Honestly, I don't have much to say about the top 40 that most other people haven't already said. I agree that all of them have a good reason being in this general area (maybe Mew is overly generous, but that's it) and I think all the observations of other have been fairly spot on. As such, I thought I'd take a look at the "also-rans": those that saw some notable degree of usage but wouldn't quite hit OU if this month actually had a tier shift. Looking at a handful of mons from 41-80, I'll be discussing which of these mons are trash best left on the outskirts and which might deserve at least
a bit more usage.
Why use this, exactly?
Regeleki (42): The consensus appears to be that Regieleki is the token noob mon of the tier right now- and I can't argue with that assessment. The abundance of Ground types, plus its utility being blanked by one of the best mons in the tier automatically put Eleki at a disadvantage, its Specs set in particular being too easily walled to be good. Eleki is pretty much limited as a screen setter on HO teams (an archetype that is not exactly dominating right now) with Spin and Volt Switch or Explosion, but even in this role it is outclassed by multiple mons. Koko provides Taunt, unblockable pivoting in U-turn and Terrain to prevent sleep, Grimmsnarl's Prankster guarantees it'll get at least one screen off and it packs Prankster Taunt and Spirit Break to further weaken special attackers, and Alolatales only needs one move to set while also packing disruption like Encore and Hypnosis alongside passive Hail chip. When you're a suboptimal part of an already niche playstyle, you have no business seeing this level of usage.
Pelipper &
Barraskewda (47 & 58): Rain has had an uphill battle all gen thanks to the loss of Mega Swampert, who was able to serve as both Swift Swim user and necessary Electric immunity; Barraskewda may be pretty strong, but its lack of defensive utility forces additional team slots that teams might not be able to give. Weather in general has just been rather suboptimal this gen. Sand is pretty much the only weather that has seen an consistent success in OU, and even that's pretty much been whittled down to Setter + Excadrill. Maybe the pair can grant some success, but the days of full weather teams may be over for now.
Chansey (48): Seriously, less-good Blissey made it to 48? Chansey is really only usable on dedicated stall teams, and even there you might be better off with Bliss since it has the option to ignore hazard chip. OU has no shortage of defensive staples right now; in a meta with Blissey, Clefable, Corviknight, Toxapex, Ferrothorn, the Slow twins, Zapdos, Mandibuzz, Hippowdon and several others I'm probably forgetting, Chansey just doesn't offer anything of note and is really just a hinderance once it loses Eviolite (which is not too hard to accomplish). Even Quagsire and Pyukumuku do more to justify their place on hard stall teams due to Unaware. The fact this got so high despite the VR not ranking it
at all is astounding.
Cloyster (49): The main argument for a possible King's Rock ban, the issue of RNG really highlights how inconsistent this thing is. It mainly only fits on HO (that again) and its defensive typing and pitiful special bulk do it no favors. When your best strategy is "hope I get a flinch" by giving up the item slot, that should tell you just how reliable you are.
Hey, that's pretty good.
Tangrowth (45): All things considered, Tangrowth is a pretty good physical wall. Able to take hits from the likes of Kartana, Urshifu and Rillaboom and punish with Rocky Helmet gives it a decent role in the meta, having an advantage over rival Amoonguss since it can provide worthwhile utility even if Koko is keeping everyone up. It also pairs well with fellow Regen users Slowking and Toxapex, who handle its Fire and Ice weaknesses while Growth tanks Electric and Grass hits, plus taking EQs for Pex; additionally, King can switch into it directly with Teleport, packs great special bulk to compliment Growth's physical bulk and forces positioning with Future Sight, while Pex switches into Toxics that would greatly annoy Growth. Growth can be overwhelmed by special attacks and would prefer not being weak to U-turn (although it usually doesn't take much damage from it), but overall provides some great support.
Buzzwole (59): Buzzwole's typing and bulk allow it to take little damage from Grassy Glides, EQs, CCs, Knock Offs and U-turns, aka some of the best physical moves in the meta, and heal them off with Roost. Buzz itself packs a ton of great offensive moves, between Close Combat, EdgeQuake, dual STAB recovery, Poison Jab and Punches of Ice and Thunder; these alongside Bulk Up allow Buzz to potentially serve as a rare bulky sweeper with Roost and your choice of attacks, complemented by Beast Boost. You can also swap BU for a third attack or Toxic to whittle checks further, and a Choice set could potentially see niche usage, although bulky is THE way to go with Buzz. Just watch out for powerful special attackers and you're good.
Moltres (62): I already brought up this blazing bird in the vr discussion, but Moltres holds a lot of key matchups in the current meta. Able to roast many prominent Steels (even 2HKOing Heatran with Scorching Sands off 0 SpA EVs), threaten scary physical attackers with burns off Sands or Flame Body, preying on multi-hit moves and completely blanking Rillaboom, and even 1v1 rising star Volcarona by constantly weakening it with Mystical Fire and blanking its attacks aside from Psychic (even that only has a 10% chance to 2HKO at +1); it you can't slot Heatran onto your team for whatever reason, Molt is a great alternative Volc check. Molt provides a decent utility combo between burn spreading, Defogging hazards and weakening special attackers with Mystical Fire, alongside recovery in Roost. Now, Molt hates Knock Off since Rocks tear through it, plus it can be forced to Roost a lot by several notable attackers, but its utility and great match-ups make it criminal to let this thing stall at 62.
Grimmsnarl (75): Probably my hottest take today, but I feel Grimm is the only screen setter besides Koko that is seriously worth considering. As I mentioned with Eleki, Prankster makes Grimm the only setter guaranteed to get a screen off, while also shutting down Defog with Taunt and providing additional special security with Spirit Break. Prankster does mean it can't Taunt Mandibuzz, but it can catch Buzz on the switch thanks to Spirit Break 2HKOing while 4x resisting Buzz's only offensive option; plus, Mandibuzz tends to be the most passive of Defoggers, meaning the Grimm player can easily pivot to a teammate and force it out, especially if paired with Defiant Bisharp or Gapdos (1 of these 2 is probably mandatory on HO teams for this reason). Also Dark/Fairy means it walls both of Dragapult's STAB, so that's something since Infiltrator Pult can often slice through HO. Again, HO teams are not that great right now, and Grimm can be worn down due to lacking recovery and low speed making it take hits, but if you must run Koko-free HO, Grimm is your go to. Still not as good as the others in this section, but I can at least see it higher than 75.
252+ Atk Grimmsnarl Spirit Break vs. 248 HP / 60+ Def Mandibuzz: 210-248 (49.6 - 58.6%) -- 98.8% chance to 2HKO
Honorable Mentions
Gapdos (41) is an odd case; on paper, it has a lot of great match-ups, but it can't come in on many dangerous attackers and physically defensive mons can wear it down with good prediction, not hard when it's almost always choiced. 100 is an awkward speed tier, letting it prey on slower mons while also not being enough against many offensive staples. That said, it has many great match-ups, and Defiant makes it a staple on HO teams alongside Bisharp to dissuade Defog, but honestly I think its current usage is about right.
Azumarill (43) looks threatening, but even after a Belly Drum it can't 1v1 common offensive staples like Rillaboom, Kartana, Dragapult and Kyurem. Band sets hit hard but are again very predictable, especially since its low Speed means it usually wants to click Jet. This is another mon that greatly appreciates screens, and its reliance on team support make this another placement I don't see changing too much.
Latios (52) is a mon that should be a lot better than it is in practice; it hits hard and fast, can cripple walls with Trick, has Mystical Fire and Aura Sphere to blow through STAB counters, packs Defog, and can potentially serve as a strong CM sweeper. And yet, so much of the meta just doesn't give this guy room, especially with Weavile, Bisharp and Volcarona on the rise. That coverage deceptively results in 4MSS, as it needs Aura Sphere to not be walled by Heatran and Tyranitar, but Mystical Fire is better for the other defensive Steels, namely Corv. Competition from the amazing Dragapult and Icy Yandere Dragon also don't do it any favors, both outclassing it due to superior secondary STAB and greater set versatility. A Pult ban might let it find some niche, but for now this jet is probably grounded.
A. Ninetales (53) is Aurora Veil; with one less move-slot, it can enable HO teams alongside utility like Encore and Hypnosis. So why is it not in the underrated bin with Grimm? Well, because it has far more downsides; getting the most of Veil makes it an Ice type that can't afford Boots, which is already pretty bad, but it also sets screens slower than Koko or Grimm, is reliant on a 60% accurate move for utility, has pitiful power since its stuck running Freeze-Dry off 81 SpA, and can be denied setting Veil altogether if Hippo or Ttar exist. Ultimately, I think these downsides make it too unreliable to compare with Koko or even Grimm, even if Veil is good enough that I can't label it outright trash. Still better than Eleki, at least.
Well, that's all the ones I have thoughts on.
What mons from the lower rungs of usage do you think are overrated/underrated?