I'll be the one to hopefully open the floodgates
Yes, I am a Skarm 1 believer now. Technically, you can certainly still argue that sand is more warping than spikes, but it's close and reasonable people could disagree. Regardless, this mon is clearly the top consideration when building any ADV OU team. Every team and basically every set is designed around limiting it, unless you're using Mag which is obviously just another thing you use to limit Skarm. Even Skarm itself has started spamming Thief sets which aim to either limit opposing Skarm or limit opposing Skarm mitigation (spinners). During Jimvitational, I legit started to feel like if you don't use Skarm, you are kind of immediately nerfing yourself. At the very least, Skarm is just so much easier to use/more stress free in every way than other strategies. Spikeless offenses have to do so much planning in sequencing, whereas every Skarm team's matchups are so much easier to understand and pilot.
To talk briefly about sets, the one I will still use the most is Spike/Roar/Peck/Protect, as it's just the easiest to fit and does Skarm's main jobs well. ToxTect is great in the very very rare cases you can actually use it but I don't see good reason to not be aware of/sell the matchups vs all of Gengar, RefDol, and Forre. So yeah it's just immensely hard to fit. ToxPeck splits the difference and is kind of the best set for the purpose of being a set that aims to beat all the spinners, but I still see it more as a set you necessarily use rather than one you want to use. I don't believe in Taunt anymore because Thief does a better job of winning spike wars long term, and if you're a fast paced offense team I believe it's better to just have a team that wants to play a 3 up vs 3 up scenario, especially since again Taunt won't limit opposing spikes long term anyways. Yolo has also come back in a big way and is worth mentioning for sure, though I would say the only use case that has really clicked is using it with Milo/Cune + Dug, more on that in
this excellent post by
johnnyg2 talking about
McMeghan's SPL Tiebreak team if you're not familiar.
Should have a lot less to say about this mon. Thank God for sand of course. BKCTar has probably fallen off too much in my eyes, it's still the best at absolutely breaking open Bliss teams. Even Dug/Dol/Milo teams can get put in very awkward positions, but SubPunch sets are admittedly better vs those teams. I do think DD should probably always be used instead of it on spikeless though. Pursuit also of course occupies a unique spot in the meta and is probably another S Tier set.
Not much to say here, it's just the biggest posterchild for offense and makes so many teams go. Really pretty endless utility both offensively and defensively and will have something to offer in every matchup, especially since it's the best Explosion user. Agility probably the most splashable set. I used to hate mixed sets but PsyFire is good on Dug offenses at least.
Similar to Metagross in that it just has immense utility both offensively and defensively. A lot less upside offensively than Metagross obviously, but also much more unique in its defensive profile. I will say sometimes it's kind of an awkward mon when fitting it on teams because it's usually at its best with spikes, but Pert spikes teams often can get overwhelmed by opposing spikes teams. Pairing it with the spinners doesn't really work because if you're using Claydol, you'll use a different water instead, and Starmie + Pert is similarly a bit awkward (though there are more use cases for this). I also really don't care for Forre + Pert mid-paced balances at all. The other option to help the opposing spikes weakness is to use Flygon instead. So yeah, it's really limited to more offensive spikes teams, which admittedly is fine since many of these teams are some of the best teams in the game. I recently have enjoyed using
offensive 3 attacks + Refresh on these teams, as it does a really great job of limiting SkarmBliss and comes with the bonus of being a Pert that can switch into Tar turn 1 without sacrificing too much momentum
(as long as you hit Pumps). It's also not used as much on the trapper-based spikeless offenses, though it does occasionally find a place on them. Still, checking basically every physical attacker is irreplaceable.
Only reason I hesitate somewhat to rank this mon this high is that it fits on a more limited number of teams (only with spikes or with Dug), but the teams it goes on are excellent and Gengar performs amazingly on said teams. I do value the fact it can make every matchup playable like nothing else. Some of the more recent fat builds have admittedly had some smart ways to mitigate the Gengar matchup a bit more than they had in the past, but in a vacuum Taunt+Wisp is still one of the most threatening things these teams can face. Still amazing vs MagOff, still hard for any team to stop it from making progress in general, missing Wisp notwithstanding. The downsides are its moves are pretty weak (though Modest helps...) and the fact once it has taken any damage its utility is diminished a ton.
To be honest, I actually do kind of agree with those that feel that this mon is not as overwhelmingly powerful as it should be on paper. I just think I simply cannot ever rate it any lower than about here just for the fact that it can and does fit on literally every type of team in the meta.
This actually seems a little too high to me, but I do feel it clearly should be above everything below it, so I suppose it's correct. Honestly think its set versatility is actually a touch overrated. I find myself just using CM, especially SuperRachi, more than anything. That said, Wish is admittedly a nightmare for a lot of teams and can also enable lots of stuff. It's also another mon that can find itself on all sorts of different types of teams which, like Zapdos, gets my respect on a VR. I will say Registeel seems to have encroached on this mon's territory a little more than it has on even Metagross.
I think this ranking can be justified just on the fact that this mon really is among the more warping aspects of the tier. It would probably be even higher, but in general I think the classical ZapDug offenses are not very good at all. On the offensive end of the spectrum, I'm a much bigger fan of JynxDug or teams with multiple boomers to set up the Dug trap instead of using the fat chungus Dug that goes all in on the Bliss trap when she's at full health. Dug is obviously great at simplifying game states, which is something I value a lot, and just the sheer number of mons that Dug threatens to forcibly remove with little or no chip is of course very strong.
This is probably gonna be a lower ranking than most, So I guess I need to explain it. Obviously, I still value its place in the tier highly, I mean I'm still putting it top 9 after all. It is one of the top things you consider when building, which is the big justification for Skarm #1. I just think the main thing is that its viability is hugely tied to Skarm (much moreso than even say Gengar). Obviously, they are just a good pairing, but Skarm makes Bliss go much much much more than Bliss makes Skarm go. Also it does mandate more support in my opinion than other mons at this level of viability rather than being singularly good on its own. It does cede a lot of momentum to opposing Skarm, physical threats, and even just CMers. I think it absolutely needs to be paired with Dug, Mag, Flygon, or a spinner. Of course, if it does get this support it is just straight up the only mon that can do what it does and the teams it actually fits on are some of the most reliable teams in the tier. Another positive about Bliss is that it actually does have a surprising amount of set versatility. TWave + Aroma seems like the most consistently strong set to me. All that said, I think it is also worth saying that a lot of really good players flat out do not use this mon that much and they still find great success. Ranking this mon anywhere between like 3rd and 18th is probably justifiable to me.
Not much to add here. I suspect I will be a tiny bit higher on this mon than some, but that's fine. It's a cleaner, revenge killer, breaker all in one. In a sense, Aero spikes are kind of the default playstyle since Aero is the fastest mon that also gets to use an item that makes it stronger, so if the opponent is not prepared for it, they will just lose. Of course because of that fact, that indeed means every well constructed team will be built with Aero in mind at least to some extent, which is kind of a downside to using it. That fact that Aero is considered so strongly when building is something I value in a VR though, as I've mentioned. Despite the downsides, it is still fantastic against many offenses and against many fatter builds as well.
This has always been sort of a hard mon to rank for me, I think in large part because its game-to-game performance feels to be a bit all over the place. Sometimes Leech + spikes are just really oppressive, but sometimes it doesn't really get anything going. BP sets will also flop a good percentage of the time. Everyone knows the defensive sets are maybe the biggest hax magnets in the tier, but when it avoids hax it's kind of the only mon that can check things in the way it does. Of course, Celebi can also enable all sorts of offensive strategies both with and without spikes and that's probably where it has the highest ceiling. As an offensive threat itself, I feel it's usually somewhat underwhelming.
Honestly, I used to rate this mon even more highly, but I do feel like the more offensive Dol teams have fallen off a fair bit in recent times. Also the fact I actually view Donphan as viable now has hurt a tiny bit. Still, it occupies a very unique place in the metagame. It Is the best/only thing that can do exactly what it does, and the teams it goes on are among the most consistently good teams in the tier.
This mon still has pretty awesome and unique utility, but I do think its use cases have suffered a fair bit with Charizard actually being used more and more on spikes teams. Obviously they're different, but Zard is a better breaker, gives an extra check to Metagross, checks the pixies better, and switches into fighting types reliably just as many times as Mence. Mence does have higher upside as a cleaner though as vs a lot of teams once you make one aggressive move the game can be broken open in an unrecoverable way. Also, unlike Zard, Mence gives an extra pivot vs physical Tyranitars which is a huge point in its favor. DD is always touch-and-go for me but people messing around with sets like
Sub,
DDMix, and the infamous
PenguinMence have been a nice little boost for it. CBMence should probably make a comeback considering some of the most popular teams currently; I just don't love the teams it ends up on, but maybe there's room for creativity in that regard.
Of course Mag teams will never reliably beat Skarm teams, but still it's just the ultimate game state simplifier which is something I personally value a ton to say nothing for the enabling in the teambuilder. People often have nasty things to say about SkarmMag teams, but I think you can kind of pick-and-choose what you want to leave them weak to and then you can have some pretty strong matchups elsewhere, so I think they're quite worth using.
Tricky mon to rank. The classic criticisms of the teams it goes on are still fair, even when pairing it with things trying to mitigate it from getting overwhelmed (Celebi, Regice, Zap, CalmCune, Jolt, etc). Its role on spikeless/dugless teams is invaluable though. It's the strongest trader in the tier and gonna get key things done in any game where it's not facing 3 of Tar, Skarm, Gar, Meta. So I suppose where you rank it is gonna depend on how you view those teams and how often you think it will face the aforementioned mons.
I would rank this mon even higher if I cared for DefMie at all. Just seems like that set is kind of fishing for an extremely specific team; a Skarm team where the Skarm doesn't have Toxic or Thief and is not paired with Gengar or SuitTar. Admittedly, if it does land that matchup it can dominate a game like little else. If it faces 1 out of the 3, it can get things done but has to play with so much less flexibility than Claydol does in similar matchups. If it faces 2 out of the 3, it's very likely doomed. But anyways, OffMie is fantastic. Really punishes Blissless harder than arguably anything and you also of course can pair it with Bliss punishers like SubTar or with Bliss removers e.g. boom into Dug. Surf/Beam/Recover/Spin compresses in a very elegant way too and is really pretty much just as good as DefMie in the matchups where you want DefMie.
I know I will be lower on this mon than most, but I just don't really vibe with it. I'm still putting it this high because it is a mon to respect in the builder. Although, that said, I think it's much easier to address there than people sometimes act like. I really often just prefer to use Starmie in a spot where you'd use offensive Suicune. The "Skarm Beatdown" type squads that it is key on have fallen off a bit too. It's at its best in my eyes on the fat Dug + spin + spike teams and even there it's competing for the spot with Milotic, but it definitely performs amazingly on such squads.
I believe since the initial Zard boom people have gotten a good bit better at facing this mon and limiting its breaking abilities. Its power is sometimes disappointing. Still, you have to give it a lot of props as it immediately and directly threatens a lot of the top mons in the meta and doesn't need the assistance of trapping or spikes to do it. It is pretty unique in that regard and is the number one mon that can make spikeless/trapless teams go. It's got some great and pretty unique utility in general, being a nuisance to Gengar possibly being its greatest trait in the builder.
Another mon that's unique in what it does as the only spike immune physical check. Will always be limited by the amount of teams it can actually fit on, but it performs exceptionally on the teams it does go on. You do need to have a little extra preparation for Metagross when you use this mon instead of Swampert, but I also think that is often a bit overstated. I rate all the common sets, they all can checkmate games in different ways.
My advice to those who don't vibe with this mon is to stop trying to use it on balance (think Forre/Pert/Bliss/SuitTar type teams) and instead use it either as a more fast-paced spiker that messes with Skarm and has Explosion (think Gengar + other offense mons type teams) or on much fatter teams paired with a second spinner and/or with HP Ghost + Aroma (think ABR
type teams or HClat
VapKou). Admittedly, the balance type Forre squads do still match up pretty well into SkarmDol stuff, though less so with ThiefSkarm becoming super popular on those teams.
Still mostly only fits on one type of team (random SubPass stuff here and there notwithstanding), but said teams are classic and I do especially rate them with the recent
Forre update that really helps turn the Claydol matchup around. BP+Roar is my personal usual preferred set just because I feel it gives the most ease of use.
Again, very similar to Jolt in that it only fits on one type of team (not at all a believer in offensive sets or MiloMag teams really), but said teams are classic and very strong. In Milo's case it actually is competing for the role on these teams though. In fact, personally I usually prefer the Suicune + AromaBliss configurations to the Milotic + CMBliss configurations but they're kind of different teams that do different things really. You have to respect this mon when building any offense.
Just a super threatening late-gamer that is also maybe more splashable than previously thought. KouBliss is a great pairing because if Bliss gets trapped by Dug early game it will have to take damage to do so and then it can't safely trap Raikou later, or if you have your own Dug and the opposing Dug used Beat Up on Bliss you can countertrap it. This all also means you can play your Bliss more recklessly than you might otherwise and it opens up your possible Bliss sets too. Meanwhile, Raikou still checks all of Zapdos, Jolteon, Starmie, Gengar, Suicune, and even the fire types nicely. And that's just in opposing fat or ZapDug matchups. If it's not facing that, Raikou also just does great in non-Bliss matchups anyways. Also worth mentioning this is maybe the number one mon El Classico doesn't want to face. It's just kind of a very anti-meta mon that is enjoying a lot of current trends really. Absolutely needs to be moved up to OU.
The long and short of it is that it's just an amazing breaker at lead. That also in my opinion makes it the most splashable fighter because really it can kind of fit as a +1 and lead on a lot of different offenses if you want to, especially since really it is completely self-sustaining.
Its use cases are a lot less clear than in the past with Charizard being used on spikes more and more, but of course there is something to be said about the immediacy of its power compared to Zard. Muscling through the bulky waters does feel good. You do have to respect the fact that Blissey is really the only thing that actually checks Molt long term, so in a sense any time you are not facing Blissey you should be happy to have Moltres. And if you are facing Bliss, you just have strong Bliss punishers on your team or something like TauntGar to help break it down (or just PP Stall it in the case of Superman). That all being said, Molt is probably not actually as good vs offense as you'd think because they can pivot around and unlike Zard they'll always have mons that are faster than it. Mag/Lax offenses are probably the one time where you truly are going God mode as the Molt user with the threat of Wisp. The bulk it has over Zard is also not
that relevant in my opinion, though it does mean it can do Rest stuff if it wants which is something.
It has unique offensive and defensive qualities as a fighter that are to be respected. It also actually has pretty decent set variety, but honestly you will want different ones for different matchups and it's just very hard to find any kind of real consistency. This mon also probably isn't as good vs fat as it's purported to be. Even SubPunch which is meant to be the end all and be all vs these teams has not that great of breaking power and takes a long time to pay off in a sandless spikeless environment.
Admittedly, its on-paper qualities often seem to be better than they actually are in practice. But its on-paper qualities are strong. In some ways it's more consistent as a DDer than Mence even though it's weaker and slower. The types of teams it goes on often have a serious problem pivoting vs Swampert/Suicune and Gyara does this job excellently. The fact it is an extra check to Metagross is also a highly redeemable quality. SubGyara especially threatens the hell out of your standard Dug + Water + Dol teams when paired with Mag and another breaker or two. It may also have some use cases on fat teams as a mon that can compress a few roles, but this especially is probably where it is way better on-paper than actually consistently useful.
Not the easiest to fit on a team, but it's a very strong performer. Amazing vs ZapDug teams and Blissless spikes teams; really just offense in general. OffWater + Dug + Regice + MixMeta + Gengar is really just one of my all-time favorite team structures. So good. It has some similar issues to Snorlax except it gets overwhelmed even faster, and while it doesn't 2-for-1 trade like Snorlax does, it is excellent at boom trading for Dug follow-ups allowing its teammates to go wild.
I'll let others say more about this mon. I will say while its rise in usage is really attributable to a few notable names, it seems legit to me and probably here to stay. Just a very interesting mon for offense that compresses a lot of different useful roles.
This mon will likely always sit right about here. It will always have a place as the preeminent hyper offense spiker, but it doesn't have much room to grow. The fact you can always mix up the moves it uses besides Spike+Spore also helps give it a nice floor. Usually have to win multiple mindgames to have a chance vs spinners which is unfortunate, but if you like playing momentum games that are decided quickly this is the mon for you.
Like Smeargle in that it has a clear cut place in the meta. Honestly, it's probably more consistent at forcing things to happen as a Dug offense enabler than Zapdos even is (Lovely Kiss and sleep turn variance notwithstanding), and it's one of the best ways to enable weather change Snorlax/Suicune/Reversal fighter stuff too.
I respect this mon and it does have potential to be super oppressive with its sleep especially if you use it smartly. You also can opt to use it as either an early game pressure or as a mid-late gamer after its checks aren't as ready for it. I think my big problem is that it's just a very awkward mon to build with compared to the other fighters.
While it only really fits on a couple different teams, completely shutting down Claydol continues to be a very solid niche. Notably the best enabler of PP stall in the tier.
Kind of nightmarish for just about any lead Tar team to face and somewhat singlehandedly messes with SkarmBliss, so for those reasons it's a nice offense enabler. Defensive Wish sets are also much more usable than I previously reckoned.
I can't seem to really figure out actually using this mon in game, but I'm giving it a respect rank here. Its raw stats, typing, and Explosion make it a nice half check to an absolute laundry list of things which I get the appeal for. Its power is so underwhelming though and losing momentum to water types is always tough, so Registeel seems a lot more appealing to me to fulfill a similar role.
I've tried to understand this mon, but I still don't and I'm ready to give up. I'm giving it a respect rank here anyways because some people swear it's good. It's absolutely terrible as a Skarm replacement. Smeargle and even Forre also seem better as aggressive spikers. I don't think STAB Surf/Ice Beam are enough to really set it apart. Its best use cases may be partnered with Dug or Mag, so that its boom at least guarantees traps.
Much much more usable than I thought in the past. Especially great as a Forre partner as together they can keep spikes off vs Skarm (Forre sits on ToxSkarm while Donphan sits on PeckSkarm) and help each other break down Gengar. Being better than Claydol on the physical side also of course means it's a touch better vs stuff like Tar, Meta, Aero. Still, it's only fitting on a pretty limited number of teams and Claydol's boom is a huge thing to give up.
Think it has more clear use cases than Hariyama as a Knock Off user since it's more obvious what its strengths and weaknesses are. Kind of tricky to use since it doesn't actually 1v1 many things and is threatened by a large percentage of the best mons in the tier, but it's got good traits.
/
Gonna talk about these together since they're a similar story. Ludicolo may have slightly more use cases due to the utility of Leech Seed, but Kingdra has a little more upside as a sweeper. Generally don't really think they're super worth using as they need a lot of support/a lot of legwork to get to where they can win, but Rain sweepers do absolutely demolish teams with stuff like Zap or Jolt as their primary special checks.
Knock Off user that owns Claydol and does quite well into physical offense (also one of the only mons that truly owns Medicham), which all makes for a pretty obviously solid niche for fat. Unfortunately, outside of those matchups it is a bit deadweight/waiting to die.
Has some unique traits as a breaker that also actually punishes Wisp clicks which is cool. Overall still a bit hard to actually justify over the other fighters.
This mon truly has fallen all the way off, but it technically still can enable some specific teams. Might be worth exploring some wacky ways to try to punish fat with it.
Biggest momentum loser of all time, but Charmbreon especially is probably something worth bringing from time to time if you're a stall lord that wants to keep people honest.
Happy VR Season, everyone!!