>>44125170Longtime singles player:
>Opinion on stealth rockA fantastic meta addition that nerfed the stall-oriented playstyle that plagued gen2 and gen3 singles.
Note that 30% of Gen3 OU are flyers or levitators (Aero, Claydol, Flygon, Forretress, Gengar, Gyarados, Moltres, Mence, Skarmory, Zapdos) that are immune to Spikes damage. In addition to sandstorm residual damage, it was fairly one-dimensional to play around these hazards (Aero, Claydol, and Flygon were OU mons that were immune to both of these).
By adding different types of hazards in Gen4 (including Toxic spikes and the type-based Stealth Rock), it became an important strategy to eliminate hazards during play. Rapid spinning became more important, so spinblocking subsequently became an important component of the meta as well.
That being said, SR hasn’t been very fair or kind to shitmons who are weak to rock. I think it would have been reasonable for SR to damage flyers/levitators for 25% on switch-in instead of mons weak to rock as
>>44126616 suggested, because I think the former were the primary reason that SR was implemented in the first place after Gen3.
