NU Viability Rankings

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Togedemaru B- -> B
Resuming it,togedemaru is a great special wall in the tier, which can tank many Top tier mons and heal your own ones wish+uturn combo,while it can also scout what move a choice item user will lock itself with Spiky shield and gaining momentum to yourself,while it can also hold toxic for some passive damage(combo'ed with spiky shield) or Zing whatzapp zap for offensive utility
I disagree with Togedemaru getting ranked higher than it actually is; in fact, I'm supporting it to drop to C+. Togedemaru is not really a pokemon that's able to "tank many top tier mons", really: its biggest niche was being a Vikavolt / Rotom-Mow counter while being able to (kinda) check Vanilluxe. Unfortunately, these first two mons are much less common and less meta-defining nowadays and some of them even (and offensive Whimsicott!) started to run HP Ground, which is a move Vanilluxe has been using since the beginning, which makes it harder to properly work in a metagame dominated by offensive Fire mons. Togedemaru's niche alone became very hard to justify it on a team nowadays in my opinion, and it definitely does not deserve a rise.
 

Yoshi

IT'S FINK DUMBASS
I know this Pokemon was nommed already, but I want to touch a bit upon it myself, as I've had major success with it

to A-
Toxicroak is a Pokemon that I was surprised to see in B+ when I checked the VR today. One thing that makes Toxicroak stand out the most is that it uses bulky waters like Vaporeon and non ground coverage Seismitoad as set up fodder. With its access to priority on both nasty plot and swords dance sets, and the option to run Z-Moves to nuke traditional answers make both sets viable and hard to predict. Poison + Fighting is incredible coverage, which hits a lot of Pokemon for super effective damage, and if not, it does a lot of damage even with a neutral boosted attack. All in all, Toxicroak is both a pretty good cleaner and a wallbreaker to use right now, and should move to A-.
 
With the main season of Smogon Snake Draft being finished, there's some clear meta developments that have occurred that make this list a bit inaccurate in its current state. Some of these nominations are going to be a bit more controversial, but I'm quite adamant on them.

Emboar S --> A+

It's very clear that the metagame has adapted to Emboar's presence, shown through the increased usage of Stealth Rock users that force it out such as Seismitoad and Druddigon and other Pokemon that tend to give it a hard time such as Garbodor and Samurott. The metagame is also much faster than it used to be so it leaves non-Scarf Emboar easy to revenge kill. Its Choice Scarf set, while good as a cleaner, isn't the greatest revenge killer at the moment because it still is reletively slow and incredibly easy to pivot into. It's also arguably worse than Scarf Delphox, which is actually able to outspeed the entire boosted metagame and has the potential of throwing out Blaze-boosted Fire Blasts. It also doesn't help that it's a Fire-type that cannot switch into Whimsicott, which is the best Pokemon in the tier. It's still a great Pokemon, but it's not nearly as meta defining as it used to be nor as versatile as the rest of S.

Vanilluxe S --> A+

Vanilluxe is another example of a mon that has been adapted towards in the metagame. Offensive Fire-types, especially Delphox, Piloswine, Sneasel, and Klinklang are all good in the current metagame and as a result, it's much easier to fit actual Ice resists onto teams nowadays. It really should not have been S in the first place because its main flaw of being hard to fit on teams didn't change back when it was in its prime and certainly is harder to fit on a team now. It constrains teambuilding because most teams do require at least two Ice resists to not be weak to it, but it still comes at the cost of using a Pokemon that is weak to Stealth Rock, has mediocre Speed, and provides no synergy to teams at all, something that even offense still appreciates having. It's a metagame defining Pokemon, just not a dominant one due to the aforementioned issues.

Xatu A+ --> S

If any of you have been keeping up with Snake Draft, you'll know that Xatu has had consistently top 3 usage, and for a good reason too; it's the tier's best way of deterring hazards by far, especially keeping Spikes users at bay. Its utility of Magic Bounce + U-turn is unmatched and almost always keeps momentum up throughout the game as a result of this. While the metagame hasn't undergone any major trends that go in Xatu's favor, it's still incredibly easy to fit onto teams due to the massive amount of support it provides while also being difficult to Pursuit trap outside of Sneasel and Skuntank (the former which isn't always consistent and the ladder mandating the use of Crunch, otherwise it gets Roost stalled). It also has such good synergy with the tier's best Pokemon which makes it all the more worthwhile to use. During the times I build teams have a lot of trouble not using it on a team due to how much it combines in one teamslot and I know others feel the same way. I would have more to say on this matter, but my last post already covered why Xatu is such a great support Pokemon.

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Rotom-C, Virizion, and Sceptile should all drop a rank. The main issue with running these Pokemon is trying to justify their use over Whimsicott, with their different qualities not being enough to keep them where they are. Rotom-C is is a strong wallbreaker and keeps up momentum very well, but its Speed is mediocre and the things that wall Whimsicott usually wall Rotom-C. Virizion has always been a mon that was always better on paper than it was in practice due to the combination of its STABs plus coverage, but the issue with it that always made it a step below the rest of A+ is the low initial power. It also doesn't help that it struggles in a meta where Whimsicott is so dominant and easily revenge kills it. Sceptile really doesn't have much going for it; the lack of a secondary STAB is honestly awful as is the lesser defensive utility. The only thing that justifies its usage is Life Orb mixed with Earthquake, which at the very least enables it to not be bait for popular Pokemon like Delphox and Emboar, but that's not enough to justify it being A rank.

Other various nominations I have are Samurott to A and Klinklang to B+/A-. Both Pokemon are fantastic set up sweepers, with Samurott being very valuable for being one of the few offensive Water-types, let alone one that needs little to no support. Grass-types in the current metagame are not as common as they used to be, with the sole exception being Whimsicott, which is already a Pokemon that's used to check so much as is, so naturally it gets worn down a lot over the course of a match. This makes sweeping with Aqua Jet late-game incredibly easy, especially in combination with Life Orb and a potential Torrent boost. Megahorn coverage has always been great because it chunks Seismitoad hard and OHKOes Slowbro at +2, so more conventional Water-type resists just end up getting hammered.

Onto Klinklang, a lot of what was good about it before still stands, being able to set up on popular Pokemon such as Whimsicott, Xatu, Garbodor, and Vanilluxe, while its checks are all easy to wear down through team support. One of the main draws though, is Slowbro more or less being out of favor in the current metagame, leaving very little Pokemon that are able to stop a boosted Klinklang late-game. Its synergy with Xatu is also unmatched, as all the Stealth Rock users that beat Klinklang lose to Xatu while those that do threaten Xatu, namely Piloswine and Rhydon, are setup fodder for Magnet Rise Klinklang. A Steel-type with decent bulk that actually resists Ice is a very valuable asset to offense and the fact that it doubles into being a solid wincon just makes it all the much better. Klinklang is a good Pokemon that's way too low as it stands, being with some Pokemon that are clearly a step below it in terms of viability.

There's a lot in the lower rankings that need a major overhaul, in particular things like Type: Null, Absol, and Probopass should rise while things Mudsdale and Lycanroc can be dropped/unranked. There's way more I can list, but this post is already long enough as is. Feel free to leave thoughts on these changes as many of them are very significant.
 
Dodrio: B to B+
Dodrio is quite good right now. There aren't too many great flying resists and it has Jump Kick to get past the Rock and Steel types that would otherwise walk it, along with hitting Dark, Ice, and Fighting types for super effective damage. It even has Swords Dance to boost its Attacks to very high levels. For stabs it has Return and Brave Bird, both high power moves. It can run Z-move sets like fightinium Z to nuke Steel and Rock types, or Choice Scarf to get outspeed other Scarfers, like Vanilluxe, Emboar, and Delphox. Swords dance Dodrio can be EXTREMELY dangerous, but you have to know when to set up because it is quite frail. Bit of you can set up against something passive, it can be a nightmare for your opponent.
 
Munchlax: UR > Ranked (C+)

I have played around with lil lax for a bit now, and I think it's an extremely underrated and underused mon in the tier. Not only does it have acces to thick fat and extreme bulk, allowing it to switch into nearly every special attacker in the tier, it also has acces to curse so it can set up and sweep. Now the main problem with Munchlax in the tier, as many of you would probably agree with me, is the abundance of (physical) fighting types, such as emboar, virizion, hitmonlee, and others. That is the main reason it isn't and won't be top tier. However, if you pair this monster up with a good fighting check, such as slowbro, as well as a pursuit trapper to get rid of the ghosts that are immune to its only move (if you run rest, sleep talk, curse, body slam), it can singlehandedly sweep a team. Now there are of course multiple sets we should try out, such as pursuit over curse, making it less of a threat that sets up, and more of an all-around special wall, but nonetheless a threat to be reckoned with. I am also still not sure what the best spread for it would be, but let's take "standard pu set" according to the calculator, to give you some ideas of the bulk of this pokémon.

252+ SpA Choice Specs Vanilluxe Blizzard vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Thick Fat Munchlax: 70-84 (14.7 - 17.7%) -- possible 5HKO after hail damage
252 SpA Delphox Psyshock vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Munchlax: 162-192 (34.1 - 40.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 SpA Delphox Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Thick Fat Munchlax: 45-54 (9.4 - 11.3%) -- possible 9HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Guzzlord Dark Pulse vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Munchlax: 94-112 (19.8 - 23.6%) -- possible 5HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Guzzlord Draco Meteor vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Munchlax: 153-181 (32.2 - 38.1%) -- 97.3% chance to 3HKO
252+ SpA Guzzlord Devastating Drake (195 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Munchlax: 153-181 (32.2 - 38.1%) -- 97.3% chance to 3HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Rotom-Mow Leaf Storm vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Munchlax: 147-174 (31 - 36.7%) -- 66.7% chance to 3HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Vikavolt Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Munchlax: 141-166 (29.7 - 35%) -- 14.2% chance to 3HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Whimsicott Moonblast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Munchlax: 88-105 (18.5 - 22.1%) -- possible 5HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Whimsicott Moonblast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Munchlax: 75-91 (15.8 - 19.1%) -- possible 6HKO

Those are some of the strongest special attackers in the tier, and munchlax just shrugs them off. Now, obviously its physical defense is pretty low, and even with a curse up, its quite vunerable on that side, but nonetheless it can take some hits:

252 Atk Samurott Waterfall vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Munchlax: 148-175 (31.2 - 36.9%) -- 75.4% chance to 3HKO
252 Atk Reckless Emboar Flare Blitz vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Thick Fat Munchlax: 153-181 (32.2 - 38.1%) -- 97.3% chance to 3HKO
252 Atk Reckless Emboar Wild Charge vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Munchlax: 153-181 (32.2 - 38.1%) -- 97.1% chance to 3HKO
252 Atk Braviary Brave Bird vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Munchlax: 255-301 (53.7 - 63.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Choice Band Sneasel Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Munchlax: 259-306 (54.6 - 64.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Choice Band Sneasel Icicle Crash vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Thick Fat Munchlax: 115-136 (24.2 - 28.6%) -- 98.9% chance to 4HKO

Its attack stat isn't as low as one might think either: to all of these mons it deals at least 20 percent with body slam, and has a good chance to paralyze them in order to help the rest of his team beat them too.
Its glaring weaknesses are annoying, and obvious:

Physical fighting types run through it.
Knock off heavily lowers its bulk (although it still tanks a decent amount of (special) hits).
Special attackers are known to run trick (like scarf delphox or rotom) to invalidate munch.

TLDR; Munchlax is a great special wall that has a fine niche in this tier, and I think it deserves to at least be ranked.
 

Yoshi

IT'S FINK DUMBASS
to A-
Very underrated mon in the current meta. First off, s/o to Stan Soojung for introducing me to this incredible Pokemon. For one, it's best set is definitely it's Assault Vest set, which allows it to soak up hits, even an LO Energy Ball from Whimsicott after a Fake Tears (and OHKOs back with Fire Blast). It acts as a great counter to Delphox, taking little from Grass Knot, and even +2 Houndoom if needed, also scoring the OHKO on that. This set also acts as a good check to Vanilluxe. Thanks to its HP stat it can even take some physical hits, enabling it to be a good all around sponge.

Another merritt of the Assault Vest set is, while providing significant bulk, the damage output is still great. This allows Slowking to deal heavy damage to the aforementioned Whimsicott and Houndoom, as well as Pokemon like Golbat using Future Sight. With its amazing coverage and access to Future Sight + Dragon Tail to potentially phaze dark types wanting to take the future sight, Slowking also poses a bigger offensive threat than the tiers other water types.

Thanks to Regenerator, Slowking doesn't mind hazard damage too much, which allows it to switch freely with no worry of being weakened. So, for these reasons, and because of the rise of Pokemon like Whimsicott and Delphox, Slowking should rise to A- because of it's defensive (and in some cases, offensive,) capabilities.
 

Rabia

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I HAVE LIKE ONE MINUTE TO WRITE THIS

STEELIX A- -> B+
Gets clapped by Xatu (which is literally everywhere) and is just outclassed by Druddigon, Seismitoad and Piloswine because of their ability to check threats named Emboar and Vanilluxe. Easily taken advantage of because of its passiveness and overall simply isn't the premier Stealth Rock-user of the tier anymore.
 
I HAVE LIKE ONE MINUTE TO WRITE THIS

STEELIX A- -> B+
Gets clapped by Xatu (which is literally everywhere) and is just outclassed by Druddigon, Seismitoad and Piloswine because of their ability to check threats named Emboar and Vanilluxe. Easily taken advantage of because of its passiveness and overall simply isn't the premier Stealth Rock-user of the tier anymore.
Steelix isn't as clapped by Xatu as you're making it out to be, heavy slam is doing 50%+ to xatu which forces it to roost every time which then gives you a free switch of your choice. It will always deny you rocks but in return it'll always net you game momentum. Steelix is still one of the most splashable SR mons in the tier which is why its still holding extremely high usage on ladder. I think it's well above the ranking of B+, and is generally fine hovering around the A-/A mark.
 

Martin

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Probopass —> B-
This Pokemon is consistent as hell; lots of shit really appreciates having Steelix removed from the picture, and with it also functioning as a consistent “fuck you” sign to a range of dangerous Pokemon like Vanilluxe, Vivillon, and Whimsicott (especially considering the latter is dropping HP Ground more nowadays). It shuts down Xatu balance/BO’s primary form of hazard control due to the Steelix basically being a walking “Set SR on me!” sign and due to the latter being put under immense pressure by Power Gem even if it can’t use a Steel for its rocking purposes. It is also a Rocker which pressures Cryogonal even while weakened, which is big. I’ve been using it and it just really consistently does its job. Meta trends own for it, mon owns as a result.

Scyther —> B
Anti-meta scarfer; beats ScarfBoar, faster than ScarfPhox and can Pursuit it, few other things too. A great asset to VoltTurn in general and doesn’t need that much support aside from, like, a spinner. Highly consistent at what it does.

Klinklang —> B+
Only recently got ranked but honestly this mon is extremely consistent and extremely dangerous. If paired with a lure for Slowbro and Seismi and Pyuku or something there isn’t really much in the tier that can handle its MRise set at +1 and it sets up really easily on common 'mons like Piloswine, Whimsicott etc.; Lix is forced to run Roar ‘cuz otherwise it loses to this 'mon in a late-game scenario lmao. Honestly a great mon that’s been slept on for ages.

Cryogonal —> A-
Consistent hazard control in a tier which is sorely lacking in consistent hazard control options. If it doesn’t putnin work in any given match you’re doing something very wrong because this is one of the single best Pokemon in the tier IMO if you just look at useful in match:not very useful in match ratio. Also people need to stop writing off bulky spreads; this thing’s bulk is insane, and you can do a lot of fiddling around with its EV spread to fit the needs of your team (156 Spe beats positive 80s and takes on Vika defensively, creeping Hitmonlee forces it to mach when in Freeze Dry range (abusable) while allowing you to outrun Specs Mowtom, max Spe can toxic Phox before it moves; there are prolly other spreads too). It’s really hard to stop it getting a Spin off just because of the fact that common spinblockers simply don’t beat it 1v1 outside of the stalemate that Taunt Froslass puts it in (although it still wins out in the long term vs LO Lass anyway), and benefitting from a lot of trends like Whimsi being everywhere and its ability to beat common rockers like Piloswine and Seismitoad (as well as Rock Bouncer® Xatu) 1v1.

Mega Audino —> A
This Pokemon is one of the single greatest assets to balanced teams in the current metagame; its utility set is great, its CM sets are very dangerous and difficult to stop of it is given any breathing room, and it is an extremely solid blanket check to stuff in the current metagame. Idk what else to say here, this mon is just really solid. There’s also that offensive set which does cool things, but mainly nomming for defensive attributes here.

Aromatisse —> C+
Mega Audino exists and does most of what Aromatisse can better, it’s niche is very small in the current metagame as a result. Very hard to justify.

Typhlosion —> C+
It hits hard but it’s rlly hard to justify ever using it over Phox on any given team because you need to dedicate like 3-4 slots to just supporting it if you want it to not just be a weaker phox. It’s not even like it’s less vulnerable to Pursuit ‘cuz Doom still fucks it (assuming ur not running some ass set like Charcoal/Firium/EBelt to lure it+Guzz+Incin or smth) and if it gets ‘suited it loses its nuke in Eruption. Dong ‘mon.

Luxray —> C/C+
http://www.smogon.com/forums/thread...thread-replays-required.3609222/#post-7559937

Key niches over other Guts/Toxic Boost ‘mons:
  • Speed ties with neutral Samurott, faster than shit like Boar, Xatu, standard Golbat and defensive Garbodor (vs Hariyama, Ursaring and Flareon)
  • Dark coverage isn't item-dependent (vs Hariyama)
  • Defensive typing lets it take advantage of stuff like Wild Charge locks from Emboar, TBolt locks from Rotom/Vikavolt etc. more effectively while also allowing it to turn Golbat into a liability (vs all Guts/TBoost users)
  • Not forced to use Toxic Orb (vs Zangoose and Flareon)

Edit: Also I agree with the Emboar/Vanilluxe drop noms and also agree that Virizion and Sceptile should move down; won't elaborate on these 'cuz Hootie does a good job of explaining them.
 
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Sorry on time constraint so no fancy dandy sprites.
Sandslash-Alola
D => C- or maybe higher but baby steps..
There’s been successes of hail teams here and there whether it’d be room tours or ladder and Sandslash-A is fortunate that Aurorus is a damn good lead and Vanilluxe is an amazing (and broke) mon and this is just a near hail staple. The declining of Steelix definitely helps it’s case and looking at many of the S-A mons it has great SE coverage against most of them. I’d argue hail is probably better than probably rain atm but feel free to correct me.

Liligant
B => lower
I just don’t see much reason (besides rock weakness) to use this over Vivillion or even Jynx really. Z hyper beam is probably its only niche and even then +1 can’t kill Guzz not to mention the rise of scarf Delphox and the rising AV hariyama and aside from the one time blitz, mono grass coverage is lame as this tier has many decent checks to it.

Regice
C => unranked
This is just bad, I’ve glossed over this before. Can do nothing to Delphox? Check. Can do nothing against AV anything (incineroar/magmortar/Hariyama/Slowking/Type Null even)? Check. Like cool it’s a vanilluxe switchin but that’s probably the only thing going for it. (Referring to Rock Polish Z fight set unless there’s a new set Im not aware of)

Hariyama
B => B+/A-
The AV set is just a great blanket check against many things in the tier and it’s so damned splashable as well can even take shit like Delphox’s psychic and Guzz Draco’s and guts sets are pretty good.

Spiritomb
C+ => Lower
This is just painfully mediocre rn and just takes an L to Mega Audino and Guzz as well as being worse than Sneasel as a trapper overall. I wouldn’t say unrank but I would not be too opposed.
 
Klinklang —> B+
Only recently got ranked but honestly this mon is extremely consistent and extremely dangerous. If paired with a lure for Slowbro and Seismi and Pyuku or something there isn’t really much in the tier that can handle its MRise set at +1 and it sets up really easily on common 'mons like Piloswine, Whimsicott etc.; Lix is forced to run Roar ‘cuz otherwise it loses to this 'mon in a late-game scenario lmao. Honestly a great mon that’s been slept on for ages.
I'm sorry, but I dont see how klinklang beats Steelix even with magnet rise? Heavy slam is chipping away at klang, while klangs gear grind does about 20% max at plus one, counting leftovers that still loses the 1v1?

+1 252+ Atk Klinklang Gear Grind (2 hits) vs. 244 HP / 0 Def Steelix: 60-72 (17 - 20.4%) -- possible 7HKO after Leftovers recovery

0 Atk Steelix Heavy Slam (100 BP) vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Klinklang: 42-49 (16 - 18.7%) -- possible 6HKO

And then there is of course the fact that klang has to keep using magnet rise in order not to die to steelix, and needs to hit all its grinds. I am not saying klang isnt pretty good in this meta, I just dont see how it beats a steelix unless its very weakened
 

Martin

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I'm sorry, but I dont see how klinklang beats Steelix even with magnet rise? Heavy slam is chipping away at klang, while klangs gear grind does about 20% max at plus one, counting leftovers that still loses the 1v1?

+1 252+ Atk Klinklang Gear Grind (2 hits) vs. 244 HP / 0 Def Steelix: 60-72 (17 - 20.4%) -- possible 7HKO after Leftovers recovery

0 Atk Steelix Heavy Slam (100 BP) vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Klinklang: 42-49 (16 - 18.7%) -- possible 6HKO

And then there is of course the fact that klang has to keep using magnet rise in order not to die to steelix, and needs to hit all its grinds. I am not saying klang isnt pretty good in this meta, I just dont see how it beats a steelix unless its very weakened
I specified late-game for a reason (it's really not hard to wear Steelix down), and realistically speaking if Steelix lacks Roar (the point I was putting across there) it just gets used for setup fodder. Steelix isn't denting MR Klinklang and Corkscrew Crash does upwards of 50% at +3.
 

Xiri

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Regice
C => unranked
This is just bad, I’ve glossed over this before. Can do nothing to Delphox? Check. Can do nothing against AV anything (incineroar/magmortar/Hariyama/Slowking/Type Null even)? Check. Like cool it’s a vanilluxe switchin but that’s probably the only thing going for it. (Referring to Rock Polish Z fight set unless there’s a new set Im not aware of)
Disagree. I've been using this mon a lot and it has been working pretty well for me.
While you did list some valid points (such as it can't do much to most AV mons... but then again, all mons have checks and counters to them.), I don't think Regice is that bad to be in a position to be moved to unranked. Apart from Vanilluxe, it acts as a decent switch-in to things like Whimsicott, Guzzlord, Xatu, Vikavolt, Sigilyph, Vileplume etc. It can also pressure things like Sneasel to an extent (albeit it might want to come in safely since Band Knock Off has a chance to 2HKO).

As for Delphox:
252+ SpA Regice Thunderbolt vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Delphox: 90-106 (30.9 - 36.4%) -- 59.8% chance to 3HKO
That's not too terrible.

And:
252+ SpA Regice All-Out Pummeling (190 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Incineroar: 276-326 (70 - 82.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
If Rocks are up, Incineroar dies to AOP + Tbolt after rocks since AV Incineroar usually runs no speed.

I'm not saying its a great mon - but it does function well if it needs to in my opinion. Personally I think C+ might be a reasonable rank for it but I wouldn't mind it if it stays in C.
 

etern

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Here's another fairly large update which has particularly shaken up the upper ranks. We'll like have another update before the release of USUM to clean up the lower ranks which are a little too clogged up right now.

Code:
Rises:
Xatu A+ > S
Klinklang B > B+
Toxicroak B+ > A-
Drudiggon A- > A
Audino-Mega A- > A
Magmortar B- > B
Braviary B+ > A-

Drops:
Vanilluxe S > A+
Sceptile A > A-
Komala C- > UR
Vikavolt A+ > A
Rhydon A- > B+
Togedemaru B- > C
Lanturn C+ > UR
Aromatisse B > C+
Rotom-Mow A+ > A
Shuckle B+ > C+
Kangaskhan B > C
Uxie B+ > B-
Lapras C- > UR
Slowbro A+ > A
Xatu: Xatu rose to S because of it's amazing splashability and synergy with some of the best Pokemon in the tier, as well as the fact that it is easily the best form of hazard control we have, in a meta where hazard removal is very tricky to fit into teams. Just taking a look at it's usage and success in Smogon Snake Draft shows how well high level players have been putting it to good use, and it is thus clearly a meta-defining Pokemon which shapes the way in which hazards are used in NU.

Vanilluxe: Vanilluxe is still very threatening but the tier has adapted well to it and people are finding it more easy to use Ice-type resists like Emboar, Delphox, Klinklang, Miltank, Hariyama, Piloswine, (and Type-Null, though it isn't a resist) to tackle it. It also suffers from the same issue it has always had, which is fitting onto teams due to it's mediocre defensive synergy. It's still a great Pokemon, just not quite on the level of our other S ranks.

Houndoom: Houndoom has been quite underrated for a while now, and is starting to see a lot more use which put its great qualities to high effect. The LO Pursuit set is great at eliminating dangerous threats like Sigilyph, Delphox, Cryogonal, Xatu, whilst the Nasty Plot + Taunt set can dismantle balance and stall teams alike.

Klinklang: This pokemon is one of Xatu's best partners and has been really taking advantage of recent meta trends such as the decline in Slowbro and rise in Whimsicott. Klinklang can tear through teams late game with the good Steelium-Z set and break past counters like Steelix with Magnet Rise.

Sceptile: Sceptile's main issue is having to justify using it over Whimsicott which is far and away the best Grass-type (if not the best Pokemon) in the tier, likewise the commonality of Scarfed Fire-types, bulky Poison-types, and SpDef walls such as Mega Audino and Type Null also limits Sceptiles success.

Rhydon: Struggles to check the things you want to check, e.g Fire-types and Electric-types, faces competition from Seismitoad and Piloswine which offer more appreciated defensive utility.

Slowbro: Slowbro is too slow and too easily exploitable. Calm Mind sets hardly have a chance to get more than 1 boost because of the plethora of special attackers that just pile the pressure onto Slowbro. As a result, you rarely see Slowbro sitting around as a win condition for a game, but instead as a passive deterrent for certain attackers. It is by far not a threatening Pokemon anymore and I think A+ is understating the cost of real offensive pressure that you're sacrificing by running this thing. - Disjunction

Druddigon: Great typing and the ability to get up rocks versus Xatu makes this a very worthwhile Pokemon. It also soft checks a lot of dangerous threats, particularly Delphox, Emboar, Slowbro.

Vikavolt: Offensive teams are quite easily the most common archetype atm, and that makes Vikavolts job much harder than it used to be. It also doesn't help that fatter teams are starting to use SpDef walls like Mega Audino, Type Null, and Togedemaru, which all give it a hard time.

Braviary: Braviary takes advantage of a lot of meta trends atm, particularly Whimsicott being so popular, and the lack of good Flying-type resists being used. Sub BU can just sweep through unprepared teams with ease, and even BU Fightinum-Z can catch a lot of teams off guard.

Magmortar: Great Whimsicott, Vanilluxe, and Typhlosion check. Soft checks basically every non Water-type special attacker, and threatens cores with its good coverage.

The rest of the rises/drops are pretty self explanatory, but if anyone has anyone questions feel free to ask in the NU room.
 

Punchshroom

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C- to UR

This is a Pokemon that has been touched upon a number of times before, but I'll gloss over it again since we're trimming out the C- Ranks (removal of Lapras and Komala) and barring entry to the likes of Luxray (which I still don't find good, but it's a heck of a lot more appealing than this sausage-looking garbage). For a Pokemon that plays like a tank, Eelektross gets everything wrong as a tank.
- As an Assault Vest user, the only one out of the notable special attacking types it resist is Electric (Magmortar, Thick Fat Hariyama, and Slowking resist a good deal more), and even then those Electrics do a lot of damage to it with their alternative STAB
- It doesn't have any form of reliable, much less passive recovery (unlike Slowking or Vikavolt), which significantly impairs its role as a pivot
- As a 'corebreaker', it is far too reliant on super effective hits to gain any sort of offensive edge over the opponent, kind of like Electivire except Eel's poor Speed worsens this issue. At least Slowking has Regen and Scald to compensate for this similiar problem.

If this Pokemon is up against nearly anything it cannot super effectively damage, it's going to lose, whether it be against a faster, stronger attacker or against something which just sponges its hits all day. Guzzlord and Druddigon are popular and do not care about Eelektross at all, yet another point against Eel when compared to Vikavolt. Even the increasing popularity of Klinklang isn't a strong positive for Eel, since +1 Klinklang's Return 2HKOes while Eel's Flamethrower cannot OHKO, so Eel doesn't even function as a reliable check. Eel's numerous coverage options don't really matter in a tier where pretty much every offensive Electric-type comes with dual STAB and thus don't need much backup attacks in the first place. This mon is just a subpar choice overall: poor tank, bad pivot, mediocre choice of Electric-type, unimpressive corebreaker due to poor Speed and overreliance on super effective hits. Why would you ever consider this for a team?


UR to C-

If Shuckle took a large hit due to Xatu's uniquity in the meta, then I propose to rank Masquerain for its ability to circumvent Xatu. This is not the first time Masquerain was nommed, but I feel it is more justified now with Shuckle's steep fall and Xatu's rise.

Masquerain @ Focus Sash
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Sticky Web
- Quiver Dance
- Ice Beam
- Air Slash

252+ SpA Masquerain Ice Beam vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Xatu: 240-284 (71.8 - 85%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+1 252+ SpA Masquerain Ice Beam vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Xatu: 362-426 (108.3 - 127.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Masquerain Ice Beam vs. 240 HP / 0 SpD Eviolite Golbat: 152-180 (43.3 - 51.2%) -- 5.9% chance to 2HKO
+1 252+ SpA Masquerain Ice Beam vs. 240 HP / 0 SpD Eviolite Golbat: 226-268 (64.9 - 76.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Modest > Timid since the extra Speed really doesn't help Masquerain against common faster Taunt users as well as Sleep Power Vivillon, plus Modest Masq still outspeeds Xatu. Xatu loses if it switches in on any attack that isn't Sticky Web or Energy Ball (and even then max roll Ice Beam can KO right after). You can just Sticky Web as usual against Golbat switch-ins, as no matter how hard they try they cannot get rid of you and Sticky Web before they go down, meaning you get to keep your Web up. Air Slash + Ice Beam gives Masquerain the best overall neutral coverage as well as smacking Hitmonlee which might otherwise attempt to Spin. You can opt for Energy Ball to smash things like Seismitoad, Rhydon, or Omastar or w/e, but Masq's other moves don't really help it in its lead role in the long run.

Being '2nd best Sticky Webber' does not make Masquerain particularly notable or anything, and Masq definitely has bad matchups such as faster Taunt/sleep users, Vanilluxe, and especially Klinklang, but it does provide a substantial niche over its competitor, kind of like how Sturdy Mental Herb Crustle is holding onto C- despite the presence of Omastar in the tier.
 
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etern

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NU Leader
I'm gonna preface this post by saying that we currently have 104 Pokemon ranked on the VR, not counting the D rank stuff. That's honestly way too much and doesn't accurately represent what's actual viable in the tier, so I'd like to try and start with the lower ranks and get a more accurate picture of the meta before the release of USUM.

C- > D: Ambipom is almost entirely eclipsed by Cinccino as a fast Normal-type, and has a much harder time breaking through traditional Normal-type resists such as Rhydon, Steelix, and physically bulky mons like Slowbro and Golbat. That leaves it with just the niche of Technician Fake Out, and while that can be annoying for some hyper offensive teams to deal with, it's not something worth being ranked for, and definitely not a Pokemon you'd purposely use on a competitively viable team.

C- > UR: Poliwrath checks Sneasel, and that's pretty much where the positives end. It faces immense competition from all our bulky water-types that offer a lot more than Poliwrath can, e.g Seismitoad has rocks + volt immunity, Slowbro checks Sneasel as well, acts as a wincon, takes on a lot more physical attackers, and Slowkingis a great special sponge. It's pretty hard to really justify this over other Pokemon, and not worth being ranked atm.

C- > UR: Punchshroom summed this up well, it's just a worse vikavolt with worse defensive presence due to it's lack of resistances and recovery. Not strong enough to really threaten bulkier teams, and too slow to bother offensive teams, long overdue in unranking this.

C > UR: Awful pokemon, not bulky enough to check what you want it to check, offers absolutely nothing over viable Ground-types like Seismitoad, Rhydon, and Steelix, and way too slow to do anything worthwhile with a Choice Band set. Definitely time to unrank this.

C > C-: Meta trends have made Ditto a lot less useful in most matches, Barbaracle is banned and now common setup pokemon such as CM Delphox and Klinklang aren't quite as threatened by Ditto. It still has a small niche, but it fits better in C-.

C > C- / UR: Struggles against fat Rock resists even with Z-moves, also faces competition from SD Kabutops which can more comfortably beat down bulky cores, and has the freedom to run Continental Crush over a coverage move.

C+ > C/C-: This loses to 12 out of 16 of the highest ranked mons in the tier from S to A, particularly the most common and dangerous Fighting-type in the tier, Emboar. To make matters worse, it loses and gets walled by the best Grass-type in the tier, Whimsicott. The best Pokemon in this tier are just extremely unkind to Gourgeist-XL.

C+ > C-/UR: Mediocre Pokemon, loses to most of the best mons in the tier, extremely weak, frail even with Fur Coat and a typing that doesn't even complement it's ability. The best set is probably Nasty Plot, but even that is embarrassingly weak before a boost, and ridiculously easy to revenge kill. Not 100% sold on if Parting Shot and the Nasty Plot set are enough to keep it ranked, close one.

B- > C/C-: Doesn't really deal with much very well because it doesn't have recovery, gets hardstopped by Xatu, the most common form of hazard control in the tier, and doesn't have the longevity to check things you want to check with it. You'd only use this on extremely specific teams, or as a Trick Room setter, time to drop it all the way to the bottom of the pack.

B- > C+: Offensive doesn't have the speed tier or coverage to really threaten bulky offense / hyper offense. Sash Lead is still decent, but hyper offense as a playstyle isn't as common as it once was. This Pokemon just doesn't really stand up with the rest of B-.
 
Alright here's my quick thoughts:


edit: this was in fact not very quick, here are thoughts on 30 Pokemon in our favorite tier.
(warning. beginning noms are controversial and i really just want discussion on them, not necessarily agree with them)

Emboar from S -> A+
Reasoning
: Sigh, what goes up must come down. Emboar seems a bit underwhelming and one-dimensional as of late, probably because of its trouble finding a spot as a fire-type when the multi-dimensional pokemon Delphox is so freaking amazing right now. I don't want to say any more on this controversial one that I don't necessarily agree with but mainly want to bring up as a discussion point.

Virizion from A+ -> A

Reasoning: Virizion just really isn't what it used to be in the tier, with lots of defensive flying types in Xatu and Golbat around to metagame adaptions like HP Flying Rotom. Psychic types like Xatu and Delphox, Fire Types like Emboar and the aforementioned Delphox, and Ice types like Vanilluxe are really taking away from this mon along with there being a superior grass type in Whimsicott. Physical sets have trouble setting up and unboosted attacks have trouble netting important KOs (can't KO bulkier varients of Xatu with Z Stone Edge or Golbat with Z Stone Edge even after rocks, Leaf Blade 3HKOs Slowbro unboosted, garbodor can switch into a close combat and still survive Z Zen Headbutt, etc.). Its special sets have issues with damage output from a weak giga drain and focus blast having its obvious accuracy issues. Yeah it is still good on Grassspam and has very good bulk but its really not A+ level anymore.

Sneasel from A+ -> A
Reasoning
: Sneasel also isn't what it used to be, as with the rise of more physically bulky Pokemon like Piloswine and Miltank as well as it being a dark type that loses to Slowbro, which sucks. Vanilluxe outclasses it as an offensive Ice-type and while its arguably the best Pursuit-trapper in the tier it relies on a lot of 50/50s as Pursuit can't take some important KOs without the opponent switching out. Houndoom is on the rise and a very underrated pursuit trapper and Sneasel's defensive typing leaves it really weak to priority in mach punch and bullet punch coming from fighting types that are gaining popularity (particularly Hariyama and Medicham with bullet punch) Whimsicott outspeeds it and Ice shard can't KO it which also sucks; Delphox commonly runs scarf and can use this as an opportunity to either revenge kill or feign a scarf set and setup Calm Mind on the switch. Honestly meta hasn't been kind to Sneasel - Sneasel usually does well vs. frail offense but the meta is getting bulkier especially in the fat waters department with vanilluxe being so prominent.

Guzzlord from A -> A-
Reasoning
: Jim has plummeted in use from what I can see, with Mega Audino being everywhere and Dazzling Gleam becoming Standard on Missy and Delphox the meta has adapted to what was the rage before. Vanilluxe is a stronger, faster, and overall superior special attacker that relies a helluva lot less on prediction than guzzlord does in general. Slowbro has dropped a lot in usage as well which hurts Guzzlord's usefulness in the meta.

Samurott from A- -> B+
Reasoning
: Yeah its a versatile attacker that can run both physical and special sets but hell its not even NU by usage. its too hard to play around with all these Electric and Grass types running around and it doesn't have very much bulk at all. Special sets are hard to use because of limited coverage. Physical sets have nice options in Megahorn and Superpower but generally it doesn't have very much use in this current meta.
EDIT: I take this nom back

Accelgor from B+ -> A-
Reasoning
: I've been playing around with Accelgor lately and I really find it nice - with Choice Specs it makes it an incredibly powerful cleaner because of its amazing speed that it can reach unboosted. It gets Sludge Bomb to hit annoying Fairy types that resist its STAB and Focus Blast to hit Steel types that resist Bug Buzz as well. It has access to Spikes which it can run on offensive and fast lead sets and Final Gambit can be used to block spin and defog reliably as it is faster than any unboosted hazard removal in the tier.
EDIT: I take this nom back

Cryogonal from B+ -> A-
Reasoning
: Im going to echo some sentiments here from others and myself: Cryogonal is one of the most consistent spinners due to it's reliable recovery, awesome special bulk, and great offensive typing. Access to Freeze Dry lets it nail Seismatoad and Omastar while still hitting the normal things Ice can hit. Immunity to Webs, Toxic Spikes, and Spikes make up for its rock weakness along with soft checking Vanilluxe and other special attackers in the tier.

Klinklang from B+ -> A-
Reasoning
: Klinklang has really evolved from the Z Wild Charge sets that used to be really common when people tried to use it. This thing is able to set up on commonly used Pokemon such as Whimsicott, Xatu, Ice Cream, and Garbodor. Slowbro is on the decline, leaving very little Pokemon that are able to stop a boosted Klinklang in the sweep. Its synergy with Xatu is also really really awesome as previously stated by somebody, as all the Stealth Rock users that beat Klinklang lose to Xatu while Piloswine, Steelix and Rhydon, get set up on by Magnet Rise Klinklang. Sir Kay introduced me to another great Klinklang partner in Lurantis in which I will get more into later in this post.

Malamar from B+ -> B
Reasoning
: Malamar has been really underwhelming lately in my opinion, Fighting coverage really hasn't been that useful lately. What really kills this for me is how easy its able to get momentum - quad fighting resists in Scyther, Golbat, and Xatu that are popular or rising all can switch into Superpower an U-turn out to a knock off absorber that can finish Malamar off or just flat out KO'ing it, capitalizing on Malamar's 4x bug weakness. Z-Happy Hour has its use and is a cool set, but is hard to fit on teams. Happy Hour also has to forgo the more reliable RestTalk set from the previous generation. Malamar doesn't have the speed to sweep/clean and needs setup to wallbreak, making it easy to switch to a check or counter. Once it gets going its really good but it still struggles to find opportunity despite its amazing ability Contrary.

Hariyama from B -> B+
Reasoning
: Hariyama is really cool right now, having two great abilities (well three but 2 relevant great abilities), in Thick Fat and Guts. While its not the level of Machamp power wise with Guts, its pretty much very similar in many ways to the powerhouse that left NU some time ago. Priority in Bullet Punch and Fake Out along with STAB Close Combat make Hariyama really potent in the current meta. Thick Fat makes Hariyama an excellent specially defensive wall, checking the likes of Houndoom and Vanilluxe as well as others. Its main drawback with this set is that it wishes it could beat Delphox but it really cannot.

Liligant from B -> B-
Reasoning
: Mono Grass coverage kinda sucks despite having Quiver Dance; Z hyper beam is its redeeming feature but thats just a one time use with mere neutral coverage at best. Sleep Powder has accuracy issues while Vivillon has Compound Eyes to deal with that. The common Scarf Delphox can flat out switch into anything besides Z Hyper Beam as it can outspeed Liligant with a Choice Scarf. Vivilion just outclasses it to an incredible degree.

Miltank from B -> B+
Reasoning
: Miltank is just an awesome support mon that can also check ice types like Vanilluxe. It gets rocks but it also gets recovery in Milk Drink and Heal Bell which is what sets it apart from Piloswine which also sets rocks while checking Vanilluxe.

Medicham from B -> B+
Reasoning
: Medicham's Pure Power is really amazing and it can run a variety of sets from Choice Scarf to Life Orb to Choice Band to some random coverage Z move. Its access to elemental punches lets it have versatility and unpredictability and can catch an opponent off guard. Choice Scarf particularly makes a great cleaner on top of high powered STAB moves like High Jump Kick. Life Orb can run Fake Out and Bullet Punch which do a ton of damage before a fast and frail opponent can even make a move.

Raticate-A from B -> B-
Reasoning
: I think A-rat is kinda bad right now as its outclassed by Sneasel and Houndoom in the pursuit trap category and it has accuracy issues with Hustle. Its a decent Breaker and Swords Dance with STAB sucker punch is really cool but thats not enough to let it stay in B in my opinion. Thick Fat is nonexistant on Alolan-Raticate as far as I know. Meeps would be disappointed in this I know.

Typhlosion from B -> B+
Reasoning
: Typhlosion's Specs-boosted Eruption is one of the hardest hitting attacks in the tier, 2HKOing normal fire resists such as Miltank or Seismitoad after rocks. Its also faster than you probably think it is - it can reach a pretty great 328 speed with a Timid nature, letting it outspeed many of the non scarfed Pokemon in the meta. When you take something with suck power and give it good speed you're bound to have a mon higher than B here.

Aurorus from B- -> C+
Reasoning
: Completely outclassed by Vanilluxe, I don't even know whats going on here especially since Veil has been banned. Yeah it sets rocks but there are tons of mons that set hazards more reliably than Aurorus can. It has one niche in a bulkier Hail setter that can set rocks as you can see by Z+V's hail team which is pretty good, but I can't see many options for it now.

Sawk from B- -> B
Reasoning
: This thing is POWERFUL. Choice Band Sawk makes an excellent wallbreaker, and while sporting an average speed tier its great attack on top of STAB Close Combat make it one of the hardest hitting Pokemon in the tier. This OHKOs many things that it hits neutrally, and 2hkos many resists - Adamant Banded Sawk has a favorable chance of OHKOing Delphox after Stealth Rock. Sturdy is an incredible useful ability on a Pokemon like this, so if hazards stay off the field than Sawk can almost always get a guarenteed KO or two somewhere throughout the match. Knock Off allows it to hit Ghost and Psychics harder, Poison Jab lets it hit Fairy-types, and Stone Edge lets it hit Golbat and Xatu. Scarf Sawk makes an excellent revenge killer that often has two chances to break a pokemon due to Sturdy. Mold Breaker can even be used on Adamant Band to have a high chance to OHKO Steelix with the nuclear STAB Close Combat.

Uxie from B- -> C+/C
Reasoning
: Slow, weak, and unreliable, Uxie's only real use is for Trick Room or Memento support.

Regirock from B- -> C/C-
Reasoning
: Why is this so high? Its not even close to one of the best rock setters out there and the only way I'd ever use this is to be a sun setter on a sun team. I dont like this Pokemon at all and its weak, its redeeming factor is that it can threaten Xatu but thats not B level material here.

Aromatisse from C+ -> C-/UR
Reasoning
: Why is this even used? Its just a worse Mega-Audino without a Ghost-type immunity and worse movepool. Mega Audino has no opportunity cost either as the meta has no other mega evolutions so I find no redeeming traits in this mon.

Jynx from C+ -> B-
Reasoning
: Jynx really has some use in this tier because of its power and speed, but also because of Z-moves. Z Lovely Kiss is a decent set that allows Jynx to use its good offensive typing with the speed boost to clean up an opposing team. Z Focus Blast allows it to hit things like Steelix, Incineroar and other Steel and Dark types that normally beat Jynx with ease. Access to Nasty Plot and a very good ability in Dry Skin also add to the usefulness of this Pokemon.

Pyukumuku from C+ -> B-
Reasoning
: Pyukumuku is the best setup stopper on stall teams in the tier, and with an amazing support movepool its deserving of B- just based on its crucial role on Stall teams. Great defensive typing leave it weak to only Electric and Grass, making it easy for other pokemon to cover those bases with relative ease.

Type: Null from C -> C+
Reasoning
: Earth really summed this up well for me but great wincon with amazing bulk, sets up on things like Delphox, Scarf Vanilluxe, and other special attackers really easily.

Probopass from C -> C+
Reasoning
: Great special bulk and Magnet Pull are really useful in this meta. Tons of random shit appreciate Steelix being gone and the ability to set rocks and be a slow pivot with Volt Switch makes this mon worthy of a higher ranking. Magnet Rise helps make up for the bad defensive typing (and is the reason it beats Steelix) but its funny how Delphox always thinks it can 1v1 this thing as I've seen on the ladder recently.

Alolan Persian from C+ -> C/C-
Reasoning
: Why don't they give Fur Coat to a Pokemon that has decent defensive typing or some defense stat to begin with? I'm agreeing with Eternally on this one.

Mudsdale from C -> C-/UR
Reasoning
: God-awful mon, slow as hell, doesn't do anything you want it to, cool ability but it doesn't belong here.

Eelektross from C- -> UR
Reasoning
: May have no weaknesses but mediocre defensive typing, stats and outclassed offensive stats leave no viable place for this Pokemon in this metagame.

Ambipom from C- -> D
Reasoning
: I've been echoing this in the NU room for a while now, but this low ladder [strike]meme[/strike] favorite is really bad along with Claydol with its only niche being Technician Fake Out. Cinccino is just the superior fast normal type in the tier,

Poliwrath from C- -> UR
Reasoning
: Eternally got this one down as well - Can't really check anything and doesn't function even close to the level of other water types in the tier.

Lurantis from C-- -> C+
Reasoning
: Super adamant about this one. Kay introduced me to this amazing Pokemon last week when building for Klinklang - it destroys water types, gets recovery, defog, powerful STAB which sets up, and more team support in Aromatherapy. Meadow Plate Leaf Storm OHKOs Piloswine by the way. It destroys potential switch ins with contrary boosting its special attack every Leaf Storm, and being able to crush ground and water types is something really appreciated in the metagame right now. Its a bit on the slow side but the fact that it provides so much support while being an offensive threat means its deserving of a higher rank than the bottom of the barrel.
 
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quziel

I am the Scientist now
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This shit is long as fuck, and I'm pretty sure Tolstoy wrote less in his life. Only covering a few of them, as I don't want to get carpal tunnel.

Alright here's my quick thoughts:


edit: this was in fact not very quick, here are thoughts on 30 Pokemon in our favorite tier.
(warning. beginning noms are controversial and i really just want discussion on them)
Virizion from A+ -> A

Reasoning: Virizion just really isn't what it used to be in the tier, with lots of defensive flying types in Xatu and Golbat around to metagame adaptions like HP Flying Rotom. Psychic types like Xatu and Delphox, Fire Types like Emboar and the aforementioned Delphox, and Ice types like Vanilluxe are really taking away from this mon along with there being a superior grass type in Whimsicott. Physical sets have trouble setting up and unboosted attacks have trouble netting important KOs (can't KO bulkier varients of Xatu with Z Stone Edge or Golbat with Z Stone Edge even after rocks, Leaf Blade 3HKOs Slowbro unboosted, garbodor can switch into a close combat and still survive Z Zen Headbutt, etc.). Its special sets have issues with damage output from a weak giga drain and focus blast having its obvious accuracy issues. Yeah it is still good on Grassspam and has very good bulk but its really not A+ level anymore.

I really don't see this dropping; Garbodor is running a 0 bulk toxic plate a lot of the time, which is trivially worn down (even OHKOd at +2 by z-edge, requires good luck and SR for Life orb), Xatu only requires you to actually hit, and honestly is trivially worn down by the LO set, while the Rock-Z set wins. Yes, Whimsicott rising to #1 really hurts it, but it still has nasty special bulk, abuses the newly minted Hwish Maud more than like anything in the tier, and just in general is a nasty mon to deal with (Also the Lo set is nasty as fuck, use it). Fun fact, if its full HP and has a boost, it actually wins the 1v1 vs Whims with either set (Rock-z lives, LO has to rely on rolls to avoid a double down).

Sneasel from A+ -> A
Reasoning
: Sneasel also isn't what it used to be, as with the rise of more physically bulky Pokemon like Piloswine and Miltank as well as it being a dark type that loses to Slowbro, which sucks. Vanilluxe outclasses it as an offensive Dark-type and while its arguably the best Pursuit-trapper in the tier it relies on a lot of 50/50s as Pursuit can't take some important KOs without the opponent switching out. Houndoom is on the rise and a very underrated pursuit trapper and Sneasel's defensive typing leaves it really weak to priority in mach punch and bullet punch coming from fighting types that are gaining popularity (particularly Hariyama and Medicham with bullet punch) Whimsicott outspeeds it and Ice shard can't KO it which also sucks; Delphox commonly runs scarf and can use this as an opportunity to either revenge kill or feign a scarf set and setup Calm Mind on the switch. Honestly meta hasn't been kind to Sneasel - Sneasel usually does well vs. frail offense but the meta is getting bulkier especially in the fat waters department with vanilluxe being so prominent.

Sneasel is honestly the best anti-hazard control in the tier, easily being able to remove Cryogonal, and being able to easily force Xatu into a 50/50, removing it if it gets even one prediction right. This is accentuated by its synergy with Garbodor, which barely even needs Sneasel with its wonderful Offensive sets being able to force Xatu to a HP range where its just checkmated by pursuit. The rising Klinklang loves Sneasel, who is able to easily Knock Off Steelix, opening the path to weakening that mon. Shoot, Steelix, one of Sneasel's best answers is on the decline, and when paired with Xatu, you sorta nullify that issue. Yes, Mega Audino can cause issues, but its one flinch away from not being able to answer Sneasel if running spdef spreads. Sneasel's ability to remove most counterplay to Garbodor, while being able to manhandle a lot of offense squads really should justify an A+ ranking.


Samurott from A- -> B+
Reasoning
: Yeah its a versatile attacker that can run both physical and special sets but hell its not even NU by usage. its too hard to play around with all these Electric and Grass types running around and it doesn't have very much bulk at all. Special sets are hard to use because of limited coverage. Physical sets have nice options in Megahorn and Superpower but generally it doesn't have very much use in this current meta.

The reasoning for this nom is bad. The Jolly LO set is a recent innovation that lets Samurott easily power through virtually every scarfer with a +2 Aqua Jet (it OHKOs hitmonlee), while still being able to abuse the tier's Choice Locked Fire types for easy setup, as well as most of the tier's Ground types. Whimsicott rising did hurt it, but if you manage to catch it with a +0 Megahorn on the switch you put it into range of a +2 Aqua Jet, which really limits Whims's ability to beat you. Honestly, I can't really think of any other recent meta trends that harm it at all, and I really don't see any reason for it to drop. The statement that the special set lacks coverage is false, as this mon can still easily carry megahorn, even on a special set, which beats Guzzlord, which like half of the players in the metagame are still using as their special water resist, while Grass Knot cripples every defensive water in the tier aside from vaporeon. Tbh, I could see it rising more easily than I could see it dropping.

Medicham from B -> B+
Reasoning
: Medicham's Pure Power is really amazing and it can run a variety of sets from Choice Scarf to Life Orb to Choice Band to some random coverage Z move. Its access to elemental punches lets it have versatility and unpredictability and can catch an opponent off guard. Choice Scarf particularly makes a great cleaner on top of high powered STAB moves like High Jump Kick. Life Orb can run Fake Out and Bullet Punch which do a ton of damage before a fast and frail opponent can even make a move.

Will have to test this out, but this mon is legit fun vs a lot of builds, as you really don't need a lot of chip to lure in and KO whims with LO Bullet Punch, and it takes advantage of Offensive Garb, and the falloff of Slowbro in a major way. Would have to see multiple replays to consider this nom more seriously, as its fairly unexplored.

Raticate-A from B -> B-
Reasoning
: I think A-rat is kinda bad right now as its outclassed by Sneasel and Houndoom in the pursuit trap category and it has accuracy issues with Hustle. Its a decent Breaker and Swords Dance with STAB sucker punch is really cool but thats not enough to let it stay in B in my opinion. Thick Fat is nonexistant on Alolan-Raticate as far as I know. Meeps would be disappointed in this I know.

Thick fat is like why this mon is used currently, cause it lets a Thick Fat Assault Vest set easily come in on, trap, and remove Delphox, while also providing a near hard-counter to Houndoom. Its like Hariyama, except it has pursuit.

Typhlosion from B -> B+
Reasoning: Typhlosion's Specs-boosted Eruption is one of the hardest hitting attacks in the tier, 2HKOing normal fire resists such as Miltank or Seismitoad after rocks. Its also faster than you probably think it is - it can reach a pretty great 328 speed with a Timid nature, letting it outspeed many of the non scarfed Pokemon in the meta. When you take something with suck power and give it good speed you're bound to have a mon higher than B here.

Fire types are way to well prepped for for me to really support this nom, maybe if Delphox wasn't just spammed all the time (incidentally an acceptable switchin, at least once) I could see it rising. Yes, it does have coverage to take on Miltank and Guzzlord, they just sorta force it away from its main niche over the other fires, spamming Eruption. SR is also like really easy to get up atm, and that sorta annoys Typh. Sorry, I don't have the best explanation here, but Typh just struggles to get to the point where it can spam eruption, which really limits its niche over Delphox and Houndoom.

Aurorus from B- -> C+
Reasoning
: Completely outclassed by Vanilluxe, I don't even know whats going on here especially since Veil has been banned. Yeah it sets rocks but there are tons of mons that set hazards more reliably than Aurorus can. It has one niche in a bulkier Hail setter that can set rocks as you can see by Z+V's hail team which is pretty good, but I can't see many options for it now.

The Stealth Rock offensive set is still incredibly reliable at laying hazards, and basically removes Xatu as a factor. The potency of that set is honestly enough to rank this mon at B-.

Uxie from B- -> C+/C
Reasoning
: Slow, weak, and unreliable, Uxie's only real use is for Trick Room or Memento support.I

U-turn plus this thing's sheer bulk give it a huge niche, as well as letting it take advantage of Xatu in a huge way, as virtually no other Rocker in the tier even has U-turn, letting it do dumb stuff like bring in Sneasel or Vikavolt every time they go Xatu, basically letting you do really dumb shit. Imprison sets also are incredibly effective at preventing rocks in a lot of lead matchups, as well as letting the Uxie user easily gain momentum vs the opponent. The importance of a Slow U-turn, while compressing SR, and just generally supporting a team's wallbreakers and sweepers justify at least B-. Thing is just incredibly effective at bringing in wallbreakers with a slow U-turn.

Aromatisse from C+ -> C-/UR
Reasoning
: Why is this even used? Its just a worse Mega-Audino without a Ghost-type immunity and worse movepool. Mega Audino has no opportunity cost either as the meta has no other mega evolutions so I find no redeeming traits in this mon.

Because it resists fighting. Aroma Veil is also really nice.

Jynx from C+ -> B-
Reasoning
: Jynx really has some use in this tier because of its power and speed, but also because of Z-moves. Z Lovely Kiss is a decent set that allows Jynx to use its good offensive typing with the speed boost to clean up an opposing team. Z Focus Blast allows it to hit things like Steelix, Incineroar and other Steel and Dark types that normally beat Jynx with ease. Access to Nasty Plot and a very good ability in Dry Skin also add to the usefulness of this Pokemon.

Delphox is entirely too common to justify this rising, as is Sneasel. Yes, Z-lovely kiss is annoying as hell to deal with, but with those two and Houndoom being incredibly common I just can't really justify it rising much more than it is. Admittedly fairly wishy-washy, as it really is strong if they don't have those two, but it ain't great.


Type: Null from C -> C+
Reasoning
: Earth really summed this up well for me but great wincon with amazing bulk, sets up on things like Delphox, Scarf Vanilluxe, and other special attackers really easily.

Special sponge, takes advantage of certain mons falling, what's not to love. Basically functions like Braviary, except not as good, and not weak to rocks. Support

Probopass from C -> C+
Reasoning
: Great special bulk and Magnet Pull are really useful in this meta. Tons of random shit appreciate Steelix being gone and the ability to set rocks and be a slow pivot with Volt Switch makes this mon worthy of a higher ranking. Magnet Rise helps make up for the bad defensive typing (and is the reason it beats Steelix) but its funny how Delphox always thinks it can 1v1 this thing as I've seen on the ladder recently.

Support this, providing an impromptu switchin to many of the tier's annoying special attackers (makes vanil real sad) thanks to high special bulk and nice stabs is good, as is removing steelix, as although lix is falling off, its still nice to remove. Its also a rocker that bypasses Xatu if need be.


Lurantis from C-- -> C+
Reasoning
: Super adamant about this one. Kay introduced me to this amazing Pokemon last week when building for Klinklang - it destroys water types, gets recovery, defog, powerful STAB which sets up, and more team support in Aromatherapy. Meadow Plate Leaf Storm OHKOs Piloswine by the way. It destroys potential switch ins with contrary boosting its special attack every Leaf Storm, and being able to crush ground and water types is something really appreciated in the metagame right now. Its a bit on the slow side but the fact that it provides so much support while being an offensive threat means its deserving of a higher rank than the bottom of the barrel.

Mon's not half bad, support to C, takes advantage of more frail Garbs, as well as literally every rocker in the tier. Granted, it hates that delphox exists, and mandates a ton of team support, as well as having basically 0 attacking PP, which is why I don't really feel a jump all the way to C+ is merited, but it definitely could rise.
 
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This shit is long as fuck, and I'm pretty sure Tolstoy wrote less in his life. Only covering a few of them, as I don't want to get carpal tunnel.
I don't know how to quote a quote, so...

Don't agree with your reasoning for Sneasel staying A+, houndoom does just as well if not better as anti-hazard control with every hazard controller except Golbat. I'm not petitioning for a rise for Houndoom, but literally every pro you brought up Houndoom also possesses minus the cons of being weak to Maudino, Delphox, and Klinklang. And again, by no means do I think Houndoom should rise, but with Sneasel not doing much more than being faster than Houndoom (and the speed of what houndoom usually threatens being irrelevant anyway) and Houndoom being in A, I think Sneasel should fall to A.
 

etern

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Sorry, I accidently moved Houndoom up to A but we voted for it to stay in A-, oops.

Btw, Sneasel's a lot better than Houndoom atm, Knock Off cripples all your switch ins and has very few good switch-ins to start with, Ice coverage is fantastic, and you've got a much more threatening speed tier so you dont have to rely on Scarf or winning 50/50s like Houndoom does, it's easily the best mon in A+.
 

Shadestep

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some noms:
C --> B
Absol is very threatening and is definitely worthy of a rank higher than C. It's not the best SD user in the tier but it's way more dangerous than it looks. +2 Life Orb Sucker Punch demolishes shit, and it forces mind-games vs plenty offensive Pokes like Delphox, Mismagius, Xatu, etc. and can set up SD's . With Spikes support it can easily wipe out offensive and balanced teams. It definitely has a lot of checks and counters like Mega Audino, Steelix, Emboar, but it's definitely worthy of B rank or at least B-.

C --> B
Type:Null has proved its worth in plenty SSD games, and has made its way onto more 'casual' games too, in Seeded Tour for example. It's incredibly bulky and blanket-checks a lot of the meta including Delphox, Whimsicott, Xatu, Mismagius, Vikavolt, etc. It's a great glue for more bulky teams and is a solid win condition to, with Swords Dance + Return, or a momentum grabber with U-turn into any offensive threat you have. Nothing much to say here either, it's just a really annoying mon that definitely deserves to move up quite a few ranks.

B+ --> B
Accelgor is hot ass, let's be honest. The only thing it does is be a spiker that can directly threaten Xatu, but so can Offensive Garbodor and Froslass. It's almost completely outclassed and only saved by its high speed and by being a good Z-move user, depending on the set you run. But without a boosting item, it's incredibly weak and doesn't even come close to killing most of the offensive metagame with its STAB + coverage moves. It should realistically only be used on very specific teams that need a Steelix lure + whatever else Accelgor offers at once, but really it's almost always outclassed by Garbodor and Froslass as a Spike-user.

A- --> A
Hate me for saying this, but Garbodor is really really good. It offers a lot of different sets which can all forfill different roles, and be used on different types of teams. Garbodor is a glue that can act as a blanket check to most fighters, an offensive spiker + xatu lure, and much more. It still does the same thing as in ORAS, although now with more competition in the role as a spiker. Although, it gets way more opportunities to set up spikes throughout a game than Froslass does, as far as my experience goes. Explosion also prevents Defog and Rapid Spin from the opponent so it doesn't have to rely solely on good double switches to prevent hazards from getting cleared. Overall it's a really good Pokemon that brings a lot to the table and has a solid place in the metagame right now.
 
Opinions tm
Articuno - C ---> UR kidding me

I don't really know what is the reason why's this ranked. It probably checks sceptile, whimsicott, ., but we have much better mons that could do that (Bat, Toge) without being pressured so much by rocks. Also if people think "pp pressuring" is a niche, IT'S NOT. Unless im missing something.

Magmortar and Typhlosion - Magmortar should take the higher ground

Specs Eruption is probably such pain in the ass to deal with has only few select switchins like Thick Fat mons (Miltank), Resisting Special Walls (Vaporeon), etc. Even so, Typhlosion still sits in an awkward speed tier and only is effective at full steam (requiring much hazard support and unable to make use of Flash Fire well due to this), not to mention it is very linear, only pulling of the Specs Eruption set well without being overshadowed by other Fires. Magmortar on the other hand is much more versatile, ranging from Wallbreaker to Tank sets (that could still also wallbreak), and is a Fire type that could actually switch to Vanilluxe. It could also break through a good range of mons (and common lix + fat water cores) in the tier with its immense coverage and Z-moves, making it more self sufficient at breaking fire resists on its own, while not losing the needed raw power. Typhlosion is obviously a decent mon that you could pull up your sleeve and blast through opposing teams but the fact that it shares a rank with a relatively better mono fire type that does much more doesn't seem right. Magmortar to B+ / Typhlosion to B-

Miltank - B ---> B+

Miltank is a really good rocker rn due to Thick Fat and is arguably the most consistent counter to Vanilluxe, and hard checks things like Psyshock Delphox, Z-move Mismagius, and Specs Whimsicott (with the same Thick Fat set, yes) to an extent. Being able to spread paralysis with Body Slam and or spread Toxic is very annoying for hazard control mons or deal consistent damage with Stoss to the likes of Steelix is definitely good. I really believe Miltank is still underrated and doesn't belong to the ranks of Granbull and Raticate-A.

Last one for now but Ninjask deserves at least C-
SD Ninjask is an extremely neat cleaner although it almost always need Xatu for a guaranteed* hazard free field and a reliable hazard removal to top off with. Groundium-Z is really great and neatly OHKOing Emboar without any boosts and OHKOing Steelix and Rhydon at +2 with just minimal chip. Albeit being frail, Ninjask could take advantage of Choice locked mons namely Sceptile, Hitmonlee, Accelgor, etc., other relatively passive mons like non Heat Wave Xatu, Uxie, etc., and mons that it could threaten such as Virizion and Slowking. Ninjask also could only sport a max of 306 atk, which is rly weak especially with its max 80 BP moves being unboosted. It could be aided with hazard support, however. Ninjask definitely isn't a first choice mon when teambuilding, but it fits in C rank as it has ofa number positives and also a number of negatives.

The EVs that i use is 252 Atk / 172 SpD / 84 Spe just to outspeed Scarf Emboar and maxing out damage output, as you don't really outspeed anything higher than that speed barring Accelgor which could do nothing and Scarf Hitmonlee which requires you to run max speed jolly which is a very meh set

+2 252+ Atk Ninjask Tectonic Rage (160 BP) vs. 244 HP / 0 Def Steelix: 322-380 (91.4 - 107.9%) -- 50% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Ninjask Tectonic Rage (160 BP) vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Emboar: 420-496 (116.3 - 137.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ Atk Ninjask Tectonic Rage (160 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Rhydon: 340-400 (82.1 - 96.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

not much replays but w/e
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7nu-652495804
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7nu-652910610
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7nubeta-608169580
 
Opinions tm
Articuno - C ---> UR kidding me

I don't really know what is the reason why's this ranked. It probably checks sceptile, whimsicott, ., but we have much better mons that could do that (Bat, Toge) without being pressured so much by rocks. Also if people think "pp pressuring" is a niche, IT'S NOT. Unless im missing something.
IIRC Cuno was ranked because of a Z-Hurricane set or something, though I could be wrong. Either way, I'd suggest focusing on offensive Articuno builds rather than defensive builds, which have never been very viable. Z-Hurricane + Ground-immunity allows it to take on Piloswine a lot easier compared to its Freeze-Dry counterpart, at the very least, and it can also beat stuff like Hitmonlee a lot easier than Ice Cream.

Whether or not that means its worth ranking....... Not too sure actually.
 

poh

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Opinions tm
Articuno - C ---> UR kidding me

I don't really know what is the reason why's this ranked. It probably checks sceptile, whimsicott, ., but we have much better mons that could do that (Bat, Toge) without being pressured so much by rocks. Also if people think "pp pressuring" is a niche, IT'S NOT. Unless im missing something.
Articuno carves out a niche on stall teams being a secondary hazard remover (covering almost every rocker in tandem with Xatu) and having access to Heal Bell while being able to - yes - pressure stall Pokemon like Vanilluxe. Articuno has seen some tourplay aswell recently where it did a good job. I also don't think the Agility + Flyinium Z has gotten any worse since after a boost it's able to threaten most of the Pokemon ranked in the As.
 
C > C- / UR: Struggles against fat Rock resists even with Z-moves, also faces competition from SD Kabutops which can more comfortably beat down bulky cores, and has the freedom to run Continental Crush over a coverage move.
.
I disagree with this nomination. Lycanroc holds a niche as a stealth rocker that outspeeds Froslass (which means it doesn't have to worry about destiny bond), and a rocker who can hit Xatu hard. Why choose Lycanroc over Rhydon, well it definitely doesn't have the bulk of Rhydon, but it doesn't have to worry about a grass knot from Xatu because it OHKO's it before it can make a move. Of course it struggles against other rockers, but being the best match up against Froslass and Xatu makes it C worthy in my opinion.
 
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