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Can someone explain why Bronzong was taken off the VR (as opposed to being raised to C-)? It's still one of the best defensive checks to Kyurem, so It remains a solid choice for many stall teams.
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 .
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
Random question but why is thundurus-t at the top of C? P sure its a mistake when they were ranking it down but just wanted to be sure and make you aware that it was there
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.
Question. Why is regular Slowking so much worse than Glowking? It's really just reliant on your team which one is better and regular Slowking even has scald! How Are they not equal or at least close
Question. Why is regular Slowking so much worse than Glowking? It's really just reliant on your team which one is better and regular Slowking even has scald! How Are they not equal or at least close
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.
Question. Why is regular Slowking so much worse than Glowking? It's really just reliant on your team which one is better and regular Slowking even has scald! How Are they not equal or at least close
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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
Adding onto this post, I'd also like to mention that Empoleon is also a fantastic offensive rocker. I've been using it on a bulky offensive team and it offers a lot - it blocks mortal spin, can switch into Defog / Parting shot like you mentioned, and with a Shuca Berry, it is fantastic at luring Ground-Types like Great Tusk & Iron Treads, as well as act as a temporary check to Pokémon such as Kyurem and Enamorus. This pairs really well with Raging Bolt in particular imo.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
Kinggambit can drop Iron Head for Tera blast and beat everything here and can tech Lum berry for everything trying to burn it to put it under S- isn’t right and if u ask me it should be S one of the best mons in the tier
Kinggambit can drop Iron Head for Tera blast and beat everything here and can tech Lum berry for everything trying to burn it to put it under S- isn’t right and if u ask me it should be S one of the best mons in the tier
It can’t tech a Tera blast that beats every check at once and most teams have at least two checks minimum to it that slow it down a lot. It’s not as unpredictable with Tera since it doesn’t really have as many useful non standard choices these days, outside of the three mentioned (ghost/flying/fairy) there aren’t really others that have the same wide reaching usefulness so picking something outside those is much riskier. And Lum Berry is a solid but specific choice for an item that limits its overall defensive use during the game since it won’t have leftovers recovery and will get worn down faster.
Gambit is still good, no one denies that, but when you look at what’s in S it doesn’t have anywhere near the seismic, tier shaping impact of the big three who can be slotted onto nearly any team, and even among S- mons its utility and flexibility is the weakest. Gholdengo has tons of key defensive utility and still brings offensive value, Tusk is Tusk, and Wellspring is extremely centralizing as an offensive threat even beyond Kingambit that can make progress into almost any team with its insane versatility and threat. Teams are more prepared than ever for Gambit and it feels suited more to A+.
I would normally agree with dropping Gambit to A+ since I feel its got a few small issues that add up (low speed, lack of progress making moves like Knock, some minor defensive flaws like not being a great switch in to many of the Knockers in the early / mid game since that can hurt its end-game utility, Sucker Punch being an exploitable priority move, etc.) but we are seeing it return to that 2023 dominance lately in OLT which saw a good number of end-game gambit sweeps. I would say given that, S- Rank currently is more than fair.
I'd also swap Tusk and Zamazenta in the rankings - I feel Tusk is much more consistent at being a strong progress maker thanks to Knock Off and various other utilities it provides while also being versatile in how it can offensively support a team. It usually is the easiest Rocker + Hazard remover to fit onto a team, but it also compresses a lot more depending on how you use it, giving it a lot of swiss army utility for various offenses and balances. It also helps that a lot of its counters are.... well, fake for lack of a better word, either being completely crippled by Knock Off, or owned by one of Ice Spinner, Head Smash, Temper Flare, Supercell slam, etc. I think the option of either playing the long game with Knock or just being able to instantly delete one of its checks gives Tusk a lot of depth in how it can be built and played based on your build.
Zama is extremely strong as well, but I feel its lack of notcable Progress making tools + 4MSS against several of its counters is a hinderance that can make it a bit annoying to play when using it against its various counters. It does have some disruptive techs, but compared to Tusk, I feel it has less potential "outs" in bad match-ups to progress the game-state. Of course, on the flipside, it is much easier to clean up endgames with Zama, so there is merit in that over Tusk as well, but I'd say I like Tusk's consistentcy & versatility more.
It can’t tech a Tera blast that beats every check at once and most teams have at least two checks minimum to it that slow it down a lot. It’s not as unpredictable with Tera since it doesn’t really have as many useful non standard choices these days, outside of the three mentioned (ghost/flying/fairy) there aren’t really others that have the same wide reaching usefulness so picking something outside those is much riskier. And Lum Berry is a solid but specific choice for an item that limits its overall defensive use during the game since it won’t have leftovers recovery and will get worn down faster.
Gambit is still good, no one denies that, but when you look at what’s in S it doesn’t have anywhere near the seismic, tier shaping impact of the big three who can be slotted onto nearly any team, and even among S- mons its utility and flexibility is the weakest. Gholdengo has tons of key defensive utility and still brings offensive value, Tusk is Tusk, and Wellspring is extremely centralizing as an offensive threat even beyond Kingambit that can make progress into almost any team with its insane versatility and threat. Teams are more prepared than ever for Gambit and it feels suited more to A+.
Ummmm SD Tera Blast Fairy literally hits each mon in S super effectively (Zama needs Heavy Slam to check Fairy and Zama already has 4mss) Kinggambit at %100 with 5 mons dead is the most threatening mon in the tier hence why u said u need 2 checks for it (says a lot about the dumb mon)
Ummmm SD Tera Blast Fairy literally hits each mon in S super effectively (Zama needs Heavy Slam to check Fairy and Zama already has 4mss) Kinggambit at %100 with 5 mons dead is the most threatening mon in the tier hence why u said u need 2 checks for it (says a lot about the dumb mon)
Kingambit is very difficult to keep at 100%, especially when it is tasked with swapping into Shadow Balls, Kyurem, Hatterene, Darkrai and sometimes checking Dnite via Tera. Not to mention Gambit still takes a huge chunk from Great Tusk and Lando after Terastilzing assuming it’s not Tera Flying.
I’d argue the point about Tera Fairy Blast also applies to Dnite who is a more consistent sweeper. Roost and Multiscale lets Dnite stack up boosts, and Dnite’s set ambiguity is beyond Gambit’s comprehension.
Kingambit is very difficult to keep at 100%, especially when it is tasked with swapping into Shadow Balls, Kyurem, Hatterene, Darkrai and sometimes checking Dnite via Tera. Not to mention Gambit still takes a huge chunk from Great Tusk and Lando after Terastilzing assuming it’s not Tera Flying.
I’d argue the point about Tera Fairy Blast also applies to Dnite who is a more consistent sweeper. Roost and Multiscale lets Dnite stack up boosts, and Dnite’s set ambiguity is beyond Gambit’s comprehension.
You can run HW or Alo to combat this,I think Dragonite and Kinggambit are neck & neck & Kinggambit should be S alongside it they even are often seen together because they overwhelm each others checks. When it comes to sweeping yeah Dragonite has roost Multiscale and can also Tera Blast Fairy but Kinggambit doesn’t rlly have to worry about coverage as much compared to Dragonite because after a few fainted member and a SD it’s breaking tru resists I think Kinggambit demands more respect in the builder because it can become more threatening faster than Dnite(SD + Supreme Overlord can pretty much sweep any team with no bulky dark resist or fast wisper while d nite needs a bulky mon with status or roar to check it which is why u see teams over prepping for Kinggambit like you said which I think moreso shows how overcentralizing it is rather than it getting worse especially since it can actually still beat these checks with the right tera
You can run HW or Alo to combat this,I think Dragonite and Kinggambit are neck & neck & Kinggambit should be S alongside it they even are often seen together because they overwhelm each others checks. When it comes to sweeping yeah Dragonite has roost Multiscale and can also Tera Blast Fairy but Kinggambit doesn’t rlly have to worry about coverage as much compared to Dragonite because after a few fainted member and a SD it’s breaking tru resists I think Kinggambit demands more respect in the builder because it can become more threatening faster than Dnite(SD + Supreme Overlord can pretty much sweep any team with no bulky dark resist or fast wisper while d nite needs a bulky mon with status or roar to check it which is why u see teams over prepping for Kinggambit like you said which I think moreso shows how overcentralizing it is rather than it getting worse especially since it can actually still beat these checks with the right tera
Being S isn’t just about being threatening, but also the overall value you bring to a team, consistency and general splashability. Ting-Lu is a critical defensive presence that provides huge role compression for teams and fits on nearly any style, Zamazenta similarly provides role compression and a premier wincon with surprising versatility, and soft checks a ton of stuff in one slot. And Dragonite, again, brings a lot of defensive value while being threatening and having immense flexibility in sets it can run. It’s arguably the most dangerous sweeper around because of how many variants there are of it. It’s better at using Tera in this way than Gambit because of Multiscale and the fact it’s also boosting speed, making it hard to revenge kill.
Gambit is very threatening when set up, but early game since every good team has multiple checks to it, it isn’t as easy to make headway with against a competent opponent. It’s also a mon that doesn’t defensively answer as much as the big 3 and it generally having known Tera types by now makes it hard to surprise with, as again outside its main three types others don’t offer nearly as much widespread value on Gambit.
Also people are prepared for gambit but it’s not exactly like they do it in a panicking sort of way. It’s just easy to wind up with teams naturally equipped to handle it because many great Pokemon check it and commonly wind up used together, and so people end up prepared for it without going out of their way for it.
Kinggambit offers plenty of value on a team. Sucker Punch checks a plethora of Pokemon in the tier idk why everyone is talking about the early game when in fact the most dangerous way to use Gambit is late game when all of their Zama Tusk or Dragonite are already damaged. Pepole need to stop throwing their gambit away early game that’s why some ppl think it isn’t as consistent anymore and Gambits absurd power after a few dead’s alongside strong priority in Sucker Punch makes it have plenty defensive value as much as offensive value as It can Break even the strongest walls like Dozo which Dragonite cannot do. Gambit is very easy to throw on a team as its priority checks a plethora of set up sweepers. Tbh idk why people just act like they forgot Gambit at +2 literally is threatening the entire tier and Forces some kind of Fighting type move while Dragonite is much weaker at +1 atk is checked by wisp way more as Dragonites item slot is locked to Boots most of the time, Like Gambit is literally fine if anything I see it sweeping more like during this Last game
I think Gambit staying at S- is fair. It's obviously very threatening and even provides a ton of defensive utility for offense, but atp its "downfall" is a result of its own strength. Seems like almost every team is carrying a wisp and encore user these days and another answer to tera fire, like zama or corv or whatever. It's very good and fits on a lot of teams but doesn't have the splashability of Dnite or Ting-Lu. I don't think it should be S in the current metagame, but A+ is also far too low for how much offense and defense it brings in a single slot.
I think that as Kingambit is currently, it should be A+. However, it could definitely rise in the future as it does as some room for experimentation. For example, it actually has both thunder wave and taunt which could be very useful in theory. Also, for some reason it runs max speed (not including nature) and I have to ask why? What is it actually outrunning with max speed? Wouldn't it be better to run a bulky set with no speed investment so that you can live longer in the endgame? Either way though, Kingambit still has a bit of potential left.
From my understanding max speed is one of the innovations in gambit sets. It lets it beat opposing slower kingambit with low kick, requires less chip to break through certain slow bulky mons (eg ting lu, corv, dozo, primarina, etc). Even if these mons don't have a move to hit gambit hard with, taking less hits when dealing with them can often improve its longevity more than more bulk investment would. One of the big innovations has actually been jolly gambit on webs teams to outspeed mid speed stuff like tusk and hamurott. If you did run it with a TWave or taunt set you'd probably want max speed, either to outspeed whatever you paralyzed (for twave) or to be able to taunt before your opponent can act (for taunt)
There is definitely a place for kingambit without speed investment, either on trick room teams or on teams that just have ways to handle slow physical walls and opposing gambit, but there's actually some pretty good reasons why it isn't the default.
From my understanding max speed is one of the innovations in gambit sets. It lets it beat opposing slower kingambit with low kick, requires less chip to break through certain slow bulky mons (eg ting lu, corv, dozo, primarina, etc). Even if these mons don't have a move to hit gambit hard with, taking less hits when dealing with them can often improve its longevity more than more bulk investment would. One of the big innovations has actually been jolly gambit on webs teams to outspeed mid speed stuff like tusk and hamurott. If you did run it with a TWave or taunt set you'd probably want max speed, either to outspeed whatever you paralyzed (for twave) or to be able to taunt before your opponent can act (for taunt)
There is definitely a place for kingambit without speed investment, either on trick room teams or on teams that just have ways to handle slow physical walls and opposing gambit, but there's actually some pretty good reasons why it isn't the default.
I didn't say I thought max speed was bad. I just didn't know why it was used over max bulk. Thank you for explaining it to me. I definitely think there is room for experimentation though either way.
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 .
If you mean to say that is a huge strain on the builder and basically impossible to fully counter with one mon, then I'd tentatively agree. However, relative to other options, is one of the best counters to available that covers the most threatening sets like Mixed DD and Specs. It only folds to Tera fire blast DD, which is easier to cover for.
Bronzong is also more than just a Kyurem check. It also checks or completely counters some common sets of , , SD , , , , and . It provides a quad resist to Future Sight and is naturally resilient against hazards thanks to being a steel-type with levitate. It's a solid hazard setter in its own right thanks to its decent matchup against common spinners, and the combination of Psychic Noise and Body Press makes it far less passive than assumed. All of its traits makes Bronzong a serious option in any Stall or fat balance team that is capable of supporting it. Yes, bronzong is not "widely applicable", but that has NEVER been a consideration to remove a mon from the VR entirely. is currently B-rank, should it be removed from the VR because it needs a ton of babysitting in the teambuilder to work properly? I don't think so. Bronzong should rise to C- rank. It is nowhere bad enough to be unranked.
I think that as Kingambit is currently, it should be A+. However, it could definitely rise in the future as it does as some room for experimentation. For example, it actually has both thunder wave and taunt which could be very useful in theory. Also, for some reason it runs max speed (not including nature) and I have to ask why? What is it actually outrunning with max speed? Wouldn't it be better to run a bulky set with no speed investment so that you can live longer in the endgame? Either way though, Kingambit still has a bit of potential left.
When Gen 9 first came out, Gambit used to run a lot of mid-speed EVs (faster than uninvested Corv or Skeledirge for example), but eventually the 1v1 against opposing Gambit and speed creeps from other mons led to the average Gambit speed tier slowly rising throughout early 2023, with some people opting to run Jolly Low Kick for extra insurance. It became very common to drag the slider the other way towards max HP in 2024, with the OLT laddering phase from that year seeing many players settling on Bulky Ghost Gambit as the main set. If you go through the 1825 stats from any month, late 2024 to now (I didn't bother to check early 2024) you'll see that bulky Gambit gets as much or more usage than max speed Gambit, although max speed always shows up at the top of the list since bulky Gambits have slightly different speed creeps which then count as separate spreads on the stats.
It's probably worth noting that Gambit's variety has slightly decreased over the years, which is why I'm skeptical of any utility Gambits being a major factor. 4 Attacks Gambit was one of the main relevant sets prior to all the DLCs, mostly because it didn't have to choose between being hard walled by Valiant or opposing Gambit, but eventually people settled on dropping Kowtow Cleave before they'd ever drop SD, simply due to the random endgame sweeping potential being so appealing and saving games in a way that non-SD Gambit just can't.
I think that as Kingambit is currently, it should be A+. However, it could definitely rise in the future as it does as some room for experimentation. For example, it actually has both thunder wave and taunt which could be very useful in theory. Also, for some reason it runs max speed (not including nature) and I have to ask why? What is it actually outrunning with max speed? Wouldn't it be better to run a bulky set with no speed investment so that you can live longer in the endgame? Either way though, Kingambit still has a bit of potential left.
the max speed is actually for other Gambits. Kingambit seems like it has a lot of room to grow but I'm skeptical that it will significantly reinvent itself like Dragonite, Ogerpon, and even Treads have.
While it does have interesting moves like Taunt, TWave, and even Stealth Rock, the issue is Gambit really needs STABs/SD/Sucker/Tera Blast to pose a significant threat. Kingambit is not an effective Taunt user when most of its counterplay is either offensive in nature (Great Tusk Headlong Rush) or outspeeds it (Moltres Wisp). The only relevant targets it could Taunt would be IDBP Corv (who can be beaten with Tera Ghost), Ting Lu to deny hazards (risky cuz of EQ), and Dozo (valid but Dozo is not even that common and Tera Dark Black Glasses has more use). More importantly, what move are you giving up? SD/Sucker are mandatory, so you're dropping either Kowtow or Iron Head, a difficult choice for not much value. Similarly, most hazard removers are actually great Gambit checks that would easily remove its Rocks. And Gambit is checked by most Ground types, so TWave would be difficult to spread when Lando/Tusk is always coming in.
As mentioned above, SD is too much to give up and that pigeonholes Kingambit into the bulky sweeper role without much room to diverge.
The truth imo is Kingambit has already seen an explosion of innovation and doesn't really have anywhere to go after this outside of new Tera choices (unlikely given how good its best ones are). While by no means is it bad or even predictable, it has too many checks for it answer with any one set. This leads to its signature "unfair" sweeps; it can never answer all of its checks with a single set but it can tech counterplay to a portion of its checks that let it run away with the game to the opponent's dismay. I don't think Kingambit will ever be anything less than great but aside from metagame shifts, its role and set is very much carved into stone (imo)
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.
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 
, 
, 
, 
, AV 
, and if you are particularly based, wishtect 
.
UR -> C or C+
, 
, 
, 
, 
, and 
. It provides a quad resist to Future Sight and is naturally resilient against hazards thanks to being a steel-type with levitate. It's a solid hazard setter in its own right thanks to its decent matchup against common spinners, and the combination of Psychic Noise and Body Press makes it far less passive than assumed. All of its traits makes Bronzong a serious option in any Stall or fat balance team that is capable of supporting it. Yes, bronzong is not "widely applicable", but that has NEVER been a consideration to remove a mon from the VR entirely. 
is currently B-rank, should it be removed from the VR because it needs a ton of babysitting in the teambuilder to work properly? I don't think so. Bronzong should rise to C- rank. It is nowhere bad enough to be unranked.
