Special Season 8: BSS Ubers (sort of)

cant say

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Info on Season 8 is out and it's gonna be fun. Bring 6, pick 3 singles with every Pokemon being legal, however you're limited to having one mythical Pokemon in your whole team. This limit isn't extended to the regularly legal legendaries. With so many restricted mons to choose from, which will be the top choices?

Rules:
  • 3v3 Singles (6v6 team preview)
  • Anything above level 50 is brought down to that
  • Item clause
  • Full National Pokedex
    • Players are limited to ONE of the following: Mewtwo, Mew, Lugia, Ho-Oh, Celebi, Kyogre, Groudon, Rayquaza, Jirachi, Deoxys, Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, Phione, Manaphy, Darkrai, Shaymin, Arceus, Victini, Reshiram, Zekrom, Kyurem, Keldeo, Meloetta, Genesect, Xerneas, Yveltal, Zygarde, Diancie, Hoopa, Volcanion, Cosmog, Cosmoem, Solgaleo, Lunala, Necrozma, Magearna, and Marshadow.
  • Species clause
  • Transfers from older games are allowed

Viability Rankings:

soon™
 
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BP

Beers and Steers
is a Contributor to Smogon
Z-move Mew or Toxic Stall Lugia are going to be really fun to use from my perspective. I could also see the likes of Pdon and Dialga being really nice additions to use as stealth rockers. Magearna also seems broken. The point is there are a lot of good mons here.
 
Pokemon that dont come from a 3ds game are legit right? yknow for vcreate mray

edit: nvm did not see it was written
 

Psynergy

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I've kinda given up on the current season and I'm super into this kind of format, so I want to give this special some serious attention. I really enjoyed this ruleset the last time we got it in Season 2 but didn't give it as much time as I wanted, but I've seen a lot of questions about which restricted slots will be good and which will dominate this format so I want to give some quick thoughts on all of them before the season starts. I'm only ranking them within the context of the restricted slot though, not for an overall VR ranking because a lot of these things wouldn't be ranked at all otherwise. These are just my thoughts though and I'd imagine some might think differently. Anything down to B rank is easy to recommend choosing as your restricted legend, most things below that are perfectly viable but are hard to recommend for that one restricted slot.

Kyogre
Kyogre is stupid and arguably one of the best restricted slots you can pick, just because so few Pokemon want anything to do with a rain boosted Water Spout. Both Scarf and Primal Kyogre are incredibly dumb and the fact that Groudon is hurt significantly by the restricted slot limit makes having a Kyogre check even tougher. Every team needs a way to check this thing because it will 3-0 you otherwise.

Rayquaza
Rayquaza continues to live up to the title of Dragon Lord, I don't think I need to say anything about this thing. By the nature of restricted slots this isn't getting its own rank, but I don't need to tell you how insane this thing is. The fact that you can choose to run regular Rayquaza alongside another Mega without losing out on your item slot basically eliminates any opportunity cost, and Salamence getting a noticeable power drop only helps Rayquaza stand further above it. This is easily the safest choice for your restricted slot, but far from the only insane one.

Arceus
I'm going to start off by saying that Arceus-Normal is the only one I think is S worthy on its own, but I'm just going to rank Arceus collectively. The inability to check which forme you're fighting at Team Preview is deadly and Extreme Speed Arceus is a massive threat if left unchecked, so you need to be very careful when dealing with it. Might be worth carrying Haze just for this thing because Arceus itself isn't that scary without boosts, but it's a huge pain to account for and deadly when used properly.

Yveltal
I had a hard time deciding if this was S or A rank, but either way Yveltal is easily the best anti-meta pick. It has at least a neutral matchup against all the best restricted picks and dunks on teams so hard with Dark Aura boosted attacks. While it's not too hard to carry a check for, Yveltal just offers just enough utility and power to be worth consideration for the best restricted slot.

Ultra Necrozma

I'm actually going to rank these formes separately since they're actually relevant Pokemon that all do different things. Ultra Necrozma is basically Mega Rayquaza locked to a Z-Move with worse typing and the ability to kill Mimikyu through Disguise. Needless to say that's a stupid good trait to have in this format, especially for something that's weak to Shadow Sneak. It's a good deal weaker than Mega Rayquaza but it makes up for this with better Speed and the ability to start as a Steel-type before changing into a Dragon-type, otherwise they fill the same role. I'd argue Rayquaza is still a stronger pick but a case can easily be made for Ultra Necrozma in this format. Both are still stupid strong though.

Marshadow
I might be overestimating Marshadow's abilities in this format but a Ghost/Fighting with Technician Shadow Sneak is no joke. It has exactly the stats it needs to be a menace and even though it's quite frail by restricted Pokemon standards its huge base 125 Attack and Speed stats are all it needs. Ghost/Fighting is a terrifying STAB combination and it puts huge pressure on setup sweepers with Spectral Thief, but the fact that you only have one slot might make it less insane of a pick than it looks. Might be better suited to A but I think S is a safe assumption for now.

Groudon
It should go without saying that Groudon isn't worth using without Red Orb, but I'm saying it anyway. The fact that you only have one restricted slot makes Groudon less insane of a pick than you might think, just because you don't need to use your restricted slot on a catch-all check to regular Pokemon. It's still a deadly threat that can bust down teams by itself, but most of the role compression it offers is easy to substitute with other Pokemon. On the plus side you don't have to worry about getting memed by HP Water here.

Xerneas

No, I'm not giving this an S rank. Even with Dusk Mane Necrozma aside, most of the best Xerneas checks aren't restricted, so finding a Xerneas check to fit on your team isn't actually that hard. The 3v3 format also hurts Xerneas's ability to easily set up against foes and the prominence of Focus Sash makes it easier to cheese wins against, but that doesn't mean Xerneas isn't a huge threat. You don't want to let this get a free boost because Geomancy Xerneas is still a terrifying threat to deal with, just don't expect it to sweep through everything unopposed.

Lunala
Lunala is a great use of the restricted slot thanks to its fantastic offensive coverage as well as being able to break through Mimikyu's Disguise. It hates Shadow Sneak and Marshadow's existence makes this tough for Lunala, but as long as you have that accounted for then Lunala is a dangerous threat that you need to be ready to answer. Very well rounded stats and good movepool make it a flexible choice that's definitely worth consideration, just make sure Ghost-types and Dark-types are well accounted for.

Dusk Mane Necrozma
Looking at just Dusk Mane Necrozma on its own, it's not quite as good as Ultra Necrozma but still good enough to be a dangerous threat. In Dragon Cup almost nobody used Dusk Mane without using Ultra, so ranking it even this high is probably too generous, but it's still perfectly competent if you're willing to focus on its Steel-typing. Its draw in killing Fairies is less cool in a format where Xerneas can be feasibly checked without using your restricted slot, but it's still an amazing choice regardless. Still might be better suited to B.

Mewtwo
Mewtwo is decent, but not much better than that. Life Orb Mewtwo hits harder than Ultra Necrozma and has a better Speed tier with item freedom which includes two solid Megas, but that's about it. I wouldn't write it off since Mewtwo can still put in serious work but it has tough competition and isn't too hard to stop with regular Pokemon, so don't expect to see too much of it.

Lugia
Lugia is a massive pain for most regular Pokemon to break through so it can just sit there and Calm Mind on a lot of stuff. Compared to most picks it's a bit too passive and dependent on boosts, but Lugia is essentially a beefed up Cresselia and that shouldn't be underestimated. It definitely needs team support to handle stuff like Marshadow, Lunala and Gengar but if the rest of the team lacks Toxic or Gyarados you better make sure Lugia doesn't just hard wall you.

Ho-oh
Ho-oh falls under the same category as Mewtwo. It isn't weak by any means and definitely worth using the restricted slot, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a good reason to use this instead of something like Blaziken for your Fire-type or Rayquaza for your Flying-type. Sacred Fire and Regenerator are really cool but those are its only major draws. Never underestimate Sacred Fire of off something as bulky and powerful as Ho-oh, but for a restricted slot Ho-oh is facing huge competition.

Zygarde

If you're using Zygarde, it better be Power Construct because Aura Break is just not going to cut it. Zygarde Complete is the kind of Pokemon that just sweeps its way through regular Pokemon almost unopposed, but as a restricted slot it's fairly slow to set up and is prone to being cheesed before getting that chance. It takes a good deal of support to make work but it's absolutely worth that support if you're willing to try it.

Magearna
Magearna is a mythical Pokemon that would be incredible in BSS, but unlike most it's actually still quite competent as a restricted pick. Steel/Fairy is an insane typing both defensively and offensively, and Soul Heart is an incredible ability. Its fairly dependent on Trick Room to stand out though, and suffers from common weaknesses to Fire- and Ground-type moves which are common among regular Pokemon. That being said Trick Room looks crazy strong in this format and I'd say it's definitely something to prepare for.

Jirachi
I wouldn't call this thing any better than the rest of the base 100 mythicals, but I'm giving this a C solely because of Scarf Serene Grace cheese. Steel typing makes it better than the rest but I really would advise against using this as your restricted slot unless you hate fun and want to try ruining someone's day.

Dialga
Even before Dusk Mane Necrozma existed this was tough to justify, and it's even harder now that we have better Xerneas answers. This is another Pokemon that isn't actually bad but doesn't really do enough to justify the restricted slot. Unlike the base 100 mythicals this thing is actually strong though, and bulky enough to take a beating from most regular Pokemon, so it's not something you should underestimate if you see it at Team Preview. Just don't expect it to perform as well as something like the Weather trio or Arceus.


Palkia
Same deal as Dialga, it's hard to justify picking Palkia as your restricted slot but its STAB combination is no joke. Not having to worry about every team having both Groudon and Xerneas helps it greatly but there's still plenty of Fairy-types around that mess with it, and base 100 Speed is not particularly fast by regular Pokemon standards. It's a good Scarf Kyogre answer but if you're using your restricted slot solely for this you probably need to revise something else on your team.


Giratina
This trio really doesn't hold up well in this format, Giratina suffers a lot from the restricted slot limit as well as its typing being very poor for this meta. Too many strong Fairy, Ghost and Dark-types to worry about which is really bad for a bulky Pokemon that lacks recovery, and it's not strong enough even normal standards. Its stats are huge so I'd still put this above Mew and friends but I don't see a lot that this thing accomplishes.

Shaymin
Going to give this a pass on the same basis as Jirachi though I really shouldn't. Sky Forme Shaymin at least has a good speed tier to abuse Serene Grace flinches without a Choice Scarf but it's nowhere near strong enough to justify the restricted slot. This is another Pokemon that would be cool in regular BSS if it didn't take the restricted slot, but otherwise I'd avoid it.

Reshiram
Reshiram is another one of those "strong enough to be restricted but not strong enough" options. Dragon/Fire coverage is scary and most regular Pokemon will have a lot of trouble keeping up but compared to other choices it's not quite good enough. It also competes with the fact that we have equally stupid Fire-types that aren't restricted, but in terms of raw stats Reshiram isn't bad at all. Z-Moves definitely help this thing delete something but unless you really like Reshiram I'd avoid it.

Zekrom
I could just repeat the above and replace Fire with Electric, but Zekrom does have Electric Terrain support going for it so I'll give it credit there. Physical Electric-types aren't a highly contested role so Zekrom stands out just a bit more than Reshiram does, but it's not exactly stellar at that role itself given that it suffers from the age old base 90-95 Speed curse as most cover legends. Terrifying against most unrestricted Pokemon but once again, faces incredibly tough competition for that restricted slot.

Kyurem
I'd never use regular Kyurem but for the sake of simplicity I'll rank them all the same, since they're really all suffering from the same problem. If you use either Kyurem fusion you won't be disappointed with its performance especially since Icium Z is stupid, but compared to other restricted options it's not quite as stellar. Probably the restricted Dragon that suffers the least, Rayquaza aside.

Genesect

Yet another mythical that would be great in BSS, though unlike most this thing actually has the movepool to annoy teams with proper support. Scarf U-turn with something like Tapu Koko could be a nuisance but this is another Pokemon that's difficult to justify the restricted slot. This thing is probably closer to a D tier pick but it's at least more annoying than them.

Hoopa
I'm going to ignore regular Hoopa and assume you're interested in Hoopa Unbound here. Unlike most mythical Pokemon this thing is actually pretty good, it has a fairly good matchup against a lot of big threats and has Trick Room to fix its problematic Speed, but as a restricted slot it suffers from requiring a good deal of support to really shine. Awful physical bulk and middling Speed leave a lot to be desired but Hoopa will break stuff with ease if given that support. Probably one of the better Pokemon ranked here.

Solgaleo
Dusk Mane Necrozma pretty much invalidated this thing. There is really no reason to use Solgaleo over Dusk Mane so this should be just D rank but it's still stronger than most regular Pokemon so I'll at least give it credit there. But really just don't use this unless you're like morally against Pokemon fusion or something.

Dawn Wings Necrozma
This thing actually isn't that bad, but unless you're using it as a base for Ultra Necrozma there's no reason to use it over Lunala. Its stat spread is strictly worse and gives up Shadow Shield for Prism Armor, which is much worse for something even slower than Lunala. On its own merit it's just Lunala but with a worse stat spread and ability, but that's still nothing to sleep on. As with Solgaleo, there's just no reason to use this over the superior variant.

Mew
I don't really see a reason to use this as your restricted slot, this honestly applies to most mythicals but their stat spread isn't enough to justify the opportunity cost compared to one of the big guys. It's not a bad Pokemon at all and if you're a big fan of Mew you can definitely win with it, but there's no good reason to use this over Tapu Lele which is not restricted.

Celebi
Celebi is just a worse Mew, which is not a good thing to be. I could just repeat the same thing I said about Mew but Grass-typing is horrible here. There are few Grass-types that should be getting any consideration, like Ferrothorn and Breloom, but using your restricted slot on one is not a good idea.

Manaphy
This suffers from the same problem as Mew and friends. Manaphy would be great in a regular BSS format but there's nothing this thing has to justify the restricted slot when you can just use Gyarados, Cloyster, or literally any other good Water-type. You can probably meme with Heart Swap at least, but I wouldn't consider regardless.

Darkrai
This thing wasn't good last time this format happened, it's not good now either. Dark Void is dead so there's really nothing this thing offers over any other solid Dark-type, though even if it didn't take a restricted slot I wouldn't consider it. Being faster than Ultra Necrozma is cute but I'd stay away from this thing, it's just not strong enough without Dark Void. It's probably for the best.

Victini
Once again, this would be cool in regular BSS but not here. Fire-typing probably makes it the best base 100 mythical offensively, but Blaziken and Charizard exist so why bother. Final Gambit is a cool meme but absolutely not worth killing off your restricted slot for any reason when you can just choose something actually broken.

Keldeo

Continuing the trend of "this would be cool in regular BSS" is Keldeo, but you've seen how Terrakion and friends are doing. I don't need to tell you why you shouldn't run this.

Meloetta
If you want to meme with a Scarf user that Marshadow can't revenge kill Meloetta can do it for you, but that's all I've got to say about it. Just don't actually use this.

Diancie
Mega Diancie isn't a bad Pokemon at all, it feels bad putting it this low. Using a restricted slot that needs to use the Mega slot just to be on par with the BSS meta is just not worth a second thought. If you're dead set on using Diancie it will work, but there are too many resources being used for that one slot that it isn't really worth it. Better than Mew and friends though, that's for sure.

Volcanion
I'm not going to explain why a Water/Fire version of Heatran isn't worth the restriced slot. You're probably as tired of reading it as I am of writing it but this would be much cooler if it was just a regular BSS mon and not restricted. Don't even give it a second thought.

Phione
lol

Cosmog and Cosmoem
The best use for Cosmog and Cosmoem is evolving it into Lunala, if you're expecting a serious answer then I don't know what to tell you.
 
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BP

Beers and Steers
is a Contributor to Smogon

Mew @ Mewnium Z
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Fire Blast
- Soft-Boiled
- Thunder Wave

Here's the offensive Mew set that I have used in the past as sort of like a Lead. Its fairly simple really, it comes out and Clicks T-wave if it forces a switch or if it is forced to switch then it goes into a bulkier Pokemon. Mew can be used late game to absolutely demolish a wall on the team as well as set up Psychic terrain for another Pokemon. Fireblast is used to beat those pesky Steel-types as well as Tapu-Bulu that might try to force it out.
 

ethan06

⋖(☼┆☼)⋗
is a Community Contributor Alumnus
i've been doing a whole bunch of experimenting so i'll edit this post as i think of stuff

psa: ash greninja is legal and actually p good
a lot of the restricted mons aren't that great at taking repeated dark pulses so specs ash gren is a pretty nice pick here. water shuriken is also handy for weakening mimikyu if its disguise is intact

psa: sheer force landorus-i is also legal and also good bc it can ohko pdon all of the time !!! also billions of coverage options for all the steels and fairies and hp ice for mence and focus blast for ferro yay, grass knot for pogre if you want. hits like a truck. nice.

been playing around with magearna, and it has a hell of a lot of different tools and wildly varying sets to mess with pretty much anything. i was mainly playing with shift gear but otr is also viable, as is calm mind, as is scarf, as is assault vest... offensively it has an insane depth of coverage, with fleur cannon, flash cannon, ice beam, thunderbolt, focus blast, hidden power fire, grass knot, even shadow ball potentially seeing use to hit different things. defensively, it can sit in front of a ton of scary threats and set up in their faces, laughing all the way. a very unpredictable mon and more than worth your restricted slot.

FERROTHORN. ferrothorn is fucking ridiculous here - i had a match with ThickFatAzumarill where he brought one and it walled my entire team to death. the role compression on this thing is insane, with the capability of wearing down or outright bopping xerneas, kyogre, necrozma, tapu koko, tapu lele, mamoswine, zygarde... you need to be running at least two hidden power fires and at least one surprise fighting move because this thing will be on almost every team. jesus h christ.

ninetales + z-heal block palkia is memey as shit and it wins games don't even trip. need to build a better squad around it but i was really impressed by the core itself. that is all
 
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Theorymon

Have a wonderful day, wahoo!
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Heh Psynergy , I was actually working on a restricted viability list of my own of sorts :P. Difference is, you included a lot more Pokemon than me, and I'm using this more as a basis for my take on last year's metagame, and how I expect things to change this year! Anyways, here's my list and takes (note that I'm talking about the new Pokemon AFTER the oldmons lol)!

The old list and how I expect these Pokemon to change:

These Pokemon were by far the most dangerous restricted choices, being very difficult to check with normal Pokemon.



Mega Rayquaza

Why was it so feared?

This thing was so strong that even Ubers banned it! It was no joke in last year's special either. This thing is damn near impossible to wall, with most offensive teams having very little of anything resembling a competent switch-in to this outside of Focus Sash cheese. Mega Rayquaza's high power, speed, and ability to hold an item put it WAY above any other Mega Evolution choice, with others only really being used if a different restricted slot is chosen!

A lot of people assume you'll just Dragon Dance with Life Orb, but note that Mega Rayquaza is capable of more than that! While Focus Sash may seem super silly for a Pokemon with Mega Rayquaza's bulk, it can act as a nice anti cheese against opposing Focus Sash Pokemon. There's the occasional Swords Dance set, which I don't feel is quite as good as Dragon Dance because Choice Scarf Tapu Lele was everywhere, but it was even harder to wall for defensive Pokemon! Then there's mixed Mega Rayquaza, who puts floating Steels to utter shame, and plus, Draco Meteor hurts a hell of a lot! Choiced items aren't shabby either, with Choice Band having an incredible amount of immediate power, and access to V-create which is actually just as strong as Dragon Ascent! There's even Choice Scarf, which I didn't see much of, but was really cool for blasting Tapu Leles that may attempt to revenge Mega Rayquaza.

What's changed this year?

I think the the big change for it are going to be Marshadow. I expect a lot of Marshadow to carry Focus Sash, which will really suck if Mega Rayquaza sets up, since even +1 Spectral Thief from Focus Sash Marshadow actually 2HKOs Mega Rayquaza, and you can't just ExtremeSpeed it either! Ultra Necrozma might be a bit weird for it to. I don't expect many to actually run Dragon-type moves, but note that if it does end up using even Dragon Pulse, it can outspeed and OHKO unboosted Mega Rayquaza. While I'm not sure this is going to be common, I imagine Focus Sash Naganadel might also be a big issue for Mega Rayquaza due to its superior speed. Otherwise, I think Mega Rayquaza going to be mostly as good as it was last year!



Arceus

Why was it so feared?

Just speaking about Normal Arceus alone, this thing is a nightmare to face for hyper offensive teams, especially when paired with Tapu Koko to get rid of Psychic Terrain. Boosted ExtermeSpeed just cleaves through fast offensive stuff, and thanks to Normalum Z, Aceus can even severely damage the tankier stuff in this format too! I think Normal Arceus is easier to wall than the other two S rank Pokemon, but it deserves this spot just because its such a menace against offensive teams, and is a major reason Tapu Lele was so popular (the other being Mega Rayquaza lol).

boe's stats if I recall didn't record Aceus totally correctly, but from my play, other Arceus formes were uneruitilized and under explored, which is a shame because they can be nasty surprises due to team preview not revealing them! The three that stood out to me the most where Fairy, Steel, and Ghost. Fairy is of course, a brilliant typing, and was handy on a Calm Mind set for blasting Mega Rayquaza, though being weak to common Steel-types was an issue. Steel is an excellent defensive typing that Arceus could use offensively, and it did extremely well against Mimikyu and Tapu Lele (just watch out for Scarf or Sash Focus Blasts), while Ghost was unique in being the other type that could effectively use a Z-move, thanks to +2 Z-Shadow Force.

What's changed this year?

I think Marshadow has the potential to be a real bummer for Normal Arceus, since Marshadow is faster and slams it with Close Combat. I think it will also totally obliterate Ghost Arceus usage too thanks to Spectral Thief shenanigans >_>. Fairy Arceus is also going to be rather awkward against Dusk Mane Necrozma, while Steel is also going to dislike Marshadow running about.

That being said, I think there could be other interesting Arceus types to try out, such as Ground to deal with the Steel-type spam. I think Arceus is the one that's the most open to experimentation for sure, so feel free to use an unusual forme if it fits your team!



Kyogre / Primal Kyogre

Why was it so feared?

Primal Groudon was actually a lot tamer in this format compared to say, Ubers, and Kyogre benefited from that pretty massively! Because Primal Groudon wasn't a super common restricted slot choice, Choice Scarf was actually the most common kind of Kyogre! With just a rain boost, Water Spout is a freaking nightmare to switch into with unrestricted Pokemon, with Ferrothorn being the only particularly good one. Restricted wise, you got Mega Rayquaza and Mega Groudon as good choices, though even the former won't like a predicted Ice Beam!

Choice Scarf isn't all Kyogre does of course, since Primal Kyogre is still a huge threat on its own. Its extremely specially bulky so it can prey on stuff like Choice Scarf Tapu Lele locked into weak moves, and can Calm Mind on threats such as Aegislash or Celesteela. While not super common, I'd also watch out for Sheer Cold Kyogre, who can REALLY ruin your day if it hits Ferrothorn or Primal Groudon!

What's changed this year?

Honestly, I think the only change Kyogre has to worry about this year is Ultra Necrozma, since before it Ultra Bursts, Kyogre can be stuck in an awkward prediction war of "should I use a water move to predict it to stay in its forme, or should I Ice Beam and predict the Ultra Burst?". Otherwise, I imagine things will be business as usual for Kyogre.
These Pokemon are easier to check than the above with regular Pokemon, but are still pretty big threats that are worthy choices for a lot of teams.


Yveltal

What did this do?

Yveltal was severely under rated last year imo, with it only barely breaking the top 50. A lot of players were pretty paranoid about the Fairy-type weakness, which was reasonable with Tapu Lele and Mimikyu being everywhere (and also Tapu Koko though that'd Thunderbolt you lol), but what's so great about Yveltal is that it does very well against a lot of restricted Pokemon. Part of this is because of Foul Play, which severely damages Mega Rayquaza and Arceus. It was pretty versatile too, since while you could run more offensive sets with say, Obilvion Wing and Dark Pulse, which could be hard to wall, there was also the rare (but very good) bulky sets. I actually remember seeing what appeared to be an Impish Yveltal that gave me a ton of trouble, as it survives +1 Mega Rayquaza Dragon Ascent as long as Stealth Rock isn't up, and OHKOs with Foul Play! It benefits from those super pinch berries in this case too, so it can restore a lot of its health quickly even after taking a massive hit like that.

If there's anything holding Yveltal back from S in my mind, it's that while it does really well against most restricted Pokemon, it isn't tooo hard to check with regular Pokemon. Mimikyu and Tapu Lele were pretty abundant like I said, so most teams had at least one Pokemon that can handle Yveltal.

What's changed this year?

I think this year's changes are actually a pretty nice buff for Yveltal, since the two big new restricted threats, Marshadow and the Necrozmas, all have trouble with Yveltal! Only concern I have now is that with Mimikium Z around, most Mimikyu are going to use their Z move, so this is going to put even more pressure on Yveltal to speed creep it, potentially reducing the utility of the bulkier sets.



Primal Groudon

What did this do?

Primal Groudon may be the king of Ubers, but in this more restricted, 3v3 format, its a lot harder to just slot Primal Groudon into teams. For an offensive Pokemon, it's pretty slow, and Garchomp and Landorus-T were common enough to actually be rather problematic for Primal Groudon. That being said, while it may no longer be king, it was still a serious threat. It does great against all that annoying Steel-type spam, and the Fairy-type resist meant it was a great Mimikyu check too.

Primal Groudon is famous for condensing a lot of roles in Ubers, and it can sorta do that here too, but personally, I preferred leaving the Stealth Rock setting to other Pokemon, and going on the offense with Rock Polish and/or Swords Dance. Primal Groudon is one of the best offensive checks to Kyogre you can get, and I love to take advantage of that!

What's changed this year?

I think the new Pokemon are mostly good news for Primal Groudon. It's not going to like Marshadow taking its boosts, but as long as it hasn't boosted its Attack, It'll usually beat Marshadow one-on-one I think. It'll also force Dusk Mane Necrozma to Ultra Burst, which removes some of its unpredictability. With most Mimikyu probably going towards their new Z-moves, I think it'll actually end up as an even better check than before too!



Lunala

What did this do?

Lunala isn't really on the same power level as the other A-threats, but I felt like it deserved this slot mostly because Shadow Shield is a freaking incredible ability! A lot of them where Choice Scarf mostly because Mega Gengar was a serious problem otherwise, and it made a really nice Tapu Lele check and was great at picking off weakened Mega Rayquaza (assuming it hasn't Dragon Danced).

However, Choice Specs was pretty threatening too, since Lunala was extremely difficult to OHKO with Shadow Shield up. Ca;m Mind was pretty good too, making easy set-up fodder of the more defensive threats, and it had a great STAB move in Moongeist Beam to deal with the lesser amount of coverage.

What's changed this year?

I think things are a mixed bag for Lunala this year. Marshadow is another speedy Ghost-type, except not even Scarf can't get away unless Shadow Shield or Psychic Terrain is up due to Technichan Shadow Sneak. On the bright side, Lunala has a pretty damn good match up against Dusk Mane Necrozma, and the potential for less Focus Sash Mimikyu could be huge for Lunala. Also, Lunalium Z sounds pretty rad considering the huge amount of power, and now Mimikyu can't use the Z-move to cheese in a switch in either!
These Pokemon have certain flaws that hold them back compared to other restricted Pokemon, but they can be pretty deadly when you make a team based around them.



Xerneas

What did this do?

I'm probably a bit harsher on Xerneas compared to other players, but here's my big problem: Xerneas's best checks are unrestricted Pokemon, with Aegislash being among the chief of the problems here. This is sorta a similar problem to Yveltal, except I don't think Xerneas has an incredible match up against restricted Pokemon either, and its a lot more one note with its focus on Power Herb or Fairium Z Geomancy shenanigans.

That being said... I think every team needed a Xerneas check of somesort. If you didn't have one, Xerneas was fully capable of curb stomping you as hard as the best of the S-rank Pokemon! Because of this, I think making a team based around Xerneas is perfectly acceptable if you're committed to getting rid of its checks, but it certainly isn't as easy to use as some of the other more common restricted Pokemon.

What's changed this year?

Unfortunately, I don't think Xerneas likes the new additions this year. Dusk Mane Necrozma sounds like an excellent, scary check to Xerneas, and even Focus Sash Marshadow can at least stop Xerneas from sweeping, even if it has to sacrifice itself. Mimikyu getting a beefy new Z-move sorta sucks for Xerneas too, making it easier to revenge kill. On the bright side, if Yveltal gets more popular, I can see Xerneas being a pretty deadly response to that.


Magearna

What did this do?

Outside of the obvious Arceus (and now Marshadow), Magearna was the other mythical Pokemon to consider. It's a pretty niche Pokemon, but its niche is powerful: its the premier Trick Room sweeper! A lot of the most dangerous Pokemon here heavily rely on their Speed or Choice Scarf, so Magearna flips that concept on its head and sabotages it! Thanks to Soul Heart and Z-Fleur Cannon, Magearna was actually pretty capable of sweeping, and its brilliant typing made setting up against unrestricted Pokemon pretty easy!

That being said, if you used Magearna, you really had to commit to Trick Room, because defensive Magearna or Shift Gear just didn't really work out. Thankfully, it was a dangerous and unexpected playstyle, so I think it could totally be worth it.

What's changed this year?

Dusk Mane Necrozma sounds pretty problematic for Magearna, since it totally walls it unless it Ultra Bursts too early, which can mean valuable Trick Room turns can be lost. Magearna does do alright against Marshadow though. Close Combat deals serious damage, but Trick Room can be set up on it, and Magearna will love the idea of some Mimikyu ditching Ghostium Z too!


Zygarde-Complete

What did this do?

Not going to lie, I wasn't a huge fan of Zygarde-Complete, but it's hard to deny that a lot of unrestricted Pokemon HATE facing this thing, just due to its absurd bulk! It can slowly set up on them with Dragon Dance or Coil, making it a fairly capable late game sweeper. Also gotta live Thousand Arrows, which means Celesteela has a lot of problems against this compared to other Ground-types!

That being said, I think the biggest thing that holds Zygarde-Complete back is that its pretty weak by restricted Pokemon standards, which also means that it has a lot of problems actually winning against a lot of restricted Pokemon. For example, I sorta dislike how you're forced to use Outrage on Dragon Dance to not get annihilated by Mega Rayquaza, and even its mighty bulk can get thrashed by Kyogre's might.

What's changed this year?

If the last international tournament where Zygarde was allowed taught me anything, its that Marshadow makes setting up a LOT more difficult for Zygarde, especially Coil sets since now Marshadow will be rather hard to KO. Thankfully, I expect this to be offset by Zygarde probably doing well against Dusk Mane Necrozma as long as Dragon-type moves don't become popular on it for Ultra Bursting.
I find that these Pokemon have pretty severe issues that hold them back except for a few specific teams. I'm gonna be short with them because I've already spent over an hour on this post lol




Mewtwo

I wasn't a huge fan of Mewtwo last year because it wasn't particular hard to check with good, unrestricted Pokemon such as Aegislash or Mimikyu, but I can't deny it got a cool boost: it got its Mega Evolutions back! I think Mega Mewtwo X probably isn't too relevant sadly, but Mega Mewtwo Y sounds sorta neat because it outspeeds Mega Gengar and Tapu Koko, eliminating that annoying Speed tie. That being said, I expect Mewtwo to stick to what it does best: Psychic spam teams.


Kyurem-W

I feel Kyurem-W mostly paled in comparison to the big cheese Dragon-types, Mega Rayquaza and Mega Salamence, and its low Speed stat and restricted nature makes me thing Naganadel may be a better Dragon-type special attacker as well. That being said: Turboblaze is actually an awesome ability with Mimikyu running around. I remember seeing a Choice Scarf set that scared me a bit due to that, but Icium Z sounds pretty hard to switch into as well. I also appreciated the Ice Beam neutrality against Kyogre. That being said, if you got a mega slot around , Mega Rayquaza is probably the better choice most of the time.


Ho-Oh

I think the restricted slot is such a shame in Ho-Oh's case, because I think it'd be pretty damn good if it didn't eat that up otherwise! Its got great special bulk and Regenerator on something this offensive is pretty awesome, but its ok physical Defense and Speed is rather problematic compared to other restricted slots, and unlike Kyogre, it can't just nuke anything that doesn't resist it either. Still, Scared Fire is awesome, and I do wonder if Curse could be an interesting choice now...


Lugia

Lugia's crazy bulk, good speed, and Multiscale can be pretty hellish for a lot of unresticted Pokemon to face, letting it set up Calm Mind sorta like how Zygarde can set up Coil. However, I'm not a fan of that Ghost-type weakness when Aegislash, Marshadow, and Mimikyu will be roaming about, and like Zygarde, Lugia is really really passive. I barely saw this thing last year, but I have to admit that it probably would have been problematic for me to face once my ghosts were gone lol.



Deoxys-A

Dexoys-A is a really extreme choice. It's fast and super powerful, but its pathetic defenses make it a prime target for Focus Sash, Mimikyu, and priority cheese, which really holds it back. That being said, when its on a Psychic Terrain team, Psycho Boost is stupidly powerful, so I wouldn't underestimated it, even if its really hard to use!


The new restricted Pokemon

Woo, the new Pokemon! I'm going to be giving them what I expect their ranking to be, but its early so who knows what we'll find out?


Dusk Mane Necrozma + Ultra Necrozma

I think these two may be the most defining new threat when put together! Now on their own, I think Dusk Mane Necrozma is just a good offensive Steel-type (and I should note that Sunraze Smash is not to be trifled with power wise) thats hard to KO due to Prism Armor, and Ultra Necrozma is a slightly worse alternative to Mega Rayquaza that trades power and better STAB for more Speed, smashing Mimikyu, and not using up a mega slot.

However, when you put them together, I think they become incredibly fearsome! The two Necrozmas have a very different set of checks, so you can elect to say, not Ultra Burst until Tapu Lele is taken care of, or play mind games to put opponents into uncomfortable move decisions. Most of all, I really like the fact that the two Necrozmas's builds are so different that they can sorta act as a weird form of role compression, with Dusk Mane scaring away Fairies, and Ultra being a great revenge killer. I also expect Ultra Necrozma to be great on Psychic Terrain teams since it outspeeds Marshadow, though I'd watch out for Mega Gengar!

Marshadow

TBH this migh deserve S, I'm not sure yet. Marshadow's stats may seem underwhelming for a restricted Pokemon, but its typing and movepool aer way too good to ignore. Spectral Thief makes Marshadow an amazing anti-sweeper Pokemon, especially when slapping a Focus Sash on it. As long as Stealth Rock isn't up, sweepers like Mega Rayquaza won't be able to set up without risking their own team getting sweeped. It's a similar effect to Ditto, but Marshadow is a more consistent Pokemon. Marshadow also happens to outspeed Arceus, which is great for picking off weakened ones with Close Combat!

However, I can see Marshadow's lower power level harming it against unrestricted Pokemon, since it'll be much easier to wall than behemoths such as Mega Rayquaza and Kyogre.

Dawn Wings Necrozma + Ultra Necrozma

I think its fair to say that Dawn Wings Necrozma, on its own, is pretty underwhelming when Lunala exists, and when you could just use a specially based Dusk Mane Necrozma if you're more focused on Ultra Necrozma. I think it might have one small niche though: You can use it as a poor man's Lunala that can change INTO Ultra Necrozma! As long as Dusk Mane Necrozma's don't start running Dark-type moves, I think Dawn Wings will be able to usually win one-on-one, then Ultra Burst once that threat is taken out. Moongeist Beam is pretty hard to switch into too before it Ultra Bursts, and maybe it could even run Rock Polish to surprise some would be revenge killers. That being said, I would NOT use this without Ultra Necrozium Z, because otherwise, you're just using a worse Lunala that happens to have Rock Polish. I think Dawn Wings Necrozma will have to take advantage of its forme changing powers to have any use over Lunala.

And those are my current thoughts! I'm pretty excited to see this metagame return next week. I wonder what new tactics we'll see?
 
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cant say

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Been playing a little on PS, season starts tomorrow so figured I'd post my hastily-made team in case others wanna give the format a try


http://pokepast.es/cc35433b7bd31b04

QR Code: https://3ds.pokemon-gl.com/rentalteam/usum/BT-4036-B946

Decided I wanted to use Ultra Necrozma first because of new-toy-syndrome, I figured the laziest way of putting in some work with Photon Geysey / Light That Burns the Sky was to pair it with Lele and spam terrain-boosted moves. It's also really handy for stopping Shadow Sneaks from Mimikyu (and Marshadow) so you can bop it through Disguise without taking damage. Brick Break is a little silly, but I ran into so many Umbreon already that I wanted something to hurt those:
+2 252 Atk Neuroforce Ultra Necrozma Brick Break vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Umbreon: 168-199 (83.1 - 98.5%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
It's also good v Ferro because you don't have to Z move it. Dragon Pulse is for bopping Mega Ray and Mega Mence and has come in handy quite a few times. Koko is the Yveltal check, Lando + Ferro provide some bulk, and Blaziken is just a good mon but also threatens Umbreon / darks in general / Ferro. I was running SD on it but I've been having trouble vs Gyara teams so swapped in Thunder Punch.

Really enjoying this format so far, there's a whole bunch of stuff I wanna try too. Ray+Steela, Zygarde+Steela, Arceus on any Kangaskhan team I've ever used in BSS, Marshadow + Webs, Magearna Trick Room, stall with Ho-oh, I've even tried Mewtwo X over Necrozma on this current team which was ok! I hope the cart ladder is decently active because I'll likely be playing a lot of this instead of BSS lol.

edit: QRed it
edit2: QR code is fixed
 
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Ullar

card-carrying wife-guy
is a Smogon Discord Contributor
I've been using this team (QR Code available at link) and it's been doing okay for me. I like Trick Room, and it's hilarious to watch fast 'mons squirm. Magearna hasn't been pulling as much weight as I would have hoped - Rhydon always continues to amaze me with her bulk.

This set was kicked around a bit on the discord - I'm trying it on PS! and it's actually pretty rad.


Lugia @ Leftovers
Ability: Multiscale
Level: 50
EVs: 212 HP / 196 Def / 100 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Toxic
- Roost
- Whirlpool
- Substitute

It's utterly brutal. Sure, Taunt slows it down, but it doesn't stop it. Whirlpool still does a considerable chip while Lugia sits behind its near-impenetrable bulk, not to mention Multiscale.

If someone gets one for me on cart, I will build an actual serious team around it. Just sayin'.
 
I've been wanting to get into battle spot in my endangered spare time, and a format in which Marshadow was legal was sufficient motivation to cobble a team together: http://pokepast.es/c10a4c541a476f78

Since I don't have much vanilla BSS experience and Marshadow's normally not allowed in the format, I loosely based the team on cant say 's no holds barred sticky webs support team, with obvious necessary replacements due to the limit on restricted mons.

In trying to come up with a set of mons that more or less covered the roles of Volcanion and Zygarde I ended up going with Heatran and Naganadel and adding Landorus-T over Celesteela to keep a ground type on team and since I now already had a steel type in Heatran. I originally put Rotom-w over Quagsire since I figured mono-normal baton pass teams would probably not be a thing and I wanted an electric that would help with Kyogre. However, the team had a lot of trouble with Yveltal, and rotom-w's power output just wasn't enough to reliably take Yveltal down, so I swapped it for Tapu Koko.

I'm about 1:1 in W:L with the team so far. A lot of that is from inexperience, no doubt, but the team could probably stand to undergo some tweaking. Shuckle has proven to be pretty great at speed control and pretty frequently gets up rocks too, but since it can't do much else I have to rely on the other two slots to take care of all 3 mons, and I'm finding that Marshadow's power output without life orb is frequently coming up short and missing out on KOs (but maybe I'm just not good enough at getting the swagger+spectral thief combo off). However, Focus Sash has come in clutch several times, so I'm inclined to keep the item. (Any ideas and suggestions on potential changes to make are welcome!)

I'm definitely enjoying the format so far, and will keep trying to tweak things with this team to see how well I can make Marshadow work as the season progresses, and hopefully climb to a half-respectable ranking before the season ends.
 

cant say

twitch.tv/jakecantsay
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Team Rater Alumnusis a Top Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
I've been wanting to get into battle spot in my endangered spare time, and a format in which Marshadow was legal was sufficient motivation to cobble a team together: http://pokepast.es/c10a4c541a476f78

Since I don't have much vanilla BSS experience and Marshadow's normally not allowed in the format, I loosely based the team on cant say 's no holds barred sticky webs support team, with obvious necessary replacements due to the limit on restricted mons.

In trying to come up with a set of mons that more or less covered the roles of Volcanion and Zygarde I ended up going with Heatran and Naganadel and adding Landorus-T over Celesteela to keep a ground type on team and since I now already had a steel type in Heatran. I originally put Rotom-w over Quagsire since I figured mono-normal baton pass teams would probably not be a thing and I wanted an electric that would help with Kyogre. However, the team had a lot of trouble with Yveltal, and rotom-w's power output just wasn't enough to reliably take Yveltal down, so I swapped it for Tapu Koko.

I'm about 1:1 in W:L with the team so far. A lot of that is from inexperience, no doubt, but the team could probably stand to undergo some tweaking. Shuckle has proven to be pretty great at speed control and pretty frequently gets up rocks too, but since it can't do much else I have to rely on the other two slots to take care of all 3 mons, and I'm finding that Marshadow's power output without life orb is frequently coming up short and missing out on KOs (but maybe I'm just not good enough at getting the swagger+spectral thief combo off). However, Focus Sash has come in clutch several times, so I'm inclined to keep the item. (Any ideas and suggestions on potential changes to make are welcome!)

I'm definitely enjoying the format so far, and will keep trying to tweak things with this team to see how well I can make Marshadow work as the season progresses, and hopefully climb to a half-respectable ranking before the season ends.
I've been planning to rework that team for this format so it's really cool someone already tried! I think if you swapped Heatran for SpD Ferrothorn (and made Lando-T physically bulky) you'd have pretty much what I would use. If you want a Fire-type I'd probably try Charizard X or Y over Naganadel.

I found I had the most success in NHB when I was able to get a Swagger off with Shuckle before bringing Marshadow in, getting the boost straight away with Marsh (or getting more boosts) helped with the power output. The scariest thing for the team is Ditto, although it becomes a 50/50 against Scarf sets with Sticky Web up. That was another reason I had Unaware Quagsire on the NHB team. You could maybe try using Mega Lopunny (fast Normal-type that beats Ditto-Marshadow) or PhysDef Clefable. I've been joking about a Z-Moonblast Clef set on Discord as a way of checking Mega Ray, it's a little gimmicky but could work as the Ditto-Marshadow / Rayquaza check for the team.
 
I've been planning to rework that team for this format so it's really cool someone already tried! I think if you swapped Heatran for SpD Ferrothorn (and made Lando-T physically bulky) you'd have pretty much what I would use. If you want a Fire-type I'd probably try Charizard X or Y over Naganadel.

I found I had the most success in NHB when I was able to get a Swagger off with Shuckle before bringing Marshadow in, getting the boost straight away with Marsh (or getting more boosts) helped with the power output. The scariest thing for the team is Ditto, although it becomes a 50/50 against Scarf sets with Sticky Web up. That was another reason I had Unaware Quagsire on the NHB team. You could maybe try using Mega Lopunny (fast Normal-type that beats Ditto-Marshadow) or PhysDef Clefable. I've been joking about a Z-Moonblast Clef set on Discord as a way of checking Mega Ray, it's a little gimmicky but could work as the Ditto-Marshadow / Rayquaza check for the team.
Cool, thanks for the suggestions. I like the Ferrothorn idea, as I haven't used Heatran's heat wave much and the team could use something that can take advantage of trick room, since it currently doesn't have a good way to handle those teams. I'll try to breed one if I have time. I briefly considered Lopunny so I could fake out Mimikyu to break its disguise, as that's also been pretty annoying to face, but maybe I'll see if Ferro can handle it (and whether I start running into dittos) before I try to fit Lopunny on the team. Lando will have to stay as is until I can grow some more ev-reducing berries. :P

PGL was down today, so no changes to the W:L (for better or for worse).
 
I got up to 1700 and am pretty happy with my rating! So I will share the team I used. I would share EVs and stuff too but I don't want to just yet since I might keep using and tweaking the team and I don't want everyone to know my secrets!


Primal Kyogre
Go Primal Kyogre Destroy Everything.png

Primal Kyogre is absolutely ridiculous. Just to give you an idea of the raw power this thing has; here are some calcs:
252+ SpA Kyogre-Primal Water Spout (150 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Ferrothorn in Heavy Rain: 88-104 (48.6 - 57.4%) -- 49.2% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Kyogre-Primal Water Spout (150 BP) vs. 4 HP / 252 SpD Eviolite Chansey in Heavy Rain: 138-163 (42.3 - 50%) -- 0.4% chance to 2HKO
In other words, a weather boosted base 180 special attack is nothing if not terrifying. Kyogre honestly surprised me, I was just gonna test it for fun but it did better than the mon on my other team so I just rolled with it. I didn't expect to reach 1700 with it since I haven't hit 1700 even in regular BSS recently, but it makes sense to me that it did well; 180 special attack + weather STAB boost is incredible, and Water Spout hits very hard to begin with if you can keep Kyogre at full health, while Origin Pulse also packs a heavy punch. I have a newfound appreciation for Kyogre's impressive power.


Cresselia
You all know what this thing does! Not exactly the most unpredictable mon, but still extremely good.


Exeggutor-Alola
Don't question it; this mon has saved me on multiple occasions.


Mega Heracross
Mega Heracross is a situational mon, but in those situations it is very useful! Heracross is more of a support mega than a primary option; I don't bring it all the time and Kyogre pretty much functions as my primary "mega" pokemon (yes, I know you can bring primal Kyogre and mega Heracross to the same battle), but it certainly provides good support when it is needed!

Aegislash
My counter to Xerneas. Ironically I never once saw Xerneas, even before I put Aegi on the team (although I have seen it with my other team). Because Xerneas is so uncommon I am considering switching Aegi for something better and just taking the fat L when it comes to Xern, but I am not sure what yet. I don't think I brought Aegi ever. I used to have Umbreon and I brought that exactly once, but at least it did pretty well the battle I brought it!

Mega Salamence
I never bring this. Filler because I didn't know what to put for my last mon so I just put this. I used to have Ferrothorn but I never brought that either. I might rework Mence's spread or rework it overall. Right now it's just boring 252 atk/252 speed.

Anyway here is what stood out to me the most:

Mimikyu- The Mimikyu I have faced have very often (as far as I know) been Focus Sash, which makes a lot of sense with Ultra Necrozma and Mega Rayquaza (especially Fling variant) running around, and which I think is the best item for Mimikyu in this format in particular. Mimikyu can easily be threatening unless you have rocks+a move that hits through Disguise / Fling Ray. Balanced mon lmfao. There is also the dedicated curse variant, which is not usually sashed but can be a b**** to play around.

Arceus- It does not get more powerful than the almighty YAHWEH himself. Probably the legendary I saw the most. Arceus is usually extreme killer. Every Arceus I have seen except for one exception (which was Ground Arceus), has been normal type, however I still think the other types have potential, especially since you will most likely assume normal Arceus at team preview, giving other types an advantage. Arceus is versatile, even normal Arceus can run sets other than Extreme Killer and I saw a cool special normal Arceus from a highly rated player that teched on hyper voice for Substitute users. Unfortunately, I did not find out the rest of the set, but I am assuming Fire Blast was not part of it because they used Hyper Voice on Heracross. Extreme Killer Arceus is usually holding Normalium Z. I would often try to Water Spout it predicting setup only to get hit by a first turn z-move; fortunately Kyogre can take it.

Opposing Kyogre- Kyogre is usually choice scarfed, which fortunately makes it a lot less threatening since it is forced to lock itself into something. Primal Kyogre, when opposing me, is a beast and a threat; its SpA is ridiculous and if it comes in on something like Cress it can leave a mark! I saw a primal Kyogre that Scolipede baton passed an iron defense onto and that tried to calm mind; fortunately, I knocked it really low with Water Spout + Thunder and it tried to rest, then died to three consecutive Thunders. What I learned from that experience is that Kyogre has good defenses (especially SpDef) too, and this can make it quite threatening!

Ultra Necrozma- The power this thing has under psychic terrain is absolutely ridiculous. Certainly a threat.

Scolipede- interesting mon. I didn't see it very often at all but one of the sets I saw was a cool toxic spikes/endeavor/toxic/superpower set; toxic spikes seem interesting to me in this because a lot of Ubers are not immune to them and there are no poison type restricted mons besides Arceus-Poison, and Scolipede may be the best setter of them.

Magearna- interesting mon; hits very hard, good in trick room, good bulk as well.

Oddly I didn't see THAT many Groudons, which is weird since it is the single most used uber in the format. My team is a little weak to Groudon (and very weak to Lunala) and I clearly need to fix that. Suggestions for mons for the last two slots (the ones that don't have icons) are much appreciated!
 
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