ah ok,i think it's true
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Monotype Viability Rankings
- Thread starter Anttya
- Start date
- Status
OK I was really bored and had nothing to do, so I thought I'd give my thoughts on our current S Rank and what changes need to be made:
Moving Down
Mega-Medicham(Fighting and Psychic) -> A Rank
This really suffered with the introduction of Mega Gallade, with it's only saving grace being higher initial power and Fake Out. These are not enough to overcome the significant advantages that Gallade offers, which go through increased bulk, ability to set-up, more reliable Fighting STAB, much improved Speed tier and even an ability to run different sets, such as Bulk Up or a nasty Will-o-Wisp set that's been running around. Simply put, I just don't see many situations where I would rather have this over Gallade, it could yet drop even further in my opinion as it's simply outclassed.
Landorus-I(Flying) -> A Rank
This one is a little more controversial, but imo the cost of not being able to run Landorus-T as well as the fact that Flying already has a plethora of special attackers to choose from such as it's genie brother Thundurus means that this doesn't particularly stand out as an S Rank pokemon to me. When you consider the amount of sets it's therian counterpart can run, it's very difficult to justify choosing Landorus-I at all, as therian can run a bulky defensive pivot which is probably the best rocks setter on Flying bar none, an incredibly effective Choice Scarf set that can still check most physical attackers and can form a nasty VoltTurn core with the aforementioned Thundurus. You then have the more niche sets such as Dancin sets, boosting either Speed or Attack to incredible levels. With all of these possible sets, I find it difficult to choose Lando-I over it and therefore feel it shouldn't be S Rank.
Moving Up
Volcarona(Bug) -> S Rank
Seriously, try and make a Bug team without this thing. It's extremely potent at what it does, and the bulkier sets that have been running around are often what Bug users will end up sweeping with most of the time, despite access to the likes of Mega Pinsir. This is a great compliment to just how good Volcarona is at what it does, and after a QD or two, which it usually easily finds the room to setup thanks to it's underappreciated bulk, it absolutely cleans teams. Like wipes them off the radar. Provided you have a Heatran answer(or you could run HP Ground) it massacres Steel, an oft difficult matchup for Bug. A really strong choice for Bug and that deserves to be reflected in it's ranking.
Meloetta(Psychic) -> S Rank
Running it's now trademark Assault Vest set, this is a huge boon for Psychic teams, able to switch into the likes of Gengar who would otherwise cause massive damage every time it came in on something it could outspeed and KO, which is to say most of a Psychic team. Not running this means you give up significant team synergy and makes anything with a moderately powerful Shadow Ball a huge threat to you. It's been a very long time since I've seen a successful Psychic team not running Meloetta which just shows how good it is.
Kyurem-B(Dragon) -> S Rank
Another of those that I just wouldn't consider making a team of it's type without, it's just that good. Between it's remarkable BST, Ice neutrality and reasonable movepool which benefits from it's ability, this is a top choice for Dragon teams. It's never a safe thing to play against, as it's impossible to tell what set it might be running, between Choice Scarf/Band, Special-based mixed attacker, Physical based mixed attacker, SubRoost sets and even a Hone Claws+Dragon Tail set, it's literally impossible to play around, as p. much everything ever is smashed by a certain set.
These are my opinions on what need to change regarding S Rank, all in all it's looking pretty good, nice work guys n_n
Moving Down
Mega-Medicham(Fighting and Psychic) -> A Rank
This really suffered with the introduction of Mega Gallade, with it's only saving grace being higher initial power and Fake Out. These are not enough to overcome the significant advantages that Gallade offers, which go through increased bulk, ability to set-up, more reliable Fighting STAB, much improved Speed tier and even an ability to run different sets, such as Bulk Up or a nasty Will-o-Wisp set that's been running around. Simply put, I just don't see many situations where I would rather have this over Gallade, it could yet drop even further in my opinion as it's simply outclassed.
Landorus-I(Flying) -> A Rank
This one is a little more controversial, but imo the cost of not being able to run Landorus-T as well as the fact that Flying already has a plethora of special attackers to choose from such as it's genie brother Thundurus means that this doesn't particularly stand out as an S Rank pokemon to me. When you consider the amount of sets it's therian counterpart can run, it's very difficult to justify choosing Landorus-I at all, as therian can run a bulky defensive pivot which is probably the best rocks setter on Flying bar none, an incredibly effective Choice Scarf set that can still check most physical attackers and can form a nasty VoltTurn core with the aforementioned Thundurus. You then have the more niche sets such as Dancin sets, boosting either Speed or Attack to incredible levels. With all of these possible sets, I find it difficult to choose Lando-I over it and therefore feel it shouldn't be S Rank.
Moving Up
Volcarona(Bug) -> S Rank
Seriously, try and make a Bug team without this thing. It's extremely potent at what it does, and the bulkier sets that have been running around are often what Bug users will end up sweeping with most of the time, despite access to the likes of Mega Pinsir. This is a great compliment to just how good Volcarona is at what it does, and after a QD or two, which it usually easily finds the room to setup thanks to it's underappreciated bulk, it absolutely cleans teams. Like wipes them off the radar. Provided you have a Heatran answer(or you could run HP Ground) it massacres Steel, an oft difficult matchup for Bug. A really strong choice for Bug and that deserves to be reflected in it's ranking.
Meloetta(Psychic) -> S Rank
Running it's now trademark Assault Vest set, this is a huge boon for Psychic teams, able to switch into the likes of Gengar who would otherwise cause massive damage every time it came in on something it could outspeed and KO, which is to say most of a Psychic team. Not running this means you give up significant team synergy and makes anything with a moderately powerful Shadow Ball a huge threat to you. It's been a very long time since I've seen a successful Psychic team not running Meloetta which just shows how good it is.
Kyurem-B(Dragon) -> S Rank
Another of those that I just wouldn't consider making a team of it's type without, it's just that good. Between it's remarkable BST, Ice neutrality and reasonable movepool which benefits from it's ability, this is a top choice for Dragon teams. It's never a safe thing to play against, as it's impossible to tell what set it might be running, between Choice Scarf/Band, Special-based mixed attacker, Physical based mixed attacker, SubRoost sets and even a Hone Claws+Dragon Tail set, it's literally impossible to play around, as p. much everything ever is smashed by a certain set.
These are my opinions on what need to change regarding S Rank, all in all it's looking pretty good, nice work guys n_n
You're right, this one is more controversial. I like the fact that you used opportunity cost, as I usually only see this in OU about the Megas, but I feel that you have overestimated LandT and slightly underestimated LandI here. Have you forgotten that people are still calling for a ban on it? And not for bad reasons, either. Yes, Therian has one of the best bulky pivots and SR setter that Flying has to offer. But LandI also is probably the most powerful Special wallbreaker Flying has access to. It singlehandedly rips apart an incredible amount of teams, such as opposing Flying, Steel, Fire, Normal, Fairy, etc. While most sets only change up a move here or there, they actually serve very different purposes. For example, if you have a Scarf Thund that you like cleaning up with, a CM Lando is amazing at smashing through special walls. Or, if you have a very hard hitting/slow team, and would like a better reassurance against offense such as Greninja, Rock Polish is wonderful at saving the day. I've even seen it used as a powerful SR setter, which actually worked out pretty well. Intimidate and bulk may be very appealing, but a lot of people are starting to forget just how threatening Lando-I can be. It boasts probably the most powerful unboosted Special power that Flying has to offer, bar Choice Specs ThundT (and even that is a really close call).
Tl;dr Land-I has a variety of unique qualities, such as incredible power and utility, that allows him to be, while not as versatile as Land-T, threatening, useful, and versatile in his own right, justifying his stay in S-Rank.
Rotom-Frost (Ice) for A rank
Crystal Shards (Rotom-Frost) @ Light Clay
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Pain Split
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Volt Switch
Rotom-Frost @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Pain Split
- Hidden Power Fire
- Will-o-Wisp
- Volt Switch
Rotom's use to an ice team is pretty evident from it's type alone...It takes steel attacks neutrally. Also a slow volt switch allows it to use it's bulk to take a hit first, and then bring kyurem in, which is a huge boost for ice teams. It's other moves are best used to slow the other team down and keep rotom alive, as the more it does this, the better. Prevents scizor from sweeping ice teams, as well as most of the fairly rare pokemon that carry steel attacks. Can tank a single attack from mega metagross in an emergency, although hammer arm variants can win with rocks down, and it may be supported by a heal bell pokemon or healing wish jirachi...
252 Atk Tough Claws Mega Metagross Hammer Arm vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Rotom-F: 216-256 (71 - 84.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Tough Claws Mega Metagross Meteor Mash vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Rotom-F: 145-172 (47.6 - 56.5%) -- 87.5% chance to 2HKO
252 Atk Mega Gallade Drain Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Rotom-F: 186-218 (61.1 - 71.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Crystal Shards (Rotom-Frost) @ Light Clay
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Pain Split
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Volt Switch
Rotom-Frost @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Pain Split
- Hidden Power Fire
- Will-o-Wisp
- Volt Switch
Rotom's use to an ice team is pretty evident from it's type alone...It takes steel attacks neutrally. Also a slow volt switch allows it to use it's bulk to take a hit first, and then bring kyurem in, which is a huge boost for ice teams. It's other moves are best used to slow the other team down and keep rotom alive, as the more it does this, the better. Prevents scizor from sweeping ice teams, as well as most of the fairly rare pokemon that carry steel attacks. Can tank a single attack from mega metagross in an emergency, although hammer arm variants can win with rocks down, and it may be supported by a heal bell pokemon or healing wish jirachi...
252 Atk Tough Claws Mega Metagross Hammer Arm vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Rotom-F: 216-256 (71 - 84.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Tough Claws Mega Metagross Meteor Mash vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Rotom-F: 145-172 (47.6 - 56.5%) -- 87.5% chance to 2HKO
252 Atk Mega Gallade Drain Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Rotom-F: 186-218 (61.1 - 71.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Last edited:
(Bored in a hotel room soooo)
Why not T-bolt / Volt Switch?
0 SpA Rotom-F Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Mega Scizor: 102-120 (29.6 - 34.8%) -- 9.7% chance to 3HKO (Scizor can Roost spam until it gets to +6)
0 SpA Rotom-F Hidden Power Fire vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Mega Scizor: 180-216 (52.3 - 62.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Technician Mega Scizor Bullet Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Rotom-F: 84-99 (27.6 - 32.5%) -- guaranteed 4HKO (Take the Bullet, then burn it.)
Tl;Dr I'd def put HP Fire + Will-o-Wisp somewhere. Rest Talk set's not going to work in mono, and I suggest moving it down to B Rank.
Also, me and Sae Sae have decided to make some Pokemon "proven users only." This will apply to S rank and hard to use Pokemon since they need to be covered by someone who has experience with them. I will write more on this when I have the time.
Like Walrein, Rotom-F is used as a Scizor check so HP Fire is a must. The same could be said for Will-o-Wisp since that cripples a majority of physical set up threats. The ranking could be tweaked since it's tied with Walrien. (If Walrien's B Rank, then Rotom's S, if it's D, then B etc.) Also, I seriously doubt a Rest Talk set would work since it's still weak to common Fighting, Fire, Rock, w/e it's weak to moves. Steel attacks are fairly rare. You don't have to worry too much about Mega Metagross carrying Hammer Arm since that's only OU. (A majority of Steel + Psychic types can deal with it) Meteor Mash, Zen Headbutt, EQ, Bullet / Ice Punch is the usual set, and Agility + Grass Knot (lol) doesn't bother Rotom in the slightest. I mostly agree with everything else tho.Rotom-Frost (Ice) for A rank
Crystal Shards (Rotom-Frost) @ Light Clay
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Pain Split
- Reflect
- Light Screen
- Volt Switch
Rotom-Frost @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Will-o-Wisp
- Volt Switch
Rotom's use to an ice team is pretty evident from it's type alone...It take steel attacks neutrally. Also a slow volt switch allows it to use it's bulk to take a hit first, and then bring kyurem in, which is a huge boost for ice teams. It's other moves are best used to slow the other team down and keep rotom alive, as the more it does this, the better. Prevents scizor from sweeping ice teams, as well as most of the fairly rare pokemon that carry steel attacks. Can tank a single attack from mega metagross in an emergency, although hammer arm variants can win with rocks down, and it may be supported by a heal bell pokemon or healing wish jirachi...
252 Atk Tough Claws Mega Metagross Hammer Arm vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Rotom-F: 216-256 (71 - 84.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Tough Claws Mega Metagross Meteor Mash vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Rotom-F: 145-172 (47.6 - 56.5%) -- 87.5% chance to 2HKO
252 Atk Mega Gallade Drain Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Rotom-F: 186-218 (61.1 - 71.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Why not T-bolt / Volt Switch?
0 SpA Rotom-F Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Mega Scizor: 102-120 (29.6 - 34.8%) -- 9.7% chance to 3HKO (Scizor can Roost spam until it gets to +6)
0 SpA Rotom-F Hidden Power Fire vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Mega Scizor: 180-216 (52.3 - 62.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Technician Mega Scizor Bullet Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Rotom-F: 84-99 (27.6 - 32.5%) -- guaranteed 4HKO (Take the Bullet, then burn it.)
Tl;Dr I'd def put HP Fire + Will-o-Wisp somewhere. Rest Talk set's not going to work in mono, and I suggest moving it down to B Rank.
Also, me and Sae Sae have decided to make some Pokemon "proven users only." This will apply to S rank and hard to use Pokemon since they need to be covered by someone who has experience with them. I will write more on this when I have the time.
So does the proven users only thing apply to Pokemon like Articuno/Gourgeist? (Awesome when used effectively by experienced players?) Sorry if I'm stating the obvious, tired asf right now.
Proven users are well... proven users. They have proven themselves to be knowledgable Monotypes players, knowing the best sets in Monotype, how to use them in disadvantages etc. This will also be on Pokemon that are extremely good (aka S ranked Pokemon) since they need to be covered thoroughly if a new user is to understand why it's S rank. A good example would be Staraptor (Normal). An average monotype player would have no idea as to what BulkyRaptor is, and that's its main niche. Even if they knew the set, they'd have no idea how to explain it well making it seem more of a troll set instead of a legit one. As for becoming a "proven" user, Sae and I will find a way to "test" people since we won't give them away for free :P
(Dang sorry I took so long!)
Mega Steelix (Ground) for B rank!
Giving Mega Steelix B rank because as a stealth rock setter it is outclassed by many pokemon like Hippodown, and as a mega evolution spot it is outshined by Mega Garchomp and (maybe) Mega Sawmpert, still that doesn't mean that Mega Steelix itself is a bad pokemon, it has an amazing Defense and its Special Defense got a nice boost; I had my doubts about classifying as a B rank pokemon but I finally reached a conclusion.
May or may not have forgotten about some sets, please feel free to share them!
Mega Steelix (Ground) for B rank!
Steelix @ Steelixite
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Gyro Ball
- Dragon Tail
This Mega Steelix set is designed to support its team by phazing out the opposing one and dragging their Pokemon through entry hazard damage. Sassy nature and maximum special bulk maximize Mega Steelix's rather average ability to take special attacks. Stealth Rock is a staple here for punishing switches and assisting the team with getting KOs. Earthquake is the obligatory STAB attack, which does considerably more damage coming from the increased Attack power that Steelix gains upon Mega Evolution. Gyro Ball is the secondary STAB move that takes advantage of Steelix's low Speed and negative Speed nature to be as powerful as possible. Roar is the primary option in the final slot for shuffling the opposing team, forcing enemies to take hazard damage and preventing them from benefiting from any stat boosts they may have attained; Dragon Tail is an option that doesn't get rid of Substitutes like Roar does, but it provides additional damage to Stealth Rock when shuffling the opponent's team, and the only Pokemon that are immune to this move, Fairy-types, are deterred by Steelix's inherent offensive and defensive advantage against them.
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Gyro Ball
- Dragon Tail
This Mega Steelix set is designed to support its team by phazing out the opposing one and dragging their Pokemon through entry hazard damage. Sassy nature and maximum special bulk maximize Mega Steelix's rather average ability to take special attacks. Stealth Rock is a staple here for punishing switches and assisting the team with getting KOs. Earthquake is the obligatory STAB attack, which does considerably more damage coming from the increased Attack power that Steelix gains upon Mega Evolution. Gyro Ball is the secondary STAB move that takes advantage of Steelix's low Speed and negative Speed nature to be as powerful as possible. Roar is the primary option in the final slot for shuffling the opposing team, forcing enemies to take hazard damage and preventing them from benefiting from any stat boosts they may have attained; Dragon Tail is an option that doesn't get rid of Substitutes like Roar does, but it provides additional damage to Stealth Rock when shuffling the opponent's team, and the only Pokemon that are immune to this move, Fairy-types, are deterred by Steelix's inherent offensive and defensive advantage against them.
Steelix @ Steelixite
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Heavy Slam
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Stealth Rock
Heavy Slam and Earthquake are Steelix's two main STAB moves on this set, Heavy Slam providing a solid 120 BP, Stone Edge is used to hit flying type pokemon that resist Steel type (Zapdos, Charizard, etc.). The last move in this set should be Stealth Rock, as it provides great team support.
Note aside, Mega Steelix gets the ability Sand Force, so its Ground/Rock/Steel type moves will get boosted (Stone Edge, Earthquake and Heavy Slam in this case) so pairing it up with a pokemon with Sandstream (Hippodown) or a pokemon that can effectively use Sand Storm would be ideal.
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Heavy Slam
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Stealth Rock
Heavy Slam and Earthquake are Steelix's two main STAB moves on this set, Heavy Slam providing a solid 120 BP, Stone Edge is used to hit flying type pokemon that resist Steel type (Zapdos, Charizard, etc.). The last move in this set should be Stealth Rock, as it provides great team support.
Note aside, Mega Steelix gets the ability Sand Force, so its Ground/Rock/Steel type moves will get boosted (Stone Edge, Earthquake and Heavy Slam in this case) so pairing it up with a pokemon with Sandstream (Hippodown) or a pokemon that can effectively use Sand Storm would be ideal.
Giving Mega Steelix B rank because as a stealth rock setter it is outclassed by many pokemon like Hippodown, and as a mega evolution spot it is outshined by Mega Garchomp and (maybe) Mega Sawmpert, still that doesn't mean that Mega Steelix itself is a bad pokemon, it has an amazing Defense and its Special Defense got a nice boost; I had my doubts about classifying as a B rank pokemon but I finally reached a conclusion.
May or may not have forgotten about some sets, please feel free to share them!
(Dang sorry I took so long!)
Mega Steelix (Ground) for B rank!
Steelix @ Steelixite
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Gyro Ball
- Dragon Tail
This Mega Steelix set is designed to support its team by phazing out the opposing one and dragging their Pokemon through entry hazard damage. Sassy nature and maximum special bulk maximize Mega Steelix's rather average ability to take special attacks. Stealth Rock is a staple here for punishing switches and assisting the team with getting KOs. Earthquake is the obligatory STAB attack, which does considerably more damage coming from the increased Attack power that Steelix gains upon Mega Evolution. Gyro Ball is the secondary STAB move that takes advantage of Steelix's low Speed and negative Speed nature to be as powerful as possible. Roar is the primary option in the final slot for shuffling the opposing team, forcing enemies to take hazard damage and preventing them from benefiting from any stat boosts they may have attained; Dragon Tail is an option that doesn't get rid of Substitutes like Roar does, but it provides additional damage to Stealth Rock when shuffling the opponent's team, and the only Pokemon that are immune to this move, Fairy-types, are deterred by Steelix's inherent offensive and defensive advantage against them.
Steelix @ Steelixite
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Heavy Slam
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Stealth Rock
Heavy Slam and Earthquake are Steelix's two main STAB moves on this set, Heavy Slam providing a solid 120 BP, Stone Edge is used to hit flying type pokemon that resist Steel type (Zapdos, Charizard, etc.). The last move in this set should be Stealth Rock, as it provides great team support.
Note aside, Mega Steelix gets the ability Sand Force, so its Ground/Rock/Steel type moves will get boosted (Stone Edge, Earthquake and Heavy Slam in this case) so pairing it up with a pokemon with Sandstream (Hippodown) or a pokemon that can effectively use Sand Storm would be ideal.
Giving Mega Steelix B rank because as a stealth rock setter it is outclassed by many pokemon like Hippodown, and as a mega evolution spot it is outshined by Mega Garchomp and (maybe) Mega Sawmpert, still that doesn't mean that Mega Steelix itself is a bad pokemon, it has an amazing Defense and its Special Defense got a nice boost; I had my doubts about classifying as a B rank pokemon but I finally reached a conclusion.
May or may not have forgotten about some sets, please feel free to share them!
Only thing I would like to add is you could Stealth Rocks / Curse for the added Physical Bulk and Attack boost are really nice. Also Heavy is your better bet because it has consistent damage, as were gyro ball if the speed tiers are close it doesn't do a ton of damage
Couple changes that should be made while i have been looking at this thread
Forretress and Armaldo (Bug) B----> A
This change is very necessary because these two Pokemon provide bug with the support it needs whether it be Stealth Rocks or Rapid Spin both of these Pokemon provide them. These two Pokemon are also very solid physical walls. Armaldo with its good typing provides a good check to Charizard Y which bug has a hard time with. With Forretress it walls physical flying types and Armaldo does this too. Overall the ability to get rid of hazards and being the best way to remove hazards and also it frees up a move slot of Scizor. I feel these Pokemon should be moved up because they provide support for most viable bug Pokemon in bug monotype and are best bug Pokemon with Rapid Spin.
Mega Heracross (Bug) B---->A
Couple things about this pokemon i need to state bug provides the best support this pokemon could ever dream for in sticky web. Which makes this Pokemon a top tier threat, but with its decent bulky it can also take hits and i feel the only reason person put A because most people think Mega Pinsir outclasses it which is not true the 3 Bug megas are all good and one is not better than the other. Another very positive point about this mega unlike Pinsir it can beat sableye 1v1 with guts before mega evo which makes this Pokemon extremely tricky to cripple if you are running a slow team or your team is grounded with sticky web up. Overall with the base 185 attack ability to boost that already high attack and sticky web which bug has Galvantula and Shuckle the best Pokemon with sticky web in the game and getting up sticky is just so easy with those mons I say that Mega Heracross should be moved up for A rank for sheer power and the support it needs which it can be easily given on bug.
Forretress and Armaldo (Bug) B----> A
This change is very necessary because these two Pokemon provide bug with the support it needs whether it be Stealth Rocks or Rapid Spin both of these Pokemon provide them. These two Pokemon are also very solid physical walls. Armaldo with its good typing provides a good check to Charizard Y which bug has a hard time with. With Forretress it walls physical flying types and Armaldo does this too. Overall the ability to get rid of hazards and being the best way to remove hazards and also it frees up a move slot of Scizor. I feel these Pokemon should be moved up because they provide support for most viable bug Pokemon in bug monotype and are best bug Pokemon with Rapid Spin.
Mega Heracross (Bug) B---->A
Couple things about this pokemon i need to state bug provides the best support this pokemon could ever dream for in sticky web. Which makes this Pokemon a top tier threat, but with its decent bulky it can also take hits and i feel the only reason person put A because most people think Mega Pinsir outclasses it which is not true the 3 Bug megas are all good and one is not better than the other. Another very positive point about this mega unlike Pinsir it can beat sableye 1v1 with guts before mega evo which makes this Pokemon extremely tricky to cripple if you are running a slow team or your team is grounded with sticky web up. Overall with the base 185 attack ability to boost that already high attack and sticky web which bug has Galvantula and Shuckle the best Pokemon with sticky web in the game and getting up sticky is just so easy with those mons I say that Mega Heracross should be moved up for A rank for sheer power and the support it needs which it can be easily given on bug.
Staraptor for A Rank on Mono Flying
Staraptor @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Reckless
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-Turn
- Brave Bird
- Double-Edge
- Close Combat
Ability: Reckless
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-Turn
- Brave Bird
- Double-Edge
- Close Combat
Staraptor @ Choice Band
Ability: Reckless
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Brave Bird
- Quick Attack/Double-Edge
- Close Combat
Ability: Reckless
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Brave Bird
- Quick Attack/Double-Edge
- Close Combat
In my experience with Flying, Staraptor functions very well as a mon whose purpose is to come in and hit things hard or grab momentum with U-Turn. Raptor forms a great Volt Turn core with Lando-T which provides Intimidate support for the rest team and one of the Thundy genies.
Notes:
If you want to run Adamant BandRaptor, by all means, go right on ahead. There's one cool calc I like in particular for BandRaptor:
252+ Atk Choice Band Reckless Staraptor Brave Bird vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Mew: 364-430 (90 - 106.4%) -- 37.5% chance to OHKO
(compared to)
252 Atk Choice Band Reckless Staraptor Brave Bird vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Mew: 333-393 (82.4 - 97.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
Sometimes it's the little things that count :)
I did also slash in Quick Attack on the BandRaptor set. It can be nice for picking off weakened mons that you might not outspeed otherwise late game. Some people might say it would serve well to have Double-Edge since the only recoil move on this set is then resisted by Electric, but Flying has other mons to deal with Electric type anyways, and that's not exactly Raptor's function to begin with.
Mega-Camerupt (Fire/Ground) for A rank
Secondary Effects? What are those?
Camerupt @ Cameruptite
Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 SpA
Mild Nature
- Heat Wave
- Earth Power
- Flash Cannon
- Rock Slide
The set above takes Sheer Force to the next level. With moves like STAB Heat Wave & Earth Power, Flash Cannon/ for those pesky Ground types, & Rock Slide for anything else that happens to be in your way, Camerupt's Sheer Force will make those moves all the stronger, at the cost of a burn chance, Sp. Defense drops, & a flinch chance. Just for fun, here's a damage calculation that pits the above set against Extreme Killer Arceus, otherwise known as...
Arceus @ Life Orb
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Extreme Speed
- Earthquake
- Overheat
And the result is...252+ SpA Camerupt Heat Wave vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Arceus: 127-150 (33.3 - 39.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
Ok, I did not expect him/her/it to be THAT powerful...
All in all, Camerupt is a force to be reckoned with in Monotype. Being one of the few Fire-type megas that are useable, (or aren't banned to Ubers. I'm looking at YOU, Blaziken.) Camerupt holds a rock-solid spot as one of the more useful OR/AS megas, & my personal favorite mega in the metagame.
Secondary Effects? What are those?
Camerupt @ Cameruptite
Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 SpA
Mild Nature
- Heat Wave
- Earth Power
- Flash Cannon
- Rock Slide
The set above takes Sheer Force to the next level. With moves like STAB Heat Wave & Earth Power, Flash Cannon/ for those pesky Ground types, & Rock Slide for anything else that happens to be in your way, Camerupt's Sheer Force will make those moves all the stronger, at the cost of a burn chance, Sp. Defense drops, & a flinch chance. Just for fun, here's a damage calculation that pits the above set against Extreme Killer Arceus, otherwise known as...
Arceus @ Life Orb
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Extreme Speed
- Earthquake
- Overheat
And the result is...252+ SpA Camerupt Heat Wave vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Arceus: 127-150 (33.3 - 39.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
Ok, I did not expect him/her/it to be THAT powerful...
All in all, Camerupt is a force to be reckoned with in Monotype. Being one of the few Fire-type megas that are useable, (or aren't banned to Ubers. I'm looking at YOU, Blaziken.) Camerupt holds a rock-solid spot as one of the more useful OR/AS megas, & my personal favorite mega in the metagame.
I hate to be so blunt, but Mega Camerupt is trash. It's weak to Ground and Water, both of which are very common attacking types, and it's not bulky enough to take many decently powerful hits. It'll take one or maybe two hits, but then it's going to go down, especially since it has no access to recovery. And there is no way it's ever going to outspeed anything notable with its 20 base speed.
Even if Mega Camerupt was decent, there would still be no reason to use it on either Ground or Fire teams. Ground teams have Mega Garchomp which is an amazing bulky and decently fast wallbreaker. Mega Steelix is also not a bad Ground option considering it can take a hit so well while still being able to do damage.
I don't understand how you can count out the Mega Charizards. Char Y is by far the best Fire type mega to use and it proves it with usage as well as just wall breaking power and team support. Even if you don't use Char Y, Char X is better in pure sweeping potential. At one point there was even discussion of banning Charizard X because it's that good.
I'd argue that on Fire teams Mega Camerupt is AT BEST, D rank. On Ground, Mega Camerupt could be C rank, but it's still outclassed. A rank is simply way too high for something as outclassed as Camerupt. Keep in mind, power means nothing if you can't hit anything before you get knocked out.
EDIT: Also, Heat Wave should not be used on anything that has access to Flamethrower or Fire Blast. Camerupt has access to both, so I would replace Heat Wave with an option between Flamethrower/Fire Blast.
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Ik it was done for ground (wrote that one i did) but again, Camerupt is mainly outclassed on fire just due to the sheer fact its a special based wallbreaker that is so heavily outclassed by Char Y. Agree with D ranking on fire
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mega camerupt is just plain crap. after having experimented with it i have reached the following conclusion
Any mega>mega camerupt..
on fire mega zards are plain over dominant because mzy is a water check and the plain power it offers is insane as it can easily break apart most walls, it destroys water with solar beam (sap sipper azu if real) and it allows the rest of the fire team to take water moves better/ spam their fire type stabs like v-create, flare blitz darm sacred fire entei etc with a double stab which is enough to break the sturdiest of walls. Also mzx is truly fires only answer to greninja whom can otherwise just spam hydropump and nab a kill almost every time. Apart from that, it has the best set up options in dragon dance + roost, bulky will o wisp supporter, plain outright offensive zard x and the plethora of other unique sets it can run just mean that mega camerupt is left behind. Also being so slow means that outside of trickroom, it gets destroyed by any faster mon who has a strong SE STAB move. Also being susceptible to all hazards makes hazard control even more essential thus putting a larger amount of pressure on torkoal/defog zard.
As onto ground.
Mega Garchomp is the best mega due to the versatility of sets it can run be it mixed, pure sd, sub dtail all out offense etc. also its ability is benefited due to hippodowns sand stream providing it with that epic boost of sand force. Also alongside excadrill, mega chomp forms a formidable offensive core which can break apart so many defensive cores which reside in the monotype regime. Add lando i (better sheer force user due to life orb) and even nidoking (wider coverage/life orb again) means that mega camerupt has no purpose whatsoever as it just compounds the water weakness and puts added pressure on gastrodon who is hard pressed vs water already. The only reason its worth considering is that it annihilates grass because nothing can take those sherr force boosted fire blasts but again nidoking has fire blast, and lando i has sludge wave which in itself gives problems for grass monos.
TO CONCLUDE
FIRE==>C/D RANK
GROUND==>C/D RANK
On a side note posting random calcs vs pokemon it will never face doesn't mean jack because i can also post a persian doing super powerful damage vs a pichu and say mmm needs a rank. more useful calcs can be posted like i will demonstrate below:
Useful calcs for comparison:
252+ SpA Sheer Force Camerupt Fire Blast vs. 4 HP / 252 SpD Eviolite Chansey: 142-168 (22.1 - 26.1%) -- guaranteed 4HKO after Stealth Rock (not enough to even faze chansey if it runs 252 hp)(lando i gets focus blast which is much better and with knock off can fuck with chansey)
252+ SpA Sheer Force Camerupt Earth Power vs. 248 HP / 252 SpD Tyranitar in Sand: 240-284 (59.5 - 70.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
this is a good one since without infernape, fire struggles vs ttar because it is to damn bulky.
252+ SpA Sheer Force Camerupt Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Zapdos: 304-358 (79.1 - 93.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
this is also a good one as flying will be hard pressed to switch in unless using zard y as earth power curb stomps zard x and if using gyarados.
252+ SpA Sheer Force Camerupt Fire Blast vs. 88 HP / 0 SpD Gyarados: 139-164 (39.3 - 46.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery for non mega again with rocks this is good
252+ SpA Sheer Force Camerupt Earth Power vs. 198 HP / 0 SpD Gyarados: 228-268 (60 - 70.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
again it helps in these situations but it cannot outspeed so has to hope to get them on the switch (for gyarados at least)
Just gonna note a few things. First, how is Flash Cannon "for those pesky Ground types"? Ground is not weak to Steel and your Fire or Ground STAB does more damage to Ground than Flash Cannon. I believe you meant Fairy types, but even then, it's not like either Fire or Ground has problems with Fairy.
Secondly, wouldn't Flamethrower or Fire Blast be more useful than Heat Wave? If you want more power, then go for Fire Blast. If you want reliability, go with Flamethrower. They both are boosted by Sheer Force and they both are more useful than Heat Wave.
Thirdly, how does a calculation against Arceus prove your point? If you want to prove that Mega Camerupt is really strong, then pit it against a strong special wall like Tyranitar or Togekiss. Besides, the calc is wrong anyways. This is what the calc should be:
252+ SpA Sheer Force Camerupt Heat Wave vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Arceus: 207-244 (54.3 - 64%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Fourthly, you're forgetting about the Charizard Megas which are Mega Camerupt's biggest competition on Fire. And honestly, if you're giving up on having Mega Charizard Y's sun support and wallbreaking skills, or Mega Charizard X's sheer sweeping capabilities, then clearly you are mistaken. On Ground, it can be said a bit(emphasis on "a bit") differently. Ground might lack viable special attackers, but Mega Camerupt hardly makes up for it. It's still weak to Water, Ground's biggest enemy, and it takes up a Mega slot which can be better used by Mega Garchomp. It's incredibly outclassed on both types. On Fire, it's outclassed by the Mega Charizards, and on Ground, it's outclassed by Mega Garchomp.
In conclusion, I think Mega Camerupt is a bit too outclassed and really not worth it. D Rank fits it quite well, and I feel your pain seeing so many people saying it's bad, but A Rank is a bit too high don't you think? D Rank fits it, and C Rank can be argued, so Mega Camerupt shall be in either of those two spots.
P.S When writing a post for what you think is an A Rank or higher Pokemon, there really should be more depth and explanation put into the ranking. Just saying that it's strong and showing a pretty irrelevant calculation isn't going to cut it. You gotta explain how it helps the type, and justify yourself. I know it may sound like writing an essay, but at least it shows why a Pokemon should be ranked up so high.
P.P.S I know that what I've said has been mostly said by Acast and truedrew above. Dammit, you guys for sniping me.
P.P.P.S I also know that some of what I mentioned are slight nitpicks, but they do matter. Also the small tiny details were bugging me.
EDIT: Looking back on this after a while, I think I went a bit too harsh on you, and I'd like to apologize for that. But I do hope you've learned something from this.
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I have to agree with all of you above. The only place where mega camerupt should used is in Trick Room(where,I have to agreee, it is a MONSTER), but the only pokemon that can set up trick room in mono-fire is Delphox, who already suffers from being outclassed and has a 4 moveslot syndrome. For mono-fire teams though, I suggest Rotom-H should bemoved to S or A rank due to its potential to easily beat waters with t-bolt. Oh, yeah could you guys please check out my RMT Kyurem-B is awsome?
Contrary to what seems obvious, Fire doesn't struggle all that much with Water. As long as you have a reliable way of setting up sun, Fire can definitely hold its own. And Mega Charizard Y (which is on the vast majority of Fire teams) always carries Solarbeam which destroys most Water teams. Rotom H isn't good enough to be A rank, and definitely not good enough for S rank. Most decent Water teams have some sort of immunity to Electric, whether that's a Water/Ground type, Lanturn, or both. For that reason, Electric oftentimes struggles against Water, which is why Rotom-H isn't a reliable counter to water teams. I'm not 100% sure what rank it is now, but I think it's B rank at the moment and it's a pretty solid fit for that rank in my opinion.
Currently Rotom-H is unranked, however I agree that around B rank would be correct for it. It should also be noted that between Banded Victini Bolt Strike, Solarbeam/Energy Ball/HP grass coverage from many fire pokes, and a decent spinner for fire compared to Not-amazing rocks setters for water (compared to their other abilities, like walls or offensive mons), another electric mon really isn't entirely necessary. Rotom-H is good in terms of being a decent bulky mon with trick capabilites for shutting down walls, levitate to avoid half of edgequake without a 4* weakness to rock, WoW support, and potential screen support. However I don't think these things add up to A rank or above, as it has its fair share of weaknesses.
Erm victini can set up Trick Room and turns into a real monster in it, as V-Create just makes it faster and faster.
Just one other note, there's no need to lower one of Camerupt's defences, just lower it's speed, it'll never out speed anything relevant and in the rare event you do play against a Trick Room team, it will outspend everything else and turn the tables on them. Also while it's usually a terrible option, Ancientpower > Rock Slide IMO, it still gets the boost and hits harder thanks to the SpA investment and higher base stat.
Just one other note, there's no need to lower one of Camerupt's defences, just lower it's speed, it'll never out speed anything relevant and in the rare event you do play against a Trick Room team, it will outspend everything else and turn the tables on them. Also while it's usually a terrible option, Ancientpower > Rock Slide IMO, it still gets the boost and hits harder thanks to the SpA investment and higher base stat.
Even chandelure learns trick room xD
Now onto the real reason:
Mega Pidgeot For A-Rank In monotype Normal
Overused meme (Pidgeot) @ Pidgeotite
Ability: No GGuard
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- Heat Wave
- Roost/Sleep Talk
- Hidden Power [Ground]/Defog/U-turn/Work up/Sleep Tall
Ah mega pidgeot troll freaks unloved tornauds t wannabe cousin whom got but loved the minute it was released. *Un*fortunately enough in monotype we love all sorts of troll freak rejects/not good enough mons.(if you can use troll burd Arifeen then i can use anything)
Blessed with an amazing ability in the form of No guard and given the 2 moves that allow it to be different from mega lopunny , troll freak actually gave normal not the mega they wanted but the mega they deserved.
Mega pidgeot has just the tools it needs to be a rank
- No miss hurricanes=rip fighting/grass/bug/anything weak to it
- Heat wave beas most steels (not named heatran) and allows 2 weaknesses to be covered at once (in conjunction with hurricane that is)
- Faster than all fighting types (unscarved) means that gg with hazards support/chip damage (pair it with sticky web and not even scarfed terrakion/anyfighting type can claim to beat it 1v1 as in the late game the opponents team would have taken sufficiently enough damage to be swept and as rocks break hawlucha/breloom scarf = gg)
- Roost means self recovery:D also allows it to beat uh dedenne i guess but no roost means that it can heal on predicted switches and stay healthy to spam another day!
- Hidden power ground is optional allows it o damage heatran/tyranitar on the switch and in general is just cus it doesnt get that many moves to use (i recommend defog)
-Defog gets rid of hazards useful cus offensive pressure and/or no allows raptor to ahve free slot?(idk just thinking that close combat helps a ton vs rock/steel/ttar so then one can forgo defog)
-U-Turn to maintain momentum/chip damage/ out fox the opponent and also acts as good scout early game.
-SLEEP TALK (run if real) allows normal to actually give breloom the finger as it can absorb sleep and then spam sleep talk for one of 3 moves which fuck shit up. Also in general is just there for specifically breloom. It actually works cus pidgey has such a sparse movepool so it becomes an advantage(whom ever thought so?)
-Work Up is for those gym addicts and people who have real guts because well lets face it if you manage to set up vs some poor bastard running fighting/bug/steel/grass/any type without a resist.
Mega pidgeot is a very good pokemon (if used efficiently) whom with support can make up for normals shortcomings vs a plethora of types (namely fighting and steel) due to its superior speed and surprisingly effective if not sparse movepool (pair it with diggersby and steel is hard pressed to combat the two slap on specs mel and well good luck fren)(similarly vs fighting but there it cleans shop using hurricane/webs). It outshines the other two megas solely due to the fact that it can man handle monos and forms a potent bird spam core which can be tough to stop if the opponent is neutral/dependant on 1-2 pokemons which check it. Also not only does it allow normal to run slightly more offense tactics, it can be pivotal in its support due to outspeeding pokemon such as: The musketeers, mega metagross, mega gallade, mega medicham and it can destroy them with its stab move and heatwave!
All in all due to the numerous perks that mega pidgey passes onto mono normal as a whole, i nominate Mega BURD JEEZUS
ehm mega pidgeot for A rank In normal Monotype.
A Rank: Reserved for Pokemon that have S rank qualities, but need support (which can be easily given) in order for them to be successful. These Pokemon can play a role against most type matchups, but they may be hard walled by 1-2 types. However, these Pokemon are mostly used for one or two of their sets meaning that they can be predictable. These Pokemon influence the Metagame.
Calcs For the brave
252 SpA Pidgeot Hurricane vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Terrakion: 202-238 (62.5 - 73.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (all calcs are made custom to 135 sp attack)calcs are no good on default calculator please ignore
252 SpA Pidgeot Hurricane vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Gallade: 330-390 (118.7 - 140.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 SpA Pidgeot Heat Wave vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Cobalion: 280-330 (86.6 - 102.1%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO
c
Nice write-up, but I think Arifeen already did this write-up (Mega Pidgeot for Normal). You both chose A Rank though, so I guess it's all good.
I would go Naive over Hasty because of Priority attacks being almost always physical.
Tyranitar and Bisharp for Dark A:
Tyranitar:
Pros:
- Has lots of viable sets thanks to its large move pool.
- Access to Stealth Rocks
- Excellent Bulk: 100, 110, 100 (Special Defense raises even higher in a sandstorm.
- High attack stats: 134, 95.
Cons:
- It is slow: 61 base speed.
- Has a lot of weaknesses.
- Sand can hurt other team members or be taken advantage of.
Choice Scarf
Tyranitar @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Pursuit
- Crunch
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
Stealth Rocks
Tyranitar @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature / Relaxed Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Crunch
- Ice Beam / Stone Edge
- Earthquake / Fire Blast
Assault Vest or Choice Band
Tyranitar (M) @ Assault Vest / Choice Band
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Adamant Nature
- Crunch
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Fire Punch / Ice Punch
Bisharp:
Pros:
- Powerful STAB priority in Sucker Punch.
- Steel is a benefit for dealing with Fairy types
- Access to Pursuit and Knock Off as well as coverage in Psycho Cut and Brick Break.
- Can force switches such as Eviolite users.
- Defiant allows it to take advantage of Defog, Sticky Web and Intimidate.
- High Attack: 125
- Has access to Stealth Rocks
- Resists Stealth Rocks
Cons:
- 4 times weak to Fighting.
- Slow: 70
- Sucker Punch can be taken advantage of due to low PP
Defiant Attacker
Bisharp @ BlackGlasses / Life Orb
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head
- Pursuit / Swords Dance
Tyranitar:
Pros:
- Has lots of viable sets thanks to its large move pool.
- Access to Stealth Rocks
- Excellent Bulk: 100, 110, 100 (Special Defense raises even higher in a sandstorm.
- High attack stats: 134, 95.
Cons:
- It is slow: 61 base speed.
- Has a lot of weaknesses.
- Sand can hurt other team members or be taken advantage of.
Choice Scarf
Tyranitar @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Pursuit
- Crunch
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
Stealth Rocks
Tyranitar @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature / Relaxed Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Crunch
- Ice Beam / Stone Edge
- Earthquake / Fire Blast
Assault Vest or Choice Band
Tyranitar (M) @ Assault Vest / Choice Band
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Adamant Nature
- Crunch
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- Fire Punch / Ice Punch
Bisharp:
Pros:
- Powerful STAB priority in Sucker Punch.
- Steel is a benefit for dealing with Fairy types
- Access to Pursuit and Knock Off as well as coverage in Psycho Cut and Brick Break.
- Can force switches such as Eviolite users.
- Defiant allows it to take advantage of Defog, Sticky Web and Intimidate.
- High Attack: 125
- Has access to Stealth Rocks
- Resists Stealth Rocks
Cons:
- 4 times weak to Fighting.
- Slow: 70
- Sucker Punch can be taken advantage of due to low PP
Defiant Attacker
Bisharp @ BlackGlasses / Life Orb
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head
- Pursuit / Swords Dance
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Bisharp can also run Life Orb, Focus Sash, etc. If you don't like the recoil from Life Orb, Expert Belt may be an option. Bisharp could also force switches on some pokemon such as eviolite users and run Swords Dance. There's also the options of Psycho Cut, Break Brick, and if you want to be forcing a lot of switches, Stealth Rocks can be an option.
- Status