Lower Tiers GSC UU Viability Ranking Thread

[BeeOrSomething]

GSC UU VR May 2025 Update

UUPL and UU Open III just concluded, and it's been an extremely long time since the last VR update and multiple Pokemon, Aerodactyl and Muk, have fallen to UU since, so we are well overdue for an update.

Special thanks to Earthworm and vapicuno whose' work over the past years has made this project much easier, and additional, massive, massive thanks to Wanted in 49 States for doing the statistical analysis section. Thank you to the players who submitted: DAWNBUSTER pp's splash town BigFatMantis Micciu Celebiii Real FV13 Estarossa Lialiabeast MrSoup feen Bouff BeeOrSomething LustfulLice evakiyama! col49 Hydronics AhmedxWaleed

Collection of Data
- Players who got at least 1 win and played 3 games in GSCPL IV, ALTPL II, UUPL XII, GSCPL V, UUBD I, ALTPL III, or UUPL XIII and/or Semifinals or higher in GSC UU Open II, GSC UU Cup VI, or GSC UU Open III were invited to submit their rankings via a smogon conversation or Discord if they chose.
- Submitters could rank any Pokemon on their list with no limit to how many Pokemon they could nominate for the VR.
- None of the Pokemon were mandatory to rank.
- It was possible for players to make edits to their rankings after submitting their list until May 11th, 2025
- The data collection happened from April 28th, 2025 to May 11th, 2025

Flaws
- Smallish sample size that can lead to inconsistent subtiering and significant skewing
- Most players opted to submit a tier list and may have left out Pokemon potentially relevant for ranking or ranked Pokemon they may not have deemed relevant enough

Spreadsheet link (Graphical section is broken)

S Rank
01 Qwilfish
02 Hypno
03 Nidoqueen
04 Granbull
05 Haunter
06 Slowbro
07 Blastoise

A1 Rank
08 Scyther
09 Magneton
10 Gyarados

A2 Rank
11 Piloswine
12 Quagsire
13 Ampharos
14 Gligar
15 Electabuzz
16 Mr. Mime
17 Aerodactyl
18 Pinsir

B1 Rank
19 Girafarig
20 Bellossom
21 Feraligatr
22 Lanturn
23 Chansey

B2 Rank
24 Jumpluff
25 Muk
26 Slowking
27 Electrode
28 Shuckle

B3 Rank
29 Dodrio
30 Sandslash
31 Politoed
32 Omastar
33 Kadabra
34 Crobat

C Rank
35 Arcanine
36 Victreebel
37 Kabutops
38 Graveler
39 Pikachu
40 Raichu
41 Wigglytuff
42 Vileplume
43 Weezing

D Rank
44 Flareon
45 Dewgong
46 Sudowoodo
47 Stantler
48 Persian
49 Golduck

Final Aggregate VR

S:
A1:
A2:
B1:
B2:
B3:
C:
D:

Full Pokemon Dendrogram

Dissimilarity Matrix

Outlier-Compensated Rank Improvement

Outlier-Compensated Z-Score Rank Improvement (Unsorted and Sorted)

Outlier-compensated Ranking with Deviation

Player Dendrograms

Player Similarity Matrix

Observations will be made in a separate post.

 

[DAWNBUSTER]

OBSERVATIONS


Granbull from 1 to 4 (-3)

Granbull is still ranked very highly, but it has fallen from the #1 spot. Other Pokemon have simply been valued more in this update, and Pokemon that are annoying for Granbull, like Slowbro or Haunter, are as popular as ever. There were still some players who ranked Granbull #1 or #2, though. It is still among the best and most influential Pokemon in this tier, its just other Pokemon were ranked higher by most players. Curse + Rest Talk Granbull has made a resurgence due to its sweeping potential and good matchup against Curse Hypno. Other sets, like Heal Bell and Curse + Hidden Power Ground, also continue to see play.


Scyther from 2 to 8 (-6)

Scyther has declined largely due to the introduction of Aerodactyl to the tier. Aerodactyl is an excellent Scyther answer that has shown up on a number of teams, neutering Scyther’s effectiveness. Scyther also continues to be a difficult Pokemon to slot because of its lacking defensive utility. It is still ranked highly because of how dangerous it can be when Pokemon like Aerodactyl aren’t present, and because of its large influence on teambuilding in this tier; Aerodactyl can’t be used on every team.


Qwilfish from 3 to 1 (+2)

Qwilfish has ascended to the #1 spot. While Spikeless teams have been seeing more usage in recent times, Spikes are still a huge asset in this tier, and Qwilifish isn’t useless outside of setting up Spikes. No player ranked Qwilfish outside the top 5 and it was ranked #1 or #2 by several players. The importance of Spikes has been recognised with Qwilfish ranking as number one. Spikes teams remain arguably the dominant team style; with bulky Pokemon like Hypno, Slowbro, and Magneton rising, having Spikes continues to get more and more important.


Hypno from 4 to 2 (+2)

Hypno has ascended to the #2 spot. This jump is probably largely due to the rise of Curse Hypno, which is a difficult to answer sweeper that checks some of the most annoying Pokemon in UU. This set patches up one of Hypno’s problems, that being its inability to break through Pokemon like Blastoise or opposing Hypno. Hypno’s other Rest + Sleep Talk sets are still used and viable, but Curse is the main reason its rised. Hypno has also been valued higher for its sheer defensive utility; it’s very hard to find a Pokemon that replicates what Hypno does for offensive teams. The introduction of Aerodactyl lowered the viability of Scyther and Pinsir, indirectly boosting Hypno. There were some players who ranked Hypno in the #1 spot, and nobody ranked it lower than 6.


Piloswine from 6 to 11 (-5)

Piloswine originally exploded onto the scene as an anti-metagame force, but the metagame has adapted to it. Almost every team packs a Water type that can consistently switch into it, like Blastoise, Gyarados, or Slowbro. Pokemon that can punish it, like Pinsir, are also still around. It is becoming increasingly difficult to fit Piloswine onto teams, given its poor matchup against Water types and Electric types with super effective coverage moves. Other Ground types, like Nidoqueen or Quagsire, are often chosen over it. Nevertheless, it still retains a strong niche because of its defensive utility and offensive prowess.


Mr. Mime from 7 to 15 (-8)

Mr. Mime has also fallen from grace. In general, the offensive styles with Mr. Mime aren’t as prominent as they used to be, given Mr. Mime's flaws. Mime is still a versatile and threatening special attacker, but its physical frailty makes it hard to fit onto teams. Mr Mime can also struggle offensively; while it does threaten a lot with Psychic / Thunder, it is blanked by the common Hypno, and can struggle to consistently break the likes of Ampharos and Magneton. Rest + Sleep Talk Mr Mime is still valuable for its ability to punish Slowbro, however.


Slowbro from 12 to 6 (+6)

Slowbro continues to gain popularity. Slowbro has become a staple on several team styles, in particular more aggressive teams, anchoring them and helping them stay reliable. Slowbro provides an immense amount of defensive utility, with being able to softcheck many of the most annoying physical attackers around, such as Granbull or Piloswine, Slowbro is able to threaten the physical and mixed attackers it checks with it’s powerful Surf and Psychic; it is far more offensively potent than its main competition, Blastoise.


Lanturn from 14 to 22 (-8)

Lanturn is still pretty annoying to play against, but it’s overshadowed by other Pokemon and is considered a pain to slot onto teams. Ampharos is often preferred as an Electric type due to its far stronger Thunder as well as its resistance to Electric. Lanturn is a Water type that cannot switch into Ground moves, and an Electric type that struggles vs Pokemon like Rest + Sleep Talk Mr. Mime. Players consider it a hard Pokemon to get working, causing it to drop 8 spots. Overall, outside of the rise of Slowbro, the metagame developments haven't been so kind to Lanturn. Hypno is popular, Nidoqueen is popular, and Ampharos and Bellossom have started to see use again.


Omastar from 16 to 31 (-15)

Omastar suffered the largest decline of any Pokemon. Omastar has significantly declined in usage and popularity, as people realise there are just better options. Haunter or Magneton are preferred on offensive teams, Magneton is preferred on bulky Spikeless teams, and Shuckle is preferred on hard stall teams. Omastar even has to compete with Graveler. Omastar has made a small resurgence in the last few months, though, with players using it to counter Pokemon like Curse Hypno. It is possible it could rise a few spots in future updates, but I don’t think we will see it rise to the levels of popularity it once had.


Dodrio from 18 to 29 (-11)

Dodrio also suffered a large decline. Like Scyther, Dodrio suffered when Aerodactyl was introduced to GSC UU. Dodrio also dislikes most of the metagame trends that have been going on; checks to it like Slowbro, Magneton, and Nidoqueen continue to be popular. Dodrio used to be able to punish Hypno, but the rise of Curse on Hypno has made it more difficult to do that. Dodrio still has to compete for a team slot with Scyther. Dodrio can feel like it really wants to see specific matchups, like it really wants to see Pokemon it can punish like Pinsir. If it doesn’t get a good matchup, it can feel underwhelming.


Ampharos from 19 to 13 (+6)

Ampharos continues to recover from the big decline it suffered a few years ago. Nidoqueen is still as common as ever, but Ampharos provides so much utility that it remains worth using. It pairs so well with Pokemon like Piloswine and is able to switch into and threaten so much. Ampharos + Piloswine balance teams remain popular to this day. Players have more appreciated Ampharos's offensive talents; Nidoqueen isin't able to take Hidden Power Water with Spikes up forever, and a Fire Punch burn cripples it. There has been a bit less usage of Ampharos recently, however, so this high may not be permanent.


Gligar from 24 to 14 (+10)

Gligar continues to gain in popularity. It isin't so easy to slot onto more traditional teams, but its such a useful Pokemon that its well worth the effort. Players have further appreciated Gligar's offensive talents; it poses a big threat with Screech, and threatens to rob Leftovers with Thief. Defensively, it checks the ever popular Fire Blast Nidoqueen and rising threats like Belly Drum Quagsire or Curse Chansey. One of Gligar's main foes, Piloswine, has also declined in popularity. Gligar is one of those Pokemon, like Bellossom, that has benefitted from the bulkier direction the tier has taken.


Crobat from 25 to 34 (-9)

Crobat, like Scyther and Dodrio, suffered when Aerodactyl was unbanned, although for a different reason than those two. Crobat suffered because Aerodactyl largely took its role; Aerodactyl beats Scyther and Pinsir, like Crobat does, but it also brings a far larger offensive presence and a resistance to Normal. You are largely better off using Aerodactyl in the team slot you might have used Crobat in in the past. Crobat does, however, still get used on hard stall teams. On these teams, Crobat’s better matchup against threats like Qwilfish and Belly Drum Quagsire when compared to Aerodactyl is appreciated.


Bellossom from 29 to 20 (+9)

Bellossom appreciates the bulkier direction GSC UU has gone in. Like Hypno and Girafarig, Bellossom indirectly benefitted from Aerodactyl neutering Scyther. Swords Dance Bellossom has become a popular pick on Spikeless teams with Belly Drum Quagsire. It both supports with Stun Spore and threatens to sweep itself with Swords Dance boosted Return. Pokemon that Bellossom can setup on, like Blastoise, are as popular as ever, further increasing Bellossom's utility.


Girafarig from 31 to 19 (+12)

Girafarig had the largest rise of any single Pokemon. This was mostly due to players just exploring the Pokemon's options more. Girafarig's mixed attacking talents have jumped onto the scene, making use of its decent attacking stats, speed, and fantastic offensive movepool. The decline of Scyther has made strategies like this more viable. Girafarig can also still use its Baton Pass sets well, still threatening to pass Amnesia or Curse boosts to recipients like Politoed.