It's been a hot minute, but I got some noms I think?
RISES
A -> A+
Tapu Koko has been popping off lately. It is really hard to keep in check long-term, since it can chip them down over time, and U-Turn is an excellent tool to really screw over checks, as with chip damage from clicking U-Turn + hazards, checks like Glowking get overwhelmed. It also has a sense of defensive utility with Roost, and being able to switch into things like Toxapex, Slowtwins, Corviknight, and Tornadus-Therian. Basically, everything Ox said holds up, and this Pokemon should be A+.
A -> A+
Tapu Fini’s rise in the meta was something I definitely didn’t see coming. Being a solid check to Weavile, Urshifu-R, and Dragapult is really good right now. It’s very annoying to deal with and switch in to. Scarf sets are great, Whirlpool sets seem to be solid, and while Calm Mind is seeing more limited usage, it still seems to be holding up somewhat, even if it’s matchup fishy.
A -> A+
Tornadus-Therian didn’t deserve the drop in the first place in my opinion, but now, it’s better than before. This thing seems to live forever what with Heavy Duty Boots and Regenerator in the picture. Knock Off sets are really good, and even Nasty Plot sets have some merit, even if they’re generally inconsistent and not what makes Torn great. Good mon!
B -> A-/B+
I don’t care which rank Blacephalon goes in out of the two, but it definitely deserves a rise. It has very little switch ins, what with its insane strength and ability to use Trick to cripple Blissey in the long game. It does have issues with bulk and revenge killers, but this Pokemon is definitely on the radar for rising threats.
C+ -> B-
I don’t think Amoonguss is B tier just yet, but I do believe it is a definite B- Pokemon. It does better than Tangrowth in some relevant match ups, such as Tapu Fini, Kartana, and a good midground against the Ghost-types of the tier not named Blacephalon. It’s more balanced defenses allow it to also be a more consistent check to most physical Pokemon. Amoonguss also has one of the most annoying moves in the game with Spore, allowing to put something to sleep, which can be game-winning for a team mate. These solid merits give Amoonguss a very solidified niche in OU nonetheless, and it definitely deserves a rise.
C+ -> B-
Do I have to explain this again.
C+ -> B-
C -> B-
Hail has been seeing a notable rise in usage lately, and the main setter and the big abuser definitely deserve a rise. It’s a match up fish, but it some very good match ups at times. Arctozolt is low key unwallable under hail, and can stow through unprepared teams. It’s only walls are the Rotom forms, as all the other things that would wall it either get chipped (Ferrothorn) or hate Blizzard (Buzzwole). Ninetales-A is also a very good screen setter. It has a good Speed tier, and Aurora Veil is an absolutely incredible move. In my opinion, the rise of hail definitely needs to be noted on the viability ranking, and these two are the prime candidates for a rise.
C -> B-
It’s Cloyster. It’s been the topic of controversy for a very long time, what with its possibly uncompetitive nature with the ability to get a 41% flinch rate in a way I’ve called “AgiliFlinch” (Shell Smash might as well be considered Agility here, it’s a +2 boost as well). Ignoring that, Cloyster is terrifying. It can nullify bad match ups just by a flinch, which can be game winning. It’s somewhat easy to play around Cloyster, but it’s rise is evident with OLT really showing it’s potential.
C -> C+
A Quagsire rise would be good. I don’t have much to say here that cratersmash hasn’t already said. It’s pretty solid, no more, no less.
C -> C+
Togekiss could be worthy of a rise right now. I’ve heard it’s good from a few folks, but I haven’t really tested it myself. It seems like more of an annoyance with paraflinch spam or just flinch in general. Very little to say here.
C -> B-/C+
C -> B-/C+
Sun is a deadly match up fish right now, and it definitely deserves some sort of rise. Venusaur is more or less unwallable, and Torkoal is a very cool setter, since it has solid utility in Yawn, Stealth Rock, and burn chip, all of which are good traits for a more defensively oriented sun setter. Overall, this playstyle is good, and has shown its potential.
DROPS
A+ -> A/A-
Zeraora is really really cool. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have much over Tapu Koko. Koko has more defensive utility in Roost and not having to care about Scald burns, two things Zeraora is unable to replicate. Zeraora struggles switching in consistently due to its poor bulk becoming more evident as time goes on. Most things that it should be hitting strongly can easily U-Turn on it into something that stops it. I haven’t been scared by a Zeraora in a while, and Tapu Koko just does what it wants to do but better. Overall, Zeraora’s competition is too stiff to really justify it being in the same rank as Tapu Koko, and as such, should drop below it.
A+ -> A-
Gomikyu made a brilliant post on this, but long story short, Future Sight’s impact can be easily limited by offensive pressure and Slowking is unable to wall anything on a game to game basis, since everything it is supposed to check can get around it.
A- -> B+
I don’t think I have seen no one talk about this take, and honestly, it’s shocking. Blissey doesn’t really wall anything incredibly, since most of the time, they can pivot out into something that can easily break Blissey. It’s a decent Future Sight absorber, but it can’t really take it in tandem with the breakers that are always with it. Blissey doesn’t really fulfill the role of a wall too well, since anything can take advantage of its passive nature, and as such, it should definitely be dropped. I would love to see if people will defend the pink blob, but personally, Blissey has seen much better days.
A- -> B+
Zapdos in theory has role compression, but doesn’t perform too great in any of the given roles. It is hard to fit on to teams, and doesn’t really fill any niches that haven’t been filled. Offensive sets can be brutal, but I think those only work under rain, which is a pretty mediocre playstyle right now. It doesn’t really fit any major role, and as such, it should drop to B+.
B+ -> B/B-
B -> B-
Sand has seen much better days right now. Dracozolt is extremely easy to outplay, what with the rise of SpDef Lando-T and Hippowdon in usage lately. Excadrill has mainly just passed its prime. It’s walled by a ton of things, and as a utility Pokemon, it performs just alright. Sand in general has been dropping out of consistent usage for quite a bit, but this is a new low for it.
B+ -> B-
Mandibuzz is so bad. It doesn’t really wall anything right now, and every other bird kind of just does what it wants to do better. Corviknight checks things better while not being prone to Toxic, Skarmory does the same while having hazard support, and even Zapdos has the utility of Static to annoy physical attackers. Mandibuzz is just a mostly passive bird that doesn’t really stand out amongst the crowd.
B -> B-
Swampert is only used on some Rillaboom builds and more or less nothing else. It’s defensive utility is extremely limited due to its extreme vulnerability to Toxic and no reliable recovery. These two flaws, along with a lack of resistances, mean that Swampert isn’t too great right now.
B- -> C+
B- -> C+/C
I’ve talked about the fall of rain before. Rain’s been getting a heavy mixed bag as of late, what with the rise and fall of things that wall it and offensively pressure it. It isn’t terrible, but it definitely isn’t a contender for the best weather right now.
C- -> UR
This mon is so trash. Sure it has no walls, but my god it has every other flaw possible. Very slow, a mediocre defensive typing with no defensive utility since you are getting chipped every turn, and doesn’t threaten anything that is faster than it. Mach Punch is a weak move and is not nearly enough to save it from its egregious Speed. This Pokemon is so bad, please remove it from the VR.
Those were my nominations. Let me know if you have anything to say about them, and I’ll most likely reply.