also molt kinda shits on standard wisp pult and it’s really common rn
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Resource SV OU Indigo Disk Viability Ranking Thread - (update on post #1002))
- Thread starter ausma
- Start date
Torn-T to B+? Some sort of revelation must have happened to benefit it? I'm all for it but what has benefited torn-t?In the spirit of sharing our votes and the ideas behind them, I will hop on the bandwagon!
S Rank
Great Tusk
Zamazenta
S- Rank
Gholdengo
Kingambit
Samurott-Hisui
A+ Rank
Darkrai
Dragapult
Dragonite
Gliscor
Iron Moth
Iron Valiant
Landorus-Therian
Kyurem
Ogerpon-Wellspring
Raging Bolt
Ting-Lu
Zapdos
A Rank
Cinderace
Garganacl
Glimmora
Pecharunt
Roaring Moon
Slowking-Galar
Tinkaton
A- Rank
Alomomola
Corviknight
Deoxys-Speed
Enamorus
Hatterene
Iron Crown
Lokix
Manaphy
Moltres
Primarina
Ursaluna
Walking Wake
Weavile
Weezing-Galar
B+ Rank
Clodsire
Dondozo
Hydrapple
Latios
Ninetales
Ninetales-Alola
Ogerpon
Rillaboom
Scizor
Sinistcha
Slither Wing
Torkoal
Tornadus-Therian
B Rank
Araquanid
Barraskewda
Clefable
Garchomp
Greninja
Hoopa-Unbound
Latias
Meowscarada
Ogerpon-Cornerstone
Okidogi
Pelipper
Ribombee
Serperior
Skarmory
Toxapex
Volcanion
B- Rank
Blaziken
Blissey
Ceruledge
Excadrill
Hawlucha
Hydreigon
Iron Boulder
Moltres-Galar
Reuniclus
Rotom-Wash
Skeledirge
Tyranitar
Fezandipiti
Iron Hands
Venusaur
C+ Rank
Blaziken
Cresselia
Grimmsnarl
Heatran
Lilligant-Hisui
Mamoswine
Necrozma
Overqwil
C Rank
Amoonguss
Bellibolt
Chansey
Comfey
Diancie
Enamorus-Therian
Goodra-Hisui
Indeedee
Iron Jugulis
Kommo-o
Mandibuzz
Maushold
Polteageist
Sandy Shocks
Scream Tail
Thundurus-Therian
D Rank
Arcanine-Hisui
Azumarill
Basculegion
Cyclizar
Hippowdon
Jirachi
Kingdra
Muk
Quagsire
Quaquaval
Talonflame
Wo-Chien
Unranked/Did Not Rank
Deoxys-Defense
Pincurchin
Suicune
Mimikyu
Vileplume
A+ to S-
I am the only person who voted to move Hisuian Samurott into the S ranks, however I truly think this Pokemon deserves it.
Ceaseless Edge is a genuinely insane click; I cannot state enough how absurdly useful it is to be able to layer Spikes while dishing out damage, especially considering Sharpness bolsters it into reliable STAB territory. Ceaseless Edge off of its offensive profile makes every other Spikes user in the tier feel so awful to use in comparison when you could be simultaneously exerting pressure, which is the biggest drawback of Spikes otherwise. Everyone knows this, but let me take this opportunity to explain the metagame-based nuances around it and how this actually propels it into the S-ranks for me.
This dynamic of offensive damage output in tandem with Spike stacking lets Hisuian Samurott structures more reliably get them up, since Ceaseless Edge being Hisuian Samurott's best Dark-type STAB lets it force switches easily. This not only lets it support itself with its own Spikes in the long run, thanks to its priority options, but this also lets it stack even more chip on Dark-type resistant switch-ins with the move itself. However, the big reason why this dynamic is so metagame defining imo comes in its ability to use its Water-type STAB to threaten the tier's most splashable removal option, how stringent hazard removal is in this format, how easy it is to pair Gholdengo with Hisuian Samurott, and how Great Tusk's Close Combat is a luxury as opposed to a fixture. Because Hisuian Samurott sets are becoming less shy to run bulk investment, it's a lot easier for it to contend with standard Great Tusk as well. This makes it stupid hard to clear hazards without either losing a defensive centerpiece to its Water-type STAB or having a gameplan just to clear its Spikes. It's super easy to enable these Spikes with the fact that Hisuian Samurott can also hit hard with a nasty Knock Off or you can easily run Pokemon like Gliscor to strip away Heavy-Duty Boots in the long term.
While this alone 100% warrants A+, I think it is propelled by Hisuian Samurott's underrated versatility giving it way more applications than its stats would let on. It is a staple in Hyper Offense and Bulky Offense alike, and a lot of this can be attributed to the dynamic it possesses with its Spike stacking and the tier's removal, alongside how many sets it can run to anchor its team. AV is probably its best set hugely because of the optimizations made to its bulk investment; the CTC spread or something similar lets it take on a lot of punishment, which can be a big help to more nuanced offensive gameplans and can be slapped onto 90% of teams tbh. Focus Sash is a fantastic lead and is complemented well by it being able to compress the team support you'd get from less all-out offensive teams thanks to its access to Taunt and Knock Off. Swords Dance throttles balance and also works great on Focus Sash sets. HDB 3a sets also work great thanks to its access to Taunt and Encore to both reinforce its team and create more openings to spam Ceaseless Edge. Choice Band and Choice Scarf are both really solid, especially since it has Flip Turn to midground into more reinforced teams. All of its sets are rounded off well with access to strong priority, letting it also secure some nice KOs if it can't quite pick off its target; Aqua Jet into the Donphans is particularly great since it often can't OHKO with Razor Shell/Aqua Cutter. I find that across all of its sets, it is just so stupid easy to put on teams. In fact I feel as though a majority of the teams I build end up having this Pokemon just because of how versatile it is as a hazard setter and teammate.
This Pokemon to me is, alongside Gholdengo, the incarnation of the really volatile hazard dynamic this tier has. Because of that and how well it can lean into it with its wide applications, I truly believe it deserves to be in the S ranks. Not S outright, but S- is perfect for it imo given that its stats are really its primary weakness and can be a major Achilles heel at times.
A- to A+
I continue to be astonished at how underrated this Pokemon is. Not only is its defensive profile just insanely useful in 90% of matchups, but it spreads status like little else in the tier across Discharge, Thunder Wave, and Static while also being a potent defensive/offensive pivot with Volt Switch or U-turn depending on your team's needs. Its set permutations are shockingly (no pun intended) varied.
It can rock a lot of investment in one direction or another, which makes it a great defensive glue that can provide near guaranteed progress or let it be a potent threat. Offensive sets are mad powerful; I've been running a Fairy Tera Blast set with Hurricane and Volt Switch which messes up its primary switch-in in Raging Bolt, and Volt Switch is a great way to funnel in Gholdengo and Slowking-Galar, which also lets it deal generally solid chip to Gholdengo and overall enable powerful offensive teammates.
I think Zapdos does a lot of what makes Moltres potent, but with far more applications thanks to not being 4x weak to Stealth Rock and having less exploitable weak points in general.
B to A
Pecharunt is just kind of crazy. I feel like it took a really long time for people to catch onto it (myself included) because most people were trying to make use of Nasty Plot. While this set can definitely work from time to time, the reality is that a Kingambit-centered metagame makes it a matchup fish, ultimately. However, recently Parting Shot sets have come to play, and this is where Pecharunt becomes a truly excellent Pokemon.
Its solid resistances, perfect Speed tier, and goofy base Defense let it act as a fast disruptor that can also handle a lot of punishment, making it a great alternative to Gholdengo that is more resilient into Iron Valiant. Parting Shot is pretty crazy with it, since it can use this defensive profile to weave in and out of the game thanks to how much of a perfect blend these qualities end up being. Weakening switch-ins with this move can also be a big deal for offensive setup teammates or helping defensive teammates bounce back/handle offense more reliably. Its natural Physical bulk is really felt even with just max HP. Great Tusk can't even come close to OHKOing it, and Booster Attack is a roll in the Pecharunt user's favor, which is crazy and also a highly useful quality given that it would likely be serving the role of your spinblocker. Tera Water lets it expand its defensive applications into matchups where its bulk is most coveted, which makes it really useful in a bevy of matchups.
Malignant Chain with Poison Puppeteer is insanely annoying and can shut down setup sweepers in a pretty noteworthy way; even if Confusion doesn't pan out, badly poisoning your target is really compromising in its own right. The risk of this move is low since it's a very potent STAB move in its own right, but the reward is high with a peak that can shift momentum completely in your way if the odds are in your favor.
Overall, a really useful Pokemon; Parting Shot really lets its powerful disruptive qualities shine in a serious way and I think it's rather unsurprising that it's been seeing an uptick in usage lately.
Lmk if any of you have questions about anything!
Also the difference in the way people on the council rank clef is kinda funny, some rank it in b where i've seen it go as high as a-
Kinda insane, guess it really is hard to tell right now how good clef is? Probably should go to B+ or stay there I guess?
Last edited:
Just wondering, but where's Keldeo on here? I'm guessing its in the B/B- range, but just wanted to confirmIn the spirit of sharing our votes and the ideas behind them, I will hop on the bandwagon!
S Rank
Great Tusk
Zamazenta
S- Rank
Gholdengo
Kingambit
Samurott-Hisui
A+ Rank
Darkrai
Dragapult
Dragonite
Gliscor
Iron Moth
Iron Valiant
Landorus-Therian
Kyurem
Ogerpon-Wellspring
Raging Bolt
Ting-Lu
Zapdos
A Rank
Cinderace
Garganacl
Glimmora
Pecharunt
Roaring Moon
Slowking-Galar
Tinkaton
A- Rank
Alomomola
Corviknight
Deoxys-Speed
Enamorus
Hatterene
Iron Crown
Lokix
Manaphy
Moltres
Primarina
Ursaluna
Walking Wake
Weavile
Weezing-Galar
B+ Rank
Clodsire
Dondozo
Hydrapple
Latios
Ninetales
Ninetales-Alola
Ogerpon
Rillaboom
Scizor
Sinistcha
Slither Wing
Torkoal
Tornadus-Therian
B Rank
Araquanid
Barraskewda
Clefable
Garchomp
Greninja
Hoopa-Unbound
Latias
Meowscarada
Ogerpon-Cornerstone
Okidogi
Pelipper
Ribombee
Serperior
Skarmory
Toxapex
Volcanion
B- Rank
Blaziken
Blissey
Ceruledge
Excadrill
Hawlucha
Hydreigon
Iron Boulder
Moltres-Galar
Reuniclus
Rotom-Wash
Skeledirge
Tyranitar
Fezandipiti
Iron Hands
Venusaur
C+ Rank
Blaziken
Cresselia
Grimmsnarl
Heatran
Lilligant-Hisui
Mamoswine
Necrozma
Overqwil
C Rank
Amoonguss
Bellibolt
Chansey
Comfey
Diancie
Enamorus-Therian
Goodra-Hisui
Indeedee
Iron Jugulis
Kommo-o
Mandibuzz
Maushold
Polteageist
Sandy Shocks
Scream Tail
Thundurus-Therian
D Rank
Arcanine-Hisui
Azumarill
Basculegion
Cyclizar
Hippowdon
Jirachi
Kingdra
Muk
Quagsire
Quaquaval
Talonflame
Wo-Chien
Unranked/Did Not Rank
Deoxys-Defense
Pincurchin
Suicune
Mimikyu
Vileplume
A+ to S-
I am the only person who voted to move Hisuian Samurott into the S ranks, however I truly think this Pokemon deserves it.
Ceaseless Edge is a genuinely insane click; I cannot state enough how absurdly useful it is to be able to layer Spikes while dishing out damage, especially considering Sharpness bolsters it into reliable STAB territory. Ceaseless Edge off of its offensive profile makes every other Spikes user in the tier feel so awful to use in comparison when you could be simultaneously exerting pressure, which is the biggest drawback of Spikes otherwise. Everyone knows this, but let me take this opportunity to explain the metagame-based nuances around it and how this actually propels it into the S-ranks for me.
This dynamic of offensive damage output in tandem with Spike stacking lets Hisuian Samurott structures more reliably get them up, since Ceaseless Edge being Hisuian Samurott's best Dark-type STAB lets it force switches easily. This not only lets it support itself with its own Spikes in the long run, thanks to its priority options, but this also lets it stack even more chip on Dark-type resistant switch-ins with the move itself. However, the big reason why this dynamic is so metagame defining imo comes in its ability to use its Water-type STAB to threaten the tier's most splashable removal option, how stringent hazard removal is in this format, how easy it is to pair Gholdengo with Hisuian Samurott, and how Great Tusk's Close Combat is a luxury as opposed to a fixture. Because Hisuian Samurott sets are becoming less shy to run bulk investment, it's a lot easier for it to contend with standard Great Tusk as well. This makes it stupid hard to clear hazards without either losing a defensive centerpiece to its Water-type STAB or having a gameplan just to clear its Spikes. It's super easy to enable these Spikes with the fact that Hisuian Samurott can also hit hard with a nasty Knock Off or you can easily run Pokemon like Gliscor to strip away Heavy-Duty Boots in the long term.
While this alone 100% warrants A+, I think it is propelled by Hisuian Samurott's underrated versatility giving it way more applications than its stats would let on. It is a staple in Hyper Offense and Bulky Offense alike, and a lot of this can be attributed to the dynamic it possesses with its Spike stacking and the tier's removal, alongside how many sets it can run to anchor its team. AV is probably its best set hugely because of the optimizations made to its bulk investment; the CTC spread or something similar lets it take on a lot of punishment, which can be a big help to more nuanced offensive gameplans and can be slapped onto 90% of teams tbh. Focus Sash is a fantastic lead and is complemented well by it being able to compress the team support you'd get from less all-out offensive teams thanks to its access to Taunt and Knock Off. Swords Dance throttles balance and also works great on Focus Sash sets. HDB 3a sets also work great thanks to its access to Taunt and Encore to both reinforce its team and create more openings to spam Ceaseless Edge. Choice Band and Choice Scarf are both really solid, especially since it has Flip Turn to midground into more reinforced teams. All of its sets are rounded off well with access to strong priority, letting it also secure some nice KOs if it can't quite pick off its target; Aqua Jet into the Donphans is particularly great since it often can't OHKO with Razor Shell/Aqua Cutter. I find that across all of its sets, it is just so stupid easy to put on teams. In fact I feel as though a majority of the teams I build end up having this Pokemon just because of how versatile it is as a hazard setter and teammate.
This Pokemon to me is, alongside Gholdengo, the incarnation of the really volatile hazard dynamic this tier has. Because of that and how well it can lean into it with its wide applications, I truly believe it deserves to be in the S ranks. Not S outright, but S- is perfect for it imo given that its stats are really its primary weakness and can be a major Achilles heel at times.
A- to A+
I continue to be astonished at how underrated this Pokemon is. Not only is its defensive profile just insanely useful in 90% of matchups, but it spreads status like little else in the tier across Discharge, Thunder Wave, and Static while also being a potent defensive/offensive pivot with Volt Switch or U-turn depending on your team's needs. Its set permutations are shockingly (no pun intended) varied.
It can rock a lot of investment in one direction or another, which makes it a great defensive glue that can provide near guaranteed progress or let it be a potent threat. Offensive sets are mad powerful; I've been running a Fairy Tera Blast set with Hurricane and Volt Switch which messes up its primary switch-in in Raging Bolt, and Volt Switch is a great way to funnel in Gholdengo and Slowking-Galar, which also lets it deal generally solid chip to Gholdengo and overall enable powerful offensive teammates.
I think Zapdos does a lot of what makes Moltres potent, but with far more applications thanks to not being 4x weak to Stealth Rock and having less exploitable weak points in general.
B to A
Pecharunt is just kind of crazy. I feel like it took a really long time for people to catch onto it (myself included) because most people were trying to make use of Nasty Plot. While this set can definitely work from time to time, the reality is that a Kingambit-centered metagame makes it a matchup fish, ultimately. However, recently Parting Shot sets have come to play, and this is where Pecharunt becomes a truly excellent Pokemon.
Its solid resistances, perfect Speed tier, and goofy base Defense let it act as a fast disruptor that can also handle a lot of punishment, making it a great alternative to Gholdengo that is more resilient into Iron Valiant. Parting Shot is pretty crazy with it, since it can use this defensive profile to weave in and out of the game thanks to how much of a perfect blend these qualities end up being. Weakening switch-ins with this move can also be a big deal for offensive setup teammates or helping defensive teammates bounce back/handle offense more reliably. Its natural Physical bulk is really felt even with just max HP. Great Tusk can't even come close to OHKOing it, and Booster Attack is a roll in the Pecharunt user's favor, which is crazy and also a highly useful quality given that it would likely be serving the role of your spinblocker. Tera Water lets it expand its defensive applications into matchups where its bulk is most coveted, which makes it really useful in a bevy of matchups.
Malignant Chain with Poison Puppeteer is insanely annoying and can shut down setup sweepers in a pretty noteworthy way; even if Confusion doesn't pan out, badly poisoning your target is really compromising in its own right. The risk of this move is low since it's a very potent STAB move in its own right, but the reward is high with a peak that can shift momentum completely in your way if the odds are in your favor.
Overall, a really useful Pokemon; Parting Shot really lets its powerful disruptive qualities shine in a serious way and I think it's rather unsurprising that it's been seeing an uptick in usage lately.
Lmk if any of you have questions about anything!
The long awaited VR update is now here!:
Newly Added
UR to D
UR to D
UR to D
Rises
B to B+
B to A-
B to B+
B to A-
B- to B
B- to B
-
C+ to B-
C+ to B-
C+ to B
C+ to B-
C to B
C to C+
-
D to C+
D to C+
Drops
S- to A+
S- to A+
-
A+ to A
A to A-
A to A-
A to A-
A- to B+
A- to B+
A- to B+
A- to B+
-
B+ to B
B+ to B
B+ to B
B+ to B
B to B-
B to B-
B to B-
B to B-
B to B-
B to B-
B- to C+
-
C+ to C
C+ to C
C+ to C
C to D
C to D
C to D
C to D
C to D
-
D to UR
D to UR
D to UR
D to UR
D to UR
Major Changes
C to B
(+3 Subrankings)
Sticky Web has been experiencing a serious renaissance in recent weeks, and Araquanid is a major cornerstone around why that is. In short: its bulk, typing, and access to a disgustingly potent Water-type STAB makes it a surprisingly consistent setter that can weave in and out of the game and set them up more than once if needed. Unlike Ribombee, its bulk and matchup into Great Tusk give it consistent value outside of quickly and efficiently setting up webs and maybe paralyzing a Pokemon. Furthermore, this can let it 1v1 Glimmora and Iron Treads, two other noteworthy removal options, and potentially even Corviknight depending on the set. Its bulk also lets it afford an item outside of Focus Sash, giving room for useful tools like Custap Berry which can let it deal some parting damage before fainting. Its high flexibility into removal options and ability to defensively reinforce the structure on top of that makes it not just a niche option, but arguably the best Sticky Web option the archetype has at its disposal (or at least on par with Ribombee).
B to A-
(+2 Subrankings)
Lokix has had one hell of a journey on this VR, with humble beginnings a couple slates ago, having a nice rise last time, and now finally breaking into the A ranks. Its rise is mostly reflective of how useful its niche really is now, as evident by its impressive results on ladder and its presence in SCL. Being able to reliably OHKO virtually every offensive Pokemon in the tier is insurmountably useful considering how insane Speed thresholds have the potential to be in this tier. Its access to STAB Knock Off and U-turn is also a boon to its gameplan, since with the threat of First Impression it is able to seamlessly carve progress and momentum gaining opportunities. It's risen for the same reasons as last time, its niche has just grown more valuable.
B to A-
(+2 Subrankings)
Pecharunt, too, has seen a meteoric rise with shockingly high SPL usage and respectable ladder play. In short, its raw physical bulk and Speed tier lend very well to reinforcing balance and bulky offense structures. Although Kingambit walls it and most Steel-types are highly disruptive, Parting Shot in tandem with its bulk let it maintain consistent value throughout the game and position its teammates. Malignant Chain alongside Poison Puppeteer give it the ability to serve as a looming threat into targets vulnerable to being poisoned, letting it dispatch setup sweepers and make progress. Alongside STAB Hex to somewhat shore up its pitiful offenses and sting Iron Crown/Gholdengo a bit, Pecharunt can be threatening even without investment or boosts. Across all of these neat qualities, Pecharunt has become a much more common OU-caliber Pokemon that teams need to be aware of as its usage increases.
C+ to B
(+2 Subrankings)
Keldeo has been making more of a splash recently, with a solid offensive pivot set seeing an uptick in usage on balance and bulky offenses, similar to Pecharunt. It has been more popularized by a couple of major teams featuring it and Sinistcha that have been particularly popular on ladder. Its primary niche comes in the combination of Flip Turn and Vacuum Wave, two moves that let it keep up the momentum and secure some KOs into targets it can't quite remove without the added firepower of an item slot.
D to C+
(+2 Subrankings)
Tera Steel + Levitate are a nasty duo that have lent to Latios's rise, but these qualities are also present on Hydreigon, a menacing attacker with access to Nasty Plot and innate Steel-type coverage for Fairy-type Pokemon. Although it no longer has Roost, its defensive profile with Tera Steel heavily leverages finding opportunities to boost up and pose a threat while always having intrinsic utility into Kyurem. While it can be overwhelmed somewhat easily, it does have a nice niche over Latios when it comes to raw firepower.
D to C+
(+2 Subrankings)
Clangorous Soul + Throat Spray + Tera Normal + Boomburst, and its typing/access to good coverage I guess. In all seriousness, Kommo-o has seen some success on Ninetales-Alola HO as of recent, which has been a rising archetype in SCL and the ladder. It requires very deliberate positioning due to the expenditure Clangorous Soul requires, but it has the potential to run away with games thanks to the power of this setup move and its convenient resistances to common priority moves like Sucker Punch, Grassy Glide, and Thunderclap.
As always, the floor is open to questions. Me or another VR council member will address them accordingly! Thanks for your patience all.
Newly Added
UR to D UR to D UR to DRises
B to B+ B to A- B to B+ B to A- B- to B B- to B-
C+ to B- C+ to B- C+ to B C+ to B- C to B C to C+-
D to C+ D to C+Drops
S- to A+ S- to A+-
A+ to A A to A- A to A- A to A- A- to B+ A- to B+ A- to B+ A- to B+-
B+ to B B+ to B B+ to B B+ to B B to B- B to B- B to B- B to B- B to B- B to B- B- to C+-
C+ to C C+ to C C+ to C C to D C to D C to D C to D C to D-
D to UR D to UR D to UR D to UR D to URMajor Changes
C to B(+3 Subrankings)
Sticky Web has been experiencing a serious renaissance in recent weeks, and Araquanid is a major cornerstone around why that is. In short: its bulk, typing, and access to a disgustingly potent Water-type STAB makes it a surprisingly consistent setter that can weave in and out of the game and set them up more than once if needed. Unlike Ribombee, its bulk and matchup into Great Tusk give it consistent value outside of quickly and efficiently setting up webs and maybe paralyzing a Pokemon. Furthermore, this can let it 1v1 Glimmora and Iron Treads, two other noteworthy removal options, and potentially even Corviknight depending on the set. Its bulk also lets it afford an item outside of Focus Sash, giving room for useful tools like Custap Berry which can let it deal some parting damage before fainting. Its high flexibility into removal options and ability to defensively reinforce the structure on top of that makes it not just a niche option, but arguably the best Sticky Web option the archetype has at its disposal (or at least on par with Ribombee).
B to A-(+2 Subrankings)
Lokix has had one hell of a journey on this VR, with humble beginnings a couple slates ago, having a nice rise last time, and now finally breaking into the A ranks. Its rise is mostly reflective of how useful its niche really is now, as evident by its impressive results on ladder and its presence in SCL. Being able to reliably OHKO virtually every offensive Pokemon in the tier is insurmountably useful considering how insane Speed thresholds have the potential to be in this tier. Its access to STAB Knock Off and U-turn is also a boon to its gameplan, since with the threat of First Impression it is able to seamlessly carve progress and momentum gaining opportunities. It's risen for the same reasons as last time, its niche has just grown more valuable.
B to A-(+2 Subrankings)
Pecharunt, too, has seen a meteoric rise with shockingly high SPL usage and respectable ladder play. In short, its raw physical bulk and Speed tier lend very well to reinforcing balance and bulky offense structures. Although Kingambit walls it and most Steel-types are highly disruptive, Parting Shot in tandem with its bulk let it maintain consistent value throughout the game and position its teammates. Malignant Chain alongside Poison Puppeteer give it the ability to serve as a looming threat into targets vulnerable to being poisoned, letting it dispatch setup sweepers and make progress. Alongside STAB Hex to somewhat shore up its pitiful offenses and sting Iron Crown/Gholdengo a bit, Pecharunt can be threatening even without investment or boosts. Across all of these neat qualities, Pecharunt has become a much more common OU-caliber Pokemon that teams need to be aware of as its usage increases.
C+ to B(+2 Subrankings)
Keldeo has been making more of a splash recently, with a solid offensive pivot set seeing an uptick in usage on balance and bulky offenses, similar to Pecharunt. It has been more popularized by a couple of major teams featuring it and Sinistcha that have been particularly popular on ladder. Its primary niche comes in the combination of Flip Turn and Vacuum Wave, two moves that let it keep up the momentum and secure some KOs into targets it can't quite remove without the added firepower of an item slot.
D to C+(+2 Subrankings)
Tera Steel + Levitate are a nasty duo that have lent to Latios's rise, but these qualities are also present on Hydreigon, a menacing attacker with access to Nasty Plot and innate Steel-type coverage for Fairy-type Pokemon. Although it no longer has Roost, its defensive profile with Tera Steel heavily leverages finding opportunities to boost up and pose a threat while always having intrinsic utility into Kyurem. While it can be overwhelmed somewhat easily, it does have a nice niche over Latios when it comes to raw firepower.
D to C+(+2 Subrankings)
Clangorous Soul + Throat Spray + Tera Normal + Boomburst, and its typing/access to good coverage I guess. In all seriousness, Kommo-o has seen some success on Ninetales-Alola HO as of recent, which has been a rising archetype in SCL and the ladder. It requires very deliberate positioning due to the expenditure Clangorous Soul requires, but it has the potential to run away with games thanks to the power of this setup move and its convenient resistances to common priority moves like Sucker Punch, Grassy Glide, and Thunderclap.
As always, the floor is open to questions. Me or another VR council member will address them accordingly! Thanks for your patience all.
A few questions:
Tusk seems to be doing better now than it's done in a very long time and Treads continues to hold onto its valuable niche in the tier; with that in mind, why did Sinistcha drop? And I guess, in a similar vein, why isn't Tusk S alongside Zama and Gambit given how much it's been thriving in this meta lately?
Webs also seems to be thriving right now, and Enam's quite a solid pick on Webs teams. What led to it dropping to B+?
I'd also like to echo what Cyber-DJ asked above; what does Vileplume do? Is it just the best Wellspring answer in the game or something, or is there more to it than that? And what set does it run to do whatever it does?
Why didn't Meowscarada drop to B- or so? This mon feels out of place compared to a few of the other mons in there, let alone in B.
Tusk seems to be doing better now than it's done in a very long time and Treads continues to hold onto its valuable niche in the tier; with that in mind, why did Sinistcha drop? And I guess, in a similar vein, why isn't Tusk S alongside Zama and Gambit given how much it's been thriving in this meta lately?
Webs also seems to be thriving right now, and Enam's quite a solid pick on Webs teams. What led to it dropping to B+?
I'd also like to echo what Cyber-DJ asked above; what does Vileplume do? Is it just the best Wellspring answer in the game or something, or is there more to it than that? And what set does it run to do whatever it does?
Why didn't Meowscarada drop to B- or so? This mon feels out of place compared to a few of the other mons in there, let alone in B.
There is like one usable Enamorus team on Webs and it is so hard to fit on those structures (and in general). It is "good" on offense for the same reason every mid speed threat is, so I do not think it is dispraportionately helped here.
I was a little surprised, too, but it is toolsy between checking Wellspring, 1v1ing Grounds, resisting Fairy, soaking TSpikes, having Strength Sap, and status exploits. I saw a few stray ones on stall. I would probably call it fringe UR/D
Tusk is doing well indeed, but it is still not quite on par with the top 2 imo (I do have it above Ghold and all of A+ though personally). I think stuff like this is why S- exists and can show distinction as there is a spectrum of elite Pokemon. Just grouping them in S would not tell the full story, and I think ranking anything on par with Gambit is tough rn and Zama is the only thing in that conversation.
As for Sinistcha, it just started popping up less tbh!? I mean it does not do as well into Atk Booster Tusk, which we see a bit more nowadays, but otherwise it's still good there and into Zama. Wellspring running more SD Knock and an influx of special attackers may make fitting it hard tbh, but it's probably fringe A-/B+
Vileplume @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Effect Spore
Tera Type: Dragon / Steel / Fairy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Strength Sap
- Moonlight
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
This is what I have seen on a few stall teams, but honestly it can probably fit Leech Seed or status somewhere.
I mean the level of mediocre it is fits pretty well into B. It did not get worse recently and still has some utility thanks to its unique profile, but it is not a bottom dweller and people still use it on occasions justifiably still.
IDT people are haters -- it just got overhyped initially. It is a fine, but limited, Pokemon.
I am honestly quite surprised that Kantonian Ninetales is ranking higher than Torkoal, when usually the latter is better.
Does it have anything to do with the speed tier just being overall surperior? Like seriously, Ninetales surpassing Torkoal without the use of the newly acquired Baton Pass (as a pivot option) is insane to me. I need an explanation on that.
Does it have anything to do with the speed tier just being overall surperior? Like seriously, Ninetales surpassing Torkoal without the use of the newly acquired Baton Pass (as a pivot option) is insane to me. I need an explanation on that.
Ninetales has been used as much, if not more than, Torkoal for a bit now. It is faster, it has HWish, and Torkoal's utility is mediocre to put it kindly (slow bad rocker that cannot rapid spin much). Neither Pokemon is good at all, but Ninetales is the practical choice pretty often.
How come zapdos hasnt rose up? From what ive seen, its about on par or even better than moltres. Plus it can run more offensive sets in rain and such, isnt crippled with knock off as much as with moltres, and generally doesnt completely shatter with rock coverage.
Ah, I see, thanks for the answer. It does make sense. Healing Wish in a place in a place with Pokémon such as Great Tusk and Raging Bolt is appreciated.
Moltres is definitely more common than Zapdos and most would argue better. For a frame of reference, Moltres is 3% more common in monthly usage and 4% more common over the recent Smogon Championship League in SV OU.
Zapdos is definitely limited in terms of progress pushing in a tier with Ting Lu, Raging Bolt, Gliscor, and Slowking-Galar all being solid. Sure, it is a nice check to Zamazenta, Tusk, Scizor, and Rillaboom, but there is a lot of left to be desired with Zapdos (and offensive sets are pretty limited, even taking a backseat to ThundyT on many Rain teams).
Moltres, on the flip side, has a very practical utility profile -- Flame Body is huge, checks Zamazenta, Kingambit, Great Tusk, Iron Valiant, Dragonite depending on sets, Cinderace, Enamorus, Scizor, Rillaboom, etc. It is a great glue pivot for BO and balance teams. It is more practical than Zapdos.
RIP pult, what happened to you :(
I still see the wisp hex sets like everywhere and they seem to be doing their job, so why the drop? are people just running more things that match well into that set?
I still see the wisp hex sets like everywhere and they seem to be doing their job, so why the drop? are people just running more things that match well into that set?
Thats fair. I thought zapdos was overtaking moltres because moltres has become more exploited with things like thunderbolt valiant, and increased rock coverage with zama,tusk,and lando.
Questions:
What changed in Veil teams to make Alola Ninetales rise or is it that the Pokemon itself is able to fit into more structures?
What changed in the meta to make Landorus and Glowking go down a tick in the rankings?
What did Galarian Moltres do to rise a sub-rank as I haven't seen or heard about this 'mon.
And is Hatterene's drop the result of its brand of hazard control being less needed or is it because there are more threats it can't beat?
What changed in Veil teams to make Alola Ninetales rise or is it that the Pokemon itself is able to fit into more structures?
What changed in the meta to make Landorus and Glowking go down a tick in the rankings?
What did Galarian Moltres do to rise a sub-rank as I haven't seen or heard about this 'mon.
And is Hatterene's drop the result of its brand of hazard control being less needed or is it because there are more threats it can't beat?
ngl this is one of those cases where people just tried Pokemon like Ninetales-Alola, Ursaluna, set-up Latias, etc. more, leading to them finding out how effective certain configurations can be
LandoT being deadweight into Gliscor/Moltres and enabling many strong special attackers makes it awkward for a pivot on offense tbh. We are seeing a lot of Tusk on offense, Card Lu is surging, and roles are more spread out when LandoT dominated some months ago.
GKing is still the same mostly, but team structures with it just do not see quite as much usage due to being spread thin covering threats.
With Tera and two boosting options, it is a big threat to some teams. Works well on aforementioned Veil teams, too.
Hatterene has slowly dipped for a while. It was better when Sun popped off, but nowadays it just ends up trying to come in on Spikes Gliscor and losing to SD, eating early Ruinations, and at best trading pretty often. Not being able to stop Samu-H Spike stings, too.
With Tera and two boosting options, it is a big threat to some teams -- can grab free turns with ease and snowball out of control. Works well on Veil teams, too.
OKIDOGI NATION IS STILL STRONG
I’d love to hear the reasoning behind Okidogi’s rise in the VR.
LETS GO MY GOAT IN C+
FINALLY GETTING RECOGNIZED I KNEW I HAD STAY HOPEFUL
IN C+ FINALLY GETTING RECOGNIZED I KNEW I HAD STAY HOPEFUL
Tbh it hasn't really had any insane innovation or major uptick in usage, but its unique set of qualities as a win condition are more useful in the wake of Pokemon like Lokix. It definitely needs Ice Punch in this metagame with SD Gliscor being everywhere but that alongside Knock Off and Drain Punch are generally sufficient and imo it performs a bit better all around at the moment from personal experience.
If that's a bit too tenuous of a reason, it also just received more concentrated reception from the VR council this slate. Several people felt it to be in the B range already (looking the previous slates), but since the jump to B is no longer as large, the votes of VR council members who are more ambivalent to Okidogi aggregated more favorably for it this go around.
alright, what happened to crown? kyurem's still here, so why's it fallin off?