Resource VGC '17: A Beginner's Guide to Speed Control

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Mr.GX

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Hello, Smogon! Its been a few days since Sun and Moon has came out, and with it, a whole new set of rules and mechanics, as well as additional forms of Speed control! VGC 2017 will be unlike anything we have seen before. Which form of Speed control will dominate?



Introduction

With VGC '17 starting in a few days ahead, we have even less time to pick our Pokemon, make a team, add in a Speed control, and finalize it. Fear not, for this guide will help you decide on the form of Speed control you prefer to use in your team. New forms of Speed control are revealed, and while they may be intimidating at first, constant practice and research reduces them to just another game mechanic you will get used to in no time. Sadly, VGC '17 restricts us from using the National Dex, taking away popular Pokemon like Cresselia and Suicune, forcing us to improvise with newer Pokemon introduced in Sun and Moon. Without further ado, let's get on with it:



Different Types of Speed Control in VGC '17

In this section, we will be talking about the wide variety of Speed control available to use in VGC '17. Ranging from the ever popular Paralysis to the newer Electric Terrain, this part will cover, this part will cover all the forms of Speed control available to the players.



Paralysis (Nuzzle/Thunder Wave/Glare)

Since its creation, Paralysis has always been one of the most dominating forms of Speed control in Pokemon history. What does it do? It's a status condition that reduces the Speed of the afflicted Pokemon by 75%, or so it did. But thankfully, the Alolan Regional Dex doesn't included the dreaded Thundurus-I, one of the most popular Pokemon used to induce Paralysis. What's more? Gamefreak decided to nerf Paralysis, by reducing the speed drop from 75% to just 50%, allowing us to use Tailwind and have our Pokemon regain their speed. But that doesn't make it unusable, as we still have plenty of good status inducers like Raichu, Gyarados etc. What makes Paralysis better than Tailwind is it is a status condition, and once afflicted, it stays forever until you cure it with Refresh or Purify. There are few good inducers which will be covered below:

Porygon2 serves as a Cresselia replacement in this format, able to use both Thunder Wave and Trick Room, though the former is a bit uncommon. This can catch your opponent off-guard, and inflict Paralysis, making your opponent much slower. With Eviolite, Porygon2 becomes the bulkiest Pokemon on the field, with access to Recover, helping it to stay on the field and disrupt your opponents. While this prevents Porygon2 from running any other items, making it vulnerable to Taunt and sleep, this enures your Pokemon survives at least one super effective hit before paralyzing your opponent, after which it can proceed to Recover and heal itself. Porygon2 is best used in bulky teams that rely on type advantages rather than setup opportunities.

Raichu has always been a favorite for Nuzzle paralyzing, as it's fast, and has access to lots of support moves in the form if Feint and Fake Out. Alolan-Raichu is no different. You can use Fake Out to set up your own Tailwind, or go for Nuzzle, giving you lots of option to run this rodent. You can use Feint to go through their defenses once you have a Speed control established. This makes Raichu an ideal Pokemon in many teams. Rodents like the new Togedemaru also serves similar purposes, although with a different typing. Raichu is commonly used in fast teams that can benefit from its Fake Out support to set up, or as a Celesteela counter, the latter which has been rising in usage.

The above Pokemon can inflict Paralysis successfully, thanks to their bulk and high Speed. To make things better, Prankster Taunt is nearly non-existent. Unlike the past formats, Paralyzed opponents cannot find a safe haven in Trick Room, and the lack of Prankster question's the status's place in the VGC '17 metagame.



Tailwind as a Form of Speed Control

Like previous formats, Tailwind find a spot in the VGC '17 metagame. Tailwind increases your team's Speed for four turns, including the turn you set it. This can be used to counter the effects of Paralysis, or to set up and sweep with your powerful attackers. Though we lack popular setters like Suicune/Zapdos, we still have access to some good options like Talonflame, Whimsicott and Pelipper. Thankfully, Tailwind haven't got any nerfs, but the lack of bulky setters may make it difficult picking the right Pokemon for your team. We have some new setters like Toucannon and Oricorio but sadly, they got little to no bulk or speed, and provides little utility. While Tailwind may be better choice than inflicting Paralysis onto each of your opponent's Pokemon, it only lasts for four turns, after which you need to use it again (though this is unlikely in VGC).

Some good setters in VGC '17 are Pelipper, Talonflame, Aerodactyl and Whimsicott. Pelipper finds itself viable, thanks to the amazing buffs it got in the form of base stat boosts and the rare ability Drizzle. This makes Pelipper a really interesting Pokemon, allowing it to hurt a lot of foes with Hurricane and Scald, while using Wide Guards to block incoming Rock Slides, forming a perfect synergy with Lightning Rod users such as Alolan-Marowak. It can set up Tailwind to boost its ally's Speed giving you the opportunity to set up a fast sweep. Drizzle can protect your Grass-types from powerful fire attacks like Flare Blitz, which makes this Pokemon viable in many teams, when you are in need of a Water-type. Pelipper is best used with a Lightning Rod user, preferably Alolan-Marowak, but Togedemaru can also work to hurt Steel-types like Celesteela that walls Pelipper.

Aerodactyl finds itself in an interesting spot, able to outspeed most of the metagame with its high Speed stat. Like Pelipper, it has access to Wide Guard, and can also use Sky Drop to disrupt your opponents. With access to Tailwind, it can further boost its speed to abnormal levels, giving you lots of advantage. Rock-typing also allows you to run it in a Sand team to boost its Special Defense as well.

Oricorio, a new bird Pokemon introduced in Sun and Moon, comes in four different types, and is also capable of learning Tailwind. This Pokemon is popular in Quiver Dance teams, most commonly seen with Ridombee. Dancer scares off people from using Dance moves like Dragon Dance and Quiver Dance, allowing you to passively shut down any set up attempts. It can also Baton Pass any stolen boosts with Dancer, passing them off to more viable Pokemon. Its various typing allows you to slap it on many teams, giving you great coverage as well as a form of Speed control.

Talonflame and Whimsicott, the VGC 16 Tailwind duo, makes a return to Alola. With all the new Ultra Beasts and Legendary Pokemon, they struggle to find a place in the early metagame, due to their frailty. Psychic Terrain blocks Prankster status from Whimsicott, while Xurkitree and Tapu Koko demolishes Talonflame, thanks to the latter's Gale Wings nerf. Once damaged, Talonflame is KOed almost instantly by Tapu Koko or other fast Pokemon, severely reducing its utility.

Tailwind is certainly a good form of Speed control, opposed only by Trick Room or by an opponent's Tailwind. One must carry precautions to shut down either of them through means of Sleep, Taunt or just raw power (Z-Moves). Pokemon like Oricorio, once allowed to set up, can sweep entire teams with ease, while Pokemon like Pelipper gives huge type advantage and coverage. As most Tailwind users are Flying-type and therefore susceptible to Electric-type attacks, it is wise to use a Lightning Rod user, or a redirector like Parasect or Clefairy. Like Trick Room, Tailwind too can be shut down easily with Taunt or fast offense, so Fake Out users are advised to help set up easily. In Trick Room, Tailwind can backfire harshly, and Paralysis can reduce your Speed back to its original state. Tailwind users are commonly Taunt baits, so beware when your opponent brings a Tapu Koko or some other Taunt user.


Trick Room as a Form of Speed Control

Trick Room has always been a popular form of Speed control, since it's introduction. Instead of increasing your Pokemon's Speed, Trick Room means slower Pokemon moves first, while the faster ones move last over five turns. It has won many World Championships, and serves as a versatile counter against the traditional forms of Speed control. Like past formats, Trick Room is rising in popularity since most of the new Pokemon are quite slow. Once set up, Trick Room allows your slower powerful Pokemon like Xurkitree and Buzzwole to move first and deal enormous damage before your opponent can react. With the introduction of Terrain setters like the Tapu's, Trick Room is hard to stop from being activated, thanks to the decreasing popularity of Fake Out and Spore. As usual, Trick Room users have to be bulky to tank hits, due to Trick Room having an abysmal Priority of -6. Alola introduced some potential setters that can work well in Trick Room, while older Pokemon like Porygon2 makes a return once again.

Porygon2 is one of the best Trick Room setters in VGC '17, thanks to its bulk and typing. Once set up, it can use Recover and use Ice Beam and Thunderbolt to weaken the popular Garchomp and Celesteela. As it uses up Eviolite in its item slot, Porygon2 is susceptible to Taunt and sleep, against which certain precautions are advised. Fake Out users like Incineroar and Hariyama is popular thanks to their low Speed and huge offensive power. Terrain setters like Tapu Fini is also used to prevent your Porygon2 from being put to sleep. As one of the bulkiest Pokemon of the format, Porygon2 can safely take a super effective hit and set up Trick Room in the face of danger, though a redirector like Parasect is appreciated.

Other setters include Oranguru and Mimikyu, who serves are decent setters thanks to their typing and base stats. Oranguru is extremely useful in Trick Room as it can use Instruct, ordering your attacker to attack twice in one turn, which can come in handy when you use spread attackers like Wishiwashi or Torkoal. With its Normal-type, Oranguru is immune to Alolan-Marowak's Shadow Bone, and takes neutral damage from Fighting-type thanks to its Psychic typing. Mimikyu is useful because of its unique ability Disguise, which essentially acts as an inbuilt Substitute. Unfortunately, it doesn't block status moves like Taunt and Spore.

While Trick Room might be the most powerful form of Speed control available in VGC '17, it isn't unstoppable. Trick Room moves in Priority -7, the slowest move in the game. Setters can easily be phazed with Roar or Whirlwind, or can be Taunted to put to sleep. Unlike past formats, Paralysis no longer makes your Pokemon the fastest in Trick Room, considering your opponent has a Pokemon who is inherently slow. What makes Trick Room viable is the speed tier of various Pokemon. Pokemon like Torkoal won't fail to move first in Trick Room due to its little Speed. Common Pokemon like Tapu Koko and Tapu Lele becomes the slowest Pokemon in the game under Trick Room. This is one move that can literally turn the game around. In the right hands, Trick Room can almost always be set up, and can prove to be a devastating force.

Semi-Trick Room

While it is difficult to run Tailwind and Trick Room in the same team, Semi-Trick Room isn't entirely impossible. Pokemon like Torkoal and Gigalith can work both inside and outside Trick Room. A combination of Lilligant and Oranguru makes Torkoal a versatile user of this strategy, allowing it to move first both in and out of Trick Room. While it is easy to spot this play in Team preview, if you are not prepared, this core is more than capable of hurting most of the meta, similar to Primal Groudon in VGC '16. Gigalith, on the other hand appreciates giving its fellow Rock-type partner more bulk in the form of Sand Stream, while providing support in the form of Wide Guard. Semi-Trick Room remains an unexplored region in VGC '17, due to the lack of tutor moves, but the few strategies it opened up proved to be versatile, and may be dominant in the London International.


Speed-boosting Abilities


Speed-boosting abilities like Chlorophyll and Swift Swim had always been used in VGC formats as they provide a solid form of Speed control right at the start of a battle. Sun and Moon gave previously non-viable Pokemon some amazing buffs in the form of weather inducing abilities such as Drought, Swift Swim, etc. They also introduced new Speed-boosting abilities like Slush Rush and Surge Surfer. Lets take a look.



Chlorophyll/Swift Swim/Sand Rush/Slush Rush

Mega Charizard Y and Venusaur was popular was back in VGC 15, and was a solid duo. Sadly, VGC '17 restricts us from using Mega Stones. They did give us something to make up for it though: Torkoal with the ability Drought. With its low Speed stat, Torkoal would be the fastest Pokemon in Trick Room, and has access to Eruption as well. As for a decent Chlorophyll user, we are stuck with Lilligant for the format. Lilligant is not without its uses, as it gets access to a variety of support moves like Sleep Powder, After You, Quiver Dance etc. Using fast After You in Sun enables Torkoal to launch Eruption fast, quickly KOing a lot of Pokemon. If left unchecked, this duo can sweep entire teams on its own. Lilligant's utility however, stops here. A single Taunt can shut down Lilligant's support options, and after a Leaf Storm, its offensive options are further limited, forcing you to either use Z-Moves or switch Lilligant out. This duo can easily break Hail teams, but loses to Rain teams and Tapu Fini rather easily.

Drizzle makes a return in the form of Drizzle Pelipper, who also got some amazing buffs. With access to Hurricane, Tailwind and Wide Guard, Pelipper serves as a form of Speed control on its own, that can also KO a lot of Pokemon easily with 100% accuracy Hurricanes and Rain-boosted Scalds. While we lack good Swift Swim users like the popular Ludicolo, we do have access to Golduck and Poliwrath. Fast Goluck with Z-Crystal can deal quite some damage, while Pelipper can set up Tailwind to boost your Speed even further. But this makes your team vulnerable against Surge Surfer and Trick Room. The lack of bulk on the Pokemon makes it easy to KO them. As a result, this makes Rain a fast offensive archetype that can demolish teams if you are not prepared.

We lost Tyranitar, but we got the next best thing. Sand Stream Gigalith. In a sandstorm, its Special Defense is multiplied by 1.5, making it an enormous tank in a Sandstorm. While we lack good Sand Rushers, we do have access to Lycanroc, who have an amazing Speed and Attack stat, and has access to Accelrock. Since both Gigalith and Lycanroc are pure Rock-type Pokemon, the duo is susceptible to Steel-types like Celesteela, and gets knocked out easily by Rain teams. Sand is often used in this format to reset opposing weathers to gain control of the field.

Like the previous three setters, we got a new Hail setter in Vanilluxe, though it remains underrated. However, Alolan-Ninetales gets Snow Warning as a hidden ability, making it one of the best Hail setter we have ever had. With its Ice and Fairy typing, and access to the new move Aurora Veil, Ninetales packs quite a punch in the metagame. With a base Speed stat of 109, it outspeeds Garchomp, and can spam Blizzards in Hail with 100% accuracy. What makes Hail even better is the introduction of the new ability, Slush Rush. Like Chlorophyll and Swift Swim, it doubles the Pokemon's Speed in a Hailstorm. Some of the Pokemon that has access to this ability are Beartic and Alolan-Sandslash. Beartic possesses enormous attack capabilities, and can be a threat in a Hailstorm. While he only gets one STAB in the form of Ice-type, with an attack enhancing item, it can deal quite some damage. Alolan-Sandslash, on the other hand, serves as a faster attacker. With access to Iron Head and Icicle Spear, Alolan-Sandslash can easily utilize the Speed provided by Slush Rush, and helps KO some of the most popular Pokemon in the format. While Hail team may look strong at first, it is not without its flaws. A well timed switch-in to a Drought user like Torkoal can shut down their offensive capabilities. Pokemon like Celesteela can OHKO Ninetales with ease, and can stall out Sandslash with a combination of Protect and Leech Seed. Alolan-Marowak, on the other hand, resists all of their STAB moves, and can OHKO both of them with ease. While Hail may be one of the strongest weather in VGC '17, it is not unstoppable. However, in the hands of the right player, it can prove to be deadly.



Surge Surfer

The second Speed boosting ability Alola gave us: Surge Surfer. It doubles the Pokemon's Speed while Electric Terrain is active, and the only Pokemon that comes with this ability is Alolan-Raichu. Raichu makes a splendid duo with Tapu Koko, and can sweep teams quickly.

As it boosts Raichu's already powerful Speed stat, this can be used to counter Sun and Hail teams. Give Raichu a Z-Crystal, and it can use Shattered Psyche for a strong coverage with its STAB. A combination of Psychic and Dazzling Gleam can knock out a lot of the Pokemon in the metagame, like Alolan-Marowak, who otherwise threatens this duo. Like most forms of Speed control Surge Surfer Raichu also suffers against Trick Room, and should aim to KO their setter as soon as possible. Bulky Pokemon like Mudsdale can prove to be deadly, as it hurts both Tapu Koko and Raichu for super effective damage, while Grass-types like Tapu Bulu simply walls their STAB moves, and proceed to KO them with Wood Hammer.

Conclusion

Congratulations of you have made this far! You should be up to speed on the newer forms of Speed control and how to use them. While not all forms of Speed control may be viable in every team, the right mode can open the path to victory, weather it be Trick Room Torkoal, or Tailwind Pelipper. EV'ing your Pokemon to speed creep threats are an important part of the game as well, helping you hit certain benchmarks when you set up your Speed control. I hope this guide helped. Good Luck!
 
Last edited:
Hello, Smogon! Its been a few days since Sun and Moon has came out, and with it, a whole new set of rules and mechanics, as well as additional forms of Speed control! VGC 2017 will be unlike anything we have seen before. Which form of Speed control will dominate?



Introduction

With VGC '17 starting in a few days ahead, we have even less time to pick our Pokemon, make a team, add in a Speed control, and finalize it. Fear not, for this guide will help you decide on the form of Speed control you prefer to use in your team. New forms of Speed control are revealed, and while they may be intimidating at first, constant practice and research reduces them to just another game mechanic you will get used to in no time. Sadly, VGC '17 restricts us from using the National Dex, taking away popular Pokemon like Cresselia and Suicune, forcing us to improvise with newer Pokemon introduced in Sun and Moon. Without further ado, let's get on with it:



Different Types of Speed Control in VGC '17

In this section, we will be talking about the wide variety of Speed control available to use in VGC '17. Ranging from the ever popular Paralysis to the newer Electric Terrain, this part will cover, this part will cover all the forms of Speed control available to the players.



Paralysis (Nuzzle/Thunder Wave/Glare)

Since its creation, Paralysis has always been one of the most dominating forms of Speed control in Pokemon history. What does it do? It's a status condition that reduces the Speed of the afflicted Pokemon by 75%, or so it did. But thankfully, the Alolan Regional Dex doesn't included the dreaded Thundurus-I, one of the most popular Pokemon used to induce Paralysis. What's more? Gamefreak decided to nerf Paralysis, by reducing the speed drop from 75% to just 50%, allowing us to use Tailwind and have our Pokemon regain their speed. But that doesn't make it unusable, as we still have plenty of good status inducers like Raichu, Gyarados etc. What makes Paralysis better than Tailwind is it is a status condition, and once afflicted, it stays forever until you cure it with Refresh or Purify. There are few good inducers which will be covered below:

Porygon2 serves as a Cresselia replacement in this format, able to use both Thunder Wave and Trick Room, though the former is a bit uncommon. This can catch your opponent off-guard, and inflict Paralysis, making your opponent much slower. With Eviolite, Porygon2 becomes the bulkiest Pokemon on the field, with access to Recover, helping it to stay on the field and disrupt your opponents. While this prevents Porygon2 from running any other items, making it vulnerable to Taunt and sleep, this enures your Pokemon survives at least one super effective hit before paralyzing your opponent, after which it can proceed to Recover and heal itself. Porygon2 is best used in bulky teams that rely on type advantages rather than setup opportunities.

Raichu has always been a favorite for Nuzzle paralyzing, as it's fast, and has access to lots of support moves in the form if Feint and Fake Out. Alolan-Raichu is no different. You can use Fake Out to set up your own Tailwind, or go for Nuzzle, giving you lots of option to run this rodent. You can use Feint to go through their defenses once you have a Speed control established. This makes Raichu an ideal Pokemon in many teams. Rodents like the new Togedemaru also serves similar purposes, although with a different typing. Raichu is commonly used in fast teams that can benefit from its Fake Out support to set up, or as a Celesteela counter, the latter which has been rising in usage.

The above Pokemon can inflict Paralysis successfully, thanks to their bulk and high Speed. To make things better, Prankster Taunt is nearly non-existent. Unlike the past formats, Paralyzed opponents cannot find a safe haven in Trick Room, and the lack of Prankster question's the status's place in the VGC '17 metagame.



Tailwind as a Form of Speed Control

Like previous formats, Tailwind find a spot in the VGC '17 metagame. Tailwind increases your team's Speed for four turns, including the turn you set it. This can be used to counter the effects of Paralysis, or to set up and sweep with your powerful attackers. Though we lack popular setters like Suicune/Zapdos, we still have access to some good options like Talonflame, Whimsicott and Pelipper. Thankfully, Tailwind haven't got any nerfs, but the lack of bulky setters may make it difficult picking the right Pokemon for your team. We have some new setters like Toucannon and Oricorio but sadly, they got little to no bulk or speed, and provides little utility. While Tailwind may be better choice than inflicting Paralysis onto each of your opponent's Pokemon, it only lasts for four turns, after which you need to use it again (though this is unlikely in VGC).

Some good setters in VGC '17 are Pelipper, Talonflame, Oricorio and Whimsicott. Pelipper finds itself viable, thanks to the amazing buffs it got in the form of base stat boosts and the rare ability Drizzle. This makes Pelipper a really interesting Pokemon, allowing it to hurt a lot of foes with Hurricane and Scald, while using Wide Guards to block incoming Rock Slides, forming a perfect synergy with Lightning Rod users such as Alolan-Marowak. It can set up Tailwind to boost its ally's Speed giving you the opportunity to set up a fast sweep. Drizzle can protect your Grass-types from powerful fire attacks like Flare Blitz, which makes this Pokemon viable in many teams, when you are in need of a Water-type. Pelipper is best used with a Lightning Rod user, preferably Alolan-Marowak, but Togedemaru can also work to hurt Steel-types like Celesteela that walls Pelipper.

Oricorio, a new bird Pokemon introduced in Sun and Moon, comes in four different types, and is also capable of learning Tailwind. This Pokemon is popular in Quiver Dance teams, most commonly seen with Ridombee. Dancer scares off people from using Dance moves like Dragon Dance and Quiver Dance, allowing you to passively shut down any set up attempts. It can also Baton Pass any stolen boosts with Dancer, passing them off to more viable Pokemon. Its various typing allows you to slap it on many teams, giving you great coverage as well as a form of Speed control.

Talonflame and Whimsicott, the VGC 16 Tailwind duo, makes a return to Alola. With all the new Ultra Beasts and Legendary Pokemon, they struggle to find a place in the early metagame, due to their frailty. Psychic Terrain blocks Prankster Status from Whimsicott, while Xurkitree and Tapu Koko demolishes Talonflame, thanks to the latter's Gale Wings nerf. Once damaged, Talonflame is KOed almost instantly by Tapu Koko or other fast Pokemon, severely reducing its utility.

Tailwind is certainly a good form of Speed control, opposed only by Trick Room or by an opponent's Tailwind. One must carry precautions to shut down either of them through means of Sleep, Taunt or just raw power (Z-Moves). Pokemon like Oricorio, once allowed to set up, can sweep entire teams with ease, while Pokemon like Pelipper gives huge type advantage and coverage. As most Tailwind users are Flying-type and therefore susceptible to Electric-type attacks, it is wise to use a Lightning Rod user, or a redirector like Parasect or Clefairy. Like Trick Room, Tailwind too can be shut down easily with Taunt or fast offense, so Fake Out users are advised to help set up easily. In Trick Room, Tailwind can backfire harshly, and Paralysis can reduce your Speed back to its original state. Tailwind users are commonly Taunt baits, so beware when your opponent brings a Tapu Koko or some other Taunt user.


Trick Room as a Form of Speed Control

Trick Room has always been a popular form of Speed control, since it's introduction. Instead of increasing your Pokemon's Speed, Trick Room means slower Pokemon moves first, while the faster ones move last over five turns. It has won many World Championships, and serves as a versatile counter against the traditional forms of Speed control. Like past formats, Trick Room is rising in popularity since most of the new Pokemon are quite slow. Once set up, Trick Room allows your slower powerful Pokemon like Xurkitree and Buzzwole to move first and deal enormous damage before your opponent can react. With the introduction of Terrain setters like the Tapu's, Trick Room is hard to stop from being activated, thanks to the decreasing popularity of Fake Out and Spore. As usual, Trick Room users have to be bulky to tank hits, due to Trick Room having an abysmal Priority of -6. Alola introduced some potential setters that can work well in Trick Room, while older Pokemon like Porygon2 makes a return once again.

Porygon2 is one of the best Trick Room setters in VGC '17, thanks to its bulk and typing. Once set up, it can use Recover and use Ice Beam and Thunderbolt to weaken the popular Garchomp and Celesteela. As it uses up Eviolite in its item slot, Porygon2 is susceptible to Taunt and sleep, against which certain precautions are advised. Fake Out users like Incineroar and Hariyama is popular thanks to their low Speed and huge offensive power. Terrain setters like Tapu Fini is also used to prevent your Porygon2 from being put to sleep. As one of the bulkiest Pokemon of the format, Porygon2 can safely take a super effective hit and set up Trick Room in the face of danger, though a redirector like Parasect is appreciated.

Other setters include Oranguru and Mimikyu, who serves are decent setters thanks to their typing and base stats. Oranguru is extremely useful in Trick Room as it can use Instruct, ordering your attacker to attack twice in one turn, which can come in handy when you use spread attackers like Wishiwashi or Torkoal. With its Normal-type, Oranguru is immune to Alolan-Marowak's Shadow Bone, and takes neutral damage from Fighting-type thanks to its Psychic typing. Mimikyu is useful because of its unique ability Disguise, which essentially acts as an inbuilt Substitute. Unfortunately, it doesn't block status moves like Taunt and Spore.

While Trick Room might be the most powerful form of Speed control available in VGC '17, it isn't unstoppable. Trick Room moves in Priority -7, the slowest move in the game. Setters can easily be phazed with Roar or Whirlwind, or can be Taunted to put to sleep. Unlike past formats, Paralysis no longer makes your Pokemon the fastest in Trick Room, considering your opponent has a Pokemon who is inherently slow. What makes Trick Room viable is the speed tier of various Pokemon. Pokemon like Torkoal won't fail to move first in Trick Room due to its little Speed. Common Pokemon like Tapu Koko and Tapu Lele becomes the slowest Pokemon in the game under Trick Room. This is one move that can literally turn the game around. In the right hands, Trick Room can almost always be set up, and can prove to be a devastating force.

Semi-Trick Room

While it is difficult to run Tailwind and Trick Room in the same team, Semi-Trick Room isn't entirely impossible. Pokemon like Torkoal and Gigalith can work both inside and outside Trick Room. A combination of Lilligant and Oranguru makes Torkoal a versatile user of this strategy, allowing it to move first both in and out of Trick Room. While it is easy to spot this play in Team preview, if you are not prepared, this core is more than capable of hurting most of the meta, similar to Primal Groudon in VGC '16. Gigalith, on the other hand appreciates giving its fellow Rock-type partner more bulk in the form of Sand Stream, while providing support in the form of Wide Guard. Semi-Trick Room remains an unexplored region in VGC '17, due to the lack of tutor moves, but the few strategies it opened up proved to be versatile, and may be dominant in the London International.


Speed-boosting Abilities


Speed-boosting abilities like Chlorophyll and Swift Swim had always been used in VGC formats as they provide a solid form of Speed control right at the start of a battle. Sun and Moon gave previously non-viable Pokemon some amazing buffs in the form of weather inducing abilities such as Drought, Swift Swim, etc. They also introduced new Speed-boosting abilities like Slush Rush and Surge Surfer. Lets take a look.



Chlorophyll/Swift Swim/Sand Rush/Slush Rush

Mega Charizard Y and Venusaur was popular was back in VGC 15, and was a solid duo. Sadly, VGC '17 restricts us from using Mega Stones. They did give us something to make up for it though: Torkoal with the ability Drought. With its low Speed stat, Torkoal would be the fastest Pokemon in Trick Room, and has access to Eruption as well. As for a decent Chlorophyll user, we are stuck with Lilligant for the format. Lilligant is not without its uses, as it gets access to a variety of support moves like Sleep Powder, After You, Quiver Dance etc. Using fast After You in Sun enables Torkoal to launch Eruption fast, quickly KOing a lot of Pokemon. If left unchecked, this duo can sweep entire teams on its own. Lilligant's utility however, stops here. Grass-types are resisted by most dominant types in this format, and Pokemon like Nihilego can easily wall and KO this duo. This duo can easily break Hail teams, but loses to Rain teams and Tapu Fini rather easily.

Drizzle makes a return in the form of Drizzle Pelipper, who also got some amazing buffs. With access to Hurricane, Tailwind and Wide Guard, Pelipper serves as a form of Speed control on its own, that can also KO a lot of Pokemon easily with 100% accuracy Hurricanes and Rain-boosted Scalds. While we lack good Swift Swim users like the popular Ludicolo, we do have access to Golduck and Poliwrath. Fast Goluck with Z-Crystal can deal quite some damage, while Pelipper can set up Tailwind to boost your Speed even further. But this makes your team vulnerable against Surge Surfer and Trick Room. The lack of bulk on the Pokemon makes it easy to KO them. As a result, Rain serves strictly as a utility weather this format, boosting the accuracy of moves like Thunder, and reducing Fire damage.

We lost Tyranitar, but we got the next best thing. Sand Stream Gigalith. In a sandstorm, its Special Defense is multiplied by 1.5, making it an enormous tank in a Sandstorm. While we lack good Sand Rushers, we do have access to Lycanroc, who have an amazing Speed and Attack stat, and has access to Accelrock. Since both Gigalith and Lycanroc are pure Rock-type Pokemon, the duo is susceptible to Steel-types like Celesteela, and gets knocked out easily by Rain teams. As a form of Speed control, Sand and Rain fails to make an impact this format.

Like the previous three setters, we got a new Hail setter in Vanilluxe, though it remains underrated. However, Alolan-Ninetales gets Snow Warning as a hidden ability, making it one of the best Hail setter we have ever had. With its Ice and Fairy typing, and access to the new move Aurora Veil, Ninetales packs quite a punch in the metagame. With a base Speed stat of 109, it outspeeds Garchomp, and can spam Blizzards in Hail with 100% accuracy. What makes Hail even better is the introduction of the new ability, Slush Rush. Like Chlorophyll and Swift Swim, it doubles the Pokemon's Speed in a Hailstorm. Some of the Pokemon that has access to this ability are Beartic and Alolan-Sandslash. Beartic possesses enormous attack capabilities, and can be a threat in a Hailstorm. While he only gets one STAB in the form of Ice-type, with an attack enhancing item, it can deal quite some damage. Alolan-Sandslash, on the other hand, serves as a faster attacker. With access to Iron Head and Icicle Spear, Alolan-Sandslash can easily utilize the Speed provided by Slush Rush, and helps KO some of the most popular Pokemon in the format. While Hail team may look strong at first, it is not without its flaws. A well timed switch-in to a Drought user like Torkoal can shut down their offensive capabilities. Pokemon like Celesteela can OHKO Ninetales with ease, and can stall out Sandslash with a combination of Protect and Leech Seed. Alolan-Marowak, on the other hand, resists all of their STAB moves, and can OHKO both of them with ease. While Hail may be one of the strongest weather in VGC '17, it is not unstoppable. However, in the hands of the right player, it can prove to be deadly.



Surge Surfer

The second Speed boosting ability Alola gave us: Surge Surfer. It doubles the Pokemon's Speed while Electric Terrain is active, and the only Pokemon that comes with this ability is Alolan-Raichu. Raichu makes a splendid duo with Tapu Koko, and can sweep teams quickly.

As it boosts Raichu's already powerful Speed stat, this can be used to counter Sun and Hail teams. Give Raichu a Z-Crystal, and it can use Shattered Psyche for a strong coverage with its STAB. A combination of Psychic and Dazzling Gleam can knock out a lot of the Pokemon in the metagame, like Alolan-Marowak, who otherwise threatens this duo. Like most forms of Speed control Surge Surfer Raichu also suffers against Trick Room, and should aim to KO their setter as soon as possible. Bulky Pokemon like Mudsdale can prove to be deadly, as it hurts both Tapu Koko and Raichu for super effective damage, while Grass-types like Tapu Bulu simply walls their STAB moves, and proceed to KO them with Wood Hammer.

Conclusion

Congratulations of you have made this far! You should be up to speed on the newer forms of Speed control and how to use them. While not all forms of Speed control may be viable in every team, the right mode can open the path to victory, weather it be Trick Room Torkoal, or Tailwind Pelipper. EV'ing your Pokemon to speed creep threats are an important part of the game as well, helping you hit certain benchmarks when you set up your Speed control. I hope this guide helped. Good Luck!
Just a small nitpick, but I don't remember people using tailwind in semi room teams.
 
Just a few things just as to not confuse newer players.

I don't really understand why Oricorio is included as a tailwind setter while Aerodactyl isn't. I get that at the time Aerodactyl may not have had all that much usage, but I don't think Oricorio has ever really been used on a successful team to my knowledge. I also don't understand why you include Xurkitree and Buzzwole as trick room abusers when the latter is just straight up not used and both are undersped by an enormous portion of the metagame. Why wouldn't you actually use common trick room abusers as examples? Like Hariyama, Drampa, Torkoal, Gigalith, Mudsdale, Muk etc. The same is true for your example of Nihilego as a Pokemon that beats Torkoal Lilligant. While you're not wrong, there are far more common things that beat it, such as Arcanine (especially when its safety goggles such as on Markus Stadter's team).

When you say 'which essentially acts as an inbuilt Substitute. Unfortunately, it doesn't block status moves like Taunt and Spore' it sounds like you're saying that a substitute would protect you from Taunt, which isn't the case.

You say 'Gigalith, on the other hand appreciates giving its fellow Rock-type partner more bulk in the form of Sand Stream', but there really aren't many other strong rock types besides I suppose Aerodactyl and Nihilego which don't need sand due to how frail they are anyway.

'As a result, Rain serves strictly as a utility weather this format, boosting the accuracy of moves like Thunder, and reducing Fire damage.' This couldn't be further from the truth. It was probably true at the time of writing, but now I think its safe to say that double duck is a force to be reckoned with, topping 3rd, 6th and 9th in San Jose and 7th in London, I would say it has proved that it can be consistent even with certain matchup issues. Furthermore Hail as a form of speed control hasn't seen any success in these particular events (I can't say about others), and in general I would say that 'While Hail may be one of the strongest weather in VGC '17' for the most part is a dated statement.

But great guide. I just think it's important to give a better idea of what to expect in the metagame for newer players who may not be familiar with the meta or only really have experience of what people are running on the low ladder which isn't a good representation. I also think a guide on speed creeping would be a bit more useful in this format where speed control is so restrictive and there are fairly common benchmarks that many people are trying to hit. There are some common mirrors that it is really useful to be faster for, like Marowak and Celesteela mirrors where the former can outspeed and KO with Shadow bone while the latter can get up a sub before being seeded.

Just something interesting, I also think that Thundurus' utility will be limited by Tapu Lele's introduction in future formats (assuming they allow both in the first place), as I'm pretty sure that's what has happened in doubles OU.
 

Mr.GX

Mew Mew
is a Tiering Contributor
Just a few things just as to not confuse newer players.

I don't really understand why Oricorio is included as a tailwind setter while Aerodactyl isn't. I get that at the time Aerodactyl may not have had all that much usage, but I don't think Oricorio has ever really been used on a successful team to my knowledge. I also don't understand why you include Xurkitree and Buzzwole as trick room abusers when the latter is just straight up not used and both are undersped by an enormous portion of the metagame. Why wouldn't you actually use common trick room abusers as examples? Like Hariyama, Drampa, Torkoal, Gigalith, Mudsdale, Muk etc. The same is true for your example of Nihilego as a Pokemon that beats Torkoal Lilligant. While you're not wrong, there are far more common things that beat it, such as Arcanine (especially when its safety goggles such as on Markus Stadter's team).

When you say 'which essentially acts as an inbuilt Substitute. Unfortunately, it doesn't block status moves like Taunt and Spore' it sounds like you're saying that a substitute would protect you from Taunt, which isn't the case.

You say 'Gigalith, on the other hand appreciates giving its fellow Rock-type partner more bulk in the form of Sand Stream', but there really aren't many other strong rock types besides I suppose Aerodactyl and Nihilego which don't need sand due to how frail they are anyway.

'As a result, Rain serves strictly as a utility weather this format, boosting the accuracy of moves like Thunder, and reducing Fire damage.' This couldn't be further from the truth. It was probably true at the time of writing, but now I think its safe to say that double duck is a force to be reckoned with, topping 3rd, 6th and 9th in San Jose and 7th in London, I would say it has proved that it can be consistent even with certain matchup issues. Furthermore Hail as a form of speed control hasn't seen any success in these particular events (I can't say about others), and in general I would say that 'While Hail may be one of the strongest weather in VGC '17' for the most part is a dated statement.

But great guide. I just think it's important to give a better idea of what to expect in the metagame for newer players who may not be familiar with the meta or only really have experience of what people are running on the low ladder which isn't a good representation. I also think a guide on speed creeping would be a bit more useful in this format where speed control is so restrictive and there are fairly common benchmarks that many people are trying to hit. There are some common mirrors that it is really useful to be faster for, like Marowak and Celesteela mirrors where the former can outspeed and KO with Shadow bone while the latter can get up a sub before being seeded.

Just something interesting, I also think that Thundurus' utility will be limited by Tapu Lele's introduction in future formats (assuming they allow both in the first place), as I'm pretty sure that's what has happened in doubles OU.
Thank you for the feed back. This was designed based on the early metagame, and considering how much they changed, I updated the guide.
 
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