Dark Horses: Underrated Pokémon in the RU tier

Introduction

Throughout the history of competitive Pokémon, the lower tiers have been filled with tons of hidden gems to take advantage of, and XY RU is no exception. There are plenty of Pokémon that don't see much usage in general, but have proven themselves to be very solid choices in higher-level play. This article will cover some of these lesser-known but very very effective Pokémon in the current RU metagame, explain what makes them so viable in the current metagame, and provide some example sets to get you started on using them for yourselves!

The Dark Horses

Omastar

Omastar @ Focus Sash
Ability: Weak Armor
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Hydro Pump / Scald
- Ice Beam

Despite its fall to NU at the beginning of the generation, Omastar has recently made a huge comeback in XY RU as a suicide lead, and it's pretty darn good at it if you ask me. Coming equipped with access to both Stealth Rock and Spikes, a well-played Omastar can easily get multiple layers of entry hazards up per game. The thing that really makes Omastar stand out as a hazard setter, though, is the fact that it has an excellent match-up against by far the most common Defog user in the tier: Gligar. Omastar can easily force it out with the threat of either an Ice Beam or a powerful Water-type STAB move and thus keep its hazards safe as long as it's alive. Even if Gligar gets an opportunity to Defog against a team with hazards, the Omastar user can simply switch it in as it pulls off the Defog and reset at least one layer of hazards as they switch out, and if the opponent predicts this and the Gligar takes out a weakened Omastar with Earthquake on the switch instead, the Omastar user can simply go to another offensive threat that forces it out, delaying the Defog in the process. Lastly, Weak Armor is a great ability on any Pokémon aiming to get entry hazards up early-game, as it turns any contact move into a free Speed boost, possibly granting the Omastar user an extra layer of entry hazards.

Shiftry

Shiftry @ Life Orb
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naughty Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Knock Off
- Leaf Storm
- Defog

Shiftry's recently made a name for itself as the best (and only) offensive Defog user in the RU tier. There are a few other Pokémon with hazard-clearing moves in RU, such as Gligar, Golbat, Togetic, Hitmonlee, Hitmontop, and Kabutops, but Shiftry's specific set of traits lets it fill a unique niche that none of these Pokémon can. Unlike Rapid Spinners such as Hitmonlee and Kabutops, Ghost-types such as Doublade can't stop it from accomplishing its main role—removing hazards for its teammates—and unlike the other Defog users in RU, such as Gligar and Golbat, Shiftry's solid coverage and decent mixed attacking stats mean it actually packs a punch. Shiftry also happens to pair well with many of the common Pokémon that need its hazard-clearing support the most. For example, Moltres and Delphox both appreciate Shiftry's ability to switch into and pressure bulky Water-types such as Alomomola and Slowking, thanks to its resistance to Water-type moves and the threat of a STAB Leaf Storm and Knock Off, respectively. Outside of simply removing hazards, Shiftry pulls its weight by acting as a solid mixed attacker, using its solid coverage, high-Base Power moves, and decent offensive stats to pressure a variety of opponents, and it can also use its powerful Sucker Punch to perform well as a revenge killer. Lastly, Shiftry can utilize a Swords Dance set quite effectively if its hazard-clearing duties aren't needed, using its decent pool of resistances and ability to force switches to grab a boost.

Gurdurr

Gurdurr @ Eviolite
Ability: Guts
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Drain Punch
- Knock Off
- Mach Punch
- Bulk Up / Stone Edge / Ice Punch / Poison Jab

Gurdurr takes center stage as the definition of a bulky Fighting-type. With Eviolite further boosting its already solid base 85 Defense while also shoring up its mediocre base 50 Special Defense to acceptable levels, Gurdurr can take almost any hit, and can check all kinds of common RU Pokémon, including Sharpedo, Rhyperior, Drapion, Cobalion, Virizion, and (the currently suspected) Zoroark with ease. Unlike other Pokémon with similar levels of bulk though, Gurdurr is no pushover offensively either, and has a high base 105 Attack and solid physical movepool with handy tools such as Drain Punch, Mach Punch, Ice Punch, Stone Edge, and Knock Off with which hit the opposition hard. Gurdurr can even use Bulk Up effectively, beefing up its already high Attack and Defense stats to insane levels, letting it easily cleave through weakened teams once bulky Pokémon that resist Fighting-type attacks have been weakened or eliminated. Guts is usually the preferred ability, boosting Gurdurr's Attack stat further when it gets hit by status effects such as Alomomola's Toxic and Registeel's Thunder Wave, but Iron Fist is a viable option instead for the solid 20% boost on all of Gurdurr's punching moves.

Magneton

Magneton @ Choice Specs
Ability: Analytic
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Flash Cannon
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power Grass

In a tier where many of the common Steel-types either have ways to discourage Magneton from switching in (Durant, Escavalier, Cobalion), or are immune to being trapped altogether (Doublade), it might seem like Magneton's niche as a trapper is obsolete (and for the most part it is). However, a Magneton in the Team Preview is nothing to be scoffed at, as it's found a new role in the RU tier as a deadly wallbreaker, capable of tearing apart defensive teams if not played around carefully. Magneton's base 120 Special Attack is very high to begin with, but with Analytic's 30% boost whenever it moves second tacked on (this includes when the opponent switches in), it turns into an absolute nuke that's very challenging to switch into safely, especially considering that many of the common defensive Pokémon in the RU tier, such as Slowking, Aromatisse, and Alomomola, are weak to Magneton's STAB moves. Even if the opponent does happen to have something that can switch into Magneton safely, most of the time it can simply use an Analytic-boosted STAB Volt Switch as they come in, dealing high amounts of damage, giving the Magneton user the switch advantage, and possibly putting the opposing Pokémon into a range where they can't switch in a second time. But that's not all; what makes Magneton especially potent as a wallbreaker is its typing, which grants it not just a slew of resistances to switch in on, but makes it resistant to many of the methods of passive damage that defensive teams use to wear down or cripple Pokémon like it, including Stealth Rock, Toxic Spikes, Toxic, and Thunder Wave. Alternatively, Magneton can use an Eviolite effectively, sacrificing a bit of its power for a significant amount of added bulk: something Magneton can definitely take advantage of because of its solid defensive typing

Weezing

Weezing @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
- Will-O-Wisp / Flamethrower
- Toxic Spikes
- Sludge Bomb
- Pain Split / Flamethrower / Haze

After falling into obscurity in NU last generation, Weezing's made quite a comeback in this generation's RU thanks to a new toy in the form of Toxic Spikes. Toxic Spikes is an important tool for any defensive team, as the poison damage will slowly wear down almost every grounded Pokémon and put big offensive threats such as Zoroark, Hitmonlee, and Exploud on a timer that makes them much easier to deal with, and Weezing has no trouble setting up multiple times per game. Weezing's excellent physical bulk, access to Will-O-Wisp, and the many resistances granted by its Poison typing allow it to switch into and check a whole slew of physical attackers in the RU tier, including Doublade, Rhyperior, Virizion, Hitmonlee, Cobalion, and Escavalier, giving it ample opportunity to set up its Toxic Spikes and ensuring it pulls more than its weight otherwise, making big Smogon a very happy smog cloud. The only two things really holding Weezing back from being truly great are a lack of reliable recovery and a bit of 4MSS, but get around these minor setbacks and the gas bag will be sure to serve you well.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it just goes to show that RU has a bunch of cool underrated Pokémon that deserve some more love, so be sure to try out these hidden gems next time you get the chance!

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