The UU Viability Ranking Thread

ScraftyIsTheBest

On to new Horizons!
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I'm backing up Victini for S-Rank. The thing is just obscenely powerful. Both of its offensive stats are solid, but as Magcargo 2 said, it has absurd power in both viable STABs making it really hard to take a hit from. It can run both physical and special sets so it is rather hard to directly counter. As stated, Victini has quite the great offensive movepool as well, so it has a lot of coverage options; good luck walling it. Being SR weak doesn't necessarily matter, Blastoise does a great job at spinning so SR is rather easy to keep off the field. Undeniably a top threat and something to be prepared for, an easy S-Rank.

Accelgor and Scolipede deserve to be in the C-Rank. Both are great at spiking thanks to their admirable speed tiers, and they can do the job pretty well. They receive stiff competition from Froslass, however, their solid offensive prowess makes them worth the use if that is needed. The two are both great offensive Pokemon as well, and Scolipede can run an SD set while Accelgor an All-Out Attacker, and the two have solid coverage with their power to put some dents into teams, despite some competition. Overall, I think they're both decent assets to offensive teams, and they do have competition in their roles, but they deserve to be at least C-Rank.

Does Uxie deserve to be on the list? I haven't used it a lot but I'm sure it's viable to some degree.
 
Why is Swampert A-Rank? I would say its B for sure, its really at the same level as every other bulky water type in the tier.

I also think Arcanine should move back up to B, it has enough going for it for it to not be C-Rank worthy.

Uxie could be B-Rank in my opinion, it has an excellent support movepool and bulk.
 
I don't see much point in running Uxie as Cress does everything generally better.

Also i support Victini for S and Accelgor and Scolipede for C
 
Uxie can Dual Screen, set up Stealth Rocks, or set up weather. It has access to U-Turn and Memento. It can pseudo phaze with Yawn and also has access to Taunt, Heal Bell, and Trick. Its base 95 speed lets it outspeed literally every wall in UU.
 
I don't see any reason to use Uxie over Mew except for maybe Yawn but Mew gets Hypnosis and Roar for real phazing. Mew also has Taunt, boosting moves and Baton Pass and reliable recovery to stick around longer not to mention Mew has better offensive stats and speed. Does Uxie atleast get Recover?
 
Uxie has superior bulk and Levitate can aid it in setting up. Dual Screens plus Memento can also create extremely easy set up opportunities. And anyway, I'm saying Uxie is B-Rank, its obviously not generally better than Mew.
 
I think Arcanine is bordering on C or B but more towards B.

Obviously there are other fire types in the tier that are generally better than Arcanine like Victini or Darmanitan but it carves itself a niche with Intimidate, both electric and fighting coverage, E-Speed and it also has a recovery move and decent enough bulk to use it with. This makes it slightly less SR weak as it will be able to switch in more. Obviously Morning sun gets hampered by hail but arcanine can generally do a lot of damage to a hail team anyway plus it is not very common.

Arcanine also gets flash fire which is not to be underestimated as not only can it switch into power fire attacks that plague UU but it can return the favor with an extremely powerful Flare Blitz. I think all these factors deserve B rank

Regarding Uxie, I think C Rank would be more fitting. Generally, I would rather use Mew or Cresselia as they both have reliable healing. It really hurts Uxie that it can't heal as attacks are so powerful in UU that it sometimes fails to live for too long. A lot of fighting types in tier also have ways of getting around Uxie. Mienshao has U-turn, Heracross has Megahorn and Scrafty has STAB Dark moves. Machamp can even hope for confusion hax. I just don't think it has enough of a niche to justify B rank.

I also support Victini for S Rank. It was always bordering between A and S anyway, I don't much mind where it ends up. Its extreme power, coverage, U-Turn and good Bulk make it a massive threat.
 

TPO3

Never practice; Always perform.
Why is Swampert A-Rank? I would say its B for sure, its really at the same level as every other bulky water type in the tier.

I also think Arcanine should move back up to B, it has enough going for it for it to not be C-Rank worthy.

Uxie could be B-Rank in my opinion, it has an excellent support movepool and bulk.
Swampert is probably A-rank because it has a few niches over the other bulky water-types in the tier. First of all, it is the ONLY physical bulky water in the tier. (Lol sharpedo bulk.) Kingdra isn't really a "bulky" water, more of a sweeper. Secondly, Swampert has an awesome secondary ground-typing, which gives it a massive total of 1 weakness, and also allows it to check (if not outright counter) Zapdos and Raikou that opt for HP Ice instead of HP Grass. Thirdly, Swampert is one of only 2 bulky waters in the tier that can set up Stealth Rock. The other one is Empoleon, which sacrifices a significant amount of offensive potential when it uses it. Empoleon also cannot switch into Fire-types, like Darmanitan.

Lastly, Swampert has a much more versatile than almost all of the bulky waters. Most of the bulky waters use a moveset that is a some combination of Scald/Ice Beam/recovery move/filler. Swampert is versatile enough to run a couple of sets. It can be a Stealth Rock supporter with Scald, Ice Beam, and then Toxic or Roar. It can be a more offensive pokemon with Waterfall and Earthquake. Swampert can run a Curse set, and it also has Superpower to hit some pokemon that would normally wall it.

I would like to nominate Empoleon for A-rank. Empoleon's got a TON of resistances, great secondary steel typing, has the potential to set up Stealth Rock, and also has the potential with Agility to sweep through teams.
 

Arkian

this is the state of grace
is a Contributor Alumnus
Swampert is probably A-rank because it has a few niches over the other bulky water-types in the tier. First of all, it is the ONLY physical bulky water in the tier. (Lol sharpedo bulk.) Kingdra isn't really a "bulky" water, more of a sweeper.
There are other physically defensive water types in UU: Slowbro, Qwilfish (not UU BUT RLY good).
Although I support the facts that Swampert is fine where it is thanks to its good typing allowing it to switch into threatening pokemon such as Raikou (without HP Grass) and Darmanitan easily. It also has a respectable attack stat to boot. Keep Swampert in A-Rank.
 

TPO3

Never practice; Always perform.
There are other physically defensive water types in UU: Slowbro, Qwilfish (not UU BUT RLY good).
Although I support the facts that Swampert is fine where it is thanks to its good typing allowing it to switch into threatening pokemon such as Raikou (without HP Grass) and Darmanitan easily. It also has a respectable attack stat to boot. Keep Swampert in A-Rank.
I meant physical as in physical attack. Swampert can use Waterfall, Earthquake, and Ice Punch where as all of the other ones have to use to Scald and Ice Beam. (not that this is a bad thing, it's just that Swampert is the only one that doesn't have to.
 
CBpert is god. Just sayin.

I've never really been a particular fan of victini to be honest. V-create, while being very powerful, is a huge momentum killer especially seeing as it's pursuit weak so I've found in practice, victini is a good dying place for saccing mons. It also suffers from 4MSS pretty bad especially TR sets, as it will basically always struggle with slowlax regardless of the set which is a really common core. But maybe I'm being over critical of a Mon I perhaps have only experienced bad players use but I've never really found it as scary as other s threats like kingdra or mew.

Also, finally empoleon in a is being brought up again. Definitely supporting that
 
Empoleons biggest selling point imo is that it can switch in on any Kingdra set, take a hit and make then either set up SR as it switches out or roar the DD set away. It is the only Pokemon in UU that doesn't fear switching into Kingdra at all. It's defensive set also has the advantage of not being affected by toxic which is always nice for a wall.

Its offensive sets are also quite good as they hit extremely hard with its good special attack while it still remains pretty bulky. I would say that Specs is probably its best option as although SubPetaya has been good in the past, it is pretty difficult to pull off due to prevalence of Snorlax, not to mention it only gets 2 move coverage so it either walled by water types or grass types. I also believe it fails to outspeed Jolly Scarfgon and Mienshao even after an agility which is a major pain as these are extremely common.

I would leave Empoleon in B rank although I am not totally opposed to having it A rank.
 
Anyone else be in favor of organizing the tiers into categories? For example, RU has High, Mid, and Low for each tier while OU has started doing + and - for tiers. It would make the listing more organized, and obviously create more discussion about rankings within tiers.
 
Anyone else be in favor of organizing the tiers into categories? For example, RU has High, Mid, and Low for each tier while OU has started doing + and - for tiers. It would make the listing more organized, and obviously create more discussion about rankings within tiers.
Yeah, I think it'd be good for all tiers to do this. It'd be nice for UU specifically because the B tier is massive.
 
Anyone else be in favor of organizing the tiers into categories? For example, RU has High, Mid, and Low for each tier while OU has started doing + and - for tiers. It would make the listing more organized, and obviously create more discussion about rankings within tiers.
I was just about to mention this! This is a really good idea that would hopefully lead to more thoughtful discussion regarding tier placement.
 
I don't support Victini for S. It's stat distribution, while good (TBST=600), doesn't give it any niche.

Base 100 isn't the best for wallbreaking, as it's borderline between being fast enough and being slow enough. It might give you a problem, but it'll eventually get forced out because of speed (mienshao anyone?). Switching out because with SR damage and LO recoil (which all wallbreaking 4 attack victini should have) sucks.

It can also run choiced, but its moves have pretty awful neutral coverage. It's easy to play around with choiced victini. Sure it can run grass knot, but why would you use grass knot on a choice scarf victini? Or bolt strike. Etc. It isn't like darmanitan which has no trouble spamming flareblitz, and even that is meh because chocied fire stab is pretty bad. Fire/psychic stab + having good coverage moves + SR damage = not ideal for choiced pokemon.

Victini is good but not S.
 
Anyone else be in favor of organizing the tiers into categories? For example, RU has High, Mid, and Low for each tier while OU has started doing + and - for tiers. It would make the listing more organized, and obviously create more discussion about rankings within tiers.
Definately supporting that! If the admin of this post has the time to do it obviously. It would just represent the viability of the pokemons better - for example I dont think that Ambipom is as viable as Arcanine.

About Victini: I think Victini is decent at the multiple things it does. A weakness to entry hazards holds it back tough.
It has very solid stats (100 across the board) which means it can go the Atk or the SpAtk route. Overall its just decent, not outstanding, but decent.
Victini for A-Rank
 
Hello, I'm new to The UU Metagame but have experience in the NU and UU Metagame and there are 2 Pokemon that I wanted to bring to the UU's attention: Rotom and Crustle. I have recently used both of these DarkHorse Pokemon in my first UU Team, UU IV, which has had decent success considering I'm completely new to the Tier.

Rotom= B Rank

Rotom @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 8 HP / 248 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Volt Switch
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Trick

The First DarkHorse of my team, Rotom should deserve to be B Rank and here is why:

+ Functions as Pivot Spin Blocker, fits into Offensive teams (like 46% of the Tiers playstyle) better than, say Cofagrius or Dusknoir (lol why is he even here?)

+ Only Spin Blocker that 2HKO's the Standard Blastoise (3HKO's the rare 252 HP/252 SDef set) without boost. I don't think that I need to include the fact that it can seitch in on Hitmontop's CC/RS and 2HKO it as well.

+ Far better than Rotom-C, who is C Rank for some odd reason.

+Immunties in Fighting, Ground, and Normal tyoe make it easy to fit into Offensive teams who need to maintain pressure but need a Spin Blocker as well

Why it shouldn't be A Rank and above

- Outclassed as Spin Blocker by bulkier Ghost such as Cofagrius; should not be used on teams focusing on Bulk.

- Isn't the fastest Scarfer out there.

In conclusion, Rotom is an excellent Spin Blocker for Offensive teams, fulfilling the Role of Spin Blocker and Scarfer while still maintaining Offensive Pressure; the bane of Blastoise with STAB Volt Switch and Tricking Hitmontop.

Crustle= C Rank

Crustle (M) @ Red Card
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 156 HP / 116 Atk / 176 Def / 60 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Rock Blast
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes

+ Access to both SR and Spikes

+ Sturdy Ability ensures at least one Entry Hazard goes up.

+ STAB Rock Blast breaks early game Subs. Earthquake offers excellent Rock/Ground coverage; 2HKO's Nidoqueen/Frosslass (both will try to Taunt anyway, play smart and you could kill them off quick)

+ Red Card trolls early set up Sweepers such as Gallade and DD Kingdra.

+Givrn spread Speed Creeps 0 Spd Bulky Abomsnow, KOing and with Rock Blast without fear of Focus Sash.

Why it shouldn't be B Rank or above:

- Although it has access to both SR and Spikes, still receives stiff competition from Nidoqueen as lead and other individual Hazard Setters such as Froslass for Spikes and Gligar for SR.

-Death trot Speed Tier disables it from doing much outside of Setting Hazards.

- Prone to be switched on by Rapid Spinners such as Blastoise; needs support and a above-average player to make smart decisions.

So in conclusion, Crustle is a decent Hazard Setter with access to both SR and Spikes that is capable of KOing through Abomsnow's Sash, while still competing against its Rival Leads (with smart play).

Again, this is what I propose, I believe that the above Tier standings are reasonable. After all, they ARE RU Pokes, but have unique niches in the UU Tier that can be the difference between boring Stamdard and Uniqueness, the Win or the Loss.
 
I'd second Crustle for C-Rank. Access to Spikes, Stealth Rock, and Sturdy make it a pretty reliable hazard setter. I've actually been using Crustle recently with this set and I'm enjoying it a lot:
Crustle @ Custap Berry
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
IVs: 0 HP / 0 Def / 0 SDef
- Rock Blast/Stone Edge
- Earthquake
- X-Scissor/Spikes
- Stealth Rock
Custap Berries are extremely rare, especially in UU where nothing has Sturdy. The good thing about this set is that it can function well both offensively and defensively, being able to get KO's with its attacks as well as set up multiple hazards.
 
Hello, I'm new to The UU Metagame but have experience in the NU and UU Metagame and there are 2 Pokemon that I wanted to bring to the UU's attention: Rotom and Crustle. I have recently used both of these DarkHorse Pokemon in my first UU Team, UU IV, which has had decent success considering I'm completely new to the Tier.

Rotom= B Rank

Rotom @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 8 HP / 248 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Volt Switch
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Trick

The First DarkHorse of my team, Rotom should deserve to be B Rank and here is why:

+ Functions as Pivot Spin Blocker, fits into Offensive teams (like 46% of the Tiers playstyle) better than, say Cofagrius or Dusknoir (lol why is he even here?)

+ Only Spin Blocker that 2HKO's the Standard Blastoise (3HKO's the rare 252 HP/252 SDef set) without boost. I don't think that I need to include the fact that it can seitch in on Hitmontop's CC/RS and 2HKO it as well.

+ Far better than Rotom-C, who is C Rank for some odd reason.

+Immunties in Fighting, Ground, and Normal tyoe make it easy to fit into Offensive teams who need to maintain pressure but need a Spin Blocker as well

Why it shouldn't be A Rank and above

- Outclassed as Spin Blocker by bulkier Ghost such as Cofagrius; should not be used on teams focusing on Bulk.

- Isn't the fastest Scarfer out there.

In conclusion, Rotom is an excellent Spin Blocker for Offensive teams, fulfilling the Role of Spin Blocker and Scarfer while still maintaining Offensive Pressure; the bane of Blastoise with STAB Volt Switch and Tricking Hitmontop.

Crustle= C Rank

Crustle (M) @ Red Card
Trait: Sturdy
EVs: 156 HP / 116 Atk / 176 Def / 60 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Rock Blast
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes

+ Access to both SR and Spikes

+ Sturdy Ability ensures at least one Entry Hazard goes up.

+ STAB Rock Blast breaks early game Subs. Earthquake offers excellent Rock/Ground coverage; 2HKO's Nidoqueen/Frosslass (both will try to Taunt anyway, play smart and you could kill them off quick)

+ Red Card trolls early set up Sweepers such as Gallade and DD Kingdra.

+Givrn spread Speed Creeps 0 Spd Bulky Abomsnow, KOing and with Rock Blast without fear of Focus Sash.

Why it shouldn't be B Rank or above:

- Although it has access to both SR and Spikes, still receives stiff competition from Nidoqueen as lead and other individual Hazard Setters such as Froslass for Spikes and Gligar for SR.

-Death trot Speed Tier disables it from doing much outside of Setting Hazards.

- Prone to be switched on by Rapid Spinners such as Blastoise; needs support and a above-average player to make smart decisions.

So in conclusion, Crustle is a decent Hazard Setter with access to both SR and Spikes that is capable of KOing through Abomsnow's Sash, while still competing against its Rival Leads (with smart play).

Again, this is what I propose, I believe that the above Tier standings are reasonable. After all, they ARE RU Pokes, but have unique niches in the UU Tier that can be the difference between boring Stamdard and Uniqueness, the Win or the Loss.
Just want to say that I really love this post's format and the way it gives both the pro's and the con's of the pokemon being discussed to show that the poster fully understands what the pokemon is capable of as well as its limitation and why they believe a higher ranking is or isn't achievable. I would really love to see more posts like this!
 

KM

slayification
is a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributor
Going to have to go against the crowd and say that Victini does not deserve S Rank. Yes, V-Create is extremely powerful. Yes, Victini gets decent coverage and has higher than average stats. Yes, Victini has untapped capabilities as a special attacker. That being said, 95% of the Victinis being run are physical, which makes their role in the current metagame Entirely predictable. Things like Qwilfish, Rhyperior, or even Kingdra can shrug off a V-Create and take advantage of the forced switch. A hazards weakness and mediocre defensive typing don't help either. Another important thing to consider is that Victini can not be used to its potential at all if there is anything with Flash Fire on the opponent's side. Houndoom and Chandelure practically force Victini to go for the lame U-turn, leaving it once again as set-up fodder and a momentum loser.

By no stretch of the imagination am I calling victini bad. It's just not deserving of S-Rank, and should instead remain at A-Rank.
 
It seems like sub-tiering is generally in favor, so I guess I'll kick it off by doing S Tier:

High S:
Mienshao- Mienshao is by far one of the most dominating forces in UU. Choice Scarf and Life Orb sets can function excellently as scouts or sweepers, thanks to Mienshao's good movepool, speed, and massive attack power. It can even bet some of its counters with special attacking coverage moves.

Snorlax- Snorlax is the perfect mix of defense and offense. It's bulk and power make it incredibly easy to fit onto teams, as it can deal with almost any special attacker in the tier. Its ability Thich Fat also makes it a great counter to Chandelure, the most powerful special attacker in UU.


Middle S:
Kingdra- Kingdra is a huge threat in the tier, thanks to its versatility and excellent typing. It can function excellently as both a special attacker (with Specs or Rain Dance) and a physical attacker (with Dragon Dance). Kingdra is one of the most dominating forces for Rain teams in UU, and can sweep through teams after setting up.

Togekiss- Togekiss is the definition of a wallbreaker. ParaFlinch can be extremely tough to beat, especially due to Togekiss' movepool and bulk, with access to Roost Thunder Wave and Body Slam to aid it in doing its job. Nasty Plot Togekiss can also be a huge threat to slow teams, and after a Nasty Plot it is very possible to get swept clean.


Low S:
Raikou- Raikou is a great answer to a large portion of UU. Bulky waters run in fear of both Raikou's Choice Specs and Calm Mind sets and it also has the speed and special attack to beat most of the sweepers in the tier 1 on 1. Calm Mind Raikou is one of the best set up sweepers in the tier, having massive special attack after only one boost and also reaping the benefits of Bolt-Beam coverage.

Zapdos- One of the best Flying types in the tier, and it gains it's secondary Electric typing without any drawbacks. Zapdos is extremely versatile, being able to run excellent defensive sets (Sub-Roost & Toxic Stall) and special attacking sets (Life Orb & Choice Specs). It can also destroy almost all of its defensive counters thanks to its great offensive movepool.


This is obviously completely based of my opinion, I'd love to hear everyone else's thoughts on the S-Tier pokemon's placements.
 

TPO3

Never practice; Always perform.
Going to have to go against the crowd and say that Victini does not deserve S Rank. Yes, V-Create is extremely powerful. Yes, Victini gets decent coverage and has higher than average stats. Yes, Victini has untapped capabilities as a special attacker. That being said, 95% of the Victinis being run are physical, which makes their role in the current metagame Entirely predictable. Things like Qwilfish, Rhyperior, or even Kingdra can shrug off a V-Create and take advantage of the forced switch. A hazards weakness and mediocre defensive typing don't help either. Another important thing to consider is that Victini can not be used to its potential at all if there is anything with Flash Fire on the opponent's side. Houndoom and Chandelure practically force Victini to go for the lame U-turn, leaving it once again as set-up fodder and a momentum loser.

By no stretch of the imagination am I calling victini bad. It's just not deserving of S-Rank, and should instead remain at A-Rank.
I don't really agree with your logic here. Your points about medicore defensive typing, Flash Fire, and Stealth Rock weakness are fair, however I don't think we can say a pokemon is deserving a lower rank just because the general public is too stupid to use it correctly. If you look at S-rank, it says "pokemon that can sweep or wall significant portions of the metagame....Also the home of pokemon who can easily perform multiple roles effectively." Just because the general public doesn't do it doesn't mean Victini can't do it. It just means that people are dumb and need to try using Grass Knot Victini.

EDIT: @PTJon: I agree with most of those rankings. Raikou is the only one I'd really debate as being a mid-level, but TBH I don't see much wrong with low S.
 
Well, I'm happy scrafty isn't dropping down.

I've been experimenting with heracross and I think it deserves S-Rank. I'm not talking about the predictible Choice Scarf heracross, but rather Choice Band heracross. Choice band heracross has amazing power, beng able to 2HKO offensive cofagrigus with night slash and OHKO standard 100 hp nidoqueen with earthquake. And by constantly switching in and out, Many people will believe that you are scarfed, meaning that stuff like weavile, who is scared of scarfed heracross, will atuomatically switch out. You can even run moxie on this set to further bluff a choice scarf. Choice band Heracross deserves S-Rank because of all of the feats mentioned before.
I really want more people to discuss about this nomination.

As for the top-mid-low Rankings, Snorlax doesn't deserve Top S-rank. Almost every team has a fighting type who can easily KO Snorlax. Kingdra deserves Top S-Rank more because of his great STAB coverage and power after a DD boost. Furthermore, Kingdra's special sets are equally powerful thanks to a STAB draco meteor and Hydro pump. Kingdra is one of the only pokemon in S-Rank who has the ability to go physical and special.
 
Does one set versus another set warrant something moving up a rank? I'm not saying that it would, just wondering since I would think all of Heracross' sets would be factored into its tiering placement. Choice Band still doesn't discount Heracross getting locked into a move, and depending on what move it can be quite easy to deal with.

I honestly think Heracross doesn't deserve S-Rank due to its inability to beat any other Choice Scarf user, most teams use scarfers much faster than Heracross (Flygon, Victini, Mienshao, Darmanitan, Sharpedo (w/ Protect & Speed Boost), Rotom-H). Gliglars still shut down Heracross even with a Choice Band, something Meinshao can actually work around thanks to HP Ice.
 

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