Resource ORAS OU Viability Ranking Thread V5 (See Page 43 - Post #1063)

[Archon]

Citing basic flaws about a Pokemon that everybody is aware about is not going to convince anybody. Being 4x weak to Ice isn't as disastrous as you state it to be because Landorus-I was 4x weak to Ice, yet it was banned from OU. Mega Sceptile may not be able to utilize Lightning Rod as well as other Pokemon, but discouraging Prankster Thunder Wave from Klefki and Thundurus is pretty huge, especially since Mega Sceptile relies on its speed as much as it does. Mega Sceptile is a revenge killer by nature and is not going to be switching into many attacks to begin with. Having a small movepool is also irrelevant because Mega Sceptile can at least make use of the coverage it has with proficiency, only really having an issue with bulky Grass-types (with the exception of Ferrothorn).

Comparing Lando-I to Mega Sceptile is not a valid comparison. They are completely different, Lando actually having defenses. Twave protection is huge, thats why it's viable. But Klefki and Thundurus can both OHKO mega sceptile. Revenge killer it may be, but it is easily beaten by other revenge killers since they have priority which can easily bypass his defenses. It lacks a powerful grass move, leaf storm lowering it's special attack by -2

 

[ericaroselia]

Being frail doesn't make it bad, leaf storm may lower your spA but it's worth it since it's hard to switch against Mega Scep's coverage and power. Sceptile at B- seems guaranteed at this point, we are nominating it to B-, not to A+, every pokemon has flaws, Scizor is 4x weak to fire for example but Sceptile is a pokemon from UU (really uncommon but dangerous) that is C+, soon to be B-, you cannot expect it to be super great but still, has a really big niche in this meta, we already said its positive aspects in this thread and are aware of its flaws, that aren't very disappointing.

It's one of the fastest unboosted pokemon out there, check out this to see what it outspeeds: http://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/oras-speed-tiers-v2.3556631/

 

[AM]

To add on to Archons points, which I agree with especially the awful comparison of Landorus-I last page, M-Sceptile is forced to run Leaf Storm to even break a typical team with Clefable in it anyways, where these situations can potentially give it a huge loss of momentum if it doesn't get the kill. If you don't have Leaf Storm you will never break Clefable which sucks and it's being downplayed how awful this situation is. The assumption that it threatens all these builds is only for the mold of a handful of cores people have become too dependent on however a lot of viable checks like Amoonguss and Tflame still maintain their general consistency. You're going to be pretty damn disappointed the moment an AV torn-T or any of the numerous viable checks come into play since it'll make M-Sceptile largely deadweight. Most builds that don't fit the exploitable Lati, Rotom-W, Ground mold such as something like a Reuniclus (think more underrated stuff) or I think every sand balance I've seen isn't gonna have issues with M-Sceptile. Also any cleaner coupled with volt-turn and hazards is going to do kind of well, that could be said for stuff like M-Alakazam it's not exactly an exclusive trait to M-Sceptile to begin with. Chanseys usage on more than just stall teams is a problem as well, every scarfer can threaten it due to its lack of priority, Weavile is still good on a lot of your offenses, and there's a lot of bulkier stuff going around that M-Sceptile is going to need an entire team to remove before it provides something useful.

I think putting it above Zapdos is also dumb to as much as I'm not a huge fan of the bird, as well as Lucario, both of which I believe is far superior and less risky than M-Sceptile is in the big picture of the meta-game. Guess you could argue fitting among some B- ranked mons but again most of these suck and should probably just go down eventually anyways. M-Sceptile is a largely inconsistent mon and I think it's better for it to not rise.

 

[Tramuntana]

Comparing Lando-I to Mega Sceptile is not a valid comparison. They are completely different, Lando actually having defenses. Twave protection is huge, thats why it's viable. But Klefki and Thundurus can both OHKO mega sceptile. Revenge killer it may be, but it is easily beaten by other revenge killers since they have priority which can easily bypass his defenses. It lacks a powerful grass move, leaf storm lowering it's special attack by -2

That is like saying Draco Meteor is bad on the lati twins because it forces them to switch, you know.


Sceptile's main drawback is the fact that Grass has awfull coverage. It's easy to send a good old flying or steel type and wall it flat-out. THAT's why Mega Sceptile is on C+. Frailty never matters on an offensive pokémon, anybody keeping an offensive pokemon on anything other than predicted attack that he either resists or is immune to does not deserve to be called a competitive player. I am completely sure that if he got some powerfull Dragon move (Cough Draco Meteor cough) he would shoot himself to the A ranks.

Speaking of Dragon-Types, I will never understand why Dragonite is so low. That the offensive DD set sucks is common knowledge but people, he has literally a hundred of viable sets. If you rank it only because of the offensive DD set, it would be like ranking Aerodactyl for it's wallbreaking potential (that is next zero) or ranking Mamoswine for it's revenge killing capabilities (again, next to none). The main sets that should be looked for on Dragonite should be a bulky Roost set Dragoran-style, a mixed set for wallbreaking potential, especially on rain, or a bulky DD set with Roost and either a coverage move or even Substitute. Another decent option would be Choice Band to smash trough anything on it's way with proper prediction, but I have a personal dislike of that particular set. The bottom line is: Dragonite is a tank that could even work as a wall, with the BW Parashuffler set being proof of it. Using a bulky pokémon with access to reliable recovery, and not carrying said recovery move, is three points short of a crime.

I vote for Cloyster to drop. I might be biased due to carrying Empoleon on half my teams just because of how good he is at hazard control when paired with dragon types, but seriously, when was the last time one of those did ever sweep on high ladder? 2 years ago?

 

[ericaroselia]

Speaking about Lucario, do you think that by any chance it may rise to B-? It had many posts on the older VR thread and i heard that it's better in this meta, i've used Lucario fairly often to nice success, Swords Dance seems like a cool thing to use in this meta. I am aware of the viability of Crawdaunt and Diggersby, two threatening Swords Dance Sweepers that are in B-, why is Lucario considered worse than them? It has more speed, also has strong STAB moves and priority in espeed, can setup on mons like Bisharp and Ferrothorn and Weavile, mainly when locked into Pursuit since it can potentially sweep the opposing team after that. A problem with Lucario is that Landorus-T is very common and you either use Iron Tail that deals 63.3 - 74.8% when boosted by SD and it still has a nice chance to miss or you use Ice Punch and lose Iron Tail's potential but Lucario seems pretty alright, do you think that it has the potential to rise?

 

[HailFall]

I'm pretty sure no one was directly comparing lando-i to mega sceptile, that was just a point used to point out that "but it dies to ice shard" is a bad argument for it to not rise.

Tbh I'm not a fan of the whole "gets walled by clef so it's not a consistent mon" argument because tons of stuff gets walled and forced out by clef. If that didn't happen it wouldnt be good. it's also worth noting that stuff like av torn and SpD talon are pretty easily put in range of being 2 and OHKOed respectively by dragon pulse on the switch after rocks (torn is harder to wear down but it has a chance to lose after rocks regardless). I recognize that you are forced to play mind games with leaf storm vs. other move though, as without prediction a mega Sceptile that just spams leaf storm whenever it gets the opportunity is easily taken advantage of. The main thing I was looking at in comparison to mega sceptiles current rank was mega aero which at least in my experience has significantly less consistent and overall worse than mega Sceptile. I guess I might not be being fair to the thing but idk.

 

[Srn]

Goddamit guys mega alt isn't bad x_x lemme just re-quote a post i already made on this when it was nommed down a while back

Man mega-alt sure has a big hate-train on its back lmao.
Look, I get that mega alt has been getting worse recently, but it's still nowhere near the level of garbage like raikou. If anything, now that all the clefable are going bold due to the drop in electrics, the special malt will 2hko clefables much more often. Flamethrower/eq give steels enough trouble already, 2hko'ing mzor, ferro, heatran, scarf rachi, sdef skarm, excadrill, magnezone, the only steel that really walls the special set is empoleon :L
Even amoonguss will get 2hko'd by flamethrower about 30% of the time with SR, and all it really does back is clear smog for 32%~ once its spore is used up. If amoong is that much of a problem, special malt can even pick up fire blast>flamethrower and just 2hko outright.
It's not a switch in to the following, but it can also serve as soft checks to keldeo, mega heracross, garchomp, lati@s, typical electrics, rotom-w, and a few other stuff i'm forgetting.
Mega alt is simply not a pokemon that performs on the same level as reuni, hippo, kingdra, togekiss, and raikou. Shifts in the meta against its favor are notable, but it can still handle them and perform its role.
Keep it B+

On top of this, there's another issue I want to address:

with the specially offensive sets, you have a few more options with the ability to go a bit bulkier with moves like heal bell and roost or more aggressive with EQ for coverage. however, specially offensive variants face the same problems dragon dance variants face: the more offensive ones struggle to check all the stuff you typically want alt to check & the more defensive / supportive ones are underwhelming offensively... this issue isn't nearly as bad here as it is with dragon dance variants though since you really shouldn't be expecting too much from specially offensive mega alt as an offensive mon on your team rofl.

Why are we expecting mega altaria to be some god-like wall that eats everything up and breaks the meta bar chansey at the same time? If you invest in malt defensively, don't complain about its lack of offensive presence or susceptibility to steel types; you're clearly using it to WALL shit. Do you complain that ferro is too weak to damage fire types and should be dropped? No, you're using it to WALL shit and it does that just fine.
Similiarly, don't complain that malt can't wall shit when you're using it to wallbreak. Do you whine about how latios struggles to check volcanion? No, you're using it to be strong and remove hazards, it does that just fine.

I will agree that malt wants to be able to do both but struggles to, but arguing that your offensive wallbreaker set doesn't wall char-x or that your cleric set struggles with ferro is not malt being a bad pokemon, it's simply people using it improperly.

A more proper argument for it to drop is the competition it faces as an offensive fairy, but the resistances its dragon typing brings, the coverage it has for typical fairy checks (eq/fire blast on malt compared to focus blast mgarde and hp fire mdiancie), and reliable recovery is more than enough of a niche to separate it from the rest and keep it B+

 

[bludz]

The problem lies in the fact that neither offensive or defensive sets are particularly effective. You're right - it can't do it all at once. But defensive struggles doing what it needs to due to susceptibility to hazards and being pressured by a lot of common mons like Weavile, Scizor, Clefable, and being forced to heal up or remove status without doing anything in return. Mons like Chansey and Alomomola at least don't have to heal every turn and can fire off Toxics or whatever, whereas most of the things Altaria walls (the hard to wall ones that you need it for like Zards) barely miss out on 2HKOs so you don't have the opportunity to retaliate until they switch out (probably into something that threatens you).

Offensive having issues that other offensive Fairies don't has been gone over. I'd rather compare DD to Volcarona and ask which is deadlier and which requires more support. Sure Volc needs hazards gone and a few mons like Talon, but Altaria needs that and many more to be removed, and even then it's weak to Ice Shard and Bullet Punch, doesn't break Lando-T super easily or anything either.

Mixed attacker is okay and yes has better covg than the other Fairies and soft checks more but also applies way less offensive pressure since it's weaker and slower. Speed is the key here and I went more in depth on that the last time I made the nom.

DDD was the only set that really allowed Alt to try and do it all but it just isn't that good right now. I'm not sure what the defense for Altaria in B+ is when I havent seen a good build with it in ages. Sure maybe Kyurem-Black is in the same boat but that's not a reason for Altaria to stay. Is it really as big of a threat as Mega Bro or Mega Mane? Cuz I dont think so and it's not the glue it used to be either. At least Gengar still has no switchins even if it gets revenged all day long

 

[blank]

Why are we expecting mega altaria to be some god-like wall that eats everything up and breaks the meta bar chansey at the same time? If you invest in malt defensively, don't complain about its lack of offensive presence or susceptibility to steel types; you're clearly using it to WALL shit. Do you complain that ferro is too weak to damage fire types and should be dropped? No, you're using it to WALL shit and it does that just fine.
Similiarly, don't complain that malt can't wall shit when you're using it to wallbreak. Do you whine about how latios struggles to check volcanion? No, you're using it to be strong and remove hazards, it does that just fine.

I will agree that malt wants to be able to do both but struggles to, but arguing that your offensive wallbreaker set doesn't wall char-x or that your cleric set struggles with ferro is not malt being a bad pokemon, it's simply people using it improperly.

A more proper argument for it to drop is the competition it faces as an offensive fairy, but the resistances its dragon typing brings, the coverage it has for typical fairy checks (eq/fire blast on malt compared to focus blast mgarde and hp fire mdiancie), and reliable recovery is more than enough of a niche to separate it from the rest and keep it B+

hi i don't think you got the main point of my post. bludz covered things pretty well, but i should add a bit more.

yeah mega altaria has a more defensive support set that can be used to wall stuff; however, this set really walls that stuff pretty poorly (like bludz said). mega altaria's capability to check a lot of stuff defensively is more appreciated on more offensively inclined builds because on balance / stall builds, you won't really need that ability to check a bunch of common stuff in 1 since you'll have checks to those spread out across your team (if your team isn't ass). that isn't to say mega alt doesn't have a place on these builds as a fatter mon; it can provide support with heal bell, and it can relieve pressure off of other bulky mons by being an additional check to things. however, when's the last time you've seen mega altaria effectively used like this?

that ability to check a bunch of common threats (electrics, keldeo, zard-y, breloom, serp, mega sableye...) in one is more beneficial to offensively inclined builds that are sorta short on checks to these. however, if you're trying to check so many things in 1, you're gonna have to give away some of alt's offensive capability, meaning you're gonna be stuck with a sorta passive mon :x.

so yeah, comparing bulky (support) mega alt to other passive mons that are actually capable of walling stuff effectively isn't the best argument. it can wall, but not as well as other bulky pokemon in B+ (all 3 grasses, mega slowbro, suicune...).

 

[Srn]

hi i don't think you got the main point of my post. bludz covered things pretty well, but i should add a bit more.

yeah mega altaria has a more defensive support set that can be used to wall stuff; however, this set really walls that stuff pretty poorly (like bludz said). mega altaria's capability to check a lot of stuff defensively is more appreciated on more offensively inclined builds because on balance / stall builds, you won't really need that ability to check a bunch of common stuff in 1 since you'll have checks to those spread out across your team (if your team isn't ass). that isn't to say mega alt doesn't have a place on these builds as a fatter mon; it can provide support with heal bell, and it can relieve pressure off of other bulky mons by being an additional check to things. however, when's the last time you've seen mega altaria effectively used like this?

that ability to check a bunch of common threats (electrics, keldeo, zard-y, breloom, serp, mega sableye...) in one is more beneficial to offensively inclined builds that are sorta short on checks to these. however, if you're trying to check so many things in 1, you're gonna have to give away some of alt's offensive capability, meaning you're gonna be stuck with a sorta passive mon :x.

so yeah, comparing bulky (support) mega alt to other passive mons that are actually capable of walling stuff effectively isn't the best argument. it can wall, but not as well as other bulky pokemon in B+ (all 3 grasses, mega slowbro, suicune...).

well nowhere in my post was I trying to sell bulky support mega alt; i know it's not really a fantastic set. "i don't think you got the main point of my post," it was more to say that calling bulky support malt bad because it's passive is not a good argument.

The problem lies in the fact that neither offensive or defensive sets are particularly effective. You're right - it can't do it all at once. But defensive struggles doing what it needs to due to susceptibility to hazards and being pressured by a lot of common mons like Weavile, Scizor, Clefable, and being forced to heal up or remove status without doing anything in return. Mons like Chansey and Alomomola at least don't have to heal every turn and can fire off Toxics or whatever, whereas most of the things Altaria walls (the hard to wall ones that you need it for like Zards) barely miss out on 2HKOs so you don't have the opportunity to retaliate until they switch out (probably into something that threatens you).

Offensive having issues that other offensive Fairies don't has been gone over. I'd rather compare DD to Volcarona and ask which is deadlier and which requires more support. Sure Volc needs hazards gone and a few mons like Talon, but Altaria needs that and many more to be removed, and even then it's weak to Ice Shard and Bullet Punch, doesn't break Lando-T super easily or anything either.

Mixed attacker is okay and yes has better covg than the other Fairies and soft checks more but also applies way less offensive pressure since it's weaker and slower. Speed is the key here and I went more in depth on that the last time I made the nom.

DDD was the only set that really allowed Alt to try and do it all but it just isn't that good right now. I'm not sure what the defense for Altaria in B+ is when I havent seen a good build with it in ages. Sure maybe Kyurem-Black is in the same boat but that's not a reason for Altaria to stay. Is it really as big of a threat as Mega Bro or Mega Mane? Cuz I dont think so and it's not the glue it used to be either. At least Gengar still has no switchins even if it gets revenged all day long

I mostly agree with what you have to say but I'd think that mega altaria has enough speed to be an efficient wallbreaker. It's not ballslow like conk; it has enough speed for common balance mons like skarm, chansey, rotom-w, lando-t, etc and its power is comparable to mega diancie's moonblast:
252+ SpA Pixilate Mega Altaria Hyper Voice vs. 252 HP / 84+ SpD Clefable: 169-201 (42.8 - 51%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
224 SpA Mega Diancie Moonblast vs. 252 HP / 84+ SpD Clefable: 162-192 (41.1 - 48.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery

You're correct in that it does ultimately apply less offensive pressure, but it trades that for more bulk and recovery, and it honestly is fast enough to cover what it needs to. Besides, it's still a subrank lower than mgarde and mega diancie's way up in A+, and yes it's really a big a threat as mega bro and mega mane. Mega mane already struggles with the prevalence of grounds and ttar in the current meta, and mega slowbro just has a really high opportunity cost to use altho its incredibly threatening. Mega Altaria is at home in B+, it shouldn't go higher or lower. Besides, comparing mega altaria to some of the one-dimensional stuff in B like slowking, togekiss, and politoed seems wrong to me.
The mixed attacker set is a B+ set, and the threat of other sets like DD/bulky support/etc, while lackluster, are still threats you need to prepare for.

 

[Gary]

More of the reason I think Mega Altaria should drop is not because it's necessarily bad or because it can't do everything at once, but mostly that it's just not worth using over other Fairy-type megas, on TOP of its overall effectiveness too. Sure the specially offensive set is decently strong and isn't easy to just blindly switch Skarm, Heatran, or Ferro into it, but why use such a subpar wallbreaker when you can use so many better ones that don't even take up your mega slot? Sure it's bulky and has reliable recovery, but it's definitely not as bulky as its DDD set so its not checking stuff like Keldeo, Tyranitar, Terrakion, or Latios very reliable, and while it's not weak it just doesn't have the raw power or Speed to make up for it. It's pretty much just a fat semi-decent wallbreaker with mediocre Speed, and you can't really deny that. Mega Manectric may be struggling a quite a bit with T-tar and Exca running around, but in all honesty there are still plenty of teams out there that are heavily pressured by it because they lack reliable switch-ins for repeated Volt Switches and those that do can be slapped with HP Ice or Flamethrower. Also helps that Hippo sucks right now and Exca is falling a bit out of favor with Rotom-W and defensive Lando-T everywhere, two things that Mega Manec pressures. Mega Slowbro has a high opportunity cost but so does Mega Altaria so that's a pretty bad argument. Mega Slowbro is actually worth using though because it's very difficult to deal with once its accumulated a boost or two, and more offensively oriented teams just straight lose to it mid-late game. It's so fat and unique in that you can abuse its regular form throughout the match until you're ready to sweep. It's one of those megas that isn't very splashable due to its regular counterpart being good already, but it's good enough to a point where it's worth using over other megas if you want a more solid win con and a more consistent check to physical attackers like Mega Medicham or SD Chomp/Lando-T, which regular Slowbro struggles to wall comfortably. Many successful teams have been made recently with the both of them, especially Mega Slowbro, so until I see a few good Mega Altaria teams that are successful, I just don't really see how it's on par with them.

As a fat Fairy-type sweeper, you're better off using Clefable, a fast hard hitting revenge killer Mega Diancie, and as a wallbreaker either Mega Gardevoir or Azumarill, all of which have many other useful qualities. As much as you hate comparing it to one-dimensional Pokemon found in B rank, it honestly makes sense because Mega Altaria is a pretty one dimensional Pokemon in that only one of its sets are actually worth using a majority of the time, and while it can run other sets, they're just not consistent enough to be considered good. Sure people still "prepare" for DD Mega Alt, but lets be honest do you really have to try? T-wave Clef, Scarf Jirachi, Ferrothorn, Skarm, Heatran for EQless variants, Amoonguss, and Lando-T are so common you just don't even need to take Mega Altaria into special consideration, but with Mega Slowbro and Mega Manectric, you definitely have to, because even in Mega Slowbro's case you can't just prepare for regular Slowbro and expect to ALWAYS beat Mega bro, considering it's much stronger and harder to break through.

 

[ShadowMarioGalaxy64]

Oh boy it's been a while. Let's see--Gengar is B+...
I don't even wanna know. Let's just take a look at the current slate and get this over with.

Zapdos C+ -> B- Neutral; Starting to lean Disagree

This isn't coming from a lack of Zapdos usage, as I've used a few sets with it before, but despite all of that, I'm still not sure if it's the best move up. Offensively, it's outclassed. Mega Manectric is maybe the best example, as it will normally have the exact same coverage; Thunderbolt, Flamethrower/Heat Wave, HP Ice, and Volt Switch. Seem familiar? inb4 Choice items--yeah, but is it really worth using that when you can just a Pokemon with BOTH higher Special Attack AND Speed? I know as much as most people that the total offense set I've just described isn't even a recommended set on the analysis, but it's something I wanted to get out because there are people out there that wanted to use Choice Specs/Scarf when it really couldn't afford to. Why? As it has been brought up before, Electric Checks have risen, particularly with Tyranitar ( <3 ).

So...yeah. Offensively, it's even outclassed by Moltres--at least THAT has use in Rain with Hurricane, with Zapdos doesn't get (theorymoning sidetrack--that'd be awesome--sidetrack over). So we're going to go where Zapdos is best: Defense. Wait a minute...what? DEFENSE? This has 90/85/90 bulk--not bad, don't get me wrong, but not very great, either. Just from typing alone, you'd think that this would be a premiere Scizor check, right? Okay...MEGA Scizor is the one that's big right now (I personally like both and am not afraid of using base Scizor, but its mega is obviously the bigger threat), so let's find out what it can do.

+2 252+ Atk Technician Mega Scizor Bug Bite vs. 248 HP / 176+ Def Zapdos: 153-181 (39.9 - 47.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery

Oh. That's better than I expected. Assuming the Physically Defensive Set, Heat Wave OHKOs the offensive set, but has only a 6.5% chance on the bulky set (Stealth Rock jumps it to a 75% chance--probably saved myself a few responses for mentioning this). While it has a small chance of being unable to OHKO Scizor, it does have two qualities over Heatran:

1. Healing. The bulk that Zapdos has sometimes isn't enough (in my eyes, guys), but the ability to heal can easily make up for it. Thankfully, Zapdos has access to Roost, which can also play mind games with Pokemon carrying Rock/Ice coverage.
2. Zapdos' typing gives is a resistance to Superpower, which Heatran does not want part of.

Those are very high and mighty qualities to have against Scizor, but it is also really worth it to run a relatively one-dimensional bird? If you want it to be a Scizor check, that means you have to run Heat Wave, forgoing Toxic, making you weaker to Tyranitar. To put this situation into perspective, allow me to give you a situation that Zapdos is going to likely find itself into.

1. You switch Zapdos into the field with Stealth Rock out. Already, Zapdos is sitting at 288/383 HP. Scizor sets a Swords Dance up. Leftovers makes Zapdos' HP 311/383.
2. Scizor switches out into Tyranitar while Zapdos is likely to use Heat Wave. Minimal damage. Zapdos heals again, 334/383.
3. Clearly, the trainer behind Zapdos should know the dangers of Tyranitar and should hightail it out. Unfortunately, the opposing trainer saw this coming and hit Pursuit.

252 Atk Tyranitar Pursuit vs. 248 HP / 176+ Def Zapdos (switching out): 115-136 (30 - 35.5%) -- 29.2% chance to 3HKO after sandstorm damage and Leftovers recovery
(115, 117, 118, 120, 120, 121, 123, 124, 126, 127, 129, 130, 132, 133, 135, 136)

Just from the figures above, we can easily assume a best case and worst case scenario. Best case, Zapdos takes the 115, putting it at 219/383. Worst case, Zapdos is taking full damage with 136, leaving it at 198/383.

*As a side note, these calculations were done using a Scarf Tyranitar, which also outspeeds Zapdos by 3 points.

4. Zapdos will have to switch back in eventually. Stealth Rock takes it toll yet again, putting Zapdos anywhere from 124/383 to 100/383. At that point, it's checkmate against Mega Scizor's Offensive Set. Offensive Mega Scizor is faster by 9 points and + 2 Bug Bite will do 39.9 - 47.2% (155 - 181) damage. If Zapdos switches out on a Swords Dance, it'll barely have enough HP to come back in, let alone take a hit.
Let's assume, however, that Scizor used Bug Bite (77 - 91 damage) instead of Swords Dance. Now we have to factor in a wider range of HP, sure, but best case, Zapdos will have 70/383 HP after Bug Bite and Leftovers, but worst case gives it 32/383 HP. Next turn, Scizor wins. Minimal damage from Bug Bite is 77, and Zapdos is looking at only 70 HP best case. It's a bittersweet checkmate that will leave the Zapdos user salty.

Even if the opponent doesn't have Tyranitar, what would Zapdos do against a Pokemon like Landorus-T, another popular Pokemon with Stone Edge and the ability to pressure defensive Pokemon? Since Zapdos would have to run Heat Wave, it becomes setup fodder to Mega Charizard X and, to an extent, Terrakion. It also loses its best weapon against multiple walls, as Toxic would've been the key to stopping Quagsire or forcing the blobs out. You trade a single move in order to stop one Pokemon like this (two if you count Ferrothorn...and nobody else does anyways), yet you lose out harshly otherwise. This further points out Zapdos' 4MSS, honestly, and it only makes me wish it was built differently. HONESTLY, it makes me want to use an Offensive set more than anything else--or better yet, a better Pokemon that fits the bill.

In short, I'm hard pressed to find Zapdos' major selling point--maybe I already found it but haven't really felt its worth yet. It has a good typing with Defog and Roost as tank/wall options, but barely any firepower and requiring EVs in Speed and Special Attack even with the Defensive set only shows how little it can do otherwise. Even Heatran doesn't need a lick of investment in either stat on a Defensive spread, as it has enough power, phasing, and even trapping capabilities in just the right places. I might be a touch biased because Heatran is my favorite legendary (and has been since its release), but I still wanted to give Zapdos a chance; it was my favorite of the Legendary Bird Trio and I wanted to see just one of them get up there. Oh well.

I particularly wanted to focus on Zapdos because I feel like Mega Altaria and Thundurus have been covered enough.

Mega Altaria B+ -> B Agree

I need a moment to vent, but Altaria is my absolute LEAST favorite Dragon-Type Pokemon in existence. The only reason it ever became "good" is its Mega and, as shown here, it seems to be falling from grace. Too many people have torn it apart, with Gary2346 above pretty much giving the final blow to the discussion in my eyes (way to go above and beyond, bro). After a critical look at Zapdos, a Pokemon I wanted to be good, I just want to see this one burn (which is fine because the Physical Sets are weak to it to begin with without Heal Bell).

Thundurus A- -> A Neutral; leaning Agree

I feel similarly here in comparison to Zapdos, but I would always enjoy a good Thundurus rise. The only true reason I have no real opinion is because I haven't touched this one in ages (like...early ORAS OU ages), but I remember why it's so good. The rest of the community (bar whomever decides that Raikou should be the same rank and--that happened, didn't it?) seems to know as well, so I'll leave it to them.

Felt good getting that Zapdos rant out.

 

[zbr]

In short, I'm hard pressed to find Zapdos' major selling point--maybe I already found it but haven't really felt its worth yet. It has a good typing with Defog and Roost as tank/wall options, but barely any firepower and requiring EVs in Speed and Special Attack even with the Defensive set only shows how little it can do otherwise. Even Heatran doesn't need a lick of investment in either stat on a Defensive spread, as it has enough power, phasing, and even trapping capabilities in just the right places. I might be a touch biased because Heatran is my favorite legendary (and has been since its release), but I still wanted to give Zapdos a chance; it was my favorite of the Legendary Bird Trio and I wanted to see just one of them get up there. Oh well

i just want to say that there is a reason as to why heatran and zapdos are not of the same rank. comparing the two mons together is extremely unfair as their roles differ a lot. i assume that if it were to rise / stay in the rank, it is because it outclasses whatever mons that are there in it's rank or it performs underwhelmingly compared to the mons in the rank above. your points are extremely valid. just feel like saying this because it happens a lot here and it's extremely unfair to zapdos for it to be compared to something that has a different role entirely compared to it (such as ttar and heatran).

i feel that zapdos is a relatively simple mon that has compressed varied roles into one but is not as suited to perform them as say other mons of similar roles would. being a ground immune electric type that has the ability to stay healthy, defog and retain any semblance of momentum makes it stand out more against mons such as empoleon or mandibuzz. yes, zapdos suffers from one of the worst 4mss ever known to any pokemon trainer out there since it needs roost to function effectively, heat wave / hp ice as an appropriate coverage, discharge / volt switch for stab, defog for hazard controlling utilities, however i think the main reason as to why it is isn't time for zapdos to rise is because even though kurosaki shun summoned it in the battle against crow in episode 82 of yugioh arc v, he still freaking lost to crow hogan that noob the metagame is definitely not in it's favor at the moment. yes the rise of bulky offense / sand offense that feature mons like msciz, bish and exca means that it should technically be more viable but it's ability to handle them are severely hampered by the fact that it is 2x weak to rocks and that is actually one of the biggest cons that zapdos brings to the table as a defensive defogger. which is why i think that zapdos should remain in C+ and not move up.

 

[Seth_]

Alakazam to B+

How even this thing is so low? Yeah, I get it, torn-t is hard counter, it is traped by weavile but there are othet things in this tier and zam deals with them really well.

Most significant set is it's stallbreaker set (with knock off/dazzling gleam), which let zam beat most walls, even chansey (yes, without eviolite focus blast is like 2hko).
Also of all A+ mons zam can beat like 7 out of 9 mons with a little bit support.

Moreover zam has everyrhing you could possibly want. It's quick, has magic guard, amazing suport moves in substitute, calm mind, encore, taunt, knock off and everybody's favourite: twave.

In my opinion combination of it's speed and special attack is good enough to put him above.

 

[imsosorrylol]

Alakazam to B+

How even this thing is so low? Yeah, I get it, torn-t is hard counter, it is traped by weavile but there are othet things in this tier and zam deals with them really well.

Most significant set is it's stallbreaker set (with knock off/dazzling gleam), which let zam beat most walls, even chansey (yes, without eviolite focus blast is like 2hko).
Also of all A+ mons zam can beat like 7 out of 9 mons with a little bit support.

Moreover zam has everyrhing you could possibly want. It's quick, has magic guard, amazing suport moves in substitute, calm mind, encore, taunt, knock off and everybody's favourite: twave.

In my opinion combination of it's speed and special attack is good enough to put him above.

The problem i have with this nom is that Weavile is literally everywhere at the moment. I don't know why but in recent tour matches, particularly WCOP games, people just slap Weavile on every archetype. Its common on bulky offense builds with stuff like Rotom-Wash and Clefable, as well as it being paired with Mega Latias on balanced builds. Its even on that ABR Weavile Stall team that literally everyone is just spamming in WCOP. I just don't feel like now is a time for Alakazam to rise, although if Weavile dies down in popularity and people just go back to spamming TTar + Mega Lati teams then I could definitely see a rise

 

[ShadowMarioGalaxy64]

i just want to say that there is a reason as to why heatran and zapdos are not of the same rank. comparing the two mons together is extremely unfair as their roles differ a lot. i assume that if it were to rise / stay in the rank, it is because it outclasses whatever mons that are there in it's rank or it performs underwhelmingly compared to the mons in the rank above. your points are extremely valid. just feel like saying this because it happens a lot here and it's extremely unfair to zapdos for it to be compared to something that has a different role entirely compared to it (such as ttar and heatran).

A fair point. Forgive me, for I haven't posted anything in months and I did so this time because of Zapdos, forgetting how the ranking system works and only recently reading about Heatran's rise. Basically took two Scizor checks and compared the two. This time, a bit more clarification.

Zapdos is currently ranked at C+ and is being contested for a B- rise (where, funnily enough, Base Scizor resides). The best way to look at Zapdos, to me, is to compare to not only the other tanks and walls of B-, but also to the Electric Type of B-: Raikou.

To say the least, it's actually pretty scary. Zapdos has decent 90/85/90 bulk whereas Raikou has a very similar 90/75/100 stat spread. Zapdos is 10 points stronger, but Raikou is 15 points faster. Both have the ability to pressure Pokemon (even Zapdos can claim to pressure some Special Attackers). Zapdos has a secondary Flying-Type while Raikou remains pure Electric. Their coverage moves are also different--useful, but different. Zapdos gets the useful Heat Wave while Raikou gets the coveted Shadow Ball (while also having the ability to outspeed Gengar without a Choice Scarf!). That's just about where the similarities end, however. Raikou has access to Calm Mind to continuously add Special Pressure, as well as Substitute to avoid Toxic) while Zapdos has to rely on natural bulk and the lack of status protection outside of its typing. To make matters worse, Raikou is neutral to Stealth Rock while Zapdos is weak to it, a near cardinal sin to most Defensive Pokemon--even Sigilyph has an immunity to it and Xatu has the ability to bounce it back, so that makes up for it. The only thing Zapdos has is reliable recovery, which can be played with because of its Electric-Typing.

Compared to Alomomola as a wall, Alomomola can burn Physical Attackers with Scald and has the HP to Wish Pass. To top THAT all off, Alomomola is neutral to Stealth Rock and is more physically bulky. Proof:

252 Atk Reckless Staraptor Double-Edge vs. 36 HP / 220 Def Alomomola: 210-247 (43.7 - 51.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery

252 Atk Reckless Staraptor Double-Edge vs. 248 HP / 176+ Def Zapdos: 192-226 (50.1 - 59%) -- 76.6% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

Finally is Hydreigon, which has a very similar problem to Zapdos in that it has similar stats, but it missing out in places. The catch is that Hydreigon applies more offensive pressure while maintaining a Ground Immunity, reliable recovery, and neutrality to Stealth Rock. There is also the fact that Hydreigon isn't VERY well in the meta, either (though it won't stop me from loving it).

Those are really the only true comparisons I can think of, as the other Pokemon in B- are too offensive to really compare to. In B, Quagsire AND Gastrodon both have a better typing and ability in Unaware and Storm Drain, respectfully.

*My deepest apologies if these aren't the best comparisons, but I wanted to have this be a minor point in comparison to the next.

Comparisons aside, the true way to judge a Pokemon's viability is to see how it matches up with the top contenders of the meta. We're going to look at the Top 25 Pokemon by Usage and see how Zapdos holds.

Hidden to save space read anyways because it's important and stuff

1. Landorus-T. Look who's back on top, baby. Landorus-T may have to watch out for HP Ice, sure, but as mentioned before, Zapdos cannot afford to stay in against the four legged genie, as it has access to a very powerful Stone Edge.
252 Atk Landorus-T Stone Edge vs. 248 HP / 176+ Def Zapdos: 204-240 (53.2 - 62.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
Stealth Rock and some prior damage completely get rid of this one, especially since Landorus-T has access to the former.

2. Garchomp. Somewhat similar, but Garchomp also has access to Stone Edge. ALSO like Landorus-T, Swords Dance...but unlike the aforementioned above, Garchomp has a Base Speed of 102, so it's quite possible (and by possible, I mean guaranteed--even TankChomp) that it will outspeed and torment the bird. There's also the fact that Garchomp has Stealth Rock as well.

3. Excadrill. Yep. Top 3 Pokemon are Bulky Sand. THIS is why Zapdos has problems. Aforementioned problems, but now with Rock Slide, a potential flincher.

4. Latios. It doesn't help that Latios resists Electric, but it also really hurts that it is faster and very powerful.
252 SpA Latios Draco Meteor vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Zapdos: 232-274 (60.5 - 71.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
Stealth Rock and minor prior damage does the trick.

5. Keldeo?
252 SpA Choice Specs Keldeo Hydro Pump vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Zapdos: 292-345 (76.2 - 90%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
Keldeno.

6. Heatran? *Laughs* That's an easy victory for Heatran. Specially Defensive set will completely block anything and everything coming at it.
68 SpA Zapdos Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 188+ SpD Heatran: 91-108 (23.5 - 27.9%) -- possible 5HKO after Leftovers recovery

7. Clefable. Clefable has access to reliable recovery and a way to torment Zapdos with Moonblast and its secondary effect.
68 SpA Zapdos Thunderbolt vs. 248 HP / 8 SpD Clefable: 135-160 (34.3 - 40.7%) -- 55.7% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
And it only goes down from there.

8. Rotom-W.
*Laughs*

9. Talonflame. Okay, fair point. Zapdos can do something to Talonflame.

10. Tyranit--talked about it. Zapdos is Zaptoast.

11. Ferrothorn. Zapdos has Heat Wave, so fair point. Then again, many teams already carry a solid answer to Ferrothorn (which comes from preparing for Scizor sometimes), so it's not a worthy trait. Hate to bring Heatran back into this, but it can do both with its eyes closed.

12. Tornadus-T. Okay, fair point, I guess. Even Physical Zapdos can hold this one off.

13. Skarmory. Again, not a bad point, since Zapdos can fry Skarmory.

14. Azumarill. Zapdos cannot directly switch into this one (which is completely laughable).
252+ Atk Huge Power Azumarill Play Rough vs. 248 HP / 176+ Def Zapdos: 153-181 (39.9 - 47.2%) -- 98% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
Yet if Azumarill uses Belly Drum...
+6 252+ Atk Huge Power Azumarill Aqua Jet vs. 248 HP / 176+ Def Zapdos: 273-322 (71.2 - 84%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
Now THAT'S pathetic.

15. Bisharp. What's a way to make Heat Wave look pointless? Give Zapdos the inability to switch in OR try to use Defog. A Bisharp switch into Defog or a Zapdos switch into Knock Off is leading to this...
+2 252 Atk Life Orb Bisharp Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 248 HP / 176+ Def Zapdos: 343-406 (89.5 - 106%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock

16. Weavile...
*Laughs*

17. Starmie? Now that's an interesting matchup. To be fair, neither Pokemon can switch into each other.
252 SpA Life Orb Starmie Hydro Pump vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Zapdos: 212-251 (55.3 - 65.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery

18. Volcanion. Like with Starmie, neither can really switch into each other, because Volcanion can dish some damage out.

19. Jirachi. Specially Defensive Jirachi can Toxic Stall Zapdos out of the picture...
68 SpA Zapdos Heat Wave vs. 252 HP / 224+ SpD Jirachi: 130-154 (32.1 - 38.1%) -- 36.6% chance to 3HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
...and Zapdos can't do much back.

20. Latias. What's worse than a Pokemon that resists you and can outspeed you for the KO? A Pokemon that resists you, outspeeds you, and is bulkier all in one WITH reliable recovery, the strongest move of the two, and phasing capabilities.

21. Scizor-Mega. I've already talked about how this matchup is worth nothing before, so I won't go into too much detail.

22. Chansey.
*Laughs*

23. Manaphy?
68 SpA Zapdos Thunderbolt vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Manaphy: 252-296 (73.9 - 86.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
Now factor Calm Mind and Tail Glow...

24. Thundurus...
*Taunts and boosts*

25. Mega Sableye. Reflect Toxic (or burn), stall. Win.

As you can see Zapdos doesn't have very many good matchups that REALLY speak out and go for it. Talonflame checking can be done with Rotom-W and Heatran, which arguably not only do it better, but do another multitude of tasks in one. When the very Pokemon you're supposed to check (Water-Types) have the ability to 2HKO or completely set up on your on the switch, you're asking to be called "pathetic". This is most likely why I compared Zapdos to Heatran; Heatran can do quite a few things Zapdos can (or is supposed to do), that being beat Scizor and Talonflame, but Heatran has the ability to stop Weavile, Bisharp, Skarmory, and pressure many switches with a possible burn or Roar. On top of that, Heatran can afford to give a move up for another in order to accommodate for the team, unlike Zapdos if it still wants to do the job. To top everything off, Heatran is the perfect glue Pokemon, as everybody has mentioned before.

These reasons above are why I believe that Zapdos cannot move up. It cannot keep up with the current meta and the Pokemon it should be able to check have a way around it. I was once leaning to keep it C+, still somewhat neutral, but I firmly believe that Zapdos should stay in C+ because it is not compatible with the current meta. Maybe this will put some people's minds to rest, maybe not. Maybe I miscompared again, but I did type this right after some stressful times, so I'll just leave it here.

 

[Farfield]

This is a question about the competitive itself more than discussion about the viability. I wonder how is that the metagame changes? Is it when a new Pokemon is introduced (like Volcanion) any new hidden ability or event Pokemon is released, or it changes even when there's no movement from outside (like the things I just discribed)?

 

[Seth_]

The problem i have with this nom is that Weavile is literally everywhere at the moment. I don't know why but in recent tour matches, particularly WCOP games, people just slap Weavile on every archetype. Its common on bulky offense builds with stuff like Rotom-Wash and Clefable, as well as it being paired with Mega Latias on balanced builds. Its even on that ABR Weavile Stall team that literally everyone is just spamming in WCOP. I just don't feel like now is a time for Alakazam to rise, although if Weavile dies down in popularity and people just go back to spamming TTar + Mega Lati teams then I could definitely see a rise

Yeah, but Lati is punished by weavile even more since alakazam can run sash set and no one doubt how good lati is. I think that alakazam droped too low since previous version of ranking.

 

[ceal]

This is a question about the competitive itself more than discussion about the viability. I wonder how is that the metagame changes? Is it when a new Pokemon is introduced (like Volcanion) any new hidden ability or event Pokemon is released, or it changes even when there's no movement from outside (like the things I just discribed)?

Smogon released an article detailing several metagame changes in ORAS, it's a good read and if you're interested I'd recommend checking it out.

Mega Altaria to B: agree

Not much to say on this one, the meta's had a year and a half to adapt to it since its glory days in early ORAS and boy has it fallen from grace since. It has a lot of potential but it just can't work in this metagame anymore. To me, B is where Alt belongs, sort of a crossroads between good and bad. It also doesn't help that Alt's main sets are DD sets and tbh DDancers have been on the decline for a while now.

 

[FPB]

Bisharp up to A
Bisharp is a big threat and can sweep almost everytime when the opponents team is lowered, because intimidate pokemon cant check it becomes even a more bigger threat and it can also run things like Scarf or AV Pursuit to trap latis and other mons like that. It is also a counter to Clefable and other fairy type what can help.

 

[zbr]

Bisharp up to A
Bisharp is a big threat and can sweep almost everytime when the opponents team is lowered, because intimidate pokemon cant check it becomes even a more bigger threat and it can also run things like Scarf or AV Pursuit to trap latis and other mons like that. It is also a counter to Clefable and other fairy type what can help.


I disagree.

The SD set can be easily stopped with something with access to Will-O-Wisp and is hard to actually give Bisharp a good switch-in. Even resisted Draco Meteors from the lati twins he is supposed to check will do a ton. Assault Vest and Scarf completely suck on Bisharp. When running those items on a Pursuit user, you are supposed to be using Tyranitar, man. Most Clefables carry anti-steel coverage or Thunder Wave that will eliminate Bisharp from play.

RecEdit: Don't double post please

did you just.. disagree yourself? o-o

clefs rarely carry flamethrower nowadays because twave is just too amazing to forgo in this current metagame. moonblast most likely 2hkos it but you not only risk the defiant boost as well as getting straight rekt by iron head (unless you are one of those crazy people that run babiri counter clef aka me). idk what this is about but i think bisharp is fine where it is.

RecEdit: no, he didn't disagree with himself, that was totally my fault, apparently it was two people with the same avatar, I just scanned really quickly. Sorry FPB.

 

[ceal]

IMO Bish is fine where he's at. Sharp can easily pressure a lot of teams yeah but is has a lot of problems namely its low speed and reliance on sucker punch to deal with faster threats which turns matchups into 50/50s where one wrong play costs you your mon. Its frailty is also a problem for it, as it makes Bish difficult to bring in even on resisted hits.

184 SpA Life Orb Latias Draco Meteor vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Bisharp: 156-183 (57.5 - 67.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Latios Draco Meteor vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Bisharp: 185-218 (68.2 - 80.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Gengar Shadow Ball vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Bisharp: 114-135 (42 - 49.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

Yeah I guess you can use AV Pursuit but Bish is weak without a life orb or dread plate and if you really wanna pursuit things use TTar it's a lot better at it since it has actual bulk and has more utility than just trapping since it can revenge kill (w/ scarf) and wallbreak (w/ band), two things that AV Sharp can't do as well. Bisharp's best set is SD, Pursuit sets are a waste IMO.

As for SD, it suffers from the flaws I mentioned above, over reliance on sucker punch due to low speed and relative frailty (on the special side, its defense is actually decent for an offensive mon). But there's also the issue of status (I feel this weakness is especially crucial for SD sets since a burn or para can outright stop a sweep) especially considering that many wisp/twave users outspeed or can stomach a hit from Bish (Talon, Sableye, Mew, Klefki, hell there's even Wisp Tran) and they can really put pressure on him.

Overall Bisharp may be a frightening mon to face but the meta has adapted to his presence and checks to him are literally everywhere, not to mention the flaws Bisharp already suffers. Keep Bisharp A-.

 

[imsosorrylol]

Yeah, but Lati is punished by weavile even more since alakazam can run sash set and no one doubt how good lati is. I think that alakazam droped too low since previous version of ranking.

Yeah but the thing with Latios is it has actual defenses and can have real defensive synergy. It's so hard to switch Zam into stuff since it's defenses are just so bad. It takes like 70 min from specs Keldeo which is a "resist". I just think that Latios' defensive capabilities and the fact that Keldeo is also everywhere right now is the reason why Latios hasn't dropped and also why Zam should stay where it is at.

 

[Martin]

If you're using Sash Alakazam you are using it as a revenge killer. It will never come out onto the field and be at anything below full health unless it takes two hits to kill something or it gets Pursuit trapped by Weavile due to how immensely good Magic Guard is combined with the fact you're not switching it into stuff. As such I don't really like the comparison to Latios because the is being used to defensively check things while SashKazam is being used to RK stuff with greater consistency at the cost of said defensive utility.

That said, non-mega Alakazam's best set is definitely LO (which, for the record, is still an iffy comparison to Latios beyond being ap powerful offensive psychic for precisely the same reasons as why SashKazam is (you're not switching this thing directly into shit like you would Latios)) due to how hard it is to switch in on compared to sash, and I really don't think that the merits of that set are enough to push it up. What you have is a frail offensive Psychic-type which is slower than Mega Lopunny, doesn't gain any notable Fighting-type outspeeds over the next two slowest Psychic-types (Starmie and Lati@s), it falls flat in oriority-infested metas like OU and doesn't have the anti-pursuit gimmick that its mega has while not losing susceptibility relative to Starmie (who really doesn't care about any that Kazam doesn't lose to barring maybe Scarftar although even then it's kinda suspect when Tar is the Starmie switch-in anyway). Just in general it loses a lot of consistency and general usefulness when compared to its mega without really offering that much over its other non-mega psychic brethren.
===========
On another note CTC is a lord. while I agree that AV and Pursuit are both wastes on Bisharp, you wouldn't be running max atk/speed on Pursut Bish because you want to be able to at least somewhat consistently trap Latios, which is what makes 52/56 (icr which) SpD EVs completely mandatory in such sets to take the Draco-->HP Fire or whatever it is that this spread does.

 

[ceal]

On another note CTC is a lord. while I agree that AV and Pursuit are both wastes on Bisharp, you wouldn't be running max atk/speed on Pursut Bish because you want to be able to at least somewhat consistently trap Latios, which is what makes 52/56 (icr which) SpD EVs completely mandatory in such sets to take the Draco-->HP Fire or whatever it is that this spread does.

Yeah ik. For better clarification, here's what the pursuit trapper set takes from Latios and the like:

252 SpA Life Orb Latios Draco Meteor vs. 0 HP / 52 SpD Bisharp: 172-203 (63.4 - 74.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
184 SpA Life Orb Latias Draco Meteor vs. 0 HP / 52 SpD Bisharp: 144-172 (53.1 - 63.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Regardless of the Sp.def EVs, it still takes over half. Compare that to TTar, the trapper I recommended to use instead of Sharp:
(Scarf): 252 SpA Life Orb Latios Draco Meteor vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Tyranitar in Sand: 185-218 (54.2 - 63.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
(Scarf): 184 SpA Life Orb Latias Draco Meteor vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Tyranitar in Sand: 156-185 (45.7 - 54.2%) -- 50.8% chance to 2HKO
(Band): 252 SpA Life Orb Latios Draco Meteor vs. 100 HP / 0 SpD Tyranitar in Sand: 185-218 (50.5 - 59.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
(Band): 252 SpA Life Orb Latios Draco Meteor vs. 100 HP / 0 SpD Tyranitar in Sand: 185-218 (50.5 - 59.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

May not seem like a big difference, after all Latios does over 50% to Sharp as well as both TTar variants, but look at how much -2 Latios does to Sharp and Tar:

-2 252 SpA Life Orb Latios Draco Meteor vs. 0 HP / 52 SpD Bisharp: 86-101 (31.7 - 37.2%) -- 89.9% chance to 3HKO
-2 252 SpA Life Orb Latios Draco Meteor vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Tyranitar in Sand: 94-110 (27.5 - 32.2%) -- guaranteed 4HKO

The fact is, regardless of the Sp.Att drop from Draco, Draco still can 2hko. Which means that Latios is less likely to switch out, since the opponent can predict the pursuit play, Draco again, and kill the Sharp. TTar doesn't have this problem unless Draco gets a high roll, and that's just for Scarf variants. Sure you could use AV Bisharp, but its even slower than normal Sharp (and as a result more reliant on Sucker, which further compounds the 50/50 issue), and, again, just sorta wastes Bisharp's potential. If you want a bulky pursuit trapper, there's Scizor and Metagross. If you want a Trapper with priority, there's Scizor and Weavile. Idk what Sharp really has over those guys to justify its use besides not taking up a mega slot.