Top 10 Titans of the ORAS Monotype Metagame

[Vid]

Top 10 Titans of ORAS Monotype

(most of this is stolen from other titan projects)
(banner coming soon..)
approved by scpinion ​

ORAS Monotype was a big step up from BW and XY monotype as the Monotype community continued to grow. ORAS Monotype saw the introduction of many different things such as the Monotype Council, the Monotype sub-forum, Monotype analyses, and a unique banlist, to name a few. The new tiering philosophy was implemented, setting actual criteria for a Pokemon to be banned. Many powerful Pokemon were still in the tier during ORAS and a majority of them were banned in an attempt to balance the Monotype metagame.There were many Pokemon that were viable, but a select few stood above the rest in ORAS Monotype.


Although ORAS Monotype was filled with many changes, that isn't the question. The question is: out of all of the Pokemon that graced (or disgraced) the metagame, which Pokemon were the most influential? Consider what impact did the Pokemon have on the metagame. Were specific sets ran to counter or check them? How did they shape the metagame as a whole?


The format is quite simple from: October 2nd-October 16th nominations of possible titans should be posted in this thread. After that, there will be voting stages ranking the Pokemon from 1-10 to determine which Pokemon were most influential in the ORAS Monotype metagame. Keep in mind that the list is not based on how good the Pokemon but how influential the Pokemon was in the ORAS Monotype metagame.


As a general rule of thumb, we'll be starting after the ban of Mawilite and Slowbronite, which means Pokemon such as Mega Salamence, Talonflame, Mega Slowbro, and Mega Mawile won't be allowed. This is mostly because there was not an established tiering philosophy during XY and Early ORAS. As a friendly reminder, please do not nominate Pokemon that aren't influential in the Monotype metagame.

Posting Format

Nominating [Pokemon]

Enter sprite or animated model here.

What effect did [Pokemon] have on the metagame?

Explain how the Pokemon effected the metagame as whole, and how the metagame adapted around it. A brief description of which Pokemon it countered and which Pokemon it did well against would be good here as well.

In what main roles was [Pokemon] used?

Explain why this Pokemon was used on a team more often then most other Pokemon, and what was it particularly used for? What made it so good at this role?

What caused it to have a significant impact?

What exactly made this Pokemon have such a large impact on the metagame? Was it its stats, ability, useful resistances, amazing synergy, or the ability to sweep most of the metagame very easily? Did a certain Pokemon cause it to become that much better when it was partnered with it?

How do/did you deal with this Pokemon in ORAS Monotype?

What are the best checks/counters to this Pokemon? How does the metagame adapt to this Pokemon?​

Current Nominations

Scizor

Hoopa-Unbound​

Zapdos​

Mega Gyarados

Greninja

Mega Sableye

Politoed
Top 10 Titans of ORAS Monotype Metagame
1.​

 

[Vid]

reserved

 

[Catalystic]

TBH anything that got suspected or was directly banned probably gets an easy entry into the titan list. I'm going to do something that's borderline but didn't actually get banned:

Nominating Scizor

What effect did Scizor have on the metagame?

Scizor and Scizor-Mega are two of the most common SD setup sweepers in the metagame, forcing almost every team to keep a Scizor check in mind when building. Victini on psychic, Keldeo on Fighting, HP Fire Mega Venusaur on Grass and Poison, and Foul Play Porygon-2 all emerged on their respective types as prominent checks to this offensive sweeper. Scizor-Mega's power comes not only from the offensive prowess in combination with priority, but also the fantastic defensive typing, being only weak to fire. The typing alongside the solid 70/140/100 defensive stats enabled it to set up on many offensive threats.

In what main roles was Scizor used?

Scizor was primarily used as a setup sweeper on steel, but played a variety of roles on bug, as a slow pivot, revenge killer, and as a setup sweeper. The versatility on bug and the power on steel made it a staple on each of the respective types (after genesect was banned). Bullet punch, boosted by technician, equates to a base 90 move combined with STAB, making Scizor powerful and also quick.

What caused it to have a significant impact?

Scizor's impacted the metagame by forcing every type to ensure they do not automatically lose to a +2 Scizor. On steel, fantastic teammates, Skarmory and Heatran, wall many of the threats that check Scizor, providing fantastic team support to attempt a sweep. On bug, offensive pressure from Heracross, Volcarona, and Pinsir-Mega pressure opposing walls that stop Scizor, and Scizor in return revenge kills or sweeps late game after a Swords Dance. Overall, Scizor had fantastic team support on both types and can perform its role extraordinarily well.

How do/did you deal with this Pokemon in ORAS Monotype?

While Scizor is extremely threatening, many checks still exist for this titan.

• Victini on Psychic
• Skarmory and Heatran on Steel
• Keldeo on Water and Fighting
• Garchomp on Dragon and Ground
• Skarmory and Heat Wave Zapdos on Flying

Overall, the metagame adapted to always ensure that teams didn't automatically lose to Scizor. The powerful setup capabilities combine with solid defensive typing and stats make Scizor a solid candidate for an ORAS titan.

 

[Dece1t]

Nominating Zapdos

What effect did Zapdos have on the metagame?

In the beginning Zapdos was a very controversial part of the metagame, being apart of an almost unbreakable Flying Core along with Skarmory and Mega Charizard X. When this raised concerns, and for good reason, Zapdos was type-banned off of Flying teams in an attempt to weaken the core, despite Zapdos by itself not being broken. Once Tye Bans were removed, Zapdos was reintroduced back, and Mega Charizatd X was banned instead, nerfing the core and making Flying a lot more of a balanced type. To this day Zapdos is regarded as the premier Defensive Pivot to use on both Flying and Electric teams. With access to a good speed tier (especially considering for a wall), good support in Defog, great bulk, and the ability to steal slow momentum thanks to Volt Switch, Zapdos to this day is one of the most prevalent parts of the Monotype metagame.

In what main roles was Zapdos used?

It's a no brainer of Flying to run it Special Defensive because of its neutrality to Electric type attacks, so it is able to sponge them better, however on Electric, both Defensive and Special Defensive are viable options to use. It's typically used as, again, a Defensive Pivot and a reliable means of hazard removal.

What caused it to have a significant impact?

Zapdos has the outstanding ability to form great synergy with its partners on both Flying and Electric, which is why it was originally Type Banned from Flying teams in the first place. On Electric, however, Zapdos is considered the centerpiece of the type, with fantastic bulk, and immunity to Ground type attacks. It is also Electric's only viable means of hazard control, making it a must to run in order to have a viable Electric team.

How do you deal with this Pokemon in ORAS Monotype?

While Zapdos is very influential, it does have its fare share of checks and counters. It usually gets 2KO'd by most physical Rock Type attacks, and occasionally strong Ice type attacks. Kyurem-B, Landorus (both forms), Garchomp, Mega Latias, and Armaldo are Pokemon that do a good job in checking it (countering depending on sets). Aside from that though, this Pokemon is very tanky and does a fantastic job in its role.

 

[SirSkit]

Nominating Mega Sableye

What effect did Mega Sableye have on the metagame?

Unlike many of the other banned Pokemon, like Mega Altaria, Mega Charizard X, Mega Metagross, and Greninja, Mega Sableye wasn't known for amazing offensive capabilities, but instead, for the impact that it had toward teambuilding, especially for lower tier types. The idea of a single Pokemon putting restrictions on teambuilding for several types was absurd. This was seen as an unhealthy effect on the tier, so, in a somewhat controversial suspect, Mega Sableye was banned.

Mega Sableye nearly validated Ghost Monotype by itself, and, with its ban from Monotype, Ghost is hardly used in late ORAS and could be seen as one of the least viable types overall. With it gone, some offensive Pokemon that it kept in check like Mega Medicham were able to rise in usage. Dark Monotypes freed up their Mega slot, so Mega Sharpedo, Houndoom, and occasionally even Absol or Tyranitar popped up in response to the rise of Psychic.

In what main roles was Mega Sableye used?

Calm Mind Mega Sableye was one of the more common sets, and it was infamously annoying for types that lacked a good Fairy or Fire type to take down. The utility Mega Sableye set worked toward chipping at other walls and spreading status. Once Mega Evolved, the Mega Sableye user had great control on the hazard game of the match, as Magic Bounce was a great deterrent against hazards. Very few Stealth Rock users could beat Mega Sableye, so it could freely switch in with little repercussion.

Mega Sableye acted as Ghost's sole defensive Dark-type check and hazard control. It even led to the rise of Shedinja Ghost teams, which had somewhat of an anti-meta presence in the metagame. The combination of Aegislash and Mega Sableye was definitely a force to be reckoned with. Mega Sableye definitely was the "glue" that held the team together against higher tier types. As for Dark, it didn't have as crucial of a role, but it operated similarly to Ghost's Mega Sableye. Because of the great defensive backbone in Tyranitar, Mega Sableye, and Mandibuzz, Dark Monotype during this time tended toward balance compared to the offensive Dark playstyles that you see in late ORAS. You could even run into the occasional Umbreon semi-stall Dark team, as its Heal Bell support circumvented Mega Sableye's weakness to moves like Scald or Lava Plume.

What caused it to have a significant impact?

Mega Sableye was a great blanket check for many physical attackers, especially if it still had Prankster Will-O-Wisp at the ready. It could also shut down several passive walls, like Porygon2, Chansey, Skarmory, and Hippowdon, among others. The Calm Mind Mega Sableye set definitely highlighted the weaknesses of lower-tier types, as they often had to resort to mediocre sets in order to reliably beat it. During Mega Sableye's time in the tier, most people found themselves running awkward sets in order to check it comfortably. Some popular examples of this was Toxic Mold Breaker Mega Ampharos, Poison Fang Nidoqueen, and opposing Imprison Mega Sableye. By running these mediocre sets, these Pokemon were hindered in matchups that didn't have Mega Sableye.

How did you deal with Mega Sableye in ORAS Monotype?

Many high tier types had little trouble facing Mega Sableye. Pokemon like Mega Gardevoir, Swords Dance Gliscor, SubCM Keldeo, and Substitute + Dragon Dance Mega Gyarados were already popular in the meta. Lower tier types, however, resorted to "interesting" ways of handling it. Bypassing Magic Bounce and getting status on Mega Sableye was one option for some types, seen by Toxic Synchronize Umbreon, Poison Fang Nidoqueen, or Toxic Mega Ampharos. Some types simply powered through it, like Choice Band Punishment Skuntank, RestTalk Acid Spray Tentacruel, or Frost Breath Walrein. Even Mega Sableye countered other Mega Sableye by using Imprison to cut off its recovery. It was clear that many types could not smoothly adapt to Mega Sableye's presence.

 

[Eien]

Nominating Hoopa-Unbound

What effect did Hoopa-U have on the metagame?
Hoopa-U has been influencing the metagame since it came out. It has been such a controversial piece of this metagame that it has been suspected not once but twice, a feat only shared with the banned Mega Sableye. The primary reason is its incredible strength, which is just unbearable for all teams that are even remotely defensive in nature. Its position on Psychic teams makes the Psychic vs. Psychic mirror matchup solely a Hoopa-U vs. Hoopa-U matchup. Psychic teams that lack Hoopa-U have a very, very poor win rate against this menace. It also once shaped the nature of many Dark matchups, as it could run a Choice Scarf set with Hyperspace Hole to check Fighting-types and Gunk Shot to check Fairy-types. Every team must have some sort of makeshift answer to Hoopa-U. Whether your team is offensive and naturally checks it via. revenge killing or whether your team is defensive and has some lure or trapper to stop it, there's no type that hasn't felt the influence of Hoopa-U.

In what main roles was Hoopa-U used?
With any of the damage-boosting items in Choice Specs, Choice Band, and Life Orb, Hoopa-U is one of the absolute most powerful wallbreaker to "grace" this metagame. The Choice Specs wallbreaker set cannot be switched into by any legal Pokemon in Monotype, making it impossible to counter. This means Choice Specs Hoopa-U is guaranteed a KO if used properly every single time it comes into play. On the other hand, the Choice Band set aims to outright OHKO many Pokemon, as very few Pokemon can survive even one hit. It does lose the ability to KO every single Pokemon in the metagame, but that's the tradeoff for its unclassed power. The final use for Hoopa-U is in a more utility-focused option: Life Orb, which chooses to try to diversify its coverage as much as possible, but it lacks much of the power that the Choice items provide. Alternatively, in the past Hoopa-U featured a Choice Scarf set that tried to cover up its poor Speed. This set was an incredible revenge killer, as it boasted its great base offensive stats, but as the metagame adapted to have some types often carry walls that can check this set, many turned to sets that could not be checked or countered.

What caused it to have a significant impact?
Hoopa-U's strength comes from its absurd base stats: 160 Attack and 170 Special Attack. When combined with its ability to run a damage-boosting item and its fantastic STAB options in Hyperspace Fury, Dark Pulse, and Psyshock, backed by great coverage in Thunderbolt, Focus Blast, Gunk Shot, and Energy Ball, it's no real surprise that Hoopa-U is an offensive monster. It really doesn't help at all that Hoopa-U has a very respectable 130 Special Defense, making it surprisingly bulky on the special side. When combined with its Dark typing, allowing it to take neutral damage from Dark- and Ghost-type attacks, Hoopa-U isn't just an offensive glass cannon but even supportive of its defensive core! Hoopa-U is very easily supported by its types, as both Dark and Psychic teams have access to great U-turn users in Hydreigon and Victini, respectively. They both have access to very reliable defensive walls that can switch into opposing U-turn such as Mandibuzz on Dark teams and Slowbro on Psychic teams. This fantastic team support only exacerbates Hoopa-U's power and makes it into the top threat that is.

How do/did you deal with this Pokemon in ORAS Monotype?
Unfortunately, Hoopa-U has no reliable counters. The Choice Specs set can never be countered, first of all. However, all Hoopa-U are very susceptible to revenge killers. Priority users can pick it off when it has taken some amount of damage, Pursuit trappers can almost OHKO it, and its unfortunate base 80 Speed leaves it outsped by many Pokemon in the metagame. Offensive teams take advantage of these facts and can find Hoopa-U to be a far less potent threat. Balance teams generally need to carry some revenge killer that can reliably deal with Hoopa-U, as otherwise it will shred balance cores and break apart the team. Stall teams are the worst off, as they must find some way to status it and then slowly stall its HP down all the while taking its many powerful hits. Most types really haven't been able to adapt to the power of this Pokemon. However, the metagame has been leaning more and more towards the offensive direction, with Swift Swim teams on the rise and with Hyper Offense Dark teams being the most common archetype of Dark, which is partially due to their easier Hoopa-U matchup.

 

[Anttya]

Nominating Mega Charizard-X

What effect did Mega Charizard-X have on the metagame?

Although Mega Charizard-X didn't have that much of an impact on Fire teams, it was pretty much crucial on Flying. Its Fire / Dragon typing gave Flying a switch-in to both Ice, and Electric moves (and Greninja with a Specially Defensive set), and had incredible synergy with Skarmory and Zapdos, letting it effectively wall a majority of the current meta. It was because of this core that led to type bans (Ban Zapdos on Flying, not Electric), and then the removal of them. (Ban Mega Charizard-X on both Flying, and Fire. Unban Zapdos.) Mega Charizard-X was also unpredictable. Sending in the wrong switch-in could lead it being burned, or setup on. Mega Charizard-X only needed a few free turns to secure a victory with the Dragon Dance set, and misplaying once can lead to your whole team being burned with the Specially Defensive one. Many type advantages such as Electric were turned into disadvantages since Mega Charizard-X can pretty much solo everything after 1-2 specific checks were weakened, and Flying was given luxuries it never had before such as a half reliable switchin to Kyurem-B and Greninja, as well as solid switchins to Aegislash, and Genesect which were huge threats at the time. Most teams had to prepare for this threat if they didn't want to be beaten by it.


In what main roles was Mega Charizard-X used?

Mega Charizard-X's most common sets were a Dragon Dance set, or a Specially Defensive set. Dragon Dance had multiple variants. A Dragon Dance + 3 attacks set (Fire Punch or Fire Blitz / Dragon Claw, Earthquake) let it deal with Heatran, and got rid of mind games against Aegislash, but a Dragon Dance + Roost set (Fire Punch or Fire Blitz / Dragon Claw) allowed Mega Charizard-X to hit most Pokemon while letting it set up on passive Pokemon, and be a pivot. Either way, Mega Charizard-X hit insanely hard after 1 boost when paired with Tough Claws, swiftly cleaning up teams once weakened. Specially Defensive on the other hand focused on its typing, and decent defensive stats (78/111/85) to deal with the meta's top threats. At the time, Steel was one of the strongest types, with Pokemon such as Mega Mawile, Genesect, and Aegislash. Mega Charizard-X was able to at least check them all, and threaten them out as well as Pokemon like Greninja, and even check Kyurem-W when it was allowed. Instead of focusing on powerful moves to deal damage, it relied on spreading burns with Will-o-Wisp, but was still able to deal a significant amount of damage with Flare Blitz and Earthquake. Teams were forced to adapt around Mega Charizard-X, but unfortunately, not all teams were able to do that.

What caused it to have a significant impact?

Mega Charizard-X's a huge threat because of its typing, and the support it gets. As I said before, its Fire / Dragon typing was huge on a Flying monotype, and provided support multiple Pokemon couldn't do combined. This did come with a weakness to Stealth Rock, but Flying has an easy time defogging hazards, and a viable Heal Beller allowed Mega Charizard-X to attack recklessly without fear of being statused for long. The Skarmory / Zapdos / Mega Charizard-X core also walled most of Mega Charizard-X's threats with ease, and the rest of your team can easily by tailored to combat them. These factors make it hard to wear down Mega Charizard-X, or even weaken it before it gets switched out with an appropriate wall. These factors make Mega Charizard-X the threat it is.

How do/did you deal with this Pokemon in ORAS Monotype?

Some teams are naturally have an easier time against Mega Charizard-X (Ground, Rock) but struggle against the SkarmDos core. Other types such as Electric have a hard time dealing with Mega Charizard-X itself, and is forced to run unorthodox sets such as Physically Defensive Mega Ampharos with Dragon Pulse, or Physically Defensive Eelektross with Dragon Tail just to check it. Sets like Air Balloon Heatran were also popularized because of Mega Charizard-X. People were forced to play more aggressively to keep rocks on the field, or to prevent Togekiss from using Heal Bell. U-turn & Volt Switch were also popular to gain momentum, but they had to be careful of Skarmory's Rocky Helmet or Landorus / Gliscor's immunity to Volt Switch respectively. However, Mega Charizard-X is pretty slow (100 base speed), and is able to be outsped and heavily damaged by a lot of offensive Pokemon, especially if running Adamant, and depending on the opposing team, can have a hard time recovering health with Roost.

 

[maroon]

Nominating Aegislash

What effect did Aegislash have on the metagame?

Before the introduction of type bans Aegislash played a crucial role on steel by forming apart of the almost unbreakable core of itself, Heatran and Skarmory which respectively were immune to Steels weaknesses Fighting, Fire and Ground. This made the steel monotype very hard to break not only due to the cores great ability to wall most of the metagame but to also support bulky steel offensive pokemon such as Mega Scizor, Ferrothorn, Magnezone, Bisharp and Genesect. This made possible for steel to abuse great offensive cores with little to no worry of super effective attacks making Steel not only one of the greatest defensive but also offensive typings. Aegislash on steel had options more offensive sweeping options as it sweepers needed little to no support and King's Shield was all about the defense it needed.

On ghost aegislash was used mainly as a specially defensive SubToxic support pokemon on ghost that allow its teammates to easily sweep late game and forms annoying defensive cores with Jellicent, Sableye-Mega and Trevanant. Those pokemon love widdling down opposing teams by spamming SubToxic Aegislash and the other two crippling opposing Physical and Special walls with a combination of Calm Mind and Will-O-Wisp so later in the game Pokemon such as LO Gengar and Scarfed Chandelure could easily sweep through the opposing team.

Aegislash walls most of Fighting, Fairy, and Psychic with relative ease. Aegislash also covers most Physical attackers really well with Kings Shield with upon contact drops the foes attack stat down two stages.

In what main roles was Aegislash used?

Aegislash was used on Steel to form almost unbreakable immunity cores that covered all its main weaknesses. It formed an annoying core with Heatran and Skarmory that covered steels weakness along with creating an opportunitys for steel to also have amazing offensive cores with Mega Mawile, Genesect, Bisharp, Magnezone and Ferrothorn. Aegislash was still used more offensively on steel as it is able to easily check most psychic types and still resist a good chunk of the metagames attacks with its great typing, ability and access to King's Shield.
On Ghost Aegislash was used as a specially defensive support SubToxic pokemon to help teammates in Chandelure and Gengar with a clean late game sweep. Aegislash played as a stall pokemon on Ghost that was able to completely shut down nuetral or resisted Physical attackers with King's Shield and its great defensive typing allowing it to easily spread status through the opposing team.


What caused it to have a significant impact?

Aegislash had such a large impact on the metagame because of its fantastic defensive typing paired with its dangerous ability stance which allows it to switch its defensive stats with with its offensive and vice versa depending if you are using a defensive move or attack. This special ability paired with King's Shield a protect that can lower the oppenents physical attack by 2 stages upon contact. Aegislash could be used as an offensive or defensive pokemon depending on what the team needed which is a good chunk of the reason it did so well in the metagame. Generally on Ghost it was used in a defensive core that that great synergy with its partners such as Flash Fire Chandelure, Water Absorb Jellicant and Mega Sableye could reflact the status aimed at Aegislash to help it live longer and wear down the opposing team with SubToxic. Mega Sableye and Jellicents were especially good partners for Aegislash on ghost as it allowed a nice little core that got rid of Aegislash's main weakness and allowed MSableye to more easily setup on the opposing team as its being worn down while building up it defensives with Calm Mind making it very annoying to knock out especially when paired with Will-O-Wisp. On Steel a partner that greatly appreciated support from Aegislash was Heatran and Skarmory as it gave steel the ability to absorb the three supereffective types against steel Fire, Fighting and Ground.

How do/did you deal with this Pokemon in ORAS Monotype?

Aegislash had many checks and counters back in its time such as Greninja as its Stab Dark Pulse does a ton if not ohko Aegislash. Bisharp us a huge physical threat because it doesn't mind King's Shield due to defiant each stat drop it sharply raises its attack negating the effect of King's Shield. Later in the Metagame Hoopa-Unbound completely threatened Aegislash as its main offensive sets Life Orb, Band and Specs were able to respectively ohko Aegislash with 1 Dark STAB attack. Magic Bounce Pokemon such as Mega Sableye alnost completely wall out Aegislash as its status was conpletely bounced back and its offensive attacks could be shut down by Sableyes Will-O-Wisp and recovery while Calm Mind could completely shut down Special Aegislash. Steel Types such as Excadrill, Heatran and many others could take out Aegislash and not be affected by its status attacks. Special Fire types such as Charizard Y, Volcarona and Volcanion can easily due huge amount of damage and revenge kill it and Physical Fire types can do lots of damage but fear King's Shield. Ground Types such as Choice Band Excadrill, Landorus-I, Mega-Garchomp, Specs Seismitoad and Mega-Camerupt. The metagamae hasmd checks to Aegislash such as on Fairy we use Earth Power Diancie which does good chunks of damage and can reflect the annoying Toxic Spread but fears the rare Gyro Ball. Types like Fighting used Infernape and Specs Keldeo to deal with the likes of Aegislash. Many teams tried to pack a pokemon that was immune to Toxic such as Klefk on Fairy, Skarmory on Flying and Excadrill on Ground etc.

 

[maroon]

Nominating Mega Charizard-X

What effect did Hoopa-U have on the metagame?

Although Mega Charizard-X didn't have that much of an impact on Fire teams, it was pretty much crucial on Flying. Its Fire / Dragon typing gave Flying a switch-in to both Ice, and Electric moves (and Greninja with a Specially Defensive set), and had incredible synergy with Skarmory and Zapdos, letting it effectively wall a majority of the current meta. It was because of this core that led to type bans (Ban Zapdos on Flying, not Electric), and then the removal of them. (Ban Mega Charizard-X on both Flying, and Fire. Unban Zapdos.) Mega Charizard-X was also unpredictable. Sending in the wrong switch-in could lead it being burned, or setup on. Mega Charizard-X only needed a few free turns to secure a victory with the Dragon Dance set, and misplaying once can lead to your whole team being burned with the Specially Defensive one. Many type advantages such as Electric were turned into disadvantages since Mega Charizard-X can pretty much solo everything after 1-2 specific checks were weakened, and Flying was given luxuries it never had before such as a half reliable switchin to Kyurem-B and Greninja, as well as solid switchins to Aegislash, and Genesect which were huge threats at the time. Most teams had to prepare for this threat if they didn't want to be beaten by it.


In what main roles was Hoopa-U used?

Mega Charizard-X's most common sets were a Dragon Dance set, or a Specially Defensive set. Dragon Dance had multiple variants. A Dragon Dance + 3 attacks set (Fire Punch or Fire Blitz / Dragon Claw, Earthquake) let it deal with Heatran, and got rid of mind games against Aegislash, but a Dragon Dance + Roost set (Fire Punch or Fire Blitz / Dragon Claw) allowed Mega Charizard-X to hit most Pokemon while letting it set up on passive Pokemon, and be a pivot. Either way, Mega Charizard-X hit insanely hard after 1 boost when paired with Tough Claws, swiftly cleaning up teams once weakened. Specially Defensive on the other hand focused on its typing, and decent defensive stats (78/111/85) to deal with the meta's top threats. At the time, Steel was one of the strongest types, with Pokemon such as Mega Mawile, Genesect, and Aegislash. Mega Charizard-X was able to at least check them all, and threaten them out as well as Pokemon like Greninja, and even check Kyurem-W when it was allowed. Instead of focusing on powerful moves to deal damage, it relied on spreading burns with Will-o-Wisp, but was still able to deal a significant amount of damage with Flare Blitz and Earthquake. Teams were forced to adapt around Mega Charizard-X, but unfortunately, not all teams were able to do that.

What caused it to have a significant impact?

Mega Charizard-X's a huge threat because of its typing, and the support it gets. As I said before, its Fire / Dragon typing was huge on a Flying monotype, and provided support multiple Pokemon couldn't do combined. This did come with a weakness to Stealth Rock, but Flying has an easy time defogging hazards, and a viable Heal Beller allowed Mega Charizard-X to attack recklessly without fear of being statused for long. The Skarmory / Zapdos / Mega Charizard-X core also walled most of Mega Charizard-X's threats with ease, and the rest of your team can easily by tailored to combat them. These factors make it hard to wear down Mega Charizard-X, or even weaken it before it gets switched out with an appropriate wall. These factors make Mega Charizard-X the threat it is.

How do/did you deal with this Pokemon in ORAS Monotype?

Some teams are naturally have an easier time against Mega Charizard-X (Ground, Rock) but struggle against the SkarmDos core. Other types such as Electric have a hard time dealing with Mega Charizard-X itself, and is forced to run unorthodox sets such as Physically Defensive Mega Ampharos with Dragon Pulse, or Physically Defensive Eelektross with Dragon Tail just to check it. Sets like Air Balloon Heatran were also popularized because of Mega Charizard-X. People were forced to play more aggressively to keep rocks on the field, or to prevent Togekiss from using Heal Bell. U-turn & Volt Switch were also popular to gain momentum, but they had to be careful of Skarmory's Rocky Helmet or Landorus / Gliscor's immunity to Volt Switch respectively. However, Mega Charizard-X is pretty slow (100 base speed), and is able to be outsped and heavily damaged by a lot of offensive Pokemon, especially if running Adamant, and depending on the opposing team, can have a hard time recovering health with Roost.

The First two paragraphs are titled with Hoopa-U

 

[Anttya]

The First two paragraphs are titled with Hoopa-U

Thanks! Stole the format from Eien

 

[scpinion]

Lots of reservations, make sure you guys finish them in a timely manner. I'm going to come through on a daily basis and delete reservations that last more than 24 hours!

Also, if you have something to add to an existing writeup, feel free to (politely!) comment.

 

[czim]

Nominating Venusaur-Mega. [WIP]

What effect did Venusaur have on the metagame?

While Venusaur definitely does not stand out in the metagame that much due to its poor support on both of its types, this mons is easily the best mon on both Grass and Poison monotypes hands down. By walling a large portion of the metagame, this mon makes it easier for its types to be playable in the first place, making building defensive cores easier. It's also a big threat to Electric, Rock, Fairy and Water monos overall, making the matchups vs these types turn in favor of the Mega-Venusaur user. Some builds even are forced to run unorthodox checks to this specific mon, like Choice Specs Extrasensory Raikou on balanced electric, for example. TL;DR: The sheer bulk of this mon and the lack of common weaknesses makes Venusaur-Mega a pain for some types to deal with. Having access to a good offensive movepool with tools like Earthquake and Knock Off makes those checks even more limited for those certain types. This mon is definitely one of the best mons in the meta overall and is the main reason that Grass and Poison are even remotely used in the first place.

In what main roles was Skarmory used?



What caused it to have a significant impact?



How do/did you deal with this Pokemon in ORAS Monotype?

 

[Confluxx [Old]]

Nominating Mega Gyarados

What effect did Mega Gyarados have on the metagame?
Gyarados is arguably the best mega on Flying and a very good one on Water. Its pre-mega ability Intimidate and its natural bulk give it many opportunities to set up and cause major damage to the opposing teams due to its very high Attack stat. It's a big threat to one of the best types in the metagame; Psychic, and it makes them run sets such as Colbur Berry Slowbro (although that has other uses than just checking Mega Gyarados) with Grass Knot, because Choice Scarf Victini and Gardevoir won't always be enough due to Mega Gyarados' bulk and Speed. It sometimes causes game deciding mind games where you have to guess if it's going to mega evolve or not and go for the proper move. The RestTalk DD set which takes advantage of Mega Gyarados' bulk is another threatening set that's very hard to beat for some types. Its access to Earthquake and Ice Fang let it hit two of its weaknesses which are Electric and Grass, and its access to Taunt allows it to function as a stallbreaker which is very effective when facing Normal, as well as stall Water.

In what main roles was Mega Gyarados used?
Mega Gyarados always has the role of a sweeper. Whether it's a fully offensive Dragon Dance set with three attacks or two attacks + Substitute, or a bulky RestTalk + DD set, its primary role is functioning as a setup sweeper. By boosting both its Attack and Speed it becomes an immediate threat to the foe and forces him to take action right away. A fully offensive Dragon Dance set is going to be used as a late-game cleaner most of the time because it lacks recovery, but the RestTalk variant can come in and out a number of times thanks to its ability to heal.

What caused it to have a significant impact?
Its Attack and both Defense and Special Defense are high, and its mediocre Speed issue is elevated by its access to Dragon Dance. This combined with its Intimidate ability before mega evolving makes it one of the most dangerous setup sweepers in the metagame. Its dual STAB combination lets it hit almost every single Pokemon for at least neutral damage, and its great bulk sometimes even lets it tank a super effective hit and either set up again or OHKO / 2HKO the opposing Pokemon.

How do/did you deal with this Pokemon in ORAS Monotype?
Although it has many things going for it, it does have solid checks. Pokemon such as bulky Fairy-types, bulky Grass-types, faster / scarfed Fighting-types, or Pokemon that resist both of its STABs can still check it pretty reliably unless they've taken prior damage. Before mega evolving it's weak to Stealth Rock, so if it's not the RestTalk set, it can't afford to come in until Stealth Rock have been removed. Another thing holding it back is the fact that at +1 it fails to outspeed most Choice Scarf users so it's not that difficult to revenge kill if it's only at +1.

 

[scpinion]

Those of you that are in the process of writing, thanks for letting me know! Feel free to delete that post and repost when you're done so everyone gets an alert.
Nominating Greninja

What effect did Greninja have on the metagame?

Greninja was a staple of Water and Dark teams until it was banned in April of 2015. Water teams had many potent, but noticeably less useful, Pokemon waiting to fill Greninja's shoes. However, Greninja's ban marked the beginning of Dark's fall from the upper echelon of the Monotype metagame.

On Water teams, it compressed offensive roles, freeing up a team slot and enabling other Pokemon to shine. Water teams could easily address the entire metagame in 5 team slots because Greninja checked so many threats and broke so many defensive cores. This enabled niche Pokemon (that also made great win conditions) to thrive, such as Suicune or Slowbro. Greninja was also common on more defensive Water builds because it provided a "catch-all" offensive Pokemon to revenge KO offensive threats and pressure problematic defensive cores. It was also a part of one of the most potent offensive cores in the ORAS metagame: Keldeo + Azumarill + Greninja. This offensive core could pressure every top tier type and reliably revenge KO offensive threats without resorting to a Choice Scarf user. Balanced Water teams that prominently featured Greninja were a major threat in the early ORAS metagame.

Greninja gave Dark teams a reliable, fast, and powerful special attacker. Even with Hoopa-U in the metagame today, Dark teams still struggle to fill Greninja's shoes. The LO set was common on Dark teams, but many of the top Dark players ran a Choice Scarf set, delegating wall breaking duties to Bisharp and Hydreigon. The Choice Scarf set outsped the entire Monotype metagame (including Adamant Exca in Sand) and could reliably clean in the late game. The Scarf set on Dark teams was a major threat that everyone had to prepare for in the months leading up to Greninja's ban. For example, ~25% of Excadrill ran a Jolly nature in the month before Greninja was banned. That is compared to ~5% in the late ORAS metagame.

In what main roles was Greninja used?

Greninja's claim to fame was a diverse movepool, awesome ability, and excellent speed tier, which let it function as a great wall breaker and revenge killer.

What caused it to have a significant impact?

Individually, Greninja had a significant impact because it could reliably break the defensive cores on the top tier types. Most notably, Flying teams were unable to handle LO Greninja. It was such a huge problem that SpDef CharX was a set. Beyond this, it was reasonably unpredictable and could be tailored to decimate any type. Greninja viably ran any of the following moves: Hydro Pump, Dark Pulse, Gunk Shot, Ice Beam, Extrasensory, Grass Knot, Hidden Power Fire, Shadow Sneak, Rock Slide, and U-turn.

How do/did you deal with this Pokemon in ORAS Monotype?

Greninja was incredibly frail, so it often only took one unresisted hit to KO it or severely cripple it for the match. Any Pokemon that could stomach a hit and retaliate made for a good check. Pokemon such as Togekiss or CharX on Flying, Ferrothorn or Mega-Metagross on Steel, Mega-Venusaur on Grass/Poison, and Meloetta on Psychic, could do this while still threatening the defensive cores on Water and/or Dark teams.

Hazards and status were also a reliable method of checking Greninja. LO recoil + hazard damage + status damage would limit Greninja's offensive potential within a match.

Normal teams used things like Ditto, Chansey, or P2 to check Greninja. Ground teams often relied on Sand + Excadrill to check LO sets, but they had to be weary of Scarf Greninja b/c it outsped Adamant Exca in sand.

A fast scarfer could function as a revenge killer for LO sets, but they were often walled by Water/Dark's defensive cores and achieved little more than forcing Greninja out into something bulky, which required risky double switches to capitalize on.

Priority moves could pick off Greninja without much trouble, but faced the same problems as choice scarf users. Interestingly, many Greninja sets were prepared to deal with priority w/o switching out. Shadow Sneak was reasonably common to prevent Breloom from netting a KO with Mach Punch. Also, the Scarf Greninja sets that were popular on Dark teams at the time typically locked themselves into a move that resisted common priority (Grass Knot vs Water, Extrasensory vs. Fighting, Water STAB vs. Bug).

 

[iLlama]

Nominating Politoed

What effect did Politoed have on the metagame?
Politoed has held a prominent role in Monotype since the days of DPP and BW. Its importance of weather-setting continued into XY thanks to Damp Rock, and even with the item's eventual ban, Politoed still maintained its influence within the metagame all the way through the beginning of ORAS. Thanks to the addition of greater team options through Mega Swampert and Mega Sharpedo, Politoed's command of the extremely versatile and incredibly dangerous playstyle of Swift Swim Water began to have a noticeable impact on Monotype once again. However, moving into the mid to late ORAS metagame, Politoed began to truly shine as a dominant force in Monotype. Its capabilities as a bulky weather-setter paired with excellent Utility options in Scald, Toxic, Perish Song, and Encore, and a free switch in Eject Button was too great to ignore. This in turn lead to a noticeable rise in Water teams, as the type gained 1st in usage over the last cycle, with Politoed gaining the number 3 spot in usage. This increase in Water team, especially Swift Swim, not only appeared on ladder, but also in tournaments as well, as SS began to dominate the Monotype scene for an extended period.

In what main roles was Politoed used?
The main role for Politoed is to set Rain and to use its Utility options to manage specific threats to SS teams. By itself, Politoed is no huge threat to any aspect of the metagame. It has no wall-breaking potential like Hoopa-Unbound or Mega Medicham and its use for Utility is so limited compared to Chansey or Mew as it has no recovery option beyond Rest. However, one of the major defining aspects of Politoed is not that it is a major threat in the Monotype metagame, but that it makes an entire playstyle in Swift Swim viable and a huge threat. While other Pokemon such as Smeargle and Hippowdon can make certain teambuilds viable, the gap between them and Politoed are far too great. The reason being that Politoed leads a playstyle that is currently one of the best in Monotype. And not only does it lead Swift Swim teams, but it also helps to maintain SS's dominance against a wide array of teambuilds, thanks to its natural bulk and even with its limited Utility. Following the common Scald, Toxic, Encore, Perish Song spread, Politoed is capable of keeping momentum in the SS's favor and coming in clutch in a pinch. Having access to Scald and Toxic comes in extremely handy when facing physical threats, stall Pokemon, and opposing Utility users. Encore covers for slower Set-Up Pokemon in Clefable and Curse Pokemon, while also covering Utility Pokemon as well. Finally, Perish Song gives SS an easy out to managing any major threats. In the end, however, if it did not have bulk and a helpful moveset, it wouldn't be nearly as prominent.

What caused it to have a significant impact?
Politoed's ability being Drizzle makes it leave a major impact in Monotype alone. Weather, especially Rain, has been an overtly influential aspect of Pokemon for multiple Generations, and nothing has changed with the coming, and soon ending, of ORAS. The utilization and abuse of Rain specifically holds such a commanding presence in Monotype because there are no guaranteed ways for many, if not most types to check and/or counter the speed and damage boosts that it provides. Though a point can be made that any Rain Dance Pokemon could have a similar effect, Politoed's guaranteed Rain upon switch-in defines a noticeable portion of the metagame. This alone not only means Politoed gives Swift Swim teams their distinct viability, but also a wide array of Pokemon a large portion of their viability as well. Pokemon such as Kingdra, Kabutops, Seismitoad, and even Mega Swampert would not have the viability and the usage that they do now if not for Politoed. It gives the most diverse type in the metagame more number of options and an even greater opportunity for success.

How do/did you deal with this Pokemon in ORAS Monotype?
The best ways to beat Politoed mostly revolve around hazard setting and widdling it down to kill range. Politoed's greatest weakness is its lack of recovery. This puts an insane amount of pressure onto SS teams, especially those that rely mainly on the speed boost Rain offers. In fact, losing Politoed, especially in early game, can completely shift advantages in matchups. Another problem with Politoed that can also prove fatal for SS, is how dependent the most common set is on Eject Button. Losing Eject Button to Knock Off, getting crit or OHKOed, or even being stalled through status and/or opposing recovery utterly dismantles the SS team's momentum-based playstyle. If SS can not push and abuse its team options with Politoed from the get-go, the team's performance will be sub-par and its play will be derailed almost immediately.

 

[DoW]

Nominating Skarmory.

What effect did Skarmory have on the metagame?

While Skarmory might not stand out as a titan of a pokemon due to the fact that it never came close to being suspected, and has always been regarded as a solid, but standard, pokemon. However, without skarmory, two of the top types throughout the entirety of gen 6, Flying and Steel, would have been completely different. Skarmory has had a major role in forming the Monotype metagame as a whole, and a great many suspects and discussions - from zard x and aegi to hoopa-u and smooth rock - would have been different, whether in a major or minor way. Because of this, Skarmory has had a huge effect on the metagame.

In what main roles was Skarmory used?

Skarmory is primarily a physical wall, although it can have special defense investment, and whose role generally includes walling important threats, helping with hazard control, and providing synergy due to its typing. On Steel, it acts as a ground immunity, allowing pokemon such as Mold Breaker Excadrill to be walled and phazed out, while on Flying teams its neutral defensive typing to Rock and Ice allow it to stop pokemon such as Cloyster or Mega Tyranitar from being huge threats. For Steel, Skarmory will often run Stealth Rock or Spikes, while on Flying teams it generally runs Stealth Rock or Defog.

What caused it to have a significant impact?

Skarmory's ability to work as a physical wall capable of hazard support, thanks to its stats and movepool, was useful for both teams, however arguably pokemon such as Mega Scizor, Gliscor, Ferrothorn and Zapdos were also capable of this. The thing that made Skarmory really stand out, however, was its typing - Steel gets an immunity to Ground and a Neutrality to Fighting, while Flying gets a neutrality to both Rock and Ice - which means that both types are capable of walling pokemon that would otherwise get a KO every time they came in. This means both Flying and Steel were able to play without needing revenge killers for pokemon such as Kyurem-Black or Excadrill, giving the types far more flexibility in terms of what playstyle was used.

How do/did you deal with this Pokemon in ORAS Monotype?

Skarmory by itself is easy to deal with for every type, as many special attackers can take it out. However, as part of a core with pokemon like Heatran or Zapdos able to switch in, it can be harder to deal with. Often beating it requires wearing it down to the point where it can't switch in on one of your threats.

 

[dusk raimon]

Nominating mega-Metagross

What effect did [Mega Metagross] have on the metagame?

Mega-Metagross when introduced was a potent threat in the monotype metagame quickly becoming the staple mega on both psychic and steel while it was legal. Both of these types tended to run it over other choices consistently due to the fact it hit a great speed tier, had a pseudo life orb for most of its physical attacks and had access to a very good move pool and good coverage options alongside its stabs (meteor mash and zen headbutt) such as grass knot or hammer punch, as well as solid tough claws boosted priority in bullet punch. Megagross was so dangerous because it was a very unpredictable mon because of its incredibly wide move pool which made it very hard to counter efficiently and hard to check it as well. This is because it could run thunder punch for skarmory switchins, or hammer arm for heatran, for example, backed up by an effective recoil-less life orb allowing it to 2hko or ohko the vast majority of the meta. It was adapted to by people running pokemon which could switch in and burn it or cripple it otherwise and not be chunked by its most common coverage moves, for example stallbreaker mew on psychic became a lot more popular, however metagross-mega was eventually banned because of its ability to run so many coverage moves which allowed it to break through its checks and counters and pave the way for sweepers or itself to clean the teams it was facing. Mega Metagross also had a lot of utility having access to pursuit to trap the lati twins and other mons which didn't appreciate being trapped as well as having access to stealth rocks (although this was rarely ever used on Megagross)

In what main roles was [Mega Metagross] used?

This pokemon was mainly used as a faster wallbreaker/cleaner and it was very good at its job because of its good speed tier and mixed attacking stats, having an amazing base 145 attack and an above average 105 special attack (for coverage moves such as grass knot). This in tandem with its aforementioned good speed tier allow it to put in work against many of the common types in the meta and allowed it to sweep and clean once its main check on the other team was dealt with. It can also pave the way for a mon on its team to sweep with its very good coverage allowing it to chunk many walls which can not prepare for all of its coverage moves.

What caused it to have a significant impact?

MegaGross had such a huge impact because of its great speed tier, good coverage and offensive stats, great natural bulk and great ability. Coupled with good support this mon could tour through teams on its own and required a check or counter on almost every team for fear of having every mon on your team 2hkoed by it. In terms of a certain pokemon significantly increasing its viability, it only really appreciated rocks to secure some vital 2hkoes.

How do/did you deal with this Pokemon in ORAS Monotype?

The best checks or counters for this mon were usually bulky water types which could cripple it or, other bulky mons which had access to thunder wave, or will-o-wisp. Some of these include Slowbro, and Mew, which could burn or paralyse mega metagross and severely hinder its capabilities. It could also be revenge killed by certain scarf mons such as landorus-T, however this is a shaky check as if it fails to kill, i.e. metagross hasn't been properly weakened, it could be ohkoed by ice punch.

 

[scpinion]

Here's some suggestions if people are interested:

Shaymin-Sky
Kyurem-W
Excadrill (Smooth Rock era)
Mega Altaria
Genesect

 

[Dece1t]

Nominating Excadrill

What effect did Excadrill have on the metagame?

Excadrill in Gen 5 was one of the most feared sweepers to ever come across OU, thanks to permanent sandstorm with Sandstream, and it's fantastic ability, Sand Rush, that doubles its speed in the weather condition. That being said, it was sent to Ubers very early on. Come Gen 6, where the permanent weather feature is now removed, and Sandstorm is now limited to a maximum of 8 turns with the use of a held Smooth Rock, allowing Excadrill to be bumped down back into OU. Once Monotype comes along, in the ladder stages of the early days, Ground starts to get attention because of the fact that Excadrill is one of the most fearsome sweepers in the metagame, despite Sandstorm no longer being permanent. 8 Turns proved to be just enough time, if played correctly, to set up Sandstorm with Hippowdon, and quickly send Excadrill in to wreck havoc. Because of its base 135 Attack power, it was fairly hard to prevent from sweeping for that period of time without carrying some sort of Ground immunity. This made Excadrill a slowly overcentralizing force on the metagame, and not much later, talk of it being suspected/banned came up. With an official council now set in place, it was decided to quick-ban Smooth Rock to lessen the amount of time Excadrill has its speed boost, and make it much easier to handle. Even though Excadrill was not entirely removed, Ground did not lose a whole lot of viability, surprisingly enough, it is one of the best mid-tier types to play with as of now. Despite only having 5 turns of Sandstorm, Excadrill plays a powerful role to this day on the ORAS Metagame as a whole, and something that needs to be considered 9 times out of 10 when teambuilding.

In what main roles was Excadrill used?

As said above, Excadrill's primary role on Ground is to function as a late game sweeper, with a powerful base 135 Attack stat, and amazing ability in Sandstream that doubles its speed in the Sandstorm weather condition. With its part Steel typing, it helps tremendously against Ice, Fairy, and Water matchups especially. On Steel, where Sandstorm is not viable in the slightest, it is used as a Choice Scarfer, with access to Mold Breaker to bypass abilities such as Levitate. With the part Ground typing it carries, it's meant to serve as a check to Fire teams.

What caused it to have a significant impact?

The fact that with its incredible base 135 Attack (often multiplied further with a Life Orb or Choice Band), it was regarded as one of the best late-game sweepers to come across, and when combined with Sandstorm, it proved to be incredibly hard to wall, especially when paired with Wallbreakers such as Mega Garchomp and Landorus-I.

How do you deal with this Pokemon in ORAS Monotype?

Excadrill, while incredibly fast and powerful, cannot do much to common Ground immunities such as Skarmory or Landorus-T, and Slowbro + Latios is able to effectively wall it if it lacks X-Scissor. If Choice locked, while it is powerful, so long as Gravity isn't set up it can usually be played around with moderate thought. Life Orb, which does allow it to not be choice locked, is regarded as inferior due to it being weaker in power, and allows Excadrill get worn down over time (this is especially evident if you switch it directly in to weak attacks and go in for a revenge kill). In conclusion, while nowadays Excadrill is pretty balanced, it was once a ferocious monster that was incredibly difficult to effectively wall for a total of 8 turns in a row.