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Welcome to Smogon! Take a moment to read the Introduction to Smogon for a run-down on everything Smogon, and make sure you take some time to read the global rules.
S Rank: Reserved for the top threats in the RU metagame. These Pokemon are usually able to perform a variety of roles effectively, or can just do one extremely well with little to no extra support. Their use has low risk involved and high reward exerted. Pokemon in this tier have very few flaws that are patched up by numerous positive traits.
S:
Druddigon
S-:
Durant
Moltres
Sceptile
A Rank: Reserved for Pokemon that are outstanding in the RU metagame and can sweep, wall, or support the majority of the tier. These Pokemon require less support than other Pokemon to be used effectively, but still perform less consistently than the average S rank Pokemon. A rank Pokemon have few flaws that can be overlooked when compared to their positive traits.
A+:
Aerodactyl
Kabutops
Qwilfish
Rotom-C
Slowking
A:
Alomomola
Clefable
Cryogonal
Golurk
Magneton
Rotom
Steelix
Uxie
A-:
Entei
Piloswine
Sigilyph
Spiritomb
Tangrowth
B Rank: Reserved for Pokemon who are slightly above average in the RU metagame. These Pokemon have more notable flaws than of those above it that affects how they function in the tier. Their positive traits still outshine their negatives, but they require a bit more team support to bring out their full potential
B+:
Amoonguss
Drapion
Emboar
Ferroseed
Gallade
Garbodor
Lanturn
Manectric
Mesprit
Omastar
Rhydon
Scolipede
B:
Aggron
Crawdaunt
Escavalier
Hitmonlee
Jynx
Ludicolo
Medicham
Roselia
Rotom-F
Seismitoad
Torterra
B-:
Absol
Accelgor
Altaria
Feraligatr
Galvantula
Haunter
Mandibuzz
Skuntank
Tauros
C Rank: Reserved for Pokemon that have notable niches in the RU metagame, but have just as notable flaws that prevent them from being top tier threats. Pokemon in the C tier often require significant support to be as effective as higher ranked Pokemon in RU. C rank Pokemon tend to face a lot of competition with the more commonly used Pokemon.
C+:
Archeops
Braviary
Cacturne
Cinccino
Crustle
Duosion
Exeggutor
Hariyama
Klinklang
Lilligant
Magmortar
Musharna
Poliwrath
Regirock
Samurott
Sawsbuck
Shiftry
Swellow
C:
Bouffalant
Carracosta
Ditto
Drifblim
Eelektross
Fraxure
Gardevoir
Gurdurr
Kadabra
Kangaskhan
Miltank
Misdreavus
Sawk
Scyther
Smeargle
Victreebel
Volbeat
Weezing
Zangoose
C-:
Charizard
Dragonair
Electivire
Hitmonchan
Liepard
Linoone
Natu
Primeape
Quagsire
Riolu
Rotom-S
Sandslash
Serperior
Simipour
Zweilous
D Rank: Reserved for Pokemon that are RU by usage but are considered unviable in the RU metagame.
Role Compendium (thx to GoldCat for the corrections)
Based off the Viability Rankings listed above, this resource is being posted in order to provide a visual list of which Pokemon do what in the BW RU metagame. The main idea behind this is basically helping the players find Pokemon that could fit in their teams when looking for a specific role, or simply help them build more diverse teams by not always using the same Pokemon to fill the same role.
You will find below a table that contains the various roles a BW RU team might need. For each of these roles there will be an exhaustive list of which Pokemon can fulfill the mentioned role.
*In Generation 5, Electric-types can be paralyzed by Thunder Wave and Glare. Stun Spore can paralyze everything, whether it is Electric-types, Grass-types, Pokemon with Lightning Rod, Motor Drive and/or Volt Absorb. Glare can also paralyze Ground-types.
