Resource 1v1 Sword and Shield Viability Rankings

woo hoo new mons new noms
This post is about the non-galar forms of older mons.

Persian, Rapidash, Farfetch'd, Mr.Mime, Corsola, Linoone and Stunfisk probably have no usage at all. For brevity, I'll put the reasons in a spoiler.
Persian-Very weak and no good qualities outside of decent speed tier
Farfetch'd-Weak and explodes to a light breeze
Mr.Mime-Weak paper
Corsola-Its Galar counterpart is better overall and Gastro/Milotic are much better bulky waters
Linoone-Obstagoon and Snorlax 100% better
Stunfisk-Its Galar form has a niche and Stunfisk does very little besides sitting there and dying
Now moving on to actually neat stuff.

NR-->C+/B-
If you know what Avalugg does you know what Cofagrigus does. Iron Defense+Body Press is heat and pure ghost typing is pretty good for it. Cofagrigus fares better against Sawk, Rhyperior, Crustle, and Jirachi that Avalugg does. Those first three are winnable for Ava but Jirachi is a pain since hax is a possibility. Shadow Ball 2hkos most Rachi variants and even has the added bonus of Mummy canceling out Serene Grace. It also potential to drop Body Press in favor of NP for Ava and various boosting mons. Other options like Haze, Pain Split, Wisp, and Trick give this thing good potential as well. It does face stiff competition from Ava however I think it has a discernable niche. Also Runegris can do this but I think Ground hurts it because of Darm-G.
PL

C-->B-
Darm is aight. Where it prospers is its versatility. Mystical Fire, Trick, Taunt, Yawn, and a very strong Flare Blitz make this thing hard to predict on preview. It doesn't have to beat everything to be good, it can easily be teched to lure most mons. I've seen a great amount of creativity on Darm because of its good movepool, 105 hp, and 95 speed. I could not tell you Darm's best set. I've seen it have a good amount of success on the ladder using Darm as its versatility is spooky on preview.

NR-->S+
Very scary not sure it can be killed.
252+ SpA Choice Specs Tapu Koko Thunderbolt vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Slowpoke in Electric Terrain: 0-0 (0 - 0%) -- possibly the worst move ever

There we are. I'd talk about Alola forms but I haven't tested them nearly enough.
Edit: I am blind, fixed Darm being listed as NR
 
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Ginger Princess

Girl moding so hard rn
is a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Top Contributor Alumnus
woo hoo new mons new noms
This post is about the non-galar forms of older mons.

Persian, Rapidash, Farfetch'd, Mr.Mime, Corsola, Linoone and Stunfisk probably have no usage at all. For brevity, I'll put the reasons in a spoiler.
Persian-Very weak and no good qualities outside of decent speed tier
Farfetch'd-Weak and explodes to a light breeze
Mr.Mime-Weak paper
Corsola-It's Galar counterpart is better overall and Gastro/Milotic are much better bulky waters
Linoone-Obstagoon and Snorlax 100% better
Stunfisk-Its Galar form has a niche and Stunfisk does very little besides sitting there and dying
Now moving on to actually neat stuff.

NR-->C+/B-
If you know what Avalugg does you know what Cofagrigus does. Iron Defense+Body Press is heat and pure ghost typing is pretty good for it. Cofagrigus fares better against Sawk, Rhyperior, Crustle, and Jirachi that Avalugg does. Those first three are winnable for Ava but Jirachi is a pain since hax is a possibility. Shadow Ball 2hkos most Rachi variants and even has the added bonus of Mummy canceling out Serene Grace. It also potential to drop Body Press in favor of NP for Ava and various boosting mons. Other options like Haze, Pain Split, Wisp, and Trick give this thing good potential as well. It does face stiff competition from Ava however I think it has a discernable niche. Also Runegris can do this but I think Ground hurts it because of Darm-G.
PL

NR-->B-
Darm is aight. Where it prospers is its versatility. Mystical Fire, Trick, Taunt, Yawn, Taunt, and very strong Flare Blitz make this thing hard to predict on preview. It doesn't have to beat everything to be good, it can easily be teched to lure most mons. I've seen a great amount of creativity on Darm because of its good movepool, 105 hp, and 95 speed. I could not tell you Darm's best set. I've seen it have a good amount of success on the ladder using Darm as it's versatility is spooky on preview.

NR-->S+
Very scary not sure it can be killed.
252+ SpA Choice Specs Tapu Koko Thunderbolt vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Slowpoke in Electric Terrain: 0-0 (0 - 0%) -- possible the worst move ever

There we are. I'd talk about Alola forms but I haven't tested them nearly enough.
red darm is currently C rank, not Unranked, but yeah trick tech is pretty good for such a good hyperoffense mon
 
nomming Steelix to B/B+

Steelix @ Aguav Berry
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Protect
- Torment
- Earthquake
- Heavy Slam

CB is already decent, Iron Defense + Body Press beats most phys attackers, and this set straight up bodies all choiced mons and still does good against a bunch of others
credits to maxy for the set
 
Nomming good boi arcanine to A/A+

Arcanine (M) @ Passho Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 64 Def / 192 Spe
Bold Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Burn Up
- Bulldoze
- Morning Sun
This set is kinda an unset, meant to beat dracovish, but it still works :/


Its has a decent typing along with burn up, will o wisp, good recovery and favorable matchups vs the majority of the VR. beat almost any physical attacker and can switch between sets with little opportunity cost, allowing it to bait in and beat normally unfavorable matchups while still maintaining its other matchups, YES EVEN DRACOVISH.
 
The following Hippowdon set (yet to be officially nommed) beats a lot of things in the current meta. My boi sandy for rank C let's go!

Sandy (Hippowdon) @ Passho Berry
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 100 Atk / 48 SpD / 108 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Protect
- Yawn
- Slack Off

Checks the following mons:

Incineroar
Primarina (excluding specs)
Durant
Dragapult (not all sets)
Zeraora (not all sets)
Aromatisse
Aegislash
Excadril
Sylveon (sleep rolls, not all sets)
Mimikyiu (not all sets)
Cinderace
Drampa

Jirachi (not all sets)
Silvally (not all sets)
Togedemaru
Conkeldurr (not all sets)
Weezing-Galar (excluding levitate)
Crustle
Haxorus
Darmanitan (not galar)

Sawk (not all sets)


It can beat so much more but can't remember at the moment. I'm positive that, even though I'm fighting itemless 80-90 persent of the matches, it still delivers a good performance in ladder. Below you may find some replays for reference:

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen81v1-1076163841 (3--0s this team if well played)
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen81v1-1077150960 (3-0s this team)
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen81v1-1077192978 (even though this looks like a roll on my favor, 2.5-0s this team)
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen81v1-1077318120 (3-0s this team)
 
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:Type Null:Type: Null
C+ —> B-/ B
Type: Null @ Eviolite
Ability: Battle Armor
EVs: 228 HP / 216 Def / 64 SpD
Impish Nature
- Iron Defense
- Confide
- Rest
- Flame Charge


Type: Null is menacing stall mon which has one of the best abilities in the game for it’s style of play allowing it to not worry about incoming crits. It’s typing is also very useful in only being weak to fighting. It’s bulk tanks the majority of heavy hitters on the physical side like Choice Band Galarian-Darmanitan, Excadrill, and Choice Scarf Dracovish; While also beating special attacking threats such as Choice Specs Dragapult, and Hydreigon. These specific ev’s were designed to tank 3 Close Combats from Scarf Sawk after Iron defensing to be able to stall it out using Rest.


:Pyukumuku: Pyukumuku
C- —> C/ C+
Pyukumuku @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Mirror Coat
- Reflect
- Recover
- Toxic


Pyukumuku uses the use of Reflect and Mirror Coat aided by Recover to fend off physical/ special attackers which then Unaware safeguards against the many boosting Pokemon in the metagame; While Toxic however, works as a faster way to deal with opponents to stop unnecessary crits. The ev’s tank banded sawk (Reflect to spamming recover). Besides this, Leftovers helps to deter non-taunt whims and a variety of other threats.
 
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lost heros

Meme Master
Welcome to the first edition of Lost Heros's VR Corner!

This little project of mine will be to help create some insight on how I judge a pokemon when ranking it. These posts aren't nominations, but rather explanations on why I voted for a pokemon to be a certain ranking. If you want to see the full list of voting you can do so here.

This is just how I define ranks not a general definition of them.

Now before I get started the first thing to do is to define how I define the ranks I place pokemon in. S Rank pokemon define the metagame. These pokemon will always be present in every micro-metagame you encounter on ladder. They can either promote or completely erase entire strategies or team compositions. Their counters get more use than they would otherwise just because of their existence. They will almost always have high usage and a wide variety of sets to choose from. A Rank pokemon are just very very good. You'll never feel bad about putting an A rank pokemon on your team even if you feel like you don't have to. They do their job and they do their job very well. They can have high usage although it's not necessary and they might have several sets to choose from or they might have 1 set that is all they need. B Rank pokemon have a job and they do it well. You won't often be surprised at the set a B rank pokemon uses, although when you face it, it's no walk in the park. They are deceptively strong, but they just don't fit on every team. C Rank pokemon are weird man. They have a specific niche that you don't really see in many other pokemon. It's weird, but a good weird. D Rank pokemon are bad. I would best describe them as pokemon that are technically used, but not really good enough to even say they have specific niche they target.

Furthermore any + or - means that pokemon is better or worse, respectively, than the other pokemon in that rank.


Alright let's get started on my first topic of choice.
1584730369165.png

Dragapult
My vote for Dragapult Is a solid A+. It's got decentish attacking stats, a great movepool to work from, an amazing natural speed tier, deceptively useful abilities, and most importantly a plethora of sets to choose from for any number of niches.

When first looking at Dragapult it's very easy to be distracted by that blistering 142 base speed tier. In fact, and because of that it's also very convenient to ignore it's relatively low bulk. Dragapult has the unique ability in 1v1 where it can run a Choice Band or Specs and being very fast. This can help mitigate it's relatively poor offenses by focusing the power-boosting on to its item slot rather than its ability slot. Speaking of its ability, I want a different one; I want something like Adaptability, Technician, or Tough Claws. Instead of the extra power boosting, we get these interesting tech abilities. Infiltrator is surprisingly useful in shutting out substitute based strategies and Clear Body can stop opposing Intimidate, Charm, or Snarl drops from would be walls. The abilities aren't perfect, but they're not bad. What IS bad about Dragapult, besides it's lack of bulk, is it's offenses. They're decent enough but for a pokemon that runs mostly Special Choice Specs 100 really doesn't cut it against bulky pokemon. At a certain level of bulk Dragapult just stops working, and that's something you have to live with when you use it.

Now let's get to what really makes Dragapult good, it's many many sets.
Dragapult @ Choice Specs
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Shadow Ball
- Hydro Pump
- Fire Blast / Flamethrower

There's something beautiful about how such a simple set can be good. Draco Meteor is the highlight of the set and kills many things. Shadow Ball is the second STAB of choice, although honestly I'm not entirely opposed to just running Thunder in its place. Hydro Pump hits Fire, Rock and Grounds, and Fire Blast or Flamethrower hits Ice, Grass, and Steels. I prefer Fire Blast because I never miss ez. Coverage works really well for this Dragapult because unlike many other pokemon, who unless they are hitting 4x effectively their STAB does better, Dragapult's coverage has such high BP that the 2x effective coverage is surprisingly worth it. I chose Infiltrator here because I'd rather force a sub to be useless rather than worry too much about Snarl.


Dragapult @ Choice Band
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Phantom Force
- Dragon Darts
- Outrage
- Filler

Choice Specs was all about coverage, while Choice Band is all about STABs. Clear Body is an obvious choice here as Phantom Force and Dragon Darts can mess up substitute anyways.


Dragapult @ Petaya Berry
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 30 HP / 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Will-O-Wisp
- Hex
- Disable

This is my own take on a SubDisable + WilloHex set, particularly the inclusion of Petaya Berry and 30 HP IVs. SubDisable is a great way to stop offensive fairy types that want to live a Shadow Ball and then OHKO with a Moonblast. I figured if we're subbing anyways, let's just go all in on the power with Petaya Berry. This set can definitely be optimized even if I haven't bothered to.


Now of course there are many more sets including, Choice Scarf, SubDisable + Curse, Haban Berry, Bulky Band etc, but let's actually talk about what makes Dragapult A+ in my opinion.
1. Its multiple set options have a wide range that can hit nearly every pokemon it wants to. The sets are unique and powerful and none are really outclassed by the others, making Dragapult a Swiss Army Knife where it has all the tools to beat anything, just not all at once.
2. Dragapult has relatively high usage that's lasted beyond just new toy syndrome.
3. It's better and more prominent than other A rank pokemon in my opinion.

And that's that. Hopefully next week I'll continue this. (if you want me to do a specific pokemon pm me and I might do it who knows)
 

pqs

Banned deucer.
some vr noms

:aegislash: A- -> B+
Aegislash hasn't fared well with the changes in gen 8. Even though WP is a little better this gen, King's Shield was nerfed, Z moves were removed, and it also suffers from a bit of 4MSS, with it not being able to use its best moves like King's Shield, Flash Cannon, Shadow Sneak, Shadow Ball, Metal Sound, etc., or Iron Head, King's Shield, Shadow Claw, Shadow Sneak, and Sacred Sword on the physical set all at once. Especially with Home coming out, bringing threats to the table that Aegislash does not fare well against, like Incineroar, Substitute Primarina, and Venusaur makes me think that this should really go down.

:dracozolt: B -> B-
I don't think Dracozolt is bad in any sense, but it's definitely not deserving of being in the midst of other Pokemon in its current rank like Excadrill, Snorlax, Avalugg, etc. Electric isn't a great type in this metagame unless you have some sort of great niche like Zeraora. Also, it loses to a lot of top tier threats in the current metagame or at least doesn't have an advantage versus them. Mimikyu? Dracozolt needs Taunt/Bulldoze to do anything to its Curse set, and Mimikyu otherwise wins while Dracozolt has to take up two moveslots and an item. Galarian Darmanitan? Outspeed and KO if you're Choice Scarf (the most common set). Overall, a slow, (even with Choice Scarf) nuke with an unfavorable typing isn't very great and I think it should go down.

:mandibuzz: B+ -> A- / A
Mandibuzz is really good right now, even comparable to Corviknight in my opinion. Better bulk, (Corviknight: 98 / 105 / 85) (Mandibuzz: 110 / 105 / 95), better moves, Mandibuzz can use a move that is both a Special Attack-depleting move to the opponent while also acting as a STAB move for it (which Corviknight cannot), without having to take up an extra moveslot. The Psychic-type immunity with Mandibuzz instead of just having a resistance to it is also very good. Of course, Mandibuzz does have more weaknesses and less resistances due to having no Steel-type, but I think some of it is made up due to the lack of bulk Corviknight has.

edit: Steelix should also rise because Mandi is so good + MandiLix is really common rn

I was gonna nom Dragapult to A+ but I'd look like a chump doing that now huh
 
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Can anyone make a VR nom? Cool!

Nominating :Cloyster: from C to at least C+, more so B or B-

Cloyster, in my opinion (however valid that may be), is not deserving of a C ranking. It has the ability to counter some of the better Pokemon of the metagame, namely Mimikyu and Dracovish. Although its niche as a Shell Smash user is somewhat overshadowed by Crustle, I believe that this Pokemon is more capable than its rock-type counterpart. For one, it is able to actually beat Crustle, given the correct EVs and moveset. Cloyster has a certain level of surprise factor to it, especially with its item choice. Slap a Chople Berry on, and suddenly it's able to beat Choice Banded Sawk. Use a Mental Herb, and an unprepared Corviknight might just die to Hydro pump. Its ability to be a potential mixed attacker is also one of its specialties; One second it's physical, the next special. It is also notable in that the Icicle Spear/Rock Blast + Skill Link is able to beat many substitute users.

However, that isn't to say there aren't several large flaws with Cloyster, and its stats show a lot of them. It's low special defense means that it almost certainly dies to any hard-hitting special attackers such as Primarina or Chandelure. And although it's defense stat is quite phenomenal, being able to only tank one side is certainly not optimal. Speaking of tanking hits, this Pokemon will likely rely on its high defense to take hits during its shell smash turn, then rely on the +2 Speed to outspeed and KO. However, priority users such as Conkeldurr with Mach Punch can negate the +2 Speed and kill Cloyster anyway. Another problem with Cloyster is its typing. Much of the time, it will be using super-effective moves and STABs to kill, but bulkier Pokemon who resists these moves are sometimes able to survive. Its typing isn't great defensively either. Ice-type is already stated to be one of the worse defensive types, and although the water type provides some benefits (such as negating the steel and/or fire weakness), it also provides more weaknesses.

Although Cloyster has many weaknesses, I believe that its utility as a mixed attacker with a strong element of surprise is able to triumph. Beating the current highest Pokemon on the VR is no easy feat (being the best at doing so at that), and thus I believe that our lovely oyster deserves a higher spot on the viability rankings than C.

Also I think the VR might be outdated, which might render this post useless.

Here are some more things to consider when thinking about cloyster:
- Beats Banded Dragapult (although not many people run that) [252+ Atk Choice Band Dragapult Outrage vs. 224 HP / 4+ Def Cloyster: 166-196 (55.8 - 65.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO]
- Beats sub-seed whimsi (I think. Someone correct me if wrong. Specs Whimsi still beats this) [+2 156 Atk Cloyster Icicle Spear (5 hits) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Whimsicott: 490-580 (151.2 - 179%) -- guaranteed OHKO]
- Beats Incineroar (also a guess) [252+ Atk Incineroar Close Combat vs. 224 HP / 4+ Def Cloyster: 144-170 (48.4 - 57.2%) -- 90.6% chance to 2HKO]
- Beats AvaTHUGG if played well (Opposing avathugg doesn't mirror coat on your hydro pump) [0 SpA Cloyster Hydro Pump vs. 240 HP / 0 SpD Avalugg: 229-271 (58.5 - 69.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO]
- Beats Haxorus if Chople and if Haxorus is not Adamant [252 Atk Choice Band Mold Breaker Haxorus Close Combat vs. 224 HP / 4+ Def Cloyster: 234-276 (78.7 - 92.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO]


How do I add those small pictures of Pokemon to these posts?
Also Notater good luck on bellossom stuff
 
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Ginger Princess

Girl moding so hard rn
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Gigalith from UR to S.
Beats everything
#BanGigalith
Gigalith @ Choice Band
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 156 HP / 252 Atk / 100 Spe
- Superpower
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Heavy Slam
beats stall snorlax
Sawk to s tier. It only lose to mimikyu and prim. For dragon types use dual chop its a agency tech
Dracovish to B because he loses to everyone A and above. Also he needs them to be slower than it or not have sturdy. since dracovish is bad with scarf hes has at max 273. Which is trash. So hes trash
Zeraora is even more trash. it should go to d. the only thing it beats is draco. which is trash. it cant even beat snorlax.
Hey Tox1c1v1, while we appreciate your interest in the 1v1 VR, we would also appreciate if you could avoid making 'nom posts' that aren't absolute garbage well thought out.

If you're not joking, and you are going to seriously make a nom post arguing that an unranked Pokemon should be S rank, you need to back it up with stuff like matchups, set variety, unpredictability, stuff like that, instead of just saying 'it beats stuff'. Pls don't post more meme noms.
 

zxgzxg

scrabble
is a Forum Moderator
While not S-tier material, I do believe Gigalith should be moved from UR --> C+ or B-

Gigalith @ Choice Band
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Stone Edge
- Rock Blast
- Superpower/Body Press/Earthquake
- Heavy Slam

PROS:
Sturdy
- a coveted ability in a metagame with fast attackers
Physical Bulk - a little redundant with Sturdy, but it allows it to tank hits from Haxorus (1); also can utilize Body Press
High Attack stat - It has a higher attack stat than Avalugg and Steelix. When paired with Choice Band, it can OHKO frailer attackers such as Dragapult (2) and Zeraora (3)
STAB Rock Blast - Allows it to beat Mimikyu (4) and sub-users such as Whimsicott (5) and Cinderace

CONS:
Low SpDef - This allows bulky special attackers, like Primarina (6) and Milotic (7), to easily 2HKO while living all its hits. Unlike Avalugg, Gigalith doesn't have Mirror Coat to counter it. It still has better SpDef than Avalugg and Steelix, though.
Typing - Rock isn't a valuable typing in this metagame in a meta dominated by Steel-types (Jirachi, Aegislash, and Corviknight to name a few). And since not a lot of the meta is weak to Rock, Gigalith doesn't deal as much damage as expected
Set Variety - Gigalith's only set is its Band set, so it's very predictable on team preview (Avalugg has two sets and can mix around some of its moves; Steelix can also switch around moves; and no, Specs Weather Ball Gigalith doesn't count)
Weak to Stall - Because of Gigalith's abysmal speed, stall-users, like Corsola-Galar, Corviknight, and Stall Rotom-Wash, can act sooner to cripple Gigalith (although, if Gigalith were faster, it will still lose to the Pokemon listed above)

Is it better than Steelix? I'd say it's just as good. Steelix has better typing and coverage, but stat-wise, Gigalith is better. The STAB Rock Blast is also nice.

Is it better than Avalugg? Not really. Gigalith's stats are better in some ways, but Avalugg has better coverage and set variety. The fact that Avalugg can be a wall-breaker or a stall can cause people to mistakenly go for Taunt or an attack. Gigalith can't do that.

Is it better than Sawk? Definitely not. Sawk is faster, has better coverage (Throat Chop and Poison Jab), more set variety, and even has speed control in Low Sweep.

In short, while Gigalith is a weaker version of the other bulky Sturdy users, like Avalugg and Steelix, it is a bulky Sturdy user nonetheless, so it deserves some sort of spot on the VR list.
(1) 252 Atk Mold Breaker Haxorus Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Gigalith: 228-270 (60.9 - 72.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

(2) 252+ Atk Choice Band Gigalith Stone Edge vs. 0 HP / 72 Def Dragapult: 319-376 (100.6 - 118.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO

(3) 252+ Atk Choice Band Gigalith Earthquake vs. 120 HP / 24 Def Zeraora: 452-534 (130.2 - 153.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Gigalith Stone Edge vs. 0 HP / 76 Def Zeraora: 318-375 (100.3 - 118.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO

(4) 252+ Atk Choice Band Gigalith Rock Blast (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Mimikyu: 252-297 (80.2 - 94.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
So each hit does 26.7 - 31.5%

(5) Gigalith can also Heavy Slam if you know Whimsicott doesn't have a Babiri berry

(6) 0 SpA Mystic Water Primarina Sparkling Aria vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Gigalith: 342-404 (91.4 - 108%) -- 50% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Gigalith Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Primarina: 241-285 (66.2 - 78.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Primarina outspeeds and 2HKOs

(7) 0 SpA Milotic Scald vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Gigalith: 206-246 (55 - 65.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Gigalith Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Milotic: 231-273 (58.6 - 69.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Milotic outspeeds and 2HKOs. Scald burns and Marvel Scale help
 
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Here Comes Team Charm!

Perhaps the stars
is a Community Contributoris a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnus
Torkoal is highkey fire.

The Sun (Torkoal) @ Air Balloon
Ability: Drought
EVs: 144 HP / 200 SpA / 164 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Overheat
- Earth Power
- Solar Beam
- Shell Smash

This set beats jirachi (1), offensive mimikyu (2), galarian darmanitan (3), non-yawn sylveon (4), aegislash (5), incineroar (6), corviknight (7), whimsicott (8), arcanine (9), excadrill (10), and golisopod (11). It also has good matchups against a number of primarina sets, scarf sawk, and durants without stone edge.

Not only are the individual matchups pretty good, it also works well as a fire type that beats many of the type's traditional checks (gastrodon, golisopod and excadrill all come to mind). It resists fairy and fire (two dominant meta types) and can lure ground-types with its air balloon. On top of all that, it's still a fire type, and can deal with annoying steels and grasses quite well.

Its flaws are lackluster spedef (though it has enough to avoid the 1hko from neutral hits and the 2hko from resisted ones), somewhat poor offenses pre-shell smash, and an awkward inability to deal with mid-speed bulky mons.

Torkoal isn't top tier by any means, but it hardly deserves to be left unranked: especially not when something like Ninetales gets to be C-tier.

1. 252+ Atk Jirachi Zen Headbutt vs. 144 HP / 4 Def Torkoal: 90-106 (28.3 - 33.4%) -- 0.1% chance to 3HKO
200+ SpA Torkoal Overheat vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Jirachi in Sun: 498-588 (146 - 172.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO

2. 252 Atk Choice Band Mimikyu Phantom Force vs. 144 HP / 0 Def Torkoal: 129-153 (40.6 - 48.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
200+ SpA Torkoal Overheat vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Mimikyu in Sun: 240-283 (95.6 - 112.7%) -- 75% chance to OHKO

3. 252+ Atk Choice Band Gorilla Tactics Darmanitan-Galar Superpower vs. 144 HP / 0 Def Torkoal: 255-300 (80.4 - 94.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
200+ SpA Torkoal Overheat vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Darmanitan-Galar in Sun: 810-954 (230.7 - 271.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
(band stone edge darm can kill, but that's a very rare set)

4. 244+ SpA Choice Specs Pixilate Sylveon Hyper Beam vs. 144 HP / 0 SpD Torkoal: 286-337 (90.2 - 106.3%) -- 43.8% chance to OHKO
192+ SpA Pixie Plate Pixilate Sylveon Hyper Voice vs. 144 HP / 0 SpD Torkoal: 132-156 (41.6 - 49.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
+2 200+ SpA Torkoal Overheat vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Sylveon in Sun: 399-469 (101.5 - 119.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO

5. 252+ SpA Spell Tag Aegislash-Blade Shadow Ball vs. 144 HP / 0 SpD Torkoal: 244-288 (76.9 - 90.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
200+ SpA Torkoal Overheat vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Aegislash-Blade in Sun: 866-1020 (331.8 - 390.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
(specs max spa has a chance to kill with shadow ball, pity nobody ever runs that)

6. 252+ Atk Incineroar Flare Blitz vs. 144 HP / 0 Def Torkoal in Sun: 111-131 (35 - 41.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
200+ SpA Torkoal Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 200 SpD Incineroar: 136-162 (34.5 - 41.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
+2 200+ SpA Torkoal Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 200 SpD Incineroar: 272-322 (69 - 81.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
(earth power, shell smash, earth power kills basically every set, roar doesn't really do anything back even if it's max attack, )

7. +2 200+ SpA Torkoal Overheat vs. 252 HP / 208+ SpD Corviknight in Sun: 830-980 (207.5 - 245%) -- guaranteed OHKO
(shell smash up, play some minor mindgames if corv got off a substitute, anything it can hit you with is irrelevant)

8. (whimsicott can in theory win by stalling out sun turns using protect and substitute, but it can't do so if it uses substitute thrice, which makes it pretty easy to find a moment to set up a shell smash and win anyway)

9. +4 200+ SpA Torkoal Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 252 SpD Arcanine: 420-496 (109.3 - 129.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0 SpA Arcanine Snarl vs. 144 HP / 0 SpD Torkoal: 53-63 (16.7 - 19.8%) -- guaranteed 6HKO
144 Atk Choice Band Arcanine Flare Blitz vs. 144 HP / 0 Def Torkoal in Sun: 134-158 (42.2 - 49.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
(both stall and band arcanine fail to be a threat: shell smash T1 and T2 then kill them T3 with earth power)

10. 252+ Atk Choice Band Mold Breaker Excadrill Rock Slide vs. 144 HP / 0 Def Torkoal: 208-246 (65.6 - 77.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
200+ SpA Torkoal Overheat vs. 0 HP / 36 SpD Excadrill in Sun: 674-794 (186.7 - 219.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO

11. 252+ Atk Golisopod Liquidation vs. 144 HP / 0 Def Torkoal in Sun: 110-132 (34.7 - 41.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
+2 200+ SpA Torkoal Overheat vs. 216 HP / 200 SpD Golisopod in Sun: 442-522 (128.1 - 151.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
 
9. +4 200+ SpA Torkoal Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 252 SpD Arcanine: 420-496 (109.3 - 129.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0 SpA Arcanine Snarl vs. 144 HP / 0 SpD Torkoal: 53-63 (16.7 - 19.8%) -- guaranteed 6HKO
(both stall and band arcanine fail to be a threat: shell smash T1 and T2 then kill them T3 with earth power)
The calcs against defensive Arcanine don't seem to take into account Snarl's SpA drops or Shell Smash's SpD drops.
 
:Dusclops: Dusclops UR —> C-
Dusclops @ Eviolite
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Night Shade
- Disable
- Rest
- Curse


(Compare and Contrast to other Pokemon)​
Dusclops functions a lot like a Corsola-G or even a Aromatisse in the types of moves it runs, typing, and strategy. While those Pokemon may have a edge in covering more threats, Dusclops can beat things like Specs Hydreigon which Corsola fails to beat and Band Vish which easily OKHO’s Aromatisse.

(Details about the set)​
Disable works to beat almost all of the current Choice Pokemon in the meta like Band Dracovish, Band Galarian-Darmanitan, Specs Hydreigon, and Specs/ Band Dragapult. Rest helps survive struggle damage after a disable is put in place and can also help stall foes. Curse is used to help with a win strategy against other stall Pokemon that utilize moves such as rest. Night shade adds extra damage to a curse or can finish off opposing mons with little HP and is Dusclops best attacking move especially on a stall set. The ev’s give the best chance in tanking a Banded Fishious Rend + Struggle from Dracovish.
 
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IBM

Banned deucer.
:Liepard: UR -> D

Liepard @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Swagger
- Attract
- Substitute
- Foul Play

This is a set adapted from the Yech purrloin, set popularized by smely socks, but a little bit more bulk and speed. Basically the point of the set is to prevent your opponent from attacking you and if you have attract and confusion up, it’s pretty reliable and not as Hax dependent. Obviously this set works better when you are the opposite gender of the opposing mon, but you can still win as the same gender. (Set gender to male because actually slightly more female pokemon exist than male pokemon ;)) This works best against stall and sometimes hyper offensive pokemon, but the thing that makes it great is that it always has a chance to win. It’s like worse Jirachi. Swagger up then foul play. Sub whenever. Win. Leftovers to give you as many subs as possible.

Liepard @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Trick
- Dark Pulse
- Rest
- Copycat

Another Liepard set, based around tricking a choice scarf and prankster copycat is fun. Dark pulse beats Jirachi and pult. Copycat beats things like kyurem.

Liepard is definitely on par with the other mons in D rank
 

Nalei

strong, wild garbage
is a Tiering Contributor Alumnus
It’s like worse Jirachi
Besides ignoring that Jirachi wins tons of matchups without rng, this sums it up
Another Liepard set, based around tricking a choice scarf and prankster copycat is fun. Dark pulse beats Jirachi and pult. Copycat beats things like kyurem.
252 SpA Liepard Dark Pulse vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Dragapult: 254-300 (80.1 - 94.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Dragapult Draco Meteor vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Liepard: 457-538 (169.8 - 200%) -- guaranteed OHKO

0 SpA Kyurem Draco Meteor vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Liepard: 301-355 (111.8 - 131.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
 

Ehmcee

A Spoopy Ghost
is a Pre-Contributor
Phantump @ Eviolite+Sitrus Berry
Ability: Harvest
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Leech Seed
- Protect
- Substitute
- Curse

Phantump to S+, he's literally just 10x better than trev in sm, Phantump's sheer infinite power makes him able to hold multiple items at once, tanking hits easily and having infinite recovery.
Also, he just can't be taunted, Phantump keeps his cool.
 
Jolteon @ Leftovers
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Charm
- Confide
- Rest
- Toxic

Jolteon from UR to A+. It's the best stall mon in the current meta with amazing 65/60/95 bulk and an ability to lower both attacking stats. Its high speed allows it to usually lower the opponent's damage output before they even attack.
 
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rumia

i want soda beverage
is a Pre-Contributor
maaan why tf is dracovish not s tier?? it 2hkos mimikyu after a play rough miss, outspeeds and kills iron ball darm, iron ball jira, and all sylveon sets. also hello?? if it outspeeds you get a free 382.5 bp move. its broken. god everyone but me is braindead!!! braindead!!! i swear to god!! make me tl. thank you for reading, and if you disagree with me then become the dirt i walk on. inferiors.
 
I made an awful YouTube vid for VR. I wanted to talk about the VR and my changes to it.
It's very long and has bad compression, especially near the end so sorry for that. I plan to do one of these each time the meta shifts or I make a batch of changes, hopefully future vids won't be nearly as long but I wanted to cover everything in this one.
 

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