I think the issue we're having is an inability to define what the criteria is for each tier. A quick (subjective, arbitrary, but close enough) list of the "best" mons in the tier would probably read like this: Foo / Pawn / Fletch / Chinchou / Timburr / Abra (add archen, drill, pony maybe). It seems reasonable that there are not six S-tier mons; A+ is probably good enough for all but the most important ones. How to decide that is more tricky. In my opinion, the S-tier mons should be the ones that define the meta as it stands now. For me, that would look like Foo / Chou / Fletch / Abra in S with Timburr, Pawn, and the others in A+. For me, this meta will be defined by Abra lazily stopping sweeps and therefore causing safe momentum teams including Chou, Foo, and Fletch. Pawniard was more a staple, for obvious reasons, in the Missy meta, and I will never associate Timburr specifically with this meta. Seems arbitrary? It certainly is, but remember we're splitting hairs between a great rank and the top rank here.
What the flernt are you talking about,,,
lemme address different parts of this to pick out everything that's wrong with/ odd about this statement.
"I think the issue we're having is an inability to define what the criteria is for each tier." ~ Look, we have this defining thing down. S-Rank Pokemon should be pokemon that either perform one
USEFUL job better above all else because of a combination of good traits (Mienfoo as a bulky pivot with regenerator), able to perform multiple useful roles very well (BW2 LC Misdreavus/Murkrow), performing a single dangerous sweeping/offensive role outstandingly well that not many other pokes could dream of matching up to (Swords Dance Fletchling), being a defensive behemoth that walls a good portion of the tier and has a good support characteristic (Ex: BW2 Doubles Cresselia & Hitmontop (sorry for the obscure reference but the power creep in XY has made it so like no defensive mons are s-rank) or having great strength within huge versatility that effects/shapes the metagame around different counters to different sets with a mix of one of the former 4/5 mentioned (The previously banned swirlix, murkrow, and meditite)
(Btw lc guys feel free to correct me becos im tired typing this up but thats p much all i could think of)
My opinions on Timburr up to S at the moment are on the fence. I really like Timburr in this meta and understand it has the potential to sweep the crap out of a lot of unprepared teams. On the other hand, I also feel like timburr is easily broken down, as it's usually used as a knock off switchin versus popular mons like pawniard who traditional knock off sponges like spritzee wouldn't dare switch into, making it easy to hit hard and wear down. Although Timburr checks a crapton of stuff so it's also good in that right. I personally don't have a strong opinion on this guy until I eventually end up using him again so to each his own.
Pawniard should stay S because pawniard is able to perform multiple useful roles very well. For those who have seen my RMT, Kaleidoscope, I have extensively tested Swords Dance Pawniard and can conclude that Pawniard isn't just a good sweeper, but also can be a: Good early-game Disruptor w/ knock off, Defog Blocker with defiant, and a check against offensive teams with its plethora of useful resistances and naturally strong sucker punch. That's only the Swords Dance set. Not to mention pawn can run a life orb set that just about 2HKO's the whole metagame, The Life Orb SD set which is basically gg against any team without defensive hippo, tauntfoo, or timburr. It also has the Scarf Set, and finally, the berry juice support set that I've had relative success with. Most of pawniard's sets are dangerous, pretty much all of them are viable, and they most certainly do influence the metagame *cough* timburr *cough*
"For me, this meta will be defined by Abra lazily stopping sweeps and therefore causing safe momentum teams including Chou, Foo, and Fletch." ~ Momentum teams...do you mean VoltTurn? Because If you don't idk if it's the sleep wearin on me or what but i have no idea what a "mometum team" is.Another thing, Abra doesn't just fly into battle and lazily stop sweeps. I don't see where you get this idea that you can just sack a mon, send in abra, and autokill a sweep. Abra is not the anti-sweeper able to defeat every single one with a swipe of it's mental hand. Corphish, CM Spritzee, Smash Tirt, Smash Dweebel, and Bulk Up timburr can take a psychic from sash iirc and retaliate with drain punch+mach punch or Knock off+mach punch depending on how setup it is. Abra is a safety net, yes. It is a very good one, yes. But does abra just stop any sweep to ever happen ever? No.
"Pawniard was more a staple, for obvious reasons, in the Missy meta." ~ This is implying because pawniard was used a lot to check missy that it was somehow better in this stage of the meta??? No, just the scarf set was better in that age of the meta. Pawniard's viability doesn't drop just because one of it's sets falls out of relevance due to a banning
when his other sets are just as good in their own rights for their own roles. Sure you could argue this for a mon as one-dimensional as, say, spritzee, but pawniard is not limited to just holding a choice scarf lol.
continue discussing im just here :]