Some changes I want to see:
Raikou B+ -> A- / A: Can someone please tell me why Raikou isnt in the A ranks? Because Ive been using him a lot lately, and hes good. Like really good. Like, his traits are pretty fucking amazing. He has a great Speed tier, decent special attack stat, and enough coverage to get the job done. Additionally, he has three viable sets: Sub CM, AV, and Specs. Ill talk about AV since its the one I absolutely adore and am basing this nomination on. AV allows Rakoi to check a bunch of top tier threats including, but not limited to: Thundurus, Gengar, Latios, Latias, Keldeo, Starmie, Talonflame, Mega Scizor, Rotom-W, and Slowbro. Every mon I listed falls to Raikou, with the exception of Mega Scizor if it is running Superpower on the Bulky SD set. Thats a lot of mons, and unlike Mega Mane, Raikou has no opportunity cost, while also avoiding giving Bisharp a free attack boost. Additionally, Raikou provides momentum with Volt Switch, which allows it to fit very well on many Bulky Offense and Hyper Offense teams, as well as some balance. Overall Raikou has every quality that it needs to be placed in the A ranks and it should be ranked accordingly.
Talonflame A+ -> A: I realize that this nom is going to be controversial, but I honestly feel that Smogon Birds reign of terror is over. Dont get me wrong, Talon is still a really good mon, but I honestly dont feel very threatened by it as much as I used to. The prevalence of mons such as Rotom-W, Raikou, Landorus-T, Garchomp, Tyranitar, Sand Rush Excadrill, Heatran, and Mega Diancie make Brave Bird spam a liability, and a 4x weakness to Stealth Rock limits its switch in opportunities against a well played offensive team that has at least one of these mons (aka all of them). Additionally, a base 81 attack stat is honestly nothing special, as any coverge move Talon tries to run ends up being piss weak and outclassed by its STABs. The Jolly SD set is its best set IMO, but even then it fails to put in work against more than one or two mons, as Talonflames poor bulk and mediocre typing leave it pressured to Roost to keep healthy throughout the match. I realize Talonflame has a plethora of sets like Bulk Up, Wisp, Band, Lure, etc, but I really feel that the Meta has adapted to its presence that Talonflame is no longer the top tier threat it once was. Dont get me wrong, Talonflame is still good, but I honestly dont see it on par with better mons that reside in A+ such as Mega Lopunny, Gengar, Landorus, Keldeo, or Heatran.
Mega Manectric A -> A-/B+: Another somewhat controversial nom, but I can honestly sum it up in two words: Opportunity Cost. Yeah, I realize its usually a bad argument that gets disregarded almso immediately, but its true. There are so many Megas to choose from that Manectric is rarely the first one that comes to mind. I get that its good against offense and generates momemtum, but guess what? Mega Lopunny exists and its stronger, has a better typing (resists SR), has better coverage, and puts in work against stall, which is something that completely shuts Mega Mane down. Additionally, theres this Pokemon that exists called Raikou, and it does everything Mega Mane does without the opportunity cost. Yeah its a tad bit worse as it loses to Ferro and Excadrill, but it allows you to run another Mega that can handle those, such as hey, Lopunny. Another thing that I feel is definitely worth mentioning is the fact that Mega Mane gives Bisharp a free attack boost. This may not seem that notable but the amount of Bisharp-weak teams that exist is too damn high and giving one of the most threatening mons in the game a free attack boost and kill (
+1 252+ Atk Bisharp Sucker Punch vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Mega Manectric: 250-295 (88.9 - 104.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock) is not a good thing and that on top of its opportunity cost makes Mega Mane a sub optimal pick for offensive teams imo, and it warrants a drop to A- or even B+ where Raikou currently resides.
Conkeldurr B- -> B: I already posted on this already so Ill just quote it:
Clone said:
I want to post on something since I'm back from vacation so I'll make a nomination of Conkeldurr for B.
Conk has only gotten better with the transition to ORAS. Fairy types took a hit with the introduction of Mega Metagross, while other hard stops like Talonflame and Mega Pinsir have fallen in usage. On top of this, Conk has all the right tools to make a nice home on balance and bulky offense teams as a stop to Greninja, which is arguably the best Pokémon in the metagame right now. This last part is important because Greninja matches up really well against many balance / bulky offense builds, which applies massive pressure on the non Greninja player. However, when Conk is on a balanced team, a lot of pressure is relieved, as Conk fears nothing from the standard Gunk Shot / Low Kick / Ice Beam / Dark Pulse set. Extrasensory is a problem, but that move only works on lure sets so I'll ignore it for now.
Aside from handling Greninja quite well, conk fares relatively decently against many offense and balance builds, as he beats mons like Bisharp, Tyranitar, Rotom-W, Heatran, Ferrothorn, and Thundurus, to name a few. All of these are from the S and A ranks, which just goes to show how good conk actually is. His bulk is nothing short of stellar, as very few things can actually OHKO him, and of those that can, they are all STAB SE Physical attacks from mons that have defined checks and counters such as Clefable for Latios, or Rotom-W for Azumarill. On top of this, access to priority Mach Punch is extremely clutch in many situations and should never be overlooked, especially if Guts, one of the best abilities for a mon like conk, has been activated.
Now, I realize that conk suffers from a few flaws, such as a relatively weak STAB in Drain a punch and terrible speed tier, but neither of those things should stop him from moving up a rank. His low speed does force him to take hits before he can attack, yes, but Drain Punch is conks main STAB move and it provides him with semi-reliable recovery. On top of this, access to moves such as Knock Off, Poison Jab, and the elemental Punches can help conk cover his weaknesses to certain checks. For example, with a little bit of speed investment, Conk can beat Azumarill 1v1 if running Poison Jab. This also applies to x mon when running x move in x situation.
Conk has definitely fallen from Grace since the early days of XY, but that hasn't stopped the clown-nosed fighting type from holding onto his spot in OU as the best bulky fighting type in the game. The niche he holds in the current meta is more than enough to warrant a raise to B and I support it wholeheartedly. B rank fits him perfectly as it's for mons that have definable niches but don't fit on every team, and that description fits Conkeldurr to a T.
Conkeldurr for B
Now, for cleaning up of the lower ranks:
Ditto: C -> D / Unranked: Can someone please name 3 good reasons to run this? Its only semi-viable set is a Choice Scarf set, which is easily taken advantage of by any competent player. Its honestly such a sub optimal choice on a team that if you have to use it for whatever reason, chances are your team sucks and you should start from scratch. Ive never considered this for a serious team (keyword: serious), and that goes to say something seeing as Ive used shit like Cofagrigus, Dragalge, Pangoro, Thundy-T, and Volcarona. Either move this to D since it has an
extremely small niche, or unrank it altogether.
Froslass: C -> D / Unranked: Azelf, Garchomp, Lando-I, Terrakion, Mamoswine, Shuckle, Lando-T, and even
Skarmory (yeah Skarmory, Weak Armor + SR + Spikes is legit) outclass it as a Suicide Lead, which honeslty gives it no niche in OU. Yeah Destiny Bond + Spinblocking your own hazards is nice and all, but Froslass has next to no offensive presence and is easily taken advantage of by any cometent player. The addition of Mega Metagross, Mega Lopunny, Mega Sableye, and a rise in usage of Mega Scizor does this thing no favors and honestly renders it obsolete. Unrank it please.
Tornadus: C- -> Unranked: Torn-T exists, and as long as that thing remains in OU, theres literally no reason to run its incarnate forme. Its frail as fuck, and loses to a plethora of mons residing in the S - C ranks its not even funny. Oh, and Mega Pidgeot is faster, has better bulk, has a higher SAtk stat, and doesnt miss with Hurricane. Unrank please.
Noivern C- -> Unranked: Latios, Latias, and Hydreigon exist, and that alone is a reason to unrank this thing. Its niche of being a fast non scarf Dragon back in the day is no longer relevant, and to top it all off its piss weak. Its Focus Blast cant even OHKO 0/0 Excadrill ffs. Theres really no reason to run it in OU and it should me moved off the list.
Venomoth: D -> Unranked: Last time I saw this I was on the lower ladder in the 1100s and the dude I was facing was terrible. Unless your name is ben gay, there is absolutely no reason to use this piece of crap on a serious team, and it being ranked just clutters the rankings up. Use Smeargle if you want to Quiver Pass.
Other stuff I agree with:
Mega Lopunny to A
Mega Sableye to A
Mega Gallade to A
Tentacruel to B
Klefki to B+ / A-
Hydreigon to C+
Manaphy to A
Mega Beedrill to B+
