A Tale of Two Wallbreakers: PU Suspect Coverage

Art by DatHeatmor.

Introduction

PU has recently banned two of its deadliest wallbreakers: Kingler and Pyroar. Despite this, however, it actually took quite some time for them to truly be considered broken. At the beginning, Kingler just wasn't very good. Though it had a high base Attack stat, an amazing ability in Sheer Force, decent coverage in Knock Off and Superpower, and even access to Agility and Swords Dance, giving it a slight niche as a setup sweeper that could also break walls, it lacked a STAB move that was boosted by Sheer Force and had to make do with the unreliable Crabhammer. At the time, this made it difficult to justify using it over other physical Water-types like Carracosta and Floatzel. However, gaining Liquidation in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon helped Kingler quickly rise in usage and popularity, and it cemented itself as a threat that terrorized offensive and defensive teams alike. Meanwhile, Pyroar had always been a massive threat because of its wallbreaking prowess and sheer versatility making it ridiculously difficult for pretty much every playstyle to play around, and people had been rallying for a suspect test for quite some time. However, it wasn't until Magmortar was banned and the meta shifted towards balance using Pokémon like Clefairy and Hitmonchan as soft checks to special attackers that Pyroar really started to become more and more deadly and new sets as well as innovations based on established sets began to develop.

The July tier shift was arguably the straw that broke the camel's back. Gastrodon, a great defensive check to Kingler, and Ferroseed, a deterrent to mindlessly using Liquidation, rose to OU and NU, respectively. Kingler and Pyroar adored having their switch-ins worn down by Spikes, and although Qwilfish and Altaria returning seemed like a problem for the two at first, Kingler adapted by using an almost completely different set and Pyroar just powered through with its potent presence as well as its Taunt + Z-Move set to break through Altaria. The two were especially limiting for defensive teams when used together, as they could easily get rid of each other's checks, and after enough community complaints, Kingler was suspect tested, and Pyroar was as well a few weeks later. Although Kingler's suspect test was controversial due to people trying to determine if it was too good or just good but not broken, Pyroar's suspect test was a bit less controversial.

Kingler

Kingler @ Life Orb

@ Life Orb Ability: Sheer Force

EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe

Naughty Nature

- Agility

- Liquidation

- Ice Beam

- Stomping Tantrum

This was the set Kingler primarily ran following July's tier shift, though Swords Dance as well as other coverage moves like Knock Off and Superpower still made occasional appearances. After using Agility, Kingler outsped the entire unboosted metagame and popular Choice Scarf users such as Togedemaru, Primeape, and Mesprit as well, making teams lacking faster Choice Scarf users like Pyroar and Manectric struggle to reliably revenge kill it. Setting up wasn't all that difficult either due to its ability to tank weaker physical attacks and force out slower Pokémon like Clefairy, Eelektross, and non-Choice Scarf Aurorus. Liquidation was Kingler's most powerful STAB move, shredding through most neutral targets and even dealing noticeable damage to certain Water-resistant Pokémon like Silvally-Dragon. Ice Beam provided Kingler with Sheer Force-boosted coverage for bulkier Water-resistant foes such as Tangela, Gourgeist-XL, Altaria, and Alolan Exeggutor, easily 2HKOing all of them. Finally, Stomping Tantrum gave Kingler coverage for Lanturn, a decent offensive check, and Qwilfish, which would otherwise completely wall it. Stomping Tantrum also allowed Kingler to hit Poliwrath, a solid switch-in to non-Swords Dance sets, neutrally.

No Ban Reasoning

Kingler's proneness to being worn down through Life Orb recoil, entry hazards, Rocky Helmet, and abilities such as Aftermath and Iron Barbs made it easier to revenge kill with priority users, which could limit its onslaught before it got out of hand. While Kingler certainly was a threat after it managed to set up, this was only after it managed to do so because of its meager Speed tier prior to using Agility. This meant that offensively pressuring it to not set up with Pokémon like Mesprit and Silvally-Dragon was possible, and Choice Scarf users that could outpace it even at +2 like Pyroar and Manectric were common at the time. People argued that Pyroar should've been suspect tested first, as its ability to shred through any Kingler check was what really pushed Kingler over the edge. Finally, people felt that Kingler wasn't really all that overwhelming but just another really good wallbreaker in a tier filled to the brim with them. Defensive switch-ins like Poliwrath, Lurantis, and Silvally-Water existed and weren't useless outside of checking Kingler, it wasn't really unfair or impossible to play against like Pyroar was, and stronger wallbreakers like Aggron were also difficult to switch into.

Ban Reasoning

As mentioned before, Kingler's ability to easily exploit weaker or resisted physical attacks as well as force out slower Pokémon could provide it with a chance to set up, and consistent offensive counterplay was limited because of the few Choice Scarf users that could outpace it after using Agility. Kingler was also limiting to defensive teams because its powerful STAB Liquidation combined with its good coverage allowed it to threaten some of the more typical Water-resistant Pokémon, and Spikes becoming more popular only made matters worse, since certain switch-ins like Poliwrath and Silvally-Water lacked reliable recovery and couldn't consistently keep it in check. Teams were forced to be really offensive to keep Kingler pressured, make use of niche Pokémon like Shiinotic, or somehow fit on passive Pokémon like Pyukumuku in order to not immediately have a rough matchup against Kingler. Pyroar + Kingler was the most popular offensive core, and it was extremely limiting to defensive teams because of Pyroar's ability to easily exploit teams that were overprepared for Kingler.

Pyroar

/ / Pyroar @ Choice Specs / Firium Z / Normalium Z

/ / @ Choice Specs / Firium Z / Normalium Z Ability: Unnerve

EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

Timid Nature

IVs: 0 Atk

- Fire Blast

- Hyper Voice

- Hidden Power Grass

- Overheat / Flamethrower / Taunt

While Pyroar had a load of viable sets, the stallbreaker and balance-breaker sets were by far the most common and were seen as the best sets that Pyroar used, with the Taunt + Firium Z set seeing the most usage in tournament play and the Choice Specs set seeing the most usage on the ladder. Both were able to assert immediate pressure on almost every type of build, with stall and more defensive builds being unable to provide adequate defensive switch-ins, especially to the Taunt variants, and offensive teams often losing momentum due to Pyroar's blazing Speed allowing it to easily outpace a large portion of standard offense staples. Normalium Z, while uncommon, was another viable option for more reliably breaking through Altaria and Silvally-Dragon while still dealing decent damage to most bulky Water-types. Taunt variants of Pyroar pressured stall to the point that it was often glossed over because it just couldn't handle Pyroar.

Pyroar @ Grassium Z

@ Grassium Z Ability: Unnerve

EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe

Timid Nature

IVs: 0 Atk

- Fire Blast

- Hyper Voice

- Solar Beam

- Taunt

With the metagame trying to combat the standard Pyroar sets with checks like Regirock and Lanturn, the Grassium Z set started to see a rise in usage, especially in the tournament scene. Due to it being a rather uncommon set even at its most popular points, this Pyroar set was able to successfully lure both of the aforementioned checks and even KO or severely weaken them. This versatility often forced people to scout Pyroar's set before checking it, as all of its non-Choice Specs sets were indistinguishable in their damage output and main moveslots.

No Ban Reasoning

While Pyroar didn't quite have the same vocal opinions defending it as Kingler, it wasn't a unanimous vote and had a few no ban arguments. First and foremost was Pyroar's vulnerability to basically every form of entry hazard, especially Stealth Rock, which was used as a prime no ban argument. Taking 25% of its maximum health in damage every time it switched in was particularly harmful considering it was frequently forced out by offensive and defensive Pokémon like Choice Scarf Primeape, Assault Vest Lanturn, and Regirock. PU also had, and currently has, two extremely viable and frequently used Mach Punch users in Hitmonchan and Gurdurr. Both of these Pokémon are common glue on balance and more offensive builds and are often supported by Healing Wish Mesprit, and both put extreme offensive pressure on Pyroar from Team Preview. While Gurdurr may have been unable to switch into Pyroar, Assault Vest Hitmonchan could, especially against Z-Move and Choice Scarf variants. Despite their power, both the Z-Sunny Day and the Z-Solar Beam Pyroar sets were still rather uncommon initially, and only the latter really picked up before Pyroar was banned. This meant that Regirock and Lanturn were often decent checks to the more common sets. Furthermore, these two alongside various other offensive and defensive checks like Hitmonchan, Lycanroc, Altaria, and Type: Null were common, which led people to believe that Pyroar was simply a great wallbreaker but not broken or impossible to check.

Ban Reasoning

Unlike with the no ban arguments, the ban arguments were very vocal and had been for quite a long time. Pyroar was seen as a Pokémon that had too many viable sets for its own good, with all of them breaking standard defensive and/or offensive cores and some also luring in and then defeating common checks. First and foremost was Pyroar's basically unrivaled wallbreaking ability, which, coupled with its great Speed, made it very difficult for more defensive teams to actually deal with it without several checks like Hitmonchan, Lanturn, and Regirock. Stall basically had little to no chance versus Taunt variants and the Choice Specs set to a certain extent, as Pyroar was able to easily deal with staples like Audino and Regirock, making it a rare playstyle in and outside of tournaments. Defensive teams as a whole really struggled to consistently keep Pyroar in check, as its versatility meant that it took too many slots to reliably prepare for. Furthermore, almost all of Pyroar's checks were either easily chipped by itself or by its teammates, meaning that though they could switch in once or twice, they were unable to keep it in check for the duration of the game.

Unpredictability played a large part in why Pyroar was suspect tested, as the 4 or 5 viable sets that Pyroar could use were almost impossible to guess at Team Preview, meaning that they had to be figured out during the game. Certain otherwise solid defensive checks like Lanturn, Regirock, and Altaria were completely invalidated by Grassium Z and Normalium Z sets, softer checks like Hitmonchan found themselves easily 2HKOed by Choice Specs Pyroar, and revenge killers that didn't use priority like Choice Scarf Kabutops were dealt with by Choice Scarf Pyroar. While the Choice Specs set could be distinguished early on based off of damage alone, the different Taunt sets as well as the Choice Scarf and Z-Sunny day sets were impossible to tell apart without scouting for the signature moves on each set. Scouting or guessing incorrectly often left you at a significant disadvantage too, and correct play by the opponent more than often gave them a lead.

Pyroar's presence alone put a lot of strain on builders, forcing them to often use a mixture of either specific Choice Scarf users like Kabutops or priority users like Lycanroc and Hitmonchan alongside defensive checks that could still struggle depending on what set was faced. This often led to teams being very formulaic without much room for creativity, as you'd be putting yourself at a disadvantage otherwise.

Closing Words

Kingler and Pyroar were both banned and moved to PUBL, with the former having a 69% ban vote (35 out of 51 voters) and the latter having a 70% ban vote (47 out of 67 voters).