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@@ballisticalriftno, he wants to be the 6 year old girl in the leaked image who is receiving the horse... Good Lord please keep up, this is very important.
I feel Clefable’s buff was a bit understated here, it was so good in Gen 6 that people started using it in Gen 4 and 5 OU, where back in the day it was only considered a UU pokemon at best
That’s actually a common misconception. Clef was used seriously in Gen 4 OU since BW2 times because of how hated Magic Guard was in Gen 5. People just started to think “dang, if ignoring sand and hazards is so good in this powerful meta game, surely it’s even better to do this in a generation with a lower power level compared to gen 5.” Clef just so happened to have solid enough stats and was at the time the only user of Magic Guard
I feel like it works the other way. If clef is so good in gen 4 and 5, did it even get that buffed in gen 6? Yeah it's top 1 in gen 6 but it's top 5 in gen 4.
I mean though clef was definitely buffed, the fact that it was decent in gen 5 OU and became meta defining in gen 4 doesn't make it the greatest candidate, it was more of a previously unexplored Pokemon that got more optimised over time
@@turtle_7777 the thing is that if Cloyster is on the table then Blaziken got it beat by going from decent in UU to decent in Ubers, whereas Cloyster is at the very least less viable in gen 5 Ubers, while being similarly decent in gen 4 UU (I believe)
While I think it deserves an honorable mention, I still think toed is #1. The only reason politoed isn't banned is because gen 5 has always been known as the weather war generation, and people think it defines the tier. Many of the best gen 5 players believe rain shouldve been banned from the getgo, but now it appears to be too late. While yes, some pokemon have risen to ubers, politoed is responsible for multiple pokemon, abilities, and strategies to get banned. It may not be an Uber, but it required the most convoluted set of bannings in smogon's history today in order to allow it, and it still serves as the #1 example to this day for smogon of how not to handle bans. If generation 5 was erased from our memories and then released tomorrow with how tiering philosophy currently is, politoed would be quickbanned.
Honestly, for gens 2 to 3, I think Wobboffet was buffed the most. In gen 2, Wob was in Zu, not even an official tier, I believe. Status, set up moves, or even Simply switching completely counters wob in gen 2. But in gen 3, wob gains some new moves, notably encore, but more importantly, shadow tag. Suddenly, you can't switch out, and trying to set up will lead to being encored, allowing for a safe switch. Trace pokemon can give it trouble, but they weren't really common enough. That and the fact two wobs locked in on each other forces a tie due to gen 3 struggle mechanics, Wob began the first ever non legendary banned from ou.
I was thinking the same thing, except I realized Wynaut probably had even more of a glow up since it got banned in gen 3 too and you know it was worse than ass in gen 2
It's definitely not the biggest glow up, but we gotta take a moment to appreciate Blaziken in Gen 5 going from being stuck in the shadow of Infernape to an Uber level threat all thanks to Speed Boost.
Maybe not the biggest, since wide rules changes had to be made to address the weather problem, but it's definitely close; should've been mentioned over Gliscor, Tentacruel or Alakazam. Went up two tiers, and the hardest ones to rise through at that.
@@DoctorFalchion No, definitely the biggest. Weather was an issue sure, but that's not a one pokemon issue. Blaziken literally had to be banished to ubers and was still competitive there.
Sandaconda also learns High Horsepower. Will Magcargo, Sandaconda, and the mightiest of horses; Regigigas (yeah, they learn it) join forces to enter inside the council?
Yeah but all of those are clearly horses where magcargo isnt. Gotta go with game freak on this one. Horsepower was a reference to engines, not horses. Magcargo is a renowned speedmon, hence it makes sense. You just have to have a high IQ to understand it. Sadly this is lacking in the Pokemon community 🎩💋
Alongside Bisharp, you can argue Serperior got a huge glow up from Gen V to VI. After finally legally getting Contrary, Serperior rose from NU in Gen VI because the ability was not released till around ORAS.
Adding to the many honorable mentions here in the comments, in Generation 5, Cloyster abandoned its defensive spike-setter role. Combined with the Skill Link ability, access to a couple multi-hit moves, a priority stab move, and an option to even run mixed coverage, the introduction of Shell Smash turned this mon, whose stats would suggest physical wall, into a fast offensive powerhouse over night, becoming one of the most terrifying boost sweepers in the game.
I remember when some comment about Clefable at the start of Gen 6 was like "yea, Dragon immunity is nice and all but I don't think it's that good because it lost its Ghost immunity and STAB Double Edge".
I don't know what's more funny: Someone coming off of the back of Gen 5 thinking Dragon immunity wouldn't make a mon by itself, or someone running Double-Edge off of base 70 Attack solely due to Magic Guard.
If we're discounting megas, I'd say serperior had the biggest buff from gen 5 to 6. While bisharp went from UU to OU, serperior went all the way from NU to one of the top threats in OU. Serp didn't have access to contrary in its debut generation, so it could not make use of leaf storm to boost and deal massive damage simultaneously. It could also take advantage of the new sticky webs by allowing it to be a massive counter to webs teams as it gives you a boost. Finally, it benefits from the new buffed defog, as it is an excellent secondary defogger. Serp packed multiple roles as a hazard remover, Para spreader even to ground types, taunt stallbreaker, leech seed staller, revenge killer with scarf sets, and a setup sweeper, and it could do most of these things with a single set despite having a pitifully shallow movepool. It even has access to the new buffed knock off which it uses surprisingly well despite being a special attacker. All of these changes turned serperior from an okay NU pokemon to one of the best in OU over the course of a single generation.
i admit i checked out of gen 8 even casually very early, perhaps ttar is better answer to the question (though i hear in more modern gen 8 it's doing ok)
The correct answer for gen 8 is Kangaskhan, or any Pokémon that lost its Mega for that matter. If you discount that the correct answer is Blaziken, which went from Ubers to UU
@@tecul1it’s either Aegislash, Mimikyu, or the Tapus in Gen 8 All of whom were directly nerfed Also, Gen 7 should be Talonflame, it went from top of the world to a lower class citizen And Gen 9 should be Chansey/Blissey, Toxapex, Landorus-T, Greninja or Regieleki, both of whom were also directly nerfed
What about wobbafett going from gen 2 to 3 It's biggest flaw in gen 2 was that pokemon could switch out of it and now all of a sudden it clicking counter or mirror coat doesn't matter. In gen 3, wobbafett gained the ability shadow tag, allowing it to guarantee its target gets trapped in battle with them. Furthermore, in gen 2 you could max out every single stat, meaning mixed offenses were far more common and consistent- in gen 3, the limit of ev spreading means many pokemon have to focus solely on physical or special attack. This removes the need for prediction on what countering move to click, allowing wobbafett to consistently take out special or physical wall breakers. Not being able to max out stats also means many opposing pokemon may lack hp evs, allowing for wobbafetts counters to be far more dangerous. It also gained encore in the move to gen 2 to 3, allowing it to lock an enemy into 1 moves, which is a very powerful utility. I think it's most notable for wobbafett, as it went from zu in gen 2, to ubers in gen 3.
I get your pick for gen 3, but given that both dug and mag were mentioned for how powerful their trapping abilities were, I think you missed the actual biggest glowup along similar lines: Wobuffet. From ZU to Ubers thanks to Shadow Tag.
If we were counting Mega forms, I'd say the biggest jump in viability brought by mega forms would be Beedrill. It wasn't ranked OU, but considering it wound up in UU after being one of the absolute worst, most unviable Pokemon ever designed, I'd say that's a pretty significant buff.
Quagsire getting Unaware from gen4 to 5. If Quag didn't get unaware, it would get so bodied, because it would be outclassed by everything. But Unaware giving him stardom in literally every tier is FUNNY. Especially when in gen8 it was literally the only check to Zacien before DLC ahahahah
I feel like of all time, snorlax got the most buffed in any generational shift. They gave him return, curse, a buffed double edge, a body slam that could paralyze normal types, a large special defense stat, leftovers, sleep talk, etc. They really made GSC Snorlax one of the strongest Pokémon in the franchise. Period.
Mr. Cool, I regret to inform you that Macargo does not, in fact, learn the move High Horsepower, and can only come into possession of it through the hard work of its pre-evolved form, Slugma, who I propose should be recognized by the horse council instead.
Were it not for translation I'd have guessed that Magcargo learns High Horsepower exclusively because Drwamworks' Turbo has associated snails with fast cars. I don't hear ppl talking about that movie enough.
Azumaril might be the most consistently buffed mon in the series. Starting as unviable for NU in Gen 2 it got better with each game, starting with its great ability in Gen 3, the phys special split in Gen 4 and having a big niche in Gen 5 OU due to all the rain and I believe it also got Aqua Jet at this point. Then becoming an OU staple with its gen 6 typing buff to water fairy. That’s 4 Generations in succession where it got major buffs
Gen 6 was also the first time Azumarill could legally use Belly Drum and Aqua Jet at the same time. Those moves can only come from different parents, so it was impossible to get both until female Pokemon could also pass on Egg Moves in Gen 6.
To me I think the biggest glow-up was Wobbuffet in ADV, going from something that is in the most literal sense useless if it's facing two or more Pokemon, a Pokemon with Toxic, a Pokemon with a setup move, etc, into something that cannot be countered.
you forgot speed boost Blaziken! he went from being a slow mid tier attacker to Ubers for like a decade... I think that's at least an honorable mention.
Dang Bisharp for Gen 6, I would’ve said Serperior since it was truly terrible in Gen 5, whereas Bisharp was a relatively decent Pokemon before the buffs. Good video!
My favourite buffs were to Blaziken and Weavile because they're two of my favourite 'mons and they both became super strong after being buffed, which made me happy.
I might be biased because it's my favourite Pokémon, but what about serperior? Him gaining contrary in gen 6 was a huge buff, pushing up a NU Pokémon to OU status which holds to this day
macargo learns high horse power because he has car in his name, not because he is a horse (he is a slug). He is a phony, an impostor if you will. Request to join the council denied.
Great topic ans great video! For Gen 8 though I think you'd be doing a disservice to the generation to not mention the changes to Teleport and it's impact on mons like the Slow Twins :D
I would say clefable had the biggest buff in gen 6, simply bc that change with everything else made it a staple for the next 5 gens where other mons quickly fell out of use. I know it saw play b4 that but even so it is just peaking that much harder to give it the edge over Azumarill
For future reference, "benefactor" doesn't mean "one who benefits," it means "one who gives benefits to others." I think the word you're looking for is "beneficiary."
So basically once the meta wasn't just Psychic types, the same wild versatility that makes Nidoking the Gen 1 Speedrunner made him good competitively lol
In my opinion blaziken has to be the most buffed pokemon in gen 5. Speed bost made it a beast of a pokemon and even if you knew exactly what was coming, it was so hard to stop.
Shoutouts to base Kyurem who went from RUBL in Gens 6 and 7 to banned to Ubers in Gen 8 thanks to how absurd the sheer number of sets it had were to deal with
Very surprised that Kyurem-B wasn’t the pick for gen 8. 700 BST box legendary trapped in OU for 3 gens straight, only took two moves to bump it up to true Uber status. Truly always the bridesmaid, never the bride.
Of course Macargo is a horse. Ma, in chinese, means horse (马). Therefore his real name is Horse Cargo, aka a horse with a shell, or even Horse Car Go, the pure embodiment of horsepower. Theres no way he should be left off of the council.
I would've liked to have seen this concept as two videos. Many of the mons mentioned here aren't actually suddenly much more viable because they were "buffed" per se, but work better in the new meta game due to other changes such as dex cuts, move pool cuts for other mons, or other effects like spike immunity being relevant. Rimbombee being a big example of a mon you award who wasn't actually "buffed". Could do a video on indirect buffs and one on direct buffs, perhaps.
Clefable was literally my favorite and strongest pokemon when I first played Red as a kid. I don't know why, but something about it just clicked with me and I ended up using it like crazy until it was like 20 levels higher than all my other pokemon. Whenever I got into a tight spot, Clefable had my back. Seeing it go from a rather mediocore pokemon to the gem it is today has been a 10/10 experience. It is a staple "put on every team, regardless of whether its balanced or not" in every single pokemon game I've played.
I was surprised Cloyster was not mentioned at all in Gen 5, getting Shell Smash turned into one of the most terrifying sweepers whose power levels are still influencing the Gen 5 metagame today. I’d argue it would still be discussed even without permanent rain. Though I suppose Politoed was way worse than Cloyster in the previous gens, Cloyster at least was usable/popular in previous gens.
If we're allowing ubers, Wobuffet (gen 3) should be a contender over Dugtrio. Going from a useless gimmick to instant death is certainly a shift in competitive viability.
i was actually so happy to hear that alomamola was great now. i really liked its design and always felt that it was just *so close* to being good. glad to see this fish finally reaching OU status :)
surprised no mention of the slowtwins and the advent of buffed teleport and future sight, alongside hdb. those two basically defined the tier in their respective defensive capabilities.
the funny thing about gen 6 clefable is that it seemed like an insane glow-up at the time, but after seeing how good it was with the fairy type, people tried it in earlier gens and it's currently ranked B+ in gen 5 (same as Heatran and Latias) and A+ rank in gen 4. there's a strong argument to be made that its real glow-up actually happened in gen 4, not gen 6, and that it was buffed even more than scizor was despite the fact that it took years for this to be discovered
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Excited to see Zebstrika skyrocket in competitive use after the addition of the "horse" type next generation
Vaush will love that.
@@wenxiwu6480he wants to BE the horse
Unfortunately, zebstrika was burdened with the terrible zebra/electric type combo in gen 10
@@ballisticalriftno, he wants to be the 6 year old girl in the leaked image who is receiving the horse... Good Lord please keep up, this is very important.
The horse is lorse
One of the best glow ups is tauros in gen 1, going from not existing to becoming one of the best pokemon
I feel Clefable’s buff was a bit understated here, it was so good in Gen 6 that people started using it in Gen 4 and 5 OU, where back in the day it was only considered a UU pokemon at best
That’s actually a common misconception. Clef was used seriously in Gen 4 OU since BW2 times because of how hated Magic Guard was in Gen 5. People just started to think “dang, if ignoring sand and hazards is so good in this powerful meta game, surely it’s even better to do this in a generation with a lower power level compared to gen 5.” Clef just so happened to have solid enough stats and was at the time the only user of Magic Guard
I feel like it works the other way. If clef is so good in gen 4 and 5, did it even get that buffed in gen 6? Yeah it's top 1 in gen 6 but it's top 5 in gen 4.
I mean though clef was definitely buffed, the fact that it was decent in gen 5 OU and became meta defining in gen 4 doesn't make it the greatest candidate, it was more of a previously unexplored Pokemon that got more optimised over time
For anyone who didn't watch the video or read the title, Mr. Cool went over the best Competitive Pokémon Glow-Ups.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Nah.
Yeah.
iron mugulis will always hold a special spot in my heart but this new horse lore goes hard and i appreciate freshening things up a little
I'm mostly here for Jimothy Lore. Shit be having me on the floor. This horse council shit is funny AF...
What episode did Mugulis stuff wnd
Surprised that there was no mention of cloyster. That dude was pushed hard with shell smash and skill link.
At least he made whole video about it
@havierbardem820are we ignoring how cloyster went from UU to UBER from 4-> 5?
@@turtle_7777 the thing is that if Cloyster is on the table then Blaziken got it beat by going from decent in UU to decent in Ubers, whereas Cloyster is at the very least less viable in gen 5 Ubers, while being similarly decent in gen 4 UU (I believe)
Icicle Spear buffed from 10 to 25
While I think it deserves an honorable mention, I still think toed is #1. The only reason politoed isn't banned is because gen 5 has always been known as the weather war generation, and people think it defines the tier. Many of the best gen 5 players believe rain shouldve been banned from the getgo, but now it appears to be too late. While yes, some pokemon have risen to ubers, politoed is responsible for multiple pokemon, abilities, and strategies to get banned. It may not be an Uber, but it required the most convoluted set of bannings in smogon's history today in order to allow it, and it still serves as the #1 example to this day for smogon of how not to handle bans. If generation 5 was erased from our memories and then released tomorrow with how tiering philosophy currently is, politoed would be quickbanned.
Ampharos, Umbreon, Xurtiktree, Lanturn, Volbeat, Manaphy, & Lumineon are the true greatest Pokémon glow-ups.
Smart comment. I think Xurtiktree glows too
@@SilverScarletSpider True! I love Xurtiktree, thank you for reminding me :]
I really like umbreon and lanturn and I'm happy to see them having their glow ups :^]
And all of them should learn tail glow because it'd be very funny
Your @ and pfp combo is EXTREMELY good. Awesome person
Honestly, for gens 2 to 3, I think Wobboffet was buffed the most.
In gen 2, Wob was in Zu, not even an official tier, I believe. Status, set up moves, or even Simply switching completely counters wob in gen 2.
But in gen 3, wob gains some new moves, notably encore, but more importantly, shadow tag. Suddenly, you can't switch out, and trying to set up will lead to being encored, allowing for a safe switch. Trace pokemon can give it trouble, but they weren't really common enough. That and the fact two wobs locked in on each other forces a tie due to gen 3 struggle mechanics, Wob began the first ever non legendary banned from ou.
I was thinking the same thing, except I realized Wynaut probably had even more of a glow up since it got banned in gen 3 too and you know it was worse than ass in gen 2
@@duckyay3439 Yeah, Wynaut was really bad in gen 2. Some would say nonexistent.
Yup, absolutely
“Wob was in Zu” sounds like alien speak lmao
It's definitely not the biggest glow up, but we gotta take a moment to appreciate Blaziken in Gen 5 going from being stuck in the shadow of Infernape to an Uber level threat all thanks to Speed Boost.
Speed boost brought this guy from KFC to Ubers. More than noteworthy.
Maybe not the biggest, since wide rules changes had to be made to address the weather problem, but it's definitely close; should've been mentioned over Gliscor, Tentacruel or Alakazam. Went up two tiers, and the hardest ones to rise through at that.
@@DoctorFalchion No, definitely the biggest. Weather was an issue sure, but that's not a one pokemon issue. Blaziken literally had to be banished to ubers and was still competitive there.
Sandaconda also learns High Horsepower. Will Magcargo, Sandaconda, and the mightiest of horses; Regigigas (yeah, they learn it) join forces to enter inside the council?
Barboach is the strongest horse
Magcargo is just a rapidash that got sent to the glue factory
Don't forget that Rillaboom and mamoswine also learn high horsepower as well
Yeah but all of those are clearly horses where magcargo isnt. Gotta go with game freak on this one. Horsepower was a reference to engines, not horses. Magcargo is a renowned speedmon, hence it makes sense. You just have to have a high IQ to understand it. Sadly this is lacking in the Pokemon community 🎩💋
@@Will-uv9kxMagcargo has car in his name, which is why he learns the move. He is a car pokemon.
Perhaps you haven't realized yet... The only reason you were the strongest rain setter in OU history... Was simply because... I wasn't buffed yet.
-pelliper to politoad
I am very excited to see the top comment of this video (it will be the first line of the video)
I gotchu
this is insane
Ron Paul 2012
You may have just broken the mold.
Jokes on you
Jimothy seems to have forgotten that Tauros being completely unvisited in Gen 0 to dominating in Gen 1
Gen 0 is my favorite gen competitively
Alongside Bisharp, you can argue Serperior got a huge glow up from Gen V to VI. After finally legally getting Contrary, Serperior rose from NU in Gen VI because the ability was not released till around ORAS.
I can't believe I forgot about Serperior. Yes, this beats Bisharp by a mile just from tiering alone
To Magcargo:
You’re on the council, but we do not grant you the title of horse
I actually think Serperior got the biggest buff in gen 6 with contrary. From absolutely garbage mon in gen 5 to a very good OU mon in gen 6!
Adding to the many honorable mentions here in the comments, in Generation 5, Cloyster abandoned its defensive spike-setter role. Combined with the Skill Link ability, access to a couple multi-hit moves, a priority stab move, and an option to even run mixed coverage, the introduction of Shell Smash turned this mon, whose stats would suggest physical wall, into a fast offensive powerhouse over night, becoming one of the most terrifying boost sweepers in the game.
clefable was one of my favorites in gen 6. Magic guard plus life orb plus huge move pool and healing makes an insane mon
it also got a stat buff too right?
Only played till Gen 5, did it still have Soft-boiled in Gen 6?
A Lava Snail? With high horse power?
This is insane.
A lava horse*
why cant a snail be a horse? are horses suddenly not allowed to be non-quadrupedal and be made out of lava? Are you a horse expert?
@@_elynas no
i'm a snail expert
this is because marcargo is based off of turbo from hit 2013 movie: turbo
At this time of day? At this time of year?
best glow up of all time was when iron mugulis got alakazam's signature move 'kinesis' during the washing machine dlc
I can’t believe this. Another Jimothy Cool video. This is epic.
Zamazenta is my favourite glow up winning 2 regionals in gen 9 when no one used it in gen 8 is crazy
Crazy what being a Box Legendary with a move that actually synergizes with your role can do
I remember when some comment about Clefable at the start of Gen 6 was like "yea, Dragon immunity is nice and all but I don't think it's that good because it lost its Ghost immunity and STAB Double Edge".
I don't know what's more funny: Someone coming off of the back of Gen 5 thinking Dragon immunity wouldn't make a mon by itself, or someone running Double-Edge off of base 70 Attack solely due to Magic Guard.
@@christiancinnabars1402 tbf, it does use double edge in gen 4 uu
If we're discounting megas, I'd say serperior had the biggest buff from gen 5 to 6. While bisharp went from UU to OU, serperior went all the way from NU to one of the top threats in OU. Serp didn't have access to contrary in its debut generation, so it could not make use of leaf storm to boost and deal massive damage simultaneously. It could also take advantage of the new sticky webs by allowing it to be a massive counter to webs teams as it gives you a boost. Finally, it benefits from the new buffed defog, as it is an excellent secondary defogger. Serp packed multiple roles as a hazard remover, Para spreader even to ground types, taunt stallbreaker, leech seed staller, revenge killer with scarf sets, and a setup sweeper, and it could do most of these things with a single set despite having a pitifully shallow movepool. It even has access to the new buffed knock off which it uses surprisingly well despite being a special attacker. All of these changes turned serperior from an okay NU pokemon to one of the best in OU over the course of a single generation.
Now, my friend Jimothy, do the reverse. The most Nerfed pokemon of every generation.
2: Tauros, 3: Golem, 4: Charizard, 5: every Rotom forme except Wash, 6: Ninetales, 7: Keldeo, 8: Kommo-o
@@tecul1 Kommo-o on gen 9 is crazy, dude Tyranitar is barely holding on UU.
i admit i checked out of gen 8 even casually very early, perhaps ttar is better answer to the question (though i hear in more modern gen 8 it's doing ok)
The correct answer for gen 8 is Kangaskhan, or any Pokémon that lost its Mega for that matter. If you discount that the correct answer is Blaziken, which went from Ubers to UU
@@tecul1it’s either Aegislash, Mimikyu, or the Tapus in Gen 8
All of whom were directly nerfed
Also, Gen 7 should be Talonflame, it went from top of the world to a lower class citizen
And Gen 9 should be Chansey/Blissey, Toxapex, Landorus-T, Greninja or Regieleki, both of whom were also directly nerfed
What about wobbafett going from gen 2 to 3
It's biggest flaw in gen 2 was that pokemon could switch out of it and now all of a sudden it clicking counter or mirror coat doesn't matter. In gen 3, wobbafett gained the ability shadow tag, allowing it to guarantee its target gets trapped in battle with them.
Furthermore, in gen 2 you could max out every single stat, meaning mixed offenses were far more common and consistent- in gen 3, the limit of ev spreading means many pokemon have to focus solely on physical or special attack. This removes the need for prediction on what countering move to click, allowing wobbafett to consistently take out special or physical wall breakers.
Not being able to max out stats also means many opposing pokemon may lack hp evs, allowing for wobbafetts counters to be far more dangerous.
It also gained encore in the move to gen 2 to 3, allowing it to lock an enemy into 1 moves, which is a very powerful utility.
I think it's most notable for wobbafett, as it went from zu in gen 2, to ubers in gen 3.
I get your pick for gen 3, but given that both dug and mag were mentioned for how powerful their trapping abilities were, I think you missed the actual biggest glowup along similar lines: Wobuffet. From ZU to Ubers thanks to Shadow Tag.
From unusable in standard play to unusable in standard play. . .
It's an unspoken rule that any video featuring Gyarados, Waterfall, Jirachi, or flinch chances has to display the "unfortunate doesn't even" game.
8:49 the perfect clip to showcase gyarados' glow-up lmao
It didn't just destroy Pokémon, it destroyed players as well
Whenever a new Pokémon title is released, the competitive metagame drastically changes.
As new mechanics, options and entirely new Pokémon completely redefining what is considered top tier
Some Pokemon maintain their competitive relevance from game-to-game, if they're fundamentally strong enough and prove useful in the new title.
If we were counting Mega forms, I'd say the biggest jump in viability brought by mega forms would be Beedrill. It wasn't ranked OU, but considering it wound up in UU after being one of the absolute worst, most unviable Pokemon ever designed, I'd say that's a pretty significant buff.
8:46 Great choice of game to demonstrate the power of Gyarados
Quagsire getting Unaware from gen4 to 5. If Quag didn't get unaware, it would get so bodied, because it would be outclassed by everything. But Unaware giving him stardom in literally every tier is FUNNY.
Especially when in gen8 it was literally the only check to Zacien before DLC ahahahah
You definitely missed Wobbuffet’s huge buff moving from Gen 2 to Gen 3
Using the lavos game for the Gyarados segment is crazy
I feel like of all time, snorlax got the most buffed in any generational shift. They gave him return, curse, a buffed double edge, a body slam that could paralyze normal types, a large special defense stat, leftovers, sleep talk, etc. They really made GSC Snorlax one of the strongest Pokémon in the franchise. Period.
Mr. Cool, I regret to inform you that Macargo does not, in fact, learn the move High Horsepower, and can only come into possession of it through the hard work of its pre-evolved form, Slugma, who I propose should be recognized by the horse council instead.
Sharpness Gallade gives me LIFE
Were it not for translation I'd have guessed that Magcargo learns High Horsepower exclusively because Drwamworks' Turbo has associated snails with fast cars. I don't hear ppl talking about that movie enough.
Zamazenta-Crowned, going from probably the worst box legendary ever to top tier VGC threat
Azumaril might be the most consistently buffed mon in the series.
Starting as unviable for NU in Gen 2 it got better with each game, starting with its great ability in Gen 3, the phys special split in Gen 4 and having a big niche in Gen 5 OU due to all the rain and I believe it also got Aqua Jet at this point. Then becoming an OU staple with its gen 6 typing buff to water fairy.
That’s 4 Generations in succession where it got major buffs
Bro, your content is fire these days.
Let's see you reach 100000 subs
Gen 6 was also the first time Azumarill could legally use Belly Drum and Aqua Jet at the same time. Those moves can only come from different parents, so it was impossible to get both until female Pokemon could also pass on Egg Moves in Gen 6.
My favorite buff is seeing Zamazenta get Body press. Bro went from dogwater to the Top Dog, and thats even with eating multiple nerfs at the same time
I would say the biggest buff in gen 6 was Serperior, basicly useless in gen 5 but with contrary it became a monster
This was a fun video Mr. Cool. I enjoyed trying to guess each mon.
It's unfortunate magcargo will never get a glowup. Since it's already the peak of power, it cannot go any higher
To me I think the biggest glow-up was Wobbuffet in ADV, going from something that is in the most literal sense useless if it's facing two or more Pokemon, a Pokemon with Toxic, a Pokemon with a setup move, etc, into something that cannot be countered.
Blaziken got snubbed...he went straight to ubers when he got speed boost lol.
you forgot speed boost Blaziken! he went from being a slow mid tier attacker to Ubers for like a decade... I think that's at least an honorable mention.
Dang Bisharp for Gen 6, I would’ve said Serperior since it was truly terrible in Gen 5, whereas Bisharp was a relatively decent Pokemon before the buffs. Good video!
My favourite buffs were to Blaziken and Weavile because they're two of my favourite 'mons and they both became super strong after being buffed, which made me happy.
Whenever a new pokemon title is released, the competitive metagame drastically changes!
I might be biased because it's my favourite Pokémon, but what about serperior? Him gaining contrary in gen 6 was a huge buff, pushing up a NU Pokémon to OU status which holds to this day
macargo learns high horse power because he has car in his name, not because he is a horse (he is a slug). He is a phony, an impostor if you will. Request to join the council denied.
Great topic ans great video!
For Gen 8 though I think you'd be doing a disservice to the generation to not mention the changes to Teleport and it's impact on mons like the Slow Twins :D
I would say clefable had the biggest buff in gen 6, simply bc that change with everything else made it a staple for the next 5 gens where other mons quickly fell out of use. I know it saw play b4 that but even so it is just peaking that much harder to give it the edge over Azumarill
Serperior in the forgotten real,come on jimothy...
Nidoking seeing usage in gen 5(?) after getting sheer force was a big glow up.
I would include Skill Link Cloyster and eviolite chansey
My favorite buff has got to be Empoleon getting Roost and Competitive! I hope he gets back Scald next Gen, too!
You forgot to mention the new item choice band that is required on dugtrio
I'm very disappointed to not see Blaziken in gen 5, with Speed Boost. You know, the first starter to ever get banned?
Excadrill also knows horse power. Therefore, it is also a horse.
For future reference, "benefactor" doesn't mean "one who benefits," it means "one who gives benefits to others." I think the word you're looking for is "beneficiary."
Clefable 🤝 Volcarona
Becoming better with each generation
There are so many pokemon who deserve buffs, Vespiquen is one of my favourite bugs buts its literaly dead in 2 turns
So basically once the meta wasn't just Psychic types, the same wild versatility that makes Nidoking the Gen 1 Speedrunner made him good competitively lol
surprised with no ditto mention, just a funny little, uh, something
What would have happened if Snorlax was one of the Normal types changed to Fairy in Gen 6?
The Magcargo theory is 100% valid. It's MagCarGo. Car go? A car can only go with a solid amount of horse power.
In my opinion blaziken has to be the most buffed pokemon in gen 5. Speed bost made it a beast of a pokemon and even if you knew exactly what was coming, it was so hard to stop.
Hot take: Dugtrio's Area trap is a Domain expansion 😤
Shoutouts to base Kyurem who went from RUBL in Gens 6 and 7 to banned to Ubers in Gen 8 thanks to how absurd the sheer number of sets it had were to deal with
My support goes out to Magcargo, he will be a powerful force on the horse council
Very surprised that Kyurem-B wasn’t the pick for gen 8. 700 BST box legendary trapped in OU for 3 gens straight, only took two moves to bump it up to true Uber status. Truly always the bridesmaid, never the bride.
The list isnt including mons that get banned. Its about new gens gifting mons tools that place them into viability in standard play (OU).
Of course Macargo is a horse. Ma, in chinese, means horse (马). Therefore his real name is Horse Cargo, aka a horse with a shell, or even Horse Car Go, the pure embodiment of horsepower. Theres no way he should be left off of the council.
Blaziken getting speed boost and going from UU to Ubers is my gen 5 pick
Snorlax may be the posterboy, but I'd personally give gen 2 to Machamp
I would've liked to have seen this concept as two videos. Many of the mons mentioned here aren't actually suddenly much more viable because they were "buffed" per se, but work better in the new meta game due to other changes such as dex cuts, move pool cuts for other mons, or other effects like spike immunity being relevant. Rimbombee being a big example of a mon you award who wasn't actually "buffed". Could do a video on indirect buffs and one on direct buffs, perhaps.
I would have given the Gen9 most buffed pokemon to Gallade. That thing is so busted
It’s only not there because it’s still NU at the end of S/V
Still better than dropping to ZU
Clefable was literally my favorite and strongest pokemon when I first played Red as a kid. I don't know why, but something about it just clicked with me and I ended up using it like crazy until it was like 20 levels higher than all my other pokemon. Whenever I got into a tight spot, Clefable had my back. Seeing it go from a rather mediocore pokemon to the gem it is today has been a 10/10 experience. It is a staple "put on every team, regardless of whether its balanced or not" in every single pokemon game I've played.
I was surprised Cloyster was not mentioned at all in Gen 5, getting Shell Smash turned into one of the most terrifying sweepers whose power levels are still influencing the Gen 5 metagame today. I’d argue it would still be discussed even without permanent rain. Though I suppose Politoed was way worse than Cloyster in the previous gens, Cloyster at least was usable/popular in previous gens.
“Jimothy, the horse is here”
How is he supposed to ride precisely 0.015% of a Magcargo?
Whenever a new Pokémon title is released the competitive meta game drastically changes
Really fascinating ❤ cheers
You forgot Aerodactyl getting access to Rock Slide is a buff in it of itself on top of Rock Head giving it no recoil to Double-Edge.
for gen 4 I think clefable did also deserves a mention.
Also for gen 8 the slowtwins.
If we're allowing ubers, Wobuffet (gen 3) should be a contender over Dugtrio. Going from a useless gimmick to instant death is certainly a shift in competitive viability.
8:46 the mcmeghan vs lavos flinch lmfaooooo
I'm surprised you discussed Aerodactyl in gen 3 without once mentioning the fact that it finally got access to a decent STAB move in Rock Slide.
I'm glad to see my man Alomomola getting love. Defensive Pokemon wreak havoc.
I think the most buffed mon in gn 6 was serperior who went from very bad to very good after gaining its hidden ability contrary
And even more deadly in Gen 9, with Tera Stellar
The Snorlax called watón XD i'm sure that guy is chilean, since here we use that Word (but written guatón)
i was actually so happy to hear that alomamola was great now. i really liked its design and always felt that it was just *so close* to being good. glad to see this fish finally reaching OU status :)
surprised no mention of the slowtwins and the advent of buffed teleport and future sight, alongside hdb. those two basically defined the tier in their respective defensive capabilities.
Whenever a new Pokémon title is released, the competitive metagame drastically changes, with new mechanics, options, and entirely new Pokémon.
Completely redefining what is considered top tier.
the funny thing about gen 6 clefable is that it seemed like an insane glow-up at the time, but after seeing how good it was with the fairy type, people tried it in earlier gens and it's currently ranked B+ in gen 5 (same as Heatran and Latias) and A+ rank in gen 4. there's a strong argument to be made that its real glow-up actually happened in gen 4, not gen 6, and that it was buffed even more than scizor was despite the fact that it took years for this to be discovered
my favorite buff is Sableye into gens 5 and 6, gave the little guy something to do in gen 5 and then made them an even bigger menace the following gen