Resource AG Viability Rankings [Update @ Post #17]

[Guard]

Welcome to the official SV AG Viability Rankings thread. In this thread, we as a community will be ranking every single usable Pokemon into "tiers." You're encouraged to post your thoughts and opinions on the various Pokemon that are usable in AG and what tier they should fall under. Posts in this thread will be taken into account when deciding rank changes.

The general idea of the topic is to rank each AG Pokemon under "rankings" that go in descending order. Since this is a tier list for the entire metagame, everything is lumped together. There won't be any segregation between offense, defense, and supportive presences in the metagame within this thread. For example, Arceus-Fairy can be ranked in the A+ tier as a supportive presence, Zacian-C can be ranked in the A+ tier as an offensive presence, and Ting-Lu can be ranked in the A+ tier as a defensive presence.

Finally, there will be a council of experienced players who will discuss and vote on the ranking of Pokemon. Depending on how the metagame is developing, we could update the thread every couple of weeks or every month+. Please note that your posts still very much matter and will be factored into what we discuss and the discussions themselves. Do not hesitate to post if you know the metagame well and understand the forum rules. The council consists of the following users:

• entrocefalo
• Farce Of The Death
• Fc
• PrimalKyogre
• TaxFraud
• tier

SV AG Ranking Tier List

S Rank [ordered by viability]

S+

1. Calyrex-S
2. Necrozma-DM

S

1. Ho-Oh
2. Koraidon

S-

1. Ting-Lu
2. Arceus

A Rank [ordered by viability]

A+

1. Miraidon
2. Arceus-Water
3. Arceus-Ground

A

1. Kyogre
2. Arceus-Fairy
3. Eternatus
4. Zacian-C

A-

1. Deoxys-S
2. Giratina-O

B Rank [ordered alphabetically]

B+

Arceus-Dark
Deoxys-A
Glimmora
Ribombee
Skeledirge

B

Gliscor
Groudon
Landorus-T
Toxapex


B-

Arceus-Poison
Clodsire
Ditto
Great Tusk
Kingambit
Kyurem-B
Lunala
Wo-Chien

C Rank [ordered alphabetically]

Alomomola
Arceus-Ghost
Arceus-Grass
Arceus-Steel
Calyrex-I
Chien-Pao
Dondozo
Flutter Mane
Grimmsnarl
Mandibuzz
Rayquaza
Skarmory
Terapagos
Zekrom


D Rank [ordered alphabetically]

Basculegion-M
Blissey
Chi-Yu
Cresselia
Giratina
Hatterene
Kyurem-W
Smeargle

Rules

• Post intelligently. Posts like "I think Pokemon X should be in this tier" will be deleted. Expand on your opinion with actual analysis showing understanding of the metagame and perhaps bringing a unique perspective to the conversation.
• Absolutely no flaming, personal attacks, or general idiocy will be tolerated.
• Usage statistics may be used to support an argument or a claim, but don't base your ENTIRE argument around them. There needs to be more substance than just this. For example, you can't just say "Pokemon X shouldn't be this tier because they aren't used that often!"
• When nominating a Pokemon to move from one rank to another, do not merely list its obvious qualities such as stats, typing, movepool, etc. If you think a Pokemon deserves to rise or drop, explain what has changed in the meta to cause such Pokemon to get better or worse.
• Unrelated discussion and unproductive one liners that do not greatly contribute to discussion will be deleted.
• Being AG or Ubers by tiering alone does not guarantee a ranking.
• If you are nominating a Pokemon to be ranked (meaning it was previously unranked), then you need to provide replays of it being used in the metagame and you also should go out of your way to be as thorough as possible in explaining why it has a niche in the metagame.
• Failure to follow these rules after warning(s) will result in an infraction.

 

[hayedenn]

meow meow meow

A- > A/A+
Giratina-O is the only splashable form of hazard removal and it is capable of making good progress into most comps with Wisp/TWave + Hex + DTail. It does get kinda owned by Taunt and Ruination Ting-Lu but it's still highly effective in most matchups and its rank should better reflect that.

A- > A/A+
Similarly, Dirge is great in this meta due to it being the only Unaware mon that doesn't get completely owned by Taunt EKiller (Fissure Dozo isn't real) and its typing is great into Koraidon's best moves (Flare Blitz/Low Kick) and Zacian-C. It isn't that hard to tech around though which is a shame but I don't think the meta has caught up to it yet.

A- > B/B+
Toxapex isn't real. It's passive, it gets owned by Taunt, relying on Chilling Water to 1v1 Taunt sweepers is bad, and it gets 2hko'd by like every powerful attack.

C > UR
Blissey doesn't do anything and even on stall it's a bad choice. It's only good niche is Heal Bell but even then on 99% of teams you have to rely on Tera to beat any good Caly/Miraidon set, it gets easily worn down, it's bodied by Taunt, and most teams would be much better off using another Normal-type like EKiller that makes the team so much less passive and more consistent.

B > A-/A
Stealth Rock + Intim + Pivot + Taunt + spammable STAB that actually does some damage. It forces chip onto Ekiller/Koraidon and it is usually pretty adept at setting hazards and pivoting out. It's really rare in a game that I use or face Lando-T that it doesn't do anything, I'm a big fan (and it's clearly better than Tusk ??).

C > B
Stop using this on hyper offense and you will see the light. Great typing/wincon and spammable STAB moves, along with Tera make this such a great mon. The fact that its a Caly soft-check makes it so much more viable than like half of the mons around this rank.

D > Cish
It literally sets unblockable hazards how is this in the same tier as Spidops. Completely avoiding Taunt makes this like a top 2 hazard lead in the meta (as long as you hit Ceaseless). It's a little passive into Koraidon lead but like who cares just outplay??

D > UR
Can we be honest and admit these don't do anything that is viable? Being good in 1/100 matchups doesn't make you VR worthy, webs are already extremely niche and Masquerain at least does a bit more with Whirlwind/Foul Play/Intimidate. Dialga-Origin is just...I don't know why I would use this over base Dialga even, which can at least tech some matchups with resist berries/Helmet/leftovers/Eject Button/etc. +20 SpD and forced into a really bad item is just....idk...

B > C
All Glimmora does is say "KORAIDON YOU CANNOT CLICK U-TURN!!!!" and it just kinda sits there and sets 1 layer of spikes MAYBE and it's just like....Sure it is an annoying matchup for a lot of teams but it doesn't really DO ANYTHING. Why would I use this over another Koraidon/EKiller which, sure missing TSpikes kinda sucks but half the time I sack this mon to Caly and it does nothing. It's such a downgrade fitting this mon onto your team over literally any other S-tier mon.

UR > C/D
Fastest Taunt lead + Spikes/TSpikes and not completely passive with STAB Knock/Flower Trick/Low Kick/Foul Play.

sample set

Meowscarada @ Focus Sash
Ability: Overgrow / Protean
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Taunt / any other attack
- Spikes
- Flower Trick / Knock Off / Low Sweep / Low Kick
- Toxic Spikes / any other attack

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen9anythinggoes-703992
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9anythinggoes-1890594969-rcu8t30z445fvxqjdaqmtpidueeofizpw

UR > C/D
I actually have no respect for these awful Spikes pivot Magearna sets but I DO really like Shift Gear pass Magearna. Encore means you can dunk on some potential checks and give yourself free turns to setup/pass and obviously Shift Gear is just a top 10 silliest move introduced to the game. It's not amazing on its own but DGleam is still decent STAB and like passing speed is always good if you're forced into a special attacker.

sample set

Magearna @ Mental Herb / Heavy Duty Boots / Leftovers
Ability: Soul-Heart
Tera Type: Water / Fire / Flying
EVs: 252 HP / 40 Def / 216 Spe <- outspeeds nonscarf/boosted caly at +2
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shift Gear
- Baton Pass
- Encore
- Dazzling Gleam <- better over fleur in case u have to pass to caly or a special attacker

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9anythinggoes-1890644276
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9anythinggoes-1890666142-ydi2e438cqxctafznlksf079b9xx6gopw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9anythinggoes-1890809046-9xsjprgfgbc40p0ytk0n0w4865q9aebpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9anythinggoes-1890812787-upp0jutdw2cnd9in7w2xokt9svb03uypw

 

[eavo]

Nominations
from C to B-
This thing paired with good hazard blocking makes it unstoppable in sun as it will OHKO/2HKO most switch ins and generates instant momentum with a U-Turn Koraidon.
Plus it's just better compared to most of the other mons in C.
Scarf sets also hit quite hard and it also acts as a soft check for Calyrex. Punishing defensive play vs Koraidon (such as Skeledirge/Dondo/Toxapex) is pretty cool.

from C to B-/B
CM Steelceus is amazing and the fact that it is good vs Ekiller and prevents Calyrex from clicking Grass Knot freely when paired with Ting-Lu is good. Add taunt/Ice Beam at the fourth slot and you have something going.

from B to B-
Bro really thinks he's on the team
On a more serious note, reduced Ekiller usage and lack of recovery make it rather underwhelming. It cannot handle boosting threats like DD Groundceus and even struggles vs sets like BU Arceus. It also has a hard time setting/removing rocks due to it's poor speed tier/offensive mons forcing it out.

from A to A-
This thing is a fraud and can only realistically check Kyogre, It's still quite decent, just not A material imo.

from B to C
Most teams have decent answers to Tspikes already (as already mentioned by person above) and it's quite easy to stop with a taunt and even in worst case scenarios it is not going to get more than one spike in. Use Meowscarada instead

E: goth is fine imo

 

[Tic-Tac-Toe Guru]

I’m not posting to argue for a particular nom but I am curious about a couple placements. I don’t have a ton of experience in the format and am looking for insight more than anything else, so forgive me if my post isn’t as robust as people might like.

in S-
I’m curious why this isn’t an S-rank Pokémon; it seems extremely splashable, great user of HDB, acts as one of the best Caly switch-ins (which I know isn’t saying much bc it’s Caly but still), and even though it really only has like 3 options for offensive moves (Espeed, Shadow Claw, EQ), but bulky sets allow for relatively easy swords dances, and those 3 options hit a lot. I know it has its downsides like being forced to run Tera ghost a lot of the time and it not being a very versatile mon in this format, but I feel like what it does it does very well and in theory should at least be on the same level as Ting-Lu.

in S-
This is the placement I’m the most curious about because Arc-ground doesn’t scream “S-rank pokemon” off the jump. The main issue for me is that it can’t hold an item and is very susceptible to spike stacking. Sure, dragon dance sets can be terrifying, but it strikes me as having 4MSS, since you’d want 4 of dd, eq, taunt, dragon claw, Espeed, and recover when you’d really like to have all of them. The support/lead sets seems more consistent, since denying hazards and setting rocks are extremely valuable, but maybe it’s my inexperience with this type of set but it doesn’t intuitively seem like it justifies an S-rank placement.

Thank you for reading, and please don’t laugh at me or clown on me; I’ve had a really shitty day so far and just want to participate in something I’m somewhat familiar with Pokémon-wise as an escape.

 

[PrimalKyogre]

S- -> S
This Pokémon finds its way on to the majority of teams. Due to its normal typing, great bulk, and access to recovery, it can switch in to and force out the mighty Calyrex-Shadow multiple times throughout a game. While it is not without its defensive switch-ins early on, it often becomes a terrifying win condition in the endgame once its checks are weakened or taken down. STAB Extreme Speed makes Arceus a potent revenge killer without needing to use a Choice Scarf or have an incredibly high speed tier. Unlike other Arceus forms, regular Arceus has a free item slot. This allows it to run heavy-duty boots and ignore the omnipresent hazards. Being able to fill the high-demand role of checking Calyrex-Shadow as well as being a solid offensive threat makes Arceus a fantastic addition to many teams, and thus, I believe it is worthy of the S rank.

D -> UR
Regieleki has no place in a metagame populated by bulky dragons and grounds. Ting-lu, Eternatus, Giratina-Origin, Arceus-Ground, Koraidon, Miraidon, Groudon, Clodsire…..the list goes on and on. Rapid Spin sounds kind of neat at first, but Regieleki has such horrible bulk that it will be OHKOd by just about anything in exchange for removing hazards. This is, of course, assuming rapid spin isn’t blocked by Giratina or Calyrex-Shadow. Regieleki gets annihilated by the ever present Scarf Koraidon, Miraidon, and Calyrex-Shadow, as well as Extreme Speed Arceus. It is outclassed as a screens setter by Grimmsnarl, which has a combination of prankster, better utility, better typing, and better bulk. Regieleki is not worth mentioning as an attacker - even super effective Tera Blasts fail to KO the grounds and dragons of the tier. Specs Ice Tera Blast fails to 2HKO Ting-lu and only has a 6% to OHKO Miraidon!

A+ ->S-
Fantastic bulk and a great typing makes Arceus-Fairy a staple in this metagame. An immunity to dragon helps to discourage choiced Koraidon and Miraidon from clicking dragon moves to wear down their defensive checks. Great bulk and and immunity to dragon also makes Arceus-Fairy one of the most reliable switch-ins to Giratina, as it only fears Thunder Wave. After a Calm Mind boost, Arceus-Fairy becomes an incredibly threatening attacker. Its raw bulk makes it difficult to revenge kill, and it can muscle through bulky Pokémon with its boosted judgements and either taunt or earth power. Of course, calm mind is not all it can do. It has access to a variety of utility, such as Will-O-Wisp which punishes aggressive Zacian-C switch-ins, as well as Stealth Rock. It is truly difficult to get rid of an Arceus-Fairy.

C -> B- or B
Arceus-Dark serves as a useful utility Pokemon able to check Calyrex-Shadow and Arceus. It primarily uses 2 tools it gained in Gen 9: Foul Play and Taunt. STAB Foul Play does huge damage to Pokémon with high attack stats like Arceus, Dragon Dance Arceus-Ground, and Giratina-Origin without needing to invest in Arceus-Dark’s offensive stats. Taunt cripples slow defensive Pokémon that don’t mind being hit by Foul Play. Will-O-Wisp is often used to cripple physical attackers, discouraging Koraidon and Zacian-C from switching in. Regular old Judgement can be used over Foul Play, since this allows Arceus-Dark to absorb burns and hurt slow defenders with poor attack stats like Toxapex and Clodsire. However, this flips the matchup against Taunt/Substitute Arceus-Ground and Arceus to a negative one. Arceus-Dark is not without its flaws - it cannot use Heavy-Duty Boots for hazards, and also loses badly to Arceus-Fairy. However, being a solid defensive check to multiple top Pokémon makes Arceus-Dark a lot more useful and splash-able than the very niche Pokémon in the C-tier.

 

[Guard]

VR Update

Hello, so AGPL is coming to an end and we saw a good bit of development, which means it's time for an update! Given the centralization, we have sorted S and A ranks by viability rather than alphabetical order. Without further ado. . .

RISES

Arceus from S- to S
Arceus-Fairy from A+ to S-
Miraidon from A+ to S-
Kyogre from A to A+
Toxapex from A- to A
Giratina-O from A- to A
Landorus-T from B to A
Arceus-Dark from C to A-
Grimmsnarl from B- to B
Wo-Chien from B- to B
Kingambit from C to B
Dondozo from C to B-
Rayquaza from C to B-
Hatterene from D to C
Cyclizar from UR to D
Meowscarada from UR to D

DROPS

Arceus-Ground from S- to A+
Eternatus from A to A-
Clodsire from B+ to B
Groudon from B+ to B
Arceus-Ghost from B+ to B-
Arceus-Poison from B+ to B-
Corviknight from B+ to C
Arceus-Grass from B to C
Great Tusk from B to C
Calyrex-I from B- to C
Chien-Pao from B- to C
Flutter Mane from B- to C
Arceus-Fighting from B- to D
Basculegion from B- to D
Giratina from B- to D
Blissey from C to D
Ursaluna from C to D
Arceus-Flying from C to UR
Mewtwo from C to UR
Dialga-O from D to UR
Regieleki from D to UR
Slowking-Galar from D to UR
Spidops from D to UR
Vivillon from D to UR

Some explanations for the most notable changes. . .

RISES

from S- to S
Arceus is a great fit on balance with its flagship Heavy-Duty Boots Extreme Killer sets, providing a perfect blend of offensive and defensive utility in a metagame dominated by Calyrex-S. However, what really pushes Arceus into new heights is its poster child status in offense; it has been flaunting humongous amounts of set and item diversity on these builds lately between Swords Dance + Taunt with Leftovers, Dragon Dance 3 Attacks (Earthquake / Flare Blitz as the 3rd attack) with Life Orb / Expert Belt, and Mental Herb sets that punish Encore Calyrex-S, all of this combined with a host of Tera types in Ghost, Normal, Fire, Poison, and Ground. As a result, players have started realizing that Arceus can tech itself to beat pretty much all of its checks, opening up the game for a second E-Killer or a partnering Koraidon / Zacian-C. It rises up to S, placed below the metagame-dictating presence that is Ting-Lu.

from A+ to S-
Fairy resists are a scarce commodity currently, a fact that turns Arceus-Fairy's Judgment into a powerful weapon no matter the circumstances. The combination of Calm Mind, Taunt / Earth Power, and Tera Poison means that even the few resists we do have (Zacian-C, Toxapex, Clodsire) are always at risk of being turned into setup bait / overwhelmed, cementing Arceus-Fairy as perhaps the most dangerous stand-alone win condition after Calyrex-S. These traits are bolstered by two other amazing qualities granted by Arceus-Fairy's typing: the ability to check Koraidon and its positive matchup against Ting-Lu. All of this makes for a supremely splashable yet dangerous Pokemon that definitely deserves the rise.

from A+ to S-
Miraidon proves it is not one to be trifled with, even in a metagame filled to the brim with Ting-Lu and speed control. The Choice Scarf set has proven to be a terrifying win condition after a partnering Calyrex-S overwhelms its main check in Ting-Lu; not much else can escape the ensuing vortex of Electro Drift and Volt Switch spam. That is not all though, as a curious little discovery in Solar Beam now means that both Choice Specs and Calm Mind variants of Miraidon are capable of OHKO'ing Ting-Lu with Tera Grass under Sun / with a Power Herb. Given that removing the foe's Ting-Lu can often swing entire matches in your favour, it's of no surprise why Miraidon has started roaring back into the metagame with a vengeance. It rises to S-, behind Arceus-Fairy.

from B to A
Landorus-T takes a huge jump in viability, as it is one of the defining faces of offense. In these offenses, it brings a bunch of qualities to the table that no other Pokemon does: it sets up Stealth Rock while shutting down Giratina-O's Defog, it provides a couple of free switches with U-turn (which is very major for these offenses stacked with broken breakers), and it shuts down the primary form of speed control in Choice Scarf Koraidon, otherwise a major nuisance for offense. Landorus-T is so good at its job that running dedicated leads such as Glimmora / Meowscarada / Healing Wish Arceus is often not worth the trade. A team of Landorus-T / Choice Scarfer / Breaker #1 / Breaker #2 / Breaker #3 / Breaker #4 is one of the best playstyles at the moment, landing the genie a spot in A right after Toxapex.

from C to A- and B, respectively
These overlooked Dark types rise a bunch of ranks for their unique qualities. Arceus-Dark is the best check to Choice Scarf and Choice Specs Calyrex-S, while at the least forcing Tera on the Nasty Plot variants. On top of that, it's also a good check to Extreme Killer sets with Will-O-Wisp or Foul Play. With Tera Poison, it can even turn the tides on Koraidon and Zacian-C. However, it cannot overcome the abundant Arceus-Fairy and dislikes Ruination Ting-Lu heavily. Taking everything into consideration, it will join the ranks of Eternatus and Skeledirge, two other Pokemon that have defined niches yet are plagued with notable flaws.

Kingambit is a good check to the most common Calyrex-S and Arceus sets (Nasty Plot Tera Grass with Encore and SD Boots), granting it the unique opportunity of robbing momentum away from these enormous threats. Swords Dance combined with its STAB moves and Sucker Punch makes for a pretty good combination offensively, especially considering the fact that it scares out physical walls such as Toxapex and Skeledirge. It can even drop Iron Head for Low Kick on teams with backup checks to Arceus-Fairy, giving it far higher damage output into Ting-Lu and Arceus. However, for all of its positives, Kingambit is reliant upon loading into the correct matchup, as it's swiftly taken care of by both Tera Blast Fighting Calyrex-S and Earthquake / Flare Blitz variants of Arceus. It will reside in B for now.

from UR to D
A pair of hyper offense enablers debuts on the VR. Choice Scarf Cyclizar has a very unique bag of tricks that warrants some more experimentation. Its typing is inherently useful, granting an immunity to Astral Barrage and a resistance to Grass Knot. Alongside 60 Atk EVs, this allows Cyclizar to hard-switch into most Calyrex-S and score an OHKO with Knock Off or take a far more dangerous avenue by setting up a Shed Tail for a teammate. It even has Rapid Spin as a last ditch against entry hazards! It definitely has a niche, and will therefore be placed in D for now.

Meowscarada is the closest thing we have to Deoxys-S this generation. It's the fastest entry hazard lead and a pretty capable one with smart play, setting up Spikes / Toxic Spikes while shutting down Arceus formes, Ting-Lu, and Giratina-O with Taunt, anti-leading setup Koraidon and E-Killer with Play Rough and Low Kick, respectively, and even having access to Sucker Punch as a backup against Calyrex-S should you so desire. Entry hazard leads are not in high demand at the moment though, so D is a fair ranking for now.

DROPS

from S- to A+
Arceus-Ground drops a rank to better reflect its splashability. The fact of the matter is that this metagame is not lacking in strong setup sweepers and wallbreakers at all, and they all offer more valuable utility than Arceus-Ground: Calyrex-S bullies every setup sweeper with Encore, both bike legendaries and E-Killer are elite revenge killers, Miraidon can swing the entry hazard game in your favour in the span of a single turn, Arceus-Fairy is a great check to Koraidon etc. Arceus-Ground does occasionally run a bulky Will-O-Wisp set that can check Zacian-C and soft-check Koraidon and Miraidon, but unlike Arceus-Fairy, it sacrifices a lot of offensive presence in the process. Arceus-Ground is evidently still a very dangerous threat with few checks, but it's also pretty evident that it's a bit of a luxury, fitting in more naturally with Pokemon such as Zacian-C and Kyogre.

from B+ to B-
from B to C
from B- to D
from C to UR
As a defensive Arceus form, you need to be able to distinguish yourself from the excellent Arceus and Arceus-Fairy. Where Arceus-Dark succeeds, these four forms just don't, leading to significant drops. Arceus-Ghost and Arceus-Poison are both Spikes / Ruination bait for Ting-Lu, have a negative matchup against Calyrex-S, and are outclassed by Skeledirge and Toxapex on balance. Arceus-Grass is a respectable check to Kyogre and Arceus-Ground, but at an expensive cost: it's food for Koraidon. The Pokemon it checks are naturally checked already by more convenient options such as Koraidon, Giratina-O, and Landorus-T. Arceus-Fighting has a positive matchup into E-Killer and Ting-Lu, but struggles mightily against Encore Calyrex-S and Arceus-Fairy + is stone-walled by the likes of Toxapex and Eternatus to the point where it's almost never worth it. In a similar vein, Arceus-Flying invites in Miraidon and Zacian-C, and is annoyed heavily by Ruination Ting-Lu to boot.

from B+ to C
Corviknight is a passive mess, incapable of running Iron Defense to properly check what it needs to check because of wanting to run U-turn, Roost, Body Pess, and Defog already. It's a really awkward Pokemon that ends up checking nothing over the course of a game and usually just ends up being Ruination bait for Ting-Lu / Taunt bait for Arceus-Fairy / Flare Blitz bait for E-Killer and Arceus-Ground. Not to mention that it's already food for Calyrex-S, Koraidon, and Miraidon. . .

from B to C
Great Tusk has failed to prove itself over the likes Landorus-T and Giratina-O. While it may seem appealing as a Rapid Spin user with a positive matchup against Ting-lu, it's incapable of overcoming the premier spinblocker in Giratina-O and has a tendency to invite in dangerous threats in Arceus-Fairy and Calyrex-S. While it may also appear to be a sturdy Koraidon check, the lack of a Fighting resistance means that it is worn down pretty quickly in contrast to Landorus-T and, unlike other Koraidon checks, it fails to check Zacian-C.

from B- to D
Giratina's bag of qualities is just not worth it over Giratina-O. Yes, it is a Defog user with Pressure, but this doesn't mean much when it is so easily shut down by Taunt Ting-Lu (the best Spikes user) and Taunt Landorus-T (the best Stealth Rock user). Access to a handy typing and Will-O-Wisp may also seem appealing into E-Killer, but E-Killer often runs either Taunt or Tera Fire to shut down Will-O-Wisp users anyway, rendering this trait fairly useless. In contrast, Giratina-O offers a Ground-immunity (a very strong quality with Tera Steel) and respectable firepower, making it far less passive and a much better choice as a Defog user.

from B- to D
Basculegion needs Rain to function. Sadly, Sun is just too ubiquitous of a weather condition and it doesn't help that the main rain setter in Kyogre is food for the main sun setter in Koraidon. The other option is Trick Room, which is a very cheesy playstyle due to how common Taunt users are.

from C to UR
Use Calyrex-S

Every other change was a slight rise or drop that hopefully speaks for itself, although feel free to ask questions.

 

[Tic-Tac-Toe Guru]

Okay…
UR to C/D
This isn’t ranked at all? Are you serious? No, it’s not the best Pokémon in the world, but it has an insane defense stat, a phenomenal ability in Earth Eater, and access to Shed Tail. It switches into Ekiller, non-Flare Blitz Groundceus, and Ting-Lu pretty darn well, can act as a pivot into Zacian-C with correct play, set Rocks and/or Spikes, and act as a great enabling pivot with slow Shed Tail to enable setup sweepers like double dance Koraidon/Miraidon, DD Groundceus, Ekiller, the list goes on. It can also deal respectable chip with Body Press as well in a pinch. Does Orthworm have flaws? Absolutely. It has an abysmal SpDef, so Calyrex-S and Miraidon can pick up easy KOs on it, it doesn’t have the most extensive movepool, and it can’t output respectable damage outside of Body Press. However, on the right team, I believe Orthworm can thrive as it can switch in on a lot of physical attackers and threaten the opponent with Shed Tail. The fact that Orthworm is nowhere on the VR is a crime, and I personally believe it has a bigger niche than any of the D-rank Pokémon.

 

[Bread Sandwich]

I have been playing on ladder for a bit for the past week and I thought I would make some nominations

ur --> b+
Ribombee returns in the teal mask and we finally have a webs setter that isn't Masquerain. Ribombee has a decent speed stat allowing it to outspeed taunt arceus and it also has a decently powerful stab moonblast which it can use to scare off defog attempts from Giratina-o. Also Ribombee's fairy typing makes it immune to koraidon scale shot which as a huge positive.


d --> ur
Now that Ribombee is back there is no reason to use this

ur --> c
Why did this get knocked down to ur, Although vivillon doesn't appriciate the addition of miraidon vivillon is an amazing abuser of tera ghost which allows it to negate its weakness to priority. Also there are plenty of teams that don't run miraidon which become free vivillon food and even if the opposing team has miraidon it can be played around so vivillon can sweep late game. With the new improvements to webs with the introduction of ribombee I think that vivillon deserves to be at least c rank.

 

[Kanha Greninja]

plus ribombee has stun spore to paralyis the opposing pokemon before you use sticky web so it is even better and regarding the Vivilion doesnt scale shot koraidon deafeat Vivilion 1v1
252 Atk Orichalcum Pulse Koraidon Scale Shot (4 hits) vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Vivillon: 388-460 (128.9 - 152.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO Tera doesnt change the calc
therefore you can still beat Vivilion without Miriadon

 

[Rose]

The VR hasn't been updated for a while, so I thought I'd very briefly share some of my thoughts on the upper ranks. Don't take the order within the subranks too seriously.

My Rankings

S
Koraidon
Calyrex-S
Arceus
Ting-Lu

A+
Arceus-Fairy
Arceus-Ground
Miraidon
Zacian-C

A
Landorus-T
Toxapex
Giratina-O
Kyogre

A-
Eternatus
Arceus-Water
Skeledirge

Notable Changes
Calyrex-S from S+ to S
Calyrex-S is still absurdly good, don't get me wrong, but between the reliable revenge killing and sweeping potential of Koraidon and Arceus, the invaluable defensive utility of Arceus and Ting-Lu, and Ting-Lu's metagame-defining Spikes, I don't think it is significantly ahead of these Pokemon. With some obvious exceptions, all four are Pokemon I would consider putting on most teams.

Removal the of S- rank
Having an S- rank didn't make much sense to me when I realized bumping Arceus-Ground up to S- would leave Zacian-C, which I don't feel is far behind Miraidon, all alone in A+. I think A+ more accurately describes this quartet anyway—they are great Pokemon, but they don't have as much of an impact as the S rank Pokemon and have small flaws holding them back.

Kyogre from A+ to A
Kyogre remains threatening, but the omnipresence of entry hazards, Koraidon and other faster Pokemon means it often finds itself overwhelmed and outgunned. Frankly, it just didn't strike me as better than something like Landorus-T, one of the faces of bulky offense.

Arceus-Water from A to A-
Arceus-Water is decent, with its higher bulk and access to moves like Will-O-Wisp distinguishing it from a bulky Water-type like Toxapex, but it faces competition from other defensive Arceus formes. Koraidon's seemingly ever-present sun weakening its Judgment is a massive hindrance and makes Calm Mind sets practically irrelevant. Miraidon also often uses Arceus-Water as an entry point to fire off powerful attacks, being unfazed by its moves bar Ice Beam.

Arceus-Dark from A- to B+
Arceus-Dark is a very poor Calyrex-S check; its lack of a Ghost immunity and inability to hold Heavy-Duty Boots mean it is quickly worn down into the latter's KO range when entry hazards are up. On the physically defensive side, it is outclassed by better Arceus formes; its STAB-boosted Foul Play by no means makes up for its horrible Low Kick and Play Rough weaknesses.

 

[Glory]

I'm bored so I too am going to add my two cents

Hide

S

Koraidon
Arceus
Ting-Lu

S-

Calyrex-S
Arceus-Ground
Arceus-Fairy

A+

Zacian-Crowned
Landorus-T
Miraidon

A

Giratina-O
Toxapex
Kyogre

A-

Eternatus
Skeledirge
Arceus-Water

Arceus-Dark from A- to B+
Arceus-Dark is a very poor Calyrex-S check; its lack of a Ghost immunity and inability to hold Heavy-Duty Boots mean it is quickly worn down into the latter's KO range when entry hazards are up. On the physically defensive side, it is outclassed by better Arceus formes; its STAB-boosted Foul Play by no means makes up for its horrible Low Kick and Play Rough weaknesses.

You forgot to mention that Foul Play variants can't switch into Skeledirge or Giratina-O for fear of Will-O-Wisp

Something that must be kept in mind is that the viability rankings are NOT a threat list. I ranked everything with the mindset of "how often am I going to fit this on a team?"

These three are the most splashable, omnipresent Pokemon in the metagame, and the VR should reflect that. Koraidon is still the most potent scarfer and with the addition of Scale Shot, one of the most potent sweepers too. Arceus and Ting-Lu are similar in that they are the only splashable Caly-S checks on top of having enormous amounts of other utility.

Calyrex-S was lowered simply because it isn't as good as the three above it. It's the most dangerous and versatile mon in the meta, but you can only run 4 moves and one item, making it a lot more limited, on top of having less defensive utility.

Calm Mind variants of both of these, defensive or offensive, are just incredible in so many ways. They fill a ton of important roles in one slot and can become extremely threatening on a dime.

both of these were lowered for the same reason: they have almost no defensive utility. The metagame is at a point where you need to squeeze every bit of defensive use out of every mon to not lose to the plethora of offensive threats. Koraidon checks E-Killer and is the best scarfer in the meta, E-Killer is a great revenge killer and it checks Caly, Caly outspeeds and forces out a ton of mons on top of having Encore, Zacian can pivot in and threaten the bikes while revenge killing E-Killer, etc.
Miraidon and Kyogre are incredibly threatening, but they offer next to no defensive utility of their own, making them a lot harder to fit on a team, and thus they have fallen.

Lando is just an incredible glue that packs so much utility into one slot. Helmet bringing Koraidon and Zacian into range of revenge killers is so helpful for bulky offense teams.

 

[Fc]

Another VR update for the DLC meta, and with that we've added a lot of new council members. Please welcome PrimalKyogre, Agcl2 Ragib, and TaxFraud to council! Bacon has stepped down, thank you for your contributions over the years. If you have any questions about the specific changes this slate feel free to ask here, or if you have any questions on a Pokemon's more general place in the metagame feel free to ask in our SQSA thread.

Voting Slate

Rises:
Glimmora: B --> B+
Grimmsnarl: B --> B+
Arceus-Steel: C --> B-
Flutter Mane: C --> B-
Alomomola: UR --> C
Orthworm: UR --> D
Vivillon: UR --> D
Gliscor: NEW --> D
Ribombee: NEW --> A- (3)
Shaymin-Sky: NEW --> D
Mandibuzz: NEW --> C

Drops:
Miraidon: S- (2) --> A+ (3)
Giratina-Origin: A (3) --> A- (1)
Arceus-Water: A (4) --> A- (6)
Kingambit: B --> B-
Arceus-Ghost: B- --> C
Dondozo: B- --> C
Chien Pao: C --> D
Chi Yu: C --> D
Gothitelle: C --> UR
Hatterene: C --> D
Arceus-Fighting: D --> UR
Cyclizar: D --> UR
Masquerain: D --> UR
Ursaluna: D --> UR

 

[dividing by zero]

C -> B-

While unorthodox, Mandibuzz is an excellent role compression pick.

Roost allows it to effectively switch in to Caly-Shadow throughout the game, since it has the bulk to shrug off Draining Kiss and is neutral to Pollen Puff. Knock Off threatens an OHKO while guaranteeing some progress against a switch-in, and Whirlwind denies the sometimes-seen Baton Pass. Calyrex's only viable option into Mandibuzz is Tera Blast Fairy.

Even against the rare team that doesn't pack Caly-Shadow, being able to compress hazard removal, Knock Off, and phazing into a single slot is valuable, not to mention its ability to slot in U-Turn and function as a slow pivot. While not particularly relevant to its viability, Overcoat also provides a nice immunity to Sleep Powder and Spore.

 

[Tic-Tac-Toe Guru]

C -> B-

While unorthodox, Mandibuzz is an excellent role compression pick.

Roost allows it to effectively switch in to Caly-Shadow throughout the game, since it has the bulk to shrug off Draining Kiss and is neutral to Pollen Puff. Knock Off threatens an OHKO while guaranteeing some progress against a switch-in, and Whirlwind denies the sometimes-seen Baton Pass. Calyrex's only viable option into Mandibuzz is Tera Blast Fairy.

Even against the rare team that doesn't pack Caly-Shadow, being able to compress hazard removal, Knock Off, and phazing into a single slot is valuable, not to mention its ability to slot in U-Turn and function as a slow pivot. While not particularly relevant to its viability, Overcoat also provides a nice immunity to Sleep Powder and Spore.

Two problems with your argument:
1. Caly has another and better option into Mandibuzz: Encore. It can easily come in on a roost and lock down Mandibuzz and severely limit its effect on the battle.
2. Dark types have a hard time competing for a team slot in a meta rampant with Koraidon, and Mandibuzz has to compete with Ting-Lu, easily the best dark type in the game. Ting-Lu also does role compression better than Mandibuzz, as it can set hazards, act as a phaser, and act as a check to Miraidon. Furthermore, it’s overall incredible bulk allows it to at the very least soft check a lot of the meta, physical attackers notwithstanding, that can’t deal a hard super effective hit. Mandibuzz cannot say the same.

In short, Mandibuzz is fine where it is, especially when comparing it to the mons in B-, which are all clearly more viable than it.

 

[eavo]

C -> B-

While unorthodox, Mandibuzz is an excellent role compression pick.

Roost allows it to effectively switch in to Caly-Shadow throughout the game, since it has the bulk to shrug off Draining Kiss and is neutral to Pollen Puff. Knock Off threatens an OHKO while guaranteeing some progress against a switch-in, and Whirlwind denies the sometimes-seen Baton Pass. Calyrex's only viable option into Mandibuzz is Tera Blast Fairy.

Even against the rare team that doesn't pack Caly-Shadow, being able to compress hazard removal, Knock Off, and phazing into a single slot is valuable, not to mention its ability to slot in U-Turn and function as a slow pivot. While not particularly relevant to its viability, Overcoat also provides a nice immunity to Sleep Powder and Spore.

I also believe that Mandibuzz should be in B-, as it is a decent pick on balance teams with access to recovery. Having valuable utility such as Defog and Knock Off, both rare this gen, also justifies using it over some of the more common checks to Calyrex-S, such as Arceus and Ting-Lu. Toxic is also able to punish switchins like Miraidon and Koraidon. While it can certainly be hard to fit in some teams, it does it's job very well. It is also able to soft check some of the physical metagame, such as Arceus and Arceus-Ground, with Foul Play.

 

[Glory]

C -> B-

While unorthodox, Mandibuzz is an excellent role compression pick.

Roost allows it to effectively switch in to Caly-Shadow throughout the game, since it has the bulk to shrug off Draining Kiss and is neutral to Pollen Puff. Knock Off threatens an OHKO while guaranteeing some progress against a switch-in, and Whirlwind denies the sometimes-seen Baton Pass. Calyrex's only viable option into Mandibuzz is Tera Blast Fairy.

Even against the rare team that doesn't pack Caly-Shadow, being able to compress hazard removal, Knock Off, and phazing into a single slot is valuable, not to mention its ability to slot in U-Turn and function as a slow pivot. While not particularly relevant to its viability, Overcoat also provides a nice immunity to Sleep Powder and Spore.

Mandibuzz absolutely has some very valuable traits, but struggles with a lot of common factors in the metagame that severely hold it back. It has horrible 4 move-slot syndrome, with 5-6 moves being extremely crucial when you only have 3 available moveslots (Roost is mandatory.) Without Toxic you're Arceus-Fairy and CM Arceus-Ground fodder, without Knock Off you're just a lot worse into a lot of stuff, without Foul Play you are a very shaky check to DD Arceus-Ground, without Defog you let Ting-Lu set hazards very freely (and are generally inferior to Wo-Chien), and without U-turn you can just hemorrhage momentum.

In addition to this, you really want to be physically defensive to increase utility by checking more threats like Extreme Killer Arceus and taking a hit from Koraidon. This runs into major issues against the more offensively inclined Calyrex-S sets (Specs and Life Orb) because you get overwhelmed horrendously quickly and are forced to Roost, which is extremely abusable. This doesn't even get into Tera Ghost sets (calcs below) which can split Mandibuzz in half.

Hide

252 SpA Choice Specs Tera Ghost Calyrex-Shadow Astral Barrage vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Mandibuzz: 244-288 (57.6 - 68%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 252 SpA Life Orb Tera Ghost Calyrex-Shadow Astral Barrage vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Mandibuzz: 424-499 (100.2 - 117.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO

While still usable because its traits are quite valuable, it's generally too difficult to fit and opens up too many weaknesses to warrant a higher rank. Ninety-nine times of a hundred, you're better off using Ting-Lu + E-Killer + Scarfer, which brings immense utility and offensive prowess.

 

[Fc]

We did the first update for the release of DLC 2, sheet will be posted with this soon once one last thing gets decided on that was missed.

New Releases:
Necrozma-DM: NEW --> S+ (2)
Ho-Oh: NEW --> S (1)
Deoxys-S: NEW --> A- (1)
Deoxys-A: NEW --> B+
Kyurem-B: NEW --> B-
Lunala: NEW --> B-
Terapagos: NEW --> C
Zekrom: NEW --> C
Skarmory: NEW --> C
Kyurem-W: NEW --> D
Smeargle: NEW --> D

Rises:
Eternatus: A- (4) --> A (3)
Arceus-Water: A- (6) --> A+ (2)
Ditto: C --> B-
Great Tusk: C --> B-
Chien Pao: D --> C
Gliscor: D --> B

Drops:
Arceus: S (2) -->S- (2)
Ting Lu: S (3) --> S- (1)
Arceus-Fairy: S- --> A (2)
Zacian-C: A+ (1) --> A (4)
Landorus-T: A (1) --> B
Toxapex: A (2) --> B
Skeledirge: A- (2) --> B+
Ribombee: A- (3) --> B+
Arceus-Dark: A- (5) --> B+
Grimmsnarl: B+ --> C
Clodsire: B --> B-
Wo Chien: B --> B-
Rayquaza: B- --> C
Arceus-Steel: B- --> C
Flutter Mane: B- --> C

 

[testingnewstrat]

UR -> D/C-

This goofy little dog is a stall enabler. I have laddered with him and have been pleasantly surprised by the results.

I believe that Dachsbun is slept on. I am a user of Big Stall, which is a playstyle that has constantly struggled with , especially after it got scale shot. It requires hazard support or helmet so that Scarf Koraidon is hurt for clicking U-Turn. Dachsbun is a not necessarily a great mon but is a viable option for stall to beat , with a usable support movepool such as wish, yawn, and roar. It blanket checks and can be used to heal other teammates with wish.

Set example

Dachsbun @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Well-Baked Body
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Play Rough
- Roar
- Wish
- Protect

Thanks for listening to my Ted Talk.

 

[Glory]

nom time
Rises:
Ho-Oh to S+
Ho-Oh has clearly set itself apart from everything else as a by far one of the most splashable options in the metagame, to the point where you often need to justify not running it. It fits on everything besides hyper offense and absolutely thrives. Offensive sets are incredibly difficult to handle with other factors like Sacred Fire burns and Spikes limiting its switch-ins, often making opposing Ho-Oh the only consistent switch-in. People optimizing Miraidon teams to better take advantage of defensive Ho-Oh and Arceus-Water is also a great boon for offensive Ho-Oh, as it is able to use the more prevalent Arceus-Ground as an entry point in addition to Ting-Lu. Stone Edge Ting-Lu is a legitimate option just because it doesn't let Ho-Oh walk all over it.

Ting-Lu to S
Why is this not already how it is? Ting-Lu is clearly the metagame's anchor, to the point where it's essentially mandatory on balance or bulky offense. Spikes are stupidly broken and Ting-Lu sets them easily while also being a check to Miraidon, Caly-S, Necrozma-DM, Arceus-Ground, etc. It does so much in one slot that it's ludicrous to suggest it be any lower than S.

Arceus-Ground to S-
Arceus-Ground is the best defensive Arceus forme at the moment, with its ability to soft-check Miraidon, punish Tera Fire Necrozma-DM and Koraidon even in Sun, and the fact it doesn't forfeit free turns to Eternatus. Offensive Dragon Dance sets have also really started to show what they're capable of, playing a crucial role on hyper offense as arguably the single most threatening sweeper that teams need to play on the razor's edge to beat. Both Taunt and Substitute sets are incredibly effective at denying the typical counterplay in Will-O-Wisp defensive Arceus formes, and also easing setup against Ting-Lu or Eternatus that might try to phaze it or cripple it. Arceus-Ground is the fuel that keeps many of the best teams running and as such should rise to S-.

Eternatus to S-
Eternatus is very good. Toxic Spikes are incredibly suffocating into almost any team that does not also have Eternatus, and its ability to take advantage of Ho-Oh, Arceus-Water, and Arceus-Fairy means that it has many different opportunities to use Toxic Spikes or just cripple something with Toxic. Ho-Oh's rising prevalence is good in two ways for Eternatus, not only does it mean that Etern has more chances to hit the field and wreak havoc, but Necrozma-DM has fallen off slightly so it's more likely to have no true Toxic switchin. Eternatus also boasts a solid matchup into Calyrex-S and Choice Scarf Koraidon, and is still the only Kyogre check with even a modicum of consistency and longevity.

Landorus-T to A / A-
Landorus-T does the exact same thing it did in DLC 1, annoy physical attackers with Rocky Helmet and Intimidate, click Stealth Rock, and pivot in many stupid attackers with U-turn. Ho-Oh isn't too big of an issue as Landorus can tech for it with Stone Edge, or simply bluff that it has it to similar effect. Slow pivoting is as valuable as it's ever been, and Lando-T is the only real option for it in the metagame.

Dialga to B
Dialga is a very threatening mon with Choice Specs and it has a lot of defensive utility alongside that power. Miraidon typically outclasses Dialga but on certain team compositions, the valuable defensive traits it offers—checking E-Killer Arceus and its lack of a Dragon-type weakness—are more valuable than Miraidon's higher Speed tier and pivoting. Miraidon is also effectively weaker than Specs Dialga as it's forced to used Heavy-Duty Boots to not compromise its longevity and make it easier to pivot around. Of course, Dialga is in general worse than Miraidon so I'm only nominating it to B.

There's a couple more mons I want to discuss in the current meta, but they're not as interesting as what I've brought up here.

personal VR

S+
Calyrex-S
Ho-Oh

S
Necrozma-DM
Ting-Lu
Koraidon

S-
Arceus-Ground
Arceus
Eternatus

A+
Miraidon
Arceus-Water
Arceus-Fairy

A
Kyogre
Deoxys-S
Landorus-T

A-
Zacian-C
Ribombee
Giratina-O
Deoxys-A