Gen 5 The OU Viability Ranking thread

[Arcticblast]

Funny you mention Landorus Therian, as Lando is pretty much a better physical wall than Gliscor.

With a spread of 200 HP/64 Atk/244 Def, Adamant Nature, and a pokemon Intimidated, Landorus has physical bulk comparable to Groudon. Yes. The greatest physical wall in the game, Lando T can compare itself to.

Technically, Groudon has a lot of competition - in reality, Eviolite Rhydon is the physically bulkiest Pokemon in the game if you're going by stats alone.
-1 252+ Atk Choice Band Dragonite Outrage vs. 200 HP / 244 Def Landorus-T: 187-222 (50.67 - 60.16%) -- 85.94% chance to 2HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Dragonite Outrage vs. 72 HP / 4 Def Eviolite Rhydon: 187-222 (50.67 - 60.16%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Those EVs might seem weird, but they give Rhydon the same exact HP and Defense stats as Landorus-T. If you're looking for something more, check this out:
252+ Atk Choice Band Dragonite Outrage vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Rhydon: 141-166 (34.05 - 40.09%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
Even max/max Impish Groudon takes 46.28 - 54.95% from that.

If you're factoring in typing, there's probably a better Steel out there.

It almost single handely destroyed Drag2Mag teams (at least physically based dragons, special based ones had to eat a U-Turn as Latias, Hydreigon, and Latios are all weak to it), sets up rocks, can sweep potentially with an RP boost (427 attack and 562 speed after a Rock Polish is no joke), can run an EXTREMELY effective Double Dance set, or can even go Sheer Force and become a surprise special attacker (inferior to Landorus Incarnate in this area though).

Landorus-T's sole ability is Intimidate. It can have no other ability. It has a bit of trouble setting up because of its common weaknesses - if it doesn't set up a Rock Polish quickly, a Keldeo

Gliscor can stay where it is. While it stalls pretty well and can run that AWESOME AcroBat set, thats all it can do. As a physical wall, Landorus Therian outclasses it.

AcroBat suffered a huge loss in viability with the banning of Sand Veil. It isn't exactly "awesome."

All of the above said, while Gliscor and Landorus-T operate slightly differently, Landorus-T is almost always superior. The only reason to use Gliscor over Landorus-T is for a Toxic stalling set, which it does admirably. It loses to Pokemon with Substitute if it can't outspeed them, however.

 

[Chou Toshio]

Can we stop inflating all these ranks? I feel like we're just going in circles mentioning and re-mentioning a poke's strength (with proponents being particularly stubbon) until everything ends up in B-A just because we're inflating other crap to it. The endless spiral of self-convincing will result in a meaningless list. Honestly, I think it's more worthwhile to talk about where low tier pokes fit into the lower ranks than it is to keep re-discussing the same b-a pokes when the meta isn't changing as fast as this discussion updates.

 

[Gary]

Why would you try to sweep with Reuniclus when scizor isn't in KO range, that's like trying a RP lando sweep with Mamoswine still around. I agree Rachi is a problem for Reuni and there isn't an easy way around it, unless you run Magnezone, but even an A-Rank pokemon like Breloom has it's roadblocks.
252+ SpA Life Orb Reuniclus Focus Blast vs. 224 HP / 32 SpD Skarmory: 233-274 (71.25 - 83.79%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Now skarm is too weak to do his job and was pretty much wasted.
0 Atk Ferrothorn Gyro Ball (36 BP) vs. 192 HP / 64 Def Reuniclus: 43-52 (10.51 - 12.71%) -- possible 8HKO
I assume you meant Power whip? And now Ferro is too weak to do his job, and it isn't uncommon for Ferro to be below 100% during a match, due to all the hits it has to take (leech seed recovery is pretty good though.) CB Tar gets rid of Latias, the only other support besides CB tar that would be appreciated is maybe hazards. Reuni can sweep no problem too, and may need less support than volc. Volc needs rocks out of the way, sun up or at least no rain, tran to be out of the picture (you can run hp ground, but tran can carry balloon), and you need a solid switch in for keldeo and terrakion, terrakion more so. Breloom, another A-Rank pokemon, struggles with Celebi and Amoonguss. Garchomp struggles with mamoswine, weavile, and the lati twins. Dragonite, hates stealth rock, hates terrakion, the lati twins, mamoswine. Reuniclus doesn't like Jirachi, the lati twins, celebi, slowking, pretty much any bulky ghost/psychic type that cannot be KO'd by it's coverage moves, look at how well CB tar pairs up with it, and thats one pokemon.

Reserved for Pokemon who cannot sweep through or wall significant portions of the metagame, but can properly fulfill a given offensive/defensive niche. Support Pokemon in this category have flaws that prevent them from doing their job or are setup bait for dangerous sweepers. Pokemon who are partially outperformed by a Pokemon in A or S Rank, but are otherwise very dangerous, may also fall into this category. That is the definition of B Rank (albeit we are talking about B+, but if B+ had a definition, i imagine it be at least close to this) nothing does what Reuniclus does, making everything that should outspeed it slow with TR.




It isn't the most likely sceneario to have Reuniclus vs. Tyranitar when TR is not up, and even then it is a mind game on pursuiting or not, and then there is the fact that some TTar's don't carry both pursuit and crunch. As already stated by Gary2346 and myself, Reuniclus isn't really pursuit weak.

EDIT: I failed to recognize that chomp and dnite can run a multitude of sets, which is another reason why they are A-Rank, still, fast scarfers and ice shard users do hinder them. And Breloom has spore but the checks/counters remain the same.

Yes I apologize I did meant Power Whip. I don't really know if comparing Breloom to Reuniclus is really practical. Breloom is a completely different Pokemon that finds its success through priority boosted Mach Punch, Spore, and being one of the most dangerous users of Swords Dance in the tier. OTR Reuniclus functions well ONLY in Trick Room. Like I said, Reuniclus wont be doing much a majority of the battle. It just sits there and waits for everything it hates to be taken care of + everything is in 2HKO or OHKO range. Breloom and Volcarona need support, yes, however unlike Reuniclus, Quiver Dance and Swords Dance can't be stalled out, Trick Room can. It's not THAT hard to play around Trick Room like it is trying to play around a +2 Breloom or a +1 Volcarona. I don't think Reuniclus is a top tier threat worthy of A-Rank, but I do think it's still something that can really shit on unprepared teams. B+ is the highest is should go.

Can we stop inflating all these ranks? I feel like we're just going in circles mentioning and re-mentioning a poke's strength (with proponents being particularly stubbon) until everything ends up in B-A just because we're inflating other crap to it. The endless spiral of self-convincing will result in a meaningless list. Honestly, I think it's more worthwhile to talk about where low tier pokes fit into the lower ranks than it is to keep re-discussing the same b-a pokes when the meta isn't changing as fast as this discussion updates.

This. There are lower rank Pokemon that could probably be discussed for moving up or down. I hate how a lot of you guys keep petitioning for Pokemon to move up to A-Rank or different B-Ranks after so many people have already tried before. If it isn't moving up, then it's most likely never going to move up. Move on.

 

[Chou Toshio]

Kyurem-- does this thing need to be A Rank? For all the whining people do about pressure's advantages, I've NEVER EVEN SEEN one on the ladder! -> B

Fat blobs-- What do blissey and chansey EVEN DO? They can't stop the 2 best special sweepers (Keldeo and Lando); Lati@s, Starmie, and Alakazam all pack Psyshock way too often; Celebi's Nasty + Pass set makes them total set up bait; Rotom-W can always trick them; Gengar's a stalemate-- what are you using these things to beat?? What can they accomplish that you couldn't do with Jirachi, Celebi or Ttar?
=> C

Amoongus-- Not nearly useful enough => B-

Mienshao-- ... why? => C

Sableye-- can be useful, but with so much focus on special attackers, and so little bulk, this thing has a lot of trouble => B-

Mew-- Doing what? => B-

Weavile-- Way too frail, and WAY too much of a liability 90% of the time. => C

Wobb-- ehhh... I guess B- is ok, I'd rather put C

 

[ciaranroy]

Just because you've never seen Kyurem on the ladder doesn't mean it's unworthy of A Rank. In fact, by keeping it A Rank, we'd be raising awareness of a great pokemon who sees criminally low usage. Agree with the blobs moving to C since they wall... erm... Heatran? Politoed? The top special threats have ways of getting past them, not to mention the ubiquity of Fighting types that take a huge dump on them.

 

[Cube]

Kyrum absolutely deserves A rank. Just because you don't see it, doesn't mean it's not there.

Weavile is pretty "Anti-Meta" right now and fits where it is right now.

Mew doing what? That's the thing. It could be doing ANYTHING.

 

[Swamp-Rocket]

Kyrum absolutely deserves A rank. Just because you don't see it, doesn't mean it's not there.

I honestly don't see that many reasons why regular Kyurem shouldn't be B, and arguments like this are sorta flawed. Sure, you can say that its rarity doesn't equate to it being bad, but Kyurem is to the point where it is used so little that it clearly isn't having much of an impact on the tier at all, and it is almost always being skipped over for the many other Dragons that have been decided as being better. I mean, Pressure is cool, but when only one in about every 100 trainers decides that they need to have a Kyurem on their team, it is clear that it is not very easy to fit onto its teams, it isn't being used to its advantages at all, its constantly being outclassed, or people just don't even care about it at all. Kyurem is one of those cases in which the usage does show it is not excellent, because if it was A-Rank worthy, people would actually use it. If you never see something, it isn't a threat to prepare for, something that most A-Rank Pokemon need to be. Is Kyurem as useful as lesser A-Rank Pokemon such as Alakazam, Tentacruel, Gengar, or Volcarona? I'd say no.

imo Bronzong, Mew, Haxorus, Mienshao, and Feraligatr all need to drop to low B because they aren't as good as some of the other B-Rank Pokemon, and although they are still decent, these are all the borderline cases that need to fill up the extremely scarce B- rank. Bronzong is foiled by its lack of instant recovery (which makes it a bit unreliable against a lot of Pokemon), Mew is foiled by its lack of... being good, Mienshao gets a lot of competition from Pokemon such as Terrakion, Haxorus in general doesn't stand out as a threat as much as the other Dragons, and Feraligatr is heavily Rain dependent and only really becomes a threat below 33% HP (which means that it dies extremely fast while sweeping, often in 2 or 3 turns). I don't know if I will see agreement on this, but low B needs to have more than 3 Pokemon, especially considering Roserade probably is not worthy of C-tier as brought up earilier.

I also agree with Chou that the Bobs should be C-Rank. They, simply put, don't do very aside from sit there and stall, which isn't a good strategy in such an offensive metagame.

EDIT: @ciaranroy The only set people care about on Kyurem is SubRoost. Preparing for Kyurem is extremely similar to preparing for Kyurem-B, and a SubRoost cannot sweep unprepared teams mainly because it is a SubRoost set. Also, having only one niche set is something no other Pokemon has in A-Rank has other than Alakazam (and even that is debatable, considering Focus Sash variants and LO + Sub or Charge Beam Variants being quite different). Its not a bad Pokemon, but it is so underused and gets so much competition to the point where it is a bit concerning.

 

[Trainer Au]

Yes I apologize I did meant Power Whip. I don't really know if comparing Breloom to Reuniclus is really practical. Breloom is a completely different Pokemon that finds its success through priority boosted Mach Punch, Spore, and being one of the most dangerous users of Swords Dance in the tier. OTR Reuniclus functions well ONLY in Trick Room. Like I said, Reuniclus wont be doing much a majority of the battle. It just sits there and waits for everything it hates to be taken care of + everything is in 2HKO or OHKO range. Breloom and Volcarona need support, yes, however unlike Reuniclus, Quiver Dance and Swords Dance can't be stalled out, Trick Room can. It's not THAT hard to play around Trick Room like it is trying to play around a +2 Breloom or a +1 Volcarona. I don't think Reuniclus is a top tier threat worthy of A-Rank, but I do think it's still something that can really shit on unprepared teams. B+ is the highest is should go.

Breloom is stopped by Celebi, Starmie, Amoonguss, Lati@s. Volcarona is stopped by (assuming scarfed) Garchomp, Landorus, Terrakion and stealth rock really hampers it too, my point was that a lot of A-Rank pokemon have their roadblocks. While you are panic switching to different pokemon, you can be taking SR+Sand damage and with some prediction Reuniclus can destroy your team.
Anyways, I've pretty much said all I can say so if you don't agree with me and I don't get support from other people then I guess Reuniclus is staying where he is, poor guy, being a Jello pokemon in OU should already guarantee it is A-Rank :/.

(Please don't think I'm serious.)

 

[ciaranroy]

Yes, but in trainers not being prepared for Kyurem, it gives it the opportunity to run rampant over their team. It has the opposite effect of Heracross in UU, where it was so overprepared for that its deadliness waned. Even the best teams can be ripped apart by Kyurem (BKC's for example). The fact it's BL shows you that it is an underrated threat. And after all, what is the purpose of this thread? To guide players and show them what's viable. Keeping it A Rank (which it fully deserves) will promote its use and make it known how good it really is.

 

[Gary]

As much as I love regular Kyurem, I feel that B+ rank is perfect for it. It has one niche in OU that makes it really stand out apart from Kyurem-B, and that's Pressure stalling. Enough has been explained already about Kyurem's pressure stalling, so there's no need to go off on a tangent about that. Still, it has decent defenses, great Special Attack, and a great ability that can make it extremely dangerous if played right. I wouldn't say its usage completely defines its usefulness seeing as Electivire and Charizard are used more and they both suck, while Kyurem-C doesn't. It is true that Kyurem-C is in fact a VERY underrated threat that should be deserving much more usage then it should be getting. I don't feel that Kyurem is justified for being in A-Rank solely because of its unique niche. Kyurem-B outclasses Kyurem-C in pretty much every way except SubRoosting and Choice Specs. If I were to rank Kyurem-C properly, I'd say B+ rank would be perfect. Outclassed mostly by Kyurem-B, but is damn good at what it does best, and it's definitely not garbage.

 

[Halcyon.]

As much as I love regular Kyurem, I feel that B+ rank is perfect for it. It has one niche in OU that makes it really stand out apart from Kyurem-B, and that's Pressure stalling. Enough has been explained already about Kyurem's pressure stalling, so there's no need to go off on a tangent about that. Still, it has decent defenses, great Special Attack, and a great ability that can make it extremely dangerous if played right. I wouldn't say its usage completely defines its usefulness seeing as Electivire and Charizard are used more and they both suck, while Kyurem-C doesn't. It is true that Kyurem-C is in fact a VERY underrated threat that should be deserving much more usage then it should be getting. I don't feel that Kyurem is justified for being in A-Rank solely because of its unique niche. Kyurem-B outclasses Kyurem-C in pretty much every way except SubRoosting and Choice Specs. If I were to rank Kyurem-C properly, I'd say B+ rank would be perfect. Outclassed mostly by Kyurem-B, but is damn good at what it does best, and it's definitely not garbage.

I totally agree with this. I'm a huge advocate for Kyurem and its SubRoost set, but it just doesn't deserve A rank. No Pokémon that has only one niche should be A rank. Every other set bar full special Scarf set (which sucks anyway) is outclassed by Kyurem-B. I don't think people here would argue that Kyurem is a monster, and definitely should be used more, but any Pokémon that is completely outclassed outside of one set should not be A rank. Kyurem still deals with Gyro Ball, Stone Edge, Close Combat, etc. better than Kyurem-B does, though, which I think earns him a solid spot in B+.

 

[Sturdynips]

Agreeing that Kyurem fits in B+. Pressure stalling, while effective, has only a very small niche, particularly in the heavy-hitting and fast paced OU metagame. As has been said several times, it is outclassed by Kyurem-B in almost every way. A pokemon that is outclassed by another pokemon does not belong in the same tier as that superior pokemon in my opinion.
Kyurem is a hugely underestimated threat, but pressure alone is not nearly good enough to maintain its A-rank status.

 

[ElectivireRocks]

The only set people care about on Kyurem is SubRoost. Preparing for Kyurem is extremely similar to preparing for Kyurem-B

Not true.
Gyro Ball Ferrothorn checks Kyu-B lacking Focus Blast or HP Fire, but it can never beat SubRoost Kyurem.
The same can be said about almost anything that relies on 8 PP moves to get past Kyu-B, such as Tyranitar with Stone Edge, Latios without Dragon Pulse or Terrakion locked into one of its STABs.

Considering that the Kyurem formes often find themselves on the receiving end of 8 PP moves such as Stone Edge, Close Combat, Gyro Ball, Superpower and Draco Meteor, it's easy to see that Kyurem's SubRoost is much more disruptive than what it looks.

Another thing to keep in mind is that some variants of Jirachi can force out Kyu-B out but they'll lose to normal Kyurem due to PP stalling and/or Earth Power.

In short, Kyurem and Kyu-B might look extremely similiar but their impact on teams is drastically different.

The only reason I agree with moving Kyurem down is because of its inexcusably low usage.
However I'd really like to see it being popularized; people really need to realize that it's extremely dangerous.

 

[Aedan]

Seeing some of the pokemons mentioned here, I'd vote for a mention of Steelix. He more or less guarantees SR, and has the ability to use Roar/Dragon Tail along with it, causing havoc for unprepared teams.

With Sturdy, he is impossible to kill with 1 hit, and is immune to Toxic Spikes while resisting Stealth Rock. His numerous immunities and resistances makes it easy to switch him into certain powerful threats, such as a Salamence with Outrage for example.

Steelix have powerful STAB attacks as well, 1hko'ing Gengar among others. Here's an example of a moveset for him.

Steelix
Nature: Relaxed
Ability: Sturdy
Item: Leftovers
EVs: 252 HP, 132 ATK, 126 DEF

~ Stealth Rock
~ Earthquake
~ Roar/Dragon Tail
~ Gyro Ball

The EV Spread allows Steelix to 1hko Heatran, Aerodactyl and Gengar most of the time, while 2hko’ing Jirachi. With 220 Attack, Steelix will 2hko Metagross and guarantee a 1hko on Gengars who don’t hide behind a substitute with Gyro Ball.

Further, the fact that he can roar most threats away makes him good against Ninjask and other Baton Passers or stat raisers who think they can set up on him.

I hope you'l consider Steelix as worthy of mention in a thread like this :)

 

[Laga]

Seeing some of the pokemons mentioned here, I'd vote for a mention of Steelix. He more or less guarantees SR, and has the ability to use Roar/Dragon Tail along with it, causing havoc for unprepared teams.

I don't think Steelix has that much of a niche in OU, as it is outclassed bye many as a phazer / rock setter, most notably Heatran. It just has way too lackluster Special defense, and there are many things that wall it. Basically, it is almost always outclassed as a Hazard setting Phazer by Heatran and Skarmory. This alone, I think is enough to keep it out of the Viability List. Besides, there is almost no such thing as a team that is "unprepared" for Steelix, as most teams do, and at least should carry a powerful special attacker.

 

[Aedan]

I don't think Steelix has that much of a niche in OU, as it is outclassed bye many as a phazer / rock setter, most notably Heatran. It just has way too lackluster Special defense, and there are many things that wall it. Basically, it is almost always outclassed as a Hazard setting Phazer by Heatran and Skarmory. This alone, I think is enough to keep it out of the Viability List. Besides, there is almost no such thing as a team that is "unprepared" for Steelix, as most teams do, and at least should carry a powerful special attacker.

Steelix is not meant to stick around when the special sweepers enter. He can be a lead and do the job pretty good. He has nice synergy with other pokemons in OU (such as Jellicent), making it easy to get him out if a predicted special attack is heading his way. Also, he is very easy to get back into play, and he force some switches, making it possible for him to use Roar on the switch, when the opponent sends in his special sweeper.

Even if you don't use Roar, he can always survive at least 1 hit with his ability. I think those are good reasons to at least consider him. On some teams, he would be better than Skarmory.

 

[Cube]

You can't really use Sturdy as a reason to use him over other options when Skarmory has the same. You mention that Steelix has Roar/Dragon Tail, Skarmory has Whirlwind. Steelix is immune to Toxic Spikes? Skarm is immune to all forms of Spikes. Furthermore, Skarm can also set up its own Spikes while it can also Taunt to prevent opposing setters. There really is no reason to use Steelix over Skarmory.

 

[Iamlegendshot66]

Steelix decently had use in ou on sun teams salthough skarmory is usually the better option. Steelix first of all is immune to electric type attacks and thunder wave and can switch in on a volt switch. Steelix has better defencive stats at 75/200/65 compared to 65/145/70. Steelix also has access to dragon tail unlike skarmory and has a greater offensive stat at 85 compared to 75. Steelix also takes 0.25 damage from stealth rocks although it takes damage from spikes. I'd say low C rank for steelix.

 

[Aedan]

Alright, here's a few strong points for Steelix compared to Skarmory. I'm not saying that either one is better, but I think they have different advantages.

* Steelix is bulkier than Skarmory. His defenses and HP are much better than Skarmory.
* He is immune to Electric, but vulnerable to Ground. Ground moves are often physical however, meaning that he can survive them unless they are STAB. Skarmory is very weak against Electric moves in comparison.
* STAB Earthquake hits many common leads super effectively.

I think these points makes him different from Skarmory.

I agree that a C rank would make sense for him, as he is definately a viable option for OU.

 

[Trinitrotoluene]

I'm sorry Aedan, but I don't believe Steelix has a niche in OU. First off, let's examine the niche you claim Steelix fills.

Seeing some of the pokemons mentioned here, I'd vote for a mention of Steelix. He more or less guarantees SR, and has the ability to use Roar/Dragon Tail along with it, causing havoc for unprepared teams.

With Sturdy, he is impossible to kill with 1 hit, and is immune to Toxic Spikes while resisting Stealth Rock. His numerous immunities and resistances makes it easy to switch him into certain powerful threats, such as a Salamence with Outrage for example.

Many established OU Pokemon can "more or less" guarantee SR, phaze, and wreak havoc on unprepared teams. The best Pokemon that can do this and thrive in OU are Skarmory, Heatran, and Hippowdon, who each have other niches that distinguish one from the others. Skarmory has Sturdy, an immunity to Ground-type moves, the ability to lay Spikes as well as SR, and access to reliable recovery in the form of Roost. Heatran has Flash Fire and powerful attacking stats to boot. Hippowdon can act as a disrupter of weather-based teams thanks to Sand Stream, and in addition, it also boasts reliable recovery. What does Steelix have that differentiates itself from the aforementioned Pokemon aside from its horrendous Speed stat and lack of reliable recovery?

Steelix have powerful STAB attacks as well, 1hko'ing Gengar among others. Here's an example of a moveset for him.

Steelix
Nature: Relaxed
Ability: Sturdy
Item: Leftovers
EVs: 252 HP, 132 ATK, 126 DEF

~ Stealth Rock
~ Earthquake
~ Roar/Dragon Tail
~ Gyro Ball

The EV Spread allows Steelix to 1hko Heatran, Aerodactyl and Gengar most of the time, while 2hko’ing Jirachi. With 220 Attack, Steelix will 2hko Metagross and guarantee a 1hko on Gengars who don’t hide behind a substitute with Gyro Ball.

Further, the fact that he can roar most threats away makes him good against Ninjask and other Baton Passers or stat raisers who think they can set up on him.

I hope you'l consider Steelix as worthy of mention in a thread like this :)

Boasting the ability to OHKO Gengar and Aerodactyl, two Pokemon renowned for their fragility, with a STAB Gyro Ball from a slow Pokemon is no big accomplishment, as is OHKOing Heatran with a STAB Earthquake. As for the Roar / Dragon Tail shenanigans, plenty of other Pokemon can do that.

This argument did not factor in Steelix's crippling vulnerability to the top sweepers and lack of reliable recovery. Sorry, but Steelix is simply not viable in OU. Maybe another time.

 

[Aedan]

Trinitrotoluene - Skarmory may be immune to ground attacks, but Steelix trade that for an immunity to Electric, including the popular Volt Switch and Thunder Wave.

My examples of Gengar and Aerodactyl was to mention a few leads that it can beat.

Steelix are meant to be used as one of the first pokemons, and since he has few weaknesses (like Skarmory) it makes it easy to switch him out (and in).

You mention that Steelix has a crippling weakness to many OU sweepers. I'd say he also resist a lot of them, such as Salamence and the ever popular Scizor. I do agree however that the lack of reliable recovery gives Skarmory an advantage over Steelix, which is why I think a C rank would fit him.

 

[Punchshroom]

Keep in mind that almost anything Steelix walls can easily have a move that instantly destroys him. The common Volt Switchers, Rotom-W and Thundurus-T usually fear nothing from Steelix and either KO with Hydro Pump or Focus Blast, or in the latter's case set up on you when you least expect it and KO you before you can Roar in response. Steelix can only switch into Salamence without Fire Blast, and unlike Skarmory he is susceptible to Fighting moves like Scizor's Superpower or more notably, the musketeers.

Steelix gains an Electric immunity, but he can't reliably beat Volt Switchers on his own, and in turn adds a Fighting and Ground weakness that needs to be covered by another (physically bulky) pokemon. Steelix also doesn't seem to offer much in terms of movepool. He doesn't have Spikes so his supporting abilities are limited; he lacks reliable recovery so he can't last as long; his negiligibly higher attack is offset byt the fact that Skarmory's Brave Bird is comparable to his EQ in power. Actually now that I look at it, almost everything in OU is capable of beating Steelix one on one. Yes, even the pink blobs, because they have recovery that allows them to easily outlast Steelix (hell, fucking Donphan beats Steelix). The Ground and Fighting weakness is a very big deal, far more than an Electric immunity. Skarmory can stop threats like Mamoswine, Landorus-T, unboosted Terrakion, Haxorus, Dugtrio, Conkeldurr and Garchomp and can even beat some bulky pokemon if it has Taunt, namely Ferrothorn, Forretress or the aforementioned pink blobs. I don't see Steelix's place in the metagame.

 

[Aedan]

Steelix isn't meant to kill opponents 1 on 1, he's better off using Roar to increase the damage from SR. He can almost always survive 1 hit with Sturdy, and resist many of the multiturn moves that tends to be a problem for Sturdy users.

Like most pokemons, the effectiveness of Steelix depends on his team. You don't need another bulky pokemon to resist Ground and Fighting, merely a Levitating Ghost or something similar.

 

[Trinitrotoluene]

Steelix isn't meant to kill opponents 1 on 1, he's better off using Roar to increase the damage from SR. He can almost always survive 1 hit with Sturdy, and resist many of the multiturn moves that tends to be a problem for Sturdy users.

The same can be said for Skarmory, Heatran, and Hippowdon, who all have other niches and don't automatically become liabilities against weather-based teams.

 

[Aedan]

The same can be said for Skarmory, Heatran, and Hippowdon, who all have other niches and don't automatically become liabilities against weather-based teams.

Hippowdon doesn't resist Icicle Spear from Cloyster, nor does it resist the rest of the multiturn moves, just to clear that.