U-turn, Flip Turn, Volt Switch, Baton Pass, Teleport all have nuances that make them functionally quite different, certainly moreso than Arena Trap vs Shadow Tag (where Tag is objectively superior). The comparison is probably more on par with something like Rapid Spin vs Defog, which perform similar functions but distinct enough to prevent them being simply interchangable.
U-turn and Flip turn both trigger Iron Barbs / Rocky Helmet. Flip Turn also fails against Water Absorb / Dry Skin / Storm Drain. Volt Switch fails against Ground-types and Lightningrod. This means they all have counterplay that can be triggered by just switching something into them. Further, +0 priority means that the user still has to actually make sure the incoming Pokemon gets in safely and not crippled by a slower foe, the best example of this being scald / knock Toxapex. U-turning on Toxapex to bring in Nidoking, for example, is not particularly safe.
Teleport is not punishable in the same way. Taunting Clefable requires 2 turns (1 turn to switch in the Taunter and another to actually use it) but if it Teleports on turn 1 then you've thrown momentum. It also doesn't trigger contact abilities, doesn't fail vs some abilities / types, and moves last so always gives the upper hand. Always moving last is a huge improvement against Toxapex.
There are certainly situations where the attacking pivoting options are better e.g. basically every fast offensive Pokemon, things that get STAB on them etc. However, none of Clefable / Blissey / Slowbro would use U-turn if they got it, the ability to generate 100% safe switches with no "passive" counterplay is too good to pass up.
Not going to comment in depth on whether Teleport is busted or not. It just very significantly changes the way we play Pokemon. In every other generation, these slow, passive Pokemon are momentum sinks that are heavily punishable, but in Gen 8 everything has become a pivot. Its not to my taste but tough to argue its actually broken rather than just personally unenjoyable.
and its specially defensive set are doing really well right now. Aside from being probably the best counter to Spectrier, it just offers enormous overall utility to a team because it’s an insanely bulky special sponge. Tyranitar pivoting into mons like Dragapult with ease is just the best. As a mon with Thunder Wave it can make up for its general passivity by halting a lot of mons that try to set up in its face. Plus on top of this it’s an incredibly reliable rocks setter thanks to its awesome bulk. I’ll even go ahead and say this is the best Ttar set at the moment with Spectrier running around and it provides so so much utility for a team. Between getting rocks up, countering Spectrier, checking all sorts of special attackers just in general, and spreading status with either Toxic or Thunder Wave, the role compression is truly there and can do so much for a team. I know Ttar has a few other sets that are doing fine right now. CB and SR + 3 attacks are both good sets. I think regardless what set you use you’re getting one of the most sought after things in the meta at the moment: a Spectrier check. I think just having that on your team is already putting you in position to win in this meta and it’s an incredibly important addition for every team.
a page or two back and yeah I have to agree this is most definitely an A or A+ rank mon. What I really like about Latios the most at the moment is it pretty much is one of the best out of the few do-it-all offensive Pokemon in the tier. Between its great Speed tier, absurd STAB combo and strength (draco), reliable recovery, and solid coverage (the fact that ferro loses to it is LOL) you're really getting an incredibly splashable mon on the offensive end. It has so many good sets, I think the best one right now is 3 Attacks + Roost although I think Specs is a ferocious breaker with probably one of the strongest attacks in the entire tier. I’ve actually been using a really uncommon set that Latios used all the way back in ORAS and that’s offensive Defog. What I have found so effective about this set is that Latios is a defogger that still keeps offensive momentum up. Other defoggers like Corvi and Moltres struggle a ton with having to pivot out after Defogging. With Latios the offensive presence is already there so you can do more things than sit like a statue after defogging and you’re forcing so many switches that the opportunities to Defog arise like crazy. On top of this, its solid natural bulk and typing + ability gives it enough bulk to usually Defog away anyways. Basically I run STABs with Defog and Roost holding Soul Dew. Soul Dew has been a kind of wacky item to run since the nerf but the lack of Life Orb recoil + only running STABs which get the bonus from it has actually been pretty solid. It’s essentially the same as having Bisharp hold Black Glasses. Obviously though, this set has come up short for me a few times, mainly in that it struggles against two important hazard setters in the tier which are Heatran and Ferrothorn. Regardless though, later in the game it just forces a lot of switches and has enough bulk to role compress and it has been really useful for me.
