Resource RU Viability Ranking

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Art Made by Miniarchitect
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RU Viability Ranking

Note, atomicllamas and Molk run this thread. Spirit gets an honorable mention.

Welcome to the official RU Viability Rankings topic. In this thread, we as a community will rank every single usable Pokemon into ranks. In this thread, you're encouraged to post your thoughts and opinions on the various Pokemon that are usable in RU and what rank they should fall under.

The general idea of the topic is to rank each RU pokemon under "rankings" that go in descending order.

Note that the overall tier list is in no particular order.

Pokemon with (+) are being considered for moving up a rank;
Pokemon with (-) are being considered for moving down a rank.


XY RU Viability Ranking



S Rank:
Reserved for Pokemon who can sweep or wall significant portions of the metagame with little support, and Pokemon who can support other Pokemon with very little opportunity cost ("free turns"). Also the home of Pokemon who can easily perform multiple roles effectively, increasing their versatility and unpredictability. If the Pokemon in this rank have any flaws, those flaws are thoroughly mitigated by their substantial strengths.

Delphox

Doublade

Hitmonlee

Meloetta

Rhyperior


A Rank:
Reserved for Pokemon who can sweep or wall significant portions of the metagame, but require some support or have some flaws that prevents them from doing this consistently. Supporting Pokemon in this rank may give opponents free turns or cannot create free turns easily themselves, but can still do their job most of the time.

A+ Rank

Alomomola

Aromatisse

Cobalion

Druddigon

Moltres

Sharpedo

Slowking

Virizion

A Rank

Amoonguss

Banette (mega)

Cresselia

Durant

Escavalier

Reuniclus

A- Rank

Abomasnow (mega)

Drapion

Dugtrio

Gligar

Jolteon

Registeel

Rotom-Mow



B Rank:
Reserved for Pokemon who cannot sweep through or wall significant portions of the metagame, but can properly fulfill a given offensive/defensive niche. Support Pokemon in this category have flaws that prevent them from doing their job or are setup bait for dangerous sweepers. Pokemon who are partially outperformed by a Pokemon in A or S Rank, but are otherwise very dangerous, may also fall into this category.

B+ Rank

Accelgor

Braviary

Clawitzer

Combusken

Emboar

Exploud

Fletchinder

Gurdurr

Magneton

Mismagius

Omastar

Shiftry

Sigilyph

Spiritomb

Weezing

B Rank

Cinccino

Eelektross

Gallade

Gastrodon

Golbat

Gorebyss

Granbull

Heliolisk

Kabutops

Lanturn

Qwilfish

Roselia

Sceptile

Slurpuff

Tangrowth

Togetic

Zangoose

B- Rank

Barbaracle

Bronzong

Cofagrigus

Dragalge

Hitmontop

Lickilicky

Meowstic-Male

Sandslash

Seismitoad

Skuntank

Tauros

Vivillon

Whimsicott

Xatu



C Rank:
Reserved for Pokemon who can be effective given the right support, but either have crippling flaws that prevent them from consistently executing their strategy or are completely eclipsed by a Pokemon in the above ranks.

C+ Rank

Feraligatr

Ferroseed

Gourgeist Small

Gourgeist XL

Jellicent

Jynx

Kricketune

Ludicolo

Miltank

Pangoro

Samurott

Sneasel

Swellow

Tyrantrum

Uxie

C Rank

Arbok

Audino

Archeops

Bouffalant

Chatot

Ditto

Leavanny

Mesprit

Pelipper

Poliwrath

Pyroar

Rotom-S

Sawk

Scyther

Victreebel

C- Rank

Golurk

Linoone

Mightyena

Regirock

Rotom

Steelix


D Rank:
Reserved for Pokemon who have a small niche in the current metagame, but have very noticeable flaws that make them more trouble than they're worth the majority of the time.

Ambipom

Cradily

Crustle

Cryogonal

Klinklang

Lilligant


E Rank:
bad pkmn (RU Pokemon by usage that are bad will be listed here. Everything not listed also falls in here.)

Claydol

Hitmonchan

E- rank: Reserved for Pokemon who are completely useless in RU because of kokoloko's tyranny.

Wobbuffet

New Pkmn Rank:

These Pokemon are new to the RU tier and need discussion to find a proper placement for them

 

[DTC]

History of Viability Ranking
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5 / 10 / 14

Hide

S Rank:

Escavalier

Froslass

Venomoth


A Rank:

A+ Rank

Delphox

Hitmonlee

Reuniclus

Rhyperior

Sharpedo

A Rank

Alomomola

Cobalion

Cresselia

Druddigon

Moltres

Sceptile

Yanmega

Zoroark

A- Rank

Banette

Emboar

Gallade

Gorebyss

Meloetta

Slowking

Smeargle

Virizion


B Rank:


B+ Rank

Abomasnow

Aromatisse

Bronzong

Cofagrigus

Drapion

Dugtrio

Durant

Gligar

Heliolisk

Mismagius

Registeel

Slurpuff

B Rank

Amoonguss

Braviary

Cinccino

Dragalge

Exploud

Gastrodon

Kabutops

Qwilfish

Rotom-Mow

Shuckle

Sigilyph

Tangrowth

Uxie

Whimsicott

Vivillon

Zangoose

B- Rank

Barbaracle

Combusken

Doublade

Fletchinder

Golbat

Gourgeist XL

Granbull

Hitmontop

Jellicent

Lanturn

Magneton

Swellow

Togetic


C Rank:

C+ Rank

Ambipom

Clawitzer

Eelektross

Gourgeist Small

Gurdurr

Medicham

Meowstic-Male

Pangoro

Poliwrath

Skuntank

Tyrantrum

Xatu

C Rank

Accelgor

Avalugg

Chatot

Crustle

Golurk

Kangaskhan

Mesprit

Omastar

Shiftry

Spiritomb

Weezing

C- Rank

Claydol

Hariyama

Haunter

Lilligant

Mighteyna

Muk

Primeape

Rotom

Sandslash

Steelix


D Rank:

Electivire

Jynx

Hippopotas

Klinklang

Miltank

Samurott

Sliggoo

Stoutland


E Rank:

Hitmonchan

6/8/14

Hide

S Rank:

Delphox

Froslass

Hitmonlee

Rhyperior


A Rank:

A+ Rank

Escavalier

Reuniclus

Sharpedo

Zoroark

A Rank

Alomomola

Banette (mega)

Cobalion

Cresselia

Druddigon

Moltres

Shuckle

Slowking

Yanmega

A- Rank

Aromatisse

Doublade

Durant

Emboar

Gallade

Gorebyss

Heliolisk

Jolteon

Meloetta

Sceptile

Virizion



B Rank:

B+ Rank

Abomasnow (mega)

Amoonguss

Braviary

Cofagrigus

Drapion

Exploud

Gligar

Magneton

Mismagius

Registeel

Slurpuff

Vivillon

Zangoose

B Rank

Cinccino

Dragalge

Dugtrio

Gastrodon

Kabutops

Meowstic-Male

Qwilfish

Rotom-Mow

Sigilyph

Tangrowth

Uxie

Whimsicott

B- Rank

Barbaracle

Bronzong

Clawitzer

Combusken

Fletchinder

Golbat

Granbull

Hitmontop

Lanturn

Ludicolo

Miltank

Shiftry

Skuntank

Weezing

Xatu


C Rank:

C+ Rank

Ambipom

Eelektross

Gourgeist Small

Gourgeist XL

Gurdurr

Jellicent

Pangoro

Roselia

Samurott

Seismitoad

Spiritomb

Swellow

Togetic

Tyrantrum

C Rank

Accelgor

Chatot

Crustle

Ditto

Golurk

Kangaskhan

Mesprit

Omastar

Poliwrath

C- Rank

Hariyama

Lilligant

Mightyena

Muk

Primeape

Rotom

Sandslash

Sneasel

Steelix


D Rank:

Avalugg

Carracosta

Claydol

Gogoat

Jynx

Klinklang

Regirock

Sliggoo


E Rank:

Electivire

Hitmonchan

 

[DTC]

Reserved.

 

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Reserved.

You may now post.

 

[Peef Rimgar]

Might wanna replace the UU mentions

 

[complete legitimacy]

actually in all seriousness cofagrigus isnt on this either

 

[g]

Nominating Vivillion for B+ or A- rank.
It has a ridicolously strong STAB and a super accurate Sleep Powder that makes setting up with it very easy. With little support (Defog mainly) it can break a lot of walls thanks to its Bug STAB being supereffective on them. It is not outclassed by Venomoth in the sweeping department thanks to Hurricane bypassing resitances being fucking strong and that super accurate Sleep Powder incapacitating its counters. Also AV Escavalier can't switch into +1 Hurricane as it is a guaranteed 2HKO after rocks.
It still dies to priority but Venomoth does too

 

[Peef Rimgar]

Alright a few things I see immediately:

Vivillon needs to be at LEAST B+, if not A-. It can absolutely run through teams after a QD thanks to huge STAB Hurricane that will actually hit. [EDIT] Snipped by galbia, points still stand

Hitmonlee needs S tbh. It gained so much this gen, between Reckless and the Knock Off buff. It's just a huge threat to damn near every team.

Reuniclus probably needs to drop to A. Too much common stuff just outright OHKOes it for it to be as big a threat.

Sceptile honestly isn't an A threat. Between the HP nerf and the loss of Flying gem, it's a quite underwhelming mon. Maybe A-, probably B+ Imo.

 

[Nozzle]

lol what is samurott doing in D rank it should be B rank
it has nice bulk and decent speed, put swords dance on it and you have one of the best wallbreakers in the tier
megahorn+waterfall has excellent coverage and hits most walls in ru for super effective damage (tangrowth/uxie/rhyperior/etc/etc)
aqua jet shits on offense and picks off weakened stuff
im dead srs move that otter up :(

 

[Turtleye]

Nominationg Golbat for at least B+ rank but preferably A-/A rank.
Golbat is a pretty cool Pokemon in the meta right now. 3 4x resists, two fo which are common (Fight and Bug), one immunity and another (albeit almost worthless) resistance in Fairy makes him an excellent defensive support 'mon for the team. It got also buffed this gen with Defog, allowing him to support the team with hazard removal. It also has instant recovery, which is great for a wall. Infiltrator also got a buff this gen and due to that, Golbat can function as an emergency check against things like SubSeed whimsi, SubCM Cress before it sets up, etc.
Also pairs up really well with Rhyperior.

Reliance on Eviolite, however, sucks. But there are teammates for this (Sticky Hold Gastro, Cobalion, stuff that doesnt hate losing its item like Amoonguss, etc).

All in All I believe Golbat doesn't deserve B- in today's meta.

Also supporting Vivillion's move to B+

Also where the fuck is Torterra >:[

 

[Bouff]

I don't have a whole lot of experience in RU, so forgive me if I sound like a moron, but is Magmortar really that outclassed that it shouldn't be ranked?

 

[Da Pizza Man]

You should probably label Bannette as mega bannette and give it its mega sprite

 

[Peef Rimgar]

I don't have a whole lot of experience in RU, so forgive me if I sound like a moron, but is Magmortar really that outclassed that it shouldn't be ranked?

Yes. Dear god yes. It does nothing Delphox and Moltres can't do 1000x better

 

[g]

Nominationg Golbat for at least B+ rank but preferably A-/A rank.
Golbat is a pretty cool Pokemon in the meta right now. 3 4x resists, two fo which are common (Fight and Bug), one immunity and another (albeit almost worthless) resistance in Fairy makes him an excellent defensive support 'mon for the team. It got also buffed this gen with Defog, allowing him to support the team with hazard removal. It also has instant recovery, which is great for a wall. Infiltrator also got a buff this gen and due to that, Golbat can function as an emergency check against things like SubSeed whimsi, SubCM Cress before it sets up, etc.
Also pairs up really well with Rhyperior.

Reliance on Eviolite, however, sucks. But there are teammates for this (Sticky Hold Gastro, Cobalion, stuff that doesnt hate losing its item like Amoonguss, etc).

All in All I believe Golbat doesn't deserve B- in today's meta.

Also supporting Vivillion's move to B+

Also where the fuck is Torterra >:[

Golbat shouldn't be HIGHER than Gligar as it is still mostly outclassed by it. I can see it B but b- is fine.

 

[DTC]

Just a note - please do not compare Pokemon placements in this thread to the UU viability thread. This thread is a bit more strict than UU viability in the sense that so-called "not as good Pokemon" will be ranked a lot lower or not at all, if you know what I mean.

 

[ScraftyIsTheBest]

Where's Eelektross? It's a cool mon in this meta, it has a nice special movepool with pretty nice coverage, immunity to most hazards barring Rocks, Volt Switch, and Knock Off. It's a cool bulky attacker that can function as a pivot to give you momentum and pesters walls with its awesome coverage; its Attack can be used with Superpower or Knock off to also be a nice attacker. I'd put it in C+ or B- because it's got some pretty cool niches but also has no recovery and doesn't have that many resists to use, although one to Flying is neat.

I also think Clawitzer could use a little bump up to B-, it's a pretty good breaker from my experience with it, as it has really good coverage and hits everything for really good damage. With E-belt, Specs, or LO, it can be a nice tool to pester walls, and it's also a very cool mon on TR teams. An AV set is possible too, since although AV isn't a splashable item, Clawitzer can use it to take special hits and still provide a solid offensive presence. It's slow and has some issues, but I've found it decently useful for its power and limited switch-ins to it.

Vivillon is pretty good actually, Sleep Powder is pretty accurate and after a QD or two that Hurricane hits like a truck, it's a great sweeper when utilized correctly so it could use a little move up.

Electivire for E Rank that thing is garbage, too weak, to frail, etc.

Just a few thoughts.

 

[LeekSlap/ChewyDonuts]

WOAH. This is one messed up viability ranking. First of all Reuniclus and Chatot are S rank. Reuniclus ALWAYS sets up Trick Room (best to set up on walls), has perfect coverage, and is unaffected by the common status moves. Typing does not even matter when you are the bulkiest, fastest, and strongest, pokemon on the field. Trick Room may last only 5 turns but in those 5 turns, Reuniclus massacres a team that can only hope to stall and predict right with Skuntank. As for Chatot, wow. Chatter plus Boomburst plus Substitute plus Nast Plot is NO JOKE. Chatter and Substitute make Chatot untouchable and deal with faster pokemon regardless while Boombust and Nasty Plot is destruction all around. Yes, I know, confusion is dirty but it's incredible. Just use these two and you will find they deserve S rank. Also, why is Venomoth THAT high. When I used it, I couldn't Quiver Dance if my life depended on it! And it's not even RU! Venomoth for C+ rank.

 

[Typhlito]

Typhlosion for C/C+ rank. The c rank definition pretty much defines what typhlosion does. It can wreck a ton of pokemon that are slower than it since only a handful of pokemon are willing to switch into its full powered eruption but there are things that keep it from being consistent such as stealth rocks and not wanting to switch into pokemon. That and delphox tends to outclass him now.

 

[Peef Rimgar]

Typhlosion for C/C+ rank. The c rank definition pretty much defines what typhlosion does. It can wreck a ton of pokemon that are slower than it since only a handful of pokemon are willing to switch into its full powered eruption but there are things that keep it from being consistent such as stealth rocks and not wanting to switch into pokemon. That and delphox tends to outclass him now.

Literally every fire type in the tier outclasses him. Moltres, Delphox, Emboar (Although not really comparable outside of being fire type). I could see MAYBE, and I mean MAYBE D-Rank, since although Phox/FireBird outclass it, Eruption still hurts like hell.

 

[MikeDawg]

I support a move for Slowking to A or A+

I think that as far as RU mons go, Slowking is rather iconic. It can single handedly deal with nearly every special attacker in the tier bar specs Zoroark and specs Clawizter. Even yanmega struggles to break through, and is 1hkod in return (Life orb modest bug buzz does 44-53%).

Regenerator allows it to repeatedly switch in and out of battle, restoring its life each time (that 50% from yanmega doesn't matter when it restores back to 80% the next turn just by switching)

Its typing even allows it to check many of the fighting types in the tier.

 

[Delibird is Amazing]

Typhlosion for C/C+ rank. The c rank definition pretty much defines what typhlosion does. It can wreck a ton of pokemon that are slower than it since only a handful of pokemon are willing to switch into its full powered eruption but there are things that keep it from being consistent such as stealth rocks and not wanting to switch into pokemon. That and delphox tends to outclass him now.

It's a shittier delphox in almost every way and absolutely needs hazards off the field in order to not be a shittier delphox. D rank imo

 

[Typhlito]

I wouldnt call him being totally outclassed. Moltres and emboar usually have to run scarf to outspeed threats while typhlosion is able to still use specs. Dephlox is almost 100% better than typhlo although delphox is the only one of the fire types that cant handle a +2 shadow sneak doublade. But yeah maybe I was giving it a too high of a rank. D+/C- rank it is.

 

[The Legend Waker]

Yes. Dear god yes. It does nothing Delphox and Moltres can't do 1000x better

And seeing that she's a Fire/Psychic type...that's saying a lot...

 

[Typhlito]

the power creep is real... Jellicent went from high OU to mid RU...

The biggest reason jellicent was high ou last gen was because of politoad and friends. With rain not being that big of an issue anymore, jelly and gastro dropped down. They can still do their job. Its just that they arent needed as much anymore.

 

[ss234]

Doublade is definitely better than b-. SD is a big threat and walls a number of dangerous mons like cobalion / viriz etc. and its just rlly fucking bulky on the physical side, taking two lo knock offs from lee. Probably low a / high b at least, I know New Breed has a lot of experience with it as well.

Some other mons seem a bit high(smeargle doesn't seem like an a rank mon considering froslass is a better spiker and shuckle is better at webs, qwilfish and goose also seem high) and meowstic male could also use a bump up(B- imo) seeing as its a really cool dual screener and prankster twave is always very good, but otherwise this looks good.

Oh and can we add mighty deliberd to D pls? It's actually kind of legit lel

 

[-Tsunami-]

SMH. After all of replays that have been shared throughout the Rarelyused channel, I am extremely disappointed to see that my friend MIGHTYENA is still not on the viability rankings list. For shame. It is definitely good enough to be D rank, freed from the shackles of Absol's shadow looming over it in BW RU. I suppose I will have to shed light on why this Pokemon is such a behemoth in the metagame.

Mightyena @ Life Orb
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
-Sucker Punch
-Crunch
-Fire Fang
-Play Rough

This is the set of lords. Mightyena can revenge kill many threats in the tier with its STAB Sucker Punch, and then proceed to wreak havoc after acquiring a Moxie boost. Crunch provides a secondary STAB move to use against slower threats and on predicted switches. Fire Fang allows it to roast Escavalier and provides more coverage in general, while Play Rough rounds out the set and allows Mightyena to deal a great deal of damage to any Fighting-, Dark-, or Dragon-types that think they can switch in for free. Iron Tail may be used in the last slot in order to beat Aromatisse, but Play Rough is usually better. This set is clearly good enough for D-Rank in the viability rankings, and there are a great deal of replays of RU Pride slaughtering the opposition to prove it. Even if the opposition knows Sucker Punch is coming, one can always predict the switch. 306 Attack is a solid amount in the RU tier, and the Moxie boosts can truly allow Mightyena to turn the tier into its personal feast. It may not be the best Pokemon, but it is definitely good enough to be in the same category as pathetic Pokemon such as Electivire.