diff --git a/src/core_plugins/kbn_vislib_vis_types/public/area.js b/src/core_plugins/kbn_vislib_vis_types/public/area.js
index d270aff7cda62..62bdf1cf0fab0 100644
--- a/src/core_plugins/kbn_vislib_vis_types/public/area.js
+++ b/src/core_plugins/kbn_vislib_vis_types/public/area.js
@@ -60,7 +60,9 @@ export default function PointSeriesVisType(Private) {
               filter: false,
               truncate: 100
             },
-            title: {}
+            title: {
+              text: 'Count'
+            }
           }
         ],
         seriesParams: [{
@@ -79,15 +81,8 @@ export default function PointSeriesVisType(Private) {
         addTooltip: true,
         addLegend: true,
         legendPosition: 'right',
-        showCircles: true,
-        interpolate: 'linear',
-        scale: 'linear',
-        drawLinesBetweenPoints: true,
-        radiusRatio: 9,
         times: [],
         addTimeMarker: false,
-        defaultYExtents: false,
-        setYExtents: false
       },
       positions: ['top', 'left', 'right', 'bottom'],
       chartTypes: [{
diff --git a/src/core_plugins/kbn_vislib_vis_types/public/controls/point_series/grid.html b/src/core_plugins/kbn_vislib_vis_types/public/controls/point_series/grid.html
index 97936e66820a1..59bbea8bb0f3c 100644
--- a/src/core_plugins/kbn_vislib_vis_types/public/controls/point_series/grid.html
+++ b/src/core_plugins/kbn_vislib_vis_types/public/controls/point_series/grid.html
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@
             id="gridAxis"
             class="kuiSelect kuiSideBarSelect"
             ng-model="vis.params.grid.valueAxis"
-            ng-options="axis.id as axis.name for axis in vis.params.valueAxes"
+            ng-options="axis.id as axis.name for axis in vis.params.valueAxes track by axis.id"
           >
             <option value="">Don't show</option>
           </select>
diff --git a/src/core_plugins/kbn_vislib_vis_types/public/histogram.js b/src/core_plugins/kbn_vislib_vis_types/public/histogram.js
index 1eb23a052bf31..c65bce00be381 100644
--- a/src/core_plugins/kbn_vislib_vis_types/public/histogram.js
+++ b/src/core_plugins/kbn_vislib_vis_types/public/histogram.js
@@ -60,7 +60,9 @@ export default function PointSeriesVisType(Private) {
               filter: false,
               truncate: 100
             },
-            title: {}
+            title: {
+              text: 'Count'
+            }
           }
         ],
         seriesParams: [
@@ -80,15 +82,8 @@ export default function PointSeriesVisType(Private) {
         addTooltip: true,
         addLegend: true,
         legendPosition: 'right',
-        showCircles: true,
-        interpolate: 'linear',
-        scale: 'linear',
-        drawLinesBetweenPoints: true,
-        radiusRatio: 9,
         times: [],
         addTimeMarker: false,
-        defaultYExtents: false,
-        setYExtents: false
       },
       positions: ['top', 'left', 'right', 'bottom'],
       chartTypes: [{
diff --git a/src/core_plugins/kbn_vislib_vis_types/public/horizontal_bar.js b/src/core_plugins/kbn_vislib_vis_types/public/horizontal_bar.js
index 30a81c532bf27..2f92b023ec8cb 100644
--- a/src/core_plugins/kbn_vislib_vis_types/public/horizontal_bar.js
+++ b/src/core_plugins/kbn_vislib_vis_types/public/horizontal_bar.js
@@ -62,7 +62,9 @@ export default function PointSeriesVisType(Private) {
               filter: true,
               truncate: 100
             },
-            title: {}
+            title: {
+              text: 'Count'
+            }
           }
         ],
         seriesParams: [{
@@ -80,15 +82,8 @@ export default function PointSeriesVisType(Private) {
         addTooltip: true,
         addLegend: true,
         legendPosition: 'right',
-        showCircles: true,
-        interpolate: 'linear',
-        scale: 'linear',
-        drawLinesBetweenPoints: true,
-        radiusRatio: 9,
         times: [],
         addTimeMarker: false,
-        defaultYExtents: false,
-        setYExtents: false
       },
       positions: ['top', 'left', 'right', 'bottom'],
       chartTypes: [{
diff --git a/src/core_plugins/kbn_vislib_vis_types/public/line.js b/src/core_plugins/kbn_vislib_vis_types/public/line.js
index d296de2c687ac..77237faa0c996 100644
--- a/src/core_plugins/kbn_vislib_vis_types/public/line.js
+++ b/src/core_plugins/kbn_vislib_vis_types/public/line.js
@@ -60,22 +60,30 @@ export default function PointSeriesVisType(Private) {
               filter: false,
               truncate: 100
             },
-            title: {}
+            title: {
+              text: 'Count'
+            }
+          }
+        ],
+        seriesParams: [
+          {
+            show: 'true',
+            type: 'line',
+            mode: 'normal',
+            data: {
+              label: 'Count',
+              id: '1'
+            },
+            valueAxis: 'ValueAxis-1',
+            drawLinesBetweenPoints: true,
+            showCircles: true
           }
         ],
-        seriesParams: [],
         addTooltip: true,
         addLegend: true,
         legendPosition: 'right',
-        showCircles: true,
-        interpolate: 'linear',
-        scale: 'linear',
-        drawLinesBetweenPoints: true,
-        radiusRatio: 9,
         times: [],
         addTimeMarker: false,
-        defaultYExtents: false,
-        setYExtents: false
       },
       positions: ['top', 'left', 'right', 'bottom'],
       chartTypes: [{
diff --git a/src/ui/public/vislib/lib/layout/layout_types.js b/src/ui/public/vislib/lib/layout/layout_types.js
index c6158d9a846e9..613884a0c5eef 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/vislib/lib/layout/layout_types.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/vislib/lib/layout/layout_types.js
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ export function VislibLibLayoutLayoutTypesProvider(Private) {
   return {
     pie: Private(VislibLibLayoutTypesPieLayoutProvider),
     gauge: Private(GaugeLayoutProvider),
+    metric: Private(GaugeLayoutProvider),
     point_series: Private(VislibLibLayoutTypesColumnLayoutProvider)
   };
 }
diff --git a/src/ui/public/vislib/lib/types/index.js b/src/ui/public/vislib/lib/types/index.js
index 9721e89677d2d..95c0d0a5a9871 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/vislib/lib/types/index.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/vislib/lib/types/index.js
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ export function VislibTypesProvider(Private) {
     area: pointSeries.area,
     point_series: pointSeries.line,
     heatmap: pointSeries.heatmap,
-    gauge: Private(vislibGaugeProvider)
+    gauge: Private(vislibGaugeProvider),
+    metric: Private(vislibGaugeProvider)
   };
 }
diff --git a/src/ui/public/vislib/visualizations/vis_types.js b/src/ui/public/vislib/visualizations/vis_types.js
index a1219f7ea997b..953193d46fb80 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/vislib/visualizations/vis_types.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/vislib/visualizations/vis_types.js
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ export function VislibVisualizationsVisTypesProvider(Private) {
   return {
     pie: Private(VislibVisualizationsPieChartProvider),
     point_series: Private(VislibVisualizationsPointSeriesProvider),
-    gauge: Private(GaugeChartProvider)
+    gauge: Private(GaugeChartProvider),
+    metric: Private(GaugeChartProvider),
   };
 }
diff --git a/src/ui/public/vislib_vis_type/vislib_vis_type.js b/src/ui/public/vislib_vis_type/vislib_vis_type.js
index e6100de6a1357..954515227dec2 100644
--- a/src/ui/public/vislib_vis_type/vislib_vis_type.js
+++ b/src/ui/public/vislib_vis_type/vislib_vis_type.js
@@ -15,12 +15,15 @@ export function VislibVisTypeVislibVisTypeProvider(Private) {
   const pointSeries = Private(AggResponsePointSeriesProvider);
   const VislibRenderbot = Private(VislibVisTypeVislibRenderbotProvider);
 
+  // converts old config format (pre 5.2) to the new one
   const updateParams = function (params) {
-    if (!params.seriesParams || !params.seriesParams.length) return;
+    if (params.seriesParams && params.seriesParams.length) return;
+    params.seriesParams = [{}];
 
     const updateIfSet = (from, to, prop, func) => {
       if (from[prop]) {
         to[prop] = func ? func(from[prop]) : from[prop];
+        delete from[prop];
       }
     };
 
@@ -30,6 +33,10 @@ export function VislibVisTypeVislibVisTypeProvider(Private) {
     updateIfSet(params, params.seriesParams[0], 'interpolate');
     updateIfSet(params, params.seriesParams[0], 'type');
 
+    if (params.gauge) {
+      updateIfSet(params, params.gauge.style, 'fontSize');
+    }
+
     if (params.mode) {
       const stacked = ['stacked', 'percentage', 'wiggle', 'silhouette'].includes(params.mode);
       params.seriesParams[0].mode = stacked ? 'stacked' : 'normal';
@@ -43,15 +50,19 @@ export function VislibVisTypeVislibVisTypeProvider(Private) {
       delete params.smoothLines;
     }
 
-    updateIfSet(params, params.valueAxes[0].scale, 'setYExtents');
-    updateIfSet(params, params.valueAxes[0].scale, 'defaultYExtents');
+    if (params.valueAxes) {
+      updateIfSet(params, params.valueAxes[0].scale, 'setYExtents');
+      updateIfSet(params, params.valueAxes[0].scale, 'defaultYExtents');
+    }
 
     if (params.scale) {
       params.valueAxes[0].scale.type = params.scale;
       delete params.scale;
     }
 
-    updateIfSet(params, params.categoryAxes[0], 'expandLastBucket');
+    if (params.categoryAxis && params.categoryAxis.length) {
+      updateIfSet(params, params.categoryAxes[0], 'expandLastBucket');
+    }
   };
 
   _.class(VislibVisType).inherits(VisType);
@@ -66,7 +77,7 @@ export function VislibVisTypeVislibVisTypeProvider(Private) {
   }
 
   VislibVisType.prototype.createRenderbot = function (vis, $el, uiState) {
-    updateParams(vis.params);
+    if (vis.type.name !== 'pie') updateParams(vis.params);
     return new VislibRenderbot(vis, $el, uiState);
   };
 
diff --git a/test/functional/page_objects/point_series_page.js b/test/functional/page_objects/point_series_page.js
index 814806be03d9a..aefd682b153cc 100644
--- a/test/functional/page_objects/point_series_page.js
+++ b/test/functional/page_objects/point_series_page.js
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ export function PointSeriesPageProvider({ getService }) {
     setGridValueAxis(axis) {
       return remote
         .setFindTimeout(defaultFindTimeout)
-        .findByCssSelector(`select#gridAxis option[value="string:${axis}"]`)
+        .findByCssSelector(`select#gridAxis option[value="${axis}"]`)
         .click();
     }