http://www.smogon.com/smog/issue32/checks-and-counters im just gonna leave this here and go to my next class
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Lower Tiers PU Viability Rankings
- Thread starter Anty
- Start date
I'm pretty sure that article is super outdated and isn't really used by anyone to describe checks and counters anymore(I even remember some mods passing the article off when I tried to use it in an argument). Examples of this is most Victim of the Week threads around, most noms are of Pokemon that can actually switch into the Victim of the Week's STAB moves, and beat them afterwards, while still not being able to switch into certain coverage, while very few noms actually follow the description used in the article you posted.
Well, actually MaroGod is right. A check isn't meant to come in one of the other mon's move. A check can come in on a safe switch. Offensive checks can't switch in. Just look at Kadabra, can only come in if it's on a safe switch, as without it's sash, it can't reliably check.
I mean, if people got their definitions right instead of throwing around the word counter, we wouldnt have this issue.
Anyway, time for me to post something
Seaking to D/C-
Alright, so I've been testing this thing out a fair bit as of late. It's actually suprisingly decent and supplies teams with an offensive Electric immunity that is resistant to all of the common coverage on our Electrics, bar Raichu's Focus Blast and I guess Electrode's Signal Beam. It also has access to some nice utility, in Knock Off and Haze(counters standard Gorebyss with the latter), and has access to Agility, allowing it to clean late game after switching into something like Zebstrika and getting off a near free Agility. Also one of the few Rotom-F checks(bar sub wisp) that also stops the momentum gained by Scarf variants. Very handy special Water check aswell. All in all, I have no idea why this hasn't been looked at or nommed yet, but I think it's been an oversight to dismiss Seaking as a viable member of this meta's roster.
P.S.-Oh, also, due to its rather good coverage and usable bulk, it can be an excellent SD pass recipient when packing Agility. Replay Below
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/pu-290150434
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OK I am Nomming Monferno from B+ to A rank.
With the new drops, of Eggy, Pawn and Boff, which are becoming quite clearly high tier Pokemon, Monferno is a nice Soft Check to A lot of Mons being used right now. Such as the 3 I just mentioned, also Stoutland, Relicanth, Regice, Roselia, ect.
It also has many sets it can run, Band, LO, Eviolite, Swords Dance, and Scarf, i even find special to come in niche sometimes. It ads 2 forms of Stab prioarty that can come from ether offensive stat, is great on Momentom teams and all around i find very splashible and for these reason i feel the jump of 2 Ranks is deserving and accurate of how it preforms in the current metagame.
With the new drops, of Eggy, Pawn and Boff, which are becoming quite clearly high tier Pokemon, Monferno is a nice Soft Check to A lot of Mons being used right now. Such as the 3 I just mentioned, also Stoutland, Relicanth, Regice, Roselia, ect.
It also has many sets it can run, Band, LO, Eviolite, Swords Dance, and Scarf, i even find special to come in niche sometimes. It ads 2 forms of Stab prioarty that can come from ether offensive stat, is great on Momentom teams and all around i find very splashible and for these reason i feel the jump of 2 Ranks is deserving and accurate of how it preforms in the current metagame.
Exeggutor added to A+
Pawniard added to A+
Bouffalant added to A
Gorebyss added to B+
Gothitelle added to C
Monferno from B+ to A-
Murkrow from B- to B+
Vullaby from B+ to A-
Duosion from A- to B+
Linoone from A- to A+
Sawsbuck from A- to B+
Ninetales from A- to B+
Tangela from A to A-
Raichu from A to A-
Electrode from C+ to B-
Purugly from B to B-
Seaking from E to D
Weepinbell from C+ to unlisted
Beheeyem from C+ to C
Lickilicky from B+ to B
This is subject to change as we go over A rank order, also my minions and I will explain some of this stuff in later posts
Also discuss drops more pls especially Eggy since some people want it in S
Pawniard added to A+
Bouffalant added to A
Gorebyss added to B+
Gothitelle added to C
Monferno from B+ to A-
Murkrow from B- to B+
Vullaby from B+ to A-
Duosion from A- to B+
Linoone from A- to A+
Sawsbuck from A- to B+
Ninetales from A- to B+
Tangela from A to A-
Raichu from A to A-
Electrode from C+ to B-
Purugly from B to B-
Seaking from E to D
Weepinbell from C+ to unlisted
Beheeyem from C+ to C
Lickilicky from B+ to B
This is subject to change as we go over A rank order, also my minions and I will explain some of this stuff in later posts
Also discuss drops more pls especially Eggy since some people want it in S
Reasons for some of the changes:
With the tier shift, the metagame has become more offensive which is a blessing to linoone as most of its standard checks fit much better on defensive and balanced teams such as klang. Even with checks teams can still lose, as mons like probopass and pawniard have to be at very high health, and if dual screens have been set up sometimes they cannot even revenge kill linoone. Paired with Jumpluff and or dual screens, Linoone has little difficulty setting up meaning the opponent has to play almost perfectly to avoid this. A Pokemon which can 6-0 teams which dont run one of specific checks (some of which have gotten worse recently) that requires some support fits perfectly in A+
Raichu is less effective now for several reasons. Firstly with the metagame becoming more offensive, faster electric types such as zebstrika, electrode, and scarf rotom-f are becoming more useful to revenge kill pokemon such as Floatzel. Nasty plot sets are also less effective as there are less defensive teams and almost every offensive team can pick it off with a faster pokemon or priority. Comparing it to other A-rank Pokemon, Raichu finds itself to be worse than Rotom-F which has a secondary STAB allowing it to pressure grounds and grasses at the same along with other utility moves like willowisp.
With the tier shift, the metagame has become more offensive which is a blessing to linoone as most of its standard checks fit much better on defensive and balanced teams such as klang. Even with checks teams can still lose, as mons like probopass and pawniard have to be at very high health, and if dual screens have been set up sometimes they cannot even revenge kill linoone. Paired with Jumpluff and or dual screens, Linoone has little difficulty setting up meaning the opponent has to play almost perfectly to avoid this. A Pokemon which can 6-0 teams which dont run one of specific checks (some of which have gotten worse recently) that requires some support fits perfectly in A+
Raichu is less effective now for several reasons. Firstly with the metagame becoming more offensive, faster electric types such as zebstrika, electrode, and scarf rotom-f are becoming more useful to revenge kill pokemon such as Floatzel. Nasty plot sets are also less effective as there are less defensive teams and almost every offensive team can pick it off with a faster pokemon or priority. Comparing it to other A-rank Pokemon, Raichu finds itself to be worse than Rotom-F which has a secondary STAB allowing it to pressure grounds and grasses at the same along with other utility moves like willowisp.
Zweilous from B- to B: I'm curious as to why this threat didn't move up already: It checks decently the new, yet incredibly threatening core of Pawniard & Exeggutor ( & to an extent Gothitelle, if you wanna talk about all threats ), while still check/countering its fair share of threats, most notably special threats of all kinds. Hustle misses are definitly annoying but still, Zweilous is worth a spot on more teams due to the utility it has. What's nice about Zwei is that even w/out investment it packs enough of a punch not to be abused too hard by some of our strongest setup sweepers.
Solrock from B to B-: God Ra took a pretty big hit with the drops: It doesn't win against any of the drops except Bouffalant, which gets only soft check by Solrock. It is still able to wall a decent amount of physical threats, & wisp is pretty nice on it, but to be honest, i'm struggling more & more to find Solrock a spot over the likes of Relicanth, who also struggles with other threats, but doesn't exactly feel as hopeless, has more possibilities overall.
Ranks of new drops seems a bit weird to me, Ik putting a new drop in S right off the bat is kind of stupid but still, i'm pretty confident on Pawniard & Exeggutor's ability to reach that rank. But for now, i'll just abstain, as i feel like we need still a few more days to define how defining these two are. Bouffalant's rank is good, nothing to say about it, same for Gorebyss. I haven't tested Gothitelle at all so i can't say.
Solrock from B to B-: God Ra took a pretty big hit with the drops: It doesn't win against any of the drops except Bouffalant, which gets only soft check by Solrock. It is still able to wall a decent amount of physical threats, & wisp is pretty nice on it, but to be honest, i'm struggling more & more to find Solrock a spot over the likes of Relicanth, who also struggles with other threats, but doesn't exactly feel as hopeless, has more possibilities overall.
Ranks of new drops seems a bit weird to me, Ik putting a new drop in S right off the bat is kind of stupid but still, i'm pretty confident on Pawniard & Exeggutor's ability to reach that rank. But for now, i'll just abstain, as i feel like we need still a few more days to define how defining these two are. Bouffalant's rank is good, nothing to say about it, same for Gorebyss. I haven't tested Gothitelle at all so i can't say.
Carbink to D
This thing is extremely bad rn especially with all the new drops literally able to take advantage of this thing. CroBink isnt at all good with it being easily exploitable and taken on and SR/TR sets are just done so much better by other mons.
Swalot to E
Seriously, Why is this still even ranked? Because it can take on Special Attackers? despite being worn down considerably. Countering Roselia? despite the fact it has numerous counters already. Because its one of the pokemon that can use Assault Vest? even though it still is overall pretty bad. The fact that its almost mandatory to keep this thing alive with Wish is ridiculous, Why? Because your using Licki who eats special hits for days
Kadabra to A+
I don't see why this thing didn't move up to begin with its still the best safety net and reliably Rks easily without much trouble. Being one of the premium checks to the new drops and still crippling threats such as Vigoroth, Linoone, Monferno. Its on par with the A+ mons and really does deserve to rise back up.
This thing is extremely bad rn especially with all the new drops literally able to take advantage of this thing. CroBink isnt at all good with it being easily exploitable and taken on and SR/TR sets are just done so much better by other mons.
Swalot to E
Seriously, Why is this still even ranked? Because it can take on Special Attackers? despite being worn down considerably. Countering Roselia? despite the fact it has numerous counters already. Because its one of the pokemon that can use Assault Vest? even though it still is overall pretty bad. The fact that its almost mandatory to keep this thing alive with Wish is ridiculous, Why? Because your using Licki who eats special hits for days
Kadabra to A+
I don't see why this thing didn't move up to begin with its still the best safety net and reliably Rks easily without much trouble. Being one of the premium checks to the new drops and still crippling threats such as Vigoroth, Linoone, Monferno. Its on par with the A+ mons and really does deserve to rise back up.
What exactly made Electrode from a D rank Pokemon to a B- rank Pokemon?
Mostly the extra Speed that Electrode has over Zebstrika allows it to go Modest to provide it an added boost in power as well as being a stop to Modest Scarf Chatot with Soundproof on top of being a solid revenge killer has made it rise in viability.
ok i've got some noms
--> A / A+
This is pretty obvious, but Monferno is such an amazing mon rn, ranging from offensive to defensive capabilities, as a setup sweeper or revenge killer. Because this thing can fill so many roles, its extremely splashable at the moment, while it also helps us with a few of the drops. It's one of, if not the best check to Pawniard, and it does a great job of revenge killing Exeggutor. Monf takes on a lot of the higher ranks as well, namely Pawn, Rose, Vig, Stoutland, whether it's SD or AoA. Scarf is actually one of the best revenge killers in the tier as well, outspeeding Gorebyss at +2, Floatzel, Regice after boosts, etc. Fast defensive stallbreaker Monferno is actually really good as well, with Close Combat / Will-O-Wisp / Taunt / Slack Off it can really wear down a lot of teams and force a ton of switches. Overall, this thing is super easy to throw on a team, whatever role, and the team pretty much becomes better. Not much more to say.
--> A
Since the recent shifts, the meta has become reallly offensive, and this is basically where Chatot shines. Modest Scarf picks up a ton of KOs and is one of the better revenge killers in the tier. Boomburst is an extremely hard STAB to switch into, and along with HP Fighting, theres really not that much that switches safely into this (especially on offensive builds).
--> A
Pretty obvious nom here as well. Being able to check a multitude of Pokemon such as Roselia, Stoutland, Exeggutor, Pawniard, Jumpluff, Linoone, Grumpig, Bouffalant, Monferno, etc and being our most reliable defogger makes it pretty easy to bump this thing up a rank. Not only does Foul Play discourage physical setup mons, but Vullaby packs great other moves like U-turn, Taunt, Whirlwind, and Tailwind that allow it to support any team really well.
--> B
Clefairy has been pretty good in metas built around slow wallbreaking and defensive cores, but in this really offensive, fast-paced meta, I find Clefairy is way too passive to really keep up with the likes of Pawniard, Roselia, Vigoroth, etc. Even with the moves it can switch into, it's extremely pressured and often times it's forced to recover with its free turns, rarely granting it a turn to set up Rocks, which is its main role. Calm Mind really isn't that good either, especially with bulkier setup sweepers such as Bouffalant and Pawn that can use it as setup fodder. The negatives honestly just outweigh the positives here, I think this thing should drop.
--> C+
I really don't see the need to use this since Gorebyss dropped. Yeah, it gets priority, but Gorebyss is just stronger overall in its given stat. Pretty simple, just outclassed.
This is pretty obvious, but Monferno is such an amazing mon rn, ranging from offensive to defensive capabilities, as a setup sweeper or revenge killer. Because this thing can fill so many roles, its extremely splashable at the moment, while it also helps us with a few of the drops. It's one of, if not the best check to Pawniard, and it does a great job of revenge killing Exeggutor. Monf takes on a lot of the higher ranks as well, namely Pawn, Rose, Vig, Stoutland, whether it's SD or AoA. Scarf is actually one of the best revenge killers in the tier as well, outspeeding Gorebyss at +2, Floatzel, Regice after boosts, etc. Fast defensive stallbreaker Monferno is actually really good as well, with Close Combat / Will-O-Wisp / Taunt / Slack Off it can really wear down a lot of teams and force a ton of switches. Overall, this thing is super easy to throw on a team, whatever role, and the team pretty much becomes better. Not much more to say.
Since the recent shifts, the meta has become reallly offensive, and this is basically where Chatot shines. Modest Scarf picks up a ton of KOs and is one of the better revenge killers in the tier. Boomburst is an extremely hard STAB to switch into, and along with HP Fighting, theres really not that much that switches safely into this (especially on offensive builds).
Pretty obvious nom here as well. Being able to check a multitude of Pokemon such as Roselia, Stoutland, Exeggutor, Pawniard, Jumpluff, Linoone, Grumpig, Bouffalant, Monferno, etc and being our most reliable defogger makes it pretty easy to bump this thing up a rank. Not only does Foul Play discourage physical setup mons, but Vullaby packs great other moves like U-turn, Taunt, Whirlwind, and Tailwind that allow it to support any team really well.
Clefairy has been pretty good in metas built around slow wallbreaking and defensive cores, but in this really offensive, fast-paced meta, I find Clefairy is way too passive to really keep up with the likes of Pawniard, Roselia, Vigoroth, etc. Even with the moves it can switch into, it's extremely pressured and often times it's forced to recover with its free turns, rarely granting it a turn to set up Rocks, which is its main role. Calm Mind really isn't that good either, especially with bulkier setup sweepers such as Bouffalant and Pawn that can use it as setup fodder. The negatives honestly just outweigh the positives here, I think this thing should drop.
I really don't see the need to use this since Gorebyss dropped. Yeah, it gets priority, but Gorebyss is just stronger overall in its given stat. Pretty simple, just outclassed.
Huntail's priority is incredibly important, it means that teams that rely on scarfers to beat gorebyss (read: a fuckton of teams) now lose to huntail unless said scarfer is like trick scarf rotom. There's not much more to say about this, it has a really clear niche that people sleep on until they lose to. Oh and double edge can beat teams that rely on politoed to check it, while ice beam is still good obviously for beating vullaby and whatever.
Now stop hating on my bonermon :[
edit: A+ is ridiculous for monferno wtf
Now stop hating on my bonermon :[
edit: A+ is ridiculous for monferno wtf
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I'd agree to move Monferno to A+, not just because it's so splashable, but also because it's actually hard to punish the use of monferno. there isn't a single pokemon that can safely make use of the opponent having a monferno. the closest you'll get to that are faster attackers and phys.def. stunfisk, but even against those, it got mach punch and the walls get whittled by uturn, cause they either lack recovery-moves and or leftovers. and you gotta get the faster mons in somehow. swanna might be able to defog, but that's also risky, considering it has the option to run thunderpunch, which makes it hard for swanna to switch in. i really feel like it's probably the most easy-go pokemon in this metagame and i barely ever feel like i'm better off using something else.
In a meta dominated by offensive play styles, I find Ninjask to be very effective for its ability to outspeed and either maim or scare out frail threats slower than Ninjask, such as Zebstrika, Jumpluff, Kadabra, Simipour, Simisage, Floatzel lacking Aqua Jet, and many others. It's also able to force out some of our top threats in PU; with Infiltrator, it has the ability to Toxic Vigoroth behind a Substitute, thus putting it on a timer and eventually causing it to switch. Banded Ninjask also scares out PU mainstays such as Roselia, Exeggutor, and Grumpig, which lets it pick up momentum via its banded U-Turn every time it threatens to OHKO one of these Pokemon. Ninjask also reliably draws in Pokemon like Stunfisk, Probopass, Golem, and Relicanth, which lets you double out to powerful Grass / Water / Fighting types afterward (doubling to Specs Exeggutor on a predicted Stunfisk switch-in rather than risking the paralysis from Static, for example).
While it is a somewhat weaker alternative, Ninjask has the option of running a Jolly nature, thus outspeeding Scarf Mr. Mime (459) by +1, which can often be your opponent's fastest Pokemon (yes, there are other scarfers faster than 460, but they are limited to just Sawsbuck, Modest Raichu, Dodrio, Modest Floatzel, and the Simis - in that order). While CB Infiltrator is arguably its best set, Insect Plate and a combination of Protect + Speed Boost can be used as an alternative to allow Ninjask to more reliably revenge kill these faster scarfers, with just a small amount of prior damage (outside of Sawsbuck - Adamant Insect Plate OHKOes).
Ninjask should stay in low B+ though, especially considering how vulnerable it is to priority from CB Dodrio, Mightyena, Pawniard, Floatzel, Basculin, and Linoone; that, and the fact that it absolutely requires hazard removal in order to remain functional would keep it from rising above B+ in my opinion. You can see examples of why I think Ninjask has been underrated somewhat in my games against Tricking for PU seasonals.
While Quilladin's defensive Spikes set works to an extent on bulkier teams, the real reason for why I'd like to see Quilladin a little higher is its offensive set with Taunt. The new drops have arguably made the metagame more offensive and therefore increased the prevalence of HO leads, which means being able to outspeed and Taunt leads like Golem (for instance) out of setting SR is an effective weapon for protecting teammates weak to SR. Roselia also loses to Quilladin with its standard Giga Drain / Sludge Bomb / Spikes / Filler set, because Sludge Bomb does not hit Quilladin thanks to Bulletproof, while Quilladin can hit Roselia on its weaker Defense stat with Zen Headbutt, prevent Spikes via Taunt, or set your own Spikes as Roselia switches out.
Our newer drops in Pawniard and Exeggutor made Quilladin's other coverage options effective as well. 252+ Drain Punch can OHKO Pawniard and puts a huge dent in Probopass, while a 3 hit Pin Missile from Quilladin OHKOes 72 HP Exeggutor after SR. Similarly, Quilladin can OHKO Kadabra through its Focus Sash with just a 2 Hit Pin Missile if using an Adamant nature. And a final option that hasn't been considered on Quilladin yet is the combination of Taunt + Toxic to beat walls, outside of things like Oblivious Lickilicky and Magic Guard Clefairy (which are rather rare in this meta atm anyway). Running Jolly with this set lets you land a Toxic on Vigoroth before it Substitutes or Taunts you (on sets creeping Pawniard's Speed tier).
Overall, Quilladin is a somewhat forgotten option for stacking Spikes, but I'd still recommend it for the amount of Pokemon it outspeeds with its Taunt set and its ability to beat some of the new drops with its x4 effective coverage options.
Emolga is something I've researched through tests on the ladder and against known PU players, so I can confirm through experience that utility Emolga deserves at least D rank thanks to its unique ability in Motor Drive which grants it a useful Electric immunity, its access to utility moves such as Encore, Taunt, and Substitute, its extremely spammable Knock Off, its ability to provide momentum via U-Turn / Volt Switch / Baton Pass, and its surprisingly hard-hitting Acrobatics (has +20 more base Attack than Jumpluff).
One could argue that using Emolga has an opportunity cost associated with it because other Electric-types such as Zebstrika, Rotom-F, and Raichu for example are either stronger or faster, while comparatively, Jumpluff functions very similarly to utility Emolga. But, Emolga can sometimes find its way onto teams where Jumpluff would be ideal for checking Pokemon like offensive Roselia, Simisage, Gogoat, or other Flying weak Pokemon, but are simultaneously hard pressed to find an Electric immunity. Unlike these aforementioned options however, Emolga also walls Stunfisk via its 2 immunities to Ground and Electric, and Probopass lacking Power Gem, so it is able to find a niche in beating these SR setters.
What's more, Emolga has actually gotten better with the recent tier shift. With Stunfisk being more popular right now, its dual immunity finds additional use. Similarly, Monferno increasing in usage thanks to its ability to beat Pawniard reliably also means Emolga finds more utility in OHKOing Eviolite Monferno with Acrobatics. Emolga also fares well against our new drops: it's able to beat Pawniard in some situations (as I show below) by taking Knock Offs given it doesn't carry an item, it resists Iron Head, and it is able to lock Pawniard into SD or Sucker Punch via Encore. Encore also beats popular options like Vigoroth or Bouffalant (SubSD here) in the same way Jumpluff does, while at the same time it is able to OHKO Exeggutor with its powerful Acrobatics after SR. Special variants of Emolga can check Gorebyss via STAB Thunderbolt, while Knock Off also removes Gothitelle's Leftovers and limits its bulk as a result.
I've both provided a set, and linked an old post I made on Emolga to expound on how it works: http://www.smogon.com/forums/thread...-s-gabite-wailord.3541636/page-2#post-6411885
For quick reference, here is the set:
Emolga @
Ability: Motor Drive
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Acrobatics
- Knock Off
- Baton Pass / U-Turn / Volt Switch
- Encore / Taunt
And finally, here are some replays detailing its success:
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/customgame-291487785 - Emolga's Acro being useful against Mael in PUnger Games (hence being custom)
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/pu-292010415 - Emolga Encoring Electric moves, 2HKOing Armaldo after SR, and then passes out Speed boosts to Arbok
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/pu-221704768 - Emolga team vs Dundies a while back during Barb/Costa meta
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Also I've brought this up both of the last two updates but people have been skeptical so I decided to post here.
Nominating Bouffalant from A to A+
During Bouffalant's last stint in PU, the only set that was particularly common was the Sub + SD set, which is still really good (if not better since ghosts are a lot less common), but the main reason I'd like it to move up is the Assault Vest set. While it may seem unorthodox at first, it has a combination of traits that make it absolutely amazing. Like you'd expect from Bouffalant, it's really hard to switch into even without a boosting item, but it also has a TON of bulk and is easily capable of beating the majority of the tier's special attackers 1v1 and then still having enough HP left to still be useful later on. It's also a great user of Pursuit, as it's capable of easily taking hits from stuff like Kadabra and special Floatzel and then weakening or removing them for its team. Here's a few calcs to show off its raw bulk:
252 SpA Life Orb Raichu Focus Blast vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Bouffalant: 185-218 (46.9 - 55.3%) -- 68.8% chance to 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Floatzel Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Bouffalant: 141-166 (35.7 - 42.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252+ SpA Roselia Sludge Bomb vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Bouffalant: 94-112 (23.8 - 28.4%) -- 96.7% chance to 4HKO
252 SpA Kadabra Psychic vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Bouffalant: 97-115 (24.6 - 29.1%) -- 99.9% chance to 4HKO
All of this adds up to Bouffalant being extremely hard to kill without losing multiple Pokemon in the process. Overall, Bouffalant is a very useful asset to a team and is very hard to successfully deal with, so I feel like A+ rank isn't a huge stretch for it.
Nominating Bouffalant from A to A+
During Bouffalant's last stint in PU, the only set that was particularly common was the Sub + SD set, which is still really good (if not better since ghosts are a lot less common), but the main reason I'd like it to move up is the Assault Vest set. While it may seem unorthodox at first, it has a combination of traits that make it absolutely amazing. Like you'd expect from Bouffalant, it's really hard to switch into even without a boosting item, but it also has a TON of bulk and is easily capable of beating the majority of the tier's special attackers 1v1 and then still having enough HP left to still be useful later on. It's also a great user of Pursuit, as it's capable of easily taking hits from stuff like Kadabra and special Floatzel and then weakening or removing them for its team. Here's a few calcs to show off its raw bulk:
252 SpA Life Orb Raichu Focus Blast vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Bouffalant: 185-218 (46.9 - 55.3%) -- 68.8% chance to 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Floatzel Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Bouffalant: 141-166 (35.7 - 42.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252+ SpA Roselia Sludge Bomb vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Bouffalant: 94-112 (23.8 - 28.4%) -- 96.7% chance to 4HKO
252 SpA Kadabra Psychic vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Bouffalant: 97-115 (24.6 - 29.1%) -- 99.9% chance to 4HKO
All of this adds up to Bouffalant being extremely hard to kill without losing multiple Pokemon in the process. Overall, Bouffalant is a very useful asset to a team and is very hard to successfully deal with, so I feel like A+ rank isn't a huge stretch for it.
Take Azelfie
More flags more fun
I have to agree with Bouffalant from A to A+. The Assault Vest set has lot of utility to it although it does have to watch out for Head Smash recoil when damaging those mons :/.
Boufallant also has pretty good coverage with Head Charge and Earthquake hitting pretty much everything neutrally. As well he has 3 abilities that help out in there own unique way (although Soundproof is generally outshined by the other two) can help Boufallant revenge kill different pokemon which can help specific teams fill there weaknesses easier. His Swords Dance + Substitute/Taunt set is amazing for cleaning late game especially with some great Sticky Webs setters in the tier. Also this is very peculiar but Endeavor Boufallant is actuallyy decent being able to come in on walls after being weakened and break them down.
I think butterfree should rise to B. With the tiershifts the metagame became more offensive. Whith good Support it can sweep many offensive teams after one boost. With bug buzz it got a move which goes behind subs and let it revenge kill threats like bouf. It also got an amazing ability that makes it possible to play sub on it. At this way it is able to beat pawniard too.i also think that ditto should rise because of its ability to revenge every mon. Here it is good that the metagame became more offensive too. Sry for my bad englisch.
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Take Azelfie
More flags more fun
I suppose this is wild to say but Exeggutor is really the new Roselia to a degree (obviously missing out on the hazards) I find it really easy to shove on any team (bar stall) and it instantly puts in work. It has little things that can Counter it since it is ridiculously hard to switch into but gets worn down particularly easy as well. I think it is S rank worthy.
I disagree with Exeggutor moving to S rank. Exeggutor does what it does very well, and that's break cores. Cores such as solrose and relirose get absolutely dented by Exeggutor, and many more. However, with the recent Linoone ban we have acknowledged that this meta is much more offensive. With this in mind Exeggutor isn't really S rank material then. It's speed is too detrimental to it's amazing offensive presence in such a fast paced meta. I don't really want to start arguing things such as, "Jumpluff can come in on a grass move, then u-turn!!" because that's implying you play said Exeggutor perfectly. My stance is that, while not easy to play around per-say, Exeggutor can be played around and it's speed used against it. I think it belongs in A+.