Resource SS OU DLC2 Viability Ranking Thread [SEE: Page 105, Post 2618]

[IAMLEGENDhalo]

Just recently realized Bisharp is somehow OU. I'm kinda surprised by this at theirs so many good OU mons who just beat Bisharp really badly and only a handful it beats itself. Am I missing something that makes it have its B tier placement?

 

[myself12]

Just recently realized Bisharp is somehow OU. I'm kinda surprised by this at theirs so many good OU mons who just beat Bisharp really badly and only a handful it beats itself. Am I missing something that makes it have its B tier placement?

I don't use bisharp a lot, but from what I can tell, defiant is great, and Bisharp is a great abuser of beat up. Sucker punch is a great move, and the steel dark typing gives some useful resistances (ghost, psychic, ice and dark, among others). Knock off is also a great move that bisharp has.

 

[IAMLEGENDhalo]

I don't use bisharp a lot, but from what I can tell, defiant is great, and Bisharp is a great abuser of beat up. Sucker punch is a great move, and the steel dark typing gives some useful resistances (ghost, psychic, ice and dark, among others). Knock off is also a great move that bisharp has.

Those are all great traits I think they were a lot better in gen 7 where it wasn't even OU but I'm looking at a lot of the best mons and a ton of them just dumpster Bisharp like Body Press Corviknight, Tank Chomp, Any Buzzwole variant and Melmetal to name a few

 

[myself12]

Those are all great traits I think they were a lot better in gen 7 where it wasn't even OU but I'm looking at a lot of the best mons and a ton of them just dumpster Bisharp like Body Press Corviknight, Tank Chomp, Any Buzzwole variant and Melmetal to name a few

True, that's why bisharp is B rank. B rank is defined as " B Rank - Pokemon that are good, but are more specialized, or need more support to work. " Once buiky pokes are removed, Bisharp can destroy teams.

 

[agslash23]

Just recently realized Bisharp is somehow OU. I'm kinda surprised by this at theirs so many good OU mons who just beat Bisharp really badly and only a handful it beats itself. Am I missing something that makes it have its B tier placement?

Bisharp is OU because its SD set is really powerful - it can OHKO Corviknight at +2. Also, Sucker Punch can sometimes win it games it had no right to win in the first place, and Iron Head helps it delete Clefable. Band isn't too bad either with Beat Up.

While it is not the best, it has a place as a breaker on Screens Hyper Offenses that struggle with Unaware Clefable and Defoggers. I would say that B-rank is perfectly justified

 

[viivian]

Just recently realized Bisharp is somehow OU. I'm kinda surprised by this at theirs so many good OU mons who just beat Bisharp really badly and only a handful it beats itself. Am I missing something that makes it have its B tier placement?

its sheer power and great offensive typing in conjunction with defiant make it serviceable enough to be ranked at B. ngl i’d reckon it’d be even better if weavile was banned bc then we’d truly get to see what it can do without weavile giving it so much competition for a team slot.

 

[That_Dwayneee]

MAMOSWINE

 

[Ctann]

View attachment 428990 C -> C-
is primarina powerful as fuck? yes. does that make her worth slotting onto a team over other waters? no. overall, primarina is incredibly niche and is hopelessly outclassed. being slow af while not actually being bulky enough to reliably take strong hits isn’t exactly helping either. she still hits like a freight train with her specs set, but is generally not worth a slot on a team over other water and fairy types.

just FYI the specs set isn’t the most workable set in OU. It’s the sub + 3 attacks set that does well. It’s a potent wall breaker set

I’m not gonna say she’s top tier tho. due to the popularity and utility of Ferrothorn right now. She’s definitely worthy of being higher than the current rank she’s at n

some replays..

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1592432905-veijqkocddncq1862cr74ictig3rqikpw

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1591512521-dit1aytf5kp1zyzfdwpy4rf4p6zpw05pw

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1591535853-pvatvzvt2f1pbkz9dqhyfp96gy6rvf9pw

Sometimes tho.. her lack of bulk means you can get surprised by unexpected sets (it happens turn one in the game below)

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8ou-1592440060-akunjdoknxu0t9cq8crx17mczybfs2rpw

primarina is the cream of the crop of UU offensive picks in OU, and is leagues ahead of most of the C tiers in terms of potency.

—

tho these replays really show that aegislash is a contender for A rank. It’s just not explored enough.

Aegislash vs nine tails + arctozolt handy tip

Here’s a cool aegislash tip:

aegislash can be put to a sleep by nine tails, or it can absorb ice attacks with a 10% chance to freeze.

usually a sleeping or frozen aegislash is a liability.

however!!

Even if statused (also includes full Paralysis) you can then switch into a predicted ice attack from arctozolt.

then… you can press kings shield, and you will move first”.

Even while sleeping!

And also while frozen or fully paralysed!

This means that bolt beak has 85 power instead of 170, and turns the attack from a 2hko into a 3-4hko!!!

cool trick to use to stall out hail tirns

tangrowth is actually also a really good wall right now when paired with other bulky Pokémon. The caveat is important, because other bulky Pokémon can allow it to regenerate enough times to block and harras the threats it needs to.

finally rotom-heat is a utility threat that needs to be explored more. Switches into zapdos, tornadus, clefable, koko, zeraora, some landorus, mamoswine, and Melmetal, can tank a hit from heatran and pivot out, etc. it’s only held back by overheat being the only fire attack it has :( . The lack of fire options makes it very exploitable by top tier players, making the nasty plot set near-useless past 1800 elo, and you’re forced to go pure utility.

———

id like to nominate Bulu and Keldeo for the following:

• to B- rank
• Keldeo to B- rank

reasons and logic:

- Bulu can check a long list of threats, and support it’s team. It can even fit in 252+ attack whilst carrying shockingly useful defensive utility,

and it’s even possible to invest approx 156 SpD to matchup against defensive tornadus, as rock slide OHKO’s at +2 after it switches into swords dance., whilst 0 SpA hurricane does not.

- Keldeo is actually very potent, it just has less defensive utility than urshifu, which it competes with from a typing perspective.

Scald is a broken move and lots of OU teams don’t like finding a switch in for it right now. It can also beat the slow twins shenanigans by running a lure mono attacking set with taunt + sub. This forces the player to sack something, even if it’s running a slow twin.

The mono attacker set also lures and breaks all common variants of toxapex. Unfortunately it’s useless against gastrodon and volcanion.

—

excadrill is C rank at best.. it’s so high up! A good Pokémon usually, the meta is not kind to it.

and are surprisingly high, I’d drop them somewhere into the B tiers. I don’t think the meta needs them as much as the rank suggests. They’re obviously good, but rotom isn’t impactful and slowing is exploitable, whilst lacking body press fighting coverage that slow bro has.

what do I mean by that?

Rotom-w is blanked by most defensive Pokémon. Tho it can come in handy to have as a switch into flying types and Melmetal.

Meanwhile Slowking can be beaten by most special set up Pokémon (volcarona, Nihilego, calm mind koko, Keldeo, clefable etc), so it’s basically relegated to walling volcanion, nidoking and softening Heatrans hits whilst being a multipurpose pivot in other matchups. Using slowking basically forces a partner like buzzwole just to be viable, lest you let in a dark type knock offer/beat upper in on a double switch. And those double switches will happen frequently, due to the type of Pokémon slowking is, as a slow pivot.

 

[658Greninja]

The VR forms of old gens have players post their own rankings while explaining their placements. With SS becoming an old gen this year, I thought it was fitting if I did something similar. (Also cause the thread is a desert rn) I won’t explain every placement, just the ones I find more interesting or aren’t no brainers. I will also be ignoring most of the C tier except for a few I find underrated

S Rank: The Meta Tier

S Rank

Heatran

Landorus-Therian

S- Rank

Clefable

Tornadus-Therian

Weavile

A Rank: The Meta Staples Tier

A+ Rank

Buzzwole

Dragapult

Ferrothorn

Garchomp

Kartana

Melmetal

Slowbro

Tapu Koko

A Rank

Ninetales-Alola

Slowking-Galar

Rotom-Wash

Tapu Lele

Toxapex

Urshifu-R

Volcarona

Zapdos

Zeraora

A- Rank

Blacephalon

Corviknight

Dragonite

Excadrill

Gastrodon

Slowking

Tapu Fini

Volcanion

Zapdos-Galar

B Rank: The Good/Solid & Underrated Tier

B+ Rank

Barraskewda

Hippowdon

Magnezone

Moltres-Galar

Nidoking

Pelipper

Skarmory

Tyranitar

Victini

B Rank

Aegislash

Arctozolt

Bisharp

Blaziken

Blissey

Cloyster

Nihilego

Rillaboom

Seismitoad

B- Rank

Amoonguss

Celesteela

Hawlucha

Hydreigon

Mew

Reuniclus

Scizor

Tangrowth

Terrakion

Thundurus-Therian
Explanations

S- > S: Tran is easily on the level of Lando in terms of splashability and versatility. In fact it is even better since Tran is one of the hardest threats to switch into in OU. It is incredibly customizable on the BO/Balance builds it fits in effortlessly for any task that is needed to be filled. You never know what Tran could be carrying in Team Preview and that is what makes it the scariest and one of the most versatile metagame threats.

A- > A: Washtom has been skyrocketing in success and usage in WCOP. A lot of ORAS-esche builds have popped up and it fits perfectly. It is efficient at grabbing momentum and forcing mindgames. Wisp/T-Wave/Toxic just makes it even more difficult to switch into it. Checking Melm, Dnite, Tran, Torn and Volcanion in one slot is invaluable, especially with Melm being more common than ever. This goes without mentioning NP breaker sets which are scary vs Balance/BO builds that rely on Ferro as a check.

B+ > A-: Gastro Balance teams are commonplace in WCOP and for good reason. It walls a bunch of shit. The tier is going back to Balance builds, which it fits right in. Sticky Hold is good, but Storm Drain extends the list of things it checks. The slug can wall entire teams cause very few things can threaten it without risking a burn or a Toxic.

A > A-: The waters have been rough for it. Not only competing with the Slowtwins, Wash and Pex, but now Gastro as well. Its issues are more apparent, too easy to overwhelm with hazards, Knock, and the very things it is meant to check. The meta is favoring more durable builds compared to the more aggressive builds it fit in. Whirlpool sets get shit on by Shed Pex and Torn. CM has issues with staying healthy enough to get up a sweep. Still good but it is having trouble differentiating with the other bulky waters.

B- > B+: Might seem reaching, but if you have been paying attention to WCOP, Hippo has been making a comeback. Balance builds are returning to the forefront with Hippo being Lando but fatter and with the longevity to keep up with Lando’s targets in the long game. Sand being popular thanks to last month’s trends helps matters even more.

A- > B+: Another victim of metagame shifts. Zone Offense builds are rare since they are inconsistent and lack the longevity to compete with BO/Balance while not being as nuclear as Veil/Rain. It has always had issues with being MU dependent, but its more apparent than ever with more teams implementing one or two more checks to its partners like Kart, Lele, and Fini instead of relying on just Corv/Ferro to do so.

B- > B+: Skarm has been popping up in big tours for months, but it is seeing use/success on other builds besides the ones with Clef/Pex/Hippo/Reun/Koko. Compared to Ferro, Skarm has the longevity to keep setting up spikes without risking losing half your health. Toxic hits Zap/Wash/Koko while also punishing Torn. It is a better Weav/Kart/Chomp/Ttar check than Corv due to the higher physD. Plus Zone sees less usage so yeah.

B+ > B: Steel have always been annoying for Zolt but it can always clean them off after they are chipped by hail or raw Bolt Beaks, but now it has to deal with more frequent Gastro builds. Which is a problem since it walls it effortlessly without factoring Hax. It can theoretically just run Freeze Dry to bypass it, but then it misses out on 2HKOs on Buzzwole.

B+ > B: As a result of Zone Offense builds dying off, Nihi is a victim of its downfall. Suffers from a combination of new and previously existing meta trends like sand making a comeback, Gastro being frequent, the meta getting more durable, and teams stacking multiple checks to it. If you searched the definition for Trendy, you’ll see a picture of Nihi along with an image of Beat Up Weav.

C- > B-: Idc if this thing gets completely walled by Ferro, you got 5 other members to deal with the cringe durian and you got a decent check/pivot to a good portion of the meta like Koko, Pult, Shifu, Kart, Zera, Clef, etc. Fits well on the rising Clef + Skarm hazard stacking builds that don’t need Ferro’s talents but appreciates Amoon’s talents. Spore is still busted, use Stun Spore and Foul Play together instead of using trash Giga Drain. Spore + Stun Spore forces nice progress. It also has the bulk to live a hit from Melm and pivot out. Eject Button is also great on the Shifu/Koko/Pult that U-Turn on you in the early game. Give it a shot, no way this is worse than shitty Zarude.

B+ > B-: Sees less use on HO since most Veil teams are running Chomp or Balloon Tran as their rockers now. Demon Mew is also still gimmicky and way too support reliant for something that offers no defensive utility. The rest of its sets are replaceable in their roles. Sorry NP Vaccum Wave.

C > B-: Terrak is underrated, that is the hill I will die on. OHKOs the common physical walls of the tier after a boost and has the natural bulk to take a hit and get up an SD behind veil. It is great on Veil builds as it deletes Pex, Buzz, Skarm and Bro from the game so that Chomp/Kart/Cloy can go hard. Even without a boost, LO boosted Rock/Fighting stabs from its 129 base Atk still hurt. Rock Polish can also be used so it can sweep on its own. If you have any doubts about it, here are some calcs. Have a good day.

Calcs

After an SD

+2 252 Atk Life Orb Terrakion Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Clefable: 370-437 (93.9 - 110.9%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO

+2 252 Atk Life Orb Terrakion Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Skarmory: 289-341 (86.5 - 102%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock

+1 252 Atk Life Orb Terrakion Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 104 Def Landorus-Therian: 308-364 (80.6 - 95.2%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock

+2 252 Atk Life Orb Terrakion Megahorn vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Slowbro: 455-538 (115.4 - 136.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO

+2 252 Atk Life Orb Terrakion Stone Edge vs. 0 HP / 168 Def Buzzwole: 281-331 (79.1 - 93.2%) -- 37.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock

+2 252 Atk Life Orb Terrakion Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Toxapex: 302-356 (99.3 - 117.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock

+2 252 Atk Life Orb Terrakion Close Combat vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Garchomp: 530-624 (148.4 - 174.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO



Without an SD

252 Atk Life Orb Terrakion Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Clefable: 187-220 (47.4 - 55.8%) -- 21.5% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

252 Atk Life Orb Terrakion Stone Edge vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Urshifu-Rapid-Strike: 105-125 (30.7 - 36.6%) -- 99.6% chance to 3HKO after Stealth Rock

252 Atk Life Orb Terrakion Close Combat vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Urshifu-Rapid-Strike: 253-298 (74.1 - 87.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock

252 Atk Life Orb Terrakion Stone Edge vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Tapu Lele: 269-317 (95.7 - 112.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock

252 Atk Life Orb Terrakion Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Hippowdon: 220-261 (52.3 - 62.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery

252 Atk Life Orb Terrakion Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Toxapex: 151-179 (49.6 - 58.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock

252 Atk Life Orb Terrakion Stone Edge vs. 0 HP / 168 Def Buzzwole: 142-168 (40 - 47.3%) -- 37.9% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock

Edit: Someone wanted me to explain Clef’s placement, so that is what I’ll do.

A+ > S-: I am not sure where the claim “Clef has fallen off” came from, cause if anything, it is in a better spot than ever in Crown Tundra. It has seen non stop performance in WCOP, including on some of the most frequently used, best performing teams. The meta focuses on using hazards, Knock, and status to force progress, especially with the meta cooling off to a Balance ridden state. The fact that it can absorb these things while providing a shitton of utility establishes itself as a fantastic glue mon amongst tier titans Tran and Lando. Like with Tran, it can be easily customized to do anything the team needs and being impossible to OHKO at high health without Melm or Nidoking, it can get the job done in a pinch. Sets up hazards, Knocks items, spreads Paralysis, Tricks Barb/Scarf, set up CM, heal status, even Healing Wish and Wish have seen appearances. It really can mix n’ match its options. Knock + T-Wave/Trick in particular is egregiously uncomfortable to switch into, forcing progress in the end. Forgoing rocks doesn’t hurt considering the tier isn’t short on strong rockers. Sorry this was a long explanation, but that was the reason I didn’t want to explain it.

 

[HydreigonTheChild]

The VR forms of old gens have players post their own rankings while explaining their placements. With SS becoming an old gen this year, I thought it was fitting if I did something similar. (Also cause the thread is a desert rn) I won’t explain every placement, just the ones I find more interesting or aren’t no brainers. I will also be ignoring most of the C tier except for a few I find underrated

S Rank: The Meta Tier

S Rank

Heatran

Landorus-Therian

S- Rank

Clefable

Tornadus-Therian

Weavile

can you please exlpain the S- clef placement... i do wonder since clef seemed to fall of a lot lately

 

[Astoria]

Probably time to drop Landorus.

Wcop shows more and more that Lando is not necessarily a staple on most teams anymore. Lots of team structures prefer Garchomp, Hippo, Gastrodon or Excadrill now.
Don't understand me wrong, Landorus is still really really good but I don't see it being more outstanding than Heatran, Weavile or even others. I'm not sure how the ladder looks atm but I am pretty sure that it will adapt too and that Lando usage is or will be dropping.

 

[Finchinator]

we will have a new slate soon

i do not know when soon is

post your shit sooner than whenever my soon is though

or else it will not be soon enough...aha...

goodnight

 

[gnont]

Probably time to drop Landorus.

Wcop shows more and more that Lando is not necessarily a staple on most teams anymore. Lots of team structures prefer Garchomp, Hippo, Gastrodon or Excadrill now.
Don't understand me wrong, Landorus is still really really good but I don't see it being more outstanding than Heatran, Weavile or even others. I'm not sure how the ladder looks atm but I am pretty sure that it will adapt too and that Lando usage is or will be dropping.

I think people just overhyped lando a bit

 

[Undorian]

I like the idea of people making their own comprehensive tier lists, so I made a template on tiermaker.com: https://tiermaker.com/create/pokmon-sword-shield-ou-metagame-15163766

I simply went with the Pokémon ranked on the viability rankings for now, though if you notice something missing or think that a list won´t work without a particular Pokémon, please feel free to contact me over it, and I´ll add it.

Please let me know what you think. If there´s anybody I forgot to credit with the images, please let me know as well.

Please have fun!

 

[Walletinspector62]

Here’s my rankings. I grouped rain together. None of the tiers are ordered

 

[viivian]

View attachment 431550
Here’s my rankings. I grouped rain together. None of the tiers are ordered

bulu and corviknight are both far too high. and why is scizor lower than necrozma?

 

[Walletinspector62]

bulu and corviknight are both far too high. and why is scizor lower than necrozma?

Still think corv is a good Mon and easily the best defogger in the tier, and bulu is a really unexplored and underappreciated Mon imo. Provides terrain for passive recovery for mons like Melmetal and can check mons like chomp urshifu kart zera rain and can switch into a lot of choiced mons stab making awkward 50 50s. There’s a couple decent sets it can run but the one I’ve been experimenting with is super effective berry variants that lure in mons like zapdos and tornadus. Could’ve put it a tier lower tho I don’t think I meant to put it in A lol.

 

[myself12]

-> A
I would like to second the nomination of rotom-wash to A. Washtom has two moves that it's competition does not have: volt switch and pain split. Volt switch is great in helping washtom keep momentum up, and it's hard to block because of hydro pump. Pain split gives rotom some recovery and because of washtom's relatively low hp stat, pain split does major damage to many of washtom's checks. Being a water type that isn't weak to electric also helps in the rain matchup, allowing it to check barraskewda and zapdos.

 

[Moyashi]

A new slate? Hm... In that case a few noms to make from me

-> S-
I don't think it's fair to say anything else but Clef is a majorly important glue mon in the tier right now. It's enjoyed a lot of success as of late and for good reason. Being highly customizable and splashable. The resilience and role compression it provides is very key in the metagame and it stands to reason that it is a very crucial defensive and general presence in the tier.

-> A+
Probably more a hot take but after an admittedly shallow performance in the qualifiers for WCoP, Zapdos returned to its usual self, sporting great usage and overall having a much better showing that really, in my mind, cements it as a very strong presence in OU. Whether on rain, as a defogger or a general offensive breaker.

-> A
I view Washtom to be one of the best disruptive presences in the tier atm. Both as a pivot and utility mons. It's quite remarkably tough to switch into at times and it's general effectiveness and versatility has been on full display lately. Flexible and fairly splashable. It's nice to see this one making such a comeback.

-> A-
And speaking of comebacks, here is one I wasn't expecting to see. Gastrodon has been enjoying high usage and success lately and it's not hard to see why. Matching up well against popular breakers, especially rising threats lioe Nidoking as well as the ever present Volcanion. It isn't a perfect wall and is quite vulnerable to toxic itself, but it's shown its worth and reliability as of late. It deserves a raise.

-> A-
With a shift towards more durable, lasting teams, Fini struggles more than ever to compete with the other waters in the tier both offensively and defensively. Slowtwins and their future port antics as well as checking key threats, Toxapex and its immense longevity (although quite passive), and the rising Washtom and Gastrodon who both are longer lasting and more proactive pokemon in their roles. Fini is overwhelmed far too easily and struggles to keep up. Being a free invite for Volcanion or TornadusT is also not that desirable either.

-> A+ (Disagree)
This nom I have seen a few times. Even though it's a splashable check to physical attackers and has possible set variety, it's still plagued by the issue of being a Weavile check often doomed to losing its helmet and thus becoming a bit less able to punish it, especially CB Vile which can beat a helmetless Buzz with Axel after minor chip. Offensive sets are decent and can be pretty threatening on their own but the loss of bulk investment means strong physical neutral hits become harder to take and you may need to deligate some extra defense elsewhere. It's a great mon don't get me wrong but I don't think it's A+ worthy. Yet.

 

[Ruparajan]

The VR forms of old gens have players post their own rankings while explaining their placements. With SS becoming an old gen this year, I thought it was fitting if I did something similar. (Also cause the thread is a desert rn) I won’t explain every placement, just the ones I find more interesting or aren’t no brainers. I will also be ignoring most of the C tier except for a few I find underrated

S Rank: The Meta Tier

S Rank

Heatran

Landorus-Therian

S- Rank

Clefable

Tornadus-Therian

Weavile

A Rank: The Meta Staples Tier

A+ Rank

Buzzwole

Dragapult

Ferrothorn

Garchomp

Kartana

Melmetal

Slowbro

Tapu Koko

A Rank

Ninetales-Alola

Slowking-Galar

Rotom-Wash

Tapu Lele

Toxapex

Urshifu-R

Volcarona

Zapdos

Zeraora

A- Rank

Blacephalon

Corviknight

Dragonite

Excadrill

Gastrodon

Slowking

Tapu Fini

Volcanion

Zapdos-Galar

B Rank: The Good/Solid & Underrated Tier

B+ Rank

Barraskewda

Hippowdon

Magnezone

Moltres-Galar

Nidoking

Pelipper

Skarmory

Tyranitar

Victini

B Rank

Aegislash

Arctozolt

Bisharp

Blaziken

Blissey

Cloyster

Nihilego

Rillaboom

Seismitoad

B- Rank

Amoonguss

Celesteela

Hawlucha

Hydreigon

Mew

Reuniclus

Scizor

Tangrowth

Terrakion

Thundurus-Therian
Explanations

View attachment 431247S- > S: Tran is easily on the level of Lando in terms of splashability and versatility. In fact it is even better since Tran is one of the hardest threats to switch into in OU. It is incredibly customizable on the BO/Balance builds it fits in effortlessly for any task that is needed to be filled. You never know what Tran could be carrying in Team Preview and that is what makes it the scariest and one of the most versatile metagame threats.

View attachment 431249A- > A: Washtom has been skyrocketing in success and usage in WCOP. A lot of ORAS-esche builds have popped up and it fits perfectly. It is efficient at grabbing momentum and forcing mindgames. Wisp/T-Wave/Toxic just makes it even more difficult to switch into it. Checking Melm, Dnite, Tran, Torn and Volcanion in one slot is invaluable, especially with Melm being more common than ever. This goes without mentioning NP breaker sets which are scary vs Balance/BO builds that rely on Ferro as a check.

View attachment 431250B+ > A-: Gastro Balance teams are commonplace in WCOP and for good reason. It walls a bunch of shit. The tier is going back to Balance builds, which it fits right in. Sticky Hold is good, but Storm Drain extends the list of things it checks. The slug can wall entire teams cause very few things can threaten it without risking a burn or a Toxic.

View attachment 431254A > A-: The waters have been rough for it. Not only competing with the Slowtwins, Wash and Pex, but now Gastro as well. Its issues are more apparent, too easy to overwhelm with hazards, Knock, and the very things it is meant to check. The meta is favoring more durable builds compared to the more aggressive builds it fit in. Whirlpool sets get shit on by Shed Pex and Torn. CM has issues with staying healthy enough to get up a sweep. Still good but it is having trouble differentiating with the other bulky waters.

View attachment 431255B- > B+: Might seem reaching, but if you have been paying attention to WCOP, Hippo has been making a comeback. Balance builds are returning to the forefront with Hippo being Lando but fatter and with the longevity to keep up with Lando’s targets in the long game. Sand being popular thanks to last month’s trends helps matters even more.

View attachment 431257A- > B+: Another victim of metagame shifts. Zone Offense builds are rare since they are inconsistent and lack the longevity to compete with BO/Balance while not being as nuclear as Veil/Rain. It has always had issues with being MU dependent, but its more apparent than ever with more teams implementing one or two more checks to its partners like Kart, Lele, and Fini instead of relying on just Corv/Ferro to do so.

View attachment 431261B- > B+: Skarm has been popping up in big tours for months, but it is seeing use/success on other builds besides the ones with Clef/Pex/Hippo/Reun/Koko. Compared to Ferro, Skarm has the longevity to keep setting up spikes without risking losing half your health. Toxic hits Zap/Wash/Koko while also punishing Torn. It is a better Weav/Kart/Chomp/Ttar check than Corv due to the higher physD. Plus Zone sees less usage so yeah.

View attachment 431262B+ > B: Steel have always been annoying for Zolt but it can always clean them off after they are chipped by hail or raw Bolt Beaks, but now it has to deal with more frequent Gastro builds. Which is a problem since it walls it effortlessly without factoring Hax. It can theoretically just run Freeze Dry to bypass it, but then it misses out on 2HKOs on Buzzwole.

View attachment 431264B+ > B: As a result of Zone Offense builds dying off, Nihi is a victim of its downfall. Suffers from a combination of new and previously existing meta trends like sand making a comeback, Gastro being frequent, the meta getting more durable, and teams stacking multiple checks to it. If you searched the definition for Trendy, you’ll see a picture of Nihi along with an image of Beat Up Weav.

View attachment 431265C- > B-: Idc if this thing gets completely walled by Ferro, you got 5 other members to deal with the cringe durian and you got a decent check/pivot to a good portion of the meta like Koko, Pult, Shifu, Kart, Zera, Clef, etc. Fits well on the rising Clef + Skarm hazard stacking builds that don’t need Ferro’s talents but appreciates Amoon’s talents. Spore is still busted, use Stun Spore and Foul Play together instead of using trash Giga Drain. Spore + Stun Spore forces nice progress. It also has the bulk to live a hit from Melm and pivot out. Eject Button is also great on the Shifu/Koko/Pult that U-Turn on you in the early game. Give it a shot, no way this is worse than shitty Zarude.

View attachment 431266B+ > B-: Sees less use on HO since most Veil teams are running Chomp or Balloon Tran as their rockers now. Demon Mew is also still gimmicky and way too support reliant for something that offers no defensive utility. The rest of its sets are replaceable in their roles. Sorry NP Vaccum Wave.

View attachment 431267C > B-: Terrak is underrated, that is the hill I will die on. OHKOs the common physical walls of the tier after a boost and has the natural bulk to take a hit and get up an SD behind veil. It is great on Veil builds as it deletes Pex, Buzz, Skarm and Bro from the game so that Chomp/Kart/Cloy can go hard. Even without a boost, LO boosted Rock/Fighting stabs from its 129 base Atk still hurt. Rock Polish can also be used so it can sweep on its own. If you have any doubts about it, here are some calcs. Have a good day.

Calcs

After an SD

+2 252 Atk Life Orb Terrakion Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Clefable: 370-437 (93.9 - 110.9%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO

+2 252 Atk Life Orb Terrakion Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Skarmory: 289-341 (86.5 - 102%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock

+1 252 Atk Life Orb Terrakion Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 104 Def Landorus-Therian: 308-364 (80.6 - 95.2%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock

+2 252 Atk Life Orb Terrakion Megahorn vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Slowbro: 455-538 (115.4 - 136.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO

+2 252 Atk Life Orb Terrakion Stone Edge vs. 0 HP / 168 Def Buzzwole: 281-331 (79.1 - 93.2%) -- 37.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock

+2 252 Atk Life Orb Terrakion Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Toxapex: 302-356 (99.3 - 117.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock

+2 252 Atk Life Orb Terrakion Close Combat vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Garchomp: 530-624 (148.4 - 174.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO



Without an SD

252 Atk Life Orb Terrakion Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Clefable: 187-220 (47.4 - 55.8%) -- 21.5% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

252 Atk Life Orb Terrakion Stone Edge vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Urshifu-Rapid-Strike: 105-125 (30.7 - 36.6%) -- 99.6% chance to 3HKO after Stealth Rock

252 Atk Life Orb Terrakion Close Combat vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Urshifu-Rapid-Strike: 253-298 (74.1 - 87.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock

252 Atk Life Orb Terrakion Stone Edge vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Tapu Lele: 269-317 (95.7 - 112.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock

252 Atk Life Orb Terrakion Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Hippowdon: 220-261 (52.3 - 62.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery

252 Atk Life Orb Terrakion Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Toxapex: 151-179 (49.6 - 58.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock

252 Atk Life Orb Terrakion Stone Edge vs. 0 HP / 168 Def Buzzwole: 142-168 (40 - 47.3%) -- 37.9% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock

Edit: Someone wanted me to explain Clef’s placement, so that is what I’ll do.

View attachment 431290A+ > S-: I am not sure where the claim “Clef has fallen off” came from, cause if anything, it is in a better spot than ever in Crown Tundra. It has seen non stop performance in WCOP, including on some of the most frequently used, best performing teams. The meta focuses on using hazards, Knock, and status to force progress, especially with the meta cooling off to a Balance ridden state. The fact that it can absorb these things while providing a shitton of utility establishes itself as a fantastic glue mon amongst tier titans Tran and Lando. Like with Tran, it can be easily customized to do anything the team needs and being impossible to OHKO at high health without Melm or Nidoking, it can get the job done in a pinch. Sets up hazards, Knocks items, spreads Paralysis, Tricks Barb/Scarf, set up CM, heal status, even Healing Wish and Wish have seen appearances. It really can mix n’ match its options. Knock + T-Wave/Trick in particular is egregiously uncomfortable to switch into, forcing progress in the end. Forgoing rocks doesn’t hurt considering the tier isn’t short on strong rockers. Sorry this was a long explanation, but that was the reason I didn’t want to explain it.

Why is torn-t S-? I feel it belongs to the A+. Another thing is I feel vile belongs to the S- and not S because right now teams have overprepared for weavile in the form of clef, melm, buzz and colbur berry slowbro among others. I do not disagree that weavile is great but the fact is that we all have prepared for it (too much tbh).

 

[BolTingBlazie]

View attachment 431550
Here’s my rankings. I grouped rain together. None of the tiers are ordered

Victini in B+ is a crime, Definitely should stay A-, due to the fact that it is a very versatile pokemon that can threaten a lot of teams via its big amounts of coverage and being able to pivot, as well as being able to run will-o-wisp and final gambit to smash through stall. Honestly, Victini is a mon that should not drop to B+, as it definitely fits with the A- or A ranks. Like seriously, you guys are really underrating Victini a tiny bit.


Also to throw an obvious nom for the next tiering shift in here:
Torn-T to S-
Torn is super splashable can defog on balance and hyper offense teams while being able to smack stuff with its high attacking stats and abuse regenerator as a pivot. Torn loves the HO/Balance oriented meta a lot right now, as it can come in and either remove hazards or smack stuff with its high power moves and can pivot out of its bad mus will regenerating its health through regenerator. Heck Zapdos and Rotom-W are rising in usage just to make dealing with this bird genie easier, which just goes to show how great torn-t is right now.

 

[viivian]

Why is torn-t S-? I feel it belongs to the A+. Another thing is I feel vile belongs to the S- and not S because right now teams have overprepared for weavile in the form of clef, melm, buzz and colbur berry slowbro among others. I do not disagree that weavile is great but the fact is that we all have prepared for it (too much tbh).

torn is busted, dude. it's extremely versatile, fast, and strong, which is further complimented by a colorful movepool filled with tons of useful offensive/utility moves and access to regenerator. it's easily the best defogger in the tier and a top 10 mon.

 

[jakerocks73fan]

tapu koko is not very good. idk why it is better than stuff like tapu lele cause tapu lele does so much damage and almost nothing can counter it. tapu koko does like no damage it is only good with alolan raichu so alolan raichu should be higher than it.

 

[blooclipse]

tapu koko is not very good. idk why it is better than stuff like tapu lele cause tapu lele does so much damage and almost nothing can counter it. tapu koko does like no damage it is only good with alolan raichu so alolan raichu should be higher than it.

I can't tell if you're trolling.
fine ill answer

Tapu koko is a great mon because it has lots of utility options and a great typing. It has roost,defog, great speed, pretty good strength, and great pivoting options. It's a great mon, and DEFINITELY not lower than alolachu

You've got to be trolling.

 

[Jakerocks73]

I can't tell if you're trolling.
fine ill answer

Tapu koko is a great mon because it has lots of utility options and a great typing. It has roost,defog, great speed, pretty good strength, and great pivoting options. It's a great mon, and DEFINITELY not lower than alolachu

You've got to be trolling.

Tapu koko is not a great mon. It is better than a-raichu, but it does not deserve A+, maybe A- would be better for it. A+ is a tier with chomp, melmetal, pult, and kart. I just dont think koko is as good as those pokemon, and fini and lele are def better than them.