Online Competition 2017 No Holds Barred

Serious question, does Marshadow build matter for NA Cartridge players if there isn't an official giveaway before the tournament? Is there a legitimate way to get non-hacked Marshadow to use before the end of the month?
Yeah that's my issue as well. I'm not exactly keen on using it, but it would be stupid to spend time working on using it if I can't actually use it.
 

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I've been trying out Shuckle in this and it has been super fun, a lot of teams are super offensive so with Sticky Web + Stealth Rock support you can easily bop them with your own Marshadow(s). I've also been really liking Celesteela as it's a nice blanket check to a heap of physical threats. I've been simply bringing Shuckle + Marshadow + Celesteela to pretty much every game and it's felt really solid, so I'm hoping to keep those and work on my 3 backup mons. At the moment I've been trying some random stuff like Zygarde, Kartana, and Mega Gengar, so I mostly need something for Trick Room at the moment.

On a side note, I've noticed a number of people running standard BSS teams which have honestly felt more scary to face than the more Uber/AG ones. I think it's because those teams have tried and tested cores to break through whereas anything "new" is still going through teething issues lol.

Serious question, does Marshadow build matter for NA Cartridge players if there isn't an official giveaway before the tournament? Is there a legitimate way to get non-hacked Marshadow to use before the end of the month?
Yeah that's my issue as well. I'm not exactly keen on using it, but it would be stupid to spend time working on using it if I can't actually use it.
There are a number of us who managed to snag a Marshadow when the Wi-Fi room on Showdown was giving them away. We may give more away through our discord so keep an eye out there.
 
For a Skymin set, what is the best move for the 4th slot? (assuming Seed Flare, Air Slash and Earth Power for the first 3 moves)

I'm tossing up between Quick Attack for emergency priority, Substitute for when you predict a switch, or Dazzling Gleam for extra coverage.
 

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So there's a core that uses Deoxys-A and Lele. How exactly is that core ran?
Lele leads with something like a Terrain Extender, Focus Sash, Scarf, Specs, Eject Button or even Light Clay (basically anything). The aim is to get Deoxys-A in safely and spam STAB Psychic moves that are boosted by the terrain. Again the item choice is pretty open; Focus Sash, Choice Specs, Life Orb, White Herb.... You can legitimately run a set with Psycho Boost, Psychic, and Psyshock all on it lol.
For a Skymin set, what is the best move for the 4th slot? (assuming Seed Flare, Air Slash and Earth Power for the first 3 moves)

I'm tossing up between Quick Attack for emergency priority, Substitute for when you predict a switch, or Dazzling Gleam for extra coverage.
What item are you using? If Scarf like everyone else then use either Hidden Power Fire or Ice. There's not really much else, Healing Wish is cool for team support, and Leech Seed can whittle an Air Slash resist down if you get lots of flinches...
 
Lele leads with something like a Terrain Extender, Focus Sash, Scarf, Specs, Eject Button or even Light Clay (basically anything). The aim is to get Deoxys-A in safely and spam STAB Psychic moves that are boosted by the terrain. Again the item choice is pretty open; Focus Sash, Choice Specs, Life Orb, White Herb.... You can legitimately run a set with Psycho Boost, Psychic, and Psyshock all on it lol.
Oh okay. I get it now. How should Lele be EVed though, because I don't think the 4/252/252 spread Smogon's analysis is going to have it last long, especially with other Tapus running around.
 
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What item are you using? If Scarf like everyone else then use either Hidden Power Fire or Ice. There's not really much else, Healing Wish is cool for team support, and Leech Seed can whittle an Air Slash resist down if you get lots of flinches...
I was actually going to try a Focus Sash or even Life Orb :/ Is Scarf that necessary? Healing Wish is nice though if my Hidden Power is a bad type (haven't checked)
 

Theorymon

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Something to make clear, there is a legality issue on Pokemon Showdown to take note: it incorrectly bans Iron Tail on Power Construct Zygarde. This is actually possible on cart because you can add cells to XY Zygardes to give them Power Construct.

This is important, because turns out, Tapu Bulu is becoming a big thing on stall teams, and Iron Tail is the only way Choice Band can break past it. I'm actually liking CB Zygarde quite a bit, since most offensive teams don't have anything that avoids a 2HKO from Thousand Arrows, mostly notably actually 2HKOing Mamoswine thanks to CB!

I'm also considering running a mixed LO Zygarde with Sludge Wave just to nail Tapu Bulu (it's an easy 2HKO even with Adamant), though it only 3HKOs Tapu Fini at best, so I'm not sure it's gonna be that great. Still, Sludge Wave is better filler on LO than anything else probably!

Also, I'm gonna talk to people about constructing a viability list for this metagame, stay tuned!
 

Theorymon

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I personally expect Mega Diancie to be pretty good, if only because Stealth Rock is pretty big at the moment, and it looks like the only good Magic Bouncer. It even gets Earth Power to 2HKO Magearna on the switch, which is nice! Celesteela is probably going to be a big issue however.
 
I've been really underwhelmed by Mega Diancie so far. It's a lot frailer than I thought it would be. It gets outsped and straight up OHKO'd by Lopunny, Blaziken, Genesect, Marshadow, Darkrai, Shaymin-Sky, Deoxys, even Magearna that's packing Flash Cannon. Sure, you can force a switch and set up Stealth Rock, but then it just dies :/
 
I've been really underwhelmed by Mega Diancie so far. It's a lot frailer than I thought it would be. It gets outsped and straight up OHKO'd by Lopunny, Blaziken, Genesect, Marshadow, Darkrai, Shaymin-Sky, Deoxys, even Magearna that's packing Flash Cannon. Sure, you can force a switch and set up Stealth Rock, but then it just dies :/
By Darkrai? Anyway, I've been using Mega Altaria and it's been very good. It checks Blaziken, Marshadow, Zygarde, Salamence, Ferrothorn, Shaymin-S, Charizard, Volcarona, and Lopunny. I run a special set with EQ to lure and eliminate Heatran. Physical sets are also viable, just be wary of Spectral Thief Marshadow. Manaphy is a great partner because it can easily set up on things like Celesteela, who walls Altaria.
 
By Darkrai? Anyway, I've been using Mega Altaria and it's been very good. It checks Blaziken, Marshadow, Zygarde, Salamence, Ferrothorn, Shaymin-S, Charizard, Volcarona, and Lopunny. I run a special set with EQ to lure and eliminate Heatran. Physical sets are also viable, just be wary of Spectral Thief Marshadow. Manaphy is a great partner because it can easily set up on things like Celesteela, who walls Altaria.
Does Sludge Bomb do enough to Mega Diance with Darkrai, because that could be the reason.

Edit: No that can't be it based on these calcs.
252 SpA Darkrai Sludge Bomb vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Mega Diancie: 93-110 (38.5 - 45.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
 
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Diancie is neutral to Poison (Rock resists it) so actually Focus Blast deals more damage. A +2 All-Out Pummeling or Acid Downpour have a chance of OHKOing Mega Diancie, but nothing less.

The same attacks at +0 deal very high damage but cannot OHKO from full.
 
Diancie is neutral to Poison (Rock resists it) so actually Focus Blast deals more damage. A +2 All-Out Pummeling or Acid Downpour have a chance of OHKOing Mega Diancie, but nothing less.

The same attacks at +0 deal very high damage but cannot OHKO from full.
So how exactly does Darkrai overwhelm it, or is that an overestimation on Marzbar's part?
 
So how exactly does Darkrai overwhelm it, or is that an overestimation on Marzbar's part?
It was a random All-Out Pummeling (Z Focus Blast) and Diancie had already taken chip damage (rocks I think?). So it was an overestimation on my part, and I didn't do the calcs to clarify. But it took me by surprise and I just assumed Darkrai was yet another threat to Diancie. But you can take it off the list

Other notes:
It seems bulky offense is better than hyper offense from what I've seen.

Alolan Ninetails is fun, Lele is amazing, and Darkrai and Skymin seem underwhelming. Scarf Genesect as a lead is alright, but getting choice locked and having to switch out when they send in a resist is devastating when you only have 3 Pokémon to work with. You can't let anything set up or it's over. So I'm leaning away from choice sets

Edit: Aegislash is also amazing
 
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252 SpA Darkrai All-Out Pummeling (190 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0- SpD Mega Diancie: 219-258 (90.8 - 107%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock

This is probably where the confusion came from. Mega Diancie are more often than not Naive which makes a big difference.
 
Hey.
For the No Holds Barred Competition on cart, is anyone interested in Skyping with me, while I play my matches on webcam and we can talk about strats, what moves to pick, team composition before each match, etc.

I know its a little weird, but I have no friends interested in Pokemon right now, I also get super bad anxiety and fear of losing when I do stuff like this, so if I end up doing it alone I might end up just skipping it.

I'm not that confident in my ability so if you're better than me its a plus. If you're playing on cart I can probably help you get your team done, I have a lot of stuff.
 

Theorymon

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So, this is a viability list I made based off of playing over 100 battles. I haven't actually shared this with other people until now, so there may be some rough edges to iron out, so feel free to make suggestions, since I may have forgotten some stuff! I also have some small comments on the mythicals, since there's no other metagame to easily base off what they do. Otherwise, this mostly assumes that you got a good handle on what Pokemon usually do in Battle Spot Singles, so if you get confused, don't hesitate to ask!

I'll update this with small comments (without sets) for the regular Pokemon as well later, but first I figure mythicals take priority here!

S
These Pokemon are the most dangerous threats to prepare for in this competition! They fit on almost any kind of team, so they must be prepared for.
Marshadow
Marshadow might as well be the mascot of this competition, because it dominates the way this metagame is shaped! Spectral Thief is an insane move that steals boosts, so setting up is very dangerous in this metagame. Marshadow is so good, that running two of them is actually a viable tactic!
However, Marshadow tends to struggle with bulky Pokemon that have fighting resistances, and it isn't too hard to revenge kill with bulky offense once the Focus Sash is broken either.

All-out Attacker

Marshadow @ Focus Sash / Life Orb / Marshadium Z / Ghostium Z
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly / Naive Nature
- Spectral Thief
- Close Combat
- Shadow Sneak
- Ice Punch / Hidden Power Ice / Bulk Up / Endeavor

This is the standard Marshadow set. Focus Sash makes it the most dangerous, since without Stealth Rock, it can steal boosts and threaten to sweep itself! Life Orb gives it much more damage output, while Marshadium Z is great for dealing massive damage to Tapu Lele and Coil boosted Zygardes. Just note that you have to go to a local event in Japan to use that, so Ghostium Z is still a good substitute that can't steal boosts.

Also, Ice Punch is fine for dealing good damage to Zygarde, but Hidden Power Ice does more to defensive Zygardes and Mega Salamence, at the cost of either getting a download boost from Genesect or taking more from priority (Naive vs Hasty). Bulk Up can be fine for helping to break through weakened Celesteela as well, while Endeavor gets special mention for working well with Focus Sash.

Choice Scarf

Marshadow @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly
- Spectral Thief
- Close Combat
- Shadow Sneak
- Ice Punch

Choice Scarf may seem strange on something so fast, but it allows Marshadow to outspeed key threats such as Tapu Koko, opposing Marshadow, and Choice Scarf Tapu Lele. Shadow Sneak may seem very silly here, but Marshadow is such a huge threat that guaranteeing the ability to outspeed and KO weakened ones is actually very valuable.
Magearna
With impressive bulk, good Special Attack, and a great ability, Magearna is one of No Holds Bar's most prominent tanks! Choosing from either Trick Room or Shift Gear, Magearna is actually a fairly dangerous sweeper. However, it does suffer from 4 moveslot syndrome, so it can be hard to choose the exact moves you need. Also, Magearna's low speed before it boosts or uses Trick Room can make it easy to nail with super effective attacks.

Trick Room

Magearna @ Fairium Z / Electrium Z
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
IVs: 0 Spe
Quiet / Modest Nature
- Trick Room
- Fleur Cannon
- Thunderbolt
- Flash Cannon / Hidden Power Ground / Ice Beam

Trick Room Magearna combines bulk and power to make it a fearsome sweeper, and the core of most teams with Trick Room modes. Z-Fleur Cannon is extremely difficult to wall, but you can elect to use Z-Thunderbolt instead if you want to hit Celesteela and opposing Magearna really hard. The last moveslot can be a bit tricky to choose, with Flash Cannon being a consistent STAB that hits Tapu Lele hard, Hidden Power Ground being Magearna's best hope against Heatran, and Ice Beam dealing massive damage to Zygarde without using Fleur Cannon.

Magearna @ Fairium Z / Electrium Z
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Shift Gear
- Fleur Cannon
- Thunderbolt
- Flash Cannon / Hidden Power Ground / Ice Beam

This Magearna gives up a lot of bulk, which can make it a worse choice compared to the Trick Room set for a lot of teams, but Shift Gear has one ace in the hole: it doesn't have to worry about being stalled out by switches and Protect! This can make Magearna a more consistent sweeper than the Trick Room set.
Zygarde
With Power Construct in tow, Zygarde is one of the bulkiest Pokemon in the game! Even with an exploitable 4x weakness to Ice-type attacks, Zygarde is extremely difficult to KO. Scarier yet, Zygarde is actually fairly versatile, being fully capable of using offensive and defensive sets alike, partly thanks to Thousand Arrows, the wonderful Ground-type STAB that Flying-types can't avoid! However, forme change or not, Zygarde's Attack stat is pretty low, so it isn't too difficult to wall with certain Ground-type resists such as Tapu Bulu or Mega Heracross.

NOTE: due to a bug, Iron Tail is illegal on Pokemon Showdown, but will be legal in the tournament. I list it in these sets because its actually likely to be a common filler move on the more offensive Zygardes!

Choice Band


Zygarde @ Choice Band
Ability: Power Construct
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Thousand Arrows
- Extreme Speed
- Outrage
- Iron Tail

Choice Band Zygarde is very simple: just spam Thousand Arrows, and prepare to deal pretty good damage to any Pokemon that doesn't resist it! Even with its mediocre Attack stat, Choice Band makes Zygarde powerful enough to actually 2HKO most threats with Thousand Arrows. Even with the low Attack stat, ExtremeSpeed still comes in handy for picking off weakened threats, while Outrage is Zygarde's most powerful Attack. While it won't be used too much, Iron Tail is Zygarde's best hope against Tapu Bulu, who will otherwise totally wall it.

Dragon Dance

Zygarde @ Yache Berry / Groundium Z / Life Orb
Ability: Power Construct
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Thousand Arrows
- Outrage
- Extreme Speed / Iron Tail

Zygarde's great bulk makes it a natural candidate for Dragon Dance. Normally, Adamant is best since Zygarde needs all the power it can take, but Jolly does allow Complete Zygarde to outspeed Tapu Koko after one Dragon Dance, which can come in handy. Just note, Mrshadow can make a mockery of this set if it has a Focus Sash intact, so set up carefully! Yache can further help Zygarde set up, but Life Orb can give Zygarde an extra kick, though it does compromise its amazing bulk. You can also use Groundium-Z to OHKO Magearna before a boost, which helps make up for Zygarde's Attack stat some more.

Coil

Zygarde @ Leftovers / Figy Berry / Groundium Z
Ability: Power Construct
EVs: 252 HP / 196 Atk / 56 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Coil
- Thousand Arrows
- Substitute / Iron Tail
- Extreme Speed / Iron Tail / Dragon Tail

This is a bulkier approach to Offensive Zygarde. With Substitute and Coil, Zygarde can set up on prominent members of stall such as Chansey with ease, making it a big problem if it continues to set up! Iron Tail is sorta silly, but it's the only way Zygarde is getting past Tapu Bulu quickly without Substitute. Dragon Tail can be nice earlier in the game to ensure that you don't get into Zygarde set up wars, though it won't help much if they also have Substitute. BE WARNED, do not set up if Marshadow could be in the match, because Marshadow makes mince meat of this set with Spectral Thief! Also, note the Speed EVs: they're here to outspeed Adamant Breloom before Power Construct, but feel free to modify them to your needs.

Defensive

Zygarde @ Leftovers / Chesto Berry / Figy Berry
Ability: Power Construct
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Impish Nature
- Thousand Arrows
- Rest
- Glare / Dragon Tail
- Sleep Talk / Dragon Tail

Power Construct gives Zygarde impressive amounts of bulk, making it a pretty good defensive Pokemon. It's moveset can be a bit tricky to figure out, but having access to Glare makes it shut down a lot of offensive Pokemon, while Dragon Tail's phazing can come in handy against opposing Zygarde. Chesto Berry should be used if you don't want to use Sleep Talk.


A
These Pokemon are among the easiest picks in No Holds Barred. They aren't as metagame defining as the above Pokemon, but you can still expect to see plenty of these running around!
Mamoswine

Deoxys-A
Deoxys-A's absurd offensive sets make it a force to be reckoned with in this metagame. It happens to be one of the best Stealth Rock setters, and it can also be a dangerous cleaner under Psychic Terrain. However, its laughable defensive stats mean that anything it doesn't KO is likely to KO it right back. Focus Sash is great here, but not even that saves Deoxys-A from multi hit attacks. Be careful of bulky Steel-types in general, those Pokemon can usually take the Psycho Boost and defeat it.

Stealth Rock Setter

Deoxys-Attack @ Focus Sash
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Psycho Boost
- Superpower
- Ice Beam / Fire Punch / Thunderbolt / Extreme Speed

This is your usual Stealth Rock setting Deoxys-A. Despite the terrible defensive stats, Deoxys-A makes a good user of Stealth Rock due to the switches it often forces. The last move can be tricky to choose. Ice Beam smashes through Zygarde, Fire Punch does good damage to Magearna, Thunderbolt deals good hits against Tapu Fini and Celesteela, and Extreme Speed can give Deoxys-A an edge against other Deoxys-A.

All-Out Attacker

Deoxys-Attack @ Focus Sash / Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Psycho Boost
- Superpower
- Ice Beam
- Extreme Speed / Fire Punch / Thunderbolt / Psychic

If you want more coverage, this is the set for you. With a Focus Sash, this can function a lot like the above set except it can't set up Stealth Rock. However, with Life Orb, Deoxys-A becomes extremely difficult to wall, and it takes a bit of the sting off of not preventing Stealth Rock from coming up! Of note, if you're using this set with Tapu Lele, consider Psychic so Deoxys-A has some consistent damage output before it fires off its nuke.
Tapu Lele
Tapu Fini
Tapu Koko
Blaziken (Mega)
Mimikyu
Mega Salamence
Tapu Bulu
Landorus-T
Cloyster
Genesect
Genesect gets the award for best abuser of Download in the game, having good mixed attacking sets and the movepool to abuse it! However, it does have a bit of a disapointing Speed stat, and it's bulk isn't too great either, so you'll usually see it stick to Choice Scarf sets. This makes it especially vulnerable to Heatran.

Genesect @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Download
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- U-turn
- Ice Beam
- Iron Head
- Flamethrower / Thunderbolt

This Genesect works very well as a lead, with U-turn blasting Deoxys-A and being a good scouting move, Ice Beam dealing massive damage to Zygarde and Mega Salamence, and Iron Head revenge killing Tapu Lele and Mamoswine, in addition to dealing good damage to Marshadow when boosted. Flamethrower is your best bet against Magearna, while Thunderbolt lets Genesect deal plenty of damage to Tapu Fini when boosted.
Celesteela
Aegislash
Breloom
Mega Heracross
Mega Venusaur

B
These Pokemon are pretty good, but usually aren't as easy to fit in as you would hope. You can still expect to see some of these in the tournament however.
Suicune
Chansey
Pheromosa
Buzzwole
Volcanion
Volcanion's odd typing actually works in its favor in this metagame. With Water Absorb, Volcanion one of the few Fire-types that does well against Tapu Fini on Trick Room teams, and its oddly high physical defense can lets it get an edge over surprising threats. It's average Speed and awkward weakness to Rock, Ground, and Electric do hold it back though. You'll usually find this Pokemon on teams with Trick Room to get around its Speed problems.

Special Attacker

Volcanion @ Assault Vest / Life Orb
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Modest / Quiet Nature
- Steam Eruption
- Flamethrower
- Sludge Wave
- Hidden Power Ice / Earth Power

This is the standard Volcanion, with Steam Eruption being the safest move to use in most cases, and Sludge Wave being the way to 2HKO Tapu Fini. The tough choice here is the item. Assault Vest is the most reliable choice for checking Magearna and getting around Volcanion's iffy Special Defense, but Life Orb is a great option on Trick Room teams, letting Volcanion become a dangerous response to Steel-types that give Magearna problems. If using Life Orb, consider a Quiet nature and 0 Speed to fully take advantage of Trick Room. Also, while Hidden Power Ice is usually the best choice for dealing good damage to Zygarde, Earth Power is an acceptable alternative if your team is actually weak to opposing Volcanion!
Shaymin-Sky
The queen of hax is finally usable in a battle spot tournament, thanks to the battle box glitch being fixed! Shaymin-S's flinching capabilities and high speed can make it infuriating to face, with some flinches being all Shaymin-S needs for some checks to turn into the hunted. However, Shaymin-S's defensive typing isn't very good, and its bulk isn't as good as its HP stat suggests, so it actually isn't as hard to revenge kill as you'd think.

Choice Scarf

Shaymin-Sky @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Air Slash
- Seed Flare
- Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Fire / Healing Wish
- Earth Power / Healing Wish

This set is a pretty good revenge killer, being able to outspeed Mega Salamence even after its used Dragon Dance. Seed Flare's accuracy is a bit shaky, but its the best chance to punish bulky switch-ins such as Celesteela with its Special Defense drop. If you're ok with giving up coverage, Healing Wish can be a potent option to fully restore a sweeper such as Magearna, Zygarde, or Mega Salamence to full health.

Special Attacker

Shaymin-Sky @ Focus Sash / Life Orb / Yache Berry
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Air Slash
- Seed Flare
- Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Fire / Healing Wish
- Earth Power / Healing Wish

Shaymin-S does have plenty of Speed already however, since it already outspeeds Marshadow, so using other items is just fine. Focus Sash is a reliable way around Shaymin-S's iffy bulk, while Life Orb can fully take advantage of Seed Flare's Special Defense drops. Yache Berry is an interesting option for letting Shaymin-S survive one Mamoswine Ice Shard early game, which can be game changing if Seed Flare hits!

Subseed

Shaymin-Sky @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Substitute
- Leech Seed
- Air Slash
- Seed Flare

This set can be especially irritating, since Leech Seed damage can really start to add up once Air Slash flinches are thrown into the equation! Maximum HP can be really useful for letting Substitute survive one Chansey Seismic Toss, but if you care more about offense, maximum Special Attack is a fine alternative.
Jirachi
You'd think with Marshadow around, Jirachi's Psychic typing would be too much of a burden, but its good bulk makes it a fantastic Tapu Lele check. It also happens to be a good Stealth Rock setter. Just note that Jirachi often relies on flinches to be a serious offensive threat, and again, it is weak to Marshadow's Ghost-type attacks!

Offensive Stealth Rock Setter

Jirachi @ Focus Sash
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Iron Head
- Zen Headbutt / Heart Stamp
- Thunder Wave / U-turn / Healing Wish / Ice Punch

Jirachi may have good bulk, but with Marshadow, Zygarde, and Mamoswine running around, Focus Sash is the safer way to play with Jirachi. While setting up Stealth Rock is a big deal, you can choose to just attack right away if setting it up isnt a big deal for that match. For example, you can defeat Mamoswine if you get an Iron Head flinch, and at least reduce Marshadow to a Focus Sash with Zen Headbutt. Heart Stamp gets you more flinches, but its a rather rare event move. Thunder Wave lets Jirachi become a dastardly flinch haxer, while U-turn can be good for just breaking Focus Sashes and getting out of risky threats. Healing Wish can help a sweeper late game, while Ice Punch is the best Jirachi can hope for against Mega Salamence and Zygarde.

Choice Scarf

Jirachi @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Iron Head
- Zen Headbutt / Heart Stamp
- Fire Punch / U-turn
- Ice Punch / U-turn / Healing Wish

Jirachi's power isn't close to Shaymin-Sky's, but Iron Head and Zen Headbutt give Jirachi a different set of threats to handle than Shaymin-S. Fire Punch is weak, but Jirachi is just fast enough to outspeed Genesect, giving you the potential for a surprise revenge kill. Ice Punch can help out against weakned Zygardes and Mega Salamences, and U-turn works especially well on Choice Scarf to break Focus Sashes.
Primarina
Porygon2
Mega Kangaskhan
Skarmory
Ditto
Gliscor
Garchomp
Mega Swampert
Alolan Ninetales
Hippowdon
Mega Charizard X
Mega Charizard Y
Mega Lopunny
Mega Sableye

C
These Pokemon are totally usable, but tend to have very specfic niches, which means they aren't a good fit for every team.
Scolipede
Shuckle
Pelipper
Zygarde-10%
In most cases, regular Zygarde is a better choice due to its better bulk. However, Zygarde-10% does have an interesting trick involving Focus Sash. This makes Zygarde-10% more predictable than Zygarde however, so it tends to be easier to check for bulkier teams.

Dragon Dance Sash

Zygarde-10% @ Focus Sash
Ability: Power Construct
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Thousand Arrows
- Outrage
- Iron Tail / Extreme Speed

Even if Focus Sash activates, Zygarde Complete's HP is so massive that Zygarde will actually restore more than half its health when Power Construct activates, potentially making this set a deadly late game sweeper. Otherwise, once Power Construct activates, this works much like your usual Dragon Dance Zygarde, just with an easier time setting up when Focus Sash is intact.
Smeargle
Azumarill
Toxapex
Porygon-Z
Mega Slowbro
Talonflame

Unranked (for now)
We need to discuss these Pokemon, I haven't used them enough!
Darkrai
Mew (I tested the sash set, will be C if there isn't anything better)
Celebi (same deal as Mew)
Mega Diancie
Clefable
Mega Altaria
 
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A
So, this is a viability list I made based off of playing over 100 battles. I haven't actually shared this with other people until now, so there may be some rough edges to iron out, so feel free to make suggestions, since I may have forgotten some stuff! I also have some small comments on the mythicals, since there's no other metagame to easily base off what they do. Otherwise, this mostly assumes that you got a good handle on what Pokemon usually do in Battle Spot Singles, so if you get confused, don't hesitate to ask!

I'll update this with small comments (without sets) for the regular Pokemon as well later, but first I figure mythicals take priority here!

S

These Pokemon are the most dangerous threats to prepare for in this competition! They fit on almost any kind of team, so they must be prepared for.


Marshadow

Marshadow might as well be the mascot of this competition, because it dominates the way this metagame is shaped! Spectral Thief is an insane move that steals boosts, so setting up is very dangerous in this metagame. Marshadow is so good, that running two of them is actually a viable tactic!
However, Marshadow tends to struggle with bulky Pokemon that have fighting resistances, and it isn't too hard to revenge kill with bulky offense once the Focus Sash is broken either.

All-out Attacker

Marshadow @ Focus Sash / Life Orb / Marshadium Z / Ghostium Z
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly / Naive Nature
- Spectral Thief
- Close Combat
- Shadow Sneak
- Ice Punch / Hidden Power Ice / Bulk Up / Endeavor

This is the standard Marshadow set. Focus Sash makes it the most dangerous, since without Stealth Rock, it can steal boosts and threaten to sweep itself! Life Orb gives it much more damage output, while Marshadium Z is great for dealing massive damage to Tapu Lele and Coil boosted Zygardes. Just note that only Japanese copies can use that, so Ghostium Z is still a good substitute that can't steal boosts.

Also, Ice Punch is fine for dealing good damage to Zygarde, but Hidden Power Ice does more to defensive Zygardes and Mega Salamence, at the cost of either getting a download boost from Genesect or taking more from priority (Naive vs Hasty). Bulk Up can be fine for helping to break through weakened Celesteela as well, while Endeavor gets special mention for working well with Focus Sash.

Choice Scarf

Marshadow @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly
- Spectral Thief
- Close Combat
- Shadow Sneak
- Ice Punch

Choice Scarf may seem strange on something so fast, but it allows Marshadow to outspeed key threats such as Tapu Koko, opposing Marshadow, and Choice Scarf Tapu Lele. Shadow Sneak may seem very silly here, but Marshadow is such a huge threat that guaranteeing the ability to outspeed and KO weakened ones is actually very valuable.


Magearna

With impressive bulk, good Special Attack, and a great ability, Magearna is one of No Holds Bar's most prominent tanks! Choosing from either Trick Room or Shift Gear, Magearna is actually a fairly dangerous sweeper. However, it does suffer from 4 moveslot syndrome, so it can be hard to choose the exact moves you need. Also, Magearna's low speed before it boosts or uses Trick Room can make it easy to nail with super effective attacks.

Trick Room

Magearna @ Fairium Z / Electrium Z
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
IVs: 0 Spe
Quiet / Modest Nature
- Trick Room
- Fleur Cannon
- Thunderbolt
- Flash Cannon / Hidden Power Ground / Ice Beam

Trick Room Magearna combines bulk and power to make it a fearsome sweeper, and the core of most teams with Trick Room modes. Z-Fleur Cannon is extremely difficult to wall, but you can elect to use Z-Thunderbolt instead if you want to hit Celesteela and opposing Magearna really hard. The last moveslot can be a bit tricky to choose, with Flash Cannon being a consistent STAB that hits Tapu Lele hard, Hidden Power Ground being Magearna's best hope against Heatran, and Ice Beam dealing massive damage to Zygarde without using Fleur Cannon.

Magearna @ Fairium Z / Electrium Z
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Shift Gear
- Fleur Cannon
- Thunderbolt
- Flash Cannon / Hidden Power Ground / Ice Beam

This Magearna gives up a lot of bulk, which can make it a worse choice compared to the Trick Room set for a lot of teams, but Shift Gear has one ace in the hole: it doesn't have to worry about being stalled out by switches and Protect! This can make Magearna a more consistent sweeper than the Trick Room set.


Zygarde

With Power Construct in tow, Zygarde is one of the bulkiest Pokemon in the game! Even with an exploitable 4x weakness to Ice-type attacks, Zygarde is extremely difficult to KO. Scarier yet, Zygarde is actually fairly versatile, being fully capable of using offensive and defensive sets alike, partly thanks to Thousand Arrows, the wonderful Ground-type STAB that Flying-types can't avoid! However, forme change or not, Zygarde's Attack stat is pretty low, so it isn't too difficult to wall with certain Ground-type resists such as Tapu Bulu or Mega Heracross.

NOTE: due to a bug, Iron Tail is illegal on Pokemon Showdown, but will be legal in the tournament. I list it in these sets because its actually likely to be a common filler move on the more offensive Zygardes!

Choice Band


Zygarde @ Choice Band
Ability: Power Construct
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Thousand Arrows
- Extreme Speed
- Outrage
- Iron Tail

Choice Band Zygarde is very simple: just spam Thousand Arrows, and prepare to deal pretty good damage to any Pokemon that doesn't resist it! Even with its mediocre Attack stat, Choice Band makes Zygarde powerful enough to actually 2HKO most threats with Thousand Arrows. Even with the low Attack stat, ExtremeSpeed still comes in handy for picking off weakened threats, while Outrage is Zygarde's most powerful Attack. While it won't be used too much, Iron Tail is Zygarde's best hope against Tapu Bulu, who will otherwise totally wall it.

Dragon Dance

Zygarde @ Yache Berry / Groundium Z / Life Orb
Ability: Power Construct
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Thousand Arrows
- Outrage
- Extreme Speed / Iron Tail

Zygarde's great bulk makes it a natural candidate for Dragon Dance. Normally, Adamant is best since Zygarde needs all the power it can take, but Jolly does allow Complete Zygarde to outspeed Tapu Koko after one Dragon Dance, which can come in handy. Just note, Mrshadow can make a mockery of this set if it has a Focus Sash intact, so set up carefully! Yache can further help Zygarde set up, but Life Orb can give Zygarde an extra kick, though it does compromise its amazing bulk. You can also use Groundium-Z to OHKO Magearna before a boost, which helps make up for Zygarde's Attack stat some more.

Coil

Zygarde @ Leftovers / Figy Berry / Groundium Z
Ability: Power Construct
EVs: 252 HP / 196 Atk / 56 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Coil
- Thousand Arrows
- Substitute / Iron Tail
- Extreme Speed / Iron Tail / Dragon Tail

This is a bulkier approach to Offensive Zygarde. With Substitute and Coil, Zygarde can set up on prominent members of stall such as Chansey with ease, making it a big problem if it continues to set up! Iron Tail is sorta silly, but it's the only way Zygarde is getting past Tapu Bulu quickly without Substitute. Dragon Tail can be nice earlier in the game to ensure that you don't get into Zygarde set up wars, though it won't help much if they also have Substitute. BE WARNED, do not set up if Marshadow could be in the match, because Marshadow makes mince meat of this set with Spectral Thief! Also, note the Speed EVs: they're here to outspeed Adamant Breloom before Power Construct, but feel free to modify them to your needs.

Defensive

Zygarde @ Leftovers / Chesto Berry / Figy Berry
Ability: Power Construct
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Impish Nature
- Thousand Arrows
- Rest
- Glare / Dragon Tail
- Sleep Talk / Dragon Tail

Power Construct gives Zygarde impressive amounts of bulk, making it a pretty good defensive Pokemon. It's moveset can be a bit tricky to figure out, but having access to Glare makes it shut down a lot of offensive Pokemon, while Dragon Tail's phazing can come in handy against opposing Zygarde. Chesto Berry should be used if you don't want to use Sleep Talk.


A

These Pokemon are among the easiest picks in No Holds Barred. They aren't as metagame defining as the above Pokemon, but you can still expect to see plenty of these running around!

Mamoswine
Deoxys-A

Deoxys-A's absurd offensive sets make it a force to be reckoned with in this metagame. It happens to be one of the best Stealth Rock setters, and it can also be a dangerous cleaner under Psychic Terrain. However, its laughable defensive stats mean that anything it doesn't KO is likely to KO it right back. Focus Sash is great here, but not even that saves Deoxys-A from multi hit attacks. Be careful of bulky Steel-types in general, those Pokemon can usually take the Psycho Boost and defeat it.

Stealth Rock Setter

Deoxys-Attack @ Focus Sash
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Psycho Boost
- Superpower
- Ice Beam / Fire Punch / Thunderbolt / Extreme Speed

This is your usual Stealth Rock setting Deoxys-A. Despite the terrible defensive stats, Deoxys-A makes a good user of Stealth Rock due to the switches it often forces. The last move can be tricky to choose. Ice Beam smashes through Zygarde, Fire Punch does good damage to Magearna, Thunderbolt deals good hits against Tapu Fini and Celesteela, and Extreme Speed can give Deoxys-A an edge against other Deoxys-A.

All-Out Attacker

Deoxys-Attack @ Focus Sash / Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Psycho Boost
- Superpower
- Ice Beam
- Extreme Speed / Fire Punch / Thunderbolt / Psychic

If you want more coverage, this is the set for you. With a Focus Sash, this can function a lot like the above set except it can't set up Stealth Rock. However, with Life Orb, Deoxys-A becomes extremely difficult to wall, and it takes a bit of the sting off of not preventing Stealth Rock from coming up! Of note, if you're using this set with Tapu Lele, consider Psychic so Deoxys-A has some consistent damage output before it fires off its nuke.


Tapu Lele
Tapu Fini
Tapu Koko
Blaziken (Mega)
Mimikyu
Mega Salamence
Tapu Bulu
Landorus-T
Cloyster
Genesect

Genesect gets the award for best abuser of Download in the game, having good mixed attacking sets and the movepool to abuse it! However, it does have a bit of a disapointing Speed stat, and it's bulk isn't too great either, so you'll usually see it stick to Choice Scarf sets. This makes it especially vulnerable to Heatran.

Genesect @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Download
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- U-turn
- Ice Beam
- Iron Head
- Flamethrower / Thunderbolt

This Genesect works very well as a lead, with U-turn blasting Deoxys-A and being a good scouting move, Ice Beam dealing massive damage to Zygarde and Mega Salamence, and Iron Head revenge killing Tapu Lele and Mamoswine, in addition to dealing good damage to Marshadow when boosted. Flamethrower is your best bet against Magearna, while Thunderbolt lets Genesect deal plenty of damage to Tapu Fini when boosted.

Celesteela
Aegislash
Breloom
Mega Heracross
Mega Venusaur

B

These Pokemon are pretty good, but usually aren't as easy to fit in as you would hope. You can still expect to see some of these in the tournament however.

Suicune
Chansey
Pheromosa
Buzzwole
Volcanion

Volcanion's odd typing actually works in its favor in this metagame. With Water Absorb, Volcanion one of the few Fire-types that does well against Tapu Fini on Trick Room teams, and its oddly high physical defense can lets it get an edge over surprising threats. It's average Speed and awkward weakness to Rock, Ground, and Electric do hold it back though. You'll usually find this Pokemon on teams with Trick Room to get around its Speed problems.

Special Attacker

Volcanion @ Assault Vest / Life Orb
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Modest / Quiet Nature
- Steam Eruption
- Flamethrower
- Sludge Wave
- Hidden Power Ice / Earth Power

This is the standard Volcanion, with Steam Eruption being the safest move to use in most cases, and Sludge Wave being the way to 2HKO Tapu Fini. The tough choice here is the item. Assault Vest is the most reliable choice for checking Magearna and getting around Volcanion's iffy Special Defense, but Life Orb is a great option on Trick Room teams, letting Volcanion become a dangerous response to Steel-types that give Magearna problems. If using Life Orb, consider a Quiet nature and 0 Speed to fully take advantage of Trick Room. Also, while Hidden Power Ice is usually the best choice for dealing good damage to Zygarde, Earth Power is an acceptable alternative if your team is actually weak to opposing Volcanion!


Shaymin-Sky
The queen of hax is finally usable in a battle spot tournament, thanks to the battle box glitch being fixed! Shaymin-S's flinching capabilities and high speed can make it infuriating to face, with some flinches being all Shaymin-S needs for some checks to turn into the hunted. However, Shaymin-S's defensive typing isn't very good, and its bulk isn't as good as its HP stat suggests, so it actually isn't as hard to revenge kill as you'd think.

Choice Scarf

Shaymin-Sky @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Air Slash
- Seed Flare
- Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Fire / Healing Wish
- Earth Power / Healing Wish

This set is a pretty good revenge killer, being able to outspeed Mega Salamence even after its used Dragon Dance. Seed Flare's accuracy is a bit shaky, but its the best chance to punish bulky switch-ins such as Celesteela with its Special Defense drop. If you're ok with giving up coverage, Healing Wish can be a potent option to fully restore a sweeper such as Magearna, Zygarde, or Mega Salamence to full health.

Special Attacker

Shaymin-Sky @ Focus Sash / Life Orb / Yache Berry
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Air Slash
- Seed Flare
- Hidden Power Ice / Hidden Power Fire / Healing Wish
- Earth Power / Healing Wish

Shaymin-S does have plenty of Speed already however, since it already outspeeds Marshadow, so using other items is just fine. Focus Sash is a reliable way around Shaymin-S's iffy bulk, while Life Orb can fully take advantage of Seed Flare's Special Defense drops. Yache Berry is an interesting option for letting Shaymin-S survive one Mamoswine Ice Shard early game, which can be game changing if Seed Flare hits!

Subseed

Shaymin-Sky @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Substitute
- Leech Seed
- Air Slash
- Seed Flare

This set can be especially irritating, since Leech Seed damage can really start to add up once Air Slash flinches are thrown into the equation! Maximum HP can be really useful for letting Substitute survive one Chansey Seismic Toss, but if you care more about offense, maximum Special Attack is a fine alternative.


Jirachi

You'd think with Marshadow around, Jirachi's Psychic typing would be too much of a burden, but its good bulk makes it a fantastic Tapu Lele check. It also happens to be a good Stealth Rock setter. Just note that Jirachi often relies on flinches to be a serious offensive threat, and again, it is weak to Marshadow's Ghost-type attacks!

Offensive Stealth Rock Setter

Jirachi @ Focus Sash
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Iron Head
- Zen Headbutt / Heart Stamp
- Thunder Wave / U-turn / Healing Wish / Ice Punch

Jirachi may have good bulk, but with Marshadow, Zygarde, and Mamoswine running around, Focus Sash is the safer way to play with Jirachi. While setting up Stealth Rock is a big deal, you can choose to just attack right away if setting it up isnt a big deal for that match. For example, you can defeat Mamoswine if you get an Iron Head flinch, and at least reduce Marshadow to a Focus Sash with Zen Headbutt. Heart Stamp gets you more flinches, but its a rather rare event move. Thunder Wave lets Jirachi become a dastardly flinch haxer, while U-turn can be good for just breaking Focus Sashes and getting out of risky threats. Healing Wish can help a sweeper late game, while Ice Punch is the best Jirachi can hope for against Mega Salamence and Zygarde.

Choice Scarf

Jirachi @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Iron Head
- Zen Headbutt / Heart Stamp
- Fire Punch / U-turn
- Ice Punch / U-turn / Healing Wish

Jirachi's power isn't close to Shaymin-Sky's, but Iron Head and Zen Headbutt give Jirachi a different set of threats to handle than Shaymin-S. Fire Punch is weak, but Jirachi is just fast enough to outspeed Genesect, giving you the potential for a surprise revenge kill. Ice Punch can help out against weakned Zygardes and Mega Salamences, and U-turn works especially well on Choice Scarf to break Focus Sashes.

Primarina
Porygon2
Mega Kangaskhan
Skarmory
Ditto
Gliscor
Garchomp
Mega Swampert
Alolan Ninetales
Hippowdon
Alolan Ninetales
Mega Charizard X
Mega Charizard Y
Mega Lopunny
Mega Sableye



C

These Pokemon are totally usable, but tend to have very specfic niches, which means they aren't a good fit for every team.

Scolipede
Shuckle
Pelipper
Zygarde-10%

In most cases, regular Zygarde is a better choice due to its better bulk. However, Zygarde-10% does have an interesting trick involving Focus Sash. This makes Zygarde-10% more predictable than Zygarde however, so it tends to be easier to check for bulkier teams.

Dragon Dance Sash

Zygarde-10% @ Focus Sash
Ability: Power Construct
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Thousand Arrows
- Outrage
- Iron Tail / Extreme Speed

Even if Focus Sash activates, Zygarde Complete's HP is so massive that Zygarde will actually restore more than half its health when Power Construct activates, potentially making this set a deadly late game sweeper. Otherwise, once Power Construct activates, this works much like your usual Dragon Dance Zygarde, just with an easier time setting up when Focus Sash is intact.

Smeargle
Azumarill
Toxapex
Porygon-Z
Mega Slowbro
Talonflame

Unranked (for now)

We need to discuss these Pokemon, I haven't used them enough!

Darkrai
Mew (I tested the sash set, will be C if there isn't anything better)
Celebi (same deal as Mew)
Mega Diancie
Clefable
Mega Altaria
Nice work. My one argument would be that Mega Lopunny is higher than B rank for sure. From my own testing I'd say it's A rank because of the speed and the ability to 2HKO almost every offensive Mon with Fake Out and HJK/Return/IcePunch.

Darkrai and Mega Diancie are probably A and B respectively. Not sure on the rest.

I'd like to add a Pokémon to your list as well: Cofagrigus

I have extensively tested it and found it to be a solid answer to just about any physical threat including Marshadow.

Cofagrigus @Ghostium Z
Ability: Mummy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold nature
- Trick Room
- Hex
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split

Mummy ability can cripple Pokémon (like Lopunny for example). WoW cripples physical threats. Trick Room lets Cofagrigus go first and also sets up your team. Hex does decent damage to frail mons even without a status or boost. Z-Hex has 160 power which is the same as Shadow Ball and therefore better than Shadow Ball. The Neverending Nightmare is a guaranteed OHKO on Marshadow. You can use Rocky Helmet or Leftovers if you want but I prefer Ghostium Z to check Marshadow. You can survive Spectral Thief easily and set up trick room. Then go first next turn and kill it with Neverending Nightmare. You will survive a Shadow Sneak as well, if they try and use that on you. Also very handy for switching into Marshadow on a predicted Close Combat.

I'd say Cofagrigus is C rank. Solid answer to Mega Lopunny, Zygarde, Blaziken, Marshadow, Talonflame, Garchomp, Pheromosa, Buzzwole, Heracross, Kangaskhan, Breloom, and some Landorus and Deoxys sets.
 
I don't know about Darkrai being in A. B might be its slot since they nerfed Dark Void and Nasty Plot sets are dangerous in this format. It still has incredible coverage and a good speed tier though, which fits nice with its Special Attack stat.
 
i know this is far from the most ideal team but so far i got magearna, m-lopunny, zygarde, thunderus-T, necrozma and i think i fire type would fit the last slot so i have something to reliably deal with magearna. i have 3 candidates to choose from entei, volcanion and heatran so i want to know which would be the best pick and why. note that this team doesnt run trick room
 

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