Resource LC Viability Rankings

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Aipom might deserve D-Rank. It's a bad gimmick, but Fake Out+Last Resort (a 140 BP move on the first turn your opponent can attack it!) can be quite powerful. Half-decent bulk, above average (I think, not quite sure about what stats are considered good in LC) speed and attack. Has to switch out against ghost types though.
 

Max Carvalho

Que os jogos comecem
Aipom might deserve D-Rank. It's a bad gimmick, but Fake Out+Last Resort (a 140 BP move on the first turn your opponent can attack it!) can be quite powerful. Half-decent bulk, above average (I think, not quite sure about what stats are considered good in LC) speed and attack. Has to switch out against ghost types though.
This is a bad, really bad gimmick. In some cases Fury Swipes can be as strong as Last Resort see this. By Ghosts, you mean Misdreavus for instance; sure Aipom fears burn, but ir has Knock Off and if Aipom wins the speed tie against Missy Knock Off is a 2HKO. This set is not the best Aipom should run. Aipom should be B+ it has a lot of power and good speed tier, allowing it to sweep after some of its counters were KOed. Aipom isn't easy to use tho.
 

Aaron's Aron

A concussion update in my info tab
Honestly, I can agree with Omanyte going to B+. It often takes two priority attacks if it isn't weakened much, which most teams don't have. Also, if the opponent's bulky pokemon are already knocked out, then not much can be survive an attack, as was said earlier. I know that when my opponent has an Omanyte that I need to keep my Porygon at good health or else I am in some serious trouble.
 
Actual Garbage's Buneary Review

Buneary should be reconsidered as a support.

It hits 19 speed and learns cosmic power and baton pass, that is a powerful niche.
But Buneary is truly dangerous because it learns Encore.

  • Stacking both defenses easily is pretty strong and getting them up before the enemy figures out how to respond can be devastating.
  • Buneary isn't very bulky on its own, but has decent HP and builds defenses fast enough to let it tank rather well w/ cosmic power.
  • The defenses let it build more defenses, and combined with a berry juice, you can reach 2-3 stages rather easily, even in a less than ideal scenario.
The encore is invaluable on the set.
  • Trapping someone into a support move, or a ghost move gives you a free turn or 3 to build defenses (or speed to trap smashers aside from Tirtouga and Shellder because of priority).
  • Catching a Mienfoo in fake-out is devastating, or a status-er on a thunderwave or stun spore (Which Buneary is immune to because of Limber).
  • It even works on will-o-wisp, because the burn doesn't really affect buneary as it does not need to attack, and the damage is negligible because you will get at least 1 cosmic power after encoring will-o-wisp.
The encore also adds an element of mind games.
If your opponent figures out that Buneary is going to encore after they use support moves you can use the switches for free cosmic powers, forcing them to guess weather you will encore or CP.


However, Buneary does have its weaknesses, Clear smog, sleep, and taunt completely shut it down. As do straight up super effective attacks, especially the high-jump kicks. It can survive a drain punch from Eviolite Mienfoo or Scraggy, but HJK or Life-Orb/Scarf will obviously OHKO. But with berry juice, if you don't OHKO or knock off, it will survive at least 2 or 3 hits due to cosmic power.

Overall, I consider Buneary one of the stronger supports in the tier, and it should be at least C-Tier because it can provide a very unique strength to a team and force a lot of switches. It has a snowbally mechanic in that it is very hard to deal with if you do not approach it correctly and quickly enough.
 

Anthiese

formerly Jac
is a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
preliminary list based on peolpe's judgements

A-
abra
trubbish

B+
bunnelby
diglett
ferroseed
zigzagoon
vullaby

B
doduo
gastly (or B+)
houndour
larvesta (or B+)
Lickitung
munchlax
omnayte
onix
slowpoke
vulpix
snubbull

B-
torchic
wynaut
koffing
taillow
riolu

any objections, state them now, gastly and larvesta were mons that there was a bit of disagreement with.
Gastly
+ 18 speed
+ Has more immediate power in place of speed and bulk
+ Has a literal bag of tricks it can utilize

- Destroyed by Knock Off and Sucker Punch
- Cannot circumvent Fighting types as easily as other ghosts can (could Evio + Wow but i need calcs before i concrete that)
- Extremely frail

Gastly isnt amazing but it's not shit, leave in B-

Larvesta
+ Beats Spritzee 1v1 with no issues
+ Beast most Knock Off spammers (obviously not Timburr and the ultra rare Abra)
+ Scarf set hits like a goddamned truck and is blazing fast (pun intended)
+ Eviolite set walls most physical attackers (not counting birds/timburr)

- SR strips half it's health so it absolutely needs Defog/Spin Support
- Cannot stand up to birds who arguably rule the meta at the moment



Larv is amazing but needs support, leave in B-
 

Rowan

The professor?
is a Community Leader Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
Jac, they're both in B atm, not B- ... are you arguing to move them down or stay where they are?

btw trubbish and omanyte are moving down/up to B+ probs as well
 
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Actually, Jac, I think you're under-estimating Gastly's usefulness. True, it is basically an outclassed Misdreavus, and true it doesn't like Knock Off and Sucker Punch and is a HUGE Pawniard bait. However, it does beat fighters 1v1 if you're using SubDisable, it doesn't even need Will-o-Wisp. Quite frankly, if you're using Will-o-Wisp, you shouldn't even be using Gastly in the first place. Gastly hits harder than Misdreavus does and is a great wallbreaker even without Life Orb. Gastly is really good, and is very viable.

EVen if Gastly is "extremely frail" it still has many opportunities to come in due to its fantastic defensive typing, which gives it some resistances to take advantage of, like Bug (though, this isn't common bar U-turn) and Poison, and it also has 3 immunities. It has great STABs, allowing it not be countered by Porygon, Lickitung and Munchlax too drastically, like Misdreavus is.

If you're using Gastly like you'd use Misdreavus, you will be greatly disappointed in its performance.
B+
Abra - Great revenge killer, gets atleast 1 kill, sometimes two. However, beside this, it is pretty easy to switch into without Life Orb, is easily revenge killed itself after its Sash is lost. I am not sold on Abra being A quality at all.
Digglett - Best partner to one of the best pokemon in the meta, Fletchling. Easily eliminates everything Fletchling has trouble with, aside from Archen, which it can just Memento anyway.
Gastly - Amazing mon right now. Extremely versatile. Incredible wall-breaker. Excellent with a Choice Scarf. Only thing preventing it from being A is the fact it is a huge bait for Pawniard.
Vullaby - Decent wall. Has a great movepool. Outclassed by other birds, though. Like Archen, namely.
Trubbish - Loses every bit of momentum you may have had upon just switching in. It is great on a playstyle that is really hard to use in the tier though. (stall)

B
Bunnelby - Pretty good mon, but is easy to switch into and deawith. Mons like Gastly, Misdreavus and Archen are the main reason I don't agree with it being B+.
Doduo (maybe B-) - Great partner with Fletchling for bird offense. Has a good movepool. Insanely powerful. Decent speed of 18. However, Doduo ends up killing itself due to Brave Bird and LO recoil (can usually get only 2 kills, unless used lategame as a cleaner)
Ferroseed - Has many common weaknesses, very easy to deal with, but, at the same time, has a unique defensive typing that allows it to counter plenty of mons in the tier.
Houndour (maybe B+) - One of the bets Misdreavus counters for offensive/bulky offensive teams. (especially if you don't want to use Porygon) Has a cool typing and offensive stats that allows it to become a decent mixed attacker. I enjoy using it.
Larvesta - Major weakness to SR. However, that being said is a great siwtchin to Aipom, Fighters, and other threats.
Lickitung - Works a lot like Spritzee, but has Knock Off and is more of a support role. Can also be Encored, unlike Spritzee. Great mon for defensive cores.
Munchlax (maybe B-) - Decent switchin to Misdreavus. Insanely bulky.
Omanyte - Cool Shell Smasher, has Spikes and Stealth Rock, which alows it to be a cool utility. Has also really bulky.
Onix (Maybe B-) - Cool lead, decent speed,has Taunt and SR. Easy to switch into, though, and beat.
Snubbull - Annoying pokemon when paired with Lickitung. Can't switch into Pawniar,d however, due to Defiant. Is a more offensive Spritzee.
Zigzagoon - Requires a bunch of support. Relies on Belly Drum and Berry Juice to do anything.

B-
Koffing -Has a cool typing coupled with a nice ability. Can't counter Drilbur, though, due to Mold Breaker. Has Will-o-Wisp and Pain Split allowing it to be annoying.
Riolu - Is really coolright now, can even beat Fletchling, unlike the other fighting-types.
Slowpoke (maybe C+) - Only thing going for it right now is it is annoying due to Regenerator. Other than that, I find it to be underwhelming and easy to work around. Knock Off is spammed everywhere and Slowpoke hates it.
Taillow - Cool pokemon right now. Definitely does not deserve to be in C. Scrappy Boomburst is amazing.
Torchic - Mediocre pokemon. Easy to work around.Has a couple of flaws that make its overall performance pretty underwhelming against certain teams.
Vulpix - Has a really good ability in Drought. Chlorophyll sweepers can be scary, if you lack Fletchling. Requires Heat Rock, which makes its bulk underwhelming at times.
Wynaut - Lost a ton of viability upon Meditie's ban, but can still work at times.

C
Aipom - Although it gained a new niche, and people have realized it's not completely worthless and hopeless, I still feel it does not measure up to many of the B-ranked mons. Aipom fits C perfectly.
 
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Anthiese

formerly Jac
is a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
Jac, they're both in B atm, not B- ... are you arguing to move them down or stay where they are?

btw trubbish and omanyte are moving down/up to B+ probs as well
i might have misread what you were saying... Im saying to keep them there for now...

on another note, until i use Sub + disable, disregard my negativity for gastly.

i have nothing to say about trubbish/omanyte as of right now

Actually, Jac, I think you're under-estimating Gastly's usefulness. True, it is basically an outclassed Misdreavus, and true it doesn't like Knock Off and Sucker Punch and is a HUGE Pawniard bait. However, it does beat fighters 1v1 if you're using SubDisable, it doesn't even need Will-o-Wisp. Quite frankly, if you're using Will-o-Wisp, you shouldn't even be using Gastly in the first place. Gastly hits harder than Misdreavus does and is a great wallbreaker even without Life Orb. Gastly is really good, and is very viable.

EVen if Gastly is "extremely frail" it still has many opportunities to come in due to its fantastic defensive typing, which gives it some resistances to take advantage of, like Bug (though, this isn't common bar U-turn) and Poison, and it also has 3 immunities. It has great STABs, allowing it not be countered by Porygon, Lickitung and Munchlax too drastically, like Misdreavus is.

If you're using Gastly like you'd use Misdreavus, you will be greatly disappointed in its performance.
B+
Abra
Digglett
Gastly
Vullaby
Trubbish

B
Bunnelby (maybe B+)
Doduo (maybe B-)
Ferroseed
Houndour (maybe B+)
Larvesta
Munchlax
Omanyte
Onix (Maybe B-)
Zigzagoon

B-
Koffing
Lickitung (maybe B)
Riolu
Slowpoke (maybe C+)
Snubbul (maybe B)
Taillow
Torchic
Vulpix
Wynaut
usually i use scarf + tspikes abuse gastly (hex/veno/tbolt/trick + timid max spa/spe/rest in hp) i really haven't found other use for it.

I'll try out subdisable and give it a chance. is there a specific ev spread for it? Imma make a whole new team for this shit tonight~
 
Jac I usually use 0/x/196/36/76/196. However, an EV spread with the full 116 in HP can be used if you're using HPFight over Sludge Bomb. The item is Berry Juice for longevity.
 

Anthiese

formerly Jac
is a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
Jac I usually use 0/x/196/36/76/196. However, an EV spread with the full 116 in HP can be used if you're using HPFight over Sludge Bomb. The item is Berry Juice for longevity.
I kinda wanna monoattack with shadow ball and run wow so i can say fk off to trubbish.

It works out pretty well, sorry for doubting it.
 
I kinda wanna monoattack with shadow ball and run wow so i can say fk off to trubbish.

It works out pretty well, sorry for doubting it.
Trubbish loses against Gastly anyways tho!

Edit: So, I forgot that forums were at 502 Bade Gateway when I edited in the reasonings on my previous post. So, I will get to that shortly!!
 
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Anthiese

formerly Jac
is a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
It's been working very well to shut down certain mons who dont outspeed it an di can cripple knock offers with little to no issue. Just the first trubbish i fought had Payback and i thought: damn i might wanna add wow over sludge bomb since we wanna play that kind of dirty then

but in the end payback is prolly gunna end up a rare move on trub to combat ghosts? Iunno.

But yeah once again it's marvelous. I might take a bit of EVs out of sdef ot def and add to spa for a harder shadowball.
 
It's been working very well to shut down certain mons who dont outspeed it an di can cripple knock offers with little to no issue. Just the first trubbish i fought had Payback and i thought: damn i might wanna add wow over sludge bomb since we wanna play that kind of dirty then

but in the end payback is prolly gunna end up a rare move on trub to combat ghosts? Iunno.

But yeah once again it's marvelous. I might take a bit of EVs out of sdef ot def and add to spa for a harder shadowball.
Payback on Trubbish is just a gimmick people are using so it doesn't become complete Misdreavus bait. Gastly is really fun to use, I really love it right now (it was also really fun MediKrow meta) Unfortunately, 196 EVsis the max SpA investment Gastly can have. Only way to raise it further is by using Modest voer Timid, which I don't advise at all. I suppose you can also use LO, but then that causes even more problems for Gastly, imo. Trubbish is generally easy to deal with, though, so you shouldn't be having any to no trouble with it!
 
For Gastly another set that could work is Subhypnosis and it actually gives it a slight niche that Misdreavus doesn't have. I understand Hypnosis's accuracy isn't exactly ideal but Gastly can actually become a pretty good wall breaker with it. Gastly can lure in bulky shit that can take a hit like Porygon and put them to sleep, effectively cripppling them. It also helps Gastly keep a substitute up on a sleeping foe and a Gastly behind a substitute is pretty dangerous due to its very good special atttack stat. Hypnosis along with Substitute allow Gastly to play mindgames with Sucker Punch users (Pawnaird sometimes?) @ Berry Juice Shadow Ball / Sludge Bomb / Hypnosis / Substitute is the set I'm talking about but yeah Misdreavus is better on practically all situtations and is much easier to fit on a team, hitting the 19 speed tier, having superior bulk and a greater move pool (Nasty Plot, Heal bell, etc) it is also much more versatile and can run offensive and defensive sets. I know this didn't contribute to the thread much, just thought I might share my opinion on Gastly and mention how Misdreavus outclasses it

also a Life Orb Gastly set with Dazzling Gleam / Shadow Ball / Hp Fight / Sludge Bomb would be mean af if it hit 19 speed tier :(

Also in things to be discussing I think Vullaby should stay in A tier. Its flaws include its weakness to Stealth Rock and things like Magmemite, Chinchou, Archen but it has a lot of benefits. Firstly it has access to two of the greatest support moves in LC, Defog allows it to remove hazards from the field and it gets Stab Knock Off, letting it remove eviolites, berry juices, etc of Pokemon. It is also quite bulky and has access to reliable recovery in Roost letting it be quite durable despite its Stealth Rock Weakness and for a support Pokemon Brave Bird lets it hit incredibly hard and makes short work of stuff like Mienfoo, Timburr and Scraggy roaming the tier. It is also a total stop to Foongus unless they get lucky with Sludge Bomb hax, you don't have to worry about Spore moves due to Overcoat or Giga Drain due to its typing and you are free to threaten it (or any switch in ) with Brave Bird, Defog hazards away use Knock Off etc. Basically it is quite easy to switch in provides support in the form of Defog and Knock Off and Brave Bird allow it to make the most of its ability to switch in on the likes of Mienfoo, Scraggy, Timburr, Croagunk, Foongus which are all fairly common in the metagame.

People also forget about its versatility, it can run a very viable weak armour Nasty Plot set letting it sweep late game with Dark Pulse and Air Slash and can also utilise U-turn effectively with it being able to switch in on a lot of Pokemon it can threaten them, then gain momentum with U-turn as they switch.
 
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Rowan

The professor?
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also a Life Orb Gastly set with Dazzling Gleam / Shadow Ball / Hp Fight / Sludge Bomb would be mean af if it hit 19 speed tier :(
What's so special about the 19 speed tier? People need to stop this myth that things need to reach the 19 speed-tier or else they're not fast enough. The only Pokemon in the 18 speed-tier are Anorith, Blitzle, Deerling, Doduo, Feebas, Magikarp, Mincinno, Stunky, and opposing Gastly. Of these only Gastly and Doduo are that relevant, maybe Mincinno (although most are scarf anyway) and Stunky (but they generally don't run max Speed).
Basically the only thing you're missing out are speed-tying against things that would KO you anyway, so you wouldn't really wanna risk the 50/50.

Basically, the 19 speed-tier isn't the be all and end all. Gastly still outspeeds Mienfoo, Archen, Drilbur etc...
set seems, decent tbh, needs some testing.
 
Rowan

You bring up a good point and the set still looks effective on paper, but if it were able to speed tie with things like Missy, Abra (I know sash but still), Tailow even though its 50 / 50 it can pay off plus opponents may not like risking the speed tie either so they are just as likely to not stay in. Your right a pokemon doesn't need a 19 speed stat to be fast, but I feel like it is the main reason to disregard a set like that in team building and it is a factor that makes Gastly outclassed by Missy.

also back to Vullaby something I forgot to mention is it can take on Misdreavus that don't carry Will-o-Wisp pr Dazzling Gleam pretty reliably too
 
Almost everyone uses Will-O-Wisp or Dazzling Gleam on Missy though, Superpowerdude. I have never seen a Missy without one of them, often both.
This is true and I said that as a minor benfit on top of the main things that make Vullaby viable in my post before that (Access to defog, Knock Off, versatility, strong Brave Bird, ability to threaten fighting types, good bulk and recovery) Its is also quite common to see Misdreavus running sub np sball and hp fight which Vullaby can beat. For what its worth Vullaby can take an unboosted
Dazzling Gleam and answer back with Knock Off but I am in no way calling it a counter to Misdreavus
 
also back to Vullaby something I forgot to mention is it can take on Misdreavus that don't carry Will-o-Wisp pr Dazzling Gleam pretty reliably too
You forgot Thunderbolt Misdreavus (which I use cuz troll)

In my experience, Vullaby just cannot do what it is meant to do, and do it effectively. I find it to be one of the most underwhelming pokemon in the A rank, same story for Trubbish on certain teams. Sure, it is versatile, and it does have a great support movepool, but so does Archen. And, for offensive Vullaby, I would much rather be using Misdreavus, who has a better initial speed and typing. Misdreavus can more easily set up a Nasty Plot, and can more easily maintain that sweep. Vullaby lowers its own defense, making it easier to revenge kill with priority from Fletchling, Mienfoo, Aipom, Timburr, among others. Vullaby should definitely be B+.
 
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You forgot Thunderbolt Misdreavus (which I use cuz troll)

In my experience, Vullaby just cannot do what it is meant to do, and do it effectively. I find it to be one of the most underwhelming pokemon in the A rank, same story for Trubbish on certain teams. Sure, it is versatile, and it does have a great support movepool, but so does Archen. And, for offensive Vullaby, I would much rather be using Misdreavus, who has a better initial speed and typing. Misdreavus can more easily set up a Nasty Plot, and can more easily maintain that sweep. Vullaby lowers its own defense, making it easier to revenge kill with priority from Fletchling, Mienfoo, Aipom, Timburr, among others. Vullaby should definitely be B+.
This is true but remember Archen is arguably top tier (it is also in A+ and Vullaby is A-) I do disagree with you stating that Vullaby can't do what its supposed to effectively. Its typical set is supposed to be a suport mon, helping with the removal of hazards with Defog and providing Knock Off support which is so good in this meta since with out Berry Juice and Eviolite Pokemon can really be weakened. It is able to preform this role quite well. It can switch into practically any Fighting type in LC, Mienfoo can U-turn on it and Knock
Off will threaten Vullaby from these fighting types but Knock Off threatens any mon and Vullaby can still beat them. Shit like Foongus and any physical attacker that can't super effect it can also be switched into with ease letting it preform its roles easily (defogging and knock off ) Stealth Rock weakness and getting damaged is shitty but Roost does help some what. Its also worth mentioning that lots of Vullabys checks and counters hate Knock Ofd because they normally run Berry Juice; Tirtouga, Archen, Chinchou losing Berry Juice from a Knock Off on the switch im really hampers their preformance and I would say thats it supporting its team effectively.

Yes Misdreavus is a better sweeper but then again it is one of the best if not the best sweeper in the tier, Vullabys set is still effective, adds to its versatility and has an element of suprise to it.
 

Rowan

The professor?
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Yo the OP has been updated. I'd like some discussion on Aipom since Artemis Fowl keeps bringing it up and it probably shouldn't be E-Rank, and people can feel free to start splitting up the 37 Pokemon that currently reside in C-rank.


edit: this isn't a preliminary list, these are just my nominations

amaura - purely because of its ability to beat pretty much all flying types i want it B-. Has pretty good attack, but needs to rely on Hidden Power for coverage which can sometimes be weak which is the only reason it can't go higher than B-. Scarf Amaura beats the FletchDig core with rock support (incase sash). Refrigerate Tri-Attack is pretty fucking strong on anything that doesn't resist.
binacle - Shell Smasher that can perform well as a late game sweeper and sets its side apart as the only Shell Smasher which doesn't worry about Ferroseed, without resorting to Hidden Power Fire.
elekid - outspeeding the entire meta without being choice-locked is a pretty good niche and Mixed sets can be a pain to deal with. Good coverage allows it to get past quite a few threats and can make it unpredictable.
shellder - good smasher, dunno why it's in C. Only smasher to beat Abra as well. Pure Normal typing with Good Defense and Ice Shard to KO bulky Fletchling (after Rocks) means it's the only smasher not easily revenged by one of Timburr or Fletchling. With Knock Off Support, Icicle Spear/Rock Blast should basically KO everything due to multi-hit moves having weird rolls


aron - decent enough sturdyjuice mon can set up rocks and has okay attack + metal burts. deffo one of the top C-rank mons.
axew - nice set up sweeper, completely walled by spritzee, and cottonee is annoying as always but can sweep with some support
bellsprout - chlorophyll puts it C+ imo
bulbasaur - same as bellsprout
corphish - good wallbreaker with adaptability, also gets switcheroo which is cool. Swords Dance and Dragon Dance can be used to pull off a sweep too.
cranidos - fantastic wallbreaker (wouldn't even mind seeing B- tbh) with amazing attack, sheer force+LO and 16 speed isn't bad at all, it just has the ability to hit everything hard
darumaka - similar to Cranidos but Hustle misses are annoying as fuck. access to U-turn is cool but hazard weak and reliance on scarf for speed means it shouldn't be going up to B anytime soon.
lileep - good wall with great bulk but doesn't have much of a place in the current metagame which is why it's not up there in B tier.
magby - Belly Drum, 19 Speed and Mach Punch puts it at the top of C rank, but can easily be stopped by faster priority and scarfers cos Mach Punch isn't always the strongest
oddish - same as bellsprout and bulbasaur
staryu - good spinner just lost its niche with defog mechanics in gen 6 and Drilbur is more suited to the current metagame.
surskit - best sticky web layer which is a niche that should be recognised
tentacool - really unique typing allowing it to wall Fire-types, Grass-types, Fairy-types AND Fighting-types, liquid ooze really pisses off grass/fighting types especially, and toxic spikes is a cool niche. fantastic Special Defense too. (also a contender for B- imo)


dratini - okay set up sweeper and can run mixed LO wallbreaker as well to give it some unpredictability
drifloon - good unburden mon but generally outclassed by other Ghosts+Flyers
frillish - good defensive stats but doesn't wall anything that notable in the current metagame
hippopotas - good physical wall, can take on most physical attackers but its easy to switch in and needs to run coverage to not be a liability against certain pokemon. overreliant on eviolite too.
growlithe - decent physical wall, good option to take on opposing fire-types but most of the time you should be using ponyta
mantyke - can run a cool rain dance set (probably the best RD sweeper) and can also run a bulky restalk set to take on grass/fighting types.
pancham - good niche in partin shot but finds it hard to fit on a team with the amount of viable fighting-types and lack of drain punch
snover - Blizzard is pretty fucking strong tbh but Snover is weak to most of the top metagame threats.
poliwag - belly drummer with 19 speed but lacks coverage and can easy be walled by quite a lot.
purrloin - pretty good support mon with prio encore, taunt along with u-turn and knock off. doesn't have too much of a notable niche to allow it to be higher imo.
tyrunt - okay defensive typing but no recovery and i'd rather use onix or some other rock-type


froakie - gets STAB on everything but it's still kind of underwhelming and there are much better revenge killers/wallbreakers out there
goldeen - lightningrod is a cool niche and it has okay physical offense but it's not really strong enough most of the time and Chinchou usually outclasses it due to its better defensive typing.
grimer - sticky hold is cool but no recovery and there are better physical tanks
honedge - since meditite went honedge struggles to find a niche and the current metagame isn't friendly to it
inkay - contrary superpower is overated as fuck, but inkay isn't too bad that it doesn't deserve c-
meowth - idk why you'd put this on a team tbh, it's quite weak and only a strong fake out alongside technician thief and covet give it a tiny niche. not worth it most of the time
shellos - sticky hold could make it a good mon for a stall team, but it needs a lot of support with hazard removal otherwise it could find loads of 3hkos turning into 2hkos. massive momentum loser as well.
spinarak - sticky web+tspikes is cool and it probably has a better defensive typing than surskit but if you want sticky web, go for surskit 9 times out of 10
 
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The Avalanches

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I've been using Eviolite Spinarak a lot lately, and it isn't a one-trick pony like Surskit. It's typing is great, and it's surprisingly bulky. It takes absolutely negligible damage from any fighting-type move in the tier and thus can set up on then without a worry (Mienfoo's Drain punch does 1-2 damage) and its also a pretty good counter to both Spritzee and Cottonee, with Poison Jab 2HKOing and OHKOing respectively. It's sleep immunity lets it set up on Foongus, and It can also survive an Acrobatics from Fletchling, which is pretty amazing in the current meta. Although Sticky Web is something of a gimmick - especially with all the Drilbur and Archen in the tier - Spinarak certainly has a niche as a Sticky Web user and is at least as usable as Surskit. I believe it should be moved to C+ rank or C rank at the very least.
 
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