Project Personal OU Viability Rankings

[Zneon]

~~ Revamp Time ~~
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Hi people! So with the two broken monsters of the metagame, aka Zygarde and Kyurem-B, being banned, I want to look at my old VR and revamp it since I feel its pretty outdated. By pretty outdated, I mean its basically unrecognisable when you compare mine to the metagame we have now, so I decided to change my personal VR from top to bottom and this time it will go from ending at B+ to ending at B-/C+ and this I am going to give my reasonings for the rises and drops of the Pokemon I did. Anyway, let's go!
Side note: I may forget some obvious Pokemon so if I do I will update it. The ones I didn't forget are just ones I don't deem viable enough to be listed.

​

S Rank:

S Rank

Heatran

Magearna

Pheromosa

A Rank:

A+ Rank

Clefable

Garchomp

Melmetal

Landorus-Therian

Slowbro

Toxapex

Urshifu-S

A Rank

Cinderace

Dragapult

Ferrothorn

Latios

Spectrier

Tapu Fini

Tornadus-Therian

Zapdos

A- Rank

Blaziken

Blissey

Corviknight

Excadrill

Kartana

Moltres

Swampert

Tapu Koko

Tyranitar

B+ Rank

Barraskewda

Buzzwole

Kingdra

Nidoking

Latias

Mandibuzz

Pelipper

Rillaboom

Slowking

Tapu Lele

Urshifu-R

B rank

Aegislash

Alakazam

Dracozolt

Dragonite

Hawlucha

Hydreigon

Regieleki

Kyurem

Rotom-Heat

Volcarona

Zapdos-Galar

B- Rank

Celesteela

Cresselia

Glastrier

Hatterene

Hippowdon

Marowak-Alola

Reuniclus

Suicune

Uxie

=====

Alrighty time for a few reasonings, but unlike last time these will be short summaries.

Pheromosa in my eyes is easily the best offensive pivot and overall best offensive Pokemon in the tier. It is incredibly useful and can pull its weight in any game, whether its being a very splashable and consistently useful offensive pivot that can also be used as amazing speed control in HDB + 4 Attacks, or be a devastating wallbreaker with insane power in Choice Band. Its one of the most consistently dangerous Pokemon in the metagame and thus perfectly fits in S rank.

Magearna basically exemplifies what versatility is. It has so many different sets, and one will always fit onto your team, whether its CM+ Stored Power, Choice Specs, or AV and these are incredibly good sets and Magearna will always perform them well due to its amazing defensive typing and great bulk, giving it a spot on almost any team. Magearna is just excellent in almost any game and its consistency and versatility make it S rank in my eyes.

Heatran is the best Pokemon in OU in my eyes and I don't know how common of an opinion that is but to me, Heatran is very clearly the most consistent Pokemon in the tier because of how much it provides to a team offensively and defensively. Its one of the best rockers in the tier in a sense that it will always get them up at least once a game and proceed to beat all of our more relevant Defoggers other than probably Moltres. It checks very prominent Pokemon like Clefable, Toxapex, Magearna, Ferrothorn, Tapu Koko, I could go on and on. It threatens a large portion of the metagame with just Magma Storm + Earth Power alone while still sporting amazing defensive utility. This makes Heatran one of the most splashable Pokemon in the metagame and it fits on every type of bulky team. Its fantastic and very much worthy of S.

Honestly when I saw my VR and saw that I put Melmetal in B+ I don't think I've ever felt so wrong in my entire life. Melmetal is such a potent Pokemon its insane, it trades with a ton of Pokemon and its largely in Melmetal's favour because the mon hits so hard with Double Iron Bash alone. The amount of things it abuses and trades with makes it a huge threat to a vast majority of teams and most bulky structures have to be at high health to not be overwhelmed by Melmetal. Its an excellent offensive threat and definitely deserves A+.

Slowbro does Slowbro things, Future Sight + Regenerator + Teleport is a stupidly effective combination and Slowbro supports some of our most dangerous attackers in a way that no Pokemon does. Those 3 listed above, being Melmetal, Magearna and Pheromosa are already very good and dangerous but become even harder to handle with the Future Sight pressure because now you can't bring in your Toxapex or your Buzzwole because they no longer become checks after a Future Sight is used. Slowbro is stupidly good and it deserves its place in A+.

 

[Freshgamer]

*Reserved, still editing it but posted by accident lol. Gonna finish it up with my thoughts.*

So I've been playing OU a lot more lately since Kyurem-Black and Zygarde were banned from the tier, as it seems a lot more healthier and stable. Pheromosa is a pretty questionable Pokemon but I could see it sticking around so I decided to give my thoughts about the viability of 'mons in the tier, a lot of I share similar thoughts with other people but some stuff I think deserved to be ranked higher or lower. Gonna give a fairly depth analysis on 'mons ranked from S to B+ but for B and B- I will go over them quickly:

S Rank:

S Rank

Pheromosa

S Rank

Pheromosa - is in my opinion the best offensive 'mon currently in the tier. It's takes the title of the best offensive pivot in the tier, due to it's versatility, utility, incredible speed and power. Pheromosa can run a number of sets such as: Mixed Heavy-Duty Boots Pivot, Physical Heavy-Duty Boots Pivot, Special Heavy-Duty Boots Pivot, Choice Band, Choice Specs, Quiver Dance etc. It's bread-and-butter sets are usually Heavy-Duty Boots Pivot due the utility of Rapid Spin making a great offensive hazard removal option, which is hard to wear down due to Heavy-Duty Boots protecting from hazard damage.

However, options like Adamant Choice Band and Quiver Dance are incredibly fearsome. Choice Band has the power to turn 3HKOs into 2HKOs, which can allow Pheromosa to snowball with Beast Boost boosting it's Attack (or Speed if you choose Jolly). Quiver Dance allows it to break past defensive staples such as Toxapex, Moltres, Buzzwole and Zapdos. Overall, Pheromosa versatility and power makes it incredibly difficult to check, which makes it the best 'mon when back with it's utility.

S- Rank

Clefable

Heatran

Magearna

S- Rank

Clefable - is one of the most splashable 'mons in the tier. The defensive utility that Clefable brings is unmatched, via Knock Off, Thunder Wave, Teleport + Wish, Trick etc. you name it Clefable can probably do it. Clefable plethora of sets include: Stealth Rock Utility, Wish + Teleport, Unaware Heavy-Duty Boots, Choice Scarf/Flame Orb Trick, Calm Mind Offensive etc. all of which are incredibly viable. It's ability to check common offensive threats such as Pheromosa, Urshifu-S, Latios, Hawlucha, Dragapult etc. is amazing for team-building but added with it's amazing move-pool and sets makes Clefable easily top tier OU material.

Heatran - is a fantastic 'mon due to the defensive utility and offensive presence it brings for teams. Sets like Choice Scarf/Specs Eruption can be incredibly volatile but it's ace set is easily the Magma Storm Trapper. Stealth Rock/Magma Storm/Earth Power/Taunt allows Heatran to role compress as a bulky offensive rocker but also as wall-breaker, being able to trap Pokemon like the mighty Toxapex and secure the KO for it's teammates. Magma Storm also allows it chip down checks like Garchomp, Tapu Fini, Tyranitar etc. for the end game. Overall, Heatran poises itself to being one of OUs best 'mons.

Magearna - is the offensive Clefable. It's versatility is through the roof with the wide range of sets it can run: Choice Specs, Calm Mind + Shift Gear, Iron Defense + Calm Mind, Offensive Trick Room, Assault Vest are some of the most notable but other sets including Shuca Lure or Choice Scarf with Trick are also solid options. Magearna quite literally picks and chooses its checks/counters, as no one Pokemon checks all of it's sets. Choice Specs is currently the main sets being run, but when you see this little iron maiden at team preview, you always gotta think could it be a set-up variant.

A Rank:

A+ Rank

Garchomp

Ferrothorn

Melmetal

Slowbro

Toxapex

Urshifu-Single Strike

Zapdos

A+ Rank

Garchomp - is currently the best offensive Stealth Rocker in the tier. It's ability to check other offensive threats such as Cinderace, Blaziken, Excadrill, Tyranitar, Zeraora etc. is very welcomed but it's ability to break past common hazard removal is what makes Garchomp so potent. Swords Dance with Earthquake and Stone Edge allows it to hit pretty much everything in the tier, but more importantly beat Zapdos, Moltres and Mandibuzz. Garchomp also has a great match-up against common hazard setters such as Toxapex, Tyranitar, Heatran etc. allowing it to pressure the opponent from setting up hazards early.

Ferrothorn - is the premier Spike setter in the tier. The utility of Thunder Wave or Knock Off paired with either Spikes or Stealth Rocks makes Ferrothorn as pain to deal with as most hazard removal in the tier appreciates its speed or item, like Pheromosa, Zapdos and Moltres. Ferrothorn's bulk also allows it to take hits from power houses such as Melmetal, Kartana, Excadrill, Zeraora, Tapu Koko, Rillaboom, Dracozolt's Bolt Beak, Kingdra, Barraskewda or Urshifu-Rapid if the latter two click their Water-type moves.

Melmetal - is the offensive behemoth of the tier. It's sheer brute strength makes is pain to deal with defensively and it's bulk makes it incredibly difficult to break even super-effective hits. Choice Band Melmetal has very few reliable switch-ins, the best being defensive Buzzwole and Zapdos who need to Roost stall Double Iron Bash. Moltres threatens the burn with Flame Body, but if Melmetal runs Rock Slide, the chicken is dead on the right prediction. Melmetal sheer power and bulk allows it to be one of best Pokemon in the tier, easily.

Slowbro - is probably one of the best 'mons in A+ rank. As a defensive sponge, it's capable of checking monstrous threats like Melmetal, Cinderace, Blaziken, Urshifu-Rapid, Excadrill, Hawlucha, Barraskewda, Garchomp, Terrakion etc. and pivot around with Teleport to allow Regenerator to activate with more effectiveness due to Teleport's low priority for scouting your opponent move/switches. Future Sight and Teleport also allows Slowbro to have amazing offensive utility, as with Future Sight up, common defensive 'mons like Toxapex/Buzzwole/Tapu Fini are pressured from switching into Pokemon like Urshifu (both variants), Cinderace, Melmetal, Pheromosa etc.

Toxapex - is still a defensive behemoth, by various threats introduced via DLC2 have knocked it down a small peg. Heatran notably trapping it and Tapu Fini preventing status is a major thorn to Toxapex's amazing utility. The return of Pokemon like Garchomp, Latios, Tapu Koko etc. have also put pressure on the Pex, however, Pex's role in meta is still very crucial. Checking the likes of Cinderace, Pheromosa, Melmetal, Blaziken, Urshifu etc. is very much desired, while utility of Knock Off, Toxic Spikes, Toxic and Scald outside of Misty Terrain is still devastating against many Pokemon.

Urshifu-Single Strike - is still the offensive powerhouse it once was in DLC1. It did gain a counter in Buzzwole (unless you ran the niche Acrobatics) and solid checks in Tapu Fini and Zapdos + Moltres threatening with Static or Flame Body. Offensive counter-play also increased, with Cinderace returning and 'mons like Tornadus-T and Tapu Koko joining via DLC2. Make no mistake though, Urshifu is still a menace to deal with and should always be accounted for in team building, otherwise it will run over you.

Zapdos - is back and it's probably at it's peak. Heavy-Duty Boots allows Zapdos to be more effective at checking offensive threats such as Melmetal, Cinderace, Hawlucha, Kartana, Zeraora etc. and removing hazards which is not longer hindered by Stealth Rock (without being hit by Knock Off). Zapdos is not only better defensively but also offensively, finally gaining Hurricane and Weather Ball which helps make up for the loss of Hidden Power Ice. Offensive Zapdos in rain is checked by very few Pokemon (like Sp.Def Tyranitar and Blissey), as Weather Ball becomes essentially a base 150 Water-type move factoring rains boost smashing Ground-types like Rhyperior, Landorus-T etc.

A Rank

Blissey

Cinderace

Dragapult

Latios

Landorus-Therian

Moltres

Spectrier

Tapu Fini

Tornadus-Therian

A Rank

Blissey - is the special sponge and the number one check to the fearsome Spectrier. Heavy-Duty Boots prevents it from being worn down by hazards, making it easier checks the various special threats of the tier. The reason I didn't put it in A+ is because it suffers from a nasty 4MSS. It wants to run Stealth Rock/Seismic Toss/Soft-Boiled/Shadow Ball and Teleport so it can actually check Spectrier while providing utility in Stealth Rock and pivot potential so it's not a momentum sponge with Teleport. I think Stealth Rock is the most toss up of the moves, but 4MSS prevents it from role compressing or pivoting so it resides in A rank.

Cinderace - could be A+ rank worthy but I feel a lot kinda prevents that. Moltres, Tapu Fini, Toxapex and Slowbro being so good really hurts it as Cinderace is starting to really feel that 4MSS. With faster threats like Spectrier, Pheromosa and Dragapult running around it pretty much requires it to run Sucker Punch, so you usually lack Zen Headbutt or Gunk Shot for Toxapex or Fini. Not to mention Zapdos and Moltres being major thorns for Cinderace clicking U-turn as it risks Static or Flame Body thanks to Libero. Cinderace seems a lot more manageable but it's still one of the best 'mons in the tier.

Dragapult - is a funny one, as it does face competition in the new Spectrier. However, being able to out-speed its competitor (so long as it's not Choice Scarf) and check threats like Latios, Blaziken, Neutral-Nature Pheromosa, Volcarona etc. is very much the qualities of a good 'mon. Mandibuzz usage does hurt it a fair bit, but overall I still Dragapult is still great with sets like Choice Specs, Choice Scarf, Will-O Hex, Dragon Dance Mixed etc. all being solid options in the current meta-game.

Latios - was greatly blessed this generation. Gaining the amazing coverage of Mystical Fire and Aura Sphere (being stronger options of the removed Hidden Power Fire and Fighting), allows Latios to beat once been checks such as Tyranitar, Magearna, Ferrothorn etc. The most notable change, however, is Pursuit's removal allowing Latios to drop powerful moves without worrying of the incoming Tyranitar or Bisharp. Choice Specs is a powerhouse, allowing to break checks such as Blissey and Clefable via either the choice Psychic or Psyshock (depending on whether Clefable is Physically Defensive or Specially Defensive) as well as Trick to choice lock. Life Orb 3 Attacks + Roost is the ace set right now, as it still holds a lot of stomping power similar to Specs but also gains more longevity in Roost and not being choice locked. Choice Scarf is also solid and checking Dragapult, Blaziken, opposing Latios and Pheromosa etc. Latios seems to be one of OUs strongest powerhouses but currently suffers from it's speed tier not being the best of the best, but still very solid.

Landorus-Therian - offers teams a offensive Stealth Rocker with extra defensive utility in Intimidate. I will say though that Landorus-T is not the shining god it once was, as many offensive have the stomping power to bypass even Intimidates drop with stuff like Urshifu's Wicked Blow and Melmetal's Double Iron Bash doing insane amounts of damage. Pheromosa having access to Triple Axel and Ice Beam, also prevents Landorus-T from being a reliable check to the tier's best offensive threat. Simply put, there are better defensive sponges in the tier right now like Slowbro, Tapu Fini, Zapdos, Moltres etc. It also faces competition with Garchomp as an offensive rocker but if you need something bulkier to check Pokemon like Hawlucha, Blaziken, Zeraora and Excadrill more effectively, Lando-T is your 'mon.

Moltres - is one of the premier defoggers in the tier and check to offensive powerhouses such as Blaziken, Kartana, Cinderace, Pheromosa, Heatran, Melmetal, Excadrill etc. Heavy-Duty Boots removes the hindrance of it's Stealth Rock weakness and allows it to use it's great defensive typing. Moltres also gained access to Scorching Sands allowing it to 1v1 Heatran which is one of OUs best hazard setters in the tier and burn potential checks like Garchomp and Tyranitar. Is not hard to see why Moltres deserves to be A rank, the ability to sponge hits from top tier threats and remove hazards reliably against most setters is too good to rank any lower.

Spectrier - is the new horse on the block of offensive Ghost-types, with it's monstrous stats only being hindered by it's shallow offensive move-pool. Dark Pulse, Hyper Beam and Mud Shot are Spectrier's best coverage options but despite this, it's heavily restrictive on team-building. Spectrier's presence in the tier requires teams to run a defensive Ghost-type check, otherwise they risk Spectrier snowballing due to it's amazing ability of Grim Neight boosting it's Special Attack after each KO. Choice Specs tries to brute force past checks, while Choice Scarf can snowball even more easily against weakened teams. Nasty Plot + Hex allows its break defensive checks like Mandibuzz more effectively, especially if you run Disable for Knock Off/Foul Play.

Tapu Fini - is fantastic this generation. It checks a plethora of offensive threats such Urshifu (both variants), physical Dragapult, Cinderace, Hawlucha, Blaziken etc. while also being of the best checks to Toxapex. Without Toxic Spikes on the field, Tapu Fini is capable of beating of Toxapex via Calm Mind + Taunt along with the newly acquired Draining Kiss to gain extra recovery. Draining Kiss also helps keep Tapu Fini healthy against the various offensive threats it needs to check. Tapu Fini fits snug in this new meta-game, where Fighting, Dark and Fire-types are some of the best types in the tier, which Fini effectively checks.

Tornadus-Therian - is easily the second best offensive pivot in OU right now. Regenerator + Heavy-Duty Boots makes chip damage irrelevant, requiring strong hits to take it down a notch. It gained access to Nasty Plot allowing it to break past once been checks such as Blissey, Sp.Def Tyranitar (which could usually take one Focus Blast from full), Toxapex, Zapdos etc. It's not the fastest tool in the shed, being slower than likes of Tapu Koko, Spectrier, Dragapult, Pheromosa and Zeraora etc. but it's ability to take hits and come back later healthy is amazing for an offensive pivot.

A- Rank

Blaziken

Buzzwole

Excadrill

Hawlucha

Kartana

Latias

Swampert

Tapu Koko

Tyranitar

Zeraora

A- Rank

Will drop my thoughts at a later date.

B+ Rank

Aegislash

Barraskewda

Blacephalon

Corviknight

Dragonite

Hydreigon

Kingdra

Lycanroc-Dusk

Mandibuzz

Nidoking

Nidoqueen

Pelipper

Regieleki

Rillaboom

Rotom-Heat

Slowking

Tapu Lele

Terrakion

Torkoal

Urshifu-Rapid Strike

Venusaur

Victini

Volcarona

B+ Rank

Will drop my thoughts at a later date.

B rank

Alakazam

Azumarill

Bisharp

Crawdaunt

Ditto

Dracozolt

Gengar

Grimmsnarl

Hatterene

Kommo-o

Kyurem

Mew

Quagsire

Raikou

Rhyperior

Rotom-Wash

Skarmory

Thundurus

Thundurus-Therian

Togekiss

Zapdos-Galar

Weavile

B Rank

Will drop my thoughts at a later date.

B- Rank

Chansey

Cresselia

Glastrier

Hippowdon

Magnezone

Marowak-Alola

Ninetales-Alola

Regidrago

Reuniclus

Stakataka

Suicune

Tangrowth

Uxie

B- Rank

Will drop my thoughts at a later date.

 

[ausma]

Ausma's Epic Updated Viability Rankings

S Tier
(Pokemon I find to be S tier are Pokemon that are extremely splashable in the metagame, and able to be slotted onto nearly any team and work to great effectiveness in any game. Basically, the Pokemon I feel actually work the best and have the most application in the metagame, that should always be considered.)

Pheromosa

What changed?

Pheromosa has become, bar none, the most versatile, splashable offensive Pokemon in the tier. I believe it is deserving of its rise to S, namely because it alone has spearheaded offensive teams and lays out severe pressure with its dual STAB combination, access to Ice Beam/Triple Axel, and even a rising Quiver Dance set which takes advantage of forced switches, and can claim games on the spot for teams that aren't careful enough. I feel Pheromosa is a Pokemon that just doesn't hurt to run, as it provides a lot for teams in need of momentum, firepower, and flexible wallbreaking.

However, despite this, I don't believe Pheromosa is broken. I'll explain that later, though.

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A Tier
(Pokemon in the A tier are Pokemon that I find to be really strong in the metagame, but have a couple noteworthy weaknesses that annoy them; though, they are potent Pokemon that should be considered for a team due to their generally good traits.)

A+ Tier

Slowbro

Garchomp

Landorus-T

Spectrier

Clefable

Urshifu-S

Ferrothorn

Magearna

What changed?

I severely underranked Slowbro when I made my original VRs, believing that its defensive typing and proneness to momentum spam was a boon against its viability. However, its Future Sight set has risen as an incredible wallbreaking enabler. Its access to Regenerator, Future Sight, and Teleport all create a monstrous, perfect storm that allows for many bulky offense cores to rip through the metagame, even pushing some Pokemon to a potentially banworthy degree, such as Pheromosa and Urshifu-SS. There is some counterplay, and I still believe Slowbro itself is very prone to being overwhelmed in more offensive matchups, but it has risen as a top threat, and it's unsurprising as to why.

I feel Spectrier has taken the metagame by storm, and it's unsurprising really as to why. Although it lacks coverage of any kind, access to Special Moxie, an absurd speed tier, and an even more absurd Special Attack makes Spectrier a premier cleaner or wallbreaker in the tier with a Choice item, necessitating the use of bulkier Dark-types such as Mandibuzz, Tyranitar, Hydreigon, and Zarude (or Blissey, but Blissey isn't a Dark-type) to reliably check it. Though, an interesting thing about Spectrier is how it can tackle these threats. It has access to options such as Will-O-Wisp, Disable, Substitute, and even Nasty Plot to play around these threats, and even 1v1 ones such as Mandibuzz with certain variants. It seems to be rated around A for the most part from the public, but I find Spectrier to be a really huge threat that has a major influence on the teambuilder, and well deserving of A+.

A Tier

Zapdos

Melmetal

Dragapult

Heatran

Latios

Tapu Fini

Toxapex

What changed?

I underrated Melmetal quite a bit as well, and after having used it myself, I can say with certainty that it brings a lot of power to the tier and is something that is capable of punching severe holes into the opposition with apt team support. However, unlike Spectrier, I feel its onslaught is a lot easier to prep for more naturally, and I think it's also easier to shut down as well due to its horrible speed tier, proneness to chip damage, and lack of sustainability outside of Wish support. I think Melmetal is really good in this metagame and I did underrate it, but I do think it is still a bit overrated.

A- Tier

Buzzwole

Mandibuzz

Moltres

Blissey

Latias

Tornadus-Therian

Cinderace

Rillaboom

Excadrill

Swampert

What changed?

Moltres has become a great Defog user in the tier thanks to its phenomenal defensive typing finally able to show with Heavy-Duty Boots. It is also fantastic as one of Pheromosa's/Melmetal's better checks, and its defensive typing also shines a lot against more of the offensive threats in the metagame like Cinderace, Excadrill, and Rillaboom while compressing hazard control. It utterly despises Knock Off and is prone to being chipped, but it has a very distinct niche in this metagame, and is something to consider in the builder without a doubt.



Buzzwole has risen for a similar reason to Moltres as an amazing wall, boasting a great defensive typing in this metagame, phenomenal bulk, good coverage, and ability to check nearly every physical wallbreaker. Its offensive sets shined much more a while ago, however, and it plays a much more defensive role, utilizing Drain Punch and Toxic to whittle down targets. However, even with this change, it still plays a pretty neat role in such an offensive metagame in need of good, bulky walls.

---
B Tier
(Pokemon in the B tier are Pokemon that I find to have consistency in quality, but need support to work to their fullest due to some notable drawbacks.)

B+ Tier

Tapu Koko

Corviknight

Nidoking

Barraskewda

Pelipper

Tapu Lele

Slowking

Tyranitar

Kartana

Blaziken

Regieleki

Urshifu-R

Hydreigon

Zarude

What changed?

I severely underrated Tyranitar as well, and it has become one of the better special walls in the tier. Due to the rise of Spectrier, it has taken the mantle as the better Sand setter between it and Hippowdon, as compressing a Dark-type for Sand cores opens a lot of room in the builder.



Nidoking is awesome, and although it doesn't at all replace Lando-I in any way, it still stings like a bitch. It has obscene offensive flexibility and breaking power thanks to its awesome dual STAB combination and access to great coverage moves like Ice Beam and Flamethrower that let it cleave through the onslaught of its dual STABs. Although I find its speed tier to be lacking, it does a really good job at breaking balance and more passive teams, and can make great use of Substitute to take on certain offensive matchups as well. I think Nidoking is a valid threat in this metagame and one you shouldn't underestimate.



Rain has really upped an ante in this metagame, and really appreciates Zapdos/Tornadus-T tremendously. Although Urshifu-RS isn't A- in my eyes anymore, I think the myriad of options it now has both defensively and offensively makes it a very viable playstyle right now.

B Tier

Rotom-Heat

Dragonite

Kingdra

Zapdos-Galar

Hippowdon

Aegislash

Grimmsnarl

Blacephalon

Seismitoad

Volcarona

What changed?

Zapdos-Galar was definitely a lot stronger in the earlier metagame, however, while it appreciates Zygarde's ban, it did have a niche as a Choice user able to outspeed and revenge kill +1 Kyurem-B. With the rise of Slowbro, Zapdos, and Moltres, though, its Choice set struggles a lot more in this metagame. However, its dual STABs are incredibly fierce, and it holds a niche of being one of the few physical attackers able to threaten Buzzwole.

At the moment, though, I find it to be strongest on Webs/Screens offense that makes very strong use out of Defiant and Thunderous Kick. Being alleviated of a Choice slot is really nice for it, since it really likes the freedom of being able to swap up its moves. Although it certainly has more trouble now, it still has a pretty considerable niche in the metagame that should not go without question.



Volcarona has it pretty rough in this metagame. Although it can be a very potent setup sweeper, the fact is that there are so many Pokemon able to take on its dual STAB combination right now that it's not even funny. It is also pretty easily revenge killed with priority options and needs a lot to go its way in order to clean games. It has potential to become better, I think, but right now it needs a lot of team support to operate to its fullest.

B- Tier

Ninetales-Alola

Alakazam

Rotom-Wash

Tapu Bulu

Thundurus-Therian

Primarina

Marowak-Alola

Ditto

What changed?

your mom changed

---
C Tier
(Pokemon in the C tier have viability in the tier, however require a lot of team support and set up to work to their fullest, and are greatly held back by metagame trends to a point where they lack consistency.)

C Tier

Scizor

Nihilego

Zeraora

Quagsire

Magnezone

Crawdaunt

Celesteela

Hatterene

What changed?

It's really hard to gauge what exactly the deviations are for the Pokemon in the C tier, so I decided to just clump them all together into one. It's not really a giant margin of difference, anyway.

I did unrank Glastrier and Regidrago, though. I think they are garbonzo and way too niche.

 

[The_Bookworm]

I guess I will post my updated rankings as well. 11/23/2020.


S Rank

Pheromosa (A+ -> S)

Heatran (A+ -> S)

Magearna (A+ -> S)


A+ Rank

Clefable

Landorus-Therian

Melmetal

Garchomp (A- -> A+)

Urshifu-SS

Spectrier (A -> A+)

Slowbro (A -> A+)

Zapdos (A -> A+)


A Rank

Cinderace

Tapu Fini

Toxapex

Moltres (A- -> A)

Ferrothorn (B+ -> A)

Buzzwole

Latios (A- -> A)

Tyranitar (A- -> A)

Mandibuzz

Tornadus-Therian (A- -> A)


A- Rank

Dragapult

Blissey

Rillaboom

Excadrill

Swampert (A -> A-)

Pelipper

Kartana (B+ -> A-)

Regieleki


B+ Rank

Blaziken

Corviknight (A- -> B+)

Dragonite

Urshifu-RS

Nidoking (B -> B+)

Tapu Koko

Celesteela

Slowking

Aegislash

Barraskewda (B -> B+)

Hydreigon


B Rank

Kingdra

Latias

Suicune

Zarude

Hawlucha

Zapdos-Galar (B+ -> B)

Tapu Lele (B- -> B)

Magnezone

Crawdaunt

Blacephalon

Victini

Salamence (B- -> B)


B- Rank

Hatterene

Cresselia

Zeraora (C- -> B-)

Primarina (UR -> B-)

Volcarona

Dracozolt

Uxie

Rotom-Heat

Lycanroc-Dusk (UR -> B-)

Quagsire (C+ -> B-)

Regidrago (C -> B-)

Tangrowth (B -> B-)

Thundurus-Therian

Tapu Bulu

Glastrier (C+ -> B-)

Grimmsnarl (C+ -> B-)


Everything below here is in alphabetical order.

C+ Rank

Amoonguss (B+ -> C+)

Azelf (C- -> C+)

Bisharp

Chansey

Ditto

Kommo-o (B -> C+)

Marowak-Alola (B- -> C+)

Mew

Moltres-Galar (B- -> C+)

Nihilego

Omastar

Reuniclus (B- -> C+)

Shuckle

Torkoal

Venusaur (C- -> C+)


C Rank

Alakazam

Azumarill

Gastrodon (B- -> C)

Hippowdon

Nidoqueen

Ninetales-Alola (B- -> C)

Raikou (C+ -> C)

Ribombee

Rotom-Wash (B- -> C)

Scizor (C+ -> C)

Stakataka


C- Rank

Araquanid (C+ -> C-)

Jirachi (C -> C-)

Keldeo (C -> C-)

Terrakion

Weavile

Volcanion (C -> C-)

Zoroark (C+ -> C-)

To UR (for now)

Slowking-Galar (B- -> UR)

Articuno-Galar (C+ -> UR)

Skarmory (C+ -> UR)

Weezing-Galar (C+ -> UR)

Mamoswine (C -> UR)

Mantine (C -> UR)

Metagross (C -> UR)

Slowbro-Galar (C -> UR)

Togekiss (C -> UR)

Charizard (C- -> UR)

Necrozma (C- -> UR)

Registeel (C- -> UR)

Rhyperior (C- -> UR)

Thundurus (C- -> UR)

Toxtricity (C- -> UR)

 

[Pk Is Ok]

I don't know how peope got the sprites, so I just used the normal tier list maker. It didn't have these guys so I'll just add them really quick:
Spectrier - A+
Zarude - B
Regieleki - B-
Galarian Slowking - B-
Galarian Zapdos - B-
Galarian Moltres - C+
Glastrier - C+
Regidrago - C-
Galarian Slowbro - C-

 

[Pissog]

I don't know how peope got the sprites

type :pokemon:

 

[DetroitLolcat]

Personal viability list now that the three big uglies are gone. Tiers are unordered, will note placings that have changed from my pre-bans list on November 1.

S Rank:

S Rank

(A+ -> S)
(A+ -> S

S- Rank

(A+ -> S-)
(A+ -> S-)

This shouldn't be too controversial. Magearna and Pheromosa define the metagame right now and I wouldn't be surprised if Pheromosa was tested in the future. These are both unpredictable mons that can sweep a team in multiple different ways, have few hard answers, and one or the other is typically found on a competitive team. I added an S- rank for Clefable and Heatran who are both staples but are not quite as ferocious as the top two.

A Rank:

A+ Rank

(A- -> A+)
(A -> A+)
(A- -> A+)
(C+ -> A+)
(A -> A+)
(A -> A+)
(Single-Strike)

A Rank

(B+ -> A)
(A- -> A)


(A- -> A)
(A- -> A)

A- Rank

(B+ -> A-)
(B -> A-)

(B -> A-)
(B+ -> A-)
(B -> A-)
(B+ -> A-)

(A -> A-)
(B+ -> A-)

I don't think there's much controversial here. Slowbro's by far the biggest gainer, as I felt it struggled in the Kyurem-Black and Landorus-I metagame but has since risen to be probably the fifth or sixth best Pokemon in the metagame. The rise of Pheromosa to the top spot in the metagame meant a lot for Slowbro, as it's Pheromosa's perfect teammate with FuturePort. Cinderace seems to have supplanted Blaziken as the premier Fire-type physical attacker, which surprised me. Buzzwole is another Pokemon that surprised me. I thought with Zygarde getting banned and Future Sight getting even more popular that Buzzwole would slide, but it's one of the hottest Pokemon in the metagame right now. Same with Kartana emerging as a top-tier threat and Moltres as a top-tier answer to the big Physical Fighting-type Pokemon, although I guess Moltres was predictable since Zygarde is gone now.

B Rank:

B+ Rank

(A -> B+)
(A- -> B+)
(B- -> B+)
(C+ -> B+)
(B- -> B+)
(B- -> B+)
(A- -> B+)

(Rapid-Strike) (A- -> B+)

B Rank

(B- -> B)
(B- -> B)
(B- -> B)
(B- -> B)
(C -> B)
(A- -> B)
(B+ -> B)
(C+ -> B)

B- Rank

(B -> B-)
(C+ -> B-)
(B-> B-)
(B -> B-)
(C+ -> B-)
(C+ -> B-)
(B+ -> B-)


(C -> B-)
(B+ -> B-)

(A- -> B-)
(UR -> B-)

The only mon that might be surprising in this rank is Pelipper, as Rain is still a fearsome playstyle. I tiered Pelipper above the other Rain staples because I feel like Rain teams are getting more diverse and not every team uses the same sweepers, although most do. Blaziken swapped with Cinderace, while Nidoking and Hydreigon shot up to fill the role of hole-punching Special sweeper in the wake of Landorus. Slowking, perhaps riding Slowbro's coattails, also rises here. The biggest droppers are Latias, who lives in Latios' shadow and Galarian Zapdos, whose new toy syndrome is wearing off. Hippowdon is also losing market share as a wall and Sand setter while Tyranitar just keeps climbing.

C Rank:

C+ Rank






(C -> C+)

(B- -> C+)
(UR -> C+)

(C -> C+)
(UR -> C+)
(C -> C+)


(B- -> C+)


(UR -> C+)

(C -> C+)

C Rank

(UR -> C)
(UR -> C)


(UR -> C)
(C+ -> C)
(B- -> C)

(UR -> C)
(UR -> C)
(Galar)
(UR -> C)
(UR -> C)

(UR -> C)

(UR -> C)
(UR -> C)
(C+ -> C)
(UR -> C)
(UR -> C)

(UR -> C)

C- Rank

(UR -> C-)
(C+ -> C-)
(UR -> C-)
(UR -> C-)

The C- tier is very much an "I don't know if this is viable" tier.

 

[100 Hoes Kaido]

This thread still on? Well, in that case, I'll go with my personal take:


Mandibuzz should stay A rank, it's the best defogger in the tier, with invaluable immunity to fsight, resistance to dark, ghost and grass, the fact that people need to use different spreads to stop certain 'mons only shows the importance it has on the metagame, rather than a detriment.

Clefable should also stay S Rank, the argument regarding it dropping is similiar to Mandibuzz

Nidoking should drop to B+, people are too caught up with FOTM right now, it's not going to last, regardless, it's already depressing that you need Modest for big damage, so Heatran can outspeed you.

Tapu Lele is a beast with specs, and should rise to A-

Pheromosa is hardly S rank, I would argue low A+, not that it doesn't need to be banned, the metagame it promotes, ranging from guessing games with the myriads of sets it has, rewarding players for fishing random chances in status effects, the dependance on a shit move like Focus Blast, the always oh-so competitive snowballing strategy and yeah, a 'mon doesn't have to be broken to kick the bucket, I don't see anything positive that Phero brings to the Metagame

Swampert should consider a rise, B+, yeah, it doesn't have recoveries, but it's just a bulky pivot so that brokenmons can enter in easily, and its excellent type gives it great synergy with quite an handful of 'mons, it's definitely more serious than stuff like Dracozolt


Latios should drop, B+, I was hoping that with the removal of pursuit it would gain some importance, but 3/4 of the tier cockblocks it, it's either some strong wall that stops its stabs cold, or something faster that can kill it easily, psychic type is a fucking curse, I would argue Slowbro would be much better as a pure water, even if it loses a stab.

Tapu Bulu should just be Unranked

This is not a ranking of Celesteela per se, but, I feel Celesteela will rise as the generation will go on, it's already a top threat in Battle Spot Singles, and, while we don't have dyna here, Cele's excellent type, coverage and disruptive moves like Leech Seed, Protect or Toxic makes it good, it actually has quite a vast array of sets, defensive, phys attacker, special attacker, and helps against many threats, such as Chomp, Lando, Ferro, Kartana, Rilla, Lele, Clef, and Latios (of course).

Exploud seems like a mememon, but as a punishment for those using Spectrier it's pretty dope, I would argue C+


Finally, Suicune should jump to B+, I consider vincune pretty similiar to Subkyurem, in what they do, only that Cune isn't weak to rocks, has (arguably) better typing, can run Leftovers, and fish for burns, so if one is B+, so should the other.

Anything else, I'm not interested enough to comment.

 

[AM]

Felt post was more appropriate here, not in alphabetical order as I just copy/paste where applicable. Everything below B rankings irrelevant to me so didn't order them.

Personal rankings

S Rank:

S Rank

Spectrier

Magearna

Urshifu

Pheromosa (Most likely going to be banned so just leaving here for now)

A Rank:

A+ Rank

Cinderace

Clefable

Garchomp

Heatran

Melmetal

Toxapex

Landorus-Therian

A Rank

Ferrothorn

Rillaboom

Blissey

Tapu Fini

Zapdos

Hydreigon

Slowking-Galar

A- Rank

Slowbro

Nidoking

Tapu Koko

Tornadus-Therian

Tyranitar

Excadrill

Tapu Lele

B Rank:

B+ Rank

Hawlucha

Hippowdon

Moltres

Mandibuzz

Slowking

Dragapult

Corviknight

Dracozolt

Kyurem

B Rank

Pelipper

Barraskewda

Latios

Aegislash

Dragonite

Gastrodon

Suicune

Swampert

Tangrowth

Urshifu-R

Victini

Volcarona

Zarude

B- Rank

Blaziken

Kartana

Crawdaunt

Kommo-o

Buzzwole

Skarmory

Magnezone

Ditto

Incineroar

Scizor

Zapdos-Galar

Remove from B ranks to lower somewhere

Regieleki

Nidoqueen

Kingdra

Hatterene

 

[spatula]

S Rank:

S Rank

Urshifu

Landorus-Therian
A Rank:

A+ Rank

Spectrier

Cinderace

Heatran

Toxapex

Magearna

Clefable

Zapdos

Garchomp

Ferrothorn


A Rank

Rillaboom

Slowking-Galar

Excadrill

Corviknight

Tornadus-Therian

Tapu Koko

Melmetal

A- Rank

Slowbro

Tapu Fini

Mandibuzz

Moltres

Hydreigon

Tapu Lele

Hippowdon

Nidoking

Tyranitar

B Rank:

B+ Rank

Kyurem

Suicune

Dragapult

Latios

Hawlucha

Blissey

Slowking

Dragonite

Tangrowth

Kartana

B Rank

Skarmory

Zarude

Aegislash

Dracozolt

Gastrodon

Buzzwole

Crawdaunt

Blaziken

Latias

Regieleki

Ditto


B- Rank

Rotom-Wash

Volcanion

Pelipper

Barraskewda

Thundurus-Therian

Azumarill

Urshifu-R

Moltres-Galar

Volcarona

Kingdra

Amoonguss

C Rank:

C+ Rank

Terrakion

Quagsire

Hatterene

Magnezone

Victini

Reuniclus

Celesteela

Diggersby

Exploud

Weavile

Gengar

Mew

Kommo-o

C Rank

Shedinja

Swampert

Zapdos-Galar

Tapu Bulu

Seismitoad

Obstagoon

Rotom-Heat

Zeraora

Glastrier

Scizor

Jirachi

Bisharp

Blacephalon

Conkeldurr

Cresselia

Grimmsnarl

Incineroar

Keldeo

Krookodile

Mamoswine

Marowak-Alola

Mimikyu

Necrozma

Nihilego

Rhyperior

Salazzle

Thundurus

Torkoal

Toxtricity

Uxie

Venusaur

Arctozolt

Weezing-Galar


C- Rank

Nidoqueen

Ninetales-Alola

Stakataka

Shuckle

Togekiss

Xatu

Araquanid

Charizard

Cloyster

Gyarados

Mantine

Porygon2

Primarina

Regidrago

Ribombee

Slowbro-Galar


D Rank (bad)

Alakazam

TL;DR SWAMPERT BIG TRASH

 

[airfare]

SS OU Ranking Tier List ordered w reasonings for the less obvious picks

S Rank

Urshifu

Spectrier - pretty easy to clean through teams without solid resists (basically only hydreigon zarude snorlax at this point), especially w the sub+wisp set that breaks through mandibuzz, another popular check, easily, and sub np 2 atks which can break blissey and most other normal types.

Cinderace - free momentum vs everything, coverage for everything but toxapex, what more is there to ask

A+ Rank

Magearna - I think mag is more manageable than spect and cind because it has more solid checks to each of its sets. double dance can be checked pretty easily by a well played spdef heatran/excadrill, haze pex, spdef melmetal, ferrothorn, celesteela, etc. specs is a little harder to deal with considering you have to get multiple 50-50s right vs it but you can usually deal w it with gslowking, spdef exca/heatran, spdef pex to scout, spdef melmetal, and blissey. the aspect of specs that makes it a better set than setup is that you can easily cripple ur checks w trick enabling you to break a lot easier. i haven't run into sets besides double dance and specs but i know they exist (scarf, cm split, etc)

Clefable

Toxapex - even though it was better in the past couple weeks i think helmet pex is still amazing and a necessity on many teams right now because of its ability to punish pivoting from cinderace, barraskewda, and more. pdef pex can scout/check most melmetals, hawlucha, urshifu, and more while spdef gives you a better matchup vs magearna, spectrier, and heatran. the rise of toxapex using poison jab means that clefable and tapu fini can't take advantage of it easily by setting up on it, while knock can cripple other toxapex, ferrothorn, blissey, most birds running heavy duty boots, and much much much more.

Landorus-Therian

A Rank

Garchomp - imo one of three best rockers in the tier alongside lando and clef. rocks sd lets you beat most common foggers rn including moltres, zapdos, and mandibuzz and can break really efficiently even though its primary job is to keep up rocks. tankchomp (pdef with rocky helmet) can serve as an amazing uturn/flip turn deterrent, cind/lucha/excadrill/kartana/rillaboom blanket check, especially alongside one of my favorite techs, endure, which lets you get another round of helmet + rough skin on these threats. lastly, my personal least favorite garchomp set is the dedicated sweeper with scale shot. although this is an amazing win condition, I think the defensive utility and the rocks sets are much better and a lot to pass up on garchomp.

Heatran

Ferrothorn

Melmetal

Slowking-Galar - one of the best spdef blanket checks in the tier right now. criminally underrated on bulkier teams that don't have room for swampert, mandibuzz etc that fit on more offensive teams and one of the only specs magearna "counters" in the whole tier that doesn't mind getting tricked as much as the others do. regen gives it amazing passive recovery, and av / black sludge + trick are its best sets imo

Tapu Fini - cm taunt and whirlpool trapping sets are amazing on this mon, not much else to say. amazing defensive utility

Excadrill - crazy defensive and offensive utility. one of the best rockers in the tier alongside toxic/rapid spin deter most of the common defoggers and keep hazards off the field while keeping your own up. on sand teams, exca can serve as a dedicated cleaner with sd eq iron head spin/toxic and is a potent offensive threats, amazing vs offense and unprepared teams

Rillaboom

Slowbro - great cind check for offense w/ rocky helmet and blessing to offense. future sight + any breaker is near unwallable and teleport gives you free pivoting

Hydreigon - the best spect check in the tier. imo this is much better than mandibuzz because you don't have to run two dark moves, and it even has utility with a sizable spa stat letting it clean relatively easily lategame. decent defogger as well. i have heard good things about offensive sub sets or np salac but i don't think they're as viable as spdef is

A- Rank

Dragapult - very very good pivot, amazing at spreading status with its boots hex set and amazing at breaking with its specs set. being faster than spectrier with infiltrator means that it can check substitute sets very efficiently, especially alongside mandibuzz which checks choice sets well. this mon will only get better with urshifu's ban.

Tornadus-Therian - another very good pivot and in some cases, breaker/sweeper with nasty plot. boots were the best item this mon could've gotten. near unwallable coverage w flying + fighting on np sets make it a very potent offensive threat as well

Blissey

Corviknight

Kartana - i think sd and band are the only good kart sets atm, but the influx of static/flame body/rough skin/iron barbs and helmet on every other mon is incredibly annoying, which is why my favorite set is sd + protective pads instead of the more common lo

Moltres

Tyranitar

Latios - very very very slept on breaker with life orb. 3 atks + roost is insanely good with its new addition aura sphere able to check heatran, ttar, melmetal, ferrothorn, excadrill, hydreigon, and can force blissey to recover.

Tapu Lele - specs is a great breaker, and rly powerful but i think it struggles bc of the large amount of spdef steels that are in the meta rn. requires a lot of team support to work

Zapdos

Mandibuzz - pretty mid spect check, ur 2 options, if you want to actually beat it, are running foul play + knock or alongside dragapult. besides that it's a pretty good blanket check to a lot of common stuff rn like rillaboom, kartana, garchomp, and can switch in on nidoking

Tapu Koko - ok pivot, i really hate specs rn. i feel like taunt/nature's madness sets are underrated/unexplored and have a lot of merit. it got a very big nerf with the loss of hp ice

Kyurem - specs and boots sub sets are both amazing at breaking. great defensive utility as well and has coverage for most/all of its checks

Suicune - amazing at stealing games with its sub cm tect set. can 6-0 unprepared teams but pretty inconsistent

Swampert - great rocker and form of momentum on offensive teams. spdef sets let it shine

B+ Rank

Kommo-o - defensive kommo seems underrated rn. havent tried it out personally but it seems like it could put in work although it gets walled by a ton defensively (clef, bro, pex, birds)

Hippowdon

Tangrowth

Aegislash

Slowking

Celesteela - hot take this mon is gonna be so good after urshifu is banned. there are no defensive grasses that can switch in and sit on this mon because of its fire coverage. its only limitation is leech seed's pp but it can force a lot of pressure onto both offensive and fatter builds and i think it's a lot more viable that ppl think

Nidoking - i hate using this mon. although it has coverage for everything, both of its stabs being immune by certain types means you have to get almost every play right to get progress w nidoking. combined w its shitty speed tier for an offensive mon, it's pretty easily revenged. it has too high of a risk-reward when there are better faster breakers that can do the same playing safer

Amoonguss - specs mag resist, rilla/kart check, water resist. seems pretty good rn although difficult to fit on teams

Skarmory

Rotom-Wash - another criminally underrated mon that offense loves to have. i think rotom will get better as a ground immunity and niche cind check as well as another form of momentum for offense.

B Rank

Hawlucha - will get worse after shifu ban, but is decent on screens atm because urshifu breaks fairies for it to clean lategame (and has stone edge for zapdos)

Volcarona - pretty underwhelming but can sweep unprepared teams effortlessly

Zarude - spect & pex counter w jungle healing but besides that not great

Rotom-Heat

Dragonite

Blaziken

Crawdaunt

Buzzwole - this mon has really fell off imo since zygarde and kyub's ban. it really is a huge momentum sap and although it checks a couple mons very well there are others that can do the same and better

Gastrodon

Magnezone

Victini

Dracozolt

Regieleki - this mon is complete dogshit but it can set screens so w/e

Quagsire

B- Rank

Kingdra - lukewarm take but kingdra imo is much better than barraskewda as a rain abuser because it actually has defensive utility unlike barraskewda, meaning you can actually switch into stuff and are less afraid to make aggressive doubles. not to mention it mainly attacks from the special side and is less vulnerable to secondary contact-based effects

Pelipper

Urshifu-R - i actually like this mon on bo (kyurem + watershifu bo) as well as its obvious role on rain because it can clean/break very well when waters and grasses are gone

Barraskewda - look @ kingdra

Keldeo - pretty unexplored, could probably run something similar to the watershifu team above w it because its walled by all of the same stuff as watershifu

Weezing-Galar - actually an incredibly underrated defensive mon, but will get much worse with urshifu ban. checks lando, garchomp, rillaboom, urshifu, etc etc etc. you're forced to run levitate but it also deters most of the rockers in the tier with wisp making it a surprisingly good rocker and has semi-reliable recovery in pain split

Shedinja

Ditto

Jirachi - p niche i'd like to try out cm 3 atks sometime

Hatterene

Moltres-Galar

Nidoqueen

Scizor

Thundurus-Therian - pretty good breaker on rain and even off rain on ho or bo, haven't used it too much but its coverage is great

C+ Rank

Ninetales-Alola

Reuniclus

Azumarill

Gengar

Latias

Mew

Obstagoon

Bisharp - will get much better w shifu ban, looking forward to using it

Shuckle

Tapu Bulu

Terrakion

Togekiss

Zapdos-Galar

Zeraora - this mon is awful now that we have grounds that arent weak to gknot, don't recommend using

Mamoswine

C Rank

Alakazam

Blacephalon

Conkeldurr

Cresselia

Diggersby

Exploud - have heard good things about this but there are a shitton of steels making every turn a 50-50, not sure if its worth using

Glastrier

Grimmsnarl

Incineroar - seems actually interesting as a spect check with momentum in parting shot and pressure in knock, would like to try out sometime

Krookodile

Marowak-Alola

Mimikyu

Necrozma

Nihilego

Rhyperior

Salazzle

Seismitoad

Thundurus

Torkoal

Toxtricity

Uxie

Venusaur

Volcanion

Weavile

Xatu

C- Rank

Araquanid

Arctozolt

Charizard

Cloyster

Gyarados - dd lo with stone edge is actually a monster but no one uses it :( idt its viable off of screens ho as a dedicated sweeper

Mantine

Porygon2

Primarina

Regidrago

Ribombee

Slowbro-Galar

Stakataka

UR stuff that i think is worth mentioning

s/o mcpallday for helping build these teams


Lycanroc-Dusk
sample voltturn bo that i have enjoyed using
this mon is actually a great breaker with sd edge psyfangs/sucker cc. really only loses to slowbro defensively while most mons that can switch in like landorus take lots of chip, i think it has a lot of merit due to its speed tier, tough claws, etc and it's really very unexplored.

some calcs

+2 252 Atk Life Orb Tough Claws Lycanroc-Dusk Psychic Fangs vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Toxapex: 312-369 (102.6 - 121.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252 Atk Life Orb Lycanroc-Dusk Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Clefable: 344-407 (87.3 - 103.2%) -- 25% chance to OHKO
+2 252 Atk Life Orb Tough Claws Lycanroc-Dusk Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Magearna: 364-429 (100 - 117.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Life Orb Tough Claws Lycanroc-Dusk Close Combat vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Urshifu: 411-484 (120.5 - 141.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252 Atk Life Orb Lycanroc-Dusk Stone Edge vs. 248 HP / 16 Def Tapu Fini: 344-407 (100.2 - 118.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252 Atk Life Orb Lycanroc-Dusk Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Slowbro: 265-313 (67.2 - 79.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Golisopod
sample sand balance that ive enjoyed using
i think this mon is a very usable niche cind check with aqua jet that also has utility in spikes... not much besides that. it can get easily chipped but most people don't expect jet which can easily net u 50% on cind before they turn out

 

[658Greninja]

SS OU Ranking Tier List (My version)

S Rank:

S Rank

Cinderace

Magearna

Spectrier

A Rank:

A+ Rank

Clefable

Ferrothorn

Garchomp

Heatran

Landorus-Therian

Rillaboom

Tapu Fini

Toxapex

A Rank

Excadrill

Hydreigon

Melmetal

Slowbro

Slowking-Galar

Tornadus-Therian

Zapdos

A- Rank

Blissey

Corviknight

Kartana

Kyurem

Tapu Lele

Tapu Koko

Tyranitar

B Rank:

B+ Rank

Crawdaunt

Dracozolt

Dragapult

Gastrodon

Hippowdon

Latios

Nidoking

Slowking

Suicune

Tangrowth

B Rank

Aegislash

Amoonguss

Blaziken

Hawlucha

Magnezone

Mandibuzz

Moltres

Moltres-Galar

Skarmory

Swampert
Victini

Volcarona

Zarude

B- Rank

Azumarill

Barraskewda

Bisharp

Ditto

Dragonite

Kingdra

Pelipper

Obstagoon

Regieleki

Reuniclus

Zeraora

C Rank:

C+ Rank

Blacephalon

Buzzwole

Celesteela

Gengar

Grimmsnarl

Kommo-o

Latias

Mew

Ninetales-Alola

Quagsire

Rotom-Wash

Scizor

Seismitoed

Shuckle

Tapu Bulu

Terrakion

Thundurus-Therian

Urshifu-Rapid

Zapdos-Galar


C Rank

Conkeldurr

Cresselia

Diggersby

Exploud

Glastrier

Hatterene

Incineroar

Jirachi

Keldeo

Mamoswine

Marowak-Alola

Necrozma

Nidoqueen

Nihilego

Rhyperior

Rotom-Heat

Salazzle

Torkoal

Toxtricity

Uxie

Venusaur

Volcanion

C- Rank

Araquanid

Arctozolt

Charizard

Cloyster

Krookodile

Mantine

Mimikyu

Porygon2

Primarina

Ribombee

Shedinja

Slowbro-Galar

Stakataka

Thundurus

Weavile

Weezing-Galar

Xatu

(updated cause Urshifu got banned.)

 

[AM]

S Rank:

S Rank

Magearna

Cinderace (Moved up)

Spectrier (Moved up)

A Rank:

A+ Rank

Ferrothorn

Garchomp

Heatran

Landorus-Therian

Melmetal

Toxapex

Rillaboom (Moved up)

A Rank

Excadrill

Slowbro

Tornadus-Therian

Zapdos

Tapu Koko (Moved up)

Tyranitar (Moved up)

Clefable(Moved down)

A- Rank

Blissey

Corviknight

Hydreigon

Kartana

Nidoking

Slowking-Galar

Tapu Lele

Tapu Fini (Moved down)

Mandibuzz (Moved down)

B Rank:

B+ Rank

Dracozolt

Hippowdon

Kyurem

Latios

Suicune

Tangrowth

Slowking (Moved down)

Crawdaunt(Moved up)

Hawlucha (Moved up)

Dragapult (Moved down)

B Rank

Aegislash

Amoonguss

Buzzwole

Gastrodon

Magnezone

Moltres-Galar

Regieleki

Swampert

Volcarona

Zarude

Moltres (Moved way down)

B- Rank

Barraskewda

Ditto

Kingdra

Pelipper

Scizor

Urshifu-R

Victini (Moved down)

Blaziken (Moved down)

Dragonite (Moved down)

Moving beneath Personal B rankings.

Skarmory

Nidoqueen

Hatterene

Kommo-o

Everything below B ranks is irrelevant to me granted I would probably move a couple of things up in the meme rank if I cared because things like Terrakion, Celesteela, and some others arent that bad.

 

[AquaVanilla]

(This is my new vr after the one i posted like 2-3 months ago) (btw these aren't in order, they are just in the rank)
S RANK

Cinderace

Spectrier

Magearna
A+ RANK

Garchomp

Landorus-Therian

Toxapex

Heatran
A RANK

Kyurem

Kartana

Rillaboom

Tapu Fini

Ferrothorn

Clefable

Zapdos

Melmetal

Slowbro

Hydreigon
A- RANK

Tapu Lele

Tapu Koko

Tornadus-Therian

Suicune

Nidoking

Dragapult

Excadrill

Slowking-Galar
B+ RANK

Corviknight

Volcarona

Tyranitar

Latios

Tangrowth

Moltres

Blissey

Slowking
B RANK

Skarmory

Keldeo

Reuniclus

Victini

Mandibuzz

Hippowdon

Barraskewda

Bisharp

Amoonguss

Pelipper

Hawlucha
B- RANK

Dragonite

(Urshifu Rapid Strike)

Gastrodon

Swampert

Blaziken

Regieleki

Galarian-Zapdos

Tapu Bulu

Dracozolt

Crawdaunt

Aegislash

Mew

Latias

Quagsire

Venusaur

Torkoal

Azumarill

Diggersby
C+ RANK

Buzzwole

Obstagoon

Magnezone

Ditto

Zeraora

Thunderus-Therian

Celesteela

Jirachi

Rotom-Wash

Volcanion

Nidoqueen

Zarude
OU Viable but not ranked

Alakazam

Hatterene

Gengar

Blacephalon

Scizor

Grimmsnarl

Cresselia

Kingdra

Kommo-o

Rotom-Heat

Shuckle

Nihilego

Togekiss

Salamence

Charizard

Thunderus

Glastrier

Moltres-Galar

Primarina

Marowak-Alola

Raikou

 

[Faless__]

Ranks S to B- are ordered

S Rank:

S


Landorus-T
Garchomp

S-

Dragapult
Heatran
Tornadus-T

A Ranks:

A+

Corviknight
Slowking
Toxapex
Rillaboom
Kartana

A

Clefable
Ferrothorn
Tapu Koko
Zeraora
Kyurem
Tapu Lele

A-

Weavile
Tangrowth
Zapdos
Volcarona
Scizor
Skarmory
Magnezone

B Ranks:

B+

Slowbro
Tapu Fini
Blissey
Melmetal
Hydreigon
Excadrill
Tyranitar
Slowking-G
Victini
Aegislash
Bisharp
Mandibuzz
Reuniclus
Amoonguss
Gastrodon
Urhsifu-R
Nidoking
Dracozolt


B

Latios
Rotom-W
Keldeo
Swampert
Hippowdon
Dragonite
Tapu Bulu
Crawdaunt
Hawlucha
Zapdos-G

B-

Pelliper
Gengar
Latias
Thundurus-T
Kingdra
Suicune
Blacephalon
Moltres-G
Nidoqueen

C Rank

C

Alakazam
Azumarill
Barraskewda
Blaziken
Celesteela
Cresselia
Conkeldurr
Charizard
Diggersby
Ditto
Glastrier
Grimmsnarl
Hatterene
Kommo-o
Krookodile
Mamoswine
Mew
Moltres
Ninetales-Alola
Porygon2
Quagsire
Regieleki
Ribombee
Rotom-Heat
Rhyperior
Salamence
Seismitoad
Shuckle
Terrakion
Thundurus
Togekiss
Torkoal
Venusaur
Volcanion

 

[Jæns]

S Rank:

S Rank

Magearna

Cinderace

A Rank:

A+ Rank:

Spectrier

Landorus-T

Garchomp

Heatran

Toxapex

Tornadus-T

A Rank:

Ferrothorn

Slowbro

Slowking-G

Hydreigon

Blissey

Dragapult

Corviknight

Rillaboom

Kartana

Zapdos

Tapu Koko

Clefable

A- Rank:

Tyranitar

Kyurem

Tapu Lele

Nidoking

Excadrill

Melmetal

Hippowdon

B Rank:

B+ Rank:

Mandibuzz

Tapu Fini

Skarmory

Reuniclus

Dracozolt

Slowking

Hawlucha

Suicune

B Rank:

Swampert

Aegislash

Tangrowth

Moltres

Latios

Gastrodon

Zarude

Pelipper

Barraskewda

Crawdaunt

Magnezone

Regieleki

Dragonite

Victini

Volcarona

B- Rank:

Moltres-G

Celesteela

Seismitoad

Kingdra

Scizor

Urshifu-R

Rotom-W

Obstagoon

Zeraora

Ditto

Keldeo

Amoonguss

Blaziken

 

[Pokeglace17]

I'm going to do my own viability rankings just because.
I am definitely not an expert and only ranked mons I have played or seen opponents play. Of course a ranking done by a council of experienced players will be better than mine, so take this with a grain of salt. Also, please do your own rankings, it could be interesting.
S rank

A+ rank

A rank

A- rank

B+ rank

B rank

B- rank

C+ rank

C rank

C- rank
[Hail] and some other mons
IDK Never Seen It Rank

 

[BT89]

I will be posting explanations soon. They will be updated daily :)

S
Magearna has proven itself to be one of, if not the best Pokémon in the entire tier. It’s overall wide versatility due to its gargantuan movepool allows to have reliable ways to beat most of its checks. Magearna’s presence and impact on the meta cannot be ignored.
Cinderace is a menace to be reckoned with. It is possibly the best pívot in the tier, being able to do big chip, while being able to reliably beat almost the entire meta, with very few checks in between. This mon does have consistency issues due to its inaccurate moves, but it’s overall super good.

A+
banned lol
Landorus-Therian is one of the most splashable Pokemon in the entire tier, posing a major threat to many Pokemon in the metagame. Its fierceness as a lead and a threat throughout a match makes me believe that this one of the best Pokemon in the tier.
Garchomp is an absolute menace. It is able to beat most rockers while being able to place rocks of its own. It can break much of the tier, and is an absolute force to be reckoned with.





A










A-









B+







B










B-









C+













C








C-

 

[jambajuicedrink]

My Current Tier List (post Spectrier ban)

S Rank

- Cinderace
- Landorus-Therian
- Magearna

A+ Rank

- Clefable
- Ferrothorn
- Garchomp
- Rillaboom
- Toxapex

A Rank

- Corviknight
- Excadrill
- Heatran
- Kartana
- Slowbro
- Slowking-Galar
- Tapu Koko
- Tornadus-Therian
- Zapdos

A- Rank

- Blissey
- Dragapult
- Kyurem
- Latios
- Mandibuzz
- Melmetal
- Nidoking
- Slowking
- Tapu Fini

B+ Rank

- Barraskewda
- Bisharp
- Dracozolt
- Dragonite
- Hawlucha
- Hippowdon
- Hydreigon
- Moltres
- Pelipper
- Swampert
- Tapu Lele
- Tyranitar
- Volcarona

B Rank

- Aegislash
- Blaziken
- Buzzwole
- Crawdaunt
- Kommo-o
- Lycanroc-Dusk
- Magnezone
- Skarmory
- Suicune
- Tangrowth
- Thundurus-Therian
- Urshifu-Rapid-Strike
- Victini
- Zapdos-Galar
- Zeraora

B- Rank

- Azumarill
- Blacephalon
- Ditto
- Grimmsnarl
- Kingdra
- Regieleki
- Rotom-Heat
- Rotom-Wash
- Scizor
- Seismitoad
- Tapu Bulu
- Togekiss

 

[Kazt_5]

This list is more or less how the VR would look based on my own experience, personal opinion, games of other people that I've watched and some opinions from other players.

For me what makes a mon good/viable are this three things:
-How consistently good and useful are they in every match they are in.
-When they are good, how high are their highs.
-How easy and how often you can fit them in a team.

With that in mind the ranks for every mon here should be self explanatory
(This list should be read as a tier list, if it is closer to the left it is closer to the rank above, if it is closer to the right it is closer to the rank below)

S Rank


S- Rank


A+ Rank


A Rank


A- Rank


B+ Rank


B Rank


B- Rank


C+ Rank


C Rank


C- Rank


NOTE: I don't have that much knowledge on EVERY mon that is here, so some of them, especially the ones on lower ranks might seen a bit off. But from my own experience I think this is fairly accurate. Some of the mons across the whole list could be placed a little higher/lower and you yourself probably can identify which ones are, but I didn't feel too confident on them being in other ranks and might be too early to tell too.

 

[BitBitio]

What I did here is I pretty much took the main VR, and shifted mons around based on my opinions. I put my thoughts next to everything I moved. Tiers are not ordered internally, just alphabetized.

S Rank:

S Rank

Cinderace
It's the second best thing in the meta, with only Magearna being better. Incredible speed tier, high power, and the coverage required to beat the entire metagame. It has some good checks in Slowbro, Pex, Lando, Heatran, Hippowdon, and Garchomp, that keep it from being busted (yet.)

Garchomp
Incredibly splashable pick that provides a ton to every team. A wide range of good sets, and some incredibly threatening tools that put it a cut above A+.

Landorus-Therian
Role compression god. It makes an appearance in nearly every game, and does everything you want it to well.

Magearna
Just gonna note here that Mag is still #1. It blitzes through everything with the right set. No true counters exist. Suspect worthy.

A Rank:

A+ Rank

Dragapult
No longer competing with Spectrier makes it the undisputed best Ghost in the tier. It is an excellent pivot and status spreader than can win games on the spot against teams lacking a way to beat it reliably, which is getting harder and harder to do. DD sets are an underrated HO tool.

Heatran

Rillaboom
Incredible offensive threat. It busts through walls with Wood Hammer, forces progress with Knock Off and U-turn, and revenge kills a ton of things with Glide. Grassy Terrain weakens the many Earthquakes of the tier. Rilla's traits are extremely desirable.

Slowbro
A bulky water to rival the Pex. FuturePort with Regen is excellent and creates excellent momentum and progress. It also checks 3/4 of the S tier mons.

Slowking-Galar
Incredible SpD wall and pivot, pretty much fits on any team. It lives for a long time and can target many top threats effectively. Super hard to switch into. A- is a criminally low placement.

Tornadus-Therian
This is the best hazard removal in the tier, as well as an excellent breaker with NP. It has a ton of longevity and also offensively checks all of the big 4. The 5th best mon in the tier imo.

Toxapex

A Rank

Blissey
It's still the best special wall in existence and it still gets massive momentum with Teleport. Blissey is excellent by virtue of holding a ton of teams together. It also is one of the best Mag switch-ins, even if Trick is annoying.

Clefable
While still excellent, it isn't anywhere near as splashable. Right now it's the worst it's been all generation.

Corviknight
It provides a great Lando and Chomp counter, and also is due for a rise with Spectrier gone.

Ferrothorn
Still a great mon, just not as valuable because of how exploitable it is for big threats like Cinderace. Spikes are incredible and underrated, though.

Hydreigon
While its defensive sets are basically gone, no longer being forced to run them actually help it in my opinion. NP is very threatening and can potentially take advantage of some of the best mons in the tier.

Melmetal
The big issue with Melm is its vulnerability to all of the big 4: Ace, Chomp, and Lando all threaten it with SE STAB, while Mag can do a ton of damage and get momentum with Volt Switch, KO a weakened one with Focus Blast or Aura Sphere, or cripple it with Trick. It also hates all the contact punishment in the tier right now. Still awesome, but not A+ levels of awesome.

Tapu Koko
As a Koko conoisseur, I can assure everyone that this placement is totally deserved. A fast pivot with an incredible STAB combo and quite a bit of longevity with Boots and Roost. It provides offensive counterplay to stuff like Ace and Torn as well.

Zapdos

A- Rank

Excadrill
The utility Drill brings to the table is undisputably great, but the gods that are Lando-T and Garchomp definitely cut into Excadrill's viability. Sand Rush sets and Rapid Spin are still both excellent as well and it deserves a spot near the top of A-.

Hippowdon
Being an excellent physical wall and good rocker that checks some big threats like Ace, Mag, Garchomp, Lando, and Heatran makes it better than before. Honestly, I could see it even go up to A.

Kartana

Kyurem
This thing scares me to death, holy heck. It has several excellent sets and kinda 6-0s Rain. Underrated and excellent breaker.

Mandibuzz
Spectrier (and Urshifu, to an extent) being gone does result in it being overall worse, especially with the utility other Defoggers provide, but Mandibuzz still certainly is a good Defogger.

Nidoking

Slowking

Tapu Fini
I think that Fini was placed a little too high in the first place, but it still is an important mon in the tier. Just not as good as it was when Urshifu was around.

Tapu Lele

B Rank:

B+ Rank

Aegislash
Excellent breaker that loves the recent bans, as both Urshifu and Spectrier deleted it. I think it ought to maybe even rise to A-, but it does lose to 3/4 of the big 4.

Dracozolt

Latios

Moltres
Still an ok Defogger and check to some big threats, it's just worse than before. I like Zapdos, Torn, and Corv much more as Defoggers but Moltres has its place.

Reuniclus
All the way up here? Oh yeah, it's because it's usable now with its biggest counters gone. Reuni does Reuni things, and is an excellent wincon and balance breaker.

Skarmory
Excellent wall, hazard setter, and Defogger. Spectrier leaving made it even better. Can counter Lando and Chomp quite well, which, as it happens, is crucial in this tier.

Swampert
Underrated role compression mon with rocks and pivoting that can prove valuable. I think that its niche is strong enough that it could potentially find itself in A- one day.

Tangrowth

Tyranitar
Tyranitar came away a little worse than before, no longer having the niche of being a Spectrier counter. However, I expect some offensive sets to be a little better as well, so maybe it'll rise back up. Defensive sets still can handle Dragapult, but it hates getting burned or paralyzed, and U-turn does a lot more than seems reasonable.

Zeraora
I might be jumping the gun here, but Zera is a great speed control and offensive pivot that outruns pretty much the entire metagame and makes great progress throughout the course of a game.

B Rank

Amoonguss

Blaziken

Crawdaunt

Dragonite

Gastrodon

Hawlucha

Kommo-o

Magnezone

Regieleki

Suicune
I think that it doesn't do its wincon job well enough to be in B+. Still a good pick, but not as good as it was ranked.

Urshifu-R
Urshifu-S leaving made it much more usable. No longer is it directly competing with public enemy number 1.

Victini

Volcarona

Zarude

B- Rank

Alakazam
Greatly underrated and extremely scary offensive threat imo. NP with Psyshock lets it bypass common SpD walls like Blissey and Glowking.

Barraskewda

Buzzwole
I think it's better than most people do as a wall, but obviously it was already dying out before Urshifu left and is worse than before. Still, it handles Lando and Chomp really well which is a niche that not many things in the tier have.

Ditto

Gengar
I think that Gengar is super scary to face. It just needed to not be beat by the two best mons in the tier. Now it can stretch its legs a little bit and use its wide range of sets to be a good offensive threat.

Kingdra

Moltres-Galar
Still a pretty ok wincon and HO mon, but B was altogether too high for something so limited.

Nidoqueen

Pelipper

Scizor

Tapu Bulu
Bulu is worse than Rilla, lacking several crucial tools, but it has better bulk, Synthesis, Horn Leech, Stone Edge, CC, and the Fairy typing to make up for it. Underrated threat, no doubt.

Zapdos-Galar
Still has to compete with Kanto Zapdos, but C+ was overkill. It can be quite scary to face. Worthy of B-.

C Rank:

C+ Rank

Azumarill

Bisharp
Urshifu leaving marginally increased its niche. It is super hard to switch into, but also hates all of the big 4.

Blacephalon
Spectrier leaving helps it. While still niche, it's got a bigger niche.

Celesteela

Hatterene
Why was it B- before? Idk but this thing can be pretty threatening, just not at the level for which it was initially ranked.

Jirachi

Keldeo
I think that C was a little harsh, so it's in C+ now. So there.

Latias

Mew

Ninetales-Alola

Obstagoon

Quagsire

Rotom-Heat

Rotom-Wash

Shuckle

Terrakion

Thundurus-Therian

Togekiss

Weavile
Urshifu leaving widened its niche a bit. It beats Lando and Chomp, and Ace hates getting Knocked.

C Rank

Conkeldurr

Cresselia

Diggersby

Glastrier

Grimmsnarl

Incineroar

Krookodile

Mamoswine

Marowak-Alola

Mimikyu

Necrozma

Nihilego

Rhyperior

Salazzle

Seismitoad

Thundurus

Torkoal

Toxtricity

Uxie

Venusaur

Volcanion

Weezing-Galar

Xatu

C- Rank

Araquanid

Arctozolt

Charizard

Cloyster

Gyarados

Mantine

Porygon2
I was considering URing it, but it's fine in C-, I guess.

Primarina

Regidrago

Ribombee

Shedinja

Slowbro-Galar

Stakataka

Stuff that got UR'ed:

Exploud
No longer does it have a niche.


And that's it!

 

[Martin]

This is very far from a final opinion on the format as I'm not exactly the most active player, but I think I've played enough recently to have a rough idea about what I think the state of things is. Ranks are ordered alphabetically, so don't read into that sort of detail. There are a few placements that will probably raise eyebrows but hear me out on this.

S:
A+:
A:
A-:
B+:
B:
B-:
B-- (general):
B-- (archetype-specific):
Heavy offense:
Rain:
Sun:
Trick Room:

Would be easy A-ranks if they weren't almost directly outclassed in certain roles:


Truly awful Pokémon that a few people still use for some reason:


I decided to use B-- instead of C because I feel like C implies there is a bigger gap than there really is between these 'mons and those in B-, and I've chosen to omit C because I think if you feel the need to put a Pokemon in C it is, for all intents and purposes, not a viable Pokemon, even if it's technically usable or might serve some weird obscure niche on one team/for surprise factor in a tournament setting. Anything that shows up here is something I think you could include on a reasonably standard-looking team and it will be functional. Reminder: quality≠viability.

Reasoning for some placements

General notes: A lot of the Pokémon in B+ downwards (especially B- and B-- (general)) are Pokémon that I feel are very underexplored and think could very easily creep up the ranks as they get "discovered" over time. I won't highlight many because it's far too late and I should've gone to bed hours ago, but you should know them when you see them. That aside, I think neither Sticky Web nor dedicated hail are remotely viable archetypes in this format and have omitted their users as such. TR is pretty bleh too, but Glastrier and Magearna are both so absurdly busted under TR that they singlehandedly make it a viable archetype. An exhaustive list of the worthwhile options on TR IMO are:


I think Dragapult is probably in line with A+ in terms of raw power level, but I think what sets it apart here is that you can take almost any team, plug a Dragapult onto it, and it will then either be about as good as it was before or better. There are no other 'mons in the game that I think I can say that about, even among the other S ranks. This is why I think Dragapult belongs in S rank.


While I think Lando is definitely the more viable of these two in terms of general usefulness, I think they are both a step above A+ Pokemon. I think Garchomp is probably broken now that it has access to Scale Shot, and as a Pokemon it has so much utility on teams and (rightfully) sees a lot of use because of it. Being able to check Heatran defensively without keeling over at the sight of Magearna/Cinderace is an extremely valuable trait in this format.


This Pokemon is really criminally underrated even with Magearna kicking around. Its defensive responses are extremely limited, so it doesn't have much difficulty coming in versus Pokemon it can force out and spamming Psychic/Psyshock vs anything that isn't a Steel-type. It also overwrites Rillaboom's terrain, meaning you can use it as an attacking opportunity after it KOs something—a trait very few Psychic-types can lay claim to thanks to insane-moves Grassy Glide and Knock Off.


I think Zeraora sits at a far more useful Speed stat than Tapu Koko, and Knock Off means that it has an actually good utility move outside of Screens teams, but I can't really put it above Koko on the principle that it is a truly terrible Pokémon outside of its useful meta niche. Its lack of good options versus Ground-types beyond the slow Toxic alongside its irritatingly low Attack stat means it often feels like dead weight for big chunks of the match.


Another very underrated Psychic-type in my opinion, and a very underexplored option in this metagame. Between CM sets and the more generic offensive HW sets, Latias has a lot that it can bring to the table for a large number of teams, and I feel like people often kinda gloss over it without much good reason when building.


Melmetal feels very… underwhelming in this format. DIB should be insane, but in practice Melmetal just ends up being bait for Pokemon like Ferrothorn and Slowbro to chip it down with their helmets (as well as Moltres and the odd Flame Body Heatran being able to render it null and void by just switching into it). I genuinely think Scizor's priority is broadly more useful than Melmetal's titanic bulk immediate breaking power at this point in time, even if broadly speaking Melmetal is the better Pokémon.


People oversell how big of an issue Tran walling this is. Tran can be overwhelmed, and once it's gone there is very little that actually wants to take Volc's STABs/Psychic head-on. Obviously it's not on the level of Pokémon above it, but I don't think you can ever really count it out of a game.


Rotom will probably always see a steady stream of use because it's a very broadly useful Pokemon, just not a particularly outstanding one. I think one of Heat or Wash (probably Wash) is likely to slowly climb the ranks as the gen goes on and things begin to play more like an older generation.


Sun is very underrated+under-explored IMO. There are so many Fire-types in this format that just become virtually impossible to deal with if you don't have something like Garchomp or Balloon Heatran in the back, and Venusaur is Venusaur. Heatran, Cinderace, and Blaziken in sun are genuinely some of the most completely degenerate things I've ever used and I love it!


Keldeo is only ranked for its Specs set; if you are running Calm Mind or Scarf in 2020 please get help. That said, it does just nuke all of its responses under rain, so it's very deserving of the rank. Kingdra and Seismitoad are very underwhelming even on rain, but it doesn't really feel right to exclude them because I guess they are kinda workable, unlike the other non-Barra Swift Swimmers.


I'm sure someone will try to argue otherwise, but Urshifu-RS really just sucks shit outside of rain. Sure, STAB Close Combat off of 130 base attack seems nice at first, but every team carries 1-2 fighting resists that it just doesn't enjoy dealing with using coverage (not having Knock Off is cripplingly bad) and if it ever decides it wants to click its auto-crit secondary STAB it needs to resign itself to the fact that it is going to impale itself on a Slowbro or Ferrothorn or Toxapex or some other shit like that, and the end result is that it just exerts very little pressure without the backup of rain. Of course, it will impale itself before then anyway 'cuz a bunch of Helmet users will come in to eat its U-turns/CCs regardless, and unlike Cinderace it isn't fast enough for that to be a non-issue (and it doesn't have a completely free 120 BP non-contact STAB with a 10% burn rate to circumvent it either).

Official list of broken stuff

Pressing problems:
Not pressing right now but broken and problematic on principle:
Will likely be problematic down the line:
The good kind of broken (very healthy, not banworthy):
Unhealthy, broken, and obnoxious but sadly not banworthy: Knock Off, Heavy Duty Boots, pivoting moves, and Regenerator as a whole, but mostly on this Pokémon:

 

[AM]

Everything below B too niche or team specific. Condensed a lot down cause lot of inflation so stuff even in the higher Bs are still pretty good. B and B- practically the same rank on any given day imo. May have forgot stuff but chances are it was accidental or would be below B ranks based on condensed version anyways (like Gastrodon for example which isn't bad but falls under a lot moving down).

S :
A+:
A :
A-:
B+:
B :
B-:

 

[AquaVanilla]

these are in alphabet order in their respective tiers

S Rank:
S+++++++ GIGA MAD BROKEN PLS BAN
Dragapult

S Rank
Landorus-Therian

S- Rank
Heatran
Tornadus-Therian
Urshifu-R
Weavile

A Rank:

A+ Rank
Corviknight
Ferrothorn
Kyurem
Melmetal
Slowking-Galar
Tapu Fini
Tapu Koko

A Rank
Garchomp
Kartana
Magnezone
Tapu Lele
Toxapex
Victini
Volcarona
Zapdos
Zeraora

A- Rank
Arctozolt
Blacephalon
Buzzwole
Dragonite
Hippowdon
Ninetales-Alola
Slowbro
Tapu Bulu
Volcanion

B Rank:

B+ Rank
Bisharp
Gastrodon
Hydreigon
Rillaboom
Rotom-Wash
Scizor
Skarmory
Tyranitar

B Rank
Aegislash
Clefable
Keldeo
Mew
Nidoking
Tangrowth
Terrakion
Zapdos-Galar

B- Rank
Barraskewda
Blissey
Crawdaunt
Jirachi
Kommo-o
Mamoswine
Moltres-Galar
Pelipper
Reuniclus
Swampert

C Rank:

C+ Rank
Excadrill
Gengar
Hawlucha
Latios
Seismitoad
Suicune

C Rank
Amoonguss
Blaziken
Cresselia
Decidueye
Dracozolt
Glastrier
Grimmsnarl
Hatterene
Latias
Lycanroc-Dusk
Marowak-Alola
Mienshao
Slowking
Shedinja
Sylveon
Thundurus-Therian
Torkoal
Toxtricity
Venusaur
Zarude

C- Rank
Arcanine
Alakazam
Azumarill
Braviary
Blastoise
Charizard
Clawitzer
Conkdelurr
Gyarados
Haxorus
Heracross
Kingdra
Mandibuzz
Milotic
Moltres
Necrozma
Nihilego
Primarina
Quagsire
Regieleki
Ribombee
Rotom-Heat
Salamence
Shuckle
Slowbro-Galar
Thundurus
Togekiss
Tyrantrum
Weezing-Galar
Xatu

 

[deathofsteady]

agreed