What is this metagame?
A move's damage category has been determined somewhat arbitrarily since generation 4 with what players call the "physical/special split". Have you ever had trouble remembering what each and every move's category is? Water Shuriken definitely used to be physical and how in the world is Diamond Storm not a special move? Well, worry no more, we've taken that split completely out of the game! Damage categories are now determined by a move's typing, just like it was in generations 1-3.
Premise:
- OU-based metagame.
- A move's category is determined by its type.
- Physical types: Bug, Fighting, Flying, Ghost, Ground, Normal, Poison, Rock, Steel
- Special types: Dark, Dragon, Electric, Fairy, Fire, Grass, Ice, Psychic, Water
- This does not change other attributes of moves like whether it makes contact or bullet/sound based moves.
- Fairy being the only type introduced after the modern physical/special split is assigned to being a special type.
- Moves and abilities with added effects that change what stat is used in damage calculation retain their effects.
- Psyshock and Psystrike will use the Pokemon's Special Attack and the opposing Pokemon's Defense for damage calculation.
- Secret Sword will use the Pokemon's Attack and the opposing Pokemon's Defense stat for damage calculation.
- Body Press will use the Pokemon's Defense and the opposing Pokemon's Defense stat for damage calculation.
- Photon Geyser and Shell Side Arm will use the Pokemon's Special Attack or Attack respectively and the opposing Pokemon's lower defensive stat for damage calculation.
- The abilities Weak Armor, Fur Coat, Ice Face, and Toxic Debris and the moves Counter and Shell Trap will be activated when the Pokemon is hit by a move of the physical types.
- Ice Scales and Mirror Coat will activate when the Pokemon is hit by a move of the special types.
- Tera Blast will behave as a physical Normal-type move unless the user is Terastalized, then it will take on the category of that Pokemon's Tera type.
- Stellar-type Tera Blast's category will depend on the Pokemon's higher attacking stat.
Standard OMs, Sleep Moves Clause
Annihilape
Arceus (all formes)
Archaludon
Calyrex-Shadow
Chi-Yu
Deoxys-Base
Deoxys-Attack
Dialga (all formes)
Espathra
Eternatus
Flutter Mane
Giratina (all formes)
Groudon
Ho-Oh
Iron Bundle
Koraidon
Kyogre
Kyurem-White
Landorus-Incarnate
Lugia
Lunala
Magearna
Mewtwo
Miraidon
Necrozma-Dawn-Wings
Necrozma-Dusk-Mane
Palkia (all formes)
Rayquaza
Regieleki
Reshiram
Skaymin-Sky
Sneasler
Solgaleo
Terapagos
Zacian-Crowned
Zamazenta-Crowned
Other Bans:
- Abilities: Arena Trap, Moody, Sand Veil, Shadow Tag, Snow Cloak
- Items: Bright Powder, King's Rock, Razor Fang
- Moves: Baton Pass, Last Respects, Shed Tail
Pokemon with good defensive typings or a specific defensive niche become much stronger due to a higher reliance on resistances and specific uses of defense. Stall may see some increased viability as breaking through teams is harder for offense. Blissey becomes hard to break for anything without strong coverage from a physical type, Unaware Pokemon can sit on more things, and Gliscor looks like it could be very hard to handle. Despite Gholdengo losing special STAB moves, its defensive utility and support movepool will still leave it successful.
On paper, the best offensive Pokemon will be ones that still offer some defensive utility or other support to the team. Other Pokemon can succeed if they have tools to break through the defensive cores that will be running rampant. Certain offensive Pokemon like Iron Valiant and Walking Wake do seem to get much better from this change and even Dragapult could become a problem but overall most offensive Pokemon lose some vital parts of their toolkit.
Watchlist:
Stall Pokemon (namely Gliscor) could be looked at, but very hard to tell if it would be broken on paper.
The aforementioned Iron Valiant/Dragapult could be dangerous as strong mixed attackers and breaking through defensive cores.
Walking Wake is a strong special attacker that, unlike most Pokemon, loses nothing with this shift and actually gains special Knock Off and Flip Turn.
Arguably, some of the stronger unbans from Ubers may still pose a threat even without their STAB moves.- Depending on how influential Terastalization becomes, Terastal Clause may be implemented in the future.
Playability: Now playable!
Sample Teams: Coming Soon!
Viability Rankings: Coming Soon!
Council:
@SergioRules (Leader)
@competitiveZero
@Lhions
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Several other Pokemon also benefit from a special Knock Off, whether or not they get STAB on it. Hoopa and Walking Wake are going to have tremendous breaking power anyway you cut it and Valiant's reasons for using just gets pushed to 11. Jugulis loves any sort of buff and even though it loses Flying STAB, it still keeps most of its coverage (why they didn't give it Nasty Plot I'll never know). Necrozma appreciates extra special coverage and getting rid of items especially since Psyshock will help it break through those pesky SpDef walls more easily, and Manaphy appreciates any help breaking through those mons.
Just like in Category Swap Hurricane becomes a physical move, meaning that several Flying-types that don't have access to moves like Brave Bird get something useful. These three are notable and even though they lose their secondary STABs, they still have other decent coverage and/or utility.
This actually might be really busted with special Scale Shot+Icicle Spear. Tera Fire or Electric to round out coverage
More physical attackers that lose their STABs. Ogerpon turns into more of a support mon, fast Mold Breaker Spikes with U-turn/Taunt/Encore/Leech Seed/Synthesis as options. Palafin has some decent coverage with Boomburst+CC and some other options with Bulk Up+Encore but no real way to beat Ghosts. Zekrom loses both of its STABs but gains some coverage like Earth Power, Focus Blast, and Flash Cannon.
Both Urshifus lose their secondary STABs, priority moves, and notable coverage in the elemental punches. Even though a +2 CC that can't be protected against sounds threatening, their middling speed and lack of other coverage makes these mons seem worse than a lot of other Fighting-types.
On the other side of the spectrum we have specially based Pokemon that lose their STABs. Spectrier can still use moves like Psychic and Dark Pulse and I'm sure Tera Fairy Draining Kiss will see some play but overall losing its STAB makes it seem like a better support mon with Taunt/Wisp/Pain Split than the offensive role it usually takes. Blood Moon loses just about everything good it has going for it, and even loses the practicality of its ability since Normal and Fighting are both physical. We could potentially see it using Calm Mind, Moonlight, the elemental punches, Moonblast, or Trailblaze but this loses so much it's likely not worth it. The best I could see is a defensive set with Body Press and support moves like Roar but even that is done better by other things.
