Resource 1v1 Sword and Shield Viability Rankings

Bringing up a mon I feel is pretty underrated atm:

Scolipede UR -> C/C+
Scolipede @ Life Orb
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Protect
- Swords Dance
- Superpower
- Poison Jab
Scolipede, while limited in its matrchups, performs extremely well against a fair number of top tier mons. Despite losing to many Primarina sets in spite of its typing, Scolipede effectively hard counters all variants of Porygon-Z, Darmanitan-G, Azumarill, and Sylveon (excepting rare Kebia Berry variants of the latter two.) as well as non-Charm Chansey as well as some variants of Zeraora, Rillaboom, and most Aromatisse. In essence, Scolipede carves out a niche through its litany of good top tier matchups.

That being said, Scolipede can be somewhat awkward to build with as a result of losing to Primarina and other similarly bulky mons; nevertheless its top tier matchups are quite good apart from that, and it still is extremely consistent at defeating what it is supposed to check, hence the nomination to somewhere around C to C+.

Apologies in advance for this probably being incoherent/set being unoptimized.
 

Murm

formerly Murman
is a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributor
I've been using Golduck, and I genuinely think it is a decent mon. I'm not going to say it is better in it's role than Aromatisse, but it does play a bit different and it has some advantages, such as it being able to outspeed mons like Corviknight naturally and having strong water stab in rain. This is the set I have been using, though many items and spreads are viable https://pokepast.es/ae6e0327e163e4f1. It specifically can beat mons like Dracovish, Aegislash, Volcarona, and Avalugg more reliably than Aromatisse, by using its natural speed and good defensive typing. Since it can fit on some team comps over Aromatisse, but it is generally outclassed by it, I think it should be in C tier. It can beat a lot, but its generally outclassed. I recommend trying it out though, because it does have a niche. :)
 
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Here Comes Team Charm!

Perhaps the stars
is a Community Contributoris a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnus
Seismitoad should get upped to C/C-.

Since Magnezone, Alolan Marowak, Azumarill and Volcarona were released, and both Primarina and Zeraora enjoyed another popularity boost, Fire/ Water/Electric cores have become much more common both on the ladder and in tours. Seismitoad matches up incredibly well against those teams, to the point of 3-0ing many of them outright, thanks to its Water/Ground typing with water immunity and grass coverage. It's got enough bulk to tank scarf gdarm's giga impact, specs magnezone's hyper beam, and many other strong neutral hits.

Is it top tier? Hell no. But it's got enough tricks to land in C or C-, pokemon like Hippowdon and Araquanid are C- and simply much less useful in the meta.
 

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
So, something I realized that Gen 8 1v1 is missing that used to be a thing is VR Shift Reaction posts. Previously, when VR shifts were scheduled to happen once every 2 months, the posting of the shifts was a significant event - people would react to all of them, providing reasonings for why they agreed and disagreed. I think that was fun and encouraged relevant discussion.

So I'm gonna bring that back, in a way. I'll be posting the accumulated shifts from each month, providing my overall thoughts on the larger trends and specific Pokemon that i think should be elaborated on.

Total July 1v1 VR Shifts:
Rises

:Azumarill: 7/1/20: Azumarill B+ -> A-, 7/11/20: A- -> B+, 7/24/20: B+ -> A-
:Zeraora: 7/1/20: Zeraora B+ -> A-
:Volcarona: 7/1/20: Volcarona B -> B+
:Skarmory: 7/1/20: Skarmory C -> C+,
7/11/20: C+ -> B-, 7/24/20: B- -> B
:Urshifu:
7/11/20: Urshifu-R A -> A+
:Politoed:
7/13/20: Politoed UR -> D
:Primarina:
7/24/20: Primarina A+ -> S-
:Gardevoir: 7/24/20: Gardevoir B -> B+


Stayed the Same
:Gengar:7/1/20: Gengar B- -> B, 7/15/20: B -> B-
:Toxapex:
7/1/20: Toxapex C -> C+, 7/24/20: Toxapex C+ -> C
:Inteleon:
7/11/20: Inteleon D -> C-, 7/14/20: C- -> D, 7/24/20: D -> C-, 7/26/20: C- -> D

Falls
:Diggersby: 7/1/20: Diggersby B+ -> B
:Silvally: 7/1/20: Silvally B- -> C+
:Cloyster: 7/1/20: Cloyster C- -> D
:Scrafty: 7/3/20: Scrafty C- -> D

:Drifblim: 7/11/20: Drifblim D -> UR
:Wishiwashi: 7/11/20: Wishiwashi D -> UR
:Incineroar: 7/13/20: Incineroar B -> B-
:Dracovish: 7/13/20: Dracovish A -> A-
:Copperajah: 7/13/20: Copperajah C- -> D

:Crawdaunt: 7/14/20: Crawdaunt D -> UR
:Gurdurr: 7/14/20: Gurdurr D -> UR
:Pincurchin: 7/14/20: Pincurchin C- -> D

:Marowak: 7/15/20: Marowak C+ -> C
:Centiskorch: 7/15/20: Centiskorch B -> B-
:Corviknight: 7/24/20: Corviknight B+ -> B
:Porygon2: 7/24/20: Porygon2 B+ -> B
:Miltank: 7/24/20: Miltank C -> C-
:Vaporeon: 7/24/20: Vaporeon C -> C-
:Reuniclus: 7/24/20: Reuniclus C- -> D
:Cobalion: 7/24/20: Cobalion D -> UR
:Rhyperior: 7/24/20: Rhyperior B -> B-
:Bellossom: 7/24/20: Bellossom D -> UR
:Braviary: 7/24/20: Braviary C- -> D

:Passimian: 7/26/20: Passimian D -> UR

Overall, I'd say the shifts seem to mainly involve pushing down Pokemon that are either largely outclassed, have lost their significant niche, or can't keep up with the power creep. A lot of Pokemon, like Bellossom, Crawdaunt, and Drifblim were barely passable in post-Home, and thus do not appreciate new legendaries and centralizing threats, like Magnezone and Porygon-Z. Skarmory steadily rose through the VR, with its Torment Sturdy niche steadily being recognized as more and more useful. Some other post-DLC Pokemon like Porygon2, Marowak, and Miltank, who saw initial experimentation and success, have also begun dropping, due to the optimization of Pokemon that outclass them, or the discovery of the qualities that hold them back, that become more apparent in an optimized metagame.

What are your thoughts on the VR shifts? Anything you agree or disagree with? Anything you think should be brought up that I didn't mention? Post your thoughts here uwu
 
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Coming up with unranked Escavalier to either D (because you might disagree with C+ which is what I would nom it if I had the power to), or C- if considered by council. This pokemon, having fire as its only weakness, is in my opinion, a good option when looking for coverage on a team. Specialy because of its typing. You might think it is useless but it is pretty underrated and undiscovered in my opinion. Why? see below.

1. Stall breaker. Steel type completely nulifies toxic users such as Blissey, Chansey, Clefable, etc. Having access to taunt/encore turns this pokemon into a major threat to stall mons such as; pyuk (forzing it to use soak turn 1), gimmick salazzle, venusaur, whims (toxic/taunt turn 1), toxapex, type null (toxic turn 1, encore turn 2, taunt turn 3), rillaboom, curse dragapult, rotom wash, stall azumarill, stall kyurem, snorlax (some, not all), aromatisse, cursola-galar, ferrothorn, and much more. Some pokemons menitioned above might be irrelevant for some people but I take them in consideration because I've faced several opponents on ladder using them prior posting this.

2. Bouncing wall. Is the term & use to define how efficient a counter/mirror coat/metal burst user can be, and Escavalier is in my opinion, one of the best metal burst users unless proving me wrong right now. The set will be listed below if you want to try it. Metal burst is very good to balance the lack of offensiveness on Escavalier, specially in the current state of the meta where you have tons of choiced mons like zera, dracovish, etc.

3. Bait. Can be used to bait other pokemons such as DarmG, hard hitting fire stab mons, etc. Which gives you the advantage to over predict your opponents if they are not familiar with Escavalier match up. Pretty sure only pokemons that actually have bonus stab damage can 1 hit ko this pokemon if it is equipped with occa berry. Think about this; any team without bonus stab fire coverage is doomed.

That being said, I want to point out that 1v1 is a game where you have to pair your pokemons up with things that can cover its weakness. A team based off Escavalier as its main threat and two other weaklings is not going to work. But if you do your research and find two other pokemons that can make a huge power difference, you gonna have a strong team. As they say, sometimes a strong defense is the best offense.

LEBRON (Escavalier) @ Occa Berry
Ability: Shell Armor
EVs: 248 HP / 100 Def / 160 SpD
Impish Nature
- Encore
- Metal Burst
- Taunt
- Toxic

LEBRON (Escavalier) @ Occa Berry
Ability: Shell Armor
EVs: 248 HP / 100 Def / 160 SpD
Impish Nature
- Encore
- Metal Burst
- Taunt
- Toxic

Sudowoodo @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Head Smash
- Earthquake
- Sucker Punch
- Counter

Ban me pls (Togekiss) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Air Slash
- Dazzling Gleam
- Flamethrower
- Trick

Tips/opinions are accepted. If you are going to be toxic please keep your distance.

Proof this ain't a joke:

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen81v1-1162130961-tzora3v3l6zw1k8zgbqlmshe8daiz37pw Xstatic cold
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen81v1-1162119881-7cqpuwilc1vpbovtmc6lr6jumbs4h5lpw Yech
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen81v1-1160947438-vqu5caelbjb98tpkk5qq506mjsl4f6spw Depression 2.0
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen81v1-1160346849-gpgoju69oin88i6sr2mpkt0tuwkgvowpw CallMeJJok3R♚乂
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen81v1-1159900516-w2pk518vp0mk7jb3vxeopwqrydn7xo7pw Itchyfoot
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen81v1-1159892659-nlga31youvcuk0z8lmdu6gljnfnqj4epw ravonne
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen81v1-1153552918-nbowr1940cuif2n8lgf6khpsv52bilspw Nolenot


Example of match ups against stall walls:

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen81v1-1161427423-8elmxffpr2wgkwh0dolf7b8y1ut3u06pw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen81v1-1161230190-k7jk1ufm9c1d07i3idmrnkojfj7tykypw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen81v1-1161126074-09z6b1izxy1bnd3utf47xu4zyx63k7wpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen81v1-1160952573-dvddtzm091fole4k1aeffpe8u0qzqanpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen81v1-1153456118-yoh84fienpifykpyorcay6fkobocvkdpw

Example of match ups against offensive:

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen81v1-1161143066-f1bohsbtx4jjkd5fppccgrbz19crku2pw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen81v1-1160971931-ovhp7ydcvj6uvx0r9isc6n5p6eth7p7pw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen81v1-1160958879-3wn61o15u5xqap1gp7dqvmq7ryb8m63pw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen81v1-1160957830-tn69a6jr5587gnwc0fk0nbwctidbsqdpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen81v1-1159218252-tz6eer3wzv2yzsb5ubb1vryxufhoy5apw

Honorable mention:

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen81v1-1159131334-wdnwpjh9cte560r603sphaf4nz1ywfspw if that wasn't because of cursed body, could have won.

ggs
 
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The Official Glyx

Banned deucer.
A few noms:

:Espeon:
D -> B-
Espeon @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 220 HP / 48 SpD / 240 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Psychic
- Morning Sun
- Charm

Very nice niche in being able to bounce back status moves while boosting or weakening opponents. Kinda already explained its deal in my sample submission, plus the speed's for outspeeding keldeo, since I didn't explain it there. Still has plenty of other potential with Choice Trick + recovery strats, as well as coverage it can utilize with said choice sets. I'd say it's on roughly the same level of niche and flexibility that the other B- mons have.
:Copperajah:
D -> C+
Copperajah @ Choice Band
Ability: Heavy Metal
EVs: 248 HP / 28 Atk / 184 Def / 40 SpD / 8 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Heavy Slam
- Heat Crash
- Power Whip
- Earthquake / Rock Blast

Another mon from the sample submission. The niche here is definitely less pronounced than Espeon's, in addition to being a lot more one-dimensional, with regards to other options it has (it mainly just uses Band). That said, it still has a very nice selection of top mons that it beats that you really aren't gonna be able to replicate with any other mon. Biggest downside is having to choose between beating Zeraora with Earthquake or Crustle with Rock Blast. I personally see this as a perfect example of being a one set mon, so C+ or C suits it quite nicely, along with the rest of its kind.
:Scyther:
UR -> B-/higher
Scyther @ Eviolite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 224 HP / 36 Atk / 32 SpD / 216 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dual Wingbeat
- Roost
- Struggle Bug
- Knock Off

This is something I was actually surprised to see wasn't ranked. The set actually covers quite a bit, being able to bulk a scarf PZ Hyper Beam and KO with the combo of Knock Off into Dual Wingbeat, albeit risking a 50/50 against Trick. After that, you've got a nice handful of clean wins against Primarina, Urshifu, Rillaboom, Dracovish, Gardevoir, Sawk, Kommo-o, Whimsicott, etc, and bunch of other wins based on sets like Disable Dragapult, non-Band Snorlax, non-Yawn Sylveon, non-stall Azumarill, etc. There's also been some potenial there with the more offensive sets like Band or Life Orb to be explored, so I'd say the ceiling is quite high for this one, which is why I feel like you could absolutely justify B- or higher, alongside multiple mons of similar caliber.
:Lycanroc-dusk:
UR -> B-/higher
Now this one I just don't get at all. It gets all the coverage in the world, Tough Claws, an excellent speed tier, a resistance to PZ Hyper Beam, an excellent attack that lets it get around a few annoying scarfers/salac mons, yet it's Unranked? You could even switch to Adamant to get non-Chilan Primarina with Giga Impact if they're starting to become a pest (252+ Atk Choice Band Tough Claws Lycanroc-Dusk Giga Impact vs. 248 HP / 148 Def Primarina: 346-408 (95.3 - 112.3%) -- 75% chance to OHKO), and it'd be more or less free to do so, other than sacrificing matchups against max speed Urshifu/Haxorus/Hydreigon/Keldeo/etc. Naturally, the biggest issues surrounding this mon are A: one-dimensional as all heck, you're basically only using Band unless you really hate stall and wanna whip out the Taunt/SD, and B: it has so many excellent moves that it simply can't choose between just 4. You've got Accelerock, Stone Edge, Rock Blast, Play Rough, Close Combat, Outrage, Iron Head, Giga Impact, 4 Fangs, etc, so many that I feel it would've been redundant to just post a set with like 7 slashes. Honestly tough to say where I'd prefer this one to go, so I guess B- would be a good starting point to see if it really takes off from there.
:Braviary:
D -> C+/B-
Braviary @ Choice Band
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 164 HP / 180 Atk / 116 Def / 48 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Giga Impact
- Brave Bird
- Close Combat
- Dual Wingbeat / Thrash

Braviary is just plain slept on. Not only does it have the workable bulk to live near anything it wants to, including being a legit AV user to add to the pile of other AVs, but it has excellent power behind it that lets it get KOs against even the bulky fairies that plague the meta. This set in particular bulks banded Urshifu while still koing through Bulk Up unless they're extremely bulked. It does unfortunately fluctuate on and off a bit, based on what people are using at the current moment in time, since some things naturally just flat out win like Crustle, Darm, Disable Pult, Chansey, Zeraora, Slowbro, etc, so it does become a bit of a selective mon as a result, though is still generally viable and flexible enough to warrant placement among the other moderately buildable mons in C+/B-, imo.
 
I propose Dusknoir for B rank. While being OHKO by strong STAB attacks such as Darmanitan Flare Blitz or Dracovish Fishious Rend, and losing in general to all Dark Types, keep him from A rank, he is capable of countering many VRanked pokemon.

Disable shuts down Choice users, while Frisk confirms for you that they're Choiced.
Taunt shuts down stallers. Combine with Disable if they have a single attack move.
Poltergeist is a powerful attack backed up by Shadow Sneak in case it wasn't enough.

Non-Choiced Togekiss's Air Slash is a 5hko, while 2xPoltergeist+Shadow Sneak is a 3HKO. A bit of luck required, but that's Togekiss. If they're Choiced, all you need is the Disable.

252 Atk Choice Band Gorilla Tactics Darmanitan-Galar Icicle Crash vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Dusknoir: 255-301 (86.7 - 102.3%) -- 18.8% chance to OHKO
You have an 80% chance to beat Darm-G with a Poltergeist+Shadow Sneak. This improves if you tweak your Dusknoir to add some defense EVs. 32 Defense EVs are required to always survive Jolly Icicle Crash, while 156 EVs or a +Def nature are required for Adamant.

Kasib Berry lets you win the battle against Dragapult and Alolan Marowak. Drag is too weak to afford to use Kasib Berry, preferring a damaging item, and Alolan Marowak needs Thick Club.

252 EVs always go in HP, the remaining 252 can go in Atk, Def, or SpDef, letting you tune him to your team for whatever you want him to beat. This makes a team preview with Dusknoir on it difficult to read. A Defensive or Specially Defensive Dusknoir can run Spell Tag instead of Kasib Berry, giving him almost the same power as 252 Atk Evs, while losing to Dragapult and Alolan Marowak.

Using both 252 Atk AND a Spell Tag can give you enough power to 2hko and beat non-Leftovers 0 Def Primarina, while still faring well against physical attackers. Here is an example set which is a generalist, that does not use pure 252 in one stat.

Dusknoir @ Spell Tag
Ability: Frisk
EVs: 252 HP / 72 Atk / 184 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Poltergeist
- Disable
- Taunt
- Shadow Sneak

This generalist spread always avoids the 2HKO from Timid Specs Togekiss, and the 2HKO from Assault Vest Primarina, while having about a 50% chance to 2HKO Zeraora, and the mentioned 80% chance to beat Darm-G. The spreads for Dusknoir are so varied, a cautious opponent might not send out his Ghost type just because Dusknoir is so good with Kasib - making non-Kasib possibly even stronger! I do not think there is a "best" Dusknoir set in existence, as beating Zeraora 100% of the time could of course be desirable for some teams. This set is one of many examples of the things that Dusknoir can do.

Dusknoir @ Figy Berry
Ability: Frisk
EVs: 252 HP / 52 Def / 200 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Disable
- Pain Split
- Poltergeist
- Trick Room

Here is a set given by Ganesh44. It works better against strong Choice Banders who could otherwise 2HKO you with their attack move + a strong Struggle, such as Haxorus, Zeraora, and Azumarill. After the Trick Room, you get two moves in a row with Disable + Pain Split. 52 Def EVs for the extra point along with +Def nature (surviving even Adamant Banded Darm-G Icicle Crash), and the rest in SpD.

Dusknoir @ Kasib Berry/Assault Vest/Expert Belt/Spell Tag
Ability: Frisk
EVs: 252 HP / 224 Atk / 32 Def
Adamant/Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Poltergeist
- Revenge
- Shadow Sneak

A collaboration with Ganesh44, an all-out attacking set. Immunity to Counter, diversity of attack type, priority, and good bulk set this attacker apart from the slew of others. Choice Band doesn't make much sense when you can finish off with Shadow Sneak, so Assault Vest is used to beat more special attackers, or Kasib Berry to beat Ghost types such as Dragapult. As Ganesh44 mentions, this set scores Super Effective hits against 10 types. This makes Expert Belt a possibility, or Spell Tag for the neutral hits, which could both pair with the Impish Nature. 32 Def EVs are used for the Darmanitan-Galar matchup.
 
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Nalei

strong, wild garbage
is a Tiering Contributor Alumnus

Snorlax A -> A+
Snorlax does whatever it wants to do and excels at it regardless. Its huge stats, neutral typing, multitude of item choices, and extremely deep movepool enable it to succeed not only in specialized sets such as tank, Counter, and stall, but fill multiple of these roles at once. The below set, for example, brutes past special attackers with a bit of special bulk investment and a strong STAB move, bops physical attackers with Counter, stops mons that try to boost on Counter with Encore, and beats several stall Pokemon with the combination of Encore and Toxic. One may also run a two attacks Amnesia+Rest, Amnesia+Rest+Counter+one attack, 3 attacks counter, 4 attacks band, or anything else it wants. This level of versatility easily puts Snorlax higher in viability than any A rank mon imo.
Snorlax @ Chople Berry
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 228 HP / 252 Def / 24 SpD / 4 Spe
Careful Nature
- Double-Edge
- Encore
- Counter
- Toxic



Hydreigon B+ -> A-
Hydreigon has an extremely useful speed tier at 98, which relative to Kyurem, allows it to reliably outspeed Darmanitan, Haxorus, Urshifu, Arcanine, Silvally, and Kyurem itself. Specs Draco easily dispatches the horde of mons just below this speed tier and if you're concerned about Scarfers, simply use Scarf Hydreigon which can make up for the difference in power with great coverage like Focus Blast, Fire Blast, and Hydro Pump. People don't prepare for this mon like they should and where mons can tank other special attacking Dragons, they just crumble to Hydreigon. Take advantage of this mon while the meta favors it.


Blissey UR -> B-
As a special attacker, your only way to beat this is Trick+Disable or stall. Unlike its more defensive sister Chansey, Trick itself poses very little threat to Blissey as it's able to 3 shot effectively every special Trick user and use Shadow Ball's 40% SpD drop to cheese past anything that thinks it can out-Rest it and Blissey can simply set up and crit past any opposing CM or NP users. In addition to blanketing special attackers, which is already a pretty sweet niche, it has a good matchup against many stall Pokemon such as Corsola, Corviknight, Ferrothorn, Slowbro, Aromatisse, Porygon2, Whimsicott, and Gastrodon.
Blissey (F) @ Scope Lens / Silk Scarf
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 48 Def / 244 SpA / 216 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Shadow Ball
- Flamethrower
- Hyper Voice



Scyther UR -> B
Scyther @ Eviolite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 224 HP / 36 Atk / 32 SpD / 216 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dual Wingbeat
- Roost
- Struggle Bug
- Knock Off

This is something I was actually surprised to see wasn't ranked. The set actually covers quite a bit, being able to bulk a scarf PZ Hyper Beam and KO with the combo of Knock Off into Dual Wingbeat, albeit risking a 50/50 against Trick. After that, you've got a nice handful of clean wins against Primarina, Urshifu, Rillaboom, Dracovish, Gardevoir, Sawk, Kommo-o, Whimsicott, etc, and bunch of other wins based on sets like Disable Dragapult, non-Band Snorlax, non-Yawn Sylveon, non-stall Azumarill, etc. There's also been some potenial there with the more offensive sets like Band or Life Orb to be explored, so I'd say the ceiling is quite high for this one, which is why I feel like you could absolutely justify B- or higher, alongside multiple mons of similar caliber.
this tbh


Zarude UR -> B? B+? A-? A?
It's a little early for me to try to nail down exactly where this thing should lay, it's looking very far from being an inferior Rillaboom. This Choice Scarf set is ridiculously anti-meta, beating 11 of and checking an additional 2 of the 19 Pokemon between A- and S. Relative to Choice Band/Life Orb Rillaboom, it gets wins against Dragapult, Togekiss, non-Band Haxorus, non-Specs Hydreigon, Volcarona, Celebi, Chandelure, Gengar and Centiskorch while missing out on only Sylveon, Snorlax, Aromatisse, Moonblast Whimsicott, Sawk, and Steelix. Besides this set, Zarude has plenty of potential with other great moves like Encore, Bulk Up, and Snarl so expect to see even more tech. I dig this mon.
Zarude @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Leaf Guard
EVs: 236 Atk / 68 Def / 4 SpD / 200 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Power Whip
- Rock Slide
- Superpower
- Darkest Lariat
 

Murm

formerly Murman
is a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributor
Dwebble UR -> D

Even though DLC hit Dwebble hard with the introduction of Urshifu and the reintroduction of mons like Magnezone, Dwebble still has a usable niche. It is a Crustle that can beat Dragapult and Zeraora reliably. This is the set https://pokepast.es/c6e39dadf6ce7628. It has some merit and it has the slightest of niches, so thats why I think it should be placed in D Tier. If you need a mon like Crustle on a team thats weak to Dragapult or Zeraora, Dwebble is your mon.
 

Here Comes Team Charm!

Perhaps the stars
is a Community Contributoris a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnus
Dwebble UR -> D

Even though DLC hit Dwebble hard with the introduction of Urshifu and the reintroduction of mons like Magnezone, Dwebble still has a usable niche. It is a Crustle that can beat Dragapult and Zeraora reliably. This is the set https://pokepast.es/c6e39dadf6ce7628. It has some merit and it has the slightest of niches, so thats why I think it should be placed in D Tier. If you need a mon like Crustle on a team thats weak to Dragapult or Zeraora, Dwebble is your mon.
Before the DLC I think there was some merit to this, but Urshifu/Magnezone aren't the only new threats dwebble has to worry about. It can't really beat Zarude, loses to Chansey where Crustle generally doesn't, and doesn't even beat Porygon-Z*. I'm genuinely sceptical of the claim that this is a 'mon like crustle' when it can't even kill one of crustle's biggest targets, and having to give up Counter to beat Zeraora (who generally already loses to crustle) is a terrible deal on top of all that. The dragapult match-up is the only selling point here, and other mons just do that better.

*+2 max speed Dwebble ends up exactly one point slower than max speed scarf PZ, T1 Rock Wrecker doesn't ohko bc this is a Dwebble, Uproar 2hkos.
 
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Substantial Changes in Viability Rankings

Hey guys, I was out of the loop for a significant time between the end of PL and the beginning of WCop, with my only opinions on the meta being the result of ladder games, room tours, and spectating others in tournament. After building and helping build a sizable amount of teams in this post-DLC meta, I wanted to make a long post explaining some of the Drops/Rises I'll be making to my VR votes.

:porygon-z: S --> S-

:Porygon-Z: :Chople Berry:
Porygon-Z @ Chople Berry
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 132 HP / 252 Def / 108 SpA / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Hyper Beam
- Eerie Impulse
- Recover

:Porygon-Z: :Chople Berry:
Porygon-Z @ Chople Berry
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 148 Def / 136 SpA / 224 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Hyper Beam
- Conversion
- Nasty Plot

:Porygon-Z: :Choice Specs:
Porygon-Z @ Choice Specs
Ability: Adaptability
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 148 Def / 136 SpA / 224 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hyper Beam
- Thunderbolt/Uproar
- Trick
- Nasty Plot/Thunderbolt/Recover

:Porygon-Z: :Choice Scarf:
Porygon-Z @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hyper Beam
- Uproar
- Trick
- Dark Pulse/Nasty Plot/Recover

Porygon-Z is the strongest pokemon in the meta by a huge margin. 130 Base Special Attack coupled with a 150 BP Adaptability-boosted STAB move is no joke, and it's not a surprise that P-Z is well-regarded as the best pokemon in the metagame. Pory has undoubtedly warped the meta around itself, being a primary contributor to the Assault Vest spam prominently found in SwSh. Porygon-Z also has several extremely viable sets, including Scarfed, Specs, and Chople Conversion. Players are, more often than not, forced to run Assault Vest or use very specific EVs to supplement their natural bulk and tank P-Z's moves while KO-ing back, a daunting task.

My thoughts on P-Z, however, seem to indicate that I do not believe my own words. I'm voting it down a step, rather than keeping it at S after admitting that it is the strongest mon in 1v1. This is because Porygon-Z is so dominant than players cannot help but run several checks to the mon per team, making it considerably less useful at team preview, and players are less inclined to bring it to tour because of this. Very rarely does Porygon-Z have a good match-up against a well-built team. As I stated, Porygon warps the meta around itself, which is a sign of unhealthiness. While I don't think that Porygon-Z is bannable, I definitely recommend keeping a close eye on it to see how it fits into a more developed and less fluctuating metagame.

:togekiss: A --> S-

:togekiss: :choice specs:
Togekiss @ Choice Specs
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Air Slash
- Trick
- Roost
- Dazzling Gleam

:togekiss: :choice specs:
Togekiss @ Choice Specs
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 116 Def / 140 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Air Slash
- Trick
- Dazzling Gleam
- Flamethrower/Fire Blast

:togekiss: :choice scarf:
Togekiss @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 40 HP / 12 Def / 204 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Air Slash
- Dazzling Gleam
- Fire Blast/Nasty Plot
- Trick

:togekiss: :maranga berry:
Togekiss @ Maranga Berry
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 64 Def / 104 SpD / 88 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Air Slash
- Roost
- Nasty Plot
- Thunder Wave

:togekiss: :yache berry:/:kebia berry:/:wacan berry:/:charti berry:/:Babiri berry:
Togekiss @ Yache/Kebia/Wacan/Charti/Babiri Berry
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 248 Def / 8 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Counter
- Air Slash
- Amnesia
- Rest

Togekiss is wayyyy too strong of a mon to be ranked at A, in my honest opinion. What was previously regarded as a hax-reliant and inconsistent mon in previous generations is now well-recognized as an insanely strong and versatile Special Attacker, capable of running specific moves, EVs, or items that let it take on almost any pokemon in the SwSh metagame. Specs Togekiss acts as an anti-stall threat, able to trick away its Specs and force the opponent to use weak attacking or status moves again and again. Togekiss can then whittle it down with strong Air Slashes while remaining faster than the usually slow opponent, which Trick Scarf does not give togekiss the benefit of. The second Specs set allows Togekiss to tank a Life Orb boosted Bullet Punch from max Attack Adamant Scizor and KO back with Flamethrower or Fire Blast. Fire Blast guarantees the kill on Max HP Occa Berry Scizor, whereas Flamethrower is a roll to KO. Togekiss also finds extreme viability with sets like Maranga/Kee Berry, Choice Scarf, or Max HP Max Defense Counter. This mon is nigh impossible to predict at preview and gives me intense Jirachi flashbacks. I'm of the opinion that this mon is incredibly solid, if not broken, with the only issue being the medium to high opportunity cost for running sets like Counter or Specs.

:kyurem: B+ --> A-/A

:kyurem: :Assault vest:
Kyurem @ Assault Vest
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 4 Def / 8 SpA / 248 Spe
Modest Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Freeze-Dry / Ice Beam
- Earth Power
- Glaciate

:kyurem: :chople berry:
Kyurem @ Chople Berry
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 176 HP / 144 SpA / 188 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Glaciate
- Draco Meteor
- Rest
- Earth Power

:kyurem: :choice scarf:
Kyurem @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 SpA / 8 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Ice Beam
- Freeze-Dry
- Focus Blast

As Potatochan says: "every team is 3-0ed by Kyurem." Kyurem is just a solid mon in the metagame. AV can beat non-Assault Vest Primarina, Magnezone, Togekiss and other strong Special Attackers that Kyurem can slow with Glaciate and KO with a stronger stab move. Chople Kyurem allows it to take on mons like Sawk and Darmanitan-Galar. Kyurem can alternatively run Charti or Haban Berry in order to beat Rhyperior/Crustle and opposing Dragons that it does not outspeed and KO. Scarfed Kyurem is a fun, surprising set that takes mons such as Dragapult, Scarfed Togekiss, and Hydreigon. Overall, Kyurem is an anti-meta mon with enough versatility to make teambuilding a real struggle in this meta. Kyurem is also a Team Preview threat, as its variable sets aren't always apparent before a battle starts. Kyurem is kinda slept on in my opinion, and a better home for it would be in the A- or A rank, with mons of similar viability like Magnezone and Zeraora.

:rhyperior: B- --> B+

:rhyperior: :choice Band:
SEB2DRIPPY (Rhyperior) @ Choice Band
Ability: Solid Rock
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Rock Wrecker
- Earthquake
- Rock Blast
- Heat Crash/Poison Jab

:rhyperior: :assault vest:
Rhyperior @ Assault Vest
Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Earthquake
- Metal Burst
- Rock Blast
- Bulldoze

Fast, Choice Banded Rhyperior has made a comeback. SEB2DRIPPY, as it is colloquially known, punishes slow, Assault Vest-clad mons like Primarina and Goodra. 140 Base Attack hits like an absolute truck when powering up a 150 Base Power STAB move, OHKOing damn near everything that doesn't resist it. Gardevoir, Porygon-Z, Hydreigon, and others all fall victim to Rock Wrecker. Rhyperior's other powerful STAB move, Earthquake, breaks through Steel Types that resist Rock Wrecker. Rhyperior also has 130 Base Defense and the fantastic defensive Ability Solid Rock, allowing it to tank a surprising amount of Super Effective moves on the physical side before KOing back with its insane Attack. Rhyperior can also run Assault vest to tank a shocking amount of Super Effective Special Attacks before KOing with Metal Burst. B- is far too low for SEB. It currently shares company with out of favor mons like Steelix and Gengar, whereas its viability is more aligned with actual threats like Gardevoir, Marowak-Alola, and Sawk.

:weezing-Galar: C --> B-

:weezing-galar: :choice specs:
Weezing-Galar @ Choice Specs
Ability: Neutralizing Gas
EVs: 248 HP / 96 Def / 88 SpA / 76 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Wave
- Overheat
- Thunderbolt
- Strange Steam

A casual observer would say that this mon is a Special Attacker, but they'd be wrong. This mon is a BEAST of a physical wall that has Specs slapped on it to do any sort of damage to the things it tanks. It's a solid anti-meta mon, beating both Urshifus, Darm-G, Vish, Zera, and more (basically just physical attackers though). While I understand that this mon is sometimes tough to build around, the AV meta really appreciates a physical take with great offensive typing and a solid movepool to cover threats. This mon is definitely underrated and deserves a B- rank.

:tentacruel: UR --> C+

:tentacruel: :assault vest:
Tentacruel @ Assault Vest
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 16 SpA / 80 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Acid Spray
- Mirror Coat
- Sludge Wave
- Hydro Pump

This is such a bittersweet nom, seeing as one of my WC teams was 3-0ed by Assault Vest Tentacruel in my series vs eblurb. Tentacruel abuses Assualt Vest with the rest of them, bulky enough that it can be EVed to tank hits from even the strongest special attackers. This set has the bulk to tank Modest Specs Porygon-Z Hyper Beam 100% of the time and KO back with Acid Spray into Hydro Pump, or you can just click Mirror Coat if you don't expect Trick/Eerie Impulse. Tenta's typing also lets it take on fairies like Primarina, Sylveon, and Aromatisse (check out LCB's Poison-Type post if you want to learn more about poison type's viability in SwSh), with enough defense to live Specs Sylveon Psyshock 100% of the time and KO back with Mirror Coat. This mon is the perfect example of an otherwise unassuming anti-meta threat.


:bronzong: UR --> C-

:bronzong: :choice specs:
Bronzong @ Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Flash Cannon
- Psychic
- Trick
- Rest

Definitely not the best mon to exist, but it has a niche and is thus deserving of a rank. Specs Trick zong beats things like Aroma, some Rillabooms, Togekiss, Urshifu-Rapid-Strike, and stall susceptible to Trick. I'd put it at C- instead of D because it surprises a few people expecting some sort of Sitrus Berry stall set.

Misc. Tech:
Nothing too groundbreaking, just a few things that I thought were clever or funny when building. I couldn't find a proper use for some of these because of the extremely small niches they fulfill, but a lot of them work great as baits or lures.

:magnezone: :kee berry:
Magnezone @ Kee Berry
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Iron Defense
- Body Press
- Rest
- Toxic
This is a kinda silly Magnezone set that lures in Banded Snorlax and other slow Physical Attackers. Kee + Iron Defense makes the Body Press hit like an absolute truck, especially coming off of Mag's 115 Base Defense stat. This set can also beat stall mons that would usually beat Magnezone like Blissey or Chansey.

:goodra: :roseli berry:
Goodra @ Roseli Berry
Ability: Gooey
EVs: 148 HP / 12 Def / 252 SpA / 96 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Acid Spray
- Counter
- Sludge Wave
- Draco Meteor
Fun lure set, EVs and item to tank Sylveon and Poison moves to take it down. Not much else to it.

:urshifu: :wacan berry: :liechi berry:
Urshifu-Rapid-Strike @ Wacan/Liechi Berry
Ability: Unseen Fist
EVs: 220 Atk / 156 SpD / 132 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Surging Strikes
- Substitute
- Reversal
- Bulk Up
This set acts as either a Magnezone lure, a Goodra Lure, or both, depending on the bulk of the opposing Goodra. 156 Spdf allows it to tank a Modest Thunderbolt from Specs Magnezone 100% of the time (although this set does lose to clicking Electro Web [nobody does that]) and KO with Surging Strikes into Reversal. This set can sub until 1% to beat Goodra, unless they're running near max HP max Defense, which is where Liechi comes into use. Not a super viable lure, but a whole lot of fun.
 
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clerica

fly me up to Jupiter
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Hiya! After pools and playing waaaaay too much DLC I have decided a few mons in particular deserve some recognition.

:kyurem: B+ --> A-
Board a jet (Kyurem) @ Choice Band
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 40 Def / 216 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Icicle Spear
- Iron Head
- Outrage
- Dual Wingbeat
Kyurem in general is a nightmare on preview and has a million different sets. From Scarf, to Specs, to Haban, to Chople, to Roseli, to Band... yea you get the idea. This mon can run just about anything it wants and the options are endless. I made this cool band set which beats a lot of the things scarf beats like Curse Pult while also beating things like Band Sawk and Volcarona. This set also 3kos Prim with Iron Head and you get 2kod by non Specs Prim so you can cheese some wins vs Prim and Sylv with 1 flinch. Overall I've come to realize that although each individual set is easy to counter, playing against a Kyurem is hell on preview because it has so many possible sets and can tech for so much. Definitely deserves a slight raise. It's got great stats and a solid enough typing to take on a ton of the metagame.
Band Matchups through B

:snorlax: A --> A+
Mr. Ron (Snorlax) @ Iapapa Berry
Ability: Gluttony
EVs: 156 HP / 20 Atk / 252 Def / 80 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Giga Impact/Double Edge
- Protect
- Yawn
- Belly Drum
I could go on all day about this mon. Insane movepool and great stats allow Snorlax to function super well in dlc. Band still nukes a ton of the metagame along with a ton of the new mons like Scizor (almost always), Zone with a little spdef invest, and non Specs Porygon-Z. The beauty of this mon however is the variety it provides. Apart from band you have sets like Ron (Chople stall), Yawn, AV and all sorts of fun sets that take care of most of the counters to band. Ron beats a ton of the physical mons that can wipe out band before it can moves and AV solidifies matchups against a lot of the powerful special mons in the meta as well. Overall, Snorlax is similar to Kyurem in that it has a ton of sets and can be a nightmare on preview. It's super easy to just splash Snorlax on any team as it pairs really well with already good mons like Primarina or Dragapult to make an extremely strong core.

:Urshifu: B+ --> A-
Eddie Benjamin (Urshifu) @ Chople Berry
Ability: Unseen Fist
EVs: 80 HP / 252 Def / 176 Spe
Impish Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Iron Defense
- Taunt
- Body Press
- Counter
Why on Earth is this mon in B+? Urshifu-S is incredibly strong and does a ton of the same things Urshifu-R already does while being able to cover some of the flaws Urshifu-R has. Scarf with Fling allows it to beat Dragapult and Gardevoir which are normally seen as counters. This set I made was a Piper cteam for mons like Darm-G, Haxorus, Rillaboom, Conk, and a ton of good physical attackers. Just ID or counter and you wall so many physical mons because it has such a nice speed tier and an insane defense stat. Urshifu-S is also another one of those hell on preview mons as you can't tell which form it is without guessing and it is also quite versatile in that it can run so many different sets and options. Although it may not have a multihit crit move and a slightly worse typing, I see no reason for Urshifu to not be A- at a minimum. It does almost the same things Rapid Strike does and has had a lot of success this world cup with people like Sice, Eblurb and myself bringing it in our games among others.
ID Bpress Matchups through B

:mienshao: UR --> C+/B-
Lonely (Mienshao) @ Life Orb
Ability: Reckless
EVs: 16 HP / 252 Def / 40 SpD / 200 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- High Jump Kick
- Bulk Up
- Laser Focus

Lonely (Mienshao) @ Life Orb
Ability: Reckless
EVs: 16 HP / 236 Def / 40 SpD / 216 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fake Out
- High Jump Kick
- Bulk Up
- Rock Slide
Mienshao is a really nice mon at the moment. It does a similar thing to Normal Gem Fake Out Hitmonlee where it fakes out (or doesn't) into HJK to ko. The difference between the two is that mienshao is slower, but bulkier and stronger thanks to Reckless. This means that Mienshao beats the same things that Hitmonlee can beat, while also gaining certain matchups such as the Crustle matchup which Hitmonlee couldn't reliably win before. The first set I pasted is the one I used in world cup vs frostyicelad made by Squirtell. It's a really solid Sturdy/stall breaker that helped me win game 5 vs him. The second set I pasted is creeped for Salazzle and Volcarona with Rock Slide over Laser Focus to gain those matchups. Overall, Mienshao is just a really solid mon that deserves to be on the VR that we will hopefully see more people using as time goes on.
Matchups through B

:goodra: B- --> B
Anxious (Goodra) @ Roseli Berry
Ability: Sap Sipper/Gooey
EVs: 152 HP / 156 Def / 104 SpA / 96 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Acid Spray
- Fire Blast/Counter
- Sludge Wave
Goodra is such a good mon currently in the meta. Gone are the days of Haban Goodra and welcome to the age of AV and Roseli Goodra. AV allows it to take on things like PZ and a lot of the current special attackers in the meta, and Roseli allows it to beat Prim and Sylv most of the time. The set above is one I used vs frostyicelad that's bulked for a Specs Sylv Hyper Beam and you can ko back. Goodra is also known as the fwg core beater as it has super solid matchups vs nearly all Fire Water and Grass mons in the meta which makes makes it really good against fwg teams that you see like the infamous Darm Prim Rilla team people love to spam a ton. In general Goodra is just a super solid mon that really enjoys some of the changes dlc brought along and deserves a raise.

Might go over some other mons after playoffs but this is what I got from pools so far. Thankies for reading and try these mons out <3

Edit: Thx xsc for pointing out to run double edge on lax, you can kinda run anything there but double edge is probably more optimal
 
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I was going to wait until WCOP totally finished before updating my votes, but I think the meta has developed quite fast which needs to be addressed. I'll talk about all of the changes I make from S through to C+ and give a little reasoning as to why. I'd write an essay for each but don't really want to get too carried away when these votes will probably change in a month or two anyway

:darmanitan-galar:Drop from A+ to A
Thought about this for a while and was skeptical to change my vote, but I think it's deserved. Zeraora's rise in usage over WCOP is a huge deterrent, alongside newly introduced DLC threats that it can't muscle past such as Magnezone, Slowbro, and Urshifu-R (sure, you could run zen headbutt on band to bop some Urshifu-R but that's a heavy cost in comparison to other valuable coverage options). With more mons also comes more opportunity cost as to what you gain and lose depending on if you run band or scarf. I'd argue band is definitely the way to go in this meta, though it really doesn't appreciate how splashable chilan berry has become due to Porygon-Z's heavy influence. Zen mode, while really cool, hasn't been explored enough to convince me that it shouldn't drop.

:sylveon:Drop from A+ to A
I hadn't changed this vote in a long time. Initially it was A+ since early meta was a whole load of Urshifu and scarf Porygon-Z spam, to which bulky specs Sylveon was a really simple and easy answer to. Now that the meta has settled, there's a touch less appeal in slapping Sylveon on a team and calling it a day when you have some super prominant threats like Rillaboom, Magnezone, Arcanine and Chansey. Not dropping Sylveon because it's gotten any worse, but rather because I think I overstated it early on in the meta.

:togekiss:Rise from A to A+
Please believe me when I say that this change does not bring me any sort of joy or satisfaction. As per usual, scarf is its worst set but ladder goons keep spamming it because haha flinch go brrrrr! If we look at WCOP gameplay, I believe the most standard trends were a combination of a bulkier spdf set with thunder wave + nasty plot, or choice specs, both of which are incredibly threatening. Togekiss definitely rewards the builders that are capable of getting creative by adjusting its standard options to tailor for specific threats, whilst still maintaining generally positive matchups without many repercussions.

:snorlax:Rise from A- to A
Snorlax already sits at A, but I had it at A- previously which currently would be a gross understatement. Choice band hasn't really changed a whole lot and is still stupidly strong, though the bigger factor for me is the increased prevalence of its stall set. It's super bulky and not totally one dimensional for a stall pokemon, boasting a few viable 4th move options which allows it to pick its matchups based on what the team desires.

:zeraora:Rise from A- to A+
Jumping up two ranks seems like a big step, and it is, which is a testament to how fantastic Zeraora is right now. Zeraora has heavily developed with the addition of DLC threats, now shifting away from choice band and favoring a more dynamic approach with life orb four attacks proving to be the new standard, though bulk up and endure + pinch berry sets are nothing to be scoffed at either. Let's take a look at the usage stats for WCOP. Out of the top 15 most used mons, standard life orb + 3 attacks Zeraora beats Urshifu (#1), Primarina (#2), Togekiss (#5), Porygon-Z (#6), Magnezone and Azumarill (both even at #9), Haxorus (#12), Sawk, Darmanitan-Galar and Dragapult (all even at #13). This is under the assumption of standard matchups, not vs less common lures. Of course it can be lured with stuff like wacan Urshifu / Togekiss, but general matchups are more important than less-common lures. I don't want to ignore the low WCOP Zeraora winrate of 34%, but I also don't want to use this as a means of undermining my own justification since winrate is more reminiscent of a player's picking habits than it is of the pokemon's viability.

:azumarill:
Rise from B+ to A-
I was far too focused on trying to use this as a physical breaker before realizing that stall was a far superior set. Nothing more to say other than me looking for answers about this mon in the wrong places.

:kyurem:Rise from B+ to A-
Not totally sure why this mon doesn't get the attention it deserves. Has something like 4 viable sets which can really be a menace when you're trying to account for every possibility. I personally favor assault vest most due to how stupid splashable it is when you want a quick answer to stuff like Primarina, Magnezone, and Porygon-Z. Noble roar is still great despite not seeing much use at the moment in combination with resist berries. I also find it a touch out of place when you look at the pool of B+ mons it sits with, though this isn't a justification but rather an observation. Meta shifts will quickly determine whether Kyurem can consistently hold its weight in A-, but right now I think that's deserving.

:scizor:
Rise from C+ to B
Scizor boasts some impressive usage stats in WCOP, and rightfully so now that the meta has developed. Boasting very respectable natural bulk and stellar offensive capabilities have definitely solidified Scizor in a meta where it was once a touch confused. Life orb / occa berry are both great, though the cherry on top sits within its impressive moveset that usually consists of swords dance, bullet punch, dual wingbeat and either superpower / bug bite (bug bite is in usage though I'm pretty sure dual wingbeat hits the same targets). I can see this rising again in the future, but for now it's justified at B.

:scyther: Rise from Unranked to B
Echoing everything Rosa said above, since she really hit the nail on the head with this nomination. I do want to add that laser focus is a nice option over struggle bug for Corsola-G since they're not running wisp anymore. Also just a nice tech to have which can be useful when you don't expect it to be.

:weezing-galar:Rise from C to C+
Echoing everything Waylaid said above, though not to the same extent which is why I feel like C+ is more appropriate considering the dominance of assault vest.

:tentacruel:
Rise from Unranked to C
Didn't think too much of this initially (and I still don't) but there's a niche which I can't deny that should definitely be acknowledged as Waylaid outlined previously.

:furret::furret::furret::furret::furret::furret::furret::furret::furret::furret::furret:Furret wall:furret::furret::furret::furret::furret::furret::furret::furret::furret::furret::furret:
That's pretty much all I've got to say for now. It's great to have a major tour occuring so close to when DLC dropped; new innovations have become standard quite fast, though it'll be a very welcome change when (and if) the assault vest spam lightens up. This is going to be a wild meta moving forward. And remember friends... train your luck stat!
 
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Ok lads. I have played all my World Cup games and while I'm not exactly happy with my performance I would like to thing I have quite a solid grasp on the meta. I've held off until making noms until World Cup had concluded and too me this is early enough to make them. I'm only gonna go over what I voted on here if you want to see my opinions on each mon I left note on the sheet, may do a more nuanced post on the meta as a whole in metagame discussion soon.

Without further ago, here are my votes for the post-World Cup SS metagame as well as some sets to complement them, I encourage you to make your own but hopefully I can provide a starting point. (If I stole your set and you don't want it to be public lmk)

My votes don't represent where mons are or where they are going, just what my previous and current votes are
I'll be skipping over a lot of C stuff unless I really want to say something since a lot of them I don't have a bunch to say about

Rises

:Primarina: A+ to S-: If I had to describe Prim in one word I would say it's splashable. This mon is so incredibly versatile and while new additions such as Zone and Rilla are a thorn in its side it doesn't stop Prim from covering a shit ton of the meta. I think easily the best traits of this mon are its typing and the fact that it can basically run whatever item it wants for minimal cost. If you want to make a strong core or patch a hole Prim is def what I think of first.
Primarina @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 248 HP / 212 Def / 36 SpD / 12 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Encore
- Moonblast
- Hydro Cannon

Primarina @ Assault Vest
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 248 HP / 68 Def / 52 SpA / 140 SpD
Calm Nature
- Sparkling Aria
- Aqua Jet
- Moonblast
- Energy Ball

Primarina (F) @ Chilan Berry
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 232 Def / 20 SpA / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
- Hydro Cannon
- Sparkling Aria
- Aqua Jet
- Moonblast

:Dragapult: A to A+: This vote was based off skepticism and I've used and seen Pult still be the versatile monster it always has been. Not much to add past that.
Dragapult @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 244 HP / 160 Def / 104 SpD
Jolly Nature
- Curse
- Substitute
- Disable
- Phantom Force

Dragapult @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 72 HP / 248 Atk / 152 SpD / 36 Spe
Careful Nature
- Outrage
- Dragon Darts
- Phantom Force
- U-turn (Malamar cteam you can easily replace lmao)

Dragapult @ Choice Band
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 132 HP / 252 Atk / 124 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Outrage
- Dragon Darts
- Phantom Force
- Sucker Punch

Dragapult @ Haban Berry
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 248 Atk / 136 Def / 124 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Dragon Darts
- Disable
- Substitute

:Snorlax: A+ to S-: This mon has become defining. I think it's a perfect example of the term "tank." Lax is just incredibly fat and it also has p good offensive capabilities with band but I think most people know the true star of the show, Ron Lax. Counter/Amnesia/Rest/Rock Tomb Chople has such absurdly good MUs. It's one of few stall mons that make Trick mons weary and it's just super tanky. Wins so many MUs off sheer bulk as well it has a shit ton of opportunity to run lures and unconventional sets.
Snorlax (M) @ Chople Berry
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 228 HP / 252 Def / 28 SpD
Careful Nature
- Amnesia
- Counter
- Rock Tomb
- Rest

Snorlax @ Chople Berry
Ability: Immunity
EVs: 252 HP / 72 Atk / 184 Def
Adamant Nature
- Protect
- Yawn
- Double-Edge
- Heat Crash

Snorlax @ Choice Band
Ability: Thick Fat
EVs: 252 Atk / 248 Def / 8 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Outrage
- Heavy Slam
- Heat Crash
- Giga Impact

:Togekiss: A+ to S: Legit top 3 mon in the meta rn. It can do such an insane amount of things and there are a few reasons for that. 1. Really good typing is just excellent both offensively and defensively in this meta, there is very little that has an inherent edge over Toge I think the one exception being some Fires. 2. It's fat. 85/95/115 is really good and outdoes a lot of stall mons. 3. Excellent movepool. Gets excellent options such as Amnesia, Counter, and Charm that help in its stall endeavor. Fire Blast, Trick, and Thunder Wave that help patch up some of its weaknesses. 4. 55% to autowin MUs that you may lose zzz
s/os justrav for showing me the truth that is togekiss
Togekiss @ Maranga Berry
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 64 Def / 104 SpD / 88 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Air Slash
- Roost
- Nasty Plot
- Thunder Wave

Togekiss @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Air Slash
- Dazzling Gleam
- Rest
- Trick

Togekiss @ Choice Specs
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 128 HP / 28 Def / 96 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Dazzling Gleam
- Air Slash
- Rest
- Trick

Togekiss @ Life Orb
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 96 Def / 100 SpD / 60 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Air Slash
- Dazzling Gleam
- Thunder Wave
- Roost

Togekiss @ Charti Berry
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 180 HP / 36 Def / 156 SpA / 56 SpD / 80 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Air Slash
- Mystical Fire
- Imprison
- Rest

(insert wacan, yache, charm/amnesia, and imprison mimic here)

:Rillaboom: A to A+: It's just super strong and seeds are cool. This mon has become an essential part of the meta and for good reason. Would be better if PZ/Darm-G never ran bulk.
Rillaboom @ Choice Band
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 220 Atk / 40 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Wood Hammer
- Grassy Glide
- Knock Off
- Superpower

Rillaboom @ Grassy Seed
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Leech Seed
- Protect
- Substitute
- Body Press

Rillaboom @ Life Orb
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 252 Atk / 200 SpA / 56 Spe
Naughty Nature
- Fake Out
- Wood Hammer
- Frenzy Plant
- Grassy Glide

Rillaboom (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Fake Out
- Wood Hammer
- Grassy Glide
- Superpower

:Zeraora: B+ to A-: My personal morals prevent me from writing anything positive about this mon but it's a canvas mon.
Zeraora @ Life Orb
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Fake Out
- Plasma Fists
- Play Rough
- Grass Knot

Zeraora @ Choice Band
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Plasma Fists
- Close Combat
- Outrage
- Play Rough

Zeraora @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 244 HP / 252 Atk / 12 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Plasma Fists
- Outrage
- Close Combat
- Play Rough

Zeraora @ Assault Vest
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 112 HP / 216 Atk / 124 SpD / 56 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Plasma Fists
- Outrage
- Knock Off
- Close Combat

Zeraora @ Salac Berry
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Plasma Fists
- Charge
- Endure
- Reversal

Zeraora @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 76 HP / 180 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Bulk Up
- Plasma Fists
- Knock Off
- Drain Punch

:Kyurem: B+ to A+: Overnight this mon went from hardly finding a niche to metagame staple. The central things that keep this mon afloat are its excellent stats and typing. Every stat is above average allowing Kyurem to do many a thing, the most noteworthy thing to me is being able to be incredibly bulky while still being fairly fast and strong. While questionable defensively, the typing's issues can be alleviated w/ berries but the main draw is its really good offensive capabilities when you keep Freeze Dry, Glaciate, and Earth Power in mind. Fairies no longer rule the meta and while it's not a fan of new meta mainstays such as Lax, Toge, and Urshi it still finds itself in a wonderful place in the tier.
Kyurem @ Assault Vest
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 24 Def / 56 SpA / 44 SpD / 136 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Freeze-Dry
- Earth Power
- Glaciate

Kyurem @ Choice Scarf/Specs
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Freeze-Dry
- Iron Head
- Focus Blast

Kyurem @ Chople Berry
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Freeze-Dry
- Glaciate
- Imprison

Kyurem @ Haban Berry
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 232 HP / 108 Def / 168 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Noble Roar
- Roost
- Draco Meteor
- Ice Beam

:Dracozolt: B to B+: This mon is p antimeta atm. People are spamming Toge, Lax, and Prim and Zolt nukes all of em. Something that often flies under the radar is how bulky this thing is allowing it to tank some hits from stuff you wouldn't expect it to. Pretty straight forward mon but that doesn't really hurt its case.
Dracozolt @ Choice Band/Scarf
Ability: Hustle
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Bolt Beak
- Outrage
- Fire Fang
- Earthquake

:Rhyperior: B to B+: Porygon-Z, Toge, and Zera becoming much more popular have really boosted this thing in my eyes. It just has a naturally good typing and it's strong throwing Rock Wreckers and EQs off 145 attack ain't nothing to scoff at. AV is also quite nice allowing it to live unexpected hits due to its natural bulk and Solid Rock. Random resist berries allow you to cheese some MUs w/ Metal Burst but it's unreliable and has a high opportunity cost, still worth mentioning imo.
SEB2DRIPPY (Rhyperior) @ Choice Band
Ability: Solid Rock
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Rock Wrecker
- Earthquake
- Swords Dance
- Fling

Rhyperior @ Choice Band
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Impish Nature
- Rock Wrecker
- Rock Blast
- Earthquake
- Fire Punch

Rhyperior @ Assault Vest
Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 248 HP / 116 Def / 144 SpD
Impish Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Metal Burst
- Earthquake
- Rock Wrecker
- Rock Blast

Rhyperior @ Assault Vest
Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Rock Wrecker
- Rock Blast
- Earthquake
- Metal Burst

:Goodra: B to B+: This mon is a tank, unfort unlike Lax having only one easily fixable weakness Goodra has several weaknesses. Can't run every berry at once and being weak to fairy is a huge bummer. Overall tho, still a fan of this mon. It's fairly fat and especially specially, killing Goodra is a massive pain and it wins a lot of MUs of this. It can do so much, unfort not at once. It's really good and can be tailored to what your team needs but this mon would be A+ if it had 5 moveslots. I really recommend experimenting w/ this mon tho.
Goodra @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Sap Sipper
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Acid Spray
- Acid Armor
- Rest

Goodra @ Haban Berry
Ability: Gooey
EVs: 248 HP / 132 Def / 124 SpA / 4 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Acid Spray
- Draco Meteor
- Sludge Wave
- Counter

Goodra @ Roseli Berry
Ability: Sap Sipper
EVs: 148 HP / 132 Def / 132 SpA / 96 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Acid Spray
- Fire Blast
- Sludge Wave

:Skarmory: C+ to B: Congrats on being marginally better Corv in a meta where Corv is kinda ass. Long have I sought the answer to the question: why is skarm better? The answer is options Corv doesn't have such as a Torment and an offensive set backed by Sturdy. To me however Corv still reigns supreme in the defensive department. Pressure means less chances to get crit which to me is invaluable on a stall mon. However, I should preface this by saying I believe both are in quite an awkward spot in the meta. Choice mons and physical attackers are either less popular or inherently beat Corv/Skarm (Urshi) using a defensive set. Skarm has been able to carve out somewhat of a niche w/ Torment and Band both of which have decent MUs but overall I'm not a fan personally, not bad but Skarm could benefit from being slightly stronger/specially bulky and it just isn't.
Skarmory @ Figy Berry
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Atk / 128 SpD / 128 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Protect
- Dual Wingbeat
- Roost
- Torment

Skarmory @ Choice Band
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 32 HP / 220 Atk / 80 Def / 176 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Iron Head
- Dual Wingbeat
- Counter
- Body Press

:Scizor: C+ to B: It just wants to do way too much at once imo. If it could run GSC evs and as many moveslots as it wanted it'd be really good, as is it's a mediocre MU fish mon. A case of where versatility doesn't help the mon and instead is all it has.
Anti urshifu/pz (Scizor) @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 128 Atk / 12 Def / 116 SpD / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Dual Wingbeat
- Iron Head
- Superpower

Scizor @ Life Orb
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 HP / 120 Atk / 104 Def / 4 SpD / 28 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Bullet Punch
- Knock Off
- Superpower
- Dual Wingbeat

Anti Magnezone (Scizor) @ Life Orb
Ability: Technician
EVs: 64 HP / 216 Atk / 228 SpD
Adamant Nature
IVs: 20 Spe
- Swords Dance
- Bullet Punch
- Dual Wingbeat
- Superpower

Anti urshifu/pz (Scizor) @ Life Orb
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 128 Atk / 12 Def / 116 SpD / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Bullet Punch
- Dual Wingbeat
- Superpower

Anti Magnezone (Scizor) @ Expert Belt
Ability: Technician
EVs: 56 HP / 32 Atk / 204 SpD / 216 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Superpower
- Bullet Punch
- Bug Bite

Anti Toge / Sylv (Scizor) @ Occa Berry
Ability: Technician
EVs: 16 HP / 252 Atk / 192 SpD / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Bullet Punch
- Dual Wingbeat
- Superpower

Beats Max Specs Pz, less reliability vs darmg (Scizor) @ Occa Berry
Ability: Technician
EVs: 84 HP / 184 Atk / 236 SpD / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Bullet Punch
- Dual Wingbeat
- Superpower

:Ferrothorn: C to C+: PZ being the kingpin makes this mon slightly more epic as a normal resist is p nice. Ferro is still slow and weak tho, very strained MUs. I would be curious to see someone try and find higher potential in this thing as I believe it can find a better niche.
Ferrothorn @ Chople Berry
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Relaxed Nature
- Leech Seed
- Power Whip
- Gyro Ball
- Protect

Ferrothorn @ Occa Berry
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 240 HP / 196 Atk / 48 Def / 24 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Leech Seed
- Gyro Ball
- Power Whip
- Protect

:Clefable: C to C+: Clef is just an inherently good mon but it's just not fit for 1v1, however I think there is a lot of room to explore. As of now I've only found this decent stall set but I'm sure enough dedication will find a notable niche for this thing. I quite like the potential of this mon but even as is the stall set I made is decent, hope to see Clef fully explored one day!
Clefable @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 224 Def / 32 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Charm
- Soft-Boiled
- Calm Mind

Clefable @ Babiri Berry
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 208 Def / 40 SpA / 8 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Calm Mind
- Counter
- Moonlight

Drops
:Darmanitan-Galar: A+ to A: This thing is in a way worse spot than it was pre-dlc. Rilla, PZ, Zone, and the Chilian spam really hurt this thing. I understand that it can bulk Glide and such but isn't the reason some uses Darm-G for insane power? To me Scarf and Bulky Band are fine but imo it's def something created out of necessity instead of ability. Still good but Darm-G doesn't like the new additions at all, still really good at picking at the relics tho.
Darmanitan-Galar @ Choice Band/Scarf
Ability: Gorilla Tactics
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Icicle Crash
- Flare Blitz
- Superpower
- Giga Impact

Darmanitan-Galar @ Choice Band
Ability: Gorilla Tactics
EVs: 16 HP / 36 Atk / 208 Def / 128 SpD / 120 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Icicle Crash
- Giga Impact
- Flare Blitz
- Superpower

Darmanitan-Galar @ Salac Berry
Ability: Zen Mode
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Icicle Crash
- Flare Blitz
- Endure
- Belly Drum

:Azumarill: A to A-: While at first having a really good of impression of this mon I have somewhat lost some hype. Don't get me wrong, it's still quite good in the meta. It has many options such as its Sap Sipper stall set, AV, and some more offensive variants such as CB/BD. To me, this thing is still super scary on preview, being a water that consistently defeats grasses is just super clean. AV also picks up some clean wins on PZ and Zone as well as utilizing its STAB for threats such as Urshi, Kyurem, and Pult. Overall, Azu is a really addition to the tier and I still think it has some room to grow.
Azumarill @ Assault Vest
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 HP / 136 Atk / 120 SpD
Adamant Nature
IVs: 4 Spe
- Play Rough
- Superpower
- Liquidation
- Aqua Jet

Azumarill @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Sap Sipper
EVs: 252 HP / 172 Def / 84 SpD
Impish Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 4 Spe
- Amnesia
- Charm
- Whirlpool
- Rest

Azumarill @ Life Orb
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 HP / 240 Atk / 16 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Belly Drum
- Play Rough
- Liquidation
- Aqua Jet

:Chansey: A- to B+: Stall mons are super mediocre in this meta but Chansey is the creme of the crop ig. Just hurt by the fact it's beat by hella relevant mons such as Urshi and PZ. As well, Chansey is super easy to cheese w/ Toxic+Rest or a set up which to a lot of mons is p inexpensive. It still has nice wins over special attackers such as Prim, Zone, and Kyurem.
Chansey (F) @ Eviolite
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Seismic Toss
- Toxic
- Counter/Charm
- Soft-Boiled

:Dracovish: A to B+: This mon was neutered by DLC. A lot of what it beat beforehand has fallen out of prominence and a lot of new mons are able to deal w/ it. Still some nice wins such as Snorlax, Sylv, and Rhyperior. The SpDef band variant is still quite sexy picking up wins on Gard and Prim while still retaining most MUs, excluding some stall pokes such as Counter Chansey/Gastro. A bulky scarf variant could be worth looking into but as of now I would say Vish is a shell of its former self.
Dracovish @ Choice Band
Ability: Strong Jaw
EVs: 144 Atk / 200 SpD / 164 Spe
Careful Nature
- Fishious Rend
- Outrage
- Psychic Fangs
- Leech Life

Dracovish @ Choice Band/Scarf
Ability: Strong Jaw
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Fishious Rend
- Outrage
- Ice Fang
- Leech Life

:Hawlucha: B+ to B: Gave way too much credit initially. While wins over Urshi, Zone, and Sawk are nothing to scoff at I feel it has very limited MUs. The Endure set has some sauce being able to beat both Rotoms reliably but to me this mon's stats in a few areas kinda force it too either run Band or ditch hella MUs for a select few choice mons w/ Endure. Kinda awkward overall.
Hawlucha @ Choice Band
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Brave Bird
- Stone Edge
- Thunder Punch

Hawlucha @ Liechi Berry
Ability: Limber
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Reversal
- Encore
- Endure
- Toxic

:Mandibuzz: B+ to B: Stall mons in this meta are super wack. Basically every common mon nukes Mandi or prevents it from walling them. Just another relic that is just at cleaning old mons.
Mandibuzz @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 248 HP / 16 Def / 92 SpD / 152 Spe
Bold Nature
- Iron Defense
- Roost
- Snarl
- Taunt

:Centiskorch: B to B-: To me unless you want 100% reliable MU vs Prim (85% of the time) then other fires outdo it for the most part. I will say that beating prim is a p big win but to me why this is so low is that it's p outclassed. Arcanine especially gives it rough competition.
Centiskorch @ Choice Band
Ability: White Smoke
EVs: 224 HP / 68 SpD / 216 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Skitter Smack
- Fire Lash
- Power Whip

Centiskorch @ Assault Vest
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 232 HP / 196 Atk / 80 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Power Whip
- Knock Off
- Flare Blitz
- Lunge

In conclusion, I'd like to say this meta is a bit stale but it's somewhat fun. Some room for growth but I really am looking forward to DLC 2. Don't have much else to add at the end here, peace.
 
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Murm

formerly Murman
is a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributor
https://pokepast.es/7463b6b1e794f512

This is not a meme.

After using Golduck for a long while, I have confirmed that it is a good mon that deserves to be ranked. I would put it as high as B-, but the general consensus is C+ or C. Golduck plays similarly to Aromatisse, but has a lot of different matchups. This is the matchup chart for Golduck. It is really nice for mons like Durant, Dracovish, and Aegislash among others that Aromatisse cannot handle due to its typing and non boosted Moonblast over rain boosted water attacks. Of course, Golduck relies on Swift Swim in order to outspeed, so it can be taunted, disabled, or encored unlike Aromatisse, and since it tries to outspeed other mons instead of underspeeding like Aromatisse, and while that allows it to beat really slow mons like Avalugg, fast scarfers like Darmanitan can outspeed it without a lot of speed investment. It has some flaws and I would say Aromatisse is in general a better choice, but Golduck is fairly flexible with its evs and while it can't run many items, I've had success with Chilan and Wacan, alongside the standard (and probably best) Sitrus. Its typing and rain boosted STAB water moves allows it to carve a niche for itself. Golduck can fit on a lot of teams that want a mon like Aromatisse but can't afford its weaknesses. Overall Golduck is a C/C+ Tier mon that has given me much success, including ladder and SSNL, and I would recommend trying it if you want a mon that plays like Aromatisse but with a different matchup spread.
 
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Some VR Noms-

:Porygon-Z:S to S-
While i know many people have already said this, i will say it again. This mon is certainly top tier and certainly has many things going for it. But as the meta is evolving, more checks to pz rise and whichever mon can beat this, will have a set to beat this. It’s very splashable and useful but not S imo.

:Dragalge: C to C+/B-
This mon finds a niche in the meta using it’s great spdef to check things like Primarina and Porygon-Z, while it certainly outright loses to stuff like Dragapult and Darmanitan-Galar, there‘s a reason why i only nommed it to C+/B-. It has better matchups vs the top mons then the other C ranks, such as Pyukumuku and Keldeo.

:Steelix: B- to B
While this mon has fallen of a bit lately, i still think it should be a solid B tier. It’s torment set, which is it’s best set, outright beats almost every choiced mon. It can beat mons like Crustle, Banded Rillaboom, Darmanitan-Galar reliably which takes it above the other B- tiers imo. It should be higher then the likes of Corviknight and Silvally.

:Rillaboom: A to A+
This mon has been rising in usage a lot. And for good reason, i don’t think i need to tell you how versatile it is with it’s range of sets from Banded and Life orb to Leech seed sets. Reliably beating the likes of Primarina and Dracovish. Also can beat magnezone,
Porygon-Z and Darmanitan-Galar with the right set. I think this mon deserves A+ due to it’s versatility and effectiveness.

:Goodra: B to B+
Before dlc and earlier it was more of a niche mon but nowadays it’s a big threat you definitely need to prepare for. It utterly 3-0’es most fire water grass cores and threatens many special attackers with it’s AV set. It can feasibly run things like counter to beat the likes of band zeraora and others. It’s versatility plays into it’s favour and it is as good as the other B+ ranks imo.


Other noms I agree with:
:Golduck: UR to C/C+
Deserves Rank and has some good matchups. Read Post above for better reasoning
:Rhyperior: B to B+
Just gotten better and it’s band and AV sets are effective. Read 2 posts above for better reasoning.
 
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https://pokepast.es/7463b6b1e794f512

This is not a meme.

After using Golduck for a long while, I have confirmed that it is a good mon that deserves to be ranked. I would put it as high as B-, but the general consensus is C+ or C. Golduck plays similarly to Aromatisse, but has a lot of different matchups. This is the matchup chart for Golduck. It is really nice for mons like Durant, Dracovish, and Aegislash among others that Aromatisse cannot handle due to its typing and non boosted Moonblast over rain boosted water attacks. Of course, Golduck relies on Swift Swim in order to outspeed, so it can be taunted, disabled, or encore unlike Aromatisse, and since it tries to outspeed other mons instead of underspeeding like Aromatisse, and while that allows it to beat really slow mons like Avalugg, fast scarfers like Darmanitan can outspeed it without a lot of speed investment. It has some flaws and I would say Aromatisse is in general a better choice, but Golduck is very flexible with its evs and items and its typing and rain boosted STAB water moves allows it to carve a niche for itself. Golduck can fit on a lot of teams that want a mon like Aromatisse but can't afford its weaknesses. Overall Golduck is a C+ Tier mon that has given me much success, including ladder and SSNL, and I would recommend trying it if you want a mon that plays like Aromatisse but with a different matchup spread.
I'm glad you made this post, as it's a perfect example of everything we look for in nominations for a mon that isn't ranked. You've identified its niche in the meta, provided a set, explained its strengths and weaknesses, and also provided a matchup chart. Nice work, I hope this can serve as a standard moving forward for nominations
 

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
Month 2 of VR Shifts, showing all VR shifts from the month of August!

Total August 1v1 VR Shifts:
Rises

:silvally: 8/1/20: Silvally C+ -> B-
:Indeedee: 8/1/20: Indeedee C -> C+

:Rhyperior: 8/8/20: Rhyperior B- -> B
:Weezing-Galar: 8/8/20: Weezing-Galar C -> C+

:Snorlax: 8/21/20: Snorlax A -> A+
:Togekiss: 8/21/20: Togekiss A -> A+
, 8/31/20: Togekiss A+ -> S-
:Kyurem: 8/21/20: Kyurem B+ -> A-
:Ferrothorn: 8/21/20: Ferrothorn C+ -> B-
:Scizor: 8/21/20: Scizor C+ -> B-
:Zeraora: 8/21/20: Zeraora A- -> A

:Chandelure: 8/28/20: Chandelure B -> B+
:Dracozolt: 8/31/20: Dracozolt B -> B+
:Skarmory: 8/31/20: Skarmory B -> B+
:Venusaur: 8/31/20: Venusaur B- -> B
:Goodra: 8/31/20: Goodra B- -> B


Stayed the Same
:urshifu: 8/21/20: Urshifu-Single B+ -> A-, 8/31/20: Urshifu-Single A- -> B+
:braviary: 8/3/20: Braviary D -> C-, 8/31/20: Braviary C- -> D


Falls
:Mandibuzz: 8/1/20: Mandibuzz B+ -> B
:Alcremie: 8/1/20: Alcremie C- -> D
:Scrafty: 8/1/20: Scrafty D -> UR
:Indeedee-F: 8/1/20: Indeedee-F D -> UR

:Araquanid: 8/28/20: Araquanid C- -> D
:Slowbro: 8/31/20: Slowbro A- -> B+
:Whimsicott: 8/31/20: Whimsicott B+ -> B
:Politoed: 8/31/20: Politoed D -> UR
:Marowak: 8/31/20: Marowak C -> C-
:Exploud: 8/31/20: Exploud C- -> D
:Ninetales: 8/31/20: Ninetales C -> C-
:Corviknight: 8/31/20: Corviknight B -> B-
:Drampa: 8/31/20: Drampa D -> UR
:Quagsire: 8/31/20: Quagsire D -> UR
:Seismitoad: 8/31/20: Seismitoad D -> UR
:Tsareena: 8/31/20: Tsareena D -> UR


This month mostly involved rises, following techs created by both ladder and the then-ongoing World Cup, only ending at the last day with a sudden drop of several Pokemon, mostly Pokemon that once had significant sway in an older version of the Gen 8 1v1 metagame. Pokemon that were once metagame defining, like Corviknight and Mandibuzz, fall further and further from relevance, followed by Pokemon that have failed to stand the test of time. One significant recognition comes with Togekiss, rising to take its place at S-, alongside Primarina and only below Porygon-Z, due to its excellent ability to utilize stall variants, combined with its ever-annoying flinching shenanigans. Something I'm personally surprised to see rise is Dracozolt, though I suppose it makes sense, as there are hardly many Ground Pokemon to severely threaten Electrics.

What are your thoughts on the VR shifts? Anything you agree or disagree with? Anything you think should be brought up that I didn't mention? Post your thoughts here uwu
 

Murm

formerly Murman
is a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributor
https://pokepast.es/7463b6b1e794f512

This is not a meme.

After using Golduck for a long while, I have confirmed that it is a good mon that deserves to be ranked. I would put it as high as B-, but the general consensus is C+ or C. Golduck plays similarly to Aromatisse, but has a lot of different matchups. This is the matchup chart for Golduck. It is really nice for mons like Durant, Dracovish, and Aegislash among others that Aromatisse cannot handle due to its typing and non boosted Moonblast over rain boosted water attacks. Of course, Golduck relies on Swift Swim in order to outspeed, so it can be taunted, disabled, or encored unlike Aromatisse, and since it tries to outspeed other mons instead of underspeeding like Aromatisse, and while that allows it to beat really slow mons like Avalugg, fast scarfers like Darmanitan can outspeed it without a lot of speed investment. It has some flaws and I would say Aromatisse is in general a better choice, but Golduck is fairly flexible with its evs and while it can't run many items, I've had success with Chilan and Wacan, alongside the standard (and probably best) Sitrus. Its typing and rain boosted STAB water moves allows it to carve a niche for itself. Golduck can fit on a lot of teams that want a mon like Aromatisse but can't afford its weaknesses. Overall Golduck is a C/C+ Tier mon that has given me much success, including ladder and SSNL, and I would recommend trying it if you want a mon that plays like Aromatisse but with a different matchup spread.
There I edited it saying its not the most flexible you happy now Waylaid
 

Murm

formerly Murman
is a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributor
I'm really bored so I'm going to go through some of the mons in the VR and talk about my opinions about them.

S

My S Tier is weird and keep in mind their isn't that much of a gap between tiers.

:Porygon-Z: A lot of people are saying that this mon should be in S-, but the fact that it has a variety of good sets makes it S in my opinion. While you could just run brain dead scarf, it can run Chople, specs, and other items. I personally think it is a tier above Primarina, so it should stay in S. Edit: I forgot to say that this mon is banworthy. It is the reason you see so much AV and Chilan Berry.

:Togekiss: This mon is busted. I would love to make a S+ tier just for this thing. The main thing it has over Porygon-Z is versatility. It's stats, movepool, and typing allow it to run almost anything. It also has a wincon as long as it is faster than the opponent and they aren't immune to flinches , because even without Thunder Wave it has a 57% chance to flinch. I spent about an hour looking for a mon that can beat Togekiss 100% of the time and I couldn't find one. The closest I got was Silvally-Electric and Inner Focus Mudsdale, but those are not very common and don't beat a lot of other mons. It is busted and should be banned.

:Primarina: This mon is an extremely solid mon that has some options, but I would leave it in S-. It doesn't have as much variability as Togekiss and even Porygon-Z, and it's answers are more clear cut. It is still an excellent mon with moves like Aqua Jet and Encore that it can use though.

A

:Darmanitan-Galar: Over Gen 8's lifespan people have found more and more ways to deal with this thing. I would personally lower it to A, but the fact that it can run scarf, band, or endure makes it a good mon nonetheless. It has some clear cut answers, but it's power cannot be underestimated.

:Dragapult: It's variety of sets makes it a solid A+ tier mon. It's movepool and speed allow it to be extremely versatile, and a lot of it's counters don't overlap. It isn't S Tier though because it does have clear cut answers and it isn't as versatile as the mons in S.

:Snorlax: While I haven't used this mon much in this gen, it seems very good and it has a lot of options. It is extremely bulky and has a wide movepool, allowing it to run offensive and defensive movesets. For now I would say it is A+ but it could even go up to S- tier in the future and I wouldn't be surprised.

:Urshifu-Rapid-Strike: I would drop this mon down to A personally. It doesn't have all that many options and it's low special defense really leaves it wanting. It has a decent physical movepool and Surging Strikes is a really good move though, and other than it's special defense it's stats are really good, so it is still in A tier, but not A+ in my opinion.

:Crustle: People have gotten used to what this mon can do, and it doesn't have many options, so I would drop it down to A-. It is still really strong and it counters (sometimes literally) a lot of things, but the mons above it have a lot more variability. It is still a great mon though.

:Rillaboom: While it's movepool isn't that vast, the fact that it can run both a really good stall set and really good offensive sets makes it a good mon. Grassy Glide is ridiculous, and it can counter a lot of mons. I would leave it in A tier.

:Sylveon: While at the moment I would keep it in A rank, I could totally see it rise to A+ or even S- if Togekiss was banned. Togekiss and Primarina give Sylveon a lot of competition, but it still has a very good niche and it's ability and bulk makes it super good. I often have to remake teams just because it loses hard to Sylveon, as it counters a lot of mons that other fairies just can't.

:Zeraora: This mon doesn't have all that many options, and it's attack stat is lacking, but it's blistering speed allows it to be good. I would personally keep it in A rank, but I personally think it could drop to A-, especially with how bulky the metagame is. It has been rising in usage though, so I can even see it rising to A+. It's hard to say.

:Arcanine: I would drop this thing to B+. It has a fair amount of options and it has good stats, but I would say it just isn't as good as the mons in A-. It is still a solid mon though, and its variability makes it at least B+ in my eyes.

:Azumarill: This mon should be A- rank at least. It is very bulky and can run both stall and offensive really well. A lot of the counters for those sets don't overlap, and it can even run a set that utilizes stuff from both. Overall it is a very solid mon.

:Dracovish: I can see this thing getting better with more experimentation, but for now I would drop it to B+. It is strong for sure, but all it can really do is attack and it isn't the best in this bulky metagame. All the fairies and dragons running around also doesn't help it, along with super effective coverage from mons like Arcanine and Zeraora. It is extremely strong though, and that's why it should not drop that low.

:Haxorus: This thing has options, and it can beat a lot of the really good mons in the metagame. I would raise it up to A tier personally.

:Kyurem: Honestly this thing is similar to Haxorus in that it has a lot of options and can beat a lot of common mons. I would raise it up to A but I could totally see it going up to A+ if it is experimented with more.

:Magnezone: It has a few tricks and it is very strong, but has a lot of hard counters. Still very solid though, so it should stay in A-.

:Rotom-Wash: I haven't seen many of these things recently. It is still a good mon though. I haven't used it much but I would probably have it stay in A-.

B

:Aromatisse: While it has set in stone answers, it is still a solid mon. It deserves to be in B+ tier, though I could see it drop to B in the future.

:Corsola-Galar: Since Knock-Off isn't that popular in 1v1, this thing can be super obnoxious. I would say it should stay in B+ or even rise to A-, because it is super hard to break through without preparation. Edit: I don't think this mon should rise, as it is super weak to stuff like trick and taunt, but it is still solid and B+ tier in my opinion.

:Chandelure: I have not used this mon much, but it doesn't do all that well against a lot of the common mons, so I would say it should drop to B tier. It is still a solid mon though and I can see it staying in B+.

:Chansey: Similar to Corsola but it can Counter and doesn't have as good of a stalling movepool. I would keep it in B+.

:Dracozolt: It has options and is extremely strong, but using Hustle really hurts it's consistency. I would keep it where it is.

:Gardevoir: It has some pretty good options, and the stuff that it is known to use is very solid. I often get stuck teambuildign because I get destroyed by Gardevoir. I would raise it to A-.

:Hydreigon: I have not used many teams with Hydreigon, but it's speed and movepool make it solid. I would keep it here.

:Kommo-o: It isn't very versitile, but it can be extremely obnoxious for physical attackers and it has good ability options. I would keep it in B+.

:Porygon2: It is solid, but compared to the other eviolite users in B+ it is probably worse. I would drop it down to B, but I dont see it going down much farther than that.

:Rotom-Heat: This mon should be at least A-. It has really solid matchups against common mons like Rillaboom and it has one of the best Togekiss matchups, though it can still lose. It should definitely be higher than it is right now.

:Sawk: It's a solid mon, but I personally don't like using it. I would keep it here for now because I don't have much information on it.

:Slowbro: I guess I would keep it here because I literally have no teams with this thing in SWSH yet.

:Skarmory: Same thing as Slowbro lol.

:Urshifu: It is a very solid mon for the same reasons as it's other form. It could rise if Togekiss gets banned or if more anti-fairy measures come up, but for now I think it should stay where it is.

:Volcarona: I have not used it but from what I have seen it seems solid, so I would keep it in B+.

:Aegislash: It has very good stats, but it's movepool is shallow and it is fairly exploitable. I would still keep it in B because it has some options, mainly being physical or special, but it can also run stall decently well, and it is very strong.

:Avalugg: Overall solid mon that can run stall or offensive. I would personally make it B+.

:Celebi: This thing has been phased out. I would drop it to B- but I could see it dropping down even more. A lot of the things it offers other mons can do better. It still has a decent niche though.

:Conkeldurr: It is not very versatile and it is kinda exploitable, but it is still very solid and should stay in B.

:Darmanitan: Very solid but is not as strong as you would want it to be. It also is not very versitile, but it's niche is still very solid.

:Diggersby: It is strong, but it is kinda frail and it doesn't have all that many options. B is a good placement for it.

:Durant: It has a decent stall set along with its very strong offensive sets, but Hustle being it's main way of doing damage really hurts it. I would keep it in B.

:Gastrodon: Solid mon with some really good traits but it isn't very versatile. I would keep it where it is.

:Goodra: I haven't played many games with this thing, but it is a very solid mon and I could see it rising to B+.

:Hawlucha: How is this thing so high? Idk where I would put it but it should not be this high IMO.

:Mandibuzz: I barely see this mon anymore. The metagame really hurts it. I can see it dropping to B- or staying in B but I have not used it in an extremely long time so IDK.

:Marowak-Alola: Like every metagame it has ever been apart of it was very common and then dipped in usage. It is still a solid mon but B is a good placement for it.

:Rhyperior: It's bulk (especially with AV) and power (especially with Choice Band) makes it B+ worthy in my eyes.

:Salazzle: It can run Protect Encore or Offensive, and it fits on so many teams, that I think it should rise to B+. It beats a lot of common mons like Magnezone and a lot of Primarinas, so it should probably rise.

:Venusaur: Solid mon overall. It can beat a fair amount of important mons with the bulldoze set. I would keep it in B.

:Whimsicott: It loses to a lot of the most common threats, but Prankster subseed is still very solid. I would keep it where it is.

:Zarude: Still very new and I haven't used it much, but it has good stats and some different options. For now I would keep it in B.

:Centiskorch: It has some cool matchups but considering it's typing and speed, along with its bad offensive movepool that makes it hardwalled by certain types, B- is a decent place for it.

:Corviknight: It's not my type of mon, but it is a cool mon nonetheless. I don't know where I would put it, but B or B- seems fine for it.

:Ferrothorn: It's typing and stalling capabilities makes it very solid, and it beats a lot of relevant mons. I would rise it up to B personally.

:Gengar: It is fine but it is super frail and it isn't the strongest thing in the world. I would keep it in B-, but I can see it going up or down depending on meta shifts.

:Incineroar: I don't like using this mon, but I still think B- is a good place for it due to it's good stats, ability, and typing.

:Scizor: I would raise this thing up to B because its really good typing, stats, and abilities (Technician is the best but Swarm can be used). It has very versatile stats and it is very strong. It also has good matchups against a lot of common threats.

:Scyther: I'm not the one to ask about it's placement; I have not used Scyther at all. It seems like a solid mon though, so I suppose B- is fine.

:Silvally-Fairy: The fairy one has a lot of competition and I have never seen it. It should drop to at least C in my opinion.

:Silvally-Poison: I would say Poison is the best Silvally form. B- is a good placement for it due to its versatility and solid matchup spread.

:Steelix: I would raise it up to B, just because it can beat pretty much any choiced mon and it's typing is very solid. Both Band and Torment are very good sets.

Imma stop here. I don't have anything or much to say about most of the C tier mons, and the D tier I really got nothing to say. I might come back to this later, but before I stop I will talk about 1 more mon.

:Golduck: It is C to C+ in my eyes. The closest example I can think of is Gen 2 OU. Snorlax is a very good mon and Kangeskhan is used to be similar to Snorlax. It has a good niche and can beat other mons that Snorlax can't, but is overall worse than Snorlax. Golduck's power and typing gives it different matchups than Aromatisse, but in general Aromatisse is better. Golduck still has a good niche though and is worth using. IDK when it will get ranked or what it will be ranked when it gets ranked (so far it's looking like it will be D) but I must spread my Golduck Propaganda.

Thanks for reading I guess. I made this because I was bored and felt like talking about the meta. Be safe, and ban Togekiss.
 
Last edited:

clerica

fly me up to Jupiter
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Hiya! I've been thinking a lot about what the meta could be like after Togekiss is gone, and now that Togekiss is gone I figured I could share some thoughts. I get that dlc 2 will be dropping soon, but I figured it would be worth doing this for the few remaining weeks we have left of this meta. I'll be going through the new big players, the losers from this ban, as well as some potential resurgences in mons that struggled with Togekiss in the meta. Here we go!

The Winners
:rillaboom: A+ --> S
Might this be optimistic? Yes, however, Rillaboom is looking incredibly strong without Togekiss in the tier. Very few mons in the tier can take a fake-out into wood Hammer/grassy glide and a lot of the mons that do can be stalled out by the grassy seed leech stall set. Running either a fire type like Rotom-Heat or something that is immune to leech seed like Venusaur or sap sipper Azumarill will almost be necessary to reliably beat Rillaboom. All in all, I see this mon being an instant top 2 mon in the meta with Togekiss gone.

:Urshifu-rapid strike:(Rapid) A+--> S-
Urshifu Rapid is another mon that benefits immensely from the Togekiss ban. Before the ban, it was incredibly solid but held back because it didn't have a way to reliably beat Togekiss. With Togekiss out of the picture, Urshifu will shine because of its incredibly good base matchups and its ability to beat checks by utilizing its flexible item slot. It can run band or LO with a basic set for general damage, or it can also run a resist berry or AV to lure in counters like PZ, Magnezone, and Primarina. In addition to this, it is also a natural stall breaker with guaranteed crits from surging strikes paired with bulk up being able to smash through any setup opponents easily. This mon looks incredibly scary in the post Togekiss meta with Rillaboom likely being its main competition.

The Losers
:zeraora:A--> A-
Zeraora has always been a mixed mon in terms of viability. From my experience, it isn't something you can just build around and have success, but it is a fantastic third mon you can use to glue a team together. Before the Togekiss ban, this mon was one of the only reliable Togekiss counters in the meta which made overinflated its ranking on the VR. Now with Urshifu and Rillaboom looking like the new top mons, Zeraora is going to struggle a bit as it doesn't reliably beat either of them. It will still be a decent mon I just don't see it being as splashable as before.

:rhyperior:B--> B
The reason I'm including this is that before the Togekiss ban, Rhyperior was the new band Crustle. It was underrated as hell and should have been way higher. It pains me to say this but Seb will not enjoy the shift in the meta and therefore should stay where it is instead of being raised. With Urshifu, Rillaboom, Sylveon, Primarina (which can run speed) all likely to see more usage, Seb will lose a lot of the popularity it gained this last month. It will still be useful I just don't see it being the god it was before the Togekiss ban.


Now for some more interesting mons...

Returning Faces
:celebi: B--> B+
Celebi @ Choice Specs
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 108 Def / 168 SpA / 232 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Leaf Storm
- Psychic
- Trick
- Recover

Celebi @ Maranga Berry
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 16 HP / 64 SpA / 252 SpD / 176 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Leaf Storm
- Recover
- Calm Mind
- Psychic
Celebi is a mon that hasn't received a lot of love and for good reason. However, with new shifts in the meta, it may finally have a chance to shine. Specs can beat Rillaboom, Urshifu, Primarina, Rhyperior, Azumarill (click trick turn 1), and Crustle. Along with this, it gets trick which makes it a natural check for most stall mons. Alongside specs, I included a swag maranga set I made recently. The speed creeps PZ and the spdef tanks a modest hyper beam from scarf. Click calm mind turn 1 (and pray they aren't unviable 500 iq and click trick because specs celebi wins if they do...). Then if its specs you click psychic because it 2kos at +1, calm mind again against nasty plot into a +2 leaf storm which kos, and recover if its scarf where you just keep yourself healthy until you can ko them with psychic/leaf storm.
Scarf
Specs (I recovered for no reason please just click psychic twice)
Plot

Yes, you still win if they uproar...
252+ SpA Adaptability Porygon-Z Uproar vs. 16 HP / 252 SpD Celebi: 176-208 (51 - 60.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Adaptability Porygon-Z Uproar vs. +2 16 HP / 252 SpD Celebi: 90-106 (26 - 30.7%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
This set also beats almost all Rillaboom and Urshifu Rapids you will find as well as specs Magnezone which is super important. Normal Celebi doesn't have an option to beat specs Magnezone, but this set can set up and chip it down. You do still lose to metal sound variants but beating specs is still significant. This set does lose some of the stall breaking capabilities it has with specs so they each have their uses, but this adds another dimension to Celebi that makes it more difficult to build/play against overall.

:vikavolt: D--> C-
Vikavolt @ Choice Specs
Modest Nature
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 216 HP / 136 Def / 156 SpA
- Bug Buzz
- Thunderbolt
- Energy Ball
- Mud Shot

Vikavolt @ Assault Vest
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpA
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Bug Buzz
- Thunderbolt
- Mud Shot
- Charge Beam
This nom I'm a little more hesitant on but I'll make it anyways. Vikavolt has always been a mon I've liked and have enjoyed using in the past. The previous metas were not kind to our big bug boy, but with Togekiss gone I think that can change. It has good matchups against a lot of good mons such as Urshify, Rillaboom, Primarina, Magnezone, etc. This mon is incredibly strong and has unique typing to go with it. Specs is still insanely strong, but I tried making an assault vest version. It's bulked for band Urshifu Rapid surging strikes and lives a scarf PZ hyper beam (you still lose to other sets so don't use this as a PZ counter please). It also beats Magnezone by clicking charge beam into mud shot which specs can't reliably do because of mirror coat. Like I said earlier, this nom is a little out there but I think it's well deserved because Vikavolt could become a pretty good anti-meta mon with Togekiss gone and should be looked into.


That's it for now, I'm excited to see how the meta shapes up with Togekiss gone. Hopefully, it's better than it was with Togekiss and if it's not we still have dlc I guess :pain:
 
I got some quick noms after Toge's departure, I'm gonna focus more on explaining the value of the mon independently of Toge since I don't want this to devolve into "mon was beaten by Toge, no more Toge=better." some music to go along w/ the post
Quick Key: NTR=Not Toge Related TR=Toge Related The before and after represent what rank I had voted previously and currently, not the actual rank.
Rises
Dragapult A to A+ (NTR)
Rillaboom A+ to S (TR)
Urshifu-Single A- to A (NTR)
Celebi B to B+ (TR)
Gastrodon B to B+ (NTR)
Hawlucha B to B+ (TR)
Drops
PZ S to S- (NTR)


:Dragapult: I was not very sold on Pult being A+ until a lot of testing and discussion around the suspect. Pult's Sub Disable sets are absolutely nasty. Due to Pult's really good speed tier, a shit ton of prominent choice mons are just destroyed by it bar Specs Sylveon, Specs Toxtricty, and a lucky Band Avalugg. It has 3 routes w/ Sub Disable: Wisp Hex, Curse, and 6D (agents will know.) Wisp beats Sturdy stuff and an assortment of physical mons even outside of Disable. Curse destroys a vast majority of stall mons and can help in weird spots where Pult's STAB isn't an efficent means of damage. Pult is super crazy good in this meta, Dragon/Ghost and its speed tier are just a really good combo. I was initially skeptical since we aren't really out of fairy spam meta but even w/ that in mind idt losing a few prominent MUs hold it back from dominating a large section of the meta.


:Rillaboom: yeah ok this mon is very crazy it's just super strong if you aren't resisted rilla's hits you'll have a very rough time dealing w/ it and even if you do seeds can mess you up since it's insanely fat physically at +1 there are some p good counters for it but it's not shocking rilla finds its way on many people's top 3s.

:Urshifu: People are not taking proper advantage of this thing. It has marginally worse overall MUs than its counterpart and less capability of running sets like Roseli/Wacan but I don't think people are looking at the massive upsides. Urshifu-SS can bulk Banded Rillaboom Wood Hammer and this naturally comes w/ the benefit of taking other hits like Fake Out into CC from LO Zera. The 3 biggest MUs SS has over RS are Dragpult, Rilla, and (inherently) Zera. You can also more effectively best Magnezone, Kyurem, and Rotoms. Also some marginally useful MUs like Slowbro, Corsola-G, and Venusaur. Overall, Urshi-SS has a lot to offer over its counterpart and while RS still edges it out by a fair bit I think this mon is underrated atm.
world could change (Urshifu) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Unseen Fist
EVs: 252 HP / 76 Atk / 180 Def
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Sucker Punch
- Wicked Blow
- Counter

:Celebi:
Celebi is a mon that hasn't received a lot of love and for good reason. However, with new shifts in the meta, it may finally have a chance to shine. Specs can beat Rillaboom, Urshifu, Primarina, Rhyperior, Azumarill (click trick turn 1), and Crustle. Along with this, it gets trick which makes it a natural check for most stall mons. Alongside specs, I included a swag maranga set I made recently. The speed creeps PZ and the spdef tanks a modest hyper beam from scarf. Click calm mind turn 1 (and pray they aren't unviable 500 iq and click trick because specs celebi wins if they do...). Then if its specs you click psychic because it 2kos at +1, calm mind again against nasty plot into a +2 leaf storm which kos, and recover if its scarf where you just keep yourself healthy until you can ko them with psychic/leaf storm.
:Gastrodon: This mon still does a good job of covering some important stuff, notably beating Zera over Slowbro. It's a solid stall mon and I think people underrate it.

:Hawlucha: Beating Urshi, Rilla, and Zone at the same time is very epic. I've experimented w/ BU which is scary to slow physical attackers and Endure is fine for cheesing Rotoms. Lucha beats a lot of prominent mons but it has overall lacking MUs. It's solid.

ok brief post, peace
 

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
Month 3 of monthly VR shifts, showing off the changes in September!
Total September 1v1 VR Shifts:
Rises:

:Tentacruel: 09/01/20: Tentacruel UR -> C+
:Bronzong: 09/01/20: Bronzong UR -> C-

:Zarude: 09/02/20: Zarude UR -> B
:Blissey: 09/02/20: Blissey UR -> C+
:Scyther: 09/02/20: Scyther UR -> B-
:Lycanroc-Dusk: 09/02/20: Lycanroc-Dusk UR -> C
:Indeedee-F: 09/02/20: Indeedee-Female UR -> D

:Rillaboom: 09/17/20: Rillaboom A -> A+
:Toxapex: 09/17/20: Toxapex C -> C+

:Golduck: 09/28/20: Golduck UR -> D
:Clefable: 09/29/20: Clefable C- -> C
:Rhyperior: 09/30/20: Rhyperior B -> B+

Stayed the Same
Nothing!

Falls
:Chansey: 09/02/20: Chansey A- -> B+
:Ludicolo: 09/02/20: Ludicolo D -> UR
:Marowak: 09/02/20: Marowak C- -> D
:Duraludon: 09/02/20: Duraludon C+ -> C
:Marowak-Alola: 09/02/20: Marowak-Alola B+ -> B

:Darmanitan-galar: 09/30/20: Galarian Darmanitan A+ -> A
:Dracovish: 09/30/20: Dracovish A- -> B+
:Rotom-Wash: 09/30/20: Rotom-Wash A- -> B+
:Mudsdale: 09/30/20: Mudsdale D -> UR
:Cloyster: 09/30/20: Cloyster D -> UR


So, not as much to talk about this month, kind of a calm to the storm of DLC 2. A few mons continued to drop off into the nether-lands of UR, as their niche becomes more and more apparent to not exist in the DLC 1 metagame. Ludicolo, Mudsdale, and Cloyster this time were on the chopping block, with Grass-type competition being super stiff and mediocre defensively in the pre-Togekiss ban metagame without a specific niche that gives it a reason to be used, which Ludicolo did not have. Mudsdale also just couldn't hack it, with a slow defensive ground type with middle of the road power not even being able to hold its own with AV, and Cloyster lost pretty much all reason to use it with Mimikyu no longer being around and the best mons being Togekiss, Primarina, Porygon-Z, Rillaboom, and both Urshifus. A notable rise is of Rhyperior, who was able to gain a remarkable powerful and pretty hype speedy Choice Band set, utilizing its expectations of being slow and bulky to lure in and nail Pokemon like Primarina.

What were your thoughts on these shifts? Do you agree or disagree? Let your opinions be known.

Announcement:
Given the release of DLC October 22nd, VR will be frozen in order to deal with possible bans and unbans that will drastically shift the metagame. I will simply release the October edition of this early, so we can summarize the notable changes seen in the DLC 1 metagame in October, which should also show the shifts in a Togekiss-free metagame, as well. The November edition will have some shifts in the end of October, if any shifts end up happening.​
 

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