So a few things have popped up that I agree and disagree on.
Steelvally to C/C+: Agree. Steelvally has versatility and a niche that other steels of its nature really can't mimic. And being able to run moves like flamethrower and ice beam really sets it aside as it can pick what it wants to fight. Another thing is most of our steels are physical oriented (Aggron, Scizor, Staka, etc.) Too frail for defensive application (Magneton and Lucario) or too passive to do any major damage with the few attacking moves they run. (Registeel and Brongzong) Only Empoleon even comes close to mimicking the niche of a bulky special steel, but it prefers to run more defensively oriented sets, and even its few offensive sets are stuck with a more shallow movepool than Steelvally. Steelvally also isn't Mag bait like many steels with its flamethrower and fast parting shot, making it much harder defensive steel to kill or even trap with the wonderful steel trapper. Steelvally also adds to its versatility by virtue of parting shot, giving solid momentum for a mon of defensive nature. Steelvally really sets itself aside from the other steels in the lower ranks by virtue of a unique niche, many options for moves within that niche, as well as keeping momentum, something rare for a lot of our steels without their own pivoting moves (Which parting shot is still unique among). Its also a really solid defogger since mono-steel is a solid mono-typing for defogging in many situations. Silvally should use these grounds to rise to C or C+
Terrakion to A: Disagree. For one, preemptively offering to rise a mon based on a prediction of future metagame trends is a really bold move, especially since we have no idea how the meta will actually develop in the next few months. Imagine if I say, proposed a Mega Manetric drop to A- or whatever on account of a Mamo drop back to UU, and Mamo doesn't drop. Then I'm suddenly looking really silly. There is absolutely no guarantee that Breloom will for sure face the banhammer and that Gliscor is guaranteed a spot in the OU metagame. And even if they were, it'd be better to make a VR post AFTER these changes have already happened. But beyond this, I STILL disagree with this drop, because even if Breloom and Gliscor DO leave, terrakion faces a lot of heartache. Its extremely prone to revenge killing by fast mons like Latias, Serperior, scarf Krook, the list goes on. It also struggles terribly with priority like the aqua jets of Crawdaunt and Feraligatr, as well as Scizor's bullet punch, and even Lucario's vaccum wave can threaten it with a dust of chip. And while stallbreaker is an alright argument for the viability of a mon beyond how more offensive squads handle it, its not even hot as a stallbreaker right now, as some stalls run Scizor, which can wall it well enough on defensive variants and threaten to beat it down with bullet punch. Terrakion also struggles with the stall trends of Slowbro and some stalls even picking up Doublade, and its SD sets can even be threatened by Pyukumuku and Quagsire. Its band set also constantly forces it to switch as something comes in on the move its locked into, making choice band Terrak heavily dependent on prediction as a stallbreaker, and constantly being forced out even when it does get a kill leaves it prone to hazard chip, and stall players likely won't be so keen to let it in for free ever again, as they will fire off a status or super effective move whenever Terrakion sniffs out it's prey and tries to come back in. Not to mention Bats on Stall can easily revenge a chipped Terrak, and stall Bat is fairly common right now with the dominance of Breloom, and may still be used for fighting type trends in the future. All in all, Gliscor and Breloom are far from the only hindrance to Terrakion's entrance into the higher ranks. And it should stay A- Until a meta trend REALLY favors it.
AND NOW FOR MY OWN NOM:
SWAMPERT TO A
Swampert has been hitting the gym lately, and has begun to flex its base 110 attack for the first time in several gens. Its using this base 110 attack with the Choice Band and Subzero slammer sets to completely ice the grass type meta that thinks its easy prey. Never before have I been so scared to hard in my Rotom-C or Serp on what normally would be free momentum and/or an easy rocks defog. Swampert's surprisingly impressive attacking prowess for what is normally used as a passive mon really sets it aside from its water/ground cousins of the other regions, barring Seismitoad which has also invested in its own attacking sets recently. Offensive grounds are still an expensive commodity with the missing Mamo, and Swampert even sets itself aside from the offensive ground type competition by virtue of its water typing, as offensive waters have been looking better and better since Azu isn't here to outclass and/or check all of them. The Subzero Slammer pert can get the freest kills of its life against the currently common playstyle of putting in grasses against what looks like a passive Pert, Band can do this too, and also be a really impressive breaker in it's own right with Swampert's strong attacking force. Swampert's re-discovered offensive strength mixed with its still strong defensive power in the meta really adds to its versatility, and I believe could be grounds for Swampert to rise to A rank.
AND NOW FOR MY OWN NOM:
SWAMPERT TO A
Swampert has been hitting the gym lately, and has begun to flex its base 110 attack for the first time in several gens. Its using this base 110 attack with the Choice Band and Subzero slammer sets to completely ice the grass type meta that thinks its easy prey. Never before have I been so scared to hard in my Rotom-C or Serp on what normally would be free momentum and/or an easy rocks defog. Swampert's surprisingly impressive attacking prowess for what is normally used as a passive mon really sets it aside from its water/ground cousins of the other regions, barring Seismitoad which has also invested in its own attacking sets recently. Offensive grounds are still an expensive commodity with the missing Mamo, and Swampert even sets itself aside from the offensive ground type competition by virtue of its water typing, as offensive waters have been looking better and better since Azu isn't here to outclass and/or check all of them. The Subzero Slammer pert can get the freest kills of its life against the currently common playstyle of putting in grasses against what looks like a passive Pert, Band can do this too, and also be a really impressive breaker in it's own right with Swampert's strong attacking force. Swampert's re-discovered offensive strength mixed with its still strong defensive power in the meta really adds to its versatility, and I believe could be grounds for Swampert to rise to A rank.
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