Pokémon Global Dex Highlights
Introduction
As Pokémon Global rounds into its first Draft League season, with all of the exciting new changes in place, the Draft metagame cannot be predicted at all. Compared to the vanilla dex, there will be brand new ways to use your classic GOATs like Weavile and Metagross, but even Pokémon like Sudowoodo are viable now! Here are some highlighted changes to help you get started!
Volcanion
First up is Volcanion. Not the most oppressive of the newly changed mons, but arguably the most interesting! Volcanion is typically pretty straightforward - a bulky or bulky offensive attacker that spams its 110 BP Scalds, spreading Burns and annoying Fairy-types with Sludge Wave. It certainly can still do that job, but the portfolio is much broader now.
What stands out most is the addition of Magic Guard. An immunity to Stealth Rock allows it to run Assault Vest and Choice Specs, its previously second and third favorite items, much more easily. But it's more likely to run the no-drawback Life Orb instead, which boosts not only its stab moves, but also its newly gained utility move - Rapid Spin. That's right, Volcanion is removing hazards, killing everything, and irritating bulky waters in one fell swoop. In testing, its most popular set has actually left Steam Eruption to the wind entirely, instead opting for a physical set! Flare Blitz, Wave Crash, Earthquake, and Rapid Spin is phenomenal coverage, allowing it to remove hazards while boosting speed, and often cleaving through entire teams.
Now of course, a nice bulky set with Steam Eruption still does excellent work, as its immunity to Stealth Rock allows Leftovers and Assault Vest to complement it quite nicely, and the Rapid Spin damage isn't the most important thing in the world when the priority is simply getting rid of hazards instead. And that's not to even mention the ability to run it on a Sun or dual weather team with Hydro Steam! Common weak points run into are the paltry base 70 Speed tier, the prevalence of powerful rock types spamming Rock Wrecker and Accelerock, and accidentally realizing your bulky Water-type can't switch in on the strong Ground-types occupying every team.
This season, Volcanion will be 22 points.
Metagross
Next up, lets crack into a pseudo that has thoroughly earned it's legendary status - Metagross! So, what does Metagross get up to usually? Be a nice bulky Steel-type, set up Stealth Rock, and of course, have its offensive options due to its access to good STAB moves and workable coverage. Its most famous sets - being Choice Band & Agility Weakness Policy - are a bit of foreshadowing for what's to come.
So what's different now? First off, it has gained Iron Fist, boosting up it's now 95 accuracy Meteor Mashes to insane levels of power that can snowball easily. This also gives it a stronger Bullet Punch, allowing it to outpace the plethora of new priority users. Metagross also appreciates the buff to Thunder Punch and newly gained Crabhammer, to destroy those bulky Ground-types even harder. Most of all, however, is that it also works for its newest move Headlong Rush - making it into a much stronger Earthquake variant that will break through opposing bulky Steel-types with ease. This has expanded Metagross's moveset massively, making preparing against it's vast coverage extremely difficult.
However, none of this is what makes it so good, as that goes to it's newest setup move - Shift Gear. Being able to double its speed and outpace most scarfers in one turn is very scary on a Pokémon as strong as Iron Fist Metagross, especially paired with the free attack raises that Meteor Mash often brings. This has left Metagross as the most threatening sweeper in the format, and many would argue it to be the best Pokémon full stop.
It has a plethora of items it can run - Leftovers to allow it to stack more boosts, Life Orb to make its damage potential outright ridiculous, and even the returning Weakness Policy - that are all game enders. Beating this pseudo legendary requires clever positioning, good prep, and more often than not, use of the item Mirror Herb to potentially reverse its own sweep. Just be careful you don't catch a Choice Banded Meteor Mash instead on the way out! He truly goes to show why this Meta...will indeed, be Gross.
This season, Metagross will be 23 points.
Slaking
All this talk of legendaries this, pseudo legendaries that, how about we take things in a more...normal direction, with Slaking! As you can probably guess, Slaking is no longer forcibly locked into use of its signature ability, Truant. It has now gained a new hindering ability in its stead - Klutz! So Slaking has traded away its item slot for the ability to attack every turn, making it a beatable but terrifying threat.
Due to the inability to hold an item, Slaking's set variety may come across as surprising at first. You may think that knowing it lacks all of a Choice item, an Assault Vest, and a Chople Berry makes it more predictable, but you are still in for a world of hurt if you guess incorrectly what the opponent's Slaking wields. Most popular in testing so far has been a specially defensive set rocking Bulk Up, Slack Off, and some combination of Frustration, Knock Off, Drain Punch, Trailblaze, and Earthquake, but dropping Slack Off or Bulk Up for an additional attack seems perfectly viable as well. Investment & its gargantuan HP stat significantly help to make up for its lackluster spdef on this set. Speedy offensive is obviously quite powerful as well, with no shortage of incredible attacks to leverage its base 160 attack stat for. Its bevy of utility moves like Encore and Thunder Wave make a speedy stopgap for opposing offense as well!
What's yet to be fully explored as well as incredibly terrifying is a little known move it has access to called Belly Drum. Hey, followup question, did you know Slaking gets Sucker Punch? Well it gets Sucker Punch. And don't even think about going for Substitute and risking that moveslot being dedicated to Trailblaze instead. And all of this is not to mention its keeping access to Truant, and the ability to just smack you with a Choice Band Double-Edge as well. Do not forget your Mach Punch at home kids!
Slaking will be going for 20 points this season!
Goodra
With its new hidden ability Poison Heal, Goodra reaches a new level of threat in Pokémon Global. Where before, despite its base 150 Special Defense, its support based sets fell flat with how it couldn’t heal outside of Leftovers, Life Dew, or Rest. Furthermore, its shockingly decent offensive movepool makes its utility ones feel meager, leading it to almost exclusively running Assault Vest. Goodra now, not only has an incredibly easy time healing, but also has a status immunity and is now inarguably one of if not the best Knock Off absorber in the meta. Its hazard weakness can get in the way, but simply using Protect is more than enough to alleviate any damage taken.
Goodra, when fully invested in Defense and HP, is incredibly difficult to take down. With previously less common moves in its learnset such as Scald, Toxic, Knock Off, and Dragon Tail acting as center stones of its kit, essential to the functioning of itself and its teammates made more threatening by phasing opponents out, removing items and spreading status. Another forgotten move - Acid Armor. It originally had no use on Goodra, but now, being able to shore up its only remaining defensive weakness makes KO’ing Goodra a herculean task, and its assault more threatening with its newly boosted Body Presses. All of this without even mentioning it can double down on resilience by tacking on Recover. Yup.
Poison Heal is so monumental for Goodra defensively that its new offensive potential is almost an afterthought. With the newly gained Dragon Dance shoring up its mediocre Speed, and giving it an Attack boost that can its Facade eclipse that of even Gliscor's! Goodra aslo sports incredible coverage options such as the newly buffed Dragon Hammer and Poison Tail, in addition to Knock Off, Earthquake, Rock Slide, Thunder Punch, Aqua Tail and Power Whip, making it almost unpredictable with what it can bring to turn the tides of any matchup in its trainers favor. Alternatively you can combine the best of both worlds of Goodra’s boosting variants by using Curse, making the idea of a Facade & Dragon Tail set, Knock Off & Body Press set, or Dragon Tail & Earthquake set very nightmarish.
In such an offensively overbearing metagame, a defensive piece this versatile feels like finding a cup of ice water in a desert. ANYTHING you need this Pokémon to do, Goodra can make it work.
This season, Goodra will cost you 22 points!
Xurkitree
If you've ever used Xurkitree, you know that clicking the right button means an absolute damage nuke incoming. Land the Thunderbolt on Corviknight, the Energy Ball on Swampert, the Dazzling Gleam on Roaring Moon - but if you click the wrong button, you'll often find yourself in a very punishing position. After all, you needed a Choice Scarf to outspeed all of those targets, so Xurkitree often finds itself in win or lose positions. So what's different? Unburden, that's what. Yes, you heard correctly, Xurkitree can now reliably outspeed targets while switching moves, really making sure you have no time to forget about that base 173 special attack stat.
Where your mind likely went first is the heights Xurkitree can now reach when paired with Tapu Koko, giving it an appreciated Electric Seed Defense boost, as well as bringing its Rising Voltage online, for truly herculean levels of damage. Backed up by the Tail Glows easily fetched through the Defense boost, often complemented by screens, you'll need Blissey to eat a hit. Oh wait... +3 252 SpA Xurkitree Rising Voltage (140 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Blissey in Electric Terrain: 535-631 (74.9 - 88.3%) - guaranteed 2HKO. Huh. Well that sucks.
Of course, you may not want Pincurchin, and you probably know the Koko Xurk combo is a bit of a pipe dream with 15 other players lying in wait to snipe your second half, so how else do we make proper use of Xurkitree? First off, the other terrains do a lot more for Xurkitree than one might initially realize. With Grassy Terrain weakening Earthquake, Psychic Terrain preventing priority revenge killers, and Misty Terrain preventing toxic from whittling it down - they all have something great to offer. But terrain isn't even the only way to use this demonic bundle of wires! Fun fact about Electric-types, they're only weak to Ground-type moves. What's a consumable item the opponent is forced to break to make progress, to unlock your defensive weak points? Yeah, the Air Balloon dilemmas are very frustrating. And this isn't even to mention nonsense like Substitute & Petaya Berry, or even Throat Spray & Round.
This season, Xurkitree will cost a whopping 23 points!
Mega Banette
From the shadows comes Mega Banette. Having gained the Normal/Ghost typing as well as Tough Claws, this Pokémon is finally prepared to boast the awe inspiring base 165 Attack stat it was originally blessed with. With dual priority STAB options in Tough Blaws boosted Quick Attack and Shadow Sneak, Swords Dance allows it to clean up against a ton of team styles - and this is before mentioning the powerful Frustration and buffed 80 BP Shadow Claw, this thing packs a punch. Even the titanic physically defensive Ferrothorn always dies to a +2 crit Shadow Claw.
The main thing this Pokémon has going for it is its versatility, as remember, being a Mega Banette means you start as a regular Banette. Still flaunting the Normal/Ghost typing, backed up by its previously mega-locked Prankster, utility like Destiny Bond, Will-o-Wisp, and the brand new Topsy Turvy make it one of the most consistent sweeper stoppers in the format, who can ride that momentum for its own sweep.
The only drawback Mega Banette faces is its perfectly and abysmally mid Speed stat. Too fast for Trick Room, too slow to sweep without relying on priority, and defensive stats nobody would think to brag about outside PU - so this Pokémon requires a careful hand to use properly. Despite that, a truly skilled trainer will have no trouble bringing out this Pokémon's many gifts, and is expected to see great success on the kill board.
This season, Mega Banette will cost an impressive 20 points!
Aerodactyl
In Generation 3 OU, Aerodactyl was lauded as the best and most immediately powerful late game cleaner with its brutally powerful Choice Banded Double-Edge, Rock Slide, Hidden Power Flying, and Earthquake cleaving through battered teams when the time called for it. Since then, both sides of Power Creep have long thrown Aero out of viability, since its STABs are weak and unreliable with Stone Edge, Wing Attack, and only later Dual Wingbeat being its best options. It was basically a middling offensive piece in lower tiers or a niche hazard lead on more aggressive teams.
A naïve outcry began: "Aerodactyl is so weak now... It's literally a ROCK/FLYING TYPE, with ROCK HEAD as an ability! I wish it had Head Smash or AT LEAST Brave Bird!", and in response, the monkey's paw curled: "Your wish is granted... You may have both, but it the people will hate you for it." In Pokémon Global, Aerodactyl becomes a frankly absurd offensive threat with access to Brave Bird and Head Smash, STABS with no drawback (apart from the latter's 85% accuracy) and 120/150 BP respectively! Its base 105 Attack doesn't seem weak anymore, and its 130 Speed now becomes a pillar that shockingly few Pokémon in this meta can reach.
Aerodactyl's lead set is now more potent than ever, being able to force switches to set up Stealth Rock, and later bash the opponent's skull in with its super powered STABs. Aerodactyl already has high speed, but with a Choice Scarf, no Pokémon in the entire game can match its speed without running its own Choice Scarf - sacrificing the power it would rather have by holding a different item - especially if its a Pokémon that WOULD outspeed Aerodactyl. This is essentially a Gorilla Tactics version of regular vanilla Aerodactyl. Even Pursuit can often adorn such Choiced sets.
Let's not kid ourselves though. I can talk about variations all I want, but we ALL just want to click Choice Band Head Smash and watch things drop for a free dopamine hit. 252 Atk Choice Band Aerodactyl Head Smash vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Toxapex: 169-199 (55.7 - 65.6%) - guaranteed 2HKO...
So, pick up Aerodactyl and watch as your opponents scramble to not get Head Smashed into extinction this season for 19 points!
Weavile
I like to think of Weavile as Game Freaks "We giveth, we taketh" Pokémon. It always starts out the generation terrible in competitive until they return its best STAB moves to it, and suddenly it's very good again. However here at Pokémon Global, we don't taketh anything, so what did we giveth Weavile??
Weavile has become an offensive monster due to its newest ability Technician. Suddenly, those already strong Triple Axels become absurdly powerful, assuming you skillfully choose to land all 3, especially after a Swords Dance. This allows Weavile to shred through neutral targets with ease, as well as chunking resists lacking recovery, and this isn't even accounting for the fact that any good switch-in can still lose its item on its way in as well.
Technician also helps out some of Weavile's other important moves. Ice Shard now becomes comparable to Scizor's Bullet Punch, making it a much more viable revenging option for all those scary Dragon Dance users in the metagame! The modified Grass-type Cut becomes a 90 bp move that can slice through Water-types and Ground-types with ease, and Rock Smash can now break through Steel-Types with it being upped to 90 BP and still threatening an amazing 50% chance to lower defense as well.
Last, but certainly not least, this new ability also gives it an incredibly strong Pursuit. First off, it obviously gets a small boost to 60 BP if your opponent stays in, securing KOs against daring Psychic-types who underestimate Weavile's power and opt to stay in. However, unlike the original games, when a Pokémon switches out, Technician is calculated before the bonus it gets from your opponent switching, meaning instead of 40 BP getting doubled to 80, it is 60 BP getting doubled to 120!
How do we expect this monster to be countered? Well first, Rocky Helmet is going to HURT Weavile's Triple Axels. Not to mention, many Weaviles will want Focus Sash or Choice Band, so Stealth Rock helps to keep it pinned down, or at least confirm Heavy-Duty Boots. As well as this, priority moves are much more common, ESPECIALLY Accelerock, meaning it can be threatened out a lot easier.
This season, Weavile will be 23 points!
Mega Steelix
Mega Steelix on paper is an excellent physically defensive wall in the main series games, but unfortunately its lack of recovery outside of Rest and its basically non-existent ability hold it back significantly. GameFreak really does just slap Sand Force on anything when they have no other ideas, just hoping some idiot forgot about the existence of Excadrill to occupy the ground/steel niche on their sand team.
Pokémon Global did not give Mega Steelix a new form of recovery, which is a blessing in disguise. This is all thanks to its new ability: an un-nerfed Dauntless Shield Mega Steelix is now a paragon of physical hit taking, becoming undeniably, the best physical wall in the entire meta. Upon mega evolving and subsequently switching in later, a fully invested Mega Steelix will have a gargantuan 921 Defense, making its bulk more impressive than its insane length, gorgeous blue eyes and generational mewing streak. That jawline isn't just for show either - it can cut diamonds with its powered up Body Presses, a buffed Gyro Ball, and improved Ground Stab in Headlong Rush, but if you want to keep your defenses up, STAB Earthquake is great as ever. You can even make use of Curse instead of Iron Defense, if you'd like to power up both Gyro ball and Body Press simultaneously, often leaving you not requiring Ground STAB at all.
Mega Lix is UNBREAKABLE, with even the most absurd super effective hits in the format bouncing off, becoming nothing more than the metallic scraps orbiting around it. For example: an Adamant nature, Choice Banded, max Attack Headlong Rush from Garchomp isn't even a guaranteed 2 hit KO, and, after the defense drops, Steelix's retaliatory Body Press has an 87.5% chance of KO'ing that same Chomp - from full. If this is what Mega Lix can do alone, imagine what it can accomplish with proper team support! Mega Steelix will continue to do Steelix things until the sun explodes: settings hazards, phazing, boosting up, and packing a deceptively strong punch when your opponent least expects it. Be glad Mega Steelix has to Rest in order to heal.
This season, Mega Steelix will cost 19 points!
Iron Jugulis
Let's talk about what was once one of the most disappointing Paradox Pokémon in terms of design AND viability: Iron Jugulis. Usually prone to trying to launch off decently strong attacks with Booster Energy Speed sets made it a plenty solid revenge killer, and 7th choice Electric Terrain abuser. Iron Jugulis was clearly just lacking the power to fill the role properly, so how has Global corrected this?
As all Paradox Pokémon have gained a new ability, Jugulis was opted to receive the incredible Sheer Force! This makes Air Slash an actually decently strong STAB move, and straight up turns Hurricane into a nuke of a move. It's other STAB, Dark Pulse also gets a hefty buff, as well as some of its existing coverage in Focus Blast, Flash Cannon, Earth Power, and Fire Blast! Not to mention Hydro Pump for the occasional matchup where water coverage helps. Swapping in to a mon this powerful is deadly, especially as it's able to switch up it's moves to blast through resists thanks to the no-drawback damage increase provided by Life Orb.
Additionally, Jugulis has gained some new coverage in Draco Meteor, allowing it to blast through any Dragon-types that are scary to it as well. But that's only it's attacking moves - Jugulis was clearly lacking setup, especially now that Quark Drive will not be opted for over Sheer Force, aside from some niche matchups. The newly gained Agility allows it to boost its Speed by 2 to outrun anything threatening to revenge it! Work Up also applies a nice damage buff on top of everything it has, making room for some heat mixed sets!
However, as Jugulis wants to be running Life Orb, many won't be running Heavy Duty Boots and will be taking 25% to Stealth Rock. It also loses the RNG aspect of its STAB moves, missing out on flinches and confusions. Finally, Jugulis must set up an Agility or hold a Choice Scarf to be a true late game cleaner due to its just-okay 108 speed, and the increased distribution of Accelerock will definitely annoy it. But all that is worth it for such an incredible damage nuke!
This season, Iron Jugulis will be 21 points.
Celesteela
Time for what many are calling the best Pokémon available in Pokémon Global: Celesteela. Rocking the famously resilient Steel/Flying typing, Celesteela's main struggles in vanilla have been a lack of instant recovery, and somewhat middling damage potential. Skarmory and Corviknight are consistently understood to operate defensively, but Celesteela has struck an odd middle-ground with the ability to go offensive or defensive, but not consistent in either. So, how has this been remedied?
For starters, the vision of Celesteela has remained the same, fully capable of being run offensively or defensively, with a lean toward the defensive. However, some new tools have made both sets more proficient. First and foremost: Roost. With physical defense only a hair behind Corviknight and special bulk that handily eclipses it, additionally boosted by Leech Seed, Celesteela is definitively the best well-rounded Flying/Steel in terms of resilience.
However, that is not where things end for Celesteela, who has now been granted the ability - Heavy Metal. You may be saying "Who cares, Celesteela already has max power Heavy Slam into everything anyway?" Well, Pokémon Global has changed the function of Heavy Metal. Instead of modifying the weight of the user, it simply provides a damage multiplier to weight based moves. And let me tell you, the 150 BP Heavy Slams and Heat Crashes Celesteela now gets to spam with reckless abandon are well worth the 150BP Low Kicks that get sent into it in return. And this isn't even to mention the gift its special set has received - Pay Day, a Steel-type version of Giga Drain. The two most popular sets in testing have been: Pay Day, Flamethrower, Roost, Leech Seed // Heavy Slam, Heat Crash, Earthquake, Roost - with both opting for Leftovers, and a fully bulked out set. Setup variants are perfectly viable as well, when the matchup calls for it! But it can be difficult to match the feeling of seeing your opponent deal 40% damage to you, and in that same turn, Pay Day recover 20% of it, Leech Seed recover another 12%, and Leftovers recover another 6%.
This season, Celesteela will cost a very predictable 23 points.
Magmortar
Time for a real rags to riches story in Magmortar! Introduced in Generation 4, it unfortunately received the curse of middling speed and bulk alongside a bad defensive typing, like many of its cross-generational evolution brothers. It could hit fairly hard, but even in its debut generation, that wasn't nearly enough to make any true headway. The addition of Heavy Duty Boots was certainly a help, but Magmortar has been chronically mid since its inception, despite its relatively intimidating design. So what did we do to bring Magmortar enough viability to receive an analysis to begin with?
Well, first of all, we thought we'd mitigate that typing issue by granting it the famed Fire/Fighting typing. No longer weak to Stealth Rock, it has much more room to maneuver with items like Choice Scarf or Specs, Air Balloon, or even rarely an Assault Vest. I have buried the lead a bit, however, as the biggest change to Magmortar has been in the form of its new ability Mega Launcher, with said ability boosting its new move addition - Armor Cannon. The calcs you can do with this move are astonishing to look at by itself, before you even take into account its fellow Mega Launcher coverage: STAB Aura Sphere, Sludge Bomb, Dark Pulse, as well as non Mega Launcher boosted Scorching Sands, Hyper Voice, and Psychic. But who am I kidding with all this nonsense talk about "coverage?" Just click Armor Cannon. Normally I'd do a third paragraph around the Pokémon's weaknesses, or how it might play, but I'd instead like to dedicate it to some calcs.
252+ SpA Choice Specs Magmortar Armor Cannon vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Thick Fat Snorlax: 217-256 (41.4 - 48.8%) -- 78.1% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252+ SpA Choice Specs Magmortar Aura Sphere vs. 4 HP / 252+ SpD Blissey: 366-432 (56.1 - 66.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Magmortar Armor Cannon vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Swampert: 181-213 (44.8 - 52.7%) -- 85.5% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252+ SpA Choice Specs Magmortar Armor Cannon vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Garchomp: 269-317 (75.3 - 88.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
This season, Magmortar will be 20 points!
Tapu Koko
Zipping onto the scene is Tapu Koko! A bit of a change of pace from all the previous Pokémon, as Koko was already a top tier in all the standardized formats you've come to know and love. However, those are formats where being a top tier means costing 19 points, so what has Koko gotten to stay with the times all the way up in the Global top tiers?
First and foremost, let's not beat around the bush here, electric types are STRONG in Pokémon Global. Therefore, setting up Electric Terrain allows for some incredible synergies - definitely more than any other terrain, weather, or otherwise field effect is capable of unleashing. From Electric Seed Unburden Rising Voltage Xurkitree to Light Ball Electro Ball Alolan-Raichu, and of course, Regieleki, funny electrocute button is sure to be clicked. And why stop there? There's an absolute litany of Quark Drive Pokemon, eager to boost up and cleave through the anime team in similar fashion. Banded Iron Thorns Plasma Fists and Accelerock? Don't mind if I do! Freezing Glare Iron Bundle? Yes please! Iron Jugulis in a matchup where speed is better than Sheer Force damage boost? Why not. And this isn't even considering all the regular Electric-type Pokemon who simply love a damage boost to their strongest moves - Zebstrika, Luxray, Electivire, and many more.
However, if all Tapu Koko could do was support other Pokémon, it'd be looking a lot more like Pincurchin, now wouldn't it? No, Tapu Koko is finally unleashed, and ready to kill you all on its own. With newly gained access to Play Rough (which in itself has gained perfect accuracy), and a newly 100 base power version of Wild Charge, Koko will waste no time blasting through your team with its plenty 115 attack and blistering 130 speed. Thank your lucky stars we banned Light Clay too, or we'd need a whole paragraph dedicated to the famously unbeatable Terrain Screens Offense archetype that shredded the entire testing environment until Light Clay's eventual ousting from the metagame.
This season, Tapu Koko will cost an electrifying 22 points!
Iron Hands
With a thundering entrance comes Iron Hands! I don't know what crack GameFreak was smoking when designing the Generation 9 Pokédex, but theres a good 5 or 6 Pokémon that have 3 very green bars in the Showdown stats menu I affectionately refer to as "The Ting Lus" of the generation, and Iron Hands is proudly one of them. Before, its job was to sponge a couple of neutral hits, get some nice damage on its way out, Volt Switch around, and help stave off offense for its teammates. In some cases, an offensive Choice Band set was viable, but the commonplace set was a simple Assault Vest one, to shore up its middling special defense. So, what could Iron Hands possibly be doing here in the highest tiers?
Most notable is the addition of Thick Fat, as all Paradox Pokemon received a Hidden Ability from their counterparts. This allows the Assault Vest set to become one of the most consistent blanket defensive pieces in the entire game. And if that weren't enough, it's also gained Hariyama's once-coveted Knock Off to make even better use of its defensive profile, as well as Thunder Wave, and even Bullet Punch for incredible priority into the fairies that have a habit of shutting it down.
Of course, offensive Iron Hands still has plenty of potential - Knock & Bullet Punch are great gifts to those sets as well, like Bulk Up & Choice Band. Wild Charge's buff to 100BP is amazing for it as well, given its titanic HP not minding the recoil as much as other common Electric-types. In all honesty, though, you can commonly expect a standard Thick Fat Assault Vest set to come, and stave off all of your attackers lacking a Ground or Fairy-type move without breaking a sweat.
I've ended up slapping one of these onto a ton of my high tier testing teams, and it did leagues more work than I expected, landing Iron Hands an impressive 20 point value cost this season!
Crystal Onix
Crashing the party is Crystal Onix. As the only non-canon Pokémon present in the game, I don't have anything to reference for pre-existing play, so let's just get into what this Pokémon does. As a Ground/Ice-type sporting the ever famous "Mamoswine Coverage," Crystal Onix has promise from first mention. So, how does it play differently from the Pokémon said coverage is named for?
Most importantly is that it triples down on Mamoswine's tendency to fulfill a glass cannon role by sporting stats so min-maxed they make Flutter Mane look like an old gen starter. 140 Attack, 120 Speed, an unuseable Special Attack stat of 30, and 35/60/45 defenses mean this Pokémon was not designed with hit taking in mind. However, that isn't where things stop, because an entirely custom-created Pokémon was obviously thought through more than just "do funny damage and die fast." Crystal Onix sports three different abilities, though only two you need to burden yourself with the knoweldge of. First is Sturdy, allowing Onix to eat up a single hit, leaving damage or hazards on its way out the door. Much scarier though, is Armor Tail, allowing it to run a Focus Sash instead, and eat up multiple hits, skillfully evading priority moves to pepper more damage on the opposing team.
So, what moves have I damned you all to survive from this fabled fixture of the orange islands? I wasn't joking about tripling down, so you'll have to endure its powerful Triple Axel, backed up by Headlong Rush, as well as optional STAB replacement in Icicle Crash, Ice Shard, Icicle Spear, and Earthquake and other coverage in Aqua Tail, Crunch, Rock Slide, and the elemental fangs. That's right, this frail Ice-type is blocking your Scizor's Bullet Punch with Armor Tail, and crushing it in return with Fire Fang. All this without mentioning its access to Dragon Dance and Coil in setup, and even Self-Destruct in case you feel Onix has done all it can in the current board state.
This season, Crystal Onix will cost 18 points!
Shuckle
You better know not to fuckle with him anymore, because Shuckle isn't going to take it lying down anymore. You know what Shuckle does, spam rocks and webs, eliminate itself with Final Gambit, or let your opponent lose on lack of PP by spamming Contrary Shell Smash. How is it possible that such a Pokémon once worth just a few points for these antics is actually...good, now?
To anyone who's ever played or watched Emerald Kaizo, you're familiar with Roxanne's Shuckle just refusing to die without Leech Seed, Toxic, or Flame Body support. It just. doesn't. die. Well, what you may not know is that this is because Shuckle's vanilla HP stat is 20, and EK buffed it to 50. We didn't go quite that far, only increasing it to 30, but this dramatically changes how its calcs operate. Having used it, it truly feels like one of the bulkiest Pokemon you could use now, more properly matching up to its titanic defensive stats.
That isn't it, though. Arguably an even more impactful change is its newly gained access to Body Press. That's right, the Shuckle that previously could only do any meaningful chip via Final Gambit can now kill you itself, catapulting its Defense straight into an attack sure to destroy anything that doesnt pack a fighting immunity or quad resistance. Especially when backed up by Contrary Shell Smash, Shuckle isn't just spreading hazards, it's sweeping your team. The results of testing pretty confidently determined the best set to be Body Press, Sticky Web, and any combination of Knock Off, Stealth Rock, Final Gambit, and Shell Smash. The most common set will be Body Press, Webs, Knock Off, and Stealth Rocks with a Mental Herb, but the threat of a Shell Mmash sweeper with Rest always has to be on the mind of your opponent.
This season, Shuckle will cost a comical 19 points!
Zygarde
Be grateful he's only putting 50% in, because it's time for Zygarde. You know him, obnoxious Glare spammer with a top 5 most broken attacking move in the game? Ever obnoxious, unless you've got a nice powerful Ice-type to keep it in check. And, kind as we are, Zygarde has not gained a new move, nor any stat or typing changes!
Nay, Zygarde has gotten but one new gift, and it's one of the two unique abilities brought to Pokémon Global that didn't exist before: Earthly Aura. If you're familiar with the antics Xerneas and Yveltal get up to in Ubers, you've probably already guessed what this ability does. And whether on a defense or offensive set, a 117 BP Ground-type move that hits both Zapdos and Bronzong is never anything to scoff at. You might be thinking, oh it's fine, Zygarde only has 100 base Attack, how bad can it be? And to that, I'd like to remind you of another Ground move spammed with the same BP - Nidoking's base 85 Special Attack Earth Power. Yeah.
So, what sets take the best advantage? First and foremost, the set previously only utilized by Zydog with Choice Band has become an absolute terror, sporting Thousand Arrows, Extreme Speed, and the newly buffed Dragon Rush and Iron Tail. But what's likely going to be more common than that is setup variants utilizing DD & Coil to take the offensive potential to the extreme. But of course, the moment you spend all your time prepping for setup, you're going to meet a rude awakening when a defensive Leftovers Substitute, Coil, Glare, and Thousand Arrows set sends you straight back to where you came from. No matter how weak or powerful an attack can become, it seldom matters when the yellow magic rears its ugly head 25% of the time.
With that, Zygarde joins the fray as the final 23 point Pokémon to receive an analysis this season!
Primarina
Primarina is already a stellar pick in draft because of its good bulk, especially on the special side, as well as its incredible special power and set variety. Primarina can be Assault Vested with Flip Turn and Scald, a physically defensive Calm Minder, or an impossible to switch into Choice Specs user among many other options. This multitude of options becomes even scarier when taking its abilities, Liquid Voice and Torrent, into account. Torrent lets it nuke opponents with its water STAB when at low health, making opponents scramble to not fall to its Surfs and Hydro Pumps. By contrast, Liquid Voice is far more interesting. In vanilla, it turns any sound move into the water type, but doesn't provide a boost in the same way abilities like Pixilate or Aerielate would for normal type attacks, meaning that it doesn't have the greatest sense of purpose outside of bypassing substitutes. Primarina also has incredibly frightening Fairy STABs with Moonblast and Draining Kiss along with its coverage options: Energy Ball, Ice Beam, and Psychic that can easily overwhelm the opponent's defensive answers. Primarina is a beyond simple Pokémon to use, and being unprepared for it will leave you drowned at sea or at least hard of hearing... What's that? You want Primarina to be even easier to use? Hehe, okay 😀
Pokémon Global gave Primarina Boomburst and Torch Song. You're reading that right! Not only does Primarina have two incredibly spammable water STABs: one that completely bludgeons the opponent, and another boosts its best stat without any kind of drawback, But now Prim also has a buffed Liquid Voice that provides a 20% boost to the sound moves affected by it, making Boomburst, Torch Song and Psychic Noise EVEN stronger. This VASTLY improves the offensive potency of its bulky sets while simultaneously impeding the ability teams have to switch into its offensive variants. Psychic Noise now has the same power as Surf and blocks the effects of Regenerator the same way Neutralizing Gas would. Torch Song is now stronger than Surf, and Boomburst is approaching Hyper Beam levels of power.
A surprise Choice Scarf Primarina is even more eager to clean up weakened teams. Calm Mind sets can no longer be 1v1'd by Pokémon wanting to heal off its unboosted hits or by regenerating around it. Pokémon that barely weren't 2-hit KO'd by Primarina are in for a rude awakening when Prim's seemingly warm serenading voice becomes a scorching ballet of despair when Torch Song comes their way. Primarina is an artist, whose performances don't necessitate such diversity, especially when Choice Specs Boomburst already receives standing ovations whenever its performed on Stage, leaving its previous hit, Oceanic Operetta, paling in comparison when taking replayability (spammability) into account. And yet, somehow, there's still significant viability in matchups where you want your Torch Song coverage to remain Fire-type, to smack things like Sp. Def Ferrothorn. However, with the Liquid Voice buffs, running STAB Surf, Hydro Pump or Scald is now considered a "Power Downgrade". That is insane.
Primarina is incredible, and will absolutely perform on any team for 22 points!
Castform
Time for the the omnipresent master of weather - Castform! To quickly dispel the confused reactions, yes, Castform is an actual Pokémon in Global! As you've noticed, most Pokémon are buffed through moves, some through abilities, some through forms, stats, typing, or otherwise. Castform has been blessed with basically all of them, so let's go through how this basically brand new Pokémon operates!
First and foremost, Castform used to have base 70 stats across the board. Yes, 70. Now, that 70 speed has been increased to 110, the 70 offenses have both been increased to 100, and the middling but tolerable defensive stats remain at 70 across the board. With this, Castform has the numbers to make some real progress! The most relevant comparison stats-wise is probably Ogerpon, which is honestly how it feels like playing in a lot of ways.
Bolstered by its new STAB move in Boomburst, Castform can function easily outside of weather, alongside its most consistent new coverage in Volt Switch, and pre-existing moves like Ice Beam, and great new utility like Stealth Rock, Defog, & Morning Sun. Other relevant moves to consider would be Lava Plume, Power Gem, Earth Power, Freeze-Dry, Meteor Beam, Explosion, Discharge, and more.
As you might guess, despite its ability to function on balance, Castform is fully unlocked on weather teams and, most notably, dual-weather teams, an archetype that struggled to even exist before. With a form for every weather and the moves to back it up, Castform is a pressing concern for anyone considering an attempt at dual weather. I tried it out extensively, and had a ton of fun on Rain+Sun, but Rain+Sand seems to be the most successful, alongside Mega Swampert who love both weather effects, as well as Hippowdon depending on its ability of choice. In my experience, Castform did the most work as a Scarfer, but Assault Vest, Life Orb, Specs, and even physical Band sets can surely do plenty of work!
This season, Castform will cost 17 points!
Milotic
Majestically diving into the arena is Milotic! Ever since its debut in Generation 3, Milotic has been an icon of the Hoenn region, most prominently as the ace of Champion Wallace. In terms of in-game viability, Milotic is by far at its most relevant in its debut generation, where it offers itself as a more specially bulky alternative to Suicune with instant recovery. Ever since then, their comparisons are inevitable, with Suicune continuing to be the better mono-water in most situations. Marvel Scale is never to be scoffed at, though, somewhat standing in for Suicune's higher defense stat, and allowing Milotic to embody that unkillable nature in its own right.
However, despite all this talk of Suicune vs Milotic, Generation 9 cares not for either of them. Lacking any significant buffs for a half dozen generations, what did Global bring Milotic to grant a merciful end to this war between them? Well, in a cruel twist of fate (to Suicune, not Milotic) it seems the rainbow eel only needed one thing: Calm Mind. With full physically defensive investment, Flame Orb Marvel Scale, and a single Calm Mind, it's extremely difficult to find a single neutral hit capable of even 50% on the fat fish. This can easily spiral out of control, going from a defensive stopgap to a monster capable of sweeping entire teams. And what does do that with, usually? The commonplace set in testing has been Scald/Surf, Ice Beam/Moonblast (newly gained), Calm Mind, and Recover, with the option of Dragon Tail or Haze like vanilla would often utilize.
Thus far, Milotic seems fairly easy to use. So long as you don't make the ever-classic Gliscor blunder of hastily losing your orb to a knock-off before it has the chance to activate, Milo returns to the ever-sturdy bulky water you're eager to tell your friends about, just like it was 20 years ago, at its faithful introduction in the rivers of route 119.
This season, Milotic will cost you 18 points!