With a survey coming up soon and after more than 2 months of Indigo Disk being out, I think it is time to discuss what the meta of Gen 9 OU is like rn and talk about some developments we’ve seen on ladder, SPL, etc. To some, this may not be my most popular write-up, but it is something I want to bring up. So here is…
658Greninja’s Gen 9 OU Meta Analysis
View attachment 609138Chapter 1: SV OU as the Lead MetagameView attachment 609139
A lot of players may not realize it, some do, but SV OU is the most lead centric metagame since DPP. Before I explain why, let me go over a misconception on the definition of a lead.
Often when players hear the term “Lead” the first thing that comes to mind is a suicide lead. Something that gets up rocks and then dies. However I would like to broad everyone’s definition of a lead for a minute. A lead is something you send out first to gain an early advantage. Leads can be organized into these categories.
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Leads that get up hazards and die (i.e suicide leads)
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Leads meant to anti-Lead
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Leads meant to cripple/dent the opposing team as much as possible in a few turns
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Leads meant to reek early momentum
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Leads that can make early progress through hazards and/or Knock, etc
SV OU is a hostile metagame. If you try to cover everything the meta throws at you, it is simply not possible. Instead, teams have been trending towards gaining momentum firsthand and getting into good positions where they can setup their wincons but their opponents can’t. Not every good lead matchup will win you the game. Comebacks are very doable with Tera, but leads gives you the inherent advantage in an offensive metagame.
View attachment 609157Chapter 2: The Tera Skill CeillingView attachment 609158
Terastilization is obviously a big part of SV OU’s identity. It is also the most controversial aspect of its gameplay. Its ability to allow mons like Kingambit or Gholdengo flip matchups has sparked discussion on whether or not it should be allowed. This is not what this is about, it is about how different skill levels play with Tera. In low ladder and even mid ladder, players will use Tera in a reactionary fashion. If they see something is about to sweep them, they Tera. If they click Dragon Dance or Swords Dance, they Tera. If they wanna nuke something, they Tera. However as we go higher in the skill level, we see the true depth of Terastilization, like the Depths of Area Zero.
There is much more decision making and long-term thinking that goes into Tera at the top level. Sure you could Tera Ghost your Specs Dragapult turn 1 to 2HKO their Primarina, but you no longer could use Dragapult to pivot into their Volcarona and you get OHKOd by their +1 Raging Bolt’s Thunderclap, and they could still Tera themselves. What if they Tera Normal their Dragonite?
“Tera Flying with Gambit vs Great Tusk is obviously advantageous, but should I preserve this Tera for another matchup instead of this one premature advantage?”
You may even see players reading their Tera or make midground plays in case they do Tera. Yes, you may not know what Tera it is, but you could recognize the most popular Tera options and why. In the builder, players may even have contingency plans in case they Tera.
The reason many players, including top players oppose a Tera suspect is in their view, Terastilization is a mechanic that promotes metagame knowledge, long-term thinking, and improving teambuilding skills. Gen 8 was critiqued for being too easy and boring, because between Boots Spam, Scald fishing, and Regen Spam, reckless plays mattered much less as Toxapex could go from 10% to 90% in less than a few turns. Gen 9 encourages you to be on your toes. If you play too recklessly or too passively, you’re bound to get punished hard for it. Short-term thinking, especially when it comes to Tera will get you punished at a higher level. This is why even anti-Tera players may cite SV OU as a high skill celling gen.
View attachment 609159Chapter 3: Addressing Meta Shifts (also Spikes)View attachment 609160
One thing people need to realize when basing their complaints is that the metagame is not the same as it was 2 months ago, and so builds that worked during that time become outdated. It isn’t some secret or new thing, this happens all the time in a metagame.
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The Lando for UU meme is dead now as there is a massive resurgence of it despite harsh Ground type competiton.
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Other mons that were overshadowed like Wogerpon, Alomomola, Primarina, Heatran, Dragonite, and Garganacl are now meta staples.
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Iron Boulder which was an HO staple in the beginning of DLC2 might as well not even exist. It sees very little usage in SPL and even ladder. It doesn’t even cross people’s minds these days in the builder. Hell, it might even drop to UU in a few days.
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Boots Spam Spike Stacking Teams are not as good as they were during January. These teams have huge flaws like a lack of raw power, over-reliance on spikes, and bad matchups into stuff like NP Gholdengo without Volcarona, CM Hatt, Primarina, and Wogerpon. Skarm is no longer enough to cover the Gambit mu. One Tera and Jolly nature later and that birb is gone.
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Instead, players are opting for teams that limit the placement or effect of Spikes while having enough offensive power to deal with bulkier builds and offense.
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There is no denying that Spikes are amazing this gen, but they are not so grossly dominant that we should suddenly ban every spike setter under the Sun. Great Tusk more often than not, is enough for hazard control on teams.
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Great Tusk threatens every single spinblocker with a bad time, (Dragapult lesso, but it still doesn’t like losing 80% or dying to Knock) and its matchups into other hazard setters are completely fine. Yes Gliscor can trade Ice Spinner damage and put it on a timer with Toxic, but Gliscor cannot safely switch into Great Tusk. Skarm can repeatedly switch into Tusk as it spins, but Skarm is one of the most easily exploitable mons in the tier. Free turns for Dragapult, Slowking-G, Raging Bolt, Clefable, Primarina, Hatterene, and all the other nasty sh*t you don’t wanna let in. Ting-Lu could chip Tusk down, but Tusk could 1v1 it with Ice Spinner or Ice Spinner + Knock. Also consider that you are using an amazing mon that can be customized to fit several roles besides Spinning.
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The best current SV OU teams simply don’t give a sh*t about Spikes or can deal with Spikes. You don’t have to load your team with Tusk + Hatt or Tusk + Corv to be safe vs hazards without having 4-5 mons with Boots. If you’re letting Skarm get three spikes up in one sitting, that’s a skill issue.
Yes, the metagame is in an unbalanced state, but not to the point where one archetype is unviable. Balance, BO, HO, Rain, Sun, and Stall are all viable in the tier. SV OU doesn’t punish you for making bulkier teams. SV OU punishes you for making passive plays and bad teams. It took me some time to realize all this as a builder and a player.
Anyways, let’s get to the fun part. Meta developments.
View attachment 609188Chapter 4: Innovations/Underrated or Cool SetsView attachment 609189
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Cinderace @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Blaze
Tera Type: Ice
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Pyro Ball
- U-turn
- Tera Blast
- Court Change
One of my favorite techs by the goat Storm Zone himself, Tera Ice Blast Cinderace. Most of the time, Cinderace will invite Gliscor back in and setup the Spikes it removed again. However Tera Ice lets you nuke the absolute sh*t outta Gliscor on top of hitting other targets like Great Tusk, Lando, Roaring Moon, Raging Bolt, and Dragonite. This set should be explored more.
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Clefable @ Sticky Barb
Ability: Magic Guard
Tera Type: Water/Ground
EVs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Moonlight
- Trick/Stealth Rock/Encore
- Thunder Wave
Barb Clef is not a new innovation at all. Its been a thing since forever, but we have seen more usage of it with Knock support to punish Tusk, Gouging Fire, Dragonite, Roaring Moon, Gambit, Gliscor, Garganacl, and more. Some people even ditch Trick to make use of Clef’s other utility moves like Rocks, Wish, and Encore.
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Deoxys-Speed @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Pressure
Tera Type: Dark/Fighting
EVs: 252 HP / 36 Def / 164 SpA / 56 Spe
Timid Nature
- Psycho Boost
- Knock Off
- Ice Beam
- Recover/Superpower
(164 SpA lets Deo-S OHKO standard Wogerpon after 2 Psycho Boosts + Rocks. 56 Spe Timid outruns +1 Tusk. The rest is put into HP and Def to maximize bulk)
Deoxys-Speed is not super common rn, but we have seen a few appearances of it to abuse its Speed and Movepool. AcrOne brought a pretty wack team with Boots Deo-S, U-Turn Gliscor, and Teal Mask Ogerpon against Finch who embraced the Big Stall council allegations. It got off several kills and opened up the Ogerpon with the lucky freeze on Corv.
It got me interested in discussing this specific Deo-S set. It has a couple neat attributes like outrunning +1 Dnite and Dragapult, 1v1ing Glimmora, and Pressure allowing you to PP stall vs fatter builds and other funny scenarios like limiting Tusk’s or Dnite’s Headlong Rush and E-Speed PP. Recover allows Deo-S to stay in the game repeatedly. Deoxys has a mediocre defensive and offensive typing, but it has some nice potential on the right builds.
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Dragapult @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Infiltrator
Tera Type: Ghost/Fairy/Steel
EVs: 208 HP / 176 SpA / 124 Spe
Timid Nature
- Dragon Darts/Draco Meteor
- Hex
- Will-O-Wisp
- Thunder Wave
Double Status Pult is an absolute menace vs all styles. We’ve even seen variants with Focus Sash lately, acting similar to how Zam does in BW OU. Though I want to take this opportunity to bring up this EV spread I’ve been running.
208 HP allows Dragapult to avoid a 2HKO from a Tera Water +2 Ivy Cudgel after a burn and an OHKO from +2 Play Rough, also after a burn, with enough speed to outrun Zama’s hitting 385 Speed for Weavile. Even without investment and a negative Attack nature, Darts still do decent damage and its enough to 1v1 non-Tera Dragon Volc. This spread also lets Dragapult survive a Knock Off from offensive Tusk and even a SO boosted Kowtow after a burn.
Dragapult is a mon with lots of versatility and bulkier Pult variants could be something to consider. Its a pretty neat set imo.
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Dragonite @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Multiscale
Tera Type: Normal
- Extreme Speed
- Dragon Tail
- Earthquake
- Roost
Dragonite has seen some further exploration in DLC2 outside of the standard DD sets. CB has seen some usage with heavy hazard removal support. There was also a Boltbeam Dnite set used in this game between some unorthodox-looking teams, but I want to highlight Dragon Tail Dnite that was used in this game. The reason why this looks like a paste for Gen 2 OU is cause I do not know the spread. Phazing is something players are exploring more of recently. Not only to rack up hazard chip, but to deny Booster/setup opportunities. Dnite is a very popular anti-HO pick due to E-Speed and Multiscale, but this set provides extra coverage for HO. It may not be the most optimal thing, but it’s pretty cool to see some set variety coming from this old gen icon.
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Glimmora @ Power Herb
Ability: Toxic Debris
Tera Type: Ghost/Fairy/Grass
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Meteor Beam
- Earth Power
- Dazzling Gleam/Energy Ball
“Wait this isn’t VGC!”
Yes, but this set is fun as hell. Glimmora often just clicks Rocks, maybe clicks Mortal Spin, and dies. Meteor Beam though, smacks the hell out of bulkier builds expecting to be safe only for it to nuke the f*ck outta of their Gliscor or Glowking with the strongest Meteor Beam in the entire game. Then you can use your offensive movepool to deal as much dmg as possible before fainting. I feel this is a neat spin on Glimmora and I am interested to see if this set catches on. (inb4 someone tops the ladder and posts a MB Glimm RMT)
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Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 244 HP / 108 Def / 156 SpD
Careful Nature
IVs: 25 Spe
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Knock Off/Toxic
- Protect
(156 SpD avoids a 2HKO from standard Hex Pult after clicking Protect and avoids an OHKO from +1 Proto Dragon Pulse from Raging Bolt at full. 25 Speed IVs to be slower than opposing Gliscor while outrunning Jolly Gambit)
U-Turn is underrated on Gliscor, it often rarely gets slapped onto it because Gliscor has a big 4MSS. This set has great synergy with Weavile. If Moon comes in, you U-Turn to Weavile and click Shard. If Gliscor comes in, you click U-Turn and bring Weavile or Kyurem in safely since you’re slower.
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Gouging Fire @ Leftovers/Heavy-Duty-Boots
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Poison
EVs: 240 HP / 72 Atk / 128 Def / 4 SpD / 64 Spe
Impish Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Breaking Swipe
- Dragon Dance
- Morning Sun
Sure, blowing up sh*t with Choice Band under Sun is devious, but Swipe G-Fire is just pure evil from the corrupted. Showcased in a well-known RMT by spook, this set answers the question, “What if I can DD in front of Gliscor and 1v1 Curse Dozo?”
This is imo the best Gouging Fire set and probably the reason it will eventually get suspected. It is so bulky that after an attack drop from Breaking Swipe, it 1v1s even the strongest of Ground types. While it does have counterplay in Skeledirge, Whirlwind Ting-Lu, and Primarina, but G-Fire’s ability to pick-and-choose what it loses to is part of why it has been considered for a suspect.
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Great Tusk @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Fairy
- Earthquake
- Knock Off/Ice Spinner
- Endeavor
- Rapid Spin
Great Tusks’ sets have largely remained the same throughout SV OU’s lifespan. New options like Temper Fire and Supercell Slam have seen some usage for Skarmory and Corv, but they remain uncommon.
Endeavor Tusk with Rocky Helmet was used once by FC in this week’s SPL along with the janky D-Tail Dnite set. He used his Endeavor Tusk in the endgame to put Balloon Gambit in range of E-Speed after Helmet chip, and it payed off. Though a bit gimmicky, it is cool seeing an unorthodox set pay off in an important game.
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Iron Treads @ Booster Energy
Ability: Quark Drive
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Ice Spinner
- Megahorn
Megahorn was used by FC in the same game as the Endeavor Tusk and D-Tail Dnite to snipe Wogerpon. Unfortunately it failed to pick up a kill even with chip and Treads payed for it with its life. Cool lure tho.
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Iron Valiant @ Booster Energy
Ability: Quark Drive
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 24 HP / 252 Atk / 232 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Spirit Break
- Shadow Sneak
Atk up Quark Drive is a really cool iVal set brought in this game by shiloh from last week. Sacrificing the iconic Speed Booster sucks, but you still outrun Serperior and Ogerpon-W. Shadow Sneak, especially with Tera Ghost can somewhat leverage its worse overall sweeping potential, but in exchange you’re matchup vs bulkier builds becomes better.
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Landorus-Therian @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
Tera Type: Grass
EVs: 252 HP / 212 Def / 44 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Weather Ball
Landorus finally escaped the mid allegations. Rocky Helmet has a lot of value in this metagame. Putting stuff in range and breaking Dnite’s Multiscale. With the direction OU is going rn, it may even be better than Gliscor, but I’m getting ahead of myself. Weather Ball in conjunction with Slowking-G setting up Snow, obliterates Gliscor and Lando while also hitting Tusk hard.
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Ogerpon-Wellspring (F) @ Wellspring Mask
Ability: Water Absorb
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 180 HP / 192 Atk / 136 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Ivy Cudgel
- Power Whip
- Play Rough
I’ve talked about a bulkier Wogre spread during the Archaludon suspect, but if you don’t like losing power and hate Rillaboom, this spread lives a Tera boosted Grassy Glide at full while outrunning Kyurem.
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Samurott-Hisui @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Sharpness
Tera Type: Water/Ghost/Ground
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Ceaseless Edge
- Aqua Cutter
- Knock Off/Aqua Jet/Sacred Sword/Sucker Punch
- Encore
Encore on Hamurott is not super common, but due to its typing and speed, Hamurott has the best Gambit matchup out of the other users in the tier. Encore also punishes stuff like Skarmory for clicking Roost, and grants you those free asf spikes that you have because of Gen 9 privilege.
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Skarmory @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Sturdy
Tera Type: Dragon
EVs: 252 HP / 44 Atk / 212 Def
Impish Nature
- Spikes
- Brave Bird
- Roost
- Swords Dance
(44 Atk EVs to secure an OHKO on Wogerpon after rocks)
Brave Bird Skarm has seen very few appearances, but I decided to take it a step further by incorporating Swords Dance and Brave Bird at once. This has a few functions. It lets it more reliably check Ogerpon, it doesn’t give Dragapult, Glowking, and Volcarona free entry. It 1v1s Hatterene, and Clefable with Swords Dance. It also punishes Gliscor for staying in on Skarm.
The other thing to note is this Skarm doesn’t have any speed EVs. Imo Skarm is an inconsistent Gambit check because some of them run Jolly and it needs all the physical bulk it could get. You still give Ghold and Raging Bolt free turns, but it is nowhere near as bad as running Body Press. The Balance builds it fits on would rather invest in other Gambit deterrents like Dozo, Zama, Wisp, Low Kick Weav, and Encore.
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Slowking-Galar @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 48 Def / 176 SpA / 32 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psyshock
- Future Sight
- Ice Beam/Sludge Bomb/Flamethrower
- Focus Blast/Surf
Assault Vest Gking is criminally underrated. You trade Chilly Reception to be a more consistent special wall and you become much harder to switch into. It is consistent as a Kyurem and Moth check. Ice Beam one shots the Ground/Flying mons, Flamethrower smacks Ghold/Gambit, Focus Miss disintergrates Gambit, Surf hits Grounds and is good neutral coverage. The EV spread above is just from spook’s RMT, it could spec to hit certain thresholds.
We spent an entire generation where this was the standard set, it shouldn’t be taboo about running this.
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Ting-Lu @ Leftovers
Ability: Vessel of Ruin
Tera Type: Grass
EVs: 8 HP / 192 Atk / 40 Def / 180 SpD / 88 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Spikes/Whirlwind
- Earthquake
- Payback
- Ruination
(88 Spe to outrun standard bulky Kingambit. 192 Atk with an Adamant nature to 2HKO Bulkarona and 3HKO Clef without Lefties with EQ. I didn’t put much thought in the other EVs, js.)
Offensive Ting-Lu is a set forgotten in SV OU’s history, but it has made a few appearances here and there. Running this set is a gamble cause you become worse at eating hits. In exchange it matches up better into stuff like Offensive Ghold, Volcarona, and Hatterene. Ruination, Spikes, and Whirlwind allows you to still make progress even vs Balance builds. Earthquake can even OHKO Raging Bolt after chip.
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Volcarona @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Flame Body
Tera Type: Ground/Water/Dragon
EVs: 180 HP / 112 SpA / 216 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Quiver Dance
- Flamethrower
- Tera Blast
- Substitute
(112 SpA to guarantee an OHKO on offensive Gambit and Ghold. 216 Sped to outrun Kyurem. The rest is dumped into HP.)
Sub-Volc is so stupid you guys don’t even know. Teams that rely on Gking + Gliscor to check it get absolutely flamed by this set.
(pun unintentional)
You also get to make Garganacl cry with Tera as they become hopeless in checking you. Gambit and Raging Bolt need to cope once they see a scary moth behind a Sub. Because of the bulk, you can outright 1v1 Primarina with Tera Ground cause Surf doesn’t do enough. Volcarona is simply built different.
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Weavile @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Pressure
Tera Type: Ice/Stellar
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Triple Axel
- Knock Off
- Ice Shard
- Low Kick
Sometimes Triple Axel and Knock are so strong that a Swords Dance isn’t even needed, not like you get many opportunities to setup anyways. Instead, Weavile’s quality time should be spent on making Kingambit’s life worse with Low Kick. It also punishes reactionary Tera Steels and hits Samu-H.
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Zamazenta @ Mirror Herb
Ability: Dauntless Shield
Tera Type: Steel/Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 104 Def / 152 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Iron Defense
- Body Press
- Crunch
- Roar
Roar Zama reminds me so much of Roarcune from Gens 3-4. Roar is amazing for opposing Zama dittos, Tera Poison Tusk, and Tera Gambit. Plus it’s good for racking up hazard damage. Roar isn’t even a niche set, it’s legit on Zama builds and has seen success.
Mirror Herb I found to be fun asf on Zama. If their brain even considers clicking a Dragon Dance, or Swords Dance. Boom, free boost and you probably can reverse sweep them.
Some Niche Stuff
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Hoopa-Unbound @ Assault Vest
Ability: Magician
Tera Type: Fighting
EVs: 248 HP / 44 Atk / 40 Def / 84 SpA / 92 Spe
Lonely Nature
- Knock Off
- Psychic Noise/Psychic
- Drain Punch
- Hyperspace Fury
(This spread is from the strategy dex. 248 HP and 40 Def lets it survive a SO boosted Sucker. 92 Speed to outrun Jolly Gambit. 84 SpA to one shot Moth with Psychic.)
There’s been a surprising amount of Hoopa usage lately. It has been seen a couple times in SPL and on ladder. With Assault Vest, Hoopa-U functions as a wallbreaker with defensive utility. It can be used to check non-Bug Buzz Volc, Raging Bolt, CM Hatt, Ghold, etc. Psychic Noise is a new addition to its movekit that punishes Skarm and Gliscor. It has good matchups into Stall and Balance builds because…what do you expect, it’s a f*cking Hoopa.
It is a hard-to-fit mon with several glaring weaknesses, but it has its role in the metagame.
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Ogerpon (F) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Defiant
Tera Type: Grass
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Ivy Cudgel
- Knock Off
- Encore
- U-turn
Remember that weird Deo-S Boots Spam team? Well this was the Oger set. Not Wogrepon, THE OGERPON. AcroOne used it as a discount Meowscarda. Unlike the other Ogerpons, it has the luxury to carry an item and unlike Meowscarda, it comes with Encore to punish setup moves and recovery moves. It is always cool to see niche picks being used.
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Ursaluna @ Flame Orb
Ability: Guts
Tera Type: Normal
EVs: 28 HP / 252 Atk / 228 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Headlong Rush
- Facade
- Trailblaze
Ursaluna is so much fun to mess with. Anyone who says otherwise is a liar. Firstly, run Jolly, you OHKO Skarm and Corv with +2 Tera Normal Facade after rocks anyways. Another reason why 200 Speed Skarm sucks ass. Since everything not named Balloon Dengo gets nuked by it, I decided to run Trailblaze as the last slot. Not only is it a good midground vs Tusk, but at +1, you outspeed everything below the 100s and if they are stupid enough to let you get off another one, you get to outspeed Dragapult. Trailblaze also punishes the opponent for sacking. Tera Normal Facades are dummy strong as is, Swords Dance is just a big F you to anything that breathes.
My favorite pairing is Ursaluna + Rillaboom. G-Terrain mitigates Burn chip, and it shreds through Skarm after an SD, letting Rilla go wild with Grassy Glide and Wood Hammer. Pair it with Healing Wish support from Enamorus or Wish support from Mola and it becomes a menace.
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Weezing-Galar @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Levitate
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Strange Steam
- Pain Split
- Will-O-Wisp
- Haze/Toxic
As cool as Neutralizing Gas Defog is, Levitate has more value in this metagame. You stonewall Great Tusk, switch into Roaring Moon, you give 0 sh*ts about Gliscor or Lando, and you’re not eating Spikes. G-Weezing is also an amazing SD Valiant check and does well into Dnite. Neutralizing Gas though can ofc be devious into Serperior, Regen mons, and Garganacl. G-Weezing in general should be explored more.
Anyways, I got some school stuff to finish. Have a good one y’all.
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