I think Wide Guard might be considered by me on Smeargle after this post. As you said, the only way to take out Sash Smeargle was by focusing on it (double targeting). Wide Range moves are becoming a need on every team, so don't doubt about Landog just going for rock slide onto the artist.
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VGC 2015 Viability Rankings - Mark 2
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Speaking of Sceptile-M, i also have been used it lately, and had to say, its actually pretty darn good.
145/145 offenses are actually pretty great, along with Lightning Rod ability, which makes it immune to T-Wave, all Electric moves, and its partner being able to spam Discharge, rising it Sp Atk to high levels.
It doesnt also need better special movepool. It has already what it needs. STAB moves, Quick Guard, Focus Blast or HP and Protect. Leaf Storm makes this thing truly monster: it has approx 87% chance to OHKO 4 HP Landorus-T, insta-KO on virtually any Suicune, non AV Milotic and all other Waters bar Ludicolo and maybe Kingdra (which dies to Dragon Pulse anyway). It lures Talonflame in, which is main point why Quick Guard is so good on this thing, and letting its partner to KO it.
Its main flaws are 4x Ice Weakness, which hurts its machup against Thundurus/Zapdos, has overall lots of weakness and the fact its pretty frail overall. It struggles also against very bulky mons specially like Cress and Sylveon, and Steel types walls it pretty easily. Despite these If it got more bulk and no 4x Ice Weakness, it would be excellent mon in this meta, but its already pretty good, that in my opinion deserves higher rank, B-.
Aaron's sets are indeed overrated, but that doesnt mean that Mega Venusaur is bad.
While its very weak to Megamence, Mega Garde and Megagross, along with some mons like Talonflame, and any Steel with Sub (especially Heatran). But like Skarm_Steel said, it also walls so many things. Its possibly one of the best if not the best Rain counter in the meta, as non Stab Ice beam does nothing to it, thanks to Thick Fat, meaning that it can easily demolish rain pretty much alone. Bulk is very good, but it also isnt Taunt bait: it has respectable base 120 ish Sp Atk, with Stab Sludge Bomb. It flaws however means that it maybe should drop into A- rank, but its not B rank worthy.
145/145 offenses are actually pretty great, along with Lightning Rod ability, which makes it immune to T-Wave, all Electric moves, and its partner being able to spam Discharge, rising it Sp Atk to high levels.
It doesnt also need better special movepool. It has already what it needs. STAB moves, Quick Guard, Focus Blast or HP and Protect. Leaf Storm makes this thing truly monster: it has approx 87% chance to OHKO 4 HP Landorus-T, insta-KO on virtually any Suicune, non AV Milotic and all other Waters bar Ludicolo and maybe Kingdra (which dies to Dragon Pulse anyway). It lures Talonflame in, which is main point why Quick Guard is so good on this thing, and letting its partner to KO it.
Its main flaws are 4x Ice Weakness, which hurts its machup against Thundurus/Zapdos, has overall lots of weakness and the fact its pretty frail overall. It struggles also against very bulky mons specially like Cress and Sylveon, and Steel types walls it pretty easily. Despite these If it got more bulk and no 4x Ice Weakness, it would be excellent mon in this meta, but its already pretty good, that in my opinion deserves higher rank, B-.
Aaron's sets are indeed overrated, but that doesnt mean that Mega Venusaur is bad.
While its very weak to Megamence, Mega Garde and Megagross, along with some mons like Talonflame, and any Steel with Sub (especially Heatran). But like Skarm_Steel said, it also walls so many things. Its possibly one of the best if not the best Rain counter in the meta, as non Stab Ice beam does nothing to it, thanks to Thick Fat, meaning that it can easily demolish rain pretty much alone. Bulk is very good, but it also isnt Taunt bait: it has respectable base 120 ish Sp Atk, with Stab Sludge Bomb. It flaws however means that it maybe should drop into A- rank, but its not B rank worthy.
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B- it's fine for Sceptile, it should be at the same level of M-Aboma
Also i'd like to see M-Lopunny and Whimsicott in B+
Also i'd like to see M-Lopunny and Whimsicott in B+
Perhaps Cradily should be in rankings?
Ive seen those pretty often now, as its pretty popular in Trick Room teams, paired often with Camerupt.
Rock/Grass is actually pretty good offensive typing, has pretty good bulk, and cool coverage moves like Sludge Bomb and Earth Power, and even access to pretty rare Recover, but most notably it has Storm Drain. It also doesnt have 4x weakness. Ofc, unlike Gastrodon, it lacks Ice Coverage, is weak to common types (Steel, Fighting, Ice), its special atk is meh, functions really only in Trick Room, but its pretty nice. I dont have any experience with this thing, but sounds like C for me, or D at worst.
Ive seen those pretty often now, as its pretty popular in Trick Room teams, paired often with Camerupt.
Rock/Grass is actually pretty good offensive typing, has pretty good bulk, and cool coverage moves like Sludge Bomb and Earth Power, and even access to pretty rare Recover, but most notably it has Storm Drain. It also doesnt have 4x weakness. Ofc, unlike Gastrodon, it lacks Ice Coverage, is weak to common types (Steel, Fighting, Ice), its special atk is meh, functions really only in Trick Room, but its pretty nice. I dont have any experience with this thing, but sounds like C for me, or D at worst.
Mega-Tyranitar is used for it's sweeping capabilities through Dragon Dance. It's one of 5 Dragon Dancers that are not uncommonly seen in the standard format right now, and it can perform it's job reasonably well, thanks to it's massive bulk and excellent offensive stats.
That said, it does have glaring weaknesses to some of the more popular Pokemon being used right now, such as Sylveon/Landorus-T/M-Metagross/Bisharp/Terrakion etc. But with the right team support, he can still pull off a sweep and shouldn't really be taken so lightly. It's also admittedly getting a little less common, so the surprise factor is often in the favor of the user.
Either stay in B or move it up to B+
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Going to second this.
Scott Cornman for one, used such a pairing during the VGC '15 Florida Regional Championships and placed 11th in the Masters Division. Also been seeing some more usage of it on the ladder and Battle Spot, so it should definitely be worthy of a spot in the rankings. I nominate it for C- rank.
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Come someone tell my why Regular Swampert is Higher then mega ???
Oooooh thanks didn't Ben know thot Wide Guard
I moved:
Politoed to B+ - As others have mentioned, it's not as effective and it's matchup-dependent, but still a solid pick as always.
Clefairy to A- - It's Clefable with an Eviolite. The same logic goes for Tyranitar-Mega; it's Tyranitar with a Mega Stone (taking up a mega slot is sorta worth it if you're gonna try a dragon dance set anyway)
Blaziken to B- (mega is still in C+) - Blaziken is super cool you guys, honest!! I've been netdecking 13yoshi37's premier challenge team to get reasonably high on the Battle Spot ladder and can attest to its power. I'm not sure if it's worth going higher, though. Blaziken-Mega should only be used if you don't have a mega already, so I could see it dropping.
Gallade/Gallade-Mega to C+ - Gallade kinda stinks, and I'm considering dropping it further. There's definitely some potential here though, now that it has Wide Guard.
Salamence-Mega to A - Basically because of mono-Flying coverage because all of its physical moves besides Return and Double-Edge suck and un-STAbed Earthquake is weak. Also, I saw a few people wanting this. It's still got that raw power, though, so I could see it moving back up.
Metagross-Mega to A+ - Sub is super and its coverage doesn't suck, unlike Salamence.
Rotom-Heat to A- - Agreeing with Braverius here. Has pretty good offensive typing right now. It should probably be used more offensively nowadays now that it has actual competition from Arcanine, Entei, and Heatran for the bulky Fire-type role.
I'm gonna call for a vote on Landorus-T to move down to A+ (or below) or stay in S. On one hand, it's hard-checked by a number of things such as Suicune and Rotom-W and can walk into awkward lategame setups with its Choice Scarf set where it's either forced to Earthquake its partner, or chooses to lock itself into Superpower or Rock Slide instead. On the other hand, Intimidate is invaluable, it checks a lot of common and uncommon Pokemon, and it can just as easily run defensive sets as offensive sets. I'll tally the votes Wednesday. Bold your vote to look like this: Landorus-T to (Rank). Be sure to provide reasoning for your decision.
Politoed to B+ - As others have mentioned, it's not as effective and it's matchup-dependent, but still a solid pick as always.
Clefairy to A- - It's Clefable with an Eviolite. The same logic goes for Tyranitar-Mega; it's Tyranitar with a Mega Stone (taking up a mega slot is sorta worth it if you're gonna try a dragon dance set anyway)
Blaziken to B- (mega is still in C+) - Blaziken is super cool you guys, honest!! I've been netdecking 13yoshi37's premier challenge team to get reasonably high on the Battle Spot ladder and can attest to its power. I'm not sure if it's worth going higher, though. Blaziken-Mega should only be used if you don't have a mega already, so I could see it dropping.
Gallade/Gallade-Mega to C+ - Gallade kinda stinks, and I'm considering dropping it further. There's definitely some potential here though, now that it has Wide Guard.
Salamence-Mega to A - Basically because of mono-Flying coverage because all of its physical moves besides Return and Double-Edge suck and un-STAbed Earthquake is weak. Also, I saw a few people wanting this. It's still got that raw power, though, so I could see it moving back up.
Metagross-Mega to A+ - Sub is super and its coverage doesn't suck, unlike Salamence.
Rotom-Heat to A- - Agreeing with Braverius here. Has pretty good offensive typing right now. It should probably be used more offensively nowadays now that it has actual competition from Arcanine, Entei, and Heatran for the bulky Fire-type role.
I'm gonna call for a vote on Landorus-T to move down to A+ (or below) or stay in S. On one hand, it's hard-checked by a number of things such as Suicune and Rotom-W and can walk into awkward lategame setups with its Choice Scarf set where it's either forced to Earthquake its partner, or chooses to lock itself into Superpower or Rock Slide instead. On the other hand, Intimidate is invaluable, it checks a lot of common and uncommon Pokemon, and it can just as easily run defensive sets as offensive sets. I'll tally the votes Wednesday. Bold your vote to look like this: Landorus-T to (Rank). Be sure to provide reasoning for your decision.
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Landorus-T to S!!! I pretty much said my reasons earlier, so i dunno if i have to say them again:
1: Intimidate Support. In a metagame that is more physically oriented, and with a lot of new megas that hit with physical attacks, intimidate should be in most teams if not all. It can handle Bisharp, the most common intimidate check (lol get it?) out there.
2: Bulk. Landog bulk isn't impressive, but its stats defensively aren't mediocre either. With the right ev spread, it can take some hits pretty well, specially some hits that it shouldn't take (e.g suicune's ice beam).
3: Offense. 145 base attack
4: Movepool. Knock Off, U-turn, EQ, Rock Slide, Stone Edge and Superpower is all you need. With that coverage, only a few mons can wall ituntil hp grass specs landog.
Typing: Besides not having a good Flying STAB move, Landoge's typing has proven us how good is both offensively and defensively. Having 2 inmunities is pretty neat, and having STAB on one of the best moves on the game is pretty cool too. That 4x weakness to ice sucks, but it isn't like that is gonna stop Landoge.
4: Versatility. Choice Scarf ain't the only set, y'know? We have Band, LO, Sash, Lum Berry, AV and EVEN yache berry if you're that kind of guy.
5, and the most important: PRESENCE. Nowadays, every team should have at least ONE answer to Landoge. Requiring one special mon just for you means you're present on almost every match, and the offensive & defensive pressure landoge exerts is pretty big. As top 8 at nats, i can assure you Landoge won me so many matcheswith those rock slide flinches that i won't change landoge for anything on that team. When it's on good hands, it's power is devastating.
1: Intimidate Support. In a metagame that is more physically oriented, and with a lot of new megas that hit with physical attacks, intimidate should be in most teams if not all. It can handle Bisharp, the most common intimidate check (lol get it?) out there.
2: Bulk. Landog bulk isn't impressive, but its stats defensively aren't mediocre either. With the right ev spread, it can take some hits pretty well, specially some hits that it shouldn't take (e.g suicune's ice beam).
3: Offense. 145 base attack
4: Movepool. Knock Off, U-turn, EQ, Rock Slide, Stone Edge and Superpower is all you need. With that coverage, only a few mons can wall it
Typing: Besides not having a good Flying STAB move, Landoge's typing has proven us how good is both offensively and defensively. Having 2 inmunities is pretty neat, and having STAB on one of the best moves on the game is pretty cool too. That 4x weakness to ice sucks, but it isn't like that is gonna stop Landoge.
4: Versatility. Choice Scarf ain't the only set, y'know? We have Band, LO, Sash, Lum Berry, AV and EVEN yache berry if you're that kind of guy.
5, and the most important: PRESENCE. Nowadays, every team should have at least ONE answer to Landoge. Requiring one special mon just for you means you're present on almost every match, and the offensive & defensive pressure landoge exerts is pretty big. As top 8 at nats, i can assure you Landoge won me so many matches
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Landoge should be S
and sad that sceptile didnt rise despite many people agreeing with that
and sad that sceptile didnt rise despite many people agreeing with that
I don't have a solid opinion on Lando-T. On one hand it's an excellent glue mon, and is very versatile, but it is checked by a large amount of the meta.
However, I have a few other mons.
Weeavile needs to rise imo. It's pretty anti meta, capable of checking a large amount of the meta, including Land doge, Salamence, Cress, Gengar, Latios, togekiss, etc. Its speed is top notch outspeeding mega-mence, and has access to fake out, knock off, ice shard, which give it great presence on the field. Icicle Crash and Low kick are also options. It seems so low in C+, so I'd like to see it in B-. Suicune sucks, yeah, but it is pretty anti-meta, and are valuable for sun teams starring char-y and venusaur/other chloro user.
Ludicolo should drop. I know it's capable of being useful outside of rain, but, like I would never opt to run Ludicolo without Politoed unless running into another player with toed, but even that strat is unreliable. Yeah it does check Rotom-W but so do better grass types like M-Venus and Amoonguss. Suicune isn't too bothered by its assault vest set, as it comonly runs snarl which lowers ludi's damage output significantly. It's really talonflame weak unless running a lot of physical bulk which takes away from its intentions. It's life orb set is cool, but requires rain to be truly successful. What I'm implying is that basically its sets without rain are pretty mediocre, but in rain it's really amazing and threatening. Imo it should drop to A- or B+ with Poli.
However, I have a few other mons.
Weeavile needs to rise imo. It's pretty anti meta, capable of checking a large amount of the meta, including Land doge, Salamence, Cress, Gengar, Latios, togekiss, etc. Its speed is top notch outspeeding mega-mence, and has access to fake out, knock off, ice shard, which give it great presence on the field. Icicle Crash and Low kick are also options. It seems so low in C+, so I'd like to see it in B-. Suicune sucks, yeah, but it is pretty anti-meta, and are valuable for sun teams starring char-y and venusaur/other chloro user.
Ludicolo should drop. I know it's capable of being useful outside of rain, but, like I would never opt to run Ludicolo without Politoed unless running into another player with toed, but even that strat is unreliable. Yeah it does check Rotom-W but so do better grass types like M-Venus and Amoonguss. Suicune isn't too bothered by its assault vest set, as it comonly runs snarl which lowers ludi's damage output significantly. It's really talonflame weak unless running a lot of physical bulk which takes away from its intentions. It's life orb set is cool, but requires rain to be truly successful. What I'm implying is that basically its sets without rain are pretty mediocre, but in rain it's really amazing and threatening. Imo it should drop to A- or B+ with Poli.
Landorus-T should be S rank, but it need to be differentiate from Kangaskhan, therefore i'd like to see Lando-T to S- rank
He's incredibly powerfull, but it doesn't has the power creep M-Kanga have.
It bring on the field Intimidate support, and U-turn back and utilize its ability multiple time and dealing at the same time a good amount of damage, thanks of its high base stat in Atk, and put a lot of pressure on opponent's team, especially if you consider how popular are the physically pokémon in the meta.
Its also is immune to thunder wave and earthquake and a good resistance in fightning despite being weak to ice 4x, and can bring different item according to what your teams needs and do ever its role efficiently.
He's incredibly powerfull, but it doesn't has the power creep M-Kanga have.
It bring on the field Intimidate support, and U-turn back and utilize its ability multiple time and dealing at the same time a good amount of damage, thanks of its high base stat in Atk, and put a lot of pressure on opponent's team, especially if you consider how popular are the physically pokémon in the meta.
Its also is immune to thunder wave and earthquake and a good resistance in fightning despite being weak to ice 4x, and can bring different item according to what your teams needs and do ever its role efficiently.
Sorry, what I'm tryin to say is that it is most successful in rain, and that outside of rain I can use other grass types to better effect. Opportunity cost for Mega Venusaur isn't that big of a deal when it's one of the better options in VGC and, if I'm not running rain, I would always consider Venusaur for the bulky grass role. Venus and Amoongus have Sleep Powder and Spore, respectively, and Amoonguss also has Rage Powder while Venusaur has more offensive presence (this is for bulky grass role). Ludi has cool things like Fake Out, but it would obviously be better on rain, which is why it should be closer to Politoed in the rankings. Most of the time when you're gonna build a team with Ludicolo, Politoed is gonna be a teammate. Otherwise, I would use Venusaur or Amoonguss. Ludi is a really cool mon for sure! I just don't think it's fair representation to consider it two ranks higher than Politoed.
I'd agree with you if Ludicolo dropped down one rank, although I might disagree with all the Mega Venusaur hype. Venusaur would probably like to run both its STABS, leech seed, and sleep powder, but it also likes protect. It does has a slight 4MSS and when it can't hit very super effectively it isn't doing much. I've never used it though, I'm sure some others can talk about better than I can.
I think Ludi should always be a little higher than poli. People use Toed only for its ability instead Ludicolo can serve as a great special tank or a rain counter (or both).
And while M-Venu is really cool but I noticed that gets walled or demolished by so many things (every steel type, Charizard-Y, M-salamence, Talonflame).
And while M-Venu is really cool but I noticed that gets walled or demolished by so many things (every steel type, Charizard-Y, M-salamence, Talonflame).
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Definitely a good point. Ludicolo, unless in rain, also suffers from being demolished by talon and mence, while also not being overtly useful against steels except fishing for scald burns. Mega Venus has a bit of FMSS, but it generally can tailor to the needs of a team while retaining excellent bulk. Ludi has use outside of rain, I just don't think it becomes as threatening outside of rain, and countering rain is kinda niche, not bad tho, having to dedicate a Pokemon to come in handy a few times. I'll say Ludi to A-, because it's not exactly completely outclassed by other grass types, but it relies on rain for most of its success. Thanks for the opinions guys
lando-T to S
Too many positives for it to drop down, even with its issues with rotom-w, suicune,ludicolo (its bulky set can put some serious pain to lando with non-stab ice beams and avoid being ko'd by anything not u-turn for the most part and SS ludi outspeeds it and OHKOs in the rain) and with defiant bisharp. If milotic rose in popularity I could see lando-t dropping down to A+ or so but as it is, lando-t is the best intimidate user in a meta that is almost all physical attackers
Too many positives for it to drop down, even with its issues with rotom-w, suicune,ludicolo (its bulky set can put some serious pain to lando with non-stab ice beams and avoid being ko'd by anything not u-turn for the most part and SS ludi outspeeds it and OHKOs in the rain) and with defiant bisharp. If milotic rose in popularity I could see lando-t dropping down to A+ or so but as it is, lando-t is the best intimidate user in a meta that is almost all physical attackers
Never used Lando-T, so not going to comment on it.
I know I'm not the first to mention it, but Mienshao needs a ranking. While it does face competition from similar Fighting types (Infernape, Mega Lopunny, and especially Terrakion), it does hold its own niche above them with its High Jump Kick - its very literally the strongest Fighting STAB you're going to pull off in VGC (Iron Fist Conk's Focus Punch hits harder but let's be real here), a staggering 54 base power above Terrakion's Close Combat. LO sets offer insane power, OHKOing 4/0 Garchomp and 252/44 Rotom-W with HJK, thanks to even higher damage output than 252+ Mega Mawile's Play Rough. It also has an array of support options very similar to Hitmontop: Wide Guard, Quick Guard, and Feint give it a fast, powerful, and supportive presence similar to Talonflame. Its also hands down one of the best MegaKhan checks: even with Intimidate, LO versions OHKO bulky Adamant Khan, and even with a Sash and Intimidate offensive versions are demolished. Something Infernape just doesn't offer with 21 points lower base Atk and 54 less BP. Even Terrakion struggles to OHKO in Intimidate:
-1 252 Atk Life Orb Infernape Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Mega Kangaskhan: 151-182 (71.2 - 85.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
-1 252 Atk Life Orb Terrakion Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Mega Kangaskhan: 174-211 (82 - 99.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
-1 252 Atk Life Orb Reckless Mienshao High Jump Kick vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Mega Kangaskhan: 226-268 (106.6 - 126.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
-1 252 Atk Reckless Mienshao High Jump Kick vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Mega Kangaskhan: 174-206 (96.1 - 113.8%) -- 75% chance to OHKO
Don't take it as arrogance though: Mienshao very much struggles against faster opponents, and although 105 Speed is very good, things like Terrakion and MegaGross just plain stomp it. 65/60/60 bulk is horrible, and pretty much any attack is a 2HKO at absolute worst (though it barely dodges a 2HKO from MegaKhan Sucker Punch). No secondary typing means that anything resisting Fighting is a problem. Bulky Pokémon like Zapdos and Cresselia simply destroy it, though they do have to watch for coverage moves (Stone Edge, Rock Slide, Knock Off) and Mienshao does have U-Turn as an option. Its completely destroyed by all forms of Speed control, Intimidate, and WoW. But imo, its fast Fake Out, Quick Guard, stupidly powerful HJK, and handful of other options make it about a C rank threat. It takes a fair amount of support, loses a lot of momentum against faster threats and Cresselia, but can absolutely devestate an opponent who is underprepared, unsuspecting, or simply lacking a Fighting resist while limiting the foe's options with the Guard moves and Fake Out, or simply hit and run with Fake Out + U-Turn and clean up later when its threats have been weakened. I've used it for months and on the whole, its kicked a lot of ass.
tl;dr Mienshao for C rank, it fits the definition very well:
I know I'm not the first to mention it, but Mienshao needs a ranking. While it does face competition from similar Fighting types (Infernape, Mega Lopunny, and especially Terrakion), it does hold its own niche above them with its High Jump Kick - its very literally the strongest Fighting STAB you're going to pull off in VGC (Iron Fist Conk's Focus Punch hits harder but let's be real here), a staggering 54 base power above Terrakion's Close Combat. LO sets offer insane power, OHKOing 4/0 Garchomp and 252/44 Rotom-W with HJK, thanks to even higher damage output than 252+ Mega Mawile's Play Rough. It also has an array of support options very similar to Hitmontop: Wide Guard, Quick Guard, and Feint give it a fast, powerful, and supportive presence similar to Talonflame. Its also hands down one of the best MegaKhan checks: even with Intimidate, LO versions OHKO bulky Adamant Khan, and even with a Sash and Intimidate offensive versions are demolished. Something Infernape just doesn't offer with 21 points lower base Atk and 54 less BP. Even Terrakion struggles to OHKO in Intimidate:
-1 252 Atk Life Orb Infernape Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Mega Kangaskhan: 151-182 (71.2 - 85.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
-1 252 Atk Life Orb Terrakion Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Mega Kangaskhan: 174-211 (82 - 99.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
-1 252 Atk Life Orb Reckless Mienshao High Jump Kick vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Mega Kangaskhan: 226-268 (106.6 - 126.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
-1 252 Atk Reckless Mienshao High Jump Kick vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Mega Kangaskhan: 174-206 (96.1 - 113.8%) -- 75% chance to OHKO
Don't take it as arrogance though: Mienshao very much struggles against faster opponents, and although 105 Speed is very good, things like Terrakion and MegaGross just plain stomp it. 65/60/60 bulk is horrible, and pretty much any attack is a 2HKO at absolute worst (though it barely dodges a 2HKO from MegaKhan Sucker Punch). No secondary typing means that anything resisting Fighting is a problem. Bulky Pokémon like Zapdos and Cresselia simply destroy it, though they do have to watch for coverage moves (Stone Edge, Rock Slide, Knock Off) and Mienshao does have U-Turn as an option. Its completely destroyed by all forms of Speed control, Intimidate, and WoW. But imo, its fast Fake Out, Quick Guard, stupidly powerful HJK, and handful of other options make it about a C rank threat. It takes a fair amount of support, loses a lot of momentum against faster threats and Cresselia, but can absolutely devestate an opponent who is underprepared, unsuspecting, or simply lacking a Fighting resist while limiting the foe's options with the Guard moves and Fake Out, or simply hit and run with Fake Out + U-Turn and clean up later when its threats have been weakened. I've used it for months and on the whole, its kicked a lot of ass.
tl;dr Mienshao for C rank, it fits the definition very well:
One thing you forgot to mention is that HJK looses you 50% of your health if it misses or connects with Protect, which is absolutely everywhere. That being said, Mienshao has some really cool support options in Fake Out, Wide Guard, Quick Guard, Feint, even Ally Switch if you're looking for something gimmicky, so I agree it definitely deserves a spot somewhere around C in the rankings.
I've used it since late 2014 and to this day, I have only ever hit a Protect once. Once. :P
Ghost switchins too, those are sucky.
Missing, yes, it happens, and can be embarrasing but overall, it isn't actually any worse than missing with Rock Slide, Draco Meteor, or any other inaccurate attack: the 50% HP loss is actually an improvement from the days of Mienshao OHKOing itself. It's like Infernape: the HP loss is inconsequential as nearly any attack that isn't Snarl or Icy Wind KO's it.
And 4 HP EVs keeps you from being 2HKO'd on an unlucky day or Super Fang + HJK miss; that actually has saved me before xD
Overall though, even with HJK's high risk, high reward style, I've gotten a markedly positive return out of it. But yes, I'd still call it about a C.
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