Resource RU Viability Ranking

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RU Viability Ranking

Note, atomicllamas and Molk run this thread. Spirit gets an honorable mention.

Welcome to the official RU Viability Rankings topic. In this thread, we as a community will rank every single usable Pokemon into ranks. In this thread, you're encouraged to post your thoughts and opinions on the various Pokemon that are usable in RU and what rank they should fall under.

The general idea of the topic is to rank each RU pokemon under "rankings" that go in descending order.

Note that the overall tier list is in no particular order.

Pokemon with (+) are being considered for moving up a rank;
Pokemon with (-) are being considered for moving down a rank.


XY RU Viability Ranking



S Rank:
Reserved for Pokemon who can sweep or wall significant portions of the metagame with little support, and Pokemon who can support other Pokemon with very little opportunity cost ("free turns"). Also the home of Pokemon who can easily perform multiple roles effectively, increasing their versatility and unpredictability. If the Pokemon in this rank have any flaws, those flaws are thoroughly mitigated by their substantial strengths.

Delphox
Doublade
Hitmonlee
Meloetta
Rhyperior


A Rank:
Reserved for Pokemon who can sweep or wall significant portions of the metagame, but require some support or have some flaws that prevents them from doing this consistently. Supporting Pokemon in this rank may give opponents free turns or cannot create free turns easily themselves, but can still do their job most of the time.

A+ Rank

Alomomola
Aromatisse
Cobalion
Druddigon
Moltres
Sharpedo
Slowking
Virizion

A Rank

Amoonguss
Banette (mega)
Cresselia
Durant
Escavalier
Reuniclus

A- Rank

Abomasnow (mega)
Drapion
Dugtrio
Gligar
Jolteon
Registeel
Rotom-Mow



B Rank:
Reserved for Pokemon who cannot sweep through or wall significant portions of the metagame, but can properly fulfill a given offensive/defensive niche. Support Pokemon in this category have flaws that prevent them from doing their job or are setup bait for dangerous sweepers. Pokemon who are partially outperformed by a Pokemon in A or S Rank, but are otherwise very dangerous, may also fall into this category.

B+ Rank

Accelgor
Braviary
Clawitzer
Combusken
Emboar
Exploud
Fletchinder
Gurdurr
Magneton
Mismagius
Omastar
Shiftry
Sigilyph
Spiritomb
Weezing

B Rank

Cinccino
Eelektross
Gallade
Gastrodon
Golbat
Gorebyss
Granbull
Heliolisk
Kabutops
Lanturn
Qwilfish
Roselia
Sceptile
Slurpuff
Tangrowth
Togetic
Zangoose

B- Rank

Barbaracle
Bronzong
Cofagrigus
Dragalge
Hitmontop
Lickilicky
Meowstic-Male
Sandslash
Seismitoad
Skuntank
Tauros
Vivillon
Whimsicott
Xatu



C Rank:
Reserved for Pokemon who can be effective given the right support, but either have crippling flaws that prevent them from consistently executing their strategy or are completely eclipsed by a Pokemon in the above ranks.

C+ Rank

Feraligatr
Ferroseed
Gourgeist Small
Gourgeist XL
Jellicent
Jynx
Kricketune
Ludicolo
Miltank
Pangoro
Samurott
Sneasel
Swellow
Tyrantrum
Uxie

C Rank

Arbok
Audino
Archeops
Bouffalant
Chatot
Ditto
Leavanny
Mesprit
Pelipper
Poliwrath
Pyroar
Rotom-S
Sawk
Scyther
Victreebel

C- Rank

Golurk
Linoone
Mightyena
Regirock
Rotom
Steelix


D Rank:
Reserved for Pokemon who have a small niche in the current metagame, but have very noticeable flaws that make them more trouble than they're worth the majority of the time.

Ambipom
Cradily
Crustle
Cryogonal
Klinklang
Lilligant


E Rank:
bad pkmn (RU Pokemon by usage that are bad will be listed here. Everything not listed also falls in here.)

Claydol
Hitmonchan

E- rank: Reserved for Pokemon who are completely useless in RU because of kokoloko's tyranny.

Wobbuffet

New Pkmn Rank:

These Pokemon are new to the RU tier and need discussion to find a proper placement for them
 
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History of Viability Ranking
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5 / 10 / 14
S Rank:

Escavalier
Froslass
Venomoth


A Rank:

A+ Rank

Delphox
Hitmonlee
Reuniclus
Rhyperior
Sharpedo

A Rank

Alomomola
Cobalion
Cresselia
Druddigon
Moltres
Sceptile
Yanmega
Zoroark

A- Rank

Banette
Emboar
Gallade
Gorebyss
Meloetta
Slowking
Smeargle
Virizion


B Rank:


B+ Rank

Abomasnow
Aromatisse
Bronzong
Cofagrigus
Drapion
Dugtrio
Durant
Gligar
Heliolisk
Mismagius
Registeel
Slurpuff

B Rank

Amoonguss
Braviary
Cinccino
Dragalge
Exploud
Gastrodon
Kabutops
Qwilfish
Rotom-Mow
Shuckle
Sigilyph
Tangrowth
Uxie
Whimsicott
Vivillon
Zangoose

B- Rank

Barbaracle
Combusken
Doublade
Fletchinder
Golbat
Gourgeist XL
Granbull
Hitmontop
Jellicent
Lanturn
Magneton
Swellow
Togetic


C Rank:

C+ Rank

Ambipom
Clawitzer
Eelektross
Gourgeist Small
Gurdurr
Medicham
Meowstic-Male
Pangoro
Poliwrath
Skuntank
Tyrantrum
Xatu

C Rank

Accelgor
Avalugg
Chatot
Crustle
Golurk
Kangaskhan
Mesprit
Omastar
Shiftry
Spiritomb
Weezing

C- Rank

Claydol
Hariyama
Haunter
Lilligant
Mighteyna
Muk
Primeape
Rotom
Sandslash
Steelix


D Rank:

Electivire
Jynx
Hippopotas
Klinklang
Miltank
Samurott
Sliggoo
Stoutland


E Rank:

Hitmonchan


6/8/14
S Rank:

Delphox
Froslass
Hitmonlee
Rhyperior


A Rank:

A+ Rank

Escavalier
Reuniclus
Sharpedo
Zoroark

A Rank

Alomomola
Banette (mega)
Cobalion
Cresselia
Druddigon
Moltres
Shuckle
Slowking
Yanmega

A- Rank

Aromatisse
Doublade
Durant
Emboar
Gallade
Gorebyss
Heliolisk
Jolteon
Meloetta
Sceptile
Virizion



B Rank:

B+ Rank

Abomasnow (mega)
Amoonguss
Braviary
Cofagrigus
Drapion
Exploud
Gligar
Magneton
Mismagius
Registeel
Slurpuff
Vivillon
Zangoose

B Rank

Cinccino
Dragalge
Dugtrio
Gastrodon
Kabutops
Meowstic-Male
Qwilfish
Rotom-Mow
Sigilyph
Tangrowth
Uxie
Whimsicott

B- Rank

Barbaracle
Bronzong
Clawitzer
Combusken
Fletchinder
Golbat
Granbull
Hitmontop
Lanturn
Ludicolo
Miltank
Shiftry
Skuntank
Weezing
Xatu


C Rank:

C+ Rank

Ambipom
Eelektross
Gourgeist Small
Gourgeist XL
Gurdurr
Jellicent
Pangoro
Roselia
Samurott
Seismitoad
Spiritomb
Swellow
Togetic
Tyrantrum

C Rank

Accelgor
Chatot
Crustle
Ditto
Golurk
Kangaskhan
Mesprit
Omastar
Poliwrath

C- Rank

Hariyama
Lilligant
Mightyena
Muk
Primeape
Rotom
Sandslash
Sneasel
Steelix


D Rank:

Avalugg
Carracosta
Claydol
Gogoat
Jynx
Klinklang
Regirock
Sliggoo


E Rank:

Electivire
Hitmonchan
 
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Nominating Vivillion for B+ or A- rank.
It has a ridicolously strong STAB and a super accurate Sleep Powder that makes setting up with it very easy. With little support (Defog mainly) it can break a lot of walls thanks to its Bug STAB being supereffective on them. It is not outclassed by Venomoth in the sweeping department thanks to Hurricane bypassing resitances being fucking strong and that super accurate Sleep Powder incapacitating its counters. Also AV Escavalier can't switch into +1 Hurricane as it is a guaranteed 2HKO after rocks.
It still dies to priority but Venomoth does too
 
Alright a few things I see immediately:

Vivillon needs to be at LEAST B+, if not A-. It can absolutely run through teams after a QD thanks to huge STAB Hurricane that will actually hit. [EDIT] Snipped by galbia, points still stand

Hitmonlee needs S tbh. It gained so much this gen, between Reckless and the Knock Off buff. It's just a huge threat to damn near every team.

Reuniclus probably needs to drop to A. Too much common stuff just outright OHKOes it for it to be as big a threat.

Sceptile honestly isn't an A threat. Between the HP nerf and the loss of Flying gem, it's a quite underwhelming mon. Maybe A-, probably B+ Imo.
 
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lol what is samurott doing in D rank it should be B rank
it has nice bulk and decent speed, put swords dance on it and you have one of the best wallbreakers in the tier
megahorn+waterfall has excellent coverage and hits most walls in ru for super effective damage (tangrowth/uxie/rhyperior/etc/etc)
aqua jet shits on offense and picks off weakened stuff
im dead srs move that otter up :(
 
Nominationg Golbat for at least B+ rank but preferably A-/A rank.
Golbat is a pretty cool Pokemon in the meta right now. 3 4x resists, two fo which are common (Fight and Bug), one immunity and another (albeit almost worthless) resistance in Fairy makes him an excellent defensive support 'mon for the team. It got also buffed this gen with Defog, allowing him to support the team with hazard removal. It also has instant recovery, which is great for a wall. Infiltrator also got a buff this gen and due to that, Golbat can function as an emergency check against things like SubSeed whimsi, SubCM Cress before it sets up, etc.
Also pairs up really well with Rhyperior.

Reliance on Eviolite, however, sucks. But there are teammates for this (Sticky Hold Gastro, Cobalion, stuff that doesnt hate losing its item like Amoonguss, etc).

All in All I believe Golbat doesn't deserve B- in today's meta.

Also supporting Vivillion's move to B+

Also where the fuck is Torterra >:[
 
I don't have a whole lot of experience in RU, so forgive me if I sound like a moron, but is Magmortar really that outclassed that it shouldn't be ranked?
 
Nominationg Golbat for at least B+ rank but preferably A-/A rank.
Golbat is a pretty cool Pokemon in the meta right now. 3 4x resists, two fo which are common (Fight and Bug), one immunity and another (albeit almost worthless) resistance in Fairy makes him an excellent defensive support 'mon for the team. It got also buffed this gen with Defog, allowing him to support the team with hazard removal. It also has instant recovery, which is great for a wall. Infiltrator also got a buff this gen and due to that, Golbat can function as an emergency check against things like SubSeed whimsi, SubCM Cress before it sets up, etc.
Also pairs up really well with Rhyperior.

Reliance on Eviolite, however, sucks. But there are teammates for this (Sticky Hold Gastro, Cobalion, stuff that doesnt hate losing its item like Amoonguss, etc).

All in All I believe Golbat doesn't deserve B- in today's meta.

Also supporting Vivillion's move to B+

Also where the fuck is Torterra >:[
Golbat shouldn't be HIGHER than Gligar as it is still mostly outclassed by it. I can see it B but b- is fine.
 
Just a note - please do not compare Pokemon placements in this thread to the UU viability thread. This thread is a bit more strict than UU viability in the sense that so-called "not as good Pokemon" will be ranked a lot lower or not at all, if you know what I mean.
 
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ScraftyIsTheBest

On to new Horizons!
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Where's Eelektross? It's a cool mon in this meta, it has a nice special movepool with pretty nice coverage, immunity to most hazards barring Rocks, Volt Switch, and Knock Off. It's a cool bulky attacker that can function as a pivot to give you momentum and pesters walls with its awesome coverage; its Attack can be used with Superpower or Knock off to also be a nice attacker. I'd put it in C+ or B- because it's got some pretty cool niches but also has no recovery and doesn't have that many resists to use, although one to Flying is neat.

I also think Clawitzer could use a little bump up to B-, it's a pretty good breaker from my experience with it, as it has really good coverage and hits everything for really good damage. With E-belt, Specs, or LO, it can be a nice tool to pester walls, and it's also a very cool mon on TR teams. An AV set is possible too, since although AV isn't a splashable item, Clawitzer can use it to take special hits and still provide a solid offensive presence. It's slow and has some issues, but I've found it decently useful for its power and limited switch-ins to it.

Vivillon is pretty good actually, Sleep Powder is pretty accurate and after a QD or two that Hurricane hits like a truck, it's a great sweeper when utilized correctly so it could use a little move up.

Electivire for E Rank that thing is garbage, too weak, to frail, etc.

Just a few thoughts.
 
WOAH. This is one messed up viability ranking. First of all Reuniclus and Chatot are S rank. Reuniclus ALWAYS sets up Trick Room (best to set up on walls), has perfect coverage, and is unaffected by the common status moves. Typing does not even matter when you are the bulkiest, fastest, and strongest, pokemon on the field. Trick Room may last only 5 turns but in those 5 turns, Reuniclus massacres a team that can only hope to stall and predict right with Skuntank. As for Chatot, wow. Chatter plus Boomburst plus Substitute plus Nast Plot is NO JOKE. Chatter and Substitute make Chatot untouchable and deal with faster pokemon regardless while Boombust and Nasty Plot is destruction all around. Yes, I know, confusion is dirty but it's incredible. Just use these two and you will find they deserve S rank. Also, why is Venomoth THAT high. When I used it, I couldn't Quiver Dance if my life depended on it! And it's not even RU! Venomoth for C+ rank.
 

Typhlito

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Typhlosion for C/C+ rank. The c rank definition pretty much defines what typhlosion does. It can wreck a ton of pokemon that are slower than it since only a handful of pokemon are willing to switch into its full powered eruption but there are things that keep it from being consistent such as stealth rocks and not wanting to switch into pokemon. That and delphox tends to outclass him now.
 
Typhlosion for C/C+ rank. The c rank definition pretty much defines what typhlosion does. It can wreck a ton of pokemon that are slower than it since only a handful of pokemon are willing to switch into its full powered eruption but there are things that keep it from being consistent such as stealth rocks and not wanting to switch into pokemon. That and delphox tends to outclass him now.
Literally every fire type in the tier outclasses him. Moltres, Delphox, Emboar (Although not really comparable outside of being fire type). I could see MAYBE, and I mean MAYBE D-Rank, since although Phox/FireBird outclass it, Eruption still hurts like hell.
 

MikeDawg

Banned deucer.
I support a move for Slowking to A or A+

I think that as far as RU mons go, Slowking is rather iconic. It can single handedly deal with nearly every special attacker in the tier bar specs Zoroark and specs Clawizter. Even yanmega struggles to break through, and is 1hkod in return (Life orb modest bug buzz does 44-53%).

Regenerator allows it to repeatedly switch in and out of battle, restoring its life each time (that 50% from yanmega doesn't matter when it restores back to 80% the next turn just by switching)

Its typing even allows it to check many of the fighting types in the tier.
 
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Typhlosion for C/C+ rank. The c rank definition pretty much defines what typhlosion does. It can wreck a ton of pokemon that are slower than it since only a handful of pokemon are willing to switch into its full powered eruption but there are things that keep it from being consistent such as stealth rocks and not wanting to switch into pokemon. That and delphox tends to outclass him now.
It's a shittier delphox in almost every way and absolutely needs hazards off the field in order to not be a shittier delphox. D rank imo
 

Typhlito

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I wouldnt call him being totally outclassed. Moltres and emboar usually have to run scarf to outspeed threats while typhlosion is able to still use specs. Dephlox is almost 100% better than typhlo although delphox is the only one of the fire types that cant handle a +2 shadow sneak doublade. But yeah maybe I was giving it a too high of a rank. D+/C- rank it is.
 

Typhlito

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the power creep is real... Jellicent went from high OU to mid RU...
The biggest reason jellicent was high ou last gen was because of politoad and friends. With rain not being that big of an issue anymore, jelly and gastro dropped down. They can still do their job. Its just that they arent needed as much anymore.
 

ss234

bop.
Doublade is definitely better than b-. SD is a big threat and walls a number of dangerous mons like cobalion / viriz etc. and its just rlly fucking bulky on the physical side, taking two lo knock offs from lee. Probably low a / high b at least, I know New Breed has a lot of experience with it as well.

Some other mons seem a bit high(smeargle doesn't seem like an a rank mon considering froslass is a better spiker and shuckle is better at webs, qwilfish and goose also seem high) and meowstic male could also use a bump up(B- imo) seeing as its a really cool dual screener and prankster twave is always very good, but otherwise this looks good.

Oh and can we add mighty deliberd to D pls? It's actually kind of legit lel
 
SMH. After all of replays that have been shared throughout the Rarelyused channel, I am extremely disappointed to see that my friend MIGHTYENA is still not on the viability rankings list. For shame. It is definitely good enough to be D rank, freed from the shackles of Absol's shadow looming over it in BW RU. I suppose I will have to shed light on why this Pokemon is such a behemoth in the metagame.


Mightyena @ Life Orb
Ability: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
-Sucker Punch
-Crunch
-Fire Fang
-Play Rough

This is the set of lords. Mightyena can revenge kill many threats in the tier with its STAB Sucker Punch, and then proceed to wreak havoc after acquiring a Moxie boost. Crunch provides a secondary STAB move to use against slower threats and on predicted switches. Fire Fang allows it to roast Escavalier and provides more coverage in general, while Play Rough rounds out the set and allows Mightyena to deal a great deal of damage to any Fighting-, Dark-, or Dragon-types that think they can switch in for free. Iron Tail may be used in the last slot in order to beat Aromatisse, but Play Rough is usually better. This set is clearly good enough for D-Rank in the viability rankings, and there are a great deal of replays of RU Pride slaughtering the opposition to prove it. Even if the opposition knows Sucker Punch is coming, one can always predict the switch. 306 Attack is a solid amount in the RU tier, and the Moxie boosts can truly allow Mightyena to turn the tier into its personal feast. It may not be the best Pokemon, but it is definitely good enough to be in the same category as pathetic Pokemon such as Electivire.
 
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