PRO Gen 8-9 update preparation

[Raika]

WIP WIP

 

 

Wally announced a Gen 9 update and potentially the addition of more tournaments and PvP events (Assuming this because of the recent PvP coordinator roles). I noticed a lot of people have never played past Gen 7, so here's a little prep for you all. All of this is just based on my experience of following competitive Pokemon since Gen 6 and what I personally think of what will happen with the release of Gen 9. Quick note on that, I may think a Pokemon's usage is top X, but that does not mean it's as viable as made to be. Usage rate does not equal viability. 

 

I'm open to feedback I can edit in or change, just don't say dumb stuff like "Hey, X mon is better than how you described" then not explain why. This also isn't the thread to express your opinions on current bans. 

 

I'll be updating this daily so i'll keep bumping this thread. Feel free to follow the thread if you want to be updated. This way it'll be less overwhelming to read on all the new Pokemon too.

I hope you guys can use this for future references or just to learn something new.
 

 

Format:

Pokemon - Typing

Abilities: Useful or recommended abilities will be in bold, hidden abilities will be in italics. 

Stats (HP / Atk / Def / Sp.Atk / Sp.Def / Speed / Total

-Spoiler-Image-Spoiler-

Evolutions (x--Evolution method-->x)

Analysis and predictions

 

 

---

 Rillaboom - Grass

Overgrow / Grassy Surge

100 / 125 / 90 / 60 / 70 / 85 / 530

Spoiler

Grookey--Level 16-->Thwackey--Level 35-->Rillaboom

Rillaboom is an amazing wallbreaker, best used on balanced and hyper offense teams. With access to Grassy Surge, setting up Grassy Terrain on switch-ins, Grassy Glide, a 70bp (55bp in gen 9) Grass type move that has +1 priority only while Grassy Terrain is active, Knock Off, Superpower, U-Turn, Wood Hammer, Swords Dance and Choice Band variants can deal massive damage to the opponent's team. Adamant is generally ran on this mon, however Jolly is also viable. Some Pokemon that check Rillaboom are Zapdos, Corviknight, Skarmory, Buzzwole. It'll probably be a top 50 used mon once Gen 9 is released. 

 

 

---

Cinderace - Fire
Blaze / Libero

80 / 116 / 75 / 65 / 75 / 119 / 530

Spoiler

Scorbunny--Level 16-->Raboot--Level 35-->Cinderace

Cinderace was banned in gen 8 OU, along with gen 8 Magearna which was a solid check to Tapu Lele, Ash-Greninja, and itself, while still maintaining a pretty good offensive presence. It was considered to be too much for Gen 8 OU at the time partly because of its Speed tier, only being out sped by Dragapult and Zeraora at the time, generally forcing switches on defensive Pokemon like Ferrothorn, and Corviknight, and Libero, which is Cinderace's Protean, giving it STAB on every move it has. Gunk Shot, High Jump Kick , Pyro Ball (A 120 BP. 90%acc, 5-8PP Fire-type move), Zen Headbutt, Sucker Punch, U-Turn, Electro Ball. It can run Bulk Up sets to potentially sweep teams. Its other signature move, Court Change, allows it to swap every entry hazards and screens active on the field. If I had Stealth Rocks on my side and my opponent had Light Screen on their side of the field, after using this move, I would have Light Screen active and Rocks would be on their side. Jolly is almost always used on this Pokemon.

Cinderace is prediction and luck reliant though. Two of its best moves, Pyro Ball and Gunk Shot, both don't have 100% acc and low PP. U-Turn is bait for Rocky Helmet chip, and often times you find that it barely has enough power to secure KO's. This mon was then unbanned in Gen 9 OU. It'll probably be a top 25 used mon once Gen 9 is released.

 

 

---

Inteleon - Water

Torrent / Sniper

70 / 85 / 65 / 125 / 65 / 120 / 530

Spoiler

Sobble--Level 16-->Drizzile--Level 35-->Inteleon

Great Speed and Sp.Atk, that's it. Has access to U-Turn, Ice Beam, Dark Pulse, Hydro Pump, that's it. Everyone will forget this mon existed. Pokemon like Dragapult are so much better at fulfilling its role as a fast specially offensive attacker. Tapu Lele and Mega Alakazam both are better wallbreakers. Use it on a Rain team with Specs? Sure, but is that really worth sacrificing a slot for any other Swift Swimmer? It essentially has no coverage to hit other Water types, the type that usually defines a tier's defensive metagame.  (Rotom-Wash, Dondozo, Primarina, Toxapex, Quagsire, Volcanion, Suicune, etc) Sniper, Focus Energy, Scope Lens? Way too difficult to get that set up with its paper defenses. If you need a specially offensive Water type, use Walking Wake, Greninja, Keldeo instead. Overall this Pokemon will be forgotten. It runs Timid though, for the collectors. 

 

 

---

Greedent - Normal

Cheek Pouch / Gluttony

120 / 95 / 95 / 55 / 75 / 20 / 460

Spoiler

Skwovet--Level 24-->Greedent

Gen 8's Rattata. I used a picture from Pokemon Unite because it should only be used in Pokemon Unite. I'd say you can run Adamant or Brave in a Trick Room team since it gets Belly Drum, Facade, Earthquake, Bullet Seed, Gyro Ball, Thunder fang, Crunch, Swords Dance. There's some really weird Stuff Cheeks + Cheek Pouch stuff too but yeah run it for memes.

I'd say this overall this mon will be forgotten PvP-wise, but it's like the new Rattata on hunting maps. 

 

 

---

Corviknight - Flying / Steel

Pressure / Unnerve / Mirror Armor

98 / 87 / 105 / 53 / 85 / 67 / 495

Spoiler

Rookidee--Level 18--> Corvisquire--Level 38--> Corviknight

Gen 8's regional bird. Gets Roost, Defog, U-Turn, Iron Defense, Body Press, Agility, Brave Bird, Bulk Up, Power Trip, Taunt. Does not get Spikes. Very good typing. A lot of people compare Corviknight with Skarmory, but they both have different roles on a team. Corviknight fits better on balanced teams (Although it can and will still be used on stall teams too) as a defensive pivot, it enables the sweepers and wallbreakers on the team, whereas Skarmory fits better on stall teams, being able to phaze opponents, set up entry hazards, toxic. Corviknight is an amazing check to many physical attackers, Roaring Moon (Careful of Knock Off), Weavile, Rillaboom, Mega Scizor, Mega Gyarados, Mega Swampert, Garchomp. Rocky Helmet, Shed Shell, Leftovers, are all great items to have it hold. Impish is the nature you want to use, although some variants run Careful to check Dragapult, Gengar, Walking Wake, Gholdengo. Relaxed is rarely used, but it gives you the slower U-Turn in Corviknight mirror matchups. I think Corviknight will be a top 25 used mon.

 

 

---

Orbeetle - Bug / Psychic

Swarm / Frisk / Telepathy

60 / 45 / 110 / 80 / 120 / 90 / 505

Spoiler

Blipbug--Level 10-->Dottler--Level 30-->Orbeetle

Gen 8's bug. It's a meme mon. Run Bold, Weakness Policy, Agility, Iron Defense, Body Press, Stored Power. It gets stuff like Calm Mind, Recover, Trick Room, U-Turn, Psychic Terrain, Shadow Ball, Sticky Webs. Bad defensive typing. You will forget this mon day 1.

 

 

---

Thievul - Dark

Run Away / Unburden / Stakeout

70 / 58 / 58 / 87 / 92 / 90 / 455

Spoiler

Nickit--Level 18-->Thievul

It's cool I guess. Dark Pulse, Psychic, Parting Shot, Knock Off, Nasty Plot, Grass Knot, U-Turn. Give it a Choice Specs or run it on terrain with the respective seed. You can use Modest in combination with Unburden, Timid with Stakeout, mix and match it's up to you and what you need. It's a meme mon. We'll forget about it in a day.

 

 

---

Eldegoss - Grass

Cotton Down / Regenerator / Effect Spore

60 / 50 / 90 / 80 / 120 / 60 / 460

Spoiler

Gossifleur--Level 20-->Eldegoss

Low base HP, bad defensive typing, and too passive. It has a niche in Rapid Spin, Regenerator, Sleep Powder, Aromatherapy, Leech Seed though. I've personally seen and used Cotton Guard + Eject Button sets into a strong wallbreaker, it's just average. Nothing special about this mon. If you really want to hunt this Pokemon, i'm assuming Bold for it, with the same reasoning you'd run Bold on a Chansey, or Calm if you really need the Sp.Def. This was my favorite mon in the Gen 8 trailer, sadly it couldn't do more.

 

 

---

Dubwool - Normal

Fluffy / Steadfast / Bulletproof

72 / 80 / 100 / 60 / 90 / 88 / 490

Spoiler

Wooloo--Level 24--Dubwool

If Rattata was a sheep, it'd be this. Run a defensive nature with Body Press and Cotton Guard I guess. Bold probably. Forgettable. Wooloo is cute though.

 

 

---

Drednaw - Water / Rock

Strong Jaw / Shell Armor / Swift Swim

90 / 115 / 90 / 48 / 68 / 74 / 485

Spoiler

Chewtle--Level 22-->Drednaw

You can use this as a Focus Sash lead to get rocks up or as a Swift swimmer with Life Orb. Some of its notable moves include Liquidation, Stone Edge, Swords Dance, Megahorn, Jaw Lock, Earthquake, Superpower. Adamant is usually used. This is just one of many Swift Swift mons you use to swag a bit, not really a reason to use this over Pokemon like Barraskewda or Mega Swampert. Cool for a little bit, people might use it here and there. It won't be a consistent OU Pokemon.

 

 

---

Boltund - Electric

Strong Jaw / Competitive

69 / 90 / 60 / 90 / 60 / 121 / 490

Spoiler

Yamper--Level 25-->Boltund

Base 90 Atk and Sp.Atk is just too underwhelming. There are multiple fast and offensive Electric-type Pokemon, so much so that there's always going to be competition for Boltund. Why use this as a fast pivot when instead you can use Jolteon to get stronger Volt Switches, or Magnezone, Rotom, who have way better defensive typings. Its coverage moves are bad. Collectors and hunters, just use a Jolly sync. Naive for a slightly stronger Volt Switch I guess, it wouldn't matter.

 

 

---

Coalossal - Rock / Fire

Steam Engine / Flame Body / Flash Fire

110 / 80 / 120 / 80 / 90 / 30 / 510

Spoiler

Rolycoly--Level 18-->Carkol--Level 34-->Coalossal

Coalossal has a few niches. It gets Spikes, Stealth Rocks, and Rapid Spin. Steam Engine is probably not going to activate in the entirety of the game unless it's from Randbats and even after activating, without a Weakness Policy, it has mediocre offensive stats, with average moves, Earthquake, Iron Head, Heat Crash, Flame Charge, Burn Up, Stealth Rocks, Earth Power, Flamethrower. It has a signature move, Tar Shot, which lowers the target's Speed by 1, and the effectiveness of Fire-type moves is doubled against it. Run Calm or Bold for the hazard setter set. Won't be seeing this Pokemon many times.

 

 

---

Flapple - Grass / Dragon

Ripen / Gluttony / Hustle

70 / 110 / 80 / 95 / 60 / 70 / 485

Spoiler

Applin--Tart Apple-->Flapple

It has a pretty cool movepool. Dragon Dance, Acrobatics, Sucker Punch, U-Turn, Grassy Glide, Outrage. Grav Apple. Hustle makes it way stronger but riskier to use. Some variants run a Choice Band, some Life Orb. Seems good but it's way too weak to set up reliably most of the time and it suffers from Hustle misses. Even after a Dragon Dance boost, Pokemon like Cinderace are faster, plus there's other more consistent Dragon dancers, Gyarados, Roaring Moon, etc. Hunt for Jolly or Adamant.

 

 

---

Appletun - Grass / Dragon

Ripen / Gluttony / Thick Fat

110 / 85 / 80 / 100 / 80 / 30 / 485

Spoiler

Applin--Sweet Apple-->Appletun

It's a defensive mon that has access to Leech Seed, Recover, Dragon Tail, Iron Defense, Body Press, Amnesia, Recycle. It has a signature move, Apple Acid, a 80 bp move that has a 100% chance to lower the target's Sp.Def by 1. You could run Modest with a Choice Specs, or run more defensive sets with Sassy or Calm, depends on what you need. It's actually bulky enough to counter Pokemon like Mega Swampert, Barraskewda and check things like Excadrill, Dracovish, Mega Gyarados, Ogerpon. The problem with this Pokemon is it barely has any offensive presence with its limited coverage. Defensive Pokemon like Ferrothorn and Corviknight will always get a free switch in. The biggest thing this Pokemon has going for it would be too check Dracovish imo, depending on the decision with Dracovish to have it banned or not in PRO's future. Having to bring a low tier Pokemon or a Gastrodon for Dracovish is already a bad sign. People might use this mon just for fun, but that's it. 

 

 

---

Sandaconda - Ground

Sand Spit / Shed Skin / Sand Veil

72 / 107 / 125 / 65 / 70 / 71 / 510

Spoiler

Silicobra--Level 30-->Sandaconda

This sand setter has a unique kit. It has Stealth Rocks, Earthquake, Rock Blast, Glare, Coil, Scale Shot, Body Press. A lot of set utilize Coil, Rest, Shed Skin to boost up and sweep. You can run Impish for a more utility-based set, Glare, Stealth Rocks, Earthquake. Careful can be used for Coil Rest variants, or Jolly with Scale Shot. Niche set with Eject Pack Sand Spit (When hit by an attack, summons Sandstorm) is also a thing, but I don't see why anyone would use this to set sand instead of Tyranitar. It's mostly a low tier Pokemon.

 

 

---

Cramorant - Flying / Water

Gulp Missle

70 / 85 / 55 / 85 / 95 / 85 / 475

Spoiler

Single Stage

Notable moves: Defog, Hurricane, Scald, Ice Beam, Surf, Roost. The ability is what makes Cramorant unique. It changes forms when it hits an opponent with Surf or on the first turn of Dive. With more than 1/2 HP, it becomes Gulping Form, indicated by a Arrokuda in its mouth. With less than 1/2 HP, it becomes Gouging Form, with a Pikachu in its mouth. If Cramorant gets hit during these forms, it will spit the Pikachu or Arrokuda out and deal 1/4 damage to the attacker. Arrokuda lowers the target's Defense by 1, while Pikachu paralyzes the target, returning to normal only after spitting or switching out. You can run Bold or Calm to make it a defensive defogger or the fun set, which utilizes Surf, Endure, Custap or Heavy-Duty Boots. The idea is to get into its Gouging form and endure to survive a hit and paralyze the opponent. It's mostly a meme mon though so have fun with it.

 

 

---

Barraskewda - Water

Swift Swim / Propeller Tail

61 / 123 / 60 / 60 / 50 / 136 / 490

Spoiler

Arrokuda--Level 26-->Barraskewda

High Attack and Swift Swim outspeeds even a +1 Regieleki under rain with Jolly. Adamant is always used though since it still outspeeds stuff like boosted Iron Boulder, Deoxys-Speed, and Hawlucha. Its most notable moves are Liquidation, Flip Turn, Aqua Jet, Close Combat, Psychic Fangs, Crunch. Access to Flip Turn lets teammates like Kingdra or Mega Swampert get a free turn. Pairing it with Mega Swampert is important because it provides Electric immunity and threatens Toxapex. Barraskewda is definitely a strong wallbreaker and an amazing addition to Rain teams. Will it make Rain overwhelming in the future? Honestly I think no, it can struggle with some defensive cores without rain, and I think Rillaboom will be used enough in the metagame for it to be a threat to these teams, but Rain teams are for sure still extremely strong and easy to pilot. Imo, any rain team with Mega Swampert will be teamed up with Barraskewda, so its usage will probably fall around the same as Mega Swampert. Fun and terrifying mon.

 

 

---

Toxtricity - Electric / Poison

Punk Rock / [Plus:Amped--Minus:Low Key] / Technician

75 / 98 / 70 / 114 / 70 / 75 / 502

Spoiler

Toxel--Level 30 if Hardy, Brave, Adamant, Naughty, Docile, Impish, Lax, Hasty, Jolly, Naive, Rash, Sassy, or Quirky--> Amped Form Toxtricity. The Yellow one.

Toxel--Level 30 if any other nature--> Low Key Form Toxtricity. The Blue one.

Toxtricity's a pretty strong mon. Punk Rock makes this Pokemon take 1/2 damage from sound moves and have its own sound based moves have 1.3x power. It has access to 2 sound based moves in Overdrive, a 80 bp Electric-type move, and Boomburst. It also gets Volt Switch, Stored Power, Shift Gear, Taunt and Sludge Wave. It actually pretty slow though, and lacks reliable recovery. It has a slight niche in being able to punch holes in bulkier teams, but that's pretty much it. Run Modest or Timid. It's not going to be a top tier Pokemon.

 

 

---

Centiskorch - Fire / Bug

Flash Fire / White Smoke / Flame Body

100 / 115 / 65 / 90 / 90 / 65 / 525

Spoiler

Sizzlipede--Level 28-->Centiskorch

This Bug type has access to X-Scissor, Knock Off, Leech Life, Fire Lash, Coil, Power Whip, Scald, Thunder Fang, Will-O-Wisp. It's really nothing special, its typing forces it to always have to run Heavy-Duty Boots as an item. Use Adamant or Jolly. Overall this Pokemon is a one and done type of mon.

 

 

---

Grapploct - Fighting

Limber / Technician

80 / 118 / 90 / 70 / 80 / 42 / 480

Spoiler

Clobbopus--Level up Knowing Taunt-->Grapploct

Gains access to Waterfall, Draining Punch, Superpower, Sucker Punch, Close Combat, Ice Punch and Octolock, a move that traps the opponent and lowers its Defense and Sp.Defense by 1 each turn. Bad stats and nothing special about it overall. Run Adamant if you want. Forgettable mon.

 

 

---

Polteageist - Ghost

Weak Armor / Cursed Body

60 / 65 / 65 / 134 / 114 / 70 / 508

Spoiler

Sinistea--Give it a Cracked Pot or Chipped pot-->Poltegeist

Notable moves: Shell Smash, Giga Drain, Strength Sap, Shadow Ball, Will-O-Wisp, Stored Power, Psyshock, Giga Drain. Polteageist is an amazing Shell Smash user, placing itself comfortably on Psychic Terrain HO teams with Indeedee, Armarouge, Hawlucha, Mega Alakazam, Tapu Lele and other Psychic terrain abusers. Both its abilities are useful, the former further enabling a sweep, and the latter giving it more chances to set up. It has an amazing base 134 Sp.Attack. All this makes it a dangerous setup sweeper, however it does rely heavily on Terastallization in a Gen 9 setting, as Pokemon like Roaring Moon and Kingambit are able to wall it without a Tera and able to revenge kill it back, but this Pokemon will most likely be run with HP Fighting in PRO. It's extremely predictable, you know what it will do and what it does. Run either Timid or Modest. Timid lets it outspeed +1 Walking Wake, Deoxys-Speed, Adamant +2 Blaziken, Adamant +2 Dragonite. Polteageist is definitely going to be one of the more threatening set up sweepers in PRO's future. It'll probably be a top 100 used mon though. 

 

 

---

Hatterene - Psychic / Fairy

Healer / Anticipation / Magic Bounce

57 / 90 / 95 / 136 / 103 / 29 / 510

Spoiler

Hatenna--Level 32--> Hattrem--Level 42--> Hatterene

A viable Magic Bouncer. Has access to moves like Nuzzle, Mystical Fire, Draining Kiss, Calm Mind, Healing Wish, Trick Room, Stored Power, Shadow Ball, Misty Explosion, Light Screen, Reflect, Gravity, Psychic. As you can see, it has an amazing support movepool. It beats hazard stack HO teams, Deoxys-Speed, Glimmora, etc, save for Hisuian Samurott. You can run items like Eject Button for offensive teams as a pivot, use its Calm Mind Stored Power Draining Kiss variant as a mid-late game sweeper, and a Trick Room setter. I would recommend running Bold on almost every set. Overall I think Hatterene's usage will be in the top 30's. Good typing, ability, support.

 

 

---

Grimmsnarl - Dark / Fairy

Prankster / Frisk / Pickpocket

95 / 120 / 65 / 95 / 75 / 60 / 510

Spoiler

Impidimp--Level 32--> Morgrem--Level 42-->Grimmsnarl

Solid dual screens setter for HO teams as it gets Prankster, Taunt, Parting Shot, Thunder Wave, Foul Play, Play Rough, Spirit Break, Trick. I think Alolan Ninetale's usage will marginally drop just because dual screens HO teams will have the option to run this instead of it. Each have their own pros. Running Bold is the way to go. I think Grimmsnarl will be top 80 used Pokemon.

 

 

---

Obstagoon - Dark / Normal

Reckless / Guts / Defiant

93 / 90 / 101 / 60 / 81 / 95 / 520

Spoiler

Galarian Zigzagoon--Level 20--> Galarian Linoone--Level 35 at night-->Obstagoon

Facade, Fling, Ice Punch, Gunk Shot, Thunder Punch, Knock Off, Close Combat, Cross Poison, Mega Kick, Mega Punch, Bulk Up, Stomping Tantrum, Parting Shot, Seed Bomb, Trick, Obstruct, Taunt. It has an amazing movepool, great wallbreaking abilities in Guts and Defiant. It's a good wallbreaker, threatens a lot of defensive mons and forces switches. However, in terms of power, it's outclassed as a Guts user by Ursaluna and Conkeldurr, is weak to U-Turn, the combination of entry hazards and Flame Orb wear it down, and it's average speed lets many Pokemon like Volcarona, Urshifu, Keldeo outspeed it. It can still hold it's own, but I think it's just average. Run Jolly on it cause it needs all that Speed. It'll probably be top 200 used Pokemon. 

 

 

---

Perrserker - Steel

Battle Armor / Tough Claws / Steely Spirit

70 / 110 / 100 / 50 / 60 / 50 / 440

Spoiler

Galarian Meowth--Level 28--Perrserker

Has the kit to become a good Choice Band Pokemon or a Swords Dance set up sweeper, U-Turn, Iron Head, Throat Chop, Trailblaze, Close Combat, Gunk Shot, Play Rough, Stealth Rocks (Gen 9) and 2 abilities that help it out offensively. It's way too slow even with Trailblaze though, has only above average base Attack; not being able to justify using it on Trick Room teams, and its Sp.Defense is bad. Adamant is its preferred nature, or Jolly if you're using it with Trailblaze. It's hard to find a spot for this Pokemon in higher tiers.

 

 

---

Cursola - Ghost

Weak Armor / Perish Body

60 / 95 / 50 / 145 / 130 / 30 / 510

Spoiler

Galarian Corsola--Trade-->Cursola

This is a pretty unique Pokemon, I love its design and the concept behind it. Its Sp.Attack is on par with Pokemon like Mega Sceptile, Thundurus-Therian, and Vikavolt. It gains access to Shadow Ball, Earth Power, Power Gem, Hex, Scald, Ice Beam, Iron Defense, Calm Mind, Destiny Bond, Whirlpool, Perish Song, Strength Sap, Stealth Rocks, Will-O-Wisp. It's just way too slow to properly utilize its high Sp.Attack, however it does have a few niches on possibly a Trick Room team with Perish Body. You can pair it up with Whirlpool and Perish Body to trap opponents and take them out. Another fun set is to use Weak Armor and have it hold Weakness Policy, bait a super-effective move, and Endure to get its Speed up. Run Modest or Quiet. You can also run its pre-evolution as a niche defensive Pokemon with Night Shade, Stealth Rocks, Will-O-Wisp and Eviolite with Bold or Calm. We might see this Pokemon on Trick Room teams a few times but there are many other better options to put on a Trick Room team. 

 

 

---

Sirfetch'd - Fighting

Steadfast / Scrappy

62 / 135 / 95 / 68 / 82 / 65 / 507

Spoiler

Galarian Farfetch'd--Land 3 critical hits in a single battle--> Sirfetch'd

Crazy base Attack. Gets moves like First Impression, Close Combat, Poison Jab, Swords Dance, Leaf Blade, Brave Bird, Defog, Knock Off, Quick Attack, and also a 150bp physical Fighting-type Hyper Beam move, Meteor Assault.  It has a great ability in Scrappy, and can be used on Trick Room teams. Outside of Trick Room, its Speed is horrible. It only has decent bulk. Sirfetch'd is a niche Fighting-type breaker, there are many other better options like Great Tusk, Urshifu, Hawlucha and Kommo-o. Run Adamant or Brave on it. It's not going to be seen much, even on Trick Room teams. 

 

 

---

Mr. Rime - Ice / Psychic

Tangled Feet / Screen Cleaner / Ice Body

80 / 85 / 75 / 110 / 100 / 70 / 520

Spoiler

Mime Jr.--Level up knowing Mimic (Only Mime Jr. from Galar)--> Galarian Mr. Mime--Level 42--> Mr. Rime

This Pokemon gets Rapid Spin, Slack Off, Freeze-Dry, Calm Mind, Expanding Force, Focus Blast, Nasty Plot, Psychic, Thunderbolt, Taunt. Bad speed and bulk, its ability is just average, it just clears screens. You could run a Timid set with Rapid spin, Freeze-Dry, Nasty Plot, and one of its coverage moves but that's it. Niche mon. Forgettable. 

 

 

---

Runerigus - Ground / Ghost

Wandering Spirit

58 / 95 / 145 / 50 / 105 / 30 / 483

Spoiler

Galarian Yamask--*Evolution method not available in PRO-->Runerigus
*In Gen 8, you need to pass under the rock arch in Dusty Bowl after taking at least 49 HP in damage from attacks without fainting.

You can use this Pokemon to set up Trick Room or Stealth Rocks and Toxic Spikes, spin block. It does not have a reliable recovery move being a defensive Pokemon. It does get interesting moves in Body Press, Earthquake, Poltergeist, Will-O-Wisp, but it's just not enough to justify using it as other Pokemon can do this better. Most commonly used with Impish.

 

 

---

Alcremie - Fairy

Sweet Veil / Aroma Veil

65 / 60 / 75 / 110 / 121 / 64 / 495

Spoiler

Milcery--*Evolution method not available in PRO--> Alcremie

*Have it hold a Sweet and strike a pose or get dizzy.

Niche set up sweeper. Recover, Dazzling Gleam, Aromatherapy, Mystical Fire, Acid Armor, Stored Power, Draining Kiss, Giga Drain. You want it to be as physically defensive as possible, so Bold is a must, with the same logic you'd use Bold on Chansey. Nothing special going for it. I guess just be aware of its boosting moves in Randbats. Forgettable. 

 

 

---

Falinks - Fighting

Battle Armor / Defiant

65 / 100 / 100 / 70 / 60 / 75 / 470

Spoiler

Single stage

Good concept, weak Pokemon. No Retreat gives Falinks an omniboost but doesn't let it switch out. Close Combat, First Impression, Bulk Up, Throat Chop, Rock Slide, Zen Headbutt, Smart Strike, all this is not enough to justify using Falinks. It just does not have a place in higher tiers. Hunt for Adamant imo, or Jolly if you want.

 

 

---

Pincurchin - Electric

Lightning Rod / Electric Surge

48 / 101 / 95 / 91 / 85 / 15 / 435

Spoiler

Single stage

The only reason anyone would want to use Pincurchin is to activate Electric terrain, set up Spikes, maybe throw off a few Rising Voltage or Scalds, Memento, and enable your Quark Drive Pokemon. It gets Toxic Spikes too, but there's no reason to not use Tapu Koko. Unless Tapu Koko isn't released yet or is banned, this Pokemon will not see the light of day. Collectors hunt for Bold.

 

 

---

Frosmoth - Ice / Bug

Shield Dust / Ice Scales

70 / 65 / 60 / 125 / 90 / 65 / 475

Spoiler

Snom--Level up with high friendship at night-->Frosmoth

In Gen 8, this is like an Ice-type Volcarona, except it's not really. It doesn't have the immediate base 100 Speed Volcarona has. Ice is horrible defensively, making it harder to set up a Quiver Dance. It also lost Hidden Power so it had no way to deal with Steel types, with its best moves being Ice Beam, Bug Buzz, Giga Drain, Hurricane, Weather Ball. Come Gen 9, it became significantly better due to the introduction of Terastallization and the Snow weather 50% Defense boost to Ice types. Personally in PRO, I think Frosmoth will have a niche on HO teams utilizing Alolan Ninetales (Depending on how PRO decides to handle Hail and Snow) to set up screens, and it will run HP Ground for Pokemon that are able to check Frosmoth like Garganacl, Toxapex, Heatran, and Galarian Slowking. Teammates like Iron Valiant and Ceruledge pair well with it. Run Timid, it needs the Speed. Overall I still think this Pokemon will rarely be seen unfortunately, but it still has a niche.

 

 

---

Stonjourner - Rock

Power Spot

100 / 125 / 135 / 20 / 20 / 70 / 470

Spoiler

Single stage

I've never seen this Pokemon a day in my life. I guess you can run Stealth Rocks, Superpower, Earthquake, Stone Edge, Heat Crash, something like that with a Choice Band and Adamant. Please just use Garganacl. 

 

 

---

Eiscue - Ice

Ice Face

Ice Face stats:      75 / 80 / 110 / 65 / 90 / 50 / 470

Noice Face Stats: 75 / 80 / 70 / 65 / 50 / 130 / 470

Spoiler

Single stage

Niche Pokemon that uses one setup set. Belly Drum, Substitute, Icicle Spear, Zen Headbutt, with a Salac Berry and Jolly nature. Its ability, Ice Face lets it take 0 damage from all physical attacks, and switches forms to its Noice Face. When Hail or Snow starts, it revert back to its Ice Face. There's also a Hail Stall set that utilizes Hail, Protect, Sub, and its ability to slowly KO the opponent. 

 

 

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Indeedee

Inner Focus (Male) Own Temp (Female) / Synchronize / Psychic Surge 

Male:     60 / 65 / 55 / 105 / 95 / 95 / 475

Female: 60 / 55 / 65 / 95 / 105 / 85 / 475

Spoiler

Single stage

If Tapu Lele isn't available or not released yet, Indeedee-M will be the only Psychic Terrain setter. It enables Pokemon like Armarouge and Hawlucha, and makes Polteageist and Mega Alakazam terrifying sweepers. Expanding Force's power is multiplied by 1.5 in Psychic Terrain, making Indeedee have an actual offensive presence when brought in on the field. This coupled with Dazzling Gleam, Encore, Healing Wish, Mystical Fire, Shadow Ball, Trick, all make Psyspam teams a great option. You can choose to use Choice Specs or Terrain Extender. The preferred nature for this Pokemon will be Timid. It'll be used but I don't think it'll be used much if Tapu Lele is available.

 

 

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Morpeko - Electric / Dark

Hunger Switch

58 / 95 / 58 / 70 / 58 / 97 / 436

Spoiler

Single stage

Pikachu clone of Gen 8. Its ability lets it switch between Electric and Dark types each turn. Aura Wheel, a 110 BP physical Electric or Dark type (Depending on your current form) move that boosts your speed by 1 stage. It gets Knock Off, Parting Shot, Seed Bomb, Ice Fang, Fake Out, Stomping Tantrum, U-Turn, Thunder Punch. Run Jolly on this, or Adamant because you can get boosts from Aura Wheel. A once tried then done type of mon sadly.

 

 

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Copperajah - Steel

Sheer Force / Heavy Metal

122 / 130 / 69 / 80 / 69 / 30 / 500

Spoiler

Cufant--Level 34--> Copperajah

Iron Head, Knock Off, Earthquake, Whirlwind, Stealth Rocks, Body Press, Stone Edge, Taunt, Supercell Slam, Heat Crash, Power Whip (Gen 8 only). Copperajah is slow and has no reliable recovery, so it gets worn down easily. You're better off using any other Steel type, Heatran, Corviknight, Archaludon, Iron Treads. Natures for Copperajah include Adamant and sometimes Careful.

 

 

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Dracozolt - Electric / Dragon

Volt Absorb / Hustle / Sand Rush

90 / 100 / 90 / 80 / 70 / 75 / 505

Spoiler

Single stage

1 of 4 fossil Pokemon of the Galar region. The fossils got mixed and matched, hence why it looks like this. It most commonly uses its signature move Bolt Beak. Bolt Beak is a 85 bp physical move that doubles in damage if the user moves before the target, making it a 170 bp move. It also has access to Draco Meteor, Earthquake, Fire Blast, Fire Spin. It benefits the most by holding a Life Orb, though choiced sets are viable too. The problem with choiced sets is that it will have a limited amount of turns to benefit from it, which is one of its weaknesses. However as a whole, I think sand teams will drop in viability in general because there are so many high tier Pokemon that deal with Tyranitar and Excadrill. Ting-Lu, Corviknight, Great Tusk, Gliscor, Ogerpon-Wellspring, Zapdos, Dondozo, just to name a few. As a result of this, Dracozolt also suffers from the many Ground types that are used, adding to this Clodsire and Landorus-Therian. Dracozolt relies on the limited sand turns its given, and in turn has to sometimes rely on predictions to be able to break teams. Considering PRO will not have the ability to Terastallize further limits the options these sand teams have. Sand teams will rarely be used, and they'd be much harder to pilot because of these factors. You can run either Lonely or Naughty, or Jolly and Adamant if you prefer not to run Draco Meteor. Personally I think this will be a top 200 used Pokemon.

 

 

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Arctozolt - Electric - Ice

Volt Absorb / Static / Slush Rush

90 / 100 / 90 / 90 / 80 / 55 / 505

Spoiler

Single stage

2 of 4 fossil Pokemon of the Galar region. The fossils got mixed and matched, hence why it looks like this. It gets a signature move called Bolt Beak. Bolt Beak is a 85 bp physical move that doubles in damage if the user moves before the target, making it a 170 bp move. It also gets access to Freeze-Dry, Low Kick, Blizzard, Rising Voltage, Iron Tail, Meteor Beam, Stomping Tantrum. It actually has amazing an amazing STAB combination. Use this Pokemon on Hail teams. It pairs well with Urshifu-Rapid Strike and Alolan Ninetales, as Alolan Ninetales provides the Hail and Urshifu-Rapid Strike, letting the latter pivot into bulky Water types. The problem is Arctozolt is easily revenged killed by common Choice Scarf users like Kartana and Victini. Mega Scizor and Ferrothorn can also take hits, but have to be careful of Low Kick and Bolt Beak respectively. Imo a Naive nature is needed. Overall it's hard to tell how Arctozolt and Alolan Ninetales will do in the future, and how the Hail and Snow weather will be implemented in PRO. While it's threatening, it suffers the same limited turns issue as Dracozolt. We'll just have to see.

 

 

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Dracovish - Water / Dragon

Water Absorb / Strong Jaw / Sand Rush

90 / 90 / 100 / 70 / 80 / 75 / 505

Spoiler

Single stage

3 of 4 fossil Pokemon of the Galar region. Dracovish has been banned to Ubers in every metagame its been in. It has access to Fishous Rend, a 80 bp physical Water-type move that doubles in power when the user moves first, and is further boosted by Strong Jaw. Just to give an idea on how potent this Pokemon is for wallbreaking defensive Pokemon, these are some calcs on: 

Spoiler

252+ Atk Choice Band Strong Jaw Dracovish Fishious Rend (170 BP) vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Toxapex: 141-167 (46.5 - 55.1%) -- 14.1% chance to 2HKO after Black Sludge recovery

252+ Atk Choice Band Strong Jaw Dracovish Fishious Rend (170 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Ferrothorn: 158-186 (44.8 - 52.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery

Giving it Choice Band makes it an extremely strong wallbreaker, and giving it a Choice Scarf makes having to deal with offensive teams much easier. The problem is Pokemon that resists the move and can threaten Dracovish out only switch into it once and get OHKOd if it's banded. It also has Psychic Fangs and Outrage for the bit of coverage it needs. Dracovish simply restricts teambuilding as it cannot be consistently checked. I think it will remain banned in PRO. It mostly runs Adamant to maximize its attacking stat.

Btw its head is supposed to be on the bottom, it's currently stuck on its supposed tail.

 

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Arctovish - Water / Ice

Water Absorb / Ice Body / Slush Rush

90 / 90 / 100 / 80 / 90 / 55 / 505

Spoiler

Single stage

4 of 4 fossil Pokemon of the Galar region, and the weakest of the squad imo. It has coverage moves in Psychic Fangs, Iron Head, Crunch, but it rarely needs this because it gets Fishous Rend, a 80 bp physical Water-type move that doubles in power when the user moves first. Even running Adamant or Jolly or Naive with Freeze-Dry is not enough for this Pokemon, you're better off using something like Arctozolt on the hail team. I can see this Pokemon being barely used.

Btw its head is put on upside-down.

 

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Duraludon - Steel / Dragon

Light Metal / Heavy Metal / Stalwart

70 / 95 / 115 / 120 / 50 / 85 / 535

Spoiler

Duraludon--Metal Alloy--> Archaludon

Duraludon isn't a Pokemon that wins games. Although it does have good coverage moves, getting Dragon Tail, Light Screen, Reflect, Thunder Wave, Draco Meteor, Flash Cannon, Body Press, Stealth Rocks, Thunderbolt, Swords Dance, Steel Beam, a 140 bp special move that deals 1/2 HP to the user. It can go mix, has good typing, has access to Stealth Rocks, and definitely seems like it would be a great Choice Specs user or Eviolite user. However, it has a bad Sp.Defense stat, its abilities are technically useless, and it's just outclassed by Ferrothorn really. There's a cool screens setter set with Steel Beam, but Dragapult just does that better. Maybe its evolution will do better. We'll see later. I recommend running Modest or Timid.

 

 

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Dragapult - Dragon / Ghost

Clear Body / Infiltrator / Cursed Body

88 / 120 / 75 / 100 / 75 / 142 / 600

Spoiler

Dreepy--Level 50--> Drakloak--Level 60--> Dragapult

Dragapult is an extremely versataile Pokemon. It can be used as a pivot with its massive base Speed utilizing Will-o-Wisp, Thunder Wave, Hex, U-turn, make use of its special movepool with a Choice Specs and Hydro Pump, Flamethrower, Shadow Ball, Draco Meteor, Fire Blast, Thunderbolt, abuse Dragon Dance with Dragon Darts, a 50 bp physical Dragon-type move that hits twice, Phantom Force with Ghostium-Z. It can run dual screens and Curse to provide support for its teammates, Substitute + Disable, and even Infestation, Substitute, Night Shade for Garganacls thinking they can switch in for free. All of its abilities have a use. It does have to be careful because Pokemon like Roaring Moon and Kingambit threaten it out. I personally think without Terastallization, Dragapult will be a top tier Pokemon in PRO, only to be held back by Kingambit. Kingambit itself is way too strong with Terastallization, Knock Off, and Pursuit but without Tera it is more manageable. If in the future Kingambit is banned from ranked in PRO even without the ability to Tera, then Dragapult and Gholdengo (More on this) will also have to be looked at imo. Dragapult can run multiple natures depending on what you need it to do. Jolly, Timid, Hasty, Naive, Modest, Adamant.

 

 

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Zacian -                 Fairy

Zacian-Crowned - Fairy / Steel

Intrepid Sword - Boosts the Pokemon's Attack stat by 1 stage when it enters the battle (Gen 8 ) or for the first time it enters battle (Gen 9 ).

Zacian:              

Gen 8: 92 / 130 / 115 / 80 / 115 / 138 / 670
Gen 9: 92 / 120 / 115 / 80 / 115 / 138 / 660

Zacian-Crowned:  

Gen 8: 92 / 170 / 115 / 80 / 115 / 148 / 720

Gen 9: 92 / 150 / 115 / 80 / 115 / 148 / 700

Spoiler

Single stage - Automatically changes forms when holding an item called the Rusted Sword.

It's a very potent revenge killer and has an expansive movepool to support its behemoth Attack stat, Play Rough, Close Combat, Crunch, Wild Charge, Solar Blade, Behemoth Blade, a 100 bp physical Steel-type move with 100% acc, Swords Dance, Fire Fang. Adamant or Jolly, run what you need. This Pokemon will be banned on release.

 

 

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Zamazenta -                 Fighting

Zamazenta-Crowned - Fighting / Steel

Dauntless Shield - Boosts the Pokemon's Defense stat by 1 stage when it enters the battle (Gen 8 ) or for the first time it enters battle (Gen 9 ).

Zamazenta:

Gen 8: 92 / 130 / 115 / 80 / 115 / 138 / 670

Gen 9: 92 / 120 / 115 / 80 / 115 / 138 / 660

Zamazenta-Crowned:
Gen 8: 92 / 130 / 145 / 80 / 145 / 128 / 720

Gen 9: 92 / 120 / 140 / 80 / 140 / 128 / 700

Spoiler

Single stage - Automatically changes forms when holding an item called the Rusted Shield.

This Pokemon can run Choice Band with moves like Crunch, Stone Edge, Wild Charge, Psychic Fangs, Ice Fang, Close Combat, Heavy Slam, Fire Fang. In its Crowned form, it runs Iron Defense + Body Press, and gets a free +1 Defense boost on its first switch in. It has really good Speed for a Pokemon with 92/140/140 natural bulk. Originally it was unbanned from Gen 9 Ubers, but its movepool and typing has weaknesses that are manageable in the metagame. In Gen 9 NatDex however it was banned back to Ubers because Kingambit was banned, which in turn banned Dragapult and Gholdengo, and chained onto Zamazenta. Hard to say what PRO decides to do with this Pokemon, we'll just have to see. Run Jolly or Adamant.

 

 

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Urshifu Single Strike - Fighting / Dark 

Urshifu Rapid Strike - Fighting / Water

Unseen Fist - User's contact moves bypass Protect.

100 / 130 / 100 / 63 / 60 / 97 / 550

Spoiler

Kubfu--*Evolution method not available in PRO-->Urshifu

*Interact with Scroll of Darkness or Scroll of Waters

Both Urshifus are amazing wallbreakers. Both Urshifus gets Close Combat, U-Turn, Swords Dance (Gen 9), Trailblaze, a 50bp physical Grass-type move that boosts Speed by 1 stage(Gen 9), Drain Punch, Bulk Up, Fire Punch, Ice Punch, Poison Jab, Iron Head, Stone Edge, Thunder Punch. Urshifu-Single learns Sucker Punch and Wicked Blow, an 80 bp (75 bp in gen 9) physical Dark-type move that always deals a critical hit, and Urshifu-Rapid learns Aqua Jet and Surging Strikes, a 25 physical Water-type move that hits three times and always deals a critical hit on each hit, both of which are affected by the item Punching Glove, an item that multiplies the holder's punch-based attacks by 1.1x and make it so it does not make contact.

Starting with Urshifu-Single, both its STAB moves have almost perfect neutral coverage. They share a common resistance to Fairy, but its Wicked Blow can at least cover the Ghost and Psychic types that resist Close Combat. It consistently deals high damage, even to Pokemon like Tapu Fini and Clefable, who cannot come in multiple times into its Wicked Blow and risk a Poison Jab or Iron Head. Pairing Urshifu with Pokemon that can set up a Future Sight and Teleport like Slowbro means not many Pokemon are able to switch into the attack. 

Urshifu-Rapid Strike is just as strong as Urshifu-Single albeit more manageable with the Pokemon available like Slowbro, Toxapex, Alomomola, but these Pokemon have to be careful of Thunder Punch. It threatens out tons of Pokemon like Gliscor, Garganacl, Great Tusk. Urshifu-Rapid still has to watch out for Zapdos, Rocky Helmet Clefable and Corviknight, Volcarona and Heatran because of their abilities and items. Punching Glove helps solve this problem but slightly loses power over a Choice Band.

Overall I think both Urshifus can have a place in PRO, Urshifu-Single slightly less than its Rapid form. Most sets use Adamant, but Jolly is also an option because with 97 base Speed it needs all the Speed it can get. 

 

 

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Zarude - Dark / Grass

Leaf Guard

105 / 120 / 105 / 70 / 95 / 105 / 600

Spoiler

Single stage

Zarude has access to Trailblaze, Power Whip, Knock Off, Swords Dance, Close Combat, Jungle Healing (Grass-type move that heals 1/4 of max HP and cures any status conditions), Acrobatics, Bulk Up, Rock Slide. It's a cool mon that can utilize Choice Scarf and its setup moves pretty well with its signature move, Jungle Healing. U-Turn lets it pivot out against Pokemon that would switch into it. Run Jolly or Adamant.

 

 

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Regieleki - Electric

Transistor

80 / 100 / 50 / 100 / 50 / 200 / 580

Spoiler

Single stage

This is the fastest Pokemon ever. Its ability, Transistor, multiplies its offensive stats by 1.5 whenever using an Electric-type move. With that being said, it's coverage is close to zero. Your best bet to hitting Ground-types is by using Swift or Explosion. It does get some unique utility moves in Rapid Spin, Thunder Wave, Electric Terrain, Rain Dance, and it gets a signature move called Thunder Cage, which is just an Electric-type Fire Spin or Whirlpool. You can afford to run Modest and still be able to outspeed the majority of the Pokemon in the metagame, or Timid to guarantee you outspeed almost everything. It shouldn't be able to learn Hidden Power, so Hidden Power Ice is not possible. If you can manage to dispose of your opponent's Ground-types, Regieleki will have a field day. 

 

 

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Regidrago - Dragon

Dragon's Maw

200 / 100 / 50 / 100 / 50 / 80 / 580

Spoiler

 

Edited 18 hours ago by Raika

[Flexforlife]

specs hurricane zapdos SOON

[Raika]

Added Coalossal, Appletun, Flapple, Cramorant, Sandaconda, and Barraskewda. 

[Raika]

Added Toxtricity, Centiskorch, Grapploct, Poltegeist, and Hatterene.

[Raika]

Added Grimmsnarl, Obstagoon, Perrserker, Cursola, Sirfetch'd, Mr. Rime, Runerigus, Alcremie, Falinks, Pincurchin, Frosmoth, Stonjourner, Eiscue, Indeedee, Morpeko, Copperajah, Dracozolt, Arctozolt, and Dracovish.

[Raika]

Added Arctovish, Duraludon, Dragapult, Zacian, Zamazenta, Urshifu.

[Raika]

Added Zarude and Regieleki.