Alright. The rule for me is to never dirt on something till I've tried it. Upon testing
Karane 's Golduck, I say it should
Stay In C Rank. The fact is, two pokemon directly outclass it. Samurott and Simipour. Due to such, it has no viable niche in utilizing an All-Out-Attacking Set, or a Sweeping Set, as everything it can do, the aforementioned two pokemon can do better. Simply put, it has Mediocre Bulk, Mediocre Speed, Mediocre Special Attack, and a Mediocre Movepool. Throw that together, and it has little traits outside of Cloud Nine to distinguish it from things like Basculin and Floatzel.
Samurott @ Life Orb
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Modest Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Ice Beam
- Encore / Taunt
This is the first set which outclasses the previously suggested All-Out-Attacking Golduck set. Simply put, Golduck is incapable of reliably encoring the majority of sweepers sitting between 70 and 85 base speed as it is incapable of switching in, and thus should not focus on that. Instead, it should be utilizing it's relatively slow encore to beat bulky setup sweepers like Musharna and Gurdurr..But Samurott can to. Samurott targets all of the same pokemon that Golduck is able to effectively target due to similar base speeds, but with Better Bulk, Better Special Attack, and an amazing ability in Torrent, it packs a lot more of a punch. It also has access to the great alternative in Taunt, allowing it to be the absolute bane to any stall team in existence.
Simipour @ Life Orb
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Ice Beam
- Taunt / Nasty Plot
This second set also completely outclasses Golduck, and I would use it over it any day. Simply put, while it doesn't have access to encore like Samurott or Golduck, it has Taunt and Nasty Plot, two great moves. Taunt, as I mentioned with Samurott, shuts down many stall teams and effectively beats many leads. Nasty Plot on the other hand, lets Simipour sweep, and again shows a way that Golduck's other more common Calm Mind set is completely outclassed. While it lacks bulk, the extra power and speed definitively make up for it, especially when you consider that it is one of the few pokemon who can reliably kill charizard without utilizing a choice scarf, beating NU's golden base 95 speed.
In conclusion, it isn't that Golduck is bad, there just isn't a reason to use it above other more relevant water types in the tier, as everything it has to offer is average at best.
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Metang is my 2nd favorite stealth rocker in the tier, but sadly it doesn't deserve a A Ranking anymore. It's niche of being one of the few pokemon to consistently check Jynx, one of NU's biggest threats, is gone, and thus it honestly is just a outclassed hunk of metal. I suggest moving it to
Top B for this reason alone, simply because the one thing that made it great now no longer exists.
Rotom-Fan for
Low A rank. Now that the speed tiers have come down a bit, it's 88 Spd in unison with it's amazing 105 SAtk sets it apart from all the other electric types in the tier. Without Jynx, it is actually very difficult to kill, and it has become one of the premier revenge killers and special attackers of the tier. It is also surprisingly unpredictable with its awesome Expert Belt set, being able to reliably bait in and kill threats such as Golem and Seismitoad, nabbing early game kills with no issue. It can also destroy some of the more threatning water types and grass types in the tier, and access to Trick and a Choice Scarf just puts it above the majority of the revenge killers the tier has access to, crippling even defensive pokemon.
*EDIT*
Lickilicky for
Top B, not for its outclassed by audino wish set, but for its amazing SubSD set. This set alone is what makes lickilicky far better than Audino, as it packs a surprise factor, and is the glue for any solid offensive team against a stall team, as it continues to beat pokemon such as Alomomola, who cry in front of the power that is SubSD Licki.