We got another new release coming to the game, with CRAMORANT headlining this week's Water Festival. And it has a lot of what you're looking for in a PvP Pokémon! Let's dive in and see how it may fit into the meta.

CRAMORANT Stats and Stuff

Flying/Water Type

GREAT LEAGUE:

Attack: 121 (on average)

Defense: 121 (on average)

HP: 126 (on average)

(Highest Stat Product IVs: 0-14-11 1500 CP, Level 27)

ULTRA LEAGUE:

You can, I guess, but don't. It doesn't hit 2500 CP and, unlike some other sub-2500 CP Pokémon I've written about, really doesn't seem to be worth it.

So Flying Water types feel incredibly common anymore, though the number of available options is actually pretty small: we've got Mantine and Pelipper and even Swanna now in Great League, and Gyarados in Ultra League (and Mantine again if you're feeling really spicy) and even Master League. Their impact in undeniably much larger than their actual footprint. Mantine has really been viable since GBL was still a twinkle in John Hanke's eye (during the heyday of The Silph Arena), and Pelipper got Weather Ball a few months into GBL's history, and the rest is history... they're been ever-present basically ever since.

Now we get a whole new one in CRAMORANT. How does it stack up compared to those existing options? Well, the first good news is the stats, as Cramorant has more bulk (and better overall PvP stats) than all of them but Mantine. Honesty, I didn't expect that! I figured at least Pelipper would outbulk it, but nope. That's a good start!

The next major thing in Cram's favor is fast move Peck. None of the other Flying Waters have it. Gyarados has Dragon Breath, which has the same 3.0 Damage Per Turn/4.0 Energy Per Turn stats, but misses out on the Same Type Attack Bonus (STAB). Mantine and Pelipper, as awesome as they are, have an inferior Flying fast move in Wing Attack, which generates the same energy as Peck, but deals 0.5 less DPT. "Strictly better" is a way overused phrase, but Peck is literally strictly better than Wing Attack. Another point in Cramorant's favor!

That just leaves one major aspect: the charge moves. And here we need to slow down our analysis for a minute. Let's list them all out and see what we've got.

Charge Moves

• Dive (Water, 50 damage, 40 energy)

• Surf (Water, 75 damage, 45 energy)

• Fly (Flying, 80 damage, 45 energy)

• Hydro Pump (Water, 130 damage, 75 energy)

Let's look at the cheapest moves each of the other Flying Waters has (aside from Mantine's Bubble Beam... as a purely bait-and-boost move that deals negligible damage, it doesn't really count and is rarely used anymore). Pelipper "wins" here with Weather Ball at 60 damage for ony 35 energy. Gyarados is right behind with Aqua Tail at 55 damage for the same 35 energy. Then we have Mantine and Swanna with identical 40 energy/70 damage moves, Twister for Mantine and Aqua Jet for Swanna. What has Cram got? Weeeeelllllll.... The new Dive is cheap at just 40 energy, but also deals only 50 damage, the same as Brick Break and Spirit Shackle, but without any debuff on the opponent. It's Rock Blast for Water. I mean, that has its uses, but it's a move you kind of hold your nose while using. And it's FAR worse than Aqua Jet, dealing 20 less damage for the same cost. Arguably, you're better off using Surf instead, which costs 5 more energy but deals a decent 75 damage. The problem is that 45 energy makes it the most expensive bait/spam moves any of these Flying Water types have in their arsenal, meaning obviously that Cramorant then becomes rhe slowest-paced of the Flying Waters. Remember that they all usually run 4.0 EPT fast moves (including Swanna with Gust, which I didn't really mention before), so yeah... the most expensive "cheap" charge move means that Cram becomes literally the slowest.

Thankfully. it also has Fly, which is also 45 energy but deals a bit more damage (80). Because it has that available, I think it may want to actually stick with Dive for its second move and utilize Fly as its closer. With each Peck generating 8 energy, it can reach the 40 required for Dive after five fast moves, hitting 40 energy exactly, while Fly (and Surf) require another fast move, and still will require six more fast moves to hit a second even if going back-to-back (3 leftover energy + 5 moves = 43 energy, still short of another Fly/Surf). The math is just easier with 40-energy Dive, as is the pressure.

Now one thing I can't talk about yet is exactly what happens when you use Dive or Surf, because either is supposed to trigger a form change to either a Gulping (chomping on an Arrokuda) or Gorging (trying to swallow a Pikachu) form, which each come with a one-time (I think?) ability to reduce the opponent's stats before Cramorant (I think?) goes back to its base form; Gulping supposedly reduces the opponent's Defense by one stage, while Gorging instead knocks the opponent's Attack down by 2 stages. I think! We'll have to see how that actually goes, but for simplicity, for the time being, I will just be evaluating how Cramorant works without all those form change hijinks, and you can just assume it will be even better (I think?!) with those hijinks in place.

PvP PERFORMANCE

So, supposing that Dive/Fly is not only the shortest listing of both charge moves 🙃, but also the moves that Cram actually wants to run with, here's how it looks. Fly helps it overpower Dewgong and Shadow Sableye that Mantine and Pelipper both struggle with, and its emphasis on Flying damage also means it can handle Altaria and Feraligatr that Pelipper cannot match, as well as Azumarill that Mantine usually cannot outlast. The comination of Dive and Fly also overcome Florges, Thievul, Togekiss, Galarian Weezing, and Jumpluff that usually beat Mantine, though in exchange, Mantine handles Clodsire, Empoleon, Fearow, Grumpig, Guzzlord, and Galarian Stunfisk that Cramorant usually finds itself losing to. Pelipper also handles G-Fisk, Fearow, and Guzzlord, as well as others that Cramorant currently struggles with like Furret, Thievul, Wigglytuff, and Tinkaton. Weather Ball spam is no joke! (Do note that a theoretical-for-now #1 rank IV Cramorant gains Fearow and even Jellicent, which help!)

In 2v2 shielding, even without whatever difference form changing may make, Cramorant actually edges out both Pelipper and Mantine. Cramorant alone handles Galarian Corsola, Furret, and Feraligatr, while also overcoming Azu, Florges, Grumpig, Seaking, Wiggly, G-Weeze, and G-Fisk that Mantine cannot overcome (Mantine uniquely beats Jellicent, Kingdra, Tinkaton, Malamar, Fearow, and Clodsire instead), and Cram further beats Empoleon and Togekiss (and ties Mantine) which Pelipper cannot replicate, losing Altaria, Corvinight, fellow form-changer Mimikyu, and again Fearow and Clodsire in exchange (Pelipper handles all those). End of the day, even with no form changing, Cramorant stands tall among its cotemporaries.

It does take a comparative... well, dive with shields down, which isn't too surprising considering the pure power of the trio's moves. While Cramorant alone among the three takes out Dewgong and outduels Mantine, Cramorant loses outright to Clodsire, Kingdra, Malamar, Galarian Stunfisk, Togekiss, and Galarian Weezing that both Mantine and Pelipper overpower, as well as Grumpig and Guzzlord that Mantine beats, and Azumarill and Jumpluff that Pelipper handles instead. It's not bad by any means, just inferior to existing options. And no, the higher damage of Surf doesn't change the equation. Form changing might, though... we'll have to see!

But what I can say is that even right out of the gate, even without any other post-form-change buffs, Cramorant already manages to compete with the best Flying Waters in the game. They have a place in the meta, so I see no reason that Cram won't too. It's worth trying to get and even trade around for ideal PvP IVs.

ALL ASKEW

Quite frankly, everything that Cramorant is, our other new release, BARRASKEWDA, is not. It's as glassy as they come. Seriously, it is FAR glassier than Greninja. Glassier even than Inteleon! The ONLY Water type that is glassier in Great League is Sharpedo, and only just barely. So despite a good moveset, it just isn't a viable PvP Pokémon, in any League. Get it, sure, but this is a much, MUCH lower priority than Cramorant. Just one for the collection, folks.

IN CONCLUSION

Get Cramorant. That's it... that's the summary. Form change or not, it will have a place moving forward. Period!

Alright, that's it for today. Until next time, you can always find me on Twitter with regular GO analysis nuggets or Patreon.

Good luck on your grind, and catch you next time, Pokéfriends!

This month's Community Day is quietly a really good one for PvPers, and even better than I think most are giving it credit for! Come see why THIEVUL suddenly emerges as a Top 50 PvP Pokémon, and why even THAT may be ranked too low... after we kick it off with our Bottom Line Up Front:

B.L.U.F.

• Unlike many of the most successful Dark Pokémon, Thievul is decidedly NOT bulky, but it's found decent success in PvP anyway thanks to really good, spammy Dark damage and a decent coverage move with closing power.

• Post-Community Day, Thievul emerges with a move that provides new coverage and helps bulk it up a bit (in a roundabout way, at least).

• PvPoke, as wonderful as it is, currently has Thievul ranked with what I believe is an unideal moveset. So even though it already shoots up to a Top 50 Pokémon, I think it should actually be even higher... and I'll show you why!

• Thievul still ranks rather unimpressively in Ultra League and most may still be ignoring it there... but quietly, swapping around charge moves grants it double digit new wins that should have it ranked much, much higher there as well. It should be a very legit option even in Open UL play now! And again, I'll show you why....

Intrigued yet? Good, then let's get into the details!

THIEVUL

Dark Type

GREAT LEAGUE:

Attack: 120 (119 High Stat Product)

Defense: 122 (124 High Stat Product)

HP: 127 (127 High Stat Product)

(Highest Stat Product IVs: 0-15-11, 1499 CP, Level 27)

ULTRA LEAGUE:

Attack: 157 (158 Best Buddy)

Defense: 150 (151 Best Buddy)

HP: 157 (158 Best Buddy)

(Assuming 15-15-15 IVs; 2415 CP at Level 50 / 2444 CP at Level 51)

So, mono-Dark means weaknesses to Fighting, Fairy, and Bug damage, a resistance to Ghost and Dark damage, and a double resistance to Psychic damage. I think most people have a feel for this particular typing by now (though the Bug weakness often seems to surprise people).

The thing I want to talk about instead is the stats. Dark is a typing that I think generally has bulk in PvP, with the best Dark types being things like Mandibuzz, Guzzlord, Umbreon of course, and even some things you see in Cups but not so much in Open formats like Obstagoon, Alolan Raticate, and Scrafty. And heck, even other big names like Galarian Moltres are bulky enough. But Thievul is quite different, with bulk that is, frankly, pretty poor. For a few examples:

• Thievul has more bulk than Hisuian Qwilfish and Skuntank, but trails both Alolan Muk and Drapion. In Great League, it trails Malamar, Zweilous, and Sableye, and is basically tied with Spiritomb, and ahead of stuff like Mightyena and Morgrem.

• In Ultra League, Thievul has less bulk than Incineroar, Kingambit, Bombirdier, and even Tyranitar. (Though in fairness, it can't quite reach 2500 CP, which holds its bulk back.)

• Among non-Dark types, Thievul's bulk is in the same territory as stuff like Skeledirge, Talonflame, and Piloswine in Great League, and sandwiched between Nidoking and Bewear above it and then Gyarados and Tsareena below it in Ultra League.

I know what you're thinking... none of these things I've just listed here are known for their bulk. And you're right... so neither is Thievul! I wouldn't quite call it a true "glass cannon", but it's closer to that label than it will ever be any "bulky" label.

Many of you have probably been following me long enough to know what I'm going to say next, but I'm gonna say it anyway for those in the back. 😅 Bulk is a major factor in a Pokémon's PvP success, but not the "be-all and end-all". (TIL I learned that's originally from Macbeth, by the way... thanks for another one, Mr. Shakespeare!) There are plenty of squishy Pokémon that find great success in PvP anyway... and thanks to its moveset, Thievul is among them! Let's check it out.

Fast Moves

• Sucker Punch (Dark, 4.0 DPT, 3.5 EPT, 1.0 CoolDown)

• Snarl (Dark, 1.67 DPT, 4.33 EPT, 1.5 CD)

• Quick Attack (Normal, 2.5 DPT, 4.0 EPT, 1.0 CD)

This is now my third spotlight article on Thievul, and it's all Sucker Punch's fault. When it was first released, Thievul came with only Snarl and Quick Attack, two decent fast moves, but not ones that drove Thievul to success. But then Niantic stealthily added a new fast move to its repertoire with Sucker Punch, and the immediate improvement was so significant that a whole new analysis article was needed. Nothing about this is changing this Community Day, but I wanted to highlight how much of Thievul's success is driven by the sheer awesomeness of Sucker Punch.

But now what you're really here for....

ᴱ - Exclusive (Community Day) Move

Charge Moves

• Night Slash (Dark, 50 damage, 35 energy, 12.5% Chance: Raise User Attack +1 Stage)

• Icy Windᴱ (Ice, 60 damage, 45 energy, Reduces Opponent Attack -1 Stage)

• Play Rough (Fairy, 90 damage, 60 energy)

That's right: for most of its history in GO, Thievul has been that super-rare Pokémon with more fast move options (three) than charge moves (two). Is there any other fully evolved Pokémon in the game like that? 🤔 ("Kowalski! Analysis!") Night Slash is a little underwhelming these days, but a 35-energy move is still a 35-energy move, cheapest in the game and great for pressuring shields and setting up a closer. In this case, that closer is also a little underwhelming, but viable... it just feels bad throwing Play Rough when you know that there are multiple better Fairy moves out there, including Moonblast which deals 20 more damage for the same energy cost.

Still, combined with high pressure from Sucker Punch, Night Slash/Play Rough works out fine, as we've already highlghted. Fairy nicely fills Dark gaps against Fighting and Dark types, and leaves Thievul with very few opponents that don't have to worry about throwing a shield or two at it.

But now we have a new alternative, and it might be just what Thievul needed to be fully unleashed. Night Slash is cheap, but rather superfluous with Sucker Punch dealing plenty of Dark-type damage on its own. So why not some coverage instead? Enter Community Day move Icy Wind. It's obviously not as cheap as Night Slash, but still inexpensive enough to keep up the shield pressure without too much trouble. But the slower pacing almost doesn't matter with what else it brings to the table. First is the obvious coverage; again, there's not too much that can shrug off Dark and Fairy damage, but what's out there that does (Poison/Fairy Galarian Weezing comes immediately to mind) cannot also resist Ice damage. Really though, Ice is more interesting for the additional super effective damage that comes with it, which immediately translates to new wins that start popping up like Stunfisk, Diggersby, Clodsire, Cradily, and Jumpluff. None of them are particularly weak to Dark or Fairy damage, but they ARE all weak to Ice, so Thievul now beats them. It's as simple as that!

The real bonus, however, is Icy Wind's famous debuffing effect. Reducing the opponent's Attack strength is just what the doctor ordered for something flimsy like Thievul, allowing it to hang in battles longer and outlast things that it couldn't before. While the new wins I just listed are rather obvious, other new wins you'll see like Kingdra, Qusgsire, and Mimikyu are not so obvious... they aren't notably weaker to Ice than they are to Thievul's other moves. (Well, Mimikyu does resist its Dark damage, but stick with me here.) Thievul gains the ability to overcome them just by hanging in the fight longer. Also simple, right?

And so it goes for Thievul. There ARE a couple former wins that can slip away when you replace Night Slash with Icy Wind due to less charge moves being thrown or, more commonly, because that extra bit of Night Slash damage is needed to outrace things. (Or Ice is heavily resisted, such as the case of Dewgong which Night Slash can finish off while Icy Wind is more liability than help.) But for the most part, this is a major boon to its prospects that translates directly into clear-cut new wins, and in bunches. Let's dive into the sims and see just HOW much better Thievul is now!

GREAT LEAGUE

Now I mentioned earlier that PvPoke is currently ranking (and default simming) Thievul with what I believe is the "wrong" moveset. I get why the site has defaulted to Night Slash/Icy Wind, as Icy Wind appears in many ways as a big upgrade on Play Rough... significantly cheaper as a coverage move while bringing that sweet, sweet opponent debuff to extend Thievul's lifespan in battle. Mr. PvPoke and I agree across the board at least 95% of the time... but I must voice my disagreement in this case. My hypothesis earlier is that Night Slash is a little redundant now that Thievul has TWO other charge moves that both bring a lot to the table in terms of coverage and overall impact. Night Slash spam is great, and its 12.5% buff chance going off can absolutely win you battles you won't win otherwise. I will NOT say PvPoke is out-and-out wrong pr that players that follow that advice and run Night Slash/Icy Wind are foolish. I just think they're tying a hand behind their back.

As great as Thievul's high-pressure Dark damage is, a good amount of its success is owed to Play Rough. The impact of having that hard an answer to Fighters that otherwise pick it apart and opposing Darks that are always lurking out there — and the fact that both of those typings severely blunt Sucker Punch and Night Slash — cannot be overstated. You know how Mandibuzz and Umbreon are great, especially in Dark-heavy Cup formats, not just because of their spammy Dark moves (and bulk), but also because they have moves that hit back at things that resist Dark damage with neutral coverage (Aerial Ace for Mandi and Last Resort for Umbry)? Take that and turn it into battle-changing super effective damage and you have Thievul with its Play Rough.

To make it clearer, while Night Slash/Icy Wind does have a better record than Night Slash/Play Rough, it's only +3 wins overall, with Medicham and Quagsire moving into the win column while Ice damage brings in new wins over a list of Ice-weak things I mentioned earlier: Stunfisk, Diggersby, Clodsire, Cradily, and Jumpluff. Nice, and that alone would make this Community Day worth it. But Thievul can do BETTER if you keep Play Rough.

Because Icy Wind/Play Rough is where it's at, folks. The lack of Night Slash pressure does mean losses to Lickilicky and Ice-resistant Dewgong, but look at the gains: Medicham and Quagsire are back in the win column, along with Shadow Quag for the first time, Kingdra, and Mimikyu.

The overall results are pretty close with shields down when you compare all three movesets, not too surprisingly. But in 2v2 shielding, Icy Wind and its debuffing again has obvious advantages over Thievul's former best. Paired with Night Slash, Icy Wind does drop Charjabug, the mirror, and a former win versus Lickilicky drops to a tie now, but the new wins outweigh that: Jumpluff, Mantine, Quagsire, Medicham, and Guzzlord. Not bad! However, once again, Play Rough/Icy Wind is better, picking up those same five wins PLUS Cradily and Corviknight. To be fair, that move combo also shows unique wins over Clodsire and Empoleon, but it's really Icy Wind that on its own conquers both of them. And again to be fair, Talonflame gains a couple of potential outs in 2v2 shielding without Night Slash spam... Thievul still has the advantage, but it's worth pointing out that a Flame Charge/Fly Talon gains a new path to potential victory.

So again, Night Slash/Icy Wind is fine, and would be worth the Community Day grind. But JRE recommends Play Rough's closing power and coverage paired with Icy Wind instead. How do YOU feel about that? Sound off in comments... I'd love to see some discussion on this.

And to throw more fuel on that fire, let's check out a place where Thievul has NOT had much success to this point: Ultra League. It tops out at 2415 CP at best (or 2444 CP if you best buddy it and push to Level 51), but honestly, it hasn't been worth it. If you're going to make THAT kind of commitment, at least get the bang for your buck with something like Umbreon, amirite? Well, strap yourselves in, boys and girls... that may be about to all change!

ULTRA LEAGUE

So clearly Icy Wind is worth having in Great League, with enough new wins that you may need to use two hands to count them all. Now in Ultra, the extra Dark damage of spammy Night Slash still has its uses, particularly against targets that resist Ice and Fairy damage (and therefore outlast Icy Wind/Play Rough Thievul, like Forretress and Typhlosion), but there's just too much that Ice (and debuffs) can do in this meta to ignore. There's the obvious weak-to-Ice stuff like Zygarde, Regidrago, Toucannon, and Galarian Moltres, some that aren't as immediately obvious but lose in large part due to neutral debuffs (Lickilicky, Corviknight, Bellibolt. Shadow Ampharos, Swampert, Steelix), and then ones that make NO sense, like Blastoise (resists Icy Wind), Tentacruel (resists Ice and Fairy), and my favorite head-scratcher here: Shadow Empoleon, which resists Play Rough and double resists Icy Wind. Yet it is Ice (and Fairy) that beats it, while neutral and spammy Night Slash loses, either in combinatoon with Icy Wind or just trying to outspam on its own. That attack debuff from Icy Wind is legit even when the move itself is hitting like a soft pillow. And Play Rough is critical too... without its closing power, you may miss Icy's improvements entirely!

While shieldless matchups are once again not much improved as compared to pre-Icy Wind (though worth noting that a Level 51 Thievul can actually pick up additional wins over Corviknight and Drapion), the improvement in 2v2 shielding is not quite as mind-blowing at the 1v1 improvements (seriously, double digit new wins still has my jaw on the floor a bit), but the improvement over the former best is still very apparent. Only Shadow Ampharos and Steelix slip away, while all the following slide into the win column: Drapion, Shadow Empoleon, Forretress, Shadow Ninetales, Regidrago, Zygarde, Swampert, and non-Shadow Ampharos, a +6 improvement overall. Like, what are you waiting for? This combined with the 1shield improvement makes this a no-brainer. You will likely NEVER have a better chance to grind for the XLs you need, so go go go!

IN SUMMATION

Usually, a Community Day comes along that you expect to be really good — or bad — and while I try to always cover them regardless, yeah, the end result is usually a confirmation of everyone's expectations. But every now and then, one arrives quietly, blowing in like a gentle (icy?) wind and passing right on by if you're not paying attention. This is one of those, with the potential to blow in like a hurricane in PvP metas. Seriously, Thievul's new rankings seem low to me, and that's with it nearly cracking the Top 40 in Great League! Yeah... it's better than even that, folks! And worth the full grind for Ultra League as well, with all 296 XL Candy needed to max it out. It's actually, really, truly worth it if you have the fortitude to brave that late summer weather.

Whether you plan to give it your all this Community Day or take it easy and settle on just a new Great League Thievul and maybe a couple shinies, I wish you good weather and happy hunting! Until next time, you can usually find me on Twitter with regular GO analysis nuggets or Patreon.

Good luck on your grind, have some fun with your locals, and catch you next time, Pokéfriends!

So uh... hey there, Pokéfriends. Remember me? Your friendly neighborhood PvP writer/analyst. Believe it or not, it's been over a month since my last published article, something absolutely unheard of in my seven and a half years of doing this. The answer as to why is both simple and complex, but in short, it started with a rather lackluster season of new PvP sutff to write about (soo many repeat metas this season and not much exciting new stuff to highlight, even among new releases), then a family vacation, and then continued apathy and, honestly, a little disillusionment with the about-to-be-forced new PvP mechanics. (Bye bye "Competitors Cup" in a few short weeks!) It's been hard to get back in the saddle, to be frank.

But we have at least some intrigue now, with the return of a meta we haven't seen in over two years, and a really good Community Day coming up (which will be my next article!). And of course, a new season and likely big, post-Wordls move rebalance on the horizon. So back in the saddle I go, with a new "NIfty or Thrifty" to get my feet wet again.

This article series takes a comprehensive look at the meta for PvP Cup formats — the return of Evolution Cup after a decently long hiatus, in this case — particularly focused on Pokémon where you can save yourself some stardust. As is typical for the NoT series, I'll cover not only the top meta picks, but also some mons where you can save some dust with cheaper second move unlock costs or less XL investment. Because especially for one-week formats like this, it can be overwhelming trying to figure out how to compete without breaking our budget.

As a quick reminder, this is a Great League (1500 CP or less) format that features all middle evolutions... things that have evolved once and can still evolve again. It's a bit funky with a LOT of names not normally seen in PvP, as you'll see.

Perhaps moreso in this meta of middle evolutions than most Cups, there can be some serious XL Candy investments required, so while we will follow the usual 10k/50k/75k second move order, I will also throw some money bags on things that require those heavier XL Candy/stardust investments. The more bags of cash, the more you will need to invest! Get it? Got it? Good, then let's get this show (back) on the road!

10,000 Dust/25 Candy

Obviously, every starter Pokémon has a middle evolution, so as you can guess, there is actually a very deep "bench" of 10k options to pick from in Evolution Cup. But which ones are the most viable? Let's take a look! We'll actually begin with some non-starter options and then move on from there.

CHARJABUG

Volt Switchᴸ | X-Scissor & Discharge/Returnᴸ

The only 10k option ranked inside the Top 10, and while the overall record isn't eye-popping, Charj is very worthy of that ranking, as it absolutely shreds every single Water type but Marshtomp and every Flying type but Dartrix, just as you'd want your Electric type to do. But it's also arguably the only viable Bug in this meta, and that has value too; Charj can beat all Darks but Zweilous, all Psychics but Metang, and all Fighters that don't sling Fire or Rock Tomb (namely Gurdurr and Hakamo-o). But it doesn't end there, as Charjabug also overpowers Ursaring, Vigoroth, Haunter, Sliggoo, Tinkatuff (this is a big one!), and even Shadow Magneton which resists Charj's Electric and Bug damage. And you can even mix things up with either the Shadow variant (which drops Haunter and Sliggoo, but picks up Doublade and Zweilous instead) or even the purified variant, which loses Tinkatuff and Fletchinder, but picks up wins versus Nidorina and Marshtomp thanks to Return. Charjabug, bee tee dubs, is the most used Pokémon in Evolution Cup right now, per the always-awesome GO Battle Log.

LAIRON

Metal Sound | Body Slam & Rock Tomb

Speaking of Rock Tomb, Lairon comes with it, but it wasn't able to really utilize it properly in the past, being stymied by Metal Claw bring its only viable fast move. But that's all changed now with Metal Sound, and the improvement couldn't be clearer, with Alolan Graveler, Haunter, Nidorina, Sealeo (regular and Shadow), Shelgon, Shadow Zweilous, and Tinkatuff all moving into the win column for the first time. Its inherently great type combination — weak only to Water, Fighting, and Ground, and resisting nine other typings, two of them (Flying and Normal) a double resistance and one (Poison) a triple resistance — means that it can beat all non-Ground Dragons but Dragonair (Aqua Jet) and Hakamo-o (Fighting damage), all Ghosts but Doublade, and ALL Fairy, Poison, Flying, Bug, and/or Ice types in the format, among others.

CARKOL 💰💰

Smack Down | Rock Blast & Flame Charge

Oh, if only it had Incinerate like Coalossal! But alas, Carkol is stuck behind Smack Down. It puts up a competitive record anyway, dominating Flying, Bug, and most Fire, Grass, Electric, Fairy, and Ice types across Evolution Cup. Unfortunately, it has some rather sizeable gaping holes, losing badly to Fighting, Ground, and especially Water types. But on the right team, it absolutely has a place here despite its flaws, though it's also a very steep investment that has to be pushed to nearly Level 50 to be at its best.

ALOLAN GRAVELER

Volt Switch | Rock Blast & Thunderbolt/Stone Edge

An old veteran of Limited metas, and frankly, A-Grav has had much better showings in some of those formats. But it still does enough in Evolution Cup to be worth a shot for players that know it well. Obviously Flyers want nothing to do with it, and with the rare recommendation of Thunderbolt over the usual Stone Edge in this particular meta, it can overcome its weakness to Water to outslug most of them too (Sealeo and half-Ground Marshtomp and Palpitoad being the only notable exceptions). It beats Fires, Bugs of course, and even most opposing Electric types (even Magneton which resists literally all of A-Grav's moves).

CROCALOR

Incinerate | Disarming Voice & Flamethrower

Fire generally has a bad time in this meta, but little Croc is a notable exception... at least the right kind of Croc is. Generalized IVs does fine, still better than all other Fire types with one exception (that exception being the very next Pokémon up after this!). But while most of the 'mons covered in this article don't see many changed across IV spreads, Croc with high rank IVs is a BIG exception, gaining win potential versus Primeape, Haunter, Ursaring, Sealeo, and even Zweilous thanks to the unique coverage of Disarming Voice. Suddenly Crocalor has a record worth investing in, eh? Light 'em up. 🔥

FLETCHINDER 💰

Peck | Flame Charge & Fly

There's a case to be made also for Heat Wave, but with so many opposing Water and other Fire types around that resist Fire damage, I trust Fly more... while Heat Wave can burn through Metang, Fly instead flips Fire-resistant Shelgon (Heat Wave can only tie, at best) and is necessary to not outright lose the mirror match. Even better: you can save a LOT of XL candy and dust by building a near-hundo Fletch, and that sort of Fletchinder with Fly flat out wins the mirror and picks up Dusclops as well, whereas a similar-IV Fletch with Heat Wave just loses ground by dropping Marshtomp and Shelgon entirely. And also friendly on the budget: Shadow Fletchinder isn't really worth the investment in this format... it can overpower a couple things like Dusclops and Togetic, but it drops too much in exchange with new losses like Dewott, Marshtomp, Piloswine, Ursaring, and always-contested Shelgon.

TRUMBEAK 💰💰

Peck | Drill Peck & Sky Attack/Returnᴸ

Pecking its way into competitiveness, just like big bro Toucannon. While it lacks Toucan Sam's awesome Beak Blast, Trumbeack retains the Peck and Drill Peck that drives a lot of PvP success these days, so it's just up to you to decide if you want the slightly higher damage of Sky Attack or the closing power of Return. Of course, that may be strictly academic anyway, since ShadowBeak is better anyway and doesn't even have the option of Return, and while it's quite expensive to build, the extra wins over Primeape, Nidorina, Wattortle, Vigoroth, and even Piloswine and Charjabug seem more than worth it... and carry more weight than the new losses (Dragonair and Ursaring). Shadow Trumbeak even has potential viability outside of Evolution Cup, so not a bad project to undertake if you can afford it!

DARTRIX

Peck | Seed Bomb & Brave Bird

Another fine option for formats outside of this one, Dartrix conveniently doesn't even require XLs to get there, and definitely cashes in here in Evolution Cup too. Grass actually has a really rough go of it in this format, and if you want to run one, Dartrix is the highest ranked and probably has the best shot of being truly disruptive. Just make sure that, despite Energy Ball being recently buffed and PvPoke constantly recommending it, you actually park it for this format. Seed Bomb and Brave Bird are the combo you want, helping win the mirror and outracing other scary stuff like Crocalor too.

DEWOTT

Fury Cutter | Aqua Tail & X-Scissor

Few middle evolution starters emulate their final evolution as much as Dewott, at least with this level of success. Aqua Tail and X-Scissor are the spammier (albeit lower damage) versions of Samurott's Hydro Cannon and Megahorn, and just like big Sammie, Dewie comes out as a Water that operates as a solid anti-Grass weed wacker with its full Bug moveset, yet still a typing and coverage favorable to washing away the Fires, Grounds, and Rocks you want your Water type to handle. But perhaps most impressive is its ability to shred all opposing Water types in this format except pesky Palpitoad. (More on that little guy shortly.)

WARTORTLE 💰💰

Water Gun | Aqua Jet & Ice Beam

As with big bro Blastoise, Wartortle is not fancy. It doesn't wow you with flashy moves. it's a little underpowered, making even the decent moves it does have feel like they're hitting through pillows. But also like Blastoise, Wartortle puts in a nice workmanlike performance anyway, particularly if you have really high rank IVs (adding Primeape, the mirror, and a tie with Dusclops), thanks to the one thing that does make it shine: great bulk. It's the bulkiest Water type you can find here, one of only two Waters that get into the Top 10 in bulk in Evolution Cup (Sealeo is the other, looking up at Wartortle). Unfortunately, it has to be maxed or very nearly so to get to 1500 CP, so this is no "thrifty" project... sorry!

MARSHTOMP

Mud Shot | Surf & Sludge

One of only two Mud Boys in this format, and a solid performer, more versatile than ever with the now-useful Sludge in the mix, which I think can comfortably slot in over the Return I used to suggest.

DIDN'T MAKE THE CUT: Look, I love me some BRIONNE in the right format. This just isn't one of them.... I've recommended PRINPLUP here in the past, but the meta has shifted enough that I just can't in good conscience do it anymore. Its numbers are inflated by Bubble Beam baits, and even that isn't enough to feel great about it these days.... I want to recommend more variety with Fire-type starters, I just can't. BRAXIEN is the highest-ranked, and I mean, it's okay, just not remarkable in any way. Same story, unfortunately, with others that seem great in theory but likely not in practice, like COMBUSKEN, QUILAVA, or CHARMELEON, . I dunno, maybe PIGNITE? 🤷‍♂️ Yeah, I can't quite believe I just wrote that either.... Sadly, I have to concede the same is true of Grass starters as well. My boy IVYSAUR is just sad now, arguably working better as a Razor Leafer, somehow, than with Vine Whip. Strange times. SERVINE is ranked decently, but quite frankly, it is NO Serperior. I expected a lot more of the twice-buffed SWADLOON, but alas.

50,000 Dust/50 Candy

PALPITOAD

Mud Shot | Water Pulse & Earth Power

And here's Mud Boy #2. While it lacks the Ice coverage that has driven Seismitoad from total PvP obscurity to overnight superstardom this season, Emperor Sheev Palpitoad (please tell me that pun still resonates! 🙏) is nonetheless bolstered by this season's cost reduction for Earth Power, which combines with Water Pulse for two 50-energy moves to keep opponents on their toes, especially with high-energy-generated Mud Shot driving them. The end result is a super solid Mini Mud Boy that can outperform even Marshtomp overall, dropping Togetic, Hakamo, and Charjabug but overpowering Dusclops, Primeape, Piloswine, and Fletchinder instead.

SEALEO

Powder Snow | Body Slam & Surf

Well deserving of its high rank, Sealeo has obvious struggles versus Electric and/or Steel types, as well as some Fighters that prey on its weakness to Fighting damage... but not much else. It can rather uniquely contend with Fire and Grass types in addition to the Flyers and Dragons you'd expect of a good Ice type, and even spams through many opposing Waters — despite its Ice and Water damage being resisted — thanks to Body Spam Slam. I lean pretty heavily towards the non-Shadow version here, BTW, as Shadow Sealeo, while capable of uniquely overpowering Hakamo-o, just gives up too much, including Arctibax, Primeape, Dusclops, and Nidorina.

PILOSWINE

Powder Snow | Icicle Spear & High Horsepower

Your other big name Ice option functions quite differently. Compared to the complimentary Ice/Water typing of Sealeo, Piloswine's Ground subtyping can be more liability (weak to Water, Fire) than aid (resist Electric, Poison). It DOES mean clear wins over Charjabug and Alolan Graveler that mostly plague Sealeo and others (as well as Hakamo-o thanks to the sheer closing power of High Horsepower), but it also leaves Pilo with losses like Dragonair, Arctibax, Wartortle, Fletchinder, Crocalor, and Primeape that Sealeo emerges from victorious (as well as losing the head-to-head with Sealeo itself). Both are certainly viable, but they are NOT one-size-fits-all. Which one benefits YOUR team more, trainer?

NIDORINA 💰💰💰

Poison Sting | Poison Fang & Dig

Yep, it's good, and the Shadow is perhaps even a touch better. And yes, you will absolutely sit her around as a result. The problem if YOU want to build it? She had to be fully maxed to get to even 1480 CP. So much for thrifty!

HAUNTER

Shadow Claw | Shadow Punch & Ice Punch/Shadow Ball

I am an unabashed Haunter stan, I will admit. I see it here and there in GBL, but IMO it is criminally underrated in many Limited metas. Maybe its performance here in Evolution Cup will finally open some eyes? No? Still not impressed? Okay, then I raise you one Shadow Haunter. Gotcha! Of note: Ice Punch is great for getting around things that resist Ghost (like Vigoroth), are particularly weak to Ice damage (like Sliggoo), or uh... both! (Zweilous) Shadow Ball is instead better for punching out stuff that resists Ice like Tinkatuff, Wartortle, and Lairon.

URSARING

Shadow Claw | Swift & Close Combat

The perfect bridge between Haunter (Shadow Claw) and the next entry on this list (Close Combat finally bringing in some Fighting damage to this meta), Ursa actually impressed me, and even the flimsy Shadow variant does good work. It's not the best at any particular thing, but it's a nice wild card that can put the opponent on their back heel.

PRIMEAPE

Karate Chopᴸ | Rage Fistᴸ & Close Combat/Ice Punch

Last time in Evolution Cup, this looked like a rare chance to spotlight Primeape, in its pre-Rage Fist, pre-buffed-Karate Chop days when it struggled to compete with other Fighters. Nowadays, however, it's one of those rare Evolution Cup stars that you see plenty of outside of this meta... you're probably kind of sick of it by now, honestly. Too bad, trainer! Love it or (likely) loathe it, Primeape is gonna be everywhere this week. I do lean towards Close Combat over Ice Punch, though Ice is much better on ShadowApe than it is with non-Shadow (dropping Dusclops and Marshtomp, but gaining Hakamo, Sliggoo, Shadow Sealeo, Piloswine, Vigoroth and others. But Close Combat can knock out things Ice Punch never can like Sealeo, Nidorina, the great evil known as Chansey (not that you'll see many of those because you readers out there of course know that you DO NOT RUN CHANSEY), and the important mirror match... Ice is really ONLY better in edge cases like Dartrix and Golbat that have a critical weakness to Ice AND resist Fighting damage. My primary recommendation is non-Shadow with Karate Chop/Rage Fist/Close Combat. Others work and can sometimes be a better fit on certain teams, but KC/RF/CC non-Shadow is the most well-rounded and impactful, IMO.

And sorry, but you really need Legacy Karate Chop. Low Kick is okay, but not a suitable substitute.

MACHOKE

Karate Chop | Cross Chopᴸ & Dynamic Punch

Karate Chop is NOT Legacy here, which is nice, but unfortunately you may still have to dip into the Elite TMs for Cross Chop. Non-Shadow really needs it, as Brick Break just doesn't quite keep up, but with ShadowChoke, Brick Break can actually work well enough as compared to Cross Chop. Either way, it is no longer Return you want for neutral coverage, but just good old Dynamic Punch, which is much more of a threat than it was two years ago! Yes, that leaves Machoke with nothing but Fighting damage output, but the moves are SO good that it can get away with it.

DUSCLOPS 💰

Hex | Poltergeist & Ice Punch/Shadow Punch

Dusknoir has come a long way in the last two years, but that does not at all diminish the fact that Dusclops is a fantastic PvP Pokémon too. It's incredibly bulky, trailing only Chansey and Carkol in this format, whike still being plenty spammy with Hex and cheap Ice Punch. Why not Shadow Punch, you ask? I mean, there's nothing at all wrong with running that, it's just that I think you really want Poltergeist here, as running without it just has a notable dropoff from running with its closing power, with lots of stuff like Crocalor, Piloswine, Shadow Sealeo, Shadow Dragonair, Hakamo-o, and the big mirror match getting away without Poltergeist. And running triple Ghost moves leaves it with NO answers versus the big Normal and Dark types in the meta, so again, I lean Ice Punch for the spam (and coverage) move to get around big names like Zweilous, Vigoroth, Ursaring and such... which seems a fine tradeoff for the occasional Lairon or the like that can get away. And yes, that all goes for ShadowClops as well, though its reduced bulk does it less favors here than the slight Attack boost, especially when we're talking Poltergeist punchouts. Worth noting that Shadow more consistently outraces Primeape and its Rage Punching, though that one is always scarier than you might think and goed Primeape's way frighteningly often!

MORGREM 💰💰

Sucker Punch | Foul Play & Play Rough

Sucker Punch is one of the best fast moves in the game, you can count the number of relevant things in this meta that resist it on one hand — well, Count Rugen's hand, at least — and Morgrem has a unique and favorable type combination too? What's NOT to like? Well, the record is great, but so is the cost, as Morgrem has to be nearly (or completely) maxed out to achieve its highest marks. Seriously, trying to save even a little bit with high rank but not very high rank IVs sheds wins quickly. It's worth the investment, but not everyone can splurge like that. If you're worried about facing one, make sure you're packing some Poison, Steel (though Metang and especially Doublade are far from reliable with all the Dark damage they'll be taking!), or Fairy damage of your own.

TOGETIC

Fairy Wind | Psyshock & Dazzling Gleam/Heat Wave/Ancient Power

Fairy Wind and Psyshock are pretty easy, but what for the second charge move? There are good cases for several, with Heat Wave turning the tables on Steels like Metang and Tinkatuff, Dazzling Gleam slamming the door on things like Wartortle and Marshtomp (both surprisingly dangerous with their Ice and Poison moves), and even Ancient Power to target down a few big Fire and/or Flying types in Evolution Cup (Fletchinder and Crocalor most notably, but also sometimes others like Dartrix too). Decisons, decisions! 🤔

MAGNETON

Volt Switch | Magnet Bomb & Discharge

It's much flimsier than you'd like, and I've already pointed out a couple instances where this torpedoes what should be easy wins, such as Charjabug and Alolan Graveler, both of which can win despite 'Ton resisting all their Electric, Rock, and Bug damage. But Magneton can still be very dangerous, perhaps even moreso as a Shadow which trades away Ursaring and fully abandons Charjabug to instead overcome Metang, Shelgon, and Alolan Graveler. Magnet Bomb in particular does some really good work here.

NACLSTACK 💰💰💰

Mud Shot | Rock Blast & Rock Tomb

Finishing out the 50ks with some deep cut spice. Nacl is a mono-Rock type in a format stuffed with Water, Fighting, and Steel damage that should drive it out of the meta. It has no STAB fast moves, and has to rely on lousy Rock Blast, of all things. But dangit, somehow it just works. It's a little awkward though, as Mud Shot doesn't really do enough Ground damage to flip Steels, so you're really just relying on those Rock moves. Thankfully, that's still enough to smash through most Ice, Flying, Fire, and Bug types, with very nice bonuses like Zweilous, Sliggoo, Shelgon, Haunter, Dusclops, Alolan Graveler, and Nidorina. It's not cheap, and it's not even really pretty, but it DOES look like a fun option that I guarantee 99% of opponents won't see coming at all.

75,000 Dust/75 Candy

DOUBLADE

Shadow Claw | Sacred Sword & Gyro Ball

I mean, with a unique combination of Ghost, Fighting, and Steel damage, Doublade is double trouble here. About the only things it can't overcome are those that dish otu steady Ghost, Dark, Fire, and/or Ground damage. That's really about it. The win column is stuffed with most everything else. I can't talk this one up enough... Doublade was made for PvP, and this is perhaps its best format.

METANG

Fury Cutter | Psyshock & Gyro Ball

So being honest here: as much as I like Metang, and I really, really do, it's basically just a worse Doublade here, and that goes for the Shadow variant as well, which gains Shadow Zweilous, Shelgon, Dewott, Golbat, and even Marshtomp, but loses ShadowApe, Ursaring, Fletchinder, and Wartortle in the process.

KLANG

Metal Sound | Thunderbolt & Vise Grip

Magneton... but better? I think we're looking at a completely underrated gem with this one, folks. I did finally start running into some Klang this evening (August 12th at the time of this writing), but I've seen a lot more of 'Ton, and I really do think this is just an upgrade. Perhaps part of Klang's superiority is the great neutral coverage of Vise Grip, or (more likely) Klang's significantly better bulk, Top 20 among all Pokémon in the Cup. Whatever it is, just consider running it as your Steely Electric (even though it's not an Electric type at all!) and not looking back.

TINKATUFF 💰💰💰

Fairy Wind | Play Rough & Flash Cannon

I mean, it's no Tinkaton, lacking not only its exclusive and overpowering Hammer Time, but also the coverage of Bulldoze. Instead, Tuffy is left with the significantly slower and less exciting Flash Cannon and Play Rough and... that's literally it. Not even a third charge move available! And it also has to be completely maxed out, still falling short of 1500 CP even then. I expected to see a ton of them in this Cup anyway, but personally have only witnessed like two teams with Tinkatuff, and to me, at least, that does make sense. You'd expect to get a bit more for the investment. It's good, no doubt, but not great.

HAKAMO-O

Dragon Tail | Brick Break & Rock Tomb

And now we get to a steady run of Dragons. I'm starting with Hakamo because it's ranked higher every other Dragon but one, and honestly, I think it has the most going for it. For one thing, it's a complete wall to Charjabug, resisting literally everything that Charj can throw at it (I'm pretty sure it's the only thing here that does)... and remember there is data that Charjabug is the most used Pokémon thus far. But a lot of it also comes down to moves. Hakamo-o has not one, but TWO charge moves that directly answer Ice types that plague most Dragons, as well as direct answers to Steels that plague Dragons (with Brick Break) and Flyers that plague Fighters (with Rock Tomb). It can even pound Ghosts with steady neutral damage from Dragon Tail and Rock Tomb, showing out with nice wins over Dusclops (even with scary Ice Punch) and Lampent. While it doesn't have the most impressive record, what Hakamo does have is a lot of versatility. There are very few fights it can find itself in in Evolution Cup and not be able to at least beat the opponent up on its way out and likely take a shield with it, even in most matchups against traditional Dragon/Fighting counters. It's always a threat that has to be respected and planned around by the opponent... and the defensive debuffs from Brick Break and attack debuffs from Rock Tomb just add to its positive impacts for your team. I think this one hits way above the mere win/loss numbers.

ZWEILOUS

Dragon Breath | Body Slam & Dark Pulse

Another tricky out thanks to a moveset that can put the hurt on nearly everything with at least one of its moves, and will draw shields that many other Dragons simply can't. That being said, despite a record a bit better than Hakamo, it doesn't have direct answers to much, with Dark Pulse maiming Ghosts but not much else, and Zweil usually drawing the short end of the stick versus most opposing Fighting, Fairy, Dragon, and Ice types, hitting them for good neutral damage but taking super effective damage throughout ultimately losing battles. I DO like Zweilous quite a bit here, but I think it is perhaps a little overhyped as the third-rated Dragon. Same goes for Shadow too, despite a slightly higher number of wins.

DRAGONAIR

Dragon Breath | Aqua Tail & Wrap

Aqua Tail is some very nice coverage, combining with 'Nair's good bulk to allow it to turn the tables on Steel types (sometimes, at least) while still overcoming Water and Grass types that resist it thanks to its spammy Dragon Breath and Wrap (which conveniently weakens the opponent, sort of like how Hakamo operates). Compared to flashier Dragons with appealing secondary typings and exotic moves, Dragonair looks almost boring, but it's as solid a performer as they come, in both regular and Shadow variants. This "boring" Dragon overcomes nearly all others in one-on-one battles, despite the fact tat most of them happen to resist Aqua Tail! There's a reason it's the most used Dragon so far.

SHELGON

Dragon Breath | Twister & Flamethrower

It's the only Dragon ranked higher than Hakamo-o, sitting at the bottom of the Top 10 (at the time of this writing, anyway). The appeal is somewhat obvious, with Flamethrower able to melt Steel and Ice that are usually terrible matchups for Dragons (most definitely including in Evolution Cup) while Dragon Breath and Twister combine with pretty great bulk (higher than Dragonair!) combine to overwhelm Water and Fire types that resist Flamethrower. In other words, there are very few holes in Shelly's game. I'm having a really hard time thinking of anything in this Cup that resists both... can you? Throw me a comment if you can name one. And then go out and check your bench for a good Shelgon (regular or Shadow you can potentially deploy. It's one of the safer investments for PvP use in general too, so what are you waiting for?

SLIGGOO

Dragon Breath | Body Slam & Dragon Pulse

GooGoo is also a nice build for Open play these days, but unlike Shelgon, that does NOT translate all that well to Evolution Cup. For one thing, it's left completely toothless versus Steel types (unless you really wanna spring for Water Pulse). But outside of that... what does it do that other Dragons don't do better? Dragonair, for example, which puts out similar coverage but is just better in basically every way? Sliggoo is viable, I won't sit here and say otherwise, but it is not ideal when stacked up against the bounty of other Dragon options.

ARCTIBAX

Dragon Breath | Icy Wind/Avalanche & Outrage

As per usual, I actually recommend Outrage over the general default of Dragon Claw. Bax has the bulk to make it work... and it can overcome Sealeo that way, which is actually pretty huge! Ironically, Arctibax's biggest hole is versus other Dragons, most of which outlast it somehow. But it cuts a wide swath through most of the rest of the meta with its unique coverage. I like it as a chill option here... and I'll show myself out now. 🥶😅

GABITE

Mud Shot | Twister & Dig

I gotta be honest: in this meta where a Ground subtyping seems more liability than strength — making all the Water and Grass types in the meta much scarier for Gabite than they are for basically every other Dragon — I am personally not a fan of running Gabite. I mention it, however, because A.) I'd be a very bad analyst and writer to exclude things I don't personally feel great about, and B.) it keeps popping up as I analyze other things. Its effectiveness versus Electric and Poison times cannot be understated, and it's a Dragon that has little trouble with Steel types, and those factors... well, ARE a factor. I just think it's more of a specialist that can plug holes on certain teams much more than it's a a generalist that you can run out there on most teams like many of these other Dragons are. You do you, dear reader... if Gabite suits you and your team well, please chuckle at silly JRE as you wreck face with it, and more power to you!

GURDURR

Low Kick | Brick Break & Stone Edge

Wrapping things up with what is decidedly NOT a Dragon. Gurdurr is likely way off most people's radar as it isn't flashy like Primeape, a past reliable performer like Machoke (frankly it was completely useless until last season's big buff to Low Kick), or particularly versatile like Hakamo-o. But it IS relatively bulky (moreso than any other Fighter here besides Hakamo) and slams the door pretty hard on Fire types and Charjabug with Stone Edge while putting the hurt on much of the rest of the meta with compiling debuffs from spammy Brick Break. Yes, it's a bit more expensive those most other Fighters, but Gurdurr is NOT to be overlooked.

DIDN'T MAKE THE CUT: I want to recommend LAMPENT, I really do. On paper, it has a lot going for it with a neat typing, solid Fire-type pressure, and a suddenly awesome Energy Ball to show off. But its very poor bulk is just too much to overcome, and even as a spice option, I don't feel I can really push it very hard. (But I REALLY wish I could!).... Alas poor VIGOROTH, we hardly knew thee. Actually, that's not true at all... we knew you WAY too well there for a while, and you used to be unpleasant to work around in this meta. You remain on the PvPoke core meta list as a nod to past domination, but I don't think many will weep over your fall from grace.

And we're done! Hopefully this helps you balance the cost of where to save yourself some hard-earned dust (and candy!) and have FUN doing it.

Until next time (and I promise it won't be a long wait again!), you can usually find me on Twitter for regular analysis nuggets, or Patreon. And please, feel free to comment here with your own thoughts or questions and I'll try to get back to you!

Thank you for reading! I sincerely hope this helps you master Evolution Cup, and in the most affordable way possible. Best of luck, and catch you next time, Pokéfriends!

The "Nifty Or Thrifty" article series takes a comprehensive look at the meta for PvP Cup formats: the return of the Ultra League version of Fantasy Cup, in this case, for the first time since Season 13, if I'm remembering correctly. Quite a lot has obviously changed in the game since then! So as is typical for the NoT series, I'll cover not only the top meta picks, but also some mons where you can save some dust with cheaper second move unlock costs or less powering up, though there aren't many things that fall into the truly "thrifty" category in this one, I'm sorry to say!

As per usual, we'll start with Pokémon with the cheapest second move unlock cost and steam ahead until we finally arrive at the most expensive (Legendaries and some high XL options). And unfortunately, as I hinted above, there are very few truly thrifty options here, with only a couple 10k Pokémon to be found in the Top 25. I will also only be highlighting the even more expensive Shadow versions when they're particularly relevant, though many are worse, and that's what you can generally infer if I don't talk about them.

First, a brief summary of the meta:

WHAT IS FANTASY CUP?

• Ultra League, 2500 CP limit.

• Only Dragon-, Fairy-, and Steel-type Pokémon are allowed to be used.

• No other restrictions. Legendaries, Mythicals, and Ultra Beasts are a-okay (and several are, indeed, top meta picks).

Alright, strap in... here we go!

10,000 Dust/25 Candy

PRIMARINA

Waterfall/Charm | Hydro Cannonᴸ & Moonblast

Prima Donna didn't get its Community Day and Hydro Cannon until a year after our last Ultra League Fantasy Cup, and of course has had both of its fast moves reworked just this year. And while it doesn't pull incredible numbers at surface level, there's a lot more here than just numbers, and its high ranking (higher than any other 10k 'mon) is very much earned. It can beat everything ranked above it except for Mimikyu, and the rest of the Top 10 other than Corviknight (and it can even sometimes sneak in a win over ShadowKnight). Water is potent (isn't it always?) in this meta as a great way to get around Steel and even most other Fairies — and for that reason, I really recommend Waterfall over Charm — and just as with Azumarill down in Great League, Prima's Fairy half is normally good anyway, but fantastic here for its (double!) resistance to Dragon. A cheap second move and only needing to hit Level 30 or so makes it a rare thrify treat in this meta too. Cha-ching! 🤑

EMPOLEON

Waterfall/Metal Sound | Hydro Cannonᴸ & Drill Peck

Just squeaking into the Top 20, but in fairness, that's with Metal Sound. As with Primarina, I actually think that Waterfall may be the better overall play. While Metal Sound can outrace Alolan Sandslash, Primarina, and most importantly, Mimikyu, Waterfall can just do more, washing away Corviknight, Galarian Stunfisk, Flygon, Reshiram, and enemy Empoleons. Similarly, Shadow Empoleon is slightly better with Waterfall as well, getting G-Fisk, A-Slash, Steelix, Turtonator, and the mirror rather than Metal Sound's Kingdra, Primarina, Tinkaton, and sometimes (Shadow) Galarian Weezing. Waterfall Cup confirmed? 🌊

CORVIKNIGHT

Sand Attack | Air Cutterᴸ & Payback/Iron Headᴸ

So the first choice here is which move to run alongside the basically required Air Cutter. We have Iron Head for obvious anti-Fairy hate, or Payback which Fairies actually resist, but gives Corvi its best shot versus opposing Steel types. Then the next question is Shadow or not? And then finally, what about IVs? Building a higher rank Corviknight to Ultra League level means pushing deep into the 40s, usually Level 47 or higher. Well to answer those questions, I think it's actually A.) I think it is still Payback you want for the closing move, as Corvi still conquers most Fairies without Iron Head (Togekiss, Florges, and sometimes G-Weeze are the only big exceptions), and Payback brings in big stuff like Giratina, Registeel, G-Fisk, the mirror, and even Tapu Fini; B.) non-Shadow seems slightly better than Shadow, with the latter better overpowering Zygrade and A-Slash, but non-Shadow instead outlasting Giratina, Primarina, Lucario, and Melmetal; and C.) you may be better off building up a near-hundo than higher rank IVs, as having that higher Attack can mean additional wins like Cobalion, Mimikyu (that's a big one, as we'll see in a bit), and of course the mirror match. That all said, both regular and Shadow Corviknight are deservedly ranked inside the Top 10, and really any Corviknight you already bave built up can and should see work in this meta. I'm just here to make sure YOU know this little nuances I find out. 🧐

LUCARIO (Baby Discount™)

Force Palmᴸ | Aura Sphere & Meteor Mash

Strictly by the numbers, Luc is just okay, but it does occupy a pretty unique spot in this meta as a true Fighter with upside. Consider it a budget Cobalion, with Luc scratching out unique wins over Florges, Kingdra, and Shadow Forretress, but Cob just being better overall with wins instead versus Corviknight, Melmetal, Shadow Flygon, Reshiram, and Lucario itself.

GHOLDENGO

Astonish/Hex | Shadow Ball & Focus Blast

Viable, but perhaps not as good as you'd want it to be. It's a Ghost that is inconsistent versus Fighters (usually beats Cobalion but loses to Lucario). It's a Steel that loses to Fairies like Primarina and Galarian Weezing (Brutal Swing hurts), and somehow loses to most of the meta's top Dragons. At least Focus Blast can be a very nasty surprise (I think most people expect Power Gem or Dazzling Gleam instead) and it can Astonish Mimikyu to death, but I was hoping for a bit more, honestly.

CLEFABLE

Fairy Wind | Meteor Mash & Moonblast

Dragons hate it (Clefable can beats ALL of them except sometimes Turtonato), and even most Fairies, including Mimikyu, fall before Clefable and its Meteor Mashing. (A few Fairies outlast it if they throw both shields at Clefable, but otherwise it's just half-Steel Tinkaton and Crowned Zacian — neither of which should be common encounters — that sometimes outlast it.) The big issue, of course, is Steels, as they resist everything Clefable has to throw at them. This holds it in check against the core meta (literally half of which are Steel types). It DOES manage to beat Fighters (Cob, Luc) and quasi-Fighters (Escavalier), so there's that. But even with its glaring blind spot versus most Steels, Clefable is a fantastic budget option here, and can be built even more budget-friendly as a hundo and miss out on very, very little.

And unfortunately, that's about it for true budget options. I did my best! We get increasingly expensive from here....

50,000 Dust/50 Candy

MIMIKYU

Shadow Claw | Shadow Sneak & Thunder/Play Rough

The Disguise Pokémon is ranked #2, and this may be many players big introduction to this funky new addition, with this being the first Cup ever in which it's eligible. And what an introduction. 💀 It needs to be maxed out, making it extremely budget-unfriendly, but you KNOW people will be building it (or already have). For those that do, Thunder may actually be the better play here, with wins that Play Rough cannot match over Corviknight and Empoleon. And don't worry about giving up many Dragons without any Fairy moves... even without Play Rough, Mimikyu can still typically take out all non-Dark Dragons but Appletun, and handles most Fairies and even the vast majority of Steel types! Yeah, for better or for worse, Mimikyu and its third shield power is gong to be perhaps THE build-around piece in this meta... and many other metas to come until and unless Scopeantic modifies it.

A quick word on another factor that makes Mimik so good here: this is a very Ghost-friendly meta in general. Resisted only by Dark and Normal types, and you can count the number of those you may realistically see on one hand: Drampa, Guzzlord, Grimmsnarl, Kingambit, and maybe Hydreigon. (Honestly, though, I have personally seen only Drampa thus far.) Meanwhile, there are over three times as many competitive Ghost and Psychic types that are vulnerable to Ghost damage, and everything else takes neutral: most Dragons, Fairies, and Steels. Ghost damage is a great equalizer here that will apply pressure to nearly everything. There are only seven eligible Ghosts in this meta, and five of those seven find themselves ranked within the Top 50, with four of those cracking the Top 25 (well, technically Top 26, but close enough for government work!).

Anyway... onward!

FLORGES

Fairy Wind | Chilling Waterᴸ & Moonblast

This and the next Fairy below might be the closest we get to "thrifty" for the rest of the article. Florges has an affordable second move cost and doesn't even need to be leveled to 30 to hit 2500 CP, even with #1 rank IVs. And it's totally worth it too, able to overcome most Dragons and Fairies while Chilling Water also powers special Steel wins like Alolan Sandslash, Galarian Stunfisk, Steelix, and usually even Corviknight!

TOGEKISS

Peck | Aura Sphereᴸ & Flamethrower

And here's your other "cheap" Fairy in this section, even cheaper than Florges, actually. You probably don't need me to tell you that this Flying Fairy is quite unique, but uh... it really is. Its Flying side is actually perhaps more of a liability than a strength in this meta, as I think there will be more Electric and Ice to worry about taking super effective damage from than there will be Ground damage that Togekiss can resist, but that combined with its charge moves make Togekiss truly special. Aura Sphere is obvious now, but you really have to love what Flamethrower does here, roasting Steels like Corviknight, A-Slash, Forretress (even with Volt Switch), and Scizor along with the more obvious G-Fisk, Lucario, and Cobalion.

HATTERENE

Psycho Cut | Psyshock & Dazzling Gleam/Power Whip

One more Fairy that I think is WAY below most peoples' radar is Hatterene, which is flimsy but surprisingly good with Psycho Cut. It doesn't do anything particularly special (though running it with Power Whip at least makes it a great Primarina sniper)), but it has the looks of a much more viable option than I expected going in.

KINGDRA

Dragon Breath | Surf & Outrage

The one exception to my short hyothesis on "always run Waterfall from earlier, Kingdra is much better with Dragon Breath, along with Outrage for closing power and Surf for baits and coverage, as Swift just isn't very good here with so many Steels around to resist it. (At least Surf deals neutral to most of them.) It's not the most amazing Dragon ever in this particular meta, but it is absolutely a valid and comparatively affordable play.

DRAGALGE

Acid | Aqua Tail & Focus Blast

Here's a funky one, not so much because you never see it in PvP (you still often do, at least in limited metas), but because of the move recommendation. Yes, that IS Focus Blast you see in my recommendation, as it just offers so much that other alternatives do not, namely Steel types like Melmetal, Magnezone, Cobalion, Empoleon, A-Slash, and SScizor. I wouldn't label the Mock Kelp Pokémon top meta or anything, but I do think it has a place here, whereas its ranking as the 22nd-ranked Dragon, and down at #64 overall, will likely keep it off many players' teams.

SHADOW EXCADRILL

Mud Shot | Drill Run & Earthquake/Rock Slide

It's no Galarian Stunfisk or even Steelix, but Excadrill is a LOT cheaper and easier to build in a pinch, and still does a serviceable job. I think I would actually go all-Ground with Earthquake rather than Rock Slide, which can take down Dragonite but whiffs on things Quake can roll over like Registeel and G-Fisk itself.

MAGNEZONE

Volt Switch | Mirror Shot & Wild Charge

The advantages are obvious: shocking all the big Water and Flying types (except Dragonite), with the secondary benefit of handling most Fairies and Forretress, A-Slash, and even Melmetal as nice bonuses. The downside? Just about everything else. I think the upside wins, but anyone who has any experience with Magnezone knows that it's not for everyone.

ALOLAN SANDSLASH

Powder Snow | Drill Run & Blizzard/Ice Punch

Powder Snow seems a bit better than Shadow Claw, to my surprise, though it's well worth noting that the latter CAN beat out Primarina, Mimikyu, and the mirror. But Powder Snow just does too much to ignore, with wins that include Corviknight, Dragonite, and Flygon (their regular and Shadow variants) instead. I also recommend eschewing Ice Punch here for Blizzard instead, which makes Corviknight more consistent and adds on Florges too.

75,000 Dust/75 Candy

GARCHOMP & FLYGON

Mud Shot | Twister & Earth Powerᴸ

Yep, they're both pretty equally viable, and after a look at several of those movesets, I really do think *both are best off running Mud Shot with Legacy Earth Power and their newest addition in Twister. Both are slightly better as Shadows, though Shadow Garchomp does beat Shadow Flygon in the head to head, while Flygon can sometimes sneak away with a win over Shadow Scizor that Garchompy usually can't handle. Both are able to overpower many notable Steels that most Dragons struggle with, like Tinkaton, A-Slash, Registeel, and Forretress, along with Ground-weak Galarian Weezing, which are all great victories. However, they're also left more vulnerable than other Dragons to Water damage, and ironically lose to many of their fellow Dragons since Twister is then their only super effective response. (Turtonator is NO issue, though!) Think of them as Ground types with some Dragon coverage more than you think of them as Dragons with Ground coverage, and use them accordingly. But DO consider using them... I think they're a bit underrated right now.

And I know we're not at the Legendaries yet, but this seems as good a place as any to mention the other Dragon/Ground type, ZYGARDE. Yes, it's a bit better than Chompy or Flygone, but not as much as you might think. As it doesn't have a Ground fast move and is left running Dragon Tail (combined with widely neutral Crunch) instead, it does better versus Dragons (picking up Altaria, Kingdra, and Giratina), but struggles much more versus Steels, dropping stuff like A-Slash and Tinkaton that its budget replacements above can handle. If you have the Complete "Order Pokémon" built for Ultra League, absolutely run it out there. But if not, I do think the non-Legendary Grounded Dragons are still fine replacements with their own advantages in Fantasy Cup.

DRAGONITE

Dragon Breath | Thunder Punch & Superpower

Thunder Punch for Waters and Flyers (can beat Tapu Fini and Togekiss that way) and Superpower for Steels (with wins like Cobalion, Lucario, Corviknight, and even A-Slash). The OG Dragon is still a little too flimsy to surge in Ultra League, but both regular (outlasts Togekiss, Flygon, and Scizor) and Shadow (smacks aside Steelix, Registeel, and Altaria) are perfectly viable and well-rounded options here that require not a single XL Candy.

GOODRA

Dragon Breath | Aqua Tail & Thunder Punchᴸ

Thunder Punch makes a lot of sense again, and while Goodra misses out on Tapu Fini that Dragonite can shock to defeat, Gooey is MUCH more consistent in taking down Togekiss and importantly overcomes Primarina as well! With Aqua Tail as its spammy coverage move, it can take out Dragonite in the head to head, as well as getting special wins that 'Nite cannot like Giratina, Shadow Flygon, and Forretress, and beats several things that Dragonite has to choose one or the other between its regular and Shadow forms, like taking out both Scizor and Steelix, and Altaria and Flygon. Where it does struggle is against most Steels, with Dragonite's Superpower writing checks like Cobalion, Lucario, Registeel, A-Slash, and Corviknight that Goodra just cannot cash. (My tired brain is really dipping in deep on the metaphors, eh? 🤑) Goodra and Dragonite are on pretty equal footing, but have plenty of differences which you, dear reader, hopefully now better understand a bit!

KOMMO-O

Dragon Tail | Upper Hand & Clanging Scalesᴸ

Another 75k Dragon that can and probably should see play, with its own nuances. Like Dragonite, it can contend with (some) Steels like Cobalion, Lucario, A-Slash, and Forretress (including Shadow Forret that both Dragonite and Goodra struggle against). Like Goodra, it can reliably outlast Giratina, Kingdra, Altaria, Flygon (regular and Shadow), and even Zygarde that neither Goodra nor Dragonite can usually overcome. Where Kommo slides back is versus Waters and especially Flyers, since it lacks Electric coverage AND takes super effective Flying damage, so Corviknight, Dragonite, Empoleon, Tapu Fini, Primarina, and especially Togekiss all escape. And frustratingly, Kommo also fails to handle Steelix, Scizor, or Registeel, all of which you'd hope for a galf-Fighter with Upper Hand to beat. Kommo IS really solid, but as with the others, it has its limitations. Study them, learn them, and then make the best choice for YOUR team!

SHADOW SALAMENCE

Fire Fang | Brutal Swing & Fly

Haven't really seen this Dragon at all yet, mostly because it's normally just a worse Dragonite/Goodra/etc., but those who dismiss it miss its unique, secret tech: FIre Fang. If you run Sal, you want to do it with Fire Fang to shock and awe Steels (and even some Fairies) before they quite know what's happening. You're not really beating any Dragons that way, but the surprise factor may be worth a roll of the dice anyway if you're feeling spicy! 🌶️

METAGROSS

Shadow Clawᴸ | Meteor Mashᴸ & Earthquake

Regular and Shadow are both equally viable, with the former better oulasting Dragonite, Scizor, and Shadow Flygon, and the latter rolling over Steelix, Registeel, and even Tapu Fini instead, largely thanks to big neutral (and sometimes super effective) damage from Shadow Claw and the buffed-again Earthquake. The overall win/loss margin isn't great, but for much of its history, Metagross did nothing outside of Master League, so its viability here is nice to see!

DOUBLADE

Shadow Claw | Sacred Sword & Gyro Ball

Another case where the near-hundo is better than higher rank IVs, carving out extra potential wins over Shadow Forretress and Primarina (as well as Tapu Fini and a tie with Mimikyu in 2shield). I like Double Trouble here as a perhaps unexpected twist with a nice amount of variety. It can hit most Steels and Fairies for super effective damage of some kind and is a tough out for most Dragons too.

SYLVEON

Fairy Wind | Shadow Ball & Moonblast

I'm still kind of iffy on this one in general, as good as the additions of Fairy Wind and Shadow Ball this season have been. But I've seen a fair share on the opposing team already, so sure, it'll be out there. And Shadow Ball IS good here, as we've already extolled the virtues of Ghost damage in this meta. I hesitate to recommend it over other Fairies like Clefable, but Sylvie can get the job done well enough.

100,000 Dust/100 Candy

I'm terrinly behind on releasing this at this point, so switching to rapid fire, bulletized mode for these expensive options. Doesn't mean they're not highly competitive options, becsuse they absolutely are... 16 of the Top 25 ranked Pokémon in this meta qualify for these last couple sections! It's just that I really do need to wrap it up, and honestly, most of these are pretty obvious and don't require a ton of analysis anyway. Strap in... here we go!

• COBALION, as mentioned earlier, is just a better Lucario, and I've seen a TON of them so far. There is obvious value in Iron Head, but Stone Edge may be the better play with new potential wins like Dragonite, Kingdra, and Forretress, at least sometimes.

• MELMETAL has been popular too, and man, can it ever spam Double Iron Bash to be a menace even in not-so-great matchups. But Cob and Luc being out there doing the job Mel wants to do with Dynamic Punch kind of takes the shine off Melmetal a little bit.

• Heck, even REGISTEEL is left looking a bit lesser in comparison to the true Fighters. But at least you can build it with low rank IVs, saving a ton of dust and candy, and not really miss a beat!

• I REALLY expected a bit more out of HEATRAN. It's a shame it can't learn Ember or Incinerate... Fire Spin is just a liability in comparison these days. That said, there ARE Heatrans out there in this meta... I've seen them!

• Have NOT seen JIRACHI, probably because many PvPers turn them into Great League weapons. But in contrast to Heatran being a bit of a letdown, Jirachi looks underrated to me... if you have one of the right size.

• Seen quite a few TAPU FINI, which makes sense seeing how good Primarina is. That said, Surf may not be necessary, as Water Gun pours on plenty of Water damage. Running both Fairy moves — or even the unexpected Ice Beam — may be the better play.

• Don't forget that ENAMORUS is also a thing... surprised the heck out of me earlier! Also don't forget that it comes packing really good (Mystical) Fire and potentially Ground (Earth Power) damage too. Again... I sure did! 🤕

• LATIAS and LATIOS both look like they could be fun. A little surprised I haven't seen them yet... though they are weak to the very popular Ghosts. Speaking of which....

• Yeah, GIRATINA is a real monster in this meta. You absolutely want to maximize that sweet, sweet Ghost damage with both Shadow Claw and Shadow Sneak... Shadow Force is probably overkill, though. Better to have some coverage with either Ancient Power or my recommendation of Dragon Claw for all the Dragons out there. Giratina is everywhere, folks.

Budget Busters 💸

And here we are... the MOST expensive stuff, because these all basically have to be maxed out to compete at this level. Second move costs don't really matter at this point... NOTHING here can really be called "thrifty", but they ARE pretty nifty! We'll cover these in rapid fire, bulletized form before we wrap this one up at least....

• TURTONATOR is your #1 ranked Fantasy Cup Pokémon, and has a record to match. It's that rare Dragon that directly counters most Steel types AND holds off many Fairies, with only Watery Primarina and Fini reliably escaping. As with Salamence earlier, ironically it is against other Dragoms that Turtonator really struggles. Dragon Claw can be a bit of an equalizer there, at least in theory, but I think I still lean Brutal Swing for how it smacks the Ghosts (and flips Mimikyu to a straight win!) rather than getting the occasional Flygon and such like Claw can sometimes maybe scratch out. And yes, this one really truly does need to be maxed all the way out, hitting 2499 CP at Level 50 exactly, and with nearly-perfect IVs, at that.

• Normally a budget option, ALTARIA is anything but in this meta. Not only does it need to be fully maxed out (and still doesn't hit even 2300 CP), but to get the most mileage out of it, it's best to even best buddy the thing and take it up to Level 51 and extra wins over Corviknight (2shield), Kingdra (0shield), and of course, the mirror match. Flamethrower definitely works very well in this meta, and Altaria IS worth the build if that sounds like your style. But my wallet aches just thinking about it!

• GALARIAN STUNFISK is great, of course, though it too has to be pushed all the way up to Level 50 (or beyond) and ideally with hundo IVs just to still not reach 2500 CP. Absolutely worth the build, though, as G-Fisk in particular is pretty useful even in Open play.

• Fellow Steely Ground type STEELIX thankfully doesn't have to be pushed quite up to Level 50, but to get the most out of it, you do need to get very close. This is one where the performance does noticeably start to tail off if you try to keep the cost down and run with near-hundo IVs instead. And yes, I AM recommending Breaking Swipe over the usual (and much more popular now) Psychic Fangs... they're both resisted by Steel types anyway, and at least Swipe sees gains like Giratina and Kingdra. Either is viable, though... just make sure to run Earthquake as the closer for solid anti-Ground tech.

• TINKATON is another straight to 50 Pokémon here, and there's really little negotiating on that. Worth it, yes, and I've run across several opponents that have it built like they never broke a sweat. If you're one of them, congrats! If not... well, join the club and pack a good Fire, Ground, or Water type to try and keep Tinkie in check.

• ORTHWORM is just a really solid Steel type, particularly in Ultra League, as I've written about before. And this meta where it can terrorize all three of the main typings is no exception. Will YOU be doing the worm? 🪱

• We gotta talk about FORRETRESS for a second. Look, I get it. Forret rocks out with Sand Tomb in Great League formats. But this ain't Great League, folks! Stop it (maybe get some help?). Sand Tomb just ain't it at this level, in this format or even in Open. It's simple: here in Ultra League, you want Earthquake, and that includes here in Fantasy Cup, where it tacks on wins like Cobalion, Kingdra, Magnezone, and the important mirror match.

• GALARIAN WEEZING is pretty amazing in this meta, and it's one of the better heavy investments for Open UL too. The investment is absolutely worth it if you can afford it. In this meta, Overheat is particularly important (IMO) for roasting anything not a Dragon (Steels in particular), and then it's just down to whether you want Sludge for anti-Fairy (Prima, Fini, Florges, and the mirror) or Brutal Swing for anti-Ghost and general usage (Giratina, Corviknight, Empoleon, Registeel, Scizor). Neither is wrong!

• A few other Fairies to mention that are fine enough, nut all have to be maxed and I think the investment is a little more questionable. These include AROMATISSE, SLURPUFF (LOVE the coverage with Grass and Fire, but really does have to be fully maxed and underperforms a little bit, honestly), and ever-popular ALOLAN NINETALES (best with Blizzard rather than Weather Ball, but still just so-so even then). You'll see them here and there, and you can consider any you already have built, but IMO this is not the meta to build them for in the here and now.

That's A Wrap!

Alright, the Cup is already underway, so gonna wrap it up right there. As always, I hope this is a help in understanding not just the top meta picks, but also some fun and potent alternatives to make this FUN. This is a game after all, right? 😄

Until next time, you can always find me on Twitter for regular GO analysis nuggets, or Patreon. And please, feel free to comment here with your own thoughts or questions and I'll try to get back to you!

Thank you for reading! I sincerely hope this helps you master Fantasy Cup, and in the most affordable way possible. Best of luck, and catch you next time, Pokéfriends!

Hello again, Pokéfriends! The next GO Rocket Takeover is in the air (perhaps literally, with this interrupting a Flying-centric event), and that of course means another new batch of Shadow Pokémon to analyze for PvP! So let's dive RIGHT into the analysis on which ones you want to grind for, and for which Leagues... right after our customary Bottom Line Up Front, of course!

• You can not worry too much about Shadow Reshiram or Noivern, as Shadowification doesn't really lift the standing of either Dragon. However, there IS intrigue with the rest....

• The clearest winner (as a new Shadow) has to be Corviknight. The Shadow isn't drastically better, but it IS a nice boost to an already fantastic PvP weapon, and I recommend it as the top priority grind.

• Noctowl hasn't enjoyed much PvP success for a while now, but it could come roaring back after this... though not as a Shadow. Consider purified Noctowl... and check its section later on for the reasons why. I go pretty in depth on why Shadow is a disappointment, but Return is quietly an amazing gift.

• Shadow Dewgong is... well, a viable sidegrade. Worth getting, but doesn't really change Dewgong's standing much. Lots of good ways to go with Dewgong, and this just introduces more options!

RESHI-SHAM? 🔥

We have had Shadow Legendaries that were legitimately great in PvP, either because they just performed particularly well as Shadows (Raikou and Mewtwo come immediately to mind), or because they suddenly found themselves in Great League for the first time and actually competed (looking at you, Altered Giratina). But generally... you get something like Shadow RESHIRAM. It's not bad, but it's no better (actually a bit worse) than the Reshirams you already have, and doesn't have much to offer, even at its best, in its Great League debut. I mean, if you want a fiery Dragon in Great League, Turtonator is right there. (And it can pull even better numbers than that!)

As for other Leagues, well, Reshiram does have sone merit already in Ultra League, though it has to continue to contend with Turtonator, and of the two, only Reshi requires an Elite TM move (Fusion Flare). Could Shadow Reshiram rise up to knock Turtonator off the throne entirely? In short: no, it does not. I WILL note that Shadow Reshi does outpace non-Shadow and Turtonator specifically with shields down, but I don't think that's enough considering its inferiority in 1shield and 2shield scenarios (where it falls behind non-Shadow and is completely undone by Turtonator).

At least in Master League, Reshiram doesn't have to worry about Turtonator and only has to contend with... itself? Well, I think we can also include Kyurem White, which isn't a Fire type but does come with Fusion Flare. As compared to both, Shadow Reshi falls short. It's worth noting that Shadow Reshi does uniquely overpower Origin Dialga, Eternatus, and Crowned Zamazenta, but then it loses to things those other two can overcome like Mewtwo, Meloetta, Lunala, Zacian, Primarina, and Kyogre, among others. And while it's ahead of them with shields down (though only just barely), Shadow Reshiram is again embarrassed in 2v2 shielding, losing to stuff like Origin Dialga, Eternatus, Zygarde, Lugia, Groudon and others that both non-Shadow and Kyurem White burn through.

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES? 🦇

I mean, just looking over any description (or picture, like this article's banner!) of this batch of new Shadows, obviously that little Rookidee stands out to PvPers, because CORVIKNIGHT is as important as it's ever been in PvP battles. It's currently ranked as a Top 20 Pokémon in Great League, and is a Top Three Pokémon in Ultra League. And deservedly so. It took a little bit of time for Corviknight to fully emerge in PvP, but it is a big part of both metas now and unlikely to see any significant drop anytime soon.

So there's nowhere to go but up, right? That seems exactly what the new ShadowKnight is poised to do. It's not a straight upgrade — Shadows really never are — but it IS on the rise overall. In the standard 1v1 shielding matchups, Shadow Corviknight is newly capable of overpowering Azumarill, Florges, Medicham, Malamar, Gourgeist, Galarian Stunfisk, and Diggersby, though the reduced bulk means that, unlike the non-Shadow, it can no longer outlast Annihilape, Shadow Sableye, Shadow Feraligatr, Guzzlord, or Furret. With no shields in play, we have a similar split, with ShadowGatr and ShadowSable now flipping to new wins, along with Galarian Corsola, Kingdra, Empoleon, Clodsire, Cradily, and even Shadow Ninetales, while the following all slide to losses: Annihilape, Azumarill, Lickilicky, Malamar, Mantine, Tinkaton, and Togekiss. However, in 2v2 shielding, ShadowKnight really breaks out with eight new wins (Shadow Annihilape, Galarian Corsola, Cradily, Furret, Quagsire, both Stunfisks, and Togekiss) versus only three new losses (Feraligatr, Guzzlord, and Sableye). It's ranked a bit lower than non-Shadow, but I think Shadow Corviknight might just be the new favorite at this level. Just remember you'll need an Elite TM for the Air Cutter it runs on these days.

Interestingly, while Shadow is ranked inside the Top 5 in Ultra, I think I'm a little more dubious on its effectiveness at that level, at least as compared to regular old Corviknight. I mean, don't get me wrong... ShadowKnight is absolutely competitive here and a worthy project to build up, with gains over non-Shadow like Annihilape, Blastoise, and even Shadow Ninetales and Ampharos, but the losses are just more numerous and worrisome: Alolan Ninetales, Shadow Ampharos, Feraligatr, Greninja, Guzzlord, Ludicolo, and Walrein, nearly doubling the number of new wins. And while Shadow enjoys a nice advantage with shields down (+ Shadow Annihilape, Blastoise, Dusknoir, Kyurem, Lickilicky, Alolan Ninetales, Swampert, Tinkaton, and Walrein) as compared to non-Shadow (which, by comparison, uniquely bests only Ampharos, Annihilape, Feraligatr, Jellicent, and Toucannon), Shadow falls woefully behind in longer battles, shown most clearly with the results in 2shield. In those matchups, ShadowKnight manages to outslug Giratina, Ludicolo, Jellicent, and Feraligatr, but non-Shadow does much more with wins versus Ampharos, ShadowAnni, , Cobalion, Dusknoir, Greninja, Lapras, Malamar, A-Ninetales, Skeledirge, and Togekiss, a win differential of half a dozen. Again, it's not that Shadow Corviknight is bad at this level, because it very clearly isn't. It just doesn't seem to me to be as ideal (for most teams, at least) as the Dark Knight you already have on hand.

ONE BIRD, TWO BIRD 🦉

In the spirit of this being the Flying Taxi: Taken Over event, the majority of the new Shadows are airborne. But unfortunately, the next pair are far less exciting than Corviknight. We'll go through them briefly together....

• We can keep NOIVERN very brief. It's bad and always has been in PvP. Like, really, really bad. If not for this season's big rework of Heat Wave to a 45-energy move, it would have no other halfway viable charge move under 60 energy, and it has only Air Slash and its average, underwhelming 3.0 Damage Per Turn/3.0 Energy Per Turn to power those charge moves out. It's a moveset you could give to even an excellent PvP Pokémon like Altaria and even it would fall completely flat... and of course, stats-wise, Noivern is NO Altaria. Even with much better moves that it learns in MSG, it's just never going to be all that great, if I'm being honest. And no, Shadow Noivern is not even close to enough to save it... it's actually worse than non-Shadow in Ultra League. I'll never say NOT to land a new Shadow when they become available, but if there's ever been one you could safely skip and lose NO sleep over, it would be this one. Too bad, because I actually love the design of this funky Pokémon and would have loved to see it out there as a unique Flying-damage-heavy Dragon, but alas.

• NOCTOWL, on the other hand, has definitely found success on PvP battlefields... at least, those of the past. A legit flying tank, changes to Wing Attack and the addition of Shadow Ball — as well as a competitive meta that widely featured Medicham at the time — had Noctowl appearing everywhere on even the world stage of Play!Pokémon tournaments for some time. But its fate has always been tied to Sky Attack, and Team Niantic has seemingly had it in for that move in particular for years now, with no less than four different reworks from Seasons 6 to 24 (three of those coming in the relatively short period of Seasons 16 to 24). Noctowl has been one of the casualties, as it has no Flying alternatives... no Air Cutter, no Fly, no Acrobatics, no Brave Bird, not even reworked Hurricane. (All of those, plus Feather Dance, it can learn in MSG, by the way.) And thus, it remains on the outside looking in at today's meta. And while a thousand-foot-level peek at Shadow Noctowl initially seems a glimmer of hope, with +3 wins overall (adding Clodsire, Corviknight, Fearow, Kingdra, Malamar, and Sableye at the cost of giving up only Altaria, Seismitoad, and ShadowGatr), I am sorry to say it's a mirage. Because in other even shield comps, the Shadow is overall worse than the Noctowls we already have... Shadow is still sidegrade-y with shields down, but goes -2 wins overall as compared to non-Shadow, while in 2v2 shielding, ShadowOwl gets just one single new win (Furret) while suffering seven new losses (Azumarill, Clodsire, ShadowGatr, Ninetales, Seismitoad, G-Stunfisk, and Togekiss) that non-Shadow Owl can handle. This is not the Noctowl resurgence you may have been hoping for.

• ...or WILL it? I haven't really talked about the purified aspect of these new Shadow Pokémon yet (because it really hasn't been relevant to anything I've covered yet... though I suppose a small shout-out to purified Corviknight is in order 👀), but we perhaps have a real gem on our hands with purified Noctowl. Remember, my argument was that it was the subpar Sky Attack that's holding it back, right? Especially these days, with Shadow Ball now costing the same 50 energy, but having such a higher on-paper damage (100 damage as compared to Sky Attack's measly 75) that it overcomes the fact that it lacks the Same Type Attack Bonus (STAB) that Sky Attack enjoys to still deal more damage than Sky Attack when both deal neutral damage, and it's usually a difference of at least 5 damage in Shadow Ball's favor. That's actually pretty rare and a staggering condemnation of Sky Attack's current blah-ness. There's basically NO reason to run it for anything but Ghost-resistant Normal types, but even then you almost do so while pinching your nose. Soooo... what if we replace it? No no, not with Night Shade (basically a lesser Shadow Ball) or Psychic (the move... an even more "meh" move than Sky Attack these days). But we now have the option of Return if we purify Noctowl, as it comfortably fits in Great League even with purification taking it to Level 25. And Return also benefits from STAB with Noctowl being a Normal type! And you know what? Despite it costing 70 energy (though worth it for its big 130 damage), it not only can work, but it DOES work very, very well](https://pvpoke.com/battle/multi/1500/all/noctowl/11/1-4-3/2-1)! Noctowl is a flying tank, remember, so this is a rare case of Return's cost not really being a big problem, and it being even more effective than it is on most Pokémon thanks to that bonus STAB damage. It is strictly better with Shadow Ball/Return than it is with Shadow Ball/Sky Attack, with Fearow, Furret, Guzzlord, Malamar, Ninetales (including the Shadow), Shadow Quagsire, and Galarian Weezing all sliding into the win column. A HUGE improvement (and not just in 1shield... look at Sky Attack versus Return with shields down!) that may indeed return Noctowl to the skies over the PvP battlefield after all. How about that? PvPoke knows what's up too, with Noctowl achieving its highest ranking in quite some time, and indeed running Return to get there. 🦉

COLD, DARK DEPTHS 🦭

And our final Pokémon isn't a Flyer at all, though none of them want much to do with a barrage of Ice, which DEWGONG has been doling out from the beginning. We have multiple different configurations to consider already; while all truly viable movesets revolve around the Legacy duo of Ice Shard and Icy Wind, the closer/coverage move has multiple viable candidates. Drill Run is the standard for how it claps back at troublesome Steel types while conveniently also burying others that can cause trouble (Electrics and Fires especially) and combining with Ice for a nice one-two punch that can hit nearly everything hard one way or the other. (It's also the best overall move Dewgong has wth shields down.) But there's also Water coverage with either Water Pulse or same-stats-as-Drill-Run Aqua Jet, both of which obviously also wash away Fire types and hit much of what resists Ice for at least neutral damage... with the notable exception of other Water type opponents, which is another big point in Drill Run's favor. I'm not here to debate which of those moves you should run with, as they all track closely to each other overall and different teams can benefit greatly from any of them (or even Blizzard if you don't care about coverage!), but what I AM here to tell you is that Shadow Dewgong doesn't really make the choice any clearer or easier. 🤷‍♂️ Shadow with Drill Run, Water Pulse, or Aqua Jet (honestly the one move that seems to benefit the most from being a Shadow, but is itself a third Legacy move 🤯) all track pretty closely to their non-Shadow counterparts, all with new wins and losses that mostly even out in the end. I could fill an entire article with just the comparisons of those moves across various shielding scenarios, but to summarize: Shadow is always close, occassionally a little better*, but more commonly slightly worse. We're talking a difference of perhaps 1, maybe 2 wins or losses difference from the non-Shadow. They're all close, and whatever moveset if your favorite will probaby remain so for Shadow Dewgong too. And yes, Shadow is viable... just not really necessary since it's A.) not appreciably better, just a sidegrade, and B.) you're talking two Elite TMs (at least!) for every Shadow Dewgong you build. If that's no big deal to you, then sure, go for it! But if that's a steep price with your current stock of Elite TMs, don't feel too bad holdind off on investing. You're really not missing out on too much here... the Dewgong you already invested in is just fine, folks.

I suppose I should end with one more mention of Return, because similar to Noctowl, Dewgong definitely has the bulk to make proper use of it, and Return is a perfectly viable sidegrade option for Dewgong now too. If I were to catch a good Shadow Seel and look to build a new Dewgong out of it, that honestly might be the variant I would look to build. Return's widely neutral coverage is an intriguing new option, and particularly good in 2v2 shielding (as compared to most existing options). Food for thought!

AND THAT'S A WRAP!

Alright, that's it for this batch. Hopefully this is a help to you as you hunt! Until next time, you can always find me on Twitter with regular GO analysis nuggets or Patreon.

Stay safe out there, Pokéfriends, and beware what lurks in the shadows! 🌑 Catch you next time.

It's Community Day again! And this time we feature a family of Dragons. Let's look at BAXCALIBUR with its all-new exclusive move and see if it may break out in PvP!

BAXCALIBUR

Dragon/Ice Type

GREAT LEAGUE:

Attack: 136 (136 High Stat Product)

Defense: 96 (98 High Stat Product)

HP: 127 (125 High Stat Product)

(Highest Stat Product IVs: 0-15-5, 1500 CP, Level 16)

ULTRA LEAGUE:

Attack: 175 (174 High Stat Product)

Defense: 123 (125 High Stat Product)

HP: 164 (166 High Stat Product)

(Highest Stat Product IVs: 1-15-15, 2500 CP, Level 26)

MASTER LEAGUE:

Attack: 226

Defense: 154

HP: 205

(Assuming 15-15-15 IVs; 4013 CP at Level 50)

So as I've written many, many times over the years, there is no worse defensive typing than Ice, which comes with four big weaknesses (Fighting, Fire, Rock, and Steel) and just one resistance (to Ice itself). Of course, there are plenty of Ice types that have big impacts in PvP anyway, though it's almost despite that Ice typing, with good secondary typings like Water (removes the weakness to Fire and Steel), Fairy (removes only the Fighting vulnerability, but adds enough new resistancs to balance everything out), or Steel (removes weaknesses to Rock and Steel, and of course comes with a ton of new resistances), and/or very good bulk, compensating for Ice's inherent weakness. Well, Baxcalibur doesn't really have bulk going for it — its stat product is roughly the same as Dragonite, Hydreigon, and (Origin) Dialga in Great and Ultra Leagues, below stuff like Garchomp, Druddigon, and Alolan Exeggutor, and quite a bit behind Dragonite and Hydreigon in Master League — but Dragon is a decent secondary typing. The only Ice weakness it takes away is Fire, and it does add the standard Dragon vulnerabilities to Fairy and Dragon damage, but it also comes with handy resistances to Water, Electric, and Grass. Not the best pairing in the world, but good enough... if it's got the moves to still outrace things.

Thankfully, Bax does, and now more than ever with its new Community Day move inbound. Let's get into all that, starting with the fast moves.

Fast Moves

• Dragon Breath (Dragon, 3.0 DPT, 4.0 EPT, 0.5 CoolDown)

• Ice Fang (Ice, 4.0 DPT, 3.0 EPT, 1.0 CD)

It doesn't feel like it, but it's been three full seasons and nearly a year since Dragon Breath went from its old and familiar 4.0 DPT/3.0 EPT to the inverse it sits at today, dealing less direct pressure but reaching charge moves 33% faster. Overall I think the change has been good for Dragons, especially those that have interesting coverage moves or potent STAB charge moves to throw out, and it is certainly an overall benefit to Pokémon with bulk and/or defensive typing issues like Baxcalibur. So while Ice Fang is a pretty good move in its own right (at least since Season 21, when it went from only 2.5 EPT to its current 3.0), Dragon Breath is the clear favorite here.

Next!

ᴱ - Exclusive (Community Day) Move

Charge Moves

• Glaive Rushᴱ (Dragon, 90 damage, 40 energy, Reduces User Defense -1 Stage)

• Icy Wind (Ice, 60 damage, 45 energy, Reduces Opponent Attack -1 Stage)

• Avalanche (Ice, 90 damage, 45 energy)

• Dragon Claw (Dragon, 80 damage, 50 energy)

• Outrage (Dragon, 110 damage, 60 energy)

• Blizzard (Ice, 140 damage, 75 energy)

So let's talk about Glaive Rush right off the bat, which arrives not only as Baxcalibur's cheapest charge move, but one that pairs particually well with Dragon Breath. Ten Breaths is exactly enough energy to fire off Glaive Rush, whereas reaching Icy Wind or Avalanche requires TWO additional fast moves (40 energy + 4 is still short of 45, so one more fast move is required for at least the first charge move). And as a Dragon-type move, Rush comes even faster as compared to Dragon Claw (50 energy and 10 less damage than Rush) and Outrage (more damage, but now 60 energy). To this point, the best moveset for Baxcalibur (as with Arctibax, which sees far more use in Great League) has been Dragon Breath with Dragon Claw and either Icy Wind or Avalanche. I think Glaive Rush simply replaces Claw now, despite its additional drawback of reducing Baxcalibur's Defense. After all, this self-nerfing can be directly mitigated with Icy Wind's nerf to the opponent's Attack, essentially negating Glaive Rush's drawback entirely. (Well, unless the opponent swaps out, of course.)

But that's just me speculating. Let's dig into the sims and see if that holds up....

GREAT LEAGUE

So using Breath/Claw/Wind as our baseline, we can see that replacing Claw with Glaive Rush is just a straight upgrade, with Diggersby and Grumpig moving into the win column (and then Dewgong, Sealeo, Quagsire, Seismitoad, Feraligatr, and Shadow Annihilape with shields down, and then Galarian Corsola, Talonflame, and Ninetales (regular and Shadow) in 2v2 shielding. And yes, I do prefer Icy Wind over Avalanche at this level; while Avalanche is not surprisingly a bit better with shields down than Icy Wind (gains Cradily and Corviknight), Icy Wind is a bit better in 1shield and much better in 2shield, uniquely outlasting Charjabug, Galarian Corsola, Gourgeist, Mantine, Shadow Ninetales, Shadow Quagsire, Seismitoad, and Talonflame, while Avalanche instead gets only overpowers Cradily and Clodsire. Impactful wins, granted, but outweighed by the sheer volume of Icy Wind's wins.

That all said... we're still talking a sub-50% winrate across all those even shield scenarios. That's not an impressive performance in a League where so many Dragons are out there competing already, including a number of not-fully-evolved ones like Dragonair, Sliggoo, Shelgon, Zweilous, and of course, Baxcalibur's own little bro Actibax, all of which outperform even post-Community Day Bax, that last one embarassingly doing so with the exact same pre-Glaive Rush moveset as Baxcalibur.

So yes, Glaive Rush is good, and is a direct benefit to Baxcalibur. But at least so far, it's not exactly bringing it into new PvP relevance. Maybe Ultra League will be better, when some of those Dragons fall away?

ULTRA LEAGUE

Well, we have a winning percentage over 50% now, at least! A marked improvement over Bax's old best, with new wins versus Giratina, Regidrago, Lapras, Tentacruel, and Shadow Ninetales. (And an even bigger disparity in other even shield scenarios, with +7 wins in 2shield (as compared to Dragon Claw) and +10 wins with shields down (as compared, again, to Dragon Claw). And it stays north of 50% across all those scenarios, getting up to 60% in 2v2 shielding (and agsin, showing the superior nature of Icy Wind as compared to Avalanche). Not surprisingly, it wallops other big name Dragons not named Kyurem (though less perfectly in 0shield and 2shield, where some like the Giratinas and Kingdra start gaining paths to victory). As an Ice type, you like to see it beat Flying, Grass, and Ground types, and indeed, the only ones it can never reliably overcome are Togekiss (which, of course, resists Dragon damage) and Virizion (which, as a Fighting type, always has the ability to turn the tables on Ice types, in fairness). It's an Ice type that can handle many Water and Fire types thanks to its Dragon damage and resistances, and its Dragon resistances also mean it can typically handle Electric types. But all are imperfectly, with a handful of those escaping it as well. And it's still horribly outmatched by Fairy, Fighting, and most Steel types, and somewhat ironically, struggles against other Ice types like most Dragons do, despite taking only neutral damage from Ice (unlike most other Dragons).

I think there's enough here to say that Ultra League Baxcalibur becomes viable with Glaive Rush... but I'm not sure if it will actually start showing up all that much. Kyurem is already out there and comparable. And several already entrenched Dragons continue to outperform. Build Bax for Ultra if you want — I think there's more to it here than in Great League, for sure — but it may be tricky to find room for it where something else isn't doing its job just as well (or better) already.

But now we come to where Bax can flex its pretty high CP....

MASTER LEAGUE

Good news! Once again we see that Glaive Rush is a straight upgrade over Dragon Claw and Outrage (which IS viable up at this level), with Rush achieving new wins over Origin Palkia, Kyurem White, Reshiram, and Zekrom. A 16-19 record isn't all that impressive, but it is up there with other non-Legendary Dragons like Dragonite and Goodra, though still a bit behind others like Garchomp and of course most of the big name Legendaries and Mythicals. But there are two particularly worrying issues beyond just the numbers. One is that there are THREE other Icy Dragons out there already in Kyurem and its two alternate forms, White and Black, and they all match or often exceed Baxcalibur's performance. And the second issue is part of the reason why: Baxcalibur has NO answer for Steel types, with both Ice and Dragon being damaged. Kyurem White has a direct answer with Fusion Flare, Kyurem Black has Fusion Bolt to at least deal some big neutral damage, and while base Kyurem is also left with only Ice and Dragon moves, it at least has Glaciate as a better (cheaper) Icy Wind and can therefore hang in there a bit longer than Bax. (And Baxclibur, unlike in the lower Leagues, is generally much better off with straight damage from Avalanche rather than debuffing shenigans from Icy Wind in Master League.) Baxcalibur loses to every single Steel type in the Master League core meta in ALL even shield scenarios, and even UP a shield, manages to beat only Origin Dialga in 1 vs 0 shield, and sometimes Crowned Zamazenta (with Ice Fang) in 2 vs 1 shield. Considering it also has the same issues as many other Dragons with Fairies (losing to them all except sometimes Togekiss, and even that only in 1v1 shielding) AND is fragile versus Fighting damage, I have some real concerns about Baxcalibur being even as impactful as that win/loss record shows. And really, is 16 wins all that much to really celebrate anyway?

Maybe it will have more luck in Master League Premier, where all those Legendaries and Mythicals fall away, but those same inherent flaws remain... still a lot of frustrating Steel, Fairy, and/or Fighting types around to fend it off, AND there are still other Dragons around that dance circles around Bax.

Should you max a Bax for Master League? I mean, you CAN, and on the right team, there's enough there for it to find some success. But it's not as ideal as existing alternatives, even post-Community Day. You are knowingly handicapping yourself a little bit. If you're okay with that, far be it from me to tell you "no". I've been all about spice since my first analysis articles over seven years ago, after all! I don't really recommend it, but you do you, dear reader! Good luck!

WRAPPING UP

And that's about it for today, folks. In short summary, while Baxcalibur is undoubtedly better with its new move, and that move was basically exactly what it needed to get better, I think it will still struggle to emerge from a crowded field of other Dragons across all Leagues (and still is worse than even its own pre-evolution in Great League). Stats and typing matter a LOT in PvP, and neither of them are really in Baxcalibur's favor. I think it's still too steep a hill for it to climb, unfortunately. But hey, now you know!

Until next time (likely the next Shadow event analysis), you can always find me on Twitter with regular GO analysis nuggets or Patreon.

Good hunting, folks! Be safe out there, enjoy time with your local communities, and catch you next time, Pokéfriends!

So, time for an overview of the latest edition of Sunshine Cup. I started this as a full "Nifty Or Thrifty" meta/budget analysis, but then realized that most of what I really wanted to talk about was "thrifty" anyway, with one of the largest percentage of 10,000 dust second move Pokémon we've had in a Limited meta in a while. Seriously, if you look at the rankings, half of the Top 10 and over a third of the Top 25 (and Top 50) are all 10k Pokémon. So while I started this with the familiar Nifty Or Thrifty structure, after I get through the 10ks you'll see I switch to more of a "Tips & Tricks" type format for the rest.

So bear with me and let's see what thrifty tips we can glean from the GBL Season 27 version of this meta. There are enough odd moveset recommendations to surprise even me, and some picks you may not have considered that are VERY potent here. And cheap! Pay close attention, and let's go!

A quick reminder of what Sunshine Cup is (and isn't):

• Great League, 1500 CP Limit.

• Only Grass-, Fire-, Ground-, and **Normal-**type Pokémon are allowed.

• Charizard is still the only ban.

Okay, enough intro. Let's dive in!

NIFTY AND THRIFTY (10,000 Dust/25 Candy)

PIDGEOT

Wing Attackᴸ | Feather Dance & Brave Bird

Formerly ranked quite low, it's amazing what a couple little tweaks can do: Pidgeot is now solidly inside the Top 10. You can run the revamped Gust, but it's still better with Wing Attack, which can add on stuff like Cradily, Fearow, Shadow Ninetales, Shadow Swampert, Quagsire, and Drampa. That said, Gust is legit, and catches up in other even shield scenarios. And there are was to work in the reworked Hurricane (and avoid having Brave Bird slash your Defense) and/or the new Twister if you prefer, or even Air Cutter if you like it. However you want to trick it out, get your OG Bird Jesus out and profit, my friends!

TOUCANOON

Peck | Drill Peck & Beak Blastᴸ

While Pidgeot remains a bastion of the old school best Flying had to offer, Toucannon is here as a shining example of all Flying types' best in the here and now, with Peck and Drill Peck as the hottest Flying moveset in today's meta, and exclusive Beak Blast as arguably the best overall Flying charge move in the game. Put it all together and you really do get an inspiring performance that is well deserving of Toucannon's high ranking, particularly Shadow Toucannon which is ranked in the Top 3! "Follow your nose", as the old commercials say... expect Toucan Sam to be everywhere... it certainly was last time in Sunshine Cup (per the always awesome GO Battle Log).

FEAROW

Peck | Drill Run & Fly/Drill Peck

Flexing that same Peck/Drill Peck moveset on a slightly bulkier frame (bulkier than Toucannon, at least!) and running it with Drill Run for intriguing coverage ends up with a decent performance, though not as impressive on the surface. Where Fearow shines is where Drill Run gets special wins that elude other Flyers, like Clodsire and Galarian Stunfisk, but it's not on the same level otherwise, if I'm being honest. (Still good enough for a Top 25 ranking, just showing how dominant Flyers can be in this meta.) However, there's another moveset to consider now: Drill Run and Fly, which can overpower fellow Flyers Gligar and Pidgeot. Maybe give that a spin, eh?

DARTRIX

Peck | Seed Bomb & Brave Bird

Honestly, there's little reason not to build a Dartrix since the Peck buff. It's even pretty good in Open play, and especially in metas like Sunshine. Honestly though, other than advantages over things like (Bullet Seed) Cradily and occasional Mud Boys, thanks to its Grass typing and coverage, it's a bit inferior to the other Flyers above in this meta. Fun, though! (And no, despite buffs to Energy Ball, Seed Bomb is still better here.)

VENUSAUR

Vine Whip | Sludge & Frenzy Plantᴸ

The addition of Sludge has brought Venusaur back a bit, and despite this being a hostile environment of Flying and Fire types, Venusaur has a place in this meta, holding down most of the (grounded) Normals while also shredding Water types and most Grasses.

CHESNAUGHT

Low Kick | Frenzy Plantᴸ & Superpower

It's a whole new ballgame with the Low Kick buff, now having the same stats as Vine Whip. And to keep it simple: Low Kick is better in this meta, beating all the same things as Vine Whip plus rocky Cradily, Magcargo, and Coalossal, punching through for super effective damage rather than just neutral as with Vine Whip. It might be time to switch up your Chesnaught's fast move, folks.

TORTERRA

Mud Slap | Frenzy Plantᴸ & Sand Tomb/Stone Edge

And now for something completely different among Grass starters. Mud Slap turns Torterra into a Tortterror for many Fire types (Magcargo, Coalossal, Blaziken, and with great IVs, Ninetales too), all while it can still beat ALL Water types in the meta (even Seismitoad with its new double effective Icy Wind), as well as all notable Rocks except the Shadow version of Cradily. Oh, and of course the small handful of (non-Grass) Poison and Steel types that sneak into Sunshine Cup.

TALONFLAME

Peck/Incinerateᴸ | Fly & Brave Bird

While I do think it would be okay to unleash Charizard on this meta, you can kind of see why it's banned... Dragon damage is a bit too much. So it's not that big a shock that while traditional Incinerate Talonflame works fine, Peck Talonflame (either regular or the Shadow version) is overall better in Sunshine Cup. While Incinerate can overpower things like Piloswine and Miltank, Peck has a wider breadth of unique wins like Swampert, Turtonator, and Shadow Pidgeot. Go against the norm and give Peck some serious consideration in this meta. And while you're at it, consider the newly buffed Hurricane as a less risky alternative to Brave Bird, being just as good (or even slightly better) in 1- and 2-shield matchups, and even right on Brave Bird's heels even with shields down. HMMMM. 🤔

If you have one, you can even run FLETCHINDER effectively. And you can actually build a hundo and save a ton of rseources and get an even better performance out of it with extra wins over Gligar and sometimes Turtonator. If you're feeling spicy, give it a whirl!

MAGCARGO

Ember/Incinerate | Rock Tomb & Overheat

Okay, maybe old JRE is losing it. Now TWO Fire types that have Incinerate where JRE is recommending a different fast move? I'm as surprised as you are, but the numbers don't lie: Ember simply does a bit more than Incinerate in Sunshine Cup, outracing Galarian Stunfisk, Gligar, Shadow Blaziken, and opposing Magcargos. Other even shield scenarios are in Ember's favor as well, with Cradily and Fearow in 0shield, and Furret, Oranguru, and then Blaze and G-Fisk again in 2shield. I'm not saying Ember is the new way to go in Open or elsewhere, but here? Those wins — and particlarly the likelihood of running up against Magcargo on the opponent's tean — matter.

COALOSSAL

Smack Down/Fire Spin | Rock Slide & Flame Charge

The other Rocky Fure type now, and while it's ranked higher (much higher, in fact), Coalossal is good but not as good. I like it fine enough, but there's just not much it can do that Ember Mags can't do better.

BLAZIKEN

Ember | Aura Sphere & Blast Burnᴸ

Yes, Shadow Blaze is overall "better", but perhaps not as much as expected. Shadow can outrace things like Cradily, Lickilicky, Dunsparce, Gligar, Swampert, and Shadow Ninetales, but non-Shadow is able to instead outlast stuff like Magcargo, Fearow, Shadow Gligar, and non-Shadow Ninetales. Which version are you thinking of running, dear reader?

FURRET (and other Normals)

Sucker Punch | Swift & Trailblaze

I'm using Furret as the representative, and it is easily among the best (and best ranked), but there are a number of other perfectly viable thrifty Normal types.... BIBAREL could be a lot of fun here, with Rollout to keep Flyers on their toes and some nice resistances and coverage thanks to its Watery side.... OINKOLOGNE sports the same Mud Slap that was so interesting on Torterra, getting things that burn or freeze Torterror like Ninetales, Turtonator, Piloswine, and Miltank (Ice Beam) while Tort instead takes out Cradily, Oranguru, Dubwool, and Shadow Swampert.... DUBWOOL itself is most interesting to me not with Payback (as ranked), but instead Wild Charge which can take down Flyers like Toucannon and Shadow Pidgeot, as well as blowing through Ninetales.... There's nothing at all wrong with others like ALOLAN RATICATE (one of my recommendations, actually, as a nice neutral damage sponge), GREEDENT, LINOONE, or even MUNCHLAX, it's just that they don't really stand out in any truly meaningful way.... WIGGLYTUFF obviously stands out in meaningful ways, but Charm ain't what it used to be. It's also in the "viable but kinda meh" category.

DIGGERSBY

Quick Attack | Scorching Sands & Hyper Beam

It would have been unfair to lump it in with the other Normal types, even though the moveset I'm recommending deals primarily Normal-type damage. You'll see several different varieties of Diggersby, most of them revolving around Mud Shot and/or Fire Punch. And while those are fine enough, at least in this meta, I think you can unleash maximum damage potential with Hyper Beam, as well as Quick Attack for wide neutral coverage, and forgo Fire in favor of Scorching Sands instead. Sands in particular does a lot more for you in this meta (quenching Fires like Ninetales, Magcargo, Coalossal, and Blaziken) than Fire Punch, and Hyper Beam is great for surprising things like Furret, Dubwool, Oranguru, and Gligar that Diggs has trouble with otherwise.

SWAMPERT

Mud Shot | Hydro Cannonᴸ & Earthquake

Shadow or no Shadow? They're really straight sidegrades of each other.The former overpowers Furret, Dubwool, Oranguru, and Toucannon, while the latter outlasts Blaziken, Seismitoad, Miltank, and Lickilicky instead. Sludge doesn't do much for you in this meta. Next?

WHISCASH

Water Gun/Mud Shot | Scald/Mud Bomb & Blizzard

While it doesn't work very well on Swampert, Water Gun is a nice upgrade over the standard Mud Shot on Whiscash here, powering out key wins over Gligar and Gliscor. Alternatively, Blizzard may have some life here, being a bit too slow to beat Quagsire or Seismitoad, but gaining Pidgeot, Fearow, and Miltank.

TIPS AT 50,000 AND UP

As I said, now we go into just some spotlight review of Pokémon with a second move cost of 50k dust or more. There are quite a few that are little changed — Cradily (now ranked #1!), Clodsire, Claydol (including Shadow!), Marowak, Gastrodon (despite the Mud Slap nerf), Quagsire, Miltank, Drampa, Oranguru, Turtonator, Flygon, Ferrothorn, and the list goes on! — but the below I felt important enough to highlight different movesets and some... well, tips and tricks!

• This season's big buff to Energy Ball has some ripples in Sunshine Cup for sure. While Jumpluff remains a bit tricky to use in this meta, ABOMASNOW definitely appreciates the buff, as both it and ShadowBama are improved with new wins like Galarian Stunfisk, and variants of Piloswine and Quagsire.... CASTFORM has the ability to threaten Flyers (and Ice types) with Weather Ball (Rock and Grasses and Grounds with Energy Ball. It's certainly viable, though Hex unfortunately holds it back a little here with some many Ghost-resistant Normal types around.... LUDICOLO can now run Energy Ball as a legit alternative to Leaf Storm, just note the importance of going with Bubble as the fast move rather than the also-resisted-by-Normals Astonish.... I'm having kind of a hard time trusting it, especially when Chesnaught is right there too, but HISUIAN DECIDUEYE deserves at least a quick mention.... And then, of course, we have NINETALES. You can potentially go double nukes, double Ball, or just stick with all Fire, but at least Energy Ball makes all those Water and Ground types have to tread lightly now. I suspect Ninetales will be quite popular this go-round.

• GLIGAR was #1 last time, and now it's barely clinging to the Top 10. It's not suddenly worse, there's just a bit more on the rise to contend with. If you still run it, I might actually recommend Fury Cutter over Wing Attack, because while the latter has more utility versus Flyers (showing most clearly with a potential win over Ninetales), the former can slice through Drampa and, importantly, Cradily instead. And then same story for GLISCOR, which I think is quite underrated. Shadow with Fury Cutter looks pretty scary, actually, with extra wins versus Seismitoad, Pidgeot, and the mirror (whereas Wing Attack gets only Blaziken as a unique win).

• We actually need to take a moment to spotlight SEISMITOAD, since it's come up a few times. A completely different Pokémon now with Earth Power buffed and, most importantly, Icy Wind added, it torments double-weak-to-Ice Glscor and Gligar (as well as Jumpluff) and is adept at freezing opposing Ground types not named Piloswine (neutral to Ice) or Swampert (which just outpaces Toad). It is uniquely potent among the Mud Boys now, standing tall in their midst.

• And speaking of new threats this season, been using KECLEON in NAIC Championship Cup these first couple weeks of the season? Just replace Thunder Punch with Ice Beam for this week and continue profitting.

• Look, I'm not saying VIGOROTH is back. But uh... Vigoroth may be back! At least for a week. Hide the children!

• Remember when CAMERUPT used to be a laughingstock? Well no more! The Eruption Pokémon comes in hot with cheaper Earth Power (and still-good Rock Tomb) for unique coverage that can handle Steel, Ice, Grass, Poison, and Rock types (as well as Rock chuckers like Miltank and Lickilicky, as well as most opposing Fire types as a handy bonus. Just keep it FAR away from Water.

• While we're on the topic of funky Fire types, consider BLACEPHALON, if you have a Great League sized one. It's obviously a glass cannon, but its Ghost typing still allows it to stand up to punishment from Poison, Fighting, and especially Normal moves that litter the meta. If you like your spice, this one is like... well... a ghost pepper! 🌶️

And that's it for now... the format has arrived! Until next time (our next Community Day), you can always find me on Twitter for near-daily PvP analysis nuggets, or Patreon. And please, feel free to comment here with your own thoughts or questions and I'll try to get back to you!

Thank you for taking the time to read. I sincerely hope this helps you master the latest version of Sunshine Cup, and in the most affordable way possible. Best of luck, and catch you next time, Pokéfriends!

So, time for an overview of the latest edition of Sunshine Cup. I started this as a full "Nifty Or Thrifty" meta/budget analysis, but then realized that most of what I really wanted to talk about was "thrifty" anyway, with one of the largest percentage of 10,000 dust second move Pokémon we've had in a Limited meta in a while. Seriously, if you look at the rankings, half of the Top 10 and over a third of the Top 25 (and Top 50) are all 10k Pokémon. So while I started this with the familiar Nifty Or Thrifty structure, after I get through the 10ks you'll see I switch to more of a "Tips & Tricks" type format for the rest.

So bear with me and let's see what thrifty tips we can glean from the GBL Season 27 version of this meta. There are enough odd moveset recommendations to surprise even me, and some picks you may not have considered that are VERY potent here. And cheap! Pay close attention, and let's go!

A quick reminder of what Sunshine Cup is (and isn't):

• Great League, 1500 CP Limit.

• Only Grass-, Fire-, Ground-, and **Normal-**type Pokémon are allowed.

• Charizard is still the only ban.

Okay, enough intro. Let's dive in!

NIFTY AND THRIFTY (10,000 Dust/25 Candy)

PIDGEOT

Wing Attackᴸ | Feather Dance & Brave Bird

Formerly ranked quite low, it's amazing what a couple little tweaks can do: Pidgeot is now solidly inside the Top 10. You can run the revamped Gust, but it's still better with Wing Attack, which can add on stuff like Cradily, Fearow, Shadow Ninetales, Shadow Swampert, Quagsire, and Drampa. That said, Gust is legit, and catches up in other even shield scenarios. And there are was to work in the reworked Hurricane (and avoid having Brave Bird slash your Defense) and/or the new Twister if you prefer, or even Air Cutter if you like it. However you want to trick it out, get your OG Bird Jesus out and profit, my friends!

TOUCANOON

Peck | Drill Peck & Beak Blastᴸ

While Pidgeot remains a bastion of the old school best Flying had to offer, Toucannon is here as a shining example of all Flying types' best in the here and now, with Peck and Drill Peck as the hottest Flying moveset in today's meta, and exclusive Beak Blast as arguably the best overall Flying charge move in the game. Put it all together and you really do get an inspiring performance that is well deserving of Toucannon's high ranking, particularly Shadow Toucannon which is ranked in the Top 3! "Follow your nose", as the old commercials say... expect Toucan Sam to be everywhere... it certainly was last time in Sunshine Cup (per the always awesome GO Battle Log).

FEAROW

Peck | Drill Run & Fly/Drill Peck

Flexing that same Peck/Drill Peck moveset on a slightly bulkier frame (bulkier than Toucannon, at least!) and running it with Drill Run for intriguing coverage ends up with a decent performance, though not as impressive on the surface. Where Fearow shines is where Drill Run gets special wins that elude other Flyers, like Clodsire and Galarian Stunfisk, but it's not on the same level otherwise, if I'm being honest. (Still good enough for a Top 25 ranking, just showing how dominant Flyers can be in this meta.) However, there's another moveset to consider now: Drill Run and Fly, which can overpower fellow Flyers Gligar and Pidgeot. Maybe give that a spin, eh?

DARTRIX

Peck | Seed Bomb & Brave Bird

Honestly, there's little reason not to build a Dartrix since the Peck buff. It's even pretty good in Open play, and especially in metas like Sunshine. Honestly though, other than advantages over things like (Bullet Seed) Cradily and occasional Mud Boys, thanks to its Grass typing and coverage, it's a bit inferior to the other Flyers above in this meta. Fun, though! (And no, despite buffs to Energy Ball, Seed Bomb is still better here.)

VENUSAUR

Vine Whip | Sludge & Frenzy Plantᴸ

The addition of Sludge has brought Venusaur back a bit, and despite this being a hostile environment of Flying and Fire types, Venusaur has a place in this meta, holding down most of the (grounded) Normals while also shredding Water types and most Grasses.

CHESNAUGHT

Low Kick | Frenzy Plantᴸ & Superpower

It's a whole new ballgame with the Low Kick buff, now having the same stats as Vine Whip. And to keep it simple: Low Kick is better in this meta, beating all the same things as Vine Whip plus rocky Cradily, Magcargo, and Coalossal, punching through for super effective damage rather than just neutral as with Vine Whip. It might be time to switch up your Chesnaught's fast move, folks.

TORTERRA

Mud Slap | Frenzy Plantᴸ & Sand Tomb/Stone Edge

And now for something completely different among Grass starters. Mud Slap turns Torterra into a Tortterror for many Fire types (Magcargo, Coalossal, Blaziken, and with great IVs, Ninetales too), all while it can still beat ALL Water types in the meta (even Seismitoad with its new double effective Icy Wind), as well as all notable Rocks except the Shadow version of Cradily. Oh, and of course the small handful of (non-Grass) Poison and Steel types that sneak into Sunshine Cup.

TALONFLAME

Peck/Incinerateᴸ | Fly & Brave Bird

While I do think it would be okay to unleash Charizard on this meta, you can kind of see why it's banned... Dragon damage is a bit too much. So it's not that big a shock that while traditional Incinerate Talonflame works fine, Peck Talonflame (either regular or the Shadow version) is overall better in Sunshine Cup. While Incinerate can overpower things like Piloswine and Miltank, Peck has a wider breadth of unique wins like Swampert, Turtonator, and Shadow Pidgeot. Go against the norm and give Peck some serious consideration in this meta. And while you're at it, consider the newly buffed Hurricane as a less risky alternative to Brave Bird, being just as good (or even slightly better) in 1- and 2-shield matchups, and even right on Brave Bird's heels even with shields down. HMMMM. 🤔

If you have one, you can even run FLETCHINDER effectively. And you can actually build a hundo and save a ton of rseources and get an even better performance out of it with extra wins over Gligar and sometimes Turtonator. If you're feeling spicy, give it a whirl!

MAGCARGO

Ember/Incinerate | Rock Tomb & Overheat

Okay, maybe old JRE is losing it. Now TWO Fire types that have Incinerate where JRE is recommending a different fast move? I'm as surprised as you are, but the numbers don't lie: Ember simply does a bit more than Incinerate in Sunshine Cup, outracing Galarian Stunfisk, Gligar, Shadow Blaziken, and opposing Magcargos. Other even shield scenarios are in Ember's favor as well, with Cradily and Fearow in 0shield, and Furret, Oranguru, and then Blaze and G-Fisk again in 2shield. I'm not saying Ember is the new way to go in Open or elsewhere, but here? Those wins — and particlarly the likelihood of running up against Magcargo on the opponent's tean — matter.

COALOSSAL

Smack Down/Fire Spin | Rock Slide & Flame Charge

The other Rocky Fure type now, and while it's ranked higher (much higher, in fact), Coalossal is good but not as good. I like it fine enough, but there's just not much it can do that Ember Mags can't do better.

BLAZIKEN

Ember | Aura Sphere & Blast Burnᴸ

Yes, Shadow Blaze is overall "better", but perhaps not as much as expected. Shadow can outrace things like Cradily, Lickilicky, Dunsparce, Gligar, Swampert, and Shadow Ninetales, but non-Shadow is able to instead outlast stuff like Magcargo, Fearow, Shadow Gligar, and non-Shadow Ninetales. Which version are you thinking of running, dear reader?

FURRET (and other Normals)

Sucker Punch | Swift & Trailblaze

I'm using Furret as the representative, and it is easily among the best (and best ranked), but there are a number of other perfectly viable thrifty Normal types.... BIBAREL could be a lot of fun here, with Rollout to keep Flyers on their toes and some nice resistances and coverage thanks to its Watery side.... OINKOLOGNE sports the same Mud Slap that was so interesting on Torterra, getting things that burn or freeze Torterror like Ninetales, Turtonator, Piloswine, and Miltank (Ice Beam) while Tort instead takes out Cradily, Oranguru, Dubwool, and Shadow Swampert.... DUBWOOL itself is most interesting to me not with Payback (as ranked), but instead Wild Charge which can take down Flyers like Toucannon and Shadow Pidgeot, as well as blowing through Ninetales.... There's nothing at all wrong with others like ALOLAN RATICATE (one of my recommendations, actually, as a nice neutral damage sponge), GREEDENT, LINOONE, or even MUNCHLAX, it's just that they don't really stand out in any truly meaningful way.... WIGGLYTUFF obviously stands out in meaningful ways, but Charm ain't what it used to be. It's also in the "viable but kinda meh" category.

DIGGERSBY

Quick Attack | Scorching Sands & Hyper Beam

It would have been unfair to lump it in with the other Normal types, even though the moveset I'm recommending deals primarily Normal-type damage. You'll see several different varieties of Diggersby, most of them revolving around Mud Shot and/or Fire Punch. And while those are fine enough, at least in this meta, I think you can unleash maximum damage potential with Hyper Beam, as well as Quick Attack for wide neutral coverage, and forgo Fire in favor of Scorching Sands instead. Sands in particular does a lot more for you in this meta (quenching Fires like Ninetales, Magcargo, Coalossal, and Blaziken) than Fire Punch, and Hyper Beam is great for surprising things like Furret, Dubwool, Oranguru, and Gligar that Diggs has trouble with otherwise.

SWAMPERT

Mud Shot | Hydro Cannonᴸ & Earthquake

Shadow or no Shadow? They're really straight sidegrades of each other.The former overpowers Furret, Dubwool, Oranguru, and Toucannon, while the latter outlasts Blaziken, Seismitoad, Miltank, and Lickilicky instead. Sludge doesn't do much for you in this meta. Next?

WHISCASH

Water Gun/Mud Shot | Scald/Mud Bomb & Blizzard

While it doesn't work very well on Swampert, Water Gun is a nice upgrade over the standard Mud Shot on Whiscash here, powering out key wins over Gligar and Gliscor. Alternatively, Blizzard may have some life here, being a bit too slow to beat Quagsire or Seismitoad, but gaining Pidgeot, Fearow, and Miltank.

TIPS AT 50,000 AND UP

As I said, now we go into just some spotlight review of Pokémon with a second move cost of 50k dust or more. There are quite a few that are little changed — Cradily (now ranked #1!), Clodsire, Claydol (including Shadow!), Marowak, Gastrodon (despite the Mud Slap nerf), Quagsire, Miltank, Drampa, Oranguru, Turtonator, Flygon, Ferrothorn, and the list goes on! — but the below I felt important enough to highlight different movesets and some... well, tips and tricks!

• This season's big buff to Energy Ball has some ripples in Sunshine Cup for sure. While Jumpluff remains a bit tricky to use in this meta, ABOMASNOW definitely appreciates the buff, as both it and ShadowBama are improved with new wins like Galarian Stunfisk, and variants of Piloswine and Quagsire.... CASTFORM has the ability to threaten Flyers (and Ice types) with Weather Ball (Rock and Grasses and Grounds with Energy Ball. It's certainly viable, though Hex unfortunately holds it back a little here with some many Ghost-resistant Normal types around.... LUDICOLO can now run Energy Ball as a legit alternative to Leaf Storm, just note the importance of going with Bubble as the fast move rather than the also-resisted-by-Normals Astonish.... I'm having kind of a hard time trusting it, especially when Chesnaught is right there too, but HISUIAN DECIDUEYE deserves at least a quick mention.... And then, of course, we have NINETALES. You can potentially go double nukes, double Ball, or just stick with all Fire, but at least Energy Ball makes all those Water and Ground types have to tread lightly now. I suspect Ninetales will be quite popular this go-round.

• GLIGAR was #1 last time, and now it's barely clinging to the Top 10. It's not suddenly worse, there's just a bit more on the rise to contend with. If you still run it, I might actually recommend Fury Cutter over Wing Attack, because while the latter has more utility versus Flyers (showing most clearly with a potential win over Ninetales), the former can slice through Drampa and, importantly, Cradily instead. And then same story for GLISCOR, which I think is quite underrated. Shadow with Fury Cutter looks pretty scary, actually, with extra wins versus Seismitoad, Pidgeot, and the mirror (whereas Wing Attack gets only Blaziken as a unique win).

• We actually need to take a moment to spotlight SEISMITOAD, since it's come up a few times. A completely different Pokémon now with Earth Power buffed and, most importantly, Icy Wind added, it torments double-weak-to-Ice Glscor and Gligar (as well as Jumpluff) and is adept at freezing opposing Ground types not named Piloswine (neutral to Ice) or Swampert (which just outpaces Toad). It is uniquely potent among the Mud Boys now, standing tall in their midst.

• And speaking of new threats this season, been using KECLEON in NAIC Championship Cup these first couple weeks of the season? Just replace Thunder Punch with Ice Beam for this week and continue profitting.

• Look, I'm not saying VIGOROTH is back. But uh... Vigoroth may be back! At least for a week. Hide the children!

• Remember when CAMERUPT used to be a laughingstock? Well no more! The Eruption Pokémon comes in hot with cheaper Earth Power (and still-good Rock Tomb) for unique coverage that can handle Steel, Ice, Grass, Poison, and Rock types (as well as Rock chuckers like Miltank and Lickilicky, as well as most opposing Fire types as a handy bonus. Just keep it FAR away from Water.

• While we're on the topic of funky Fire types, consider BLACEPHALON, if you have a Great League sized one. It's obviously a glass cannon, but its Ghost typing still allows it to stand up to punishment from Poison, Fighting, and especially Normal moves that litter the meta. If you like your spice, this one is like... well... a ghost pepper! 🌶️

And that's it for now... the format has arrived! Until next time (our next Community Day), you can always find me on Twitter for near-daily PvP analysis nuggets, or Patreon. And please, feel free to comment here with your own thoughts or questions and I'll try to get back to you!

Thank you for taking the time to read. I sincerely hope this helps you master the latest version of Sunshine Cup, and in the most affordable way possible. Best of luck, and catch you next time, Pokéfriends!

No time to waste! Unfortunately my last 3-4 days have been spent helping my wife with a nasty, lingering illness and driving our poor sick bunny out of state (twice!) for emergency treatment and then followup care at home. I promise I've been writing when I can, but yes, we're a little late on the season kickoff. Just couldn't be helped! But hey, better late than never on Part II of our analysis on the Season 27 move reablance, eh? Good things come to those who wait? 😅 Let's dive in and find out if that's true, shall we?

(Part 1 of the rebalance analysis can be found here. If you missed it, go read that first!)

THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM? 💕💔

Love it or hate it, there is no denying the impact that CHARM has had on the game from the moment it arrived as the first and, for over three years until Fairy Wind's arrival, only Fairy-type fast move in Pokémon GO. And it also had a great effect on me personally, as I'm pretty sure I published the first-ever analysis on Charm WIGGLYTUFF less than 24 hours after its release into GO back on July 10, 2019. My birthday, as luck would have it. And to give you even more not-so-secret JRE lore, that very analysis earned me an invitation from Dronpes, Mr. Silph Road/Arena himself, to partner up for future analyses, for which I remain eternally grateful even as Dronpes and the Silph team have mostly sailed off to Valinor's white shores (AKA glorious retirement).

ANYway, since then, Niantic (and now Scopely) have been left scratching their heads a bit at what to DO with Charm. The first tweak was a small power nerf in 2022 from the original 16 damage (5.33 Damage Per Turn) to 15 damage/5.0 DPT. That persisted for nearly three years until Season 24, which saw another damage nerf (down to 13 damage/4.33 DPT) but a compensating boost to energy generation from the original 2.0 Energy Per Turn up to 2.66 EPT. But now here we are, less than a year later, with the third attempt to balance it out, another straight damage nerf down to a humble 12 damage/4.0 DPT in Season 27, leaving the new Charm at a comparatively lowly 4.0 DPT/2.66 EPT. Still decent enough, slightly better than Smack Down (3.66 DPT/2.66 EPT), but now clearly worse than moves like Astonish (4.0 DPT/3.33 EPT), both of which have the same 3-turn "cooldown" as Charm.

Of course, most viable Fairies these days rely on Fairy Wind (or alternatives like Peck on Togekiss) and charge move pressure. But one that has persisted is -- you guessed it! -- Wigglytuff. As I've written about Wiggly many times over the years, what has already made it special and unique is its secondary typing of Normal, giving it a key double resistance to Ghost damage, while its Fairy typing and Charm damage mostly fends off Fighting types that prey on other Normals. As Ghosts (or at least things dealing Ghost damage) have risen rather significantly in the Great League meta in recent seasons, Wigglytuff has risen alongside them as the last true Charmer standing. (Besides maybe the occasional Charm Alolan Ninetales here or there, in fairness.) Of course, it has been specifically buffed along the way with the additions of Icy Wind and buffed Swift, which has just accelerated its spike up the rankings. It's gotten to the point where Wiggly is even one of the most consistent Pokémon to show up on the highest stage of the Play!Pokémon circuit, not to mention how heavily it's been used in PvP. Per the good folks at GO Battle Log, Wigglytuff has been used a TON in Great League in recent seasons... note how it's #1 in usage overall and as the first and second Pokémon on teams of three in Great League in recent times, and still #1 over the last 1000 battles fed into the log.

So make no mistake about it: the Charm nerf is very specifically targeting Wigglytuff. And while Wiggly remains a perfectly viable option, there IS a noticeable slide in 0shield matchups and especially in 1v1 shielding and 2v2 shielding. It will still do most of what you want it, but new losses that show up like Lickilicky and Quagsire in 1shield and especially Jellicent in 0shield will definitely hurt, and should drive its usage down across basically all Great League formats. It's dropped from a Top 20 ranking last season all the way to #79 in Season 27. Like I said, still competitive, but the shine has worn off a bit. And yeah, this also probably torpedoes Charm Alolan Ninetales as well... it may be time for most teams to flip those to Powder Snow if you haven't already.

I DO have some concerns about this, and it speaks to mentality of the devs. There seems to have been a bit of a habit over the last few seasons to very specifically target one or two top Pokémon each season, like the big nerfs (of multiple moves at once!) to Medicham, Vigoroth, and Galarian Stunfisk (as just a few examples) over the last several seasons, and now the specific nerf to Wigglytuff. That's not necessarily a bad thing -- few mourned the devastation of Vigoroth in particular -- but many of these seem to have been made without fully thinking through the meta-wide consequences, which Scopeantic then seems to spend the next couple seasons trying to correct, and then a couple seasons later, addressing the ripples from THAT correction... it just seems like a lot of thrashing going on. Throwing ideas at the wall and seeing what sticks. In my humble opinion, I'd rather see certain things buffed to answer those seemingly out-of-control top meta picks rather than just nerfing them into oblivion. But here we go again, and we'll just have to wait along with Scopeantic to see how it turns out. I predict a further rise of Ghosts and/or things that rely on Ghost moves (Feraligatr and Lickilicky, for example)... and all the main ones are indeed rising in the rankings to kick off Season 27.

And speaking of Ghost damage, let's go ahead and go there next!

#$@& IT, WE BALL! 🎱

The big buff to SHADOW BALL in Season 25 (dropping the cost to 50 while leaving the 100 damage) has been met with some grumbling over the time since, and many were hoping or outright calling for a nerf back to its old cost of 55 energy. Not every user surged up the rankings, of course, but many have, including Grumpig (the Dynamic Punch buff helped too, of course), Aegislash, Dusknoir, Skeledirge, and especially Jellicent and Lickilicky, who are both EVERYWHERE in Great and Ultra Leagues right now. Heck, even Mandibuzz prefers it now over its three STAB charge moves. But there is no nerf on the immediate horizon, and in fact, Shadow Ball is about to expand in PvP, with four new recipients in Season 27:

• XATU is an obvious pet project of somebody over on Scopeantic's PvP team these days. The addition of Peck and Psyshock in Season 24 didn't cut it, so now it's getting Shadow Ball too. The numbers still don't overly impress, but it IS a nice list of pickups, many of which are similarly on the rise in recent seasons (or this coming season): Jumpluff, Grumpig, Seaking, Cresselia, and Forretress in 1shield, Shadow Forret, Shadow Quagsire, Talonflame, and Cress again with shields down, and Tinkaton, Aegislash, and again Cresselia in 2v2 shielding. But it still has plenty of problems, with a somewhat shaky typing and low bulk that leave it vulnerable to quite a lot of the meta, and it never gets to eveb a 50% winrate. I like the spice, and it's literally been since the heyhay of The Silph Arena that Xatu had any real motion in PvP at all, so I'm rooting for it. But even now, I can't see Xatu outrunning all that holds it back.

• However, I have a completely different story for the other recipient, QWILFISH. It has flitted in and out of PvP relevence a few times, though if I'm being honest, it's never really hacked it in Open play. But give it a closer that costs less than other options AND has good neutral coverage, and watch Qwilfish soar. While it does give away a couple things by not running Ice Beam or Sludge Wave like Altaria and Jumpluff, look at all the gains: Empoleon, Feraligatr, Grumpig, Jellicent, Malamar, Medicham, Shadow Sableye, Seaking, and Tinkaton. And the improvement is just as impressive with shields down (+Shadow Annihilape, Empoleon, Grumpig, Medicham, Shadow Swampet, and Tinkaton) and 2shield (+Aegislash, Annihilape, Cradily, Cresselia, Shadow Empoleon, Jellicent, Medicham, Sableye, Sealeo, and Swampert). It still has plenty of issues, being flimsy and with critical weaknesses to Ground, Electric, Psychic damage and others. It will lose many neutral matchups just because of how glassy it really is. But it's more dangerous (and brings more shield pressure) than ever.

• LOPUNNY is a bit of an odd one. Shadow Ball is obviously a bit of a liability versus other Normal types, but brings in important, affordable closing power it currently lacks, having either moves that top out at 60 damage, or 150 damage from Focus Blast or Hyper Beam, though they come with a cost of 75 and 80 energy and just aren't very viable (even though Lopunny bulkier than its thin frame would imply). So yes, Punny can do good things with Shadow Ball, but it's hardly something to write home about with so many other, bulkier, scarier Normals out there. (And no, there's no real need for the Thunder Punch it's also getting this season, as it already has Fire Punch, and is better off with Triple Axel anyway).

• And then there's SYLVEON. It has plenty of closing power right now with 110 damage (plus STAB) Moonblast, but of course, no coveage. It does have Psystrike as its Legacy Community Day move, but running that plus Moonblast (and presumably Charm to this point) leaves it completely at the mercy of Steel types. Shadow Ball helps out significantly, but the real kicker is that Sylvie is also gaining Fairy Wind, making it quite a different Pokémon entirely. Looking at Master League, where it has likely the greatest chance to break out as so many other Fairies can't get big enough to compete, Sylveon used to just be sad, but now looks a LOT better. Fairy Wind allows it to run Shadow Ball and Moonblast for maximum effectiveness, which leads to new wins over Origin Dialga, Eternatus, Florges, Kyurem White, Lunala, Dawn Wings, Primarina, and Togekiss. Not bad! Good enough to use? Not too sure, but I do know it's best shot is in Master League. While Sylveon is of course better elsewhere, it's not as impressive.

GETTING THE (OTHER) BALL ROLLING 🟢

One "Ball" that has seen far less play is ENERGY BALL. It's never been a bad move, per se, having the same 90d/55e stats as Ice Beam, Flamethrower, Thunderbolt, Dragon Pulse, and pre-Season 27 Earth Power. It's fine, and even comes with a 10% chance to reduces the opponent's Defense that Earth Power has, but none of those others. So why is it that, despite over a dozen competitive Pokémon having the move, the number of things that actually USE it can be counted on one hand, even a hand missing a couple digits to an incident involving a particually aggressive Venus flytrap plant? 🤟 Mostly because there are just better moves. Anything that has Energy Ball and most other Grass moves has tended to go with the other move, as they're mostly all better. Grass Knot and Power Whip both deal the same 90 damage for only 50 energy. (Hey Scopeantic, when are you gonna tweak one of those moves so they're not literally clones of each other, hmmmm?) Trailblaze deals quite a bit less damage but is generally preferred (on Hisuian Decidueye) for its Attack buffing. Anything that has Energy Ball and Frenzy Plant (or Leaf Blade) is a no-duh choice. So the couple of things that DO run it just don't have a better choice. We'll start with those Pokémon and then move on to others that may want to start running Energy Ball after its (known) drop to 80 damage and (predicted) drop to 45 energy; for those keeping track at home, that would be the same stats as excellent moves like Fly, Sparkling Aria, Shadow Bone, Behemoth Bash, and Dynamax Cannon. I acknowledge this is the one prediction most likely to blow up in my face as I try and read the seasonal tea leaves of the mysterious "energy cost reduced", but as I said it earlier... screw it, we ball!

• Probably the most prominent Energy Ball user is ABOMASNOW, simply because that is its only Grass charge move, and while Leafage variants are underrated and I think many teams that would benefit nicely from it, let's be honest: basically everybody runs Powder Snow anyway, leaving Energy Ball as Snowbama's only Grass damage output at all. While on occasion, Aboma will miss the old closing power of 90, it stands to benefit far more than it loses, as each Energy Ball comes one Powder Snow's worth of energy sooner (specifically, six rather than seven), bringing it more consistent Grass output and obviously much better pacing. As you can see, that means new wins versus Dewgong, Feraligatr (including Shadow), Seaking, Grumpig, and Sableye in Great League 1v1 shielding, as well as G-Fisk, ShadowGatr, and ShadowSable with shields down, and Lickilicky and Seaking in 2shield. Similarly, in Ultra League, ShadowBama (which is generally preferred over non-Shadow, in both Leagues) gains all the following with the retooled Energy Ball: Jellicent, Lapras, Alolan Ninetales, and Bellibolt in 1shield, and Blastoise and Jelli again in 0shield. Giving up the 90 power of old Energy Ball does, however, catch up in 2shield, where old Energy Ball could beat Kingdra and Shadow Dusknoir, while new Energy Ball catches only Lapras instead. Still, I think it's obvious that this change is great news for Aboma overall.

• The other mostly-regular user of Energy Ball? JUMPLUFF, who also has no better Grass charge move. However, it's not unusual to see it running with double Flying charge moves instead: Legacy Acrobatics as the closer, and cheaper Aerial Ace to set it up. Acrobatics deals 20 more damage than old Energy Ball for the (until this point) same cost, which prompted the majority of players to run that move, and then be left with the awkward choice of running TWO 55-energy moves, or go with Ace to speed things up and snag shields. But now? Now you don't have to make that choice, because assuming Energy Ball drops to 45 energy, it makes for a no-duh replacement for Aerial Ace... same energy cost, but 20 more damage. So Jumpluff keeps the exact same pacing as it had with both Flying moves, gets to bring key Grass damage into the mix, and deals MORE damage than before in the process. Uuuuh, yes please! (Again, I'm going to compare the Shadow variant, which is generally more impactful than non-Shadow.) Not at all surprisingly, it's a [straight upgrade on old Energy Ball] and a clear upgrade over Aerial Ace, and that's true in all even shield scenarios. Jumpball is ranked outside the Top 200 in Season 26, but jumps up to a Top 50 option (or oddly, nearly Top 20 as a non-Shadow) in Season 27, and that is very much earned. Jumpluff is now the top ranked Grass type, leapfrogging Cradily, Ludicolo, Gourgeist, Abomasnow, and half a dozen others. Expect to start seeing a LOT more of it, despite its weakness to Poison, Fire, and Rock and obvious Achilles heel of being double weak to Ice... resistances to big Water and Fighting damage, a double resistance to other Grass, and a triple resistance to Ground (as well as great bulk even as a Shadow) more than makes up for that. Jumpluff is about to become a MASSIVE part of the meta as perhaps THE biggest beneficiary of this entire rebalance.

So those Grasses get an immediate bump, but they already used Energy Ball. Is this rework good enough for things that didn't want it before but likely will now? In short, YES. But what?

• HISUIAN ELECTRODE is something that used to use Energy Ball while basically holding its nose in disgust. Back when Swift was an unviable 55 energy for 60 damage move, E-Trode basically HAD to run Energy Ball, awkwardly, as a "bait" move to set up the cheaper-but-self-nerfing Wild Charge... which is why you basically never saw Hisuian Electrode in 95% of PvP formats back in those days. NOW, though, H-Trode has been quite scary with Wild Charge and Swift, eschewing its one source of Grass damage and instead relying on the resistances that come with being a Grass type to stand out. Strictly by the numbers, it still gets the highest number of wins in that configuration, but Energy Ball is now a very viable alternative, giving it more teeth versus Grounds, showing with new wins over Stunfisk and Mud Boys Quagsire and Swampert (both their normal and Shadow versions). The downside, however, is less speed and bait ability, so things like Shadow Talonflame, Dewgong, Medicham, Furret, Drapion, and Wigglytuff slip away. But I look forward to seeing it out there with all STAB moves... perhaps even in Ultra League?

• We also need to talk about LUDICOLO. Typically, I think it runs with Leaf Storm for its Grass damage (alongside Astonish and Water-type Weather Ball), which of course comes with the big drawback of reducing Ludi's Attack strength twice... but I mean, 130 damage for 55 energy is just plain nuts (same stats as Brave Bird and Overheat). It does roll out with Energy Ball sometimes simply because it lacks the drawbacks, but obviously there's been a much lower ceiling there. But now? Yes, the potential is still higher with Leaf Storm, but in many instances, reworked Energy Ball has definitely closed most of the gap! And it can even close out wins that Leaf Storm can't, like Gourgeist and Shadow Feraligatr in 1shield (giving up Malamar, G-Corsola, and Alolan Ninetales in exchange), Cradily and Cresselia with shields down (though not surprisingly, Leaf Storm shines out brightest here by overpowering Florges, Empoleon, Kingdra, Morpeko, Malamar, and Medicham instead), and then Energy Ball takes out Sealeo in 2v2 shielding, while Leaf Storm features Wigglytuff instead as its sole standout win. IF you can catch the opponent letting the move through shields, obviously Leaf Storm outperforms in Great League, but otherwise? Even as a long-time defender (and user!) of Leaf Storm Ludi, I think I might lean Energy Ball now... at least in Great League.In Ultra League, however, everything has a lot more HP, meaning that the reduced power of Energy Ball hurts a bit more... and the BIG damage of Leaf Storm makes more of a difference in landing KOs where other moves fall short and leave the opponent to turn the tables. And so Energy Ball still has some ground to make up behind Leaf Storm, somehow managing to uniquely outpace Altered Giratina, but losing to Florges, Malamar, Zygarde, Kingdra, Walrein, and Empoleon that only Leaf Storm can overpower. That said, Energy Ball is a bit better in 2shield, getting Ampharos and ShadowGatr, whereas Leaf Storm has Tentacruel as its sole unique win. I prooooobably still go with Leaf Storm in Ultra, but I can support those who want to make the switch there too. Energy Ball is viable for sure, just with comparatively tampered expectations.

• You're going to now see CASTFORM (Normal) and DARTRIX listed with Energy Ball, but I think they are arguably both still better off with other moves... Seed Bomb for Dartrix, and cheaper-this-season Hurricane for Castform. (That last one is debatable, in fairness.) But the real non-Grass winner of the Energy Ball sweepstakes is....

• Okay, it's time for NINETALES. There are Fire types with a Grass coverage move, of course, which is (at least on paper) a big deal since Grass directly responds to all three typings Fire is weak to (Water, Ground, and Rock) with super effective damage. However, nearly all Fire types with a Grass move usually only do so with way-too-expensive Hail Mary move Solar Beam. (EIGHT Fire types come with Beam, for your useless trivia of the day!) CHANDELURE and LAMPENT both come with Energy Ball, and while I didn't want to NOT mention them... well, there's still not a ton to hype up there. But then, there's Ninetales, who got Energy Ball just this past February, and while it wasn't overly exciting then, that's about to change! Overheat still draws the highest possible number of wins in even shield scenarios, for much the same reasons as Leaf Storm on Ludicolo, but leaves Nines with zero coverage. However, Energy Ball shines, as noted earlier, versus all the typings that scare Ninetales most, to the point that -- thanks in part to the excellent energy gains of Ember -- Ninetales with Energy Ball can outright beat stuff like Jellicent, Quagsire (including Shadow), Shadow Feraligatr, Diggersby, and Azumarill! Now yes, Overheat can toast a ton of the field, from things like Galarian Corsola and Sableye to Lickilicky, and Fearow to Drapion and Shadow Annihilape and Medicham and even opposing Ninetales. But that coverage has REAL value, as Waters are massive in Great League, perhaps now more than ever. (Five of the Top 10, eleven of the Top 20, and ⅖ of the Top 50 ranked Pokémon in Great League are Water types!) When Ninetales is completely turning the tables on them in all manner of shielding scenarios -- all the ones I mentioned for 1shield, Jelli, Azu, Quag, Swampert, Seaking, and Stunfisk with shields down, and ShadowGatr and Shadow and regular versions of Swampert and Quagsire in 2v2 shielding -- that is reason to perhaps shy away from the higher numbers of Overheat. And this coming from someone who has advocated for Overheat on Ninetales literally for years now. Energy Ball is the first time I feel comfortable endorsing one of its coverage moves. Not only is it literally perfect coverage when considering super effectiveness (aka worst possible matchups), but it actually WORKS, and Energy Ball now very clearly outshines every other second move option beyond maybe Overheat. And that's true in Ultra League too. Looking at Shadow Ninetales there (as it does tend to outperform non-Shadow at this level), Energy Ball generally still tracks a bit below Overheat (though it's closer!), but it's well worth noting that Ball is dead even with even Overheat with shields down, able to shock and awe Blastoise, Feraligatr, Jellicent, Lapras, Stunfisk, and Swampert straight up. Don't throw out your Overheat Ninetaleses (Ninetaili? Nineetaaiil? 🤷‍♂️), but you WILL want Energy Ball Ninetales on your bench for both Great and Ultra Leagues moving forward, of that I have no doubt.

THAT'S A WRAP!

...wait, already? You haven't hit the character limit yet, JRE! Don't worry, I'll be pushing right up against it (as always 😜), but what else was I going to title the section about WRAP? It's getting a straight damage buff from 60 to now 70. But does that really change much? Let's check real quick.

• MILOTIC already runs Wrap, and while it appreciates the buff, it doesn't change too much. In Great League, there are actually ZERO changes to the wins and losses in 1shield (as compared to the old 60-power Wrap) and only Sealeo moves into the win column in 2shield, though with shields down, there is a trio of gains with Empoleon, Dewgong, and probably most importantly, Lickilicky. There actually is a bigger gap in Ultra League (though as a Shadow with Dragon Tail rather than the non-Shadow with Waterfall that's best in Great League), with new and improved Wrap able to power out new wins over Lickilicky, Malamar, ShadowGatr, and Zygarde, as well as retaining other wins that oddly now show as losses to stuff like Alolan Ninetales (just spam Aqua Tail to victory) and Empoleon (exact same strat for the W), giving it a 24-21 record against the current UL meta. Not bad at all!

• You will sometimes see DRAGONAIR with Wrap today, but usually it runs Dragon Pulse as its closer instead. Pulse still shows as slightly better in 1v1 shielding (one more win overall than Wrap and quite a bit better than Wrap with shields down, Wrap shines out in prolonged, 2v2 shielding battles. I think there's still a tough choice to be made, but Pulse is probably still the (slight) overall favorite. Neither is "wrong" though!

• That really just leaves TOEDSCRUEL worth talking about, though I think it will be quick because it gives up things you don't want to give up if you replace Earth Power or Seed Bomb. Wrap is spiffiest in 2shield, particularly in Ultra League, thanks primarily to the stacking debuffs. But in basically all other even matchups, in both Ultra and Great League, Seed Bomb/Earth Power is still just varying degrees of better.

LIGHTNING ROUND!

Now we go to more of a one-off review for the rest. And with only a quarter of my character limit left, this really will be a lightning round. 🏎️💨 Hang on!

• I kind of expected the cheaper FLASH CANNON to drive its own section too, but... well, there's just not many things affected by this change. Tinkaton has Gigaton Hammer. Empoleon and Blastoise have better coverage options. Melmetal and Hydreigon need their spammier moves instead. Turtonator and Bronzong are almost always better with other moves as well. The only two worth much mention are FERROTHORN (who was often using it already anyway, though it does pick up neat new wins like Drapion, Tinkaton, Alolan Ninetales, and Fearow) and, of course, REGISTEEL, the Pokémon that got Flash Cannon nerfed in the first place (way back in Season 3!). The meta is much harsher on Regi these days, but a 65-energy Flash Cannon may allow it to climb back out the cellar again, with new win potential like Jellicent, Guzzlord, and Malamar in Ultra League, and even more impressively, Galarian Corsola, Altaria, Tinkaton, Furret, Malamar, and Sableye in Great League. It's the highest ranked Regi again, leapfrogging Regidrago in both Great League (back inside the Top 100 again) and Ultra League (a Top 25 Pokémon again!). Might be time to dust off your Doorknobs Of Doom again, folks. But that's about it for Flash Cannon.

• Not much to say about SILVER WIND either. A move that is buffed from lowly Aerial Ace stats to those of Surf and Rock Slide feels worthy of more fanfare, but there's just not really anything of note that HAS this move. We talked about Lumineon last time, and even THAT isn't sure it wants to run Silver Wind. If you're using these other listed things as spice, then hurrah, this is reason to celebrate. But I don't see this buff changing their prospects much at all, I am truly sorry to say.

• One little guy that appears on that list (though also NOT running Silver Wind) that I do want to spend a quick minute on is LEDIAN. People have been hyping it since the days before GBL even existed, back when The Silph Arens was the only way to really PvP. And it makes sense, as it's ranked #35 in stat product (basically in terms of good bulk and PvP stats), ahead of things like Dusclops, Altaria, Lanturn, Dewgong, and even Defense Deoxys, and with Araquanid being the only Bug ranked higher (and Mandibuzz and Jumpluff being the only Flyers outranking it). Its overall ranking has risen nearly 300 from last Season to this one as it recieves TWO new moves in Rollout and Acrobatics, which represent a big improvement over its former best with lowly Aerial Ace and Bug Bite. Or at least it SHOULD with that bump in hype and ranking, right? Welllll... not so much, actually. It might actually STILL be better off with Bug Bite, though Acrobatics over Aerial Ace is almost a no duh. (Shadow works okay with Rollout, at least.) But this thing has still got flaws that even bulk and intriguing moves have trouble overcoming. Don't believe the hype... Ledian is still spice and nothing more.

• GIGALITH would probably love Rollout, but new addition Lock-On is arguably even better. Aaaaaaand you can continue to not care for PvP purposes.

• AROMATISSE gets Fairy Wind now, and while that's certainly appreciated, it comes a bit late. It remains behind other, better Fairies with the same move. Appreciate the effort, though!

• Like "Senator" Palpatine on Little Anni, I will be watching the career of the steadily improving CONKELDURR with great interest. Brutal Swing as its Community Day move was neat. The buff to Dynamic Punch flew under the radar as other Fighters had surpassed it after the nerf to Counter. Now the addition of Force Palm shoots it right back up the charts, and in every League, to include even Master League. 👀 As I said: GREAT interest moving forward.

• Unfortunately, GALARIAN ZAPDOS finally getting an alternative to nerfed Counter is less momentous... it may even still be better off with Counter! Well, okay, in fairness that's only true in Master League... new Low Kick is a definite upgrade elsewhere. But still... meh? And sadly the same with the other new Low Kick recipient QUAQUAVAL. Low Kick is not appreciably better than current Wing Attack on Quaquaquaval. I don't even get to make a bunch of Quaquaquaquaval jokes! Big sads. 😢

• Might MELMETAL reemerge after a long PvP slumber with Dynamic Punch in the mix? Well, it's definitely preferred over Superpower, which has been a must from the beginning, but has also always held it back with the self-debuffing that Dynamic lacks. In jumps over 100 ranks in Great (gains include Tinkaton, Forretress, ShadowGatr) and Ultra League (gains Kingdra, Lapras, Steelix, and a ton of things with shields down), but if the past is any guide, it's most likely to appear in Master League (gains Kyogre, Origin Palkia, Crowned Zamazenta, and the mirror). The metas have become a bit more harsh for Steel over time, but Melmetal is personally in the best position it has ever been in to compete. 🦾

• Got a good KECLEON? You probably haven't really considered it in PvP before, and why would you? Yes, it has Sucker Punch, but uh... this is no Furret, despite having a shockingly similar stat product. But now gaining Thunder Punch and Dynamic Punch means that Kecleon now gets the last laugh. And while I still don't see it replicating Furret's success, I have to admit that it's suddenly quite intriguing. Sucker Punch/Dynamic Punch (with a decent bait move) will do that!

• And speaking of spicy Pokémon completely transforming themselves this season, we have SLIGOO. Top 5 in (Great League) bulk among Dragons is a good start, but quite frankly, it has never had the moves to capitalize. And out simply, now it does. Might we have a new Dragonair on our hands here? I think Sligoo is actually better, despite the lack of Aqua Tail. (It does have Water Pulse if you simply HAVE to have Water damage.)

• And one final one to mention: RAYQUAZA is getting an extensive rework of signature move DRAGON ASCENT. It was always a powerful move, but now it's one of the best charge moves in the game at 110 damage for only 45 energy and a very modest -1 stage Defense debuff. I'd argue that only Clanging Scales is better overall (dealing 10 more damage for the same cost... dang that thing is busted!). Unfortunately, even with that amazing move, RayRay is just not a good PvP Pokémon. Sorry!

IN SUMMATION

We made it! Well, a few hours late, but who's counting? 😅 As always, I hope this was a helpful and at least somewhat entertaining read. Until next time, you can always find me on Twitter or Patreon. Or please feel free to comment here with your own thoughts or questions and I'll get back to you as soon as I can!

Stay safe out there, Pokéfriends. Best of luck as we wade into the new season, and catch you next time!

Well I tried and failed once again, Pokéfriends. As per usual, I went into this analysis all optimistic that we'd be able to squeeze this entire move rebalance into just one, 40,000 character or less analysis article (thus fitting it all into one Reddit post), but ALSO as per usual, it just can't be done. And so the GBL Season 27 move rebalance analysis WILL require two parts. This first one at least has a theme to it, centered on buffed and redistributed Ground, Flying, and Water moves, and there is more than enough with just those three to push right up against that max character limit! So come with me as we take a PvP analysis journey across land, sky, and sea... here we go!

FROM THE GROUND UP ⛰️

Let's kick things off by grounding ourselves... with a trio of Ground moves all seeing changes. The vast majority of Ground move updates over the years have been fast moves, with Mud Slap and Mud Shot seeing several buffs and nerfs, and Sand Attack adding into the mix just two years ago. We've had the odd tweak to charge moves here and there, like the recent Mud Bomb and Bulldoze buffs. Meanwhile, Earthquake has had one single update (a nerf from 120 to 110 damage in 2023), Drill Run has seen only update (a buff from 55 energy down to 45 way back in Season 2 when COVID was still brand new to most of us), and Earth Power has never been updated since its debut in 2019. (The days before COVID... remember that world, folks?) But now all three of those charge moves are getting rebalanced at once. Let's break them down one at a time, shall we?

So the only one we are 100% sure on the coming changes is EARTHQUAKE, which is simply reverting back to its pre-Season 16 state of 120 damage (still for 65 energy, as always), making it a clone of... well, actually nothing! Every other 120-damage move still costs less, but they're also mostly exclusive moves. At 60 energy, we have Darkest Lariat (exclusive to Incineroar), Freeze Shock and Ice Burn (exclusive to Kyurem Black and White), Luster Purge and Mist Ball (limited to Latios and Latias), and then 55-energy Techno Blast (signature move of Genesect). The only other 120-damage move with widespread distribution is 60-energy Meteor Beam, and you can count the number of (viable) Pokémon with that move on one hand. And now, joining them for the first time in nearly three years, is Earthquake, a move found on over 50 viabke PvP Pokémon, including BIG names like Marowak, Nidoqueen, Forretress, Quagsire, Swampert, Flygon, Diggersby, Lickilicky, Walrein, Gliscor, Galarian Stunfisk, Clodsire, Metagross, Steelix, Zygarde... and the list goes on. Now not all of those directly benefit, as many have better moves even after this buff.

• Is GALARIAN STUNFISK all the way back? Perhaps. After Mud Shot's time in purgatory since its overall nerf in Season 20 ended just last season as it was reverted to its original 1.5 Damage Per Turn/4.5 Energy Per Turn stats, and coverage move Rock Slide similarly went back to 75 damage in Season 24 after Season 20 had dropped it to 65 damage for a year, now Earthquake comes with a bit more punch. G-Fisk hasn't been this good since August of 2023! Specifically, the damage buff to Earthquake brings in the following wins: in Great League, Cresselia and Feraligatr in 1shield, Oinkologne and ShadowGatr in 0shield, and Malamar in 2shield; in Ultra League, Malamar and Blastoise with shields down, and Altered Giratina, Armored Mewtwo, Zygarde Complete, and Cobalion with both shields up. While it's still a little south of a 50% winrate in Ultra, this takes it up to a very robust 60% winrate in Great League, and likely a ranking befitting a top tier competitive Pokémon again.

• I continue to say that Earthquake is generally better than Crunch on STEELIX, and that's more true than ever with the buff. In Great League, Steelix can now topple Cradily and Florges in 1shield, and Corviknight, Furret, and Alolan Ninetales in 0shield, and in Ultra, we gain Florges again in 1shield, Cobalion with shields down, and Regidrago, Armored Mewtwo, and at least a tie with Cradily in 2v2 shielding. Not amazing, but definitely notable!

• And don't forget about notable Steel (but not Ground) type METAGROSS in Master League. Already experiencing a bit of a renaissance thanks to getting Shadow Claw, giving it impressive wins over the Crowed Dogs, all Fairies, and most all Psychic and/or Dragon types, buffed Earthquake brings in a couple of the very small number of exceptions: Eternatus and Origin Palkia in 1shield, and Reshiram with shields down... plus Kyogre in 2shield for a very nice and unexpected bonus! Metagross' upward trajectory in Master should continue after this.

• CLODSIRE has several viable move combos, but nearly all of them include Earthquake. Having a good amount of bulk to hang in there and throw Quake in multiples, it can pick up wins like Shelgon and Tinkaton in 1v1 shielding, and then Aegislash, Shadow Annihilape, Shadow Feraligatr, and Azumarill with 0 shields. You're only going to see it more and more from here on out, folks... sorry!

• After many players experimented with Sludge when it was added to SWAMPERT, I think most have shifted back to Earthquake instead. And while the improvement in Great League with reworked Earthquake should be rather minor (the occasional Oinkologne or Lickilicky here or there), the improvement is a little more significant in upper Leagues where Swampert lives long enough to really take advantage. In Ultra League this is mostly other Waters like Primarina, Feraligatr, Greninja, and (specifically in 2shield) Jellicent, and stuff like Eternatus and Tyranitar in Master League.

• Other impacts — after an admittedly higher level analysis since I have a LOT to get to in this article and have already spent an eighth of Reddit's character limit on Earthquake alone! — are minor by comparison. WALREIN sneaks in the occasional new win over Ground-weak stuff like Empoleon, Tinkaton, or Tentacruel, but nothing too crazy. ZYGARDE appreciates it but really only picks up Reshiram of particular note in Master League, and only with shields down. (Though it does at least translate it a couple new wins in Ultra League, such as Galarian Weezing and Guzzlord. While this lends some credence to Earthquake on FORRETRESS rather than the seemingly more widespread Sand Tomb, the actual gains are also pretty minor, such a Jellicent or Giratina here or there. Maybe this will push ORTHWORM to run Quake over Iron Head? But yeah, I think I hit the biggest highlights. Let's move on....

All that for just Earthquake, but we got two other big Ground moves to cover, though we do NOT have quite all the information we need, as they both have the dreaded, nebulous "energy cost decreased" attached without any specifics on what those decreases actually are. That being said, I think we can very reasonably guess, so I will soldier on.

For starters, we have DRILL RUN, which currently costs only 45 energy and is getting a decrease in energy cost as it is also dropping from 80 damage down to 70. I think we can very safely assume the cost will then drop only by 5, making it a 40 energy/70 damage move akin to Aqua Jet, Psyshock, Icicle Spear, Sludge, Twister, Vice Grip, and Drill Peck, all of which were adjusted to those stats in the last few seasons. (40e/70d is very popular with Scopeantic, apparently!) Not only does this make sense as Drill Run's new stats based on that precedent, but any lower would make it a crazy overpowered clone of Leaf Blade and Sacred Sword, and I just can't imagine them going that far. Anyway, this makes for more of a sidegrade than anything else, and will serve some Pokémon better than others. It's now a spammier move, which can be good for some things, but others will miss the additional damage it used to put out. Let's highlight some of the better known users.

• The change is both good and bad news for DUNSPARCE, though on the surface it initially seems terribad since the 1shield drops 5 wins overall. The new losses there are Aegislash, Drapion, Empoleon, Shadow Forretress, Scizor, Shadow Steelix, Stunfisk, Galarian Weezing, and Wigglytuff (not a coincidence that most of those are weak to Ground damage), while the new wins show as Clodsire, Jellicent, Galarian Stunfisk, and Shadow Politoed. But the rework is more favorable in other even shield scenarios, particularly in 2shield where old Drill Run gets only Azumarill as a unique win, while new Drill Run manages to beat down Clodsire, Empoleon, ShadowGatr, Shadow Sableye, and Clefable instead. Dunsparce may take a small rankings hit based on the 1shield results, but I don't think it's going anywhere. Same with DUDUNSPARCE as well.

• At least in Great League, this change seems to be bad news for ALOLAN SANDSLASH. It drops off pretty badly with shields down (-Azumarill, SScizor, Shadow Empoleon) and especially in 1shield (-Azu, SScizor, Aegislash, Sableye, and Galarian Corsola). Might it even be time to consider a different coverage move? Iron Head, perhaps?

• Conversely, this may be a boon to FEAROW, who gets better pacing and looks ready to gain things like Empoleon and G-Fisk in 1shield and 2shield, and Aegislash and G-Fisk again with 0 shields. These new stats, as mentioned earlier, would make it a clone of Fearow's other primary charge move Drill Peck, and plays right into its glassy nature.

• Might this finally push the once-laughable Water Pulse past Drill Run on SEAKING? The fabulous fish goes -2 wins in 1shield and -8 in 2shield, with Water Pulse now having a better record in both scenarios, whereas it was very slightly worse than old Drill Run. More specifically, the new Drill Run loses all of the following that the old Drill Run (which could deal more of a knockout blow) could beat: Shadow Fewraligar, Grumpig, Ninetales, Shadow Sableye, Quagsire, and regular and Shadow Swampert in 1shield (though it does at least gain Galarian Stunfisk), and then Drapion, ShadowGatr, both Ninetales, Quagsire, Sableye, and Galarian Weezing in 2shield. And what's worse is that Water Pulse still retains all those same wins. I think it MIGHT be time to switch things up on your Seakings, folks.

• There are other current users of Drill Run, but surprisingly few, and there's not a ton to say about them. DEWGONG gets a bit better in 1shield, but also falls off a bit in other shielding scenarios. I think RAPIDASH will still generally prefer Wild Charge, but it's also a mixed bag if you do roll with Drill Run, some improvement and some regression depending on shielding. EXCADRILL isn't really improved with this update and it remains an occasional spice option. BEEDRILL and ESCAVALIER remain in purgatory, their glory days sadly further and further in the rear view mirror. However, there is one NEW user of Drill Run to hightlight....

• RHYPERIOR now learns Drill Run in Season 27, and I won't make you wait: it's basically a straight upgrade over existing alternatives in Master League, adding Metagross and then Xerneas, Zekrom, and Dawn Wings (as compared to Superpower) or Origin Dialga, Dusk Mane, Reshiram, and both Crowned Doggos (as compared to Breaking Swipe). Swipe does pull slightly ahead in 2v2 shielding by beating Eternatus, Xerneas, Meloetta, and Lunala while Drill Run instead punches through Dawn Wings, Crowned Zamazenta, and Mewtwo. But outside of that, Drill Run just does more and seems like it may put Rhyperior back on the map more fully in Master League.

And that just leaves us with EARTH POWER, which is remaining at 90 damage (and its 10% chance to reduce the opponent's Defense), but is having its "energy cost decreased" from its current 55 energy. The obvious drop would be to 50 energy, making it essentially a better Scorching Sands (50 energy for 80 damage and a 10% chance to reduce the opponent's Attack). But as we're having to guess, I would be remiss if I didn't point out that a drop to 45 energy would be pretty amazing, but not unprecedented... that would be the same stats as Dragon Energy, Dynamic Punch, Avalanche and others. Honestly I don't see them going THAT far, especially since it would then be significantly better than the reworked Drill Run (same energy + 10 more damage) and Mud Bomb (15 more damage for the same cost), but it's not impossible. I'll be assuming 50 energy, however, for the purposes of this analysis.

• First off, I do NOT see a drop to 50 energy helping Dragon Tail users GARCHOMP or FLYGON very much, because of how Dragon Tail generates energy. Each one creates 12 energy, so four of them gets to 48 energy, too little for old OR presumably new Earth Power. You ARE able to get to the second Earth Power one fast move quicker, but by then, flimsy Garchomp or Flygon are pretty beat up, so the end result is a nearly identical win/loss record to what they got with 55-energy Earth Power. Perhaps the most notable improvement is Garchomp in Ultra League, which gains Lickilicky and Lapras in 1shield, Armored Mewtwo in 0shield, and Empoleon and Feraligatr in 2shield.

• SEISMITOAD has long been the forgotten Mud Boy having nothing to stand out with all the others clogging the field. Barely bulkier than Swampert and trailing pretty badly behind Gastrodon, Quagsire, and of course Whiscash, its problems have been compounded by basically having only Earth Power and Sludge Bomb as viable charge moves, both of which have been noticeably slower than the Aqua Tails, Body Slams, Hydro Cannons, and even Mud Bombs the others rely on. Low end bulk with comparatively pricey moves? No wonder it's remained the black sheep of the Mud Boy family. But perhaps those days are over now, as Earth Power is arguably a better Mud Bomb now (only 5 more energy for 25 more damage), and Seismitoed is the only new recipient in this rebalance of Icy Wind, a move that not only comes for only 45 energy, but provides critical and unique coverage...remember how slow Blizzard was viable on Whiscash for so long solely because it could surprise Grasses? And as a bonus, it of course also remedies Toad's comparative glassiness by stripping the opponent of Attack power with each icy application. This is a genius way to address everything that ails this one specific Pokémon with just one simple move, which is why we always say that most PvP Pokémon are just one move away from potential greatness. And for even further uniqueness, consider Bubble, which the other Mud Boys also lack, giving Seismitoad a nice spread of three different kinds of damage and making it even more difficult to deal with. Yes, that does mean some losses due mostly to slightly worse energy generation, such as Altaria, Guzzlord, Gourgeist, Jumpluff, Azumarill, Morpeko, and Ninetales, but it means more new wins, including Charjabug, Shadow Forretress, Malamar, Sableye, Fearow, Talonflame, Togekiss, and Wigglytuff. Bubble/Earth Power/Icy Wind looks like a lot of fun!

• This one's easy: anything that has both Scorching Sands and Earth Power should run the latter from here forward, as Earth Power is literally a strictly better move now. These include HIPPOWDON, PALOSSAND, and CAMERUPT. Hungry Hungry Hippo in particular (the Shadow variant especially) looks like a nice winner here, with stuff like Furret, Sableye, Cresselia, and Aegislash moving into the Great League win column in 1shield, and Azumarill and Clodsire in 2shield. Same with Ultra League as well, with stuff like Annihilape, Guzzlord, and Blastoise showing up as wins now. Maybe it'll see a little more usage now? I guess time will tell.

• The biggest potential winners I see beyond those above are: GASTRODON, particularly in Ultra League, where it doesn't need Water Pulse as much and the buff to Earth Power translates to new wins like Lapras, Guzzlord, Alolan Ninetales, and Shadow Ampharos across various even shield matchups.... NIDOQUEEN may now give serious consideration to Earth Power rather than Stone Edge, as it can bring in a couple new wins in Great League such as Clodsire and Galarian Corsola, but especially in Ultra League where stuff like Skeledirge, Kyurem, Feraligatr, and Shadow Annihilape.... Shadow HEATRAN is a quiet winner here for Master League, with Dialga Origin, Kyurem White, Dawn Wings and potentially others sliding into the win column now.

So there we go. Lots of ripples going through Ground types (and those who rely on Ground charge moves) coming your way. But we've barely gotten started, even though the Ground talk took literally a third of Reddit's article character limit. (How does this keep happening to me? 😅) On with the show!

SQUALLS A-BREWING 💨

One of the biggest enemies of Ground? Flying, as Flying types usually double resist Ground damage. And Flying is getting a couple of buffs in Season 27 too.

First up, we have a much-needed buff to GUST. It was unceremoniously left behind when Confusion was buffed back in Season 24 from its old 4.0 DPT/3.0 EPT stats to its current 3.5 EPT. Why do I mention Confusion specifically? Well, aside from the stats being the same on both fast moves until that update, both also share a slooooow 4 turn cooldown, requiring 2 full seconds of real time to complete their cycle and be ready to fire off another move. So when Confusion got buffed, and the only other (viable) 4-turn move, Volt Switch, is sitting with 3.5 DPT and 4.0 EPT, 4.0 DPT/3.0 EPT is just lame. Now that's being corrected, and I think it's safe to assume Gust will go from 12 energy (3.0 EPT) to 14 (3.5 EPT) like Confusion did, since that still leaves it 0.5 EPT behind both Wing Attack and Peck, leaving them with more than enough good to stand out on their own. Indeed, as we'll see in a moment, things that have both Wing Attack and improved Gust may even still want the comparatively humble 2.5 DPT/4.0 EPT Wing Attack sometimes!

Anyway, enough talk. Let's get to the few Pokémon that have this move and see how they look!

• I think we simply HAVE to start with PIDGEOT. Not only is it the Pokémon that first learned Gust in GO and is still most associated with it, but it will also give me a chance to highlight some other tweaks... in a minute. First, let's focus on just Gust and what it will now bring to the table. Yes, new and improved Gust Pidgeot is great, gaining things old Gust could never match like (in order) Altaria, Annihilape, Clefable, Corviknight, Drapion, Furret, Lickilicky, Medicham, Sableye, Talonflame, Galarian Weezing, and Wigglytuff. But there's still more than enough room for Wing Attack, which retains a higher ceiling with its better energy gains. But there ARE move combinations in which reworked Gust shines brighter, even moreso than Wing Attack... situationally including working in the other buffed Flying move, HURRICANE. This long-neglected Flying charge move is getting a simple cost reduction, and even if it's only dropped from 65 to 60 energy, it will be a major boon to anything that has it. We'll cover it a bit more in-depth later, but for now, just note that it WILL be worth some more time later. And for now, know this: Pidgeot is going to want Gust again. Not ALL your Pidgeots, mind you. But if you, like me, TMed your good Gust Pidgeots to Wing Attack, it might be time to burn another Elite Fast TM or two. (Oops!) Pidgeot is ALSO getting a new charged move in Twister, which would have perhaps been more a cause of celebration on something that didn't have four or five other viable charge moves... I'd be happier about this if it didn't already have Feather Dance and Air Cutter vying for its cheap move slot and three valid closing options (with one of them, Heat Wave, providing the non-Flying move it needed for so long). In certain Limited metas, sure, Twister is fine, and I appreciate having the option. But in general Open play, I unfortunately just don't really see room for it myself. But we'll revisit another Flyer shortly that appreciates Twister more in a short bit....

• Before we go too far down that twisty rabbit hole, however, let's get back to the Flying moves, and a new recipient of Gust... forgotten Flying Water Pokémon, SWANNA. Completely and utterly useless with current moves when stacked up against other Flying Water types Mantine, Pelipper, and even Gyarados, Gust looks ready to change all that, especially in combination with the welcome addition of charge move Aqua Jet to keep up Water damage as it makes the shift from Water Gun to Gust. That combination brings in a slew of new wins, especially in 1v1 shielding with all of the following sliding into the win column: Clefable, Drapion, ShadowGatr, Furret, Gourgeist, Malamar, Galarian Moltres, Sableye, Talonflame, Togekiss, Galarian Weezing, and Wigglytuff. Things are a little more nuanced in other even shield matchups, but still all moving in a positive direction. 0shield shows that, while Talonflame is still a clear and consistent pickup, the other new wins depend on whether Ice Beam or Fly is being utilized as the second charge move, with the former freezing out Galarian Moltres, Guzzlord, and Altaria, but the latter delivering death from above to Azumarill, Ferligatr, Politoed, and Malamar instead. And in 2shield, it is only with Fly that Swanna can reach for G-Corsola, Empoleon, and even Altaria. As much as I like the coverage of Ice Beam, Fly seems perhaps a little better overall, though Gust and Aqua Jet are now a MUST and fundamentally change Swanna from complete afterthought to now suddenly right up there with Pelipper and the rest.

• And since we're on the topic, PELIPPER itself deserves a highlight for the improvement it achieves with Hurricane. Picking up new wins in the 0shield (Altaria, Azumarill, and Jellicent) shouldn't be a big surprise, but it's nice to see steady improvement even with a shield up, with pickups versus Fearow, Furret, Sableye, and Clefable! Pelipper's stock is looking the highest it's been... well, perhaps ever!

• And that just rolls right into another wet Flyer, MANTINE. No, it does not now get Gust (still runs Wing Attack instead) or Hurricane, but it IS gaining Twister just like Pidgeot. And unlike Pidgeot, I think it really stands to benefit! Not only does Twister drag a few Dragons into the win column (Kingdra most notably, but situationally others like Guzzlord and Altaria too), but also several notable Water types that shrug off the Water Pulse/Ice Beam Mantine has run best with to this point, such as Feraligatr (normal and Shadow, in ALL even shield matchups) and Seaking and Sealeo (in 1shield and 0shield, at least), along with bonuses like Grumpig, Cresselia, Malamar, and Jellicent across various scenarios. And as much as I like the coverage of Ice Beam, I think Twister pairs best with Water Pulse for its ability to outduel Galarian Stunfisk, Ninetales, and sometimes even Empoleon, along with the occasional Fairy like Galarian Weezing, Alolan Ninetales, and/or Tinkaton. Also well worth noting: Twister is now Mantine's cheapest charge move (well, tied with Bubble Beam, but who's still using that on Mantine these days?), making it spammier than ever with the wide neutral coverage it has kind of lacked until now. I can't think of any single typing that resists Flying, Water, and Dragon, can you? (Here's your chance to fill the replies with Pokémon that have a dual typing that DOES resist them all. 🙃)

• And THAT now rolls into the other new recipient of Gust, who just so happens to also be a Water type, though not Flying: LUMINEON. This humble fish must be somebody's favorite over at Scopely, as it was buffed with Aqua Tail last December, indirectly buffed again last season with the big Waterfall retooling, and now gets Gust and a buffed Silver Wind (which we'll get more into in Part 2) this season. The long-time Claydol fan (and its six new moves added over FIVE different rebalances) must have retired and been replaced by a Lumineon stan! While I do think Lumineon is likely to, well, make some waves this season, I'm not so sure it will actually be with Gust. As good a move as it looks like Gust is about to become, Waterfall is just SO good now that I think it remains the favorite. One of my regrets from last season's rebalance analysis is that I, like nearly everyone else, falsely assumed Waterfall would get a humble EPT buff and it instead got twice the buff expected, transforming Waterfall into one of the best fast moves in the game overnight (same stats as Mud Slap) and driving much success for Waterfall users throughout Season 26. And I think that will continue now for Lumiere here. (If Waterfall is not baroque, don't fix it! Ahem, my apologies to Beauty and the Beast fans everywhere. 🕯️ I suppose you can get mad about that... be our guest! Mwaha. 😈) Gust does do some neat things such as handling Fighters (Anni, Medi, and especially Primeape), a couple Grasses (Gourgeist most notably), and a few prominent Water types, including Feraligatr and, situationally, Azumarill). But Waterfall just does more, with a different list of unique wins that includes Grounds and/or Steels (G-Fisk, Corviknight, Aegislash, Tinkaton, and usually even Thunder Fang Steelix!) and others like G-Weeze, Togekiss, Drapion, Fearow, Forretress, Wigglytuff, and Lickilicky. If Great League continues to remain so Water-heavy, Gust may win out despite less overall potential simply because it far outperforms Waterfall versus opposing Water types, but it's hard for me to NOT recommend Waterfall as the move to at least strongly consider first across most conceivable metas. Go ahead and try running Lumineon out there now... "you don't have time to be timid. You must be bold, daring!" (Thanks again, Lumiere!)

• What do these Waters generally NOT want to see, despite having new and improved toys that can at least theoretically level the playing field? Grass types! Now while only one Grass move was actually tweaked in this update — c'mon, Scopeantic, Make Grasses Great Again! — and no Grass moves were redistrubuted at all, there ARE a couple Grasses that quietly got a nice boost with the Hurricane buff, though neither make huge gains. WHIMSICOTT at least picks up Cresselia and even Gourgeist, as well as Sableye, Gorsola, and Shelgon in 2shield, but Moonblast certainly still has its merits and remains noticeably better than Hurricane with shields down. Shadow SHIFTRY still shows up here and there in PvP battles, usually with Foul Play alongside the obligatory Leaf Blade, but it too can run Hurricane effectively, and while it's more of a sidegrade in most even shield scenarios (gaining stuff like Shadow VS Forretress and Sableye, but giving up others that Foul Play can handle like Gourgeist and Aegislash), 2v2 shielding sees direct gains now of Galarian Moltres, Malamar, and Furret on top of everything that Foul Play can do. Both of these Grasses probably remain more in situational Cup use territory and should generally stay on the sidelines for Open, but both ARE a bit more dangerous now, especially since Hurricane is still unlikely to be the expected closer by most opponents until it's too late!

PUT OUT TO SEA 🌊

While we already covered some prominent Water types with new and/or improved Flying moves, I wanted to wrap Part 1 of this rebalance analysis up by looking at Water moves. None have been added or even rebalanced in this update, but two of them are getting handed out to new recipients. Let's dive in!

• We mentioned AQUA JET earlier as a new move on Swanna and a big part of its sudden emergence in competitive PvP. But two other Pokémon also get it for the first time in Season 27. One of them sadly probably remains a mere spice option at best: KABUTOPS, which more than doubles its former win total, but when that new win total remains this low, does it really matter? (Even worse: Kabutops requires Legacy fast move Fury Cutter too. Blech. 😩) Thankfully, the other Aqua Jet newbie does a lot more good with it: STARMIE, another seeming pet project over at Scopeantic (maybe the same dev that loves Lumiere?!). They didn't quite get it to full competitiveness with the buff to Power Gem and additions of Psywave and Surf a few seasons back, so now they're trying to seal the deal with Aqua Jet as pretty much a straight upgrade to Surf. Pretty consistent new pickups across multiple shielding scenarios include Fearow (faster to bait and then close out with Power Gem), Quagsire (sometimes regular, sometimes Shadow), and Galarian Stunfisk, without standouts including Ninetales, ShadowGatr, Empoleon, and Tinkaton in 1shield, Shadow Empoleon with shields down, and Seaking, Sealeo, Togekiss, and even Jellicent in 2v2 shielding! Not too shabby, eh?

• And that just leaves KINGDRA. While SURF is a bit of a downgrade now when compared to Aqua Jet, it's still a very solid move that can be a boon to other Pokémon, as is the case here as a new spammy Water move for Kingdra. Now it is NOT a straight upgrade — there are wins that go away when you force Surf into the equation — but the gains outweigh the losses. In Great League, it looks best alongside Swift for maximum spam, sort of a like a different Dragonair with its Aqua Tails and Body Slam or Wrap, and in that configuration, Kingdra gains stuff like the Stunfisks, Mud Boys, Forretress, and occasional others like Sableye, Corviknight, Fearow, Medicham, and (Shadow) Annihilape. But giving up Outrage means a few compensating new losses, usually to Altaria, Jellicent (and situationally other Waters in general like Seaking, Dewgong, and Sealeo), with occasional others like Guzzlord, Furret, and G-Corsola. That all said, I'm not so sure Kingdra will really want Surf in Ultra League, as the now familiar Swift/Outrage just does a bit more... Water damage is better for Steels but flops in comparison otherwise, particularly in 2shield (Surf versus Swift). But for Great League? Yes please!

THUS ENDS PART 1... MORE TO COME!

And that's it for today! Next time (probably on the other side of the weekend), we'll dig into the wide and somewhat scattered array of other moves and Pokémon affected in the rebalance, from Bugs to Grasses to Waters to Steels Dragons and especially to Fairies, and more! But for today we've gotta call it here. So until next time, you can always find me on Twitter or Patreon. Or please feel free to comment here with your own thoughts or questions and I'll get back to you as soon as I can!

Stay safe out there, Pokéfriends. Best of luck as we wade into yet another new season, and catch you next time!

Well, it's Deino Community Day... again. And that means it's time to revisit HYDREIGON with Brutal Swing in PvP! Still relevant? Was it ever really relevant? Let's take a little stroll down memory lane and see!

...or just read today's Bottom Line Up Front and get the jist of it speedy style. Whatever floats your boat.

B.L.U.F.

• Brutal Swing is still basically a must anywhere you'd want to use Hydreigon in PvP, coming at least 10 energy cheaper than anything else it has available and representing its most consistent and reliable Dark damage output. Get it while you can without Elite TMs!

• While the non-Shadow is certainly viable, Shadow Hydreigon (not available back during the original Community Day) is generally superior, particuarly in Great and Master Leagues.

• And yes, Hydreigon is sneaky good in all three Leagues, and I think has more potential play in Master League than ever, beating nearly 2/3 of the current core meta and over 75% of non-Fairies, including ALL of the top meta Dragons!

• While I am NO PvE expert, it's worth pointing out that maxing out a Shadow Hydreigon makes sense not just for Master League PvP, but it's a Top 3 Dark-type Attacker with Bite and Brutal Swing, behind only Mega Absol and Mega Tyranitar.

Alright, now for the deeper dive....

HYDREIGON

Dark/Dragon Type

GREAT LEAGUE:

• Attack: 137 (135 High Stat Product)

• Defense: 103 (107 High Stat Product)

• HP: 116 (116 High Stat Product)

(Highest Stat Product IVs: 0-15-10, 1499 CP, Level 15.5)

ULTRA LEAGUE:

• Attack: 176 (173 High Stat Product)

• Defense: 132 (137 High Stat Product)

• HP: 152 (152 High Stat Product)

(Highest Stat Product IVs: 0-15-15, 2495 CP, Level 25.5)

MASTER LEAGUE:

• Attack: 228

• Defense: 171

• HP: 189

(Assuming 15-15-15 IVs; CP 4098 at Level 50)

Like both of its pre-evolutions, Hydreigon is a rare Dark/Dragon type, the only ones in the game besides Ultra Beast Guzzlord. That means that it comes with a lengthy list of resistances — all the "elements" (Grass, Fire, Water, Electric) on its Dragon side, and Dark, Ghost, and Psychic (2x) on its Dark side — but also some key vulnerabilities, such as Ice and Dragon (as a Dragon itself), and Fighting and Bug (thanks to Dark), and most critically, a DOUBLE weakness to Fairy damage (as Dragons and Darks have that vulnerability in common). The good outweighs the bad, but the bad has a very ugly head to rear.

Unlike its predecessors (and Guzzlord), Hydreigon will never be called "bulky". Zweilous has half a dozen more Defense and about 25 more HP in Great League (the only league where one can fairly compare them side by side), and Deino easily outpaces Hydra with about 20 more HP if they're stacked against each other in Little League. (But uh... you needn't worry about grinding for a Level 5ish Little League Hydreigon, esecially since Scopely seems to have forgotten that League even exists. 😔) While Guzzlord has some famously weird stats (lowest Defense among ranked Dragons and Darks in Great and Ultra League with the sole exception of Sharpedo, but also top stamina/HP among Dragons and Darks and Top 5 HP among ALL ranked Pokémon), the end result is overall bulk and an overall stat product that leaves Hydreigon completely in the dust in Great and Ultra Leagues. Hydreigon is unabashedly Attack-centric, which is what allows it to not only comfortably enter Master League territory, but impressively so by crossing the fabled 4000 CP barrier, something only a handful of other non-Mega, non-Legendary Pokémon can boast.

Fast Moves:

Dragon Breath (Dragon, 3.0 DPT, 4.0 EPT, 0.5 CoolDown)

Bite (Dark, 4.0 DPT, 2.0 EPT, 0.5 CD)

There is a strong case to be made for Bite in PvE, but here in PvP, it's clearly Dragon Breath. Breath now deals less damage, but generates literally twice as much energy and has much wider neutral coverage. It's a far better move for PvP.

On to those charge moves!

ᴱ - Exclusive (Community Day) Move

Charge Moves:

Brutal Swingᴱ (Dark, 55 damage, 35 energy)

Fly (Flying, 80 damage, 45 energy)

Dark Pulse (Dark, 80 damage, 50 energy)

Dragon Pulse (Dragon, 90 damage, 55 energy)

Flash Cannon (Steel, 110 damage, 70 energy)

So when Brutal Swing was first released (and if you remember, its first-ever user was Hydreigon during its original Community Day), it was a bit slower but more damaging at 40 energy for 65 damage. At the time I recommended it as almost a full upgrade on Dark Pulse, and though they're much different moves now after Brutal Swing's Season 20 rework into its current stats, that is still my advice: run Brutal for your Dark damage output and don't worry about Dark Pulse. Instead, run one of the other moves below!

Dragon Pulse is a much better move now than it was during the original Community Day, as even the minor adjustment to it back in Season 24 (slashing the old cost of 60 down to its current 55) has proven to be a major boon to its stock. It's gone from a move you used only begrudgingly — as was the case in my original Hydreigon analysis — to now one that you almost have to justify NOT selecting. Thing is, in the case of Hydreigon, there is also now an excellent alternative in Fly, a move that it didn't even have access to until last December. While it doesn't directly answer all of Hydreigon's primary counters (though it should terrify Bugs and Fighters!), it does at least offer some widespread neutral coverage with enough power to force shields, and obviously can bring in a new set of wins against Flying-weak things that may have been out of reach before. And finally, Flash Cannon is Hydreigon's ONLY real answer to Fairies that otherwise pick it apart without fear... a Fairy swapped in against a Hydra with energy has to be at least a little wary and perhaps burn a shield it really doesn't want to. But honestly, it's better in theory than in actual practice, as its cost is simply prohibitive to something with Hydreigon's subpar bulk. Sure, it can snatch victory from the jaws of defeat here or there, but I think Fly or Dragon Pulse are likely to swing win/loss columns in your favor far more often, and I don't really recommend Flash Cannon even when PvPoke defaults to it (as it does in Master League).

But don't just take my word for it... let's take it to the simulations!

GREAT LEAGUE

So as noted earlier, Hydreigon is outclassed here in terms of stats by both Guzzlord and its own pre-evolution Zweilous, the former of which also comes with Brutal Swing, the latter of which basically replaces it with Body Slam and instead relies on Dark Pulse for Dark damage, and both of which utilize Dragon fast moves (Breath for Zweil, Tail for Guzzie). But can Hydreigon's higher Attack and more versatile closing moves elevate it anyway?

First, the direct comparisons. Hydreigon (the Shadow version especially) is a close sidegrade to Guzzlord, giving up things like Clodsire, Forretress, Charjabug, Morpeko, Oinkologne, and Empoleon with Hydreigon's lesser bulk, but then overpowering others that Guzzlord cannot keep up with like Shadow Feraligatr, Shadow Swampert, Corviknight, Scizor, Shelgon, and Annihilape. As compared to Zweilous, we have a similar split, with the bulk of Zweil getting Forret, Charj, Morpeko, Drapion, Clodsire, and Oinkologne, while Shadow Hydreigon instead overhwhelms Shelgon, Altaria, Corviknight, Annihilape, and Shadow Politoed. Hydreigon is ever so slightly behind them both, but not by nearly as much as you might expect given the gap between their bulk values. Very much viable even down here in the League where high bulk arguably matters the most.

As for which closer to use, again, I don't generally recommend Flash Cannon, at least at this level, but both Fly and Dragon Pulse have real merit, the former to outpace stuff like Politoed and turn the tables on certain opponents like Medicham, while the latter can uniquely punch out stuff like Cradily instead. As for other even shield scenarios beyond just the 1v1 shield, Dragon Pulse is better than Fly with shields down (getting Galarian Moltres and regular and Shadow Politoed, while Fly instead knocks out Annihilape), and the reverse is true in 2shield, with Fly now superior in comparison to Dragon Pulse, beating all the same stuff plus Togekiss and Forretress, both of which resist Dragon damage but NOT Flying.

Either way, you're looking a robust winning percentage on a Pokémon that still has that underrated, surprise factor going for it. Yes, it will run into the occasional Fairy buzzsaw, but that hasn't held Guzzlord and such back... why should Hydreigon be any different?

The key, though, is that this is all with Shadow Hydreigon. There's an above average chance you don't just have a Shadow Deino laying around ready to evolve for this Community Day Classic. So how much worse is the non-Shadow? It IS a step down, but non-Shadow is still viable... just a little bit less exciting. While the extra bulk does mean a couple extra wins like Morpeko, Forretress, Drapion, and Guzzlord itself, the drop in damage means a greater number of new losses, including Annihilape, Galarian Moltres, Aegislash, Corviknight, Shadow Empoleon, Politoed, and Quagsire. Hopefully you DO have a Shadow ready to go...?

Well, if not, consider Ultra League then, where the dropoff between Shadow and non-Shadow may not be as noticeable....

ULTRA LEAGUE

Well, okay, Shadow Hydreigon does still have a slight edge over non-Shadow, but it's close, with the former having the power necessary to punch out stuff like Talonflame, Feraligatr, Drapion, and a number of Dragons like Kyurem, Kommo-o, and Zygarde more easily than non-Shadow, which instead better outlasts stuff like Lapras, Blastoise, Empoleon, Scizor, and Stunfisk across various even shield scenarios. You may notice that I simmed only Dragon Pulse there, because it's simply better in this meta than Fly. Now Fly certainly DOES have some very good use cases, such as taking out Flying-weak things like Annihilape, Virizion, Gastrodon, and Kommo-o in more matchups, as well as outracing things like Regidrago more consistently than Dragon Pulse. But the stopping power and effectiveness of Pulse is never worsr than a sidegrade, and is simply better than that outside of shieldless matchups, knocking out things Fly cannot like Gastrodon, Galarian Moltres, Giratina, Nidoqueen, and Zygarde in 1shield, and everything Fly can in 2shield plus Lickilicky and Blastoise. It's even better than Guzzlord in 2v2 shielding, though the Guzzler does outshine it a little bit in other even shield scenarios. But no Zweilous to worry about now, and Hydreigon is plenty solid enough to use, which shows in the rankings: #80 in Great League, but nearly cracking the Top 50 in Ultra. PvPoke shows it respect... shouldn't you?

MASTER LEAGUE

Alright, HERE we go. As mentioned earlier, Hydreigon is one of only a small handful of non-Legendary/Mega Pokémon that crosses the 4000 CP threshold. Guzzlord doesn't get anywhere close, and its performance finally takes a steep dive, while Hydreigon comes in (brutally) swinging with its highest winning percentage yet! But the best news, I think, is what makes up those win and loss lists. The loss column consists entirely of Fairies (Zacian, Xerneas, Florges, Togekiss, and Primarina) and Fighters (Marshadow, Zamazenta) aside from Metagross (and only if it's running Bullet Punch instead of Shadow Claw), Rhyperior, Dragon Breath Tyranitar, and Yveltal, all but one of which resist either Dragon or Dark damage coming their way from Hydreigon. It beats Dark-resistant Zarude, Dragon-resistant Melmetal, Kyogre, Groudon, Landorus, Ho-Oh, and every single Psychic and Dragon type currently in the Master League core meta, without exception. Well, at least in 1v1 shielding. Admittedly, other even shield matchups can be far less kind. But still, that's one heck of a surprising performance, isn't it? No wonder it slides up to being within the Top 50 now! Avoid Fairies and Hydreigon can really feast on today's ML meta. And that goes for Master Premier too!

PvE..?

So you know me (if you know me at all!) as a PvP analyst. That said, I raid too, and I look for advantages there too, so I care about PvE too! And while there are other PvE analysts out there wiser than me, I know enough to say (as others already have) that Brutal Swing — being a three-bar PvE move with only a 1.9 second duration — makes Shadow Hydreigon the best non-Mega Dark attacker in the game (combined with Bite). Even better, it exceeds the performance of all non-Mega Ghosts except Dawn Wings, and seeing as how it also resists Psychic and Ghost damage, I think it's safe to call Hydreigon the best non-Mega raider versus Psychic and Ghost types.

Yet another to consider maxing out a Shadow Hydreigon. Not often you can get double duty from one Pokémon like that, but Shadow Hydreigon breaks that mold. PvP and PvE enthusiasts can link arms and rejoice together! 🤝

IN SUMMATION

Well, I already covered the highlights with our B.L.U.F. and, of course, throughout this analysis article. But just in case you need to hear it one more time: yes, Brutal Swing Hydreigon is a force worth having on your bench for PvP... and even legit PvE use. Shadow is better if you have one to prep during the Community Day Classic event, but any good Deinos you have on hand should get exclusive move Brutal Swing while you can do so for "free". Don't miss this one, folks!

Alright, that's all I got for today. Until next time, you can always find me on Twitter with near-daily PvP analysis nuggets or Patreon, if you're feeling extra generous.

Thanks for your faithful readership, and good hunting during this PvP and PvE pleasing Community Day rehash. Do be safe out there, and catch you next time, Pokéfriends!

No fancy intros here... I'm already a little behind! So let's just jump straight into today's "Quick Bites" analysis on ESPATHRA, the featured new release during this current Spring Marathon event. And by way of introduction, I'll just say right up front that this is one of those "let's examine what makes something bad and other things good" type of analysis.... 😬

ESPATHRA Stats and Stuff

Psychic Type

GREAT LEAGUE:

Attack: 132 (on average)

Defense: 90 (on average)

HP: 143 (on average)

(Highest Stat Product IVs: 2-15-15 1498 CP, Level 22.5)

ULTRA LEAGUE:

Attack: 170 (on average)

Defense: 115 (on average)

HP: 187 (on average)

(Highest Stat Product IVs: 0-15-12, 2500 CP, Level 47)

As often happens in PvP, a lot of the discussion here comes down to stats, and I won't sugarcoat it: they are not in Espathra's favor. Among Psychic types, Espathra has about the same Defense and less HP than Hisuian Braviary, and less Defense and HP than even Reuniclus. It has a lower stat product than such Great League superstars (cough) as Entei, Electabuzz, Octillery, Vanilluxe, and Seadra. No, not Kingdra... Seadra.

Now in fairness, that sort of stat product neighborhood also includes Scolipede, Qwilfish, Garchomp, Hisuian Samurott, Togedemaru, Primarina, Fearow... several things with Cup or even Open play. They're able to overcome their inherent flaws with some combination of a good dual typing, solid and spammy moves, and/or excellent coverage. (Fearow having Drill Run to directly counter Electric and Rock types that otherwise terrify Flying types, for instance.) But uh... Espathra, at least in its current form, really has none of those.

It isn't so much the fault of the fast moves, which both have above average energy generation. Peck lacks STAB and deals only the average Damage Per Turn (3.0), but has 4.0 Energy Per Turn, making it an exact (albeit type-shifted) clone of good PvP moves Powder Snow, Leafage, and Shadow Claw, and superior to 2.5 DPT/4.0 EPT moves like Quick Attack, Vine Whip, Metal Sound, Wing Attack, and the recently buffed Low Kick. And those are obviously all more than viable fast moves in their own right; Peck is very solid, even without the Same Type Attack Bonus. But even better is Confusion, which does get STAB on Espathra that pushes it even higher than its listed 4.0 DPT, and maintains a solid 3.5 EPT as well. (Remember it was pushed to that from its original 3.0 EPT just a few months ago.)

Where things fall apart is the charge moves. Yes, we have Psyshock (Psychic type, 40 energy, 70 damage), which is Espathra's only saving grace at this point. But it obviously provides no coverage, and is particuarly awkward with high Psychic-type damage Confusion, just dealing more of the same. And it only gets worse from there, as two of Espathra's other charge moves are just worse Psychic-type options: Psybeam (the same 70 damage as Psyshock, but costing 60 energy), and Psychic (the move... there's the JRE meme, longtime readers!) which deals only 5 more damage for 55 energy (75d/55e)... a move that was once mighty but was brought low to get Medicham out of the Play!Pokemon circuit. (Let's just be honest about that!) There's just no reason to run either when Psyshock is right there. So that leaves it with Door #4: Dazzling Gleam, the only non-Psychic (the type) charge move available. Technically it provides badly needed coverage, specifically against Dark types which famously resist Psychic damage. But it's a bit slow at 55 energy for 90 Fairy-type damage, and that combined with Espathra's poor bulk means that Dazzling Gleam rarely if ever actually beats any Dark types, with the very rare exceptions being double-weak-to-Fairy things like Scrafty, Pangoro, and Guzzlord, and usually only when they don't shield anything at all. (Also helped by the fact that none of them run with a super effective Dark-type fast move.) Worse, Dazzling Gleam is resisted by Steel, which also resists Espathra's Psychic moves (and even Peck!), and so the only Steel type it can sometimes overcome is half-Fighting (and similarly bulk-less) Lucario.

You can probably see where this is going, but let's get into some sims to demonstrate the issues more fully....

PvP PERFORMANCE

So here we go: the best that Espathra can do in Great League. Sure, it clobbers Fighters, even the scary Rage Fisting Apes. Most Posion types crumble before Confusion and Psyshock, not surprisingly, with the notable exception of the Dark/Poisons (Drapion most notably). Sheer power means it can blow through some big names like Talonflame, Togekiss, Florges, Clefable, Wigglytuff, Alolan Ninetales, Swampert, Shadow Quagsire (but non-Shadow outlasts it), Politoed, and perhaps most impressively, half-Ghost Gourgeist. That list shrinks further in other even-shield matchups, such as 0v0 shield (Dazzling Gleam does blow away Altaria, Shelgon, and Guzzlord, but the only notable non-Fighting/Poison wins aside from that are Shadow Swampert, ShadowToed, Florges, Togekiss, and Fearow, and its lowest win percentage yet in 2v2 shielding with special wins against only Altaria, Fearow, Diggersby, Stunfisk, and ShadowQuag and ShadowToed.

For comparison, let's look at a handful of other mono-Psychic (the type) Confusion users. Cresselia dances circles around it, not surprisingly, and happens to come with a Fairy-type coverage move (Moonblast) as well, leaving little reason to ever even consider Espathra instead. Hypno lacks the Fairy coverage but has an all-around better closing option with Shadow Ball (though that does it no favors against Darks, of course). Heck, when even things like Uxie and freaking Espurr are putting you to shame, that is not a good place to be... and that's where Espathra sits. This is Gothitelle levels of bad, folks. And that, of course, doesn't even mention the many dual-type Psychics with Confusion that are far better as well.

Not any better in Ultra League either, where Espathra is at least slightly better not with Confusion, but now with Peck instead... though with only a 25% winrate that again includes little of note beyond Fighting types (Togekiss, ShadowQueen, Armored Mewtwo, and a small handful of Darks and/or Dragons thanks to Peck + Gleam), there's hardly reason to celebrate the "improvement" with Peck. Because again, other better Confusioners (even several pretty bad ones) leave Espathra in the dust.

Put simply: there is just no place for Espathra in today's metas, including even Limited formats I can think of. Psychic Cup? Has no advantages versus other Psychics. Mono-type formats? Other mono-Psychic-types I pointed out are far superior. I just don't see a place where Espathra can ever really emerge... with current moves.

Now, there IS the potential of its exclusive move, Lumina Crash, changing that one day. But that's yet ANOTHER Psychic-type charge move, so even if it ends up being a pretty good move (I simmed it as a clone of Nature's Madness, which feels about right for what Lumina Crash is in MSG), I don't see siginificant enough improvement to justify running it rather than the staple of still-better-and-more-versatile Psychic types we already have.

IN SUMMATION

I usually try and paint an optimistic picture on these spotlight analyses, but honestly, I can't really do that in any fair way this time. Espathra is just a bad PvP Pokemon with flaws that seem too much to overcome without the kind of specialized treatment usually reserved for certain Legendaries and exlusive stuff. This here is your run-of-the-mill 'dex filler, and that's okay! They can't all be winners, right?

Alright, that's it for today, folks. Until next time, you can always find me on Twitter with regular GO analysis nuggets or Patreon.

Catch you next time, Pokéfriends!

Sorry ol' JRE has been quieter of late, Pokéfriends. Just been a very busy (and occasionally very stressful) couple of months as we approach the midway point of 2026 (already?!), and the time to write with now three high schoolers and all else going on has just taken a hit. I haven't covered all the weekly metas this season, despite best intentions. But at the very least, I want to make sure big PvP-relevant events don't pass us by, so here's the latest: May Community Day!

OINKOLOGNE (FEMALE)

Normal Type

GREAT LEAGUE:

Attack: 110 (108 High Stat Product)

Defense: 112 (113 High Stat Product)

HP: 167 (170 High Stat Product)

(Highest Stat Product IVs: 0-14-15, 1500 CP, Level 23)

ULTRA LEAGUE:

Attack: 142 (139 High Stat Product)

Defense: 144 (146 High Stat Product)

HP: 215 (219 High Stat Product)

(Highest Stat Product IVs: 0-15-15, 2497 CP, Level 47)

MASTER LEAGUE:

Don't be a greedy pig.

Okay, right off the bat with some discussion. Why did I only highlight the female version, you might ask? It simply comes down to stats, where the Female has (to use the overused phrase) strictly better PvP stats than the Male, outpacing it by about 10 Defense and HP in both Great League and Ultra League; the Male has 8-10 more Attack instead. And that is literally the only difference between them, with both having the same typing and moves right on down the line. Are there things that the higher Attack of the Male can beat that the Female cannot? Sure, but very few of note, whereas the notably higher bulk of the Female means that is consistently outpaces the Male in the win/loss column with multiple additional wins. I WILL show a couple sims of the Male later just to highlight this, but until that bit, we'll be focusing in on just the superior Female version for this analysis... including those stats all listed above.

And speaking of those stats, the Female is not just bulkier than the Male, it's also truly bulky in general. Among Normal types, while not in the uppermost bulk tier, it's still up there with more bulk than stuff like Oranguru and Dubwool, and in Ultra League in particular, only Blissey, Lickilicky, Miltank, Greedent, and Snorlax rank higher. As compared to the wider field, Female Oinkologne's overall bulk is nearly identical to Great League bulkmeisters Marowak, Forretress, Tentacruel and Toesdcruel, and ahead of Serperior, and in Ultra League, Oinker sits with basically the same bulk as Jellicent, is just behind Ferrothorn and Tenta/Toesdcruel, Cradily, and Tinkaton, and ahead of things known primarily for their bulk like Meganium and Blastoise. Particularly noticable is the high HP/stamina, which puts Female Oinkologne in the Top 40 Pokémon in the entire game.

Yeah... baby got back. 🐖

As for the Normal typing, shouldn't be a big mystery by now, but you have a weakness to Fighting, a double resistances to Ghost, and neutral damage from everything else. The Ghost bit in particular will come up again, as we live in a Ghost-heavy meta right now....

But first, we have the moves!

ᴱ - Exclusive (Community Day) Move

Fast Moves

• Tackle (Normal, 3.0 DPT, 3.0 EPT, 0.5 CoolDown)

• Take Down (Normal, 1.67 DPT, 2.67 EPT, 1.5 CD)

• Mud Slapᴱ (Ground, 3.67 DPT, 3.33 EPT, 1.5 CD)

This is where Oinker has always been held back the most. Good charge moves (we'll get there in a sec, hang tight) but about as dull as you can get in the fast move department. Tackle can work, but it's a poor man's... well, everything. Normal moves are never super effective and awkwardly resisted by the Ghosts that Normal types are otherwise well equipped to counter. Tackle gets the job done, but only just barely with completely average damage and energy generation, but it has all the bland stigma of many other Normal-type moves, and has left Oinkologne rooting around for success and mostly not finding it to this point.

Enter the new exclusive Community Day move Mud Slap. Obviously this move has a storied history over the last few seasons, rising from obscurity in Season 20 and never really looking back since, even after its slight nerf (from 4.0 DPT to now 3.67 DPT) just this season. Yes, Mud Slappers have come back down to earth a bit, but the good ones like Gastrodon, Marowak, and others haven't dropped out of any metas where they were prominent over the last years and a half. Mud Slap is still one of the best fast moves in the game with above average damage and energy generation, and still brings tremendous meta pressure all on its own. And now Oinkologne gets a crack at it. Now Mud Slap has an admittedly spotty history on non-Ground types (where it lacks the Same Type Attack Bonus that makes it really scary), but as we saw in one of very few analyses I have gotten out over the last couple weeks, spotlighting Orthworm, Mud Slap CAN do good things even for non-Ground types that have good bulk. Orthworm even finds success without any charge moves costing less than 50 energy, which is hardly ideal. Thankfully, Oinkologne does NOT have that particular problem....

Charge Moves

• Body Slam (Normal, 55 damage, 35 energy)

• Trailblaze (Grass, 65 damage, 45 energy, Raises User Attack +1 Stage)

• Dig (Ground, 70 damage, 50 energy)

While Orthie is perhaps only held back by needing to reach 50 energy to fire off any charge moves at all, as you can see, it's a whole different story for Oinkologne: 50 energy represents not its cheapest move, but its most expensive, and — spoiler alert — its one 50-energy move is one you probably don't want to be running anyway! Not when you have 45-energy Trailblaze sitting there. Yes, it deals a bit less damage than Dig (65 instead of 70), but still has a respectable 1.44 Damage Per Energy which is actually higher than Dig (1.40 DPE) AND nice coverage (being a Grass move, as opposed to Dig doubling up Ground damage on top of Mud Slap) AND a guaranteed Attack boost to make all subsequent Mud Slaps that much more powerful.

But what really makes Oinkologne go is a spammy Normal-type charge move (which DOES get S.T.A.B.!)... good old Body Spam Slam, in this case. Most of the best Normal types in PvP rely on Slam or Swift these days — a list that includes heavyweights of the present like Lickilicky, Furret, Miltank, Dubwool, Greedent and those of the past like Vigoroth and Snorlax — along with other modern (but non-Normal) stars like Kingdra, Sealeo, Dragonair, and of course, fellow Mud Slapping, Body Slammin' superstar Gastrodon. Oinkologne has always had the same (if not better) potential, it's just been locked behind mediocre Tackle. Let's set it free now with Mud Slap and see how high it can go!

GREAT LEAGUE

So comparing Tackle to the new Mud Slap is SUCH an improvement I almost feel I could rest my case right here. Yes, Tackle can uniquely take down Flying (and Mud Slap resistant) Fearow and, interestingly, Shelgon, but otherwise it's ALL Mud Slap with extra wins over a boatload of Steels (Aegislash, Galarian Stunfisk, Shadow Steelix, Shadow and non-Shadow Empoleon, Tinkaton), Poisons (Galarian Weezing, Clodsire), Tackle-resistant Ghosts (Galarian Corsola, Shadow and non-Shadow Sableye), and other big names that include Lickilicky, Charjabug, and Shadow Swampert. This is a clear and nearly unequivocal upgrade that I really don't need to embellish... it speaks for itself with a now-winning record against a number of obvious (Steels, Poisons) and not-so-obvious big names. And the lack of STAB on Mud Slap doesn't matter all that much; consider Donphan, a Ground type that DOES get STAB Mud Slap and carries the same Body Slam/Trailblaze moveset, and is left entirely in Oinkologne's dust due to having far worse bulk. STAB and Attack prowess aren't everything... stats generally matter more.

I'll just take a further moment to highlight that Female Oinkologne's remarkable improvement isn't limited to 1v1 shielding matchups. While things are a little closer in 0v0 shielding (Tackle scrapes out unique wins against Talonflame, Wigglytuff, Lickilicky, and Furret, though Mud Slap is still superior with wins instead against Morpeko, Galarian Weezing, and the Shadow versions of Steelix, Empoleon, Drapion, and even Talonflame), in 2v2 shielding, Mud Slap is a straight upgrade, beating literally everything that Tackle can while adding on (I'll just stick with alphabetical) Azumarill, Clefable, Cradily, Cresselia, Diggersby, Alolan Ninetales, Quagsire, G-Weezing, and Wigglytuff. I mean, there's really no further commentary or analysis necessary here, is there?

The only other thing I WILL highlight is the superiority of Trailblaze as compared to Dig. While Dig CAN bury a few things that Trailblaze cannot (Shadow Scizor there in 1shield, and Tinkaton, Empoleon, Shadow G-Weezing, and SScizor again with shields down), it consistently... well, trails Trailblaze, which not only brings in that important Grass coverage and wins that come with it like Mud Boys, Azumarill, Feraligatr, Diggersby and others, but is FAR better even when Grass is not super effective in long, pitched battles, shown most clearly by the 2v2 shielding comparison between Trailblaze and Dig, with Trailblaze beating everything Dig can, adding on those Grassy wins I just mentioned, and then a bunch of bonuses like Alolan Ninetales, Wigglytuff, Clefable, Galarian Weezing, and Cresselia thanks to the stacking Attack buffs from Trailblaze. Just run that and Body Slam and don't look back.

ULTRA LEAGUE

While Oinker doesn't quite get to a winning record in Ultra League, the improvement is even more impressive and consistent at this level. In 1shield, Mud Slap clowns on Tackle completely by matching ALL of its same wins while tacking on Ampharos (including Shadow), Bellibolt, Skeledirge, Shadow Dusknoir, Shadow and non-Shadow Empoleon, Steelix, Tinkaton, G-Weezing, and Tentacruel.

With shields down, Tackle scores its first unique win (over Talonflame), but Mud Slap strikes back with unique wins versus Tentacthulhu, G-Weeze, Shadow Nidoqueen, Steelix, Empoleon, Bellibolt, Shadow Ampharos, and Lickilicky. And finally, in 2v2 shielding, Tackle scores two standout wins (Golisopod and Togekiss, both of which resist Ground), but the advantage for Mud Slap remains clear cut with all of the following sliding into the win column: Ampharos (regular and Shadow), Empoleon (regular and Shadow), Nidoqueen (regular and Shadow), Steelix, Tinkaton, G-Weezing, ShadowNoir, Tentacthulhu, Cobalion, and Zygarde Complete.

NO BOYS ALLOWED?

I mentioned I would circle back on the male model of Oinkologne, so let's wrap up with a quick discussion on it and why stats matter so much in PvP. As I said in the opening portion of this analysis, the ONLY difference between the Female and Male variants is the stats... the moves and typing are identical. Now the Male benefits from Mud Slap (as compared to Tackle) just as much as the Female does, so I certainly WOULD try and get a couple Males with the exclusive move while you can. But it just can't keep up with the Female. While its higher Attack means it can overpower things the Female cannot such as Scizor in 1shield, Politoed in 2v2 shielding, and Empoleon, Shadow G-Weezing, Wigglytuff, and Lickilicky with shields down, it consistently trails 3-6 wins behind the Female overall, and only ever sneaks away with one or two meta wins that the Female cannot match (aside from that 0shield comparison in Great League). The ONLY even shield scenario where it gets any closer to replicating the Female's success is in 1v1 shield matchups in Ultra League, where the Male gets a unique win over Cresselia and the Female instead outlasts Tentacruel and Ludicolo. (In other even shield matchups in Ultra, the Male again trails 4-5 wins behind.) Again, get them, because you never know what a future move tweak could do, and the two forms DO have their own, separate coded movesets, so the Male could end up with moves the Female doesn't have one day. But your priority absolutely should be the Female during this particular event.

IN SUMMATION

If I didn't already make it plain, yes, you absolutely want Oinkologne with its exclusive Community Day move (Mud Slap) for PvP... it's nearly irrelevant without Mud Slap, and very impactful with Mud Slap. I can see it popping up even in Open play moving forward, at least the Female version, which has far better stats for PvP, translating to consistently superior results that makes it almost strictly better than the Male (and even other Pokémon with the exact same moveset that get the Same Type Attack Bonus on Mud Slap... see Donphan).

So that's it for now. Hope this is a help! Until next time, you can always find me on Twitter with regular GO analysis nuggets or Patreon.

Good luck on your grind! Have some fun out there with your local communities, and catch you next time, Pokéfriends!

Hello again, Pokéfriends! It's time once again for Team GO Rocket to blast off and bring with them our next batch of Shadow Pokémon! So let's dive RIGHT into the analysis on which ones you want to grind for, and for which Leagues. Here we go!

LANDO? MORE LIKE LAND-NO ⛰️💨

So the Incarnate we got during the last Shadow event was actually pretty good. I noted at the time that "Incarnate Forme Thundurus is THE most successful of the Forces of Nature trio in Great League". So uh... yeah, that doesn't bode well for INCARNATE FORME LANDORUS, does it?

It's not all bad, but no, Shadow Lando isn't great at Great League level. But if they ever give us a research-level Lando-I, it would be better than the Shadow, with extra wins like Morpeko, Forretress, Diggersby, both Rage Fisting Apes, and the Shadow versions of Scizor, Galarian Weezing, and Talonflame. By contrast, the only unique wins for Shadow Lando are Togekiss and the Shadow versions of Forret, Feraligatr, and Empoleon. This is a Flying type that struggles versus most Grasses and even Fighters, as well as many Ground types, and is itself a Ground type that struggles against several notable Electrics and Steels. If you want a Flying Ground type to find success, you just stick with what you know with Gligar or even Gliscor. Thundurus had some nice unique things going for it compared to other Flying Electric types. Landorus is just far outclassed in Great League.

The Shadow version is technically an improvement over the non-Shadow in Ultra League, but no, I still don't think you want it, and it is STILL badly outclassed by Gliscor (which is a much cheaper build, too!). Heck, Gliscor even flies circles around Landorus Incarnate (regular and Shadow) in Master League, where Lando crosses 4000 CP and Gliscor barely clears 3000. That's BAD. Invest those XL Candy into Therian Landorus instead... or hold on for hopefully the future release of Shadow Lando-T and its extra wins like Crowned Zacian, Origin Dialga, Kyurem Black, and Fairies like Togekiss and Primarina. 👀

Sure, grab Shadow Incarnate Landorus for the collection... I'll never NOT recommend that, because any of these seasonal move rebalances can shift the landscape significantly at a moment's notice. But I would also understand those of you who want to even skip this rotation and hold an extra Super Rocket Radar for whatever comes next Shadow event. Like I said, there's probably always a better option than Landourus Incarnate at all levels and very likely always will be... including the other Landorus.

ARACHNOPHOBES UNITE! 🕷️

Yep, that's me. I appreciate spiders and how them being around means keeping other bugs suppressed. I have seen legit cute videos of pet spiders and appreciate their seeming intelligence and even cognizance. But dangit, I had one descend right onto my face when I was 10 as I was hiding (in a good spot, too!) during a game of hide and seek with my friends, and the terror and then embarrassment at my reaction still sticks with me all these decades later. I am an admitted arachnophobe.

In the same way, I can appreciate how good ARAQUANID and DEWPIDER are in PvP, and have even made use of them myself, but I often hate facing them. They just grind you down and are hard to work around with anything but a dedicated Flyer or Electric type, with a type combination weak to only those and Rock, and key resistances to Ground, Fighting, and Water, among others. And they've only gotten scarier over time as Water Pulse — once a joke of a move at a basically unusable 60 energy for only 70 damage before going to 55e/80d in 2024 and then 50e/80d just last autumn — has gotten better and better. With that and often Bubble Beam for baits and more annoying grinding potential, all powered out by an also-improved Bug Bite (which got its major 33% power buff last June), Araquanid remains a fixture in Great League, while Dewpider is dominant in Little League.

So what if I told you that ShadowNid is even better. While the drop in bulk does mean a couple new losses (Electric-spewing Charjabug and Shadow Steelix with Thunder Fang), but several more new wins that include Annihilape, Shadow Empoleon (which resists ALL of Araquanid's damage, BTW), Lickilicky (despite scary Rollout), Clefable, Wigglytuff, and even Flying Togekiss! Shadow is similarly better with shields down, getting Sableye, Shadow Steelix, Quagsire, Shelgon, and Cradily that non-Shadow cannot, dropping only Wiggly and Shadow Talonflame in the process. Now as with many Shadows, the slashed bulk does catch up to Araquanid in 2v2 shielding, with Shadow overpowering Corviknight, Tinkaton, and the Shadow versions of Galarian Weezing and Empoleon, but dropping a bunch of things that non-Shadow can outlast, including Annihilape, Stunfisk, Furret, Lickilicky, Galarian Moltres, and the non-Shadow versions of Empoleon and G-Weeze. But still, overall, I think I'd rather have a Shadow Araquanid than non-Shadow now on most team compositions. With that good defensive typing and excellent bulk (Top 20 in Great League, third-best among Waters behind only Toxapex and Azumarill, and highest by far among Bugs), Araquanid can afford the downside of being a Shadow and benefits nicely from an even grindier, more damaging Bug Bite.

That said, Shadow Dewpider is slightly worse in Little League. While it does pick up some key wins that regular Dewpider cannot match (Cottonee, Skarmory, and Chinchou), it has a higher number of new losses that include Nidoqueen, Onix, Igglybuff, Vullaby, and Drifloon. That said, we're looking at a straight sidegrade in other even shield matchups, with Shadow Dewpider beating Shelmet, Igglybuff, and Mandibuzz with shields down while non-Shadow gets Vukpix, Deino, and Drifloon instead, and in 2v2 shielding, Shadow takes down Mandibuzz, while non-Shadow maintains that Igglybuff win instead. Shadow Dewpider is viable, though I would prioritize your good Shadows be turned into Araquanid instead, where possible.

BEWARE BEWEAR 🧸

Oftentimes I go into these Shadow event analyses kind of knowing what I'll find. Araquanid is a Pokémon built for success as a Shadow with its great bulk and typing and the extra Attack making Bug Bite truly scary. Landorus Incarnate is built for... well, not success when shrunk down to 1500 CP or less. 😅 But I love it when I'm left completely pleasantly surprised, and such is the case with BEWEAR.

In its current form, I feel like we should be talking about it more than we do. Thanks to recent buffs to Low Kick and Drain Punch, it's only gotten better over time, and actually stands tall as one of the better on-paper Fighting types in Great League these days (though ironically without Low Kick or Drain Punch, running with Shadow Claw and Superpower instead). While its Normal subtyping comes with a glaring weakness to other Fighting damage, in today's meta, I think Normal's resistance to Ghost damage (combined with Claw) and resulting special penchant for turning the tables on opposing Ghosts like Jellicent, Sableye, and Galarian Corsola more than makes up for the downside. All of its meta losses come against opposing Fighters, Flyers, Fairies, or other typical Fighting counters like Charjabug, Cresselia, and Clodsire... about the only loss that really sticks out is Stunfisk, which is mostly attributed to just having shaky bulk. I would argue that Bewear is perhaps a little underrated already.

And now we apply the Shadow bonus, and see a surprising jump in performance! As with any Shadow variant, there ARE new losses — Morpeko, Diggersby, Shadow Swampert, and Shadow Scizor — but the gains more than exceed them, with Alolan Ninetales, Annihilape, Corviknight, Cradily, Drapion, Malamar, Forretress, Politoed, Quagsire, and Shadow Talonflame ALL moving into the win column, a six-win positive swing that gives it an overall record up there with other top Fighting options like Medicham, Poliwrath, Kommo-o, Machamp, and even Annihilape. I'm not advocating you run out and replace all those with Shadow Bewear or anything... some of those other Fighters are top of their class for reasons beyond simple win/loss numbers. But Shadow Bewear's wins over Ghosts (Jelli, Sable, Gorsola, and usually Annihilape too) are very unique among those top Fighters, and interestingly, so is that sneaky win over Shadow Talonflame, as well as Feraligatr (Primeape can match that one, but others like Anni, Medi, and Kommo cannot) and Malamar (the Apes can sometimes with this one, but not the other Fighters). On the downside, ShadoWear will often give up things those other Fighters can beat instead, including Shadow Swampert, Stunfisk, Galarian Moltres, Morpeko, and Shadow Sczior. Additionally, the gap between Shadow Bewear and other top Fighters widens in other even shield matchups, with Medicham and Primeape pulling pretty far ahead with shields down, and both Apes swinging way past it in 2v2 shielding. Bringing in Drain Punch can somewhat help in 2shield, though it's notably worse in other scenarios and you're really better off going for broke with Superpower instead.

So, no, it's not all sunshine and rainbows. But could Shadow Bewear actually rise up and compete? At least moreso than it has to this point, I think it absolutely can, having some really cool standout wins that this new Shadow variant allows it to fully flex. I think it's worth chasing to tbe best of your ability during this Shadow event. (Not quite so much for Ultra League, however, which is a slight improvement or sidegrade to non-Shadow but still subpar overall.)

PILE OF SHIIIIII-NOTIC 🍄

Hey, they can't all be winners. And yes, that is a bit of a double entendre, with the risqué-for-JRE section title and for the Pokémon in this section itself: SHIINOTIC.

It's not a bad Pokémon, really. I've used Shii to some success myself in Limited metas of the not-too-distant past. But it's just not a great fit for today's meta. In theory, Astonish should shred Ghosts, but other than Annihilape and Jellicent (which, as a good Fairy/Grass, it should be beating already anyway), the only one that really stands out is Galarian Corsola, and the other big names like Sableye, Aegislash/Doublade, and of course Gourgeist (and even others that show up here and there like Shadow Dusknoir, Spiritomb, and Trevenant) all remain in the loss column. Medicham outduels it. It loses straight up to Empoleon and even Feraligatr, and other things you'd hope for your Grass type to handle like Cradily and Diggersby. It's also a Fairy that loses to most Darks, with only Malamar standing out as a particularly notable win while Sableye, Guzzlord, Galarian Moltres, Drapion (okay, no huge surprise there, honestly), and even freaking Morpeko all tracking as typical losses... and keep in mind that Shiinotic rather uniquely resists BOTH flavors of Aura Wheel! It has a fun moveset and fun on-paper potential, but in the end, it's very much a "jack of all trades, master of none" type, usually trying to do too much and failing in at least one critial area along the way.

And Shadow is really no different. It at least manages to carve out some wins you would have hoped to get before (Furret, Medicham, and finally Morpeko) and a couple that come as surprises (Forretress and even Gourgeist, which is pretty sweet). But it suffers just as many compensating losses, all of which you feel like it really should be handling with names like Azumarill, Politoed, Galarian Stunfisk, Galarian Corsola, and Shelgon.

And with Shadow being a downgrade in 0shield (Shadow v non-Shadow and 2v2 shielding (Shadow a bit behind non-Shadow... well, I'll never say to outright skip any new Shadow Pokémon, but this is one you definitely don't need to prioritize, I don't think. Shiinotic may still shine in the sun again, but I don't think hanging back in the Shadows will do much for it when that moment of glory comes again.

HELIOLESS 🦎

And finally, HELIOLISK. This is a Pokémon I WANT to love, and have tried to use several times, but honestly, it never seems to live up to its potential, despite multiple intriguing movesets, including an odd Mud Slap variant. (Too bad that has led to it always being banned from Electric Cup. 😔)

And just to keep this simple: the new Shadow variant is not any better. We're looking at a sidegrade at best with new wins like Togekiss, Fearow, and Galarian Moltres, but also counterbalancing losses like Florges, Alolan Ninetales, and Shadow Forretress, among others. And it's the same sad tale in Ultra League too, with ShadowLisk failing to overcome Corviknight, G-Moltres, Togekiss, Drapion, Golisopod, or Ludicolo like non-Shadow can, feebily replacing those losses with new wins over only Ampharos, Shadoe Scizor, Galarian Weezing, and Florges.

Again, I'll never say to NOT go out and get a new Shadow, but this one is really a reach, IMO. I would consider Shadow Heliolisk a collector's item only for now, and one you can afford to pass up in favor of the others up above.

IN SUMMATION

So just to rack and stack them here as a little TL;DR, I would grind these in order:

• Araquanid and Dewpider first. They are already very meta in Great and Little Leagues (respectively), and while Dewpider's standing remains about the same as a Shadow, Araquanid's stock is likely pointing up in its new Shadow form. It's just the perfect kind of target for Shadowification with its crazy god bulk (buffed further with every Bubble Beam it shoots out there) and grindy fast move.

• Bewear surprises even me as the pretty clear #2, at least for Great League, with a number of new wins in Shadow form that seem legit. If you see Bewear in future formats, it will likely be at its best as a Shadow... though it sees (and should continue to see) far less Open play than Araquanid, remaining more of a Cup specialist.

• The rest are not notably better as Shadows (or in Great League for the first time, in the case of Landorus), but there's nothing wrong with picking up Shiinotic, Heliolisk, and of course Landorus, probably in that priority order. Shiinotic in particular HAS had some Cup play, so it would be a nice bonus Shadow to pick up once you've secured Araquanid, Bewear, and Dewpider.

Alright, that's it for this batch. Hopefully this is a help to you as you hunt! Until next time, you can always find me on Twitter with regular GO analysis nuggets or Patreon.

Stay safe out there, Pokéfriends, and beware what lurks in the shadows! 🌑 Catch you next time.

It's been a hit or miss year for new releases in Pokémon GO. Yes, we've had some excitement with Mimikyu (if we ever get to use it!) and Flamigo... but also a lot of disappointment with Klawf, Kilowattrel, Glimmora, Orbeetle, and most recently, the whole debacle of the regional-but-not-but-yes-actually-a-regional Sandaconda. Well I'm happy to say that the rather quiet upcoming release (on the other side of the weekend) of ORTHWORM looks like it's one of the good ones! How good? Let's dive in and see with today's "Quick Bites" PvP analysis, shall we?

ORTHWORM Stats and Stuff

Steel Type

GREAT LEAGUE:

Attack: 108 (on average)

Defense: 154 (on average)

HP: 122 (on average)

(Highest Stat Product IVs: 0-15-14 1498 CP, Level 25)

ULTRA LEAGUE:

Attack: 144 (on average)

Defense: 195 (on average)

HP: 154 (on average)

(Highest Stat Product IVs: 8-15-15, 2496 CP, Level 50)

Our last Quick Bites solo spotlight was on Orbeetle, which was, frankly, a total bust in PvP. But the one thing it got right was having excellent bulk, behind only three other bulky Bugs in Great League and notably THE bulkiest Bug now in Ultra League. Well, Orthworm's total stat product and overall bulk are nearly identical. At a quick glance, however, as compared to where Orbeetle ranks among other Bugs, Orthworm ranks much lower than its Steel contemporaries, with a stat product lower than a dozen other Steels in Great League (behind Bastiodon, Aegislash, Registeel, Probopass, Steelix, Galarian Stunfisk, Trashadam, Skarmory, Corviknight, Tinkaton, and Ferrothorn) and eighth in Ultra League (behind all of those besides Basti, Aegis, Probo, Trashy, and Skarm). Stil, it's within the Top 75 (viable) Pokémon overall in Great League, and the Top 40 in Ultra, so obviously it's plenty thicc. In Great League, other than Orbeetle, its closest comparisons are Amoonguss, Sealeo, Gligar, Tentacruel/Toedscruel, and fellow Steels Forretress and Metang, while in Ultra it's right up there with Blastoise, Serperior, Avalugg, and again Forretress. Pretty good company!

And unlike everything mentioned above aside from Registeel, Orthworm is a mono-Steel Pokémon. That means weaknesses to Fire, Fighting, and Ground, but also no less than eleven resistances... in order, Bug , Dragon, Fairy, Flying, Grass, Ice, Normal, Psychic, Rock, Steel, and 2x to Poison.

In other words, all the pieces are there with its stats and typing to find PvP success. But Orbeetle and so many other seemingly promising Pokémon are undone by poor moves. Is Orthworm among them too? Well, I'm happy to say that NO, Orthworm does not suffer this same ignominious fate! While its only STAB fast move is the thematic but PvP-unviable Iron Tail (3.33 Damage Per Turn but only 2.33 Energy Per Turn), it also comes with Mud Slap (3.66 DPT and 3.33 EPT), clearly a MUCH better way to go even without Same Type Attack Bonus damage. Even better, in Limited formats with lots of Steels, Mud Slap gives it a big le--er, tail up on the competition with super effective slapping.

And thankfully there's no real dropoff with the charge moves either. Rock Tomb (50 energy, 75 damage + guaranteed Attack debuff to the opponent) is again not STAB, but who cares when you can reach it in exactly five fast moves (each Mud Slap generates 10 energy) with no energy waste? You also have Iron Head which is okay, if a bit dull at the same 50 energy for only 70 damage... on paper, though it usually ends up dealing more damage than Rock Tomb anyway thanks to benefitting from STAB, and of course offers what could be key coverage, particularly against Fairies which neither Mud Slap nor Rock Tomb hit super effectively like Iron Head does. (And there's plenty of overlap, such as Mud Slap and Rock Tomb hitting Fire types super effectively, Rock Tomb and Iron Head both smashing Ice types super effectively, and Mud Slap and Iron Head both cracking open Rock types with super effective damage.) There is very, very little that resists Ground, Rock, and Steel damage. (And this is the part of the analysis where the readers hammer that reply button to tell me all the Pokémon that DO. 🤓 Love you too, dear readers!) There's also Earthquake, which has some legit use as well, but it's a bit more awkward at 65 damage and of course offers no additional coverage with Mud Slap driving things.

So, good bulk, a good defensive typings, and good moves? How does it all shake out?

PvP PERFORMANCE

So a couple fun facts before we get to all the numbers. First off, Orthworm is the only mono-Steel type to sport Mud Slap (the only other Steel types with it at all are half-Ground Excadrill and Alolan Dugtrio), and is also the only Mud Slapper that also has Rock Tomb other than Claydol and understandably-little-seen Klawf.

But anyway, enough teasing... time for some sims! Starting in Great League, where Orthworm comes out of the gate with a decent record. It's at least an improvement on other Steely Mud Slappers Excadrill and Alolan Duggie, as well as fellow Mud Slap/Rock Tomb user Claydol, though it admittedly falls short of the top Mud Slap users like Gastrodon and Toedscruel, though it does stand tall alongside Mud Slapper staple Marowak, which is actually pretty impressive seeing as how Marowak has cheaper moves, comparable bulk, and STAB on Mud Slap. I would even call ShadoWak and Orthworm sidegrades to each other, with Marowak getting wins like Forretress, both Stunfisks, Sableye, Drapion, Quagsire, Togekiss, Fearow, and of course, Fighting-type Shadow Annihilape, but Orthworm instead outlasting Guzzlord, Shelgon, Wigglytuff, Florgres, Furret, and Cradilly thanks to its resistances, as well as Water types like Azumarill, Empoleon, and Shadow Feraligatr that terrorize Ground type Marowak, but not so much a Steel type like Orthworm! The two stay neck and neck with each other in other even shield scenarios as well, with a similar spread of differing wins that mostly come down to their typings and associated resistances (or not). Orthie is pretty good at Great League level, folks!

But it is perhaps even more impressive if you push one deep into XL territory for Ultra League, with a legit winning record now! And that's actually the best record for ANY Mud Slapper at this level... better than Golurk, better than Toedscruel and Torterra, better than Nidoqueen, better now than even Gastrodon! While others like Queen and Gastro can tackle things that plague Steely Orthworm like Dusknoir, Stunfisk, Skeledirge, Nidoqueen, Watery Shadow Claw users (Feraligatr and/or Golisopod), and Fighters like Kommo-o, Virizion, Cobalion, and Annihilape, they cannot handle stuff Orthie can like Regidrago, Giratina, Jellicent, Drifblim, Articuno, Scizor, Lapras, Alolan Ninetales, and more. (A more complete comparison can be found here.) And Orthworm maintains that superiority in other even shield matchups as well, consistently outpacing Gastrodon and Nidoqueen by 6-7 wins (blame my daughter for picking up on the fact that I accidentally stumbled into THAT meme.. got her old man's bad sense of humor)... at least.

...and it may be able to get even better than that. At Ultra League level, you can replace the underwhelming Iron Head with Earthquake to add on Stunfisk in 1v1 shielding, and Guzzlord, Malamar, Shadow Nidoqueen, and at least a tie with Greninja with shields down. In terms of winning record among Steel types, Orthworm is right up there with Corviknight, fellow mono-Steel bulkster Registeel, and fellow snek-like Steelix. I can't promise Orthworm will suddenly move up into the meta as a top performer... but it legit has the potential to do so.

IN SUMMATION

It's funny how we've had numerous Pokémon arrive with a lot of hooplah only to end up collecting dust, and then things like Orthworm that seem to be underhyped and then send out far more ripples in the meta. I don't see this steely snek redefining any metas on its own, but could it slide its way into existing meta play? I think it certainly has that potential, and it well worth a grind during this event, even (and perhaps especially) for Ultra League!

Alright, that's it for today, folks. Until next time, you can always find me on Twitter with regular GO analysis nuggets or Patreon.

Good hunting, and catch you next time, Pokéfriends!