Resource Simple Questions, Simple Answers Thread (read the op before posting a thread)

I have just checked the viability rankings and we note the absence of a number of Borderline. This is the case of:
View attachment 107420Buzzwhole, View attachment 107421Conkeldurr, View attachment 107422Diggersby, View attachment 107423 Gardevoir-Mega, View attachment 107424Porygon-Z, View attachment 107425Staraptor, View attachment 107426Xurkitree and again recently View attachment 107427Breloom
It is understandable that they certainly have no niche in USUM (if they are not even present in the rank C-, it is to tell you how horrible they are in OU gen 7). This is particularly egregious because they have no analysis on Smogon (we still see the important schism of power between the OU and the UU). Are they totally unusable or does a micro-niche exist (at least one moveset)? I guess they are waiting to be retested in UU (because otherwise they are doomed). Or create a specific rank D (as in Uber: OU by technicality but which are strongly discouraged to play)
Breloom is UU now btw. Buzzwole has a niche on hard stall, it's a nice physical check to stuff like Lando and Zygarde, Conkeldurr is kinda outclassed by other offensive fighting types, Diggersby is just too slow / frail to be considered over other ground types, like there are other even stronger breakers that don't have awful offense matchups, Gardevoir makes you think why you're not using Lele, Porygon Z is actually sleeper on Webs and shit like that imo, Staraptor is a really hard hitter and is actually usable as a revenge killer utilising a scarf because of this, Xurkitree can't touch the fat grasses that are everywhere currently because of Koko and Zygarde and Breloom isn't great either, but it's amazing in UU though!
 
Breloom is UU now btw. Buzzwole has a niche on hard stall, it's a nice physical check to stuff like Lando and Zygarde, Conkeldurr is kinda outclassed by other offensive fighting types, Diggersby is just too slow / frail to be considered over other ground types, like there are other even stronger breakers that don't have awful offense matchups, Gardevoir makes you think why you're not using Lele, Porygon Z is actually sleeper on Webs and shit like that imo, Staraptor is a really hard hitter and is actually usable as a revenge killer utilising a scarf because of this, Xurkitree can't touch the fat grasses that are everywhere currently because of Koko and Zygarde and Breloom isn't great either, but it's amazing in UU though!
Regarding Breloom, I specified "again recently". Interesting if not your description for each mons. I had originally posted my message on VR pages but it was moved: I wanted a moveset for each (but that's not the purpose of this thread). Like what I'm trapped and it's pretty annoying
Their presence in BL doesn't by definition mean they don't have a niche. We tier based on usage, not viability. None of these mons were good enough to reach OU by usage, but that doesn't mean they're unviable. That said, usage and viability are related. If none of them are listed in the viability rankings, it's safe to say their niches are minimal. There isn't a D-tier because the mods didn't want to clog up the Viability Ranking thread with discussion on near-unviable mons. There's been some discussion about Staraptor lately, and to a certain extent Buzzwole, but for the most part these mons don't really have solid niches in the OU meta at the moment.
That's for sure, there is no correlation between use and viability (you only have to see Volcarona, Hoopa and Gliscor are very high in VR but very low in use). But I still maintain that a rank D does not cost anything (the example of Uber is very simple: there is Deoxys-N or Arceus-Bug). It would contain anyway that the seven BL that I mentioned above (no need to complicate and therefore to know whether to integrate mons of UU or lower)
 
That's for sure, there is no correlation between use and viability (you only have to see Volcarona, Hoopa and Gliscor are very high in VR but very low in use). But I still maintain that a rank D does not cost anything (the example of Uber is very simple: there is Deoxys-N or Arceus-Bug). It would contain anyway that the seven BL that I mentioned above (no need to complicate and therefore to know whether to integrate mons of UU or lower)
That's... not how it works. The only Pokemon that are required on a tier viability ranking are those in the tier to begin with.

For starters, Uber is not usage-based, so unused (and unviable) Ubers are still going to be Uber, so they have to be in the ranking even if there's no reason to use them.
BL Pokemon are not going to be in the OU viability ranking if they are not viable because they are not OU, just BL.
Contrast with the likes of Vaporeon in ORAS UU that was in the viability ranking despite being completely unviable because it was still UU.
 
That's... not how it works. The only Pokemon that are required on a tier viability ranking are those in the tier to begin with.

For starters, Uber is not usage-based, so unused (and unviable) Ubers are still going to be Uber, so they have to be in the ranking even if there's no reason to use them.
BL Pokemon are not going to be in the OU viability ranking if they are not viable because they are not OU, just BL.
Contrast with the likes of Vaporeon in ORAS UU that was in the viability ranking despite being completely unviable because it was still UU.
What you say there is very fair. But we play with words: the BL are by definition in the big families of OU mons (even if they are not directly there). Having mons totally absent from viability rankings does not make sense
 
What you say there is very fair. But we play with words: the BL are by definition in the big families of OU mons (even if they are not directly there). Having mons totally absent from viability rankings does not make sense
Pokemon in BL are Pokemon that don't have high enough usage for OU, but are banned from UU, leaving them in limbo. It makes sense to have them absent from the viability rankings if they're not viable; it's in the name.
 
What you say there is very fair. But we play with words: the BL are by definition in the big families of OU mons (even if they are not directly there). Having mons totally absent from viability rankings does not make sense
Actually Siggu and Elicrum, back when Gary was the head of the Viability rankings (rip), he instituted a rule saying that even if a Pokémon is OU by usage, if it is deemed unworthy of ranking then it will not be ranked regardless of its usage which you can read in the Ou Viability Ranking rules. That’s the reason why some BL mons aren’t ranked. They are just deemed to not have niches that are appreciated at all or are too specific to be utilized freely. and wouldn’t be considered on most play styles and teams at all. ( Well at least some, still hoping Buzzwole will make a come back) And to answer your question, any Pokémon has a niche if you can utilize it best, it just can only get ranked if that niche is good. And if you want to use a Pokémon, use it, there’s nothing stopping you, and you may even find a niche for it to be ranked on. and as for their move sets, you can always check the showdown usage to get a good scope on what’s used for these mons and what isn’t
 
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Breloom is UU now btw. Buzzwole has a niche on hard stall, it's a nice physical check to stuff like Lando and Zygarde, Conkeldurr is kinda outclassed by other offensive fighting types, Diggersby is just too slow / frail to be considered over other ground types, like there are other even stronger breakers that don't have awful offense matchups, Gardevoir makes you think why you're not using Lele, Porygon Z is actually sleeper on Webs and shit like that imo, Staraptor is a really hard hitter and is actually usable as a revenge killer utilising a scarf because of this, Xurkitree can't touch the fat grasses that are everywhere currently because of Koko and Zygarde and Breloom isn't great either, but it's amazing in UU though!
Diggersby has Huge Power though, so it can be a very powerful wallbreaker. It could probably be utilized under Trick Room
 
Diggersby has Huge Power though, so it can be a very powerful wallbreaker. It could probably be utilized under Trick Room
Diggersby is weaker than both Mega-medi and Mega-mawile, slower than mmedi so it's not good on offense, and faster than mmaw so its not as good on trick room. And if you're using it for it's offensive ground typing, it's just no where near as valuable as landot or even hippo/chomp.
 
Diggersby is weaker than both Mega-medi and Mega-mawile, slower than mmedi so it's not good on offense, and faster than mmaw so its not as good on trick room. And if you're using it for it's offensive ground typing, it's just no where near as valuable as landot or even hippo/chomp.
this is what i meant; there's just no reason to use it over other wallbreakers.
 
How exactly does bulky scarf landot function, what are some important calcs that it achieves, what are some spreads, and how is it compared to regular scarf?
 
is this worth it to troll pokes that need there ability

Alakazam @ Iapapa Berry
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Skill Swap
- Psychic
- Dazzling Gleam
- Focus Blast
In competitive play standard abilities are always in place to have the highest viability or use in a battle so its not worth it. Some cases are interesting like for example snow cloak mamoswine on a ninetails alola team over thick fat.
 
How exactly does bulky scarf landot function, what are some important calcs that it achieves, what are some spreads, and how is it compared to regular scarf?
bulky landorus is usually used as a sort of bulky pivot, but scarf added as a way to maintain speed control on teams like bulky offense and balance. Its uses are usually to check things like tapu-koko and heatran while also getting up rocks or a defog without taking too much damage.Its spreads are usually results of trying to outspeed something by 1, and then adding the rest in hp or put some attack evs for a specific calc. One spread I use atm is 248 hp/160 attack/100 speed jolly,the 100 speed+ scarf allows it to outspeed ash greninja by 1 point. If you want to be a speed nerd you can use 104 speed evs to outcreep ninja creeping Landorus-t.Compared to regular scarf Landorus-t its able to come on more safely and land fast stealth rocks and defogs without taking as much damage as regular would. Although it loses a bit of its offensive prescene its still a niche pick over offensive scarf Landorus-t and I recommend you do a bit more test runs with it and see how it works for yourself :]
 
How exactly does bulky scarf landot function, what are some important calcs that it achieves, what are some spreads, and how is it compared to regular scarf?
To quote Eo and what he said when he created Bulky Scarf
"I needed a Pinsir counter that also checked Zygarde, and this was the best solution I could come up with. The idea is that only a defensive Landorus can survive Pinsir's Mega + Return + Quick Attack, but only a Scarf Landorus can beat Mega + Swords Dance, so why not combine both? As it happened, nobody brought Pinsir or Zygarde versus me, but this set ended up pulling its weight anyway in both the games I used it."
"64 Spe outruns Gengar, and 64 Atk is optional to secure the 100% OHKO on Pinsir with Rock Slide. The EVs could probably be tweaked further, but there's not much point to excessive Speed investment. The set isn't meant to play like a traditional scarfer, but more like a defensive Landorus that can outrun and surprise certain Pokemon. For this reason, I used it on a stall team that didn't require a scarfer and on a team in conjunction with another scarfer (Dugtrio). There are several things that work in favor of its surprise factor: Defensive Landorus frequently doesn't carry Leftovers, and on the off-chance that it gets hit with both a contact move and an Ice move (and lives), there are still several other viable option that would probably come to mind over Scarf; Landorus is also played like a pivot due to Intimidate, so coming in on a physical threat that shouldoutspeed and KO isn't necessarily a giveaway of its Scarf; and in a similar vein, it can afford to choice lock itself more so than other defensive Pokemon.

I wanted to fit U-turn on there somewhere, but I couldn't; that being said, it's a natural choice for a choiced Pokemon. Sludge Wave would also work to lure Bulu if played correctly."

The set he was using was
Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 192 Def / 64 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Rock Slide / U-turn / Sludge Wave


Then LL adapted the set to make it better at being a scarfer, while still being defensive
"This set hits 293 Speed, which ensures that Lando outspeeds Mega Alakazam at +1, and the rest of the EVs are just dumped into physical bulk. You can pump more EVs into defense compared to HP if you're paranoid about stuff like Pinsir and Zygarde, but I prefer the increased consistency overall. The third slot on this set is incredibly team dependent and shouldn't just be based on personal preference for the most part. Rock Slide is mainly used for Mega Pinsir, HP Ice for Zygarde, and Explosion as just a blanket move on more offensive teams to ensure that you don't lose momentum and still have ways of dealing with stuff like Pinsir."

And the set he used was this
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 64 Def / 196 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Hidden Power [Ice] / Rock Slide / Explosion
- Defog


So basically Bulky Scarf was meant to be a defensive check that could also offensively check pokemon, which meant that people combined defensive Landorus and Choice Scarf Landorus, its best sets, so that it could accomplish both
 

A

Joker fan
is a Smogon Discord Contributor Alumnus
What does a typical Z-Hex set look like for Gengar? (Also any good teammates?)
Hey, try this out:

Landorus-Therian @ Leftovers / Yache Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 208 Def / 52 Spe
Impish Nature
- Toxic
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Stealth Rock

Gengar @ Ghostium Z
Ability: Cursed Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hex
- Will-o-Wisp
- Taunt
- Focus Blast
 
Is Kommo-o best on Veil? What’s the most effective set, mixed Z work up or sub salac belly drum or what? I feel like it’s sort of viable?
 

A

Joker fan
is a Smogon Discord Contributor Alumnus
Is Kommo-o best on Veil? What’s the most effective set, mixed Z work up or sub salac belly drum or what? I feel like it’s sort of viable?

It's pretty much Z-move or bust, itd want Sticky Web and Screens support from Koko to have a decent shot at sweeping.
 
Is there a better spread than the one on Smogon for SD MZor? Some of the reasons for the investment seem outdated, ie it has 60 Speed EVs to outspeed AV Magnezone which isn't really around anymore.
 
I have a question regarding Tapu Koko. Many users have made cases and given reasonings about why it could be an S- ranked Pokémon, so why wasn’t it raised as well?

Is there some reason in particular that supports it belonging more to A+ than S-?

There is also a conspicuous lack of Buzzwole, but nobody seems to care too much about it.
 

Finchinator

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I have a question regarding Tapu Koko. Many users have made cases and given reasonings about why it could be an S- ranked Pokémon, so why wasn’t it raised as well?

Is there some reason in particular that supports it belonging more to A+ than S-?

There is also a conspicuous lack of Buzzwole, but nobody seems to care too much about it.
It was voted on by the VR Council and only one user wanted it to rise to S-. (we also voted on Buzzwole and nobody wanted to rank it iirc)

S- is generally reversed for Pokemon with qualities that define the metagame or a substantial amount of usage (i.e: staples). Tapu Koko is more fitting of the "great/really good Pokemon" title, which is, more or less, the epitome of A+. You see it fit in more alongside Pokemon such as Magearna and Ash Greninja, both of which are threatening -- the former through versatility and amazing practical applications and the latter due to being a great Spiker, special hard hitter, and just general near top-tier threat. Tapu Koko fits into this crowd of Pokemon that see decent usage and are consistently used to fill roles on teams, but do not necessarily dictate as much how teams are constructed or how archetypes are formed due to them having varied counterplay. Magma Storm Heatran has a very limited pool of switch-ins and is also much easier to use defensively than something like Tapu Koko, for example. Tapu Koko is checked by a number of already common Pokemon and simply does not fit the bill of an S- Pokemon on these merits.

Try to ask these questions in private moving forward, but thanks for at least keeping it out of the VR thread.
 

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