Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 In-Game Tier List (Reboot)

I firstly want to extend a formal thank you to Its_A_Random for giving his blessing to his thread as well, even if it's not my thread. It was really considerate of you to do that!

I don't have any runs or nominations to share this time, but I wanted to talk about something a little different, and that is: does BW2 support a sweeper-oriented mindset? The more and more I play it, I feel like this is increasingly not the case due to various factors.

Cheren is hard to sweep for the sheer fact that most Pokemon A) don't have status at that point B) don't have boosting moves that early and C) Cheren usually has the advantage in stats and moves. According to Ryota, the starters, Sunkern, Pidove, Lillipup, Riolu, and Sewaddle can.

Roxie and Burgh I would say are notably easier to sweep than Cheren. Both have a little RNG going in their fights (Smog 30% from Koffing, Whirlipede's Poison Point for physical attackers, which can be mitigated through Sitrus Berry; Burgh has Razor Leaf crits and String Shot can be oddly annoying even though it's not really RNG). A lot of things that do good against Roxie also do good against Burgh (lol Dunsparce, Pidove / Tranquill, Pignite, Herdier, Growlithe, Magby, Magnemite - I'd think most first timers would probably have one of these sans Dunsparce).

An Elesa sweep depends primarily if you are a physical attacker or a special attacker; hopefully the latter. Physical attackers that make contact are basically forced to choose between the protection of Eviolite or Cheri Berry due to almost always being forced to deal with Static's 30% contact rate. Special attackers have considerably more leeway in this fight but I don't think many will OHKO without boosts. Even then, it's pretty likely most will fall before Zebstrika comes out, or be finished off by it.

Clay is borderline impossible to sweep. Intimidate significantly deters physical attackers, Bulldoze from either Krokorok or Sandslash makes most faster things Excadrill food: even some counters that look reliable on paper like Golduck can feasibly lose here thanks to Slash crits and Rock Slide flinches. Excadrill I think is by far and away the most dangerous ace Pokemon in the game.

Skyla is deceptively hard to sweep. Swoobat's Unaware can deter some setup attempts and I'm sure I don't have to tell you how annoying Attract is to male Pokemon. Swanna is one of the easier ace Pokemon (pretty frail) but Air Slash can be obnoxious if you are slower and most physical attackers are significantly deterred by FeatherDance if they can't outspeed and OHKO it. If most physical attackers don't get stopped by Swanna, most of them will be slowly chipped down by Skarmory.

Drayden is highly exploitable with setup sweepers, but Marlon is hard to sweep due to both Sturdy, Scald burns, and Cursed Body. Drayden is probably the easiest Gym Leader, but Marlon is perhaps one of the most-RNG-centric fights in the game: 20% Defense drops from Carracosta's Crunch, Wailord's Bounce having 30% paralysis, Scald's 30% chance to burn, Wailord's Amnesia potentially screwing over slower Special Attackers (generally seems to be a 50/50 if it goes for this or Bounce versus Scald resists), Jellicent's 10% chance to raise all of its stats with Ominous Wind AND Jellicent's 25% chance to delete a move with Cursed Body.

Colress is generally one of the top 3 hardest fights thanks to double Thunder Wave and Steel types being hard to beat by some Pokemon. Ghetsis is pretty exploitable like his BW1 counterpart as Cofagrigus invites setup moves when something isn't weak to it (generally it's okay if something can't sweep Colress or Ghetsis given their big rosters). Most things are generally going to be 1v1ing Ghetsis unless they are Steel type due to his array of diverse types.

The Elite Four are generally pretty easier than the earlier fights. Shauntal can be a pain with Will-O-Wisp Cofagrigus and Chandelure hitting like a nuke. It's hard to sweep Shauntal thanks to Cofagrigus's Mummy turning off great Abilities like Moxie, but despite how annoying it is, Cofagrigus tends to be setup bait if you avoid the 2HKO from its moves, moreso than Ghetsis because Shauntal's team is significantly slower.

Marshal is hard to setup on thanks to Throh's Speed drops and crit moves, and even if something faints Throh, Mienshao has decent chances to revenge kill them. Conkeldurr is also very scary due to Hammer Arm and Stone Edge being hard to wall. Sawk is probably the least threatening because most Psychic types are slow but it has Sturdy.

Coversely, Grimsley and Caitlin are some of the easiest bosses. Grimsley's Liepard is easy setup for female Pokemon that aren't weak to Night Slash, but Grimsley is a little tricky to go unboosted against because he does have some bulk through Krookodile's Intimidate and Bisharp's Defense (and Scrafty's good all-around bulk). The main thing about Grimsley is that Dark isn't exactly a scary offensive type. Caitlin has by far the most exploitable lead in the game in Musharna, but on the other hand she also has the bulkiest team in the game (not even Chandlure can OHKO some of her Pokemon with STAB Shadow Ball!)

Iris brings the difficulty back up again (probably one of the hardest fights and you likely won't sweep), but half her team is weak to Fighting types and half of them are also pretty slow (Druddigon, Aggron, and Lapras). I wouldn't call her the hardest Champion by any means but I wouldn't call her a Diantha-esque cakewalk.

I would say the top 5 hardest fights (descending difficulty) are Marshal, Colress, Clay, Iris (giving her some leeway, final boss is supposed to be hard after all) and Elesa. Elesa isn't so much HARD in the traditional sense as moreso Volt Switch and Static make getting kills and damage a pain.

What do you all think?
 
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Geta92

formerly -GetaX-
The main point of this playthrough was testing out the significance of doing a major sequence break and getting Dive prior to beating the game. All in all, I would say that doing just that is extremely significant in the viability of Pokémon like Emboar which greatly benefit from speed and attack buffs. More details can be found in the playthrough logs although I didn’t even go all out and still had lots of money to spare for slightly less useful defensive vitamins like Zinc and Iron. I’m very curious just how much this strategy would improve latecomers like the three legendary musketeers.

Nominations

I do think that Emboar fits fine in either A or B-Tier. Emboar is always worse than somebody else but certainly gets the job done. Its speed is poor but it gets the perfect move to fix this issue. It is certainly nice that you get two Expert belts in this game because Emboar certainly likes using one as Fire/Fighting is still a very handy typing offensively. Its endgame performance is closer to A but the extremely poor section where you are stuck with two very weak STAB moves is pretty depressing. I’m fairly certain that without early Dive, I would have said B-Tier for sure because patching up its poor speed and raising its offenses helped it quite a lot just prior to the end game fights.

Azumarill
is doing fine in A-Tier. It certainly has its bad sections early but those are shorter than Emboar’s and its better defensive typing allows it to take on lots of enemies where it doesn’t have to rely on STAB damage alone. However, I would only rank it A-Tier if you spend your Red Shards on Ice Punch. The move is very pricy but absolutely necessary because you won’t be able to use Azumarill against Drayden and Iris if you don’t pick up this attack. The very fast experience should also not be underestimated. Azumarill won’t amaze you but it gets the job done against almost everyone.

Everything that should be said about Excadrill was already said. It is obviously S-Tier. It has a great defensive typing, gets the best set up moves it could ask for and remains useful against almost every tough encounter you’ll get. The only weak phase are the last few levels before it evolves but that’s honestly a small price to pay for this absolute mid and late game monster.

The hidden grotto Cinccino starts off being garbage, requiring shared experience. But once it gets going, this thing quickly becomes extremely useful as it outspeeds fast enemies and OHKO’s them if they’re not excessively bulky. Its three 5-Hit moves give it so much useful coverage that you truly don’t miss the missing STAB boost others would get. What is also easily overlooked is the fact that hitting 5 times means that your odds of getting a critical hit are also five times bigger than normally. This makes critical hits less powerful, but much more common on average. You’ll frequently get the equivalent of what feels like six hits instead of just five. You also ignore Sturdy which is annoying in Unova. Did I mention it levels up super fast? All of this makes it worth the S-Tier title for sure.

It's time for controversy. Heracross only makes it to A-Tier in my personal experience and that really surprised me. Heracross comes with great stats and strong moves but struggles to keep up with a team of five what seems to be the most common team size in Unova runs from what I can gather from everyone else in this thread. I ended up having the Lucky Egg on Heracross outside of grinding sections just for it to keep up with everyone else. Heracross’ extremely aggressive play style leaves no room for errors as getting attacked with lowered defenses while underleveled quickly kills off this otherwise bulky Pokémon. The constant item switching to activate poison to abuse Guts can also become quite annoying. I’d say it’s just a bad team player and likely would be S-Tier on a team of four or less where it needs less grinding to keep up. It remains useful often and does well where it doesn’t have a type disadvantage but I would lie if I said I didn’t die to Megahorn misses and totally surprising flying coverage moves a lot.

Playthrough log with details
Team: Tepig, Azurill

I started with Tepic and caught Azurill at Level 5 at Floccesy Ranch and gave it the free Frustration TM right away.
  • Tepig’s damage is sort of mediocre but it gets the job done.
  • Azurill does better damage with Frustration but it is very frail and slow.
Cheren: Patrat was trivial, Azurill spammed Charme on Lillipup to nerf its damage, healed once and killed it with some Frustrations.
Team: Tepig, Azurill

I used some Audino grinding at Virbank Complex to make up some skipped Trainers. I also picked up a random Pidove for the Fly HM later.
  • Tepig’s performance roughly stayed the same.
  • Azurill’s damage slightly dropped and its low defenses became a problem, it needed lots of heals. The Silk Scarf barely made up for the damage drop due to the now mediocre friendship.
Roxie: Azurill spammed Charme on Smogon, used three Work Ups, healed once and killed Smogon with Return, Pignite swept Venipede without strategy.
Team: Pignite, Azumarill, Drilbur

I picked up the Exp. Share, did a three Funfest Missions to get the power to increase dust cloud odds and caught a Level 18 Drilbur in Castelia Sewers.
  • Azurill evolved at Lv. 20 but a massage and lots of bike riding were required which was a bit annoying, once evolved it become strong and bulky, so a mixed bag at this stage.
  • Pignite put in a lot of work and its increased damage, useful dual stab, access to Charcoal and better bulk made it really good, just a bit slow.
  • Drilbur only did a few trainer battles up until this point, but it did very well with Eviolite though it kind of needs the extra bulk to work well.
Burgh: Pignite swept everything without putting any thought into strategy at all.
Team: Pignite, Azumarill, Drilbur, Minccino

I picked up the free level 20 Minccino early because it could use some free shared experience from the gym fight. I also made sure to get the free 10 Red Shards for later on.
  • Pignite performed around the same, though is bulk started to feel insufficient. The Eviolite patched this issue up nicely.
  • Azumarill performed amazing against anything that wasn't electric or grass type and leveled super fast. If only it was fast.
  • Drilbur put in outstanding work at Elesa’s Gym proving it's worth though its dependence on Eviolite was a bit apparent to set up and tank hits when doing so.
  • Minccino was on the Experience Share trying to reach Lv. 25. It struggled very hard, needing three hits for almost anything it fought itself.
Elesa: Drilbur set up on Emolga, healed once, killed it with Rock Tomb and swept the rest with Dig.
Team: Pignite, Azumarill, Drilbur, Minccino, Heracross

This was the section I caught Heracross at Level 24. I made sure to good one with Guts. I also made sure to get the Expert Belt when Azumarill reached Level 30 first.
  • Pignite performed around the same, though is bulk felt worse, though Eviolite fixed this.
  • Azumarill put in good work for Clay. I bought it Ice Punch for 10 shards to get that sweet Water/Ground/Ice combo. It's still slow though.
  • Heracross was an easy catch with the repel trick. I used against anything that I can't STAB kill and it did its job perfectly, I payed two Shards for Bug Bite.
  • Drilbur got a lot of experience at Elesa so I used it less. It still did well in its few battles as there were enough enemies to 2HKO or OHKO.
  • Minccino was doing a lot better when it learned Tail Slap and Sing and I gave it my Wide Lens to make both more consisent. Not good, but it could now 2HKO some enemies.
Clay: Heracross took Krororok’s debuff and used it to bait Hyper Potion and 2HKO'd it. Azumarill used 2 Work Ups against Sandslash and killed it. I healed against Excadrill and OHKO'd it.
Team: Pignite, Azumarill, Excadrill, Cinccino, Heracross

I underestimated just how little experience you gain between Elesa and Skyla if you don't do some Audino grinding or optional trainers, so I was quite underleveled in this section.
  • Pignite felt like dead weight at this point. Slow with weak STAB moves and insufficient bulk. It's not awful, but fails a lot of 2HKOs now.
  • Azumarill performed the same way it did for the last two gym checkpoints.
  • Heracross actually was a bit worse now due to needing so much experience to keep up with the team, so it was a few levels lower than the team average.
  • Drilbur struggled quite a bit before evolution but made up for it by becoming both a wall and an offensive monster when it did and swept Skyla’s goons and helped against her as well.
  • Cinccino did even better fully evolved and with its three 5-hit moves. Still, it missed a few times and missed some important OHKOs. I mostly used it against speedy frail enemies.
Skyla: Excadrill buffed itself and OHKO'd Swoobat with Rock Slide. Cinccino’s fast Rock Throw 2HKO'd Swanna. Azumarill walled Skarmory and 3HKO'd it.
Team: Emboar, Azumarill, Excadrill, Cinccino, Heracross

This is the most interesting part of the run. I caught a level 38 Skarmory at Reversal Mountain to use it as a handy HM slave that always tanks an extra hit and learns Fly, Flash and Cut. It also got to hold the Lucky Egg for fast held item switching between team members. Soon after that caught a level 40 Wailmer east of Ondula in rippling water and gave it a rare Candy to learn Dive without the HM. Dive was used to then get all items from Underground Ruin's 2nd to 4th floor. Even later I bought Vitamins for everyone on Route 9 before Drayden. This was only a small detour as the ruins have no encounters and are quick to do with a visual guide. I used all these extra vitamins to buff all used offenses, speed and HP to 100 for everyone. I still had plenty of money left to buy a few dozens of Milk, bitter Herbs and Repels to last me for the rest of the game, especially for not having to care about running out of Repels while farming some Audino’s when underleveled.
  • Emboar evolved right after Skyla and I taught it Hammer Arm right away to have a good fighting move again. The better bulk and power made it fun to use again.
  • Azumarill was completely unchanged. Strong, fast leveling, bulky but slow. The same it always has been after being fully evolved. (A-Tier)
  • Heracross still was an annoying experience sponge, but it performed well doing exclusively 2HKOs and also OHKOs if it had a type advantage.
  • Excadrill became a monster. It picked up a ton of OHKOs and easily set up on almost anything to then get its glorious OHKOs otherwise.
  • After access to more Audino spots after Skyla, Cinccino leveled even with trainers really fast and now perfectly OHKO'd most non-defensive opponents.
Drayden: Azumarill 2HKO'd and OHKO'd the first 2 goons and Excadrill walled and swept Haxorus. Easiest gym leader yet, despite being 5 levels underleveled. Early Dive helped a ton.
Team: Emboar, Azumarill, Excadrill, Cinccino, Heracross

Due to the lack of good experience yielding fights, I went to Nimbasa City and Route 22 to fight some high level trainers and Audinos to catch up the team average closer to Marlon.
  • Emboar is still strong and bulky, now a fine mixed attacker with Flamethrower. The extra speed EVs it got rid of the bad speed pretty well as it was way less of an issue around this time.
  • Azumarill was technically doing the same as ever, though I got the feeling it had less to do around this time.
  • Heracross was able to frequently abuse its Guts boosted Close Combat and Megahorn. When poisoned, I made it keep hold of the Lucky Egg, no more experience issues.
  • Excadrill was still a monster without any flaws to speak of. It even set up on some enemies with STAB advantage.
  • Cinccino officially joined the monster trio at this point. It just melts health bars and is especially useful to outspeed and kill off faster enemies.
Marlon: Expert Belt Cinccino outsped and OHKO'd everything in the entire gym building with Bullet Seed, even the bulky ones after one Work Up.
Team: Emboar, Azumarill, Excadrill, Cinccino, Heracross

The various plasma goons weren’t very strong so every team member got equal amounts of usage. When I arrived at the E4, I just used any remaining Rare Candies to get my level average even closer.
  • Emboar was not used in the E4 as there was always someone else that was better. I have to blame having two fighting types I guess. Without Heracross, I might have used it more.
  • Azumarill was pretty useful against Iris, but wasn’t really the preferred team member for a lot of matchups as others were either stronger or bulkier or just had better type matchups.
  • Heracross was very useful for a lot of E4 fights. I pre-poisoned it and gave it an Expert Belt for even higher damage. It even OHKO’d lots of enemies without super effective damage.
  • Excadrill was the most valuable team member this late. I have no doubt I could have used it for even more matchups, but I was actually trying to use it less, just to be fair to everyone else. What a nice position to be in, being too good for its own sake.
  • Cinccino was great, picking up kills against most of the frail and fast enemies where other might have been outsped. I have no doubt it would have been even more useful if I got KO’d more as it would have been the perfect finisher for half-HP enemies one fails to properly defeat.
Achromas: Excadrill set up a Swords Dance, poked some with X-Scissor and finished them all off with Earthquake.

Kyurem & Ghestsis: Poisoned Heracross OHKO'd Kyurem with Close Combat and Dark Claw 2HKO'd Cofagrigus. Excadrill safely set up a SD on Eelektross and OHKO'd everything else from then on.

Rival: Cinccino OHKO'd Unfezant and Simisage. Heracross OHKO'd Bouffalant. Cinccino 2HKO'd Samurott after one heal to full HP.

Shauntal: Excadrill set up two SDs, used a Full Restore and then outsped and OHKO'd everyone.

Grimsley: Cinccino outsped and OHKO'd Liepard. Poisoned Heracross OHKO'd Scrafty and Bisharp, it took a hit from Krookodile but got a lucky crit and OHKO'd it, too.

Caitlin: Poisoned Heracross OHKO'd Musharna. Cinccino outsped and OHKO'd Sigilyph. Heracross then OHKO'd everyone else.

Marshal: Poisoned Heracross 2HKO'd Throh. Cinccino outsped and OHKO'd Mienshao. Heracross 2HKO'd Conkeldurr. Cinccino outsped and OHKO'd Sawk.

Iris: Azumarill 2HKO'd Hydreigon with Ice Punch. Poisoned Heracross OHKO'd Lapras. Excadrill set up 2 SDs on Archeops and OHKO'd it, Druddigon and Aggron. I then healed Azumarill who got an Ice Punch on Haxorus. It barely got to survive two hits but missed by around 5 HP and died. But I just switched in Cinccino who picked up the final kill.
 
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The Mind Electric

Calming if you look at it right.
The main point of this playthrough was testing out the significance of doing a major sequence break and getting Dive prior to beating the game. All in all, I would say that doing just that is extremely significant in the viability of Pokémon like Emboar which greatly benefit from speed and attack buffs. More details can be found in the playthrough logs although I didn’t even go all out and still had lots of money to spare for slightly less useful defensive vitamins like Zinc and Iron. I’m very curious just how much this strategy would improve latecomers like the three legendary musketeers.

Nominations

I do think that Emboar fits fine in either A or B-Tier. Emboar is always worse than somebody else but certainly gets the job done. Its speed is poor but it gets the perfect move to fix this issue. It is certainly nice that you get two Expert belts in this game because Emboar certainly likes using one as Fire/Fighting is still a very handy typing offensively. Its endgame performance is closer to A but the extremely poor section where you are stuck with two very weak STAB moves is pretty depressing. I’m fairly certain that without early Dive, I would have said B-Tier for sure because patching up its poor speed and raising its offenses helped it quite a lot just prior to the end game fights.

Azumarill
is doing fine in A-Tier. It certainly has its bad sections early but those are shorter than Emboar’s and its better defensive typing allows it to take on lots of enemies where it doesn’t have to rely on STAB damage alone. However, I would only rank it A-Tier if you spend your Red Shards on Ice Punch. The move is very pricy but absolutely necessary because you won’t be able to use Azumarill against Drayden and Iris if you don’t pick up this attack. The very fast experience should also not be underestimated. Azumarill won’t amaze you but it gets the job done against almost everyone.

Everything that should be said about Excadrill was already said. It is obviously S-Tier. It has a great defensive typing, gets the best set up moves it could ask for and remains useful against almost every tough encounter you’ll get. The only weak phase are the last few levels before it evolves but that’s honestly a small price to pay for this absolute mid and late game monster.

The hidden grotto Cinccino starts off being garbage, requiring shared experience. But once it gets going, this thing quickly becomes extremely useful as it outspeeds fast enemies and OHKO’s them if they’re not excessively bulky. Its three 5-Hit moves give it so much useful coverage that you truly don’t miss the missing STAB boost others would get. What is also easily overlooked is the fact that hitting 5 times means that your odds of getting a critical hit are also five times bigger than normally. This makes critical hits less powerful, but much more common on average. You’ll frequently get the equivalent of what feels like six hits instead of just five. You also ignore Sturdy which is annoying in Unova. Did I mention it levels up super fast? All of this makes it worth the S-Tier title for sure.

It's time for controversy. Heracross only makes it to A-Tier in my personal experience and that really surprised me. Heracross comes with great stats and strong moves but struggles to keep up with a team of five what seems to be the most common team size in Unova runs from what I can gather from everyone else in this thread. I ended up having the Lucky Egg on Heracross outside of grinding sections just for it to keep up with everyone else. Heracross’ extremely aggressive play style leaves no room for errors as getting attacked with lowered defenses while underleveled quickly kills off this otherwise bulky Pokémon. The constant item switching to activate poison to abuse Guts can also become quite annoying. I’d say it’s just a bad team player and likely would be S-Tier on a team of four or less where it needs less grinding to keep up. It remains useful often and does well where it doesn’t have a type disadvantage but I would lie if I said I didn’t die to Megahorn misses and totally surprising flying coverage moves a lot.

Playthrough log with details
Team: Tepig, Azurill

I started with Tepic and caught Azurill at Level 5 at Floccesy Ranch and gave it the free Frustration TM right away.
  • Tepig’s damage is sort of mediocre but it gets the job done.
  • Azurill does better damage with Frustration but it is very frail and slow.
Cheren: Patrat was trivial, Azurill spammed Charme on Lillipup to nerf its damage, healed once and killed it with some Frustrations.
Team: Tepig, Azurill

I used some Audino grinding at Virbank Complex to make up some skipped Trainers. I also picked up a random Pidove for the Fly HM later.
  • Tepig’s performance roughly stayed the same.
  • Azurill’s damage slightly dropped and its low defenses became a problem, it needed lots of heals. The Silk Scarf barely made up for the damage drop due to the now mediocre friendship.
Roxie: Azurill spammed Charme on Smogon, used three few Work Ups, healed once and killed Smogon with Return, Pignite swept Venipede without strategy.
Team: Pignite, Azumarill, Drilbur

I picked up the Exp. Share, did a three Funfest Missions to get the power to increase dust cloud odds and caught a Level 18 Drilbur in Castelia Sewers.
  • Azurill evolved at Lv. 20 but a massage and lots of bike riding were required which was a bit annoying, once evolved it become strong and bulky, so a mixed bag at this stage.
  • Pignite put in a lot of work and its increased damage, useful dual stab, access to Charcoal and better bulk made it really good, just a bit slow.
  • Drilbur only did a few trainer battles up until this point, but it did very well with Eviolite though it kind of needs the extra bulk to work well.
Burgh: Pignite swept everything without putting any thought into strategy at all.
Team: Pignite, Azumarill, Drilbur, Minccino

I picked up the free level 20 Minccino early because it could use some free shared experience from the gym fight. I also made sure to get the free 10 Red Shards for later on.
  • Pignite performed around the same, though is bulk started to feel insufficient. The Eviolite patched this issue up nicely.
  • Azumarill performed amazing against anything that wasn't electric or grass type and leveled super fast. If only it was fast.
  • Drilbur put in outstanding work at Elesa’s Gym proving it's worth though its dependence on Eviolite was a bit apparent to set up and tank hits when doing so.
  • Minccino was on the Experience Share trying to reach Lv. 25. It struggled very hard, needing three hits for almost anything it fought itself.
Elesa: Drilbur set up on Emolga, healed once, killed it with Rock Tomb and swept the rest with Dig.
Team: Pignite, Azumarill, Drilbur, Minccino, Heracross

This was the section I caught Heracross at Level 24. I made sure to good one with Guts. I also made sure to get the Expert Belt when Azumarill reached Level 30 first.
  • Pignite performed around the same, though is bulk felt worse, though Eviolite fixed this.
  • Azumarill put in good work for Clay. I bought it Ice Punch for 10 shards to get that sweet Water/Ground/Ice combo. It's still slow though.
  • Heracross was an easy catch with the repel trick. I used against anything that I can't STAB kill and it did its job perfectly, I payed two Shards for Bug Bite.
  • Drilbur got a lot of experience at Elesa so I used it less. It still did well in its few battles as there were enough enemies to 2HKO or OHKO.
  • Minccino was doing a lot better when it learned Tail Slap and Sing and I gave it my Wide Lens to make both more consisent. Not good, but it could now 2HKO some enemies.
Clay: Heracross took Krororok’s debuff and used it to bait Hyper Potion and OHKO'd it. Azumarill used 2 Work Ups against Sandslash and killed it. I healed against Excadrill and OHKO'd it.
Team: Pignite, Azumarill, Excadrill, Cinccino, Heracross

I underestimated just how little experience you gain between Elesa and Skyla if you don't do some Audino grinding or optional trainers, so I was quite underleveled in this section.
  • Pignite felt like dead weight at this point. Slow with weak STAB moves and insufficient bulk. It's not awful, but fails a lot of 2HKOs now.
  • Azumarill performed the same way it did for the last two gym checkpoints.
  • Heracross actually was a bit worse now due to needing so much experience to keep up with the team, so it was a few levels lower than the team average.
  • Drilbur struggled quite a bit before evolution but made up for it by becoming both a wall and an offensive monster when it did and swept Skyla’s goons and helped against her as well.
  • Cinccino did even better fully evolved and with its three 5-hit moves. Still, it missed a few times and missed some important OHKOs. I mostly used it against speedy frail enemies.
Skyla: Excadrill buffed itself and OHKO'd Swoobat with Rock Slide. Cinccino’s fast Rock Throw 2HKO'd Swanna. Azumarill walled Skarmory and 3HKO'd it.
Team: Emboar, Azumarill, Excadrill, Cinccino, Heracross

This is the most interesting part of the run. I caught a level 38 Skarmory at Reversal Mountain to use it as a handy HM slave that always tanks an extra hit and learns Fly, Flash and Cut. It also got to hold the Lucky Egg for fast held item switching between team members. Soon after that caught a level 40 Wailmer east of Ondula in rippling water and gave it a rare Candy to learn Dive without the HM. Dive was used to then get all items from Underground Ruin's 2nd to 4th floor. Even later I bought Vitamins for everyone on Route 9 before Drayden. This was only a small detour as the ruins have no encounters and are quick to do with a visual guide. I used all these extra vitamins to buff all used offenses, speed and HP to 100 for everyone. I still had plenty of money left to buy a few dozens of Milk, bitter Herbs and Repels to last me for the rest of the game, especially for not having to care about running out of Repels while farming some Audino’s when underleveled.
  • Emboar evolved right after Skyla and I taught it Hammer Arm right away to have a good fighting move again. The better bulk and power made it fun to use again.
  • Azumarill was completely unchanged. Strong, fast leveling, bulky but slow. The same it always has been after being fully evolved. (A-Tier)
  • Heracross still was an annoying experience sponge, but it performed well doing exclusively 2HKOs and also OHKOs if it had a type advantage.
  • Excadrill became a monster. It picked up a ton of OHKOs and easily set up on almost anything to then get its glorious OHKOs otherwise.
  • After access to more Audino spots after Skyla, Cinccino leveled even with trainers really fast and now perfectly OHKO'd most non-defensive opponents.
Drayden: Azumarill 2HKO'd and OHKO'd the first 2 goons and Excadrill walled and swept Haxorus. Easiest gym leader yet, despite being 5 levels underleveled. Early Dive helped a ton.
Team: Emboar, Azumarill, Excadrill, Cinccino, Heracross

Due to the lack of good experience yielding fights, I went to Nimbasa City and Route 22 to fight some high level trainers and Audinos to catch up the team average closer to Marlon.
  • Emboar is still strong and bulky, now a fine mixed attacker with Flamethrower. The extra speed EVs it got rid of the bad speed pretty well as it was way less of an issue around this time.
  • Azumarill was technically doing the same as ever, though I got the feeling it had less to do around this time.
  • Heracross was able to frequently abuse its Guts boosted Close Combat and Megahorn. When poisoned, I made it keep hold of the Lucky Egg, no more experience issues.
  • Excadrill was still a monster without any flaws to speak of. It even set up on some enemies with STAB advantage.
  • Cinccino officially joined the monster trio at this point. It just melts health bars and is especially useful to outspeed and kill off faster enemies.
Marlon: Expert Belt Cinccino outsped and OHKO'd everything in the entire gym building with Bullet Seed, even the bulky ones after one Work Up.
Team: Emboar, Azumarill, Excadrill, Cinccino, Heracross

The various plasma goons weren’t very strong so every team member got equal amounts of usage. When I arrived at the E4, I just used any remaining Rare Candies to get my level average even closer.
  • Emboar was not used in the E4 as there was always someone else that was better. I have to blame having two fighting types I guess. Without Heracross, I might have used it more.
  • Azumarill was pretty useful against Iris, but wasn’t really the preferred team member for a lot of matchups as others were either stronger or bulkier or just had better type matchups.
  • Heracross was very useful for a lot of E4 fights. I pre-poisoned it and gave it an Expert Belt for even higher damage. It even OHKO’d lots of enemies without super effective damage.
  • Excadrill was the most valuable team member this late. I have no doubt I could have used it for even more matchups, but I was actually trying to use it less, just to be fair to everyone else. What a nice position to be in, being too good for its own sake.
  • Cinccino was great, picking up kills against most of the frail and fast enemies where other might have been outsped. I have no doubt it would have been even more useful if I got KO’d more as it would have been the perfect finisher for half-HP enemies one fails to properly defeat.
Achromas: Excadrill set up a Swords Dance, poked some with X-Scissor and finished them all off with Earthquake.

Kyurem & Ghestsis: Poisoned Heracross OHKO'd Kyurem with Close Combat and Dark Claw 2HKO'd Cofagrigus. Excadrill safely set up a SD on Eelektross and OHKO'd everything else from then on.

Rival: Cinccino OHKO'd Unfezant and Simisage. Heracross OHKO'd Bouffalant. Cinccino 2HKO'd Samurott after one heal to full HP.

Shauntal: Excadrill set up two SDs, used a Full Restore and then outsped and OHKO'd everyone.

Grimsley: Cinccino outsped and OHKO'd Liepard. Poisoned Heracross OHKO'd Scrafty and Bisharp, it took a hit from Krookodile but got a lucky crit and OHKO'd it, too.

Caitlin: Poisoned Heracross OHKO'd Musharna. Cinccino outsped and OHKO'd Sigilyph. Heracross then OHKO'd everyone else.

Marshal: Poisoned Heracross 2HKO'd Throh. Cinccino outsped and OHKO'd Mienshao. Heracross 2HKO'd Conkeldurr. Cinccino outsped and OHKO'd Sawk.

Iris: Azumarill 2HKO'd Hydreigon with Ice Punch. Poisoned Heracross OHKO'd Lapras. Excadrill set up 2 SDs on Archeops and OHKO'd it, Druddigon and Aggron. I then healed Azumarill who got an Ice Punch on Haxorus. It barely got to survive two hits but missed by around 5 HP and died. But I just switched in Cinccino who picked up the final kill.
I feel that the sequence break detailed here is too niche to be worth taking into consideration. In order to do this, the player has to:

1. Catch one of the three Pokémon in the game that learns Dive by level up and isn't a trade evolution.
2. Go to the Abyssal Ruins before they're supposed to and get a bunch of items to sell.
3. Use the money from selling those to buy vitamins to boost up all their Pokémon.

What casual player is going to do this? Even just buying vitamins is outside the scope of what most people will do in a casual run, let alone doing this incredibly specific sequence break. If the vitamins purchased through this are the main thing keeping these Pokémon from lower tiers, I'm inclined to think that they should go in the lower tiers.
 
The main point of this playthrough was testing out the significance of doing a major sequence break and getting Dive prior to beating the game. All in all, I would say that doing just that is extremely significant in the viability of Pokémon like Emboar which greatly benefit from speed and attack buffs. More details can be found in the playthrough logs although I didn’t even go all out and still had lots of money to spare for slightly less useful defensive vitamins like Zinc and Iron. I’m very curious just how much this strategy would improve latecomers like the three legendary musketeers.

Nominations

I do think that Emboar fits fine in either A or B-Tier. Emboar is always worse than somebody else but certainly gets the job done. Its speed is poor but it gets the perfect move to fix this issue. It is certainly nice that you get two Expert belts in this game because Emboar certainly likes using one as Fire/Fighting is still a very handy typing offensively. Its endgame performance is closer to A but the extremely poor section where you are stuck with two very weak STAB moves is pretty depressing. I’m fairly certain that without early Dive, I would have said B-Tier for sure because patching up its poor speed and raising its offenses helped it quite a lot just prior to the end game fights.

Azumarill
is doing fine in A-Tier. It certainly has its bad sections early but those are shorter than Emboar’s and its better defensive typing allows it to take on lots of enemies where it doesn’t have to rely on STAB damage alone. However, I would only rank it A-Tier if you spend your Red Shards on Ice Punch. The move is very pricy but absolutely necessary because you won’t be able to use Azumarill against Drayden and Iris if you don’t pick up this attack. The very fast experience should also not be underestimated. Azumarill won’t amaze you but it gets the job done against almost everyone.

Everything that should be said about Excadrill was already said. It is obviously S-Tier. It has a great defensive typing, gets the best set up moves it could ask for and remains useful against almost every tough encounter you’ll get. The only weak phase are the last few levels before it evolves but that’s honestly a small price to pay for this absolute mid and late game monster.

The hidden grotto Cinccino starts off being garbage, requiring shared experience. But once it gets going, this thing quickly becomes extremely useful as it outspeeds fast enemies and OHKO’s them if they’re not excessively bulky. Its three 5-Hit moves give it so much useful coverage that you truly don’t miss the missing STAB boost others would get. What is also easily overlooked is the fact that hitting 5 times means that your odds of getting a critical hit are also five times bigger than normally. This makes critical hits less powerful, but much more common on average. You’ll frequently get the equivalent of what feels like six hits instead of just five. You also ignore Sturdy which is annoying in Unova. Did I mention it levels up super fast? All of this makes it worth the S-Tier title for sure.

It's time for controversy. Heracross only makes it to A-Tier in my personal experience and that really surprised me. Heracross comes with great stats and strong moves but struggles to keep up with a team of five what seems to be the most common team size in Unova runs from what I can gather from everyone else in this thread. I ended up having the Lucky Egg on Heracross outside of grinding sections just for it to keep up with everyone else. Heracross’ extremely aggressive play style leaves no room for errors as getting attacked with lowered defenses while underleveled quickly kills off this otherwise bulky Pokémon. The constant item switching to activate poison to abuse Guts can also become quite annoying. I’d say it’s just a bad team player and likely would be S-Tier on a team of four or less where it needs less grinding to keep up. It remains useful often and does well where it doesn’t have a type disadvantage but I would lie if I said I didn’t die to Megahorn misses and totally surprising flying coverage moves a lot.

Playthrough log with details
Team: Tepig, Azurill

I started with Tepic and caught Azurill at Level 5 at Floccesy Ranch and gave it the free Frustration TM right away.
  • Tepig’s damage is sort of mediocre but it gets the job done.
  • Azurill does better damage with Frustration but it is very frail and slow.
Cheren: Patrat was trivial, Azurill spammed Charme on Lillipup to nerf its damage, healed once and killed it with some Frustrations.
Team: Tepig, Azurill

I used some Audino grinding at Virbank Complex to make up some skipped Trainers. I also picked up a random Pidove for the Fly HM later.
  • Tepig’s performance roughly stayed the same.
  • Azurill’s damage slightly dropped and its low defenses became a problem, it needed lots of heals. The Silk Scarf barely made up for the damage drop due to the now mediocre friendship.
Roxie: Azurill spammed Charme on Smogon, used three few Work Ups, healed once and killed Smogon with Return, Pignite swept Venipede without strategy.
Team: Pignite, Azumarill, Drilbur

I picked up the Exp. Share, did a three Funfest Missions to get the power to increase dust cloud odds and caught a Level 18 Drilbur in Castelia Sewers.
  • Azurill evolved at Lv. 20 but a massage and lots of bike riding were required which was a bit annoying, once evolved it become strong and bulky, so a mixed bag at this stage.
  • Pignite put in a lot of work and its increased damage, useful dual stab, access to Charcoal and better bulk made it really good, just a bit slow.
  • Drilbur only did a few trainer battles up until this point, but it did very well with Eviolite though it kind of needs the extra bulk to work well.
Burgh: Pignite swept everything without putting any thought into strategy at all.
Team: Pignite, Azumarill, Drilbur, Minccino

I picked up the free level 20 Minccino early because it could use some free shared experience from the gym fight. I also made sure to get the free 10 Red Shards for later on.
  • Pignite performed around the same, though is bulk started to feel insufficient. The Eviolite patched this issue up nicely.
  • Azumarill performed amazing against anything that wasn't electric or grass type and leveled super fast. If only it was fast.
  • Drilbur put in outstanding work at Elesa’s Gym proving it's worth though its dependence on Eviolite was a bit apparent to set up and tank hits when doing so.
  • Minccino was on the Experience Share trying to reach Lv. 25. It struggled very hard, needing three hits for almost anything it fought itself.
Elesa: Drilbur set up on Emolga, healed once, killed it with Rock Tomb and swept the rest with Dig.
Team: Pignite, Azumarill, Drilbur, Minccino, Heracross

This was the section I caught Heracross at Level 24. I made sure to good one with Guts. I also made sure to get the Expert Belt when Azumarill reached Level 30 first.
  • Pignite performed around the same, though is bulk felt worse, though Eviolite fixed this.
  • Azumarill put in good work for Clay. I bought it Ice Punch for 10 shards to get that sweet Water/Ground/Ice combo. It's still slow though.
  • Heracross was an easy catch with the repel trick. I used against anything that I can't STAB kill and it did its job perfectly, I payed two Shards for Bug Bite.
  • Drilbur got a lot of experience at Elesa so I used it less. It still did well in its few battles as there were enough enemies to 2HKO or OHKO.
  • Minccino was doing a lot better when it learned Tail Slap and Sing and I gave it my Wide Lens to make both more consisent. Not good, but it could now 2HKO some enemies.
Clay: Heracross took Krororok’s debuff and used it to bait Hyper Potion and OHKO'd it. Azumarill used 2 Work Ups against Sandslash and killed it. I healed against Excadrill and OHKO'd it.
Team: Pignite, Azumarill, Excadrill, Cinccino, Heracross

I underestimated just how little experience you gain between Elesa and Skyla if you don't do some Audino grinding or optional trainers, so I was quite underleveled in this section.
  • Pignite felt like dead weight at this point. Slow with weak STAB moves and insufficient bulk. It's not awful, but fails a lot of 2HKOs now.
  • Azumarill performed the same way it did for the last two gym checkpoints.
  • Heracross actually was a bit worse now due to needing so much experience to keep up with the team, so it was a few levels lower than the team average.
  • Drilbur struggled quite a bit before evolution but made up for it by becoming both a wall and an offensive monster when it did and swept Skyla’s goons and helped against her as well.
  • Cinccino did even better fully evolved and with its three 5-hit moves. Still, it missed a few times and missed some important OHKOs. I mostly used it against speedy frail enemies.
Skyla: Excadrill buffed itself and OHKO'd Swoobat with Rock Slide. Cinccino’s fast Rock Throw 2HKO'd Swanna. Azumarill walled Skarmory and 3HKO'd it.
Team: Emboar, Azumarill, Excadrill, Cinccino, Heracross

This is the most interesting part of the run. I caught a level 38 Skarmory at Reversal Mountain to use it as a handy HM slave that always tanks an extra hit and learns Fly, Flash and Cut. It also got to hold the Lucky Egg for fast held item switching between team members. Soon after that caught a level 40 Wailmer east of Ondula in rippling water and gave it a rare Candy to learn Dive without the HM. Dive was used to then get all items from Underground Ruin's 2nd to 4th floor. Even later I bought Vitamins for everyone on Route 9 before Drayden. This was only a small detour as the ruins have no encounters and are quick to do with a visual guide. I used all these extra vitamins to buff all used offenses, speed and HP to 100 for everyone. I still had plenty of money left to buy a few dozens of Milk, bitter Herbs and Repels to last me for the rest of the game, especially for not having to care about running out of Repels while farming some Audino’s when underleveled.
  • Emboar evolved right after Skyla and I taught it Hammer Arm right away to have a good fighting move again. The better bulk and power made it fun to use again.
  • Azumarill was completely unchanged. Strong, fast leveling, bulky but slow. The same it always has been after being fully evolved. (A-Tier)
  • Heracross still was an annoying experience sponge, but it performed well doing exclusively 2HKOs and also OHKOs if it had a type advantage.
  • Excadrill became a monster. It picked up a ton of OHKOs and easily set up on almost anything to then get its glorious OHKOs otherwise.
  • After access to more Audino spots after Skyla, Cinccino leveled even with trainers really fast and now perfectly OHKO'd most non-defensive opponents.
Drayden: Azumarill 2HKO'd and OHKO'd the first 2 goons and Excadrill walled and swept Haxorus. Easiest gym leader yet, despite being 5 levels underleveled. Early Dive helped a ton.
Team: Emboar, Azumarill, Excadrill, Cinccino, Heracross

Due to the lack of good experience yielding fights, I went to Nimbasa City and Route 22 to fight some high level trainers and Audinos to catch up the team average closer to Marlon.
  • Emboar is still strong and bulky, now a fine mixed attacker with Flamethrower. The extra speed EVs it got rid of the bad speed pretty well as it was way less of an issue around this time.
  • Azumarill was technically doing the same as ever, though I got the feeling it had less to do around this time.
  • Heracross was able to frequently abuse its Guts boosted Close Combat and Megahorn. When poisoned, I made it keep hold of the Lucky Egg, no more experience issues.
  • Excadrill was still a monster without any flaws to speak of. It even set up on some enemies with STAB advantage.
  • Cinccino officially joined the monster trio at this point. It just melts health bars and is especially useful to outspeed and kill off faster enemies.
Marlon: Expert Belt Cinccino outsped and OHKO'd everything in the entire gym building with Bullet Seed, even the bulky ones after one Work Up.
Team: Emboar, Azumarill, Excadrill, Cinccino, Heracross

The various plasma goons weren’t very strong so every team member got equal amounts of usage. When I arrived at the E4, I just used any remaining Rare Candies to get my level average even closer.
  • Emboar was not used in the E4 as there was always someone else that was better. I have to blame having two fighting types I guess. Without Heracross, I might have used it more.
  • Azumarill was pretty useful against Iris, but wasn’t really the preferred team member for a lot of matchups as others were either stronger or bulkier or just had better type matchups.
  • Heracross was very useful for a lot of E4 fights. I pre-poisoned it and gave it an Expert Belt for even higher damage. It even OHKO’d lots of enemies without super effective damage.
  • Excadrill was the most valuable team member this late. I have no doubt I could have used it for even more matchups, but I was actually trying to use it less, just to be fair to everyone else. What a nice position to be in, being too good for its own sake.
  • Cinccino was great, picking up kills against most of the frail and fast enemies where other might have been outsped. I have no doubt it would have been even more useful if I got KO’d more as it would have been the perfect finisher for half-HP enemies one fails to properly defeat.
Achromas: Excadrill set up a Swords Dance, poked some with X-Scissor and finished them all off with Earthquake.

Kyurem & Ghestsis: Poisoned Heracross OHKO'd Kyurem with Close Combat and Dark Claw 2HKO'd Cofagrigus. Excadrill safely set up a SD on Eelektross and OHKO'd everything else from then on.

Rival: Cinccino OHKO'd Unfezant and Simisage. Heracross OHKO'd Bouffalant. Cinccino 2HKO'd Samurott after one heal to full HP.

Shauntal: Excadrill set up two SDs, used a Full Restore and then outsped and OHKO'd everyone.

Grimsley: Cinccino outsped and OHKO'd Liepard. Poisoned Heracross OHKO'd Scrafty and Bisharp, it took a hit from Krookodile but got a lucky crit and OHKO'd it, too.

Caitlin: Poisoned Heracross OHKO'd Musharna. Cinccino outsped and OHKO'd Sigilyph. Heracross then OHKO'd everyone else.

Marshal: Poisoned Heracross 2HKO'd Throh. Cinccino outsped and OHKO'd Mienshao. Heracross 2HKO'd Conkeldurr. Cinccino outsped and OHKO'd Sawk.

Iris: Azumarill 2HKO'd Hydreigon with Ice Punch. Poisoned Heracross OHKO'd Lapras. Excadrill set up 2 SDs on Archeops and OHKO'd it, Druddigon and Aggron. I then healed Azumarill who got an Ice Punch on Haxorus. It barely got to survive two hits but missed by around 5 HP and died. But I just switched in Cinccino who picked up the final kill.
I appreciate you going through the time and effort to complete a run for this list, but I question some of the methods you used to complete it. TME already broke down the Abyssal Ruins thing, which I agree with him on, so I'll cut to the second part; spam-buying vitamins. I don't like this idea, since they can be used to artificially inflate any Pokemon's ranking compared to what it would be normally. Since vitamins can be used on any Pokemon, this would mean that basically every Pokemon's rank gets inflated as a result. This, perhaps counterintuitively, negates the positive aspects of using vitamins, since after applying vitamins to everything they would be on the same powerlevel again. In fact, you could see having to chug vitamins to get a higher performance as a downside, as there are plenty of Pokemon in this game that do very well for themselves without the need for vitamins. As such, I would heavily discourage you or anyone else from buying up vitamins from here on out, and instead you should just stick to the ones you can find in the overworld.

That said, I will still be counting your nominations, so the effort you went through to contribute to the thread doesn't feel like a waste of time. I sincerely hope you continue to test and be active here, but please keep in mind the vitamins thing in the future. If you ever have any questions regarding what other strats are good to use or not, you can always ask here or on my profile.
 

Geta92

formerly -GetaX-
I appreciate you going through the time and effort to complete a run for this list, but I question some of the methods you used to complete it. TME already broke down the Abyssal Ruins thing, which I agree with him on, so I'll cut to the second part; spam-buying vitamins. I don't like this idea, since they can be used to artificially inflate any Pokemon's ranking compared to what it would be normally. Since vitamins can be used on any Pokemon, this would mean that basically every Pokemon's rank gets inflated as a result. This, perhaps counterintuitively, negates the positive aspects of using vitamins, since after applying vitamins to everything they would be on the same powerlevel again. In fact, you could see having to chug vitamins to get a higher performance as a downside, as there are plenty of Pokemon in this game that do very well for themselves without the need for vitamins. As such, I would heavily discourage you or anyone else from buying up vitamins from here on out, and instead you should just stick to the ones you can find in the overworld.

That said, I will still be counting your nominations, so the effort you went through to contribute to the thread doesn't feel like a waste of time. I sincerely hope you continue to test and be active here, but please keep in mind the vitamins thing in the future. If you ever have any questions regarding what other strats are good to use or not, you can always ask here or on my profile.
In that case just count Emboar towards B as it was the only one that significantly gained from that. You might also want to add this matter to the "What tools are allowed for the player to use?" section as I wouldn't count vitamins as boosting items in the traditional sense. I was thinking about it more like catching the Lv. 50 Magikarp in HG/SS right after Morty which can also take quite a while to find and sort of sequence breaks the intended level pacing. A casual player would also never do that on accident but only with specific guides or research. But it's still considered there. Different game though.
 
In that case just count Emboar towards B as it was the only one that significantly gained from that. You might also want to add this matter to the "What tools are allowed for the player to use?" section as I wouldn't count vitamins as boosting items in the traditional sense. I was thinking about it more like catching the Lv. 50 Magikarp in HG/SS right after Morty which can also take quite a while to find and sort of sequence breaks the intended level pacing. A casual player would also never do that on accident but only with specific guides or research. But it's still considered there. Different game though.
I likely will do that.
Another thing (I feel like I'm piling on you a little but I forgot to mention it in my first post :psycry:), I'd prefer if your logs were more detailed about your major battles. As it stands, your logs contain more about the time leading up to the fight than the fight itself, which, while nice to know, isn't the main objective of making logs in the first place. It doesn't seem like you used more than one or two Pokemon per gym, so idek if you tested the others or not. If you need an example of how detailed your logs should be, any posts from I, Ryota, or Drums should give you a good idea.
 
I have some free time coming up, so I might want to start a run of this game. Are there any Pokemon in particular that need more testing that I can keep in mind when teambuilding?
Pretty much anything is fair game, but you can check the runs posted here for mons that have been run multiple times already, getting even more tests on them would be beneficial so their tier can be decided on sooner. Some examples are Oshawott, Pinsir, or Gligar.
 
This is going to be a very, very, very long post. I will be talking about my four other members of my finished run in another post, but I want to dedicate time to a single Pokemon that blew every single one of my expectations away, and I want to provide a full usability guide for it so others can enjoy this Pokemon as well.

For years, I have thought of this Pokemon as a slow Pokemon with few reliable sweeps, tons of weaknesses, and very unwieldy STAB. On the surface, most other people write this Pokemon as inferior to many Pokemon like Darmanitan, Chandelure, Conkeldurr, Scrafty, and many others. I am of course speaking about the Pokemon known as Tepig, Unova's Fire type starter.

I only included Pignite and Emboar's stats because the page was starting to get funky with attachments.

Pignite's Stats
Screen Shot 2022-08-08 at 7.14.49 PM.png

Emboar's Stats
Screen Shot 2022-08-08 at 7.15.19 PM.png


As you can see, the Tepig line focuses on HP, Attack, and Special Attack, making them somewhat bulky mixed attackers that can hit from either side reasonably well. Despite having pretty mediocre Defense and Special Defense (according to TV Tropes, Emboar straight up has the worst defenses of any fully evolved starter, but the best HP of any fully evolved starter), it can usually eat one super-effective hit and live, often being put in Blaze range by STAB super-effective attacks which can be really attractive when getting into how the Tepig line plays.

Notable items you'll want for Tepig include:
-Eviolite (for Pignite) - Castelia City - Eviolite is received in Castelia City from a Scientist on 1F of the northeastern building on the street connecting to Route 4 if you have seen 40 Pokemon or more in the BW2 Pokedex. You'll usually get this by exploring in Castelia Sewers, Relic Passage, and the small bit of Route 4 accessible and battling the trainers there, in time for Burgh.

-Charcoal (whole Tepig line) - Castelia City: Charcoal is found in Castelia City on 47F of the northeastern building on the street connecting to Route 4, in the same building as Eviolite actually. You can also find it on 1F of the Battle Company from an Ace Trainer if the third option is chosen. You should have it before Burgh as well.

-Expert Belt (whole Tepig line) - Driftveil City, Market OR Route 19 with Surf and Dowsing MCHN): Expert Belt is acquired from the man in black at the Driftveil City market, if the player has a Pokémon that is level 30 or higher (easy to have by that point). You can also find another Expert Belt on Route 19 (the one before Floccessy Town) where Alder stood on the hill (you'll need Surf to get there after five badges), though you'll need your Dowsing MCHN to find it as it is a hidden item.

Screen Shot 2022-08-08 at 7.29.35 PM.png

Tepig starts as a pure Fire type, but Pignite and Emboar are Fire / Fighting types. These give Emboar a lot of weaknesses, four to be exact. Emboar is weak to Flying, Ground, Water, and Psychic, all of which show up prominently in the back half of the game (more on this later). Its resistances to Bug, Steel, Fire, Grass, Ice, and Dark are unfortunately more or less irrelevant, as its resistances don't show up very often in major battles. There is very little Emboar will wall with its widespread weaknesses.

However, this isn't as bad as it might sound, because the Tepig line can often use its weaknesses to its advantage, like I alluded to with Blaze above. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's get to the moves.

Emboar's Black and White 2 Pokedex entry states: "A flaring beard of fire is proof that it is fired up. It is adept at using many different moves."
Unlike other nonsensical Pokedex garbage like Charizard being supposedly able to melt boulders yet only doing half damage to Rock types or Alakazam remembering everything but more than four move slots, Emboar's Black and White 2 Pokedex entry is fairly accurate.

Here's Emboar's natural learnset, and Tepig and Pignite's by extension.
Screen Shot 2022-08-08 at 7.41.11 PM.png

Notable TM Moves: Taunt, Return, Flamethrower (reteachable in the League lategame, even if Emboar gets it naturally). Scald, Will-O-Wisp, Gyro Ball, Bulldoze, Rock Slide, Work Up, Wild Charge (requires a detour in Victory Road)). Emboar doesn't use every single one of these consistently, but I'm willing to bet the average Pokemon fan didn't know Emboar got Scald.

Notable Move Tutor Moves: Fire Punch (10 Red Shards), ThunderPunch (10 Red Shards). Emboar also gets Low Kick (8 Red Shards), Superpower (10 Blue Shards), Heat Wave (10 Yellow Shards) and Iron Head (4 Red Shards), but I wouldn't really recommend any of those besides ThunderPunch. You get 10 free Red Shards from the Gentleman near the receptionist in the Nimbasa City Pokemon Center.

Now let's talk about some important moves Tepig will have in its arsenal. I'm not gonna go over all the moves above because I don't want to waste your time. Let's get into it.
1660002618537.png

Level 7 - Ember - This move is very situational and doesn't see much use. It really only sees use on like, Roxie's Koffing and Burgh's Dwebble, and then you can pretty much remove it for the rest of the game. It's serviceable for the eight levels you have it until you get...

1660005287994.png


Level 15 - Flame Charge - Flame Charge, FLAME CHARGE, FLAME CHARGE! It is no exaggeration to state that this 50 base power physical Fire type move is literally the entire crux of the Tepig line's viability. Without Flame Charge, you lose a COUNTLESS amount of sweeps because of Emboar's only okay base 65 Speed (55 as Pignite). You use it on Burgh, Roxie, Elesa, Clay, Skyla, Drayden, Colress, Grimsley, Caitlin, and Marshal. Flame Charge should be used on the Tepig line from the moment you learn it at Level 15 to the very end of the game.

Don't bother with Rollout. It's irrelevant trash, even if Tepig gets Defense Curl (which helps for Cheren).

1660006589884.png
1660006605267.png


Level 31 - Heat Crash - The formerly signature move of the Tepig line...is really not all that great. Here's how it works, courtesy of Bulbapedia:
Screen Shot 2022-08-08 at 8.58.56 PM.png

This may sound neat: but in reality, a lot of things you want to hit with Heat Crash are hit harder by Flame Charge.

Some notable Heat Crash targets are:

-Elesa's Emolga (Pignite 55.5 Kg x 0.20 = 11.1 Kg, 6.1 more than Emolga's 0.5 Kg weight, max 120 power)

-Elesa's Flaaffy
(Pignite 55.5 Kg x 0.24 = 13.32 Kg, 0.02 more than Flaaffy's 13.3 Kg weight, 100 power)

-Colress's Beheeyem
(Emboar's 150 Kg x 0.24 = 36 Kg, 1.5 more than Beheeyem's 34.5 Kg weight, 100 power).

-Shauntal's Driftblim
(Emboar's 150 Kg x 0.20 = 30 Kg, 15 Kg more than Driftblim's 15 Kg weight, max 120 power).

-Marshal's Mienshao
(Emboar's 150 Kg x 0.24 = 36 Kg, 0.5 Kg more than Mienshao's 35.5 Kg weight, 100 power).

If I got that math wrong, please correct me! Most of the time, you won't be using Heat Crash seriously past Elesa, as Pignite's targets are often heavier than it. The problem is when you become Emboar, you mainly shift to using...

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Level 43 - Flamethrower - This is Emboar's main offensive STAB lategame - Flamethrower is another staple move for Emboar. Despite running off Emboar's only 100 Special Attack, it hits hard enough, probably roughly as hard as Tutor Fire Punch (which honestly isn't worth it). A lot of the Steel types you'll be hitting with this move lategame have higher Defense than Special Defense, making the fact that you aren't using your higher offensive stat less painful. It's an all around solid, reliable move and a much-needed power boost, to the point where I'd argue holding off on evolving Pignite until level 39 so it can get Flamethrower earlier for Skyla (though it doesn't NEED it there, more on that in a second) is a viable strategy. I consider Flamethrower way better than Heat Crash's fairly inconsistent damage: you just don't want to have to pull out a calculator every single time you attack, you know?

What about TM38 Fire Blast and Driftveil Red Shard Tutor - Fire Punch (10 Red Shards)?
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Fire Blast I tried using against Shauntal, and it didn't pick up any notable KOs. Fire Blast can OHKO Marshal's Mienshao outside of Blaze and his Conkeldurr when in Blaze, but that's about it - you're better off with Flamethrower for reliability.

Also, I tried using Fire Punch for Clay for two seconds and it didn't feel worth it. Both Clay and Grimsley have Intimidate users, and like I said earlier, there's some high Defense Pokemon lategame, and not JUST the Steels - Cofagrigus, Drapion, Conkeldurr are a few other Pokemon that are hit harder specially. Even before the endgame, you'll be using coverage moves over your Fire STAB. Speaking of which...

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Driftveil Red Shard Tutor - ThunderPunch (10 Red Shards)
ThunderPunch's yet-to-be-accurately-spelled name only helps you out for two matchups, but they are pivotal for keeping Emboar's momentum going: Skyla and Marlon. If you can pull off a Flame Charge Speed buff for Skyla, you outspeed and OHKO Swanna with ThunderPunch (Rock Slide doesn't KO) and Flame Charge 2HKOs Swoobat and Skarmory. Marlon's Carracosta is 2HKOed by ThunderPunch as it sets up Shell Smash (you outspeed afterward), then you Work Up and OHKO Wailord and Jellicent with Expert Belt-boosted ThunderPunch (you will miss the OHKOs otherwise without Expert Belt). ThunderPunch's usefulness is only in those two battles and then you can delete it, but they get the wins and that's what you want, right? I absolutely recommend this over Fire Punch: it is worth it to see a Fire / Fighting type sweep Marlon.

TM83 - Work Up
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The first Gym TM you get is one of the best moves for Emboar. You use this against Roxie, Elesa, Drayden, Marlon, Colress, Ghetsis (hard to get to +3 to sweep though), Grimsley, and Caitlin. Work Up is another staple move for the Tepig line.


TM27 - Return

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This has one or two uses: smacking Drayden at +3 Attack from Work Up with Return to OHKO his monsters (with a Flame Charge thrown in), and it helps with Ghetsis for Fire resists if you can Work Up to +3 (be warned, +3 Return is a roll to OHKO Hydreigon and you need that at minimum for the others). Not much else to say here, but it's another freebie, so who's really complaining?

TM78 - Bulldoze and TM80 - Rock Slide

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Very niche coverage moves, but helpful (Emboar can't learn Dig, strangely). Bulldoze and Rock Slide 2HKO Shauntal's Chandelure in a 1v1 scenario, and Rock Slide on its own can be a handy replacement for ThunderPunch on Skyla's Swanna (you cleanly 2HKO with it and can flinch with a Flame Charge boost). That's pretty much it - Bulldoze is outclassed by Flame Charge 99% of the time, but Rock Slide can hit niche targets like Shauntal's Chandelure and Driftblim and Caitlin's Sigilyph if you really want to (Shauntal's not a great matchup though) Also, don't use pre-Gen VI Rock Tomb, ever.

Other Options - TM12 Taunt, TM55 Scald, TM61 Will-O-Wisp, TM74 Gyro Ball, TM93 Wild Charge

Taunt has exactly one use: stopping Caitlin's Musharna from using Reflect. The rest of these are borderline useless / hit very specific targets (like Scald hitting Grimsley's Krookodile). Wild Charge is generally inferior to Rock Slide as you don't want the recoil. You can burn physical threats with Will-O-Wisp if you want, but I would rather just Work Up as Emboar can play the neutral game just fine, like against Drayden.


WAIT! What about Fighting STAB - Arm Thrust and Hammer Arm?
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What about those moves?
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While Arm Thrust does have a 15% chance to hit 4 times and 5 times each for decent power as of Generation V, I consider that not reliable enough to base a sweep around (these tests value consistency above all else). You're better off just beating one of Colress's magnets with Flame Charge / Flamethrower with Cheri Berry anyway instead of crossing your fingers and depending on dumb old Arm Thrust. Flame Charge is way better for the midgame, especially with each hit of Arm Thrust triggering stuff like Elesa's Static on two different Pokemon (if something Volt Switches to Emolga before you can move, also Flaaffy has it). Yeah, don't use Arm Thrust ever.

Hammer Arm...I'll put this behind another spoiler because I have a lot to say about it.
Hammer Arm's base 100 power sounds great, but the Speed drop and 90 accuracy are similarly the exact opposites of what you'd want to do when you want to sweep. I literally almost never used Hammer Arm at all in my playthrough. By the time you get Hammer Arm, you come up against A) Targets with high Defense B) Targets that resist or are outright immune to it, like Psychics and Ghosts respectively and C) a lot of bulky mons like Carracosta, Wailord, Throh, Conkeldurr that you simply aren't gonna OHKO, meaning that even if you want to 1v1, you're hurting yourself more in the long run. If you want STAB damage, Flamethrower is the way to go, as its resisted or diminished a lot less than Hammer Arm is. I think the only scenario a strong Fighting STAB like that is mildly useful is like...Iris as you'd likely be switching out a decent bit in that fight.

Seriously, let's go down the list of every single major battle threat and see how many Hammer Arm is valuable for from Skyla onward:

Skyla: Swoobat quad-resists it, Swanna resists it (Rock Slide / Thunder Punch are better) and Skarmory can Agility. Against Skarmory, Flame Charge 2HKOs it with Charcoal anyway, and if you go with my strategy below in Major Battles, you should be at +2 when it comes in, with Flame Charging to +3 and outspeeding it after Agility being way better than risking Hammer Arm.

Drayden: While this is the major battle Emboar could feasibly get away with spamming Hammer Arm because Dragon Tail is the dumbest move ever in-game, it's still not very good. You're going to get worn down, and instead of dropping your Speed to let Druddigon outspeed you, you're better off Working Up and smashing him with +3 Return rather than dealing with Hammer Arm's 90 accuracy. One Flame Charge here lets you outspeed and pick off Flygon too instead of being forced to take Earth Power when you're slower. Even in the fight where nothing resists Hammer Arm, it's still an suboptimal choice, and it's highly unlikely you're OHKOing much of anything with Hammer Arm without boosts.

Marlon: Hammer Arm is definitively bad here. Emboar still outspeeds Carracosta after a Shell Smash, it has Sturdy so you're not OHKOing it anyway, and if you drop your Speed one stage you're probably slower and thus fodder for Scald after it boosts. Without Speed debuffs, Emboar gets the jump on both Wailord and Jellicent by 5 base Speed, so you don't want to Hammer Arm Wailord and make yourself more vulnerable to Scald (two hits of it kills you). You're better off with Work Up and ThunderPunch here. You'd be lucky if you can get one KO spamming Hammer Arm here, not to mention Jellicent is immune to it.

Colress: Nope, Hammer Arm still mostly sucks here. You should outspeed Magneton and Magnezone (Magneton has base 70, but you have EVs so you should win out), but Magneton and Magnezone have Sturdy, so you're better off Flame Charging + Flamethrower to 2HKO one of them with Cheri Berry. You'd likely be slower than both if you used Hammer Arm, plus if they paralyze you twice you have to deal with a 25% chance to not move and a 10% chance to miss Hammer Arm - not fun.

Both magnets have 25 less Special Defense than they do Defense anyway, so Flamethrower is optimal after Flame Charge breaks Sturdy. Metang has 100 base Defense compared to 80 Special Defense, but is outsped and OHKOed by Flamethrower, not to mention Hammer Arm only does neutral damage to it. Beheeyem outright resists Hammer Arm and you probably shouldn't fight it anyway unless you have boosts.

The one Colress target I could see Hammer Arm being slightly useful for is Klinklang, as it tends to Shift Gear (sometimes even multiple times) so Speed doesn't matter as much for it unless you have a Flame Charge buff coming in to outspeed (and even then it is not OHKOed by Flamethrower). But if you do Hammer Arm with no Speed buffs or debuffs, you'd likely be slower than both Beheeyem and Metang, Still though, Klinklang has 115 Defense compared to 85 Special Defense.

Ghetsis: This is a bad matchup for Emboar any way you slice it, but you likely can live a Hydreigon Dragon Rush and Hammer Arm it, you MIGHT kill it (I was too busy attempting sweeps to test this, Ghetsis is generally very tedious to test 1v1). The other targets? Cofagrigus is immune to Hammer Arm, Hammer Arm would probably make you slower than Eelektross, Toxicroak resists Hammer Arm, Drapion has 110 base Defense compared to 75 Special Defense so Flamethrower is the better choice.

I GUESS you could maybe live a hit from Sesmitoad and knock it to half health with Hammer Arm before you die, but why would you send the slower Emboar out vs a Sesmitoad unless you already had buffs anyway? This isn't like +1 on Marlon because Seismitoad needs Emboar to be at +3 Attack to die to Return (probably +1 or +2 Attack to die to Hammer Arm) and you need a Speed buff to outspeed Sesmitoad, and good luck getting that when 4/6 of Ghetsis's team has super effective coverage on you.

Even against Hydreigon, it's not fullproof. What if Hydreigon goes first and lands Dragon Rush and gets the 20% chance to flinch (unlikely because of 75% accuracy, but possible)? What if it misses or doesn't flinch you, and you roll Hammer Arm's 10% chance to miss? You likely die next turn.

Shauntal: Her entire party is immune to Hammer Arm. Self-explanatory.

Grimsley: As mentioned below in major battles, this is an easy Blaze sweep with Flamethrower at +1 Speed. If you don't go for that...I guess Hammer Arm can work for you here? You'd definitely OHKO Liepard and Bisharp with it. Scrafty is also OHKOed by Expert Belt Hammer Arm (I actually calced this).
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Scrafty does live Hammer Arm cleanly if you have -1 Attack from Krookodile though:
-1 Lvl 59 0 Atk Expert Belt Emboar Hammer Arm vs. Lvl 56 0 HP / 0 Def Scrafty: 110-132 (72.3 - 86.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Emboar and Krookodile are both rolls to OHKO with -1 Hammer Arm and Earthquake respectively (you have a 50% chance to OHKO, he has an 87.5% chance at full HP):
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However, using Hammer Arm even once means you likely get outsped by both Bisharp and Scrafty after taking chip from Liepard, and only Scrafty can't hit you super effectively from all of Grimsley's Pokemon (two have Aerial Ace, one has Earthquake):
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Even in the battle where Hammer Arm hits everyone for super-effective damage, you're still not sweeping with it. You'd probably take two and a half mons at best, and why would you do that instead of using Work Up and Flame Charge once each, then sweeping reliably with Blaze Flamethrower outside of a Liepard crit?

Caitlin: All of her mons resist Hammer Arm. Self-explanatory.

Marshal: Hammer Arm is okay here, as you never sweep Marshal even when you're not using it. Throh already drops your Speed with Bulldoze, and I'd guess that you'd maybe 2HKO everything bar maybe Conkeldurr with it. Conkeldurr has Hammer Arm too, but you NEVER want to give it a chance to Bulk Up anyway and it has 95 Defense compared to 65 Special Defense, so why wouldn't you just use Flamethrower? Throh is hit for the same damage on both sides as it has 85 each. Hammer Arm could maybe finish off Mienshao and Sawk after a Flame Charge since they are relatively frail, but I'd much rather Flame Charge repeatedly on Throh, get into Blaze, and hopefully take two and a half members like I do in most attempts where the sweep gets off the ground. And again, I remind you of Hammer Arm's 90 accuracy.

Iris: The one battle I can say Hammer Arm is consistently good for as most of her mons resist Fire STAB. Hydreigon, Aggron, and Lapras are OHKOed by Hammer Arm and it does 2/3s to Druddigon. You can Flame Charge then Hammer Arm Hydreigon to be at -0 Speed for Aggron so you can outspeed and kill it (you easily live Hydreigon's Surf). You'll have to switch out to outspeed Lapras and Druddigon though.

So, to recap, you have one target in two separate major battles you can hit with Hammer Arm fairly optimally (Colress's Klinklang, Ghetsis's Hydreigon). It's halfway okay for Marshal, and then outright good for Iris. So we have a grand total of two major battles Hammer Arm is good in, and the other two battles (Drayden and Grimsley) it is outclassed by an alternative strategy with Flame Charge and Work Up + Return or Flamethrower respectively. It's a pretty niche move.

Don't use Hammer Arm until maybe Marshal or Iris. I can't stress this enough.

So Flame Charge and Work Up your way through the earlygame, maybe throw Return on there after a while, add ThunderPunch over Return and Flamethrower and later on, and swap Flamethrower out with Return for Drayden and teach Flamethrower back on after Marlon. Then have your slot previously dedicated to ThunderPunch shift to a rotating TM move (or the only-useful-for-Iris-Hammer Arm) for the proper situation. That's all you need, really. Next up are the Major Battles!

I already talked about Major Battles some with Hammer Arm above, but let's get into them more in-depth. First is the name of the major battle, followed by the level I am at with the Tepig line, followed by the item I am using for that respective major battle. I'll give my consensus on each one in an underlined statement below the log. My Tepig was Serious Nature and female, with 15 IVs across the board.

Cheren (13): Oran Berry. Tepig outspeeds Patrat: Defense Curl as it goes for Work Up (Tackle should do 9 damage, a 5HKO). Tail Whip once, then barely 2HKO with Tackle. Lillipup is faster and Works Up twice as you Tail Whip it twice: I 2HKOed it and it only used Tackle on me once (after 3 Work Ups). Ended at 2/3 HP with Oran Berry used. Swept twice, the second attempt had Patrat only use Work Up and die. The second attempt had me end at 19 HP before I got to level 14. Easy sweep.

You sweep Cheren easily.

Roxie (18): Pecha Berry. Pignite outsped Koffing who crit me with Tackle to do…16 damage out of my 63 HP lol. I used Work Up to 2HKO with +1 Ember only to roll a crit and OHKO (you do 2/3s normally). Whirlipede seems to be outsped and OHKOed by +1 Flame Charge. Easy sweep in both my attempts.

You sweep Roxie easily.

Burgh (24): Eviolite. Pignite outspeeds and OHKO Swadloon with Flame Charge. I crit Dwebble the first hit but you 3HKO it with Flame Charge. I outsped and crit Leavanny to death with Flame Charge, haha.

The second attempt revealed the Flame Charge 3HKO on Dwebble is a rough one but Ember can help with that if you had it (I rolled a burn). Anyway, he dies very quickly and is never killing you ever I don’t think, you don’t even see damage versus two Pokemon so this boss fight is basically Pignite versus a Dwebble who can’t touch you. Fantastic.

You sweep Burgh easily.

Elesa (31): Cheri Berry. You'll want to be Level 31 for this battle (one level higher than Elesa's ace Zebstrika, so you can have Heat Crash. Emolga’s Volt Switch fails to 3HKO you as Flame Charge + Heat Crash kills Flaaffy before it moves. After a Flame Charge, Pignite surprisingly outspeeds Emolga and OHKOs it with Heat Crash. Even if you aren’t paralyzed, +1 Speed Pignite doesn’t outspeed Zebstrika and two Volt Switches seem to pick you off if you are. Defying all logic, Pignite can’t learn Dig.

It’s worth noting you can Work Up to +1 and then outspeed and OHKO Flaaffy with Heat Crash: Emolga took me to half from two Volt Switches as +1 Heat Crash took Zebstrika to less than half HP and it used…Pursuit, letting me KO with Flame Charge. Emolga came back in and died to Heat Crash. Yeah Pignite actually soloed.

With Eviolite on, Emolga’s Volt Switch turns into a 5HKO as you Work Up: pray you dodge Static from Flaaffy. +1 Flame Charge takes Zebstrika to mid-green post Sitrus Berry (you should be at 2/3s HP from Emolga). Weirdly Zebstrika went for Flame Charge while Pignite crit its Flame Charge: Emolga died to Heat Crash.

Even in the attempt I rolled Static on Flaaffy and healed it off, it was still a solo! I think Zebstrika used Pursuit or something before it Volt Switched to Emolga…which was actually OHKOed by +1 Blaze Flame Charge, shockingly enough. And I picked up the 2HKO on Zebstrika with Flame Charge, outspeeding it as I was now +2 (though it does look close to a roll). Great.

Elesa is definitely a shaky sweep, but at absolute worst you should beat Flaaffy and Emolga.

So we've technically had four sweeps against the first four Gym Leaders, and even if you don't see a sweep on Elesa, you get a better than average performance with a little grinding (easy with the Breeder in Lostlorn Forest with Tranquill and Liepard).

Clay (33): Eviolite. If you have it, Fire Punch 2HKOs Excadrill through Sitrus Berry while it decides to awkwardly Metal Claw you. Fire Punch 3HKOs Sandslash who actually outspeeds you and seems wholly uninterested in going for Bulldoze, choosing to Fury Cutter and Crush Claw. With no Intimidate debuffs, Fire Punch knocks Krokorok close to red as it outspeeds and uses Torment. I think it lives three Arm Thrusts based on the damage I saw on two hits. I think I somehow speed tied with it because I went first on the turn I killed it.

Heat Crash doesn’t even scratch Sandslash. Flame Charge prompts them to Bulldoze which based on Sandslash seems to be a 3HKO.

Heat Crash does at the very least 3HKO Excadrill (not accounting for Berry, I’m pretty sure) as Rock Slide seems to 4HKO you.

With further testing Flame Charge spam actually 1v1s Excadrill. Excadrill tends to go first and derp with Slash or Metal Claw or Rock Slide. Hopefully he chooses the former two so you won’t flinch. Rock Slide might make it iffy for you to survive since it is 5 base power higher than Slash and you're getting close in damage already (can't remember). Flame Charge prompts Clay to Bulldoze you to Blaze range (I wanna say I was at like...6 HP) as the second Flame Charge knocks Excadrill to red (including Berry): he heals and you 2HKO in Blaze pretty reliably. With Charcoal I was actually able to pick up the Flame Charge 2HKO including Berry, though it looked very close. Decent.

This is one matchup Pignite is pretty bad for. With some luck you might beat Excadrill but it's not guaranteed (though the Ai never started with Bulldoze, I don't think). You won't be beating Sandslash at all ever, and probably want some fodder for an Intimidate sack if you want to beat Krokorok.

Skyla (40): Charcoal. You might want to hold off on Pignite's evolution 3 levels so Emboar can have Flamethrower for this battle. Swoobat’s Heart Stamp 3HKOs Emboar (I am female, so no Attract). However, a Heart Stamp flinch into Acrobatics can KO you before you get a move off, so be wary.

Flame Charge does 3/4s of Swoobat’s HP, and you even outspeed it after a Flame Charge so you can boost again. +2 Speed Emboar outspeeds and OHKOs Swanna with ThunderPunch. Even if you only have Rock Slide, Emboar still has decent chances of winning as Rock Slide cleanly 2HKOs through Sitrus Berry and you can hopefully roll a 30% flinch.

Flame Charge 2HKOs Skarmory (you outspeed at +2) and you still outspeed +2 Speed Skarmory at +3 Speed. Flamethrower knocks Skarmory to Sturdy range. Great, but you will need a little luck if you lack ThunderPunch.

While I didn't try it much (I think only for Rock Slide, not sure though) Expert Belt would likely be equally as good for Emboar here because I infer you would 2HKO Swoobat with Flame Charge. Note Swoobat's Unaware does not ignore your Speed buffs from Flame Charge.

Swoobat's Attract can be a pain, so you might want a 12,5% female Emboar here if you can help it, but if you can avoid that and being flinched by Heart Stamp, you should do some major damage here with Flame Charge and ThunderPunch, if not outright sweep. At absolute worst, you should take one and a half mons.

Drayden (50): Silk Scarf. Emboar outspeeds Druddigon. Slash is a 5HKO, and unboosted Revenge is a 6HKO. +3 Return OHKOs Druddigon. I recommend buffing to +2, using Flame Charge to buff your Speed, then KOing Druddigon with +2 Return. You seem to outspeed and OHKO Flygon with and Haxorus with +2 Return. Even if Druddigon hits you with boosted Revenge when you attack with Flame Charge, you should be at less than 1/3 HP and be able to sweep. I think I got three solos out of this.

Buff to +2 or +3 with Work Up, Flame Charge then reliably sweep with Return. This is an unquestionably reliable sweep, albeit a little unorthodox.

Marlon (52): Expert Belt. Thunder Punch Carracosta twice it Shell Smashes - you 2HKO and surprisingly still outspeed after a Shell Smash, leaving you with no damage (unboosted Scald does 2/3s). You can Work Up to +1 on Wailord (it can Amnesia, Scald does 2/3s, doesn’t even close to killing you), then OHKO it with +1 ThunderPunch. You outspeed and OHKO Jellicent with +1 ThunderPunch. You win if Carracosta and Wailord don't go for Scald on you.

Emboar indeed needs Expert Belt to OHKO both Wailord and Jellicent with +1 ThunderPunch, for the record. Not an issue but I thought I'd note it anyway, as both are left in red.

You'll need to be properly leveled here to 2HKO and OHKO, but this is still a Fire / Fighting type sweeping a Water type Gym Leader as long as the Ai goes for a Shell Smash (Wailord can also derp with Amnesia). How can you not call that awesome? Even if you only theoretically 2HKO Wailord and Jellicent at +1 with ThunderPunch, you're still doing pretty good AT WORST.

Colress (54): Cheri Berry. Flame Charge seems to do roughly half to Magneton (seems like rolls to 2HKO), so your Cheri Berry is consumed and you Flamethrower it to kill. Flame Charge also roughly (IIRC) 2HKOs Magnezone, who 3HKOs you with Discharge (sadly you don’t outpace at +3 Speed while paralyzed). Discharge into Explosion doesn’t 2HKO you though, but then Beheeyem comes out and picks you off with Energy Ball.

I tried using Work Up on Magnezone, then Flame Charge to knock it to red HP. I Flame Charge once more as Colress Full Restores, and Magnezone is again at red HP. I drop a Paralyze Heal on Emboar as it barely manages to live an Explosion at 2 HP: Now I am at +1 Special Attack and in Blaze range, still don’t kill with Flamethrower.

What you want to do is take out Magneton, then have something else deal with Zone. Klinklang should come out next, but sadly it is not OHKOed by Flamethrower. Beheeyem is outspeed and 2HKOed by unboosted Heat Crash, while Metang is outsped and OHKOed by Flamethrower.

(Potential Sweep Method): Actually, with more testing I discovered Magnezone seems to go boom when you have exhausted Colress’s Full Restore. So Flamethrower Magneton to Sturdy twice as it paralyzes you, then Flame Charge it for +1 Speed. Flamethrower Magnezone near red (does NOT proc Sturdy, interestingly), then drop your Paralyze Heal as Magnezone uses Explosion for half your HP. Since Beheeyem can kill you from that range, Full Restore: unboosted Psychic from it ALWAYS leaves you in red. Heat Crash in Blaze to OHKO it. Outspeed and OHKO Metang with Flamethrower, level to level 55, then outspeed and OHKO Klinklang with Flamethrower.

Colress will occasionally Volt Switch to Magnezone without paralyzing you: if that happens, Flamethrower Zone twice then Work Up as it paralyzes you a second time. Interestingly, I healed and it rolled a crit Discharge putting me in Blaze range, letting me find out that Blaze-boosted Flame Charge can OHKO Metang before Klinklang comes out, apparently.

So you kill one of the Magnets, likely eat a hit from Klinklang as you 2HKO it, then OHKO Metang. Three members at worst most likely, and an (albeit unreliable) sweep with two healing items at best. This is pretty great.

Ghetsis (54): Charcoal. Emboar can Work Up to +3 and take a few rounds of Toxic and a Psychic before needing to heal (Psychic can be a 3HKO on rolls, but as I mention later down, high rolls can 2HKO). +3 Flame Charge actually does 3/4s of Cofagrigus’s HP, but it used Toxic again, prompting me to Full Restore again. I KO it with another Flame Charge, now at +2 Speed.

Sesmitoad comes out and dies to +3 Return. Drapion comes out and dies to +3 Flamethrower, as does Eelektross as Emboar grows to level 55 afterward. Hydreigon comes out and dies to +3 Return (it is revealed this was a roll in another attempt: you should live a Dragon Rush from near full and Life Orb recoil will kill it). Toxicroak dies to +3 Flamethrower.

HOWEVER, upon a retest, it was shown that Cofagrigus can 2HKO you with Psychic on high rolls, so this sweep isn’t watertight. In another attempt, I got to +2 only taking one Psychic and got a lucky Toxic dodge after my Pecha Berry was used up: I kill Cofagrigus at +1 Speed. Sesmitoad does NOT die to +2 Return as it is left in red (Silk Scarf might ensure the KO).

While you can sweep here, it is noticeably more unreliable than Colress and you're probably better off 1v1ing (which I didn't try, as again, Ghetsis is tedious, but I'd bet you can OHKO Hydreigon with Hammer Arm). Not great, but it's not like a lot of things that don't wall Cofagrigus like Steels are great here either. The Tepig line's second outright pretty bad matchup, following Clay.

Shauntal (59): Charcoal. Bad matchup for a sweep. Emboar’s +1 Flamethrower leaves Cofagrigus in red as it cleanly 2HKOs with Psychic, similar to Ghetsis.

However, you can actually boost your Speed on Driftblim. Acrobatics should knock you to Blaze range before you boost with Flame Charge from full (Blaze-boosted Flame Charge does 3/4s of Driftblim’s HP). Kill it next turn with Flamethrower, then Golurk is taken to red by Blaze-boosted Flamethrower before Shadow Punch finishes you off.

From full, Emboar lives Chandelure’s Psychic in red but not even Blaze-boosted Flame Charge + Rock Slide picks up the KO (leaves it in red before Berry, which heals it to low yellow). Flamethrower finishes it off if you roll a flinch. Bulldoze does not 2HKO Chandelure thanks to Sitrus Berry, but it looks like Expert Belt would secure the KO. Bulldoze into Rock Slide DOES pick up the KO without a boosting item though.

With Leftovers, Emboar MIGHT survive two Psychics from Cofagrigus as you Work Up to +1, then Flame Charge. +1 Blaze-boosted Fire Blast roasts Cofagrigus but Golurk is again left in red by +1 Blaze-boosted Fire Blast.

Emboar is screwed over no matter what you do here, similarly taking one mon like it did for Clay and Ghetsis at best. The Tepig line's third and final outright bad matchup.

Grimsley (59): Charcoal. Liepard’s Fake Out and two rounds of Aerial Ace should take you to Blaze range even on low rolls: Work Up on the first Aerial Ace, then straight up OHKO Liepard with Flame Charge. Krookodile is outsped and OHKOed by +1 Blaze Flamethrower. Bisharp comes out and is outsped and OHKOed by +1 Blaze Flamethrower, though I did roll a crit (seems to be OHKOed on subsequent attempts). Surprisingly, Scrafty is outsped and OHKOed by +1 Blaze Flamethrower as well.

I’m pretty sure I rolled an OHKO on everyone at least twice (give or take rare accidental crits that I don’t think mattered) so this seems consistent. Emboar cleanly sweeps Grimsley every time (save the one time I whiffed Fire Blast on Scrafty): the only thing you need to finagle with is getting a female Tepig if you can help it.

Absolutely amazing sweep, especially if Tepig is female. You're knocked to Blaze consistently and rip everything apart with +1 Special Attack Blaze-boosted, Charcoal-boosted Flamethrower. Do Grimsley before Caitlin to get in Blaze range.

Caitlin (59): Chesto Berry. You’ll want Emboar to be in Blaze from the fight against Grimsley: Work Up to +3 then Flame Charge Musharna to red as you fall asleep a second time. Full Heal / Chesto Berry on the next turn as she heals. I crit +3 Blaze-boosted Flamethrower but I doubt it mattered. Sigilyph is outsped and OHKOed at +1 Speed by +3 Blaze-boosted Flamethrower as Emboar grows to level 60. Emboar outspeeds and OHKOs Gothitelle with +3 Blaze-boosted Flamethrower.

The second attempt had me Blaze Flame Charge unboosted (3HKO) as Musharna setup Reflect. I Worked Up to +2 as my Chesto Berry is used up and KO Musharna with +2 Blaze Flamethrower. Everyone else is outsped and OHKOed by +2 Blaze Flamethrower. You do need Blaze and +2 Special Attack for Flamethrower sweeps - Reuniclus is left close to red by +1 Blaze Flamethrower. If you like, you can Flame Charge, Work Up, Taunt, live a Charge Beam in red (I had 25 HP left, does like 30 damage unboosted) as you Work Up again to +2, then dominate everything with no items. Easy sweep, though it does need some preparation.

Arguably even easier sweep than Grimsley if you start off in Blaze range. Musharna is complete setup fodder. and you reliably boost on it even if you aren't in Blaze by using a Chesto Berry / Full Heal when you fall asleep. Borderline flawless as Musharna only has Dream Eater for Psychic STAB, instead of Psychic (the move). Do Grimsley before Caitlin to get in Blaze range.

Marshal (59): Charcoal. Flame Charge seems to barely miss the 3HKO on Throh: one Bulldoze, a crit Rock Tomb, and a normal Rock Tomb brings you to Blaze range as Marshal heals. Blaze Flame Charge does 3HKO damage and Blaze-boosted Flamethrower can pick up the KO after that. Mienshao comes out and you outspeed and OHKO it with Blaze-boosted Flamethrower. Conkeldurr comes out: you do about 2/3s to it with Blaze-boosted Flamethrower post-Sitrus Berry before dying.

The second time around, Throh missed its first Rock Tomb, then did a third with Bulldoze (seems to be a 50/50 if it goes for one or the other, slightly more favorable to Bulldoze though). Even if you are not in Blaze, two Flame Charges followed by Flamethrower KOs Throh (I’m at 2/3s HP). Mienshao comes out, is outsped and OHKOed by Fire Blast. Conkeldurr seems to be 2HKOed by Fire Blast (it will be in low-green post Sitrus Berry) when not in Blaze and there is a slim chance you can live Hammer Arm and get in Blaze: if this happens, you can Flamethrower for the 2HKO. Ember outspeeds Sawk at +1 and Blaze-boosted Flamethrower knocks it to Sturdy as it kills with Brick Break.

A Bulldoze crit from Throh, if it rolls one, seems to have a chance of putting you into Blaze range from full, but if that happens I don’t think you’re sweeping anything (I didn’t bother as you need +1 for Mienshao). The problem with this matchup is that if Throh clicks Bulldoze three times in a row, you just die with no sweep, though Guard Spec. can help you get around this.

TLDR: Throh needs to click Rock Tomb in one of three turns for you to be in Blaze range. Interestingly, Blaze-boosted Fire Blast actually OHKOs Conkeldurr. I couldn’t verify everything a ton in this matchup, but it for sure leans positive, you just need some luck on Throh. Good.

You'll need some luck on Throh, but if you can get past it, you should take two and a half mons at worst. Excellent for Marshal standards, especially for a mon with a neutral matchup. This is legitimately better than some actual Psychic types here. Great.

Iris (59): Expert Belt. This is the one time I actually recommend Hammer Arm, if you have it. Hydreigon’s Surf might take you to Blaze range (I literally got knocked to exactly 71 / 213 HP more than once, just enough for Blaze, though I did see 87 / 213 implying high rolls) as you Flame Charge: but you don’t care about the damage from Flame Charge, you care about the Speed buff, which allows you to outspeed Hydreigon next turn and pick it off with Hammer Arm.

Aggron comes out next, and you still outspeed it as you are now at -0. Don’t try to Blaze Flamethrower: it lives in red. Maybe Blaze-boosted Fire Blast could do it but that invokes even more accuracy issues when you might not already get in Blaze range anyway. Luckily, you OHKO Aggron with Hammer Arm before it can move, prompting Haxorus to come in. You’re not beating that thing, so switch out (I healed up here).

Emboar crit Lapras (you outspeed) with Flamethrower, dealing half as Surf cleanly knocks you to Blaze range from full HP. So you should do heavy damage and maybe 2HKO with one normal Flamethrower, then Blaze Flamethrower.

I retested in another attempt: Flamethrower seemed to 4HKO Lapras as it went for Sing, so it seems fairly variable. You thankfully seem to OHKO it with Hammer Arm though!

Druddigon comes out (you outspeed) and Emboar does 2/3s with Hammer Arm as it missed Focus Blast: I think you could pick it off with Return when it is that low on HP: it picks you off with Rock Slide either way.

While I said I healed up, you should take two of Iris's mons here easily, and maybe even a third if you can switch out before Lapras comes in. Decent, especially for mon that looks like it folds on Team Preview alone.

It's clear that if you've actually read all that stuff above, Emboar requires significantly more foresight and thought put into its major battles than most other Pokemon in-game. You often have to Flame Charge to +1 and Work Up to +1 or higher to do well in major battles. It's a lot to keep track of, and significantly more taxing than clicking Swords Dance with Excadrill and sweeping, clicking Fire Punch with Darmanitan, or just mindlessly clicking your high-powered STAB move (this is why I had that big section on why Hammer Arm is generally ill-advised). You'll be switching around moves a fair amount too, though you should have enough Heart Scales and Emboar generally needs three moves at all times lategame: Work Up, Flamethrower, and Flame Charge.

That all being said, if it works, it works. Out of the game's 15 major battles, the Tepig more or less swept 7 Gyms and two Elite Four members for 9 / 15 major battles. It's good for Colress, Marshal, and arguably Iris as well, bringing the "good in major battles" total up to 11 / 15 fights in the game. The only matchups Emboar is truly bad for if you use my strategies above and have decent luck are Clay, Ghetsis, and Shauntal. On average, the Tepig line should be sweeping or giving good results in roughly 2/3s of the game's major battles at worst accounting for bad luck in a couple matchups.

These are some misconceptions I myself believed for many years:
-The Tepig line is slow and can't ever sweep everything after Burgh because Hammer Arm is its only kill move.
This is incorrect. Per my logs, he Tepig line swept Cheren, Roxie, Burgh, arguably Elesa, Skyla, Drayden, and Marlon - 7 out of eight Gym Leaders at best! As long as you boost smartly with Work Up and Flame Charge, you should have no more issues than any other Pokemon in regard to RNG though it does need specific boosts to do well.

-The Tepig line has too many weaknesses to be good in-game.
It only has four. While they are common lategame, there are ways around them. ThunderPunch rips apart both Skyla and Marlon (Water and Flying) with a tiny bit of luck / proper leveling respectively. Caitlin (Psychic) is entirely a non-issue as she is setup fodder. The only boss weakness Emboar has consistent struggles with is Ground, which really only means Clay and Marshal will give it trouble, as it can get around Drayden's Flygon's Earth Power through one Flame Charge Speed buff.

-100 Special Attack is weaksauce when you're using Special Attacks.
The same 100 Special Attack that Starmie uses pretty well? The same 100 Special Attack that is basically equal in offense to A tier Stoutland's Gen V 100 Attack? No, 100 Special Attack is fine when you use Work Up.

-Tepig is outclassed by other Fire types that don't need to boost 50,000 times to be useful.
Outside of the infamous Darumaka, not really. Pansear requires 10% rustling grass and Simisear doesn't even hit as hard as Emboar on either offense (98 each), though it is faster. Emboar hits as hard as Magmar does with special attacks until Magmar evolves to Magmortar after 8 badges. Litwick actually sucks when it fully evolves to Chandelure, despite what 145 Special Attack might have you believe, because it lacks a boosting move. Emboar hits 5 points harder specially than Flareon, and we all know how much that sucks anyway. The only real competition with Emboar outside Darumaka is Growlithe, who is actually pretty good (a B or potentially A tier).

Now on the Fighting type side, yeah that I'll give you, plenty of Fighting types (anything before Driftveil at least) perform as good if not better than Emboar. But at the end of the day, none of that matters. We judge Pokemon based on their own merits. That's what these in-game tier lists are for. So we judge Emboar's performance based on how well Emboar does, not how well Arcanine does.

I say all this to say that Tepig deserves A tier. While it takes a lot of skill with certain moves needed on occasion and could feasibly be argued for B tier based on that, there's no denying the Fire type starter can stand up in BW2 with the best of them and adapt IN SPITE OF the power creep from the last game. It's the epitome of a Difficult, but Awesome Pokemon in-game, and I encourage more people to try Tepig out and experiment with it. You'll have to play it very differently than usual, but you are rewarded with an exceptional mixed sweeper who sweeps 2/3s of the game's major battles and makes you think while doing it. This past run with Tepig has been one of the most fun I have done in all my 3 and a half years of in-game tiering. I hope this post encourages you to try it for yourself! If you seriously read all of this, including the information that was probably repeated at least once, THANK YOU!

man I need a life
 

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Apologies for the double post, but considering how long the Tepig one was, I think it was justified. Now for my other post. I used Tepig, Sewaddle, Eevee (Vaporeon), Sigilyph, and Axew. Tepig was in my last post above, so I'll go over the other four (in way less detail).

Cheren (12): Oran Berry. I outsped and 3HKO Patrat (you can 2HKO on rolls) with Bug Bite as it crits Tackle to do a third of my HP. Cheren uses his Potion, but it means nothing as I end up at Lillipup with 22/34 HP with my Oran Berry used. Lillipup goes for one Work Up as Bug Bite 3HKOs, unfortunately, even though he puts me in Swarm range with +1 Tackle I only knock him to red on the second Bug Bite and he kills me.

Second attempt has Patrat Work Up and I land the Bug Bite 2HKO with no damage on me. Lillipup opts to boost to +1 with Tackle: thankfully +1 Tackle doesn’t 2HKO from full as you 3HKO and I sweep. Third attempt had me 2HKO Patrat with no damage, but Lillipup crit +1 Tackle to activate Oran Berry: I still swept with 5 HP remaining after I leveled up IIRC. Good.

Roxie (20): Silk Scarf. I got to level 20 for Swadloon as I already have a Sewaddle log from another playthrough ages ago where it didn’t do very well. You can easily level off Audino in the Virbank Complex so it’s not particularly hard to get to level 20. Swadloon had 150-199 happiness after one faint at level 20.

Anyway, Swadloon outspeeds and 3HKOs Koffing with Silk Scarf Return while it roughly 9HKOs with Smog (lol). I crit it second turn and am at Whirlipede close to full. Whirlipede seems to outspeed and 3HKO with Venoshock as you 3HKO with Silk Scarf Return, but Poison Point can kinda screw you over here: I died turn 2 due to it.

Went into Whirlipede with full HP and a Pecha Berry (had Pignite beat Koffing). The 3HKO with Return seems shakier with Return due to no Silk Scarf and you still cleanly lose even without boosted Venoshock in the picture, but you should get it to 1/3 HP. Passable.

Burgh (24): Miracle Seed. Leavanny’s Bug Bite consistently knocks Swadloon to red HP, but you consistently outspeed both it and Dwebble after one String Shot. Dwebble Rock Polishes and 4HKOs with Smack Down, but something odd happened: despite it looking like Razor Leaf was a 3HKO turn 1, I somehow 2HKOed despite it not looking like a rolled a crit. The second attempt had me cleanly knock Dwebble to yellow HP with Razor Leaf indicating I got a high roll last time and confirming a Miracle Seed-boosted 2HKO is possible.

Burgh’s Leavanny outspeeds and seems to 4HKO with Struggle Bug, but you heal up with its Sitrus Berry due to Bug Bite and cleanly 2HKO it, ending the fight in yellow HP. Fantastic, swept twice easily.

Elesa (31): Miracle Seed. 1v1ing Zebstrika has Zebstrika knock you to Swarm range on Flame Charge and you take it to 1/3 HP afterward with Bug Bite before it kills you (though you do take its Sitrus Berry). I tried Oran Berry to see if you live two hits but it takes you out of Swarm range and doesn’t save you.

With Cheri Berry from the top, Leavanny actually outspeeds Emolga and can cleanly 2HKO it with Return: unfortunately Zebstrika comes in afterwards (didn’t roll Static either turn).

Against Flaaffy, it looks like Miracle Seed would successfully create a Razor Leaf 2HKO (dodge Static) but Razor Leaf + Return seems to 2HKO it. Decent: you should at worst take Emolga and Flaaffy because they don’t seem to threaten you before you KO them (though I didn’t test much).

Clay (33): Miracle Seed. Leavanny’s Razor Leaf 4HKOs Excadrill (you outspeed including Berry while Slash 3HKOs you: Bulldoze into Rock Slide finishes you (Rock Slide seems to 2HKO). You could setup a Reflect if you want to.

-1 Razor Leaf comes very close to OHKOing Krokorok though I think you still outspeed after a Bulldoze, not sure (Crunch 3HKOs). Excadrill comes out and you avoid it. Razor Leaf 2HKOs Sandslash, it got a crit Crush Claw and I rolled my SECOND RAZOR LEAF MISS IN THE SAME MATCHUP and died.

Bug Bite on Krokorok, Razor Leaf + Bug Bite Sandslash (I rolled a Bug Bite crit in one attempt) and you should take two. Good. In hindsight I could have used Expert Belt but I doubt it would actually change much.

Skyla (40): Scope Lens. Leavanny outspeeds Swanna and can knock it to Sitrus Berry range before dying to Air Slash.

Drayden (50): SilverPowder. Crunch seems to 3HKO but Druddigon can also derp with Revenge as you Swords Dance to +4. Outspeed and OHKO Druddigon, Flygon, and Haxorus with +4 X-Scissor. Incredibly easy sweep, you should be fine if you have a decent Speed IV. Swept three times, even swept without SilverPowder once.

Marlon (52): Expert Belt. Expert Belt Leaf Blade 2HKOs Carracosta (unboosted Smack Down is a 3HKO). You OHKO Wailord and Jellicent with unboosted Leaf Blade. Easy sweep, you outspeed everything: if Carracosta uses Shell Smash you literally take no damage.

Colress (54): SilverPowder. Don’t bother with the magnets or Klinklang (+2 Leaf Blade is a 3HKO on Klinklang, it can boost to +3 and destroy you with Giga Impact). You can easily Swords Dance on Metang, outspeeding and OHKOing it with +2 X-Scissor even after an Agility. You outspeed and OHKO Beheeyem with +2 X-Scissor. Passable.

Ghetsis (54): SilverPowder. Swords Dance to +4 - I actually dodged Toxic before Cofagrigus used Protect, but I assume you’d heal that off. +4 Leaf Blade OHKOs Cofagrigus, Eelektross, and Seismitoad, with Leavanny outspeeding all of them and growing to level 55 from Sesmitoad. Drapion comes out and is outsped and OHKOed by X-Scissor. Toxicroak comes out, is outsped, and dies to +4 Return. Hydreigon comes out and dies to +4 X-Scissor.

Shauntal (59): Expert Belt. Swords Dance to +4. Amusingly, I got the worst luck in the world then STILL almost swept. Cofagrigus Burned me with Will-O-Wisp, got a Special Defense drop on Shadow Ball, I Full Restore only to be taken to red by a crit Psychic which also lowers my Special Defense. Of course I got a Flame Body activation and died.

Anyway, Swords Dance to +4: hopefully dodging Will-O-Wisp though you can use Rawst Berry if you want (Shadow Ball is a 3HKO from Cofagrigus). You outspeed and OHKO Cofagrigus, Chandelure, and Driftblim (Aftermath takes you to 1/3 HP) with +4 Shadow Claw. Golurk comes out and dies to Leaf Blade. Interestingly enough, at +4 and with a burn, I still almost KOed Driftblim with Shadow Claw with Rawst Berry in one attempt, implying you could even sweep while burned. Swept twice: at worst you might need a healing item and decent luck, but this is still great.

Grimsley (59): Expert Belt. Interestingly, Liepard didn’t bother with Fake Out and Aerial Aced me to Swarm range on my first attempt (you still live Fake Out + Aerial Ace), letting me OHKO with X-Scissor. Bisharp comes out, takes roughly a third from Swarm X-Scissor and kills you. If you pocket Swarm Leavanny for later, it can outspeed and OHKO Krookodile through Intimidate with Swarm X-Scissor, then do a third to Scrafty with -1 Swarm X-Scissor before dying. Decent.

Caitlin (59): Chesto Berry. Swords Dance to +4 as Musharna spams Yawn: +4 X-Scissor OHKOs it. Sigilyph comes out and is outsped and OHKOed by +4 X-Scissor, as are Reuniclus and Gothitelle. If Musharna goes Reflect turn one, Swords Dance to max: unfortunately Sigilyph looks to be a roll with +3 X-Scissor. There’s nothing stopping you from probably OHKOing with Shadow Claw if that happens (Reflect only happened once in my three attempts). More or less easy sweep.

Marshal (59): Miracle Seed. Leaf Blade 3HKOs Throh as Rock Tomb 4HKOs you: you still outspeed after a Rock Tomb. Throh missed his second Rock Tomb in red HP, so I Swords Danced up as Marshal healed: getting to him to red with +2 Leaf Blade. After 2 Speed drops Throh outspeeds you and does…Payback with you now at less than 1/3 HP. If you heal up Leavanny offscreen you can outspeed and likely 2HKO Sawk with Leaf Blade as boosted Payback 3HKOs, though I did roll a crit on my first Leaf Blade. Not very good.

Iris (59): Didn’t test as it wouldn’t change my opinion. Leaf Blade didn’t even OHKO Lapras unboosted and I doubt you’re living more than two hits.

Burgh (24, Eevee): Eviolite. Unboosted Covet seems to 3HKO Swadloon while non-crit Razor Leaf 6HKOs. Leave Dwebble to something else. Leavanny outspeeds and non-crit Razor Leaf seems to roughly 3HKO you, so you’re best negating Berry range by getting it to yellow HP with two Covets and a Quick Attack, though I did survive at one HP after three Razor Leafs, I wouldn’t count on it because most people are level 23 here. Managed to get Leavanny to 1/3 HP after two Covets and two Quick Attacks. Decent.

Elesa (31): Leftovers. Emolga’s Volt Switch seems to somehow 4HKO you as you Echoed Voice for Flaaffy coming in; sadly two uses doesn’t kill it (leaves it in red).

I switched to Silk Scarf after a reset: weirdly Emolga went Pursuit before it Volt Switched: Flaaffy died but Echoed Voice 4 barely missed the KO on Zebstrika (which Emolga Volt Switched to) as I died.

If Emolga Volt Switches to Flaaffy turn 1, you kill Flaaffy, then Emolga Volt Switches to Zebstrika, you cleanly 2HKO it: weirdly it went for Pursuit, but then Emolga killed me. You should beat one and a half mons. Decent.

Clay (33): Leftovers. Aqua Ring turn 1 (you actually outspeed Krokorok, Crunch 3HKOs). I Acid Armored to max against a crit and one Crunch Defense drop. I Work Up to +2 around Torment as I’m close to 2/3s HP now, then OHKO Krokorok. Work Up to +3 on Sandslash, then OHKO it. I Acid Armor to restore +6 on Excadrill, +3 Aurora Beam knocks it to Berry range, I Work Up to +4 and finish it off.

You can also OHKO Krokorok turn 1 with Aurora Beam (I rolled a crit), then Acid Armor and Rollout on Sandslash, who does nothing (Rollout 5 is a 3HKO at max Defense!) I Work Up to +4, OHKO it, then 2HKO Excadrill with Aurora Beam. This may be slow, but it is probably one of the most reliable Clay sweeps you’ll ever see. Even in a worst case scenario where you don’t boost and Sandslash rolled a Bulldoze crit (does I think a little over half your HP) I still OHKOed Krokorok and 2HKOed Sandslash with unboosted Aurora Beam. Great.

Skyla (40): Leftovers. Vaporeon doesn’t OHKO Swoobat with Aurora Beam, just so you know (I think it does 3/4s). Swoobat’s Acrobatics 4HKOS Vaporeon. Mystic Water Surf seems to OHKO Swoobat. Echoed Voice 3HKOs Swanna if you don’t flinch - I crit the last hit but I don’t think it mattered (it didn’t, as confirmed by my next attempt), and this is helped along by Swanna tending to FeatherDance turn 1.

Swanna’s Air Slash seems to roughly 4HKO you. Surf knocks Skarmory to red and it does nothing. Good…you might want to leave Swanna to something else, though you can beat it if you get lucky.

Drayden (50): Leftovers. Vaporeon can outspeed Druddigon and Acid Armor once to make its attacks do scratch damage, so Work Up to +2. +2 Aurora Beam actually OHKOs Druddigon. Flygon’s Earth Power looks like maybe a 4HKO as you OHKO back with Aurora Beam. Haxorus seems to Dragon Tail and die to Aurora Beam. Swept twice, both times I believe were in green health, Flygon can Dragon Tail sometimes and make your life even easier.

Marlon (52): Leftovers. Outspeed and 2HKO Carracosta with Surf as Crunch does nothing. Work Up to +2 on Wailord, but paralysis can be a huge pain. +2 Shadow Ball 2HKOs Wailord though. +2 Shadow Ball takes Jellicent to high-ish yellow after Sitrus Berry, and Surf can’t finish it off before it uses Recover and heals more than you hurt Jellicent. Jellicent got the Ominous Wind buff, but that didn’t stop it being picked off at high-ish yellow HP by Shadow Ball which stopped being disabled.

If Wailord uses Amnesia at all, say goodbye to your sweep. They aren’t likely to kill you but this isn’t fast either. Average.

Colress (54): Leftovers. Work Up to +1 on Klinklang once the magnets are dead (it seems to Shift Gear). +1 Surf knocked it to red, and I Acid Armored because I forgot Colress had already healed (meaning Klinklang is now at +1 Attack since he has Shift Geared three times). He goes for +1 Giga Impact which does half Vaporeon’s HP. Beheeyem comes in next, you outspeed and almost knock it to red with one Shadow Ball as Energy Ball seems to be a 3HKO (healed to check this). Metang comes out and is knocked to red by +1 Surf, it did nothing because of Acid Armor.

You’re best off just 2HKOing Klingklang with unboosted Surf, 2HKOing Beheeyem with unboosted Shadow Ball, and 2HKOing Metang with unboosted Surf (Zen Headbutt from Metang without buffs seems to be a 3HKO or 4HKO). Decent.

Ghetsis (54): Leftovers. Acid Armor then Work Up to +3 before Full Restoring off poison. +3 Surf OHKOs Cofagrigus and Eelektross. Sesmitoad is surprisingly outsped and OHKOed by +3 Surf. Drapion Night Slashes you for no damage and dies to +3 Surf as I grow to level 55. Hydreigon comes out fifth and 3HKOs with Dragon Rush on your +2 Defense as you OHKO back with Ice Beam. Toxicroak does nothing with Sucker Punch and dies to +3 Surf. Relies on you not being crit to death and continues Vaporeon’s obnoxious legacy of being a boost addict.

Shauntal (59): Leftovers. Shadow Ball cleanly 2HKOs Cofagrigus as Shadow Ball does little damage (mostly healed off by two rounds of Leftovers). Driftblim outspeeds and 3HKOs with Thunderbolt while Shadow Ball can 2HKO but looks like a range. Chandelure comes out third and more or less 2HKOs with Energy Ball, so you’ll have to switch out and use heal fodder (you’ll be in yellow from Driftblim). Surf left Golurk alive more than once, but I had enough HP to tank an Earthquake after Chandelure’s Energy Ball. Only tested once aside from seeing Energy Ball damage elsewhere. Pretty good, you could likely beat three with Mystic Water.

Grimsley (59): Leftovers. Liepard’s Night Slash seems to 2HKO you if it crits, so be wary of that. I Acid Armored up to +2 Defense and Worked up to +2 before I healed: of course Liepard crit me to half before I killed it with Surf. Krookodile’s EQ does like roughly 45 damage of your 235 HP and you OHKO it with +2 Surf. Scrafty lives +2 Surf, but Crunch knocks you to red: I healed as he did for safety. He dropped my Speed with Rock Tomb and Crunch before he killed me. Bisharp outsped me and knocked me to 2/3s HP as I kill it with Surf. Vaporeon is a boosting addict as usual.

Caitlin (59): I used Leftovers here, but Chesto Berry is probably better (used Chesto on my second sweep). Work Up to +4 and heal off sleep if it happens. You outspeed and OHKO Musharna, Gothitelle, and Reuniclus with +4 Shadow Ball. Sigilyph outspeeds, does roughly a fourth of your HP with Psychic, then dies. Vaporeon’s most watertight sweep of the Elite Four, and one of the few I’d call remotely efficient.

Marshal (59): Leftovers. Vaporeon can Acid Armor on Throh (a Bulldoze crit is a 4HKO, same with Storm Throw). I Acid Armor up to max, Full Restore, Work Up to +3, Full Restore, and then finally OHKO Throh with Surf. I OHKO Mienshao fine but Bounce paralyzes me. I Full Restore again and by coincidence Conkeldurr misses Hammer Arm.

I think Conkeldurr just outsped Vaporeon despite Vaporeon not being paralyzed, but it went for Bulk Up and died to Surf. Sawk is knocked to Sturdy, but if he crits you with Brick Break he does 90% of your health (basically knocks you to red).

Iris (59): Leftovers. Hydreigon’s Dragon Pulse 4HKOs Vaporeon (with Leftovers) as you cleanly 2HKO back with Ice Beam. Lapras comes in so you switch out (likely a slugfest). At full HP, Vaporeon is 3HKOed by Archeops’s Rock Slide and OHKOs back with Surf. Druddigon comes in and you should live Druddigon’s Rock Slide after Archeops’s Rock Slide (I healed since it missed) and you outspeed and 2HKO with Ice Beam. Aggron is outsped and OHKOed by Surf. Now at level 60 with like 75% of its HP left, Haxorus goes for Earthquake which 3HKOs you (healed to check but you might not need to) as you 2HKO with Ice Beam, knocking Haxorus near red in the process. Great.

Elesa (31): TwistedSpoon. Weirdly, Sigilyph outspeeds Emolga and knocks it to red with Psybeam: the only hit it ever got in was Quick Attack. You outspeed and cleanly 2HKO Flaaffy with Psybeam, but it paralyzes you and Volt Switches to Zebstrika with Volt Switch 2HKOing you. I didn’t get a hit on Zebstrika due to paralysis.

Cheri Berry. Pursuit from Emolga seems to be a rough 4HKO (22 damage of your 90 HP). With Cheri Berry I was able to muscle through both Emolga and Flaaffy, but even with Flaaffy using Take Down I was KOed from green HP by Zebstrika, so it seems you lose to it no matter what. Good.

Clay (33): TwistedSpoon. Sigilyph outspeeds and OHKOs Krokorok with Signal Beam. Avoid Excadrill. Psybeam cleanly 2HKOs Sandslash (you outspeed) as it does nothing to you. Pretty good.

Skyla (41): Sharp Beak. Swoobat outspeeds but does laughable damage with Assurance (5HKO) while Acrobatics seems to be a 4HKO. Air Slash consistently knocks Swoobat to healing range and you can finish it off with Signal Beam so you don’t miss. Impressively, Sigilyph outspeeds and 2HKOs Swanna through Sitrus Berry with Air Slash, while Swanna’s Air Slash looks like a 3HKO or 4HKO (should take you to red HP). You seem to 3HKO Skarmory with Air Slash (I healed up with a Lemonade) but Air Cutter crits and the like rise higher as the battle goes on (I only won with an Air Slash crit). Good, seemed clear cut from one test.

Drayden (50): Sharp Beak. Air Slash barely 2HKOs Druddigon while Crunch 2HKOs you. Sigilyph outspeeds Flygon and 2HKOs with Air Slash, but Rock Slide finishes you off. Sigilyph outspeeds Haxorus, but Sitrus Berry prevents the 2HKO. It can Dragon Dance then derp with Dragon Tail, so you generally beat it. Psychic 2HKOs it without Berry too so you don’t have to chance more misses. In my second attempt it killed me with Dragon Tail after I rolled a Flygon and Haxorus flinch (I had used Psychic that turn expecting it to DD). Did two attempts (with some Max Revive help first time around), seems pretty good.

Marlon (51): Expert Belt. Energy Ball 2HKOs Carracosta who 2HKOs with unboosted Smack Down. You can try to flinch Carracosta with Air Slash to break Sturdy, though it can still waste a turn with Shell Smash (you outspeed afterward).

Jellicent comes out, takes a third from Energy Ball, then kills you with Ominous Wind if you took Smack Down damage earlier. Energy Ball does 3/4s to Wailord whose Scald 3HKOs you.

You can 2HKO Carracosta with Charge Beam: I assume you get one boost from it on average. If you get +2, Jellicent lives Energy Ball in red: if Cursed Body triggers I think Psychic can finish it off (though I got a crit). Wailord is left in red by +2 Psychic and kills you. Pretty good.

Colress (54): Spell Tag. Outspeeds and 3HKOs Metang with Shadow Ball (it takes two uses of Agility to outspeed you, but if Colress has a Full Restore it can 3HKO and flinch with Rock Slide). You should safely beat Beheeyem, it is cleanly 2HKOed by Shadow Ball (oddly it tried to Psychic instead of using Calm Mind).

Ghetsis (54): Expert Belt. Sigilyph and Cofagrigus 2HKO each other with Shadow Ball: I think we got Special Defense drops but I don’t think either mattered. Sesmitoad is outsped and OHKOed by Energy Ball which prompts Toxicroak to come out and die to Psychic. Decent, takes three but it might not beat Toxicroak if you didn’t heal from Cofagrigus (I did).

Shauntal (59): Expert Belt. Shadow Ball 2HKOs Cofagrigus and Driftblim while they seem to 2HKO you (didn’t see actual damage from Driftblim from full though). Energy Ball 2HKOs Golurk. Don’t try Chandelure - you outspeed and likely 2HKO with Shadow Ball, but Chandelure’s Shadow Ball OHKOs you back. Probably taking one and a half mons. Not great.

Grimsley (59): Expert Belt. Liepard’s Fake Out + Night Slash does 3/4 of your HP. Scrafty Rock Tombed me and missed as I healed up: Air Slash knocks it to red and you still outspeed after a Rock Tomb (4HKO) so you can pick it off with Signal Beam. With no Speed debuffs, Sigilyph outspeeds Krookodile and does 3/4s to it with Energy Ball before dying to Krookodile’s Crunch after Scrafty’s Rock Tomb. Not that great, should beat one and a half Pokemon without healing.

Caitlin (59): Expert Belt. Expert Belt Shadow Ball notably doesn’t even 2HKO Musharna, and Yawn means you have to switch out unless you use Chesto Berry. Your Sigilyph does outspeed and 2HKO Caitlin’s Sigilyph with Shadow Ball while it 2HKOs with Ice Beam (you both do 2/3s to each other).

Gothitelle is a hard no: it is not 2HKOed by Shadow Ball due to Sitrus Berry as it 2HKOs with Thunderbolt; you only win with some prior damage. Sigilyph barely 2HKOs Reuniclus with Shadow Ball, but you should easily beat it as you resist Psychic, Focus Blast, and Energy Ball, though it does have Recover. You should probably beat one and a half at worst, and maybe two at best (Reuniclus and Sigilyph) without healing. Decent.

Marshal (59): Expert Belt. Air Slash knocks Throh to low yellow if you want to try for a flinch, while Psychic knocks it to red (Rock Tomb barely 3HKOs, you still outspeed after one). Conkeldurr seems like rolls to OHKO with Psychic and I’m almost certain Stone Edge would finish you off (you outspeed even at -1 Speed though). Sawk comes in third and I switch out and heal up for easier testing. You can Air Slash Sawk for a potential flinch, but if it goes for boosted Payback you are left in red HP. Now at level 60, Sigilyph outspeeds and OHKOs Mienshao with Psychic. Didn’t test much at all because let’s be honest Sigilyph is garbage disguised by pretty coverage.

Iris (59): Didn’t test as it wouldn’t change my opinion.

Skyla (40): Eviolite. Swoobat’s Acrobatics 4HKOs Fraxure as you buff to +2 and OHKO it with Dragon Claw (Mold Breaker ignores Unaware). Swanna is outsped and OHKOed by Dragon Claw, while Skarmory is 3HKOed (amusingly you outspeed after an Agility). Swept twice, third attempt had a DD misclick and a Swoobat crit to KO me, haha.

Drayden (50): Expert Belt. Have Haxorus Dragon Dance once, then Dragon Claw your way to victory. Exceptionally easy. Swept three times. Amusingly, you still seem to outspeed and OHKO everything with unboosted Dragon Claw too, though I did crit Haxorus. Total demolition.

Marlon (52): Expert Belt. Have Haxorus Swords Dance: if Carracosta doesn’t Shell Smash +2 Dragon Claw knocks it to red (+2 Dig seems to OHKO it, Crunch seems to 5HKO you, it never seemed to want to Shell Smash, the one time it did it indeed died to +2 Dragon Claw). You outspeed and OHKO Wailord and Jellicent with +2 Dragon Claw. Easy sweep.

Colress (54): Cheri Berry. Swords Dance on Magneton, OHKO it and Zone with Bulldoze. Klingklang comes in, pop its Air Balloon with +2 Dragon Claw doing a third as it uses Shift Gear, then Bulldoze. Impressively, not even +1 Gear Grind with one hit rolling a crit OHKOs you! +2 Bulldoze OHKOs Metang no problem as you grow to level 55, and +2 Dragon Claw OHKOs Beheeyem. I swept twice, Klingklang can be annoying but it double Shift Geared in my second attempt so all you might need is one AI derp / turn of no crits. Fun fact: Magneton can live Haxorus's unboosted Bulldoze on rolls, but Zone doesn't seem to. Easy sweep.

Ghetsis (54): Pecha Berry. I actually dodged Toxic turn 1 as I Swords Danced and then Dragon Dance, but I imagine you heal it off. +3 Dragon Claw OHKOs Cofagrigus, Hydreigon comes out second and dies, Seismitoad dies, Drapion dies to Dig, Eelektross was crit by Dragon Claw but I’m pretty sure dies (you can Dig to likely guarantee it), Toxicroak dies to +3 Dragon Claw.

Haxorus does not need a Speed buff to sweep Ghetsis, my Haxorus outpaced everything unboosted but if you or under leveled or have a bad Speed IV you might want to Dragon Dance once to be safe. Easy sweep regardless.

Shauntal (59): Rawst Berry. Swords Dance to +2 as he burns you ineffectively. If you don’t OHKO Cofagrigus with Dual Chop (dual critical chance, I didn’t) and get it in red, you can go for +4 as it heals for free (Shadow Ball 3HKOs). Golurk dodged a Dual Chop but Earthquake again 3HKOs you. Driftblim comes in next, revealing Acrobatics 3HKOS but it dies to Dual Chop. Chandelure comes out last and dies to Bulldoze (I crit though).

+2 Shadow Claw cleans sweeps Shauntal, though I did have to heal on Cofagrigus due to a turn 1 Shadow Ball crit. Easy sweep.

Grimsley (59): Expert Belt. Dragon Dance on Liepard three times, you should live Fake Out + three non-crit Night Slashes. Liepard and Krookodile die to X-Scissor (I crit Liepard). Scrafty seems to barely be 2HKOed by +2 Dual Chop / Dragon Claw. Bisharp is OHKOed by +2 Dig, though I did roll a crit. I also basically swept by getting to +4 (later +3) with Swords Dance - Bisharp just lived +3 X-Scissor in high-ish yellow as I didn’t have Dig.

You can also Swords Dance then Dragon Dance to buff if you like. Incidentally, +3 Dragon Claw OHKOs Liepard, +2 Dragon Claw OHKOs Krookodile and Scrafty, and +2 Dig OHKOs Bisharp. I more or lessswept twice this way, though oddly +2 Dual Chop missed the OHKO on Scrafty once (it is a roll, I’m pretty sure Dragon Fang would fix this): it missed Rock Tomb anyway. I think I got two Rock Tomb Speed drops from Scrafty, you still outspeed if this happens but Bisharp outspeeds and kills you. Haxorus’s shakiest League sweep, but a sweep nonetheless.


Caitlin (59): Chesto Berry. Swords Dance to +4: if Musharna goes Reflect, buff to max and heal off sleep if needed: +6 Shadow Claw OHKOs through Reflect, which wore off as Musharna fainted. Sigilyph is outsped and OHKOed by +6 Shadow Claw, as are Reuniclus and Gothitelle.

You can also sweep with two uses of Dragon Dance if Musharna doesn’t use Reflect in its first two turns. So buff to +2 and get your mostly easy sweep.

Marshal (59): Expert Belt. Have Haxorus Dragon Dance to +2 then OHKO Throh with Aerial Ace. Mienshao is outsped and OHKOed by Aerial Ace, though Conkeldurr can live a +2 Aerial Ace: thankfully you live a Hammer Arm in red after I wanna say two uses of Throh’s Bulldoze. Sawk dies to Dual Chop. I Dragon Danced to +3 in a second attempt and more or less won despite Throh critting Bulldoze once, only losing due to whiffing Dual Chop. Once I remembered Mold Breaker bypasses Sturdy (I’m human) Aerial Ace beats Sawk fine. Easy sweep.

Iris (59): Expert Belt. Interestingly, though I crit once, Haxorus seems to outspeed and OHKO Hydreigon with Dual Chop: Hydreigon’s Dragon Pulse OHKOs you. Don’t try Dragon Dancing on Lapras (it knocks you to red on Ice Beam) as it comfortably lives +1 Dual Chop in low yellow. If it uses Sing Chesto Berry: unfortunately it is STILL left alive by +2 Dual Chop.

Druddigon is 2HKOed by unboosted Dual Chop. Archeops outspeeds and 2HKOs a full HP Haxorus with Dragon Claw, but you can Dragon Dance and barely OHKO with Dual Chop. Now at level 60, Haxorus OHKOs Aggron with +1 Dig, notably outspeeding +2 Speed Aggron with +1 Speed. Haxorus comes in and is ripped to shreds by +1 Dual Chop. Pretty great.

Sewaddle
:bw/sewaddle:
Sewaddle is a clear-cut B-tier. While it is not the most consistent Pokemon in the world thanks to its weaknesses, Leavanny is an excellent Pokemon who performs good for Cheren, Burgh, Clay (sans Excadrill), Drayden, Marlon, Ghetsis, Shauntal, and Caitlin - roughly half the game's matchups. I think Leavanny's biggest positive is the pretty good lategame for Grass type standards thanks to Swords Dance - most Grass types (though Leavanny is Bug / Grass) struggle to stay relevant lategame, but Leavanny averts that with a vengeance.

However, Leavanny does have a noticeable rut from Elesa to Skyla where its moves are kinda middling, but once it gets X-Scissor and Leaf Blade around level 36 (thanks to the X-Scissor TM) and Swords Dance at 46, it's pretty great and regains some lost ground. Return and Shadow Claw also provide it with just enough coverage. It's also nice how Leavanny has no 4MSS to speak of. Definitively better than in BW1 (where it was C).

Vaporeon
:bw/vaporeon:
Vaporeon performs like an A tier, but my heart says it is a B tier. Couple not-so-great availability (you have to Battle Subway grind for a Water Stone, plus you already have to deal with Eevee's 5% encounter rate...when your next boss is Elesa) with a Pokemon who CHUGS boosts in all but a few battles, and you have an interesting combination. The best compliment I can give Vaporeon is that it is probably the best tank in the game with Leftovers. Pure Water is excellent defensively and good enough offensively.

So why does Vaporeon deserve B tier? It can sweep through so many battles with stat buffs! That's exactly the problem. If you look through Vaporeon's logs, you'll very rarely just see it straight up attacking without boosting first (off the top of my head, the only times you just up and attack are like...Skyla, Colress, Shauntal, and Iris). A lot of Pokemon rely on Work Up, which on its own wouldn't be so bad if Vaporeon didn't also like Acid Armor for Clay, Drayden, Marshal, Ghetsis, and Grimsley. It's just a ton of slow, slow, SLOW sweeps where you successfully sweep and then go "great, I never want to do THAT again," which brings expected problems like being a magnet for crits since Vaporeon will have to setup to stick around. Another easy thing to miss is level 21 Aurora Beam - since you are waiting for Water Stone at Nimbasa, you want to use Eevee to keep it leveled with the team, and this backfired when I forgot about it (thank goodness for time travel).

Vaporeon is by no means a bad Pokemon - it has a fantastic stat spread! It is just iffy availability, a rough start (no STAB till after Clay though Aurora Beam puts in work there) and dependence on boosts keep Vaporeon in B tier, though it is definitely one of the best Pokemon in B.

Sigilyph

:bw/sigilyph:
Sigilyph is a C tier. Don't let the decent stats fool you. You have an iffy 10% encounter rate with a 50% Ability hunt (if it has Magic Guard, it won't be buffeted by Sandstorm, so that's a tell at least) that make it annoying to even obtain, not to mention Sigilyph is not the easiest thing to catch in the world with Whirlwind screwing you over if it uses it and a 45 catch rate.

Sigilyph consistently performs decent in major battles, but pretty much never outright sweeps ever. It's a mediocre Pokemon disguised by decent coverage - its dual type doesn't provide many solutions and it's only okay in pretty much every major battle, usually taking one and a half Pokemon its entire life. Please don't put it in B where it doesn't belong - Pokemon in B get actual sweeps. I guess you can meme with Gravity + relearned Hypnosis and Cosmic Power if you really want to, but that's not efficient. Charge Beam is also terrible as a boosting option.

Axew
:bw/axew:
The king returns, and sweeps basically everything once again, though sometimes you do want to have both Dragon Dance and Swords Dance around. Still sweeps everything from Skyla onward with the exception of Iris (who it still does great for). Grimsley is a little iffy but you can still sweep there fine too. Otherwise, everything else is utterly demolished with extreme prejudice. A tier, you could only call this B if we go by the Cobalion / Gilgar lategame usefulness rubric, who I think Haxorus is noticeably better than (it sweeps both Colress and Ghetsis, for one thing, and Axew comes substantially earlier).
 
Posting another run with Pidove, Magby, Roselia, Heracross, and Aron

Cheren

Pidove (12): Frustration 3hkos Patrat, 4hkos Lillipup. You’ll beat Rat pretty handily but Pup will nuke you. Decent.

Roxie

Pidove (16): Get to +2 and sweep. Oran Berry is required as Koffing does too much damage during the setup phase. At +2 Air Cutter 2hkos Koffing and Whirlipede. Unfortunately Whirlipede outspeeds you so you’re forced to Quick Attack, which without Silk Scarf is a roll to ko. Good mu? I don’t like mentioning it but Super Luck gives you a higher chance to clutch.

Magby (17): Ember 3hkos Koffing and Whirlipede. Oran Berry is once again used to prolong longevity. Without luck you’re going to lose since Venoshock 2hkos and you can’t 2hko Whirlipede back, however with burn luck (which due to spamming physical moves is more common than you’d think) you have a chance to not take a ton of damage from Koffing, preserve Oran Berry and survive the 2hko from Whirlipede. Decent.

Burgh

Tranquil (23): +1 Air Cutter ohkos Swadloon and Leavanny, 2hkos Dwebble. I ran this without Eviolite and even then you take very little damage from Burgh, even from Smack Down. Amazing mu.

Magby (22): Flame Burst ohkos the grasses, 2hkos Dwebble. With Eviolite you stomach a Smack Down into Cut (even with my -def nature) so you’re pretty safe. Amazing mu.

Elesa

Heracross is 27, rest 28. Unfezant and Magmar are 32 and 30, respectively.

Tranquil/Unfezant: As Tranquil, +1 Silk Scarf Return ohkos Flaffy. Emolga outspeeds you and 2hkos with Volt Switch, I imagine Zebstrika is much the same. As Unfezant, +1 Return ohkos everything. You outspeed Emolga but are still outpaced by Zebstrika. Volt Switch 2hkos from everything, but Emolga tends to QA turn 1 for some reason, which essentially gives you free setup with enough health to tank Zeb. Cheri Berry is recommended for max consistency against Static procs. Terrible for Tranquil, amazing for Unfezant.

Magby/Magmar: Magby 3hkos everything with Flame Burst. You might be able to take down Flaffy if it fucks around but even with Eviolite you will just get Volt Switched to death. Magmar 2hkos with Flame Burst and actually outspeeds things. Cheri berry is once again the best as Flaffy is pretty guaranteed to TWave you. Flame Burst only 3hkos Zeb, who 3hkos you back. Good mu, but arguably not worth the extra training required especially in light of the potential Clay MU. Magby is awful.

Roselia: 2hko Emolga and Flaffy with Venoshock and Giga, respectively, 3hko Zeb. With Eviolite and Giga Drain healing you easily tank the damage done over the course of the battle. Zeb does have Flame Charge, but for some reason it seems allergic to using it, so you’re actually quite safe against it. Good mu.

Heracross: Emolga Volts out into Zeb turn 1, Rock Tomb into Soft Sand Dig kos while making sure you outspeed it and don’t take damage. Dig ohkos Flaffy and Rock Tomb 2hkos Emolga. Good mu, susceptible to Rock Tomb and Static rng.

Clay

Unfezant 32, Magmar 33, rest 30

Unfezant: Set up on Krok and ohko. Exca comes out after, theoretically a crit from +2 Return should kill but I could not get it to happen, and for all I know you might need a crit for Sandslash as well. Poor mu, too reliant on rng even with Super Luck on your side.

Magmar: Outspeed and ohko Krok and Exca, 2hko Slash with Charcoal Lava Plume. Bulldoze from Slash puts it in the red but you still outspeed even at -1 and finish it off. Great mu.

Roselia: Giga Drain ohkos Krok and Slash, 3hkos Exca (4hkos after berry). Exca can potentially mess you up with Slash crits but otherwise you should be able to outlast it with Giga Drain healing. Leech Seed helps maintain high HP further. Good mu.

Heracross: Brick Break ohkos Krok, 2hkos Exca, 4hkos Slash. Slash is a major roadblock as it chips you down enough to where Exca will finish you off. Counter could be of use here but I got rid of it a while ago. Good mu regardless.

Skyla

Fezant is 36, Hera 35, rest 37

Unfezant: My Unfezant is male so lol. Skarmory walls it entirely and Swanna outspeeds and cucks you with Featherdance. Terrible mu.

Magmar: My Magmar is male. I got lucky with a Flame Body burn but I still lost to Swoobat. I hate this fight. Obviously roasts Skarm. You have a chance against Swanna with TPunch, but it’s arguably not worth spending the Shards on, especially when Magmortar can be re-taught it for Marlon anyways. Poor mu.

Roserade: Weather Ball + Sunny Day beats Skarmory. Swanna is ohko’d by Petal Dance, but you need to both survive an Air Slash (left me at 33/95 HP from full) and not get crit. Decent mu, surprisingly.

Heracross: It pains me to say that this was my only female Pokemon for this fight.

Lairon: Male, but thanks to your resistances + giant defense stat you actually hold out against Swoobat fairly well. Rock Slide also has a chance to ohko which is nice. Swanna Featherdances you into irrelevance and 2hkos you with Bubblebeam. Skarm kinda walls you but you also wall it so it’s pretty much the most boring war of attrition imaginable. Poor.

Drayden

Magmar and Hera are 44, rest 45

Unfezant: +2 Return ohkos everything. Setting up on Drudd leaves you near red, and Flygon outspeeds and Rock Slides to ko. Unboosted Return 2hkos everything so you can 1v1 Drudd and Hax. Decent.

Magmar: Psychic is about a 4-5hko on Drudd alone. Even with Eviolite and burns from Wisp the potion from Drayden ensures Drudd will outlast you and beat you. Gon outspeeds and blows you up and Hax is lol. Bad mu.

Roserade: Petal Dance 3hkos Drudd, ohkos Gon, 3hkos Hax. You’re too physically frail to take on anything but Gon reliably. Poor mu.

Heracross: Drudd and Gon are 2hkod by Brick Break, Hax is ohkod by CC. CC fails to ohko the former two so you’re forced to use BB to avoid defense drops. Regardless, the poison damage racks up with the attacks from Drayden’s goons (both Gon and Hax outspeed) so your best bet is to have Gon’s ai derp out and like Earth Power/Crunch -> Dragon Tail so you can have enough health to eat one from Hax and ko. 1v1 beats everything pretty handily. Decent.

Aggron: Rock Polish and sweep. Ice Punch 2hkos Drudd, ohkos Gon, 3hkos Hax after berry. Aggron can eat even a boosted Revenge from full and not drop to Sturdy, and out of 5 tests Drudd only bothered to Revenge twice 1 time, so it’s fairly safe. Gon is outsped and ohko’d, best Hax can do is DTail you out but if you go in with just Aggron you can’t be phazed and Hax has to sit there like a bitch and die. Good mu.

Marlon

Unfezant and Magmar 48, rest 47

Unfezant: Carracosta stonewalls you so don’t bother. +1 Return 2hkos Wailord and Jelli while both 2hko you with Scald. Poor mu.

Magmar: Magnet TPunch 3hkos Costa, 2hkos the rest (3hkos Jelli after berry). Costa beats you 1v1 so don’t bother. Wailord is handled pretty easily (it likes to Amnesia), but Jelli will 2hko you with Scald and can disable your TPunch via Cursed body, leaving you defenseless against it. Poor mu, don’t waste your shards on TPunch.

Roserade: +1 Petal Dance ohkos everything. Weather Ball Costa to avoid Sturdy + potion. Costa can potentially 2hko with Crunch if it drops your Defense. Persim berry is a good tech to avoid confusion hax potentially screwing you. Great mu.

Heracross: Guts-boosted CC ohkos Costa and is a roll to ohko Wailord, SClaw 2hkos Jelli. It’s better to go in without status already activated; you have a free turn to Facade Costa as it Shell Smashes, which breaks Sturdy and activates your status while you outspeed it next turn. Megahorn Wailord over CC as at -2 you will lose to Jelli. Provided all that works and you don’t get Cursed Body’d you will end on red. Good mu.

Aggron: lol bad

Colress

Rose 51, rest 52

Unfezant: You can take on Beheeyem 1v1 but the steel types obviously wall you out. Bad mu.

Magmortar: Flamethrower ohkos the steel types and brings the Magnets down to Sturdy, 2hkos beheeyem (3hkos after CM). Cheri Berry held to make sure you can 1v1 Ton without taking a Volt Switch, as you die to that + Explosion from Zone. If you’re from full, you can take Explosion. All you really need is to heal paralysis since you outspeed and ohko the steels after but if you wanna take on Beheeyem using a Full Restore isn’t a bad idea. Great mu.

Roserade: With the power of Sunny Day + Weather Ball you ohko the steels, and Petal Dance 2hkos Beheeyem. You can stomach any one move from full except for Explosion, so avoid Zone. The big headache of this mu is requiring Sunny Day to be set in order to get your fire coverage, but it’s manageable. Good mu.

Heracross: Bulldoze ohkos the Mags, CC ohkos Metang and Klinklang, Megahorn ohkos Beheeyem. The combo of both Mags will ko you with multiple Flash Cannons and poison chip, so avoid one of them (also Facade into Bulldoze to avoid heal stalling). Even so, poison will leave Hera weak enough to where Klang will outspeed and ko, so it’ll need healing for a “full” sweep, but at least 3 out of 5 isn’t bad for Colress. Good mu.

Aggron: Soft Sand Bulldoze obviously brings the Mags to Sturdy, 2hkos Metang and Klang, Beheeyem is 2hkod by Iron Head. Due to your slow speed and low Sp. Def you will need healing to beat even more than 1 mon, and a couple potions to beat more (I used about 3 to beat 4 mons on my own), but being able to 1v1 basically any of the pokemon on his team is a plus. Decent/good.

Ghetsis

Rose and Hera 52, rest 53

Unfezant: Set up on Cofagrigus, taunt enables you to prevent Toxic. Psychic is a 4hko assuming no Sp. Def drops, so you can get to +3 before healing up and going on your rampage. At +3, Return ohkos everything (and Fly ohkos Cofagrigus). The barrier is Hydreigon, who speed ties you and can ohko you with Rock Slide. However the odds are far from in his favor since Hydra can be outsped or click another move, which will not ohko you. From there you outspeed and ohko everything. Great mu.

Magmortar: Charcoal Flamethrower 2hkos Cofag and Eel. Fire Blast ohkos Drap and Psychic ohkos Toxicroak. Walled out by Seis/Hydra. Drap outspeeds and has EQ so you will need to be near full to beat it. Good.

Roserade: +1 Petal Dance ohkos Cofag and Eel, Psychic does about half. Toed comes in next for some reason so you can just ohko it. Drap is next, outspeeds and eats even +1 Petal Dance so has good odds of beating you. 1v1 you should have good odds of beating everything except for Hydra and Drap. Good.

Heracross: N heals you before the battle so you can’t enter with Guts already activated, but thankfully Cofag is more than happy to activate it for you. Make sure you switch out right after tho cuz Cofag’s Mummy will steal Guts and it 2hkos with Psychic. CC/Megahorn ohkos everything, Facade notably only ohkos Toxicroak. Hydra and Drap outspeed and given enough poison chip/CC drops can ko you. Good mu.

Aggron: Iron Head is like a 3-4hko on Cofag given Leftover healing, but you wall it out. You also wall Hydra out and 2hko with Ice Punch. Everything else beats you. Poor mu.

(At League, I decided to test the difference between Magmar and Magmortar to see whether evolving Magmar is actually worth it, so you will see both mentioned in the Magmortar logs from here on. Spoiler alert: it's worth it.)

Shauntal

Hera is 58, rest 59

Unfezant: Hold Leftovers, get up to +3, outspeed everything and ohko with Fly. +3 is required to ohko Cofagrigus. Work Up turn 1 and Taunt turn 2 as Cofag seems to always Psychic -> Wisp. You should be safe setting up but the need for extra boosts opens you up to Sp. Def drops/crits from Cofag. Good.

Magmortar: Under sun, Fire Blast ohkos everything, 2hkos Chandy. However, sun runs out after the first Fire Blast on Chandelure, meaning you fail to ohko it after and die. Good mu (Magmar achieves the same kos but must run Charcoal to do so, no real difference between the two).

Roserade: Outspeed and ohko everything with +2 Shadow Ball. I was running Leftovers since I forgot to pick up Spell Tag, but if you have it you’ll only need +1 since Drifblim is the only mon that requires +2. Wisp + Psychic kept me low but Leftovers kept me from dying to burn, so the sweep works either way. Great mu.

Heracross: Avoid Cofag as Mummy nullifies Guts. SClaw ohkos Drifblim, 2hkos Golurk and Chandy. Rock Slide can be run here over Facade to guarantee the ohko on Chandelure. Golurk’s EQ brings you down to half but you outspeed everything; you can potentially go down to Aftermath, but running Rock Slide helps with that as it is not a contact move. Good mu.

Aggron: Shadow Claw 3hkos Cofag, 2hkos Golurk. Hard Stone Rock Slide ohkos Drifblim and Chandy. Golurk outspeeds and drops you with EQ, and Cofag walls you out with burns. You beat Blim pretty consistently since TBolt does nothing, and Sturdy enables you to live Fire Blast. You can’t beat both without healing. Decent.

Grimsley

Rose is 60, levels otherwise the same

Unfezant: +2 Return ohkos Liepard, +2 Fly ohkos Scrafty, +1 Return ohkos Krookodile. Bisharp hard walls you. No good set up target at all since Liepard fucks you with Attract + Night Slash and the other two have Rock Tomb. Leftovers can be run to make setting up on Liepard more consistent but without Scarf you fail to ohko Krook. Really you just have to get lucky. Decent.

Magmortar: Fire Blast ohkos Liepard, 2hkos Scrafty. Bisharp is ohkod by Flamethrower. Krook outspeeds and EQs so don’t try. Scrafty does barely anything with Crunch so you’re pretty safe to take it on even after a Night Slash or two. Good mu (Magmar outspeeds Liepard and Krook, and with Charcoal still ohkos Liepard (otherwise a roll, but Eviolite doesn't really help in this mu at all), but you still lose to Krook, overall a better mu since you don’t have to deal with Liepard’s bs, but not majorly so).

Roserade: Petal Dance ohkos Liepard and Krook, 2hkos Scrafty. Sunny Day + Weather Ball ohkos Bisharp. Liepard and Krook both outspeed and do major damage with Aerial Ace/EQ, Bisharp does the same as you set up Sunny Day. Only Scrafty doesn’t do a lot to you but it will still finish you off after another mon. Poor mu.

Heracross: I don’t think I have to tell you what Hera does to those poor souls. I may have to tell you to avoid Liepard, as Aerial Ace brings you low enough to die to either Krook or toxic chip. Maybe if your Hera is male it might prioritize Attract and you can cheese out a free kill, but who knows. Otherwise, just spam CC. Good mu.

Aggron: You wall out Liepard and Bisharp and beat them down with Iron Head/Bulldoze, respectively. Krook and Scrafty beat you with their STABs. Decent.

Caitlin

Unfezant: Set up all over Musharna’s dumb stupid face and win. Fantastic mu.

Magmortar: Fire Blast 2hkos everything. Flamethrower also 2hkos Sigilyph so you can conserve PP there. You eat enough hits thanks to your good Sp. Def and outspeed everything. Good mu, if only because you risk Fire Blast missing and messing you up (Magmar doesn’t even 2hko Musharna with Charcoal lol).

Roserade: +2 Shadow Ball ohkos everything. Sigilyph is outsped but I feel like you’d eat a Psychic or something from full anyways. Fantastic mu.

Heracross: Outspeed and ohko everything with Megahorn. If you miss Megahorn you die to Psychic. Great mu.

Aggron: Shadow Claw 3hkos Musharna, 2hkos everything else. Biggest threat is Reuni with Focus Blast, otherwise you should be fine. Good mu.

Marshall

All 59

Unfezant: +1 Fly ohkos everything. You still outspeed Throh and Conk after Rock Tomb but Sawk and Mienshao will outspeed. Avoid Sawk and its Sturdy. Mienshao is outsped and drops to Fly, especially if it HJKs. Good mu.

Magmortar: Psychic 2hkos everything except for Mienshao, which is ohko’d, Fire Blast in sun does not change the rolls any. You outspeed even Sawk and Mienshao. Throh into Conk will beat you as Bulldoze does too much, but you can beat Sawk into Mienshao as you outspeed and Rock Slide doesn't ko from full. Decent (Magmar is actually worse as its Psychic fails to ohko Mienshao).

Roserade: Petal Dance ohkos Mienshao, 2hkos the rest. After getting your speed dropped by Throh, Mienshao will come in and ko you with Bounce; without the speed drop, you outspeed and ohko. Conk can Bulk Up to give you a free kill but can also Stone Edge for about half. Sawk can’t ohko you from full. No sweep but you can take half his mons before needing healing. Decent.

Heracross: Mienshao is ohkod by Close Combat, the rest 2hkod. Like Rose Throh will lower your speed and open up Mienshao to outspeeding and ohkoing with Bounce. You should be able to take around 2 pokemon before poison chip begins to really show. Decent.

Aggron: lol

Iris

Unfezant 60, rest 59

Unfezant: Setting up is more or less impossible; you need Sitrus Berry to even survive 2 Dragon Pulses from Hydreigon, but even with +2 Attack you fail to ohko Lapras without Silk Scarf. 1v1, you can take on Hydreigon (outspeed and 2hko), Druddigon (Rock Slide fails to ohko), or even Haxorus (+1 Dual Chop fails to ohko) but not all of them or even two without healing. All others are too strong/bulky to beat. Decent mu.

Magmortar: With Thunderbolt you just barely 2hko Lapras while it fails to ohko with Surf. Aggron comes in next and dies to Fire Blast. Everyone else beats you. Bad mu.

Roserade: Petal Dance ohkos Lapras and Aggron, everything else beats you. Bad mu.

Heracross: CC ohkos Hydra, Drudd, Lapras, and Aggron. Flamethrower from Hydra does a lot but you should be able to live poison through to Lapras. Avoid Arch and you die before you hit Hax. Good mu.

Aggron: Hardwall Archeops, easiest ko of your life. Opposing Aggron outspeeds but EQ only 2hkos, whereas Bulldoze drops its speed and allows you to 2hko it first. Everything else beats you. Poor mu.

And here are my noms:

:pidove:Pidove is a weird one because it can pull some good sweeps out of its hat but as soon as a Rock or Steel type rears its ugly head, you're pretty much screwed. The fact that it comes with literally no coverage at all means anything that resists the combination of Normal and Flying pretty much shuts you down completely, which is annoying because that's far from a rarity in BW2. Combine that with its poor bulk and how slow Work Up gets at lategame, and I think B is more appropriate.

:magby:Magby does it's job and a bit more. Magmar is fast enough to sweep Clay, and Magmortar's Fire Blast hurts enough to make it good at League. That said, it still runs into a fair few mus where it struggles, most notably Drayden and Marlon, where it accomplishes next to nothing, so it should stay at B.

:roselia: Roselia is very solid overall. It begins by exploiting its bulk, resistances, and several forms of recovery to tank through Elesa and Clay, but once you get to Roserade, the magic really starts. Its Petal Dance is one of the strongest moves in the game and with Growth to boost it, you can blow past even some resists. It doesn't have amazing coverage, but Sunny Day + Weather Ball gives it a way past steels which is pretty nice, and you even get Shadow Ball for Shauntal and Caitlin. I feel it's justified in A.

:heracross:Heracross doesn't have the availability of an S tier nor the performance of an S tier. It has trouble full sweeping teams due to a variety of factors (poison chip, average bulk, exploitable weaknesses), even on mus where it should demolish, like Grimsley, for example, where it has to be wary of Liepard's Aerial Ace. Rather than S, B tier feels more appropriate, especially when considering the pains associated with actually obtaining a good Heracross in the first place.

:aron:Aron can accomplish a few things by virtue of its typing and coverage, but its low speed and many, crippling weaknesses, make it pretty mediocre even in mus where, theoretically, its typing should make it great (Skyla is a good example of this). Despite this, it isn't complete dead-weight at League, so I think D is fine.
 
I don't have another run to add at the moment because I'm in somewhat of a burnout phase, but since Ceal is about to likely post his Conkeldurr logs soon I'll say I may have used it the wrong way by not really giving Hammer Arm a fair shake. According to Ceal, you don't really need Guts all that much, and with its performance being so solid anyway in spite of the Speed (apparently Ceal swept Marshal with his) I think Timburr (trade) is an A tier, and not a borderline A / B case. I think I let a meh E4 (on my end) cloud my judgement of a great Pokemon that definitely had the power of an A tier.
 
As Drums hinted I'm posting yet another run, with Elekid, Timburr (Trade), Solosis, Zorua, and Piloswine

Roxie

Elekid (17): Oran Berry. Shock Wave 2hkos Koffing, 4hkos Whirlipede. Koffing is pretty easy prey but you will need to potion to beat Whirl. Decent.

Burgh

Elekid (24): After TWave, Electro Ball 3hkos Swadloon, brings Dwebble to Sturdy, and 4hkos Leavanny. Since you paralyze it, Swadloon spams String Shot, dealing no damage to you but weakening your Electro Ball over time, turning your 3hko into a 4hko eventually. You can switch out to reset your Speed, but Electro Ball does a ton to Dwebble anyways. Leavanny walls you. Decent mu.

Conkeldurr (25): Hard Stone Rock Throw 2hkos everything. Your high bulk makes you pretty invulnerable to Burgh’s attacks unless you take something like 3 Razor Leaf crits in a row, and even then you can just run Leftovers to guarantee even more you beat him. Great mu.

Elesa

Electabuzz (30): Cheri Berry. After TWave, Electro Ball ohkos Emolga and 2hkos Flaffy. Low Kick 3hkos Zebstrika (4hko after berry). Elesa very consistently switches Flaffy out into Zebstrika in order to sve it from being ko’d by the second Electro Ball, so Low Kick after putting Flaffy in yellow to speed up the damage on Zeb. I was able to sweep by getting lucky with paralysis against Flaffy, but if you don’t you’ll likely have to Paralyz Heal and potion in order to beat Zeb. You beat everything 1v1. Good mu.

Conkeldurr (29): Leftovers. +1 Wake-Up-Slap ohkos Flaffy and is a roll to ohko Zeb. Rock Throw ohkos Emolga. You outspeed Flaffy so you don’t have to worry about TWave. You’re pretty secure; I missed the roll on Zeb and a Rock Throw against Emolga and still swept. Great mu.

Duosion (32): TwistedSpoon. Psyshock ohkos Emolga and Flaffy, is a roll to ohko Zeb. If you get the roll on Zeb you sweep, albeit on very low HP. If not, you will lose to the last Pokemon. Eviolite makes you take almost negative damage from Volt Switch, especially in tandem with Light Screen, but you miss the ohkos on Flaffy and Zeb, making a sweep impossible without healing.

Clay

All 32

Electabuzz: Expert Belt. After dodging Intimidate, Ice Punch is a roll to ohko Krokorok and 3hkos Sandslash. Low Kick 3hkos Excadrill. Slash and Exca definitely own you but Krok only 2hkos with Bulldoze and you outspeed it after a Speed drop so you might as well just skip Intimidate fodder and 2hko outright. Poor mu.

Conkeldurr: Leftovers. Bulk Up as Krok Torments and ohko it with +0 WUS. Bulk Up -> twice on Slash; +1/+2 Return 2hkos Slash. +2 WUS ohkos Exca. Everything does basically nothing to you and what little chip you do take is recovered off by Lefties. Great mu.

Duosion: Eviolite. Signal Beam ohkos Krok as it Torments. Psyshock -> Signal Beam, or just two Signal Beams, kos Slash. Exca walls you. Good mu.

Zoroark: Expert Belt. Low Kick ohkos Krok and 3hko Exca after berry. Night Slash 3/4hkos Slash. Exca 2hkos you with Bulldoze and Slash walls you out unless you crit twice or something. Poor mu.

Something to note, if you have an Electric type on hand, you can grab the Air Balloon in Driftveil (highest floor in the building with the shard tutor), disguise yourself as said Electric type with Illusion, and bait Clay into spamming Bulldoze as you levitate holding Air Balloon. This is a fairly easy sweep, although not particularly quick due to damage rolls, and requires you either already be running an Electric type on your team, or you catch one somewhere before facing Clay. Because of its reliance on a totally unrelated Pokemon, as well as a niche item that has next to zero practicality elsewhere, to succeed, I’m not comfortable calling this an efficient sweep, but it’s there.

Skyla

Reuniclus 41, rest 40

Electabuzz: Outspeed and ohko everything with Discharge. Skarm is brought to Sturdy but does nothing in return. Fantastic mu.

Conkeldurr: Leftovers. Rock Slide ohkos Swoobat, brings Swanna to red. The combo of Acrobatics + Air Slash probably kills you (I survived on literally 1 HP). You can boost on Skarm and probably win but it’s slow and Air Cutter gets annoying. Decent.

Reuniclus: TwistedSpoon. Psychic ohkos Swanna and 2hkos Skarm. Signal Beam 2hkos Swoobat. Collectively, all of Skyla’s Pokemon do little damage to you, but over time can potentially kill you, based on rolls, but otherwise you will end the fight on low red. Air Slash flinches are also a consideration as they will definitely force you to heal or die. Good mu.

Zoroark: BlackGlasses. +2 Night Slash ohkos Swoobat and Swanna, Night Slash 3hkos Skarm (Low Kick achieves the same rolls at +2 and Night Slash has the better crit rate). Skarm outspeeds after Agility and does a fair bit of damage over time with Steel Wing, so you will need to be at close to max HP to full sweep. The best way of going about this is by choosing an Illusion that encourages Swoobat to Heart Stamp; I achieved this by using my Electabuzz, but this also happened fairly consistently by disguising as Oshawott, so unless you choose a target that specifically baits out Acro/Assurance it should be fine. Great mu.

Drayden

Buzz 49, rest 48

Electabuzz: Expert Belt Ice Punch ohkos Flygon, 2hkos Druddigon, 3hkos Haxorus after berry. Drud takes you to near half with Crunch while Gon is outsped and ohko’d. Haxorus Dragon Dances up and drops you with Dragon Tail. Good mu.

Conkeldurr: Leftovers. Bulk Up and ohko everything with Hammer Arm. The only thing that can even remotely damage you is Gon’s Earth power, which is a… 4hko. Fantastic mu.

Reuniclus: Psychic 2hkos everything. You can beat Gon and Hax 1v1, as Crunch and Assurance both 3hko, but Drud 2hkos with Crunch so that’s a no-go, and you can’t beat more than one thing without healing. Poor.

Zoroark: +2 Blackglasses Night Slash leaves everything on red. I disguised as Reuniclus to guarantee at least one Crunch; you can eat a Crunch into Revenge, but Drud sometimes derps and does something dumb like Crunch twice. Turns out you need Drud to Crunch twice cuz unless you’re over green Gon will just eat the Night Slash and finish you off. No way you’re sweeping here. Poor.

Marlon

All 50

Electabuzz: Expert Belt TBolt brings Carracosta to Sturdy, ohkos Wailord, 2hkos Jellicent. Costa and Jelli both go for Scald, which 3hkos. If Costa burns you with Scald, Jelli will likely ko you, but even if Jelli burns you you’ll survive and win. Great mu.

Conkeldurr: Leftovers. Payback into Hammer Arm on Costa as Scald 3hkos. Bulk Up on Wailord as it spams Amnesia like a moron. +1 Hammer Arm ohkos Wailord, boosted Payback ohkos Jellicent. Getting burned is not optimal here as taking the chip leaves you in range of being ko’d, but 30% chance is only 30%. Great mu.

Reuniclus: Expert Belt. Costa always Shell Smashes in your face, so you can use Snatch to steal the boost right from him. From there, he can either Crunch, which brings you to low yellow, or Shell Smash again; you outspeed him from the start so you’ll win this exchange no matter what. +1 Energy Ball ohkos Jelli and Wailord. If Cursed Body activates on Energy Ball, Psychic also ohkos Wailord. Great mu.

Zoroark: Blackglasses. +1 Night Slash ohkos Jelli, 2hkos Wailord; +1 Low Kick brings Costa to Sturdy. I once again disguised as Reuniclus in order to bait Crunch, which, after a Shell Smash, does a third of your HP. You can set up on Wailord as it Amnesias to ohko it at +2 but it’s not necessary. I tested again with a sub-optimal disguise (Mamo) to bait Scald and it did about half my HP, but after the Illusion was broken Costa opted to Smash instead of ko me, so it seems like Illusion isn’t necessary to make this sweep work. Great mu.

Mamoswine: Rawst Berry. EQ brings Costa to Sturdy and 2hkos the rest. Costa Scalds turn 1 and brings you to a quarter of your HP; Wailord does not derp here and finishes you off. Poor mu.

Colress

All 52

Electivire: Expert Belt. Low Kick 2hkos the Mags and Klinklang. Thunder Punch 2hkos Beheeyem and Thunderbolt 2hkos Metang. Mags’ move choice is a little varied, most times they will go for their best move to hit you (Tri Attack for Magneton, Flash Cannon for Magnezone), other times they will try and paralyze you, which is absorbed by Motor Drive. You should beat both just fine regardless of what moves they use (over the course of many attempts Zone only ever boomed on me once), but if you take damage from both or at least just a Tri Attack, Klang will come in next and ko you with Giga Impact after a Shift Gear, forcing you to heal (in one test where I only took Flash Cannon, Klang simply Shift Gear’d twice, so you shouldn’t need healing in that event). Beheeyem and Metang both waste time boosting so they’re pretty safe after you deal with Klang. 1v1 you beat everything. Good mu.

Conkeldurr: Leftovers. Hammer Arm ohkos Klang, 2hkos Metang, brings Mags to Sturdy. Boosted Payback ohkos Beheeyem. Better to avoid Mags as they do massive damage with their special attacks. Come in on Klang and click Hammer Arm as it Shift Gears. Beheeyem comes in and Calm Minds as Payback ohkos. At full health, Metang needs multiple flinches to beat you. You can 1v1 everything from full. Good mu.

Reuniclus: Leftovers. You can Snatch on Beheeyem for a free Calm Mind boost; even if you get it wrong the first time, Energy Ball does very little damage to you, and it will Calm Mind eventually. +1 Signal Beam 2hkos Beheeyem and Metang. With Leftovers recovery, you should have enough HP to withstand repeated attacks. Walled by everything else. Poor mu.

Zoroark: BlackGlasses. +1 Night Slash ohkos Beheeyem and 2hkos Metang. You live Energy Ball from Beheeyem easily and outspeed Metang even after an Agility. Everything else beats you. Poor.

Mamoswine: Leftovers. EQ ohkos Metang, brings Mags to Sturdy, 2hkos Beheeyem. Both mags bring you to red with Flash Cannon, and Klang outspeeds and click Gear Grind twice to beat you. You are limited to Metang + one other mon besides Klang. Poor mu.

Ghetsis

Reuni 52, rest 53

Electivire: Expert Belt. Psychic ohkos Toxicroak, Ice Punch / TBolt 2hkos Hydreigon / Drapion. Low Kick 3hkos Eelektross while Crunch only 3hkos you back. Cofagrigus beats you out with ToxicText stalling and Seismitoad walls you. You can only take Croak + one other mon in succession. Decent.

Conkeldurr: Leftovers. Skip Cofag and set up on your preferred target. I used Hydreigon simply because it’s what came out next, but Drapion would probably be even safer. At +2, Hammer Arm ohkos everything except Croak, which is ohkod by Return. You will usually need to use a potion at some point, unless Hydra misses all its Dragon Rushes, I guess, but aside from that it’s a pretty solid sweep. Great mu.

Reuniclus: It ohkos Croak and Toad with Psychic and Energy Ball, respectively. Everything else outspeeds and 2hkos you before you can 2hko them. Poor mu.

Zoroark: You can beat Cofag with Night Slash and that’s literally it. Even Hydra tanks Low Kick and ohkos you back with Dragon Rush. Bad mu.

Mamoswine: Soft Sand. You ohko both poisons on his team with EQ and lose to everything else. Poor mu.

Shauntal

Zoro 59, rest 58

Electivire: Expert Belt. Thunder Punch ohkos Drifblim, Rock Slide 2hkos Chandelure. Chandelure puts you in low red with Fire Blast, and Drifblim’s Aftermath will finish you off after you ohko it with TPunch, so unless you flinch Chandy / dodge Fire Blast, you will double-down at the end. Poor mu.

Conkeldurr: BlackGlasses Payback ohkos everything (Blackglasses necessary as Golurk lives on red otherwise). Golurk outspeeds and chunks a third of your HP with EQ, at which point both Blim and Chandy can finish you off with Psychic / Fire Blast, respectively. Cofagrigus burning you activates Guts, but attacking it with Payback causes you to lose Guts. Overall you can only take out one Pokemon without healing, although you can take everything 1v1 from full. Poor mu.

Reuniclus: Everything outspeeds and 2hkos you as you 2hko them back with EBelt Shadow Ball. Terrible mu.

Zoroark: You outspeed and ohko everything with Blackglasses Dark Pulse. Fantastic MU.

Mamoswine: EBelt Ice Fang ohkos Blim and 2hkos Golurk. You outspeed Blim and only take Aftermath chip, which, combined with Brick Break, is not enough to ko you. Chandy outspeeds and ohkos you with Fire Blast, and Cofag requires a Full Heal and Soft Sand to beat (running Rawst means EQ is only a 3hko). Decent mu.

Grimsley

Zoro 60, rest the same

Electivire: Expert Belt ohkos Liepard and Bisharp, 2hkos Scrafty and Krookodile. You outspeed everything, even Scrafty after a Rock Tomb. Krook lives a Low Kick regardless of Intimidate and ohkos you with EQ, so avoid it. Good mu.

Conkeldurr: Leftovers. Set up Bulk Up on Liepard and sweep; BU is more for the Defense boost than anything as you ohko everything with Hammer Arm regardless. At +1 Defense Aerial Ace from Liepard and Sharp do little damage so you’re safe from even the super effective hits. Sweep ended on yellow. Great mu.

Reuniclus: EBelt SIgnal Beam ohkos Liepard. You live even a Fake Out into crit Night Slash so you are guaranteed at least that. Everything else beats you. Poor mu.

Zoroark: Leftovers. +4 Flamethrower ohkos everything except Scrafty, which is 2hkod. Scrafty is left on 1 HP so if I had Charcoal it would be a sweep but oh well. Illusion is a non-factor because Liepard breaks it turn 1 with Fake Out anyways. I taunted it into NP twice, but got crit which put me in red; otherwise the setup should be fairly safe. As it is without Charcoal, Scrafty will force you out, but you will then lose to Krook even if you heal back up as raw Flamethrower only 3hkos and you have no ability to set up on it as it Rock Tombs into EQ for a ko. Decent, would be a lot better if I had the optimal item choice :P

Mamoswine: Expert Belt. EQ ohkos Liepard and Sharp, 2hkos Scrafty. Ice Fang ohkos Krook. Sweeping here is possible but depends on several factors: 1. Not getting crit by Liepard, 2. Scrafty Rock Tombing instead of Brick Breaking (you outspeed even after a Speed drop), 3. Switching out after Scrafty dies to reset your Speed and to avoid the incoming Krook’s Intimidate, and 4. Ice Fang not missing. I was able to meet this criteria twice but I will admit it is far from the most consistent sweep in the world. 1v1 you should beat everything. Decent.

Caitlin

Conk and Mamo 59, rest the same

Electivire: Outspeed and ohko Sigilyph with TPunch, the rest beat you. Even Musharna walls you out with Reflect. Probably better to have Signal Beam here. Poor mu.

Conkeldurr: Bulk Up on Musharna. Regardless of whether Mush reflects turn 2 or not at all, you will need at least +3 to ohko with unboosted Payback, so knock it up to +4 to account for Yawn turns. +4 Payback ohkos everything. You live one Psychic from Sigilyph or Gothitelle, but both outspeed you so the sweep will not be completed. Thankfully, Caitlin sends out Reuniclus first, so you are guaranteed 3. Good mu.

Reuniclus: EBelt Shadow Ball 2hkos everything. Musharna is a little annoying as 2hkoing means you fall asleep as Sigi comes out and EBelt is absolutely required to 2hko Mush, so you have to Shadow Ball -> Psychic to try and not put it in potion range so you can wake up for free. Sigi comes out next and 3hkos with Shadow Ball as you 2hko it back. Goth outspeeds and finishes you off. Decent.

Zoroark: Taunt to prevent Yawn and Nasty Plot as Mush Charge Beams for next to no damage. Outspeed and ohko everything with +2 Dark Pulse. Fantastic mu.

Mamoswine: EBelt. EQ 2hkos Mush, Reuni, and Goth, while Ice Fang ohkos Sigi. Similar to Reuni you have trouble with not falling asleep as you beat Mush, but even more so as no move is gonna keep Musharna out of potion range, so you will have to use a few Awakenings. You live a Focus Blast from Reuni, and outspeed Sigilyph, but Goth comes in to finish you off. If you dodge Focus it’d actually be a sweep. Good mu.

Marshall

Levels the same

Electivire: EBelt Psychic ohkos Mienshao, 2hkos the rest. You can mini sweep if you dodge Throh and if Conkeldurr Bulk Ups turn 1 instead of Hammer Arming you; while you do live Hammer Arm, Sawk will finish you off with Brick Break. Shao is outsped so no damage taken there. You beat everything 1v1. Good mu.

Conkeldurr: Leftovers. +2 Hammer Arm ohkos everything. You can actually full sweep Marshall, albeit on very low HP and requiring some things to go your way. Ideally, Mienshao Bounces instead of HJKs to give you a little extra Leftovers recovery (both moves do about the same damage), and opposing Conk Hammer Arms instead of Bulking Up, as it survives after a Defense boost, outspeeds, and does way more with +1 Hammer Arm than it would dry. Even if you do not get these rolls you will at least have killed everything up to Sawk and put it in red. Great mu, only Pokemon I’ve run off the top of my head that’s swept Marshall thus far.

Reuniclus: EBelt Psychic ohkos everything (EBelt required to ohko Throh). In a straight run, I ohkod Throh, got chunked by Shao who U-Turned into Sawk, and died to Payback as I brought it to Sturdy. Due to the extreme commonality of anti-Psychic coverage moves, you will need some healing to keep up; I had to use two potions in order to full sweep, mostly because of U-Turn. Decent/good.

Zoroark: you might get to kill Throh with +4 Flamethrower but you won’t get any farther than that, and even then you need Charcoal to confirm the kill; if you miss the roll, it outspeeds you at -3 Speed and kills you. Bad mu.

Mamoswine: Similar to Zoro, but a tiny bit more consistent since you just spam EQ to 2hko as Throh just Bulldozes. Otherwise everything beats you. Poor mu.

Iris

Zoro 60, rest 59

Electivire: Ice Punch 2hkos Hydreigon, Druddigon, and Haxorus. Low Kick ohkos Aggron. Thunder Punch ohkos Archeops and 2hkos Lapras. My Electivire outsped Archeops, but I’m unsure if this is due to my Speed-boosting nature or not. Otherwise, you can take 4 mons in succession and beat everything but Haxorus 1v1. Great mu.

Conkeldurr: Hammer Arm ohkos Hydra, Aggron, and Lapras, 2hkos Drud and Hax. I tried a little mini-sweep by baiting in Aggron after killing Hydra, but the special moves from Drud and Lapras simply do too much damage to you. 1v1 you beat everything except Archeops and can beat 2-3 in succession. Good.

Reuniclus: 2hko everything with the appropriate coverage move or Psychic. Regrettably even Archeops lives a Psychic unless you equip TwistedSpoon. You’re basically limited to one or two Pokemon at most as all of Iris’ team outspeeds and generally have the coverage / power to 2/3hko. Bad mu.

Zoroark: I tried sweeping by setting up on Drud and preventing Focus Blast with Illusion, but Hax comes in right after and cockblocks you without a lucky flinch. 1v1 you can beat Drud and Arch, pretty much lose to the rest. Poor mu.

Mamoswine: Ohko Archeops with Ice Fang and Aggron with EQ, Hax is 2hkod. You can take Aggron +1 without heals. Rest beat you. Decent.

Nominations:

:Elekid: Elekid to B: Elekid has an underwhelming start, as it's too weak to take on Roxie and its typing is pretty bad against the next 3 gyms. Once you get to Skyla, though, Electabuzz begins to take off, clean sweeping her and Marlon as well as doing good vs Drayden and Colress. Past that it starts to get a little inconsistent, though some of this comes down to my move choice, and it does have a really good Iris mu, insofar as anything *can* have a really good Iris mu. Ultimately its rocky start bars it from A imo, but it doesn't deserve to drop any further.

:Conkeldurr: Timburr (Trade) to A: Conk is pretty insane. You can have it by Burgh and from there it steamrolls most of the game with a few Bulk Ups. Despite its ability to use a status orb, I think it's an absolute bait item and Leftovers should always be used over it. Conk doesn't even really benefit from Guts in the same way other Guts users would; unlike Hera, it has an actual setup move, and unlike Raticate, it has a really high Attack stat from the jump, so it doesn't have a huge need for the Attack boost from Guts. So all you really get is the chip damage, and when you're as slow as Conk, you want to capitalize on your bulk as much as possible. In any case, Conk has some of the best mus in the game, some highlights being full sweeping Clay, Ghetsis, and even Marshall, although that mu can be a little shaky. It does stumble a bit tho, being mediocre to bad vs Skyla and Shauntal and requiring some healing in other mus due to its low Speed and vulnerable Special Defense, so I feel remaining in A is most appropriate.

:solosis: Solosis to C: disappoiting tbh. Reuniclus has a pretty solid performance up til Colress, though it only manages to full sweep Marlon via Snatch shenanigans. But it *only* full sweeps Marlon reliably, relying on luck to sweep Elesa and Skyla and only being limited to 2 mons on Clay's team. Past Marlon tho, it does not have a good mu. Colress and Ghetsis are fairly understandable, I think, but its league performance is pretty abysmal, failing to get a good mu even vs Caitlin. Marshall, who you would imagine Reuniclus would be great for thanks to its FIghting resistance, bulk, and ability to ohko with STAB Psychic, is mostly average there due to the insane commonality of anti-Psychic coverage moves there. So overall it has some cheesy/situational sweeps here and there but ultimately has a lot of bad mus that drag it down to the realm of mediocrity. Sucks even vs Drayden, of all things.

:zorua: Zorua to B: Zoroark has a medley of interesting traits that make it desirable; high Speed, setup potential, and Illusion shenanigans to cheese some fights. While Illusion can be put to pretty good effect if you have the right teammates, ultimately this is team-dependent, and I don't like the concept of relying on outside Pokemon to enable your sweeps (think like using screens on another Pokemon to help a setup sweeper). Ultimately its lacking power (+1 Night Slash is far from the strongest thing out there) and low bulk mean some mus are just impossible to do well in, such as Colress, Ghetsis, or even Drayden, but it does sporadically well at other points in the game and beats 3/4 of E4, so I think B is appropriate. As an aside, I went and tutored Dark Pulse on it to use in conjunction with Nasty Plot for the E4, mostly because I was just fed up at how pathetically weak HC + NS was. Normally I would penalize a mon if I felt the need to do this, but looking back, I really don't think it was necessary at that point, as Zoro beats the E4 members he beats and loses against the member he loses against regardless of setup/STAB choice, so I'm not gonna hold it against him.

:piloswine: Piloswine to E: Comes extraordinarily late, requires grinding to bring up to the level for the rest of your team, and hardly justifies it at all. EQ off 130 Attack is insane on paper, but the many downsides Mamoswine comes with (average Speed, terrible defensive typing, barren movepool, lack of setup options) means it hardly matters at all. That said, it *can* sweep Grimsley, even if it's kinda inconsistent, and is actually good vs Caitlin, so it's not entirely useless. Just be warned, that's all it really does.
 
I used Eevee (Jolteon), Trapinch, Basculin, Volcarona, and Zangoose this run. Logs and nominations are going to be slightly out of order because....I have a lot to say about one of them.

Elesa (30): Cheri Berry. Depressingly, neither +2 Thunder Fang nor +2 Return OHKOs Emolga. Believe it or not, Elesa is smart enough to switch Zebstrika in if you use Thunder Fang once: it is cleanly outsped and 2HKOed by Return. Flaaffy is OHKOed by +2 Dig.

Work Up to +1, 2HKO Emolga with Return…oddly I crit Flaaffy AGAIN with +1 Dig (crit it last time too). +1 Dig leaves Zebstrika in red. I was left in red HP this attempt.

Silk Scarf Echoed Voice goes much better. You 2HKO Emolga unboosted, OHKO Flaaffy (!) and OHKO Zebstrika (!) if you’re lucky. Even if you don’t OHKO Flaaffy with Echoed Voice 3 it literally heals you with Thunder Wave as you OHKO with Echoed Voice 4 next turn. Tested Echoed Voice twice, was a clean sweep both times.

Clay (34): Expert Belt. Outspeed and OHKO Krokorok with Signal Beam. Signal Beam seems to barely pick up the 2HKO on Sandslash as Bulldoze does 3/4s to you, but you still outspeed at -1 Speed. Seems pretty clear cut in only one attempt.

If you’re curious, Silk Scarf Echoed Voice 2HKOs Krokorok (Bulldoze 2HKOs) and Echoed Voice 3 knocks Sandslash to red, getting similar results even without Signal Beam.

Skyla (40): Jolteon used Discharge! You can even use Lucky Egg here. Jolteon was 41 for Skarmory who is the only one who gets a hit off-post-Agility, not even a Steel Wing (IIRC) crit will stop you.

Drayden (50): Silk Scarf. My first attempt had a Slash crit followed by boosted Revenge so I died. However, Crunch and boosted Revenge doesn’t 2HKO you, and you 3HKO with Echoed Voice. Sadly, while Jolteon does outspeed Flygon, Echoed Voice 4 knocks it to mid-red.

This is why you use Metronome (in Lacunosa Town’s northeast house). First time I tried, I crit, so I reset. Echoed Voice 4 kills Flygon and Echoed Voice 5 OHKOs Haxorus. You outspeed everything. Swept three times, albeit with a crit on Flygon the second time around.

Marlon (52): Expert Belt. Discharge Carracosta and Wailord who die easily. Jellicent heals to low green with Sitrus Berry as it 3HKOs with Scald. In case of Cursed Body (which I didn’t roll) Shadow Ball barely cannot pick it off from that range and unfortunately deals roughly as much damage as Recover can heal: it Recovered several times and I killed it with Discharge (wanted to see what it would do), so even in the worst case scenario, it’s just a case of being stalled for a little while.

Go get a Charge Beam boost on Carracosta and Jellicent is OHKOed by +1 Discharge. Should be an easy sweep.

Colress (54): Magnet. Tri Attack does laughable damage after you setup a Light Screen (like roughly 20 damage of your roughly 145 HP, an 8HKO). Work Up four times as Light Screen wears off (you should be at 1/3 HP as this happens). Sadly he crit and I died.

Next time around I tried +2 as that means Light Screen would wear off if I 2HKO…which I thankfully do. After a silly crit paralyze from my Discharge, it is revealed Magnezone is also 2HKOed by +2 Discharge. Klinklang comes in and is outsped and OHKOed by Discharge as Jolteon grows to level 55. Beheeyem is outsped and OHKOed by Signal Beam. Metang is outsped and OHKOed by Discharge.

I tried without Light Screen the second time around, with Magneton Thunder Waving turn 1 before using Tri Attack. It seems +2 Discharge is a roll to 2HKO Magneton but I luckily crit it on the second hit, with Jolteon a little under half HP: Magnezone unfortunately exploded on me.

Next try had Magneton paralyze me twice with Tri Attack before it went down, necessitating two Full Restores: Magnezone’s Flash Cannon is a 5HKO. It turns out Jolteon can cleanly live Magnezone's Explosion from full HP, and it seems fairly uncommon (had to heal a number of times before it finally went for it).

You can also try Lum Berry with Dig. Magneton luckily went for Thunder Wave when I came back up after two Tri Attacks when I was setting up. I derped and Dig on a Full Restore so I’m at half HP. Magnezone comes in and gets Discharged to break Sturdy: I am now in low yellow and OHKO with Dig…only for Zone to go boom when I was underground.

Magnezone going boom underground means you likely lose to Klinklang as it either kills you or boosts up and kills you. Similar to Magnezone’s Explosion, Klinklang’s +1 Attack Giga Impact leaves you in red, with it outspeeding you after a Shift Gear (unboosted Discharge sadly 3HKOs).

So in short, this matchup isn’t great, but it is possible to sweep, albeit unlikely. Decent.

Ghetsis (54): Pecha Berry. Shadow Ball cleanly 2HKOs Cofagrigus. Avoid Seismitoad. +1 Shadow Ball sadly doesn’t 2HKO Eelektross as Crunch 3HKOs you, so you lose.

I tried Metronome Signal Beam on Hydreigon - first attack is a 3HKO but you should beat it after with Life Orb recoil (I crit) plus you outspeed (Dragon Rush knocks you to red from full). Surprisingly, Metronome Echoed Voice 3 was barely able to 3HKO Eelektross (healed up offscreen). Drapion is outsped and OHKOed by Echoed Voice 4 as Jolteon grows to level 55. Toxicroak dies to Echoed Voice 5. Interestingly, Jolteon can live Drapion’s Earthquake from full. Flygon freaking sucks.

Shauntal (59): Expert Belt. Shadow Ball seems to barely 3HKO Jolteon, but Cofagrigus derped and missed with Will-O-Wisp turn 1 before burning me on turn 3, so I got to +3 via Work Up.

+3 Shadow Ball OHKOs Cofagrigus, Golurk and Chandelure (Jolteon grew to level 59 for Driftblim) with +3 Discharge OHKOs Driftblim. I got to red from burn so it’s gonna be close but a sweep is possible.

Second attempt revealed you seem to still OHKO everything at +2, though I did roll a crit on Driftblim. I legitimately forgot about Thunderbolt but this is rectified in my other Elite Four logs, and, if anything, it didn’t really matter here since you’re spamming Shadow Ball.

Grimsley (59): Expert Belt. Fake Out + two Night Slashes looks like it will KO Jolteon, so Work Up to +1. You outsped and OHKO Liepard and Krookodile with +1 Signal Beam. You do 2/3s to Scrafty with +1 Thunderbolt and it finishes you off with Crunch. Bisharp is sadly not 2HKOed by unboosted Thunderbolt as it barely 2HKOs you with Night Slash.

I noticed Liepard was barely 2HKOed by Charge Beam, so I tried putting Magnet on. In the first attempt I missed, but notably Jolteon lived Fake Out + two Night Slashes at one HP. On an attempt where I got two boosts and OHKOed Liepard and Krookodile, +2 Thunderbolt OHKOed Scrafty and Bisharp. I’m calling this pretty good but needing two Charge Beam boosts with 90% accuracy is pretty unreliable, let’s be real. Jolteon may have grown to level 60 in that attempt before or after Bisharp, not sure but I doubt it mattered, because again, shaky.

Caitlin (59): Chesto Berry. Work Up to +2 as Musharna spams Yawn. Sadly +2 Shadow Ball leaves Musharna in low yellow…but it even lives +3 Shadow Ball too in red, somehow.

So Work Up to +4 and OHKO Musharna, Reuniclus, Sigilyph, and Gothitelle with Shadow Ball (you can Thunderbolt Sigilyph but I doubt that matters due to its frailty). I was level 60 for Gothitelle and swept twice, with a crit on it in the second attempt. Slow, but an easy sweep with a Full Restore nonetheless. Good.

Marshal (59): Magnet. The first Elite Four member Jolteon completely flops on. You might live two Bulldozes from Throh (lived at 3 HP) as you Work Up to +2 then OHKO Throh, but then Mienshao comes out and likely revenges you.

However, I did send it in on Mienshao with no debuffs and it strangely used Bounce, letting me Work Up to +2. +2 Thunderbolt OHKOs Mienshao and Conkeldurr as Jolteon grows to level 60, with Sawk’s boosted Payback taking me to low yellow as I 2HKO it due to Sturdy.

If Mienshao does go for HJK, Jolteon is OHKOed, though. So overall terrible. Run Cheri Berry if you want to try the Bounce cheese.

Iris (59): Expert Belt. Jolteon outspeeds Hydreigon and can live two Dragon Pulses ending in red HP, so Work Up to +2. +2 Signal Beam OHKOs Hydreigon. Aggron comes in and is OHKOed by Thunderbolt, with Jolteon growing to level 60 after. Haxorus comes in and scares you out (Jolteon does 2/3s with +2 Shadow Ball).

Jolteon’s unboosted Thunderbolt knocks Lapras to red as Ice Beam 3HKOs you. Jolteon outspeeds and OHKOs Archeops with Thunderbolt. You’re beating three mons without healing, which is pretty impressive.

Skyla (40): Mystic Water. Heart Stamp does nothing as Aqua Tail likely OHKOs Swoobat (got a crit in one attempt, still OHKOed in another). Basculin actually outspeeds Swanna and can 3HKO with Double-Edge, but Featherdance and Roost stop you cold. Skarmory is cleanly 2HKOed by Surf and does laughable damage. Good enough, just avoid Swanna.

Drayden (50): Mystic Water. Return 3HKOs Druddigon as it 3HKOs with boosted Revenge / Crunch, and since you knock it to potion range you lose. Basculin outspeeds but sadly knocks Flygon to red and thus potion range, so realistically you’re only beating Flygon (I died to Rock Slide after Druddigon chipped me low).

Marlon (52): Cheri Berry (for potential Bounce paralysis). Surf cleanly 2HKOs Carracosta and unboosted Crunch doesn’t even 3HKO you, but of course he rolled a Defense drop (sacked something and healed up for convenience). Return seems to roughly 3HKO Wailord, Silk Scarf could likely help here. Bounce does similar damage to Carracosta’s Crunch in that it doesn’t 3HKO you. I just managed to 3HKO and Cheri Berry did help, as it paralyzed me.

Ominous Wind from Jellicent 3HKOs you (healed up to check this), you do exactly half with Crunch but Sitrus Berry means you 3HKO. If you roll Cursed Body you just lose as Jellicent has Recover. Somewhat good, you might beat two mons though I only tried this once. It’s Basculin, what am I really gonna say about it?

Colress (54): Mystic Water. Metang is a free kill, you outspeed even after an Agility and cleanly 2HKO with Surf. Aqua Tail knocks Beheeyem to red as it Calm Minds (Crunch cleanly 2HKOs, doing 3/4s). Surprisingly solid for Klinklang too - Surf cleanly 2HKOs it and +1 Giga Impact leaves you in red from full HP. Not bad.

Ghetsis (54): Mystic Water. Aqua Tail does 3/4s of Seismitoad’s HP while EQ is a rough 2HKO (Basculin outspeeds). Note Surf also cleanly 2HKOs Sesmitoad. Surf should 2HKO Cofagrigus (unless it gets a few rounds of Leftovers via Protect, which is likely) as IIRC Shadow Ball 3HKOs you. Aqua Tail does 2/3s to Eelektross. My Basculin oddly speed tied Hydreigon (you do a third with Ice Beam and live Dragon Rush in red).

Aqua Tail into Aqua Jet would KO Toxicroak (you are faster) if you have it (I didn’t, and it Sucker Punched me for roughly 1/3 HP). Basculin surprisingly outspeeds Drapion and cleanly 2HKOs it with Surf while Night Slash seems to 3HKO you. Pretty decent. Flygon freaking sucks.

Shauntal (59): Mystic Water. You want to Surf Cofagrigus since Mummy overrides Adaptability: in any case Surf 2HKOs it as Shadow Ball 2HKOs you. Waterfall knocks Driftblim near red as Thunderbolt picks you off: you likely only sweep if you roll a flinch. Waterfall OHKOS Golurk and Surf OHKOs Chandelure. You outspeed everything. I tried a second attempt but got crit and died to Cofagrigus: it just seems to want to Shadow Ball and not burn you. Good.

Grimsley (58): Mystic Water. Liepard unfortunately outspeeds, but you can setup Rain Dance while living Fake Out + two Night Slashes in red before OHKOing back with Surf. Sadly Krookodile comes in and outspeeds and kills you, much to my surprise. After a Max Revive, I come back in, get 2HKOed by EQ, and OHKO Krookodile with a crit-rain boosted Surf (ow) but I don’t think I would need rain honestly. Non-rain-boosted Waterfall 2HKOs Scrafty (you outspeed) but crit Brick Break finishes me off. Bisharp is outsped and barely 2HKOed by Surf through Sitrus Berry as it barely 2HKOs you with Night Slash. Not great, you’ll beat one and a half mons.

Caitlin (58): Mystic Water. Basculin can Taunt + Rain Dance on Musharna (Charge Beam barely 2HKOs you). Sadly rain-boosted Mystic Water Waterfall leaves Musharna in low yellow.

Taunt Musharna. Mystic Water Waterfall seems like high rolls to 2HKO Musharna while Charge Beam is rolls to 2HKO you (assuming it doesn’t get the boost). Waterfall doesn’t look like it 2HKOs Gothitelle at all thanks to Sitrus Berry.

Basculin and Sigilyph do 2/3s to each other with Waterfall and Psychic respectively, you outspeed so you beat it. Reuniclus is cleanly 2HKOed by Waterfall as it knocks you to red HP from full with Energy Ball. So you beat either Sigilyph or Reuniclus. Pretty bad.

Marshal (58): Mystic Water. Basculin is pretty good for Throh if you can roll a Waterfall flinch: it takes two Bulldoze uses for Throh to outspeed Basculin and Basculin just barely live a Storm Throw after that. Two Waterfalls knock Throh to heal range, so if you roll one 20% flinch in the three turns Throh gets to move, you win, but are too weak and slow to take on the others.

Surf barely fails to 2HKO Conkeldurr thanks to Sitrus Berry and +1 Hammer Arm OHKOs you from full. Basculin outspeeds and knocks Sawk to low yellow with Waterfall - I rolled a flinch but you should definitely win anyway. Basculin notably outspeeds Mienshao and knocks it to red with Waterfall while it knocks you to red with Hi Jump Kick (I lived at HP). Decent, probably taking a mon and a half.

Iris (59): Mystic Water. Archeops’s Acrobatics knocks Basculin to red, but you OHKO back with Waterfall. Aggron is outsped and OHKOed by Surf. Haxorus outspeeds Basculin and isn’t 2HKOed by Ice Beam, though Expert Belt might do it - Haxorus Dragon Danced on me twice (+2 EQ OHKOs you).

Skyla (40): SilverPowder. Volcarona loses to Swoobat: Acrobatics does 3/4s as Signal Beam consistently fails to OHKO.

Drayden (50): Metronome. Amusingly, I crit Druddigon with Signal Beam in my first attempt to OHKO it, then did I believe 3/4 to Flygon with Signal Beam before dying to Rock Slide.

Anyway, you barely seem to 2HKO Druddigon with Signal Beam turn 1 as IIRC Crunch 3HKOs, as Signal Beam picks up the KO turn 2. Flygon comes in and I crit to OHKO, leaving Signal Beam having a 60% boost from Metronome and sadly not OHKOing Haxorus, leaving it in low yellow after Sitrus as it uses Dragon Dance. It goes second next turn and dies.

Next attempt reveals 40% boosted Signal Beam leaves Flygon in red (with non-Silk Scarf Hyper Beam doing similar damage) and it beats you with Rock Slide.

Silk Scarf Hyper Beam seems to OHKO Flygon (I crit first time) but can leave Haxorus alive in red before Sitrus Berry activates, letting it DD and finish you with +1 Dragon Tail. I hope I had the right item on this data…I did more damage to Haxorus in another attempt, almost an OHKO even. Signal Beam barely knocks Haxorus to Sitrus range (high green) but Hyper Beam finishes it off. I think you’re beating two mons here.

Marlon (52): SilverPowder. Volcarona knocks Carracosta to low yellow with Signal Beam but you are OHKOed by Smack Down, don’t try. Signal Beam barely 2HKOs Wailord as it barely 2HKOs with Scald. Don’t bother with Jellicent, Psychic does absolutely nothing to it. Pretty bad.

Colress (54): Cheri Berry. Volcarona can utilize the normally niche Struggle Bug to break Sturdy as Magnezone’s Thunder Wave is eaten by Cheri Berry. After I whiffed a Fire Blast and got paralyzed again, Magneton Volt Switched into Metang, oddly…only for it to die to Fire Blast.

Magnezone comes in and rolls a Flash Cannon Special Defense drop, but Struggle Bug negates that. I Full Restore off the paralysis and Fire Blast it to oblivion. Klinklang comes in and is outsped and OHKOed by Fire Blast.

Strangely, Beheeyem can live Signal Beam in low red as it uses Calm Mind, I laughed as I crit next turn on Colress’s heal, with Volcarona growing to level 55 as Colress’s final mon Magneton comes in and is finished off by Fire Blast. While you can sweep with a healing item, I’m only calling this good because you need four Fire Blasts to land in one matchup. Only tested once because I’m not dealing with 85 accuracy more than I have to.

Ghetsis (54): Pecha Berry. Psychic + Fire Blast seems to pick up the Cofagrigus 2HKO, albeit barely (Fire Blast looks like it’d knock Cofagrigus to heal range if used first). Volcarona outspeeds Hydreigon and knocks it to red with Signal Beam, but Rock Slide OHKOs you back. Volcarona outspeeds and 3HKOs Seismitoad with Signal Beam as it barely 2HKOs with Muddy Water (I think SilverPowder would pick up the 2HKO, likely the same with Hydreigon). Signal Beam looks like rolls to 2HKO Eelektross but I somehow picked it up without SilverPowder.

Fire Blast knocks Drapion to red (you outspeed), then Night Slash does 1/3 as Volcarona grows to level 55. Toxicorak does nothing with Sucker Punch then dies to Psychic.

On a retest with SilverPowder, I barely fail to OHKO Hydreigon in low red, crit to OHKO Sesmitoad (assuming it’s 2HKOed). It is revealed Eelktross’s Acrobatics knocks you to red from full but it is cleanly 2HKOed by Signal Beam this time. I was level 55 for Drapion and Toxicroak but the former was 2HKOed by Signal Beam. Pretty good. Flygon freaking sucks.

Shauntal (59): Charcoal. Quiver Dance to +2 as two Shadow Balls from Cofagrigus do 1/3 of your HP. OHKO Cofagrigus with Flamethrower. Chandelure comes out and looks to be 2HKOed by Psychic cleanly though I did roll a Special Defense drop turn 1, I doubt it mattered, which was confirmed in my second attempt (Fire Blast does another third). Driftblim and Golurk are OHKOed by +2 Flamethrower. You outspeed everything. Swept twice easily.

Grimsley (59): Expert Belt. You can Quiver Dance to +2 because Fake Out + two Aerial Aces leave you in red (note that Volcarona actually outspeeds Liepard before boosts!). Crit Liepard with Signal Beam to OHKO, Scrafty comes out and thankfully dies to Flamethrower. Krookodile dies to Signal Beam and Bisharp dies to Flamethrower. Even if you forego boosts and avoid Scrafty for fear of Rock Tomb, Volcarona still outspeeds and destroys Liepard, Krookodile, and Bisharp easily. Great.

Caitlin (59): Chesto Berry. Quiver Dance to +2 on Yawn, wake up, then destroy Musharna with Signal Beam and Sigilyph with Flamethrower (it cleanly lived Signal Beam multiple times in my second attempt, but does nothing with Air Slash due to your buffs). Gothitelle and Reuniclus die to Signal Beam. Exceptionally easy sweep, swept twice.

Marshal (59): TwistedSpoon. Rock Tomb does about 3/4s of Volcarona’s HP, but its 80 accuracy means you have decent odds to get to +2 with Quiver Dance. Throh and Conkeldurr die to +2 Psychic, but Sawk gets knocked to Sturdy and finishes you off with Retaliate (amusingly Flame Body burned to kill it). Volcarona notably outspeeds Mienshao unboosted and OHKOs with Psychic.

I tried again, and it turns out +1 Psychic OHKOs Throh and Conkeldurr just fine, so you can bring it back in for Mienshao later and pick up 3/4 KOs, impressive for what is on paper Volcarona’s worst matchup of the Pokemon League.

Iris (59): Expert Belt. Unboosted Signal Beam leaves Hydreigon alive in red consistently, though you do outspeed it. You can easily Quiver Dance to +3 on Surf. OHKO Hydreigon and Druddigon with Signal Beam, then OHKO Archeops with Psychic. Aggron gets eaten alive by Flamethrower as Volcarona grows to level 60. Lapras also dies to Flamethrower. Haxorus comes in, lives Signal Beam due to Focus Sash, and finally revenges you with Earthquake. Amazing pseudo-sweep - you leave Druddigon in red if you only go to +2 and die to Rock Slide, so you need +3. I could have used SilverPowder or Charcoal but I honestly think you don’t even need them here. I say this then Lapras somehow lives +3 Flamethrower. So yeah put on Charcoal for this battle, haha.

Skyla (40): Expert Belt. I’ll tell you that you absolutely need Rock Slide here: Silk Scarf Strength consistently leaves Swoobat alive, and since Acrobatics 3HKOs, it is entirely possible for Swoobat to flinch you with Heart Stamp, then kill you with two Acrobatics uses (it happened on my first attempt).

With Expert Belt Rock Slide, this is thankfully a non-issue (you OHKO Swoobat just fine) but you’re still likely to be at 2/3s HP from Acrobatics. Swanna comes in, outspeeds you and 3HKOs with Air Slash, and if you roll a flinch, congrats you lose (heck, Air Slash looks pretty close to a 2HKO on high rolls, so if you’re underleveled, you’re doubly screwed). At the very least, Rock Slide does cleanly knock Swanna to mid-yellow post-Berry, but RNG is not in your favor here.

Don’t bother with Skarmory. Steel Wing 3HKOs and I think boosted Revenge 3HKOs. Painfully mediocre.

Drayden (50): Silk Scarf. Swords Dance to +2 as even unboosted Revenge seems to come insanely close to 2HKOing you (70 damage of my 143 HP). Thankfully, Zangoose likely outspeeds all three mons and OHKOs with +2 Return, though Flygon and Haxorus could have gone for Dragon Tail (I did crit Haxorus attempt 1). Second attempt had Flygon go for Earth Power (it outspeeds) and crit me out (it’s actually a 3HKO). In my third attempt I swept, but Haxorus went for Dragon Dance turn 1, confirming it is faster too. Upon further examination, the sweep seems to be shaky - if Flygon goes for Earth Power you are nigh guaranteed to be finished off by Haxorus. You’re likely beating two mons.

Marlon (52): Rawst Berry. I crit Carracosta with Shadow Claw, then OHKOed it with Close Combat. Swords Danced on Wailord as it used Amnesia, then OHKOed with Return. Jellicent is OHKOed by +2 Shadow Claw.

The second attempt went way more inconsistently. Shadow Claw crit once again, but this time Carracosta went Scald turn 1 (went Shell Smash first time IIRC) so CC didn’t pick up the KO (left it in low red). Wailord KOed me as I SDed.

As it turns out, you can Swords Dance on Carracosta since +2 Scald doesn’t OHKO you: chip it with Shadow Claw then finish it off with CC. Interestingly, even Shadow Claw 2HKOs Carracosta with it at -1 Defense and you with +2 Attack. The others die as usual. Pretty great, though like with Drayden you get pretty low on HP.

Colress (54): 1v1 Magneton with Cheri Berry and Close Combat twice (Return into Close Combat has a chance to not OHKO, sadly - maybe you could go Rock Smash lol). Leave Magnezone to something else, and probably Klinklang as well (you do 3/4s with unboosted Close Combat, but it can Shift Gear and probably destroy you with Giga Impact - it missed me, luckily).

If Metang gets a Meteor Mash Attack buff, it 2HKOs you (3HKOs otherwise). Sadly, even +2 Close Combat can fail to OHKO Metang and it outspeeds after an Agility. Even if you do make it past Metang, Klinklang can outspeed you and finish you off with Giga Impact after Meteor Mash. You cleanly 2HKO Beheeyem with unboosted Shadow Claw as it Calm Minds. Pretty bad.

Ghetsis (54): Silk Scarf. Swords Dance to +4 as Cofagrigus’s Psychic 3HKOs you. Outspeed and OHKO Sesmitoad and Toxicroak with Return, growing to level 55 after the latter. Drapion comes out and dies to +4 Return, with Hydreigon outspeeding and revenge killing me with Rock Slide. Unboosted Return knocks Eelektross to red as it barely 2HKOs with Thunderbolt.

Great, got four KOs twice, my second attempt involved Cofagrigus derping and using Toxic, and me derping and misclicking Return: even with a Special Defense drop on the first Psychic, the second one leaves you in red. Despite being in red HP, Toxicroak refused to Sucker Punch. You only beat Hydreigon if you are at full HP and avoid a Dragon Rush flinch: you end up in red and can feasibly sweep but its unlikely because Cofagrigus will likely attack you.

Shauntal (59): Rawst Berry. Psychic from Cofagrigus roughly 3HKOs Zangoose as you boost to +4. +4 Shadow Claw OHKOs Cofagrigus and Golurk, and if you haven’t been burned you can go for reliable Shadow Claw to OHKO Chandelure, growing to level 59 after. Shadow Claw can OHKO Driftblim too, but Aftermath put me at 9 HP. Rock Slide can probably do it though. Swept first try.

Grimsley (58): Expert Belt. You live Liepard’s Fake Out + two Night Slashes in red as you Swords Dance up then OHKO with Return (Liepard is faster). Scrafty comes in and dies to +2 Close Combat, but Krookodile outspeeds and revenge kills you.

On the bright side, coming in without Intimidate, you are only 2HKOed by Krookodile’s Earthquake and OHKO it back with Close Combat, with Zangoose growing to level 59 before outspeeding and OHKOing Bisharp with Close Combat. Decent, beats two mons most likely.

Caitlin (58): Chesto Berry. If Musharna goes for Reflect turn 1 Swords Dance to +6. Functionally +3 Return knocks Musharna to mid-red. Full Restore if you need to, then rip her team to ribbons with Return, outspeeding everything (was at level 59 for Gothitelle in both attempts). You could try to crit through with Shadow Claw too but I didn’t try it.

Taunt (which Zangoose notably learns naturally) + two Swords Dances + SilverPowder X-Scissors makes it even easier, as Musharna does laughable damage with Charge Beam and even if she goes Reflect turn 1, Taunt should cover two rounds of Yawn and ensure safe setup. +4 X-Scissor snaps everything in half. Easy sweep.

Marshal (59): Silk Scarf. Zangoose can somehow barely survive Throh’s crit Storm Throw at like 2 HP and Swords Dance: +2 Return actually OHKOS it but Mienshao comes in and revenges you.

In my second attempt Throh went for Bulldoze, you still outspeed and OHKO with +2 Return. I time traveled and got Quick Attack out of curiosity - +2 Quick Attack leaves Mienshao in red so its beating you no matter what. Bad, but an OHKO on Throh is nothing to sneeze at, however.

Iris (59): Expert Belt. Hydreigon outspeeds Zangoose and Dragon Pulse cleanly 2HKOs you as Close Combat knocks Hydreigon to red, meaning you lose outside of niche strategies like Rock Tomb./ Quick Attack.

Zangoose can Swords Dance on Lapras and hopefully dodge Sing if it goes for it: +2 Close Combat OHKOs it. Druddigon comes in and BARELY lives +2 Return - Silk Scarf would ensure the OHKO. Zangoose loses to Archeops for certain - Rock Slide 2HKOs cleanly though you do knock it to Defeatist range with Close Combat.

With Silk Scarf on, if you can lure in Druddigon, you can Swords Dance as you hopefully dodge Focus Blast to Swords Dance and OHKO with +2 Return. Aggron comes in and dies to +2 Close Combat, but then Haxorus comes in and ends you. Haxorus just up and outspeeds you and knocks you to red with unboosted EQ, again unless you have Rock Tomb you lose. Decent.

Elesa (30): Soft Sand. Rock Slide OHKOs Emolga, Bulldoze OHKOs Flaaffy, and Dig OHKOs Zebstrika. They can get you pretty low on health, but you could use Eviolite if you want. You still get the relevant OHKOs with one attempt with Eviolite, ending in half HP. Pretty easy sweep.

Clay (35): Eviolite. If you don’t go for Intimidate fodder, Vibrava is meh for Krokorok (you 3HKO with DragonBreath as it roughly 3HKOs with Crunch - I lived on 1 HP). Basically you’re probably going to lose to it if Clay goes for a Hyper Potion.

Vibrava is distinctly mediocre for Sandslash: DragonBreath / Bulldoze are 4HKOs as it almost 4HKOs with Crush Claw: it 4HKOing is likely due to Crush Claw’s 50% Defense drop. You CAN kill Sandslash but it’s slow in every sense of the word.

Even against Excadrill with no debuffs, the idea of Vibrava being one of the better counters is a myth, because even STAB Bulldoze fails to 2HKO as Metal Claw 3HKOs. You should beat Excadrill regardless of item due to it not having Berry post healing, meaning you 2HKO the second time around.

Vibrava also ceases to be an Excadrill check at -1 Defense: Metal Claw easily was a 2HKO (you’re outsped).

I didn’t test this much, but it seems pretty obvious you’re only taking one member. While Vibrava can take on Excadrill, I think it’s more or less negated by how painful it is to get Trapinch to evolve, similar to Yamask.

Skyla (40): Eviolite. Vibrava has trouble taking on Swoobat due to Heart Stamp flinches (Acrobatics 2HKOs), but Crunch 2HKOs: thankfully, Rock Tomb into Crunch beats it with only one round of damage. Swanna outspeeds and 3HKOs with Air Slash, meaning similar problems will likely happen: Rock Slide 3HKOs so you can Rock Tomb into two Rock Slides to KO it, but the odds with accuracy are not in your favor (I say this as I roll an Air Slash miss after flinching). Didn’t bother with Skarmory. Mediocre once again.

Drayden (50): Expert Belt. Surprisingly solid. DragonBreath cleanly 2HKOs Druddigon (boosted Revenge is a 3HKO) and knocks Drayden’s Flygon to red as it uses…Rock Slide??? (Crunch does laughable damage, but Defense drops suck).

Flygon cleanly 2HKOs Haxorus with DragonBreath through Sitrus Berry, but Dragon Tail crit me out. You seem to consistently take two mons and dent Haxorus - it never went for Dragon Dance in my three attempts. I swept once with a crit on Druddigon and a Dragon Tail miss from Haxorus.

Marlon (52): Expert Belt. Earth Power 2HKOs Carracosta easily, you can DragonBreath turn 1 for potential hax. Earth Power 3HKOs Wailord…but Amnesia makes it unviable. Halfway decent for Jellicent, Crunch seems to 2HKO through Berry (couldn’t confirm this due to Recover, but seems likely) as Scald 3HKOs you. Burns suck though.

Wailord 3HKOs with Scald, and Bulldoze seems to 4HKO unfortunately, and Scald can of course put that in jeoprady. So just up and avoid Wailord. You can use Rawst Berry or Soft Sand if you want, but I think Expert Belt is a little more helpful for Jellicent (didn’t try the alternatives).

Colress (54): Expert Belt. Earth Power 2HKOs Magneton as Flash Cannon is a 3HKO (same with Zone). Avoid Klinklang and heal up offscreen. If you take on Klinklang, Crunch to pop Air Balloon as it Shift Gears…my isolated attempt had it oddly Shift Gear twice - Earth Power seems to pick up the KO but you’re likely not healthy when it comes in if you face the magnets.

Metang has a chance to not be OHKOed by Earth Power, but thankfully you outspeed and beat it even after an Agility (if you’re still in red it living could be relevant). Beheeyem is outsped and cleanly 2HKOed by Crunch. You’re likely taking 3 Pokemon on average.

Ghetsis (54): Expert Belt Crunch seems to 2HKO Cofagrigus barely, but I got a Defense drop luckily (Shadow Ball is a 4HKO). You outspeed Hydreigon and DragonBreath does a third before you die to Dragon Rush (with prior damage from Cofagrigus, but I doubt you’re living from full): Life Orb recoil takes it to roughly 1/3 HP.

Earth Power 3HKOs Seismitoad as Muddy Water barely 3HKOs you: you can lose if you roll an accuracy drop. Crunch might 4HKOs Eelektross (does more than DragonBreath) as it 4HKOs you. Flygon outspeeds Drapion (I think Night Slash is a 3HKO), but Earth Power seems like rolls to OHKO, depressing for a mon using Expert Belt. Brick Break from Toxicroak does laughable damage but so does Flygon because you don’t OHKO it. I hate everything. Flygon freaking sucks.

Shauntal (59): Rawst Berry. Hone Claws to +3 (Cofagrigus’s Shadow Ball 3HKOs), Full Restore up, Crunch OHKOs Cofagrigus, Golurk, and Driftblim, Bulldoze OHKOs Chandelure. My second attempt had Cofagrigus spam Shadow Ball, live a +2 Crunch, then kill me. Shaky.

Grimsley (58): Dragon Fang. Liepard’s Fake Out and two Night Slashes will leave you at 1/3 HP as you Hone Claws to +2. Outspeed and OHKO Liepard with Dragon Claw (crit, doubt it mattered). Unfortunately, Krookodile comes in, Intimidates you, and you fail to OHKO it with +1 Dragon Claw (leave it in red).

You can TECHNICALLY live Liepard’s Fake Out + three Night Slashes at 6 HP, but c’mon, that’s way too close to be reliable for everyone at different levels. You outsped and OHKO Krookodile this way, but Scrafty WILL live +2 Dragon Claw in red - the only reason I survived was because I believe he went for Rock Tomb and missed. You could replace Crunch with Fly, but 90% accuracy + Liepard’s damage rolls is just too much RNG nonsense in one matchup.

In any case, Bisharp is OHKOed by +2 Bulldoze. You outspeed everything, but you have to really go out of your way to sweep here and even then it’s again shaky.

Caitlin (58): Chesto Berry. Unfortunately, after using Hone Claws to get to +2, Crunch still leaves Musharna in red, necessitating +3 and thus a Full Restore / Full Heal in addition to Chesto Berry. Everything is outsped and OHKOed by +3 Crunch though I did crit Gothitelle to death.

My second attempt had Musharna go for Reflect, then Yawn, meaning I buffed to +5 and used a Full Restore right after Reflect wore off. Swept again. Don’t even try without boosts - unboosted Crunch doesn’t 2HKO Musharna. Good.

Marshal (58): Throh uses Rock Tomb twice as you Hone Claws to +2 and OHKO it with Fly (notably you still outspeed it at -2 Speed). Then Mienshao’s HJK somehow basically OHKOed me from near full (it outspeeds you due to Rock Tomb).

From full HP, HJK almost knocks you to red: without debuffs you can outspeed Mienshao, Hone Claws to +1, then OHKO it with Fly, doing crash damage as it misses you. Conkeldurr is a HARD stop though: after Sitrus Berry it is taken to low green from Fly and it finishes you off with Hammer Arm. Flygon cleanly 1v1s Sawk through - unboosted Dragon Claw barely 2HKOs it as boosted Payback 3HKOs you, though you can Fly on the second hit to ensure it.

Iris (59): Expert Belt. Flygon outspeeds Hydreigon and can live Dragon Pulse in red, letting you Hone Claws to +1 and OHKO…but Lapras comes in, takes half from Dragon Claw, then ends you.

You can Hone Claws to +2 as Aggron Automatizes, then 3HKOs with Double-Edge. THEN ARCHEOPS COMES IN and owns you with Dragon Claw. Interestingly, Druddigon only wanted to Flamethrower me - but my Dragon Claw left it in red (a high roll might OHKO though, looked very close) - boosting on it is likely unreliable due to Dragon Tail.

Haxorus can avoid the Bulldoze + Dragon Claw OHKO barely, but maybe using Bulldoze twice might rectify this - it seems to spam Dragon Dance until it is faster. I got a Dual Chop miss and laughed as I killed it, but this is still pretty inefficient. Trash.

Jolteon
:bw/jolteon:
Jolteon is a phenomenal Pokemon and clearly worthy of B tier. Sweeps Elesa (Echoed Voice), Skyla, Drayden (Metronome Echoed Voice), Marlon, Shauntaul, Caitlin, and impressively takes out half of Iris's team, while having VERY slim odds to somehow sweep Colress despite being an Electric type (check the logs). You could honestly make a decent argument for A tier, even, but I don't think it's quite as solid as Espeon or the other A tiers are, coming at Gym 4 is pretty standard for B-tier availability, Echoed Voice isn't exactly the first strategy most would think of for either Elesa or Drayden, and the awkward period between Thunder Fang and Discharge (Volt Switch sucks on routes) doesn't exactly help. Still though, Jolteon is a fantastic Pokemon and is a high B tier. Don't sleep on it.

Basculin
:bw/basculin:
Standard lategame Water type after 5 badges. You know what they do. Basculin is a clear D tier. It has small hints of C but never sweeps anything. Still though, it often 2HKOs with neutral Adaptability-boosted Water attacks and is never useless anywhere, so I think D is perfect for it.

Volcarona
:bw/volcarona:
Volcarona is a Pokemon that is very difficult to objectively judge, and I feel like is on the borderline of B and C. On the one hand, it comes at level 35 and basically more or less sweeps the entire Pokemon League with Quiver Dance (practically unheard of outside of Haxorus).

On the other hand, Volcarona:
A) Comes after five badges
B) Requires a detour into Relic Passage / Relic Castle that you really have to go out of your way for (I almost always skip it in runs while grinding)
C) Has a catch rate of 15, that, while it can be mitigated with Dusk Balls bought nearby at Driftveil City, invites potentially screwed over stats / IVs and would much rather be caught with the Master Ball in Mistralton City, shunting its availability even more
D) Has a Slow growth rate
E) Has to be tutored Signal Beam for 4 Red Shards to be even remotely viable (its starting moves at level 35 are literally String Shot, Gust, Leech Life, and Fire Spin IIRC. It's that bad.)
F) Really wants 70,000 of your money to be TMed Fire Blast at Lacunosa Town on a Pokemon that's already asking for a Red Shard tutor
G) Isn't good against Skyla, Drayden or Marlon
H) Must be level 59 endgame for Quiver Dance, which doesn't go well with Slow growth rate even if it is perfectly within reason (by our own rules, Quiver Dance should only be legal for Iris).

Ouch. I can't say I've seen so much going against a Pokemon sheerly on the basic level in like, ever.

Don't let that convince you that Volcarona is a bad Pokemon though! Volcarona's Fire Blast in particular is perhaps one of the strongest first-turn power attacks in the game - I think it almost OHKOed an Audino once and came close to OHKOing an Emolga with Light Screen up. It's also pretty good for Colress and Ghetsis, though needing to land four separate Fire Blasts against Colress is obnoxious. I did notice Volcarona seemingly fainting the most in my party before the endgame, notably.

But then it sweeps the Pokemon League. Surely that's good enough for B tier, right? I'm not so sure. If push comes to shove and I had to be fair to Volcarona while taking into account its wonderful statspread - the borderline objective facts about it, as showcased by how consistently good it has been in the metagame - I could say B tier. It's very comparable to Litwick in C - one trades good availability for endgame sweeps. I think tiering conservatively, Volcarona should go in C, though I wouldn't necessarily be mad if it was a low B tier either. Judging by our recent "half of its matchups are sweeps are B tiers" mentality, it should be B, but I think it has a little too much going against it to be a B tier and should ultimately go in C, though it is absolutely one of the best mons in C tier. I just can't outright give it the thumbs up because of how much support Volcarona needs to get off the ground.

Zangoose

:bw/zangoose:
Zangoose is a C tier. It definitely has shades of D due to availability and Drayden and Marlon not being the best matchups in the world (you can sweep but both are quite shaky), but I think it gets the nod for (technically) sweeping Drayden, Marlon, more or less sweeping Ghetsis and putting in an acceptable Colress performance, as well as cleanly sweeping Shauntal and Caitlin and doing decent work for Grimsley and Iris. I wouldn't complain if it goes in D tier - I personally don't think it's bad, just merely outclassed by most other Normal types that come earlier. Base 90 Speed is also fairly unfortunate at times (Colress's Klinklang, Iris's Hydreigon, Marshal's Mienshao), though it's usually enough to get by. You should have a full powered Return by Drayden easily - I had one in like 11 levels with one massage.

Trapinch
:bw/trapinch:

I'm sorry but

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Where do I even begin with you, Trapinch?

Despite me only having it four levels since I set my team at level 31 starting out, Trapinch was absolutely dreadful and one of the most miserable Pokemon I've used in quite some time. Every single moment with it was painful.

Trapinch has base 100 Attack and sweeps Elesa, which is good until you realize that's the high point of its entire existence and you have to bother with a terrible 5% encounter rate to even find it, which naturally invites stat screw / IV problems, not even mentioning the fact that Arena Trap is annoying to deal with for most mons, even if Trapinch has a catch rate of 255, that won't matter when it hits like a truck for every turn you waste.

Let's talk about Trapinch's stats, which are generally an abomination. You hit hard with good moves in Bulldoze / Dig / Rock Slide off the bat, but in exchange, you have revolting base 45 bulk all around with 10 base Speed - a horrible combination that makes the mooks in Clay's Gym, especially the ones with Baltoy, a living nightmare basically until you evolve (though you do get Crunch at level 34 I guess). Even though I had to raise it less than 5 levels to get it to evolve due to setting my file up beforehand, it still felt like an absolute slog. Let's also not forget you get Trapinch at level 21, meaning 14 awful levels of dirt slow Speed with nonexistent bulk (it had to be healed alllllllll the time).

So you have to get Vibrava by Clay, but at least it's okay there right? No, not really, it kills one mon at best, and while that can include Excadrill, do you really want to take your chances with Vibrava's generally garbo 70 base Attack? That's the sweeper you're going to use? It hardly walls him at all by the way - Excadrill's Metal Claw 3HKOs with Eviolite on. Let's remember the fact that getting to level 35 for Clay is borderline over-leveling because of how EXP-poor the surrounding areas are (only a 50% chance for Audino on Route 6).

So your Elesa sweep is semi-negated by a 5% encounter rate, and then your one Clay kill is completely negated by the fact you have to grind your butt off to even get Vibrava. Vibrava also only gets one kill for Skyla too, and needs Rock Tomb to not miss to really do so effectively.

I'm glad I did some field stuff this run (though I skipped Chargestone Cave) because the Lentimas Town - Undella Town portion where I spammed Vibrava to get Flygon was pretty awful. Vibrava has passable 70 Attack and Speed, then 50 bulk all around - such a minuscule improvement from Trapinch's bulk that it is hardly worth mentioning, and you lose all the killing power that was Trapinch's redeeming quality. You've basically got to staple the Eviolite to both Trapinch and Vibrava to make them tolerable when you'd much rather be using Lucky Egg for Vibrava (I successfully used Lucky Egg but the low bulk was terrible). Vibrava's mild saving grace comes in its okay defensive type - Levitate for a Ground immunity helps, Dragon is borderline nonexistent, and Ice might as well not exist at all either. That doesn't mean anything when you are constantly 3HKOed, and since a lot of the battles around the area are Double / Triple Battles, this happens way more often than you'd think. You also 3HKO for Flygon's entire life unless you're hitting super-effectively (way less often than you'd think on the field with your coverage, surprisingly, as most things are neutral to Crunch / Earth Power / Rock Slide / DragonBreath or Dragon Claw).

Well you finally get Flygon, and let's talk about its underwhelming movepool. Have fun with DragonBreath / Dragon Tail until level 55 where you finally learn Dragon Claw and it still 3HKOs even with it. You never get Earthquake for Flygon in the main story, leaving you to pick between Bulldoze (meh after six badges) Dig (too slow at killing things, two Bulldozes are better) and Earth Power (consistent 90 power, but Flygon's 80 Special Attack means you pretty much never OHKO with it).

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Other instances of Flygon missing 2HKOs / OHKOs with its moves (often):

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(Earth Power on Heatmor)

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It missed kills all the freaking time. Natural Crunch and Rock Slide are nice, but Rock Slide is also a TM later and it's not like plenty of Ground types don't learn Shadow Claw / X-Scissor / Ghost coverage anyway, so it's not exactly a point in Flygon's favor.

Let's get back to matchups for a second. You do okay for Drayden, Marlon, and Colress, but not nearly enough to justify raising the Trapinch line roughly 25 levels (you don't fully sweep either, just get a couple kills), as like I said, it sorely lacks killing power. You're also generally taking maybe two mons against Ghetsis (his Poisons live Earth Power, believe it or not). Remember what I said about lategame foes having high physical Defense, that's why I'm insistent on using Earth Power.

Then you finally get your precious boosting move in Hone Claws right before the Pokemon League, and guess what? You only sweep Caitlin with it. Shauntal and Grimsley are insanely shaky and rely on Ai derping (I think you need +3 for both and even then Grimsley is likely to kill you with decent Liepard Night Slash rolls). Marshal and Iris also shut down Flygon completely - it's getting one and maybe a half of a kill at best vs either.

It's also exceptionally outclassed by many other Ground and Dragon types. Sandile, Sandshrew, and Drilbur are all way more common, evolve earlier, and generally don't actively harm you by using them, not to mention all three get Earthquake. Axew blows anything Flygon does as a Dragon type out of the water, even the lategame MEMES like Golurk and Druddigon have more desirable qualities in Earthquake on Golurk and higher firepower on both. In reality, you're functionally using a Claydol with 10 Special Attack taped on until the endgame where Flygon flops horribly.

In summary: Trapinch is a mon that requires an inordinate amount of investment for a heavily lackluster payoff. Objectively, its results say C, but subjectively, I think that's a crock of nonsense and should go to D tier because D is for Dumpster and that's where you put garbage. I hated Crapinch, Vibragony, and Flygarbage every waking moment and they were by FAR the weakest link on my team. Feel free to test this if you think I'm being too harsh, but I think there are very good reasons why Trapinch should stay out of the higher tiers. I rate them a GET THE HELL OUT OF MY FACE out of 10.
 
Last edited:

Ryota Mitarai

Shrektimus Prime
is a Tiering Contributoris a Contributor to Smogonis a Top Smogon Media Contributor
after suffering through technical issues for some weeks, I finally managed to get two runs done. As always, no log = bad/didn't try matchup

first run was with Patrat / Mareep / Woobat / Maractus / Trubbish / Elgyem

Patrat -> D
Watchog

Cheren(13): Oran Berry. Frustration 2HKOes his own Patrat, which goes for Work Up. Leer turns Frustration into a 2HKO against Lillipup. Lillipup goes for at least one Work Up. However, it will never be able to 2HKO you; if it gets to +1, Oran Berry heals you out of range for a KO and +2 doesn't OHKO either. You outspeed his own Patrat as well. Good matchup

Roxie(17): Silk Scarf. You need +3 to OHKO Koffing and 2HKO Whirlipede. Whirlipede outspeeds and 3HKOes with Venoshock, though Koffing may put you in a range for OHKO/2HKO. Meh matchup

Burgh(23): Silk Scarf. Set up two Work Ups. OHKO Swadloon (you outspeed even at -1) with Return and 2HKO Dwebble with Crunch. Return puts Leavanny in red. You will very likely have to heal to finish off with a sweep. Decent matchup

Elesa(30): Silk Scaf. Emolga is faster and 3-4HKOes you. Set up a Work Up as it flees the scene. Outspeed and OHKO Flaaffy. Emolga switches out again and brings in Zebstrika, which is also OHKOed by Return. Emolga then dies to Return. Flaaffy's Static is your biggest issue here, though I suppose you could run Work Up + Dig to remove Static fears. Great matchup

Clay(33): 1v1s either Krokorok or Sandslash. Excadrill lives a +1 EBelt Dig and 3HKOes you. Meh matchup

Skyla(40): Silk Scarf. Beats Swoobat then dies to Swanna. Meh

Drayden(50): Silk Scarf. +2 Return OHKOes everything. However, Flygon is faster and tends to finish you off. Meh matchup

Marlon(53): Silk Scarf. Beats Carracosta, which 2HKOes with +2 Scald, then promptly dies to Wailord, which lives a +1 Return. Meh matchup

Ghetsis(54-55): Pecha Berry. Work Up three times and throw in a Full Restore (preferably, be at full health). Then OHKO Coffin with Crunch and a majority of the rest with Return. Drapion is faster, but fails to KO you unless you are at low HP/get critted. Hydreigon finishes you off, which comes as the 5th Pokemon. Mostly decent

Shauntal(59): Expert Belt. Get to +3, throw in a Full Restore, then outspeed and OHKO everything with Crunch. Decent matchup

Grimsley: beats Liepard... then dies. Low Kick might help with Bisharp, but Dig doesn't even 2HKO, so I have some doubts you are gonna end up KOing it. Bad matchup

Caitlin: Chesto Berry. Work Up three times, heal off second sleep, then outspeed and OHKO everything with Crunch. Decent matchup


Patrat is a bit meh early on, only achieving a sweep on Cheren. As a Watchog, it has some power early on due to everything's low stats, but falls off heavily after Elesa and becomes a Work Up addict if you want it to do much in the endgame. Could make a case for C, depending on how much issue you have with Work Up addiction endgame

Mareep -> C
Ampharos

Cheren(13): Oran Berry. Thundershock 3HKOes and 4HKOes, respectively. Mareep only stands a real chance of wnning if Patrat doesn't damage it. This is because +2 Tackle from Lillipup deals heavy damage (it is also faster than Mareep before Thunder Wave), allowing it to KO you, unless you get lucky with paralysis. Inconsistent matchup

Roxie(17): Pecha Berry. Charge + Thundershock spam can work for a bit, but you will be worn out and may lose to Whirlipede, unless you get lucky with paralysis. This combination is a 2HKO on Koffing and a 3HKO on Whirlipede. Meh matchup

Burgh(23): Eviolite. Return is something like a 5HKO on Swadloon, which is worsened by the fact you cannot KO it without going into healing range. Thundershock seems to be a 2HKO on Dwebble. Meh matchup

Elesa(30): Leftovers. Spam Return / Electro Ball and you win comfortably. They cannot touch you at all. Great matchup.

Clay(33): Leftovers. Weirdly, Ampharos is faster and thus OHKOes Krokorok with Signal Beam. Also 3HKOes Sandslash, which is faster and refuses to go for Bulldoze and instead goes for Rollout. I tried this matchup three times with the same outcome. Decent matchup, I guess?

Skyla(40): Lucky Egg. Discharge

Drayden(50): didn't bother, you will struggle to get just past Druddigon

Marlon(53): Leftovers. Spam Discharge on Carracosta. It goes for Shell Smash and 2HKOes you with Scald. Ampharos then outspeeds and OHKOes Wailord with Discharge. Jellicent is faster and can KO you with Brine. If it doesn't, paralyze it then OHKO with Electro Ball. This sweep is doable mostly if Carracosta gets paralyzed turn one or two (about 51%). Good matchup, but not an easy sweep, unfortunately

Colress(54): beats Metang for sure. You can fight either Beheeyem or Klinklang. Paralyze them and spam Electro Ball or Dischage, respectively. Klinklang forces you to heal even against Metang, idek about Beheeyem

Shauntal(59): Magnet. TWave + Electro Ball OHKOes Coffin and Drifblim. Avoid the rest. Okay-ish matchup

Grimsley: Leftovers. Cotton Guard to the max and OHKO Liepard with Signal Beam. 2HKO Krookodile, which fails to KO you. Paralyzed Electro Ball is a 2HKO on Scrafty and Bisharp. I got a few lucky paralyses and didn't have to heal; you may have to if you get some higher rolls, though it doesn't seem guaranteed. Decent matchup

Marshal: Leftovers. Cotton Guard to the max and paralyze Throh. At -1, paralyzed Electro Ball is a 2HKO. I got lucky and got a crit, in worst case scenario, you will merely have to heal. Paralysis + Electro Ball handles the rest easily as they are unable to pierce through your Defense boosts without crits. Decent


Starts out unimpressive, being capable of mostly spreading paralysis around and not sweeping consistently. Ampharos has more success, sweeping Elesa and Skyla, but it feels a bit slow against other opponents when having to use Cotton Guard. Could be B-tier if you are *very* generous, but I don't think Mareep is particularly suitable for an efficient run

Woobat -> D
Swoobat

Burgh(23): Eviolite. Air Cutter OHKOes Swadloon and 2HKOes Dwebble on rolls. Also puts Leavanny in red (although Woobat is slower). Leavanny will generally finish you off if you don't heal, as Dwebble will weaken you a lot. Decent matchup

Elesa(30): Leftovers. Just no. +2 Air Cutter cannot even 2HKO Emolga. Heart Stamp is a no due to Static. Bad matchup

Clay(33): Expert Belt. Outspeeds and OHKOes Krokorok with Signal Beam. 2HKOes Sandslash on rolls, which 3HKOes with Crush Claw. Decent matchup

Skyla(41): Sharp Beak. Air Slash 2HKOes Swoobat (without Sharp Beak, it's a roll), which goes for Assurance. Use Calm Mind twice against Swanna and OHKO it with Psychic. +2 Psychic seems to 2HKO Skarmory, but it might be a roll. You beat 2/3 for sure and Skarmory may require healing if you face it at too low HP. Good matchup

Drayden(50): Twisted Spoon. +1 Psychic fails to OHKO Druddigon, which promptly 2HKOes you with Crunch. Bad matchup

Marlon(53): Expert Belt. Beats Carracosta with Energy Ball, which just goes for Shell Smash. Jellicent disregards SpD boosts since I have Unaware, so skip this one. Wailord is 2HKOed, though it may go for Amnsia, which can prolong the fight and require healing. Meh matchup

Ghetsis(54-55): nope. Shadow Ball on Swoobat is an OHKO unboosted, so you cannot really CM your way here. Even then, at +2, you are unable to KO Drapion or Hydreigon without flinches, so your sweep is inconsistent

Shauntal(59): Expert Belt. You need Coffin to burn you turn one, as Shadow Ball put you in low yellow even after a CM. +2 Shadow Ball OHKOes Coffin and seems to OHKO Drifblim. Chandy can live one (likely a roll) and finishs you off. You can potentially run Imprison here to lock Coffin out of Shadow Ball and set up three CMs this way, but I didn't try it. Okay-ish / decent, depending on the approach

Grimsley: at best beats Liepard and Scrafty and that depends on whether Night Slash from Liepard lands a roll to KO you. Bad matchup

Caitlin: Chesto Berry. Set up to +3 then spam Shadow Ball for the win. Decent matchup

Marshal: Expert Belt. Throh seems to go for Payback immediately, which puts you in red. set up a CM and OHKO it and Conk with Psychic (you outspeed with -1, most likely). Switch out against Sawk. Bring Swoobat back against Mienshao to outspeed and OHKO it. Good matchup


Considered possibility for C, but D-tier is probably a safer tier. It's very frail as Woobat, making it a bit hard to raise happiness consistently (without using massage exploits, that is). Swoobat has some fairly interesting matchups, especially with Imprison, but didn't find it consistently useful. Logs speak for themselves.

Maractus -> D
Maractus

Elesa(30): Miracle Seed. Spam Giga Drain, which 2HKOes / 3HKOes everything. You are in no danger due to the healing whatsoever. Great matchup

Clay(33): Miracle Seed. Outspeeds and OHKOes Krokorok / Sandslash. Excadrill is 3HKOed (even through berry) and Rock Side flinches are your only issue, though this is circumvented with Cotton Spore. Easy sweep

Skyla(40): didn't bother (you probs kill Swanna, but ehhh)

Drayden(50): Miracle Seed. Set up sun and one Growth. Giga Drain is a 2HKO on rolls on Druddigon (Solar Beam finishes it off if you fail to 2HKO). Flygon is then outsped and OHKOed. Haxorus is normally 2HKOed by +2 Giga Drain, but berry makes it a 3HKO. Once you hit it with Giga Drain, you should be at full HP. Haxorus either spams DTail, which comfortably seals its fate, as you can shrug off most of its damage, or it goes for Dragon Dance. Should it go for DD, Giga Drain + Solar Beam KO it without triggering healing. I tried this matchup three times and won all of the attempts. Good matchup

Marlon(53): Miracle Seed. Giga Drain, Growth, set up sun, KO with Giga Drain, then outspeed and OHKO the rest with Solar Beam. Easy sweep

Ghetsis(54-55): Miracle Seed. Get to +4 and throw in a Full Restore. OHKO Coffin and Eelektross while outspeeding. Seismitoad is faster, but you heal off Sludge Wave easily. Solar Beam OHKOes Drapion and Toxicroak, assuming you set up sun on Seismitoad or Drapion. Hydreigon is likely to defeat you, as it's faster outside sun. Good matchup

Grimsley(59): Miracle Seed. Set up sun and one Growth as Liepard 3HKOes you. OHKO it with Giga Drain and Scrafty with Solar Beam. Switch out against Bisharp. Maractus can then be brought back against Krookodile and take it out as well. Decent matchup

Caitlin: Chesto Berry. You need to set up to +6 if you do not have Sucker Punch, as Sigilyph lives a +4 Solar Beam and puts you in red with Air Slash. Musharna also lives a +4 Giga Drain. You can sweep, but it will be a setup fest

Marshal: Miracle Seed. Seems to beat only Throh and Mienshao. Set up sun and two Growths and spam Giga Drain. Mienshao puts you in red with HJK. Conk comes in and finishes you off with Hammer Arm


Mostly similar to Cottonee in the beginning, being able to cheese through some matchups due to typing and Giga Drain / setup. Unlike it, however, its sweeping potential falls off at the end of the game, where it drops the ball completely. So having it one tier below feels appropriate.

Trubbish -> D
Garbodor

Elesa(30): Eviolite. Acid Spray + Sludge Bomb 2HKOs Zebstrika and OHKOes the rest. Flaaffy is also slower. However, the Volt Switching left and right caused me to use two healing items to sweep, there's probably a more optimal way to use Trubbish

Skyla(40): Leftovers. Acid Spray into Sludge Bomb OHKOes Swanna and Swoobat. Swoobat triggers Weak Armor, letting you beat those two very easily. Decent matchup

Drayden(50): Leftovers. Nope. Even if you get past Druddigon, Flygon finishes you off. Didn't get to Haxorus due to soloing here. Meh matchup

Marlon(53): Expert Belt. Outspeeds Carracosta even after Shell Smash, so it takes it out with no damage taken. Seed Bomb then 2HKOes Wailord, which goes for Scald or Amnesia. Seed Bomb 2HKOes Jellicent, even through berry, and only beats you if it lands a burn or Cursed Body. Decent matchup, potential sweep

Grimsley(59): Rocky Helmet. Gunk Shot OHKOes Liepard after it Fake Outs while also outspeeding it thanks to Weak Armor. You also 2HKO Scrafty with Gunk Shot. Avoid the rest


Trubbish is, ironically, one of the few Unova Pokemon that I rank higher than in BW1. This is because Seed Bomb lets it do some fancy things, particularly against Marlon and the game seems a bit more favorable to it here. D-tier is perfect for it

Elgyem -> D
Beheeyem

Skyla(40): Eviolite. Nope. Loses even against Swanna, since Psychic is a 3HKO and Swanna 3HKOes you. Bad matchup

Drayden(50): Twisted Spoon. Nope, Druddigon is faster and 2HKOes you with Crunch. Lol

Marlon(53): Expert Belt. Only beats Carracosta if it doesn't go for Shell Smash, as unboosted Crunch is a 2HKO. Wailord avoids a 2HKO after using Amnesia and can even finish you off with Bounce if you are at low HP. Meh matchup

Shauntal(59): Rawst Berry. CM once on Coffin, which goes for Will-o-Wisp, which you heal off on the same turn (and also burn Coffin at the same tme). OHKO it with Shadow Ball. Drifblim 3HKOes you, assuming you are at full health, so you can set up TR and another CM. Outspeed and OHKO the rest. Fairly good, you only need Coffin to not land damage on you.

Caitlin: Chesto Berry. CM twice on Musharna, hit it with Shadow Ball, then CM again as it heals. Once you KO it, set up Trick Room to outspeed Siglyph and Goth, though neither threatens you either ways, and spam Shadow Ball. Decent matchup

Marshal: Expert Belt. Unboosted Psychic has around 31% chance of OHKOing Throh (it goes for Payback immediately, which is a 3HKO). Set up Trick Room before KOing Throh. Mienshao is outsped in TR and KOed. If you are at green (or heal offscreen), you can switch Beheyeem back in against Conkeldurr and OHKO it with Psychic while it sets up a Bulk Up. Decent matchup


I was thinking between D and E, as Elgyem is pretty much useless until the endgame where it picks up with a decent Marshal performance. Could go either way, but D-tier seems slightly more accurate


The second run was with Tepig / Psyduck / Drilbur / Braviary / Deerling / Ferroseed

Tepig -> A
Emboar

Cheren(13): Oran Berry. DCurl against Patrat, then 2HKO with Frustration after Tail Whip. Lillipup is 3HKOed with Frustration after Tail Whip. What the AI could do is a lot, but from six tries, I won all of them; either the AI tries to set up too much and gives you free turns to kill them or they spam Tackle, which deals piss damage to you. Great matchup, given that I have not lost a single time

Roxie(17): Pecha Berry. 3HKO Koffing and 2HKO Whirlipede with Flame Charge. Easy sweep

Burgh(23): Eviolite. Spam Flame Charge and you win. Easy sweep

Elesa(30/31): Eviolite. This matchup is decent without Heat Crash and good with it. With Flame Charge, you need to get to +2 and Blaze range to stand a chance of OHKOing anything, thus you are likely taking out only 2/3 of her team (assuming your only healing is for paralysis). With Heat Crash, you OHKO Flaaffy and Emolga at +1, greatly reducing the amount of damage taken and allowing Pignite to 1v1 Zebstrika easily (it spams Pursuit until low HP or something)

Clay(33): Eviolite. It can 1v1 Excadrill or Krokorok, but beyond that, no. Against Excadrill, you simply spam Flame Charge, which 3HKOes Excadrill (due to berry) and you outspeed at +1. Excadrill spams Bulldoze only when you are faster. Pignite barely lives a Bulldoze after Slash, but you are put in Blaze range, allowing you to 2HKO Exca if it heals. Okay-ish matchup

Skyla(40): Expert Belt. Flame Charge once, while Swoobat goes for Acrobatics. Then you outspeed and KO with another Flame Charge (mine 2HKOed). Then Swanna comes in and dies to Thunder Punch. Heat Crash 2HKOes Skarmory, which goes for Agility, only to be outpsed anyways. Easy sweep

Drayden(50): Silk Scarf. Work Up twice, Flame Charge once, then outspeed and OHKO everything with Return. Two-three attempts do not reveal any rolls, so I assume this is consistent. Great matchup

Marlon(53): Expert Belt. Thunder Punch 2HKOes Carracosta and, at +1, OHKOes the rest. Carracosta seems to be a 50/50, as it goes for both Scald and Shell Smash turn one quite often. You can bypass this by throwing Emboar on Wailord and setting up there. Mostly good

Colress(54): Cheri Berry. Flamethrower into Flame Charge into Flamethrower KO Magneton while wasting a healing item. Flame Charge 2HKOes Magnezone, which paralyzes you and either 3HKOes with Discharge or 2HKOes with Explosion. Switch out against Beheeyem, which you cannot beat reasonably. If Emboar is brought against Klinklang, you OHKO it on rolls with Flamethrower. After Shift Gearing, Klinklang will either go for another setup or KO you with Giga Impact.. Flamethrower OHKOes Metang. Decent at worst, good if you get lucky with Klinklang

Ghetsis(54): Pecha Berry. Get to +3 and then 2HKO Cofagrigus with Flame Charge. You need Speed boosts to outspeed Seismitoad. If you can get to +3 and +1 with poison off, you can easily OHKO the rest of his team with Return. Decent matchup

Shauntal(59): Charcoal. Even at +1, Flamethrower only puts Coffin in red, which 2HKOes with Psychic. You don't have room for setup against other mons either. Bad matchup

Grimsley: Charcoal. Flame Charge, Work Up, then Flame Charge to KO Liepard. Liepard puts you in Blaze range with one Fake Out and two Aerial Aces. Then outspeed and OHKO the rest with +1 Flamethrower. Easy sweep

Marshal: Charcoal. Work Up once while Throh tries to slow you down. Throh outspeeds at -1. If it used Bulldoze, Storm Throw has a high chance of putting you in Blaze range (I had one case where it didn't happen, must have been a very low roll), allowing your Flame Charge to 2HKO. Alternatively, Rock Tomb into Storm Throw makes Flame Charge a 3HKO, but this causes Throh to attempt to Bulldoze you, putting you in Blaze range anyways. At +1, you outspeed and OHKO Mienshao and Conkeldurr with Flamethrower. Sawk is defeated by healing against it; this is because Brick Break is a 3HKO and you are faster. I tried the Throh interaction around seven times and can confirm this happens pretty much consistently. Great matchup

Iris(60): Expert Belt. Hammer Arm OHKOes Hydreigon, but Aggron comes in to finish you off. You can also OHKO Lapras. Ehh matchup


Swept many fights with smart usage. Clay was the only matchup without the possibiltiy of sweeping and, even then, you can take out Excadrill. It is also great for Colress, Marshal, and other endgame opponents. This deserves A-tier, in my opinion (the only reason it's not S for me atm is that it does require some smart usage), though it has some signs of S-tier, if you ask me

Psyduck -> C
Golduck

Cheren(13): Oran Berry. Water Gun 2HKOes and 3HKOes, respectively, on rolls. Unless the AI derps seriously hard, your only way of sweeping here is to get the high rolls. Considering you need to grind to get to level 13, I will call this matchup meh

Roxie(17): Oran Berry. Confusion 2HKOes Koffing and 4HKOes Whirlipede. Whirlipede speedties you and seems to 3-4HKO with Venoshock. Confusion into two Water Guns into Confusion seem to KO it without triggering healing. You will almost certainly need to heal to beat Whirlipede. Disable is unreliable here because of Whirlipede's Protect. Decent matchup

Burgh(23): beats Dwebble

Clay(33): Expert Belt. Outspeeds and OHKOes Krokorok and Sandslash with Water Pulse. Excadrill is 2HKOed and is faster, but only 3HKOes, so Rock Slide flinches are your only issue. Great matchup

Skyla(40): Mystic Water. Surf comes very close to OHKOing Swoobat, which 3-4HKOes with Acrobatics. Golduck also takes care of Skarmory. Decent matchup

Drayden(50): Expert Belt. Blizzard in hail seems to OHKO everything. However, Flygon is faster and its Earth Power can put you in range for Haxorus to outspeed and KO you with Slash. Decent matchup

Marlon(53): Expert Belt. 2HKOes Carracosta with little issue. Unfortunately, Return does laughable damage to Wailord, whch can either burn you or paralyze you. Jellicent is 2HKOed by Shadow Claw, but berry turns it into a 3HKO. Combined with Cursed Body, you have a good chance of losing here. Meh matchup

Colress(54): Expert Belt. Shadow Claw 2HKOes Beheeyem, which 2HKOes with Energy Ball. Surf 2HKOes Metang, which fails to finish you off with Zen Headbutt, unless it flinches. Meh matchup

Shauntal(59): Mystic Water. Surf OHKOes Golurk and Chandelure and 2HKOes the rest. Outspeeds all. if you get burned, simply throw a Full Restore after hitting Drifblim. I tried this matchup three times and all KOs were consistent, so I will say great matchup

Grimsley: Mystic Water. Golduck seems to 1v1 things here only; if it takes on Krookodile, it is 2HKOed by EQ and then it cannot take out anything else (including Bisharp). Taking on Liepard means Krookodile can finish you off. Bad matchup


This has no case for B-tier whatsoever. It is meh at the beginning and it's not impressive, even as a Golduck. The biggest reason to use this is for an easy Clay sweep. I didn't use Hone Claws since it'd be a setup hog and I wouldn't have counted that positively anyways

Drilbur -> S, but with a caveat
Excadrill

Burgh(23): Eviolite. +1 Metal Claw seems to 4HKO Swadloon, which 3HKOes you with Razor Leaf. At best beats Dwebble. Meh matchup

Elesa(30): Eviolite. Hone Claws once and OHKO Emolga with Rock Slide. Outspeed and 2HKO Flaaffy with Rock Slide to not trigger Eviolite. Then OHKO Zebstrika with Dig. This matchup can only be lost if all Pursuits and Take Downs end up in crits. Easy sweep

Clay(33): Soft Sand. Outspeeds and OHKOes Krokorok even at -1 with Earthquake. Sandslash is 2HKOed, but 2HKOes you with Bulldoze and then outspeeds you. You outspeed and OHKO his own Excadrill, though. So skip Sandslash for a good matchup

Skyla(40): Hard Stone. You need to set up two Hone Claws on Swoobat. This is because Swanna is faster and can go for Featherdance (unboosted Rock Slide seems to be an OHKO). Swanna may also go for Bubblebeam, leaving you at red if you are in low green. Skarmory isn't much of a threat, so you can either set up if you took a Feather Dance or simply 2HKO it with +2 Rock Slide (even at red, you may not need to heal, though it depends on the exact HP). Good matchup, though that Swanna outspeeding was surprising

Drayden(50): Lucky Egg. SD once, OHKO Flygon with Iron Head, and the rest with EQ. Only Haxorus is faster, so no threats here. Easy sweep

Marlon(53): Rawst Berry. Iron Head into EQ KOes Carracosta. +2 EQ OHKOes the rest. Carracosta has a chance of going for Scald, which ruins your sweep, so use Iron Head to potentially flinch in case it goes for Scald. Mostly good

Colress(53): Soft Sand. Spam EQ on the magnets. EQ is an OHKO on rolls on Beheeyem, which goes for CM even if you took two Flash Cannons. Klinklang tries to set up on you, but Iron Head + EQ kill it. Metang is outsped and OHKOed. Easy sweep

Ghetsis(54): Leftovers. SD to the max and OHKO everything with Iron Head / X-Scissor. Hydreigon is the only faster Pokemon and it only threatens with crits / flinches. Easy sweep

Shauntal(59): SD twice, throw in a Full Restore, then outspeed and OHKO everything with EQ/Iron Head. Great matchup

Grimsley: Soft Sand. EQ OHKOes Liepard. Switch out against Krookodile, as it is faster and OHKOes you with EQ. Excadrill 2HKOes Scrafty with EQ and outspeeds even at -1 (and lives a Brick Break). Bisharp doesn't threaten you so it dies to EQ. Decent matchup

Caitlin: Chesto Berry. SD once then outspeed and OHKO everything with X-Scissor/Iron Head. Easy sweep

Iris(60): Soft Sand. You can SD on Druddigon while living a Focus Blast then outspeed and OHKO it, Lapras, and Aggron. Okay-ish matchup

So for Drilbur, I had some initial doubts about S-tier, since it is quite inconsistent at times. On the other hand, though, it can take on opponents like Elesa, Clay (2/3, one of those being his own Excadrill), Drayden, Ghetsis, Caitlin, and Colress with little effort and can beat others with some support/luck or "weird" strats (Skyla, Shauntal, Marlon). I am fine with S-tier, given how much it sweeps with little effort, but I think some other A-tiers (like Lillipup, Scraggy, and Sandile) could get some rethinking and thus some chance for S-tier if we go with S-tier for Drilbur

Braviary -> B
Braviary

Elesa(30): Silk Scarf. Emolga's Volt Switch is a 2HKO on rolls (higher roll for a 3HKO, though) and Emolga is also faster. Hone Claws as it switches out and OHKO Flaaffy with Return. Assuming you do not get paralyzed, Emolga switches out, fails to KO you (presumably), then Zebstrika comes in, which dies to Return. Emolga then either finishes you off or you heal and OHKO it. Okay-ish matchup, would've been decent if it wasn't for that roll

Clay(33): Silk Scarf. Outspeeds and OHKOes Krokorok with Return thanks to Defiant. Excadrill is faster and 2HKOes with Rock Slide, though +2 Return puts it in red. Braviary outspeeds and 2HKOes Sandslash, which doesn't threaten you at all. Decent matchup

Skyla(40): Hard Stone. Rock Slide OHKOes Swoobat, which is faster. Weirdly, Swanna lives one at red and is faster, threatening you with Air Slash flinches. Braviary can set up and take on Skarmory, 3HKOing it with +1 Rock Slide, though healing may be needed. Decent. Note: Braviary is an all-male species, thus Attract might be a nuisance

Drayden(50): Silk Scarf. Set up one Hone Claw and OHKO everything with Return. Flygon and Haxorus are faster; you lose if Flygon flinches you with Rock Slide, otherwise, you win easily. Good matchup

Marlon(53): Rawst Berry. Shadow Claw (replace Return) into Superpower KOes Carracosta, albeit on rolls. Carracosta always goes for Smack Down (in my attempts) and 3HKOes. Wailord can live an unboosted Return and thus weaken you a lot or even defeat you. Jellicent lives a +1 Shadow Claw (Spell Tag might net the KO, though you risk burns), and typically finishes you off, unless you are at full health and have no burns after two turns. Meh matchup

Colress(54): Expert Belt. +1 Shadow Claw OHKOes Beheeyem and +1 Superpower OHKOes Klinklang. Metang will generally 1v1 you no matter what. Meh matchup

Ghetsis(54): Pecha Berry. Hone Claws three times to OHKO Cofagrigus with Shadow Claw (+2 is a roll). Return OHKOes the rest. Hydreigon and Drapion are faster. Hydreigon 2HKOes with Rock Slide and will beat you if it flinches. Drapion (last Pokemon) will generally finish you off, though there are cases where you can live a Night Slash from it. Decent matchup

Shauntal(59): Rawst Berry. Hone Claws three times, throw in a Full Restore, then outspeed and OHKO everything with Shadow Claw. Rock Slide can be used over Return to not make contact with Chandelure. Good matchup

Grimsley: Expert Belt. Return OHKOes Liepard, Fly OHKOes Scrafty, and Superpower OHKOes the rest. Liepard and Krookodile are faster, but Liepard's only an issue due to Attract. Easy sweep

Caitlin: Chesto Berry. Hone Claws twice and then outspeed and OHKO everything with Return. Easy sweep

Marshal: Expert Belt. Fly OHKOes Throh. Conkeldurr sets up Bulk Up while you are midair, making this matchup unwinnable. Sawk can be defeated with Return spam. Mienshao is faster and finishes you off if you fought Sawk, though it is possible for it to derp by going for Bounce while you go for Fly (thereby avoiding its attack). Okay-ish matchup

Iris(60): Expert Belt. Hydreigon 3HKOes and is faster, though Return 2HKOes it. You outspeed and OHKO Lapras and Aggron with Superpower. Okay-ish matchup


Braviary is, for most parts, a worse Pidove. It comes three badges later and doesn't really sweep until the endgame, where it picks up. It's not bad at all (in fact, it has few outright bad matchups), but something that doesn't sweep until the endgame doesn't feel like an A-tier to me, though you could say A if you are lenient enough.

Deerling -> C
Sawsbuck

Clay(33): Eviolite. Energy Ball 2HKOes Sandslash and Krokorok. Barring some consecutive Defense drops + Torment, you should take those two out with little difficulty. Decent matchup

As a Sawsbuck with Expert Belt, it outspeeds everything without Speed drops. OHKOes Krokorok and Sandslash with Energy Ball. -1 Jump Kick 2HKOes Excadrill through berries. Your only worry here is Excadrill flinching you once-twice after Bulldozing you. Great matchup

Skyla(40): Silk Scarf. 2HKOes Swanna through berry with Return. However, Swanna is a speedtie and has Featherdance. Bad matchup

Drayden(50): Silk Scarf. Work Up twice while Druddigon 3HKOes you with Revenge. OHKO it with Return. Sawsbuck outspeeds Flygon and puts it in red with Horn Leech (this is mostly to avoid Haxorus finishing you off in case it's faster) and basically heals itself back to full due to Drayden healing Flygon. Then you OHKO Haxorus. Great matchup

Marlon(53): Lucky Egg. Horn Leech, Work Up on heal turn, then spam Horn Leech for the rest of the fight. Easy sweep

Colress(54): Cheri Berry. 2HKOes Magnezone and Klinklang with Jump Kick, then loses to the next thing. Meh matchup

Ghetsis(54): Pecha Berry. Work Up three times, 2HKO Cofagrigus with Horn Leech. You can heal off poison after hitting Cofagrigus once. Then spam Return / Horn Leech to OHKO the rest. Hydreigon is faster, but only wins if it flinches you. Good matchup

Grimsley(59): Leftovers. Liepard is faster and seems to 3HKO you with Aerial Ace. What you should do is put it in red with unboosted Horn Leech and set up once while Liepard is healing. Then set up another Work Up (you will be healthy enough to avoid a KO from two Aerial Aces) then OHKO it with Horn Leech, healing yourself once again. Jump Kick at +2 OHKOes Scrafty (+1 isn't an OHKO) and Bisharp. Krookodile is OHKOed by Horn Leech. Great matchup

Caitlin: Chesto Berry. +3 Return is an OHKO on rolls on Musharna and OHKO on the rest. Outspeeds all. Decent matchup


Deerling was actually fairly decent. Unlike most Grass-types, it has more rawpower and therefore can get the job done faster than other Grass-types. Unfortunately, it's also sometimes limited in its contributions; it's mostly useless against Skyla and Colress and becomes a Work Up addict towards the end of the game. You could *maybe* make an argument for B-tier if you don't mind the Work Up spam.

Ferroseed -> C
Ferrothorn

Clay(33): Eviolite. Rotate between Iron Defense and Seed Bomb against Krokorok if it Torments you. Once you reach max defense, rotate between Metal Claw (to potentially boost your Attack) and Seed Bomb. Nothing on Clay's team touches you at all and they may occassionally use contact moves, which will help with KOing them faster. I didn't even have to heal (they refuse to spam Bulldoze) even after I got critted once. Good matchup; it's not a fast one, but it's very secure and very hard to lose without trying

Skyla(40): Hard Stone. Click Rollout and hope all five of them hit. Your biggest worry, outisde of missing, is Swanna's Air Slash flinching. Good matchup

Drayden(40): Lucky Egg. So I accidentally did this at level 40 (forgot to set correct level, did this later on), but I managed to sweep easily anyways. Set up two Curses then spam Gyro Ball to OHKO everything. Somehowly, nothing deals serious amage to you in spite of being six levels under. Easy sweep

Marlon(53): Leftovers. Spam Seed Bomb on Carracosta. Set up a Curse on Wailord and spam it, even if you get burned. If you are burned, heal against Jellicent and try to spam Seed Bomb again. Good matchup, though a bit weird that I had to heal a Grass-type here

Colress(54): Leftovers. Ingrain turn one and set up five Curses, then 2HKO the magnets with Seed Bomb. Afterwards, Gyro Ball OHKOes the rest. It is possible to sweep without healing whatsoever, but chances are you will need to heal at least once. Not the best matchup by any means, but it's doable

Ghetsis(54): Leftovers. Ingrain turn one and Curse three times. Seed Bomb 2HKOes Cofagrigus whose Shadow Ball is almost completely healed off by the healing combo. Eelektross puts you in yellow with Flamethrower and is OHKOed by Seed Bomb. Then the rest die to Gyro Ball. Ferrothorn is susceptible to burns and SpD drops, so bewre that. Decent

Shauntal(59): didn't test this, but you can probs beat Golurk and Drifblim

Grimsley: Leftovers. Curse three times then spam Gyro Ball and Seed Bomb. Easy sweep

Iris(60): Leftovers. Take out the Flamethrower users and set up on a physical attacker then proceed to sweep from there. Decent matchup


Ferroseed is a bit inefficient because it takes some time to sweep with it. However, it takes around 2x as much to kill it, so it evens out. In general, Ferroseed is very reliable when the opponent doesn't pack strong special / super effective moves to threaten it, but you will spend tons of turns setting up and sweeping. C-tier sounds perfect


I am planning on doing a "mega run" with incredibly late stuff (think stuff like Throh, Bouffalant, and Vanillish). Once I am done with testing everything in that category, I will make a big post about it. Note that I am not testing Delibird, Shuckle, and Corsola. If I decide not to test something else later on, I will mention it in the big post. When I will finish it is a matter of whether my computer acts up while trying to complete the run
 
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The Mind Electric

Calming if you look at it right.
Finally finished my run, Jesus. Here are my nominations. I can provide logs upon request.

Tepig -> B

This one was interesting. I tried to test this the way I imagined a casual player would use it, which meant that the most advanced strategy I deployed was Work Up. I didn't use any of the more advanced or specific strategies that other testers seem to have gravitated towards, and the result was a performance that was solidly good but not the best.

Tepig starts off pretty strong, sweeping Roxie and Burgh. After that, it remains firmly in the middle of the road for most of the mid-game. It always has at least a little something to contribute to major fights, but that something tends to be underwhelming. It starts to pick back up again towards the end of the mid-game, sweeping Drayden and taking out four of Colress's Pokémon with a bit of healing item support. This continues into the League, where it sweeps Caitlin and takes out four of Iris's Pokémon (including Hydreigon!) with minimal item support. These strong late-game performances are enough to keep it out of C for me, but I can't justify A with how many mediocre performances it has along the way. B-tier feels right.

Pidove -> B

Pidove is weird. On paper, it performs well enough to be in A, sweeping or chunking nearly every major fight. The problem is that it achieves this through using Super Luck and a Scope Lens to become a crit machine, and all the RNG boosters in the world can't stop me from being uncomfortable putting something that relies so heavily on crits in A. Definitely worth using if you get one with Super Luck, but let the buyer beware.

Elekid -> C

Elekid is good at everything you'd expect an Electric type to be good at, and not much else. It's good in situations where you want Electric STAB, and just kind of alright elsewhere. You can occasionally get some work done with Ice Punch (Drayden and Iris in particular are surprisingly good performances with this move), but it's mostly just spamming Electric moves. In these games, Electric STAB is C-tier material.

Zorua -> C

Oh boy.

So, there was a bit of controversy surrounding this thing a while back due to Illusion testing the limits of what constitutes excessive gimmickry. Here's the thing: I don't think it actually matters. You can use it to completely neutralize Caitlin, but that's an easy sweep anyway. I heard rumblings of Illusion Air Balloon for Clay, and decided to give that a try since I had an Electric type on me, but it just popped my Balloon on the first turn. Other than that, I don't know what you'd want it for? So, let's look at what it can do without Illusion.

Immediately, we have two big problems: Dark Pulse is locked behind ten Blue Shards, and the BlackGlasses are only accessible in Spring and Summer when the sewers flood. This means that two of Zorua's major assets aren't readily available, and I ended up proceeding without either of them. Under these conditions, Zoroark is thoroughly mediocre. It has some strong performances (Drayden, Shauntal, Caitlin), some performances that are so fucking horrible that I briefly considered dropping it to D (Iris), and a whole lot of meh. Overall, I think it balances out to C-tier.

The core problem with Zoroark is that it just doesn't hit hard enough to compensate for how frail it is. I'd believe that this is somewhat resolved if you can get Dark Pulse and the BlackGlasses, but those both have availability issues that I'd also penalize it for. I guess it's not awful - it's perfectly serviceable in every situation where you'd want a Dark type - but other than a surprising Drayden sweep (which required using a Metronome, by the way), I can't think of anything that impressive about it. The great IVs and EXP boost seem like they could make up for some of its shortcomings, but they just don't. It is very easy to raise though, I'll give it that.

Staryu -> C

Going into the League, I was set on D for this. Coming in after six gyms, it's already set back by its late availability, and the pre-League performances do not make up for that in the slightest. It has the most expensive Drayden sweep of all time (Hail + Blizzard is over 100000 dollars, and while you're not strapped for cash in the slightest in this game that's still pretty damn steep for one good performance), and it doesn't put in much work in anything else pre-League. However, when I got to the League, I found it performing well pretty consistently. It did well against Shauntal and Marshal, and was a major boon for the Iris fight. Those performances were enough for me to bump it up a tier, but overall it's still pretty mediocre. It's a shame, because it looks promising; you can evolve it and load it up with both of its STABs immediately after getting it, but it just doesn't contribute that much.

Glad to finally have this done. Sorry for the wait.
 

Ryota Mitarai

Shrektimus Prime
is a Tiering Contributoris a Contributor to Smogonis a Top Smogon Media Contributor
so I did my mega run that I talked about earlier.

To explain what I did, I basically tested almost everything that came after Drayden + Sandile and Darumaka. Darumaka was mainly to get an idea of what S-tier feels like and Sandile was to see if it deserves S-tier alongside Drilbur

The list of post-Drayden Pokemon I tested includes everything except Ditto, Shuckle, Corsola, Delibird, and Terrakion (all of which except Terra are obvious F-tiers). Every Pokemon was "grinded" via the calculator I linked in my first post, for transparency sake

I will first talk about Darumaka and Sandile and then the other Pokemon separately

Darumaka -> S
Darumaka

Burgh(24): Eviolite. Fire Punch 2HKOes Dwebble and OHKOes the rest. Smack Down is a 4HKO. You sweep easily unless you get very unlucky with misses

Elesa(30): Eviolite. Dig OHKOes Flaaffy while outspeeding it and Zebstrika. Emolga dies to Fire Punch. Emolga's Volt Switch is a 4HKO. If you trigger static, move on to using Facade instead, which OHKOes Zebstrika anyways. Misses can prevent a sweep, but you should take out 2/3 for sure even with bad luck. Decent matchup

Clay(35): Charcoal. Outspeeds everything. OHKO Krokorok and Exca with Fire Punch, even at -1. Sandslash is 2HKOed by Fire Punch. You live a Bulldoze and outspeed at -1 anyways, letting you KO it. Easy sweep

Skyla(40): Hard Stone. OHKO Swoobat with Fire Punch, which outspeeds you. Outspeed and OHKO Swanna with Rock Slide. Spam Fire Punch on Skarmory. Easy sweep

Drayden(50): Charcoal. BDrum once then outspeed and OHKO everything with Fire Punch. Easy sweep

Marlon(53): Sitrus Berry. possible sweep with luck and AI derp. Bulldoze 2HKOes Carracosta, which either goes for Scald or Shell Smash. Your sweep ends for sure if you get hit with Scald. Darmanitan can try setting up on Wailord with Belly Drum from full; it can barely live a Scald (seems like a roll to OHKO after BDrum), though Wailord may also go for Amnesia, giving you the free victory. +6 Fire Punch OHKOes it and Jellicent

Colress(54): Cheri Berry. Spam Fire Punch to KO Magneton. Magnezone paralyzes you and then 2HKOaes with Explosion, so heal against Metang. Outspeed it and Klinklang and OHKO with Fire Punch. Flare Blitz OHKOes Beheeyem, though you may self-KO. Great matchup

Ghetsis(54): Pecha Berry. Set up Belly Drum while Coffin derps on you. OHKO it, Seismitoad, Toxicroak, and Drapion with Bulldoze, outspeeding all of them. My Darmanitan got to level 55 after this. Hydreigon and Eelektross are both outsped and OHKOed by Fire Punch. Easy sweep

Shauntal(59): Charcoal. Belly Drum, then outspeed and OHKO Drifblim with Rock Slide and the rest with Fire Punch. You live one Shadow Ball after BDrum. Easy sweep

Grimsley(59): Charcoal. Liepard is faster but dies to Fire Punch. Krook is slower and dies to Flare Blitz. Scrafty lives one Flare Blitz at -1 and Rock Tombs you. You outspeed and OHKO Bisharp. Decent matchup

Caitlin: Chesto Berry. Belly Drum then outspeed and OHKO everything with Fire Punch. Easy sweep

Marshal: Charcoal. Flare Blitz is an OHKO on rolls on Throh. Conk lives one for sure and KOes you back. Mienshao and Sawk are outsped and defeated by Fire Punch, though Sawk almost KOes with Rock Slide if you OHKOed Throh. You take out either 1/2 or 3/4, depending on luck. Okay-ish matchup

Iris(60): cannot set up Belly Drum anywhere, even with Siturs Berry. Darmanitan's first and only truly bad matchup


This one is an obvious S-tier and I never really doubted it, I moreso tested it just to see what S-tier may feel like. Darumaka just destroys everything and I don't think there's anything that can truly avoid an OHKO/2HKO from Darmanitan outside of fringe situations. This thing's first bad matchup is Iris, which should speak about how good this is (although Marlon and Marshal aren't reliable sweeps, it still should perform okay there on average). Hustle early on may be annoying, but this is evened out by the fact that almost everything is OHKOed by Fire Fang / Fire Punch. In addition, Eviolite makes Darumaka bulky enough that it can afford to miss once or twice


Sandile -> S/same tier as Drilbur
Sandile

Elesa(30): Cheri Berry. Crunch 2HKOes Emolga. Dig then OHKOes the rest. The only way to lose here is to get incredibly unlucky with Static. Eviolite works here too, but Static luck can force you to heal. Great matchup

Clay(33): Eviolite. Unfortunately, you seem to 1v1 Krokorok only. Soft Sand Dig gets close to OHKOing Exca, which is faster and 2HKOes you.

Skyla(40): Hard Stone. Swoobat outspeeds you, but you OHKO it with Crunch. Swanna outspeeds and puts you in red with Bubblebeam, so you OHKO it with Rock Slide. Skarmory is 2HKOed by Rock Slide, but will require healing due to Krookodile being worn out. Given I tried this matchup three times and never got a Featherdance, I will call this good

Drayden(50): Blackglasses. Crunch 2HKOes Druddigon, which doesn't threaten you much. Flygon is outsped and barely OHKOed, but it doesn't KO you with Earth Power. Haxorus is outsped and OHKOed by Crunch. Easy sweep

Marlon(53): Rawst Berry. Possible sweep with AI derp. Bulldoze 2HKOes Carracosta, which needs to go for Shell Smash. Krookodile can live a Scald from full against Wailord and 2HKO with Crunch. At +1 or +2, you also OHKO Jellicent. Decent matchup, since you can just skip Carracosta

Colress(54): Blackglasses. Bulldoze spam is enough to get past the magnets. Then +2 Crunch OHKOes Beheeyem. Klinklang is outsped and OHKOed by Low Kick. KO Metang with EQ. Good matchup

Ghetsis(54): Soft Sand. EQ 2HKOes Coffin, heal off poison before you land the KO. Then outspeed and OHKO Seismitoad, Toxicroak, and Drapion with EQ. Hydreigon is faster, but if it doesn't flinch you, you OHKO it with Return or Low Kick. Eelektross then dies to Crunch. Great matchup

Shauntal(59): Soft Sand. EQ 2HKOes Coffin (it looks to be a 3HKO without Soft Sand). Heal off burn, then KO Coffin. Outspeed and OHKO the rest with STAB moves. Easy sweep

Grimsley: Soft Sand. Simply spam Earthquake, which OHKOes everything. The order is Liepard, Bisharp, Scrafty, Krookodile/ His own Krookodile is faster, but doesn't KO you. Easy sweep

Caitlin: Chesto Berry. Spam Crunch and you win. Easy sweep

Iris(60): Expert Belt. Outrage is an OHKO on roll on Hydreigon, which is faster and 2HKOes with Surf. Assuming you KOed Hydreigon and aren't confused, you can outspeed and OHKO Druddigon (which comes after Hydreigon). Lapras comes in; if you are at +2, you can throw in a Full Restore (you live Ice Beam) and OHKO with EQ. Archeops and Haxorus force you out, though Krookodile can also KO Aggron separately. Okay-ish / decent, depending on luck (you are generally taking out three Pokemon on average).


so this one will require more explanation, so I will go into more detail here. I personally believe Sandile is similar enough to Drilbur that they can be put in the same tier, even though Excadrill is *a little bit* better in some cases (though Krook also has a few advantages over Exca). The tl;dr is that Sandile is crazy efficient, as it achieves so many sweeps without relying on setup that it's unbelievable. To compare some of the more relevant traits:

Availability
Both have some negatives in regards to their availabilities; Drilbur is a dust cloud Pokemon, while Sandile requires you to find a level 15 one with Moxie to perform well. They aren't *that* bad of availabilities, but it's something to note

Initial grind
Drilbur has no real issue with getting up to levels, since Dig at level 19 allows it to KO most foes easily early on. Sandile, for a few levels, will be frail, so it needs more careful use. However, I found that you can circumvent this issue; an Eviolite Sandile grinds quite easily against the Castelia Sewers trainers thanks to Hugh healing you constantly. The experience you receive from all of this + the Relic Passage trainers should be enough to get Sandile to the levels where it's no longer frail. So as a whole, both can be grinded efficiently, but Sandile is a bit more specific, but this is a marginal difference to me

Performance
This is where I think they look very similar. They tend to perform mostly the same against major opponents, with some minor differences here and there. However, there are some trends:

- Krookodile is faster and thus can outspeed some key opponents (like Grimsley's own Krookodile)
- Due to Moxie, Krookodile does not require setup whatsoever (fun fact: Krookodile learns Hone Claws via TMs, but it may see use only against Shauntal to not bother with circumventing Mummy)
- Somewhat related to the above, but Krookodile may sometimes take fewer turns to sweep an opponent, as it does not spend turns setting up. However, there are cases where Excadrill also spends fewer turns because of OHKOing everything at +2

anyways, here are the comparisons between the matchups:

Burgh: both suck here, though Drilbur will take out Dwebble, never tried Sandile here
Elesa: both sweep here. Krokorok can get screwed by super unlucky Statics, but for all intents and purposes, you are sweeping here without a worry
Clay: Excadrill takes out two Pokemon here, including his own Excadrill. Krokorok takes out his own Krokorok only
Skyla: both can sweep here. Excadrill has to set up two SDs before facing Swanna in fear of Featherdance. Krookodile normally has to fear it as well (as Swanna is faster), but it never went for that against Krookodile, so both are sweeping here
Drayden: both can sweep here. Krookodile has to worry about boosted Revenge (I could never get it to use Revenge, though) unless you reteach Leer or something like this. Healing is always an option as well, if it doesn't bother you
Marlon: both can inconsistently sweep or consistently take out 2/3 of his team if they skip Carracosta
Colress: both sweep here
Ghetsis: both sweep here
ShauntaL: both sweep here
Grimsley: Krookodile sweeps, Excadrill takes out 3/4 only due to his own Krookodile being faster
Caitlin: both sweep here
Marshal: both suck here
Iris: Excadrill takes out Druddigon, Aggron, and Lapras. Krookodile can take out Hydreigon, Druddigon, Lapras, and Aggron. At worst it takes out two threats, at best, four, so both KO more-or-less the same amount of Pokemon here

as you can see, Excadrill has some slight advantages early on, but later on, Krookodile's Moxie makes it a bit more pleasant to use (because it doesn't have to set up and thus doesn't take up turns to set up). The reason I am comparing both is that they are so similar that it's hard not to compare them. But regardless, as I stated earlier, Sandile is one of the few Pokemon that can sweep many opponents without needing setup whatsoever, so that alone makes it a strong contender for S-tier


Now, I will talk about the entire "cluster" (they won't be as detailed as Sandile because there isn't much to say about those). I will feature a lsit of nominations at the end of the post

Piloswine -> D / E
Mamoswine

Marlon(53): Soft Sand. Possible sweep with AI derp. Bulldoze + EQ seem to KO everything. If Carracosta and Wailrod never attack you turn one, you can reach Jellicent at full, at which point all you need is to hope you don't roll a Scald burn. Okay-ish matchup

Colress(54): Soft Sand. EQ spam beats Magneton, but it almost KOes you with Flash Cannon. EQ OHKOes Metang and 2HKOes Beheeyem. Weirdly, at full health, Klinklang went for two Shift Gears, allowing me to KO it. Decent matchup

Ghetsis(54): Soft Sand. Beats Toxicroak and Drapion easily and can take on either Seismitoad or Hydreigon. Hydreigon isn't exactly OHKOed by Ice Fang, but put in range for next Life Orb to KO it. Okay-ish matchup

Shauntal(59): Expert Belt. Beats Golurk and Drifblim. Chandelure is faster and nukes it. Okay-ish matchup

Grimsley(59): Soft Sand. OHKOes Liepard. Bulldoze + Ice Fang takes on the faster Krookodile, but -1 EQ doesn't OHKO Bisharp. Should take out two threats. Okay-ish matchup

Iris(60): Expert Belt. Ice Fang seems to OHKO Druddigon, but never verified for rolls. Outspeeds and OHKOes Aggron. You can either OHKO Archeops with Ice Fang or KO Haxorus with Bulldoze + Ice Fang; you should be able to live a +1 hit. Okay-ish


I am a bit torn between D and E. On one hand, Piloswine doesn't sweep anything reliably, but on the other hand, it's a fairly consistent all-arounder (Caitlin logs are missing because I forgot to put them next to the other ones; it takes out like one-two threats with healing only, so not particularly impressive) and I felt it was a lot more useful than the things I'd put in E-tier like the various late-game Water-types. Could maybe be E-tier if sweeps are particularly important, but STAB EQ was fun to use

Sneasel -> D
Weavile

Marlon(53): Eviolite. Faint Attack almost 2HKOes Jellicent through berry while Scald 3HKOes you. Due to Cursed Body and Scald burns, though, you are unlikely to even 1v1 it. Terrible matchup

Ghetsis(54): Expert Belt. Faint Attack 2HKOes Coffin. Ice Punch puts Hydreigon in Life Orb range. The rest beat you rather easily if you took on anything. Meh matchup

Shauntal(59): Expert Belt. Taunt then Hone Claws. Night Slash OHKOes everything this way. If Chandelure burns you, +1 Ice Punch still OHKOes Drifblim. Order is Coffin, Golurk, Chandelure, Drifblim. Easy sweep

Grimsley(59): Expert Belt. Beats Liepard. Scrafty lives even a +3 hit from Ice Punch, so you need to heal against Liepard and get to +4. This way, you can also OHKO Bisharp (with Dig) and Krookodile, which you outspeed. Decent matchup, tons of setup, though

Caitlin: Blackglasses. Taunt, Hone Claws, then OHKO everything with Night Slash. Easy sweep

Iris(60): Expert Belt. Hone Claws once and OHKO Druddigon and Hydreigon while outspeeding them. You also outspeed and OHKO Archeops with Ice Punch. Okay-ish


Sneasel is the opposite of Piloswine in that it achieves some sweeps, but is limited when it doesn't sweep. It sweeps Shauntal and Caitlin easily and can sweep Grimsley with slightly more setup (and healing). In addition, it is very convenient for killing Dragons endgame. I think Sneasel makes it to D-tier more easily than Piloswine

Vanillish -> E
Vanilluxe

Marlon(53): Silverpowder. Signal Beam 3HKOes Carracosta, 2HKO after Shell Smash. Mirror Coat can be used on Wailord if it spams Scald, but you are likely losing against it anyways. Bad matchup

Ghetsis(54): at best 1v1s something. Hydreigon doesn't die to Ice Beam, but is put in range for Life Orb KO, assuming Ghetsis has already used a Full Restore before that and you don't get flinched. Terrible matchup

Shauntal(59): Expert Belt. Outspeeds everything (don't face Chandelure). 2HKOes Coffin and OHKOes the rest with Ice Beam. Without Expert Belt, Golurk can live one Ice Beam. Good matchup

Grimsley: Expert Belt. OHKOes Liepard with Signal Beam and Krookodile with Ice Beam. Krookodile almost KOes you with EQ if you took on Liepard, so I suspect rolls. Meh matchup

Caitlin: Silverpowder. Signal Beam doesn't 2HKO Musharna. Ice Beam can miss the OHKO on Sigilyph if you do not have Expert Belt. Bad matchup

Iris(60): Leftovers. Bulk Up thrice on Hydreigon, then heal up. OHKO it with Storm Throw. Druddigon comes in and goes for Dragon Tail, so you outspeed and OHKO with Ice Punch. You OHKO Aggron and Archeops (you live a hit from each), then Haxorus comes in and finishes you off. Decent


Vanillish, on the other hand, is a worse Sneasel in an essence; it achieves a sweep on Shauntal, kills Dragons... and that's about it. I had considered F-tier before facing the E4, so I don't think Vanillish achieves much to deserve D-tier.

Clefairy -> D
Clefable

Marlon(53): Leftovers. Charge Beam spam on Carracosta (ideally, it spams Scald instead of going for Shell Smash). Encore Wailord into Amnesia and simply stack Charge Beam / Work Up boosts until you run out of PP / can KO Wailord. Jellicent comes in, but a super-boosted Stored Power should be able to OHKO it. Decent

Colress(54): I didn't try this matchup because it'd involve tons of Cosmic Power set up and Dig spam, but it should theoritically be doable

Ghetsis(54): Leftovers. You can set up a few Cosmic Powers (and maybe one Work Up boost if you teach it over Encore) against Coffin, which doesn't threaten you thanks to Magic Guard. Get yourself poisoned before KOing Coffin with Stored Power. Then spam Stored Power / Facade on the rest, which are unlikely to KO you thanks to Cosmic Power. Good matchup, though may be a bit slow if you don't have Work Up to increase your firepower

Shauntal(59): Leftovers. Work Up twice and set up two Cosmic Powers, then start spamming Stored Power. Barring unfortunate crits, you should be able to OHKO (mostly on rolls, though) everything

Grimsley: Leftovers. Cosmic Power twice and Work Up twice then spam Flamethrower and Ice Beam (taught over Stored Power since I don't need it beyond Ghetsis). Scrafty is 3HKOed by Flamethrower and will cause you to heal. Decent matchup, just a bit slow

Caitlin: Leftovers. Work Up twice, then heal off sleep with an item. Lock Musharna into Dream Eater and set up as much as you want, then spam Shadow Ball. Decent matchup

Iris(60): Leftovers. Set up three Work Ups and three Cosmic Powers. Depending on rolls, you may either have to heal before or after setting them up. Afterwards, spam Ice Beam and Thunderbolt to 2HKO / OHKO everything. Decent matchup


Clefairy is surpisingly effective at taking down the last opponents. Unfortunately, being effective does not always mean being efficient, as Clefable is quite the setup hog. It shouldn't struggle too much setting up, but it takes a lot of time, which is why I am hesitant on calling it C-tier. It is worth pointing out that you probably don't need Stored Power outside of Ghetsis, so feel free to replace it afterwards with Encore.

Metang -> D with a case for C-tier
Metagross

Colress(52): Leftovers. Bulldoze is a 2HKO on the Magnets and Metang. You may want to have an Agility boost to outspeed stuff. Zen Headbutt into two Bulldozes KO Klinklang, which just spams Thunderbolt. Beheeyem is 2HKOed by Meteor Mash. Good matchup, may require healing once, though

Ghetsis(54): Leftovers. It can take on Drapion (with Bulldoze), Toxicroak, and Eelektross before fainting. Okay-ish matchup

Shauntal(59): Rawst Berry. Even at +2, Golurk (third Pokemon that comes out if going for sweep) comes out and KOes you as it lives a +2 Zen Headbutt. Chandelure will outspeed you if you don't have an Agility boost. Meh matchup

Grimsley(59): Leftovers. Agility once and Hone Claws twice. Bisharp is the only threat to not get OHKOed by Meteor Mash (Clear Body blocks Intimidate). +2 seems to 3HKO with berry, though I got a Meteor Mash boost, which 2HKOed through berry. Bisharp doesn't beat you even at +2 anyways. Great matchup

Caitlin: Chesto Berry. Hone Claws twice and OHKO Musharna with Meteor Mash. Gothitelle lives one on rolls, so maybe Musharna is a roll too. Regardless, nothing on her team touches Metagross, so it's a safe matchup. Great matchup

Marshal: Leftovers. Agility, Hone Claws, then OHKO everything with Zen Headbutt. Clear Body prevents stat drops. Easy sweep

Iris(60): Leftovers. Lure in Archeops and set up two Agilities and two Hone Claws on it, then heal. OHKO it and then whatever remains from Iris's team with Meteor Mash.


Metang was probably the best Pokemon from the entire cluster. Its only bad matchup is Shauntal. It takes out half of Ghetsis's team, sweeps the rest of the E4 members and Colress, and also can take on Iris if it can set up. C-tier depends a lot on where Terarkion ends up; I suspect Metang's kill count will be similar to or greater than Terrakion's, so it will probably be wise to tier them together

It is important to note that Metang assumes that it is caught with a Master Ball. For me, this is not a flaw and thus do not count it against Metang.

Bronzor -> F
Bronzong

Shauntal(59): Leftovers. Shadow Ball does not 2HKO anything. Bronzong at best takes out Coffin and Golurk with healing. Meh matchup

Grimsley: no

Caitlin: Leftovers. Spam Charge Beam on Musharna and get to +3 or +4, then spam Shadow Ball to OHKO/2HKO everything. You may need to heal, depending on how much Musharna damages you so that you are healthy enough to take on Gothitelle. Okay-ish matchup

Marshal: Leftovers. Psychic is an OHKO on Mienshao and a 2HKO on the rest. Hit Throh once (which spams Storm Throw), set up Trick Room, then finish it off and kill Mienshao. Conkeldurr becomes slower after one Hammer Arm. The best option here is to set up Iron Defense before the Speed drop and heal. Then you finish the rest off. Great matchup


This one I tested purely for data with absolutely no expectations for a higher tier. IaR has talked about it, so I will keep it short: Bronzor comes so late, out of the way, and underleveled that it basically negates the incredibly few positive traits Bronzor has, which is pretty much the Marshal sweep, which is a bit convoluted on its own. I feel like many people will discover through this list that Bronzor is even obtainable before the post-game.

Vulpix -> F
Ninetales

Shauntal(59): Expert Belt. NP twice, then outspeed and OHKO Chandelure with Hex and the rest with Flamethrower. Easy sweep

Grimsley: Charcoal. Set up two NPs, heal against Liepard (it's faster and 3HKOes you), then spam Flamethrower to OHKO everything. You outspeed Krookodile. Decent matchup

Caitlin: Chesto Berry. +6 Flamethrower OHKOes everything, though Musharna is a roll. Decent matchup


Basically read Bronzor, but substitute Marshal with the other E4 members. Just because it sweeps them doesn't change the fact that no one's seriously gonna bother using Vulpix given its awful availability.

Bouffalant -> E
Bouffalant

Shauntal(59): Rawst Berry. SD twice, heal off burn, then spam Payback to OHKO Coffin and Golurk. Bouffalant also takes on Drifblim if healthy enough. Okay-ish matchup

Grimsley: Silk Scarf. SD once against Liepard and OHKO it with Head Charge. Scrafty is slower and dies to Head Charge as well. Krookodile comes in. Heal and OHKO it as well, as EQ is a 3HKO (you self-KO, though). Okay-ish matchup

Caitlin: Chesto Berry. SD once. Outspeed and OHKO Musharna and Reuniclus with Megahorn. Sigilyph is faster, but dies to Payback. Bouffalant lives a Psychic from Gothitelle afterwards and KOes with Head Charge. Fairly good matchup

Iris(60): Silk Scarf. Dragon Pulse is a 3HKO on Bouffalant, so set up a SD and OHKO with Megahorn. Head Charge OHKOes Druddigon while outspeeding, leaving you on minimal HP. Heal up against Aggron, which goes for Double Edge. Bulldoze puts it in red, but it goes for Autotomize and then healing (you outspeed it at neutral speed), so you KO it with little difficulty. Bouffalant beats Haxorus with Bulldoze + Head Charge, as it also lives a +1 attack. If Haxorus damaged you, you self-KO. If not, you may be able to OHKO Lapras with Head Charge if it misses Sing. Pretty decent matchup


I was a bit unsure in the beginning as to whether Bouffalant would make it past F-tier, but I think it proved itself good enough for E-tier. It is decent for Grimsley and Caitlin and notably takes out some of Iris's team. This is obviously not good enough for D-tier given that it also comes after the entire Team Plasma saga

Sawk -> E
Sawk

Shauntal(59): Expert Belt. Beats either Chandelure (speedtie) or Drfiblim with Rock Slide. Bad matchup

Grimsley: Leftovers. I had Sturdy here, but assume Inner Focus. Liepard goes for Fake Out, so you OHKO with Brick Break. Set up a Bulk Up on Bisharp and OHKO it and Krook with Brick Break (Krook is faster). CC kills Scrafty

Caitlin: Chesto Berry. You need to set up to like +5 to OHKO Musharna. You outspeed everything, though. Meh matchup due to requiring more than one healing item

Iris(60): Expert Belt. Close Combat OHKOes Hydreigon, Lapras, and Aggron (Hydreigon is faster and seems to 3HKO you). Druddigon can live a +1 Close Combat on rolls, so it's not a reliable KO. Okay-ish / decent, depending on luck.


Thing sweeps Grimsley and takes out half of Iris's team with OHKOs. Can also maybe help out with Marshal (it doesn't sweep there consistently). There really isn't much to say about it lol

Throh -> D / E
Throh

Shauntal(59): Leftovers. Bulk Up twice on Golurk, heal (so that Drifblim doesn't finish you off) and spam Payback to OHKO it and Drifblim. Meh matchup

Grimsley: Leftovers. With Inner Focus, you set up two Bulk Ups, only worrying about Attract. Storm Throw then OHKOes everything safely. Healing won't be needed unless you get weakened a lto due to Attract. Great matchup

Caitlin: Chesto Berry. You need to set up to like +5 to OHKO Musharna. You defeat Musharna, Reuniclus, and Sigilyph if you beat Musharna at full health. Meh matchup due to requiring more than one healing item and not sweeping

Marshal: Leftovers. Speed ties with opposing Throh. The opposing Throh starts spamming Storm Throw immediately, but 5HKOes (counting Leftovers). Set up two Bulk Ups and 2HKO it with Storm Throw. Depending on your health, either heal up or set up another Bulk Up and then heal against Mienshao and OHKO/2HKO the rest. Good matchup

Iris(60): Leftovers. Bulk Up thrice on Hydreigon, then heal up. OHKO it with Storm Throw. Druddigon comes in and goes for Dragon Tail, so you outspeed and OHKO with Ice Punch. You OHKO Aggron and Archeops (you live a hit from each), then Haxorus comes in and finishes you off. Decent


This thing has more of a case for D-tier, but with that super late avaialbility, it might end up in E-tier anyways. Sweeps Marshal and Grimsley, while also taking out 4/6 of Iris's team. Throh probably contributes more than most E-tiers, but I wouldn't mind it in either tier

Golurk -> E
Golurk

Shauntal(59): Spell Tag. Likely 1v1s only one threat. This is cause it OHKOes only Drifblim (opposing Golurk lives one Shadow Punch) and you are weakened by the time you KO one threat. Bad matchup

Grimsley: Soft Sand. Iron Defense twice, heal, then spam EQ. You beat Scrafty and Liepard before losing completely. Meh matchup

Caitlin: Chesto Berry. Shadow Punch 2HKOes everything. However, Gothitelle and Sigilyph generally defeat you (Gothitelle being due to you being weakened). You take out Reuniclus and Musharna. Okay-ish matchup

Marshal: Leftovers. Iron Defense to the max and spam Earthquake and Shadow Punch. You won't even need healing, but it may take some time to get past Conkeldurr. Good matchup


This thing is good for only one thing, which is to sweep Marshal for sure. It is mediocre elsewhere, typically getting a KO or two at best. Iris can be contributed to if you spam Iron Defense on Aggron after all special attackers are taken out, but I never bothered to try it out. This thing is clsoe to F-tier, but it's probably better off in E-tier

Druddigon -> F
Druddigon

Shauntal(59): Blackglasses. At best 1v1s something (most likely Drifblim). By the time it beats one thing, it will be too weakened to take on anything else. Bad matchup

Grimsley(59): Rocky Helmet. Hone Claws twice while Liepard damages itself 1/4 of its HP every turn. Heal when Liepard is in red and OHKO with Dragon Claw. Krookodile strikes you with Dragon Claw, but you live the hit and KO back with Dragon Claw. Then Scrafty outspeeds and KOes you. Meh matchup

Caitlin: Leftovers. Taunt, then Hone Claws thrice. Dragon Claw / Payback 2HKO Musharna and OHKO the rest (use Payback when slower). Probably Druddigon's only sweep (note: Sigilyph's Ice Beam is a 2HKO, so only worry is it freezing)

Marshal: Dragon Fang. Beats Throh by 2HKOing with +1 Dragon Claw then dies to Mienshao. Lol

Iris(60): Dragon Fang. Dragon Claw doesn't OHKO any of the dragons, though Bulldoze + DClaw is enough for Druddigon. Lol


Boy, this was easily the worst Pokemon from the entire cluster. Its only good achievement is sweeping Caitlin, which amounts to participation reward. It has almost no notability elsewhere, as it's limited to KOing mostly one threat per team (it can probs take out two against Grimsley with Revenge or something). Yeah, not totally "useless", but I also fail to think of anything significant that Druddigon contributes that you cannot do with basically every non-meme tier option that exists in this game

Zweilous -> E / F
Zweilous

Shauntal(59): Eviolite. Work Up twice, get Mummified to remove Hustle, then throw in a Full Restore to heal off burn. Then spam Crunch to OHKO everything (outspeeds Golurk, lives hits from the rest). Decent matchup

Grimsley(59): Eviolite. Work Up thrice to OHKO Liepard. Somehowly, Krookodile lives that and finishes you off. Healing is pointless as well, since EQ is a 3HKO and you cannot OHKO it. Bad matchup

Caitlin: Chesto Berry. +1 Crunch OHKOes everything. Musharna and Reuniclus are slower. You need to be careful of missing against Reuniclus and Sigilyph, as those pack super effective hits. Luck-dependent matchup


Hydreigon

Shauntal(64): Rawst Berry. Work Up once then OHKO everything with Crunch while outspeeding. Easy sweep

Grimsley: Work Up twice then spam Dragon Pulse / Flamethrower to OHKO everything while outspeeding. Easy sweep

Caitlin: Chesto Berry. Work Up once and OHKO everything with Crunch. Easy sweep

Marshal: Itemless. Beats Mienshao and either Sawk or Throh with Acrobatics. Okay-ish matchup

Iris: Expert Belt. OHKOes Hydreigon and Druddigon while outspeeding them. Surf OHKOes Aggron and Archeops, the latter of which is faster. Haxorus is slower, so you can trigger Sash before fainting. Decent


The Hydreigon logs are there purely for fun, this nomination uses the Zweilous logs. Zweilous is a slightly better Druddigon that actually does something outside Caitlin, which is sweeping Shauntal. It has no notability elsewhere, much like Druddigon, but at least it takes out a more relevant opponent, so both E and F work for me


tl;dr

Piloswine -> D / E
Sneasel -> D
Vanillish -> E
Clefairy -> D
Metang -> D / C
Bronzor -> F
Vulpix -> F
Bouffalant -> E
Sawk -> E
Throh -> D / E
Golurk -> E
Druddigon -> F
Zweilous -> E / F


I will probs do another run or two before going on a (semi-)permanent break from testing BW2
 
Finished another run with Azurill, Growlithe, Lopunny (rustling grass), Roselia, and Karrablast (Trade). Literally did the entire endgame for like, 9-10 hours today, so a lot of stuff is fresh in my mind.

Cheren (13): Oran Berry. Patrat outspeeds and goes for Work Up as Azurill 2HKOs with Frustration: +1 Tackle is a rough 3HKO. Lillipup 3HKOs with unboosted Tackle, prompting Oran Berry to heal me to 23 HP as I Charm twice. Unfortunately, Lillipup Bite flinched me and had a Potion in the back, letting me get him to half HP before I died.

Second attempt I Charmed Patrat twice as it spammed Work Up: this time I was able to kill it without taking damage.

I spam Charm several times on Lillipup until I think it is basically at its lowest possible Attack (four uses I believe). I Tail Whip, then 2HKO with Frustration, avoiding a Potion, I think only taking like, 7 damage in the process. Another attempt had Patrat attack me and I rolled a Frustration crit on Lillipup. Slow, but fairly reliable, which is better than what most can say for Cheren.

Roxie (16): Pecha Berry. Azurill is slower than Koffing, and Assurance and Tackle are 4HKOs while Working Up to +1 means you deal…a 2-3HKO on Koffing with 150+ Return: I just barely beat it after a Super Potion but was too weak to fight Whirlipede without switching out and healing. I had to let my Intimidate Growlithe die to get it back in safely but I don’t think that changed much.

Anyway, with some luck, you might snag a Work Up boost on Protect, and +1 Return 3HKOs Whirlipede as it 3HKOs you with Venoshock. It is faster so you lose. Seems pretty mediocre in just one attempt.

Burgh (24): Leftovers. You can Charm Swadloon as it String Shots you to outspeed Azumarill, then Work Up: at -2 Razor Leaf deals like 12 damage, so you can Work Up twice, then OHKO with Return (I got a lucky Razor Leaf miss).

Leavanny comes out next and goes for…Cut??? to crit me to 2/3s HP as +2 Return 2HKOs through Berry. Leavanny Razor Leafs me to 13 HP after I grow to level 25 (18 after Leftovers). It looked like I would have just enough HP to 2HKO Dwebble with Return (Aqua Tail would have been pointless due to Sturdy), but he scored a crit at the worst possible moment to kill me.

Second attempt I Charmed Swadloon twice then Worked Up to +3, again ending at 2/3s HP as I fainted Swadloon. Leavanny comes in, Razor Leafs me to 1/4 HP as I OHKO with +3 Return, and I have enough HP to finish off Dwebble this time. It’s a sweep, yeah, but it’s quite the slow one.

Elesa (31): Leftovers. Work Up to +1 as Emolga Volt Switches for a 3HKO (looks not far off from a 2HKO even, given how it does 50 or so of your roughly 110 HP). Outspeed and OHKO Flaaffy with +1 Dig: you should now be at roughly 80 HP thanks to Leftovers.

Emolga Volt Switches to Zebstrika as you Dig, by the time Zebstrika dies you should be at 53 HP thanks to Leftovers, with Azumarill growing to level 32. Emolga Volt Switches me to 15 HP and of course I whiff Aqua Tail, so I heal. Assuming you connect though, +1 Aqua Tail OHKOs Emolga.

My second attempt had Emolga go Pursuit turn 1 which did so little Leftovers more or less healed it off. After I killed Flaaffy, Emolga went Pursuit again and Quick Attack repeatedly. I killed Zebstrika again, but the change this time is that +1 Return OHKOs Emolga. You should be at 51-53 HP when Emolga comes in a second time. I swept three times so this is consistent, and I never triggered Static at all. Given how you only have to dodge it for Flaaffy, this is an amazing matchup.

Clay (33): Leftovers with Intimidate fodder for Krokorok. Krokorok crit me to half with Crunch, but I OHKOed with Aqua Tail: sadly Aqua Tail does not OHKO Sandslash, it Rollouted letting me kill it without a potion as I’m at 49 / 119 HP. Excadrill Slashed me to red as it is OHKOed by Aqua Tail.

If Krokorok Torments you, you can Return + Aqua Tail Sandslash, it crit me with Rollout 2 to 3/4s HP. Work Up on Excadrill due to Torment then OHKO with Aqua Tail.

Unfortunately you’re slower than everything without debuffs, so while Azumarill is especially effective here, that and Aqua Tail’s 90 accuracy are kinda annoying. Great matchup though, you eat his hits like candy (yes I know Mystic Water could pick up the KO on Sandslash but I like Leftovers more). Misses with Aqua Tail + Torment can be a pain but I still swept a third time even succumbing to one, albeit in red.

Skyla (40): Leftovers. Acrobatics 4HKOs Azumarill as Rollout 2HKOs Swoobat. You should be at about half HP when Swanna comes in (it 3HKOs with Air Slash). If you flinch to it you probably lose and die next turn, but if Rollout 3 connects you OHKO it, growing to level 41 at about 1/3 HP. Skarmory is knocked to heal range on Rollout 4 and knocked to Sturdy on Rollout 5, where Return picks it off. I ended at 30 / 142 HP, near red. It’s hard to call this matchup amazing thanks to 90 accuracy / crits / flinches, but a sweep is possible.

Return seems to barely 2HKO Swanna without factoring in Sitrus Berry and Aqua Tail seems to actually OHKO Swoobat and 3HKO Skarmory (Aqua Tail, Return, then Aqua Tail pick it off without healing). At absolute worst you beat Skarmory and Swoobat.

Drayden (50): Leftovers. Druddigon’s Crunch would be a 4HKO if you didn’t have Leftovers on, so it doesn’t threaten you (you outspeed it, unboosted Revenge does laughable damage). Work Up to +1, then Ice Punch Druddigon to OHKO. Flygon seems like a 3HKO or 4HKO with Earth Power and dies to Ice Punch as Azumarill grows to level 51. Haxorus Dragon Dances and is OHKOed by Ice Punch.

Even without Ice Punch you’re still pretty good here. +2 Return seems like rolls to OHKO Druddigon but Silk Scarf secures that, and even if you don’t have that, simply Work Up on the heal turn (you’ll be at 2/3s HP when Flygon comes out). Flygon went for Dragon Tail and died to Return, same with Haxorus. They struggle to break your bulk. Swept once each with each method.

Marlon (52): Leftovers. One use of Bulldoze means you outspeed Carracosta even after a Shell Smash: +2 Crunch is a 3HKO. Another Bulldoze knocks it to red. After Marlon heals Carracosta, Bulldoze seems to pick up the 2HKO, albeit barely (you’ll be at 7/8s HP thanks to Leftovers).

Wailord comes in and thankfully you outspeed it: it went for Amnesia. Return 3HKOs it and Bounce does basically nothing due to its two turn setup and Leftovers healing (ended in green). Azumarill cannot meaningfully fight Jellicent, so I skipped it, but if you’re curious, Ominous Wind from Jellicent 5HKOs you, so you could probably Toxic + Rest it off easily.

I tried another attempt, and it revealed Bulldoze into essentially +1 Aqua Tail after Shell Smash 2HKOs Carracosta fine. I tried Return + Superpower on Wailord, but that failed to 2HKO: Silk Scarf Return seems to pick up the 2HKO. Wailord went for Amnesia turn 1 in all of my attempts, so you should reliably beat two Pokemon even if you whiff an Aqua Tail once. Solid.

Colress (54): Cheri Berry. Magneton outspeeds before Thunder Wave, but Bulldoze knocks it to heal range and the Speed drops mean you beat it unscathed. Magneton’s Volt Switch is a 2HKO though so you might just end up beating Zone.

You outspeed Magnezone and Bulldoze it to red as Magnezone seems to spam Discharge on you for comparable damage: Azumarill can live it reliably in low yellow and beat Zone as long as you don’t get paralyzed.

You outspeed and cleanly 2HKO Beheeyem with Aqua Tail as it wastes a turn with Calm Mind. Klinklang’s Thunderbolt 3HKOs you as Aqua Tail 3HKOs it: Aqua Tail into Superpower does beat it (Cheri Berry also helps here if you roll the 10% paralysis).

Healing and switching offscreen to reset the debuffs, Aqua Tail into Bulldoze seems to finish off Metang easily (Zen Headbutt is a 5HKO. Pretty decent, probably taking 1-2 Pokemon.

Ghetsis (54): Leftovers. +3 Surf 2HKOs Cofagrigus for reference, but I don’t think you should fight it due to Mummy anyway. Don’t bother with Hydreigon most likely - Dragon Rush seems to somehow barely 2HKO you even with Leftovers recovery, and I removed Superpower anyway and it can flinch you, plus Hydreigon is pretty bulky.

Sesmitoad looks like it 4HKOs with Earthquake (looks like a 3HKO without Leftovers) so I Worked Up to +3 and of COURSE he got the accuracy drop with Muddy Water, then he used Earthquake followed by a crit EQ to kill after I Full Restored. At least unboosted Aqua Tail 2HKOs Sesmitoad.

Don’t bother Working Up on Eelektross even though you outspeed, it lives a +1 Aqua Tail in red (thankfully you 2HKO unboosted).

Azumarill is a solid check for Drapion: you 2HKO with Aqua Tail unboosted as it seems to 5HKO with Night Slash. You SHOULD be able to take on Toxicroak with Aqua Tail + Return. I say should because I missed Aqua Tail, got poisoned by Poison Jab (Brick Break / Poison Jab 4HKOs I think), then died before I could kill. Heavily mediocre due to Cofagrigus’s Mummy, you being slow, and Aqua Tail’s 90 accuracy: you’re just gonna get crit at some point due to these factors.

Shauntal (58): Rawst Berry. Waterfall looks like it 3HKOs Cofagrigus but Mummy removes Huge Power so avoid it. Mediocre Chandelure check because while you OHKO with Waterfall, Energy Ball does 3/4s of your Hex and even resisted Fire Blast 3HKOs you. 2HKOs Driftblim with Waterfall but it outspeeds and 2HKOs with Thunderbolt though it might not 2HKO with Leftovers it looks like (Ice Punch knocks it near heal range). Weirdly I think it ended in a double KO when I looked away for a second, maybe it derped and let me live with Acrobatics and I succumbed to Aftermath.

While you outspeed Golurk, it can unfortunately can barely live Waterfall in low red and finish you off. Taking one threat at best (if I used Mystic Water for Golurk, that would mean I need to dodge Flame Body RNG on Chandelure).

Grimsley (58): Leftovers. Liepard’s Night Slash seems to 4HKO Azumarill, so Work Up to +2 and OHKO Liepard with Waterfall as you’ll be at roughly half HP…then Krookodile finishes you off with EQ.

Second attempt had Liepard crit so I had to heal after Working Up once: now I’m at 2/3 HP. I cleanly live Earthquake this time (looks like a 3HKO) as Scrafty comes in: you outspeed and take it to red with +0 Superpower before dying. Bisharp’s Night Slash seems to 3HKO, but you OHKO back with +0 Superpower. Probably taking two Pokemon at best (Liepard kept critting with Night Slash, lost my patience and moved on).

Caitlin (58): Chesto Berry. Work Up to +2 as Musharna spams Yawn, then OHKO with Waterfall. Then Gothitelle lives +2 Waterfall, with +1 Thunderbolt outspeeding and knocking you to red. You’d think Reuniclus would die to +2 Waterfall, but no, it actually lives in low red. Work Up to +4, heal off sleep, then sweep (Azumarill should be level 59 for Sigilyph). Meh, the fact you can’t do this at +2 is deeply disappointing.

Marshal (58): Leftovers. Work Up to +1 as Throh makes you slower with Bulldoze: Storm Throw 3HKOs as you 2HKO with +1 Waterfall (you’ll be at 1/3 HP when you kill). Mienshao finishes you off with Hi Jump Kick.

Unboosted Waterfall does 3/4s of Mienshao’s HP while it cleanly 2HKOs with HJK. Don’t even bother with Conkeldurr: you outspeed and 3HKO with Waterfall, but a crit Hammer Arm OHKO implied it 2HKOs you anyway. Sawk’s Brick Break barely 3HKOs you as you 2HKO with Waterfall I think. Only beating one Pokemon, heavily mediocre.

Iris (58): Leftovers. Expert Belt Superpower is a roll to OHKO Hydreigon, so it’s not reliable (Dragon Pulse outspeeds and 3HKOs). Lapras comes in next, I heal up offscreen. Lapras outspeeds Azumarill, can Sing to screw you over, and ALSO looks like a roll to OHKO with Superpower. Archeops outspeeds and seems to 3HKO with Rock Slide if a crit is any indication, but you OHKO with Waterfall.

Azumarill does outspeed Druddigon (at level 59) and does 3/4s with Ice Punch as Rock Slide 3HKOs you, so you could Work Up on it (I didn’t). Azumarill only outspeeds and 2HKOs Aggron with Waterfall as it Automatizes: Double Edge looks like a 4HKO. Haxorus 3HKOs with Earthquake as you 2HKO with Ice Punch. Beating two Pokemon at absolute best: painfully mediocre.

Roxie (17): Pecha Berry. Ember 3HKOs Koffing (you outspeed), and with a Super Potion used, you should be at 2/3s HP when you beat it. You outspeed and easily 2HKO Whirlipede with Flame Wheel. I swept twice, burning Koffing on the second attempt.

Burgh (24): Eviolite. Flame Wheel OHKOs Swadloon, Ember seems to barely 2HKO Dwebble (later attempts revealed this was a high roll, usually 2HKOs I believe) as it wastes a turn with Rock Polish and 3HKOs with Smack Down, Leavanny Cuts you to roughly half HP as you kill it with Flame Wheel.

My second attempt went to crap because I had to heal on Dwebble since it got healed, it crit so I had to heal again, then Leavanny did just enough damage with Cut that I died. Still though, at absolute worst you beat 2/3 easily, and it’s not like Dwebble is all that offensively threatening and you could Intimidate if you really wanted to.

My third attempt had me thinking Flame Wheel / Reversal would prevent a potion, but of course I crit it with Flame Wheel then finished it off with Ember. TLDR: you should be okay, maybe avoid Dwebble. Even with Ember, Reversal, and Ember, you’re going to get very low HP (I once beat Levanny at 2 HP).

Elesa (31): Eviolite. Emolga Volt Switches to 4HKO you as you outspeed and barely 2HKO Flaaffy with Flame Burst (did so in all three of my attempts, like Ryota’s). Emolga Volt Switches you to half HP as Dig takes Zebstrika to mid-green post Sitrus Berry. I went for Dig as it Volt Switched, but it got a crit on me to kill anyway.

It is worth noting Growlithe can Agility as Emolga Volt Switches to Zebstrika to outspeed it, but the Ai, believe it or not, is smart enough to Flame Charge (which crit) - Zebstrika outspeeds you at +1 Speed and kills you with Volt Switch.

It was only in my third attempt where Zebstrika finally derped with Quick Attack and I was able to pick it off with Dig; usually you die to it. You might live another Volt Switch from Emolga (was at 24 HP, which I did see could be killed via a high roll later) but it went for Pursuit. In any case, Flame Burst is a flat 2HKO so you’ll have to heal. Seems to take 2/3 mons pretty consistently.

Clay (34): Charcoal. Outspeed and OHKO everything with Flamethrower. The OHKO on Sandslash is probably due to Mild nature + good IVs. Crit Krokorok the first attempt but I doubt it mattered: according to Ryota you beat Slash fine even if you 2HKO it with Flamethrower since you eat a Bulldoze and outspeed. Swept twice.

Skyla (40): Expert Belt. Swoobat does laughable damage with -1 Acrobatics (like, roughly 30 damage of your 133 HP) and is OHKOed by Thunder Fang. Swanna is outsped and OHKOed by Thunder Fang. Skarmory is roasted by Flamethrower. Exceptionally easy sweep, I ended in green on both attempts.

Drayden (50): Charcoal. Sunny Day as Druddigon’s -1 Crunch 5HKOs you: sun-boosted Flamethrower actually 2HKOs it, albeit barely (you’ll be at 2/3s HP when you beat it).

You outspeed Flygon, cleanly 2HKOing it with sun-boosted Flamethrower and have enough HP to barely live an Earth Power in red. You beat Flygon as sunlight fades, then ExtremeSpeed Haxorus for a fourth of its HP before dying to Dragon Tail. I rolled a lucky burn on Druddigon on attempt 2, but still got through Flygon anyway, Surprisingly good, might be to my crazy good IVs, but I think Fire Blast could secure the KOs if you've got average IVs.

Marlon (52): Expert Belt. Thunder Fang does a third to Carracosta, but Shell Smash makes you 2HKO as you still outspeed next turn. You can setup Sunny Day on Wailord to turn Scald into a 4HKO if you want. I crit it to death with Thunder Fang for the OHKO (you cleanly 2HKO it otherwise).

I don’t think Thunder Fang 2HKOs Jellicent and I rolled Cursed Body: sun-boosted Flamethrower seems to 4HKO. Jellicent stalls you out with Recover but I got it to half HP before dying.

Second attempt Carracosta went Shell Smash and Wailord went Amnesia letting me take on Jellicent from full HP. Scald 2HKOs you without sun up, and even if you set sun after Scald, Brine finishes you off (I rolled paralysis this attempt too, but it didn’t change anything). Surprisingly good, you should beat Carracosta and Wailord (yes, Cursed Body activated in BOTH attempts).

Colress (54): Cheri Berry. Beats one magnet with double Flamethrower or Flamethrower + ExtremeSpeed (you can beat both if you get past two paralysis turns on Magnezone, or one if you ExtremeSpeed first: I don’t think I ever saw a full paralysis in like, 5+ attempts destroying the magnets to clear the way for other mons doing it this way).

You outspeed and OHKO Klinklang and Metang with Flamethrower. I was barely able to knock Beheeyem to half with Flamethrower but Calm Mind and Recover screw you over. If you set sun on Klinklang (seems to Shift Gear twice), sun-boosted Flamethrower does 3/4s to Beheeyem as it Calm Minds: you can actually finish it off with another Flamethrower if you don’t knock it to heal range.

If both magnets are taken out, Metang comes in third and only 3HKOs with Rock Slide. Metang doesn’t even outspeed after Agility, so you can set Sunny Day on it, kill both Metang and Klinklang, then kill Beheeyem in a potential sweep with just a Paralyze Heal. I didn’t test the sweep much but yeah, Arcanine is pretty great here and should take two Pokemon at absolute worst, or the whole team at absolute best. Great.

Ghetsis (54): Charcoal. I rolled a burn on my first Flamethrower but the Cofagrigus 2HKO seems kinda shaky, especially due to Cofagrigus having Leftovers (I think one Protect denies you the KO normally). I Full Restored offscreen as Sesmitoad comes in.

Eelektross 3HKOs with Thunderbolt, but sun-boosted Flamethrower actually OHKOs both it and Drapion I think (though I did crit Drapion, second attempt revealed it didn’t matter). You do a third to Hydreigon with sun-boosted Flamethrower then die. At level 55, Arcanine outspeeds and cleanly 2HKOs Toxicroak with normal Flamethrower, nearly taking it to red in the process. Sun-boosted Flamethrower OHKOs Toxicroak for reference. Good matchup.

Shauntal (58): Charcoal. Outspeed and 2HKO Cofagrigus with Flamethrower as it somehow fails to 3HKO with Shadow Ball. Golurk is best left to something else, but with Intimidate, -1 Earthquake only 2HKOs as you outspeed and 2HKO with Flamethrower. You outspeed and 2HKO Driftblim with Flamethrower but it finishes you off with +0 Acrobatics (I was at full for Golurk, for reference). You outspeed and 2HKO Chandelure through Sitrus Berry as Shadow Ball 2HKOs you. Pretty good, probably taking a mon an a half. Didn’t test more than once as it seemed clear cut.

Grimsley (58): Charcoal. Sunny Day on Liepard (you will still be in green HP after -1 Fake Out + 2 Night Slashes). You must Fire Blast Krookodile to OHKO it - not even my borked IVs could do it (revenges you with Earthquake). Believe it or not though, sun-boosted Fire Blast does OHKO Scrafty.

Sun-boosted Flamethrower (though admittedly, I burned) seems to knock Scrafty to heal range, so you get two shots at it before sun fades due to Grimsley healing it (you still outspeed after Rock Tomb). Bisharp did revenge me with crit Night Slash though. Bisharp dies to normal or sun-boosted Flamethower. Should beat three with decent luck. Good.

Caitlin (58): Charcoal. Hit Musharna with Flamthrower (3HKO), set up sun, heal off Yawn, then KO with Fire Blast. Even if you don’t have sun up, Flamethrower into Fire Blast 2HKOs Reuniclus while it 3HKOs with Psychic. Sigilyph is outsped and 2HKOed by Thunder Fang / presumably Flamethrower while 3HKOing with Psychic, partially according to Ryota. Decent.

Marshal (58): Charcoal. -1 Bulldoze from Throh 4HKOs Arcanine but you consistently don’t 2HKO Throh with Flamethrower (I think Flamethrower + Fire Blast could do it). Conkeldurr is not 2HKOed by Flamethrower due to Sitrus Berry, I accidentally burned it and -1 Guts Hammer Arm 2HKOs you. You outspeed and 2HKO Sawk with Flamethrower, but Sawk’s -1 Rock Slide 3HKOs you. Arcanine almost OHKOs Mienshao with Flamethrower, no debuffed Bounce 4HKOs you: if you are paralyzed, ExtremeSpeed to kill (Bounce into HJK killed me though).

Probably taking one threat thanks to Intimidate, I had to heal for pretty much every mon in my only test.

Iris (58): Charcoal. Sunny Day turns Lapras’s Surf into a 3HKO while giving Arcanine the punch it needs to 2HKO Lapras with Flamethrower, though you need to watch out for Sing. Thankfully, Aggron comes out next and you’ll still have one turn of sun left to outspeed and OHKO Aggron with Flamethrower even if you had to Full Restore on a successful Sing before sunlight fades. Passable.

Elesa (31): Eviolite. Venoshock cleanly 2HKOs Emolga who only seems interested in Quick Attacking and Pursuiting you (both are like 7HKOs). You can Venoshock then finish Emolga off with Giga Drain to heal off some of the chip it inflicted: I went for one round of Toxic Spikes for Venoshock so I’m at 3/4s HP as Zebstrika comes in.

Flame Charge from Zebstrika seems like a 3HKO, but boosted Venoshock / poison chip knocks it to heal range: I Giga Drained as it healed for a 2HKO (would have 3HKOed if Sitrus was there). Strangely it Quick Attacked me before it died, leaving me with 51 / 77 HP for Flaaffy, which you seem to outspeed and OHKO with boosted Venoshock.

In my second attempt, two Giga Drains and two rounds of poison finished off Zebstrika, if you’re more interested in staying healthy (I think it again only Flame Charged once). Boosted Venoshock again rolled the OHKO on Flaaffy (which Giga Drain cleanly 2HKOs).

Clay (33): Eviolite. Outspeed and OHKO Krokorok and Sandslash with Giga Drain. Not even a critical hit Metal Claw from Excadrill OHKOS you from full, but it did stop my sweep.

Excadrill 3HKOs with its moves as you 3HKO with Giga Drain (not counting Berry). Unfortunately crits and Rock Slide flinches can screw you over for Excadrill (since you kill it slowly), so Roselia isn’t the best check in the world for it. Still though, outspeeding and killing Krokorok and Sandslash reliably is fantastic.

Skyla (40): Miracle Seed. Roserade’s only use in this matchup is OHKOing Swanna with Petal Dance: you are slower and are 2HKOed by Air Slash, but I also saw it go for Featherdance in two separate attempts, so you should have good chances to blow it up. Obviously not taking on the others (Skamory looks almost 3HKOed by Petal Dance, seems to 4HKO you).

Drayden (50): Miracle Seed. I used Growth once on boosted Revenge: +1 Petal Dance actually does 3/4s of Druddigon’s HP. Strangely Druddigon I believe used boosted Revenge twice. You outspeed Flygon, Roserade lived a self-confusion hit and Flygon’s Crunch in red, but then died to another confusion hit.

Second attempt had Druddigon Crunch Roserade for barely a 2HKO, but you can Growth, then +1 Giga Drain to deny that as you 3HKO. +1 Giga Drain into Petal Dance should pick it off fine. You outspeed and OHKO Flygon with Petal Dance next turn. Self-confusion killed me again for Haxorus, but you might outspeed (it spammed Dragon Tail). If you get a +1 Petal Dance off on Haxorus, you actually knock it to mid-yellow after Sitrus Berry. I took two mons in two separate attempts, so this seems reliable. Don’t use Persim Berry, you need Miracle Seed for Druddigon.

Marlon (52): Miracle Seed. Venoshock into Giga Drain kills Carracosta (unboosted Crunch 3HKOs, but you heal all that back with Giga Drain), with you still outspeeding after a Shell Smash. Wailord and Jellicent both get OHKOed by Petal Dance (was honestly surprised by the latter, Jellicent is bulky). Giga Drain seems to OHKO Wailord as well. Flawless matchup.

Colress (54): Cheri Berry. Weather Ball to break Magneton’s Sturdy (Flash Cannon 3HKOs), then Sunny Day + Weather Ball to finish off Magneton. I hilariously crit Giga Drain to do half to Magnezone, but I imagine Weather Ball basically OHKOs it too. If Magnezone uses Explosion, it might OHKO you (apparently OHKOed ceal’s Rade) and you are too frail to take on the incoming Beheeyem as you are paralyzed and in red.

Metang’s Zen Headbutt takes Roserade to red and it outspeeds after an Agility (+1 Giga Drain is a 3HKO btw). Don’t bother with Sunny Day + Weather Ball: even if you dodge the flinch and OHKO Metang, Beheeyem comes in and Petal Dance only does 2/3s as you die to Psychic. Roserade does outspeed Klinklang pre-Shift Gear (seems to go for it twice) and OHKOs it with Weather Ball though. Pretty mediocre and inefficient.

Ghetsis (54): Persim Berry. Growth to +2 as Cofagrigus’s Psychic barely fails to 2HKO you: I actually got to +3 because he derped with Protect. Surprisingly, +3 Giga Drain does not OHKO Cofagrigus (though Miracle Seed looks like it would do the trick). I Growthed to +4 then OHKOed Cofagrigus with Giga Drain.

+4 Giga Drain outspeeds and OHKOs Eelektross and heals you to full, Seismitoad is also outsped and OHKOed by +4 Giga Drain. Drapion is outsped and OHKOed by +4 Petal Dance, though Hydreigon seems to just straight up outspeed and OHKO with Dragon Rush.

You outspeed and OHKO Cofagrigus and Eelektross with +2 Petal Dance, healing off one Cofagrigus Psychic with Giga Drain if you roll 2-turn Petal Dance. Drapion is knocked to red by +2 Petal Dance as it 3HKOs with Night Slash. +2 Petal Dance 2HKOs Hydreigon but you need misses. Sucker Punch from Toxicroak 3HKOs Roserade as +2 Petal Dance knocks it to red. Somehow I rolled insane confusion and miss RNG and Roserade swept Ghetsis at +2. You’re probably beating three Pokemon here seeing as you need +3 for Drapion (you could get that if Cofagrigus uses Protect once, but I think that’s mildly unreliable even if I saw it do so several times in my attempts. Pretty good.

Shauntal (58): Expert Belt. Unboosted Petal Dance consistently knocks Cofagrigus to healing range as it tries to burn you sometimes: Psychic looks like a rough 2HKO. Growth once, then outspeed and OHKO Cofagrigus, Chandelure, and Driftblim with Shadow Ball before outspeeding and OHKOing Golurk with +1 Giga Drain or Shadow Ball. Easy sweep, swept twice.

Grimsley (58): Miracle Seed. Liepard is so frail that Miracle Seed Giga Drain almost OHKOs it (without Miracle Seed it is left in red, so seems like high rolls). If you do leave it in red, Growth on the heal turn then heal up to 2/3s HP. Bisharp comes in and is somehow crit OHKOed by +1 Petal Dance, hilariously. Krookodile WILL revenge kill you with Earthquake no matter what though: it does 3/4s of your HP so you need to be at full: Giga Drain it to recover most of your HP. Scrafty seems to 2HKO with Crunch but you are faster and 2HKO with Petal Dance (might knock it to heal range, but Grimsley didn’t heal it). Just beat Krookodile and Scrafty. Decent.

Caitlin (58): Expert Belt. I swept the first time with Chesto Berry and +2 Shadow Ball, but it looks like you’ll need Expert Belt to help with ranges (+1 Shadow Ball does half to Musharna, +2 can leave Reuniclus alive). Strangely, Roserade lived Psychic from Reuniclus in red, I don’t even know how that happened (lived Dream Eater from Musharna too). So Growth to +2, Full Restore off sleep, then sweep.

Marshal (58): Miracle Seed. Petal Dance does 2/3s to Throh unboosted: you still outspeed after a Bulldoze. Oddly, Mienshao is outsped and OHKOed by Petal Dance without Speed debuffs.

You take Conkeldurr to red before Sitrus Berry with Petal Dance as it uses Bulk Up and dies (you outspeed, unboosted Stone Edge only 2HKOs). Sawk is outsped and cleanly 2HKOed by boosted Giga Drain (does 2/3s) as it 2HKOs you with boosted Payback. Pretty amazing, honestly. Throh lives +1 Petal Dance with Persim Berry on, so it is best to kill something, then switch without going for boosts here. Mienshao outspeeds after Bulldoze / Rock Tomb and finishes you off with Bounce.

Iris (58): Miracle Seed. You outspeed and OHKO Lapras with Petal Dance (I think you are 2HKOed by Ice Beam) switch out of Druddigon, then switch back in later and outspeed and OHKO Aggron with Petal Dance. Decent.

Clay (33): Leftovers. Krokorok went for Torment as I hilariously OHKOed it with Bug Buzz, though I did give it both Bug Bite and Iron Head here via Red Shards for convenience.

Switching out for fodder to avoid Intimidate, Excadrill 7HKOs or so with Metal Claw and 4HKOs with Rock Slide while you can actually fight back with Rock Smash: you 3HKO and don’t trigger Sitrus Berry on the first hit, so if you roll a Defense drop turn 1, you 2HKO it next turn, growing to level 34.

Sandslash outspeeds and goes for Rollout, but you actually 2HKO it with Bug Buzz.

If you use Intimidate fodder on Krokorok and eat Torment, you can Bug Bite Excadrill to get some HP back before you kill it with another Rock Smash. Soloed once more. It’s slow for sure, but this is way better than you’d expect it to be (I might have overlooked a Defense drop in this second attempt but I think I rolled one based on Bug Bite’s damage on Excadrill). Solid.

Skyla (40): Leftovers. Acrobatics 4HKOs Escavalier as X-Scissor takes it to red consistently: you should be at 2/3s HP when Swanna comes in, 200+ Return is a 3HKO (not counting Sitrus Berry), but since you’re slower Swanna is probably best left to something else (Air Slash is a 6HKO with Leftovers). You can Rock Smash like 5 times on Skarmory as it deals literally no damage with Steel Wing. Mediocre due to Speed, but should beat 2/3.

Drayden (50): Leftovers. You cleanly 2HKO Druddigon with Iron Head as both Slash and Crunch do laughable damage (meaning only 1/4 of Druddigon’s learnset in Revenge can meaningfully hurt you, and even then, they have to get past Iron Head’s flinch chance). Boosted Revenge is a 3HKO, for reference.

Earth Power from Flygon seems like a 4HKO with Leftovers, you cleanly 2HKO it with Iron Head (you’ll be at about half HP when you finish it off). Haxorus seems to go for Dragon Tail, but seems BARELY 2HKOed by Iron Head through Sitrus Berry.

In my attempt Druddigon got a boosted Revenge off, I still got to Haxorus fine close to red, only to miss the 2HKO but roll two Iron Head flinches as he repeatedly tried to Dragon Tail: I came out on top. Good matchup.

Marlon (52): Rawst Berry. Carracosta’s unboosted Scald seems to barely 3HKO you (it outspeeds prior to Shell Smash as you do a third with Iron Head). If it Shell Smashes turn two…you actually fail to beat it with Iron Head, though it is in low red (you do half if Marlon heals). Carracosta +2 Scalds you to red, but you beat it. Wailord outspeeds and picks you off with Bounce.

Coming in fresh on Wailord (it outspeeds), it seems to waste a turn with Amnesia, letting you Swords Dance (Scald 4HKOs). +2 X-Scissor knocks Jellicent to Sitrus range (will have 7/8s of its HP post-Sitrus Berry) and Scald into Brine finishes you off, with Jellicent outspeeding. Honestly pretty horrible: you’re beating one at best (didn’t test much).

Colress (54): Expert Belt. Not bothering with the magnets. Metang does absolutely nothing with Meteor Mash or Rock Slide (roughly 25 damage of your roughly 150 HP) so you can Swords Dance: +2 X-Scissor OHKOs it. Klinklang comes it and does like 30 damage with Thunderbolt: I crit OHKOed it with +2 Rock Smash (normally does 2/3s). You eat Beheeyem’s Psychic and OHKO with X-Scissor. I think you should have enough HP for Beheeyem, but it Calm Minded in the attempt Klinklang got two hits in. Decent, but still slow.

Ghetsis (54): Leftovers. Swords Dance to +4 as Shadow Ball does literally nothing (you’ll take like 20 damage). Eelektross came in and crit Acrobatics me to low yellow. I Full Restore on Sesmitoad only for it to roll a crit accuracy drop Muddy Water because screw Escavalier apparently (remember, Mummy). Earthquake from Sesmitoad 4HKOs. +4 X-Scissor OHKOs Sesmitoad.

Drapion comes in and Earthquake fails to kill me from half: I Full Restore on Toxicroak as it would have picked me off with Brick Break. +4 Iron Head OHKOs it as you are at roughly half HP. Hydreigon’s Rock Slide 4HKOs you and you OHKO back with X-Scissor. Only tested once - despite the sweep, it is merely decent because of how slow it is.

Shauntal (58): Leftovers. You 3HKO Cofagrigus with Iron Head if not burned, but you are slower, so it’s a wash. Driftblim outspeeds and I think 4HKOs with Acrobatics as you 2HKO with Iron Head, but that plus Aftermath means you’re at 1/3 HP and too weak to take on much else. You and Golurk 3HKO each other with Iron Head and Earthquake respectively, but it looks like Metal Coat would ensure the 2HKO. Beating either Golurk or Driftblim at best. I got Chandelure out of the way, then derped and clicked Iron Defense before Swords Dance: this actually helped Escavalier tank Acrobatics better, but I was too weak to take on Golurk at 3 HP. Bleh.

Grimsley (58): Leftovers. Iron Defense to max on Liepard (Shell Armor keeps you safe). OHKO Liepard with +4 X-Scissor. Krookodile dies to +3 X-Scissor, as do Scrafty and Bisharp. Swept once but it seems very watertight.

Caitlin (58): Chesto Berry. Swords Dance once, then (potentially, seems like a Speed tie) outspeed and OHKO Musharna with +2 X-Scissor. Reuniclus outspeeds and tries to Focus Blast you. You OHKO everything with +2 X-Scissor. Easy sweep, swept twice.

Marshal (58): Iron Defense to max, then Swords Dance to +4 before you kill Throh with Iron Head. Mienshao used Bounce and paralyzed me as I OHKOed it, but that somehow didn’t stop me from 2HKOing Conkeldurr with multiple full paralysis turns (+2 Stone Edge does nothing, somehow I 2HKOed Conk despite a +2 Defense buff after the first hit, maybe SD to max if you want).

Sawk also does nothing and dies. I swept in green HP pretty much the whole time: don’t see a need to test this more than once. First clear-cut good matchup.

Iris (58): Leftovers. Don’t bother. Hydreigon outspeeds and OHKOs with Flamethrower. Lapras sounds okay in theory but in practice two free uses of Sing means you lose (Surf 3HKOs, maybe even 4HKOs with Leftovers) and you don’t even OHKO with +2 Iron Head. Even Druddigon outspeeds and OHKOs you with 60 Special Attack Flamethrower lol. The one Pokemon Escavalier is halfway decent for is Archeops: Rock Slide 3HKOs and Iron Head OHKOs it back.

You can Iron Defense and Swords Dance on Aggron (you’ll probably have to heal), but not even +4 Iron Head OHKOs it, leaving it in red. You can beat Haxorus after that, but that many boosts against two Pokemon, when the others easily beat you? Seriously?

Burgh (24): Silk Scarf. Work Up to +2 as Swadloon String Shots you twice: not even -2 Speed makes it outspeed you, impressively. Dwebble outspeeds but does nothing and is 2HKOed by Return (I could Jump Kick but that would mean a healing loop).

Leavanny comes in and I’m at a little over 2/3s HP (50 / 70 HP). Leavanny Razor Leaf crits me to red, but even THEN I still OHKO with +2 Return, so even in the worst case scenario you should easily come out on top.

Second time around revealed you need +2 to OHKO Swadloon (+1 takes it to red and thus potion), with it only getting one String Shot off. If you are at -1 Speed, you still outpace Dwebble and prompt it to Rock Polish, giving you more HP for Leavanny, who AGAIN crit me with Razor Leaf: +2 Return didn’t OHKO this time, with Sitrus taking it to mid-yellow, but even if that happens Quick Attack can pick it off.

I think Quick Attack might pick Dwebble off after a Return, though I crit when I used the former. Swept a third time ending in green when Leavanny decided it wasn’t out for my blood this time. Fantastic and well worth the effort of getting Lopunny.

Elesa (31): Cheri Berry. Lopunny outspeeds Emolga and unboosted Return seems to do 3/4s. Emolga Volt Switches away to Flaaffy for borderline laughable damage as you Work Up (it looks like a 4HKO or maybe even a 5HKO if you’re lucky).

+1 Return outspeeds and OHKOs Flaaffy (I know you can use Dig, but Jump Kick + Quick Attack are creating mild 4MSS atm). I roll Static but that’s negated due to Cheri Berry.

You can Work Up to +2 as Emolga Volt Switches you to half HP to avoid Static if you like. Zebstrika uses Pursuit for a rough 6HKO as I OHKO with +2 Return (Volt Switch does 27 damage of your 87 HP, so a rough 3HKO). Emolga comes back in and of course I roll the spiteful Static as I kill it.

My second attempt I still had Cheri Berry for Emolga so it died to +1 Return. Zebstrika outsped and Volt Switched me to half HP as it is taken to mid-yellow by +1 Return post-Sitrus Berry: +1 Quick Attack actually picks Zebstrika off from that range consistently (saw it more than once).

Given how I swept in all three of my attempts, this is very reliable.

Clay (33): Leftovers with Intimidate fodder for Krokorok. Krokorok’s Bulldoze isn’t even a 4HKO with Leftovers on (Crunch avoids 3HKOing you) and you outspeed it after one Bulldoze, which prompts it to go for a second one. I used Agility as Krokorok I believe outsped and used Torment, then OHKOed Krokorok with +2 Return.


Sandslash comes in and Bulldozes me to half HP as I Work Up to +3 (as I can’t use Return again). Unfortunately, not even +3 Return OHKOs it (consistently leaves it at low red), and thanks to a heal I was too weak to take on Excadrill as it outsped Lopunny at -1 and killed me.

Work Up to +1 then OHKO Krokorok with Return (or Jump Kick). Sandslash is 2HKOed by +1 Return but unfortunately crit with Bulldoze, prompting a heal though I goofily crit Excadrill with Jump Kick.

+1 Jump Kick takes Excadrill to high-ish yellow after Sitrus Berry while its moves seem to roughly 3HKO you.

Without buffs, Lopunny seems to miss the 2HKO Excadrill on rolls with Jump Kick thanks to Sitrus Berry but Expert Belt can definitely ensure it. Taking 2/3 mons for sure. My Lopunny didn’t OHKO Krokorok twice with -1 Attack Expert Belt Jump Kick unfortunately. My Lopunny lost to two Bulldozes from Excadrill after a Bulldoze from Krokorok.

Skyla (40): Leftovers. You outspeed Swoobat as Heart Stamp is a 6HKO. Work Up to +2 then 2HKO Swoobat with Return (you should be at 2/3s HP). You outspeed and OHKO Swanna with +2 Return, with Lopunny growing to level 41. +2 Jump Kick sadly doesn’t 2HKO Skarmory (both Jump Kick and Return seem to 3HKO, oddly) but it does laughable, literal recovered-off-with Leftovers-damage with Air Cutter (Steel Wing doesn’t really hurt either). I ended in green.

Second attempt had Swoobat use Acrobatics which seems to 4HKO you: thanks to a crit I had to heal. Spamming Return on Skarmory seems to avoid a potion use, albeit barely. Again ended in green. If Swoobat doesn’t get spam happy with Acrobatics and Skarmory doesn’t roll a Defense boost on Steel Wing (happened on last attempt, causing a heal, I lost) you should sweep fine. Even at absolute worst, you’re beating two mons.

ThunderPunch knocks Swoobat to heal range and +1 ThunderPunch OHKOS Swanna while barely 2HKOing Skarmory (though I’d imagine Expert Belt secures it).

Drayden (50): Silk Scarf. Work Up to +2 as Druddigon fails to deal meaningful damage (I rolled a normal Slash, then a Crunch crit and still lived in red, I think Crunch is normally a 3HKO). +2 Return OHKOs Druddigon, Flygon, and Haxorus, though I did roll a crit on Haxorus. You outspeed everything.

Second attempt I got Cute Charm hax on Druddigon which was hilarious (I am female) and swept once more. Third attempt I rolled Cute Charm again but hax didn’t happen and I swept a third time. I don’t think I even saw Druddigon use Revenge once. Effortless sweep.

Marlon (52): Leftovers. Jump Kick does a third to Carracosta as it seems to 50/50 go for Shell Smash (unboosted Scald 3HKOs): the Defense drop enables you to kill it with another Jump Kick without harm to yourself. Return seems to 3HKO Wailord but Silk Scarf makes it a 2HKO (hope for Amnesia). Mirror Coat on Scald does similar 3HKO damage (Scald 3HKOs you).

You can try something interesting on Jellicent with Chesto Berry, though it’s very gimmicky. Toxic it turn 1 (you have to go to Seaside Cave for this), then Sunny Day: Jellicent does absolutely nothing to you with Scald after Sunny Day (normally it 3HKOs). Brine will knock you to red under half HP it seems, but that is when you Rest. Jellicent might Recover in a loop, but it’s not killing you either as Toxic damage slowly increases.

I actually tried this on the others too. Sunny Day seems to prompt Carracosta to Shell Smash, and you 2HKO with Jump Kick. Wailord comes out with Sun up, and if it Bounces, simply throw Poke Balls to waste turns. The sun fades and I reset it on Scald. Next turn I Jump Kick Wailord as it goes for Amnesia: this and Toxic prompts it to heal range: I’m at half HP now. I Jump Kick again as Marlon heals, with that and poison taking it to half. I Rest up as Wailord Bounces, thankfully it doesn’t paralyze me.

I Sunny Day only for Jellicent to crit with Scald and burn: this forces me to Rest. I wake up and Toxic it in time to be forced into Rest again (think there was a crit in there too?). Thanks to Jellicent derping with Recover, I set Sun and live Brine on 9 HP, Resting once more as Marlon finally succumbs to a Recover loop. I set sun one last time and point and laugh as I swept Marlon without a single healing item. Decent, should take one out of three with decent luck, and maybe two, but I wouldn’t bet on it. You can meme with Toxic if you really want to.

Colress (54): Cheri Berry. Magic Coat can bounce Thunder Wave back to Magneton or Magnezone: Magneton’s Volt Switch 3HKOs (as does Magnezone’s Flash Cannon and Discharge) which can waste a turn if you picked Magic Coat…it seems to be a 50/50 if either attack or Thunder Wave.

Jump Kick seems like rolls to 2HKO Magneton thanks to Eviolite, but 2HKOs Zone cleanly (Jump Kick into Dig can do the trick for the former, you can delete Return here, Dig almost knocks Magneton to heal range standalone).

I once tried Toxic Orb Dig on Magneton, it Volt Switched away to Zone which died as I succumbed to Flash Cannon + Poison. So a solid check to the magnets, all things considered, though Jump Kick’s 95 accuracy can be mildly obnoxious and like I said, Magic Coat isn’t super reliable.

If Magmeton Volt Switched out to Zone and Zone dies, Klinklang comes out next. Jump Kick barely 2HKOs Klinklang it but it finishes you off with +1 Giga Impact if you ate a Volt Switch first (you outspeed prior to Shift Gear).

Metang comes in and seems to be setup fodder: it takes two Agility to outspeed you and Meteor Mash 3HKOs: I missed Jump Kick and reset lol. With Expert Belt on, +2 Dig OHKOs Metang, you outspeed and OHKO Klinklang with +2 Jump Kick, but you’ll need Return to deal with Beheeyem (delete Magic Coat) as +2 Dig is only a 3HKO: that being said, +2 Return OHKOs Beheeyem. Can setup on Klinklang, it spammed Shift Gear as I Worked Up and killed it, also Metang is 2HKOed by +2 Jump Kick. Solid performance from a Normal type.

Ghetsis (54): Pecha Berry. Cofagrigus's critical hit Psychic only 3HKOs Lopunny (roughly 4HKOs normally), yeah this is extremely free. Strangely Cofagrigus didn’t want to Toxic the first attempt, but it did so turn 1 the next time around: Magic Coat bounces it back. I did roll a Toxic miss, but you can Work Up to +4, then Full Restore: sadly Toxic will not kill Cofagrigus before a heal and Ghetsis can Full Restore.

So what you do is replace Jump Kick for Shadow Ball. Work Up to +3, then Full Restore as Cofagrigus is brought to 2/3s HP from Toxic. Shadow Ball to finish off Cofagrigus. Sesmitoad comes in and is outsped and OHKOed by +3 Return, as is Toxicroak, with Lopunny growing to level 55. Drapion, Hydreigon, and Eelektross are all outsped and OHKOed by +3 Return with Lopunny growing to level 56 at the end of the fight.

I swept Ghetsis three times with Lopunny easily, not even a crit Psychic, a Psychic Special Defense drop afterward, and a Toxicroak Sucker Punch in the same attempt could kill me.

Shauntal (58): Leftovers. Cofagrigus’s Psychic on Lopunny is a 4HKO that I think can be negated with Leftovers, and Cofagrigus can waste a turn burning you. I Worked Up to +3, then healed up (got a Special Defense drop too). I snagged another Work Up, then OHKOed Cofagrigus with +4 Shadow Ball at half HP. Then Golurk lives +4 Shadow Ball in red so I reset.

Trying again with Metronome. You do a fourth to Cofagrigus with Shadow Ball as it usually burns you. I kept getting Special Defense drops on Cofagrigus via Shadow Ball, so I reset until I didn’t: coincidentally this was on an attempt that whiffed a burn. Your second Shadow Ball knocks Cofagrigus to heal range, and your third barely knocks it to half, and your fourth finishes it off. Shadow Ball five 2HKOs Golurk but it crit me out with Brick Break: it seems to cleanly 2HKO you.

Don’t bother with Chandelure - while you outspeed and live Fire Blast consistently from full in red, not even +1 Expert Belt Dig OHKOs it (leaves it in mid-yellow after Sitrus Berry). The only way you’re beating it is if you have the niche Mirror Coat. Not good, but this is really Lopunny’s first explicitly terrible matchup.

Grimsley (58): Wide Lens (Black 2 only, same as Lopunny). Wide Lens buffs Jump Kick's accuracy to 104.5%, meaning you don't have to worry about misses. Lopunny outspeeds Liepard and Works Up twice as Night Slash seems to 3HKO (oddly, Liepard didn’t Fake Out turn 1, even if it does you live two Night Slashes). I crit Liepard with Return, but I doubt it mattered. Strangely, Scrafty actually lives a +2 Jump Kick from Lopunny consistently.

With Expert Belt on, the OHKO on Scrafty with +2 Jump Kick is assured. Krookodile comes out, but is outsped and OHKOed by +1 Jump Kick, as is Bisharp. The odds of landing three Jump Kicks in a row is roughly 85%, so this is a mostly easy sweep.

AzCaitlin (58): Chesto Berry. Magic Coat Yawn, then Work Up to +4 (+3 Return doesn’t OHKO Musharna without Silk Scarf). Outspeed and OHKO everything with +4 Return.

So the best strategy is to Magic Coat twice, then Work Up to +4: your Chesto Berry should keep you from having to Magic Coat again, even if it wakes up after only two turns. On my third attempt, Gothitelle somehow lived +4 Return despite dying in the other two attempts: even if this happens, Psychic 3HKOs and it dies next turn anyway. Exceptionally easy sweep, I never saw Musharna use Reflect once.

Marshal (58): Silk Scarf. Believe it or not, Lopunny is actually viable here. You outspeed Mienshao and Bounce as it uses Hi Jump Kick, and crash damage + Bounce finishes it off. Lopunny outspeeds Sawk, cleanly 2HKOs it with Return, and barely lives a Brick Break in red from full (lived on 6 HP and 2 HP in separate attempts), Bounce also does 2/3s of Sawk’s HP for reference, and Expert Belt Bounce only 3HKOs Throh.

I damage calced Sawk vs Lopunny and: Lvl 56 0 Atk Sawk Brick Break vs. Lvl 58 0 HP / 0 Def Lopunny: 134-158 (88.1 - 103.9%) -- 25% chance to OHKO

So you usually beat Sawk.

Iris (58): Silk Scarf. Work Up to +2 as Dragon Pulse fails to 2HKO you, Full Restore, then Work Up again and OHKO Hydreigon with +3 Jump Kick (+2 leaves it in red). Druddigon comes in and dies to +3 Return, Aggron dies to +3 Jump Kick as Lopunny grows to level 59. Haxorus lives a Return due to Focus Sash and kills you with X-Scissor (Dual Chop 2HKOs).

This is why you heal up on Aggron. Double-Edge only 3HKOs you, and your HP range prompts Haxorus to Dragon Dance, letting you Return it twice then Quick Attack for the KO. Lapras comes out next, and it looks like you need Jump Kick as it lives +3 Return in low red, but Ice Beam only 3HKOs Lopunny so you’re fine. Archeops comes in last and dies to +3 Jump Kick, though I did crit I doubt it mattered. At absolute WORST Lopunny beats basically four mons with only one Full Restore.

Azurill
:bw/azurill:

Oh man, Azurill. This mon has some problems. The first problem is that you must evolve Azurill by level 20 to get Aqua Tail in time for midgame. That's only 15 levels, which may not sound like much, but trust me, it's annoying so you'll probably have to save scum for massages. The second problem is that the Azurill line doesn't have the best matchups for the first three Gyms, though it does take 2/3 of Burgh's Gym. The third problem comes with Aqua Tail's 90 accuracy being unreliable and you're stuck with it until Waterfall.

Azurill has an interesting niche in that it can Charm Cheren’s team, but it's slower than both his mons and you have to Tail Whip to 2HKO Lillipup with Frustration, making a good matchup on paper only a little above average due to base 20 Speed. Azurill is absolute toilet for Roxie: don't try it.

Well, how about afterward? Well, Azumarill with Aqua Tail is a darn solid mon, somehow sweeping both Elesa and Clay. Then the problems start to show. While Rollout can sweep Skyla, that's luck based - it's more likely taking Swoobat and Skarmory while avoiding Swanna, the real threat of the team. Azumarill sweeps Drayden with Work Up Return (it doesn't need Ice Punch, contrary to popular belief) and does 2/3 mons for Marlon...

...and then it falls off a cliff into depressing mediocrity.

You only beat Beheeyem and Metang against Colress (unless you want to Cheri Berry + Bulldoze a magnet, preferably Magneton), neither of which are particularly threatening. Azumarill CAN take on Drapion and Toxicroak against Ghetsis in succession, but it's so slow for the others and prone to debuffs, flinches and the like (Mummy removes Huge Power on Cofagrigus), not to mention Aqua Tail's ever-annoying 90 accuracy.

By the Pokemon League, Azumarill's mediocrity fully emerges. The ONLY member of the final five fights Azumarill does anything notable for is Caitlin, and even then, you need +4 from Work Up or so because it turns out +2 Waterfall can't OHKO much of anything reliably (Shauntal is mediocre because Chandelure almost OHKOs with Energy Ball and Azumarill can fail to OHKO Golurk if running Rawst Berry). It's taking one threat at best vs the others, and even on Iris, it struggles to reliably OHKO Hydreigon and Lapras with Expert Belt Superpower, somehow being slower than the latter (you're only beating Archeops and Aggron, which aren't really that scary). It's basically all the crap I initially gave Conkeldurr grief for before I changed my mind, but way worse.

Azurill felt like an A tier until Marlon or so, but the annoying evolution requirements and heavily mediocre endgame restrict it to B in my eyes. Azumarill is far from a bad Pokemon and you could maybe say A if you're feeling generous, but I think B is way more appropriate given how it only gets a handful of (admittedly helpful) sweeps.

Growlithe
:bw/growlithe:

Firstly, it's important to note that my Growlithe was Mild nature with the following IVs:

Growlithe IVs.png


So yeah pretty amazing stats unlike all my other Pokemon who have 17 IVs across the board. How did this happen? Well, Ryota accidentally sent me a 17 IV Flash Fire one, and instead of asking him to send me one with Intimidate, I figured I'd take my chances in the grass, and the first encounter I found was a female level 13 Growlithe with those IVs, and let's be honest, would you turn down stats that good if you got lucky like that? I don't think so.

Onto Growlithe itself! Slow growth rate can be mildly annoying pre-Lucky Egg, but that doesn't stop Growlithe from being one of the best Pokemon around. Sweeps Roxie, mostly sweeps Burgh sans Dwebble (my Mild nature with lowered Defense made the sweep shaky) Growlithe does good for Elesa, sweeps Clay and Skyla (Thunder Fang) as Arcanine, and somehow takes 2/3 mons for both Drayden and Marlon thanks to sun-boosted Flamethrower / Thunder Fang respectively. Arcanine has a great Colress matchup and an acceptable Ghetsis matchup, generally taking 2+ mons for both (you can even sweep Colress with a Paralyze Heal and sun). While it is not the greatest Pokemon in the world at the Pokemon League, Intimidate keeps it relevant and it should at least pick up 1-2 KOs pretty quick and reliably, with its best performance being Grimsley. You can Sunny Day on Iris's Lapras to 2HKO it with Flamethrower and OHKO the incoming Aggron too. Growlithe is a solid A tier in all respects.

Roselia

:bw/roselia:
Roselia is easily one of the most solid Pokemon you can catch midgame, putting in a solid performance for virtually every single boss battle, only really being significantly neutered for Colress and Grimsely. It even takes on Skyla's Swanna by OHKOing it with Petal Dance assuming Roserade doesn't flinch from Air Slash, and takes two mons against Drayden with careful use of Growth and Giga Drain with Petal Dance. While Roserade isn't the best mon in the world for Iris, it still gets 2 KOs against Lapras and Aggron. Roselia is honestly a super solid A tier, with S tier potential given how it can muscle past some resists. I'm not going to make a long argument for S tier here, but if you use Roselia, you'll find it is relevant even in places it really shouldn't be (it also can be quite tanky, somehow mine survived STAB Psychic from Reuniclus).

Karrablast (Trade) / Escavalier
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Have you ever used a Pokemon for most of the game, but you got to the end and thought it was all over the map in terms of viability and didn't know how to properly judge it? That's how I felt on Escavalier. The base 20 Speed causes trouble even on routes because you'll frequently leave something in red because Bug / Steel is not very good STAB, and accumulate chip damage twice before killing something.

But in boss battles, Escavalier should shine, right? No, not really. How does a Pokemon solo Clay, Drayden, Grimsley, Caitlin, and Marshal, yet still feel like the crap on the bottom of my shoe?

B a s e 2 0 S p e e d !

For crying out loud, even the base 30 Speed schmucks like Carracosta and Reuniclus can potentially outspeed you, leading to what sounds like a great tank immune to crits on paper ending up outclassed by pretty much any remotely fast attacker with decent offensive stats and a boosting move. Even when you get to endgame and get those nice sweeps, it never feels fulfilling, and there's plenty of Fire coverage in random places to stop you (Ghetsis and Iris screw it over for this very reason). And despite what base 135 Attack might have you believe, it still needs help from Swords Dance: I failed to OHKO a Musharna lategame on Victory Road with X-Scissor.

I could accept Escavalier in B tier due to half its matchups being sweeps, but I think C tier is more fitting given how clunky it is to use with Swords Dance, Iron Defense, and the slower-than-molasses Speed. It's a shame because I don't think the stats are bad, Escavalier just can't use them very well.

Lopunny
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In all my time formally tiering Pokemon in-game with an intent to be professional, let this be my first time saying:

Holy FUCKING shit, Lopunny is an engine of destruction.

Now, I know what you're thinking: how could those stats ever amount to anything?

Screen Shot 2022-09-10 at 10.06.35 PM.png


-base 76 Attack
-somehow a B tier
-average poster:

1662862083921.png


65 / 84 / 96 bulk is amazing, 105 Speed is chef's kiss, and 76 Attack is juuuuuuuuuuuust good enough to work with Lopunny's bulky booster playstyle, even if it does like boosts quite a bit. Lopunny is bulkier than it looks - attacks it lived from full were Druddigon's boosted Revenge, Shauntal's Chandelure's Fire Blast, and Iris's Hydreigon's crit Dragon Pulse. This thing is sturdy.

Anyway, back to Lopunny, the legend. Let's get the big bad out of the way first. Using Buneary optimally requires you skip Buneary and get Lopunny from Castelia Garden's rustling grass: normally this is 5%, but you need Cute Charm over Klutz, so it's really more like 2.5% combined with a catch rate of 60. Lopunny starts with 140 base happiness instead of 0 as Buneary, so it's just one top tier massage away from having a pretty powerful Return. Obtaining Lopunny is manageable when you consider the fact most people will need a few Audino for Burgh anyway (I saw one Lopunny while grinding), but 2.5% chances are generally something we negate a tier for. But if you can just get past that...

With Work Up and good bulk, Lopunny screws over Burgh (literally sweeps even if Leavanny crits Razor Leaf in multiple attempts - hello????) and reliably sweeps Elesa extremely well. It's not the best for Clay, but should at worst take one mon, maybe even two - with one of those maybe being Excadrill with Expert Belt on. Skyla and Drayden stand no chance against Lopunny's Work Up, Return and Jump Kick (not even Skarmory) and while you only take maybe 1 or 2 mons against Marlon at best, it's not the worst thing in the world because it's not like Marlon is known for being overwhelming offensively (heck, you can even meme on him with Sunny Day, Toxic, and Rest with Chesto Berry if you really want to - I swept him with no items this way, though it does require a Seaside Cave detour).

It's by this point you're probably thinking: HOW THE HELL HAS 76 ATTACK NOT FALLEN OFF YET? YOU PISSED ALL OVER FLYGON'S CORPSE FOR 80 SPECIAL ATTACK!

It turns out with Work Up, +2 Lopunny demolishes Colress's Metang (Dig), Klinklang, (Jump Kick) and Beheeyem (Return) with setup being exceptionally free on Metang. It can even take on a magnet pretty well by sometimes Magic Coating Thunder Wave and eating one with Cheri Berry, 2HKOing with Jump Kick / Dig unboosted. Lopunny even full sweeps Ghetsis by Magic Coating Cofagrigus's Toxic back at him, Working Up to +3, Full Restoring once, KOing Cofagrigus with Shadow Ball, then outspeeding and eating Ghetsis's entire team alive with +3 Return - yes, it even outspeeds and OHKOs Hydreigon.

It's not even that bad on routes, either. STAB Return picks up those nice 2HKOs, albeit barely, and by the end of the game when you're facing actually scary mooks, well, you just got almost three levels off Ghetsis with Lucky Egg, so you don't have to raise Lopunny much at all (helps Lopunny is Medium Fast). There's also a decent amount of Fighting-weak Pokemon sprinkled throughout the game to help Lopunny along as well.

Lopunny then says SCREW ALL YOU HATERS THAT SAID I WAS A MEME IN DPPT and says this at the Pokemon League:

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Seriously, it is glorious. Lopunny is only truly bad against Shauntal there, and even then you can Mirror Coat Chandelure and laugh if you have room for it. Marshal? Outspeed and Bounce (learned at level 56, FYI) on Mienshao, laugh as it crashes with Hi Jump Kick, then kill it. That's right, a Normal type takes on half of a Fighting type user's team fairly reliably. You can maybe even 2HKO Sawk with Return, as Brick Break only OHKOs you 25% of the time (I literally damage calced this in my logs). You sweep Grimsley very easily 85% of the time (just need to hit Expert Belt Jump Kick three times at +2).

You can Magic Coat Yawn back at Caitlin's Musharna, boost to +4 with Chesto Berry, then sweep with Return: 2/3 times had everything KOed: the last attempt somehow had Gothitelle live but it only 3HKOs with Psychic so it's not really an issue.

But surely Lopunny is bad for Iris right? Actually, no! You Work Up to +3 as Hydreigon 3HKOs with Dragon Pulse (you'll need a Full Restore). +3 Jump Kick OHKOs Hydreigon, +3 Return OHKOs Druddigon, +3 Jump Kick OHKOs Aggron, and +3 Return nukes Haxorus before you finally faint. Heck, if you do your second heal on Aggron, you can technically sweep all six Pokemon if Haxorus Dragon Dances - you simply Quick Attack after Haxorus heals, then destroy Lapras and Archeops with Jump Kick (you can even use Return on Lapras - if you miss the OHKO range, you have enough HP to eat the Ice Beam 3HKO fine). You outspeed literally everything as long as they are unboosted too, so you are taking three Pokemon at worst.

This isn't even getting into Lopunny's extensive support movepool: Magic Coat, Mirror Coat, Thunder Wave, level 46 Charm, Agility, Baton Pass, Defense Curl, Foresight, Toxic, weather setter - if you can think of a support move, chances are Lopunny learns it, so even in matchups where you don't want to use it offensively, there's a chance it might have a utility niche, which thanks to solid bulk and 105 base Speed, it can pull off very well instead of being a surprisingly beastly offensive powerhouse. Lopunny doesn't even have 4MSS either - you only need Work Up, Return, and Jump Kick, so your fourth slot can be a rotating support move, and it helps that Lopunny's entire offensive arsenal sans Jump Kick is TM-based, making it incredibly easy to just swap in whatever, whenever.

Bottom line: Lopunny defies all expectations to become BW2's Audino: an oddly good Pokemon that is way better than the stats would have you believe. Lopunny absolutely deserves B tier in spite of 2.5% availability, and if that's not even that big a deal to you, it could honestly have A tier potential, depending on how you look at it! I do think B tier is more reasonable given its penchant for setup, but A is not out of the question given how solid Lopunny is for all but like, three bosses in the entire freaking game. Please use this. Lopunny was honestly more fun than Tepig and my new most favorite thing I have used in-game.

Lopunny is a true queen. Don't underestimate it!
 
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When you said Flygon is overshadowed by other Ground types like Sandile...it's not just Sandile tbh, even though I did touch on this last time.

Krookodile has roughly the same Speed as Flygon (8 points lower) to the point where Flygon's higher Speed is mostly superfluous. Excadrill has base 88 Speed and is similarly just is good outside of fringe fast but frail attackers (rare for the most part). Both have higher Attack. Sandslash has equal Attack to Flygon, gets that 100 base Attack at level 22 (23 levels faster than Flygon unless you count lolCrapinch with its terrible Speed). While I think I have had some problems with Sandslash's Speed lategame, it does have a defined niche in that it A) comes and gets its power very early B) gets EQ faster than any Ground not named Excadrill and C) gets Earthquake.

Heck, even looking beyond those three in competition, Flygon is outclassed even by other Ground types also forced to use Bulldoze! Steelix may not have EQ, but it has 200 base Defense to literally laugh at the midgame with and a decent base 85 Attack it can augment with Curse. Gliscor gets Swords Dance to make Bulldoze actually hurt something and in general is a fantastic Pokemon, albeit one you have to get Razor Fang for.

Camerupt may be slow as all get out and a White 2 exclusive, but at least you get Earthquake basically the same time you'd get Flygon and it has Curse access. While Camerupt will definitely be in the low lights of this tier list, it can at least hurt when it gets to move. Golurk gets 124 base Attack EQ and can counter Marshal. Mamoswine can get base 130 Attack EQ, and while nobody is really saying "hey that late-game ice pig is slept on and should be like a B tier", it can do something.

Even Claydol, a generally mediocre Pokemon, at least has interesting coverage like Charge Beam and Ice Beam, dual screens, giving it a niche as one of the few decent Special Ground types. It might not be great, but at least it has a niche it can mostly call its own aside from Camerupt.

Flygon just proves base stats are not everything and it is really the moves that matter. Good meme by the way.

I agree with Sandile to S, I'll probably run with it soon though.
 
Digging up this old test to post, as it contains some mons that Ryota and Drums just tested. These logs are from over a year ago, so there's likely some inconsistencies between them and more modern logs, but I think they do the job well enough. Test consists of Azurill, Magnemite, Zubat, Sandile, and Volcarona

Cheren

Azurill (11): Frustration 2hkos Patrat and 3hkos Lillipup. The hidden tech here is Charm, whose -2 attack effect helps to neuter Cheren’s normals so they can’t just set up and destroy you. You’ll still need a potion unfortunately, but I would still consider this a good mu, both for Azu’s damage ranges and the support potential of Charm.

Roxie

Azurill (16): At +2 you 2hko both Koffing and Whirlipede with Return. Due to Azuril’s low speed you're outpaced by both, and since Koffing about 5hkos with Assurance, and Whirlipede 3hkos with Venoshock, you’ll need around two potions to sweep. Decent/bad.

Magnemite (14): Sonicboom 2hkos Koffing, 3hkos Whirlipede. Neither can harm you in any meaningful way. Great mu.

Burgh

Golbat 22, rest 21

Azumarill: With no boosts, Swadloon, is 2hkod by Return, Leavanny 3hkod, and Dwebble is brought to Sturdy with Aqua Tail. You can attempt to sweep by Charming down Swadloon to make it easier to set up on, but Razor Leaf crits make it unreliable, you need a potion anyways to live Leavanny’s attack, and even at +2 you won’t ohko Leavanny. Decent mu.

Magnemite: Sonicboom 3hkos Swadloon and Dwebble (Tshock is a roll to 2hko) and 4hkos Leavanny (5hkos after berry). Thunder Wave is quite useful for this fight as it baits Swadloon / Leavanny into spamming String Shot, which buys you time to click Sonicboom more. With Leftovers equipped I was barely able to avoid having to use a potion, but I was fortunately not the victim of any Razor Leaf crits, and with Eviolite I definitely required a potion. Calling this decent, as it’s a slow battle and hinges on good luck (Sonicboom hitting, no crits, maybe some full paras for good measure) to not require item assistance.

Sandile: Bite is a 4hko on Swadloon and Dwebble. GGs with Leavanny. Bite will just barely clutch out Dwebble before Struggle Bug kills you. Poor mu.

Zubat / Golbat: As Zubat, Wing Attack 2hkos Swadloon and 3hkos Leavanny through berry. GLHF with Dwebble. Leavanny will require a potion to beat. As Golbat, Wing Attack ohkos Loon, 4hkos Dwebb, and put Leavanny in red. Only Dwebb can really touch you. Decent as Zubat, good as Golbat.

Elesa

Mag is 27/30, rest 28

Azumarill: Aqua Tail ohkos Emolga, is a roll to ohko Flaffy, and leaves Zebstrika in the red. With Soft Sand Dig would guaranteed kill the latter two but without MysticWater you fail to ohko Emolga 100% of the time so take your pick really. Emolga always Pursuits turn 1 so it’s a free kill, but turn 2 will always Volt Switch which will revenge kill you. Zebstrika 2hkos you before you can 2hko it, preventing a sweep. Decent.

Magnemite / Magneton: Sonicboom 4hkos Emolga and 5hkos the rest. The most utility you might get is paralyzing with Thunder Wave but the most important pokemon on Elesa’s team is immune to it so :/ Magneton makes this fight actually doable but you need to use Metal Sound one each mon to do real meaningful damage to them, and when they all have Volt Switch that can be kinda inconvenient at times. Bad as Magnemite, decent as Magneton.

Crobat: 2hko Emolga, and 3hko the rest with Silk Scarf Return. Can only really beat Emolga cuz Flaffy will paralyze and Volt Switch all over you and Zeb just 2hkos you outright. Poor mu.

Sandile: Crunch is a roll to 2hko Emolga, the rest are ohkod by Dig. The worst is that you get paralyzed by Static. Having Krokorok only makes the 2hko on Emolga guaranteed. Great mu.

Clay

Azumarill (30): Aqua Tail ohkos everything. You’ll want to switch out after koing Krok to wear off Intimidate + Torment, but no problems otherwise. Great mu.

Magneton (30): HYPOTHETICALLY you can beat Krok and Slash by lowering its accuracy with Mirror Shot and dodging Bulldoze next turn since you 2hko both. However that’s some severe luck and to do it twice in a row you’d need to heal obv. You could also use Metal Sound on Exca for a special attacker or something? Not really a lot else this mon can do here. Bad mu.

Crobat (33): Acro kos Krok after dodging Intimidate. Exca is 5hkod after berry, best you can do is Confuse Ray. Slash is a roll to 2hko but it can’t really hurt you back. Decent mu.

Krokorok (31): At -0 Dig 2hkos Krok. Even after a boost Sandslash is kinda unbreakable, it will beat you before you can beat it. Exca is 2hkod by Dig, cannot be beaten without a potion. Poor mu.

Skyla

Magnezone and Krokorok are 38, rest 37

Azumarill: At +1, Aqua Tail ohkos Swoobat and 2hkos Skarm. Swanna is 2hkod by Return. Both Swoobat and Swanna 3hko you so a potion will be required for a sweep. Decent mu.

Magnezone: Thundershock ohkos Swanna and puts the others in the red. None of them can really touch you in response. Great mu.

Crobat: Acrobatics 2hkos Swoobat, while its Acrobatics 3hkos in return. Swanna is barely 3hkod after berry, but beating it depends on the hp you’re at; if you’re at full health vs Swanna it’ll automatically spam FeatherDance, preventing you from beating it without spamming Screech and heals. However, if you face it after beating Swoobat, the lower health percentage you’ll be at will cause it to Air Slash into Roost, which will enable you to easily win. You won’t beat Skarm at this range, but if you face off with it at full health, it’s 3hkod at -2 defense, and it can’t really hurt you otherwise. Good mu.

Krokorok: Crunch ohkos Swoobat whereas you survive Acrobatics. Swanna immediately comes in and revenge kills you with Bubblebeam. If you have Torment for this fight you might be able to beat Skarm but I don’t so :P also having Krookodile would help a lot potentially but I’m keeping Krokorok for the early EQ. Poor mu.

Volcarona: Funnily enough if Flame Body activates vs Swoobat as you Signal Beam you can actually beat it, but this is a 30% chance to happen. Swanna outspeeds and 2hkos you, you don’t do shit back. Beat Skarm pretty easily. Poor mu.

Drayden

Krookodile is 48, rest are 46

Azumarill: At +2, Ice Punch ohkos every mon. Flygon and Haxorus like to go for Dragon Tail, allowing you to outspeed them. Even when Flygon crit me with EP and left me on five Haxorus still Dragon Tail’d so that much is guaranteed. Great mu.

Magnezone: Metal Coat Flash Cannon 2hkos Drudd, Gon, and is a roll to 2hko Hax after berry. You can paralyze Hax to make it spam DD forever but it doesn’t matter as it can’t touch you at all anyways. Avoid Flygon. Good mu.

Crobat: Acrobatics 2hkos Drudd, Gon, and 3hkos Hax after berry. If you’re at full health you beat Hax as it mindlessly spams DD but if you’re hurt from the first two mons it’ll attack immediately and kill you. Good mu.

Krookodile: EQ 2hkos Drudd, for some reason it’ll always Crunch instead of Revenge so you’re safe from that. At +1, Crunch 2hkos Flygon and it can’t ko you back. At +2, EQ ohkos Hax. Great mu.

Volcarona: Signal Beam 2hkos Drudd, Gon, and 3hkos Hax after berry. You can outspeed and burn Gon to live Rock Slide, but it still 2hkos so you’re not beating it anyways. If you simply spam Signal Beam while still damaged from Drudd, Hax will ko you with +1 DTail, but burning it with WIll-o-Wisp will lock it into a DD loop, plus it allows you to beat it without it healing. Good mu.

Marlon

Zone is 50, rest 49

Azumarill: At +1, you 2hko Costa and Wailord. The damage taken from SS Costa will lead to Wailord 2hkoing you with Bounce before you can ko it. Walled by Jellicent. Poor mu.

Magnezone: Spam Charge Beam. Costa is brought to Sturdy, Wailord is ohkod at +1, and Jelli needs +3 to reliably ko. Only issue is that Costa spams Scald but if you don’t get burned you’re fine. Great mu.

Crobat: Costa hard walls you, even at -4 defense Acro is only a 3hko while it just chucks rocks at your face. At full health it can handle either Wailord or hypothetically Jellicent (Cursed Body and Scald burn chances make this tough tho), but not in succession. Poor mu.

Krookodile: Spam EQ to sweep. Brings Costa down to Sturdy and after boosts will ohko the other two. Costa will always Shell Smash turn 1 and won’t outspeed after a boost, making you completely safe against it. Flawless mu.

Volcarona: Signal Beam 2hkos Costa and Wailord. Costa will always just Smack Down turn 1 and burning it won’t save you, live Scald from Wailord easily. Jellicent walls you. Poor mu.

Colress

Krook is 50, rest are 51

Azumarill: 2hko Metang, Klinklang, and Beheeyem by attacking. You can beat 1 one the Mags potentially but trying to beat both will fail. Decent.

Magnezone: Discharge 2hkos the non-Mags, none can really harm you. The Mags themselves are basically a war of attrition but same as the others they can’t really harm you and you have more items than Colress does + the power of Metal Sound. Good mu.

Crobat: Only mon you’ll beat is Beheeyem as it Calm Minds turn 1. All other pokemon wall it completely, Mags are especially impossible since they paralyze and hit super effectively. Terrible mu.

Krookodile: Ohkos everything with EQ / Crunch for Beheeyem. Mags 2hko you with Flash Cannon, which makes getting around them a little tricky; after koing Ton, there’s a chance Zone will boom on you, which you can Hyper Potion on to survive. However, you would have to potion on Klang again to survive the Giga Impact. If you avoid Zone altogether and heal it off-screen, Klang will instead spam Shift Gear so it’s guaranteed that way. Given how tough Colress I’m liable to call this a good mu, despite the outside help.

Volcarona: Everything is ohkod except for Beheeyem, who is ohkod if you’re holding SilverPowder (I held Cheri Berry to avoid a Twave). Missing Fire Blast can suck but it’s only really critical against Metang who carries Rock Slide, you can eat hits vs everything else. Good mu.

Ghetsis

Krook and Crobat 51, rest 52

Azumarill: You physically cannot take on Cofagrigus because attacking it means losing Huge Power. Sweeping here will generally not work as Eelektross will inevitably revenge you (and even if that’s gone you’re gonna get 3hkod by whatever you get a Work Up on, putting you in range of the next mon). 1v1, you 2hko everything. Eelektross outspeeds and 2hkos, same with Hydra but you can knock it within range of Life Orb with Superpower. Decent.

Magnezone: 2hko Cofag, Drap, and Kroak. Hydra is 3hkod while Toed and Eel wall you. Because Drap and Kroak carry supereffective coverage the only mons you’re reliably beating are Cofag and Hydra, but given how important it is to wall Hydra I think you can still call this a decent mu.

Crobat: Toed is 2hkod by Acrobatics; Hydra 2hkod after LO recoil. Kroak is ohkod, obviously. Rest are 3hkod. Cofag will beat you with Psychic, Eel also beats you obviously. Decent.

Krookodile: Cofag is 2hkod by Crunch, however attacking it means you’ll lose Moxie so you’ll at least have to switch out after defeating it. Seismitoed comes in next, but EQ 2hkos and Muddy Water doesn’t ohko back, so as long as you don’t get your accuracy dropped you can start your Moxie chain even here. Drap and Kroak come in next for some reason, free attack boosts there. At +3, Hydra is ohkod by Low Kick and Eel dies immediately after. Great mu.

Volcarona: Fire Blast is a 2hko on Cofag, however given Protect and inaccuracy it can be tricky plus when I attempted it I got a double down. Toed is 2hkod by Signal Beam. Hydra comes in next, outspeeds, and ohkos with Rock Slide. Drapion and Eel are both 2hkod by SIgnal Beam (the former potentially being ohkod by Fire Blast) and Kroak is ohkod by Psychic. Decent.

Grimsley

Krook is 60, Volc 59, rest 57

Azumarill: Sweep is unfeasible here as multiple Night Slashes from Liepard puts you into range of Krook. 1v1 you ohko Liepard, Krook (if you dodge Intimidate, at -1 it’s a roll), and Bisharp. Scrafty is 2hkod. Good mu.

Magnezone: Going for Charge Beam boosts isn’t worth it cuz Krook comes right in after you knock out Liepard. Tbolt ohkos Liepard and 2hkos Scrafty / Bish. If Scrafty Brick Breaks you, you’ll have to heal in order to beat Bish, but I found that Scrafty will click Rock Tomb against you sometimes instead of Brick Break; if you Twave him on Rock Tomb it’ll lock him into a loop of lowering speed, allowing you to safely 2hko him and be healthy enough to take on Bish after. This took a couple tries for me to get though, as he just clickx Brick Break sometimes, so it’s up to you to consider if this is a good strategy or not. Avoid Krook. Decent/good.

Crobat: 2hko Liepard, Scrafty, and Krook (w/o Intimidate) with Acrobatics. You’ll need to heal if you want to beat Krook as it’ll Rock Tomb you, outspeed next turn and finish you off with Crunch. Bish walls you and you cannot Screech it down due to Defiant. Decent mu.

Krookodile: Outspeed and ohko Liepard with EQ. Bish comes in next for some ungodly reason and dies. At that point, everything else just drops to EQ. Great mu.

Volcarona: Set up and sweep. 2 QDs are needed to ohko Scrafty, which can be risky to get on Liepard, especially if you are a male, due to the combo of Attract and Aerial Ace. Otherwise, you ohko everything at +2. Good mu.

Caitlin

Levels are the same as Grimsly

Azumarill: Set up and sweep. Musharna goes for Reflect in this mu, which makes things a little slower, making +2 Waterfall a 3hko, but by the time you kill Mush Reflect will have worn off. Goth and Sigi both outspeed but Goth Calm Minds turn 1 and Sigi does not ohko with Psychic. All die to Waterfall. Good mu.

Magnezone: In order to clean sweep you need to use Musharna as fodder for Charge Beam boosts. If you can get up to +3 you’ll be able to ohko Reuni, which is important as Focus Blast into Sigilyph will kill you. However, given that you need 3 70% chances for a boost on a 90% accurate move that’s dealing damage to your setup fodder is kinda tight. When it works tho, you clean sweep. Good mu.

Crobat: Beat Musharna for obvious reasons, although Reflect means you’ll need to Screech a bit. At full you live Sigilyph’s Psychic and 2hko back with Acrobatics. Lose to Goth and Reuni. Decent.

Krookodile: Spam Crunch to win lol. Interestingly Caitlin will switch her Musharna out turn 1 to go to Reuni, but this doesn’t save her as you just 2hko that with Crunch. Sigi comes in next, gets outsped and drops. Rest obviously die lol. Flawless mu.

Volcarona: Set up and sweep. At +2 everything gets ohkod no sweat. Not much more to say, flawless mu.

Shauntal

Volc and Krook are 59, rest 57

Azumarill: Once again you have to avoid Cofag as Mummy nullifies your Huge Power. At full health you beat Chandelure and Golurk, but Drifblim outspeeds and 2hkos you before you 2hko it. Decent.

Magnezone: 2hko Cofag with either TBolt or Charge Beam into +1 Charge Beam. Even at +2, however, you fail to ohko Golurk with Flash Cannon (Metal Coat likely makes the difference here but I was running Magnet and I had really bad luck even getting to +2 anyways). You beat Drifblim pretty easily but fall to Chandelure unless you get some good paralysis luck. Decent/good.

Crobat: Cofag 2hkos you with Psychic before you can Screech it down. Acro 3hkos Chandelure after berry and you’re 2hkod in return. Acro 2hkos Blim while it 2hkos you, and 3hkos Golurk while it 3hkos you (it’ll win if she has a potion to use). Decent.

Krookodile: You 1v1 Cofag pretty easily but you lose your Moxie afterwards. Even without Moxie tho you sweep pretty hard, ohkoing Chandy and Blim and 2hkoing Golurk. You’ll likely be left on red afterwards. Great mu.

Volcarona: Set up and sweep. At +2, you ohko everything except Chandy, who is 2hkod by Psychic. With the SpDef boosts you easily eat the Fire Blast in retaliation. Great mu.

Marshall

Krook and Volc are 60, rest 57

Azumarill: Waterfall 3hkos Throh / Conk, 2hkos Sawk / Shao. You can beat Throh, Sawk, and Mienshao 1v1 but Conk 2hkos with Hammer Arm even unboosted. Decent/good.

Magnezone: Tbolt 3hkos Throh / Conk (after berry), 2hkos Sawk / Shao. Avoid Throh as he kills you with Bulldoze. Conk likes to Bulk Up turn 1, if you get a Charge Beam boost you can ko him next turn with Tbolt and be strong enough to ohko Mienshao next turn. Sawk will ultimately revenge kill you tho. Decent mu.

Crobat: Acro 2hkos Throh / Conk, brings Sawk down to Sturdy, and ohkos Mienshao. Even after a Rock Tomb everything is outsped. Conk can either Bulk Up or Stone Edge, if he goes for the latter he’ll wreck you but if he goes for the former you’ll still 2hko him. Good mu.

Krookodile: EQ 2hkos Throh / Sawk, ohkos Mienshao, and 3hkos Conk after berry. Funnily enough I managed to sweep here by critting Throh turn 1, as I outsped Mienshao and killed that after, giving me enough boosts to ohko Conk and preserving the hp to live a BB from Sawk. This is pretty unlikely but I thought it was cool. 1v1 you beat Throh (forces you to switch out after tho cuz of the speed drop), Mienshao, and Sawk, Conk is a no-go. Decent/good.

Volcarona: Don’t bother trying to set up on Throh cuz of Rock Tomb. I actually succeeded with Mienshao, as it went for Bounce, which doesn’t ohko and gives me 2 QDs. At +2 both it and Conk die but Sawk blocks you cuz lul Sturdy. Decent.

Iris

Azumarill (57): 1v2 you beat every member of Iris’s team. Note for Lapras that you need to Return into Superpower to kill, as if you just spam Superpower it’ll beat you. Unfortunately it will likely not beat more than 1 mon in a row to due getting worn down over time and lack of ability to ohko in this mu outside of Aggron / Archeops. Decent.

Magnezone (57): 2hko everything with Tbolt / FC, except for Arch who is ohkod. Only mons you’re beating 1v1 are Drudd, Arch, Lapras, and Aggron, but you’ll need healing to take them on. You can also paralyze Hydra, but not Haxorus since Mold Breaker EQ destroys you. Decent.

Crobat (58): 1v1 you beat Hydra (must Screech turn 1 so she can’t beat you with potion), Drudd, and Haxorus assuming it just spams DD. Lose hard to rest, need healing to take more than one opponent on. Decent/bad.

Krookodile (60): At lead you can get a mini moxie sweep by spamming Outrage into Hydra and Drudd; Hydra is 2hkod and Drudd is ohkod at +1. Unfortunately, Lapras comes in next and eats even a +2 Outrage so your sweep ends there. Even if you beat Hydra and lured out Aggron to get the chain started on that, you’d eventually hit Haxorus who cockblocks you with Focus Sash. 1v1 you beat any member of her team, but unless it’s Aggron and another you’d need healing to take multiple. Giving it good to reflect the mini spree it can go on, resulting in multiple mons down and a broken Focus Sash on Hax.

Volcarona (60): Set up and sweep. At +2, everything is ohkod except for Lapras, who is 2hkod, and Hax, who is brought to Sash. The former is your biggest roadblock since it likes to Sing, but this is inaccurate as is and you can hold a Chesto berry and still ohko everything you normally would. I met Hax at ~90 hp and it preferred to DD rather than attack me. Great mu.

Noms:

:Azurill: to B: Azumarill has some impressive power but has issues making the most of it. You have a hard time getting off the ground as Azurill is pretty bad and Azumarill's first gym is full of Grass types, but you begin to pick up at midgame (according to Drums you can even sweep Elesa, which is insane for a Water type). As it continues though, its low Speed and lack of relevant resistances really begins to weigh down on it, to the point that by endgame it fails to sweep most fights (I managed to beat Caitlin at least, which Drums reportedly did not). Regardless, I think it carries its weight enough for B.

:Magnemite: to B: The ultimate "better on paper than in practice" mon. Magnemite is worshipped for its defensive capabilities, which are quite good, but ultimately don't mean a whole lot when you can't threaten the mons you're walling, and Magnemite fails to threaten much of anything until Skyla. Sonicboom cleaves through Roxie, but falls off a cliff immediately after, meaning that you fail to meaningfully damage Burgh or Elesa, meaning that they can actually bring you down unless you heal / get lucky, and I don't think I need to tell you what happens at Clay. Once you get to Skyla and get evolved into Magnezone you start picking up a lot, as it finally gets some good moves and its all-around solid stats, but lack of reliable setup and meaningful coverage means that Zone can still struggle in certain mus. Despite its unique properties, it doesn't really perform that much differently than the better Electrics in the game, like Elekid and Jolteon, so I think this should go to B with them.

:Zubat: to C: Despite getting a strong STAB move for once, Crobat still has plenty of issues it suffers from. In terms of positives, it's incredibly fast, has Acrobatics, and matches up pretty well into Marshall, one of the hardest bosses in the game. As for the negatives, it has average Attack, poor coverage, and zero setup capabilities beyond Screech, which leaves it pretty weak going into the lategame. While Crobat is reliant on it for damage output, Acrobatics proves to be a double-edged sword, forcing Crobat to miss out on otherwise useful items to achieve anything close to a strong STAB move. For most major battles, Crobat is relegated to picking off certain targets, failing to full sweep much of anything. With that said, it is rarely ever dead weight in any mu (except against Colress lol) and is overall quite competent. so I think C is reasonable.

:Sandile: to S: Krookodile is an insane Pokemon, possessing great stats, typing, moves, and the incredibly efficient Moxie. With a boost under its belt, STAB EQ will cleave through anything that isn't immune to it, and whatever is immune to it Krook has the coverage for, like Crunch, Rock Slide, Low Kick, even crazy shit like Outrage. When I had originally used it, I held off on evolving Krokorok in order to get EQ as early as possible, which resulted in a weak period with Krokorok which I believed was enough to drag it down to A, but as Ryota demosntrated in his run, doing this is not necessary at all; the only two mu an earlier EQ aids in, Drayden and Marlon, Krook can sweep anyways, and evolving it early provides Krook a good Skyla mu to boot. So with that in mind, its only truly bad mu is Clay, and, to an extent, Marshall, although you can still dent him pretty well. I think this makes Sandile a clear S.

:Volcarona: to B: Volcarona is an insane investment, requiring a backtrack and multiple move tutors to get it going. Even then, Volcarona is a mixed, only getting a good mu on Drayden via Will-o-Wisp and Signal Beam spam, and suffering vs Skyla, Marlon, and even Ghetsis, to an extent (it does have a good Colress mu, although annoying dealing with Fire Blast inaccuracy). The payoff comes at League, when you learn QD and sweep the first three members cold. Even Marshall can get dented with Psychic, and it takes at least 5 against Iris, potentially even full sweeping her if you bait Haxorus into DDing. While Volc is a heavy investment, and that alone will be a major turnoff to people, I believe its insane endgame, and overall competency before then, justifies it being in B.

Currently in the middle of a run featuring Tepig, among others. Once I finish and post my results, I will look into the nominations we've accrued so far and see if there's enough to make some tiering decisions. Until then, thank you for reading!
 
Digging up this old test to post, as it contains some mons that Ryota and Drums just tested. These logs are from over a year ago, so there's likely some inconsistencies between them and more modern logs, but I think they do the job well enough. Test consists of Azurill, Magnemite, Zubat, Sandile, and Volcarona

Cheren

Azurill (11): Frustration 2hkos Patrat and 3hkos Lillipup. The hidden tech here is Charm, whose -2 attack effect helps to neuter Cheren’s normals so they can’t just set up and destroy you. You’ll still need a potion unfortunately, but I would still consider this a good mu, both for Azu’s damage ranges and the support potential of Charm.

Roxie

Azurill (16): At +2 you 2hko both Koffing and Whirlipede with Return. Due to Azuril’s low speed you're outpaced by both, and since Koffing about 5hkos with Assurance, and Whirlipede 3hkos with Venoshock, you’ll need around two potions to sweep. Decent/bad.

Magnemite (14): Sonicboom 2hkos Koffing, 3hkos Whirlipede. Neither can harm you in any meaningful way. Great mu.

Burgh

Golbat 22, rest 21

Azumarill: With no boosts, Swadloon, is 2hkod by Return, Leavanny 3hkod, and Dwebble is brought to Sturdy with Aqua Tail. You can attempt to sweep by Charming down Swadloon to make it easier to set up on, but Razor Leaf crits make it unreliable, you need a potion anyways to live Leavanny’s attack, and even at +2 you won’t ohko Leavanny. Decent mu.

Magnemite: Sonicboom 3hkos Swadloon and Dwebble (Tshock is a roll to 2hko) and 4hkos Leavanny (5hkos after berry). Thunder Wave is quite useful for this fight as it baits Swadloon / Leavanny into spamming String Shot, which buys you time to click Sonicboom more. With Leftovers equipped I was barely able to avoid having to use a potion, but I was fortunately not the victim of any Razor Leaf crits, and with Eviolite I definitely required a potion. Calling this decent, as it’s a slow battle and hinges on good luck (Sonicboom hitting, no crits, maybe some full paras for good measure) to not require item assistance.

Sandile: Bite is a 4hko on Swadloon and Dwebble. GGs with Leavanny. Bite will just barely clutch out Dwebble before Struggle Bug kills you. Poor mu.

Zubat / Golbat: As Zubat, Wing Attack 2hkos Swadloon and 3hkos Leavanny through berry. GLHF with Dwebble. Leavanny will require a potion to beat. As Golbat, Wing Attack ohkos Loon, 4hkos Dwebb, and put Leavanny in red. Only Dwebb can really touch you. Decent as Zubat, good as Golbat.

Elesa

Mag is 27/30, rest 28

Azumarill: Aqua Tail ohkos Emolga, is a roll to ohko Flaffy, and leaves Zebstrika in the red. With Soft Sand Dig would guaranteed kill the latter two but without MysticWater you fail to ohko Emolga 100% of the time so take your pick really. Emolga always Pursuits turn 1 so it’s a free kill, but turn 2 will always Volt Switch which will revenge kill you. Zebstrika 2hkos you before you can 2hko it, preventing a sweep. Decent.

Magnemite / Magneton: Sonicboom 4hkos Emolga and 5hkos the rest. The most utility you might get is paralyzing with Thunder Wave but the most important pokemon on Elesa’s team is immune to it so :/ Magneton makes this fight actually doable but you need to use Metal Sound one each mon to do real meaningful damage to them, and when they all have Volt Switch that can be kinda inconvenient at times. Bad as Magnemite, decent as Magneton.

Crobat: 2hko Emolga, and 3hko the rest with Silk Scarf Return. Can only really beat Emolga cuz Flaffy will paralyze and Volt Switch all over you and Zeb just 2hkos you outright. Poor mu.

Sandile: Crunch is a roll to 2hko Emolga, the rest are ohkod by Dig. The worst is that you get paralyzed by Static. Having Krokorok only makes the 2hko on Emolga guaranteed. Great mu.

Clay

Azumarill (30): Aqua Tail ohkos everything. You’ll want to switch out after koing Krok to wear off Intimidate + Torment, but no problems otherwise. Great mu.

Magneton (30): HYPOTHETICALLY you can beat Krok and Slash by lowering its accuracy with Mirror Shot and dodging Bulldoze next turn since you 2hko both. However that’s some severe luck and to do it twice in a row you’d need to heal obv. You could also use Metal Sound on Exca for a special attacker or something? Not really a lot else this mon can do here. Bad mu.

Crobat (33): Acro kos Krok after dodging Intimidate. Exca is 5hkod after berry, best you can do is Confuse Ray. Slash is a roll to 2hko but it can’t really hurt you back. Decent mu.

Krokorok (31): At -0 Dig 2hkos Krok. Even after a boost Sandslash is kinda unbreakable, it will beat you before you can beat it. Exca is 2hkod by Dig, cannot be beaten without a potion. Poor mu.

Skyla

Magnezone and Krokorok are 38, rest 37

Azumarill: At +1, Aqua Tail ohkos Swoobat and 2hkos Skarm. Swanna is 2hkod by Return. Both Swoobat and Swanna 3hko you so a potion will be required for a sweep. Decent mu.

Magnezone: Thundershock ohkos Swanna and puts the others in the red. None of them can really touch you in response. Great mu.

Crobat: Acrobatics 2hkos Swoobat, while its Acrobatics 3hkos in return. Swanna is barely 3hkod after berry, but beating it depends on the hp you’re at; if you’re at full health vs Swanna it’ll automatically spam FeatherDance, preventing you from beating it without spamming Screech and heals. However, if you face it after beating Swoobat, the lower health percentage you’ll be at will cause it to Air Slash into Roost, which will enable you to easily win. You won’t beat Skarm at this range, but if you face off with it at full health, it’s 3hkod at -2 defense, and it can’t really hurt you otherwise. Good mu.

Krokorok: Crunch ohkos Swoobat whereas you survive Acrobatics. Swanna immediately comes in and revenge kills you with Bubblebeam. If you have Torment for this fight you might be able to beat Skarm but I don’t so :P also having Krookodile would help a lot potentially but I’m keeping Krokorok for the early EQ. Poor mu.

Volcarona: Funnily enough if Flame Body activates vs Swoobat as you Signal Beam you can actually beat it, but this is a 30% chance to happen. Swanna outspeeds and 2hkos you, you don’t do shit back. Beat Skarm pretty easily. Poor mu.

Drayden

Krookodile is 48, rest are 46

Azumarill: At +2, Ice Punch ohkos every mon. Flygon and Haxorus like to go for Dragon Tail, allowing you to outspeed them. Even when Flygon crit me with EP and left me on five Haxorus still Dragon Tail’d so that much is guaranteed. Great mu.

Magnezone: Metal Coat Flash Cannon 2hkos Drudd, Gon, and is a roll to 2hko Hax after berry. You can paralyze Hax to make it spam DD forever but it doesn’t matter as it can’t touch you at all anyways. Avoid Flygon. Good mu.

Crobat: Acrobatics 2hkos Drudd, Gon, and 3hkos Hax after berry. If you’re at full health you beat Hax as it mindlessly spams DD but if you’re hurt from the first two mons it’ll attack immediately and kill you. Good mu.

Krookodile: EQ 2hkos Drudd, for some reason it’ll always Crunch instead of Revenge so you’re safe from that. At +1, Crunch 2hkos Flygon and it can’t ko you back. At +2, EQ ohkos Hax. Great mu.

Volcarona: Signal Beam 2hkos Drudd, Gon, and 3hkos Hax after berry. You can outspeed and burn Gon to live Rock Slide, but it still 2hkos so you’re not beating it anyways. If you simply spam Signal Beam while still damaged from Drudd, Hax will ko you with +1 DTail, but burning it with WIll-o-Wisp will lock it into a DD loop, plus it allows you to beat it without it healing. Good mu.

Marlon

Zone is 50, rest 49

Azumarill: At +1, you 2hko Costa and Wailord. The damage taken from SS Costa will lead to Wailord 2hkoing you with Bounce before you can ko it. Walled by Jellicent. Poor mu.

Magnezone: Spam Charge Beam. Costa is brought to Sturdy, Wailord is ohkod at +1, and Jelli needs +3 to reliably ko. Only issue is that Costa spams Scald but if you don’t get burned you’re fine. Great mu.

Crobat: Costa hard walls you, even at -4 defense Acro is only a 3hko while it just chucks rocks at your face. At full health it can handle either Wailord or hypothetically Jellicent (Cursed Body and Scald burn chances make this tough tho), but not in succession. Poor mu.

Krookodile: Spam EQ to sweep. Brings Costa down to Sturdy and after boosts will ohko the other two. Costa will always Shell Smash turn 1 and won’t outspeed after a boost, making you completely safe against it. Flawless mu.

Volcarona: Signal Beam 2hkos Costa and Wailord. Costa will always just Smack Down turn 1 and burning it won’t save you, live Scald from Wailord easily. Jellicent walls you. Poor mu.

Colress

Krook is 50, rest are 51

Azumarill: 2hko Metang, Klinklang, and Beheeyem by attacking. You can beat 1 one the Mags potentially but trying to beat both will fail. Decent.

Magnezone: Discharge 2hkos the non-Mags, none can really harm you. The Mags themselves are basically a war of attrition but same as the others they can’t really harm you and you have more items than Colress does + the power of Metal Sound. Good mu.

Crobat: Only mon you’ll beat is Beheeyem as it Calm Minds turn 1. All other pokemon wall it completely, Mags are especially impossible since they paralyze and hit super effectively. Terrible mu.

Krookodile: Ohkos everything with EQ / Crunch for Beheeyem. Mags 2hko you with Flash Cannon, which makes getting around them a little tricky; after koing Ton, there’s a chance Zone will boom on you, which you can Hyper Potion on to survive. However, you would have to potion on Klang again to survive the Giga Impact. If you avoid Zone altogether and heal it off-screen, Klang will instead spam Shift Gear so it’s guaranteed that way. Given how tough Colress I’m liable to call this a good mu, despite the outside help.

Volcarona: Everything is ohkod except for Beheeyem, who is ohkod if you’re holding SilverPowder (I held Cheri Berry to avoid a Twave). Missing Fire Blast can suck but it’s only really critical against Metang who carries Rock Slide, you can eat hits vs everything else. Good mu.

Ghetsis

Krook and Crobat 51, rest 52

Azumarill: You physically cannot take on Cofagrigus because attacking it means losing Huge Power. Sweeping here will generally not work as Eelektross will inevitably revenge you (and even if that’s gone you’re gonna get 3hkod by whatever you get a Work Up on, putting you in range of the next mon). 1v1, you 2hko everything. Eelektross outspeeds and 2hkos, same with Hydra but you can knock it within range of Life Orb with Superpower. Decent.

Magnezone: 2hko Cofag, Drap, and Kroak. Hydra is 3hkod while Toed and Eel wall you. Because Drap and Kroak carry supereffective coverage the only mons you’re reliably beating are Cofag and Hydra, but given how important it is to wall Hydra I think you can still call this a decent mu.

Crobat: Toed is 2hkod by Acrobatics; Hydra 2hkod after LO recoil. Kroak is ohkod, obviously. Rest are 3hkod. Cofag will beat you with Psychic, Eel also beats you obviously. Decent.

Krookodile: Cofag is 2hkod by Crunch, however attacking it means you’ll lose Moxie so you’ll at least have to switch out after defeating it. Seismitoed comes in next, but EQ 2hkos and Muddy Water doesn’t ohko back, so as long as you don’t get your accuracy dropped you can start your Moxie chain even here. Drap and Kroak come in next for some reason, free attack boosts there. At +3, Hydra is ohkod by Low Kick and Eel dies immediately after. Great mu.

Volcarona: Fire Blast is a 2hko on Cofag, however given Protect and inaccuracy it can be tricky plus when I attempted it I got a double down. Toed is 2hkod by Signal Beam. Hydra comes in next, outspeeds, and ohkos with Rock Slide. Drapion and Eel are both 2hkod by SIgnal Beam (the former potentially being ohkod by Fire Blast) and Kroak is ohkod by Psychic. Decent.

Grimsley

Krook is 60, Volc 59, rest 57

Azumarill: Sweep is unfeasible here as multiple Night Slashes from Liepard puts you into range of Krook. 1v1 you ohko Liepard, Krook (if you dodge Intimidate, at -1 it’s a roll), and Bisharp. Scrafty is 2hkod. Good mu.

Magnezone: Going for Charge Beam boosts isn’t worth it cuz Krook comes right in after you knock out Liepard. Tbolt ohkos Liepard and 2hkos Scrafty / Bish. If Scrafty Brick Breaks you, you’ll have to heal in order to beat Bish, but I found that Scrafty will click Rock Tomb against you sometimes instead of Brick Break; if you Twave him on Rock Tomb it’ll lock him into a loop of lowering speed, allowing you to safely 2hko him and be healthy enough to take on Bish after. This took a couple tries for me to get though, as he just clickx Brick Break sometimes, so it’s up to you to consider if this is a good strategy or not. Avoid Krook. Decent/good.

Crobat: 2hko Liepard, Scrafty, and Krook (w/o Intimidate) with Acrobatics. You’ll need to heal if you want to beat Krook as it’ll Rock Tomb you, outspeed next turn and finish you off with Crunch. Bish walls you and you cannot Screech it down due to Defiant. Decent mu.

Krookodile: Outspeed and ohko Liepard with EQ. Bish comes in next for some ungodly reason and dies. At that point, everything else just drops to EQ. Great mu.

Volcarona: Set up and sweep. 2 QDs are needed to ohko Scrafty, which can be risky to get on Liepard, especially if you are a male, due to the combo of Attract and Aerial Ace. Otherwise, you ohko everything at +2. Good mu.

Caitlin

Levels are the same as Grimsly

Azumarill: Set up and sweep. Musharna goes for Reflect in this mu, which makes things a little slower, making +2 Waterfall a 3hko, but by the time you kill Mush Reflect will have worn off. Goth and Sigi both outspeed but Goth Calm Minds turn 1 and Sigi does not ohko with Psychic. All die to Waterfall. Good mu.

Magnezone: In order to clean sweep you need to use Musharna as fodder for Charge Beam boosts. If you can get up to +3 you’ll be able to ohko Reuni, which is important as Focus Blast into Sigilyph will kill you. However, given that you need 3 70% chances for a boost on a 90% accurate move that’s dealing damage to your setup fodder is kinda tight. When it works tho, you clean sweep. Good mu.

Crobat: Beat Musharna for obvious reasons, although Reflect means you’ll need to Screech a bit. At full you live Sigilyph’s Psychic and 2hko back with Acrobatics. Lose to Goth and Reuni. Decent.

Krookodile: Spam Crunch to win lol. Interestingly Caitlin will switch her Musharna out turn 1 to go to Reuni, but this doesn’t save her as you just 2hko that with Crunch. Sigi comes in next, gets outsped and drops. Rest obviously die lol. Flawless mu.

Volcarona: Set up and sweep. At +2 everything gets ohkod no sweat. Not much more to say, flawless mu.

Shauntal

Volc and Krook are 59, rest 57

Azumarill: Once again you have to avoid Cofag as Mummy nullifies your Huge Power. At full health you beat Chandelure and Golurk, but Drifblim outspeeds and 2hkos you before you 2hko it. Decent.

Magnezone: 2hko Cofag with either TBolt or Charge Beam into +1 Charge Beam. Even at +2, however, you fail to ohko Golurk with Flash Cannon (Metal Coat likely makes the difference here but I was running Magnet and I had really bad luck even getting to +2 anyways). You beat Drifblim pretty easily but fall to Chandelure unless you get some good paralysis luck. Decent/good.

Crobat: Cofag 2hkos you with Psychic before you can Screech it down. Acro 3hkos Chandelure after berry and you’re 2hkod in return. Acro 2hkos Blim while it 2hkos you, and 3hkos Golurk while it 3hkos you (it’ll win if she has a potion to use). Decent.

Krookodile: You 1v1 Cofag pretty easily but you lose your Moxie afterwards. Even without Moxie tho you sweep pretty hard, ohkoing Chandy and Blim and 2hkoing Golurk. You’ll likely be left on red afterwards. Great mu.

Volcarona: Set up and sweep. At +2, you ohko everything except Chandy, who is 2hkod by Psychic. With the SpDef boosts you easily eat the Fire Blast in retaliation. Great mu.

Marshall

Krook and Volc are 60, rest 57

Azumarill: Waterfall 3hkos Throh / Conk, 2hkos Sawk / Shao. You can beat Throh, Sawk, and Mienshao 1v1 but Conk 2hkos with Hammer Arm even unboosted. Decent/good.

Magnezone: Tbolt 3hkos Throh / Conk (after berry), 2hkos Sawk / Shao. Avoid Throh as he kills you with Bulldoze. Conk likes to Bulk Up turn 1, if you get a Charge Beam boost you can ko him next turn with Tbolt and be strong enough to ohko Mienshao next turn. Sawk will ultimately revenge kill you tho. Decent mu.

Crobat: Acro 2hkos Throh / Conk, brings Sawk down to Sturdy, and ohkos Mienshao. Even after a Rock Tomb everything is outsped. Conk can either Bulk Up or Stone Edge, if he goes for the latter he’ll wreck you but if he goes for the former you’ll still 2hko him. Good mu.

Krookodile: EQ 2hkos Throh / Sawk, ohkos Mienshao, and 3hkos Conk after berry. Funnily enough I managed to sweep here by critting Throh turn 1, as I outsped Mienshao and killed that after, giving me enough boosts to ohko Conk and preserving the hp to live a BB from Sawk. This is pretty unlikely but I thought it was cool. 1v1 you beat Throh (forces you to switch out after tho cuz of the speed drop), Mienshao, and Sawk, Conk is a no-go. Decent/good.

Volcarona: Don’t bother trying to set up on Throh cuz of Rock Tomb. I actually succeeded with Mienshao, as it went for Bounce, which doesn’t ohko and gives me 2 QDs. At +2 both it and Conk die but Sawk blocks you cuz lul Sturdy. Decent.

Iris

Azumarill (57): 1v2 you beat every member of Iris’s team. Note for Lapras that you need to Return into Superpower to kill, as if you just spam Superpower it’ll beat you. Unfortunately it will likely not beat more than 1 mon in a row to due getting worn down over time and lack of ability to ohko in this mu outside of Aggron / Archeops. Decent.

Magnezone (57): 2hko everything with Tbolt / FC, except for Arch who is ohkod. Only mons you’re beating 1v1 are Drudd, Arch, Lapras, and Aggron, but you’ll need healing to take them on. You can also paralyze Hydra, but not Haxorus since Mold Breaker EQ destroys you. Decent.

Crobat (58): 1v1 you beat Hydra (must Screech turn 1 so she can’t beat you with potion), Drudd, and Haxorus assuming it just spams DD. Lose hard to rest, need healing to take more than one opponent on. Decent/bad.

Krookodile (60): At lead you can get a mini moxie sweep by spamming Outrage into Hydra and Drudd; Hydra is 2hkod and Drudd is ohkod at +1. Unfortunately, Lapras comes in next and eats even a +2 Outrage so your sweep ends there. Even if you beat Hydra and lured out Aggron to get the chain started on that, you’d eventually hit Haxorus who cockblocks you with Focus Sash. 1v1 you beat any member of her team, but unless it’s Aggron and another you’d need healing to take multiple. Giving it good to reflect the mini spree it can go on, resulting in multiple mons down and a broken Focus Sash on Hax.

Volcarona (60): Set up and sweep. At +2, everything is ohkod except for Lapras, who is 2hkod, and Hax, who is brought to Sash. The former is your biggest roadblock since it likes to Sing, but this is inaccurate as is and you can hold a Chesto berry and still ohko everything you normally would. I met Hax at ~90 hp and it preferred to DD rather than attack me. Great mu.

Noms:

:Azurill: to B: Azumarill has some impressive power but has issues making the most of it. You have a hard time getting off the ground as Azurill is pretty bad and Azumarill's first gym is full of Grass types, but you begin to pick up at midgame (according to Drums you can even sweep Elesa, which is insane for a Water type). As it continues though, its low Speed and lack of relevant resistances really begins to weigh down on it, to the point that by endgame it fails to sweep most fights (I managed to beat Caitlin at least, which Drums reportedly did not). Regardless, I think it carries its weight enough for B.

:Magnemite: to B: The ultimate "better on paper than in practice" mon. Magnemite is worshipped for its defensive capabilities, which are quite good, but ultimately don't mean a whole lot when you can't threaten the mons you're walling, and Magnemite fails to threaten much of anything until Skyla. Sonicboom cleaves through Roxie, but falls off a cliff immediately after, meaning that you fail to meaningfully damage Burgh or Elesa, meaning that they can actually bring you down unless you heal / get lucky, and I don't think I need to tell you what happens at Clay. Once you get to Skyla and get evolved into Magnezone you start picking up a lot, as it finally gets some good moves and its all-around solid stats, but lack of reliable setup and meaningful coverage means that Zone can still struggle in certain mus. Despite its unique properties, it doesn't really perform that much differently than the better Electrics in the game, like Elekid and Jolteon, so I think this should go to B with them.

:Zubat: to C: Despite getting a strong STAB move for once, Crobat still has plenty of issues it suffers from. In terms of positives, it's incredibly fast, has Acrobatics, and matches up pretty well into Marshall, one of the hardest bosses in the game. As for the negatives, it has average Attack, poor coverage, and zero setup capabilities beyond Screech, which leaves it pretty weak going into the lategame. While Crobat is reliant on it for damage output, Acrobatics proves to be a double-edged sword, forcing Crobat to miss out on otherwise useful items to achieve anything close to a strong STAB move. For most major battles, Crobat is relegated to picking off certain targets, failing to full sweep much of anything. With that said, it is rarely ever dead weight in any mu (except against Colress lol) and is overall quite competent. so I think C is reasonable.

:Sandile: to S: Krookodile is an insane Pokemon, possessing great stats, typing, moves, and the incredibly efficient Moxie. With a boost under its belt, STAB EQ will cleave through anything that isn't immune to it, and whatever is immune to it Krook has the coverage for, like Crunch, Rock Slide, Low Kick, even crazy shit like Outrage. When I had originally used it, I held off on evolving Krokorok in order to get EQ as early as possible, which resulted in a weak period with Krokorok which I believed was enough to drag it down to A, but as Ryota demosntrated in his run, doing this is not necessary at all; the only two mu an earlier EQ aids in, Drayden and Marlon, Krook can sweep anyways, and evolving it early provides Krook a good Skyla mu to boot. So with that in mind, its only truly bad mu is Clay, and, to an extent, Marshall, although you can still dent him pretty well. I think this makes Sandile a clear S.

:Volcarona: to B: Volcarona is an insane investment, requiring a backtrack and multiple move tutors to get it going. Even then, Volcarona is a mixed, only getting a good mu on Drayden via Will-o-Wisp and Signal Beam spam, and suffering vs Skyla, Marlon, and even Ghetsis, to an extent (it does have a good Colress mu, although annoying dealing with Fire Blast inaccuracy). The payoff comes at League, when you learn QD and sweep the first three members cold. Even Marshall can get dented with Psychic, and it takes at least 5 against Iris, potentially even full sweeping her if you bait Haxorus into DDing. While Volc is a heavy investment, and that alone will be a major turnoff to people, I believe its insane endgame, and overall competency before then, justifies it being in B.

Currently in the middle of a run featuring Tepig, among others. Once I finish and post my results, I will look into the nominations we've accrued so far and see if there's enough to make some tiering decisions. Until then, thank you for reading!
Actually I did sweep Caitlin with Azumarill at +4. I might have said something wrong in the assessment above. Azumarill does sweep Caitlin, it's just the slowest sweep in the world with 100 base Attack you'll ever see.

I've already said my piece on Volcarona, but I think we probably need to come to a concrete conclusion regarding the Swords of Justice and Volcarona sometime. I think it's up in the air if they are B or C. Anything post-Clay and especially post Skyla really doesn't help with availability.

I can live with Volcarona in B, but I think it should be the lowest of the low B's because of how ridiculous the investment combined with Slow growth.
 

Ryota Mitarai

Shrektimus Prime
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Did a run with Oshawott / Azurill / Timburr (No Trade) / Roselia / Heracross / Zorua. Missing matchup = bad/didn't try

Oshawott -> B / A, depending on policy
Samurott

Cheren(13): Oran Berry. Water Gun is a roll for a 2HKO on Patrat. At level 14, it is still a roll, but it's highly favorable for a 2HKO. Lillipup seems to be 3HKOed by Water Gun while +1 Tackle 3HKOes you. You sweep if you are at full, which is more likely if you are level 14.

Roxie(17): Pecha Berry. Razor Shell 3HKOes Koffing, though a Defense drop turns it into a 2HKO. Whirlipede is OHKOed by Razor Shell in Torrent range after two Tail Whips, which is easily achievable. Great matchup

Burgh(24): Eviolite. Fury Cutter spam can net you a sweep. Basically, if you hit all of them, you KO Swadloon in three hits, OHKO Leavanny on rolls, then deals with Dwebble with Water Pulse. Dewott is slower than Swadloon after two String Shots, so it gets two free turns. However, a miss will almost certainly ruin the sweep. Meh matchup

Elesa(30): Eviolite. Volt Switch from Emolga is a 3HKO (without Eviolite, it's a 2HKO and doesn't put you in Torrent range). Flaaffy is 2HKOed on rolls by Water Pulse and 2HKOed for sure by Dig. Emolga takes heavy damage from Torrent-boosted Razor Shell, but it's not enough to KO it. Meh matchup

Clay(33): Mystic Water. Outspeeds Krokorok and Sandslash. OHKOes Krokorok with Water Pulse and OHKOes Sandslash on rolls with Water Pulse. Excadrill is 2HKOed. If you are at full health, Dewott is 3HKOed by everything but Bulldoze, but Excadrill doesn't go for that, as Dewott is slower. Fairly good, even if the sweep isn't 100% consistent

Skyla(40): Mystic Water. Surf OHKOes Swoobat and 2HKOes Skarmory. It also 3HKOes Swanna (not counting berry), but it's faster and spams Air Slash, so it's not reliable. However, if it triggers Torrent after first Air Slash, Surf will KO without triggering berry, but you will have to heal against Skarmory. Decent

Drayden(50): Expert Belt. Blizzard in hail OHKOes everything. However, Haxorus and Flygon are faster and Haxorus will finish you off. Decent if you are not soloing

Marlon(53): Leftovers. Surf 2HKOes Carracosta. Wailord can be locked into Amnesia with Encore and then you can do whatever you want with it. Avoid Jellicent. Decent

Colress(54): Cheri Berry. Outspeeds and KOes Magneton with Surf + Dig (Surf seems to be a 2HKO, but no idea if there are rolls involved). Megahorn OHKOes Beheeyem on rolls, which strikes you with Energy Ball if it doesn't die. Klinklang is faster and goes for Shift Gear if you are at full health, so lock it into it with Encore and spam Surf. Metang is 2HKOed by Surf. Decent/good, depending on how many Pokemon you take out

Ghetsis(54/55): Mystic Water. Surf 2HKOes Cofagrigus. It is possible to lock it into Protect if it uses it while you throw in a Full Restore. If you manage to, you can set up rain and finish it off. Eelektross and Seismitoad are OHKOed by Surf under rain, with the former being outsped. Drapion and Toxicroak are also OHKOed in rain, with the former being faster. When you don't have rain, you may potentially get yourself into Torrent range, which you use to OHKO Drapion and Toxicroak. Takes out four Pokemon at worst and five Pokemon at best, depending on if you fight Coffin or not. Fairly good

Shauntal(59): Mystic Water. The SD route here is inefficient, because Drifblim comes after Coffin and outspeeds you (+ Aqua Jet is unlikely to OHKO, but I didn't try it). It's easier to just use Surf to beat Chandelure and Golurk. The former hits you with Energy Ball, but you live it. Okay-ish matchup

Grmsley: Mystic Water. Surf OHKOes Liepard. Krookodile comes in and 3HKOes with EQ (you take one after Night Slash). Rain Dance and heal up. You then OHKO Krookodile, at which point you are in Torrent range. Outspeed and OHKO the rest. Pretty good matchup

Caitlin: Silverpowder. Megahorn puts Musharna in red. Heal off sleep and finish off Musharna. Gothitelle gets locked into CM with Encore and you then 1v1 Reuniclus. Sigilyph finishes you off. You can use the SD + X-Scissor strategy, I merely wanted to see what non-SD can do here

Marshal: Mystic Water. It seems like it can only take on Sawk or Conkeldurr before fainting, as it will be too damage to take on the next Pokemon (nothing gets OHKOed by Torrent Surf outside of Mienshao, which is faster). Bad matchup


Oshawott's ranking depends a lot on how much value you place on sweeping. Oshawott doesn't really sweep, but it rarely has bad matchups and the ones that it has are far from each other, so Oshawott always feels somewhat useful. I myself sanctioned Braviary in the past for not sweeping, though, so I will be consistent and lean towards B, but I wouldn't really mind A-tier if we value consistency as much as sweeping a good amount of fights (we might have to reconsider my Braviary nomination in that case, though). With that said, it performs very well despite lacking a setup move for most parts, being capable of beating almost the entire teams of Ghetsis and Colress, for example, which is why I think A-tier is also possible even if it doesn't sweep; again, it's a matter of policy

By the way, SD Samurott feels like a complete scam. Grimsley seems more sweepable with a special set and Shauntal is not sweepable anyways. Unless you really want that Caitlin sweep, though nothing's stopping you from running SD / X-Scissor / Surf / Rain Dance to accomplish a Grimsley and Caitlin sweep in one.

Azurill -> B
Azumarill

Cheren(13): Oran Berry. Frustration 2HKOes Patrat, which 3HKOes with +1 Tackle. Charm Lillipup twice and 3HKO it with Frustration as it struggles to damage you meaningfully.

Roxie(17): Silk Scarf. Koffing's attacks seem to be 6-7HKOs. You need to get to +5 with Work Up for Return to OHKO Whirlipede (+4 OHKOes Koffing) and heal while setting up. Meh matchup

Burgh(24): Silk Scarf. Charm Swadloon, which seems to make it go for Struggle Bug most of the time, and set up three Work Ups. Return OHKOes Swadloon and Leavanny. By the time you reach Dwebble, there's a good chance you will be in red HP, so you may wanna heal at that point to sweep. Decent matchup

Elesa(30): Cheri Berry. Emolga 3HKOes with Volt Switch. Use Work Up while it switches into Flaaffy, then outspeed and OHKO with Dig. Emolga Volt Switches out again and brings in Zebstrika, which promptly dies to Dig next turn. Heal against Emolga and OHKO it with Aqua Tail. Decent matchup

Clay(33): Mystic Water. -1 Aqua Tail OHKOes Krokorok and 0 Aqua Tail OHKOes the rest. The AI here is essentially random and it's hard to say consistently what the outcome will be, but in worst case scenarios, you need to heal once and, in best case scenario, you sweep without healing. Good

Skyla(40): Mystic Water. Aqua Tail OHKOes Swoobat and 2HKOes Skarmory (never checked for rolls, but it's high yellow). Don't bother with Swanna, as it isn't 2HKOed and can Featherdance you. Decent

Drayden(50): Silk Scarf. +2 Return OHKOes everything. Azumarill is left in red by the time it beats Haxorus. You can use Ice Punch to make the matchup faster/safer, but in worst case scenariom you heak up once if you get very unlucky. Good matchup

Marlon(53): Silk Scarf. Aqua Tail 2HKOes Carracosta if it goes for Shell Smash. Azumarill outspeeds and 2HKOes Wailord with Return. Jellicent is put in yellow (before berry) by +2 Aqua Tail if you want to go that far. Decent

Colress(54): Mystic Water. Outspeeds Beheeyem and Metang. Set up a Work Up on Beheeyem while it CMs and OHKO it with Aqua Tail. Klinklang goes for Shift Gear twice, but Return + Aqua Tail KO it. Metang is OHKOed. Decent matchup. Note: Klinklang's Thunderbolt is a 3HKO, it seems

Ghetsis(54): Mystic Water. It is possible to set up on Drapion by Charming it, Working Up twice, then healing, then KOing Drapion. However, given that you are slower than basically everything, you will inevitably get worn out and won't be able to sweep; Eelektross managed to OHKO me immediately after with crit Thunderbolt, so I don't have high expectations here

Shauntal(59): Mystic Water. Takes out only one threat. Coffin removes Huge Power, the rest hit you hard enough that the next threat outspeeds and KOes you. Meh matchup

Grimsley: Mystic Water. Aqua Tail OHKOes Liepard and Krookodile. Charm spam against Scrafty, Work Up to +2 and heal when needed, then OHKO the rest. Pretty good matchup

Caitlin: Azumarill: Chesto Berry. +3 Return OHKOes Sigilyph and Aqua Tail OHKOes the rest. Gothitelle gives you a free turn with CM and Sigi is the only other Pokemon that is faster. Decent

Marshal: Mystic Water. Beats either Mienshao or Sawk, then dies. Bad matchup


On the other hand, Azurill feels like an easy B-tier. While it has a fantastic mid-game, the evolution method is rather inefficient, as you will need at least two max massages per experience to get to 220 happiness before Aqua Tail, and its completely lacking endgame (seriously, this thing tanks as soon as you beat Colress, unless you count Caitlin as super relevant) outweight this trait quite a bit. I feel bad putting Oshawott in the same tier as Azurill, if I have to be honest

Timburr (No Trade) -> A/merge with Conkeldurr
Gurdurr

Burgh(25): Eviolite. Work Up twice and spam Rock Throw to the win. Nothing on Burgh's team comes close to threatening Gurdurr. Easy sweep

Elesa(30): Eviolite. Bulk Up once while Emolga Volt Switches out (Volt Switch doesn't deal much) and put Flaaffy in red while it paralyzes you. Wake up Slap with Guts activated OHKOes Zebstrika and Rock Throw then OHKOes Emolga. Good matchup, just watch out for unlucky paralyses

Clay(33): Eviolite. Krokorok is likely to hit you with Torment, so simply alternate between Bulk Up and Wake-up slap against Krokorok and Sandslash, which do not threaten you at all, even with Crush Claw in the latter's case. Excadrill is unlikely to KO you either (considering that you won't be very damaged and will have Bulk Up boosts) and dies to Low Kick. Easy sweep

Skyla(40): Eviolite. Beats Swoobat. Swanna is faster and 2HKOes with Air Slash. Meh matchup

Drayden(50): Eviolite. Bulk Up twice then OHKO everything with Low Kick. Even Earth Power deals laughable damage. Easy sweep

Marlon(53): Eviolite. Beats Carracosta, but +2 Scald 2HKOes Gurdurr and then Wailord finishes you off. Meh matchup

Colress(54): Eviolite. Magneton consistently goes for Volt Switch and not Thunder Wave (this is a 3-4HKO). So Rock Tomb Magnezone on the switch and then KO it with Low Kick. Switch out against Beheeyem and bring Gurdurr back against Klinklang. Bulk Up twice while Klinklang tries to outset you, then OHKO it with Low Kick (it won't attack you). Metang is outsped and OHKOed (+1 is an OHKO on rolls). If you are healthy enough, you may even KO Magneton without having to heal. Fairly good

Ghetsis(54/55): Eviolite. If you can lure in Drapion, you can spam Bulk Up on it (has to be at least three), then spamming Low Kick (and Dig for Toxicroak), though you will have to heal when facing Seismitoad and hope that you don't get accuracy drops. The rest shouldn't be much of a trouble if you are healthy enough. Okay-ish matchup

Shauntal(59): Eviolite. Pretty bad matchup as a whole, as you take out one threat and then something else comes in and finishes you off.

Grimsley: Eviolite. Bulk Up once then spam Low Kick. Scrafty is the only one that avoids an OHKO. However, you have to heal, as you are slower than everything but Scrafty and will be left at fairly low HP, allowing Scrafty to finish you off. Pretty good matchup. Setting up to +3 can let you sweep without healing, but I ended up nearly fainting, so may not be 100% reliable

Marshal: Eviolite. Throh's Storm Throw is mostly a 5HKO, with very rare instances of 4HKOs (it basically needs to land only high rolls). You Speed tie. Bulk Up twice then 2HKO Throh with Low Kick. Mienshao comes in. If you are not in red, you can Bulk Up at least once (or twice if it goes for Bounce) before healing. If you get to +4, you can freely spam Low Kick while taking little damage from the remaining foes (Conk is 2HKOed after Bulk Up). Decent if you don't mind the risk of critical hits

Iris(60): Eviolite. Low Kick OHKOes Hydreigon on rolls, but it fails to 2HKO you anyways. Heal it offscreen. Bring Gurdurr against either Haxorus or Aggron (preferably the latter, but former is good enough). Against Haxorus, set up one Bulk Up and 2HKO with Low Kick. Haxorus will attack you at +2, most likely, but won't KO you. Aggron comes in after Haxorus (instead of Archeops for weird reasons), against which you can simply spam Bulk Up to your heart's content, heal up afterwards, then spam Low Kick. Aggron and Archeops die to this (Acrobatics doesn't threaten you at this point). Lapras is faster and can put you to sleep, but if it misses or it hits, but you wake up turn one (assuming you are healthy enough to live a hit or two), it also dies to Low Kick. Decent, I guess?


I am gonna admit that I was deeply impressed by Gurdurr's performance. It's just insane despite not being fully evolved and even managed to stay somewhat relevant in the endgame, sweeping Grimsley and Marshal (albeit with healing) and taking on Iris quite well. This thing deserves to be in the same tier as Conkeldurr, which isn't significantly better than Gurdurr (in fact, Burgh and Elesa feel better for Gurdurr than Conkeldurr lol). Eviolite really broke this thing, it seems

Roselia -> A
Roserade

Elesa(30): Eviolite. Emolga spams Pursuit, so set up Toxic Spikes and Leech Seed (mostly to stay at full health) then spam Giga Drain. When you reach Zebstrika, you should be at full or naer-full health. Flame Charge is a 3HKO, with boosted Venoshock + poison damage putting Zebstrika in red after berry. Giga Drain on heal turn to recover some HP if you faced it at lower health. After Zebstrika goes down, Flaaffy comes in, but dies to Venoshock. Great matchup

Clay(33): Eviolite. Outspeeds and OHKOes Krokorok and Sandslash with Giga Drain. Excadrill and Roselia 3HKO each other (Bulldoze would be a 2HKO, but Excadrill is faster and thus doesn't pick it). In order to win against Excadrill, you should Leech Seed it, which allows you to outheal tis attacks. Slash crits and Rock Slide flinches can prevent the sweep, but otherwise, Roselia wins this one. Good matchup

Skyla(40): Miracle Seed. Giga Drain puts Swanna in red. Swanna is faster and 2HKOes with Air Slash, but healing from Giga Drain turns it into a 3HKO. Meh matchup

Drayden(50): Rocky Helmet. Set up to +2 with Growth while Druddigon 3HKOes you with whatever it selects. OHKO it with Venoshock (RHelmet damage helps here, otherwise, it's a 2HKO). Flygon comes in, but Roserade outspeeds it naturally and OHKOes it with Giga Drain. Haxorus comes in and spams Dragon Tail, which is a 2HKO. Giga Drain seems to 2HKO even through berry, though only the first one is needed (mostly to make sure you don't get KOed), since Venoshock puts it in red from full. Good matchup

Marlon(53): Miracle Seed. Typical Grass strategy: Giga Drain, Growth, then spam it to OHKO everything. +2 Crunch puts Roserade in red, but it's not an issue. Easy sweep

Colress(54): didn't bother, Weather Ball + sun perhaps works only if you set up sun against Metang

Ghetsis(54/55): Miracle Seed. Psychic is a 3HKO on Roserade, so set up sun and Growth once or twice, depending on if Coffin goes for Protect turn one. +2 Giga Drain OHKOes Cofagrigus and Eelektross. When Seismitoad comes in, you will still have one turn of sun left; set up another Growth for this. Then outspeed and OHKO it and Drapion with Giga Drain. Hydreigon is faster and OHKOes on rolls with Dragon Rush; if you live, you kill it with Venoshock. Toxicroak should die to Giga Drain if it doesn't Sucker Punch or you heal. Decent, but not a consistent sweep

Shauntal(59): Spell Tag. Growth once and then outspeed and OHKO everything with Shadow Ball. I tried this matchup three times and no signs of rolls. Easy sweep

Grimsley: Miracle Seed. You get 2HKOed by pretty much everything. You can 1v1 Liepard and beat Krokorok if you heal offscreen (EQ puts you in red). Scrafty can also be defeated, but I don't think you can do that if you don't heal again. Kind of average

Caitlin: Spell Tag. Growth twice, heal off sleep, then outspeed and OHKO everything with Shadow Ball. Great matchup

Marshal: Miracle Seed. Sunny Day, Growth, put Throh in healing range with Giga Drain, then Growth again. You can then OHKO Throh and recover to full HP. Mienshao outspeeds you due to Speed debuffs and OHKOes with Bounce. Bring Roserade back against Sawk or Conkeldurr (preferably the former). Conkeldurr 2HKOes with Stone Edge. However, +1 Giga Drain 2HKOes it and heals you out of KO range. In addition, Roserade barely lives a +1 Stone Edge, so it has a good chance of winning this. Sawk is slower and doesn't threaten you enough due to Giga Drain spam. Decent per experience, but unfortunate IVs might turn this into okay-ish matchup


Roselia is probably the single best Grass-type Pokemon in this game. It has basically all good traits of the other Grass-types, which are great setup moves (Growth in its case) and high immediate power. I don't think this is close to S-tier at all, but Roselia easily outshines basically every Grass-type in existance, even Snivy

By the way, much like SD Samurott, Petal Dance on Roserade seems like a huge scam. I never had a moment when I needed Petal Dance. This allowed me to run Venoshock or another coverage move (like Shadow Ball) with little difficulty. You should still keep it unevolved for Clay so you can relearn Growth, though (since Roserade doesn't learn it by level)

Heracross -> leaning towards A, but can live with B
Heracross

Elesa(30): Soft Sand. Emolga is faster and Volt Switches into Zebstrika, so you predict that and go for Dig, which OHKOes Zebstrika. Then you do the same to KO Flaaffy. Strength is a 2HKO on Emolga no matter if Guts is active or not. The only way to not sweep here is to get very unlucky with Static. Great matchup

Clay(33): Expert Belt. Outspeeds and OHKOes Krokorok with Brick Break. Sandslash lives a 0 Close Combat and Bulldozes you, so it's best to skip it. You can switch Heracross in against Excadrill separately and OHKO it with Close Combat (Excadrill is faster, but Rock Slide flinches are your only issue). Brick Break also OHKOed, but I didn't verify for rolls, so Close Combat should be safer

Skyla(40): Expert Belt. Swanna and Swoobat are faster and OHKO you. Due to this shock, I never bothered to test it against Skarmory (I suspect you also lose there). Awful matchup

Drayden(50): Leftovers. Work Up twice then OHKO everything with Brick Break. Rock Slide flinches are your only issue. Easy sweep

Marlon(53): Expert Belt. Brick Break puts Carracosta in red. Work Up on heal turn if you didn't get burned turn one. Then KO it. Outspeed and OHKO Wailord with Close Combat and Jellicent with Night Slash / Shadow Claw. Burn from +2 Scald doesn't seem to put in range for burn to finish you off, but it also depends on your remaining HP. Regardless, great matchup

Colress(54): Cheri Berry. Outspeeds and KOes Magneton with Brick Break. Magnezone is 2HKOed and will explode on you or go for Discharge before fainting. Switch out against Beheeyem and Full Restore offscreen. Heracross OHKOes Klinklang with Close Combat while it Shift Gears and Metang is 2HKOed by Brick Break + Close Combat while Zen Headbutt fails to KO you without flinches. Fairly good

Ghetsis(54/55): Expert Belt. +1 Night Slash OHKOes Cofagrigus and mummified +1 CC OHKOes Eelektross. Switch out against Hydreigon and throw in a Full Restore offscreen. Bring Heracross back against anything, set up a Work Up, then OHKO everything with CC or Dig. Drapion, in particular, is faster, but shouldn't be much of a problem if you are healthy (Poison Fang is a 3HKO at -1). Decent

Shauntal(59): Expert Belt. +1 statused Night Slash OHKOes Coffin. Switch out against Chandelure. If you can bring in Golurk after Chandelure, you can set up one Work Up, then outspeed and OHKO everything with Night Slash, since Drifblim otherwise lives a Night Slash and OHKOes with Acrobatics. Okay-ish

Grimsley: Expert Belt. Brick Break spam to beat Liepard, Bisharp, and Scrafty, of which the former outspeeds and puts you in yellow with Aerial Ace. Krookodile failed to KO me with Dragon Claw, but feel free to heal just in case, then OHKO with Close Combat. Very good

Caitlin: Status orb. Work Up once then outspeed and OHKO everything with Night Slash. Easy sweep

Marshal: Status Orb. Beats Throh and either Conk or Sawk. Okay-ish

Iris(60): Status orb. OHKO Hydreigon with CC (slower, but lives a Flamethrower). Heracross outspeeds and OHKOes Druddigon, Aggron, and Lapras, being able to live status in all those three turns. Decent


Personally, even though its availability is a complete garbage, I am not feeling 100% convinced by B-tier. Heracross has high power and very few bad matchups (Skyla is the only outright bad matchup). I am personally sucker for stuff that can OHKO so many Pokemon on Iris's team as well. I can live with B-tier, but personally, I'd give A-tier some consideration.

Zorua -> B
Zoroark

Clay(33): Expert Belt. Low Kick 2HKOes Krokorok and Exca. Exca Bulldozes you and KOes you, so you only take out Krokorok. Meh matchup

Skyla(40): Blackglasses. Outspeeds and OHKOes Swoobat with Night Slash. +1 Night Slash puts Swanna in red. +1 Low Kick seems to 3-4HKO Skarmory. You will need to heal against Skarmory to sweep if you cannot lure Swoobat into spamming Heart Stamp. Decent matchup

Drayden(50): Blackglasses. +2 Night Slash OHKOes everything while outspeeding (Druddigon is a roll). However, Druddigon's unboosted Revenge is a 2HKO on roll (seems to be a high one), so you either need the AI to select Revenge only once (or not at all) or you need to disguise as a Ghost-type to lure it into Crunch.

Marlon(53): Blackglasses. +2 Night Slash OHKOes everything while outspeeding (Druddigon is a roll). However, Druddigon's unboosted Revenge is a 2HKO on roll (seems to be a high one), so you either need the AI to select Revenge only once (or not at all) or you need to disguise as a Ghost-type to lure it into Crunch

Colress(54): Cheri Berry. Low Kick 2HKOes Magneton which wastes a turn paralyzing you. Switch Zoroark in against Metang or Beheeyem disguised as a Psychic-waek Pokemon and set up two Hone Claws, then OHKO the rest. Fairly good if you have the correct teammate

Ghetsis(54+): Blackglasses. Hone Claws twice, heal off poison if there is such, then outspeed and OHKO everything with Night Slash / Low Kick / Dig. Without Blackglasses, you will need +3 to OHKO Seismitoad. Doesn't matter what you disguise as, as Coffin seems to poison you no matter what (even with a poison immune Pokemon) and it doesn't have much to hit you with. Easy sweep

Shauntal(59): Rawst Berry. Hone Claws twice, remove burn, then outspeed and OHKO everything with Night Slash. Even if Chandelure burns you, the last Pokemon, Drifblim, gets OHKOed. Great matchup

Grimsley: Expert Belt. Work Up thrice then outspeed and OHKO everything with Low Kick. Scrafty lives a +2, albeit barely. Watch out for Attract, as Zorua is always male. Decent matchup

Caitlin: Chesto Berry. Hone Claws twice then KO everything. Easy sweep

Iris(60): Expert Belt. Outspeeds and 2HKOes Hydreigon with Low Kick (+1 OHKOes), with Flamethrower 3HKOing (I disguised as a Fire-weak Pokemon). Switch out against Druddigon. Bring Zoroark back against either Lapras, Archeops, or Aggron. Aggron dies to Low Kick. Lapras is put in red by Low Kick, so you can set up a Hone Claws to OHKO it (and throw in a Full Restore after, regardless of if it landed a Sing or not; you live a Surf). Archeops is outsped and 2HKOed by Night Slash, turning its attacks into 3HKOes. Zoroark should be able to take out four Pokemon this way. Decent matchup


I think C-tier is heavily underrating Zorua. I discovered that Zoroark's coverage can help it out quite a bit. In particular, Low Kick turns many matchups into reasonably winnable ones, including Marlon (Carracosta), Colress, Ghetsis, Grimsley, and Iris. In addition, Illusion seems to be largely irrelevant; it can help out with some bonuses, but Zoroark rarely depended on it to win; the only two instances I can think of are Drayden (you want to disguise as a Ghost-type there) and Iris (you want something that makes Hydreigon click Surf or Flamethrower) and, in the latter's case, chances are you will have something on your team to satisfy this condition. Combined with how easy Zorua is to grind, I think B-tier is more than deserved

I would have to disagree with A-tier, though. Zorua before the endgame isn't particularly impressive or reliable unless you are abusing Illusion to ridiculous levels, but I am sure this is not something a casual would do. Regardless, I found Zorua a pleasant surprise and would be happy with it being in a high tier.
 
:Volcarona: to B: Volcarona is an insane investment, requiring a backtrack and multiple move tutors to get it going. Even then, Volcarona is a mixed, only getting a good mu on Drayden via Will-o-Wisp and Signal Beam spam, and suffering vs Skyla, Marlon, and even Ghetsis, to an extent (it does have a good Colress mu, although annoying dealing with Fire Blast inaccuracy). The payoff comes at League, when you learn QD and sweep the first three members cold. Even Marshall can get dented with Psychic, and it takes at least 5 against Iris, potentially even full sweeping her if you bait Haxorus into DDing. While Volc is a heavy investment, and that alone will be a major turnoff to people, I believe its insane endgame, and overall competency before then, justifies it being in B.
I'm not sure you'll consistently have Quiver Dance by E4. That's level 59 for a Slow EXP mon in a game in which the champ caps out at level 59. In my experience with B2W2 my team of six capped out at 57-58 by endgame and that was without any Slow EXP mons.

I've already said my piece on Volcarona, but I think we probably need to come to a concrete conclusion regarding the Swords of Justice and Volcarona sometime. I think it's up in the air if they are B or C. Anything post-Clay and especially post Skyla really doesn't help with availability.

I can live with Volcarona in B, but I think it should be the lowest of the low B's because of how ridiculous the investment combined with Slow growth.
I got to side with Drums on this one. Volcarona in B2W2 is an extremely high investment mon that's an entire payoff seems to hinge on what I think is a kind of coin flip achievable bar of reaching level 59 by E4. With QD, B seems fair. But without it, you could argue D honestly. So I think a ranking of C overall seems fair.
 
I'm not sure you'll consistently have Quiver Dance by E4. That's level 59 for a Slow EXP mon in a game in which the champ caps out at level 59. In my experience with B2W2 my team of six capped out at 57-58 by endgame and that was without any Slow EXP mons.



I got to side with Drums on this one. Volcarona in B2W2 is an extremely high investment mon that's an entire payoff seems to hinge on what I think is a kind of coin flip achievable bar of reaching level 59 by E4. With QD, B seems fair. But without it, you could argue D honestly. So I think a ranking of C overall seems fair.
I agree with Wukong here.

Volcarona is a good Pokemon...at the Elite Four. Before the Elite Four, it's doing...uh...
-completely flops versus Skyla
-minimal contributions to Drayden (generally most Bs and above roundhouse Drayden - Reuniclus is a C that failed to beat Drayden).
-laughable for Marlon (not quite as bad as a bleh Drayden MU, but still unhelpful)
-Your viability for Colress depends entirely on, if I am calculating this correctly, a roughly 52% chance of hitting four Fire Blasts with 85% accuracy each. Does that sound good for a dependable B tier? I think not. You don't need it as much for Ghetsis as you have SilverPowder Signal Beam, but still.
-Like Wukong said, yeah you can miss the level 59 benchmark on a Slow growth rate mon. And anything reliable you have before that point is like...an okay Ghetsis matchup and that's it? What exactly does Volcarona do if it misses Quiver Dance?

Yeah I don't want Volcarona in B. It's stretching it extremely even if it has objectively good stats. It has the matchups of a B tier but the investment of a D tier, which averages out to C.

I compare it to GSC Scyther in terms of return on heavy investment: good, but you're better off with actually efficient options.
 

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