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Gym Meta/Defender Lineup

With Sinnoh around the corner (probably the end of October), it seems that the gym meta might get shaken ever so slightly.

Movesets pending, there are a few defensive powerhouses that will wall Machamp, and because the objective is to force switches, waste time, drain phone batteries etc. it seems that gyms at high motivation will do just that. Here’s what I think the ideal lineup will be after Gen. 4’s release:
1. Blissey - Obviously
2. Togekiss - Double resistance to fighting, high bulk and attack
3. Snorlax* - Same reasoning as now
4. Drifblim - Triple(!) resists Machamp, 300 stamina, sort of decent attack stat
5. Chansey - Same reasoning as now
6. 6th slot is up in the air, some contenders: Rhyperior, Tangrowth, Mamoswine, Magnezone, Dragonite, Gyarados, Slaking, Milotic, Gardevoir

*Body Slam Snorlax is arguably better than Chansey, but the two could be switched

What do you think? Any I’m missing or any that I’ve included that you think shouldn’t be there?

Asked by aaronconlin5 years 6 months ago
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Answers

by ghao89 5 years 6 months ago

Not quite familiar with Gen 4, but like the beautiful pretty creature Milotic on the top of a gym.

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Can’t believe I forgot about Milotic! Mine has seen quite a bit of use, I like the dragon tail/blizzard moveset to deter dragon attackers

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I hate blizzard because it really hurts my Zapdos.
And don't ask me to use Raikou, that's not my team mascot.

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A move set is key to discerning defensive potential. Drifblim is like reverse Gengar. Why not put Crobat with Air Slash against fighting and the quick Sludge Bomb charge attack who has a capable resistance against fighting as well? Rhyperior has 2 double weaknesses that nearly anyone can exploit even more so with the upcoming Community Day and Frenzy Plant Venusaur. I could see a high level Swalot, Lanturn, Tentacruel, Slowbro. I personally designate defenders on the weather, especially using Poison after Normal types on Cloudy days to benefit from their resistance to fighting and fairy resistance just to create friction.

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Although this game is heavily weighted towards attackers, I wish more people would think about what they put in gyms & in which order. A gym with alternate normal tanks & psychic/flying/fairy mons is a pain to take down but you don't see it very often, not where I live in the UK anyway. Most will fill with the highest cp they've got or annoyingly with rubbish they've just caught.

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People don't think about what to put in because the defense meta is near non existent.

Sure a gym with six strong defenders can deter some people but no more than that; if I see one I'll put in my Blissey. Maybe it will deter someone whose in a hurry to get to work.

If I see a gym with garbage defenders I'll put in Pidgey.

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Even in highly competitive Singapore, Rhydon and Tyranitar are common sights in gyms, because what matters is whether the Blissey is fed golden razzberries. (However, a Pidgey will be shaved off, sometimes in minutes.)

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Don't forget how annoyingly common Aggron is.
And Chansey isn't as common as it should be. I like it as it is because I often attack GRB-defended gyms to farm gym badges, and I don't like Chansey in the first 3 defenders when attacking. If it's the first, I try to shave it off before going through the remaining 5 at once.

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I saw a gym yesterday that had only Blissey, Chancey, and Snorlax. A gym like that is just begging to be Dynamic Punched.

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True, but they still share a common weakness. If I can sweep the entire gym with one Pokemon I'll be much more inclined to take it down than if weaknesses and resistances are staggered.

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I would still rank Chansey above BS Snorlax, I think time is more valuable than healing items, but like you said they can be switched and the difference won't be massive. Rhyperior, Mamoswine and Magneton are weak to Machamp, we will undoubtedly see them in gyms due to their high CP and novelty but I don't think any of them is a good defender that deserves a spot in the meta lineup.

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When it comes to pure defense, I would probably add Mamoswine as Mamoswine with double Ice Moves would cause anyone using a Dragon to sweep gyms to have to swap out, and likely cause most Grass attackers to pause. (Which could offset the weakness to Fighting somewhat.)

When it comes to the overall gym defense, though, nothing beats the GR Defense. Meaning you need people actively feeding it berries - so you want "rare" Pokémon in the gym in that will keep people watching the gym. So Tyranitar, Tangrowth, Milotic and Gardevoir are likely good idea's everywhere, while Gyrados, Slaking, Magnezone and Rhyperior are good in places where there biome doesn't spam you with their basic forms.

Entice people to toss out 10 Nanabs or Pinaps on a Ttar, then they toss that 1 GR on a Blissey when they see it's under attack so they can come back in a few minutes to feed more of the Nanabs or Pinaps again, trying to get those elusive Candy rewards.

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