"[Analysis] A PvP Analysis on the New Galarian Pokemon"

#PokemonGO: Hello again, fellow travelers! Back again with the surprise release of some new Galarian Pokemon into the world of Pokemon GO. I am heavily embroiled in ALSO writing up a long analysis article on Halloween Cup (just three days away!), so let's skip the formalities and just get right to it, shall we?A disclaimer: my analysis, as you all probably know by now, is strictly from a PvP usability standpoint. I'm not here to discuss the viability of these Pokemon in raids or gym battles. There are plenty of folks out there that can do THAT already! I'm just a PvP guy, so that's what I'll be focusing on here. And I really DO have a lot of writing still to do for Halloween Cup, so in the interest of time I'm sticking mostly with just standard 1v1 shielding scenarios and standard IVs for this analysis, but it's still representative of what these Pokemon can do.So without further ado, let's dive in....My Little PonytaHaving two daughters, I am unfortunately VERY familiar with My Little Pony and their friendships of magic and all. So God help me, I thought of MLP immediately when I saw the design of GALARIAN RAPIDASH (and Ponyta) without anybody needing to say anything. Ah, fatherhood....Anyway, looks aside, you DO have to like the way this thing... well, looks, at least on paper. Fairy/Psychic is a pretty rare combination, shared (so far) only with Gardevoir and its pre-evolutions. It retains Psychics' typical vulnerabilities to Ghost, but neutralizes the vulnerabilities to Dark and Bug, which is nice, but it does keep Fairy's weaknesses to Steel and Poison. The combination of the two resists Psychic damage, and DOUBLE resists Dragon and Fighting.G-Dash is also strikingly similar to Gardevoir in stats, having nearly identical Attack and (lack of) overall bulk. So it can hit hard like Garde and Gallade, but also doesn't like to take a hard punch. Thankfully, unlike Gardevoir, it can quickly get to charge moves and maintain pressure that way thanks to Psycho Cut, which along with Thunder Shock and Mud Shot (all 1.5 Damage Per Turn and 4.5 Energy Per Turn), is the fastest energy generating move in the game besides only Lock-On and its insane 5.0 EPT.So what does it build energy FOR? Well first off is spammy Body Slam. There are Pokemon like Sealeo and of course Snorlax/Munchlax that do most of their work with Body Spam Slam alone. Unfortunately, it only goes so far for G-Dash. It does reliably beat Fighters, and out-spams flimsy Shiftry as a bonus, but that's about it in Great League. At least in Ultra League it also manages to beat Dragonite along with all the Fighters.But it's clear that you need a second move for this to work. Generally it's not going to be Psychic (the move), though it may have some applications in certain limited metas (like Halloween... stay tuned for my NEXT article to see what I mean). Usually you are instead going to want Play Rough or, surprisingly, Megahorn. What makes them better and sets them all apart? Let's go through a quick list:Psychic obviously IS an improvement on Body Slam alone, but every win it achieves is matched (and usually exceeded) by one of the other two moves.Play Rough beats Altaria, Galvantula, and Swampert as Psychic is able to, and Defense Deoxys, Obstagoon, and Zweilous as Megahorn is able to do. Play Rough is the only move that normally defeats Sableye due to its famed weakness to Fairy damage.Megahorn, despite lacking STAB, seems like the best move overall. It is nasty against Psychics, and is the only way G-Dash beats Cresselia, Hypno, Alolan Raichu, and Mew. Remember Bug is also super effective against Grasses, exemplified by it being the only move that can beat Meganium. And while Megahorn matches the Play Rough wins against Obstagoon and Zweilous (due to both moves being super effective), what it does NOT do it beat Altaria (resisted), Swampert (not dealing QUITE enough damage while the two STAB charge moves do), or Galvantula (just a hair too slow).Those trends continue in Ultra League, though unfortunately Rapidash seems to have even less applications there. With Psychic it can beat Charizard and Venusaur, with Play Rough it at least manages to beat both Giratinas, plus Mewtwo and Obstagoon. And Megahorn this time is really no better... it keeps Mewtwo but loses those others to pick up Cresselia and Abomasnow (normal and Shadow). Beyond those, again, it's really just Dragonite and Fighters that Galarian Rapidash overcomes. Not the worst of niches to be in, but still a limited niche.So what's the verdict? Galarian Rapidash is at least more viable than its original fiery counterpart (which is stuck behind a glut of better Fire types). It capably handles Fighters of all shapes and sizes and can be an unwelcome sight for some big names, especially in Great League. But other than that anti-Fighter role and some utility as an anti-Psychic thanks to Megahorn and its resistances, it is honestly a bit of a letdown. It is mainly its lack of bulk that holds it back more than bad moves, because it actually has some very NICE moves. It just doesn't hang around long enough to take full advantage. I am sure you'll see them pop up here and there, and there is likely some future for it in limited Cup metas, but this is not something that will create more than a small ripple in GBL.The Knights Who Saaaaaaaaay... "Quack"So when it comes to SIRFETCH'D, which we can finally evolve from Galarian Farfetch'd now, four months later, I've actually already said quite a bit about it, back on the day it G-Fetch'd was released. Most of that analysis has not changed and I would strongly encourage you go read it if you haven't already, as I won't be repeating everything in there. But Brave Bird has changed since then, and rather signficantly. So I am going to just plagerize liberally from my own past article and repackage part of it here with the new Brave Bird factored in.So first thing of note is that G-Fetch'd and Sirfetch'd are both pure Fighting types. No Flying or Grass or any other subtype. That means all the good (resistances to Rock, Dark, and Bug) and bad (weak to Psychic, Fairy, and Flying) that comes with it. Stats-wise, it's even more glassy than Galarian Rapidash, with similar Defense but 10+ less HP. To compensate, it also has higher Attack, one that's about 10 points higher than Machamp, Shiftry, Gardevoir, Toxicroak, and other similar hard hitters. It actually has an Attack stat that tracks right along with Mewtwo in Great and Ultra League. Sirfetch'd hits HARD.What does it hit with? In terms of fast moves, it is a blessed recipient of the best fast move in PvP: Counter. But it also has Fury Cutter which is nice for quickly charging up charge moves like these:Leaf Blade (Grass, 70 damage, 35 energy)Night Slash (Dark, 50 damage, 35 energy, 12.5% Chance to Increase User Attack +2 Stages)Close Combat (Fighting, 100 damage, 45 energy, Decreases User Defense -2 Stages)Brave Bird (Flying, 130 damage, 55 energy, Decreases User Defense -3 Stages)So again, the only thing that's changed here is Brave Bird. Does that change anything?Well, let's start with what I said last time, because again, it's all still true:"Leaf Blade is nearly a must-use move. In Great League, it seems to work best with Close Combat, beating everything Steel that doesn't have Confusion (so just Bronzong, Jirachi, and Trash Wormadam), big Waters and Grounds like Lapras, Dewgong, Whiscash, and Stunfisk, ALL Dark types, and then bonuses like Venusaur, Meganium, Alolan Raichu, Vigoroth, Froslass, and Galvantula. It's a very impressive body of work!Oh, and remember how I said there was even a case for Fury Cutter? Yeah, with it, Sirfetch'd loses Registeel, Venusaur, Froslass, and Sableye... but gains Azumarill and Swampert thanks to getting to more Leaf Blades faster.Either way, it's a very good and unique list, with Sirfetch'd hating on the big Waters, Steels, Grounds, Darks, Normals, Grasses, AND a smattering of the big Electrics and others. A list that includes Registeel, Azumarill, Dewgong, Umbreon, Skarmory, Galvantula, Alolan Raichu, Whiscash, Bastiodon, BOTH Stunfisks, and so on. In short, Sifetch'd could be a MONSTER in Great League. A good Farfetch'd at Level 18/19 or below should do it, so good hunting!Oh, but now the newness... does Brave Bird help? Well, it would not appear that it does. You would expect it to be better against things weak to Flying damage, but ironically, it generally loses to Galvantula, Meganiun, and Venusaur--all vulnerable to Flying (EDIT: Galv takes neutral... doh!)--all of which Close Combat actually beats, because Brave Bird is still the most expensive move Sirfetch'd has in its arsenal, costing 10 more energy than Close Combat and 20 more than both Night Slash and Leaf Blade. For similar reasons, Brave Bird also loses to Froslass, Sableye, and Skarmory... it's just too slow to charge. The one case BB does have going for it is that it can sneak a win versus Altaria, something no other move combo can do, but that is in perfect circumstances and it's still a BARELY there win anyway. So at least in Great League, no, I do not think you want Brave Bird.Now let's take a look at Ultra League. With Close Combat and either Leaf Blade OR Night Slash, Sir Fletch again looks like a beast. It beats every single Steel and Normal type except Jirachi and Cinccino with Charm... and that's the entire list of exceptions. It beats every Dark type with NO exceptions. It beats all the big Waters you care about, including Poliwrath and Swampert and Lapras and many more. It beats Articuno, Charizard, and Typhlosion. It beats fellow Fighters Machamp (with Leaf Blade, in that case) and Lucario and Escavalier. About the only things it does NOT beat are the Ghosts (yes, including the Giratinas), Charmers, big Pyschics A-Mewtwo and Cresselia, and Fighting-resistant Venusaur (Meg isn't so lucky)... and Sceptile can win versus Leaf Blade but dies to Night Slash. (NS gets Scep, LB gets Machamp, and otherwise the core meta wins are all the same, just to be clear.) Just look at that list... and then go back outside and find a good Ultra League Sirfetch'd while you're at it.How about Brave Bird in Ultra? Again, unfortunately looks like a no go. You retain MOST of the same wins, but it's a strict downgrade, with Fire Spin Charizard, Dragonite, and Registeel slipping away, and Alolan Muk dropping from a super easy win to an absolute nailbiter.So then finally, we come to Master League. Sirfetch'd doesn't have the eye popping numbers of the lower leagues, but it still beats Steels (to include Dialga and Metagross), Waters like Swampert and Kyogre, Grounds like Rhyperior and Mamoswine, Dragons Reshiram and Zekrom (as well as Earthquake Garchomp), and of course things like Dark Darkrai and Normal Snorlax. But Close Combat remains important, leaving Brave Bird without a home as it performs no better (and often worse) across the board, including losing Metagross and Zekrom.And finally, Master League Premier Cup, where Sirfetch'd can beat nearly 2/3 of the core meta. It can't take down Togekiss or Dragonite that will be at the core of many teams, but it easily beats Metagross and Magnezone and Snorlax and Mamoswine and Swampert and Rhyperior and others that will show up frequently. And FINALLY, adding in Brave Bird looks to mostly hold the line. You still lose to Metagross, but you GAIN Waterfall Gyarados and hold on to all the other Premier core meta wins. I'm not saying I'd go and switch up to Brave Bird for the heck of it, but if you want to be different and not run Close Combat like everyone else will likely be doing, Master Premier MAY be the place to experiment a little.So what's the verdict? As I wrote about extensively over four months ago, Sirfetch'd is a very good PvP Pokemon that could prove disruptive in Great, Ultra, AND Master Leagues moving forward. With great Fighting moves and unique coverage with the spammy Leaf Blade, it is a threat to things that Fighters AND Grasses threaten, and there are even options to cover itself against Psychics and Ghosts with Night Slash or dish out huge damage with Brave Bird. Expect to see Sir Fletch start popping up in GBL and limited Cup metas moving forward... you may have come across it already before this article was even finished! Good luck.The Mummy Returns?Eh, I tried to stick with another movie reference for the header here, but it just doesn't really work. And sadly, neither does the long-awaited RUNERIGUS.Because you see, just like its cousin Cofagrius, Runie actually has decent charge moves, with Sand Tomb to bait and debuff and then Shadow Ball or even Rock Tomb to close things out. The problem is that Niantic doesn't seem to realize that Astonish is one of the very worst moves in the game, and sinks the chances of anything that has to rely on it. And Runerigus has Astonish as its ONLY fast move. I was hopeful they'd at least give it Hex, which it has in the mainline games. (It gets Shadow Claw too but that was too much to hope for.) Heck, even with a perfectly average move like Lick it could at least do something.But no, it's stuck with Astonish. And that means that, unless Astonish is in line for a major move rehaul, Runerigus is stuck in the mud. This is a Ghost that loses handily to Hypno, Gallade, and even Shadow Mewtwo, as bad as THAT is in Great League. That just should not happen. It's a travesty. Even Electric/Psychic Alolan Raichu takes this Ground/Ghost type down to a single HP. It's insanity. Runerigus does manage to beat things like Galvantula, Clefable, Cresselia, and most Fighters almost in spite of itself, but I cannot imagine a meta where you actually WANT to be using it. Heck, if you want a Ground/Ghost type, just run with Golurk instead. At least it has a shot at success!So what's the verdict? Runerigus in its current form is just astonishingly bad. It could actually be quite good if it gets a workable fast move, but as is, this is a mere 'dex entry. So sad... there was such high potential here.Alright, we made it! Just a quick TL;DR before we close it out:Galarian Rapidash seems to generally run best with no Fairy damage at all. Instead, it seems best in general as a speedy Psychic type with Psycho Cut and Body Slam , then Play Rough for general STAB damage dealing, or Megahorn for coverage that maims opposing Psychic, Dark, and Grass types especially. It's more of a niche pick, but it's well worth building one for Great League for future limited/Cup metas. I think there will be one that favors it down the line.Sirfetch'd is a beast in all three leagues, a very good Fighter that can torment things weak to Grass thanks to Leaf Blade or cover its rear with good coverage move Night Slash or big punishing Brave Bird. I hope your Excellent throws are on point, because I recommend building a good one for EACH of the three Leagues. It is THAT good, and they should be a part of each eligible meta moving forward.Runerigus is just depressing. Short of a new fast move or a MAJOR overhaul to current Astonish, it is just useless.And there we are! My hope is always that this is useful to you in your PvP journey, and that's no different here. I hope this helps you get a little smarter quickly on these new Pokemon, bcecause chances are they're already showing up in GBL and will be in other metas moving forward. If you're a little better educated on them now, then I've done my job. Good luck!Future plans: as I said, I am heavily in to the "Nifty Or Thrifty" comprehensive meta/budget review of Halloween Cup. Look for it this weekend, ahead of the Cup's arrival on Monday. I WILL have it out before then! I will also be looking separately at Shadow Bone Alolan Marowak once it is confirmed for the A-Wak raid day in a week, so look for THAT next week as well.Until then, you can find me on Twitter for near-daily PvP analysis nuggets (including some Halloween Cup stats starting today and running through the weekend), or Patreon (with my own private server, if you're interested in that). And please, feel free to comment here with your own thoughts or questions and I'll try to get back to you!Thanks again for reading, catch you next time! via /r/TheSilphRoad https://ift.tt/2HzPOO3