Said I'd make a post here in
this post (read if you have the time), so here it is. Thoughts are based on my observations in WCoP and my time spent on ladder this past month. Might be a bit all over the place but these are the changes I would consider.
-
S -> A/A+
If I'm honest I hate this mon and it should
drop to A/A+, which is amusing considering a month ago I had it penned down as a menace to teambuilding and single-handedly ruining the metagame. As I should have expected, the metagame adapted to standard FuturePort builds really well and in the average game you will have 1, maybe 2 opportunities to set up the hit. It gets pressured by everything and is forced to just click Teleport directly at times, which is still valuable to a team but is nowhere near worthy of S rank anymore. On top of that, it often loses to the mons it's supposed to be checking. Heatran can reliably trap and kill Slowking, or at least keep it low enough to where it is no longer able to check anything else on the team, Tapu Lele could bop it with a Thunder or just keep it low with Moonblast, but I think the biggest issue it has is its status as a defensive water that loses to Urshifu. So yeah, drop this thing.
-
A+ -> S
I would consider bumping this
up to S rank. There are an absurd number of sets Clef can run and each and every one of them is viable. Unaware saw a huge amount of usage in World Cup, slotting onto popular builds such as Luthier's team
here, IFG's team
here, and guang's team
here. As always Clef is a fantastic glue mon with utility such as Knock Off, TWave, Aromatherapy and Trick, while also having the ability to be a wincon with CM sets. Premier mon at the moment, should go up.
-
A -> A-/B+
Should probably
drop to A-/B+, its dismal winrate in World Cup (31.43%) kinda indicates how the meta has adapted to it, especially with the surge in Buzzwole usage. I think SD sets are still extremely potent but I would probably stay away from Banded now. Its direct competition with Weavile as an offensive dark doesn't help its case.
-
A -> A-
Think this could
drop to A- as well, considering the high usage of mons such as Heatran, Corviknight, Tornadus and Melmetal, you're gonna need a lot of things to go right to make CB sets work. SD is still potent but fits on pretty specific builds. Of course, when it works, it wins games, but I think more often than not you will get turns wrong and will be forced out.
-
A -> A+
Kinda goes with my point about Slowking earlier, but it should definitely go
back to A+. FuturePort being worse helps it, and TSpikes right now are fantastic with the abundance of choiced users such as Urshifu, Lele and Pult. Don't have much to say, Pex is Pex and it does Pex things. Bring it back up.
-
A -> A+
One of the best breakers in the tier right now, and it should
rise to A+. Absolute menace to prep for, and even more menacing in game when trying to pivot around it, backed up by its incredible winrate of 60% in World Cup. CB sets can potentially drop Aqua Jet for coverage such as TPunch or Ice Punch which can break a game wide open, and Bulk Up sets are fairly decent as well.
-
A -> A+
Unquestionably
should be A+, provided you've trained it well and it hits Triple Axel consistently. Boots means it can come in as many times as it wants and it's able to apply a huge amount of offensive pressure with its SD sets, consistently being able to break through common defensive cores. Its ability to act as a pivot on mons like Hydreigon and Kyurem is pretty underrated, and of course being able to switch into Pult once or twice and force it out is a god send for offense. Also have the option to run Low Kick>Ice Shard which can open up a game early with kills on Heatran and Melmetal. Running Adamant is genuinely a viable option as long as your team has methods of dealing with Torn, and I would recommend it.
-
A- -> A
Would support a
move to A, although I don't feel too strongly about it. The rise in usage of Pads with TWave has made this mon even better than it was and I rate it higher than the other mons in A- so moving it up seems better to me. Great at pressuring fat teams by flinching down counters and can usually trade for a kill against offense.
-
B+ -> A
Should
rise to A, the SpDef set is a fantastic utility mon, providing Rocks, Toxic, and Sand chip which is crucial in matchups against Pult and Weavile, and generally just being a great blanket check to a lot of mons in the tier.
-
B+ -> A-
Would 100% use this over regular Slowking now, should
move up to A-. A set that I've seen that I really liked was Ox's which ran a fair amount of offensive investment, making this mon really difficult to switch into and pivot around. Ice/Flame + dual STABs coverage is just really difficult to deal with for a lot of structures at the moment.
-
B+ -> A-
Up to
A- at minimum, could also make a case for A. Has 3 amazing sets in Scarf, CMTaunt and Whirlpool, complemented by its great defensive typing and general bulk as well as Misty Terrain just makes it ridiculously good. Most offenses should be using ScarfFini, since it provides speed control, a pivot to Pult and Urshifu, or could also Trick away its Scarf to cripple a defensive mon. CM with Taunt allows it to function as a wincon on bulkier teams, while Whirlpool is fantastic in the fat matchup as it can trap and remove 1 or 2 mons with ease. Easily a top mon at the moment.
-
B+ -> B/B-
Should
drop to B/B-. While it does provide a ghost resist, it is also susceptible to being free momentum on Pult U-turns. The only set I would consider using is Banded since the SpDef set is just far too passive, and even that is outclassed by Weavile and Bisharp. Inferior sand setter, inferior breaker, needs to go down.
-
B -> A-
Saw a huge boom in usage in WCoP and for good reason, I would
put this in A-, although I wouldn't be upset with B+. Offensive sets are just really difficult to switch into and it thrives in the Future Sight based offense matchup, with its coverage being nearly impossible to pivot around. 240 speed, CC/Ice Punch/Roost and one of Leech Life and TPunch last and you've got yourself a great option on bulky offense and balance builds. Even had its own archetype basically at one stage, with teams based around Buzz/Koko/Hippo/Corv being very popular for a while.
-
B -> B-
Should move
down to B-, main issue I have with Suicune is that its a passive wincon in a meta that is based around preventing free turns. It feels really difficult to pull off a win with this thing and its defensive utility is suspect at best.
-
B -> B+
I'd support a move
up to B+, what Bulu has going for it is its better coverage options, something that Team LatAm put to good use. Offensive sets with SD/Horn Leech/CC/Edge are actually hard as hell to pivot around and have performed nicely, a game that comes to mind is
Enz vs Dflo, so I'd say its closed the gap to Rillaboom recently.
-
B -> B+
Criminally underrated, should be
B+ at minimum. Scarf sets with Final Gambit are whatever to me, but Boots sets are honestly superb. Its synergy with terrains is also great, for example pairing it with Koko for a stronger Bolt Strike, or with Lele and having Expanding Force as a coverage option. You can run Glaciate to cover Dragonite, Scorching Sands to cover Heatran, there's a myriad of different options available to you, which I think makes this mon a great option.
-
B- -> B
Should be
B imo, it's difficult to get in at times with its Rocks weakness, but when it gets going it is basically a kill button. B- just feels too low for something with so much gamebreaking potential.
-
C+ -> B/B+
Big rise
up to B, maybe B+, Mew has been a great option as of late, either functioning as a wincon with Cosmic Power+Body Press/Stored Power or as a stallbreaker with Taunt/Night Shade/Wisp. Annoying to kill, annoying to switch into.
-
C+ -> B-
Probably should
move up to B-, it's far better than anything in the C ranks and actually has very solid wallbreaking potential with its CB sets.
jfc this is way longer than I thought it would be
, which deals a 2HKO with Shadow Ball or just U-turns out on it, but let's break down its matchup against the other top threats of the current meta:
: It's not an answer to Volc. Bulky variants pretty much want to see it in Preview, since it's a great opportunity to boost up to +6 in front of. Offensive variants have it rougher, but Slowking isn't a surefire stopgap to those either. It gets smoked by +2 Bug Buzz, and while Scald does deal good chip even after a QD, the only notable thing that does is put Volc in Aqua Jet range, assuming you even have Shifu on your team. And that's all assuming your Slowking is at full, because if it isn't then a mere +1 Bug Buzz does it in. 
: This sort of goes both ways. Heatran can trap it, but it leaves itself open for a potential Scald 3HKO in return. However, Heatran has one thing which Slowking doesn't have any answers for: Toxic. A badly poisoned Slowking can't do much besides pass a FuturePort or two, and Heatran is free to switch out afterwards. Overall, Slowking can check Tran, but not without worry.
: Specs Freeze-Dry. All I gotta say. The only set it does well against is Scarf, but that set is a gimmick at best.
, 
etc. that naturally have an edge over it, and at that point the only things it stops repeatedly throughout a match is 
. (
too, I guess, but that thing is quickly losing relevance.)
,
,
etc) eat it alive.
) its current S-tier peers are, and its inability to be a dedicated long-term check to the majority (not all, but the majority) of the tier's Special attacking threats leads me to believe it should drop a step down the tiering rung.
-A -> A or +A (at least)
C- > higher (C+ imo)
-Rapid-Strike from A to A+
from A- to A
from B- to B
from B+ to B
from B to C+
from B- to C+
from B- to C+
from B- to C+
from B- to C+
from B- to C
from C+ to C
from C+ to C
from C+ to C
from C to C-
from C to C-
from C to C-
from C to C-
from C to C-
from C to C-
from C to C-
from C to UR
from C to UR
from C to UR
from C- to UR
from C- to UR
from C- to UR
from C- to UR
from C- to UR
