a lot of D tiers are just smth u may see it once and then never again, they were kinda bad so putting them on a tier list when it really isnt reliable at all
-
The moderators of this forum are Finchinator, Ruft, ausma, 658Greninja, kd458, FayaWizard, Shaymin Skyand TPP.
-
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.
Resource SV OU Indigo Disk Viability Ranking Thread - (update on post #1101))
- Thread starter Shaymin Sky
- Start date
is honestly the quintessential example of a D rank mon. It’s technically viable since its specific talents are useful on 1 or 2 teams, but outside of that you shouldn’t really use it. I believe this is why D rank was removed, since they council doesn’t want newer players to believe these mons are widely applicable.Also worth mentioning, it’s really not a great
check, tera blast DD sets steamroll it and even can take advantage of it in some cases, without reliable recovery it will eventually fold to the sheer power of specs blizzard. If it hard countered it, that would be a reason to use a almost entirely inferior mon, but it’s not even much better at the job than actually solid mons in their own right that can kind of check , like spdef 
, 
, 
, 
, AV 
, and if you are particularly based, wishtect 
.
Yessss more Rachiposting gotta let the haters know it was never JirachoverAnd if you are particularly based, wishtect
UR -> C or C+I have been testing out some more niche mons and I have found that Empoleon has stood out.
Empoleon @ Leftovers
Ability: Competitive
Tera Type: Water/Fairy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Calm Nature
- Surf
- Knock Off
- Stealth Rock
- Roost
This is the main set that I have found success with. SpDef Empoleon provides a steel type that is capable of taking on special water types like Primarina and Walking Wake, while also having the natural bulk to take hits from Gholdengo, non Focus Blast Darkrai, and Dragapult. Empoleon also provides good utility with moves like Knock Off and Stealth Rock, which can help make progress, and a decent 111 SpA stat that lets it deal solid damage with Surf. Roost is good for reliable recovery, helping Empoleon stay healthy. Another thing Empoleon has is Competitive, which can prevent Pecharunt from clicking parting shot. Empoleon after taking a parting shot will go up to +3, and can become a massive threat to the other team.
Tera Water is great because it boosts your stab surfs, and lets you 2HKO offensive Gholdengo, and remove ground weaknesses. Tera Fairy is also an option, as it flips weakness on fighting moves, and is a good defensive monotype. Tera Ground and Tera Flying are some other possible options.
This set is solid, but Empoleon also has more options, such as Flip turn for momentum, flash cannon for STAB, and roar to phase out setup sweepers. Air slash is also an option if you want to deal damage to Ogerpon coming in.
Here are some notable calcs on some things Empoleon can deal with.
252 SpA Gholdengo Shadow Ball vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Empoleon: 96-114 (25.8 - 30.6%) -- 1.7% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Choice Specs Dragapult Shadow Ball vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Empoleon: 117-138 (31.4 - 37%) -- guaranteed 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
244 SpA Choice Specs Walking Wake Hydro Steam vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Empoleon in Sun: 102-120 (27.4 - 32.2%) -- 54.1% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Darkrai Dark Pulse vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Empoleon: 96-114 (25.8 - 30.6%) -- 1.7% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Primarina Moonblast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Empoleon: 60-71 (16.1 - 19%) -- possible 8HKO
Some replays:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2423850073-iqarg8wiextos72utvmgkj8viw82buipw?p2
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2423843004-iqrriwxem5lhi6c7mi4lm6fyk66o8jfpw?p2
Volcanion has a very strong niche atm that i feel not a lot of people have realized yet. the ability to 1v1 prim and sit on alo is really nice for BO and Offense, while also switching into Ivy cudgel and threatening a burn or sludge bomb. Boots is a good set rn for its ability to repeatedly switch in to alo without fear of hazard chip. wisp imo is incredible on this guy as a check to kingambit dnite and zama, while still threatening fire types like cinderace and moltres. Ting Lu especially hates taking a steam eruption vs volcanion as the burn chance basically neuters its eq and nullifies lefties.
Last edited:
While Johto Slowking has some useful traits over Glowking (Scald, Ground neutrality), 90% of the time Glowking just does the job better. STAB Sludge Bomb is threatening to Pokemon such as Waterpon and Primarina that normal Slowking would struggle with, its typing is pretty good for taking on a multitude of threats including Iron Valiant, Kyurem and Raging Bolt, it has access to options such as Toxic and Trick Black Sludge regular Slowking cannot and even to boot has slightly higher special attack. While you can use regular slowking and it will work well, most of the time replacing it with the galarian counterpart acheives beter results.
Galar-Slowking has a much more useful typing that gives it more offensive and defensive oomph. Sludge Bomb, as was pointed out by Heatranator, is good for threatening pokemon like Wellspring and Primarina but there is also Iron Valiant and the uncommon but notable Enamorus and Hydrapple. Sludge Bomb in general has better “annoyance” value because of the 1/8th chip of poison as opposed to 1/16th of burn, and thus it’s rather irritating for anything not a steel type to pivot into, since opposing poisons are threatened by Glowking’s Psychic STAB (and can’t really threaten it back). It’s also got Toxic for reliable status, and can run more aggressive options well without dropping defensive value (sets like AV for example). It’s neutral to Freeze Dry and Electric moves so it can pivot into threats like Zapdos and Kyurem which regular Slowking cannot.
Also the fighting quad resist is huge because it can’t be overwhelmed by boosted Body Press from Zamazenta like Slowking can. Things like a ground neutrality on regular Slowking are mostly moot because the grounds here all smash it anyway.
Thoughts on the Meta Post-OLT Cycles
I won’t go over every change of this VR (unless tempted) but here’s the ones that would spark the most discussion.
Rise Noms
A > A+
Still shocked this never rose to A+. It’s an important defensive pivot on several BO/Balance/Offense builds and I’d argue it’s better than Pecha. For one, it is more offensively threatening with Future Sight and its incredible coverage. With a Phys Def spread it can trade vs way more mons than it could’ve imagined. Avoiding a 2HKO from Wellspring’s Ivy Cudgel, eating Kowtow from pre-SO boosted Kingambit, and tanking Tusk’s Headlong Rush at full only to send it to the shadow realm with Ice Beam/Psychic Noise. Glowking covers Fairies, pivots into Kyurem, and beats Fat/Stall even if the team doesn’t have a dedicated Stallbreaker. Consistent into every matchup and every team must be able to muscle through this.
A > A+
Zapdos has been peaking lately and I would go as far as saying it is a league above Molt and Corv as a birb. The best Torn response in the tier in spite of Knock Off. Offensive Zapdos is a game changer since max speed lets you do things like Volt Switch on Kyurem before it can click Ice Beam and Samurott/Glimmora. Hurricane also starts to really chunk Gliscor and Glowking. Even with the lack of bulk investment, Static alone is enough to maintain its defensive utility and it further enables hazard stack teams by punishing Treads/Tusk. Ting-Lu is still a concern, but Zapdos teams are generally built to punish Ting-Lu with constant pressure from Knock Off, hazards, and partners like Rillaboom. I also highly encourage people to try out Tera Blast Zapdos. There’s lots of Teras that work with it like Fairy, Ice, Fighting, or Ground to crack open its usual checks.
A- > A
Hatt is gonna continue getting better. Probably the best Deo check in the tier. It’s difficult to swap into without something taking big chip damage or being paralyzed. The Helmet Pain Split set patches up its main issue of getting worn down over time. AV has very few things that can OHKO it, allowing you to play recklessly to force progress. Calm Mind also still has its merit, being a wincon that’s immune to Encore, Taunt and Whirlwind, but I just find AV or Pain Split to be more consistent. All this without even mentioning how Magic Bounce forces uncomfortable 50/50s with the opponent’s hazard setters (unless they have samu or tinka lol).
B+ > A-
Glimm Offenses are back in style. Toxic Spikes alone is enough for players to need to account for it in the builder. Any team without a Poison type or Boots Spam is getting screwed over hard by Glimm or Tspikes Moth. Glimmora not only provides offense with a Tspike absorber, but also Spikes and a way to scout Valiant or Zama via Bulky Red Card variants. Meteor Beam has also seen a resurgence off its surprise factor (tho it may fall off as said surprise factor wears off). Beating Hatterene with Poison STAB is also a boon for a hazard lead.
B > B+
Band is garbage imo, get with the times by running good sets, like LO SD. Grassy Glide and Wood Hammer are game changers for punishing defensive Teras. Knock Off with Tera Dark also trucks Pecha and even the birds for big loads of damage. The SD Rilla craze has also brought G. Terrain Offense back into play, enabling sturdy wincons like G. Seed NP Ghold.
B > B+
I won’t stop being a Rotom-Washington stan. Good matchups into a lot of the top mons, immune to Spikes, great at forcing progress with status + Volt Switch. Teams piloting this mon have gotten players qualified for OLT playoffs and it continues seeing sparse tournament usage. Heatran and Torn are also projected to rise to OU and historically it’s matched up well vs them especially now that Tran can’t click Toxic anymore. I’d like to give a shoutout to the OG Trick Scarf set. We stan Scarf Trick.
C+ > B-
I’ve seen talks on the discussion thread about Nasty Plot Fez and lowkey, it has potential. It’s like a special version of SD Gliscor.
Fezandipiti @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Toxic Chain
Tera Type: Dark
EVs: 240 HP / 4 Def / 12 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Moonblast
- Dark Pulse
- Roost
Great special bulk allowing you to check Fairies, Darkrai, and Dragapult, giving you ample opportunities to set up multiple Nasty Plots. I wouldn’t bother with Heat Wave since Dark Pulse + Moonblast smacks every Steel type in the tier as well as Glowking/Pecharunt. Corviknight can’t touch you at all. Fez 2-shots bulky Dengo after a Nasty Plot and eats a MiR. Oh and because of Toxic Chain it demolishes Blissey which is funny. 99 speed is incredible on a mon with good bulk. Could also slap Shuca on this to 1v1 Lando too. Its defensive utility and Stallbreaking potential is worth putting it next to Greninja and Boulder on the VR.
C > C+
The takeaway with Thundy is that it has great matchups into rising threats like Torn and Zapdos. The OG Specs Tera Blast is hit-or-miss nowadays, bulky Nasty Plot is where its at (yes we’re repeating Fezandipiti with this one).
Thundurus (Thundurus-Therian) @ Leftovers
Ability: Volt Absorb
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 208 HP / 68 SpA / 232 Spe
Timid Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Thunderbolt
- Tera Blast
- Taunt
Thundy with bulk investment and Lefties goes a long way. Not only improving your defensive utility vs Zapdos/Torn, but also tanking hits like Ghold’s Shadow Ball, Wellspring’s Ivy Cudgel, Tusk’s Ice Spinner, and even survives Valiant’s +1 Moonblast after rocks. 208 HP also hits an important benchmark to where Blissey’s Seismic Toss is a 5HKO with Lefties intact, allowing you to 1v1 the pink blob with ease in conjunction with Taunt.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2425240021-dysfxfv5xni4x4lsx0rjpnflc44xubfpw
(sorry Faya)
Tera Fairy Blast not only smacks Dragons and Ting-Lu, but also makes Thundy Raging Bolt counter (ignoring Tera Blast or Weather Ball). Cool mon.
Drop Noms
S- > A+
Probably my most controversial take but Kingambit is not the pinnacle of SV OU like it once was. Kingambit isn’t as unpredictable as it was let on to be, especially when you compare it to other setup sweepers. Running any other Tera besides Ghost, Fairy, or Flying is risky due to how prominent Tusk and Zama are. Meta trends haven’t been kind to it. Pokemon that match up well into Gambit like Lando and Cinder have seen higher usage with Offense in the forefront. Heatran is reaching OU usage and that is a problematic matchup, especially those with Flame Body. I would also argue Gambit doesn’t have as many setup opportunities as you might think. The main ones are Ghost types, Kyurem, Hatt, and Glowking. Pult carries Wisp or Flamethrower. Ghold can either cripple it with Scarf Trick or Focus Blast it back to Unova where it came from. Pecharunt is a very valid switch-in, but Pecha can always Parting Shot out, weakening Gambit while giving a free switch to one of its checks, costing you momentum. Gking and Hatt are valid though. Players are preferring Dnite as the lategame Tera hog sweeper, its bulk + Multiscale and access to Roost granting it more setup opportunities and early game utility than Gambit, though you do see both of them on the same teams. With that said, Gambit is still Gambit at the end of the day. It still clutches games, its role as an offensive Ghost resist is invaluable, and it punishes a lot of cheese strats. I just don’t think it is as consistent as it once was.
A+ > A
After an explosive period of success from WCOP and OLT, it seems the playerbase is starting to catch on to it. Nasty Plot sets are still scary, but Deo’s lackluster bulk makes it tough to get it on the field safely. Increased Hatt usage also makes it less consistent as a hazard lead. Focus Blast is a garbage move and having to land it to beat Dark types is a calamity-level risk.
A > A-
Corviknight is very easy to overwhelm with how often its forced to tank stuff like Ivy Cudgel. Taunt Lando in particular easily forces Corv to eat chip. Hatt ruins it with Mystical Fire or Nuzzle + Psynoise. Without Iron Defense it loses hard to Roost Dnite which is the trending set rn. Rising stars like Ceruledge, Zap, and Heatran also eat this thing alive. Zapdos and Molt are better birbs. They’re less passive and can punish contact moves without relying on Helmet being intact.
A > A-
I like G-Weez, but A is too high of a rank, even during its peak. While its consistent at Defogging and offers defensive utility outside of clicking Defog, Weezing’s matchup into most SR setters in the tier is shaky, especially Heatran and Glimm who switch into it for free. Meaning the G-Weez team has to dance around hazards before being able to remove them. With G-Weezing being OU proper, Teams have gotten better at overwhelming it. Some of the mons it’s tasked with checking can flip the script like Sub-Tera Steel Zama/Rest Zama or Tera Steel CM Valiant. Taunt Wellspring has also picked up in usage (Wellspring needs to be careful with Sludge Bomb tho). As a Poison type, Weezing’s poor special bulk means it has a hard time switching into strong Moonblasts. Still a good mon that revolutionized Balance structures, but players are getting more skilled at dealing with it.
B > B-
Also clumping Pex with these two cause its more of a Stall staple than a Balance one. Stall has seen a glimpse of success during OLT R1 as a response to Offense spam, but I’m starting to notice Stall fumbling more often than winning. Most teams have the ability to outlast Stall or break it in half, even with developments like double removal and Toxapex.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen9ou-866168?p2
Regen core + pressure on G-Weez
Stall already had a notoriously bad MU into Wellspring, but the rise of Taunt and Synthesis variants is another level of bad. Taunt Knock Torn also beats every relevant Stall team. Hatt can be dealt with using Blissey, but now they’re running Pain Split Rocky Helmet to make its life worse. Heatran rising is also bad for every Stall that doesn’t run Alomomola, and even with it, Heatran is dangerously good at keeping rocks up vs Stall. Primarina was another scary MU for Stall, but could be circumvented with hazards + Pex. Now this thing is using Whirlpool + Tera Poison lmao. Stall has it rough rn but I can see it returning back to B rank in the future.
I’d also like to take this time to mention some mons that Pokemon should look out for in the near future.
Garg has crazy snowball potential. Dropping SR on this is the SV OU equivalent of Rock Lee dropping his weights. Curse and Iron Defense can legit solo entire teams. ID/Curse Tera Fairy/Water Garg is one of the best Dnite checks you can find, especially with Encore usage falling out of favor for Roost or DD Three Attacks. Garg checks a bunch of other things too like Zapdos, Pecharunt, Pult, and non-CC Ceru.
Hamurott has great synergy with Zapdos, Torn, and Kyurem. Similarly to Wellspring, it can pair itself with Heatran to form a strong hazard stack core. Mixed variants, Resttalk, and SD Lum have potential in this meta. Don’t sleep on this.
I’m hesitant about putting this in the A ranks due to being a Steel type that loses to Kyurem, but Heatran instills fear into every hazard control option, with Tusk not wanting to be burnt or eat huge chip damage from Magma Storm. Thus Heatran’s great at preserving SR and the fact it’s consistent at its role means Tusk and Garg no longer have to be forced to compress Rocks into their moveset and instead run the good sets.
I’ve noticed a recent influx of Tinkaton usage during the OLT playoffs. I think it responds well to current trends. Getting rocks up for free vs Hatterene is huge and it has good matchups into Darkrai, Deo, and isn’t too bad into Kyurem as long as you play smart with it. Maybe it’ll rise to A- in the future.
Like with Tinkaton, Chomp appears to be getting some attention in the OLT playoffs. It has two things going for it over other hazard setters. It’s a SR setter that doesn’t have an anxiety attack when Wellspring is in front of it, and Helmet + Rough Skin is so good at punishing all the contact moves running around. Shoutouts to the Dual AV and Xav Boots Spam hazard stacks that features Tankchomp, gotta be my favorite genders. LO SD Chomp also has merit.
Rockpon is cracked and slept on lmao. It trades defensive utility for the ability to rock Dnite’s shit (pun unintended). Resisting Thunderclap and E-Speed is also huge for it. I’d personally run SD/Ivy/Grass move/Knock. It means you’re walled by Gambit, but it’s not like Gambit is the hardest thing to wear down in the tier. I could see support from Sand or Grassy Terrain or both to be shiest.
mcribs recently nommed this to B+ after climbing to top 40 with it. I still respect it, but idt the meta is it for Volcanion rn. Volcanion faces stiff competition with other special breakers like Torn, Darkrai, Specs Bolt, Heatran, and Kyurem. Its lackluster speed tier also makes it difficult to slap onto teams. Even so, I believe people should still keep an eye on Volcanion’s defensive utility and trading potential. Plus there’s an handful of Wellsprings that are rocking the cheap ass Trailblaze sets, making Volcanion effective at checking them.
That’s all, have a good day.
I won’t go over every change of this VR (unless tempted) but here’s the ones that would spark the most discussion.
Rise Noms
A > A+
Still shocked this never rose to A+. It’s an important defensive pivot on several BO/Balance/Offense builds and I’d argue it’s better than Pecha. For one, it is more offensively threatening with Future Sight and its incredible coverage. With a Phys Def spread it can trade vs way more mons than it could’ve imagined. Avoiding a 2HKO from Wellspring’s Ivy Cudgel, eating Kowtow from pre-SO boosted Kingambit, and tanking Tusk’s Headlong Rush at full only to send it to the shadow realm with Ice Beam/Psychic Noise. Glowking covers Fairies, pivots into Kyurem, and beats Fat/Stall even if the team doesn’t have a dedicated Stallbreaker. Consistent into every matchup and every team must be able to muscle through this.
A > A+
Zapdos has been peaking lately and I would go as far as saying it is a league above Molt and Corv as a birb. The best Torn response in the tier in spite of Knock Off. Offensive Zapdos is a game changer since max speed lets you do things like Volt Switch on Kyurem before it can click Ice Beam and Samurott/Glimmora. Hurricane also starts to really chunk Gliscor and Glowking. Even with the lack of bulk investment, Static alone is enough to maintain its defensive utility and it further enables hazard stack teams by punishing Treads/Tusk. Ting-Lu is still a concern, but Zapdos teams are generally built to punish Ting-Lu with constant pressure from Knock Off, hazards, and partners like Rillaboom. I also highly encourage people to try out Tera Blast Zapdos. There’s lots of Teras that work with it like Fairy, Ice, Fighting, or Ground to crack open its usual checks.
A- > A
Hatt is gonna continue getting better. Probably the best Deo check in the tier. It’s difficult to swap into without something taking big chip damage or being paralyzed. The Helmet Pain Split set patches up its main issue of getting worn down over time. AV has very few things that can OHKO it, allowing you to play recklessly to force progress. Calm Mind also still has its merit, being a wincon that’s immune to Encore, Taunt and Whirlwind, but I just find AV or Pain Split to be more consistent. All this without even mentioning how Magic Bounce forces uncomfortable 50/50s with the opponent’s hazard setters (unless they have samu or tinka lol).
B+ > A-
Glimm Offenses are back in style. Toxic Spikes alone is enough for players to need to account for it in the builder. Any team without a Poison type or Boots Spam is getting screwed over hard by Glimm or Tspikes Moth. Glimmora not only provides offense with a Tspike absorber, but also Spikes and a way to scout Valiant or Zama via Bulky Red Card variants. Meteor Beam has also seen a resurgence off its surprise factor (tho it may fall off as said surprise factor wears off). Beating Hatterene with Poison STAB is also a boon for a hazard lead.
B > B+
Band is garbage imo, get with the times by running good sets, like LO SD. Grassy Glide and Wood Hammer are game changers for punishing defensive Teras. Knock Off with Tera Dark also trucks Pecha and even the birds for big loads of damage. The SD Rilla craze has also brought G. Terrain Offense back into play, enabling sturdy wincons like G. Seed NP Ghold.
B > B+
I won’t stop being a Rotom-Washington stan. Good matchups into a lot of the top mons, immune to Spikes, great at forcing progress with status + Volt Switch. Teams piloting this mon have gotten players qualified for OLT playoffs and it continues seeing sparse tournament usage. Heatran and Torn are also projected to rise to OU and historically it’s matched up well vs them especially now that Tran can’t click Toxic anymore. I’d like to give a shoutout to the OG Trick Scarf set. We stan Scarf Trick.
C+ > B-
I’ve seen talks on the discussion thread about Nasty Plot Fez and lowkey, it has potential. It’s like a special version of SD Gliscor.
Fezandipiti @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Toxic Chain
Tera Type: Dark
EVs: 240 HP / 4 Def / 12 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Moonblast
- Dark Pulse
- Roost
Great special bulk allowing you to check Fairies, Darkrai, and Dragapult, giving you ample opportunities to set up multiple Nasty Plots. I wouldn’t bother with Heat Wave since Dark Pulse + Moonblast smacks every Steel type in the tier as well as Glowking/Pecharunt. Corviknight can’t touch you at all. Fez 2-shots bulky Dengo after a Nasty Plot and eats a MiR. Oh and because of Toxic Chain it demolishes Blissey which is funny. 99 speed is incredible on a mon with good bulk. Could also slap Shuca on this to 1v1 Lando too. Its defensive utility and Stallbreaking potential is worth putting it next to Greninja and Boulder on the VR.
C > C+
The takeaway with Thundy is that it has great matchups into rising threats like Torn and Zapdos. The OG Specs Tera Blast is hit-or-miss nowadays, bulky Nasty Plot is where its at (yes we’re repeating Fezandipiti with this one).
Thundurus (Thundurus-Therian) @ Leftovers
Ability: Volt Absorb
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 208 HP / 68 SpA / 232 Spe
Timid Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Thunderbolt
- Tera Blast
- Taunt
Thundy with bulk investment and Lefties goes a long way. Not only improving your defensive utility vs Zapdos/Torn, but also tanking hits like Ghold’s Shadow Ball, Wellspring’s Ivy Cudgel, Tusk’s Ice Spinner, and even survives Valiant’s +1 Moonblast after rocks. 208 HP also hits an important benchmark to where Blissey’s Seismic Toss is a 5HKO with Lefties intact, allowing you to 1v1 the pink blob with ease in conjunction with Taunt.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9ou-2425240021-dysfxfv5xni4x4lsx0rjpnflc44xubfpw
(sorry Faya)
Tera Fairy Blast not only smacks Dragons and Ting-Lu, but also makes Thundy Raging Bolt counter (ignoring Tera Blast or Weather Ball). Cool mon.
Drop Noms
S- > A+
Probably my most controversial take but Kingambit is not the pinnacle of SV OU like it once was. Kingambit isn’t as unpredictable as it was let on to be, especially when you compare it to other setup sweepers. Running any other Tera besides Ghost, Fairy, or Flying is risky due to how prominent Tusk and Zama are. Meta trends haven’t been kind to it. Pokemon that match up well into Gambit like Lando and Cinder have seen higher usage with Offense in the forefront. Heatran is reaching OU usage and that is a problematic matchup, especially those with Flame Body. I would also argue Gambit doesn’t have as many setup opportunities as you might think. The main ones are Ghost types, Kyurem, Hatt, and Glowking. Pult carries Wisp or Flamethrower. Ghold can either cripple it with Scarf Trick or Focus Blast it back to Unova where it came from. Pecharunt is a very valid switch-in, but Pecha can always Parting Shot out, weakening Gambit while giving a free switch to one of its checks, costing you momentum. Gking and Hatt are valid though. Players are preferring Dnite as the lategame Tera hog sweeper, its bulk + Multiscale and access to Roost granting it more setup opportunities and early game utility than Gambit, though you do see both of them on the same teams. With that said, Gambit is still Gambit at the end of the day. It still clutches games, its role as an offensive Ghost resist is invaluable, and it punishes a lot of cheese strats. I just don’t think it is as consistent as it once was.
A+ > A
After an explosive period of success from WCOP and OLT, it seems the playerbase is starting to catch on to it. Nasty Plot sets are still scary, but Deo’s lackluster bulk makes it tough to get it on the field safely. Increased Hatt usage also makes it less consistent as a hazard lead. Focus Blast is a garbage move and having to land it to beat Dark types is a calamity-level risk.
A > A-
Corviknight is very easy to overwhelm with how often its forced to tank stuff like Ivy Cudgel. Taunt Lando in particular easily forces Corv to eat chip. Hatt ruins it with Mystical Fire or Nuzzle + Psynoise. Without Iron Defense it loses hard to Roost Dnite which is the trending set rn. Rising stars like Ceruledge, Zap, and Heatran also eat this thing alive. Zapdos and Molt are better birbs. They’re less passive and can punish contact moves without relying on Helmet being intact.
A > A-
I like G-Weez, but A is too high of a rank, even during its peak. While its consistent at Defogging and offers defensive utility outside of clicking Defog, Weezing’s matchup into most SR setters in the tier is shaky, especially Heatran and Glimm who switch into it for free. Meaning the G-Weez team has to dance around hazards before being able to remove them. With G-Weezing being OU proper, Teams have gotten better at overwhelming it. Some of the mons it’s tasked with checking can flip the script like Sub-Tera Steel Zama/Rest Zama or Tera Steel CM Valiant. Taunt Wellspring has also picked up in usage (Wellspring needs to be careful with Sludge Bomb tho). As a Poison type, Weezing’s poor special bulk means it has a hard time switching into strong Moonblasts. Still a good mon that revolutionized Balance structures, but players are getting more skilled at dealing with it.
B > B-
Also clumping Pex with these two cause its more of a Stall staple than a Balance one. Stall has seen a glimpse of success during OLT R1 as a response to Offense spam, but I’m starting to notice Stall fumbling more often than winning. Most teams have the ability to outlast Stall or break it in half, even with developments like double removal and Toxapex.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen9ou-866168?p2
Regen core + pressure on G-Weez
Stall already had a notoriously bad MU into Wellspring, but the rise of Taunt and Synthesis variants is another level of bad. Taunt Knock Torn also beats every relevant Stall team. Hatt can be dealt with using Blissey, but now they’re running Pain Split Rocky Helmet to make its life worse. Heatran rising is also bad for every Stall that doesn’t run Alomomola, and even with it, Heatran is dangerously good at keeping rocks up vs Stall. Primarina was another scary MU for Stall, but could be circumvented with hazards + Pex. Now this thing is using Whirlpool + Tera Poison lmao. Stall has it rough rn but I can see it returning back to B rank in the future.
I’d also like to take this time to mention some mons that Pokemon should look out for in the near future.
Garg has crazy snowball potential. Dropping SR on this is the SV OU equivalent of Rock Lee dropping his weights. Curse and Iron Defense can legit solo entire teams. ID/Curse Tera Fairy/Water Garg is one of the best Dnite checks you can find, especially with Encore usage falling out of favor for Roost or DD Three Attacks. Garg checks a bunch of other things too like Zapdos, Pecharunt, Pult, and non-CC Ceru.
Hamurott has great synergy with Zapdos, Torn, and Kyurem. Similarly to Wellspring, it can pair itself with Heatran to form a strong hazard stack core. Mixed variants, Resttalk, and SD Lum have potential in this meta. Don’t sleep on this.
I’m hesitant about putting this in the A ranks due to being a Steel type that loses to Kyurem, but Heatran instills fear into every hazard control option, with Tusk not wanting to be burnt or eat huge chip damage from Magma Storm. Thus Heatran’s great at preserving SR and the fact it’s consistent at its role means Tusk and Garg no longer have to be forced to compress Rocks into their moveset and instead run the good sets.
I’ve noticed a recent influx of Tinkaton usage during the OLT playoffs. I think it responds well to current trends. Getting rocks up for free vs Hatterene is huge and it has good matchups into Darkrai, Deo, and isn’t too bad into Kyurem as long as you play smart with it. Maybe it’ll rise to A- in the future.
Like with Tinkaton, Chomp appears to be getting some attention in the OLT playoffs. It has two things going for it over other hazard setters. It’s a SR setter that doesn’t have an anxiety attack when Wellspring is in front of it, and Helmet + Rough Skin is so good at punishing all the contact moves running around. Shoutouts to the Dual AV and Xav Boots Spam hazard stacks that features Tankchomp, gotta be my favorite genders. LO SD Chomp also has merit.
Rockpon is cracked and slept on lmao. It trades defensive utility for the ability to rock Dnite’s shit (pun unintended). Resisting Thunderclap and E-Speed is also huge for it. I’d personally run SD/Ivy/Grass move/Knock. It means you’re walled by Gambit, but it’s not like Gambit is the hardest thing to wear down in the tier. I could see support from Sand or Grassy Terrain or both to be shiest.
mcribs recently nommed this to B+ after climbing to top 40 with it. I still respect it, but idt the meta is it for Volcanion rn. Volcanion faces stiff competition with other special breakers like Torn, Darkrai, Specs Bolt, Heatran, and Kyurem. Its lackluster speed tier also makes it difficult to slap onto teams. Even so, I believe people should still keep an eye on Volcanion’s defensive utility and trading potential. Plus there’s an handful of Wellsprings that are rocking the cheap ass Trailblaze sets, making Volcanion effective at checking them.
That’s all, have a good day.