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C- or C: It is sort of outclassed by Rhyperior, but it does have a perk or two, such as being a better Moltres / Meloetta check and access to Thunder Wave. At least I think it deserves more than D, would like some more opinions on this one.
B: Probably the best Hitmonlee counter atm, that is cool itself, as well as a good answer to Physical Sharpedo. Has access to Thunder Wave, which can cripple stuff trying to switch in on it for free, and more offensive pressure than Aromatisse, which make it better suited for more offensive teams. Also (don't have experience on it), CB Granbull sounds scary af*. Don't think it should be pushed any further than B though.
252+ Atk Choice Band Granbull Play Rough vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Moltres: 124-147 (38.6 - 45.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Granbull Earthquake vs. 212 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Doublade: 160-190 (51.2 - 60.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
B+: Has a lot of competition from Cresselia, Reuniclus, Meloetta and other Psychic-types, but also has some perks over those which make it worth ranking higher, including versatility, funny secondary typing (which is not that good, but does have some advantages), coverage and so on. Although I've only tested one set of it, and it was in a troll team, I think this Pokemon has potential in Zoro/Yanless metagame.
Unranked: Only Fighting-type 'mon that doesn't outclass it is Hitmonchan, which is in E rank. Also, doing it for the likes.
Agree with spiritomb... nice ability with nice bulk, defensives and good type
Priority makes better the ability and help against delphox, it could check and counter some RU threats like meloetta, neutra against sball and immunity on psychic and hvoice (he can easy kill him with sucker)
It has a pgood moveepool soo he can use offensive moves like pursuit - ssneak or sucker punch or an annoying setwith will o wisp and pain spilt... and some one use cmstalk spiritomb.
annoying set is pcool... will o wisp ignore the sub against big threat, soo yeah, not else... pursuit destroy big defensive core like slowking and he can beatin 1vs1 doublade, burning it, using pursuit or darkpulse... soo spiritomb beat the best spinner blocker and one of the best mons in RU
cm set is a bit gimmick... i lost lot of times against it lol, after a couple of cm it is unstoppable, with rest and stalk is really annoyin... soo gg.
spiritomb is deserving of more than B-, it could probably go up to A- in my opinion
Undoubtedly Alomomola is a pokemon with a great base hp, and okay-ish defense, thanks to Regenerator perhaps one of the best ability in the game is a great pick on stall, semistall, and even balanced teams.
Alomomola's movepool is acceptable, wish, combined to alo's great base hp is always a great move, especially on stall teams, thanks with protect alo can even recover himself,
Toxic is a staple on Alomomola, with it he can easily poison stuff that thinks they can easily set up on him like Hitmoncham, hitmonlee, fletchinder, Druddigon and so on.
Scald is the usual move on bulky waters, due to the ubiquity of the move, he can hope to burn stuff that switchs in on him like Doublade, Escavalier, Registeel and so on, it should also be said that thanks to this move, alomomola' is not a complete set up fodder against offensive 'mons.
Knock Off should also be mentioned, while Alomomola atk is hardly great, knock off cripple everything sans megas.
As we see, Doublade, one of the most scary offensive force in the metagame, can barely scratch him, while Shadow claw cannot 2hko him and then is forced to switch.
Teammates for alomomola could be Gastrodon,to enter the electric as Heliolisk, eelektross or Jolteon In addition to having good hp and a decent spdef, not also... aromatisse and avslowking are nice mates...
Sorry about the double post :8
Toxic won't stop those pokemon from setting up on mola
The most common set uppers in the tier right now would be meloetta,cresselia,reunc,virizion, 3 of them carry sub (Meloetta,cress and reunc), while verizion carries lum berry to let it set up on mola, being unable to break their sub means that you have to switch out or you might get swept. She is a great poke but should stay in A+ imo.
Alomomola is extreme set up bait for a lot of the most dangerous Pokemon in the metagame. For one, almost all Pokemon that use Substitute (as x MAD AXES x said) set up on it and beat it at the same time provided they didn't catch a Toxic. This includes SubBU Braviary, SubBU Gallade, SubCM Cress, SubCM Meloetta, CM Reuniclus, CM Sigilyph if that's a thing, etc. It has 0 offensive presence whatsoever and depends on Scald burns to do any significant damage.
It's defensive capabilities are amazing and that can't be ignored, but that's why its A+ and not S.
Having to switch out and thos poke have a sub/+2 sd up is bad as something is likely going to die and these pokemon prevent mola from doing her role, if you wish pass the psychics have a sub and 1 cm up, while Virizion either has +4 or +2 and your switch in takes a +2 leaf blade stone edge whatever. She should stay with Aromatisse as they are close in viability imo. I also think rhyperior should drop to A+.
I doubt that was a serious post the main reason Alomomola is not S is because it often gives free turns to the opponent because of its low offensive presence, and thus, just reading the definition of S you can see that it fits much better in A+
You know what you're getting with Rhyperior, it sets up rocks and is a tank, taking hits and dealing out massive damage. Rock and Ground is a great STAB combo, making it hard for things to switch in as they fair the powerful Earthquake coming off 140 Base Attack. Those who are immune don't enjoy taking Rock Blasts which has the added bonus of breaking Subs. Dragon Tail and Roar allow it to phase and rack up Stealth Rock Damage, Roar stop Sub Braviary, Cress, Melo etc in their tracks. Solid Rock makes it literally almost impossible to take down unless you have a Grass or Water move and are a special attacker. It also runs Choice Band sets, its natural defensive bulk and typing makes it easy for it to switch in and it can proceed to tear holes in the opposing team.
Rhyperior does its job as a physical tank, it walls significant portions of the metagame, almost always gets hazards up and hits like a truck. It has a job, it does it consistently and quietly and is the backbone for so many teams. Definite S rank for me.
I know it was most likely a joke post but I want to state why Mola isn't S rank:
S Rank:
Reserved for Pokemon who can sweep or wall significant portions of the metagame with little support, and Pokemon who can support other Pokemon with very little opportunity cost ("free turns"). Also the home of Pokemon who can easily perform multiple roles effectively, increasing their versatility and unpredictability. If the Pokemon in this rank have any flaws, those flaws are thoroughly mitigated by their substantial strengths.
At first it looks like Alomomola fulfills the rank easily but when you look it at a more detailed point of view you will see that Mola has no offensive presence, in other words it will become a set up bait for anything that doesn't get affected by Toxic like Cobalion, Doublade, Reuniclus, Drapion, etc. It has to rely on Scald burns really often especially when dealing against the after mentioned pokemon, it isn't versatile at all; the only viable set is Wish/ Protect/ Scald/ Toxic (Knock off is crap) and finally Mola gets heavily crippled by Toxic needing a cleric most times. Now let's look at the definition of an A rank pokemon:
A Rank:
Reserved for Pokemon who can sweep or wall significant portions of the metagame, but require some support or have some flaws that prevents them from doing this consistently. Supporting Pokemon in this rank may give opponents free turns or cannot create free turns easily themselves, but can still do their job most of the time
This definition fits Alomomola better because it can create a lot of free turns to your opponent during a match and it requires cleric support and can't even wall all physical attackers without relying on Scald burns.
Why is Spiritomb not up somewhere in the A ranks already? It literally beats everything in S rank 1 vs 1 (literally the only Meloetta counter out there and that thing shreds RU) and it checks a lot of dangerous threats like Sub+BU Braviary, Sub Mismagius, CB Gallade, Reuniclus etc. It also spinblocks against Hitmonlee which no other Ghost wants to try (not even Cofagrigus) and it offers powerful priority that goes through Subs. Easily worthy of A rank.
Slowking is also A+ material (I'd even say S) just because there's little reason not to run it. Regenerator makes it one of the best pivots in RU and lets it come in on the things it has to wall over and over without losing momentum by healing ever so often. It's not only excellent defensively, offensively it's no joke either. Base 100 SpAtk with Scald, Psyshock and Fire Blast is pretty hard coverage to wall, not to mention it can Dragon Tail to rack up hazard damage. Even Aromatisse takes a good chunk of damage from Scald or Psyshock depending on its spread. Slowking is literally the definition of S rank, and Yanmega and Zoroark being gone only adds to his dominance in the tier.
Plenty of physical Pokes can revenge Meloetta (unless it goes Pirouette), but name the amount of Pokemon that can reliably switch into most variants of Meloetta, be it Aria or Pirouette.
to A+: We all know how awesome Druddigon has been throughout XY so far, and BW but I didn't play RU then so yeah. It's versatile as hell, having about ~4 common sets that are all pretty solid. Sheer Force Life Orb is my personal favourite and imo the best set, and it's able of doing massive damage to Pokemon like Registeel, Amoonguss, Alomomola, Doublade etc with the respective coverage move or Outrage in Alomomola's case, although admittedly it needs SR to 2HKO the latter two. What makes the LO set so amazing though, is that it OHKOs Aromatisse, doing 100% minimum damage to the physically defensive set with Gunk Shot. Then theres the Parashuffler with Glare and Dragon Tail, which is effective at spreading paralysis and annoying to face. Rough Skin in conjunction with Rocky Helmet can also prove to be annoying to most physical attackers, making them take massive recoil and punishing them for making contact with Druddigon. Finally, there is the Assault Vest set which can work as a pivot for offensive teams and checks Pokemon like Moltres and Delphox. You can also fit SR into any of these sets (except AV ofc.) making it a pretty solid user of the move. Druddigon also has some solid natural bulk consisting of 77/90/90, and its Dragon typing gives some solid resistances to water, grass, electric, and fire.
All in all, amazing power, awesome abilities, good typing and versatility warrant Druddigon a place in A+ tbh. Too bad its so slow.
edit: I also forgot to mention Druddigon's movepool. Stealth Rock, Glare, Outrage, Fire Punch, Gunk Shot, Iron Tail (rhyperior), Earthquake, and strong priority in Sucker Punch is an awesome as hell movepool.
Slowking moved up to A+ rank
Primeape removed entirely
Spiritomb moved up to B+ rank
Shiftry moved up to B+ rank
Kricketune moved up to C+ rank
Durant moved up to A rank
Jynx moved up to C+ rank (this thing is actually pretty cool, gives omastar offense a lot of trouble with the set omfuga posted and reliable sleep that can't be blocked by grass-types is excellent).
I also feel like B and C+ rank are a little overinflated
As for Rhyperior, i keep seeing calls to move it down from S rank to A+, but i never see much reasoning behind the change, anyone willing to provide some so i can decide on it??
Another thing that was recently brought up was moving Mega Banette down to A- rank, personally i'm unsure, and i'd like to hear some thoughts on it.
to A+: We all know how awesome Druddigon has been throughout XY so far, and BW but I didn't play RU then so yeah. It's versatile as hell, having about ~4 common sets that are all pretty solid. Sheer Force Life Orb is my personal favourite and imo the best set, and it's able of doing massive damage to Pokemon like Registeel, Amoonguss, Alomomola, Doublade etc with the respective coverage move or Outrage in Alomomola's case, although admittedly it needs SR to 2HKO the latter two. What makes the LO set so amazing though, is that it OHKOs Aromatisse, doing 100% minimum damage to the physically defensive set with Gunk Shot. Then theres the Parashuffler with Glare and Dragon Tail, which is effective at spreading paralysis and annoying to face. Rough Skin in conjunction with Rocky Helmet can also prove to be annoying to most physical attackers, making them take massive recoil and punishing them for making contact with Druddigon. Finally, there is the Assault Vest set which can work as a pivot for offensive teams and checks Pokemon like Moltres and Delphox. You can also fit SR into any of these sets (except AV ofc.) making it a pretty solid user of the move. Druddigon also has some solid natural bulk consisting of 77/90/90, and its Dragon typing gives some solid resistances to water, grass, electric, and fire.
All in all, amazing power, awesome abilities, good typing and versatility warrant Druddigon a place in A+ tbh. Too bad its so slow.
edit: I also forgot to mention Druddigon's movepool. Stealth Rock, Glare, Outrage, Fire Punch, Gunk Shot, Iron Tail (rhyperior), Earthquake, and strong priority in Sucker Punch is an awesome as hell movepool.
Yep, Druddigon's move pool makes it very versatile and Druddigon itself is strong. The only thing is, is Druddigon's speed. Which is why it isn't in S. Druddigon can counter and fit into basically any team because of its move pool. It can do shit that counters rhyperior, it can do shit that counters fairy, it can do shit in general. It can fuck molk.
I also support Amoonguss to A+ its amazing with Spore, being able to 100% make a Pokemon fall asleep. And without Yanmega in the tier to counter with Sleep Talk, sleep will always stay there. Not only that Amoonguss can recks fairies and Virizion with its poison typing, and it can reck water type pokemon such as sharpedo, and alomomola, with its grass typing.
I also nominate Rotom-Mow to A-, a scarfed Rotom-M is deadly. It checks flying type, water type, ground type, rock type many things in general. And it hits super hard against neutral typing, such as Hitmonlee with Leaf Storm. Flying type threats include Moltres, water types include almomola, ground/rock type can be rhyperior. Rotom can also fit in a volturn team as it has the ability to learn Volt Switch which could help a team gain offensive momentum while doing good damage. 1
I want to see Omastar being talked about more :P its a great hazard setter with focus sash.
I gotta disagree on the recent move of Shiftry. I've played with it a fair bit, and it doesn't fill Zoroark's shoes as an offensive dark type. It has base 100 Atk, which is decent, but only base 80 speed which is pretty lacking. It's niche is in the support provided by Defog, but it's bulk makes it difficult to switch in sometimes.
Stab Knock Off and Sucker Punch are amazing, don't get me wrong, and that STAB leaf storm is a blessing. However, all these options just make it harder to choose when you weigh them versus the benefit of Defogging. In my experience, Shiftry doesn't live enough turns to do both. Either you defog and switch out, use knock off on the switch and press your advantage, nuke something with leaf storm, or are sniping something with sucker punch.
Shiftry is handed a great set of tools, but isn't always able to make enough use of them due to mediocre attack, subpar speed, and shitty defenses. It isn't worthy of B+, I'd be comfortable with it at B or B-.
Yo I'm gonna propose some changes to the C+ and B rank, I'll give reasoning later if people want to know, but I am tired and have stuff to do tomorrow so I need to sleep ;;;;
Bronzong --> B- its still as good as it was, but its always just been worse than Registeel in general, especially with the absence of Kyurem
Combusken ---> B+ physical quiver pass with free speed, it donks etc.
Cofagrigus ---> B- / C+ it like isn't that good, its only niche is OTR which due to the Hidden Power nerf isn't all that great, Meganette and Doublade are way better spin blockers, Weezing and Drapion better T-spikers etc.
Gastrodon --> B- what does this really do
Sigilyph ---> no proposed changes from me, but maybe move up? it seems pretty cool right now
Tangrowth ---> C+ / C I never understood why people use this, defensively, Amoonguss and Roselia both outclass it thanks to better defensive typing and having more utility, Offensively I'd rather use Virizion or Sceptile (this is the most comparable mon offensively and Sceptile is just kinda better)
Pangoro ---> Up, idk seems cool, immune to psychic and hits really hard + best signature move on Choiced sets
Tyrantrum ---> C / C- this just like isn't that good, it doesn't hit as hard as you think it will thanks to low BP moves, strong jaw helps, but not enough, and as a Dragon Dancer it is quite slow and has horrible SpD making it hard to set up. Needs moar rock head.
Victreebel ---> C- Sure it donks in the Sun after a growth, but that is not gonna happen realistically against a competent player.
Xatu ---> B / B- it holds combusken Pass teams together, muh double cancer birds.
also proposing Golurk drop to D or maybe even be removed, it sucks this gen. If you have any questions about my reasoning feel free to ask, or point out anything that I said that was incorrect. :]
0 Atk Braviary Brave Bird vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Rotom-C: 145-172 (60.1 - 71.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Fletchinder Acrobatics (110 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Rotom-C: 127-151 (52.6 - 62.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Sigilyph Heat Wave vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Rotom-C: 216-255 (89.6 - 105.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
252 SpA Moltres Flamethrower vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Rotom-C: 270-320 (112 - 132.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
I agree with everything that AtomicLlamas said with the exception of Cofagrigus, also may I ask why Sharpedo isn't S rank yet? It defines stage 4 HO and it is the best cleaner in the whole tier with verstility and an excellent ability aside from "the frail af" argument (which doesn't really matter when you resist every common priority bar Mach Punch) I don't see how it doesn't belong to S rank.
C- or C: It is sort of outclassed by Rhyperior, but it does have a perk or two, such as being a better Moltres / Meloetta check and access to Thunder Wave. At least I think it deserves more than D, would like some more opinions on this one.
I can definitely see Regirock going up just because of the fact it is one of the best switch ins to Moltres who is obviously one of the biggest threats in the current metagame.
Tbh i would use it only on defensive balance/stall because its offensive presence is lacking while investing in Special Defense (and you have to not to be ohkod by stuff like LO/Specs Meloetta Focus Blast which unlike you said it struggles to deal with) making it only a loss of momentum on faster and more offensive teams that obviously prefer Rhyperior raw power and Electric immunity.
Thunder Wave is pretty cool too (and thanko god you haven't mentioned Drain Punch as a niche because it sucks in RU lol). C- is fine.
B: Probably the best Hitmonlee counter atm, that is cool itself, as well as a good answer to Physical Sharpedo. Has access to Thunder Wave, which can cripple stuff trying to switch in on it for free, and more offensive pressure than Aromatisse, which make it better suited for more offensive teams. Also (don't have experience on it), CB Granbull sounds scary af*. Don't think it should be pushed any further than B though.
252+ Atk Choice Band Granbull Play Rough vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Moltres: 124-147 (38.6 - 45.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Granbull Earthquake vs. 212 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Doublade: 160-190 (51.2 - 60.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
While Granbull is a cool answer to Hitmonlee and Dark types I feel like it is just worn down too easily to go up to B. Its higher offensive presence isn't really worth it because with the same investment Granbull hits only 3-4% stronger and while Thunder wave is very cool indeed I am not sure it should be pushed up to B. The Choice Band set, while decently powerful, relies on a relatively "weak" move like Play Rough and because of that is usually walled by generic Physical walls such as Alomomola. Granbull is also forced to lock into weaker coverage moves like Fire Punch and Ice Punch to beat Gligar and Amoonguss basically opening setup opportunities and the fact that it has to invest in speed to beat a lot of relevant walls really takes from its bulk and ease in switching in against top tier threats, its main niche. But then again we have the outclassed Tangrowth and Slurpuff in B so it is probably fine.
B+: Has a lot of competition from Cresselia, Reuniclus, Meloetta and other Psychic-types, but also has some perks over those which make it worth ranking higher, including versatility, funny secondary typing (which is not that good, but does have some advantages), coverage and so on. Although I've only tested one set of it, and it was in a troll team, I think this Pokemon has potential in Zoro/Yanless metagame.
This Pokemon faces so much competition it isn't even funny (Delphox and Meloetta as offensive CM users and All Out Attackers, Reuniclus and Meloetta as a stallbreaker) but its combination of hazards and passive damage immunities, reliable recovery, and decently high speed probably makes it worth of a small bump to B+. I am not sure about what is the best set in the current meta as I've only used Flame Orb Cm, Cm 3 attacks, and Roost 3 attacks but it was Shuckle and Zoroark metagame so I don't really know. B+ looks fine tho.
Sigilyph: I've actually tested this out a bit, and it's pretty cool. The CM + Flame Orb set has been especially neat as a lure for Psychic-type counters, such as Spiritomb and Esca since Psycho Shifting a burn on them fucks them entirely. I've also tried Roost + 3 Attacks LO and been pleased with the results for the most part. It faces a ton of competition from Melo, Reuni, and Cress, but it comes with Delphox-esque coverage and Magic Guard to negate all forms of prior damage. Cool mon right now that can devastate opposing teams when used properly, though it does face a lot of competition to keep it from the A ranks. B+ rank is cool tho imo.
Druddigon: This thing is a monster. Arikado touched on the Life Orb Sheer Force set, and for good reason, but I want to touch on the AV set. I know quite a few people question its use when you have the ability to use LO Sheer Force, but I find AV Druddigon quite useful as a pivot on offensive / balance teams. It ends up on a lot of my balance teams to better handle the likes of Jolteon and Rotom-C while still providing a decent switch-in for Moltres and Delphox. It's a great wallbreaker with LO Sheer Force, and a great pivot with AV. Heck, it can even be a special wall with a full SpDef spread and Glare + Dragon Tail if you're into that. Very versatile, very powerful, very good on a lot of teams. All this is befitting of an A+ rank mon.
Rotom-Mow: I've been using this a bit lately, and it's pretty nice. It's got a super fast Volt Switch and STAB Leaf Storm deters Electric immunities from coming in at will. It's also completely immune to Spikes, which is damn cool in a metagame infested with Spikestacking teams, meaning it's a lot harder to wear down than most. There's also the fact that Sticky Web seems to be trying to make a resurgence and Rotom-Mow is immune to that as well! Pretty solid Pokemon that is a solid A- rank mon imo for its great qualities as a Scarfer and the fact it has a good matchup against two of the more common team archtypes in the meta atm.
Combusken: This thing is a major threat rn. It totally screws over a lot of teams due to the Baton Passing capabilities it has. Very useful Pokemon that is capable of making a lot of threats much more dangerous. Including, but not limited to, Hitmonlee, Shiftry, Emboar, Druddigon, Doublade, and Drapion. All of these Pokemon become much more dangerous after a boost in Speed, and with the exception of Drapion, an Attack boost for them is just a bonus. Great supporter, very dangerous, and not the easiest thing in the world to stop from doing its job. B+ rank.
feel kind of bad because my last post was shitposting so redemption time! Also (more importantly), there's a ton of stuff that should move:
Druddigon up to A+: Most of Druddigon's sets seem to be pretty hard to stop. Sheer Force+Life Orb hits a really big part of the meta hard, and Band hits just about everything hard. Gunk Shot is a fun new toy Druddigon can use to bully fairies into staying away from it, which means it can keep the dream alive and run over the meta with Dragon STAB. While both of those are walled by Steels, they aren't really fond a good old Sheer Force boosted Fire Punch on the switch. I've also been using Parashuffle as a lead on one of my teams, and it's usually able to get rocks up and effectively cripple a good portion of the opponent's team through para (and the wonderful Rough Skin).
Fletchinder up to A-: Bringing this back up. Fletchinder, surprisingly, manhandles (birdhandles?) a good portion of the metagame, whether its through burn (SUCK IT DOUBLADE, THANKS FOR THE 100% WILL-O-WISP) or a +2 Acrobatics. +2 is actually pretty low for Fletch at that, as I've found it's relatively easy to set up to a +4 (or even +6) and just clean up the entire opponent's team. This is particularly easy for Fletch as it's been blessed with the wonders of priority recovery. It does require Rapid Spin/Defog support, which keeps it from getting any higher than A- in my books, but other than that it doesn't actually require that much support to function like it should.
Eelektross up to B+: This thing is honestly one of the best pivots in the game. 85/80/80 Defenses+Assault Vest (which it can actually use well)+no weakness+Volt Switch and Knock Off+Recovery (Giga Drain)+other coverage=all around good mon that can surprisingly hold together your team. It walls Pokemon that can otherwise give teams a lot of trouble, such as Clawitzer (which it outspeeds) and can give a hit right back. The only real way to take care of it is to hit it hard until it dies, which is a pretty unreliable way to KO something. It has a bit of flaws but tbh they aren't enough to keep it down. Moving it up could also help with the inflated B rank.
Combusken up to B+: Combusken has a relatively easy time setting up a Bulk Up, getting a couple Speed boosts, and passing to a physical threat turned into a physical monster. There are a ton of mons in the tier that can mess up your team with what is essentially a physical Quiver Dance with an extra Speed boost. Basically, what it does is really useful and its really good at doing it. Not to much else to say, but it should be pretty obvious with Combusken.
Ambipom down to D: Maybe E rank is a little too harsh. But D rank? Spot on. Here are the definitions of the two ranks:
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.
D Rank: Reserved for Pokemon who have a small niche in the current metagame, but have very noticeable flaws that make them more trouble than they're worth the majority of the time.
Saying that Ambipom "can be effective given the right support" and "has crippling flaws" is the understatement of the year, even with it being in C-. Even if you cater your team around Ambipom, you can't change how ass it is. It's just ass. D rank, however, describes Ambipom in every way. It has a small niche (a very small niche) and has noticeable flaws that make it more trouble than it's worth. What is the niche? Fake Out, which is the smallest niche a Pokemon can really have, it's one move for Christ's sake. The flaws? It's frail as hell, weak to common priority (mach punch), not very powerful, easily walled, set-up material for a lot of Pokemon (especially some of the rising Pokemon), and just loses momentum for your team in general. These flaws, at least to me, are noticeable, and make it not worth it the majority of the time (about 99% tbh). Some have said C- -> D wouldn't change how new players viewing would see it, but I can tell you first hand that it would. I used the B/W thread a ton when I was a new player, and to me (a n00b) each letter rank drop seem significantly worse than a +/ /- rank drop. If there are new players checking this, and there probably are considering we in the PS! room (aka where new players come to talk about their amazing sets) put it in our room intro, reference it a lot, and recommend it to players, then I guarantee this drop would influence at least some of them in some way.
Bronzong down to B-: Supporting this. It's not bad, but not that good either. It can set rocks and screens and take a few hits, but other than that it doesn't really do anything. It's also Knock Off weak, which doesn't help to much when most good spinners carry Knock Off. Most importantly, it's flat-out outclassed by Registeel, in just about every way except for Levitate. Registeel just does the job better, and overall Bronzong doesn't have any features that merit B rank.
Im going to nominate both Virizion and Cobalion for A+. I'm kind of sick of making tl;drs so I'm going to sum it up in some brief points at to why I think both should move up:
Both:
Has an influence on the speed tiers, i.e. if something can outspeed and beat them, that offensive threat becomes better based on that virtue, which showcases their dominance
One of the main reasons Doublade is so common is due to the fact that Virizion (as well as Cobalion) just rips into balance otherwise
Virizion:
Very difficult to counter depending on coverage move for SD as well as possible CM set
Acts as a fantastic offensive check to a variety of Pokemon that annoy offense, such as Jolteon, Sharpedo, etc
Cobalion:
Tons of variations between its SD set alone, SR + SD, Sub, Magnet Rise, SE, etc, making it hard to counter
Like Virizion it check quite a few annoying Pokemon for offense / balanced, such as Sharpedo, Mega Abomasnow, etc as well as the ability to clobber Aromatisse (pretty huge for a Fighting-type)
Oh, and they're both the best Knock Off sponges available, which is really good. Discouraging the opponent from using Knock Off and punishing them when doing so is amazing, especially when Knock Off is arguably the best move in the game.
The thing that's so unique about these two its that they're more than just offensive Pokemon, they provide quite a bit of defensive backbone and utility as a result of what they check/offer, most Water-types in Virizion's case, as well as utility in SR in the case of Cobalion. In general this is what separates them from other offensive Pokemon, they don't just pose a threat, but they can stop many of them in the process and bring more to the table than just raw, brute force.
In my opinion, the only thing that holds either of them from S rank is the presence of Doublade, which dips the viability of their physical sets; however, they both have ways around it by going special anyway, so it's a roadblock, but not one that's impossible to deal with.
C- or C: It is sort of outclassed by Rhyperior, but it does have a perk or two, such as being a better Moltres / Meloetta check and access to Thunder Wave. At least I think it deserves more than D, would like some more opinions on this one.
B: Probably the best Hitmonlee counter atm, that is cool itself, as well as a good answer to Physical Sharpedo. Has access to Thunder Wave, which can cripple stuff trying to switch in on it for free, and more offensive pressure than Aromatisse, which make it better suited for more offensive teams. Also (don't have experience on it), CB Granbull sounds scary af*. Don't think it should be pushed any further than B though.
B+: Has a lot of competition from Cresselia, Reuniclus, Meloetta and other Psychic-types, but also has some perks over those which make it worth ranking higher, including versatility, funny secondary typing (which is not that good, but does have some advantages), coverage and so on. Although I've only tested one set of it, and it was in a troll team, I think this Pokemon has potential in Zoro/Yanless metagame.
Unranked: Only Fighting-type 'mon that doesn't outclass it is Hitmonchan, which is in E rank. Also, doing it for the likes.
