NU Analyses Discussion Thread

zebstrika is good, I like magnet four attacks, specs and life orb are probably fine too and can all be slashed or mentioned in set details because they all play exactly the same. hp grass because we'll probably lose camerupt before it's written.
 

boltsandbombers

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Alright, so I've been browsing through the scms fixing up some analyses and such, and I've got some suggestions to throw out there.

Firstly, the current Mantine EV spread is slightly inefficient. A spread of 248 HP / 244 Def / 16 SpD Calm is what I use, since the 16 SpDef evs hit a jump point (for those who don't know, a jump point is when you gain 2 stat points from 4 EVs as opposed to 1 stat point). I also often use 16 speed EVs to outspeed max speed adamant rhydon, as dual dance Rhydon is a massive threat and taking a few EVs out of defense generally doesnt affect many 2HKOs or OHKOs. At the very least the spread listed is what the main one should be, and maybe with the 16 speed spread in set details. If Mega Camerupt stays, we could even bump it up to 20 SpDef EVs which avoids the OHKO from HP electric after rocks, although that's pretty situational.

I made a bunch of edits to the Klinklang analysis recently, but one thing I was unsure about is Wild Charge. From what I understand it was originally to hit Qwilfish, but still has some uses for Mantine and Pelipper. As of now, Wild Charge is slashed with Return and Substitute in the 3rd and 4th slots, and I feel the neutral coverage overall given by Return is important and the utility of Substitute outweighs the coverage provided by Wild Charge.

Recently Brawlfest posted a mixed Swellow set, and I feel it has a lot of potential, potentially even deserving of its own set analysis. Combining the (somewhat) surprise factor of Special Swellow and the Guts attacker set creates a solid middleground that is very difficult to switch into.

Defensive Sandslash is downright awful, and I feel it should be removed. Its piss poor weak and if I'm using Sandslash over any other spinner, I feel that the offensive set is the only viable one. As a defensive ground type, Sandslash seems overshadowed by the likes of Quagsire, Rhydon, and Seismitoad.

In regards to the Seismitoad update when it happens, I think that the current EV spread [200 HP / 252 Def / 56 SpD] for the defensive set may not be the most efficient either, as "hitting a leftovers number" seems somewhat arbitrary. Agent Gibbs made a post in the OU Seismitoad thread here about why this is not the most optimal spread, and to be honest physically defensive toad may not be that great anymore, especially with Feraligatr and Kabutops gone. A Specially Defensive EV spread is much more useful in this current meta, especially if Camerupt stays (crossing fingers).

I'd personally like to see U-turn slashed on the Swords Dance Scyther set, as I never find Bug Bite or Knock Off to have any value, and being able to retain momentum throughout the match after forcing out the likes of Hariyama can be invaluable. Whether it replaces one of those two moves or is slashed 3rd I don't really care. Sure, giving up your boosts may seem like a bad idea, but the benefits of the momentum have been invaluable for me in many matches.

On the 4th slot of the Rhydon tank set, I feel that Megahorn is significantly superior to Roar, as hitting Malamar, a very important target, and other bulky Psychics is incredibly useful. Roar is still good, but does not deserve the whole slot to itself, I think it should be slashed after Megahorn. Also is was used to phaze out Slurpuff which is all the more reason.

On Life Orb Mesprit, I'm doubting the necessity for Hidden Power Fire given that it has its own moveslot, more specifically since it was meant to hit Mega Steelix. Yes, there are still other relevant Steel types in the tier left, but not to the point where it needs to have its own slot. Again, its not bad per say, but probably doesn't deserve having the slot to itself, and something more useful should be slashed with it; although not sure what exactly.

Edit: Aqua Tail probably deserves a slash or at least a bigger moves mention if its not there already on Kangaskhan.

Thoughts?
 
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Blast

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Agree with Mantine, it should always run at least 16 Spe

Idk about Klinklang because I pretty much never use it but Wild Charge is probably good enough for Moves (hitting Water-types is pretty useful), no opinion on deslashing it though

Swellow set seems alright and should likely get at least OO, don't feel that strongly either way about giving it a set

Agree on Sandslash

I always run max / max on phys def or spdef Toad. 200 HP is sorta okay for mixed spreads but those are just Set Details stuff anyway. Also I'm not sure if spdef is ~better~ but phys def is definitely still decent: checks physical Carracosta, Klinklang, Rhydon, and sorta Archeops. (Earth Power should also be slashed with EQ btw)

Agree on Scyther and Rhydon

On Mesprit I'd probably deslash Energy Ball with Signal Beam and slash it with HP Fire, since Signal Beam coverage is really important in this meta

Aqua Tail is ~definitely~ better than Drain Punch right now, it should straight up replace that
 
Mantine spread sure

Wild Charge in moves on Klinklang, it's not bad but sub/return is more consistent outside of like HO

mixed swellow in OO sure, no to giving it a set

defensive sandslash isn't outclassed by quagsire/rhydon/toad because it has rapid spin ?_? offensive is better at beating spinblockers but hardly any teams care about running a spinblocker so I actually think a bulkier spread is better right now. my bulkier spread is 180 HP / 108 Atk / 128 Def / 92 Spe, Adamant, which guarantees the OHKO on Rotom and Mismag after Rocks with Knock Off, outruns min Garbodor, and optimizes the rest of the EVs for max phys bulk. we can even cut some speed for more bulk since min Garbodor isn't common, but definitely don't get rid of defensive slash.

SD Scyther should be U-turn/Knock Off ya

Megahorn is fine on donner

Energy Ball, Thunderbolt, Signal Beam, and HP Fire are all good on Mesprit. It depends entirely upon what your team needs. don't care about slash order, but they should all be somewhere.
 

Blast

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So I was going over some stuff in the SCMS and Ferroseed really needs an update, the wording is really poor in multiple areas and some of the information (esp. in UT and TO) is flat-out wrong lol

Also I think SD Rhydon's set should be changed a bit. I think Jolly should be slashed since Adamant Donner's Speed tier is crowded as fuck, and Jolly lets you beat neutral Toad, Malamar, and creeping Mantines as well as Sneasel and neutral Scarf Mesprit after a Rock Polish. I also think Stealth Rock should be slashed or something cause SD + SR Donner is great for offensive teams that need both rocks and a good breaker
 

boltsandbombers

i'm sorry mr. man
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Agreeing with both of the above things, also when I went through Ferroseed on the SCMS, C&C listed Lava Plume Magmortar (lol) as well as phrase that said "Fire-types usually can OHKO Ferroseed with their STAB moves"
wat 0.o

On another note, can we get rid of Choice Scarf Primeape please? Despite personal bias (those who know me know I absolutely hate it) it's been stated many times that Primeape is just too weak without a boosting item (the other sets are much more effective), and thats a pretty big factor. Yes, it has U-turn but that doesnt mean its a good scarfer. Also when I did the original analysis qc was pretty hesitant on keeping it.

hollywood
What I meant about Sandslash is that I think the defensive set is just not good. You're right that its not outclassed by other Ground-types, and I worded that part poorly.
In regards to the set, why would a defensive set run an Adamant nature and Attack investment? I'm not questioning your set's effectiveness since obviously you put thought into it and it looks good, but if thats the best set for Sandslash would it be possible to make just one set like that (tank) and just possibly mention SD in moves and maybe a faster spread in set details? It just seems odd for a defensive set to be invested the way the set is and it doesnt seem all that different from the current offensive set apart from the EV spread. Thoughts?
 
ya scarf ape is ass. cb is best, encore/taunt is usable, and band's moves should be some combination of stone edge/gunk shot/eq and then u-turn and cc.

that sandslash spread isn't "defensive" as much as it can take a few hits and still beats relevant spinblockers, which is what a defensive spinner should be doing.
 
To whoever wrote the Regirock analysis, the sun setter is missing 4 EVs. Its 252/184/16/52 currently.

blast edit: I fixed this
 
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Hi! So I really think Gigalith should get a set. I absolutely love to use it as a quick lead when I don't really know what to do. It's like REALLY slow, not even outspeeding Chansey. This is the set I use and it usually KO's the leads I'm against except for those annoying Skarmory. haha This is a set I run on OU and below on the ds btw

Gigalith @ Choice Band
Ability: Sturdy
Evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def
Adamant Nature
-Stone Edge
-Superpower
-Earthquake
-Explosion
 

Blast

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Hi! So I really think Gigalith should get a set. I absolutely love to use it as a quick lead when I don't really know what to do. It's like REALLY slow, not even outspeeding Chansey. This is the set I use and it usually KO's the leads I'm against except for those annoying Skarmory. haha This is a set I run on OU and below on the ds btw

Gigalith @ Choice Band
Ability: Sturdy
Evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def
Adamant Nature
-Stone Edge
-Superpower
-Earthquake
-Explosion
Hiya IamDetail, and welcome to Smogon!

The main problem with Gigalith in NU (and most other tiers) is that there's not much of a reason to use it over other Rock-types. Pokemon like Rhydon and Golem can do most things Gigalith wants to do offensively and also have a Ground STAB and Electric immunity, while Regirock is better defensively because it's much bulkier on both sides.

If you want to get more in touch with NU, check out the NU subforum. There's plenty of resources and people that'll be happy to get you accustomed to the tier!
 
Hiya IamDetail, and welcome to Smogon!

The main problem with Gigalith in NU (and most other tiers) is that there's not much of a reason to use it over other Rock-types. Pokemon like Rhydon and Golem can do most things Gigalith wants to do offensively and also have a Ground STAB and Electric immunity, while Regirock is better defensively because it's much bulkier on both sides.

If you want to get more in touch with NU, check out the NU subforum. There's plenty of resources and people that'll be happy to get you accustomed to the tier!
True haha It's just something I use and works very well up in the OU tier. I'm in a Facebook group and I'm the only one to use it and usually take the match because they lose something important very early to it. I see why Golem may be better but Rhydon always seems more of a defending type of Poke to me :P
 

boltsandbombers

i'm sorry mr. man
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Hiya

So, as I went through the dex to remove Seismitoad mentions there are a few things I found that I'd like to bring up for discussion.

Magmortar should get an update imo, as I don't feel that EQ deserves its own moveslot on the AoA set considering its realistically just for Lanturn and Flareon, considering a major target of the move back in the day was Dragalge. Focus Blast is really good on Magmortar atm as it smacks Regirock, Zweilous, Rhydon, and other random stuff like Vibrava and Probopass.

I brought this up with Blastral, and the moveset for lead Barbaracle should be slightly updated. Grass Knot really isnt necessary with Seismitoad gone, and the current slashes on site are Stealth Rock / Taunt / Stone Edge / Grass Knot | Endeavor. So, with removing Grass Knot, how about Razor Shell in that slot? Seems more useful to hit Rhydon and is nice as a secondary stab and such. Grass Knot should stay on the Shell Smash set since being a setup sweeper that can break past Quagsire is really nice.

Floatzel needs a revamp as well, the information in the analysis is very outdated in regards to the current meta and there is no special attacker set, which is really good.

Lastly, everyone's favorite mon to use to check the new drops, Stunfisk, needs a revamp. The original analysis was done around the beginning of XY and it should be updated to reflect how good it is in the current meta. Also the slashes and EV spread could be improved a bit.

Thoughts?
 

nv

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Hiya

So, as I went through the dex to remove Seismitoad mentions there are a few things I found that I'd like to bring up for discussion.

Magmortar should get an update imo, as I don't feel that EQ deserves its own moveslot on the AoA set considering its realistically just for Lanturn and Flareon, considering a major target of the move back in the day was Dragalge. Focus Blast is really good on Magmortar atm as it smacks Regirock, Zweilous, Rhydon, and other random stuff like Vibrava and Probopass.

I brought this up with Blastral, and the moveset for lead Barbaracle should be slightly updated. Grass Knot really isnt necessary with Seismitoad gone, and the current slashes on site are Stealth Rock / Taunt / Stone Edge / Grass Knot | Endeavor. So, with removing Grass Knot, how about Razor Shell in that slot? Seems more useful to hit Rhydon and is nice as a secondary stab and such. Grass Knot should stay on the Shell Smash set since being a setup sweeper that can break past Quagsire is really nice.

Floatzel needs a revamp as well, the information in the analysis is very outdated in regards to the current meta and there is no special attacker set, which is really good.

Lastly, everyone's favorite mon to use to check the new drops, Stunfisk, needs a revamp. The original analysis was done around the beginning of XY and it should be updated to reflect how good it is in the current meta. Also the slashes and EV spread could be improved a bit.

Thoughts?
I agree with all of this, but question...does revamp on Stunfisk mean it gets a new analysis? Or just revamp through SCMS or w/e?
 
eq is still good on magmortar. hitting lanturn alone is good enough reason to use it because lanturn is one of the best magmortar checks in the tier. like fire blast/tbolt/eq/focus blast is probably the best set. hp grass only hits quag and probably should just get a moves mention. same with psychic since hariyama common anymore.

pignite shouldn't get an analysis. has a very very very specific niche that makes it ok to use on like 0.7% of teams (sneasel/fire check) but that's literally it. if that's good enough for an analysis, solrock is too (archeops/fire check haha)
 

Blast

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Agree w/ Floatzel

Lanturn needs a new set or a revamp or something, offensive non-Specs sets are rly good (either AV or offensive Lefties) and HP Fire's probably better than HP Grass now that Toad is kill

Sneasel's sets should also be switched, LO / Band is much better than SD atm
 

boltsandbombers

i'm sorry mr. man
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So, I was looking at Gurdurr and there are a few things I think should be changed.
-Firstly, the set is called Bulk Up and Bulk Up has its own moveslot, which I dont agree with. Realistically, you don't get that many opportunities to set up in this fast paced metagame, and most of the time Gurdurr is just tossing around a Knock Off or clicking a STAB move. That brings me to my next point, why is Knock Off slashed with Ice Punch? Knock Off is such an essential move on Gurdurr, and I cannot possibly think of giving it up for the measly Ice Punch. Hitting Ghosts / Psychics and removing items is so more valuable than Ice Punch. What does it even hit, Scyther and Vileplume? Plume isn't even 2HKOed unless you run 84 Speed and Iron Fist (which is meh), and I just don't think its that great of a coverage move. Instead, I think Stone Edge should be used as it bops Scyther and Fletchinder thinking that they get a free switch in or have a set up opportunity versus Gurdurr.
-I also feel that the main spread of 252 / 252 is relatively inefficient. Basically, you're using Gurdurr to check physical attackers and Normal-types, but without any Defense investment Gurdurr is 2HKOed by Adamant Silk Scarf Kangaskhan's Double Edge after Stealth Rock, which is pretty bad when you're using Gurdurr to check it. The spread that I think should be the main one is 252 HP / 136 Atk / 64 Def / 56 SpD, which has enough Defense investment to avoid the aforementioned 2HKO while also hitting an Eviolite number in Defense (an even number), hits a jump point in Attack, and the rest tossed in SpDef.

tldr:
Proposed moveset:
- Drain Punch
- Mach Punch
- Knock Off
- Bulk Up / Stone Edge

New spread: 252 HP / 136 Atk / 64 Def / 56 SpD

Thoughts?
 

Blast

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Yeah I agree completely on updating the Gurdurr spread, that's pretty much the one I've been using since mid-XY rofl (I just used 60 def / 60 spdef but same thing)

I also agree Ice Punch is sort of meh and shouldn't be slashed, and I'm fine with Stone Edge being slashed with BU as long as the former is still first. I still think Gurdurr gets a decent amount of setup opportunities against balance (which is still like by far the most popular playstyle even with Magneton), and even if it doesn't sweep every game it's a big part of what makes Gurdurr threatening imo.

On another note I also think Rotom-Frost needs a revamp, currently its only set is Scarf but Expert Belt is also really good right now. I've also seen Life Orb SubSplit used to success in the past and tried it myself, though I'm not sure how good it is these days. Scarf is definitely not the only good set though.
 
just wanted to say that roselia is really desperately in need of a cms edit. like, theres still mention of gatr in it lol
 
I feel that Dragonair should get another set or even revamped, since the current set is completely blocked by Fairies and Steel-type Pokemon. This is just an idea, but I think Dragonair can pull off a set similar to Scrafty's Bulk Up set in RU. It would look something like this:


Dragonair @ Eviolite
Ability: Shed Skin
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Rest
- Earthquake / Poison Jab
- Outrage

This is similar to Scrafty's set in RU, with Rest + Shed Skin for recovery, a boosting move, and two attacking moves with near impeccable coverage. While it loses some of its physical bulk, it gains another coverage move to deal with Pokemon it otherwise couldn't dream of getting past, such as Granbull and Klinklang. I think the spread and nature could be changed around to hit different benchmarks and stuff. Again, this is just an idea, so feel free to shoot it down.
 

boltsandbombers

i'm sorry mr. man
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I feel that Dragonair should get another set or even revamped, since the current set is completely blocked by Fairies and Steel-type Pokemon. This is just an idea, but I think Dragonair can pull off a set similar to Scrafty's Bulk Up set in RU. It would look something like this:


Dragonair @ Eviolite
Ability: Shed Skin
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Rest
- Earthquake / Poison Jab
- Outrage

This is similar to Scrafty's set in RU, with Rest + Shed Skin for recovery, a boosting move, and two attacking moves with near impeccable coverage. While it loses some of its physical bulk, it gains another coverage move to deal with Pokemon it otherwise couldn't dream of getting past, such as Granbull and Klinklang. I think the spread and nature could be changed around to hit different benchmarks and stuff. Again, this is just an idea, so feel free to shoot it down.
Hate to burst your bubble, but Dragonair doesn't learn Earthquake or Poison Jab, just checked Serebii. It does however learn Iron Tail, and I've seen a mixed set of Draco Meteor / Fire Blast / Iron Tail / ExtremeSpeed used before to some good success. I'd reckon that deserves a set and Dragonair should probably get a revamp. In regards to the Dragon Dance set, I don't think it's worth giving up Sleep Talk or Espeed for the unreliable Iron Tail, which makes more sense on the mixed which has a more hit and run playstyle.

On a side note, I have a few small discussion points I want to bring up but I'm going to wait until the suspect is over.
 
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