Deck Knight
Blast Off At The Speed Of Light! That's Right!
Just a leadership update, I'm currently asking the ULs/GLs for feedback on what they feel constitutes a "Pokemon's Essence."
This thread offers ample evidence that people can come to multiple conclusions based on what the Pokemon can do and what has historically done.
I think there are enough calcs in this thread to justify the idea Bulk Up is still relevant. Revenank's 105 Attack stat is indeed less than standard Gen 7 Metagame threats, but those other threats tend not to have as strong neutral coverage. Ever since Steel stopped resisting Ghost, if you could actually pull off a strong Physical Ghost attack you were very threatening because the only things standing in your way are Dark and Normal, which are both weak to Fighting. (Steel was too. But the primary Steels in OU have always been Fighting-Neutral w/ options against Fighting e.g. Skarmory, Scizor, Metagross, Bronzong, Jirachi, etc.). In fact, if Banette got access to Close Combat (or even Superpower) it probably would be seen a lot more, its struggles all come down to only having Ghost as a legitimate offensive option (having the defenses of a literal rag doll didn't help either.) Revenankh doesn't have any of those offensive or defensive problems. Heck, if we gave Revenankh Prankster it could in some ways be just as menacing as Tomohawk, with Bulk Up's Defense boost guaranteed to come into effect and Moonlight offering priority healing.
Glare is another path Revenankh has traversed and it also does that fairly well, although paralysis only reducing speed by half instead of 75% limits is usefulness against Scarfers. Reach said Malaconda is generally better at this function, though I think Revenankh has a distinct huge advantage by being able to Glare in the face of U-turners without fear. Shed Skin also means it can afford to get statused instead.
Choice Band Rev is a good meme but it exists mostly because the neutral coverage is there and Rev is really lacking for offensive options with high damage output. Technician doesn't solve that problem because Technician at maximum gets attacks not named Bonemerrang and Gear Grind to 90 Base Power. Technician should not be selected on the basis it makes Shadow Punch usable, I'd much rather we pursue giving Revenankh Shadow Bone or Phantom Force (Z-Move) and discuss more effective solutions.
Which brings us to "neutral coverage exploiter" and the push behind Adaptability, Tough Claws, etc. There's just something I don't like about those abilities, not because they aren't effective but because they seem like too easy a road to traverse. Revenankh's initial playstyle was great because it was so unique and so hard to break. I must admit jas' Poison Heal replicates the sort of fury Revenankh would induce after its initial release by simply refusing to go down easily - though the most effective sets are likely to forego both Bulk Up AND Glare.
In any case, I suggested Sand Rush because far and away, Rev's best allies have always been Pokemon that thrived in Sand rather than Sun or Rain because Rev couldn't tank the boosted Fire/Water moves that came with those weathers. I don't know however if anchoring Revenankh to Tyranitar/Hippowdon/Gigalith as well as Exca on Sand teams is the way to bring it back into meta relevance though. It would certainly be a GOOD Sand sweeper/utility and would offer Sand teams spinblocking protection they don't currently enjoy, seeing as Aegislash is banned, Doublade is too passive, Pallosand and Golurk just compound all the Water/Grass/Ice weaknesses, and Kitsunoh isn't bulky enough to do the role properly.
So with all that in mind, what do people think Revenank's "Essence" is? To me Revenankh has always been unique for its staying power and unique brand of offensive pressure. It's translating that into Generation 7 that is going to take some work.
This thread offers ample evidence that people can come to multiple conclusions based on what the Pokemon can do and what has historically done.
I think there are enough calcs in this thread to justify the idea Bulk Up is still relevant. Revenank's 105 Attack stat is indeed less than standard Gen 7 Metagame threats, but those other threats tend not to have as strong neutral coverage. Ever since Steel stopped resisting Ghost, if you could actually pull off a strong Physical Ghost attack you were very threatening because the only things standing in your way are Dark and Normal, which are both weak to Fighting. (Steel was too. But the primary Steels in OU have always been Fighting-Neutral w/ options against Fighting e.g. Skarmory, Scizor, Metagross, Bronzong, Jirachi, etc.). In fact, if Banette got access to Close Combat (or even Superpower) it probably would be seen a lot more, its struggles all come down to only having Ghost as a legitimate offensive option (having the defenses of a literal rag doll didn't help either.) Revenankh doesn't have any of those offensive or defensive problems. Heck, if we gave Revenankh Prankster it could in some ways be just as menacing as Tomohawk, with Bulk Up's Defense boost guaranteed to come into effect and Moonlight offering priority healing.
Glare is another path Revenankh has traversed and it also does that fairly well, although paralysis only reducing speed by half instead of 75% limits is usefulness against Scarfers. Reach said Malaconda is generally better at this function, though I think Revenankh has a distinct huge advantage by being able to Glare in the face of U-turners without fear. Shed Skin also means it can afford to get statused instead.
Choice Band Rev is a good meme but it exists mostly because the neutral coverage is there and Rev is really lacking for offensive options with high damage output. Technician doesn't solve that problem because Technician at maximum gets attacks not named Bonemerrang and Gear Grind to 90 Base Power. Technician should not be selected on the basis it makes Shadow Punch usable, I'd much rather we pursue giving Revenankh Shadow Bone or Phantom Force (Z-Move) and discuss more effective solutions.
Which brings us to "neutral coverage exploiter" and the push behind Adaptability, Tough Claws, etc. There's just something I don't like about those abilities, not because they aren't effective but because they seem like too easy a road to traverse. Revenankh's initial playstyle was great because it was so unique and so hard to break. I must admit jas' Poison Heal replicates the sort of fury Revenankh would induce after its initial release by simply refusing to go down easily - though the most effective sets are likely to forego both Bulk Up AND Glare.
In any case, I suggested Sand Rush because far and away, Rev's best allies have always been Pokemon that thrived in Sand rather than Sun or Rain because Rev couldn't tank the boosted Fire/Water moves that came with those weathers. I don't know however if anchoring Revenankh to Tyranitar/Hippowdon/Gigalith as well as Exca on Sand teams is the way to bring it back into meta relevance though. It would certainly be a GOOD Sand sweeper/utility and would offer Sand teams spinblocking protection they don't currently enjoy, seeing as Aegislash is banned, Doublade is too passive, Pallosand and Golurk just compound all the Water/Grass/Ice weaknesses, and Kitsunoh isn't bulky enough to do the role properly.
So with all that in mind, what do people think Revenank's "Essence" is? To me Revenankh has always been unique for its staying power and unique brand of offensive pressure. It's translating that into Generation 7 that is going to take some work.
Last edited: