Announcement (april fools) Stealth Rock is quickbanned from LGPE OU

[Eve]

As you may have already heard elsewhere, the entirety of LGPE's top leadership has unanimously agreed that Stealth Rock should be quickbanned from the OU tier, effective immediately. Perhaps you don't understand why this didn't happen sooner, given that they may seem so obviously broken, but the metagame has developed in such a way that they are entirely unbearable. Residual damage is a core component of Pokemon, but when my favourite Pokemon, Charizard, isn't able to live forever, there's clearly a problem. In fact, you can't even click U-turn with Mega Beedrill at no risk. Leaving Stealth Rock in the game without Rapid Spin or Defog has made the tier unplayable, and we are taking action to make sure Scyther can be used in OU.

Fundamentally, Stealth Rock makes Pokemon weak to them unviable, like Butterfree, Zapdos, Pinsir, Aerodactyl, Gyarados, Beedrill, Pidgeot, Charizard, Cloyster, and Dragonite, while making every Pokemon that resists them, such as Melmetal, Hitmonchan, Marowak, Golem, and Meltan, far too powerful thanks to their improved relative longevity. Of course, this is much more manageable in other tiers that have good hazard removal, such as Gen 5 UU and Gen 4 OU, but when they can't be removed I don't know what to do. Options in the teambuilder are greatly restricted by the presence of Stealth Rock, such that only three Pokemon are even viable and it's barely worth running a full team. Looking at the matter from an objective stance, Stealth Rock are very clearly uncompetitive as they make the coolest Pokemon that everyone wants to use unviable in OU. Some users have stated they consider Stealth Rock good for keeping certain Rock-weak threats in check in a reasonable, healthy manner while also punishing passive play, but it's clear to us that the negatives outweigh the benefits.

You can see the voting slate below:

Votes

​	Eve​
Stealth Rock​	ban ​

We believe this is the correct choice for the future of the tier, and hope that our players both enjoy the newfound freedom it will provide. The council will now be keeping an eye on Mew, Melmetal, Zapdos, Mega Alakazam, Mega Blastoise, Mega Gyarados, Mega Venusaur, Mega Aerodactyl, Starmie, Alolan Dugtrio, and the move Toxic.

 

[tococot]

Thank god stealth rock is gone, before I couldn't freely switch out with my #1 Pokémon Venonat, now I dominate the ladder with it using the powerful Bug Buzz!

 

[banito13]

This makes the meta finally viable ! Ty to the council for tanking important action

 

[Let's go shuckles]

If I have Let's go in my username, can I be part of the Let's go council

 

[Ja1m33m]

Thanks for banning stealth rock from this metagame, now i can freely switch my favorite Mons without taking risks

 

[mkizzy]

any way other council members of other standard tiers could take a look at adapting this philosophy? i want to use red's in game team on the bw ou ladder

 

[RoiDadadou]

OU should truly take notes, astonishing!

 

[R8]

Smogon is clearly pushing for a Butterfree agenda, and I'm tired that people keep pretending the opposite. Ever noticed how every single banned Pokemon beats it? Ever wondered why Smogon never banned Sleep, Heavy Duty Boots, or Quiver Dance? Ever noticed how they never banned Hurricane, a highly uncompetitive move due to being fundamentally determined by rng?

Go back. Stealth Rocks did nothing wrong, just run a rock resist.

 

[dunderguy]

Thank You. This Was The Saving Grace Of LGPE And I Hope It Will Surpass Scarlet And Violet In Terms Of Competitiveness

 

[Weirdhamster]

This tier can finally be played with competitive components, the council made a good decision.

 

[Sabelette]

The power-hungry council has finally gone too far, it’s time to overthrow them. LGPE-ers of the world, unite and throw off your chains!

 

[Samu77]

I for one second the change, hopefully we can ban the move U-Turn next!

 

[Easter Bliss]

I have immense respect for this decision as it prioritises the health of our wildlife and nature as local bee populations are finally rebounding after years of decline. Pollination rates are at an all-time high, our ecosystems are healing.

I firmly believe that all other metagames should reflect upon their environmental impact and consider taking inspiration from this.

 

[shadowpea]

"we"