Lord of the Fireflies
Back in black.
A while ago, back in the Gen IV days, when everybody played on Shoddy Battle and Ninetails and Politoed sucked, I came across a small SB server that went by the name of Gary Oak Battle Server (more or less, I don’t remember exactly). It happened when I got bored of OU and wanted to try something else, and Little Cup was already old stuff for me. The guys there introduced me to NFE (Not Fully Evolved) battling. The base was the same as Middle Cup; you could play with middle evolutions that were disallowed in LC and didn’t work in NU, but with a few tweaks that made all the difference. I played the metagame for a few months, and then the amount of time I spent on Shoddy decreased and I finally left. When I returned on PO after Gen V, I found out they had created another server, but the metagame had died out after some of the players were banned. Since there were only a handful of players, it had been sufficient to wipe out NFE.
But the facts are, the NFE metagame is easily the most interesting and diversified I’ve ever tried, and the one I was the better at. Gen V brought many new things untried as of now, and even past generations hide powerful, unsuspected threats. What I want to do here is, as you probably have guessed already; revive the metagame on a smaller scale, attempting to create a player base from here and to make it grow as we introduce NFE to interested people. It’s really that simple, and the paragraph was really just so you don’t feel like I just want to create a random metagame out of scrap. Tested; it works! Without further ago, I present you:
Players:
Banned:
Suspect:
Please note that "Suspect" does not mean Banned. It means that the Pokémon is a threat and needs extensive testing to see if it is reasonable to keep it withing the OU tier of the metagame.
Even though you now have a fair idea of what the NFE tier looks like, you might want to learn about the popular Pokémon I encountered when the metagame was at its peak, to help you in your team building. Keep in mind that there are many, many other choices to consider, as there is a vast amount of underrated Pokes to try out. Some of them might be used the exact same way as their older counterparts, but others use a completely different playstyle more suited to their stats layout, moves and/or abilities. Banned Pokémon are not on the list for obvious reasons.
Those two play pretty much the same role; fast and incredibly powerful special attackers with shallow defenses. Most players use Substitute on them to ease prediction and protect from priority attacks / scarfed switch-ins. They are suspect for a reason; they are incredibly hard to handle, as only a few NFE Pokémon can withstand their attacks – and retaliate back.
Machoke is popular for its scarfed set, spreading terror and confusion amongst the enemy team, but its speed is low even with a choice scarf. Its All-Out Attacker set can cause heavy damage even on dedicated physical wall, but its fragility tends to hold him back.
It boasts on of the highest special attack stats in the tier as well as a great typing and good speed, it can trap the few steel-types running around and take hits from the feared Dragon-types. Magneton is a force to be reckoned with, and might force its way to Ubers with its revenging scarfed set.
Great special attack and top-tier physical defense, as well as surprisingly good speed make Tangela an unsuspected threat. It is unstoppable in strong sunlight due to Chlorophyll and access to Growth and a wonderful STAB attack in Power Whip. These assets might just push it to Ubers, as only fast, super-effective attacks can take it down.
The most powerful Water-type of the tier. Its special attack is outstanding, its speed is great, and with a single Agility under its belt it can easily sweep through an entire team with Surf, Ice Beam and Hidden Power Grass/Electric and a Life Orb attached. A threat to be careful with.
Or the Dragon Dancing Trio, each having different attributes. Dragonair can go mixed or abuse priority with Extremespeed, Shelgon has a great defense stat and can opt for a bulkier set, while Fraxure has an amazing attack stat and a possibly devastating ability in Rivarly (Mold Breaker is also very scary, but less so than on Haxorus since it lacks Earthquake).
To prove the fact that some threats remain unseen for a while before exploding in usage, Murkow was only used in the last weeks of my time on the NFE tier, and it kick some serious asses. It can single-handedly threaten the popular Ghost and Psychic types with a OHKOing Sucker Punch (watch out for subs though) and sweep through teams with Brave Bird, Dark Pulse, Heat Wave and other toys Platinum tutors gave it. It is kinda frail, though, so manipulate with care.
Its great typing and stat layout make Gligar an instant menace. It can Swords Dance, or Agility, or both, and Baton Pass away, or sweep the shit out of the opponent with its great STAB in Earthquake and various coverage moves.
Sneasel has the greatest speed stat in the tier (unless I’m mistaken, too lazy to check), paired with a great attacks stat and Swords Dance to rip its way through teams. However, it is held back by its weak STAB attacks (Ice Punch and Bite) as well as its physical frailty leaving it open to priority, especially Mach Punch. Still, handle with care.
While it is slow and cursed with a poor defensive typing, Piloswine’s bulk and formidable attack stat make up for these faults and turn it into a fearsome attacker. Great STAB moves in Earthquake and Icicle Crash as well as access to Curse make it a menace for a team lacking strong special attacks, but it only becomes truly devastating in Hail, where your only chance of stopping it (a well-timed Fire Blast or Hydro Pump) will simply miss and annihilate your chances at victory. For this reason, Piloswine was often referred as the Garchomp of NFE, and might just end up in the same place.
Combusken went from slow Monferno to blazingly fast Coco after Gen V gave him an incredibly useful ability in Speed Boost. Coupled with a Swords Dance boost and a deadly STAB in Flare Blitz, only few can handle the chicken, and none in strong sunlight. You better have a Flash Fire switch-in if you want to take it down without losing half of your team.
That thing hits like a truck. It’s slow, it’s frail, but it’s so powerful you can’t afford to do anything than try to kill it when it’s on the field. A Hi Jump Kick from this thing 2HKOs even the toughest physical walls if they don’t resist it, and with its respectable speed, Meditite often strikes twice. Truly a dominant Pokémon.
Roselai can play many roles, from bulky Leech Seeder to unstoppable Choice Specs Leaf Stormer. It is kinda held back by its restricted offensive movepool, but the raw power more often than not makes up for it.
Pretty much the same as Combusken, except incredibly frailer. Any mildly powerful attack will take it down, though you better strike first; as long as it outspeeds you, you’re in for a world of pain.
While it lacks the raw power of its evolution, Metang can still be a real threat with its awesome typing giving it easy switch-ins as well as a great STAB move in Meteor Mash. Underestimate at your own peril.
FEAR IT, RUN AWAY FROM IT AND HOPE IT DOESN’T COME AFTER YOU.
Similar in this way to Metang, Gabite lacks the power of its bigger self, also lacking Swords Dance. It still has Hone Claws to boost its already good attacks stat, as well as one of the deadliest STAB combo, however, so be prepared.
Drilbur pretty much plays the same role as its evolution in OU, being a Sandstorm sweeper. The playstyle is incredibly straightforward, but once it has set up, little will be able to stop it (except maybe Vibrava or something, but nobody uses Vibrava).
While it has a lacking speed, Zweilous’ monstrous attack stat makes it a amazing hit-and-runner if equipped with a Choice Band. A single Outrage from this thing will OHKO the majority of the tier, but the crappy accuracy makes it as dangerous for the user that it is for the foe.
Even though it is specially frail, Slowpoke is often seen as a universal counter to fighting-types, and it is more so the case now that it has the ability Regenerator to heal itself on the switch. It can take on Combusken and Gurdurr easily and set-up Trick Room if needed, or spread paralysis with Thunder Wave. More of a team player than anything, but great at what it does.
While lacking on the offensive, Lickitung is a wonderful team player with its amazing bulk and wide support movepool, including but not limited to Wish, Thunder Wave, Toxic, Dragon Tail, and the list stretches as far as its tongue. It can even go on the offensive with Curse or Swords Dance and stop Weather Teams with its Dream World ability, Cloud Nine.
Munchlax is the stiffest competition to Lickitung, boasting better stats but lacking some key moves such as Wish and Dragon Tail. It is a universal counter to Haunter and (to a lesser extent) Kadabra and can take on most special attackers. It is a better Curse user than Lickitung, with its superior special defense, however its lack of a recovery move apart from Rest often leaves it open to strong, repeated physical attacks.
Even if its stats are a let-down, Chinchou boasts a formidable typing allowing it to deal with every single Water-type (except those with a secondary ground typing for obvious reasons), especially Seadra. It can also use Heal Bell effectively and spread Paralysis if the need arises, and its good base speed lets it outspeed slower attackers. The only downside is the lack of recovery, so be careful when playing around with Chinchou if you lack a Wish user.
Togetic is easily the most useful defensive Pokémon of the entire NFE tier, with access to a myriad of support moves (Wish, Heal Bell, Encore and Thunder Wave come to mind), great bulk on both sides of the attacking spectrum, paired with a great special attack to go on the offensive if needed, as well as a multitude of attacking options. It can surprise the opponent with an offensive Nasty Plot set, or a slightly hipster Work Up Hustle mixed set. Togetic can fulfill many roles, and for this reason is a very unpredictable Pokémon. Definitely something to try out.
Misdreavus acts as a slower, weaker but way bulkier version of Haunter. It can take on many special attackers, but can also fulfill the role of a stall breaker and sweep stopper with moves like Taunt, Will-O-Wisp, Thunder Wave, Pain Split and so on. It’s great special attacks stats lets it retaliate for great damage after it has played enough with the opponent.
Marshtomp is pretty much identical to Swampert in OU; a bulky Water-type, able to take his from nearly everything but grass-types and to set-ups Stealth Rocks and stuff. Really, anybody who has played with Swampert won’t have trouble playing with Marshy.
I know I made a summary for Roselia already, but trust me; Roselia is as good as a bulky supporter as it is as a special attacker. It has access to Spikes, Toxic Spikes and Sleep Powder (although the first is illegal with the last) as well as Aromatherapy and Synthesis. The possibilities are vast, just find what you think is most suited to your playstyle.
Like Roselia, Metang can perform as a supporter as well as an attacker. Its awesome defensive typing as well as access to entry hazards in the form of Stealth Rocks makes Metang a completely viable wall or bulky attacker.
Due to their ability, those two little guys have seen themselves growing in popularity as new Weather Abusers came with Gen V, such as Drilbur, Herdier and Vanillish. The guys themselves aren’t half-bad, either: Hippo can use its great physical defense to lay down rocks and Yawn or Roar away, whereas Snover can use Leech Seed to disrupt walls or simply use its okay attack to use Swords Dance and Ice Shard effectively.
Like its evolved form, Cottonee is an excellent sweep breaker with moves such as Encore, Taunt and Leech Seed to be a general annoyance. It is still held back by its mediocre bulk, however, so be careful when using it.
Now that you have a fair lot of information about NFE under your belt, it’s time to start actually playing. Go on Pokémon Online (I assume you have already downloaded it, if not do it it’s worth your time) and create an account on the main server (not Smogon). The name you have there should be [NFE]<insert your TCoD name> so we can actually recognize ourselves. The chances are nobody else will be logged in for the moment, since this project is new and all. Try to get people in by sending them the link to this post; spread the word!
I know this community isn’t all that competitive, but I’m pretty sure we can create a battling community big enough we can actually create that NFE tier.
So…
Who’s interested?
But the facts are, the NFE metagame is easily the most interesting and diversified I’ve ever tried, and the one I was the better at. Gen V brought many new things untried as of now, and even past generations hide powerful, unsuspected threats. What I want to do here is, as you probably have guessed already; revive the metagame on a smaller scale, attempting to create a player base from here and to make it grow as we introduce NFE to interested people. It’s really that simple, and the paragraph was really just so you don’t feel like I just want to create a random metagame out of scrap. Tested; it works! Without further ago, I present you:
The NFE Project
Players:
- Quidam
- Seraph
- All the general rules of OU apply.
- All Pokémon must be able to evolve (Pokémon at their lowest stage of evolution are also allowed, as opposed to Middle Cup)
- The items Eviolite, DeepSeaTooth and Light Ball are banned.
- The Abilities Drought and Moody are banned.
Banned:
Suspect:
Please note that "Suspect" does not mean Banned. It means that the Pokémon is a threat and needs extensive testing to see if it is reasonable to keep it withing the OU tier of the metagame.
Even though you now have a fair idea of what the NFE tier looks like, you might want to learn about the popular Pokémon I encountered when the metagame was at its peak, to help you in your team building. Keep in mind that there are many, many other choices to consider, as there is a vast amount of underrated Pokes to try out. Some of them might be used the exact same way as their older counterparts, but others use a completely different playstyle more suited to their stats layout, moves and/or abilities. Banned Pokémon are not on the list for obvious reasons.
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Offensive
The annoying bat, with its great speed and incredible movepool, acts as a great stallbreaker with Taunt, Roost and respectable bulk. It can also go on the offensive with its deadly Brave Bird, and it is recommended you do not underestimate it (even if it is tempting).Offensive
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Defensive / Supportive
The Zubat of the sea takes the role of a great support Pokémon in NFE, much like its fully evolved form. It can Rapin Spin, lay Toxic Spikes and takes hits like a boss. It is one of the only true counters to Seadra and can deal with multiple others special attackers. Its only weakness is its lack of a recovery move, so if you plan on using Tentacool, you better get yourself a good Wish user.Defensive / Supportive
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Now that you have a fair lot of information about NFE under your belt, it’s time to start actually playing. Go on Pokémon Online (I assume you have already downloaded it, if not do it it’s worth your time) and create an account on the main server (not Smogon). The name you have there should be [NFE]<insert your TCoD name> so we can actually recognize ourselves. The chances are nobody else will be logged in for the moment, since this project is new and all. Try to get people in by sending them the link to this post; spread the word!
I know this community isn’t all that competitive, but I’m pretty sure we can create a battling community big enough we can actually create that NFE tier.
So…
Who’s interested?
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