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.
The banned-paired innovation
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.