Welcome to the NFE Resources thread. This thread is solely for the discussion of the resources listed. Any general NFE discussion should be discussed in the NFE Metagame Thread.
(Tours may be added later)
- February 28th : No Titans Tour
- Mid-March: Pending / TBA
- May 14: OMPL + OMFL
- July 4th: NFEPL
- August 30: Tour placeholder
- September 26: OM Swiss
- October 8th: OMWC
- January: NFE Open
- February 20: Oldgen Tour
These are the Viability Rankings for the NFE tier. Pokemon are ranked based on their positive and/or negative traits, including their splashability, effect on the metagame, and reliability, as well as numerous other factors. All Pokemon for now are ranked by alphabetical order. If you'd like to see a Pokemon change rank, please leave a constructive post here detailing the rank you'd like to see the Pokemon moved to, and provide evidence to support your reasoning. Most importantly, if you wish to nominate an unranked Pokemon to be ranked, replays are required.
S-Rank
Reserved for absolutely meta defining Pokemon.
A-Rank
Reserved for Pokemon that do great in the current meta, and otherwise need little to no support to function, or ones that provide a tremendous amount of support.
B-Rank
Reserved for Pokemon that work well in the meta or can provide valuable niches, but otherwise have large competition or flaws that make them not as viable as A-Rank Pokemon.
This is the Role Compendium for the NFE tier. Each Pokemon that is here is viable in the NFE metagame, and as such, it will change as the viability rankings get updated. Feel free to discuss below whether a Pokemon should be added to or removed from a certain role; however, please refrain from discussing the order of a given subsection unless something is completely off. Pokemon have been organized into five separate sections:
Section 1: Utility
Section 2: Offensive Roles
Section 3: Support Roles
Section 4: Type Checks
Section 5: Weather
- Section 1: Utility
Entry Hazards and Support:
Stealth Rock
Spikes
Toxic Spikes
Sticky Web
Rapid Spin
Defog
Magic Bounce
Memento
Screens
- Section 2: Offensive Roles
Wallbreakers:
Physical
Special
Mixed
Stallbreakers:
Taunt-Based
Setup-Based
Choice Item Users:
Choice Band
Choice Scarf
Choice Specs
Item Removers:
Offensive
Defensive
Setup Sweepers:
Bulk Up
Curse
Dragon Dance
Scale Shot
Swords Dance
Calm Mind
Nasty Plot
Growth
Agility
Flame Charge
Shell Smash
Acid Armor / Iron Defense /
Amnesia
Other (Speed Boost) (Shift Gear) (Power-Up Punch) (Belly Drum)
New noms new noms lets go lets go. I did the entire current VR + added subranks and couple URs. Lmk what u think!
High Tier
Mr. Mime-Galar - S: Pretty variable and arguably the best at its roles. Only thing holding it back is 4mss and the fact that it can't run boots with Eviolite or specs, making hazards or poor bulk a problem for it as well. Tangela - S: Maybe not as potentially broken as Gmime, Tangela still squeezes out so much in a single set / mon that it's hard to deny how perfect it is in this meta rn. It gets multiple Knock Off oppertunites per game, stays healthy enough through Giga Drain and Regenerator to still check Gurdurr and Thwackey late-game, and it destroys stall builds; there's been games were all I had to do is get Golbat gone and then Tang practically 5-0'd. While Golbat is a good check, Sleep Powder on the switch-in really scares it, and BB + Toxic aren't the most threatening with the right support. You can even safely stay in on the Golbat and get a Knock Off on it or whatever it U-turns out onto, like it's so good oml. The low SpD will always be its limiting factor, but not enough it to be A+ or A imo, and a solid S rank for consistency and teambuilding pros feels deserved.
Golbat - A+: Imperative to the meta with its bulk. A great Knock Off sponge, but is still hurt by pretty much every special attacker faster than it, on top of Piloswine potentially giving it trouble too. A little variable in its sets too. Gurdurr - A+: Despite more checks than before, it still debilitates them with Knock Off, and proves to be an upgraded Machoke in terms of splashability. Kadabra - A+: With Gmime around and dominating, Kad's role has some noticeable competition. Still does what it always does, just no longer S rank. Pikachu - A+: Best wallbreaker, offensive pivot, and priority attacker all in one. Piloswine - A+: Still the best 1973
Clefairy - A: Probs one of the best special walls rn, maybe second only to Gorsola, maybe even better. The utility on it is so good, with teams finding out how to abuse Heal Bell now so that their Gorsola and Tangela stay healthy, making opposing Toxic tradeoffs way more in your favor. Still, can be passive versus some attackers, and being setup bait for Thwackey and Rufflet can be bad. Corsola-Galar - A: Back on top thanks to an adaptation to specially defensive sets that still check most of the meta. Not perfect though, and there's a lot more potential stallbreakers (Taunt on Golbat, Magmar, Electabuzz, and even Gurdurr shut down its recovery) and strong neutral attackers that wear it down. Electabuzz - A: Being as fast as Kadabra with pivoting is a really good trait, as is revenge killing and switching into Golbat easily; even Static punishing its attempts to U-turn out is a pro! Then there's Focus Blast for two major Electric switch-ins with Ferroseed and Piloswine and you're all set. Only held back a little by a reliance on inaccurate or unreliable coverage, and mono Electric is kinda mediocre as a typing. Hattrem- A: Perfect hazard control, and a defensive typing that is actually kinda relevant as it forces Gmime to run Shadow Ball if it wants to deal with it, while STAB Pyschic for Golbat and Koffing isn't bad either. It's mostly A rn for anti-SR though, which makes it valuable to Golbat and Magmar. Magmar - A: Strong Fire / Ground coverage and spreading status with ease (and with multiple options in doing so) makes this a top pick. The cherry on top is its Speed, letting it target Golbat and Thwackey as well as any other wall. Easy to support with Hattrem and Knock Off users, and a great addition to offensive playstyles. Thwackey - A: Probs not A+ anymore with Golbat and Magmar here. Ferroseed - A: Great special wall + hazards. The typing is a blessing, but will need support for strong Fire / Fighting coverage against it.
Klang - A-: Special defensive Steel-types are all the rage rn, and Shift Gear sets still work well despite gaining a couple new counters. Raboot - A-: Couple new checks defensively, but the bigger issue is the power creep this update gave us. Pivot teams are no longer the best as there's better wallbreakers that punish switch-ins, and Raboot struggles with Pikachu, Drakloak, and Electabuzz revenge killing it. Roselia - A-: Having Spikes / Tspikes is good, breaking Clefairy and Tangela is good, and walling Electabuzz and Wart is good too! I actually think there's a lot for it with the SpD sets more than the offensive ones, and grounded Poison-types will have some good merit atm. There are adaptations like Psyshock Gmime and Accro Thwackey you gotta watch out for. Rufflet - A-: If you wanna use it as a wallbreaker, and you get a free switch in and click the right move then sure, something dies, but then so does Rufflet soon thereafter. SubBU sets struggle with the power creep, and are best as a match up fish. Vullaby - A-: If you don't wanna use the sometimes unreliable Magic Bounce and Rapid Spin users in the tier, there's always the #1 remover Vullaby at your side. I still really like it as a wall and defensive support, and don't think it should have dropped out of High. Wartortle - A-: Still a good sweeper and defensive pivot, idt it's top tier anymore though. I use it and love it for a lot that it does offensively, it just isn't cutting it anymore with it its low SpA and limited coverage.
Mid Tier
Drakloak - B+: Drak became super relevant in the meta rn thanks to faster attackers like Gmime and Electabuzz are added to the list of mons it can check. Also, spreading status is probably as easy as ever so long as you have something to punish the Heal Bell Fairies. The only bad thing is that its SpA is abhorrent. Gabite - B+: The two pros are Rough Skin and being a physical wall with a lot of speed. You can fit it on a lot of teams (but not with Thwackey usually as it only has EQ), and Toxic + Roar is a nice combo here. However, being walled by Golbat and RestTalk Hattrem is a real bummer. Mareanie - B+: Tpsikes and Regenerator on a wall is still good but now there's way too much that hurts it, and Koffing coming out as an equally good setter is also a big issue for it. Machoke - B+: I haven't seen a single Macoke all DLC 2. Defensive sets still have merit but even then Gurdurr can do that job if it really wanted to as well. Metang - B+: Checking the fast Psychic-types with Bullet Punch alone is pretty cool, and there's a handful of other good match ups and utility to squeeze out of it. However, Ferroseed and Klang can do much of the same with better opportunities, and don't compete with other Psychic-types like Gmime and Hattrem by stacking a nasty Dark and Ghost weakness. It's also not that strong and relies on either Toxic or a good 4th move that it can play around with, so stallbreakers can tear through it. Koffing - B+: Tspikes are killing it in the meta rn, and bypassing Hattrem while switching into Gurdurr and Thwackey are also huge pros. Lampent- B+: Typing is pretty good but its mediocre speed is annoying for it.
Ivysaur - B: Feels unexplored as a stallbreaker, but so long as Tangela will be around with its better bulk and recovery, being limited only for its offensive capabilities + Tspikes match up makes it a step down. Oh, and Sun is just mediocre. Marshtomp - B: This thing doesn't do much special other than check a handful of attackers like Electabuzz, Klang, and Raboot while healthy, but has an awful weakness to Grass and status. Without utility other than SR, Scald burns, and Toxic, which a ton more can do, it's hard for me to justify this any higher. Charjabug - B: Webs seem mediocre rn. Charja can also check Gurdurr as a slow pivot ig. Combusken -B: Not much here, as its coverage is a whole lot worse than Magmar and Lampent. Its niche with Toxic + Substitute might be its best, but that's still pretty easy to check, and hard counters like Mareanie and Golbat still exist. Duosion - B: Decent as a late-game sweeper, hard to fit as there's better Psychic-types for most playstyes, making Duosion feel niche. Krokorok - B: Scarf is the new set imo as a decent revenge killer and wincon. Limited by Thwackey teams and Knock Off absorbers like Tangela and Golbat that make it less rewarding as a revenge killer after it already made them lose their items. Morgrem - B: Screens are in the same boat as webs Palpitoad - B: Isn't this practically the same as Marsh, but can more effectively run Earth Power (so you can run it with Thwackey) and check Waters better? Idk, I see them as the same, and maybe Palp is even better. Vulpix - B: Lol i really put Sun, Webs, and Screens all at B. Pretty epic!
Carkol - B-: It's huge defenses and access to a all the hazard options you want don't make it too bad. Rock / Fire even has some cool resistances to Ice and Fire, and means Choice-locked Magmar and Gmime have a 50/50 when revenge killing, less they want this to punish with rocks or spin. Fraxure - B-: Too inconsistent as a breaker / sweeper, why not use something with more consistent? I could be underselling it here but its low usage also speaks for it. Linoone-Galar - B-: I feel like this and Drakloak swapped in viability, whereas earlier the meta favored the Knock Off spam and Taunt that Gloon offered, the meta now would rather have the extra Speed and status punishing. Plus, almost all of Gloon's roles got more users this time around, and way better checks like Gurdurr and consistent Knock Off absorbers. Slowpoke - B-: Teleport + Regenerator is pretty cool with our new wallbreakers. Togetic - B-: Couple top tiers you can counter but severe 4mss.
Low Tier
Charmeleon - C+: Not as necessary on Sun now that there's a couple more abusers to switch around. Dwebble - C+: Hazard HO lead, it does ok. Honedge - C+: This thing is slow close to being good, but it's too slow and weak to consistently clean teams or capitalize when revenge killing. So long as Gmime is in the tier though I'd consider this to be the top of C. Lairon - C+: More consistent Steel-types and wallbreakers. Munchlax - C+: It phazes and walls special attackers, hard countering Magmar. Neat! Porygon - C+: Somewhat failing nowadays as a pivot, and instead has been working for me as a special wallbreaker. Can't beat that strong Normal / Ghost / Psychic coverage in this meta, making it pretty consistent, and there's always Trick for when you're uncertain what to lock into as a Choice Specs user. Stunky - UR > C+: Same as my previous nom, but now that it checks Gmime on top of a meta that also favors heavy tpsikes use makes it just as good as before. Oh Stunky, I was so niave to UR you, plz forgive me! ;-;)7 Whirlipede - C+: Tspikes + Spikes is something Roselia can do but Speed Boost and a better Thwackey MU gives it a niche. Zweilous - C+: Not as good as before, but at least it can break a ton.
:amuara: Amuara: UR > C: Better than Vulpix with Hail due to rocks. Hakamo-o - C: Idk what this does anymore. Mienfoo - C: Pivot teams fell off, this barely has a niche Natu - C: bad hattrem Dartrix - C: Walling Gurdurr is cool. So is being immune to Toxic. If only there was a wall that could do that. Oh well. Fletchinder - C: Rabootey is no longer top meta, and even Magmar can fill the niche of fishing for U-turn burns with Flame Body.
Brionne - C-: Really unimpressive Water type. For pivot sets, I'd rather have the utility that Wart has with Rapid Spin and better Def. Drilbur - C-: Setting SR on Hatt is a good meme. Losing to Golbat isn't. Dusclops - C-: Doesn't Honedge do what it can kinda do but better? I have some faith in Dusclops with its huge movepool and defenses so I won't UR it completely. Hippopotas - C-: Better Ground-types. Stall, which isn't good, might enjoy it though with Slack Off. Lickitung - C-: Clefairy kinda does its job better all around. Stall would likely still enjoy having another Clefairy though. Shellos - C-: Stallier builds like having a Knock Off absorber. Torracat - C-: We have better fires. Intimidate is kinda better now but not by much. A less offensive Magmar that pivots (which Magmar already could do if you wanted with Teleport???) might have a sliver of a niche.
Archen - UR: I saw uhuhuhu7 's tour game where this thing got put into Defeatist range by rocks and Psychic by Gmime, and then fail to 2HKO with Dual Wingbeat while Gmime got a spin off and KO. Case closed, flappy here can stay in the stone age and not on our VR. Dragonair - UR: Too weak and we have other bad dragons we can have on the VR. Mudbray - UR: Like Hippo but doesn't have the stall niche. Vulpix - UR: Worse Amura.
hi im gonna try and talk about what i think are the top mons. take this with a couple grains of salt as i am not the best and my builds are quite bad atm. also no order in tiers. shamelessly stole idea from Ho3nConfirm3d
S:
I think pikachu is the best mon rn and the only S tier. Revenge kills every single offensive threat when weakened, while also spreading knock and pivoting. its checks in ground types are weakened my knock, dont have recovery and so rely on support to stay healthy and so are easy to wear down. Now i think pika is manageable, but we need to keep our eye on the rat.
A+:
Gime is a powerful breaker with both NP and specs against offense and balance alike, also a pretty good spinner provided your opponent does not bring spdef gorsola. has 4mss and wants both boots and evio, and its checks are very easy to fit.
physdef tang still does what it always did but slightly worse, however the stallbreaker set Ho3n talked about is great. listen to him on tang for pretty much my thoughts
walls fighters and thwackey. great defensive pivot that can still work against non-offense because of its wide movepool. is annoyed by rocks and certain threats but will put in work vs any team.
its machoke but with drain punch and defog. spreads knock and is the best fighter hands down.
does what it used to but now with two more checks in golbat and magmar. both are crucially weak to rocks and especially golbat can be taken advantage of with uturn pivoting into another breaker like gime.
its piloswine. it will always be good.
i am probably overrating this but i think magmar is great. against a ton of teams it just gets a kill every time it switches in, which it does more often than you would expect as fire is a pretty good defensive typing atm. taunt is incredible at breaking balance, and physical attackers (specifically pika and thwackey) need to be wary of flame body. Vital Spirit is also a legitimate option to be immune to tang sleep.
A:
it now faces competition from gime but it still is great.
one of the best walls and a glue that holds a lot of balances together. wish is also worth considering as a lot of good balance mons like gurdurr can use the extra longevity.
now often spdef, still a great wall that can reliably counter gime and other special attackers. worse than before as there are many more taunt mons to muscle through it.
i am a huge fan of resttalk physdef hattrem as it can reliably keep hazards off all game except vs koffing. downside is it can become setup bait for thwackey, rufflet, and others.
I actualy think Klang is better than ferro atm simply because of volt switch. Now this may because i havent faced a ton of ground other than pilo, and if this changes i can easily see my opinion changing. i have not tried shift gear yet.
its fast and pivots. does great against offense especially with static, and doesnt struggle as much as you would expect vs balance. tbh i dont have TOO much experience with it so could easily be higher or lower.
A-:
i am really torn on whether this is A or A-, chose this because uh idk. knock support is great but i keep feeling klang is better on my specific builds. this is a ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ from me
ok here me out. tspikes are incredible rn and being able to bypass hattrem is a godsend. also a great thwackey and fighters check. can be chipped fairly quickly but i think it is still great. probably biased after losing to tspikes in discovery tour.
baby pex does baby pex things. tspikes are great and this is another great setter.
how the mighty have fallen. dont get me wrong its still great but nowhere near as overbearing now that pivot spam has fallen out of favor.
good rocker than checks raboot and pika. annoyed heavily by grassy terrain, golbat, and hattrem. I think Roar is great, especially on tspikes builds. I highly value its ability to check pika obviously as i think pika is the best mon.
band birb gets a kill every time it comes in, but also dies immediately. setup (bu/agility) is a great wincon however not the easiest to setup with.
mons i havent used or faced enough but are probably good:
sorry for the not very detailed thoughts but this is the best i can do. maybe ill come back later and do lower tiers but i doubt it i am pretty lazy
Wanted to start with my thoughts on the current meta, which I'm really enjoying. Most games seem to have a nice flow about them and whilst I think there are TWO unhealthy mons in the tier, they don't come in for free and instantly break or clean against a well built core. In saying this however I do believe that both Pika and Gime are unhealthy for the tier but for different reasons.
Pika, almost, invalidates every offensive sweeper or HO structure (weather, webs etc.) if piloted well, can generate huge momentum, can break cores, and revenges so well all in one slot. Yes its frail, and yes we have some fatter mons now that trade with it, but the sheer offensive power and offensive utility it offers is just insane. It also has huge set variety, with FakeSpeed, volt, knock, surf/gknot, brick break, tbolt, iron tail and play rough as options.
Gime on the other hand is a mon who can secure a boost and then proceed to clean entire teams. Ice/Psy has limited checks (where da steels at?), with great coverage in Sball and Fblast, there isn't a single mon in the tier that can safely check it after a nasty plot. Yes its weak to priority and yes it needs boots to come in safely, but it just completely invalidates a lot of fat cores with its offensive movepool + boosting.
Onto my brief thoughts on the top end of the VR:
S: Golbat, this thing is insanely good and has so much versatility + utility and role compression. I've used three sets and been impressed with them.
A+:
Pika - see above for good qualities. Lacks the role compression that Golbat offers Hence into A+
Tang - fat, regen, knock, fat. Pretty much fits on every team and offers an incredible amount of role compression too. I can understand Ho3ns calls for S but I still think its a slight class below the bat
Gime - see above, same reasoning for pika as to why it falls into A+
Gurd - fat af, stab priority, great set diversity, DEFOG, amazing movepool, defensive and offensive options. Whats not to love with this mon
Ebuzz - Ebuzz is probably the most underrated mon in the tier, it has great bulk and offensive stats, the ability to beat most grounds, and overall just puts in so much work in all matchups.
Ferro - Ferro has always been great but it now has better options for team mates to patch up its weaknesses (bar more water types, gib more wtrs pls). Spikes are so great at pressuring alot of builds, plus it can cripple alot of mons whilst also checking alot of mons.
Clef - Since I started playing NFE I haven't seen a meta that was so kind to clef as this one is. Has the option to run about 15 different moves and can run spdef and physdef sets arguably equally viably (say that quick). Plus fairy typing is better now in a Gurd meta then the Machoke meta prior to shifts.
I might come back and edit in the rest of this later, but its my personal VR anyway so its pretty arbitrary as is.
Now that the floodgates are open, I'll throw my hat into the ring with my own interpretation:
These won't be in any particular order, and I'll probably write less for the less viable Pokemon as opposed to the more viable ones because there's just less to say.
I would argue that Golbat's the most critical Pokemon in the meta at the moment, between checking a lot of critical threats and giving us an actual sturdy Thwackey check we've been missing. It also checks fighting, sponges Knock Off thanks to its great bulk and typing regardless, and is generally just good at defogging unlike the hazard removal of last format. Offensive and Stallbreaker sets with Taunt are also very good, and both can manhandle unprepared teams. I think what makes Golbat S Rank in my eyes is a combination of its versatility and how effective it is at all the roles it can play, which pushes it here to me.
The other most important Pokemon in the meta on a defensive level. Like Golbat, it can do so many things your team needs and do them all well, with the added bonuses of being immune to hazards and being able to go specially defensive to check the dangerous psychic types in the tier. Rocks, other pivot sets, trick + sticky barb, wishport, and even Calm Mind to a lesser degree are all incredibly good options that allow it to function as one of the best, most consistent pokemon in the tier.
Honestly, I feel like the gap between S and A+ is significantly smaller in this metagame than any of the ones that came before it, and a lot of my personal criteria (and probably why I have Clef and Golbat here and the other two above me don't) really boils down to "How many teams would I consider putting this Pokemon on?", and I think for these there is a noticeably higher amount of teams I'd put them on than anything below them, hence the S Rank.
A+
It's just one of the best offensive threats in the tier. I personally prefer Boots Spin + 3 attacks as the best set, as I think it's the most splashable and with Focus Blast/Freeze-Dry can force out a lot of common rockers on top of still being a solid offensive threat. Nasty Plot sets are also dangerous late-game, as everyone knows, and choice sets can even be worthwhile on certain teams. So why don't I think this is S? I think ultimately, Mime just wants to do too much on its sets. Ice/Psychic/Fighting coverage is good, but the meta's adapting and now it really wants Shadow Ball. Except it doesn't really have the space for Shadow Ball, because it wants all of Ice STAB/Psychic/Focus Blast/Spin or NP/Shadow Ball on each of its sets, which it just can't feasibly do. The choice between Boots and Eviolite is tough as well. I feel like I've spent a lot of time talking down Mime, which is probably because everyone knows what it does anyways.
The only reason this isn't S Rank is because it's not really self-sufficient. It's the best offensive Pokemon in the tier when it gets on the field, the best revenge killer vs anything that isn't Scarf Gastly or Drakloak (and Drakloak can't OHKO it from full with the most common set), and it's capable of wearing down and breaking through its own checks given enough free turns, since none of them have recovery. The only thing it can't do is get on the field safely, so it more or less requires pivots to do that for it.
Slightly overlooked because of Gime in the tier, I feel. Sash sets have never really been better than they are right now, given that you can't just directly hit it despite its abysmal bulk for fear of retaliation. Other than that, Gime's access to Focus Blast is definitely a plus over Kadabra, but Kadabra's extra speed and one-shot ability to take any hit are still fantastic. Didn't really change much as a Pokemon.
Requires zero explanation, does what it always has and benefits hugely from both Golbat and Gabite's mere existence.
Gurdurr being more popular than Machoke actually made Tangela better, as now it can't just lose to a stray confusion hit and will nearly always outspeed Gurdurr by default. Other than that, mostly echoing Ho3n here except I actually do think the low SpD is a somewhat limiting factor, with pivot into a strong psychic being really easy to set up on Tang through stuff like Buzz, Thwackey, or even Defensive Wartortle.
Best blanket special check (as in, trying to check Gime/Kad/Tort/Buzz at once), spreads knock, and generally does ferro things. Has to watch out for stray Focus Blasts now, but can usually take one if it has to.
A:
Golbat's existence and ability to speedcreep it is pretty annoying, as while as Magmar being able to take a hit or two, but other than that it hasn't changed a whole lot. Band Sets are coming back a bit since pivoting into a psychic type deals with most of Thwackey's checks, but I still think Grassy Seed sets are solidly the best since Golbat can't take too much damage or it's suddenly unable to check it.
Underrated a bit imo, once the priority users/sash kad are gone it just flat-out wins against a lot of teams right now, and most teams only have one way to stop a Wartortle sweep. Spin is okay if your team really needs a spinner specifically since it continues to have literally no competition for that role, but smash sets are the real draw.
Took Machoke's slot on a lot of teams, although every team is prepared for fighting types and it wants way too many moves to fit, so its ability to actually get through its checks is pretty limited. Still great at spreading Knock and Defog is cute, plus its bulk and somewhat reliable recovery in drain punch help it vs offensive Pokemon if it can get in on them without taking too big a hit, so I can't knock it too hard.
Very good at keeping hazards off and keeping itself alive compared to last meta, as Gorsola is less common so it can go physdef. Its typing is also helpful vs Gime (less so Kadabra because Kadabra actually does run shadow ball commonly), which gives it more utility. I've been liking physdef resttalk as while as Nuzzle in general on more standard sets.
I feel like this is being underrated a bit, while it's obviously not the all-star wallbreaker it was last format it's still an invaluable pivot since nothing's actually immune to bug, making it still the best partner for stuff like Pikachu or Kadabra in terms of getting in defensive Pokemon that they can take advantage of. My personal favourite set for it is Scarf, as the extra speed really does help it and lets it run Assurance or other coverage to get around Corsolas or Drakloaks trying to stop it. In general I feel like Pivot teams, while no longer being the single best playstyle in NFE, are still very good and should be considered for more than they are.
way better in practice than on paper, this and Pika force a volt immunity (or otherwise very sturdy resist) onto practically every team, even if it has to rely on focus miss or toxic to actually break down its walls this gen.
A-
Hits very hard, spreads status well, and can even run taunt to mess with walls, but doesn't have much defensive utility outside of random flame body procs and, like gime, really hates having to pick between Eviolite and boots. I might be underrating it, but I feel like A- is really the best place for it right now.
Ferro's just better right now due to being able to do stuff on its switchins besides pivot or rest, but Klang's still a viable option as a blanket SpD wall. Shift Gear sets are okay, but you really want all the SpD you can have right now, which hurts them. If you need your blanket SpD option to pivot, this is your best choice, but on more teams you'll want Ferro.
TSpikes are incredible in this meta, so is being able to set them on Hattrem. Hates Golbat obviously, and the psychics but is otherwise just incredible at being a physical check to Gurdurr/Thwackey/Raboot. It is unfortunately pretty reliant on is Eviolite, moreso than a lot of other NFE walls due to having pretty middling stats, and it can get worn down pretty quickly.
Doesn't really check as much as it used to due to the more varied options for both physical and special walls, but it can still do both and just be really hard to kill. I've been toying around with a more offensive set abusing Hex so it's not so incredibly passive, to pretty decent results, but the main draw is definitely still its walling capabiliies.
spreading TSpikes, as previously mentioned, is extremely good right now, and Mareanie comes with Regenerator to fix Koffing's biggest issue. Haze is cool to stop Thwackey and Wartortle since none of them are really instantly threatening to it. However, it can't set them on Hattrem, which does hurt it somewhat, and it doesn't appreciate the new strong electric and psychic attackers all that much.
It's a nice offensive rocker and punishes Pikachu and Raboot better than Piloswine, which is enough to get it this high, but it has a harder time beating the tier's various removers and having to rely on EQ in a meta with Thwackey really isn't fun for it.
While Gurdurr does see more usage thanks to its higher bulk and attack (somewhat mitigated by the fact that Drain Punch doesn't hit very hard), Machoke is still a perfectly good option if your goal is to break open physical walls for other physically oriented breakers to abuse. DynamicPunch is still incredibly uncompetitive and it can let it get past stuff that Gurdurr can't if you get a confusion roll, but that's obviously not a certainty. I'll also still maintain that FO Machoke is better than FO Gurdurr due to the higher speed letting Machoke get the jump on more things, most notably slower variants of Tangela.
B+
If it gets in with CB, it can probably pick up a kill, but that's extremely difficult when it's weak to hazards, has pretty meh bulk with CB, has a tendency to wear itself down, and is slower than most other wallbreakers in the tier. Scarf is cute but I've practically never seen it then the various BU sets feel really matchup fishy.
It's a worse Ferro/Klang except it isn't weak to Focus Blast but is weak to Shadow Ball, making it better vs Gime and worse vs Kadabra. Bullet Punch is nice to scare both of them (although you always have to play around Counter Kad) and Psychic STAB is great in this meta, but it's a lot more team-specific than a Ferro would be.
Like Rufflet, it's a fantastic wallbreaker and its STAB combination remains fantastic, but also like Rufflet, it's really slow and has a hard time getting itself onto the field to make use of it. Choice sets are probably better than they were previously, as it just wants to hit things with its STAB moves as opposed to setting up right now.
B
This remains the easiest thing in existence to wear down, since it doesn't have great bulk without eviolite, is really prone to knocks from Tangela and Fighters, and always has to choose between getting rid of hazards or staying at higher HP to actually check the things you'd want it to check. Unless you need a psychic check (which loses to Gime after rocks) that defogs, I really wouldn't bother.
Defensive sets are outclassed by Tangela unless you really need the Toxic Spikes immunity in exchange for everything else, but sun is decent enough right now now that the meta's slowed down a bit, and you can't have sun without Ivysaur.
mandatory setup mon for sun, otherwise completely useless.
Webs are okay and the ability to make the Kadabras or EBuzzes not as fast is legitimately great for everything in the speed tier right below that, but hazard removal has never been better in NFE so it'll struggle to actually keep those webs up.
Perhaps ironically, I really just don't see how Rose improved all that much. As a spiker, it's pretty outclassed by Ferro, even on more offensive builds imo since Rose isn't all that great defensively this gen. TSpikes are cool but Koffing and Mare are both better setters, and while it is a spiker that can power through Hattrem, even offensive variants packing Extrasensory don't 2HKO Golbat consistently if they want max speed. Maybe I'm missing something, but this mon unfortunately still seems really flawed :RoseDefeat:
Ranking these two together as I feel like they're fairly interchangeable. They're both pretty obviously not as suited for the meta as you'd want them to be, with Marshtomp having higher bulk and Palpitoad having a water immunity and the ability to not get completely neutered by Grassy Terrain. I personally think Palpitoad's the better of the two but don't care too much to debate it as a lot of it just comes down to teambuilding/player preference.
Subtox is decent, otherwise for the most part you'd want other fires as it doesn't have the best STAB combination or coverage to get past things Lampent or Magmar could (or Raboot could pivot out of). SD Sets can get out of control vs offensive teams pretty quickly, but it has a hard time getting in and setting up, and a +0 Combusken really isn't all that threatening.
I'm actually going to go to bat for this one, I feel like Toxic Orb sets are genuinely okay now. A lot of the things you'd want to switch into Knock Off really don't like to eat a Facade afterwards, often necessitating another switch to something that actually would, which isn't much (and they also really don't want to lose an item). The speed tier's still good even at +0, and outspeeding absolutely everything besides a runaway combusken is really nice. However, it doesn't stick around for long and needs a turn to actually activate Toxic Orb and get going, meaning it has some issues getting started and sticking around.
B-
I feel like of the three major "extra" HO styles (Sun/Webs/Screens), screens is a pretty definitive worst right now because there aren't really a lot of hard setup Pokemon in this meta. It's a lot about just being strong breakers without having to boost, and screens doesn't really augment that.
Might just be a teambuilding thing for me, but I feel like there's other psychics I'd rather use before duosion, and even on more defensive builds it faces competition from things like Hattrem or Slowpoke.
Speed and typing are cute, but it's so pathetically weak (it can't even OHKO a Pikachu from full!) that it just falls flat pretty often in practice.
Scarf is probably the best set right now since it can actually OHKO Pikachu while being normal-immune, and Specs still hits hard if you can afford giving up the extra speed. Doesn't have as much potential defensive utility as Drakloak, but being an actual offensive ghost type gives it a niche.
I just haven't seen this at all? Clef being at an all-time peak certainly doesn't help, and it just generally doesn't feel as dangerous as it did last meta. It also wants all of Scale Shot/Outrage/Stomping Tantrum/move for Clef, which it obviously can't reasonably carry.
Regenport is cool! It's a decent check to Gimes without Freeze-Dry and some other stuff, while being the most defensively-oriented psychic in a psychic-dominated meta gives it a niche over the others.
Nice typing in terms of resists for this meta and a pretty decent movepool, but it also has to pick between boots and eviolite, both of which it really, really wants, and it gets worn down really quickly as a result of that.
Specs is pretty good, with amazing coverage and it hits really hard if you can grab the right download boost. It's a bit too slow to really come any higher, though, failing to even outspeed Tangela.
C+
I feel like Golbat does just about anything you'd want Togetic to do better, outside of using fairy-type attacks in a meta with a Steel type on nearly every team. It even arguably does Nasty Plot better, but that's still Togetic's best set right now.
Debated between B- and C+ but it's really team specific, even if it's by far the best option for those kinds of teams. It sets hazards and can 1v1 Hattrem if it has to thanks to Knock + STAB.
Please don't use SR sets when Dwebble exists. Scarf is kind of nice vs non-Thwackey (or if you get rid of the Thwackey) teams, as Knock + EQ is okay. Still doesn't stop it from being dead weight if it ever loses that scarf, though.
It's a really good answer to the standard Gime sets, which is great, but it's held back by the fact that it really doesn't have enough of the speed or power it wants to to be a real offensive threat.
Pretty good on sun teams still, but no longer a requirement. Specs is almost impossible to switch into, though.
It also hits really hard, even if the meta being a lot faster than it was hurts it somewhat.
Also hits really hard with CB Head Smash (while packing fighting coverage for steels/Pilo, who it can also heavy slam), but it's even slower than Zweilous as a cost to that.
Spikes + Tspikes version of Dwebble is cute for some teams, but not setting up rocks in Golbat's meta as a suicide lead just feels like a bad idea for most of them.
C
SpD Clops is really hard to break if you can avoid knocking it off, and Poltergeist lets you force stuff out if you aren't too liberal with your knock usage. Now, because this is NFE, that's usually not the case, so more offensive sets are never going to take off. Still a pretty serviceable wall if you need one for Gime.
I feel like it's not too great at moving the game forwards on its own, even if it has some cool traits that could earn it a rank, so I won't put it much higher than this.
Legit threat under hail with fantastic coverage, but you do have to use hail and it's even worse than Sun due to only having one abuser.
better than Vulpix as a setup mon for hail since it can also set rocks and be slightly less of a dead weight.
SpD is bulky and can get by without much in the way of good resists, but it really wants more moveslots than it actually has and doesn't really do much to move the game forwards on its own.
Hits hard, but miserable coverage means it's got some hard walls that it just can't deal with. Flip Turn is cool and this could maybe go up to C+, but eh.
Sure, a knock resistance + regenerator is cool, but it has no bulk without the eviolite that it necessarily has to lose to do its job. It's never been good imo, least of all now.
I mean, it has Knock Off while walling Gurdurr, which is something Golbat can't do? Oh, and Golbat is faster and immune to toxic and isn't weak to Acrobatics. That's cool.
Countering Magmar is cool, and it's really fat and can abuse Whirlwind, but it doesn't really offer much.
C-
Well, it does have a niche in that it's better vs Gorsola than Hattrem is, but Gorsola isn't the be-all-end-all Stealth Rock setter anymore.
Works on just enough occasions to be ranked still imo, really wish it got Mystical Fire though.
Setting Rocks on Hattrem is cool! Killing Hattrem is even cooler if you can, and Dwebble can do that pretty easily. Sorry Drilbur.
Has better defensive merit than Fraxure, but even worse offensively when Fraxure already struggles.
If you're a madman running stall (or sand), then it's probably fine, but I really don't care either way about its rank.
Some madman on stall will run this, where it's probably fine, but that's too much power for us mere mortals.
Intimidate + the typing is kind of cool, but other than that it offers nothing other fire types can't already do.
Hard counters EBuzz not packing Toxic, at the cost of being even worse vs Pikachu. Could go either way but I'll be generous to it.
Do you really want your fighting check to randomly burn Gurdurr and suddenly be unable to check it?
Just not good enough at anything, unfortunately. I was really hopeful.
probably the best thing here but still not good enough to really warrant it, to be a ground in this meta you have to be neutral/immune to water for Pikachu, or otherwise immune to Focus Blast for electabuzz. I'll give hippo the benefit of the doubt since it can set up sand, but eh to both
This just doesn't do anything Haka and Fraxure can't already do.
It's not even that good at beating common knock off abusers because it doesn't resist any of their STAB moves or harm them in any way. Even on stall, if you have to switch out of your knock absorber vs, say, Tangela, how much did you really achieve in the long run?
On the amaura train, but all three have different enough niches over the other on a really niche playstyle that you could feasibly rank all three if you wanted to. I don't.
Smash Meteor Beam didn't pan out, but with SR + Tspikes maybe it has a niche as a specific HO lead to power up stuff like Hex Drakloak. Haven't actually seen that pan out yet, so UR it is.
And that should be all, the current meta's really fun and I'm looking forward to seeing how it develops. I don't really think anything 100% has to go (closest would be Pikachu), so we've got ourselves a fun, potentially stable meta on our hands. Isn't that great?
Hey frens, the NFE council have voted on the the entire VR and have now updated the Viability Rankings to include subranks. You can find the individual votes here. For future updates, we'll go back to format outlining every shift and with reasoning provided for each one.
Thanks to everybody who posted in the thread with their own personal VRs. We're looking forward to seeing more posts like these.
Just gonna nom our girl for like, idk C+/B- people who are much smarter than me can rank where it goes specifically but it definitely shouldn't be unranked
Gothorita @ Eviolite
Ability: Competitive
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD (obviously change these and the nature if you arent running TR)
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Nasty Plot
- Psychic
- Shadow Ball / Dark Pulse (pick one idc)
- Trick Room / Energy Ball / Thunderbolt
Gothorita is pretty underrated right now, especially on Trick Room teams (example). On dedicated TR teams it fills the niche of an offensive setter, with some pretty nice natural bulk with Eviolite & max HP at 60/70/85. Nasty Plot & Competitive are a pretty nice combo, allowing Goth to offensively check Golbat as well as set up on most defensive mons in this tier because they all have like 0 offensive presence. Trick Room is the fancy tech on Goth because it's actually slow as balls with it's min speed being 103 meaning basically only Gorsola can outspeed you under webs and who cares about that mon. Even if you choose not to run TR, Goth gets enough coverage to be pretty decent (although it can be a bit slow)
Checks: yeah goth doesn't get mystical fire which sucks if you're the TR variant you get walled by this if this is spdef klang you get rekt no e-ball and u get rekt
Outside of these four mons, you can either set up on or do a good amount of damage to everything else above C+ rank on the VR so....
tl;dr rank Goth
Oh and also credits to Miyami~~~ for coming up with this heat before I ever did, ur a genius
Sup fellow purveyours of the proom NFE, time for some more VR noms to try and get some more forum activity kicking.
RISES
Golbat, Tang -> S
Controversial maybe, but I feel like both mons are deserving of the S rank. They are clearly the most meta defining mons in the tier, able to fill multiple roles with enough set diversity to differentiate between sets. They are two of the best knock absorbers, pivots, status spreaders, blanket checks to majority of the meta and stall breakers (probably missed something too) available, and they offer all this in one slot. I think its to the point where if you're not using on or both of these mons you are almost at a disadvantage from the get go. Tang has gotten better post DLC2 and Golbat came in hot and has continued to be probably the most splashable mon that SS NFE has had.
Cefairy -> A+
Clef is the master of Utility, between spdef and phsdef sets, rocks, cleric, knock and twave support and general bulk with magic guard, chances are clef can fit on alot of different teams and archtypes. I've even seen some very cool stallbreaker sets. Needs more love and imo deserving of the rise or at least the discussion on a rise.
Marshtomp -> A-
The best water type in the tier imo, in a tier that was desperate for fat waters pre DLC. Marshtomp pairs so well with other top tier mons defensively (tang, bat) and gives you a solid volt absorber, as well as been very consistent at setting rocks. It has enough versatility as well with stoss, scald, yawn, whirpool, toxic
Wartortle -> A-
Smash is decent still, but i think spdef spin flip turn is probably its best set now and why it deserves the rise.
Corsola-Galar -> A+
Unsure why this thing ever dropped, its probably better now then pre DLC but seeing less usage. It now not only boasts an amazing physdef set but also a spdef set which is possibly even better. It also has more diversity in its set it can run, night shade and sball are both viable, with whirlpool less needed. Another boon is the lower usage in Hattrem and dark types in General.
Duosion -> A-
I think most people are starting to agree that Duo is dangerous af, with double dance been very popular. It is a wincon that can win at preview and with good team support can overcome any checks (eg. tspikes). Personally my fave set is regen future sight, which is fantastic for the golbat mu and pressuring the majority of the tier that doesnt want to eat a 120spa 120bp stab move and a knock off in the same turn. Its regen set also is great for scouting things like dab and gime.
Linoone-Galar -> B+
This thing gets better on the back of duos increased usage, but also offers a lot of other strong positives to a team. Dual stab + knock and taunt allows Linoone to disrupt alot of teams early game and then its speed makes it a strong late game option too.
DROPS
Vullaby -> B+
Hard to justify a dark type that cant chew at least one ice beam. Clef has also gotten way more popular as a rock setter too. The biggest issue is the direct competition with Golbat that Vull suffers from, and its nearly impossible to justify two birbs on any team.
Rufflet -> B+
Rufflet also competes with Golbat, however in very different roles. Personally I think Ruff is very underused, but my god is it hard to build around. Dont get me wrong, this mon can run through some cores, but its just a very tough pick in the current meta.
Krokorook -> C+
Dark type that cant chew an ice beam, dark type that also lets in alot of the tiers best mons. Its also very underwhelming at basically everything bar a taunt suicide lead imo. Id be done to see in drop further into the C ranks but we can start here.
Roselia -> B-
Rose is scary, but rose is also so so hard to build around or with. It can have very good matchups if running some offensive lure set, BUT, my god Golbat is every where and rose is definitely outclassed by 3 other grass types.
Some mid-month noms/drops
In response to Rav's post, I do think that while and are good, I'm not entirely sure if they're S-tier worthy. I still think they're pretty easily the best A+ tier mons but they have enough counterplay and checks to where they still have some clear "downsides". Bat, depending on the set can bring in a lot of threatening offensive mons (Gime, Pika, can die to SD Acro Thwackey, still takes rocks damage whenever it switches in to defog, has some 4MSS) while Tang is still threatened out by a lot of strong special attackers and also has it share of 4MSS (Giga/LStorm, Sleep Powder or Synthesis) and pretty mediocre coverage.
Rises
to A+
This mon is just strong in every role. Solid rocker, solid physical "wall" (lol), even better special wall, can pass wishes, can set weather, can pull off a sweeper set. There isn't anything clef does poorly and imo it deserves to be in the same tier as things like Gime and Gurdurr
to A
Absolutely busted wall. It is weak to knock but Sap + crazy defensive stats on either side basically walls every physical attacker and even if you don't invest in SpDef it still tanks hits like a boss. Great movepool, trapping ability with Whirlpool, access to rocks, very few threatening dark/ghost types even if Knock is prevalent, etc.
to A
Raboot has a bunch of good sets that are all good. The variety that this mon possesses is amazing and deserving of being ranked higher.
to A-
Agreeing with Rav here, Marshtomp has a great typing, great STABs, rocks, and checks Pika and Buzz pretty hard which are threatening af.
to A-
This mon is just an offensive juggernaut and I haven't seen enough evidence to think that this isn't deserving of getting raised in some way
to A-
Also gonna agree with Rav here. Dual Dance is crazy and there aren't enough threatening Dark types in the tier to actually make only having psychic STAB on this set a severe downside.
to A-
Agree with Rav, spdef flip turn imo is a great set right now.
to B+
SD is a great set, point blank period. Scale Shot is busted and Fraxure has great coverage.
to B+
This might be a bit controversial but I'm really high on Morgrem right now. NP + Burning Jealousy is awesome and it's eh speed tier honestly isn't a big problem. Also, Pickpocket is a hilariously great ability with Knock Off everywhere in this tier.
Drops to A-
I just haven't seen enough from Pilo in this past month of playing to think it's deserving of being ranked in the same tier as Kadabra/Thwackey/Ferro. A- fits this mon better imo
to B-
This is anecdotal but I've found Combusken to be completely underwhelming in every battle I've ever faced against it. Maybe it's good, I just haven't seen it perform well yet.
Motivated for some VR nominations right now so here we go;
A+ to S
This should not come off as a surprise to anyone, Golbat is the Pokémon of NFE. A great defensive typing allowing it to check attackers like Thwackey and Gurdurr, predominant metagame walls like Tangela and Galarian Corsola but also just an overall threat to many team archetypes. The combination of Super Fang + Taunt is one many teams fear and demand a solid counterplay against, volatile EVs on whatever you need Golbat to do and just overall amazing game pressure. Golbat on top of these qualities does have an impeccable Speed tier making it tie against threat like +max Spe Pikachu and out speeding a vast amount of the metagame already, this paired with a solid attack stat makes it an already over the edge Pokemon. Golbat also finds versatility in running Nasty Plot sets but these aren't really the reason behind why it should move to S.
A+ to S
I think Tangela is amazing in the current metagame, it offers great role compression through versatile sets, an amazing defense and great special attack stat. On top of this Tangela has found itself super customizable to outspeed, outdamage or wall what it wants. Tangela is super splashable and probably the best Knock Off user in the metagame. It reliably takes care of popular cores like Thwackey & Pikachu, Gurdurr, Electabuzz, Piloswine or just generally threaten the entire A ranks. You also are not limited to what you can run as 4th move on this Pokemon which does offer a little bit of versatility whether you want to go more offensively with Leaf Storm or defensively in Toxic, Synthesis, Infestation or Sleep Powder. Not to forget about the sun sweeper set which is a great threat to carry on sun teams.
B+ to A-
Marshtomp is a personal favourite just because it offers amazing synergy with top metagame threats, Water and Ground typing provide amazing cores to be paired with the aforementioned Golbat, Galarian Mr. Mime, Kadabra etc and so many Pokemon who are threatened out by the likes of Pikachu and Electabuzz, Marshtomp is an amazing Electric sponge on top of being a great wall. While it didn't get to learn Flip Turn it still is a Pokemon that can force momentum mainly from its access to status in Toxic and Yawn but even as a trapper with Whirlpool.
B to B+
Duosion is amazing, two really good sets that offer great offensive pressure where you very often need a Dark-type or just a Taunt user to keep it at bay. Dual Set up is great against passive and bulkier teams while Future Sight works better against offense. This Pokemon can be great just like it can be a filler slot in many games which I think is what stops it from being A rank level where it just isn't reliable enough to fit through teams but it is nonetheless a great threat.
B- to B
One of my favourite pivot in the tier and great taunt user as well, Galarian Linoone is excellent against bulkier teams and provides great wall breaking abilities for revenge killers through Knock Off and easy pivoting with Parting Shots. Toxic Orb is actually a viable set in this metagame where otherwise Linoone does find itself a bit in between Speed tiers and likes to out speed Electabuzz and Kadabra on top of reliably out speeding Mr. Mime, as well as a damage output that isn't especially high either making me redundant in ranking it higher.
C+ to B+
Psychic types are going a bit crazy at the moment which makes Gastly a massive threat especially against BO archetypes. Ghost and Poison stab isn't a typing the tier has a lot of resists against, on top of that Gastly has good coverage in Psychic and Energy Ball which limits its switch ins even more. Just a really good threat in the current metagame and not a hard one to fit onto teams!
B to B+/A- B+ to wherever Vulpix is at the end of the next slate, drop or rise
Sun is, in my eyes, the most consistent way to approach HO in the current meta. When piloted properly, it's pretty consistent at wearing down standard team structures and the synergy of Wartortle/Grass-type/Fire-type is pretty underrated imo. It has a lot of room for alterations too with Hattrem, defensive Wartortle, Clefairy, Slowpoke, Porygon, and even Corsola-G being viable utility picks. I think for where it's at rn Sun deserves A-.
Ivysaur, in contrast, has been pretty clearly shown to be far worse outside of Sun than it is in Sun. If Vulpix goes up to B+ then great, I think it deserves it (and more), but if not I think Ivysaur is overdue for a drop.
B- to B+
Teleport is really good and it has a lot of versatility. 3 different (almost equally) viable status moves, Future Sight, either SpDef or PhysDef to check completely different things, and it pairs well with a lot of offensive Pokemon. It can also run some fun stuff with [Trick Room/Sunny Day/Psychic Terrain] & Teleport but this is less good.
B+ to B
This mon feels really passive. It kinda needs to run Toxic to pressure Tangela, Marshtomp etc. and Volt Switch absorbers are common enough to make running this mon a risk, not just with the influx of Ground-types we got from DLC but also from Lightningrod Pikachu being increasingly common. With its defensive Volt Switch being far worse than before, it's hard to find a reason to use this over Ferroseed on most teams.
B- to lower idk C I guess
Not many reasons to run this over Marshtomp and the difference between them has only grown wider. Offensive Water-types are rare, in part because of how good Thwackey and Pikachu are, you generally can't afford to run enough SpAtk to make the more anti-Tangela offensive Sludge Bomb sets worth it without giving up the matchup vs Pikachu, Electabuzz etc., and outside of those two things there's no reason to bother with it when you can just use Marshtomp instead.
I completely agree with VR noms from Greybaum and I would add some more based on how good is Sun HO right now.
B+ to A-
Due to professor tox 's great RMT, Sun HO (and as it has mentioned uhu) is incredibly good and consistent. I see Lampent as a check/counter for some Pokémon and revenge kill them like Ivysaur and, at some extent, Tangela. It also makes Raboot to doubt if clicking HJK. Moreover, it gets a boost with Sun.
C+ to B-
I can see it as a good counter for Sun HO due to typing and Soundproof ability. In addition to this, Hakamo-o could run Toxic for other match-ups. However, its role is niche and I could see it like B- but no higher.
B to B+
Good end-game cleaner and can take advantage of Sun. Moreover, it can sit in front of Tangela for one hit and then with speed boost then can just KO it.
A few quick noms of my own in this extremely scuffed post
A to A+. I agree with noms of moving both Tangela and Golbat to S, and I have always thought Thwackey to be an amazing mon in the metagame but still a step below the aforementioned threats (wouldn't make sense to have Thwackey, Tang and Bat at the same rank imo). Despite the high presence of the top 2 which both have favourable matchups against it, it still manages to have a lot of impact in games being able to remove Eviolites and U-turn out of its predicted switch-ins, and always carries the threat of its late game sweeping potential if the designated Thwackey check has been removed or ever gets low.
C+ to UR?
I have not seen this mon used at all since the crown tundra dropped. As a supposed Psychic check, it sucks cause it cant even switch into them due to rising Shadow Ball usage on Galarian Mime sets, and Kad pretty much always running it, so it can only force them out/revenge kill with Sneak... which other priority users can do but they aren't deadweight against pretty much everything else. Not really sure what else it does but if I'm using a Steel-type, I'd use Klang or Ferro.
Lastly, I believe C- is a sort of mess...
Honestly, haven't seen about half of these even be used. Munchlax has been used by ho3n and a few others with decent success. Hail hasn't been used in a long time but ig it's underexplored and has "potential" but screens struggles cause mime, and morgrem is better (offensively hail weak af compared to sun as well). Then it sorta goes downhill from there, like why ever use Torracat over the other Fire-types, why use lickitung as a cleric when Clefairy and Hatt exist etc. The issue of keeping some of these Pokemon here is it significantly skews the boundaries on this list, since it makes ranking UR mons difficult and makes it hard to justify keeping lower ranked ones. One of the noms Gothorita, is severely outclassed by the other Psychics, and would very likely never be brought to a serious tour game due to needing much more setup but it's still arguably better than the C- pokemon we have atm...
Honestly I really do like Honedge. Has a pretty great typing with a solid attack + defense. An SD set can be threatening, especially with Sneak hitting a decent amount of things super-effectively along with another solid STAB in Iron Head and CC for coverage. Granted, it's role as a spinblocker is pretty limited as it can't switch in on things like Carkol/Tort/(sometimes) Gime and it can't check Psychic-types, even with its Steel-typing. However, I do think it's still viable to a degree and I think it probably belongs in C w/ Natu & Porygon
Honestly I just never see this mon. Can probably get dropped to C- or unranked
Mia and I have already talked pretty extensively on Amaura on Discord & PS but I do think Amaura can possibly use a suicide-lead Stealth Rock set with Meteor Beam and Refrigerate HVoice (maybe Snow Warning Blizzard idk). Granted, I haven't playtested it much since I basically just came up with the idea but it's a possible niche for it. I still think Hail is somewhat viable in NFE and I don't feel like typing it all out here again but it's a thought.
+1 252+ SpA Amaura Meteor Beam vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Eviolite Golbat: 356-420 (100.5 - 118.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+1 252+ SpA Refrigerate Amaura Hyper Voice vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Eviolite Gurdurr: 219-258 (58.5 - 68.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+1 252+ SpA Refrigerate Amaura Hyper Voice vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Eviolite Tangela: 510-602 (152.6 - 180.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+1 252+ SpA Refrigerate Amaura Hyper Voice vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Clefairy: 118-141 (34.3 - 40.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
+1 252+ SpA Refrigerate Amaura Hyper Voice vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Eviolite Clefairy: 178-211 (51.7 - 61.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+1 252+ SpA Refrigerate Amaura Hyper Voice vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Ferroseed: 100-118 (34.2 - 40.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
+1 252+ SpA Refrigerate Amaura Hyper Voice vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Eviolite Hattrem: 163-193 (51.2 - 60.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+1 252+ SpA Amaura Meteor Beam vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Eviolite Piloswine: 211-249 (52.2 - 61.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+1 252+ SpA Amaura Meteor Beam vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Corsola-Galar: 102-120 (31.4 - 37%) -- 76.4% chance to 3HKO
+1 252+ SpA Refrigerate Amaura Hyper Voice vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Corsola-Galar: 91-108 (28 - 33.3%) -- 0% chance to 3HKO
+1 252+ SpA Refrigerate Amaura Hyper Voice vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Eviolite Koffing: 235-277 (82.7 - 97.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+1 252+ SpA Amaura Meteor Beam vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Mareanie: 148-175 (48.6 - 57.5%) -- 94.9% chance to 2HKO
+1 252+ SpA Amaura Freeze-Dry vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Mareanie: 174-206 (57.2 - 67.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+1 252+ SpA Amaura Meteor Beam vs. 208 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Vullaby: 264-312 (79.2 - 93.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+1 252+ SpA Refrigerate Amaura Hyper Voice vs. 208 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Vullaby: 236-282 (70.8 - 84.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+1 252+ SpA Amaura Freeze-Dry vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Slowpoke: 198-234 (51.5 - 60.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
I think Shrew honestly isn't awful. Its SD set is ok, and it has a pretty good movepool with Knock/Triple Axel/EQ/Iron Head. I have tried out CB a few times and it's able to do some pretty good damage, but it does require predicting properly and it isn't amazing. Also, an issue with Triple Axel arises with the possibility of people switching in Pokemon with Static/Flam Body having high chances of statusing Shrew along with Gabite/Ferro being able to deal damage to Shrew if it attacks those mons on the switch w/ Iron Barbs/Rough Skin
252+ Atk Choice Band Sandshrew-Alola Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Eviolite Gurdurr: 174-207 (46.5 - 55.3%) -- approx. 99.6% chance to 2HKO after hail damage
252+ Atk Choice Band Sandshrew-Alola Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Clefairy: 165-198 (47.9 - 57.5%) -- approx. 96.5% chance to 2HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Sandshrew-Alola Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 244+ Def Eviolite Hattrem: 144-171 (45.2 - 53.7%) -- approx. 92.6% chance to 2HKO after hail damage
252+ Atk Choice Band Sandshrew-Alola Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Corsola-Galar: 153-180 (47.2 - 55.5%) -- approx. 2HKO after hail damage
252+ Atk Choice Band Sandshrew-Alola Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Corsola-Galar: 162-192 (50 - 59.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after hail damage
252+ Atk Choice Band Sandshrew-Alola Earthquake vs. 248 HP / 8 Def Eviolite Mareanie: 242-286 (79.8 - 94.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Other people can talk about its (possible) niche as a defensive spinner, but from what I've seen that isn't an awful set and can possibly justify it staying ranked.
Golbat to s best mon in the meta probably and deserves S
Tangela to s so easy to slap on a team and it does so much for a team which makes it one of the top mons in the meta
Pikachu to s you need speed control? you need breaking potential? you need some momentum? here is pikachu for you
Hattrem to a+ arguably the best hazard control in the meta can beat all rockers 1v1 bar the rare krokorok
koffing to a neutralizing gas is just so good
lampent to a- can check a lot of mons with the pain split willowisp set while still having offensive presence as well
magmar to a- one of the best breakers since its really hard to switch into its stabs + coverage + it has good speed to revengekill other mons
marshtomp to a- best rocker in the tier??? maybe corsola is better but its very splashable and fits on a lot of balance builds besides rocks you could also run resttalk for more longevity if you have the space for a different rocker
duosion to b+ very good matchup mon can easily just 6-0 balance builds without a dark with dual dance sets
linoone to b+ good offensive parting shot pivot that can help balance builds not be 6-0ed by duosion on preview and just a solid mon thanks to knock and strong stab double edge
slowpoke to b+ this mon is GOOD since it checks some of the premier offensive mons in mr mime and magmar. also teleport is just a stupid move that makes it even better
gastly to b ho3n has used this mon a ton recently and with great success too ghost resists are rare in the current meta and gastly just takes advantage of that
drops
vullaby to b+ vullaby is harder to use rn since bat just does a lot of what it does already and better
palpitoad to ur trust me I tried it out, multiple times actually but its just not worth it I can never really find a good niche for it. its immune to surf from pika and blocks volt ig thats cool but overtime it doesnt really beat it since it just gets chipped easily and is usually outclassed by marshtomp
drilbur to c- I guess this mon is used on HO as a spinner but havent really seen it at all and it doesnt seem to like golbat being one of the best mons in the tier either
brionne to ur this thing is just a worse seadra to me
lickitung to ur ok its a wishpasser with knock but really never impressed me to be worth using maybe someone can convince me but it doesnt seem that great tbh
shellos to ur who has ever used this other than obb?
stunky to ur see the reasoning above
torracat to ur ye we have better fire types like raboot and magmar I dont see this thing really having a niche
Amaura setting up Hail and winning games, 2021 (colorized)
Hello. I'm here to argue why Hail should remain ranked, clear up some misconceptions about it as a playstyle, as a lot of people don't seem to understand how to properly build and play it. I'd really hate to see a perfectly viable playstyle go unranked on misconceptions and people using suboptimal sets for the hail mons.
First off, here are my personal favourite sets for the hail setters and abusers.
Amaura @ Icy Rock
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Blizzard
- Freeze-Dry
- Earth Power
- Stealth Rock
You may notice there's no Aurora Veil here. That's because it's not worth it in most situations. You could run it if you want on more offensively-inclined hail teams, but Rocks + Veil loses you too much momentum to really be worth considering and most hail teams skew towards balance anyways. The best usage of Amaura is to take advantage of the resistances it does have and pivoting to get it in on something that doesn't want to take a blizzard, and then go from there. most notably, even without defense investment it will always take at least two hits from Golbat and force it out with the threat of Blizzard. From there, you can set rocks or just fire off a Blizzard to dent something. Freeze-Dry and Earth Power allow you to dent Water types and Klang, respectively. You don't do a lot, but vs something like Klang doing ~30 will add up and force rests. Realistically you're only really clicking Blizzard and Rocks anyways. 252 Speed Modest hits 191 Speed, which is enough to outspeed most of the purely defensive Pokemon in the tier, most notably defensive Tangela variants, which you can also force out. Just be careful that it's not fast Tangela, but that's a bad set.
Generally, you'll want to bring Amaura in with pivots, as its pool of useful resistances doesn't extend very far. Usually, if there's a Golbat anywhere you'll want to save its HP for repeated Golbat switches. It's really the one Pokemon it switches into, but it's the most common Pokemon in the tier so that 100% counts for something and I find myself leveraging it a lot. You don't tend to keep Amaura on the field very often, it's a bit like Vulpix in that way. However, while Vulpix is a total defensive liability, Amaura can at least switch in on something, and the best and most common Pokemon in the tier at that. I've considered going fully physically defensive to keep this up even further, but the trade-off of power is definitely noticeable.
Hilariously, it's able to switch in on Vulpix with only Weather Ball as its attack and change the weather on it, as while as the standard (Solar Beam/Sludge Bomb/Weather Ball) Ivysaur and change the weather on that, which won't come up super often because Sun isn't common and Hail's even less so but it is a fun interaction I wanted to point out.
The other hail setter worth using. If you want to use Aurora Veil hail, this would be the setter to do it, but I still wouldn't recommend it. Snover changes the ability to switch in on Golbat somewhat safely for a Volt Switch resistance and a water resistance, which lets it completely counter Shell Smash Wartortle. I wouldn't call it a very stable Electric check, as Pikachu and Electabuzz can both hit it hard, it's more of a damage sponge for Volt Switches that gets to set up hail by doing it. Amaura has a more definite entry point than Snover, but Snover has more soft ones vs common Pokemon so that's at least worth noting, even if Amaura's still the better setter. Snover also provides more chip damage in the form of Leech Seed, which does add up over time in a tier where nothing has leftovers and most immunities to Leech Seed hate taking a Blizzard.
It's bad, don't use it. It has zero points of entry that don't end with it dying to just about any attack, and as I've been saying this whole time, Veil isn't worth it on Hail since most hail teams are balance-oriented anyways. I'm pretty sure most people know better but I'm including it here just to be safe.
Sandshrew-Alola @ Choice Band / Eviolite
Ability: Slush Rush
EVs: 40 HP / 252 Atk / 216 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Triple Axel
- Iron Head
- Earthquake / Knock Off
- Knock Off / Swords Dance
The star of hail teams as the most dedicated hail abuser in the tier. The speed EVs hit the golden number of 170 to outspeed everything in the tier under hail, as choice scarfers are still bad in this tier. If you're really wanting to go fast, 224 Speed EVs lets you outspeed Combusken at +1 and Scarf Lampent under hail, but Combusken's bad and you should feel bad for using it. The rest goes into attack to hit as hard as possible, and then HP just to live a bit more. The choice between SD Eviolite and Choice Band really depends on player/team preference for hail. I personally just like to click Triple Axel and take advantage of how strong it is, plus how rare Ice resistances actually are. Snowshrew's actually a pretty solid wallbreaker in the tier. The two most common physical switchins in the tier, Tangela and Golbat, both fear taking a Triple Axel and dying, and the runner-up in Gurdurr has no reliable recovery if your team has any sort of fighting check on it, meaning it's easy to wear it down with repeated Triple Axels and switching out into, say, Golbat before it can Mach Punch you. The most common Ice Resists in the tier are usually offensive fire types, which have no recovery and minimal bulk, other Ice types without recovery that are weak to Iron Head, or Mareanie, which doesn't enjoy taking Earthquakes even with an Eviolite. Knock Off is cool if you can fit it, as it gives Hail a more offensive Knock user that you may otherwise have trouble fitting, and you could even use it over EQ on SD sets if you wanted since nothing really wants to take a Knock Off in this tier.
Defensively, Ice/Steel is fine for switchin opportunities. Like Amaura, it can usually switch in on Golbat once or twice without really any fear and can come in on Tangela as well, although losing your Band isn't optimal and like most Tang switchins, you have to watch out for Powders. You resist every form of priority in the tier except for Mach and Sucker Punch and Triple Axel naturally beats CounterSash Kadabra, making offensively answering it fairly difficult under hail. Its bulk isn't spectacular, but it is manageable, especially for the Eviolite sets, which means it can switch in once or twice on its own merits without having to pivot or double over the course of a game. And like I mentioned with Amaura, having somewhat safe entry points for the two best Pokemon in the tier definitely counts for something and makes them more defensively stable and able to do their jobs than the ice type may have you think.
I'm also going to back Tox above that CB Snowshrew has some merit outside of hail in the "slower breaker" niche like Lairon or Zweilous, due to its much better STAB combination that lets it break through Tangela more efficiently. It is weaker, so it's more on par with them than outclassing them. SpD Spin is also cute as a Kadabra/no focus gime switchin, it even gets around counter with triple axel.
The two sets I'm calcing with are CB Axel/Iron Head/Knock/EQ and SD/Axel/Iron Head/EQ. So you won't see SD Knock Calcs here, but it is a valid option to break Slowpoke and Gorsola. I tried to always calc Triple Axel, but if it did less than 20% I didn't bother including it. If you really want to know, a resisted Triple Axel always does ~5% less than a neutral Earthquake if it hits three times.
252+ Atk Choice Band Sandshrew-Alola Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Tangela: 198-240 (59.2 - 71.8%) -- approx. 2HKO after hail damage
252+ Atk Sandshrew-Alola Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Tangela: 132-162 (39.5 - 48.5%) -- approx. 0.4% chance to 2HKO after hail damage
+2 252+ Atk Sandshrew-Alola Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Tangela: 258-312 (77.2 - 93.4%) -- approx. 2HKO
This is mostly just a baseline, as I don't really think anyone's running Max/Max Tangela right now. But since everyone has their own personalized Tangela spreads you can expect to do more on most occasions, as obviously the more specialized your Tangela is into speed or SpD or power or whatever the harder it's going to take a Triple Axel. Tangela also isn't going to do very much back to you unless it's offensive, which means it dies to Triple Axel even faster.
252+ Atk Choice Band Sandshrew-Alola Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 200 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Golbat: 270-324 (79.1 - 95%) -- approx. 2HKO after hail damage
252+ Atk Sandshrew-Alola Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 200 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Golbat: 186-222 (54.5 - 65.1%) -- approx. 2HKO after hail damage
+2 252+ Atk Sandshrew-Alola Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 200+ Def Eviolite Golbat: 384-456 (108.4 - 128.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
These calcs demonstrate why I like the CB set so much. This is probably the bulkiest Golbat you'll run into, and CB still blows it away and forces a switch or it to just die. Golbat doesn't do much back, the strongest move it might be able to hit you with is Super Fang which can't ever kill you. Golbat and Tangela are also the two most common Knock Off switchins in the tier, so it's really easy to put both of them into a range where Shrew OHKOs them.
252+ Atk Choice Band Sandshrew-Alola Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 220 HP / 236 Def Eviolite Gurdurr: 135-162 (36.8 - 44.2%) -- approx. 3HKO after hail damage
252+ Atk Sandshrew-Alola Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 220 HP / 236 Def Eviolite Gurdurr: 93-111 (25.4 - 30.3%) -- approx. 1.1% chance to 3HKO after hail damage
+2 252+ Atk Sandshrew-Alola Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 220 HP / 236 Def Eviolite Gurdurr: 180-216 (49.1 - 59%) -- approx. 2HKO after hail damage
Once again, everyone has their own Gurdurr spreads so I'm demonstrating calcs on the bulkiest Gurdurr you'd be likely to run into. Mach Punch is annoying and forces you to switch out, but every hail team obviously will need fighting checks so it's more of an annoyance than a counter. The lack of reliable recovery on Gurdurr means that it'll eventually be unable to directly switch into a Triple Axel, opening up even more holes in their team as most of a team's physically bulky Pokemon will have to run in fear of Triple Axel.
252+ Atk Choice Band Sandshrew-Alola Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Clefairy: 165-198 (47.9 - 57.5%) -- approx. 96.5% chance to 2HKO
252+ Atk Sandshrew-Alola Iron Head vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Clefairy: 150-176 (43.6 - 51.1%) -- 6.3% chance to 2HKO
+2 252+ Atk Sandshrew-Alola Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Clefairy: 225-264 (65.4 - 76.7%) -- approx. 2HKO
+2 252+ Atk Sandshrew-Alola Iron Head vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Clefairy: 294-348 (85.4 - 101.1%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO
Clef is not a CB Triple Axel switchin, as it just dies to two hits. Setup sets actually do need the setup to beat it, but unless you're up against the rare flamethrower Clef Clef is something that can afford you that turn, at which point there's not a whole lot it can do.
252+ Atk Choice Band Sandshrew-Alola Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Ferroseed: 165-198 (56.5 - 67.8%) -- approx. 2HKO after hail damage
252+ Atk Sandshrew-Alola Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Ferroseed: 111-135 (38 - 46.2%) -- approx. 3HKO after hail damage
+2 252+ Atk Sandshrew-Alola Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Ferroseed: 219-261 (75 - 89.3%) -- approx. 2HKO after hail damage
Wow, it sure is nice that the most common steel in the tier doesn't actually resist Ice. I wouldn't recommend actually going for the 2HKO unless you have no other choice/all the opponent's priority users are dead because that's a lot of Iron Barbs damage coming your way.
252+ Atk Choice Band Sandshrew-Alola Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Thick Fat Piloswine: 93-111 (23 - 27.4%) -- approx. 64.5% chance to 4HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Sandshrew-Alola Iron Head vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Piloswine: 240-284 (59.4 - 70.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Sandshrew-Alola Iron Head vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Piloswine: 162-192 (40 - 47.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
+2 252+ Atk Sandshrew-Alola Iron Head vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Piloswine: 320-378 (79.2 - 93.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Pilo actually does take Triple Axels well, although one round of Triple Axel + Rocks and it's in CB Iron Head Range. SD Sets don't have as much of an issue with it provided they can grab an SD on something else, as they can change moves as opposed to locking themselves into a move that's less good than Triple Axel. Pilo also has no recovery and is prone to being worn down over the course of games as a team's primary rocker, and Ice Shard isn't threatening Snowshrew in the slightest.
252+ Atk Choice Band Sandshrew-Alola Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Eviolite Corsola-Galar: 153-180 (47.2 - 55.5%) -- approx. 75.4% chance to 2HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Sandshrew-Alola Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Eviolite Corsola-Galar: 160-190 (49.3 - 58.6%) -- 98.8% chance to 2HKO
252+ Atk Sandshrew-Alola Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Eviolite Corsola-Galar: 99-120 (30.5 - 37%) -- approx. 77.2% chance to 3HKO
+2 252+ Atk Sandshrew-Alola Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Eviolite Corsola-Galar: 201-237 (62 - 73.1%) -- approx. 2HKO
First off, while the CB Triple Axel calc is impressive that move's 100% getting disabled by cursed body, so don't count on actually getting that 2HKO on your next turn. I calced with SpD here because I know for a fact that's the most common Gorsola currently, it obviously doesn't really break physdef (but does knock it if it's running that). This is a fairly stable triple axel switchin since it'll likely proc cursed body and force it out afterwards.
Edit: didn't calc this with hail, whoops, uh they all do about 6% more damage per turn please do the math
252+ Atk Choice Band Sandshrew-Alola Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Koffing: 111-135 (39 - 47.5%) -- approx. 0.4% chance to 2HKO after hail damage
252+ Atk Choice Band Sandshrew-Alola Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Koffing: 124-148 (43.6 - 52.1%) -- 68% chance to 2HKO after hail damage
252+ Atk Sandshrew-Alola Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Koffing: 75-93 (26.4 - 32.7%) -- approx. 64.8% chance to 3HKO after hail damage
252+ Atk Sandshrew-Alola Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Koffing: 84-100 (29.5 - 35.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after hail damage
+2 252+ Atk Sandshrew-Alola Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Koffing: 153-180 (53.8 - 63.3%) -- approx. 2HKO after hail damage
+2 252+ Atk Sandshrew-Alola Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Koffing: 166-196 (58.4 - 69%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after hail damage
Wow, there sure are a lot of calcs when I have to do two for every eventuality, aren't there? Koffing takes a CB Triple Axel decently and can burn it, assuming it hasn't taken any sort of hit throughout the match and hazards aren't up. It does check +0 SD variants, which is worth noting, although +2 will give it trouble if it doesn't come in on exactly SD.
252+ Atk Choice Band Sandshrew-Alola Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Mareanie: 72-87 (23.7 - 28.7%) -- approx. 4HKO after hail damage
252+ Atk Choice Band Sandshrew-Alola Earthquake vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Mareanie: 160-190 (52.8 - 62.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after hail damage
252+ Atk Sandshrew-Alola Earthquake vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Mareanie: 108-128 (35.6 - 42.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after hail damage
+2 252+ Atk Sandshrew-Alola Earthquake vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Mareanie: 214-252 (70.6 - 83.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after hail damage
I went with PhysDef here as I do believe it's the better Mareanie set right now unless your team's really weak to Magmar specifically. This is why you would want to run EQ on SD sets. It's more or less a choice between hitting this (+ the rarer Klang) or Slowpoke harder. This is one of the sturdiest Snowshrew checks you could find, as it makes clicking CB Triple Axel pretty bad, but it definitely fears Earthquake if you've got it. knocking it off at least puts it out of total regen range, and SpD obviously takes more, but it's still a generally good shrew switchin, with a few caveats.
I'm not going to bother calcing Vullaby because a) it's bad and b) the outcome of that should be obvious, although it's worth noting that directing into it is a little risky for CB sets due to Knock Off.
252+ Atk Choice Band Sandshrew-Alola Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Klang: 78-93 (24 - 28.7%) -- approx. 4HKO after hail damage
252+ Atk Choice Band Sandshrew-Alola Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Klang: 174-206 (53.7 - 63.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after hail damage
252+ Atk Sandshrew-Alola Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Klang: 116-138 (35.8 - 42.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after hail damage
+2 252+ Atk Sandshrew-Alola Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Klang: 105-126 (32.4 - 38.8%) -- approx. 3HKO after hail damage
+2 252+ Atk Sandshrew-Alola Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Klang: 232-274 (71.6 - 84.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after hail damage
Like Mareanie, it takes Triple Axel fairly well but fears Earthquake, so good predictions can sink this. It is another thing that stops you from just clicking Triple Axel and profiting, however.
252+ Atk Choice Band Sandshrew-Alola Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Eviolite Marshtomp: 201-237 (58.4 - 68.8%) -- approx. 2HKO
252+ Atk Sandshrew-Alola Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Eviolite Marshtomp: 135-162 (39.2 - 47%) -- approx. 0.4% chance to 2HKO after hail damage
+2 252+ Atk Sandshrew-Alola Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Eviolite Marshtomp: 270-318 (78.4 - 92.4%) -- approx. 2HKO after hail damage
Once again went with SpD as it's pretty clearly the superior set for what Marsh is trying to do. Isn't a Triple Axel switchin, even at +0 for SD sets due to Marshtomp usually lacking recovery, although it does at least take one and threaten with EQ in that situation. CB blows it away, as per usual for things that are hit neutrally by Triple Axel.
252+ Atk Choice Band Sandshrew-Alola Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Wartortle: 90-108 (27.9 - 33.5%) -- approx. 97.5% chance to 3HKO after hail damage
252+ Atk Choice Band Sandshrew-Alola Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Wartortle: 100-118 (31 - 36.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after hail damage
252+ Atk Sandshrew-Alola Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Wartortle: 68-80 (21.1 - 24.8%) -- guaranteed 4HKO after hail damage
+2 252+ Atk Sandshrew-Alola Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Wartortle: 120-144 (37.2 - 44.7%) -- approx. 3HKO after hail damage
+2 252+ Atk Sandshrew-Alola Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Wartortle: 134-158 (41.6 - 49%) -- 17.6% chance to 2HKO after hail damage
This is the only really viable Triple Axel resistance in the tier that isn't weak to one of Steel/Ground/Dark. And that's absolutely worth noting, as Shrew is giong to need multiple turns to break through this regardless of set. However, Tort has no recovery to speak of, so Shrew will eventually be able to break it.
252+ Atk Choice Band Sandshrew-Alola Triple Axel (40 BP) (3 hits) vs. 248 HP / 4 Def Eviolite Slowpoke: 105-126 (27.4 - 32.8%) -- approx. 78.7% chance to 3HKO after hail damage
252+ Atk Choice Band Sandshrew-Alola Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 248 HP / 4 Def Eviolite Slowpoke: 228-270 (59.5 - 70.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after hail damage
252+ Atk Sandshrew-Alola Earthquake vs. 248 HP / 4 Def Eviolite Slowpoke: 79-93 (20.6 - 24.2%) -- guaranteed 4HKO after hail damage
+2 252+ Atk Sandshrew-Alola Earthquake vs. 248 HP / 4 Def Eviolite Slowpoke: 157-185 (40.9 - 48.3%) -- 8.2% chance to 2HKO after hail damage
This is where SD Knock really helps. Slowpoke, like Mareanie, is an excellent Triple Axel switch thanks to its typing and regenerator, but really fears Knock Off, so a good prediction with CB will do a number to it. It, Mareanie, and Wartortle are probably the best Snowshrew switches in the tier.
So if you don't want to read all that, essentially most of the walls in the tier can take one CB or (barely a) +2 Triple Axel, but only waters that aren't Marshtomp and Klang can take two and thus rely on switching in on an SD turn/doubling to actually check it. Nearly all of the Triple Axel resistances in the tier are weak to one of Iron Head, Earthquake, or Knock Off and thus a good read on the CB sets or a +2 coverage move can completely stuff the opponent's defensive answers on the spot. Something like Thwackey + Mareanie will be a problem, but that's a 2 Pokemon core for one Pokemon of yours, and it's not like Thwackey can switch in and set up Grassy Terrain on an Ice type. Things like Iron Barbs, Flame Body, or Static are also undeniably annoying, although none of those really like taking an EQ so it's not a requirement to risk it and the static mons in the tier at least die to Triple Axel if they switch in to try and proc it. Getting to +2 can be a little difficult, but not unreasonable, which is why I prefer the CB set but included +0 and +2 calcs for the SD set.
Overall, Snowshrew is an effective wallbreaker in the NFE tier, with a very strong STAB move that has favourable typing against some of the most common physical walls in the tier, excellent coverage, and a great speed tier under hail with resistances to some of the most common priority moves in the tier.
The secret secondary hail abuser, specs Blizzard hits really, really hard. Like, you're very close to a 2HKO on SpD Evio Ferro even without Focus Blast hard. anything that can directly switch into a Blizzard hates either taking coverage or a trick. Basically normal specs gime, but up to 11 with Blizzard's power level + hail chip. Trick Gime and Knock Snowshrew both act as item disruption, meaning you don't have very much need to fit an offensive knock user onto the non-hail parts of your team. As per usual with Gime, you'll probably need to pick between Shadow Ball and Focus Blast, although I guess you could drop trick and run 4 attacks if you wanted.
Unlike with Snowshrew, I'm just going to show calcs vs things that might switch into a Blizzard as opposed to literally every defensive mon in the tier as more people are familiar with Gime. I don't need to show that Blizzard OHKOs Tangela and Golbat, right?
252 SpA Choice Specs Mr. Mime-Galar Blizzard vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Clefairy: 132-156 (38.3 - 45.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
Clef not taking hail damage is annoying, as it means you'll never do over half without a knock, but if Clef isn't at full or close to it it can't directly switch into Gime. any PhysDef Clef also gets owned, as well.
252 SpA Choice Specs Mr. Mime-Galar Blizzard vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Ferroseed: 111-132 (38 - 45.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after hail damage
252 SpA Choice Specs Mr. Mime-Galar Blizzard vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Ferroseed: 111-132 (38 - 45.2%) -- 8.2% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and hail damage
This is probably the biggest argument for Shadow Ball > Focus Blast, as by far the most common steel in the tier doesn't actually resist Ice. Paired with some way to dodge Leech Seed healing and Ferro can come in on gime exactly once, even with an Eviolite.
252 SpA Choice Specs Mr. Mime-Galar Blizzard vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Eviolite Thick Fat Piloswine: 106-126 (26.2 - 31.1%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Mr. Mime-Galar Focus Blast vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Eviolite Piloswine: 306-362 (75.7 - 89.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
A good switchin to Blizzard spam, but no recovery and a fighting weakness means you will eventually be able to muscle past it. Focus Blast just speeds it up a lot.
252 SpA Choice Specs Mr. Mime-Galar Blizzard vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Corsola-Galar: 102-120 (31.4 - 37%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after hail damage
This actually does more than Shadow Ball, go figure. Blizzard's kind of crazy. It can't really use Strength Sap to heal on you for very long because it's Gime, but Cursed Body is a lame ability so you'll probably eat a disable before you can kill it.
252 SpA Choice Specs Mr. Mime-Galar Blizzard vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Klang: 56-66 (17.2 - 20.3%) -- 0% chance to 4HKO after hail damage
252 SpA Choice Specs Mr. Mime-Galar Focus Blast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Klang: 164-194 (50.6 - 59.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after hail damage
Klang stuffs Blizzard spam and packs rest without being weak to Psychic, so if you're not running Focus Blast this is probably a good place to burn a trick.
252 SpA Choice Specs Mr. Mime-Galar Blizzard vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Marshtomp: 127-150 (36.9 - 43.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after hail damage
Marshtomp has no recovery to speak of and doesn't resist Blizzard, so good luck taking more than one.
252 SpA Choice Specs Mr. Mime-Galar Blizzard vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Wartortle: 58-69 (18 - 21.4%) -- 9.7% chance to 4HKO after hail damage
252 SpA Choice Specs Mr. Mime-Galar Psychic vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Wartortle: 96-114 (29.8 - 35.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after hail damage
Hail really helps here, turning an unfavorable Psychic roll into a garaunteed 3HKO. Wartortle also has no reliable recovery, but it does take Blizzards rather well.
252 SpA Choice Specs Mr. Mime-Galar Blizzard vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Slowpoke: 84-99 (21.9 - 25.8%) -- guaranteed 4HKO after hail damage
252 SpA Choice Specs Mr. Mime-Galar Shadow Ball vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Slowpoke: 164-194 (42.8 - 50.6%) -- 46.9% chance to 2HKO after hail damage
The absolute biggest reason to run Shadow Ball, as you don't really touch Poke without it. Hail once again helps the roll here, even if it doesn't make it a favorable one. I'll usually burn my Trick here vs Slowpoke teams, although I suppose running 4 attacks means you don't have to pick and can hit this and Klang.
Overall, it's Gime but it hits harder. The extra power from Blizzard, plus 6% from hail chip, lets it muscle through things it wouldn't be able to otherwise, most notably Ferro with just Blizzard. It still struggles with the big Gime problem of Shadow Ball vs Focus Blast, but the extra power of Blizzard does make it sting less. Definitely a worthwhile secondary hail abuser.
Now, since there seems to be a lot of misconceptions about the style, I'll go over those here as well. Starting with a refresher on how weather works, since people seem to have forgotten. With the exception of Sand in the higher tiers, which has been blessed with some truly great setters in Tyranitar and Hippowdown, as while as arguably Pelipper, most weather setters are largely meant to just set up weather for other things. Rather than looking for things your setters can check, most of the time you're looking for Pokemon and Moves that they can come in on and set their weather with less risk. It's unfortunate, but it's just a general rule of thumb for weather setters. If you're going to be a complete liablity, like Vulpix, your abusers better be good. Even just having a couple safe switchins against common Pokemon can be huge, as the extra turns of weather can often be game-deciding. While you'll still utilize pivoting and double switching a lot, I truly do believe that Amaura's (and to a lesser extent, Snover's) handful of resistances (and Amaura's access to rocks, letting it do something other than be a hail bot) make it a better setter than Vulpix in a 1-to-1 comparison. I'm not claiming hail is better than sun, though. Hail's advantages as a weather largely lie in the chip damage it provides, which is notable as 6% adds up in a tier where nothing carries leftovers, which almost nothing is immune to. Sandshrew-Alola may not be Ivysaur, but it's a great wallbreaker on its own merits and the extra speed helps it function as a late-game cleaner after it's done breaking its own walls with a combination of CB Triple Axel and its great coverage.
Replays:
I will preface this by saying that these teams aren't perfect. I'm on about my fourth or fifth draft of the teams by now, and several of these replays pull from earlier incarnations featuring less defensively cohesive teams with some noticeable faults as I tested out the teams to see what worked and what didn't. These replays aren't supposed to be a showcase of my teambuilding ability, but rather a showcase of hail's ability. You'll see a lot of replays of Sandshrew-Alola being used both as a breaker and a late-game cleaner, wearing down its own checks over the course of the game before coming in with hail up to sweep through any remaining offensive Pokemon.
Amaura + Sandshrew-Alola https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8nfe-1260538366 (SD + 3 Attacks)
While PhysDef Mach Punch Gurdurr is annoying for Sandshrew, as it forces it out, the combination of Triple Axel + Hail chip eventually adds up and prevents any sort of switchin, at which point the dominoes fall fairly quickly. Bonus points to Amaura for killing Electabuzz with hail, as well. Amaura manages to switch in on Golbat and Thwackey's U-Turn once apiece, setting up hail under its own merits as while as being brought in with Teleport.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8nfe-1262195922-j89p2jow9jk28220u7owufeaalsa731pw (SD + 3 Attacks)
A very short and silly replay for gime, in which after losing Eviolite on Ferro they suddenly have nothing that can switch into it. Ferro takes a Blizzard to the face and dies from over half, and after EBuzz doesn't kill it my opponent shame-concedes. Amaura again comes in on bat, scares it out, and sets up rocks freely, even if I had to Defog them away a little bit later.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8nfe-1263601367-c5hy2teg4qzj6emr9xih2y3qn1wc8pspw (Genuinely don't remember)
This is more of an Amaura replay, in which it takes advantage of how weather ball-reliant sun teams are to switch into Ivysaur's face repeatedly and change the weather without any fear, as Solar Beam is disabled by hail, Weather ball becomes ice, and while it likely didn't have it Amaura does resist poison in case of Sludge Bombs. Amaura stops sun from being able to make any real headway throughout the game, and while I likely would've still lost to Sub Smash Wartortle in the end, I still believe this replay's worth including to show Amaura switching into things other than Golbat safely.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8nfe-1264832228-5ry1vk9n7htrwpijuoii3oia4whv43upw (Choice Band)
Tricking Poke a specs with Gime on turn 1 allows me to win the game later, as CB Knock Off OHKOs it cleanly, removing the most stable Shrew check on my opponent's team, as Piloswine was weakened and Gurdurr appeared to be specially defensive. The lack of Mach Punch on Gurdurr is somewhat notable, as it prevents any sort of revenge killing without taking a triple axel, although if it had Mach Punch it wouldn't have broken through Golbat. Amaura comes in on Golbat once and sets rocks, although it's mostly used as a sac here to get Shrew into a winning position thanks to Slush Rush.
Amaura is a very focussed Pokemon in terms of entry points. It can switch into Golbat, which is huge as Golbat's arguably the best Pokemon in the tier and definitely the most common, and not a lot else consistently unless you find Sun. Don't underestimate the utility of a rocker that scares out the best remover in the tier, though. Despite Amaura's somewhat lacking defensive typing, I usually end up getting it in 2-3 times per game, more than enough for hail to count on a game-to-game basis.
Snover + Sandshrew-Alola https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8nfe-1263662780 (Choice Band)
Sandshrew takes advantage of my opponent's ice-weak team, coming in more than once and picking up a kill every time as my opponent is forced to sack things to repeatedly put Pikachu in and run out hail turns. Switching in Snover as a volt resistance doesn't exactly pan out here, as he reads it and just knocks off Icy Rock, but the extra speed from hail proves valuable as it stops Pikachu from just volt switching for the kill on Sandshrew.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8nfe-1263665795 (Choice Band)
Snover counters Sub + Smash Tort very cleanly while also setting hail for Sandshrew more than once. The Volt resistance doesn't really come into play in terms of checking Pikachu, but it does allow me to get Snover in a second time later without it instantly dying, which is more of the point. My opponent's Amaura lead didn't really pan out, but I think there's some validity to it - it's a rocker that scares out Golbat, and that at least has some value to it.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8nfe-1263811790 (Choice Band)
Snover uses the somewhat uncommon Marshtomp as its point of entry here, although it doesn't really do much on its own besides setting hail with it, and once Marshtomp goes down that's really all it does for the match. I do lose my Band from a Knock by switching into Tangela, although it doesn't matter in the long term - Tangela and Golbat are going to have a hard time threatening Sandshrew, and Gurdurr's lack of recovery catches up to it as Sandshrew repeatedly switches in and wears it down until it can't switch in anymore. Hail is helpful here by artificially extending the amount of times Sandshrew can directly switch into Golbat - The extra speed means it only has to take one Brave Bird instead of two.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8nfe-1266872390-8hcyesu2ca8cd1gb0zji9lv1g5xfo04pw (Choice Band)
This replay shows the duality of Snover - it's not a particularly stable Buzz check as Buzz packs Focus Blast, and fear of that hits me early game and puts me in a bad spot. However, it does take Volt Switches, which is how I set up hail three times throughout the game. The added damage of hail + blizzard let Gime break through knocked Ferro, meaning Shrew didn't have to. While it could've, the extra damage from Iron Barbs may have opened up the possibility of Grassy Glide killing it. After Ferro goes, my opponent has no Triple Axel switchin, Gurdurr gets 2HKOed cleanly and even if it does force me out due to the threat of Mach, I had more than enough hail turns to spare. As usual, the speed boost from hail lets Sandshrew function as both a wallbreaker and a cleaner once the team's Triple Axel switchins stop being able to do that.
Snover's okay. It doesn't have a really solid point of entry as, like everything else in the tier, it doesn't actually hold off Pika or Buzz very well. The volt switch resistance is nice enough to make one consider using it over Amaura, and it countering offensive Wartortle (barring the legendary Aura Sphere Wartortle) is cool too, but Amaura's more focussed singular entry point will come up more than Snover's broad amount of resistances. It's also just a hailbot with occasional stray resistances, and it won't do a lot besides use Leech Seed + Protect to force chip damage, which can be helpful in its own way. While Amaura is largely better, it's fine and has a different defensive profile that might come in handy depending on how you've built the rest of your team. I'm not going to push for it to be ranked but I did want to highlight the fact that it exists and can work as well.
A+ to S - these are clearly the two best Pokemon in the meta and should be treated as such, Golbat especially is on like half of every good teams and Tangela isn't that far behind. I don't really need to elaborate on what everybody already knows.
A- to B+/B - It really doesn't offer much over Golbat unless you really need a defogger that can soft check Kadabra. And if it gets its eviolite removed, it can't even do that.
A- to B+ - Theoretically good but you never see it and there's a reason for that, choice sets aren't threatening enough and setup sets have a hard time actually getting in and setting up
- I don't really care which rank they end up in but they absolutely should be ran together, you never see Ivysaur outside of sun teams so there's no reason for it to be ranked any higher than its mandatory partner besides people pretending it has some niche over Tangela that you'd never really want to use anyways.
B to C+ - loses to both the best mons in the tier, neither of which care for Knock Off too much, and it fails to keep rocks up vs Golbat at all, so why even bother? Scarf is also never seen anymore for largely the same reasons.
B- to B+ - Crazy good role compression and momentum plus checking or countering basically every common special attacker except like, Tang and electrics. FuturePort with something like Gurdurr is also really funny.
C+ to C- - I might be a little harsh here but I genuinely don't see the point in using a setup sweeper that loses to both Tang and bat. I guess it sets up on Tang with Sub DD sets but infiltrator bat still owns you, unfortunately. C would be acceptable as well.
C+ to C- - I don't think it should go entirely unranked. It's not a great psychic check but it spinblocks in a pinch, Sneak is some nice priority with Gime and Kadabra running around still, and it's got good coverage to throw around.
C+ to C- - Sun is starting to go without it, it dies too quickly to really be useful in most games compared to just using Magmar
C+ to UR - Haven't seen this in months, I guess it's supposed to Hone Claws but I'm really not seeing it. Wouldn't be terribly opposed to it remaining ranked if I can get a reason for it, but nobody really seems to have used it in a while.
C to UR - Even with Regen it's a far worse Gurdurr and bad pivot in general. Gurdurr works because it has bulk, which Mienfoo doesn't. I guess SD sets are a thing but good luck breaking Tang and Bat
C to UR - Please just use Golbat defensively, I guess SD sets are a thing but non-STAB Knock and Sucker isn't really that big of a selling point offensively and Brave Bird isn't going to carry on its own, especially with such an awkward speed tier
C to UR - It's bad on Sand, it's bad as an HO lead compared to Krokorok or Dwebble, and it's bad as a spinner. Sand in general is just absolutely not worth using, even compared to hail, as Drilbur struggles with just about every physical wall in the tier while Snowshrew can dent or break through them by itself.
C- to UR - I guess it's broadly useful on a hypothetical stall team that wants to use Wishport Clef but also wants a fat normal but doesn't want to just use Utility Clef + Lickitung, but that seems like a bit of a stretch, doesn't it? It's very bulky and that's useful, but it doesn't really fit onto any teams particularly well.
C- to UR - A little less sure here. I guess it's supposed to check Kadabra? I suppose that's kind of valuable, but the fact that nobody in the thread or PS seems to even know what it does should probably be proof for a UR.
I voted A- on this mon last slate because it's really awkward to build with despite being a powerful mon. For the most part my thoughts on this haven't changed, as I find mime doesnt really fit in with the strong archetypes of the meta, whether it's Pika offense or Tang balance or Tspikes or even hazard stack, a lot of these playstyles feel more consistent and do a good job of keeping out mime/preventing it from setting up/punishing specs with hazard chip which leads to each variant of mime having exploitable flaws that are generally p hard to work around in the builder. The mon as a whole seems to be stuck in an awkward position where it derives most of its niche from getting slightly better switchin opportunities and having fewer long-term checks than its competition, but at the same time due to the specific weaknesses it has, it's very hard to actually take advantage of these positives in a way that doesnt put too much pressure on it to break/clean when it may not get the chance to do so. That being said, Gmime did have a small renaissance in OMWC where despite it having low usage for a mon currently ranked A+, it did perform fairly well, so for now a drop to A might be the most appropriate.
B+ to B
So funny story, I was building last week and I went searching for my Voltblocker as you do in a Pika Ebuzz meta, and as usual Marshtomp/Piloswine were acceptable fits. It was at that moment that I suddenly thought, "hey I swear this meta used to have 3 good ground types what happened?", and after searching for Ground types in the NFE builder I remembered that Gabite used to be common. After that I went straight to the OMWC usage stats to try and figure out how I could forget Gabite's existence and uhhhhhh... 0 usage from either side in 16 games. Personally, I started to find that Gabite was worse than Marshtomp except for some pretty fringe cases where I wanted my Ground to not be weak to Grass (see GK Pika/Thwackey), and in general Marsh's slightly better bulk and better movepool (Stoss Whirlpool Yawn etc) made it more convenient to work with. I'm sure other players have their reasoning on not using Gabite but either way I think B would better reflect Gabite's place in the metagame.
Really thought I'd end up doing more noms but nearly everything else is already nommed and a few others I'm very borderline on, so maybe I'll have more to say next update.
Apologies for the delay, a few issues with votes and me taking a while to write this, as I've been a busy with the new semester. The votes for the most recent NFE VR update can be found here. As always, reasoning below for any shifts that occurred.
Rises
- A+ to S. Golbat has risen to the top of the viability rankings due to its insane flexibility in movepool and spread allowing it to function as a pivot, wallbreaker, stallbreaker, wall, defogger, and even an offensive sweeper with Nasty Plot. Super Fang and Taunt is absolutely devastating against the slower defensive walls which are heavily reliant on their status moves, whilst also having good natural bulk and reliable recovery making it no slouch against offensive threats. It has firmly cemented itself as arguably the best Pokemon in the metagame right now and brings a near unparalleled role compression when compared to everything else. One of, if not the most, splashable Pokemon as of now.
- A+ to S. Similarly to Golbat, Tangela also has incredible flexibility and role compression. Offensive sets use utility moves such as Stun Spore and Sleep Powder to cripple common switch-ins whilst also carrying potent moves such as Leaf Storm and Sludge Bomb, backed by 100 base Special Attack and Knock Off, making it a menacing wallbreaker. More defensive sets have also seen success due to its amazing natural physical bulk, and investment into special defense makes it one of the most reliable switch-ins into Pikachu. Regenerator makes this obnoxious to deal with due to the amount of momentum the ability provides and Chlorophyll lets Tangela fulfil a niche sun sweeper set to further add to its versatility.
- A to A+. There are only a handful of very reliable hazard removal options, so Hattrem's ability to deter and bounce back most hazard attempts is invaluable for a lot of the teams. Hattrem can fit onto various archetypes as it compresses a lot of utility on top of hazard prevention with moves such as Healing Wish and Nuzzle. Whilst, it can fail when used as a standalone hazard control measure, it has seen great success when also paired with another hazard remover, be it Golbat, Gurdurr, Wartortle etc. A rise to A+ reflects its current viability.
- A to A+. Kadabra is the other Psychic seeing a rise to A+. Aside from Duosion, Kadabra has the highest base Special Attack and this immediate power with prior setup makes its Life Orb set a potent wallbreaker, and its Focus Sash set a great special attacker with amazing utility such as Encore, Taunt, and Counter. Tied with Electabuzz for the highest base Speed makes it difficult to revenge kill, especially if using the Focus Sash set, as many teams rely heavily on priority in order to revenge kill opposing Pokemon.
- A to A+. Thwackey is a very potent wallbreaker and sweeper, thanks to the Grassy Surge Grassy Glide combination. It can reliably weaken its common switch-ins with Knock Off and and pivot out with U-turn, which makes it easier for its teammates to deal with its checks and counters. On top of this, Grassy Seed and Choice Band are less commonly used but both offer the potential to break past some of its commonly used checks/counters which is why Thwackey is now in A+.
- A- to A. With amazing physical bulk, being able to spread burns and Toxic Spikes, and being blessed with the amazing ability in Neutralising Gas makes Koffing incredibly solid at the moment. This is especially true when considering with how common physical setup Pokemon, such as Thwackey and Gurdurr are, as well as a fair amount of teams relying on only Hattrem as an answer to hazards.
- B+ to A-. Lampent has a plethora of solid sets, including Choice Scarf, Choice Specs, and Sub + Calm Mind, all of which abuse its unresisted STAB combination. Its unique defensive typing and Flash Fire also means I can use more utility based sets as an anit-meta option with Will-O-Wisp and Pain Split.
- B+ to A-. Blessed with a great movepool, Magmar has been one of the better breakers for a while, whilst also being able to use Toxic as a 4th move to cripple Water-types, but more often than not it can very freely spam Fire Blast. It has also overtaken Charmeleon as the premier Fire-type sun abuser.
- B+ to A-. Marshtomp offers great role compression, having access to Stealth Rock and other great utility moves, as well as being a Volt Switch absorber, which allows it to check both Pikachu and Electabuzz. It also fits extremely well onto a multitude of teams and this has allowed it to be a consistent wall in the metagame.
- B to B+. The lack of Dark-types in the metagame have definitely allowed Duosion more opportunities to sweep unprepared teams. Future Sight is also extremely potent with Psychic resists being much less common outside of Ferroseed. Its not reliable enough to deserve to be in the A ranks just yet, but it's definitely under the radar.
- B to B+. Morgrem has been consistently on the rise, especially its Nasty Plot set, which saw a fair amount of use during OMWC III. With an amazing movepool, it can easily take advantage of the common balance builds which have multiple slow and passive Pokemon.
- B to B+. Sun's been the best HO archetype for a while, and can destroy unprepared teams with ease. Vulpix has been moved up to the same rank as Ivysaur as the two are rarely ever seen outside of sun, and both are integral to the archetype.
- C+ to B. Gastly was severely underranked in the previous update, so we're shifting it up a couple ranks to reflect its actual place in the metagame. It can be a solid choiced wallbreaker or sweeper depending on whether its Specs or Scarf and can use Trick to cripple common defensive switch-ins.
- B- to B. Galarian Linoone is a solid offensive pivot, with a useful Dark-typing and Taunt which can shutdown setup sweepers, especially Duosion. Toxic Orb sets have a niche since this will allow Linoone to be the fastest Pokemon in most matches, whilst Eviolite remains a more solid and common option.
Drops
- A+ to A. While Galarian Mr. Mime, was a very strong and dominant force during the early stages of the crown tundra, it has definitely fallen off a tad bit, with Nasty Plot often being too slow to get going. Whilst it has amazing coverage and various good item choices, with Specs, Heavy-Duty Boots, and Eviolite all being great, it is harder to fit Galarian Mr. Mime onto a team than other special attackers such as Electabuzz and Tangela. Overall, we're lowering it slightly to reflect its current position.
- A- to B+. Rufflet is no longer the monster it once was, and whilst its Bulk Up sets remain threatening, in practice they are often shut down by the many faster Pokemon, especially special attackers, which are present in the metagame. This inconsistency warrants its lowering to the top of the B ranks which fits more in line with other slightly inconsistent setup sweepers.
- A- to B+. Vullaby faces tough competition from Golbat as a defensive Flying-type and Defogger, and struggles against more of the common Stealth Rock users, such as Clefairy. Whilst its ability to check Psychic-types is very valuable, this alone isn't enough keep it in A- rank.
- B+ to B. Gabite has been outclassed by other Ground-types such as Marshtomp and Piloswine for the most part, when it comes to being a defensive wall or Stealth Rock user. Gabite does offer some interesting offensive options, but is outclassed by Fraxure when it comes to being a Dragon-type wallbreaker/sweeper, and is in a weird middle-ground so it sees a slight drop.
- B+ to B. Both offensive and defensive Klang sets are struggling at the moment, with defensive Klang not offering enough utility to make up for its passivity, and offensive Klang struggling to break past common defensive walls such as Ferroseed and Marshtomp, and there are more reliable and splashable setup sweepers.
- B to B-. Krokorok has also fallen off since its initial surge as a solid suicide lead. Doesn't fit well onto archetypes outside of HO/more offensive teams in general, since it faces stiff competition from Piloswine and Marshtomp for BO and Balance teams.
- B to B-. Roselia is struggling at the moment with stiff competition from the plethora of other Grass-types, such as Tangela, Ferroseed, and Thwackey, despite having a different role to them. It also hates Golbat being super common.
- C+ to C. Sun no longer relies on Charmeleon as its main Fire-type sweeper but it still has some perks over Magmar, so we're lowering it slightly to reflect this shift in the archetype.
- C+ to C. Honedge is outclassed by other Steel-types for the most part, but its Ghost-typing allows it to be an interesting offensive spinblocker and its immunity to Golbat's Super Fang and resistance to Brave Bird does give it a solid matchup into non-Taunt variants. This isn't enough to save it from staying in C+ as it is a Steel-type which fails to switch into Psychic-types reliably.
- B- to C. Palpitoad for the most part is outclassed by Marshtomp as a Water- and Ground-type Stealth Rock user, due to Marshtomp being better defensive. Palptioad does have Water Absorb as well as being a potential solid offensive Stealth Rock user, although this has been ratehr unexplored and only a small niche.
- C to C-. Drilbur's mostly outclassed by other HO suicide leads such as Krokorok and Dwebble but its Mold Breaker is considered valuable enough as a Stealth Rock user which can bypass Hattrem.
- C- to UR. Amaura is a very lacklustre as a Pokemon whose main niche is setting hail, which itself is a very inconsistent archetype, which is very reliant on Alolan Sandshrew getting a good matchup or it'll lose on tempo/sacks, and struggles against Fire-types, which are becoming more common, and Mach Punch Gurdurr. Outside of Hail, there are more reliable Stealth Rock leads than Amaura, with its typing leaving a lot to be desired.
- C- to UR. Brionne is heavily outclassed by the other Water-types with Marshtomp, Mareanie and Slowpoke being better defensively, and Wartortle and Seadra being better offensively.
- C+ to UR. Both Nidorino's Hone Claws and Choice Band set have struggled in the metagame with Golbat being particularly problematic, and relying heavily on non-STAB Sucker Punch in order to deal with any Pokemon faster than it, so it require a decent amount of prior chip damage.
- C- to UR. Alolan Sandshrew is too inconsistent as a wallbreaker and sweeper, requiring a lot of support in order to be useful. Hail struggles in any matchup where opposing Pokemon are not in range for Alolan Sandshrew to clean. Outside of Hail Choice Band is able to do some nice damage but for the most part is outclassed by Choice Band Piloswine, which is both faster, harder to revenge kill due to better defenses, and has a better STAB combination.
- C- to UR. Shellos' niche as an either physical or special wall with mirror coat or counter is no where near as useful with how common Toxic is, and how common offensive Grass- and Electric-type wallbreakers are.
- C- to UR. Stunky isn't worth using any more as its niche as a Poison-type which is immune to Psychic isn't enough for it to be worth using. There are better Pokemon to handle Psychic-types which have better stats and better utility.
Starting from the bottom of the VR, gonna make some noms
to C-/UR
Not sure if it really has a sizable niche anymore. it isn't unviable, which is why i think maybe C- is better but i can understand URing it to C+
I've seen this get more usage and, while i haven't used it myself, it isn't awful. can probably get bumped up to B
I really like Rosealia right now. With Spikes/TSpikes/Powder/Leaf Storm it can do a lot of damage and it's typing is pretty decent, letting it sponge TSpikes and Grass is good offensively (mostly). to UR
I don’t care what yall gotta say but this mon is bad. We have to come to terms with that and finally unrank it (maybe) to C+
I'm unimpressed with Krok and I'm not sure Scarf is really that good, but I don't feel too strongly about it's position on the VR either way to B-/C+
Combusken is bad why is it still this high
Alright after playing through the research weeks, I finally feel confident in nomming down a couple of these Pokemon since I don't feel their defined niches are solid enough to keep them where they are.
C to UR. Natu has been on the decline ever since the release of the crown tundra and has been a mon that has been overlooked due to the top heavy nature of the metagame and merely assumed that it retained a similar viability as in the DLC 1 metagame. Unfortunately, this hasn't been true and Natu feels extremely difficult to justify over Hattrem as a Magic Bounce user. Its matchup into common Stealth Rock users is a lot worse as its Flying-type is a detriment against Piloswine as well as making it super weak if Stealth Rock do go up. Additionally it is more frail in comparison and any utility it does have such as Teleport and Future Sight are better done by Psychic-types like Slowpoke and Duosion respectively. Overall, despite the role compression that Natu offers being somewhat appealing, there hasn't been a case where I've found myself thinking it'd be the best option on a team, since other Pokemon manage to offer better utility overall.
C to UR. Another unfortunate case where a Pokemon is largely outclassed by other Pokemon which share one of its typings. Defensively Grass-types such as Tangela and Ferroseed are better, especially cause they actually resist Electric-type attacks, while Flying-types such as a Golbat and Vullaby are far more reliable and can wall significantly more Pokemon. While I haven't experimented as much with offensive sets, I have to say that what I've seen was very lacklustre. It's unique typing may pose a problem for some teams to switch around its moves, but having glaring type weaknesses, as well as being pretty slow leaves it vulnerable to being revenge killed, even when it has prio in the form of Sucker Punch. If I really wanted a Swords Dance Flying-type I'd probably just use Linda, and that isn't even ranked, so I think it's best to keep Dartrix off the VR for now at least.
Double posting cause I completely forgot about the sun package which is severely underranked right now.
Nomming both Vulpix and Ivysaur from B+ to A
Despite how strong sun has been for a while, these two have somehow been overlooked, with even myself ranking these quite low in the previous VR update. Ivysaur has been an absolute terror in No Titans and with such success, there has been a lot more talk and usage of Sun in the standard metagame. Even with the presence of Golbat being on so many teams, Sun and Ivysaur still manage to be so consistent at breaking past teams. The coverage of Solar Beam and Weather Ball in Sun is able to break past most teams after a Growth boost, which frees up the fourth slot for a variety of options such as Sludge Bomb, Sleep Powder, and Knock Off with each letting it bypass some of its would-be checks, or crippling them for other checks. Ivysaur itself is quite bulky, so it can make good use of some of these defensive options as well like Synthesis, which bolsters its ability to setup on the more passive of Pokemon and lets it heal up more against expected priority moves when in Sun. Nomming Vulpix up here as well, because in most cases I believe that the setter and the best abuser are deserving of the same rank. Vulpix outside of Drought does have some nice utility to further facilitate Ivysaur's ability to setup and sweep.
Whirlipede 
Fletchinder 
Vulpix-Alola 
Archen 
Mudbray 
Shellos 
Stunky - UR > C+: Same as my previous nom, but now that it checks Gmime on top of a meta that also favors heavy tpsikes use makes it just as good as before. Oh Stunky, I was so niave to UR you, plz forgive me! ;-;)7
B to B+/A-
B+ to wherever Vulpix is at the end of the next slate, drop or rise
B- to B+
B+ to B
B- to lower idk C I guess
C+ to UR - Haven't seen this in months, I guess it's supposed to Hone Claws but I'm really not seeing it. Wouldn't be terribly opposed to it remaining ranked if I can get a reason for it, but nobody really seems to have used it in a while.
