Should probably change "the shitbox" to 'veterans or innovators'
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Resource NU Viability Rankings
- Thread starter etern
- Start date
The viability rankings are unviable rn, pls help us fix it by nominating. Nomination dump.
A+ -> S
It's probably a bit early for this, but out of anyone, I would predict munkidori to join flamigo in S rank. Its main psychic competition in articuno-g and reuniclus both got nuked, scarf sets are likely to be more viable and strong again given less hazard stack pressure and faster battles overall. Unlike when it used to be S tier, Munkidori now has more set variety with np sets becoming very common and dangerous assuming good focus blast accuracy, especially since bar swampert, the most common special tanks in the tier are steels and darks. Like flamigo, there's nothing available that can do quite what munkidori can, which is why if anything were to rise to S, it would be this over duraludon for example, which has a lot more competition for its slot.
A -> A-
More removal options are likely to open up, and offense is quite good right now which spinner bramble can struggle with. Darks such as incineroar which are sure to gain popularity due to the articuno-g ban is not great for offensive sets either. While articuno-g is no longer around to threaten a sap comp boost, goodra is a common pokemon on stack teams that completely denies bramble healing, severely limiting its longevity and capacity to spin. In the right matchup, still great but definitely not as consistent as other pokemon in the A ranks.
Been lots of discussion on this guy, I think he should stay A. Yes, he's not a super threatening breaker, but its not like he ever was really. We cannot undermine his exceptional matchup into offense, which makes it an amazing glue for bulky offense teams, which not only appreciate its defensive stability, but support it in exchange via having the firepower to open up holes for it.
A+
Just do it thanks he is everywhere
A- -> B+
Maybe. His level is A-, but all the other grounds are so good and splashable that its really challenging to use this guy apart from specific balance builds, or offense where he takes up a lot of resources with his low speed and desire for tera. He has potential on balance as a great recipient of pivots from both flamigo and munkidori given its matchups into all their checks, but I haven't seen that popularized at all likely due to how many resources it takes up in a constrained builder.
A- -> A
Flamigo and scyther are very good: Bellibolt is very good. Great longevity and support for balance teams, can go 1 for 1 against basically any check you want into offense, often 2 for 1 due to its ability.
A- -> A
Probably #2 bannable HO guy right now, and defog sets have proven to be more than just anti-gart; still being used post gart ban.
A -> A-
Broken on paper, but I really do not see it much at all. Its very good on specific builds, but does not have the consistency and utility as other guys in A. Honestly a result of a tragic builder meta, otherwise it would be amazing - still is dangerous.
B+ -> A-
Hooray gart is gone and it is good into offense which is helpful right now. As a steel, uniquely checks dura while giving team support into flygon. Its passiveness is still a problem, so its a niche option that requires the right team in my opinion. That being said, its much more usable now.
B+ -> A-
HO is good and he is HO. Ability to make hazard stack teams second guess their main strategy is also nice. He isn't meant to be the broken HO guy, he makes his teammates better.
B+ -> A-
At least, to be honest could very well be A. Any HO team without drednaw is objectively worse off. Tera dark crunch isnt the only tera option either that we are seeing despite how strong it is, with tera ground being able to ohko duraludon and tauros with a bit of chip, or tera ghost/fairy denying what is usually a free close combat for extreme profit. Game can be lost when the rare half check gets RNG'd by ice fang (re: Shadow NUPL week idk rip da 6-1) Its also an amazing sucker punch into basically all the common revenge killers carrying normal and choiced flying attacks, as well as munkidori due to tera.
Sorry for emptying the clip on the B+ tier. Not many things are not good but not mid rn imo.
B -> B+
Very good into offense which struggles to fit things that are faster or even water resists for that matter. A niche option, but a very dangerous one if brought tactically especially in tournament environments, as its not something people explicitly prep for. Despite that, yes it can run into the unintentional awful matchup, but like the fish, it has a lot of useful cores you can use to overwhelm those checks. If anything, it can fit those cores more easily thanks to its speed. If used tactically, hazards arent that much of an issue for it thanks to torrent. Hydro pump still sucks and surf needs chip to effectively clean so its not going higher.
B+ -> B
Mid tail. Wants toxtricity back more than anything, HO is seemingly lacking in special power options to enable scream cleaning unless someone reinvents the meta for it. Bulky scream is neat for its ability to not die but it literally just sits there, which used to be fine but this meta is filled with things that make too much progress for your sitting and wish passing to handle. Vaporeon gets away with it because of broken move.
B -> A-
Already talked about heavily, A- is fine. Its good, lets not get too carried away, A is too high for something the meta can adapt to quite easily.
B+ -> A-
I think this is a more accurate reflection of the popularity and effectiveness of the specs set. Its right up there with chandelure for the most effective user of this item. Usually puts less holes than chandelure, but has slightly less cost thanks to its special bulk and I suppose less vulnerability to hazards (something I find to be overrated problem with chandelure anyway). A common mistake are teams using it as the sole form of progress - its not consistent in that regard but its extremely effective at forcing tera, which the right team can exploit.
A- -> B+
I love slowbro-G dearly but the vapo balance teams he was stupid good into are a lot less common; if found the right opportunity he can do good into offense, but most of the time its overwhelmed before its setup or toxic can get going. Twave sets have major coverage issues. Generally, he is also just a lot less common, usage rates down the charts. I think its more a reflection of how challenging he is to build with over anything, but all these factors combined kick it out of the A ranks for me.
A -> A-
Duraludon, klefki, copperajah, bronzong. In that order. The main problem Johnald is facing right now is he is the weakest flying resist of the steels, since klefki can at least immediately pressure with prankster twave or lagging tail, or can tech helmet. Flying type checking is a more emerging role for the steels nowadays thanks to our latest departures; the two psychics it could sit on and phase have departed. Munkidori also has a newfound addiction to +2 focus blast. Cannot take fighting or ground type attacks as a trade option like any other steels either, bar klefki who once again can still trade with util. The secondary typings of the other steels give them more dimensionality for the most part (haha brozong knock off). Idk knock is cool and he is way less passive than bronzong.
B- -> B/B+
Good offense option because we have such few water resists that fit the role. Compliments our fishes very well, lots of setup opportunities especially with air balloon. Still has a lot of checks to warrant being higher in my opinion; flamigo/fighters that can revenge kill, glowbro+hound, grounds, choiced munkidori/chandelure and sucker punch kinda needing tera and not being the most reliable kinda hold it back.
B- -> B
Why was he even here, cause of articuno? Idk, SD sets are decent enough to put it above shitmon territory. Heck, even spikes sets reliably set layers and can trade with grounds and duraludon thanks to pain split and enough bulk to live their attacks.
B- -> C
Its niche, very.
B- -> C
Offensive sets are whatever, UR. But, I'll give it a lifeline because it can deny hazards from every spiker, delay or even deny most rockers too with the right spread. Has some nice utility moves too. But, its bulk is so bad that its not the fighting check teams need at all, thus the slot it takes up is very hard to fill.
C
I dont have replays so this probably doesnt count but the curse set is valid enough, decent balance breaker because the things that hard wall it arent super common there. Strong prio is also nice on the offense teams it fits on; alongside intimidate and curse, it has tools into opposing offense as well.
B -> B-
Sigh. I have tried so hard to make it work. And honestly, it can sometimes. Its typing is very useful and its one of the few things that denies wo-chien from making any progress. Surviving migo bb is also very good, as its high hp stat + helmet its disastrous for it. That being said, it blanks into so many things. Using amoonguss as the defensive glue is asking for repeated requests from this guy begging his teammates to take the 5th specs overheat after it failed to do any damage. In the right team, it can work well, but its specific.
UR Webs are bad and we have better water type options if water bubble liquidation feels slightly appealing to you.
UR When was the last time this guy featured in a serious environment? #1 potential mon. Normal braviary has more use cases than this shoutouts to Uberfiend
UR Golurk I love you forever and always and I will fight for your viability but dawg there's only so much I can do.
No replays but shoutouts to basically all rotom appliances except the fridge. The tier is in need for electrics rn because hahahahahah paralysis and with status/plot + pain split, they can lure a ton of checks and do great dirty work early game into the grounds and steels. Tera + levitate is very useful defensive utility too. Even fan rotom was putting decent work when I ran mono ZU during ladder tour.
A+ -> S
It's probably a bit early for this, but out of anyone, I would predict munkidori to join flamigo in S rank. Its main psychic competition in articuno-g and reuniclus both got nuked, scarf sets are likely to be more viable and strong again given less hazard stack pressure and faster battles overall. Unlike when it used to be S tier, Munkidori now has more set variety with np sets becoming very common and dangerous assuming good focus blast accuracy, especially since bar swampert, the most common special tanks in the tier are steels and darks. Like flamigo, there's nothing available that can do quite what munkidori can, which is why if anything were to rise to S, it would be this over duraludon for example, which has a lot more competition for its slot.
A -> A-
More removal options are likely to open up, and offense is quite good right now which spinner bramble can struggle with. Darks such as incineroar which are sure to gain popularity due to the articuno-g ban is not great for offensive sets either. While articuno-g is no longer around to threaten a sap comp boost, goodra is a common pokemon on stack teams that completely denies bramble healing, severely limiting its longevity and capacity to spin. In the right matchup, still great but definitely not as consistent as other pokemon in the A ranks.
Been lots of discussion on this guy, I think he should stay A. Yes, he's not a super threatening breaker, but its not like he ever was really. We cannot undermine his exceptional matchup into offense, which makes it an amazing glue for bulky offense teams, which not only appreciate its defensive stability, but support it in exchange via having the firepower to open up holes for it.
A+
Just do it thanks he is everywhere
A- -> B+
Maybe. His level is A-, but all the other grounds are so good and splashable that its really challenging to use this guy apart from specific balance builds, or offense where he takes up a lot of resources with his low speed and desire for tera. He has potential on balance as a great recipient of pivots from both flamigo and munkidori given its matchups into all their checks, but I haven't seen that popularized at all likely due to how many resources it takes up in a constrained builder.
A- -> A
Flamigo and scyther are very good: Bellibolt is very good. Great longevity and support for balance teams, can go 1 for 1 against basically any check you want into offense, often 2 for 1 due to its ability.
A- -> A
Probably #2 bannable HO guy right now, and defog sets have proven to be more than just anti-gart; still being used post gart ban.
A -> A-
Broken on paper, but I really do not see it much at all. Its very good on specific builds, but does not have the consistency and utility as other guys in A. Honestly a result of a tragic builder meta, otherwise it would be amazing - still is dangerous.
B+ -> A-
Hooray gart is gone and it is good into offense which is helpful right now. As a steel, uniquely checks dura while giving team support into flygon. Its passiveness is still a problem, so its a niche option that requires the right team in my opinion. That being said, its much more usable now.
B+ -> A-
HO is good and he is HO. Ability to make hazard stack teams second guess their main strategy is also nice. He isn't meant to be the broken HO guy, he makes his teammates better.
B+ -> A-
At least, to be honest could very well be A. Any HO team without drednaw is objectively worse off. Tera dark crunch isnt the only tera option either that we are seeing despite how strong it is, with tera ground being able to ohko duraludon and tauros with a bit of chip, or tera ghost/fairy denying what is usually a free close combat for extreme profit. Game can be lost when the rare half check gets RNG'd by ice fang (re: Shadow NUPL week idk rip da 6-1) Its also an amazing sucker punch into basically all the common revenge killers carrying normal and choiced flying attacks, as well as munkidori due to tera.
Sorry for emptying the clip on the B+ tier. Not many things are not good but not mid rn imo.
B -> B+
Very good into offense which struggles to fit things that are faster or even water resists for that matter. A niche option, but a very dangerous one if brought tactically especially in tournament environments, as its not something people explicitly prep for. Despite that, yes it can run into the unintentional awful matchup, but like the fish, it has a lot of useful cores you can use to overwhelm those checks. If anything, it can fit those cores more easily thanks to its speed. If used tactically, hazards arent that much of an issue for it thanks to torrent. Hydro pump still sucks and surf needs chip to effectively clean so its not going higher.
B+ -> B
Mid tail. Wants toxtricity back more than anything, HO is seemingly lacking in special power options to enable scream cleaning unless someone reinvents the meta for it. Bulky scream is neat for its ability to not die but it literally just sits there, which used to be fine but this meta is filled with things that make too much progress for your sitting and wish passing to handle. Vaporeon gets away with it because of broken move.
B -> A-
Already talked about heavily, A- is fine. Its good, lets not get too carried away, A is too high for something the meta can adapt to quite easily.
B+ -> A-
I think this is a more accurate reflection of the popularity and effectiveness of the specs set. Its right up there with chandelure for the most effective user of this item. Usually puts less holes than chandelure, but has slightly less cost thanks to its special bulk and I suppose less vulnerability to hazards (something I find to be overrated problem with chandelure anyway). A common mistake are teams using it as the sole form of progress - its not consistent in that regard but its extremely effective at forcing tera, which the right team can exploit.
A- -> B+
I love slowbro-G dearly but the vapo balance teams he was stupid good into are a lot less common; if found the right opportunity he can do good into offense, but most of the time its overwhelmed before its setup or toxic can get going. Twave sets have major coverage issues. Generally, he is also just a lot less common, usage rates down the charts. I think its more a reflection of how challenging he is to build with over anything, but all these factors combined kick it out of the A ranks for me.
A -> A-
Duraludon, klefki, copperajah, bronzong. In that order. The main problem Johnald is facing right now is he is the weakest flying resist of the steels, since klefki can at least immediately pressure with prankster twave or lagging tail, or can tech helmet. Flying type checking is a more emerging role for the steels nowadays thanks to our latest departures; the two psychics it could sit on and phase have departed. Munkidori also has a newfound addiction to +2 focus blast. Cannot take fighting or ground type attacks as a trade option like any other steels either, bar klefki who once again can still trade with util. The secondary typings of the other steels give them more dimensionality for the most part (haha brozong knock off). Idk knock is cool and he is way less passive than bronzong.
B- -> B/B+
Good offense option because we have such few water resists that fit the role. Compliments our fishes very well, lots of setup opportunities especially with air balloon. Still has a lot of checks to warrant being higher in my opinion; flamigo/fighters that can revenge kill, glowbro+hound, grounds, choiced munkidori/chandelure and sucker punch kinda needing tera and not being the most reliable kinda hold it back.
B- -> B
Why was he even here, cause of articuno? Idk, SD sets are decent enough to put it above shitmon territory. Heck, even spikes sets reliably set layers and can trade with grounds and duraludon thanks to pain split and enough bulk to live their attacks.
B- -> C
Its niche, very.
B- -> C
Offensive sets are whatever, UR. But, I'll give it a lifeline because it can deny hazards from every spiker, delay or even deny most rockers too with the right spread. Has some nice utility moves too. But, its bulk is so bad that its not the fighting check teams need at all, thus the slot it takes up is very hard to fill.
C
I dont have replays so this probably doesnt count but the curse set is valid enough, decent balance breaker because the things that hard wall it arent super common there. Strong prio is also nice on the offense teams it fits on; alongside intimidate and curse, it has tools into opposing offense as well.
B -> B-
Sigh. I have tried so hard to make it work. And honestly, it can sometimes. Its typing is very useful and its one of the few things that denies wo-chien from making any progress. Surviving migo bb is also very good, as its high hp stat + helmet its disastrous for it. That being said, it blanks into so many things. Using amoonguss as the defensive glue is asking for repeated requests from this guy begging his teammates to take the 5th specs overheat after it failed to do any damage. In the right team, it can work well, but its specific.
UR Webs are bad and we have better water type options if water bubble liquidation feels slightly appealing to you.
UR When was the last time this guy featured in a serious environment? #1 potential mon. Normal braviary has more use cases than this shoutouts to Uberfiend
UR Golurk I love you forever and always and I will fight for your viability but dawg there's only so much I can do.
No replays but shoutouts to basically all rotom appliances except the fridge. The tier is in need for electrics rn because hahahahahah paralysis and with status/plot + pain split, they can lure a ton of checks and do great dirty work early game into the grounds and steels. Tera + levitate is very useful defensive utility too. Even fan rotom was putting decent work when I ran mono ZU during ladder tour.
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You missed a braviary shout out
:incineroar: -> S
it wins in like every tour it gets brought to and has maintained top-3 or so usage for months. no build where you can't really justify it in some way, extremely flexible to your team's needs, isn't really setup fodder ever due to pshot, somehow got even better with garti gone so you don't have to pull an etern and run blaze, and has the freest knock off in the midwest.
it wins in like every tour it gets brought to and has maintained top-3 or so usage for months. no build where you can't really justify it in some way, extremely flexible to your team's needs, isn't really setup fodder ever due to pshot, somehow got even better with garti gone so you don't have to pull an etern and run blaze, and has the freest knock off in the midwest.
as a resident of the midwest, I can confirm this is a true statement.
:sylveon: Sylveon > A- or even A.
A might be a reach, not by much. A- is very much real.
In a tier where the main steel is part dragon and 2 of the best mons Munki/Migo either abuse or benefit from weak steels in some way being the best offensive fairy on the tier is huge.
Wish CM can win games like always.
The Specs set to me is borderline broken
252+ SpA Choice Specs Pixilate Sylveon Hyper Voice vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Munkidori: 140-165 (44.1 - 52%) -- 16% chance to 2HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Pixilate Sylveon Hyper Voice vs. 160 HP / 252 SpD Eviolite Duraludon: 204-241 (63.5 - 75%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Pixilate Sylveon Hyper Voice vs. 252 HP / 228+ SpD Copperajah: 120-141 (26.7 - 31.4%) -- 22.7% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Choice Specs Pixilate Sylveon Hyper Voice vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Swampert: 199-235 (49.2 - 58.1%) -- 62.9% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Choice Specs Pixilate Sylveon Hyper Voice vs. 248 HP / 212+ SpD Incineroar: 207-244 (52.6 - 62%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Pixilate Sylveon Hyper Voice vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Vaporeon: 268-316 (57.7 - 68.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery than 252+ SpA Choice Specs Pixilate Sylveon Hyper Voice vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Tera Poison Vaporeon: 134-158 (28.8 - 34%) -- 98.7% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Choice Specs Pixilate Sylveon Hyper Voice vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Chandelure: 140-165 (53.6 - 63.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Here are some of your "best" switch ins and keep in mind I didn't click the funny pink button.
It is slow I give you that so usually is a game of you run from me and I run from you , with a mon without U-turn that can be bad but is bulky enough to just tank mostly anything from full and get a KO at worse trading some HP, If you call the U-turn than it gets out of hand very fast.
That said keep sleeping on it and on fairy answers I really like to use this. Or go back at using zong so i can get back to use Chandy Pauros.
A might be a reach, not by much. A- is very much real.
In a tier where the main steel is part dragon and 2 of the best mons Munki/Migo either abuse or benefit from weak steels in some way being the best offensive fairy on the tier is huge.
Wish CM can win games like always.
The Specs set to me is borderline broken
252+ SpA Choice Specs Pixilate Sylveon Hyper Voice vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Munkidori: 140-165 (44.1 - 52%) -- 16% chance to 2HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Pixilate Sylveon Hyper Voice vs. 160 HP / 252 SpD Eviolite Duraludon: 204-241 (63.5 - 75%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Pixilate Sylveon Hyper Voice vs. 252 HP / 228+ SpD Copperajah: 120-141 (26.7 - 31.4%) -- 22.7% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Choice Specs Pixilate Sylveon Hyper Voice vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Swampert: 199-235 (49.2 - 58.1%) -- 62.9% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Choice Specs Pixilate Sylveon Hyper Voice vs. 248 HP / 212+ SpD Incineroar: 207-244 (52.6 - 62%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Pixilate Sylveon Hyper Voice vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Vaporeon: 268-316 (57.7 - 68.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery than 252+ SpA Choice Specs Pixilate Sylveon Hyper Voice vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Tera Poison Vaporeon: 134-158 (28.8 - 34%) -- 98.7% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Choice Specs Pixilate Sylveon Hyper Voice vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Chandelure: 140-165 (53.6 - 63.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Here are some of your "best" switch ins and keep in mind I didn't click the funny pink button.
It is slow I give you that so usually is a game of you run from me and I run from you , with a mon without U-turn that can be bad but is bulky enough to just tank mostly anything from full and get a KO at worse trading some HP, If you call the U-turn than it gets out of hand very fast.
That said keep sleeping on it and on fairy answers I really like to use this. Or go back at using zong so i can get back to use Chandy Pauros.
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Let me cook. Will just mention stuff as I see them but might forget some stuff, will find the important ones tho.
:dudunsparce: Dudunsparce --> A+
this guy is broken as shite ngl A+ is fair for him.
:chandelure: Chandelure --> B+
this guy is mid af ngl everything checks it everything is faster and it doesn't really ohko defensive mons the way you need it to. With offense being strong it's worse and incineroar is still broken. No TB or reuni to pressure also hurts
:tornadus: Tornadus --> A
:bellibolt: Bellibolt --> A
I think these 2 kinda gap the A- rank mons they're with rn, very strong in the meta.
:scrafty: Scrafty --> A
:grimmsnarl: Grimmsnarl --> A-
Not sure if scrafty should move up but I think probably, it just wins a lot of games and with shed skin activations legit never loses to anything because of its bulk. Grimmsnarl is just scrafty with sucker punch and a bit less reliant on tera, both are really good maybe my opinion on which is better will switch. I think grimm might be easier to put on a team because it's a dragon immune which teams life having but scrafty wins games a bit better.
:tsareena: Tsareena --> B/B-
:scream-tail: Scream tail --> B-
Both in B+ rn and kinda suck, I think tsar as removal is getting worse and bramble does the job better or even just defogging with scyther. Scream tail is discount uxie which is guno which is discount reuni, weakest mon of all time. Saved by the speed tier on cm sets being good.
:altaria: Altaria --> UR
legit why is this guy still here LOL it's fucking terrible. It had 7 uses in all of PL, the same as grookey. The mon that people used for 2 weeks. Also lost almost all those games. Genuinely a complete deadweight and terrible at defogging since it loses insanely bad to rocks dudun and dural. I think its only redeeming quality is pretending to resist water while being removal but all the spinners do that too, tsar and bramble don't actually resist water we just pretend they do and they do it better than altaria.
:inteleon: Inteleon
lowkey this guy is degen af idk if it should go up or down. Worst mon of all time if you load into vap, best mon of all time if you don't. Maybe move it up idk
:hariyama: Hariyama --> B/B+
Good mon, av hits stuff really well and it's basically a steel type and somehow also a ghost resist. Absorbs status and generally just puts in a lot of work for bulky offense teams.
:froslass: Froslass --> B-/ranked somewhere
HO lead with a high winrate and real usage in pl, I brought it in finals it's pretty solid being a fast spikes user and spinblocking.
:ludicolo: :kingdra: :scovillain: :venusaur: --> higher / ranked
Weather is good, bring these guys up to ranked for the rain mons and just higher for the sun ones.
:rotom-frost: Rotom-Frost --> Ranked
This guy has sauce lowkey, I faced it in nu open and have seen it used, it's lowkey a threat. Boltbeam is really good rn and if you just hit moves it breaks a lot of common balance cores and forces teras.
:frosmoth: Frosmoth --> Ranked
Prepped it in PL for loti, it's a good sp.def wall and reliable defogger. The typing is bad but almost nothing breaks it specially, fire moves sometimes don't even 2hko and stuff like random psychic noises do maybe 10%. Defoggers suck so yeah this mon is usable.
:sandslash-alola: Sandslash-Alola --> Ranked
Similar to frosmoth, sp.def ice type removal and it's quite good since it has disruption with knock and hazards of its own. Also usable on hail if people start bringing that.
:sylveon: Sylveon --> A/A+
Really strong mon, cm and specs are both incredible wincons in a bulky meta and it's a dragon resist which can be hard to come by on offensive builds when dural is the steel type for those and it drops to dracos.
:tatsugiri: Tatsugiri --> B
Good spinner for HO since they generally just can't fit removal otherwise, allows for sashes and greed like LO torn since it can just drop the ghosts after a plot and threatens a lot of rockers pretty well.
:pawmot: Pawmot --> Ranked
Admittedly a theory mon more than anything but I've built it for slam and this mon lowkey has sauce if you just pair it with migo double fighting is good af.
Trust the vision
:dudunsparce: Dudunsparce --> A+
this guy is broken as shite ngl A+ is fair for him.
:chandelure: Chandelure --> B+
this guy is mid af ngl everything checks it everything is faster and it doesn't really ohko defensive mons the way you need it to. With offense being strong it's worse and incineroar is still broken. No TB or reuni to pressure also hurts
:tornadus: Tornadus --> A
:bellibolt: Bellibolt --> A
I think these 2 kinda gap the A- rank mons they're with rn, very strong in the meta.
:scrafty: Scrafty --> A
:grimmsnarl: Grimmsnarl --> A-
Not sure if scrafty should move up but I think probably, it just wins a lot of games and with shed skin activations legit never loses to anything because of its bulk. Grimmsnarl is just scrafty with sucker punch and a bit less reliant on tera, both are really good maybe my opinion on which is better will switch. I think grimm might be easier to put on a team because it's a dragon immune which teams life having but scrafty wins games a bit better.
:tsareena: Tsareena --> B/B-
:scream-tail: Scream tail --> B-
Both in B+ rn and kinda suck, I think tsar as removal is getting worse and bramble does the job better or even just defogging with scyther. Scream tail is discount uxie which is guno which is discount reuni, weakest mon of all time. Saved by the speed tier on cm sets being good.
:altaria: Altaria --> UR
legit why is this guy still here LOL it's fucking terrible. It had 7 uses in all of PL, the same as grookey. The mon that people used for 2 weeks. Also lost almost all those games. Genuinely a complete deadweight and terrible at defogging since it loses insanely bad to rocks dudun and dural. I think its only redeeming quality is pretending to resist water while being removal but all the spinners do that too, tsar and bramble don't actually resist water we just pretend they do and they do it better than altaria.
:inteleon: Inteleon
lowkey this guy is degen af idk if it should go up or down. Worst mon of all time if you load into vap, best mon of all time if you don't. Maybe move it up idk
:hariyama: Hariyama --> B/B+
Good mon, av hits stuff really well and it's basically a steel type and somehow also a ghost resist. Absorbs status and generally just puts in a lot of work for bulky offense teams.
:froslass: Froslass --> B-/ranked somewhere
HO lead with a high winrate and real usage in pl, I brought it in finals it's pretty solid being a fast spikes user and spinblocking.
:ludicolo: :kingdra: :scovillain: :venusaur: --> higher / ranked
Weather is good, bring these guys up to ranked for the rain mons and just higher for the sun ones.
:rotom-frost: Rotom-Frost --> Ranked
This guy has sauce lowkey, I faced it in nu open and have seen it used, it's lowkey a threat. Boltbeam is really good rn and if you just hit moves it breaks a lot of common balance cores and forces teras.
:frosmoth: Frosmoth --> Ranked
Prepped it in PL for loti, it's a good sp.def wall and reliable defogger. The typing is bad but almost nothing breaks it specially, fire moves sometimes don't even 2hko and stuff like random psychic noises do maybe 10%. Defoggers suck so yeah this mon is usable.
:sandslash-alola: Sandslash-Alola --> Ranked
Similar to frosmoth, sp.def ice type removal and it's quite good since it has disruption with knock and hazards of its own. Also usable on hail if people start bringing that.
:sylveon: Sylveon --> A/A+
Really strong mon, cm and specs are both incredible wincons in a bulky meta and it's a dragon resist which can be hard to come by on offensive builds when dural is the steel type for those and it drops to dracos.
:tatsugiri: Tatsugiri --> B
Good spinner for HO since they generally just can't fit removal otherwise, allows for sashes and greed like LO torn since it can just drop the ghosts after a plot and threatens a lot of rockers pretty well.
:pawmot: Pawmot --> Ranked
Admittedly a theory mon more than anything but I've built it for slam and this mon lowkey has sauce if you just pair it with migo double fighting is good af.
Trust the vision
I remember when everyone complained how Chandelure was a Demon in NU, now it seems more manageable with more special checks such as Goodra
Pretty big VR update post NUPL, 3 weeks of NULT and some tiering decisions. Will be doing another slate by the end of the month to look at weather as well as some of the newer stuff that didn't get nommed in time. As always, you can find the slate here.
:Decidueye-hisui: C Pretty customizable with a wide array of options. Has seen exploration in tournament and ladder play.
:Incineroar: A+ -> S He just fits on a VERY wide range of teams and archetypes, with great versatility, typing, bulk and Intimidate. Has options for even would be answers like Wetbull.
:Munkidori: A+ -> S There are like 3 mons in the entire tier that can eat hits from +2 Munki. Extremely dominant speed tier and is still an excellent pokemon at drawing out key defensive pieces and uturning out.
:Dudunsparce: A -> A+ The lead set is very oppressive, and Glare is a broken move. Has options like Chople to flip matchups.
:Bellibolt: A- -> A Scyther and Flamigo are both very common and dominant right now, and Bellibolt just happens to be an excellent switchin to both, while still being able to deal with sweepers like Scrafty.
:Scrafty: A- -> A Bulky setup sweeper with tera yada yada yada. Tera Electric has pushed it into the A tiers, owing to its extremely forcing lines and limited counterplay.
:Scyther: A- -> A Lots of the conversations around HO revolve around this specific pokemon because of how threatening it is. Beyond that, it's also a solid Defog option on non-HO teams.
:Swampert: A- -> A Slow Flip Turn is extremely powerful. Beyond that, it also has a variety of utility options (hazards, Knock, Roar) that provide excellent compression allowing a lot more freedom in teambuilding.
:Bronzong: B+ -> A- No longer loses to the best Psychic type in the tier now that Articuno is gone. Levitate is extremely valuable right now, which has seen pushed it back into the A ranks.
:Cinccino: B+ -> A- Best HO lead rises when HO is strong, shocker.
:Sylveon: B+ -> A- Specs just one shots everything that isn't a resist (and 2 shots some resists).
:Ambipom: B -> A Very dominant on spikestack teams, and opens up BO to build without needing more explicit forms of speed control owing to its strong Fake Out. Also has a very strong coverage option (TAxel).
:Inteleon: B -> B+ Demon matchup into teams that don't have a reliable long term switchin owing to its sheer raw power and speed tier.
:Decidueye: B- -> B Big threat on HO teams and has seen some exploration outside those.
:Grimmsnarl: B- -> B Bulky setup bullshit with tera GO!
:Overqwil: B- -> B This thing sucks outside rain don't listen to the larpers. Rain has seen more usage recently though so I'll give it that.
:Toxicroak: B- -> B Water immunities are in high demand right now. Decent STAB combination with a non contact option in Bellibolt meta.
:Munkidori: A+ -> S There are like 3 mons in the entire tier that can eat hits from +2 Munki. Extremely dominant speed tier and is still an excellent pokemon at drawing out key defensive pieces and uturning out.
:Dudunsparce: A -> A+ The lead set is very oppressive, and Glare is a broken move. Has options like Chople to flip matchups.
:Bellibolt: A- -> A Scyther and Flamigo are both very common and dominant right now, and Bellibolt just happens to be an excellent switchin to both, while still being able to deal with sweepers like Scrafty.
:Scrafty: A- -> A Bulky setup sweeper with tera yada yada yada. Tera Electric has pushed it into the A tiers, owing to its extremely forcing lines and limited counterplay.
:Scyther: A- -> A Lots of the conversations around HO revolve around this specific pokemon because of how threatening it is. Beyond that, it's also a solid Defog option on non-HO teams.
:Swampert: A- -> A Slow Flip Turn is extremely powerful. Beyond that, it also has a variety of utility options (hazards, Knock, Roar) that provide excellent compression allowing a lot more freedom in teambuilding.
:Bronzong: B+ -> A- No longer loses to the best Psychic type in the tier now that Articuno is gone. Levitate is extremely valuable right now, which has seen pushed it back into the A ranks.
:Cinccino: B+ -> A- Best HO lead rises when HO is strong, shocker.
:Sylveon: B+ -> A- Specs just one shots everything that isn't a resist (and 2 shots some resists).
:Ambipom: B -> A Very dominant on spikestack teams, and opens up BO to build without needing more explicit forms of speed control owing to its strong Fake Out. Also has a very strong coverage option (TAxel).
:Inteleon: B -> B+ Demon matchup into teams that don't have a reliable long term switchin owing to its sheer raw power and speed tier.
:Decidueye: B- -> B Big threat on HO teams and has seen some exploration outside those.
:Grimmsnarl: B- -> B Bulky setup bullshit with tera GO!
:Overqwil: B- -> B This thing sucks outside rain don't listen to the larpers. Rain has seen more usage recently though so I'll give it that.
:Toxicroak: B- -> B Water immunities are in high demand right now. Decent STAB combination with a non contact option in Bellibolt meta.
:Copperajah: A -> A- Much more abusable as a steel type than Duraludon and doesn't provide something unique like Bronzong or Klefki do.
:Tauros-Paldea-Aqua: A -> A- Drednaw is gone, we don't need this guy as much now. Still very threatening with choiced sets and the different variations of setup sets.
:Slowbro-Galar: A- -> B+ Mr Yoyo does it again. Can't wait for him to rise again then drop again and again and again -_-.
:Scream Tail: B+ -> B Despite HO's dominance, Scream Tail has failed to benefit from that as steel overwhelming is no longer the name of the game. Defensive sets are extremely mid.
:Amoonguss: B -> B- He's just really hard to build with and as such barely sees usage.
:Infernape: B -> B- Not strong enough to carve out a niche for itself despite its excellent speed and wide move pool.
:Heracross: B -> C Not relevant to the meta and doesn't see usage.
:Chansey: B- -> C Only sees the light of day on stall teams (which suck).
:Ditto: B- -> UR Not relevant.
:Espeon: B- -> UR Failed to carve out a niche post GTerrain. Please do not nom this again for some random defensive garbage, we will laugh at you.
:Araquanid: C -> UR Was never good, should not have stayed on the VR this long.
:Braviary-Hisui: C -> UR Other breakers around the same speed tier are either easier to build with, stronger, more reliable or any combination of the 3. Not relevant.
:Golurk: C -> UR FINALLY. THIS SHIT WAS ALWAYS ASS. PLEASE DON'T EVER NOM IT AGAIN.
:Skuntank: C -> UR Not relevant. If you want a niche dark type go use Bombirdier he's underrated.
:Tauros-Paldea-Blaze: C -> UR Not relevant outside sun, and niche even on sun.
:Tauros-Paldea-Aqua: A -> A- Drednaw is gone, we don't need this guy as much now. Still very threatening with choiced sets and the different variations of setup sets.
:Slowbro-Galar: A- -> B+ Mr Yoyo does it again. Can't wait for him to rise again then drop again and again and again -_-.
:Scream Tail: B+ -> B Despite HO's dominance, Scream Tail has failed to benefit from that as steel overwhelming is no longer the name of the game. Defensive sets are extremely mid.
:Amoonguss: B -> B- He's just really hard to build with and as such barely sees usage.
:Infernape: B -> B- Not strong enough to carve out a niche for itself despite its excellent speed and wide move pool.
:Heracross: B -> C Not relevant to the meta and doesn't see usage.
:Chansey: B- -> C Only sees the light of day on stall teams (which suck).
:Ditto: B- -> UR Not relevant.
:Espeon: B- -> UR Failed to carve out a niche post GTerrain. Please do not nom this again for some random defensive garbage, we will laugh at you.
:Araquanid: C -> UR Was never good, should not have stayed on the VR this long.
:Braviary-Hisui: C -> UR Other breakers around the same speed tier are either easier to build with, stronger, more reliable or any combination of the 3. Not relevant.
:Golurk: C -> UR FINALLY. THIS SHIT WAS ALWAYS ASS. PLEASE DON'T EVER NOM IT AGAIN.
:Skuntank: C -> UR Not relevant. If you want a niche dark type go use Bombirdier he's underrated.
:Tauros-Paldea-Blaze: C -> UR Not relevant outside sun, and niche even on sun.
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I noticed Salazzle isn't ranked.
Why is that?
Why is that?
because it sucks and as a result we voted to keep it unranked
Salazzle is potential mon, it’s just too frail and walled by too many common mons (pert, flygon, rhyp, vapo, etc)
its just bad. you can make an argument for it having really good speed and spatk, but its speed isn't enough to save it when scarfers like munki, flamigo, and flygon can just revenge kill it, and its paper thin defences give it no room to take even neutral attacks or any sort of priority.
since it’s weak to rocks, it usually wants to run hdb, which leaves its decent base 111 spatk lacking any immediate power unless it finds a chance to use nasty plot, and actually finding that chance is hard because of how frail it is. compare that to a similarly frail special attacker like chandelure: even though chandy is also weak to rocks, it can just run specs and immediately force progress without needing a setup turn.
you’re not bringing it in against something that already outspeeds and threatens it you position it in front of something it forces out, like gligar or bellibolt, and immediately threaten to incinerate whatever stays in with specs fire blast. if the opp brings in a faster revenge killer after that, who cares? you’ve already forced damage or a switch and can just switch out yourself. salazzle needs to use nasty plot just to reach a similar level of power, which gives the opponent a free turn to attack it or bring in an answer, and its awful bulk makes finding that setup opportunity extremely difficult + losing tera blast made this even worse because its fire / poison coverage is completely god awful into ground types, so swampert and rhyperior just sit on it, are you really going to tera grass a salazzle which still gets 3hkod by an EQ to poison swampert? no.
similarly something like inteleon is frail too, but it does not need to stay on the field or spend a turn setting up to justify itself, intel can immediately threaten damage, force switches, and pivot out with u-turn, whereas salazzle often has to predict correctly between attacking, using toxic, or using encore.
:Oricorio: UR to B-
Oricorio @ Kee Berry / Electric Seed
Ability: Dancer
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 240 HP / 220 Def / 48 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Revelation Dance
- Quiver Dance
- Taunt
- Roost
Oricorio should be ranked. It's a very potent setup sweeper with Quiver Dance and a Defense boosting berry like Kee Berry or Electric Seed, although you have to use Pincurchin which is pretty poor for the latter and I do see that Pincurchin isn't ranked either way. I used this in a bunch of NULT games and sometimes it would just sweep on preview. It's for sure viable. Taunt shuts down phasing attempts against Oricorio and setup Pokemon. Tera Fairy further removes Dragon Tail as counterplay against it. I was running Revelation Dance as Fire is in general pretty good offensively and you get a strong Fairy-type attack once you terastallize. 48 Speed EVs is enough to outpace Kilowattrel after a Quiver Dance and Scarf Munkidori after two, although you could run more speed for scarf Chandelure, but I wasn't too concerned about it and I didn't want to compromise on bulk. I also honestly don't think a Defense boosting berry is necessary for Oricorio to be viable but it's what I liked using.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nu-2650809405-a8smuicccc0lwxbcnkv4uyfqpe9w8f4pw?p2 Oricorio just sweeps with ease here
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nu-2650909756?p2 If I wasn't bad and clicked Roost on Poltergeist like I should have, it won here.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nu-2650806642?p2 After getting the turn right against Swampert, it's able to sweep easily
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nu-2650533530?p2 Oricorio sweeps with ease here
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nu-2651032364?p2 Here it did not sweep because my opponent got the turn correct with their Specs Heattom but it was clearly a huge threat.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nu-2650917537?p2 I had to get some turns right against Bellibolt but it did end up winning
:Wo-chien: to A
Wo-Chien is one of the very best defensive Pokemon in the tier annoying anything that isn't a Grass-type with Leech Seed and being so bulky it can check basically anything with Terastallization.
:Chandelure: stay A
I think Chandelure shouldn't drop or at least not more than a rank. I personally have liked bulky Weakness Policy Trick Room which has good flexibility depending on the matchup. Against Dragons and Incineroar, it can trade good damage and against offense it can leverage Trick Room for a speed advantage. I ended up adapting it various times until I ended with a set that is still faster than Incineroar outside of Trick Room so that I can just hit and trade with Incineroar if I need to.
:orthworm:
I think Orthworm should be ranked. It's not a strictly worse Bronzong having Spikes and much better physical bulk and I saw it a decent amount during NULT. It's also not weak to Throat Chop Flygon which is a good advantage over Bronzong.
:rotom-heat: :rotom-mow:
I was also surprised that none of the Rotom forms were ranked. I think Heattom is best because nothing really likes switching into its STABs + Wisp where as Mowtom can struggle more against Duraludon due to its lack of a Fire STAB and I also saw a few Heattom during NULT.
Oricorio @ Kee Berry / Electric Seed
Ability: Dancer
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 240 HP / 220 Def / 48 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Revelation Dance
- Quiver Dance
- Taunt
- Roost
Oricorio should be ranked. It's a very potent setup sweeper with Quiver Dance and a Defense boosting berry like Kee Berry or Electric Seed, although you have to use Pincurchin which is pretty poor for the latter and I do see that Pincurchin isn't ranked either way. I used this in a bunch of NULT games and sometimes it would just sweep on preview. It's for sure viable. Taunt shuts down phasing attempts against Oricorio and setup Pokemon. Tera Fairy further removes Dragon Tail as counterplay against it. I was running Revelation Dance as Fire is in general pretty good offensively and you get a strong Fairy-type attack once you terastallize. 48 Speed EVs is enough to outpace Kilowattrel after a Quiver Dance and Scarf Munkidori after two, although you could run more speed for scarf Chandelure, but I wasn't too concerned about it and I didn't want to compromise on bulk. I also honestly don't think a Defense boosting berry is necessary for Oricorio to be viable but it's what I liked using.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nu-2650809405-a8smuicccc0lwxbcnkv4uyfqpe9w8f4pw?p2 Oricorio just sweeps with ease here
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nu-2650909756?p2 If I wasn't bad and clicked Roost on Poltergeist like I should have, it won here.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nu-2650806642?p2 After getting the turn right against Swampert, it's able to sweep easily
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nu-2650533530?p2 Oricorio sweeps with ease here
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nu-2651032364?p2 Here it did not sweep because my opponent got the turn correct with their Specs Heattom but it was clearly a huge threat.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nu-2650917537?p2 I had to get some turns right against Bellibolt but it did end up winning
:Wo-chien: to A
Wo-Chien is one of the very best defensive Pokemon in the tier annoying anything that isn't a Grass-type with Leech Seed and being so bulky it can check basically anything with Terastallization.
:Chandelure: stay A
I think Chandelure shouldn't drop or at least not more than a rank. I personally have liked bulky Weakness Policy Trick Room which has good flexibility depending on the matchup. Against Dragons and Incineroar, it can trade good damage and against offense it can leverage Trick Room for a speed advantage. I ended up adapting it various times until I ended with a set that is still faster than Incineroar outside of Trick Room so that I can just hit and trade with Incineroar if I need to.
:orthworm:
I think Orthworm should be ranked. It's not a strictly worse Bronzong having Spikes and much better physical bulk and I saw it a decent amount during NULT. It's also not weak to Throat Chop Flygon which is a good advantage over Bronzong.
:rotom-heat: :rotom-mow:
I was also surprised that none of the Rotom forms were ranked. I think Heattom is best because nothing really likes switching into its STABs + Wisp where as Mowtom can struggle more against Duraludon due to its lack of a Fire STAB and I also saw a few Heattom during NULT.
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hi more noms
:incineroar: :munkidori: :duraludon: :flamigo: S-Rank (kinda imo tbh)
I am not saying that all these mons deserve S, but I think each mon listed here has a very strong argument for being in S rank. If you have any of these in S or A+, then I will not argue. These are the top 4 mons in the tier to me rn.
Should Rise
:bellibolt: A -> A+
Bellibolt kind of just takes everything and can spread status with Toxic + paralysis (Static/Discharge). Really good into Scyther and Flamigo, which are two of the best physical attackers in the meta. Still simultaneously good into Incineroar and can slow pivot on Vaporeon. You would think that frequent Swampert, Duraludon, and Gligar usage would deter Bellibolt, but this mon still finds a way to get the job done. Duraludon Draco also doesn't even really threaten it out since it just clicks Slack Off. I think it deserves to be in the A+.
:scyther: A -> A+
I was unsure last time I made the nom, but I am convinced this mon is A+ just for the Defog set alone. All sorts of SD variants are just the cherry on top.
:swampert: A -> A+
The best ground in the tier. Can tailor spreads to be pdef or spdef depending on team. Swampert pivots, gets up Stealth Rock, can phase, clicks Knock Off, and has just so much utility. Could even see a random Counter/Mirror Coat slapped on. The typing is amazing and synergizes with just about anything. I believe it should be on par with Flygon at the bare minimum on the VR.
:sylveon: A- -> A
At first I thought Sylveon in A- might have been too high. However, I have had a change in heart. I think CM sets are pretty solid right now, not overly crazy but there is not a lot of Throat Chop going around so you can run mono Hyper Voice more freely. However, the reason I want to put Sylveon into A is because of the Specs set. The tier is very balance/bo oriented right now, and Specs Sylveon cooks so many teams right now or dents stuff to where partners can benefit from it greatly, including Munkidori and Uxie just to name a couple. It has really good bulk to trade into a lot of things which is really valuable in current meta. A lot of teams with Duraludon can struggle fitting a good fairy resist, or use Munkidori which gets blown up by Shadow Ball and doesn't even take Hyper Voice all that well. Solid mon, there is a reason it is in a Shengineer RMT.
:Inteleon: B+ -> A-/A
The speed tier is elite, the immediate power is elite, the coverage is really solid unless you run into Vaporeon/Milotic. I think in previous metagames it was held back a bit more by Vaporeon usage. I will also add that the increase in Swampert usage helps Inteleon, as those teams don't like stacking Waters and often lack a true Inteleon check with longevity, often relying on Duraludon/AV Pert. With Vaporeon usage slowly going down I think that directly correlates with an even better Inteleon in the current metagame. Might be a hot take but I can honestly support a rise to A. That's how good I think Inteleon is rn.
:slowbro-galar: B+ -> A-
A lot of current NU involves getting status off, and Glowbro does a really nice job of doing that through Toxic/Thunder Wave. Another really good physical sponge similarly to Bellibolt, but has Regenerator and quad resists any CC. Glowbro pairs really nicely with Dudunsparce, which is amazing in current meta. CM Glowbro is still a really solid win condition even if not overpowering. There is a lot of utility, set versatility, a plethora of Tera options, and obviously the coveted Regenerator. I am surprised this does not get talked about more or used more. I support A-.
:raikou: B -> B+/A-
Raikou in B is trolling. The speed tier alone is B+, but the fact that it can pivot and has coverage for most things should boost it even further. I think CM + 3 attacks is really good, I think 4 attack with Aura Sphere is really good, and I still think Sub CM @ Tera Fairy can easily make a comeback even without Tera Blast. The paralysis immunity is really nice for getting around Duraludon if it clicked Draco and is -2, and Dudunsparce. The electric typing additionally helps for not losing to Scarf Brave Bird from Flamigo. I can see people being worried about how it does into Swampert/Dragons/Grasses/others, but a lot of those have to risk a Scald burn or get chipped by Spikes/don't have the longevity to check Raikou long term. They can also just get pivoted on into a physical breaker like a Banded fighting type or Flygon as examples. I think B is a very passive ranking for Raikou and I think it deserves a raise.
:toxicroak: B -> B+
Already nommed it to raise, same reasons as before.
:florges: C -> B-
I like the Choiced Florges sets. The speed tier is a little better than Sylveon and Trick + Synthesis can be solid into many things. Niche mon but I think the shoe fits here.
Should Drop
:vaporeon: A+ -> A
Obviously, still a really good mon. However, I don't find Vaporeon comps to be too amazing right now. Lot of phasers and status in the metagame right now, lot of breakers that can break through Vaporeon. There are still many good ways of checking/annoying Vaporeon, such as Scrafty, Bellibolt, Tatsugiri, Toxicroak, Dudunsparce, Goodra, Munkidori, Wo-Chien and others. You also never really want to run into other Vaporeon, because then both teams are alternating between Wish and water move for 40 turns. Dropping it to A does not mean that I don't think Vaporeon is good, but rather that I don't think the comps that run Vaporeon are optimized, frequently ran enough, or consistent enough to warrant A+.
:brambleghast: A -> A- :houndstone: A -> B+
I already mentioned the Brambler in my other VR post, but I will talk about Houndstone here. You know what, I'm about to say itI don't care that you broke your elbow. Houndstone without Guno is insanely mid. Guno + Houndstone were an amazing core at preventing removal and taking advantage of that. But now, Defog isn't getting punished as badly without Competitive Guno. Additionally, Shadow Ball Brambleghast is seeing more usage as it serves as both a Spinner and Spin Blocker in one slot which dunks on the dog. Poltergeist sets kinda suck because you can't really pair it with Knock users, and Houndstone is pretty slow by nature. Night Shade/Wisp/Roar/Pain Split/Body Press stuff is okay, but it is still really passive. Sure you don't lose to a lot of physical attackers, but this mon can be a complete momentum sap on a lot of teams. I think this mon is actually really good on stall, but on balances it is a much tougher fit for Houndstone right now. I just struggle seeing this mon touching A right now.
:bronzong: A- -> B+
This thing is super passive. It helps check Scyther, Munkidori, Duraludon and some things which is actually really helpful, but it is very passive. I personally think Duraludon > Klefki > Copper > Bronzong when it comes to rating the steels. Ultimately Bronzong is just too passive. It let's the opponent's get up hazards, invites in Knock Off users such as Incineroar, Wo-Chien, Swampert, Goodra, and others. It also still let's in Chandelure, which basically means you need to pair it with Incineroar which isn't the worst thing in the world, but I feel as if it restricts building at times.
:brute bonnet: B+ -> B
I love this mon and will glaze it endlessly (won worlds btw) but this is not a B+ mon. Just use Wo-Chien or something else. It is really good on sun, but the Bonnet offenses are not as dominant as they once were. Still has great bulk, decent enough coverage, key resists, and of course the strong Sucker Punch.
:altaria: :scream tail: B -> B-/C
Are we being deadass?
Noms
:sandslash-alola: B/B+
This thing is really good on Hail, especially on that one team with Tatsugiri and Swampert that popped up during cycle 2 of NULT. Hail differentiates itself from other weathers in NU because it has a viable setter that doesn't need to waste a turn to get weather up. There is also Aurora Veil which is kinda broken lowkey. I've tried making Hail balance work and honestly it isn't that bad. Sandslash is just fast enough in Hail to outpace what it needs to, and Scarf Munkidori isn't hurting you that badly. Ice/Ground is really great coverage, and add in the threat of Knock Off it becomes even better. I don't think spdef Spin is worth it but some people like it. I think it deserves a nom at the bare minimum.
:pincurchin: :raichu-alola: :sceptile: :drifblim: C
Electric Terrain deserves a nom imo. The mipc team during nult was pretty effective and swaggy. I have played friendly games against quite a few people who I assume stole it directly from watching. If that doesn't tell you how powerful and deserving of minimal viability these mons are, then idk what will.
Idk but deserve a mention
:tornadus: :whimsicott:
I think these mons provide really good utility in the current meta, and I am borderline on if they should raise or not. Of course, both mons get Prankster Tailwind which acts as amazing support for teammates and allows for unique offensive cores to be ran. Torn has a great speed tier, amazing coverage, and deceptive bulk for something as offensively potent as it is. Torn has a ton of different Tera options, but most commonly will be Steel. Torn's biggest issue is that it cannot hit most of its moves consistently or reliably. Whimsicott is much more defensive and instantly makes a team better into Bulk Up Scrafty, while providing speed control and pivoting. Both are also common setters for both Rain and Sun respectively. I don't know the best way of describing it, but both mons feel like very good connectors and dare I say panic buttons. They do things that can't really be done by other mons.
:incineroar: :munkidori: :duraludon: :flamigo: S-Rank (kinda imo tbh)
I am not saying that all these mons deserve S, but I think each mon listed here has a very strong argument for being in S rank. If you have any of these in S or A+, then I will not argue. These are the top 4 mons in the tier to me rn.
Should Rise
:bellibolt: A -> A+
Bellibolt kind of just takes everything and can spread status with Toxic + paralysis (Static/Discharge). Really good into Scyther and Flamigo, which are two of the best physical attackers in the meta. Still simultaneously good into Incineroar and can slow pivot on Vaporeon. You would think that frequent Swampert, Duraludon, and Gligar usage would deter Bellibolt, but this mon still finds a way to get the job done. Duraludon Draco also doesn't even really threaten it out since it just clicks Slack Off. I think it deserves to be in the A+.
:scyther: A -> A+
I was unsure last time I made the nom, but I am convinced this mon is A+ just for the Defog set alone. All sorts of SD variants are just the cherry on top.
:swampert: A -> A+
The best ground in the tier. Can tailor spreads to be pdef or spdef depending on team. Swampert pivots, gets up Stealth Rock, can phase, clicks Knock Off, and has just so much utility. Could even see a random Counter/Mirror Coat slapped on. The typing is amazing and synergizes with just about anything. I believe it should be on par with Flygon at the bare minimum on the VR.
:sylveon: A- -> A
At first I thought Sylveon in A- might have been too high. However, I have had a change in heart. I think CM sets are pretty solid right now, not overly crazy but there is not a lot of Throat Chop going around so you can run mono Hyper Voice more freely. However, the reason I want to put Sylveon into A is because of the Specs set. The tier is very balance/bo oriented right now, and Specs Sylveon cooks so many teams right now or dents stuff to where partners can benefit from it greatly, including Munkidori and Uxie just to name a couple. It has really good bulk to trade into a lot of things which is really valuable in current meta. A lot of teams with Duraludon can struggle fitting a good fairy resist, or use Munkidori which gets blown up by Shadow Ball and doesn't even take Hyper Voice all that well. Solid mon, there is a reason it is in a Shengineer RMT.
:Inteleon: B+ -> A-/A
The speed tier is elite, the immediate power is elite, the coverage is really solid unless you run into Vaporeon/Milotic. I think in previous metagames it was held back a bit more by Vaporeon usage. I will also add that the increase in Swampert usage helps Inteleon, as those teams don't like stacking Waters and often lack a true Inteleon check with longevity, often relying on Duraludon/AV Pert. With Vaporeon usage slowly going down I think that directly correlates with an even better Inteleon in the current metagame. Might be a hot take but I can honestly support a rise to A. That's how good I think Inteleon is rn.
:slowbro-galar: B+ -> A-
A lot of current NU involves getting status off, and Glowbro does a really nice job of doing that through Toxic/Thunder Wave. Another really good physical sponge similarly to Bellibolt, but has Regenerator and quad resists any CC. Glowbro pairs really nicely with Dudunsparce, which is amazing in current meta. CM Glowbro is still a really solid win condition even if not overpowering. There is a lot of utility, set versatility, a plethora of Tera options, and obviously the coveted Regenerator. I am surprised this does not get talked about more or used more. I support A-.
:raikou: B -> B+/A-
Raikou in B is trolling. The speed tier alone is B+, but the fact that it can pivot and has coverage for most things should boost it even further. I think CM + 3 attacks is really good, I think 4 attack with Aura Sphere is really good, and I still think Sub CM @ Tera Fairy can easily make a comeback even without Tera Blast. The paralysis immunity is really nice for getting around Duraludon if it clicked Draco and is -2, and Dudunsparce. The electric typing additionally helps for not losing to Scarf Brave Bird from Flamigo. I can see people being worried about how it does into Swampert/Dragons/Grasses/others, but a lot of those have to risk a Scald burn or get chipped by Spikes/don't have the longevity to check Raikou long term. They can also just get pivoted on into a physical breaker like a Banded fighting type or Flygon as examples. I think B is a very passive ranking for Raikou and I think it deserves a raise.
:toxicroak: B -> B+
Already nommed it to raise, same reasons as before.
:florges: C -> B-
I like the Choiced Florges sets. The speed tier is a little better than Sylveon and Trick + Synthesis can be solid into many things. Niche mon but I think the shoe fits here.
Should Drop
:vaporeon: A+ -> A
Obviously, still a really good mon. However, I don't find Vaporeon comps to be too amazing right now. Lot of phasers and status in the metagame right now, lot of breakers that can break through Vaporeon. There are still many good ways of checking/annoying Vaporeon, such as Scrafty, Bellibolt, Tatsugiri, Toxicroak, Dudunsparce, Goodra, Munkidori, Wo-Chien and others. You also never really want to run into other Vaporeon, because then both teams are alternating between Wish and water move for 40 turns. Dropping it to A does not mean that I don't think Vaporeon is good, but rather that I don't think the comps that run Vaporeon are optimized, frequently ran enough, or consistent enough to warrant A+.
:brambleghast: A -> A- :houndstone: A -> B+
I already mentioned the Brambler in my other VR post, but I will talk about Houndstone here. You know what, I'm about to say it
:bronzong: A- -> B+
This thing is super passive. It helps check Scyther, Munkidori, Duraludon and some things which is actually really helpful, but it is very passive. I personally think Duraludon > Klefki > Copper > Bronzong when it comes to rating the steels. Ultimately Bronzong is just too passive. It let's the opponent's get up hazards, invites in Knock Off users such as Incineroar, Wo-Chien, Swampert, Goodra, and others. It also still let's in Chandelure, which basically means you need to pair it with Incineroar which isn't the worst thing in the world, but I feel as if it restricts building at times.
:brute bonnet: B+ -> B
I love this mon and will glaze it endlessly (won worlds btw) but this is not a B+ mon. Just use Wo-Chien or something else. It is really good on sun, but the Bonnet offenses are not as dominant as they once were. Still has great bulk, decent enough coverage, key resists, and of course the strong Sucker Punch.
:altaria: :scream tail: B -> B-/C
Are we being deadass?
Noms
:sandslash-alola: B/B+
This thing is really good on Hail, especially on that one team with Tatsugiri and Swampert that popped up during cycle 2 of NULT. Hail differentiates itself from other weathers in NU because it has a viable setter that doesn't need to waste a turn to get weather up. There is also Aurora Veil which is kinda broken lowkey. I've tried making Hail balance work and honestly it isn't that bad. Sandslash is just fast enough in Hail to outpace what it needs to, and Scarf Munkidori isn't hurting you that badly. Ice/Ground is really great coverage, and add in the threat of Knock Off it becomes even better. I don't think spdef Spin is worth it but some people like it. I think it deserves a nom at the bare minimum.
:pincurchin: :raichu-alola: :sceptile: :drifblim: C
Electric Terrain deserves a nom imo. The mipc team during nult was pretty effective and swaggy. I have played friendly games against quite a few people who I assume stole it directly from watching. If that doesn't tell you how powerful and deserving of minimal viability these mons are, then idk what will.
Idk but deserve a mention
:tornadus: :whimsicott:
I think these mons provide really good utility in the current meta, and I am borderline on if they should raise or not. Of course, both mons get Prankster Tailwind which acts as amazing support for teammates and allows for unique offensive cores to be ran. Torn has a great speed tier, amazing coverage, and deceptive bulk for something as offensively potent as it is. Torn has a ton of different Tera options, but most commonly will be Steel. Torn's biggest issue is that it cannot hit most of its moves consistently or reliably. Whimsicott is much more defensive and instantly makes a team better into Bulk Up Scrafty, while providing speed control and pivoting. Both are also common setters for both Rain and Sun respectively. I don't know the best way of describing it, but both mons feel like very good connectors and dare I say panic buttons. They do things that can't really be done by other mons.
Another VR update, full slate this time to make sure we touch up on everything that hasn't been voted on in a while. You can find the slate here.
:Pawmot: UR -> B- Has some nice coverage and a niche in being a fighting type faster than Flamigo and Flygon. Held back by tera reliance and reliable counterplay.
:Ludicolo: UR -> C Rain has seen a decent amount of use, and Ludicolo is the most vital piece currrently unranked.
:Oricorio: UR -> C Can cheese the unprepared.
:Orthworm: UR -> C Ground immune steel type held back by shit stats.
:Rotom-Heat: UR -> C Flavor of the month, don't fall for the propaganda. This pokemon is shit.
:Sandslash-Alola: UR -> C Shengineer is currently @#$#$^@#$
:Ludicolo: UR -> C Rain has seen a decent amount of use, and Ludicolo is the most vital piece currrently unranked.
:Oricorio: UR -> C Can cheese the unprepared.
:Orthworm: UR -> C Ground immune steel type held back by shit stats.
:Rotom-Heat: UR -> C Flavor of the month, don't fall for the propaganda. This pokemon is shit.
:Sandslash-Alola: UR -> C Shengineer is currently @#$#$^@#$
:Bellibolt: A -> A+ Key defensive piece in the meta, threatening almost all strong physical attackers while maintaining decent enough matchups against the special ones and not being a passive momentum sink.
:Swampert: A -> A+ Omnipresent versatile defensive piece with great customizability for itself and for its team. Previously underrated in my opinion as shown in my previous votes on it.
:Uxie: A- -> A Very threatening in the endgame, with Sub and Encore sets having vastly different counterplay, which only adds to its threat. Very efficient at cleaning up slower teams.
:Inteleon: B+ -> A- It clicks water move, it kills. Vaporeon falling off is a blessing for it, and the speed tier is uncontested without speed boosting (Kilowattrel sucks).
:Hoopa: C -> B- Substitue is broken, and Hoopa is one of the better users of it in the tier.
:Swampert: A -> A+ Omnipresent versatile defensive piece with great customizability for itself and for its team. Previously underrated in my opinion as shown in my previous votes on it.
:Uxie: A- -> A Very threatening in the endgame, with Sub and Encore sets having vastly different counterplay, which only adds to its threat. Very efficient at cleaning up slower teams.
:Inteleon: B+ -> A- It clicks water move, it kills. Vaporeon falling off is a blessing for it, and the speed tier is uncontested without speed boosting (Kilowattrel sucks).
:Hoopa: C -> B- Substitue is broken, and Hoopa is one of the better users of it in the tier.
:Duraludon: A+ -> A Dropped because Diamonds voted it to C. Go ask him.
:Vaporeon: A+ -> A Wishpassing has dropped in viability, and the water type slot is heavily contested.
:Houndstone: A -> A- Heavy case of 4mss, bellibolt is superior in most cases as a physical tank and a lot of teams have adapted to simply running boot spam.
:Brute Bonnet: B+ -> B Great potential but often a letdown in practice, hard to justify as a breaker with its slow speed and reliance on unreliable priority. The defensive utility of being a grass type is much less valuable.
:Vaporeon: A+ -> A Wishpassing has dropped in viability, and the water type slot is heavily contested.
:Houndstone: A -> A- Heavy case of 4mss, bellibolt is superior in most cases as a physical tank and a lot of teams have adapted to simply running boot spam.
:Brute Bonnet: B+ -> B Great potential but often a letdown in practice, hard to justify as a breaker with its slow speed and reliance on unreliable priority. The defensive utility of being a grass type is much less valuable.
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duraludon was robbed what was diamonds even thinking? please diamonds explain your logic as to why duraludon is overrated.
As for Loocas13? you should probably nom meloetta staraptor and rhyperior;saw the attatchments you missed these noms wait a bit until you feel like it.
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Hi, pitching in to write about how the 'flavor of the month' has potential to become a mainstay.
C > B-/B
I'll start off with the sauce this mon has, there's 2 attributes that stand out the most, namely:
- Great type combo with levitate
- Fast Will-o-Wisp
The Good
Type combo and matchups:
It's no secret that Electric/Fire is a great type combo for the tier, with no moldbreakers in sight, this means that Rotom remains with two weaknesses, being rock and water. Both are very uncommon attacking types, (aside from rain-teams specifically, which are not too relevant right now). That said, water types don't really like to come in on Rotom-Heat anyway. It outspeeds just about every non-rain water in the tier and uses volt switch to pivot out while dealing some chip to otherwise would-be-counters like Vaporeon and Basculegion. Also one of the most popular pokemon in the tier Swampert doesn't have the greatest matchup against Rotom-Heat due to getting outsped and then will-o-wisped.
Rotom's matchup to other popular pokemon aren't bad either. It's typing counters other threads such as Scyther, Klefki, Brambleghast and Tornadus while being to hit back hard with it's stabs. One if it's greatest assets is Will-O-Wisp, a move that isn't very common in NU. The only popular Will-O-Wisp user is Incineroar, which is a lot slower and often gets outsped due to people adapting with their EV-spreads. The only other candidate is Altaria which plays verry passive. This attribute makes Rotom-Heat able to outspeed and burn mons like Gligar, Swampert, Tsareena, Basculegion, Decidueye and upcoming star Toxicroak (which has quite a bit of use in the SCL). Due to will-o-wisp it can cripple it's ground type opponents that are usually able to block it's volt switch (excluding substitute-flygon's). Making it hard to switch into.
Finally, it's STAB overheat is no joke for damage, even without investment.
The bad
Rotom-Heat definitely isn't perfect, while I believe the meta is quite healthy for it, there are also some cons to using him.
-Reliance on bulky teammates: Rotom-Heat will be pivoting a lot, making bulky teammates useful to soak the incoming damage from moves. With a lot of useful tanks in NU not having direct access to recovery moves (Duraludon, Gligar, Copperajah, Incineroar, Goodra and Swampert) it can lead to them being chipped-away. Therefore mons such as Dudunsparce and Tsareena can make for great partners being more bulky with recovery options.
-Stealth rocks and switching in: Rotom-Heat is crippled by stealth rocks a lot, especially in it's choice sets. Due to it pivoting quite a bit, it can take multiple instances of damage from stealth rocks. Even though this is obviously a weakness, there is a silver lining, being able to share that damage with the opponent with painsplit, giving it a recovery option, al be it not the best one. This is why hazard removal is quite important on the team. The previously named Tsareena partners up quite well due to this reason.
Aside from stealth rocks, due to it's bulk, Rotom isn't a big fan of switching into attacks, especially knock off being able to take off his heavy-duty-boots (although no one likes to switch into knock off). This is why partners with (slow) pivot moves such as flip-turn and u-turn work quite well alongside it, such as Tsareena, Basculegion, Scyther, Milotic, Flamigo and Munkidori. Lastly the previously named Dudunsparce can soak a knock-off and gain a speedboost with Rattled to set-up for a sweep later in the game with calm mind later into the game. Potentially, with the nasty plot set Rotom could also fulfill that role themselves.
Understanding it's weaknesses turns Rotom into a status spreader that very few pokemon want to swap into. It generates a lot of tempo with a volt-turn core and some surprising bulk it's able to live a lot of strong hits and heal back partially with pain split.
All in all I do believe the pro's outweight the cons to warrant Rotom-Heat to get into B-tier.
Thank you for reading my analysis, feel free to reply if you'd like to add things I potentially missed.
C > B-/B
I'll start off with the sauce this mon has, there's 2 attributes that stand out the most, namely:
- Great type combo with levitate
- Fast Will-o-Wisp
The Good
Type combo and matchups:
It's no secret that Electric/Fire is a great type combo for the tier, with no moldbreakers in sight, this means that Rotom remains with two weaknesses, being rock and water. Both are very uncommon attacking types, (aside from rain-teams specifically, which are not too relevant right now). That said, water types don't really like to come in on Rotom-Heat anyway. It outspeeds just about every non-rain water in the tier and uses volt switch to pivot out while dealing some chip to otherwise would-be-counters like Vaporeon and Basculegion. Also one of the most popular pokemon in the tier Swampert doesn't have the greatest matchup against Rotom-Heat due to getting outsped and then will-o-wisped.
Rotom's matchup to other popular pokemon aren't bad either. It's typing counters other threads such as Scyther, Klefki, Brambleghast and Tornadus while being to hit back hard with it's stabs. One if it's greatest assets is Will-O-Wisp, a move that isn't very common in NU. The only popular Will-O-Wisp user is Incineroar, which is a lot slower and often gets outsped due to people adapting with their EV-spreads. The only other candidate is Altaria which plays verry passive. This attribute makes Rotom-Heat able to outspeed and burn mons like Gligar, Swampert, Tsareena, Basculegion, Decidueye and upcoming star Toxicroak (which has quite a bit of use in the SCL). Due to will-o-wisp it can cripple it's ground type opponents that are usually able to block it's volt switch (excluding substitute-flygon's). Making it hard to switch into.
Finally, it's STAB overheat is no joke for damage, even without investment.
The bad
Rotom-Heat definitely isn't perfect, while I believe the meta is quite healthy for it, there are also some cons to using him.
-Reliance on bulky teammates: Rotom-Heat will be pivoting a lot, making bulky teammates useful to soak the incoming damage from moves. With a lot of useful tanks in NU not having direct access to recovery moves (Duraludon, Gligar, Copperajah, Incineroar, Goodra and Swampert) it can lead to them being chipped-away. Therefore mons such as Dudunsparce and Tsareena can make for great partners being more bulky with recovery options.
-Stealth rocks and switching in: Rotom-Heat is crippled by stealth rocks a lot, especially in it's choice sets. Due to it pivoting quite a bit, it can take multiple instances of damage from stealth rocks. Even though this is obviously a weakness, there is a silver lining, being able to share that damage with the opponent with painsplit, giving it a recovery option, al be it not the best one. This is why hazard removal is quite important on the team. The previously named Tsareena partners up quite well due to this reason.
Aside from stealth rocks, due to it's bulk, Rotom isn't a big fan of switching into attacks, especially knock off being able to take off his heavy-duty-boots (although no one likes to switch into knock off). This is why partners with (slow) pivot moves such as flip-turn and u-turn work quite well alongside it, such as Tsareena, Basculegion, Scyther, Milotic, Flamigo and Munkidori. Lastly the previously named Dudunsparce can soak a knock-off and gain a speedboost with Rattled to set-up for a sweep later in the game with calm mind later into the game. Potentially, with the nasty plot set Rotom could also fulfill that role themselves.
Understanding it's weaknesses turns Rotom into a status spreader that very few pokemon want to swap into. It generates a lot of tempo with a volt-turn core and some surprising bulk it's able to live a lot of strong hits and heal back partially with pain split.
All in all I do believe the pro's outweight the cons to warrant Rotom-Heat to get into B-tier.
Thank you for reading my analysis, feel free to reply if you'd like to add things I potentially missed.
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Update time! A few new entries and not nearly enough exits madge. As always, you can find the slate here.
:Ribombee: RU -> B+ Very divided opinion among the VR council. Some think it's strong, some think it's very overrated. It immediately lands itself as the best webs setter in the tier, while maintaining certain niches on teams with it's excellent speed tier. Lacking in coverage and exceptional power to truly maximize it's setup sets.
:Arcanine: UR -> B- Finds its way onto the VR following a number of excellent showings in SCL. Does the same old, just in a more suited enviornment for it and with better teams being built around it.
:Shaymin: UR -> B- Status absorber with legendary stats. Seed Flare is a move of all time.
:Espeon: UR -> C Defensive Espeon offers niche but effective role compression.
:Arcanine: UR -> B- Finds its way onto the VR following a number of excellent showings in SCL. Does the same old, just in a more suited enviornment for it and with better teams being built around it.
:Shaymin: UR -> B- Status absorber with legendary stats. Seed Flare is a move of all time.
:Espeon: UR -> C Defensive Espeon offers niche but effective role compression.
:Duraludon: A -> A+ Nothing to see here, just fixing Diamonds_realm mistakes.
:Scream Tail: B -> B+ Very solid results so far in SCL, very customizable pokemon which lends itself a lot to tournament play.
:Tatsugiri: B- -> B+ Offers utility you can't find in any other removal, solidifying itself as a very solid option that has very favorable matchups against rain teams as well as water types in general.
:Scream Tail: B -> B+ Very solid results so far in SCL, very customizable pokemon which lends itself a lot to tournament play.
:Tatsugiri: B- -> B+ Offers utility you can't find in any other removal, solidifying itself as a very solid option that has very favorable matchups against rain teams as well as water types in general.
:Incineroar: S -> A+ While it still is a premier option in the tier, it doesn't stand out enough to warrant an S rank. Focus Blast Munkidori becoming the main set as well as the drop off of Chandelure and the rise of Inteleon all contribute to this ranking.
:Bellibolt: A+ -> A Teams are getting much better at playing around it and punishing it, with options like Substitute becoming more prevalent to punish it and other slow, weak defensive tools.
:Brambleghast: A -> A- Was overrated in our previous ranking, competition from Tatsugiri.
:Chandelure: A -> A- Struggling to maintain it's presence in the current metagame, with a very poor showing in SCL.
:Scrafty: A -> A- It seems people completely forgot about this guy. Not a single bring in SCL, a BO1 tournament setting where it should theoretically thrive.
:Vaporeon: A - A- Teams are getting very good at abusing it. I personally voted it lower and I certainly foresee that sentiment growing more prevalent by the time next slate comes around.
:Decidueye: B -> B-
:Grimmsnarl: B -> B-
:Overqwil: B -> B- You know it's bad when even rain teams are now dropping it.
:Kilowattrel: B- -> C Soon I will be the happiest man in NU, not quite yet.
:Heracross: C -> UR
:Ludicolo: C -> UR
:Sandslash-Alola: C -> UR OranBerryBlissey10 is punching the air rn. Most others are rejoicing.
:Bellibolt: A+ -> A Teams are getting much better at playing around it and punishing it, with options like Substitute becoming more prevalent to punish it and other slow, weak defensive tools.
:Brambleghast: A -> A- Was overrated in our previous ranking, competition from Tatsugiri.
:Chandelure: A -> A- Struggling to maintain it's presence in the current metagame, with a very poor showing in SCL.
:Scrafty: A -> A- It seems people completely forgot about this guy. Not a single bring in SCL, a BO1 tournament setting where it should theoretically thrive.
:Vaporeon: A - A- Teams are getting very good at abusing it. I personally voted it lower and I certainly foresee that sentiment growing more prevalent by the time next slate comes around.
:Decidueye: B -> B-
:Grimmsnarl: B -> B-
:Overqwil: B -> B- You know it's bad when even rain teams are now dropping it.
:Kilowattrel: B- -> C Soon I will be the happiest man in NU, not quite yet.
:Heracross: C -> UR
:Ludicolo: C -> UR
:Sandslash-Alola: C -> UR OranBerryBlissey10 is punching the air rn. Most others are rejoicing.
nice. I wish I knew enough about this tier to say anything more.
fine I'll do some riffing.
:scream tail: b+ -->a-.
It's tournament experimentation isn't complete yet. it's already b+ now so imagine how far we could go with more creativity. it even rose on the vr last slate. I imagine it's gonna keep on rising.
:tatsugiri: b+ --> a-.
similar but not exactly the same reasoning as scream tail;as I believe it could use more experimentation;I don't know what with but my gut tells me it could use more experimentation.
:vaporeon: a- -->b+/b
To balance out me nomming mons to rise from b+ to a- lemme do the opposite with vaporeon. it's good in ru but here it seems very exploitable and I could see it grow even more exploitable as the tier goes on.
:Golduck: ur --> c
Okay. the only reason i'm nomming it is the need for a special swift swimmer on rain teams.Okay part of it is because Psyduck is my favorite Pokemon but hear me out here, it hasn't been around much but you should start using golduck. Ludi just got unranked and Golduck has the threat of nasty plot/calm mind(or in general just setup. mostly nasty plot) and the same coverage as ludi. it may be frail but it has more nuclear potential than ludi does. and you have Scovillain at c for some reason(I mean;is damage really that deep scov is like the rampardos of sun), even though it's slower and frailer than golduck. I thought of cloud nine at first then realized that'd be a bit clunky due to mid speed out of rain. So, here are the calcs.
252+ SpA Life Orb Ludicolo Focus Blast vs. 160 HP / 252 SpD Eviolite Duraludon: 231-273 (71.9 - 85%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 252 SpA Golduck Focus Blast vs. 160 HP / 252 SpD Eviolite Duraludon: 334-394 (104 - 122.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO(no power boosting item by the way, and timid)
96+ SpA Duraludon Draco Meteor vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Golduck: 235-277 (77.8 - 91.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 252 SpA Golduck Surf vs. 248 HP / 212+ SpD Incineroar in Rain: 572-674 (145.5 - 171.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO. more affordable. ludi due to lack of immediate power is forced to run the innaccurate hydro pump to do real damage. orb is affordable due to giga drain but still.
252+ SpA Life Orb Ludicolo Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Bellibolt in Rain: 348-411 (82.4 - 97.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 252 SpA Golduck Surf vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Bellibolt in Rain: 414-487 (98.1 - 115.4%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO.
+2 252 SpA Wise Glasses Golduck Surf vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Bellibolt in Rain: 454-535 (107.5 - 126.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252 SpA Golduck Ice Beam vs. 76 HP / 0 SpD Goodra: 224-264 (65.8 - 77.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Life Orb Ludicolo Ice Beam vs. 76 HP / 0 SpD Goodra: 153-182 (45 - 53.5%) -- 34.4% chance to 2HKO
+2 252 SpA Golduck Surf vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Bronzong in Rain: 232-274 (68.6 - 81%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Life Orb Ludicolo Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Bronzong in Rain: 195-230 (57.6 - 68%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 252 SpA Golduck Focus Blast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Tatsugiri: 219-258 (79 - 93.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Life Orb Ludicolo Giga Drain vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Tatsugiri: 142-168 (51.2 - 60.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Life Orb Ludicolo Focus Blast vs. 252 HP / 240+ SpD Wo-Chien: 172-203 (45.9 - 54.2%) -- 3.9% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 252 SpA Golduck Focus Blast vs. 252 HP / 240+ SpD Wo-Chien: 248-292 (66.3 - 78%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
notice the damage gap? and heck;even outspeeds scarf inteleon and +1 cinccino with a timid nature(252 SpA Golduck Focus Blast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Cinccino: 316-374 (108.5 - 128.5%. frail but still golduck can beat cinccino) -- guaranteed OHKO ludi struggles to fit focus blast in it's kit.);which ludi really can't due to it's need to compensate for base 90 special attack calling for modest. just like something else i'll get into later
bulk is mid but not horrible. rampardos comparison implies nothing but damage. Golduck does have mostly damage but it's got other nice things. a dm exchange with heatranator told me that cetitan isn't like rampardos due to bulk in snow and veil and ice shard. I think Golduck isn't like rampardos due to being bulkier;faster, and having a better ability
+2 252 SpA Golduck Focus Blast vs. 160 HP / 252 SpD Eviolite Duraludon: 334-394 (104 - 122.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO(no power boosting item by the way, and timid)
96+ SpA Duraludon Draco Meteor vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Golduck: 235-277 (77.8 - 91.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 252 SpA Golduck Surf vs. 248 HP / 212+ SpD Incineroar in Rain: 572-674 (145.5 - 171.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO. more affordable. ludi due to lack of immediate power is forced to run the innaccurate hydro pump to do real damage. orb is affordable due to giga drain but still.
252+ SpA Life Orb Ludicolo Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Bellibolt in Rain: 348-411 (82.4 - 97.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 252 SpA Golduck Surf vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Bellibolt in Rain: 414-487 (98.1 - 115.4%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO.
+2 252 SpA Wise Glasses Golduck Surf vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Bellibolt in Rain: 454-535 (107.5 - 126.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252 SpA Golduck Ice Beam vs. 76 HP / 0 SpD Goodra: 224-264 (65.8 - 77.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Life Orb Ludicolo Ice Beam vs. 76 HP / 0 SpD Goodra: 153-182 (45 - 53.5%) -- 34.4% chance to 2HKO
+2 252 SpA Golduck Surf vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Bronzong in Rain: 232-274 (68.6 - 81%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Life Orb Ludicolo Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Bronzong in Rain: 195-230 (57.6 - 68%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 252 SpA Golduck Focus Blast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Tatsugiri: 219-258 (79 - 93.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Life Orb Ludicolo Giga Drain vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Tatsugiri: 142-168 (51.2 - 60.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Life Orb Ludicolo Focus Blast vs. 252 HP / 240+ SpD Wo-Chien: 172-203 (45.9 - 54.2%) -- 3.9% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 252 SpA Golduck Focus Blast vs. 252 HP / 240+ SpD Wo-Chien: 248-292 (66.3 - 78%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
notice the damage gap? and heck;even outspeeds scarf inteleon and +1 cinccino with a timid nature(252 SpA Golduck Focus Blast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Cinccino: 316-374 (108.5 - 128.5%. frail but still golduck can beat cinccino) -- guaranteed OHKO ludi struggles to fit focus blast in it's kit.);which ludi really can't due to it's need to compensate for base 90 special attack calling for modest. just like something else i'll get into later
bulk is mid but not horrible. rampardos comparison implies nothing but damage. Golduck does have mostly damage but it's got other nice things. a dm exchange with heatranator told me that cetitan isn't like rampardos due to bulk in snow and veil and ice shard. I think Golduck isn't like rampardos due to being bulkier;faster, and having a better ability
it's got max speed(timid), max special attack, and leftovers for the item. the version I imported to the damage calculator has the ability cloud nine;fix that with swift swim and it's a day. and grass knot instead of ice beam;turns out ice beam is more useful so here's something revised.
Golduck @ Leftovers/Wise Glasses
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Ice Beam
- Surf
- Focus Blast
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Ice Beam
- Surf
- Focus Blast
if you want something bulkier with the same speed tier and is also a good special attacker on rain;:kingdra: ur --> c
Take kingdra. 95 defenses and taking neutral from grass and electric are both nice things to have over Golduck. so is hurricane and stab on draco meteor to immediately nuke koodra instead of needing a set up turn, and flash cannon and not having to dedicate a move to nasty plot/calm mind so you can slap on that coverage. and kingdra can run mixed sets too. yeah i'd reccomend ranking kingdra as it's pretty solid
yeah I see Golduck and kingdra as two potential special attacking swift swim options now that ludi is unranked.
edit:replay of them putting in work:https://psim.us/r/gen9nu-2704995237 psynoise nasty plot hydro pump focus blast is a nice set. not my idea but I have evidence now. don't hit me with "the rating is too low"-look at the opp's elo. it's in the 1300s, yourwelcomethanku used replays from when he battled opponents with elo lower than 1200 so I think this is valid evidence. more for kingdra:https://psim.us/r/gen9nu-2704984464 . I prefer you go for kingdra first;it was nommed before so why not again?
:Jolteon: ur to b-
Nice pivot, insanely fast, can set rain, even has weather ball to back the rain package up. overall solid kilo replacement that isn't weak to rock moves from rhyperior or ice moves, yeah In general I think jolt has a solid case to be ranked based on this replay alone. and aside from the electrodes it's the fastest Pokemon available in the tier, and jolt has better overall stats than the electrodes.
:muk: ur to b-.
Also fairly decent manual rain setter that has knock off and bulk over jolt, and memento so it's decent momentum after the rain setting that can't be blocked by grounds;even if taunt blocks it. I gotta put them higher than Golduck and kingdra at most and equal at least
:Venusaur: c --> b-/b.
let's be real here venu is just better than scov. Faster AND Bulkier than scovillain, better into hazards(Toxic spikes immunity vs being weak to stealth rock). yeah I just think venu is better than scov and should rise to be above scov. sure scov does more damage but that's it's only edge over venu.
https://psim.us/r/gen9nu-2705064896
https://psim.us/r/gen9nu-2705073118
:primeape: ur to ranked somewhere(preferably c)
rage fist means coverage is unstoppable outside of zorua-h(if you wanna use that) coupled with fighting stab. bulk up means rage fist's power gets to ramp up more quickly. I dunno what close Combat is doing there instead of drain punch;maybe more immediate power? nah drain punch would probably still be better as that's reliable recovery;close Combat nerfs your bulk and ability to take rage fist boosting hits
https://psim.us/r/gen9nu-2706210627
https://psim.us/r/gen9nu-2705780056
much better
:Chandelure: a- to b/b+
No sun to deal with;specs sets aren't particularly fast;and knock off weakness coupled with sucker punch weakness. yeah I thought it over chandy might be as overrated as basc-f up in ru so to Speedrun the realization process;here I am. mostly just a strong guy;need I pull out the rampardos theorem to explain why it's damage is overstated? can't use coverage if you're prediction reliant and click the wrong move. and get outsped by a lot of stuff. yeah I just have an issue with mid speed special attacking choice specs using ghost types. INSANELY OVERRATED AT A- BRO
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Hi! Adding some thoughts here.
The S tier and A+ tier look very solid. Definitely the staples of the tier.
The A tier follows the same pattern aside from two mons of which I'm doubtful.
Opinions are mostly from own experience so take it with a grain of salt. My write-up is not to be mistaken for critiques. I am grateful for all the work done by the council.
Regards,
Attachments
I'm not even joking. Cacturne has some sauce!
Recently, I've been experimenting quite a bit with lower-tier Pokémon that could find a niche due to the environment of NU. Cacturne is one of those Pokémon and likely the one that I was most surprised by.
Let's not beat around the bush and mention what exactly gives Cacturne its niche. It's Swampert. This thing is a premier Swampert counter. Usage stats from October 2026 have shown that the most popular Pokémon in NU is Swampert, and this month, that has likely only increased.
With two immunities, those being Psychic (useful for Scarf Munki sets) and Water thanks to its ability (an all-around very useful immunity), Cacturne has quite a few advantageous switch-in opportunities.
Aside from that, its physical Attack stat is nothing to scoff at. Access to Swords Dance and Sucker Punch gives it threat status and speed-control options. Switching into Swampert, Vaporeon, Basculegion, Inteleon, or other Water-types gives it free Swords Dances or a Knock Off on the switch, and those Dark-type moves are no joke, even without Tera. I'll include some common calcs that I have encountered in my matches below. Furthermore, it outspeeds uninvested walls such as Tsareena, Vaporeon, Gligar, and Duraludon, as well as invested Dudunsparce. Its longevity isn't anything special, but you can also utilize Substitute on the switch if you're willing to drop Seed Bomb. Generally speaking, however, I prefer the Swords Dance + Life Orb version over the Leftovers Sub set.
Here's some calcs to show you the potential it has
252+ Atk Life Orb Cacturne Sucker Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Munkidori: 421-499 (132.8 - 157.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+1 252+ Atk Life Orb Cacturne Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Incineroar: 170-200 (51.3 - 60.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (After SD + Intim)
+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Cacturne Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Vaporeon: 407-481 (87.7 - 103.6%) -- 25% chance to OHKO
0 SpA Vaporeon Ice Beam vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Cacturne: 214-252 (75.8 - 89.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Cacturne Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 160 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Duraludon: 246-290 (76.6 - 90.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Cacturne Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 200+ Def Eviolite Gligar: 200-238 (59.8 - 71.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Cacturne Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Fluffy Houndstone: 298-352 (85.6 - 101.1%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO
+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Cacturne Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Tsareena: 302-356 (86.7 - 102.2%) -- 18.8% chance to OHKO
+1 252+ Atk Life Orb Cacturne Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Incineroar: 170-200 (51.3 - 60.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (After SD + Intim)
+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Cacturne Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Vaporeon: 407-481 (87.7 - 103.6%) -- 25% chance to OHKO
0 SpA Vaporeon Ice Beam vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Cacturne: 214-252 (75.8 - 89.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Cacturne Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 160 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Duraludon: 246-290 (76.6 - 90.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Cacturne Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 200+ Def Eviolite Gligar: 200-238 (59.8 - 71.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Cacturne Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Fluffy Houndstone: 298-352 (85.6 - 101.1%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO
+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Cacturne Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Tsareena: 302-356 (86.7 - 102.2%) -- 18.8% chance to OHKO
Sucker punch (With tera)
+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Tera Dark Cacturne Sucker Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Flamigo: 256-302 (83.9 - 99%) -- 75% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Life Orb Tera Dark Cacturne Sucker Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Flygon: 242-286 (80.3 - 95%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Life Orb Tera Dark Cacturne Sucker Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Scyther: 242-286 (86.1 - 101.7%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Life Orb Tera Dark Cacturne Sucker Punch vs. 160 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Duraludon: 120-143 (37.3 - 44.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Stealth Rock
+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Tera Dark Cacturne Sucker Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Flamigo: 256-302 (83.9 - 99%) -- 75% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Life Orb Tera Dark Cacturne Sucker Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Flygon: 242-286 (80.3 - 95%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
252+ Atk Life Orb Tera Dark Cacturne Sucker Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Scyther: 242-286 (86.1 - 101.7%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Life Orb Tera Dark Cacturne Sucker Punch vs. 160 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Duraludon: 120-143 (37.3 - 44.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Stealth Rock
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elite ball knowledge right here pert stocks gon' drop. basculegion at the mere mention of cacturne;hell nah don't get me bro.
please edit the post so it has more of the mons you found have a niche in this tier. I’d rank cacturne at b-. yup;b-. maybe c+ since it's clear float knows what he's talking about. I got inspired. currently on search. couldn't find anything.
found something:
Krokorok @ Eviolite
Ability: Intimidate
Tera Type: Dragon
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- Knock Off
- Roar
Ability: Intimidate
Tera Type: Dragon
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- Knock Off
- Roar
it's mostly based on
252 SpA Munkidori Focus Blast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Krokorok: 200-236 (61.7 - 72.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO(I thought you'd need tera flying to survive this)
252 SpA Munkidori Sludge Wave vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Krokorok: 59-70 (18.2 - 21.6%) -- possible 5HKO
-1 0- Atk Munkidori U-turn vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Krokorok: 60-72 (18.5 - 22.2%) -- possible 5HKO
252 SpA Munkidori Sludge Bomb vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Krokorok: 56-66 (17.2 - 20.3%) -- possible 5HKO
psychic is self explanatory. the only thing that could really mess you up versus the scarf set is trick.
96+ SpA Duraludon Draco Meteor vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Krokorok: 150-177 (46.2 - 54.6%) -- 56.6% chance to 2HKO(somehow it's actually bulky)
-1 252 Atk Flygon Outrage vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Krokorok: 136-162 (41.9 - 50%) -- 0.4% chance to 2HKO
-1 252 Atk Choice Band Flygon First Impression vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Krokorok: 204-242 (62.9 - 74.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Flygon Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Krokorok: 169-201 (52.1 - 62%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+1 252 Atk Flygon Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Krokorok: 255-301 (78.7 - 92.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+1 252 Atk Flygon Scale Shot (4 hits) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Krokorok: 256-304 (79 - 93.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
-1 4 Atk Swampert Flip Turn vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Krokorok: 116-140 (35.8 - 43.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
-1 252+ Atk Incineroar Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Krokorok: 165-195 (50.9 - 60.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO incineroar doesn't like being intimidated back.
-1 252 Atk Ambipom Double-Edge vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Krokorok: 136-162 (41.9 - 50%) -- 0.4% chance to 2HKO
-1 252 Atk Choice Band Basculegion Flip Turn vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Krokorok: 218-260 (67.2 - 80.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
wave crash and liquidation are still nukes;unless you tera dragon
-1 252 Atk Choice Band Tera Water Basculegion Wave Crash vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Tera Dragon Krokorok: 147-173 (45.3 - 53.3%) -- 35.5% chance to 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Goodra Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Krokorok: 244-288 (75.3 - 88.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Goodra Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Tera Dragon Krokorok: 61-72 (18.8 - 22.2%) -- possible 5HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Goodra Sludge Wave vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Krokorok: 53-62 (16.3 - 19.1%) -- possible 6HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Goodra Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Krokorok: 122-144 (37.6 - 44.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Goodra Draco Meteor vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Krokorok: 216-255 (66.6 - 78.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
-1 252 Atk Scyther Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Krokorok: 194-230 (59.8 - 70.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
-1 252 Atk Technician Scyther Dual Wingbeat (2 hits) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Krokorok: 146-174 (45 - 53.7%) -- 25.6% chance to 2HKO
-1 252 Atk Scyther U-turn vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Krokorok: 168-200 (51.8 - 61.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Chandelure Energy Ball vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Krokorok: 244-288 (75.3 - 88.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Chandelure Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Krokorok: 222-262 (68.5 - 80.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Chandelure Shadow Ball vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Krokorok: 81-96 (25 - 29.6%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Chandelure Shadow Ball vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Tera Dragon Krokorok: 162-192 (50 - 59.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Chandelure Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Tera Dragon Krokorok: 111-131 (34.2 - 40.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Chandelure Energy Ball vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Tera Dragon Krokorok: 61-72 (18.8 - 22.2%) -- possible 5HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Inteleon Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Krokorok: 398-470 (122.8 - 145%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Inteleon Ice Beam vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Krokorok: 218-258 (67.2 - 79.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Inteleon Dark Pulse vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Krokorok: 48-57 (14.8 - 17.5%) -- possible 6HKO imagine your only way to ohko krokorok can miss
-1 252+ Atk Rhyperior Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Krokorok: 159-187 (49 - 57.7%) -- 96.9% chance to 2HKO
-1 252+ Atk Rhyperior Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Krokorok: 79-93 (24.3 - 28.7%) -- 99.5% chance to 4HKO
-1 252+ Atk Rhyperior Temper Flare vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Krokorok: 79-94 (24.3 - 29%) -- 99.5% chance to 4HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Sylveon Shadow Ball vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Krokorok: 48-57 (14.8 - 17.5%) -- possible 6HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Sylveon Draining Kiss vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Krokorok: 186-218 (57.4 - 67.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Pixilate Sylveon Hyper Voice vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Krokorok: 392-464 (120.9 - 143.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO. only one way to ohko krokorok if specs.
+1 0 SpA Pixilate Sylveon Hyper Voice vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Krokorok: 288-342 (88.8 - 105.5%) -- 37.5% chance to OHKO
-1 0 Atk Scrafty Drain Punch vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Krokorok: 126-150 (38.8 - 46.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
-1 252 Atk Tauros-Paldea-Aqua Wave Crash vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Krokorok: 290-344 (89.5 - 106.1%) -- 43.8% chance to OHKO
-1 252 Atk Tauros-Paldea-Aqua Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Krokorok: 290-344 (89.5 - 106.1%) -- 43.8% chance to OHKO
-1 252 Atk Tauros-Paldea-Aqua Aqua Jet vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Krokorok: 98-116 (30.2 - 35.8%) -- 32.7% chance to 3HKO
zen headbutt should be obvious
-1 252+ Atk Brute Bonnet Seed Bomb vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Krokorok: 236-278 (72.8 - 85.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
-1 252+ Atk Brute Bonnet Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Krokorok: 236-278 (72.8 - 85.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
booster energy is a one time thing;brute bonnet can be forced out so with booster energy brute bonnet more likely than not ohkos but with something more permanant a boost(like black glasses) it doesn't.
-1 252 Atk Infernape Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Krokorok: 278-330 (85.8 - 101.8%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Infernape Focus Blast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Krokorok: 384-452 (118.5 - 139.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Infernape Overheat vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Krokorok: 208-246 (64.1 - 75.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Infernape Flamethrower vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Krokorok: 144-171 (44.4 - 52.7%) -- 23.4% chance to 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Infernape Vacuum Wave vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Krokorok: 128-152 (39.5 - 46.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
if tera dragon:252 SpA Choice Specs Infernape Focus Blast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Tera Dragon Krokorok: 192-226 (59.2 - 69.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Infernape Overheat vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Tera Dragon Krokorok: 104-123 (32 - 37.9%) -- 94.1% chance to 3HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Infernape Vacuum Wave vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Tera Dragon Krokorok: 64-76 (19.7 - 23.4%) -- possible 5HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Infernape Flamethrower vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Tera Dragon Krokorok: 72-85 (22.2 - 26.2%) -- 11.1% chance to 4HKO
scratch tera flying outright i'm going for tera dragon I thought about flying to deal with munki's focus blast then realized dragon is better overall the deeper I looked into it.
252 SpA Munkidori Sludge Wave vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Krokorok: 59-70 (18.2 - 21.6%) -- possible 5HKO
-1 0- Atk Munkidori U-turn vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Krokorok: 60-72 (18.5 - 22.2%) -- possible 5HKO
252 SpA Munkidori Sludge Bomb vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Krokorok: 56-66 (17.2 - 20.3%) -- possible 5HKO
psychic is self explanatory. the only thing that could really mess you up versus the scarf set is trick.
96+ SpA Duraludon Draco Meteor vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Krokorok: 150-177 (46.2 - 54.6%) -- 56.6% chance to 2HKO(somehow it's actually bulky)
-1 252 Atk Flygon Outrage vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Krokorok: 136-162 (41.9 - 50%) -- 0.4% chance to 2HKO
-1 252 Atk Choice Band Flygon First Impression vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Krokorok: 204-242 (62.9 - 74.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Flygon Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Krokorok: 169-201 (52.1 - 62%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+1 252 Atk Flygon Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Krokorok: 255-301 (78.7 - 92.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+1 252 Atk Flygon Scale Shot (4 hits) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Krokorok: 256-304 (79 - 93.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
-1 4 Atk Swampert Flip Turn vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Krokorok: 116-140 (35.8 - 43.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
-1 252+ Atk Incineroar Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Krokorok: 165-195 (50.9 - 60.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO incineroar doesn't like being intimidated back.
-1 252 Atk Ambipom Double-Edge vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Krokorok: 136-162 (41.9 - 50%) -- 0.4% chance to 2HKO
-1 252 Atk Choice Band Basculegion Flip Turn vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Krokorok: 218-260 (67.2 - 80.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
wave crash and liquidation are still nukes;unless you tera dragon
-1 252 Atk Choice Band Tera Water Basculegion Wave Crash vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Tera Dragon Krokorok: 147-173 (45.3 - 53.3%) -- 35.5% chance to 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Goodra Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Krokorok: 244-288 (75.3 - 88.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Goodra Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Tera Dragon Krokorok: 61-72 (18.8 - 22.2%) -- possible 5HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Goodra Sludge Wave vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Krokorok: 53-62 (16.3 - 19.1%) -- possible 6HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Goodra Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Krokorok: 122-144 (37.6 - 44.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Goodra Draco Meteor vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Krokorok: 216-255 (66.6 - 78.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
-1 252 Atk Scyther Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Krokorok: 194-230 (59.8 - 70.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
-1 252 Atk Technician Scyther Dual Wingbeat (2 hits) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Krokorok: 146-174 (45 - 53.7%) -- 25.6% chance to 2HKO
-1 252 Atk Scyther U-turn vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Krokorok: 168-200 (51.8 - 61.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Chandelure Energy Ball vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Krokorok: 244-288 (75.3 - 88.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Chandelure Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Krokorok: 222-262 (68.5 - 80.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Chandelure Shadow Ball vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Krokorok: 81-96 (25 - 29.6%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Chandelure Shadow Ball vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Tera Dragon Krokorok: 162-192 (50 - 59.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Chandelure Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Tera Dragon Krokorok: 111-131 (34.2 - 40.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Chandelure Energy Ball vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Tera Dragon Krokorok: 61-72 (18.8 - 22.2%) -- possible 5HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Inteleon Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Krokorok: 398-470 (122.8 - 145%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Inteleon Ice Beam vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Krokorok: 218-258 (67.2 - 79.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Inteleon Dark Pulse vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Krokorok: 48-57 (14.8 - 17.5%) -- possible 6HKO imagine your only way to ohko krokorok can miss
-1 252+ Atk Rhyperior Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Krokorok: 159-187 (49 - 57.7%) -- 96.9% chance to 2HKO
-1 252+ Atk Rhyperior Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Krokorok: 79-93 (24.3 - 28.7%) -- 99.5% chance to 4HKO
-1 252+ Atk Rhyperior Temper Flare vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Krokorok: 79-94 (24.3 - 29%) -- 99.5% chance to 4HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Sylveon Shadow Ball vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Krokorok: 48-57 (14.8 - 17.5%) -- possible 6HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Sylveon Draining Kiss vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Krokorok: 186-218 (57.4 - 67.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Pixilate Sylveon Hyper Voice vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Krokorok: 392-464 (120.9 - 143.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO. only one way to ohko krokorok if specs.
+1 0 SpA Pixilate Sylveon Hyper Voice vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Krokorok: 288-342 (88.8 - 105.5%) -- 37.5% chance to OHKO
-1 0 Atk Scrafty Drain Punch vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Krokorok: 126-150 (38.8 - 46.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
-1 252 Atk Tauros-Paldea-Aqua Wave Crash vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Krokorok: 290-344 (89.5 - 106.1%) -- 43.8% chance to OHKO
-1 252 Atk Tauros-Paldea-Aqua Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Krokorok: 290-344 (89.5 - 106.1%) -- 43.8% chance to OHKO
-1 252 Atk Tauros-Paldea-Aqua Aqua Jet vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Krokorok: 98-116 (30.2 - 35.8%) -- 32.7% chance to 3HKO
zen headbutt should be obvious
-1 252+ Atk Brute Bonnet Seed Bomb vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Krokorok: 236-278 (72.8 - 85.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
-1 252+ Atk Brute Bonnet Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Krokorok: 236-278 (72.8 - 85.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
booster energy is a one time thing;brute bonnet can be forced out so with booster energy brute bonnet more likely than not ohkos but with something more permanant a boost(like black glasses) it doesn't.
-1 252 Atk Infernape Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Krokorok: 278-330 (85.8 - 101.8%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Infernape Focus Blast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Krokorok: 384-452 (118.5 - 139.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Infernape Overheat vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Krokorok: 208-246 (64.1 - 75.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Infernape Flamethrower vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Krokorok: 144-171 (44.4 - 52.7%) -- 23.4% chance to 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Infernape Vacuum Wave vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Krokorok: 128-152 (39.5 - 46.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
if tera dragon:252 SpA Choice Specs Infernape Focus Blast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Tera Dragon Krokorok: 192-226 (59.2 - 69.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Infernape Overheat vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Tera Dragon Krokorok: 104-123 (32 - 37.9%) -- 94.1% chance to 3HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Infernape Vacuum Wave vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Tera Dragon Krokorok: 64-76 (19.7 - 23.4%) -- possible 5HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Infernape Flamethrower vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Tera Dragon Krokorok: 72-85 (22.2 - 26.2%) -- 11.1% chance to 4HKO
scratch tera flying outright i'm going for tera dragon I thought about flying to deal with munki's focus blast then realized dragon is better overall the deeper I looked into it.
Also
floatzelnite phantom we need posters that aren't the three of us lately.
https://psim.us/r/smogtours-gen9nu-990284:Lilligant: ur to c.
quiver dance is a nice edge to have over venu. even if venu is better overall. it's not like quiver dance to be fast outside of sun and boost your special bulk aren't bad advantages over venu
and I can verify float does have experience with cacturne:https://psim.us/r/gen9nu-2702157421
https://psim.us/r/gen9nu-2700406441
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