CBDOTW 28

PG24

PG24

<Pride> I'm my wildest fantasy
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Why do you sometimes use lower tier Pokemon in the standard tier, such as Suicune, Shaymin, Sigilyph, etc? Do they fill a certain niche on your team? Do they ever feel outclassed or require more support? Have you used them nicely or badly? Basically, do you find lower tier Pokemon to be useful?
 
Yes, I do. Almost every team I build has some Pokemon from a lower tier in it, because they have a spot that no pokemon in OU can fill. Pokemon from all sorts of tiers can work in OU. I love Nidoking Especially, because it has superb coverage and hits like a truck too. Porygon2 is also really underrated, It's one of the best walls out there. and once it gets DW released, I will go get a riolu and use it on my team because it's amazing. Sigilyph, from the depths of RU, also works in OU if it gets set up. They do need a bit more support than normal pokemon, but the payoff is almost always worth it. I always use them, and it almost always works.
 
and once it gets DW released, I will go get a riolu and use it on my team because it's amazing.
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Riolu doesn't have a good supportive movepool to make use of Prankster. Even if it did, 40/40/40 bulk is terrible even by lower tier standards. You could play a Copycat set, however a good player won't fall for such a tactic.

You're better off with Whimsicott, who also isn't too good outside of priority Stun Spore.
 
If I use lower tier Pokemon, it is because I'm looking for something unique that will help the team stand out. For example the team I am currently testing has Azumaril (an UU pokemon) and Gallade (a RU pokemon). Some Pokemon from lower tiers surprise your opponents, ending in your favor simply because they have no idea of how to deal with the unexpected Pokemon.
 
I also use several lower tier Pokemon on many teams that I make. Claydol, for one, is I believe the only Pokemon in the game (aside from its pre-evolution Baltoy) to not be hit by the EdgeQuake combo for at least neutral damage. On top of that, it resists Fighting as well, making it a fairly good stop to Terrakion, at least for a time. It also learns both Stealth Rock and Rapid Spin with more special bulk to differentiate it from Forretress and Donphan, the other main Pokemon with that combination. It can also use Ice Beam and do some pretty good damage against the many weaknesses to Ice.

Another lower tier Pokemon I use is Darmanitan. For anyone who's seen it in action, this shouldn't need much explanation. Scarfed Jolly 252 atk Darmanitan's Flare Blitz is just about a guaranteed 2HKO on 112/0 Modest Rotom-W, a possible 2HKO on 252/252 Impish Donphan, and a guaranteed 1-2HKO on anything else that doesn't resist it. Oh that's right, I was forgetting to include Sun and any hazards, status conditions, or any other means of previous damage.

I'm also a fan of using the severely underrated Swampert (what is it with me and non-OU Water-Grounds, I used to use Gastrodon all the time in DPPt and now that that's OU and Swampy isn't I use Swampy instead). Its capable of setting up Stealth Rocks, something Gastrodon cannot do, as well as hitting harder on the physical side of the spectrum, which is very useful against many enemies that it would be tanking such as Tyranitar and Volcarona. Roar is also a move that Swampert has access to which other bulky waters to not that allows it to stall threats, stop set-up sweepers, and, with a bit of luck (but who am I to wish for that) deal some good damage to any Rock-weak Pokemon on the opponent's team.

Those are the UU Pokemon I use most often in OU, but I do have a few teams or two with Roserade, Aakeosu Archeops, Sableye, and more.
 
Good to see CBDotW back up again, I missed debating with you guys!

Anyways, there aren't a ton of Pokemon in tiers lower than UU that I like to use in OU, but among my UU favorites are Slowbro and Roserade. UU is blessed with a plethora of defensive Pokemon, and with proper use, can be just as effective in OU as they are in UU. Slowbro has great synergy with many Pokemon, a fantastic movepool for offense (Flamethrower?!), and one of the best abilities in the game. Pair that with a Slack Off/Calm Mind strategy, and you've got a fantastic Pokemon for almost any team. Roserade is also great at setting up hazards, and can be a great and annoying asset to a stall team, and even offensive teams since Rade has access to heavy-hitting moves life Leaf Storm and decent offensive stats. Zapdos and Snorlax are two of my favorite offensively-inclined (for the most part) Pokemon from UU. Zapdos has lethal coverage and survivability when used in the right situations, and Snorlax is a powerhouse with both Curse and Choice Band movesets; I'd recommend them for any team that wants an interesting offensive core. So yes, even though these Pokemon aren't OU, they are definitely threats every player needs to consider when making a team.
 
Durant is one Pokemon that I always love to use. He has stats in all the right places, enough moves to be threatening, and the one boosting move he needs to turn him into a powerhouse capable of demolishing whole teams.
 
I love Suicune. Its Pressure Ability can really work great as long as you have Calm Mind + Rest combo. It works even better with Toxic to become basically an invincible wall. Suicune is a bulky water, but is not weak against Tyranitar like Jellicent, though having Scald as opposed to Will-o-wisp does have its disadvantages. It also resists Ice; something Gastrodon can't do, though Gastrodon's usage isn't as high as it once was.
 
There's quite a few non-OU Pokemon I use, off the top of my head - Golurk, Uxie, Machamp, and Togekiss. Golurk has a surprising bulk to it, as well as it resists all of Terrakion's moves. Not just that, thanks to its huge attack (max attack EV investment with an Adamant nature gives Golurk 381 Atk), as well as huge HP (200 EVs in HP is 369), means Golurk can stay in on quite a few things. Golurk also gets two very useful abilities; No Guard and Iron Fist. Uxie is something I find to be very bulky, being able to suprisingly withstand many physical moves, and also makes for a good SR user, being able to suprise any team with Espeon/Xatu. Machamp still should be OU imo. It's bulky, it gets STAB DynamicPunch, and nothing can freely come in on Machamp. Thanks to No Guard, anything coming in that's not a Ghost will be blasted by a 100 power, 100%, STAB boosted death (or near-death) punch that is DynamicPunch. Togekiss is something everyone should reguard as Jirachi's brother. They do make a great combination together, as they both resist most (or all) eachother's weaknesses. Not only that, but Togekiss can hax your foe to death, as well as being able to set up and sweep. Togekiss also has something Jirachi does not; Roost. Thanks to Roost, Togekiss has access to instant recovery.
 
Another Pokemon I love that is capable of wiping out OU - Venomoth. Quiver Dance was really its golden ticket this gen. Tinted Lens is one of the best abilities in the game, and Venomoth makes good use of it.
 
I always love to use lower-tier Pokemon, either to prove that they're good, or just because they actually help my team.

The two big ones are Darmanitan and Sawsbuck. Sawsbuck servers the great niche of completing my offensive core on my sun team with Volcarona. They become an unstoppable combo of special and physical power that pretty much destroys any non-weather team. Darmanitan is also fantastic, considering it pretty much Two-Hit KO's the entire metagame in the sun.

I also love Accelgor (of course :p). I have a Baton Pass set that pretty much guarantees +2 Speed on another one of my Pokemon, and often allows for a sweep. It's great because the opponent never sees it coming.

I think lower-tier Pokemon should never be overlooked. While they're often in a lower tier for a reason, they serve great niches on OU teams and are sometimes better then a different OU option.
 
Dark Void said:
I also use several lower tier Pokemon on many teams that I make. Claydol, for one, is I believe the only Pokemon in the game (aside from its pre-evolution Baltoy) to not be hit by the EdgeQuake combo for at least neutral damage. On top of that, it resists Fighting as well, making it a fairly good stop to Terrakion, at least for a time.
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There are a few other Pokemon that do resist the infamous Rock/Ground coverage. Mostly notably perhaps is Breloom. But Torterra, Flygon, Bronzong (Bronzor), and, of course, Claydol. Claydol is the only one that resist Fighting on top of those two though so it does have some awesome resistance.

Two of my favorite lower tier Pokemon are Slowbro and Tangrowth. Regenerator is completely amazing. Slowbro is backed-up by a solid set of resistance (resisting Fighting-type is that important) and thanks to Slack Off and Regenerator it can be notoriously difficult to take down. Black/White was really kind to it. Tangrowth's biggest adversary is trying to break through the usage and versatility of Celebi, the other Defensive Grass-type. It does have some niches over Celebi so that its not completely outclassed. Access to Regenerator and Sleep Powder, it's capable of being initially more powerful and physically bulkier then Celebi (base SpAtk of 110 to 100 and base Defense of 125 to 100), as well as not having a plethora of weaknesses. Notably its not weak to Dark and doesn't take x4 damage from everyone's favorite move: U-Turn.
 
Of the lower tier Pokémon, I like to use Chandelure. It has a massive Special Attack and can fix it's speed with a Choice Scarf. Or you can use Trick Room while Chandelure is in and use a 252HP/252SpA for some decent bulk. It also resists Scizor's most common moves and can scare Scizor into a switch if they are trapped into something other than Pursuit. Both Flame Body and Flash Fire are great. If you switch in on a physical threat that is resisted by Chandelure, you could get a burn with Flame Body.Or if you have a Pokémon who is weak to fire, you can switch in on an HP Fire user and get a boost and be able to hopefully hit neutral/Super Effective with a boosted power Fire attack.As far as weaknesses go,the only popular move type problems are its Rock and Ground weaknesses. When Shadow Tag Chandelure is released.. Scizor will have nightmares or Chandelure will go Uber.
 
I use Wobbuffet and other Pokemon like Mandibuzz and Walrein (on Hail teams). The main reason I use them is because stall is my favorite play style, and I do like longer matches instead of a Scizor wiping through a team. Wobbuffet is a great counter to a Choice locked Terrakion (assuming it uses Close Combat, which makes Tyranitar good lure bait), and then I'm able to sweep with Volcarona or some other deadly sweeper.

When it comes to offensive presence, Kingdra is one of my favorites. Even without Swift Swim, Kingdra is a menace with Draco Meteor and Hydro Pump in rain. And since Rain is so common in this meta game, it isn't uncommon to see a Politoed on their team, opening up room for a huge sweeping capability. Gorebyss is also another deadly sweeper; even without Rain, Shell Smash gives Gorebyss the opportunity to decimate teams. According t Smogon statistics for NU, Gorebyss is ranked #28, used by about 6.5% of players. It makes me wonder if this number would be the same in a higher tier, such as OU or even Ubers. Gorebyss is one Pokemon that should not be underrated.

But anyway, yeah, I do love using Pokemon in lower tiers as often as possible. Unfortunately, some of these Pokemon are outclassed by others in a sense (I don't see Machamp in OU because of Conkeldurr), but a good player can really put a good use to them. Prankster Volbeat can be a great candidate for a Tail Glow and Baton Pass combo, plus it can be annoying with Encore. I say that Pokemon in lower tiers are very useful.
 
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