Guide OU Role Compendium

[Professor Palutena]

The purpose of this article is to outline the various roles individual Pokémon have in the OU metagame. If you're looking for a specific role for your team, look here! All Pokémon listed here have some degree of viability in OU. If you'd like to propose an addition to the list, feel free to post!

Please keep in a mind that a single Pokémon set can fulfill multiple roles for a team, and so the same Pokémon can appear multiple times in the set. Due to a restriction on how many images can be in the same post, this guide will be split into several posts.

Mega Pokemon:

Mega Evolutions are by no means a requirement on a team. However, most teams can benefit from including a Mega Evolution on them! The roles that they fill are listed below, but do keep in mind that you are limited to only one Mega Evolution on your team.

Wallbreakers/Stallbreakers:

Physical:

Special:

Mixed:

Stallbreakers:

Most teams will require some degree of offensive presence, which is where these attackers come in. Physical attackers will mainly use physical attacks, while special use special attacks. Some of these Pokémon are blessed with high speed stats, which gives them a much greater sweeping power, such as Tapu Koko and Mega Metagross. Others may require a boosting move to be capable of breaking walls, like Azumarill or Zygarde.

The main role of a wallbreaker, as the name implies, is to break down walls on the opponent's team. They aim to do as much damage as they can before fainting, which can open up the opportunity for another attacker to win.

Mixed attackers usually lack the offensive presence as other attackers, but make up for it with the ability to hit both physical and special walls hard. An example of this would be Pheromosa. They may also offer other utility for the team, like U-Turn or Stealth Rock.

(Part 1)

 

[Professor Palutena]

Walls:
Physically Defensive:

Specially Defensive:

Mixed:

Walls are the opposite of attackers, and they want to be difficult to KO. After all, you only lose when all six Pokémon are fainted. Most walls lack offensive capabilities, like Chansey, and instead will use status loves like Toxic to take down the opponent first. Methods of recovery are essential to a wall's survival.

Pivots:

Offensive:

Defensive:

A pivot is a valuable role for a team to have, and they are versatile. A defensive pivot is generally a bulky Pokémon that doesn't mind taking hits, like a wall. However, they aren't usually as passive as walls as they have respectable attacking power. Additionally, pivots often the recovery that walls have, which hurts their longevity.

They may also have moves like U-Turn or Volt Switch, which helps bring in a frailer attacker without the attacker needing to take a hit. This is especially true for offensive pivots, which hit incredibly hard but often lack the sheer power that a wall breaker has.

The following Pokémon provide support roles for your team, usually in addition to the above roles of wallbreaker, wall and pivot. These roles are usually not essential, with the exception of Stealth Rock. However, teams will appreciate the support.

Clerics:
Wish:

Heal Bell / Aromatherapy:

Healing Wish:

Clerics will use Aromatherapy, Heal Bell, Wish or Healing Wish to heal the team of status (or just one Pokémon in the case of Healing Wish). These Pokémon are generally walls, which often makes them unsuitable for offensive teams. However, Healing Wish is a valuable niche for offensive teams as it has the additional benefit of restoring an attacker's HP in full, in addition to blocking an attack due to the user fainting. This can be potentially game changing.

Entry Hazards:

Stealth Rock:

Spikes:

Toxic Spikes:

Sticky Web:

Entry Hazards allow teams to deal valuable chip damage on the opponent's team, with the added benefit of discouraging them from switching. These are invaluable for every team, and is the reason why they appear on nearly every team. In particular, Stealth Rock is a staple of nearly every team and you should find a way to put it on your team. Spikes is also valuable, but can take multiple turns to set up and many Pokémon are immune to its effect. This case of immunity is also true for Toxic Spikes, but much greater. Sticky Web has an incredible effect, but is greatly held back by being exclusive to very poor Pokémon.


Hazard Control:
Rapid Spin:

Defog:

Hazard Control Pokémon use Defog or Rapid Spin to remove the Spikes, Toxic Spikes and/or Stealth Rock from the field. These can be extremely beneficial if your team is weak to these hazards.

(Part 2)

 

[Professor Palutena]

Choice Users:

Choice Band:

Choice Specs:

Choice Scarf:

Choice users will use a Choice item to amplify one of their strongest stats. These are designed for offensive teams. In exchange for the inability to switch moves, the Choice items will greatly increase a Pokémon's sweeping potential. This is especially true for Band and Specs users.
Scarf is a bit different, as the speed boost will allow it to outspeed many more Pokémon. Fast Pokémon are generally frail, and so this can make knocking out a fast Pokémon easier. Many teams can benefit from including a Choice Scarf user for this reason.

Priority:

(Water Shuriken)

(Extreme Speed)

(Mach Punch)

(Shadow Sneak)

(Sucker Punch)

(Ice Shard)

(Quick Attack)

(Bullet Punch)

(Prankster)

(Aqua Jet)

Even with some nerfs to priority in Gen 7, priority moves are incredibly valuable. They usually go first before any offensive move, which gives them a valuable role in eliminating Pokémon that have boosted their speed. Most teams should have at least one priority move for this reason, as they are often an insurance policy for preventing a sweep.

Trappers:
Pursuit:

Arena Trap / Magnet Pull:

Other (Magma Storm / Whirlpool etc):

Trappers provide a valuable role for teams with the ability to prevent the opponent from switching Pokémon. This is done through the abilities Arena Trap and Magnet Pull, or moves Pursuit or Magma Storm. This can make eliminating a threatening Pokémon easier, as the opponent cannot bring in their counter until either their Pokémon faints or they KO your trapper.

Weather/Trick Room:
Rain:

Sand:

Sun:

Hail:

Trick Room:

These moves affect the entire field for five turns (or 8, if your weather Pokémon is holding a Heat/Damp/Smooth/Icy Rock; Trick Room cannot be extended) and they provide a myriad of effects that can be potentially game changing. The weather moves are never seen and instead rely on abilities to enter play, while Trick Room has no such luxury.

(part 3)

 

[Professor Palutena]

Setup Sweepers:
Swords Dance:

Dragon Dance:

Calm Mind:

Nasty Plot:

Agility / Autotomize / Rock Polish/Shift Gear:

Other:

(Belly Drum)

(Beast Boost)

(Soul-Heart)

(Tail Glow)

(Coil)

(Quiver Dance)

(Curse)

(Contrary)

(Moxie)

(Speed Boost)

(Iron Defense)

Sweepers are another subset of wallbreakers, as some Pokémon will use many moves or abilities to increase their offensive capabilities. These can make them hit much more harder, or make them more difficult to knock out. Either way, this can help them win games. These Pokémon are very weak to the moves Haze, Whirlwind, Roar and Dragon Tail, which removes the stat buffs.

Z-Move Users:
Attacks:

(Normal)

(Fire, Dragon, Ground, Rock)

(Fire)

(Water)

(Grass)

(Grass)

(Grass)

(Flying)

(Flying)

(Flying, Rock)

(Flying)

(Electric)

(Ground)

(Fighting, Steel)

(Fighting)

(Fighting)

(Fighting, Psychic)

(Rock)

(Rock)

(Ice)

(Steel)

(Steel, Fairy)

(Ghost)
Status:

(Rain Dance)

(Haze)

(Celebrate)

(Conversion)

(Happy Hour)

(Electric Terrain, Hypnosis)

(Snatch)

Like Mega Evolutions, Z-Moves can only be used once per game, which makes deciding on the move to use difficult. They provide the power to swing the game in your favor if used at the right time, which makes them incredibly valuable.

I believe that is everything for this post. Please let me know if you have questions!

 

[Scattered mind]

How about TR setters like Necromoza?

And Scizor can also be but in the Hazard control category. Also Delhamise or whatever that anchor ghost thing is called (I can't remember). Oh, and Starmie if that mon is still viable.

 

[Equinox]

Nice guide! though I feel like you should also add Z-Hypnosis/Electric Terrain Xurkitree and Z-Parting Shot Silvally/Persian under your Z-Status Pokemon

 

[Professor Palutena]

How about TR setters like Necromoza?

And Scizor can also be but in the Hazard control category. Also Delhamise or whatever that anchor ghost thing is called (I can't remember). Oh, and Starmie if that mon is still viable.

Scizor isn't a viable Defogger with Tapu Fini in the tier. Dhelmise and Starmie aren't viable in OU.

Not familiar with Trick Room but I'll see what I can add.

Nice guide! though I feel like you should also add Z-Hypnosis/Electric Terrain Xurkitree and Z-Parting Shot Silvally/Persian under your Z-Status Pokemon

Will add Xurkitree, but Persian and Silvally aren't viable in OU right now.