Here's the more interesting stuff I promised. Pokemon are listed in no particular order.
Underrated Pokemon
Swampert @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Def / 16 Spe
Relaxed Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Scald
- Roar
I used Swampert on a couple of the teams I've been laddering with, and it's proven itself to be a useful defensive Pokemon. Swampert offers some nice role compression, providing its user with a bulky Water-type, a bulky Ground-type, Stealth Rock, and a phazer. It can also provide some other type of utility by replacing Roar with a move like Toxic or Counter. Swampert's bulk and typing allow it to check a lot of relevant Pokemon in the current meta, like Mega Aerodactyl, Mamoswine, Alolan Muk, Mega Steelix, and, to some extent, its own Mega Evolution. It can also pivot into resisted STAB attacks from Pokemon like Scizor and Mega Beedrill, although those Pokemon can simply U-turn out. Swampert also has a decent matchup against the omnipresent Buzzwole and can prevent it from setting up a Substitute with Scald and threaten to neuter it with a Scald burn. It's also a nice check to Electric-types that rely on Hidden Power Ice or other non-Grass-type moves for coverage, such as Raikou, certain Xurkitree sets, and Magneton. Finally, Swampert makes a good Pokemon to use on the ladder because the ladder likes to spam Darmanitan for God only knows what reason and Swampert can check Darmanitan effectively.
Klefki @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 248 HP / 88 Def / 172 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spikes
- Thunder Wave
- Toxic / Magnet Rise
- Dazzling Gleam
Klefki's another useful Pokemon that you can kind of slap onto an offense team and suddenly have a decent check to a lot of threats. It also synergizes well with Swampert, since the two Pokemon have complementary typing and can each set up hazards, Klefki can inflict status on the Pokemon that would ordinarily take advantage of Swampert, and Swampert can shuffle opposing Pokemon around with Roar and force them to take hazard damage. I'm pretty sure I used this spread for something in ORAS, but I don't remember what. It provides Klefki with some nice mixed bulk and allows it to take on Pokemon like Mega Beedrill, Mega Sceptile, and Mega Pidgeot. Klefki's EVs are very customizable and can be altered depending on what Klefki most needs to check (a fully defensive spread lets it take on Buzzwole to some extent and check Mega Beedrill more easily, heavy Special Defense investment enables it to handle Mega Sceptile more effectively, etc.). I ran Magnet Rise on the team I used Klefki on because I needed the temporary Ground-type immunity to deal with certain things, but Toxic is a nice option to prevent an opponent from taking advantage of Klefki's relatively passive nature and rack up more residual damage in conjunction with Stealth Rock. I do think Magnet Rise has gotten a bit more valuable in a meta where Mega Aerodactyl is stronger, Mamoswine and Mega Beedrill exist, and plenty of other strong Ground-type Pokemon and Pokemon running Ground-type coverage must be taken into account. Klefki does run into problems against teams that can abuse its lack of recovery outside of Leftovers, but it's a nice pivot/utility Pokemon for offensive teams that don't require it to stick around for too long. Its movepool also gives it a lot of cool utility options that are worth exploring.
Entei @ Choice Band
Ability: Pressure
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Sacred Fire
- Flare Blitz
- Extreme Speed
- Stone Edge
With the general increase in the merit of strong priority as a result of the drops and a shift away from sturdy Fire resists, Entei finds the attributes that it offers to a team appreciating in value. While burns now do less residual damage than they did in ORAS, the status still neuters physical attackers and Sacred Fire still spreads burns effectively. Even the minimal residual damage that burns provide in SM is useful for neutralizing Leftovers recovery and improving the odds of KOing a foe. Entei is powerful enough to blow through frailer Fire resists, most of which dislike being burned, and pairs well with Pursuit trappers like Scizor and Alolan Muk. Entei still struggles with its weakness to Stealth Rock and its unimpressive Speed tier, but it has the raw bulk to survive a lot of neutral attacks and the power to ensure a KO in return. Entei certainly isn't an incredible, meta-defining Pokemon right now, but I don't think it's getting the attention it deserves and feel that it brings more to a team than people give it credit for.
Terrakion @ Rockium Z
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Rock Polish
Everyone wants to play with the new Fighting-type toy in Buzzwole (and for good reason!), but Terrakion is still quite the heavy hitter and shouldn't be overlooked. While Terrakion's typing remains unimpressive from a defensive standpoint, it has enough natural bulk to survive a lot of neutral hits when setting up and packs a pretty nasty punch, especially after a Swords Dance. I used Terrakion with pivot support and didn't have too much trouble giving it opportunities to make an impact in whatever way was necessary between U-turn to get it in safely and intelligent trades. It still doesn't want to switch into much directly or take more than one or two hits a game, but it manages to differentiate itself from other Fighting-types through its excellent STAB coverage and incredible raw power. Terrakion requires a bit of support, but it's a versatile sweeper/wallbreaker that has the boosting options to take on offensive teams and bulkier builds alike.
Hawlucha @ Power Herb
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Sky Attack
- High Jump Kick
- Acrobatics
Hawlucha @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 12 HP / 244 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Substitute
- Swords Dance
- High Jump Kick
- Acrobatics
Hawlucha is another Fighting-type option that seems to be flying under the radar a bit right now. The fact that Clefable moved up to OU was immensely beneficial for Hawlucha because it deprived the UU tier of one of Hawlucha's best defensive checks (although Sylveon seems to be an acceptable substitute thus far). This Pokemon is another reason why strong priority is so useful, as its incredible base Speed and access to Unburden make checking it offensively a difficult proposition at best. Hawlucha doesn't bring a ton of defensive utility to the table, but its typing allows it to create setup opportunities through its useful set of resistances and its defensive stats, while unimpressive overall, allow it to take a resisted hit in the process of setting up. I personally prefer the Power Herb set because I really like having immediate access to a powerful Flying-type STAB, which allows me to play Hawlucha much more aggressively and use it to open up holes for something else if doing so seems advantageous rather than conserving it until I find an opportunity to end the game, but the Sitrus Berry set is also quite good. Substitute grants Hawlucha a greater safety margin against priority attacks and status at the cost of an immediately powerful Flying-type STAB. Hawlucha's Attack stat isn't particularly impressive, which is another reason I like Power Herb Sky Attack, but its access to Swords Dance and moves with high Base Power helps to make up for that. I know
meepsvictory has been finding a lot of success with Hawlucha, but I think other people have been sleeping on it a bit.
Finally, I'll share some impressions regarding Pokemon that I didn't feel like writing about in-depth for one reason or another.
Mega Sceptile has been unimpressive so far. I've used it on a couple teams and it's generally done what I needed it too, but it's never felt like the most important Pokemon on my team. Its typing is pretty nice, but it suffers in a meta that's full of both Mega Sceptile's checks and alternative Mega Evolutions that have lower opportunity costs.
Mamoswine is still a nasty threat to offense and balance, with amazing offensive typing, enormous power, and enough bulk to take a hit or two. Its typing is awful from a defensive standpoint, but Mamoswine doesn't really need to contribute that much to defensive synergy when it can just kill things. STAB Ice Shard is also great in a meta with a lot of fast Flying- and Dragon-types running around.
I haven't had the chance to use Muk-Alola that much yet, but it's looked very good from what I've seen. It's bulky, strong, has nice defensive typing, can trap things, and has Poison Touch for added presence. I can definitely see Muk-Alola becoming a force in the tier as people stop playing with the flashier drops and start incorporating it into more builds.
Mega Steelix looks like a nice option for stall teams (and offensive and balanced teams) that offers a lot of role compression by providing a bulky Ground-type, a bulky Steel-type, Stealth Rock, other utility moves, and impressive mixed bulk in a single slot. Like Muk-Alola, I think people are going to start exploring the benefits this Pokemon offers once the appeal of some of the more offensive additions to the tier has worn off.
Nothing I've said here is likely to be particularly innovative or meta-defining, but hopefully this post has provided some justification for trying out some less-popular Pokemon.
