Pokemon Black and White OU Tiers Released
 

Hello all of you competitive battlers out there! The usage stats straight from Smogon are finally in, and the first list of OU Pokemon has been decided! The list is made up of 53 Pokemon. The order that the Pokemon are listed is based on their usage.

Everything not in this list is either already in Ubers or considered UU at this point. Much like Gen. 4, it is expected that UU will become a more solid tier as time passes.

What I'm really suprised by is how close Espeon got into OU.

I was close to switching to UU if Infernape was gonna be left behind but it wasn't so I'm relieved.

I also find it funny how Kingdra is now UU when they were trying to ban it.

Such is the result of Swift Swim being banned... I guess that the addition of tons of Dragon-types just made it too difficult for something like Kingdra to thrive, especially since its stats were only decent.

I'm not, considering the fact it's weak to nearly half of all the OU pokemon.

I'm surprised in finding Cofagrigus isn't in that list.

Are people not aware of her insane defensive capabilities?

Although he is defensive, his HP is quite low, preventing him from succeeding in the role of a wall. Other ghosts, like Jellicent, are more efficient.

Finally a B&W OU list! Now I can get to work on a new Gym Team thats way better than the crappy one I had before!

Finally! I've been anticipating a proper list of OU Pokémon for a long time. Now when exams finish and summer begins, I'll have something to keep me busy.

Aside from what Spirit said, its movepool is incredibly shallow, too.

Wow ferrathorns at the top? I'm not surprised. That things everywhere!

Kinda sad Zoroark didn't make the cut. Sure its movepool is limited, but I thought it would get a lil more usage because of its illusion shenanigans.

Good to see a lot of my favorites on there, Conkeldurr, Reuniclus, Darmanitan. Sableye ranked 41st and Dream World stats, so he should shoot up as soon as he's released. Togekiss and Quagsire just missed the cutoff, but they're still pretty viable. My only concern is how low Meloetta is in DW, but we'll see how things change.

Hm... That means 12 of my team are in the list. Doesn't give me much variety for Underused to say the least (its been a while due to school, so in truth I'm not even sure if I could make a team of six in the remains).

APR 2011 BW OU USAGE
Total Battles: 299644
+ ---- + --------------- + ------ + ------- +
| Rank | Pokemon | Usage | Percent |
+ ---- + --------------- + ------ + ------- +
| 4 | Garchomp | 109670 | 18.3000 |
| 14 | Dragonite | 60079 | 10.0251 |
| 16 | Gengar | 57689 | 9.6263 |
| 21 | Gyarados | 46153 | 7.7013 |
| 22 | Hydreigon | 42618 | 7.1114
| 25 | Infernape | 39458 | 6.5841 |
| 30 | Chandelure | 31648 | 5.2809 |
| 33 | Metagross | 31188 | 5.2042 |
| 36 | Haxorus | 29906 | 4.9903 |
| 37 | Lucario | 28559 | 4.7655 |
| 40 | Magnezone | 27769 | 4.6337
| 52 | Porygon2 | 20833 | 3.4763 |
+ ---- + --------------- + ------ + ------- +

YESZ! Even though there's only 5 Grass Pokemon on the list, THIS IS AWESOME! We're up to 5! So let's see here...

Ferrothorn, Breloom, Whimsicott, Virizion, and Venusaur is OU now...so what happened to Roserade and Celebi? Are they...not OU anymore, or...?

Nasty Plot, Swords Dance, and Agility are all lots of fun, but Illusionist turned out to be less impressive than originally hoped for. Entry hazards kind of give you away, since you'll be a Gyarados that takes Spikes damage and only a little bit of damage from Stealth Rock. ;~;

Celebi dropped down to the low 69, falling behind Pokemon like Donphan and Kingdra, while Roserade sunk even lower to 103, where it technically makes the cut for the unofficial UU list. Very last one to make that tier, actually, which is a little surprising for a Pokemon that worked so well last gen.

Damn Kazam with dat godlike insight~! :D
It seems like if ya wanna use zoroark you have to make a team built around him. He needs a good partner to hide as (I prefer bulky ghost types like dusknoir and confagrigus) and a rapid spinner. I just think it's interesting since hes such a frail pokemon, but when hes under cover as a ghost type he can sponge a few dark type hits that come his way and 2HKO pokemon that would normally 1HKO him. If his presents is revealed to the other team its like a constant mindgame! Like for example. I use the dusknoir, zoroark combo. When they figure out "Oh he hides zoroark as dusknoir" I start to send out dusknoir. They get so psyched out thinking its zoroark that they use a less effective move and let dusknoir set up a bit. :D

I'm not saying he should be OU, but he does have potential imo. C:

also..
Hurhurhur

Zoroark is a tricky foe. It always surprises me as a lead, and needs a lot of effort to get rid of it. Although it is not an OU, yet it would make it to BL. I am actually surprised to see Scizor in the top list, although I have seen few of it.

I forgot to mention that I'm particularly happy to see Toxicroak make it to OU. After facing it in the metagame-testing phase several times, it became evident how much Toxicroak gained from this transition. Now I'm excited to try out the new metagame once I configure PO on my laptop. :P

Yeah, it's a little surprising to see Celebi drop to the lower tiers. But to be honest, its typing is awful and gives it numerous weaknesses, and with the new metagame being quick-paced/offensive, Celebi's flaws became amplified.

Where's my Arcanine? :<

I'm not surprised to see Garchomp, Skarmory and Salamence in OU. Though I'm surprised not to see Cobalion in there. Oh well.

UM, WHAT?





I haven't really been keeping up with all the Gen. 5 stuff, but are you serious? Swift Swim was banned?

Swift Swim + Drizzle = banned.

MY BAAAAAAD.

But yeah the combo was banned, screwing with the potential of new and old Swift Swimmers alike. Kingdra would be in the top 10 if the combo was still allowed. Thankfully, Rain still has around 80 thousand other uses, so I have been abusing those as much as possible. :>

Wait did they ban baton pass too?

If not then why is Mew in UU?

Arcanine is ranked #72, so it's still pretty OU viable.

It's not, The stats are based on usage of things that aren't banned, and Mew just isn't that used, I guess. Wobbuffet is ranked #141, so he'll probably be NU, which is kind of ridiculous

Maybe if Encore wasn't neutered to a measly 3 turns Wobbuffet would still have a chance. ;~; Encore was such a fun status condition, too.

As for Arcanine, his role is generally fulfilled by the six Fire-types already in OU. Gee, the Fire-type sure got some neat tricks this gen...

Wait mews legal...?

HOLY ****!


http://cologne.theoffside.com/files/...oloffside2.jpg

I HAVE THE POWER!!!!
...to use any TM I want on this pokemon. :3

Despite Perversity, Serperior still suffers from a pretty limited movepool and relatively mediocre stats. What with the new offensive threats like Excadrill and the likes, it must be very hard to fit Serperior into a team without essentially 'wasting' the slot for better choices.

Oh, a question: Shaymin-S is Ubers, right? Also, where's Shaymin-L?

I'm assuming Shaymin-L like, got destroyed in this or something... ;~;

Shaymin-S is partying in Ubers, while Shaymin-L is sitting at 93 behind Charizard and Spiritomb. Poor thing! The Grass-types of Gen 4's OU seem to be facing trouble. (with the obvious exception of Breloom...)

I personally tried Cobalion for few days and I found out a lot of weaknesses related to it. Both of its attacking stats are not really great, surfing at the edge of 90. In terms of typing, Lucario has the same type yet with superior stats, better movepool and a +2 priority. Lucario outclasses it in everything. Further more, Terrakion can take the role of a fast, devastating Swords Dancer better than Cobalion. I did expect such an end for Cobalion.

Mew is only used as a lead for the sake of Baton Pass and/or Taunt. Pranksters are everywhere now and are able to perform the Taunt role in a better way.

where is whimsicott

...at spot 44. I hope you read the list.

Oh, look. Magnezone, Hydreigon, Scrafty and Chandelure. 4 of my favorite pokemon, all OU. Hooray!

Trick Room for the win.

This list is fluid right now, and will be for quite a while, especially when new strategies are discovered.

I wish Weedle was on there...

Weedle's are like tiny useless bugs in their first and second stage. But they turn into giant evil attack bugs as beedrill. Also, virizon sounds to much like verison

Really late response anyone? Ok!

Tentacruel was used because it was the number one counter to Infernape, since it resisted both of its STAB moves and laughed at Grass Knot, which other Pokemon (Swampert and Suicune) both feared. It also had a very impressive Speed of base 100 and could use Toxic Spikes and Rapid Spin on the same set, which were very easy to set up if you switch in on Infernape, which is on a TON of Gen. 4 teams.

Where do you guys find this recent list at? If using pokemon in 5th gen. over wifi i need to know whos to be used and whos not to be used. (Smogon has a little Ubers list but thats only for if you plan on playing in there tournaments)

I'm getting a sick feeling in my stomach.
It means Scizor's gonna get replaced.

http://www.smogon.com/forums/showpos...11&postcount=1

Maybe if something else is found that can sweep, revenge kill, scout, or Baton Pass with only one weakness and a massive Attack stat.

So does eveyone have to go by this OU list or not? cause i still havnt tryed my team out yet wit deoxys-D yet.

Well its like last generation. No one has to use any OU Pokemon if they don't want to, they just can't use Ubers.

Well, UU is out, Espeon has risen to OU, and they're introducing a new RU (Rarely Used) tier to offset all the new pokemon.

well i think blaziken can be used right now (even though smogon says its banned) but thats because your using speed boost with him. They should have said ban blaziken in OU with speedboost not the blaze ability too.

Blaziken is an awasome pokemon. :faec:

So if a pokemon is banned to ubers with a dw ability they should just ban the ability instead of the pokemon itself

There's no reason to ban Speed Boost, as Ninjask and Sharpedo use it just fine without being broken. They could ban the pokemon and ability combined, but that's harder to enforce and more comlicated.

Ninjask is the fastest pokemon in the world. Sharpedo is in the spot very fast

I was just saying if they did this, and why would they do it.

Except that everyone uses entry hazards, priority, and Sand Streamers are just about everywhere.

Technically, it's the second fastest at the moment. Deoxys' Speed form has a Base 180 Speed stat.



Not to mention Trick Room :D (Yes, I'm aware Lite already mentioned it in his edit, but it deserves a second mention).

Uh actually the whole point of Speed Boost Blaziken was as a late-game cleaner. Something as frail as Blaziken shouldn't be out early in the game, since it can't OHKO all Pokemon and would just end up getting easily countered. It was such a vicious force because Pokemon that countered it such as Slowbro and Conkeldurr could be put out of the way, and it could destroy anything left without any difficultly. Using it as a lead also keeps it from fighting in the sun, which is extremely key to using it so that one has access to SolarBeam and a more powerful Fire Blast.

Mind sharing some of the common strategies used with Drizzle Politoed? I'm interested to see how people are coping with the ban of Swift Swim + Drizzle.

Oh, does that mean the BL tier will be eliminated? If not, then how will it differ from the RU tier?

RU sounds better than UU

The tier order is:
Ubers
OU
BL
UU
RU
NU

Ubers and BL are banlists for OU and UU, and RU is a tier below UU, but above NU.

well at least it makes the game a little more fun by adding a new tier to the mix. Edit:smogon says garchomp is baned from OU again, i never got the chance to use him yet in B/W. Well anyone i battle after nytz will see garchomp for the time in OU before VR changes the rules for this.

Well rain in general has proven to be quite helpful to teams, for the following reasons...

The fact that Fire-type moves are weakened in the rain and makes it easier for Pokemon like Ferrothorn to thrive, which secures their position as walls on several rain teams.

Drizzletoed can be used to easily counter opposing weather teams, as Pokemon like Excadrill, Gliscor, Infernape, and Heatran find it harder to thrive under their respective weathers when it is taken away.

The rain benefits a lot of walls on teams like Rotom-W who enjoys boosted Hydro Pumps and the ability to use Thunder freely, Tentacruel can abuse Rain Dish to stay alive for an extended amount of time, Vaporeon can Rest as often as it wants with Hydration, and Bronzong enjoys only having 1/2 of a super-effective weakness.

The 100% accuracy of both Hurricane and Thunder make sweepers like Dragonite, Jolteom Thundurus, Tornadus, and Starmie a lot more happy to play in the rain.

Dry Skin Toxicroak becomes a more serious threat than last generation because of permanent rain making its durability more guaranteed.

Choice Specs Politoed in the rain using Hydro Pump is more than capable of 2HKOing Blissey, as long it hits both times.


Yep, rain sure is something.

I actually love how Drizzle Politoed jumped up to the OU tier (along with Ninetails). I don't particularly like the Pokémon itself, but the ability it brought is unique and priceless for many Rain fans like me.

Thanks a lot for that! You've given me quite a lot of possibilities. :D

in doubles i rather use rain and sun, in singles i'd rather just use the sand and hail.

Personally, I think of weather teams as challenging both to construct and to operate. You have to worry about keeping the weather up (although to a less extent now) and preventing your main sweepers from fainting. It's worth noting that I've always been a fan of Rain teams in particular since Gen IV. So I hate it when new noobs slam any weather inducer into their team and then combine all top-tier Pokemon (like Excadrill) without putting thought into organizing their strategies. This just adds people like me to the stereotypical image which other people have of weather users. =/

Oh boy scrafty is in OU,
also is ferrothorn really used that much?

Ferrothorn is the most used OU Pokémon; quite bulky; can use Stealth Rock, Spikes and Leech Seed; 10 resistances; an immunity... You got the image.

Am I the only one who thinks Ferrothorn would destroy everything during a Trick Room?

Undoubtedly, it is strong, yet there are still slow Pokémon that are capable of countering it.

Mind listing some of these Pokémon? I just made a search on Smogon's Pokédex for all tiers, and there's only one Pokémon from the UU tier which ties with Ferrothorn's 20 base speed stat: Escavalier. On top of that, there are two Pokémon slower than Ferrothorn, Torkoal and Shuckle, but both of them are in the NU tier. So speaking purely from a base speed perspective, it is theoretically impossible to outpace Ferrothorn under Trick Room with a fully-evolved Pokémon.

Yeah, except for the fact that 94 Speed is not particularly impressive. Then take into account that Ferrothorn's attacking moves leave much to be desired, especially if your opponent has a Steel-type on their team. (Bronzong, Jirachi, Heatran, Skarmory, Forretress, Scizor, Metagross, Magnezone)

Also, since Ferrothorn can't set up its own Trick Room, he has to rely on a very brief period to attack, where he can take down two maybe three enemies, if the opponent has no idea what to do. After that time is up, Ferrothron's horrible Fire weakness can be abuses, since everyone should have a Fire-type move these days.

Just my take on it.

When it comes to Trick Room, tiers don't help at all. Many strong Pokémon are sent to UU/NU because of their lack of speed. Therefore, you need to think in the opposite way if you want to succeed in Trick Room.

In terms of Ferrothorn, there are two major sets that can be used; a Choice Band set and a Curse set. In both the sets, the three major moves that would be used are Gyro Ball, Power Whip and Explosion as a last resort. Skarmory and Bronzong resist all of these moves, and in terms of Skarmory, which is an OU by the way, it can Roost any damage. In fact, any bulky Steel type, like Escavalier, like example, is able to resist Ferrothorn. Moreover, Torkoal, which is indeed NU, is actually used in Trick Room and one Overheat from it will OHKO Ferrothorn. The fact that after entry hazard's damage, many Mach Punch and Vacuum Wave are able to KO Ferrothorn too.

I am not saying it is not strong in Trick Room, but it is also not the most unstoppable one; there are still counters to it.

Comments in bold. Even though Ferrothorn is not normally seen as a sweeper, I believe that if a Cursing set is used under Trick Room, Ferrothorn might have the potential to do decently on the offensive side and magnificently on the defensive side.

I have already faced a Cursed Ferrothorn under Trick Room. It is indeed strong, but can still be countered, especially Skarmory, which learns Taunt and can PP stall Ferrothorn quite well. It leaves it no choice but to switch out.

What Kaz mentioned is also an important idea; Ferrothorn won't gain more than 3 or 4 turns to sweep, which gives an average of 2 KO the most, and usually less than that if countered well. After that, it will be in danger of fire and fight moves, but then again, that's a problem that every Trick Room sweeper faces. Nevertheless, there are other Steel types that can be a better option than Ferrrothorn when it comes to be a Trick Room sweeper.