History in the making: Skarmory challenges Tyranitar as the #1 Pokemon in Gen 3 OU

[@Guayabaman305]

I see that director BKC went with a more avant-garde audio design for this cinematic masterpiece.

[@muchachoaventurero3590]

You can feel like bkc is right in your discord vc talking to you!

[@shawnjavery]

Oh god please don't encourage him

[@Mixxium]

This is a freaking instant classic BKC video, the only things it's missing is a piss break and a reminder to stay hydrated but he dropped the laptop and reverted to monkey in this one so I'm a big fan anyway.

[@EarthSpirit.easyzdota]

When BKC starts laughing in his intro. You know its gonna be a good one But when BKC mics cuts off exactly halfway in the video. You know its gonna be a great one

[@ShinyTillDawn]

The icing on the cake would be his bathroom break.

[@ostint912]

@@ShinyTillDawnhe got to the point too quickly he forgot to tell us more about the movie trailer

[@ryanmahon2956]

Knowing that BKC videos are considered auteur cinema, I read the audio change as a metaphor for the decline in ttar dominance over time. Really thoughtful work as always

[@KindaKaon]

Poor ttar cant catch a break out here

[@animaticlunatic9259]

Yeah, being number 2 sure sucks!

[@jets4rit]

mMm MONKE USED CLOSE COMBAT

[@KindaKaon]

@@animaticlunatic9259low standards for the GOAT of singles

[@internetguy7319]

the goat is heatran not ttar

[@KindaKaon]

@@internetguy7319Sush heatran aint no goat of mine

[@BKCplaysPokemon]

Sorry for the accidental mic input switch in this one! It sounds pretty alright to me though phew I normally don't care for usage-based things, but consider how Tyranitar and Skarmory were neck-and-neck in usage in this past SPL, with Tyranitar just barely winning, which would've been unthinkable before - ctrl + f ADV OU here: www.smogon.com/forums/threads/smogon-premier-league-xiv-usage-statistics.3714957/

[@tecul1]

7 years ago BKC

[@serotine_]

You brought it up at the end, but I'd love to more about dropping Toxic for Drill Peck on slower teams. hell you probably could make a whole hour video on skarm's 4th move because whole teams practically revolve around it, or about oddball shit like Toxic/Drill Peck on the same set over protect. That'd be a nice BKC classic right there.

[@VJ-Vice]

In the end, I hope this makes ADV players more intentional with their ttar usage. Ttar is such a flexible Pokémon with so many unique and threatening sets and it’s a shame that “slap on a ttar” just for sand became common wisdom. Like people forget how threatening cb and mixed ttar can be

[@Eroil]

Pretty sure Skarm used whirlwind on bkc's mic there

[@VincentChaos92]

Waiting for a few years when BKC releases "Why Zapdos just became the best mon in Advance"

[@tecul1]

blissey is too defining for this to ever be the case

[@ShinyTillDawn]

you mean GSC

[@zacpz9230]

It already is

[@Nootathotep]

Love how 5 years ago everyone was like "Skarmory is amazing it might be the 7th best pokemon in the tier"

[@lesqueegee]

I feel that because sand is brought in essentially every game, it takes skarmory’s stock through the roof with easily the best typing in gen 3 being able to stave off every form of passive damage in the game with the exception of burn which is relatively uncommon, adding to the fact that skarm’s kit makes them the best abuser of said passive damage while also being generally bulky makes for a truly unparalleled Mon whose role could never be replaced entirely. I think with sand, Skarmory is the best Mon in gen 3, but since you need sand to make the most of of skarm’s greatest qualities, I think that the only thing holding it back from truly reigning supreme.

[@fulltimeslackerii8229]

don’t forget its access to spikes

[@lesqueegee]

@@fulltimeslackerii8229 access to spikes and toxic while being immune to spikes and toxic itself, healing in sand, even WITHOUT roost in this gen it’s nearly unkillable. Magneton’s viability in OU is only vindicated by the fact that skarm makes a case to be the best performing Mon in the tier when you consider the consistency of every other mon.

[@pezyg]

Skarm has always been one of my favorite mons since I was a kid so this makes me so happy

[@irakyl]

This reminds me of the time I went to MediaMarkt and bought a professional microphone but when I left the parking lot a Rotom Wash tricked away my brand new microphone and gave me a really shitty one instead

[@rubeng9092]

Das kommt schon mal vor

[@CollieDaze]

BKC called in from another dimension to talk about skarmory

[@ShinyTillDawn]

Oh wow! A video where BKC didn't make a tangent that relates to Gen 5 OU!

[@reverie9358]

The second half of this video was very nostalgic and I appreciate that

[@hannahbriarly4192]

I thought this was going to be another found footage video when the audio started cutting out

[@keiharris332]

In the end, ttar is still the emperor. Skarm always gonna get my daps but in a world with crits, hitting harder makes a difference in the context of overall general utility. You have time to deal with skarm. You do not have that luxury with ttar.

[@ThatGuyThai]

The audio shift turned him back into a teenager 😂

[@nibblerdoo]

I play a lot of Jolt + Star Spike Stack teams (such as the sample one by Kertz). A lot of the times I find myself using Ttar primarily as an early/mid game switch in to enemy Zapdos/Magneton to threaten them out and keep momentum, rather than risk Jolteon getting twave'd. While it might seem like Ttar is kinda useless in this scenario, it accomplishes a lot in only 2 or 3 turns. Typically Ttar will come in on a tbolt or twave, set up sand, do a little chip, and then be used later to cleanup or as a sack. With Skarm it stinks to get Magneton trapped but Skarmory is a consistent counter (maybe only a check sometimes in the most extreme situations like medicham focus punch) to every physical attacker in the game. It's insane to think there isn't even a physical attack in ADV that is super effective against Skarmory. Roar/Whirlwind is incredibly useful too. All this to say I find them both extremely useful and can see why Skarm is on the top now. Any team with a physical sweeper has to find one of a few limited way to deal with Skarm. A fire or electric move, slowly trying to flinch with rock slide, or perhaps two powerful hydro pumps from a bulky water type. All of these methods save for Magneton are obvious or take multiple turns. If someone switches Houndoom or Moltres into your Skarm it is no surprise what they are trying to threaten. Tyranitar on the other hand has a lot more potential sets and surprises, but it also has many more mons that can deal with it. Being weak to ground, 4x to fighting, water, grass, bug and steel is pretty big as almost every Pokemon with an attacking move in the tier can hit Ttar for super effective damage. While Tyranitar has a lot of value in the multitude of sets it can run its weak to so many types chances are the opponent will have something to deal with it. That is unless Ttar gets a dragon dance up - then there are far fewer options to check it.

[@SkorpTS]

Both are great, so I find it hard to say who's better. Comparing the two is difficult, because they're so different. Tyranitar has such a ridiculously large movepool that it's basically impossible to predict what set it's running at first, and checks to one Ttar set are not checks for every other Ttar set. Skarmory, meanwhile, basically always runs the same set with either Drill Peck or Toxic (and sometimes Taunt), but that one difference alone means Heracross and Breloom can't switch into it (relatively) freely and mess it up. The fact that it gets so much done with a limited movepool and (on paper) underwhelming special bulk is incredible. Steel/Flying is truly a blessed typing.

[@et34t34fdf]

Skarmory does have other options, like it can run hp ground, just to mess up magneton, but thats niche though.

[@SkorpTS]

@@et34t34fdf It can, but one of the reasons Skarmory is so good is its bulk and staying power. HP Ground Skarmory has to run max Attack & Speed and thereby loses all of that.

[@et34t34fdf]

@@SkorpTS Yeah, its pretty niche, so largely you will know what skarmory does, as you said, no one knows what ttar will do. Still think the latter is better, but then, i'm just a casual gen 3 player, not an expert.

[@jenisia3600]

Skarmory fukin Rocks! Beat the games countless times with him.

[@cowboydan4761]

I personally would question whether or not the sandless skarm builds can really be included alongside the more traditional tss skarm builds in that category of "Most consistent adv teams". I think ttar adds a lot to what makes those teams so resilient. It counters a lot of the anti skarm cheese strats, for one just by adding an additional method of getting damage to stick with sand, and breaking down walls with its general offensive presence, so that if your skarm does get cheesed you still have a solid gameplan. It also is one of the best ways of directly putting pressure on and taking advantage of the tier's spinners and provides a solid back up check to the pokemon typically used to offensively take advantage of skarmory (zap, gengar, rachi etc). As absurd as it sounds I do think ttar is lowkey underrated by a lot of the adv playerbase, even some of the ones that rank it number 1. There's so many things about it that get ignored just because they're so baked into the cake but it brings a lot to the table besides just sand.

[@strangeanimations2518]

How come that within a single day both Pokeaim and BKC reveal themselves to be flat earthers... :(

[@lionheartzcs2]

Blazing Kicken "you can't see the curvature of Tyranitar." Chicken once again proving those globe-heads wrong.

[@obiwancannoli1920]

1:56 I see BKC is siding with PokeaimMD on this one

[@nobodyatall9044]

holy shit i just watched that video...... i thought it was a hallucination

[@EmersonCRVG]

i think this is similar to gen 8 ubers where yveltal is the number 1 pokemon, but the best mon is calyrex

[@sillysailorartemis]

Hypothetical: _what if water were weak to poison like it totally should be_

[@lukasschmitz9030]

A video idea: What if those Pokémon that have to hold an item to change their form (e.g. Arceus and it's plates, Gitatina-O and the griseous orb, et cetera) these items now worked like the Gracidea flower does for Shaymin, i.e.they were key-items that could be "applied" to the respective Pokémon to change its form. How would that impact competitive play in each generation?

[@peterh2223]

Skommiechads stay winning

[@ModelCitizen2]

My wallet, panting in anticipation, opens slowly. Each moment it seems to open more, and more, at first in such a way that might seem mundane but in time it looks as if it might snap under the pressure, yet it never does. Your eyes, fixated upon the wallet, begin to tear up. The wallet, now a screaming maw of, seems to stretch on forever. Your view is nothing but the wallet, no matter where you look, and so you look upon the wallet and my money as it dances in the dark infinity of the wallet.

[@d007ization]

For the longest time, I was too much of a hipster to run weathersetters, which is why when I abandoned that silly mindset, I did not neglect T-tar's potential.

[@ricardoludwig4787]

For my money, i still think ttar is better because i can guarantee that the play conditions wont fundamentally be different, as adv feels like an entire different tier when sand isnt up. Ttar is my favorite lead mostly because i know, from minute 1 that the only way ill play without sand is vs weather reset (What i said should be taken with a grain of salt, i am by no means an experienced adv battler)

[@peternicholas3719]

My Skarmory fainted to a plus 6 Slash crit from a Vigoroth in my Emerald nuzlocke. I missed Steel Wing twice leading up to it. RIP Jack: It was my fault 🐦 ⚰

[@ShinyTillDawn]

RIP

[@gabby780]

This is the epitome of Skarmory being mistaken for a Hoenn Pokemon

[@TheKyubiisaan]

I once made a spikeless team in gen 4, it was fun

[@teektheoverlord3693]

What about how good could Hippowdon be in ADV not as strong but has better typing, recovery and can set up the sand still

[@tecul1]

broken

[@moratgurgeh]

I would use Hippo on literally every single team I make

[@techmark3665]

I think it would be interesting to discuss (assuming that it doesn’t get slack off since that was the signature move of the slaking line in gen 3)

[@tecul1]

ok now it's a lot more interesting

[@zxien1]

As much as I get the whole argument of skarm being #1 over Ttar in gen 3 I have always thought and still do think there is a case (perhaps even stronger than skarm) for blissey being ranked #1. Blissey is the best special wall, best calm mind sweeper (better than suicune imo), and best support mon in the whole gen.

[@tysondennis1016]

Skarm the upstart challenges tier king Ttar.

[@PokePhan]

Bird gang 🦅🦅🦅

[@theMOCmaster]

After it got to stop running whirlwind…

[@zehrajade8353]

Sadly i have to admit my wallet aint ready for anything but i surely enjoy your content and give a like everytime its the least i can do.

[@PersleyGrande]

Kiss mouth pokedeattitt

[@shenFen-jf2jk]

gotta love how t tar isnt broken when it fprces every non immune pokemon to run leftovers

[@shenFen-jf2jk]

forces

[@KindaKaon]

Did you watch the video

[@yeet8036]

Yeah,like gen 3 has many item choice like choice band,lum berry and uhhhh

[@shenFen-jf2jk]

@@yeet8036 Mean CB heracross is worse because of sand. Or weather strategies are just gimmicks because ttar can come in and set sand for free. Or that steel, ground and rock types like skarmory have a huge advantage because they can heal instead of using lefties just not to get chipped or use an actual item.

[@paz8723]

You still can't have a team without sand so its more like Skarm and TTar are both #1

[@evilcow666]

I dont see why this is a debate? Surely it doesnt matter as you really should take both into account for yours and your opponents team.

[@matheuscastello6554]

since no one commented about it, it seems like after you dropped your laptop the audio quality took a hit! not really a problem, just something to be careful in future recordings!

[@2extrahearts77]

i will watch your movie big guy

[@yeet8036]

Bkc is really joining aim clan

[@flamewing7851]

BKC flat earther confirmed 😱

[@ashasha69]

I really liked the video but the comments are cracking me up. Keep cultuvating your videos aesthetic and the culture around them

[@CMSonYT]

BKC play force of the fallen!~

[@AlyxIsSpelledWeird]

Day 3 of asking Bkc to make: What if crits functioned as they do in gen 1?

[@CMSonYT]

It'd be a way funnier game

[@jimmy13morrison]

Counter point if skarmory is the best why am i getting a ttar tattoo?

[@lewis-h6n]

Shirtless video when?

[@markleonardo8222]

or at least feet reveal

[@EarthSpirit.easyzdota]

Guys pokemon doujinshi tier list obviously

[@Fig_Bender]

Instead of facecam, BKC just does chest cam.

[@qweschuning]

Discord link is dead. P A I N

[@clqliveson]

Nah ttar still the goat. People sleeping on its offense

[@fulltimeslackerii8229]

how can skarmory be this good when it’s so ez to slap magnezone on a team?

[@BKCplaysPokemon]

it's not easy to slap magneton on a team though

[@fulltimeslackerii8229]

@@BKCplaysPokemonwhy wouldn’t you? with skarms usage as high as it is, you’re almost always guaranteeing at least a 1 for 1 trade and minimal spikes with magnezone

[@BKCplaysPokemon]

magneton does nearly nothing besides kill skarm (minimally useful in non skarm matchups) and thus cannot be haphazardly slapped on like a metagross or salamence. there are very, very few consistent magneton teams (and the most consistent ones also have skarm) so it really is not that simple. there's even a section in the video where I discussed why skarm is so insane even if you know your opponent is bringing it 100% (for ex the spikes it leaves behind are more than enough to destroy many mag teams)

[@tecul1]

you again?

[@expic3954]

Skarmory was a mistake

[@Clooger-]

Indeed.

[@jamiegetty7011]

Skarmory and its consequences have been a disaster for the pokemon race

[@jorgeabud1133]

Ban Tauros, ban Lax and Kou, ban T-Tar and Skarm, I want my old gen games to not be so centralized around one single pokemon or strategy

[@jaketerpening3284]

TBH if T-Tar was banned, Skarm would be worse. A lot of it's value comes from sand being so prevalent.

[@andrewwojtas8486]

Last summer I tried a strategy known as the "Yolo" Skarmory and it was offensive with hp ground, funnily enough I won many games because everyone kept forfeiting once I one shot they're magnetons

[@alvarocrespo5756]

Why there is not oubl for pokemon that are to much for ou but useless for ubers. For example, volcarona un gen9ubers?

[@fayestra2486]

Secondhand I've heard someone who kept up with some OUBL attempts describe it ending up as "What if OU but with none of the tiering and balance decisions that made it actually playable instead of hyper offense hell" bc most of the time the pokemon that can actually handle OUBL offense are the actual Uber mons

[@Lazyboy0337]

BLs are for when a pokemon is banned from a tier, but doesn't have enough usage to reach an above tier directly. Since Ubers isn't a usage-based tier, there is no OUBL since nothing can get used too much in Ubers to be sent from OU to Uber.

[@reun1clus]

“Skamory teams are the most consistent in ADV” “Skamory is a better game to game performer than Tar” 2 things u said… i’ve held that Skarm is better than Tar for a while now and those are the reasons

[@nexiamania]

7th!

[@dragonhunter2001]

Im early asf

[@yourdagan]

You all should see the stats for last month. In June, Gen3OU was the most played of all OU's preceding Gen VII. It beat Gen IV and V which had typically more games than it. To say it has steam would be an understatement.