allows Giratina to wall physical attackers not named Primal Groudon or Ho-oh much easier. The given EV spread aims to make Altered Giratina as physically bulky as possible. Leftovers provides Giratina with extra longevity. It is important to note that Altered Giratina has almost zero offensive presence, and as it will more or less give a free switch in for Xerneas every time, it will often result in a loss of momentum for your team, so it is best suited for more defensive stall teams. Due to Altered Giratina's massive physical bulk, this set is a nice check to both Mega Salamence and Arceus-Normal, as these two Pokemon do not often run coverage moves that can hit Giratina super effectively. To a lesser extent it can also check Ho-oh, Arceus-Ground, Primal Groudon, and Excadrill, as well as any Mewtwo, Mega Evolved or not, that is not running Ice Beam. Even a +2 Rayquaza's Dragon Ascent will not KO, while Giratina phazes it out with Dragon Tail or burns it. Because it has to rely on Rest for recovery, try to keep its health as high as often as possible. If entry hazards are set up, the effectiveness of Dragon Tail greatly increases, as it will be racking up entry hazard damage over time. Even without entry hazards, Dragon Tail should be used against setup sweepers such as Primal Groudon, Arceus formes, and Mega Salamence. Keep in mind that Fairy types are immune to Dragon Tail and Pokemon behind a Substitute will not be forced out by Dragon Tail either. Recommended Teammates: Entry hazard users, especially Stealth Rock users, are recommended, as they greatly increase the effectiveness of Dragon Tail spam. Primal Groudon and Dialga are two great examples, though others certainly do exist. Primal Groudon and Ferrothorn are notable for being able to check Xerneas. Fairy types help mitigate Origin Giratina's weaknesses to Dark and Dragon. Xerneas, both Diancies, Klefki, and Clefable are all good choices. Diancie and Clefable also have to option to run Wish and/or Heal Bell in order to keep Origin Giratina healthy. Blissey and Alomomola can be used on more defensive teams in order to pass huge Wishes, greatly extending Origin Giratina's longevity. Blissey can also run Heal Bell if needed. Arceus-Dark can cover Giratina's weaknesses to Latias, Latios, and Arceus-Ghost, something that is greatly appreciated. Singles Ubers Checks and Counters to Giratina Dark Types can easily handle Origin Giratina, as they resist its Ghost STAB while hitting back super effectively. They can also do a number on the Altered forme as well. Arceus-Dark can use the Origin forme as setup fodder for Calm Mind while healing off Will-o-Wisp from both formes, while Tyranitar can wall most of its attacks, but dislikes being burned. Fairy types are immune to Giratina's Dragon STAB, though they do not resist Ghost. Due to their immunity, they cannot be phazed out by Dragon Tail. Origin Giratina, however, can threaten a 2HKO against Clefable with Shadow Force. Ho-oh is one of the few physical attackers that cannot be burned, and Regenerator cancels out any chip damage that Dragon Tail might incur. Furthermore, Choice Band variants can break through Giratina's Altered forme with repeated hits. Origin forme carrying Stone Edge, however, can easily scare off Ho-oh. Faster Dragon types can threaten both formes with their Dragon type STABs, especially the specially based ones such as Latias, Latios, and Palkia, which easily muscle Altered Giratina. Zekrom can hit from both sides of the spectrum with either Draco Meteor or Outrage. Do note that many of these do not enjoy switching in to Dragon Tail, especially from Origin Giratina. Toxic Against Origin Giratina, Toxic can easily wear it down as it lacks any form of recovery, wearing it down over time and reducing its longevity. Altered Giratina, however, can easily use Rest to cure itself of status. Against Altered Giratina, powerful wallbreakers can easily overwhelm it with repeated hits. Do note that Primal Groudon and Mega Salamence require Swords Dance and Dragon Dance boosts, respectively, in order to do so, which can be counteracted with Dragon Tail. External Links Smogon Analysis (Singles Ubers, Origin forme) Smogon Analysis (Singles Ubers, Altered forme)

Basically arrange battles (cart or simulator) here, for anyone interested. After a long hiatus of procrastination, Im finally back to doing ingame battles, for anything interested.

Kingdra is now banned from RU: