The RU Viability Ranking Thread

I would like to propose introducing Audino to D Rank

I know what you're thinking. "Robotnik", you ask, "why even use this thing? It's basically Clefable but can only wish support." That is true, but it does have something that makes it a good wish supporter, in some cases even superior to Clefable; regenerator. Regenerator allows Audino to take a hit while wishing and not have to stay in and protect to regain health, making it a much more durable and reliable wisher.

"But Robotnik", you ask yet again, "Alomomola not only has that, but much better HP, letting it heal more. Is the normal typing that much of an advantage over water?" Not necessarily, but it does make it a better fit for certain teams. Also, Palindrome Luvdisc doesn't get heal bell or aromatherapy, both of which are incredibly useful.

However, since this is really all it can do well in RU and it's not even necessarily the best at it, it doesn't make the cut for C.
Another fun thing about Audino that it has that any of those other mons would kill for is that it learns Trick Room, making it a very good defensive setter that's not weak to dark types like almost every other setter (the only other 2 exceptions I can think of being Gallade and Klingklang). Not sure if it's enough to justify a rank but being able to lay down something that 2 S rank mons (Druddigon and Escavalier) absolutely love without compounding weaknesses while also healing itself on the switch with Regenerator is enough to give it some kind of niche I think.

So, I'd agree with D-Rank for being an ok wish passer, decent cleric, and unique Trick Room setter.
 
Another fun thing about Audino that it has that any of those other mons would kill for is that it learns Trick Room, making it a very good defensive setter that's not weak to dark types like almost every other setter (the only other 2 exceptions I can think of being Gallade and Klingklang). Not sure if it's enough to justify a rank but being able to lay down something that 2 S rank mons (Druddigon and Escavalier) absolutely love without compounding weaknesses while also healing itself on the switch with Regenerator is enough to give it some kind of niche I think.

So, I'd agree with D-Rank for being an ok wish passer, decent cleric, and unique Trick Room setter.
On my Trick Room team, Slowking was a really good Trick Roomer for me. There's also Uxie and others that outclass Audino, but I agree, it has some niches and I think D-rank is appropriate for it.
 

Molk

Godlike Usmash
is a Top Tutor Alumnusis a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Team Rater Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Discord Contributor Alumnusis a Top Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnus
Ok, im not going to make any updates to the ranks just yet, but im considering making a change and i just wanted to know everyone's opinion ^_^.


I'd like to move Drapion down from A rank -----> B rank

While Drapion is certainly a good Pokemon, i just dont think its cut out to be an A rank threat anymore. This is due to a combination of factors including competition, a few metagame shifts, and the fact that the fabled Toxic Spikes set is completely unviable in this metagame, imo. While Drapion has a solid 90 Attack stat, its just not enough sometimes, especially on the Swords Dance set, where it'll just barely miss out on KOs against some of the bulkier Pokemon in the tier, and it will often get crippled or flat out knocked out in return. To put this into perspective, +2 non Life Orb Drapion Crunch is actually weaker than +1 eviolite Scraggy Hi Jump Kick by a very small amount, thats not terrible, but its not amazing either, imo. To make matters worse for Drapion, it also recieves competition as a pursuit user from Escavalier, Spiritomb, and Absol, who all hit harder, while Absol and Spiritomb have access to priority to revenge kill dangerous Pokemon, something Drapion does not possess. All in all, i think Drapion is still a very good Pokemon, but its lack of raw power and competition as a Dark-type, pursuit user, and defensive Pokemon (this set is so bad lol...) is simply too much to keep it in A rank imo.

sorry if none of this made sense :x, im tired lol, but yeah, i think moving Drapion down to B rank would be reasonable.

EDIT: i support adding audino, regenerator is pretty cool, especially when one of the qualms with clefable as a queen counter is being worn down by repeated hits and being forced to recover. If queen gets banned though, it wont be as cut and dry for me.
 

ScraftyIsTheBest

On to new Horizons!
is a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
Ok, im not going to make any updates to the ranks just yet, but im considering making a change and i just wanted to know everyone's opinion ^_^.


I'd like to move Drapion down from A rank -----> B rank

While Drapion is certainly a good Pokemon, i just dont think its cut out to be an A rank threat anymore. This is due to a combination of factors including competition, a few metagame shifts, and the fact that the fabled Toxic Spikes set is completely unviable in this metagame, imo. While Drapion has a solid 90 Attack stat, its just not enough sometimes, especially on the Swords Dance set, where it'll just barely miss out on KOs against some of the bulkier Pokemon in the tier, and it will often get crippled or flat out knocked out in return. To put this into perspective, +2 non Life Orb Drapion Crunch is actually weaker than +1 eviolite Scraggy Hi Jump Kick by a very small amount, thats not terrible, but its not amazing either, imo. To make matters worse for Drapion, it also recieves competition as a pursuit user from Escavalier, Spiritomb, and Absol, who all hit harder, while Absol and Spiritomb have access to priority to revenge kill dangerous Pokemon, something Drapion does not possess. All in all, i think Drapion is still a very good Pokemon, but its lack of raw power and competition as a Dark-type, pursuit user, and defensive Pokemon (this set is so bad lol...) is simply too much to keep it in A rank imo.

sorry if none of this made sense :x, im tired lol, but yeah, i think moving Drapion down to B rank would be reasonable.

EDIT: i support adding audino, regenerator is pretty cool, especially when one of the qualms with clefable as a queen counter is being worn down by repeated hits and being forced to recover. If queen gets banned though, it wont be as cut and dry for me.
I second this.

Drapion is decent, but not good enough. Toxic Spikes is nigh unusable in this meta, with Scolipede, Nidoqueen, Roselia, Qwilfish, Drapion himself, and Amoonguss running amok, and a defensive set is pretty damn bad. As a Dark-type, I'd very often rather use Absol, who besides having a nice mix of cute and cool, is just a much better Dark-type. He has a significantly higher attack stat to use SD with, has priority, and is just a stronger user of it. Not only that, Absol along with Spiritomb and Escavalier, are better Pursuit trappers to get rid of things like Slowking, Uxie, and Mesprit. 90 Attack is not that good, and what was one of the mocking points about Scrafty applies here. Drapion sometimes cannot hit hard enough, and he will miss out on some KO's. So yeah, I support Drapion for B-Rank.

(Lol, I was just about ready to propose that, but now it's proposed.)

I also second adding Audino for D-Rank, it's not great, but it can be used to some effect.

Also, I have a proposal

I'd like to propose adding Natu to D-Rank. Natu is not a very good Pokemon in general, but it is still very usable. It has access to Magic Bounce, so if your team needs a way to bounce off hazards, this thing can do a decent job. It also has T-Wave and Dual Screens to work, I guess. Also, it's frail, and slow, and just mediocre. However, with Magic Bounce, it's decent enough to justify its use on some teams. Natu for D-Rank!
 

Molk

Godlike Usmash
is a Top Tutor Alumnusis a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Team Rater Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Discord Contributor Alumnusis a Top Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnus
Ok, imma update this today now that i see there are no huge objections to my proposal ^_^.

I didnt actually move anything this time, as Moltres was the only change proposed, and there was a shitton of opposition to moving it down both on the forums and on irc (its a pretty metagame defining Pokemon imo, its one of the first mons i think about when i hear RU, which shows just how good it is). There have been a few proposed changes though, including my own, so ill cover those! Here are the new proposed changes.

Adding Audino directly to D rank or at least untested shit

Drapion down from A rank -----> B rank

Adding Natu directly to D rank or at least untested.

Walrein up from C rank -----> B rank


I already explained my reasoning for wanting to move Drapion down like two posts ago, but ill quote it here for reference.

Ok, im not going to make any updates to the ranks just yet, but im considering making a change and i just wanted to know everyone's opinion ^_^.


I'd like to move Drapion down from A rank -----> B rank

While Drapion is certainly a good Pokemon, i just dont think its cut out to be an A rank threat anymore. This is due to a combination of factors including competition, a few metagame shifts, and the fact that the fabled Toxic Spikes set is completely unviable in this metagame, imo. While Drapion has a solid 90 Attack stat, its just not enough sometimes, especially on the Swords Dance set, where it'll just barely miss out on KOs against some of the bulkier Pokemon in the tier, and it will often get crippled or flat out knocked out in return. To put this into perspective, +2 non Life Orb Drapion Crunch is actually weaker than +1 eviolite Scraggy Hi Jump Kick by a very small amount, thats not terrible, but its not amazing either, imo. To make matters worse for Drapion, it also recieves competition as a pursuit user from Escavalier, Spiritomb, and Absol, who all hit harder, while Absol and Spiritomb have access to priority to revenge kill dangerous Pokemon, something Drapion does not possess. All in all, i think Drapion is still a very good Pokemon, but its lack of raw power and competition as a Dark-type, pursuit user, and defensive Pokemon (this set is so bad lol...) is simply too much to keep it in A rank imo.
Im also gonna throw my support behind adding Natu to the viability ranks, while its a decidedly mediocre Pokemon otherwise, Magic Bounce is a really good ability to have, and Natu actually matches up well against quite a few of the hazard setters, absolutely dominating Smeargle and forcing other hazard setters such as Uxie, Roselia, and Ferroseed to switch out, taking into account that Natu has reliable recovery in the form of Roost, and that it can use reflect to soften hits from SR setters such as Druddigon, a well played Natu can keep hazards off of the field for the whole match, and while Natu's Special Attack stat is pitiful, it can still defend itself by using Night Shade to wear down the opponent with its fixed damage output. Natu can also support itself and its whole team with support options such as Screens, U-turn, and Thunder Wave, among other things. In my opinion, while its usually easier to just run a spinner such as Kabutops or Cryogonal, Natu's unique support capabilities make it usable on some kinds of teams and even preferred on a few (full volturn really loves natu, as it has a slow u-turn to get in teammates safely, access to reflect and/or Light Screen, and Magic Bounce makes it possible to use multiple Stealth Rock weak Pokemon with little trouble such as Scyther and Moltres, for example). So yeah, i'd support Natu for D rank.


EDIT: Also, what do you guys think of moving Walrein up to B rank? I moved it to C rank initially because idfk, but it just doesnt seem right to have Walrein all the way down in C rank when its easily one of the single most threatening Pokemon a hail team can possess, being able to turn a match around in a grand total of one turn. While Walrein doesnt hit nearly as hard as Glaceon, the extra bulk more than makes up for it, and quite a few Pokemon have quite a hard time breaking through Walrein's substitutes in one hit, let alone Walrein itself. All in all i really dont remember/understand why we decided to place it in C rank in the first place, and i think it should be moved up to B rank asap, thoughts?
 

ScraftyIsTheBest

On to new Horizons!
is a Top Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnus
Gonna second Walrein for B-Rank. It's a great Pokemon on a hail team; and setting up hail is usually not hard; Snover is the lone weather summoner in the tier. Stallrein is a boss and can stall the living daylights out of players with Protect and Sub, and Ice Body and lefites make it one hell of a bitch to face. Hail and Toxic damage work together to that, and Stallrein is one of the most annoying things to face in all of RU. His bulk makes him hard to kill as well, and his SR weakness is almost mitigated by the sheer stall time. Walrein for B-Rank!

I'm also gonna propose moving Scolipede up to B-Rank. Scolipede I find to be very solid in the current RU meta. He's one of the best offensive spikers in RU; he's a speed machine, so he can get many layers of spikes up on that battlefield. Also, he's got a usable 90 Attack stat and a strong STAB move in Megahorn (smd Drapishit). He also has the coveted EdgeQuake, and his ability to hit Nidoqueen hard is nice to stand out from Accelgor. He also has fine coverage overall to hit Cryogonal and Kabutops for some serious damage (lol Shitslash). Swarm is a cool ability, and with a Sash, a powered up Megahorn is pretty damn cool. The SD set, on the other hand, wrecks shit like there's no tomorrow, and with LO, it can hit pretty damn hard with its nigh unresisted coverage. But that's just what I think. Scolipede for B pls.
 

Nails

Double Threat
is a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Community Leader Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnusis a Past SPL Championis a Three-Time Past WCoP Champion
Basculin-Blue-Striped @ Life Orb
Trait: Adaptability
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 HP
Jolly Nature
- Waterfall
- Aqua Jet
- Crunch
- Taunt

Basculin for B Rank. This set is the perfect antilead. It has taunt and base 98 speed to block Uxie and friends, or anything else they'd try to set up (smeargle, ninjask LOL). After you taunt turn 1, you're free to let loose with powerful adaptability-charged waterfalls (waterfall 2hkoes escav for example). Crunch is there for slowking, it gets a clean 2hko. Aqua Jet, apart from being general utility priority (hits harder than flame plate entei extremespeed) gets the ohko on aero so it can't set up rocks on you either.

Basically it's a suicide nuke that requires a team that doesn't like a set up opponent enough that it's willing to give up a team slot to guarantee that. AKA, if you love moltres and don't like spinning use basculin.

Adaptability is powerful.

edit: wow fuck it doesn't ohko aero unreal
 

Molk

Godlike Usmash
is a Top Tutor Alumnusis a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Team Rater Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Discord Contributor Alumnusis a Top Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnus
Making some quick moves today before i forget :>. As well as one change that wasnt discussed but i think is a given.

so here are the moves ive made for this week:

Drapion down from A rank -----> B rank

Natu up from untested -------> D rank

Audino up from untested ------> D rank

Walrein up from C rank ------> B rank


Pretty self explanatory stuff here, every change that was proposed ended up happening, and there was no opposition against them, i think we're all on the same page here :>.


While im at it, here are the new proposed changes as well!

Scolipede up from C rank -----> B rank

Basculin up from C rank -----> B rank

adding Gurdurr to C rank

I would support Scolipede moving up to B rank, i think its a pretty underrated Pokemon in the current metagame, and every time ive attempted to use Scolipede hes been quite solid. Scolipede is a pretty good offensive Spiker, using its great 112 base speed to set up multiple layers of hazards against the most opponents possible, while also keeping Rapid Spinners such as Cryogonal at bay with its good base 90 Attack stat, good coverage, and powerful STAB Megahorn. While he recieves some competition from Accelgor, Scolipede hits much harder and has fewer coverage issues than Accelgor, who often finds itself walled by random annoying shit. Scolipede also absorbs Toxic Spikes, which is cool although Toxic Spikes suck in this metagame tbh, and has better physical bulk, allowing it to take Aqua Jets from the likes of Kabutops more easily. I havent used Swords Dance Scolipede in a while, but the last time i used it it was pretty damn scary, more than capable of making its mark on the opposing team if it gets a chance to set up, just be aware that it recieves some competition from Durant in this regard.

Im pretty indifferent on Basculin, ive used it myself on fun teams and even some serious teams (one of my new teams actually has a basculin on it :o), and while its a pretty good Pokemon imo, im not 100% sure it deserves B rank because of the sheer amount of competition it recieves as a physical Water-type, im open to the idea, but i think im going to need to use him a bit more and hear more feedback from other users about it before making a desicsion.

The last thing i'd propose is adding Gurdurr to C rank. Gurdurr has already cemented himself as a powerful Pokemon in the NU tier, constantly praised by many of the players there (the praise has died down a bit because of Musharna though :x). So i decided it would be a pretty good idea to try him out in RU, and i have to say i was impressed. Gurdurr has quite a few positive qualities that seperate him from the other Fighting types available in RU, that imo cement him as a solid C rank Pokemon. Gurdurr is incredibly bulky on the physical side, being able to switch in on the majority of the physical attackers pretty easily (as long as they arent things like CB Entei, but Gurdurr can take those with a fair amount of health left as well, it just cant switch in). Combine this great bulk with access to Drain Punch, Bulk Up, and Mach Punch, as well as a decent defensive typing, and Gurdurr becomes quite hard to take down without a reliable resistance to Fighting-type attacks. Gurdurr's ability, Guts helps it out as well, allowing it to turn the tables on any opponent that may attempt to use Toxic or Thunder Wave as Gurdurr comes in, it also allows Gurdurr to simply ignore most varients of Spiritomb, as Will-O-Wisp just makes Gurdurr stronger, and tomb has a hard time damaging Gurdurr otherwise. Of course, Gurdurr has some pretty crippling flaws, and thats why i wont suggest anything higher than C rank for him, many common Pokemon such as Slowking, Uxie, and Moltres stop Gurdurr in his tracks, completely walling him and threatening to KO him with super effective STAB moves in return, this means Gurdurr needs a bit of team support to work to his full potential (i used bandtomb and regirock to help him out) and while Gurdurr's physical bulk is amazing, its Special bulk, while still decent, simply isnt enough to take powerful special attacks consistently. So all in all, i'd say that Gurdurr deserves C rank, despite his flaws.

(sorry if my post doesnt make sense its like 5 in the morning :x).
 
RU Viability thread

I agree with adding gurdurr to C Rank as it has stab priority and walls most physical attackers.

However I would like to propose moving Magmortar up to A rank from B rank.While many people say that Magmortar is outclassed by Moltres, it has key differences that make it great in ru.For starters, Magmortars access to T-Bolt and Focus Miss give it the coverage it needs to defeat bulky waters and rock types with. A STAB Fire blast along with its other coverage moves will give it enough power to break through walls. Here are some calculations onhow poweful Magmortar is:

252SpAtk Life Orb Magmortar (Neutral) Thunderbolt vs 252HP/116SpDef Slowking (+SpDef): 49% - 59% (196 - 234 HP). Guaranteed 3HKO. 27% chance to 2HKO.
252SpAtk Life Orb Magmortar (Neutral) Fire Blast vs 252HP/0SpDef Levitate Uxie (+SpDef): 50% - 60% (180 - 214 HP). Guaranteed 2HKO.
252SpAtk Life Orb Magmortar (Neutral) Fire Blast vs 252HP/0SpDef Sandslash (+SpDef): 102% - 121% (364 - 430 HP). Guaranteed OHKO
252SpAtk Life Orb Magmortar (Neutral) Fire Blast vs 252HP/64SpDef Spiritomb (+SpDef): 65% - 77% (198 - 235 HP). Guaranteed 2HKO.
252SpAtk Life Orb Magmortar (Neutral) Focus Blast vs 252HP/252SpDef Eviolite Lightningrod Rhydon (+SpDef): 60% - 71% (252 - 298 HP). Guaranteed 2HKO.
252SpAtk Life Orb Magmortar (Neutral) Focus Blast vs 252HP/252SpDef Unaware Clefable (+SpDef): 64% - 76% (254 - 300 HP). Guaranteed 2HKO.
252SpAtk Life Orb Magmortar (Neutral) Hidden Power (Grass) vs 252HP/216SpDef Volt Absorb Lanturn (+SpDef): 37% - 44% (170 - 202 HP). Guaranteed 3HKO.

As you can see, the only pokemon that avoid 2HKO's are slowking and lanturn, 2 ridiculously bulky pokemon. Magmortar could also run a mixed set with EQ or Cross chop, something that Moltres could never do. While Magmortar is certainly not as overwhelming as Moltres, it still is a massive threat with great coverage which is why I think it should be A Rank.

Also I would like nominate Rhydon for A Rank.While it has some pretty big flaws, such as common weaknesses and low special defense, but thanks to the Eviolite, it can customize it's EV spread to match your teams requirements. Not only that, but it can run many offensive sets, ranging from Rock Polish to Choice Band. Rhydon is another massive threat that should always be considered for any team.

Although this may sound idiotic, I would like to nominate Magcargo for D Rank. While many pokemon can handle it,the snail has one massive niche in countering moltres and to the lesser extent spreading burn. However Magcargo is easy to beat so that is why it should be D rank. Here are some calcs.

252SpAtk Life Orb Moltres (+SAtk) Hurricane vs 252HP/252SpDef Leftovers Weak Armor Magcargo (+SpDef): 36% - 43% (112 - 133 HP). Guaranteed 3HKO.
252SpAtk Life Orb Moltres (+SAtk) Hidden Power (Grass) vs 252HP/252SpDef Leftovers Weak Armor Magcargo (+SpDef): 28% - 34% (88 - 105 HP). Guaranteed 4HKO

On the side note, I can't believe how low Klinklang and Rhydon are on the usage ladder. We need to use them way more than garbage like Whimsicott and Sandslash!
 

ss234

bop.
I actually disagree with the Magmortar proposal. Although Magmortar is a very effective wall breaker, it is simply too frail and weak to priority to work in this metagame. It does break pretty much very wall in RU, apart from specially defensive Druddigon and specially defensive Regirock iirc, but is outclassed IMO by Moltres, which is faster, bulkier and has a great secondary STAB in Hurricane. Obviously, Moltres has a much larger Stealth Rock weakness, but Moltres is immune to Spikes unlike Magmortar and synergises very well with Kabutops, probably the best spinner in the tier. Magmortar is also much weaker to priority, as it doesn't have Moltres's roost to stop the likes of Absol revenge killing it and is much frailer in general. Add this to the fact that defensive teams are almost non-existant, and the very offensive and fast nature of RU which means that Magmortar will be revenge killed with ease, and I simply do not think that Magmortar is an 'outstanding pokemon in the RU metagame'.
 
I actually disagree with the Magmortar proposal. Although Magmortar is a very effective wall breaker, it is simply too frail and weak to priority to work in this metagame. It does break pretty much very wall in RU, apart from specially defensive Druddigon and specially defensive Regirock iirc, but is outclassed IMO by Moltres, which is faster, bulkier and has a great secondary STAB in Hurricane. Obviously, Moltres has a much larger Stealth Rock weakness, but Moltres is immune to Spikes unlike Magmortar and synergises very well with Kabutops, probably the best spinner in the tier. Magmortar is also much weaker to priority, as it doesn't have Moltres's roost to stop the likes of Absol revenge killing it and is much frailer in general. Add this to the fact that defensive teams are almost non-existant, and the very offensive and fast nature of RU which means that Magmortar will be revenge killed with ease, and I simply do not think that Magmortar is an 'outstanding pokemon in the RU metagame'
Magmortar has the niche of going mixed, something only Emboar can come close too. While Moltres has the ability to roost and does better against priority users, mixed Magmortar can destroy lanturn with EQ. Also, who said Moltres and Magmortar can't be partners? Like Salamence and Rayquaza in Ubers, moltres and magmortar can be effective wallbreaking partners in RU.
I understand that moltres is better than Magmortar in areas but unlike moltres, Magmortar can hit most of the tier for super effective damage. Also Magmortar is slightly better against hail because of it's resistance to ice and ability to threaten the water types with a reliable T-bolt.
 
Yes, it can do these things, but that makes it a B Rank Pokemon, not A rank. A rank Pokemon generally aren't outclassed and don't have flaws as large as Magmortar's.

0 Atk Expert Belt Magmortar Earthquake vs. 40 HP / 252 Def Lanturn: 182-216 (45.38 - 53.86%) -- 2.34% chance to 2HKO

hardly destroying lanturn, and it can just KO you back with its Water STAB. Its lowish Speed means that it is easily forced out, and for a Pokemon that is as vulnerable to hazards as Magmortar, that's pretty lethal. The fact that it also has a lot of difficulty breaking slowking, despite thunderbolt, makes it undesirable; at least Moltres can reliably 2HKO it with HP Grass and Hurricane, as well as having access to immediate recovery. I'm not saying that Magmortar is a bad Pokemon at all, but it's flaws prevent it to rise to A Rank.
 
The fact that it also has a lot of difficulty breaking slowking, despite thunderbolt, makes it undesirable; at least Moltres can reliably 2HKO it with HP Grass and Hurricane,
You do realize that magmortar has the same special attack as moltres, right? Anyway, Magmortar has it's flaws, such as low speed and defenses, which is why I've decided to let it stay in B Rank.

On the other hand I agree to nominate scolipede for B-Rank. Being one of the fastest pokemon in RU as well as access to
spikes definetly gives it a niche. Access to high power moves like megahorn and EQ as well as swords dance gives it great offensive presense. While it faces stiff competition from accelgor and escavalier, it has the combinatin of being fast and powerful: definetly B rank
 

Molk

Godlike Usmash
is a Top Tutor Alumnusis a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Team Rater Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Discord Contributor Alumnusis a Top Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnus
Man i totally forgot to update this lmao, doing it now before i forget.


So here are the changes ive made this time around :>

Added Gurdurr to C rank

Scolipede up from C rank -----> B rank

there was pretty much no question about Scolipede and Gurdurr, so everything went smoothly with them, i was a bit unsure about basculin and brought it up with nails and we both came to the agreement that basculin fit better into C rank given the big picture (somewhat outclassed and frail, but still has enough of a notable niche to justify C rank). Not much else to say otherwise, tbh.

Also, im going to have to agree with SilverShadow234 and Cherub Agent on Magmortar, while Magmortar's a pretty good Pokemon and an excellent wallbreaker in its own right, i think B rank is more appropriate for it in this metagame. As mentioned above, Magmortar recieves a ton of competition from Moltres, who's faster, hits just as hard, and has access to a reliable recovery move in the form of roost, along with an excellent secondary STAB move in the form of Hurricane, which is capable of 2HKOing Moltre's previous hard counter, Slowking, a testament to how powerful it really is. Magmortar also recieves a lot of competition from Nidoqueen as a wallbreaker in this metagame, who isnt worn down by things like Stealth Rock and Life Orb recoil nearly as much as magmortar, making her much more threatening in the long run. While Magmortar is certainly a good Pokemon, a combination of its notable flaws such as fraility and being somewhat overshadowed by other Pokemon such as Nidoqueen and Moltres prevent it from being worthy of A rank, imo.

(man i really should stop updating this tired :s, sorry if this doesnt make any sense).
 
Man i totally forgot to update this lmao, doing it now before i forget.


So here are the changes ive made this time around :>

Added Gurdurr to C rank

Scolipede up from C rank -----> B rank

there was pretty much no question about Scolipede and Gurdurr, so everything went smoothly with them, i was a bit unsure about basculin and brought it up with nails and we both came to the agreement that basculin fit better into C rank given the big picture (somewhat outclassed and frail, but still has enough of a notable niche to justify C rank). Not much else to say otherwise, tbh.

Also, im going to have to agree with SilverShadow234 and Cherub Agent on Magmortar, while Magmortar's a pretty good Pokemon and an excellent wallbreaker in its own right, i think B rank is more appropriate for it in this metagame. As mentioned above, Magmortar recieves a ton of competition from Moltres, who's faster, hits just as hard, and has access to a reliable recovery move in the form of roost, along with an excellent secondary STAB move in the form of Hurricane, which is capable of 2HKOing Moltre's previous hard counter, Slowking, a testament to how powerful it really is. Magmortar also recieves a lot of competition from Nidoqueen as a wallbreaker in this metagame, who isnt worn down by things like Stealth Rock and Life Orb recoil nearly as much as magmortar, making her much more threatening in the long run. While Magmortar is certainly a good Pokemon, a combination of its notable flaws such as fraility and being somewhat overshadowed by other Pokemon such as Nidoqueen and Moltres prevent it from being worthy of A rank, imo.

(man i really should stop updating this tired :s, sorry if this doesnt make any sense).
You also forgot my proposal about rhydon being A Rank
 
Ok the ranks are pretty much set now after a few months of discussion. I don't really think we need to add much more to the untested rank because most will end up being unviable (Mothim, Magcargo, etc.), and since the metagame was declared balanced, there are only a few rank changes to discuss.

Right now, we will be separating the Pokemon in each rank into Top, Mid, and Low sections. This will make each rank a bit more organized and allow people to come to a decision on Pokemon who are "in between" ranks. For example, based on the Moltres discussion, the people who wanted it to be A Rank would probably choose Low S Rank for it.

We will be going about this rank by rank, starting with S Rank, so the discussion is not all over the place. Please do not discuss the placement of Pokemon in any other ranks yet until we've come to a consensus on the Top, Mid, and Low sections of the S Rank. During this discussion you can still nominate Pokemon to be moved up/down or be added to the list of course.
 
Top
Nidoqueen
Uxie

I honestly think that these two are the best Pokemon in RU. They are both incredibly reliable, and have no real negative side effects from putting them on a team. Everyone knows what Nidoqueen does: it's a bulky Special tank that above all excels in wallbreaking. It's difficult to wear down due to its typing, and it can always take a hit thanks to its defensive stats. It can forego a coverage move (Sludge Wave mostly) in order to use a utility move such as Stealth Rock or Substitute which allows it to provide more team support or punish opponents that rely on revenge killing as their way to dispose of Nidoqueen. Uxie is RU's support Pokemon "per eccelenza", guaranteeing Stealth Rock to be set up and is one of the very few Pokemon able to actually counter Nidoqueen. It excels in providing momentum for an offensive team thanks to U-Turn and its ability to force out many threats. Uxie's support moves can be customized to whatever it is your team needs, and it's nigh guaranteed to cripple a Pokemon of your choice. It also has an extremely lethal SubCM set that is incredibly difficult to take down due to its great neutral coverage, pretty impressive Speed and titanic bulk.

Mid
Sceptile
Entei
Escavalier
Slowking

These guys form the core of S Rank imo. The ultimate FWG core, plus a Steel-type, it's not rare to see all four of these guys on a single team at once. Sceptile is probably RU's best cleaner, and is very difficult to wall despite not needing to set up most of the time. The only truly safe switchins are SpDef Amoonguss and Roselia, and both of these can easily be taken advantage of by Escavalier or Entei, who can afford to run Sleep Talk on their Choice sets. Entei is easily one of the most fearsome Pokemon in the tier, with the ability to both wallbreak and revenge kill with lethal efficiency. All that's really keeing it from Top Tier imo is it's Fire-typing: it is vulnerable to every entry hazard and is easily worn down when one also takes FB recoil into account. It's inability to get through the bulkier Pokemon that resist its moves such as Rhydon, Druddigon and Regirock is also annoying. However, it does have excellent natural bulk which means that it is very difficult to outright KO. Escavalier has already made a name of itself among the top dogs. The coveted Steel-typing grants it multiple switchin opportunities to unleash its lethal Megahorn. Its great bulk and monstruous power, not to mention its nigh perfect synergy with Slowking, easily make it one of the best Pokemon in the tier. Its only real flaws ae that it will generally always have to take a hit due to it being as slow as a well, snail, and the fact that it must rely on an 85% accurate STAB move most of the time. I'm sure everyone's lost games where Megahorn missed at precisely the wrong time. And then there's Slowking. A beautiful all-purpose tank with awesome typing, both offensively and defensively. It's ability is top of the notch, and it's 100 base SpAtk means that it will always leave a mark. An annoying Pursuit weakness and the fact that the more powerful special wallbreakers in the tier can still break it (Moltres and Nidoqueen) hodl it back from being Top imo. Slowking does have awful Speed, but it's not as much of an issue as it is with Escavalier, as Slowking has both Thunder Wave and Trick Room to rectify the issue.

Low
Druddigon
Moltres

So, here are the two Pokemon that in my opinion are the "dregs" of S rank. Lol that sounded far harsher than I really mean. Anyway, Druddigon certainly deserves the S rank because of its excellent typing and power that allow it to pick apart FWG cores almost by itself, and also act as an excellent answer to Electric-types and VolTurn. The only real problem I've had with Druddigon is the fact that it's not as bulky statwise as one might assume, and the fact that it must lock itself into Outrage in order to truly crush opponents. Its low Speed means that it will rarely get a proper Outrage sweep going, as many opponents will sacrifice the first Outrage to death fodder, and then proceed to Substitute or Protect stall it out (the former is particularly abundant in RU). It can circumnavigate its low Speed with Sucker Punch and Glare though. Moltres is a Pokemon that simply isn't top tier because of its Stealth Rock weakness, like Entei. Although Moltres's is far more drastic and so in my opinion deserves Low S Rank. Once it's in safely the same cannot be said for one's opponent, as it really can 2HKO anything that resides in the RU tier (with the exception of some NU Pokemon). Reliable recovery also helps keep it going, offsetting LO recoil and the attacks that it will tank thanks to its good bulk. The fact that spinning in RU is also an easy task helps Moltres out a lot. However, one cannot deny that it's just a wee bit slow for a true sweeper, and so can often be forced out by faster threats. And when you consider that Stealth Rock only takes one turn to set up, being forced out really is a death sentence to Moltres.

These are my thoughts, feel free to argue :P I'm sure we'll all have different opinions based on our teams
 
Top
Nidoqueen
Uxie
I disagree with uxie being top. It's lack of offensive presence and subpar Psychic typing offsets it's good bulk. I'm leaning towards Mid-S rank.

Mid
Sceptile
Entei
Escavalier
Slowking


Escavalier has the problem of having a limited movepool. While megahorn hits extremely hard, the only other notable options it has are iron head, pursuit and return. A mega weakness to the common fire types doesn't help either. I say it's a low S-rank. Apart from that the list is pretty good.
 
Top
Nidoqueen, Entei

  • Nidoqueen is excellent in the metagame, as its coverage and power is phenomenal, as indicated by its recent coming into Suspect testing. Its bulk is also suprisingly stellar, and it really has no true counters although there do exist some Pokemon that can OHKO it, but none of them can really switch in without taking tons of damage. Its in general very difficult to wear down as well, as it is immune to Toxic, Life Orb, and Thunder Wave, all of which are usually detrimental for a sweeper. Aside from being somewhat slow and having some unfortunate weaknesses, it is otherwise almost flawless.
  • I don't think many people will agree on this but Entei is deserving of being among the Top of S, despite only really having one set. Without a proper bulky resist, its Flare Blitz will take something down without a doubt. Entei has a lot of great perks, including a STAB move that is terrorizing to switch into as it has a chance OHKO everything that is faster than it after Stealth Rock bar Typhlosion and Uxie (Aerodactyl and Archeops have a small chance of surviving), and Extreemespeed that helps it stop sweepers that have taken a beating but need that extra push, coverage moves that take down what it needs to, a suprisingly great bulk, immunity to burns, and the capability to special attack to a degree, and on top of it all it is far from slow. A weakness to Stealth Rock and recoil damage is unfortunate (though Entei has an enormous HP to take recoil), but the fact that it OHKOs so many Pokemon with just Flare Blitz while taking their hits somewhat well regardless is incredible. Even Defensive Slowking can't get away without taking arond 40% damage from this thing's Flare Blitz (a lot more considering 2 hits, meaning slightly weakened ones lose!) and the specs version gets 2HKOed, a testament to its power. Although there are quite a few Pokemon that wall it, a lot of them aren't really that common in the tier.
Mid
Uxie, Sceptile, Slowking, Druddigon

  • Uxie is probably the best support Pokemon in RU and has a lot of sets that it can run, all of which are very effective, and it is also one of the bulkiest Pokemon in the metagame. Countering Nidoqueen is also nice (ie switching in to nearly everything and defeating it) but it has some flaws that I dislike. This is pretty much because of its lack of recovery and some annoying weaknesses such as Pursuit, U-Turn, and other things. Uxie is very good, but not quite at the top of S-tier.
  • Sceptile is a freaking monster. It can do a lot to the opponent and can attack on the physical and special sides to some success. Its Leaf Storm is insanely powerful, it can clean up the foes team easily thanks to its great speed stat, and a suprsing amount of other things. Steel-types also can't wall it thanks to Focus Blast. However, Sceptile's main flaw is that it is really frail and it doesn't have the highest Special Attack, so it deserves mid.
  • Slowking is probably the most reselient Pokemon in the tier, and has that thing that Uxie would kill for - instant recovery. Regenerator is also a huge plus, and this thing has an absolutely massive movepool to take advantage of its offensive and defensive capabilities. Its slow, but that is what Trick Room is for. The reason why it doesn't really fit the bill for the top is some unfortunate weaknesses shared with Uxie and also some special weaknesses such as Electric and Grass are irritating since they are both fairly common attacking types.
  • Druddigon is also another Pokemon that is very powerful. Being a Dragon-type, not much can wall it off the bat, and its typing is also amazing for defensive purposes, as it resists the STABs of a lot of the Pokemon listed thus far (and isn't hit hard by their coverage moves either). However, being extremely slow and depending on a locked move is fairly annoying, but its raw power (and ability to support its team with some of the odder sets) make up for this mostly.
Low


Escavalier, Moltres
  • Escavalier is an odd case. Immediatley, the fact that it has 120 Base Power move and 135 Base Attack along with a Steel-typing stands out. However, its so dang slow that even Slowking can outspeed it (and OHKO it with Fire Blast), has that annoying weakness to Fire, and really isn't as bulky as it may seem sometimes. It doesn't have quite the defenses to stand up to some of the stronger moves in the tier and often finds itself 2HKOed, sometimes OHKOed (going off the fact that a Sap Sipper CB Bouff 2HKOs it easily though that thing is a strong mofo). Regardless, it is still fairly bulky and hilariously powerful, and aside from its speed problems it does come with a lot of resistances, but I think it deserves low.
  • Moltres is extremely dangerous, but that weakness to Stealth Rock is deliberating. While Entei can live without a Rapid Spinner, Moltres can't. That means you've already got 2 of your moveslots taken up, and while Kabutops and Cryogonal are both good Pokemon, its not like I always want to include them on my team. It also means that you can't add it to your team halfheartedly like some other S-Rank Pokemon, as you WILL need a Rapid Spinner, which may take up another slot you may not have room for. Its also a bit slow. However, the raw power of Moltres (125 Base Attack with 2 120 Base Power STAB moves yes please) makes up for it, but barely enough to keep it in S-Rank.
 

Nails

Double Threat
is a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Community Leader Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnusis a Past SPL Championis a Three-Time Past WCoP Champion
Vertical position is scaled according to overall utility and effectiveness.

Queen - It's queen.

Entei Uxie - Best revenge killer in the tier, and the best supporter in the tier.
Sceptile - Fast strong, enough bulk to switch in vs the right mon.

Druddigon - Really good supporter or really strong wallbreaker, and strong priority always helps any strongmon. Glare is like twave except better.
Slowking Escav - Anti-meta mons; slowking is on teams either to counter Entei or Queen + Moltres 8/10 times, Escav is on teams because there are a lot of mons that can't hit it (all of the psychic types that are around to kill queen).

Moltres - You have to prepare for it or you die. If you do prepare for it it's not really a huge threat.
 

Honus

magna carta
is a Top Team Rater Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnus
Yeah I'd at least throw Escavalier in mid, one amazing thing about this poke is that it's easily implementable on defensive teams thanks to its nice/defensive typing but it comes with the rare added benefit of having an assload of power, so if you can get it in you can just Megahorn and tear holes through offensive teams [Magmortar is 2HKOd by it etc].
 

Molk

Godlike Usmash
is a Top Tutor Alumnusis a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Team Rater Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Discord Contributor Alumnusis a Top Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnus
Here are my opinions on the current S tier Pokemon.

TOP

Nidoqueen and Slowking

I dont think anyone will disagree with Nidoqueen being in top S rank, its easily one of the best Pokemon in the tier and probably the most controversial Pokemon in the history of RU overall (just look at the suspect discussion x_x). Her excellent type coverage combined with her ability in Sheer Force make her an excellent wallbreaker, which is further augmented by her resistance to passive damage such as Toxic, Stealth Rock, and Thunder Wave, as well as her useful resistances to Electric and Bug (she has quite a few other resistances too, but most of the other Pokemon that carry those moves usually run a way to deter Nidoqueen anyway, making it sort of a moot point.


Slowking is the very definition of "metagame defining", in my opinion. Slowking's been around for a very long time, and except for very early on when Yanmega and co. ran rampant, its been one of the, if not the most influential Pokemon in the tier. Slowking is capable of running a ton of sets such as its standard defensive set, Choice Specs, Offensive Trick Room, and even Calm Mind, making him a great option for offensive and defensive teams alike. Slowking has excellent defensive stats all around and a good support movepool, which when combined with its cool typing and one of the best abilities in the game: Regenerator makes him the single best pivot in the entire tier, and a major roadblock for multiple threats such as Entei, Moltres (needs to be slightly more careful due to hurricane), Hitmonlee, Emboar, and Cryogonal. Although the metagame isnt as kind to it as it was in BW1, i feel that Slowking's countless positives outweigh that enough for it to be placed in top S rank.

MID

Uxie, Entei, Sceptile, Druddigon, and Escavalier

Uxie is gifted with what might possibly be the most expansive support movepool in the entire metagame, including moves such as Stealth Rock, U-turn, Dual Screens, Toxic, Thunder Wave, Memento, Heal Bell, Trick Room, Rain Dance, and Sunny Day, as well as some of the highest defensive stats in the game, sitting at 75/130/130. These two traits make Uxie hands down the best pure support Pokemon in the tier, almost always being able to do its job (sometimes multiple times per match!), and setting up win conditions for its teammates quite easily. Not to mention Uxie's good speed and excellent defensive stats also make it the perfect candidate for a deadly SubCM set, which is one of the most underrated yet effective sets in the current metagame in my opinion.

Entei is, simply put, an absolute monster, and one of the main reasons why almost every successful team needs to run a Fire resistance. The power of Entei's Flare Blitz is truely a sight to behold, cleanly 2HKOing almost every Pokemon that doesnt resist it, while Extremespeed makes Entei an excellent revenge killer, capable of picking off a slew of threatening Pokemon before they can do too much damage such as Accelgor, Galvantula, Sceptile, Absol, and Lilligant. As Cherub Agent mentioned before, the main and possibly only reason its not top S rank is because of how quickly its worn down from a combination of Flare Blitz recoil and hazards damage, making its lifespan quite short if the Entei user doesnt play well (also i guess a lot of common Pokemon such as Slowking, Qwilfish, Druddigon and Poliwrath wall it, which further hinders Entei from being top S rank material.


Aside from being literally 2hko'd by Stoutland's Fire Fang, Escavalier is quite the juggernaut in the RU tier. Nothing wants to take a Megahorn off of that huge base 135 Attack Stat, and while speed isnt its strong suit, Escavalier's natural bulk and good defensive typing more than make up for the speed issue, granting it free switch ins on a ton of common Pokemon such as Uxie, Hp Rock Lilligant and Sceptile, Choice locked Druddigon, and Cryogonal. Escavalier also happens to be one of the best hail checks in the tier, being immune to the residual damage caused by Hail thanks to Overcoat, while using its natural bulk and resistance to Blizzard to neutralize Hail abusers such as Glaceon and Walrein with ease. Escavalier's low Speed stat still gets in the way occasionally, as well as its somewhat limited type coverage, but its positives certainly qualify it for mid S rank imo.

Sceptile is one of the best sweepers RU has to offer, and its easy to see why, Sceptile can run both physical and Special sets effectively, having close to 0 counters between the Special Attacker and Swords Dance sets. Sceptile is also one of the fastest Pokemon in the game, outrunning almost the entire unboosted metagame without a boost, making it that much harder for the opponent to deal with it. The main thing keeping Sceptile out of top S rank imo is its fraility, especially on the physical side, 70/65/85 isnt winning any awards defensively, and Sceptile often has trouble switching in against more offensive teams in fear of simply being OHKO'd on the switch in without accomplishing anything. Sceptile's fraility also makes it more vulnerable to priority such as Entei's Extremespeed, which can stop a Sceptile sweep prematurely quite easily.

As for Druddigon, its a bulky Dragon-type with insane damage potential, a great offensive movepool and access to Stealth Rock, arguably the best move in the game in a metagame where FWG cores are incredibly common, what did you expect? I could say more, but its like 4 in the morning and i think its pretty self explanatory tbh :x.


LOW

Moltres

As Cherub Agent, Nails, and Swamp Rocket mentioned in their posts, while Moltres is easily one of the most dangerous Pokemon in the tier when left unchecked due to its raw power and great dual STAB, that Stealth Rock weakness is incredibly crippling, and prevents Moltres from being top S or even mid S imo. Stealth Rock is on almost every team, and while its relatively easy to keep Stealth Rock off the field in RU simply because of how good Kabutops and Cryogonal are at spinning, it still needs a bit more support than the other S rank Pokemon to function to its full potential, and thats what prevents it from being any higher than low S rank (tbh if Stealth Rock didnt exist Moltres would probably be bannable, lol).
 

ss234

bop.
TOP:

Nidoqueen: Nidoqueen has amazing coverage, power with Sheer Force and doesn't take that much from residual damage either thanks to Sheer Force, immunity to Toxic and Thunder Wave and a stealth rock resistance. Nidoqueen also has pretty solid bulk, and good resistances to fighting, electric and bug.

Slowking: Slowking is easily the best glue pokemon in ru. It is incredibly versatile, which makes it impossible to counter with any one pokemon, and has excellent resistances to fire, fighting, water and psychic. It also has the ability to stick around for a long time without using a recovery move, which is incredibly valuable in such an offensive metagame.

Uxie: Uxie is the ultimate support mon. It can do absolutely everything-from dual screens, to trick room, to weather support or just getting off Stealth Rock reliably. It has excellent bulk, and a decent typing, allowing it to take on fighting types rather well, and has levitate which gives it an immunity to spikes, toxic spikes and ground type moves. It can also sweep with the SubCM set.

Middle:

Sceptile: This is easily one of the best late-game cleaners in ru, if not the best. Thanks to its insane speed stat, it can also act as a scarfer that can change moves, which is incredibly valuable. Sceptile is also incredibly versatile, as the physical attacker and special attacker have very different counters, and by simply changing the HP type on the special attacker set you also have completely different counters. Sceptile is very frail though, which limits it to middle rank.

Druddigon: Druddigon is a really excellent pokemon in this metagame, and its not hard to see why. Amazing bulk and typing allow it to counter a huge majority of the metagame, including Lilligant, Magmortar and Sceptile, and it also hits ridiculously hard with a CB Outrage-even bulky steel types like escavalier are 2HKO'd after rocks. Its only flaws are that it is slow, and is weak to residual damage, which is why it is middle rank IMO.

Moltres: Moltres is undeniably one of the most powerful and defining pokes of ru. It has ridiculous power, being able to 2HKO pretty much the entire metagame outside of a few niche pokes, and unlike Nidoqueen is pretty fast by ru standards. It also has reliable recovery in the form of roost. The Stealth Rock weakness is a big nuisance, but there are ways around it. Rapid Spin is the most obvious, but even if it is a lot of support, people would still run Kabutops with moltres anyway because they synergise so well together. And even with Stealth Rock up, Moltres is far from useless-it still blasts pretty much everything to smithereens.

Entei: Entei is the reason that people need a fire resist(as well as Moltres, but mostly entei because Moltres kills off a lot of fire resists with Hurricane). CB Flare Blitz is ridiculously powerful, 2HKO ing even bulky resists such as Druddigon and Slowking, while ExtremeSpeed is an excellent form of priority in RU, allowing entei to revenge kill Absol, as well as many of the frailer threats in the tier such as Galvantula, Manectric and Sceptile. Flame Plate Entei is also a really great set ATM, as it allows entei to destroy many of its counters such as Quagsire and Omastar with ease. Its only issue is residual damage from Flare Blitz and entry hazard damage(especially stealth rock).

Low:

Escavalier: Make no doubt-escavalier is still an excellent pokemon in ru. It has excellent bulk and a great defensive typing, allowing it to counter a large number of ru pokes such as sceptile and smash the switch in with an incredibly powerful Megahorn. However, unlike Druddigon's STAB Outrage which has very few safe switch ins, there are a large number of ru pokes that can take a hit from CB Esca and hits back equally hard, such as Entei, Nidoqueen and Moltres. It is also very slow, and can be worn down quite quickly with entry hazards.
 
Top:

Nidoqueen should obviously be here. It's the most threatening Pokemon in the tier and easily fits onto teams.

Slowking is generally the most useful defensive Pokemon, usually surviving throughout an entire match. It has a very diverse movepool, allowing it to run multiple sets to fit a team. It walls a ton of threats, is extremely hard to kill, and provides excellent support for most teams.

Mid:

Druddigon is one of the most threatening Pokemon in the tier. Almost nothing can switch into its moves, and it can even get past its counters with a mixed set. Druddigon is an anti-metagame Pokemon, single-handedly dismantling FWG cores while providing support in the form of Stealth Rock or Roar. It is also one of the best wallbreakers in RU. However, its low Speed and lack of recovery holds it back from being top rank.

Uxie has a myriad of support moves and counters Nidoqueen, making it very easy to fit onto a team. It is one of the best SR users and pivots in the tier. However, it lacks reliable recovery and often cannot survive throughout the entire match like Slowking. The support sets also do not have much offensive presence, while the CM set isn't really a top tier threat imo.

Entei is the best revenge killer and one of the most powerful physical attackers in RU. Lots of people come prepared for it though and it gets worn down easily by residual damage. It's still a great Pokemon that can do a ton of damage to the opposing team, so it fits well in mid rank imo.

Barely anything can switch into Escavalier's Megahorn without losing half of their health. Escavalier has great defenses and a good typing, so it is easy to fit onto a team like the other S Rank mons. Like Druddigon, it is slow and easy to wear down, but is overall a very powerful and useful Pokemon.

Low:

Sceptile hasn't been as effective as it used to be. A lot more people run Druddigon and Escavalier now, which threaten Sceptile and its common teammates. People have been a lot more prepared for Sceptile lately which limits its effectiveness. I can't really bring myself to compare it to something like Druddigon or Nidoqueen, but maybe I'll change my mind.

-

I haven't really decided on where I want Moltres to go. When Stealth Rock is up, it will usually have to Roost after switching in, putting the Moltres user at a disadvantage. Using Kabutops to Rapid Spin is easy, however, but that puts a lot of pressure on the team with Moltres. I just feel that with SR up, Moltres is very easy to revenge kill or even stop with Slowking. This also brings up the point that Moltres is somewhat unreliable due to an inaccurate Hurricane, and Fire Blast if it chooses to run that. Despite this, Moltres is still one of the most threatening Pokemon in the tier with little to no counters, so mid/low would be fine with me.
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 1, Guests: 1)

Top