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OU ADV OU Viability Ranking
- Thread starter McMeghan
- Start date
Edit:I somehow Forgot Dug like a total noob. I'd Prob Put Dug Between Rachi and Lax. Really Strong Mon, but it a one set wonder. But that set helps break a lot of stuff for a lot of teams and best revenge killer in the tier (Since there no escape)
I finally decided to make my VR. I have been wanting to make one for a while but now it feels like it's time to go. Peaked at 1,653 on Ladder a few months back and had two good seasons in Advanced League. I'm gonna be giving it my best shot. I'm not gonna talk about every mon (I think a lot of people can do that better than myself) but I'll note anything that may come as a bit of a surprise.
7.Skarm-I think Skarm is a Top 1-7 Mon. No matter the play style Skarm is a helpful mon. Spikes is good for any team style and it has a good defensive profile. But it is too passive for my liking (Save Spikes) however, this mon always does a good job making me check my teams when I'm building them and I have been using it more often the past year or so. While it does have the potential to be the most impactful mon in the tier, you also sometimes just into a magneton and get trapped. Or they have a spinner in the back so you wanna run Gar alongside it. Point is, Skarm is the best support mon in the tier. For some people that makes it the best Mon. For me (Who generally runs teams to run and gun and beat you down), I am generally not gonna use 3 turns or even 1 turn to lay spikes.
13. Claydol-This Placement I don't believe this is controversial but I know I've said in the past Spin is not that great. I still don't think Spin is great but Claydol is a good mon and makes spin at least tolerable. Good Defensive Profile+Explosion makes it not dead weight in a non-Spikes match-up.
18. Flygon-Really good defensive Mon on Spikes stuff. There is that one Miss Team and other teams like that and Flygon is just so nice in blocking those. Especially when Electric wanna run Grass for Pert. While Choice Band needs a lot of support I think it is one of the best choice band mons in the tier (besides Gross). Strong, can swap in easily thanks to its typing and has good speed. Yes, Skarm and Gar are issues so it requires Mag+Pursit Tar. But i think in those cases it is well worth it.
19. Blissey-If I ranked mon on how much I consider putting them on my team in the builder, this would be the worst mon in the tier. This mons feels utterly passive and requires spikes to do anything. It is really good at walling against Special threats. And it also walls a lot of Phy Threats with Ice Beam. But what makes Bliss is in conjunction with Skarm and other mons to sure up its weakness. I get it's a game of pokemon but Bliss feels more like a checkmate piece rather than an actual mon that helps you win the game. IDK if that makes sense. It comes in to stop a massive threat but really does not do much in return. TW is nice of course. Bliss I think comes down to being a mon that in stark contrast of my play style. It represents almost everything that I don't want to use when building a team. A large punching bag prone to being made set up fodder. Also, the reason I have Bliss below mons like Gon is that Gon fits my style better. Bliss can be a top Three to Ten mon if played in the right hand. Those hands are just not mine. Ranking it higher because it is good on a lot of structures does not feel right when I don't build with it.
20. Magneton-Helps enable a lot of cool offensive threats since it beat up Skarm. But otherwise can feel useless at times. I have a lot more respect for it now having used it a lot more with Lax. (A mon I use to have a lack of respect for)
23. Raikou-Really strong Electric and really fearsome lead. My big issue with it is building with it. I like using it a lot and it is always effective in lead usage but it is hard to exactly find where to put it beyond that. I def have it really high. But it's really one of the best Dug Baits around since very little besides Dug (Or Bliss) can really swap in without taking a nasty hit (TB, Grass, Ice, Toxic). Calm Mind is also super scary and has won me a lot of games for being tough to deal with. Also, Thunder Raikou is scary, and fun to use but that 30 percent chance to miss is agony.
29. Forretress-I don't ever use it but I've noticed from time to time my team just loses it as they lack fire coverage. Can be really annoying. And because you have to build with it in mind I think it has to be at least decent.
30. Milotic-On occasion this is way worse than Bliss to deal with. Really good Mix wall and has a good move set for that role. I have respect for in the builder. Tried using it and not my style but as a backline (When supported by some good rock checks), it is really nasty to deal with.
31. Medicham-Band hits hard, but non-band lefty is not bad in my opinion. Lead Baton Pass Medi+Mag is cool. It had a lot of other cool tricks and it a pretty nice glass canon. But it a fighting type lacking great stab moves which hold its back.
32. Kingdra-Use to be one of my fav mons but feels too often you just run into bliss and do jack. It has its place as a scary win con but other times it feels like a mon that you bring if you wanna beat your foe with 5 team slots instead of 6.
36. Scizor-Endure Sets are scary. I might be biased (I am) cause Scizor helped me get to 1,650. But it feels like one of the better end-game mons. Endure let you deal with a lot. Reversal is pretty fearsome. It only issue is the Kingdra problem where it feels like playing 5 on 6 sometimes. That being said, in most cases, if you play your cards right it actually does win you the game as opposed to Kingdra. So its a give and take.
37. Alakazam- Encore is really good. Its fits on only select teams but as a glass cannon that can Deal with certain setup threats (Mainly DD Tar) it is really good. Also, its Bliss match-up is not horrible with the right teams mate encoring Bliss into a move that makes it terrible into a setup mon. My favorite team runs Zam + Set up threats and has a pretty good win rate all around. It's not my best team and Zam some matches up does nothing and has the same 6-5 problem. But if you can get Tar out of the way it can actually do some work and muscle through a lot of things.
This list is for sure not perfect and in prob a month I'll look back and facepalm (One of the reasons I waited every time I play Adv for a long stretch I change my mind on a lot of things). But I think this list is at least respectable enough that I'll stand with most of my takes. Happy Reading.
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Hey there, everyone. I apologize for the sudden post on a thread that's only gotten one other post on it since November, but I guess that's just how it goes sometimes. I had some questions I wanted to ask about a Pokémon everyone seems to agree is the undisputable best Pokémon in this tier.
For as long as it's been a part of the ADV OU metagame, Tyranitar and its Sand Stream have been at the forefront of the tier, defining much of what makes this metagame what it is. I don't think I should have to explain to anyone here what everyone else has already said about ADV Tyranitar several times over. That being said... I simply cannot get myself to believe Tyranitar is the actual best Pokémon in the tier. As a matter of fact, me and my admitted inexperience think Tyranitar might be the most overrated Pokémon in the metagame.
My problems with Tyranitar being at the top of the viability rankings are twofold. The first issue is that ADV OU absolutely does not lack strong checks to Tyranitar's most standard variants. The ADV OU metagame as a whole is very physically oriented, given the introduction of Choice Band, Intimidate on defense, and the changes to EVs making special walls take more damage from physical attacks than in the previous generation of OU. The result of these changes is a mixed bag for Tyranitar: while it's doing more damage than it was before, especially with Sand Stream factored into the equation, it's also taking more damage than it was previously and can have its own physical offense hampered by some of ADV OU's foremost defensive Pokémon, most notably Skarmory, Swampert, and physically defensive Milotic.
That brings me into my second issue: Tyranitar's matchup spread. Especially when compared to later generations, Rock/Dark isn't the best type combination in the world and leaves Tyranitar with major weaknesses to Water, Grass, Bug, Fighting, Ground, and Steel-Type attacks. Furthermore, Tyranitar's moveset, while versatile, tends to suffer from four-moveslot syndrome just a little bit, since most ADV OU teams naturally come equipped with at least one viable Tyranitar check, with many teams stacking several of them. It's very hard for Tyranitar to make use of Hidden Power types it might want for certain matchups since it wants Hidden Power Bug for Celebi, can run Hidden Power Grass if it wants to for Swampert, and still might want to run other utility moves like Pursuit (which is special in this generation), Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, and Fire Blast for Skarmory and Forretress, among others. This isn't much of an issue for Dragon Dance variants that are easier to play than utility, Choice Band, or defensive variants (the latter due to what I said about those weaknesses combined with being reliant on Leftovers for recovery), but those sets have their own problems too- prior to setting up, Fast Dragon Dance Tyranitar still isn't the fastest win condition in the tier, while Bulky Dragon Dance can still be trapped by most Dugtrio sets even at +1 Speed. Tyranitar's reliance on Dragon Dance or paralysis support from team members for its Speed issues is further exasterbated by Tyranitar's inability to hold all of the items it wants- with Leftovers, it can't hold the Lum Berry it would otherwise use to shrug off status one time, but without Leftovers Tyranitar can struggle to stick around throughout a game and fire off its attacks against its positive matchups.
I think what I'm trying to say in this surprisingly long post (sorry about that) is that while I can understand the decision one might make to place Tyranitar at #1, just because Sand Stream really is that impactful, I think the ADV OU metagame has progressed over time in a very anti-Tyranitar fashion because of its high regards. That begs the biggest question- if I don't think Tyranitar should be #1, than who would I put there instead? To be honest, I'm not really sure. No other Pokémon in the tier has an Ability as important as Sand Stream (even the Trapping Abilities don't match its impact on the tier), and while Tyranitar has several flaws, so do other Pokémon in what I'd consider to be one of the most balanced OU metagames in Pokémon's storied history. I'd love to get a discussion going about this, if anyone's interested in doing so. I want to see if I can be convinced that I'm under-rating ADV Tyranitar, but I'll warn you in advance just how stubborn I can be.
For as long as it's been a part of the ADV OU metagame, Tyranitar and its Sand Stream have been at the forefront of the tier, defining much of what makes this metagame what it is. I don't think I should have to explain to anyone here what everyone else has already said about ADV Tyranitar several times over. That being said... I simply cannot get myself to believe Tyranitar is the actual best Pokémon in the tier. As a matter of fact, me and my admitted inexperience think Tyranitar might be the most overrated Pokémon in the metagame.
My problems with Tyranitar being at the top of the viability rankings are twofold. The first issue is that ADV OU absolutely does not lack strong checks to Tyranitar's most standard variants. The ADV OU metagame as a whole is very physically oriented, given the introduction of Choice Band, Intimidate on defense, and the changes to EVs making special walls take more damage from physical attacks than in the previous generation of OU. The result of these changes is a mixed bag for Tyranitar: while it's doing more damage than it was before, especially with Sand Stream factored into the equation, it's also taking more damage than it was previously and can have its own physical offense hampered by some of ADV OU's foremost defensive Pokémon, most notably Skarmory, Swampert, and physically defensive Milotic.
That brings me into my second issue: Tyranitar's matchup spread. Especially when compared to later generations, Rock/Dark isn't the best type combination in the world and leaves Tyranitar with major weaknesses to Water, Grass, Bug, Fighting, Ground, and Steel-Type attacks. Furthermore, Tyranitar's moveset, while versatile, tends to suffer from four-moveslot syndrome just a little bit, since most ADV OU teams naturally come equipped with at least one viable Tyranitar check, with many teams stacking several of them. It's very hard for Tyranitar to make use of Hidden Power types it might want for certain matchups since it wants Hidden Power Bug for Celebi, can run Hidden Power Grass if it wants to for Swampert, and still might want to run other utility moves like Pursuit (which is special in this generation), Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, and Fire Blast for Skarmory and Forretress, among others. This isn't much of an issue for Dragon Dance variants that are easier to play than utility, Choice Band, or defensive variants (the latter due to what I said about those weaknesses combined with being reliant on Leftovers for recovery), but those sets have their own problems too- prior to setting up, Fast Dragon Dance Tyranitar still isn't the fastest win condition in the tier, while Bulky Dragon Dance can still be trapped by most Dugtrio sets even at +1 Speed. Tyranitar's reliance on Dragon Dance or paralysis support from team members for its Speed issues is further exasterbated by Tyranitar's inability to hold all of the items it wants- with Leftovers, it can't hold the Lum Berry it would otherwise use to shrug off status one time, but without Leftovers Tyranitar can struggle to stick around throughout a game and fire off its attacks against its positive matchups.
I think what I'm trying to say in this surprisingly long post (sorry about that) is that while I can understand the decision one might make to place Tyranitar at #1, just because Sand Stream really is that impactful, I think the ADV OU metagame has progressed over time in a very anti-Tyranitar fashion because of its high regards. That begs the biggest question- if I don't think Tyranitar should be #1, than who would I put there instead? To be honest, I'm not really sure. No other Pokémon in the tier has an Ability as important as Sand Stream (even the Trapping Abilities don't match its impact on the tier), and while Tyranitar has several flaws, so do other Pokémon in what I'd consider to be one of the most balanced OU metagames in Pokémon's storied history. I'd love to get a discussion going about this, if anyone's interested in doing so. I want to see if I can be convinced that I'm under-rating ADV Tyranitar, but I'll warn you in advance just how stubborn I can be.
+1 dedge do like 60% to swampertHey there, everyone. I apologize for the sudden post on a thread that's only gotten one other post on it since November, but I guess that's just how it goes sometimes. I had some questions I wanted to ask about a Pokémon everyone seems to agree is the undisputable best Pokémon in this tier.
For as long as it's been a part of the ADV OU metagame, Tyranitar and its Sand Stream have been at the forefront of the tier, defining much of what makes this metagame what it is. I don't think I should have to explain to anyone here what everyone else has already said about ADV Tyranitar several times over. That being said... I simply cannot get myself to believe Tyranitar is the actual best Pokémon in the tier. As a matter of fact, me and my admitted inexperience think Tyranitar might be the most overrated Pokémon in the metagame.
My problems with Tyranitar being at the top of the viability rankings are twofold. The first issue is that ADV OU absolutely does not lack strong checks to Tyranitar's most standard variants. The ADV OU metagame as a whole is very physically oriented, given the introduction of Choice Band, Intimidate on defense, and the changes to EVs making special walls take more damage from physical attacks than in the previous generation of OU. The result of these changes is a mixed bag for Tyranitar: while it's doing more damage than it was before, especially with Sand Stream factored into the equation, it's also taking more damage than it was previously and can have its own physical offense hampered by some of ADV OU's foremost defensive Pokémon, most notably Skarmory, Swampert, and physically defensive Milotic.
That brings me into my second issue: Tyranitar's matchup spread. Especially when compared to later generations, Rock/Dark isn't the best type combination in the world and leaves Tyranitar with major weaknesses to Water, Grass, Bug, Fighting, Ground, and Steel-Type attacks. Furthermore, Tyranitar's moveset, while versatile, tends to suffer from four-moveslot syndrome just a little bit, since most ADV OU teams naturally come equipped with at least one viable Tyranitar check, with many teams stacking several of them. It's very hard for Tyranitar to make use of Hidden Power types it might want for certain matchups since it wants Hidden Power Bug for Celebi, can run Hidden Power Grass if it wants to for Swampert, and still might want to run other utility moves like Pursuit (which is special in this generation), Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, and Fire Blast for Skarmory and Forretress, among others. This isn't much of an issue for Dragon Dance variants that are easier to play than utility, Choice Band, or defensive variants (the latter due to what I said about those weaknesses combined with being reliant on Leftovers for recovery), but those sets have their own problems too- prior to setting up, Fast Dragon Dance Tyranitar still isn't the fastest win condition in the tier, while Bulky Dragon Dance can still be trapped by most Dugtrio sets even at +1 Speed. Tyranitar's reliance on Dragon Dance or paralysis support from team members for its Speed issues is further exasterbated by Tyranitar's inability to hold all of the items it wants- with Leftovers, it can't hold the Lum Berry it would otherwise use to shrug off status one time, but without Leftovers Tyranitar can struggle to stick around throughout a game and fire off its attacks against its positive matchups.
I think what I'm trying to say in this surprisingly long post (sorry about that) is that while I can understand the decision one might make to place Tyranitar at #1, just because Sand Stream really is that impactful, I think the ADV OU metagame has progressed over time in a very anti-Tyranitar fashion because of its high regards. That begs the biggest question- if I don't think Tyranitar should be #1, than who would I put there instead? To be honest, I'm not really sure. No other Pokémon in the tier has an Ability as important as Sand Stream (even the Trapping Abilities don't match its impact on the tier), and while Tyranitar has several flaws, so do other Pokémon in what I'd consider to be one of the most balanced OU metagames in Pokémon's storied history. I'd love to get a discussion going about this, if anyone's interested in doing so. I want to see if I can be convinced that I'm under-rating ADV Tyranitar, but I'll warn you in advance just how stubborn I can be.
I always say Tyranitar is the #1 mon to use and Skarmory is the #1 mon to beat.
My sweet summer child… It is Not Tyranitat alone which is The Best… but the Rather the Sandstorm it brings…Hey there, everyone. I apologize for the sudden post on a thread that's only gotten one other post on it since November, but I guess that's just how it goes sometimes. I had some questions I wanted to ask about a Pokémon everyone seems to agree is the undisputable best Pokémon in this tier.
For as long as it's been a part of the ADV OU metagame, Tyranitar and its Sand Stream have been at the forefront of the tier, defining much of what makes this metagame what it is. I don't think I should have to explain to anyone here what everyone else has already said about ADV Tyranitar several times over. That being said... I simply cannot get myself to believe Tyranitar is the actual best Pokémon in the tier. As a matter of fact, me and my admitted inexperience think Tyranitar might be the most overrated Pokémon in the metagame.
My problems with Tyranitar being at the top of the viability rankings are twofold. The first issue is that ADV OU absolutely does not lack strong checks to Tyranitar's most standard variants. The ADV OU metagame as a whole is very physically oriented, given the introduction of Choice Band, Intimidate on defense, and the changes to EVs making special walls take more damage from physical attacks than in the previous generation of OU. The result of these changes is a mixed bag for Tyranitar: while it's doing more damage than it was before, especially with Sand Stream factored into the equation, it's also taking more damage than it was previously and can have its own physical offense hampered by some of ADV OU's foremost defensive Pokémon, most notably Skarmory, Swampert, and physically defensive Milotic.
That brings me into my second issue: Tyranitar's matchup spread. Especially when compared to later generations, Rock/Dark isn't the best type combination in the world and leaves Tyranitar with major weaknesses to Water, Grass, Bug, Fighting, Ground, and Steel-Type attacks. Furthermore, Tyranitar's moveset, while versatile, tends to suffer from four-moveslot syndrome just a little bit, since most ADV OU teams naturally come equipped with at least one viable Tyranitar check, with many teams stacking several of them. It's very hard for Tyranitar to make use of Hidden Power types it might want for certain matchups since it wants Hidden Power Bug for Celebi, can run Hidden Power Grass if it wants to for Swampert, and still might want to run other utility moves like Pursuit (which is special in this generation), Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, and Fire Blast for Skarmory and Forretress, among others. This isn't much of an issue for Dragon Dance variants that are easier to play than utility, Choice Band, or defensive variants (the latter due to what I said about those weaknesses combined with being reliant on Leftovers for recovery), but those sets have their own problems too- prior to setting up, Fast Dragon Dance Tyranitar still isn't the fastest win condition in the tier, while Bulky Dragon Dance can still be trapped by most Dugtrio sets even at +1 Speed. Tyranitar's reliance on Dragon Dance or paralysis support from team members for its Speed issues is further exasterbated by Tyranitar's inability to hold all of the items it wants- with Leftovers, it can't hold the Lum Berry it would otherwise use to shrug off status one time, but without Leftovers Tyranitar can struggle to stick around throughout a game and fire off its attacks against its positive matchups.
I think what I'm trying to say in this surprisingly long post (sorry about that) is that while I can understand the decision one might make to place Tyranitar at #1, just because Sand Stream really is that impactful, I think the ADV OU metagame has progressed over time in a very anti-Tyranitar fashion because of its high regards. That begs the biggest question- if I don't think Tyranitar should be #1, than who would I put there instead? To be honest, I'm not really sure. No other Pokémon in the tier has an Ability as important as Sand Stream (even the Trapping Abilities don't match its impact on the tier), and while Tyranitar has several flaws, so do other Pokémon in what I'd consider to be one of the most balanced OU metagames in Pokémon's storied history. I'd love to get a discussion going about this, if anyone's interested in doing so. I want to see if I can be convinced that I'm under-rating ADV Tyranitar, but I'll warn you in advance just how stubborn I can be.
Tyranitar… certainly a strong pokemom… quite versatile… good stats… great movepool…
I implore you… to try ADV… with out sand storm… with out Tyranitar…
you soon shall realize… The Terrors within…. Curselax. Suicune. Celebi. And Jirachi… They are not in vogue… because of the sand…and The Sandy Beast
I would tend to agree with this statement- while it's very hard to consider Skarmory the top #1 Pokémon in the tier to use, I would consider it the most important weighted matchup for most Pokémon in the tier. When I first started learning ADV OU, I was under the impression that any Pokémon with a bad or at least inconsistent Skarmory matchup (like Tyranitar, now that I think about it) just... wasn't a good Pokémon to use. Nowadays I know that to absolutely not be true, but it still helps. If I was working on my own viability rankings (this totally isn't foreshadowing a future post, nope not at all), I'd probably place Skarmory at anywhere within the tier's top four, alongside Tyranitar, Metagross, and one of either Swampert, Blissey, or Gengar.
Skarmory's main case over Tyranitar lies in its immunity to three of the main four forms of passive damage (the other being Leech Seed) aided by its amazing typing and utility movepool. No other Pokémon in OU can fill the combination of Spikes-immune Steel-Type, physical wall, Spikes setter on its own, and phazer all in one. Forretress can set Spikes and be a Steel-Type wall but it lacks a few of those other things, while retaining a much worse matchup against the Fire-Types Moltres and Charizard. To Tyranitar's credit, those two Fire-Types rising compared to much of ADV OU's storied past does help it establish more of a metagame presence than it had before, as a Pokémon that can very much win against both the Fire-Types and OU's other Rock-Type, that being Aerodactyl (who doubles as a good entry point for Tyranitar's teammate Skarmory too).
While i agree with most of what you said(except the part where you say that Tyranitar needs paralysis support due to its slow speed), i think you are underestimating in practice just how difficult is to switch into Tyranitar, especially when it's hiding its set. There is not 1 single Pokemon in ADV that can check all of Tyranitars sets: Swampert for example is weak to Hpgrass but it is also afraid of switching into Focus Punch with a layer of Spikes, same goes for Flygon just replace Hpgrass with Ice Beam, Skarmory gets flinched by +1 Rock Slide, same thing for Milotic and Suicune, Dugtrio loses to bulky DD Tar, Metagross is weak to Earthquake, Breloom dies to special moves and +1 Double Edge, etc.
In addition to that Tyranitar is often paired with other Pokemon that lure its checks like Metagross, plus it is often paired with Spikes which additionaly weaken those checks, and on top of that if you defeat Tyranitar you may still lose to Aero in the back: Yes, because Tyranitar is also the best breaker and it opens up the game for other threats like Aero, DDmence, Agilimeta and so on.
Off a cliff
It's very, very bad; even in NU where it has a defensive niche it's still not seen because Rock/Fire is just that bad of a typing. Even ignoring its typing, its stats are very misplaced and bad, its Attack is so low it can't use its Rock STAB effectively and it can't even use Explosion well. You also have to remember that ADV sand does not grant the SpD boost to Rocks, ADV OU is a Spikes-dominant format with giant threats that would take Magcargo as a free switch (Tar, Pert, Aero, etc), and to cap it all off, it's Dug bait.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen3ou-676586
Adv without ttar…
And no cune/lax either…
steelix seems low? there's top level players who have built numerous steelix teams that like succeed at a high level and make sense and can demonstrate steelix's niche and why it's not just bargain bin metagross. like it needs support but it has a niche and a lot of good traits. but the other guys in his tier?
Nowadays Impish Metagross almost always outclasses it unless you really need that Electric Pivot. It also needs heavy support (Pursuit and/or Magneton) to do any meaningful progress into Skarmory or Gengar teams. That's a lot for a Pokémon with admittedly a pretty weak Boom/EQ. You could argue the Bug resist is also noteworthy because it's a solid check to late game Heracross but I don't know of many People who uses it for that reason.
It actually hasn't been used that much in recent times outside of UD who's an outlier because he really really likes Steelix.
It actually hasn't been used that much in recent times outside of UD who's an outlier because he really really likes Steelix.
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Hey, would you look at that! Magcargo has its own viability ranking :) Jokes aside, the real VR begins here:
Ok, this thing refuses to die and switches-in on a lot of things for free, gets free spikes way more often than the other spikers and spikes are the name of the game. It doesn't need suit support like some spikers, and it's an incredible DD bird wall, very splashable in a "this is a spikes team" sort of way. Ez S+ tier moving on 
CB, Mixed, Bulky, heck use ice punch this guy goes crazy on any team it's on, your team literally only gets better with its addition. Zero downsides, huge upsides, ez S+ tier, but lower than skarm. 
There's not much to say, the only reliable special wall tbh. There are downsides to using Blissey, namely you have to consider it has a large target on her back and there's a lot of teams that are built around chipping/removing Goddess Blissey, but there's a good reason for that. If you can prevent your opponent from KOing Blissey for their wincon, sometimes you just straight up win. And I think that plus zero of the other Spdef wall mons having this distinction lands Blissey in S tier 
Annihilates bulky waters, gives mence a run for its money, seriously this bird is gucci x1000. Just don't use it as your sole Spdef or Ice wall, it's ***really*** allergic to ice beams. Nothing compares to what it brings, Ez S- 
DD mence gud wincon. Mixed mence gud pivot and pressure setter. CB mence makes me cry tears of joy. An incredible wincon and defensive pivot that will surely take you on an emotional trip, 9/10 ez A+ moving on 
This is hands down the second easiest mon to use in this tier. Bring spikes and click the right buttons. Since you're outspeeding everything bar jolteon and the odd BL mons you can't ever be upset with the ancient bird. A+ 
DD bird check, rock resist, mixed attacker, nice. Nothing compares, bottom of A+ tier 
Ok this is the easiest mon to use, and it's not because of any of its sets, it's because it automatically sets up sand. Players seem to generally rank Tar #1 *because* it sets up the perma sand, but I think too many are ignoring how okay of a mon tar is. Sure it can sweep teams after 2 DDs, but any reasonably well-built team has at least 2-3 solid answers for tar or ways to pivot around it creatively to get the right MU for the KO, and they don't even have to be rock resists (*cough cough* bulky waters *cough cough*). As a breaker it's okay, as a suiter it's wonderful because it sets up sand for other wincons like aero/DD mence and removes gar for your cm wincons or even curse lax. Tyranitar fits on a lot of teams and makes them better, but it's not as important as the mons listed above it and in truth if sand is "nice" to have, chances are you can bet on your opponent bringing it anyway. It has some bulk going for it but remember it doesn't have incredible defensive typing, being a normal/flying resist is great but if this really mattered we'd see regirock/sudowoodo/magcargo used more often. A tier mon 
Incredible zapdos switch-in, seeds for ez chip on skarm/bliss/lax, ends the careers of bulky waters. Can never replace blissey but darn does it do a good job soaking tbolts/surfs. A tier mon 
A- because dugtrio is more constricting in the builder than the mons above it, but can definitely be paired with many wincons such as DD mence if you're crazy enough. Fun mon, funny EQ button go *click* 
I see claydol as a sort of punisher, it comes in on fighters, dug, electrics, and rapid spins for free. If there's a gar it usually wins the 1v1 bar freeze, which is not to say it traps and reliably removes gar but it can definitely play the mind game if need be. Incredibly splashable, booms, I don't particularly like claydol but it's hard to ignore what it brings to the table. A- tier 
Good bulky water, doesn't fit everywhere. Recover + its bulk and typing is enough for me to give it its A- tier 
Water that flies. Sets up on waters, has t-wave, can viably run CB. I love this mon. Constricts in builder B+ tier 
This mon removes what to me are the S+ tier mons of ADV, and I think that's pretty cool. Creates "mag" teams which is to say it's constricting in the builder, B+ tier 
Good compression. Mandates a suiter. Allows the creation of teams not possible with skarm. B+ tier 
Hard to place with my finger. It's good, but it's not that good. Cm rachi sets are okay but underwhelming. Defensive rachi sets are good, but it's not what comes to mind first when looking for a defensive backbone. It's good, but you don't want it everywhere. ??? tier 
Comparable to Jirachi. It is not better than the B- tier mons below it, however there are times I feel it is better than Jirachi, and there are times where I feel Jirachi is better than it. It is hard to say, but registeel is bound to give you good returns if used correctly. ??? tier 
Good fighter. B- 
Not as splashable as dol but is a water w/ recover + nat cure. Boldmie doubles as a bulky water and spinner in my eyes. Offmie is funny, I consider it in same vein as the slowbro tier in RBY, ""good"" (but don't seriously expect consistent results). B- 
Nice bulky water. Rest cune is a fish, but is the best fish in the game. No complaints. If it didn't learn ice beam it'd be C tier, maybe less in my eyes. B- 
This is the very definition of a goodmon which just so happens to find itself in the very hostile environment of sand and spikes. To those who know how to use the lax well, I salute thee. C+ 
It wisps, it booms, it hypnos, it does everything, it even checks dd mence. Best spinblocker in the game, but I don't rate spinblocking very highly as can be seen in gar's placement. One can say those who can't use gar have a "skill issue", or that "only skilled players can use gengar effectively", which to an extent I can agree with. Anyone who can pilot a paper-thin "bird" to victory is quite skilled indeed. C+ 
<3 
A sub-par bird, but it hits hard. C 
Water remover and Skarm scorcher. C 
Removes dug, DD bird check, starf berry recycle. C 
I like it I think it's cute w/ its DD, endeavor, explosion, dbond, spike sets. C- 
Swampert >>> Flygon. Superman is an okay archetype. C- 
Offers nice compression. Zap "check", rock resist, phys wall, mash resist, boom. Too bad it's a little weak and really wants a suiter or mag. C-
I love Jynx but it only fits on one team. D The rest of the mons are not worth explaining, but all the mons in D and God No are ordered in viability.
D mon tier can be succinctly explained as "Mons with redeeming qualities"
God No tier can be explained as "Don't even think of using these mons if you value your sanity"
Glad to see I'm top of the game as always.View attachment 500646
Jokes aside, the real VR begins here:
Too bad it's a little weak and really wants a suiter or mag. C-
The rest of the mons are not worth explaining, but all the mons in D and God No are ordered in viability.
D mon tier can be succinctly explained as "Mons with redeeming qualities"
God No tier can be explained as "Don't even think of using these mons if you value your sanity"
I think regice is actually so much better than lax
To the above guy:
I like Regice and dislike Lax, but despite the huge support Lax needs, it actually is much better than Regice if such support is provided.
Some structures that have been working for me with Lax are:
-Lead CB Boom Lax + Magneton + Pursuit Tar + CB Flygon. This ensures Skarmory and maybe Gengar is removed from the opposing team, so that Flygon (otherwise a very hard to use CB Mon) can Spam EQ later in the game.
-Curse + Amnesia + Rest + STAB Lax, + Dugtrio + Magneton + Pursuit Houndoom + Rain Dance/Sunny Day user. An important thing about this structure is that every Leftovers Mon here needs to have Explosion. Goal of this is to remove every Lax counter with the 3 trappers, remove the Sandstorm and have an unphazable and very bulky Lax as last Mon (this is why Leftovers users have to suicide, non Leftovers Mons will be killed by Spikes or Sandstorm during the match).
-Curse + 3 Attacks Snorlax + Magneton + Spinner (Claydol?) + Milotic. This is actually a pretty standard structure.
In conclusion, Snorlax is hard to use and not a splashable Mon, but it does provide a lot for the team with the right teammates.
Meanwhile, offensive Regice doesn't need much support but will also kill less things on average than Snorlax.
I like Regice and dislike Lax, but despite the huge support Lax needs, it actually is much better than Regice if such support is provided.
Some structures that have been working for me with Lax are:
-Lead CB Boom Lax + Magneton + Pursuit Tar + CB Flygon. This ensures Skarmory and maybe Gengar is removed from the opposing team, so that Flygon (otherwise a very hard to use CB Mon) can Spam EQ later in the game.
-Curse + Amnesia + Rest + STAB Lax, + Dugtrio + Magneton + Pursuit Houndoom + Rain Dance/Sunny Day user. An important thing about this structure is that every Leftovers Mon here needs to have Explosion. Goal of this is to remove every Lax counter with the 3 trappers, remove the Sandstorm and have an unphazable and very bulky Lax as last Mon (this is why Leftovers users have to suicide, non Leftovers Mons will be killed by Spikes or Sandstorm during the match).
-Curse + 3 Attacks Snorlax + Magneton + Spinner (Claydol?) + Milotic. This is actually a pretty standard structure.
In conclusion, Snorlax is hard to use and not a splashable Mon, but it does provide a lot for the team with the right teammates.
Meanwhile, offensive Regice doesn't need much support but will also kill less things on average than Snorlax.
It's time for the first VR update of 2023 guys.
I've spent way too much time in the past inputting people's VRs into the sheet so it's gonna be different this time.
If you wish to submit a VR, you have to send me a PM (Smogon or Discord (Roro#1810)). Should you meet the criteria to feature in the VRs, I will send you a Google Form that you will fill. That's pretty much it!
Here is a clear list of criteria for the VR submission, you must meet at least one of them to be part of the VR update:
Tiermaker link if you wanna post a nice tierlist
I've spent way too much time in the past inputting people's VRs into the sheet so it's gonna be different this time.
If you wish to submit a VR, you have to send me a PM (Smogon or Discord (Roro#1810)). Should you meet the criteria to feature in the VRs, I will send you a Google Form that you will fill. That's pretty much it!
Here is a clear list of criteria for the VR submission, you must meet at least one of them to be part of the VR update:
- Played at least 5 games in the most recent SPL
- Played in the most recent Callous Invitational (play-ins not included)
- Made Top6 in the last Seasonal or Championship
- Reached 1700 on the ladder in the last 6 months
Tiermaker link if you wanna post a nice tierlist
Last edited:
Tyranitar
Skarmory
Blissey
Gengar
Metagross
Zapdos
Swampert
Dugtrio
Salamence
Jirachi
Aerodactyl
Celebi
Suicune
Charizard
Moltres
Claydol
Hariyama
Milotic
Magneton
Flygon
Starmie
Venusaur
Heracross
Breloom
Forretress
Cloyster
Kingdra
Vaporeon
Medicham
Registeel
Regice
Steelix
Jolteon
Gyarados
Snorlax
reasoning:
Skarmory
Blissey
Gengar
Metagross
Zapdos
Swampert
Dugtrio
Salamence
Jirachi
Aerodactyl
Celebi
Suicune
Charizard
Moltres
Claydol
Hariyama
Milotic
Magneton
Flygon
Starmie
Venusaur
Heracross
Breloom
Forretress
Cloyster
Kingdra
Vaporeon
Medicham
Registeel
Regice
Steelix
Jolteon
Gyarados
Snorlax
reasoning:
Hey all, it's my first time posting here after a long, long time lurking, but I wanted to just throw my two cents in on my personal viability rankings. Everyone else is doing it, so hey, why not, right? Anyways:
Explanations, condensed for those who just want to skip to a certain mon, or for those who are just weirdly curious why I put Blaziken as high as I did, are below!
Thanks to BKC for inspiring me to make this by your VRs video today, and vapicuno for linking me to a post that had Roselia in it the one time I saw you on ladder, which inspired me to make a forums account in the first place. Maybe I'll post elsewhere in the forums at some point.
Explanations, condensed for those who just want to skip to a certain mon, or for those who are just weirdly curious why I put Blaziken as high as I did, are below!
Skarmory: Yeah, hopping on the "Skarmory is better than Tyranitar, btw" train, even if it's still very much contentious. I feel like you can build effective teams without sand, and sand itself can be a limiting factor in team compositions at times, but Skarmory's Spikes are just so absurdly metagame-warping I can't put it any below first. In the most recent SPL, Skarmory was pretty much neck and neck in terms of usage with the big T, so I think this is justified.
Tyranitar: Obviously this thing has to be at the top. Sand has shaped Advance for decades, and is still the most easy to use form of passive damage, and just by existing, Tyranitar is a presence to behold, with its ridiculous offensive prowess and the way its very existence limits so many Pokemon. It very well could be the #1, but this is my VR post. I have the talking stick. CB is ridiculous, but I feel like four attacks mixed is a great set and I'd like to see more of it/try using it myself. I'm not sold on DD being amazing, with its five million weaknesses and (insert BKC's video of why DD Tar is, like, the most frustratingly inconsistent thing ever), but it's still a force to be reckoned with. Mixed, four attacks, Choice Band, Pursuit are the way to go nowadays I think.
Blissey: This one above everything else might be a bit more controversial than the Skarm>TTar, but I'll die on the hill of Blissey being absolutely bonkers and its very presence forcing every team to go out of its way to account for it is on par with the two above it. While Blissey isn't as out and out tier-warping as those two, it's still a gigantic presence, and has so much customizability that it can really do whatever it wants and be effective while doing it. I personally love Fire Blast as an outstanding Metagross/Skarmory lure, but other options are amazing too. Just... not Calm Mind. Anything but that.
Tyranitar: Obviously this thing has to be at the top. Sand has shaped Advance for decades, and is still the most easy to use form of passive damage, and just by existing, Tyranitar is a presence to behold, with its ridiculous offensive prowess and the way its very existence limits so many Pokemon. It very well could be the #1, but this is my VR post. I have the talking stick. CB is ridiculous, but I feel like four attacks mixed is a great set and I'd like to see more of it/try using it myself. I'm not sold on DD being amazing, with its five million weaknesses and (insert BKC's video of why DD Tar is, like, the most frustratingly inconsistent thing ever), but it's still a force to be reckoned with. Mixed, four attacks, Choice Band, Pursuit are the way to go nowadays I think.
Blissey: This one above everything else might be a bit more controversial than the Skarm>TTar, but I'll die on the hill of Blissey being absolutely bonkers and its very presence forcing every team to go out of its way to account for it is on par with the two above it. While Blissey isn't as out and out tier-warping as those two, it's still a gigantic presence, and has so much customizability that it can really do whatever it wants and be effective while doing it. I personally love Fire Blast as an outstanding Metagross/Skarmory lure, but other options are amazing too. Just... not Calm Mind. Anything but that.
Zapdos: I don't feel like there's much explaining to do for this thing. It's the most ridiculously consistent defensive-offensive gluemon in the entire game, can lead well, can clean or pass with Agility, can mix and match like seven different auxiliary options to assist it in different matchups, whether its as a lead, midgame wallbreaker, defensive stopgap, end game cleaner, or baton passer. Zapdos is incredibly splashable and consistent, and while I don't consider it on the same level of metagame warping as the S+ tiers, it's solidly above curve in basically every department.
Gengar: Probably the most fun, high-ceiling Pokemon ever to be a top OU threat in any tier. Gengar is crazy strong, versatile, and unpredictable, but it's not foolproof splashable, and requires intelligent play to get the most of due to its frailty, but neither of these really hold it back from dominance. Every team, every Pokemon to exist, can get messed up by something Gengar can do, barring, like... Camerupt. Gengar has, like, RBY Exegguttor levels of "takes over games" at times. Sometimes it can just thud into Jirachi or Blissey and do nothing, other times it'll burn your Metagross, sleep something crucial, and blow up on your Blissey. Truly outstanding little gremlin.
Celebi: Time for some personal bias. I think Celebi is crazy strong, with the potential to run a seemingly infinite amount of sets and switch into a ton of stuff easily with all of them. Leech 3 attacks is probably my favorite right now, but slotting in Calm Mind can be a devastating late game win condition, and support sets are also fantastic for their ability to reliably stave off so much over the course of a game. Passive damage weaknesses and a metric ton of weaknesses keep Celebi back at times, but it's still incredibly consistent, easy to use, and makes for an outstanding partner for the eight hundred-ish things in this tier that get stuffed by Swampert.
Metagross: Holy moley, this thing is a complete nightmare to face sometimes. Talk about playing defense while on offense. A fantastic, reliable physical check that becomes near unbreakable when partnered with stuff like Wish Blissey, Leech Seed Celebi, or the good ol' Salamence-Metagross pairing. It's a bit less of a reliable Salamence check nowadays, with the proliferation of mixed sets carrying Fire Blast, but that's hardly a knock against it, since pretty much nothing short of Moltres actually likes taking that set on.
Jirachi: 20% of the time Jirachi is the best Pokemon in the tier, and 80% of the time it's like, the eighth best. Jirachi has such variety in sets that it can overwhelm basically every answer it has, and is an incredible anchor on CM-spam teams and balance alike. Its lack of STAB can really inhibit its unboosted damage and leave it easily checked by several things, but with how easily Jirachi gets a Calm Mind on 2/3 of the tier, that's alleviated rather easily. It could easily be higher, above Celebi maybe, but I find Jirachi really difficult to build with at times- or maybe I just suck, and can't utilize its strengths. Who knows?
Swampert: I don't like bulky waters right now, and I don't like Swampert. I put it here out of respect for its place within the tier and the fact that it's a pretty good check to a variety of offensive threats, but all in all I don't like how many Pokemon can so easily run mixed or special sets and just wipe it off the face of the earth. It also thuds into Celebi like nobody's business, and the offensive sets get worn down far too quickly and absolutely fail to check prominent physical threats over the course of a game, but the defensive sets are passive as shit, and are total Skarmory bait. Unironically want to stick this thing, like, a tier lower next to Dugtrio.
Gengar: Probably the most fun, high-ceiling Pokemon ever to be a top OU threat in any tier. Gengar is crazy strong, versatile, and unpredictable, but it's not foolproof splashable, and requires intelligent play to get the most of due to its frailty, but neither of these really hold it back from dominance. Every team, every Pokemon to exist, can get messed up by something Gengar can do, barring, like... Camerupt. Gengar has, like, RBY Exegguttor levels of "takes over games" at times. Sometimes it can just thud into Jirachi or Blissey and do nothing, other times it'll burn your Metagross, sleep something crucial, and blow up on your Blissey. Truly outstanding little gremlin.
Celebi: Time for some personal bias. I think Celebi is crazy strong, with the potential to run a seemingly infinite amount of sets and switch into a ton of stuff easily with all of them. Leech 3 attacks is probably my favorite right now, but slotting in Calm Mind can be a devastating late game win condition, and support sets are also fantastic for their ability to reliably stave off so much over the course of a game. Passive damage weaknesses and a metric ton of weaknesses keep Celebi back at times, but it's still incredibly consistent, easy to use, and makes for an outstanding partner for the eight hundred-ish things in this tier that get stuffed by Swampert.
Metagross: Holy moley, this thing is a complete nightmare to face sometimes. Talk about playing defense while on offense. A fantastic, reliable physical check that becomes near unbreakable when partnered with stuff like Wish Blissey, Leech Seed Celebi, or the good ol' Salamence-Metagross pairing. It's a bit less of a reliable Salamence check nowadays, with the proliferation of mixed sets carrying Fire Blast, but that's hardly a knock against it, since pretty much nothing short of Moltres actually likes taking that set on.
Jirachi: 20% of the time Jirachi is the best Pokemon in the tier, and 80% of the time it's like, the eighth best. Jirachi has such variety in sets that it can overwhelm basically every answer it has, and is an incredible anchor on CM-spam teams and balance alike. Its lack of STAB can really inhibit its unboosted damage and leave it easily checked by several things, but with how easily Jirachi gets a Calm Mind on 2/3 of the tier, that's alleviated rather easily. It could easily be higher, above Celebi maybe, but I find Jirachi really difficult to build with at times- or maybe I just suck, and can't utilize its strengths. Who knows?
Swampert: I don't like bulky waters right now, and I don't like Swampert. I put it here out of respect for its place within the tier and the fact that it's a pretty good check to a variety of offensive threats, but all in all I don't like how many Pokemon can so easily run mixed or special sets and just wipe it off the face of the earth. It also thuds into Celebi like nobody's business, and the offensive sets get worn down far too quickly and absolutely fail to check prominent physical threats over the course of a game, but the defensive sets are passive as shit, and are total Skarmory bait. Unironically want to stick this thing, like, a tier lower next to Dugtrio.
Dugtrio: Yeah, very little explanation needed. I'm not in the loud minority of people that want to take after every other generation ever and ban this thing, but it picks things off from annoyingly high damage ranges a lot of the time. That being said, nothing, and I mean nothing gives Skarmory such a free spike. Dugtrio's viability entirely hinges on the viability of the things it's trapping, so it can sit comfy here.
Salamence: Ouch. CB sets hurt, mixed sets are all the rage nowadays, and anyone using DD is probably stuck in 2013. Being a physical attacker so mopped by Blissey is really funny, but this thing manages to be the second-best offensive Heracross check in the entire tier, so points where points are due. I don't like it as a lead, honestly, because I think Salamence goes from decently threatening to the final boss when Spikes are down.
Moltres: Might be controversial how much higher it is then Charizard, but WoW is just that good, personally. It's got a similar defensive presence to Zapdos, while spreading broken burns and a mind-meltingly powerful Fire Blast to cook so many tier staples. Sunny Day is surprisingly undervalued because 252+ SpA Moltres Fire Blast vs. 44 HP / 0 SpD Blissey in Sun: 240-283 (36.2 - 42.7%). Modest is the way to go. If you run Timid, I'm not inviting you to my birthday party.
Flygon: This thing has such an outstanding defensive profile, it hurts me so much that it hits like a wet paper bag unless you use the gamer brain's SubToxic Fire Blast set. CB is bad. Feels like you're using bad Salamence most of the time. Only having one weakness is also awesome, but when that one weakness is Ice, a lot of the things you'd want to stay in and poison/brawl with, like Blissey, Swampert, or Jirachi, can just send you back to the desert with one well placed snowflake.
Starmie: Absolute death if you face it late in the game. Defensive sets suck and can't even keep Spikes off against Skarmory. Offensive is the way to go. Pretty straightforward Pokemon without a lot of room for creativity, but it's so good at what it does that it almost doesn't matter. Does struggle versus big boss Blissey and can thud into Celebi annoyingly often, but otherwise, Starmie brings the pain.
Aerodactyl: If Metagross/Jirachi didn't exist, this thing would run over the entire tier like a bulldozer. That being said, the prevalence of its answers holds Aerodactyl back, but being a late game cleaner that's resilient against passive damage unlike Starmie or Jolteon is awesome. Inconsistent and frail, but punishes offense like little else.
Salamence: Ouch. CB sets hurt, mixed sets are all the rage nowadays, and anyone using DD is probably stuck in 2013. Being a physical attacker so mopped by Blissey is really funny, but this thing manages to be the second-best offensive Heracross check in the entire tier, so points where points are due. I don't like it as a lead, honestly, because I think Salamence goes from decently threatening to the final boss when Spikes are down.
Moltres: Might be controversial how much higher it is then Charizard, but WoW is just that good, personally. It's got a similar defensive presence to Zapdos, while spreading broken burns and a mind-meltingly powerful Fire Blast to cook so many tier staples. Sunny Day is surprisingly undervalued because 252+ SpA Moltres Fire Blast vs. 44 HP / 0 SpD Blissey in Sun: 240-283 (36.2 - 42.7%). Modest is the way to go. If you run Timid, I'm not inviting you to my birthday party.
Flygon: This thing has such an outstanding defensive profile, it hurts me so much that it hits like a wet paper bag unless you use the gamer brain's SubToxic Fire Blast set. CB is bad. Feels like you're using bad Salamence most of the time. Only having one weakness is also awesome, but when that one weakness is Ice, a lot of the things you'd want to stay in and poison/brawl with, like Blissey, Swampert, or Jirachi, can just send you back to the desert with one well placed snowflake.
Starmie: Absolute death if you face it late in the game. Defensive sets suck and can't even keep Spikes off against Skarmory. Offensive is the way to go. Pretty straightforward Pokemon without a lot of room for creativity, but it's so good at what it does that it almost doesn't matter. Does struggle versus big boss Blissey and can thud into Celebi annoyingly often, but otherwise, Starmie brings the pain.
Aerodactyl: If Metagross/Jirachi didn't exist, this thing would run over the entire tier like a bulldozer. That being said, the prevalence of its answers holds Aerodactyl back, but being a late game cleaner that's resilient against passive damage unlike Starmie or Jolteon is awesome. Inconsistent and frail, but punishes offense like little else.
Suicune: The most matchup-fishey Pokemon in this entire tier, I'm convinced of it. Sub is far more reliable than old-fashioned CroCune, but CroCune taking over endgames haunts me in my dreams. Crazy good on weather-clearing teams.
Claydol: So glad nobody uses Refresh anymore. Explosion is what makes this thing good. It's Spin Starmie but for more defensive teams. Not much I can say about Claydol, other than its probably the thing I lose to randomly on ladder the most behind Jirachi.
Breloom: Without a very specific pool of checks, said checks being easily dealt with by very common Pokemon, Breloom might actually be the most terrifying thing to look at after it double switches in on your Blissey. The most reliable sleeper in the tier, Focus Punch hurts like nothing, and it can mess up just about everything else with some combination of moves from its small-but-effective movepool. Some personal bias with this placement though, as I never really run its best answers, barring Celebi. Can and probably should be lower on the list, but if anyone wants to give me flack, go for it.
Heracross: Terrifying. It has some reliable defensive answers, but if those are gone or if it predicts right, holy mother of mary, this thing can throttle just about everything in its way. Any team without a Wish Salamence is at risk of losing a Pokemon every time Heracross hits the field.
Magneton: Skarmory removal machine that switches into Metagross 75% of the time. As good as Skarmory is. Endure + HP Grass is really fucking funny. It's not like Mag can do much else.
Charizard: I'll get shit for this one, but it's only good on offensive teams, where its lack of switchin ability courtesy of shit bulk is less of a factor. Not having WoW means it can't reliably spread any form of status, and SubPunch is cool and all for dealing with Blissey, but you do like 51% max and lose out all sorts of coverage you may otherwise want, most notably Dragon Claw. Four attacks is hard to use, but yields the best results. I'm definitely on Team Moltres.
Gyarados: This thing only ever pops up when I build a team with no Electric moves. Bad Salamence that really needs to be built around to be effective, but it has a place as a Dragon Dancer that isn't throttled by Blissey. Non-Sub or Taunt sets are bad. Popping this thing on the ladder only to run into Thunderbolt Blissey is its own comedic irony.
Blaziken: My first non-OU, and the biggest "hold my beer" of this entire list. Blaziken makes a crazy good lead if you tech it to beat Zapdos, can actually switch in on Blissey once or twice, and the things that check it (Salamence, Milotic, Swampert, Gyarados) can easily be answered with good team support, and it's not hard at all for Blaziken to claim 2-3 kills a game if played right. Crazy high variance and difficult to use, but I love Blaziken. I'm gonna link a Pokepaste to the set I use in the lead slot here. I could write an essay on why I love this thing. Don't use Swords Dance or all-out special sets. Blaziken does what Blaziken does best- crushing everything outside of a specific pool of Pokemon with its STAB moves.
Cloyster: Specific, but effective on highly offensive teams that just need it to throw down a spike and explode. Shalacked by Starmie. I wish I had more to say about Cloyster, but I pretty much never use it.
Hariyama: The best Tyranitar answer, bar none. Crazy good against defensive teams in drawn-out wars of attrition because of Knock Off. Needs some pretty specific support, so it's very not-splashable and pretty niche all things considered, but what it does is totally irreplaceable. I tried it for the first time like two months ago and loved it.
Jolteon: The biggest fuck-you to Zapdos this side of Hoenn. Hard to fit, though, because outside of the outstanding Zapdos matchup and the obvious benefits of STAB Thunderbolt, it brings nothing to a team defensively outside of being a good endgame cleaner once Electric resists/immunities are gone.
Kingdra: I promise I'm not off my rocker here. I think Kingdra is really unexplored and underappreciated, and has a ton of potential to seriously mess teams up once its small pool of counters are dealt with. Its defensive typing lends it a ton of switchin opportunities, and I think using Kingdra's typing to bring it in aggressively midgame, clear weather, and force in its answers is something I'd really want to see more of. It's traditionally thought of as an endgame cleaner, but Kingdra has the potential to be much more than that. I beat Vapicuno in a ladder game using this thing. Probably as big an accomplishment as graduating high school.
Milotic: The most passive, do-nothing blob to exist. If you aren't fishing for Hypnosis the turns you bring it in to check something, it grants Celebi free entry like nobody's business, and using it usually comes at the cost of using a more reliable, threatening Water like Swampert, Starmie, or Suicune. Not a fan.
Snorlax: Once I got above 1300 on ladder and stayed there, Snorlax pretty much vanished from my games. Weak to passive damage like nothing, slow, easily pressured into predictable and abusable Explosions, pretty much only fits on dedicated weather clearing trapping teams. It's crazy how much better this thing is in Ubers than OU. DPP Registeel, is that you?
Claydol: So glad nobody uses Refresh anymore. Explosion is what makes this thing good. It's Spin Starmie but for more defensive teams. Not much I can say about Claydol, other than its probably the thing I lose to randomly on ladder the most behind Jirachi.
Breloom: Without a very specific pool of checks, said checks being easily dealt with by very common Pokemon, Breloom might actually be the most terrifying thing to look at after it double switches in on your Blissey. The most reliable sleeper in the tier, Focus Punch hurts like nothing, and it can mess up just about everything else with some combination of moves from its small-but-effective movepool. Some personal bias with this placement though, as I never really run its best answers, barring Celebi. Can and probably should be lower on the list, but if anyone wants to give me flack, go for it.
Heracross: Terrifying. It has some reliable defensive answers, but if those are gone or if it predicts right, holy mother of mary, this thing can throttle just about everything in its way. Any team without a Wish Salamence is at risk of losing a Pokemon every time Heracross hits the field.
Magneton: Skarmory removal machine that switches into Metagross 75% of the time. As good as Skarmory is. Endure + HP Grass is really fucking funny. It's not like Mag can do much else.
Charizard: I'll get shit for this one, but it's only good on offensive teams, where its lack of switchin ability courtesy of shit bulk is less of a factor. Not having WoW means it can't reliably spread any form of status, and SubPunch is cool and all for dealing with Blissey, but you do like 51% max and lose out all sorts of coverage you may otherwise want, most notably Dragon Claw. Four attacks is hard to use, but yields the best results. I'm definitely on Team Moltres.
Gyarados: This thing only ever pops up when I build a team with no Electric moves. Bad Salamence that really needs to be built around to be effective, but it has a place as a Dragon Dancer that isn't throttled by Blissey. Non-Sub or Taunt sets are bad. Popping this thing on the ladder only to run into Thunderbolt Blissey is its own comedic irony.
Blaziken: My first non-OU, and the biggest "hold my beer" of this entire list. Blaziken makes a crazy good lead if you tech it to beat Zapdos, can actually switch in on Blissey once or twice, and the things that check it (Salamence, Milotic, Swampert, Gyarados) can easily be answered with good team support, and it's not hard at all for Blaziken to claim 2-3 kills a game if played right. Crazy high variance and difficult to use, but I love Blaziken. I'm gonna link a Pokepaste to the set I use in the lead slot here. I could write an essay on why I love this thing. Don't use Swords Dance or all-out special sets. Blaziken does what Blaziken does best- crushing everything outside of a specific pool of Pokemon with its STAB moves.
Cloyster: Specific, but effective on highly offensive teams that just need it to throw down a spike and explode. Shalacked by Starmie. I wish I had more to say about Cloyster, but I pretty much never use it.
Hariyama: The best Tyranitar answer, bar none. Crazy good against defensive teams in drawn-out wars of attrition because of Knock Off. Needs some pretty specific support, so it's very not-splashable and pretty niche all things considered, but what it does is totally irreplaceable. I tried it for the first time like two months ago and loved it.
Jolteon: The biggest fuck-you to Zapdos this side of Hoenn. Hard to fit, though, because outside of the outstanding Zapdos matchup and the obvious benefits of STAB Thunderbolt, it brings nothing to a team defensively outside of being a good endgame cleaner once Electric resists/immunities are gone.
Kingdra: I promise I'm not off my rocker here. I think Kingdra is really unexplored and underappreciated, and has a ton of potential to seriously mess teams up once its small pool of counters are dealt with. Its defensive typing lends it a ton of switchin opportunities, and I think using Kingdra's typing to bring it in aggressively midgame, clear weather, and force in its answers is something I'd really want to see more of. It's traditionally thought of as an endgame cleaner, but Kingdra has the potential to be much more than that. I beat Vapicuno in a ladder game using this thing. Probably as big an accomplishment as graduating high school.
Milotic: The most passive, do-nothing blob to exist. If you aren't fishing for Hypnosis the turns you bring it in to check something, it grants Celebi free entry like nobody's business, and using it usually comes at the cost of using a more reliable, threatening Water like Swampert, Starmie, or Suicune. Not a fan.
Snorlax: Once I got above 1300 on ladder and stayed there, Snorlax pretty much vanished from my games. Weak to passive damage like nothing, slow, easily pressured into predictable and abusable Explosions, pretty much only fits on dedicated weather clearing trapping teams. It's crazy how much better this thing is in Ubers than OU. DPP Registeel, is that you?
Unordered from here on out.
Venusaur: The thinking man's Celebi that can sleep things. Please, someone better than I, bring this thing to an SPL game. Annoyingly inconsistent between Leech Seed and Sleep Powder accuracy, the low base power of the moves it wants to be using, and the fact that Celebi mostly does what Venusaur does but better.
Medicham: Brings the pain like crazy. Ass-useless defensively. I've never used it in a serious game because it just feels like a less reliable Heracross.
Machamp: On the off chance your opponent doesn't have sturdy Fighting answers, this thing hurts. Bulk Up is great. Gets worked by anything halfway decent with a Flying typing.
Donphan: Not the worst Tyranitar/Salamence/Aerodactyl/Metagross/Jirachi check you could use, since it has the strongest Earthquake in the tier short of Rhydon. Probably pretty good with Wish Blissey.
Forretress: Another mon that disappears at 1300+ like Snorlax, but unlike Snorlax, it's so damn inept at doing anything and is just a worse Skarmory. Might have potential, but that's someone else's job.
Vaporeon: Great Value Suicune that can pass Wish and get stuffed by Celebi even harder than Suicune. BKC made a video with this thing.
Houndoom: The best Pokemon in my C ranks, since it actually traps Celebi and Gengar while bringing the STAB Fire pain that gives Moltres/Charizard/Blaziken so much of their viability. WoW actually lets you do something to Blissey. Probably pretty good, actually.
Lanturn: Lanturn Gang hype has worn off, but this thing is still cool, if only it could actually check Zapdos without being chunked by HP Grass. Spikes weakness sucks too. All things considered, this thing is probably more viable than Gyarados or some of the other low-tier waters like Vaporeon.
Jynx: The most offensive way to potentially win the game on turn 3. "I think I despise this Pokemon."- Reverend
Porygon2: HP Fighting gives P2 the ability to do the funniest thing ever to Tyranitar, and it's actually good versus Salamence and Dugtrio while packing nice BoltBeam coverage. In the hands of a skilled player, it can do serious work. Too bad it flops hard versus just about everything else.
Steelix: BKC's UD Steelix Gyarados Team Video
Dragonite: CB Salamence but worse in every single possible way except that it bullwipes Blissey and can potentially work Skarmory without the need for Magneton support. You'll be better next gen, buddy, I promise.
Smeargle: I honestly don't feel like talking about Smeargle
Misdreavus: I've loved the very recent development of using Misdreavus as a spinblocking non-Psychic-weak Gengar alternative on bulkier teams. Really cool and definitely one of my favorite Pokemon in this tier.
Umbreon: Passive as shit and its Pursuit barely scratches Celebi, but it can potentially Mean Look + BP and end games then and there. I dislike it.
Raikou: Fell off harder than a cliff. Probably a decent lead with Toxic and HP Ice. Calm Mind screams "I don't know why Raikou dropped to BL in the first place".
Venusaur: The thinking man's Celebi that can sleep things. Please, someone better than I, bring this thing to an SPL game. Annoyingly inconsistent between Leech Seed and Sleep Powder accuracy, the low base power of the moves it wants to be using, and the fact that Celebi mostly does what Venusaur does but better.
Medicham: Brings the pain like crazy. Ass-useless defensively. I've never used it in a serious game because it just feels like a less reliable Heracross.
Machamp: On the off chance your opponent doesn't have sturdy Fighting answers, this thing hurts. Bulk Up is great. Gets worked by anything halfway decent with a Flying typing.
Donphan: Not the worst Tyranitar/Salamence/Aerodactyl/Metagross/Jirachi check you could use, since it has the strongest Earthquake in the tier short of Rhydon. Probably pretty good with Wish Blissey.
Forretress: Another mon that disappears at 1300+ like Snorlax, but unlike Snorlax, it's so damn inept at doing anything and is just a worse Skarmory. Might have potential, but that's someone else's job.
Vaporeon: Great Value Suicune that can pass Wish and get stuffed by Celebi even harder than Suicune. BKC made a video with this thing.
Houndoom: The best Pokemon in my C ranks, since it actually traps Celebi and Gengar while bringing the STAB Fire pain that gives Moltres/Charizard/Blaziken so much of their viability. WoW actually lets you do something to Blissey. Probably pretty good, actually.
Lanturn: Lanturn Gang hype has worn off, but this thing is still cool, if only it could actually check Zapdos without being chunked by HP Grass. Spikes weakness sucks too. All things considered, this thing is probably more viable than Gyarados or some of the other low-tier waters like Vaporeon.
Jynx: The most offensive way to potentially win the game on turn 3. "I think I despise this Pokemon."- Reverend
Porygon2: HP Fighting gives P2 the ability to do the funniest thing ever to Tyranitar, and it's actually good versus Salamence and Dugtrio while packing nice BoltBeam coverage. In the hands of a skilled player, it can do serious work. Too bad it flops hard versus just about everything else.
Steelix: BKC's UD Steelix Gyarados Team Video
Dragonite: CB Salamence but worse in every single possible way except that it bullwipes Blissey and can potentially work Skarmory without the need for Magneton support. You'll be better next gen, buddy, I promise.
Smeargle: I honestly don't feel like talking about Smeargle
Misdreavus: I've loved the very recent development of using Misdreavus as a spinblocking non-Psychic-weak Gengar alternative on bulkier teams. Really cool and definitely one of my favorite Pokemon in this tier.
Umbreon: Passive as shit and its Pursuit barely scratches Celebi, but it can potentially Mean Look + BP and end games then and there. I dislike it.
Raikou: Fell off harder than a cliff. Probably a decent lead with Toxic and HP Ice. Calm Mind screams "I don't know why Raikou dropped to BL in the first place".
Roselia: I got spiked on by this thing once playing vapicuno on ladder. I don't think I've ever once given this thing the time of day. If I wanted to use an offbeat Spiker, I'd use the funny ice ball, or chad Qwilfish.
Regirock: Metagross-esque offensive-defensive presence while sucking and being weak to every common attack in the tier. Like, seriously, anything and everything hits this for super effective damage.
Alakazam: The speed of Starmie with the movepool of Jirachi and the defensive utility of a napkin. I wish this thing was good, I really do, but trying to make it work just makes me realize how much better Jirachi is in every feasible way outside of doing the funniest fucking thing known to mankind and tricking a Choice Band onto Blissey.
Ursaring: This thing is really good in the event your opponent has no clue what to do against it, switches Skarmory in as you Swords Dance, and gets absolutely crushed by a Focus Punch as it attempts to phase you. Pretty much a bad Heracross, but has the slight advantages of a STAB move that doesn't miss and not actually being weak to much, so it can take one attack in a pinch. Choice Band is bad. Ursaring is also bad.
Armaldo: Whoever at Game Freak decided this thing shouldn't get Rapid Spin and Knock Off at the same time deserves a mail box full of milk.
Camerupt: The best Gengar answer in the game. If you can force their Gengar to blow up on your camel, that's a trade deal that resembles a Gamestop trade-in on their part. Too bad it's piss slow and has about eight hundred weaknesses.
Regice: Offensive boom sets are probably better than some of the things in C tier, namely Umbreon, but Regice sucks so much ass and is complete steel food that I didn't think it deserved to be ranked next to the Pokemon I'd use in a halfway serious game.
Registeel: Depresses me how much worse this thing is than Metagross. Someone can probably make it work. At least it sounds funny in the anime.
Weezing: Weezing has so many good moves that it's almost offensive how bad it is. I tried a really bad "double suicide" set with both Memento AND Explosion to kinda choose how I went out when I was drunk a few weeks ago to set up SD Heracross and I had a blast. I didn't win, but hey, the journey is worth more than the destination.
Electabuzz: Brave is the soul who brings this to a serious game. Really funny that it can potentially work Blissey with Cross Chop in one hand and a Bible in the other so you don't miss and actually get to crit the thing once or twice.
Rhydon: Choice Band sets can be potentially nuclear, but Rhydon really wishes it had Explosion, a Speed stat greater than seven, and not a weakness to every single attack in the tier. Seriously, what are you ever bringing this in on?
Gardevoir: Better than Alakazam because it has Will-o-Wisp, worse than Jirachi because it's still a Gardevoir. This thing actually has a ludicrous support movepool, and every time I check its movepool it makes me want to use it. Too bad I never will.
Ludicolo: Underexplored and has a lot of potential for defensive Leech sets a Celebi-esque check to stuff that isn't weak to Ice Beam. Throttles Starmie like little else.
Marowak: If ADV was still determining tiers via usage stats, Marowak would undoubtedly be OU over some shit like Gyarados or Jolteon on the basis of the sheer number of people I see on ladder trying to make this thing work.
Scizor: I've never seen something that needs Skarmory support so bad, but it has a defensive profile akin to Metagross with STAB moves crying for the Technician boost it won't get until the next generation. SDPass sets are actually not the worst thing.
Espeon: Better than Gardevoir and Alakazam, worse than Jirachi. Baton Pass is potentially broken on this thing, and even Skarmory takes a hefty chunk from a boosted Psychic. Too bad said hefty chunk is, like, 35 max at +1. At least it's cute.
Nidoking: I actually love Nidoking's defensive profile and its movepool is stunning. I am absolutely going to try building with this thing in the near future, because I love what it can potentially bring to the table.
Omastar: I'm always going to be on Team Kingdra as my preferred rain sweeper, but Omastar can Spike. If Kingdra could spike, it'd be an OU through and through.
Chansey: Imagine booming your Gengar on the opponent's Blissey, and they just send out a goddamn Chansey. I think that'd make me forfeit any game I played, then and there. There's probably a weirdly large amount of potential for double blob teams, given the staggering amount of utility between the two, but that's for someone braver than me to try.
Sceptile: Pretty useless most of the time. Absolutely nightmarish if give it the support of a small European country's economy and can predict right to get it on the field. The worst of the Hoenn starters by a landmark margin, and probably worse than Jumpluff, but at least its design rocks.
Slowbro: Not sure why I'd ever use this. Like, I'm honestly not sure why I didn't put it in F rank. What does Slowbro even do, exactly?
Swellow: A Pokemon that can actually make use of a Starf Berry. I'm keeping it out of F rank for that and that alone. One thing I've realized as I go through the C and D ranks is how many things in this rank just get worked by Skarmory- I'm talking completely folded and thrown around like a chef with pizza dough.
Tentacruel: Probably has some use as a niche alternative spinner in some cases, but I've never tried it.
Regirock: Metagross-esque offensive-defensive presence while sucking and being weak to every common attack in the tier. Like, seriously, anything and everything hits this for super effective damage.
Alakazam: The speed of Starmie with the movepool of Jirachi and the defensive utility of a napkin. I wish this thing was good, I really do, but trying to make it work just makes me realize how much better Jirachi is in every feasible way outside of doing the funniest fucking thing known to mankind and tricking a Choice Band onto Blissey.
Ursaring: This thing is really good in the event your opponent has no clue what to do against it, switches Skarmory in as you Swords Dance, and gets absolutely crushed by a Focus Punch as it attempts to phase you. Pretty much a bad Heracross, but has the slight advantages of a STAB move that doesn't miss and not actually being weak to much, so it can take one attack in a pinch. Choice Band is bad. Ursaring is also bad.
Armaldo: Whoever at Game Freak decided this thing shouldn't get Rapid Spin and Knock Off at the same time deserves a mail box full of milk.
Camerupt: The best Gengar answer in the game. If you can force their Gengar to blow up on your camel, that's a trade deal that resembles a Gamestop trade-in on their part. Too bad it's piss slow and has about eight hundred weaknesses.
Regice: Offensive boom sets are probably better than some of the things in C tier, namely Umbreon, but Regice sucks so much ass and is complete steel food that I didn't think it deserved to be ranked next to the Pokemon I'd use in a halfway serious game.
Registeel: Depresses me how much worse this thing is than Metagross. Someone can probably make it work. At least it sounds funny in the anime.
Weezing: Weezing has so many good moves that it's almost offensive how bad it is. I tried a really bad "double suicide" set with both Memento AND Explosion to kinda choose how I went out when I was drunk a few weeks ago to set up SD Heracross and I had a blast. I didn't win, but hey, the journey is worth more than the destination.
Electabuzz: Brave is the soul who brings this to a serious game. Really funny that it can potentially work Blissey with Cross Chop in one hand and a Bible in the other so you don't miss and actually get to crit the thing once or twice.
Rhydon: Choice Band sets can be potentially nuclear, but Rhydon really wishes it had Explosion, a Speed stat greater than seven, and not a weakness to every single attack in the tier. Seriously, what are you ever bringing this in on?
Gardevoir: Better than Alakazam because it has Will-o-Wisp, worse than Jirachi because it's still a Gardevoir. This thing actually has a ludicrous support movepool, and every time I check its movepool it makes me want to use it. Too bad I never will.
Ludicolo: Underexplored and has a lot of potential for defensive Leech sets a Celebi-esque check to stuff that isn't weak to Ice Beam. Throttles Starmie like little else.
Marowak: If ADV was still determining tiers via usage stats, Marowak would undoubtedly be OU over some shit like Gyarados or Jolteon on the basis of the sheer number of people I see on ladder trying to make this thing work.
Scizor: I've never seen something that needs Skarmory support so bad, but it has a defensive profile akin to Metagross with STAB moves crying for the Technician boost it won't get until the next generation. SDPass sets are actually not the worst thing.
Espeon: Better than Gardevoir and Alakazam, worse than Jirachi. Baton Pass is potentially broken on this thing, and even Skarmory takes a hefty chunk from a boosted Psychic. Too bad said hefty chunk is, like, 35 max at +1. At least it's cute.
Nidoking: I actually love Nidoking's defensive profile and its movepool is stunning. I am absolutely going to try building with this thing in the near future, because I love what it can potentially bring to the table.
Omastar: I'm always going to be on Team Kingdra as my preferred rain sweeper, but Omastar can Spike. If Kingdra could spike, it'd be an OU through and through.
Chansey: Imagine booming your Gengar on the opponent's Blissey, and they just send out a goddamn Chansey. I think that'd make me forfeit any game I played, then and there. There's probably a weirdly large amount of potential for double blob teams, given the staggering amount of utility between the two, but that's for someone braver than me to try.
Sceptile: Pretty useless most of the time. Absolutely nightmarish if give it the support of a small European country's economy and can predict right to get it on the field. The worst of the Hoenn starters by a landmark margin, and probably worse than Jumpluff, but at least its design rocks.
Slowbro: Not sure why I'd ever use this. Like, I'm honestly not sure why I didn't put it in F rank. What does Slowbro even do, exactly?
Swellow: A Pokemon that can actually make use of a Starf Berry. I'm keeping it out of F rank for that and that alone. One thing I've realized as I go through the C and D ranks is how many things in this rank just get worked by Skarmory- I'm talking completely folded and thrown around like a chef with pizza dough.
Tentacruel: Probably has some use as a niche alternative spinner in some cases, but I've never tried it.
Arcanine: It's boosting move is Howl. Found out a couple weeks ago they finally let this thing back into UU, and it's great there.
Azumarill: The gen 6 noob gatekeeper is completely useless here.
Blastoise: I feel the same way about this as I do about Tentacruel, but I like Tentacruel's resistances more.
Crobat: Great Value Aerodactyl.
Dusclops: There's a part of me that wishes I'd been around when Dusclops was widely used in current-gen ADV. Kind of like how you view movies on those little screens at museum exhibits? Don't actually use it today, because it's outclassed by... Misdreavus. How the mighty fall.
Entei: Bad Moltres.
Exeggutor: Incredibly funny Sunny Day sweeper. Really, really bad.
Glalie: Great Value Cloyster, but no other OU gives me the chance to glare at my opponents with a giant ball of ice.
Gligar: Useless post Sand Veil ban.
Golduck: A pure Water that doesn't take sand damage, an entirely unique set of attributes to have. Never actually use this.
Cradily: Smeargle used to Baton Pass boosts to this thing, at which point it got outsped by goddamn Moltres at +1.
Dodrio: Great Value Swellow.
Hitmontop: Hariyama-esque Tyranitar counter that doesn't have Knock Off, making it completely worthless.
Jumpluff: If you support this thing with a small army, it can potentially end games by trapping your opponent in a horrifying nightmare of sleep, Leech Seed, and Substitute. Probably better than Sceptile.
Kabutops: SD+Flail sets are hilariously funny to pull off on ladder because most of the time your opponents have no clue what's going on. Sort of like Ursaring, in that sense.
Linoone: sigh
Ninjask: sigh
Quagsire: Can blank some offensive Waters and then promptly die to everything else they're paired with.
Qwilfish: The enlightened battler's lead Spiker. I love this thing.
Shedinja: Has use as comedic relief on weather-clearing teams. I'm not going to talk about Shedinja.
Slaking: Like 40% of the F-rank are Pokemon I just roll my eyes at having to acknowledge, and Slaking is no exception to that. Can potentially wreck things, if the stars align and your prediction game is on point that day. Please just use Metagross. You're not that guy, she isn't going to suddenly go out with you if you bring Slaking to a game.
Tauros: The more consistent (still really fucking inconsistent, like REALLY inconsistent) Slaking. Again, please, just use Metagross.
Zangoose: Faster, frailer Ursaring. A really fun Pokemon to use, but dies if you look at it funny, so load it up at your own peril.
Aggron: Somehow, some way, a Metagross type that's wholly worse than Registeel or Regirock. Has the worst defensive typing in the game.
Articuno: Actually really annoying to bring down for some teams, and probably the best F rank by a country mile besides my beloved Qwilfish.
Azumarill: The gen 6 noob gatekeeper is completely useless here.
Blastoise: I feel the same way about this as I do about Tentacruel, but I like Tentacruel's resistances more.
Crobat: Great Value Aerodactyl.
Dusclops: There's a part of me that wishes I'd been around when Dusclops was widely used in current-gen ADV. Kind of like how you view movies on those little screens at museum exhibits? Don't actually use it today, because it's outclassed by... Misdreavus. How the mighty fall.
Entei: Bad Moltres.
Exeggutor: Incredibly funny Sunny Day sweeper. Really, really bad.
Glalie: Great Value Cloyster, but no other OU gives me the chance to glare at my opponents with a giant ball of ice.
Gligar: Useless post Sand Veil ban.
Golduck: A pure Water that doesn't take sand damage, an entirely unique set of attributes to have. Never actually use this.
Cradily: Smeargle used to Baton Pass boosts to this thing, at which point it got outsped by goddamn Moltres at +1.
Dodrio: Great Value Swellow.
Hitmontop: Hariyama-esque Tyranitar counter that doesn't have Knock Off, making it completely worthless.
Jumpluff: If you support this thing with a small army, it can potentially end games by trapping your opponent in a horrifying nightmare of sleep, Leech Seed, and Substitute. Probably better than Sceptile.
Kabutops: SD+Flail sets are hilariously funny to pull off on ladder because most of the time your opponents have no clue what's going on. Sort of like Ursaring, in that sense.
Linoone: sigh
Ninjask: sigh
Quagsire: Can blank some offensive Waters and then promptly die to everything else they're paired with.
Qwilfish: The enlightened battler's lead Spiker. I love this thing.
Shedinja: Has use as comedic relief on weather-clearing teams. I'm not going to talk about Shedinja.
Slaking: Like 40% of the F-rank are Pokemon I just roll my eyes at having to acknowledge, and Slaking is no exception to that. Can potentially wreck things, if the stars align and your prediction game is on point that day. Please just use Metagross. You're not that guy, she isn't going to suddenly go out with you if you bring Slaking to a game.
Tauros: The more consistent (still really fucking inconsistent, like REALLY inconsistent) Slaking. Again, please, just use Metagross.
Zangoose: Faster, frailer Ursaring. A really fun Pokemon to use, but dies if you look at it funny, so load it up at your own peril.
Aggron: Somehow, some way, a Metagross type that's wholly worse than Registeel or Regirock. Has the worst defensive typing in the game.
Articuno: Actually really annoying to bring down for some teams, and probably the best F rank by a country mile besides my beloved Qwilfish.
Thanks to BKC for inspiring me to make this by your VRs video today, and vapicuno for linking me to a post that had Roselia in it the one time I saw you on ladder, which inspired me to make a forums account in the first place. Maybe I'll post elsewhere in the forums at some point.
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For fun— just like eating bland vanilla ice cream.
The kind of ice cream that doesn’t even require explanation
The kind of ice cream that doesn’t even require explanation