Now that SPL is over, I'd like to propose some rises and drops in the current VR:
Rises:
Latias: A —> A+
Latias is a ridiculously good Pokemon. Boasting #2 in usage during this SPL and a 53% win rate, it’s no coincidence that it has been featured on more than half of the teams used this season. Latias is easily one of the best Choice Scarf users due to its incredible Speed tier enabling it to outspeed +2 AgiliGross, +2 DD Gyara, and its extremely high customizability. In addition, it finds many opportunities to pivot in as a revenge killer because of its great typing and ability, and even with Timid its Draco Meteor and Thunderbolt are more than powerful enough to do the job. Other utility moves like Trick, Thunder Wave, and Healing Wish are extremely effective on these sets. Yes, it can be trapped by Tyranitar, but I honestly find that I get great use out of Scarf Lati every time I use it. It’s just so ensuring versus opposing offensive teams and even stuff like Rain. Of course, in addition to its Scarf set it has a slew of other potent sets it can utilize, like Choice Specs, Calm Mind, and bulky ones with moves like Toxic and Reflect that have seen some usage this SPL. I rate Latias very highly personally, better than the likes of Starmie, Rotom-A, Skarmory, Breloom, and Infernape, but regardless I think Latias in A is not representative of how viable it is in the current metagame.
Swampert: A —> A+
Swampert is an incredibly solid option for almost any team. Defensive sets have been on the rise again, as people are finding more creative ways to circumvent stall weaknesses while using it (ie. Scarf Magnezone, Calm Mind Clefable, etc). It’s a fantastic option both offensively and defensively, and its typing is incredibly desirable right now. I think it should be the bottom of A+, and I’d say it’s probably better than Infernape, simply due to the fact that I feel like you always get something great out of Swampert regardless of its shortcomings.
Clefable: A —> A+
Clefable is the best it has ever been. People are discovering new unique sets like Life Orb, and Bold Calm Mind seems to have skyrocketed in usage, as it not only combines immaculately with Dugtrio, but it has a tremendous amount of utility versus both offensive and defensive teams. It functions as a soft check to Dragon Dance Dragonite and a very solid one versus Dragon Dance Gyarados. Defensive teams can have a very hard time dealing with Calm Mind Clefable over a long game. I’d put it in the bottom of A+; Clefable is just that fucking good.
Dugtrio: B+ —> A-
Dugtrio saw increased usage and success this SPL, and it’s definitely not a coincidence. I think Latias has enabled Dugtrio to some extent, as its defensive value has helped compensate for some of Dugtrio’s flaws in the builder. While Dugtrio is by no means “broken”, it is very synergistic with in-meta sets right now like Calm Mind Clefable. Although there will always be some unreliability when using Dugtrio, it usually doesn’t have too difficult of a time doing its job. Personally, I’d see it above Roserade and below Kingdra in the current iteration of the VR.
Magnezone: A- —> A
Magnezone has a lot going for it, even outside its trapping potential. It’s got great typing, insane power with its great offensive Electric-typing, and a shockingly versatile set of tools at its disposal. Choice Scarf Magnezone has seen increased usage, which is great not only to enable a lot of defensive teams but also complete offensive ones as well. It can revenge kill threats like Gengar, Lucario, Infernape, as well as combine very nicely with defensive Pokemon like WishTect Jirachi, Calm Mind Clefable, and Swampert. I’d just put it at the bottom of A rank probably.
Gastrodon: C —> B
As shown in SPL, Gastrodon has a specific niche in the metagame. Sticky Hold enables it to run an effective Curse set that can switch into Clefable nicely, be immune to Trick and Knock Off, and take advantage of its great defensive typing + access to Recover. I’d definitely put it next to Quagsire somewhere, as those Pokemon are extremely comparable, with each having access to a unique ability to distinguish the two.
Nidoking: UR —> C-
While it hasn’t really been proven too much, I think Nidoking’s actually pretty decent. Think of it like a Nidoqueen that can outspeed Heatran and Adamant Lucario that can be EVd to have quite decent defensive utility regardless with its typing. In addition, its speed enables it to reliably shut down Skarmory with Taunt and even threaten it with some offensive attacks, meaning unlike Nidoqueen, it is less of a liability. I liked a set that was something like Taunt, Toxic Spikes, Super Fang, and Earthquake, which also enabled it to threaten defensive teams pretty nicely (especially Clefable). Definitely consider putting Nidoking in C-.
Walrein: UR —> C-
Walrein’s got enough of a niche to where it definitely deserves to be on the VR. It has high potential if you can execute a strategy around it well.
Drops:
Starmie: (Lower in A+)
Only going to specify Starmie when it comes to dropping something within a rank. Starmie is honestly not that favorable in the meta right now, evidenced by its significantly reduced usage rate and 20% winrate. Starmie is still a fantastic Pokemon for all the reasons it has always been, but it can be a bit of a liability, as it can force you into awkward conundrums with Tyranitar and with new trends like double Stealth Rock users, people are accounting for Starmie’s presence significantly more. In addition, Latias has definitely shifted the metagame slightly in favor of stacking Spikes-immune Pokemon together and creating structures more resistant to hazards overall in favor of Starmie. Latias is also quite a nice soft check versus Starmie itself. That said, I’d only drop Starmie like 2 or 3 spots within A+, but I really do not think it’s “more viable” than Pokemon like Rotom-A and Latias.
Infernape: A+ —> A
Infernape is a behemoth of a Pokemon, but Latias’s presence has caught up to it. Not necessarily that Latias itself is a check to Infernape therefore Infernape is worse, but Dugtrio’s surge in usage combined with the fact that there’s a lot more counterplay to Infernape than meets the eye definitely has discouraged some people from using it. Choice Band Infernape is awesome, but you hardly see it right now because when you use Infernape, you very often want to pack Grass Knot for Swampert or even Hidden Power Ice for Dragonite and Gliscor. It’s still fantastic, but having it lead the A rank of Pokemon feels right.
Nidoqueen: A- —> B+ (or lowest point in A-)
Nidoqueen is damn good at what it does; however, I think it has many undesirable traits that not only contributed to its low usage this SPL but also make it "less viable" than the rest of the A- Pokemon. While it's great at setting Toxic Spikes, it's not good at keeping them up versus Starmie teams alone. In addition, its power is extremely lacking, and even with some room for creativity in its moveset, Nidoqueen really suffers from 4MSS. It can often be deadweight vs defensive teams and the fact that its standard set is setup fodder for Skarmory makes it less desirable to use overall. I don't think it is "more viable" than options like Milotic and Roserade. I think Nidoqueen requires way more support to work effectively, or alternatively you have to very much go all in on a full hazards strategy. I see it more as a B+ Pokemon with Hippowdon (even though I could see Hippowdon being A- as well).
Shaymin: B+ —> B
I’ve honestly tried everything to justify Shaymin. Its Life Orb set is good, but it’s not that consistent because Shaymin overrelies on Seed Flare to really dismantle defensive teams. The imperfect accuracy, low PP, and somewhat low odds for a SpD drop mean it often doesn’t quite pack the punch that it should. Leech Seed Shaymin is extremely hard to make work consistently. It has its great matchups, but something like Leech Seed Breloom is just much more desirable right now, as it has almost all the benefits of Leech Seed Shaymin but it’s much better versus defensive teams. Breloom is one of the only Leech Seed users that can force out Clefable with ease, which is such a important trait to have. Clefable is not a Pokemon that you can reliably remove from a game, meaning Leech Seed Shaymin always has the possibility of being dead weight. In addition, having to choose between Hidden Power Fire and Hidden Power Ice can be very annoying. Pairing Leech Seed Shaymin with Magnezone is no easy feat, as this core is ridiculously restrictive and often creates a significant Heatran issue. Celebi, which is the most comparable Pokemon to Shaymin, simply has far more utility. Shaymin either just above or just below Heracross is more representative of its place in the metagame. I also want to add that I don't think it was even used once in SPL, which is not a coincidence.
Medicham: C- —> UR
I think Medicham is an inferior Pokemon. Sure, it can function as a Fake Out lead and win versus Machamp and Empoleon, but I think even with that it’s difficult to justify. Some Empoleon run Chople Berry and Protect in the lead slot, and Machamp lead isn’t as incredibly common anymore. Lum Berry Gallade beats Machamp just as convincingly and is a bit more threatening to Empoleon overall, as it can force those structures to choose between Stealth Rock and Hydro Pump. I know no one really cares about this Pokemon, but I figured I’d throw that in.
