Resource Series 9 Viability Rankings

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Some thoughts:

:pheromosa: Pheromosa Untiered -> 5
While pheromosa isn't the fastest viable and legal mon anymore, it still has some uses over what I see as its main competition, mienshao. Fast coaching is nice with a dynamaxer like landorus or cinderace. Cinderace being a mon mienshao can't coaching before it attacks unless you don't go max speed cinderace, which is needed in my opinion. It also has other uses in icy wind for speed control, speed swap to use with something like stakataka or glastrier. It also hits hard with close combat, and can OHKO non max landorus-therian, thundurus, and other non dynamax flying types with ice beam and triple axle, respectively. The flying type examples are also walled by mienshao, which usually only runs close combat and fake out as its attacking moves. While it may not have some things that make mienshao good, like inner focus, taunt, and ally switch, I think it is a viable option in series 9.

:gothitelle: Gothitelle 4 -> 3
While gothitelle hasn't been very common in series 9 so far, whenever I use it, it feels very strong. The fact that the opponent cannot switch, and fake out pressure, is amazing, while also supporting teammates with trick room and fake tears. Gothitelle feels especially strong with Urshifu, glastrier, and other physical mons as the opponent cannot switch to intimidate them/absorb a max move. Also with the power level down with no restricteds, it is surprisingly bulky with something like a colbur or kasib berry to take ghost or dark type attacks, respectively.

:registeel: Registeel 5 -> 4
While in most aspects, registeel is outclassed by ferrothorn and celesteela , I think its access to amnesia and not having a x4 weakness to fire like ferrothron, or a regieleki and rotom form weakness, like celesteela, makes it good enough for tier 4. While it is weak to pokemon like landorus-therian, you can intimidate it unlike regieleki or torkoal. Registeel is a good end game mon, with something like rotom-wash or other pokemon to cover its fire ground and fighting weaknesses. It can also take advantage of passive set ups like follow me trick room, but can also amnesia to boost its special defense to tank hits against something like hatterene's max flare, or torkoal's eruption quite comfortably. I don't think it should go higher than tier four, as it doesn't get access to leech seed like celesteela and ferrothorn.

252+ SpA Charcoal Torkoal Eruption (150 BP) vs. +2 252 HP / 84+ SpD Registeel in Sun: 84-102 (44.9 - 54.5%) -- 4.3% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Life Orb Hatterene Max Flare vs. +2 252 HP / 84+ SpD Registeel: 68-81 (36.3 - 43.3%) -- 95.4% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
The calcs are to show that if you get an amnesia special defense boost, registeel can tank fire type attacks that ferrothorn cannot.

Edit: I accidentally put the Pheromosa nomination for tier 4, when I meant to nominate it for tier 5.
 
After playing more S9, I have thought of some new noms.

:grimmsnarl: Grimmsnarl 2 -> 1
Absolutely phenomenal support Pokemon, with many different options. Dual screens, Fake Out, Fake Tears, Scary Face, Thunder Wave, even Trick. It activates basically every bulky Balance build, both Offensively and Defensively, and in my opinion deserving of 1 for this reason. There is simply no other Pokemon that fills Grimmsnarls role as well as it.

:tapu-Lele: Tapu Lele 4 -> 3
Lele is a very solid offensive Pokemon that has been getting a lot of usage on ladder as well as in the Teambuilding Competition. With a Choice Scarf it can clean up weakened teams very easily, however Choice Specs is very potent on Tailwind centered teams, making up for the lack of Speed. Overall, Lele has proven to be a potent offensive Pokémon in today's meta, and it should rise for that reason.

:talonflame: Talonflame UR -> 5
Talonflame, in my opinion, has a very solid niche in today's Meta. Priority Tailwind as we all know is busted AF, but lets not forget it can do other things. Will-O-Wisp combined with its very fast 126 base speed allows it to burn Physical threats such as the Urshifu formes, Thundurus, Kartana, and Metagross. It also gets Taunt to shut down TR, and it can run many attacking moves such as Brave Bird, Flare Blitz, and Overheat. I think it certainly has a niche as an anti-meta pick.

:salamence: Salamence UR -> 5
Salamence is actually pretty solid from what I've seen. It gets Intimidate which as we all know is amazing, and also has solid stats, with actually having more Special Attack than Galarian Moltres, which I found surprising. Lets not forget its excellent typing, notably resisting Fire, Water, Grass, and being immune to Ground. I've been running an Assault Vest set with Breaking Swipe, Air Slash, Flamethrower, and Draco Meteor. It can max, but it doesn't have to. Its overall a very versatile and useful mon.

:ninetales-Alola: Ninetales-A 5 -> UR
If you are active in the discord you know my hatred for this thing. In my opinion, you should never use this over Regieleki or Grimmsnarl as a screens setter. It simply never gets screens up. Let me go down a list of things that prevents it from getting screens up. Weather change, Electroweb, Fake Out, any offensive mon that is faster than it, Prankster Taunt (or just a faster taunt), there is just so much stopping this thing, and in my opinion carries no niche in the Meta at the moment. Sorry Raineko :mehowth:
 
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More series 9 nominations and thoughts

:bisharp: Bisharp Untiered -> 5
While bisharp may be outclassed as a defiant pokemon by thundurus, having access to sucker punch, and iron head, means it doesn't have to max to put in work. It walls common meta threats like moltres-galar and dragapult(who cannot safely use any of its STAB's). While also discouraging the use of landorus-therian and incinereoar, further enabling a potential max partner such as cinderace or other physical max candidates.

:terrakion: Terrakion Untiered -> 4
Guzman031's terrapult team has been used to much success, and most players know first hand how dangerous terrakion can be. With justifiedis can boost its already good attack to sky high levels, makes it a very dangerous pokemon if unprepared for. Further pairing it with dragapult, giving you another potential max candidate and phantasm drops for more power, and helping hand if you pair it with whimsicott. Dragapult also beats one of Terrakions obvious counters in metagross and other psychic types.

:volcarona: Volcarona Untiered -> 4
Another one of the plethora of decent/good fire types. Volcarona's access to redirection, fast will o wisp and stuggle bug, and good damage with stab heat wave makes it a good choice on the right team. While it is not nearly as spashable as incineroar, it can still be very good on teams that need answers to pokemon like metagross who is immune to intimidate and cannot be crippled by incineroar. It also benefits teams that need answers to mons like venusaur, as volcarona walls it. It also has offensive uses as it also walls glastrier with some defense investment, and has access to quiver dance.
 
:mienshao: UR->4/5
I'm kinda bias when it comes to mienshao with it being one of my favorite mons to use in gen 8, but nonetheless it has the ability inner focus making it immune to intimidate and flinching. Along with a base 105 speed stat and 125 atk stat. It gets access to moves like fake out, taunt, ally switch, wide guard, coaching and a ton more. Its bulk is rather lacking though making it the perfect candidate for a focus sash. Its a great support mon and can be used to dish out tons of damage. I can ramble on about mienshao forever but I won't.
 
I want to add some other nominations:

Cresselia: 5 > 4
Cresselia is a really good Pokémon in my opinion. Yes, it has some bad matchups (principally
Single Strike form) but it gets some really good support moves such as Ally Switch, Trick Room, Icy Wind and Helping Hand, also some good other moves, like Moonblast and Shadow Ball and Moonlight

Hatterene: UR > 4
Hatterene is also a good Pokémon, in my opinion. It's still a good choice in Series 7 / 9 but has kinda fallen off because of things such as
,
and good Terrain Control (mainly
and
) , although its weaknesses, can still be a powerful Trick Room sweeper paired with


Gigalith: UR > 4 / 5
Sand is first of all, back, because there are no Primals anymore. But when you think of Sand, you will most likely think of
, but Gigalith can be a more slow-ish Sand Setter that can fit to some teams. It gets access to Wide Guard, Iron Defense and Body Press and can sometimes work with a Weakness Policy being a Dynamax target

Centiskorch: UR > 5
More of a hot take, but I believe Centiskorch has some niche. It has a really good G-Max move that traps opponents and good coverage, that can fit in some teams, if used correctly
 
Quick Thoughts:
Whimsicott T3 -> T2, one of the best support mons in the format.
Indeedee-F T3 -> T2, terrain follow me, terrain expanding force.
Glastrier T2 -> T1. Give it screens and this thing becomes a freaking armored snowball.
 
Rises
:Terrakion: UR->Tier 3
Terrakion and its beat u based stratagies can be very strong and difficult to handle. Terrakions STAB combination threatens a lot of the metagame Incineroar, Rotom-H, Moltres-G, and Zapdos, are just a few of the many Pokemon that Terrakion threatens. It also has an excellent speed Tier outspeeding most of the metagame. Terrakion does have a few pokemon that can hold it back. Mainly Rillaboom Landurous-T and Garchomp.
Terracott>Terrapult change my mind.

:Hydreigon: Tier 5-> Tier 4 I agree with yuki its weakness to fairy is pretty easy to cover with team support. Kartana in particula i have found as a great Hydreigon partner. Hydeigons main issue is competition with Moltres-Galar but it has advantages like its ground coverage lack of a rock weakness and fire resistance. this lets it do better vs Nihilego Regirock, Tyranitar, and coalossal.

:Clefairy: Tier 3-> Tier 2 I find clefairy to be quite difficult as i think many other players who have players Spectrier Clefairy do. I have seen Clefairy paired with pokemon i have not seen it paired much with before like Swords Dance Garchomp, Life Orb Regieleki, Stakataka, and many more.Clefairys redirection strategies i feel are quite powerful thanks to Freind Guard.

:Indeedee-F: Tier 3-> Tier 2 Great support Pokemon suprised it was only tier 3. with Safety Goggles and Follow Me Indeedee-F is very good at dealing with opposing spore and sleep Powder. It also has a strong STAB Expanding Force to click when it has nothing better to do. Psychic terrain + Follow me ensure Trick Room will almost always go up. Indeedee-F is also capable interrupting Rillaboom's Grassy Terrain to protect Grass weak teammates.

:Urshifu-Rapid-Strike-Gmax: Tier 3 -> Tier 2 A great Pokemon while definitely less splashable than Urshifu. Urshifu R has many of its own great traits. It is far more immediately threatening to Incineroar, Rotom-H, and Landorus-T. I feel Choice Band Urshifu-Rapid-Strike is quite underated. Threataning to OHKO Dynamaxed Landurous-t along with Incineroar through its Berry is great and doing a ton of damage to just about everything Of course Focus Sash is the primary set and is overall more useful than Choice Band but i felt it was worth mentioning. Its also great on many non coalossal teams.

:Regigigas: and :Weezing: Tier 4 -> Tier 3. Is Regigigas Weezing predictable? yes. Does that make it easy to deal with? not always. you generally need a very specific gameplan to handle it not even putting the rest of gigas's team as a factor. Regigas is also versatile in that Regigigas is able to be useful even when it is burned or weezing is not on the field as it can lower the opponents speed with Max Strike to bring in teammates like Choice Band Urshifu and use it. Regigias also has phenominal coverage meaning handling it defensive without burning it or KOing weezing can be very difficult. Weezing being able to Taunt and Regigigas being able to lower speed with Max Strike means you may not even get your burn if you tried. Perhaps something about b01 makes them feel more poor and i could see that

:Tapu lele: Tier 4-> Tier 3. This pokemon is able to take advantage of common metagame pokemon like Venusaur Torkoal. Moltres galar and hit just about every non steel type hard. Good on Tailwind. I have liked bulky Life Orb Tapu Lele in the past havent tried it in s9 though.

:Gigalith: UR-> Tier 5 Sand setter that checks Glastrier can be valuble on the right team over Tyranitar. it also of course enables dracozolt.

:Hatterene-Gmax: UR->Tier 4 heh this thing shouldn't be UR. without a metagross heatran or some seriously bulky steel this pokemon can be very difficult to deal with. Kartana is a common steel that just loses. alot of people dont concern themself with this in teambuilding. so teams that have no steel like teams that use Torkoal as their Glastrier check can be in a world of trouble.

:Guzzlord: UR-> Tier 5 I also agree with Man raccon on Guzzlord. being a Trick room pokemon with such a good spectrier matchup i feel is very valuble.

:Mienshao: UR-> Tier 5 Mienshao's niche is primarily a Coaching user that pairs well with Garchomp, Landorus-T, and Mamoswine. there immunitys to Regieleki solid bulk and speed in Landorus-t and Garchomps case make them prime Coaching Targets. Mienshao also scares out the most common Intimidate user in the Format in Incineroar being able to threaten an OHKO with Close Combat. This is great when paired with Spectrier as Mienshao is able to scare out Dark types and take advantage of Max Phantasm Drops.

:Weezing-Galar: UR -> Tier 5 Small but simple niche weezing-g is checking urshifu on gigas weezing teams. steel weakness really sucks. Gweezing in s8 was sometimes used on caly gigas team due to the urshifu weakness same logic for spectrier but it also may be useful just to thwart urshifu even on teams less weak to it.


:Nidoking: UR-> Tier 5
Nidoking i found to be pretty strong alternative on NUT to Nihilego.the NUT core of Nihilego Thundurus and Urshifu can struggle a lot with Regirock so instead of using Nihilego i used Nidoking. Nidoking has a few notable advantages such as threatening Regirock, Metagross, Stakataka, Heatran and Nihilego with Earth Power. It also has Ice beam to hit landorus-t along with many other potentailly useful coverage moves. however i have found substitute to be an extremely valuble option. punishes your opponent for ignoring Nidoking greatly or to waste max turns.


:Scizor: UR I do like Swords Dance, Protect, Bullet Punch, Superpower you can SD up and than OHKO Incineroar of course as it swaps in. but i haven't experimented with it to much so i will leave it UR.

The pinchy, punchy pest of generations past definitely has a niche here. It works as an alternative to Metagross, except with a weakness to Intimidate. However, it makes up for it with a bevy of resistances and one weakness in fire. Ignore this mon for too long and your team could very well be wiped by its Technician boosted Bullet Punches. With how frail the meta often is, at least outside of TR teams, Scizor can clean up quite easily given the proper support. In dynamax, it has access to Max Steelspike to boost its defense, Max Flutterby to lower the damage of Special threats such as spectrier, and Max Airstream to boost its low speed. Positioned correctly, Scizor can be a threat and a half to the opposing team.


Drops
:Tapu Fini: Tier 2 -> Tier 1. While Tapu Fini is undoubtedly is a strong glue Pokemon. Misty terrain handling all Status is super useful. i feel is just not at home in Tier 1. i feel it is the worst of the Tier 1 pokemon with the least metagame impact by far. Tapu Fini is weak to the many common Electric and Grass-Types of the format meaning its pretty easy to check. now its a good Pokemon just not Tier 1 good i feel.

:Ferrothorn: Tier 4 -> Tier 3 Sadly I don't see much to much reason to use Ferrothorn in s9. i feel it is much easier to prepare for ferrothorn than it was in s8. Rotom-heat, Coalossal, and Torkoal, all more powerful important parts of the metagame in s9. Also its Grass-Type Competition is quite fierce. Kartana, Venusaur, and Rillaboom all are better and actually threatening offensively. I will say one thing that it is probably one of the best Answers to Rain which is valuable.
 
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:ninetales-Alola: Ninetales-A 5 -> UR
If you are active in the discord you know my hatred for this thing. In my opinion, you should never use this over Regieleki or Grimmsnarl as a screens setter. It simply never gets screens up. Let me go down a list of things that prevents it from getting screens up. Weather change, Electroweb, Fake Out, any offensive mon that is faster than it, Prankster Taunt (or just a faster taunt), there is just so much stopping this thing, and in my opinion carries no niche in the Meta at the moment. Sorry Raineko :mehowth:
Seconded. It's just an annoying, not taunt immue, not faster than leki, blizzard spammer. A good player does not NEED to get both reflect and screens up at the same time unless they lead with two offensive mons.
 
I saw indeedee has not been ranked may i suggest :ss/indeedee f: UR ---> 4 for obvious reasons
1. Follow me is very cool redirection that helps tr
2. Surpringly good bulk with colbur or sash
3. Psychic terrain is very poggers and allows ez tr setups with hatteren or stak
4. Indeedee has amazing support movepool with even moves like heal pulse
5. Expanding force stab plus psychic terrain is pretty gud
And 6. Psychic normal is a really good defensive typing since normal removes ghost weakness, sadly fighting weakness is added but I think fighting types are less common than ghost in my opinion
 

yuki

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I saw indeedee has not been ranked may i suggest :ss/indeedee f: UR ---> 4 for obvious reasons
1. Follow me is very cool redirection that helps tr
2. Surpringly good bulk with colbur or sash
3. Psychic terrain is very poggers and allows ez tr setups with hatteren or stak
4. Indeedee has amazing support movepool with even moves like heal pulse
5. Expanding force stab plus psychic terrain is pretty gud
And 6. Psychic normal is a really good defensive typing since normal removes ghost weakness, sadly fighting weakness is added but I think fighting types are less common than ghost in my opinion
Yes it has. It's in Tier 3.
 
am back Quickly because Mamoswine is super slept on
:ss/Mamoswine: Tier 3 -> Tier 2
Mamoswine is soo good right now like the other ground types garchomp and landorus-t.Unlike those Ground types it isnt Ice Weak and it destroys them. I have been loving Bulky Life Orb Mamoswine recently. Investing in physical bulk greatly helps its survivability this spread can even live a Rillaboom Wood Hammer if you Dynamax along with other notable attacks like Urshifu's Choice Banded Close Combat in Dynamax. Mamoswine is really good with Regieleki as Regieleki threatens the Water types that thwart mamoswine and provides speed Control where Mamoswine Destroys the Ground and Grass types bar Kartana with its STABS. Whimsicott is also a great teammate capable of checking Urshifu while providing Tailwind to bolster Mamoswine's medicocre speed and let it wreak havoc on the metagame with its near unresisted STAB combination Also as a massive bonus over its Ground competition its Intimidate Immune. Mamoswine destroys so many common pokemon in the metagame like the flying types Garchomp landorus-t, Nihilego and more.

Now having a fire weakness and steel weakness over its competition isnt ideal but nothing a bit of team support can't handle. Also having a grass weakness means Rillaboom can hit it hard but Rillaboom is also scared of mamo. I also Like Assault Vest Mamoswine checks Coalossal, Zapdos, and Moltres Galar all more reliably. and unlike other AV users its power being cut by intimidate isnt a factor. Mamoswine does not need Ice Shard Rock slide i feel is extremely important for Rotom-H.

Efelent (Mamoswine) @ Life Orb
Ability: Oblivious
Level: 50
EVs: 4 HP / 132 Atk / 164 Def / 4 SpD / 204 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Icicle Crash
- High Horsepower
- Rock Slide
- Protect
 
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Have to make my voice heard for the viability rankings ;)
:terrakion: UR --> T4
A massive offensive beast, with Dynamax it has potential to sweep through teams, and beat up just adds insult to injury, powering this thing up to astronomical levels. Rock and Fighting hits a lot in the meta, and with a 3rd coverage slot, nothing can really resist it safely. On some teams, the Dragapult next to it even has the potential to max, giving Terrakion Airstream boosts and dropping defenses for it with Phantasm. With some good partners that help it cover its weaknesses, its one of the scariest mons in the format.
:cobalion: UR --> T4
Just a bulkier variation of Terrakion. It has better defenses as well as a better defensive typing and much better coverage. It actually gets Airstream which IMO puts it at a bit of an edge over Terrakion in the format right now, but yeah. Everything I said for Terrakion goes for Cobalion as well, except now Cobalion can provide itself its own speed control and can boost its own defense with Steelspike. It also has the advantage of being able to KO one of the most common redirectors in the format in Clefairy, meaning that the next turn the Beat Up strategy will be up and running again (unless they switch in another redirector which is kinda crimge).

Anyways, thank you for listening to my TED talk.
 

yuki

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Series 9 has started and the first few tours have come and gone, that means it's time for a VR update!

The rises:

:Grimmsnarl: :Porygon2: 2 -> 1
Both of these Pokemon have made significant impact on the current metagame, and have picked up several top cuts already and we're only a few days in. Grimmsnarl's utility cannot be understated, as even when you're prepared for it, Trick + Lagging Tail can kinda just ruin your gameplan. Porygon2 is probably the best Trick Room setter in the game right now, and Eerie Impulse is apparently here to stay. Throw on Recover for some longevity and you seemingly just can't break it. Both have earned their spot in the highest echelon.

:Urshifu-Rapid-Strike-Gmax: 3 -> 2
This was considered the inferior Urshifu for the longest time, but it seems like its finally making a bit of noise. At the end of the day, it's an Urshifu with the ability to hit Pokemon like Rotom-H, Heatran and Landorus-T for plenty of damage. Definitely worth giving a go over the Single Strike Urshifu if you have the chance, it provides a lot of teams with much needed Water-type coverage.

:Gothitelle: 4 -> 3
Gothitelle has managed to stay kinda relevant so far, and it's worth the mention in Tier 3. Trapping can still be super potent, especially when paired with a threatening Dynamaxer or decent setup Pokemon. Fake Out, Trick Room and Helping Hand provide a good amount of utility that can benefit near on any team.

:Entei: 4 -> 3
Turns out, Entei does more than Bulldoze. We got a little preview of this in the Players Cup when Juan brought an offensive Entei, but thanks to more recent innovations, Dynamax Entei feels like a good pick. Solid Fire-type with Inner Focus means you're not losing any Attack boosts gained from a potential Weakness Policy, and it just allows it to very quickly become a threatening attacker. I'm willing to hand the credit over to zeefable for this one.

:Rotom-Wash: 4 -> 3
Another Pokemon that has probably been slept on just a bit. Nasty Plot on this thing is just as threatening as Rotom-H in most regards, but much like Urshifu-R it provides good Water-coverage that not every team can so easily accommodate. While it might have a worse Sun matchup, teams that can accomodate for that immediately improve matchups into basically every Fire-type as well as Moltres-G and Celesteela.

:Tapu Lele: :Tapu Koko: 4 -> 3
Two of the Tapus are here with a rise to Tier 3. Tapu Lele has recently been featuring on a bunch of HO teams featuring Whimsicott and Cinderace, and from personal experience they can just blow the opponent back if not respected. Tapu Lele has a great amount of damage output with a pair of Choice Specs and its Psychic Terrain. Tapu Koko is very much similar, setting Electric Terrain blocking sleep as well as being a potent offensive machine. It also has a bit of diversity with Screens at its disposal, and makes for a good Electric-type pick alongside the likes of Urshifu-S.

:Blastoise-Gmax: 5 -> 4
Blastoise has been making waves recently! Sorry. Blastoise has proven itself as a fairly solid Water-type Gigantamax threat. Its G-Max Cannonande applies the same 1/6 passive damage as Vine Lash and Wildfire, and with 150 Base Power coming from Water Spout it's just as much of a force to be reckoned with. It also has a bit of diversity with Shell Smash and Fake Out as potential routes it can go down. And yet again, Water-types are good.

:Regidrago: 5 -> 4
This has made a couple of appearances so far, with its Dragon's Maw-boosted Dragon Energy basically being the equivalent of Kyogre's Water Spout (okay, it's not 1 to 1 but we like comparisons). Throw it with a Tailwind user, and clear out any pesky Fairy-types, and this thing can really put in a good shift.

The drops:

:Ninetales-Alola: 5 -> UR
Ninetales does have a bit of a niche as an Aurora Veil setter that doesn't need to max to get it up. But the prominence of other weather - we're looking at you Torkoal - and its just above average speed tier means it doesn't always get the opportunity to perform its main function. Additionally, its Special Attack stat isn't the greatest to sit there and spam Blizzards with. The best usage we can think of for this is to hope you get Veil up and spam Icy Wind as a form of Speed control. Key weaknesses to Rotom-H, Torkoal, Metagross and Heatran amongst others just make this difficult to run.

The new arrivals:

:Terrakion: UR - > 4
Gathering the highest average rating of any new arrival, Terrakion just barely misses out on a spot in Tier 3. This thing has resurfaced in Series 9 alongside offensive Dragapult, allowing for good variation in the typical Beat Up + Justified team. At +4, it's more than capable of KOing pretty much everything in the metagame as long as it isn't resisted. Helping Hand only serves to give it more variation when alongside several partner Pokemon. Glad to see it back (and yes, I know this was seeing playing in Season 14).

:Porygon-Z: UR -> 4
With a few NPA games under its belt, Porygon-Z is back in a decent position for the first time since Series 6. Porygon-Z provides one of the best Max Strikes in the whole game thanks to Adaptability. Put next to a solid redirector, usually Clefairy, it is allowed to thrive and mow down several of the metagame's top threats. It can also serve as a Nasty Plot user, which allows it to combat Eerie Impulse nicely.

:Snorlax: UR -> 4
Snorlax has managed to find its way back into the meta with its Belly Drum + G-Max Replenish, and it really does serve as a nice bulky Dynamaxer that's extremely difficult to remove without the correct Pokemon. It also becomes a star in Trick Room, with its base 30 Speed being as low as Amoonguss and Glastrier.

:Bronzong: :Cobalion: :Gyarados: :Hatterene-Gmax: :Indeedee: :Mienshao: :Mudsdale: :Pheromosa: :Rhyperior: :Rotom-Mow: :Salamence: UR -> 5
Much like the last list, we have so many new arrivals to Tier 5 that I just can't talk about them all. If you have any questions on why these are in the tier, don't hesitate to discuss it in this thread or with us in the Smogon VGC Discord.
 
Series 9 has started and the first few tours have come and gone, that means it's time for a VR update!

The rises:

:Grimmsnarl: :Porygon2: 2 -> 1
Both of these Pokemon have made significant impact on the current metagame, and have picked up several top cuts already and we're only a few days in. Grimmsnarl's utility cannot be understated, as even when you're prepared for it, Trick + Lagging Tail can kinda just ruin your gameplan. Porygon2 is probably the best Trick Room setter in the game right now, and Eerie Impulse is apparently here to stay. Throw on Recover for some longevity and you seemingly just can't break it. Both have earned their spot in the highest echelon.

:Urshifu-Rapid-Strike-Gmax: 3 -> 2
This was considered the inferior Urshifu for the longest time, but it seems like its finally making a bit of noise. At the end of the day, it's an Urshifu with the ability to hit Pokemon like Rotom-H, Heatran and Landorus-T for plenty of damage. Definitely worth giving a go over the Single Strike Urshifu if you have the chance, it provides a lot of teams with much needed Water-type coverage.

:Gothitelle: 4 -> 3
Gothitelle has managed to stay kinda relevant so far, and it's worth the mention in Tier 3. Trapping can still be super potent, especially when paired with a threatening Dynamaxer or decent setup Pokemon. Fake Out, Trick Room and Helping Hand provide a good amount of utility that can benefit near on any team.

:Entei: 4 -> 3
Turns out, Entei does more than Bulldoze. We got a little preview of this in the Players Cup when Juan brought an offensive Entei, but thanks to more recent innovations, Dynamax Entei feels like a good pick. Solid Fire-type with Inner Focus means you're not losing any Attack boosts gained from a potential Weakness Policy, and it just allows it to very quickly become a threatening attacker. I'm willing to hand the credit over to zeefable for this one.

:Rotom-Wash: 4 -> 3
Another Pokemon that has probably been slept on just a bit. Nasty Plot on this thing is just as threatening as Rotom-H in most regards, but much like Urshifu-R it provides good Water-coverage that not every team can so easily accommodate. While it might have a worse Sun matchup, teams that can accomodate for that immediately improve matchups into basically every Fire-type as well as Moltres-G and Celesteela.

:Tapu Lele: :Tapu Koko: 4 -> 3
Two of the Tapus are here with a rise to Tier 3. Tapu Lele has recently been featuring on a bunch of HO teams featuring Whimsicott and Cinderace, and from personal experience they can just blow the opponent back if not respected. Tapu Lele has a great amount of damage output with a pair of Choice Specs and its Psychic Terrain. Tapu Koko is very much similar, setting Electric Terrain blocking sleep as well as being a potent offensive machine. It also has a bit of diversity with Screens at its disposal, and makes for a good Electric-type pick alongside the likes of Urshifu-S.

:Blastoise-Gmax: 5 -> 4
Blastoise has been making waves recently! Sorry. Blastoise has proven itself as a fairly solid Water-type Gigantamax threat. Its G-Max Cannonande applies the same 1/6 passive damage as Vine Lash and Wildfire, and with 150 Base Power coming from Water Spout it's just as much of a force to be reckoned with. It also has a bit of diversity with Shell Smash and Fake Out as potential routes it can go down. And yet again, Water-types are good.

:Regidrago: 5 -> 4
This has made a couple of appearances so far, with its Dragon's Maw-boosted Dragon Energy basically being the equivalent of Kyogre's Water Spout (okay, it's not 1 to 1 but we like comparisons). Throw it with a Tailwind user, and clear out any pesky Fairy-types, and this thing can really put in a good shift.

The drops:

:Ninetales-Alola: 5 -> UR
Ninetales does have a bit of a niche as an Aurora Veil setter that doesn't need to max to get it up. But the prominence of other weather - we're looking at you Torkoal - and its just above average speed tier means it doesn't always get the opportunity to perform its main function. Additionally, its Special Attack stat isn't the greatest to sit there and spam Blizzards with. The best usage we can think of for this is to hope you get Veil up and spam Icy Wind as a form of Speed control. Key weaknesses to Rotom-H, Torkoal, Metagross and Heatran amongst others just make this difficult to run.

The new arrivals:

:Terrakion: UR - > 4
Gathering the highest average rating of any new arrival, Terrakion just barely misses out on a spot in Tier 3. This thing has resurfaced in Series 9 alongside offensive Dragapult, allowing for good variation in the typical Beat Up + Justified team. At +4, it's more than capable of KOing pretty much everything in the metagame as long as it isn't resisted. Helping Hand only serves to give it more variation when alongside several partner Pokemon. Glad to see it back (and yes, I know this was seeing playing in Season 14).

:Porygon-Z: UR -> 4
With a few NPA games under its belt, Porygon-Z is back in a decent position for the first time since Series 6. Porygon-Z provides one of the best Max Strikes in the whole game thanks to Adaptability. Put next to a solid redirector, usually Clefairy, it is allowed to thrive and mow down several of the metagame's top threats. It can also serve as a Nasty Plot user, which allows it to combat Eerie Impulse nicely.

:Snorlax: UR -> 4
Snorlax has managed to find its way back into the meta with its Belly Drum + G-Max Replenish, and it really does serve as a nice bulky Dynamaxer that's extremely difficult to remove without the correct Pokemon. It also becomes a star in Trick Room, with its base 30 Speed being as low as Amoonguss and Glastrier.

:Bronzong: :Cobalion: :Gyarados: :Hatterene-Gmax: :Indeedee: :Mienshao: :Mudsdale: :Pheromosa: :Rhyperior: :Rotom-Mow: :Salamence: UR -> 5
Much like the last list, we have so many new arrivals to Tier 5 that I just can't talk about them all. If you have any questions on why these are in the tier, don't hesitate to discuss it in this thread or with us in the Smogon VGC Discord.
Whaaaat? Salamence wasn't ranked?

So:

Salamence: UR > 4/5
Okay, maybe I'm a Salamence fangirl. But Salamence is a good Pokémon. Beeing able to run both Physical and Special sets due to its high stats, base 100 Speed, this thing can work as a Dynamaxer, but can work as a more support-ish Pokémon as well with tools such as fast Bulldoze or Brutal Swing for Weakness Policy procs, Breaking Swipe and Intimidate for lowering opponent's attacks. This Pokémon do get outclassed by Landorus in some means but is a good pick if you play it well.
 

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Whaaaat? Salamence wasn't ranked?

So:

Salamence: UR > 4/5
Okay, maybe I'm a Salamence fangirl. But Salamence is a good Pokémon. Beeing able to run both Physical and Special sets due to its high stats, base 100 Speed, this thing can work as a Dynamaxer, but can work as a more support-ish Pokémon as well with tools such as fast Bulldoze or Brutal Swing for Weakness Policy procs, Breaking Swipe and Intimidate for lowering opponent's attacks. This Pokémon do get outclassed by Landorus in some means but is a good pick if you play it well.
Yes it was (check the end of the UR -> 5 bit)
 
:terrakion: T4-->T3

terrakion dragapult is a strong team and honestly, while it isn't so good you have to prepare for it, not knowing the MU CAN lead to a loss.
 
:terrakion: T4-->T3

terrakion dragapult is a strong team and honestly, while it isn't so good you have to prepare for it, not knowing the MU CAN lead to a loss.
I disagree. Terrakion is indeed, a good Pokémon, but it has counterplay. Things such as Urshifu-Single-Strike, Rillaboom, Landorus-T and other threats break through it. What makes Terrakion + Dragapult be so good right now is:
1: Meta is still on early phases
2: Dragapult can be offensive as well (leading to a 50/50 on which Pokémon will be the Dynamax target)
3: Versatility overall and fits well with other cores, such as Sun / Venusaur + Torkoal

Yes, I am a TerraPult user (and I'm shiny hunting Terrakion) but I do not think it deserves to be Tier 3
 
Stakataka 3-2
Stak can OK maxed charizard and Im addicted to trick room. Thank you for listening to my ted talk.
1620511553542.png


:stakataka: 3 -> 2

Stakataka is a great check to all the flying types in the format while also matching up very well Torkoal and Glastrier, which are often devastating for TR abusers. Stak also boasts a good matchup against Regirock and Coalossal if it opts to run a ground move. Its immense bulk allows it to take even 4x super effective attacks in dynamax, while being able to increase its defenses with sandstorm from max rockfall and defense boosts from max steelspike and sometimes beast boost. Having access to speed control with trick room and being one of the slowest mons in the game allows it to increase its already absurd bulk even further, making it very difficult to KO. It can also run a weakness policy, punishing the opponent for trying to stop it early on. This in combination with both its bulk and its ability to increase its defenses makes it threatening on the defensive and offensive side as you can't always ignore it and allow it to become too bulky and just auto-win the endgame, nor can you rush to KO it and risk a potential weakness policy turning it into a literal nuke.

With beast boost, Stakataka has two options, both of which make it difficult to ignore. It can increase its defense, making it a deadly late-game machine that is disgustingly difficult to KO while threatening just about everything with body press, including Porygon2 and Urshifu-S, both endgame monsters themselves. Body press also OHKOs Incineroar with one or two defense boosts, punishing it for trying to intimidate cycle and leave Stak healthy. However, it can also increase its attack power, giving it great snowballing potential and a small surprise factor at the cost of cutting into its bulk. Regardless, both options make Stakataka difficult to ignore, often forcing the opponent to try and KO it early despite the risk.

Trick room gives Stakataka access to speed control, and it will more often than not be the fastest thing within TR, while also doing incredibly well against the two best TR abusers (aside from itself) in Torkoal and Glastrier, letting it run over teams that rely on those two as TR counters. In combination with redirection, Stak can set up trick room very consistently, and KOing the redirector often risks giving the user a free switch into a partner like Torkoal, which destroys the steel types that would otherwise wall Stakataka.

Conclusion: stak good, zard bad

Also sorry i meant to add this whole post when i first posted the image but accidentally posted the image on its own
 
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View attachment 338920

:stakataka: 3 -> 2

Stakataka is a great check to all the flying types in the format while also matching up very well Torkoal and Glastrier, which are often devastating for TR abusers. Stak also boasts a good matchup against Regirock and Coalossal if it opts to run a ground move. Its immense bulk allows it to take even 4x super effective attacks in dynamax, while being able to increase its defenses with sandstorm from max rockfall and defense boosts from max steelspike and sometimes beast boost. Having access to speed control with trick room and being one of the slowest mons in the game allows it to increase its already absurd bulk even further, making it very difficult to KO. It can also run a weakness policy, punishing the opponent for trying to stop it early on. This in combination with both its bulk and its ability to increase its defenses makes it threatening on the defensive and offensive side as you can't always ignore it and allow it to become too bulky and just auto-win the endgame, nor can you rush to KO it and risk a potential weakness policy turning it into a literal nuke.

With beast boost, Stakataka has two options, both of which make it difficult to ignore. It can increase its defense, making it a deadly late-game machine that is disgustingly difficult to KO while threatening just about everything with body press, including Porygon2 and Urshifu-S, both endgame monsters themselves. Body press also OHKOs Incineroar with one or two defense boosts, punishing it for trying to intimidate cycle and leave Stak healthy. However, it can also increase its attack power, giving it great snowballing potential and a small surprise factor at the cost of cutting into its bulk. Regardless, both options make Stakataka difficult to ignore, often forcing the opponent to try and KO it early despite the risk.

Trick room gives Stakataka access to speed control, and it will more often than not be the fastest thing within TR, while also doing incredibly well against the two best TR abusers (aside from itself) in Torkoal and Glastrier, letting it run over teams that rely on those two as TR counters. In combination with redirection, Stak can set up trick room very consistently, and KOing the redirector often risks giving the user a free switch into a partner like Torkoal, which destroys the steel types that would otherwise wall Stakataka.

Conclusion: stak good, zard bad

Also sorry i meant to add this whole post when i first posted the image but accidentally posted the image on its own
I already explained this to Man Raccon but i am going to explain it here so that people see. The VR council should already know what Stakataka does and what weaknesses and Strengths it has. explaining what it does just isn't very helpful.

When making a case for a Pokemon to rise or fall you should ask questions like this.

Is the Pokemon more consistent than its rank suggests it is?
Does the Pokemon take advantage of trends in the metagame?
Are teams prepared for the Pokemon?
Is the Pokemon easier to support than its rank would suggest?
 
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Do guys ever notice nom spelled backward is mon? Anyways, noms.

Lapras :lapras: 3 -> 4

So I never have really liked this thing, and I think it's really falling off big time. 85 Special Attack just can't cut it nowadays, especially when you either have to lose out on a lot of power by going Light Clay or miss out on the vital screen turns with Life Orb. Another thing that hurts Lapras a lot is the banning of restricted Pokemon. You were able to get away with a weak GMax from Lapras in Series 8 because you could back it up with strong out of Dynamax Pokemon like Zacian. In Series 9, Zacian is banned, and solid out of Dynamax attackers aren't very present. You got Urshifu, which is too frail to benefit from screens, Regieleki which has the same problem, and Tapu Fini doubles up on Water-types, so there aren't many solid options. That is why I am nomming it to 4.

Rotom-W :rotom-wash: 3 -> 2

Good offensive Water-types are hard to come by in Series 9, and Rotom-Wash is one of the small group of them. Its typing provides very crucial neutrality in Electric, which the other Water-types of the format (bar Gastrodon and Kingdra) don't have. I have also found Rotom-Wash to be a good anti-meta pick to Ground-types such as Garchomp and Landorus-T being used to counter the dominant Regieleki. It gets free setup opportunities against these Pokemon, as on most sets ran by these Pokemon, the only way to hit Rotom-W is with a non-STAB Rock Slide, which is quite weak. From there, Rotom-Wash can snowball very easily in Dynamax. I do recognize that it needs a lot of team support, mainly for Grass-types such as Rillaboom and Kartana, but there is a reason 5 extra slots exist.

Excadrill :excadrill: 4 -> 3

I have been rocking Sand a lot lately, and I have found that Excadrill is a step above the Fossils when it comes to these teams, and in my opinion deserving of residing in the same tier as Tyranitar. The main reason I think Excadrill is better than Dracovish and Zolt respectively is for one simple reason. The combo of STAB Max Steelspike and Max Quake. Not only are these two excellent offensive typings, but in Series 9 where bulky offense is dominant, being able to fire strong attacks and buff your defenses, with one Pokemon, all at the same time, is truly valuable.

Cresselia :cresselia: 5 -> UR

That's right. The queen of old gen VGC has really fallen off this gen. In my experience, it kind of just sits there and does nothing. The most you can do with it is spam Icy Wind, but there are so much better Pokemon that can do that, but also do other things. Blastoise, Tornadus, and Tapu Fini are just a few examples. If you are doing anything else with it it's really bad and really a waste of space. Psychic coming off of its extremely mediocre Special Attack stat contributes nothing over the course of a game, and uh, look at Tier 1. 3/6 of the Pokemon there are Dark-types.

I also think another notable thing is that it needs too many Items. It wants Safety Goggles so it can't get put to sleep by Amoonguss while trying to set up Trick Room, it wants Colbur Berry to not die to Urshifu and all the other Dark-types of the format, and it even wants Mental Herb so it isn't Taunt food. Of course, it can't run all of these, so it has to pick and choose its pair of bad matchups.

On the topic of Trick Room, this thing is seriously outclassed. Porygon2 is one of, if not the most splashable Pokemon in the format at the moment. Dusclops, while weak to Urshifu and the common Dark-types, provides support moves like Haze and Will-O-Wisp that sets itself apart. Heck, even Bronzong can devastate physical attackers with its Iron Defense Body Press set.

I just currently see no niche for Cresselia right now, and for that reason, I believe it should be unranked.

(PSA: DO NOT USE WEAKNESS POLICY CRESSELIA. I REPEAT, DO NOT USE WEAKNESS POLICY CRESSELIA.)

And by the way, there is going to be an attack on Heatran in this thread soon. If you are in the Discord you know it. So let me say this now. HEATRAN IS A GOOD TIER 3 POKEMON. I will elaborate more if the noms do actually happen...

Good night, see ya later.
 
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:bw/Excadrill: Tier 4-> Tier 3 I agree with Bannaners on the Excadrill rise. I also do like Mold breaker varians on rain on a less relevent note

:bw/Clefable: UR -> Tier 5 Clefable recently topcut Victory Road Qualifiers 2. So i was thinking why would i use Clefable over Togekiss or Clefairy? Clefable has the ability to hold an item and also the ability Unaware. with a Babiri Berry it can live almost any Steel-type attack. The Clefable i saw was used alongside Heatran. Clefable can hold a babiri berry allowing it to better deal with Steel-types like Metagross. Unlike Togekiss it can take Boosted Max Steelspikes with Babiri Berry thanks to Unaware.. Clefable living a Max Steelspike could be crucial in protecting teammates like Heatran from Pokemon like boosted Metagross, for example allowing Heatran to beat it without having to take a Max Quake. Cefable's unaware means it can take boosted Max Steelspike's that Togekiss could not. It is also not rock or electric weak meaning its not as vunrlable to things like Nihilego and Thundurus. Also a ton of boosted threats in the format that clefairy or Togekiss would drop to where Clefable would not
https://pokepast.es/995318e67b3d9a79 This was the team used in the VR quals.
EDIT Clefable top cut VR quals 3 twice as well

:bw/Cresselia: While i don't think this thing should drop i do agree it sucks terribly. if this thing didn't have ally switch i would probably say to drop it


:bw/Terrakion: Tier 4-> Tier 3 This pokemons synergy with metagame powerhouses like Dragapult and sun makes me feel it really deserves tier 3. I feel it takes advantage of the many flying types of the format really well threatens Urshifu and is generally tough to handle.

:blastoise-gmax: Tier 4 -> Tier 3 Blastoise i feel is in a great spot in the metagame as a very powerful offensive water-type. yes it needs redirection support but so do other tier 3 pokemon like Stakataka. Blastoise can be very powerful and difficult to handle especially if you don't have a Regieleki. I will admit it does struggle with Regieleki but not much team support can't fix.

:Kartana: Tier 2 -> Tier 3 I really feel like with all the flying types and Fire-types Kartana can really struggle in the format and it has amazing Grass-type competition in Venusaur and Rillaboom.
 
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I'll do some small talking as usual:

tier 1: everything seems fine, we could consider to make a tier above tier 1 but not sure what i'd include, probably incineroar/grimm/p2? i feel like the other 3 are slightly worse than them, urshifu-s is probably the worst mon in tier 1 because of how good the other urshifu is rn (it is, of course, still a super good mon)

tier 2: i'd put moltres in tier 3, it feels good but a bit worse than it was in s7. The best teams that include moltres are still giulio's and wolfey's, and I don't see in both ladder and tours any "new" good moltres team

tier 3: i'd probably put whim and gothi in tier 2, whim is one of the key mons in HO teams and it's almost as flexible as grimm with its moveset. Goth is also very good and regieleki+goth teams saw a lot of success lately. Togekiss should go up too, as well as coal (not too sure about the last one yet, but edu's coal team is very solid, wolfey's remains very good and coal/togekiss/dragapult seems good rn)

tier 4: regigigas could be tier 3 considering kingdra and politoed are listed in tier 3 and i don't think rain is much more viable than regigigas teams rn (i'd say they're both decent teams, maybe rain is slightly more viable because you can build more defensive teams with perish song + goth, while with regi you can only build very offensive teams)

tier 5: rhyperior seems the best mon out here (maybe tier 4?), hatt is cool in chansey teams, mienshao can be cool because it has fake out + inner focus, registeel is ok-sh..., maybe primarina has some potential, indeedee-m is a good option in some HO teams, but the rest is very bad atm (i suppose jynx and cobalion are a bit viable, but the rest should be unranked)

tl;dr

maybe make a tier above 1 with incin, grimm and p2, put moltres in tier 3, whim/goth/toge/coal in tier 2, regigigas in tier 3, rhyperior in tier 4, unrank everything from tier 5 except hatt/mien/registeel/primarina/indeedee-m/jynx/cobalion

Forgot to say lapras should drop too, there isn't any good lap team atm unfortunately
 
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