[UU Discussion] Slowking (Banned from UU to BL)

[DrCraig]

Idk thing about slowking is that it has access to slack off which provides instant recovery against powerful hits. So if you face kingler sd or banded azu, is there really anything that can handle those 2 w/o having to go for rest (aside from the obvious grass types altho there is really only 2)? W/o slowking i really dont see any viable bulky waters aside from toise and maybe quag. you could argue that walrein and lapras are bulky waters but imo there should be some reliable bulky waters that can take fighting moves. i dont see any other bulky water which can take a superpower from cb hitmonlee comfortably. making it harder to build teams at times. move it up to bl and it will never be used again lol

Sounds like Slowking is too good not run in my opinion. Too good to the extent that it's walls too much, covers to much, and is taking away from some diversity. We didn't have Slowking before so I don't know why Hotmonlee is suddenly an issue. Mostly with Gligar, Claydol, Plume, Hypno etc. Water pokemon are stopped by tbolt lapras, plume and also it's like a Zangoose case. Zangoose can sweep like Kingler also but the hard part is setting up. Slowking walls too much to the point it is too good to not run. Without it I'd love to see the new cores and such.

Edited April 30, 2015 by DrCraig

[PandaJJ]

Idk thing about slowking is that it has access to slack off which provides instant recovery against powerful hits. So if you face kingler sd or banded azu, is there really anything that can handle those 2 w/o having to go for rest (aside from the obvious grass types altho there is really only 2)? W/o slowking i really dont see any viable bulky waters aside from toise and maybe quag. you could argue that walrein and lapras are bulky waters but imo there should be some reliable bulky waters that can take fighting moves. i dont see any other bulky water which can take a superpower from cb hitmonlee comfortably. making it harder to build teams at times. move it up to bl and it will never be used again lol

 

Slowking doesn't handle SD users in the first place, because all of them 2HKO slowking at +2, so nothing will really change about that after slowking is banned. Against choice banders, there are indeed few options. In fact, this is the reason why slowking is too good not to use - it's superior in every way. There might not be any other pokemon that can take every move from every bander, BUT choice band comes with the horrible side effect that you can't switch moves, so even after a mispredict you are not screwed enterily. Currently, slowking is a crucial part of the slowking/vileplume/steelix/chansey core that makes predictions redundant, and leads to games that last for hours. I'm not sure if we want games where you don't need to predict because slowking is there to save you no matter what.

[BurntZebra]

Sounds like Slowking is too good not run in my opinion. Too good to the extent that it's walls too much, covers to much, and is taking away from some diversity. We didn't have Slowking before so I don't know why Hotmonlee is suddenly an issue. Mostly with Gligar, Claydol, Plume, Hypno etc. Water pokemon are stopped by tbolt lapras, plume and also it's like a Zangoose case. Zangoose can sweep like Kingler also but the hard part is setting up. Slowking walls too much to the point it is too good to not run. Without it I'd love to see the new cores and such.

I think there's a slight flaw in people's thinking process. Slowking isn't exactly OP just because it walls hitmonlee and scizor, the only two things that slowking can actually wall (and thief hitmonlee/scizor 2hkos slowking anyways, so um no it's not exactly OP), there are tons of choice banders that take on slowking still. Golem, donphan, steelix, nidoking, crawdaunt, sharpedo, fearow, granbull, kingler, kangaskhan, houndoom, absol, breloom, zangoose, sceptile, azumarill, shiftry, stantler, and ariados (you're welcome gunthug) all 2hko slowking with their cb set. Let's not pretend that slowking walls everything, it only walls a few choice banders such as hitmonlee and a few of the weaker choice banders, and is usually forced to slack off the damage, giving the other person a free switch into anything they want. And like I mentioned before in this thread, slowking can't switch in on walls too easily either, as most of them run toxic such as slowking, chansey, clefable, gligar, and defensive steelix, which hinders slowking's ability to wall things greatly. And the argument that teams usually have cleric support isn't great either just because team synergy isn't banworthy, which most people should know by now. 

[PandaJJ]

I think there's a slight flaw in people's thinking process. Slowking isn't exactly OP just because it walls hitmonlee and scizor, the only two things that slowking can actually wall (and thief hitmonlee/scizor 2hkos slowking anyways, so um no it's not exactly OP), there are tons of choice banders that take on slowking still. Golem, donphan, steelix, nidoking, crawdaunt, sharpedo, fearow, granbull, kingler, kangaskhan, houndoom, absol, breloom, zangoose, sceptile, azumarill, shiftry, stantler, and ariados (you're welcome gunthug) all 2hko slowking with their cb set. Let's not pretend that slowking walls everything, it only walls a few choice banders such as hitmonlee and a few of the weaker choice banders, and is usually forced to slack off the damage, giving the other person a free switch into anything they want. And like I mentioned before in this thread, slowking can't switch in on walls too easily either, as most of them run toxic such as slowking, chansey, clefable, gligar, and defensive steelix, which hinders slowking's ability to wall things greatly. And the argument that teams usually have cleric support isn't great either just because team synergy isn't banworthy, which most people should know by now. 

 

Let's not pretend this is a 2HKO:

 

252+ Atk Choice Band Hitmonlee Thief vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Slowking: 90-106 (44.5 - 52.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery

 

A 2HKO usually looks more like this:

 

0 SpA Slowking Psychic vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Hitmonlee: 80-96 (53.6 - 64.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

[BurntZebra]

Let's not pretend this is a 2HKO:

 

252+ Atk Choice Band Hitmonlee Thief vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Slowking: 90-106 (44.5 - 52.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery

 

A 2HKO usually looks more like this:

 

0 SpA Slowking Psychic vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Hitmonlee: 80-96 (53.6 - 64.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Let's not pretend that slowking magically never takes damage throughout a match or gets knocked off or gets toxic'ed or burned or pursuited. Also let's not pretend EVERYONE runs bold slowking. I run calm slowking because it can take plume giga drain/victreebel solarbeam in a pinch and the lack of def isn't too noticable, except for thief hitmonlees

[PandaJJ]

Let's not pretend that slowking magically never takes damage throughout a match or gets knocked off or gets toxic'ed or burned or pursuited. Also let's not pretend EVERYONE runs bold slowking. I run calm slowking because it can take plume giga drain/victreebel solarbeam in a pinch and the lack of def isn't too noticable, except for thief hitmonlees

 

If you don't run bold slowking, then don't switch it in on choice banders. I can't say that scizor is a terrible attacker just because I have a timid scizor.

 

I don't feel like arguing, but slowking has slack off, and lee was not the only pokemon on your list that didn't have a 2HKO on slowking. Not to mention that quite a good portion of them are not even viable.

[BurntZebra]

If you don't run bold slowking, then don't switch it in on choice banders. I can't say that scizor is a terrible attacker just because I have a timid scizor.

 

I don't feel like arguing, but slowking has slack off, and lee was not the only pokemon on your list that didn't have a 2HKO on slowking. Not to mention that quite a good portion of them are not even viable.

Well apparently hitmonlee isnt viable either because of slowking, meaning ALL of those other physical attackers are more viable than hitmonlee, to an extent. And most of them are some what viable anyways, except maybe ariados

[Gunthug]

And most of them are some what viable anyways, except maybe ariados

You build me up, then you break me right back down :(

[BurntZebra]

You build me up, then you break me right back down :(

ariados literally has one viable physical move yo, and steelix exists. Funny enough, ariados is the only physical attacker that ohkos slowking. stab megahorn op

[Gunthug]

ariados literally has one viable physical move yo, and steelix exists. Funny enough, ariados is the only physical attacker that ohkos slowking. stab megahorn op

b-but, bounce!

[Pedrr]

ariados literally has one viable physical move yo, and steelix exists. Funny enough, ariados is the only physical attacker that ohkos slowking. stab megahorn op

lol ariados is impossible to play in UU cause steelix is everywhere

[Tyrone]

Slowking sits at the peak of what is likely the most common Pokemon in UU as of the current state of the metagame. Slowking has very potent mixed bulk that aids its amazing setup prowess, particularly the Calm Mind set. Slowking's typing allows it to wall many prominent setup attackers such as Scizor and many others. Slowking combines its setup with the ability to instantaneously recover with Slack Off and moderate offensive presence due to a moderately powerful 100 base Special Attack and diverse offensive movepool. Apart from Calm Mind, Slowking's higher innate Special Defense means it can even run a Curse set if it desires although it has an inferior physical movepool, but it can also prove problematic. While there are quite a few numbers of physical Pokemon that are able to break through it's Defense still, it has through practical consensus proven itself worthy as a unhealthy and centralizing threat in the UU metagame.

 

As a result, the council has decided to ban Slowking from UU to BL under the defensive characteristic.