Edit: Decided to repost my noms cause not only do I have more but now it is a better time to post them.
A+ > S-
I’m starting off with a spicy take, why? Cause this mon is top 5 material for similar reasons to Tran and Lando. It provides a lot of role compression while being difficult to switch into and being incredibly splashable. Nothing in this tier besides Gastro is comfortably switching into the combination of Knock/T-Wave/Moonblast. Not to mention Trick Barb. Inflicting para, knocking items, or setting up hazards will always force progress. Thunder Wave in particular makes its teammates even more difficult to check as they can lose due to being para’d. Plus it has enough bulk to live a strong hit from stuff like Lele and cripple it with paralysis. When on Lando/Tran/Torn cores, it can make the core more puzzling as they try to figure out what set they are running. Lando/Clef makes playing around Chomp easier while Tran/Clef makes dealing with Weav easier. Both of which continue to be major threats in game and in the builder. All of this while being a status/knock sponge. This was without mentioning CM which can be mixed up with Thunder/Knock/T-Wave/Trick, making it even more anonymous. Or Unaware on stall which shuts down most of the veil teams that have popped up in wcop. With all of this in mind, I believe Clef is on pair with Weav/Tran as a metagame staple for its insane utility/support.
S- > S
Imo Weavile is the face of SS OU and the vr should properly represent it. The fact that teams can pack multiple checks to it and still get swept is telling that Weav is
broken something special. The metagame has gotten more aggresive which results in more passive defensive staples like Pex and Corv to drop. Which is perfect since Pex is its best check. Band Beat Up legit has no switch-ins and Boots is the best cleaner in the tier. What sells it as S tier imo is that it fills the role of speed control, breaker, cleaner, and emergency Pult check while also being immune to Psychic, making FS easier to play around.
A > A-
Ok now the positivity stops. Volcarona is still a great wincon, but atm it feels too mu reliant for A rank. It has positives like veil being excellent, Trans dropping Flash Fire, and Buzzwole being more commonplace. What brings it down for me is stall teams seeing more frequent play, Ttar rising, and Lando/Chomp continuing to be good soft-checks to it.
A- > B+
Another hot take, I think the Gzap hype died down. It is still great on hazard stack teams, but it is worth mentioning that one of the best defoggers Torn can outspeed and kill it. Zapdos, Slowbro and Koko’s presence doesn’t help matters. Clef is running more physD as a response to Weav and Chomp. B+ would be more fitting as it fits in with the strong but flawed mons like Ttar and Golt.
B+ > A-
On the contrary, Nido’s successful run in wcop is no coincidence. It still remains incredibly difficult to dance around. Serving as both a breaker and a check to CM Clef and Koko is highly valuable. Its checks Slowking and Gastrodon are just a bit of chip away from becoming a memory. The result of breakers like Lele, Volcanion, and Nidoking itself has resulted in more Gen 8 teams prioritizing offensive momentum to limit their switch in opportunities rather than covering everything at once. Nido definitely deserves to be next to Volcanion, especially due to being harder to wall than Volc.
B > B-
Lucha is in a bad spot rn. It already dropped but it is not on Aegi or Bish’s level. Way too much Koko, Zapdos, PhysD Clef, Slowbro and other checks. Requires more support and is more of a hit or miss sweeper than some of the other options. Stall ruins it. Offensive archetypes can either limit its switch-ins or even outpace it.
B > B-
Hydrei has a lot of issues in practice than on paper. Its biggest problem is its 4mss. Not having Flash Cannon means Clef walls you for days. Not having EP makes you an awkward Tran check. Not having Roost makes you a liability vs Volcanion/Blacephalon (even with roost it is forced to click that in order to not be in 2HKO range). Using Draco for Buzz over Dpulse means you got nothing for Ferro. I don’t think it is worth using over other breakers despite the promising qualities it has like the speed tier and defensive typing. I believe its ranking should reflect that.
B > B-
If Bulu dropped, then Rilla should follow suit. Most of the things said about it have been repeated constantly so I will keep it short. Too much birbs and too much Buzzwole. Very vulnerable to Flame Body, Static, and RH. SD sets need Acrobatics for Buzz which leaves them open to its other checks. Outclassed by Kart, and mu fishy.
B > B-/C+
What is this doing above Blaziken and Steela? If it weren’t for HO and Weavile, this mon would’ve been UR’d or at best C-. As it stands, outdone by alot of steels including Corv who is also a defensive steel with roost/u-turn. Also a shit Lele check.
252+ SpA Choice Specs Tapu Lele Psyshock vs. 248 HP / 8 Def Scizor in Psychic Terrain: 138-163 (40.2 - 47.5%) -- 52.3% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
When it is not in 2HKO range, it is momentum fodder since it is forced to Roost constantly in practice which contradicts using it to begin with. Also loses to Arctozolt and SD Kart. For double steel cores I would much rather run Melm, Ferro, Corv, or even Aegi. Only reason its not getting the UR treatment is cause it has a great mu with Weav and in veil its a decent cleaner.
C+ > C
Has been in a particularly rough spot since Lando started running SpD. Sand has made a comeback, but modern sand teams rarely incorporate two sand rushers, Drill tends to claim that spot for Spin, ground immunity, and being a Koko/Clef check. Zolt struggles to find safe switches, and when it does it ends up being too prediction reliant.
C+ > UR
As much as I love using this beast, this is the first gen where Mamo feels like a liability. I see no reason to use this over Weavile. Band sets are too prediction reliant and LO gets worn down quickly. Sash lead could work but suicide leads are not in high demand atm and Chomp, Mew provide much more. Its ground typing isn’t even that useful. OHKOd by Zera and 2HKOd by Koko after rocks. Its checks are all over the place between Slowbro, Washtom, Corv, and Buzzwole, the latter being a full on counter to it. Relies too much on Icicle Crash flinch hax and FS to break past its checks which at this point you just use Weav.
Give Mamo Swords Dance in Gen 9.
C+ > B-
Refer to my post on the discussion forms for more details
https://www.smogon.com/forums/threa...usage-stats-in-post-3539.3672210/post-9217077
For a TL;DR version, AV Tang should be explored as it provides both Knock and a midground for menacing threats like Lele, Koko, Zera, and Pult. It can also potentially lure, trap and kill Glowking with Infestation + EQ which I forgot to mention but it opens up Koko, CM Clef, and Zapdos.
C > C-
Niche is way too fringe for C (even though the ranking doesn’t make a big difference). The irony of it being used to check Lando and Weav is that it loses its boots or gets Toxic’d by the former. Only fits on very specific stall builds like Shed stall. It along with the other fringe stall mon Xatu should be ranked together.
C > UR
Fast water resists are more common, the power level of SS makes Azu not worth it. Belly Drum sets are hit or miss (mostly miss), and CB sets are outdone by Daunt and Urshifu. Azu’s dmg output has become less impressive than it was in Gen 6.
C > UR
Expect more UR noms. Conk has way too many problems. Easily worn down by burn and hazards, has no defensive utility, and it needs all the defog and slow pivots in the world to bring it in only to get walled by Buzzwole. Pretty much has the same problem as the dragon-type who’s name shall not be spoken of. Stall mu has gotten worse since they are bringing protect spam and Torn which can live a hit and threaten an OHKO. RH spam is more frequent and it gets itself killed by wearing itself down to a tee. Honestly I would rather use Herra or Bewear before I even touch this thing.
C > UR
Suffers the same problems as Mamo and Conk. There is not a reason to use this over Weavile. Being unapologetically slow while having no defensive utility. If it predicts wrong it will lose a shitton of momentum unlike Nidoking who outspeeds most of the defensive meta. Like at least Mamo can outspeed Lando and Buzz. The meta has gotten too fast and offensive for it to find meaningful use. If you are a fan of this mon and want it to stay in the VR, reply or forever hold your peace.
C > UR
A Moltres that has been Knock’d is just as dead as a Shedinja in sand. Outclassed by Volcanion, Tran, and Zapdos. Can’t run it as your sole Kart check like you can with Zap/Torn. Barely sees use. The only argument I could think of is that it has Flame Body + longevity with Roost, but at this point wouldn’t you just resort to Volcarona over one of the Pollos Hermanos.
C > C+
Finally, a positive nom. Veil is getting good usage and double dance Latias is utterly cracked. Utility sets with Defog and T-Wave and Scarf Healing Wish on HO should also be experimented more. Latios is a Lele with higher speed and more defensive utility + Roost. LO with EQ is difficult to switch into for most Bo teams. The 110 base speed tier also means Kart, Blace, and Chomp get wiped. Usual checks to Dragapult (Lando, Tran, and Clef) get blown up by the raw power of its STABs and coverage coming off of its base 130 spa. Both mons can switch into Volcanion, Tran, and Washtom. Its not good, but it is def not on the same level as Zarude and friends, speaking of the devil.
C > C+
Actually kinda nice on certain builds, mostly offensive ones. Can OHKO Lando and Buzz after a SD which is huge for cleaners like Zera or Weav. Appreciates the more faster paced, BO centric metagame Gen 8 has become. Crushes alot of the Lando/Tran/Torn cores that run the place. Exploits Knock Off spam, and can work on veil. 2HKOs most of stall and doesn’t fear Zapdos/Torn like Gzap/Urshifu. It lacks defensive utility, but threatens a large chunk of the meta and outspeeds the likes of Lele, Urshifu, Blace, and Chomp. Give it a shot.
C > UR
It already dropped but drop it further. Meta has gotten more, it doesn’t have a place in veil over Kart or Rilla, is littered with a billion weaknesses, and with Torn being run on stall more often, it can’t perform its niche effectively.
C- > C
After months of bashing TR, I can safely say that it is…usable, or at least better than it was before. The reason is due to current meta trends. HO, Veil, and Rain have seen higher usage and success in both ladder and tours. Plus Stall is picking up some steam. Trick Room has an excellent mu against these archetypes. The overwhelming dmg output of the abusers + Hatt is too much for Stall to handle. The breakneck pace of offensive styles gets their momentum shifted by TR, even Veil can’t shield them from getting OHKOd. Its bad vs every other archetype, but when it comes to dealing with cheese/mu fish, TR is a decent countermeasure.
C- > UR
If Ribombee left, then so should Shuckle. Webs are worse than ever. Veil, Rain, and Zone Offense have been proven styles. Shuckle just sets up webs and then its well-earned hazards get removed moments later. Most teams don’t care about webs. Between boots and birbs, webs has been in its lowest point.
C- > UR
The Zapdos, Koko, Torn check that gets 3HKOd by them. The meta demands more defensive utility or speed on their breakers which Tox lacks in practice. Even when it does come in it has to play a massive predictions game vs Lando and Steel cores. Worst case scenario they have a Ferrothorn that takes a hit without issue. It is way too easy to lose momentum with Tox. Zapdos doesn’t have this issue and can mow past Ferro like eating a cracker, all while providing Static and longevity via Roost.
Also I agree with these noms, though Coba going from UR to B- is way too big of a jump for something that almost never sees use/success in tours. For reference, Cloyster went from UR to B because it has shown to be a successful mon on Veil/HO in WCOP qualifiers. C-/C tier is a good start for it, being a fringe steel that checks Weav/Melm/Cloy/Bish/Kart p well. Not sure what team structures it could fit in over other steels but I could see it being viable.
