Resource - ZU Old Gens Hub - ADV Aipom suspect #335 (2024)

Ok, I'm gonna drop some thoughts on dpp zu after playing a lot the tier for the past month. I played for the Swannas and although I ended up with a dissapointing record of 2-3 (playing like sh*t in 2 of the losses, doing the biggest choke in my Pokémon career in one of them even) I really enjoyed the tier and I think it's overall a really fun meta. Huge s/o to DNB, you were the clutch player of the team for sure, ending up 6-1 and not only that, but helping ham and me in oras and dpp respectively. It was really nice to meet you, man. Another huge s/o to quagsgone, who joined the server to help us and who did about 1000 tests with me throughout this zupl and had to stand all my chokes and missplays. S/o to LPY too for drafting me and not benching me despite playing like sh*t. You were a great manager, I apologise for my poor work . And, obviously, s/o to all my teammates and the people that came into the server after the tiebreaker (especially neomon, you helped me a ton, I really appreciate it) and helped us during 1 week more, y'all were great and I hope I can team with any of you in future tours.

Let's start now with some vr noms:

Kecleon from high B to mid A: This mon has proven to be a staple in most of the teams as a blanket check for special attackers and a reliable hazard setter. The rise in usage of lapras, grovyle, banette and magmar and its ability to check all of them outside from cb magmar (lo can also win you if he gets the cross chop right or you have previously received some chip)does not only but make this mon more viable since it's always hard to find a lapras answer on balance and you often end up relying on your own lapras to check it.

Lapras from high B to mid A: As said previously, this is one of the most influential mons in this tier right now, I could even consider it to A+. It kind of forces you to run quagsire/kecleon in order for it to not get a kill every time it comes into the field. Specs hits like a truck and lefties + tect is also a great set, especially paired with t spikes beedrill (which is also a not bad lapras switch-in) that has more longevity and isn't so easy to revenge kill. The later, can also be used as a lead that can win the 1v1 against most common leads aside from suicide lead solrock. On the other hand, dd sets have been popping up as of late as a nice way to lure the aforomentioned counters to lapras and using them as a set up bait. This is an amazing set if paired with a reliable lapras answer (since you don't touch opp lapras) that can sweep entire teams almost from preview.

Banette from high B to low A: Another mon that has seen a lot of usage in this zupl, especifically with a lo special set consisting of shadow ball as the main stab move, hp fighting to deal with steel-types that try to switch in like probopass and mawile, (you must be wary of sucker punch) shadow sneak or sucker punch, depending on if you prefer using a move that hits mons like raticate but can potentially lose some 1v1s if you lose the 50/50s (example: sub gastly vs banette)and destiny bond or pursuit. This is no the only set though, it can run choice item trick sets that can take off-guard its typical answers, which aren't many to be honest, mainly kecleon, but you can also lure other mons that try to switch in like raticate or walrein. All these sets can make for an awesome lead, especially choice-item sets due to their ability to gum up a mon like kecleon in turn 1, which can be easily exploited by another mon like specs magmar, lapras, grovyle or exploud to name a few. This replay shows how good LO Banette is and in this other one it is shown how key trick choice item Banette can be in order to win a match.

Grovyle from UR to low A: With the rise of dusclops, the meta has developed into a more offensive one, and, as a consequence, this is really good at the moment. Offensive teams often lack answers to this and just depend on being able to r kill it, and while you may think this has a hard time against balance teams, sub seed can be used to annoy the likes of mawile, probo, kecleon and shelgon and its other answers just get easily chipped with rocks up, which isn't exactly difficult in a meta where hazard removal is almost non-existent. I've also been toying around with lead grovyle and it's a pretty decent lead, although it sucks that it loses to persian.

Probopass from UR to high B: This is a really nice rocks setter and trapper that can be used as your sole normal-resist in conjunction with shed shell so that you are not trapped by diglett and opposing probopass. Lead Persian or Raticate + Probopass is a great core that really benefits from the fact that there are not fighting-types in this tier outside of meditite and the bad machop since you can pivot around into what normally threatens Persian/Raticate, being this Steel-types like Mawile and Lairon that probo can trap.

Sableye from UR to low B: This mon was honestly really hyped up when it dropped because people just wanted to replace dusclops with something, but as the time passed, they realised this wasn't near as good as dusclops. Its poor bulk compared to dusclops doesn't let it tank many hits on the special side and it doesn't actually check a lot of things on the physical side either, just normal types, which can normally pivot with u-turn. Cm sableye seems to be the best set, and it can work as shown in this game: but it is usually forced to click recover for the whole game since it's very easy to chip with rocks damage and status or it isn't useful at all in the match up. This was a battle in which Sableye was able to set up and sweep in late-game, the influence that Grovyle has in this tier is also shown.

Walrein from mid C to mid B: This is another mon that has been seeing a lot of usage in zupl. While a priori it might seem like a worse lapras, its ability in thick fat that let it check magmar and its access to encore to prevent some mons like Mawile from setting up, locking Stealth Rock setters into rocks or Water-types into their Water Stab is a really useful perk too.

Beedril from high C to mid B: This is, alongside Noctowl, the best tangela answer in the tier. This can be used as a soft lapras/walrein check and it is able to put t spikes up and pivot against almost any special mon not named magmar, flareon or lunatone which is very cool since there are not many grounded poison-types in this tier, seviper, swalot and arbok are the first that come to the top of my head and neither of them is common and hazard removal sucks in this tier.

Omanyte from UR to high C:Neomon's special. This is actually a good mon that can't only fit on stall, but on balance and even on offense as a suicide lead, although it is kind of outclassed by pineco as a suicide lead. Its typing allows it to threaten most leads like persian or solrock and get a layer of spikes/some chip with surf which will probably remain up for the whole match because as I have already said almost no one runs hazard removal in this tier. It also has protect for scouting choice mons like specs lapras and stalling while recovering some hp with leftovers.

Girafarig from UR to mid C: Another neomon special. This is a decent lead that doesn't care about fake out because of inner focus and that can threaten Rock-types and Water-types with energy ball. Hp Fighting + Psychic is an awesome combination that more offensive teams aren't prepared for and it has bp to keep momentum up. Talking about bp, this doesn't have to be used as a lead, it can be used on offensive teams as a cm passer that is very scary by itself. I'll post the team I used against TTK later in this post for you to test how Girafarig works.

Lopunny from mid A to high C: This mon is outclassed by persian in almost any sense. To begin with, it has a 65 base atk, making it signifcantly weaker than persian which has 75 atk. Secondly, it doesn't have a fake out boosted by technician, which in conjunction with its sh*tty atk base, makes fake out rather useless. Lastly, it lacks u-turn, which doesn't let it chip his most frequent checks, being this solrock and tangela and forces it to run batton pass, and because of batton pass restriction, that means you cannot use glaceon or mawile because you won't be able to put batton pass on them. Lopunny does have some characteristics that can justify its use though, the main one would be Jump Kick that means that, unlike Persian, it's not checked by steel-types like Probopass or Lairon. It also has access to Healling Wish, a really nice support move, although it must be noted that healling wish mechanics are different in dpp, you take the hazards damage first, and then you are healed. While you have to drop fake out for it, it isn't a huge deal because of what I mentioned before.

Clefairy from mid A to low B: I'd rather use kecleon than this 99% of the times. Sure, a wall with rocks that doesn't get crippled by status sounds nice, but its poor bulk of 70/48/65 doesn't let it check half of the things that kecleon checks. It has a nice movepool but it's almost as passive as kecleon because it doesn't have an especially good spa. You can also try cm, but you'll have a hard time trying to sweep with it since its def just sucks and it your opp can easily go into any of his physical attackers because clefairy just doesn't hit at all. This replay shows how cm clefairy kind of struggles to do something in most matches.

Pupitar from low A to C: Continuing on the outclassed mons noms, this is outclassed by rp lairon by the most part. This mon really struggles to set up because of its horrible typing that only lets it set up in front of Normal-types, magmar and some passive mons that aren't particularly common these days with the meta being more offensive (the only mon that comes to the top of my head is beedrill, and it can even set up t spikes and U-Turn lol), while Lairon has a better physical bulk and can set up in Gastly, choice-locked lapras/glaceon and -2 spa grovyle, it doesn't have to rely so heavily on stone edge because of Iron Head, and it doesn't need to set-up in order to work because it hits like a truck, head smash is a guaranteed 2ko with rocks up on tangela.

Granbull from low A to high C: Another Normal-type that is mostly outclassed by Raticate in this case. Granbull's main problem is that, while it has a nice movepool that let it deal with most common normal-type answers, Raticate hits harder, doesn't get outsped by base 95 mons and has u-turn, which is huge because if you pair it with a trapper you are not missing what eq/close combat brings to the table. Raticate also has Quick Attack to clean in late, whereas Granbull can just be revenge killed by any mon with a 95 base speed or higher or by every scarf user. This case is pretty similar to the Lopunny vs Persian one.

Pidgeot from mid B to UR: Why would you ever use this over Fearow?

I wanna get some discuss as well on a couple of mons that I've never used but that I feel like aren't good enough to be ranked:

I support the Magmar and the Mawile noms too, although a+ is too much for Magmar in my opinion, it's fine in A-.

Some niche mons

Munchlax: This mon can take advantage of some meta trends like specs Magmar, Grovyle or Lapras and use them as a set up bait. It's also a nice sleep absorber that can set up in front of tangela, and it can sweep with ease if you are able to kill Gastly, Mawile and Lairon (this is why pairing it with Probopass is prefered) and don't face any random Meditite since most physical mons struggle to kill it after one curse. I've also used it in hazard stack stall due to its access to whirlwind and as an answer to this aforomentioned threats. Overall, I think this is a very scary mon that is worth a try.

Stall hazard stack team containing Whirlwind Munchlax

: I haven't really tested this but it's similar to standard stall and the idea of hazard stack + Whirlwind should be pretty cool in this tier.

Bonus stall team that is also untested

: I wanted to test Shuckle and put this all together.

Minun: Another nice bp passers, of np in this case. You don't really prepare for Electric-types in this tier, so a +2 Electric mon is really threatening, especially if it isn't slower than diglett. Overall, pretty good alternative to Girafarig, that does not only work as a stats passer but as a wallbreaker by itself. Pair it with something that takes advantage of Diglett and Kecleon like lunatone and you are good.

Grotle: Nice Grass-type lead that wins every lead mu unless you face lapras or Walrein and that can guarantee rocks turn 1 because of the fact that you have the lead mu won and that you are forcing persian out without letting it taunt because of the fear to Superpower which is a very valid move too in order to check lairon reliably (lo head smash wins and in can always flinch with iron head in the case that it's not lo). In a nutshell, it's basically a physical tangela that trades sleep powder and a nice offensive pressure for rocks.

BP team containing lead Grotle:

I used this in semifinals, and although it did like sh*t because I faced Raticate and I clicked Trick with Gastly once it was my only Raticate check, it did awesome in tests. Just don't choke as much as me and you'll be golden.

Marshtomp: Pretty similar to Grotle. Wins almost any lead mu, ensuring rocks turn 1 and it can be very annoying if you manage to poison their Grass-type mon.

Marshtomp team:

Another untested team that doesn't look good at all ngl, but it can work for you to get an idea of how Marshtomp works.

Seadra: Following the Water-types lead trend, this is a pure water lapras with a speed tier that lets it outspeed most common leads aside from Persian and that hits like a truck with Specs.

Some more teams

:

Scarf Medidite team:

I was thinking about using this against TTK at first, but I finally opted to use the bp one containing Grotle. I did a fair amount of tests and it was doing well.

Scarf Wailord team:

Did this for Specs to beat Tony and Scarf Wailord surprisingly put a lot of work in that match. Kecleon + Tangela is probably the strongest defensive core in the tier and Magmar + Gastly is super scary, especially with RP Lairon on the back which can easily clean after them getting chip on some crucial mons and forcing Kecleon to come in.

Another version of the scarf Wailord teamHuntail + SubSplit BP Mawile team:

I used this against Heysup in that game where he brought Golduck. The team was working well for me in tests, however, that Mawile set is probably outdated, I bet it's still a really fun set though.

Random TR team:

Quag did a TR team and started winning me over and over so I asked him to pass me the team. I changed 1 or 2 members of the team, and I swear it works incredibly well in a lot of mus, but it's still TR, really MU-reliant. The team still needs a lot of work with EVs and some other stuff but it's pretty fun.

VR revamp:

Add sash Diglett.

Remove NP persian.

Add Scarf Kingler as the main set.

Remove CB Solrock and put defensive Solrock instead.

Add offensive Flareon.

Add physical Huntail.

Put these Banette sets and remove the current ones.

Change Seismic Toss to Frustration on Kecleon (Seismic Toss is illegal), slash Knock Off and put Drain Punch in Other Options.

Add RP Lairon.

Put Scarf Fearow as the main set.

Change that DD Lapras set to this one. (chesto not chople oops).

Put this Scarf Luxray set and remove CB.

Put this Mawile set.

Add Wish Shelgon and remove CB.

Replace Sash with LO on Staryu's main set and add Scarf.

Also, make sure you remove Dusclops and Politoed from the official tier list.

I'll put the rest of the sprites and some replays later, my pc sucks.