Dante Reranks Everything Once Again pt. 5
Ttar-Rank
- This tier has no true S-Rank mons apart from this guy. Tyranitar is truly unique in its combination of versatility, influence over the metagame, and raw unbridled power. DD Tars of all kinds (Lum Naive Mixed, Bulky etc) are constantly threatening to sweep at the drop of a hat, mixed/special sets are ready to trap, lure, and trade blows amazingly well, and both CB and non CB Focus sets are lining up to punch the shit out of a Skarm or a Water and open up some big holes. On top of all the donking, TTar brings Sand to the table, which is enough on its own to merit its place on some teams. That's not to say this mon is broken though. In fact, it's great for the tier's health and its presence keeps a lot of otherwise oppressive stuff in check. That's the beauty of RSE.
A-Rank
A+
- Gar clocks in at number 2. Like Tar above it, it is also amazingly versatile. It can go defensive with Taunt and WoW, run Boom to shit on Blissey and Lax, and fire off all kinds of powerful special attacks with unrivalled coverage. Also, it's one of the few mons that can Sleep stuff, and Sleep is really strong post-Restalk. It's also the only good Ghost in the tier, which means it can block Spin (sorta, it obviously can't hold its own vs the likes of Psychic Star).
- The bird that everyone loves to hate fits in here. It's a weird mon if you think about it, absolutely amazing at one thing but very poor at the rest. That one thing is laying down Spikes. Its god tier typing and physical bulk allow it to come into so much stuff and just lay em down repeatedly. And Spikes are so unbelievably influential and powerful in the RSE meta. This mon has its drawbacks tho - it lets the likes of Gar in for free, can be abused by offensive momentum, and of course gets trapped by Mag. Toxic is a bit less potent than a year ago or so too. Nonetheless, the ability to Spike up and Spike up so damn well will mean this mon is always a beast.
- Meta is just raw fucking power. CB Mashin is properly dangerous, especially with a fortuitous Atk raise. Boom is Boom, i.e. a great move for the offensively inclined team. It's also worth mentioning the defensive strength and great typing (i.e. Rock resistance) of Protect Bulky Meta - it singlehandedly allows shit like that Triple Elec team to function. Mix is still good too. Overall just a high power mon which will always see usage due to its strongth.
- The best and also handsomest Water in the tier. Crocune/Rest Roar Cune can clean house and soak hits, and more Offensive CM sets can tank a few important physical hits while exerting excellent offense. Statistical excellence carries you a long way.
A
- This guy is higher than a lot of people would put it, I think. Well, that's because it's really good and also coming back into the meta more with a different primary role to previously. That role is BPing CM's, where its natural bulk (tanking Dug with Max HP and a bit of Def) and ability to exert good offense while threatening to pass gives it a solid footing. OR you can just say fuck BP, put Psy on there, and donk with Super Cele. SDef and PDef sets are also still very usable, because 100/100/100 defenses are excellent, who'd of thought...
- If you were to put together a team of the 6 mons above this one in my VR, you would come out with a team that's very Zap weak. I think that says a lot about why this guy is good. Electric moves are strong, especially from a fat S-Atk stat like the bird. Real dangerous customer that's also very versatile - can run offensive status sets with 1 or 2 of Twave/Tox, defensive Rest sets, and BP Subs/Agi too (on those new meta smaller chain BP teams with CM pass Cele in particular). Finally, according to recent testing, Restalk is still actually usable on this mon if you pack an Aroma guy and know the mechanics. I'd recommend Modest - doing a shitton of DMG and soaking up some status is nice.
- Pert has beast typing and good stats. As Dan mentioned in the post above, the new offensive Focus set allows it to mitigate the previous issue of Bliss for specially offensive Perts. Monosurf Defensive Pert is great at soaking hits. Endeavour is still very much usable if that's what floats you're boat. I guess it's not higher because each individual set has its issues (the bulky Refresh one has issues exerting its own offense, and the 4 Attacks one is status weak and sometimes misses the bulk and Protect for matchups like DD Mence). Also, HP Grass is everywhere specifically for shitting on this guy. I faced random HP Grass Bliss the other day - I guess that's actually testament to the influence of Pert in the tier.
- Bliss is another very weird mon conceptually. Just like Skarm, its partner in crime. A mon that can just entirely sit on a third of the tier and shut them down for a whole game, yet can also be a complete vacuum for offensive momentum that gets abused. It's a beast tho for sure. When you're building a team, Skarmbliss is the first thing you should think about whether you can beat. By
beat, I mean relentlessly drive into the ground too, as if you give Bliss any edge to get in and wall stuff and recover up, that can be a big losing play.
A-
- Trapping is a godsend for the tier. Dug is awesome at removing defensive mons like Bliss to facilitate special offense, along with taking out tricky offensive customers for your stall team to face, such as Ttar and Hera. Of course, Dug has no defense of its own and is hard to get in (you have to double mostly), but the payoff for this mon is so big it's worth a slot more often than not. I'd like to use the final part of this description to endorse Adamant Dug of all kinds, both frail and bulky sets too. The extra DMG goes a long way vs Bliss, Tar, Meta, Cele, and Rachi.
- A lot of people don't like Lax, because the meta is a hostile environment for physical Normal types. However, its good special bulk and Attack stat mean it is very useful on physical offense kinda teams, as it's one of the few mons who can switch into the likes of Star and Zap well. Boom is a sweet ass move too. You can run old school Curselax on the right Mag team too if that's what you're into. Of course, Lax is weak to Sand and Spikes and Gar burns, and gets somewhat abused by Tar and Meta switchins if you can't EQ them. Still very good and deserving of A tho.
- Mence is another of these very versatile, very high statted Pseudo Legendaries. However, it's ranked lower than Tar and Meta because it's weak to status and sand. However, it does have the great utility of a Ground immune and Intimidate, and is one of the tier's few Hera switches. DD Mence is a potent lategame threat, but requires a bit of team support in the shape of lures for Pert and Skarm (and possibly a Mag to trap the latter). Mix is still good, but it's lost the surprise value it used to have in like 2012/13. Band is eh, but still workable.
- Well, I've beat down on this mon in my last post ITT, but it's still A Rank. Superachi is super, Steel typing is awesome defensively, and its offensive coverage is really nice too. Still not a fan of most of the sets people run, but hey, each to their own.
B-Rank
B+
- An offensive powerhouse with its high speed and excellent coverage. Also Spins very nicely, as Gar doesn't want to tank its moves and is also slower than it. However, it's kept down by its frailty, being walled by Bliss, and extreme 4MSS. In a meta where mons could run 6 moves each, Star would be top 5.
- Hera is a very dangerous customer to face with few true switchins. Focus Punch sets have become the standard, and find their home very nicely on physical offenses. It can still sweep from the back too with a Sub Salac set on a Mag team. However, it's just a bit slower than it would like to be, and can't switch into a lot that well.
- Aero is lower than it's ever been before on one of these lists. That's because the meta of very bulky mons with Protect is still keeping it down somewhat. It's still good at being fast and flinching stuff down like a maniac, but it has a harder time doing so in the current meta. I think it's due a resurgence in usage and strength though, as the teams which are heavily designed to counter the current meta (such as CM BP Cele setups) can be somewhat Aero weak. The other thing worth mentioning is that people should possibly consider deviating from Choice Band as the sole set option. Sub Liechi is quite potent, both as a SD Pass Cele recipient (which is where it has traditionally seen use) and otherwise too. There's nothing like revenging a Tar with EQ then following it up with a Slide on the Zap that comes in after.
- You all know how much I love using this mon. In some games, it can be totally god tier and just absolutely clean house. It's one of the few true 'last mons' in RSE, cut from the same cloth as DP Luke. Sub is always a beast move and so is CM. Picking between Hidden Powers is less relevant now too, as Gon is at an all time low, so you can run Grass. Modest Kou does some serious DMG to shit, including the incredibly important Dug oneshot unboosted. In a meta where some Blisses don't run S-Toss, you can just sub up on it and 1v1 it especially out of sand. However, I'm not blowing my load by ranking it in A, as it's not that useful of a mon when you find yourself on the back foot in a game, and is just slightly slightly 'win more' as a closer. Kou isn't doing much vs a +1 DDTar that's got in and set up, for example. That said, Kou is great, and get out and use it. The Youtube video on it will come soon, I promise.
- Mag is a really weird mon to rank. It is of course absolutely shite in a vacuum because it has no meaningful base stats and dies to everything. However, Skarm is a thing, which will give Mag an everlasting niche in the meta of trapping it and killing it, and that's pretty much all it does. Mag is notable for facilitating a whole archetype of teams; which is basically 5 mons that would be shit on by the average Skarm team but otherwise have an above average power level, and a Mag to patch up the big bird-shaped hole. One-dimensional, but does its job.
B
- Clay has seen a lot of use in recent times because of the whole Refresh thing and its ability to shit on a lot of the teams of 1 year ago pretty comprehensively by keeping Spikes off the field and itself healthy. However, it finds itself this low because it exerts no offensive momentum of its own, and can let a lot of stuff in easily to boost up on it. It's great vs TSS, but pretty poor vs most other stuff.
- Jolt is the other fastest mon in the tier. Volt Absorb is a great ability for Gar and Zapbird, and drypassing is great for newer players like
crayon pop who are too incompetent to double. Roar Spikes shuffling is nice offensive utility, and you can also Roar out some stuff in a pinch. However, it rolls over to physical hits, and hates being paralyzed, and to a lesser extent poisoned or burned, which limits its overall utility.
- This dude is pretty underappreciated for what it does. A lot of newer gen players have the mindset of a DD mon being an offensive sweeper with that kind of playstyle. However, in reality that side of Gyara plays second fiddle to its defensive pivoting role, aided by its excellent ability and unique defensive typing. Tanking important big hits can be just as good as dishing them out.
- The Iceman is a forgotten danger. Once a popular choice as a specially defensive pivot able to spread status, fire off Ice Beams, and Boom, it doesn't see much use now, and as to why, that's sort of beyond me to answer. Sure, it's weak to all 3 of the holy trinity of TSS, but its ability to soak important hits and trade back, along with Twaving and neutering all its primary switchins of Meta, Tar, and Lax, give it a valuable niche. It's also good on CM dedicated teams to pop on a Blissey, or mindgame it into switching out on you and clattering something with Ice Beam.
- Moltres is quite the new age mon. Fire STAB and WoW are both very powerful things with sparse distribution, and do a number on most things in the tier not named Bliss. This mon is also fast enough to make it as an offensive presence in the tier. I guess it's this low as it can be hard to fit onto some teams, gets sat on by Bliss, and isn't all that bulky.
- P2 is usable because Dug is so good. It facilitates the most Dug weak of teams with its presence. It's also good at coming into and tanking some physical hits from the likes of Mence and Aero with its decent bulk, and T-Waving its switches. However, it often has issues because it's a momentum loser, because it just lets stuff like Lax in again and again. P2 teams are notoriously bad vs old school Curselax setups, so you have to make sure your team is really well equipped for that kind of thing if you're all in on using this guy.
B-
- Gon is at an all time low right now. That's because it has a lot of trouble threatening the bulkier teams that are in vogue right now, with the advents of Refresh Dol and Pert and high Skarmbliss usage. It also isn't particularly good vs a lot of heavier mixed offenses. This mon actually initially died down in usage because of IB DD Tar (which is rarer now), but it isn't that good anyways. For Gon to work now, I think people need to figure out something new - maybe CB is due a return on Mag teams, or old school ass Screech.
- Cloy, the second best spiker of the tier, but with a huge gap between it and Skarm. It finds its role on more offensive setups than Skarm, and that's because it is better at producing its own offense and momentum, as it threatens Boom and decently powerful Special attacks. This mon
can spin in theory, but it is terrible at it because of its awful defensive typing and weakness to TSS. It's better just throwing a layer up, and then attacking or booming.
- This guy is a bit newer, and has seen a recent rise in popularity. A 'tanky' fighter role is decent currently because Fighting STAB is pretty good. Knock Off is also great for neutralising a lot of Yama's Lefties-reliant defensive switchins. This guy still has some weaknesses tho - you'll notice I put the word 'tanky' in inverted commas earlier here, and that's because Fighting is not a good defensive typing, it can only switch in a few times to most stuff, and Rest is questionable recovery due to its momentum loss.
- Hey, it's Weezing! People like
UD love Weezing because WoW is so damn good, and so is Boom, and so is being a levitating Poison type which comes into Skarm again and again. However, I've put it kinda lower because it has a hard time against special hits, and also people now kinda know what this guy does more, which makes certain turns more choreographed.
- Sleep is an excellent status, and Leech Seed is an amazing move. That's what keeps Saur functional in this tier. It's seen a lot specifically in the lead slot because it's a great early sleep move user. However, my issue with it is that after it's done sleeping something it can't actually do much for itself, and isn't statistically up to scratch with the tier's big boys.
- Forry kinda blows now. You have to be so rigid and linear (not referring to Linear here) in your building with it, i.e having a Pursuit Tar, because Gar Spikes teams otherwise just shit on it entirely. And they still kinda do too, because SDef Gar is geared to survive a Pursuit, and at that point the Forry team is neutralised, it's too late to come back. Forry also isn't too good vs offense, because it allows setup so easily and setting up Spikes can put you a few turns behind and on the back foot. I remember a game in SPL 5 vs Rey where he switched his Forry into my Lax and I just Cursed up on it for free, and did some donking before his Spikes could even properly kick in. I also remember another game in SPL 5 vs Danilo where I was the unfortunate fuck with the Forry, and he literally just Hypno'd my Pursuit Tar with Gar and that was that, I couldn't spin them or get back in the game. Forry, sucking ass since its invention.
- Milo is the Refresh mon that couldn't. It is kind of a momentum vacuum at times, like a Claydol which can't spin and steps on Spikes. It also doesn't have the bulk of Cune or Pert. However, it stays out of C-rank because just occasionally you find that one golden matchup vs that Mixmence offense where Milo just goes to the house. Hypnosis need to come back into vogue too, as that might be the best thing it can do RN.
C-Rank
C+
- Vap is good at Wishing, good at BPing all kinds of things (dry slowpass, full chain, Subs, even Curses), good at doing some deceptively strong DMG with Hydro / IB, but shit at being an actual fucking bulky water. It's fun and cute tho, which is all that really matters in life, especially if you're a girl gamer like
Posho .
- Hound could die from a light slap from any physical mon. However, it once again has the golden tickets of STAB Fire, WoW, and Pursuit/Crunch. It can kill the important target of Gar, and also really punish its switchins if it gets in safely somehow, but this is a very high risk high reward mon.
- Phan is an amazing physical tank. It's in C because it needs Pursuit support to Spin as it can't meaningfully break Gar itself (HP Ghost sacrifices an important moveslot, one of Toxic or Protect), and also dies to any special hit. Like a lot of the other C mons, it is a lop sided guy that fills a specific niche.
- Boom is a really really good move, and it is what keeps Regirock in contention. Curse Boom is great at luring waters in on a heavy physical offense, and pure Rock typing and base 200 DEF has some good resistances and neutral typing matchups that allow you to come in and ply your trade. However, he can go horribly wrong if you boom into a Protect or Gar double.
- Another one-dimensional mon here. Can do some real work and threaten from the lead slot, and sleep something important. However, Jynx will have a very hard time switching into something, and you sometimes have to risk hitting an LK on Lax/Meta, which can go wrong easily.
C
-The 2 Rain sweepers are right next to each other here. Kingdra comes just above because of its better defensive typing and functionality as a pure rain sweeper.
- Ludi offers a niche over Kingdra with Miracle Seed HP Grass, which allows you to meaningfully hurt opposing waters. It can also go defensive with Leech Seed Rain Dance, as a weather resetter kinda role for the team that wants it.
- Smear is good at Spiking and Sporing, but it's often a one and done kind of deal. If you can maintain great offensive momentum, Smear teams can be super potent, but the downside is that if Smear dies early as it often does then then they reveal the likes of Spin Star or Dol, you're often behind. It would go amiss not to mention its role on Bellypass too - that archetype is not too good but gets some wins.
- The Big Bad Bactrian has a niche carved out for it in the tier because of its unique defensive typing and ability to switch into Zap, Gar, and Jolt a few times and fire off some strong STAB moves or Boom in return. However, it is slow as shit, frail as shit, and Duggable as shit. It can work on just the right team, but you will be leaving some defensive holes open which can be exploited.
C-
- Rhydon is something quite a lot of players don't really consider. In my eyes at least, it is a Marowak with slightly less Atk in exchange for a better typing (dual stab, Normal + Fly resist) and better physical bulk too. With some Para support, Rhydon can really be potent.
- The role of a really fast and frail special attacker is probably done better by Starmie or something, but on the other hand this guy is more powerful in Satk, speed ties with Dug making trapping it risky, and has a different type of coverage with Psy/Fire/Grass. Of course, it's walled by Bliss and dies to any physical hit, making it a dangerous mon to employ. Tricking a Band is a cool niche tho, worth considering (until CB meta switches into you).
- Most powerful attacker in the tier, with good offensive typing and coverage to boot. However, the combination of just too slow to outspeed the important shit like Mence and too frail to tank meaningful hits is not conducive to a good mon. Maybe some Para support or a mechanism to get this guy in safely repeatedly like passing it a Sub with Zap is enough to make this mon work somewhat, but building with it leaves some teams with defensive flaws.
- I know that Undis and quite a few others really strongly advocate this mon, but it just doesn't really do it for me. It's too damn slow, and not actually as bulky as above posters have made out, certainly not bulky enough to switch into stuff, maybe to tank a hit in a 1v1. Great BP Recipient though, which keeps it out of the purgatory of D-Rank.
D-Rank
Everything else
Ass Tier
- This mon is not actually worth using. You're gonna find yourself subbing up 5 times only for Sand Veil to not actually kick in, all while exerting no independent offense.
(outside of full BP chains) - Trap Passing is so frustrating and unreliable, and this can be a complete dead teamslot. I wish this would work as it's a cool (edgelord) looking mon, but it just really doesn't.
- Imagine a meta where the one move that literally entirely neutralises every single thing this mon can do is top 5 in move usage. On top of that, almost every team has the inbuilt type synergy to shit on Slaking even if Protect didn't exist. Poor Slaking.