The other day, someone was asking for advice in metagame_and_qc on how to build for enzolapras's ban that mon tour, and it ended up sparking a discussion between rssp and I on what might be the most influential Pokemon in LC. While it didn't end up going very far, I found it an interesting topic to consider, so I ended up putting some more thought into it afterwards. Keep in mind that this is
not a viability ranking, but rather a ranking of how much the metagame has changed because of a given Pokemon, and how much the metagame would change without it. Here is what I've come up with - do you guys agree or disagree?
Top 10 most influential Pokemon in LC
A
This tier consists of notable metagame threats that should be considered during teambuilding. The metagame would remain relatively unchanged if they left.
Honourable mentions: Onix, Magnemite, Timburr, Croagunk, Slowpoke, Scraggy
This is where I would put the most notable Pokemon after the top ten. While they're certainly important to consider during teambuilding, their influence doesn't really extend past being strong threats; for example, Onix and Timburr ranking near the top in terms of viability is almost purely because they happen to be in a good place in terms of role compression, or because they do well against other big threats. The metagame wouldn't really change if they left, and their niches would quickly be filled by something else.
A+
This tier consists of especially notable metagame threats that must be heavily considered during teambuilding. The metagame would see fairly noticeable changes if they left.
Banned Pokemon in this tier: Aipom*, Meditite, Porygon, Torchic, Vulpix
*I wasn't active during the Aipom metagame, so this is based on Quote's opinion
10. Mareanie
This is not something that I would be considering a few months ago, but I have really taken a liking to Mareanie recently. Its degree of influence stems almost completely from Regenerator, allowing it to completely shut down the threats that it checks in a non-interactive way if the opponent doesn't have Diglett; as a result, Diglett becomes even more necessary to support a variety of Pokemon who would otherwise be rendered a dead weight by Mareanie. Its defensive influence is also somewhat larger than most other defensive Pokemon, with coverage moves like Thunder Punch on Timburr and Thunderbolt on Staryu owing a fair amount of their existence to Mareanie.
9. Shellder
Shellder is by far the most threatening dedicated sweeper in LC. While the manner in which Shellder affects the metagame is similar to many of the threats I listed in mid A, it's the sheer importance of preparing for Shellder that puts it on a different level. Being able to bypass common safety nets, combined with a large amount of base damage and naturally good coverage, grants Shellder a great deal of consistency compared to other setup sweepers, keeping Shellder teams relevant where most other sweeper-centric archetypes have fallen to the wayside. While building a team, preparing for Shellder specifically is mandatory; a bunch of Water checks won't cut it for Shellder the way having Fighting checks will usually be enough for Timburr or Scraggy. As a result, Pokemon that deal with Shellder are in much higher demand than they would be without its presence; sets like SturdyJuice Magnemite and Fake Out Mienfoo come to mind.
8. Vullaby
Vullaby can certainly compete with its fellow S ranks in terms of sheer viability, but when it comes to influencing the metagame, it's not quite up there yet. This is in part because Vullaby is a relatively new addition to the metagame, and the preferred Vullaby set is constantly shifting in comparison to, say, Mienfoo, which pretty much just alternates between fast and slow Eviolite for the most dominant variant. Nevertheless, Vullaby is highly influential on the grounds of its viability alone, with trends coming and going on the basis of how well they deal with the current flavour of the month Vullaby set. For example, while Nasty Plot/Dark Pulse/Air Slash/Heat Wave was all the rage early in SM, Onix and Kabuto shot up in viability; when Vullaby was running mixed sets with Hidden Power Grass, Berry Juice, and low Attack investment, Mienfoo ran Fake Out and High Jump Kick to beat it 1v1; and now that the Defog + U-turn pivot is its most popular set, Scarf Pawniard usage is on the upswing.
7. Ferroseed
Once again, I would like to emphasize that this list ranks based on influence, not viability - I don't actually think Ferroseed is fantastic right now in a metagame that heavily favours Defog and Regenerator Pokemon. However, its influence is undeniable simply due to the fact that it single-handedly makes Hidden Power Fire one of the more common coverage moves. Ferroseed isn't very threatening as a standalone Pokemon, but letting it get off hazards, Knock Off, or Thunder Wave for free is super annoying; on top of that, its good bulk allows it to act as a one time stop to a variety of sweepers if it's healthy. Because of this, weakening Ferroseed early on is essential for a huge number of offensive Pokemon, and you'll frequently find Hidden Power Fire on the likes of Foongus, Wingull, Staryu, Abra, and more in an attempt to lure Ferroseed. It has some degree of defensive influence as well, notably aiding in keeping Foongus and Snivy under control while being a nuisance for Water spam, though it is rarely the biggest reason for any of those trends due to how easy it is to wear down.
6. Abra
Abra was a bigger deal in the past - it was especially potent when LO Abra webs was among the strongest team archetypes in the metagame, being the primary reason why Alolan Grimer was considered a top choice - but the USM shifts have been quite unfavourable to LO Abra. On the other hand, Sash Abra is just as good as it used to be, and, being the consistent and ubiquitous safety net that it is, forces as many teambuilding quirks as ever. The most obvious one is Beat Up Diglett, which exists entirely because of Sash Abra; even non-Beat Up Diglett is often included to break Abra's Focus Sash, as are other trappers. Certain Pursuit trappers can be attributed to Gastly and Wingull just as much as Abra, but on the whole, most Pursuit trappers are for Abra first and foremost. Sucker Punch on Gastly and Fake Out on Mienfoo have other uses, but being able to break Abra's sash are definitely among their most important. If Abra was to be banned, all of these little techs would become much less worth including.
S-
This tier consists of top metagame threats that single-handedly dictate numerous significant metagame trends. The LC metagame would shift dramatically if they left.
Banned Pokemon in this tier: Drifloon, Misdreavus, Murkrow, Swirlix, Yanma
In my opinion, the gap between S- and A+ is much larger than the gap between A+ and mid A. The Pokemon in this tier and above extend their influence to far beyond simply being prepared for while teambuilding.
5. Pawniard
It may seem odd to rank Pawniard so high at first, but rssp convinced me of its worth during our brief discussion. Like Mienfoo, many metagame trends stemming from Pawniard have been around for so long that we don't even notice them anymore; they have been completely ingrained into the metagame. Arguably the most important one of these is speed tiers; Pawniard is largely responsible for the importance of the 17 and 25 speed tiers. It really sucks to be a Choice Scarf user that's outsped by Choice Scarf Pawniard, allowing it to fire off a powerful Iron Head or Knock Off with impunity; as a result, it's essential for Scarf Chinchou to run Timid and, despite missing out on the better rolls that Adamant offers, Scarf Mienfoo to run Jolly. (The only notable Scarfer that lies below this Speed tier is Magnemite, who makes up for such a large disadvantage with incredibly potent Analytic Volt Switches.) Meanwhile, 17 Speed is the most common speed tier in the metagame, and the one where you'll most frequently find speed ties. Much of this stems from Onix and Mienfoo and their 17 Speed sets, which was partially to Taunt hazard lead Dwebble back in early/mid 2014, but continued to be their main sets all the way to the present day, long after Dwebble had died down in viability and then some, due to Pawniard being such a large threat.
Pawniard's plentiful resistances and (of course) its crippling double weakness to Fighting cause it to influence the metagame in other ways. While Fighting-types are naturally very good, Pawniard undoubtedly plays a role in how they're basically mandatory. It's also the reason Hidden Power Fighting is used as a coverage move at all. Diglett is slightly better for its ability to trap Pawniard, but the main trapper that benefits from Pawniard's existence is Trapinch; being able to trap Pawniard far more reliably, as well as trap Scarf Pawniard, is one of Trapinch's largest advantages over Diglett. And then there's Pawniard's access to one of the strongest priority moves in the game; Pawniard's Sucker Punch is the main reason why so many fast and frail Pokemon like Diglett, Abra, and Gastly like to run Substitute, as well as a key player in keeping Shell Smashers under control. In any metagame that closely resembles the current one, Pawniard will almost assuredly remain a titan of LC.
4. Snivy
Snivy would be a relatively recent addition to rankings of this sort, but the degree to which Snivy has shaped our current metagame is undeniable. Starting with the Gale Wings nerf at the start of gen 7, Snivy has become a whole new Pokemon compared to its already strong state in ORAS. The USM changes gave Defog to Snivy and Stealth Rock to a Snivy victim in Mudbray, both of which allow it to take part in the hazards game as one of its most prominent players. The hazards games has shifted enormously as a result of this; having such a splashable Defogger means that Spike stacking isn't as strong anymore, with Pokemon like Ferroseed and Dwebble seeing a decrease in viability as a result. Even more drastic is the degree to which it has shut down the entire Webs archetype. What was prior to USM one of the best offensive archetypes in the metagame, bordering on being outright broken, has been reduced to a near gimmick post-USM, and Snivy is without a doubt the largest perpetrator of this; there's a touch of pivot Defog Vullaby and Defog Wingull to help it out as well, but Snivy takes a substantial majority here.
Being the sole viable offensive Grass-type already grants Snivy an indispensable niche, but Snivy's strength causes its influence to bleed into other roles as well, even outside of how it affects hazards in LC. Letting Snivy get a Leaf Storm off is huge, and it generally takes momentum-draining defensive Pokemon to be able to absorb the move safely. As a result, offensive Water-types that don't pair well with these defensive Pokemon can become a liability, making Snivy one of the big reasons as to why Water spam isn't a very popular strategy. Mudbray and especially Drilbur aren't nearly as good as they could be due to Snivy checking them so well and using them as Leaf Storm bait. On the other hand, Gastly, birds, Ponyta, and above all, Foongus are all much stronger for their ability to check Snivy.
3. Foongus
Oh man, where do I even begin with this? Think of the last four coverage moves you used, and chances are that at least three of them were because of Foongus. Ice Punch on Timburr, Ice Beam and Psychic on Staryu, Hidden Power Ice on Snivy, Psychic Fangs on Carvanha, Fire Punch on Snubbull, Ice Beam on Chinchou - I could keep on going here, but I think you get the point. If the Pokemon in question doesn't naturally beat Foongus, it's probably running a coverage move that is at least partially for Foongus. It's not hard to see why; if a Pokemon is hard walled by Foongus, then it's basically done - it won't outlast Foongus's Regenerator, and it won't outpressure Foongus's Spore. Even some Pokemon that do beat Foongus run moves for Foongus; think Sleep Talk on things like Scarf Pawniard and Magnemite as their filler move, or Synthesis on your Foongus for opposing Foongus. There isn't a single metagame shift that would change as many fourth moves as Foongus being heavily nerfed or banned.
Foongus does a lot more than dictate coverage moves when it comes to influencing the metagame, of course. If Snivy makes Water spam more difficult to use, Foongus pounds it into the dirt, as it is extremely difficult to OHKO with common Water spam sets, allowing it to put something to sleep with Spore and then take advantage of Regenerator, Synthesis, and Giga Drain to remain healthy and check multiple threats. It's also the single biggest hindrance for Fairy-types in the tier; it contributes heavily to Cottonee being almost completely unviable in the current metagame, and forces a lot of teams to give up Spritzee despite Spritzee being such a fantastic hard check to Fighting-types and Vullaby. Most importantly, Foongus is the key Pokemon that prevents Snivy and Fighting spam from becoming utterly and irrevocably overbearing.
S
This Pokemon single-handedly warps the entire metagame in its general direction. The LC metagame would be in for a major upheaval if it left.
Banned Pokemon in this tier: Cutiefly, Gothita
ORAS Fletchling would place here as well.
2. Diglett
Most high tier Pokemon help to enforce a minor metagame trend here or there, and the extremely influential Pokemon of S- can claim to cause several major metagame trends. Diglett is on a different level. Diglett influences
everything.
Diglett's combination of speed and Arena Trap lends its supportive capabilities a class of their own. There isn't a single Pokemon that doesn't become at least slightly better or worse because of Diglett, and there are plenty of Pokemon that are as much as a full subtier apart from where they would be without Diglett. If a Pokemon would have appreciated Earthquake or Earth Power as a coverage move, then it gets better because Diglett supports it; they will surely appreciate Diglett removing what would have been the target of ground coverage. If the Pokemon has VoltTurn, then it gets better because it supports Diglett; in fact, VoltTurn into Diglett is arguably the single most prevalent archetype right now. And if the Pokemon happens to be both of these on top of being otherwise decent to begin with, then it'll almost certainly find itself in the upper tiers of viability.
And if the Pokemon is weak to ground... well, you know how that goes. In fact, even if it's not weak to ground, if it doesn't doesn't carry Aqua Jet or a scarf and isn't resistant to ground, then it fears the Tectonic Rage set at least somewhat. If it does resist ground, its niche is increased significantly - the likes of Snivy and Vullaby love having Diglett in the metagame to be able to pressure it on the revenge-kill. For frailer Pokemon, being able to switch out of Diglett is an enormous boon; it's a big part of why Wingull can compete with offensive Staryu, or why Gastly even outshines Abra at times. If a viable Pokemon somehow remains directly unaffected by all of these trends, then it'll probably be affected by its checks being made better or worse by Diglett, but I don't think such a Pokemon exists.
You'll notice that many of the trends Diglett causes tend to hurt slower builds drastically more than they hurt fast paced, momentum based teams, and a quick glance at any Eviolite LC metagame where Diglett isn't common, including BW, early XY, and LC UU, will help to confirm this. Diglett single-handedly shifts the metagame towards offense.
S+
This Pokemon defines the LC metagame. LC would become unrecognizable if it left.
Banned Pokemon in this tier: Gligar, Scyther, Sneasel, Tangela
1. Mienfoo
Diglett may be on a different level from everything below it, but even Diglett's influence can't hold a candle to Mienfoo's. There really isn't any way for me to summarize Mienfoo's effect on the LC metagame succinctly. Fighting-types are undoubtedly the single most dominant group of Pokemon in LC, but when we say Fighting-types make something better or worse, we're not talking about Timburr or Croagunk or Scraggy. Timburr can be worn down, Croagunk is easily lured, and Scraggy has an unfortunate weakness to other Fighting-types - most notably Mienfoo. Instead, we're talking about Mienfoo's U-turn, Mienfoo's Regenerator, and Mienfoo as a whole.
I think the easiest way to understand just how far Mienfoo's influence reaches is to look at how we treat discussions on viability. Trubbish could be so much better, if only Diglett wasn't in the tier. Morellul has some cool traits, but Foongus both shuts down and outclasses it. And the facts of life include the following: water is wet, love is fleeting, Munchlax is bad. We wake up in the morning, spend our day on pokemon showdown, and go to bed at night, all the while acknowledging that Lickitung leaving C was never meant to be. Abra, Gastly, and Diglett may have trouble finding switchin opportunities, but get them in on a slow, reliable U-turn and voila, a near guaranteed KO. Although Slowpoke has great stats and a great movepool, and a weakness to Knock Off alone isn't overbearing, pairing that with a weakness to U-turn is a little too much. Now, who was that top tier threat who has been spamming U-turn since 2012?
When someone claims that U-turn is the third best move in LC, it's not because of Vullaby or Wingull or Larvesta. On top of being vulnerable to rocks, they lack Regenerator, which makes using U-turn that much more costly. Mienfoo's Regenerator U-turn is without question the single lowest risk, highest reward move in the game, and the entire LC metagame has gradually come to revolve around it; we see this in all facets of the tier, from numerous fast and frail Pokemon ranking near the top in viability, to the importance of bulky Regenerator Pokemon that can negate chip from U-turn.
Herein lies the difference between Mienfoo and every other Pokemon in LC. Most Pokemon influence the metagame so that they are accommodated. Mienfoo defines the metagame to begin with.