NFE Pokémon in RU

Introduction

While in the higher tiers fully evolved Pokémon tend to run rampant, the lower tiers, and in this case, the RU tier, are a place in which NFE (Not Fully Evolved) Pokémon can shine and try to emulate their bigger brothers. The thing that makes everything possible is Eviolite, an item that grants a 50% boost to the defenses of NFE Pokémon. With the buff Knock Off received, it might be hard to understand how these tiny Pokémon can keep the pace, but I assure that you will be surprised by their effectiveness on the battlefield.

Doublade

What it does

Opening this list, we have Doublade which, as shown by its place in S-rank in the viability rankings thread, is recognized as one of the strongest forces in the current RarelyUsed metagame. Its best quality is its incredible physical bulk, allowing it to reach Mega Aggron-like defenses with Eviolite. This helps to make it a very sturdy spinblocker and a potentially dangerous sweeper with the combination of its decent Attack, Swords Dance, and a STAB priority move in Shadow Sneak to deal with faster threats. One of Doublade's main draws is its ability to fit into all kinds of teams, from hyper offense teams which appreciate its spinblocking capabilities, to stall teams which can use it as a win condition when the opposing team is weakened enough.

How to deal with it

The best way to deal with Doublade is probably by hitting it with strong special attacks. Pokémon such as Moltres, Clawitzer, and Sharpedo (if it's running a special set) can easily take a boosted Shadow Sneak and KO back. Offensive Normal-types such as Meloetta and Exploud also work very well as checks, as they can come in safely on almost any attack, dodge Shadow Sneak, and take it out with a coverage move. Bulky Ground-types such as Knock Off-carrying Gligar, Sandslash, and Steelix are also pretty reliable answers to Doublade, as they can take repeated hits from Doublade and 3HKO it at worst with Earthquake. Finally, Knock Off users such as Hitmonlee and Drapion can pressure Doublade greatly, as without its Eviolite it becomes considerably less bulky and more prone to being worn down by repeated attacks.

Gligar

What it does

Thanks to its great Eviolite-bolstered bulk, Gligar is a great check to a lot of physical attackers in the tier. Its typing lets it beat threatening Pokémon such as Cobalion, Hitmonlee, and Rhyperior. Gligar is also one of the most reliable Defoggers in the RU tier thanks to its ability to beat most entry hazard setters seen in balanced teams and its synergy with great Pokémon that need Defog support, such as Moltres. Gligar can also use a nifty Swords Dance + Baton Pass set that can turn sweepers like Sharpedo into powerhouses.

How to deal with it

Thanks to its modest attacking stats, Gligar is not a hard Pokémon to deal with. Bulky Water- and Grass-types such as Slowking and Amoonguss don't fear anything from Gligar and can wear it down with repeated attacks. Taunt users such as Cobalion and Drapion are also annoying for Gligar, as they stop it from using Defog and Roost, protecting their entry hazards and pressuring it with repeated attacks. Knock Off users are also a pain for Gligar, as it becomes significantly less bulky once it's lost its Eviolite. Gligar is also quite prone to special attackers, such as Clawitzer, Abomasnow, and Exploud, which can switch in on it quite easily on its weak Earthquake and threaten to OHKO. Bulky setup sweepers are also very troublesome for Gligar because of its mediocre offensive stats: Braviary, Cresselia, and Reuniclus can all set up on Gligar and potentially sweep it it doesn't have the rare Taunt.

Fletchinder

What it does

Priority Acrobatics is the main reasons to use Fletchinder in the RU metagame. While its mediocre Attack stat might suggest otherwise, Fletchinder's Acrobatics is quite powerful and capable of reliably revenge killing scary offensive Pokémon like Virizion and Hitmonlee and even sweeping if it can get a boost or two if its checks are weakened. Fletchinder's typing, while making it 4x weak to the omnipresent Stealth Rock, also has a few perks, such as giving it a few useful resistances and immunities to Ground, Bug, and Steel so that it has quite a few opportunities to switch in and set up on Pokémon such as Gligar and Escavalier.

Fletchinder is also able to cripple some of its sturdier counters with Will-O-Wisp as most of them are bulky Rock-types, which are quickly worn down because of their lack of reliable recovery.

How to deal with it

Rock-types such as Rhyperior are probably the most reliable way of beating Fletchinder. Thanks to their resistance to Flying-type moves and good physical bulk, they take Acrobatics with no problem whatsoever. Even if they get burned on the switch, they can still OHKO Fletchinder with their Rock-type STAB moves and set up Stealth Rock to cut down its survivability and punish any switch-in. Electric-types such as Magneton and Eelektross are good switch-ins as well, resisting Acrobatics and not fearing a burn because they are special attackers. Bulky Water-types such as Alomomola, Gastrodon, and Slowking are also decent checks to Fletchinder, only fearing Acrobatics after multiple boosts and 2HKOing back at worst with Scald. They also have reliable recovery and do not mind Will-O-Wisp that much. Toxic from Pokémon such as Gligar, on which Fletchinder can normally set up on, also cripples Fletchinder, as after that, Gligar can simply stall it out with Roost.

Golbat

What it does

Thanks to its great all-around bulk, decent typing, and access to Defog, Golbat is a useful support Pokémon in the RU metagame. With its ability to run an effective specially defensive spread, Golbat is able to beat a lot of the entry hazard setters commonly found on offensive teams, such as Omastar and Accelgor, a feat that other Defoggers such as Gligar struggle to accomplish. Golbat can also support your team by disrupting the opponent with moves such as Taunt, Infiltrator Toxic, and Super Fang that are used very effectively thanks to its high base 90 Speed.

How to deal with it

While they usually dislike being hit by Super Fang, Rock-types such as Rhyperior are some of the best counters to Golbat, taking minimal damage from Brave Bird and being able to threaten it with their Rock-type STAB moves or Earthquake if it tries to Roost. Steel-types such as Registeel are also very good counters, as they are immune to Toxic and Golbat struggles to damage them. The common Psychic- and Electric-types in the tier such as Meloetta and Jolteon are also quite troublesome for Golbat, as they can switch in on most of its attacks and take it out with a STAB move and Stealth Rock support. Knock Off is also very dangerous, as Golbat's bulk is very mediocre if its Eviolite is removed.

Magneton

What it does

While its stats and movepool might suggest otherwise, Magneton is quite a versatile Pokémon. In fact, Magneton can be a terrifying wallbreaker with a Choice Specs set, a bulky pivot by using Eviolite, and a useful revenge killer with a Choice Scarf. The Choice Specs set is probably the most famous one, as, thanks to Analytic and its almost perfect coverage in Thunderbolt, Flash Cannon, and Hidden Power Grass, it can put a huge dent on any team that can't pressure it offensively. The Eviolite set is perhaps less famous but it is probably your best bet at fitting Magneton onto a balanced team. Thanks to Eviolite, Magneton becomes quite bulky and can switch in and check a lot of Pokémon, such as Electric-types and Aromatisse, that wear down the Choice Specs set way too fast thanks to its awesome Electric / Steel typing. The Eviolite set also retains the ability to hit quite hard with Magneton's base 120 Special Attack and Analytic. The Choice Scarf set is probably the least common one but it can still be quite effective. With its good typing, it has an easy time switching in and beating threatening Pokémon such as Durant and has Volt Switch to gain momentum, which is always good for Choice Scarf users.

How to deal with it

Thanks to its strong neutral coverage, Magneton can be quite a difficult Pokémon to wall effectively. The Choice Specs is arguably the hardest to switch into because of its ridiculous power, especially on switches, and the threat of Volt Switch reduces the number of switch-ins even further. That said, Pokémon such as Steelix and Lanturn are probably the best defensive switch-ins, only taking heavy damage from the rare Hidden Power Fire, in Steelix's case, and from a predicted Hidden Power Grass in Lanturn's.

Pokémon such as Gastrodon and Seismitoad are also quite reliable switch-ins to Magneton as long as it isn't using Hidden Power Grass though using them as a switch-in to Magneton can be quite risky due to its 4x weakness to Grass. Magneton is quite easy to check for offensive teams because of its exploitable Ground-, Fire-, and Fighting-type weaknessese that make it easy prey for Pokémon such as Virizion, Cobalion, and Delphox, granting them a free switch-in. An honorable mention goes to Dugtrio, which pretty much stops Magneton from using Volt Switch with the threat of trapping and KOing it with Earthquake.

Combusken

What it does

While it was blessed by getting Speed Boost as an alternate ability already in Generation V, Combusken has only really become competitively viable with the breeding mechanics changing in Generation VI. Combusken finally gained the ability to Baton Pass its boosts! It became so powerful that it was quickly banned from the NU metagame. Combusken is also able to Baton Pass Bulk Up and Swords Dance boosts, making its pool of possible recipients even wider. Its great typing and decent bulk thanks to Eviolite also makes setting up against common Pokémon such as Doublade, Abomasnow, and Amoonguss very easy. Outside of QuickPassing, Combusken is a key member of Baton Pass teams that use the combination of Bulk Up + Baton Pass Combusken and Calm Mind Stored Power Xatu to sweep unprepared teams.

How to deal with it

While a lot of Pokémon wall Combusken, even if it has multiple boosts, the only real way to stop it from using Baton Pass is phazing. Dragon Tail is perhaps the best way of beating Combusken, as it also hits Magic Bounce Xatu, which is commonly paired with Combusken, while other ways of phazing such as Roar and Whirlwind fail to do that, making them effective only if Xatu is not on the opposing team. Perish Song is another surefire way to beat Combusken, but the only user of the move in the tier is Meloetta and it struggles to fit Perish Song into offensive sets. Hard hitters with a super effective STAB move such as Moltres, Rhyperior, Clawitzer, Fletchinder, and Delphox can also prevent Combusken from setting up with their strong moves or force the recipient to take heavy damage.

Others

While some of them took a huge hit with the Knock Off boost, the list of NFE Pokémon that are viable in the RarelyUsed metagame is quite huge. A lot of Pokémon such as Gurdurr, Roselia, Sneasel, and Togetic are definitely usable and have an unique niche. If you think your team needs one of them for a particular role, you should definitely try them out.

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