[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