Quick blurb about my thoughts on the meta:
Offensive set building is hard. Really gotta be creative to come up with a set that can't easily be countered by the current meta. It feels like a few big FurScales runners (Arceus mainly) are suppressing a lot of offensive potential.
Arceus in general, can function not only as a tank, but give it a bit of time it can become a threatening sweeper with a few turns of Take Heart.
Take Heart is a buff to special bulky sets that feels unneeded. Not only are there limited counter option to special attack in general (lack of Sap/Burn equivalent) but now these sets get a free status removal.
The Mega Steelix Set - We all know it: RegenVest Steelix, StAxe, Knock Off, Mortal Spin/Nuzzle, U-Turn (or whatever mirror set is being played nowadays). There is nothing I love more than wasting the first 4 turns of a game playing the exact same move as my opponent. Not overpowered in any sense, but just really, REALLY boring.
Covert Cloak is cool. Sadly though, it is a bit too commonplace as an item. Its a small pebble in your shoe when used on Special Tanks that pair with Salt Cure very well, but they basically need it.
The presence of Mega Evos is a bit of a turn off for me. It feels like a rip off version of Nat Dex Hackmons. The meme equivalent would be Nat Dex Hackmons at home. G9 has it's own share of mechnically complicated moves and abilities, which as I have said many months prior, is reflective of a shift in the way GF is structuring battles to be more diverse and situational. Things like Toxic Chain or Terapagos, which I can see having really interesting builds, are outshined by things from previous generations which work as a panacea of sorts.
Weather is fun. The biggest drawback is that you usually need to waste a slot to have a weather setter that isn't good for much else. The following Greninja set shreds through everything with rain and rocks set up. I tried making a sun based equivalent though no candidate really suits the requirements.
Greninja-Ash (F) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Tinted Lens
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Rash Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Water Spout
- Steam Eruption
- Moongeist Beam
- Volt Switch
Mewtwo. No other context will be provided.
Edge cases like Wandering Spirit and Magician are always fun to play against. I personally don't find myself using them due to the small amount of actual viability they have. Wandering Spirit is specifically a Regenerator counter, and given how Regenerators switch in and out often, there's little room to have long term play with Wandering Spirit.
In conclusion, stale meta, hard to set build. Rarely will I have a good battle against Quantum or Akira.