I've played 316 games of Fortemons,
was ranked 1# again BABY
until I was dethroned today. Figured I'd join in on the VR discussion.
S+:
Samurott-H defines Fortemons. It's on almost every team, offensive or otherwise. It's got duel priority, pivoting and hits very hard with the 50% sharpness - all while stacking hazards in a metagame seriously lacking in reliable methods of removal. Samurott-Hs casts a large shadow over teambuilding and is the only mon, imo, that deserves the distintiction of being
1#
S:
The second fastest viable pokemon (Deo-S). Very unpredictable with multiple viable sets. Can be a special, physical or mixed pivot w/ U-turn. It can sweep with DD Dragon Darts + Assurance. It can set up screens with Light clay. Dragapult is good for the same reason its good in OU, versatility, speed and power. Not as defining as Samurott-H though.
Arguably the most consistent Body Press setup sweeper currently. Sp.Def sets with roost + ID + duel stabs (mixed) is very threatening. It also checks many common offensive threats while threatning to sweep. Checks like Raging Bolt, Heatran, Gouging Fire, Volcarona, Iron Moth etc. lack reliable recovery and can struggle to switch into this multiple times during a game. None of them can switch into Sp.def variants on and ID and OHKO it either. It also checks the three most common spinners in Excadrill, Quaq and Glimmora.
Not 100% sure on this, it might be A. Imo its the best spinner in the metagame. It's faster than Quaq and Glimmora, has access to Stealth Rock and can threaten teams with SD aswell. But perhaps even more importantly its one of the few "good" ground types in the metagame right now.
I'm fairly confident in those first three, and mostly sure on Excadrill but it's debatable.
is fairly solid and I agree with
readytolose that HDB is probably the best item for it. However I don't think its as defining as the other mons I've mentioned above. But still, very very solid.
I'm not even sure if this is A, its certainly not S rank. Yeah its fast and hits pretty hard, but its weak to priority, frail and has Charge Beam is better on either Iron Valiant or Latios tbh.
I agree with the sentiment of the first couple post on this page that some of the placements in the VR is really... weird. Glad to see that Delibird was removed from the VR, I've literally never seen it. I've barely seen
on the ladder and im not sure why you would use it. Yeah it hits pretty hard and can setup rocks, but its slow and there's better steel and dragon types. Not sure why its B rank.
is alright but I don't think its A worthy at all. A lot of things hit hard with Body Press but it's sooo slow. Scary under trick room - but that's true for a lot of things under Trick room. Sun isn't that common of a playstyle either. Should move down to B.
is alright, but it doesnt deserve to be lumped in with Latios which can be very scary. Stored power can be scary - but there's plenty of competition for bulky setup sweepers that arguably fufill this roll better (Primarina, Bolt, Clefable etc.)
Some other mons worthy of a ranking:
(Body Press) Surprisingly one of the best wallbreakers in the current metagame. Steam Eruption, Overheat, EQ and Wild Charge hits almost everything in the metagame very, very hard. It counters Primarina (once) even with rocks up. Gives you a water immunity to play around Samurott-H, Quaq and Alomomola. With body press you hit hard on both sides of the spectrum and can continue to spam overheat without worries. Latios, Dragapult and Giratina-O can switch in, but thats about it. With Sticky Web up this thing is an absolute monster. It might be the fact that few people expect it, but I think it deserves a closer look. Mightbe A.
Life Orb for special or any move boosted by Sheer force for physical attackers. I think a lot of people overlook mons that don't utilize the mechanics of Fortemons, but Lando-I is Ubers for a reason. Hits very hard, decent speed, versatile and a ground type! Fun mon to use.
This thing is a real menace tbh. Hits very hard, bulky as hell and access to defog. People really underestimate how powerful and fast this thing is. I've OHKOd a dozen Samurott-H expecting to outspeed with Draco Meteor. Shadow Sneak is also really nice to pickoff weakened opponents. This thing is A- in Ubers and excellent in Fortemons for the same reasons. Should move up to A.
Should also be higher than C. It can run U-turn, HDB or Flame Charge - all of which are solid. Having Court Change in the back makes your opponent think twice about setting up hazards - a great asset in this meta. Stab Sucker punch to revenge kill Deo-S, Dragapult, +1 Latios and more. Pyro ball hits Corvik and Excadrill hard. Gunk Shot can OHKO Primarina with some chip.
Lastly, I'd like to voice my support for
InkyDarkBird. Body Press deserves a suspect test imo for the reasons Inky stated. Body Press is the most defining aspect of the meta, even more than Samurott-H tbh. I dont know if the move itself is broken, there's certainly been a couple of broken abusers already and it deserves to be discussed extensively before any action is taken imo.
Thats all I had time for now!
Thank you for taking the time, gotta say I've enjoyed this metagame more and more as its stabilized. Cheers