Shameless attempt to discourage one-liners and get discussion back on track
Alright, everyone. I understand that the noms discussed in the latest update could use some more discussion, but I'd really like to get back to productive discussion in general and talk about
Salazzle.
I honestly think that Salazzle in C is a crime. Salazzle faces pretty severe competition as a Nasty Plot user from Infernape, mainly due to its huge lack of defensive utility (doesn't handle Bisharp too well in contrast to Ape) and even bigger lack of opportunities to set up. However, I've found that Salazzle has a lot of perks that allow it to excel in the metagame in comparison to the other Pokemon in C. A huge perk of Salazzle's is its better Speed and better immediate power than Infernape. This allows Salazzle to outpace the likes of Latias, Zygarde 10%, Gengar, Raikou, Azelf, and anything else in the metagame bar Mega Aerodactyl, Crobat, Scarfers, and things that aren't UU by usage like Talonflame and Ribombee (and as a result not super common or threatening). Outpacing all of these Pokemon without a Choice Scarf is something that Infernape only dreams of, and is also something that in a metagame infested with the aforementioned threats, makes Salazzle more preferable in certain situations. Salazzle's also really fortunate in that despite its at times, lack of setup opportunities, its able to hit really hard right off the bat. Unboosted Dragon Pulse 2HKOes Latias, meaning that it can't revenge kill an unboosted Salazzle without taking major damage, while unboosted Fire Blast and Sludge Wave also hit extremely hard with a Life Orb, the former 2HKOing Hippowdon unboosted, while the latter takes care of pesky fairies that Infernape's NP set usually struggles to break.
Speaking of fairies, that's another thing to consider as well, or really just specific threats in general. Salazzle generally has a much easier time facing Fairy-type Pokemon than Infernape due to its Poison-typing, which is super useful considering the omnipresence of Clefable and Togekiss. There are also a few other Pokemon that by virtue of Salazzle's coverage, it does a lot better than. Infernape's Nasty Plot set is absolutely forced out by Starmie and Latias, whereas Salazzle's combination of Speed, power, and coverage allows it to take care of these threats much easier. Overall, I generally think that Salazzle's ability to outpace Pokemon Infernape can't, hit harder right off the bat, and take care of threats that force Infernape out, make it a much better early-game wallbreaker, and grounds for a
rise to C+. I personally think that Infernape requires less support if you're looking to sweep late-game with it, but my nom is centered around Salazzle as a Nasty Plot user in the early game, since I think that between the two Fire type NP users we have, Salazzle is the best for the early-game. (it's also just more consistent and threatening than anything in C but I forgot to say that until now oops)
TLDR: Salazzle's perks over Infernape as a NP user are its better Speed, better immediate power and access to STAB Sludge Wave and Dragon Pulse, which allow it to take care of threats that are particularly troublesome for Infernape, thus meaning that Salazzle is a better early-game wallbreaker than Infernape and is worthy of
C+ as a result.
Thanks for reading! I'll be happy to provide replays and calcs later on if need be, but I'm a bit short on time. Hope you all agree with this nomination!