Resource SS CAP Viability Rankings

[Brambane]

I'LL TAKE IT EVEN FURTHER

S -> A

I think camel and Equilibra alone have displaced Landorus-T pretty heavily as the default Ground on a lot of teams. Camel as a very strong hold on the builder; there is a definitely some opportunity cost to not using camel. It fits on a lot of structures, especially alongside the rising Arghonaut, who both appreciates removal that doesn't get rip of its Spikes and a bulky SpDef mon that can buffer against Electrics and Venom-P. And if you are looking for mons to help against camel, Libra goes way further than Lando-T can. I also think Garchomp is slotting back into a lot of teams with greater flexibility; the SpDef Toxic set dex mentioned is quite good. Lando is not without merit, mostly because it is probably still the best momentum-gaining pivot for the four grounds. But camel checks so much while also being removal while ALSO being a wincon with the same moveset, Libra checks camel and is Spike immune removal that can preserve your hazards, and chomper is still chomper. This is probably the worst place Lando has been in a long time, and indicative of a dynamic meta shift from OU with CAP, which is quite refreshing.

And its not even that Lando is BAD, its just the other options offer a lot. We will see where Libra and camel stand after PPL.

 

[zioziotrip]

Yo I had a lot of fun this CAPPL. This meta is in a significantly better place than SS OU, I wanted to do some personal VR noms for guys I think are over or under rated.

First, since I cba to write a huge metagame discussion post I wanted to post my thoughts on controversial mons here:

A -> B+
While I initially thought this mon was actually broken and needed changing I am p firmly against that atm. Base book (can ppl decide on one acronym for this guy btw) on paper is pretty nuts. Very little ohkos this from full and it should be able to snowball p easily w stamina+np boosts. I think in practice tho base book proved pretty underwhelming. While its only real counters r like zap and unacm clef on paper, it just doesn’t really get the chance to get going more often than not. It has to be very careful around knock and para which limits the number of defensive mons it can come in on. It is generally very hard for it to get going into offense, some shit like encore atales stopping it completely while getting hail chip and sd orb kart rolling it w knock is very annoying for it even trying to force a trade into ho. Stall has good options for it, both zap and unacm clef can fit pretty easily on stall and annoyances like haze pex encore lotl etc makes base book’s life even harder into stall. Where it does shine is balance/bo some bo/balance MUs but it’s very easy to just run into a zapdos or get limited by staples like melm/tran/clef/pult. While it’s usually capable of forcing a somewhat favorable trade into bo/balance it isn’t exactly stand-out or consistent for that. I do not currently support any change to base book.

A -> A
I think ebook is probably fine here. It’s just here so I can talk abt its balance. Unlike base book, ebook’s explosive power and speed tier allows it to consistently force trades into most builds. It is pretty inconsistent as a breaker: id skarm/corv, haze pex, una clef, and zap all make its life as a breaker very hard esp when you usually have to get through multiple of the mentioned mons. Its speed tier is a little lacking for ho MU on paper but often it can find turns on leads or slower guys to wreck havoc, worth mentioning that if it gets a sub on a lead or smth it is very hard for ho. I think it+cawm on ho is a decent idea that probably overwhelms some balance builds (well-built stall will not struggle w the combo as you should have stacked checks to flyings anw or a unaclef that stops both) but it feels far from foolproof to me w shit like pult being a nuisance for the idea. I think ebook has a bit of a gapdos issue where it very quickly burns through its own hp and hates helmet+contact abilities. This issue is not helped by its rocks weakness often forcing it to waste turns roosting which is really bad for a mon that wants to consistently be at +1 or behind a sub to really threaten anything, its power is pretty lacking at 102 +0 even w vile vial. I’m not sure what I would do to “fix” ebook. It’s not really that overwhelming and I think the idea that cawm+ebook is somehow unbeatable is odd when they have a lot of different counterplay. I also don’t know what you do that doesn’t neuter it or does too little. If you remove Coil but keep everything else the same it’s for sure ass. If you give a minor attack nerf it probably doesn’t do anything as ebook’s gameplan is already reliant on getting coils. If it were up to me, I’d give it a notable attack boost while removing Coil and Roost. This is almost a complete rework of the mon changing it from a Coil breaker to a nuke of an offensive rocker but one that is on a timer due to rock weakness+susceptibility to contact stuff. I am too lazy and bad to figure out what an appropriate attack boost would be but I imagine something where neutral targets are less able to tank +0 hits while not allowing it to 2hko physdef corv or stupid shit like that. If this option doesn’t work out I think I’d just keep the mon as is.

A -> A+
This mon is still really stupid. I don’t think the nerfs did much, it still lives and threatens all the flyings from full. GKnot and speed invest allows it to beat Argh which otherwise owns it cuz it eats Giga. It struggles kinda w its speedtier ig but idk rocks 3a is pretty impossible to stop from getting progress and rocks. I think it’s kinda a SM Serp situation where the mon isn’t really broken but it is obnoxiously difficult to stop from getting free progress, especially notable for HO teams. I would remove Stealth Rocks from Pyroak. I don’t think it makes much sense for this mon to have them to begin with and removing rocks removes this mon’s almost unstopabble ability to force both immediate and longterm progress. It’ll still be amazing at poking holes but that is much more manageable.

Okay now onto CAP guys that don’t need changes:

A -> A+
This is one of my favorite guys bro he is so fun. EdgeQuake SD is amazing with spin allowing it to really easily snowball into a ton of teams. On top of this it has amazing utility w like Taunt Rocks, some Heal Bell shit I’m sure, and Spin obv. It’s difficult to kill despite lacking recovery in a similar way that Melm is: you have to respect its offensive presence giving it free lefties turns. It’s an amazing landot alternative on a lot of balance and more offensive builds even if I think overall landot is better role compression (ground immunity, intim, uturn, more immediate power+speed, etc. cmon, I like the cap grounds a lot asw but they are not better than landot)

B+ -> A
Exca w a ground immunity is incredible. Equil provides very unique role compression as a ground that blanks other grounds. As a ground it is a little worse off as it gets a fire weakness and fighting weakness but it doesn't matter that much outside of like lotl and zera (p rare) MUs. I don't find Doom Desire that effectively offensively tbh but it's nice for covering switches and shit stopping doubles into like lele weav. Low speed tier does such quite a bit but not enough to outweigh this mon's other amazing qualities. Bulletproof will be nice but I can't see it being that important over Levitate bar fat builds.

B -> A+
FUCKING GODSEND BRO. Firstly, this mon is the only consistent Weav check in all of existence. It does not give a shit about anything CB throws at it and SD obv is fkn worthless into it. This rings true for even spdef/mixdef sets which I think are the route often cuz it lets Argh be better into shit like pult pyro cm fini while still owning ttar weav. Argh is a very no-nonsense mons that give bo and balance builds a lot of flexibility. Spikes and Knock are also broken for progress making. Obv you have to be careful of status and shit but meh the pros of this mon walling the entire tier is well worth it.

B- -> B
I think TW is a very legit playstyle in this tier. Extra turn TW has a lot of amazing qualities. The general idea is that slower breakers like nido necro can tear holes in the turns they get in tw letting mons like blace kart lele pult strat clean. TW is a lot better than TR for a multitude of reasons but to TLDR: TW has a lot more viable abusers and they function outside of TW unlike TR which is limited to a pool of like 7 mons lol and they all suck outside of TR.

UR -> C
These guys are usable purely off typing and having a recovery move. Lot of great utility options to stop them from being worthless even in MUs where they don't pull what they're supposed to hard wall. Beyond owning Lele, ProtWish Kit is surprisingly disruptive to FuturePort and Wisp makes it very annoying to pivot around. Smoko is a pretty good offensive threat outside of blanking a lot of fires like tran lotl and koko. These guys deserve to be ranked for sure.

A- -> B+
I just don't see the hype around this guy tbh. I think the spell tag set spoo showed me is pretty nice but it just falls short of a lot of kos due to lackluster stats. The things it traps aren't generally that useful or immediately exploitable either. These problems are all compounded by the fact that it has to contend with Pult which is much better than it as an offensive Ghost while providing an amazing speed tier. Not huge on paj!


I was gonna write a section on actual pokemon but I'm lazy. s/os rajas team was a lot of fun but I cba to do individual s/os. Until next time,
-The Tripster

 

[Da Pizza Man]

B- → C / UR

I might be going a bit to far by asking for this to be unranked entirely, but holy shit this thing is really bad now and needs to at least drop down to C. Saharaja's introduction to the metagame really feels like it was the nail in the coffin for it, and the fact that it now faces heavy competition from Rotom-Wash and that Rillaboom has became somewhat good again also really do not help it in the slightest. I just don't really see any reason why it would be worth running.

C → UR

Really doesn't like how Saharaja's introduction and Equilibra's rise in popularity (Which is most likely only going to grow now that it's nerf has been reverted) have not only put Lando-T usage at an all time low, but have also given more options for hazard removal in the form of Rapid Spin. This just feels like it was an overdue change in general, since I never though Bisharp was good in CAP to begin with honestly.

B → B+

What can I say? Screens HO is just really good right now.

 

[D2TheW]

Quick low effort nom
Tangrowth: UR -> C

EVERYTIMEWETOUCH (Tangrowth) @ Rocky Helmet/Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Regenerator
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Relaxed Nature
- Giga Drain
- Knock Off
- Focus Blast
- Stun Spore

Absolute lad, defo deserving of C imo. Sleep powder is a trap, don't bother. Knock + para spreading is just an insane thing to be able to do consistently. Excellent answer to the likes of raja, kart, cb ttar, paj and basically every physical attacker that can't hit it with stab super effective moves. I really can't stress how important stun spore is for this mon as it punishes a lot of things that would otherwise shit on it. Obviously I'm nomming this to C so it's nowhere near perfect. Zapdos and Roak are huge annoyances and the books are more than capable of abusing it if your oppo plays aggro. It won't fit every team but on certain squads it is a godsend and frankly, any mon that provides this kind of defensive utility while being able to spam knock and paras is deserving of being ranked.

Also just as an FYI, Vr council is currently voting on a slate so that'll be out soon. Anyone who wants to make noms should be quick about it.

 

[spoo]

First VR update after CAPPL! The Number Man is taking some time off from mons before Gen 9 so we've added dex to the VR team with the open spot. Unsurprisingly, this is one of the most significant VR updates we've had in a long time, so get ready!


Newly Ranked:

• Tangrowth → C

Rises:

• Clefable A → A+
• Saharaja A → A+
• Tyranitar A- → A
• Equilibra B+ → A-
• Arghonaut B → A+
• Cawmodore B → B+
• Mew B → B+
• Syclant B → B+
• Blaziken B- → B
• Cyclohm C → B-
• Torkoal C → B-
• Skarmory C → B-
• Venusaur C → B-

Drops:

• Landorus-Therian S → A+
• Astrolotl A+ → A
• Pyroak A → A-
• Pajantom A- → B+
• Buzzwole A- → B+
• Blacephalon A- → B+
• Slowking-Galar A- → B+
• Arctozolt B+ → B
• Moltres-Galar B+ → B
• Nidoking B+ → B
• Colossoil B → B-
• Excadrill B → B-
• Nihilego B → B-
• Revenankh B → B-
• Aegislash B- → C
• Krilowatt B- → C
• Thundurus-Therian B- → C
• Hydreigon C → UR
• Kommo-O C → UR
• Moltres C → UR
• Rotom-Heat C → UR

Explanations:

The Ground-type Metagame
While Landorus-T has historically been the #1 used Pokemon in tournaments by no small margin, this trend turned on its head over CAPPL as Lando fell all the way down to 12th place with a disappointing 30% winrate to boot. Usage and winrate statistics aren't typically the most reliable, but they still broadly reflect that players are moving away from Lando and towards other Ground-types, namely Saharaja - a mon that can finally compete in the same specially bulky, hazard removing Ground-type role that Lando monopolized for so long.

Saharaja not only took Landorus's place as the #1 used Pokemon over CAPPL, but also had the highest winrate out of the top 27 Pokemon at 60.64%. Some amount of this is likely new toy syndrome - everyone is eager to try out CAP's newest (and very fun) creation, and when Landorus-T has felt near-mandatory on the majority of teams for almost an entire year, people are understandably eager to use the new team structures that Saharaja enables. Even so, this insane usage and winrate is largely deserved. Saharaja takes frighteningly little positioning to take over games with SD + Rapid Spin, and coupled with the immense role compression it provides, its usage makes a lot of sense.

Equilibra rises one subrank with its newfound use in checking Saharaja, also seeing some experimentation as a Venom-P answer. We could even see Libra rise further soon with it just gaining back access to Bulletproof and the Special Attack it lost. Excadrill and Colossoil were the losers this CAPPL; we saw very few sand teams utilizing the former while the latter has been on a downward trend for a long time, with both only being further outclassed after Saharaja's release and Equilibra's nerf reversion.

Offense and Stall
Unanimously voted to A-, it seems like Pyroak's nerf was effective; a small drop reflects the fact that Pyroak is generally easier to manage while still having a strong niche on HO and even certain Bulky Offense/Balance teams. Moltres-G's place on HO also seems to be slowly vanishing as it often takes a backseat to other birds like Cawmodore and Venomicon-E on the archetype. Cawmodore's rise should come as no surprise to anyone watching recent tournaments, being one of the main culprits behind birdspam HO's recent success and sporting a 70% winrate in CAPPL to reflect this. Blaziken benefits a lot from some trending archetypes like hazard lead offense, but has also found much success on bulkier teams as a breaker/cleaner that can utilize a variety of sets between Life Orb, Leftovers + Protect, Air Balloon, etc to fit its team's needs.

Mew's versatility has been on high display this CAPPL, whether it be on HO teams as a Dragon Dance sweeper, on stall as a Cosmic Power wincondition, and anything in between. Arghonaut, too, naturally benefits from HO's rise, serving as a strong counterpick into these teams; additionally, some use on stall/fatter balance has proven just how valuable of an option Argh can be to different team structures. In general, people seem to be getting over and finding new way to work around Argh's vulnerability to Venom/Venom-E that has limited it for a while. Being a Spiker that beats Saharaja is also hugely important to its success. Skarmory's rise is more closely tied to increased stall usage, but has many similar strengths to Arghonaut with its use as an anti-offense tool and a Spiker that can set on Saharaja.

Weather
Tyranitar's rise has more to do with being a phenomenal wallbreaker that also checks Venom-P, but sand in general still benefits from its increased viability independent of the archetype. Sun also saw a very small but notable amount of success this CAPPL, and given the rise of new options like Pyroak and continued strength of Venusaur/Heatran, the playstyle is probably better than many have been giving it credit for. Hail, on the other hand, has been at a clear recent low. CAP has always resisted using hail in even comparable amounts as OU, but Arctozolt getting no use whatsoever this CAPPL is still somewhat shocking; the VR team wasn't confident dropping it further than B, but hail's time in the spotlight might finally be over. Thundurus-T really hates Saharaja's existence and dominance right now and dropped to C to join its fellow rain wallbreaker Seismitoad.

I won't be explaining every single VR change here, but if you have questions about why something else rose/dropped (or didn't rise/drop), me or another member of the VR team will happily reply!

 

[Brown4Sides]

Rises:

• Saharaja A → A+

Drops:

• Landorus-Therian S → A+

This was a really good update, the only thing that confuses me is Arctozolt dropping. I guess I can understand a drop due its lack of usage but it definitely feels like the kinda drop that was based on usage alone. This is a metagame where books and Ground types like Saharaja are thriving while Magnezone is declining. And it's not like no one is using Alolan Ninetales, it got used 8 times in CAPPL and I feel like I see it all the time in room tours (though room tours admittedly are not an amazing way to judge the metagame). They do have terrible defensive synergy though and I can see people not wanting to use it for that.

EDIT: Also what is the justification for Kommo-o being unranked?

 

[SHSP]

the only thing that confuses me is Arctozolt dropping.

Zolt has a tough time in the meta right now. Libra rising is a problem for it, as it's a huge answer for pretty much everything Zolt can afford to run, and other threats like Lotl and the uptick of Sand make it a lackluster wincon, especially with Veil/Hail structures having a lot of options.

EDIT: Also what is the justification for Kommo-o being unranked?

Setup sets being less effective and the roles it provided- being some sort of mediocre check to Blace and Tran, Shadow Ball immunity- falling off in the current metagame as well.

 

[Shandeur]

My turn.

-> UR -> C or B-

After a recent buff, Miasmaw is a potent wallbreaker. I've been using boots with 4 attacks with Aromatherapy support, and it's been putting in a lot of work. Gunk Shot is a huge upgrade over Poison Jab, Wild Charge can finally let it hit Corviknight, and U-turn has been absolutely huge for it, allowing it to pivot out of bad matchups. Most Fairies are hesitant to switch into Dragon Hammer because of Gunk Shot or U-turn. It allows the bug to keep up momentum against so-called "checks" such as Tapu Fini and Tornadus-T.

-> A+ -> S-
This thing is out of control. EdgeQuake Coverage is crazy, and defense boosts from Diamond Storm can even invalidate certain revenge killers that usually beat it. It's taken Lando's place as the premier Ground-Type, and coverage can invalidate checks such as Rotom-Wash due to Power Whip. There's not much else to say about the Camel, it's been seen as really good in the metagame and believe me when I say I'm grateful it's getting nerfed.


B- -> B
I've really liked Revenankh ever since I first got into CAP, and this thing is surprisingly great at what it does. It has priority for days, and it can force out faster mons with said priority. Most of its offensive checks can't switchin, so with good prediction, it gets even better. With the rise of Equlibra to check Camel, it can help pressure that as well.

A -> A-
As much as I love Astrolotl, It always seems to be forced out really easily, despite the great traits. Camel really hurts it since it's a Spiker that lets it in, and it faces competition from Arghonaut in the spiking department, due to its better bulk and Circle Throw. It also lets in many of the high tier threats, such as Landorus-T, Tapu Fini, and of course, Saharaja. The three mention can also clear hazards of turn Astrolotl into an offensive opportunity.

 

[spoo]

Money tour is well underway and it's been nearly two months since our last update, so we thought a new slate was in order. Here's everything that moved:

Newly Ranked:

• Caribolt UR → C

Rises:

• Melmetal A+ → S-
• Equilibra A- → A
• Slowking-Galar B+ → A-
• Volcarona B → B+
• Skarmory B- → B
• Tangrowth C → B-

Drops:

• Saharaja A+ → A
• Astrolotl A → A-
• Tapu Fini A → A-
• Tapu Koko A → A-
• Tyranitar A → A-
• Venomicon A → B+
• Venomicon-E A → A-
• Pyroak A- → B+
• Zeraora A- → B+
• Barraskewda B+ → B
• Pelipper B+ → B
• Hawlucha B → B-
• Nidoking B → B-
• Celesteela B- → C
• Aurumoth C → UR
• Bisharp C → UR
• Krilowatt C → UR
• Shedinja C → UR

Couple more things to note- first being, we voted on where to rank Miasmaw following its buff, and unfortunately the landslide consensus was that it's still pretty awful, thus it stayed unranked. Secondly, I'll be trying to squeeze in a very last mini-update for both the VR and samples before Gen 8 comes to a final close, so stay tuned for that. And as always, feel free to ask about any of the VR changes above (or why something else didn't change) and me or someone else will happily answer.

 

[Brown4Sides]

• Aurumoth C → UR

I'm assuming this is because Chromera is outclassing it as a Final Gambit Scarfer? If so, where is Chromera?

 

[Brambane]

Aurumoth doesn't see a lot of play; the important thing about being unranked is there are mons that are unviable in that category, but also mons that are suboptimal but useable. Aurumoth certainly is the ladder. Scarf Gambit was an HO variation, and I would make the case that Gambit HO is far less consistent than something like Veil HO, Paper Spam, or even using a different suicide mon like Lando-T.

The other Aurumoth sets have always been pretty fishy sweeper sets by nature. I would argue that every set it could run except maybe the Weakness Policy 4 Attacks set is certainly outclassed by Mew. And that set is an extremely risky gamble (CONCEPT FULFILLED.)

It dropping to unranked makes a lot of sense. I also think Aurumoth is in a good place; the Pokemon is basically a high-risk flex pick/MU fish that does complete run away with games when it hits, which is what Aurumoth's concept execution should have always been imo. This just isn't viable due to the nature of its inconsistency.

 

[Da Pizza Man]

• Caribolt UR → C

(I'm genuinely asking why this was ranked just to clarify, it really doesn't feel like anything has changed for it at all that would warrant its place on here. Hell if anything you would think it would have gotten worse since two of its best partners (Hawlucha and Tapu Koko) actually dropped this updated).

 

[spoo]

With respect to Chromera, the VR team thought it was still too soon after its buff to give a defined placement. We left it off this slate with the intention to vote on it in a week or two.

As for Caribolt, it’s definitely an unexpected rise, but some people have been exploring with it since the money tour started and honestly it ain’t the worst option in this meta. The biggest things working in its favor right now are probably decreased Astrolotl usage and the shift away from Landorus-T to other Ground-types that are significantly easier to break through. Offense is likely where Cari shines best atm due to QA’s utility and the mon’s ability to force damage onto stuff like bulky steels and Dragapult, and it has no shortage of good partners, either (Rillaboom and Cawm/birdspam both come to mind). +2 Double Edge still hits like a truck into anything not named Ferrothorn, so it’s really quite good at breaking open holes for its teammates to take advantage of. Not the most consistent mon by any means but it’s having a cool moment right now.

 

[dex]

Let's go with some explanations on my end!

• Melmetal A+ → S-

Melmetal strangely benefits from the existence of Arghonaut. Let me explain: In OU, Melmetal is often forced to check Weavile, losing its precious Leftovers. This is not the case in CAP. Arghonaut not only absorbs Weavile's Knock Off, it also Knocks Boots from Pokemon like Zapdos and sets Spikes that Melm can use to break Ferrothorn. Melmetal has proven itself to be a defining Pokemon in the metagame.

• Equilibra A- → A

Equilibra continues to rise as people discover just how amazing it is to build with. Its role compression is second to none and its newly added ability mindgames have torn up quite a few games.

• Tangrowth C → B-

Tangrowth has made a name for itself as an excellent phys def wall. Excellent support in Knock Off and Sleep Powder have granted it a spot on teams in need of a more consistent Shifu switch-in.

• Saharaja A+ → A

The Speed nerf more than anything has halted Saharja's attempted coup at taking the top Ground-type slot in the VR. It is no longer able to boost up and KO an entire team, as it is now forced to invest more heavily into Speed.

• Venomicon A → B+
• Venomicon-E A → A-

Again, nerfs rear their ugly head here. Venomicon got hit hard the most; while it isn't impossible to sweep with it anymore, and Sludge Bomb makes for quite a hard hit, it now relies a lot more on Hurricane than it would like to. Venomicon-E has retained most of its viability; it now sits in a better spot.

 

[shnowshner]

Okay so a handful of quick noms with Gen 9 having been introduced onto Showdown:

UR > B/B+??
Mera is pretty threatening now that it's been blessed with STAB Boomburst and now serves as a proper Ghost switch-in, even if still a tad scuffed in that department. There's not a whole lot that wants to switch into Specs Boomburst and those that do have to be wary of Dark Pulse or one of Mera's many coverage options. I think B is fine for it right now as it does face competition and is annoying to work with, but being an offensive Normal/Dark has clear benefits in Choiced Ghost move town.

UR > B- (tentatively)
This is (hopefully) the last major discovery to happen during a CAP tournament but it really did all fall into place for Snaelstrom. The biggest thing for it right now IMO is its status as a Rocker that comes in on Equilibra every time and basically forces it to leave. This isn't a perfect gameplan as you can afford to Doom Desire and maneuver in a strong breaker or just chip away with hazards, yet Snaelstrom is really frustrating for this mon. Spiky Shield causes a lot of headaches with the popularity of Rapid Spin + accentuating Poison Heal recovery and can trivialize Doom Desire/Future Sight breaking efforts. 4MSS is annoying as is being Stealth Rock weak, but somehow that secondary Bug-typing is... valuable? Maybe not optimal by any means but it does provide just enough uniqueness to the mon that it can actually do things other bulky Waters might struggle with. Definitely a frustrating thing to use and build around at times, but Snael is way more legit than anyone would have imagined as the generation ends, and the amount of Pokemon/Sets that outright don't threaten it and lose by attrition is rather concerning.

other stuff i can't be bothered to write much about

S > Not S idk i don't think it's as impactful anymore
B- > B+ get my guy out of the low ranks
UR > C it's viable enough probably
UR > Not UR see above but it's got a bit more going for it

 

[spoo]

Alright folks, one week after the new game's release and we have our last official VR update for SS's foreseeable future. A massive thank you to dex, D2TheW, Rabia, Lasen, and quziel for your votes this slate and for the rest of your effort this generation, to zioziotrip for agreeing to help out and vote on this final update, and to the rest of the incredible VR team for continuing to provide your valuable input, time, and effort throughout SS's lifespan. I know firsthand that contributing to this project can be a drag at points, but hopefully it's worth it for you as it is for me. Either way, big props to all of you guys for the work, I genuinely appreciate it


Newly Ranked:

• Aurumoth UR → C
• Chromera UR → C
• Mandibuzz UR → C
• Marowak-Alola UR → C
• Miasmaw UR → C
• Regieleki UR → C
• Tomohawk UR → C

Rises:

• Arghonaut A+ → S-
• Dragapult A+ → S-
• Zapdos A+ → S-
• Blaziken B → B+

Drops:

• Ferrothorn S- → A+
• Weavile S- → A+
• Saharaja A → A-
• Slowbro A → A-
• Astrolotl A- → B+
• Buzzwole B+ → B
• Cyclohm B- → C
• Hawlucha B- → C

While a lot of this was very minor, there were some notable changes in the composition of the S- and C ranks.

Arghonaut A+ → S-
Dragapult A+ → S-
Zapdos A+ → S-

The S- rank has historically been, and even continued to be in this slate, really contestable. No one can quite agree on what the true best Pokemon are in the metagame, and the rank has undergone a lot of shifting as a result of that recently. The four occupying it right now, though, represent the current thoughts of the VR team. Zapdos has repeatedly landed among the top two or three most-used Pokemon in tournaments since the end of CAPPL; Arghonaut is one of the most consistent and centralizing defensive forces that SS CAP has seen in a long time, or at least recent memory; Melmetal continues to be an absolute juggernaut both offensively and defensively, as a Steel-type with respective longevity, Toxic, and nuke of a STAB move; and Dragapult is, well, Dragapult. While none of these options quite clear the bar for the prestigious S rank, their continued strength ultimately defines CAP to be the tier that it now is.

Aurumoth UR → C
Chromera UR → C
Mandibuzz UR → C
Marowak-Alola UR → C
Miasmaw UR → C
Regieleki UR → C
Tomohawk UR → C

The C rank, on the other hand, was on the receiving end of a much needed makeover. We've been consistently unranking bad Pokemon for a while now, and this left the bottom of the VR pretty lonely. None of the new Pokemon we ranked are great by any means – or even "good" – but they still meet the bare minimum of viability, and it's absolutely possible to use them successfully within the (very) small niches that they occupy. Some of the new rankings might be confusing, so to briefly justify and explain our decisions:

Aurumoth has a small place on hyper offense teams as a Final Gambit lead, and an even smaller but still noteworthy niche as a setup sweeper with Weakness Policy and Weak Armor. Chromera's buff led it to be unanimously worth ranking (we even got a couple votes for B-) as a decently threatening wallbreaker with some initial defensive utility, though its massive Achilles' heel in Color Change prevents it from seeing real, consistent success. Mandibuzz is a niche defensive option that can compress roles like hazard removal, Ghost/Dark resist, and Ground immunity in one slot, letting it check a unique assortment of mons in combination with its good bulk and functionality as a slow pivot. Marowak-Alola is good on Trick Room. Miasmaw's ranking was not so much a change in the mon's viability per se, but a result of the VR team's loosened standards for the C rank; the SD + U-turn set can do some pretty cool things like beating Argh as a physical setup mon, weakening Steels for its teammates, denying Regen, and so on, so it met our standard. Regieleki can work well paired with Pokemon like Urshifu-R or Galarian Zapdos that feast on the Ground-types it lures in, but it goes without saying that it can be highly inconsistent. Finally, we threw Tomohawk a bone for a few reasons – it's a defensive option that has good synergy with trendy, rising options like Equilibra, a decent rocker against Raja/Libra archetypes, and perhaps most surprising is its oddly high effectiveness as a hazard lead on HO teams with Prankster Rocks, Yawn, Taunt, and Memento (among other options).

Once again, thanks to the awesome VR team for contributing this gen, and thank you to everyone who posted in this thread for your interest in the project and help in making it the best that it can be. I think viability rankings are the most important resource of any tier and it makes me happy to see other people in this small community that care enough to contribute. Here's to Gen 9 and all that it'll bring! (at least after Tera gets banned )