M&M Mix and Mega Resources

So, in the role compendium, under set up, Blissey is mentioned for calm mind. Is it any good compared to its other sets? What attack would you use? A normal move seems appealing for stab, but it misses out on ghost types.
It is a pretty niche side of Blissey, but it can be useful at times as you manage to surprise your opponent without a true Blissey check. It is often used with either Sablenite or Slowbronite.
Sablenite is pretty self explanatory, Slowbronite is to make sure Blissey takes as little damage as possible and makes sure you don't get crit out of your setup, but sacrifices Magic Bounce which makes you vulnerable to Toxic and such if you don't run Heal Bell/Aromatherapy.
Below are some sets you may want to try out:
Blissey @ Sablenite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hyper Voice / Ice Beam
- Flamethrower / Thunderbolt
- Calm Mind
- Soft-Boiled

Blissey @ Slowbronite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hyper Voice
- Heal Bell
- Calm Mind
- Soft-Boiled

The set below is a community favorite:

Blissey @ Slowbronite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Ice Beam
- Defense Curl
- Soft-Boiled
 
VR Update 01/01/2019

rises:
Tapu Lele: A- -> A
Mandibuzz: B+ -> A-
Shuckle: B+ -> A-
Noivern: B -> B+
Zeraora: B -> B+

drops:
Darkrai: A+ -> A
Mew: A -> A-
Kyogre-Primal: A- -> B+
Necrozma-Dusk-Mane: A- -> B+
Golisopod: B+ -> B
Necrozma-Ultra: B+ -> B
Zygarde-Complete: B+ -> B
Cobalion: B -> B-
Kangaskhan: C -> UR

Magearna: A+ -> S: 5N 1Y
Lunala: A -> A+: 3N 2Y
Darkrai: A+ -> A: 5Y
Tapu Lele: A- -> A: 4Y 1N
Mandibuzz: B+ -> A-: 3Y 2N 1A
Shuckle: B+ -> A-: 5Y 1N
Necrozma-Dusk-Mane: A- -> B+: 2Y 3A
Noivern: B -> B+: 5Y
Kyogre-Primal: A- -> B+: 5Y
Zeraora: B -> B+: 5Y
Necrozma-Ultra; B+ -> B: 5Y
Zygarde-Complete: B+ -> B: 5Y
Golisopod: B+ -> B: 5Y
Kangaskhan: C -> UR: 6Y
Mew: A -> A-: 5Y
Slowbro: UR -> C: 2N 3A
 
Landorus-Therian: A+ -> S

Landorus-Therian has established itself as one of the most splashable metagame threats so far, and from its incredible ability to pressure every Defogger in the metagame strongly as well as provide a decent defensive role in a high powered package make Landorus-Therian incredibly strong as of now. Teams are almost incapable of utilizing Magic Bounce against Landorus as well, as it is able to bypass every common user apart from Will-o-wisp Moltres, which is a fairly niche pick for balance teams, being difficult to fit on most builds. Explosion Landorus also serves to be the hardest nuke in the entire game, usually claiming a mon with it whilst getting up Stealth Rock at the same time. This makes it an incredibly tough threat to deal with and a primary slot for any sort of offense.

As for what has changed for Landorus-Therian, a more offensive metagame and general liking to a higher speed tier have made it shoot past most of the slower Ubers in the metagame and make it preferable to them as wallbreakers, challenging Primal Groudon considerably. Of course, this does not make Primal Groudon bad by any means and still leaves it to be incredibly splashable due to its differing roles, but Landorus-Therian is the quintessential offensive Ground-type in Mix and Mega for this reason. In terms of synergy, it also enhances Kartana, one of the major threats to teams in the current metagame, where when supported by Landorus-Therian, Kartana can get to grips with taking on usually threatening Ground-types and outright mashing them. Its Flying typing also allows it to avoid Sticky Web, one of the biggest threats in the current metagame as of now, and this gives it a further offensive niche by being able to revenge kill a large majority of rampant Sticky Web threats such as Primal Groudon and Kartana. This also gives Landorus-Therian a defensive role when combined with Explosion as a defogger for bulkier offense teams as previously showcased.

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7mixandmega-838936355 This replay showcases the defensive utility of Landorus-Therian and how it can be used in a game against offensive teams to prevent certain team strategies. Both Landorus were capable of stopping a threat from running through the team - in this case, Landorus-Therian stopped Ho-oh from claiming a few on my side and Stresh's Landorus stopped Kartana from getting a kill early game, whilst also setting rocks against my team, chipping down Primal Kyogre during the midgame to help Primal Groudon break (it was revealed to be Rock Polish after the game)

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7mixandmega-836875813 Landorus shows a more defensive side that also indicates how splashable it can be on more bulky teams and the sheer power of Aerilate Explosion. It managed to check a threat that was otherwise very difficult to stop, defogged Stealth Rock and then proceeded to trade all in one, doing more than its own slot for that game.

Magearna: A+ -> S (proposed reordering: Latiasite, Pinsirite, Sablenite, Cameruptite, Manectite)

Whereas Landorus-Therian has given offense a boon by being a great role compressor, the already titanically splashable Magearna gives balance a reason to quiver in fear. Its multifaceted applicance to a majority of teams (shown by its incredibly high usage in the Mix and Mega Seasonal as well as >50% usage in WCoP) makes it a terrifying force to predict earlygame and difficult to play around. The sheer preparation this mon causes on builds that aren't straight offense actively disincentivizes defensive counterplay and thus invalidates other previously usable mons in a way that no other Pokemon can really replicate. This isn't just a testament to how much Magearna effects the metagame, but its many roles in a single slot applicable from newer builds such as offensive Latiasite Magearna and Pinsirite Explosion Magearna and general lack of passiveness make it an almost unbeatable slot on current teams. Other Steel-types such as Necrozma-Dusk-Mane and Metagross find themselves in heavy competition for this slot due to the wide range of Pokemon Magearna beats. Whilst offensive pressure from a general team view is the best way to stop Magearna from plowing through teams due to some sturdy checks such as Primal Groudon, for bulkier teams it is quite difficult to execute this and often an entire team becomes weak to another threat simply because they let a variant of Magearna in too often, such as Latiasite and Pinsirite versus Arceus-Ground and Buzzwole teams, Flash Cannon variants of Cameruptite from Tapu Lele teams and Sablenite against Darkrai teams. There have been adaptations to counter this, such as Ampharosite Milotic on balance, but in general it does not stop the many roles of Magearna from being passed up, and teammates can be engineered to pressure this, such as SubToxic Primal Kyogre. It is also one of the few Pokemon capable of stopping Pinsirite lures such as Terrakion and Kartana from sweeping without passivity, making it an excellent fit as a pivot on -atespeed bulky offense.

However, this is in a vacuum, and most games are through offense. However, this does not mean that Magearna is deadweight:

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7mixandmega-836886959 This replay shows how Magearna can use its many sets to its advantage and bluff a set, making it particularly brutal for Ground-types other than Primal Groudon to deal with it properly. Not only this, but it very significantly damaged another Manectite Magearna, giving Victini very good initiative, and had Magearna not been chipped, it could threaten it out with a Volt Switch or damage similarly with Thunderbolt, which would cause issues for the team. Cameruptite Magearna also managed to 1v1 a Lunala in this game despite lacking general switches. Manectite Magearna then continued to stay significantly annoying for the remaining Zeraora, requiring it to predict its switchin and chipped Victini into Kartana's range.

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7mixandmega-842619600 Thanks to the previous Landorus switchin, Magearna is capable of taking an Explosion to force a switch itself, and then stops a Pinsirite Magearna from winning from then. The opposing Pinsirite Magearna then takes on from the defog Landorus, otherwise a big threat to the webs, manages to tank a Z move from Lunala, and then trades with it, opening up a potential breaking spot for the remaining members. However, Entei managed to stomach the opposing Z move and win. This showcases how easy it is for Magearna to find setup opportunities and change the game, despite being on offensive teams, and shows how difficult it can be to stop a Magearna from snowballing, in particular Pinsirite, due to how it exploits common Ground-type checks.

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7mixandmega-829206426 Magearna simultaneously shows off its power and utility at once by dealing 53% to a Primal Groudon after forcing out a Tapu Lele through a bluff, allowing Mew to check Primal Groudon after a Swords Dance without taking heavy chip. The battle then continues to go on until it ends with Magearna checking Tapu Lele. Despite the general age of this replay, it still shows how the multifaceted and versatile Magearna can make bluffs with a lot of Pokemon, often times itself to clear out the way for another Pokemon to clear up.

Lunala: A -> A+

I said no to this last update, however, as the metagame has been going onward, Lunala prep has become scarcer and harder to fit on a team. Darkrai, previously the best revenge killer of Lunala, is heavily plagued by Magearna and Altarianite Zygarde's dominance, making it a significantly worse breaker than other fast wallbreakers such as Kartana and Terrakion. As well as this, offense generally lacks the capability to stomach the Z move very well, as well as consistently take Moongeist Beams after the Z has been burned, especially from Calm Mind + Roost sets that have arisen due to the lack of sturdy resistances on teams. However, this is not the main appearance of Lunala. Its main role in MnM is as a particularly brutal wallbreaker on Sticky Webs teams that is capable of providing a general blanket check to a majority of Sticky Webs threats such as Altarianite Zygarde and Entei. It also patches up Darkrai as a major weakness of Lunala, leaving only Mandibuzz / sablenite Magearna to handle it.

However, if you wish not to take that path, Lunala is also capable of running a very powerful Defogging set with its Z move, being particularly nice for bulky offense as it allows Lunala to take on and properly punish both Landorus-Therian and Primal Groudon, something no other Defogger is capable of doing reliably.

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7mixandmega-833355974 Lunala sweeps after two Magearnas collide and annihilate. In this particular case, the opponent was fairly reckless with their Flying resist, and let their secondary resistance (and thus resistance to Lunala) get taken out before they were able to do anything to Lunala, leaving it an easy job to clean up.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7mixandmega-827078050 Lunala claims two Pokemon from lead, letting the opposing team get a significant advantage due to the matchups these Pokemon had. In particular this shows how Lunala's Shadow Shield allows it to act as a secondary lead on Hyper Offense teams, to such a degree that it is almost ubiquitous on these sorts of builds.

Zeraora: B+ -> A-

Zeraora has recently become one of the rising stars of the current metagame, and this is mainly due to all of its niches contributing to a good mon against the offensive metagame. Zeraora is actually bulky enough to take on Flying types, making it a prime offensive pick against Sticky Web teams as well as a compression of speed control whilst still being relatively powerful. In some cases it's what Weavile wanted to be as a mon - having some utility really helps it get in switches and take down its low maintenance checks such as Primal Groudon and Magearna, and its through this pressure that grants Zeraora a better ranking than it should have right now. Not really much else to explain about Zeraora, rather than its underrated and adapts to the meta better than what has been shown.

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7mixandmega-827634518 Zeraora's Electric typing allows it to take advantage of a rising anti Webs tactic in Noivern and, due to the opponent's removal of Magearna as its answer, Zeraora cleans up the entire team.

Toxapex: A- -> B+

Toxapex has been relatively unseen in tournaments for the past few weeks, and for good reason. The more offensive metagame and adaptation of Toxapex's checks to its Latiasite set have been quite harsh, such as Landorus-Therian going back to running Salamencite, decreased usage of Arceus-Ground, beampower Mew and Buzzwole, and a greater usage of Smack Down Primal Groudon, preventing it from checking a single threat on Sticky Webs teams at all. Not only this, but it is fairly vulnerable to Kartana despite Scald's burn chance, and this can make it fairly difficult to fit on a team due to overlapping roles with other checks and the general issue of letting up Stealth Rock from the best setters in the metagame. It absolutely despises higher Tapu Lele usage and viability as well, and overall, the Latiasite set does not work as well as it used to defensively.

However, even the Gyaradosite set has been under the weather, with decreased time to set up hazards due to increased viability of Landorus-Therian and Kartana, and, yet again, the move towards a more offensive metagame. It is unlikely that Toxapex is able to set hazards in a single game due to this issue. The usage of Lucarionite Tapu Lele also means that Toxapex is less effective as a Psychic resist on most teams, and thus is fairly difficult to fit on a team in the current metagame. The combination of these glaring flaws is a sign that Toxapex should drop.

Some lower tier nominations:
Skarmory: B+ -> B-

Skarmory kinda sucks now thanks to high prominence of Magearna usage as well as a generally more offensive metagame making it far harder to operate properly as a Defogger. The Pokemon it was capable of beating previously generally have synergy that allows the metal bird to be easily abused by teammates, such as Double Fire and Double Ground cores, and the usage of Pokemon that generally discourage its usage such as Primal Kyogre and Zeraora. It genuinely fails as a Flying resist in the current metagame and has little place on bulky offense over Noivern as a Fire resistance.

Zapdos: B+ -> B

Zapdos finds itself in a very awkward position in the current metagame where it actually does nothing to some things it's expected to check, such as Landorus-Therian and Zeraora. Whilst it is also arguably one of the best Kartana checks in the metagame, it is also one of the worst momentum drains as a Defogger this way due to it being inable to properly take down Ground-types, especially Zygarde. It also does not block Stealth Rock from Swords Dance + Stealth Rock Primal Groudon, requiring support from the likes of Landorus-Therian to cover for the loss of momentum offensively, meaning that as a Flying-type its role is hindered. Whilst it does not suffer as badly as Skarmory, it certainly hates the Landorus centred metagame.

Keldeo: B -> B-
No real reason to use this mon over Terrakion. Hasn't been used in a long while and generally suffers from higher Altarianite Zygarde usage as well as a more offensive metagame with a greater usage of Webs there to kill its only niche over other water breakers such as Primal Kyogre.
 

Fardin

Tournament Banned
Skarm drop is too drastic. With sab, it's still the best lando check and walls a fuck ton of other shit. Let's not forget about blue Orb which shuts down most pdons and all hooh and entei too. A drop to B is reasonable but not b-
 

in the hills

spreading confusion
is a Top Artistis a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
VR Update 02/04/2019
Rises:
Lunala: A -> A+
Victini B+ -> A-
Zeraora B+ -> A-
Ditto B- -> B

Drops:
Darkrai A -> A-
Metagross A- -> B+
Skarmory B+ -> B
Keldeo B -> B-

Lunala A -> A+
YYYYY
Darkrai A -> A-
YAYYY
Buzzwole A -> A-
NYNYN
Metagross A- -> B+
NYYYN
Victini B+ -> A-
YYYAY
Zeraora B+ -> A-
YYYNY
Skarmory B+ -> B
YYYYY
Noivern B+ -> B
NNYYN
Keldeo B -> B-
YYYYY
Ditto B- -> B
AYYYY
Volcarona C -> UR
NAYAA


Discussion Points:
Landorus-Therian A+ -> S
Buzzwole A -> A-
Toxapex A- -> B+
Noivern B+ -> B
Volcarona C -> UR
 

xavgb

:xavgb:
is a Tiering Contributoris a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Former Other Tournament Circuit Champion
World Defender
And along with our VR update, I've made a new resource. Introducing:

The Mix and Mega Set Compendium

I've seen a lot of people ask for help with their mnm teams, that use good mons overall but often with sub-optimal sets. To help with this, I decided to make a list of most usable sets in the meta (based off whether they were deemed worthy of a stone mention on the VR), so that people trying to build teams on their own have a good idea of what's viable. I added in various slashes to include most options, some with comments to explain where two particular choices of move don't work well together. As for the speed tiers on these sets, I mostly worked with 254 (faster than ada dm), 261 (faster than dia skymin at +2 speed), 266 (faster than adamant kartana/lucarionite terrakion at +1), 282 (faster than adamant max speed alt lando-t) and 310 (faster than max speed pdon but with a few extra evs to outspeed the rare jolly alt lando-t).

S/O In The Hills for helping me look over all of these sets.

Enjoy!

E: Removed Lando and updated Defog Lunala spread
 
Last edited:
Owo, nothing here has happened in a while, so going to do a nom for a stone, a thing which hasn't happened in months (Or yrs, I dunno).

Nomming Pinsirite to A
Atk +30 Def +20 SpA+10 SpD+20 Spe+20


Pinsirite has become such a metagame defining threat lately, and it has seen a surge of usage in offensive teams lately. Its incredible ability to give the flying typing helps give great utility to many offensive pokemon, such as Zeraora and Entei. However, a major factor with pinsirite is surprise value. It can be placed on many offensive mons to completely change their role / checks, which can help you gain huge momentum and seriously weaken your opponent. The most notable example of such a pokemon which utilises the surprise Pins can give would be Pinsirite Magearna. A rise in Terrakion Pins recently (not very major, but worth to be noted) is also interesting, as the flying typing helps it completely destroy many of its former checks with flying STAB and facade to stop burns which trouble it. Atespeed with entei is also another thing to mention.

Pokes it can be used on (Proof of versatility):
- Pretty much any sweeper (Kart, Zeraora, Terrak etc.)
- Metagross
- Magearna
- Atespeed

Replays:
1. https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7mixandmega-839221174 Last match of MnM Fall SSNL. Zera puts in work sweeping with pins. Pins very decent +20 def also helps it tank outrage from Zygarde.
2. https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7mixandmega-836886959, https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7mixandmega-836875813 Entei offensively checking pokes.
DOING MORE REPLAYS LATER, CANT BE BOTHERED FISHING FOR MORE RIGHT NOW.
 

Funbot28

Banned deucer.
Ok got some noms since rankings are good for the most part but some shifting can go around after the Landorus ban.

A+ -> S
Kartana was already a borderline top tier threat before one of its biggest offensive checks in Landorus-T was running rampant in the metagame previously, however with it gone and the increasing rise of metagame staples such as Altarianite Zygarde, Terrakion, Tapu Lele, and Arceus Ground, Kartana is a great offensive check to a plethora of threats and is a menacing wallbreaker given high Attack and the ability to tear through many walls after an SD. The slight advantage of speed + great physical bulk and typing often gives it an edge over its most popular competition in Terrakion and is why it is being seen on many teams as of now. Set diversity also makes it stand apart, as both Metagrossite and Pinsirite each require their own specific counterplay. While checks to it have been emerging, mainly being Manectite Magearna, Ho-Oh, and Zapdos, Kartana still exerts a ton of pressure any given game and I believe it is about time it rises to the coveted S rank alongside the other two metagame titans.

A -> A-
Buzzwole is still a great physical wall given both the Aggronite and Blue Orb sets which can help check Altarianite Zygarde, Kartana, Terrakion, Lucarionite Zygarde, and Primal Groudon which is huge. However, Buzzwole still gets pressured immensely by most other threats mainly due to its poor special bulk and general vulnerability of being chipped along the match. Special attackers such as Magearna, Tapu Lele, and Lunala still give it a huge headache and it generally still remains a passive threat even when it manages to come in the field safely as it usually requires a Bulk Up or two to do significant damage to opposing defensive pivots and such. Buzzwole just isn't as consistent as it used to be and it is why I think it should drop as of now.

A- -> A
Even when Zeroara was mainly picked as an anti webs option during the reign of the playstyle a couple of months ago, I still feel it holds much value in todays metagame as a speedy offensive check that can outpace the majority of other fast threats such as Tapu Lele, Kartana, Terrakion, and to a lesser extent Darkrai. Bulk Up is a great physical wallbreaker that has a great STAB combo that can threaten the majority of common walls nowadays such as Mandibuzz, Ho-Oh, and Toxapex before it mega evolves. It also offers great defensive utility due to this type combination as well.

B+ -> B/B-
I really never see this mon anymore tbh. Like it still has potential with a double dance set and Stealth Rock with SD but the metagame is generally to fast for Necro-DM to be the scary wallbreaker it once was when Blissey had increased popularity. Also the rise of defensive threats such as Zapdos, Ho-Oh, and Mandibuzz all give it trouble as well. I can even nom it further down due to its lack of usage alone but I do not want to be too drastic.

B -> B-/C+
Similar vain to Necro-DM but even worse due to it being checked by the ever so present Alt Zygarde which can stop a sweep in a heartbeat. Pinsirite Steel types such as Magearna, Cobalion, and Metagross also check it rather well as it usually needs to rely on an SD boost + its Z move to apply great amount of damage. Just again another mon that barely sees any usage and do not know why it is up so high anyways.

UR -> B- (Sablenite)
Been seeing Slowbro used by some heat players like stresh and tbh I really see a lot of potential as it provides a great check to stuff like Lucarionite Zygarde, Primal Groudon, and Terrakion. Regenerator is just a godsend as a pre mega ability in order to lure its mega stone for as long as possible and just generally allows Bro to not be as passive it may tend to be. Just a great physical pivot right now that has a ton of potential.

All for me right now, but there are some sleeper threats that I dont wanna spoil right away :eyes:
 

xavgb

:xavgb:
is a Tiering Contributoris a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Former Other Tournament Circuit Champion
World Defender
Gonna give some thoughts on the noms so far and drop some of my own quickly, quite a bit to get through right now.

-> S: Undecided

While Kartana is arguably the most imposing threat right now for a lot of people, I still have my doubts about this being S rank in terms of viability. This mostly comes down to the fact that Kartana doesn't have enough defensive utility to guarantee an impact on building freedom or the games it's being used in, unlike Zygarde and especially Pdon. The recent shift towards balance builds in the metagame definitely affects Kartana negatively, as that's where teams can afford solid counterplay for rocks and good initial scouts such as the incredibly popular Manectite Magearna. This allows mons such as Ho-Oh to punish Metagrossite Kartana safely, which can give well-prepared balances a positive matchup against Kartana. It is also worth mentioning that balance doesn't find Kartana+rocks as devastating as other builds - the aforementioned Manectite Mage and checks like Aggronite Mew, or even Buzzwole (personally not a fan but i'll get to that later) are still capable of taking on Metagrossite Kart when rocks are up, with the first two also helping to scout Kart's set (Aggronite Mew is pretty average at this due to Sub Pins Kart, but it can do the job if paired with certain speed control). A good amount of builds right now can stop Kartana itself from making progress, even when considering the basic level of support it should always have. This is largely due to the Lando-T ban, which takes the hazard game out of favour of the Stealth Rock users and into the favour of cores that prevent hazards, allowing balances to check Kartana+teammates much more consistently.

On the other hand, Kartana does perform like an S rank threat against current offensive builds. This is because offense now lacks the role compression that Lando-T provides, mostly the switchins to both variants of Zygarde and both variants of Entei, and as a result they have to adapt by running bulkier mons with less momentum to deal with these threats, such as supportceus. This gives Kartana windows of opportunity to break down teams, as all supportceus formes that are used right now are weak to Kartana's STAB moves. Additionally the factors that affect Kartana's balance matchup don't really apply here; rocks normally go up, Manectite Magearna can be taken advantage of by Pdon for offensive progress, Aggronite Mew is too passive for the style, and Buzzwole is in a similar position.

Personally i'm leaning towards keeping this in A+, as offense is no longer in the dominant position it was prior to Lando's ban, which was where Kartana was able to make full use of its positive traits. Even though it is still a solid fit on bulky offense and balance builds right now, I don't feel the need to push this to S, considering the standards that an offensive mon has to meet in order to become S rank (mons that are of huge importance to a metagame-defining playstyle and perform consistently in nearly every matchup). Finally I'd just like to say that Pinsirite Kartana is a pain to fit on a team despite being a very strong breaker - it takes away the Pinsirite stone while requiring support to deal with Steel types and stuff like Zeraora, and it barely comes in on the meta at all. Also its best wallbreaking 4th slot in Substitute and its best supportive 4th slot in Defog clash, making it even harder to justify on teams where its potential roles would fit.


-> A-: Agree (Also add Banettite)

Buzzwole technically got better recently as the Lando ban gave it breathing room, but this drop has been long overdue imo. The meta has been moving against Buzzwole for a while, with the drop in mono-attacking Luc Zyg, Swords Dance + Stealth Rock Primal Groudon, and especially Darkrai. These mons have been replaced by things that put a lot more pressure on Buzzwole, and in particular Darkrai has taken a backseat as the go-to special breaker in favour of Lunala and Tapu Lele, both of which are hugely threatening, require fairly specific prep, and are let in very freely by Buzzwole. With -ate being as common as ever, especially offensive Pinsirite mons, as well as other big threats like Ho-Oh, Buzzwole is very difficult to build around and simply isn't the balance staple that it used to be. With all of these weaknesses, having the potential to also lose to the mons it's intended to beat (Kartana and Terrakion mainly) is just a bit too much to deal with from a building perspective. Aggronite is okay, but it lost its ideal partnerships a while ago, so I don't believe it is enough to keep Buzzwole in A.

Banettite Buzzwole is notable for its ability to take on Metagrossite Kartana and Lucarionite Terrakion at the same time, even if they try to use one to break for the other, since priority Bulk Up/Roost combined with the Drain Punch recovery leaves Buzzwole at a high amount of hp even after KOing either one of these mons. Banettite also allows Buzzwole to get around Taunt from Terrakion without having to sacrifice the Sablenite slot, which can prove useful for some of the fat balances right now.


-> A: Agree

This is another close one for me, because it's a pretty unique mon, but I think it fits in better with the other A ranks right now than it does in A-. Zeraora proves to be useful as a secondary Flying resist and speed control that can also take a hit from the likes of Kartana in a pinch. It can also be used to break down some generic blanket checks like Groundceus, depending on its set. These traits make it good at shifting momentum so that other mons can find opportunities to break. Zeraora notably forms a solid core with quite a lot of potent threats like Ho-Oh, Kartana, Rock Polish Pdon, and Alt Zyg, either by pressuring checks such as Pdon and Manectite Mage or just taking advantage of them. Zeraora does have some notable issues though. As it is prone to chip damage when it switches in, it can struggle to break weaker checks such as Groundceus and Alt Zyg. On top of that, it needs to find a free turn to mega evolve if it forgoes Fake Out; this is also an example of Zeraora's difficult choice in its 4th moveslot, where moves like Taunt and Facade increase its breaking potential, but Fake Out improves Zeraora's performance of its role. Lastly, it's weak to rocks, which significantly cuts into its longevity. This also means that offensive teams featuring Zeraora are more inclined to pick more solid Defog options, which can hurt the team in other ways.

->Down: Disagree

Putting these together because I feel these noms are similar. My issue with dropping these is that there's barely any notable metagame changes that would lead these to drop further down the VR than they already have. Dusk Mane still smashes any new "resist" with a combination of a convenient typing and bulk - in this case the resists that have been mentioned still get broken through, unless Ho-Oh is either fast band or Defensive and getting a Sacred Fire Burn. Zapdos can't do enough damage to Dusk Mane to really switch in and beat it, and Mandibuzz just dies to +2 Z-Move. New offensive resists share the same fate too; Zeraora technically resists the Steel/Ground combo but it can't take a boosted Z-Move whilst not doing much back with Plasma Fists, whilst Kartana also dies to the +2 Z-Move, only doing ~45 percent back with Sacred Sword. Lunala and Arceus-Water are the only real new resists, and I don't see that as enough of a reason to drop Dusk Mane when it's still a top check to the rising Tapu Lele, especially when it still has its Spdef SD set which is one of the few defensive mons that can just claim a kill early on in a lot of games.

Ultra Necrozma definitely has more of a reason to drop, mainly due to its huge competition with Lunala as a Calm Mind user that takes advantage of physical walls, but the bluff of Dusk Mane as well as the general benefits of Steel/Psychic give it a great niche over Lun. It also finds itself walled by Lunala, which is unfortunate, but not impossible to work with. And once again, these were all known factors when dropping Ultra Necrozma to B. On another note, Altarianite Espeed has been a constant staple in the meta since before Ultra Necrozma's introduction, so it was even taken into account in Ultra Necrozma's original ranking at A- (i think?) back then.

-> B-: Agree

I thought I should give my thoughts on this since I've used it quite a lot over the last few months. Slowbro acts as a good long-term wincon against most builds that can keep applying pressure thanks to cm and Magic Bounce. It is also important for its ability to check Rock Polish and Defensive variants of Pdon as well as other Ground-types such as Luc Zyg and Groundceus. Magic Bounce gives it a big niche over Waterceus, allowing it to take on Glare Luc Zyg, Toxic Entei and Defensive Pdon much more comfortably. It also helps out with the matchup against Terrakion, shutting it out after a bit of chip, including any attempts to Taunt Slowbro or set up SR. While Waterceus is generally better due to its Speed and more powerful STAB, Slowbro definitely finds its own place in the metagame and is a great pick for balance right now. I also agree with this leapfrogging C rank because it's simply more relevant than the C rank right now.


And now I'll move on to my own noms:


-> B

Waterceus is gradually returning to the spotlight as it forms its own niche separate from Groundceus. Waterceus is a solid ceus option that benefits from a lot of metagame trends right now, namely the elevated usage of Rock Polish Pdon, Pinsirite Entei, Lucarionite Zygarde, and SD SR Diancite Terrakion. While Groundceus can also take on Pdon, Entei and Zygarde to an extent, it risks getting duped by a surprise Pinsirite Entei, and it is worn down more quickly by repeated Fire Blasts from Rock Polish Don. Additionally, picking Waterceus over Groundceus turns what would be bait for Ho-Oh into a mon that can actually soft-check Ho-Oh.


-> B (Metagrossite>Pinsirite)

Tyranitar has benefitted from the Lando-T ban in many different ways. As a rocker, it no longer finds itself always trading Rocks with Lando. As a Lunala check, it finds more space to fit on teams without as much offensive pressure. And most importantly, as a mon that primarily fits on balance, it appreciates being a useful tool for some of the strongest teams in the metagame, as opposed to being an awkward fit for offense at best in the Lando meta. Tyranitar compresses a ton of roles, so when it's not doing its main job of removing Lunala from the game, it can still put in work by getting up Rocks and switching into Darkrai, Red Orbers not named Pdon, Noivern, Zeraora, Ho-Oh, and occasionally Pinsirite Entei. It is also worth noting that trapping Lunala is incredibly valuable right now, since Roost variants have extra responsibility when it comes to holding offensive builds together.


-> B

I don't have much to say about this one, but it's mostly outclassed by Red Mew and was being kept in B+ mostly because it could outspeed Sala Lando. The lower bulk causes Azelf to lose out in a lot more scenarios so I don't feel comfortable having this only one rank below Red Orb Mew anymore.
 
thoughts on adding blastosnite stone to the vr
LOL, never realised it wasn't there xD.

To make sure this post isn't just 1 line long, I'll put my own opinion on some VR.

Rises:

-> A+

This thing is my favourite poke in the meta. This thing is terrifying. The best part about it is that its 2 stones can lure in different threats and destroy different threats uwu. It is also by far the strongest espeeder in the meta. The role it plays in offense make me feel it deserves the rise.

Pins in particular destroys top threats (Pdon with no rock, which is more common now, diancite terrak, kart, mag, alt zygod, hooh, buzzwole), and places huge amounts of pressure on the opposing team. Even better, it lures in pdon a lot of the time, and beats it on the 1v1. This things rise is only halted by the rise of zeraora, but zera cant reliably switch in in fear of sacred fire, so it can handle it somewhat.

Altarianite as well is also very popular in this meta lately, and it plays an important part in putting pressure on opposing teams for offense, and plays a key revenge killing role. Some alt sets are adapting to its common check pdon, by adding toxic in order to chip it down, because outside pdon its offensive capabilities are terrifying.

Its 1 flaw in tapu lele is somewhat patched by the huge rise in mag (and lunala) in usage, helping check this common threat.

I'll do them later :P

Drops:

-> B+

I just don't feel pex can do much in the meta right at this moment. The gyaradosite set is severely threatened by several top threats (in particular pdon and zygod), and is at best a soft check to terrakion, kartana and the like at the moment. The gyaradosite set also has a 4 moveslot syndrome, as it has trouble fitting scald and payback into its moveslot to check difference threats. It needs payback to reliably check lunala, but then it cant check terrakion and kartana correctly. Magearna also destroys this poke, whether opting for a physical (sub) and special set. In short, all the gyara set can do is check lunala and tapu lele, and maybe set up 1 layer of tspikes. But this thing loses so much momentum, allows free set up, I hate it in short lol.

The latiasite also has some flaws. Although it can now check pdon, it falls against other threats, especially sablenite. Zygod luc still destroys it and mag, 2 top threats in the tier, still destroy it. This thing is now terrified of tapu lele, and lunala with psychic stab (though rarely run) still crushes it.

IN SHORT: Gyara = Checks lunala + tspikes or toxic stall (Horrible MU vs offense), Latiasite checks more threats, but cant hurt more threats then it checks.

Vs Kart (Gyaradosite)
+2 252 Atk Tough Claws Kartana Smart Strike vs. 252 HP / 252 Def Toxapex: 204-240 (67.1 - 78.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 252 Atk Tough Claws Kartana Smart Strike vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Toxapex: 235-277 (77.3 - 91.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
0 SpA Mold Breaker Toxapex Scald vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Kartana: 34-40 (13.1 - 15.4%) -- possible 7HKO (this thing is fishing for burns be able to check kart)

Vs Kart (Latiasite)
+2 252 Atk Tough Claws Kartana Leaf Blade vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Toxapex: 303-357 (99.6 - 117.4%) -- 93.8% chance to OHKO

Not even gonna show mag calcs, mag still destroys this thing, and sure, let mag set up CM or SG

Vs Lunala (Latiasite)
+1 252 SpA Lunala Moongeist Beam vs. 252 HP / 252 SpD Toxapex: 285-336 (93.7 - 110.5%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO

Again, I'll finish later lol
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Lol, Im tired, the way I wrote these nom's are bad, so plz comment so I can edit it LOL
 
Well, you asked for a reply so here I am. I'm going to preface this by saying we're working on an update to the Mega Stone VR that will hopefully be finished soon which will now include Blastoisnite since that was pointed out so thank you for that.

Moving on to these noms, TectonicDestroyer thank you for taking the time to share some drops and rises while also including some additional reasoning and calcs. This is the right place to start with a VR nom but I can't say I agree with quite a bit of reasoning you share here particularly on your final conclusion regarding Entei rising to A+ and Toxapex falling to B+.

Why I believe Entei should stay in A

I think Entei is in a great spot in A rank right now. When considering a rise or a drop one should not only consider the individual utilities of Entei, but also how Entei compares to its fellow A rank members and also the A+ members it would be potentially joining. I'm going to focus on the Pokemon currently in A+ because I think that's a more glaring comparison to Entei's current capabilities. Currently, Kartana, Lunala, Magearna, and Terrakion are in A+. Kartana, Terrakion, and Lunala stand as three of the metagame's most potent offensive juggernauts capable of causing game changing mindgames through the use of Diancite and Pinsirite in Terrakion's case, Pinsirite and Adamant Metagrossite in Kartana's case, and varying coverage options such as Focus Blast and Modest Tailwind in Lunala's case.

Magearna suffered a drop semi-recently but remains in A+ because of how it can adapt to a variety of roles as the metagame changes and has remained a popular Pokemon with quite a bit of success. A prime example of this is the rise of defensive Manectite to take on Kartana, Altarianite Zygarde, and Zeraora. When considering a VR rise it is also important to consider what has changed for the Pokemon that merits this rise.

Entei is certainly a fantastic Atespeeder and revenger that uses its Fire/Fairy typing well. however, I would argue that Altarianite Zygarde has actually been the best Atespeeder for a while now. When you were saying it's by far the strongest Atespeeder in the meta, I'm not sure if you were referring to Entei's attack stat being 115 compared to Zygarde's 100 but Zygarde can commonly fit Return as a fourth move option while Entei usually opts to use Toxic or Howl instead of Return so Altarianite Zygarde's raw damage output is actually deceptively similar to what Entei can dish out even if it has slightly less Attack.

Pinsirite Entei is a pretty neat set that enjoyed a resurgence back into the metagame particularly because its ability to resist all of Metagrossite Kartana's coverage, outspeed Timid Lunala after the Pinsirite speed boost and as you mentioned, take on defensive Primal-Groudon after megaing and function as an excellent late-game wincon on top of an offensive check and revenger. Pinsirite Entei is freed from many of Altarianite Entei's four move slot syndrome woes and is free to run Return alongside Extreme Speed and Howl to boost its late-game cleaning ability. However, I feel you failed to mention any of the downsides that hinder this Pokemon and why Altarianite Entei remains the more popular of the two stones so i'm going to list three aspects of Entei that explain why Altarianite is still the more effective set.

1. Fairy-type Extreme Speed is a far more reliable form of speed control and revenging
Altarianite Entei's Extreme Speed is a very solid method of revenging Terrakion, Zygarde and Zeraora after it receives prior chip. Entei sorely misses that super effective means of hitting Terrakion and Zygarde and a Flying-type Espeed instantly turns a Pokemon capable of revenging Zeraora into a Pokemon that is threatened by it instead

2. Pinsirite Entei suffers from a 4x weakness to Stealth Rock
Even switching into rocks once is detrimental to Pins Entei and erases its ability to offensively check Kartana and such. Unlike Ho-oh, it doesn't possess Regenerator or any means or healing itself so it is incredibly important to keep rocks off if you are using this stone. Pinsirite Entei should also be abused on offensively-oriented builds that can't afford the same level of Stealth Rock countermeasures as the bulkier builds that utilize Ho-oh so this weakness can show up more frequently when you are running Pinstei than when you are using Ho-oh

3. Even if Pinsirite Entei sells the lure it can still be stopped
In some cases, Flying/Fire coverage is a hinderance for Entei, particularly against Rock and Electric types like Pinsirite Terrakion, Tyranitar, Zapdos, and Zeraora. Pinsirite Entei may be able to sell a lure, but that means that mons it could previously threaten with its Altarianite set can ironically revenge a Flying/Fire Entei

I may have missed a few additional downsides this Pokemon has, but those are a few important ones off the top of my head. I think most of the Pokemon you listed aren't particularly relevant to the lure factor of Pinsirite Entei as Altarianite Entei handles Terrakion and Zygarde better, and you should be having no problems hitting Ho-oh due to Stone Edge and Buzzwole with the Fairy/Fire coverage as well. Entei's main flaw certainly isn't Tapu Lele. It's moreso that both sets suffer from being pressured by Stealth Rock and its only setup option is Howl so it doesn't have the immediate setup power that its A+ superiors Kartana and Terrakion possess.

Altarianite Entei is also forced into a tight spot where if it wants to run Howl instead of Toxic, it lacks a means to punish Primal Groudon and even Waterceus and Groundceus. If it runs Toxic instead of Howl, it really struggles to deal with bulky Sablenite users like Blissey and recently, Slowbro. In short, what i'm saying is Altarianite Entei suffers from a severe case of four move slot syndrome.

I won't speak on Entei's role in offense other than to say I don't think that should be the go-to reason for a rise like this considering offense tends to run Pokemon with high base speed and thus has other options for speed control and revenging besides Atespeed. I'd argue against Entei being any kind of staple for offense. In fact, Entei fits just as well if not better on Balance or bulkier playstyles as these styles can afford to run more reliable Pdon switch-ins.

Why I believe Toxapex should stay in A-

Once again, when we are looking to rise or drop a Pokemon on the VR, we need to consider how it compares to the mons in A-, the mons in B+, and what changed to make it drop to B+ in Toxapex's case. I think the main issue with the arguments listed is... nothing really changed here. Pdon and Zygarde have always been a threat to Gyara Pex. It is also about the furthest thing from a Terrakion and Kartana check that you can get. In fact, it is plain setup fodder for both of these guys.

Gyara Pex does have some issues with moveslots trying to decide between Toxic, Toxic Spikes, Payback, and Haze, but it doesn't want to run a non STAB Scald that just isn't as desirable of an option as any of the four options I previously listed. Gyara Pex also doesn't NEED Payback to beat Lunala 1v1 this is a common misconception. In reality, Haze no attacks can effectively PP stall Lunala out of all of its attacks so even if it is a long process of sitting in front of a Lunala clicking Haze you do effectively stop it. You are right that it struggles against Magearna and it can lose a lot of momentum, but you're underselling its value if you are claiming the ONLY things it can do are check Lunala and Tapu Lele (This isn't even always the case considering both Lucarionite and Diancite Tapu Lele can beat non Haze variants of Gyara Pex with Calm Mind).

First of all, it is important to note that Gyaradosite Toxapex is the best Lunala counter in the metagame. Nothing walls out all of Lunala's coverage options and is able to effortlessly neutralize it like this mon can. This alone is a fantastic merit as Lunala switch-ins are incredibly hard to come by and one has to accept the fact that they may not be doing much else besides dealing with Lunala considering Dark-typing is a subpar type in Mix and Mega.

Second, I would argue Toxapex has actually improved after the Lando-T ban since this has given balance more breathing room to function once again. When balance rises, bulky Arceus-formes immediately rise in usage as they are one of the primary glues this playstyle utilizes. Alongside Arceus, Blissey and a few other bulky Sablenite options like Mandibuzz and the rising Slowbro are fairly popular right now. These are exactly the kind of Pokemon that Gyara Toxapex enjoys tormenting with Mold Breaker Toxic and Toxic Spikes. Mold Breaker Toxic Spikes should not be underestimated they are a fantastic hazard and even though Gyara Pex may not have an outstanding matchup against offense on its own, Toxic Spikes can severely limit the setup window for offensive mons and turn some previously bad matchups into manageable situations by putting a threat on a timer. Considering the primary abuser of Toxic Spikes, Lucarionite Zygarde is also enjoying rising usage recently, i'd certainly argue against its effectiveness plummeting right now.

Once again, not much has changed for Lati Pex. It's interesting you praised Entei previously and asked for a rise and then argued against Toxapex's current viability considering Lati Pex is one of the best Altarianite Entei checks and is capable of soft checking Pinsirite Entei as well (particularly if it keeps its Regenerator ability intact). I agree that it checks Pdon unless it is running Smack Down and that it loses to Luc Zyg, Magearna, Lele, and Lunala (Lunala doesn't need a Psychic STAB to OHKO Lati Pex with +1 Z Moongeist) however, once again, this isn't indicative of any recent metagame shifts that should lead to Toxapex falling as these Pokemon have been threats to Pex for months.

Latiasite Pex isn't meant to take on those offensive threats. It functions well as a blanket check, can function as a status absorber, is a fire resist that doesn't rely on Blue Orb, and does a fantastic job pivoting in on all of the relevant Arceus formes. A great pairing I can think of off the top of my head is Terrakion as Lati Pex counters Entei, Arceus-Fairy and Buzzwole and Terrakion can break open some of those bulky Sablenite users like Blissey and Mandibuzz that can potentially cause Toxapex issues. One more thing to mention regarding Toxapex's matchup against bulky Sablenite users is how annoying Scald burns can be particularly for Mandibuzz. A burn on Mandibuzz immediately limits its effectiveness checking opposing threats as it can no longer OHKO +2 Kartana with foul play and struggles to put out decent damage in general. These Sablenite users are looking to wall out more than just Toxapex so it can be very threatening for them to deal with burn damage. Even though Toxapex can't muscle past these Pokemon on its own, it can pester them with the continued possibility of that Scald burn.

This is quite the lengthy post but I felt it would help to give some extended reasoning on why I feel these noms were formatted correctly but missed the mark in the actual reasoning aspect of the post. To stress this one last time, we really want people to explain what has changed that made this Pokemon you are nomming better or worse. That really is the most important aspect of a VR nomination.
 
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Well, you asked for a reply so here I am. I'm going to preface this by saying we're working on an update to the Mega Stone VR that will hopefully be finished soon which will now include Blastoisnite since that was pointed out so thank you for that.

Moving on to these noms, TectonicDestroyer thank you for taking the time to share some drops and rises while also including some additional reasoning and calcs. This is the right place to start with a VR nom but I can't say I agree with quite a bit of reasoning you share here particularly on your final conclusion regarding Entei rising to A+ and Toxapex falling to B+.

Why I believe Entei should stay in A

I think Entei is in a great spot in A rank right now. When considering a rise or a drop one should not only consider the individual utilities of Entei, but also how Entei compares to its fellow A rank members and also the A+ members it would be potentially joining. I'm going to focus on the Pokemon currently in A+ because I think that's a more glaring comparison to Entei's current capabilities. Currently, Kartana, Lunala, Magearna, and Terrakion are in A+. Kartana, Terrakion, and Lunala stand as three of the metagame's most potent offensive juggernauts capable of causing game changing mindgames through the use of Diancite and Pinsirite in Terrakion's case, Pinsirite and Adamant Metagrossite in Kartana's case, and varying coverage options such as Focus Blast and Modest Tailwind in Lunala's case.

Magearna suffered a drop semi-recently but remains in A+ because of how it can adapt to a variety of roles as the metagame changes and has remained a popular Pokemon with quite a bit of success. A prime example of this is the rise of defensive Manectite to take on Kartana, Altarianite Zygarde, and Zeraora. When considering a VR rise it is also important to consider what has changed for the Pokemon that merits this rise.

Entei is certainly a fantastic Atespeeder and revenger that uses its Fire/Fairy typing well. however, I would argue that Altarianite Zygarde has actually been the best Atespeeder for a while now. When you were saying it's by far the strongest Atespeeder in the meta, I'm not sure if you were referring to Entei's attack stat being 115 compared to Zygarde's 100 but Zygarde can commonly fit Return as a fourth move option while Entei usually opts to use Toxic or Howl instead of Return so Altarianite Zygarde's raw damage output is actually deceptively similar to what Entei can dish out even if it has slightly less Attack.

Pinsirite Entei is a pretty neat set that enjoyed a resurgence back into the metagame particularly because its ability to resist all of Metagrossite Kartana's coverage, outspeed Timid Lunala after the Pinsirite speed boost and as you mentioned, take on defensive Primal-Groudon after megaing and function as an excellent late-game wincon on top of an offensive check and revenger. Pinsirite Entei is freed from many of Altarianite Entei's four move slot syndrome woes and is free to run Return alongside Extreme Speed and Howl to boost its late-game cleaning ability. However, I feel you failed to mention any of the downsides that hinder this Pokemon and why Altarianite Entei remains the more popular of the two stones so i'm going to list three aspects of Entei that explain why Altarianite is still the more effective set.

1. Fairy-type Extreme Speed is a far more reliable form of speed control and revenging
Altarianite Entei's Extreme Speed is a very solid method of revenging Terrakion, Zygarde and Zeraora after it receives prior chip. Entei sorely misses that super effective means of hitting Terrakion and Zygarde and a Flying-type Espeed instantly turns a Pokemon capable of revenging Zeraora into a Pokemon that is threatened by it instead

2. Pinsirite Entei suffers from a 4x weakness to Stealth Rock
Even switching into rocks once is detrimental to Pins Entei and erases its ability to offensively check Kartana and such. Unlike Ho-oh, it doesn't possess Regenerator or any means or healing itself so it is incredibly important to keep rocks off if you are using this stone. Pinsirite Entei should also be abused on offensively-oriented builds that can't afford the same level of Stealth Rock countermeasures as the bulkier builds that utilize Ho-oh so this weakness can show up more frequently when you are running Pinstei than when you are using Ho-oh

3. Even if Pinsirite Entei sells the lure it can still be stopped
In some cases, Flying/Fire coverage is a hinderance for Entei, particularly against Rock and Electric types like Pinsirite Terrakion, Tyranitar, Zapdos, and Zeraora. Pinsirite Entei may be able to sell a lure, but that means that mons it could previously threaten with its Altarianite set can ironically revenge a Flying/Fire Entei

I may have missed a few additional downsides this Pokemon has, but those are a few important ones off the top of my head. I think most of the Pokemon you listed aren't particularly relevant to the lure factor of Pinsirite Entei as Altarianite Entei handles Terrakion and Zygarde better, and you should be having no problems hitting Ho-oh due to Stone Edge and Buzzwole with the Fairy/Fire coverage as well. Entei's main flaw certainly isn't Tapu Lele. It's moreso that both sets suffer from being pressured by Stealth Rock and its only setup option is Howl so it doesn't have the immediate setup power that its A+ superiors Kartana and Terrakion possess.

Altarianite Entei is also forced into a tight spot where if it wants to run Howl instead of Toxic, it lacks a means to punish Primal Groudon and even Waterceus and Groundceus. If it runs Toxic instead of Howl, it really struggles to deal with bulky Sablenite users like Blissey and recently, Slowbro. In short, what i'm saying is Altarianite Entei suffers from a severe case of four move slot syndrome.

I won't speak on Entei's role in offense other than to say I don't think that should be the go-to reason for a rise like this considering offense tends to run Pokemon with high base speed and thus has other options for speed control and revenging besides Atespeed. I'd argue against Entei being any kind of staple for offense. In fact, Entei fits just as well if not better on Balance or bulkier playstyles as these styles can afford to run more reliable Pdon switch-ins.

Why I believe Toxapex should stay in A-

Once again, when we are looking to rise or drop a Pokemon on the VR, we need to consider how it compares to the mons in A-, the mons in B+, and what changed to make it drop to B+ in Toxapex's case. I think the main issue with the arguments listed is... nothing really changed here. Pdon and Zygarde have always been a threat to Gyara Pex. It is also about the furthest thing from a Terrakion and Kartana check that you can get. In fact, it is plain setup fodder for both of these guys.

Gyara Pex does have some issues with moveslots trying to decide between Toxic, Toxic Spikes, Payback, and Haze, but it doesn't want to run a non STAB Scald that just isn't as desirable of an option as any of the four options I previously listed. Gyara Pex also doesn't NEED Payback to beat Lunala 1v1 this is a common misconception. In reality, Haze no attacks can effectively PP stall Lunala out of all of its attacks so even if it is a long process of sitting in front of a Lunala clicking Haze you do effectively stop it. You are right that it struggles against Magearna and it can lose a lot of momentum, but you're underselling its value if you are claiming the ONLY things it can do are check Lunala and Tapu Lele (This isn't even always the case considering both Lucarionite and Diancite Tapu Lele can beat non Haze variants of Gyara Pex with Calm Mind).

First of all, it is important to note that Gyaradosite Toxapex is the best Lunala counter in the metagame. Nothing walls out all of Lunala's coverage options and is able to effortlessly neutralize it like this mon can. This alone is a fantastic merit as Lunala switch-ins are incredibly hard to come by and one has to accept the fact that they may not be doing much else besides dealing with Lunala considering Dark-typing is a subpar type in Mix and Mega.

Second, I would argue Toxapex has actually improved after the Lando-T ban since this has given balance more breathing room to function once again. When balance rises, bulky Arceus-formes immediately rise in usage as they are one of the primary glues this playstyle utilizes. Alongside Arceus, Blissey and a few other bulky Sablenite options like Mandibuzz and the rising Slowbro are fairly popular right now. These are exactly the kind of Pokemon that Gyara Toxapex enjoys tormenting with Mold Breaker Toxic and Toxic Spikes. Mold Breaker Toxic Spikes should not be underestimated they are a fantastic hazard and even though Gyara Pex may not have an outstanding matchup against offense on its own, Toxic Spikes can severely limit the setup window for offensive mons and turn some previously bad matchups into manageable situations by putting a threat on a timer. Considering the primary abuser of Toxic Spikes, Lucarionite Zygarde is also enjoying rising usage recently, i'd certainly argue against its effectiveness plummeting right now.

Once again, not much has changed for Lati Pex. It's interesting you praised Entei previously and asked for a rise and then argued against Toxapex's current viability considering Lati Pex is one of the best Altarianite Entei checks and is capable of soft checking Pinsirite Entei as well (particularly if it keeps its Regenerator ability intact). I agree that it checks Pdon unless it is running Smack Down and that it loses to Luc Zyg, Magearna, Lele, and Lunala (Lunala doesn't need a Psychic STAB to OHKO Lati Pex with +1 Z Moongeist) however, once again, this isn't indicative of any recent metagame shifts that should lead to Toxapex falling as these Pokemon have been threats to Pex for months.

Latiasite Pex isn't meant to take on those offensive threats. It functions well as a blanket check, can function as a status absorber, is a fire resist that doesn't rely on Blue Orb, and does a fantastic job pivoting in on all of the relevant Arceus formes. A great pairing I can think of off the top of my head is Terrakion as Lati Pex counters Entei, Arceus-Fairy and Buzzwole and Terrakion can break open some of those bulky Sablenite users like Blissey and Mandibuzz that can potentially cause Toxapex issues. One more thing to mention regarding Toxapex's matchup against bulky Sablenite users is how annoying Scald burns can be particularly for Mandibuzz. A burn on Mandibuzz immediately limits its effectiveness checking opposing threats as it can no longer OHKO +2 Kartana with foul play and struggles to put out decent damage in general. These Sablenite users are looking to wall out more than just Toxapex so it can be very threatening for them to deal with burn damage. Even though Toxapex can't muscle past these Pokemon on its own, it can pester them with the continued possibility of that Scald burn.

This is quite the lengthy post but I felt it would help to give some extended reasoning on why I feel these noms were formatted correctly but missed the mark in the actual reasoning aspect of the post. To stress this one last time, we really want people to explain what has changed that made this Pokemon you are nomming better or worse. That really is the most important aspect of a VR nomination.
Thx for replying for my nom post ^^

Yeah, after reading your reasoning, I do believe entei should stay, but I still kinda believe toxapex should be moved. I actually thought toxapex should been B+ b4 the ban, but I didn't feel like nomming it. But I honestly dont feel like writing another post now xD, so yeah.
 

in the hills

spreading confusion
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VR Update 5/11
Pokemon
Buzzwole A -> A-
Victini A- -> A
Zeraora A- -> A
Shuckle A- -> B+
Azelf B+ -> B
Tyranitar B- -> B+
Arceus-Water B- -> B
Slowbro UR -> B-
Xurkitree UR -> C

Stones (Italics for movement within stones, Bold for added stone)
Magearna (Manectite, Pinsirite, Latiasite, Sablenite, Cameruptite)
Terrakion (Lucarionite, Diancite, Pinsirite)
Buzzwole (Aggronite, Blue Orb, Sablenite, Banettite, Venusaurite
Darkrai (Diancite, Red Orb, Blastoisinite)
Mew (Red Orb, Aggronite, Manectite, Sablenite)
Shuckle (Ampharosite, Gyaradosite)
Tyranitar (Metagrossite, Pinsirite, Lucarionite)


Buzzwole A -> A-: Buzzwole simply isn't as effective as it once was. While Sablenite/Blue Orb versions of Buzzwole were once considered a balance staple for its ability to check threats such as Darkrai, Kartana, and Terrakion, it now does this much less, due to Darkrai dropping in usage and Kartana/Terrakion developing Pinsirite sets. Additionally, the current meta's offensive threats are much better at pressuring Buzzwole, with Tapu Lele, Lunala, Ho-Oh, and Red Orbers such as Pdon and Victini all being incredibly threatening breakers that can take advantage of Buzzwole. Aggronite Buzzwole is still a decent mon which doesn't find itself as easily pressured by such a large portion of a meta, but this isn't enough for Buzzwole to keep its A rank status since it's harder to justify using Aggronite Buzzwole than it is to find a place for the other A rank mons.

Victini A- -> A: With balance builds returning to the metagame and a notable vacancy in speed tiers above 100, Victini enjoys a boost in viability. Its fantastic power allows it to force even bulky Pokemon like Lunala out (if it's at any less than full hp) and work through traditional Fire resists very quickly, making it difficult to deal with over time.

Zeraora A- -> A: Zeraora continues its rise in the metagame due to a combination of a speed tier that places it above most of the metagame and decent bulk + typing, making it a splashable pick for a lot of teams. Recently people have also been exploring different options in Zeraora's last slot such as Substitute, and between its various options for the 4th slot, Zeraora is capable of working around a lot of mons that try to check it. It still suffers sometimes when trying to do all of these things at once, but Zeraora still manages to consistently make an impact in games due to these factors.

Shuckle A- -> B+: Standard webs teams have taken a hit without Lando-T in the metagame, as Lando-T featured on nearly every strong webs build. While the playstyle remains very strong, Shuckle's rise to A- a few months back was largely due to the influence of Geerat's webs team, which lost an important glue mon with Lando-T's ban.

Azelf B+ -> B: This drop is heavily influenced by the Lando-T ban, as one of Azelf's important niches over Red Orb Mew was that it could outspeed Salamencite Lando-T. Now that the higher Speed tier is much less important, Azelf faces much stronger competition from Red Orb mew, which has better bulk as well as access to Roost.

Tyranitar B- -> B+: Tyranitar hops into B+ due to a huge surge in relevance of its Metagrossite set. Some of its best benefits include removing Lunala from the game with Pursuit pretty reliably, checking a large portion of Fire and Flying types, and being a fairly solid Rocks setter with the ability to beat bouncers like Mandibuzz. Tyranitar also found much more freedom to fit on teams after the Lando ban, which gave extra space for teams to handle Lunala and taking away a competing rocker and a mon that could take advantage of Ttar fairly easily.

Arceus-Water B- -> B: Arceus-Water has gained usage as an Arceus forme due to the compression it can offer against various trends, such as the rise of Rock Polish Primal Groudon, Pinsirite Entei, and Ho-Oh. It also fits on more teams as a result of the Lando-T ban, taking on a few of the roles that Lando-T compressed such as initially scouting Zygarde and Entei's set.

Slowbro UR -> B-: Slowbro has hit the ground running, proving to be a useful bulky Water-type and Sablenite user. Magic Bounce fits very well on Slowbro, bouncing back Toxic from Pdon, Glare from Luc Zyg, and Rocks from most of the common users of the move, including Pdon, Terrakion, and even Tyranitar. Additionally, Slowbro can use Calm Mind, allowing it to double up as a lategame wincon, further adding to its strengths in the meta.

Xurkitree UR -> C: Xurkitree serves as a solid pick on Webs builds in particular. The main notable niche it brings to the table on webs is its ability to punish Zeraora, which is fairly important due to the effectiveness of Zeraora as a speed control option against webs. Xurkitree is also a great balance breaker, since it is able to break down blanket checks like Defensive Pdon and Manectite Magearna at +3, especially against teams that lack atespeed, as it then becomes very difficult to revenge with webs up.

Magearna -> Manectite/Pinsirite/Latiasite/Sablenite/Cameruptite: This new order for Magearna's stones sees Manectite go up to 1st and Latiasite move down to 3rd. Manectite Magearna's defensive pivot set has become hugely popular in the metagame because of its consistency in scouting physical threats. The most notable example of this is Manectite Magearna's ability to check Kartana as unlike other Kartana checks, Magearna is not threatened by chip from Stealth Rock or the Pinsirite set. This proves to be important despite the relatively poor recovery of Pain Split, since it allows the team around it to handle pressure from Rocks + Kartana until a teammate successfully Defogs, while also avoiding the issue of having to guess Kartana's set if it hasn't yet revealed its Mega Stone. Manectite Magearna is also a check to Altarianite Zygarde that doesn't lose to Facade, and a check to Zeraora that doesn't lose to Taunt or Facade. Latiasite Magearna unsurprisingly sees a drop, since its main role was to check Lando-T prior to its ban, but it can still find a niche due to its ability to take advantage of the likes of Groundceus, as well as its ability to check threats such as Pinsirite Terrakion that would normally be able to Earthquake its way through other Magearna sets.

Terrakion -> Lucarionite/Diancite/Pinsirite: Terrakion's Diancite set moves above its Pinsirite set due to its popularity as Speed control. Diancite allows Terrakion to become one of the only mons that is faster than Zeraora and Kartana, which is a huge help in revenge killing both of those threats, and has some variations in free moveslots outside of its STAB moves, including Swords Dance + Stealth Rock, Swords Dance + Substitute, Swords Dance + Taunt and even Stealth Rock + Taunt. In particular, the Stealth Rock sets are often useful additions to teams, as the meta doesn't have as many Stealth Rock setters after Lando-T's ban. Unlike its Pinsirite and Lucarionite sets, the specific roles Diancite Terrakion fits aren't necessarily based on wallbreaking, which is why there's much more freedom choosing Terrakion's last two slots when it's running Diancite.

Buzzwole -> Aggronite/Blue Orb/Sablenite/Banettite/Venusaurite Banettite Buzzwole recently became a set in the meta for its ability to take on the offensive core of Lucarionite Terrakion and Metagrossite Kartana at the same time. It also allows Buzzwole to recover its health before Terrakion is able to use Taunt, making this variant and Sablenite Buzzwole the only variants that can reliably counter Lucarionite Terrakion. This makes Banettite Buzzwole a good choice for teams that want role compression when finding a defensive answer to Kartana and Terrakion's main sets, especially if the team already has another Sablenite user.

Darkrai -> Diancite/Red Orb/Blastoisinite: Darkrai's Blastoisinite set struggles to make a name for itself in the current metagame, as it finds itself outclassed by most other pure breakers, such as Tapu Lele, Ho-Oh, and Terrakion. On the other hand, Diancite and Red Orb provide more useful perks to Darkrai, with the Diancite set helping it act as speed control by almost outspeeding the entire meta , and the Red Orb set allowing it to beat Blastoisinite Darkrai's common checks, such as Magearna and Altarianite Zygarde. Red Orb Darkrai also takes advantage of Water types such as Primal Kyogre, Waterceus, and Slowbro.

Mew -> Red Orb/Aggronite/Manectite/Sablenite: Aggronite Mew has been making a comeback in the meta on very bulky builds, which appreciate its ability to take on top breakers such as Metagrossite Kartana and Lucarionite Tapu Lele. This is particularly impressive as Lucarionite Tapu Lele is a huge threat with very limited answers on bulky teams, so Aggronite Mew finds itself as a useful addition to a good amount of fatter builds. Aggronite Mew is also a better check to threats like Altarianite Zygarde, which has adapted to Manectite Mew by running more bulk, and occasionally Facade in the case of Will-O-Wisp Manectite Mew

Shuckle -> Ampharosite/Gyaradosite: There isn't much to say about this, as Shuckle is a very simple mon, but the resistance to Water and neutrality to sun-boosted Fire moves is typically more useful to Shuckle's hazard-setting capabilities than the slightly improved Lunala matchup.

Tyranitar -> Metagrossite/Pinsirite/Lucarionite: While Tyranitar's Pinsirite set played a large part in it originally being ranked, the Metagrossite set has been taking the spotlight recently. This is largely because Metagrossite Tyranitar provides more direct utility to teams, being able to set Rocks and remove Lunala as mentioned earlier on.


Kartana A+ -> S
4 N 1 Y
Tapu Lele A -> A+
5 N
Buzzwole A -> A-
5 Y
Zeraora A- -> A
5 Y
Necrozma-Dusk-Mane B+ -> B/B-
5 N
Necrozma-Ultra B -> B-/C
4 N 1 Y
Slowbro UR -> B-/C
3 B- 1 Abs 1 N
Xurkitree UR -> C/B-
5 C
Tyranitar B- -> B/B+
4 B+ 1 Abs
Arceus-Water B- -> B
5 Y
Azelf B+ -> B
5 Y
Shuckle A- -> B+
3 Y 2 N
Victini A- -> A
3 Y 1 N 1 Abs

Magearna -> Manectite/Pinsirite/Sablenite/Latiasite/Cameruptite
4 N 1 Y
Magearna -> Manectite/Pinsirite/Latiasite/Sablenite/Cameruptite
5 Y
Terrakion -> Lucarionite/Diancite/Pinsirite
4 Y 1 N
Terrakion -> No Change
4 N 1 Y
Ho-Oh -> Choice Band, Life Orb, Leftovers
5 N
Tapu Lele -> Lucarionite, Diancite
4 N 1 Y
Darkrai -> Diancite, Red Orb, Blastoisinite
3 Y 2 N
Darkrai -> Red Orb, Diancite, Blastoisinite
3 N 2 Y
Mew -> Red Orb, Aggronite, Manectite, Sablenite
4 Y 1 N
Shuckle -> Ampharosite, Gyaradosite
5 Y
Buzzwole -> Add Banettite
4 Y

sorry this update is coming so late we've been putting this off for way too long. huge thanks xavgb and Andyboy for doing pretty much all of the work this update with the reasoning

Also, our Stone Viability Rankings have recieved a LONG overdue update so check those out in the original post!
 

Fardin

Tournament Banned
Zekrom for B-

that mon been always underrated and nobody really gave it a try to know how good it is

it has access to defog which is very nice with lefties + its typing is sick.

with its 100/120/100 bulk, it easily shuts down shit like zera, pins mega, pins entei, hooh, goli, metagross, victini and pins terra (takes a solid 60 from luc iirc which is also respectable), coba, arcehops, raikiou and etc

it also allows it to somewhat annoy red orb users as well in general due to its nice spdef

teravolt is one of it best props, allowing it to get thru magic bounce and toxic almost everything in existence (bar steel and poision, but skarm and non gyara toxa dont like coming in on it anyws.) , which is extremely useful vs literally any kind of balance.

its just an amazing mon to wall most offensive threats with in mnm while also annoying a fuck ton of support ones as well with teravolt

looking at the rest of B-, zekrom easily outclasses most but ik how council is with first time mons on vr so b- is pretty generous.
 
Mega Stones Viability Rankings
Restricted Stones: These stones are restricted to certain Pokémon.
Kangaskanite (+30 Attack, +20 Defense, +20 Special Attack, +10 Special Defense, +20 Speed | Parental Bond | N/A | +20 Kg)​
Thanks for getting Blastoisinite and Pidgeotite up there! But you've got a couple errors regarding Kangaskhanite.
First off, it should be spelled "Kangaskhanite."
Second off, Kangaskhanite actually gives +20 Special Defense and only +10 Speed. (EDIT: Wow I'm a hypocrite. I actually initially posted this with it spelled the wrong way lol. It was getting late for me…)
I noticed because I use the unofficial OMs BHMNM, AGMNM, and AMGMNM, so I use this as a point of reference often.

Also, just something cosmetic:
Red Orb (+30 Attack, +20 Defense, +50 Special Attack | Desolate Land | +
| +49.7 Kg)​
Blue Orb (+50 Attack, +30 Special Attack, +20 Special Defense | Primordial Sea | N/A | +78 Kg)​
What's with these icons? In the text editor they look correct but once posted they become boring marbles...
 
Last edited:

Chloe

is a Community Contributoris a Top Tiering Contributoris a Contributor to Smogonis a Dedicated Tournament Hostis a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Community Leader Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
NUPL Champion
Thanks for getting Blastoisinite and Pidgeotite up there! But you've got a couple errors regarding Kangaskhanite.
First off, it's spelled "Kangaskhanite.
Second off, Kangaskanite actually gives +20 Special Defense and only +10 Speed.
I noticed because I use the unofficial OMs BHMNM, AGMNM, and AMGMNM.

Also, just something cosmetic:

What's with these icons? In the text editor they look correct but once posted they become boring marbles...
Nice catch. Truthfully these were mistakes made by Imperator Romanum but due to Kangaskhanite being banned no one has really noticed the mistake. Additionally, the orbs were kept like that just to promote image size uniformity, but I suppose they could be changed to their current sprites. Neither of these are really important enough to warrant posting though imo. If you notice small off details in future, please contact the post owner on their wall.
 

in the hills

spreading confusion
is a Top Artistis a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Smogon Media Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnus
VR Update 7/9
Victini: A to A-
Mandibuzz: A- to A
Buzzwole: A- to B+
Arceus-Fairy: B+ to A-
Blissey: B+ to A-
Manaphy: B+ to B
Noivern: B+ to B
Tyranitar: B+ to B
Azelf: B to B-
Rayquaza: B to B-
Skarmory: B to B-
Zygarde-Complete: B to B-
Slowbro: B- to B
Cobalion: B- to C+
Keldeo: B- to C+
Shaymin-Sky: B- to C+
Weavile: B- to C+
Xurkitree: C to C+
Hippowdon: C to C-
Milotic: C to C-
Moltres: C to C-
Volcarona: C to C-
Dugtrio: C to UR
Kyurem: C to UR
Landorus-Incarnate: UR to C+
Gyarados: UR to C-
Mimikyu: UR to C-
Tapu Koko: UR to C-
Togekiss: UR to C-
Zekrom: UR to C-

Sorry for the wait-this update was supposed to come before the start of OMPL, but I had a couple technical difficulties and a busy schedule. This update comes with the reintroduction of a split C rank. We felt that the lower ranks had large discrepancies within the ranks, and there were a good few Pokemon who had remained unranked despite having noteworthy niches in the metagame, so a split in C ranks will allow us to more accurately depict what the metagame's state looks like. Just about every drop is due in part to this shift in ranks (though it's not exactly clear cut for any Pokemon), but notable drops such as Skarmory's fall from favor and Dugtrio/Kyurem being unranked are more definitively from metagame trends. Notable rises include Arceus-Fairy, Blissey, Mandibuzz and Slowbro as they are some of the many faces of balance as it continues to grow in the metagame.
 

Pigeons

pidge pidge
is a Tiering Contributoris a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Staff Alumnus

Nominating Palossand from UR to C-
Palossand @ Slowbronite
Ability: Water Compaction
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Shadow Ball
- Iron Defense / Earth Power
- Shore Up
- Stealth Rock

Palossand @ Aggronite
Ability: Water Compaction
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Shadow Ball
- Toxic / Iron Defense
- Shore Up
- Stealth Rock

Palossand is far from a splashable pick in the MnM metagame, but its role on full stall is important enough to warrant ranking in my opinion. Palossand has two main sets: Slowbronite and Aggronite, both acts as physically defensive walls and run essentially the same moves (Shadow Ball / Shore Up / Stealth Rock / Filler), but cover slightly different threats by virtue of typing difference. I'm mostly going to focus on the Slowbronite set here since that's the set I have the most experience using.

The most obvious niche Slowbronite Palossand has is pretty much countering Lucarionite and Diancite Terrakion, which is absolutely essential for stall given how potent Terrakion is in the current metagame. Besides Terrakion, Slowbronite Palossand can check most physical attackers lacking a super effective STAB move thanks to its great bulk and access to Iron Defense (which shuts down boosting sweepers with no risk of being crit). While this can be compared to Audinite Hippowdon (which also checks Terrakion by virtue of typing while sharing roughly equal post-mega bulk), Palossand has several advantages that are worth noting:

Firstly, Palossand doesn't rely on a post-mega type change to check Terrakion, meaning it can still switch in safely even if it has not mega evolved yet. Hippowdon on the other hand takes over 50% if it switches into Lucarionite Terrakion's Close Combat before mega evolving, which is problematic if the Terrakion is also carrying Taunt. Obviously this wouldn't happen in every game, but the added reliability against Terrakion that Palossand offers is definitely a plus.

Secondly, Shadow Ball has very good neutral coverage and hits reasonably hard with Slowbronite's SpA boost. While it won't be doing meaningful damage against any bulky pivots, it's enough to force bulkier offensive Pokemon like Pinsirite Magearna or Altarianite Zygarde to switch out. This allows Palossand to have a much better matchup against Taunt or Substitute Pinsirite users than Audinite Hippowdon (which is forced to run Earthquake) and makes it slightly less passive overall.

While Palossand is a valuable member of stall teams, it does have drawbacks. Probably the biggest issue is that Palossand is free momentum for common pivots like Manectite Magearna or Sablenite Mandibuzz. Palossand fails to do much damage to both and generally can't risk staying in, so both are free to generate momentum and allow their teammates to exert further pressure. Being a momentum sink means Palossand is effectively limited to stall teams where losses in momentum aren't as catastrophic. Palossand is also still vulnerable to being overwhelmed if the opponent has multiple threats it needs to check (e.g both Altarianite Entei and Lucarionite Terrakion), particularly if one is carrying Taunt or Toxic.

In summary, Palossand greatly elevates the potency of stall but is not a great option outside of that. C- seems like an appropriate rank given how essential it is for stall, I think it's fairly similar to Hippowdon overall so the two being ranked alongside each other makes sense.

vs Lucarionite Terrakion
252 Atk Adaptability Lucarionite Terrakion Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Palossand: 88-104 (23.5 - 27.8%) -- 81.6% chance to 4HKO (pre-mega Palossand)
252 Atk Adaptability Lucarionite Terrakion Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Slowbronite Palossand: 62-73 (16.5 - 19.5%) -- possible 6HKO
+2 252 Atk Adaptability Lucarionite Terrakion Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Slowbronite Palossand: 122-144 (32.6 - 38.5%) -- 98.6% chance to 3HKO
4 SpA Slowbronite Palossand Shadow Ball vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Lucarionite Terrakion: 118-141 (36.5 - 43.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

vs Pinsirite Zeraora
252 Atk Aerilate Pinsirite Zeraora Return vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Slowbronite Palossand: 100-118 (26.7 - 31.5%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
+1 252 Atk Aerilate Pinsirite Zeraora Return vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Slowbronite Palossand: 150-177 (40.1 - 47.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
4 SpA Slowbronite Palossand Shadow Ball vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Pinsirite Zeraora: 109-129 (34.3 - 40.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

vs Altarianite Entei
252+ Atk Pixilate Altarianite Entei Return vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Slowbronite Palossand: 118-139 (31.5 - 37.1%) -- 81.3% chance to 3HKO
+1 252+ Atk Pixilate Altarianite Entei Return vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Slowbronite Palossand: 175-207 (46.7 - 55.3%) -- 69.5% chance to 2HKO
+1 252+ Atk Pixilate Altarianite Entei Return vs. +2 252 HP / 252+ Def Slowbronite Palossand: 88-105 (23.5 - 28%) -- 87.1% chance to 4HKO
4 SpA Slowbronite Palossand Shadow Ball vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Altarianite Entei: 138-163 (37.1 - 43.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

Replays:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7mixandmega-946378086 - Palossand prevents Diancite Terrakion from doing anything, making it easier to pp stall Arceus-Ground
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7mixandmega-946337892 Palossand checks Ho-Oh in the early game and goes on to 1v1 Last Resort Pinsirite Magearna
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7mixandmega-946797995 A misplay results in Palossand going down early, but it manages to halt Altarianite Entei and burned Lucarionite Zygarde

Shoutouts GL Volkner Funbot28 for asking why I didn't shout them out (ily both)
 

Funbot28

Banned deucer.
I got one nom to make as well :>


A+ -> S
I know making this nom is like beating a dead horse given the history of this thread. However, I feel the metagame has evolved into a state where the prevalence of Magearna in both teambuilding and play (using the ongoing OMPL as a great example) is as definitive as the other S-Ranks. Not only is Manectite Magearna an amazing glue on the many Bulky Offenses that popularize the tier, acting as an all in one blanket check to threats such as Kartana, Diancite Terrakion, Zeraora, Noivern, Pinsirite Magearna, and occasionally Altarianite Zygarde when unboosted. Magearna just offers so much momentum to any team even when Primal Groudon can theoretically stop it in its tracks given how much Fleur Cannon chips it every time it attempts to switch in. CM Split Manectite has also started to pop up apart from the pivot set, enabling Magearna to act as a solid wincon against teams relying on Blissey, Mandibuzz, and opposing pivot Mags as their specially defensive walls. We all know Magearna can run an abundance of other sets as well, where Pinsirite, Latiasite, and occasionally Sablenite can perform in the current metagame while admittedly sets using other stones such as Cameruptite and Blue Orb have fallen off. All in all, I find it hard to not consider Magearna an S-Rank threat given how much it defines the metagame and it being a staple on many teams in our current meta as a result with just the impact of one set / stone alone.
 

Fardin

Tournament Banned
Araquanid @ Ampharosite
Ability: Water Bubble
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 172 Def / 80 SpD
Careful Nature
- Liquidation
- Toxic
- Magic Coat
- Sticky Web

to C or w.e

with shuckle gone, this mon will easily rise in usage the next couple of months, and for a good reason too. typing and bulk allows it to live a hit vs everything in the meta (apart from unhealthy explosion) and can counter taunts with mcoat and etc. toxic is there to annoy bulk, and liq so its not that useless vs some offensive shits. sure, it can be a set up bait to a few sub users, but its more than worth it for webs.

set can obv be modified (this mon got many good moves) and spreads if wanted. also saw some kid using gyara too so thats a possiblity if u dont want to be weak vs luna but then in exchange play the 33/33/33 game vs terraks
 

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