Smogon Gen 9 OU Meta Report — July 2026

Great Tusk led Smogon Gen 9 OU with 32.83% usage in June 2026 (-2.10 pts vs May), ahead of Gholdengo (27.20%) and Kingambit (23.89%) across 767,456 ladder battles. The tables below are generated directly from Smogon's weighted usage statistics; the analysis that follows is grounded in those numbers.

Usage at a glance — June 2026

What changed since May 2026

Ladder volume went from 942,140 battles in May to 767,456 in Jun.

Risers

Fallers

New to the meta (crossed 2% usage)

Dropped out (fell below 2% usage)

Notable set changes

How the builds themselves moved — each option's share of that Pokémon's own usage:

Where the meta stands

Great Tusk remains the format's anchor at 32.83%, but it slid -2.10 pts and is off its multi-month highs above 34%. The top tier below it is a familiar Steel/Fighting core: Gholdengo (27.20%), Kingambit (23.89%), and Zamazenta (22.42%), all near their long-run levels despite small dips. The headline story is Dragonite's collapse to 19.75% (-5.10 pts) — it had peaked at 24.85% in May and is now merely a top-five presence rather than a defining threat.

Below the crown, offense is trending. Iron Valiant (17.73%, +2.21), Kyurem (17.16%, +2.59), and Raging Bolt (16.32%, +0.82) all gained, while Cinderace (13.30%, +3.45) and Glimmora (11.43%, +2.86) were the strongest movers inside the top 20. Alomomola (11.98%, +2.40) rising alongside them signals a bulkier, pivot-heavy answer to that offense. The single biggest structural change: Volcarona vanished entirely (9.22% → 0.00%), removing a major setup sweeper from the pool.

Where it's heading

Kyurem's series is a steady climb — 13.93% → 14.89% → 15.13% → 16.06%, a May dip to 14.56%, then 17.16% in June — and its Choice Specs share ticked up (27.9% → 29.1%), so continued growth as a wallbreaker is the base case, not a guarantee. Cinderace's jump from 9.84% to 13.30% is its highest reading on record and coincides with Heavy-Duty Boots consolidating (82.4% → 87.8%); if that hazard-immune pivot role sticks, it likely holds or extends. Cresselia nearly doubled (2.60% → 5.70%) as its build shifted from Lunar Dance/Eject Button support toward a bulky Calm Mind/Moonblast setup (Leftovers 36.3%, Covert Cloak 22.5%) — an early, fragile trend worth watching rather than trusting.

On the downside, Dragonite's set is essentially stable (Dragon Dance/Earthquake/Extreme Speed all within a point), so its -5.10 fall reads as external — the meta finding better answers rather than a nerfed build — and further slippage is plausible. Great Tusk's slow drift from the mid-34s down to 32.83% is mild but persistent.

What to prepare for

• Special wallbreakers are the growth engine. Kyurem (+2.59, Specs rising), Iron Valiant (+2.21, Choice Specs share up 12.5% → 18.0%), and Raging Bolt (+0.82) are all climbing. Your defensive backbone needs a special sponge that doesn't fold to Freeze-Dry/Moonblast coverage — this is why Alomomola (+2.40, Assault Vest 47.9% → 51.4%) and Slowking-Galar (+1.26) are rising in tandem.
• Hazard control is intensifying. Glimmora (+2.86) leans harder on Red Card (33.8% → 46.0%) and Focus Sash (23.5%), and Great Tusk/Iron Treads/Cinderace (Court Change 22.3%) all remain heavy. Expect a hazard war; bring reliable removal or Boots-immune structures.
• Cinderace is back as a pivot. At 13.30% with 87.8% Boots and U-turn/Court Change both around 22%, it's slotting in as a hazard-flipping momentum piece. Account for it flipping your Stealth Rock back at you.
• Don't overinvest against Dragonite. With it down to 19.75% and Volcarona gone entirely, dedicated Multiscale/priority-sweeper checks are less mandatory than a month ago.

Common questions

Is Dragonite still worth using in Gen 9 OU?

It's still top-five at 19.75%, but it dropped -5.10 pts from May's 24.85% — its steepest fall in the dataset. The set is unchanged (Dragon Dance/Earthquake/Extreme Speed, Boots 64.8%), so this is the meta adapting around it rather than a build problem; it's playable but no longer a centerpiece.

Why is Cresselia suddenly being used?

Cresselia more than doubled from 2.60% to 5.70%, and the mechanism is a role change: its item spread flipped from Eject Button (30.7%) support to Leftovers (36.3%) and Covert Cloak (22.5%), with moves shifting toward Moonblast and Calm Mind. It's being run as a bulky setup wincon now, not just a Lunar Dance pivot. This is one month of movement, so treat it as an emerging pick rather than a settled one.

What replaced Volcarona as a special sweeper?

Volcarona fell off a cliff (9.22% → 0.00%), and the special-attacking share it vacated appears to be flowing to Kyurem (+2.59) and Iron Valiant (+2.21), both climbing to 17%+. Iron Hands also re-entered the pool (1.99% → 2.64%) as a bulkier setup alternative. No single Fire-type inherited the exact role, so plan for a broader special-offense spread.

[
  {"pokemonName": "Kyurem", "direction": "up", "thresholdPts": 1.5, "confidence": "likely", "claim": "Kyurem continues its climb and pushes further above 17% as Specs wallbreaking stays dominant.", "falsifier": "Kyurem's usage falls below 17.16% next month.", "evidence": "Kyurem: Apr 16.06%, May 14.56%, Jun 17.16%; items Choice Specs 27.9% → 29.1%"},
  {"pokemonName": "Dragonite", "direction": "down", "thresholdPts": 1.5, "confidence": "possible", "claim": "Dragonite keeps sliding as the meta continues adapting around its stable set.", "falsifier": "Dragonite's usage rises or holds at/above 19.75%.", "evidence": "Dragonite: May 24.85%, Jun 19.75% (-5.10 pts); set stable (Dragon Dance 18.6%, Earthquake 17.9%, Extreme Speed 17.6%)"},
  {"pokemonName": "Cinderace", "direction": "up", "thresholdPts": 1.0, "confidence": "possible", "claim": "Cinderace holds or extends its June surge as a Boots pivot/Court Change hazard flipper.", "falsifier": "Cinderace's usage falls below 12.30% next month.", "evidence": "Cinderace: May 9.84%, Jun 13.30% (+3.45); items Heavy-Duty Boots 82.4% → 87.8%"},
  {"pokemonName": "Cresselia", "direction": "up", "thresholdPts": 1.0, "confidence": "possible", "claim": "Cresselia continues rising as its bulky Calm Mind setup role catches on.", "falsifier": "Cresselia's usage falls below 5.70% next month.", "evidence": "Cresselia: May 2.60%, Jun 5.70% (+3.10); items flipped to Leftovers 36.3%, Covert Cloak 22.5%"},