I made a personal vr
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A+
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Welcome to Smogon! Take a moment to read the Introduction to Smogon for a run-down on everything Smogon, and make sure you take some time to read the global rules.
Metagame Relay Race
- Thread starter VannAccessible
- Start date
Relay Race Survey Results!
Hello everyone! The survey has come to an end. Thank you everyone who responded! We had twelve responses in all.
- Enjoyment stands at 7.58 while competitiveness stands at 7.17. These are great numbers for the beginning of the metagame.
- Serperior scored a 3. Ogerpon-C scored a 2.75. Ogerpon scored a 2.42. Pecharunt scored a 2.08. Trevenant scored a 2.75. Belly Drum scored a 1.92. Serperior is the most controversial Pokemon on this list and thus the council will hold a vote on it. For the rest, the playerbase does not find any of them broken, so the council will take no action against them.
- It appears that most of the playerbase is fine with unbanning Regieleki, while unbanning Terapagos seems to be less welcomed. Since a suspect test is unreasonable this late in the month for Terapagos, council will hold a vote on both of these Pokemon with the survey results in mind.
These are the write-ins:
2 mention of Gholdengo
1 mention of Focus Energy
1 mention of Comfey
Hello everyone! The survey has come to an end. Thank you everyone who responded! We had twelve responses in all.
- Enjoyment stands at 7.58 while competitiveness stands at 7.17. These are great numbers for the beginning of the metagame.
- Serperior scored a 3. Ogerpon-C scored a 2.75. Ogerpon scored a 2.42. Pecharunt scored a 2.08. Trevenant scored a 2.75. Belly Drum scored a 1.92. Serperior is the most controversial Pokemon on this list and thus the council will hold a vote on it. For the rest, the playerbase does not find any of them broken, so the council will take no action against them.
- It appears that most of the playerbase is fine with unbanning Regieleki, while unbanning Terapagos seems to be less welcomed. Since a suspect test is unreasonable this late in the month for Terapagos, council will hold a vote on both of these Pokemon with the survey results in mind.
These are the write-ins:
2 mention of Gholdengo
1 mention of Focus Energy
1 mention of Comfey
Serperior remains free!
Regieleki and Terapagos are also freed!
Following our tier survey and taking your responses into consideration for which items merit a vote, the council has held our council’s third tiering action voting slate. The Watchlist has also been updated accordingly.
Here are the results!
Subject | VannAccessible | Sandwiches42 | InkyDarkBird | Anchor9 | sockperson | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | DNB | DNB | DNB | DNB | BAN | DNB |
| | DNB | DNB | DNB | DNB | DNB | DNB |
| | BAN | DNB | DNB | BAN | DNB | DNB |
Reasonings:
While Serperior is generally agreed to often be an annoying Pokémon to face, it was also agreed by the majority of council to not be broken or worthy of a ban.Serp is adept at forcing progress with Glare, backed by spammable snowballing Contrary Leaf Storms, a great speed stat, and good longevity to boot with Leech Seed. However, Grass also has many notable resists in the tier, including Gholdengo, Corviknight, Pecharunt, Trevenant, Salamence, Moltres and Goodra-H, so players are not hard pressed to prepare for it in the builder.
Serperior is easily forced out from behind its Substitutes by using slower U-Turns, which also removes Leech Seed. There also exist other options to force it out from behind a Sub including Roar, Curse, Infiltrator Dragapult (who outspeeds it) as well as Icicle Spear Kyurem or Toxtricity.
Furthermore, the limited PP of Leaf Storm is also quite exploitable by Unaware mons such as Unaware Clefable and Pressure Zapdos.
All these factors to combine to make Serperior a strong, but manageable, tier menace.
Regieleki was unanimously agreed to be a beneficial tier inhabitant for the now Tera-less meta. Having a new fast and offensive spinner able to threaten Dengo should reduce the tier’s reliance on Heavy-Duty Boots to alleviate how strong hazards are, and allow the meta to diversify.Regi also brings with it Volt Switch to cast off debuffs, Curse, and a second option for removing Leech Seed, while being a generally strong offensive presence checked by the tier’s many strong Ground, Grass and Dragon types. Thunder Cage is a new option to trap and chip down boosted threats.
Also, Magnet Rise passing… exists!
Ya ok, there ya go. ;P
Terapagos was the most controversial element on both the survey and the slate, but the majority of the council agreed it would be a strong, but manageable presence in the meta.The Multiscale-clone ability Tera Shell will make Substitutes passed to it challenging to break offensively, but behind Subs, it will remain a passive threat which will take time to develop. Behind Subs, Terapagos remains as vulnerable to phazing and Curse as any. It is also worth noting that for all its bulk with Tera Shell in tact, Terapagos lacks recovery and is dependent on Heavy-Duty Boots in the face of hazards, and cannot use Substitutes itself without breaking Tera Shell.
In any case, Terapagos will assist Regieleki as a form of hazard control that threatens the Ghosts with both a Ghost immunity and Dark Pulse, and potentially reduce the general efficacy of hazards in the format, and the over reliance of Boots.
Pinging dhelmise for implementation!
Edit: Whew that was fast! Implemented!
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Edit: Official VR Updated!
See here!
———————
Original post:
As we near the end of the month and the end of our ladder status, council plans to do a more finalized revision of the VR that includes our recent unbans and more accurately reflects the state of the current meta. I also wanted to share my individual take on the end state of things:
When a Baton Pass centric OM was proposed, there was some doubt cast that such an idea could be balanced without stripping it of all the elements that made it unique and interesting. After all, Baton Pass is a beyond broken move, as evidenced by how it is banned in basically every single format. However, I think Relay Race ultimately came together and executed the premise well. I’m still in a bit of disbelief at the end result of how balanced this OM feels.
The most consistent team structures seem to be Balance, with 4 mons being dedicated to chaining together to support one another and work towards breaking or going for a sweep. The remaining 2 should be willing to break the chain by virtue of being a pivot core, delegated to defense and diffusing strong Strats such as debuffs, Curse, Leech Seed, and Gastro Acid, as well as provide other general utility.
The loss of any one mon should not be a death sentence for a viable team. Haze is a life saver for most any team, as is Red Card. Unaware mons are also always a good emergency button.
Subpassing is a core mechanic of the format, and every viable team requires a workaround for them, be it phazing, Infiltrator, sound moves, multi-hit moves, defensive boosting or Curse.
HO was strong early on, but seemed to level out post-Tera ban, as did Full Chain teams, who are very slow to accumulate boosts and tend to rely on Stored Power and Power Trip to break through Unaware mons. Hazard stack seems balanced out as well, either by virtue of Boots-spam or utilizing the viable spinners able to handle the most troublesome Ghosts. Stall seems middish, as there is a lot of offensive threats to account for, and Taunt is passed, making it especially strong in the format, but Stall can work.
Eliminating Tera did indeed allow the meta to coalesce around the core mons, but even at the end of the month, I’m still seeing the most random mons on ladder do work. This premise has so much depth to it, I feel like we’ve only scratched the surface of the amount of strats that could be explored. I only recently began to try Gastro Acid, and Weather and Terrain teams are just finding their footing.
Ultimately I found this very fun, and I hope you all did too. It means the world to me anyone took the time to play this silly idea. We should still be playable after the end of April with a challenge code, and I’m working at getting Relay Race installed on the ROM side server, as well.
Finally, here’s my own personal VR, with some deep dive reasonings and thoughts on each mon and their place in the format.
See here!
———————
Original post:
As we near the end of the month and the end of our ladder status, council plans to do a more finalized revision of the VR that includes our recent unbans and more accurately reflects the state of the current meta. I also wanted to share my individual take on the end state of things:
When a Baton Pass centric OM was proposed, there was some doubt cast that such an idea could be balanced without stripping it of all the elements that made it unique and interesting. After all, Baton Pass is a beyond broken move, as evidenced by how it is banned in basically every single format. However, I think Relay Race ultimately came together and executed the premise well. I’m still in a bit of disbelief at the end result of how balanced this OM feels.
The most consistent team structures seem to be Balance, with 4 mons being dedicated to chaining together to support one another and work towards breaking or going for a sweep. The remaining 2 should be willing to break the chain by virtue of being a pivot core, delegated to defense and diffusing strong Strats such as debuffs, Curse, Leech Seed, and Gastro Acid, as well as provide other general utility.
The loss of any one mon should not be a death sentence for a viable team. Haze is a life saver for most any team, as is Red Card. Unaware mons are also always a good emergency button.
Subpassing is a core mechanic of the format, and every viable team requires a workaround for them, be it phazing, Infiltrator, sound moves, multi-hit moves, defensive boosting or Curse.
HO was strong early on, but seemed to level out post-Tera ban, as did Full Chain teams, who are very slow to accumulate boosts and tend to rely on Stored Power and Power Trip to break through Unaware mons. Hazard stack seems balanced out as well, either by virtue of Boots-spam or utilizing the viable spinners able to handle the most troublesome Ghosts. Stall seems middish, as there is a lot of offensive threats to account for, and Taunt is passed, making it especially strong in the format, but Stall can work.
Eliminating Tera did indeed allow the meta to coalesce around the core mons, but even at the end of the month, I’m still seeing the most random mons on ladder do work. This premise has so much depth to it, I feel like we’ve only scratched the surface of the amount of strats that could be explored. I only recently began to try Gastro Acid, and Weather and Terrain teams are just finding their footing.
Ultimately I found this very fun, and I hope you all did too. It means the world to me anyone took the time to play this silly idea. We should still be playable after the end of April with a challenge code, and I’m working at getting Relay Race installed on the ROM side server, as well.
Finally, here’s my own personal VR, with some deep dive reasonings and thoughts on each mon and their place in the format.
S
Gholdengo
A+
Hatterene
Corviknight
Alomomola
Dragapult
Serperior
Clefable
Ogerpon-Cornerstone
Landorus-Therian
Gliscor
Samurott-Hisui
A
Trevenant
Pecharunt
Excadrill
Hydrapple
Toxapex
Zamazenta
Ting-Lu
Darkrai
Clodsire
Slowking-Galar
Cyclizar
A-
Kingambit
Terapagos
Quaquaval
Meowscarada
Ogerpon
Roaring Moon
Kyurem
Manaphy
Iron Moth
Toxtricty
Okidogi
Deoxys-Speed
Glimmora
Iron Crown
B+
Ditto
Dondozo
Quagsire
Salamence
Torterra
Araquanid
Goodra-Hisui
Great Tusk
Raging Bolt
Torkoal
Rillaboom
Whimsicott
Tinkaton
Tornadus-Therian
Hydregion
B
Malamar
Espeon
Kommo-O
Gallade
Weavile
Zapdos
Scizor
Wo-Chien
Primarina
Weezing-Galar
Porygon2
Moltres-Galar
Dragonite
Haxorus
Chandelure
Moltres
Inteleon
Zapdos-Galar
Cinderace
B-
Ribombee
Galvantula
Brambleghast
Milotic
Mimikyu
Murkrow
Ceruledge
Chesnaught
Iron Valiant
Volcanion
Mandibuzz
Espathra
C+
Sinistcha
Incineroar
Pelipper
Basculegion-F
Garganacl
Leavanny
Amoonguss
Regieleki
Toedscruel
Tentacruel
Blissey
Skarmory
Reuniclus
Necrozma
Klefki
Grimmsnarl
C
Ninetales
Orthworm
Iron Hands
Muk-Alola
Revavroom
Electrode-Hisui
Slowking
Meloetta
Latias
Latios
Garchomp
C-
Numel
Mudsdale
Vileplume
Lilligant
Victreebel
Poliwrath
Basculegion
Noivern
Krookodile
Iron Treads
UR
Spidops
Veluza
GholdengoA+
Hatterene Corviknight Alomomola Dragapult Serperior Clefable Ogerpon-Cornerstone Landorus-Therian Gliscor Samurott-HisuiA
Trevenant Pecharunt Excadrill Hydrapple Toxapex Zamazenta Ting-Lu Darkrai Clodsire Slowking-Galar CyclizarA-
Kingambit Terapagos Quaquaval Meowscarada Ogerpon Roaring Moon Kyurem Manaphy Iron Moth Toxtricty Okidogi Deoxys-Speed Glimmora Iron CrownB+
Ditto Dondozo Quagsire Salamence Torterra Araquanid Goodra-Hisui Great Tusk Raging Bolt Torkoal Rillaboom Whimsicott Tinkaton Tornadus-Therian HydregionB
Malamar Espeon Kommo-O Gallade Weavile Zapdos Scizor Wo-Chien Primarina Weezing-Galar Porygon2 Moltres-Galar Dragonite Haxorus Chandelure Moltres Inteleon Zapdos-Galar CinderaceB-
Ribombee Galvantula Brambleghast Milotic Mimikyu Murkrow Ceruledge Chesnaught Iron Valiant Volcanion Mandibuzz EspathraC+
Sinistcha Incineroar Pelipper Basculegion-F Garganacl Leavanny Amoonguss Regieleki Toedscruel Tentacruel Blissey Skarmory Reuniclus Necrozma Klefki GrimmsnarlC
Ninetales Orthworm Iron Hands Muk-Alola Revavroom Electrode-Hisui Slowking Meloetta Latias Latios GarchompC-
Numel Mudsdale Vileplume Lilligant Victreebel Poliwrath Basculegion Noivern Krookodile Iron TreadsUR
Spidops VeluzaS
Gholdengo (I’ve come around to the conclusion that Dengo should be the only S-tier Mon. It is our all important meta-stabilizer, being an omni-BS stopper with GaG, and solving the most builder problems in a single slot. It fits on any playstyle and has no true counters, while this simply isn’t true of any other mon in the format, warranting its place as the sole S tier mon.
Dengo is the only Curse blocker in format. Despite being weak to the Ghosts STABs that come with it, this is very handy for dancing around, especially when combined with Subs.
Dengo is arguably the best Sub passer itself by virtue of being immune to Curse, Leech Seed, Taunt, Roar, Whirlwind, Circle Throw and resisting Dragon Tail, having a great defensive typing and Recover.
It can serve a Nasty Plot sweeper/passer or Trick Choice breaker, has longevity with Recover and great defensive typing, and can goob any of its “checks” with either coverage moves, Trick or Thunder Wave.
Dengo is only not ranked S+ by virtue of it not being required to make a viable team, a la Gen 1 OU Tauros or Gen 2 OU Snorlax.)
A+
Hatterene (Best hazard control, best phazing blocker besides Dengo. CM Stored Power sweeper, Mystical Fire debuffer, Nuzzle as options. Only wishes it had more reliable healing than Draining Kiss.)
Corviknight (All purpose team glue/U-Turn pivot, Iron Defense, Bulk Up, Agility, Defog, Taunt, Power Trip sweeper, Mirror Armor reflects debuffs. Pressure lets it stall out sweepers with Substitutes and Serp’s Leaf Storms.)
Alomomola (All purpose team glue/Flip Turn pivot, Aqua Ring/Wish cleric, Calm Mind. Its passivity can be exploited, but still rises due to increased flexibility post Ogerpon-WS ban.)
Dragapult (Fastest offensive Sub bypasser with Infiltrator, coming in both physical, special and mixed variants, making it a great recipient of any kind of offensive boost, while having Dragon Dance itself. Good defensive typing for fast Subs. Can Dragon Tail through Subs, which can be handy. Fastest Curse user, U-Turn, TWave/Will o+Hex are all good. Also has Clear Body to prevent debuffs, which is a fine alternative ability.
I personally think Drag ranks above Trev and Pecha, as Curse got a bit of a nerf overall with the most splashable water immunity Ogerpon-WS being gone, which frees up Flip Turn, in turn making pivot cores more flexible to dance around Curse. The other Ghosts are also slow and therefore susceptible to Taunt.
While the other two bulkier and have recovery and are therefore better for Curse, Dragapult simply has more overall options. Curse is just one of its tools.)
Serperior (The tier’s best progress maker. Leaf Storm snowballer/ Sp Attack passer, inverses debuffs, goobs most defensive checks with Leech Seed and/or Glare, has access to Taunt, Dragon Pulse, Dragon Tail. It also has Gastro Acid which is largely unexplored on ladder. It can even do physical sets with Overgrow + Leaf Blade + Knock Off, and Coil or Growth in Sun.)
Clefable (Great team glue. Massive toolkit, but initially passive. Unaware, Magic Guard, Dragon Tail immunity, Cosmic Power, Psych Up, Rocks Knock Off, etc. Calm Mind + Stored Power sweeper.)
Ogerpon-Cornerstone (Best crit move in Rock Ivy Cudgel, which is a great emergency anti-sweep button with Sturdy. Focus Energy, Leech Seed, Swords Dance, Trailblaze, Low Kick, Knock Off, U-Turn, Spikes. Only downfall is STABs/defensive typing not the best, and not being able to hold an item.)
Landorus-Therian (Defensive U-Turn pivot, Intimidate, Stealth Rock, Bulk Up, Calm Mind, Taunt.)
Gliscor (Defensive pivot, Swords Dance, Agility, excellent Sub passer. Competes w/ Corv and Lando for the Ground immune def pivot slot.)
Samurott-Hisui (The face of hazard stack. Best Spikes setter as it bypasses Magic Bounce with C. Edge, has the crit moves, priority, Knock Off, Sacred Sword, Swords Dance, Focus Energy. Drops a bit with new spinners in the format.)
A
Trevenant (Curse/Seed Subber that threatens Dengo. Sitrus + Harvest is good, but somewhat unreliable, unless used in Sun. Haze and Will o are nice options too. A potentially better spin blocker with Regieleki now added to the tier, but vulnerable to Taunt, Dragapult, Snarl and pivot cores.)
Pecharunt (Defensive pivot w/ Parting Shot, most consistent Curse user, having both bulk and Recover. Confusion + Toxic. Bit of 4mss and vulnerable to Taunt.)
Excadrill (Mold Breaker sweeper and spinner with STAB EQ to scare Dengo. Best Belly Drum recipient, but a bit weaker without Tera for coverage.)
(Nasty Plot, Curse, Dragon Tail. Red Card + Recycle is cool tech to deny chain teams.)
Toxapex (Haze, Stockpile, Chilling Water, Toxic, Toxic Spikes.)
Zamazenta (1 time auto-Defensive boost, Fast Iron Def + Body Press with Crunch, great general offensive presence and speed. Roar is always clutch.)
Ting-Lu (A Spiker that doesn’t mind Terapagos or Regieleki being in the format too much. EQ, Ruination doesn’t care about defense boosts, Whirlwind. Really enjoys Wish/Aqua Ring support.)
Darkrai (Nasty Plot sweeper, Haze and Taunt for utility. Snarl to bypass Subs. Misses Tera.)
Clodsire (STAB EQ/Poison moves, Haze, Unaware, Curse, Amnesia, Spikes. 4mss.)
Slowking-Galar (Sp defense pivot with Chilly Reception, best Belly Drum passer. Psychic Noise, Future Sight, Toxic Spikes, Nasty Plot and Calm Mind.)
Cyclizar (Offensive or defensive pivot. Rapid Spinner that can threaten Dengo with Knock Off or Overheat. Shed Tail is amazing for Sub + momentum and shedding debuffs. Shift Gear, Dragon Tail, Taunt.)
A-
Kingambit (MUs very well with most top mons, great at breaking chains/Unaware with Supreme Overlord. Generally self-sufficient, but misses Tera Super STAB. Has to predict with Sucker v Sub mindgames.)
Terapagos (Defensive spinner that beats Dengo 1v1. Subs passed to it very durable with Tera Shell intact, but locked to HDB as item to use its ability. Roar, Calm Mind, end of chain cleaner or Stored Power sweeper with access to Body Press.)
Quaquaval (Aqua Step and Moxie sweeper/booster, Rapid Spin.)
Meowscarada (Auto-crit Flower Trick and omni-STABS.)
Ogerpon (All the same tools Cornerstone has, but with arguably better defensive typing and Defiant, in exchange for a worse Cudgel typing and item use.)
Roaring Moon (It’s RM, it’s always good. Taunt + Booster Energy is always appreciated to help beat Unaware. Loves Sun support, but good in general.)
Kyurem (Many teams struggle to answer Kyruem. Great balance/stall breaker with absurd bulk (especially with boosts or in Snow) and massive Substitutes. Loaded Dice Icicle Spear to bypass Subs, Pressure stall, Freeze-Dry, Earth Power, Calm Mind, Dragon Dance.)
Manaphy (Bulky Tail Glow/Take Heart sweeper with Stored Power, or boost thief with Heart Swap.)
Iron Moth (STABs that MUs well with the meta. Fiery Dance boosts and Booster Energy for Unawares.)
Toxtricty (Sound move sweeper. Throat Spray and Shift Gear make it self-sufficient, and a boost passer. Snarl provides coverage to hit Ghost types, who are immune to Boomburst, and resist Overdrive, like Drag and Trev.)
Okidogi (Guard Dog blocks Intimidate and phazing. Great end of full chain sweeper with dual STABs including Drain Punch for sustain, Knock Off and Taunt.)
Heatran (Hard counters the Fairies. Magma Storm, Stealth Rock, Flash Cannon Taunt, Iron Defense + Body Press. Just really solid, as it always is.)
Deoxys-Speed (Fast HO attacker w/ Taunt. Stored Power sweeper w/ good coverage or general utility lead-mon.)
Glimmora (Hazard stack is still great, but it takes a hit as an archetype due to the 2 new spinners who threaten Dengo. There are also many relevant poison types who just absorb its T.Spikes. Meteor Beam catches Corv off guard, Earth Power gets Dengo trying to block Mortal Spin.)
Iron Crown (Fast Toxic immune Stored Power sweeper, very potent with Weakness Policy, and multi-hit Tachyon Cutter.)
B+
Ditto (Countersweeper, boost thief, and insta-debuff resetter. All amazing traits, but also needs anti-Sub support. Increased viability due to Tera and Dirge being gone, by virtue of not having to deal with Improofed Tera-Ogers. Ditto helps make Stall viable, but can also work on balance.)
Dondozo (Unaware, Curse sweeper, Red Card, Good on both Stall and Stat chain teams.)
Quagsire (Good midground pick between Don and Clod for an Unaware mon, with all of Haze, Recover, Water and Ground typing, Amnesia, Toxic, Stockpile and Curse.)
Salamence (Intimidate, Focus Energy, Dragon Dance, Roost and Dragon Tail. 4x Grass resist is nice.)
Torterra (Only Shell Armor mon with recovery, Iron Defense and Amnesia. Leech Seed with with Ground STABs to threaten Dengo. Laughs at any offensive team reliant on Focus Energy to make progress.)
Araquanid (Sticky Web, Aqua Ring, Water STABs, Bug Buzz for Subs, debuffing Bug attack moves.)
Goodra-Hisui (Either Shell Armor or Sap Sipper for Leech Seed immunity. Depends on support for healing to make it shine.)
Great Tusk (STAB EQ spinner for Dengo Bulk Up, Knock Off, Roar.)
Raging Bolt (Calm mind sweeper and booster w/ good defensive typing.)
Torkoal (Sun teams are catching on, and Torkoal is here to support Growth, Chlorophyll and Protosynthesis, while otherwise being spinner that Dengo does not want to switch in on. Clear Smog + Fire STABs is nice. Rock Tomb. Iron Defense + Body Press, burns. Has to chose between Heat Rock or HDB.)
Rillaboom (Grassy Terrain is catching on as well, granting extra healing to help bulky set up and Sub spam, and weakenng EQs everywhere. Nice tools in U-Turn, Leech Seed, priority. Trailblaze/Drum Beating for speed control, and free Def boosts with Grassy Seed.
Whimsicott (Cotton Guard, U-Turn, Prankster, Taunt/Encore. Infiltrator Leech Seed.)
Tinkaton (Mold Breaker, Swords Dance, Knock Off for Red Cards, and a Dragon Tail immunity. Solid.)
(Tornadus-Therian Fast pivot that can outspeed Serp. Passes bulky Subs (with Regenerator healing them off), Taunt, and U-Turn.
Hydregion (Focus Energy + Draco Meteor is no joke, plus it has good coverage options, rocks and U-Turn for affliction removal.)
B
Malamar (Despite a bad defensive typing, Topsy-Turvy is an S tier move in this format. Works well as a Suction Cups+Calm Mind Stored Power sweeper that Knock Off for Red Cards, or Contrary Superpower booster.)
Espeon (A faster Magic Bouncer than Hat while lacking Fairy typing, but having healing potential in Wish. Decent endgame Stored Power sweeper.)
Kommo-o (Took a hit to its niche with the Perish Song ban, but Roar / Sound moves immunity is still great. Has the boosting moves, Roar and Dragon Tail.)
Gallade (Best niche is Banded Sharpness STAB Sacred Sword and crit moves for breaking chains. Misses Tera.)
Weavile (Swords Dance, Knock Off, Taunt. Dark and Ice STABs mu the meta well, can revenge stuff with Ice Shard, but it’s very frail.)
Zapdos (Defensive U-Turn pivot, Para immunity, with Pressure. Very handy for dealing with Serp.)
Scizor (Similar traits to Zapdos, in that it’s a good Serp check. While it can get Glared, it also has Bullet Punch to hit it so it can’t Sub fish on you. In exchange for not having recovery, it can pass Focus Energy.)
Wo-Chien (Leech Seeder that threatens Dengo. Snarl for subs and Knock Off.)
Primarina (Sp defensive pivot, Hazer, and has unique ability to use Water-type sound moves.)
Weezing-Galar (Neutralizing Gas schenanigans. Unblockable Defog.)
Porygon2 (Free Download boosts on switch in. Nice bulk and TWave. Best used in conjunction with Haze/Clear Smog to maintain offensive advantage.)
Moltres-Galar (Berserk and Nasty Plot sweeper.)
Dragonite (Multiscale makes Subs hard to break. Dragon Dance, Roar to push out Clef. Extremespeed makes it a good Belly Drum recipient.)
Haxorus (Mold Breaker sweeper and has unique ability to Roar out anything, no exceptions (except Ability Shield.)
Chandelure (Handy Fire and Ghost STABs + Infiltrator. Clear Smogs through Subs is a great tool.)
Moltres (4x grass resist, U-Turn pivot for Serp, Flame Body, Roar.)
Inteleon (Best Focus Energy breaker with Sniper.)
Zapdos-Galar (Defiant sweeper with STAB Def debuffing Thunderous Kick..)
Cinderace (Omni-STABS and Court Change hazard control is useful. Outspeeds Serp.)
B-
Ribombee (Webs = Decent. Lacks Araquanid’s bulk, versatility or power but Moonblast and para are nice.)
Galvantula (Gastro Acid is seriously slept on, and Galv feasts on the Corvs and Alomom’s many teams depend on to shed afflictions, Clod loses Unaware on switch in, while it nails Dengo and Hat with strong Thunders that can paralyze. It also brings Webs. Volt Switch, and Bug Buzz for Subs. Lando and Gliscor give it the most trouble.)
Brambleghast (Infiltrator, Spikes, Spin, Seeds. Strength Sap. Solid!)
Milotic (Coil, Dragon Dance, Haze, Competitive, Flip Turn.)
Mimikyu (Disguise + Red Card / Curse. Swords Dance too.)
Murkrow (Lost Perish Song, but priority Haze is super handy.)
Ceruledge (Taunt sweeper with either Weak Armor or Flash Fire. Psych Up can steal boosts.)
Chesnaught (Main niche is a bulky Belly Drum passer with recovery, exchanging Glowking’s Regenerator for Leech Seed immunity, on top of its own Leech Seed, Trailblaze, Spikes and Roar. Nice niche.)
Iron Valiant (Good end of chain mixed sweeper.)
Volcanion (Flip Turn immunity, Haze, good STABs.)
(Def U-Turn pivot, Whirlwind, Foul Play.)
Espathra (Opportunist nets free boosts. Lumina Crash and Stored Power. Misses Tera for Dark types.)
C+
Sinistcha (Iron Defense, Calm Mind, Strength Sap.)
Incineroar (Good mus into the meta mons, Intimidate, Bulk Up, Flame Charge, Power Trick, U-Turn, Parting Shot, and Darkest Lariat ignores Def boosts. Awkward defensive typing, yet good into Dengo.)
Pelipper (Rain. Supports mons like Hydration Rest Manaphy or Tornadus for easier to land confusion inducing Hurricanes, as well as Swift Swim.)
Basculegion-F (Special attacker with Mold Breaker with good dual STABs, but requires boosts to be passed to it to sweep.)
Garganacl (Maybe I’m judging this guy too hard, but I feel like it really fell off in the current meta. It is very sad it lost Tera as Rock typing is bad, so it cannot be used to aborb Serp’s Glare, the most common status in the meta. Bad mu with Dengo. Salt Cure less impactful in a meta with Subs and switching abundance.)
Leavanny (Webs + Leaf Blade for crits.)
Amoonguss (Regen + Clear Smog and a Growth passer in Sun. Checks Serp, but is easy to take advantage of with Dengo and Subs.)
Regieleki (Offensive spinner that beats Dengo, Thunder Cage, Volt Switch. Magnet Rise passing is neat. Walled by Grounds.)
Toedscruel (Another spinner that beats Dengo, but with Ground STAB, while also having utility in Seeding Dengo or Hat, and Spiking past Hat.)
Tentacruel (Below average spinner that can’t beat Dengo, Knock Off, Flip Turn, Acid Spray. Liquid Ooze punishes Leech Seed.)
Blissey (Stall exists and special attackers are good. Calm Mind lets it stall out Stored Powers. Unique access to Heal Bell for paraspam.)
Skarmory (Spikes, Iron Defense and Whirlwind or Red Card + Sturdy.)
Reuniclus (A fine Stored Power/Psychic Noise or Psyshock sweeper, with Focus Blast in pocket, despite better options. Trick Room Life Orb can work on HO builds.)
Necrozma (Decent booster and sweeper. Photon Geyser bypasses Unaware, but Dark types are abundant.)
Klefki (Spikes and Magnet Rise and Red Card + Recycle. Screens are generally worse in this meta than most formats with Focus Energy being prevalent and defensive boosting being better, but can be used in tandem with Shell Armor mons or on HO. and priority Taunt/Parting Shot/Bulk Up still have their place. Dark types rising limits Prankster.)
Grimmsnarl (Same deal as Klefki, with less going for it. It can be used on HO and priority Taunt/Parting Shot/Bulk Up still have their place. Spirit Break debuffs.)
C
Ninetales (Faster Drought alternative with Stored Power, Nasty Plot and Agility.)
Orthworm (Shed Tail with a different typing than Cyc.)
Iron Hands (Bulky, has Whirlwind, Focus Energy and other boosting moves, but very slow and the abundance of Ghosts hampers it’s longevity as Drain Punch is its healing source.
Muk-Alola (Good mu into the meta mons, but needs healing support. Poison Touch is good for wearing down defense.)
Revavroom (Shift Gear, Haze, Toxic Spikes, Parting Shot.)
Electrode-Hisui (Soundproof Sub Seed schenanigans. Fast Taunt and Volt Switch. Generally food for Dengo, opposing Subs and better Grass types.)
Slowking (Sp def pivot, Belly Drummer without the Poison typing.)
Meloetta (Despite loosing Perish Song, still has good special bulk, Ghost immunity, Shadow Ball, Hyper Voice, Psychic Noise, Stored Power, Psych Up, Calm Mind, U-Turn.)
Latias (Stored Power sweeper with bulk and Reflect Type.)
Latios (Luster Purge, Calm Mind and Dragon Dance. )
Garchomp (Def tank w/ Spikes, Ground STAB + Dragon Tail.)
C-
Numel (Simple Omni-booster with Curse and Stockpile, while denying the opponent with Roar. Sun support recommended for Growth.)
Mudsdale (Stamina is a great ability for free defense boosts, and pairs better with Unaware/Stored Power/Power Trip mons than Intimidate, plus Iron Defense, stab EQ, Stealth Rocks and Roar. It’s alright.)
Vileplume (Has a place on stall teams with Leech Seed and Poison STAB for Grasses hoping to absorb it.)
Lilligant (Chlorophyll + Growth. Has Alluring Voice for Dragons and to hit through Subs. Sun support mandatory.)
Victreebel (Chlorophyll + Growth. Can go physical, special or mixed and other tech like Knock Off, Gastro Acid or Acid Spray. Sun support mandatory.)
Poliwrath (Fast Haze and Super Water STAB in Rain with Swift Swim is nice.)
Basculegion (The physical male also has Mold Breaker and Swift Swim, but the need to use Phantom For d for Ghost STAB is less desirable than the female’s Shadow Ball.)
Noivern (A generally worse fast Infiltartor compared to Dragapult, but has a Ground immunity and STAB Flying moves for Grass types behind Subs.)
Krookodile (A generally exploitable Power Trip sweeper, with stab EQ and two useful abilities in Moxie and Intimidate)
Iron Treads (A. Sp Def spinner and pivot that threatens Dengo, but losing momentum with Volt Switch to opposing Ground types is horrible. Generally just use Excadrill or Great Tusk for a Ground type spinner, or Lando/Gliscor if you want a ground pivot, but if you want to try to combine those roles, here it is.)
UR
Spidops (Spikes, Circle Throw lead. Meh.)
Veluza (This has never been good from what I can tell. Despite Mold Breaker and the theoretically best omni-boosting move permitted in the tier in Fillet Away, too frail to be a consistent sweeper or boost passer. Noob trap material.)
Gholdengo (I’ve come around to the conclusion that Dengo should be the only S-tier Mon. It is our all important meta-stabilizer, being an omni-BS stopper with GaG, and solving the most builder problems in a single slot. It fits on any playstyle and has no true counters, while this simply isn’t true of any other mon in the format, warranting its place as the sole S tier mon.Dengo is the only Curse blocker in format. Despite being weak to the Ghosts STABs that come with it, this is very handy for dancing around, especially when combined with Subs.
Dengo is arguably the best Sub passer itself by virtue of being immune to Curse, Leech Seed, Taunt, Roar, Whirlwind, Circle Throw and resisting Dragon Tail, having a great defensive typing and Recover.
It can serve a Nasty Plot sweeper/passer or Trick Choice breaker, has longevity with Recover and great defensive typing, and can goob any of its “checks” with either coverage moves, Trick or Thunder Wave.
Dengo is only not ranked S+ by virtue of it not being required to make a viable team, a la Gen 1 OU Tauros or Gen 2 OU Snorlax.)
A+
Hatterene (Best hazard control, best phazing blocker besides Dengo. CM Stored Power sweeper, Mystical Fire debuffer, Nuzzle as options. Only wishes it had more reliable healing than Draining Kiss.) Corviknight (All purpose team glue/U-Turn pivot, Iron Defense, Bulk Up, Agility, Defog, Taunt, Power Trip sweeper, Mirror Armor reflects debuffs. Pressure lets it stall out sweepers with Substitutes and Serp’s Leaf Storms.) Alomomola (All purpose team glue/Flip Turn pivot, Aqua Ring/Wish cleric, Calm Mind. Its passivity can be exploited, but still rises due to increased flexibility post Ogerpon-WS ban.) Dragapult (Fastest offensive Sub bypasser with Infiltrator, coming in both physical, special and mixed variants, making it a great recipient of any kind of offensive boost, while having Dragon Dance itself. Good defensive typing for fast Subs. Can Dragon Tail through Subs, which can be handy. Fastest Curse user, U-Turn, TWave/Will o+Hex are all good. Also has Clear Body to prevent debuffs, which is a fine alternative ability.I personally think Drag ranks above Trev and Pecha, as Curse got a bit of a nerf overall with the most splashable water immunity Ogerpon-WS being gone, which frees up Flip Turn, in turn making pivot cores more flexible to dance around Curse. The other Ghosts are also slow and therefore susceptible to Taunt.
While the other two bulkier and have recovery and are therefore better for Curse, Dragapult simply has more overall options. Curse is just one of its tools.)
Serperior (The tier’s best progress maker. Leaf Storm snowballer/ Sp Attack passer, inverses debuffs, goobs most defensive checks with Leech Seed and/or Glare, has access to Taunt, Dragon Pulse, Dragon Tail. It also has Gastro Acid which is largely unexplored on ladder. It can even do physical sets with Overgrow + Leaf Blade + Knock Off, and Coil or Growth in Sun.) Clefable (Great team glue. Massive toolkit, but initially passive. Unaware, Magic Guard, Dragon Tail immunity, Cosmic Power, Psych Up, Rocks Knock Off, etc. Calm Mind + Stored Power sweeper.) Ogerpon-Cornerstone (Best crit move in Rock Ivy Cudgel, which is a great emergency anti-sweep button with Sturdy. Focus Energy, Leech Seed, Swords Dance, Trailblaze, Low Kick, Knock Off, U-Turn, Spikes. Only downfall is STABs/defensive typing not the best, and not being able to hold an item.) Landorus-Therian (Defensive U-Turn pivot, Intimidate, Stealth Rock, Bulk Up, Calm Mind, Taunt.) Gliscor (Defensive pivot, Swords Dance, Agility, excellent Sub passer. Competes w/ Corv and Lando for the Ground immune def pivot slot.) Samurott-Hisui (The face of hazard stack. Best Spikes setter as it bypasses Magic Bounce with C. Edge, has the crit moves, priority, Knock Off, Sacred Sword, Swords Dance, Focus Energy. Drops a bit with new spinners in the format.)A
Trevenant (Curse/Seed Subber that threatens Dengo. Sitrus + Harvest is good, but somewhat unreliable, unless used in Sun. Haze and Will o are nice options too. A potentially better spin blocker with Regieleki now added to the tier, but vulnerable to Taunt, Dragapult, Snarl and pivot cores.) Pecharunt (Defensive pivot w/ Parting Shot, most consistent Curse user, having both bulk and Recover. Confusion + Toxic. Bit of 4mss and vulnerable to Taunt.) Excadrill (Mold Breaker sweeper and spinner with STAB EQ to scare Dengo. Best Belly Drum recipient, but a bit weaker without Tera for coverage.) (Nasty Plot, Curse, Dragon Tail. Red Card + Recycle is cool tech to deny chain teams.) Toxapex (Haze, Stockpile, Chilling Water, Toxic, Toxic Spikes.) Zamazenta (1 time auto-Defensive boost, Fast Iron Def + Body Press with Crunch, great general offensive presence and speed. Roar is always clutch.) Ting-Lu (A Spiker that doesn’t mind Terapagos or Regieleki being in the format too much. EQ, Ruination doesn’t care about defense boosts, Whirlwind. Really enjoys Wish/Aqua Ring support.) Darkrai (Nasty Plot sweeper, Haze and Taunt for utility. Snarl to bypass Subs. Misses Tera.) Clodsire (STAB EQ/Poison moves, Haze, Unaware, Curse, Amnesia, Spikes. 4mss.) Slowking-Galar (Sp defense pivot with Chilly Reception, best Belly Drum passer. Psychic Noise, Future Sight, Toxic Spikes, Nasty Plot and Calm Mind.) Cyclizar (Offensive or defensive pivot. Rapid Spinner that can threaten Dengo with Knock Off or Overheat. Shed Tail is amazing for Sub + momentum and shedding debuffs. Shift Gear, Dragon Tail, Taunt.)A-
Kingambit (MUs very well with most top mons, great at breaking chains/Unaware with Supreme Overlord. Generally self-sufficient, but misses Tera Super STAB. Has to predict with Sucker v Sub mindgames.) Terapagos (Defensive spinner that beats Dengo 1v1. Subs passed to it very durable with Tera Shell intact, but locked to HDB as item to use its ability. Roar, Calm Mind, end of chain cleaner or Stored Power sweeper with access to Body Press.) Quaquaval (Aqua Step and Moxie sweeper/booster, Rapid Spin.) Meowscarada (Auto-crit Flower Trick and omni-STABS.) Ogerpon (All the same tools Cornerstone has, but with arguably better defensive typing and Defiant, in exchange for a worse Cudgel typing and item use.) Roaring Moon (It’s RM, it’s always good. Taunt + Booster Energy is always appreciated to help beat Unaware. Loves Sun support, but good in general.) Kyurem (Many teams struggle to answer Kyruem. Great balance/stall breaker with absurd bulk (especially with boosts or in Snow) and massive Substitutes. Loaded Dice Icicle Spear to bypass Subs, Pressure stall, Freeze-Dry, Earth Power, Calm Mind, Dragon Dance.) Manaphy (Bulky Tail Glow/Take Heart sweeper with Stored Power, or boost thief with Heart Swap.) Iron Moth (STABs that MUs well with the meta. Fiery Dance boosts and Booster Energy for Unawares.) Toxtricty (Sound move sweeper. Throat Spray and Shift Gear make it self-sufficient, and a boost passer. Snarl provides coverage to hit Ghost types, who are immune to Boomburst, and resist Overdrive, like Drag and Trev.) Okidogi (Guard Dog blocks Intimidate and phazing. Great end of full chain sweeper with dual STABs including Drain Punch for sustain, Knock Off and Taunt.) Heatran (Hard counters the Fairies. Magma Storm, Stealth Rock, Flash Cannon Taunt, Iron Defense + Body Press. Just really solid, as it always is.) Deoxys-Speed (Fast HO attacker w/ Taunt. Stored Power sweeper w/ good coverage or general utility lead-mon.) Glimmora (Hazard stack is still great, but it takes a hit as an archetype due to the 2 new spinners who threaten Dengo. There are also many relevant poison types who just absorb its T.Spikes. Meteor Beam catches Corv off guard, Earth Power gets Dengo trying to block Mortal Spin.) Iron Crown (Fast Toxic immune Stored Power sweeper, very potent with Weakness Policy, and multi-hit Tachyon Cutter.)B+
Ditto (Countersweeper, boost thief, and insta-debuff resetter. All amazing traits, but also needs anti-Sub support. Increased viability due to Tera and Dirge being gone, by virtue of not having to deal with Improofed Tera-Ogers. Ditto helps make Stall viable, but can also work on balance.) Dondozo (Unaware, Curse sweeper, Red Card, Good on both Stall and Stat chain teams.) Quagsire (Good midground pick between Don and Clod for an Unaware mon, with all of Haze, Recover, Water and Ground typing, Amnesia, Toxic, Stockpile and Curse.) Salamence (Intimidate, Focus Energy, Dragon Dance, Roost and Dragon Tail. 4x Grass resist is nice.) Torterra (Only Shell Armor mon with recovery, Iron Defense and Amnesia. Leech Seed with with Ground STABs to threaten Dengo. Laughs at any offensive team reliant on Focus Energy to make progress.) Araquanid (Sticky Web, Aqua Ring, Water STABs, Bug Buzz for Subs, debuffing Bug attack moves.) Goodra-Hisui (Either Shell Armor or Sap Sipper for Leech Seed immunity. Depends on support for healing to make it shine.) Great Tusk (STAB EQ spinner for Dengo Bulk Up, Knock Off, Roar.) Raging Bolt (Calm mind sweeper and booster w/ good defensive typing.) Torkoal (Sun teams are catching on, and Torkoal is here to support Growth, Chlorophyll and Protosynthesis, while otherwise being spinner that Dengo does not want to switch in on. Clear Smog + Fire STABs is nice. Rock Tomb. Iron Defense + Body Press, burns. Has to chose between Heat Rock or HDB.) Rillaboom (Grassy Terrain is catching on as well, granting extra healing to help bulky set up and Sub spam, and weakenng EQs everywhere. Nice tools in U-Turn, Leech Seed, priority. Trailblaze/Drum Beating for speed control, and free Def boosts with Grassy Seed. Whimsicott (Cotton Guard, U-Turn, Prankster, Taunt/Encore. Infiltrator Leech Seed.) Tinkaton (Mold Breaker, Swords Dance, Knock Off for Red Cards, and a Dragon Tail immunity. Solid.) (Tornadus-Therian Fast pivot that can outspeed Serp. Passes bulky Subs (with Regenerator healing them off), Taunt, and U-Turn. Hydregion (Focus Energy + Draco Meteor is no joke, plus it has good coverage options, rocks and U-Turn for affliction removal.)B
Malamar (Despite a bad defensive typing, Topsy-Turvy is an S tier move in this format. Works well as a Suction Cups+Calm Mind Stored Power sweeper that Knock Off for Red Cards, or Contrary Superpower booster.) Espeon (A faster Magic Bouncer than Hat while lacking Fairy typing, but having healing potential in Wish. Decent endgame Stored Power sweeper.) Kommo-o (Took a hit to its niche with the Perish Song ban, but Roar / Sound moves immunity is still great. Has the boosting moves, Roar and Dragon Tail.) Gallade (Best niche is Banded Sharpness STAB Sacred Sword and crit moves for breaking chains. Misses Tera.) Weavile (Swords Dance, Knock Off, Taunt. Dark and Ice STABs mu the meta well, can revenge stuff with Ice Shard, but it’s very frail.) Zapdos (Defensive U-Turn pivot, Para immunity, with Pressure. Very handy for dealing with Serp.) Scizor (Similar traits to Zapdos, in that it’s a good Serp check. While it can get Glared, it also has Bullet Punch to hit it so it can’t Sub fish on you. In exchange for not having recovery, it can pass Focus Energy.) Wo-Chien (Leech Seeder that threatens Dengo. Snarl for subs and Knock Off.) Primarina (Sp defensive pivot, Hazer, and has unique ability to use Water-type sound moves.) Weezing-Galar (Neutralizing Gas schenanigans. Unblockable Defog.) Porygon2 (Free Download boosts on switch in. Nice bulk and TWave. Best used in conjunction with Haze/Clear Smog to maintain offensive advantage.) Moltres-Galar (Berserk and Nasty Plot sweeper.) Dragonite (Multiscale makes Subs hard to break. Dragon Dance, Roar to push out Clef. Extremespeed makes it a good Belly Drum recipient.) Haxorus (Mold Breaker sweeper and has unique ability to Roar out anything, no exceptions (except Ability Shield.) Chandelure (Handy Fire and Ghost STABs + Infiltrator. Clear Smogs through Subs is a great tool.) Moltres (4x grass resist, U-Turn pivot for Serp, Flame Body, Roar.) Inteleon (Best Focus Energy breaker with Sniper.) Zapdos-Galar (Defiant sweeper with STAB Def debuffing Thunderous Kick..) Cinderace (Omni-STABS and Court Change hazard control is useful. Outspeeds Serp.)B-
Ribombee (Webs = Decent. Lacks Araquanid’s bulk, versatility or power but Moonblast and para are nice.) Galvantula (Gastro Acid is seriously slept on, and Galv feasts on the Corvs and Alomom’s many teams depend on to shed afflictions, Clod loses Unaware on switch in, while it nails Dengo and Hat with strong Thunders that can paralyze. It also brings Webs. Volt Switch, and Bug Buzz for Subs. Lando and Gliscor give it the most trouble.) Brambleghast (Infiltrator, Spikes, Spin, Seeds. Strength Sap. Solid!) Milotic (Coil, Dragon Dance, Haze, Competitive, Flip Turn.) Mimikyu (Disguise + Red Card / Curse. Swords Dance too.) Murkrow (Lost Perish Song, but priority Haze is super handy.) Ceruledge (Taunt sweeper with either Weak Armor or Flash Fire. Psych Up can steal boosts.) Chesnaught (Main niche is a bulky Belly Drum passer with recovery, exchanging Glowking’s Regenerator for Leech Seed immunity, on top of its own Leech Seed, Trailblaze, Spikes and Roar. Nice niche.) Iron Valiant (Good end of chain mixed sweeper.) Volcanion (Flip Turn immunity, Haze, good STABs.) (Def U-Turn pivot, Whirlwind, Foul Play.) Espathra (Opportunist nets free boosts. Lumina Crash and Stored Power. Misses Tera for Dark types.)C+
Sinistcha (Iron Defense, Calm Mind, Strength Sap.) Incineroar (Good mus into the meta mons, Intimidate, Bulk Up, Flame Charge, Power Trick, U-Turn, Parting Shot, and Darkest Lariat ignores Def boosts. Awkward defensive typing, yet good into Dengo.) Pelipper (Rain. Supports mons like Hydration Rest Manaphy or Tornadus for easier to land confusion inducing Hurricanes, as well as Swift Swim.) Basculegion-F (Special attacker with Mold Breaker with good dual STABs, but requires boosts to be passed to it to sweep.) Garganacl (Maybe I’m judging this guy too hard, but I feel like it really fell off in the current meta. It is very sad it lost Tera as Rock typing is bad, so it cannot be used to aborb Serp’s Glare, the most common status in the meta. Bad mu with Dengo. Salt Cure less impactful in a meta with Subs and switching abundance.) Leavanny (Webs + Leaf Blade for crits.) Amoonguss (Regen + Clear Smog and a Growth passer in Sun. Checks Serp, but is easy to take advantage of with Dengo and Subs.) Regieleki (Offensive spinner that beats Dengo, Thunder Cage, Volt Switch. Magnet Rise passing is neat. Walled by Grounds.) Toedscruel (Another spinner that beats Dengo, but with Ground STAB, while also having utility in Seeding Dengo or Hat, and Spiking past Hat.) Tentacruel (Below average spinner that can’t beat Dengo, Knock Off, Flip Turn, Acid Spray. Liquid Ooze punishes Leech Seed.) Blissey (Stall exists and special attackers are good. Calm Mind lets it stall out Stored Powers. Unique access to Heal Bell for paraspam.) Skarmory (Spikes, Iron Defense and Whirlwind or Red Card + Sturdy.) Reuniclus (A fine Stored Power/Psychic Noise or Psyshock sweeper, with Focus Blast in pocket, despite better options. Trick Room Life Orb can work on HO builds.) Necrozma (Decent booster and sweeper. Photon Geyser bypasses Unaware, but Dark types are abundant.) Klefki (Spikes and Magnet Rise and Red Card + Recycle. Screens are generally worse in this meta than most formats with Focus Energy being prevalent and defensive boosting being better, but can be used in tandem with Shell Armor mons or on HO. and priority Taunt/Parting Shot/Bulk Up still have their place. Dark types rising limits Prankster.) Grimmsnarl (Same deal as Klefki, with less going for it. It can be used on HO and priority Taunt/Parting Shot/Bulk Up still have their place. Spirit Break debuffs.)C
Ninetales (Faster Drought alternative with Stored Power, Nasty Plot and Agility.) Orthworm (Shed Tail with a different typing than Cyc.) Iron Hands (Bulky, has Whirlwind, Focus Energy and other boosting moves, but very slow and the abundance of Ghosts hampers it’s longevity as Drain Punch is its healing source. Muk-Alola (Good mu into the meta mons, but needs healing support. Poison Touch is good for wearing down defense.) Revavroom (Shift Gear, Haze, Toxic Spikes, Parting Shot.) Electrode-Hisui (Soundproof Sub Seed schenanigans. Fast Taunt and Volt Switch. Generally food for Dengo, opposing Subs and better Grass types.) Slowking (Sp def pivot, Belly Drummer without the Poison typing.) Meloetta (Despite loosing Perish Song, still has good special bulk, Ghost immunity, Shadow Ball, Hyper Voice, Psychic Noise, Stored Power, Psych Up, Calm Mind, U-Turn.) Latias (Stored Power sweeper with bulk and Reflect Type.) Latios (Luster Purge, Calm Mind and Dragon Dance. ) Garchomp (Def tank w/ Spikes, Ground STAB + Dragon Tail.)C-
Numel (Simple Omni-booster with Curse and Stockpile, while denying the opponent with Roar. Sun support recommended for Growth.) Mudsdale (Stamina is a great ability for free defense boosts, and pairs better with Unaware/Stored Power/Power Trip mons than Intimidate, plus Iron Defense, stab EQ, Stealth Rocks and Roar. It’s alright.) Vileplume (Has a place on stall teams with Leech Seed and Poison STAB for Grasses hoping to absorb it.) Lilligant (Chlorophyll + Growth. Has Alluring Voice for Dragons and to hit through Subs. Sun support mandatory.) Victreebel (Chlorophyll + Growth. Can go physical, special or mixed and other tech like Knock Off, Gastro Acid or Acid Spray. Sun support mandatory.) Poliwrath (Fast Haze and Super Water STAB in Rain with Swift Swim is nice.) Basculegion (The physical male also has Mold Breaker and Swift Swim, but the need to use Phantom For d for Ghost STAB is less desirable than the female’s Shadow Ball.) Noivern (A generally worse fast Infiltartor compared to Dragapult, but has a Ground immunity and STAB Flying moves for Grass types behind Subs.) Krookodile (A generally exploitable Power Trip sweeper, with stab EQ and two useful abilities in Moxie and Intimidate) Iron Treads (A. Sp Def spinner and pivot that threatens Dengo, but losing momentum with Volt Switch to opposing Ground types is horrible. Generally just use Excadrill or Great Tusk for a Ground type spinner, or Lando/Gliscor if you want a ground pivot, but if you want to try to combine those roles, here it is.)UR
Spidops (Spikes, Circle Throw lead. Meh.) Veluza (This has never been good from what I can tell. Despite Mold Breaker and the theoretically best omni-boosting move permitted in the tier in Fillet Away, too frail to be a consistent sweeper or boost passer. Noob trap material.)
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