Introduction
Hi, I’m Elowyn! I do metagame analysis to find trends and maybe some gems hidden in the valleys of the metagame.
As Worlds is fast approaching, the VR to San Francisco tournament took place last weekend with a huge prizing pool that attracted a lot of players and may have motivated some players to reveal techs they would have otherwise kept secret until the big tournament.
Kommo-o Gains a New Soul
A new form of Kommo-o has found its place in the metagame, which drops the Clangorous Soul approach for a Life Orb Vaccuum Wave set. The ability to take out frail Tailwind-oriented Kingambit before they even move has enabled more niche teamstyles to succeed.
74th – Lukas Svensson SE (OTS)
Lukas Svensson brings back Talonflame and Gardevoir, utilizing Kommo-o and Maushold to keep Gardevoir and Basculegion safe from Kingambit. Gardevoir and Kommo-o specifically have a lot of synergy together, with Kommo-o helping out against Charizard-Y and Gardevoir countering Floette.
90th – James Bostock GB (OTS)
Kommo-o also finds itself paired with Floette (as well as Basculegion again) on a balance team featuring Raichu-Y. Kommo-o’s typing and access to Vaccuum Wave not only keep the team safe from an otherwise ever-threating Kingambit, but also gives the team a reason to drop Sneasler for Raichu-Y.
What both teams have in common is speed control options in Talonflame and Raichu-Y, suggesting that this is an important factor for Kommo-o to thrive. Basculegion and a Fairy type also seem to be the most suitable partners for Kommo-o to protect due to defensive and offensive synergies with Vacuum Wave.
Queens Toxapex and Sylveon Receive a Challenge
Oh wow, that’s a lot of teams featuring Sylveon and Charizard in Day 2 of VR! They all seem to be pretty streamlined, with the more popular version featuring Incineroar, Venusaur and Toxapex.
But looking closer, there are a few high level players deviating from Toxapex and instead choosing Aerodactyl. On some of those teams, we also see Sylveon be replaced with Sash Annihilape and Mimikyu, suggesting the main goal of this slot is now to be immune to Fake Out and take at least one hit.
There are no real differences these changes cause to the rest of the team, apart from the Aerodactyl players having the leeway of running more aggressive items on Garchomp thanks to Tailwind.
Spanish players Carlos Cabal (16th) and Pedro Martinez (25th) opt for White Herb Garchomp with Mega Aerodactyl while Naoto Mizobuchi (14th) pairs Life Orb Garchomp with Focus Sash Aerodactyl. While the Spanish players choose to keep Wide Guard, Naoto drops it and still places highly, perhaps implying that Wide Guard is not a necessary move on this composition.
The Snow is Toxic
Tyler Betcher and Yehor Hrishyn show off a new style of Froslass offense. While the standard variant uses Lycanroc to OHKO Charizard-Y with priority, allowing either Mega Froslass or Mega Scovillain to focus on supporting the team, this version uses its secondary Mega slot offensively in a different Rock type: Glimmora. While Glimmora isn’t able to use Accelerock, it can be useful outside of Mega due to its ability, has a speed stat suited to Tailwind, and covers Froslass’s Charizard-Y weakness perfectly.
These teams drop Aurora Veil on Froslass and Swords Dance on Kingambit for more proactive sets, with a Tailwind setter (Whimsicott/Talonflame) and another Tailwind abuser (Glaceon/Sylveon) to round out the team alongside the obligatory Sneasler. For additional synergy, Froslass provides a delete button against Glimmora’s worst matchup, Garchomp, and both teams’ choice of Eeveelution threaten it too.
21st – Tyler Betcher US (OTS)
Tyler Betcher gets the better result with Bright Powder Glaceon, which provides a ‘hax’ element to the team without much cost and takes the metagame off guard with dual Blizzard. The Glaceon set is similar to typical Sylveons, with Ice Shard as STAB priority to provide value even at low HP. Meanwhile, Life Orb Talonflame adds another strong offensive tool.
77th – Yehor Hrishyn GB (OTS)
Yehor Hrishyn uses a more standard Sylveon while Grass Knot Whimsicott makes up for the lack of Glaceon’s Freeze Dry in the rain matchup. Yehor is far more wary of Charizard-Y, using all of Thunderbolt Froslass, the Rock Slide Life Orb Sneasler that has been picking up recently, Sash Kingambit, and Occa Berry Whimsicott to counter it.
In comparison, Tyler has a worse Charizard-Y matchup, trading it for a better spread into other teams thanks to Taunt Froslass and safer sets on Kingambit and Sneasler. Tyler’s better result may show that Mega Glimmora is enough to cover Charizard-Y.
A Small Trend Emerges
Life Orb Kommo-o, Sylveon and Toxapex are being replaced by more aggressive options and Froslass compositions gain a new viable HO version.
All of this points to the metagame starting to become more offensive again. While Balance still continues to dominate, it remains to be seen how these new techs will fare going into Worlds and even future formats.
