from A to A+: The bird is, in fact, the word in SS OU. For those who do not get the song or Family Guy reference, tough luck -- this will be your zoomer tax for the update. Social commentary aside, Corviknight's rise to prominence as a Defogger is a movie we have seen before. During the earlier stages of SS OU, Corviknight was seen as close to a metagame staple; we are not necessarily there yet, but Corviknight is still far-and-away the most consistent Defog user. This has had rippling effects on the metagame, too, such as the rise of Magnezone and Fire Fang Garchomp arguably, but despite these adaptations, Corviknight has found its way onto many a team. The sheer role compression of checking Rillaboom, offensive Ground types, and many other physical attackers while boasting the famous Skarmory typing goes such a long way for it as a defensive presence alone. However, add the combination of Pressure and Defog or even Bulk Up and you have one of the tier's best options. We have even seen an uptick in Iron Defense to combat physical sweepers. Overall, Corviknight has overtaken Mandibuzz with ease and provides a practical presence that fits onto many teams despite its largely defensive nature. 
from A to A+: In a tier where Regenerator loop switching, Defog PP whittling, and Magic Guard status soaking are strategies frequented by the playerbase, dramatic, offensive alternatives with convenient applications can be at a premium for certain team structures. In comes Specs Dragapult, which can function as both a breaker and revenge killer. While it lacks the muscle to break through specially Defensive Clefable or Toxapex, it can still force their hands very well. Beyond Choice Specs, the traditional Heavy Duty Boots pivot Dragapult sets also excel, functioning as a blazing fast pivot and potential late-game cleaner. Shortcomings of Dragapult exist such as being fragile and having unremarkable base special attack, but despite this, Dragapult's offense and utility combine well enough to take the speed control metagame by storm. Dragapult's ultimate rise is a clear signal of its improving status in the metagame through higher usage and more applications in teambuilding. 
from A to A+: The King himself has climbed up from the depths of Underused, shackled to the lower tier label, all the way to the top of castle Overused. Slowking has successfully claimed itself a spot in A+ as one of the 10 best Pokemon to roam free in OU for the first time ever. For those reading this wondering why Slowking has suddenly become a mainstream OU option rather than an NU dweller, the short, obvious answer is the correct one: Teleport and Heavy Duty Boots work wonders when paired with Regenerator. Of course, competition within the family previously held back Slowking, but this competition grew much more favorable for our not-so-agile protagonist with recent metagame shifts. Slowbro was great for covering Cinderace and blanking Pokemon like Barraskewda in Rain or Excadrill in Sand, but Cinderace is long gone and the latter two (and various other Slowbro victims) have subsequently struggled to retain the same levels of viability since the quickbans. Enter: Slowking. With superb special defense and an identical movepool, Slowking's niche surpassed that of Slowbro when encountering an onsalought of Heatran, Tapu Lele, Tornadus-Therian, and Nidoking. Slowking's role is virtually the same as Slowbro's, but flipped to being specially defensive rather than physically. Future Sight cores are as strong as ever, but they are defined far more by OU's newest King rather than it's long-time brother, leading us to this ranking. 
from A- to A: In a metagame defined by great walls and unprecedented power creep, the Pokemon designed after a glorified paper clip with a golden-yellow mustache that only a mother could love would naturally thrive. Paper clip or not, Kartana hits harder than virtually any Pokemon due to its magnificent base attack and options like STAB Leaf Blade and boosted Knock Off. When utilized with Swords Dance, few things can actually check it and virtually none can counter it. Kartana is held back by a speed tier that gets overwhelmed by the abundance of Tornadus-Therian and its horrnedous special bulk, but it still rose, dismaying the owner of the first ever Smogon Anti-Kartana Viability chapter, Thunder Pwoell. With Cinderace and Magearna banned coupled with an uptick in Pokemon like Slowking and Rotom-Wash, Kartana has been beasting through SS OU with many boosts under its belt. Swords Dance Life Orb sets are superb, but even Choice Band and Choice Scarf hold their (admittedly light) weight as well. 
from A- to A: Tapu Lele may be one Expanding Force away from being left off this list due to a prompt assignment to Ubers, but it is not in need of any new toys to hang around OU as a very threatening offensive presence. Tapu Lele's reputation as being a demanding specially offensive punisher has been reached for yet another generation. A slight power decrease and the loss of Z moves hurt, but with some time and favorable bans, Tapu Lele surged in viability, spamming Psychic to the top. Choice Specs Tapu Lele increased greatly in viability with the ban of one revenge killer and another defensive response in Cinderace and Magearna respectively, but other varints such as Calm Mind also maintain strong levels of viability, cementing Tapu Lele as an A tier threat right now. 
from A- to A: The stealth Electric cat went from being an absolute animal in DLC1 to being a UU Pokemon, but a shocking revelation that clicking Knock Off on Leftovers Landorus-Therian opened games wide open for Zeraora teams saved it once more. While Zeraora faces a number of strong roadblocks, it is able to wear things out, revenge kill many offensive threats, and gain momentum while incurring minimal risk thanks to Volt Switch and Heavy Duty Boots. Zeraora is on its way to make another big name for itself in the OU metagame this generation.
from B+ to A-: Dragonite's multi-generational affair with mediocrity culminated with some flirting with fresh faces; it turns out that a fancy new pair of boots can make this Dragon as attractive as ever to a metagame with plenty of love to go around. With the combination of Heavy Duty Boots and Multiscale, Dragonite has become a defensive standout while still boasting a unique brand of offensive versatility. Initially, Dragonite's viability was largely seen as a reactionary measure to Cinderace's presence in the metagame as Dragonite kept it in check. However, Dragonite proved that was not the case by seeing even more usage in tournaments like SPL as the metagame progressed beyond that point. Be it with a durable Dragon Dance set that gives teambuilders nightmares or with a utility set that can cover whatever you need in a pinch, Dragonite has found itself splashed onto many teams -- certainly enough to reside within the A subranks at A-. 
from B+ to A-: Melmetal's journey to and through SS OU has been one of the more bizarre metagame storylines to follow, but we have reached a point where it is settling down as a good, but not metagame defining, option. Protective Pads, Choice Band, and Leftovers sets have all seen consistent usage on everyone's favorite metal man recently. it does not quite stand out in any one fashion, but Melmetal's ability to tank hits and dish out massive damage makes up for the lack of distinguished role in the current metagame. This lands it squarely in the middle of A-, but with room to move up once more if given the chance. 
from B+ to A-: As we saw last update, Kyurem skyrocketed in usage and viability in response to the bans of Magearna and Cinderace. Scizor saw this and rose up to a similar fashion. Scizor is not necessarily a dynamic breaker on most teams it is used on, but rather a defensive pivot with good enough offensive utility to justify giving up a team slot on your bulky-offense and balance builds. Scizor's defensive typing allows for a great deal of favorable match-ups, solidifying it in A- for the time being. 
from B+ to A-: 
from B to A-: Four Steels in a row must mean something, right? No actually, this is entirely random. However, Magnezone's pull is far from random, trapping opposing Steels with ease. With the Body Press set making rounds once more, Magnezone has gained the ability to threaten many would-be checks and also trap Ferrothorn. This set is also less passive and one dimensional as a hole, giving Magnezone a new lease on life in the metagame. Of course, normal suspects such as Corviknight and Skarmory are easy traps for Magnezone as well, which is one of the biggest selling points. With Magnet Pull trapping being effective and Magnezone seeing consistent usage, it belongs with A-, where it gets the nod to rise up to. 
from B to A-: Seeing Volcarona do neutral damage with Fire STAB on Flame Body Heatran is my favorite interaction ever, but it also sums up the general idea behind it increasing in viability. Try out Volcarona while people are dismissing it and it may pay off later with a devastating sweep. 
from B to A-: One of the two Dark types that has shot up a lot in usage without much warning. Regardless of specific reasons, Weavile has become a consistent offensive threat in the metagame. New tools like Heavy Duty Boots and Triple Axel combine with old tools like Choice Band and boosted Knock off to help solidify Weavile right now. Very few Pokemon enjoy stomaching the dual STABs from Weavile and those Pokemon do not even appreciate losing their item, which makes Weavile particularly threatening and warrantrs a big raise up to A- as it is a trendy pick. 
from B- to A-: It turns out that you did not need Rain to make this bad boy work. Urshifu-Rapid surging soaked opposing teams that were unprepared. With likely Future Sight support, Urshifu-Rapid quickly became one of the better breakers out there. One can only wonder what it will do moving forward, but for now we will slot it in A- alongsdide fellow splashy breakers to see what stricks and what does not. 
from B to B+: The Washing Machine has been putting in the spins, cycling through the metagame with lots of momentum and status spread throughout it. Rotom-W is a great pivot in a metagame infested by Tornadus-T. While it is still not at its peak from prior generations, Rotom-Wash is impvoing and this is perhaps the first step in a longer increase in overall viability. 
from B- to B: Occasional sightings of offensive Buzzwole that can still check Rillaboom, Kartana, and Grounds have salvaged its OU viability for the time being. This is not a huge endorsement for it, but there is enough usage to warrant a slight rise to B for now instead of bottoming out. 
from C+ to B-: Anyone recall last generation when I used updates to share my vendetta against the clown? Me too, it was a fun time. 
from C- to B-: Substitute + Calm Mind Primarina had another coming out party, which left the metagame on watch. A full rank up for the stealth, former starter that is keeping it fresh in OU. Primarina is a bit of a match-up fish without a doubt, but it can be a very calculated one depending on the speciifc circumstances. 
from C- to C: I have minimal experience with Arctozolt, but I hear that it is pretty good on Hail teams with the right support, so give that a go. Or don't...I cannot control you people. All I can say is it is slightly better than the worst viable Pokemon you can do as it is now C rank, so knock yourself out. 
from C- to C: Shell Smash Cloyster turning games into weighted coin flips is not particularly enjoyable, but it is efficient enough to remain viable and move up to the part of the lower barel that is not entirely scraping the bottom, which is promising for right now.
rose due to the prominence of the Iron Defense + Body Press set as an effective Spike setter, physical wall, and anti-HO option. It is able to handle Pokemon like Rillaboom, Dragonite, Kartana, Garchomp, Melmetal, Excadrill, Bisharp, and Weavile depending on the circumstances, granting it a great deal of viability. As reflected in the last post (minus the explanation), Skarmory is now A-.
in last post. Much like Weavile, Bisharp enjoyed the revitalization of offensive Dark types in a metagame still evolving past Magearna. While Bisharp's potent Swords Dance set remained a constant, the Choice Band variant was an up-and-comer that prompted this development. Bisharp is now A- rather than C rank.
from A to A-: The bird seems to no longer be the word, unfortunately. Zapdos is still an effective Defogger with a good offensive and defensive presence, but the abundance of Knock Off is a limiting factor that continues to plague it. This coupled with Heatran, Garchomp, Tyranitar, and Trick Clefable matching up well as Stealth Rock setters does not bode super well for Zapdos.
from A to B+: Slowbro was a victim of the uptick in Slowking usage. The Zamazenta-Crowned metagame is much more friendly to it at least, but this is reflective of the official metagame rather than the restest tier, so it resides in B+ for the time being. While still being a very viable option that does well against physical attackers throughout the metagame, the lesser match-up against Tornadus-Therian, Nidoking, and Heatran oftentimes leaves it a bit less practical than Slowking in the Pokemon's most slow-paced race to the top of the OU metagame.
from A- to B+: Blissey is still able to function as a specially defensive pivot, but the metagame has been physically heavy as of late. And a handful of special attackers can potentially deter it such as TauntMagma Heatran, Psyshock Tapu Lele, and Calm Mind Clefable. All things considered, Blissey is just a tad less convenient, leading to a slight drop.
from A- to B+: With Sand seeing slightly stagnant usage and other Steel types that can actually check things beyond CM+Electric Clefable being mandatory on some builds, Excadrill has been brought down a peg. It is still a threat on the offensive end, but Corviknight and Skarmory are great currently. There is just less room for everyone's favorite mole.
from A- to B+: The surprise rise of the early stages has continued to fall off recently, seeing much less usage than the regular Slowfamily members. Slowking-Galar still has a unique blend of offensive presence and specially defensive pivoting capabilities, but this is not enough to justify it outside of a handful of specific builds right now.
from A- to B+: The weather inducing dinosaur that once ruled the land of competitive Pokemon has seen better days, now falling out of the A ranks one more during the same generation it dipped into UU at a point. Tyranitar's fall from grace has been a quiet, but sad, turn of events. This metagame is not even particularly bad for it, but it absolutely is not as kind to it as generations with Pursuit or permanent Sand being around. Tyranitar is still a strong special wall with offensive options and good utility, but it can only find its way on to so many teams.
from B+ to B-: Droppin' Dracos is pretty hard when Fairy and Steel types reign supreme I reckon. Latios has little-to-no defensive merit and fails to stand out offensively, making it a very mediocre option. We already saw it drop to UU via usage before a prompt ban from that metagame; needless to say, Latios is bottoming out and deserves the quick drop.
from B to B-: With an abundance of other viable Grass types and another pair of superior Poison types on the defensive end with Regenerator, rarely is there room for Amoonguss to find its way on to teams. Moreover, it continues to descend down the ranks, falling down to B- for the time being.
from B to B-: The versatility of Kommo-O is promising until you notice that not any set is particularly viable right now, leading it in to an awkward fringe territory that is hard to recover from for the time being.
from B to B-: While the Substitute + Roost set saw some recent usage, Moltres still has faded away as a Defogger and holds on to minimal overall usage. B- is still plenty viable, but Moltres will need to prove it is worth bringing more in order to retain a higher ranking. As it stands, there is just not much going on to discuss on this front, hence a slight drop off.
from B to B-: He falls down to B-, too. While it can soft check Dragapult and function well on hyper offense, Moltres-Galar is both limited and Hurricane reliant, making it a less appealing option than other Dark types usually.
from B to B-: Zarude has seen better days, oftentimes losing sweeping options to U-turn spam, Iron Defense Steel/Flying types, and the abundance of Flying types like Tornadus-Therian and Zapdos that roam free higher on the VR.
from B to C: This Pokemon has always been bad, but people are finally realizing it now.
from B- to C+: Rain is still alright, but Kingdra is less and less common on this archetype, which is the only reason to make use of it currently.
from B- to C: Hatterene showed great potential earlier in the generation, but it has never stuck since DLC2, facing stiff competition from other Fairy types and struggling to find any room in a metagame filled with Heatran, Melmetal, and overwhelming attackers. In addition, Psychic types not named Slowbro/Slowking are oftentimes left out in the current tier when they are not stone-cold killers like Tapu Lele.
from B- to C: Nidoking is almost entirely in the shadow of it's more offensive counterpart, Nidoking. The bulk trade-off simply is not worth it given how necessary the extra breaking power currently is.
from C+ to C: Celesteela already fell off starting during the later stages of last generation. It picked up where it left off here, seeing virtually no usage in OU and ultimately falling to C. No sets stand out and no common teams make use of Celesteela, which faces strong competition from fellow Steel types, including Skarmory and Corviknight which offer greater utility with the same typing.
from C+ to C: Shuckle was C+? News to me. Down we go!
from C to C-: As a second rate screen setter, Grimmsnarl is lagging behind in viability right now. Perhaps being saved by sponging Dragapult, Grimmsnarl has few other redeeming qualities for the time being.
from C to C-: The lack of recovery has plagued the team player cat all generation, finding usage only as a Ghost resistant pivot. Lacking offensive breaking power in this metagame and durability is a tough combination for a Pokemon that is already quite slow sadly.
from C to C-: Disguising itself as a viable option for many months, Mimikyu is finally on its way down, retreating to the abyss of lower tiers and fringe territory where it belongs given how weak it is for OU standards. An amazing ability is sadly wasted given the lack of offensive consistency from Mimikyu.
from C to C-: Prankster and a promising speed tier help Thundurus, but the lack of HP Ice still bothers it greatly. In a metagame filled with Ground types, there is very little room for Thundurus to function offensively, which is just about all it has going for it to begin with sadly.
from C to C-: One of the surprising winners of the DLC1 metagame has fallen off entirely in a metagame filled with Heatran, Ground types, and Future Sight that will likely never open the door back up for it moving forward.
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, 
, & 
from C to UR: We ranked them at one point. I cannot recall why, but they are no longer ranked. Good bye!
Nah, was talking about how Zamazenta-C was about to make Weav/Bish hard drop VR wise. But I agree with what you're saying, Weavile definitely deserves A at the very least, in my opinion.
i agree with the victini nomination, but i really dont think that gengar is a mon that should be B+, first of all its speed tier is pretty weird in a meta where mons like dragapult, zeraora, tornt, weavile, koko are all offensive threats to it and common asf, its really frail meaning it cant switch into anything, and it needs to setup a nasty plot meaning a free switchin to anything. Sure, mandi is declining in usage but theres too much things that can handle gengar and i wouldnt put it in where slowbro or tang or ttar are.View attachment 335797
B<A-
Personally I believe since the bans of Mag and Ace, and the fact that Zama was around for the tier for a bit, despite it's very recent departure, I believe Aegislash should be looked at more. The nerfs in Gen 8 really hurt it, and yes it does have issues with some of the power creep, but I believe personally Aegislash is a great mon. Being a potent Ghost type and remaining a defensive/offensive check to pokemon like Lele, Lati, Kyurem, and way of countering rising defensive presences in Slowking and Corviknight is really beneficial. It would've actually even been better than this with Zama staying as Zama would also be able to scare out dark types in return for Aegi. Anyways the versatility of Aegislash is something special I see in my eyes as it has the ability to run Specs, Band, SD, Sub Toxic, Mixed and Coba Berry. Sometimes you never know what this sword and shield is gonna be, so you have to figure out a bulletproof strategy to play around it. Aegislash also pairs nicely with a lot of the pokemon that are rising such as Kyurem, Weavile, Urshifu R-S, and even Rillaboom, As they either pressure Lando/Heatran cores well, provide it with momentum, or supress it's weaknesses against it. I feel like Aegislash is getting ignored, when we see things like Bisharp and Scizor getting their place in the meta, while this king isn't :/. Overall I feel like Aegislash holds a solid stance in the meta as being an offensive ghost, with tons of different sets it can run, and the ability to stop defensive forces or be a hindrance to common breakers, despite it's lacking speed, and ineffectiveness at breaking Lando/Tran compared to others.
C+<B+
If I wanna be real I don't know what this thing is doing down here LOL. C+, Gengar really? I mean Gengar has the ability to pretty much wreck all of what's in it's tier. Either way I feel like Gengar similar to Aegislash is a bit underlooked, and it's impressionable Ghost + Fighting combo and ability to break stall/balances is powerful. Gengar is got a great speed tier that allows it to outspeed threats like Kartana, Garchomp, Volcarona, and it has valuable traits like being a resist to Grassy Glide(despite being 2HKO'd but still), a pokemon that pressures Fairies and Heatran, and being a way to completely invalidate Blissey. Also Gengar is notably much better in a metagame where Mandibuzz is lacking as that is seen as the main check to it. Overall Gengar's premise as a very threatening wallbreaker, as well as it's combined utilizing traits, imo argue for a promotion.
View attachment 335799
B< B+ or A-
I feel like Victini's had enough time to prove itself worthy of rise after it got banned, and looked over and I feel that it is a potent pick in the metagame. A new tool in Heavy Duty Boots, allows for the benefit of pivoting safely as well as providing as a way of being immune to hazards. Victini has found itself to be a great abuser of FS as well to mitigate switch ins in Toxapex and Landorus, and overall gives it a risk-free position when firing an attack. V-Create/U-turn/Bolt Strike/Toxic, is overall really solid as it allows to come in to pivot, status, and then fire of a big blow at the end. Overall Victini has impressed the favors of a meta where Slowking is more benefited than Slowbro, as it’s able to 2HKO it more safely with Bolt Strike, as well as being a decent pivot in to Tapu Lele as it resist’s stabs + Focus Blast, and outspeeds + OHKO’s in return with V-Create. Overall I’ve seen Victini to be very effective, therefore it deserves B+, or A- as an offensive pivot, that has been successfully adapting to the meta.
A- to A: Volcarona usage skyrocketed during the Zamazenta-C suspect, and for good reason. Sure it has one hard counter, Heatran, but people have accepted Heatran is exploitable: you can wear it down without huge difficulty, and lure it with stuff like Sand Tomb Scizor. Aside from that, complete counters that do not fold to variations like bulky/Safeguard/Giga Drain are very limited. I think Heatran, Garchomp and Dragapult are too common to put it above A rank though, and Volcarona can be a matchup fish at times since specific moves/EVs are required to beat everything, so A should be it for now. A+ to S: Look at how centralising Dragapult is - Weavile and Bisharp (the latter sometimes using Assault Vest even) and Zeraora have rose up partly for it, and it is arguably our most useful speed control in the metagame. It is one of the most important threats to prepare for in the teambuilder (Look at how many casually built teams people post that lose to it easily. Also, whilst I can't be completely certain, I would not be surprised if Hydreigon's slump in usage is partly because it's a Dark-type that loses to Pult). Finally, one of the best checks, Mandibuzz, is declining in usage at the moment. I believe these traits are S-rank worthy. B to B+ / A-: Buzzwole now has a solid niche once again as the likely best answer to Rillaboom and Kartana in the tier while also checking Garchomp and Landorus-T. Without busted stuff like Kyurem-B, Zygarde and Urshifu to cover, it can now take full advantage of its impressive base 139 Attack and good coverage moves by running an offensive set, differentiating itself from other Rillaboom answers by being far less passive. Whilst its rise in usage may be partly as a Zamazenta-C answer, I believe it may actually be better off without it, as Zama would be the offensive Rillaboom answer some people were demanding.
C+ to B A- > A
B > B+
B > B+ A+ > S B > B+
A to A+
from A- to B+ from A+ to S: Strongly Agree from A- to A or A+: Agree from B to B+: Strongly Agree
from C+ to B+: Disagree, but I think a rise to B- or B is fine. from B to B+: Agree from B to B+: Strongly Agree from A- to A: Strongly Agree
If you say so.....
> S > S > S > S
A- to A B to B+ B to B+
to S
to A+ to A to B+ to B+ to B+
on the OU VR, as I believe it has a niche. I've written an analysis for it. However, I've never written one before, and nor it is QC/GP checked, so I'm sorry to say it has a lot of flaws. I tried my best though, hope it's understandable. I'm fully open to critisism and questions, either here or on Dr Ya Yeet#2664. Ofcourse, I'm just providing my opinion, but I would request the moderators to look at this with an open mind. Without further ado, here it is -
to S to A+ to A+ to B+
