NFE NFE Resources v2

[Shing]

NFE Noms because I've been wanting to talk about it for a while. I'm liking this meta a lot by far if you compare it with the Mime-Galar meta. The meta has been way much bulkier and kinda slower, which may affect my rankings on some of the noms. There aren't many complaints I have to talk about, and I would rather reflect my thoughts on mons n such. Meta's cool otherwise.

Rises

A -> A+/S
A lot of points from my previous post could work right now, but I'll just say Duosion benefits really well from the Mime-Galar ban. Future Sight Duosion is still difficult to handle for most teams. It has extremely insane synergy for both defensive and offensive teams/mons, and the counterplay is still disgustingly flawed. NFEPL has shown a higher usage of dark types in a lot of teams, utilizing moves such as Protect and Sub to combat Future Sight Duosion. However, those fall down flat if one of their teammates has Whirlwind/Roar, which goes through Subs and Protects which gives you an RNG chance to hurt whatever the next pokemon that's forced in the field. Sometimes it can cost your game because I get a good switch-in roll. There's also some good mons that can learn those moves, most noticeable Golbat, Piloswine, and Vullaby. Duosion can also just add toxic on their set as a way to punish dark types switching in. It doesn't help that most psychic, dark, and steel types lack the number of mons that are good. Those mons that are used in these are also forced to run subpar sets, just because the existence of Future Sight combined with an attack from various wallbreakers is difficult to stop.

Speaking of sets, Duosion is also vastly underdeveloped and there's still a lot to do with this mon if it continues to be in the meta. NFEPL has shown that Duosion can use a variety of different sets that have been seen success, making it very flexible to use with both Regen/Magic Guard. I think Duosion is like 4th or 5th best mon, A+ at worst, and can be argued to be in S tier. It has those issues to switch in against offensive matchups and the bulk isn't perfect, but really I don't think they're an issue at all and very manageable to play around which is why it could be with Golbat, Tangela, and Electabuzz.


A -> A+
The best defogger in the game IMO and has a very appreciated bulk that is appreciated for a lot of teams. It has this weird offense presence where it's only a handful of pokemon that could switch in, and it'll be extremely tough to get rid of Gurdurr if your counter/check is gone. They can also run whatever on the 4th slot for their checks/target, and Bulk Up Gurdurr can be extremely difficult to handle as an endgame mon with the right support. Gurdurr does have a noticeable 4-move Syndrome though as picking a move in the 4th slot leaves you open to a lot of different pokemon regardless of what move you're picking, and a lot of good teams have good cores to keep Gurdurr in check. Solid pokemon otherwise though that likes to be in bulky teams that love progression while being able to check a lot of prominent threats.


A -> A+
A bruh momentum mon because that mon can destroy a lot of teams if your team isn't able to check it or unable to revenge kill it. Banded Raboot lacks a lot of consistent counterplay since there are so few defensive mons that can switch in, and most checks without Eviolite do not become
checks anymore. Doesn't help that it has a u-turn, which makes it a hit n run Pokemon and forms a solid volt-flip-turn core. Coupled with a great speed tier, libero, and amazing coverage, that mon is very difficult to get hits on and people usually rely on hazard and prevent it from having opportunities to switch in. Still feels like due to its offense presence, I can agree it can be in A+. Other sets such as boots with taunt and Acrobatics Raboot can be also good in their own right, although the threat itself is the banded rabbit.


B+ -> A-/A
Unlike Golbat, it doesn't get crippled by Sleep Powder and it's not afraid of Duosion. Mons deserves a raise for having a very appreciated typing to handle against Future Sight while being a reliable Tangela switch-in. It's also a solid defogger, and depending on the set it can 1v1 Piloswine, unlike Golbat where their typing isn't safe from Piloswine even after roost. It's also a solid Knock Offer, and slow pivots are very appreciated for wall-breakers that have a hard time switching in. Poison status, SR weakness, and being slow and passive are still problems it has, but it's extremely solid otherwise. Definitely can see it in A with a lot of teams appreciating its defensive typing and utility.


A- -> A
Can difference itself from Piloswine by handling far better against Electabuzz and Magmar. Rest/Talk Marshtomp makes it a tough Pokemon to kill, and can somewhat act as a win-con in the endgame. It can't throw much shit against the others and mildly just annoy them at best, especially Rest/Talk set. But the typing itself with rocks support, tough to take down, and good enough recovery is very much appreciated by defensive teams or mons that just want to gatekeep Electabuzz and Magmar. Also helps that there is fewer Hattrems atm so it'll more than likely get free rocks.


B+ -> A-
Toxic Spikes is kinda insane in that way it can win games if the opponent has no good ways to stop it, and Koffing is the prime example of why it's so good. Annoys all defoggers in 1v1, and can deal with spinners with like toxic w toxic spikes as an option. As a mon itself, it's a solid physdef mon and it can check prominent physical attackers such as Gurdurr, Thwackey, and Raboot, etc. It's a solid Knock Absorber, and running with theif lets it steal your opposing opponent's Eviolite which makes it very tricky to switch. Lastly its ability 'Neutralizing Gas' has been very useful for invalidating abilities besides guts and magic bounce, kinda being a better physical check against hustle mons and can prevent mons that rely on regenerator from getting recovery. Definitely deserves a rise for its centralizing tools.


B- -> B+/A-
I picked this pokemon in w3 as a response towards Koffing's Toxic Spikes, Electabuzz, and Sleep Powder Tangela in early NFEPL weeks. And I'll say, this pokemon rocks as hell. Unlike Ferroseed, it's not as passive due to stronger stab moves and more flexible recovery in comparison. It can also handle against Tangela and Electabuzz by far better both offensive and defensive with spikes support too. Golbat with Ferroseed/Hattrem used to be gatekeep Roselia from being relevant in two periods. But seeing less of Ferroseed and Hattrem due to meta itself does not favour them is something Roselia appreciates. Roselia can opt for Sleep Powder/Stun Spore to cripple Golbat, a similar idea that Tangela does against switch-ins Golbat. Although adding status is sacrificial if you're willing to run with a single attack move, which can work with the right team. NFEPL has also shown a high spark of Roselia usage later in weeks having high success for teams with Roselia. I think it deserves a raise as it's definitely a viable pokemon right now. Even if Ferroseed/Hattrem could be common again in this meta, I'd still think Roselia is viable for these qualities that no one else has right now.


B- -> B
Almost outclassed by Piloswine and Marshtomp, but has some decent strengths that differentiate themself from the other. Such as having a faster speed tier so it can check some mons that they can't do, and specifically has Roar which really cores well with Duosion's Future Sight, and can somewhat help against Electabuzz if you want to get a future sight chip on it or force it in an uncomfortable position. Those qualities alone are why I think Gabite could get a small rise, and having other volt blockers with different purposes is good enough for me.


B -> B+
Dragon Offense has been underappreciated for a good while, and OMPL + NFEPL has shown how effective it can be. Banded Fraxure is a perfect abuser for teams that don't have a fairy(Clefairy) or steel types(Ferroseed), which a lot of teams don't cover. Fraxure could struggle against fat teams with Tangela and teams that can easily revenge kill it back, but this mon is neat as a wall-breaker otherwise.


C- -> B-
Been trying it out after seeing ho3n using it a while + vs arctic, and ngl this mon kinda heat. Offensive mon that could clean up Gurdurr and non Eviolite Golbat at the same time. Even if it's mostly only used in HO with Thwackey, it can surprisingly be a deadly endgame mon that could clean up if your team has been weakened. It's still hella weak though even after a cm though so I wouldn't want to rank it higher. But it does have a niche that works so it deserves a raise.


Drops

S -> A+
I'll just be quick to say that a lot of my points on my previous VR nom post still work in here, but I think Electabuzz is more manageable right now. The meta became much bulkier and in process, I believe Electabuzz was also affected by it. It's still the best pokemon for speed control and keeping a check on a lot of important pokemon both defense and offense ofc. So if it's S it's fine, but I don't think it does have the impact over Golbat, Tangela, Piloswine, and Duosion. It's definitely a pokemon people have to be aware of, but you have a lot of different ways to check this pokemon compared to the mon mentioned above. That's why I still think it's A+ even if it's more common nowadays.


A+ -> A-
Explained my previous post that's still relevant enough atm. I'll just add some comments that it's a decent mon that can stop whirlwind/roar mons, handles Golbat's sets like a boss, and can somewhat block Future Sight against Piloswine and maybe Gurdurr? Otherwise, this pokemon is pretty difficult for me to put in unless I really need a Ferroseed counter or some healing wish clutch. But I wouldn't say it's unviable and with Roselia getting picked up, I can see it getting more common. However atm it's nowhere A+ or A and I could likely see it fall down unless the meta changes to their favor.


A -> A- (?, take this a grain of salt with this one)
Probably either this or the Electabuzz one is my most controversial take right now lol. With that said I find Ferroseed extremely difficult to fit many types of bulky teams, and sometimes I feel like it's just frustrating to build with this mon. You would want to use Spikes and Knock Off to make it difficult to switch in, but then you'll need leed seed as a way to get recovery. My problem kinda lies down that you're forced to use a move and you're usually left open. Protect is the best option as you'll get more leed seed recovery, but also you're able to tank a Future Sight while not worrying about an abuser that will abuse Ferroseed at that position. My problem with the set is that you're wide open against mons that could set up on it, e.g Sub Wartortle, CM Clefairy. And it doesn't help against teams that have roar/whirlwind because you can't literally pressure them. And if you're not using protect, then you're wide open to Gurdurr, and Fire Offense. Ferroseed's strength is that it's frustrating to switch in which would make it up for its passive nature, but there has been a lot of different teams that are able to play around such as Koffing, Tangela/Mareanie core, Seismic Toss Wartortle, etc. My point is that Ferroseed does not feel as comfortable switching in against a good amount of matchups since a lot of teams have been prepared to wear it down and it has some difficulty fitting in teams. But it's not a bad mon since it's arguable the best spiker in the game, and with Roselia rosing in popularity I could see this pokemon getting picked up again. I could see this being in A tier, but atm I think it's disappointing and lowkey that's good for me. The worse this pokemon is, the better I'll enjoy the meta.


B+ -> B-
No good synergy to most teams, and having a flying type that isn't defensive is tough as hell. The Sub BU setup can be deadly against a good mu, and there aren't many mons that are comfortable to switch in a CB Brave Bird, but at that point, you'll have to question yourself how many mons will you really get a kill off? Especially with rocks chip and recoil damage, Rufflet is easily suspectable to get revenge killed or worn itself down enough that it can't do anything next time. The only reason why I would add it in the VR is that Rufflet abuses flying offense which is a good offense in theory. Still really hard to build a team around anyway so I can't see it in B+ bc of it.


B -> B-/C+
Knock + Sleep Powder + Tspikes absorb are one of the few niches it has going for right now over other grass mons. It's also the best sun abuser, but the problem with that is that sun teams are very MU fishy and difficult to build nowadays. Otherwise, the niches it has don't feel that much worth right now. I don't think it's a UR mon by all means, but it goes all downhill from here tbh.


B- -> C+/C
Inferior Nasty Plot set-up compared to Morgrem due to its rock weakness and it's really slow af. Defog kinda sucks and the only niches it has is checking Gurdurr, Thwackey, and maybe a cleric? But there's are so many other pokemon that perform the roles by far better than Togetic does right now. I can see this pokemon in UR eventually.


B- -> C/C-
Krokorok feels only good as a HO lead, but even then I'd rather use other leads mon than this one. I can see it still being used for a specific reason, but the lack of Hattrem and more teams are designed in a way that it creates a side effect where Krokorok's sets fail in practice. I think it'll be in UR eventually.


UR Noms

-> B/B+
It's a legitimate specially defensive pokemon that can keep a check on Magmar, Electabuzz, and Wartortle at the same time. Unlike other volt blockers, you have the option to act as a pivot and a cleric. I want to mention that in the meta where status spamming is extremely good, having a cleric could be good to teams and cores that are vulnerable to toxic such as Piloswine x Duosion. I do also think it has surprisingly very good synergy for a lot of teams just due to its valuable typing, ability, and utility that no one else has. It does come with some major flaws though which is why I wouldn't rank it higher than I've right now. Chinchou is very lackluster at attacking back due to its 56 SpAtk, so there's a lot more pokemon that can rather switch in with ease despite the amazing coverage it has. It does also get worn down since 75/38/56 aren't that amazing bulk and it lacks recovery. Unless you're forcing yourself to use Rest/Talk set, which does feel like it limits chinchou and leaves you more open for pokemon switching in. This pokemon is able to tank very well, but it can't really hurt anyone else's back is what this pokemon is in a nutshell.

Here's a replay I'm using Chinchou as an example and I'll link a set and some details with it if anyone wants a reference on Chinchou itself.
Special thanks to Rav3 for allowing me to post the replay.

Set

Chinchou @ Eviolite
Ability: Volt Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Heal Bell / Scald / Toxic
- Rest / Scald
- Sleep Talk / Toxic / Protect

Volt Switch is mandatory for pivoting. Heal Bell if your teams are vulnerable to status spam, Scald if you want to fish for burns, and prevent Piloswine from having a free switch-in. Toxic punishes easy grass/ground switch-ins and cores decently with Volt Switch since Chinchou outspeeds most common toxic immunity mons.
Rest and Sleep Talk are mandatory with each other, and it helps Chinchou's issue from getting worn down. Heal Bell can also help it from waking up earlier. If you don't want to use rest/talk then scald on the third slot is good too. 4th slot can be w/e, but I find Toxic and Protect are the best ones.

There are some ways to customize Chinchou to handle specific targets better. Such as adding Tbolt to counter Wartortle completely, or adding Ice Beam on Chinchou with 12 Sp.Atk EVs to 2HKO Non-Eviolite, slow Tangela for example. Otherwise, I wouldn't recommend offensive Chinchou since it appreciates all the bulk it needs.

-> B-
Just wanted to mention it again, and explained it from the previous post. I'll only add some comments that psychic offense looks really good right now and both sash and LO can work. Sadly this mon dies to literally anything so B- since it's unable to switch in against everything, but otherwise it's a very solid revenge killer.


-> B Ho3n explained it well, but I'd rather rank it in B-tier mon since you can really only use it against Duosion and it has some competition against other dark types even if the roles are different.

 

[S1nn0hC0nfirm3d]

VR Update:

Copy of the sheet for votes

Rises

> A+: Future Sight meta babyyyyyyy

> A+: Arguably the best offensive mon in the meta with near-broken levels of wallbreaking and stallbreaking.

> A-: Toxic Spikes reign supreme. We're also in a state of the meta where having a Knock Off absorber with Thief is pretty relevant and Koffing is one of the best for this role as well.

> A-: Combining the roles of a Future Sight switch-in + revenge killer in one, Galarian Linoone is an extremely relevant teambuilding option that also puts in a ton of work in-game.

> A: Thee Dark-type to use, great special wall, more variability discovered during NFEPL, and a meta-defining staple.

> B+: Great wallbreaker and decent variability. Teams don't always run a good Fairy- or Steel-type to tank its STAB attacks so it often gets away with cleaning under easy scenarios for it.

> B: More variability with the advent of Choice Scarf sets and a typing that, like Marshtomp, is increasingly more relevant.

> B: Personally, I'm not too sure why bad Gurdurr rose, but if I had to guess it would be because of stallbreaking sets, as seen here with Dynamic Punch + Substitute + Encore / Bulk Up being an interesting niche. It's probs ok here along with Future Sight as well.

> A-: Spikes and Toxic Spikes are really good, so is walling Tangela + Electabuzz.

> B-: Meta trends and set revelations make this thing more relevant.

> B: See my VR post above.

> C: Not much changed, just more of the community is considering it as a legit threat at times.

> B-: Mini Kadabra does things. Wow!

> B+: Future Sight meta, huge use for an UR mon, good performance in NFEPL.

> B-: Interesting defensive pick but still a step away from relevancy.

> C-: Just barely noticeable / viable for its niche.

> C: Rev up those Shell Smashes because I sure am hungry to KO Mareanie!

> C: Won a game or two in NFEPL, not a bad anti-meta NP sweeper.

Drops

> A+: There's more counters being used and its hard to sweep / rely on Focus Blast. Adaptations like Thief and RestTalk sets goes to show that there's still a lot of variability but it's an adaption to deal with all its hard-stops; the rise of Duosion.

> A: Still very relevant but hazards are winning out more than the prevention / removal nowadays. Also, there's a huge rise in Dark-types + Duosion so it's relevance is getting sidelined.

> A-: It's very hard for this to sweep when the two S-tiers hard wall it, and even its Knock Off and pivoting support isn't that much different than Tangela. Flame Body Magmar is a huge issue for it as well, and there's a ton of competition for offensive pivots too.

> B: Rufflet is a little awkward and unreliable to build around and doesn't see that much use anymore. There's more reliable, popular wallbreakers or stallbreakers to choose from, and they usually offer more typing or stat wise too.

> B: Stallbreaker Magmar is capable of removing Slowpoke relatively easily once it's trapped, so if you can lose to one of the most prominent Fire-types in the metagame, isn't that a big concern? Otherwise, the general nerf to competing Psychic-types applies here as well.

> C: Sees little use and it's just awkward. Long gone are the days where PikaBoot ran NFE and its remaining niches, like paralyzing Magmar, aren't that stellar to begin with.

> B-: Sweeping sets have to deal with all the offensive Fire-types, Haze Mareanie, Whirlpool Galarian Corsola, Gurdurr, Marshtomp, and more to the point where it's better to run a more reliable cleaner. Also, the offensive Psychic-type that replaced Kadabra ended up being Duosion, and Klang is by no means a Future Sight answer so any defensive set lacks purpose, especially over Ferroseed.

> C+: Glaring competition with better, more competent Dark- and Ground-types.

> C+: Bad recent performances.

> C-: Better Ground-types + drops like with Electabuzz's drop.

:sandygeist: > UR: No descendible reason to use these. Pory also lost in the NFEPL finals of all places. Sad!

 

[Antares]

make charjabug great again

 

[hayedenn]

post omwc vr noms

A+ -> S
More and more Piloswine is showing itself to be THE Pokemon to beat in NFE. It's breaking ability, even with minimal attack investment, is still incredible (especially if u spread some Knocks) and it's incredibly meta-defining. I've never understood why this wasn't put in S-rank, and I think now especially it should be recognized as a top-dog Pokemon

A+ -> A
With the rise in Vullaby usage, Duosion is less good than it used to be. Future Sight isn't as strong as it used to be and people who use Duosion as a splashable spdef wall are being punished more for it. It's still absolutely needed to be prepped for, but it's not as omnipresent and powerful as it once was.

A -> A-
Similar to Duosion, the rise in Vullaby usage makes this less good. Still really solid, just harder to use

B- -> C+
I feel very strongly, the more I try to use it, that Klang is bad. Very bad. It SEEMS like it should be decent, but none of its sets really make progress versus....anything? It may just require more experimentation, but despite Klang having great defensive utility, it just doesn't seem very good at all

A- -> A
Clef is back on the rise, with physdef becoming more splashable and Covet sets being very solid right now. I really love Clef as an alternative to Duosion as well, with its access to Knock and Covet making it a solid support pick. Wish is a great alternative as well, and I've used it to good effect myself.

This post was pretty short, I don't think the meta has developed a ton since the last update. I may make a post showcasing some of the teams I used this OMWC so stay tuned for that :)

 

[Shing]

OMWC's finished so I think it's a good time to post some personal noms and drops. Maybe I'll post something at the metagame discussion thread because from NFEPL to OMWC, there was a lot of stuff that went through there imo.

Rises

A+ -> S
I don't like to talk too much about this pokemon in NFE even if I like it on everything else, but I've to admit its impact wise atm. It's such a soft check to literally almost anything defensively and offensive. This pokemon has definitely centralized from the building teams aspect, and then dealing with it in a match. The meta has had its couple of adaptations such as cores such as ground/ice immunity while being faster than Piloswine, or use the infamous Flying mon w/ Defog and Wartortle Spin core, or try to prevent it from getting in the field. But Piloswine has proved to be able to adapt those counterplays extremely well, and you just can't stop from its progression in long term, since you can't wall this pokemon forever and he will be able to force kills in one way or another. Coupled it with being one of few that can block volt switch, be a soft check to fire moves thanks to thick fat, and has extremely good speed control it's no wonder a lot of teams have Piloswine in them. Who wouldn't want a pokemon with such defensive qualities while being able to act as a wallbreaker that's difficult to stop? I am always hesitant to put Piloswine in S-Rank, but I think I can accept it right now. It has been on the majority of the teams with great success in recent times. Also fast Piloswine(160 ish) is way superior to slower Piloswine. Outspeeding, and clean up without getting hit >>> hit and tank imo.

A+ -> S
Duosion and Marshtomp have been a decline atm, and I feel like Electabuzz's insane progressive strength will be more than relevant than ever without worrying too much about these two. Electabuzz hasn't had many changes besides running with seismic toss and rest/talk set to give it more longevity, but it's not that much important as what it has before is already excellent on its own. I feel like Electabuzz will be in more teams eventually so seeing it in S rank wouldn't surprise me too much since it's such a stable mon that fits in a lot of teams while every team needs to be aware of its presence. It's not needed right now, but I think Electabuzz could be S rank again(or not since the meta is still not solved).

A -> A+
- One of few switch-ins and checks on Fire types
- Arguably the only hazard removal that's able to force Koffing w/ T spikes out with ease
- Able to force out Piloswine and remove the rocks or set it up
- Has an insane synergy on the majority of playstyles and builds due to its typing coupled with good bulk and utility, as being a solid sweeper.
- Highest Usage in OMWC, and having an insane amount of success, most noticeable the finalists ran Wartortle on every team.
Easily A+ and it'll require the meta itself to add new or ban some threats to make Wartortle worse rn imo. Wartortle does have the obvious counterplay that could be developed more, but Wartortle can't be A with those stats and the qualities that a lot of teams just need nowadays.

A- -> A
I kinda like this pokemon right now tbh. There aren't that many teams that have been using their coverage to handle Clefairy, so it doesn't get too overwhelmed by offense. Coupled with that it has a lot of excellent defensive synergy, this pokemon is legit and doesn't feel as inconsistent it used to be before. Also being able to tank physical hits while taking hits from electabuzz at the same time is something only a few pokemon can do at the moment. Clefairy's utility is what it shines for me to rank it up. Wish pass is excellent for defensive teams and is good against F-Sight teams without needing to rely on dark types/mons with Protect, decent at being an endgame sweeper, and can act as a rocker. But IMO it's best at acting as a solid knock absorber, as it's able to steal the opponent's Eviolite and keep it. One of the biggest issues I had with Clefairy was that it felt like fodder if you somehow lost eviolite, but the new adaptation let it keep it by stealing the opponent's eviolite. The 4th slot is flexible enough with the sheer utility it provides. From crippling with status, prevent them from setting up or acting another wish pass without feeling too passive at the same time. I'll link the set below as a good example.

Clefairy @ Eviolite
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Seismic Toss / Moonblast
- Soft-Boiled
- Trick
- Thunder Wave / Toxic / Wish / Encore

Designed to take hits from such mons like Piloswine and Electabuzz, and act as a knock absorber against Gurdurr, Ferroseed, Vullaby, Linoone-Galar, etc. This set was shown at OMWC Semis, PD vs Lepton and it inspired me to try it out and optimize it myself. So credit goes to Lepton and Beauts for showcasing it in a tournament match.
In a meta where majorities use Eviolite as their item, Clefairy can find many situations to steal an Eviolite and creates pressure for the opposing team just the threat of trick and status alone. But yeah I think Clefairy is in a good state right now and fits in various types of teams and creates a little more breathe and variety in teambuilding.

B- -> B ?
I think Lairon has some valuable anti-meta niche that should be looked upon more. It's one of few pokemon that can punish the infamous Golbat/Vullaby defog x Wartortle spin core by the sheer typing and coverage, and unlike Piloswine it can't be cheesed by the toxic stall. It has also valuable typing so it's not as vulnerable to hazard, but immunity to t-spikes is amazing as it is. But I wanted to rank it higher as the meta has been using less Gurdurr, Ferroseed, and maybe Tangela(even if Lairon can cover this too) and it has enough differences over Piloswine imo. And I've tested with it and it can be pretty difficult mon to switch in if you can't cover with it due to its decent speed and rock as an offensive type isn't usually covered as much. I'll link the set below if you want to see what type of sets it runs. I think it could potentially be in B+, but I think the meta is largely unexplored and it will have to be a "meta response" then. Like Lairon can be much worse if Defog Gurdurr and Hattrem become more common for example, but Defog Gurdurr has its own issues atm and Hattrem is largely uncommon right now. Also, it's the 2nd best rocker IMO.

Lairon @ Eviolite
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Head Smash
- Superpower
- Toxic
- Stealth Rock


Drops

S -> A+???
Honestly, I'm just unsure on this one. I just wanted to talk about this pokemon since I haven't seen so many people using this pokemon in recent times. Since NFEPL week 3, people have been prepared for it and it's been popping in fewer teams ever since. While the rise of Roselia and Vullaby could hurt it, I think those reasons are so minimal and I still think Tangela's strength is still absurdly good and has its uses here. Like it's not so easy to switch in and it can be active from early to end game.
I think the reason why I think it should be dropped to A+ is mainly that the meta has drastically changed and Tangela doesn't fill in roles to handle it, and it doesn't feel like a stable mon at the moment. Nowadays we're worried about Electabuzz, Fire Offense, T-spikes, Piloswine, and Wartortle which Tangela doesn't fill in most of them. Despite the strength, I feel like people have been mentally prepared against and if it's in S rank, I would find more place for it to use in my teams. But I had fewer reasons to naturally add it in my teams compared to Golbat, Piloswine, Wartortle, Electabuzz, and even Vullaby I guess?
I guess what I am trying to say is that Tangela isn't worse because there are more checks and counters, but rather because it doesn't exactly benefit so much from how the current meta works. And compared to the mons that are in S rank, or I nommed in S rank it doesn't have the flexibility to be in teams compared to those, which I am questioning if it is really a "stable mon" and deserves to be in S rank. Maybe I and many others are lazy at using Tangela and haven't explored enough with it. But at the moment, I am looking closely at Tangela's rank and even argue if it's a really top 3 pokemon right now. But hey the meta's still not solved yet and there's more to explore. So I don't think it deserves to be in S rank and I want more people to discuss Tangela's state in NFE.'


A+ to A
I know I've praised Duosion extremely well in the past months, but after NFEPL and OMWC I've slightly changed my opinion on Duosion. Besides the obvious high usage on Vullaby and running Protect on Ferroseed and Linoone-G, the meta has been adapting in various ways against Duosion. A lot of teams build in a way to make it difficult for Duosion to switch in the field, as Duosion becomes less useful if they've lost their Eviolite or get poisoned. I could also mention there are some other stuff such as Wish teams is effective strategies to take on Duosion too. But I think the biggest issue is that it doesn't have a strong typing synergy to a good amount of builds. Basically, Duosion doesn't have the best defensive synergy toward other mons, making it more difficult to fit in teams. And now it's being questioned as a Specially Defensive sponge when it can't check the most threatening special attacker aka Magmar.
Duosion is still very much a viable pokemon though. Every team has to still respect the threat of Future Sight, and I think Duosion teams could be developed and optimized more. Duosion is also extremely flexible with the sets that can work on their own rights. But in the end, Duosion has been used less and those flaws have been apparent enough for me to consider a drop from it.

A -> A-
Difficult to build teams with it, there are more mons that can handle and it's so passive af. My opinion on it hasn't changed much from the previous nom, and I'm still looking down at it. Maybe if Duosion becomes so less common I can see Hattrem work again, but otherwise, I can potentially see it in B+ at some point.

A -> A-
This pokemon is annoying to switch in, and it's good at setting up spikes. While that should sound solid enough, I think Ferroseed is just so awkward to use right now that it feels at large inconsistent. It's such a sitting duck that has a really big 4mss problem where if you want to have an attacking move, you're leaving yourself open to other things and it's difficult enough to replace any of the other moves. The best example is if you don't want to use Protect, you're leaving yourself open to future sight situations and leed seed becomes a worse move. But if you run Protect, you can't hit back and that's very easy to exploit. Not only that, but I find Ferroseed fits in a few specific types of teams, usually defensive with a lot of hazard stacking or double grass for example. Mostly because it doesn't check as much compared to Kadabra meta. Even then it's very awkward on what it wants to check since if it's physdef, then special attacks will overwhelm it, and the same thing is around especially if they lose Eviolite. While I think Ferroseed can play around all though, I think exploiting weakness has been more obvious than ever. Some of the mons it could check/counter don't feel threatened by it. For e.g Clefairy and Wartortle run Seismic toss which puts a ton of chip on it, and Roselia which can't hit back doesn't really mind whatever Ferroseed does it back and will set spikes back. Also, a lot of teams has been more prepared to prevent Ferroseed from recovering
Although I am not 100% sure about this opinion. I feel like Ferroseed teams can be optimized more, such as wish-pass teams, and its insane progressive nature isn't as invalidated as I claim to. I just think it's not A since it feels so inconsistent and I find it so hard to give a reason to throw in a team where I feel like I need it or it solidifies the defensive cores. So take it as a grain of salt since I am biased towards it, but yeah Ferro is definitely not A in my eyes.


A- -> B+
Feel like we're getting back at using less Marshtomp just like in Mime-G meta. While I think Marshtomp is an amazing SpDef wall that can counter Electabuzz and Magmar STABs and its offensive coverage at ease, I find it that it's only good against that. As a rocker, it can't stop the spinners and foggers to remove the hazard. Because it's usually forced to run rest/talk to keep itself consistent against Magmar and Electabuzz, the moveset ends up very limited and therefore fits on only defensive teams, and very defensive teams have notorious had a bad track in SS NFE. It's kinda odd to think that if Marshtomp is 58% and below, it literally can't switch in buzz anymore since Seismic-toss does 29% against it LOL. I think it has a neat annoying charm for teams that appreciates the bulk to wall out special attackers while being able to spread burns via scald, which cripples the defoggers for example. Otherwise, Piloswine outclasses this pokemon in almost every category I could think of.

B+ -> B/B-
The decline of Duosion, and the increase in Clefairy make it a less effective wallbreaker, and the sub-set becomes less useful in the process. It also faces more competition against the common Vullaby and Linoone-g, which are doing their job much effectively in comparison. But I wouldn't say that hurts Zwelious too hard at the moment, but it doesn't deserve B+ at the moment.

 

[S1nn0hC0nfirm3d]

S through A rolecomp update I did: https://pokepast.es/9aed1c54b3bf3816. Rest coming soonish. VR and other resource updates soonish. For now, below should be a good resource as well.

NFE Teambuilding Guide: ​

Use this guide to get started with building in NFE. The tier is relatively centralized with bulky offense, balance, and Spikes being the dominating playstyles. This guide aims to make teambuilding a bit easier albeit formulaic, and so long as you follow the five steps and employ your own judgement, you should be fine.


1. Start off on the right Ground:

Details

Ground-types are necessary for their Electabuzz matchup and their own inherent perks like setting Stealth Rock. Blocking Volt Switch is integral; most NFE teams are relatively slow and without a Choice Scarf, nothing outspeeds Electabuzz. To let it Volt Switch freely for the chip damage and momentum is very dangerous, so having a Ground-type somewhere on your team is important to switch into Volt Switch or at least deter it. Don't get the wrong impression, though, as these examples aren't perfect. Piloswine is weak to Focus Blast and Marshtomp + Gabite cannot recover nor Sleep Talk if hit by Taunt. Still, sometimes all you need is to stop Volt Switch one turn then pivot into a wall that can tank Focus Blast to stop the momentum. There's a lot of tangential benefits for using a Ground-type as well, like how they make great Stealth Rock users. Combining a Volt Switch stopper with a Stealth Rocker is a great perk that almost no team should pass up on. Using one of these three is essential for a good NFE team.

Piloswine is the most popular Ground-type and is the poster child for bulky offense. Ground / Ice is a phenomenal offensive typing, and its good bulk + Attack lets it be a great wallbreaker of sorts, especially with Knock Off support. Piloswine also makes a great Stealth Rock user because its Ice-type attacks break Defoggers like Golbat and Vullaby. On the flip side, this centralization makes other forms of entry hazard control from Gurdurr, Hattrem, and Wartortle tough for Piloswine to deal with. Regardless, these two can be worn down easily so that Piloswine dents them with Earthquake, or it could use High Horsepower on teams that use Thwackey. It's hard to go wrong with Piloswine and there are few variations to try like a fast Choice Band set for wallbreaking or more Special Defense EVs to check Electabuzz. In general, stick with the simple bulky offense set and investment and you'll do fine.

Marshtomp is the choice for balance and stall-like playstyles. It counters two of the most prominent special attackers in the tier: Electabuzz and Magmar. Almost no other wall can achieve this, so it certainly is invaluable on defensive cores. RestTalk with Earthquake + Stealth Rock is all it needs to threaten switch-ins and force out special attackers for the long run. When Defoggers switch in on Stealth Rock, go into Electabuzz or a wallbreaker to capitalize. Avoid Knock Off hits or Electabuzz's Focus Blast will do a ton, and make sure to keep it healthy if you don't know Magmar's set, less you could be swept by Belly Drum variants if you get your HP too low. Of course that huge Grass weakness isn't something to ignore either, though it should be hard to find teammates that resist Grass. Use Marshtomp when you build with a sturdy defensive core so you have a long-term counter to Electabuzz and Magmar.

Gabite is usually an alternative to Marshtomp, running the same RestTalk set but boasting a better Speed. Its typing + Speed lets it check Lampent better, as otherwise Energy Ball would break Marshtomp. There's a few extra perks to Gabite: Rough Skin is a great ability to chip U-turn and Rapid Spin users, and it could forgo Stealth Rock to make a decent phazer with Roar. Overall, these benefits tend to be more niche than Marshtomp's superior bulk, so don't necessarily view them as interchangeable for a team. There's also a few offensive variants like Choice Scarf, but these sets are very risky to pull off + jeopardize a lot of the defensive merit for the Ground-type slot. Some teams may need Gabite's perks so don't overlook it.

2. Shoot for the stars:

Details

Golbat and Tangela are two additional necessities in teambuilding that you should consider next after picking a Ground-type. They are phenomenal defensive pivots that you simply shouldn't ignore nor go without on most teams. You can absolutely use both on a single team, though starting with one and building from there is a great idea too.

Golbat runs a multitude of sets, all with their own mix of defensive perks and utility options. The easiest to reuse and start with on new builds is a simple Defog set. Entry hazards are extremely centralizing in NFE, and as I will get to later, you likely need more than one form of removal or prevention. Golbat fits Defog very easily while still being a great defensive check to the likes of Tangela, Raboot, Gurdurr, and Thwackey. Brave Bird + Roost is all Golbat needs to beat out these threats and more, so there's also room for another attack to round out the set. Taunt is a safe pick to help against walls like Clefairy and Galarian Corsola, and stopping Tangela's Sleep Powder / Stun Spore is also important for it. U-turn also works as an option to pivot, gaining some chip damage versus an incoming Electabuzz.

Golbat's EV investment is also going to be an important decision for its overall role on the team. With only 16 Speed EVs and maximum Defensive investment, Golbat will wall Choice Band Raboot as long as it's at full health and Stealth Rock is off the field. Golbat will still outspeed some threats like Adamant Choice Band Rufflet, but the general lack of Speed investment means it can utilize a slower U-turn versus an opposing Golbat. 188+ Defense and 72 Speed still makes Golbat very bulky and it will now outspeed Lampent and Adamant Fraxure––great for revenge killing. The last notable investment benchmark would be 176 Defense and 84+ Speed. With this spread, Golbat outspeeds Adamant Thwackey, making it a consistent wallbreaker so it can avoid a strong +2 Knock Off or even a Taunt. If you run Taunt, then the extra Speed is also very important for beating an opposing Golbat so you may prevent Roost. Any extra investment would just be speed creep and not necessarily worth it as Golbat will be less of a wall and more of a stallbreaker, which are fine sets in their own right but they have different roles and moves. For the standard Defog set, the middleground investment will do you good and likely is the best investment generally.

Besides Defog, Golbat uses a ton of other moves for team-dependent purposes. A deadly set is its Mean Look trapping one. An opposing Tangela can usually afford to stay in on Golbat for a turn to hit it with Knock Off or attempt to status it, though this one turn could completely eliminate Tangela if Golbat uses Mean Look. Golbat can afford to take Tangela's attacks and whittle it down with Brave Bird. Another strong option is Whirlwind, which combines with Duosion's Future Sight for a roulette-like effect that's hard to stop. Once Future Sight is set and Douison switches into Golbat, all it needs to do is Whirlwind to force a random Pokemon to take the attack, which can prevent Dark- and Psychic-types from absorbing the Future Sight attack normally. If you're lucky, Whirlwind will draw out a vulnerable Poison- or Fighting-type like Mareanie or Gurdurr for an easy KO. Even others like Tangela and Piloswine could be in a position where they cannot afford to switch into Future Sight, making Whirlwind a highly rewarding albeit inconsistent gamble. Super Fang is great to go well with Taunt or sometimes even Substitute to make Golbat a stallbreaker; it's also a great way to punish an incoming Electabuzz and Piloswine. If there's one thing Golbat can't do, it's Knock Off, but it can at least steal an opponent’s Eviolite with Thief. Thief also is a great way for Golbat to retain its bulk, which is important given it’s a very common switch-in to Knock Off itself. There are a few other Bulk Up Gurdurr, Toxic, Poison Fang, and even Hypnosis! If it sounds like a lot, it’s because it is, but don’t get too overwhelmed; you’ll absolutely want to stick to the simple defensive Defog set for the most part. You can play around with the fourth move, but my first choice is Taunt followed by U-turn.

Tangela is the other premier physical wall that excels in NFE. Its huge physical bulk + Regenerator makes it very tough to deal with, and it’s equally punishing when trying to switch into it. Knock Off, Sludge Bomb, and Sleep Powder / Stun Spore deters every single Pokemon in the metagame in one shape or form. Get Tangela on the field as much as possible to utilize these tools as well as to trigger Regenerator recovery and you can start making meaningful progress against any defensive core. Like Golbat, it’ll check common physical attackers like Gurdurr and Thwackey, though it will also deal with a ton of the defensive metagame as well as Water- and Ground-types thanks to its phenomenal coverage. However, Tangela’s usefulness versus its counters can run dry after its already hit them with a Knock Off. Ferroseed and Roselia almost never go down to Tangela and will be punished with Spikes, and Golbat and Vullaby may struggle with status though they can status Tangela themselves and at worst lure it to stay in for a surprise KO with Golbat’s Mean Look variation. Most notably out of Tangela’s shortcomings is its poor special defense, making it easy pickings for special wallbreakers, and even neutral special attackers like Electabuzz will pressure it heavily if Tangela loses its Eviolite.

Tangela’s investment sees the most deviation given the success of its established movepool. 96 Speed EVs is the first important benchmark for outspeeding Flame Orb Gurdurr, an otherwise super powerful wallbreaker that you would want Tangela to switch into and force out. This investment will usually help with most other slower Pokemon like Piloswine, Vullaby, and Hattrem, which are all important targets for Tangela to move first versus. Stallbreaker Tangela should run at least 176 Speed EVs to outpace Adamant Choice Band Piloswine and an opposing, defensive Tangela. Offensive sets would also want to maximize their Special Attack so that Leaf Storm and Sludge Bomb will wallbreak better, and Tangela is so naturally bulky that it doesn’t need the extra investment for it to defensively check most of its threats and find switch-ins. However, if Tangela is in fact meant to act as more of a wall than a stallbreaker, then it will work great with defensive investment. Again, it doesn’t necessarily need the full defensive investment to perform well, so don’t forget at least 96 Speed Evs as well as at least 80 Special Defense EVs to make Electabuzz’s Focus Blast a guaranteed 3HKO after Stealth Rock. As far as movepool options, an important distinction is Sleep Powder over Stun Spore. The former is by far the most punishing generally, and the latter sees use on teams that want a long-term solution for debuffing walls like Golbat. Thief, Synthesis, Toxic, Leech Seed, and Growth +Sunny day sometimes see use too.

In short, use Golbat as a good start for a wall with Defogging and usually one other perk, and use Tangela to secure progress as a stallbreaking and reliable defensive pivot.

3. Get ready to Stealth Rock n Roll:

Details

Now that you have about 2 Pokemon already, the next priority for your team should be entry hazard. Stealth Rocks, Spikes, and Toxic Spikes are very centralizing, and your team shouldn’t have a glaring weakness to one over the other. You likely already have a Stealth Rock user with your Ground-type, but if you opted for Choice Band Piloswine or Roar Gabite, that’s okay there’s still a lot of options. Galarian Corsola is a phenomenal wall that sets Stealth Rock and is its own spinblocker, and Clefairy is great for a ton of utility options including fitting Stealth Rock. Ferroseed sometimes uses Stealth Rock too but it's more often a great Spikes user. It and Roselia double as Tangela counters that set Spikes once they’re in. They also are tough for Rapid Spin Wartortle to deal with because of Iron Barbs and Poison Point, respectively. Mareanie and Koffing set Toxic Spikes, and if your only Poison-type is Golbat, you ought to watch out for these two.

Defoggers are usually the most reliable form of removal. Golbat’s use was exhausted earlier, and Vullaby is another with great defensive properties that give it good Defog opportunities as well. Gurdurr fits Defog too on a more defensive variant that’s great for forcing out Piloswine, Ferroseed, and Marshtomp, but it doesn’t work that well against Roselia and Koffing. Given the Defoggers all have their shortcomings, it’s recommended to have a second form of removal or prevention as to avoid losing to entry hazard focused playstyles. Wartortle is a great choice for Rapid Spin, and its defensive set packs a ton of utility. Most notably it can switch into Piloswine and force it out while gaining momentum with Flip Turn. Hattrem is another wall that switches into virtually every entry hazard setter in the meta. Its shortcomings are its reliances: it relies on RestTalk for recovery, limiting its movepool options, and it relies on Eviolite to have a chance at walling Piloswine, meaning it can be forced out easily even on Pokemon it’s meant to switch into like Ferroseed. Magic Bounce is still such a great asset that you shouldn’t overlook it, but again, you shouldn’t rely solely on Hattrem either. Lastly, grounded Poison-types like Mareanie and Roselia are great to have to combat Toxic Spikes.

Once you have a good idea of how you’re going to both set and deal with entry hazards, there’s just one last aspect you need to cover defensively before going on to more traditional teambuilding norms: Future Sight.

4. Don't act like you didn't see this comin':

Details

Future Sight Duosion cannot be overlooked in the teambuilder, less you won’t have anything to deal with a bulky offensive threat like Piloswine and Gurdurr backed up by an extra strong Psychic-type attack. Dark-types with Protect or Substitute like Galarian Linoone, Vullaby, and Zweilous absorb Future Sight without a problem. You can also try Pokemon that resist Psychic that can run Protect, like your own Duosion or Leech Seed + Protect Ferroseed. This may seem like a small point relatively, but don’t forget one of these countermeasures.

5. Offensive Support

Details

At this point, you should have a team with a good defensive core, entry hazards, removal, and something to stop Future Sight. You should have at least one more spot for an offensive pick, which can be great for capitalizing on all of the Knock Off and Stealth Rock chip damage you’ve accumulated. Most offensive picks also have relevant resistances or utility picks in their own right so don’t ignore those as well.

Electabuzz is the fastest Pokemon in the metagame, making it the go-to revenge killer. It’s also a great sweeper once teams are weakened, and Volt Switch makes it a great pivot too. Flying- and Water-types are some of its prominent targets, and Electabuzz can switch into Golbat and even punish its attacks thanks to Static. Focus Blast is mandatory coverage for Piloswine and Ferroseed, and Eviolite + Taunt is usually a safe pick to shutdown recovery and other status moves when necessary. Heavy-Duty Boots can work as well on teams that forgo extra entry hazard removal, and an itemless Thief is one way to lure and debuff its counters like Marshtomp. Even Choice Specs sets are successful, notably using the extra coverage with Psychic to dent more targets like Roselia.

Raboot is another stellar choice that accomplishes multiple offensive roles in a single slot, albeit at the cost of defensive synergy. Libero makes its coverage hit extra strong, meaning defensive Water-types like Wartortle won’t always be a good switch-in if Raboot uses High Jump Kick. Pivoting with U-turn is another great asset that, when running Heavy-Duty Boots at least, Raboot can use over and over with little to no repercussions. Raboot can clean teams with Knock Off and Stealth Rock support; a feat made even easier if it opts for Choice Band and wallbreaks early on. If Raboot is in fact your fastest Pokemon on your team, use Sucker Punch so you have a revenge killer versus Electabuzz and Dragon Dance Fraxure. Sucker Punch generally works best here, but Assurance for Lampent and Double-Edge for Mareanie could also work. Sometimes sets like Choice Scarf, Bulk Up, and Grassy Seed + Acrobatics also work, but stick to the All-Out Attacker variants with Heavy-Duty Boots or sometimes Choice Band.

Magmar is arguably the most threatening wallbreaker due to the potency of multiple viable sets. Choice Specs Magar hits the hardest immediately and carries great coverage. It’s only let down by Magmar’s entry hazard weakness and limited switch-ins. These faults are improved with stallbreaking variants of Magmar that try heavy-Duty Boots, Eviolite, or No Item + Thief. Stallbreaker Magmar relies on Taunt and additional coverage options to compensate for its lack of immediate firepower. Then there’s Belly Drum Magmar, which is a deceptively dangerous sweeper that often bluffs being specially offensive to bait in special walls, only to then boost to +6 and sweep thereafter. Belly Drum Magmar is harder to pull off and not friendly to new users, but don’t forget that Magmar has this potential within it. Building a team with around Magmar as your main wallbreaker is a great idea, and many top tier teammates like Wartortle have no problem supporting it.

There are of course a ton of other offensive options to try out. Wartortle makes for arguably the best cleaner with Shell Smash, though other setup sweepers like Fraxure, Gurdurr, and Thwackey can also work. NFE also sees a ton of defensive sweepers like Calm Mind + Acid Armor Duosion and Substitute + Bulk Up Rufflet. Pivots are also great in NFE due to all the Regenerator users, the potency of entry hazards, and positioning to get in a powerful wallbreaker. Slower ones like Charjabug and Slowpoke have their niches for Sticky Web and Teleport, while faster ones like Thwackey, Galarian Linoone, and Mienfoo combo Knock Off + pivoting for good offensive utility. Other wallbreakers you can try and support include Lampent, Choice Specs Gastly, Choice Band Lairon, and Life Orb Abra. Alternative stallbreakers like Machoke and Ivysaur also see some use.

Review Checklist:

1. Ground-type
2. Golbat and / or Tangela
3. Entry hazards:
   1. If Defog Golbat, consider an additional remover or prevention like Defog Gurdurr, Rapid Spin Wartortle, or Hattrem
   2. If not, use 1-2 removers / preventers
   3. Finish supporting your core with a defensive Stealth Rock / Spike user.
4. Future Sight check
   1. At this point, you should have 3-5 mons that complete the defensive portion of your team. The Future Sight check can be an offensive option like Galarian Linoone or Zweilous if the team is sturdy enough defensively already, but if it isn't, usually Duosion, Vullaby, or Ferroseed would help.
5. Offensive support
   1. Could be 1-3 offensive Pokemon or utility pivots that help out the other wallbreakers / sweepers.
   2. Use Eelctabuzz if the team is weak to Golbat, Fire-types if the team is otherwise passive against Tangela, ect.

And thats it. Always try your team out, and don't forget simple basics like type synergy still applies here.

 

[Dr. Phd. BJ]

Some personal noms from nfe open, I am far from the most qualified to make noms so feel free to disagree :)

Rises
A -> A+
Wartortle is the best spinner in the tier, and it is also one of the best win cons thanks to Shell Smash. Defensive variants can check a few of the meta's biggest threats, most notably opposing Wartortle, Magmar, Raboot, and Piloswine to an extent. Defensive sets also aren't too passive, thanks to the tools such as Toxic, Flip Turn, Scald, and Seismic Toss. Shell Smash sets are also very potent and are frequently paired with lures that can dent its checks, most notably Magmar and Tangela. This mon is very splashable and fits on seemingly every team.

A- -> A
The speed tier is amazing and both stabs are unresisted in nfe. Galar-Linoone is a great lead, and will almost always knock off something. Parting Shot is a really nice tool that allows for for teammates to take less damage from attacks. This is helpful in many interactions, for example clicking Parting Shot on Piloswine allows for teammates to come in much more comfortably, which almost always prevents Piloswine from keeping hazards up on Galar-Linoone. Parting Shot helps a lot late game as well, since mons oftentimes lose their Eviolite in games. Double-Edge hits deceptively hard, and Galar-Linoone can run Facade, Thunder Wave, Protect, Switcheroo, and Taunt as a 4th move effectively depending on the team. To top it all off, Galar-Linoone has excellent synergy with Golbat. The sprite of this mon makes it look as if it's going to party in every game it's in, and I think that's a good way of decsribing Galar-Linoone gameplay.

A- -> A

The later stages of nfe open showcased why Roselia is so good. Spikes are great in every tier, and nfe is no exception. Roselia is the best Tangela check in the tier, and its ability to spread status annoys teams that don't have Ferroseed. Sleep Powder and Stun Spore allow Roselia to keep up spikes against Defoggers such as Golbat, thanks to sleep and paralysis just needing to trigger on one turn in most cases to keep hazards up. While Vullaby does run Overcoat, Vullaby doesn't usually run a move to hit Roselia. This just leads to Roselia setting up a hazard after getting Knocked. Poison Point is very helpful for punishing defensive Wartortle, Vullaby, Tangela, and even Seismic Toss Electabuzz. Some teams also just randomly don't have a good Sludge Bomb switchin, which I find funny. Roselia just consistently keeps up Spikes and checks common mons such as Electabuzz, Wartortle, Koffing, and Thwackey with consistency.

B+ -> A-
Okay there is definitely some bias here, but I think Fraxure is deadly in the current meta. I used this mon a ton throughout open, and it almost felt like a one kill min sort of deal. I think many common archetypes kinda just have to sac something due to the lack of good steels (Ferroseed only one ranked above B) and fairies (Clefairy only one above B-). Choice Band Fraxure offers immediate power, SD can allow Fraxure to break without locking into a move, and Dragon Dance can occasionally pull off a sweep. The coverage is deceptively good, with Superpower, Poison Jab, and First Impression all being solid fillers. Resisting Electabuzz, Magmar, Wartortle, and Thwackey's stab options allow for Fraxure to get free turns vs some offensive mons despite the lack of natural bulk. Not much else to say, Outrage go brrrrrrr.

Drops
A+ -> A
Future Sight sets are still good, and Trick sets are fun to test with. Duosion checks most special attackers in the tier, including but not limited to Wartortle, Electabuzz, Koffing, and Roselia. The reason this mon is dropping is mainly due to the influx of dark type usage in the tier (Galar-Linoone, Vullaby and Zweilous) and specs Magmar being able to break Duosion. Duosion often has to drop one of Future Sight/Shadow Ball/Psychic/Recover/Toxic. Non Shadow Ball variants lose to Hattrem, non Psychic variants can't immediately threaten out mons such as Gurdurr and Roselia, non Toxic variants struggle to handle the dark types in the tier, and dropping Future Sight is dropping Future Sight. Duosion is still really good, but 4mss and meta trends prevent it from being a top 5 mon in the meta.

A -> A-
This mon is insanely passive, and invites in Vullaby to get a free Knock/U-turn. Relying on Sleep Talk also stinks, and it can be hard to burn sleep turns without just losing momentum. Anytime this mon gets to 50%ish, it has to click Rest. Hattrem can force the opponent to approach the hazard game differently, and check Golbat. Asides that, this mon is a sitting duck and is begging to drain all of your momentum throughout the course of a game. Healing Wish sets are kinda cool, but I don't think that set warrants it being in A. Overall, I think the mon just kinda clicks rest and can kinda prevents hazards. To me, the turns you lose due to Rest and the underwhelming offensive presence is not worth possibly preventing hazards from going up. I think my opinion of Hattrem might differentiate from others, so I'll link a couple of replays to demonstrate 1 2

A- -> B+
I think Koffing has a niche, but the lack of speed and special bulk really stinks. Theoretically, Koffing can check Tangela nicely because of its typing and Neutralizing Gas negating Regenerator. However, Koffing just gets Knocked and Leaf Storm does way more than it should from offensive variants. The lack of reliable recovery keeps Koffing low in many games. The rises of Taunt Golbat and Roselia makes it difficult for Koffing to keep up Toxic Spikes. Koffing doesn't check enough in the current meta for me, and the mons it does check (Gurdurr, Thwackey, Raboot, defensive Tangela) all just click Knock or U-Turn and don't come away empty handed. Roselia and Mareanie have reliable recovery, check more relevant threats, and can do Koffings job better in most cases. For this reason, I think Koffing should be just a tad lower than the other poison types.

A- -> B+
Thwackey is one of the best revenge killers to Wartortle in the tier, and grassy terrain can help some teams check mons easier thanks to reliable recovery and weakening Piloswine eq. However Thwackey can't act as a breaker or sweeper the way it wants to in many games right now because of how viable its checks are. Defensively, Golbat, Vullaby, Roselia, Koffing, Galar-Corsola, Gurdurr, and Tangela can all check Thwackey. Acrobatics sets are more tricky, but there are plenty of good revenge killers including Magmar, Raboot, Galar-Linoone, Piloswine depending on terrain turns, and a few of the defensive checks listed above. Acrobatics sets are forced to run Grassy Seed, which acts as a one time defense boost. In addition, Thwackey can't check mons such as Electabuzz and Wartortle as well as it would want to without the special defense boost from eviolite. While grassy terrain can help Thwackey builds, in the same way it can hurt those teams. For example, Piloswine have to run High Horsepower because of terrain. This leads to many 3HKO and 4HKO rolls being altered (most notably on Gurdurr and Wartortle), and the slight chance to miss can occasionally sting. The opposing team can also benefit from grassy terrain healing, which can effectively give opposing Wartortle and Electabuzz more longevity, and bulkier mons such as Hattrem and Clefable extra recovery.

 

[Mirbro]

Once NFE Open has finished, I just want to drop some thoughts about the current metagame state.


Rises


A -> A+
As Dr. Phd. BJ said, this is one of the best spinners of the tier and, imo, the best wincon in balance teams. It is so good on helping dealing with Stealth Rock Piloswine and, at the same time, it checks Tortle, Magmar, and Raboot to an extent. I absolutely agree with BJ on this nomination, its versatility between defensive and offensive sets make you, in preview, stay tuned about this Pokémon. Substitute SS sets are worth mentioning too. This Pokémon has been my best ally for this Open, winning me most of the games.

Replay 1
Replay 2
Replay 3 (Defensive)
Replay 4
Replay 5


A+ -> S
Yes, this Pokémon is S tier. Choice Specs and BD sets are REALLY GOOD and they share some checks but not many of them (Tortle and Tomp, for example). Moreover, this sets can be easily weaken and then they go brrr pretty easily. However, they need good entry hazard removal in your team. But this is not difficult in a tier in which you have Vullaby and Golbat that give you momentum, bulk, Knock Off, Defog and Future Sight answer between them. Moreover, you can pair (as S1nn0hC0nfirm3d and me have been doing lately) with Wartortle, which has Rapid Spin, bulky sets can give some momentum with Flip Turn, and in offensive teams it can play as a wincon after BD Magmar has broken through the opponent's team. Magmar is S-tier but pairing it with Tortle makes the team S+ tier. Other sets with Fire Spin and Thief can also be useful.

Replay 1
Replay 2
Replay 3 (Fire Spin Magmar)
Replay 4 (Fire Spin Magmar)
Replay 5 (Thief Magmar)
Replay 6 (Thief Magmar)


B -> B+
This Pokémon has shone quite a bit lately. It is an offensive pivot with Regenerator and Knock Off. Quite useful in this balance metagame, imo. Momentum is so important right now when you have two really scary Pokémon that can come in and claim some kills or the win (Wartortle and Magmar). I have lost some games due to this, just for one bad turn in which I lost momentum. And Mienfoo can help you on this and putting some offensive pressure.


A -> A+ (?)
This I am not completely sure but I can see it happening. With the decrease of usage of Hattrem and the increase of Wartortle, this Pokémon can set up Spikes and spam Knock Off while checking quite nicely Wartortle. It is true that is a bit setup fodder for Magmar but it can run Thunder Wave and many times is paired with Marshtomp which can sponge Magmar hits. With my best teams, I have had some problems when dealing with Ferroseed right now.


Drops


A+ -> A
Duosion is still good but not that good as before due to the presence of Ferroseed, Vullaby, Galar-Linoone, and Zweilous teams. Do not get me wrong, it is a good special wall, with Regenerator, that can serve as a check for the omnipresent Electabuzz without being too passive. But it relies on Toxic surprise against Dark-type Pokémon that not always is great. I think it deserves a drop but this highly depends on the usage of its counters as it is extremely powerful against teams without Steel- and/or Dark-type Pokémon.


A -> A-
I completely agre with BJ here too, this Pokémon seems really good in paper but it does not work properly in many teams. I mean, Magic Bounce is amazing but in a tier with good answers against Duosion, Hattrem gets bullied easily. The quite omnipresent Vullaby can get in to just spam Knock Off and U-turn to enter freely a great wallbreaker. Hattrem cannot also reliably beat Piloswine, and it depends on RestTalk that is not always great. Moreover, its offensive pressure is not great with Psychic typing right now. I think BJ explained it perfectly.


A- -> B+
Again, I agree with BJ. I have been trying to build around this Pokémon (with Lairon) and I did not have good success. Maybe it is because I am bad, But it can also be due to the fact that it has many different checks and counters like Tangela, Golbat, Vullaby, Koffing, sometimes Ferroseed, among others. Really, it is helpful against some wincons such as Piloswine and Wartortle but in many other matchups it gets boned. This is not the metagame for Procrastinasian.


Other things to take into account

I partly agree with BJ about but I have not been using it a lot so I will abstain about that. is not having great times but this can change quite a bit after Duosion and Hattrem decrease in usage so who knows. is not having a good time, imo, I can see it dropping too in the foreseeable future. And, finally, can increase a good way to stop both Ebuzz and Magmar.

So that's it for the noms, I am thrilled for upcoming tours and OMPL. See you Pokémaniacs

 

[S1nn0hC0nfirm3d]

NFE Update - Copy of votes

Rises:

> S: Everyone's favorite, Pilsowine is so ubiquitous on most teams that it's a clear-cut S tier.
> S: Another super popular pick, Elctabuzz is the fastest and one of the strongest offensive choices in the meta. Checking Golbat is great and revenge killing every wallbreaker is also a perfect niche for an offensive pivot. With more Piloswine usage rather than Marshtomp, it often goes unchecked with the combination of Volt Switch + Focus Blast dealing with most switch-ins.
> A+: The utility set quickly became extremely centralizing as a perfect check to Piloswine, entry hazards, and Fire-types. The pivoting support is also a huge perk for other wallbreakers.
> A: Magic Guard is a great ability for this meta, as is Clefairy's great bulk + unlimited utility. I'd also credit this rise thanks to Clefairy being a great Stealth Rock user on teams that want to try something like Choice Band Piloswine.
> A: Roselia continues to rise as a legitimate pillar of the defensive metagame and the new go-to Spike user.
> B: Despite some inconsistencies and matchup-reliant perks, Larion rose thanks to it being an awesome wallbreaker and netting free switch-ins on most Golbat sets.

Drops:
> A+: While I personally still see Tangela as an S tier, there's some flaws in its competition with other physical walls like how Tangela brings nothing to the table regarding entry hazards + Tangela's poor special bulk means it cannot softcheck as many threats.
> A-: Hattrem attempts to do a lot and often falls short. Checking Piloswine is tough if it means Hattrem can never take a Knock Off nor get one wrong crit or flinch.
> A-: Frankly, Roselia is a better Spike user now and Ferroseed is awkward to build around.
> B+: Koffing is inconsistent at a lot that it tries to pull off, and it doesn't fit as an A-tier staple anymore.
> B: It's niche as a Future Sight absorber is still valuable, but it's too inconsistent with Hustle.
> C+: No one uses Klang anymore and its checks are extremely relevant.

We had a tie on if should rise or not, that might be resolved in the near future. A question for the next update is how we should go about the C tiers and if they need any revamping, and if we missed anything from this update that you'd like to see.

 

[Grantlbart10]

I really wished that I would have had time to compete in the NFE tournament, the viability results seems really interesting to me. This metagame so far has one of the most fun for me to play in.

 

[S1nn0hC0nfirm3d]

VR update right in time for NFEPL! We didn't have any noms so we voted on everything. Congratz to Mirbro as the newest NFE council member!

Copy of votes: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1zCl1Ab7WXtX9Syh746JZKnIvojgCcT869kayHt8BvzY/edit?usp=sharing

Rises:
A > S: We hit a point recently where a majority of teams (over 75%) in OMPL were running Vullaby; it's perfect glue. Vullaby hits some important notes as a check to Grass- and Psychic-types, a Defogger, and a defensive pivot, but really you can get away with a lot of varying coverage and EV spreads. This makes Vullaby flexible to fit on virtually any playstyle and team, so this broad teambuilding appeal and splashability makes it fit for S rank

A > A+: See my post above. Not much changed, and this rise is more of a validation of previous hype. In many ways, it's Roselia's metagame.

A > A+: The utility of Magic Guard + checking physical attackers (especially Piloswine and Raboot) is perfect for this metagame. The kicker is the new adaptation in runningTrick, which allows Clefairy to function as a fantastic switch-in versus Knock Off and keep its bulk throughout the game. The variability Clefairy has in 4th moves and sets is also a huge asset.

C > A: An almost unheard of raise, Hakamo-o's true potential is finally realized. With Golbat gone, not much can easily prevent Hakamo-o sweeps, with its typing and ability Bulletproof giving it favorable match ups on a good chunk of relevant Pokemon: walls like Tangela, Ferroseed,

A- > A: The discovery of special defense sets to check Roselia gave Hattrem a new lease on life.

A- > A: Somewhat overdue, but with Golbat and Magmar gone and not much else left to check both U-turn and Accrobatic sets, Thwacky is back in business.

B+ > A-: New Swords Dance + Scale Shot variants that forgo coverage for Taunt make for an excellent wincondition / stallbreaker, albeit the Fairy weakness still keeps Fraxure in check.

B+ > A-: Another leftover rise from the aftermath of Magmar leaving, Lampent is thee special wallbreaker / special Fire-type to use. Most cores rely on Vullaby + a Water-type to play around Lampent, which makes it very rewarding when the right plays are pulled off.

B > A-: Gabite and Marshtomp switched places, essentially. I for one took Gabite for granted, but now I realize it's just an upgrade to Marshtomp in this metagame. Both are sufficient counters to Electabuzz, but Gabite's superior speed to check Lampent and ability Rough Skin to combat Rapid Spin makes it the better choice than say a little extra bulk; Marshtomp still failed at checking physical attackers like Raboot and Fraxure so what's the point? Replace Gabite with Marshtomp on most builds and you'll see a major improvement.

B > B+: In tours, Machoke's unpredictable coverage means it can get away with a lot more than you might think. In general, Heavy Slam for Clefairy is a good niche over Gurdurr, offensively at least.

B- > B: Fighting- and Dragon-types all got raises, so there's room for NP Morgrem to get a raise, too. More so, special wallbreakers are rare and Morgrem isn't half bad at the role.

C > C+: Having one or two wins in recent tours is better than a lot of the C ranks. Additionally, NP goes in + Competitive is nice in the entry hazard focused metagame.

C > C+: See above with Gotharita. Swirlix also has a niche as a Sticky Web user... could be better than Charjabug? Time will tell.

C- >C+: As a Fire-type pivot, Torracat loses out on Raboot stat- and coverage-wise, but Intimidate is somewhat valuable. It's gotten more use as well so it shouldn't be at the bottom of the barrel


Drops:
A+ > A: No one's doubting what Wartortle is capable of, and virtually everything that warranted it to be A+ is still in affect. However, Roselia's rise in usage along with smaller factors like Gabite over Marshtomp and means it's not always gonna pull its weight.

A- > B: Switched places with Gabite. I wouldn't be surprised if Marshtomp builds are phazed out altogether pretty soon.

B+ > B: More Roselia usage means Toxic Spikes are a bit fishier than before + more competition to use Koffing in the first place.

B > B-: Poor tour performance, there's no one advocating for this things use anymore.

B > B-: Slowpoke is in many ways a sidegrade to Wartortle, but it's too passive and lacks the utility of Rapid Spin. Even with recovery, it's hard to justify / build around.

C+ > UR: Bye bye Carkol. No one uses you anymore.

C+ > UR: Bye bye Dartrix. No one uses you anymore.


Let us know what you think!

 

[ojr]

Let us know what you think!

ok then,

big 4

currently we have the big 4 imo and within the big 4 u have 2 standouts as well.
The big 4 right now are for sure and (top 2) they are super splashable and fit almost all teams and absolutely define the tier. has no business of even coming close to them. The other 2 from the top 4 are for sure and . If a team is not able of disrupting enough its simply not viable enough and 's spikes can be so oppressive due to how easy it is to use and every team NEEDS a plan vs standard spikes.
If this is not enough for you, you should just simply check the usage stats of OMPL. It is very clear cut that these 4 are a step above the rest and ESPECIALLY the top 2.

s to a mons

is a top threat but nowhere as dominant as these other guys I would drop it below the big 4 into something like A rank. assuming u rank the others S + A+ (or u could do S + S- instead and put in A+)

is rly not good in this meta at all its as good as low A or high B but it really struggles in dark bird meta.

is good but I dont think its better than a lot of A mons. Trick is very nice to get Eviolite back but in practice it will get knocked off again a couple of sequences later in a lot of games. I think is super reliant on eviolite to check mons like and for instance. So overall is amazing for sure but in practice its not as good as on paper.

is still good but its not this good for A+ anymore. We currently play in the meta and has to live with that and its very painful for our regenerator buddy. its not great at checking top threats like when compared to and also hates . we have even seen jordy try a fsight + team to combat :roselia but can just easily pivot in on it so that never works either. is just simply not that great now and almost certainly mandates support which is pretty passive. I cant see it being any higher than A-.

is nowhere near this level. As someone who has used it in the past I can assure you its nowhere near as good as the rest of A rank. It has cool defensive utility but its not quite strong enough and the speedtier is awkward too. It also struggles a lot with the vast majority of teams having ice shard priority from which it will practically always be in range of due to defense drops from CC / Scale. I would drop it to A- at best but more likely b+.

a- to b+ mons

, yea this mon is actually pretty viable now which is very cool and all but its not A rank material. There arent enough teams where its used on to actually reflect its viability as an A- rank mon. it is surely not bad to have a ground thats not weak to focus blast but its still immensely passive and very much deadweight in matchups.

only has 1 set and its specs, its good at that but for a one trick pony that still needs a lot of support I wouldnt put it in A- either.

feels kinda the same as . Its also facing very stiff competition as a dark and doesnt have many teams where i would actually want to use it over some other mon for speed control like , or .

, same as the / issue. can work on certain teams but not common enough to warrant an A ranking.

is arguably as good / bad as gabite or even worse would not put it this high either.

is performing way more consistently than what is seen in A- and scores good matchups quite often against standard stuff, surprised that its in B+.

everything below on vr feels very messy imo so i will go over it very quickly

below machoke on vr mons

--> C (webs are not great and its not even the best setter)
--> C (worse lampent with a speedtier but still worse)
--> C (im sure its decent but no1 actually uses it so i cant justify putting it this high)
--> B+ (neutgas tspikes are always good and its monstrous defense lets it check almost all phys attackers in the tier)
--> b- (kinda the argument but its actually used in some capacity)
--> c- /unrank (I really dont understand why ppl think screens are suddenly decent)
--> lower? (I dont know how to feel about but i feel like being everywhere as dark resist makes this mon harder to justify but there is headsmash ig?)
--> ur (lol has anyone actually used this in the meta)
--> ur (?)
--> ur (?)
--> higher? (this is mostly theorymonning but resttalk sg seems decent)
--> ur (?)
--> b / b+ (SD actually has a niche over and intim is always good)
--> ur (?)
--> ur (?)
--> ur (?)

also nomming , and for C
is a funny grassy terrain sweeper which i used in ompl
is good for webs and maybe some rly defensive teams but it most importantly spinblocks for webs, taunts foggers and checks the only heavy duty boots mon in the tier aka
is a good webber that beats almost all removal

 

[Mirbro]

I wanted to bring my teams and comments in the general discussion thread but it seems I will have to wait a bit longer after the UMPL, although I think many of them are already spread bc of past tours. However, I truly wanted to say something about the state of the tier right now, so I decided to take a look into VRs after OMWC. I mainly have some issues with S/A Pokemon and just a couple in high B ranks. I also ununranked one Pokemon named Fletchinder. Without further ado, let's get deep into it (in bold you will find the changes, green means rising, red going down):

S-Rank

S
For me it is still meta defining, when teambuilding you always have to take into account volt-switching issues and its ability to KO Piloswine (another S mon) with some turns coming in and out.

The big boy still stands up here. Piloswine is like Electabuzz's antagonist and their battles are the cuspid of NFE right now. Both evio and CB sets are amazingly good.

yes, imo this Pokemon deserves the S spot finally. Offensive sets, defensive sets, mixed ones... All of them are spammed in all games. Spike user that has some bulk to stop ebuzz, thwackey, but still has some offensive pressure. What else an S Pokemon needs?

Vullaby is the true glue Pokemon. Main defogger, main Roselia switch-in due to Spikes, can pivot around or Knock Off w/e, can sponge FSight shenanings... It does not opress teambuilding, but gives utility. Main issue is that is easily abusable.

A-rank Pokemon

A+
Clefairy is good and Trick/TWave/Utility gives a lot of utility with only one Pokemon. Main issue is that is also easily abusable although Trick/TWave punishes a lot of switch-ins. Because it can soft check fighting-types, Piloswine, and Raboot, it deserves this spot.

This spooky friend deserves a rise as it is incredibly good as a wall in general, it gives you rocks, and it is the main way to stop Fighting-types which are rising in usage (altogether with Clefairy). CM sets are also unique and with good results such as in OMWC finals.

This monkey needs a rise too! Thwackey is offensive utility per se. There are a ton of good sets around: SD+3 atks acroless, SD + Acro, 4atks... and even some of them run EVs in SpDef to help checking Electabuzz! Amazing.


A

Our small amoeba is good but, imo, not that good as before. Still can be around and switch to big threats such as Electabuzz, Wartortle and then F Sight but Vullaby's presence makes it difficult to pull it off (although it can run Toxic and Thunder to burst it out). Some physical sets with Trick have seen some usage lately to help stopping Piloswine and Raboot while giving some utility with Trick too. However, imo, they are not that reliable as special ones.







Our poor guy is tangled. Tangela is still good as it can switch to many physical attackers and give utility with Knock Off. However, mixed Roselia sets are outclassing it a bit, even they can run Covet to copy the Knock Off attack at some extent. Tangela is still better to check Thwackey and Piloswine, but it can still lose to them.




A-

Fraxure

Gabite

Lampent

Linoone-Galar

The name says it all. This Pokemon does not choke at all. Even though Galarian Corsola is annoying, Machoke can still pass/lure different walls in the tier. Even some sets with Sub/Encore have seen some light to lure Galarian Corsola, helping other teammates such as Piloswine and Raboot. Defensive sets with Dynamic Punch are also good enough although they have some issues against some physical attackers such as Acrobatics Thwackey.

Mareanie

B-Rank

B+
This spiky seed is falling down and down... Similar to Tangela, this Pokemon is totally outclassed as spiker by Roselia and as a wall for both Roselia and Tangela. Still it has some good things like Gyro Ball, Curse sets (they are cursed OBB), being able to set up both rocks and spikes, and Steel typing. However, it is not enough because the main issue is the lack of recovery and that it cannot pass through common walls such as Roselia or even Vullaby (it can lure them though).

Let me explain. Haka does not seem bad as Roselia cannot practically do anything against it and just wait for this to SD/DD. However, with so much Galarian Corsola, Acro Thwackey, Psychic Ebuzz, and other stuff... Haka fails to do something if the opponent's team is not highly weakened. Some sets running Fling+TR43 (I believe, Quagg) are still things to test.

Marshtomp is not that bad but I think, as a Ground-type Pokemon, it is outclassed by Gabite (-speed, -offensive pressure). However, its bulk and typing can be good in some MUs.

This is a Pokemon that I have been experimenting lately and I assure you that this works. EIt is one of the best ways to pull screens off, but beyond this, its main set is NP +3atks/NP + TWave +2 Atks. Prankster + TWave is good in some MUs, but generally you want to use it after a NP in the incoming roselia just clicking Burning Jealousy once Roselia has no Evio. It is true that you need to prepare the field, but afterwards, this guy just cleans the mess. Some sets like NP + 2 screens + Dark Pulse/Draining Kiss are things that I am experimenting and might be good too.


B
Charjabug
Gastly
Ivysaur
Koffing
Lairon
Rufflet
Zweilous

B-
Abra
Chinchou
Metang
Mienfoo
Slowpoke

C-Rank

C+
Combusken
Dwebble
Gothorita
Klang
Krokorok
Swirlix
Togetic
Torracat

C
Drakloak
Omanyte

C-
Drilbur

Ok, hot take here. Hot as fletchinder. This guy, with some help like Hattrem, can stop both Thwackey and Raboot but, at the same time, be an offensive pressure with SD and Acrobatics. WoW + Roost makes all it needs also to soft check Piloswine.

Munchlax

Palpitoad

Vibrava

 

[Greybaum]

VR noms since Mirbro asked me nicely. Keep in mind I've only been building and not playing recently.

Electabuzz | S to A+
Still fantastic but doesn't deserve S anymore, not meta defining like Piloswine is nor as splashable as Vullaby is.

Clefairy | A+ to A
Roselia is at an all-time high usage and people are leaning more on Corsola-Galar to deal with mons like CB Raboot/Thwackey that Clefairy just can't handle.

Duosion | A+ to A
Could still be A+ as it's a fantastic compression tool for Wartortle/Roselia/Electabuzz etc. and can easily play around Vullaby even on FSight sets with moves like Toxic but it's undeniably less popular than it used to be and the most common special attacker having a 30% to poison isn't great for its longevity.

Tangela | A+ to A
This one is obvious when considering how much people are leaning towards Roselia, so instead I'll try and justify not putting it below A; it's way more reliable as a physdef stopgap and mons like Gurdurr/Thwackey that mixed def Roselia "beats" can't tech around it as easily. Doesn't have Spikes, but is a solid wincon just through Regenerator and Sludge Bomb poisons compared to Roselia having 8PP Synthesis.

Hakamo-o | A to B-
It's a fish that is almost entirely outclassed by Fraxure, with its better set-up opportunities coming at the cost of never being able to break nearly any viable defensive core. Sometimes it 6-0s but it's nowhere near good enough to be in A.

Gabite | A- to B
Niche Stealth Rock user that is generally outclassed by Marshtomp, carrying all the same negatives (walled by Hattrem, bad matchup into Grass-types) but exacerbating them, and has all the same positives (Beats Electabuzz, kinda beats Raboot) but is worse at executing them. Anyone who's talked to me about NFE knows I think this mon is awful, this is just a last minute attempt to get people on my side.

Marshtomp | A- to B+
Electabuzz has fallen a lot in usage and that was always Marshtomp's biggest attribute over Piloswine.

Mareanie | A- to B+
Toxic Spikes are less valuable because Roselia is on almost every team. It's still good enough to not drop further than B+.

Gastly | B to B-
Has none of the utility of the other mons in B and isn't strong enough to justify holding a subrank above Abra

Lairon | B to B-
Has very little utility compared to the other mons in B and it hits like a fart against any team with a decent physdef backbone. Hard to justify using over other Stealth Rock setters.

Chinchou, Combusken, Omanyte, Munchlax, Palpitoad, Vibrava -> These could all be unranked.
None have seen serious use in a long time and Omanyte is the only one worth using as a fish, and not when Ferroseed isn't a top mon (reflect type & shell smash is funny)

Corsola-Galar | A to A+
Arguably the best Stealth Rock user in the tier with people leaning more towards Choice Band variants of Piloswine, and very solid even outside of these compositions as it's largely taken over Tangela's role as blanket physdef answer due to its better synergy with Roselia.

Gurdurr | A to A+
Bulk Up is an extremely good wincon that I don't think people have explored enough yet. Can tech past Roselia comfortably with Ice Punch and Flame Orb sets outrun a lot of the tier right now with people not bothering to invest Speed into Roselia or Vullaby.

Lampent | A- to A
You'd think this should be lower considering Vullaby's peak usage, but consider the following:
- Roselia has overtaken Tangela, and cannot cripple you with Knock Off
- People rarely bring Fire-resistant Pokemon outside of Wartortle
- It is easier to Poison or Knock Off Vullaby than ever before
- Electabuzz, a fairly solid Lampent soft check, has dipped in usage
Lampent has more switch-in opportunities than ever and Heavy-Duty Boots sets in particular have a lot of freedom right now.

Machoke | B+ to A-
It's a Gurdurr alternative that better abuses Corsola-Galar with Substitute or Encore sets. Corsola-Galar is getting a lot of usage right now so naturally Machoke deserves a bump. Like Gurdurr, Flame Orb is an underprepped breaker right now, and it's generally better at it too since the Speed increase is more important than the slight Atk bump with Tangela dropping in usage.

Rufflet | B to B+
It's simply too strong to be in B, and unlike Zweilous it has a reliable attack in Aerial Ace that guarantees progress.

Slowpoke | B- to B
Slight bump because it's far more splashable than Mienfoo or Metang. Not something I'd recommend most people use, but it's easily on par with Koffing, Ivysaur etc.

Torracat | C+ to B+
Self explanatory, nothing's changed I just think it's massively disrespected being in C+ after fairly solid tour results that pop up every time it's brought.

Togetic | C+ to B-
Nasty Plot sets take advantage of current meta trends nicely.

Drakloak | C to C
Please don't unrank my boy.

 

[ojr]

umpl is over so here goes my final ss vr:

S


S-


A+


A


A-


B+


B


B-


C+


may edit later with explanations

 

[ArcticBreeze]

Mons are ordered by viability within subtiers + was too lazy to rank the other mons beyond B-
https://pokepast.es/225df5704a36e4b7 paste to the best SS NFE team oat
https://pokepast.es/148f82561ccf03c9 other team i used in umpl

S
Piloswine
Vullaby

S-
Hattrem
Corsola-Galar
Roselia

A+
Raboot
Thwackey
Wartortle

A
Clefairy
Rufflet
Lampent
Tangela
Gurdurr
Duosion
Electabuzz

A-
Fletchinder
Fraxure
Ferroseed

B+
Klang
Munchlax
Slowpoke
Gabite
Mareanie
Linoone-Galar
Hakamo-o

B
Koffing
Vibrava
Dusclops
Zweilous
Combusken
Sliggoo
Machoke
Lairon

B-
Carkol
Morgrem
Gastly
Hippopotas
Drakloak

 

[Shing]

Forgot to make my own VR noms I promised Mirbro a few months ago oops, so I got some time to do this before 2022 ends. There are some mons I want to get a bit more depth on, but I'll keep other nomes shortened as I've talked about many of them in detailed ones in this post.

S rank

Almost mandatory for most teams and playstyles. Not only does its utility, typing, ability, and base stats let it run a lot of versatile sets, but it's arguably the most important pokemon right now in that way to keep things in check. Without out you'll have a significantly difficult time handling Roselia's overturned Spike game, losing one of very few viable Tangela Sleep Powder switch-ins, keeping an eye on Duosion and other tricky psychic pokemon like Hattrem, etc losing it means it'll be much harder to deal with mons that have a controversial strength, which could lead into a domino effect where they could have been banned if it Vullaby didn't exist. I would even argue Vullaby has a bigger influence than Piloswine not from only a building perspective, but in the match itself where a lot of situations have been focused on Vullaby interactions itself because it gatekeeps a lot of teams from progressing, so people have to always build in mind a way to cripple/breaking through Vullaby cores or else they won't see any good progress. There's way too much where I've seen Vullaby in the field than Piloswine could be in, which is why I could see the real #1 pokemon in this tier because of the impact it is doing and without it, the tier would fall apart from a potential banhammer. Goes without saying it's S rank and it deserves its praise. I can see people building a team without Piloswine while being perfectly viable, but without Vullaby is where it comes to that point of if you're building w/o Roselia it'll have to usually be a 100% Rose with Linoone-G, or fishing for an MU-like HO or specific semi-stall teams. Vullaby basically enables a lot of different playstyles in a lot of different ways to express it, which is why this pokemon will always be S rank in this meta and be important in future meta.


Unlike the other ground types, you don't need restricted cores to break through Vullaby and Hattrem. Unlike the other ground types, you're just simply progressing by your raw power and bulk. The few real weakness that Piloswine has is the exploitable typing that makes it vulnerable against Electabuzz which other ground types don't typically suffer. But fortunately, the meta has shown Piloswine has a ton of ways to adapt against Electabuzz such as cores with Roselia, Corsola-Galar, Clefairy, Duosion, Hattrem, etc. While the other ground types have their own inconsistently mainly a combination of the meta and the fact all of them are vulnerable against Piloswine itself. It doesn't have as much importance as Vullaby has, but it's still extremely influential to the tier for better or worse. And the meta lets Piloswine run with multiple different team partners, making it very versatile in itself, easily more than the other ground types have to offer. You don't need to use this pokemon every time, but without you're having a lot more restrictions against the meta itself, which means when you're not using Piloswine you usually end up an unorthodox type of team with fewer options compared to Piloswine teams if you're thinking in a way to cover most matchups. Which is why it's so easy to run with Piloswine in most of your teams anyway, so it deserves S rank even if it's already ranked right now.

A+ rank

Read this(or well at Post Golbat & Magmar Meta) if you want my Roselia explanation in the most detailed way. I don't put this in S rank because of some key reasons. You can't put this in a lot of teams like Vullaby and Piloswine, and when you're trying to build it there are some noticeable restrictions because there's a very clear pattern where you want to have two or three defensive mons while having one or two offensive abusers when trying to build with it. While those teams are clearly meta-defining in their own right, I think Roselia forces you in some way to build these types of teams, and trying to build other ways usually ends up very flawed and why Roselia isn't that flexible. I've been experimenting with outside-of-box teams like Scarf Roselia or Offensive Roselia without Spikes, but the meta does reward defensive Spike Roselia extremely well as it's also a very important pokemon in this tier. Another thing is that Roselia is still exploitable since bulk is extremely suspect to the point of building teams to overwhelm Roselia is very much possible with not that much stress as it's a centralization mon in this meta. The last one is a bit of 4mss if you want to run with Covet or Giga Drain/Leaf Storm as both of them have their noticeable flaw. Covet makes you more vulnerable to switch-ins while Grass moves leave you unable to break against Hattrem, usually. Otherwise, Roselia is easily A+, only held back by some weakness that makes me not want to rank it S atm.

A -> A+

I believe it's the best physical mon(not generally) in the game, and I find it better than most pokemon in A tier. While not having the same wall-breaking power as Raboot, or the easier Wincon alike cleaning game like Electabuzz, and that it's a grass type means that it's natural for a lot of teams to check grass types, I think those weaknesses are outweighed by the strength it has to offer. It's a bulky hit-n-runner with wall-breaking potential which means you've more opportunities to set up, but you have also more purposeful positions to use it such as in early games to weaken things or give support with its ability which I can't say the same with Electabuzz and Reboot. Also, I think Grassy Terrain is insanely good; probably in one of the best spots right now since it helps mons such as Koffing and mons that are usually annoyed by EQ Piloswine and enable interesting techs with Grassy Seed. There are also other specific ones such as Sub Lefties + Toxic mons, and giving Tangela + Roselia a boosting grass move but my point is that Thwackey deserves a higher ranking.

A < A+

Physical Offense became the norm of offense as Golbat went out of the tier, so one of the physical walls that were picked was Corsola-Galar. However, Corsola-Galar is instead the best wall in this game, not only a physical one but overall as it counters Electabuzz bar Taunt, which isn't a common set nowadays. It can also remove Hattrem and win the 1v1 war against Vullaby w/o Toxic, though it's not easier as you think it would be. Regardless, what differs it from Clefairy, Koffing and Tangela is that it's not weak to special attackers while being able to handle meta-threat teams at the same time. Very splashable to put in teams like Piloswine and Vullaby, so it deserves A+ in my eyes as there are fewer special attackers that threaten it and it's easier to get recovery with sap.

Potentially S -> A+/A, but I am not so sure yet atm.
Electabuzz's issue is that I feel it has a big irrelevancy in the game, most noticeable in the early game since the defensive cores really make it difficult for Electabuzz to progress. For example Electabuzz is forced to use Psychic for Roselia, which means other special walls that would be annoyed by its other moves aren't worried about at all since Roselia really puts a lot of restriction on Electabuzz's moveset. So Electabuzz can't really prepare all of that, which means it needs support beforehand to break things down and you're essentially using 5 mons vs 6 mons sometimes. There have been also a lot fewer Electabuzz teams which means it's falling down in usage. But the reason why those cores happen in the first place is because of Electabuzz's wincon and that mon could bypass every core in theory. But as far as I've seen it, it's easy enough to build defensive cores designed for Electabuzz to work naturally against the general. I can easily see it could fall down to A Rank based on the direction the meta is heading towards. I will say that it does not deserve to be S rank though and should be dropped down.


A rank

Raboot's a funny case for me. While it's the best wall-breaking cleaner in the game that's difficult to switch in, I don't think it's enough for me to push it in A+. CB has a huge flaw where Stealth Rocks are by far easier to throw in the field, where that weakness matters enough for me because it means it doesn't get as many opportunities to clean up. Boots in another hand kinda lack the power to start cleaning right away so you'll need some support to weaken it, which usually means it doesn't have much impact in early games, though depending on MU. The meta is also filled with more physical defensive mons which means it has to respect that aspect a bit. However, I can easily see it being an A+ in the future. You really don't need that much support for it, and physical checks don't really stop Raboot from doing its job. Electabuzz losing in usage means there are fewer pokemon that are revenge-killing it, which helps Raboot obviously.


Defensive Wartortle is so much worse, but Shell Smash Wart became much better at the same time. The best defensive counter was defensive wart itself and Mareanie, which isn't a common pokemon so it just became deadlier in exchange for being easier to take advantage of as a defensive mons. I am still seeing SS Wartortle just claiming teams after one good positional setup, especially as a reversal way too many times. SS Wartortle does also tear apart a lot of Roselia teams quite effortlessly so this pokemon is legit. While not at its peak it was at Golbat/Magmar meta, it's still one of the most dangerous Pokemon in this tier and I find it always amusing when I'm using it and see the opposing team get completely shredded by Sub Wartortle. So like it feels like it should drop, but the SS set literally carries it to A deservingly.

A+ -> A

It HATES Roselia/Vullaby being everywhere, which it deserves because this pokemon should've gotten banned in the past, or sleep powder ban at least :///
With that said, it's not a bad pokemon because Regen + Physical bulk is literally the perfect combination against this meta. And it really destroys sudden playstyles/teams that try to MU fish such as HO, Webs, and non-Sleep Powder checks as those teams typically struggle to cover it as it's not many viable mons that can take a sleep powder. Mind you, Golbat teams could lose against Tangela if your Golbat was the only Tangela switch-ins lol... But yeah besides the Rose/Vullaby's high usage, Tangela is tricky to build around which makes it less encouraging to build around it. I do think you can make viable teams with it, enough to be aware of it. But it does not deserve to be A+ at all with the lack of result from it. It's a case of a controversial pokemon being heavily gatekept by the top tiers really.

A- -> A

Golbat being gone means the speed tier has been changed drastically. In Lampent's case, no defensive pokemon that are faster than it, lack of defensive water types, and a lot of teams trying to use base stats to tank stuff are a happy case for it. Specs Lampent is a legitimate threat that can really break through so many teams, although usually after removing Vullaby's Eviolite lol. IMO it's that pokemon I reconsider trying to build a slower team because that thing just tears everyone through. Deserves A- to A for being able to tear apart teams a lot of teams rn.

A-

B+ -> A-

Machoke has a slightly better wall-breaking ability than Gurdurr since it can approach against Corsola-Galar, Roselia, and Clefairy without needing that much support. It has surprisingly good coverage that could cover most of its checks, though I think Encore is what differs Machoke over Gurdurr mainly because of Corsola-Galar can't just throw whirlpool without any thoughts. At first, I felt like it could be in A, but then I felt like the longevity and the speed mattered more enough for me to not put it at A rank. Building around it is also not the easiest thing atm so my opinion on Machoke has dwindled a bit. I do think it has potential for A with the way the meta is structured right now, but unsure if we will get to that point.

A+ -> A-

Definitely not A+ with the high usage of Vullaby right now and I don't feel like it fits in the A rank atm. But I do think it's definitely underdeveloped and works for the meta overall though, so I'll give it an A- for now. I do find Future Sight a lot more valuable though in terms of forcing interactions, especially in the one of forcing Vullaby in at the second turn which I don't see people take enough advantage of IMO. But I do see F-Sight teams becoming a lot cheesier if you want to include T-Spikes and Whirlwind into it. I think this could rise up to A in the future. Just drop the SpDef set and run PhysDef or a slight SpDef for the Ebuzz MU.

B+ -> A-

I think this pokemon is a highly underappreciated pick in this meta. I think it has some of the unique progression in this tier and holds a lot of value against some recent teams like Vullaby + Hattrem ones. The biggest downside is that you're forced to use Roselia 100% in the team as I don't see much value with Vullaby + Linoone-g without Roselia, so you're restricted building with it. Otherwise, I find this pokemon underrated atm.

A+ -> A-

Not bad, but definitely doesn't fit in this meta as well because it feels like it got a bit power crept by Physical offense and Roselia dominating the meta. I would personally say it's also a bit of MU fishing as a Physdef mon because of Machoke's existence alone, but that's a bit of a stretch for one mon to be fair. But yeah doesn't really deserve A+ because the meta isn't favoring it and I can see it falling down in the future, though it has a decent amount such as viable sets like CM and Wish so maybe I'm wrong so I'll let it be A- for now.


B+ Rank
A- -> B+

I've forgotten it in favor of Roselia. A lot of Hattrem being spammed around, having a very frustrating 4mss, and being difficult to build around defensively? Yeah easy to see why I look down at this moment. Then again, I've always disliked Ferroseed in SS NFE(in a personal and biased way though). I don't think it's an overall bad pokemon and could be in A- because that typing and utility should work extremely well in this tier, but I find it less valuable as time goes on, therefore expect it to drop down.

A - -> B+

Definitely suffering just in general because it's just that exploitable while having a somewhat frustrating 4mss issue if you want to add in t-spikes. But it's a solid Wartorte and Raboot counter without being too passive so I don't think this pokemon should fall down at all. It's just not easy to build teams with it and the meta is not nice with it atm.

B -> B+

I think Koffing in itself is a very valuable PhysDef overall that's able to switch into Fighting types and Raboot, which is a rare trait. With Grassy terrain becoming common too, it can switch in against EQ Piloswine reasonably as well and that's really powerful. However, I think most people care about t-spikes, which have been weakened by Rose usage. But I still think T-spikes have enough viable value against those w/o Roselia and the Hatt + Vullaby team. T-spikes Koffing is still controversially powerful and should be respected, similar to Ebuzz wincon here. While you can use it in more normal teams, I've found a lot of value in F-sight teams to combat the Roselia team, cheesy or not. So there is some hidden potential that makes me rank it higher to like A- potentially. But I think it deserves B+ for the recent results and Koffing is overall a functional mon in the meta.

B -> B+

NP set gives it a unique way to break down teams because not many teams are prepared for Special Dark + Fairy Offense(and Fire if you want to include that). It's not as hopeless against faster pokemon as it can take advantage to cripple with Pransker Twave as its 4th slot. Doesn't mean it has flaws though. Even with Draining Kiss, Morgrem is still frail and can be worn down quickly. But overall a very anti-meta pokemon with a lot of fun tools that can catch the opponent off guard, and I've gotten a lot of success with NP Morgrem breaking down teams. Screens on other hand have their own issues so you should read my NFE posts going more depth about it.

A- -> B+
Gabite
Countering Lampent and Electabuzz with an awesome speed tier is cool and all, but like you don't have much else to go for. Rest/talk is not only too limited in my taste in these days, but inviting in Piloswine because the limitation of two attacking moves is a big deal. Without rest/talk, you're much more flexible, but now you lost your wincon against Ebuzz and Lampent and you're still hella countered by Hattrem, but hey at least you're not completely a switch-in against Piloswine and Vullaby eh???
My point is that I think the rest/talk lost its value, and the normal rock set with eq and toxic is the best set, but it's not much better really. I can easily see it fall down so B+ is generous at least. I do like the value of threatening Electabuzz, Lampent and to some degree Roselia but overall it doesn't have much else for this meta. It's complete power crept or walled out too easily.

B -> B+

Wincon set and CB set are both dangerous that can destroy a lot of normal teams since Flying offense is not something anyone prepares for. If it wasn't for the extreme difficulty to build around it, rock weakness, and Electabuzz existence I could have ranked it much higher. But I think it deserves to have a raise for what it's worth, also the small decrease in Ebuzz usage could mean Rufflet has a chance in the future perhaps?

B rank
A -> B

I only used it before mainly for setting up Rose, Lampent, Tangela/Mareanie core, and other mons that couldn't break the Sub set. Nowadays though it's unable to break things, gets easily revenge killed, and is a poor endgame mon. Wincon doesn't work and it doesn't fit the meta, unfortunately, so easy B and I can see it falling down much further.



These are the ones I felt like writing for the day. Maybe I'll make another one for the lower ranks before 2022. Otherwise thanks for the huge support by reading these! Appreciated you took some time for me <3

 

[longhiep341]

Least insane NFE noms:
Charmeleon C+/B- This mon is just unwallable in sun with Specs. Sun is also criminally underused as I see most teams just can't deal with sun at all.
Dusclops C The best set imo is Night Shade, Rest, Imprison and Wisp/Toxic, allowing it to wall stuffs similar to Corsola-G but also block Rest and opposing status. I theorized a set with SubSplit, Power Up Punch and Poltergeist can be decent as well but haven't tried it yet. It does lack the utility of Corsola-G though.
Fletchinder C+ It can completely smash teams without Electabuzz and be very annoying with fast Taunt. I like Taunt, Roost, Dual Wingbeat and SD/Toxic, as you can already fish for burn against like U-turn from Raboot. That said, being overly dependent on Boots is detrimental and thus it can't be higher. https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8nfe-1686325314 Fletchinder would have 6-0ed here without the miss. Also showing how terrifying Seadra can be
Ivysaur B -> B+ This is also a core part of why sun is good. Great natural bulk and Growth means it can just melt everything relatively easily in sun.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8nfe-1686331657 Helped by para but Ivysaur definitely would be in a good position still.
Morgrem B -> B+ Nasty Plot just needs Roselia to be weakened or flinch hax it to be unstoppable after. What makes it even better is Pickpocket to actively punish Knock Off just by switching in. Prankster with Screen is also nice for more offense teams, but not preferred over Pickpocket.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen8nfe-655007 This and Jordy's replay in World cup I think speak for itself
Poipole C Admittedly more a theorymon, but I don't see how this can be bad. Special walls like Roselia and Clefairy can't do much back, and Sludge Bomb annoys Regen Duosion and Piloswine greatly. It can also fairly easily set up thanks to its bulk. Haze Mareanie and Ferroseed are about the only reliable stops to it, and they aren't common.
Seadra B- Junior Critdra is very strong, being able to OHKO mixed Roselia with crit Ice Beam. It does need a turn to set up though, and to fully break SpD Roselia it needs to resort to Blizzard or has Roselia chipped down a bit. It's also vulnerable to Knock Off and can't get past Mareanie but its power is nothing to scoff at otherwise.
Sliggoo C+ Specs provides great coverage, however its most valuable trait is completely blocking Corsola-G from Strength Sap while also beating it 1v1 unlike Hattrem. https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8nfe-1740369730 - This game showcases how Sliggoo can prevent Corsola-G from healing and open the game for Thwackey.
Thwackey A -> A+ Basically what Shing said. Grassy Seed might telegraph Acrobatics but it doesn't matter if you just run through everything, especially against Corsola-G lacking Will-O-Wisp
Woobat C+ You have to use this with Thwackey, but it can take over games with just a single Calm Mind at times. https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8nfe-1686329361 - Woobat with Web
Anorith C- This is only usable in offense as some sort of lead. Having both Spin and Rock + Knock Off helps it discourage Corsola-G, Hattrem and Vullaby unlike Drilbur which is pretty helpful. No Stone Edge stings a bit, but Rock Slide still helps it come out on top against Vullaby.
Porygon B Download makes Porygon's wallbreaking capability pretty insane, which means it should be paired with physical threats that can U-turn to guarantee SpA boost. Having coverage against everything means opponent has to get predictions correctly every time to avoid losing Pokemon. It also has utility options like Trick, Recover and Thief so I'm surprised nobody has tried this.
I think other Pokemon like Farfetch'd-G, Bunnelby, Carkol and some more have a place as well but I think I will need more meddling around to correctly judge them.

 

[ojr]

what i built myself during umpl, umpl w1 jon clef version sux (no ice resist)
https://pokepast.es/091625ba2bd555cb

personally think w1 kabila, w2 jon, w4 jon, semis jon are the most fleshed out good looking teams. rest feels okayish and or shaky. have fun with it.

 

[Shing]

Giving my final updated SS NFE teambuilder before cleaning it out. I posted it at the OM discord, but most relevant people won't notice it so I'll just post it in the forum if there is anyone that is in needs to use it in the future. I think it's appropriate since there won't be any new SS NFE tournaments besides NFEPL if that will ever happen. And I've involved myself in the last SS NFE tournaments by providing teams such as Career Ended and Ivar57, so I think it's fair enough to post one last SS NFE post. Congrats to Ivar57 for the excellent performance at SS NFE at Championship and the tournament overall <3

Click this single image to get the whole mini teambuilder!
The teams are ordered with what I'm most happy with from top to bottom. Some are adjustments from previous teams EVs and movesets, but overall new teams most of them. also very happy I finally made a Tangela team I can be satisfied. took a year but got it :>>>



I tried to refrain from building any Roselia teams. I genuinely disliked how most players autopiloted to throw Roselia in 90% of their teams, which hindered a lot of meta-developing in my eyes. I still think I was right in that mindset in the end. I respect the centralization of Roselia teams, but I believed SS NFE has a lot of things that are yet to be developed, especially in the teambuilding aspect. I'm overall happy I succeeded in the end in my own eyes, although wish I did that earlier to prove myself.
Roselia teams have a lot of versatility that should be able to cover every matchup in theory, but the coverage isn't as widespread which means there are a good amount of holes that you can break through every Rose team without the feeling you need to fish for specific Roselia builds. Every Roselia team has some sort of noticeable weakness in my eyes when trying to cover against the overwhelming typings Offense has in these days. They're still the best way to build for any new players and they usually don't disappoint, but I do not think they deserve the reputation they've gotten where you can spam Rose teams most of the time and win. I also think Roselia teams do promote different playstyles and teams to be viable, and useable to some degree. More innovation with things such as Hattrem, Lampent, Duosion, and baiting Roselia cores with coverage moves like Ice Punch Gurdurr is an example that I hope people will explore more for the next NFEPL tournament :)