Here’s Why Flutter Mane and Houndstone Are Banned in Smogon’s Pokemon Scarlet and Violet OU

In a unanimous decision, the tiering council for the top competitive Pokemon site Smogon has decided to ban both Flutter Mane and Houndstone from its OverUsed metagame. Seven ‘mons were up for banning, including Chien-Pao, Palafin, Roaring Moon, Iron Valiant, and Cyclizar. But, the only ones who received unanimous support for removal were Flutter Mane and Houndstone. Read on to learn why!

In the Case of Flutter Mane

“While surface level attributes such as an elite combination of top-tier special attacking and speed stats go a long way alone, this truly is just what opens the door For Flutter Mane,” user Finchinator said in the announcement. It’d seem that, in the case of Flutter Mane, this decision was largely made based on their abilities. Flutter Shy can learn Mystical Fire, Psyshock, Calm Mind, and Substitute, which, when combined, can inordinately benefit the trainer, according to Finchinator.

In the Case of Houndstone

In the case of Houndstone, the decision was made predominantly because of one move: Last Respects. For those unaware, Last Respects is a move that has more of an impact for every fainted ‘mon on your team. If a trainer used it when Houndstone was the last active ‘mon, the effect would be monumental.

To be fair, the idea of banning the move rather than banning the ‘mon was discussed, according to Finchinator. But, given that Houndstone is the only ‘mon who can learn Last Respects, that didn’t seem like a viable option. “You cannot alienate a singular move as being banworthy if only a single Pokemon learns it; the necessary burden of proof for banning a move would be it directly causing multiple Pokemon to be banworthy,” Finchinator wrote.

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They followed this decision up with stating that if, at any point, another ‘mon is capable of using Last Respects, they may opt to reverse the ban on the ‘mon and shift it to the move itself. But, until that day, Houndstone joins Flutter Shy as the first two banned ‘mons in the Scarlet and Violet OverUsed meta.