The battling of Pokémon is at the game's core, and it has seen a lot of changes over the years and generations. Between different generations of games some drastic changes to battling are made, like adding new types, removing or adding moves, or nerfing some Pokémon to the ground. Some Pokémon dominated the meta so much that Pokémon gave them some pretty big nerfs not long after their time in the spotlight.
A common nerf known in Pokémon is the nerf of the Dragon-type with the introduction of the Fairy-type. Dragon-type Pokémon dominated the meta in competitive battling, and Game Freak added the Fairy-type to nerf down the Dragon-type by making Fairy super effective against and immune to Dragon. However, this has made Fairy take Dragon's position as the most overpowered type in Pokémon.
And while Pokémon types receive a lot of changes, individual Pokémon do as well. Some Pokémon get a boost to their base stat total, some see a nerf to it, and some Pokémon's abilities even change. Some of these changes are necessary since some Pokémon were so oppressive in a battle that they were almost impossible to deal with.
Talonflame Dominated Battles During Pokémon X & Y
Talonflame was introduced as Pokémon X and Y's Kalos regional bird Pokémon and left a lasting impression. Talonflame was incredibly strong from its introduction due to its stats, but it was one thing in specific that made Talonflame so powerful, and that was its ability. Talonflame had the signature ability called Gale Wings, which, during Pokémon X and Y, gave all of Talonflame's Flying type moves a +1 priority rating. Due to this priority increase, Talonflames spamming Brave Bird were all over online battles and the competitive meta, since Talonflame would almost always move first (unless the opponent used a higher priority move like Helping Hand or Protect). And a move as powerful as Brave Bird paired with Talonflame's high Attack stat and STAB bonus made Talonflame extremely oppressive in battle.
Gale Wings was quickly nerfed going into the next Pokémon generation with Pokémon Sun and Moon. It was changed that Gale Wings would only give Talonflame +1 priority on its Flying type moves when it is at full HP. And since Brave Bird gives recoil damage, Talonflame would only be able to pull off one Brave Bird before losing the Gale Wings benefit. Or, if the opposing team put up a hazard like Stealth Rock, Talonflame essentially wouldn't have any ability at all. Even though the nerf to Gale Wings was necessary, it completely took Talonflame out of the meta and it is now just a mediocre Pokémon.
Mega Kangaskhan Was An Oppressive Force In Pokémon X & Y
Pokémon X and Y introduced a lot of new Pokémon that dominated the meta, and this had a lot to do with the introduction of Mega Evolution. A lot of underutilized Pokémon, like Mawile, Manectric, and Lopunny, got to see a lot more play due to their newfound strength. However, Kangaskhan was definitely the Pokémon that benefited most from its new Mega Evolution.
Mega Kangaskhan was very popular and had a new ability introduced with it, and this was the new ability Parental Bond. Parental Bond made it so that Kangaskhan's baby attacked along with it, meaning that all of Mega Kangaskhan's attacks would hit again for 50% of the initial damage. While this is powerful enough on its own, Mega Kangaskhan also had access to the move Power-Up Punch, which raises the 's attack stat by one stage each time it hits. This means that Mega Kangaskhan would receive two attack boosts from one move, which made it a powerful, oppressive force that was hard to beat.
Mega Kangaskhan was soon nerfed though after it dominated almost every battle it was placed into. First, Parental Bond was nerfed so that the additional hit deals 25% damage instead of the initial 50%. Kangaskhan also lost its access to the move Power-Up Punch as well, meaning that Kangaskhan would be unable to abuse the double attack boost. Similar to Talonflame, it's one of the strongest Pokémon in Pokémon X and Y, but Mega Kangaskhan lost a lot of its relevancy after its nerf and lost its place as one of Pokémon's strongest.
Thundurus Forced Changes In Pokémon's Competitive Meta For Black & White
Pokémon's competitive VGC meta receives changes between each season, from Pokémon being allowed in the format to nerfs and changes that Pokémon receive. Competitive Pokémon during the time of generation five, Pokémon Black and White, was especially interesting since only Pokémon introduced along with the Unova region were allowed to participate. This resulted in a lot of unique teams, but a lot of metas also surfaced during this time.
During Pokémon Black and White, Thundurus was one of the Legendary Pokémon introduced with Unova, and was mostly played as an offensive special hitter, with moves like Thunderbolt, Hidden Power, and others. While it was strong as a hitter, it was when Thundurus was played as that it truly shined. A new meta with Thundurus came to the surface, utilizing Thundurus's hidden ability Prankster. Prankster gives +1 priority to all non-damaging moves and is a very strong ability. Thundurus running Prankster utilized a whole lot of different status moves, like Taunt, Thunder Wave, and Swagger, and instead ran with a defensive spread in its stats rather than an offensive one. This made Thundurus very oppressive in the meta and resulted in a lot of changes.
While Thundurus in Pokémon Black and White didn't receive a lot of nerfs, it caused a whole lot of changes to Pokémon's competitive meta that are still in place. Changes like Dark-type Pokémon being immune to Prankster, Electric-types being unable to be paralyzed from Electric moves like Thunder Wave, Confusion was nerfed so Pokémon attacked themselves less, and a bunch of other changes. These changes did affect Thundurus's presence in the meta, where its usage slowly declined over time, and now Landorus is really the only one of the Forces of Nature that see any competitive presence.
There have been a lot of Pokémon that have stood out in the meta over time, and there are even some that stand out in Pokémon Sword and Shield's current meta, like Zacian and Regieleki. These Pokémon will also likely receive some nerfs once Pokémon Scarlet and Violet release, especially Zacian who is likely the strongest Pokémon that has ever graced the battlefield. Pokémon's competitive meta will be forever-changing as new Pokémon and abilities continue to release, and many nerfs are likely in Pokémon's future.
