Resource RU Viability Ranking

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C+ seems like a good place for Gogoat. Gogoat is really good on its own with its Bulk Up, Leech Seed tank and Life Orb sets, but the metagame really hurts it with Escavalier, Delphox, Typhlosion, Braviary, Moltres and crew. Gogoat really shows its work as one of the best counters to Rhyperior, and is one of the best physical grass types in the tier along with Tangrowth and Sceptile to a degree. It can also hit the majority of its counters sans Escavalier and most physical. Gogoat is a good Pokemon, but RU just treats it rather poorly. It definitely fits this description in RU:
C Rank:

Reserved for Pokemon who can be effective given the right support, but either have crippling flaws that prevent them from consistently executing their strategy or are completely eclipsed by a Pokemon in the above ranks.
 
Honestly I'd go ahead and drop Claydol to E as well. There's literally no reason to use him. Just none. Need a capable spinner? Use Hitmon(top, lee), Kabutops, or this magical thing called defog. Need a SR setter? Use HALF THE TIER. I honestly see no reason that Claydol even has RU usage besides it being UU last gen. There's just a thousand things that can do its job 1000x better.
 
Honestly I'd go ahead and drop Claydol to E as well. There's literally no reason to use him. Just none. Need a capable spinner? Use Hitmon(top, lee), Kabutops, or this magical thing called defog. Need a SR setter? Use HALF THE TIER. I honestly see no reason that Claydol even has RU usage besides it being UU last gen. There's just a thousand things that can do its job 1000x better.
I disagree. Claydol is the only hazard remover in the tier with immunity to Spikes and Sticky Web and a Stealth Rock resistance. Unlike Defoggers, it is actually able to keep its own teams hazards, doesn't activate Defiant/Competitive and can set up Stealth Rock for itself for extra utility. While its attacking stats are rather mediocre, it can still threaten spinblockers with Shadow Ball or Toxic if it needs to, though Earth Power/quake is generally pretty necessary. I see reason for it to stay at D or to even go back up to C or C-.
 

GlassGlaceon

My heart has now been set on love
I disagree. Claydol is the only hazard remover in the tier with immunity to Spikes and Sticky Web and a Stealth Rock resistance. Unlike Defoggers, it is actually able to keep its own teams hazards, doesn't activate Defiant/Competitive and can set up Stealth Rock for itself for extra utility. While its attacking stats are rather mediocre, it can still threaten spinblockers with Shadow Ball or Toxic if it needs to, though Earth Power/quake is generally pretty necessary. I see reason for it to stay at D or to even go back up to C or C-.
(ok b4 u read i actually love claydol its one of my fave mons but is trash competitively) Claydol is terrible, and here's where I let all my "biased and unprofessional" hate towards it goes out. I've split it into 2 parts

1.Le Niche: Okay, claydol's niche. Being the only spinner with a resistance to SR as well as an immunity to Spikes/Web
-It's a good niche, I'll give it that. On Paper
-GETTING ROFLSTOMPED BY LITERALLY EVERY SPINBLOCKER IS NOT A DESIRABLE TRAIT FOR A SPINNER
-IT ALSO GETS STOMPED BY MOST HAZARD SETTERS BECAUSE OF THIS NEXT POINT AND POSSIBLY MY STRONGEST
but here's a mon u can use to replace claydol


PLUS
ya tht
EQUALS (all i do is spin)


Cryogonal >

back to pt. 2...

2. CLAYDOL'S GOD-FORSAKEN TYPING AND STATS AND MOVEPOOL

-Here's where I start to go off about how unappealing claydol is.
-Claydol has the potential to lose against almost every common spikes setter, making it's "niche" obsolete, as you're bringing it in as the one thing you have immune to spikes/tspikes/web
-In RU, here's a list of common/good hazard setters (highlighted the ones claydol beats)
- Drapion
- Cofagrigus
- Froslass
- Golurk
- Leavanny
- Dugtrio
- Smeargle
- Cobalion
- Rhyperior
- Crustle
- Uxie
- Shuckle (If it runs toxic)
it can reliably beat 2. DOS. MORE THAN ONE BUT LESS THAN 3 (integer-wise)
Ok, let's calm down.

this can be forgiven, uhh. Let's see how many spinblockers claydol has the potential to beat.
ones it can beat are highlighted once again
- Mismagius
- Rotom
- Froslass
- Golurk
- Spiritomb
- Jellicent
- Banette-Mega
- Dusknoir?
- Dusclops...

It beats a whopping oh, huh. Zero
None

Claydol's typing would be the main factor against it here. It has a whopping (Ghost, Grass, water, dark, ice, bug) 6 weaknesses, all to common attacking moves in RU. You say it has good bulk to make up for this typing. Wrong again. Its measly base 60 HP stat doesn't compliment it's defenses well at all, and losing to common hazard setters and spinblockers, some of which can do both, really loses momentum off of your side, and you have to scramble to fix the hole this liability of a competitive mon, Claydol puts in your team. It's setup bait for any of these mons that could have sub (specifically spinblockers), and it's really hard to get this thing in to spin on much, because next thing you know, you have a mon setting up hard in your face like Zoroark, which you never want to give an opportunity to. And finally, the nail in the coffin, is a lack of reliable recovery. Claydol has no reliable recovery to speak of, making it very easy to wear down, unlike other defensive spinners such as SNOWFLAKE and some others like avalugg

Verdict- Claydol's "great" variety of flaws is what puts it this low to me, and as much as it pains me to see this not be a good mon, it really just isn't. The knock off buff didn't help it either at all, as now it can get it's only means of recovery stripped away. Claydol's mixture of losing to hazard setters, spinblockers, and setup sweepers, give it just enough of a boot down to leave it at D-Rank at absolute highest. It shud stay down there because it really doesn't provide enough defensive psynergy to a defensive team (bar resisting EdgeQuake) or enough offensive psynergy for an offensive team because its offensive stats are trash too. The only thing saving it is it's niche, which was the only thing stopping me form suggesting E-rank

~Feel free to critique, but i think some people will agree with me on this one
 
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it can still threaten spinblockers with Shadow Ball
A fun calc for ya:
4 SpA Claydol Shadow Ball vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Froslass: 116-138 (41.2 - 49.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO


IT CAN'T 2HKO THE FRAILEST HAZARD SETTER / SPINBLOCKER IN THE TIER

mfw: http://thebest404pageever.com/swf/Theface.swf

Between terrible typing, offensive uselessness, and as GlassGlaceon (choke artist) stated above, being beaten by all but 2 1/2 relevant hazard setters and 0 relevant spinblockers, there's no reason to use Claydol at all.
 

Molk

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I disagree. Claydol is the only hazard remover in the tier with immunity to Spikes and Sticky Web and a Stealth Rock resistance.
This is actually incorrect, there's another hazard remover that's immune to spikes, webs, and isnt weak to Stealth Rock, and its name is Gligar, who i'd honestly use over Claydol literally every time. Gligar can't be spinblocked, has reliable recovery in Roost to keep itself alive for longer, access to cool moves such as Taunt and U-turn, and has a massive advantage when it comes to physical bulk, meaning it has way more utility outside of simply removing hazards than Claydol, while doing pretty much the same job. It can set up Stealth Rock just like Claydol too, although then it develops a bit of 4mss.


Unlike Defoggers, it is actually able to keep its own teams hazards, doesn't activate Defiant/Competitive and can set up Stealth Rock for itself for extra utility.
The only Defiant/Competitive user currently in RU range is Braviary, who actually still can't OHKO Gligar at +2 after a Defiant boost without Adamant CB. Against by far the common set, Choice Scarf, Gligar can just take a +2 BB for like 60, then either roost it off and switch accordingly or just directly u-turn to a counter. Or even worse, it can predict the braviary switch and use any move other than Defog (toxic especially hurts), now Choice Braviary is walled (admittedly bulk up sets win here though lol). Even going down into NU, Purugly still loses to Gligar, Primeape loses to Gligar without Ice Punch, and all of Farfetch'd, Pawniard, Wigglytuff, and Meowstic-F are p. bad mons in general.

Meanwhile, Claydol has to worry about all of Banette, Doublade, Mismagius, Spiritomb, Cofagrigus, Jellicent, Gourgeist, Froslass. All of which bar Doublade switching into Earth Power completely block it.

While its attacking stats are rather mediocre, it can still threaten spinblockers with Shadow Ball or Toxic if it needs to,
Even with Shadow Ball it can't even 2HKO 0/0 froslass, by far the frailest ghost in the tier. Meanwhile Claydol is threatened out by the STAB moves of literally all of them, even the ones that usually don't run ghost-type moves. not well off at all imo compared to Gligar.
While its attacking stats are rather mediocre, it can still threaten spinblockers with Shadow Ball or Toxic if it needs to, though Earth Power/quake is generally pretty necessary. I see reason for it to stay at D or to even go back up to C or C-.
Even outside of being bad/outclassed at removing hazards, i honestly believe the metagame isn't kind to claydol at all, and that's probably enough to take it out of the ranks entirely or into E. I'll show you by going down the ranks and pointing out every Pokemon in S/B that can easily take advantage of Claydol and why. hide tags because this is really long lol.

S Rank:

Delphox: Delphox can't switch in here, so i guess that's a win for claydol, but it can still easily 2HKO Claydol on the switch with one of Fire Blast or Grass Knot.

Escavalier: comes in easily on anything Claydol can throw at it and can either OHKO Claydol with Megahorn or cripple whatever comes in with Knock Off.

Venomoth: Claydol is complete and utter set up bait for this, nothing ever wants to be set up bait for Venomoth.

Froslass: If anything Froslass ironically uses this thing as hazards fodder, it can't 0/0 Froslass at all without Shadow Ball+Stealth Rock support, and just gets multiple layers of Spikes set up against it. Froslass can weaken Claydol with Ice Beam or Taunt+Destiny Bond it too.

A Rank:

Hitmonlee: High Jump Kick+Knock Off 2HKOs even the most physically defensive of Claydol, you're definitely not walling this.

252+ Atk Life Orb Reckless Hitmonlee High Jump Kick vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Claydol: 120-140 (37 - 43.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery

252+ Atk Life Orb Hitmonlee Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Claydol: 200-237 (61.7 - 73.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery

Reuniclus: Calm Mind uses Claydol as set up bait, Trick Room just sets up trick room and 2HKOs with Shadow Ball

Rhyperior: Claydol wins if no Megahorn, if it has Megahorn it gets 2HKO'd while Claydol can't do anything back even with a SE Earth Power.

Sharpedo: Threatened out by both STAB moves, not even Sharpedo dies to an Earthquake/Earth Power from this to top it off :x.

Zoroark: 2HKOs at worst with Knock Off, Life Orb/Specs Dark Pulse probably comes close to a OHKO.

Alomomola: Switches in on Claydol easily and Toxic Stalls it/passes a free wish to a teammate

Cobalion: Claydol can sometimes pull off a win here if its using Earth Power, only way Cobalion can realistically win this if its a magnet rise varient though (this seriously sees usage in higher level play to set up on Gligar/Rhyperior lol).

Cresselia: SubCM Cresselia gets free boosts on this thing until its ready to sweep lol.

Druddigon: has the bulk to easily switch into anything Claydol can throw at it, Rough Skins punishes Claydol for spinning, and at least CB Outrage should easily 2HKO, otherwise Claydol gets 3HKO'd at worst.

Moltres: only thing Claydol can do to this is Toxic it and get nuked by two Life Orb Fire Blasts in return.

Yanmega: see Moltres: except Yanmega just OHKOs it with Bug Buzz instead of risking a 2HKO.

Banette: spinblocks claydol, gets a free mega off, and 2HKOs it with either Knock Off or Shadow Claw.

Durant: Earth Power from Claydol barely even 2HKOs this thing and X-Scissor OHKOs in return, if you're running EQ you're totally screwed.

Emboar: Can't switch in on Claydol/vice versa. We'll all this a draw.

Gallade: both Swords Dance and SubBU use this as set up bait, then eliminate it with Knock Off.

Gorebyss: In short: Claydol gets Smashpassed on, and that is never good.

Meloetta: SubCM meloetta sets up on this, Relic Song Meloetta Relic Songs and uses either Return or Knock Off in return. Shadow Ball and Hyper Voice from special attacking varients both do a number.

Sceptile: lol

Slowking: Easily Switches in and Scald/Surfs Claydol to death, Toxic isn't a real bother and Slowking can switch out and regenerate after.

Virizion: Lum SD sets up on this with absolutely no problems.

B Rank:

Abomasnow: gets a free mega off against Claydol and Blizzards it to death without a second thought.

Amoonguss: switches into Claydol for free and either Giga Drains Claydol to death or threatens to Spore a teammate.

Aromatisse: this is a stalemate that Aromatisse will eventually win, all damage Claydol does either through attacking or status gets recovered off, and Moonblast eventually wins

Bronzong: Claydol can't touch this thing at all and simply gets Toxicstalled out, because Bronzong is slower it can simply use Stealth Rock on the last Toxic turn to stop Claydol from doing its job

Cofagrigus: Claydol gets spinblocked by this and Shadow Ball threatens Claydol in return, the only thing Claydol can do to stop OTR Cofag is hopelessly toxic it.

Doublade: Claydol wins if running Earth Power, loses if its running Earthquake.

Drapion: draw, Drapion can't switch in on Claydol and Claydol can't hope to check Drapion.

Dugtrio: Claydol wins here, but Dugtrio shouldn't be going after Claydol at all anyway, Dugtrio's purpose is to specifically trap threats to sweepers, and Claydol can't stop it from doing that at all.

Gligar: Defogs away Claydol's Stealth Rock and can Toxicstall it, always winning because it can roost while Claydol can't, claydol can only win here if it runs Ice Beam.

Heliolisk: Can't Switch in on Claydol, but Claydol needs to be wary about switching into it in return because of Surf and Grass Knot.

Mismagius: the only thing Claydol can do to this thing at all is Toxic while it either kills it with Shadow Ball or sets up a free NP, blocks Claydol's spin too.

Registeel: Claydol wins

Slurpuff: gets a free Belly Drum vs Claydol unless rocks+1 layer of spikes, EQ does 35 max to 0/0 puff.

Smeargle: Claydol gets Spored and either Smash or Quiverpassed on, hazards set loses to Claydol.

Vivillon: Free Quiver Dance/Sleep Powder against Claydol and only has to fear Toxic on the switch.

Braviary: Claydol can't Touch this at all aside from Toxic and gets worn down by repeated Brave Birds/U-turns. Scarf only 3HKOs but Band 2HKOs easily. Rare Bulk up sets up on Claydol.

Cinccino: can't 2HKO without both Earthquake and Stealth Rock, gets forced out by both Bullet Seed and Knock Off.

Dragalge: Claydol wins 1vs1 vs most sets.

Exploud: Comes in on Claydol p. easily and starts spamming specs Scrappy Boombursts

Gastrodon: Only fears Toxic and can easily beat Claydol by spamming Scald and Recover

Kabutops: Draw, can't switch in on Claydol and Vice Versa

Magneton: Claydol wins 1v1, specs Flash Cannon on the switch hurts though.

Meowstic Male: Draw, Meowstic isn't meant to be beating anything, but Claydol can't stop it from doing what it needs to do at all so lol.

Qwilfish: Claydol easily wins if Earth Power, if Earthquake it'll have to take a few waterfalls first though.

Rotom-Mow: only afraid of Toxic and just OHKOs it with Leaf Storm and/or tricks it.

Shuckle: Encores Claydol's Rapid Spin, sets up its hazards again, and goes to a spinblocker (you shouldn't be running webs Shuckle without a spinblocker, ever).

Sigilyph: Claydol is absolute set up bait for this guy lol

Tangrowth: switches in Easily, kills with Power Whip, Leaf Storm, or Giga Drain, and can easily recover off Toxic damage with Regenerator.

Uxie: neither can stop the other from doing what they're meant to do, draw.

Whimsicott: only fears Toxic and can Encore Claydol into anything else, then can U-turn to an appropriate teammate.

Zangoose: like Cincy Claydol needs both Stealth Rock up and EQ to 2HKO this, both Knock Off and Facade shit on Claydol.

Barbaracle: can't switch in but gets a free Shell Smash vs Claydol 1vs1

Clawitzer: Only fears Toxic and can either Water Pulse or Dark Pulse to kill off Claydol.

Combusken: Claydol wins 1v1 but can't stop Combusken from passing boosts to teammates.

Fletchinder: this gets a free Swords Dance while Claydol can only Toxic in return, then 2HKOs with Acrobatics or wrecks a teammate.

Golbat: completely immune to anything Claydol can do, can defog away Claydol's rocks and use Taunt to stop them from being set up again.

Gourgeist: lol

Granbull: Claydol wins this one if it has Earth Power, has a lot more trouble if it runs EQ though.

Hitmontop: Claydol wins but might get Toxiced.

Jellicent: blocks Rapid Spin, Claydol can't touch it unless it gets Toxiced on the switch, Scald hurts Claydol badly, and Jellicent can easily recover off the damage.

Lanturn: Claydol wins but has to fear Scald

Medicham: Ice Punch should 2HKO Claydol, and considering it can barely 2HKO Cincinno and Zangoose, i'm pretty sure Claydol will have trouble 2HKOing Medicham too, even with Earthquake

Swellow: Claydol can't touch this and Swellow wants to be poisoned anyway

Togetic: neither can really touch the other but Toxic means Claydol will win in the long run.


As you can see, Claydol gets absolutely demolished by an astounding amount of the current metagame, especially in the upper ranks, so this isn't just a matter of being bad at spinning...
TL;DR Claydol is objectively terrible at spinning, pretty much entirely outclassed by Gligar, and gets demolished by a ridiculous amount of the metagame even outside of hazard removal, making it dead weight more often than not
 

EonX

Battle Soul
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Steering away from Claydol since my views on this have been pointed out already, I want to respond to some things. Do be warned, this is going to be fairly long. I plan on covering every important thing atomicllamas mentioned in things that needed to be discussed more, unless I lack experience with it:

Gogoat: While Gogoat is a decent Pokemon, so many of the top threats can easily destroy it. Granted, the Fire-types have a hard time coming in due to Gogoat's odd, but good coverage (for a Grass-type at least) they do soundly beat it and wall off its STAB. Access to Bulk Up, Milk Drink, and STAB Horn Leech means it can hang around for a really long time. It has some nice coverage in Rock Slide, EQ, and Wild Charge, thus making it a little more difficult to directly switch into than you might think at first. However, it can't cover everything and this will leave it walled by at least one, if not more, serious threat (assuming Bulk Up, STAB, and Milk Drink) I think it's good somewhere around C+/C. Ok, but a lot of top threats ruin its day.

Rhyperior: I'm not entirely sure this should move up to S, but it certainly has everything going for it to make this jump. Rhyperior is one of the most reliable SR setters in the entire tier. It's arguably the best Rocks setter to pair with Froslass since it threatens every Defog user in the tier. Some, like Shiftry, can beat it, but the problem is, they must KO Rhyperior or risk being KOed in return if they try to Spin / Defog. It can run the typical 248 / 16 / 244 (HP / Attack / SpDef) spread very well, but it can go two different routes. Use Adamant to crank up damage output, or run Careful to stand up better to special attacks. With Adamant, Megahorn is a legit option to crush bulky Psychic-types, but Dragon Tail is cool too if you do use Froslass (or Roselia for that matter) Meanwhile, Careful variants can make better use of Roar, which still allows Rhyperior to get around Sub boosters like Cresselia and amplify the effect of Spikes. This doesn't even begin to get into Rhyperior's ability to run Rock Polish or Choice Band sets to great effect. I think it has enough going for it to be S rank.

Virizion: This ties in with Rhyperior, but if the king of rocks makes it to S rank, there's no reason for Virizion to not make A rank. She is one of the best offensive responses you can have to Rhyperior and she has a great base 108 Speed. With that Speed, Virizion is able to outpace all but Scarf Fire-types to trash them with Stone Edge (or HP Rock on CM sets) while having the ability to absorb most Knock Offs and Scalds with ease (SD variants need Lum Berry for Scalds though while CM sets can't readily utilize Justified boosts from Knock Off) Being able to hit from both ends of the spectrum is a true blessing for the STAB combination Virizion has, allowing her to handle many physical and special walls alike with her STAB moves alone. (granted, SD is better)

Heliolisk: Another one that ties in with Rhyperior, but an Electric-type that can trash the king of rocks? Yes, please. With so many teams using Rhyperior to slow up VoltTurn teams, Heliolisk is a godsend for these teams since he can totally ruin Rhyperior with Grass Knot (Surf works too, but eh) Base 109 Speed sets him just above Virizion and Cobalion, and while he won't be able to touch Virizion any time soon, being able to chip it with Volt Switch before eating a Fighting STAB is really cool. Definitely think Heliolisk has a place in A-, especially if Rhyperior makes S rank.

Ludicolo: This is something I have a good bit of experience with. Although Ludicolo could beat it one-on-one with Rain up, he actually benefits greatly from the departure of Tornadus from RU. Why do you ask? Well, Ludicolo is now, arguably, the best choice for a Rain setter that can immediately take advantage of it. Between Hydro Pump and Giga Drain, Ludicolo is able to deal quite a bit of damage while also hanging around for a while. It can also go a bit more unconventional and use a Swords Dance set (Waterfall, Seed Bomb, and your choice of Drain Punch, Ice Punch, or Thunder Punch) To add to this, Ludicolo is one of very few Water-type Swift Swim users that is neutral to both Electric- and Grass-type moves, thus making it a little easier than most Swift Swim users to add to a rain team if you're worried about defensive synergy issues. I think it is suited nicely for B-. It's really only limited to Rain teams, but it can be incredibly valuable for such teams due to its unique typing and ability to both set Rain and sweep in it at the same time.

/end wall of text
 

SilentVerse

Into the New World
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Y'all are missing the point of Claydol. Yes it's a very niche Pokemon that is mostly outclassed by Gligar, but saying it should be E is rather ridiculous when you consider that Claydol actually does bring some nice things to the table. Rapid Spin support is naturally very different from Defog, as Defog removes your own hazards and forces you to set them back up again, and this can be a hassle against more offensively minded teams, especially when things like Delphox are in the tier and a great way to keep them limited is by setting up hazards. While Claydol is not an amazing spinner, it is also important to note that due to its typing and Levitate, it's extremely resilient against hazards, which means that on Claydol sets that abuse Toxic, it is perfectly capable of outlasting the spinblockers that are attempting to prevent it from spinning, which eventually allows it to spin. Of course, this isn't immediate like Gligar's hazard removal is, and can cause issues of its own, but on the right team, this problem can be mitigated. Alternatively, pairing Claydol with Pursuit support lets it spin relatively effectively against teams that use frailer Ghosts like Mismagius and Froslass for their spinblocking duties rather than Cofagrigus, and while I don't really recommend it, it DOES have the ability to fill Stealth Rock and Rapid Spinning roles in one slot, which is still important to note. Claydol is also probably one of the better Electric answers in the tier right now, as it actually has the typing and special bulk to take on a lot stuff like Magneton and Heliolish somewhat effectively (I mean, it still takes a boatload from Surf, but at least it doesn't just roll over and die like Rhyperior and Gligar), and it can still check stuff like Rhyperior with decent success. Furthermore, Claydol also has the advantage of not being 4x weak to Ice, which means that random things such as HP Ice Cobalion don't automatically kill it.

I will once again stress that it is a niche Pokemon; however, its niche is nowhere near obscure enough to dump into E, so it should stay in D at the very least. It would be v sad if a Pokemon with a definite niche drops to E just because a bunch of people want to fit in with the people saying its bad :].
 
Rhyperior (A+) -> S: Supporting the previous posts on Rhyperior moving up. There's so much this Pokémon has going for it, between being a defensive SR Setter with immense physical bulk, a Choice Band set that deals absolutely mental damage to everything with base 140 Attack, a sweeping set with Rock Polish and, my personal favorite, Assault Vest. Assault Vest makes Rhyperior enormously bulky on both sides of the defensive spectrum and it usually still packs enough power to OHKO relevant threats like Slowking with Megahorn even with 16 EVs in Attack, while 248 HP/244 SDef allows it to survive Heliolisk's Grass Knot assuming an Adamant nature. All in all, it does a shitload of things and it does them all well. Rhyperior for S-Rank.

Braviary (B) -> B+
: Braviary is a big threat in today's metagame because of its great Attack stat, good bulk for an attacker and a Speed stat just enough to make a Choice Scarf set effective. Brave Bird can destroy a fuckton of a lot (except Rhyperior), Return is more reliable but slightly weaker, Superpower can finish off weakened Rock- and Steel-types and if shit gets risky, then it can just U-turn outta there. It even works well with Choice Band, elevating its Attack stat to enormous proportions, while Bulk Up makes it a great bulky attacker (be it more Speed or bulk-focused). Its versatility in offense, coupled with an amazing Defog-punishing Ability in Defiant and an offensive movepool that's just right for it, I think Kacaw has enough reason to move up. Braviary for B+ Rank.

I'd like to bring Eelektross up for discussion, too, as I believe it's an interesting Pokémon. I'm quoting a previous post I've made about it:

Eelektross (C+) -> B-/B
: I'll be honest here, Eelektross is still great to use even with Raikou and Tornadus gone. It has great mixed attacking stats rivaling those of Zoroark at 115 Atk and 105 SAtk and an absolutely gargantuan offensive movepool to work with. The introduction of Assault Vest has made Eelektross insanely versatile as well, as it's capable of making about 3 or 4 sets with AV alone (physical AV, special AV and mixed AV) while being able to still go for the hard-hitting route with Choice Band or Choice Specs. However, this is where the good news comes to a close. Eelektross's 85/80/80 defenses, while good, only carry it so far and 50 Speed is really disappointing. It's worn down fairly quickly by stronger attackers, but at least Assault Vest patches up its Special Defense and can turn the electric lamprey into a great offensive tank. All in all, Eelektross is an underrated beast that is basically versatility incarnate. Eelektross for B-/B Rank.
 

MikeDawg

Banned deucer.
Now that venomoth is gone, I propose that Escavalier drops to A+

It is still a fantastic poke, but it had one hell of a niche in countering venomoth.

I've found that overcoat as a whole is less useful now. Lots of pokes (amoon/tangrowth) that I've seen have stopped running spore/sleep powder. The two have also been running more hp fire.

Escav is strong, but its incredibly slow speed combined with relative lack of power means that the avest set isn't going to be doing much actual sweeping/wallbreaking, and the band set falls victim to the general flaws of choice items, except they are exasperated by the rather unique but unfortunate coverage the escav has (who wants to be locked into iron head, drill run, or even knock off?). It is also significantly less bulky.

The rise of magneton (I hate it) also makes escav's life a lot easier. While most run sturdy/analytic, a switch to magnet pull will eliminate an escav easily. And escav already struggles against the non magnet pull varients anyway.

Cobalion makes its life difficult, as it can take any of its moves and knock off spam only makes it stronger.

Now, I'm not mentioning any of the positives about escavalier (there are many) because those are already known, hence its placement. Being a veno counter was a significant draw that makes its other flaws less excusable when taken away.
 
Now that venomoth is gone, I propose that Escavalier drops to A+

It is still a fantastic poke, but it had one hell of a niche in countering venomoth.

I've found that overcoat as a whole is less useful now. Lots of pokes (amoon/tangrowth) that I've seen have stopped running spore/sleep powder. The two have also been running more hp fire.

Escav is strong, but its incredibly slow speed combined with relative lack of power means that the avest set isn't going to be doing much actual sweeping/wallbreaking, and the band set falls victim to the general flaws of choice items, except they are exasperated by the rather unique but unfortunate coverage the escav has (who wants to be locked into iron head, drill run, or even knock off?). It is also significantly less bulky.

The rise of magneton (I hate it) also makes escav's life a lot easier. While most run sturdy/analytic, a switch to magnet pull will eliminate an escav easily. And escav already struggles against the non magnet pull varients anyway.

Cobalion makes its life difficult, as it can take any of its moves and knock off spam only makes it stronger.

Now, I'm not mentioning any of the positives about escavalier (there are many) because those are already known, hence its placement. Being a veno counter was a significant draw that makes its other flaws less excusable when taken away.
DO NOT say Excavelier lacks in power. It is slow but saying it lacks in power is like saying Ninjask is too slow. Even if Pokemon are starting to run HP Fire Assault Vest Escavelier can still take one and retaliate back with a nuke Megahorn. Magneton can't switch in on Escavelier at all as Drill RUn cleanly OHKO's non Sturdy variants. Magnet Pull Magneton isn't common anyway. As for Cobalion:

252+ Atk Escavalier Drill Run vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Cobalion: 158-188 (48.7 - 58%) -- 82.4% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery

That is the Assault Vest variant so Cobalion can't switch in at all in the fear of getting 2 hit KO'd. It can switch in with more ease if it predicts right but what person is gonna spam Knock Off when they see a Cobalion. Also what can Cobalion do back:

252 Atk Cobalion Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Escavalier: 147-174 (42.7 - 50.5%) -- 1.2% chance to 2HKO

It only has a small chance to 2 hit KO before Escavelier 2 hit KO's back with a more guaranteed chance to kill. Escavelier may not be able to counter Venomoth anymore but it is still a damn solid Pokemon and can easily fit into almost any team.
 

EonX

Battle Soul
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Not worth it to make another post about Escavalier. I'm just going to bring up my previous post because it largely still applies:

Escavalier said:
Escavalier: I don't agree with it moving down. Sure, Esca is 4x weak to Fire, but let me ask you something. Why does Gallade even consider running Fire Punch? Why do most Slowkings run Fire Blast? Any reason Zoroark should be using Flamethrower over Focus Blast? The answer to all of these is Escavalier. Point is, Esca may have a detrimental 4x Fire weakness, but this causes it to define the metagame to an extent. These Pokemon wouldn't really consider running Fire-type moves were it not for Escavalier (Gallade and Zoro especially) I think it should stay in S rank for this reason.
As for HP Fire on defensive Grass-types, quit it.

4 SpA Tangrowth Hidden Power Fire vs. 248 HP / 44 SpD Assault Vest Escavalier: 116-140 (33.8 - 40.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Stealth Rock
4 SpA Amoonguss Hidden Power Fire vs. 248 HP / 44 SpD Assault Vest Escavalier: 96-116 (27.9 - 33.8%) -- 91.4% chance to 3HKO after Stealth Rock

Not sure on the common Magneton spread, but here's this too:

252+ SpA Magneton Hidden Power Fire vs. 248 HP / 44 SpD Assault Vest Escavalier: 168-200 (48.9 - 58.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
216+ Atk Escavalier Drill Run vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Magneton: 272-320 (89.4 - 105.2%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
Yeah, Esca actually beats it most of the time. Try again.


Tl;DR: Esca should be S-rank. People consider running Fire-type moves on random shit just to deal with it. Ergo, it kinda defines the metagame. Oh, and if you hate its speed so damn much, slap it on a Trick Room team and let it wreck shit.
 
View attachment 13400 Mega Abomasnow for A- Mega Abomasnow has access to some of the best offencive stats and great defencive stats in RU. Coupled with a decent defencive typing and a varied moveset this thing has definately earned its spot in A-. Able to go specially offensive, physically offensive or mixed the oponent can never quite know the set until it is revealed. With decent priority in ice shard and hugely powerful moves in 100% blizzard (hail) and wood hammer to break down defencive cores like tangrowth and slowking. A huge pain for stall and balanced alike. This thing is definately at the level of other A- pokes.
lolwut? Anyways fletchinder for b rank this thing rivals dugtrio as a revenge killer and that says alot sure it doesn't have arena trap but it is bulkier and criminally underrated why you may ask. Well first off it checks escavelier, that is a +, it is one of the very few mons that stop hitmonlee post fake out another huge + also it can clean and even sweep unprepared teams (I deleted a replay of it ;~;) unlike dugtrio, it also cripples physical attackers via will-o-wisp. Not even stealth rocks cripple this thing as you can always priority roost. Now for the negatives: Pretty frail unless you run eviolite which you should not as itemless acrobatics is amazing, you pretty much require hazards as it allows fletch to net those kos, and that the standard fletchinder is taunt bait and walled to hell by lanturn.
TL;DR Use fletchinder!
 
Not worth it to make another post about Escavalier. I'm just going to bring up my previous post because it largely still applies:



As for HP Fire on defensive Grass-types, quit it.

4 SpA Tangrowth Hidden Power Fire vs. 248 HP / 44 SpD Assault Vest Escavalier: 116-140 (33.8 - 40.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Stealth Rock
4 SpA Amoonguss Hidden Power Fire vs. 248 HP / 44 SpD Assault Vest Escavalier: 96-116 (27.9 - 33.8%) -- 91.4% chance to 3HKO after Stealth Rock

Not sure on the common Magneton spread, but here's this too:

252+ SpA Magneton Hidden Power Fire vs. 248 HP / 44 SpD Assault Vest Escavalier: 168-200 (48.9 - 58.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
216+ Atk Escavalier Drill Run vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Magneton: 272-320 (89.4 - 105.2%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
Yeah, Esca actually beats it most of the time. Try again.


Tl;DR: Esca should be S-rank. People consider running Fire-type moves on random shit just to deal with it. Ergo, it kinda defines the metagame. Oh, and if you hate its speed so damn much, slap it on a Trick Room team and let it wreck shit.
Foul Play Amoonguss does more lol
 
Rhyperior -> S Rank: I definitely support this; Rhyperior is easily the most metagame defining pokemon in RU, alongisde Escavalier. Like stated in previous posts, Rhyperior can take on a impressive variety of roles and functions effectively on virtually any team, thanks to his massive bulk and devastating Attack stat. Like already stated, his glaring weaknesses to Grass and Water are easily covered by teammates, and is more than made up for by his substantial ability to wall essentially every single attacker in the tier without a Grass- or Water-type attack. Thanks to Solid Rock, Rhyperior can tank almost any single 2x effective move, and hit back off of its almost unmatched base 140 Attack. One thing people haven't really mentioned much in detail is Wish support; Wish support from teammates like Alomomola and Aromatisse makes Rhyperior almost truly invincible, as long as a teammate is left to take the Grass and Water attacks aimed at him. Rhyperior definitely fits in S-Rank - the tier for things that single handedly define the RU metagame.

Shuckle -> B+ Rank: Sticky Web is honestly one of the best, although extremely underused, playstyles in RU. There's just so many things that can absolutely wreck shit with Sticky Web, including but not limited to Moltres, Hitmonlee, Yanmega, Zangoose, and Exploud. Sure, Defog and Rapid Spin exist, but those can be dealt with by spinblockers/Braviary, or simply ignored, as Shuckle, when played right, has the ability to set SW multiple times throughout the match. Speaking of Shuckle, he faces almost no competition as a Sticky Web setter, with probably only Masquerain and Leavanny as distant seconds (really distant). His bulk allows him to reliably set hazards (and can run mental herb instead of a focus sash, unlike his competition), and is not complete setup bait, thanks to Encore. Shuckle will always pull its weight through every match, and is definitely deserving of B+.

Virizion -> A- Rank: Don't get me wrong, Virizion is a great pokemon. However, A is too high of a rank for it. The departure of Venomoth was a major blow to Virizion, who was one of the most reliable counters. Furthermore, looking at the current rankings, Virizion cannot reliably set up on any of the A ranking threats, barring Rhyperior and Sharpedo (as well as most walls, like Alomomola and Gligar). The ability to safely switch into and setup on both Rhyperior and Sharpedo is a huge plus, but its debatable typing and weaker physical defense leaves it vulnerable to many of the tier's top threats, or the coverage moves they carry (Delphox, Moltres, Zoroark, Yanmega, Reuniclus, Escavalier [gets wrecked by Megahorn], Hitmonlee, Emboar, Gallade, Meloetta, Durant, and Slowking, just looking at the A rank list). However, then you might ask, why is Virizion deserving of A rank at all? Well, there's a very good reason. After setting up a Swords Dance on the previously mentioned, extremely common pokemon, many of the threats I previously mentioned are now defeated by Virizion. Now with its blistering speed and power, it outspeeds and OHKOs Delphox, Moltres, Zoroark, Yanmega, Escavalier (after SR), Himtonlee, Slowking... (pretty much everything I listed that it cannot setup on earlier). Of course most of these relies on Stone Edge, but whatever. Basically, Virizion is a monster after it sets up, the only thing preventing it from being A rank is the lack of things it can use to set up safely. Oh, and also, its prone to being revenge killed, especially by Braviary, but that's relatively easily handled by teammates.

Ludicolo -> B/B- Rank: Ludicolo is extremely deserving of a higher rank. Ludicolo is almost a mandatory member of rain teams. Its unique typing makes him quad resist Water, as well as be neutral to Electric and Grass, godsend qualities for a rain sweeper. Plus, its Grass STAB and access to Ice Beam make it one of the few rain sweepers that can reliably get past both Grass- and Water-type pokemon, a thorn in the side for rain teams. Ludicolo has the sole exclusive right to boast this quality. For example, Heliolisk, while being immune to Water and resistant to Electric, is stopped cold by Grass-types, and Kabutops, even with its wrecking ball STAB Stone Edge (especially after Swords Dance), is checked by almost anything that can take a hit and has a Grass-type coverage move. It would make sense for Ludicolo to move up to at least B- rank, seeing that it is an almost unparalleled rain sweeper.

Rotom -> C-/D Rank: Rotom, as you probably already know, is completely outclassed by Mismagius. Mismagius is essentially a faster, stronger, and bulkier (on the special side) version of Rotom with literally everything it has to offer. Mismagius has, quite literally, Rotom's entire movepool, and more. Mismagus can set up Nasty Plot, run a defensive Calm Mind set, support with Thunder Wave/Will-O-Wisp just like Rotom, and has a much greater movepool, consisting of Energy Ball, Memento, Destiny Bond, Taunt, and Dazzling Gleam. The only reason you might even consider running Rotom over Mismagius is its Electric-type STAB, with access to Volt Switch. This is enough to earn it a C- rank, but I definitely do not see a reason it should move up.

Soutland -> E Rank: With Hippo down in E-rank, I honestly do not see a reason Soutland is kept in D. Sure, you can use manual sand, but this playstyle is so outclassed to be even worth D-rank. With Hippo in D-rank, it made sense for Stoutland to be in it, but it is just completely useless without sand, and should be kept in the same ranking as Hippo.

EDIT: I forgot one:

Fletchinder -> C+ Rank: I agree with the move down for Fletchinder. Sure, priority Acrobatics is good, but its just... well, weak. I mean, fucking Zoroark lives one:

252+ Atk Fletchinder Acrobatics (110 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Zoroark: 204-241 (78.1 - 92.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Don't get me wrong, I understand Fletchinder is supposed to be a revenge killer and pick off weakened threats, but without a boosting item like Life Orb or Choice Band and a weak base 73 attack stat, its just quite underwhelming. Sure, its not impossible to set up a Swords Dance, on things like Doublade and Escavalier, but even afterwards, through my own experience, its just doesn't hit hard enough to sweep, and is actually contradictory to its "pick off weakened threats" goal. This meta is not the place for it to shine, and should be moved down to C+ rank.
 
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I like most of the suggestions in the post above, but Rotom is not outclassed by Mismagius simply because of Volt Switch. It is an amazing Scarf user that can set up good situations for its teammates and Trick Scarfs to its enemies. It is faster than its other formes, getting just past 90 speed and has a slightly more spammable secondary STAB and a better defensive typing (despite being Pursuit weak, which is pretty big for someone switching out all the time). It is fine with its C- ranking and could even go up to C.
 

GlassGlaceon

My heart has now been set on love
Rhyperior -> S Rank: I definitely support this; Rhyperior is easily the most metagame defining pokemon in RU, alongisde Escavalier. Like stated in previous posts, Rhyperior can take on a impressive variety of roles and functions effectively on virtually any team, thanks to his massive bulk and devastating Attack stat. Like already stated, his glaring weaknesses to Grass and Water are easily covered by teammates, and is more than made up for by his substantial ability to wall essentially every single attacker in the tier without a Grass- or Water-type attack. Thanks to Solid Rock, Rhyperior can tank almost any single 2x effective move, and hit back off of its almost unmatched base 140 Attack. One thing people haven't really mentioned much in detail is Wish support; Wish support from teammates like Alomomola and Aromatisse makes Rhyperior almost truly invincible, as long as a teammate is left to take the Grass and Water attacks aimed at him. Rhyperior definitely fits in S-Rank - the tier for things that single handedly define the RU metagame.

Shuckle -> B+ Rank: Sticky Web is honestly one of the best, although extremely underused, playstyles in RU. There's just so many things that can absolutely wreck shit with Sticky Web, including but not limited to Moltres, Hitmonlee, Yanmega, Zangoose, and Exploud. Sure, Defog and Rapid Spin exist, but those can be dealt with by spinblockers/Braviary, or simply ignored, as Shuckle, when played right, has the ability to set SW multiple times throughout the match. Speaking of Shuckle, he faces almost no competition as a Sticky Web setter, with probably only Masquerain and Leavanny as distant seconds (really distant). His bulk allows him to reliably set hazards (and can run mental herb instead of a focus sash, unlike his competition), and is not complete setup bait, thanks to Encore. Shuckle will always pull its weight through every match, and is definitely deserving of B+.

Virizion -> A- Rank: Don't get me wrong, Virizion is a great pokemon. However, A is too high of a rank for it. The departure of Venomoth was a major blow to Virizion, who was one of the most reliable counters. Furthermore, looking at the current rankings, Virizion cannot reliably set up on any of the A ranking threats, barring Rhyperior and Sharpedo (as well as most walls, like Alomomola and Gligar). The ability to safely switch into and setup on both Rhyperior and Sharpedo is a huge plus, but its debatable typing and weaker physical defense leaves it vulnerable to many of the tier's top threats, or the coverage moves they carry (Delphox, Moltres, Zoroark, Yanmega, Reuniclus, Escavalier [gets wrecked by Megahorn], Hitmonlee, Emboar, Gallade, Meloetta, Durant, and Slowking, just looking at the A rank list). However, then you might ask, why is Virizion deserving of A rank at all? Well, there's a very good reason. After setting up a Swords Dance on the previously mentioned, extremely common pokemon, many of the threats I previously mentioned are now defeated by Virizion. Now with its blistering speed and power, it outspeeds and OHKOs Delphox, Moltres, Zoroark, Yanmega, Escavalier (after SR), Himtonlee, Slowking... (pretty much everything I listed that it cannot setup on earlier). Of course most of these relies on Stone Edge, but whatever. Basically, Virizion is a monster after it sets up, the only thing preventing it from being A rank is the lack of things it can use to set up safely. Oh, and also, its prone to being revenge killed, especially by Braviary, but that's relatively easily handled by teammates.

Ludicolo -> B/B- Rank: Ludicolo is extremely deserving of a higher rank. Ludicolo is almost a mandatory member of rain teams. Its unique typing makes him quad resist Water, as well as be neutral to Electric and Grass, godsend qualities for a rain sweeper. Plus, its Grass STAB and access to Ice Beam make it one of the few rain sweepers that can reliably get past both Grass- and Water-type pokemon, a thorn in the side for rain teams. Ludicolo has the sole exclusive right to boast this quality. For example, Heliolisk, while being immune to Water and resistant to Electric, is stopped cold by Grass-types, and Kabutops, even with its wrecking ball STAB Stone Edge (especially after Swords Dance), is checked by almost anything that can take a hit and has a Grass-type coverage move. It would make sense for Ludicolo to move up to at least B- rank, seeing that it is an almost unparalleled rain sweeper.

Rotom -> C-/D Rank: Rotom, as you probably already know, is completely outclassed by Mismagius. Mismagius is essentially a faster, stronger, and bulkier (on the special side) version of Rotom with literally everything it has to offer. Mismagius has, quite literally, Rotom's entire movepool, and more. Mismagus can set up Nasty Plot, run a defensive Calm Mind set, support with Thunder Wave/Will-O-Wisp just like Rotom, and has a much greater movepool, consisting of Energy Ball, Memento, Destiny Bond, Taunt, and Dazzling Gleam. The only reason you might even consider running Rotom over Mismagius is its Electric-type STAB, with access to Volt Switch. This is enough to earn it a C- rank, but I definitely do not see a reason it should move up.

Soutland -> E Rank: With Hippo down in E-rank, I honestly do not see a reason Soutland is kept in D. Sure, you can use manual sand, but this playstyle is so outclassed to be even worth D-rank. With Hippo in D-rank, it made sense for Stoutland to be in it, but it is just completely useless without sand, and should be kept in the same ranking as Hippo.

Mismagius does not "completely outclass" rotom.
Rotom has a nice set of resistances that mismagius doesn't, allowing easier switch-ins to mons like Cobalion, Braviary, electric types scarflocked into electric moves, and more.
yes, rotom may not have as good of an offensive or defensive movepool as mismagius, but it sure can pull things off better.
Rotom's Advantages:
-Rotom is arguably the better scarfer/choice mon because it has both trick AND Volt switch to scout, cripple, and pick up momentum
-Rotom can pull off a subsplit set easier than mismagius because of it's awkward typing (forces more swithces) and lower base HP Stat.
Rotom's Disadvantages:
-Lower base stats
-Less Expansive movepool
-not as powerful.

You've downgraded rotom so much further than it actually is.
(Also rotom is kawaii ah)
 
Mismagius does not "completely outclass" rotom.
Rotom has a nice set of resistances that mismagius doesn't, allowing easier switch-ins to mons like Cobalion, Braviary, electric types scarflocked into electric moves, and more.
yes, rotom may not have as good of an offensive or defensive movepool as mismagius, but it sure can pull things off better.
Rotom's Advantages:
-Rotom is arguably the better scarfer/choice mon because it has both trick AND Volt switch to scout, cripple, and pick up momentum
-Rotom can pull off a subsplit set easier than mismagius because of it's awkward typing (forces more swithces) and lower base HP Stat.
Rotom's Disadvantages:
-Lower base stats
-Less Expansive movepool
-not as powerful.

You've downgraded rotom so much further than it actually is.
(Also rotom is kawaii ah)

True, but I don't believe that Rotom should move higher up than C- Rank. It's Electric-typing is an advantage, but it simply does not have the bulk needed to take advantage of it defensively, unless it significantly invested into bulk. For example, +2 Cobalion Iron Head and Scarfed Braviary's Brave Bird still 2HKO offensive variants, meaning it can only switch into it at most once. I doubt that its offensive set will cause many more switches than Mismagius, who has a much more significant offensive presence. However, I agree that it is the better scarfer, due to Volt Switch, and SubSplit (though that, imo, is generally outclassed by other sets). Also, it is important to note that while good, Rotom's speed tier is quite disappointing on many occasions, for example getting outsped by Delphox. You've convinced me that Rotom does have a niche, but overall, I still don't think that it should deserve a higher rank than C-.
 
Fletchinder -> C+ Rank: I agree with the move down for Fletchinder. Sure, priority Acrobatics is good, but its just... well, weak. I mean, fucking Zoroark lives one:

252+ Atk Fletchinder Acrobatics (110 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Zoroark: 204-241 (78.1 - 92.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Don't get me wrong, I understand Fletchinder is supposed to be a revenge killer and pick off weakened threats, but without a boosting item like Life Orb or Choice Band and a weak base 73 attack stat, its just quite underwhelming. Sure, its not impossible to set up a Swords Dance, on things like Doublade and Escavalier, but even afterwards, through my own experience, its just doesn't hit hard enough to sweep, and is actually contradictory to its "pick off weakened threats" goal. This meta is not the place for it to shine, and should be moved down to C+ rank.
This is the only one that i disagree with you... The thing that makes Talonflame worthy of a spot in OU isn't its blazing power:

252 Atk Talonflame Flare Blitz vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Zoroark: 216-255 (82.7 - 97.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Which isn't actually that different from what you just showed...

But the thing is that a lot of pokés (i'm seeing you Delphox ¬¬') just suffer because they can't reliably revenge kill things like Virizion, Sharpedo and Unburden Hitmonlee, which are three very important threats in RU, and you know what?

252 Atk Fletchinder Acrobatics (110 BP) vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Virizion: 640-760 (197.5 - 234.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Fletchinder Acrobatics (110 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Sharpedo: 250-295 (88.9 - 104.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Fletchinder Acrobatics (110 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Sharpedo: 274-324 (97.5 - 115.3%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO
252 Atk Fletchinder Acrobatics (110 BP) vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Hitmonlee: 408-482 (168.5 - 199.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO

It usually beats all of them without even setupping...

Against Delphox:

252 Atk Fletchinder Acrobatics (110 BP) vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Delphox: 160-190 (54.7 - 65%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

252 SpA Delphox Psychic vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Fletchinder: 225-265 (84.9 - 100%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO
252 SpA Delphox Psyshock vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Fletchinder: 193-228 (72.8 - 86%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Which means that Fletchinder can easily beat Delphox in the switch in and can even beat it 1Vs1 in 93,7% of the time if it uses Psychic or just always if it uses Psyshock...

Against Escavalier:

252+ Atk Escavalier Knock Off vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Fletchinder: 130-153 (49 - 57.7%) -- 96.1% chance to 2HKO

Because of this you can just go to SD and then:

+2 252 Atk Fletchinder Flame Charge vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Escavalier: 432-508 (125.5 - 147.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO

And Anything else will have to eat +2 Acrobatics in the face...

Against Froslass:

252 SpA Froslass Ice Beam vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Fletchinder: 178-211 (67.1 - 79.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 Atk Fletchinder Acrobatics (110 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Froslass: 165-195 (58.7 - 69.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Which means that this thing can avoid Two layers of spikes against Froslass without being Destiny Bonded in the Process... being the only others Rhyperior and quick scarfers that doesn't get hit hard by Ice Beam or Shadow Ball. Not bad huh?

Then, Fletch can beat every single S Ranking pokémon with just avoiding SR...

That's why i think that it is well placed in B-

Also i can use this to propose Rhyperior to S, since its one of the best counters to Boosted Fletchinder...

+2 252 Atk Fletchinder Acrobatics (110 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Rhyperior: 97-115 (22.3 - 26.4%) -- possible 5HKO after Leftovers recovery

Cya guys!
 
Acrobatics forces you (unless we are on DW RU or something) to make your Fletchlinder itemless, or his strongest STAB is Aerial Ace at 60 BP (Acrobatics is 55 BP). Also, it doesn't have Flare Blitz like Talonflame has.

Having those two moves is what Talonflame is an important part of why Talonflame is so effective in the Ou metagame. Gale Wings is also a big factor, because it's huge niche (A+) of revenge kill anything, and the necessity of Adamant nature (because lack of power). Also note that all talonflame has Choice Band (which Fletchlinder can't hold), Bulk Up (Flatchlinder can't learn that move) and Swords Dance (which actually can learn). Also, being the only strong move is Acrobatics it can't hold an Eviolite.

Fletchlinder doesn't have the ability to:
-Brave Bird
-Flare Blitz
-Bulk Up-
-Item + powerful moves (specially CB, LO, Eviolite).
-A priority that outspeed all the priority ( 84 Speed in RU <<<<< 126 Base Speed in OU).
 
All that you just said is truth but... how that affect the facts that i already mentioned about Fletch? in RU there aren't a huge bunch of Steel types and the most prominent of them which is Escavalier, is just roasted by a pathethic and weak attack as Flame Charge...

I'm not saying that Fletchinder is the absolute God of RU, but it does function pretty well as long as you know when you should bring it to the field, and as Talonflame in OU, i does have the niche of revenge killing threats that some pokés just can't, like those that i already mentioned (besides maybe Sharpedo that can be Revenged by any Hitmon, even Hitmoncrap)...
 
Small nitpick; Don't forget that Sharpedo often carries Aquajet ad can outspeed and kill Fletchinder after 1 turn.
About Fletchinder in general; I haven't used nor sene it on the ladder so I can't give a completely correct opinion, but I think C+ would be a good rank for it. It lacks power and really the only thing it does is being annoying to the other team with Priority Acrobatics+Roost and WoW.

But yea 110 BP priority STAB move is quite a niche so C+ seems okay
 
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