Gen 1-6 Pokemon Available in VGC '17

Gen 1-6 Pokemon in the Alolan Pokedex

Hey guys, Its Ty (@SarkastikVGC) and Matt (@JiwaVGC) here again and we’re going to go through the list of Evolutionary lines available in Sun/Moon, not including Alola mons. Shoutout to @ProfShroomish for posting a helpful gallery here.

**Disclaimer**

This is a competitive analysis, and though we are aware that Ariados has access to Rage Powder and Masquerain has Intimidate, we do not feel inclined to analyse and discuss pokemon with little to no past competitive success.

Secondly, there are points in this analysis that we will mention moves that can only be learned via move tutors, which are not yet confirmed to be in the new games. However, as we don't know whether or not they're in the games we still find them worthy of being mentioned. The situation is similar for pokemon who rely on their Hidden Abilities (like Clefairy with Friend Guard).

***We have put any move or ability that may not be in the new games in italics for clarity**

Table of Contents

• List of Pokemon
• Supports
• Redirection
• Speed Control
• Disruption
• Hybrids
• Low-Speed
• Medium-Speed
• High-Speed
• Damage Dealers
• Low-Speed
• Medium-Speed
• High-Speed
• Our Picks

For the purpose of this article, we’ve made a note of the Pokémon from this list that we think could be viable in some way or another (occasionally being a bit generous,- looking at you Tauros), we’ve organized the Pokémon into pools to make it easier to identify trends. These pools, as you can see below, are Support, Hybrid, and Damage-Dealer.

Supports are those Pokémon that don’t have much offensive presence on the field, and focus mostly on establishing board control and setting up win conditions in conjunction with their more offensive partners.

Hybrids are those Pokémon who offer damage potential, but also have their own ways of influencing a match other than just attacking outright. Pokémon such as Gengar and Arcanine are good examples of this because they offer relatively high damage while still offering supportive coverage with moves like Will-O-Wisp, Icy Wind, Snarl etc.

Finally, Damage-Dealers are rather straightforward, and include those Pokémon whose job it is to dish out damage. These Pokémon regularly carry offensive items like Life Orb or a Choice item, or things like Lum Berry as to ensure their damage cannot be weakened.

 

Supports	Hybrid	Damage Dealers
Clefairy	Slowbro	Metagross
Clefable	Slowking	Garchomp
Porygon2	Hariyama	Krookodile
Trevenant	Milotic	Lapras
Crobat	Gengar	Gastrodon
Parasect	Aerodactyl	Tauros
Smeargle	Lucario	Gyarados
Whimsicott	Weavile	Scizor
Sableye	Arcanine	Salamence
Misdreavus	Machamp
Klefki	Eeveelutions
	Politoed
	Talonflame

Notes/First Impressions:

• Politoed is the only weather setter, and Carracosta is the only swift swim Pokémon that seems like it’s not garbage…. (it’s still pretty garbage).
• There are 4 main Intimidate options which all seem decent, but share a weakness to bulky waters: Arcanine, Gyarados, Salamence, and Krookodile. (Tauros also gets it but lol)
• There are 5 (reasonable) Trick Room setters, and many of them share a weakness to ghost and dark: Pory2, Misdreavus, Trevenant, Slowbro, and Slowking.
• There are 5 Pokémon with redirecting abilities: Clefairy, Clefable, Parasect, Smeargle, and Lucario

Support Pokemon

Support Pokémon are those that focus mainly on non-attacking moves that either benefit its partner or hinder its opposition. They typically carry one attacking move on the set, though this is only a rule of thumb. I’ve split the support mons into 3 main categories for the purpose of this review; Redirection, Speed Control and Disruption.

Support Pokémon
Redirection	Speed Control	Disruption
Parasect	Porygon2	Smeargle
Clefairy	Crobat	Sableye
Clefable	Whimsicott	Whimsicott
Smeargle	Misdreavus	Klefki
	Trevenant

Redirection

Redirection options in the Alolan dex are limited from the pool we were treated to in VGC 15 and 16, with notable exclusions including Togekiss and Amoonguss. However, the key remaining options include Parasect, Clefairy, Clefable and Smeargle, all of which have seen some usage in previous years.Parasect has suffered from poor typing and being outclassed by Amoonguss as both a sleep inducer and redirection user. It does have its niche in the form of the theoretically powerful combination of Rage Powder and Wide Guard, but despite this has seen very little success in the recent past. With Amoonguss out of the picture, Parasect may get its opportunity to shine. Expect Spore and Rage Powder on every Parasect, with a mix of Wide Guard, Seed Bomb, X-Scissor and Protect making up the final move slots.

Clefairy and Clefable both saw usage in VGC 15, with Clefairy favoured by some due to the extra utility it gains from its ability; Friend Guard. However though its ability is less valuable, Clefable makes up somewhat due to the capability of holding an item other than Eviolite, often Sitrus Berry. Both benefit from solid defensive typing as well as good bulk on both the physical and special side. Though they lack much offensive pressure, the pair can offer speed control in the form of Thunder Wave and Icy Wind, as well as further support in Helping Hand. Common attacking moves (if carried) are Moonblast and Ice Beam.

Finally for redirection users is Smeargle. Though notorious for its disruptive capabilities primarily in the form of Dark Void, it also often carries Follow Me and should not be overlooked as a redirection option.

Lucario is also an option, but we found it fits into the analysis better in the Hybrids section, so check it out there.

Speed Control

Speed Control has come in a variety of forms in previous years. Though Thunder Wave and Icy Wind/Electroweb are options, they are typically seen on Pokémon we feel fit more closely into the ‘hybrid’ category. In this section we’ll be looking at two main forms of speed control: Trick Room and Tailwind.

Trick Room as a form of speed control has been a huge factor in just about every year of VGC. In the Alolan dex however, there are a number of important omissions in this department, including Gardevoir, Gothitelle, Jellicent and Chandelure. This is not to say that Trick Room won’t feature as heavily as it has in the past as we don’t have information about the new Pokémon. There are also still a handful of notable TR users from past generations in the dex. 

Porygon2 was a mon that featured as a niche option towards the end of VGC 15, though ironically enough it served primarily as a hybrid attacking anti-meta option that utilised moves such as Ice Beam, Hidden Power Ground, Toxic and Recover. Nonetheless, TR variants did exist, and perhaps with the exodus of more popular options this set may become P2’s best option looking forward. Porygon2 also benefits from the durability granted by its extreme bulk granted by Eviolite in conjunction with its access to Recover, as well as having only one weakness thanks to its normal typing. Also notable for Porygon2 is the absence of Bisharp; the most common user of Knock Off from the dex as its item is extremely important to its function.

Misdreavus is another option Trick Room users may turn to, though it has typically been greatly overshadowed by its alternatives in the past. It also benefits from fantastic bulk granted by the Eviolite, and as a result is another beneficiary of the absence of Bisharp from the format. Though less reliable than Recover, Misdreavus also has a recovery option in the form of Pain Split. Its offensive pressure comes mainly in the form of Foul Play, and one notable advantage it has over Porygon2 is access to Will-O-Wisp. It also has access to Icy Wind, which allows it to fit on some more offensive teams and take advantage of its relatively high base 85 speed stat.

Trevenant saw some usage as a Trick Room setter in its first season of VGC back in 2014, but fell out of favour altogether in 2015 as a variety of superior options were available. Its durability comes in the form of its ability; Harvest, in combination with a Sitrus Berry. Similarly to Misdreavus, Trevenant has access to Will-O-Wisp. Trevenant’s attack stat higher than the attack or special attack of either of the aforementioned options, and is utilised by its common attacking moves in the form of Horn Leech, Shadow Claw and Phantom Force.

Other possibly notable Trick Room users include Gengar and Slowbro/Slowking, which will be discussed more in depth elsewhere in this analysis.

Last year saw Crobat have perhaps its most successful year of VGC in terms of usage, as its blistering speed as well as access to Inner Focus as well as support moves including Super Fang, Tailwind, Quick Guard and Haze placed it in something of a special position. However, this niche was extremely unique to the format, created by Xerneas and Smeargle. In a more traditional past formats, Crobat has utilised the likes of Tailwind, Super Fang, Brave Bird, Taunt and Rain Dance, amongst others. Its viability hinges heavily on the usefulness of these moves, particularly in combination, so we might have to wait and see how the format unfolds to have a better picture of how Crobat fits in. 

Whimsicott is typically referred to in combination with other Pokémon, namely Mega-Gengar and Terrakion. The absence of these Pokémon from the format, as well as the potential for the new Psychic Terrain to negate the use of priority moves places Whimsicott in the precarious position of not having an obvious niche in the format. Historically, Whimsicott has utilised its vast pool of support moves which includes Encore, Tailwind, Taunt and Fake Tears, as well as the occasional offensive option of Moonblast or Grass Knot. Once again, we can only wait to see if a niche develops, but the early signs look grim for the cotton ball.

Other potentially notable Tailwind users include Salamence, Aerodactyl and Talonflame, which will be discussed further elsewhere in the analysis.

Disruption

Pokémon in this category typically utilise disruptive and status inducing moves such as Will-O-Wisp, Swagger, Encore and Dark Void. They often make use of the ability Prankster to give such moves priority, though with the introduction of the ability Dazzling and the possibility of the likes of Electric Terrain and Psychic Terrain being relevant in this format, perhaps Prankster and status inducing moves will take a back seat.

We’re starting with one mon that doesn’t have Prankster, but thanks to its ability to learn almost any move in the game is still an extremely powerful and disruptive supporter. Smeargle generated controversy throughout the 2016 season due to the numerous options it had in both moves and items. This made it incredibly hard to play against, as each set required a very different approach to counter it, and one misstep could cost the entire game. On top of this, its Moody ability made it even more unpredictable, and one unfortunate boost to evasion or speed could steal games on the spot. Though I think the majority of the competitive community would love to see Smeargle left out of the game entirely, whenever it is in the format it must be accounted for. We can only hope that Tapu Koko and its Electric Terrain will make Smeargle too inconsistent to use. Notable moves Smeargle often uses include Dark Void, Follow Me, Wide Guard, Quick Guard, Crafty Shield, Taunt, Sheer Cold and Transform.

Sableye is a disruptor in its purest form. A Prankster user that makes use of Will-O-Wisp and Swagger, Sableye benefits from its solid defensive typing and ability to make use of the synergy between Swagger and Foul Play. Though it is usually quite predictable, move options include Will-O-Wisp, Swagger, Confuse Ray, Recover, Feint, Quash, Fake Out, Gravity and Taunt. 

Klefki is extremely similar to Sableye, making use of the synergy between Swagger and Foul Play. While Sableye relies on Will-O-Wisp for spreading status, Klefki uses Thunder Wave, which also has some synergy with Swagger. Another commonality between these two is their entirely different but equally strong defensive typings, with only 3 weaknesses between them. Other moves to watch out for from Klefki include Reflect, Light Screen, Crafty Shield and Safeguard.

Other disruptors worth mentioning are Whimsicott (check it out in the  'speed control' section) and Murkrow.

 

Hybrid Pokemon

We agree that in our opinions Hybrid Pokémon are the most exciting part of VGC.  As you can only bring 4 Pokémon per battle, it makes the most sense in my opinion to focus on Pokémon who are versatile and can accomplish something regardless of the matchup. This is what we’re calling Hybrid Pokémon.

Hybrid Pokémon
Slow-Speed (60-)	Medium-Speed (60+)	Fast-Speed (110+)
Slowbro	Milotic	Gengar
Slowking	Politoed	Aerodactyl
Hariyama	Eeveelutions	Weavile
Machamp	Arcanine	Talonflame
	Lucario

Low-Speed

So we’ll start by talking about the slower Pokémon we think can have an impact. First off, the Slow Bros (hehe) both have the ability to control speed in a few ways. Both get access to Trick Room and Thunder Wave to ensure they can control the pace of a match. Furthermore, their access to Scald as their primary STAB move allows for a lot of burn scenarios which can help get damage over time. Other options include things like: Slack Off, Heal Pulse and Magic Coat.

Next we have Hariyama, who has a strong presence with Fake Out, especially when paired with a Trick Room setter. As well as this, Hariyama can come with support moves such as Knock Off, Feint, and Wide Guard, all of which can be useful in disrupting your opponent. The combination of these moves with its high base attack stat, and ability Guts, allow Hariyama to both aid its team and dish out significant damage in the right circumstances. Machamp provides similar utility, but drops access to Fake out and Feint for a few more coverage moves, as well as the option for Dynamic Punch+No Guard which can spread confusion.

Medium-Speed

In the Medium tier, there are two Pokémon who provide a similar role to the Slow Bros (hehehehe), but are a bit more versatile in that they do not rely on hard speed control to be effective. Politoed and Milotic, both fill a role as a bulky water type that is able to get burns with Scald, and control speed with Icy Wind. They differ a bit in that Politoed’s other movepool options include moves like Encore, Perish Song, Hypnosis, and Milotic has historically functioned as a wall with Recover and Maranga Berry to boost its longevity.

The Eeveelutions that are relevant to the format most likely only include Sylveon, and perhaps Umbreon on more defensive teams. Sylveon is effective at dishing out immense damage with Hyper Voice, and honestly belongs more in the Damage-dealer category. As for Umbreon, it is able to use a few moves such as Snarl, Foul Play, Wish and Charm in order to fulfil a defensive role on a team. It should also be noted that all Eeveelutions have access to: Charm, Fake Tears, Yawn and Wish. Honestly hopes aren’t especially high for Eeveelutions not named Sylveon, but given the limited nature of the format, anything is possible, and the stat distribution among the –eons is generally quite good, so we’ll see how it progresses.

Arcanine is another Pokémon that is able to be quite effective at disrupting enemy teams. It combines strong STAB moves like Heat Wave, Flamethrower, and Overheat with interesting support options like Will-O-Wisp and Snarl. It also has access to Intimidate which can relieve a lot of pressure instantly. Arcanine also has interesting offensive options like Extremespeed, Wild Charge and Close Combat which combined with its relatively high speed can give it a lot of options regardless of the enemy team’s composition.

Lucario is another relatively speedy Pokémon, but its supportive side is much different to those Pokémon previously mentioned. Unfortunately for Lucario, the lack of both Mega Kangaskhan and Tyranitar will make it far less useful, but it still has options regardless. Lucario is one of the few Pokémon with access to Follow Me, which can help immensely with supporting a damage-dealing partner, as well as giving free turns for set-up. It also has access to Quick Guard and Heal Pulse, two rarely used moves that can situationally be very useful. In combination with this array of unique support moves, Lucario has access to Extremespeed, Bullet Punch and Close Combat on the physical side, and Aura Sphere and Flash Cannon on the special side. Lucario’s wide movepool and unpredictability are generally what give it an advantage in battle, and its access to unique keeps it relevant.

High-Speed

Fast Pokémon generally come with the tradeoff of high speed and attacking stats, but general frailty. This tends to dissuade people from using them due to fear of conceding an early knockout, but they can be very useful regardless. Gengar is a Pokémon famous for its versatility in recent years of VGC. Its access to Will-O-Wisp, Taunt, Icy Wind, and even Trick Room have allowed it to be incredibly successful. Gengar also has access to powerful dual-STABS, in Sludge Bomb and Shadow Ball, which allow it to pressure the enemy with high damage. This combination of offense and support make Gengar force the opponent to react defensively – which is when you are able to create openings with your support moves.

Aerodactyl was a Pokémon that saw a decent amount of success in the VGC14 season. It was one of the few Pokémon who had access to Tailwind without using move tutors. It also has access to Wide Guard and Sky Drop which can keep its team safe in various ways. Its offensive options include Rock Slide mostly, and some interesting coverage options in Ice, Fire, and Thunder Fang.

Weavile provides a role as a disruptor that can also deal significant damage. Its options for disruptive moves include: Taunt, Fake Out, Feint, and Knock Off, all of which can reduce the options of enemy teams, and put yours into a favourable position. Offensively, it is most likely to run Knock Off and Ice Punch, as well as maybe Ice Shard for priority damage that can outspeed Talonflame.

Speaking of Talonflame, I’m sad to say I think it will be an impressive Pokemon in the VGC17 format. It has the ability to dish out a huge chunk of damage with its dual-STABs, Brave Bird and Flare Blitz (or maybe even Overheat). It also provides its team with an array of support moves such as Quick Guard, Will-O-Wisp, Taunt, and Tailwind. It is also important to note that Talonflame can run the ability Flame Body, which was seen a little in VGC14 – however without mega Kangaskhan being available this seems far less viable.

Damage Dealer Pokemon

Damage Dealing Pokemon are exactly what their name suggest – Pokemon whose primary job is to deal damage onto the enemy team. They differ from hybrid pokemon usually in that their choice of status move serves to increase their own damage potential, rather than aid their team. Examples of this are things like Substitute Garchomp, or Dragon Dance Gyarados.

Damage Dealer Pokémon
Low-Speed (70-)	Medium-Speed (70+)	High-Speed (100+)
Gastrodon	Metagross	Garchomp
Lapras	Krookodile	Salamence
	Gyarados	Tauros
	Scizor

I’ll make like Regigigas and start slow with this one (hehe). Gastrodon and Lapras are two pokemon who seem like an odd fit for the ‘Damage-Dealer’ category, because of their relatively poor offensive stats and slow speed. However we’ve decided to include them here because their job on a team has historically been to provide offensive pressure due to their type coverage and impressive bulk.

Low-Speed

Gastrodon was considered an effective anti-meta pick in VGC15 where it could hit common pokemon like Thundurus, Landorus and Heatran for super-effective damage with moves such as Scald, Ice beam and Earth Power. It also provides protection from water-type moves to its teammates through its helpful ability: Storm Drain. Its low speed also allows Gastrodon to thrive in Trick Room matchups, while not needing to rely on the speed advantage to be useful.

Lapras falls into a similar boat in that it was an effective anti-meta pick in 2014, where it was able to threaten pokemon like Garchomp, Salamence, Ludicolo and Politoed, using its moves Ice Beam, Freeze Dry and Hydro Pump. Similarly to Gastrodon, Lapras can absorb water type moves to heal itself, but unfortunately it cannot redirect them away from your teammates. It notable also can use moves like Perish Song, Icy Wind, Ice Shard and Sheer Cold, to get it out of tight situations.

Medium-Speed

The mid-tier speed damage dealers are interesting in my opinion, and the format’s access to speed control moves will determine their level of usefulness.

Kicking off, Metagross, has been around in VGC for a long time, though its non-mega form hasn’t seen much usage since 2013. That being said, there have been a few changes since then that can help regular Metagross shine a bit more. The new item, Assault Vest, could be an interesting choice depending on the prevalence of special attackers, and the large number of potentially viable intimidators in the format could give Metagross and edge over other physical attackers (due to its ability Clear Body). Metagross has a large movepool with access to dual-STABs in Zen Headbutt and Iron Head. It also has access to a variety of coverage moves including: Hammer Arm, Meteor Mash, Thunder Punch, Ice Punch, Bullet Punch and Earthquake. Metagross can also run a variety of items such as the aforementioned Assault Vest, as well as things like Life Orb, Lum Berry, Choice Band and Air Balloon.

Krookodile is another pokemon that has seen mixed success, and a fair amount of overseas play in Japan in both VGC14 and VGC15. It boasts an impressive base 117 Attack stat, and has the useful ability, Intimidate. Krookodile has typically been seen with a Choice Scarf, but can also run items like Lum Berry or even Choice Band to increase its sweeping potential. Krookodile’s commonly used moves include: Earthquake, Knock Off, and Rock Slide, though it also has access to unique coverage moves in Fire Fang, Low Kick, Stone Edge, Superpower and Aqua Tail. Krookodile usually suffers for being the weaker Ground-type in the meta, as it was outclassed by Garchomp in 2014 and Landorus in 2015, though its unique Dark-typing could allow it to break ahead this season depending on how the metagame progresses.

Gyarados is a pokemon who could honestly fall into any of the three categories discussed in this article. As a bulky pokemon with access to Intimidate and support moves like Thunder Wave, Swagger and Taunt, it can help your team immensely without having to provide much damage. Conversely however, it has reasonable coverage moves in Waterfall, Ice Fang, Crunch and Stone Edge, and is one of the few viable Pokémon with a strong stat-boosting move in Dragon Dance. Because of this there are really a lot of viable sets Gyarados could run, and almost any item would work on it. In saying this however, our guesses at items for supportive Gyarados include: Wacan Berry, Leftovers, Sitrus Berry, or Rocky Helmet, and for a more offensive set we could recommend Lum Berry, Life Orb or even Choice Band.

Finally for the Medium-speed pokemon we have Scizor, A pokemon who much like metagross, has fallen out of favour in the metagame since 2013. Scizor’s strengths come from its ability Technician, which allows it to fire off strong, priority Bullet Punches. It also has access to Bug Bite, which with technician become a strong 90 base power, STAB move, that can hinder opponents by eating their berries, with X-Scissor serving as a less powerful alternative in the absence of move tutors. Scizor commonly boosts its attack with Swords Dance as well, so that it can compensate for its relatively low speed with high-damage priority attacks. Scizor has honestly had a lot of success in more limited metagames where it is partnered with Politoed, whose rain can threated fire types. In this case however, due to an apparent lack of good Swift-Swim users, this seems like it will not be possible for Scizor. Scizor often runs the items Life orb or Lum Berry to enhance its sweeping capabilities, and Occa Berry is another option to avoid instant KO from opposing Fire-types.

High-Speed

Moving onto the speedy damage dealers we have Garchomp. Garchomp was a menace in 2014 and was effective due to its high base speed (102) which allowed it to outspeed most other pokemon. It was also especially useful against Kangaskhan due to its Rough Skin ability activating twice. Unfortunately for the dragon Mega-Kangaskhan isn’t available in 2017, and Garchomps speed supremacy isn’t guaranteed. That being said, Garchomp still offers a lot of pressure with its powerful dual-STABS, Dragon Claw and Earthquake, as well as coverage moves like Stone Edge, Rock Slide, Fire Blast and Draco Meteor, all of which have seen some competitive success. Towards the end of the 2014 format there was also an increased usage in Life Orb, Substitute Garchomp who could threaten teams with high damage, and aim to avoid status and intimidate by setting up an early substitute. All-in-all I think Garchomp has a lot of potential in this metagame with partners like Salamence, Gengar and Talonflame, but its success will be conditional on its speed relative to the metagame, and if its STAB moves are as relevant as they used to be.

Salamence is similar to Garchomp, in that it was a titan of the VGC 14 Metagame, due mainly to its Intimidate ability and strong choice of coverage moves in Draco Meteor, Dragon Pulse, Stone Edge, Hydro Pump, Fire Blast, and Flamethrower. Typically Salamence ran a Choice Scarf or a Choice Specs item, though some favoured Haban Berry due to the popularity of Dragon-type pokemon. This year however, Salamence may have some new tools to work with that it didn’t have previously, namely Tailwind. This would allow Salamence to provide its team with a speed control option, while also weakening opposing physical attackers with intimidate. For a set like this, the items Life Orb, Focus Sash  or even  Rocky Helmet could be useful, to help Salamence fulfil a more supportive role.

Finally, I’ll quickly mention a pokemon who saw some surprising success in the 2015 format. Tauros is a pokemon who has been largely uninteresting across the years in VGC, however there was an interesting team in late 2015 that finally gave it a chance to shine. The team revolved around Tauros’ ability, Anger Point, and through critically hitting it with your Smeargle’s weak Storm throw, you could reach an impressive attack stat and snowball the game out of control from there. This will likely not be as possible in his format however, mainly due to the lack of Lopunny and Togekiss as supporters. Setting up Tauros also relied on putting your opponents to sleep with Dark Void, which is not legal for at least the first month until Pokemon Bank has been updated for Sun and Moon. Aside from this, Tauros does have an impressive movepool, and is an intimidate user, which on paper look impressive – though in practice, it’s not quite fast or strong enough to be an especially potent attacker. If you were going to try run a non-Anger Point set, I’d probably discourage you from doing so. If you were insistent however, maybe you would run moves like Return, Earthquake, Rock Slide, Stone Edge or Wild Charge. And a standard offensive item like Lum Berry, Life Orb, Choice Band  or Choice Scarf.

Our Picks

After looking over these options a bit, we’ve come up with a few ideas on the Pokemon from this list that we feel will be effective in the VGC17 format, based on their existing strength, and our speculation on the Alolan pokemon.

In no particular order, we agreed on:

Gengar, Garchomp, Talonflame, Milotic, Clefable.

Gengar seems especially strong at this point for a number of reasons. Its high speed and Focus Sash make sure that it can usually get off at least one move, which combined with its varied movepool allow it to be useful in the majority of games. On top of this, its poison typing gives it a good matchup versus the Tapus, who all potentially share a fairy typing, and who we speculate will be relatively common due to their interesting ‘Terrain’ abilities. It is also a minor buff to Gengar that weather + speed ability strategies (Rain+Swift swim, Sun+Chlorophyll) are no longer possible, which means it can more easily take advantage of its speed.

Garchomp seems strong due to its also strong speed tier, as well as its impressive type coverage and high damage stats. Its dual STABs are rarely both resisted, and its decent bulk without investment allows a player to opt for a more offensive item like Life Orb without losing much. Garchomp is also likely to regain its position as the premier Ground-type now that Landorus-T and Groudon are no longer available.

Talonflame is strong because of its incredible damage from turn 1 thanks to its dual STABS, as well as its incredible mix of support moves like Tailwind and Will-O-Wisp, both of which can set up easy win-conditions in the mid to late game. There is also an absence of strong Rock or Electric-type pokmeon who will resist its Brave Bird (like Tyranitar or Rotom), and the existing intimidators all take a sizeable chunk of damage even with Talonflame at -1 attack. Its frailty is generally a cause for concern but in a fast-paced ruleset like VGC has (4v4), the ability to both do damage and give yourself a free switch into a new Pokemon on the same turn can be incredibly valuable if managed correctly.

Milotic is a pick that isn’t immediately obvious as being strong, but we feel it may be the strongest we have mentioned due to a few key factors. Firstly, Milotic has an impressive matchup against the 3 offensive pokemon on this list. It is easily able to spread burns around the opponents team with Scald, and control their speed with Icy Wind. At the same time, Milotic can remain healthy by utilizing its Recover move, which has historically been partnered with a Maranga Berry to ensure its dominance over special attackers. Milotic also dissuades enemy intimidators from entering the field due to its Competitive ability, which can help out in preserving your damage-carries.

Clefable is the last pokemon we’ve picked, and it was honestly a hard choice. Due to the nature of support pokemon relying on their unique status moves, we really need to have a gauge of the metagame before we can determine which collection of moves will be most effective. In Clefables case however, we feel that due to its access to Follow Me, as well as speed control in Icy Wind and Thunder Wave, it is almost guaranteed to be at least somewhat useful. Clefable also has a large offensive movepool that can be used to punish 4x weaknesses in common Pokemon like Ice Beam for Landorus in 2015.

Closing Words

Though much of this current analysis is purely speculative, we still find there to be value in this kind of early analysis. If nothing else, we hope it inspires the same kind of excited anticipation we feel for the upcoming format. There's going to be a lot more similar content coming as the new format gets underway, so if you're keen for more be sure to follow AusTerrain on twitter here. Thanks for reading!