Resource BSS Viability Rankings

[Ika Ika Musume]

My opinion, keep in mind I've played for less than a month and this is just through playing/watching tour games so I wouldn't put much if any weight on it.

My opinions

S Rank:

Mega Blaziken to A+: Think Blaziken is a fanstastic mon, however, I don't believe it is in the same tier as mimikyu/landorus-t/mega mence in either versatility or pure power. For me, the above three can be stuck on the vast majority of teams and put in work. A mimikyu is probably getting you a kill or close to it almost every game if you play it right, mence in my opinion is the most dangerous set up sweeper without significant support in the game, only being compared to gyara under screens, lando can do practically anything you want it to. The most important thing is, I think it struggles, for the most part against the three that share its current tier as well as quite a few mons in particularly the A tier, making it more difficult to slap blaziken on teams.

A+ Rank:

Blaziken to A: Just a, for the most part, worse version of mega blaziken. Yes, doesn't require a mega slot but that's the majortiy of the benefit.

Gyarados to A: I've been debating this one to myself. Gyara in the right circumstances can wreck havoc. I love the fact that regular and mega cover the fighting weakness. I think though, Gyara is best under screens and screens as a playstyle is finicky from my experience of trying. The spdef stat and ability not to fall over to ice moves and the fact regular gyara > regular mence gives gyara a niche vs mence, but the majority of teams I think mence is just better.

A Rank:

Looks pretty solid to me.

A- Rank:

Kartana to A: I think Kartana is actually underrated and could potentially move up to A. It's one of the scariest scarfers and in general mons to have in the back in my opinion.

Cloyster to B+: The problem with Cloyster is it needs to run sash, easily brought down to sash and easily revenged. Generally most mons can pressure it enough before shell smash that it either gets only 1 kill or if the right mon is in, zero.


B+ Rank:

Glalie to B: I just don't think it is as good as people make it out to be. Annoying yes, RNG based yes, but on its own, a lot of mons actually deal with it well unless you let it get the sub and the evasion boost etc.

Gengar to ???: Wherever it belongs, it isn't in B+. I'd be tempted to say its mega is overrated, but gengar itself has no place here.

Pheromosa to B: Another mon that I think is falling off. No doubt busted in OU, but doesn't quite do enough damage and Mimikyu/Aegi which are very common bop it unfortunately.

B Rank:

Kingdra to B-: I think Kingdra is a great rain mon in 6v6, but imo swampert is your rain abuser to have in BSS. I don't think rain is the strongest style by any means anyways.

Politoad to B-: I think for most purposes, Pelipper outclasses it.

Quagsire to B-: haven't actually seen it much around, not even on stall.

Ryperior to C+: It just isn't that good from what Ive seen.

B- Rank:

Altaria to C+: I don't think Mega Altaria from the few times I've faced against it is anywhere near as threatening as the mons in this bracket.

Beyond this I don't have enough knowledge to say more.

 

[flareyman101]

Just throwing this out there, I've had a lot of success with Nidoking vs teams with Tapu Koko...especially lead Tapu Kokos. I'm surprised that didn't bump it's usage up as it's imo it's the hardest counter to one of the most popular Pokemon.

 

[Solerme]

Just throwing this out there, I've had a lot of success with Nidoking vs teams with Tapu Koko...especially lead Tapu Kokos. I'm surprised that didn't bump it's usage up as it's imo it's the hardest counter to one of the most popular Pokemon.

It is indeed a decent check, but it can't really switch into HP Ice, specially if Koko carries a Life Orb or a Choice Specs.
I've seen some very high rated teams with it, cause it has a super wide movepool and can hit decently hard, but it even has flaws that makes it a mid to low tier pokemon. So why using Nidoking when you can use Spdef Heatran or Spdef p2 to switch into Koko?
You also need to keep in mind that Nido is a nice check to Koko, but can't take hits from none of the other 3 tapus, and this is a big problem. It misses the OHKO on Fini, it is outsped by Lele and can't switch into none of them, even Bulu.

I still think that Nidoking could be a nice pick, but i'm not surprised that its usage hasn't gotten (that?) higher

 

[Tramuntana]

-> C
I second that ditto should probably be on the VR thread probably on C rank because it does have a niche, and seems to be in a similar boat as Wobbuffet as far as the type of niche it has.

Just a note to SJMistery: Mantine is worse than Empoleon in BSS, as Mantine is not able to do much of anything in a meta as fast paced as BSS, and it is entirely outclassed by other water types because Mantine is a huge passive momentum sink. Granted Empoleon is usually a weak pick, but it does have a unique typing and a decent movepool to make it not absolute garbage.
Also if you're using Flynium-Z duggy +1 rep

As funny the animation in the games is, I sadly actually go with the Sash variant. By using SSSS I meant that I am bold and "honorable" (AKA suicidally stupid) enough to use a variation of Dragonite's Fly Nite set in BSS instead of doing the smart thing going with UberMan-Salamence, trading speed and raw power for better bulk and a decisive one-shot on whatever happens to be annoying ATM, and having a ground trapper is nice to prevent Tyranitar, Metagross and especially Magnezone (that damn x4 resistance to flying...) from ruining the strategy. Empoleon HAS a niche, namely luring ground types for my Dragonite, but it seems every time I bring either pokemon to the table everybody starts complaining for no reason, so I wanted to leave them out for now instead of trying to defend them against all odds for the infinitieth time.

 

[flareyman101]

It is indeed a decent check, but it can't really switch into HP Ice, specially if Koko carries a Life Orb or a Choice Specs.
I've seen some very high rated teams with it, cause it has a super wide movepool and can hit decently hard, but it even has flaws that makes it a mid to low tier pokemon. So why using Nidoking when you can use Spdef Heatran or Spdef p2 to switch into Koko?
You also need to keep in mind that Nido is a nice check to Koko, but can't take hits from none of the other 3 tapus, and this is a big problem. It misses the OHKO on Fini, it is outsped by Lele and can't switch into none of them, even Bulu.

I still think that Nidoking could be a nice pick, but i'm not surprised that its usage hasn't gotten (that?) higher

I guess I've been lucky, i don't see many kokos running hp ice. I can we why, when fairy hits dragons...also i should add its much harder to get hp ice on legends...

 

[chemcoop]

HP Ice is only ~37% usage on Koko, mainly because Grass Knot is the superior 4th move for hitting bulky grounds like Hippowdon. That being said, counting on your opponent not having HP Ice Koko when planning your endgame is not the best strategy as 37% usage is far from insignificant.

I can we why, when fairy hits dragons...

As I mentioned previously, Grass Knot is arguably more useful in the current metagame to help break Mence/Koko/Aegi/Hippo cores as most Hippowdon get 2HKO'd by GK, and Dazzling Gleam does the same damage as HP Ice to Mega Mence. However, HP Ice is useful in nailing Landorus-T switch-ins, as Dazzling Gleam does nothing to an AV Lando.

252 SpA Tapu Koko Dazzling Gleam vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Assault Vest Landorus-T: 45-54 (22.9 - 27.5%) -- 53.9% chance to 4HKO
252 SpA Tapu Koko Hidden Power Ice vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Assault Vest Landorus-T: 88-108 (44.8 - 55.1%) -- 60.2% chance to 2HKO

You are correct that Dazzling Gleam is better than HP Ice in most scenarios, as STAB + super effective damage means that DG does more to dragons that aren't 4x weak to Ice than HP Ice does. Dazzling Gleam is also better for neutral hits, so the main role of HP Ice Koko is to catch Lando-T on the switch or to pick off a weakened one.

also i should add its much harder to get hp ice on legends...

In the future, please refrain from referring to the difficulty of getting certain Hidden Powers on resettable Pokémon. Players who wish to use a Pokémon with a certain event move or Hidden Power to complete a competitive team will find a way to obtain it. Thus, difficulty in obtaining something is a non-factor in determining viability, which is the purpose of this thread.

Hope this helps!

 

[The Squash]

I've got a few suggestions for the rankings myself, so lets get into them I guess.

Rank changes:

A -> A+
I know jroxas already suggested this earlier, but with the rise of Torrent Gren on high ranked Japanese teams, it's gotten even better than it was before. It also has pretty high usage, which means that it's probably pretty good.

(Regular Gengar, not Mega)
B+ ->B-
Regular Gengar just isn't really that good anymore. With the Destiny Bond nerf Gengar looses one of the few reasons to use it's base form. Losing Levitate is also a pretty big bummer. It also gets outsped by quite a few common mons such as Koko, Greninja, Naganadel, and Blaziken after a speed boost.

Unranked mons:

UR -> C or B-
Kommo-o isn't very good in singles, but it has a hard-hitting Z-move and fairly good coverage. With the right team support it can be a pretty dangerous sweeper though, so I think that ranking it at C (or maybe B-) is probably fair.

UR -> C
Vivillion has a fair niche in the meta thanks to it's decent speed tier and good ability. It can spam Sleep Powder fairly easily and has Quiver Dance and fairly strong STAB moves to back it up. It's Flying STAB also lets it punish grass-types that switch in to Sleep Powder. In most situations it's outclassed by Breloom as a sleep-spreader and outclassed by Volcarona as a Quiver Dancer, but it does carve itself a solid niche.


On a slightly unrelated note, Naganadel doesn't have a picture next to it's name. It's not a huge deal, but it's worth fixing for consistency's sake.

 

[flareyman101]

HP Ice is only ~37% usage on Koko, mainly because Grass Knot is the superior 4th move for hitting bulky grounds like Hippowdon. That being said, counting on your opponent not having HP Ice Koko when planning your endgame is not the best strategy as 37% usage is far from insignificant.


As I mentioned previously, Grass Knot is arguably more useful in the current metagame to help break Mence/Koko/Aegi/Hippo cores as most Hippowdon get 2HKO'd by GK, and Dazzling Gleam does the same damage as HP Ice to Mega Mence. However, HP Ice is useful in nailing Landorus-T switch-ins, as Dazzling Gleam does nothing to an AV Lando.

252 SpA Tapu Koko Dazzling Gleam vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Assault Vest Landorus-T: 45-54 (22.9 - 27.5%) -- 53.9% chance to 4HKO
252 SpA Tapu Koko Hidden Power Ice vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Assault Vest Landorus-T: 88-108 (44.8 - 55.1%) -- 60.2% chance to 2HKO

You are correct that Dazzling Gleam is better than HP Ice in most scenarios, as STAB + super effective damage means that DG does more to dragons that aren't 4x weak to Ice than HP Ice does. Dazzling Gleam is also better for neutral hits, so the main role of HP Ice Koko is to catch Lando-T on the switch or to pick off a weakened one.


In the future, please refrain from referring to the difficulty of getting certain Hidden Powers on resettable Pokémon. Players who wish to use a Pokémon with a certain event move or Hidden Power to complete a competitive team will find a way to obtain it. Thus, difficulty in obtaining something is a non-factor in determining viability, which is the purpose of this thread.

Hope this helps!

I see ok its like dont ask dont tell.


Rank changes:

A -> A+
I also second this. Torrent + Hyro Vortex/Priority is pretty darn strong. Plus it could be Protean. It's just such a safe lead with the focus sash set and such a safe Scarfed/Spec'd Pokemon to use later.

 

[PushMyFinger210]

Nominating Mega Blastoise to be ranked literally anywhere
An amazing Sp Atk stat, a powerful ability, and decent bulk make Mega Blastoise a formidable threat. While other pokemon are better rapid spinners due to their speed they are either A. Niche Spinners or B. Are not as powerful as Mega Blastoise. While Starmie is also a great alternative, Mega Launcher just made Blastoise the better option. Blastoise can use Water Pulse which with STAB and Mega Launcher bonuses brings its base power to a menacing 135. Hydro Pump is also another great option because even though it does not get Mega Launcher Bonuses, with STAB it has a base power of 165, but I prefer Water Pulse for its chance to confuse and it being 100% accurate. Ice Beam with that Sp Atk will eat through any pesky grass types, dragon types, or electric-flying types that would otherwise out bulk or destroy Blastoise. Aura Sphere becomes a 120 Base Power attack with Mega launcher and has great coverage while Dark pulse with that same base power can rid of any psychic or ghost types such as Cresselia, Aegislash, and Mega Gengar if you bulk him out. Aqua Jet is a good STAB/Priority move to pick off weakened foes or ones with focus sash or sturdy. Dragon Pulse could be a check to dragon types with its Mega Launcher boosted 127.5 Base Power if you don't run an ice beam Blastoise. Sadly, Blastoise cannot learn Earth Power but Earthquake is still a decent option to take down electric types and Alolan-Muk. Flash Cannon could be used to annihilate most fairy types, especially with Blastoise's Sp Atk. Stat. Protect, Refresh, Rest, and Toxic are as useful as always. Roar could get rid of any bulky bois that Blastoise can't damage such as Alolan-Muk, Sylveon(You could just use flash cannon) and Espeon(I fucking hate Espeon BTW). Scald is useful for STAB and chance to burn but I still prefer Water Pulse for the reasons stated above. Surf is another great STAB move yet I still prefer Water Pulse. Zen Headbutt also has good coverage. Overall, Blastoise is an underrated Pokemon. Blastoise has a great ability, amazing Sp Atk, great coverage and is, in my opinion, one of, if not the best Bulky Water-type in the Battle-Spot Singles Meta.

 

[Mishimono]

Nominating Mega Blastoise to be ranked literally anywhere
An amazing Sp Atk stat, a powerful ability, and decent bulk make Mega Blastoise a formidable threat. While other pokemon are better rapid spinners due to their speed they are either A. Niche Spinners or B. Are not as powerful as Mega Blastoise. While Starmie is also a great alternative, Mega Launcher just made Blastoise the better option. Blastoise can use Water Pulse which with STAB and Mega Launcher bonuses brings its base power to a menacing 135. Hydro Pump is also another great option because even though it does not get Mega Launcher Bonuses, with STAB it has a base power of 165, but I prefer Water Pulse for its chance to confuse and it being 100% accurate. Ice Beam with that Sp Atk will eat through any pesky grass types, dragon types, or electric-flying types that would otherwise out bulk or destroy Blastoise. Aura Sphere becomes a 120 Base Power attack with Mega launcher and has great coverage while Dark pulse with that same base power can rid of any psychic or ghost types such as Cresselia, Aegislash, and Mega Gengar if you bulk him out. Aqua Jet is a good STAB/Priority move to pick off weakened foes or ones with focus sash or sturdy. Dragon Pulse could be a check to dragon types with its Mega Launcher boosted 127.5 Base Power if you don't run an ice beam Blastoise. Sadly, Blastoise cannot learn Earth Power but Earthquake is still a decent option to take down electric types and Alolan-Muk. Flash Cannon could be used to annihilate most fairy types, especially with Blastoise's Sp Atk. Stat. Protect, Refresh, Rest, and Toxic are as useful as always. Roar could get rid of any bulky bois that Blastoise can't damage such as Alolan-Muk, Sylveon(You could just use flash cannon) and Espeon(I fucking hate Espeon BTW). Scald is useful for STAB and chance to burn but I still prefer Water Pulse for the reasons stated above. Surf is another great STAB move yet I still prefer Water Pulse. Zen Headbutt also has good coverage. Overall, Blastoise is an underrated Pokemon. Blastoise has a great ability, amazing Sp Atk, great coverage and is, in my opinion, one of, if not the best Bulky Water-type in the Battle-Spot Singles Meta.

I guess there could be some argument for getting Blastoise to C-rank as a Trick Room attacker, but even then I feel its outclassed by Primarina as an offensive water-type and Tapu Fini as a defensive one. Blastoise is just not bulky, fast or strong enough to justify using it over other water-types to give up your mega slot. Most of the coverage options you mentioned are unviable such as Earthquake and Zen Headbutt as its attack is way too low to justify ever using those and options like Flash Cannon and Dragon Pulse are generally wasted and can be easily covered by other pokemon. Rapid Spinners also aren;t used in BSS due to 3v3 with less switching. So, while it has some nice options and coverage with things Dark Pulse, other pokemon can do what it does just as well or better without wasting a mega slot.

 

[Psynergy]

I'd hoped to get this up before the ladder tour started, but votes are in for this round of nominations. There's been a couple posts since we started voting so some of the recent nominations aren't included here, those will be in the next round of votes. You might notice a different group of voters this time around, the important part being that greilmercenary9 has joined the VR council as of this vote! As a player with plenty of ladder experience his thoughts and opinions will be very helpful in votes moving forward. You'll also notice that not everyone voted, that's because with 8 members there's more leeway on getting a good sample size with which to make changes, without having to wait on anyone who is unexpectedly busy, so VR updates will hopefully be delayed less. Ideally we still want everyone on VR council to vote but this hasn't always been happened before now so this technically isn't anything new.

As for the vote itself, there were a lot of proposed changes that were not all voted on formally. You'll notice there are two lists of changes at the bottom, the first following the list of votes are the usual changes. The second consists of changes that were not formally nominated and thus not formally voted on, but were nonetheless changes I felt were worth looking at. Mega Gyarados was also left out of this vote because we didn't think the meta changed enough to vote it down right after voting it up last vote. Not opposed to revisiting it next vote if someone wants to make a case for it.

Mega Blaziken: S -> A+

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cant say: disagree. mence/gyara/torrent gren rising sucks but this thing still destroys

chemcoop: S. Mega Blaze is falling off a bit thanks to increased Mence and Gren usage, but it's still a top-tier threat that can easily sweep with a well timed HP Ice or SD, or even if your team is just a bit too weakened.

DragonWhale: not as strong as before but it has a super versatile movepool that can either overcome natural switchins with tpunch and EQ, or turn the tables around with SD and BP. Requiring a mega is kind of a minus but it's still S for now (though close to falling off)

greilmercenary9: S. Mega Blaziken is probably the most inconsistent member of the S-tier, but its coverage, speed, and power, and flexibility mean it's still very hard to deal with. Baton Pass, SD, or tech coverage (HP Ice, EQ, T-Punch, Stone Edge), along with the viability of non-mega Blaze, also all help its versatility and thus its overall performance.

Psynergy: Nah, I don't think the meta has really shifted at all to really make Mega Blaziken any less effective than before, its usage may have dropped a bit since SM but I don't see this situation as any different than Mega Salamence. Its simplicity and power is really hard to match and despite how many good checks it has, they all need to be played carefully or else they risk getting overpowered anyway.

Solerme: Stay S

Greninja: A -> A+

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cant say: A+ - agree

chemcoop: A+. HUGE threat right now. SubTorrent hits crazy hard with Waterium Z, and its increasing popularity only adds to the headache of dealing with Gren. It checks a lot of common meta threats right now, and the ability to run Sash Torrent, z-Torrent, z-Protean, Sash Protean, Scarf, Life Orb, and even SubToxic(???) makes this thing a nightmare to predict in team preview.

DragonWhale: Currently the only pokemon in the entire metagame that requires more than one pokemon to perfectly counter, thanks to its incredible versatility, speed, and effectiveness of each set. Only downside is it's not as strong once the set is identified. A+ for sure. Maybe even S.

greilmercenary9: A+. The rise of Torrent Greninja gives it the extra bit of unpredictability and potential power to make it even a more top tier threat. Bulky walls like P2 that generally didn't care about Protean Greninja much now have to be wary of eating a Torrent boosted Z-Hydro Cannon, and the Torrent set being utilized primarily a wallbreaker contrasts nicely with the more anti-offense oriented Protean sets.

Psynergy: I do think Greninja's usage is slightly overrated but that SubTorrent set is really as good as people say it is. Water is a great offensive type and dealing with that kind of nuke behind a Sub can be really hard for both offensive and defensive threats alike. I like it more than Protean, definitely worth moving up.

Cloyster: A- -> B+/B

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cant say: tentatively agree, it's super strong but maybe B+ is more fitting

chemcoop: B+. Too much Stealth Rocks, Sandstorm, and fat resists like Aegi and Fini in the metagame right now for the traditional Sash Cloyster to work like it used to.

DragonWhale: A- is fine. It's a lot scarier than the B+s.

greilmercenary9: B+. This requires a Sash or some other support to set up with any reliability and can't beat several prominent bulky resists/walls without King's Rock. Further, some of the subtle changes of the USUM meta were unkind to it. While stuff like P2 and Fini were already beating this almost all of the time, the slight rise in Heatran usage as a premier Naga counter and the rise in popularity of bulky, low speed Mimikyu builds (which can OKHO with unboosted LSF if they underspeed a Shell Smash, meaning that something that was previously a nice target for setup if unboosted will now just wipe it out a fair amount of the time) mean that it's fighting uphill as much as ever before.

Psynergy: Honestly yeah Cloyster isn't as scary as it used to be, or even as common. I'm not too attached to where this drops but I'm pretty comfortable with it dropping to B+. Stealth Rock is way too common for something that relies so much on Focus Sash for safe setup but it's still a decisive win condition if it gets any chance.

Solerme: Yes, derank to B+

Dragonite: B+ -> B-

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cant say: disagree. I think it's still B+, maybe B is fine though

chemcoop: B. I don't really want to drop this all the way to B- right now. Although the increasingly common Stealth Rocks and fairies like Mimikyu exist, don't underestimate the sheer power + bulk of Dragonite. If you didn't bring a scarf revenge killer, be prepared to take a beating from +1 z-Dragonite. Z-Fly and Z-Outrage both hit absurdly hard at +1, but Intimidate cycling can definitely help deal with Dragonite.

DragonWhale: B-. No reason to stack quad ice weaks nor use dnite over the other quad ice weaks. Dragons that are slower than mimikyu in general have no business being in B+, regardless of how good multiscale is.

greilmercenary9: B. It's powerful if it can set up, but like with Cloyster there are a lot of problems in the process. The increased usage of hazards in late SM bleeding into early USUM (not to mention Hippo being more popular than ever) means that Multiscale--the biggest selling point--is often not active even on its first turn out. Dragonite also has some 4MSS, especially on DD sets, and while both DD and CB have the ability to hit very hard with decent coverage, they struggle somewhat to keep up in an increasingly hostile meta, especially since many Mega Mence checks cover Dragonite fairly reliably. B- is probably too low, but a drop is fair.

Psynergy: Dragonite really dropped off hard, it's lucky to have Multiscale and Extreme Speed but that's about all it has to really stand out anymore with a mediocre Speed tier like that. Its Band set is still strong and Z-Fly is good but I feel like it's only barely holding on as a strong pick compared to Salamence or even Garchomp, can't remember the last time I've even considered this on a team.

Solerme: Yes, B-

Gengar: B+ -> C/UR

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cant say: definitely not unranked but it is kinda shit. I would easily use sash shark before this but I think it's still useful. B-/C is fine.

chemcoop: C. Random Sash or Scarf Trick is always going to have the potential to ruin your day when you expect MegaGar. Overall, not that great of a Pokemon, but it can be a neat speed control lead with Icy Wind, threat stopper with Sash + Destiny Bond, and wallbreaker with Scarf + Trick.

DragonWhale: dont see it so cant give an opinion besides it probably not deserving a rank. It looks like a surprise kill thing at best but then mega gengar looks more useful in every other scenario

greilmercenary9: C. Sash Gengar is mostly a relic of XY and ORAS, but it can still be annoying with decent coverage and Destiny Bond. It's not consistent by any means, but it's not unviable either.

Psynergy: While nobody really uses regular Gengar, I think unranking it is a bit much since Sash Gengar will never not be an obnoxious set. I'm fine with C because it's definitely higher than it needs to be and it's certainly not a common set by any means, though B- might be appropriate as well.

Solerme: Yes, derank to B-. The Sash set is actually legit

Glalie: B+ -> B/B-

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cant say: I feel like no, stay in B+

chemcoop: B. There are a number of neat and effective team support options for Glalie, but I think it's hard to justify putting a luck-dependent strategy above B, especially when there are counters to Glalie setup like Roar/Whirlwind, Perish Song, and even a fast Toxic.

DragonWhale: Its an infinite wincon that requires minimal support and is easy to get going with little luck in a lot of situations (requires more luck in others though). Stay in B+

greilmercenary9: B. Strategies that are primarily luck based are something of a double edged sword, and Glalie's very presence on a team tends to signal that it's coming 90% of the time. Once Glalie gets going it's a monster, but without significant team support it has trouble setting up against almost anything that isn't a wall, which means having to tailor a lot of the team to help it. Even then, Glalie's own ability can potentially doom it with bad buffs/debuffs, so I think B is about right.

Psynergy: I would agree that Glalie is a bit overrated in terms of actual viability, but not so much that I'm against it remaining in B+ either. I think it's more suited to B though, since B+ feels a little high for something that relies on luck and team support to actually be worth the team slot, but there's no denying how stupid Glalie can be if it gets only a little luck.

Solerme: Yes, derank to B

Kingdra: B -> B-

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cant say: sure, B-

chemcoop: B- is fine. Hits like a truck with water STAB under rain, but it really doesn't do well against things that resist it or special walls like Chansey, SpD P2,or SpD Ferro.

DragonWhale: i sort of prefer this over pert in rain but seeing how pert is the go-to swimmer by a long shot i suppose im just missing something and kingdra isnt as good as i think. I guess drop it.

greilmercenary9: B-. Fast and strong in rain, but has trouble breaking both special walls (Chansey, SpDef P2, SpDef Ferro, etc.) and Fairy or Steel types that can take a water attack and generally fairly predictable.

Psynergy: I'm pretty torn on this one, Kingdra's lack of usage kinda speaks for itself but I think it's at least as good as Mega Swampert, if not better. Not being susceptible to Intimidate cycling and freeing a Mega slot is very good on a rain team, but I'll concede that its pitiful usage is a strong point against it. I'll defend it as a better rain sweeper but I don't think I can justify keeping it in B unfortunately.

Solerme: Yes, B-

Lapras: B -> C/UR

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cant say: no, stay in B

chemcoop: This should be UR. Yeah, AV is fat and access to Sheer Cold/Perish Song and Water Absorb is neat, but idk why you would use Lapras over Gren or Fini. After using Dewgong and seeing how lackluster it is as a water type, I think it's safe to say Lapras isn't much better given its similar bulk/offense.

DragonWhale: superior to dewgong in almost every way and dewgong is a god to some people. Unfortunately both mons suck as the water type slot on a team is highly competitive with a bunch of better water types. It could be unranked tbh.

greilmercenary9: UR. Lapras just doesn't do any one thing very well, and is overshadowed by many superior water types that basically do everything it wants to do except better.

Psynergy: Another drop I think might be a little far but I'm not against dropping Lapras to C at least. I don't remember the last time I've actually seen this used and don't have much opinion on it, but I think it's still viable enough to remain ranked for now maybe.

Solerme: Yes, derank to C

Mega Lopunny: B -> B+

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cant say: yes, B+

chemcoop: Lop should stay B. It has a great speed tier and ability, but it misses out on the sheer power of a lot of other megas. Can mind game opponents with Sub/Encore/Quick Attack, but it suffers from serious 4 MSS and gets walled by a decent number of mons.

DragonWhale: Good against many pokemon, bad against many pokemon, requires a mega slot, intimidate bait. Not really sure why it should go up.

greilmercenary9: B+. This is another mon that improved somewhat with the move to USUM. The increased usage of fast sweepers in the 120-130 base speed range helps it, since many of them are frail enough to fall to, or at least take a ton from, Fake Out + Return/HJK. It also has some options with moveslots to help against stuff like unboosted Mence, Lando-T (Ice Punch), Aegislash or Fake Out mind games (Sub), and so on. I can see it going to B+ thanks to its superb performance against hyper offense and even some bulkier offensive/balanced teams, but no higher since it is still fairly weak compared to most viable megas and can't really do much to several common walls like Hippowdon and Cresselia.

Psynergy: I think this is fine in B, I've said for awhile that this is a solid Mega but it's lack of power really makes me hesitant to want to move it above B. It does an excellent job against more offensive builds and has some nice tech options but if it isn't dealing with frail offensive stuff or hitting super-effective its power is kinda lacking.

Solerme: Yes, B+

Quagsire: B -> C

Hide

cant say: yes, C

chemcoop: B-. Has a niche as an electric sponge and Unaware user, but its mediocre defensive stats still lead to it getting 2HKO'd by strong physical attackers like Zard X and Mence. It can 1v1 standard Mimi pretty easily which is neat.

DragonWhale: its only niche is being an unaware mon with recovery and volt switch immunity for stall, when many people rather use toxapex to stop setup. Definitely drop from B.

greilmercenary9: C. It definitely has a niche with Unaware, but it struggles to have enough bulk to effectively tank stronger neutral hits. It also doesn't have the team support options or sheer walling power of other viable mons that basically no offensive presence whatsoever.

Psynergy: Same deal as Lapras, haven't seen this in a long while and it's a very niche pick for stall teams. It's undoubtedly viable but even there I wouldn't be using it often. Sounds like the definition of a C rank mon to me.

Solerme: Yes, derank to B-

Rhyperior: B -> C/UR

Hide

cant say: B-/C imo

chemcoop: C. This thing can be really tanky with AV and Solid Rock and it still hits pretty hard even without much investment. That being said, it gets dunked on in the current Fini/Gren/Gyara metagame so I don't think being able to wall a couple of meta threats in exchange for getting smashed by several super common threats is worth it.

DragonWhale: relies on bulk, hits hard, but has no recovery, and weak to water. so like heatran and tyranitar, only it always dies to water... in a water heavy format. the only advantage it has over the two is that it beats blaziken, but then everything else is worse. C is fine though imo.

greilmercenary9: C. The USUM meta is increasingly unkind to Rhyperior. Water attacks from Fini and Gren are everywhere, and plenty of sweepers that don't look good against it due to typing smash through with grass coverage. It's just hard to bring something like Rhyperior against most teams since it gets deleted by a lot of common stuff without doing much.

Psynergy: Again, can't remember the last time I've seen this so I'm not opposed to dropping this to C. It mostly shined during early meta and particularly during ORAS when Talonflame was relevant, but it still has a useful niche against Charizard X and Mega Salamence so I'm fine with it staying in C rank.

Solerme: Yes, B-/C

Thundurus-I: B -> B-/C

Hide

cant say: B- I guess

chemcoop: Don't really want to drop this all the way to C just yet, so I'm voting B-. SubToxic Prankster can still be really annoying for unprepared teams, and the occasional offensive variant can catch teams by surprise because of its good speed tier.

DragonWhale: should drop for sure. it's a good subtoxic user but otherwise its just ungood. I guess the thing it has over thund-t is that it outspeeds kartana and mega metagross, but it doesn't ohko them anyway. B-/C either works imo

greilmercenary9: B-. Back in ORAS this was one of the most unpredictable and versatile threats around. Now, by USUM, it has basically one effective set (SubToxic), which limits its effectiveness significantly. It's not out of the realm of possibility for it to go offensive for unpredictability, but other than surprise and a couple of speed benchmarks that it hits it really isn't worth running over Therian even without considering other NP sweepers like Naga.

Psynergy: I think I'd prefer this drop to B- rather than C, SubToxic is really obnoxious and it's got a useful Speed tier over Thundurus-T even if that's all it has over it. Wouldn't exactly consider it super dependent on teammates so much as it's just an inferior forme most of the time, but it's still a competent pick.

Solerme: Stay B

Mega Altaria: B- -> C

Hide

cant say: stay B- imo

chemcoop: C. Works well in theory, does very little in actual gameplay. While it can check both Zards with its typing + Cotton Guard, in practice this can be hard to pull off and there are honestly just better ways to deal with those threats that don't require a mega slot. Also...fairies are everywhere. Yay.

DragonWhale: never seen, cant comment much. It has the "slower than mimikyu dragon" thing and it's a mega so i guess put it in C if not unranked.

greilmercenary9: C. Chemcoop summed this up very effectively: better in theory than in practice. Cotton Guard can cause physical attackers problems, but with the abundance of Fairy and Steel-types in the Top 15 in usage and Altaria's general lack of power, it struggles to perform effectively.

Psynergy: Yeah sure. I've never seen a Mega Altaria, wouldn't even be against unranking it but it does offer a unique role as a Dragon/Fairy with Cotton Guard Roost stuff so C is fine for now. At least on par with the other things we're moving there.

Solerme: Stay B-

Mega Sableye: UR -> B-/C

Hide

cant say: eh it's kinda shit. maybe C

chemcoop: C. Works well with Shedinja stall, but that's really its only niche. Definitely gets taken advantage of in the current fairy dominated metagame.

DragonWhale: C. Not much to praise about this mon in this meta where so many things can 2hko it, but i suppose it's very good against most stall teams. same as above: UR/C

greilmercenary9: C. It is decent enough for certain types of stall teams, but like Quagsire it isn't effective enough as a wall to make up for its total lack of offensive presence. While it does at least boast Magic Bounce for team support, it costs a mega slot and doesn't even have Unaware like Quagsire does, so I think the same rank is appropriate.

Psynergy: Unsure where I'd rank this, I'm okay with Mega Sableye in B- but I think its role is better described as a C rank pick. It's great on stall but the Mega slot is already pretty competitive on stall teams as is and it's only really used on specific builds that wouldn't rather just run Mega Gengar.

Solerme: Yes, it needs a rank. Id say C, but we do need to divide the C rank

Mega Aerodactyl: UR -> C

Hide

cant say: actually think it should be higher, thinking B

chemcoop: C for Mega Aero as well. Being able to run Adamant and still outrun 130s, and Jolly to outrun +1 base 80s is also neat. That being said, its ability doesn't really work with its STAB moves and it doesn't hit THAT hard in our current power creeping metagame.

DragonWhale: this mon's ONLY niche is its speed, and it takes a mega slot. UR/C

greilmercenary9: Works on some stall as a specialized eliminator of threats like Mega Gengar, Mega Charizard X, and so on, but its offensive firepower falls short compared to most other megas.

Psynergy: Same deal as Mega Sableye except I'm more convinced this is C rank, its relatively weak despite Tough Claws but its insane Speed is actually relevant this gen. Suffers even more than Mega Sableye from the competition in the Mega slot though.

Solerme: Yes, as written above, should be C+

Ditto: UR -> C

Hide

cant say: sure, C

chemcoop: This should be C. Interesting way to revenge sweep with a scarf set, and sash is viable although I think it's definitely inferior to scarf. Niche mon, but does have some usage/merit.

DragonWhale: Not sure if its any good when mimikyu discouraged a vast majority of setup sweepers besides itself already and transforming to mimikyu doesnt give you disguise. Other setup sweepers simply wont set up when there's a ditto around, making ditto even harder to use. Same as above, UR/C.

greilmercenary9: Ditto seems like the definition of niche. It's great against boosters and generally mediocre or worse against most everything else. Seeing it in team preview discourages boosters from actually boosting through. Scarf sets can frustrate hyper offense, and Sash is possible but sketchy in a meta where residual damage has been becoming more prevalent for the last several months. But as a wildcard mon it's inconsistent by nature.

Psynergy: Honestly not sure how we went this long without ranking it, Ditto is always niche tier worthy. Don't think this needs much explanation, Sash and Scarf Ditto are both solid.

Voted Changes:
Greninja moves from A to A+
Cloyster moves from A- to B+
Dragonite moves from B+ to B
Gengar moves from B+ to C
Glalie moves from B+ to B
Kingdra moves from B to B-
Lapras moves from B to UR
Quagsire moves from B to C
Rhyperior moves from B to C
Thundurus-I moves from B to B-
Mega Altaria moves from B- to C
Mega Sableye moves from UR to C
Mega Aerodactyl moves from UR to C
Ditto moves from UR to C

As a reminder, the changes below were not formally voted on because they weren't given formal nomination, but nobody on the VR council expressed disagreement with these proposed changes. Anything else that's missing from the above nominations or the following list was not moved because one or more council members disagreed with it. If you want to bring them up again for a proper nomination please feel free to, we'll still give them a proper vote in the next round.

Other Changes:
Blaziken moves from A+ to A
Latios moves from B+ to B
Mega Gardevoir moves from B- to C
Latias moves from B- to B
Pyukumuku moves from B- to C
Mandibuzz moves from C to UR
Raikou moves from C to UR
Sylveon moves from C to UR

 

[Ika Ika Musume]

Like all the changes in general. Still think Kartana is worthy of A rank, I honestly think it's the one of the best if not the best scarfer in the format, up there with Greninja, Lele and Landorus-T. It's other sets are A- though.

Probably shouldn't have nominated Mega-Blaziken for A+ in retrospect. I do think it is the 4th best mon in the format, I just think the gap between it and those above is wide, though I'm starting to think less and less of Mimikyu too as I play more and more. At that time at least, my thoughts of S tier was one of, as long as you play this right, it will put work in practically any game.

 

[Darkinium]

Like solerme said, I definitely think we need to split up the C ranks. There's too large a range of viability of the mons listed in C, in my opinion. Stuff like Gastrodon and Mega Sceptile are far from fellow C ranks such as Gengar and Eevee. A problem is, though, that there aren't many Pokemon in the C ranks to begin with. Therefore, I think beefing up the Cs would be a better thing to do first.

Down to C rank

Mega Alakazam - I don't think I would ever use this outside of Psychic Terrain; not super strong, heavy competition for a Mega slot, and has trouble finding a defined purpose and as a result doesn't fit on most teams. Extremely frail as well, almost always crumbling to anything it doesn't OHKO. Its niche does lie in Psychic Spam, but I dunno if Psychic Spam as a playstyle is B-.

Sharpedo and Mega Sharpedo - These definitely aren't entirely unviable, but they need a lot of help removing walls such as Celesteela, Toxapex, and Ferrothorn. It also has a bit of trouble fitting in everything it would like into its moveset; Protect and Crunch are givens, but then you have Destiny Bond, EQ, Ice Fang, Water STAB, and more. Competition for a Mega slot and (Mega-) Blaziken as a Speed Boost user, and usually needing to be built around rather than being able to fit easily on teams are other negative factors.

Milotic - Barely any reason to use this over Tapu Fini or Toxapex. That is all.

Talonflame - Not only is Gale Wings very difficult to keep intact with your STABs being recoil moves, Stealth Rock's existence, and little opportunity to use Roost, but the payoff is also underwhelming for the amount of effort required to pilot this bird to victory. With Tapu Koko resisting your priority and outspeeding you, Psychic Terrain invalidating your niche entirely, trouble beating walls and their coverage, less than stellar defensive typing, and heavy competition over other revenge killers, Talonflame's only niche is being revenge killing (Mega-) Blaziken - assuming you've made your way around all the aforementioned obstacles.

Buzzwole - This thing's matchup against common Pokemon is just so poor: Mimikyu, (Mega-) Blaziken, Mega Salamence, the Charizards... I'd much rather use other walls or bulky attackers. Its STABs aren't that great, Superpower reducing your bulk and power, and Drain Punch and Leech Life being quite weak. Typing, offensively and defensively, isn't much better, either.

Umbreon - WishPass and STAB Foul Play is all it really has over Porygon2.

Nidoking - This thing's ability to threaten so much with its coverage and power is unparalleled, but it's awkwardly slow and frail, being reliant on Sash to survive hits, which isn't too great in a Rocks meta, and very easy to revenge kill after it has been brought to 1 HP. Faces competition from much more viable breakers such as Choice Specs Tapu Koko and Tapu Lele as well.

Clefable - Not that easy to fit onto teams outside of EeveePass, where it also has to compete with other receivers such as Mega Kangaskhan, Mega Gyarados, and Espeon. Faces competition with Quagsire as an Unaware user and Tapu Fini as a defensive Fairy-type to boot.

Now, with these Pokemon in the C ranks, we have more to work with. Here's how I would organize them:

C+

Mega Alakazam - I feel as though this is about where this thing should be. Strong under Psychic Terrain, just kinda overreliant on it. Speed tier and Trace are also cute niches.

Sharpedo and Mega Sharpedo - These seem like nice little anti-offense tools, being able to outspeed foes such as Tapu Koko, Scarf Tapu Lele, and Mega Blaziken after a Speed Boost. Pretty nice offensive typing as well.

Buzzwole - Despite its poor matchup with certain top titans, it does have decent ones as well, thanks to both its coverage and decent bulk when paired with AV. Porygon2, Landorus-T, Tapu Koko, and Mega Gyarados are all Pokemon that Buzzwole are able to beat, which carves it a decent niche in teams that need a bulky attacker that can check said mons.

Eevee - With support this Pokemon can aid teammates that will completely topple unprepared teams, without question. With dedicated aid in Whimsicott, doing so isn't too hard either, although the strategy will, of course, be evident at team preview. However, team that don't have ready answers to EeveePass are going to get a beating.

Gengar - Focus Sash + Destiny Bond can be quite annoying, and Focus Sash allows it to choose which threat you want to eliminate. Can also hit hard with its STABs and Special Attack.

Nidoking - It doesn't have speed or bulk going for it, but when it gets on the field it can threaten so much not named Porygon2 or Cresselia with its coverage. I could see arguments for C, but I think a ranking in C+ would be justified.

C

Gigalith - Gravity helps Excadrill out a lot, but a lot of competition with Tyranitar. I think this would be a conservative ranking, although perhaps C+ could better reflect how Excadrill appreciates this thing's support?

Mega Sableye - Mostly commonly seen as a pick on Shedinja stall teams, which isn't the most viable archetype. Outside of that it does have some use on other stall builds, but it does compete with Mega Gengar quite a lot for its Mega slot. Stall also really needs the same group of Pokemon most times to cover the entire offensive meta, so using Mega Sableye doesn't usually accomplish as much as using another slot would, especially given its awkward typing, not giving it many resistances, but also a Fairy-type weakness in a meta dominated by Mimikyu and the Tapus.

Mega Aerodactyl - Nice speed and all, and niche trapper on stall, but sometimes its power just doesn't cut it. Also a bit of 4MSS between Rock-type STAB, EQ, Fire and Ice Fang, Iron Head, Pursuit, and more. I could see a possible placement in C+, though, from the points made by the council.

Ditto - Niche revenge killer that's effective in the right scenario, but not usually the best nor the first pick for most teams.

Umbreon - Very little going for it over other defensive walls, especially Porygon2, but I guess the Z-Celebrate set might have some merti? Wouldn't be opposed to it being dropped to C-, or even being unranked.

Clefable - This does have better bulk and recovery compared to most recipients, as well as Magic Guard to stop Toxic, although still competes heavily with Espeon. It can also can have a small niche on Stall thanks to Unaware, but competes heavily with Quagsire who has more bulk as well as Scald. Clefable can beat Mega Salamence, though, which is quite a perk.

Golisopod - Ability, although it provides the occasional slow pivot, is most times heavily detrimental, and is shut down by common, fast, and powerful Pokemon such as Tapu Lele, Aegislash, Mega Salamence, and Naganadel. However, its ability to check certain Pokemon such as Mega Gyarados, Mamoswine and Landorus-T does make it worth using for some teams, although I could see a case for C- due to the aforementioned points.

Milotic - Like I said, I don't think there's great reason to use this when both Toxapex and Tapu Fini exist. Both do defensive sets better, and Tapu Fini, Primarina, and Rotom-Wash can all do offensive sets better. It does have Flame Orb + Marvel Scale, Mirror Coat, and Recover, though, which is something. I'm still not super convinced of this thing, though, so I wouldn't be heavily against C-.

Wobbuffet - Can eliminate practically any threat given the right plays, perhaps even a rise to C+ could work. However, mixed attackers, stuff like Toxic and Leech Seed, Pokemon that can recover off damage that it does, and pivoting moves that invalidate Shadow Tag annoy it a great deal.

Shuckle - The combo of bulk, Encore, Stealth Rock, Sticky Web, Sturdy, and a choice of either Mental Herb or Red Card make me think this would be a decent placing for it, especially given the immense support Webs provides its teammates with, and most teams not being prepared for Webs as a playstyle. However, being quite passive and exploitable holds it back from possibly being higher.

C-

Mega Altaria - This thing... doesn't really accomplish much. It's only niche really seems to be being able to check both Mega Charizards, but Mega Salamence and Mega Latias outclass it for the most part as defensive Dragon-types. Combine that with offensive competition from other Fairy-types such as Tapu Koko and Tapu Lele, and overall difficulty being fit onto teams, especially with the existence of other Megas, make it very difficult to justify.

Gastrodon - Typing and bulk is just so underwhelming. What does this even wall that other walls don't? I wouldn't be opposed in the slightest to unranking this altogether.

Mega Sceptile - Really hard to justify on most teams, and over most Megas. STABs are either weak (Dragon Pulse, Giga Drain) or unreliable (Leaf Storm). Mished by common mons such as Mega Metagross, Mimikyu, Aegislash, and Celesteela. Wouldn't be against unranking this either.

Mega Gardevoir - Very tough competition with Tapu Lele, really just has Destiny Bond and Will-o-Wisp going for it (some have argued about more powerful Fairy STAB vs more powerful Psychic STAB, but that's quite a small difference between the two.) Tapu Lele's ability to hold an item and not taking a Mega slot make it a lot better as well.

Talonflame - Like I mentioned, just so hard to keep its health at full, and the payoff is underwhelming. Defensive sets are outclassed by Bulky Xard for the most part, so there's that, too.

Pyukumuku - This thing has a niche on Stall, I guess, but being complete Sub and Taunt bait is a major disadvantage when compared alongside Quagsire and Clefable. Also far more passive than the aforementioned, inviting in many breakers for free.

Some of these noms are weaker than others, so don't be afraid to debate them. I think I'll make some more noms later, but all this has kinda depleted me lol.

 

[Evster]

Porygon2 Shouldn’t be on this list if it isn’t allowed in BSS

 

[Darkinium]

Porygon2 Shouldn’t be on this list if it isn’t allowed in BSS

...It is allowed, though. Cover legends, Mythical Pokemon, and Legendary Pokemon that are in a trio with cover legends are banned

 

[Tramuntana]

I agree. Dragonite is just not as good as other dragons. I use it because, well duh, we all know subDDnite is my ace forever, I almost have to. But indeed against more offensive teams it has trouble. It would be considerably better if the option to NOT go with a full team was available however. Whirlwind screws him up big time.

And yeah, there is no way to talk about niche pokemon without talking about Ditto. Memeing and scouting potential aside, it IS a one trick pony that is only useful against offense, and against stall teams without enough wits to stop spamming Knock Off.

Can't say much as I would never use him anyway, but Gigalith at least has the merit of not having a x4 weakness to Focus Blast and Reversal, and thus being a little harder to trap by Dugtrio and Gengar.

And Clefable would be unranked if he didn't have the combination of Unaware/Magic Guard, Heal Bell and Wish to set himself apart from Cresselia's, Porygon2's, Tapu Fini's and Umbreon's better defensive stats. I use him, again, due to needing role compression and for the Mimikyu walling potential, but sometimes her defenses let me down big time.

 

[Charisma]

I guess there could be some argument for getting Blastoise to C-rank as a Trick Room attacker, but even then I feel its outclassed by Primarina as an offensive water-type and Tapu Fini as a defensive one. Blastoise is just not bulky, fast or strong enough to justify using it over other water-types to give up your mega slot. Most of the coverage options you mentioned are unviable such as Earthquake and Zen Headbutt as its attack is way too low to justify ever using those and options like Flash Cannon and Dragon Pulse are generally wasted and can be easily covered by other pokemon. Rapid Spinners also aren;t used in BSS due to 3v3 with less switching. So, while it has some nice options and coverage with things Dark Pulse, other pokemon can do what it does just as well or better without wasting a mega slot.

As somebody who has had success with Mega Blastoise, I'd argue that it has a positive matchups vs an impressive number of high viability threats due to its coverage with the Water Pulse, Ice Beam, Aqua Jet, and Aura Sphere / Dark Pulse set. It does require support, but it does shine in Semi-TR. It actually has a nice paring with Mimikyu, beating out most of its counters while getting TR support in return. And the mega slot issue isn't as big of a deal in BSS since its viable to run 2 megas on a team.

I'm admittedly biased; but since the subject was brought up, I wanted to throw in my 2 cents.

 

[PPB]

I would like to suggest
Reuniclus to C
It hits quite hard and makes a great trick room setter/ sweeper, so I think it has a niche. It has two great abilities as well, and even Overcoat has some use in blocking mons like Amoonguss and Venusaur and their sleep moves. It is also a decent user of Calm Mind.

 

[Ika Ika Musume]

I'm not sure about Mega-Blastoise, haven't seen it around, but I agree with Reuniclus. It's also one of those surprisingly bulky mons, not on some Cress level or anything, but it can take hits from certain big threats like Mega Blaziken.

 

[DragonWhale]

There's too many good waters and too many good megas for Blastoise to shine honestly. The only notable thing it has over other waters is the Ferrothorn matchup (not counting HP fire mons), and while that's pretty significant, whether it's worth using the mega slot for is something you need to ask yourself.

 

[SuperSilver1813]

I'm surprised that Galvantula has not even been listed. I would like to nominate him from Unranked to a C- at the least. I say this because Galvantula can pave the way for many sweeps with Pokemon that are in a higher speed tier, such as Lucario-Mega and Scizor-Mega. Despite his weaknesses to Fire and Rock, two overwhelmingly common types, it's hidden ability, Compound Eyes, boosts accuracy of moves by 20+ percent, allowing it to run moves like Thunder with little risk. It's speed with a Jolly nature and a 252 Spe investment in EV's allow it to outpace Pokemon with 110 base speed, that is uninvested in speed. As stated in the strategy Pokedex, "Galvantula is the strongest Sticky Web user in the RU tier", and because of this, along with strong support and above average Sp. Atk should allow is to be in the C tier.

 

[Solerme]

I'm surprised that Galvantula has not even been listed. I would like to nominate him from Unranked to a C- at the least. I say this because Galvantula can pave the way for many sweeps with Pokemon that are in a higher speed tier, such as Lucario-Mega and Scizor-Mega. Despite his weaknesses to Fire and Rock, two overwhelmingly common types, it's hidden ability, Compound Eyes, boosts accuracy of moves by 20+ percent, allowing it to run moves like Thunder with little risk. It's speed with a Jolly nature and a 252 Spe investment in EV's allow it to outpace Pokemon with 110 base speed, that is uninvested in speed. As stated in the strategy Pokedex, "Galvantula is the strongest Sticky Web user in the RU tier", and because of this, along with strong support and above average Sp. Atk should allow is to be in the C tier.

I do agree that with the combination of Sticky Web, Electroweb, Thunder with good accuracy and being overall a speedy mon (it doesn't outpace base 110 though) Galvantula could fight for a spot in the low tiers, but it also has to fight for the rank with other sticky web users such as Slurpuff that gets Yawn, Endevour and has a better ability for a lead in Unburden, and Shuckle who gets Stealth Rocks and Encore.

 

[PushMyFinger210]

I guess there could be some argument for getting Blastoise to C-rank as a Trick Room attacker, but even then I feel its outclassed by Primarina as an offensive water-type and Tapu Fini as a defensive one. Blastoise is just not bulky, fast or strong enough to justify using it over other water-types to give up your mega slot. Most of the coverage options you mentioned are unviable such as Earthquake and Zen Headbutt as its attack is way too low to justify ever using those and options like Flash Cannon and Dragon Pulse are generally wasted and can be easily covered by other pokemon. Rapid Spinners also aren;t used in BSS due to 3v3 with less switching. So, while it has some nice options and coverage with things Dark Pulse, other pokemon can do what it does just as well or better without wasting a mega slot.

What if I considered all of my points for RU-OU?

 

[Thick Fat Azumarill]

What if I considered all of my points for RU-OU?

A Pokemon's peformance in the Smogon tiers has nothing to do with their performance in Battle Spot and vice-versa. If you want to discuss its viability there, please go to their respective threads.

 

[Charisma]

I still believe the Mega Blastoise - Mimikyu core I alluded to offers Mega Blastoise its niche in BSS the would warrant some sort of C ranking. Going down the list of Mimikyu's answers; it nets a positive matchup vs most steel types that wall Mimikyu (including the aforementioned Ferrothorn), Lando-T and Hippowdon, Porygon2, Cloyster (who sets up on Mimikyu and breaks the Disguise with Icicle Spear), and Mega Gyarados (Mold Breaker bypasses Disguise). I won't say any more on this for now, but I might build a new team around that once college work dies down and post replays of it. Although I do agree that C-Rank could be expanded.

I would also vouch for Reuniclus to C-Rank.