True point jas. I'll advocate b
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CAP Viability Ranking Thread (B Rank Filtering)
- Thread starter Tadasuke
- Start date
- Status
I think Mew has some potential as well. Currently, it doesn't have a viability rank yet, and though some discussion of a B rank has happened, I am going to make a request for Mew to become a DHC candidate while it is still eligible. This in turn would allow it to have more testing and whatnot. However, if you guys think Mew has already displayed its worth significantly enough and that it is too well established for the DHC, then I will simply find a different candidate. Basically, I just don't want to include Mew if it steps on anyone's toes over here.
You should be fine to do Mew. I've been waiting to update the OP until you were done with the first month of DHC anyway :)
This past week I dedicated myself to the ou ladder. Mew is the stall breaker in the tier, completely shutting down mega venusaur, mandibuzz, chansey, etc. it needs more testing, so making it a DHC would be a great way to get people to test it.
Similarly to cap, it out speeds a majority of the stall pokes, can defog, taunt, willowisp, and was blessed with insane bulk. I refute my previous point about it being bad. While it is beaten by pursuit colossoil, that is essentially the only poke off the top of my head that can beat it in this meta game. While I won't advocate for A until after more testing, I definitely think it should be B rank.
Similarly to cap, it out speeds a majority of the stall pokes, can defog, taunt, willowisp, and was blessed with insane bulk. I refute my previous point about it being bad. While it is beaten by pursuit colossoil, that is essentially the only poke off the top of my head that can beat it in this meta game. While I won't advocate for A until after more testing, I definitely think it should be B rank.
Mega Gardevoir deserved a bump, even in OU she's A while in CAP she's able to beat every single CAP bar Cawmodore and she can take an unboosted Bullet Punch and remove a chunk of it's health with a resisted hit. She breaks apart many common pokemon in both Stall and Offense and provides a great check to many dangerous treats like Tomohawk, Colossoil, Kyurem-B, Aurumoth, MVenusaur, Cyclohm, Stratagem, Keldeo, Stratagem, Lati@s, Mollux, and many many more. She's strong enough to sweep entire teams with one Calm Mind and has great synergy with many dangerous pokemon like Colossoil.
**UPDATE**
As the CAP Dark Horse Tournament is finishing up, It would be great to have people start to rank the different Pokémon that have been examined, and maybe analyze how they can single-handedly affect the metagame. I'll go ahead and post the list right now
As always, keep the discussion intelligent, and try to give decent input on how each should be ranked. I look forward to seeing what everyone has to say.
So I'm gonna propose a lot of changes to get some discussion going... feel free to disagree with any or all of these
Talonflame from A+ to A
The omnipresence of Cyclohm is what holds Talonflame back the most for me. If the opponent has Cyclohm alive, Talonflame really can't do anything besides U-turn. Don't get me wrong, Talonflame does its job very well since it can easily threaten setup sweepers like Aurumoth and baton passers like Tomohawk with its powerful Brave Bird. But straight up losing to 3 of the 5 most common mons in the meta (Cyclohm, Stratagem, Krillowatt), especially with a near staple for stall in Cyclohm hard walling it, it's really not worthy of an A+ ranking.
Mega Charizard X from A to A+
Going off of its excellent DD sweeping set alone, I'd say Zard X is an A rank mon, but its bulky WoW/Roost set is what makes it even better than that. Being able to cripple its few switchins that can claim to wall it is nothing short of stellar. Not being instantly forced out by Fairies is nice as well thanks to its Fire/Dragon typing, meaning it can tank a Hyper Voice from the likes of Gardevoir and Sylveon if need be and hit back hard with Flare Blitz. In the case of Sylveon, Bulky Zard X (specifically the SpD variant) can actually stay in and beat it since Hyper Voice doesn't 2HKO. But yeah, Zard X is extremely versatile and effective in the roles it can perform, and nearly impossible to outright wall/counter. I say move it up.
Mega Gardevoir from A- to A
Being the premier offensive fairy type in a metagame filled with Tomohawk makes Gardevoir consistently a top pick for Balance and HO alike, especially with the banning of Aegislash. It is very difficult to switch into, and can easily break down special walls with Psyshock and Calm Mind. Its Psychic typing and access to Psyshock helps it not be a free switch into Mollux, something other fairies can't claim (I'm aware Sylveon also gets Psyshock, but it can't OHKO even with significant investment, and is better left to running a Cleric set). Gardevoirs best asset, however, is Hyper Voice, which is extremely helpful vs. any Substitute users and receivers, namely Tomohawk. Basically, its role is very useful in this meta, and from a purely offensive standpoint, it is the best out of all the fairies at what it does. Definitely worthy of A rank.
Mega Heracross from C (LOL) to A-
I have a feeling Hera was sitting in C because no one was really using it, and I guess that was understandable with Aegislash still in the meta. But with Aegislash gone and people's participation in the DHC, it has been shown to have great wall breaking abilities. Its attack stat is simply massive, at +2 it OHKOs 252 HP / 252+ Def Cyclohm after rocks (+2 252+ Atk Mega Heracross Pin Missile (5 hits) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Zekrom: 380-450 (90.4 - 107.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock), meaning it doesn't even need to run EQ for coverage. Unlike the previous megas I mentioned, Mega Hera does have some more solid switchins such as physically defensive fairies and Tomohawk to an extent, so although it's not really a high A rank mon and is more easily checked, it breaks significant portions of the metagame and is well deserving of an A- rank.
also,
Crobat from E to C-
I've been testing both a Banded version and a Stallbreaker version recently, and while at first glance it appears heavily outclassed by better offensive Flying-types such as Talonflame and Pinsir, it has a small niche thanks to Infiltrator, meaning it can KO things like Tomohawk and Aurumoth (or any sub-pass receiver) behind a substitute, not to mention its Brave Bird is actually stronger than Talonflame's. Stallbreaker set is pretty nifty as well, it pretty much stops Chansey from doing anything thanks to Taunt, Roost, and its Toxic immunity (doesn't appreciate switching in on Thunder Wave variants though). A perfectly accurate Toxic that hits through Sub is appreciated as well. So it's definitely an underused mon, but I've had some okay success with it; I encourage you to give Crobat a shot (next DHC mon?? ;])
That's all I feel like writing for now, might add more later. Share opinions on these and whatnot.
edit: also, some mons that I think are probably garbage and wonder why they're on the list at all... stop me if i'm making bad assumptions
- Cloyster (not much it sets up on, very easily stopped)
- Ninetales (why would you not use Zard Y for Drought)
- Galvantula (Outclassed by Necturna as a web setter, doesn't do anything besides lay webs and die; thunder is still weak)
Talonflame from A+ to A
The omnipresence of Cyclohm is what holds Talonflame back the most for me. If the opponent has Cyclohm alive, Talonflame really can't do anything besides U-turn. Don't get me wrong, Talonflame does its job very well since it can easily threaten setup sweepers like Aurumoth and baton passers like Tomohawk with its powerful Brave Bird. But straight up losing to 3 of the 5 most common mons in the meta (Cyclohm, Stratagem, Krillowatt), especially with a near staple for stall in Cyclohm hard walling it, it's really not worthy of an A+ ranking.
Mega Charizard X from A to A+
Going off of its excellent DD sweeping set alone, I'd say Zard X is an A rank mon, but its bulky WoW/Roost set is what makes it even better than that. Being able to cripple its few switchins that can claim to wall it is nothing short of stellar. Not being instantly forced out by Fairies is nice as well thanks to its Fire/Dragon typing, meaning it can tank a Hyper Voice from the likes of Gardevoir and Sylveon if need be and hit back hard with Flare Blitz. In the case of Sylveon, Bulky Zard X (specifically the SpD variant) can actually stay in and beat it since Hyper Voice doesn't 2HKO. But yeah, Zard X is extremely versatile and effective in the roles it can perform, and nearly impossible to outright wall/counter. I say move it up.
Mega Gardevoir from A- to A
Being the premier offensive fairy type in a metagame filled with Tomohawk makes Gardevoir consistently a top pick for Balance and HO alike, especially with the banning of Aegislash. It is very difficult to switch into, and can easily break down special walls with Psyshock and Calm Mind. Its Psychic typing and access to Psyshock helps it not be a free switch into Mollux, something other fairies can't claim (I'm aware Sylveon also gets Psyshock, but it can't OHKO even with significant investment, and is better left to running a Cleric set). Gardevoirs best asset, however, is Hyper Voice, which is extremely helpful vs. any Substitute users and receivers, namely Tomohawk. Basically, its role is very useful in this meta, and from a purely offensive standpoint, it is the best out of all the fairies at what it does. Definitely worthy of A rank.
Mega Heracross from C (LOL) to A-
I have a feeling Hera was sitting in C because no one was really using it, and I guess that was understandable with Aegislash still in the meta. But with Aegislash gone and people's participation in the DHC, it has been shown to have great wall breaking abilities. Its attack stat is simply massive, at +2 it OHKOs 252 HP / 252+ Def Cyclohm after rocks (+2 252+ Atk Mega Heracross Pin Missile (5 hits) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Zekrom: 380-450 (90.4 - 107.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock), meaning it doesn't even need to run EQ for coverage. Unlike the previous megas I mentioned, Mega Hera does have some more solid switchins such as physically defensive fairies and Tomohawk to an extent, so although it's not really a high A rank mon and is more easily checked, it breaks significant portions of the metagame and is well deserving of an A- rank.
also,
[13:01] +offler: CC from +2 mega hera
[13:01] +offler: will break walls so hard
[13:02] +offler: Ghost types get OHKO'd
[13:01] +offler: will break walls so hard
[13:02] +offler: Ghost types get OHKO'd
I've been testing both a Banded version and a Stallbreaker version recently, and while at first glance it appears heavily outclassed by better offensive Flying-types such as Talonflame and Pinsir, it has a small niche thanks to Infiltrator, meaning it can KO things like Tomohawk and Aurumoth (or any sub-pass receiver) behind a substitute, not to mention its Brave Bird is actually stronger than Talonflame's. Stallbreaker set is pretty nifty as well, it pretty much stops Chansey from doing anything thanks to Taunt, Roost, and its Toxic immunity (doesn't appreciate switching in on Thunder Wave variants though). A perfectly accurate Toxic that hits through Sub is appreciated as well. So it's definitely an underused mon, but I've had some okay success with it; I encourage you to give Crobat a shot (next DHC mon?? ;])
That's all I feel like writing for now, might add more later. Share opinions on these and whatnot.
edit: also, some mons that I think are probably garbage and wonder why they're on the list at all... stop me if i'm making bad assumptions
- Cloyster (not much it sets up on, very easily stopped)
- Ninetales (why would you not use Zard Y for Drought)
- Galvantula (Outclassed by Necturna as a web setter, doesn't do anything besides lay webs and die; thunder is still weak)
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I propose Fidgit to be raised to C+ or B-. He single handedly defines Trick Room teams in the CAP meta and has other uses as well, ranging from hazard stacking, hazard removal, and tail winding. It's no longer the era where you can assume the opponent is a noob when you see a Fidgit on their team. I'll add more later, but g2g to class for now.
Edit: More or less, I think Fidgit's deadliest niche is a trick room sweeper. If we look at just this set alone, I think Fidgit embodies the C category description; he's the best trick room setter by far, but trick room itself needs proper team structure in order to succeed. However, what pushes Fidgit beyond a C is his other options. Sure, his offensive paths all kinda of suck, but his plethora of support routes makes up for this quite well. Thanks to his great bulk, he can do a fair amount of supporting, and if he's running TR or Tailwind, this almost guarantees him a set up. Moves like encore allow him to mess with the opponent and can often get him a free turn to set up. Overall, he's a master of one domain and has some tools to provide utilities in others. Sure, Trick Room isn't a meta breaking/defining tool, but it's very much a disruption that can cause serious damage. The perfect TR partner in Mega Mawile is no more, but he has other partners to choose from. And, to top it off, I still think his tailwind options are underexplored too.
Edit: More or less, I think Fidgit's deadliest niche is a trick room sweeper. If we look at just this set alone, I think Fidgit embodies the C category description; he's the best trick room setter by far, but trick room itself needs proper team structure in order to succeed. However, what pushes Fidgit beyond a C is his other options. Sure, his offensive paths all kinda of suck, but his plethora of support routes makes up for this quite well. Thanks to his great bulk, he can do a fair amount of supporting, and if he's running TR or Tailwind, this almost guarantees him a set up. Moves like encore allow him to mess with the opponent and can often get him a free turn to set up. Overall, he's a master of one domain and has some tools to provide utilities in others. Sure, Trick Room isn't a meta breaking/defining tool, but it's very much a disruption that can cause serious damage. The perfect TR partner in Mega Mawile is no more, but he has other partners to choose from. And, to top it off, I still think his tailwind options are underexplored too.
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I propose raising Voodoom to B- or even B at the most. I've been using it a lot recently and with it's great speed tier + coverage, only resisted by fairies, it can crush many of the meta defining mons like Colo, Goth and Tomo. It also acts as a great stallbreaker thanks to Taunt and Close Combat 2HKOs Chansey. I know it has a quad weakness to fairy, but that's a easy patch up.
Goth hasn't defined the meta since gday's stall was last used in a tourney. I don't see a way that Voodoom can break Tomo, but if you can provide calcs with a reasonable enough set, I'll let it slide. Voodoom seems to me like a mon that has such a crippling movepool that it just gets left in the dust in any battle that it's involved in.
Gothitelle has been seeing incredibly consistent play in CAP. I provide 3 month usage stats for a reason, people. Heck, it's currently the 11th most played pokemon on the ladder, though I haven't updated the usage stats yet because Colossoil and Tomohawk both seeing over 70% play makes me depressed.
252 SpA Life Orb Scrafty Psychic vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Hawlucha: 265-315 (64.1 - 76.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
4 Atk Life Orb Scrafty Close Combat vs. 4 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Chansey: 393-463 (61.2 - 72.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
4 Atk Life Orb Scrafty Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Krookodile: 385-455 (81.9 - 96.8%) -- 18.8% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
252 SpA Life Orb Scrafty Dark Pulse vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Gothitelle: 268-320 (95.3 - 113.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
The set:
Voodoom @ Life Orb
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Close Combat
- Dark Pulse
- Psychic
- Taunt
So here are some mons that will need some discussion in the upcoming weeks
Basically, there are a lot of fun new mons and strategies to try out in the ORAS CAP metagame, and this list sums up the mons that will be top discussion points in this thread. While the CAP ladder is still down for a little while longer, it's never too early to teambuild; I know that HeaLnDeaL, Tadasuke, gday, and myself all have ORAS CAP teams ready to go and would happily accept challenges via Custom Battle.
Don't theorymon rankings yet (obviously), but by all means feel free to build teams and post replays showcasing the viability (or lack thereof) of the new threats here. ORAS hype!
edit: also if I missed something noteworthy, lemme know and I'll add it to the list.
- All new Mega Pokemon
Mega Beedrill
Mega Pidgeot
Mega Slowbro
Mega Steelix
Mega Sceptile
Mega Swampert
Mega Sableye
Mega Sharpedo
Mega Camerupt
Mega Altaria
Mega Glalie
Mega Salamence
Mega Metagross
Mega Latias
Mega Latios
Mega Lopunny
Mega Gallade
Mega Audino
Mega Diancie - Pokemon with significant movepool additions
Diancie - Heal Bell, Earth Power
Greninja - Gunk Shot, Low Kick
Lopunny - High Jump Kick
Gyarados - Crunch
Diggersby - Knock Off, Fire Punch, Thunder Punch, Ice Punch, Superpower
Chesnaught - Drain Punch - OU Pokemon that are currently unranked
Gengar
Magnezone
Manectric (Mega)
Slowbro - Plasmanta
Basically, there are a lot of fun new mons and strategies to try out in the ORAS CAP metagame, and this list sums up the mons that will be top discussion points in this thread. While the CAP ladder is still down for a little while longer, it's never too early to teambuild; I know that HeaLnDeaL, Tadasuke, gday, and myself all have ORAS CAP teams ready to go and would happily accept challenges via Custom Battle.
Don't theorymon rankings yet (obviously), but by all means feel free to build teams and post replays showcasing the viability (or lack thereof) of the new threats here. ORAS hype!
edit: also if I missed something noteworthy, lemme know and I'll add it to the list.
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In Pokemon with significant movepool additions, Chesnaught Drain Punch deserves a mention as it gets more healing potential than Ferro and higher overall potential than some notable Pokemon.
Thank you sparktrain for giving the updates on all the new and changed Pokémon coming with ORAS. As he stated, NO RANKINGS WILL CHANGE UNTIL THE RELEASE OF ORAS! What this means is that until we've actually grown accustomed to the new metagame, we won't have any solid evidence of certain Pokémon being outside of a few players testing. Reasonable speculation is more than welcome, but don't state anything as fact.
Ah, the excitement of a whole new box of toys. Let's take a few shots in the dark, shall we? Please note this is all idle speculation. These are not nominations. If nothing else, consider this a predictions post for me to laugh at later.
Salamence-Mega--> Honestly, it's probably going to be quick-banned. Even Cyclohm, the all-purpose Flyspam check, falters, though it can force Mence to make some hard decisions with its movepool. S, if it lasts that long in this non-Ubers tier.
Diance-Mega--> Despite the fact that it can go mixed with Diamond Storm, I think it's going to struggle with some Special Walls. But even then, with that Speed, those Attacking Stats, and the CAP-busting Fairy type, Diance's going to do serious damage. High A rank, easily.
Slowbro-Mega --> The so-called Cro-Bro people have theorymoned probably won't see much use in CAP (too many ways to shut it down), but a straight up bulky build will for primarily one reason: this thing breaks Cawmodore (and also Arghonaut, but that's less important). Also, hard-hitting Special based Water-types are very underrated in CAP, especially when they can take down both Mollux and the newly minted Plasmanta, and don't fear Colossoil's Knock Off. A rank, probably.
Sableye-Mega--> And you thought Stall was annoying before. Great stats, solid typing, amazing ability. I expect you'll grow to hate this thing. It's notably a hard stop to Tomohawk, though it can't set up CMs on it either due to Haze (which is not reflected by Magic Bounce). I'd say a low A or an extremely high B.
Metagross-Mega--> While I'm sure it will be a heavy hitter, I don't think Metagross will have as much success in CAP as it will in OU. Its new speed tier is undeniably great, and its bulk will serve it very well, but I think Cyclohm will prove to be problematic for it. I'd say B, maybe B+.
Altaria-Mega--> Great typing, well-rounded stats. I think it'll certainly be dangerous, especially the D-Dance set, and it has some great utility, but I think it's going to face stiff competition as both an offensive fairy mega (from Garde and Diance) and as a stall mega (from Sableye and Slowbro). May struggle to find a niche. Mid-tier B.
Camerupt-Mega--> Fidgit's new best friend. I don't think it'll be as deadly a Trick Room sweeper as Mawile was, but you can see how a similar set would function. Still, C at best.
Sharpedo-Mega--> Much like in OU, I think it'll be deadly if executed right. In CAP, Tomo's existence will slow it down quite a bit, though it doesn't like taking boosted Ice Fangs. Low B, most likely.
Swampert-Mega--> Well, I'm excited for it. Rain is a force in CAP, and Swampert can both set and abuse it well. It'll be a significant addition to the archetype, thanks to both its tremendous attack and above average bulk. Still, very niche. I say B at best, most likely C.
I'm obviously leaving off a good chunk of the new Megas, to say nothing of the moveset expansions, but I think that'll do for now, eh?
I'm obviously leaving off a good chunk of the new Megas, to say nothing of the moveset expansions, but I think that'll do for now, eh?
Altaria-Mega--> Great typing, well-rounded stats. I think it'll certainly be dangerous, especially the D-Dance set, and it has some great utility, but I think it's going to face stiff competition as both an offensive fairy mega (from Garde and Diance) and as a stall mega (from Sableye and Slowbro). May struggle to find a niche. Mid-tier B.
I'd like to note that Mega Altaria has unresisted coverage in Pixilate Return/Body Slam and Earthquake. Fairy is obviously well known to break through top tier threats such as Tomohawk, Cyclohm, and Colossoil. I can see this as being a great anti-meta check to a lot of pokes, while holding its own as a set-up sweeper and simply as a bulky attacker with reliable recovery. I figure it'll be no less than B+, but again, we simply won't know until it's been played with.
On a bit of a side note, I'd like to ask all of the people who follow or use this thread regularly if they would like to see viability ranking threads for team archetypes (rain, stall, hyper offense, etc.) and individual sets. These would obviously be incredible as further resources for newcomers to the meta, as well as helpful tools in research.
It's actually resisted by Skarmory and Cawmodore, as far as meta relevant Pokemon go. Combined with their high physical bulk, they could easily prove to be powerful counters to DD/Roost Mega Altaria. It won't necessarily hurt Mega Altaria's viability, but it could perhaps bolster the viability of these two Pokemon if Altaria proves to be a strong enough presence.
As Dragonblaze mentioned, Steel/Flying resists Ground/Fairy coverage, though it's obviously still pretty good. I think, in general, Steel types will see a significant uptick in usage in both ORAS OU and ORAS CAP, what with all the new Psychic, Fairy, Dragon, and Flying type toys floating around. Ferrothorn, Skarm, and Mega-gross all seem like they'll be pretty useful in checking these new and powerful weapons. Caw will probably also see a rise in usage, perhaps using its resistances, in concert with the plethora of new Tomo-breaker Megas, to get BD sweeps off. I also feel like I've seen a proliferation of Magnezone in ORAS OU - maybe a new twist on the old DragMag style?
Part 2 of groundless speculation follows....
Beedrill-Mega--> I think I want this to be better than it is. An absolute blast to use, both fast and strong, carrying a deadly U-turn. Unfortunately, its defenses are paper thin, folding to pretty much any priority attack not named Mach Punch, and it's walled by Tomo, which is obviously never a good sign. I could see it being an effective cleaner, but Beedrill is simply threatened by too many things to really find a foothold. Low B, at best.
Pidgeot-Mega--> Hurricane spam. That's pretty much it. Mind you, it's a good niche to have - a good chunk of CAP-mons don't like Pidgeot's Fire/Flying coverage, and it notably speed ties Syclant and only loses to Stratagem. (who'll make a good check) Still, there's a couple of bulky mons that resist it - Cyclohm and Krill most notably - and overall it feels like Pidgeot is not necessarily a bad 'mon, but somewhat outclassed by a surplus of good Megas. B, probably.
Steelix-Mega--> Seems like Aggron-M V.2. Which is, notably, not rated in CAP. So wherever you'd expect that to slot in, probably C.
Sceptile-Mega--> Off the bat, 110/145/145 is a great set of offensive stats, especially in CAP. The speed, especially, is a real killer, as is its ability to switch on almost any Krillowatt set, and select Cyclohm as well. That said, I think it'll be less viable here than in OU - Syclant's penchant for running Ice Shard is problematic, it exacerbates the tier's already prevalent Fairy weakness, and in general most stuff that it wants to switch in on to nab a Lightingrod boost tends to run coverage moves that can beat it. Prediction will be key. I'm guess high B at best.
Glalie-Mega--> The new face of CAP Spikers. While not a hugely notable niche to be sure, Glalie has a lot of utility; setting up Spikes, and firing off freakishly powerful Returns (and Explosions) to keep them up. It handily beats both Tomo and Colossoil as well, and can cause serious damage to most Defoggers thanks to Refrigerate. I feel like this might be the sleeper ORAS Mega - probably only ranked at B, but maybe deserving of more.
Lopunny-Mega--> With its boost in speed, the Bunny now outspeeds every CAP-mon, and can do serious damage to most, including being able to deftly handle Kitsunoh. Tomo, and other dedicated Physical Walls, remain somewhat problematic, but you can't beat everything. Ice Punch is notable for being an option to beat Tomohawk, though of course priority Roost can wreck that, as well as being a very useful check for Lando. I'd say a very high B, maybe even a low A depending on how things play out.
Gallade-Mega--> For one, its design is awesome. For two, Psychics are most welcome in this Tomo-centric meta. For three, I think it'll be a safer Medicham, trading off game breaking strength for better Speed (hugely better speed) and significantly improved bulk. A set-up set, SD probably, is clearly its best bet, though I could also see a bulky attacking/support set being effective considering Gallade's great movepool. Maybe something along the lines of Bulky MegaZard-X? WoW, Drain Punch for recovery, Psycho Cut for Tomo Coverage, and maybe Bulk Up? Anyway, low A seems about right, but I may be overrating it.
Audino-Mega--> A rock solid 'meh'. Good typing and Defensive Stats, but overall somewhat lackluster, especially when you've only got one Mega Slot to burn. Honestly, I doubt it'll be used enough to see a Viability rank, so let's go with C.
Chesnaught--> Drain Punch is a solid addition to Chesnaut's movepool, and overall it remains an extremely good SubSeeder and hazard setter, as well as an excellent stop to Colossoil. Depending on Ferro's popularity in the tier, it could also see usage as a counter on that front. That said, Tomo not only beats it 1v1, it also fulfills a similar role in team building, and arguably does it better. Overall, I think it'll probably pick up a lot more usage, at least earning a rank, even if it's not a sky high one. C is most likely.
Gyarados--> Crunch is obviously a huge boon to Gyara-M, but overall I don't think it'll do it much good in CAP - Tomo remains an absolute hard stop thanks to priority haze. No change in ranking.
Greninja--> The other bane of OU at this point, Greninja got a lot of good additions to its movepool. Gunk Shot gets it past certain fairies, and Low Kick can handle some special walls very well, and gives it a good move to use against KyuB. It still struggles against Chansey of course, and I think over all it didn't improve enough to skyrocket up the rankings, but Greninja was on the line of B+/A- before, and this may be enough to push it into full on A territory.
Part 2 of groundless speculation follows....
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Plasmanta should start in at B. He is somehow able to have a niche in the meta, in a weird way that's hard to explain. His STABs can never hurt caw, but he also resists all of Caw's moves bar Knock Off and can hit back with HP fire. Thunderbolt hits Slowbro pretty hard, as well as Tomo. Against Cyclohm he's usually able to come up on the better end, but it's a tough call. Of course, he's total Colossoil fodder. Manta and Mollux together pretty much force Slowbro to run Psychic STAB, as otherwise he'd appreciate using Rest/Sleep Talk (he has to trade both moves in for slack off to have the space for psychic/psyshock).
Sylveon should be raised to A or dare I even suggest A+. He beats up the CAP holy triny of Tomo/Colo/Clohm (defensive sylveon can even survive a few colo EQs). Not to mention that Sylveon beats a lot of the new Megas coming in, including Mence (until he inevitably gets banned), Altaria, Lopunny, Sharpedo, Sceptile, Sableye, Gallade, and maaaybe the Latis. That's a huge list of new mons to eat and pretty much only Beedrill and Metagross join the fray to dampen Sylveon's spirit. Still, gaining 6-9 new pieces of fresh meat with only 2 new predators (3 counting Gunk Shot Ninja) is a pretty darn good deal. In some ways, using Sylveon is like having a mini Mega Garde without wasting a precious mega slot.
Sylveon should be raised to A or dare I even suggest A+. He beats up the CAP holy triny of Tomo/Colo/Clohm (defensive sylveon can even survive a few colo EQs). Not to mention that Sylveon beats a lot of the new Megas coming in, including Mence (until he inevitably gets banned), Altaria, Lopunny, Sharpedo, Sceptile, Sableye, Gallade, and maaaybe the Latis. That's a huge list of new mons to eat and pretty much only Beedrill and Metagross join the fray to dampen Sylveon's spirit. Still, gaining 6-9 new pieces of fresh meat with only 2 new predators (3 counting Gunk Shot Ninja) is a pretty darn good deal. In some ways, using Sylveon is like having a mini Mega Garde without wasting a precious mega slot.
Right now, the presence of Mega Mence has turned the CAP meta completely upside down. It easily sets up on the (formerly) most common Pokemon in the meta Colossoil (even if it carries Stone Edge!) thanks to Intimidate and great physical bulk. Its special bulk isn't too shabby either, it can set up Substitutes on stuff like Rotom-W, who won't be able to break it without HP Ice. It has the movepool, typing, and the raw power to rip through the meta's bulkiest walls with ease after a DD. Stuff like HazeHawk can remove its boosts, but it still gets OHKO'd by Return/Frustration all the same. I could go on and on about stuff it easily sets up on and beats, but in short, Mega Mence makes lots of Pokemon simply unviable in the current meta. Rather than suggesting a bunch of stuff to move down (since its ban in OU looks inevitable at this point), I nominate Mega Salamence for S rank and leave potential drops alone for now until the meta settles down a bit.
I have no doubt in my mind that Salamence will get banned within the next two weeks. I'll put it at S+ but keep the others where they are for now.
Pardon the double post, but this is coming back. We're now starting on viability rankings for pokes that we feel reasonably have earned rankings from S to A-. Don't discuss anything lower. We'll try to see what gets bumped around within those areas, but we'll be saving B, C, and D for later.
I feel like Mega Altaria covers enough of the meta to merit an A or A- rating. The Dragon Dance set's counters and checks tend to lose out against the specially offensive set and few things are able to reliably handle both. Combined with its excellent typing, I feel like Mega Altaria could perform similarly to the way Mega Charizard X/Y did in OU.
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