Generation 5 OU — Singles Format Reference
Gen 5 OU is the franchise's last permaweather format. Drizzle, Drought, Sand Stream and Snow Warning all set permanent weather. The format invented banned-paired ability rules and produced one of the most active OU banlists in Smogon's history.
Cartridge
Black & White / B2W2
Type
6v6 Singles
Weather
Permanent (until Gen 6)
Status
Frozen tier
Choose your weather, build the team around it. BW2 OU was the most centralised meta in Smogon's history — every match started with a weather war.
At a glance
Gen 5 OU is the bridge between Gen 4's Stealth-Rock-defined hazard meta and Gen 6's Mega-Evolution offensive ceiling. Permaweather is the gen's defining feature; the Therian formes (BW2) and Hidden Power finalised the offensive coverage layer.
The format split in two phases. BW1 OU (2010–2012) ran the Garchomp / Excadrill weather era; BW2 OU (2012 onward) added the Therian formes and reshaped the meta around Landorus-Therian, Tornadus-Therian, and the returning Politoed rain core.
- Format type6v6 Singles, all six brought to battle
- MechanicsPermaweather (Drizzle / Drought / Sand Stream / Snow Warning)
- Sub-formatsBW1 OU + BW2 OU — distinct meta-snapshots
- StatusFrozen — meta stable since Gen 6 succession
- Where it's playedPokémon Showdown ladder + retro tournaments. Live tier page: /bw/ou.
- Sister formatsUbers (above), UU (below)
Format rules
Gen 5 OU applies the standard Smogon Singles clauses. The format's defining rule innovation is banned-paired clauses — banning ability + Pokémon combinations rather than full Pokémon.
| Clause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Sleep Clause | Only one opposing Pokémon may be put to sleep at a time. |
| Species Clause | Each team can only carry one of any given species. |
| Evasion Clause | Evasion-boosting moves and abilities are banned. |
| OHKO Clause | Sheer Cold, Fissure, Horn Drill, Guillotine are banned. |
| Endless Battle Clause | Battle states that cannot end are forbidden. |
| Moody Clause | Moody is banned outright. |
| Drizzle + Swift Swim | Banned-PAIRED — neither ability is banned alone, but a team running both is illegal. |
| Drought + Chlorophyll | Banned-paired clause. |
| Sand Stream + Sand Rush | Banned-paired clause. |
| Sand Veil ban | Sand Veil banned outright (Garchomp's hidden ability). |
Banlist
Gen 5 OU's banlist is the most active of any pre-Gen 9 generation. Multiple Pokémon were banned, returned, and re-banned across the BW1 / BW2 split.
Notable Gen 5 OU bans
| Pokémon | Why it was banned |
|---|---|
| Excadrill | Sand Rush + 135 Atk + Choice Scarf or Life Orb. Banned-paired in BW1 OU; rebanned multiple times. |
| Garchomp | Sand Veil ban-clause + 130 Atk + Outrage. Banned to Ubers in BW1; eventually returned to OU in BW2. |
| Thundurus | Prankster + Thunder Wave + Focus Blast + Hidden Power Ice. Banned-paired with Prankster in BW1. |
| Landorus | Sheer Force + Life Orb + Earth Power + Focus Blast. Banned to Ubers in BW2. |
| Genesect | Download SpA boost + U-turn + perfect coverage. Banned shortly after BW2 release. |
| Kyurem-Black | 170 Atk + 120 SpA + Teravolt. Permanent Ubers from BW2. |
| Kyurem-White | 170 SpA + 120 Atk + Turboblaze. Permanent Ubers. |
| Keldeo | 129 SpA + 108 Spe + Hydro Pump + Secret Sword + HP Ice. Suspect-tested multiple times; mostly stayed in OU. |
| Salamence | Moxie + Outrage + Dragon Dance. Banned-paired with Moxie in OU; Intimidate variants legal. |
| Manaphy | Tail Glow + Hydration in rain + Scald + Ice Beam. Banned to Ubers. |
| Deoxys-Speed | 180 Speed + Stealth Rock setter. Permanent Ubers. |
| Blaziken | Speed Boost. Permanent Ubers from Gen 5 release onward. |
Permaweather & banned-paired clauses
Permanent weather is the structural feature that defines Gen 5 OU. Every team had to commit to a weather setter — or pay the cost of fighting under someone else's.
The weather setters
- Politoed — Drizzle sets permanent rain. Defining BW2 weather setter post-Dream-World distribution.
- Ninetales — Drought sets permanent sun. Niche but viable; less central than Drizzle teams.
- Tyranitar — Sand Stream sets permanent sand. Defining BW1 OU weather; Excadrill paired-banned.
- Hippowdon — Sand Stream alternative without Tyranitar's offensive profile. More defensive support.
- Abomasnow — Snow Warning sets permanent hail. Niche; the only viable hail setter.
Why banned-paired clauses
The BW1 council faced a structural problem: Drizzle Politoed wasn't broken alone, and Swift Swim Kingdra wasn't broken alone — but together, they produced an uncounterable rain offence that the format could not absorb. Banning Politoed alone would kill rain teams entirely; banning Kingdra alone would just shift to other Swift Swim users.
The solution was the banned-paired clause. Drizzle + Swift Swim was banned as a combination — neither ability is banned alone, but a team running both is illegal. The rule was applied to Drought + Chlorophyll and Sand Stream + Sand Rush for the same reason.
BW1 vs BW2 — the format split
Gen 5 OU is functionally two formats. Black & White (2010–2012) launched a meta dominated by Tyranitar / Excadrill sand. Black 2 & White 2 (2012 onward) added the Therian formes, returned Garchomp, and redrew the format almost entirely.
2010 – 2012
Defining core
Tyranitar + Excadrill — banned-paired Sand Stream + Sand Rush.
Banlist
Excadrill banned to Ubers, Garchomp banned (Sand Veil), Thundurus banned-paired Prankster.
Era marker
Pre-Therian formes. Politoed not yet competitive on rain (Dream World abilities not yet distributed).
Status
Active retro format on Smogon — distinct meta from BW2.
2012 onward
Defining additions
Landorus-Therian, Tornadus-Therian, returning Garchomp via Rough Skin.
Banlist
Landorus-Incarnate (Sheer Force) banned to Ubers, Genesect banned, Kyurem-Black/White banned.
Defining core
Politoed Drizzle rain + Tornadus-T Hurricane + Landorus-T Stealth Rock pivot.
Status
Active retro format. Most Smogon Tour and SPL Gen 5 OU play happens here.
Archetypes
Gen 5 OU's archetypes cluster around weather choice. Every team picked a weather setter (or accepted neutral weather) and built around its boosts.
Aggressive
Rain Offense
Politoed Drizzle + Hurricane abusers. Tornadus-Therian 100% Hurricane in rain + Keldeo Specs Hydro Pump + Stealth Rock support. Defining BW2 OU offence.
Aggressive
Sand Offense
Tyranitar Sand Stream + Choice Banded / Scarf + Stealth Rock support. Excadrill banned-paired; sand offence pivots run via Tyranitar offensive sets and Garchomp Sand Veil-banned but Rough Skin legal.
Aggressive
Sun Offense
Ninetales Drought + Venusaur Chlorophyll-banned (Drought + Chlorophyll clause); Sun offence pivots on Specs Heatran Solar Beam and weather support.
Balance
Bulky Offense
3-4 offensive Pokémon plus 2-3 defensive pivots. Defining cores: Landorus-Therian + Heatran + Ferrothorn + offensive Mega-equivalents (no Megas in Gen 5; cores ran around Choice items).
Defensive
Stall
Politoed + Ferrothorn + Jellicent (Water Absorb spinblocker) + Reuniclus (Magic Guard wincon) + Toxic + recovery cycles.
The seven team roles
The seven structural roles apply to Gen 5 OU. Mega Evolution does not exist yet — the roles are filled by base-form Pokémon with held items.
Defining setters: Landorus-Therian (BW2 — Stealth Rock + U-turn), Heatran, Ferrothorn, Skarmory.
Defog does not yet remove hazards in Gen 5 — only Rapid Spin. Defining spinners: Excadrill (when legal), Forretress, Starmie.
Defining options: Tornadus-Therian Hurricane Specs, Latios Choice Scarf, priority via Scizor Bullet Punch, Mamoswine Ice Shard.
Defining absorbers: Reuniclus Magic Guard, Chansey Natural Cure, Tornadus-Therian Regenerator (BW2).
Defining pivots: Landorus-Therian U-turn, Tornadus-Therian U-turn + Regenerator (BW2), Rotom-Wash Volt Switch, Scizor U-turn.
What makes Gen 5 OU different
Gen 5 OU is the franchise's last permaweather format and the most contested OU banlist of the pre-Gen-9 era.
∞
Weather duration
Permanent — no Gen 6 5-turn cap
3
Banned-paired clauses
First gen to use ability-pair bans
↑
Banlist activity
Most-banned pre-Gen-9 OU format
- Permanent weather — Drizzle, Drought, Sand Stream, Snow Warning all set their weather indefinitely. Weather wars (both teams racing to set their weather first) became the format's opening turn.
- Banned-paired clauses — Drizzle + Swift Swim, Drought + Chlorophyll, Sand Stream + Sand Rush all banned by combination. The first gen to introduce ability-pair bans.
- BW1 / BW2 split — the only generation where Singles OU is functionally two distinct formats. BW1 played as one meta; BW2 played as another.
- Pre-Mega offensive ceiling — without Megas, the offensive ceiling sat with Choice item users (Latios Specs, Hydreigon Specs, Tyranitar Band). Lower than later gens.
- Hidden Power finalised — the modern Hidden Power formula (IV-based type, fixed 70 BP) cemented in Gen 5. Universal coverage option for special attackers.
How to get started
Gen 5 OU has a long tournament archive — SPL ran on it for years. The format is well-documented and stable.
- Decide BW1 or BW2 — they play differently. BW2 is more popular on Smogon Showdown ladder; BW1 is a niche retro-meta with its own active community.
- Read Smogon's Gen 5 OU tier page — the banlist is locked and the analyses are final.
- Choose your weather — Politoed rain, Tyranitar sand, Ninetales sun, or neutral weather. The weather decision is the team's structural orientation.
- Copy a sample team — Smogon's vetted Gen 5 OU samples are stable and well-documented.
- Ladder Pokémon Showdown — Gen 5 OU has an active retro ladder. Tournament play continues via Smogon Tour and SPL.
Where to go from here
The above is the static reference for Gen 5 OU. Live frozen-tier data lives in the rest of Pokékipe.
- Live tier data — /bw/ou for Gen 5 OU usage and Pokémon stats.
- Mechanics — Gen 5 — Black & White covers permaweather, Dream World abilities, and Hidden Power.
- Adjacent formats — Gen 6 OU covers the X & Y format that succeeded BW2 and ended the permaweather era.
- Tournament history — Timeline tracks Smogon Tour and SPL Gen 5 OU results.