Resource SS Monotype Viability Rankings [Isle of Armor]

[mushamu]

SS Monotype Viability Rankings

artwork by Ticken
Welcome to the Sword and Shield Monotype Viability Rankings! In Monotype, Pokemon are ranked based upon how viable they are relative to the other Pokemon you have available on a particular type. The Pokemon in A rank are more viable than those in B rank, but that does not mean B rank Pokemon aren't useful or don't have a very valuable niche. Anything that is ranked must be usable and have some value that prevents it from being outclassed. Most Pokemon are placed into one of five different rankings: S, A, B, C, and D. Some Pokemon aren’t listed either because they are either completely outclassed or they simply haven't been ranked yet. Pokemon are ranked separately for each type. For example, Flying teams love having access to Xatu's Magic Bounce to block Stealth Rock and its ability to set up Reflect and Light Screen for the team, but Psychic teams have limited interest in Xatu because there are superior options for its niches; Xatu would be ranked separately for each type.​

General / Write up Rules

• Flaming will not be tolerated. Please respectfully debate each other's nominations.
• Post smartly, don't just be like "I like Dubwool, so it should be in S Tier!"
• Stay on topic. This thread is intended for the discussion of how viable Pokemon are relative to each other, which does involve sometimes referring to Pokemon as broken or extremely good. However, there are other more suited threads for posting about whether a Pokemon is too broken, so make sure to frame your posts appropriately.
• Please only nominate rank changes for Pokemon that you have direct experience using. Do not use theory or on-paper ideas.
• Avoid posting very brief and simple questions such as "Why is Galarian Corsola A Rank? It sucks!" The Simple Questions and Simple Answers is the perfect place to ask your simple question to get a simple answer!

Viability Ranking Council: These people will have the final say if a decision by the community cannot be reached or a Pokemon is completely misplaced. If you have any questions or need help, please PM / VM these people.

• 
  Conflux
• 
  Decem
• 
  Floss
• 
  Harpp
• 
  maroon

How to rank

• Include the Pokemon you're rating, the type, and what rank you want it to be.
• Provide an explanation as to why you put it in that rank and how it fares in Monotype. (Why should it be ranked lower or higher?)

Monotype Viability Rankings in Alphabetical order

Bug

S Rank

Shuckle

Scizor

Volcarona

A Rank

Galvantula

Heracross

B Rank

Araquanid

Durant

Ribombee

Scolipede

C Rank

Centiskorch

Crustle

Frosmoth

Golisopod

D Rank

Orbeetle

Scyther

Vikavolt

Dark

S Rank

Hydreigon

Mandibuzz

Urshifu-Single Strike Style

A Rank

Tyranitar

B Rank

Bisharp

Drapion

Grimmsnarl

Krookodile

Zarude

C Rank

Crawdaunt

Incineroar

Sableye

Sharpedo

Weavile

D Rank

Obstagoon

Dragon

S Rank

Dragapult

A Rank

Duraludon

Hydreigon

B Rank

Dracovish

Dragalge

Kyurem

Noivern

C Rank

Kommo-o

Goodra

D Rank

Dracozolt

Haxorus

Electric

S Rank

Pincurchin

Raichu-Alola

Zeraora

A Rank

Galvantula

Magnezone

B Rank

Rotom-Heat

Rotom-Mow

C Rank

Dracozolt

Morpeko

Toxtricity

D Rank

Heliolisk

Rotom-Wash

Vikavolt

Fairy

S Rank

Hatterene

Klefki

Mimikyu

A Rank

Azumarill

Togekiss

B Rank

Clefable

Grimmsnarl

Primarina

Weezing-Galar

C Rank

Gardevoir

Ribombee

D Rank

Ninetales-Alola

Fighting

S Rank

Keldeo

Terrakion

Urshifu-Single Strike Style

A Rank

Cobalion

B Rank

Conkeldurr

Hawlucha

Heracross

Toxicroak

C Rank

Gallade

Kommo-o

Lucario

Virizion

D Rank

Bewear

Mienshao

Scrafty

Fire

S Rank

Cinderace

Torkoal

Volcarona

A Rank

Charizard

Incineroar

Rotom-Heat

B Rank

Darmanitan

Marowak-Alola

C Rank

Arcanine

Ninetales

Salazzle

Talonflame

D Rank

Chandelure

Coalossal

Flying

S Rank

Corviknight

A Rank

Charizard

Togekiss

Skarmory

B Rank

Gyarados

Mandibuzz

Mantine

Noivern

C Rank

Hawlucha

Xatu

D Rank

Emolga

Pelipper

Rotom-Fan

Talonflame

Ghost

S Rank

Dragapult

Mimikyu

A Rank

Aegislash

Gengar

B Rank

Corsola-Galar

Jellicent

C Rank

Chandelure

Froslass

Marowak-Alola

Polteageist

Runerigus

Sableye

D Rank

Decidueye

Dhelmise

Grass

S Rank

Ferrothorn

Rillaboom

A Rank

Appletun

Whimsicott

B Rank

Amoonguss

Celebi

Rotom-Mow

Venusaur

Virizion

Zarude

C Rank

Decidueye

Roserade

Shiftry

D Rank

Ludicolo

Vileplume

Ground

S Rank

Excadrill

Hippowdon

A Rank

Gastrodon

Mamoswine

Seismitoad

B Rank

Rhyperior

C Rank

Diggersby

Dugtrio

Flygon

Krookodile

D Rank

Quagsire

Runerigus

Ice

S Rank

Avalugg

Darmanitan-Galar

Ninetales-Alola

A Rank

Kyurem

Mamoswine

Weavile

B Rank

Cloyster

Piloswine

C Rank

Froslass

Sandslash-Alola

D Rank

Lapras

Mr. Mime-Galar

Rotom-Frost

Normal

S Rank

Blissey

Ditto

A Rank

Diggersby

Heliolisk

B Rank

Bewear

Braviary

Indeedee-M

Obstagoon

C Rank

Chansey

Porgon2

Snorlax

D Rank

Exploud

Indeedee-F

Porygon-Z

Poison

S Rank

Toxapex

A Rank

Amoonguss

Weezing-Galar

Gengar

Salazzle

B Rank

Drapion

Scolipede

Skuntank

Toxtricity

C Rank

Dragalge

Vileplume

D Rank

Toxicroak

Roserade

Slowbro-Galar

Psychic

S Rank

Hatterene

Indeedee-M

A Rank

Alakazam

Mew

Jirachi

B Rank

Celebi

Slowbro

C Rank

Indeedee-F

Gardevoir

Necrozma

Orbeetle

Reuniclus

Slowbro-Galar

Starmie

Xatu

D Rank

Bronzong

Gallade

Meowstic

Slowking

Rock

S Rank

Shuckle

Terrakion

Tyranitar

A Rank

Coalossal

Lycanroc-Dusk

B Rank

Barbaracle

Rhyperior

Solrock

C Rank

Lunatone

Lycanroc-Midday

D Rank

Crustle

Steel

S Rank

Aegislash

Corviknight

A Rank

Cobalion

Excadrill

Ferrothorn

Jirachi

B Rank

Bisharp

Skarmory

C Rank

Bronzong

Duraludon

Klefki

Durant

Lucario

Magnezone

D Rank

Scizor

Water

S Rank

Keldeo

Toxapex

A Rank

Gastrodon

Primarina

Slowking

B Rank

Araquanid

Cloyster

Pelipper

Rotom-Wash

C Rank

Azumarill

Barraskewda

Crawdaunt

Dracovish

Kingdra

Lapras

Mantine

Seismitoad

Sharpedo

Slowbro

Starmie

Tentacruel

D Rank

Barbaracle

Blastoise

Golisopod

Gyarados

Inteleon

Jellicent

Lanturn

Politoed

Quagsire

Vaporeon

Blacklist
These Pokemon have been brought up multiple times for discussion with the same arguments or are just awful. A type can be blacklisted if it is an extreme circumstance. If anyone talks about a Pokemon that is blacklisted your post will be deleted and or infracted.

• Nothing for now! Hopefully forever.

 

[Eien]

There were a few topics the VR council wanted to bring up for discussion with the community.
Discussion Topics:
Mantine (Water)
Blastoise (Water)
Ludicolo (Grass)
Flygon (Ground)
Gyarados (Flying)
Aegislash (Steel)
Polteageist (Ghost)
Weavile (Dark)
Reuniclus (Psychic)
Dracovish (Dragon)
Golisopod (Bug)
Centiskorch (Bug)

The ranks these Pokemon are listed under aren't included so that you have to actually look before you post!

 

[Havens]

Let's kickstart this conversation, shall we? Just a couple small notes.

(Dragon): C -> B or (Dragon): C -> D
(Bug): C -> B

I don't believe its wholly fair to claim that Dracovish (by tentative ranking) is on the same level as Dracozolt. At a base level, Dracovish performs its role with greater consistency than what Dracozolt could ever do. Dracozolt has to rely on a number of factors, the biggest being if its moves will actually hit, and even then the coverage that its meant to provide is covered by other Dragon types in Kyurem-B, Dragapult, etc. Although Dracovish is being outclassed as a breaker as a result of Pokemon Home among other factors, its STAB is much more abusable and many of its moves are easier to power up because of Strong Jaw (which doesn't have to worry about missing, mind you) and is easier to take advantage of considering how popular Rain Water is despite Kyurem-B's usefulness. In a sense, Dracozolt doesn't deserve to be on Dracovish's level, so I think either a Vish rise to B rank or a Zolt drop to D rank would suffice.

Hot take (no pun intended), but why is Centiskorch down so low? Even though Bug as a whole may be one of the lesser types in the metagame, I couldn't fathom not using a Pokemon that's immune to Fire moves and is one of Bug's better options to deal with Steel teams. Maybe it's because the meddling Speed stat leaves much to be desired, or perhaps it relies a bit too much on Heavy-Duty Boots making it more vulnerable to Knock Off. Yet, with Steel teams being so popular even without Heatran, from a theoretical standpoint Fire moves should be quite popular no? I might be reading into it too much, but a Centiskorch rise is definitely feasible.

Other small notes: Weavile, Aegislash, Reuniclus and Mantine feel fine for now. Had Pokemon Home not dropped, I probably would've recommended that Weavile drop down to B rank, but regaining Knock Off is a big plus. It now has a means to better deal with Corviknight and Toxapex, without having to rely on Throat Chop for static damage. Aegislash is also fine considering the width of sets it can run and its malleability to a team; between SD, SubToxic, Specs sets and etc, especially with the Ghost typing which is great for taking on the Swords + other problematic foes, I'd say the ranking fits right in, and perhaps could qualify for being S rank in the future. Reuniclus I'd like to think fell off in viability because of all the new Knock Off users and great wallbreakers, despite Dark teams themselves falling off in viability a bit. I wouldn't doubt that it would adapt to the new meta in due time, but it feels lost atm. Mantine... well, Mantine's only down there because Dragon teams are king and Kyurem-B absolutely shits on Water I feel. Theoretically if you remove Kyurem-B, Mantine goes up a full subrank at least.

 

[R.B.G.]

About time.

Aegislash (Steel): A -> S(?)

Kicking things off with Steel. Was initially going to attempt to argue for Lucario's inclusion in B given the performance of Specs and NP variants as special cleaner/wallbreaker and mirror wincon, though think it fits perfectly alongside Bisharp as flex mons that, while strong choices for improving certain matchups, are just not as important as the mons in B rank.

I have no qualms with Aegislash's placement in A tier, though believe it should at least be discussed as an S-mon given its versatility, regaining of Toxic, and critical immunity to Fighting, even if it isn't necessarily as important as some other A rank choices.

Flygon (Ground): C -> B

Specs Flygon is not great. That being said, it's necessary as the most versatile special attacker on Ground, commanding a critical role in the Steel matchup for its ability to cleanly OHKO Ferrothorn with Fire Blast, as well as exert pressure more generally given Steel's lack of switch-ins for powerful fire attacks. This aside it serves as an adequate offensive partner for Excadrill, pressuring threats Exca cannot hit while also serving as a safety valve for rival Ground and Fire attacks. Admittedly, it's a generally mediocre mon that exists to serve one niche and one niche only, but given the prevalence and importance of said role, I believe Flygon at least warrants discussion for inclusion in B.
About time.

Dracovish (Dragon): C -> B

Going to throw my weight behind Havens and advocate for Dracovish's being moved to B rank. Regardless of its place being eroded post-Home, rain teams are everywhere, and even when they are not, the fact remains that Vish is a threat most defensive cores must be prepared for or risk being overrun by other threats once their wall has been brutalized by a (single) Fishious Rend. Short of burning it, Rend hits like a truck even under suboptimal conditions, and given the shortage of Water Absorb/Storm Drain/Dry Skin mons outside of Water itself, someone is going to pay each turn Dracovish is not dealt with. (Are we forgetting that even Ferrothorn can't switch in?)

 

[Jolly Togekiss]

In my opinion dracovish should stay at C. Although it has a niche, it’s not on the level of noivern. Home brought a new speed tier standard to monotype, and dracovish was already falling out of favor before home. It still finds a spot on balanced water teams, but I haven’t been running it on dragon for a long time now. I personally think that C tier is appropriate for how dracovish is currently represented in the metagame.

 

[Fírnen]

Bewear (Normal) : D → B
I've been really surprised that Bewear have been D-ranked.
Why?
Because bewear in SS (even post-bank) helps a lot the normal type.
Its most current set (Bulk Up, Sub, Darkest Lariat, Drain Punch) is really powerful and is able to make big holes in opponent teams in addition to be a pivot sometimes due to its great physical bulk (as Normal type doesn't have a lot this kind of Pokemon).
In many cases, it can create a sub and sets up easily and force opponent to sack at least one Pokemon to break the sub.
By example, common Pokemon in "top types": Ferrothorn, Bisharp, Corsola-G, Mandibuzz (in the case Bewear speed is above usual Mandi speed~200), ...
So, why should it be D-ranked?
- Can't hit Toxapex, Mew wallbreaker,... Which is the same for Snorlax.
- Frail Sp.Def (or less good than Snorlax)

I really think after analyzed pro and con, that Bewear doesn't have to be D-ranked at all in normal type.

 

[K3ppr]

My nominations and initial thoughts:

Bisharp (Steel) C -> B

This is the one of two pokemon in this post not on the discussion, but I think it's underrated in its current tier. Bisharp provides a role on a Steel team as a reliable physical attacker that helps a lot with breaking through opposing teams. It single handedly nearly wins the Psychic MU, is able to come in on a variety of mons, and just either set up or Knock Off/Iron Head for damage. It also nearly wins the Ghost matchup by itself, being able to switch in safely against Sableye, set up, and potentially sweep an opposing team. It also helps a lot in the mirror at breaking Steel's walls like Ferrothorn and Corviknight, and acts as a relatively reliable revenge killer against most types with Sucker Punch. Steel's only other C rank pokemon is Lucario, who fills much more limited roles against other types, whereas Bisharp is useful against almost every type, however they are in the same tier. It has an ability to set up against a variety of pokemon, mostly walls, and use a variety of strong STAB attacks and Sucker Punch to break through teams. This is why Bisharp deserves to be with the other pokemon who help significantly against other matchups, and in the B tier.

Aegislash (Steel) A -> B

When I look at Steel's A ranks, I see Aegislash, who performs minimal roles in several matchups alongside the near-mandatory Melmetal, who breaks any pokemon, and Ferrothorn, the best hazard setter for steel. I just think comparatively, Aegislash is nowhere near mandatory on steel teams, and while Melmetal is also far from required, it's sheer power as a wallbreaker is impossible to ignore. Despite Aegislash's ability to run a variety of sets, none of the sets perform unique or important enough roles on a steel team for Aegislash to remain in the A tier.

Polteageist B -> C

This pokemon provides a role on Ghost as just a bland Shell Smash sweeper. Ghost has no reliable spinners or defoggers, so Polteageist will never be able to reliably set up. It's incredibly weak before a Shell Smash, unlike Cloyster, who has high Defense. It's unreliable, and too weak to priority, however still useful. It's too weak to be paired alongside Sableye, a pokemon who provides a lot of utility on a Ghost team. That's why it deserves to drop to C rank.

Corsola-G A -> B

This pokemon is very similar in it’s role and power level to Sableye, who is also B ranked. A solid utility mon, but I don’t think it offers enough to be ranked alongside Aegislash and Gengar. It just fits better alongside Sableye, and fills a similar role of importance.

 

[Ninjamage]

While I agree with the initial rankings for Grass here, I think there's one thing missing: Dhelmise. It should at least slot in to D, possibly C right? I feel like Dhelmise can at least have a niche role on Grass teams with Rapid Spin support, spin blocking, triple STAB, and they type's highest attack stat. I'll play around with it and update if/when I find out some more in depth things to say.

 

[mushamu]

These are some of my thoughts on the discussion topics + 1 extra.

(Steel) A --> A
Aegislash has been a great Pokemon on Steel and in Monotype for a while now, especially with Pokemon Home freeing its Toxic, but I'm not totally convinced it's on the same level as Corviknight in terms of how needed they are on Steel teams. On the other hand, I think K3ppr is underestimating Aegislash's potential when he says it preforms minimal roles in several matchups. If we were to talk about it as a wallbreaker, then Choice Specs pressures defensive Pokemon and a lot of Pokemon that try to switch in pretty well because of the general lack of sturdy Ghost resists in the tier. Otherwise, it has other sets that are pretty threatening, namely SubToxic which abuses its amazing defensive typing as well as its absurd bulk to spread status. It's overall a really solid Pokemon in the current metagame because of its amazing defensive typing coupled with its great stats on both spectrums thanks to Stance Change, giving it the ability to run multiple effective sets that can each pressure a number of types across the board in their own ways. I'd definitely support it staying at A as I consider it to be noticeably better viability wise than Jirachi, Excadrill, and Duraludon.

(Dragon) C --> C
Clicking Fisheous Rend over and over again is a lot less abusable than it was a few months ago, and I don't think setting rain in the Water mirror is a great argument for Fisheous Rend's usefulness considering Dracovish gives Cloyster a free setup opportunity, Focus Sash or not. On top of that, Kyurem-B making waves on Dragon means that Dragon teams don't need Dracovish as much to threaten types like Fairy and Ground as much, leading it to being dropped more and more. Other types that Dracovish could capitalize on like Psychic and Dark both have had their changes; Psychic teams now have a Water resist in Celebi which forces Dracovish to pick between Fisheous Rend and Leech Life, and can always beat Dracovish with Gardevoir, while Dark teams have decreased in viability as a result of Pokemon like Keldeo, Jirachi, and Kyurem-B being released. I'm not convinced Dracovish should rise to the level of Noivern, who's useful utility as a Defogger finds itself a good place on many Dragon teams even post Home. In my opinion, both Dracovish and Dracozolt should stay at the same rank, as they're both more niche wallbreakers. Dracozolt has the downside of missing but can also make use of its Hustle boosted coverage moves to threaten types like Grass and Steel under a Substitute.

(Ghost) C --> B
Honestly think Chandelure's a really good option on Ghost teams at the moment because Steel is insanely good at the moment, and takes pressure off of Dragapult to take it on and even frees it to run Choice Scarf in some instances. Dragapult can't OHKO Melmetal either, which is problematic given Melmetal's nature as an insanely strong wallbreaker. Aside from that, Substitute gives you an easy out against Bisharp's Sucker Punch, which you can set against Ferrothorn in the matchup as well as forced switches, making it overall more reliable at dealing with Steel than Dragapult is. It's also good against Grass's defensive core, wheras Dragapult needs the Choice Specs power but gets played around by Protect scouting. I'd definitely push for Chandelure to be ranked higher because it's a particularly effective cteam to one of the best types in Steel, which is notable because I view Ghost to be a good anti metagame type with Dark being so bad. I would like to see more opinions on this but Chandelure to B is definitely something I personally support.

 

[juleocesar]

These are some of my thoughts on the discussion topics + 1 extra.

(Dragon) C --> C
Clicking Fisheous Rend over and over again is a lot less abusable than it was a few months ago, and I don't think setting rain in the Water mirror is a great argument for Fisheous Rend's usefulness considering Dracovish gives Cloyster a free setup opportunity, Focus Sash or not. On top of that, Kyurem-B making waves on Dragon means that Dragon teams don't need Dracovish as much to threaten types like Fairy and Ground as much, leading it to being dropped more and more. Other types that Dracovish could capitalize on like Psychic and Dark both have had their changes; Psychic teams now have a Water resist in Celebi which forces Dracovish to pick between Fisheous Rend and Leech Life, and can always beat Dracovish with Gardevoir, while Dark teams have decreased in viability as a result of Pokemon like Keldeo, Jirachi, and Kyurem-B being released. I'm not convinced Dracovish should rise to the level of Noivern, who's useful utility as a Defogger finds itself a good place on many Dragon teams even post Home. In my opinion, both Dracovish and Dracozolt should stay at the same rank, as they're both more niche wallbreakers. Dracozolt has the downside of missing but can also make use of its Hustle boosted coverage moves to threaten types like Grass and Steel under a Substitute.

I disagree w/ C for Dracovish on Dragon. I have utilized it a few times myself and by coupling it with a Choice Band, it can OHKO some defensive Pokemon like Mandibuzz and Corviknight that prove problematic for Dragon. It can also deal major damage to Toxapex and if its slightly weakened (80% or less health) its able to take it in two hits. Cloyster setting up isn't really an issue because Scarf Dragapult or even Scarf Noivern revenges it, and even then, Cloyster ends setting up anyway because of Focus Sash, so it's not really Dracovish's fault there. Furthermore, the Dracozolt comparison isn't applicable here simply because Dracozolt has to rely on an inefficient ability in Hustle, which's pretty much the reason the Pokemon sits at C rank (also Dragon/Electric is an worse type than Dragon/Water for taking hits, meaning Dracozolt almost always needs the scarf). On the other hand, Dracovish has access to the much better Strong Jaw which enables it to boost Crunch and Psychic Fangs making it a worthwhile choice late game in some matchups (Psychic, Ghost, etc). Therefore, I believe B rank would be fine for the Pokemon as it can perform its wallbreaking role pretty well but its not that great to always find a spot on its teams, but at least its worthwhile enough to be accounted for.

 

[Fylkir Pudin]

Cloyster setting up isn't really an issue because Scarf Dragapult or even Scarf Noivern revenges it, and even then, Cloyster ends setting up anyway because of Focus Sash, so it's not really Dracovish's fault there.

Just a nitpick here but cloy usually runs ice shard on water which is a guaranteed OHKO on noivern and a 56% chance to OHKO pult if adamant (80% chance to OHKO if jolly after rocks). So they definitely do not reliably revenge kill cloyster

 

[Dragapult]

(Ghost) C --> B
Honestly think Chandelure's a really good option on Ghost teams at the moment because Steel is insanely good at the moment, and takes pressure off of Dragapult to take it on and even frees it to run Choice Scarf in some instances. Dragapult can't OHKO Melmetal either, which is problematic given Melmetal's nature as an insanely strong wallbreaker. Aside from that, Substitute gives you an easy out against Bisharp's Sucker Punch, which you can set against Ferrothorn in the matchup as well as forced switches, making it overall more reliable at dealing with Steel than Dragapult is. It's also good against Grass's defensive core, wheras Dragapult needs the Choice Specs power but gets played around by Protect scouting. I'd definitely push for Chandelure to be ranked higher because it's a particularly effective cteam to one of the best types in Steel, which is notable because I view Ghost to be a good anti metagame type with Dark being so bad. I would like to see more opinions on this but Chandelure to B is definitely something I personally support.

Going to +1 this. Chandelure is a no-brainer for B-Rank post-Home, especially given the emergence of Scarf Dragapult as the go-to on Ghost recently. Played correctly, the SubCM set is lethal in the current metagame, particularly against Steel, where coming in on Corviknight, Bisharp (Sucker Punch), and Ferrothorn grants you an opportunity to get behind a sub and demand your opponent volunteer a tribute. The most direct competition for a teamslot is Polteageist, which while providing better upside in the mirror and Water matchups, is extremely predictable and lacks similar utility against rival Substitutes, which have become a much bigger threat post-Home. Though it is worth noting that Chandelure is even weaker to hazards than is Polteageist, it also cares less a bit less about Sucker Punch. With regards to Grass, it is also important to note that the prevalence of Sun builds as that type's answer to the metagame means Chandelure becomes an immense threat, putting significant pressure on Appletun to carry the defensive burden. At minimum, I believe it is as good as Polteageist, if not better.

vs Grass
vs smub
vs Psychic
vs Steel

 

[Day Healer]

Dracovish (Dragon): C -> B

Going to throw my weight behind Havens and advocate for Dracovish's being moved to B rank. Regardless of its place being eroded post-Home, rain teams are everywhere, and even when they are not, the fact remains that Vish is a threat most defensive cores must be prepared for or risk being overrun by other threats once their wall has been brutalized by a (single) Fishious Rend. Short of burning it, Rend hits like a truck even under suboptimal conditions, and given the shortage of Water Absorb/Storm Drain/Dry Skin mons outside of Water itself, someone is going to pay each turn Dracovish is not dealt with. (Are we forgetting that even Ferrothorn can't switch in?)

Like Havens, RBG and Juleo said before me, I think too Dracovish is more B material on dragons. Banded adamant Dracovish is one of the most potent wallbreakers (arguably the most potent) right now on monotype, overshadowing powerhouses like Crawdaunt or Galar-darmanitan. Sure it needs the speed to trigger the double damage of Fishious Rend, but it have decently speed itself, just the right ammount to outspeed bulkymons like corviknight/primarina/mandibuzz.
Also its not outclassed for Kyurem-B, they do different things: Kyu is a setup sweeper while Vish is a wallbreaker, slaying walls for the rest of the team to finish the job. So while I agree dracovish isnt a defining mon, I think B rank is ok for him.

Flygon (Ground): C -> B

Specs Flygon is not great. That being said, it's necessary as the most versatile special attacker on Ground, commanding a critical role in the Steel matchup for its ability to cleanly OHKO Ferrothorn with Fire Blast, as well as exert pressure more generally given Steel's lack of switch-ins for powerful fire attacks. This aside it serves as an adequate offensive partner for Excadrill, pressuring threats Exca cannot hit while also serving as a safety valve for rival Ground and Fire attacks. Admittedly, it's a generally mediocre mon that exists to serve one niche and one niche only, but given the prevalence and importance of said role, I believe Flygon at least warrants discussion for inclusion in B.

Agreed with this as well. Sure Flygon is not the best, pretty sure in the future it will quickly be replaced with Garchomp or Landorus for all it matters. That said choice specs Flygon right now serves like the best special attacker grounds have (we could consider Seismitoad or Gastrodon, but they usually wants to invest on survability instead of offense given the lot of rain teams in the meta rn). It also pressures most steels with fire attacks, while being one of the few checks to corviknight for ground monos (coupled with knock off seismitoad) and give another neutrality to grass attacks to the team. For all these reasons I think Flygon deserves B rank.

(Ghost) C --> B
Honestly think Chandelure's a really good option on Ghost teams at the moment because Steel is insanely good at the moment, and takes pressure off of Dragapult to take it on and even frees it to run Choice Scarf in some instances. Dragapult can't OHKO Melmetal either, which is problematic given Melmetal's nature as an insanely strong wallbreaker. Aside from that, Substitute gives you an easy out against Bisharp's Sucker Punch, which you can set against Ferrothorn in the matchup as well as forced switches, making it overall more reliable at dealing with Steel than Dragapult is. It's also good against Grass's defensive core, wheras Dragapult needs the Choice Specs power but gets played around by Protect scouting. I'd definitely push for Chandelure to be ranked higher because it's a particularly effective cteam to one of the best types in Steel, which is notable because I view Ghost to be a good anti metagame type with Dark being so bad. I would like to see more opinions on this but Chandelure to B is definitely something I personally support.

I agree with this, I have seen some Sub Chandelures on ladder and I can confirm is a potent set, specially with the popularity of steel teams in the metagame rn, plus it naturally force switches, given the time to setup substitute. It deserves the B rank more than the inconsistent Polteageist, so yeah give Chandy B rank. :3

 

[memomiguel]

(Electric) C --> B

Set Discussed

Vikavolt @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Roost
- Volt Switch
- Energy Ball
- Bug Buzz

So ill start by saying why I believe vikavolt has been placed in C, that being for Galvantula sharing a similar role with him for setting up sticky webs, at which alone Galvantalua is slightly better due to being faster, while Vikavolt offers some bulk and a lot more of Special Attack, however there is a role that Vikavolt performs a lot better and that is very well apreciated by any electric team, lets talk about Excadrill, a mold breaker Excadrill, currently electric has no way of switching into this, Excadrill can always clic Earthquake and something dies, that is until you meet Vikavolt, who opens up the posibility of having a pokemon that can reliably switch into him and stay to fight it which makes a huge difference from when we had to give up a mon to then trow something to check it offensively like an Alolan Raichu if terrain is active, Vikavolt can make sure nobody dies on that turn and thus giving us more oportunities for the more offensive checks to sweep later in the game istead of getting worn out so quickly, it also offers a lot of help against teams with strong physical attckers such as ground, ice, ghost and dark mostly, capable of taking hits from pokemon at +2 attack in the vast mayority of cases.

Overall I believe Vikavolt should be taken a look at while also being able to perform this role as a bulky pivot

 

[kiru]

Shiftry C->B (Grass)
Shiftry deserves to be in a higher ranking than Decidueye, Ludicolo, and Roserade because it fits in with Sun Grass; it helps out with Psychic and Ghost while defeating Walls like Mew or Corsola-Galar with its Substitute Sword Dance set. Running Venusaur, Celebi, Appletun, Ferrothorn, and Whimsicott, you don't have much coverage to beat those types.

Rillaboom B->C (Grass)
Sun Grass is now a thing and it helps a lot vs steel and beating Corviknight. Rillaboom is most definitely not a B after Post-Home and I personally feel Venusaur AND Shiftry outclass it.

Ludicolo C-> D (Grass)
Ludicolo does not have much use on Grass, and I don't feel like it should even be ranked under a C. I guess people could run some Rain Dance set with Rillaboom OR used to run it. If there was a rank between C & D I'll put it there.

[Piloswine C & Mr.Mime Galar B Spot Exchange] (Ice)
Piloswine plays a nice role in providing Stealth Rock and Thick Fat. Mr.Mime does not play a "staple" type role on Ice- it spins, gains speed, and I guess potentially sweep Poison. I don't feel like it is in equal importance to Weavile which helps a lot vs Psychic and Ghost.

Malamar Unranked-> D (Psychic)
Malamar is not the best Pokemon to run on Psychic, but it is most definitely usable. RestTalk Superpower & Knock is a Set I run with Full SpD. I used it over Gallade because it provides STAB and helps with the Dark & Ghost matchup. I would say it is on the same level as Gallade...

Chandelure C-> B (Ghost)
Chandelure is a really good option for Ghost teams and it generally runs Infiltrator to beat Substitute-sets, Bisharp-Substitute in particular. Chandelure is a very pressuring Pokemon for Steel, especially Chandelure & Bisharp one on one because Sucker Punch would be the "easy" way of KOing a Chandelure; but Chandelure using substitute applies even more pressure using a substitute. I just feel the role of Chandelure is greater than Poltergeist and Sableye at the moment, or on the same level.

Bewear D->C (Normal)
I don't feel like Bewear is nowhere near a D on Normal. I don't feel like it is beneath Braviary as well, the set that it normally runs: Bulk Up, Sub, Darkest Lariat, Drain Punch helps out with Pokemon like Bisharp, Mandibuzz, Corsola-Galar, Ferrothorn and has HUGE potential in running through Steel. It cannot break Mew or Toxapex- but neither can Snorlax. The role of Bewear is definitely higher than Indeedee-F and Unfezant.

 

[Robot7620]

I noticed melmetal is still on here even though it was banned

 

[Conflux]

I noticed melmetal is still on here even though it was banned

Melmetal was just banned, the VR council will update the rankings within the next 2 weeks. This won't include just removing Melmetal, there's most likely going to be other changes as well.

 

[mushamu]

First and foremost, Eien has stepped away from Monotype as well as the VR Council. Thank him for all effort he's put into Monotype in general, including this valuable resource.

Anyways, here are the changes with explanation included. Feel free to PM a VR Council member if you have any questions!

Changes

Bug

B -> C

C -> B

D -> C

Dark

D -> B

Dragon

C -> D

Fire

D -> C

Flying

B -> C

Ghost

A -> B

B -> C

B -> C

C -> B

Grass

B -> C

C -> D

C -> B

Ground

C -> B

Ice

B -> C

Normal

D -> C

Steel

A -> UR

C -> B

Water

B -> C

C -> B

D -> UR

Explanations

Bug

It's hard to justify using Orbeetle at the moment on Bug, and it doesn't hold up to Crustle (and Centiskorch) in terms of viability. Therefore, it should drop to C.

Centiskorch gives Bug a nice Fire immunity, as well as giving the type a shot in the Steel matchup. Although it isn't extremely reliable at beating Steel, both of these traits are enough for it to rise to B.

Frosmoth is a cool option that can sweep in matchups such as Ground and Dragon using its combination of Ice Scales and Quiver Dance, giving it a spot over Vikavolt which is hard to fit with Galvantula being present.

Dark

Incineroar is a good option against types like Steel and Fairy and rises to B because of that.

Dragon

Seeing as Dracovish shouldn't frankly be on the same rank as Noivern, who is the go-to Defogger on Dragon teams, Dracozolt should drop a rank to D alongside Haxorus and Kyurem. It's hard to justify using Dracozolt in this metagame because there are a lot of better options for wallbreaking, and Dracovish is a bit better than it because it isn't reliant on Hustle.

Fire

Incineroar rises a rank on Fire because of its access to Dark STAB in Knock Off, Dark typing, Intimidate, making way for some cool sets and isn't on the level of Coalossal.

Flying

Rain Flying doesn't have enough merit for Pelipper to stay at B, so it drops a rank.

Ghost

Galarian Corsola is Ghost's best Stealth Rock setter, a nice wall, but falls short compared to Gengar and Aegislash. Therefore, it moves down a rank.

Polteageist is rather unreliable at sweeping in a post Dynamax metagame, so it drops a rank to C.

Although it is a nice stallbreaker, Sableye isn't as good as Galarian Corsola or Chandelure, so it drops a rank.

Rising in popularity, Chandelure is a good option on Ghost teams because of its ability to take advantage of Steel teams pretty well using Substitute and its Fire STAB. Substitute lets it take advantage of Ferrothorn, Aegislash, and Bisharp, while it's also nice in other matchups such as Psychic, Grass, and Poison because of its ability to set up and break with Calm Mind.

Grass

Rillaboom has fallen off since the start of SS because of Virizion's release. Virizion's generally a better Choice Scarf user on Grass because of its Speed tier, which allows it to revenge kill huge threats to the type like Choice Scarf Charizard, Choice Scarf Darmanitan, and Kyurem-B after a Dragon Dance boost. Rillaboom is still viable because of its access to Knock Off, U-turn, and power, but the metagame favors Virizion at the moment because of its Speed.

Not much reason to use Ludicolo on Grass at the moment, so it drops to D.

Shiftry's great against matchups such as Ghost and Psychic because of its Dark STAB, and gets valuable priority in Sucker Punch which is especially nice for revenge killing Dragapult on teams lacking Appletun. With Sun Grass being great at the moment, Shiftry should rise as one of the best abusers of Sun.

Ground

Flygon rising is reasonable as it is a decent Special Attacker that can also revenge kill a huge threat in Kyurem-B after a Dragon Dance boost if it is holding a Choice Scarf.

Ice

Galarian Mr. Mime has struggled as a Rapid Spin user because of Avalugg becoming much more reliable as a result of getting Sturdy back. Screen Cleaner is also counterproductive now, seeing as they remove Alolan Ninetales's Aurora Veil, and it isn't as good as Weavile.

Normal

Bewear is a nice option to take advantage of the Steel and Dark matchups using Bulk Up, so it rises a rank as a result of being better than more niche Pokemon in Indeedee-F and Unfeazent.

Steel

Melmetal got banned in the recent suspect test, so it will be unranked.

Bisharp is a really nice option for Steel teams because of its access to Knock Off, priority in Sucker Punch and its ability to punish Defoggers that try to remove layers of Spikes and Stealth Rock with Defiant.

Water

Although it is great in the Dragon matchup, Primarina's a rather niche option on Water compared to the B ranks as it isn't significant in a lot of other matchups.

Sticky Web Water is becoming popular in a metagame where offense is the premier playstyle for many teams. Being able to slow down the opposing team is a nice advantage to have, and Araquanid is the main setter of Sticky Web on Water teams.

There's not a good reason to use Ludicolo as a Swift Swim user over Water's other options.

Last but not least, here are the discussion topics we'd like some input on this time around:

Seismitoad (Ground)
Toxapex (Water)
Incineroar (Fire)
Drapion (Dark)

Happy posting!

 

[mushamu]

In other news, welcome Harpp to the VR Council!

 

[kiru]

Rapidash Unranked -> D (Fairy)
Okay, out of these 3 Pokemon, this one probably won't make it. To be fair, Galarian Weezing and Whimsicott barely have any use on Fairy. While Rapidash basically ignores Toxic Spikes and can sweep Poison after +2 with Screens Support. (Psychic/Fairy STAB + Ground Coverage)

Xatu Unranked -> C (Psychic)
Hello! I have been playing around with Xatu on Psychic and it has been doing quite well-supporting setup Mew. Screens and Thunder Wave are support moves while Teleport sends in the next Pokemon unharmed. I feel like this deserves to be a C because of Galarian Mr.Mime and Orbeetle the Screens/Webs setter is a C on Psychic.

Meowstic Unranked -> D (Psychic)
Meowstic is being slightly used with Light Screen and Reflect and supports setup sweepers like Hatterne or Mew with additional supporting moves like Yawn, which particularly forces sweepers out and Psychic/Thunder Wave being the filler moves. Very similar role to Xatu.

 

[Havens]

Some quick nominations for ya'll in a few sentences or less:

Heliolisk (Normal): C -> B With Water being so good and Heliolisk outspeeding the majority of them without Rain (Keldeo included) while Dry Skin gives it extra survivability in rain, it definitely is a cut above everything in it's rank.

Snorlax (Normal): B -> A Even with Chansey returning in the near future, Snorlax's amazing bulk has made it a premier tank and breaker on various ends of the spectrum. It's the fattest thing on the SpDef side, and its bulk being able to take on the likes of Pult, Specs Aegi, CM Rachi, Nasty Plot Rotom's and so forth is a necessity that not many Normal teams can afford to pass up.

Aegislash (Steel and Ghost): A -> S It's become very obvious to me these past weeks in a post-Melmetal world that this is a top tier threat that should not be taken lightly; needless to say it's one of if not the best Pokemon in Monotype. The variability of its viable sets are also incredibly effective even when it comes to niche strategies/items such as Autotomize or Weakness Policy, making it splashable for its types, easy to use, and difficult to combat at team preview. Even when at a type disadvantage, there is never a scenario where this Pokemon is deemed useless or unimportant, and can sway momentum of a match easily given the correct set.

Incineroar (Fire): C -> B When it comes to Fire, Incineroar strikes me as the better of Fire's Intimidate users. While Arcanine may have a better offensive movepool and Morning Sun to recover, the utility that Incineroar provides between Parting Shot Pivoting, Knock Off, and even bulky setup when combined with Power Trip is much better in many regards. With Psychic teams rising in popularity and viability as well, Incineroar fits right in as a solid pressure and check to them, alongside a check to terrifying Ghost-types like Aegislash and Dragapult.

Arcanine (Fire): B -> C For many of the reasons listed above for Incineroar are reasons why Arcanine should drop. Defensively its outclassed by Incineroar, while its physical wallbreaking prowess is easily outdone by Darmanitan.

 

[ImperialGamer517]

Some quick nominations (pls respect my opinion)

(Fire) C -> B I nominated Chandelure for B rank because of its high Special Attack. It is also able to beat the Water-types other Fire-types can’t, such as Seismitoad and Gastrodon thanks to Energy Ball.

B -> A Get this broken Pokémon out of here, and ban Arena Trap. This Pokémon is literally broken, just like the previously mentioned Melmetal.

D -> C I nominated Sirfetch’d only for one reason: Scrappy. This allows Fighting-type teams to have a better matchup against Ghost-type teams, especially Aegislash and Froslass.

(Water) A -> S I have seen on the other types’ teams, such as Fire, Ice, and Ground, that the weather setters are always on S-tier. I believe it is necessary for Pelipper to be S-tier since it is a staple on Water-type teams due to its ability to set up Rain.

(Electric) B -> A I believe Rotom-C should be an A-tier Pokemon, since it is one of the only viable Electric-type Pokémon that has a neutrality to Ground.

(Fire) C -> B This is one of the best utility Pokémon Fire-type teams have to offer.

(Steel) B -> A Excadrill helps improve Steel teams’ matchup against Fire due to its powerful STAB Earthquake and Mold Breaker.

(Ghost) A -> S Yes, I’m officially joining the bandwagon to make Aegislash S-tier. The reason for this is because Aegislash is a powerful wallbreaker and revenge killer thanks to its high SpA and access to priority moves like Shadow Sneak.

(Rock) A -> S Same reason with Pelipper

(Ice) B -> A Weavile makes for a decent part on Ice-type teams due to its high Physical Attack and access to priority.

 

[Fírnen]

Some quick nominations (pls respect my opinion)

View attachment 241163 (Fire) C -> B I nominated Chandelure for B rank because of its high Special Attack. It is also able to beat the Water-types other Fire-types can’t, such as Seismitoad and Gastrodon.

View attachment 241164 B -> A Get this broken Pokémon out of here, and ban Arena Trap. This Pokémon is literally broken, just like the previously mentioned Melmetal.

View attachment 241165 D -> C I nominated Sirfetch’d only for one reason: Scrappy. This allows Fighting-type teams to have a better matchup against Ghost-type teams, especially Aegislash and Froslass.

View attachment 241167 (Water) A -> S I have seen on the other types’ teams, such as Fire, Ice, and Ground, that the weather setters are always on S-tier. I believe it is necessary for Pelipper to be S-tier since it is a staple on Water-type teams due to its ability to set up Rain.

View attachment 241168 (Electric) B -> A I believe Rotom-C should be an A-tier Pokemon, since it is one of the only viable Electric-type Pokémon that has a neutrality to Ground.

View attachment 241169 (Fire) C -> B This is one of the best utility Pokémon Fire-type teams have to offer.

View attachment 241178 (Steel) B -> A Excadrill helps improve Steel teams’ matchup against Fire due to its powerful STAB Earthquake and Mold Breaker.

View attachment 241179 (Ghost) A -> S Yes, I’m officially joining the bandwagon to make Aegislash S-tier. The reason for this is because Aegislash is a powerful wallbreaker and revenge killer thanks to its high SpA and access to priority moves like Shadow Sneak.

View attachment 241180 (Rock) A -> S Same reason with Pelipper

View attachment 241181 (Ice) B -> A Weavile makes for a decent part on Ice-type teams due to its high Physical Attack and access to priority.

I agree with some of ur nominations (Pelipper/Tyranitar, Aegislash, Incineroar, Weavile (but not because of what u said but because it's really helpfull to not be sweep by Jirachi Flinch Iron Head Scarf)).
BUT:

• Chandelure in Fire type: The thing is Chandelure is outclassed by Charizard Scarf Solar Power As Scarf under the sun.

Calculs

Just pick randomly a really good Pokemon in this meta to have a comparaison concerning the power:
252 SpA Chandelure Fire Blast vs. 64 HP / 0 SpD Kyurem-Black in Sun: 321-378 (78.8 - 92.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Solar Power Charizard Fire Blast vs. 64 HP / 0 SpD Kyurem-Black in Sun: 390-460 (95.8 - 113%) -- 75% chance to OHKO after Leftovers recovery

Chandelure scarf is outspeeded by Excadrill Scarf (not Charizard) and others dangerous scarf: Duraludon, Hydreigon,Haxorus, Darmanitan-galar,...
Kyurem-B next one DD is another example.
So, pointing scarf is useless, others alternative are Specs or Sub boots, which I don't see fit well in a Fire team with the fact 80speed isn't enough and it's revengekilled most of the time.
These things makes Chandelure well as C Rank.

• Dugtrio Arena Trap doesn't have really the same impact than in no mono tier, which make a huge difference.

• Sirfetch’d : Scrappy is really helpfull, u can hit Ghost type, u can defog and First Impression as well, indeed, but Pangoro have a resistance to ghost type and immunity to Psychic spam in addition of hit Ghost too. Which make both at the same rank I guess.

• Rotom-Mow: It isn't the only viable Pokemon in Electric type to be neutral to ground (mold breaker). Vikavolt boot is a safe switch to Excadrill Scarf too and others EQ moves.

Calculs

252 Atk Mold Breaker Excadrill Earthquake vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Rotom-Mow: 117-138 (38.6 - 45.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 Atk Mold Breaker Excadrill Earthquake vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Vikavolt: 130-154 (36.4 - 43.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
(PS: Rock Slide does the same damage than EQ on Vikavolt).

So, what gives Rotom-M more? Water resistance ? U can have Iguolta doing that better.
The Sub NP set looks like the best thing to it but it doesn't have same impact than Raichu-A Surge Surfer or Rotom-Heat.
But imo, has the same impact than Galvantula.

 

[ImperialGamer517]

I agree with some of ur nominations (Pelipper/Tyranitar, Aegislash, Incineroar, Weavile (but not because of what u said but because it's really helpfull to not be sweep by Jirachi Flinch Iron Head Scarf)).
BUT:

• Chandelure in Fire type: The thing is Chandelure is outclassed by Charizard Scarf Solar Power As Scarf under the sun.

Calculs

Just pick randomly a really good Pokemon in this meta to have a comparaison concerning the power:
252 SpA Chandelure Fire Blast vs. 64 HP / 0 SpD Kyurem-Black in Sun: 321-378 (78.8 - 92.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Solar Power Charizard Fire Blast vs. 64 HP / 0 SpD Kyurem-Black in Sun: 390-460 (95.8 - 113%) -- 75% chance to OHKO after Leftovers recovery

Chandelure scarf is outspeeded by Excadrill Scarf (not Charizard) and others dangerous scarf: Duraludon, Hydreigon,Haxorus, Darmanitan-galar,...
Kyurem-B next one DD is another example.
So, pointing scarf is useless, others alternative are Specs or Sub boots, which I don't see fit well in a Fire team with the fact 80speed isn't enough and it's revengekilled most of the time.
These things makes Chandelure well as C Rank.

• Dugtrio Arena Trap doesn't have really the same impact than in no mono tier, which make a huge difference.

• Sirfetch’d : Scrappy is really helpfull, u can hit Ghost type, u can defog and First Impression as well, indeed, but Pangoro have a resistance to ghost type and immunity to Psychic spam in addition of hit Ghost too. Which make both at the same rank I guess.

• Rotom-Mow: It isn't the only viable Pokemon in Electric type to be neutral to ground (mold breaker). Vikavolt boot is a safe switch to Excadrill Scarf too and others EQ moves.

Calculs

252 Atk Mold Breaker Excadrill Earthquake vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Rotom-Mow: 117-138 (38.6 - 45.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 Atk Mold Breaker Excadrill Earthquake vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Vikavolt: 130-154 (36.4 - 43.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
(PS: Rock Slide does the same damage than EQ on Vikavolt).

So, what gives Rotom-M more? Water resistance ? U can have Iguolta doing that better.
The Sub NP set looks like the best thing to it but it doesn't have same impact than Raichu-A Surge Surfer or Rotom-Heat.
But imo, has the same impact than Galvantula.

I’m not saying that Chandelure is better than Charizard. I’m saying is that it has a viable niche in Fire-type teams due to its access to Energy Ball, which can OHKO Water-types that normal Fire-types like Charizard cannot hit, such as Toad and Gastrodon. For Rotom-C, I did not say that it is the only one with a Ground-type neutrality. I said “one of the only”, meaning that it isn’t the only one.

 

[GuzzlesOwO]

Eldegoss: Unranked —> D
Hi! So I saw the viability rankings for grass was missing Eldegoss, and I think that Eldegoss deserves at least D. It does well as a Special Wall with Cotton Guard to boost it’s (still decent) Physical Defense. It also has the Regenerator ability as well as Synthesis and Leech Seed for recovery and stall with continuous damage, it also gets Sleep Powder which can be a hindrance to opposing Pokemon. Therefore I think it should have the D ranking.