What is OverUsed?
Why and how was OverUsed created, how does it currently work? Will Jon Snow still know nothing at the end of the next episode of GoT? All the answers to these questions (or almost) in this article.
OverUsed (OU) is one of the tiers created to rank Pokémon based on their power in order to balance out 6v6 solo battles. It comes with a set of rules (clauses) which also aim at game balancing.
Although it is the most well-known and most widely used, there are 6 other main tiers: Uber, UnderUsed (UU), RarelyUsed (RU), NeverUsed (NU), Not Fully Evolved (NFE), and Little Cup (LC). The tiers OU, UU, RU, and NU, which could be translated as: Very Used, Less Used, Rarely Used, Never Used, and Never Used, represent the ranking of Pokémon based on their usage rate, which allows their relative power to be assessed fairly reliably; a Pokémon that is widely used will probably be better than a Pokémon that is never used. In fact, players can only use Pokémon that belong to a given tier or to the lower tier(s) during a match.
Each tier also has its own banlist, and it should be noted that the Uber tier was originally just the banlist of the OU tier. However, given the increasing number of Pokémon banned from OU, Uber has become a tier in its own right with its own rules and… its own banlist. A format was thus created: “Anything Goes”. As its name suggests, no restrictions or rules apply in this format, with the exception of the Endless Battle Clause.
Two pillars of the AG
A bit of history
From the release of the first parts of the Pokémon game, its strategic depth was noticed by fans and a competitive community quickly formed, especially on the internet. However, it was not until the arrival of Pokémon Stadium 1* and 2 with their “Poké Cup” game mode that a draft of the tournament rules was proposed by Nintendo. Among these rules we find the first mention of Species Clause, Sleep Clause, Self-KO Clauseas well as a banlist consisting of Mewtwo, Mew, Lugia, Ho-Oh, and Celebi.
Pokémon Stadium “0” and Pokémon Stadium 1*
However, when the 3rd was releasede generation some balancing weaknesses appeared for solo combat, and it was in this context that in 2004, chaoshelped by a few enthusiasts, created the English-language website Smogon University. The goal was then to bring together the international community of players, to ultimately create a healthier and more homogeneous metagame that would better integrate pre-existing rules. It was under this impetus that a first definition of the OU tier was proposed by Smogon.
*The Pokémon Stadium 1 we know is actually the second game in the series, the first having been released only in Japan.
Today
Having become a reference in terms of strategy, Smogon is the source of competitive tiering in Pokémon to this day. In order to maintain a healthy metagame, clauses and bans are regularly reviewed by a Tiering Council (group of members with advanced knowledge of strategy). Two methods are currently used to ban and unban Pokémon:
– THE quickban : ban without vote in the case of an element clearly disrupting the metagame.
– THE suspect test : in more complex cases, the ban or unban of the item is subject to a vote to which only the best players of the simulator can vote. Pokemon Showdown! can take part, in order to avoid the least informed opinions.
How did the Minotaupe ban go in 5G – illustration by MerúM
At present it is reasonable to say that Smogon has achieved its initial goal, despite the inherent difficulties of creating an “ideal” format. The phenomenal popularity of OverUsed in the competitive sphere shows us that, while not perfect, this balancing system can be very effective.
The OU, its rules and its bans
All the following rules were created in order to maximize the tactical and strategic aspect, while minimizing the share of abusive randomness. Furthermore, some rules (the Endless Battle Clause for example) are present in order to preserve fair play (no one wants to endure an endless battle).
Game Restrictions:
– Endless Battle Clause : Players cannot use combinations of attacks, talents and/or items that make the fight endless (Mepo Berry + Recycling + Balance for example).
– Escape Clause : Players cannot use Lilliput and Reflection attacks.
– Moody Clause : Players cannot use Pokémon with the Lunatic Ability.
– OHKO Clause : Players cannot use the attacks Abyss, Impal’Korne, Freeze, or Guillotine.
– Sleep Clause : Players cannot put more than one Pokémon on the opposing team to sleep at a time. If a player has a sleeping Pokémon, their opponent must wait for it to wake up before they can use a sleep attack again. Pokémon that have put themselves to sleep do not count toward this limit (such as from the attack Rest).
– Species Clause : Players cannot have two Pokémon with the same Pokédex number on their team.
– Swagger Clause : Players cannot use the Boast attack.
– Baton Pass Clause : Players cannot have more than one Pokémon with the Relay attack on their team.
– Self-KO Clause (Only applies when there is only one Pokémon left on each team):
+ If a Pokémon uses the attack Destruction, Explosion, Destiny Take, or All or Nothing, its player loses the match, even in the event of a double KO.
+ If a Pokémon uses an attack with knockback damage, or holds a Life Orb while using an offensive attack, its player wins the match in the event of a double KO.
+ If both Pokémon are KO’d by a weather effect or the attack Requiem, the player whose last Pokémon is KO’d wins the match.
+ If a Pokémon’s ability or item causes a double KO (Hard Skin, Raw Helmet, etc.), the player with the Pokémon with that ability or item wins the match.
Banned Pokémon:
– Greninja, Arceus, Blaziken, Darkrai, Deoxys (all forms), Dialga, Aegislash, Genesect, Giratina (all forms), Groudon (all forms), Ho-Oh, Kyogre (all forms), White Kyurem (Black Kyurem and Kyurem allowed), Lugia, Mewtwo, Palkia, Rayquaza, Reshiram, Sky Shaymin (Ground Shaymin allowed), Xerneas, Yveltal, Zekrom.
Banned items:
– Soul Dew, Drattakite, Ectoplasmite, Kangourexite, Lucarite, Mysdibulite.
Hoping to have been able to enlighten you on OverUsed and to have offered you an enjoyable read, do not hesitate to share your comments with me, to which I will respond with pleasure.
Gernulf
