Competitive
Meta
The most-used Pokémon on Pokémon Showdown, from Smogon's monthly usage statistics. Pick a Pokémon to see the moves, items, and spreads players run on it.
What do these formats mean?
Smogon splits competitive play into tiers by how often Pokémon are used, so that less popular Pokémon still have a format where they can compete. Each tier bans the Pokémon from the tiers above it.
- OU
- OverUsed. Smogon's standard singles format and the most popular. Any Pokémon is allowed except those too strong for it, which are moved to Ubers.
- Ubers
- The most powerful Pokémon, such as most box-art legendaries, that are banned from OU. Almost anything goes.
- UU
- UnderUsed. Pokémon that aren't used enough to be in OU. OU and Ubers Pokémon are banned, so weaker Pokémon get to shine.
- RU
- RarelyUsed. The tier below UU: Pokémon from UU and above are banned.
- NU
- NeverUsed. The tier below RU: Pokémon from RU and above are banned.
- PU
- The tier below NU: Pokémon from NU and above are banned. Its name started as a community joke and doesn't officially stand for anything.
- National Dex
- OU-style rules, but Pokémon, moves, and items missing from Scarlet and Violet are allowed, including Mega Evolutions.
- Doubles OU
- Smogon's standard doubles format: each player has two Pokémon in battle at once.
- VGC 2026
- The official Pokémon doubles format used at Nintendo tournaments, including the World Championships. Players bring six Pokémon and choose four for each battle.
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Usage ranking
Usage data from Smogon via pkmn. Percentages are weighted toward higher-rated players.