[DISCUSSION] The Most Popular VGC Pokémon from Each Generation!

[0kamii]

 

Hey, everybody! It's 0kamii, and today I thought it'd be fun to dip into the history of competitive pokémon and see what the most popular VGC mons have been from each generation.

Disclaimer, this list is not consistent of my opinion. All data found on this list was taken from the stats on Pikalytics, and I highly recommend you use it if you're unsure what to prepare for in this upcoming season. The format has already begun to take shape, and it's bound to change before we get to wolrds in August. This list will be covering the pokémon itself, and what makes it so popular. So without further ado, and I present:

 

The Most Popular VGC Pokémon from Each Generation!

 

Gen 1:

 

Charizard

 

Love it or hate it, Charizard is as of now the most popular Gen 1 pokémon seeing use in the current meta. More specifically, Mega Charizard Y. There's a number of reasons why MegaZard Y is a good choice for the current meta, but if I list them all we could be here while. Instead, I'll go over some of the more constantly mentioned reasons. It's has a giant Sp. Atk stat (159), good Speed (100), it comes with the ability Drought, and it has a good movepool capable of hitting virtually any meta hard. The most common moves are Flamethrower, Heat Wave, Solar Beam, and Overheat. In terms of coverage, MegaZard Y also has access to Hidden Power, letting it run HP - Ground or HP - Ice, each of which checks a variety of foes. It also has Tailwind, but it typically used as an all-out attacker. This season isn't the first time MegaZard Y has seen success. In the 2014 meta, a MegaZard Y made it all the way to the finals on the team of Jeudy Azzarelli boasting Protect, Overheat, Solar Beam, and Heat Wave. With super-effective damage against Fini, Aegislash, Ferrothorn, and being able to dent just about anything under harsh sunlight, MegaZard Y has earned its place in the meta. Much to the dismay of all poké-hipsters.

Gen 2:

 

Tyranitar

 

Another pokémon that's seen a long running success in VGC, Tyranitar also as the ability to instigate weather. With a great Attack (134), and workable Speed thanks to Choice Scarf (61), Tyranitar's primary function always seemed to have been to hit hard, and hit first. Jolly is often the nature you'll see, capping its Speed at 186. This enables it to outspeed many things, and hitting hard before they have a chance to retaliate. Tyranitar also has reliable STAB in Rock Slide and Crunch, and gets access to good coverage in Earthquake, Ice Punch, Low Kick, and Fire Blast. Not to mention that its ability to summon a sandstorm instantly boosts its Sp. Def, making Assault Vest variants also rather popular. Tyranitar also appeared on Jeudy Azzarelli's 2014 runner-up team, as well on Ray Rizzo's 2012 World Championship team, sporting Low Kick, Fire Punch, Protect, and Rock Slide. While it may sport a 4x weakness, Tyranitar proves that that's hardly a reason to not use a pokémon. Tyranitar's success is well-documented.

Gen 3:

 

Metagross

 

Coming up just ahead of the other Gen 3 pseudo-legendary, Salamence, Metagross is also no stranger to wide usage in VGC. It was also on Ray Rizzo's 2012 World Championship team with Meteor Mash, Earthquake, and Zen Headbutt, providing strong Steel-Type STAB and hard-hitting coverage. In the current meta, Metagross is fighting for a Mega Evolution slot with the likes of Charizard Y, as well as Kangaskhan, and its counterpart Salamence. However, regular Metagross' immunity to Intimidate and access to Ice Punch and Thunder Punch keep it from slipping into obscurity. While the Iron Leg Pokémon may not seem as prominent as it once was, its past triumphs make it a constant player in every meta, and will likely see continued use well into the future.

Gen 4:

 

Cresselia

 

From the beginning, the Gen 4 legendary Cresselia has been the premier Trick Room setter. Every format in which it was allowed, it shined. It's easy to say that Cresselia is a pokémon capable of centralizing the meta, and has many times. One of the most notable times was during the initial rise of the CHALK core back in 2015. The 'C' stands for Cresselia, who served as the primary means of speed control with Trick Room and Icy Wind. Since then, Cresselia's use at stayed virtually unchanged, still running Trick Room and still being generally hard to counter due to its bulk (130 HP / 120 Def / 130 Sp. Def). Even within the present meta, Cresselia is hard to stop. Usually serving the function of support, Cresselia comes packing Helping hand, Ally Switch, and Ice Beam. Running Ice Beam on a defensive pokémon may seem odd, but that's only until you realize why.

Gen 5:

 

Landorus-Therian

 

Ugh...why? My disdain of popular VGC mons is nowhere more prominent than in this Gen 5 behemoth. I mentioned that Cresselia could easily be a centralizing pokémon. Landorus-T IS a centralizing pokémon, and you'd be hard pressed to find someone who disagreed. A great ability, phenomenal typing, flexibile stats, and a wide movepool make Landorus-T the logical place to start when building any team. There's not much to be said about Landorus-T, as I'm pretty sure even the most inexperienced VGC players have picked up on this things gifts. If you're planning on playing VGC at all, you can and will see this thing on virtually every team. Therefore, you should, and have to, plan to take it down. It has a 4x Ice-Type weakness to exploit, but be wary of Assault Vest set, which Landorus-T can OHKO back with Rock Slide thanks to that 145 base Attack. Be afraid, be very afraid.

Gen 6:

 

Aegislash
 

 

Next-to-last we have Aegislash, a pokémon that I think Nintendo knew was destined to be a popular choice in VGC. It has a great offensive typing in Ghost/Steel, letting have immunities to Fighting-Type, as well as making Mega Kangaskhan's Fake Out useless. It also has the unique ability Stance Change, which lets it take a hit one turn, and deal one the next. Since the introduction of Z-moves, Aegislash has only gotten stronger. Ghostium Z Aegislash is guaranteed big damage on anything that isn't immune, and the ghost sword has seen multiple World Championship appearances including 2014 and 2015. While it may have weaknesses to common types like Ground, Fire, and other Ghost-Types, Aegislash's STAB and unpredictability has made it a consistently reliable choice since its first appearance in 2013.

Gen 7:

 

Tapu Fini

 

I was honestly expecting Tapu Koko to take this spot, but lo and behold Fini beat it by a total of 8% percentage usage. I shouldn't be so surprised, Fini does give Landorus-T a lot of trouble, and can be run in multiple ways. This makes Fini hard to pin, and can catch you off guard if you were preparing for Choice Specs and it's actually Berry, or Waterium Z. Fini also has great function this meta in that its Misty Surge summons misty terrain, which stops all Spore from activating. Couple that with its bulk (70/115/130), movepool (Ice Beam, Moonblast, Muddy Water, Scald, Icy Wind), and functionality in and out of Trick Room, Fini has secured its place as the most popular Tapu currently in use.

Whelp, there you have it. The top 7 VGC pokémon from each generation, as of now. Again, the format is still fairly infantile, and the position of some of these mons could easily be changed as the format develops. Perhaps someone will create a perfect counter to Landorus-T, decreasing its usage and letting Amoonguss slide into its place on this list? It's improbably, but possible nonetheless. Make sure to let me know what YOUR favorite VGC mons are from each generation. They don't even have to be viable, just your favorites! Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to build my first VGC 2018 team.

Thanks so much for reading, everyone! Battle onwards, friends!

- 0kamii

[0kamii]

Hey, everybody! I'm still 0kamii, and for today's tag, I feel like tagging users: @PerchPond, @wightvoid, @Iamknownasmartin, and new user @LeTaCe. Your QOTD is:

What's your favorite pokémon to use in VGC from each generation? If you don't play VGC, which pokémon would you like to see used in VGC from each generation?

I look forward to all the replies. As usual, keep it rated G. Thanks all!

- 0kamii

[PerchPond]

Thx for the tag @0kamii, I thought for sure that Kangaskhan would top gen 1, look at that. Imma include all formats I've played in, which would be from about the end of VGC 2014 to now with VGC 2018, so not limited to the current format.

Gen 1: is my gen 1 choice. Gengar would have been shared nmbr 1 if it would have kept Levitate, where as Zapdos is still as strong as ever. Zapdos is so increadibly versitile and its typing is really good aswell.

Gen 2: is my gen 2 choice. It's one of my most favourite Pokémon conceptually. It has good support moves with monster bulk, and decent offense. Crobat and Murkrow are close seconds.

Gen 3: is my gen 3 choice. Prankster with a major support movepool is amazing, plus STAB Foul Play hurts alot. Also, Prankster Recover is so satisfying. Sceptile, Gardevoir and Milotic are strong honourable mentions.

Gen 4: is my gen 4 choice. Quite versitile between offense and defense, and I really like STAB Earth Power. Only one weakness coupled with Storm Drain makes this snail quite deceptive. Garchomp, Weavile, Magnezone, Rotom-W and Heatran are honourable mentions.

Gen 5: is my gen 5 choice. Good offense and speed, aswell as prankster utility makes Thundurus very versitile. Although most gen 5 Pokémon are no longer as good as they were before, honourable mentions are: Excadrill, Vanilluxe, Hydreigon, Volcarona and Terrakion.

Gen 6: is my gen 6 choice. This one is quite clear, I adore Gale Wings Tailwind as well as priority on Flying type Z-moves. Greninja, Sylveon, Klefki and Goodra are up there too.

Gen 7: is my gen 7 choice. It's just amazing. Incredibly flexible. If it had maybe just base 80 or even base 70 HP, it would be my favourite competetive Pokémon. Oh well. Vikavolt, Mimikyu, Tapu Koko, Tapu Lele and Nihilego are honourable mentions.

Cheers

[0kamii]

@PerchPond

Great choices, Perch! I especially like your Alolan Marowak. Definitely my second favorite Alolan form period, just behind Sandslash. I figured I may as well weigh in myself, since I rarely do anything with VGC now that we're moving into this current season.

Gen 1:

 

I'm no stranger to loving Fossil Pokémon, but no matter the meta they always seem to be outclassed by something else. Sadly, my Aerodactyl is no exception. Even with its Mega Evolution it's fighting for a spot in the tier list, barely sliding in at C tier. Poor Aerodactyl, will you ever be good? I want you to be so badly...

Gen 2:

 

 

I just love the verstility of Smeargle's moveset. It can learn pretty much anything, and can thus fill in just about any slot on the team you want. I've only ever actually used one myself last year, but it was still so much fun, and I very much expect to use one again in the future.

Gen 3:

 

 

My wish for Torkoal to be viable in VGC was sort of granted in 2017 when it got Drought. Ashton Cox certainly proved that it can work on the right team, and with smart plays. I have fond memories of crushing my friends with my Torkoal, E'ala Ahi, and I really hope I get more chances to use him in the future. Drought + Eruption = FTW! Swampert was going to take this spot, but Meag Swampert is already being used. Good for 0kamii!

Gen 4:

 

 

Yet another pokémon that I love that's seen success in the VGC format. Pretty sure everyone remembers how Arash Omati won back in 2013? I want to say with a Mamoswine on his team. All of my attempts to use a Mamoswine have failed, as there's usually a better Ground-Type lingering on the scene, Garchomp, Landorus-T, and so on. Definitely want to try using one again this year, just have to crack the formula for making him work.

Gen 5:

 

 

You'd think Emolga would've been here, but Emolga is more a signature 0kamii strategy, and I'd like to keep it that way. Bisharp is probably my favorite Gen 5 pokémon, and it makes me elated to see it on the tier list at all. I'm definitely going to try using this thing on my team, and I think I may even have one of those secret 0kamii strategies to push it to next level. Only time will tell, though.

Gen 6:

 

 

Hawlucha was one of those pokémon that I discovered whilst mucking about in the heart of Kalos. I thought nothing of it too when I first encountered one, and then I saw people using it in competitive Singles and I thought I'd give it a try. Pairing it with Misty/Psychic Seed to get the Unburden boost is very fun to use, albeit a bit risky. But that's just the way I like to play, 'twas a match made in Mictlan.

Gen 7:

 

 

Naganadel was a close second, especially since you know how upset I was moving it, but Tapu Bulu has lived in my heart since the beginning. It's easily my favorite of the Tapus, and being the slowest also means that it will win the terrain almost every time. It has great Attack and Defense, and while it's checked by Charizard, Heatran, Amoonguss, and other top tier mons, that doesn't dampen the spark in my heart for this mystical bovine. Bulu will see success one day, mark my words.

[PerchPond]

@0kamii Thanks Aerodactyl is also one of my favourite gen 1 mons. It was actually okay last format (2017), with Unnerve hindering all the 50% berries that were so common, alongside Tailwind and a fast STAB Rock Slide. I used it for a period alongside Lele to have emense pressure from turn 1. Hone Claws being removed as a TM in gen 7 hurt Mega Aerodactyl ALOT. A perfectly accurate STAB, really fast, Rock Slide at +1 is strong, aswell as it's coverage moves in Aqua Tail and the elemental Fang-moves getting boosted in power and accuracy, from Tough Claws and Hone Claws respectively. It could have been pretty strong alongside a redirector and with other support, but RIP

[PokemonRules]

woh this is a cool article @0kamii and awesome reply @PerchPond. I'm going to try and think of a few if i get some time!