I just got out of GSC SU Discord 2025 tour, but I'm here now to deliver my thoughts on the post-bans metagame and my personal VR.
These two are arguably the biggest winners of the bans, as they lost two direct competitors for their places on teams on top of two Pokemon that inflicted major damage on them.
Natu doesn't have the same incredible power or dual STAB options that Smoochum has, but it comes pretty close. STAB Psychic hits the entire tier besides Slowpoke and Natu itself (don't use trash like Unown or Wobbuffet, even down here, seriously), so Natu is a pretty strong wallbreaker that doesn't have to worry much about getting any clicks right. A lot of Natu's toolkit is the same as Smoochum's, and its secondary STAB move of Drill Peck is nice against Chikorita, which is trending in response to the bans (more on that later). RestTalk sets can either run Drill Peck or Hidden Power Dark/Electric for virtually perfect coverage against the entire metagame, Thief sets can disrupt Seel, and Natu's fully capable of running an all-out attacker set with Giga Drain and all the attacking moves in its arsenal. I think there's still untapped potential for Natu with options like Dream Eater, Nightmare, and Confuse Ray, so don't be afraid to give it a try!
Rattata replicates Pidgeotto's Speed tier without as much of the same great bulk or usable Ground immunity and Grass resistance that made Pidgeotto overbearing. You're free to copy plenty of other fast Normal-types' sets from across GSC lower tiers. Rattata is free to play like its daddy Raticate with RestTalk Super Fang, but its movepool contains a boatload of options amongst limited competitors in GSC SU. Thunder nails Kabuto and Slowpoke, Hidden Power Grass can finish off Larvitar, Screech is great for wallbreaking, Substitute can take advantage of switches Rattata can force, and it's even got Quick Attack in its arsenal to pick off a tricky Diglett. Rattata is just frail enough to feel balanced for its Speed tier and power.
There are less obvious understudies that can benefit from the removals of the stars, Pidgeotto and Smoochum. Butterfree enjoys that there's not a faster, bulky RestTalk user eager to absorb Sleep Powder, and it can flex more of its Speed tier without Pidgeotto around. Getting rid of Pidgeotto slowed the metagame down and made Swords Dance sweepers like Goldeen and Chikorita better off, so Butterfree can take advantage of that to incapacitate them if they're foes or support them with free turns if they're allies. Yanma is another bug that enjoys not inviting in one of the most fearsome Pokemon in the metagame, although it had a decent niche for striking down Smoochum with Hidden Power Bug, so it's up in the air on how much friendlier the metagame has truly gotten for Yanma. Grass-types like Chikorita and Oddish trending (keep on keeping a pin in that idea) are nice for Yanma, but it's even better for Spearow. Like Rattata, Spearow lacks Pidgeotto's great bulk, but its STAB Drill Peck is fantastic at putting extra pressure on Grass-types. Its place in the metagame is more speculative at the moment, but I wouldn't be surprised if people start experimenting with it more now.
Although they've been regaining momentum for a while, the bans have been extremely friendly to Chikorita and Oddish. Even though both Grass-types enjoyed Smoochum forcing Seel and Slowpoke onto every team, those two Water-types are still so good in the post-bans metagame that the tier is now even better for Chikorita and Oddish. The two are great anchors for teams, and they've indirectly benefited from the bans' effects on the metagame too.
Chikorita is fantastic at fending off Ground-types like Larvitar, Diglett, and Phanpy, the last of which is particularly easier to bring without Pidgeotto around to switch into its Earthquake. Swords Dance sets are a bit trickier to cut down without Smoochum being an auto-include on teams, as Nidorino and Rest-less Growlithe can be victims of Body Slam paralysis. Utility like Light Screen, Reflect, Leech Seed, and even Growl are all workable for Chikorita outside of setup, and Body Slam paralysis can be a death knell for overly aggressive offensive Natu.
Fighting-types like Mankey and Machop have improved drastically without Pidgeotto and Smoochum waiting in the wings to cut them down, so things keep coming up Oddish. Like Chikorita, Oddish enjoys not worrying about having its Swords Dance sets cut down by Smoochum, and Rattata has a tougher time chewing through it than Pidgeotto. Oddish's lower Speed than Chikorita can be a bit tricky for it, but Stun Spore can easily mitigate that issue.
There are two other Grass-types that one can run (Skiploom notwithstanding), although they're generally less effective than mini Gloom and diet Bayleef. Bulbasaur is a hybrid of Oddish and Chikorita, possessing both Sleep Powder and enough Speed to tie Seel and get the jump on Larvitar and everything slower. The issue is that Bulbasaur lacks a strong physical STAB move or the same great Ground resistance as Chikorita. Being part Poison is still tough with Natu and Slowpoke free, and Bulbasaur doesn't have Stun Spore in its kit to slow down Natu or Growlithe directly either. Bellsprout has a more similar movepool to Oddish and at least outspeeds Mareep, but it's unfortunately slower than Larvitar, Seel, and most of the rest of the tier while packing a fraction of the bulk that Oddish and Chikorita have.
I'd like to use this moment to talk about Baton Pass, one of the last unhealthy parts of GSC SU that I feel needs to go before the tier can truly be in a great state. There have been grumblings about BP in other GSC lower tiers, and even though SU seems to have some pretty terrible options for BP, the cheesy results are all the same, and I would like to see the strategy axed.
The star of Baton Pass is Ledyba, which might seem pretty silly. Still, Ledyba has just enough tools to make it so that the game plays itself once it's found its opportunity. 55 Speed isn't actually bad by GSC SU standards, and the bans have slowed down the metagame to the point where Ledyba is a lot easier to get away with. 40 / 80 bulk is also quite good relative to most other Pokemon in the tier, and Ledyba's ability to rather quickly set up Light Screen or Barrier helps it and its teammates start the snowball.
In terms of recipients, passing Speed to something with sleep like Oddish is laughably broken, giving Oddish the chance to set up in the face of any non-RestTalk user, and even Sleep Talk users are trying to play around guessing how many turns of sleep there will be on top of whatever moves they pick. Oddish isn't the only solid Speed recipient, as Charmander, Goldeen, and Krabby are other Swords Dance sweepers that love the extra turns for setting up afforded by defensive boosts from Light Screen and Reflect. You can even embrace the cheese entirely with Belly Drum Wooper to set up in the face of Mareep, and it's still fast enough to get the jump on everything but Yanma, Diglett, and Skiploom. Even though Baton Pass tends to be all-or-nothing and reliant on Ledyba, Spinarak is available to act as a second chance to help a teammate out.
Baton Pass is a pretty nasty matchup fish, although there is counterplay. Roar Growlithe can phaze Ledyba, and Ledyba really only gets one clean shot at passing Speed. Haze users like Horsea and Natu can also shut foes down before they get out of control, and there's even niche options like Perish Song Seel or Charm Snubbull and Jigglypuff to try. Unfortunately, all of these are just terrible avenues for these Pokemon to go down, as they have very little reason to run these moves outside of trying to stop Baton Pass. If Growlithe is dealing with setup sweepers like Oddish or Chikorita, then it's using STAB Fire Blast to cook them. The same goes for the other special attackers that I've mentioned, Horsea and Natu, which have far better options they'd want to fit in their fourth moveslots anyway. I think the most direct way to solve the problem is simply to ban Baton Pass outright, removing a matchup-fishy and linear playstyle from a metagame that is dying to get to a less swing-y place than it is.
Wow that was a lot of talking without even posting my personal VR! Let me cut to the chase:
On S ranks:
These two goons are two of the more flexible and dangerous Pokemon in the metagame. The elimination of Pidgeotto and Smoochum has massively freed up Nidorino, a Pokemon that especially enjoys the trend towards Grass-types. It's naturally one of the fastest and bulkiest Pokemon in the metagame with reliable recovery, and its toolkit of options like Lovely Kiss and Thief on top of boltbeam coverage make it a menace to play around without strong special attackers and status. Snubbull loves that the metagame has slowed down some more, giving it and its Curse sets more leeway to punch big holes in teams. Snubbull has been going through a huge renaissance since the departure of Teddiursa earlier this year, though, branching out to options like Hidden Power Ground, Lovely Kiss, Roar, Heal Bell, Charm, and even Reflect, justifying a bump at this point for how varied it's become on top of the threat level of its standard CurseTalk set.
Seel has taken the crown back from Slowpoke in this metagame without as much desperate need to inflict paralysis on Smoochum and Pidgeotto. Getting the jump on Larvitar, Phanpy, and Mareep can be quite convenient, although Seel taking its place towards the top drives new trends like Grass-types and Goldeen, so sometimes its success ends up biting it back. Still, it's one of the best blanket checks to special attackers like Growlithe, Horsea, and Natu while doubling as a solid response to Rock-types.
On A ranks:
I think Mareep has remained one of the best special attackers in the tier, even with the rise of Grass-types, as Electric-types are Like That in GSC, and Mareep is great at spreading paralysis and even overwhelming Oddish with Hidden Power Ice. Mareep, Normal-types, and Nidorino are all too happy to overload Larvitar, and there's so few reliable responses to Electric-types in GSC SU that Mareep keeps its key position. Growlithe doesn't enjoy Seel's presence at the top, but its raw special power helps it overwhelm Curse sweepers and beat Grass-types, cementing itself as one of the best fast special attackers. My hot take is that Chikorita is A+, as I've felt like it's popped up a huge amount in the post-bans meta.
Ironically, Larvitar and Kabuto feel better off without Pidgeotto in the metagame, although that's not surprising to players who have seen their Rock-type get deleted by Hidden Power Grass. The metagame slowing down has helped Snubbull and other Curse users a lot, making both Rock-types feel more necessary to bring.
I love the goldfish, and I'll keep stanning this queen until the day I die. Being able to set up freely in the face of Seel and Slowpoke is an incredible niche, and Goldeen's Speed is even more distinguished now that Smoochum and Pidgeotto aren't around. Rattata, Mankey, and Natu are much less consistent or powerful of revenge killers, and the slower metagame enables Goldeen to get comfortable and start setting up.
On B ranks:
I think there's some room for these frailer fast attackers like Mankey, Charmander, and Diglett to show off a lot more without Pidgeotto and Smoochum in the mix. Chikorita's rise can frustrate Diglett. Even though Diglett has Sludge Bomb, it generally wants to save its moveslots for Substitute and Screech if it's not already running Thief. Mankey really enjoys not being picked off by Pidgeotto anymore, but that hasn't changed the accuracy issues of its best moves, Cross Chop and Thunder. Parallel to Diglett, Mankey isn't such a fan of Oddish getting better. Charmander and Horsea are also kind of figuring themselves out in a post-Smoochum world. Horsea matches a lot of Smoochum's special power, but it's not able to blow through Seel without critical hits or outside Thief support. Charmander has similar struggles against the tier's bulky Water-types, but it's also enjoying that Grass-types, its favorite prey, are on the rise.
Like the Grass-types, Machop has gotten a lot better without Smoochum in the metagame. Additionally, it's a great option at dealing with the trends in Snubbull and Rock-types thanks to STAB Cross Chop. Earthquake is a fantastic tool to differentiate Machop from Mankey, dealing massive damage to Nidorino, and Machop is still just fast enough to outspeed Oddish. Skiploom is on the other end of attacking, benefitting more from the trends of Fighting-types and Swords Dance sweepers seeking to overwhelm the metagame. Amazing Speed and access to Encore along with reliable recovery and other utility like powder moves makes it a really neat support piece. It's unfortunate that Skiploom is painfully passive, invites in Growlithe freely, and doesn't even resist Electric on top of having a 4x Ice weakness.
I won't really be touching on the C ranks too much because I think this stage of the metagame is still very fresh. I would really like to see action on Baton Pass and some more time to pass where we can play the tier in a state where there isn't cheese or massively overpowered threats. Beyond that, my two big wishes for the tier are to hold a tournament on the forum later this year and hopefully to get an update to the tierlist that gives us a few extra utility options.
Diglett
Slowpoke
Butterfree
Growlithe
Kabuto
Mareep
Natu
Nidorino
Seel
Charmander
Horsea
Jigglypuff
Larvitar
Mankey
Phanpy
Rattata
Snubbull
Yanma
Chikorita
Cyndaquil
Ekans
Goldeen
Krabby
Ledyba
Machop
Oddish
Remoraid
Shellder
Skiploom
Spinarak
Venonat
Vulpix
