Update time!
Now that Victini has been retested (and rightfully banned), here comes the first real wave of changes to the viability rankings! I'll try to make every single change as detailed as possible (for changes that have been suggested in this thread, I'll simply be linking the respective posts and complementing them with additional information if necessary). Keep in mind that while the metagame hasn't changed much, people are slowly starting to figure out what works and what doesn't, so that's what I'll be basing all of the changes on.
To kick it off, the following Pokemon have been
removed entirely from the list:
Gollisopod: I tried to give this Pokemon a chance, I really did, and while I know some players who had some moderate success with it, me and most people I've chatted with about Golisopod find it to be incredibly underwhelming in the current metagame. Basically, the best way of describing this Pokemon would be as a cluster of good traits, including a godlike stat distribution, including an above average typing, the strongest priority move in the game, Swords Dance/Bulk as setup options and a couple of interesting support moves in Spikes and Taunt, gimped by the absolutely worst ability in the game. Basically, you can theorize all you want with Golisopod, but you'll eventually realize that it is an extremely clunky Pokemon. This becomes even worse when you realize that the main target of its priority move, Mega Sharpedo, carries Protect pretty much all of the time, and ending up locked on First Impression due to Choice Band is one of the worst imaginable scenarios in the current metagame.
Smeargle: Due to its viability as a Sticky Web setter in upper tiers, I decided to give Smeargle a shot in UU. The realization I came to was that there's pretty much no reason to run it over either Galvantula or Shuckle. The way I see Smeargle is as a middle ground between both viable Sticky Web options, having access to both Stealth Rock + Sticky Web and a reasonably good Speed tier to back it up. However, in practice, it's very common to find yourself wishing you had either Shuckle's bulk or Galvantula's much superior Speed, and also that Smeargle doesn't really have what it takes to start off the game for hyper offensive teams, often becoming set up bait for faster Substitute or other set up move users in spite of having Taunt, while the Pokemon it competes with have the tools to stop that from happening.
Seismitoad: The perfect way of describing this Pokemon would be "bootleg Swampert/Gastrodon". Water Absorb and Knock Off are cool and all, but they're honestly not enough to justify using this over other Bulky Ground- and Water-type Pokemon, especially considering that it actually fails flat at checking many of the Water-types it is supposed to, with stuff like Keldeo, Primarina, Volcanion, Starmie and Blastoise having a lot of ways to play around it. This Pokemon used to be a valuable addition to teams back when Suicune was UU's premier Water-type Pokemon, but that's not really the case anymore, so rest in peace toad :(
However, keep in mind that if anyone finds any viable/unexplored niche for either of these Pokemon, I'm definitely willing to add them back! Expect other Pokemon to get removed as people test them out (looking at stuff like Comfey, Minior, Pyukumuku, Sylveon if Clefable doesn't leave the tier anytime soon and also Umbreon).
Besides that, the following Pokemon have been
added to the list:
Venomoth: This one was actually an oversight on my part, since it was supposed to be in the original rankings. Honestly, I've tested it out and it's been pretty awful to me, often lacking the power to break through specially defensive Pokemon, although Tinted Lens coupled with Savage Spin-Out allows it to do some interesting stuff to common Bug-type "resists". Killintime sums up the advantages of using this Pokemon pretty decently, as it works as an amazing lure to bulky Steel- and Poison-types, while also discouraging most Pokemon that are immune to Sleep Powder from switching in, something that allows Venomoth to immediately cripple a Pokemon as soon as it gets into the field. Considering its unique niche and the fact that it packs the ability to single handily beat some teams with its Quiver Dance + Buginium Z set, I'm adding Venomoth to
C-.
With all of this said, it's time to move onto actual changes! To kick it off, the following Pokemon have moved
up in the rankings:
Alakazam (from A to
A+)
For reference on this one, please check out
Omfuga's and
dodmen's posts.
Bewear (from C- to
B-)
For reference on this one, please check out the infinite amount of posts that have been made about Bewear in the last page, including
Amaroq's and
Manipulative's. This one could potentially move even further up in the future, but I'm keeping it in B- for now just to be safe in case this is just getting overhyped.
Clefable (from A+ to
S)
For reference on this one, please check out the many posts that have been made on this Pokemon since the last batch of nominations, including the previously linked dodmen post, as well as
Manipulative's and
Sun's posts.
Gastrodon (from B- to
B)
For reference on this one, please check the previously linked Sun post. Although there wasn't much support for this one, I'm going along with it due to Gastrodon's insane role compression (god I hate using this term) ability, which allows it to act as a durable check to a ludicrous number of common UU threats, including Keldeo, Mega Aerodactyl, Raikou, and Volcanion to an extent, making it a phenomenal addition to many slow paced teams, including stall.
Infernape (from B- to
B)
While I personally don't think that the posts supporting this nomination are that good, the point here is that people have realized how good this Pokemon can truly be, and being able to check Bisharp efficiently while retaining such offensive prowess is extremely valuable to fast paced teams. For starters, the sheer amount of viable sets this thing has is ridiculous, including option such as Choice Scarf, MixApe, Nasty Plot, Swords Dance and Suicide Lead (with Endeavor). Besides that, the combination of its many viable Z move options coupled with both of its set up moves can be devastating, either as a lure or as a one time way of guaranteeing that its Focus Blast doesn't miss.
Krookodile (from A- to
A)
Although it doesn't look like it at a glance, Krookodile has become a lot more versatile this generation. Choice Scarf sets are now more viable than ever and the introduction of Z Moves gives Krookodile's Stealth Rock set yet another extremely good option in Steelium Z + Iron Tail, which works as a one time nuke against Pokemon such as Clefable and Mega Aerodactyl. Even though it hasn't been receiving as much usage as it had last generation, Choice Band Krookodile doesn't really need any sort of introduction, as it's still a legitimate set that wrecks people who mistake Dark-type answers for Bisharp answers only.
Nidoking (from B- to
B)
This one is basically switching places with Nidoqueen, for reference. While both of them benefit from Clefable's introduction to the tier due to their ability to completely stop Moonblast + Thunder Wave variants of Calm Mind Clefable, Nidoking's superior Speed tier and access to Sucker Punch to play around Pokemon such as Latias and Alakazam have proven to be more useful than Nidoqueen's edge in bulk.
Slowbro (from B to
B+)
For reference on this one, please check out the previously linked dodmen post. In my opinion, the main selling points behind Slowbro are its ability to check Cobalion flawlessly, its ability, which makes it extremely self-sufficient, and its respectable offensive presence for a defensive Pokemon, courtesy of its access to Calm Mind, Scald and good synergy with Z moves. It can also work as a soft check to Keldeo, stopping both Choice Scarf and Calm Mind variants cold, but Choice Specs can be trickier to play around, so running it as a team's sole answer to Keldeo can be dangerous.
Talonflame (from C to
B-)
For reference on this one, please check out the previously linked dodmen post. For what it's worth, I personally believe that Talonflame is the Pokemon with the most untapped potential in the current metagame, and that it could easily move up even further once people start playing with its many viable sets. While dodmen has talked about Swords Dance + Supersonic Skystrike mostly, slower sets such as Bulk Up + Taunt, Taunt + Will-O-Wisp and Acrobatics can also work amazingly with proper support. It's staying in B- for now, but I expect it to become one of the most influential Pokemon eventually.
Togekiss (from B+ to
A-)
Although there isn't any support behind this nomination in the thread, Togekiss is a massive pain for slower paced teams, having the ability to single handily beat stall after Unaware Clefable or Pyukumuku has been weakened. This, coupled with the limited number of checks it has and the fact that its typing and access to Thunder Wave allow it to retain a reasonable match up against offensive squads makes Togekiss a versatile Pokemon that is definitely able to compete with the big boys of UU.
The following Pokemon have been moved down in the rankings:
Tsareena (from B+ to
B)
Although it isn't a necessarily bad Pokemon, Tsareena was probably overhyped a lot by the people who used it during beta. Being a Rapid Spin user with a unique typing and an exclusive ability does wonders to it, that's for sure, but it's just not enough to keep it so high on the rankings, which is why we have decided to move it down a little.
Decidueye (from B+ to
B)
With the introduction of Unaware Clefable, Decidueye's role as a Ghost-type stallbreaker has become considerably harder to perform. It still retains its unique niche as a balance breaker, but Bisharp's presence, Sucker Punch being pretty much its only hope of hurting offense and the fact that stall now has a reliable answer to Decidueye's Swords Dance + Sinister Arrow Raid set are all facts that hurt this Pokemon's viability a lot.
Mantine (from B to
B-)
Ever since it dropped, Mantine has been nothing but disappointing to me. On paper, it's a solid defensive Pokemon that can check Keldeo and other similarly popular Pokemon (including Cobalion) extremely well. In practice, it just gets worn down by the Stealth Rock it is supposed to remove, gets chipped by Hidden Power Electric and eventually faints without even doing half of what it was supposed to. Tentacruel, Empoleon and Starmie all give it insane competition for the bulky Water-type hazard remover position, which doesn't help its case either. It probably works better on stall, where it isn't as hard pressed to stop threats, but even in those type of teams there are a lot of stronger Water-type Pokemon.
Nidoqueen (from B to
B-)
For reference on this one, please check the reasoning behind the change in Nidoking's ranking. My apologies to Highways for this one.
I was also planning to go through all of the suggested nominations that aren't getting implemented, but since this post is already getting long enough as is, I'll just mention that dodmen and I have gone through every single nomination that was made in the thread, so you don't need to worry about getting ignored or anything of sorts. It's just that we've probably felt that it wasn't appropriate to move the Pokemon you've nominated up/down in the current metagame, but don't let that discourage you from contributing!
With that said, here are the main
discussion points until the next round of changes:
Bisharp (down to
A+)
Mew (down to
A)
Mega Absol (up to
A-)
Bewear (up to
B)
Ribombee (up to
C+)
