RicePigeon

Made the necessary changes to the UU, NU, and PU viability lists to reflect the recent tier updates (namely the removal of Metagross and Sableye from UU)

http://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/smogon-usage-based-tier-update-december-2014.3523339/ So its December and the usual 3-month tier updates happened, but different than usual: With that in mind, the tier changes: OU Additions: (up from UU), (up from UU), (up from UU), (up from BL) Rises: N/A Drops: (down to UU) UU Additions: (up from PU), (down from OU), (up from PU) Rises: (up to OU), (up to OU), (up to OU) Drops: (down to RU) RU Additions: (up from PU), (up from PU), (up from NU), (up from NU), (down from UU) Rises: Drops: (down to NU), NU Additions: (down from RU), Rises: (up to RU), (up to RU) Drops: (down to PU) PU Additions: (down from NU) Rises: (up to RU), (up to UU), (up to RU), (up to UU) Drops: N/A

Just so the Trio could become complete: + Mega Zapdos Normal base stats: 90 / 90 / 85 / 125 / 90 / 100 Mega base stats: 90 / 90 / 105 / 155 / 120 / 120 Ability: Pressure -> Drizzle Zapdos has been outclassed by Thundurus as an offensive Pokemon ever since Gen 5, while Zapdos has always been a rather solid Pokemon in OU prior to that. Zapdos did manage to soar back into OU in X&Y in order to combat Mega Pinsir, as well as take on a new role as a defensive Defogger, but its bulk became less significant this generation with the power creep of Mega Evolutions, it is unable to handle X&Y's Birdspam teams as effectively as other Electric types. While Zapdos hasn't dropped back down to UU yet, it did make a brief resurgance in use prior to Mega Salamence's ban. Enter Mega Zapdos, the third Pokemon to receive Drizzle since Kyogre and Polited before it. Though MegaZap is limited to only providing 5 turns of rain, it can operate as an auxiliary rain setter in conjunction with Politoed, setting rain when needed. MegaZap isn't a slouch either, as it can also take advantage of the rain itself by spamming 100% accurate Thunder, backed by its 155 Sp.Attack. Since Zapdos had always been used as a defensive Pokemon, it gained some additional bulk to allow it to deal with birdspam better, with Drizzle now allowing it to tank any of Talonflame's attacks. However, because of Drizzle, Zapdos loses its ability to effectively use Heat Wave, but can now act as an offensive Defogger for rain teams. Sample moveset: Offensive Ability: Pressure (Drizzle) / Item: @Zapdonite Nature: Timid w/ EVs: 4 Defense / 252 Sp.Attack / 252 Speed Moves: Thunder / Hidden Power Ice / Roost / Defog or Volt Switch 252 SpA Mega Zapdos Thunder vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Metagross: 189-223 (62.7 - 74%) -- guaranteed 2HKO 252 Atk Tough Claws Mega Metagross Ice Punch vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Mega Zapdos: 226-268 (70.4 - 83.4%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock 252 SpA Mega Zapdos Thunder vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Thundurus: 246-291 (82.2 - 97.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock 252 SpA Mega Zapdos Hidden Power Ice vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Latios: 138-164 (45.6 - 54.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock Against common Stealth Rock setters: 252 SpA Mega Zapdos Hidden Power Ice vs. 0 HP / 0- SpD Garchomp: 384-452 (107.5 - 126.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO 252 SpA Mega Zapdos Hidden Power Ice vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Garchomp: 344-408 (96 - 113.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock 252 SpA Mega Zapdos Thunder vs. 252 HP / 96+ SpD Clefable: 184-217 (46.7 - 55%) -- 14.1% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery 252 SpA Mega Zapdos Thunder vs. 248 HP / 220+ SpD Heatran: 145-172 (37.6 - 44.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery 252 SpA Zapdos Thunder vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Terrakion: 223-264 (69 - 81.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock Sample moveset: Defensive Ability: Pressure (Drizzle) / Item: @Zapdonite Nature (1): Bold w/ EVs: 252 HP / 188 Defense / 68 Sp.Attack Nature (2): Bold w/ EVs: 252 HP / 252 Defense / 4 Sp.Attack Moves: Thunder / Hidden Power Ice / Roost / Defog Defensive calcs: 252+ Atk Choice Band Talonflame Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 188+ Def Mega Zapdos in Rain: 85-102 (22.1 - 26.5%) -- 14.4% chance to 4HKO 252+ Atk Choice Band Talonflame Brave Bird vs. 252 HP / 188+ Def Mega Zapdos: 86-102 (22.3 - 26.5%) -- 16.9% chance to 4HKO +2 252 Atk Aerilate Mega Pinsir Return vs. 252 HP / 188+ Def Mega Zapdos: 181-213 (47.1 - 55.4%) -- 74.6% chance to 2HKO +2 252 Atk Aerilate Mega Pinsir Return vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mega Zapdos: 172-203 (44.7 - 52.8%) -- 26.6% chance to 2HKO 252 Atk Choice Band Reckless Staraptor Double-Edge vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mega Zapdos: 232-274 (60.4 - 71.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO Non-Mega calc for reference: 252 Atk Choice Band Reckless Staraptor Double-Edge vs. 252 HP / 188+ Def Zapdos: 283-334 (73.6 - 86.9%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock 252 Atk Tough Claws Mega Metagross Ice Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mega Zapdos: 166-196 (43.2 - 51%) -- 5.9% chance to 2HKO 0 SpA Mega Zapdos Thunder vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Metagross: 160-189 (53.1 - 62.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

According to this, Strong Jaw doesn't boost Hyper Fang: http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Strong_Jaw_%28Ability%29 Oh well, its not like you need it when you're OHKO/2HKOing everything with STAB Crunch anyway :p EDIT: Okay now Im confused because Serebii says that Hyper Fang IS boosted by Strong Jaw: http://www.serebii.net/abilitydex/strongjaw.shtml

Mega Raticate: Those base stats are pretty underwhelming for a Mega. True, its got 117 speed, but with 111 attack as its highest base offensive stat, its not exactly KOing much and I would rather use another Mega. Also alot of those calcs are questionable, since none of those Pokemon are actually relevant in OU, except for Gengar, Skarmory and Mega Alakazam. Its not even able to 2HKO Skarmory or Arceus, so how is this a demonstration of its power as a revenge killer? I know you're trying to sell it as a revenge killer, but what exactly is it revenge killing? 117 speed cant even outspeed Greninja, it cant revenge kill boosted Mega Charizard X or Mega Altaria that well, and if your claim to being able to perform as a revenge killer relies on Sucker Punch, then that's kind of too situational, especially when there are faster and more powerful revenge killers like Choice Band Talonflame, Choice Scarf Landorus-Therian, and Choice Band Dragonite. Also your base stat total increase is off by an extra 20 points. If I wanted to do Mega Raticate, a spread like this would be more appropriate methinks: 55 / 81 / 60 / 50 / 70 / 97 -----> 55 / 131 / 60 / 50 / 90 / 127 Run Away / Guts / Hustle -> Strong Jaw You now have enough speed to get the jump on Greninja, while also presenting an actual offensive presence. Also just so you know, Strong Jaw does nothing to Hyper Fang's base damage, so you're mostly using it for Crunch and the Elemental fangs, the latter of which Raticate doesnt get, but lets assume that it does: 252 Atk Mega Raticate Return vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Greninja: 232-274 (81.1 - 95.8%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock 252 Atk Strong Jaw Mega Raticate Crunch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Mega Metagross: 278-330 (92.3 - 109.6%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock 252 Atk Strong Jaw Mega Raticate Crunch vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Thundurus: 262-310 (87.6 - 103.6%) -- 25% chance to OHKO 252 Atk Strong Jaw Mega Raticate Crunch vs. 0 HP / 24 Def Mega Gardevoir: 271-319 (97.8 - 115.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock 252 Atk Strong Jaw Mega Raticate Crunch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mega Latias: 252-296 (69.2 - 81.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock 252 Atk Strong Jaw Mega Raticate Crunch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mega Slowbro: 186-222 (47.2 - 56.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock 252 Atk Strong Jaw Mega Raticate Crunch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mega Sableye: 123-145 (40.4 - 47.6%) -- 59% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock 252 Atk Strong Jaw Mega Raticate Crunch vs. 4 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Chansey: 262-309 (40.8 - 48.1%) -- 64.5% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock 252 Atk Mega Raticate Wild Charge vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Greninja: 274-324 (95.8 - 113.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock 252 Atk Strong Jaw Mega Raticate Ice Fang vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Thundurus: 284-336 (94.9 - 112.3%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO -1 252 Atk Strong Jaw Mega Raticate Ice Fang vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Landorus-T: 220-260 (57.5 - 68%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery -1 252 Atk Strong Jaw Mega Raticate Ice Fang vs. 40 HP / 0 Def Landorus-T: 312-368 (94.8 - 111.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock 252 Atk Strong Jaw Mega Raticate Fire Fang vs. 252 HP / 88+ Def Ferrothorn: 288-340 (81.8 - 96.5%) -- 18.8% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock 252 Atk Strong Jaw Mega Raticate Fire Fang vs. 248 HP / 116 Def Mega Scizor: 292-348 (85.1 - 101.4%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock Now you actually threaten more of the top threats in OU. With this spread, Mega Raticate now functions as more of a cleaner or offensive pivot for offensive teams, similar to how you would use Mega Manectric or Greninja. Mega Moltres: I was thinking more along the lines of this: Standard stats: 90/100/90/125/85/90 Mega stats: 90/140/110/155/85/100 With this spread, you can still take advantage of Mega Moltres's capabilities, and you have a monster 140 physical attack stat that you can make use of with U-turn, a big niche that Moltres has over Charizard Y, especially when you can do this: 0 Atk Mega Moltres U-turn vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Latios: 162-192 (53.6 - 63.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock Which is pretty big considering that Latios is a decent check to Mega Charizard Y, whereas Mega Moltres can just wear it down like that. The extra defense also helps considering you avoid an OHKO from boosted Mega Gallade: +2 252 Atk Gallade Psycho Cut vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Mega Moltres: 253-298 (78.8 - 92.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO +2 252 Atk Gallade Psycho Cut vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Mega Charizard Y: 334-394 (112.4 - 132.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO

Greninja Type: Water/Dark Tier Status (Singles): Ubers Tier Status (Doubles): DOU Base Stats: 72 / 95 / 67 / 103 / 71 / 122 Abilities (Normal): Torrent: If this Pokemon's HP is 33% of its maximum HP or lower, the base power of this Pokemon's Water-type attacks are increased by 50%. Protean (Hidden Ability): This Pokemon will change its type to the same type of attack it is using on that turn. Table of Contents Singles OU Overview Singles Ubers Overview Doubles OU Overview Singles OU Overview (01/12/15 Edit: Greninja has been banned from OU as of 01/11/15. This section will be kept here in its entirely for archival purposes in the event that Greninja is ever allowed back into OU, but for all intents and purposes, this portion of the PotW is no longer valid.) ORAS Singles OU Viability: S Banned Viability changes from X&Y Singles OU: S -> S Banned When Greninja was first introduced in X&Y, it was immediately placed in the A+ viability rank, and eventually rose up to S-rank. It is not hard to see why. With Protean, Greninja essentially gains STAB on every single attack that it has access to, including non-damaging attacks such as Spikes. While Protean could also be used defensively to change Greninja's type into a type that removes one of its weaknesses, such as using Hidden Power Fire to make itself resist Fairy, Greninja is generally too frail to do so, and is often relegated to a pure offensive role. Greninja's ability to harass offensive teams with its unique speed tier and offensive presence was extremely noteworthy, and Greninja could utilize either an all-out attacking set or take advantage of the switches that it forces by running Spikes + 3 attacks, further harassing the opponent and placing more offensive pressure on them. When ORAS was released, Greninja went from an already good Pokemon to a Pokemon that is now being called for a suspect test and a possible banishment to ubers, all because Greninja gained access to two moves that pushed its viability over the edge; Gunk Shot and Low Kick. With these two moves alone, many of Greninja's old checks and counters from X&Y, such as Clefable, Sylveon, Mega Gardevoir, Azumarill, Chansey, and Black Kyurem, are now 2HKOed at minimum. In fact, even with a -Attack nature and 0 Attack investment, Life Orb Protean Gunk Shot scores an easy OHKO on standard Assault Vest Azumarill, turning it from Azumarill's best set in X&Y into one of Azumarill's most redundant in ORAS. Greninja's offensive coverage with its mixed set is so effective that Greninja often no longer runs Hydro Pump as a result. ORAS OU Singles Moveset: Mixed Attacker Ability: Protean / Item: @Life Orb Nature: Naive w/ EVs: 44 Attack / 212 Sp.Attack / 252 Speed Moves: Gunk Shot / Ice Beam / Dark Pulse / Low Kick or Hydro Pump Tips: Gunk Shot is Greninja's most threatening move that it could ask for, as it now allows Greninja to easily 2HKO the Fairy types that used to harass it. Ice Beam provides great offensive coverage, nailing many Flying, Dragon, and Ground types in OU, as well as 2HKOing Mega Venusaur after Stealth Rock. Dark Pulse is Greninja's best option for bulky psychics such as Mega Slowbro, and easily scores an OHKO on Gengar. For the last slot, Low Kick is Greninja's best option for Chansey, Assault Vest Black Kyurem, and Empoleon, who can otherwise wall it. It also nails Ferrothorn for big damage, as Greninja isn't running Hidden Power Fire. However, Hydro Pump can still be used as it is the most powerful special attack that Greninja has access to. The above EV spread is designed to maximize Greninja's speed. 44 Attack EVs guarantees the OHKO on all variants of Azumarill, while the rest is dumped into its Sp.Attack. Naive is chosen as the nature over Timid so that it does not detract from either of Greninja's offensive stats, while only detracting from its already pathetic bulk. An alternative EV spread of 212 Attack, 44 Sp.Attack, and 252 Speed can be used to hit harder on the physical side, allowing Greninja to 2HKO Chansey after Stealth Rock. Despite Greninja's great coverage, it will have issues in that it cannot OHKO bulkier opponents. Never switch Greninja in directly except on a predicted switch or as a revenge kill, as Greninja is too frail to take hits, even resisted ones. Recommended Teammates: Raikou, Mega Manectric, Rotom-Wash, Landorus-Therian, and Mega Scizor can all provide Greninja with switch-in opportunities with Volt Switch and U-turn, respectively. The latter three also tend to be slow and will use their appropriate switching move last, allowing Greninja to come in safely. Offensive Stealth Rock setters () Due to the switches that Greninja forces do to its offensive presence, Pokemon that can set up Stealth Rock can punish these switches, racking up entry hazard damage. ORAS OU Singles Moveset: Spikes Ability: Protean / Item: @Life Orb Nature: Naive w/ EVs: 44 Attack / 212 Sp.Attack / 252 Speed Moves: Spikes / Gunk Shot / Ice Beam / Dark Pulse, Low Kick or Hydro Pump Tips: Spikes is the main selling point of this moveset, as Greninja forces plenty of switches, so it will always find an opportunity to set up Spikes as the opponent switches. Gunk Shot is Greninja's most threatening move that it could ask for, as it now allows Greninja to easily 2HKO the Fairy types that used to harass it. Ice Beam provides great offensive coverage, nailing many Flying, Dragon, and Ground types in OU, as well as 2HKOing Mega Venusaur. For the last slot, Dark Pulse is Greninja's best option for bulky psychics such as Mega Slowbro, and easily scores an OHKO on Gengar. Low Kick is Greninja's best option for Chansey, Assault Vest Black Kyurem, and Empoleon, who can otherwise wall it. It also nails Ferrothorn for big damage, as Greninja isn't running Hidden Power Fire. However, Hydro Pump can still be used as it is the most powerful special attack that Greninja has access to. The above EV spread is designed to maximize Greninja's speed. 44 Attack EVs guarantees the OHKO on all variants of Azumarill, while the rest is dumped into its Sp.Attack. Naive is chosen as the nature over Timid so that it does not detract from either of Greninja's offensive stats, while only detracting from its already pathetic bulk. While this set employs Spikes, setting up three layers of Spikes should not be your first priority. It should be played the same way as the Mixed Attacker set, and Spikes should not be used if there is an opportunity to KO an opponent. Instead, Spikes should be used early in the game and only on predicted switches. Alternatively, Spikes can be used against slower Volt Switch users such as Rotom-Wash, as Spikes will turn Greninja into a Ground-type Pokemon due to Protean, thus blocking the Volt Switch and momentarily halting your opponent's momentum. If running Spikes Greninja along with a Stealth Rock user, Spikes shouldn't take priority over Stealth Rock. Instead, Spikes should be set up once Stealth Rock is on your opponent's side of the field, as a single layer of Spikes effectively doubles Stealth Rock's damage against opponent's neutral to it, causing them to lose 25% of their health every time they switch in. Multiple layers of Spikes are not necessary, and Greninja will rarely find an opportunity to set up more than one layer. While it may be tempting to run Toxic Spikes over Spikes in order to better deal with Stall teams, Spikes is generally better as Toxic Spikes is much easier to remove and play around, as Steel types are immune to Poison and Poison types like Mega Venusaur can remove Toxic Spikes simply by switching in. Recommended Teammates: Raikou, Mega Manectric, Rotom-Wash, Landorus-Therian, and Mega Scizor can all provide Greninja with switch-in opportunities with Volt Switch and U-turn, respectively. The latter three also tend to be slow and will use their appropriate switching move last, allowing Greninja to come in safely. Offensive Stealth Rock setters () Due to the switches that Greninja forces due to its offensive presence, Pokemon that can set up Stealth Rock can punish these switches, racking up entry hazard damage, and works well in conjunction with a single layer of Spikes. Due to having multiple layers of entry hazards, opponents will be pressured to switch in their Defog or Rapid Spin user to remove them. Bisharp can dissuade the opponent from using Defog by virtue of Defiant, which gives Bisharp a free +2 attack boost due to Defog lowering its evasion, guaranteeing that your opponent will not be able to simply remove your entry hazards for free, and potentially keeping them around longer. While Bisharp covers users of Defog, Gengar covers users of Rapid Spin, blocking its use by virtue of its Ghost typing and preventing Spikes from being removed. Do note however that Excadrill and Starmie, the two most common users of Rapid Spin in OU, have ways of getting around Gengar (Mold Breaker Earthquake and Psyshock/Psychic, respectively) ORAS Singles OU Checks and Counters to Greninja Because of the sheer offensive power of Greninja, it has very few hard counters. It can be checked, as with many of the new fast Pokemon introduced in ORAS, Greninja can be revenge killed, especially due to its frailty. Even with Low Kick, Eviolite Chansey is still only 3HKOed by Greninja's physical attacks. A more physically oriented spread for Greninja can 2HKO Chansey with Low Kick, but requires Stealth Rock in order to do so. Chansey, meanwhile, can simply whittle Greninja's HP away with Seismic Toss while periodically using Softboiled. Eviolite Porygon2 is in a similar boat, but even a specially defensive Porygon2 only has a 30% chance of being 2HKOed by Low Kick + Stealth Rock at best, while Porygon2 can whisk away at Greninja with the appropriate coverage move. + Choice Scarf Scarf Latios, Scarf Keldeo, and Scarf Landorus-Therian can all come in and outspeed Greninja, though none of them will be able to safely switch in. Nonetheless, they can all revenge kill Greninja or at least force it out 1v1. Mega Manectric, Mega Sceptile, Mega Aerodactyl and Talonflame can all outspeed and OHKO Greninja, and in the latter's case, can use priority Brave Bird. Like the Choice Scarf users, none of these Pokemon will be able to safely switch in. While Raikou is often compared to Mega Manectric, it cannot outspeed Greninja. Nonetheless, Assault Vest Raikou can still revenge kill Greninja, as it is only 2HKOed by Greninja's attacks while it can OHKO with Thunderbolt after a bit of prior damage and Life Orb recoil. Certain bulky Water types are able to check or counter Greninja. Physically defensive Rotom-Wash is 3HKOed by Gunk Shot from 44 Attack variants, while it can 2HKO with either of its STAB moves or pivot back out with Volt Switch, but is vulnerable to being worn down. Physically defensive Empoleon can safely tank any of Greninja's moves except Low Kick, which 2HKOs Empoleon. In return, Empoleon can 2HKO with Scald after the type change from Protean and potentially burn Greninja, crippling it on the physical side. Choice Specs Empoleon can OHKO Greninja with Hydro Pump after the type change, and is still only 2HKOed by Low Kick, but will otherwise be unable to safely switch in except on a predicted Gunk Shot. Defensive Normal Gyarados with Rest + Sleep Talk can easily sponge any of Greninja's special attacks while having a low chance of being 3HKOed by Gunk Shot after Leftovers recovery, and resisting Low Kick, while Bulky Dragon Dance Normal Gyarados has less than 10% chance of being 2HKOed by Ice Beam and can easily OHKO with Bounce after a Dragon Dance. Alomomola can't do much beside burn Greninja and risks being 2HKOed by Dark Pulse, but can avoid the 2HKO with Protect and accumulate HP recovery with Wish and Leftovers in the process. Tentacruel doesn't care about Low Kick or Sludge Bomb and is at worst 3HKOed by Dark Pulse. Weavile can naturally outspeed Greninja and can OHKO weakened Greninja with Low Kick before the type change or with Knock Off after the type change. Without prior damage, Low Kick by itself will not guarantee an OHKO with Stealth Rock, but the Life Orb recoil will force Greninja to KO itself in the process, though this requires sacrificing Weavile. Singles Ubers Overview ORAS Singles Ubers Viability: B- Viability changes from X&Y Singles Ubers: F -> B- As an offensive Pokemon, Greninja is mostly outclassed by Deoxys-Attack forme, who sports much higher offenses, a higher speed tier, and access to Extremespeed so that it cannot be revenge killed as easily as Greninja. However, Greninja can still be effective as a lead Pokemon in Ubers. While Greninja faces competition from Scolipede and Deoxys-Speed in this role, Greninja is capable of setting up Spikes and Toxic Spikes. Greninja's base speed is also enough for it to outspeed Defog Arceus and Taunt it. Greninja isn't dead weight against Rapid Spin user either, as it can utilize Shadow Sneak, transforming Greninja into a Ghost type because of Protean, and allowing it to block the incoming Rapid Spin. These traits allow Greninja to distinguish itself from other leads. ORAS Ubers Singles Moveset: Dedicated Lead Ability: Protean / Item: @Focus Sash Nature: Jolly w/ EVs: 252 Attack / 4 Defense / 252 Speed Moves: Spikes or Night Slash / Toxic Spikes or Night Slash / Taunt / Shadow Sneak Tips: Spikes and Toxic Spikes are Greninja's main selling point in Ubers, as it is one of the few Ubers-viable Pokemon capable of using both at once. Another option Greninja has is to run Night Slash over one of its two hazard moves, as this will not only allow Greninja to 2HKO Deoxys-Speed with the combination of Night Slash + Shadow Sneak, but will also allow Greninja to deal with Stall-based Mewtwo, shutting it down with Taunt and rendering itself immune to Psystrike with Protean Night Slash. Note that Offensive Mewtwo will still be able to crush Greninja. Taunt is used specifically for Defog Arceus, as Greninja easily outspeeds it and prevents it from removing its hazards. Shadow Sneak has two purposes; it allows Greninja to change its type to Ghost against the opponent's Rapid Spinners, preventing them from removing its hazards. The second use for Shadow Sneak is to act as an anti-lead against Deoxys-Attack, OHKOing it. The given EV spread and nature make Greninja as fast as possible, while also making Shadow Sneak hit as hard as possible. Because of Greninja's frailty and its role as a lead Pokemon, Focus Sash is used to give it an extra turn to set up as many hazards as possible. As the name suggests, Greninja should be the first Pokemon to start the fight with, as this is the best opportunity for it to set up as many hazards as possible early in the match. If facing against an opponent's lead Tyranitar, it is suggested to use Spikes right off the bat, as Protean will cause Greninja to change its type to Ground, thus avoiding damage from Sand Stream after its Sash has been broken. While having full layers of both types of Spikes and Toxic Spikes is certainly beneficial, these situations will rarely happen, so it is important to determine which type of Spikes is the most beneficial against your opponent's team and set those up first. Against teams that carry multiple Pokemon immune to Toxic Spikes, including Steel types, Poison types, Flying types, and users of Levitate, Spikes is obviously the more important hazard as it will have more of an impact. Even in cases where Toxic Spikes is more beneficial, you still need to determine if it is worth setting up both layers or just one. Keep in mind that normal Poison from 1 layer of Toxic Spikes deals 1/8 damage every turn, while Toxic Poison from 2 layers will only start off as 1/16 and increase by 1/16 each turn, resetting back to 1/16 if the Pokemon switches out. Because of this, Normal Poison will deal more damage over the course of two turns, breaks even with Toxic Poison at 3 turns, and will begin to be outdamaged by Toxic Poison beginning on the 4th turn. Against Pokemon that tend to stay in for more than two turns, such as Xerneas, setup sweepers, bulky Pokemon, and Walls, a full set Toxic Spikes is more beneficial, while against Offensive teams with many hit-and-run attackers who don't stay in for that many turns, only 1 layer of Toxic Spikes will be better in the long run. Recommended Teammates: Stealth Rock setters: Stealth Rock compliments Greninja's Spikes and Toxic Spikes perfectly, as not only does it affect the Pokemon immune to them, but also adds further damage to everything affected by them, further whittling them down. Dialga in particular is useful as it can threaten Origin Giratina with Draco Meteor, as Origin Giratina is one of the few Defog users who can give Greninja problems. Primal Groudon also works as it is currently one of the most threatening Pokemon in Ubers, and can easily force switches with its offensive Presence. Even without running Stealth Rock, Primal Groudon is still a great teammate as its devastating Rock Polish Sweeper set appreciates the entry hazards Greninja can set up for it, whittling down Pokemon into KO range and giving it an even easier time sweeping. Normal Arceus is in a similar boat with its famous "Extremekiller" set, as once it sets up a Swords Dance, the extra damage from Greninja's hazards make its job even easier. Geomancy Xerneas, another dangerous setup sweeper, also appreciates hazards for the same reason. Though its use has declined in ORAS due to the addition of Primal Groudon, Choice Specs Kyogre and Choice Scarf Kyogre appreciate having their checks and counters, such as Arceus-Grass and Primal Groudon, crippled by Poison and residual damage from Spikes, as this makes its job as a wallbreaker and revenge killer easier. For instance, Choice Specs Kyogre can KO Arceus-Grass with Water Spout or Ice Beam after residual damage from poison and accumulated spikes damage, as well as put additional pressure onto it as Arceus-Grass tends to be used for Defog, forcing it to choose between switching out and leaving hazards on its side of the field, or removing them and risk being KOed in the process. Fast users of Taunt such as Mewtwo, Mega Mewtwo X, Mega Mewtwo Y, and Darkrai can prevent the opponent from Defogging when Greninja isn't out or when Greninja has already been KOed. Unlike these four, Yveltal won't be able to stop Arceus formes from Defogging with Taunt since it is outsped by it, but it can Taunt Origin Giratina since it outspeeds it and forces it out due to its hard hitting Super Effective Dark attacks. Yveltal also has the benefit of running U-turn, not only allowing you to preserve momentum, but also allowing you to safely switch back into Greninja if needed. Darkrai can also beat Origin Giratina, but is more effective if Greninja runs Night Slash over Toxic Spikes so that it can use Dark Void without there being a conflict of status. A ghost type as a Spinblocker helps deal with Excadrill, whose ability to remove entry hazards is not impeded by Taunt. Though Origin Giratina is commonly used as a Defogger, it is also an effective Spinblocker since it also walls Excadrill's other attacks, and can force switches with Dragon Tail, further racking up entry hazard damage and wearing down the opponent's team. Mega Gengar can also check Extremekiller Arceus-Normal and Deoxys-Speed, and is helpful if Greninja is running both Spikes and Toxic Spikes since it will not be able to handle Deoxys-Speed without Night Slash. Mega Gengar is also great for trapping in general, removing a Pokemon from the game that would otherwise be able to stop Greninja or otherwise remove its entry hazards. Choice Scarf users: Darkrai is one of the few common lead Pokemon that can not only outspeed Greninja, but can also stop it entirely with Dark Void while simultaneously breaking its Focus Sash from the residual damage from Bad Dreams. A Choice Scarf user helps deal with Darkrai by outspeeding it and potentially KOing it or forcing it out. Genesect is good in this regard as not only does it force Darkrai out, but also has STAB U-turn that can allow you to pivot back into Greninja, and for this reason is also a good anti-lead against an opponent's lead Deoxys-Speed if your Greninja is not running Night Slash. Zekrom can also do the same with Volt Switch, but will not hit Darkrai or Deoxys-Speed for super effective damage and is blocked entirely by Primal Groudon. While Kyogre, Zekrom, and Xerneas are also effective Choice Scarf users, they require a little more prediction to use than Genesect, as being locked into the wrong move can give your opponent a free opportunity to use Defog as you switch out. ORAS Singles Ubers Checks and Counters to Greninja By virtue of Magic Bounce, Mega Sableye completely shuts down Greninja by redirecting Greninja's entry hazards back onto Greninja's side of the field, and takes minimal damage from Greninja's Shadow Sneak. In addition to using Defog to remove Greninja's entry hazards, Scizor/Mega Scizor can also 2HKO Greninja with Bullet Punch as Greninja tries to Taunt it. By virtue of its steel type, Scizor/Mega Scizor is also immune to Toxic Spikes, so it can come in much easier than other grounded Defoggers. Despite being Super Effective, Greninja's Night Slash and Shadow Sneak will fail to OHKO Origin Giratina, while Origin Giratina can just 2HKO back with its own Shadow Sneak, or OHKO after Stealth Rock if Greninja tries to use its own Shadow Sneak. Origin Giratina also does not care about Spikes or Toxic Spikes, being immune to both of them due to Levitate, while Defogging them away if Greninja doesn't use Taunt. Alternatively, Origin Giratina can just phaze Greninja out with Dragon Tail, which deals 59% damage minimum, 2HKOing it and breaking the Focus Sash. Priority users: Choice Scarf users: Being able to outspeed Greninja, Choice Scarf and Priority users can limit it to only one set of entry hazards. Zekrom and Genesect can also use Volt Switch and U-turn, respectively, to safely pivot into another Pokemon such as a priority user or Defogger. Rayquaza and Deoxys-Attack, though the latter is pathetically weak to Shadow Sneak, can outprioritize Shadow Sneak with Extremespeed and hit Greninja hard. Being slower than Greninja, Ho-oh has a 50% chance of bypassing Greninja's Focus Sash and OHKOing it with Sacred Fire due to its absurdly high burn rate by playing around the fact that Protean will remove Greninja's Water typing, limiting it to only one set of hazards. Primal Groudon's support set is in a similar boat, OHKOing Greninja with the combination of Burn with STAB Lava Plume under Desolate Lands, but it should be noted that Lava Plume has only a 30% burn rate compared to Sacred Fire's 50%. Mega Kangaskhan does not care about Focus Sash, as Parental Bond will allow her to easily bypass it and OHKO Greninja. Mega Mewtwo X is the only form of Mewtwo that is not 2HKOed by the combination of Night Slash and Shadow Sneak, and can Taunt Greninja to prevent it from setting up entry hazards while 2HKOing it with Zen Headbutt if it tries to Shadow Sneak while Greninja only has a 44% chance to 3HKO with Shadow Sneak. If Mega Mewtwo X runs Bulk Up, Shadow Sneak becomes a guaranteed 4HKO if Greninja uses Shadow Sneak first. Doubles OU Overview ORAS Doubles OU Viability: C Viability changes from X&Y Doubles OU: C -> C At first glance, one will notice that Greninja gains the exclusive move Mat Block. In a Double battle, Mat Block essentially works like Protect, except that it affects both Greninja and its teammate from everything that isnt a status move. Surely one would think that Mat Block is an improved version of Wide Guard, as it protects both Pokemon from all damaging attacks rather than spread moves like Earthquake, until one sees that it can only be used on the first turn just like Fake Out. But Fake Out is an excellent move in Doubles, so why is Greninja ranked so low? The main reason is because unlike Wide Guard, Protect, and Fake Out, Mat Block has no priority. While this may not look like an issue at first glance since Greninja is naturally fast to begin with, this leaves Greninja completely at the mercy of faster Pokemon and priority users. Sending Greninja out to use Mat Block to avoid your Trick Room setter from being KOed? Say hello to Fake Out and a wasted turn. Furthermore, while Greninja's frailty is almost a non-issue in Singles, Doubles favors bulky Pokemon that can take a hit, which Greninja cannot do. Greninja's speed also accounts for much less when speed control measures such as Tailwind and Trick Room are much much more common. However, Greninja does have a few things going for it, such as Protean, giving it STAB on all of its attacks ORAS OU Doubles Moveset: Attacker Ability: Protean / Item: @Life Orb or Focus Sash Nature: Naive w/ EVs: 4 Attack / 252 Sp.Attack / 252 Speed Moves: Hydro Pump / Ice Beam or Blizzard / Rock Slide, Dark Pulse, or Low Kick / Protect Tips: Hydro Pump is Greninja's strongest move, and is necessary to get the KO on Pokemon such as Gengar, Mega Lucario, and Rotom-Heat. The 2nd set is dedicated to Ice type coverage, so Ice Beam fits this purpose. Blizzard should only be used if running Hail with Mega Abomasnow, as it gives Greninja a powerful spread move. Both attacks are also able to OHKO Mega Salamence, one of the most threatening Pokemon in ORAS Doubles. For the third slot, Rock Slide, while being physical, allows Greninja to attempt a flinch on either opponent due to its naturally high base speed, and can also OHKO Mega Charizard Y due to Protean. Low Kick can be used instead, as it lets Greninja deal big damage to Pokemon such Mega Kangaskhan, Tyranitar, Terrakion, Ferrothorn. Dark Pulse can also be used, as it is Greninja's best option against Aegislash. Protect is crucial to any Pokemon in Doubles and Greninja is no exception, especially since Greninja is very vulnerable. The above EV spread makes Greninja as fast and as powerful as possible, without taking away from either of its offense stats. Life Orb increases Greninja's damage output even further, while Focus Sash gives it much needed longevity, forcing the opponent to double target Greninja in order to KO it. It is best to use Greninja as a lead, using Protect to scout for potential Choice Scarf users or to both incoming Fake Outs. Recommended Teammates: Mega Kangaskhan, Mega Mawile, Talonflame, and Mega Salamence can all help Greninja deal with slower Pokemon that can KO Greninja by virtue of their sheer offensive power. Mega Salamence in particular can also dampen physical attackers with Intimidate prior to Mega Evolving. Mega Kangaskhan also has access to Fake Out, easing the pressure on Greninja so that it only has to worry about being attacked by 1 Pokemon instead of two. Mega Abomasnow can provide hail to Greninja so that it can fire off 100% accuracy Blizzards, though should not be used with Focus Sash as Hail will break it. Furthermore, Greninja can run Dark Pulse to break most Pokemon that resist Blizzard, namely Aegislash. Due to Greninja's frailty, redirecting attacks using Follow Me or Rage Powder is not out of the question, though Greninja now only need to worry about spread damage moves. ORAS Singles OU Checks and Counters to Greninja Rotom-Wash can easily take a hit from any of Greninja's attacks and hit back with Thunderbolt, or burn Greninja's teammate. Speed Control users () Greninja's high speed is much easier to circumvent in Doubles, as without it, Greninja is essentially a frail Pokemon and a prime target for a KO. Choice Scarf & Priority users () Being able to outspeed Greninja is an easy way to KO it. Breloom and Conkeldurr, in particular, has STAB super effective Mach Punches to destroy Greninja with before it can change its type. Mega Kangaskhan and Scrafty can not only outspeed with Fake Out, but also flinch Greninja while breaking its Focus Sash. In addition to hitting hard with Sucker Punch and potentially KOing Greninja with it, even when resisted, Mega Mawile also stomachs any attack Greninja can throw at it, resisting Ice Beam and Dark Pulse, while surviving Hydro Pump and Low Kick. Outside of Rock Slide and Blizzard, Greninja cannot do much if its attacks are being redirected by Follow Me and Rage Powder away from their intended targets. Even if Greninja does manage to KO them (Togekiss and Amoonguss are susceptible to Ice Beam), it leaves itself open to their teammate, who more than likely have an easier time KOing Greninja than the Follow Me/Rage Powder user can. Pokemon capable of naturally outspeeding Greninja, such as Sky Shaymin, Mega Sceptile and Deoxys-Attack, can hit it with powerful attacks such Seed Flare, though the former two do not like Ice Beam. + + + Pokemon capable of doubling their speed under weather through the use of Chlorophyll, Swift Swim, and Sand Rush can also take advantage of outspeeding Greninja and KOing it. Swift Swimmers in particular can stomach most of Greninja's attacks by nature of their Water typing, even when under Rain, while Ludicolo is 4x resistant to Hydro Pump. Venusaur and Excadrill, however, are susceptible to Ice Beam and Hydro Pump, respectively, though Mega Charizard Y's Drought will severely hamper Greninja's damage output with Hydro Pump, while striking hard with Solar Beam. External Links Smogon Analysis (Singles OU) Smogon Analysis (Singles Ubers)

As a wallbreaker I can't say I'm too thrilled about Mega Moltres outclassing Mega Charizard Y like that. True, Char Y does get Focus Blast as a coverage move while Moltres doesn't, but that extra speed and Sp.Attack kind of pushes it over the edge imo. I could see maybe Mega Zapdos having 120 base speed as its the fastest of the un-Mega'd birds, but Moltres would be 100~110 at best Also just want to point out that Hurricane would be garbage on Mega Moltres since Drought is reducing its accuracy to 50%.

HP: 10-13 Atk: 24-29 Def: 31 S.Atk: 31 S.Def: 0-3 Speed: 31 Based on Serebii's IV calculator and the screenshot above.

Kind of breaking my own rules here in regards to abilities but I just realized; Gengar and Alakazam got Mega Evolutions, but the other two original trade evolutions didnt? Mega Machamp Normal base stats: 90 / 130 / 80 / 65 / 85 / 55 Mega base stats: 90 / 150 / 115 / 65 / 95 / 90 Ability: Guts / No Guard / Steadfast (HA) -> All-or-Nothing* Ability Name: All-or-Nothing Effect: Heightens the effectiveness of Super Effective attacks, but all other attacks have no effect. Description: If the user uses a Super Effective attack on the opponent, the effectiveness of that attack is raised to x4 regardless of the original type effectiveness on the opponent. All attacks that do not hit the opponent for Super Effective damage will instead have its type effectiveness reduced to x0. Ever since Conkeldurr was introduced, Machamp fell into competitive obscurity as it was outclassed. By giving Machamp a Mega Evolution, it now functions as a dangerous wallbreaker, as all Super Effective attacks now become x4 effectiveness even if the opponent is not 4x weak to the attack. To put things into perspective, a 252 HP / 252 Def Bold Mega Slowbro is now 2HKOed by All-or-Nothing Knock Off after Stealth Rock, an attack that would normally be a 4HKO against it. Even 4 HP / 252 Def Bold Eviolite Chansey is cleanly OHKOed by an All-or-Nothing Cross Chop where it would otherwise survive it. Just to put things into perspective: 252+ Atk Mega Machamp All-or-Nothing Cross Chop vs. 4 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Chansey: 1056-1244 (164.4 - 193.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO 252+ Atk Mega Machamp All-or-Nothing Cross Chop vs. 252 HP / 88+ Def Ferrothorn: 536-632 (152.2 - 179.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO 252+ Atk Mega Machamp All-or-Nothing Knock Off (65 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mega Slowbro: 162-192 (41.1 - 48.7%) -- 74.2% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock 252+ Atk Mega Machamp All-or-Nothing Knock Off (65 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mega Latias: 220-260 (60.4 - 71.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock 252+ Atk Mega Machamp All-or-Nothing Fire Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Skarmory: 226-268 (67.6 - 80.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock 252+ Atk Mega Machamp All-or-Nothing Fire Punch vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Mega Metagross: 282-332 (93.3 - 109.9%) -- 93.8% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock While something of this caliber surely seems like Ubers material, the drawback to Mega Machamp's ability is that if the move it uses is not Super Effective, the opponent is essentially immune to that attack. Therefore, having as much super effective coverage is even more crucial, and regardless of what set Mega Machamp runs, it will always find itself walled by Mega Sableye, who can simply burn it with Will-o-Wisp or use it as setup bait.

I'd just like to point out that with Mega Rayquaza now being banned from Ubers, that that PotW is outdated. However, normal Rayquaza can still be substituted for any instance of Mega Ray. Rayquaza will eventually be revisited in a future PotW once Ubers has settled down in the aftermath of Rayquaza's Mega Evolution being the very first Pokemon to be banned from ubers.

Well this was... unexpected... http://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/ubers-is-now-a-tier-a-new-metagame-called-anything-goes-is-added-m-ray-is-banned-from-ubers.3523205/#post-5889461 So yeah. Ubers is now its own tier, Mega Rayquaza just got quickbanned from Ubers, and new meta called AG (Anything Goes) is now the spiritual successor to old Ubers.

With Mega Salamence being officially banned from Singles OU, the S+ Rank has been removed for Singles OU.

And the first casualty of ORAS OU is Mega Salamence: Source: http://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/salamencite-is-now-banned-to-ubers.3523082/ As the above damage calculations prove, taking down M-Salamence is incredibly hard, even if it opts to not invest in bulk at all. 2) Stupidly powerful offensive presence Mega Salamence receives a significant boost in both its offensive stats and Speed. With 145 / 120 offenses combined with Aerilate, 120 base Speed and an extremely large movepool, Mega Salamence is one of the most unpredictable and hard hitting sweepers in the game. No Pokémon outside of Eviolite Porygon-2 can safely switch into Mega Salamence. A few damage calculations will show how easy it is for Mega Salamence to sweep/wallbreak against the vast majority of the OU metagame: While its most common set (Substitute / Roost / Dragon Dance / Return) can be walled by Skarmory, Heatran, Zapdos and defensive Rotom-W (assuming it has Hidden Power Ice), all of the aforementioned Pokémon can be defeated with the appropriate move. For instance, Mega Salamence can use Fire Blast for Skarmory, Earthquake for Heatran and Outrage/Draco Meteor for Rotom. On top of that, Mega Salamence can run many other sets such as: Sub Dragon Dance 2 attacks, Roost 3 attacks, Dragon Dance 3 attacks, Dragon Dance Roost 2 attacks, Dragon Dance Refresh, fully Special, and so on, which are all viable. While they are not equally as effective as the most common set, this means that there is no surefire counter to Mega Salamence. While the same can be said for other offensive OU powerhouses, none of them have the same combination of offensive presence, staying power and Speed as Mega Salamence. In the end, it's safe to say that Mega Salamence’s presence in the Overused tier simply overshadows the worth of using other Megas. 3) Centralization and negative effects on team building For the reasons listed in the above two paragraphs, every team has to overprepare to "counter" Mega Salamence. The amount of teams that run obscure and niche counters/revenge killers on the ladder is impressive. People are forced to run defensive Porygon-2, HP Ice Rotom-W, defensive Zapdos and Cresselia in order to deal with the threat that Mega Salamence represents. On top of that, none of these Pokémon are exactly viable on offensive teams, meaning that said teams are either forced to run gimmicks such as Choice Scarf Greninja in order to revenge kill Mega Salamence or to completely twist their structure and sacrifice a Pokémon slot to carry a dedicated answer to it. While we aren't directly using the 4th Generation suspect characteristics anymore in order to address bans, they still provide a reliable framework to assess the situation. By looking at the Offensive Characteristic: it's easy to notice how Mega Salamence perfectly fits this definition. Nonetheless, Mega Salamence also falls under the Support Characteristic: Considering that it can easily eliminate or severely weaken common defensive cores, this makes it easy for other Pokémon (such as Talonflame) to sweep even teams that are prepared to handle the so called "bird spam" strategies. For all the reasons listed above, the OU Council has decided to place Mega Salamence in Ubers with immediate effect. Now onto the Greninja suspect test...

Do I really have to step in? Trini, nobody is making fun of you. More than likely they're not being serious, like the very nature of this thread. I was kind of expecting something like this to happen, so either diffuse the situation or I'll have to end up locking the thread if it happens again.

Except now I cant outspeed HP Fire Latis and speed tie with Mega Gallade

Just because you can make your own moveset doesn't mean it'll be good. X&Y has been out for a year, people have tested what movesets work and what movesets don't work. And there is a such thing as one Pokemon using a particular moveset when another Pokemon can do the same thing but better. Case in point; Mega Medicham vs Mega Gallade. My point being, saying that people are too lazy to create their own movesets is not only an ill-informed opinion, but easily mistaken for trolling.

So Smogon updated their Doubles Viability Ranks, with the addition of splitting the C rank into C+ and C: : B -> S (+5) : S -> A- (-3) : A+ -> A (-1) : A -> A+ (+1) : C -> A+ (+7) : A+ -> A (-1) : A -> A- (-1) : A -> A- (-1) : A -> B+ (-2) : B+ -> A (+2) : A- -> B+ (-1) : A- -> B+ (-1) : Unranked -> A- (+8) : C -> B+ (+5) : B -> B+ (+1) : Unranked -> B (+6) : C -> B (+3) (Small): B -> B- (-1) : C -> B (+3) : Unranked -> B (+6) : Unranked -> B (+6) : Unranked -> B- (+5) : Unranked -> B- (+5) : C -> C+ (+1) : Unranked -> C+ (+4) : C -> C+ (+1) : C -> C+ (+1) : C -> C+ (+1) : C -> C+ (+1) : Unranked -> C+ (+4) : C -> C+ (+1) : C -> C+ (+1) : C -> C+ (+1) : Unranked -> C (+3) : Unranked -> C (+3) : Unranked -> C (+3)

I already mentioned Lugia in the analysis, and it needs Reflect and Whirlwind/Dragon Tail in order to reliably beat Mega Rayquaza 1-on-1. Also lol Blizzard (lol attacking Lugia in general). Noobie, I strongly suggest using some kind of damage calculator next time you say Pokemon X can beat Pokemon Y with Z move, it'll really strengthen your argument But just for the record, Lugia's Blizzard does pathetic damage to MegaRayquaza while MegaQuaza 2HKOs back without Reflect up: 0 SpA Lugia Blizzard vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Mega Rayquaza in Strong Winds: 136-160 (38.7 - 45.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO +2 252+ Atk Life Orb Mega Rayquaza Dragon Ascent vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Multiscale Lugia: 214-252 (51.5 - 60.7%) -- 94.1% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery Speaking of Lugia, many defensive Ubers teams have been running Lugia + Mega Sableye + Primal Groudon as their defensive core just for Mega Ray. P-Groudon loses to MegaRay, but it is the most reliable Stealth Rock setter in Ubers at the moment, and Mega Ray hates losing 25% health every time it switches in, especially if Lugia is phazing it out, and Mega Sableye just laughs at any attempt to set up Stealth Rock which would otherwise make MegaRay's job even easier. EDIT: Turns out Extremekiller Arceus can revenge kill weakened MegaRayquaza as long as its HP is below 54%, (216 Speed EVs is enough to outspeed MegaRayquaza and MegaRay's +2 Extremespeed only 2HKOs Arceus anyway). +2 Dragon Ascent eats it alive, though.

Too bad its Hardy or I'd ask you to surrender it trade it over to me if it was Naive :p

Even if it did (which Azumarill shouldnt be using anyway lol): +1 252+ Atk Life Orb Mega Rayquaza Dragon Ascent vs. 228 HP / 0 Def Azumarill through Reflect: 322-380 (80.9 - 95.4%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock

252+ Atk Life Orb Mega Rayquaza Dragon Ascent vs. 228 HP / 0 Def Azumarill: 430-508 (108 - 127.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO How is Azumarill countering Mega Rayquaza with Play Rough again?

Also because I forgot to post this before: +2 252+ Atk Life Orb Mega Rayquaza Gyro Ball (16 BP) vs. 16 HP / 0 Def Azumarill: 78-92 (22.6 - 26.6%) -- 26.5% chance to 4HKO Thats with a Swords Dance boost, 0 Speed EVs, 0 Speed IVs, and a Brave nature. Also Dragon Ascent takes care of the Fairy types that give MegaRayray issues, even Arceus-Fairy risks being OHKOed by it, as I mentioned in the Checks & Counters list.

People use those movesets because they work.

This thread's purpose is to introduce people to the various roles that Pokemon can do on a team, in the hopes that this will create better team builders. This list is not comprehensive, but only serves to provide examples of the roles. Do note that some Pokemon species can fulfill multiple roles depending on its moveset, but the roles that a Pokemon can do effectively are largely determined by its base stats. Sweeper This role you are probably most familar with. These are Pokemon that are, once setting up with a boosting move, can sweep through an opponent's team and take out a large number of Pokemon without having to switch out. Effective Sweepers are Pokemon that have both high physical attack stat and high speed, or are capable of boosting both such as through Dragon Dance, so that they can outspeed the opponent's team while hitting hard. Because these Pokemon are primarily offensive, they prefer holding a Life Orb to maximize their damage output, while using a +speed nature such as Jolly to guarantee that they will be as fast as possible, though exceptions do exist. Since many effective sweepers are physical, they absolutely hate being burned, and paralysis can also cut their sweep short. These Pokemon are most effective late in the game when their checks and counters have been successfully removed. Note that some Sweepers who rely on Swords Dance or Nasty Plot can also double as Wallbreakers, which will be detailed below. Example Sweepers: Ability: Blaze (Tough Claws) / Item: @Charizardite X Nature: Adamant w/ EVs: 96 HP / 252 Attack / 160 Speed Moves: Dragon Dance / Flare Blitz / Dragon Claw / Roost Ability: Steadfast or Justified (Inner Focus) / Item: @Galladite Nature: Jolly w/ EVs: 252 Attack / 4 Defense / 252 Speed Moves: Swords Dance / Close Combat / Psycho Cut / Ice Punch, Knock Off, or Shadow Sneak Ability: Rough Skin / Item: @Lum Berry or Life Orb Nature: Jolly w/ EVs: 4 HP / 252 Attack / 252 Speed Moves: Swords Dance / Earthquake / Dragon Claw or Outrage / Fire Fang, Substitute, or Stone Edge Cleaner A Cleaner is a variation of a sweeper. It fulfills a similar purpose as a Sweeper, but these Pokemon generally do not have a way to boost their offense stat, yet are very fast. Similar to sweepers, these Pokemon are best saved until late game to "clean up" weakened Pokemon that are left behind. It should be noted that Cleaners may lack the same offensive power as Sweepers. Pokemon that utilize a Choice Scarf may also double as a cleaner due to the nature of their boosted speed, but unlike Sweepers, these Pokemon usually require the opponent's team to be weakened first before they can effectively clean up. Example Cleaners: Ability: Protean / Item: @Life Orb Nature: Naive w/ EVs: 44 Attack / 212 Attack / 252 Speed Moves: Gunk Shot / Ice Beam / Dark Pulse / Low Kick or Hydro Pump Ability: Intimidate / Item: @Leftovers Nature: Adamant w/ EVs: 56 HP / 220 Attack / 232 Speed Moves: Earthquake / Stone Edge / Rock Polish / Swords Dance Ability: Pressure (Tough Claws) / Item: @Aerodactylite Nature: Adamant w/ EVs: 252 Attack / 4 Defense / 252 Speed Moves: Stone Edge / Ice Fang / Aerial Ace / Earthquake or Fire Fang Wall Walls are, as the name implies, Pokemon that are very great defensively, but can't do much offensively. Good walls typically have some kind of recovery move such as Recover or Softboiled. Walls are typically found on Stall teams, where they aim to switch in repeatedly and absorb hits reliably. Since they Pokemon dont hit very hard, they are often relegated to support roles such as setting up Stealth Rock, inflicting status, or phazing out opponents. Example Walls: Ability: Natural Cure / Item: @Eviolite Nature: Bold w/ EVs: 4 HP / 252 Defense / 252 Sp.Defense Moves: Softboiled / Heal Bell or Stealth Rock / Seismic Toss / Toxic, Thunder Wave, or Stealth Rock Ability: Levitate / Item: @Leftovers Nature: Calm w/ EVs: 252 HP / 4 Defense / 252 Sp.Defense Moves: Psychic or Moonblast / Moonlight / Reflect / Ice Beam or Thunder Wave Ability: Sturdy / Item: @Shed Shell Nature: Bold or Impish w/ EVs: 252 HP / 252 Defense / 4 Sp.Defense Moves: Defog / Roost / Counter or Brave Bird / Whirlwind or Taunt Wallbreaker As its name implies, a Wallbreaker is a Pokemon that sports tremendous offensive stats in order to "break walls", yet are usually too slow to effectively perform a sweep. These are Pokemon that instead focus on dishing out as much damage as possible right off the bat in order to poke holes in an opponent's defensive cores, enabling another Pokemon to sweep or clean. Some wallbreakers may require the use of a Choice Band or Choice Specs in order to maximize their wallbreaking potential, while some sweepers that utilize Swords Dance can also double as a wallbreaker if their Attack stat is high enough. Example Wallbreakers: Ability: Trace (Pixilate) / Item: @Gardevoirite Nature: Modest or Timid w/ EVs: 24 Defense / 232 Sp.Attack / 252 Speed Moves: Hyper Voice / Psyshock / Focus Blast or Hidden Power Ground / Taunt, Substitute, or Will-o-Wisp Ability: Justified / Item: @Life Orb Nature: Jolly w/ EVs: 252 Attack / 4 Defense / 252 Speed Moves: Swords Dance / Close Combat / Stone Edge / Substitute or Quick Attack Ability: Justified / Item: @Choice Specs Nature: Timid w/ EVs: 4 Defense / 252 Sp.Attack / 252 Speed Moves: Hydro Pump / Scald / Secret Sword / Icy Wind or Hidden Power Flying Stallbreaker Although they perform a similar role as a Wallbreaker, Stallbreakers differ in that rather than smashing through defensive Pokemon with brute force, they aim to shut down defensive teams by denying them access to their non-damaging moves such as Toxic and Recover through to use of Taunt. These Pokemon also provide some kind of offensive presence or otherwise put pressure on defensive Pokemon by whittling them down or outstalling them. While they can be used on Offensive teams, Stallbreakers can also be used on Defensive teams in order to break opposing Stall. Example Stallbreakers: Ability: Poison Heal / Item: @Toxic Orb Nature: Careful w/ EVs: 244 HP / 192 Sp.Defense / 72 Speed Moves: Taunt / Toxic / Roost / Earthquake or Knock Off Ability: Gale Wings / Item: @Leftovers Nature: Careful w/ EVs: 248 HP / 252 Sp.Defense / 8 Speed Moves: Brave Bird / Taunt / Roost / Will-o-Wisp Ability: Prankster (Magic Bounce) / Item: @Sableite Nature: Bold w/ EVs: 252 HP / 252 Defense / 4 Sp.Defense Moves: Will-o-Wisp / Recover / Knock Off / Taunt or Foul Play Revenge Killer As the name suggests, Revenge Killers are Pokemon that can come in after an opponent scores a KO and KO them back. This is usually done through the use of Priority moves or Choice Scarf, to ensure that these Pokemon strike first and strike hard, and can outspeed even Dragon Dance users. Alternatively, Revenge Killers can also be brought in on predicted switches or through slow users of Volt Switch or U-turn, in order to ensure that they get in safely. Example Revenge Killers: Ability: Intimidate / Item: @Choice Scarf Nature: Jolly w/ EVs: 252 Attack / 24 Defense / 232 Speed Moves: Earthquake / Stone Edge / U-turn / Superpower, Knock Off, or Explosion Ability: Gale Wings / Item: @Choice Band Nature: Adamant w/ EVs: 252 Attack / 4 Defense / 252 Speed Moves: Brave Bird / Flare Blitz / U-turn / Tailwind or Roost Ability: Teravolt / Item: @Choice Scarf Nature (1): Naughty or Naive w/ EVs: 252 Attack / 32 Sp.Atk / 224 Speed Nature (2): Adamant or Jolly w/ EVs: 32 HP / 252 Attack / 224 Speed Moves: Outrage / Dragon Claw / Fusion Bolt / Ice Beam or Iron Head Tank Tanks are sort of a hybrid between an attacker and a wall, in that they sport nice defensive bulk while also maintaining an offensive presence. Commonly found on Bulky Offense teams, these Pokemon are not only able to sponge hits, but are also able to dish out damage in return. These Pokemon either have a naturally high Defense or Sp.Defense stat, or are capable of utilizing Assault Vest without any drawbacks that would hinder their effectiveness. Example Tanks: Ability: Huge Power / Item: @Assault Vest Nature: Adamant w/ EVs: 16 HP / 252 Attack / 240 Sp.Defense Moves: Play Rough / Waterfall / Aqua Jet / Knock Off Pivots Pivots are Pokemon that are used mainly for switching. More defensive pivots switch in to take an attack and then generally switch back out as the opponent is forced to switch out, thus disrupting an opponent's momentum. More offensively inclined pivots gain momentum for the player by threatening the opponent with a KO and thus force a switch. Momentum can be gained with pivots either by hard switching or using indirect switching through the use of Volt Switch, U-turn, or Baton Pass. Example Pivots: Ability: Blaze (Tough Claws) / Item: @Charizardite X Nature: Careful w/ EVs: 248 HP / 180 Sp.Defense / 80 Speed Moves: Will-o-Wisp / Dragon Claw or Earthquake / Earthquake or Flare Blitz / Roost Ability: Lightning Rod (Intimidate) / Item: @Manectite Nature: Timid w/ EVs: 4 Defense / 252 Sp.Attack / 252 Speed Moves: Thunderbolt / Overheat / Hidden Power Ice / Volt Switch Ability: Regenerator / Item: @Life Orb Nature: Naive w/ EVs: 76 Attack / 216 Sp.Attack / 216 Speed Moves: Hurricane / Superpower / U-turn / Taunt Ability: Regenerator / Item: @Assault Vest Nature: Timid w/ EVs: 132 HP / 160 Sp.Attack / 216 Speed Moves: Hurricane / Focus Blast / U-turn / Knock Off Trappers Trappers are Pokemon designed to put an opponent or a specific Pokemon into a lose-lose situation, putting them in a situation where it is too dangerous for them to stay in and attack, and also too dangerous to switch out. This is most commonly done through the use of Pursuit, Magnet Pull, and Shadow Tag, where the former is used to eliminate annoying Psychic and Ghost types, while the latter two prevent the opponent from switching entirely and can reliably eliminate a check or counter to your team's win condition. Common examples in OU include Pursuit for Latios, Magnet Pull for Skarmory and Ferrothorn, and Shadow Tag for Chansey. Example Trappers: Ability: Sand Stream / Item: @Choice Scarf Nature: Jolly w/ EVs: 252 Attack / 4 Sp.Defense / 252 Speed Moves: Stone Edge / Pursuit / Ice Punch / Super Power Ability: Defiant / Item: @Assault Vest Nature: Adamant w/ EVs: 64 HP / 252 Attack / 192 Sp.Defense Moves: Sucker Punch / Pursuit / Iron Head / Knock Off Ability: Magnet Pull / Item: @Choice Scarf Nature: Timid w/ EVs: 4 Def / 252 Sp.Attack / 252 Speed Moves: Thunderbolt / Flash Cannon / Hidden Power Fire / Volt Switch Status Absorbers Status Absorbers are Pokemon that are either immune to, can easily remove, or can take advantage of common status conditions such as Burn, Poison, and Paralysis. Pokemon that know both Rest and Sleep Talk can also fall under this category. Example Status Absorbers: Ability: Natural Cure / Item: @Eviolite Nature: Bold w/ EVs: 4 HP / 252 Defense / 252 Sp.Defense Moves: Softboiled / Heal Bell or Stealth Rock / Seismic Toss / Toxic, Thunder Wave, or Stealth Rock Ability: Poison Heal / Item: @Toxic Orb Nature: Careful w/ EVs: 244 HP / 192 Sp.Defense / 72 Speed Moves: Taunt / Toxic / Roost / Earthquake or Knock Off Ability: Prankster (Magic Bounce) / Item: @Sableite Nature: Bold w/ EVs: 252 HP / 252 Defense / 4 Sp.Defense Moves: Will-o-Wisp / Recover / Knock Off / Taunt or Foul Play Phazers Short for "Pseudo Hazer" or "False Hazer", the term originates from Gen 2 where Haze used to be the most common way to deal with dangerous stat boost users such as Snorlax until people began to realize that forcing them out with Roar and Whirlwind was a much more reliable method of dealing with them. Phazers force an opponent to switch out not by putting them into a disadvantageous situation where the best possible move is to switch out, but forcefully causes them to switch out to a random teammate. This can be done through the use of Roar, Whirlwind, or Dragon Tail, but Perish Song and Yawn can also fall into this category. Phazing an opponent has more applications than just dealing with setup sweepers, as it can also be used to rack up entry hazard damage. Example Phazers: Ability: Sturdy / Item: @Shed Shell Nature: Bold or Impish w/ EVs: 252 HP / 252 Defense / 4 Sp.Defense Moves: Defog / Roost / Counter or Brave Bird / Whirlwind Ability: Sandstream / Item: @Leftovers Nature: Impish w/ EVs: 252 HP / 144 Defense / 112 Sp.Defense Moves: Earthquake / Stealth Rock / Slack Off / Whirlwind Clerics & Wishpassers A Cleric is a Pokemon that supports its teammates by keeping them healthy. This is usually accomplished through the use of Wish for HP healing, and Heal Bell or Aromatherapy to keep them free of debilitating status conditions. These Pokemon are most commonly found on Stall and Balance teams due to their defensive capabilities. Example Clerics & Wishpassers: Ability: Natural Cure / Item: @Eviolite Nature: Bold w/ EVs: 4 HP / 252 Defense / 252 Sp.Defense Moves: Softboiled / Heal Bell / Seismic Toss / Toxic, Thunder Wave, or Stealth Rock Ability: Regenerator / Item: @Leftovers Nature: Calm w/ EVs: 36 HP / 220 Defense / 252 Sp.Defense Moves: Scald / Wish / Protect / Toxic or Knock Off Ability: Unaware / Item: @Leftovers Nature: Bold w/ EVs: 252 HP / 252 Defense / 4 Sp.Defense Moves: Moonblast / Heal Bell / Wish / Protect

If you're using Gyro Ball on a Pokemon with base 115 speed then you're using it wrong.