The FU Metagame

In the eyes of Gary2346, the best TL in existence.



Contrary to popular belief, FU is nothing like PU in the slightest. While both PU and FU share similarities in playstyles and the viability of certain archetypes, there are several specific key elements in FU that can make or break matches to a much higher degree than PU, where it might be easier to bounce back from. For example, keeping up offensive momentum/pressure is by far the single most important element to consider when playing; while momentum is always a huge factor in most Pokemon battles, offensive is the prime factor here. Unlike most tiers, stall/defensive playstyles are practically obsolete. In simplest terms, if you're a big fan of wallbreakers, sweepers, and offensive pivots, this is the tier for you. Even with the massive offensive presence found in FU however, it is far from being limited to spike stacking + 5 sweepers; the best kind of FU teams usually consist of fat Pokemon that can take hits but have the ability to punish switch-ins just as much as pure offensive behemoths such as Choice Banded Flareon or Dodrio. So while hyper offense is very threatening and can easily overwhelm even the bulkiest of teams, bulky offense in most instances, is the most consistent playstyle.

You may be asking why is offensive momentum so important and why is defensive pressure so difficult to apply to most teams? Well the answer is pretty simple. Look at all the very bulky Pokemon found in FU such as Bastiodon, Clefairy, Marshstomp, Spritzee, Quilldin Clefairy, and other niche options like Lickitung. As you can imagine, all of them minus Bastiodon are very dependent on their Eviolite in order to take hits comfortably and be of usefulness, but with Knock Off being slapped on practically every team, and with Dark-type moves being extremely spammable in a tier lacking many ways to punish them, it's very hard for them to keep up with the offensive part of the meta, and thus makes them a liability in a lot of instances. The reason why Quillidin and Clefairy still manage to find use on a lot of teams despite depending on Eviolite, is because of how much utility they bring to teams. While Quill and Clef are by no means offensive powerhouses, Quillidin's pure Grass-typing, decently fast Taunt for a defensive Pokemon, and reliable recovery allows it to Spike stack on a large portion of the tier, thus giving you momentum and keeping up the pressure. Clefairy can be offensively threatening after a few Calm Minds, but with so many support moves such as Thunder Wave, Stealth Rock, Knock Off, and Softboiled, adding on to its rare and useful typing/Magic Guard ability, there's plenty of ways Clef can heavily punish offensive teams. To sum it all up, most of the Pokemon that would find use on stall teams such as Tentacool, Lickitung, and Bastiodon are massive set up fodder for a lot of common offensive Pokemon, so much to a point where they have nothing reliably to reliably take on wallbreakers/sweepers such as Swords Dance Raticate and Calm Mind Murkrow.

Well now that we got all the boring shit out of the way, lets talk about the interesting shit; the Pokemon.

The King

If the tier could be summed up in one word, all you would have to say is Electabuzz. While every tier seems to have that one Pokemon that sets itself apart from all the rest for its consistency, versatility or usefulness (like OU Landorus, UU Suicune, RU Cobalion, PU Poliwrath) saying that Electabuzz is simply a top tier threat is an understatement in this case. In simplest terms, Electabuzz IS the FU metagame. Outside of maybe BW Ubers Kyogre or XY Aegislash, nothing compares to the massive amount of impact one Pokemon can have on a tier than FU Electabuzz. Even with the recent dropping of Electrode, Electabuzz still remains an extremely centralizing and dominating force that has practically SINGLE HANDEDLY shaped the metagame more than any other Pokemon, that is of course, other than when Vigoroth was around, but that was just plain stupid. While Electabuzz may be very centralizing and is so useful to the point of practically having a designated slot on every team regardless of how much it may not synergize with the rest of the team, it is in fact, extremely healthy for the tier's development. While one may argue that no matter how healthy a Pokemon is, an immensely dominating force such as Electabuzz is arguably broken no matter what and should be removed from the tier, after playing even just a few matches you'll begin to understand why FU would suffer without it.

Its ability to maintain constant momentum with Volt Switch makes combined with its bar setting 105 Speed tier makes it difficult to keep up with it, while its impressive bulk with Eviolite allows it to pivot into many Attacks and immediately threaten the following turn. It also has a plentiful movepool, so it is very easy to experiment with it. Volt Switch/T-Bolt/Hidden Power are its staple move, but its last moveslot is extremely expendable, thus making it very unpredictable and can force your opponents to play more conservatively. For example, normally Fraxure can grab a free Dragon Dance on an Electabuzz, but if it carries Thunder Wave than it becomes significantly less useful. Toxic can cripple common switch ins like Gogoat and opposing Electabuzz, while Focus Blast can punish Zweilous switch-ins as well as OHKOing Gigalith and Lairon. As I mentioned above, offensive pivots are extremely valuable in this tier for their ability to maintain momentum so easily, and Electabuzz is THE best pivot in the tier; it checks roughly 50% of most of the Pokemon found on teams. It can also run a solid Choice Specs set that doesn't face much competition from Electrode because of its extra power and more attacking options (aka Focus Blast). So all in all, having a team with a reliable way to handle Buzz is essential (not just your own Buzz), and if you don't pack an Electabuzz on your own team, you should heavily consider re-weighing your options to make sure you REALLY don't need it, because most likely your team could fair better with one on your team.

Top tier threats that every team needs to prepare for

While Electabuzz may be the king of FU, that doesn't necessarily mean it's the most threatening Pokemon around. Meet Fraxure, one of the most controversial Pokemon in the tier. This should come as no surprise to even the most newest of newcomers to FU. The Dragon-typing is very potent in a tier lacking many viable Steel- and Fairy-types, and Fraxure heavily takes advantage of this with its massive 117 base Attack, perfect movepool, solid 66/114/84 bulk with Eviolite, and very useful resistances/few weaknesses. It's also a prime check to Electabuzz, which alone makes it an incredible glue Pokemon that can fit on a wide variety of teams as an easy wincon. While it may not be initially fast, it can easily remedy this with Dragon Dance on top of boosting its already massive Attack stat, and thanks to its bulk and typing, it can be difficult to revenge kill. Most Choice Scarf Pokemon fail to OHKO it, and the only priority move that it's weak to, Ice Shard, is non-existent. While it movepool may seem barren on the outside, it has everything it needs to put up a fight. Low Kick maims Steel-types such as Lairon, Bastiodon, and bulky Rock-types like Gigalith, while Poison Jab and Iron Tail can 2HKO Clefairy and Spritzee after a bit of prior damage. The real move that sets Fraxure apart from most other sweepers and allows it to use most defensive Pokemon as set up fodder, is Taunt. Taunt is by far one of the best moves to have on an offensive Pokemon in FU because it can shut down so many bulky Pokemon and or prevent them from being hit by status. Despite Fraxure's insane offensively capabilities, it's still manageable, and it doesn't restrict teams to a point where they are forced to use Clefairy + Steel-type. Taking advantage of its slow initial Speed and reliance on Outrage (Dragon Claw is too weak to use in most instances) to deal damage. It's also insanely predictable, and Swords Dance sets are way too slow to do much work against most teams. Just know though, that Fraxure must be addressed in team building, or you might as well just forfeit versus them otherwise. Common offensive checks include Articuno, bulky Murkrow, Metang, Clefairy, Persian, Wigglytuff, Choice Banded Dodrio, and Knock Off users.



Bird is most definitely the word in FU, and it needs to be heard. Even with the difficulty of removing hazards and Electabuzz on every team, Flying-types are a very dominating force in FU. STAB Brave Birds and Hurricanes are very hard to switch into, and most of the Pokemon that can switch into them, such as Lairon, Gigalith, and Electabuzz, are prone to being worn down by hazards and lack of recovery. Murkrow is one of the most versatile Pokemon in the tier. It can practically run any set it wants and still be of an annoyance. A colorful support movepool plus an incredibly useful ability in Prankster allows it to shutdown a wide variety of offensive and defensive Pokemon. Taunt and Thunder Wave are some of the best moves in FU and can be slapped on pretty much any set. Featherdance makes it an annoyance against physical powerhouses and reliable recovery in Roost + solid bulk with Eviolite makes it a formidable utility pivot. Support sets, offensive LO sets, bulky Calm Mind, you name it. Its movesest can easily be tailored to fit your team and its typing is very useful offensively and defensively. No matter what way you use it. Murkrow will not disappoint.

Articuno finally finds a place to shine down here in FU. While being 4x weak to Stealth Rock in a tier where Vibrava is considered a GOOD hazard remover, Aritcuno still manages to carve itself a niche in FU as one of the best offensive Pokemon in the tier. Its solid Special Attack stat, relatively good Speed, and very impressive natural bulk allows it to take the hits and dish them right back. The STAB Life Orb Ice Beam and Hurricane combination is only resisted by the Steel-type, which as we all know, is pretty rare in this tier. It also has Freeze Dry, which lets it deal with bulky Water-types such as Wartortle and Relicanth that can stomach its Hurricanes. With Hidden Power Ground it can 2HKO the premier Steel-type of the tier, Lairon, as well as maiming Metang, arguably the best and only RELIABLE switch-in to Articuno in the tier. When it comes to sets, Articuno is best used with a Life Orb in conjunction with Roost, as its bulky enough to Roost off on many attackers despite its poor defensive typing. Sub Roost can be a pain in the ass to deal with versus offense and bulkier teams, and Agility allows it to outspeed the entire tier in order to clean up late-game. The best way to deal with the giant blue chicken is to take advantage of its massive Stealth Rock weakness by double switching and keeping hazard up on the field as much as possible. Also keeping its checks nice and healthy is essential, as it is able to easily wear down a large handful of them and finish them off later; this is especially important vs Agility sets. While Articuno may need a decent amount of team support to succeed, it is well worth it in the long run.

Dodrio is a newcomer to the tier, and already it finds itself among the best of the best. Surprisingly it shares a striking resemblance to Fearow in how it's used, but unlike its single headed brethren, Dodrio has a move that Fearow wishes it had; Brave Bird. A Choice Banded Brave Bird coming off of 110 base Attack is terrifying to a point where only a small pool of Pokemon can reliably switch into it more than twice. Its base 100 Speed is also nothing to scoff at, as it can outspeed a large portion of the metagame and spam its STAB moves to its heart's content. Knock Off and Pursuit give it a lot of utility and can punish nearly all of its switch-ins, as well as wearing trapping problematic Pokemon. With a Choice Scarf it becomes a formidable revenge killer that's capable of cleaning up teams fairly easily once its checks are gone, while Agility does much of the same but late game. Thankfully Lairon is practically a 100% stop to Dodrio even with its Eviolite knocked, as it 4x resists both of its STAB moves and takes next to nothing from Knock Off/Pursuit. Gigalith is also a very good check to it and most teams will hate switching into a Stone Edge or Explosion. It's Speed tier is great but not spectacular and its bulk is pitiful, so anything faster than it can most likely OHKO it with a super effective move. Even with these shortcomings, don't let your guard down against Dodrio, for it can rip apart unprepared teams in a heart beat.


There's plenty of monkey business that goes around in FU, and that's all thanks to the three BW elemental monkeys. Fortunately for them, all three of the Unova monkeys are among some of the best Pokemon in the tier for a multitude of reasons. Their Speed stat is very impressive for OU standards which makes them hard to revenge kill. They also have very solid attacking stats and a plentiful movepool to back it up. They also have their signature starter abilities which allows them to spam their powerful STAB moves with little to no repercussions. All in all, all three of these monkeys are a force to be reckoned with, and each one should be addressed accordingly when team building.

Simisage finds itself severely outclassed in almost every tier because of its bland Grass-typing and the vast amount of competition from other Grass-types in upper tiers. In FU however, Simisage stands out from all the other Grass-types found in the tier for its unique mixed capabilities backed up by practically every type of coverage move it could ask for. Because of this, Simisage is often considered one of the best wallbreakers in the tier, as well as one of the hardest Pokemon to switch into. Leaf Storm is very strong and even when uninvested, it's going to heavily damage anything that wants to switch into it. Even though there are plenty of switch-ins to Grass-type moves in FU, Simisage has a trick up its sleeve for just about every single one of them. Bulky Pokemon such as Gourgeist-S, Fraxure, Metang, Gogoat, Dusclops are heavily crippled by Knock Off, which in a lot of cases, wont like a follow up Leaf Storm despite resisting it. Rock Slide OHKOs Articuno, Dodrio, Flareon and offensive Murkrow as well as 2HKOing bulky Murkrow. Gunk Shot is perfect for Gogoat who thinks it can grab a free boost from Leaf Storm, and Quilliden won't be able to stall out Life Orb recoil once its been knocked off. It can also run Superpower which OHKO Zweilous after being Knocked off, while hitting Regigigas harder than anything else. Its best used running a Life Orb with max Attack and a negative defense nature so that Leaf Storm still deals a lot of damage regardless of the lack of investment. Nasty Plot may seem tempting, but Grass + Fighting has shit coverage and Simisage is much better for its ability to punch massive holes into teams. While Simisage may lack reliable counters, it has plenty of checks. It's pretty damn frail, so anything with a relatively strong super effective move can take it down. It's also very easy to wear down and Arbok's Intimidate allows it to grab a free Coil boost off of it. Regardless, Simisage can be very difficult to deal with in the hands of a smart player, so take great caution when facing one.

Simisear may seem girly and flameboyant (hehe bwoiiii) but don't let looks fool you. Simisear has made a name for itself in FU even in the very early days, and still to this day, it remains a top tier threat. The Fire-type is very dangerous offensively despite its common resistances, and even with the inclusion of Flareon, Fire Blast is still a very easy move to spam early, mid, and late game. When equipped with Choice Specs, it becomes a formidable hole puncher that offensive teams will struggle to switch into; Choice Specs Overheat is very strong and heavily dents even resisted hits, especially when in Blaze range or with Sun support. Nasty Plot is Simisear's bread and butter set, as it is able to boost up its Special Attack to frightening levels and bust through just about anything. It can easily be tailored to fit your team's needs; Substitute is one of the best moves to use with Nasty Plot for its ability to set up on bulkier threats while protecting itself from being revenge killed. Life Orb gives it more firepower while Salac Berry turns it into a late-game sweeper. With access to interesting coverage options such as Focus Blast and Grass Knot, as well Taunt and Knock Off to cripple defensive switch-ins in order to allow for an easier sweep, it should come to no surprise why Simisear remains a top tier threat. Much like Simisage, Simisear has plenty of checks due to its fragility, and its Stealth Rock weakness can easily be taken advantage of. Just make sure you carry something that can hit up a Fire Blast, because otherwise you're going to have a bad time.

Unlike most Pokemon found in FU, Simipour happens to be a top tier threat in PU, but thanks to a very shitty ladder and an overall ignorant playerbase on PS, Simipour finds itself wrecking faces and taking names in FU.