Don't let Charmflash's delusion fool you, Bronzong is completely unviable.
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Resource SM OU Viability Rankings
- Thread starter Clem
- Start date
Says Who
idk, it does beat lando pex and mag...
Is the current VR up to date?
yes, it was updated in October
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https://www.smogon.com/dex/sm/pokemon/cresselia/ou/
It's slighty outdated since spl showcased some new sets such as Double Screens, but this is still close to what's the current role of Cress in the metagame.
runs twave lunar dance on hyper offense teams, rlly good at bringing stuff back and has the bulk to check plenty of shit like lele, medi, lopunny to boot. on bulkier teams it runs things like calm mind psyshock ice beam moonlight and its a natural offense killer, psyspam can hardly even touch it and other offense styles lacking something like zor or tran can just get cleaned up pretty fast once their way of threatening cress (such as kyu-b z-move) is exhausted
My personal VR (with some explanations when I have something to say about a specific Pokemon). It's ordered moreover. Hope you will enjoy the read lol
S RANK
1-
The best Pokemon of the tier by a large margin. It fits virtually every playstyle (including Stall) and, often, it's very hard to not splash Magearna everywhere.
The best Pokemon of the tier by a large margin. It fits virtually every playstyle (including Stall) and, often, it's very hard to not splash Magearna everywhere.2-
The 3 main sets with Landorus-Therian are Defensive, Choice Scarf and Swords Dance. While Defensive and Scarf are nearly mandatory on any structure remotely pro-active, Swords Dance is one of the most consistent offensive set in the current metagame (that will always be relevant as long Landorus-Therian's usage is high).
The 3 main sets with Landorus-Therian are Defensive, Choice Scarf and Swords Dance. While Defensive and Scarf are nearly mandatory on any structure remotely pro-active, Swords Dance is one of the most consistent offensive set in the current metagame (that will always be relevant as long Landorus-Therian's usage is high).A RANK
3-
The funny thing with Heatran is how Defensive variant tends to lose to what it should check on paper (Tapu Lele, Magearna and Volcarona). However, Offensive variant (or even Defensive variant going Max HP + Timid with a lot of speed) are adaptations that show Heatran is still one of the biggest threat of the tier.
4-
5-
Fuck that Pokemon lmao. DD on HO is a pain (with Bulky Roost variant possible to punish even futher stucture not running either a strong check like Slowbro or a way to immediately OHKO it like Mega Tyranitar) and SD Roost on Balance is evil.
6-
7-
8-
I didn't understand during SPL why that Pokemon was not spammed more. Really good MU into Celesteela + Toxapex Sand and Rain. Moreover, you can put Hone Claws on it to trivialize most Balance/Semi-Stall/Stall MU.
9-
10-
I'm mixing both Ash-Greninja and Protean Greninja in this slot. Only noteworthy thing about it is that Ash-Greninja is better nowadays since it has a natural good MU into HO/Offense.
11-
The current metagame is so hostile to it. Its assets are still very relevant, obviously, but some of its "ancestral" structure (like Mega Latias + Gliscor + Toxapex) have a terrible MU into every modern HO/Offense. From what I saw, the way to keep Mega Latias above the curve is to put former niche tech such as Wish (with a very pro-active partner such as Landorus-Therian) or Roar to improve its MU into HO.
The funny thing with Heatran is how Defensive variant tends to lose to what it should check on paper (Tapu Lele, Magearna and Volcarona). However, Offensive variant (or even Defensive variant going Max HP + Timid with a lot of speed) are adaptations that show Heatran is still one of the biggest threat of the tier.4-
5-
Fuck that Pokemon lmao. DD on HO is a pain (with Bulky Roost variant possible to punish even futher stucture not running either a strong check like Slowbro or a way to immediately OHKO it like Mega Tyranitar) and SD Roost on Balance is evil.6-
7-
8-
I didn't understand during SPL why that Pokemon was not spammed more. Really good MU into Celesteela + Toxapex Sand and Rain. Moreover, you can put Hone Claws on it to trivialize most Balance/Semi-Stall/Stall MU.9-
10-
I'm mixing both Ash-Greninja and Protean Greninja in this slot. Only noteworthy thing about it is that Ash-Greninja is better nowadays since it has a natural good MU into HO/Offense.11-
The current metagame is so hostile to it. Its assets are still very relevant, obviously, but some of its "ancestral" structure (like Mega Latias + Gliscor + Toxapex) have a terrible MU into every modern HO/Offense. From what I saw, the way to keep Mega Latias above the curve is to put former niche tech such as Wish (with a very pro-active partner such as Landorus-Therian) or Roar to improve its MU into HO.12-
13-
14-
15-
I would put it in the A+ tier before but since Cresselia is hella common nowadays, it's a lot harder to load it.
16-
Not only being the new face of Balance (and Sun technically lol), HO started to use it a lot more. Eject Button is nice to compensate its slow pace and Double Screens is unfunny to face.
17-
One of the best check to Mega Charizard X. I still think every Mega Tyranitar's structures are flawed by default, however, its raw bulk and great power, let it match heavenly into modern HO stuff.
18-
Similar to Mega Tyranitar, its assets are also quite strong into the current metagame. Not only its doubled speed is a nice safe net into HO, its favored MU into Cresselia Balance (Cresselia + Toxapex structure in general) turns Excadrill into a risk-less and, therefore, popular pick.
19-
20-
Same as Kyurem-Black, I didn't understand why it was not spammed more during SPL. Mega Charizard Y is one of the best enabler of the most consistent defensive BO core of the tier, aka Heatran (or Ferrothorn with another Mega such as Diancie) + Tapu Fini + Landorus-Therian. Moreover, it also enables a ton of strong Pokemon such as Cresselia and Kartana.
21-
22-
23-
The reason of why Balance seems weaker is mostly that Gliscor is bad into how people adapted to its former dominance: spamming the hell out of HO. Moreover, Landorus-Therian is a much better pick outside of Balance.
24-
Pretty much mandatory on any BO.
13-
14-
15-
I would put it in the A+ tier before but since Cresselia is hella common nowadays, it's a lot harder to load it.16-
Not only being the new face of Balance (and Sun technically lol), HO started to use it a lot more. Eject Button is nice to compensate its slow pace and Double Screens is unfunny to face.17-
One of the best check to Mega Charizard X. I still think every Mega Tyranitar's structures are flawed by default, however, its raw bulk and great power, let it match heavenly into modern HO stuff.18-
Similar to Mega Tyranitar, its assets are also quite strong into the current metagame. Not only its doubled speed is a nice safe net into HO, its favored MU into Cresselia Balance (Cresselia + Toxapex structure in general) turns Excadrill into a risk-less and, therefore, popular pick.19-
20-
Same as Kyurem-Black, I didn't understand why it was not spammed more during SPL. Mega Charizard Y is one of the best enabler of the most consistent defensive BO core of the tier, aka Heatran (or Ferrothorn with another Mega such as Diancie) + Tapu Fini + Landorus-Therian. Moreover, it also enables a ton of strong Pokemon such as Cresselia and Kartana.21-
22-
23-
The reason of why Balance seems weaker is mostly that Gliscor is bad into how people adapted to its former dominance: spamming the hell out of HO. Moreover, Landorus-Therian is a much better pick outside of Balance.24-
Pretty much mandatory on any BO.25-
26-
27-
28-
It would be an A+ threat in my books if only Mega Alakazam didn't need to hit 3-4 Focus Blast in a row to win a match (especially when a miss is equal to its death).
29-
Unkillable like Faker but completly useless unfortunately. Calm Mind sets are still quite threatening and a lot of bullshit variants are possible with it (such as Cosmic Power + Seismic Toss).
30-
26-
27-
28-
It would be an A+ threat in my books if only Mega Alakazam didn't need to hit 3-4 Focus Blast in a row to win a match (especially when a miss is equal to its death).29-
Unkillable like Faker but completly useless unfortunately. Calm Mind sets are still quite threatening and a lot of bullshit variants are possible with it (such as Cosmic Power + Seismic Toss).30-
B RANK
31-
Rotom-Wash is in this weird spot where most offense are good enough with only Landorus-Therian + Magearna and Offensive Rotom-Wash is very hard to justify in bulkier structure.
32-
Still broken but nothing really auto-lose to it anymore.
33-
34-
35-
Similar to Ash-Greninja, Mega Lopunny feels a lot better to load nowadays (despite the high usage of Cresselia).
36-
37-
38-
Garchomp's decline seems to finally settle with it being a vanilla option on HO builds.
39-
40-
Mega Mawile is simply not it unfortunately. Too much mindgames to get progress, fire-types are everywhere and its usual good partners are all meh atm (Garchomp, Rotom-Wash, Tapu Bulu, ...). Finally, despite being the best way to run it, Wish Chansey + Mega Mawile is just not worth the efforts.
Rotom-Wash is in this weird spot where most offense are good enough with only Landorus-Therian + Magearna and Offensive Rotom-Wash is very hard to justify in bulkier structure.32-
Still broken but nothing really auto-lose to it anymore.33-
34-
35-
Similar to Ash-Greninja, Mega Lopunny feels a lot better to load nowadays (despite the high usage of Cresselia).36-
37-
38-
Garchomp's decline seems to finally settle with it being a vanilla option on HO builds.39-
40-
Mega Mawile is simply not it unfortunately. Too much mindgames to get progress, fire-types are everywhere and its usual good partners are all meh atm (Garchomp, Rotom-Wash, Tapu Bulu, ...). Finally, despite being the best way to run it, Wish Chansey + Mega Mawile is just not worth the efforts.41-
42-
43-
Mega Scizor is bad on Balance but still remain one of the best Mega on BO structure.
44-
I like it a lot. Its okay-ish SpeDef Bulk and Speed combined with its offensive assets make it a solid breaker into anything.
45-
46-
47-
48-
Celesteela is a bad Pokemon by default, but its specific defensive profile will always give to it a seat in the metagame.
49-
50-
Extremely underrated but also very challenging to found a solid structure with it. Z-Hydro Pump Taunt variant is bad tho.
51-
52-
I tried it recently and I became a fan of it since then. Imo, 4A is its best set and I think partners such as Wish Clefable and Heal Magearna are all fake with it. Unfortunately, similar to Mega Tyranitar, Mega Aggron's structures seems to be flawed by default.
53-
42-
43-
Mega Scizor is bad on Balance but still remain one of the best Mega on BO structure.44-
I like it a lot. Its okay-ish SpeDef Bulk and Speed combined with its offensive assets make it a solid breaker into anything.45-
46-
47-
48-
Celesteela is a bad Pokemon by default, but its specific defensive profile will always give to it a seat in the metagame.49-
50-
Extremely underrated but also very challenging to found a solid structure with it. Z-Hydro Pump Taunt variant is bad tho.51-
52-
I tried it recently and I became a fan of it since then. Imo, 4A is its best set and I think partners such as Wish Clefable and Heal Magearna are all fake with it. Unfortunately, similar to Mega Tyranitar, Mega Aggron's structures seems to be flawed by default.53-
54-
Stall will never be solid in SM OU but it's not a reason to fish with Celesteela/Jirachi + Volcarona Stall.
55-
56-
Despite Nasty Plot having a very favored MU into Fat and Sand, including it in any kind of team is probably a challenge impossible to overcome
57-
58-
Similar to Celesteela, Jirachi is a bad Pokemon by default. However, it's one of the best pick if you want something that sit on Tapu Lele and Kyurem-Black structure.
59-
60-
61-
62-
63-
Stall will never be solid in SM OU but it's not a reason to fish with Celesteela/Jirachi + Volcarona Stall.55-
56-
Despite Nasty Plot having a very favored MU into Fat and Sand, including it in any kind of team is probably a challenge impossible to overcome57-
58-
Similar to Celesteela, Jirachi is a bad Pokemon by default. However, it's one of the best pick if you want something that sit on Tapu Lele and Kyurem-Black structure.59-
60-
61-
62-
63-
C RANK
64-
65-
Webs is bad but Araquanid with Trick Room + Rain support is pretty scary.
66-
67-
68-
Specs on HO structure is quite cool in practice but you never want to load this thing into Mega Tyranitar or Chansey.
69-
70-
71-
Really dislike it, basically a Knock Off bot.
65-
Webs is bad but Araquanid with Trick Room + Rain support is pretty scary.66-
67-
68-
Specs on HO structure is quite cool in practice but you never want to load this thing into Mega Tyranitar or Chansey.69-
70-
71-
Really dislike it, basically a Knock Off bot.72-
73-
74-
Necrozma only looks real on Mega Charizard Y Sun. Fine pick to compress a rocker that check Mega Medicham and able to pressure Toxapex.
75-
76-
77-
78-
Only Choice Scarf seems real on it, and it's not exactly something you want to put in a team.
79-
80-
73-
74-
Necrozma only looks real on Mega Charizard Y Sun. Fine pick to compress a rocker that check Mega Medicham and able to pressure Toxapex.75-
76-
77-
78-
Only Choice Scarf seems real on it, and it's not exactly something you want to put in a team.79-
80-
81-
Offensive variants are bad. Defensive variants are worth in the right structure.
82-
Cool pick to answer broken fire-types and modern HO but weirdly hard to fit on an actual solid structure.
83-
84-
85-
86-
87-
Good pick to destroy Balance/Semi-Stall but, otherwise, not exactly useful.
88-
89-
Offensive variants are bad. Defensive variants are worth in the right structure.82-
Cool pick to answer broken fire-types and modern HO but weirdly hard to fit on an actual solid structure.83-
84-
85-
86-
87-
Good pick to destroy Balance/Semi-Stall but, otherwise, not exactly useful.88-
89-
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We updated the VR for 2025 by surveying a group of 11 SM mods / top players and updated the post. Big thanks to Skypenguin and Maktyum for their great work in facilitating this and also thanks to those who responded.
Here are the changes!
S Rank
1. =0 Magearna
2. =0 Landorus-Therian (was S- Rank)
S- Rank
3. =0 Toxapex
A+ Rank
4. =0 Kartana
5. =0 Charizard-Mega-X
6. =0 Heatran
7. +12 Tapu Lele (was A Rank)
8. +5 Serperior
9. +6 Ferrothorn
10. +15 Alakazam-Mega (was A- Rank)
11. -2 Kyurem-Black
12. +4
Greninja-Ash
13. +1 Greninja
14. -2 Tornadus-Therian
A Rank
15. -4 Tapu Koko (was A+ Rank)
16. +4 Diancie-Mega
17. -9 Latias-Mega (was A+ Rank)
18. -11 Gliscor (was A+ Rank)
19. -9 Chansey (was A+ Rank)
20. +4 Excadrill
21. +12 Tapu Fini (was A- Rank)
22. +10 Tyranitar-Mega (was A- Rank)
23. -5 Cresselia
24. -3 Medicham-Mega
25. +13 Charizard-Mega-Y (was B+ Rank)
A- Rank
26. +4 Manaphy
27. -10 Volcarona (was A Rank)
28. +11 Garchomp (was B+ Rank)
29. +5 Victini
30. -8 Weavile (was A Rank)
31. +22 Celesteela (was B Rank)
32. -1 Swampert-Mega
33. -10 Kommo-o (was A Rank)
34. -7 Clefable
35. =0 Scizor-Mega (was B+ Rank)
36. +1 Lopunny-Mega (was B+ Rank)
B+ Rank
37. -9 Rotom-Wash (Was A- Rank)
38. +12 Zapdos (was B Rank)
39. +6 Dragonite (was B Rank)
40. +4 Pelipper (was B Rank)
41. -15 Mawile-Mega (Was A- Rank)
42. -6 Slowbro
43. -2 Skarmory
44. -15 Hawlucha (Was A- Rank)
45. +10 Gyarados-Mega (Was B- Rank)
46. -4 Latios-Mega
B Rank
47. +10 Reuniclus (Was B- Rank)
48. +18 Gyarados (Was C+ Rank)
49. +10 Pinsir-Mega (Was B- Rank)
50. -7 Tapu Bulu (Was B+ Rank)
51. -11 Seismitoad (Was B+ Rank)
52. -1 Gastrodon
53. -5 Slowbro-Mega
54. +6 Sableye-Mega (Was B- Rank)
55. +7 Jirachi (Was B- Rank)
56. -10 Ditto
57. +6 Magnezone (Was B- Rank)
B- Rank
58. -4 Hoopa-Unbound
59. -3 Heracross-Mega
60. -13 Hydreigon (Was B Rank)
61. -9 Garchomp-Mega
62. +14 Venusaur-Mega (Was C Rank)
63. -14 Kyurem (Was B Rank)
64. -6 Thundurus-Therian
65. +10 Mew (Was C Rank)
66. +1 Tyranitar (Was C+ Rank)
C+ Rank
67. -3 Keldeo (Was B- Rank)
68. -7 Hippowdon (Was B- Rank)
69. -1 Blacephalon
70. -1 Crawdaunt
71. =0 Aggron-Mega
72. =0 Marowak-Alola
73. +22 Gallade-Mega (Was C-)
74. NEW Araquanid
75. +14 Pyukumuku (Was C-)
76. +11 Altaria-Mega (Was C-)
77. +17 Suicune (Was C-)
78. =0 Amoonguss (Was C)
79. -6 Alomomola
C Rank
80. -1 Shedinja
81. +10 Salamence
82. =0 Aerodactyl-Mega
83. -9 Necrozma
84. -1 Krookodile
85. -20 Volcanion (Was B-)
86. -16
Moltres
87. +1 Buzzwole
88. +7 Azumarill
89. -9 Tangrowth
90. NEW
Torkoal
91. -7 Bisharp
92. NEW
Venusaur
93. +5
Porygon-Z
94. -17 Breloom
95. -5
Mantine
Here are the changes!
S Rank
1. =0
Magearna2. =0
Landorus-Therian (was S- Rank)S- Rank
3. =0
ToxapexA+ Rank
4. =0
Kartana5. =0
Charizard-Mega-X6. =0
Heatran7. +12
Tapu Lele (was A Rank)8. +5
Serperior9. +6
Ferrothorn10. +15
Alakazam-Mega (was A- Rank)11. -2
Kyurem-Black12. +4
Greninja-Ash13. +1
Greninja14. -2
Tornadus-TherianA Rank
15. -4
Tapu Koko (was A+ Rank)16. +4
Diancie-Mega17. -9
Latias-Mega (was A+ Rank)18. -11
Gliscor (was A+ Rank)19. -9
Chansey (was A+ Rank)20. +4
Excadrill21. +12
Tapu Fini (was A- Rank)22. +10
Tyranitar-Mega (was A- Rank)23. -5
Cresselia24. -3
Medicham-Mega25. +13
Charizard-Mega-Y (was B+ Rank)A- Rank
26. +4
Manaphy27. -10
Volcarona (was A Rank)28. +11
Garchomp (was B+ Rank)29. +5
Victini30. -8
Weavile (was A Rank)31. +22
Celesteela (was B Rank)32. -1
Swampert-Mega33. -10
Kommo-o (was A Rank)34. -7
Clefable35. =0
Scizor-Mega (was B+ Rank)36. +1
Lopunny-Mega (was B+ Rank)B+ Rank
37. -9
Rotom-Wash (Was A- Rank)38. +12
Zapdos (was B Rank)39. +6
Dragonite (was B Rank)40. +4
Pelipper (was B Rank)41. -15
Mawile-Mega (Was A- Rank)42. -6
Slowbro43. -2
Skarmory44. -15
Hawlucha (Was A- Rank)45. +10
Gyarados-Mega (Was B- Rank)46. -4
Latios-MegaB Rank
47. +10
Reuniclus (Was B- Rank)48. +18
Gyarados (Was C+ Rank)49. +10
Pinsir-Mega (Was B- Rank)50. -7
Tapu Bulu (Was B+ Rank)51. -11
Seismitoad (Was B+ Rank)52. -1
Gastrodon53. -5
Slowbro-Mega54. +6
Sableye-Mega (Was B- Rank)55. +7
Jirachi (Was B- Rank)56. -10
Ditto57. +6
Magnezone (Was B- Rank)B- Rank
58. -4
Hoopa-Unbound59. -3
Heracross-Mega60. -13
Hydreigon (Was B Rank)61. -9
Garchomp-Mega62. +14
Venusaur-Mega (Was C Rank)63. -14
Kyurem (Was B Rank)64. -6
Thundurus-Therian65. +10
Mew (Was C Rank)66. +1
Tyranitar (Was C+ Rank)C+ Rank
67. -3
Keldeo (Was B- Rank)68. -7
Hippowdon (Was B- Rank)69. -1
Blacephalon70. -1
Crawdaunt71. =0
Aggron-Mega72. =0
Marowak-Alola73. +22
Gallade-Mega (Was C-)74. NEW
Araquanid75. +14
Pyukumuku (Was C-)76. +11
Altaria-Mega (Was C-)77. +17
Suicune (Was C-)78. =0
Amoonguss (Was C)79. -6
AlomomolaC Rank
80. -1
Shedinja81. +10
Salamence82. =0
Aerodactyl-Mega83. -9
Necrozma84. -1
Krookodile85. -20
Volcanion (Was B-)86. -16
Moltres87. +1
Buzzwole88. +7
Azumarill89. -9
Tangrowth90. NEW
Torkoal91. -7
Bisharp92. NEW
Venusaur93. +5
Porygon-Z94. -17
Breloom95. -5
Mantine
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hello, i'd like to thank the SM mods for the VR update. That said, I'd like to ask :
What has caused the much needed upgrade of lando from S- to S?
Why have the grass types in general gotten better?
Why has the psyspam core of tapu lele and alakazam gotten better?
Why has fat seen a degrade in a meta that is bursting with offense teams (like serp mag) gotten worse? this can be seen from the ratings of chansey, latias, gliscor, cress etc getting worse
and probably most importantly, why has everyone's favourite water electric type rotom-wash (also koko!) taken a hit in a meta with a lot of volt-spam?
i'm not sure if im supposed to post these here, in simple question simple answer or on discord. I'd appreciate sm1 helping me out :P
What has caused the much needed upgrade of lando from S- to S?
Why have the grass types in general gotten better?
Why has the psyspam core of tapu lele and alakazam gotten better?
Why has fat seen a degrade in a meta that is bursting with offense teams (like serp mag) gotten worse? this can be seen from the ratings of chansey, latias, gliscor, cress etc getting worse
and probably most importantly, why has everyone's favourite water electric type rotom-wash (also koko!) taken a hit in a meta with a lot of volt-spam?
i'm not sure if im supposed to post these here, in simple question simple answer or on discord. I'd appreciate sm1 helping me out :P
1. The boundaries for tiers have been a bit redefined, this can be seen in where Pokemon didn’t move and still went up or down in tiers. This is likely due to the removal of C- in order to encourage less fringe picks
2. I’m not sure if grasses are linked together really but what I’ll say for Ferro is that it is incredible anti-weather, with its typing for rain and its spikes for sand. It’s more popularised to use it as a rocker with no spikes and that makes it a lot more versatile on what it can fit on and what it can do. Serperior just feels a bit more fully fledged, it is the partially the face of modern offense and ho teams, and more people are realising just how good subleech is.
3. Psyspam is just a very consistent offense style (despite focus blast being a bit part of it). You have lots of good matchups and have outplay potential for pretty much everything. I don’t think it has necessarily gotten better recently, it has been a defining playstyle for a while.
4. I think fat just looks different now. Insane wall breakers like SD Zard, CB/SD Kart, Kyurem-B, Mega Tyranitar are around every corner but in addition to that, stallbreakers like Manaphy, Taunt Lele/Zam/Gyara/MGyara/Torn etc etc. I still love using fat but it’s clear that passive styles and Chansey/Clef/Bro type mons as a whole are on a bad streak. Cress was a little overrated in last years VR, I still think it’s a very solid part of the tier but it isn’t reinventing the wheel.
5. I still think koko is very good. Maybe it was overrated in the last VR, or sand’s uptick made it less desirable, but it’s fine. Rotom seems like it should be popping off with new changes but to me it just feels like a fish and all of the rotom builds are old and stagnated. I’m not sure that the meta is a lot of volt spam, there are some classic teams with koko / rotom but they aren’t like they were
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1. the removal of c tiers is a pretty smart play i have got to agree.
2. i think grass types as a whole have improved. everything such as mvenu, ferro and serp except bulu has improved its rankings which is pretty surprising in a tier where kartana ranks #4. i guess the benefits of serperior are also that the helm set sort of beats chansey/stall 1v1, or atleast wear it down to a state where your other spatker like volcarona just wins.
3. whats the reason for the improve in mega alakazam, if psyspam is as consistent as it ever was? has it been seeing usage on teams that are NOT psyspam? i remember seeing an empo fat team with mega alakazam, although i seem to remember you were sort of opposed to those sort of builds (and tbh they are tuff to make)
4. dyt the meta will cycle back to fat once people STOP running taunt as fat isn't that prevalent anymore?
5. i see. i suppose rotom and koko give a lot of role compression but people have successfully worked around those?
this has been informative, thank you very much
As for zam, i think it mostly just comes down to a difference in perspective than last time. If it rose massively despite not changing much then that just shows a personal bias that Skype and I’s VR last year had, I suppose. I don’t back zam on non psyspam personally
Idt fat is going anywhere and fast taunts are great into all styles considering opposing hazards / set up, it’s just a very solid option for mons and not just fishing fat
Not sure it’s anything to do with role compression but maybe I’m misunderstanding
rotom is just a great role compressor, so is koko.
rotom- defog, volt switch, water, ground immune, defensive backbone
koko - wincon with cm, good speed, volt switch, fairy type and z user
i assume they're being run less often since people have found other ways to fulfill their teams requirements
the part about zam is interesting, ill have to find some zam games now. taunt is probably true too.
Oh damn a new VR update that's crazy.
While my original intent was to completely schizo out and write out an overly detailed analysis on the intricacies behind every single placement within my rankings, after having my draft nuked several times cause im a procrasinating fuck; alongside a 9-page google doc that has been made obsolete just cause of how drastically my rankings have fluctuated in the past couple of months, I reckon its just better to just get SOMETHING out there LOL.
Anyway here's the funny image for your viewing pleasure:
Feel free to ask questions or anything about any specific placements, despite my deathly aversion to writing any long-form content (I'll get that RMT out one day), I'm pretty adept at yapping about nonsense.
Peace y'all, hopefully more coming soon.
While my original intent was to completely schizo out and write out an overly detailed analysis on the intricacies behind every single placement within my rankings, after having my draft nuked several times cause im a procrasinating fuck; alongside a 9-page google doc that has been made obsolete just cause of how drastically my rankings have fluctuated in the past couple of months, I reckon its just better to just get SOMETHING out there LOL.
Anyway here's the funny image for your viewing pleasure:
Feel free to ask questions or anything about any specific placements, despite my deathly aversion to writing any long-form content (I'll get that RMT out one day), I'm pretty adept at yapping about nonsense.
Peace y'all, hopefully more coming soon.
Gonna post my VR here, take it with a grain of salt as my peak is only #96, so im not very good, just passionate about SM and wanted to share my thoughts.
S Rank
Magearna
Landorus-Therian (Self-explanatory, near-guaranteed fit on any offense team and always fills in the gaps in a team. Not as versatile as Mag however, and it doesnt quite fit on EVERY composition)
S- Rank
Toxapex
Tapu-Lele (Specs variants are arguably the strongest wallbreaker in the tier, doing considerable damage to even the tankiest of resists. Other variants like Choice Scarf, Taunt + Natures Madness and Z-move CM also fit well on offense, and entire teams can be built around psychic terrain)
A+ Rank
Mega-Alakazam (Being the fastest mon in the tier, its hard to find a game where zam didnt contribute anything at all)
Kartana (Amazing mon, personally dont think its as broken as its made out to be, but still very powerful. Its also surprisingly versatile, as recent experiments with Band/Utility kart on balance teams have panned out well)
Gliscor
Tornadus-Therian
Mega-Latias
Mega-Medicham (Anything with 100 base speed shouldnt be hitting this hard. It can absolutely rip through any team that doesnt have a reliable check to it; Cresselia, Meta Latias, Reuniclus, Mega Sableye, Slowbro, etc)
Heatran
Mega-Charizard-X (Not only is an amazingly powerful sweeper than can grab random OHKOs with Flare Blitz, but has a great deal of value as an SD wallbreaker on slower paced teams)
Chansey (Cornerstone of balance and stall, the tier would fall apart without chansey)
Serperior
Tapu-Koko (Its hard for me to understand the negative attitude towards koko in the modern meta. It has a variety of great sets, and the natural speed control it brings + its versatility allows it to fit on almost any archetype)
Ferrothorn
Ash-Greninja (Although its an incredible wallbreaker, its strength has invited many common and niche checks to it into the tier. You'd be hard pressed to find a good team without at least 1-2 ash-gren checks)
Mega-Charizard-Y (Unorthodox pick here, but this mon has the least switch-ins out of anything in the tier (like just M-latias and chansey lol). As I said with medicham, it has a great speed tier for how hard it hits, and Fire/Flying + Roost + Good Natural Bulk grants it more longevity and ability to switch into attacks than most wallbreakers, even despite its major SR weakness)
Greninja (Definition of versatile, scouting for its set can be difficult because of the sheer amount of Z-moves and coverage options it has. It doesnt hit as hard as other offensive threats, but a bad prediction against it can lose the game instantly)
Kyurem-Black
A Rank
Mega-Mawile (Can perform its wallbreaker role in so many ways, and with so many coverage options + SD, it can fit like a glove on anything ranging from offense to balance)
Weavile (The offensive utility and power weavile can bring to a team is hefty, with it having STAB Knock, Pursuit and STAB priority with Ice Shard. Works well on literally any archetype, whether that be as a supportive pursuit trapper/knocker for mons like gliscor, or as an offensive check to ice-weak pokemon like Garchomp, Tornadus-T, Gliscor and Hawlucha)
Clefable
Volcarona (Arguably the most versatile sweeper, volc has a lot of prescence in the tier and any team without a check to it will surely be blown away. Offensive sets work well on any HO or offense team with good hazard control, while bulky sets serve as a great check and punish (with Flame Body) to common mons like Kartana, Excadrill and Weavile for balance teams, and its even great on stall as a cleaner)
Cresselia (One of those choose-your-own-checks mons, with crazy enough stats that allow it to mix and match its EVs to fit almost any balance/BO composition. Its typing guarantees it works as a check to the plethora of psychic and fighting types in the tier, even without any investment. Many teams can just auto-lose to CM cress too)
Hawlucha
Rotom-Wash (One of the few mons that is equally as valuable against offense as it is against stall/balance. Great roll compression and works on most team archetypes)
Mega-Lopunny
Excadrill
Mega Diancie (Great speed tier and hits very hard, while also having great utility in magic bounce and amazing stab moves and coverage. Unfortunately, its typing combined with its average bulk and lack of ANY recovery (cant even access lefties) leads it to be worn down very easily, and it not having any boosting moves hinders its ability to break through walls as well)
A- Rank
Mega-Tyranitar (Despite it being a wall of stats, its typing leads to it being threatened out by a great deal of things, and its lack of recovery or leftovers combined with its vulnerability to every type of hazard makes it very easy to wear down. It is undeniably very strong and adds great value by virtue of SR and hitting things with an 164 attack stat)
Tapu-Fini (One of the best BO mons in the game. Works as an amazing check to all the threatening water, fighting and dark types, and has great utility with Defog + Taunt, as well as its trapper set)
Manaphy (Cheesiest mon in the tier, Rest + Hydration ruins most defensive counterplay against it, and 100 stats across the board allows it to take super effective hits and just full heal them off. Higher than pelipper and swampert because its not a rain-exclusive, buts its best value comes from rain teams)
Pelipper + Mega-Swampert (Rain is such an easy archetype to use. It either completely destroys teams that dont have a sturdy check to it, or get rolled by teams with multiple water + ground resists)
Kommo-o (The standard z-sweeper set can feel underwhelming, however the SpDef set is an amazing check to many common mons like ash-gren, volc, heatran and serperior. DD Z-thunder punch sets are great to catch people off guard who think Celesteela or Toxapex are checks)
Mega-Scizor (Bulky set is great at sitting on things, and it can customize itself with a great movepool, acting as a U-turn pivot, or a tanky defogger. The fully offensive SD is extremely underrated and can completely sweep teams that dont have psychic terrain, or a hard check like skarmory, bulkarona or zapdos)
Tapu-Bulu
Mega-Pinsir (Hits extremely hard for how good its speed tier is, and having a strong flying type priority comes up very often for dealing with fast offensive threats, like greninja and alakazam, while also revenging the numerous flying-weak sweepers like volcarona, kommo-o, serperior and hawlucha. Fighting/ground coverage means it doesnt auto lose to every steel type in existance, and pairing this with magnezone can remove the few checks that do exist for this)
Garchomp
B+ Rank
Ditto
Victini (Powerful scarfer that can revenge kill many things by virtue of its bulk and an incredible "signature", v-create. Unfortunate, its horrendous typing leaves it vulnerable to SR which is not ideal for a pivot. Often times it gets the most value by clicking Final Gambit turn 1)
Celesteela
Magnezone (One of the best enablers ever conceived, trapping steel types can benefit so many mons, both offensive and defensive. Pairing it with things like Kartana, Mega Pinsir, Mega Scizor, Serperior, Tapu Lele, Kyurem-Black, Tapu Bulu, Tornadus-Therian, Scolipede, Clefable, Gliscor and so many others will allow them to do their job much more effectively, without having to worry about getting walled and/or letting steels in for free progess. Despite the immense catalog of magnezone benefactors, trapping is kinda of its only niche, and beyond that it can only act as a slow but decent special wallbreaker, in which case it is severely outclassed)
Zapdos
Mega-Gyarados (Quite a potent sweeper against more slow pace teams, as the combination of mold breaker and substitute + dragon dance can quickly overwhelm any weakened team. Not the best against offense, but its typing both in and out of mega forme combined with its excellent 95/109/130 bulk gives it decent tanking abilities)
Mega-Latios
Slowbro (Amazing check to most physical mons in the tier, like Mega Medicham, Gliscor and Mega Charizard X, and regenerator improves its matchup greatly into stall. Its typing also allows it to soft check special attackers like Tapu Lele and Manaphy)
Skarmory
Muk Alola (This is definitely much higher than many people would place this, but I think it is the most underrated special wall in the tier. Its the best switchin on Specs lele, Mega Alakazam, Mega Latias, Cresselia and Reuniclus, even better than chansey due to being able to pursuit trap for great chip damage and a 30% chance to poison. On top of this, its poison typing means it can act as counterplay to t-spikes toxapex on offense teams. It is fairly easy to fit on any team that can sufficiently cover its weaknesses to both ground and hazard chip, which isnt very difficult to achieve)
B Rank
Gastrodon (Better than seismitoad imo due to its longevity with recover, and more streamlined stats for dealing with special attackers. They are difficult to compare, as gastrodon is generally sat on more balanced teams, while seismitoad is stronger on BO)
Seismitoad (While it has no reliable recovery and worse stats than gastrodon, it makes up for that in a stronger utility movepool. SR and Knock Off are great options that provide much more pressure than gastrodon can put out, and while it needs more support with something like a wish chansey or rest + heal bell magearna, it is more suited for BO teams because of this utility)
Jirachi
Dragonite
Reuniclus (One of the biggest MU in the game, as it can either auto-win against a team not prepared for it, or provides minimal value if even one check or counter is present on the team. Despite being the so-called balance breaker, it can lose to common balance mons like toxapex (if its running 8 speed EVs, you can outrun and haze it), mega latias, unaware clefable and slowbro. It is also hard walled by mega sableye, making it a liability against stall if the sableye has not already been eliminated)
Buzzwole (A very underrated pick as a physical wall, but it is a great check to many common sweepers in the metagame. Its typing, combined with absurd 107/139 physical bulk lets it work tremendously as a stoppage to most physical attackers/boosters, including but not limited to: Kartana, Mega Scizor, Garchomp, Mega Tyranitar, Mega Gyarados, Excadrill, Gliscor, Tapu Bulu and more. Its low special bulk is a very targetable weak point, but pairing it with special blanket checks like AV magearna or chansey will wall most of the tier)
Keldeo
Tyranitar
Mega-Sableye (Stall isnt that horrible of an archetype as many would suggest, it just requires innovation to deal with a combination of the common stallbreakers in the tier, like Kartana, Heatran and SD Garchomp. Mega sableye is almost required on any viable stall team due to its phenomenal defensive utility, although it is limited to exclusively this archetype)
Mega-Garchomp (Mixed sets actually provide quite a bit of value against all team archetypes, and the amount of options it can run can sometimes make it worth it to use over normal garchomp)
Volcanion (With the correct support, this thing becomes an amazing balance breaker. Offensive sets on this are terrible thought, only use the bulky sets, whether that be AV or physical roar with leftovers + protect)
Kyurem (Great at completely PP stalling out anything slower than it, and some teams cant do anything about it. With lunar dance support to restore its own PP, this thing becomes maybe the biggest troll in the tier next to gliscor)
Hippowdon (Underrated as a sand setter, as it has more longevity than ttar because of slack off. Whirlwind, SR, yawn and toxic are all great utility options it has access to as well, so while best used on sand teams, its splashable on certain BO teams as well)
Hydreigon
B- Rank
Mega-Venusaur (Its a great stop-gap to much of the tier, and because of its insane bulk with only 2 weaknesses, it very often walls 5/6 of the enemy mons)
Hoopa-Unbound
Bisharp (Very strong cleaner due to STAB knock off and sucker punch coming off of 130 base attack. STAB iron head is great coverage for murking clefable, ttar and even a weakened magearna, and its +2 attacks even hit resists hard. It is also an auto-include on niche sticky web teams, not only because of its speed tier greatly benefitting from having webs up, but also because anyone daring enough to defog on bisharp will be giving it a +2 boost without any setup necessary. Its frailty, however, leaves it extremely vulnerable to even neutral special attackers, and checks often need to be severely weakened or dead for it to even attempt a sweep. It is a big one-trick-pony)
Thundurus-Therian
Crawdaunt
Mega-Slowbro (Even just holding the Slowbronite is helpful against reducing the damage that knock off would do, but having the ability to mega evolve in a pinch can allow it to live things it really shouldnt, like CB kartana leaf blade, CB bulu horn leech or +2 Z-Outrage from garchomp. Losing regenerator sucks, and often your mega slot is taken up by something other than slowbro, but if there is nothing available, then just having the option its very useful. CM wincon sets pair well with its crit-me-not ability, and 130 special attack on a defensive mon is nothing to scoff at either)
Gyarados
Nidoking (Nidoking can dismantle many teams if given the opportunity to switch in. Since its prediction reliant, there is some randomness when using it, but getting predicts right will net an OHKO almost every time. Very fun mon to use)
Amoonguss
Azumarill (Not as bad of a sweeper as big poké would have you believe. +6 aqua jet still hurts, and still kills most weakened things and its good bulk will allow a setup turn if youre good enough to position it properly. Its just not very desirable or splashable)
Mega Heracross
C+ Rank
Blacephalon
Mega-Aggron
Mew (Very interesting HO lead, has decent utility to enable other offensive teammates, but it isnt that difficult to defeat and its impact is often minimal. It is also very telegraphed as a lead, so being anti-led is common)
Scolipede
Klefki (While it does have its shortcomings, mainly in its stats, it has an array of amazing utility thats further boosted by prankster. Its a great role compressor, having access to dual screens, t-wave, spikes, defog, and switcheroo, and can fill the final teamslot on teams that require multiple of these things at once)
Mega-Altaria (A great typing a great defensive stats let it check a lot of things in the tier, and with pixilate+return it isnt a slouch for damage either. It also has good utility like heal bell, roar, defog and haze, but it isnt a very splashable pokemon due to taking the mega slot)
Tangrowth
Mega-Camerupt (Great switch in to all volt switch users not named rotom-wash, and hits really, really hard)
Mega-Aerodactyl
Cofagrigus (Good switch-in to the physical attackers that need their ability, like mega medicham, gliscor, azumarill, hawlucha and more. Also breaks toxapex's monopoly on toxic spikes, although it is a much worse user of it due to its vulnerability to status and chip)
Suicune
Mega-Gallade
Mantine
Mega-Sharpedo (A good cleaner because of its speed and strong jaw boosted coverage, however its also a one trick pony)
Gengar
C Rank
Breloom
Mamoswine
Porygon-Z (Z-conversion sets work, but a nasty plot + z-hyper beam can one shot chansey at +2 so that set is automatically better. +2 252+ SpA Adaptability Porygon-Z Breakneck Blitz (200 BP) vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Eviolite Chansey: 626-738 (88.9 - 104.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock)
Nihilego
Quagsire
Araquanid (This is the best sticky web setter in the tier, ribombee propoganda will not win)
Marowak-Alola
Mega-Blastoise (Certainly a strange choice to be on the list, but theres a lot to blastoise. Its very good bulk with mono-water typing makes it quite steadfast, and its ability basically grants it a STAB aura sphere and dark pulse, which hits relatively hard coming off of 135 special attack. Access to rapid spin makes it suitable for many teams on top of being a special breaker)
C- Rank
Mega-Manectric
Salamence (Less capable flyinium-z sweeper than dragonite and gyarados, but its typing + intimidate can occassionally give it the edge over the other options)
Thundurus
Ninetales-Alola
Moltres (Crippling SR weakness holds back this great type combo and moltres from having a great defensive niche in OU)
Mimikyu
Ribombee (Its probably the second best sticky web setter, and is cool for its fake out immunity and stun spore)
Alomomola
Pyukumuku (Has a cool niche on hard stall teams that want an unaware PP stall mon)
D Rank
Mega-Steelix (I can see a mega steelix team given the right support, but its a lot of work just to make it average)
Shedinja
Mega-Beedrill (Looks great in theory, in practice... adaptability boosting horrible stabs cant make them good. Being a mon thats exclusively used for pivoting while also being weak to SR is a death sentence too)
Forretress
Mega-Houndoom
Mega-Pidgeot (Unfortunately just kinda sucks, outclassed by torn-t in most ways except power and a consistent hurricane. At least its consistent in its mediocrity)
S Rank
Magearna Landorus-Therian (Self-explanatory, near-guaranteed fit on any offense team and always fills in the gaps in a team. Not as versatile as Mag however, and it doesnt quite fit on EVERY composition)S- Rank
Toxapex Tapu-Lele (Specs variants are arguably the strongest wallbreaker in the tier, doing considerable damage to even the tankiest of resists. Other variants like Choice Scarf, Taunt + Natures Madness and Z-move CM also fit well on offense, and entire teams can be built around psychic terrain)A+ Rank
Mega-Alakazam (Being the fastest mon in the tier, its hard to find a game where zam didnt contribute anything at all) Kartana (Amazing mon, personally dont think its as broken as its made out to be, but still very powerful. Its also surprisingly versatile, as recent experiments with Band/Utility kart on balance teams have panned out well) Gliscor Tornadus-Therian Mega-Latias Mega-Medicham (Anything with 100 base speed shouldnt be hitting this hard. It can absolutely rip through any team that doesnt have a reliable check to it; Cresselia, Meta Latias, Reuniclus, Mega Sableye, Slowbro, etc) Heatran Mega-Charizard-X (Not only is an amazingly powerful sweeper than can grab random OHKOs with Flare Blitz, but has a great deal of value as an SD wallbreaker on slower paced teams) Chansey (Cornerstone of balance and stall, the tier would fall apart without chansey) Serperior Tapu-Koko (Its hard for me to understand the negative attitude towards koko in the modern meta. It has a variety of great sets, and the natural speed control it brings + its versatility allows it to fit on almost any archetype) Ferrothorn Ash-Greninja (Although its an incredible wallbreaker, its strength has invited many common and niche checks to it into the tier. You'd be hard pressed to find a good team without at least 1-2 ash-gren checks) Mega-Charizard-Y (Unorthodox pick here, but this mon has the least switch-ins out of anything in the tier (like just M-latias and chansey lol). As I said with medicham, it has a great speed tier for how hard it hits, and Fire/Flying + Roost + Good Natural Bulk grants it more longevity and ability to switch into attacks than most wallbreakers, even despite its major SR weakness) Greninja (Definition of versatile, scouting for its set can be difficult because of the sheer amount of Z-moves and coverage options it has. It doesnt hit as hard as other offensive threats, but a bad prediction against it can lose the game instantly) Kyurem-BlackA Rank
Mega-Mawile (Can perform its wallbreaker role in so many ways, and with so many coverage options + SD, it can fit like a glove on anything ranging from offense to balance) Weavile (The offensive utility and power weavile can bring to a team is hefty, with it having STAB Knock, Pursuit and STAB priority with Ice Shard. Works well on literally any archetype, whether that be as a supportive pursuit trapper/knocker for mons like gliscor, or as an offensive check to ice-weak pokemon like Garchomp, Tornadus-T, Gliscor and Hawlucha) Clefable Volcarona (Arguably the most versatile sweeper, volc has a lot of prescence in the tier and any team without a check to it will surely be blown away. Offensive sets work well on any HO or offense team with good hazard control, while bulky sets serve as a great check and punish (with Flame Body) to common mons like Kartana, Excadrill and Weavile for balance teams, and its even great on stall as a cleaner) Cresselia (One of those choose-your-own-checks mons, with crazy enough stats that allow it to mix and match its EVs to fit almost any balance/BO composition. Its typing guarantees it works as a check to the plethora of psychic and fighting types in the tier, even without any investment. Many teams can just auto-lose to CM cress too) Hawlucha Rotom-Wash (One of the few mons that is equally as valuable against offense as it is against stall/balance. Great roll compression and works on most team archetypes) Mega-Lopunny Excadrill Mega Diancie (Great speed tier and hits very hard, while also having great utility in magic bounce and amazing stab moves and coverage. Unfortunately, its typing combined with its average bulk and lack of ANY recovery (cant even access lefties) leads it to be worn down very easily, and it not having any boosting moves hinders its ability to break through walls as well)A- Rank
Mega-Tyranitar (Despite it being a wall of stats, its typing leads to it being threatened out by a great deal of things, and its lack of recovery or leftovers combined with its vulnerability to every type of hazard makes it very easy to wear down. It is undeniably very strong and adds great value by virtue of SR and hitting things with an 164 attack stat) Tapu-Fini (One of the best BO mons in the game. Works as an amazing check to all the threatening water, fighting and dark types, and has great utility with Defog + Taunt, as well as its trapper set) Manaphy (Cheesiest mon in the tier, Rest + Hydration ruins most defensive counterplay against it, and 100 stats across the board allows it to take super effective hits and just full heal them off. Higher than pelipper and swampert because its not a rain-exclusive, buts its best value comes from rain teams) Pelipper + Mega-Swampert (Rain is such an easy archetype to use. It either completely destroys teams that dont have a sturdy check to it, or get rolled by teams with multiple water + ground resists) Kommo-o (The standard z-sweeper set can feel underwhelming, however the SpDef set is an amazing check to many common mons like ash-gren, volc, heatran and serperior. DD Z-thunder punch sets are great to catch people off guard who think Celesteela or Toxapex are checks) Mega-Scizor (Bulky set is great at sitting on things, and it can customize itself with a great movepool, acting as a U-turn pivot, or a tanky defogger. The fully offensive SD is extremely underrated and can completely sweep teams that dont have psychic terrain, or a hard check like skarmory, bulkarona or zapdos) Tapu-Bulu Mega-Pinsir (Hits extremely hard for how good its speed tier is, and having a strong flying type priority comes up very often for dealing with fast offensive threats, like greninja and alakazam, while also revenging the numerous flying-weak sweepers like volcarona, kommo-o, serperior and hawlucha. Fighting/ground coverage means it doesnt auto lose to every steel type in existance, and pairing this with magnezone can remove the few checks that do exist for this) GarchompB+ Rank
Ditto Victini (Powerful scarfer that can revenge kill many things by virtue of its bulk and an incredible "signature", v-create. Unfortunate, its horrendous typing leaves it vulnerable to SR which is not ideal for a pivot. Often times it gets the most value by clicking Final Gambit turn 1) Celesteela Magnezone (One of the best enablers ever conceived, trapping steel types can benefit so many mons, both offensive and defensive. Pairing it with things like Kartana, Mega Pinsir, Mega Scizor, Serperior, Tapu Lele, Kyurem-Black, Tapu Bulu, Tornadus-Therian, Scolipede, Clefable, Gliscor and so many others will allow them to do their job much more effectively, without having to worry about getting walled and/or letting steels in for free progess. Despite the immense catalog of magnezone benefactors, trapping is kinda of its only niche, and beyond that it can only act as a slow but decent special wallbreaker, in which case it is severely outclassed) Zapdos Mega-Gyarados (Quite a potent sweeper against more slow pace teams, as the combination of mold breaker and substitute + dragon dance can quickly overwhelm any weakened team. Not the best against offense, but its typing both in and out of mega forme combined with its excellent 95/109/130 bulk gives it decent tanking abilities) Mega-Latios Slowbro (Amazing check to most physical mons in the tier, like Mega Medicham, Gliscor and Mega Charizard X, and regenerator improves its matchup greatly into stall. Its typing also allows it to soft check special attackers like Tapu Lele and Manaphy) Skarmory Muk Alola (This is definitely much higher than many people would place this, but I think it is the most underrated special wall in the tier. Its the best switchin on Specs lele, Mega Alakazam, Mega Latias, Cresselia and Reuniclus, even better than chansey due to being able to pursuit trap for great chip damage and a 30% chance to poison. On top of this, its poison typing means it can act as counterplay to t-spikes toxapex on offense teams. It is fairly easy to fit on any team that can sufficiently cover its weaknesses to both ground and hazard chip, which isnt very difficult to achieve)B Rank
Gastrodon (Better than seismitoad imo due to its longevity with recover, and more streamlined stats for dealing with special attackers. They are difficult to compare, as gastrodon is generally sat on more balanced teams, while seismitoad is stronger on BO) Seismitoad (While it has no reliable recovery and worse stats than gastrodon, it makes up for that in a stronger utility movepool. SR and Knock Off are great options that provide much more pressure than gastrodon can put out, and while it needs more support with something like a wish chansey or rest + heal bell magearna, it is more suited for BO teams because of this utility) Jirachi Dragonite Reuniclus (One of the biggest MU in the game, as it can either auto-win against a team not prepared for it, or provides minimal value if even one check or counter is present on the team. Despite being the so-called balance breaker, it can lose to common balance mons like toxapex (if its running 8 speed EVs, you can outrun and haze it), mega latias, unaware clefable and slowbro. It is also hard walled by mega sableye, making it a liability against stall if the sableye has not already been eliminated) Buzzwole (A very underrated pick as a physical wall, but it is a great check to many common sweepers in the metagame. Its typing, combined with absurd 107/139 physical bulk lets it work tremendously as a stoppage to most physical attackers/boosters, including but not limited to: Kartana, Mega Scizor, Garchomp, Mega Tyranitar, Mega Gyarados, Excadrill, Gliscor, Tapu Bulu and more. Its low special bulk is a very targetable weak point, but pairing it with special blanket checks like AV magearna or chansey will wall most of the tier) Keldeo Tyranitar Mega-Sableye (Stall isnt that horrible of an archetype as many would suggest, it just requires innovation to deal with a combination of the common stallbreakers in the tier, like Kartana, Heatran and SD Garchomp. Mega sableye is almost required on any viable stall team due to its phenomenal defensive utility, although it is limited to exclusively this archetype) Mega-Garchomp (Mixed sets actually provide quite a bit of value against all team archetypes, and the amount of options it can run can sometimes make it worth it to use over normal garchomp) Volcanion (With the correct support, this thing becomes an amazing balance breaker. Offensive sets on this are terrible thought, only use the bulky sets, whether that be AV or physical roar with leftovers + protect) Kyurem (Great at completely PP stalling out anything slower than it, and some teams cant do anything about it. With lunar dance support to restore its own PP, this thing becomes maybe the biggest troll in the tier next to gliscor) Hippowdon (Underrated as a sand setter, as it has more longevity than ttar because of slack off. Whirlwind, SR, yawn and toxic are all great utility options it has access to as well, so while best used on sand teams, its splashable on certain BO teams as well) HydreigonB- Rank
Mega-Venusaur (Its a great stop-gap to much of the tier, and because of its insane bulk with only 2 weaknesses, it very often walls 5/6 of the enemy mons) Hoopa-Unbound Bisharp (Very strong cleaner due to STAB knock off and sucker punch coming off of 130 base attack. STAB iron head is great coverage for murking clefable, ttar and even a weakened magearna, and its +2 attacks even hit resists hard. It is also an auto-include on niche sticky web teams, not only because of its speed tier greatly benefitting from having webs up, but also because anyone daring enough to defog on bisharp will be giving it a +2 boost without any setup necessary. Its frailty, however, leaves it extremely vulnerable to even neutral special attackers, and checks often need to be severely weakened or dead for it to even attempt a sweep. It is a big one-trick-pony) Thundurus-Therian Crawdaunt Mega-Slowbro (Even just holding the Slowbronite is helpful against reducing the damage that knock off would do, but having the ability to mega evolve in a pinch can allow it to live things it really shouldnt, like CB kartana leaf blade, CB bulu horn leech or +2 Z-Outrage from garchomp. Losing regenerator sucks, and often your mega slot is taken up by something other than slowbro, but if there is nothing available, then just having the option its very useful. CM wincon sets pair well with its crit-me-not ability, and 130 special attack on a defensive mon is nothing to scoff at either) Gyarados Nidoking (Nidoking can dismantle many teams if given the opportunity to switch in. Since its prediction reliant, there is some randomness when using it, but getting predicts right will net an OHKO almost every time. Very fun mon to use) Amoonguss Azumarill (Not as bad of a sweeper as big poké would have you believe. +6 aqua jet still hurts, and still kills most weakened things and its good bulk will allow a setup turn if youre good enough to position it properly. Its just not very desirable or splashable) Mega HeracrossC+ Rank
Blacephalon Mega-Aggron Mew (Very interesting HO lead, has decent utility to enable other offensive teammates, but it isnt that difficult to defeat and its impact is often minimal. It is also very telegraphed as a lead, so being anti-led is common) Scolipede Klefki (While it does have its shortcomings, mainly in its stats, it has an array of amazing utility thats further boosted by prankster. Its a great role compressor, having access to dual screens, t-wave, spikes, defog, and switcheroo, and can fill the final teamslot on teams that require multiple of these things at once) Mega-Altaria (A great typing a great defensive stats let it check a lot of things in the tier, and with pixilate+return it isnt a slouch for damage either. It also has good utility like heal bell, roar, defog and haze, but it isnt a very splashable pokemon due to taking the mega slot) Tangrowth Mega-Camerupt (Great switch in to all volt switch users not named rotom-wash, and hits really, really hard) Mega-Aerodactyl Cofagrigus (Good switch-in to the physical attackers that need their ability, like mega medicham, gliscor, azumarill, hawlucha and more. Also breaks toxapex's monopoly on toxic spikes, although it is a much worse user of it due to its vulnerability to status and chip) Suicune Mega-Gallade Mantine Mega-Sharpedo (A good cleaner because of its speed and strong jaw boosted coverage, however its also a one trick pony) GengarC Rank
Breloom Mamoswine Porygon-Z (Z-conversion sets work, but a nasty plot + z-hyper beam can one shot chansey at +2 so that set is automatically better. +2 252+ SpA Adaptability Porygon-Z Breakneck Blitz (200 BP) vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Eviolite Chansey: 626-738 (88.9 - 104.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock) Nihilego Quagsire Araquanid (This is the best sticky web setter in the tier, ribombee propoganda will not win) Marowak-Alola Mega-Blastoise (Certainly a strange choice to be on the list, but theres a lot to blastoise. Its very good bulk with mono-water typing makes it quite steadfast, and its ability basically grants it a STAB aura sphere and dark pulse, which hits relatively hard coming off of 135 special attack. Access to rapid spin makes it suitable for many teams on top of being a special breaker)C- Rank
Mega-Manectric Salamence (Less capable flyinium-z sweeper than dragonite and gyarados, but its typing + intimidate can occassionally give it the edge over the other options) Thundurus Ninetales-Alola Moltres (Crippling SR weakness holds back this great type combo and moltres from having a great defensive niche in OU) Mimikyu Ribombee (Its probably the second best sticky web setter, and is cool for its fake out immunity and stun spore) Alomomola Pyukumuku (Has a cool niche on hard stall teams that want an unaware PP stall mon)D Rank
Mega-Steelix (I can see a mega steelix team given the right support, but its a lot of work just to make it average) Shedinja Mega-Beedrill (Looks great in theory, in practice... adaptability boosting horrible stabs cant make them good. Being a mon thats exclusively used for pivoting while also being weak to SR is a death sentence too) Forretress Mega-Houndoom Mega-Pidgeot (Unfortunately just kinda sucks, outclassed by torn-t in most ways except power and a consistent hurricane. At least its consistent in its mediocrity)