Dang I love the idea of this tier. So many of the Pokemon here are so laughably broken that it's a lot of fun. There's something somewhat cathartic about clicking Tail Slap on Aipom and watching everything die. So here's a long ass post about my thoughts on all the Pokemon to hopefully get discussion going again. Hope this doesn't count as necroposting. Also note a lot of this is based on theorymoning and speculation- I haven't gotten to play too many battles in this format. If anyone wants do play some matches, hit me up on discord or whatever.
Aipom
Aipom is a reminder of how any Pokemon can go from mediocre to absolute monster with just one small change. All it took was one move to tip Aipom over the edge. Even in LC Ubers, Tail Slap ravages through everything, 2KOing bulky Tangela and Gligar. With 19 speed and good coverage, Aipom is the premier wallbreaker.
It does now have to deal with Misdreavus and Drifloon who are obviously immune to Tail Slap. And while 19 speed is still pretty good, it's passed by Scyther and Sneasel. With that in mind, Choice Scarf stands out to me as it's best set.
Aipom @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Skill Link
Level: 5
EVs: 196 Atk / 236 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Tail Slap
- Fire Punch / Brick Break
- Knock Off
- U-turn
Fire Punch over Ice Punch because Tail Slap gets the same rolls as it against Gligar anyway, so you're able to hit things like Ferroseed pretty hard. Brick Break can work too against Pawniard and hits Sneasel harder, though, again, Tail Slap works just as well. Ice Punch does serve as a stronger option to hit Mudbray, though.
It does sorta miss a lot of the power from LO. I'd post a LO set but honestly it's pretty much exactly the same as this but with a Life Orb, obviously. Just make sure anything faster than 19 is dead. I mean, Aipom is still reasonably bulky so it can take a hit if it needs too. All around a great wallbreaker and an incredibly fun Pokemon to use.
Cutiefly
Ah shit. This thing. Sticky Web, Quiver Dance and Baton Pass make Cutiefly the ultimate support Pokemon. It obviously could set up itself to sweep pretty reasonably, but in a meta with so many powerhouses I'm unsure it'll be worth it. Even at +1, it has a difficulty breaking past some things, and is outsped by any 20+ scarfer. I mean, it's still really good- just not
Ubers good. That would be all for it, if not for literally everything else. Cutiefly itself may not be the best user of Quiver Dance.... but Misdreavus certainly is. And Tangela. And Torchic. Not to mention Sticky Web, too. I'd post a set but the one Fille posted pretty much covered all the bases. In a meta where Speed is everything, considering Sticky Web when building is crucial.
Drifloon
The presence of more Ghost, Dark and Ice types makes Drifloon's ability to sweep a lot harder. There is a lot less it can reliably set up and even then there's a lot it can't reliably beat. Unburden is a great ability, but a weakness to Sucker Punch and Ice Shard hurts a lot. It can make a great partner in Ghost spam cores though. There is probably some neat tech with Z-moves in there somewhere, too.
Gligar
Gligar is probably Little Cup's most successful Pokemon- being used all the way up in RU. With great defenses, great speed and great attack, the sheer amount of viable sets this thing can run is pretty dang impressive.
Gligar @ Berry Juice
Level: 5
Ability: Immunity
EVs: 236 Atk / 236 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Acrobatics
- Knock Off / Stone Edge / Substitute / Baton Pass / Aqua Tail
Pretty straightforward set as far as Swords Dance users go. 19 speed may not have the same luster it once did- but it's still really good. Gligar's naturally good defenses, even when not invested, let it set up on a lot. After an as SD and a BJ, Acrobatics cleans up pretty handily. You have to be wary of Ice Shards and Aqua Jets, though. Stone Edge is good for hitting Flying-types, though Acrobatics still rocks Scyther pretty hard. Honestly that final move can go to whatever you want. Knock Off is just good but Aqua Tail lets you hit Archen... if you're worried about that. Overall one of the best set-up sweepers in the meta in my opinion, as long as you can remove its few checks. Easier said then done, perhaps, but it's still really great.
Gligar @ Eviolite
Ability: Immunity
Level: 5
EVs: 156 HP / 76 Atk / 156 SpD / 76 Spe
Careful Nature
- Roost / Stealth Rock
- Knock Off
- Acrobatics
- Defog / Stealth Rock
In a meta where setting up rocks can mean the difference between winning and losing, a mon that can either set them up and clear them away is invaluable. The EVs on this set are probably wack but Gligar doesn't really need it's speed on this set. It hits 16 which is nice to tie with Tangela and Meditite. It might be cool to hit 17 to tie with Mienfoo and Onix and Drifloon but I'm not really sure if thats worth it. You can also throw Taunt on here if Gothita scares you.
Gligar @ Groundium Z
Ability: Immunity
Level: 5
EVs: 236 Atk / 236 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Acrobatics
I'll be completely honest I'm not exactly sure I know what the point of this set would be... but the combination of Z-Tectonic Rage into boosted Acrobatics seems too good to pass up honestly. It could be a good lure as a part of a Swords Dance set, with a small chance to KO evio Staryu with Quick Attack.
Gothita
While trappers will always be great, and Gothita is so exception, I'm not a huge fan of her in this meta. Too many big threats that can outright ignore it or really don't mind it at all. It's too weak to reliably remove a lot of key Pokemon, like Tangela, and too slow to go without a scarf. It can be useful for removing certain mons, of course, but overall I think there may be better options.
Meditite
Meditite is really cool mon that is, unfortunately, walled by a lot of other really cool mons. I guess 'walled' isn't really the best word to use, since it has such good coverage and power, but it's poor speed really hurts it. If not supported by Baton Pass or Sticky Web (both of which are fairly easy to use in this meta) it's way too slow to really pressure anything. Priority in Bullet Punch is really nice for checking stuff, though. It's definitely a Pokemon that can work really well if supported correctly.
Meditite @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Pure Power
Level: 5
EVs: 116 HP / 196 Atk / 196 Spe
Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Zen Headbutt
- Bullet Punch
- Ice Punch
Breaking walls and breaking hearts. This thing can be a real pain to switch in to, but it requires a lot of careful prediction, especially if the opponent has a Ghost type. Bullet Punch on a scarf mon is weird I guess but helps against Swirlirx and Sneasel. Just in general a good revenge killer. Psychinium-Z can also be used, since it + Bullet Punch can finish off Evio Misdreavus, though then you have to deal with a slow Meditite, which I'm not sure is worth it.
Meditite @ Berry Juice
Ability: Pure Power
Level: 5
EVs: 116 HP / 116 Atk / 76 Def / 76 SpD / 116 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Acupressure
- Recycle
- High Jump Kick
- Zen Headbutt
I'm in it for the meme.
Misdreavus
Misdreavus is a staple, in both LC and in my heart, and I quite miss it. Great stats all around and a wide movepool give Missy the ability to be scary on both offense and on defense.
Misdreavus @ Eviolite / Berry Juice
Ability: Levitate
Level: 5
EVs: 36 HP / 120 Def / 80 SpD / 240 Spe
Timid Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Shadow Ball
- Dazzling Gleam
- Pain Split / Heal Bell / Shadow Sneak / Memento
Pretty standard as far as defensive Missy goes. Can eat attacks from a lot of strong attacks, especially things like Gligar, Aipom and Meditite. Will-o-Wisp is just good in a meta full of strong physical attacks. It is prone to being worn down quick, since Pain Split isn't all that reliable, so Berry Juice is a decent option as well. It can go a more support oriented mon with Heal Bell and Memento, too. Shadow Sneak is for Drifloon and Abra and such but it's still pretty weak.
Misdreavus @ Life Orb / Eviolite / Berry Juice
Level: 5
EVs: 240 SpA / 240 Spe
Timid Nature
- Substitute / Nasty Plot
- Shadow Ball
- Dazzling Gleam
- Hidden Power Fighting / Hidden Power Ice
Not much to say about this set, it's pretty standard offensive Misdreavus. I like LO better than Nasty Plot because of its more immediate pressure. I don't think Misdreavus makes for a great set up sweeper since its coverage is only meh. I mean, its still pretty good, but it can find itself walled depending on the move it goes and there are generally just better options. HP Fight hits Pawniard and Sneasel, though Ice nails Gligar and Tangela harder.
Murkrow
Murkrow is one of the best Pokemon in the meta, in my opinion. Great attack stats, good typing, wide movepool and a killer ability give it a loooot of tools it needs to succeed. It's a very frustrating Pokemon to fight but a really rewarding one to use. The nerf to Prankster hurt it quite a bit, especially in the match-up against Sneasel, but it's still a good ability in its own right.
Murkrow @ Berry Juice
Ability: Prankster
Level: 5
EVs: 236 Atk / 20 SpD / 188 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Sucker Punch
- Thunder Wave
- Haze
As dsr95 mentioned above, set-up sweepers are everywhere in the meta, and Murkrow is one of the best stops to them. Prankster T-wave shuts down anything reliant on speed, and is just a good move to spam. As mentioned above, Haze is also really good as it beats Sneasel, despite it's Dark typing. I suppose T-Wave and Haze are interchangeable, if you'd like. Murkrow has a really wide movepool of support moves that may be worth running; Defog, Tailwind, Taunt, Pursuit or even Roost or Heat Wave for coverage. Again, I'm pretty certain the EVs on this are wack but I was too lazy to figure them out so eh idk.
Murkrow @ Life Orb
Ability: Insomnia
Level: 5
EVs: 236 SpA / 20 SpD / 188 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Brave Bird
- Dark Pulse
- Heat Wave
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Murkrow naturally lends itself to LO set given its quick speed and powerful offensive stats. I like special over physical due to Murkrow's better coverage. Not having a special Flying type move outside of Air Cutter is pretty jank, but Dark is still pretty good so it's alright. No real reason to run Prankster on this set since no moves are effected by it, and Insomnia lets you switch in on Foongus spore and possibly even Yanma if you're feeling ballsy. If you wanna go full meme you can do Super Luck + Air Cutter which is pretty fun.
Murkrow @ Flyinium Z
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Mirror Move
- Brave Bird
- Sucker Punch
- Pursuit
Z-Mirror Move is worth noting here, though I'm not sure I'd ever use it. Z-Mirror Move gives you +2 attack, which allows Murkrow to wreck. That's pretty much it, just make sure you don't use Z-MM on a Dark type or it'll be nullified, since it is boosted by Prankster.
Porygon
Porygon is the fucking GOAT. I'm sure we all know how powerful Z-Conversion is. But even before boosting, Porygon's got some impressive base stats. Good bulk and power, as well as recovery and a wide as fuck movepool. Porygon can fit a lot of different roles and it fits those roles extremely well.
Porygon @ Normalium Z
Ability: Download
Level: 5
EVs: 76 HP / 236 SpA / 196 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunder
- Ice Beam
- Conversion
- Recover / Tri-Attack
The infamous set. Set up with Z-conversion and take your W. Electric is the preferred type to be since you avoid common priority attacks. The biggest drawback of this set is that, even after boosting, its still pretty slow. But with Porygon's bulk + defensive boots essentially making up for the lack of eviolite AND recover, it can still muscle past some faster threats. It's fast, its powerful and its bulky, making it an insane cleaner.
Porygon @ Eviolite
Level: 5
Ability: Download / Trace
EVs: 156 HP / 40 Def / 240 SpA / 40 Spe
Modest Nature
- Tri Attack
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power Fire
- Recover
Regular ol' bulky Porygon. Still a fine check/counter for some pesky things, like Misdreavus.
Scyther
Hail to the king, baby. You can't ask what Scyther can do, you can only ask what it CAN'T do. And the answer is nothing. Scyther can do everything, and is why Stealth Rocks is nigh ubiquitous. With amazing attack, great defenses and blazing speed its not wonder why this thing has been universally banned in every generation, even with a really shitty typing in Bug/Flying.
Scyther @ Life Orb
Ability: Technician
Level: 5
EVs: 36 HP / 196 Atk / 36 Def / 236 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Aerial Ace
- Knock Off
- Hidden Power Ice
- Quick Attack / U-turn
Given its naturally good speed and power, it's impossible to switch into this thing. It can be reliably checked by scarfers, or Sneasel, but get this bad boy in and something is dying. A great cleaner late game if all of its checks are removed, or hit into Quick Attack range. Gligar could potentially take a few hits from it, if not for HP Ice being a near OHKO. I like this set better than SD since it's
less reliant on you removing Stealth Rocks, since it can just come in a start swinging.
Scyther @ Berry Juice
Ability: Technician
Level: 5
EVs: 196 Atk / 36 SpD / 236 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 0 HP
- Swords Dance
- Aerial Ace
- Knock Off
- Roost / Quick Attack / Baton Pass
Not much to say. Easily the best SD-er in the metagame, bar maybe Sneasel. Roost vs. Quick Attack vs. Another coverage move is really up to your preference. I suppose Brick Break would be a solid choice.
Scyther @ Berry Juice / Eviolite
Ability: Technician
Level: 5
EVs: 196 Atk / 36 Def / 36 SpD / 236 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 0 HP
- Roost
- Aerial Ace
- Knock Off
- Defog / U-turn / Tailwind
A bulky set for a mon 4x weak to SR might sound unintuitive, but if anything is gonna make it work, its Scyther. Berry Juice helps it when rocks are up, and allows it to support itself by being healthy enough to remove them with Defog. U-turn is a good choice, too, as always. Tailwind is there cause its Tailwind.
Scyther @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Technician
Level: 5
EVs: 196 Atk / 36 SpD / 236 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 0 HP
- Aerial Ace
- Knock Off
- U-turn
- Brick Break
Scarf Scyther is a good anti-set up Pokemon as it beats the entire metagame bar scarf Sneasel and Unburdened Drifloon. I was considering possibly putting Vacuum Wave on here, too... it hits scarfed Sneasels pretty hard, though thats a pretty jank strategy.
Sneasel
Sneasel is the fastest unboosted Pokemon in the metagame- even faster than Scyther. Which, even with nothing else, is something worth noting. Because of this Sneasel makes a great offensive sweeper. It may not have the same raw power and bulk as Scyther, but its killer offensive STAB and speed, along with priority, make it really good.
Sneasel @ Berry Juice
Ability: Pickpocket
Level: 5
EVs: 236 Atk / 236 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Icicle Crash
- Knock Off
- Ice Shard / Brick Break / Substitute
Pretty standard stuff. Really
cool. I also think an Icium Z set could be interesting, mostly just cause the combination of Z + Pickpocket works really well. It could possibly be a good anti-lead- forcing a lot of common leads out, even Yanma, who wouldn't want to Hypnosis for fear of Ice Shard.
A Life Orb set would wreck pretty dang hard, too, though its worn down pretty quickly.
Sneasel @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Pickpocket
Level: 5
EVs: 236 Atk / 236 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Icicle Crash
- Knock Off
- Brick Break
- Pursuit
Scarf Sneasel is the fastest Pokemon in the metagame, and serves as a reliable check to a lot of nonsense in the meta- like Gligar, other Sneasels, Scyther, Misdreavus, Murkrow..... Aipom..... Tangela..... and so on.
Swirlix
In a tier with so few viable Fairies, its a shame we had to ban two of them. The one that hurt the most was Swirlix- I love this little guy. But it is so ridiculously broken that it's almost funny. Two amazing set-up sets with different counters each naturally leads to a lot of predictions. This thing is basically why you have to run something like Haze/T-Wave Murkrow. Its that good. And its CUTE!
Swirlix @ Berry Juice
Ability: Unburden
Level: 5
EVs: 212 Atk / 68 Def / 204 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Belly Drum
- Play Rough
- Flamethrower
There's our good friend Unburden again. BD Swirl is an amazing late game cleaner and just scary all around threat. Not much to say here, set this bad boy up and start wrecking havoc. I personally think 15 speed is better than 14, but its really all up to your preferences. I haven't noticed any major differences in damage rolls with Adamant but perhaps I missed something.
Swirlix @ Berry Juice
Ability: Unburden
Level: 5
EVs: 68 Def / 204 SpA / 140 SpD / 44 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Cotton Spore
- Calm Mind
- Dazzling Gleam
- Flamethrower
This thing will make you pull your hair out. Even with minimal Speed investment, after Unburden it boosts up to 23, which is enough to tie with unboosted Sneasel.
Tangela
While Tangela is around, sun will never not be scary. Admittedly, it's Chlorophyll sets aren't too hard to handle with Scyther, Sneasel and Murkrow around to check it, but it's definitely still a team archtype worth checking out. I'm not sure how good it's defensive sets will fare in this meta, with all the heaviest hitters being able to hit it super-effectively. It's a good mon, and one that should definitely be prepared for, though I don't think its going to be dominating the meta- not unless it's paired with his BFF vulpix.
Torchic
I personally think Torchic is one of the best Pokemon in the metagame right now. Despite its relatively meager stats, Speed Boost plus a solid Fire typing gives it a strong advantage in the meta, being difficult to stop once it gets going. And its got Baton Pass, which is sweet. This meta is definitely filled with some scary Baton Pass chains. Not having HP Ice might look like it sucks but even specially defensive Gligars are going to be taking a large chunk of damage.
Torchic @ Life Orb / Firium Z
Ability: Speed Boost
Level: 5
EVs: 196 SpA / 36 SpD / 236 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Fire Blast
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Baton Pass
- Protect
Vulpix
Sun teams are scary.
Yanma
As dsr95 pointed out above, Compoundeyes Yanma is a good lead, able to almost always put the opposing lead to sleep. Yanma is scary for all the reasons Torchic is scary, but perhaps even cranked up. It has mostly better stats and a better intial speed, which helps it as a Speed Booster. It has some wicked good coverage, too. It's typing is pretty stanky but oh well, just another reason to run a good hazard remover. A bug core with Yanma and Scyther could be really interesting. Also the Leech Life buff is really sweet for Yanma.
Something else that I think could be interesting to discuss is how non-Uber Pokemon fare in this meta. Pawniard stands out to me as being a particularly solid mon due to his good typing, even if it can be outrun pretty easily. Mienfoo still packs all the utility and power it's always had, though the environment around it has changed so dramatically. Timburr deserves a mention, too, I suppose, thanks to Mach Punch and possibly baiting in Gligar with Ice Punch. In a meta dominated by SR, Onix is bound to get some credit, being one of the fastest users of the move... bar Gligar. But Weak Armor helps Onix a lot, especially giving it an edge over Scyther. It's pretty crazy how warped the speed tiers are now that once fast Pokemon are now painfully slow.
I know the OP said there was potential to work on Viability Ranking if there was enough interest, though considering the last post was back in May I don't think it's gonna happen. Here's my VR, it certainly isn't official, just based on my own impressions of the metagame. Let me know what you think!
SS
S
A+
A
A-
(individual tiers are in no particular order)
Woosh. Well, this post ended up being longer than expected. If the interest is there I'd totally be down to host a tournament for this meta. Thanks for reading!
