Sharpedo, most of the time, actually doesn't carry Aqua Jet. Waterfall/Crunch/Earthquake/Protect(D-Bond) is usually the standard, and honestly doesn't have an open slot for Aqua Jet. Even if it did, it'd probably opt to go for either D-Bond or Protect.
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Resource RU Viability Ranking
- Thread starter DTC
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Sharpedo, most of the time, actually doesn't carry Aqua Jet. Waterfall/Crunch/Earthquake/Protect(D-Bond) is usually the standard, and honestly doesn't have an open slot for Aqua Jet. Even if it did, it'd probably opt to go for either D-Bond or Protect.
Well i dunno, but i haven't encountered any Sharpedo with Aqua Jet... of course, considering that:
252+ Atk Sharpedo Aqua Jet vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Fletchinder: 218-260 (82.2 - 98.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Which means that unless Sharpedo is using an attack boosting item, it can't OHKO cleanly... sadly for my point that's not usually the case with sharpedo xD
But nonetheless, Fletchinder is a really good pokémon in a lot of cases... well that's what i personally think...
252+ Atk Sharpedo Aqua Jet vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Fletchinder: 218-260 (82.2 - 98.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Which means that unless Sharpedo is using an attack boosting item, it can't OHKO cleanly... sadly for my point that's not usually the case with sharpedo xD
But nonetheless, Fletchinder is a really good pokémon in a lot of cases... well that's what i personally think...
uh that is all of them
And unless Molk lied to me (I don't use little bird), Fletchinder almost never runs 0/0 spread.
Confirming that Fletchinder being used well should never be using 0/0 bulk. Speed is usually excellent on an offensive Pokemon, but considering the fact that good Fletchinder (SD/Wisp/Acro/Roost)'s only attack has priority anyway, there's definitely room to invest in bulk. Personally i go for min base 85s such as Gligar Cresselia and random Qwilfish, then i put the rest in bulk. The combination of the extra investment, typing, priority roost, and access to Will-O-Wisp makes Fletchinder a bit easier to set up than you'd think too, so its not really just pointless bulk for the sake of bulk imo.
As for fletchinder's rank itself i'm fine with either B- or C+
Looking at the rankings thoroughly and I see no carracosta who should be c+ at the very least, like crustle it has sturdy+shell smash allowing for weakness policy to be used very well. There is one thing however that carracosta has over crustle and that is priority.
+4 252+ Atk Carracosta Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Slowking: 568-669 (144.1 - 169.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+4 252+ Atk Carracosta Stone Edge vs. 104 HP / 252+ Def Alomomola: 393-463 (79 - 93.1%) -- 43.8% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
+4 252+ Atk Carracosta Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 240+ Def Aromatisse: 423-498 (104.1 - 122.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+4 252+ Atk Carracosta Waterfall vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Cobalion: 304-358 (93.8 - 110.4%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
+4 252+ Atk Carracosta Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Lanturn: 474-558 (104.4 - 122.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Being able to net kos against some of ru's premier walls is very good and deserves a ranking the cons of it are that it is still outsped by scarfers and fast pokemon and that you spin hazard control to keep sturdy intact, Drawing more paralells to crustle along with rhyperior it can also go defensive while having a better defensive typing then rhyperior and solid rock which crustle does not have. While it may not have all the tools in terms of support that crustle has or the coverage that rhyperior does, it should definitely be considered whenever you build a team.
+4 252+ Atk Carracosta Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Slowking: 568-669 (144.1 - 169.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+4 252+ Atk Carracosta Stone Edge vs. 104 HP / 252+ Def Alomomola: 393-463 (79 - 93.1%) -- 43.8% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
+4 252+ Atk Carracosta Stone Edge vs. 252 HP / 240+ Def Aromatisse: 423-498 (104.1 - 122.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+4 252+ Atk Carracosta Waterfall vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Cobalion: 304-358 (93.8 - 110.4%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
+4 252+ Atk Carracosta Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Lanturn: 474-558 (104.4 - 122.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Being able to net kos against some of ru's premier walls is very good and deserves a ranking the cons of it are that it is still outsped by scarfers and fast pokemon and that you spin hazard control to keep sturdy intact, Drawing more paralells to crustle along with rhyperior it can also go defensive while having a better defensive typing then rhyperior and solid rock which crustle does not have. While it may not have all the tools in terms of support that crustle has or the coverage that rhyperior does, it should definitely be considered whenever you build a team.
Hey you... ¬¬' you should be quoting the whole post since i clearly said that almost any Sharpedo have an attack boosting item... but well...
About Carracosta the bad thing about it, is that speed... come on if you are using Adamant Carracosta your max speed is just 163 which after a Shell Smash becomes 326 and then:
+4 252+ Atk Carracosta Aqua Jet vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Virizion: 123-146 (37.9 - 45%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
+4 252+ Atk Carracosta Aqua Jet vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Cobalion: 153-180 (47.2 - 55.5%) -- 43.4% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
+4 252+ Atk Carracosta Aqua Jet vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Ambipom: 265-313 (91 - 107.5%) -- 50% chance to OHKO
+4 252+ Atk Carracosta Aqua Jet vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Froslass: 255-300 (90.7 - 106.7%) -- 43.8% chance to OHKO
Come on... it can't even realiably kill Froslass and Ambipom with Aqua Jet... which is sad since all of them outspeed it, if it does use another move, and will get a hard hit in those -1 defenses...
It can't even touch Dry Skin Heliolisk (whcih by the way are almost all of them), and can also be Sucker Punched by Dugtrio and Zoroark... So, i dunno... it doesn't seems that unstopable considering that a lot of these pokés are frequent on every team...
As my favorite Pokemon isn't on the list, I nominate Pelipper for somewhere between C and D rank, possibly C-. It has decent 60/100 physical bulk, Defog for hazards, reliable recovery in Roost, an annoying move in Scald that helps with its bulkiness and an interesting defensive typing that lets it check powerful atttackers like Escavalier, Stone Edge-less Hitmonlee, and Volt Switch-less Cobalion. The downsides are multiple as well, though. Awful special bulk with 4x weakness to Electric (being COMPLETELY walled by Heliolisk as a bonus), (Stealth) Rock weakness, slow base 65 Speed, severe 4MSS (Flying STAB, U-Turn, Knock Off or Toxic) with relative predictability, and most important, competition from Gligar and Golbat as a defensive Defogger, who are bulkier (Pelipper isn't heavily crippled by Knock Off, which is a major selling point). Pelipper should be considered when needing a defensive Defogger due it small niche over its main competitions. And it's better than Sandslash, which is ranked...
1. Shuckle has immense bulk
2. access to arguably the two best hazards in the game, something so very few pokemon can claim
3. Decent defencive typing
4. Ability contrary to set up hazards all over deffogers
5. Lastly, The fact that it carries such a powerful, threatening play style on its shoulders.
p.s. Also support Rhyperior moving to S and Heliolisk to A-
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Heliolisk should move up to A- or A. Easily the best Electric-type and VoltTurn user in the tier, which combined with two immunities makes it a fantastic offensive momentum grabber. Scarf is a little too weak for my taste because of Thunderbolt's relatively low BP, but Life Orb and Specs are both excellent. Grass-types like Amoonguss would be good counters except Heliolisk can just Volt Switch to any of the great Pokemon that destroy Grass-types, like Escavalier and Delphox. This thing is a great addition to almost any offensive team.
Sharpedo should move down to A. It's a good Pokemon, but most good teams will have at least one solid answer for it without even trying. Alomomola, Cobalion, and Virizion counter it easily, and things like Druddigon, Escavalier, Durant, and of course Hitmonlee destroy it 1v1 if they're reasonably healthy. Destiny Bond is its scariest weapon, but that + Protect leaves it without any coverage outside its STABs to hit things super effectively. Aqua Jet, Earthquake, and Ice Beam are all appealing moves, but using any of them takes away a lot of Sharpedo's consistency. Add in the fact that it basically can't switch in on anything and you have a Pokemon with enough flaws that it doesn't belong in A+ as one of the top 4-8 Pokemon in the tier.
Finally, moving Eelektross to B- while having Electivire in E is silly. Eelektross might be a little bit better but the difference isn't nearly that big. They both have excellent super effective coverage but rely on it too much to be consistently worthwhile Pokemon. Eel has the bulk advantage, Vire has the advantage of outspeeding a lot of scary shit like Moltres, Hitmonlee, Gallade, and Vivillon. It's the same story as last gen, when they were both pretty mediocre Pokemon in RU, and I haven't seen anything to convince me that's changed. IMO they both belong in the low C / D range.
Sharpedo should move down to A. It's a good Pokemon, but most good teams will have at least one solid answer for it without even trying. Alomomola, Cobalion, and Virizion counter it easily, and things like Druddigon, Escavalier, Durant, and of course Hitmonlee destroy it 1v1 if they're reasonably healthy. Destiny Bond is its scariest weapon, but that + Protect leaves it without any coverage outside its STABs to hit things super effectively. Aqua Jet, Earthquake, and Ice Beam are all appealing moves, but using any of them takes away a lot of Sharpedo's consistency. Add in the fact that it basically can't switch in on anything and you have a Pokemon with enough flaws that it doesn't belong in A+ as one of the top 4-8 Pokemon in the tier.
Finally, moving Eelektross to B- while having Electivire in E is silly. Eelektross might be a little bit better but the difference isn't nearly that big. They both have excellent super effective coverage but rely on it too much to be consistently worthwhile Pokemon. Eel has the bulk advantage, Vire has the advantage of outspeeding a lot of scary shit like Moltres, Hitmonlee, Gallade, and Vivillon. It's the same story as last gen, when they were both pretty mediocre Pokemon in RU, and I haven't seen anything to convince me that's changed. IMO they both belong in the low C / D range.
I would just like to point out that unless you are trying to outspeed other Talonflames, nine times out of ten you use an adamant nature on it in OU. Plus, most of them either have a choice band or a boosting move. Additionally, the thing that really sets fletchinder back is how low the base power of its moves are. Acrobatics is the strongest move it gets, which means you can't run a choice band on it. Also, the highest base power physical fire move it gets is... flame charge. Compare that to flare blitz with Talonflame. If Fletchinder DID get flare blitz and brave bird, that would be one thing, but as it stands it just isn't powerful enough. The only pokemon it can really take out easily are either weak to flying or extremely frail.
And that's why Fletch is NU with viability in RU... I'm just mentioning that even with those Faults, it can be used to its strengths... I think that Choice Band Adamant Brave Bird from Talonflame is almost as strong as 110 BP Acrobatics from a +2 Fletch, which isn't that bad considering the amount of Escavaliers to set up and considering that it does have Priority...
Again... I'm not saying that is a tier destroyer, but it does have a good niche and can sweep a weakened team lategame at +2...
Talonflame now runs Jolly to outspeed Thundurus and kill it with Flare Blitz.
Nominating Roselia for C/C+ Rank
Like Amoonguss she walls most grass types in the tier and has great special bulk. She also got a buff this gen as she is able to run Spikes+Sleep Powder on the same set. Spikes is incredibly useful and Roselia is one of the best setters in the lower tiers for defensive teams. On top of this she has exceptional sinergy with Alomomola, the best Physical Wall and Wishpasser in the tier.
Also nominating Gothorita for C
It traps common walls like Alomomola, Amoonguss, Aromatisse, Gastrodon, Slowking without Dragon Tail and offensive mons locked into resisted moves like Specs Delphox into Psyshock or Emboar into Superpower. Bla bla bla Taunt, Rest, Calm Mind...
Annoying and 100% effective at what it does
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I don't have much experience with using Gothorita itself, but personally i really don't understand why the introduction of Knock Off is such a big deal for Gothorita. Gothorita's main role is to be trapping and eliminating specific Pokemon so that the rest of its team can thrive and/or stallbreaking. Look at the defensive Pokemon that Gothorita will be targetting (looking at S/B- these Pokemon include Alomomola, Slowking, Aromatisse, Amoonguss, Gligar, Registeel, Bronzong, Dragalge, Gastrodon, Qwilfish, Tangrowth, Golbat, Granbull, Gourgeist lacking Ghost-type moves, Hitmontop, some Jellicent, and Togetic). Bar Tangrowth, none of these commonly carry Knock Off at all, or are still too weak to break through Gothorita afterwards, so the existence of the move in general doesn't really stop Gothorita from doing what its supposed to be doing (play a supportive role by trapping and setting up on common defensive Pokemon by utilizing Shadow Tag). Even if Gothorita's Calm Mind Sweep is stopped by a Knock Off user on the revenge, she's already done her job.
All in all a move that while Powerful doesn't really stop Gothorita from doing her job in the end should not be enough to demote her an entire rank, and her niche is definite.
Curious as to whether or not this works in practice. Showdown tells me that defog has – accuracy, which I always assumed meant the move didn't check accuracy (as is the case with roar/aerial ace/etc). Obviously defogging still carries the penalty of increasing Shuckle's evasion for attacking/status moves either way, but the way you worded it makes it sound like Shuckle is capable of stopping defog from removing hazards.
Yeah, agreeing that you don't want to use Defog on Shuckle if you can help it. Anyway:
Roselia: I don't have a lot of experience using her tbh, but the fact that she pairs so well with the likes of Alomomola, Aromatisse, and Registeel (bar the shared Fire weakness) means that she is pretty easy to support with a stall team. Knock Off buff has certainly hurt Roselia, but that shouldn't stop her from being C+. Spikes+Sleep Powder, decent enough Special Attack, and an amazing ability in Natural Cure allows Roselia to hold her own when supported correctly. Not the best out there, but she's certainly solid.
Gothorita: My problem with the Knock Off buff doesn't come in the form of defensive Pokemon, but rather, the Fighting-types that Gothorita previously could easily take a hit from and KO back. Hitmonlee is the biggest case here since it was previously fairly easy to tank a hit and KO Lee back, but Knock Off makes this a much more daunting prospect now, especially from EndureLiechi sets that just want to take the hit from Gothorita. That said, Gothorita has enough for C/C- imo since you can make its moveset fit whatever you need to remove from play (Calm Mind and Psychic STAB are the only two shoe-ins, so customize your coverage) and Shadow Tag give it a solid niche.
Roselia: I don't have a lot of experience using her tbh, but the fact that she pairs so well with the likes of Alomomola, Aromatisse, and Registeel (bar the shared Fire weakness) means that she is pretty easy to support with a stall team. Knock Off buff has certainly hurt Roselia, but that shouldn't stop her from being C+. Spikes+Sleep Powder, decent enough Special Attack, and an amazing ability in Natural Cure allows Roselia to hold her own when supported correctly. Not the best out there, but she's certainly solid.
Gothorita: My problem with the Knock Off buff doesn't come in the form of defensive Pokemon, but rather, the Fighting-types that Gothorita previously could easily take a hit from and KO back. Hitmonlee is the biggest case here since it was previously fairly easy to tank a hit and KO Lee back, but Knock Off makes this a much more daunting prospect now, especially from EndureLiechi sets that just want to take the hit from Gothorita. That said, Gothorita has enough for C/C- imo since you can make its moveset fit whatever you need to remove from play (Calm Mind and Psychic STAB are the only two shoe-ins, so customize your coverage) and Shadow Tag give it a solid niche.
P.S. I think we should have more discussion about gligar
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Aromatisse to move up to A- Rank. Aromatisse may appear to be subpar, with below average stats and a middling Speed, however Aromatisse is a very potent threat in the current RU Metagame. It has an amazing ability for a defensive Pokemon, Aroma Veil, which gives Aromatisse an immunity to being inflicted with Taunt. This allows Aromatisse to use Wish, Calm Mind, or Trick Room, just to name a few examples, without worry of being Taunted. Another great thing about Aromatisse is its typing, Fairy. Fairy-types are really good offensively and defensively, and this little doctor is no slouch. With a base HP stat of 101, Aromatisse passes 203 HP wishes with max investment, which heals any Pokemon below 101 more than half! This can be a really great asset and it consistently does this job well. Aromatisse is also a phenomenal Trick Room setter, if you play those kind of teams. Thanks to being immune to Taunt and having a
Now, you may be wondering: Why shouldn't Aromatisse shoot up to A, A+, or even S Rank, huh? Well, Aromatisse is not without its flaws. Aromatisse does only have subpar defensive stats, with not-so-outstanding base 72 Defense, and an average 89 Special Defense. Aromatisse is almost guaranteed to take a hit before it strikes, thanks to its Speed, which can be hindering. Aromatisse's Special Attack is also nothing to write home about, it's only 99, which is just a little low to make an offensive set work without using Calm Mind. Aromatisse's coverage is also quite middling, with its coverage moves consisting of Thunderbolt, Energy Ball, and Psychic, which isn't the greatest, however, Moonblast is still a great mono-coverage move to use. Aromatisse also struggles fitting everything it wants to in four moves, it wants Wish + Protect for constant recovery, Moonblast for STAB, then Aromatherapy, Toxic, Psyshock, Thunderbolt, and Disable, but it just can't fit it all and is very cramped for moves. Finally, Aromatisse is prone to all entry hazards, which can be a real drag at times, but it isn't the worst thing in the world.
Overall, Aromatisse is a very good Pokemon that is held back by its share of flaws, but it is still a very functional Pokemon who will always carry its weight on your team! To sum it up, Aromatisse is bulky and versatile, but lacks offenses and has only average Defenses, while also having a case of four moveslot syndrome. But, if you play Aromatisse to its strengths its a really great Pokemon and it has really rose to shine in the RU metagame where it can finally perform its greatness for the world to see. Just don't underestimate this little Fairy, or you're in for a treat! For these reasons, I believe Aromatisse should move up from B+ ----> A- Rank.
I personally run ajet over protect . I find it to be useless when sharpedo is generally reserved for late game anyway. It 's quite easy to find an opening against something like delphox where you can either aqua jet for the ko or force a switch, either one nets you the speed boost.
I find priority to be somewhat lacking in options in ru, so I take every opprotunity that I can to fit it in.
NO
Please spell the god's name right if you're going to insult it; thanks. Now, I really don't understand how you can call Mightyena garbage. Sure, it may be 'mediocre', but that's what C- is for. Last gen, you may have been right saying it was garbage considering it was basically just a worse Absol, but this generation, Absol isn't even in this tier. Mightyena actually has a solid niche this generation, especially thanks to the addition of Play Rough, which allows it to hurt Dark- and Fighting-types it could not touch otherwise. Between Crunch and Sucker Punch, Mightyena can force mind games; you can even run Pursuit if you want over Fire Fang. Speaking of Fire Fang, Escavalier is literally slaughtered by Mightyena thanks to this move. The thing that really makes Mightyena solid, though, is its ability: Moxie. Moxie can actually make Mightyena quite threatening in this tier, as sacrificing something in order to revenge kill it can allow Mightyena to gain +1 Attack on top of its already-respectable 306 Attack stat, and can make it truly a beast to face. It obviously has its flaws, but it's not like Mightyena is in A+ or some nonsense. So please actually learn about the uses of a Pokemon before attempting to degrade it by calling it words such as 'garbage' and implying that it is even worse than Pokemon such as Electivire. Thanks.
Ok sorry jeez, didnt know doge was so loved :).
Looking at stats, it has nothing every other poke in the tier dont have.
regardless Im pretty new to the tier, and where is Liepard then, it certainly has some merit too.
Ok, time to finally get this out here:
Nominating Liepard for B-/C+ rank
Ok, so everybody knows that SwagPlay is now illegal thanks to it being banned in OU. While this may have hit Liepard, you shouldn't discount it as a solid support threat. The bulk leaves a lot to be desired and the typing may not be the best in the world, but Liepard has a fair few things going for it. I'll list those now:
Ability: When it comes to support Pokemon, there are a ton that would just beg to have Prankster. Liepard has this. Priority on all status category moves is really cool. Without Prankster, it would be hard to justify the use of Liepard over a lot of other support Pokemon in the tier, so big plus here.
Movepool: A lot of Pokemon can suffer from not having the movepool to support their playstyle. However, Liepard has everything it needs to support its playstyle. Thanks to Prankster, Liepard gets priority on moves such as Encore, Taunt, Thunder Wave, Rain Dance, Sunny Day, and Yawn. And let's not forget Liepard has a solid pool of Dark-type STAB moves to pick from. Foul Play, Sucker Punch, Pursuit, and the newly buffed Knock Off are all available to Liepard to use. All four moves have their uses and can allow Liepard to check even more threats depending on the Dark STAB it carries. But it doesn't end there. Liepard has U-turn as well to build momentum. So, unlike many support Pokemon, it won't kill your momentum to send Liepard in to prevent something from setting up. Encore + U-turn WILL get a setup opportunity when you play it correctly.
Free Switch-ins: While Liepard has a hard time finding a time to come in itself, it won't be giving up many free switch-ins either thanks to its wide pool of support and Dark-type STAB moves to choose from. Obviously, there's going to be some things that get a free switch-in depending on what you run, but if you don't want something in particular to have that free switch-in, there's probably a move to help with that in Liepard's movepool
Now, with pros, there will be cons, so I'll list some of those as well:
Typing: Dark is not a very good defensive typing. Liepard may not provide a ton of free switch-ins, but it's also going to have a hard time with many of the top wallbreakers in the tier, especially special-based ones such as Moltres since they won't mind Foul Play so much. Fighting-types in general will give Liepard a really tough time since it rarely runs any offensive moves outside of U-turn + Dark STAB, though you can use Thunder Wave to alleviate this somewhat as most Fighting-types loathe paralysis.
Bulk: A lackluster defensive typing combined with lackluster bulk. Yeah, Liepard won't be taking a lot of hits, and it will go down to most super effective hits. This is quite unfortunate and a stark contrast from other Prankster Pokemon in RU, such as Meowstic-M and Whimsicott, both of which have some bulk to work with. When defensive shit like Aromatisse and Cresselia (with a CM boost) can OHKO Liepard's typicaly max HP/max Speed spread with Moonblast, you know the bulk is p. bad.
4MSS: Liepard has a good range of support moves and STAB options. Problem? You can't use them all in the same set. Liepard generally needs a STAB move and greatly prefers U-turn to build momentum and provide easier switch-ins for teammates. This leaves you with two moveslots that you can use for any number of moves. (Encore, T-Wave, Taunt, Rain Dance, Yawn, Sunny Day) While two of these moves are specific to certain archetypes, that's four moves for two slots. As for STAB moves, there's that problem as well. (Knock Off, Sucker Punch, Foul Play, and maybe even Pursuit) That's at least three moves Liepard wants to run, but it will usually only have room for one. Although Liepard can handle quite a few threats, it will be difficult to do so with one set.
TL;DR Liepard is a mixed bag with quite a few pros, and some glaring cons. It's usable for sure, but its cons weigh it down a fair bit. It can do well, but you'll need to support it properly. This makes it fit into B-/C+ imo. Discussion, commence!
Nominating Liepard for B-/C+ rank
Ok, so everybody knows that SwagPlay is now illegal thanks to it being banned in OU. While this may have hit Liepard, you shouldn't discount it as a solid support threat. The bulk leaves a lot to be desired and the typing may not be the best in the world, but Liepard has a fair few things going for it. I'll list those now:
Ability: When it comes to support Pokemon, there are a ton that would just beg to have Prankster. Liepard has this. Priority on all status category moves is really cool. Without Prankster, it would be hard to justify the use of Liepard over a lot of other support Pokemon in the tier, so big plus here.
Movepool: A lot of Pokemon can suffer from not having the movepool to support their playstyle. However, Liepard has everything it needs to support its playstyle. Thanks to Prankster, Liepard gets priority on moves such as Encore, Taunt, Thunder Wave, Rain Dance, Sunny Day, and Yawn. And let's not forget Liepard has a solid pool of Dark-type STAB moves to pick from. Foul Play, Sucker Punch, Pursuit, and the newly buffed Knock Off are all available to Liepard to use. All four moves have their uses and can allow Liepard to check even more threats depending on the Dark STAB it carries. But it doesn't end there. Liepard has U-turn as well to build momentum. So, unlike many support Pokemon, it won't kill your momentum to send Liepard in to prevent something from setting up. Encore + U-turn WILL get a setup opportunity when you play it correctly.
Free Switch-ins: While Liepard has a hard time finding a time to come in itself, it won't be giving up many free switch-ins either thanks to its wide pool of support and Dark-type STAB moves to choose from. Obviously, there's going to be some things that get a free switch-in depending on what you run, but if you don't want something in particular to have that free switch-in, there's probably a move to help with that in Liepard's movepool
Now, with pros, there will be cons, so I'll list some of those as well:
Typing: Dark is not a very good defensive typing. Liepard may not provide a ton of free switch-ins, but it's also going to have a hard time with many of the top wallbreakers in the tier, especially special-based ones such as Moltres since they won't mind Foul Play so much. Fighting-types in general will give Liepard a really tough time since it rarely runs any offensive moves outside of U-turn + Dark STAB, though you can use Thunder Wave to alleviate this somewhat as most Fighting-types loathe paralysis.
Bulk: A lackluster defensive typing combined with lackluster bulk. Yeah, Liepard won't be taking a lot of hits, and it will go down to most super effective hits. This is quite unfortunate and a stark contrast from other Prankster Pokemon in RU, such as Meowstic-M and Whimsicott, both of which have some bulk to work with. When defensive shit like Aromatisse and Cresselia (with a CM boost) can OHKO Liepard's typicaly max HP/max Speed spread with Moonblast, you know the bulk is p. bad.
4MSS: Liepard has a good range of support moves and STAB options. Problem? You can't use them all in the same set. Liepard generally needs a STAB move and greatly prefers U-turn to build momentum and provide easier switch-ins for teammates. This leaves you with two moveslots that you can use for any number of moves. (Encore, T-Wave, Taunt, Rain Dance, Yawn, Sunny Day) While two of these moves are specific to certain archetypes, that's four moves for two slots. As for STAB moves, there's that problem as well. (Knock Off, Sucker Punch, Foul Play, and maybe even Pursuit) That's at least three moves Liepard wants to run, but it will usually only have room for one. Although Liepard can handle quite a few threats, it will be difficult to do so with one set.
TL;DR Liepard is a mixed bag with quite a few pros, and some glaring cons. It's usable for sure, but its cons weigh it down a fair bit. It can do well, but you'll need to support it properly. This makes it fit into B-/C+ imo. Discussion, commence!
- Status