Resource Monotype Viability Rankings [July 2025]

[Charmriah]

S-->A (Electric)

Note* Gonna come back to adjust a bit for elec after playing with it more this week. Comp wise though, you simply cannot justify a team with all the S tier mons and expect to have a good mu spread, and frankly speaking I don't see the other S rank mons as as pivotal to the build as Iron Hands is. This is my impression so far with using elec in the current meta. If anything, a "standard elec comp" like the sample does not best represent the type, and I believe this is partially due to some of the higher ranked mons for the type being overvalued.

In my humble opinion I don't think anyone should ever drop zapdos for any reason as it's one the most verstile mons electric has access to. It's incredibly pivotal to the type operating at all. While raging bolt I can't really say the same for. I think it has just as much value as iron hands. I would love for you to expand on why zapdos needs to be dropped from S.

 

[TheWyvernKing]

In my humble opinion I don't think anyone should ever drop zapdos for any reason as it's one the most verstile mons electric has access to. It's incredibly pivotal to the type operating at all. While raging bolt I can't really say the same for. I think it has just as much vaule as iron hands. I would love for you to expand on why zapdos needs to be dropped from S.

I'll be back in a few days with some more in depth notes I made a few teams today, so far like 50/50 winrate around 1600s though with a bit of a small sample, but I've definitely been able to drop the s tier mons on a couple builds aside from hands. Especially when tailoring Elec for the meta, I don't know how much value I'm really getting out of a Raging Bolt slot so far.

 

[ItalicAlpaca45_2]

Art by ewokakukaede​

Welcome to the Scarlet and Violet Monotype Viability Rankings! In Monotype, Pokemon are ranked based on their viability relative to the other Pokemon you have available on a particular type. The Pokemon in A rank are more viable than those in B rank, but that does not mean B-rank Pokemon aren't useful or don't have a very valuable niche. Anything that is ranked must be usable and have some value that prevents it from being outclassed. Most Pokemon are placed into one of four different rankings: S, A, B, and C. Previously, the D ranking was included, but collectively, we've decided not to include D rankings during this era of Monotype. Some Pokemon aren’t listed either because they are completely outclassed or haven't been ranked yet. Pokemon are ranked separately for each type. For example, Grass teams love Toedscruel's access to Spikes and Rapid Spin, but Ground teams have limited interest in Toedscruel because there are superior options for its niches; Toedscruel would be ranked separately for each type. Please follow these rules or Sneasler will sleep you every time it uses Dire Claw.

General / Write-up Rules

• Flaming will not be tolerated. Please respectfully debate each other's nominations.
• Post smartly, don't just be like "I like Magnezone, so it should be in S Tier!"
• Stay on topic. This thread is intended for the discussion of how viable Pokemon are relative to each other, which does involve sometimes referring to Pokemon as broken or extremely good. However, there are other more suited threads for posting about whether a Pokemon is too broken, so make sure to frame your posts appropriately.
• Please only nominate rank changes for Pokemon that you have direct experience using. Do not use theory or on-paper ideas.
• Avoid posting very brief and simple questions such as "Why is Galarian Corsola A Rank? It sucks!" The Simple Questions and Simple Answers are the perfect place to ask your simple question to get a simple answer!

Viability Ranking Council: These people will have the final say if a decision by the community cannot be reached or if a Pokemon is completely misplaced. If you do not contribute to this thread, do not expect your suggestions to be added miraculously. We each vote individually on Pokemon, so post here if you want all of us to see your suggestion!

• Azick
• Cielau
• Felines
• Neko
• Rio Vidal
• Scarfire
• yedla

How to rank

• Include the Pokemon you're rating, the type, and what rank you want it to be.
• Explain as to why you put it in that rank and how it fares in Monotype. (Why should it be ranked lower or higher?)

Viability Rankings

Bug

S Rank
Kleavor
Scizor
Volcarona

A Rank
Araquanid
Forretress
Frosmoth
Lokix

B Rank
Galvantula
Slither Wing

C Rank
Heracross
Ribombee
Yanmega

D Rank
Vivillon

Dark

S Rank
Ting-Lu
Meowscarada

A Rank
Darkrai
Greninja
Hoopa-Unbound
Mandibuzz
Samurott-Hisui

B Rank
Bisharp
Hydreigon
Moltres-Galar
Muk-Alola
Roaring Moon
Sableye
Weavile

C Rank
Crawdaunt
Grimmsnarl
Overqwil

D Rank
Iron Jugulis
Krookodile
Lokix
Spiritomb
Tyranitar
Zarude

Dragon

S Rank
Archaludon
Dragapult
Gouging Fire

A Rank
Goodra-Hisui
Latios

B Rank
Dragonite
Garchomp
Kyurem
Latias
Raging Bolt
Roaring Moon


C Rank
Hydrapple
Hydreigon
Walking Wake

D Rank
Cyclizar
Dragalge
Kommo-o
Noivern

Electric

S Rank
Iron Hands
Raging Bolt
Rotom-Wash
Zapdos

A Rank
Magnezone
Sandy Shocks

B Rank
Regieleki

C Rank
Pawmot
Rotom-Mow
Thundurus
Thundurus-Therian

D Rank
Eelektross
Electrode-Hisui
Galvantula
Iron Thorns
Morpeko
Raikou
Toxtricity
Vikavolt

Fairy

S Rank
Flutter Mane
Iron Valiant
Klefki

A Rank
Azumarill
Hatterene
Primarina

B Rank
Clefable
Enamorus
Tinkaton

C Rank
Mimikyu
Fezandipiti

D Rank
Comfey
Diancie
Grimmsnarl
Ninetales-Alola
Weezing-Galar

Fighting

S Rank
Iron Valiant
Great Tusk

A Rank
Gallade
Sneasler
Iron Hands
Urshifu-R

B Rank
Scrafty
Keldeo
Okidogi

C Rank
Breloom
Lilligant-Hisui
Quaquaval
Kommo-o

D Rank
Conkeldurr
Flamigo
Tauros-Paldea-Blaze

Fire

S Rank
Gouging Fire
Heatran
Ogerpon-Hearthflame

A Rank
Ceruledge
Cinderace
Ninetales

B Rank
Volcarona
Torkoal

C Rank
Arcanine-Hisui
Iron Moth
Moltres
Skeledirge
Talonflame
Volcanion

D Rank
Armarouge
Charizard
Infernape
Rotom-Heat

Flying

S Rank
Corviknight
Gliscor
Tornadus-Therian

A Rank
Dragonite
Enamorus
Landorus
Landorus-Therian
Skarmory

B Rank
Articuno
Gyarados
Moltres-Galar
Zapdos
Moltres

C Rank
Iron Jugulis
Mandibuzz
Thundurus-Therian

D Rank
Flamigo
Zapdos-Galar

Ghost

S Rank
Ceruledge
Dragapult
Flutter Mane
Gholdengo

A Rank
Sinistcha
Spectrier

B Rank
Brambleghast
Froslass
Pecharunt
Skeledirge
Zoroark-Hisui

C Rank
Mimikyu

D Rank
Basculegion
Gengar
Golurk
Houndstone
Palossand
Polteageist
Spiritomb

Grass

S Rank
Meowscarada
Ogerpon-Hearthflame

A Rank
Hydrapple
Lilligant-Hisui
Ogerpon-Cornerstone
Sinistcha
Amoonguss

B Rank
Breloom
Rillaboom

C Rank
Brambleghast
Rotom-Mow

D Rank
Abomasnow
Electrode-Hisui
Iron Leaves
Ogerpon-Wellspring
Serperior
Toedscruel
Torterra
Leavanny
Whimsicott

Ground

S Rank
Clodsire
Landorus

A Rank
Excadrill
Garchomp
Great Tusk
Hippowdon
Mamoswine

B Rank
Gliscor
Iron Treads
Landorus-Therian
Sandy Shocks
Ursaluna

C Rank
Quagsire
Ting-Lu

D Rank
Gastrodon
Golurk
Rhyperior
Swampert

Ice

S Rank
Kyurem
Ninetales-Alola

B Rank
Cetitan
Cloyster
Froslass
Mamoswine
Sandslash-Alola
Weavile

C Rank
Articuno
Avalugg
Frosmoth
Piloswine

D Rank
Dewgong

Normal

S Rank
Ditto
Terapagos
Ursaluna
Zoroark-Hisui

A Rank
Blissey
Braviary

B Rank
Porygon2

C Rank
Indeedee
Maushold
Snorlax
Staraptor

D Rank
Arboliva
Cinccino
Chansey
Dudunsparce
Meloetta
Smeargle

Poison

S Rank
Muk-Alola
Weezing-Galar

A Rank
Amoonguss
Slowking-Galar
Sneasler
Iron Moth
Okidogi

B Rank
Clodsire
Glimmora
Pecharunt
Toxapex

C Rank
Gengar
Overqwil
Salazzle

D Rank
Tentacruel
Toxtricity

Psychic

S Rank
Hoopa-Unbound

A Rank
Hatterene
Iron Boulder
Latios
Metagross
Slowking-Galar

B Rank
Deoxys-Speed
Gallade
Indeedee
Iron Crown
Latias
Mew
Scream Tail
Slowbro

C Rank
Armarouge
Deoxys-Defense
Gardevoir
Jirachi
Necrozma

D Rank
Braviary-Hisui
Bronzong
Cresselia
Iron Leaves
Meloetta
Reuniclus

Rock

S Rank
Arcanine-Hisui
Iron Boulder
Ogerpon-Cornerstone

A Rank
Glimmora
Garganacl

B Rank
Kleavor
Minior
Tyranitar

C Rank
Coalossal
Diancie
Drednaw
Lycanroc
Lycanroc-Dusk
Rhyperior
Terrakion

D Rank
Iron Thorns

Steel

S Rank
Archaludon
Gholdengo
Heatran

A Rank
Iron Treads
Skarmory

B Rank
Bisharp
Corviknight
Iron Crown
Goodra-Hisui
Scizor

C Rank
Excadrill

Klefki
Empoleon

D Rank
Forretress
Jirachi
Magnezone
Tinkaton

Water

S Rank
Greninja
Toxapex

A Rank
Keldeo
Primarina
Samurott-Hisui
Swampert
Urshifu-R
Ogerpon-Wellspring

B Rank
Alomomola
Barraskewda
Empoleon
Pelipper
Quaquaval
Gastrodon
Manaphy
Walking Wake

C Rank

Basculegion-F
Cloyster
Dondozo
Kingdra
Rotom-Wash
Tentacruel
Volcanion
Suicune

D Rank
Azumarill
Crawdaunt
Gyarados
Quagsire

Blacklist
These Pokemon have been brought up multiple times for discussion with the same arguments or are just awful. A type can be blacklisted if it is an extreme circumstance. If anyone talks about a Pokemon that is blacklisted, your post will be deleted and or infracted.

• (Poison), Due to getting too much attention on what rank it should be for no good reason

where is minior for flying

 

[TheWyvernKing]

(Ground) UR --> D/C
- some guy on ladder laddered up to like 1750 with a piloswine sandless ground and I decided to try it out myself. If looking at comps similar to what Fogbound brought in MWP with his ting lu sandless ground, Piloswine pretty directly replaces Ting Lu and tbh the mon is definitely vr worthy. I'd mostly been doing a curse resttalk set, but regardless it's special bulk with eviolite + thick fat greatly assists ground with answering mons such as Kyurem.

Also just adding, I definitely see Pilo as having more merit than other D ranked mons, though not quite as much as Quagsire in C. I might even say D-->UR unless people can really say what golurk brings to the table
Also, similar to Golurk, I recognize that and might not be terrible mons in their own right but especially in comparison to in D for example, I can't really figure out what they're doing for ground. Maybe I try out a Band Golurk at some point to see if there's merit but otherwise idk.

Yeah in addition to Golurk I'mma just say:

(Ground): D-->UR, Someone tell me why this thing is considered

Also Adding

(Ghost): D-->C, Geng is a nuts anti lead. The fact it's in the same grade as mons like Houndstone for Ghost is genuinely baffling. TSpikes with incredible utility options like Taunt, Twave, Knock Off, and Dbond, while also being able to use Hex if it wished to cook Gliscor.

Doing another edit after looking more at VR.

(Dark): D-->C, The fact that Lokix is D rank is baffling to me. Maybe it's harder to fit on bulky offense builds with Ting/Mandi, but if Grimmsnarl is C then Lokix should be too tbh...Lokix on those Screens Offense Dark builds is scary af.

(Flying) UR-->D, Kinda surprised this isn't on here, Rain Flying is fun af and works as a build. I think comp wise maybe there are a few things you suffer with more, but it's not like I'm proposing something people never heard of before when I mention Pelipper.

(Psychic) UR-->D, What do you mean Slowking isn't on the Psy VR

Holy shit adding one more

(Electric) C-->B, I almost said push this to A but idt it's as good as the other A mons. The only other B Elec is Regieleki which imo is not near as beneficial to Elec's mu spread as Pawmot is, though it does provide some useful utility. For Pawmot Ice Punch means you have another pokemon that can actually hit Gliscor, and Pawmot ends up being hugely beneficial in many top mus such as Flying, Steel, and Dark. Add to that Priority Mach Punch. I don't think you need to do Revival Blessing on this thing, but it is a cool resource to have. As far as having Electric be capable of consistently handling Flying, I think you really want Pawmot. I also think it's worth mentioning, with Pawmot's movepool it's a solid mon to help tailor Elec's mus as you want. Ice Punch + Seed Bomb + Mach can be danger for ground, Seed Bomb and Double Shock can break Water apart, and ofc the boltbeam coverage with Ice Punch + Double Shock targets Fly cores.

 

[Heatranator]

Been enjoying monotype recently (besides gouging fire, fuck him), but primarily with electric. I'd like to make some noms.

(electric) S -> A
I'll get the big one out of the way, IDT rotom wash is S tier. S tier are mons that you want the majority of the time on your team, and rotom wash is not it. In some matchups like Ground, Fire and Flying, its great. But in others such as Grass (which IMO electric already struggles with since mons such as the Ogerpon Forms really brutalise them) and Dragon, it feels like dead weight. In Dragon, you just become a volt switch machine, which isn't horrible persay, but isn't what you want. I also find the matchups that Washtom does good in can be circumvated through careful teambuilding. Double flyings (zapdos+one of the thundurus formes or a few air balloons) can usually alleviate the ground matchup enough, flying you can try to out offense and fire you can try to brute force with raging bolt+iron hands. Again, not bad, but it is droppable decently easily.

(electric) A -> S
Okay, now we are going in the opposite direction and talking about a mon that feels like it does well in any matchup. I've been using a specific set that has been doing quite well.
Magnezone @ Chople Berry
Ability: Magnet Pull
Tera Type: Electric
EVs: 248 HP / 84 SpA / 176 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Body Press
- Flash Cannon
- Volt Switch
- Iron Defense
This brutalises any non d-tail arch, and can just auto win against any dragon that doesn't have an earth power mon (which while rare, has happened before). But at the very least, it takes out a steel, which is always nice. But anyways, magnezone feels very good, and contributes to every matchup. At worst, it volt switches or flash cannons something for good damage. But usually, it takes some hits, pivots out, then sweeps late game. Just an overall amazing mon and due to that typing, I find it hard to drop from teams.

(electric) UR -> D
I don't have any replays of this mon, but from my testing its been an alright option. It can help defensively against a variety of threats and with soak can enable teammates pretty well with their volt switches. Toxic can also help put mons such as gouging fire (+1 e-quake does 64% max lmao) on a timer in case the rest of the team can't handle it long term. Just a nice little mon.

(fire) Keep C
I saw moltres being nommed to drop to UR, and I just honestly disagree. Yes, it has less utility then talonflame. What it has over talonflame, is actually good bulk, while not lacking too much power (I'll be using the standard spreads, but I bet if I made them more equal, moltres' numbers on the attacking side would be a lot more impressive).

108 Atk Dragapult Dragon Darts (2 hits) vs. 128 HP / 0 Def Talonflame: 186-218 (56.5 - 66.2%) -- approx. 2HKO
108 Atk Dragapult Dragon Darts (2 hits) vs. 252 HP / 244+ Def Moltres: 108-128 (28.1 - 33.3%) -- approx. 0.1% chance to 3HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Flutter Mane Moonblast vs. 128 HP / 0 SpD Talonflame: 162-191 (49.2 - 58%) -- 97.7% chance to 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Flutter Mane Moonblast vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Moltres: 137-162 (35.6 - 42.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 Atk Gale Wings Talonflame Brave Bird vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Kyurem: 156-184 (39.8 - 47%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
0 SpA Moltres Flamethrower vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Kyurem: 127-151 (32.4 - 38.6%) -- 98.4% chance to 3HKO
252 Atk Gale Wings Talonflame Brave Bird vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Ursaluna: 136-162 (33.9 - 40.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after burn damage
0 SpA Moltres Flamethrower vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Ursaluna: 142-168 (35.4 - 41.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after burn damage

There are probably more examples, but Moltres does have a good niche on fire to help more bulkier fire's to work. It can form a good defensive core with heatran+ some other mons like hearthflame or gouging to support there offensive pieces.

 

[TTK]

So I've been just laddering with either HO screens or webs where applicable to certain types and just using UR mons but I think it's about time I present my case for a certain pokemon that I think is actually not that bad.

UR to C

My relationship with Water hasn't been the best this generation, I didn't really like the lack of removal forcing boots on rainless teams but as the gen went down, boots stall or just boots rainless felt better to pilot. Water also has the most pokemon out of any type, surely there were some that no one ever considered that could actually perform and I saw in the builder a pokemon who possessed unique attributes that could do what I was looking for.

Dragon Slayer (Clawitzer) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Mega Launcher
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 164 HP / 252 SpA / 92 Spe
Modest Nature
- Aura Sphere
- Dark Pulse
- Dragon Pulse
- Flip Turn

Clawitzer functions as a decent AV mon for the type, whom I've donned the title of "Dragon Slayer" because that's what it does, deletes Dragon type pokemon. Aura Sphere obviously deletes Archaludon and chunks Goodra for 40-47 percent, everything else is also destroyed by Dragon Pulse: Gouging, Latios, Roaring Moon etc. Water has had difficulties dealing with Dragon unless you go the stall boots spam squad like Cee o-o runs and I think Clawitzer is a solid pokemon at alleviating that pressure since its coverage does so well into Dragon. Even outside of the Dragon matchup, Clawitzer is a pain in the ass for Steel teams to handle, its bulk lets it handle Gholdengo and deals with it using Dark Pulse and its Aura Sphere is threatening the entire type.

I know people need some replays for UR pokemon so this was from Estrelas semifinals and I felt confident enough to load a water team with Clawitzer in a tournament. I think this replay highlighted Clawitzer's potential, ignore I was running Focus Blast (thought Mega Launcher boosted it), it killed Arch turn 1 and made Latios basically useless by surviving Tbolt then low rolling on Dragon Pulse. By turn 2, Clawitzer took out a third of the team basically.

All in all, Clawitzer is a fun little guy who I genuinely believe has a slot on rainless builds and I'd soon use it before Suicune, Tentacruel, and Gyarados, who are C and D rank respectively.

 

[Khahara]

hihi i have a few suggestions for the rock vr

A -> S

I legitimately don't think a Rock team without Glimmora will ever be as good as a Rock team with it. Excellent hazard setting and spinning compression, especially in a meta where hazard stacking remains one of the best ways to check many prominent types (especially Dragon with one of its main boots users gone), with free Toxic Spikes upon contact being an insanely useful tool for breaking down mons like Urshifu, Sinistcha, and Primarina who often avoid kill ranges from Rock's other S tiers by a few percentage points. On top of that, Glimmora gets some great coverage for checking threats on types like Ground, Poison, Dragon, Fighting, Water, and Fairy. It also does at least have some set flexibility in its item, hazard, and coverage choices, which sometimes lets it free up moves for other teammates. I can't think of an MU barring Flying where Glimmora does not pull a massive amount of weight (which depending on the Gliscor set, it certainly can), certainly as much if not sometimes more than Rock's other S tiers, and it deserves to be ranked alongside them as a result. It is an essential component of any competent Rock composition and is a necessary addition to any decent team as a result. No other Rock Pokémon performs all of its roles as well as it does.

B -> A

Compared to the other B tiers, Tyranitar has way more going for it and way more team support options to be ranked alongside them. Either Kleavor or especially Minior need to be knocked down or Tyranitar needs to be elevated. Sand is incredibly useful right now to just be able to set to disrupt other weathers, and with so many strong special attackers running around (like Flutter Mane, Latios, and Primarina), having the extra 50% Special Defense buff is some of the best support you can get. It can either go offensive or support, with very good coverage options off of an excellent Attack stat for hitting mons like Gliscor, Ting-Lu, and Gholdengo with a banded set or Thunder Wave, Stealth Rock, Taunt, and Roar as support options that work well with a specially defensive set. On top of that, Tyranitar is the type's most efficient Knock Off user by far, given that Ogerpon-C almost always needs Superpower, which is crucial with so many HDB users running around. Promote this man ASAP.

C -> B

Coalossal has a lot more utility than any of the other C tiers and actually has a decently useful niche that fits more with Kleavor and Minior than with Rhyperior and Drednaw. Being able to spin on Steel types and being a decent check for some prominent Steel types as well is Coal's biggest claim to fame when compared to Glimmora, which it does surprisingly well with and even provides potential burns through Flame Body. It is still essentially Temu Glimmora, but given how excellent Glimmora is, that's not even a bad thing. If you're building Rock, you would consider Coalossal over basically every other C tier when building, since its role is significantly more useful and more flexible than "mediocre physical attacker #157," which is more or less what Rock's C tier is.

 

[Vlarcheops]

Given that Gouging Fire finally got the boot this time, I feel like more and more Pókemon are rising up in usage and viability. Therefore I`d like to give my opinions about the viability of some dragons:

From A(+) to S Rank!
➤ You HAVE to have Goodra-Hisui on your team in order to win every match-up possible. Goodra-Hisui serves as a special wall for dragon types and does its job perfectly. With its immensive Special Defense, great typing combination, Leftovers and good HP, alongside its movepool adding Knock Off, it's a great teammate for its dragon pals. Knock Off serves of taking the opponent's item away from their grip or hands, it has a STAB Heavy Slam, super effective against (almost any) Fairy Pókemon and it has Gooey, slowing down the opponent if it uses a move that makes contact with Goodra. Not to mention it has Dragon Tail, swapping the opponent if it tries to set-up itself. It COULD even have Portect to stall out Sand (or Weather in general), getting recovery from Leftovers or scouting sets.

From B to A Rank!
➤ Kyurem is a devastating wallbreaker, being able to put impressive damage to the opponents! Its Choice Specs set is very scary for a lot of reasons, with a great 130 special Attack and STAB Ice Beam AND Freeze Dry this thing is a nightmare for Ground, Flying AND Water mono-teams, not to mention that these nominated types are great in the Monotype tier. It can also be a threat against Steel with Choice Specs Earth Power. If you WANT, you COULD use the Pressure + Protect set in SVOU, while it has its beneficial adavntages, I don't think it's gonna be good like the Choice Specs set. Overall, Kyurem is a great Pókemon for the Dragon Type.

From C to B Rank!
➤ While not an outstanding Pókemon, Hydreigon can pull off great things for the Dragon type. It can help immensly in the Ground, Ghost AND Steel matchup significally with its Substitute + Leftovers set. With Levitate and its "OK" typing combination (and even behind Substitute), Hydreigon can set itself up with Nasty plot, boosting its great Special Attack of 130, you can choose between Earth Power of Flamethrower/Fire Blast to berak either Steel or Poison Pókemon and this set can bring trouble for Balance (or even Stall) teams in general. What sets Hydreigon apart from Roaring Moon is that Hydreigon CAN hit wallslike Skarmory, Corviknight and even Articuno with natural power (130 Special Attack) or/and boosts from Nasty Plot.

From D to B Rank!
➤ Given my great friend, RoyalReloaded has achieved Top 1 at the Monotype ladder (Congratulations on that!), I believe he has proved that Kommo-o has something to bring to the table for the Dragon clan. He used a Dragon Dance set, while not groundbreaking, can break walls with its powe AND Taunt for Stall Pókemon. It can also go mixed with Clangorous Scales, Drain Punch, Flamethrower AND Taunt again. However this set ALSO has Throat spray being able to double its special attack to cause HUGE damage. It can be great against Steel, Dark, Normal types or Balance teams in general. It could also use the Iron-Press set with Iron Defense; Leftovers and its great Defense of 120, but I highly doubt it'll be THAT viable. Just like Kyurem, it could run Choice Specs for immediate power, having STAB priority in Vacuum Wave, being an absolute amazing asset going up against Dark teams.

From D to C Rank!
➤ While not an outstanding Pókemon on Dragon, it can use Defog to get rid of hazards, is a great asset for Fighting teams, has a superb 123 Speed (faster than Greninja, equal Speed to Meowscarada) alongside U-Turn to pivot itself out, good Special Attack with an average movepool to cause SOME damage and Roost for healing. If Gholdengo TRIES to block Defog, Noivern can just click Heat Wave to kill it or doing significant damage. So yeah, while not great, it COULD be used as a defogger and do SOMETHING.

So there you have it! My personal thought about the rising viabilities of some Dragon Pókemon! So what do you think? Do you agree or not? Anythimg you want to say more about of these dragons?

Thanks for reading out! ​

 

[Ethereal Sword]

Roaring Moon (Dragon): B -> A

Roaring Moon is a versatile Pokemon with access to an extremely strong Knock Off, great coverage options, and U-Turn. It is commonly used as a Scarfer, mainly competing with Latias in this role. However, several factors make Roaring Moon preferred over Latias. First, Roaring Moon is faster, a valuable advantage in the ever-present Dragon mirror. Second, Dragon teams typically already run Latios due to its stronger attacks and BoltBeam coverage, and while double Lati teams do exist it is generally easier to fit in a Roaring Moon (looking at ladder stats from February, Latias is not among Latios's most used teammates while Roaring Moon is a teammate 46% of the time). Furthermore, even in double Lati teams, Roaring Moon can still be used because unlike Latias, Roaring Moon actually has access to other viable sets like Band and Dragon Dance.

 

[pikachu<3]

View attachment 724605
From D to C Rank!
➤ While not an outstanding Pókemon on Dragon, it can use Defog to get rid of hazards, is a great asset for Fighting teams, has a superb 123 Speed (faster than Greninja, equal Speed to Meowscarada) alongside U-Turn to pivot itself out, good Special Attack with an average movepool to cause SOME damage and Roost for healing. If Gholdengo TRIES to block Defog, Noivern can just click Heat Wave to kill it or doing significant damage. So yeah, while not great, it COULD be used as a defogger and do SOMETHING.

I hate to be that guy, especially because I'm probably the biggest Noivern glazer out there (boomp can confirm; I've also used Noivern dragon for reqs many times), but holy shit I wish people could stop commenting or nominating mons that they haven't used at all.

Like seriously how do you even nominate Noivern for a raise without even mentioning Specs Kyurem (which is like, half the reason to even use this thing; you wouldn't believe the number of teams that just roll over and die to Specs Kyurem with hazard removal), and why is heat wave even mentioned, that move is trash LOL (Noivern gets flamethrower)

Also like if you've ever tried Noivern you'd know that trying to kill Gholdengo with it is basically hopeless, viz:

0 SpA Noivern Flamethrower vs. 232 HP / 124 SpD Gholdengo: 120-142 (32.1 - 38%) -- 94.6% chance to 3HKO
252 SpA Noivern Flamethrower vs. 232 HP / 124 SpD Gholdengo: 152-180 (40.7 - 48.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

yeah good luck buddy LOL (not to say flamethrower is worthless; it does check Scizor which can be important)

Overall I do believe Noivern deserves a raise but this nomination is not it

 

[Paxton]

Probably a question for metagame discussion thread, but short answer is types like Dragon, Fire, Flying, and Ground for the most part. Water/Dark/Steel/Fairy and a few other types are also pretty viable.

Is fire really included!? If so then at least some pokemon should have a japanese name meaning fire.

 

[Pengairxan]

Ground B -> A
Out of all the B Ranks, there seems to be (at least to me) a clear difference in versatility of Shocks compared to the rest of them. Shocks ability to act as a second Gravity mon provides Lando-I more flexibility not mandating it to be a keep alive at all cost mon along with enabling it to comfortably run Scarf. Shocks also threatens Water- and Flying-types that can prove problematic to Ground like ID Skarm, Moltres, Pelipper, Primarina, and SD Urshifu-R (notably +2 AJ never kills shocks from full with 48 HP EVs).

Dark B -> A
Its ability to just stuff up a ton of setup mons thanks to Encore and Will-O-Wisp along with its Fighting immunity allowing it to hard check stuff like Skarm and Okidogi is still too valuable in my opinion. Its low bulk is unappealing but its just got barely enough that I believe it deserves its old A Rank back. Also blocking Spin on a type which main form is hazard stack offense is hella important.

Dragon A -> S Dragon B -> A
Vlare and ESword got here first and I can't really comment anything else. TL:DR Hoodra being able to take Draco to make the mirror more reasonable along with handling special attackers in general while Moon being Drag's best Scarfer should get them a rise.


I feel like I'm missing something. Oh yeah, the obligatory Poison mon.
Poison C -> B
Back last year I advocated for this and now using Gengar for even longer now, I feel like its time to try again. While Iron Moth is generally still the superior mon, Gengar's STAB Shadow Ball is a super good spam option that's much harder to take on than Iron Moth's Flamethrower into a lot of key matchups Poison faces right now. Notably Steel, Fairy, Dragon, and arguably Fighting are easier with Gengar than Iron Moth (Steel has Tran which hard checks Moth, Fairy has the Waters which can prove annoying and Dragon is just unplayable outside of using Moth to try and nuke Archaludon while fighting has a better Shifu, Keldeo, and Gallade MU for Gengar granted Moth's ease of fitting in Discharge and EBall can make Shifu and Keldeo managable.) Gengar being ran into Steel also eases up our Fighting-type making it a lot simpler to run an option such as Sneasler or Scarf Dogi instead of mandating Bulk Up Dogi for Steel. And while there are a few MUs where it does suffer, notably Dark, Normal, Bug, and arguably Ghost (if it can get positioned it is good, but otherwise Moth's better special bulk helps when getting it in against stuff like Ghold and Sinistcha) they don't detract too much from Gengar and even then it can still find uses thanks to Trick or Wisp to shut them down.

 

[TheWyvernKing]

Is fire really included!?

The post your referencing is from a year ago, pre dlc2 Fire was a super great antimeta (no arch meant steel got rolled by Ogerpon alone, Bulky ground gets cooked and I don't think excadrill was in till dlc2, no Walking Wake meant water also cooked), the post was made immediately after DLC2 release when Fire was still seen as a type that was good into like everything outside of Dragon and Gouging Fire was just released. It's not terrible now, but with GF banned, meta changes and whatnot it's more of a C - low B tier type at the moment in my eyes that still can be explored further. If you want good entry meta types I'd say like Dragon/Fly/Steel/Dark/Fighting are pretty good places to start.

 

[Paxton]

The post your referencing is from a year ago, pre dlc2 Fire was a super great antimeta (no arch meant steel got rolled by Ogerpon alone, Bulky ground gets cooked and I don't think excadrill was in till dlc2, no Walking Wake meant water also cooked), the post was made immediately after DLC2 release when Fire was still seen as a type that was good into like everything outside of Dragon and Gouging Fire was just released. It's not terrible now, but with GF banned, meta changes and whatnot it's more of a C - low B tier type at the moment in my eyes that still can be explored further. If you want good entry meta types I'd say like Dragon/Fly/Steel/Dark/Fighting are pretty good places to start.

Thanks for letting me know...

 

[Neko]

Hi, if possible, start nomming mons until April 9. We'll start ranking pokemons by then, and we'll release the updated VR by April 21.

Thanks and have fun nominating

Also, due to the metagame shifts, the Amoonguss blacklist is now removed.

 

[ImprobableBlob]

I guess it is time to post some steel opinions.

B -> A goodra is practically uncontested in it's niche of special wall and forms in my opinion the strongest overall team of 6 along with the other A and S tier mons. It singlehandedly makes the dragon, ghost, and fairy matchups that much better

B -> C I think that Bisharp is generally a worse choice than Scizor for physical setup with priority, and as such they should be in different tiers. I don't think Scizor quite makes the cut for A tier so my choice would be lowering Bisharp down to C.

C -> D Outclassed overall as a special wall by both Goodra and Corviknight, I don't believe that Empoleon deserves to be in C tier with other mons that have proper niches.

D -> C Tinkaton has a niche as a utility mon that frees up space on the team's moveset's and I believe what it has to offer is much more in line with the C tiers than the D tiers.

D -> UR I don't think there is any scenario where I would want to actually be playing Forretress, everything it does is done better by other choices.

UR -> C I genuinely believe that as a setup sweeper Revavroom is in a similar position to Bisharp, outclassed overall by Scizor but with some mons they deal with much better, in Revavroom's case the most prominant example is Primarina. The other niche that Revavroom can fill is that of poison spreading pivot, with Toxic Spikes, Toxic, and Parting Shot allowing for hazard damage to stack up faster, I don't believe this niche is particually useful at the moment, but it does it better than Forretress so I figured I should mention it.

 

[Jahkem]

D->C (Dragon): Gouging Fire is gone and Dragon has been utilizing its other offensive options, including Kommo-o. Set variety in omniboost mixed sweeper, DD, Rock setting, IDBP, etc. Its breaking capabilities are there. The goal of using Kommo-o isn’t for it be a 1:1 replacement of Gouging Fire; but if you do think that way, Kommo-o is the closest you’ll get.

A->B (Fairy): Azumarill has been underperforming a bit (along with Fairy as a type in general unfortunately), maybe it should go down a notch. BD sweeping with Azu is at an all time low, Banded wall breaking might be the role for it now.

B->A (Steel): Archaludon + Goodra is the best defensive core in the game. Goodra is the best special defensive option for Steel and has great utility.

UR->D (Psychic): This is still the best screen setter for Psychic. Prankster Screens has always been valuable niche on any type that can utilize it. The extra bulk from Prankster screens makes AV mons like and absolute monsters to deal with. Meowstic’s Prankster Screens also allows and to have a number of different angles to setup for wins. Also being able to spread paralysis allows it to function similarly to Klefki on Fairy.

 

[Neko]

Thank you for your patience. Last week, the VR team voted on a new VR slate which manually ranks each Pokemon in each type. The updated VR will be placed in the OP, but here's the highlights of the new VR shifts.

Bug
Yanmega C->B
Choice Specs Tinted Lens Air Slash op

Frosmoth A-> B
Articuno + Empoleon usage hurts Frosmoth's viability.
Galvantula B->C
Araquanid is the most used Sticky Webs user, no HP Ice makes it not quite enough in the Flying MU, Water MU is a bit harsh due to Rain / non-Rain having answers to this guy.
Slither Wing B->C
Role compression is great, but just running Heracross + Lokix individually seems to gain more results

Dark
Sableye B->A
Mandibuzz hype might be slightly overstated, so Sableye was unjustifiably dropped in earlier slates. Being a spinblocker + general annoyer is still good.

Moltres-Galar B->C
Hard to find setup opportunities + compounds weakness with Mandibuzz/Screens Dark being niche at worst.

Dragon
Goodra-Hisui A->S
With no more Gouging Fire, Hisui Goodra is now a must to avoid getting eviscerated by Ice Beam or Moonblasts.
Roaring Moon B->A
Latios being the more common pick means that Roaring Moon gets the Choice Scarf (over Latias) in most teams.
Hydreigon C->B
Killing Steel has never been so nice! Also is a Dark resist that is able to deal with Hisuian Samurott is nice for the type.

Electric
Pawmot C->B
Speed + Bolt Beam Grass coverage is great. Mach Punch and Revival Blessing are also nice to have.
Rotom-Wash S->A
Suggested by Heatranator specifically, but well Rotom-W doesn't seem to be of much use nowadays especially after Gougergone.

Fairy
Primarina A->B
Gougergone, and while Primarina's typing is broken in mus such as Flying and Steel, Azumarill with Nuzzle support can achieve more and have a broader matchup spread than Primarina at times.

Fire
Torkoal B->C
Ninetales is really just that good.

Flying
Landorus A->B
Landorus-Therian A->B
Votes between these two mons are mainly split, likely due to the VR team's preference on one or the other. Both are still doing their role as Choice Scarf user usually, but with Gougergone, there's less incentive to be proactive when you can wall off lots of cores with whichever 6 mons you choose in this type.

Moltres-Galar B->C
Cant use Moltres-Kanto with Goltres, and Dark resists + Hisuian Goodra is pretty annoying.

Ghost
Ceruledge S->A
Became less mandatory with people getting annoyed on how much Cerul needs to be babied (i.e. having Brambleghast) to function well.
Pecharunt B->A
Pivot sets to get Flutter Mane in is kinda great. It also beats Gliscor if you wanted to use an NP set, but you dont need to go that far.

Grass
Hydrapple A->B
Less needed nowadays with Gougergone, and it was too slow to begin with.

Lilligant-Hisui A->B
Meowscarada getting Triple Axel + Breloom being enough for Fighting STAB + Missing with Hustle is just sad sometimes

Ground
Landorus-Therian B->C
Sandy Shocks B->C
Use Landorus

Ursaluna B->C
Ghost immunity isn't that needed, Sandless builds often go without it.

Ice
Cetitan B->A
Mamoswine B->A
Weavile B->A
Decoupled the core mons in Ice from B rank, I think "no A Ranks" was just a problem in computation, not that the VR team thought Ice really had no A mons.

Normal
Porygon2 B->A
Bolt-Beam coverage is great, and it can take a lot of punishment or use Substitute to be annoying to non-Cuno Flying.
Indeedee C->B
Choice Scarf sets keep it better than the other C rank mon, so it rose.

Braviary A->B
Normal has an odd 5-slot syndrome, and Brav is oftentimes dropped if the team wants to become more creative. Eq spam can also be handled well enough by Porygon2.

Poison
Toxapex B->A
Fire Resist + Tspikes + Whatever item's annoying
Iron Moth A->B
Being SR weak on a mon thats supposed to come in a lot of times to punch holes isn't that great.

Glimmora B->C
Clodsire B->C
Entry hazards in Poison isn't as mandatory, and with Poison needing 5 mons to function, its hard to fit these over potentially more impactful team mates.

Psychic
Hatterene A->S
Psychic currently has difficulty in entry hazard stack due to not having viable defoggers/rapid spinners
Armarouge C->B
Steelbreaking + Meteor Beam strats are quite nice for Psychic

Metagross A->B
Jirachi / Necrozma is slowly coming for Metagross' job, competing for a spot as a Steel type / entry hazard setter

Rock
Glimmora A->S
Toxic Debris helps Rock lots on whatever it wants to do, considering the "lack" of removal in mono.
Tyranitar B->A
Sand is great for allowing team mates like Gargnacl to outlast opposing teams + Knock off

Iron Boulder S->A
Arcanine-Hisui S->A
While these two are still great, they aren't as "key" mons for Rock to function as the current S rankers.
Minior B->C
Shell Smash sweepers aren't so hot right now.

Steel
Bisharp B->C
Iron Crown B->C
Setup Sweepers are pretty underwhelming in the current iterations of Steel. Specs Iron Crown is neat, but its not fast enough.

Water
Rotom-Wash C->B
Rainless Water's answer to Earthquakes and the ability to muscle through Articuno is really great these days

Keldeo A->B
Urshifu-R is more splashable, and Dark/Steel isn't as oppressive to warrant Vacuum Wave.
Primarina A->B
Manaphy is easier to slot in as a special setup sweeper

This is all for this rank update, op is already updated. We hope to hear feedback from these changes!

 

[zIcarus]

(Ground) UR --> D/C
- some guy on ladder laddered up to like 1750 with a piloswine sandless ground and I decided to try it out myself. If looking at comps similar to what Fogbound brought in MWP with his ting lu sandless ground, Piloswine pretty directly replaces Ting Lu and tbh the mon is definitely vr worthy. I'd mostly been doing a curse resttalk set, but regardless it's special bulk with eviolite + thick fat greatly assists ground with answering mons such as Kyurem.

Also just adding, I definitely see Pilo as having more merit than other D ranked mons, though not quite as much as Quagsire in C. I might even say D-->UR unless people can really say what golurk brings to the table
Also, similar to Golurk, I recognize that and might not be terrible mons in their own right but especially in comparison to in D for example, I can't really figure out what they're doing for ground. Maybe I try out a Band Golurk at some point to see if there's merit but otherwise idk.

Yeah in addition to Golurk I'mma just say:

(Ground): D-->UR, Someone tell me why this thing is considered

Also Adding

(Ghost): D-->C, Geng is a nuts anti lead. The fact it's in the same grade as mons like Houndstone for Ghost is genuinely baffling. TSpikes with incredible utility options like Taunt, Twave, Knock Off, and Dbond, while also being able to use Hex if it wished to cook Gliscor.

Doing another edit after looking more at VR.

(Dark): D-->C, The fact that Lokix is D rank is baffling to me. Maybe it's harder to fit on bulky offense builds with Ting/Mandi, but if Grimmsnarl is C then Lokix should be too tbh...Lokix on those Screens Offense Dark builds is scary af.

(Flying) UR-->D, Kinda surprised this isn't on here, Rain Flying is fun af and works as a build. I think comp wise maybe there are a few things you suffer with more, but it's not like I'm proposing something people never heard of before when I mention Pelipper.

(Psychic) UR-->D, What do you mean Slowking isn't on the Psy VR

Holy shit adding one more

(Electric) C-->B, I almost said push this to A but idt it's as good as the other A mons. The only other B Elec is Regieleki which imo is not near as beneficial to Elec's mu spread as Pawmot is, though it does provide some useful utility. For Pawmot Ice Punch means you have another pokemon that can actually hit Gliscor, and Pawmot ends up being hugely beneficial in many top mus such as Flying, Steel, and Dark. Add to that Priority Mach Punch. I don't think you need to do Revival Blessing on this thing, but it is a cool resource to have. As far as having Electric be capable of consistently handling Flying, I think you really want Pawmot. I also think it's worth mentioning, with Pawmot's movepool it's a solid mon to help tailor Elec's mus as you want. Ice Punch + Seed Bomb + Mach can be danger for ground, Seed Bomb and Double Shock can break Water apart, and ofc the boltbeam coverage with Ice Punch + Double Shock targets Fly cores.

Ive actually played with rhyp a bit and i disagree, while on ladder and against some people for test games its helped my chances against flying pretty well while im using a scarf lando, i think with a certain spread of ev's the mon can wreak havoc against flying. Perfectly willing to bring the team out and try out again for providing more evidence for my claim

 

[pikachu<3]

Been getting into monotype again and playing Grass. The VR for the grass rankings look terribly wrong to me (who made these anyway???) so I'll make a few noms:

With the most clear-cut first:

Amoonguss A->S

Every grass team that isn't sun should be Meow, Amoong, an Ogerpon forme, and 3 fillers. This is way too hard to drop--helmet builds are the most splashable (there are fewer better ways to punish uturns and triple axel users; and spore is broken; absorbing Tspikes with regenerator is also absurd on top of the valuable fighting resist), but other items (eject button, HDB) have their merits too on specific builds. I built 4 grass teams, all of them had Meow + amoonguss, but no other pokemon was used on more than one team; this shows the massive gap in viability between Amoonguss/Meow and grass's other options.

Ogerpon-hearthflame S->A; Ogerpon-Cornerstone: A->B; Ogerpon-base: UR -> D:

In my testing on ladder, it didn't really matter what Ogerpon form you used as long as you built around it well (The winrate on ladder was about the same for all of them; as long as you put some thought into why you're using that form over the others); honestly they're pretty much all the same mon with a good ATK stat at a decent speed tier, with all of them having individual advantages. Hearthflame is probably the easiest to justify, but that doesn't mean it deserves S when there are 3 viable alternatives that do similar things. Base form has the advantage of being able to run an item, which allows for some unique team compositions.

Rillaboom: B -> D/UR

I made 4 grass teams (1 for each ogerpon form), and I used every single mon on the VR other than Levanny, Serperior, and Rilllaboom. This mon just doesn't offer anything valuable in the teambuilder unless you specifically build around it, and I'm not convinced the payoff is that high. All the B,C-ranks and honestly most of the D-ranks are far more splashable than this mon; this is hot garbage.


Decidueye: UR -> D
Bulky defog mon with roost that also acts as a slow pivot to get your Meow/Ogerpon in; incidentally also acts as a counter to Archaludon. STAB shadow ball pressures things like Gholdengo and Pechurant, who are both massive threats to grass.

Venusaur: UR -> D

Sun grass has always been a fringe playstyle, but with the banning of gourging fire it may have a chance to thrive. As the posterchild of sun, this probably deserves D rank.

Sinestea: A->C, Breloom: B->C, Lilligant-hisui: B->C, Hydrapple: B->C

Did I mention that every grass team that isn't sun should be Meow, Amoong, an Ogerpon form, and 3 fillers? Turns out it really doesn't matter what the last 3 mons are because all the options are about equally shit. Not going to describe the problems of these mons in detail, but they're really not that good and it's most important to teambuild around whatever Ogerpon/Meow than to try to get value out of these slots. The ranking should reflect the role they play in grass teams--filler. This is the part of the reason why I never needed to repeat a mon other than amoonguss/meow in building--these mons are just not that good.
Some replays to show that I'm not just talking out of my ass:

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9monotype-2351325712-kj6dulivmd59ecfv5joi8k1yfcjphyxpw basepon vs fighting
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9monotype-2350244257-2wbyjsbtpjfdpoyane356glcjg8ib0cpw?p2 -- waterpon vs fighting
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9monotype-2350239435?p2 -- waterpon vs steel
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9monotype-2350238109?p2 -- waterpon vs ghost
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9monotype-2348017721-0ptcaw3jeldu6upo9l8l5n6bcv3p0f5pw?p2 rockpon vs poison
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9monotype-2348013440?p2 -- rockpon + decidueye vs ghost
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9monotype-2347321049 -- rockpon + decidueye vs steel
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9monotype-2347252594 -- vs fire
(the last team i made not shown in replays is bog standard -- https://pokepast.es/2ddb5e1f33793c7e)

 

[shamingman]

Neither is very good at all by any means but yeah as Boomp said it does have the ability to trap random dark/psychic/grass threats that can hurt ground (particularly sandless ground that cant offensively kill stuff like Chien-Pao/Ogerpon with Excadrill and such very reliably).

Not seriously worth and even ranking it in D is probably a stretch, but it did make one appearence in tournament and has a niche that can be discussed.

Flygon unfortunately, has nothing at the moment.

dugtrio sitting there like: The fuck am i? chopped liver?

 

[Floods]

Hi this is my first proper post so excuse me if the formatting and stuff is shabby, or anything like that.

Having recently gotten into monotype, I have played quite a bit over the last month or so, and I have mainly used fire, along with various other types.

I've had decent amounts of success, reaching near the top of the ladder under the name Flood 7, which I know isn't always the perfect judge of viability, but I think I've seen enough to argue: infernape D - > C.

In terms of its niche that I think sets it apart from the other D ranked pokemon, and in my opinion makes it stand out even amongst the other C ranked pokemon as an option on fire, is it's ability to run switcheroo. Personally the set I've used the most is one I'll put below:

Scarf Ape

Infernape @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Blaze
Tera Type: Fire
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Close Combat
- Flare Blitz
- Switcheroo

Aside from being a decently strong scarfer, which allows Cinderace to run boots+court change instead of itself being scarfed, the option to perform a well timed switcheroo can help infernape cripple checks to the strong set up sweepers on fire (Ogerpon-H, Ceruledege), allowing them to get free turns or more easily beat checks such as toxapex. Moreover, while this is the set I've mainly used, a mixed set with grass knot+tpunch allows infernape to be very strong against water teams. I think the ability to switcheroo your choice scarf is more useful for fire teams generally, but that is also certainly an option. It makes for a good lead in 80% of the games I've played, with the option to u-turn turn 1, drop a strong stab move in flare blitz or close combat, or switcheroo either on the lead or a predicted switch in. It makes potentially unfavourable matchups like water and rock much easier to play.

For me, infernape is the best 6th mon to use on fire, outside of the 'standard' core 5, being more useful than volcarona with that team lineup IMO. While I don't think it should be B ranked, I think it is among the most useful of the pokemon in the C tier, and should absolutely be moved up from D. Thanks!

 

[Frostium]

Hi im Frostium, an ice only player and i wanted to give my take on the current ice VR rankings as i have a few things to note from the hundreds of games ive played this month so far.

Avalugg: C>S this mon is an absolute MUST on ice and there is no discussion. Avalugg has earned itself as a permanent staple on every single one of my teams for a reason.
Avalugg is the ONLY and true reliable bulk ice has, period. An incredible 184 defense and 95 HP make this thing a monster by itself.
Avalugg is the only ice mon allowed to switch in on a close combat, bullet punch, drain punch, ect reliably. Without avalugg on your team, you are guaranteed to have to sack a mon every single time a fast heavy physical hitter comes along.
In snow, not even talking about with aurora veil (here his bulk becomes ridiculous), he is able to stand toe to toe with some of the heaviest physical hitters in the meta currently while also posing a threat with incredible access to body press.

Avalugg is also the only good hazard removal for ice given its bulk and access to sturdy, where even against special attackers, he can give out his one last hoorah by rapid spinning away the hazards that are detrimental to ice. There simply IS NO replacement for avalugg and for that, i put him in S.

Cetitan: i hate to do this again, but A>S This mon has also slotted its way into every single ice team. There is so substitution. Being the fastest slush rush abuser and access to incredible 170HP and belly drum make Cetitan the best sweeper at any stage of the game so long as aurora veil is up.
Alolan sandslash cannot compete in several ways: lack of belly drum, lack of bulk, a worse typing, and worse speed. The fact that sandslash is even in B tier is utterly laughable.

One of the most notable things to note here is the ability to tank a hit. Under snow and veil, Cetitan can more often than not tank a hit and belly drum afterwards. A close combat, a heat wave, anything that sandslash would instantly die to due to his 4x weakness and horrible bulk is something cetitan can do.

Ice lacks wall breakers, cetitan is one of two that ice has. That for me makes Cetitan a must have for ice and an easy S tier.

These last two will be quick.

Alolan Sandslash: B>D
There is simply no room to fit Sandslash in, there isnt. Cetitan is an infinitely better slush rush user and avalugg is a better spinner.
It is not a good idea to run this mon anymore. He used to be used because he was the only viable option, he isnt anymore now that Cetitan is here and is a staple. Sandslash's horrible typing does not help ice, but rather hinder it as it becomes weaker into ice's worst matchups including steel. The steel neutrality offers nothing, the hazard control and slush rush/wall breaking prowess is completely overshadowed by the two ive mentioned above.

Frosmoth: C>UR
Never use this mon.
It is laughable how Frosmoth and Avalugg are even REMOTELY in the same tier. Frosmoth being ice's only defogger means nothing. There are zero use case scenarios where Frosmoth should be used in ice. Ive tried, she doesnt work. The offensive coverage is downright horrendous, the typing is the worst in the game, and it cant decide wether or not it wants to be supportive or a sweeper. Defog is not a redeemable quality, you are better off running zero hazard control than running this mon at any given time.

Dewgong: D>C
While ive advocated for dewgong a lot, and i definitely find some great use cases for dewgong, it isnt enough to warrant anything higher than C but it surely doesnt belong in D or lower.
The issue with dewgong is that it has a very difficult time slotting itself into a team where FOUR mons are staples through and through. The leg room is hard to work with. However, i have had success.
Dewgong makes the fire and ghost matchup significantly easier and fluid, both of which are hard matchups for ice due to fire's inherent offensive pressure and ice's fire weakness, and ghost being able to deny hazard control and fluttermane which ice doesnt have a great answer for. Dewgong is an answer to both.
Allowing slow pivoting, knock off, and incredible special bulk with thick fat and assault vest.

Unfortunately though, dewgong makes the dragon and fighting matchup far worse. With the rise of double steel dragon and dewgong dying to one close combat. Value with dewgong in these matchups are few in between.

 

[OricocoForever]

If it makes a difference, I am currently 1300, and am still rising fast (I have a really good W:L ratio). I'll probably plateau 1400-1450 or something. Also, I only play bug teams (for the joke)

Requesting Slither Wing C -> B
One of bugs biggest weaknesses is lack of ground type coverage (and ground types), and Slither Wing has earthquake. If that wasn't enough, probably the single worst threat in bug monotype is Archaludon. The main reason for this is that out of the "big six" (S and A tier bugs), only Volcarona has a decent match up. The rest get absolutely screwed (BTW Kleavor close combat does so little damage, you're probably helping the Archaludon out). Every time I faced Archaludon without Slither Wing, I got destroyed. My opponents probably could have 6 v 1'd me with Archaludon and still won.
252+ Atk Life Orb Slither Wing Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 204+ Def Archaludon: 359-424 (93.4 - 110.4%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO
It also does well into Goodra-Hisuian and steel types in general, which bug doesn't do amazingly against.
I actually think it deserves A tier, but while I can believe the council is off by one tier, I don't think they'd be off by two.
I retract this statement. This thing is utterly useless vs any non steel dragon. I replaced it with Frosmoth, which does just as well vs Archaludon, but is a special attacker, so doesn't have to deal with stamina, and has defog, and can kind of sort of do well vs special attackers, unlike Slither Wing, who is useless in pretty much every other situation.

Requesting Forrestress A -> B
Has nothing going for it besides rapid spin.
Does no damage. It does have hazards, but when you're running Araquanid and Kleavor, you've already got enough hazards.
I could see some use with gyro ball + sturdy vs a fast offensive Pokemon, but Lokix first impression does that perfectly fine.
Plus, any decent opponent who sees this Pokemon will immediately start setting up/spamming special attacking moves, which is annoying because it's really hard to switch around with bug (because most bugs are hyper offence). Also, Scizor exists, and doubling up on types is usually a bad idea

Requesting Kleavor S -> SS
I know SS isn't a tier, but Kleavor in bug is just the kind of guy who creates his own tier.

 

[Showl]

A couple nominations based on the recent trends.

(Dragon) B -> A
Despite many fierce competitors, Raging Bolt claimed Gouging Fire's spot in the long run, helping Dragon to fix MU's like Water/Flying/Fairy/Poison/Bug. CM set can prove devastating against many teams, especially combined with its great natural bulk.

(Fire) B -> S
In this post-Gouging Fire metagame, Volcarona is a must-have for every Fire team. Predominantly used in its Bulkyrona form to act as a formidable late-game sweeper, there is no shortage of matchups this mon can reverse by abusing of Flame Body, Quiver Dance, and Morning Sun.