My Personal BW SU OPEN VR
Along with making a team dump, I also wanted to provide my thoughts on the BW SU metagame itself. Most people would do both in one post, but I yap too much to do that. In this post, I'll be going over my personal viability ranking and justifying my placements of every Pokemon. Of course, there's the obvious reminder that everything here is my opinion. There's a lot of room for disagreements here, so take everything I say with a grain of salt. Lastly, I'm sorry that this post ended up being a 7k word gigayap. Again, I just
really like yapping.
S Rank
Fearow is broken. I plan on dedicating an entire post to why Fearow is broken in the future, so I won't repeat myself here.
In terms of metagame healthiness, my opinions on Luxray have grown a lot more positive with how well it checks Fearow, and checking Luxray itself is usually as simple as slapping a Gloom on a team. Even though Fearow feels like it's in a tier of its own due to its raw power, Luxray very much justifies its spot next to it with its set variety. The best set, in my opinion, is the offensive set with Leftovers, being the best mix of bulk and power. Bulky sets are solid due to their ability to run Rocky Helmet, something which Eelektrik can't do, but are otherwise held back by BW sleep mechanics. Choice Scarf used to be the most threatening set, but has been adapted to by simply running Grass and Ground types to temper it. This development is why Luxray is at its best when it can switch between its moves, as it doesn't need to commit to a tough choice. Overall, Luxray is a fantastic glue option that can fill a Drill Peck weakness on any team while being more offensively potent than Eelektrik.
A+ Rank
Chimecho is a Pokemon where I couldn't decide where I wanted it. Even though I believe Hypno to be the better Psychic type, Chimecho offers enough to share the same rank as it. While Chimecho can't use Wish, it does have Heal Bell, making it a fantastic cleric in its own right. Due to having Recover, Chimecho is also a significantly better Calm Mind sweeper. The main thing that sets Chimecho apart, however, is Levitate. Levitate is an incredible ability due to the Spikes and Drill Run immunity that it gives. It's because of this that Chimecho is one of the best Corsola partners in the tier, forming a very solid defensive core that usually makes your team solid into the broken bird. This alone makes Chimecho one of the most consistent Pokemon in the tier.
Yes, Corsola is passive. Yes, Corsola thuds against every Normal that isn't Fearow. Literally none of that matters when Fearow is so broken. I'm done slandering Corsola when it's by far the best Fearow check in the tier. Due to Regenerator, it's the only Rock type that can risk taking a Drill Run. Rocky Helmet is crucial as well, given how it makes Corsola one of the only Pokemon that can punish Fearow for a U-Turn. Pair that with the immensely stupid Scald + Toxic combination and Corsola is able to force just enough progress to not be dead weight. It also has a handy Ice and Fire resist that can sometimes help it get Stealth Rock up.
Gloom is perhaps the closest I'd be to putting a Pokemon in S- and is a Pokemon that you have to build around just as hard as Magmar and Vanilluxe. I've seen a shocking amount of teams lose outright to Gloom, and a huge part of that has to do with its deceptive threat level. Both Stun Spore and Leech Seed are some of the most threatening moves in the game, and its STAB combination is incredible too. It even has Swords Dance as well to take advantage of more passive checks. Gloom also happens to fit very well on a lot of teams due to its mixed bulk that allows it to fill a lot of holes. You know Gloom is fantastic when it's the primary reason for why Budew is better than Shelmet, or why Swalot has been seeing much greater success despite its Psychic weakness.
Hypno has been the most successful Psychic type in BW SU. Wish sets are the most common and provide an incredible level of support, while Taunt and Thunder Wave manage to be a great tool to prevent its passivity. Its fantastic mixed bulk and use of Protect make it a solid glue for just about any team as well. The best part, however, is the stark contrast it sets with its Nasty Plot sets. Nasty Plot Hypno is one of the best wallbreakers in the tier, and also one of the most underrated sets in the tier. Basically only Vullaby switches into it. While its speed prevents it from sweeping, the damage it deals helps immensely with supporting other special attackers like Abra and Gastly. If you haven't built a hyper offense team with Nasty Plot Hypno, I'd highly suggest trying it. It's not only good, but very fun to use as well.
Magmar is probably my most controversial pick for A+. It simply doesn't have the results in tour with a truly dreadful win rate, and it lacks the same damage that Vanilluxe brings. What Magmar brings, however, is an amazing speed tier, and some truly disgusting coverage. While Magmar may not be as good in an actual game, it is way more threatening in the builder due to that coverage. Teams that are weak to Magmar are bad, and I find it much easier to build a Magmar weak team than a Vanilluxe weak team. Flame Charge is another cool discovery that can really help it in the late game, but otherwise, Magmar has been doing the same things as always.
Phione is by far the best Water in the tier, and U-Turn is largely responsible for that. Offensive, Choice Scarf, and defensive sets are all incredible. Its coverage is just good enough, and its utility movepool is nuts. Heal Bell is my favorite option, but Knock Off is great for the Gloom matchup, and even wackier options like RestTalk have their place. If you have an idea with Phione that'll fit your team well, it'll usually work. That's just how good it is.
When Vanilluxe dropped to SU, I thought it was broken due to how much it shaped the builder, but Waters and Fires are both incredibly good, and incredibly common ways of stopping it. Vanilluxe is a Pokemon that you have to play extremely carefully around, but its middling speed tier, solid checks, and Stealth Rock weakness keep it in check enough to no longer earn the S ranks.
A Rank
Spikes are amazing, and Eviolite is too. It says a lot about Budew that even when it has non-existent bulk, it managed to find a legit niche in DPP SU. Now, in BW SU where it has Eviolite, Budew is taking hits that simply astonish me. Walling Gloom, threatening the Rapid Spinners, and taking advantage of passive mons like Corsola are only some of the reasons why Budew is so good. Of course, because Spikes are so good, the metagame has adapted to it well. Taunt is more common now, Rapid Spin is spammed, and well played double switches make it hard for Budew to maximize its potential enough to be ranked higher. That said, Budew is just bulky enough to usually guarantee teams at least one Spikes layer, and that's all it needs to do.
Croconaw is a Pokemon that I'm really unsure of, but I think it's clearly better than the other sweepers, so I suppose I'll put it here. Croconaw compresses being an amazing check to Magmar and Vanilluxe while also being able to threaten a sweep. Most of the Water types that wall it are geared toward SpDef, and Croconaw punishes most teams hard as a result. It has many setup options such as Swords Dance and Dragon Dance, both of which can either be bulky or fast, and this makes it a lot harder to prepare for than you'd expect. The fact that Eviolite grants it so much bulk is an enormous boon since it basically guarantees that it'll be able to set up. While it's not super flashy, Croconaw is definitely consistent, and feels a little slept on.
Drilbur is very comparable to Budew. While Budew only needs one Spikes layer to bring value, Drilbur usually only needs one Rapid Spin to be worth its team slot. As a result, Drilbur is able to defy its terrible stats to be one of the best ways to annoy Spikes teams and support the broken bird that I hate. The fact that it has genuinely good offensive pressure helps as well. Mold Breaker is such a good ability because it forces less Levitate spam, which actually makes Fearow even better since it doesn't have to predict as much. A lot of SU mains still claim that Rapid Spin is overrated, but the tour stats speak for themselves. Drilbur is very strong despite its flaws.
Eelektrik is probably the third best pivot in the tier, and is very comparable to Luxray. Lacking Luxray's offensive options makes it much more predictable, but that doesn't make it bad. Levitate is enormous for the Fearow matchup, and makes it comparable to Chimecho as a Corsola partner. Aside from U-Turn, Knock Off and Giga Drain make it deceptively hard to switch into, and it keeps Eelektrik from just being a pivot bot.
Despite a dreadful win rate, I'd go as far as to say that Granbull is the second best Normal type in the metagame. Bulk Up and Quick Feet are both good options to boost its threat level, while Heal Bell makes it surprisingly solid as a defensive option. Its coverage is what sets it apart, however. Close Combat and Crunch are both incredible moves that take advantage of teams that try checking Fearow with frailer options. All of this makes Granbull both varied and consistent.
My opinion on Lopunny has gone down this tour for a few reasons. The first is that it has less Rock types to Jump Kick on, now that we've reached a stage where they're less common. This means that Lopunny's offenses, while very good, aren't quite good enough to do much against physical walls. Because of this, the best set has very much been Switcheroo, but that's only gonna mess up one mon. Encore helps as well, but only if the wall is passive. Thankfully, Lopunny is still an incredible option due mainly to its vast utility movepool. Healing Wish makes it better than Fearow on hyper offense and rain teams, while Thunder Wave is a great option for catching Gastly switches. Lopunny will always be very good, even if I don't think you really need to account for it in the builder as much.
Pignite is the closest Pokemon that I could see fitting in A+, but I've personally been lower on it due to the increase of Waters and Psychics, and decrease of Rocks and bulky Normals. That said, Pignite's traits are fundamentally good enough to where it's still a fantastic offensive glue to a lot of teams. Fire and Fighting will just always be one of the best STAB combinations in the game, and Pignite uses it very well. Being neutral to Stealth Rock also makes it one of the only Fire types that you consistently bring in, and that makes a world of difference in games.
I remember ranking Swalot in B- during the tour and now I have it here. A might be a little too generous, but Swalot fills a massive hole in teams by being one of the best Gloom checks in the tier, along with massively annoying other Pokemon that can't break its Substitute. The discovery of Acid Spray by Missangelic completely changed Swalot from a passive blob to an extremely threatening tank who excels in the matchups that it's specialized in. Simply adding a Swalot to your team can allow you to run Pokemon like Bellossom and Grotle who would otherwise be great without Gloom walling them, and that alone makes Swalot's place in the meta enormous. It still needs a little support against Psychics, but like, so do Gloom and Budew. I think Swalot's earned its spot here.
I've grown on Vullaby significantly and would go as far as to say that it's slightly better than Eelektrik. The Stealth Rock weakness will always suck, however. Thankfully, it can take two Fearow Returns even with Stealth Rock, but it has to be at full, and this makes it so you can never run Vullaby as your only Fearow check. It brings some insanely useful positives though. Taunt is enormous and Foul Play is too. Both U-Turn and Toxic are very good final moves as well. The main thing that makes Vullaby so good, however, is the Dark typing. Even without any SpDef investment, Vullaby is the best Psychic type check in the entire tier, and this is insanely strong role compression, even more so against players who spam Abra, Chimecho, and Hypno.
Wailord cooked this tour. Like, oh my lord it was so under the radar until now. SubProtect sets are evil, Curse + Amnesia sets are even more evil, and even Choice Scarf has a place. This is the only Water outside of Phione and Croconaw that has set flexibility, and when you combine that with its enormous threat level, Wailord ends up being hugely useful toward most of the teams it's in.
A- Rank
Abra has proven to have been previously underrated before this tournament, as it's seen an explosion in usage by many players. That said, I think a lot of people are overrating it. Vullaby ends its life along with a lot of other specially defensive Pokemon. The best way to use Abra is with Spikes, as it mitigates its lack of clear breaking power. Otherwise, I think it just requires a little too much support to be ranked higher than here. It's extremely frail, could use a better speed tier, and it hates Thunder Wave. It needs to be built around carefully, but it's undeniable that good players can get incredible mileage out of it.
I love Lampent. It shares similar breaking power to Magmar while also sharing its defensive qualities. Additionally, gaining a Normal immunity from its Ghost typing gives it some of the most useful defensive utility that you can get from an offensive Pokemon. The only problem is that you have to pair it from Luxray or Eelektrik so your whole team doesn't get Drill Pecked to death. As a result, I can't justify ranking Lampent any higher than this, but it's been extremely slept on as a bulky attacker, and it's one of my favorite Pokemon to use as a result.
While not as reliable of a sweeper as Croconaw, Leavanny is probably my pick for the second best sweeper in the tier. Grass and Bug STAB is incredible in meta filled to the brim with Waters and Psychics. Leavanny has many sets, and their usefulness generally depends on the opponent you're facing. The set that seems to be the most consistent is EndureSalac since that gives you the best Fearow matchup. SubSalac is better against players who rely heavily on status moves, while Bug Gem is the best for sheer power. Leavanny is helped significantly by having these different sets, and it fits very well in the metagame despite needing a lot of support to sweep.
Lunatone is really cool, but I need to make one thing clear. It is not a Fearow check. Being U-Turn weak just doesn't make it reliable for that. Thankfully, Lunatone has a lot of really useful sets. It can be a Stealth Rock setter, a dual screen setter, a Rain setter, a Calm Mind sweeper, or most commonly a mere offensive Pokemon. Despite being bad as your only Fearow check, Lunatone performs fantastically as a backup offensive check, similarly to Lampent. That and its set variety make it one of the only Rock types that doesn't suck.
Plusle did really badly this tour. Tough matchups into Luxray and Gloom certainly don't help, but it has similar enough traits to Leavanny to where I don't want to rank it any lower than this. The main thing Plusle has going for it is Encore, an absolutely evil move on a setup sweeper. Volt Switch is another cool tool it gained from BW. Otherwise, I think the EndureSalac set it uses in DPP is likely what Plusle will end up using to adapt. The meta may be bad for Plusle, but I think it'll bounce back up given the good results it had before this tour.
Seviper is yet another sweeper in BW SU, and one that I like a lot due to its Gloom checking typing and access to priority in Sucker Punch. Something that further sets it apart is its ability to go for special sets, making Seviper a swiss army knife of offensive utility. The main things holding it back then are a middling speed tier and mediocre bulk.
Stantler is really interesting since it's basically a Granbull that trades some power for a higher speed tier. Granbull is usually better and easier to fit, but Stantler very much has its place. My favorite application of it is as a partner to Fearow, and I think it's the Normal that best suits that role as a result of its speed tier.
Wormasand is an extremely reliable Stealth Rock setter who is mainly good for being one of the best Luxray answers in the tier. It does come with a few flaws, however. Firstly, it can't really be paired with Gloom because then you'll just be Drill Peck bait. Secondly, it has such an atrocious matchup against Gastly that you'll need to keep that in mind when building with it. Otherwise, it's flawed but very strong and probably the main Pokemon here that I could see people wanting higher up.
B+ Rank
Beartic got a big boost in popularity in this tour when players realized how genuinely perfect its coverage is. The main thing holding it back from other sweepers is the fact that it's the only one with significant competition, being Croconaw and Vanilluxe in this case. Beartic's terrible defensive typing and dreadful speed means that it needs to be supported for you to get the most out of it. As a result, it works well with paralysis, screens, and/or Rapid Spin support. It's absolutely worth supporting too as a result of its strength. It's also by far the best Rain mon, but Rain is also kinda forgettable here.
Dunsparce isn't a super common sight, but it's a very solid one. While not a very flashy Pokemon, it has three sets that it does very solidly. The main set is Stealth Rock. While it may not be able to handle Fearow as well as other Stealth Rock options, it does much better against the rest of the metagame. The lack of resists aren't ideal, but it still functions well no matter how you invest it. The main reason it's good basically boils down to Roost. Reliable recovery is rare among Stealth Rock setters, and this helps Dunsparce keep Stealth Rock up against Rapid Spin users. Sure, something like Grotle does the same thing, but what makes Dunsparce better is that it poses much more of a threat due to Serene Grace Body Slam, preventing many fast Pokemon from wanting to switch into it. Dunsparce has other tools up its sleeves, though, in having both Coil and Calm Mind sets. Having Roost is great since it frees a moveslot, but not using Rest means that the set requires Heal Bell support. If you can fit it, though, it can usually do its job well. Honestly, Dunsparce would probably rise in a post-Fearow metagame, but the meta is unfortunately not on its side right now despite its good traits.
Gastly has exploded in popularity, very similarly to Abra. I've personally found it to be one of my favorite Pokemon to use due to its ability to stone wall Wormasand and Lopunny while using Taunt to break past Gloom and Budew. It's a matchup fish, but it also has a lot of really positive matchups. Regardless, I can't place it any higher than this when its low defenses, awkward speed tier, and lack of a defensive ability like Abra has, will always reduce its consistency. That said, both offensive and Choice Scarf sets are solid options, and they'll do wonders against players who don't build well into it.
Girafarig probably should be higher, but like, basically no one uses it, and it's always been that way. I finally tried it, though, and it's solid. Normal/Psychic is an amazing STAB combination, and the speed it has over other Psychic types is very huge. It's only really held back by being frail and extremely hard to fit. As the metagame gets more optimized, I expect Girafarig to rise in both viability and usage.
I'm not a big fan of Graveler when its typing is very bad into most of the metagame. The fact that it can't punish Fearow's U-Turn with Rocky Helmet is another point against it. Thankfully then, Graveler still does have some qualities that make it worth trying. Firstly, it blocks Volt Switch from Scarf Luxray sets, and secondly, it's much more offensively potent than Corsola is. The fact that it has Eviolite often means that it doesn't need to cut into its power to make the most of its damage output.
I've gradually come to the conclusion that Lickitung is a worse Wish user than Hypno. It's not bad due to the extra bulk and phasing of Dragon Tail, but Hypno's extra speed and Taunt matter a lot more I feel. Lickitung fits better on bulkier balance builds, though, as the role compression of having both Wish and Heal Bell will always be extremely valuable.
Lumineon has become one of my favorite defensive pivots as it gives up Phione's incredible utility movepool for Storm Drain, an ability designed specifically to annoy Phione. Combine that with an elite speed tier for a defensive Pokemon, and its anti-meta capabilities are clear. My bias wants to rank it higher, but given how Phione is usually a better version of it, this is the best I can give my goat.
I've grown on Magcargo a lot, mainly because being a Corsola that can threaten burns is really good in this metagame. Its weaknesses are still very blatant since being Stealth Rock weak is dreadful for a defensive Pokemon, and its 4x Ground weakness means it's only really good against Fearow and Lopunny. Thankfully then, Magcargo has another solid set, being a surprisingly solid Shell Smash sweeper in certain circumstances. Both of these sets are what make Magcargo on par with other Rock types for me.
Marshtomp is a cute alternative to Wormasand, trading its typing for better bulk and Scald. Being 4x weak to Grass is awful, but if your team can manage that, then Marshtomp's extra bulk can really come in handy.
Octillery is the paraspam Water, as Thunder Wave and Energy Ball are really good offensive tools for it. To be fair, it's not that restricted, and it can run other sets, but Octillery is generally gonna be less common despite how useful it is when it fits.
Pupitar is a bulkier Graveler, a concept which is generally flawed in a meta this hostile to it, but it's saved for a few reasons. Firstly, a well built team can really get a lot out of its bulk, and secondly, Dragon Dance gives it something to shake up its game plan. If it wasn't obvious, I'm not a Pupitar fan, but it has its place.
Seaking is a role compression option that acts as the only bulky Water that can take Electric type moves. It's held back by the same things that hold Lumineon back, and thus I think they're about as viable as each other. Seaking has an additional set on Rain, but team preview still makes it rather predictable.
Shelmet being this much worse than Budew initially came as a surprise to me given how Shelmet has actual bulk, but it's held back in a few ways. The main one is a really bad Stealth Rock weakness which forces it to use Recover more than it wants to. Another big one, though, is that Shelmet cannot threaten out Rapid Spin users as well as Budew can. Shelmet is much more passive as a result, and while it technically lives more, it's a lot easier to take advantage of. Even so, the increased bulk still gives it an important niche, and Final Gambit is an extremely funny momentum tool.
Squirtle has cemented itself as a legitimately good Rapid Spin user for defensive teams, and I think it's far outshined Sandshrew by this point. Squirtle's bulk is a lot more customizable, plus it has Scald to keep some form of pressure on the field. Squirtle still needs to be built around since it's extremely passive, but bulkier teams are more than willing to take that hit in order to support how free its continuous Rapid Spins are.
Out of the non-Corsola Rock types that can check Fearow, I find that Sudowoodo is my personal favorite, but I still think it's on par with Graveler and Pupitar. When invested defensively, its defenses are solid, and its offenses are passable. Really, the only reason I prefer it is because it can hold Rocky Helmet. The fact that this can actually punish U-Turn is enormous and makes Sudowoodo a perfectly solid Fearow answer.
B Rank
Archen has always been a fairly decent lead for hyper offense teams. The main things which hold it back are the styles' dwindling popularity, and the fact that other options like Lunatone are usually better if your opponent doesn't ever run Taunt. If you need guaranteed Stealth Rock in the early game, though, Archen is one of your most reliable options, using its speed tier to perform the classic Taunt + Stealth Rock combo. Assuming your opponent didn't Scald burn you with Phione, Arechen can then use a devastating Endeavor for some solid early game momentum. While its popularity has been dwindling, I think Archen offers just enough to where it's still worth ranking here.
I wasn't convinced on this until I saw it used against me, but Beautifly is about on par with Masquerain. While Masquerain has better overall coverage, Beautifly's is still acceptable with Psychic to deal with Gloom and Swalot. The main thing it has, however, is Swarm, an ability that can force the power it needs to sweep. Of course, Beautifly suffers all of Masquerain's flaws. It can't switch into almost anything, it's Stealth Rock weak, and it needs to wait until a team is weakened before it can really mow through teams.
Bellossom is a Pokemon which I very badly want to rank higher since its traits are amazing, but being walled by Gloom is one of the worst things a Grass type can be. It's still worth considering, however, as it has some really cool sets. Standard defensive is still good because it doesn't need to worry about Psychic types. Swords Dance is a set which works better than you'd expect because of how Nature Power works in this generation, just being Earthquake. There are a few other ideas like Choice Specs and offensive special that could be taken from other tiers. While the need for a standard Grass is low when Gloom exists, Bellossom's not bad and certainly does warrant experimentation.
Clamperl is viable. I can't believe it, but it is. It's a matchup fish, but it's one which genuinely just auto wins against any defensive matchup. Its speed after a Shell Smash is good enough, and its power is so great that it's legitimately impossible to switch into. If you load this into an opponent who doesn't run Choice Scarf, then Clamperl is one of the first options you should consider. Rattled is another fun option that lets it even outspeed Choice Scarfers if it gets hit by a Dark, Ghost, or Bug move. Truly the Pokemon of all time.
Grotle's very comparable to Dunsparce as a Stealth Rock setter. The main difference with Grotle is that it's way more passive, notably being utterly stone walled by Gloom. Thankfully for Grotle, I actually think it's quite good purely because nothing keeps Stealth Rock on the field better than it does. Its bulk is extremely good, and it also has positive matchups against all of the Rapid Spin users. It's because of this that I think Grotle is a perfectly solid Pokemon, assuming you can patch up the Gloom matchup elsewhere on your team.
Illumise is Lopunny's partner in crime, the two of which being the Rain setters of BW SU. While Lopunny offers better offenses and Healing Wish, Illumise finds its place through guaranteeing Rain against Scarfers with Prankster. Illumise may simply be a sidekick to Lopunny, but given how they're both always paired with each other, Illumise's role in the metagame is undoubtedly solid.
I personally find Masquerain to be slightly better than Butterfree due to its superior overall coverage, and access to the incredible Intimidate. Otherwise, I have nothing new to mention.
I'm not a huge fan of Mightyena, unfortunately. It's still good, though, being comparable to Abra as a Pokemon that loves being paired with Spikes. The main flaw I have with Mightyena is that successfully snowballing with it is very difficult since it's frail, status prone, and not exactly strong in an Eviolite meta. Thus, I find sweepers that don't require a Moxie boost to be much more consistent.
While Onix can never threaten anything as much as Archen can, I strongly prefer using it due to how Sturdy frees up an item slot for it. This allows it to run Custap Berry, Mental Herb, or even Normal Gem for much greater flexibility. Despite my preference, however, that's ultimately all that comes down to, and both it and Archen are about equally viable.
I am very close to ranking Palpitoad down, but Water Absorb is a great tool against Phione sets that get too passive. Otherwise, I think Marshtomp is better for its stats, but Palpitoad has its place.
Porygon really came into its own this tour. Its role as a bulky attacker became a lot more threatening with the increased usage of Charge Beam, and the potential goes even further than that. Porygon has such an expansive movepool and balanced statspread that I think it has a lot more potential for set variety than what's currently being utilized, which is exciting considering that it's finally starting to see use by more than just a few players.
Sandshrew is the most niche of the viable Rapid Spin Pokemon to me. The fact that Drilbur has actual offenses makes it better in most matchups, but Sandshrew fulfills some defensive roles that neither Drilbur nor Squirtle can fill. It's also a notably better Stealth Rock setter than Drilbur is.
While the most niche of the viable Waters, I've always found Seadra to be underrated since I first started playing this tier. It has higher offenses and speed than Phione, while also having greater bulk with Eviolite. While it lacks in utility, Seadra still has a place on offensive teams for its stats alone. It even has different sets. Life Orb is pretty good, and I've also seen Agility work. Seadra can cook I swear.
B- Rank
It should be no surprise that, despite being passive as all hell, that Duskull still has a solid niche as both a spinblocker and Fearow check. It was bound to happen, both when there are so few Ghosts, and when the actually good Ghosts are so bad at spinblocking. Duskull isn't amazing, but it has its place on slower teams.
Despite never having been used in the latest tour, I think Exploud got better. Since Gastly and Lampent are trending, Scrappy justifies itself a lot more now. I still don't think it's good enough to stop being a sidegrade of Granbull, however.
Grovyle will always live in Leavanny's shadow, given how Unburden inherently limits Grovyle to being an all-or-nothing sweeper, but it's not bad at all. The main reason to use it mostly comes down to how unpredictable it is. Gloom has well against the special set, but gets whacked against Flying Gem Acrobatics sets, and this ability to threaten both makes Grovyle worth running, assuming you can build around its pitiful bulk and disappointing stats.
Heatmor is so close to being viable, but I think it just faces way too much competition from Pignite to be worth using on most teams. That said, Heatmor still has some really cool tools. The fact that it can go mixed is the best one. Knock Off helps further its wallbreaking, while Sucker Punch and Superpower make its Fire Blasts much harder to switch into.
Kecleon is Dunsparce at home. You use it for the higher special defense and cute interactions with Color Change, but it otherwise doesn't do much differently. It's not bad at all, though, and many teams can find a place for it.
Lileep is a Grotle sidegrade that you run if you really hate Drill Peck. Otherwise, it's worse, but it has its place.
Togetic reminds me a lot of Lickitung and Porygon, but the Stealth Rock weakness holds it back a lot. Either way, it's very bulky, and has some unique defensive qualities with its typing. Nasty Plot is a tool idea I want to try. Otherwise, it's nothing crazy.
While Duskull has Levitate, Yamask has Knock Off. It seems similar to an Archen or Onix situation where your preference matches which one you use more.
C+ Rank
Dewgong fell off sadly. There's just very little reason to use it anymore when Vanilluxe eclipses its breaking power. It's not bad, just exceedingly hard to fit.
Flareon saw some experimentation by players (just Tizio lol) in tour and I can say that I very much overlooked it before. I'm still not huge on defensive sets given the Stealth Rock weakness, but I get checking Gloom and having Wish. The main set that I overlooked, though, is Guts. Flame Charge is good enough for STAB, while Facade hits like a truck and Superpower dents Rocks. It requires Pursuit support since Lampent stone walls it, but I think it's somewhat worth going for depending on your matchup in a given tournament. Quick Feet Granbull is better, but at least Flareon is better than that fraud Gutsray.
Trick. That's the only unique tool Furret has, but at least it's something. Otherwise, it's a generic Choice Item Normal with U-Turn.
Mankey is love, Mankey is life. In a meta filled with Normals and Rocks, the appeal of a Fighting type Choice Scarf user with U-Turn is pretty obvious. Its stats hold it back, but it has a niche.
If you can support it properly, Meditite hits like a truck. It's hard to build and play around since it combines being frail with being slow, without the ability to make itself faster like Clamperl and Magcargo. Either way, it's a perfectly fine high risk option for any teams in need of a strong physical breaker.
I used to think Nidorino is trash, but this is another previously unheard of option that Tizio showed some use for. The best way to run it is as a Hone Claws sweeper, which basically acts as a stronger and bulkier Seviper. Seviper is still better due to its speed tier and Shed Skin, but Nidorino's not bad. Don't run it for Toxic Spikes though. That set is... a thing.
Compressing Stealth Rock, Spikes, and Rapid Spin into one slot will always be good. Pineco is solid role compression, and even a decent hyper offense lead.
I am Prinplup's strongest soldier, and this is as high as I can reasonably place it. Prinplup performs the extremely valuable role compression of a Stealth Rocking Water type, but such a role is very rarely needed. Combine that with its lack of reliable recovery, and I can't put it in the same rank as Kecleon. Prinplup is still good at what it does, however, and it really shouldn't be ranked that much lower than this.
Servine would be amazing if it could use Aromatherapy with being nature locked, and just kind of feels awkward without it. It still has a place over Bellossom, however. Standard sets are made unique by Taunt, while its other sets turn it into Dunsparce with Coil and Calm Mind. Servine's niche, but it's similar to Dewgong and Prinplup in being very good when you can fit it.
C Rank
I'll be honest when I say that I can see a legitimately solid argument for raising Anorith higher, but I also just find it more niche than what's above it. It does its job as a fast Rapid Spin user perfectly fine, but it's also Stealth Rock weak and needs Swords Dance to really threaten much. It works and isn't bad, just not an easy fit over Drilbur.
While the metagame would become much better for Beedrill in the next generation's SU, BW SU is an extremely hostile home for Beedrill. Toxic Spikes are extremely inconsistent in a tier where Gloom and Budew are spammed, and it simply doesn't offer anything good enough outside of it. Pursuit and STAB U-Turn are solid traits, but it'll always just be a Toxic Spikes bot.
Chinchou has a very cute niche, basically being a Seaking but with Volt Switch and Heal Bell. Its stats are way worse, but if you need the role compression, it's a perfectly fine option.
Given how I've grown on Duskull and Yamask, I've also grown to see Golett's use. Golett is even more of a do-nothing blob than the other bulky Ghosts, but the role compression of checking both Fearow and Luxray is genuinely just that good.
Unfeazant is a fraud and Pidgeot is there to slay its imposter to the rightful throne Fearow's partner in crime. What makes Pidgeot better despite its objectively worse stats? Brave Bird. Because Pidgeot has actual Flying STAB, double bird teams are surprisingly real in this metagame. Teams without a Rock or Electric, or even only one Rock or Electric, get overwhelmed quite easily by repeated Brave Birds. It's a bit of a matchup fish, but Pidgeot is still worth considering on a team.
Shellos takes Lumineon's role and takes it to its logical extreme. I personally find Recover to be a tad overkill given how it loses out on U-Turn, but it'll still be your go-to Water type on more defensive teams.
Slowpoke is a cute Regenerator pivot. Its bulk and typing are very good, but it's held back very significantly by how dumfoundingly passive it is.
C- Rank
I've never seen Baltoy once, but I recognize its solid traits as a specially bulky Voltblocking Rapid Spinner with Levitate. It'll eventually find itself onto a decent team when that highly specific role compression is needed.
Carnivine is worse than every other defensive Grass type, but at least it has Levitate for a Spikes immunity. It's only good on Spikes weak teams, and it still needs team support in dealing with the dreadful Gloom matchup. It's usable but stupidly specific.
Chatot is a workable Nasty Plot sweeper with a decent movepool and stats.
Corsola at home (ft. Rapid Spin)
I find Magnemite to be better than Kilink given how it at least has a really strong offensive presence along with its Steel typing. Otherwise, I think Luxray mostly outclasses it as a Volt Switch user.
Looks like an extremely niche Whirlwind spammer on Spikes teams, further assisted by being Spikes immune itself.
I assume Satan was on the dev team when Magic Guard was birthed into this world. Solosis has a place as a Calm Mind sweeper, but I'm not sure if many people are itching to use it.
Gastly's trending so I may as well rank this.
It exists as a Spikes user I guess. Having Endeavor I think is what makes this rankable.
For the one person who wants to use Sun, Weepinbell is for sure your best option.
Insert something witty here
Thanks for reading this gigayap I have nothing to add to this lmao I'm so bad at conclusions.
Luxray
Fearow
Chimecho
Gloom
Lopunny
Phione
Pignite
Vanilluxe
Granbull
Hypno
Magmar
Plusle
Budew
Corsola
Croconaw
Eelektrik
Graveler
Leavanny
Lickitung
Lunatone
Pupitar
Seviper
Sudowoodo
Swalot
Wormadam-Sandy
Abra
Dewgong
Drilbur
Dunsparce
Girafarig
Lampent
Masquerain
Seaking
Shelmet
Stantler
Vullaby
Archen
Beartic
Bellossom
Gastly
Grotle
Lumineon
Marshtomp
Mightyena
Octillery
Onix
Palpitoad
Wailord
Beautifly
Beedrill
Exploud
Grovyle
Heatmor
Illumise
Kecleon
Lileep
Magcargo
Porygon
Sandshrew
Seadra
Squirtle
Togetic
Anorith
Chinchou
Furret
Mankey
Meditite
Pineco
Servine
Duskull
Flareon
Venipede
Baltoy
Carnivine
Cranidos
Noctowl
Prinplup
Slowpoke
Solosis
Weepinbell
|
Oh and put my boi Spinda in the VR maker, its legit better than most stuff in C+ and below. 
