Other XY OU Viability Ranking: Sets

[SomeKidFromJohto]

Hmm... this is hard to explain properly, but I'll try to walk through it the best I can: I think that we need to move scarf magnezone down. However, my reasoning actually doesn't have much to do with comparing the usefulness of magnezone's scarfed set against it's specs set; As I do actually think that scarf zone is better than specs zone. The rub is that I also think scarf magneton is better than scarf magnezone.

Let me explain: Scarf magnezone actually under-performs scarf magneton in many situations due to it's lower speed bracket. To break things down, scarf magnezone basically ends up just slower than the base 115 speed tier, which leaves it still outsped by anything base 115 and up, which includes some threats like starmie, mega houndoom and the like. However, scarfed magneton ends up at just above base 122, which lets it outspeed even greninja. Now, none of the threats that outspeed zone are actually threats it's designed to beat or contain, but it's still a factor. For example: either magneton or magnezone could trap and KO skarmory with thunderbolt, but after that matchup, greninja could come in and pick off a weakened magnezone, while magneton could still OHKO gren with it's thunderbolt. This lends me to shy away from using scarfed magnezone, as magneton does the scarf set a little bit better, so if I do use magneton, it's usually going to be it's specs or air balloon set. This leads me to want to put zone's scarf set below it's specs set, as it's scarf set is outperformed by magneton. And before anyone mentions magnezone's better SpA, to my knowledge there aren't any significant threats that magnezone can OHKO that magneton can't, or any zone 2HKOs that magneton would only 3HKO. As far as I know, what zone kills, 'ton kills. The difference of 10 base SpA just isn't enough to affect the damage output of one scarf set over another.

Now, I'm not sure exactly how we want to prioritize the rankings here, though, so I'm left with a question I think we should all consider: Do we want to adjust a certain pokemon's set's ranking only compared to it's other sets, or should we also compare it to similar sets run by similar pokemon? Because by only comparing magnezone's scarf with it's specs, scarf is still probably better and should be ranked higher, but if we compare magnezone's scarf set to magneton's scarf set, magneton's is actually a little better.

Of course, I don't think that magnezone's specs set should rise in reaction to a different pokemon's scarf set, so I guess what I'm nominating to happen would be to drop scarf magnezone to B+, and raise scarf magneton to B. This is a big jump on magneton's end, but the scarf set deserves it. Plus, ths change would avoid putting scarf magnezone below specs magnezone, and still puts scarfed magneton in the mix as a serious option. Honestly, I wanted to come up with a way to put scarf magneton above scarf magnezone as I do believe it's better, but as there's no good way to do that without dropping scarf magnezone below specs magnezone, which would be incorrect, I think this is a decent compromise between the two positions.

 

[Valmanway]

so I guess what I'm nominating to happen would be to drop scarf magnezone to B+, and raise scarf magneton to B.

Dropping Scarf Magnezone is something that you guys can debate, but I can't bring Magneton any higher than C+ due to the rule I established, and even if I could, it just seems weird to rank a Pokemon's set higher than what the Pokemon itself is ranked. If you want to argue Magneton's worth over Magnezone, the official viability ranking thread is the place to go.

 

[SomeKidFromJohto]

Dropping Scarf Magnezone is something that you guys can debate, but I can't bring Magneton any higher than C+ due to the rule I established, and even if I could, it just seems weird to rank a Pokemon's set higher than what the Pokemon itself is ranked. If you want to argue Magneton's worth over Magnezone, the official viability ranking thread is the place to go.

Alright, that's fair. But if you can't raise magneton, then I don't have any reason to still nominate dropping zone's scarf set, as that was the only reason I wanted scarfed zone to drop.

 

[Bizdis]

I feel like you dropped Bulky wisp Charizard X too quickly. Due to its unique typing (in OU anyway) it can come in on lots of threats such as Thundurus, Char Y, and Bisharp, and apply great pressure by spreading burns or dealing damage with one of its stab moves. Also, it fits on a variety of playstyles, I've seen it used effectively on both balance and stall. The point about luring in its would-be counters then hitting them with wisp doesn't really apply anymore because people tend to expect it now, simply because it is such a great set, but that doesn't mean it is any easier to deal with. Another great thing about Wisp Zard X is that due to its base 100 speed, it can get the jump on pokemon that would normally beat it in a 1v1 situation and cripple them for the rest of the match. For the reasons outlined above, I think that Bulky Wisp Char X should be moved back up to S until a more comprehensive argument is made against this.

 

[Jacks0n]

All of thundurs's sets should be A+
It is much like zard x in the fact that versatility is its main selling points. No sets are meta game dominating on their own, but add on the fact that the opposition needs to scout and get the right set is what makes them as good as they are.

 

[WebBowser]

*prays that this isn't a terrible idea*

So I'm going to go out on a limb and nominate CM Espeon for C rank

Espeon @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Morning Sun
- Calm Mind
- Hidden Power [Fighting]/dazzling gleam
- Stored Power

While this set is most well known as a receiver for scolipass or geopass, it is actually a very strong stallbreaker that is capable of easily soaking up weak to moderate damage attacks and retaliating with force, while at the same time being immune to the normal status and phasing shenanigans employed by stallmons to counter most setup sweepers. Functionally, it works in a very similar manner to CM magic gaurd clefable but with less bulk, more power, much more speed, and immunity to (most) phase moves and taunt, making espeon less valuable against offensive teams (aka borderline deadwieght without a speed pass of some sort) at the cost of being a near surefire win con vs stall.

replay of espeon 6-0ing a stall team

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/oususpecttest-141402727

While yes, zard could have stopped espeon had reflect not been up, a better player then me could probably figure out some way to get rid of zard before sending in espeon.

And of course, if espeon somehow receives some speed and defense even offensive teams will fear it.

 

[jvl101993]

As much as I really like Azumarill, I think it justifiably dropped to A+ after the last update. It has good variety in its sets, but each set can be underwhelming in respective aspects (AV against Stall, CB against some of the bulkier mons in Balance, like Slowbro).

As for Espeon, it's not really a great CM mon. That works with BP chains, since it can accumulate bulk boosts, but Espeon has no business using a slow set-up move, which is exactly how Calm Mind (and to another extent, Stored Power) is. It works on Clefable because it has bulk, a solid defensive typing, and reliable recovery, all of which Espeon really lacks (Morning Sun has poor healing in non-neutral or Sunny weather, and it only has 8 PP to Soft-Boiled's 16). Espeon isn't hitting that hard with Stored Power after one boost, and it doesn't have the presence to grab any more boosts than that in most cases. Also, Clefable can hold Life Orb thanks to Magic Guard, which improves its damage output pretty significantly. There's really no reason to use CM Espeon when a different Pokemon does a better job in basically all facets.

 

[UnicornDemon]

Hi,

I'm currently playing a hazards stacking team and I'm looking for a good double dancer (i.e. Nasty Plot/Swords Dance + Agility/Dragon Dance). Right now I'm using Thundurus-Therian, and he does the job pretty well, but I'm wondering who else might be able to answer my call.

 

[RotomPoison]

i hate formatting so im hiding this so it looks ok

I think it should be made clear that in most cases, MG is the better CM Clef, so Unaware CM should drop to A. It's not bad, just not as good or consistent as MG CM.

SubSD Heracross should drop to A imo, it's a cool set but most of the time the standard wallbreaker set is better, though I use SubSD a lot less so feel free to disagree

LO Gengar is easily A+ worthy please fix

I also feel like SpDef Heatran is possibly A+ material because it really is just that good

LO Mamoswine is also A worthy

Add CBTar to A or A-, though I think A- is better

I'm pretty sure Diggersby is A now so SD for A

Add AV Kyurem-B it's pretty cool

Remove SpDef Skarm, it's literally garbage

Mega Chomp is B-

Rhyperior is B+

LO Raptor is relevant???

I'd remove Specs Magneton cause Magnezone exists and you want Magneton for either bulk with Eviolite or Speed

Stop making Blissey seem /ok/

I'll go more in depth later since I just did this quick

 

[WideTomato]

In respond to RotomPoison Blissey is by far superior as a specs user than chansey, move that set to B+/A-
252+ SpA Choice Specs Blissey Hyper Beam vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Mega Charizard X: 321-378 (108 - 127.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO

I actually think that greninjas all out attacking set should go A+ as it is just death weight against stall, while spikes can easily set up for the opponent to fail at walling you countiusly later on in the match. Spikes also allows Ninja to play mindgames against volturn, where all out attacker can at best avoid the KO by going for the grass knot.

The all out attacker is also pretty easy to play around, as it relies on se damage to do very much damage, for both stall and balance, while it does not gain much from an extra coverage move against offence.

Basically spikes makes greninja usefull in every single match, and it does not lose very much viability by losing out on a single coverage move. Not only is greninja great at forcing switches, it is also one of the fastest mons in the meta, which more or less grantee a layer of spikes, if thats what you chose to use it for, where to attacking set can only get off a bit of damage at best, before going down (obviously i dont mean against offence, ones again)

Greninja (all out attacker) S -> A+

 

[AM]

In respond to RotomPoison Blissey is by far superior as a specs user than chansey, move that set to B+/A-
252+ SpA Choice Specs Blissey Hyper Beam vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Mega Charizard X: 321-378 (108 - 127.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO

I actually think that greninjas all out attacking set should go A+ as it is just death weight against stall, while spikes can easily set up for the opponent to fail at walling you countiusly later on in the match. Spikes also allows Ninja to play mindgames against volturn, where all out attacker can at best avoid the KO by going for the grass knot.

The all out attacker is also pretty easy to play around, as it relies on se damage to do very much damage, for both stall and balance, while it does not gain much from an extra coverage move against offence.

Basically spikes makes greninja usefull in every single match, and it does not lose very much viability by losing out on a single coverage move. Not only is greninja great at forcing switches, it is also one of the fastest mons in the meta, which more or less grantee a layer of spikes, if thats what you chose to use it for, where to attacking set can only get off a bit of damage at best, before going down (obviously i dont mean against offence, ones again)

Greninja (all out attacker) S -> A+

My only actual gripe about this is that the all out attacker set encompasses a very good pool of options that allows it to choose and pick what it wants to handle more easily. All out attacker is a fantastic cleaner, can still threaten various members of stall when played right, and that 4th move over spikes allows it a bit more diversity. I would be more inclined to keep both at S cause they're equally great and equally viable to that level.

 

[WideTomato]

My only actual gripe about this is that the all out attacker set encompasses a very good pool of options that allows it to choose and pick what it wants to handle more easily. All out attacker is a fantastic cleaner, can still threaten various members of stall when played right, and that 4th move over spikes allows it a bit more diversity. I would be more inclined to keep both at S cause they're equally great and equally viable to that level.

Thats true, but i just feel that greninja cost a lot of momentum against balance and especially stall, as its pretty easy to force out due to its relatively low spa, allowing the greninja check to have a free turn setting up, statusing the switchin (or ninja is you chose to stay in) or even set up rocks. not to mention how easily ninja is to wear down, meaning it will often have little influence on bulkier teams.

And while its true that ninja is a better cleaner with 4 attacks, its really limited how many threats its actually hits harder with a coverage move. HP fire is pretty much limited to scizor, ferro and foretress (where hydro miss and ice beam can easily hit other steel types for almost the same damage) and extrasensory is limited to venusaur, keldeo (where hp grass or grass knot does enough after chip damage) and heracross, dark pulse is limited to mew and doublade.

Its really hit 2-3 extra treats or be amazing against stall and balance (imo at least)

 

[AM]

Thats true, but i just feel that greninja cost a lot of momentum against balance and especially stall, as its pretty easy to force out due to its relatively low spa, allowing the greninja check to have a free turn setting up, statusing the switchin (or ninja is you chose to stay in) or even set up rocks. not to mention how easily ninja is to wear down, meaning it will often have little influence on bulkier teams.

And while its true that ninja is a better cleaner with 4 attacks, its really limited how many threats its actually hits harder with a coverage move. HP fire is pretty much limited to scizor, ferro and foretress (where hydro miss and ice beam can easily hit other steel types for almost the same damage) and extrasensory is limited to venusaur, keldeo (where hp grass or grass knot does enough after chip damage) and heracross, dark pulse is limited to mew and doublade.

Its really hit 2-3 extra treats or be amazing against stall and balance (imo at least)

Yeah I see your point but if they're bringing in Greninja that early where everything is at full health there's a good chance they're doing something wrong since it's designed to just clean up anyways or hit something hard when they try to salvage their weakened mon. I'm not necessarily opposed to setting the spikes at S and the other at A+ but I do think they're equally as efficient and in reality have no real risk of using outside of bad plays by the user or putting yourself into a bad Protean type like using Ice beam and letting Scizor get a free bullet punch in.

 

[WebBowser]

Thats true, but i just feel that greninja cost a lot of momentum against balance and especially stall, as its pretty easy to force out due to its relatively low spa, allowing the greninja check to have a free turn setting up, statusing the switchin (or ninja is you chose to stay in) or even set up rocks. not to mention how easily ninja is to wear down, meaning it will often have little influence on bulkier teams.

And while its true that ninja is a better cleaner with 4 attacks, its really limited how many threats its actually hits harder with a coverage move. HP fire is pretty much limited to scizor, ferro and foretress (where hydro miss and ice beam can easily hit other steel types for almost the same damage) and extrasensory is limited to venusaur, keldeo (where hp grass or grass knot does enough after chip damage) and heracross, dark pulse is limited to mew and doublade.

Its really hit 2-3 extra treats or be amazing against stall and balance (imo at least)

As a longtime greninja user, I would say yes, hitting 2 or 3 more threats is worth being worse against stall. Basically, what gren's coverage does is makes him very hard to wall on balanced or offensive teams. Folks like ferro, venu, and keldeo are massive pains for teams to swap into, especially offensive teams, and having these threats not force gren out the second they come in is a big deal.

 

[Karxrida]

Being slightly worse against Stall really isn't an issue because:

1. Stall isn't as good as it used to be.
2. Chansey is the only thing that can switch into you constantly (unless I'm forgetting something) and it's not hard to take advantage of or remove.
3. You fuck up a bunch of Stallmons anyway.

 

[boltsandbombers]

Sd + 3 attacks mega scizor is actually its best set right now. It should be in A+

Also split bisharp into different sets.

Assault vest should be B/B+, Sd should be A+ and pursuit should be A.

Is AV bisharp even a thing? Sure, it makes a better switch into the Lati twins but it loses out on so much power.

it is, but its its worst set, thats why I said like B.

Well, it's not on the official analysis whereas the other two variants are. I strongly disagree with AV bisharp being ranked at all.

 

[Karxrida]

AV technically isn't a different set from Defiant Attacker, since you're just replacing the item. Regardless, the power difference isn't a major issue since most Bisharp run Dread Plate/Blackglasses and you hit pretty hard anyway.

 

[Valmanway]

Just a little announcement. I'm going to be adding the sets themselves into the OP, so it's going to look like a bit messy for a while during the time I'm editing it. If anybody spots any errors with the sets, please bring it up and I'll fix it asap.

 

[AM]

Valmanway any certain timeframe when we can start discussing below the B ranks?

 

[Valmanway]

Valmanway any certain timeframe when we can start discussing below the B ranks?

Yeah, you guys can start talking about B+ to B- Pokemon now.

 

[AM]

"Special Wall" Hippo I would put at B. Allows it to beat a bunch of stuff such as M-Manectric, Raikou, Thundurus, and so forth but is somewhat outclassed with the physical wall set considering being a physical wall is where it shines the most. For Scolipedes "LO attacker" set I would put it at B-. Lets you clean up a lot of stuff late game but has issues with some forms of physical walls, intimidate users such as Lando-T, and things like birdspam in the form of Tflame. I would put "Choice Specs" Empoleon at B- perhaps considering the nature of what it's designed to hit and the fact it breaks lots of slower builds and mons such as CM clefable easily so it's good for bulky offense. "Stallbreaker" M-Houndoom can be B- as well. Taunt/Destiny Bond is great for slower builds to break stall while still maintaing some offensive pressure for threats such as Gengar and the Latis anyways. Cleric Sylveon for B- not much explanation really since it has a better matchup against things like m-cham and m-heracross. I would just classify Gothitelle as "Trapper" because its choice specs set is not the only good set and all of them are pretty viable in terms of being B- at this point of the meta, such as CM/Rest, Taunt/Rest, etc.

 

[Gloating]

I really don't think we should rank the sets with letters but rather rank them from best set in the current meta to worst with numbers or something. I just think newcomers will think something in the B-rank isn't worth using over something A or S even though it has a good niche if that makes any sense. That's just me though. Oh and I guess this is a bump as well.

Edit: I'll try to explain myself better what I'm basically talking about is that the Pokemon are already ranked with letters themselves so seems kind of weird for the sets to be ranked with letters too because the sets can't go any higher than the rank the pokemon itself is.

 

[Karxrida]

I'm very sorry if this has been clarified multiple times and I should read back in earlier posts or read the OP, but I am very much in a hurry and have no time to really do anything outside of typing this message. Are we allowed to share and discuss sets for the new ORAS Megas?

This list is for the current meta and is supposed to coincide with the other Viability list, so probably not. I believe there's a Google doc on one of the two ORAS discussion threads that you can contribute to if you want to share your sets.

 

[Valmanway]

Yeah, until ORAS has been out for a good while, sets involving the new Megas won't be added here.

 

[Aragorn the King]

Some changes I'd make. I italicized anything that doesn't currently exist on the list but imo should.

changes

Wallbreaker Charizard X: This set allows Charizard-X to run all three attacks its other sets wish they could run while also having longevity, thanks to Roost. I think this set for Charizard X warrants A rank, since it can't boost its speed, and therefore isn't amazing v. offense.

Unaware Calm Mind Clefable: Tbh I'd never really use this. Because you lack Magic Guard, you're forced to run Heal Bell, and because you lack Softboiled, you're basically forced to run WishTect. This means you cannot run Flamethrower on the set, which allows Steel-types to very easily handle Fable. It does have its applications, such as walling special setup sweepers and then sweeping them, but a) it's flawed, for what I already said, and b) I'd rather use sr fable to make use of obvious switches. I think a drastic drop is warranted, even C+, since I'd really never use this.

Stealth Rock Clefable: This set on the other hand is godlike. It's easily able to switch into special threats like Greninja, Latios, Thundurus, set up hazards, and either act as a pseudo-cleric or damage steel-types with a decently strong fire attack. For its mixed defenses + not caring about hazards/toxic/burn, I think A+ is more appropriate for now.

Substitute + 3 Attacks Gengar:

Destiny Bond + 3 Attacks Gengar:

Taunt + 3 Attacks Gengar: I think all three Life Orb Gengar sets belong in A+. They all restrict its checks and counters greatly, and, in tandem with the standard three attacks, make it an absolutely pain to switch into.

Bulky Swords Dance Mega Scizor: Heatran + Slowbro are on the rise, and this set struggles against them. I'd say this set belongs in A now, and that...

Swords Dance + 3 Attacks Mega Scizor: This set, that handles Slowbro + Heatran + Ferro, is A+ worthy now.

Choice Scarf Excadrill: I'm Surprised this isn't ranked yet. It's a really cool revenge killer + spinner, and handles many of its checks + counters, some being Bronzong and Rotom-W, because it negates Levitate. I'm thinking A- for this, but I'm not really sure.

All-out Attacker Aerodactyl: This set lacks the longevity of the stallbreaker set, but is able to kill a lot more threats thanks to its excellent coverage. I'd say this fits better in B+.

Stallbreaker Aerodactyl: This set is able to break stall easily, thanks to its great 2 move coverage (Water/Flying) + access to Taunt and reliable recovery. It also checks Diggersby, which is amazing. Easy A-.

Specially Defensive Jirachi: This is a great set, thanks to its ability to handle Latios + Gardevoir superbly, and I think of it as a strong contender for A-.

Choice Scarf Jirachi: This set however struggles in OU, thanks to its mediocre speed tier (all scarfers should really be faster than 100 for charx) + inability to recover off the hits it's forced to take. I think it deserves to drop to C+, showing that it isn't terrible, but needs a lot of support.

Pivot Jirachi: This set abuses Jirachi's ability to beat the Latis in order to set stealth rock. It can pivot whenever a switch is obvious thanks to uturn, use its semi-strong stab attack in iron head, and either try to abuse paraflinching tactics with body slam or hit ferro and zor with Fire punch. This jirachi can't recover, but it makes up for this by setting sr. I think this deserves B+.

SubToxic Jirachi: This set is a pain to deal with, since bulky grounds, an easy Jirachi switch in, are forced to stay in to break the substitute, before which they are Poisoned. The set abuses its great typing and the ubiquity of Latios and Gardevoir to come in, set up a substitute, and watch the opposing team all get poisoned or flinched to death. The set also runs fire punch to handle ferro and scizor, two things that don't care about either Iron Head or Toxic. I think A- is possible for this set.

Mixed Jirachi: This set uses Icy Wind and Hidden Power Ground with an Expert Belt in order to lure some of Jirachi's best switchins, Landorus-T and Heatran. As usual, it also uses Iron Head, and often uses Fire punch for steels or thunderbolt for waters in the last slot. It can run so many different moves, but unfortunately can't run all of them. It also has no way of recovering, so I propose B- for this set.

Assault Vest Kyurem-B: This set is responsible for cube's rise to A- on the normal thread, thanks to the ice/dragon's ability to counter greninja, so I think it makes sense for that set to be A- here.

Magnet Rise Air Balloon Magnezone: This set is very niche, but when it works, it pays off severely. It's able to check excadrill, use magnet rise, and then proceed to only have 2 weaknesses. If you remove all strong neutral attackers + fire/fighting types, this set will pay off dramatically. It requires extreme team support though, so I think C+ makes the most sense.
Choice Specs Magnezone: When I use magnezone, I'm looking for a) a steel trapper and b) a birdspam check. Specs Magnezone can't do the latter, doesn't help dramatically with the former, and doesn't help in any additional niches, so I really don't see any reason for it to be ranked as high as Raikou. I honestly think it deserves C rank, the same rank Zone had before it became popular in around August, since it really does nothing amazing.

Rain Dance Tail Glow Manaphy: Just specify that this is RDTG manaphy and not tg manaphy, since TG + 3 attacks isn't deserving of a rank imho.

Specially Defensive Skarmory: None of the threats it walls are special - it's nearly always better to go physically defensive and handle everything it's supposed to handle better. Mega Gardevoir 2hkos after sr, and that's the only mon I'd really consider this for. Tbh I'd unrank it or make it D, since it's probably as viable as Dugtrio.

SubPuP Victini: Victini has three wallbreaker sets, so I think it's important to draw this line. SubPuP is really good because it's able to, behind a sub, get to +1 on slowbro and +2 on heatran, and subsequently beat both. I think this set is worthy of B+, for its ability to trash common checks/counters without sacrificing much (uturn/brick break aren't missed that much).

Choice Band Victini: Extremely powerful at the start - it doesn't need any set up. However, because it can't setup and can't switch its moves, it isn't getting past its defined counters/checks ever, so I think B is fitting.

Special Victini: This set lacks the power + reliability of the other sets, due to its moves' poor accuracy, so its immediately less viable. However, it is able to lure in and ko physically defensive mons, so I think B- is fitting.

Choice Band Kingdra: If you aren't using Draco Metero + Hydro Pump on Kingdra, you're using it wrong. This set should be removed imho.

Choice Specs Kingdra: This set, however, is really good, and the damage increase is often worth the inability to switch moves. I'd say it belongs in B, along with the mixed attacker.

Life Orb Omastar: Omastar needs Choice Specs to do things like 2hkoing eviolite-less chansey and ferrothorn. Sure, life orb allows it to switch moves, but it also wears it down such that it can't check talonflame well enough, and it also stops it from 2hkoing everything in its capacity, so I personally don't think it should be ranked.

Bulky SD Scizor: Works as a replacement to Mega Scizor on teams that already have a mega. B is fine, since it's pretty much as viable as CB.

Life Orb Staraptor: Staraptor rarely will use a move other than Brave Bird, and if it does, it's going to want it to be as powerful as possible. LO is never really worth it on Raptor, and I don't think it should be ranked.

Agility Mega Ampharos: Requires extensive team support to be good + needs mega slot. C+ rank is more fitting for it imho.

All-Out Attacker Mega Ampharos: If Ampharos isn't using a RestTalk set or an agility set, it's a waste. 4 attacks isn't really viable on Ampharos.

Defensive Mega Ampharos: This is a better name for the RestTalk set, since it tends to run physical defense > special defense now, in order to better handle Keldeo. This set checks flyspam, electrics, waters, and fires with its massive bulk + is able to dish out massive damage with its uninvested special attack. This is its best set, and the set that belongs in B-.

SR Explosion Azelf:

SR Rain Dance Azelf:All three Azelf lead sets function basically the same way; all that changes is what Azelf is setting. It provides team support that really nothing else can provide as well, and I think B- is warranted for all of its sets.

Defensive Togekiss: This set is relatively outclassed. Unless you specifically need your clerical fairy type to have defog / be a flying type, Clefable is much better alternative. That doesn't go to say that defensive toge is useless though, since it does handle chomp/lando/keldeo better. C or C+ makes the most sense. It is a defogger that ohkos bisharp, so I'm thinking c+ is fitting for that niche.

Baton Pass Togekiss: This set uses toge's nice defensive typing to switch in on common threats, boost its special attack, and baton pass to a more threatening special attacker, like Greninja or Agility Ampharos. Its ability to provide support is equal to azelf's, and therefore i find this set fits in B- perfectly.

Offensive Togekiss: This set abuses Togekiss' great two move coverage (Flying/Fighting) and Nasty plot in order to sweep weakened defensive teams. It's able to beat Ttar and Heatran, two mons that otherwise would give it trouble, as well as check bisharp, something no other fairy can do effectively. Its poor speed keeps it from pummeling offense, but its resistances to dark/fighting/ground/bug/grass allow for some switch ins. B- is fitting for this set.

Choice Specs Magneton: This set has absolutely nothing over Choice Specs Magnezone (the extra speed doesn't matter if you're not running a scarf, or even max speed), so it certainly shouldn't be ranked.

Dual Screens Bronzong: Not its main niche, better done by Azelf, etc etc etc. Probably shouldn't be ranked, but D is ok.

Defensive Bronzong: This set handles chomp/lando/landog/gardevoir/drill really well, and is able to fit on most teams using defensive Jirachi that find themselves ground weak.

Dual Screens Espeon: Pretty much 100% outclassed by Azelf. Not worth ranking.

CM Espeon: This is its main niche, and it is used on BP teams to success. I think C is fine for this set.

Focus Sash Lead Infernape: Really solid lead able to cripple other leads well. I think C+ is fitting for this set.

MixApe Infernape: It can't beat offense, but performs superbly against defense. I'm not sure of where in the C+ to D rank it belongs, but it should be ranked.

Choice Scarf Rotom-H: Choice Scarf is pretty bad on something that's so easy to switch in on by megas. I wouldn't rank it, mainly because of...

Defensive Rotom-H: This set makes use of Rotom-H's unique defensive typing in order to wall bird spam/chary, instead of simply trying to outspeed it. I think this is the set that makes Rotom-H worth C.

Defensive Seismitoad: This set is in part why Seismitoad rose from D to C. Take Gastrodon and replace reliable recovery with stealth rock, and you have defensive Seismitoad. It's able to pivot on water moves, and performs specifically well v. rain teams. It also is a great electric-type switch in, and can knock off opponents' items. This set deserves C, along with the rain set.

Offensive QD Volcarona: Able to beat Heatran, unlike defensive QD sets. It's over 1.5 times as strong, so it's able to beat things that resist its moves, like Latios, after they take a tiny bit of prior damage, and that niche imo puts it on the same level as defensive volc.

Assault Vest Heracross: This is just the set it's ranked for, so it should be listed.

Assault Vest Metagross: It only ever runs Assault Vest, so I think that name is better than Pivot.

Scarf Salamence: Only runs Choice Scarf, so that name is more accurate than MoxieMence.