Sword/Shield Early VGC Meta Analysis

Been a long time since I've talked on here, huh? Well that ain't stopping me from becoming relevant! Anyway, I've always enjoyed the competitive scene of Pokémon and with Sword and Shield being released 3 weeks from now, I wanted to take a look at 10 Pokémon who would potentially thrive in the upcoming VGC meta. Now this is only going to look at National Dex Pokémon ONLY as we know next to nothing about the newcomers. I'm also going to disregard Galarian forms but an Honorable Mention goes to Galarian Weezing. So with that out of the way, let's dive right in!


Kicking off, we have Gigalith. There is a lot of weather setters already confirmed (Politoed, Abomasnow, Ninetales, Pelipper, etc.) but Gigalith seems to be the most common sand setter. Since it got Sand Stream in Sun and Moon, Gigalith has been a staple in the not so common Sand teams that use Lycanroc's devastating Speed with Sand Rush to cause a lot of damage. Gigalith's main usage was in Trick Room teams thanks to its slow Speed stat, high Attack stat and great bulk thanks to its high Defense stat and Sand Stream to boost it's Special Defense stat. With the new Room Service item, you could ensure that Gigalith goes first in Trick Room but I personally don't think it's necessary.


Next in line is Hitmontop, a personal favorite of World Champion Wolfe Glick. Hitmontop is a fantastic supportive Pokémon and a superb Intimidate user. Hitmontop gains access to Fake Out, Wide Guard and Feint all in one moveset to deny staple tactics in VGC. That combined with admirable bulk makes Hitmontop a complete package for a supportive Pokémon. Hitmontop was always really good when rules used restricted Pokémon but with Incineroar having access to both Fake Out and Intimidate, Hitmontop is currently outclassed. We have yet to see any other starters besides Charizard make a return so currently Hitmontop is the way to go.


Moving along, we have Mimikyu. Mimikyu has been a threat since its release thanks to it having a great Speed stat and Attack stat. Mimikyu also boasts a unique ability in Disguise, which essentially gives Mimikyu a free turn to do whatever it wants until it is attacked. Setting up Swords Dance, Trick Room and even putting up Light Screen and Reflect was really common back in Sun and Moon. Mimikyu's viability is going to be a bit watered down since Z-Moves are gone so Mimikyu doesn't have access to a burst Ghost or Fairy move, but I still think Mimikyu will be strong.


I personally have a love-hate relationship with Milotic but even I can't shove away the fact that Milotic is gonna be a strong Water type choice. Milotic was already well known for its massive bulk and fantastic movepool for support, but Milotic thanks to Competitive can fulfill an offensive role. Sending Milotic out against an Intimidate user will raise it's Special Attack by 2 stages, furthermore if the Adrenaline Orb item makes a return, Milotic's Speed will rise by 1 stage as well. This makes Milotic a very powerful Turn 1 sweeper. Though Milotic is best used for it's bulk and it does a great job at that.


Can't be a game called Sword and Shield without including a literal sword and shield. Aegislash is an absolute monster and has very consistent spots in the VGC meta. Aegislash dominated VGC during Gen 6's era being on a lot of top teams. Aegislash has monstrous stats in both it's forms, high defensive stats in Shield Form and high offensive stats in Blade Form. Thanks to King's Shield, Aegislash can swap between forms if it is in a bad situation but can easily dial up on offense when it feels like it. Aegislash honestly needs no explanation, everyone knows how strong this thing is.


Moving up on the halfway point, Rotom-Wash is next. Electric/Water type with access to Levitate means that Rotom-Wash is only weak to Grass. Having only one weakness already solidifies a Pokémon as being good and Rotom-Wash is no exception. Supporting the team by burning valuable targets with Will-O-Wisp as well as hitting targets hard with Hydro Pump and Discharge. Rotom-Wash also has a valuable pivot move in Volt Switch. Volt-Quake teams can run wild by combining Earthquake and Discharge. Expect to see Rotom-Wash a lot, I'd bet money that this Pokémon will be very popular, but I have to save up for the game before I do.


Goth Gal Gothitelle is next. Gothitelle was always a unique Psychic type that focused on bulk as opposed to raw offensive power. Gothitelle always had one niche that made it more threatening than other Psychic types of it's caliber. Shadow Tag. Shadow Tag is a devastating ability which completely denies swapping. That paired with moves like Perish Song means that you can mark 2 Pokémon to die in 3 turns. Politoed, Gengar and Murkrow gain access to Perish Song and would be vital teammates for Gothitelle. Reducing your opponents attacking stats with Charm and Confide means you can reduce your opponent's ability to retaliate. Oh and it gets Heal Pulse to keep it's teammate alive too.


The VGC Tyrant, Tyranitar is next. What else is there to say about Tyranitar, in every game it was obtainable in, it is good. The only Pseudo-Legendary on this list separates itself from the others by having excellent attacking stats, bulk and endless possibilities of what it can do. It can tank hits with Assault Vest, it can be a powerful sweeper with Dragon Dance, it can hit hard with a choiced item, the possibilities are endless for this monster.


Second to last is an odd pick but I think Togekiss would be really strong. Redirection is one of the best things in VGC and with Follow Me, Togekiss can divert the attention from its teammates to itself to take the big hits. Togekiss also gets Tailwind by Move Tutor so if those return, Togekiss is gonna be a great Pokémon for controlling Speed. Togekiss also gets Thunder Wave if Tailwind is not available so it can control speed regardless. Oh and Air Slash with Serene Grace is always annoying.


Last but certainly not least we have Snorlax. Snorlax has immense bulk and has powerful setup moves like Belly Drum and Curse. Thanks to Gluttony, Snorlax can consume berries earlier and with the pinch berry buff, Snorlax can essentially get to full HP when it hits half HP, which is perfect with Belly Drum. Snorlax also gains access to Recycle to get its berry back after it consumed it. With moves like Facade, High Horsepower and Heavy Slam under its disposal, Snorlax will become a powerful VGC staple for many years to come.

There are several other Pokémon that I could talk about but I wanted to shorten this list down to 10 to save your eyes. Who do you guys and gals think will be good in next years VGC? Post your opinions below and let the discussions commence! Ciao!

 

Galarian Weezing could have a few uses depending on the ability. With Levitate, it would be a great partner for any ground types like Rhyperior and Flygon thanks to its Poison/Fairy typing. It would scare Grass and Fairy types just by threatening Sludge Bomb or Sludge Wave. It'd also take no damage from Earthquake thanks to Levitate. Then we have Neutralizing Gas, the "anti ability" ability. There are so many possibilities with the usage of Galarian Weezing with this ability. Denying Mimikyu's Disguise, Aegislash not being able to change forms, Storm Drain, Lightning Rod, Sap Sipper and Levitate all canceled, Weather being denied so on and so forth. Galarian Weezing is gonna be a strong choice I feel with a metagame so focused on abilities, out right denying them allows counterplay to an otherwise tough to counter meta. It's all speculation but I feel Weezing is gonna do great. As for counters, any Psychic type can step up and take it out. Weezing's Sp Def is pretty bad so it'll only take one or two Psychics to take it down. Neutralizing Gas means Weezing doesn't have Levitate so Ground types can take advantage of it that way. Steel types can wall it like no tomorrow as both of Galarian Weezing's STAB moves don't effect the typing or do little damage to it.