It's no secret that the OU metagame constantly revolves around the same Pokémon. OU staples such as Landorus-T, Heatran, Keldeo, Latios, Rotom-W, and Talonflame top the usage statistics every month, and for good reason. These Pokémon have proven their worth time and time again. However, many Pokémon are pushed aside for these tried-and-true veterans, which leaves many Pokémon dwelling in lower tiers. Most are either outclassed by other Pokémon, while others are simply unviable. However, there is some untapped potential from these lower-tier Pokémon. After consulting with many tournament players, a list of underrated Pokémon has been created—the hidden gems of OU. 不得不说现今的OU队伍组成总是围绕著某些特定的怪,像是土基佬、火钢、水马、哥哥、洗衣机、火鸟之类的怪长期占据的使用率榜的上位。然而这也使得许多有潜力的怪被下放到其他tier。虽然有些是因为有上位互换或是这只怪本身就是扶不起的阿斗。仍然有一些隶属於低分级的怪能在OU平台发挥实力,在经过许多高分玩家的讨论之后,我们列出了这样一份清单。
Volcarona It's no secret that Volcarona was a defining force in BW OU. Many thought that this would carry over to Generation VI with the advent of XY. But alas, this was not the case. Volcarona spent the majority of Gen VI in the C ranks of the OU Viability Rankings. The metagame simply was not kind to it with monsters such as Mega Pinsir, Heatran, and Talonflame being everywhere. However, ORAS was released, and Volcarona is once again gaining popularity. Balance teams are a dime a dozen in the metagame, and Volcarona has an exceptional matchup against these types of teams. It is often seen as a late-game cleaner using a Quiver Dance set, which, after a boost or two, is incredibly difficult to stop. Its two favorite teammates, Starmie and Mega Diancie, are incredibly good in their own right, and they support Volcarona by keeping the entry hazards that it hates off its side of the field. When supported correctly, Volcarona is able to set up a Quiver Dance on a good portion of the defensive metagame. After it has accumulated a boost or two, very few Pokémon are capable of stopping it. The best answers to it after it has boosted are Pokémon with priority moves, but even they are inconsistent. Volcarona is known to carry a Passho Berry, which stops all hopes of Azumarill revenge killing it. Mega Pinsir has drastically declined in usage, and Volcarona is often paired with Pokémon that are capable of defeating Talonflame. Heatran, Volcarona's best defensive check not named Chansey, can only use Roar to phase it, and even then, Volcarona has been known to carry Hidden Power Ground. Volcarona is a very scary threat, and every team should have a way to deal with it to avoid being swept by it. 火蛾 火蛾在BW时期是OU一支强大的战力,但在六代火蛾的地位却一落千丈,在六代绝大部分时期的可靠度排行中,火蛾都只拿下C的不佳成绩。不得不说六代强力飞行系诸如火鸟、M大甲,以及火钢的崛起背了一大部分的锅。然而随著oras的来临,越来越多的平衡或是稳健型队伍的出现,具有强大后期清场能力的火蛾是一大福音,蝶舞之后几乎是无人能挡。海星和M公主是火蛾的优秀队友,可以帮忙清除火蛾非常害怕的岩钉,当获得合适的支援时,火蛾可以轻易的找到蝶舞的时机,在一到两次蝶舞之后,能够挡住火蛾的只剩下先制技能,其中一个例子如蓝胖的水柱喷射,可以藉由抗水果来挡住,在大甲已经跌到BL的时代,火蛾只需要担心火钢和火鸟这两只主要天敌,觉醒力量可以帮忙解决部分的问题。尽管能够最安全的挡下蝶舞火蛾的不用说自然是小蛋,但是任何一个队伍仍然必须要小心被其推队的危险。
Tentacruel Tentacruel was another Pokémon that found itself in OU during Generation V by a comfortable margin. Come Generation VI, Tentacruel quickly fell to UU where it finds its home today. That doesn't mean that it's bad, however—it's far from it. Tentacruel has secured a niche as a Rapid Spinner with a great defensive typing that allows it to beat many entry hazard setters such as Heatran, Ferrothorn, Chesnaught, and Clefable. Its Water / Poison typing also allows it to act as a great counter to Clefable. Its access to Acid Spray, a move that lowers the target's Special Defense by two stages, allows it to beat Calm Mind Clefable every time because Clefable cannot boost fast enough to negate the Special Defense drops. Additionally, Tentacruel has access to Toxic Spikes, a move that's great at wearing down bulky teams, which are in abundance at this time. Tentacruel may be UU by usage, but many top players agree that it is a Pokémon that should not be underestimated. 毒刺水母 水母是另一只在五代毫无疑问的OU选手,但是永雨消失的六代却很快的跌到了UU而且再无翻身之地,但这绝不代表水母已经不行了。水母作为少数的高旋手,同时其优异的抗性让他可以轻易的上场,同时其属性也压制一些常规的钉子手如火钢、草钢、六代草主以及六代起飞的皮婶。酸性炸弹这个技能藉由降两段特防的特效,可以逼退一些冥想手例如皮婶,或是在对峙的情况下先造成逼退。另外水母拥有毒钉这个有效对付不带队医的队伍的技能。或许水母的使用率仍然只有UU水平,高分玩家们还是认为水母是个不该低估的对手。
Dragalge Introduced in Generation VI, Dragalge was quickly forgotten in OU. Despite being the only non-Uber Dragon-type neutral to Fairy-type moves, Dragalge had few things going for it. It found its home in RU, and it stayed there for the entirety of XY. However, Dragalge's hidden ability, Adaptability, was unreleased. Many players speculated its effectiveness with access to it, but it wasn't until ORAS was released that its ability was finally available. The hype train had finally left the station, and Dragalge quickly found its place on OU teams, nuking Pokémon with Adaptability-boosted Draco Meteors and Sludge Waves. However, the hype died down, and Dragalge started seeing usage for a different role entirely: a Toxic Spiker. People soon realized that Dragalge's good natural bulk and great defensive typing allowed it to act as a sturdy setter of Toxic Spikes. It is no pushover offensively, either, as it is still capable of firing off powerful Adaptability-boosted STAB moves, and they dent any Pokémon that do not resist it, even without any investment in Special Attack. Dragalge has carved a niche in OU, and it is not one to be taken lightly. 毒龙 六代出现的毒龙在尝鲜期过后很快就被OU所遗忘,尽管拥有著非神兽唯一不怕妖的龙系这个卖点,使用率却一路跌到了RU才停了下来,并且从此就再也没有进步过。然而,毒龙的梦特适应力早在XY时期就被玩家们所期待但到了oras时期才释出,也因此毒龙得到了在OU表现的一线机会,适应力流星群和毒本能造成巨大的伤害。但是另一方面,毒龙同时作为一个毒钉手也表现不错,其优异的抗性和耐久让他可以找到撒毒钉的机会,不像输出捉鸡的毒刺水母,就算没有任何特攻努力,适应力加成下的强大攻击威胁会造成上来扫钉的对手巨大压力。毒龙在OU确实有其卖点,并且不应该被低估。
Serperior Serperior has always been a disappointing Pokémon. It has a shallow movepool, mediocre typing, an awkward distribution of base stats, and a poor ability. Its hidden ability, Contrary, remained unreleased for the longest time. People across the globe begged for it to be released, while Game Freak simply sat back, laughed evilly, and refused to budge. All hope seemed lost, and for years, Serperior rotted at the bottom of the barrel. However, a new light shone on the snake when it was revealed that Contrary Serperior would be released during an ORAS tournament, and the hype started to build up—and rightfully so. Once its hidden ability was released, Serperior shot through the roof in terms of its viability. In a matter of months, it went from PU to being banned in UU. Serperior also took OU by storm, quite literally. It quickly found its place as a great late-game cleaner that used its Contrary Leaf Storm to snowball out of control. Its great Speed tier allows it to outpace a good portion of the metagame, and only Pokémon that resist its moves could hope to stop it after a boost. Its shallow movepool still holds it back, but if a team has nothing to keep it in check, Serperior will breeze through it with ease. 草蛇 草蛇一直都是个令人失望的怪,狭窄的打面,差劲的属性,以及不知所云的种族分配,唯一亮眼的梦特却长期被封印著。经过了世界各地玩家们殷切的等待,梦特终於在oras时代得到了解放,短短几个月间,就从PU一路上升到BL,同时其对OU大门的叩关更是掀起了一阵绿色风暴。傲娇特性使其成为一个优异的后期清场手,作为最高威力的本系同时带有C+2的效果,一旦让草蛇疯起来可是完全无法控制,其超过110速度线的速度让其在晚期不好挡下,就算拥有草抗性也得担心,若你的队伍没有做好相应的对策,草蛇会成为一个致命的对手。
Hydreigon Last on the list, but by no means the least, is Hydreigon. Infamous for having no "true" counters back in Gen V, Hydreigon is one of the most powerful wallbreakers to have ever graced OU. This carried over in Gen VI, and Hydreigon remained OU for a while thanks to its powerful attacks. However, the metagame became much more offensive, and Hydreigon had difficulty taking on the faster paced metagame. It soon fell from grace and found its home in UU, where it remains today. ORAS brought favorable changes for Hydreigon. The metagame became less offensive and balance teams saw a surge in usage. Fortunately for the three-headed beast, it is able to take on these types of teams with ease. Its strong STAB attacks, Dark Pulse and Draco Meteor, have very few safe switch-ins. Additionally, Hydreigon's Speed is just high enough to outspeed every important defensive Pokémon in the game. Furthermore, Hydreigon has good bulk and a good defensive typing, which gives it numerous switch-in opportunities into the weak attacks that balance teams are known to use. Hydreigon's movepool is also vast enough to cover anything it needs to. It has Flash Cannon for Fairy-types, Earth Power, Fire Blast, and Superpower for Steel-types, and it even has U-turn to maintain momentum. All of these traits possessed by Hydreigon give it the valuable niche of being an anti-metagame balance breaker, and every balance team out there needs to be wary of it. 三头龙 在名单的最后,是在五代号称“无法稳挡”的三头龙。三头龙曾是OU最有力的破盾手之一。到了六代,三头龙凭借强大的输出在OU停留了一段时间。然而随着环境愈发暴力,三头龙已经难以适应快节奏的对战。它迅速失宠,跌到了UU,直到现在。ORAS为三头龙带来了一些可喜的变化。对战中的攻势有所收敛,平衡型队伍的使用率迅速上升。很幸运的,这个三个头的家伙可以轻松对付这些队伍。它有有力的本系攻击——恶之波动和流星群,很少有PM能从容地换上来抵挡它。同时,三头龙的速度正好足以超过所有常见的防守PM。此外,三头龙优秀的耐久和抗性让它在平衡队伍不强的攻势下可以频繁上场。三头龙的技能池也足够打击任何需要的PM。他有光栅加农打击仙系,大地之力、大字火和蛮力打击钢系,甚至有蜻蜓回转调动攻势。三头龙的这些特点使它作为平衡队杀手拥有相当大的价值,所有平衡队伍都有必要提防它。 Honorable Mentions The above Pokémon didn't quite make it onto the list, but that doesn't mean that they should be disregarded. Mega Beedrill, Victini, Empoleon, Klefki, and Tangrowth all have viable niches in OU. Beedrill is a great anti-offense Pokémon thanks to its blazing Speed, amazing damage output, and momentum-grabbing ability with U-turn that lets it wear down its checks and counters throughout the match. Victini is a great nuke when it is equipped with a Choice Band, as V-create is capable of denting even the sturdiest of Pokémon. Empoleon is a great bulky Water-type that can set up Stealth Rock and Defog and check Fairy-types. Klefki is great for annoying offense with its Prankster Thunder Wave, while defensive teams struggle with the Spikes it sets up. Tangrowth is a great pivot when equipped with an Assault Vest, as its great coverage moves that come off of good offensive stats allows it to tank hits with ease while dealing damage itself. Should it find itself in an unfavorable matchup, it can switch out and recover its HP with Regenerator. 荣誉提名 这些PM没有出现在上面的名单中,但这并不意味着他们应被埋没。Mega大针蜂,比克提尼,帝王拿波,钥圈儿和巨蔓藤在OU都有着可观的价值。大针蜂拥有可怕的速度和输出,也能利用蜻蜓回转的周转损耗能对付它的PM,在对付攻队时十分优秀。携带专爱头巾的比克提尼拥有核爆级的输出,创造胜利能重创哪怕是最坚硬的盾牌。帝王拿波是非常不错的水系盾牌,拥有石砾和除雾,也能对抗仙系PM。钥圈儿很擅长利用恶作剧之心下的电磁波来恶心攻队,它撒出的钉子也能使受队颇为难受。携带突击背心的巨蔓藤是很好的联防中枢,它良好的打击面和攻击种族使它能够在轻松地抵挡攻击的同时进行输出。场上的状况不利时,也可以交换下场,通过再生力特性回复HP。 Conclusion These Pokémon are just a few examples of the many lower-tier Pokémon that have useful and viable niches in the OU metagame. The list of Pokémon that have viable niches in OU is too large to cover. There are many out there, and some Pokémon that seem terrible in theory may actually have a viable niche that can earn itself a spot on your team. So experiment! See what innovations you can find out there! 总结 这些PM是在OU也能有不错发挥的低分级PM的一些例子。相似的例子不胜枚举。一些理论上似乎很糟糕的PM也可能拥有足以在你的队伍中占有一席之地的独特价值。所以来尝试吧!看看你能发现多少崭新的可能性!