Resource SV PU Viability Rankings

[tom holland]

big agree on rhydon for S rank. Rhydon has a ton to offer. I'll try to keep this one short because a lot of great points have already been made. Basically, this is an excellent sweeper OR an excellent sr tank, and genuinely it is one of the best at what it does in both niches. Double dance rhydon on HO can steamroll with the right tera and structure behind it, and the SR set provides valuable ground type, beats very threatening mons in the meta, and its STABs are enough for it to be threatening still on BO or Balance structures.

A- to A rank I feel like ever since the suspect test it received a while back, it has been consistently slept on. Firstly, the band set is incredible, genuinely is guaranteed progress if you are good at predicting redbull responses. Strong fast earthquakes are very underrated in this meta, and tera ground band redbull fits the bill for a strong fast earthquake. Scarf redbull is one of the best forms of speed control you can have on balance/BO structures that don't run arcanine, because of its strong stabs and coverage making it a reliable revenge killer and cleaner, as well as its goated typing and intimidate. 100 speed for scarf is a great place to be in this meta. Lastly, the bulk up set with flame charge and earthquake is goated, ever since gastro left this set is better than the trailblaze one, and it allows you to beat stuff it originally could not without earthquake. This pokemon has everything it needs to excel in this tier rn, and is only really held back by fire type competition and fighting type competition. With that said, it fits perfectly on Copperajah structures and probably with other steel types to fill in for the florges answer slot, so its niche is much more splashable than one may expect.

B- to B+ rank Okay as most know, I am not usually a hyper offense type of guy, but I have been building/using more HO lately to improve as a player, and I am surprised this mon is in B-. It does the same job as Lycanroc just differently, and its STABs or gale+quake are very hard for BO and Balance to switch into usually. The custap set is the most common, but I have also seen a fun loaded dice set for psyterrain too and both are very effective. Very straightforward nom for me, it has one niche and does that niche well, as well as lycanroc dare i say.

C or C+ plz Okay I have been a lurantis truther for half a decade at this point, but I swear I'm not crazy! Even in the guno/arcanine meta, I fine myself using this and appreciating it on some BO/Balance structures. It is very reliable removal, getting hazards away from majority of rockers, and has the longevity to win the long game too. With 252 hp 216 speed+, rest in def, it can trade with many things reliably in a pinch. Also, the speed is to outspeed Adamant rhydon if u were wondering, so you always beat double dance rhydon unless its tera poison. Lurantis can beome threatening itself with enough boosts, and thanks to its ability to stay alive longer than most things, it can more often than not surprise the opponent with a late game leaf storm+superpower spam. If we had more removal options, I probably would not be advocating for lurantis as much, but our removal is pretty limited, and this mon does carve its own removal niche with its consistency and ability to beat certain threats in the meta like hecidueye. You more often-than-not win the triple arrow spam vs it, and come out with boosted defense, and often dont even need to tera. I will say, the big downside I briefly mentioned is top threats do scare this thing, like Arcanine, Guno, an Salazzle. However, lazzle is not repeatedly switching into superpower through the game bc its frail, arcanine you can trade with in a pinch anyways oftentimes, and guno is indeed an L if you don't have knock off, but that's what the rest of the team is for and also why I have it nommed for C or C+. You do need to prep pretty heavily for guno/arc if you use this, but you should be doing that anyways so a lot of the time it works out. I do strongly encourage you try it out and get an opinion for yourself! Speaking of removal...

B+ to A- I'll admit, this pokemon is awkward to build with sometimes, however, I have gotten more comfortable building it into BO/Balance and love it! With enough defense, you are reliably taking on tauros that doesnt click stone edge on your switch, arcanine, you are about as consistent as lurantis is, and of course the elephant in the room, gulp missile. Gulp missile forces your opponent to respond in a passive way oftentimes, going to their bellibolt or cm florges, or cm guno instead of attacking. This is free momentum oftentimes if you are predicting those moments, and making the appropriate predicted switch. It also hits hard enough even with a -atk nature with brave bird, and so with gulp missile it is actually a really punishing combination. Everyone knows the trick this pokemon has, but it still is reliable and since you know common cramorant responses if you use it enough, you can exploit those responses yourself and gain momentum. I find it to be a lot more splashable of a pokemon than I originally assumed it to be, and would advocate a rise to A-.

I could nom a lot more including some pokemon I think should go down in viability, but I am typiing-fatigued now so I'll do that in the future. Happy Friday ya'll

 

[kyuss]

A- -> A+ - this is hands down the best scarfer in its tier rn. Not having Gastro did wonders for this goofy fish. It can pivot around without worrying about priority, and its strong stabs don't require a strong jaw to function. You can even use Strong Jaw as most people are afraid to use priority and lose a turn. SD is also a big threat once you get rid of Wo-Chien/Le Brute.

A- -> A/A+ - I'll die in the hill that this monster is better than people give it credit for. A Rocker that's not just an offensive paperweight, spinblocks, great stats, neutralize most toxtricities and the ability to not miss. I've been using Rocker + knock off and AV Tera Steel, and both have had great results. It even got me to a point where I tried to fit it into every team, which is not even mentioning the Band set that literally has no switch-ins. I'm loving it more and more every day and having a feeling it's somewhat a level above most of A- tier (except maybe muds, copper, pauros and the aforementioned bruxish. I would put it even above guno as it's easier to fit given the immunities it brings to the table).

A- -> A - Maybe I'm getting emotional there, but this thing is pretty good again? Best switch-in to Bellibolt and Wo-Chien, good check to Hecidueye and Florges, the last two being everywhere. Basically, one slot that gives you a good matchup against some of the most annoying stuff in the meta right now. Can even be a sun-counter by running Timid Chlorophyl as Overgrow isn't that needed anyway. Give it a try, and you won't regret it!

C -> B+ - This one's a Florges and Guno check for those who like momentum and violence. It's pretty decent right now.

C -> B+ - I've become a Persian enjoyer after first resisting. This mon is definitely better at pivoting than Grimmsnarl. I love the rocky helmet and scarfer, specially the later FAFOing around gracefully and removing items while being faster than everything.

B -> B+- - This one's a sleeper threat. Both SD and defensive spikers are at an all-time high right now IMO.

A- -> B - It's sad to say this as for the most part of this gen i was its only defender. Even things it was meant to check it's no longer able to do so. Almost everything pivot does, Persian is doing better at the moment, bar maybe the extra fairy type which is handy sometimes. And i feel like BU does not have it to justify it's current position. A- feels too high.

A- -> A - Those feel too low there with Gastro gone.


Agree with:

B+ -> A - This one's a real challenge to switch into. It finds a lot of opportunities to set up atm and seems to be able to get into blaze range every time. It's a big threat, and I'm actually more fond of it than Salazzle right now because of its extra survivability.

B+ -> A - B+ feels too low for a mon that threatening slash versatile. Nasty Plot is amazing, and its utility is also pretty good.

A- -> A/A+ - I COULD BE BANNED!

B- -> B+ - after my rebranding to an official HO player, i might say this is the best suicide lead the playstyle has to offer. Regular spin recover, although very tera reliant still a thing worth noting.

B+ -> A- - nothing to add, just feels like it deserves the A- spot right now.

A- -> A - also nothing to add

Disagree with:

A+ -> S - given the two mons we have at S I think Rhydon is at its ideal place

A -> B+ - this is the one i've disagreed the most. A well played toxtricity is as threatening as ever. People mimic around the same 4 moves and expects better results. Try inventing, teraing, luring your opponent. Once its 1/2 checks are gone you can easily call it game (and it's not even that hard to overpressure its checks/counters)

on the fence:

A+ -> A- - would agree with A for the sole reason of being difficult to fit BUT still too threatening and a good of wincon to be at A-

B -> A - would be more on the B+ side of this dispute


@edit as i almost forgot

C -> B - I think people have been seeing me thrashing the ladder with both Specs and Eject Pack Arboliva. unOHKOable, good support with seed sower for the likes of Arcanine and Copperajah, hits like a truck and is a good switch-in to most ground types. I seriously believe it's overlooked

 

[PorygonBG]

New-> Z (I'm kidding, he's rank D)
so because of his speed and his lack of healing, without pivot or without healing (HDB is mandatory since he has weakness to SR), he literally gets checked by almost the entire tier

 

[gulch]

gonna make some nominations and speak briefly on a few things mentioned elsewhere in the thread as usual :)

A- > B+
Would even consider dropping this lower to like B or so, honestly. The one big thing Defog sets had going for them (exploiting the best hazard setter in the tier) is gone now that that title has been passed from Gastrodon to Rhydon, who actually has the potential to hurt you if you guess wrong. Quiver Dance variants are like, fine? I guess? I just honestly don't see much reason at all to use them over the million other HO setup bots we have, be that Oricorio, G-Articuno, Salazzle, Toxtricity, H-Sneasel, Bruxish... you see my point, surely. This diva's time in the spotlight is over.

A+ > A
I think the tier is generally moving away from the things that made this such a powerful defensive staple. Don't get me wrong, it's still good, having a defensive piece that isn't a total momentum drain is lovely and Toxic is as annoying as ever, but out of the top mons currently, not a lot of them really care about you? Rhydon runs Tera Poison often and doesn't make contact, Arcanine's entire gimmick with setup is that it doesn't matter how slow it is because it has Extreme Speed, Florges is everywhere and will ruin your day if it manages to pass you Scarf, and a lot of offense structures take no issue in just blowing through you. Contact punish as a dedicated role just ain't what it used to be. You'd also think that with Gastrodon leaving, Volt Switch would be freer, but ironically the opposite is true since now people are running Rhydon as their Ground more often and if you end up in a situation where Rhydon gets a free turn you're really fucked. Instead of being able to provide more momentum you're forced into this awkward 50/50 of making the call and clicking Muddy Water or just going for the pivot and it's totally gross, it's like Rotom-Mow mindgames except they're not on your side.

B+ > A-
The best removal in the tier hands down no questions asked. Disgusting enabler of offense thanks to the damage and paralysis spreading. Soft checks Arcanine and about a million other things thanks to Gulp Missile being the most annoying bullshit on the face of the planet, is weirdly fat, weirdly a little fast for its role, and does some actually respectable chip damage even when it's not spitting its breakfast at you. I will be the first to admit that a large amount of Cramorant's bulk is actually an illusion from the combined factors of having some very convenient resists and also being very good at discouraging the opponent from hitting you to begin with, but this little shit will still scuttle its way through situations it has no business surviving. The welfare queen of SV PU is alive and well, fellas.

A- > A
Very big agree that Bruxish needs to rise. Scarf is very good and effective but I think Swords Dance sets are where it really shines, Dazzling makes a lot of offensive counterplay much harder to utilize and even lets you kind of check Arcanine which is huuuuuge. Also like kyuss said, if you really wanna get greedy you can even just run Strong Jaw and profit off of people not even trying to hit you with priority because they're scared of blowing a turn. The lack of many real solid Water resists is also a pretty big buff.

B > B+
While offensive sets have been fairly eclipsed by Uxie, I've been getting more and more use out of Mesprit as a utility choice lately, specifically for its access to Healing Wish. A lot of the big stupid breakers in the tier at least have the drawback of any chip you get on them being permanent, but Mesprit solves that problem entirely, and a well-timed Healing Wish will sometimes win you a game on the spot just because the opponent can't handle a second round of Choice Band Arcanine or whatever else it is you're packing. I think that it's much more worth exploring alternative rockers now that our best hazard setter is gone and Mesprit more than rises to the occasion.

UR > C+
Seen tom use this a fair bit including his series vs entrocefalo for seasonal and also apparently through his entire ladder session for G-Articuno reqs. Tried it some and I've definitely tasted the kool-aid. In a meta where the best Stealth Rock user is also a very scary offensive threat, it's nice to have a remover that isn't a total do-nothing. You are a tiny bit starved for moveslots (Synthesis, Knock Off, and Superpower are all great but you can only afford two of the three), and Rhydon does fuck you over if it clicks Tera (as we saw in tom's OTHER seasonal set vs tnunes), but Lurantis gets the job done while also maintaining some level of threat, and that's often all you can really ask of a remover in this day and age.

NEW > C
I tried to cope so hard to find a niche for this, I really did. It's just so abysmally shit. You don't even have to bother putting it on blacklist because nobody is going to talk about it anyway. Clear Smog and a Fire resistance could have been cool to check Arcanine, but it just outlasts you with Morning Sun while you do nothing back to it. The rocks weakness and lack of healing in any form kneecaps whatever defensive value it could have and it's too slow and too weak to be of any offensive use despite having access to Shell Smash and a fine typing. Even C is a kindness and overestimation of Torkoal's capabilities to do something, I'm really just saying it because it's PU for now and we do have to give it a rank until it drops again. No Drought, no viability.

Agree with Hiusi-Avalugg to B+, it's the best HO lead right now and HO is a very strong playstyle at the moment. Looking at the samples and a lot of the teams used in later rounds of circuit, this dude is everywhere and is definitely a head above Lycanroc and Froslass.

Agree with Redbull to A, this asshole does so much damage and Choice Band has like 0 real switchins on paper. The only actual problem it has is that it's competing with Arcanine for a slot.

Agree with Qwilfish to B+, it's the best (and really, the only good) option for Spikes right now.

Agree that Alolan Persian should go up but I think a whole letter grade and some change is way too much, would probably say B at absolute highest and even that's a stretch.

Disagree with Toxtricity to B+, still a total jerk who does a lot of damage and if you think it sucks I don't think you're using enough sets.

Disagree with Salazzle to A-, this is an absolutely insane take, it can be a little awkward to fit onto a team but it's so ridiculously potent. Pairing this with Zoroark and a failsafe Rhydon check is actually cheating.

Disagree with Rhydon to S, I think that it's not quite of the same magnitude as Florges and Arcanine which are seen on literally almost every single team. It's most definitely the best thing in A+ but I don't quite see it being S level.

 

[DD Joe]

Time for me to weigh in I suppose:

Rises-

A-> A+ This thing is extremely annoying to build around right now. Its natural bulk allows it to set up in your face as well as mitigate the damage with pain split. It really doesn't have too many switch ins, barring Goodra and spdef invested Rhydon. This and the fact that pivot moves are very strong in the current meta make it a top tier mon for me.

A+-> S Rank Okay i've changed my mind Rhydon is unbelievable. It can basically run any tera and is a fantastic win con, rocks setter, sweeper and check to a plethora of strong mons. Just great all round.

A- -> A+ Bruxish has solidified itself as a premiere scarfer. Flip turn is so useful for momentum and this thing sweeps up late game. Immunity to priority makes it a great option into metagame threats like Grimmsnarl and Arc. (Heavy agree with Kyuss)

A- -> A+ The Jade Elephant has seen much more usage since the Guno Suspect and has proven its worth as a check and hole puncher in many teams. Knocking Off boots is very important in this tier so knock off spam from Copper puts in a lot of work. It can also set rocks and semi stall/scout choiced mons with protect. It's hard to justify not running this mon rn on balance.

B -> A Best defogger in the tier rn tbh

C+-> B This thing is a defensive juggernaut and is a solid option for both a win con, phazer and phys wall.

C-> B Proven HO Terrain Staple. Absurdly strong clicks after swords dance and great coverage options in knock and poison jab.

UR->B Bastiodon has a really nice defensive profile and can soak up lots of special damage and shake it off with Leftovers. It can also serve as an amazing win con with body press and Iron defense. Underrated.



Drops

B-> C Lycanroc is a very one note, predictable mon with limited usage and is totally outclassed by Avalugg. Even the swords dance set is too frail to be respect.

A- -> B Still a decent spinner but suffers from a poor speed tier as well as horrible physical frailty. There are more reliable hazard removal options but the mon is still pretty scary when it gets going.

B- -> C Passimian is outclassed by other scarfers in the tier and lacks the breaking power of its friends Tauros and Emboar.


Nothing too radical. Overall I massively agree with Kyuss' thoughts.

 

[Oofhixd]

Am i seriously doing noms again? yes! if you dont like it, i dont give 2 flying f-f-frosmoth.

A- -> B
this mon being in A- still is criminal. its outclassed in its role as bulky lead by havalugg, cb sets are bad at best, and the 3rd best mon in the tier being a bulky ground with rocks doesnt help this mon at all. rhydkn and havalugg exist, this mon feels like it only exists on ladder.

A- -> staying A- (maybe small rise to A?)
if youre in the research project, you know how controversial this mon has been, being A+ for some of us, and B/B- for others. this mon is a premiere scarfer which can deny priority, this makes this mon faster than everything except other scarfers, of which not too many are faster than her. that being said, the damage can be slightly underwhelming at times, and the lack of coverage can also hurt, that being said, a stab wave crash is really dangerous, and can break weakened teams until it wins, definitely NOT A+, but also definitely NOT B/B-.

C -> B+
ok my earlier post about this mon being B- was a lie, this mon is definitely higher, this mon is essentially fire type bruxish except it hits even harder. moves coming off of that high attack has to hurt (see calcs from my earlier post) and it has nice coverage moves getting basically all moves that deal recoil, and it also gets KO. that being said, this mon isnt super bulky and other scarfers are really awful for this mon, so its a good wincon for sure, but you need to choose your battles.

C -> off the VR
so long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye!

NEW -> D
go to the depths of hitmontop rank. (Also yes ive actually tested this mon)

C -> B-/C+
Ok this mon isnt amazing but its certainly gotten better. pop bomb can do some damage ig? Bulwark is nice to burn, webs is fine rn and it can set rocks too. Imo this mon can fit on to quite alot of teams as a hazard setter and just be a general nuisance, watch out for taunt tho.

Agree with:
B+ -> A/A- More on the A- side
A- -> A/A+, more on the A side
A -> A+ would be S if fire and electric werent so contested
UR -> C+/C, would be C- but there isnt C- so C’ll have to do cuz this mon doesnt feel UR
B -> B+, uxie is rising, this should too
A+ -> A, honestly could even see A- unfort, this guy just isnt doing as much as he used to and feels more and more like a ladder mon
B- -> B+, def not higher than this, but imo this mon is nearly on par with coal and alolaslash, good remvoer and lead.
A- -> A, never shoulda gone that low in the first place, but its back and just as good as it was.
C+ -> B, insanely fat, have been saying this for a while
C -> B HO staple, much more than would be more B- on it tho


On the fence with:
B- -> C this mon feels p good rn on webs despite being slightly slower than the ape, would be leaning more towards C+
C -> B, this mon def isnt B, i could see C+, but B is too far of a stretch imo.
C -> B+ see my research project analyses on these mons.

Disagree with:
A- -> B, i infact see this mon as A rn, priority pivoting, BU set being consistent. Overall a great mon
A- -> A, this mon honestly doesnt feel great and could warrant a drop to B+ for me actually, its definitely not an A tier mon.
A- -> B+/B, this mon still feels great as a remover with insane special bulk, if anything she needs a rise
A- -> A/A+, also think this mon needs a drop, A- is too high for it and its more suitable in B+.

Alright, thats all for now, ty for reading my post, love you PU, goodbye guys!

 

[Wnedy]

Don’t have much to say since most of yall said what I would’ve anyways but anywayyysss (take with a grain of salt)

UR —> C
The thing is pretty flawed given its defensive stats + reliance on sleep talk but its typing and abilities gives it a unique role as a bulky pivot in my opinion. Volt absorb allows it to somewhat wall out tier staples like Rotom H and Bellibolt. Pairs well with anything weak to electric / water moves such as cramorant or Rotom H. Scald helps it out on physically oriented sets and with only 40 speed Evs you can outspend adamant rhydon so that’s cool ig. Water Absorb sets can be used on certain teams to punish pivoting moves from Qwilfish or Bruxfish. Overall I think Lanturn is pretty solid if it has a team to take advantage of its pivoting and some teammates to patch up its ground / grass weakness (eg Altaria).

B+ —> A-
Great pivot and revenge killer with some nice utility options via taunt mainly. STAB is very much complementary making it very hard to play around, the fact this outspeeds some of the scarfers is so crazy.

B+ —> A-
Reliable setup sweeper and utility mon. A very consistent mon that can fill many roles I don’t really have much to say beyond here.

B —> B+
Very reliable physical pivot with spikes. Surprisingly potent as a sweeper given its stab combination.

C —> C+
Terrain is very strong right now and these mons set them up and have their own merit to be used over each other depending on the team your building.

C —> B-
Threatening on terrain via unburden + speed tiers. Lee is more muscle and can get out of control if not promptly stopped with a check. Sceptile benefits the most out of the two from grassy terrain as it boosts its STAB to help out its 85 attack stat. These things kinda do the same thing so I grouped them together here.

C+ —> B-
Takes hits like a champ. Has a plethora of weaknesses but anything that its neutral to will be eaten up most likely.

C —> UR
Outclassed as a cm sweeper due to coverage and outclassed as a pivot because coverage. I just find despite its stats being excellent for either of these roles the lack of ways to hit grounds without tera really hurts this thing regardless of what you’re trying to do. Would love to see someone prove me wrong because i feel like im wrong on paper for saying this but like hmmmm /g

B- —> C+
Stats are too poor to make this thing last long even with eviolite. Has utility via magic bounce but can’t really see it doing much else outside of that. Nuzzle and healing wish helps out with its utility so it still has use cases but it needs support to see best results.

 

[asa]

The VR council is currently conducting a vote on the most recent noms, expect to see the results in the coming days! Any posts made after this one will be taken into consideration in the next VR update.

 

[Aurist]

The latest slate of SV PU viability votes are here! Find the voting here.

The changes are as follows:

Rises

Rhydon | A+ -> S

Articuno-G | A- -> A+
Bruxish | A- -> A+

Copperajah | A- -> A
Tauros-P-F | A- -> A

Cramorant | B+ -> A-
Delphox | B+ -> A-
Electrode-H | B+ -> A-
Uxie | B+ -> A-

Oricorio | B -> B+
Avalugg-H | B- -> B+
Floatzel | B- -> B+

Magneton | C -> B

Dipplin | C+ -> B-
Sceptile | C -> B-

Arboliva | C -> C+
Emboar | C -> C+
Hitmonlee | C -> C+
Indeedee-F | C -> C+
Lanturn | UR -> C+
Lurantis | UR -> C+

Bastiodon | UR -> C

Drops

Toxtricity | A -> A-

Frosmoth | A- -> B+
Grimmsnarl | A- -> B+

Lycanroc | B+ -> C+
Passimian | B- -> C+

Hattrem | B- -> C

Torkoal | NEW -> UR (D rank due to being PU by usage)

 

[gulch]

Torkoal | NEW -> UR (D rank due to being PU by usage)

torkoal rn:

 

[gulch]

slow at work and new slate is up so please excuse my double post for some noms :3 on mobile for this so i apologize for any typos

B+ > B-
this big fella is a relic of past metas and i feel its current rank is a gross overestimation of what it can do. coal's biggest boon is the fact that it has access to rocks, spikes, and spin, and can compress multiple of them at once (although realistically only two of the three). however, it's really bad at... pretty much all of these things. the defensive typing is god awful into a large multitude of both hazard setters AND removers, which combined with a lack of recovery and essentially mandated boots to not take 25% from rocks starts to seriously compromise any defensive utility that coal may have. you're forced to bail or tera against mudsdale and copperajah's earthquake and cramorant and tatsugiri's surf or just eat shit and die. flame body is helpful, but not nearly as much as it used to be in a meta where contact punishing just isn't as paramount. let old boy rest.

B- > B
this is largely just based on the fact that dipplin is an absurdly fat fuck and will live lots of things it shouldn't. you can sit there and comfortably eat any hit from band arcanine and have a very solid defensive matchup into a lot of things on typing alone. has like zero moves so it's definitely a step down from wo-chien but on teams that already have a dark i think this is definitely a very worthwhile alternative as a chunky grass to check rhydon.

B+ > A-
veritable swiss army knife that can fulfill an absurd number of roles, with like three sets if you're counting wincons alone. cm is good, coil is good, fat roost is good, agility throat spray is good, and there's probably still more stuff out there that works. you could honestly suggest any set for dundun and it'd be worth at least trying. it does have a few shortcomings, notably that the uninvested bulk can be rather disappointing at times, but the payoff is often still great and the amount of teams where this mon functions is quite honestly absurd.

A > A+
mooooom the skunk is outside againnnnnn. this stupid fucking rat refuses to stop being viable and i'd argue it's better now than ever. toxic is very useful at the moment with the amount of setup threats, you're immune to psychic and neutral to fairy, have stab knock and sucker, and aftermath forces opponents to think twice before just blindly clicking stabs, especially mons like arcanine and bruxish that are already worried about recoil. you will get statchecked if you try to push back too many threats, but balance still can not deal with the skunk and it can hold the line against scary offense mainstays in an emergency.

 

[tom holland]

A to A+
I was a little late compared to others on understanding how demonic this pokemon is, but i do understand now. Rotom-Heat is simply a pain to fight. Its typing with levitate gives it plenty of opportunities to set up a nasty plot, threaten the opposing team with two great STAB options, pain split away most hits, and pivot out for momentum as needed. It is somewhat held back by Rhydon, until you realize how easy it is to wear Rhydon down and you can tera Steel. More recently, tera water has picked up to catch the flip turn pokemon by surprise and even potentially terablast a rhydon, effectively doing the same thing tera steel does in an offensive way. This pokemon is nearly as goated as Arcanine, perhaps as goated, dareisay. Due to all of this I consider rotom-heat to be a top tier fire type, deserving of A+ rank.

A to A-
I feel like this one may be a hot take, but I think this pokemon is a little over-valued by people personally. I get it, triple arrows does triple arrows things, and it can be really stressful when you get defensed drop crit flinched, but there is a lot of good, viable counterplay out there and oftentimes hecid can become exploitable. Articuno-Galar is a top-tier threat, and this pokemon struggles to dance around it. This pokemon kind of needs choice scarf when you are not running a bulky defog set (which is outclassed at this point by lurantis in my opinion), and even with choice scarf, you are getting outsped by Floatzel, Sneasels, Ambipom, Salazzle, etc. Floatzel in particular feels bad because it can kill you with band ice spinner, and it also takes up a grass slot which could be a real water type answer. Also, physically defensive Florges handles Decidueye really well, and even Lurantis clowns on it usually, taking defense boosts from triple arrows and clicking synthesis and superpower. It also fails as a real dark resist because Skuntank, Sneasel, and Bombirdier all threaten it with supererffective STAB damage still. With all of that said, it still is great because of triple arrows and uturn, so I think A- is fine.

B+ to B
Naclstack on paper is really great because it has salt cure, can handle hoopa relatively okay which is actually a relatively unique trait, its a fire resist, immune to status, and sets up rocks. However, it is also cursed with many downsides. For starters, it is very weak to knock off and entry hazards, to a point where either is a massive nerf on its tanking ability. Just one example, you can no longer tank specs florges after rocks are up or if you are a little chipped. This applies to anything at a similar power level. Second, it is one dimensional and therefore easy to exploit if the opposition has good counterplay.This can be hard switching to a powerful breaker, a covert cloak pokemon, setting up three layers of spikes, etc. Lastly, and what I think is not talked about enough, is the awkwardness of building with rocker that isn't a ground type. The easiest I can usually achieve this is with stuff like Uxie and Copperajah due to their unique typings for rockers and diverse utility brought compared to the usual ground types, but Nacl does very similar stuff to Rhydon and Mudsdale without being a ground type, and adding one of them with Naclstack is severe overlap. You need a ground immune due to all of the viable volt switchers, so you're left with using a volt absorb mon, a no rocks golurk, or go without a volt immune. This makes it incredibly clunky building with Naclstack, and challenging to fit on any real archetypes outside of stall, despite the potential it could have on balance. Anyways, this is a cool mon but just held back too much and not B+ worthy right now imo.

B- to B
Dipplin is one of the bulkiest physical walls you can ask for in this tier. It has phazing, reliable recovery, one of the only sticky hold pokemon left, and with tera poison it is immune to toxic and becomes a reliable fighting resist. This pokemon is excellent at what it does, and is only held back by its passivity and ability to be exploited by a handful of pokemon like Sandslash-Alola and Florges. The upshot of that is that only florges truly exploits it super well, and if it does not have psychic noise, then even that is not a guaranteed way to muscle through Dipplin. Genuinely, tera poison dipplin is one of those pokemon that show how important it is to have strong ground or psychic attacks on your team, because of the defensive threat tera poison poses on certain pokemon such as Dipplin. The Sugar Ovens sample team is a great showcase of what dipplin can accomplish. This pokemon has been on the uptrend for a while on the VR but slowly, I do think it is probably B or B+.

C+ to B-
I thought I would be satisfied after Lurantis got put on the VR, but as I build more in the current meta, I find myself using Lurantis quite consistently and to great success. I am still running 252 HP, enough speed for rhydon (197), and the rest in def, with Synthesis/Leaf Storm/Superpower/Defog. I don't want to go through a repeat of what I said last time, I'll just add that this pokemon actually checks a large amount of the meta that doesn't resist its moves, with tera fairy can be an emergency tatsu answer and fighting type answer, is one of the only consistent removal options you will find right now, and grass typing is actually really clutch on a pokemon like this that is meant to remove hazards. Specifically to make a stronger case for B-, here are my ssnl replays that I use Lurantis to success on multiple different teams. Also, my original Lurantis team has been spammed throughout ssnl as well to relative success, so I think there is plenty of evidence to support Lurantis stocks going up.

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen9pu-822149
me vs metallica, Lurantis tanks Rhydon and keeps hazards away the entirety of the game

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen9pu-819617
me vs zelph, Lurantis tanks Rhydon and keeps hazards away all game for Arcanine to sweep later, and handles wochien as well

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen9pu-819621
me vs zelph, Lurantis tanks Rhydon AND Copperajah AND bruxish and keeps hazards away all game

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen9pu-818478
Lurantis tanks rhydon all game, doesn't get rocks away due to Guno matchup, but I take advantage of telegraphed guno switches to get good positioning and win. me vs lettuceleaf

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9pu-2291867056-kldrrog3xotni6njs8nie763i9e5u5lpw
Lurantis kills mudsdale and sandslash and removes hazards, me vs entro

As you can see, Lurantis has the secret sauce. People are beginning to catch on and use it more themselves too, outside of just me.

B to C+ or C, maybe unranked lol
I did not realize this thing made it to B somehow? Idk, correct me if I'm wrong, but I see no benefit to using this over the other electrics. Rotom-Heat is peak rotom rn, Helectrode is the better electric/grass, and levitate is not enough to differentiate it from helectrode. It does fine i'm sure because it has anti-ground type STAB, but its just outclassed in every way.

 

[Breakfastbiscuit]

Hi peeps, Iam here today with some noms in regards to this unfurling metagame we find ourselves in. For a change I will start off with some previous posts that i'm in agreement with:

B+ -> A-Truly versatile in its' movesets and tera types aswell (honestly you could use any tera type and still be good)

B+ -> B- Currently abit of a liability with how knock off & hazard weak it is. Can't fit on non-stall effectively, It could probably drop even further to C+ as I think it's on par with Sableye and some of the others in that realm.

B -> U/R This one has slipped through the cracks for a couple of rounds, I've used this one a good deal in a quite frankly "kinder" metagame and it has more "unwinnable" matchups than I care to mention, Some of the worst ones include Goodra (Truly miserable) Rotom-heat (Almost as bad and more common) & Wo-chien (Get the trick turn wrong and you're sunk).

B- -> B Probably the best value physical wall currently, knock off soaker and just fits onto just about any team really, could even see this in B+.

Now here's where I'll nominate some drops/rises.

Rises:

B- -> B+ I think this one can do the ol' switcheroo with Naclstack. This one (for me) is one of the more terrifying Pokémon when it comes to building an offensive core. Download is fantastic. Trace is fantastic. Super safe twaver. Has the coverage and loves the drawn out battles. Once again nomming it for a rise.

C -> B/B- A volt turn staple, Great momentum/knock off presence. I've seen a number of impressive teams featuring this one.

B+ -> A- Ah the big wo. This one has been REAL popular on the ladder the past two months. Physically defensive set with foul play proven to be a great answer to Rhydon/Bruxish and the Sp.Def set is still just as good. The reason iam nomming this one for a rise is that it is often THIS guy who is the one who tips the scales into the favor of "Good grief how am I going to break this"

B+ -> A- I actually think this one may have been under ranked slightly here's why: The amount of Pokémon this guy enables is insane and can afford you greedier item builds (i.e lefties/focus sash Salazzle) with the pressure it puts on. And I actually think its safe to say that this beast has Zero switch-ins. Not a soul wants to come in on this.

C -> B/B- Straight up better than the majority of of the others i'm seeing all the way up to B tier, That tera fairy flip is no joke, I've seen a number of good sets emerge each of which can catch you off guard.

Drops:

B -> U/R Keeping stealth rocks off effectively for this Pokémon to function is simply too much to ask for in a meta this fast paced and is very much not worth it. It scarcely gets past a Mudsdale or Bellibolt and loses pretty hard to priority (Not to mention intimidate) Fwiw i've seen one good minior team in recent times

B -> C It can still do some work on occasion that is the kindest I can put it. The best i've seen this Pokémon put to use was with double healing wish support. Other than that is proving to be abit of a dud.

B -> U/R I still don't think this Pokémon is any good currently. Haven't seen it pull off any wins in a good while.

B+ -> B Not on the level as any of the current B+'s currently and I think it's on the decline.

C -> U/R If I was surprised by one thing from the most recent council vote it would be this one. Webs not being very good aside Smeargle is just out-led by every other lead and would have to tera to keep them up against Avalugg-h and even then i think it's losing for it bar some serious outplaying.

B -> C-/U/R Imo this one no longer has a place on grassy. Lackluster damage output after a swords dance and often can only achieve weakening a physical wall in hopes of a Hitmonlee/ Sceptile sweep.

C -> U/R Still think this one is bad. It can work on some Articuno teams; not to take that away from it but I feel it has become so niche to the point of no longer being worthy of a VR rank.

C -> U/R They can still work but I think much like aforrmentioned Alcremie it's become so niche it's not worth ranking in any capacity, If one managed to use Hattrem successfully right now i'd pay to see it.

C -> U/R Truly awful outside of a sand sweeper set, I have tried it and this thing doesn't take the hits you want it to and without recovery it's just not a good removal option.

 

[DD Joe]

Hi peeps, Iam here today with some noms in regards to this unfurling metagame we find ourselves in. For a change I will start off with some previous posts that i'm in agreement with:

B+ -> A-Truly versatile in its' movesets and tera types aswell (honestly you could use any tera type and still be good)

B+ -> B- Currently abit of a liability with how knock off & hazard weak it is. Can't fit on non-stall effectively, It could probably drop even further to C+ as I think it's on par with Sableye and some of the others in that realm.

B -> U/R This one has slipped through the cracks for a couple of rounds, I've used this one a good deal in a quite frankly "kinder" metagame and it has more "unwinnable" matchups than I care to mention, Some of the worst ones include Goodra (Truly miserable) Rotom-heat (Almost as bad and more common) & Wo-chien (Get the trick turn wrong and you're sunk).

B- -> B Probably the best value physical wall currently, knock off soaker and just fits onto just about any team really, could even see this in B+.

Now here's where I'll nominate some drops/rises.

Rises:

B- -> B+ I think this one can do the ol' switcheroo with Naclstack. This one (for me) is one of the more terrifying Pokémon when it comes to building an offensive core. Download is fantastic. Trace is fantastic. Super safe twaver. Has the coverage and loves the drawn out battles. Once again nomming it for a rise.

C -> B/B- A volt turn staple, Great momentum/knock off presence. I've seen a number of impressive teams featuring this one.

B+ -> A- Ah the big wo. This one has been REAL popular on the ladder the past two months. Physically defensive set with foul play proven to be a great answer to Rhydon/Bruxish and the Sp.Def set is still just as good. The reason iam nomming this one for a rise is that it is often THIS guy who is the one who tips the scales into the favor of "Good grief how am I going to break this"

B+ -> A- I actually think this one may have been under ranked slightly here's why: The amount of Pokémon this guy enables is insane and can afford you greedier item builds (i.e lefties/focus sash Salazzle) with the pressure it puts on. And I actually think its safe to say that this beast has Zero switch-ins. Not a soul wants to come in on this.

C -> B/B- Straight up better than the majority of of the others i'm seeing all the way up to B tier, That tera fairy flip is no joke, I've seen a number of good sets emerge each of which can catch you off guard.

Drops:

B -> U/R Keeping stealth rocks off effectively for this Pokémon to function is simply too much to ask for in a meta this fast paced and is very much not worth it. It scarcely gets past a Mudsdale or Bellibolt and loses pretty hard to priority (Not to mention intimidate) Fwiw i've seen one good minior team in recent times

B -> C It can still do some work on occasion that is the kindest I can put it. The best i've seen this Pokémon put to use was with double healing wish support. Other than that is proving to be abit of a dud.

B -> U/R I still don't think this Pokémon is any good currently. Haven't seen it pull off any wins in a good while.

B+ -> B Not on the level as any of the current B+'s currently and I think it's on the decline.

C -> U/R If I was surprised by one thing from the most recent council vote it would be this one. Webs not being very good aside Smeargle is just out-led by every other lead and would have to tera to keep them up against Avalugg-h and even then i think it's losing for it bar some serious outplaying.

B -> C-/U/R Imo this one no longer has a place on grassy. Lackluster damage output after a swords dance and often can only achieve weakening a physical wall in hopes of a Hitmonlee/ Sceptile sweep.

C -> U/R Still think this one is bad. It can work on some Articuno teams; not to take that away from it but I feel it has become so niche to the point of no longer being worthy of a VR rank.

C -> U/R They can still work but I think much like aforrmentioned Alcremie it's become so niche it's not worth ranking in any capacity, If one managed to use Hattrem successfully right now i'd pay to see it.

C -> U/R Truly awful outside of a sand sweeper set, I have tried it and this thing doesn't take the hits you want it to and without recovery it's just not a good removal option.

Alcremie is goated I'm afraid Gallinova back me up

 

[Theycallmephil]

Hi PU, im back. Did you miss me? Probably not. But I don't care i want to yap.
The following post is long and wordy, you've been warned.

I hate to end on negatives so instead I'm starting with the drops.

A- -> B+
Truth be told I don't think golurk is consistent enough for any of the A ranks right now. that being said I'm not dropping it very far because people have a habit of ignoring it and paying for it.

B+ -> B-
Pretty bad fall from grace, most of its good matchups as a spinner are either bad now or gone. It's typing is exploitable and it's struggles to puke hazards the way it used to, still it has a great matchup inti Arcanine and a fine one into most florges so, I respect him.

B+ -> B
This mon being above it's johto form is a meme. This mon trended awhile back but it simply doesnt get used as much anymore and matches up rather mediocrely into alot of staples. It's just not impressive enough to stay quite so high.

B -> C+
I rlly don't get why this rose up so much. I understand it's a steel type and it even hits fairly hard. But the mon just doesn't perform, it relies on Eviolite to fake having bulk but it's also got a very awkward speed tier. Idk i just don't think this is B caliber.

B -> C
Oh my god this mon is useless, it pops up now and again to try and use it's solid bulk and strange defensive profile to work as a win-con and without fail. It flops or fails to do anything better than something else would have done it. A similar mon with the same typing complete outclasses it() Seriously how is this still in B

C+ -> UR/C
Here's the part where I start to sound like a broken record, this mon is so bad. truly no reason to use it over better leads.

A+ -> A-
"Will you ever give it up" no, I have called this the biggest mistake of last slate on multiple occasions, people slapping this thing on teams and losing repeatedly with it doesn't make this a top 10 mon. It's checks are more common than ever, it's dazzling sets power is lagging behind and the strong jaw set gets eaten alive by prio, this mon is very hazard weak aswell. There's way too much going against it to justify A+ in my eyes.

Okay finally done with drops, now for the fun stuff

A -> A+
For ages I've said this mon was absurdly powerful, but very hard to build with. The fact is i think the meta has finally moved in a way where it's fairly easy to build with now. Pawmot threatens pretty much anything with the right set and truly never feels like a dead slot.

A -> A+
I feel like this is currently a no-brainer
This mon is so incredibly good, you can do tons of cool things with its tera type and EVs. One of the smoothest mons to use and best to build around. Fire types continue to be elite in SV PU.

A- -> A
I can't believe this thing is still so good, but cram pulls away as the best removal in SV PU right now, and a mon i hate deeply. Using its downright broken ability, cram can enable itself to remove items pretty much whenever it wants. This mon deserves A rank.

A- -> A
This is the best goodra has ever felt, it's really enjoy using this mon, definitely better than stuff like toxt,muds and tatsu.
That's all I've got.

A- -> A
One of the most potent wincons in the tier right now, uxie is downright dominant.
That's not all it can do either as uxie boasts a ton of utility for bulkier sets too, only thing holding this thing back is a poor base typing and lack of reliable recovery on bulky sets.

B+ -> A- can someone please explain to me why this fell.
Like I truly do not get it at all, it didn't get worse. Infact it got slightly better.

B+ -> A-
This mon has been picking up in usage again and seeing great results for it.
A premier wall on both the physical and special side, this pokemon deserves a bump up for its increased popularity and consistency.

B- -> B
We all wrote this mon off very quickly, which at the time i understood. But it's deserved revisiting and to my surprise yea, this things gotten a fair deal better.

B- -> B/B+
While we're possibly losing this mon to NU, it still deserves it's props for its great job as a wall and para spreader in this tier.

C+ -> B-
B- is in shambles, who better to fill those holes. But honestly emboar is just an all-or-nothing wall breaker who will happily sacrifice himself to pop a whole in your opponents delicate defensive core.
Respect him.

C -> B-
This is a great pivot that fits on a shocking amount of teams. Glad this wasn't just a trend and has actually stuck around.

C -> C+
I think the current meta gives this fella some good opportunities to get going, im also partial to a neat band set id been using for a bit. Go snorlax.

AGREE WITH STUFF!!

C+ -> B-

B+ -> A-

A -> A+

[last minute edit]

C -> B-
This mon has become alot more legitimate with recent meta trends, going from an extremely niche sweeper to a genuine option, i think this warrants a noticeable bump up

 

[Heatranator]

Going to be making some noms since I've been playing PU a lot more recently.

C+ -> B-
Emboar is a spectacular pokemon if you can build around it. Scarf sets simply just decimate teams if it can get its buttons right, while BU sets on HO can snowball pretty quickly to ravage a team. Really great mon, I don't really think I need to explain more for the rise.


I don't know where to put this, probably B-/C+? But this mon should def not be unranked. While it does compete with heattom, if you are using another fire type, then this is completely fine to use. And since there are multiple good fire types in the tier, this is a reasonable thing to occur. Now, the main thing would be, why not use helectrode. Well, the main thing is the defensive merits. Something like band bruxish which can overwhelm helectrode with a few flip turns, struggles a lot more into mowtom, which is much bulkier and can painsplit on switch ins. It also does a lot better into rhydon, with tera steel sitting on rhydon and it can take one stone edge easily untera'd. On more offensive teams, helectrode is the way to go. But on more defensive teams, I'd have to say that mowtom can do pretty well.

B+ -> A-/A
I'm honestly surprised hoopa is this low, it feels like its amazing in this meta. Scarf sets are still good as ever, but the main set I've been experimenting with is nasty plot. With this set, you can use the forced switchins you create in order to get an NP off. From there, well not much likes taking your hits. AV copperajah is cleanly OHKO'd by focus blast, goodra is absolutely evicerated by psyshock (it does outspeed you and threaten with knock, so you may have to tera) and coalossal is also OHKO'd by focus blast. They have to play offensively against it, which you can absolutely take advantage of with teammates while still chunking switchins with attacks normally.

A- -> B+
Now, I'm honestly if anything a tatsugiri believer. But how in the ever loving hell did this thing stay up in A- tier. Tatsugiri's main flaw is that its pretty frail and kinda slowish. It struggles to switch into much in the tier, and while it certainly is powerful, pokemon such as florges and cram can usually stopgap it enough. Idt its horrible, if it can set up an NP then it is pretty deadly, but it can struggle to get that NP at times.

B -> B-
I have hated this mon ever since I joined the tier, and I still think this mon is just straight up bad. Slow, relies on hurricane to get the absurd numbers it needs, its defensive stats aren't amazing, and it ofc competes with garticuno, which is better then ever now. If I want a slow special attacker that has power, I'm going to be choosing hoopa or specs toxtricity, who are not only faster, but have more defensive merits and still hit pretty damn hard. If I want a boosting psychic type, then garticuno I believe is just better.

 

[Oofhixd]

Meta is getting stale so im gonna do one last round of noms before drops.

C -> UR
We should do what NU is doing and be stricter with the VR. Imo these guys have too niche a role to be ranked rn. mismagius and kdra I’ve elaborated on previously in the research project, and jolteon I’ve discussed many a time. Drifblim imo doesn’t have a place on terrain anymore, and its outclassed as a defogger and a terrain sweeper. I mean all these guys are fine ig and they arent the worst pick, just not good enough to be ranked.

C+ -> UR
yeah phil has converted me with this one. This guy is just completely unviable on HO (not that HO is great rn) and HO being its only niche, and it not being good at that niche makes it an obvious UR for me.

C+ -> B
Hitmonlee being ranked below the other terrain abusers is a crime. its a staple on almost all terrain teams and unlike sceptile, it has significant roles outside of terrain.

C+ -> B-
ÜN ÜN ÜN this guy is actually pretty good rn. Fat af and a fine stealth rocks setter. Can be very annoying on the right archetypes ÜN ÜN ÜN

B -> C
shitmon. literally just look at what phil said and thats my thoughts.

ending here cus im bored, goodbye and love you PU

 

[LettuceLeaf07]

I have Virizion bias so I'm going to defend it for fun. For reference, here are the arguments brought against Virizion so I don't have to scroll up:

B -> C
Oh my god this mon is useless, it pops up now and again to try and use it's solid bulk and strange defensive profile to work as a win-con and without fail. It flops or fails to do anything better than something else would have done it. A similar mon with the same typing complete outclasses it() Seriously how is this still in B

B -> C
shitmon. literally just look at what phil said and thats my thoughts.

I'm going to assume that both of you are talking about Swords Dance Virizion, which I don't think is the mon's best set. Running 3a synth + life orb allows Virizion to force switches in the early game, with nothing really wanting to take a Stone Edge, Sacred Sword/CC (cc is better but sacred sword is my friend), or Leaf Storm. I did intentionally say Leaf Storm, and not leaf blade, since storm offers OHKO chances on physical walls that blade does not:

Leaf storm vs leaf blade on calc sets for sr setters

4 SpA Life Orb Virizion Leaf Storm vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Mudsdale: 382-452 (94.5 - 111.8%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO
252 Atk Life Orb Virizion Leaf Blade vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mudsdale: 218-257 (53.9 - 63.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

4 SpA Life Orb Virizion Leaf Storm vs. 248 HP / 200 SpD Eviolite Rhydon: 598-707 (144.7 - 171.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Life Orb Virizion Leaf Blade vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Rhydon: 343-406 (83 - 98.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

As you can probably guess from the fact that most hazard setters die to leaf storm or are weak to rock (bomb) or fighting (rajah), Virizion matches up especially well into hazard setters, and Virizion is at its best against mons like these. If you lead a Mudsdale into a Virizion and don't want to take your chances against a leaf storm, you need to make sure that whatever takes that leaf storm isn't outsped and KO'd by a follow-up sacred sword or stone edge. You can see that happen in a replay vs tom holland, where the follow-up stone edge took out the guno, and in another replay on ladder, where Viriz forced my opponent to switch for the first 3 turns before KO'ing their Mudsdale. Neither opponent expected me to be running mixed Virizion which is why I was able to take these KOs so freely, but even if you expect the set, Viriz still forces those switches.

I think the mon is probably fine in B since I'm basically the only person using this mon (I think, idk lol). It doesn't really face competition from Decid-H, since it and Virizion occupy very different niches, but I did include a wall of calcs just to prove that Viriz is better at doing what it does than a Decid-H shoehorned into that role. And I don't think there is something else that can do what Virizion does better, mostly because there are 4-5 grass types in the meta none of them are fast all-out attacking mons.

viriz vs decid-h

4 SpA Life Orb Virizion Leaf Storm vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Mudsdale: 382-452 (94.5 - 111.8%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO
0 SpA Decidueye-Hisui Leaf Storm vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Mudsdale: 306-362 (75.7 - 89.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Decidueye-Hisui Leaf Blade vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mudsdale: 192-228 (47.5 - 56.4%) -- 23.4% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
(I mean, sure, you can run leaf storm on decid, but then you have to either lock into leaf storm on scarf or not be scarf and deal with being slow, and this isn't a trade-off Virizion has to face)

252 Atk Decidueye-Hisui Leaf Blade vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Rhydon: 304-360 (73.6 - 87.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
4 SpA Life Orb Virizion Leaf Storm vs. 248 HP / 200 SpD Eviolite Rhydon: 598-707 (144.7 - 171.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO

252 Atk Decidueye-Hisui Triple Arrows vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Copperajah: 360-426 (93.5 - 110.6%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO
252 Atk Life Orb Virizion Sacred Sword vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Copperajah: 406-478 (105.4 - 124.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO

252 Atk Life Orb Virizion Stone Edge vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Bombirdier: 252-299 (73.4 - 87.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Decidueye-Hisui Triple Arrows vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Bombirdier: 153-180 (44.6 - 52.4%) -- 19.1% chance to 2HKO
i have no idea what bomb runs but you can see the difference

252 Atk Decidueye-Hisui U-turn vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Uxie: 84-100 (23.7 - 28.2%) -- possible 5HKO
4 SpA Life Orb Virizion Leaf Storm vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Uxie: 133-157 (37.5 - 44.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
idk neither beats uxie

 

[Wnedy]

En mi opinion gamers

C —> B-
Excellent speed tier and ghost stab is very consistent currently. Np is threatening once setup and life orb gives it chance to pressure opponents immediately. Has plenty of coverage with thunderbolt, mystical fire, psychic/psyshock, dazzling gleam/draining kiss, and more giving it some flexibility. Substitute and trick are good utility options as well. Has 3 very useful immunities giving it some opportunities to switch in despite its low hp. With that being said it does have frailty issues on the physical side so it really needs teammates who can cover those areas (especially sucker punch) to shine best.

C —> B-
Very solid option for speed control and pivoting, 115 base speed is very good right now, pair that with its disruptive move options such as thunder wave, parting shot, knock off, taunt and foul play you can really disrupt the flow of the other team while keeping yours in position. T wave is very useful for slower sweeper teammates who appreciate the halved speed. Foul play with fur coat is very good since it lets you wall physical breakers and punish them pretty hard. Scarf with switcheroo is pretty good too as an alternative to the standard boots set if you prefer the utility of that set as well. Overall I think it’s a staple of volt turn teams and it’s pretty good all things considered.

C—> B-
Excellent as a win condition. Not much to say besides if you can get it set up late game it becomes very threatening. Limited by its lack of reliable recovery prior to set up but it’s so potent when it is I can’t really see it being called too niche anymore.

That’s all for this time since the meta has gotten stale after 3 months hahaha but this feels like the calm before the storm in a way XD

 

[Breakfastbiscuit]

Greeting denizens, returning with some more recommendations.

Starting off with the most pressing:

Salazzle A+ -> A-
Last time I nominated this one for even a slight drop it was labelled as an "insane take" but this Pokémon over the last two months has essentially been a non-factor, With only one player using it it in any real threatening capacity since my last post about it. To re-instate previous sentiments I think it is proving a challenge to fit onto teams. This Pokémon is still really really good and is nuts what it can get away with within the scape of a battle.

But I think usage stats will be in line with what we saw in December (Around 8%) (Lower than Hitmontop) maybe even lower.
Continuing the trend could actually see it as a contender for a future drop.

Zoroark A+ -> A
A fantastic Pokémon really but I just don't think it has a enough going for it to merit an A+ rank, The choice sets are really falling out of favor with the pick of the bunch right now (imo) probably being scarf (put in the most work against me) setup sets are for the most part hard to get going and due to how frail it is easily revenged (any scarfer any neutral type hit type deal)

Bombirdier A- -> B+
Without the full investment in either full phys or special defence this Pokémon can't really take hits in any sense and in turn putting it into a very sluggish & awkward territory for speed, Gone are the days of rocks setting and potent revenge killing I think this thing is sorely outclassed as a pivot, taking advantage of parting shot is shut down too hard by the ever-present Articuno-g. Somewhat questionable currently.

Tauros Paldea-Blaze A -> A+
The best choice band breaker if i'm honest. Not much else to say other than it has been very impressive and getting little as one turn right can change a game in your favor, other sets are still fine if you can keep up hazards.

Cramorant A- -> A+
Just the best defogger and huge all around nuisance. this Pokémon alone can enable entire typings and much like its counterpart Avalugg-hisui can enable some very niche picks.

Venusaur A- -> B
I think offensive Venusaur is just getting worse with the only real problems i've personally faced being defensive sets with toxic and recovery.

Hariyama B -> C
Not that it has gotten worse or anything it's just that i'm calling into question its lack of consistency, I'd love to hear from the player who doesn't straight up lose more games than they win at the hands of this bruiser. Bulk up set does apply said "Big pressure" but seldom do I see it successfully snowball & given the prevalence of psy terrain (Probably the biggest winner in terms of sample teams of the meta) also stifles it even further.

Floatzel B+ -> C+
I believe i've come full circle on this Pokémon, in the sense that i'm actually ok with it being at its current rank because if your team is Floatzel weak it will certainly let you know about it. But for me it's still lacking damage & volt turn is very hit and miss as far as most players are concerned.

Electrode-hisui A- -> B+
I think it's still solid and rewarding enough for those who bring it but I also feel like it faces too much resistance from the likes of Goodra,Copperajah,Decidueye-h,Toxtricity,Rotom-h & Wo-chien just to name some.

Hoopa B+ -> A-
Just looking at the rest of the A- tier and all i see is a bunch of Pokémon Hoopa eats alive, Even outside of terrain this Pokémon is still very tough to deal with.

Sandaconda B -> B+
Not a big rise or anything but rarely do I see this one under perform. Pretty reliable source of status and shed skin turns rest into semi reliable recovery.

Mesprit B -> U/R
I can see this one being abit of a take but imo this one offers very little apart from a healing wish.

Previous drop recommendations

Kinda goes without saying that i'd stand by my previous post

but if I were to urge anyone to reconsider it would be the following:

Minior B -> U/R
Sneasel B - U/R
Grafaiai B -> U/R
Smeargle C -> U/R
Rotom-mow B -> U/R

 

[Metallica126]

UR to B-/C+
Trevenant @ Life Orb
Ability: Natural Cure
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Wood Hammer
- Poltergeist
- Rest
- Drain Punch
since raise on NU, i thinking this mon can replace it in sometimes, it have better grass stab and many interesting stuff like drain punch, earthquake, toxic and so on, natural cure can make it being check and can did well in long turn game with rest, 56 speed also can overspeed to make revenge kill it. use life orb because without lo, it's drain punch can't ko sandslash, i use someteam bring this and get some success so this mon should be ranked.

 

[DD Joe]

Dragalge is pretty good!

Espeon is pretty good!

Glowbro is pretty good!

Typh is pretty good!

 

[PorygonBG]

Dragalge is pretty good!

Espeon is pretty good!

Glowbro is pretty good!

Typh is pretty good!

Rip Milotic

 

[Oofhixd]

New mons, new meta, new noms. (Everyone has been doing this is in the discussion thread but i wanna actually give letters)

NEW -> A+
This mon is great rn. Although psychic has alot of competition rn with guno, glowbro, bruxish and uxie, and this tier having loads of darks, this mon is just so so so powerful. It has a nigh uncontested speed tier reaching 350, only being outsped by the 115s, whimsi, lazzle, sceptile, jolteon and helec. Its monstrously high special attack of 130 is only dwarfed by hoopa and vikavolt, one of whom being way slower, and the other a low tier webs setter (well theyre both slow but you get the point). I haven’t even got to the best part about this mon yet, Magic Bounce. If HATTREM could stay viable solely due to this ability, you can imagine its going to be amazing on this already great pokemon. It literally cannot be statused and it negates hazards completely. You wanna set rocks up? Nuh uh, you get rocks set up on your side. You wanna toxic this mon? Nuh uh, how about you get afflicted with toxic. Etc etc etc you see this mon is great, only reason why it isnt S in my eyes is because there are so many darks in this tier and its p frail in general.

C -> UR
Self explanatory.

NEW -> S
My god this mon is good. Weve needed this mon for so long and it has not disappointed. I mean i dont have much to say. Great into k9, great into rhydon, can burn w/ scald, can erase boosts w/ haze, can pivot w/ flip turn. What more could you want?

NEW -> A+
This mon is also amazing. Our only regenerator mon and is versatile in sets. AV, np, even cm and physical sets dont seem that bad. Also fat af. Don’t need to explain much since this mon has been S before and it’s p much as good as it was then.

NEW -> B
This mon is underwhelming. We can just leave it at that tbh. If you run scarf eruption you’re hazards weak and weak. If you run Boots you’re weak and slow. If you run specs you’re slow and hazards weak. You genuinely always feel like you’re lacking something when you use this mon and for some of its sets it just feels outclassed by salazzle.

A few more noms:

A+ -> A
Yeah ok A+ might be a little too much rn. 2 new psychics and a new water? This mon had p mediocre results in BD as well so I’m partially basing it off of that too.

B+ -> A
HO on the rise again? Only viable HO lead? Yeah this mon is great. It’s just better coal imo and it has sturdy custap so you’re always gonna get an attack off.

B+/UR -> B/B+
Self explanatory.

UR -> C
Fine sweeper on gterrain.

anyways thats all ive got for now, love you PU

 

[Breakfastbiscuit]

Salutations, Residents.
Starting off with the new additions to the tier:

Espeon NEW -> PUBL
Playing against this thing has been pretty fun overall PU has been missing a magic bouncer for some time so, a welcome change. However as predicted (not just by yours truly but other respectable community members) it is straight up too much on grassy terrain, Potentially un-phaseable/Encore & status immune. Imo it is too much to answer for; for teams that aren't prepping for it exclusively.

And yes grassy is the problem and without throwing any shade an Espeon ban would be the most simple solution (imo).

Milotic NEW -> S Yeah I agree this thing can probably go to S tier, it is often my recommendation to those asking what to add to their team last. no reason not to run it really, it does it all kinda. It hazes. It pivots. It spreads burns. It absorbs burns & getting knocked often means little unless 3 layers of spikes are up. Also using multiple useful defensive tera types is cool to see.

Slowbro-galar NEW -> A+
Alongside magic bounce PU has been devoid of a regenerator pokemon for some time now so it is no suprise this thing is doing well. Certain Pokémon definitely look a little worse when up against it like Florges and Decidueye.

Typhlosion-hisui NEW -> B+
Pretty funny how the set that was speculated to make it banworthy is actually a non-factor. Scarf is honestly great and so is specs if you can effectively keep off hazards to give it more ins, Which is certainly tricky but manageable. Boots is probably its safest and most consistent set, On a team with Milotic/Bellibolt/Altaria nothing will escape without being statused.

Now to the rest:

Bruxish A+ -> B
Imo not enough damage output outside of terrain Seeing as this is a Pokémon I struggle mostly to get working I can only really go by how well I see it do against me or others and that is...not good.

Pawmot A -> A+
Probably the best scarfer i've used post shift

Skuntank A-> A+
You could pick any Skuntank set and it'd still be good really, Probably the best offensive check to Typhlosion-hisui forcing it to switch almost every time. Fantastic Pokémon.

Golurk A- -> B
I think it's gotten a little worse right now with the amount of seed any Poltergeist user would suffer really. Have you actually seen one switch to HHP also ?

B+ -> U/R Still wanna keep it ranked or ??????

Broken record U/R

Rotom-mow Yeah I just see 0 case where this should be used/would be good.
Sneasel }
Minior } Wanna keep these ranked despite dropping to NFE/ZU or ??????
Smeargle