Why Annihilape is Dominating Competitive Singles Pokemon

[@toganium4175]

There is something that is both comforting and terrifying about every single Pokémon being good now.

[@phillipanselmo8540]

yo I didn't know you were into pokemon

[@karpholmes6942]

At this rate, there will be OU2

[@oddbeebee1960]

Route 1 bug types be like

[@Shin3y]

@@karpholmes6942 ever heard of Ubers?

[@StefanIsReal]

Spidops

[@Iris_Descent]

One thing not mentioned is also how Rage Fist keeps its power even after Annihilape _faints._ Whenever Revival Blessing gets implemented on Showdown, you might see that flying around from the likes of Rabsca and Pawmot.

[@boot-4704]

Fun fact- revival blessing can be called by Sleep Talk, so it can be used up to 16 times!

[@Iris_Descent]

what.

[@halohawkxx]

@@Iris_Descent basically saying they can high roll with Sleep Talk to hit the Revival Move potentially 16 times

[@borby4584]

@@halohawkxx Watch RestTalk Revival Blessing Pawmi with Leppa Berry be a thing

[@savvynumbskull15]

Im gonna use this!

[@the_bookworm8281]

Scarlet/Violet introduced so many hilariously strong/busted signature moves and abilities. An ability to be immune to all status. An ability to be immune to all status AND gives resistance to Ghost moves. An ability to heal from Ground-type moves. A 50 base power move that increases in power by 50 each time your team faints. A 50 base power move that increases in power by 50 each time you get hit and doesn't go away when you switch. A move that is straight up the Revive item. A Baton Pass-esque move that passes Substitute. A move that is Teleport + Hail in one move. A 20 base power 10-hit move on a Pokemon with Technician. The Tatsugiri + Dondozo combo in doubles. The entire existence of Palafin-Hero. ...and more. This is the generation where GameFreak decided to go absolutely ham with the new moves/abilities, and it turns so many otherwise average-at-best Pokemon to absolute demons.

[@Kahadi]

Ah, but you forget one other one. An ability that boosts attack and special attack by 10% for each fainted Pokemon on your team. Yes, an ability version of an OP attack...

[@Azanerd]

@@Kahadi Supreme Overlord my beloved

[@grunkleg.2934]

And of course, the terror that is Spidops. Worse stats than a mid-stage starter. Someone had to take the fall

[@averagegenzguy2751]

Makes sense, when everyone is strong, no-one is. The power creep this generation is absolutely ballistic

[@stevenreckling203]

Purifying Salt just protects from status conditions and halves the damage from ghost type moves, while good as gold provides immunity from status moves. Gholdengo can still get status conditions as a secondary effect. You're right though, there are a lot of crazy abilities this gen.

[@NuclearNecro]

honestly it's pretty heartwarming to see older, forgotten pokemon now wrecking shit up in the higher tiers, like with Annihilape here, but also Iron Bundle before, and to a lower extent Dudunsparce

[@coolyeh1017]

And with each evolution the pre-evos are too good for NFE or LC. Dunsparce got banned from LC and Bisharp got banned from NFE.

[@byzantine5761]

Yeah I love new evolutions, and even with some already seemingly fully evolved mons getting new evolutions they become real threatening and fun

[@mikewebsters4119]

Bisharp was obviously gonna get bAnned considering it was OU last gen

[@marsupialmole3926]

Yeah, just wish iron bundle wasn't saddled with being a future pokemon and thus being ugly and stupid-looking

[@duckymomo7935]

Bisharp is OU material before this game Now ur has even more options

[@dataraxia3520]

Part of the reason these new changes are so strong is they break the "rules" that Pokemon has set. As a general rule, the only effect that persists after switching out (and death) are status effects. Breaking these molds make the game more interesting, at least for a time, but the rest of the Pokemon kits were not designed to manage these new philosophies. This makes it really difficult to counter the new mechanics with older strategies.

[@BlueSpooky]

I don't know if they're necessarily going to continue to be good but I'd love a good chat about Clodsire, Gargancl, or Lokix. Mostly because these are all types of pokemon (slow bulky rock type, weak route one bug, etc.) that are generally pretty horrible but these ones are actually useful this time around. And Clodsire because he's the best boy of all time lol

[@CoffeeFlavoredMilk]

Seconding Gargancl. That thing is stupid difficult to kill. I actually use NP Rotom-Wash of all things to check the Iron Defense + Body Press variants.

[@TheSh1nyZoroark]

Clodsire is monstrous. I need to bulk up on defenses for a good competitive 'mon, as well as try and get EQ, if not a similar move. I got lucky with a Water Absorb Clodsire, which is why I say this.

[@_GTX1650]

I love clodsire, I want to have one and give it a nice fulfilling life

[@finalfantasyruler]

I play doubles almost exclusively and Gargancl has been a beast. I run Explosion with a Normal Gem held item and Normal Terastilization. STAB + 50% Explosion can normally double KO the opposing side.

[@philippecomics4727]

@@manelneedsaname1773 Joey did one like a week ago

[@kefkapalazzo1]

Seems the base stats this gen aren’t too crazy, but the moves, abilities, and stat distributions are the real power creep

[@thelegacyofgaming2928]

Base stats will never be crazy after mega evolutions.

[@Rictavio27]

It seems like a lot of the new Pokémon were only considered competitively in doubles since that is the official format, there are a lot more exploits with new Pokémon in singles this gen

[@goatmonarch]

I mean to be fair game freak doesnt care about singles that much

[@ericwengkh]

@@goatmonarch if they care they care about 3v3 single not 6v6

[@getthegoons]

@@goatmonarch and yet there were 2 doubles battles in the entire main game. Either commit or make the meta the entire fucking game is in playable.

[@louc.6735]

@@TheMistermastermario gamefreak doesn't even know what nuzlockes are. I doubt they even care about smogon, as well.

[@waluigiisthebest2802]

@@getthegoons They don’t care, since the main game doesn’t need to be balanced, since it’s so easy you don’t even need these overpowered strategies to beat it easily.

[@kingvale9799]

They actually turned one of the middest fight types ever since gen 1 into an actual monster...I LOVE IT

[@bobjoe3492]

If you're talking about fighting gen 5 fighting type was nuts

[@lachlanclark4463]

They said and meant Primeape not Fighting type as a whole

[@bobjoe3492]

@@lachlanclark4463 after rereading what they posted I feel dumb

[@thelegacyofgaming2928]

@@bobjoe3492 Gen 5 was a powercreep. Half the roster straight to OU or ubers. The most ridiculous gen to date.

[@_ZeroMaximum_]

Gen 9 Pokemon in a Nutshell: OP

[@UltimateRareAncientGearGolem]

OP in Singles. Doubles is having no issues. Maybe Game Freak is trying to force people into VGC. Lmao.

[@ericwengkh]

@@UltimateRareAncientGearGolem no,after you eruption tera fire torkoal is definitely broken along side with paradox pokemon

[@UltimateRareAncientGearGolem]

@@ericwengkh it's strong, but it has counter play, its not even the first time Eruption Torkoal with Speed Control has popped up, he always seems busted in early formats, unlike half the new mons in singles which are basically uncounterable and will always be an issue.

[@mandalorianhunter1]

I'm glad after not appearing in SS, the Manky like is getting their time in the spotlight. If gets banned to Ubers, I hope it does well when the older generation legendaries return. Great video

[@halohawkxx]

When pkmon Home drops, it'll get retested into OU

[@spindash64]

A lot of box legendaries are weak to Ghost type moves, so I could see it holding up well there. If Ape has been hit 3 times: 252+ Atk Annihilape Rage Fist vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Prism Armor Necrozma-Dusk-Mane: 402-474 (101 - 119%) -- guaranteed OHKO This is assuming no boosting item. With Choice Band, Jolly nature can get an OHKO after being hit twice, and Adamant LO at 2 hits has an 87% chance to OHKO. Ape naturally outspeeds Dusk Mane as well

[@lachlanclark4463]

Jesus H Christ That’s quite big Impressive

[@halohawkxx]

@@spindash64 there's a chance that new OU Mons would effectively wall/check Annihilape also. We'll have to wait and see what happens

[@DarkAuraLord]

@@spindash64 easier said than done trying to survive 3 hits in ubers lol.

[@christopherstardeluxe]

If annihilape is strong with rage fist, just imagine primeape niche in low tiers...

[@goGothitaLOL]

and Eviolite too

[@ericwengkh]

can primeape learn it?

[@xx_v_xx4373]

@@ericwengkh yes, Primeape has to know the move to even evolve into Annihilape

[@exalt2674]

Well, Smogon banned it from NFE, if that counts

[@exalt2674]

@@ericwengkh Yes, in fact, it has to in order to evolve into Annihilape to begin with.

[@NeviTheLettyFan]

Primeape is my older brother's favorite Pokemon and he still can't believe this evolution He's really happy, if you couldn't tell I don't see him much anymore, but my Annihilape with his name keeps me company in his place

[@char1194]

I like rage fist in competitive because using it effectively as well as counterplay is WAY more focused on how you play around it ingame rather than teambuilding. It's such a powerful move and yet you rarely ever lose to it in the team preview screen.

[@Jaxck77]

Totally agree. The burden of skill should be seen in the play itself, not the teambuilder.

[@alexpotts6520]

That's fair but "don't attack it" isn't a very effective strategy when it just has Taunt. Seems like Rage Fist is a move with built-in counterplay, but it just so happens they gave Annihilape counterplay to that counterplay.

[@timeweoya]

It seems like they went out of their way to introduce so many threats in SV. Its scary...

[@rolandverde8771]

They finally prioritized the competitive scene during development

[@NeoGraena]

@@rolandverde8771 they always prioritized competitive, specifically VGC Doubles

[@DOLPHINRIDER95]

Gen 1 Mewtwo was the original uber, most broken mon of all time, and had a 154 special stat. Palafin’s pre-evo can be found easily throughout the game and he has a 160 attack stat. Normal ass mons should not be having these absurd stat totals without a hindering ability

[@iantaakalla8180]

I love how Pokémon in Kanto are like “we need to engineer a broken Pokémon” and Unova, Galar, and Paldea casually have broken Pokémon.

[@serpent2776]

@@DOLPHINRIDER95 Well Palafin technically has a hindering ability

[@HotFootBunny]

Basically what if smash bros Lucario was actually a Pokemon

[@Adventurerpt]

0:42 That's the team I made and posted in the bazaar! I happy to see it in a video and glad others are enjoying the team

[@BaneRain]

The move rage should function in the same way imo, maybe slightly weaker

[@ShogunAsh]

It's kinda what it did in Gen 1 but you were locked into the move once selected if I remember correctly

[@randomname285]

@@tejasdixit4417 no, in gen 1 rage locks you in

[@DusBeforeDawn2008]

It looked so fucking cool when Ash used rage to catch his Primeape

[@BaneRain]

idk if id make the bp lower or just keep it at 50 because its normal type.

[@yungmuney5903]

@@BaneRain its designed as an early game move

[@enthusiasticfungus7589]

Every time I hear about one of the new Pokémon, especially in the context of competitive, there is a small “Oh No” that continually increases in volume the more I lean.

[@theboi5584]

When Syndrome said when everyone is super no one is, he wasn’t just talking about his plan. He was also subtly referring to Gen 9.

[@cosmoniums5990]

Fighting Ghost is a fair bit better than you mentioned, since there is two Pokémon the type combination doesn’t hit for neutral damage: Those being the Nacli line with specific Tera types, and Hisuian Zoroark

[@Kasaaz]

It also helps that Ghost hits almost everything at least neutrally.

[@Waiter1986]

Gamefreak please stop adding insanely broken pokemon i want to actually use these guys in OU 😭

[@etaquince5220]

Im trying to get back into competitive after 2 generations and your videos are really helpful to know the metagame better. Thanks

[@oriontaylor8220]

Great analysis, and fun video! You should think about typing this up and submitting it as Annihilape's smogon pokedex entry.

[@Shameimaru_]

Evolite Primeape is going to be interesting

[@MezmerKaiser725]

Annihilape reminds me of Primeape's dex entry that says it dies if it becomes too angry

[@dragonfable66]

Its kinda hilarious how Primeapes that DID die from getting too Angry were STILL showing restraint. Yeah.sure. they look peacefull but Annihilape is anything but....

[@vanessam93900]

I'd like to see Gholdengo next. Its typing combined with its high SpA and Good as Gold is bonkers.

[@beeorsomething2230]

Good video as always! One thing I would love to see is a video about chi-yu, as I personally find it extremely, extremely hard to switch into specs sets, especially with hazards up, and scarf is overall quite nice

[@Waxwell1]

another good vid Freezai. i don’t play competitive, but watch every one of your videos

[@spindash64]

I think in Gen X, they could get away with changing the rage boost to +25BP per hit, keeping the same cap. That makes it much harder to reach nuclear damage, but still gives Annihilape a potential strong STAB move. It would still have a niche in Doubles as well, since most ghost types don’t really have good physical STAB anyway, and BP 100 is already almost as strong as a critical Shadow Claw

[@davie7670]

Yeah but there is also this thing called doubles, which they mainly balance around

[@spindash64]

@@davie7670 And?

[@grunkleg.2934]

You could also get away with having it reset upon switching out and also giving the ape Poltergeist

[@Ruebeabea]

I'm so glad I stumbled upon a shiny primeape during my journey and added it to my team, it's so strong and I have enjoyed playing around with its interesting power.

[@sagacious03]

Neat analysis video! Thanks for uploading!

[@hiimkyle1894]

I've been loving the incorporation of doubles and vgc discussion, even if it's where you have the most experience. It gives the videos a much more interesting angle for me to cover topics more holistically

[@benjaminsiew5321]

Not sure if this is enough for a while video but I was really wondering about how Protean and Terastalization interact. I know Tera-ing prevents Protean from activating, but if you Tera after protean activates, does it use your original type or Protean type for STAB?

[@wherewiiwentwrong]

Im pretty sure it would use Protean's Type, as Abilities matter for Terastelization (such as Rocky Payload/Steelworker still carrying the boost through Terastelization), its safe to assume your Type shift from Protean remains as well.

[@FunandStuff88]

I really really really hope they keep terastilization. So much OP stuff is out now. Now the boring idea that I’m afraid of is that good Pokémon will keep getting banned, we’ll realize that only X OP mon was stopping other Y OP mon, and half of the most fun mons will be put in Ubers where they are meh. But choosing when and who to tera can often win in situations that are otherwise unwinnable. Terastilization is so fun and not even the reason a lot of the most broken mons are broken. Plus turning walls like garganacl and skeledirge into good defensive typing is the best counterplay for a lot of the balance teams I’ve seen. Plus it gives a niche to some older Pokémon like tera dragonite

[@ultimapower6950]

Yeah teretrializing is amazing. I’m personally proud of tera Fire venasaur in natdex

[@twig7219]

Freezai you are putting out some bangers lately.

[@galloviking4766]

Me in doubles: *give annihilape Target Ring and have Maushold use Population Bomb on it* My opponent: NO NO NO WAIT

[@sushantmanandhar1387]

Competitive gen 10: a move that faints all your opponent's Pokemon, you win by speed ties

[@patroka]

Yeah, I don’t think we’ve had a strong Pokémon that plays quite like this ever before, seeing how it has to take hits to get stronger and given the interactions with Tera.

[@meghpatel4695]

Annhilape will not be overpowered considering hisuian zoroark will be released eventually completely blocking the taunt, bulk up strategy

[@spindash64]

Yeah, but that means your chance of success forces you to keep ark on your team and in the back until Ape shows up, and they’ll just switch out until hazards kill you

[@C3l3bi1]

@@spindash64 what are you even talking about, nobody is dying to stelth rocks and if you do you suck at team building

[@spindash64]

@@C3l3bi1 Zark will if it keeps trying to catch Ape and failing to do so. Ape switches out, Zark is forced out, has to try again and take some more chip. Rinse and repeat. And that’s literally 1 single Pokémon on your team that you’re banking on, and it doesn’t even win against Ape consistently, it just wins against 2 attack sets: if Ape runs Stone Edge, it’s dead.

[@luckymcgirl9916]

Man, what is with these new OP ghost types? Flutter Mane, Houndstone, and now Annihilape. I wouldn’t be surprised if Gholdengo is next on the chopping block.

[@Rainer2424]

Forgot about endure reversal lol, even at 1hp you can endure to boost you’re rage fist and with a salac berry you outspeed like everything. Not the best set by any means but probably the most fun

[@AnonymousDuckLover]

If I had a nickel for every Ghost type move introduced in Generation 9 which made an otherwise mediocre Pokemon overpowered due to snowballing damage fairly quickly, I'd have 2 nickels, which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.

[@kuraplays562]

Wait what’s the other move

[@bassblowbackrecords8932]

@@kuraplays562 Last respects on houndstone

[@Bedhead7]

I love how monotone you sounded when you said "but seeing something faint to final gambit is admittedly funny"

[@superparadox]

i hope it doesnt get banned. this could be a cool opportunity to force diversity in stall teams, and prevent boring bunker down strats

[@creepypato3984]

Does this mean we might get THE RETURN OF REGIGIGAS again, but this time he retains the passive count? That'd be sick, imagine doing a Wish healing setup for him

[@andrewdrost6786]

Is rage fist good enough to justify using primeape if annihilape ends up getting banned?

[@goatmonarch]

It will make primeape better but i don't think its gonna be banned just because its stats and stab. Tho its smogon so i can see them just banning them

[@char1194]

Probably not in OU. Annihilape has almost double the hp of primeape, along with higher defense and special defense. Rage fist's ability to ramp up in damage is directly tied with the ape's ability to take hits, so it won't be able to ramp up as quickly. Not only that, it also loses ghost stab and has slightly lower attack which really hurts rage fist's damage output even with stacks. Furthermore, eviolite isn't even much of an advantage for primeape considering its got no reliable recovery. In lower tiers perhaps, but we have no idea what the lower tiers will look like yet

[@omnistasis]

Im a ghost type "gym leader" and I love this mon. Those pumching gloves help with a good drain punch.

[@connorgriffiths3174]

So much potential this Gen, it feels like every time I learn about a move or ability I can think of a team built around it. Def gonna try Beat up Dragapult + Scarf Annihilape in VGC

[@DemiIsNotHere]

I think one of those spread moves that lower a stat are better cause defiant. You get a +2 and a single boost

[@Saviarai-Dravolika]

Annihilape is awesome both design wise and competitive wise XD

[@exalt2674]

One of the pokemon I wanted to see. Somehow I ended up picking mostly meta pokemon for my game team.

[@nathanstanier7625]

Been finding Annihilape holding a ring target with a support Maushold hilarious in doubles. Population bomb your own Annihilape to basically guarantee 300 power rage fist, friend guard helps defend you and just start wailing. Maushold with follow me, helping hand, population bomb and encore.

[@Amalunatic]

I would like you to cover Great Tusk, Gholdengo or Espathra!

[@FLITTLEFANATIC]

I really liked running Beat Up Maushold + Annihilape since Maushold is a redirector with friend guard to bosot annihilapes amazing bulk and ofc Beat Up powers it up by 300

[@mulitpower8827]

When I said that this meta was gonna be more chaotic than the last one I did not think it was gonna result in every Pokémon being banned

[@mulitpower8827]

Though I suppose it’s going to become more chaotic overtime

[@Shin3y]

I swear if smogon quick bans this, I’m gonna lose my shit.

[@sebbyeh]

annihilape is definitely really good now, but when home comes out h-zoroark is gonna be the definition of a chek to it. 105 speed, and a strong special attack stat while also being immune to both stab moves ofc thats the future but annihilape will definitely have to adapt somehow eventually

[@sarasaland4709]

Primeape was so angry at landing in PU that it died to get even stronger.

[@NobodyDungeons]

I actually handle it by using an unaware pokemon like Clodsire, and setting up with various moves allowing me to tank its attacks them throttle it in one hit.

[@socberttrucker3598]

My favorite Palafin set Bulk Up, Taunt, Drain Punch, Jet Punch My favorite Annihilape set Bulk Up, Taunt, Drain Punch, Rage Fist. I think I'm seeing a pattern here. Basically if a mon has Bulk Up, Taunt, Drain Punch, and a signature move, go for it.

[@mhx5071]

2:49 Classic EmVee turning Annihilape into a Ban Suspect with his sets

[@Jaxck77]

I’d like to see some discussion of the funky Rock & Ground types in this gen, because there’s several interesting ones. Garganacl, Clodsire, Glimmora, but most of all Toedscruel.

[@BlazingJ972]

I really enjoy this type of content. For the next pokemon, what about chien-pao? That thing is stupid fast and can hit like a truck

[@diamsword6273]

You also didn't mention it's quadruple resistance to U-Turn which allows to punish uturners by taking little damage and stacking Rage Fist

[@djmadmatt4772]

Bro you *have to* talk about the 2012 UK doubles tournament where sandveil garchomp dodged 6 moves in a row winning a 1v4. I think it's one of the main reasons why evasion is banned

[@nicolaistuhlmuller8718]

On smogon evasion was actually banned from the very beginning, alongside ohko moves.

[@djmadmatt4772]

@@nicolaistuhlmuller8718 actually you're kinda wrong. Sand Vail got banned 2012, showdown exists since at least 2011 and smogon since 2004. Evasion moves were banned from the beginning, not evasion abilities

[@djmadmatt4772]

@@nicolaistuhlmuller8718 oh and sand veil exists since 2003 so it wasn't banned the year it came out. Smogon banning many things in retrospect is normal but you wouldn't tell me that evasion was always banned if you'd ever played that awful meta back then

[@randomaether]

I like how that mon is making my mono fighting team feel much much better

[@mushroomdude123]

Every single Ghost in this game is insane.

[@exalt2674]

Yeah, I'm honestly surprised that GF seems to have made all three starters more competitive this time

[@purnen]

In doubles you could also use a weak shadow sneak or something + weakness policy to boost rage fist and annihilape's attack at the same time and get a quick KO

[@Doodeled]

There should be a special move that unlocks if you get 300 base power on rage fist Possibly Annihlating Fist With 100 base power,same mechanic as rage fist but always goes last

[@CalvinCoolMan]

Drain punch is becoming better and better

[@Yomi2012]

He is the vanguard of my ghost team. Idk if it’s just me, but I am seeing a ton of dark type Pokémon being used this generation

[@Matezoide]

I havent played Showdown in a very long time, and Primeape is my favorite pokemon ever. I really need to hop onto the hype.

[@johngold42]

Iron valiant, simply, because I really like the Pokémon

[@lucystarlight8887]

I think it’s great that Gen 9 introduced THREE separate 300 power moves

[@TajirMusil]

Looks like I unintentionally built a Toxapex that could deal with this thing.

[@infamousmarrr]

This is a set I ran earlier today. 252 hp 252 sp def 4 spe Careful nature Tera Water Chesto Berry Drain punch Rage fist Bulk up Rest

[@psyxypher3881]

I like how I stopped liking new Pokemon content but I suddenly freaking love this Ghost Ape creature.

[@plushgray]

I wanna send a message back in time 20 years that Primeape and Delibird are rocking the Pokemon meta. My babies have grown so much 😭

[@scoobiusmaximus9508]

Gamefreak went all in on the 300 bp ghost moves this generation for some reason

[@rhyshain7629]

It's funny how all of these over powered new Pokemon are actually quite balanced in doubles. There isn't a new Zacian or Incineroar to dominate VGC (yet)

[@Kahadi]

So, a bit unrelated, but I'm wondering about an insane and possibly OP strategy, if it's even possible. Using a combination of things like Trace and Mimic, is it possible to, through some insane strategy, get a Pokemon that can use Last Respects and has the ability Supreme Overlord? Because Supreme Overlord gives a 10% ATK and SP ATK boost for every fainted Pokemon on your team, and Last Respects gains 50 base damage for every fainted Pokemon on your team. So if you could get a Pokemon with both, that would be insane. A 50% boost to your attack, plus a 300 base power attack? Alternatively, according to Serebii, Basculegion can get Last Respects through breeding, and it can have the ability Adaptability, turning STAB to 2x instead of 1.5x, which is also insane with 300 base damage. But I think Supreme Overlord would be even more powerful, if it's even possible

[@thegipper1215]

Rage Fist is absolutely fucking shit up in balancedhackmons rn. It got quickbanned in a day with its snowball potential alongside good as good

[@otttimon5654]

I came up with a moveset with close combat, rage fist, acrobatics, bulk up and most importantly white herb and tera flying. The tactic is to use close combat so whitr herb gets used and then terastalize into a flying type and spam 110 power stab acrobatics

[@thbontyhunter2424]

All these physical attacking monsters makes prankster sableye look real appealing right now

[@tweezy5804]

Wished they would add 6v6 in game ladder, with no animations to speed things up, also an in game battle simulator would be amazingg, and really boost the competitive and adult audience.

[@MateusSFigueiredo]

It's crazy that the game has been out for like a week and there's already competitive strategies and meta

[@kyleheck5363]

I love it when Pokémon from older gens get new evos, especially when they aren’t exclusive to regional forms, and I love even more when they’re cool as fuck and just whoop ass

[@boozados]

So you’re telling me rage fist keeps power after switch out but Regigigas must be on the field for a whole 5 turns without switching out just to be functional. Its all adding up

[@Kahadi]

Well, it's not in the games, so it's possible they'll rebalance Slow Start...

[@Mewseeker]

This video made me imagine Popuko from Pop Team Epic as Annihilape. XD

[@BlastGamer77]

Hisuian Zoroark, completely immune to both of Annihilape's STABs and able to smash it with special moves: "Soon..."

[@jembozaba4864]

If Rage fist was maybe Ghost, physical Stored Power that still worked with getting hit to increase the power. That would be better I think.

[@Kahadi]

I'm not sure what you're trying to say, but Rage Fist is a Ghost-type physical move

[@RohanJoshi910]

@@Kahadihe means to say that Rage Fist would be more balanced if it was a ghost-type physical stored power that boosted by getting hit instead of stat raises.

[@jembozaba4864]

@@Kahadi Basically make it 20 bp instead of 50. Maybe 30 would work too. 50 is just too much

[@Qvartz_Lite]

Annihilape is cool because it's crazy strong, but it also has it's workarounds. Like, I have beaten it easily with Scarf Gengar and Shadow Ball, or Calm Mind Iron Valiant with moon blast. But if it catches me lacking, it's game over

[@swazelton2737]

I've been using scream tail with perish song to deal with it. Real fun doing that

[@tysondennis1016]

I run Tera Grass + Rage Fist + Anger Point + Surging Strikes + Eviolite in VGC.

[@naturalharmoniagropius4486]

When H.Zoroark being added after HOME compatibity comes in 2023, H. Zoroark can wall Annihilape's common moveset, due to Normal/Ghost typing with 3 immunities, plus Illusion ability. Idk if someone tried it in Nat Dex AH

[@mythicalwalrus6291]

I wonder if Annihilape could be a good candidate for weakness policy with rage fist in doubles. Maybe go with a bulky tera ghost set and use fling salac berry on iron bundle to boost speed, rage fist, and attack

[@Kasaaz]

It's telling that in Doubles, most of the time people just use him as a Final Gambit Scarf mon and less often use Beat Up or Population Bomb partners with it.

[@agisuru]

Expect to see eviolite primeape popping up as soon as UU is implemented

[@chaosryans]

Its kind of funny they kind of rolled with the "primeape gets so angry it dies" and then gets an angrier ghost form.