Resource SV National Dex Monotype Personal Viability Rankings

[schwipper]

SV National Dex Monotype Personal VR Project
OP adapted from the SV NU thread


Due to subjectivity within tiering, people will have differing opinions on where Pokemon land on the viability rankings. Thanks to Monotype-based formats having a different viability dynamic for each type, there are multiple potential perspectives on how viable a Pokemon could be in the current National Dex Monotype metagame. With this thread, you can share your own personal viability rankings for any given type, and provide insight into your thought process.​

Rules:

• Do NOT shitpost or post meaningless one-liners;
• Comments do not need to be made, but they're strongly encouraged;
• Feel free to rank the Pokemon and types as you'd like, as long as the system is comprehensible and we can understand how your system works;
• You may post your personal VR for any type you'd like - no need to post all 18 if you do not want to. However, if you want to add a VR for another type later and your post is the last one in the thread, edit your post to avoid double posting;
• As a suggestion, you can rank them in the usual format (S to C/D, with sub-ranks). You can also add an UR ranking, if you want to comment on possibly controversial ones;
• If the rankings are massive, use hidetags;
• You can comment on your own rankings and other users too, but let's keep it cordial; if someone ranked highly a Pokémon you think has no place in the tier, that just means you guys have different views on the meta. You can talk about why you don't agree with it, but don't go too far.

List of Personal VRs per type:

Bug

revolverhenry
Don Bork
Bows

Dark

Don Bork
Bows

Dragon

Don Bork.

Electric

Don Bork
Mateeus.

Fairy

Don Bork.

Fighting

Don Bork.

Fire

Don Bork.

Flying

revolverhenry
Don Bork.

Ghost

.

Grass

Athyestic
Mateeus
revolverhenry.

Ground

Bows
RodentTamer

Ice

Bows
Mateeus

Normal

Mateeus.

Poison

revolverhenry.

Psychic

revolverhenry
Wafflecopter2000

Rock

Bows

Steel

revolverhenry.

Water

revolverhenry
Mateeus

 

[Athyestic]

Grass (athy ver)

S Rank
Ferrothorn
Mega Venusaur
Meowscarada
A+ Rank
Lilligant-Hisui
Whimsicott

A Rank
Ogerpon-Cornerstone
Hydrapple

B Rank
Brambleghast
Celebi
Zarude

C Rank
Breloom
Cradily
Ogerpon-Wellspring
Rillaboom
Sinistcha

D Rank
Decidueye-Hisui
Rotom-Mow
Serperior
Tapu Bulu
Wo-Chien
Torterra

(New) UR
Toedscruel

Bold is changes I've made.

Explanations

(A+ -> S) This pokemon dropping out of S is perhaps the strangest rise/drop from the VR team this generation. (no flak yall are great) Nothing has really changed for it, it's standard choice scarf set of Flower Trick/Knock Off/U-Turn/Play Rough still does extremely well into just about everything, outpacing about 95% of the metagame. It gained Triple Axel in DLC2 to scare flying if it wants, but even without that Meowscarada's ability to give its user outs into just about everything has not changed one bit and is still invaluable to the type.
(A -> A+) I will admit this one's a bit of bias on my end, but Whimsicott's ability to shut down every setup sweeper (except Farigraf or Hatterene but those guys are lame) with one good read makes it invaluable for a type that already needs to make hard reads more often than some others. Additionally, Pixie Plate boosted Moonblasts still hit rather hard despite its low special attack, and Grass is in no shortage of hazard pressure. Finally, having prankster removal is generally excellent, especially when paired with..
(B -> A) The best sturdy mon in the game. Back when Hearthflame was in the tier Cornerstone was still a solid pick, just nearly impossible to justify over Hearthflame unless you really hate Flying. Now, there's no Hearthflame to outclass it, it can bonk the ever nightmarish Gouging Fire, and there's a lot of endgame situations where sturdy + SD/Trailblaze can steal you an endgame if your opponent misplays even slightly. While all of B tier are good pokemon, I think Cornerstone stands a cut above them as its offensive typing is extremely nice and Sturdy + Whims is such a potent combo.
(UR -> A) Definitely good pokemon with good stats, abilities, decent typing, and Earth Power that wasn't on the most recent slate. It was a little underwhelming when I tried it but it has a lot of valuable traits that definitely merit it being on the ranking. Throwing it in C since I think it's better than Bulu / Wo-Chien but not that good.
I was wrong. Hydrapple is literally the fucking goat. Nastyplot is a noobtrap don't use it but Assault Vest with Dragon Tail allows you to do so much both skill wise and gameplay wise. It lives stuff like Gouging FB comfortably, and Regen lets it come in and stay healthy for a long time.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nationaldexmonotype-2030426904 https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nationaldexmonotype-2030430788 Hydrapple replays from a recent roomtour. These are insane.
(UR -> D) Grass getting a shell smasher?? It's certainly capable of doing things but I doubt it's any better than D tier. Still deserves some mention I think, Shell Smash is such a nice move.
(D -> UR) Fuck toedscruel. Entirely personal bias.

 

[revolverhenry]

Some personal VRs for the types I actually like playing, feel free to discuss whatever placement you might disagree with. I'll only give justification for the mons I feel need them that are ranked B and above, with certain exceptions.

Bug

S Rank
Araquanid - Massively helpful mon for Bug's most grueling match ups and generally good specially defensive presence on the type that brings tons of utility and firepower to the table in the form of Webs, anti-leading, specially defensive walling and Adaptabilty boosted water attacks. While definitely lacking in the longevity deparment and perhaps too slow for its own good when discussing offensive sets, and sometimes defensive ones as well, Araquanid is an incredibly versatile mon that feels like a necessary presence in any semi decent Bug team not all out hyper offense, and even then it has a place in those as well

Kleavor - Great scarfer, great anti fire, flying and mirror tech and quite powerful for its speed tier and downright ridiculous STABs when Sharpness is taken into account, all things considered. Has been a vital part of Bug for well over half a year and I don't think that will be changing any time soon.

Volcarona - While you could make an argument for this mon not being as good anymore, I'd only say that's because of a weird mix of recency bias and the latest meta changes; while perhaps not as meta defining, that's if only because of how warping this mon presence can be with its jawdropping variety of sets (taking offense, Z move and defensive sets into account) and how it only feels that way because of the fact the meta has forced itself to be able to deal with such a monster of a mon. Volcarona is still one of the most terrifying mons to fight against, and it probably will always be, no Bug team should not use it.

A+ Rank

Buzzwole - While the Scarf sets are arguably outclassed by Kleavor, even though they are still perfectly functional, Buzzwole is still the best Bug/Fighting type, and I personally believe its bulky sweeping sets and stall killer with Taunt, Substitute and Bulk Up are madly underrated. Great mon, incredibly helpful in the Steel, Dark, Poison and Fighting match ups, even if somewhat hard to fit nowadays. While I initially would have ranked it as A Rank, I believe its sheer versatility, ability to create a Double Scarfer core together with Kleavor and wonderful defensive presence in the context of Bug overall make it a somewhat underrated option nowadays.

Pinsir-Mega - Best mega for the type and Fighting and Grass winner, excellent wall breaker, decently bulky and great priority couple to Scizor; same as Volcarona, it can use either Close Combat or Earthquake to selectively pick what match ups it wants to win. While the speed tier is... not the best, with webs supports it is a truly frightening mon to face against.

Scizor - Versatily incarnated, it can pull almost any set it wants (Band, Physically defensive, Utility, Sweeping with SD and Trailblaze) with surprising excellency and it just wins against Ice and Rock unless they run Shell Smash Cloyster or H-Arcanine, respectively, and even then Bug still has a fair advantage. While not intricately necessary, this mon is still as wonderful as it has always been.

A Rank

Forretress - I would make an argument for it being B Rank, but Forretress is still rather good as hazard removal and general physical wall, with Volt Switch being a great tool for it and through Gyro Ball, Body Press and not too shabby of an Attack stat making it not too passive, even though the opportunity cost of not using Scizor might be a bit too much. Even then, repeating Bug / Steel as a type is not the worst thing in the world.

Galvantula - Not powerful at all even through Compound Eyes Thunder and not nearly fast enough to compensate, Galvantula is still quite fine on the department of a second special attacker for bug and its Web support and lead sets are still as valuable as ever.

Scizor-Mega - Actually really good, but you'd definitely prefer either Mega Pinsir or Base Scizor in the vast majority of situations.

Ribombee - Somewhat goated of a mon, actually: good at a minimum at anything it wants to do, be it remover, general utility, sweeper with QD or even as a Speced "wallbreaker", and a genuinely excellent speed tier make it a valuable addition to any Bug team that can afford to run it.

Vikavolt - Stabilizer of the Electric, Water and Flying and great helper in the Ground and Steel ones, I believe of Vikavolt to be the best of the non-Volcarona special attackers, it greatly punishes more passive teams and while the abymal speed tier makes it funkier to use against offense, its decent bulk actually makes it a versatile, decent mon in any match up not called Rock or Fire, where it can still do some excellent wallbreaking against the slower, bulkier mons of either type.

B Rank

Armaldo - Good at what it wants to do, but you have no actual reason to use it; Bug / Rock is not a good defensive type, you don't want to stack it with Kleavor and you want to use Kleavor, and removal is actually done better by Forretress, Scizor, Ribombee or, hell, even the dumbass set that is Defog Kleavor. Fine, but throughly outclassed and relying in Stone Miss sucks.

Golisopod - Probably the mon with the most untapped potential of the entire list and with and incredibly high skill ceiling, Golisopod has great typing, excellent priority, peculiar ability and a truly expansive movepool. I believe it can actually be really good, but I'm not too sure about it.

Heracross - Same as Armaldo, just a worse Buzzwole, good if you want to use it and unique on regards to Guts.

Heracross-Mega - This mon is good and definitely can pull its weight, but it needs far more support than either Scizor or Pinsir and the opportunity cost of not using either of those two is... really bad, sadly. Underexplored, perhaps as good as Scizor-Mega, not sure.

Lokix - Cookie Cutter good mon, helps in Dark, Electric, Psychic and against more defensive types, its priority does wonder and it can be a wallbreaker extraordinaire. Can understand it's hard to fit but that doesn't warrant the C Rank, personally.

C Rank

All of these are good and can pull somewhat unique niches, but are needlessly outclassed

Durant - Good bander, really powerful, yet inconsistent and outclassed.

Frosmoth - Bad speed tier, QD is always good and its ability is great, yet it is too inconsistent and the lack of HP really hurts.

Scolipede - The probably best Z Move user in bug not named Volcarona, lacking in power but can get out of hand.

Slither Wing - Meh, cookie cutter mediocrity that's not awful.

D Rank

Centiskorch - Fire immunity can come in handy and Fire Lash is a great move, not really good otherwise.

Rabsca - I wish it had Teleport; GREAT coverage, though.

Yanmega - While it was UnRanked a while ago, I feel it is a... decent to mediocre option for a Special Attacker, at the very least deserving of a mention.

Flying

S Rank

Tornadus-Therian - Goated; while I agree with the VR on regards to how the type doesn't really have an actual S Ranker, Tornadus is too good to actually pass up in any composition you might want to actually make. As versatile as you can get for a mon, even if the offensive sets end up relying perhaps too much in inaccurate moves.

A+ Rank

Aerodactyl-Mega - My personal favorite of the two megas. Stupidly fast and surprisingly bulky against anything not named Scizor, as well as surprisingly hard hittin even without boosts.

Celesteela
Corviknight - Both Steel Birds (my bad, Skarmory) feel vital to the type on regards to the utility and defensive profile they bring, even if they play completely different from each other.

Gliscor
Landorus-Therian - The ground birds are some of the best mons to be found on the format and ridiculous on the utility they bring to the table, vital to the type in the sense that they are necessary in order to deal with Electric but both A+ because of how good both are.

Mantine - Really good mon not ranked higher, for some reason? Great defogger and great into the water, fairy and all around more specially offensive types match ups, great special bulk and all arond just an... excellent mon?

A Rank

Charizard-Y - Find it somewhat inconsistent, but it is... good, undoubtedly.

Dragonite - Two trick pony (Choice Band and HDB Dragon Dance) at best, but a really good one at that.

Enamorus - Probably the best scarfer the type has access to, even with two (contextually applied to her, at the very least) suboptimal abilities.

Thundurus-Therian - The best of the electric birds, it has great set versatility even if the scarfer one is somewhat outclassed by Enamorus.

B Rank

Landorus - Opportunity cost galore.

Skarmory - Great physical wall and hazard setter, you're better off using the other two but it is far from bad.

Moltres-Galar - Inconsistent, only good in HO.

Zapdos - Overall good mon, just hard to fit.

Zapdos-Galar - A good scarfer and overall walbreaker; same as its Kanto brethen, hard to fit.

C Rank

Moltres - Quite straightforward in what it does, defensively adequate burn spreader that serves as a random chance dependant gap for physical attackers.

Gyarados - Surprisingly versatile.

Mandibuzz - Have heard it is better than D and, yes, I agree, it works quite well.

D Rank

Articuno - Only... really seen in stall?, Flying can afford to run it and Articuno seems to be good there, if nothing else.

Braviary-Hisui - I have never seen this mon actually being put to good use, but can't deny that it has an interesting set of characteristics; if they work or not is anothermatter completely.

Thundurus - No real reason to use this, but Prankster is an interesting trait.

UR Rank

Kilowattrel - There's no real reason to actually use this mon besides it being incredibly fast; it's not as bulky as Zapdos, laughably weak when compared to Thundurus-T (who also has Volt Absorb, which just nails the coffin even more) neither it has something to set it apart from Thundurus, which, while not good, has a rather unique trait in Prankster. It doesn't even suck as such, it is just... text book example of a mon that is not worth running.

Grass

S Rank

Ferrothorn - First setpiece of Grass' infamous defensive core, great support movepool and hazard setter as it always has been.

Meowscarada - Incredibly versatile, match up winner.

Venusaur-Mega - Second setpiece of Grass' infamous defensive core and not too shabby of a special attacker even with minimal investment.


A+ Rank

Hydrapple - Actually quite good, probably the best special attacker the type has access to and with an AV it can actually survive a ridiculous amount of punishment, making it an excellent pivot and overall wallbreaker against slower teams.

Ogerpon-C - Without the oportunity cost of Heartfire, Cornerstone is the premier Bug, Flying and Fire killer; always accurate rock STAB is ridiculous and Ogerpon has tons of set diversity to pick and choose what match ups it wants to do best in.

A Rank

Whimsicott - Even when powercrept to hell and back, Whimsicott is still Grass' premier supportive member, with Prankster + Defog + Encore being incredibly good tools to possess.

Brambleghast - Good spinner with functional offensive potential through Poltergeist + Power Whip, having a Zapdos hard counter almost trivializes the Electric match up.

Sinistcha - These type is severely lacking on the special attacking deparment, but Sinistcha is not too shabby and has a nice variety on its sets, ranging from Double Dance with Calm Mind and Iron Defense or a more direct approach with Calm Mind and semi reliable recovery in Strength Sap.

B Rank

Lilligant-Hisui - Fraud mon, inconsistent and not that strong, even with Victory Dance and Hustle being taken into account. None o

Celebi - God, these special attackers sure are special.

Iron Leaves - Funky move pool, funky speed, but quite strong all things considered and does wonders in the Electric match up, as is to be expected.

Rillaboom - Still fine, even with the nerfs, but really hard to slot by virtue of Grass nowadays needing the three S Rankers + Hazard Remover + Special Attacker. Not being as straigh-up good as Ogerpon-Creally is really hurts it when competing for that last slot.

C Rank

Breloom - Can be decent because of Spore, but it is not consistent in the slightest and needs too much team support to be functional.

Cradily - Fine, but it is, first of all, too passive, you can't really slot it anymore. Hydrapple pulls the bulky fire neutral pivot far better while being able to... actually attack back an having one of the best abilities in the entire game.

Decidueye-Hisui - Can be a fine role compressor and Triple Arrows is a stupid move, but it is slow as molasses and has a hardtime effectively threatening anything because of it. The best of the Cs, nonetheless, and arguably as good as Lilligant-H.

Ogerpon-Wellspring - Really good mon that sadly does nothing for the type, far better in Water.

Serperior - Leaf Storm + Glare+ Defog + HP Fire is a really good set of tools to have, all things considered, does not feel like a C Ranker to me.

Torterra - Feel it is better than it is being given credit for by virtue of Shell Smash and Shell Smash alone; the meta has been getting somewhat bulkier as of late and Torterra takes advantage of it quite nicely. Can run White Herb for bulk, Yache Berry not to die against ice moves and Loaded Dice for consistent power, it does its job fine enough.

D Rank

Rotom-Mow - Supposedly anti-Flyingtech that doesn't do anything else at a remarkable level.

Tapu Bulu - Hypothetically fine but thoroughly outclassed by Rillaboom, which is not even that good.

Zarude - Why would you use this mon at all?, it is strong, I guess, but Meowscarada's rise to fame makes it almost completely irrelevant.

UR Rank

Toedscruel - Only somewhat good against Steel, it sucks otherwise.

Wo-Chien - Why would you even use this?, it is somewhat bulky, but the typing is horrendous and it does not do anything of note, fraud mon.

Poison

S Rank

Mega Venusaur

Muk-Alola

Toxapex


A+ Rank

Crobat

Sneasler

A Rank

Clodsire - An Unaware mon is great to have, that's my reasoning. Sadly somewhat passive, but STAB Earthquake helps on that deparment.

Nidoking

Nihilego

Weezing-Galar

B Rank

Gengar - Better than it is being given credit for, definitely not a C Ranker; still a good scarfer and wallbreaker with really impressive coverage, even if it, 8 years laters, still misses levitate.

Iron Moth - Not excellent, but has something of a unique niche as a fast, versatile and diverse special attacker that it pulls fairly well in more... offensive Poison compositions, let's say, and even in more defensive ones through either a Scarf or some Specs.

Slowking-Galar - I could make an argument for this being an A Rank mon. It is quite good, it always is, but the very established defensive core of Poison doesn't really grant that many slots to play with.

C Rank
Amoonguss

Okidogi

Scolipede - I actually believe this mon is actually better in Poison than it is in Bug, even while powercrept to hell and back it is actually quite decent and has great snowballing potential if you are able to get rid of physical walls.

D Rank
Glimmora

Munkidori

Overqwil - You're not dropping A-Muk for this.

Salazzle

Psychic

S Rank

Mega Gallade

Tapu Lele

A+ Rank

Deoxys-Speed

Iron Boulder - A good, incredibly fast, versatile mon with a quite good offensive typing that doubles as an abysmal defensive one, makes some match ups trivial (Flying, Bug, Fire, Ice) while making some other harder (Steel, Grass). Would say it is really good overall, competing with Gallade-M and Victini is, however, far from easy.

Jirachi

Latias - Probably the best hazard remover this type has access to overall, the Mist Ball buffs were actually quite handy and it can pull sweeping sets fairly well due to its bulk. Healing Wish is always really nice to have.

Slowbro

Victini - I don't like this mon, but its role in the Steel match up and its admittedly great variety of sets keeps it this high up.

A Rank

Celebi

Iron Leaves - Only here because of its status as a physically offensive mon on a type that, while possessing some really good ones, is usually quite devoid of them. Really good into Electric, as it is to be expected and Steel, I'd say.

Slowking-Galar - Does anything you want it to do and it will probably do it well, really versatile with a great defensive type and ability to match.

B Rank

Iron Crown - Better than I gave it credit for, can pull Double Dance sets quite well thanks to its relatively decent typing and its excellent bulk.

Mega Alakazam

Mew

Mega Latias - Actually quite good as a mon, as it has also proven to be in Dragon, but sadly outclassed by Gallade-Mega as a Mega for the type. Can do its job really well, nonetheless.

Reuniclus - The best of the Magic Guard users; really match up fishy, but trivializes any kind of stall and the Double Dance sets of Calm Mind + Acid Armor can be really hard to stop.

C Rank

Alakazam

Armarouge

Hatterene

Metagross - Received some nifty boosts, it's fine.

Latios


D Rank

Bronzong

Mega Gardevoir

Mega Latios

Mega Slowbro

Sigilyph - Weak and unremarkable otherwise, but Magic Guard and an expansive movepool are really good things to have

Meloetta

Scream Tail

Steel

S Rank

Gholdengo

Heatran

A+ Rank

Celesteela

Ferrothorn

Mega Scizor

A Rank

Archaludon - Underrated and really versatile, better in Steel than in it is on Dragon. Not speedy but far from slow, it is physically really hard to break and tremendously powerful on the special side, it can do many things and probably do all of them well.

Corviknight

Empoleon - Really good typing only adds to the already insane heights of role compression (pivot, hazard removal, rocker, somewhat inconsistent sweeper) this guy achieves, wouldn't say it is a must but it always pulls its weight if needed.

Excadrill

Iron Treads

B Rank

Aegislash

Goodra-Hisui

Iron Crown - Neat special steel STAB and workable speed tier might make it a more than functional scarfer and general special attacker for Steel.

Melmetal

Skarmory

C Rank

Bisharp - Gimmicky, can be absolutely terrifying as a Defog punisher and a late game sweeper, even if not to the level of his long gone dad.

Jirachi

Klefki

Magnezone

D Rank

Bronzong

Cobalion

Metagross - Similar reasoning to Psychic, the buffs make it far more consistent


UR

Lucario - This mon sucks, it is incredibly slow for an offensive mon and made of paper maché, the fighting coverage is far from worth it.

Orthworm - Without Shed Tail whatever semblance of a niche this had has been completely obiterated, get it out of here.

Water

S Rank

Toxapex

Greninja - Sludge Wave makes this mon that much more consistent, can somewhat hard counter Fairy and makes it far more consistent at dealing with Electric and any other type with the presence of fairies, which is great.

A+ Rank

Pelipper

Swampert - Knock Off makes this mon that much more of an insane role compresser, allowing it to pick what it wants to do in any given team. Best Electric immunity by far outside of rain, as well, if only because of pivoting.

Ogerpon Wellspring - This mon is great by all accounts: great in the mirror and against slower types such as Poison, Steel and Ground, a type which she shuts completely. Water/Grass is a rather peculiar offensive typing that can be easily rounded up by this mon's ridiculous coverage (Play Rough, Stomping Tantrum, Low Kick, Knock Off, Superpower, or even Zen Headbutt if feeling cheeky) and tremendous supportive movepool (Encore, Taunt, Spiky Shield, the list goes on).

Urshifu-R

A Rank

Barraskewda

Basculegion-F - Best Special Swift Swim sweeper by a long shot, even if it is somewhat lacking in power and its speed is... sub par, more than usable STABs and the ability to pivot makes it a really versatile threat under rain and a fairly functional wallbreaker with specs outside of it.

Empoleon

Manaphy - Already expressed my thoughts on the VR, degenerate mon inside and outside of rain.

Mega Swampert

Tapu Fini - Great win condition on rainless water and almost unkillabe with the proper investment, couldn't agree less on regards to its previous positioning.

B Rank

Dondozo - A match up fish if I've ever seen one, but a really good one at that and the backbone of the Water Stall Archetype, as well as being unkillable in some match ups.

Gyarados

Gastrodon

Mega Gyarados

Quaquaval - Can be somewhat underwhelming, I agree, but the role compression of being able to remove hazards as well as easily snowballing out of control make it fairly decent outside of rain.

Rotom-Wash

Samurott-Hisui

Slowking

Walking Wake

C Rank

Araquanid - Already expressed my thoughts on this mon as well. Webs Water has some potential, I believe.

Crawdaunt - Insane wallbreaker, argue for it being far better than D on account of raw power alone.

Keldeo

Lanturn

Mantine - Would put it in B rank, but I feel the lack of pivoting hurts it more here than it does on Flying.

Mega Sharpedo

Suicune

Volcanion

D Rank

Alomomola

Azumarill

Cloyster

Golisopod

Kingdra

Mega Slowbro

Seismitoad

UR

Quagsire - Completely outclassed as an electric immunity (Swampert has pivoting and Knock Off, Gastrodon has reliable recovery) and an Unaware mon.

Slowbro - What does it even do for the type?

 

[Athyestic]

Lilligant-Hisui - God, these special attackers sure are special

Rillaboom - Still fine, even without the nerfs

i don't have much to say about the noms themselves but i would like to point out that the celebi is labled lilligant-h & rillaboom should say "with the nerfs"

(also fight Z on lilligant is really funny you should try that sometime)

 

[Don Bork]

I got bored and decided to rank the first few types, will finish the rest when I'm no longer time. Please comment and let's get a discussion started to grow traction.

Bug

S Rank



A+ Rank


A Rank




A- Rank




B Rank





C Rank





D Rank

Dark

S Rank


S- Rank



A+ Rank



A Rank



A- Rank




B Rank





C Rank





D Rank

Dragon

S Rank



A+ Rank




A Rank





B Rank






C Rank





D Rank

Electric

S Rank



A+ Rank



A Rank




B Rank



C Rank






D Rank



Raikou

Xurkitree

Fairy

S Rank



A+ Rank



A Rank



B Rank






C Rank





D Rank

Fighting

S Rank




A+ Rank

Sneasler

A Rank


B Rank






C Rank







D Rank

Fire

S Rank



A+ Rank



A Rank




B Rank






C Rank






D Rank

Flying

A+ Rank






A Rank





B Rank






C Rank





D Rank

 

[Bows]

Viabilty rankings of my personal favorite types to play

Bug

S Rank
Kleavor - Perfect scarfer that compliments teams with it's Rock typing and STAB U-turn. Stone axe is an incredible move that sets hazards without sacrificing any offensive pressure alongside Kleavor's strong coverage. It crucially takes care of Flying and Fire types that Bug struggles with and is an auto include on any team.

Volcarona - Another auto include, Volc is still the definitive Bug wincon that synergizes with Sticky web and Hazards from it's teammates. It's limiting movepool and inability to break bulkier mons can hold it back but Volc is still good and can easily spiral out of control after a single boost. Not much else to say that hasn't been said before, glory to the matchup moth

A+ Rank
Araquanid - The overall best Sticky web setter, Araquanid is an invaluable check to Kommo-o, Greninja, and various other special attackers. It's strong Liquidation keeps it from being passive and it can function as a surprise wallbreaker with Waterium Z sets.

Mega Pinsir - Wallbreaker that can easily sweep after a single Swords dance and Sticky Web support. It's Aerilate boosted Return combined with Close Combat is nearly unresisted making Pinsir by far the most immediately threatening mon on the type and it's best mega. Pinsir is only really held back by having a Stealth rock weakness on a type with flawed removal and a speed tier that can feel mediocre.

Scizor - Revenge killer and wallbreaker, Scizor's most notable trait is how much it improves the Fairy, Psychic, and Dragon matchups while being a reliable asset against other teams with it's great movepool. Swords Dance and Choice Band are equally viable depending on the team.

A Rank
Buzzwole - Set up sweeper and physical wall. Sub-Bulk up is great into Water, Steel, Fighting and Ground teams depending on the movepool, which can be easily adjusted based on the team. Best Fighting mon on the type and should be explored more as a staple.

Forretress - Hazard removal and setter with reliable pivoting. Useful on teams with Mega Pinsir and/or Z move Volcarona that need rocks gone. Held back by it's lack of longevity, inability to fit alot of moves it wants and general passivity.

Vikavolt - Viable alternative to Araquanid with more longevity and crucially better matchups into Flying, Water and Electric teams. Has trouble fitting every move it needs but is still solid and much better than Galvantula nowadays.

B Rank

Mega Scizor - The second best mega but usually not worth using over Pinsir on hyper offense. (which is Bug's best structure) Still very solid as a defensive pivot or set up sweeper with bulk and longevity.

Heracross - Strongest wallbreaker after Pinsir and great into bulkier teams but doesn't do much against offense and has an exploitable speed tier and STAB.

Galvantula - Fell off pretty hard this gen, it's not fast or strong enough anymore to really accomplish much beyond setting webs (without Specs atleast). Still a usable mon for the speed and how well it does against Water teams but outclassed by Vikavolt

Mega Heracross - The most niche mega but still an option. Bullies Steel teams really hard which is always a plus

Ribombee - Underrated, can be used as a Web setter but is a strong choice item user with a great speed tier. Especially helpful into Dragon and Dark

Durant - Not terrible in my opinion, with Hone claws it can be a strong sweeper with solid coverage, held back by being inconsistent and the Bug/Steel slot having heavy competition.


C Rank
Frosmoth - It's alright, good option into Dragon, Ground, and Flying but has the downside of being Frosmoth

Lokix - Mediocre, even with Darkium Z its never strong enough to be a real wallbreaker. Best set is a revenge killer with Choice band which has it's uses

Golisopod - Outclassed by Lokix but has a better movepool and hits much harder

Armaldo - The dictionary definition of powercrept, it can still function as a spinner but why would you ever use it when Kleavor exists.

Scolipede - Decent set up sweeper with Z moves that can be great into Electric and Fire teams but has a hard time setting up and terrible 4mss

Shuckle - Garenteed hazards is nice but it lacks the utility of the better Sticky web setters and usually isn't worth essentially sacrificing a whole team slot.


D Rank

Slither Wing - My baby who I love but isn't very good. Better than Golisopod in some areas but still outclassed by Lokix and every other Fighting type

Centiskorch

Vivillon

Yanmega

Dark

S Rank
Meowscarada

A+ Rank
Mandibuzz
Mega Sableye
Muk-Alola

A Rank
Hydreigon
Moltres-Galar
Ting-Lu
Weavile
Greninja

B Rank
Grimmsnarl
Mega Tyranitar
Samurott-Hisui
Tyranitar
Bisharp

C Rank
Zarude
Krookodile
Mega Sharpedo
Overqwil
Roaring Moon

D Rank
Crawdaunt
Incineroar
Iron Jugulis
Lokix
Skuntank

Grass

S Rank
Meowscarada
Mega Venusaur
Ferrothorn
Ogerpon-C

A Rank
:Lilligant-Hisui: Lilligant-Hisui
Celebi
Brambleghast
Sinistcha
Hydrapple

B Rank
Breloom
Whimsicott
Ogerpon-W
Rillaboom

C Rank
Amogus
Rotom-Mow
Tapu Bulu
Serperior
Iron Leaves

D Rank
Electrode-Hisui
Toedscruel
Cradily
Wo-Chien

Ground

S Rank
Landorus
Clodsire

A+ Rank
Excadrill
Garchomp
Great Tusk
Gastrodon

A Rank
Hippowdon
Iron Treads
Mamoswine
Mega Garchomp

A- Rank
Landorus-Therian
Ursaluna

B Rank
Gliscor
Mega Steelix
Ting-Lu

C Rank
Nidoking
Quagsire
Sandy Shocks
Toedscruel
Runerigus

D Rank
Golurk
Krookodile
Seismitoad
Zygarde-10%

Ice

S Rank
Kyurem
Ninetales-Alola
Weavile

A+ Rank
Piloswine
Articuno

A Rank
Cetitan
Darmanitan-Galar
Arctozolt

B Rank
Avalugg
Cloyster
Mamoswine

C Rank
Rotom-Frost
Froslass

D Rank
Frosmoth
Glastrier
Lapras

Rock

S Rank
Diancie-Mega
Ogerpon-Cornerstone
Iron Boulder

A+ Rank
Arcanine-Hisui
Shuckle

A Rank
Tyranitar
Nihilego
Garganacl
Glimmora

B Rank
Coalossal
Golem-Alola
Kleavor
Mega Aerodactyl
Omastar

C Rank
Cradily
Mega Tyranitar
Minior
Rhyperior
Terrakion

D Rank
Crustle
Diancie
Drednaw
Iron Thorns
Lycanroc-Dusk

Steel

S Rank
Gholdengo
Heatran

A+ Rank
Celesteela
Ferrothorn
Goodra-Hisui
Iron Treads

A Rank
Corviknight
Mega Scizor
Excadrill
Skarmory

B Rank
Archaludon
Aegislash
Empoleon
Jirachi
Melmetal

C Rank
Iron Crown

D Rank
Bisharp
Bronzong
Forretress
Klefki
Cobalion
Magnezone
Metagross
Scizor

 

[Wafflecopter2000]

I'd only consider myself well-versed with one type. I'm only ranking mons ive used before, so some theoretically viable mons like celebi and iron leaves aren't present.

Psychic

S- Tier - You'd better have a good reason to not run them

Jirachi

Tapu Lele

Mega Gallade

A Tier - Almost always solid

Iron Crown

Victini

A- Tier: Good options on most teams

Iron Boulder

Latios

vroom vroom

Slowbro

B+ Rank - Not on every team but good to include

Armarouge

Latias

B- Rank - The borderline between "usually good" and "usually bad" aka Hatterene tier

Hatterene

C+ Rank - Has a niche it can perform in

Scream Tail

Gallade

Mega Slowbro

Farigiraf

C Rank - matchup fishers

Indeedee

Mega Gardevoir

Hisuian-Braviary

D Rank - maybe theoretically useful in one hyper niche circumstance

Bronzong

Hoopa

Orbeetle

Medicham

Metagross

 

[Mateeus]

As it has been quite long since we've done anything VR related, and many new people are getting interested in the tier, these are my takes on how I would rank Pokemon as the metagame stands. In this post, I'll be ranking a third of the types, and only their most relevant picks (so the ranks are going from S to C, without the very niche options of D Rank that exist in the official VR). I'll comment on my rankings as well, and I encourage readers to reply in the thread too. This took quite the time and research to write, which is the reason why I'll be doing part 2 and 3 later on.

Viability order goes from top to bottom, except among the C ranked Pokemon (where they're just randomly sorted).

Normal

S Rank
- The best mon in the type atm with quite some distance from Ditto. It's, essentially, a trading unit that consistently breaks through a lot of popular defensive cores, which is very beneficial for Normal teams to make progress against the bulky metagame.

- Ditto is Ditto, and idk theres much into it that people already don't know.

A Rank
- Might be worse than Lop as a mon, but it synergizes better with Ursaluna and can compress a lot of offensive roles when ran alongside it. I think it's the best mega evolution to run on the type as of now.

- HDB made this thing a very reliable hazard remover overall and a valuable defensive pivot into things like AV Hands and Ogerpon-W. I think it has gotten better as the metagame shifted towards fatter builds as a consistent remover (unfort it loses to Ghold, though...).

- I think both blobs are super similar but Chansey is the best one to run because the extra bulk from Eviolite just makes it live hits better. This is super helpful now due to the low PP Softboiled has, and the type has good removal for hazards not to be a huge issue.

- While this is probably the best revenge killer in the tier, and one of the biggest threats to the super popular Dragon, the overalll bulkier metagame doesn't do any favors to it. Still a better mon than Mega Pidgeot, but it's harder to build around.

- I still think it's the go-to physical wall on the type and a great asset against types like Flying, Ground, and Dragon, but teams (especially Lop ones) can drop it in favor of more offensive potential thanks to Ursaluna and Terapagos covering the sweepers it would.

B Rank
- Probably the greatest asset HO teams could've gotten within the generation, and I think it could be viable on the classic Normal teamcomps too. Tera Shell lets it blanket check whatever offensive threat you want it to with the appropriate coverage move, and it's a remover that doesn't lose to Ghold. There's also CM sets but I think you get more leverage off of it w/ a Rapid Spin + 3 Attacks (or Toxic) set.

- While it got newfound competition as a special attacker in Horoark, I think PZ is still unrivaled as the premier omniboosting sweeper of the type. Adaptability-boosted Shadow Ball makes it infinitely more powerful, and Recover lets it stallbreak through more defensive teams late-game that lack a Ghost resist.

- This is not suuuuper bad (as it's still B ranked in my books) but it continues to be underwhelming when compared to its initial hype. It's much less useful here than in SV (as Iron + Press sweepers are much less seen), and the fatter nature of NDM doesn't help it. Nasty Plot + Z Move sets make it quite interesting though.

- Might be a wild shout, but I think HO is legit this gen because of Ursaluna, Terapagos, and Hisuian Zoroark; and Smeargle is the centerpiece of said archetype. Getting Stone Axe / Ceaseless Edge also makes it much better as a lead too.

- Has less reasons to be ran over its little sister, but it's very useful on teams that don't run Staraptor as the remover (as they're more prone to hazards overall).

C Rank
- Fits into teams that want to counter-team Water and Flying. Otherwise it doesn't have a lot going for it, however.

- It's Heliolisk but for Dark and Steel. Also a pretty good defensive pivot, but inferior to P2 outside of the two matchups mentioned.

- Most of the time you should use Ursaluna over this. However, it's a capable scarfer, and a faster SD wallbreaker, which gives it a niche (and can even be used with Ursaluna efficiently).

- Nice scarfer on HO that can hit quite hard, check priority sweepers (mainly Mega Scizor) under Psychic Terrain, and provide HWish support.

Fire

S Rank
- I always think you NEVER run Fire without Heatran; the typing and stats make it a great blanket check to Rock-types (and Ground-types too if running Balloon, which I think is the best item it can carry on Fire), and its movepool lets it stallbreak thru walls Fire always wants to get rid of, such as Toxapex, Chansey, and Clodsire. When it's not doing it, it can almost always trade with something as well, and Flame Body is a godsend. It's the best Pokemon the type has by a long shot.

- HDB Court Change / Sucker / 2 Attacks is such a good asset for Fire, removing hazards from your side of the field while picking off Iron Boulder and Mega Aerodactyl. It has a great speed tier, and can also run a revenge killing Scarf set or SD Normalium Z to serve as a great wallbreaker.

A Rank
- Probably the best set-up sweeper the type has, notably being one of the type's only ways to have a shot against Dragon. I don't think it's S worthy because it faces competition from its counterpart, which has a different array of good matchups.

- I think this guy is an amazing addition to Fire teams because it, simply put, is almost never deadweight. Thanks to its STABs having excellent coverage, it can almost always either trade or late-game sweep provided its checks are weakened/removed. The games are never really over when this thing's around, because it is able to win games from tough positions thanks to Weak Armor and Poltergeist. Also revenge kills Boulder which is always a good thing to boot.

- I initially thought Torkoal was super ass at the gen's start, but ever since it's growing on me because of how useful role compression is in the tier. Sets SR, removes hazards AND sets sun in a single slot, which is heavily appreciated by whole Fire teams.

- Good sweeper against offensive types like Electric, Fighting, and Psychic which is always cool to have, but that's probably where its usefulness ends. It can't break things as it once did because of the bulkier metagame, and fitting everything it wants is a nightmare. Still not bad though, and can flip a lot of games if played properly.

- At the moment, I think this is Fire's premier scarfer; it hits a key speed tier that lets it outspeed Mega Swampert under rain and boosted Kommo-o, and it has the coverage to defeat both. If that wasn't enough, it can also soak TSpikes for the team; definitely a slept-on pick that even I underestimated not so long ago.

B Rank
- I actually think Scovillain isn't as bad as it seems; it hits a good enough speed tier under sun and can straight up claim against some types/teams that lack reliable Fire resistances once it's brought in safely. Definitely underrated and one of the few ways the type can achieve effective speed control.

- While Mega X is pretty much the type's only hope versus Dragon, this one comes in clutch in the Ground matchup. It also threatens Water and Flying better than X does. I think Y gets the shortest end of the stick because there's fewer things that can replicate what X can offer to a Fire team.

- It's either a good scarfer with access to Final Gambit for a 1-on-1 trade, or a Z-Celebrate sweeper that can be teched to be effective against a variety of types. Otherwise, there's not much it can do, and it suffered a lot from power creep.

- Super underrated physically defensive pivot that's able to clear hazards and take hits from a lot of things, such as Mega Lopunny, DD Dragonite, Iron hands, most Garchomp, and so on. Definitely a strong pick for teams that don't run Torkoal for sun/want to have a defensive fallback.

- This mon fell off quite badly I think. Its claiming ability which got it famous is no longer that good thanks to stuff like Clodsire, Hisuian Goodra, Iron Hands, and others existing, so its main niche comes within HP Ice revenge kills (and snowballing late game with Beast Boost).

C Rank
- Its whole reason to be used is the Electric immunity thanks to Lightning Rod. Otherwise, it's a decent breaker, but let down by its speed tier. I suppose it can compress SR as well which is a bonus.

- Hits like a NUKE and has one of the few powerful forms of priority within the type in ESpeed, but it basically mandates a team built around it which tells a lot about how hard to fit it is. Scarf's speed tier is just not it.

- More offensive sun setter that has access to HWish, but Torkoal's role compression just ends up being more useful.

- A package of dual screens, an immunity to Ground, and hazard removal sounds super cool on paper, but it fails at accomplishing what its supposed to do more than it should. Fire's myriad of setup makes it automatically viable though, but, like Hisuian Arcanine, it requires a team built around it.

- I almost left this mon out because of how ass his coverage is lmao. Water immunity + hazard removal + good bulk makes it better than everything else though, and it can run things like Balloon for another immunity or Charti Berry for Mega Diancie/Boulder/Mega Aero which is definitely something to consider.

Water

S Rank
- First and foremost, I don't think there are any absolute must-haves when building Water. The type can go a variety of ways depending on how one wants to structure a team of it, and teams can be properly made even without S Ranked Pokemon. That being said, I believe Empoleon is the best Water mon atm. Thanks to its set of resistances and support movepool (which includes SR, Defog, Flip Turn, and even Flash Cannon for Kyurem/Alolan Ninetales), it can be easily glued into any Water team.

- We all know what it does, we all know how annoying it is, and there's nothing else I can say that everyone already knows.

A Rank
- While most known for enabling Rain teams, Pelipper goes far beyond that when justifying its placement. It has quite the defensive traits, notably sporting a Ground immunity and checking things like (most) Tapu Bulu and Meowscarada, while providing hazard removal with Defog.

- A welcome addition to the type that has a lot going for it. Its STABs are incredibly effective against a lot of types, and it has enough of a speed tier to be troublesome against frailer teams as well. It even has good coverage and utility options that makes it able to choose which matchups it wants to capitalize on, making it quite annoying to beat.

- Role compression is king in NDM, and this guy is a great example of why it works. Its STABs, like Wellspring, cover a lot, and it has enough power and access to SD to pose a threat to fatter teams; all that while setting Spikes with Ceaseless Edge to further wear these down. Definitely one of the most useful mons Water has right now.

- Its role of Water's premier Scarf user continued into this gen, but its newfound access to SD also makes it a great wallbreaker. Not much to comment about it other than that.

- The premier Rain sweeper thanks to its bulk, typing, and power while being able to switch moves. It remains largely the same threat we all know, but its new tools in Knock Off and Bulk Up definitely makes it stand out a bit more.

- Fatter metagames are the ideal condition for this thing to thrive, and it's no different with NDM right now. Under Rain, Tail Glow / 2 Attacks / Rest sets are able to stallbreak a large portion of popular bulky teams in the metagame with little team support. Sort of outclassed against Offense or HO, though.

- While Mega is an amazing offensive threat, regular Swampert stands out as a defensive pivot and Electric immunity that's able to provide slow momentum via Flip Turn. Similar to Empoleon, its ability to fit into most teams dictates its high viability.

B Rank
- Alternative Electric immunity that has reliable recovery, but I think it's inferior to Swampert because it often ends up sacrificing valuable momentum. Nevertheless, it's a great choice for bulkier Water teams that aim to play longer games.

- Has fallen off from its former glory as the best wallbreaker on Water thanks to the Protean nerf, but it still has plenty of reasons to be used. Choice Specs sets are brutal against types like Psychic, Flying, and Fairy thanks to its speed and coverage, while Battle Bond sets have potential if done correctly.

- I think Keldeo probably leverages the benefits of its typing the best by greatly threatening Steel, Normal, and Dark teams with its CM sets. However, it's not nearly as splashable as Urshifu because of its lower initial power, which hampers its viability.

- Good DD sweeper that takes advantage of Supersonic Skystrike, Moxie, and good neutral STAB coverage to force progress against most teams; not much has changed about it.

- While I think this is very similar to its regular counterpart, Mega Gyarados notably appreciates its movepool additions to become more splashable into teams. Still below regular though, as it does take a mega slot.

- This is either a specially defensive pivot that can provide Future Sight support on more offensive Water teams, or a sturdy wall on fatter builds when equipped with an Assault Vest; it performs both roles very well, albeit it is not the easiest thing to fit thanks to a meh defensive typing.

- I think this probably takes Kingdra's spot as the go-to specially offensive Rain abuser. Its secondary Ghost typing is able to cover a wider range of matchups than the seahorse's, and it doesn't fall much behind in terms of speed tiers, either.

- The biggest anti-offense mon Rain teams could ever have, but its usefulness starts and ends there. Still holds a significant enough niche to be B ranked, though.

C Rank
- A good wincon that thrives in the Dragon and Dark matchups while having sweeping potential elsewhere, but it's too passive and oftentimes falls short of doing anything versus bulkier builds.

- Flip Turn makes Alomomola a great Wish passer that isn't restricted to Stall teams anymore. Despite that, however, fitting it is still pretty hard thanks to its mono Water typing.

- This can potentially late-game sweep a good portion of offensive types like Psychic, Electric, and Ground while denting Poison and Flying thanks to its raw power with Strong Jaw-boosted Crunch / Psychic Fangs. However, it takes a mega slot and has to be built around.

- Good bulky wincon that can double as an early-game wall with its regular form, and take advantage of its increased bulk after Mega Evolving to sweep. Suffers from the same issues as Sharpedo and Slowking, however.

- Doing funny things to Dragon, Flying, and Ground never gets old. It can now even try to do them against Psychic thanks to Pin Missile! not much else though...

- SD + Rapid Spin sets with Moxie are able to snowball if positioned correctly, and it may even run a Z-Move to properly wallbreak. More situational and less useful than the other two Fighting-types, however.

- It's similar to Cloyster as in the fact it has matchups it shines and/or almost auto-wins, but, like Alomomola, it's not easy to fit and has its fair share of dreadful matchups as well.

- Niche Scarf user / defensive pivot that's immune to Ground and neutral to Electric. Not much else to be said here other than it can be splashable on specific builds, which earns it its ranking.

Electric

S Rank
- I think Zapdos thinly edges Hands and Koko as Electric's #1 mon because it's simply useful in more ways. Defensive sets are able to switch into threats like Meowscarada and Choice Scarf Excadrill while being a remover that beats Ghold, and offensive ones capitalize on powerful Hurricanes and coverage to threaten a variety of types like nothing else on Electric.

- It can be a great blanket check to a myriad of things with its Assault Vest set, or shift its focus towards wallbreaking if it runs SD. Thanks to its huge natural bulk, it's also able to perform trades with a large amount of threats to the type, especially with a Shuca Berry. All in all, an Iron Hands of some sort is needed on any Electric team.

- Despite being less threatening offensively thanks to the bulkier metagame, Tapu Koko supports the whole team with Electric Terrain while sporting a speed tier that has yet to be obsolete. It doesn't do super well versus Dragon anymore, but it still is the number one threats Water and Flying teams have to face.

A Rank
- Pairs incredibly well with Zapdos defensively, oftentimes covering the opposite side of the defensive spectrum. Also a decent remover whenever Zapdos runs an offensive set; compared to the three S Ranks, I think it's too one-dimensional.

- The premier revenge killer on the type and also a good wallbreaker thanks to Rising Voltage's insane BP under Electric Terrain. Nasty Plot sets are also a thing (despite being harder to pull off because of how frail it is).

- While it got its throne of "best physical attacker on the type" stolen, Zeraora's blazing Speed and amazing coverage still makes it very viable. Notably, it's able to threaten Normal, Dragon, and Dark teams incredibly well with its Choice Band set, which Electric appreciates a lot. Bulk Up sets are ok-ish but immediate power is more appreciated.

- This newcomer has quickly turned into one of Electric's best offensive assets in my opinion. Thanks to its great STAB coverage, its CM + Dragonium Z sets are able to heavily dent popular bulky teams, and its good defensive typing lets it trade against offense.

B Rank
- I think Groundium Z Shocks is a very underrated threat atm, and the main reason to actually use it (sash sets are, indeed, underwhelming). It's essentially a hazard setter (which an offensive type like Electric always appreciates) that can beat most removers, and it's the type's main asset against Poison (which is traditionally a horrible matchup for Electric).

- This does its usual duties of trapping troublesome steels for the type such as Excadrill (and now Iron Treads), while also doubling down as a strong presence versus Fairy teams. While its roles remain useful and unchanged, increased competition for slots kinda knocks it down a degree.

- It's an alternate Rotom form for teams that want to have a bigger advantage against Water and something that doesn't fold to Mold Breaker Earthquake / Excadrill. Useful for what it's worth but generally inferior to the washing machine.

- I forgot about him in the original post LOL. Pretty amazing cleaner against matchups with no Electric immunities, but otherwise it's just useless. It can also run Dual Screens which can be interesting.

C Rank
- Can run a funny DD Rockium Z set that's boosted by Terrain; when played right, it's able to finish quite the amount of types. Has a pretty awful defensive typing though, which makes it hard to fit, and it's also quite slow.

- Does its usual job of alternative trapper that can also set SR, but it also gets knocked down a tier for the same reasons as Magnezone.

- This has a colorful movepool and is able to threaten most Ground-types thanks to its speed and coverage. As a Fighting-type though, it faces stiff competition and has it hard to fit in tandem with Iron Hands (and Revival Blessing isn't very useful in practice).

- Has a niche as a physical attacker that can pivot out with U-turn and be a menace against Psychic. It's outclassed by Zeraora otherwise, however.

- The blazing Speed tier is this bird's main draw against Zapdos, and Competitive lets it nab boosts against Defog users. That's how its niche ends, however.

Grass

S Rank
- I don't think I need to explain this one. Has been the main mon for Grass for generations, and it still holds up pretty well to the power creep courtesy of its massive bulk and good offensive presence. Still holds the top spot on the type for me.

- I don't think I need to explain this one either. It's annoying and we all know what it does...

- I have been the one holding this thing from becoming S Ranked in the actual VR, but now I think it fully belongs here. Triple Axel is a HUGE gift to this mon, and its variety of coverage options let it pretty much choose which types it's going to bully. While Scarf is its default set, it can perfectly run Band or HDB to wallbreak, which says a lot about how good it is. A true staple now imo.

A Rank
- It threatens Poison, Flying, and Fire offensively. That's probably enough as to why it's been such a great addition to the type; it's only out of S Rank because I think there should only be a max of 3 mons there (and because Wellspring is also viable).

- Grass/Ghost is a great defensive typing for Grass teams, and offensively it's no slouch either. Thanks to Heatproof and good natural bulk, it's the type's most reliable wincon atm which speaks volumes about it.

- Another recent addition, Hydrapple sports a great mix of offense and defense in a single slot. Nasty Plot + Dragonium Z sets are able to rip through even resists after a boost while also trading very effectively thanks to its good bulk. It also gets multiple setup chances thanks to Regenerator. AV sets are nice pivots too but I think they're not as good as the wallbreaking ones.

- Versatile mon that packs some utility in the form of Rapid Spin and Spikes, while sporting a good defensive typing and an immunity to Hurricane and Heat Wave, which comes in clutch when checking Zapdos and Tornadus-T for Grass.

B Rank
- It can be a fierce wallbreaker with SD + Darkinium Z sets, which threaten types like Steel (notably beating Gholdengo), Dark, and Psychic. Solid mon on its own right, but it's harder to fit on a team than the other A Ranks.

- Very similar to Zarude on how it works as a wallbreaker (SD + Z-Move), and can also run a Spore + Focus Sash set to cripple and/or trade with things in a pinch. Just like Zarude, however, it's not very easy to slap onto teams.

- We all know Cornerstone is likely the better form on the type due to its matchup spread, but Wellspring can stand out for its coverage / if Ogerpon doesn't want to run Grass STAB. It's able to wallbreak the things Cornerstone beats (albeit a little less effectively) plus some other matchups, such as Steel and Fighting, that the other form would struggle with.

- Still a decent wallbreaker with NP + Groundium Z that's able to dent Steel and (some) Poison teams when played right, but it has it tougher to fit into teams because of newfound competition. Access to Hidden Power does make it much more flexible though, allowing it to pick a wider range of matchups to excel at.

- It has gotten overshadowed by Play Rough + Triple Axel Meowscarada as the premier Dragon and Dark beater, but it still has its native Fairy typing and can provide utility in removal and Prankster Stun Spore.

C Rank
- I think this is the Hisuian Zoroark of Grass lmfao. Victory Dance + Sleep Powder sets would be threatening on paper, until you find out its STAB coverage isn't the best and, well, it needs Hustle for any sort of meaningful damage... which hampers its reliability (also feels like it's always missing a move to hit that one thing that walls it). Definitely an usable mon if played to its strengths but more reliable physical attackers / sweepers exist within the type (I guess it can also run Scarf HWish).

- CB / SD Scrappy sets are neat to demolish Steel and Dark teams which grants its niche.

- Has a nice Electric typing and access to HP Ice which lets it greatly threaten Flying teams, especially with Nasty Plot boosts under its belt. It's not super great outside of that, however.

- Sets Grassy Terrain and is a big option for Grass teams that are more inclined to anti-meta strategies because it makes matchups like Water and Ground infinitely easier (than they already are).

- While I shit on this guy a lot, it has some unique stuff going for it - notably taking hits from Tornadus-T, Zapdos, and Mega Pidgeot while checking Volcarona and Mega Zard Y makes it definitely better than what a D Rank would suggest. Also sets SR which is a huge deal to free something like Ferrothorn to run Spikes.

Ice

S Rank
- To put it simply, there's no Ice without this thing. The secondary Fairy typing makes it one of the type's few checks to Fighting-types, and Snow's Defense buff is just valuable for the whole team, not to mention Aurora Veil and its good Speed tier.

- The importance of Weavile makes me think it fully deserves the S Rank spot atm. Choice Scarf sets hit a crucial Speed tier and revenge kills key threats such as Iron Boulder, Meowscarada, and omniboost Victini / Jirachi. While less viable because of how its Scarf set is important to the type, its SD sets aren't any slouch either - with a Darkinium Z, Weavile is one of the few things on the type that gets rid of Gholdengo, for example. Definitely at staple level on the type.

- Kyurem is Kyurem, and it's gotten even better with Snow's Defense buff. We all know what SubRoost does, but Specs sets can now trade with things like Urshifu-R and Mega Lopunny under Snow which is heavily appreciated.

A Rank
- The most reliable SR setter on the type and a blanket check to many stuff. Not much has changed from what it usually does, except that it really appreciates the snow buff to take a lot more physical hits.

- I sort of underestimated Cetitan throughout the generation, but after trying it out more times (and watching replays of it), I think it's probably the most threatening sweeper Ice has at its disposal. Z-Belly Drum sets are incredibly good at winning games from mid-game positions and can almost solo types like Poison and Fighting.

- Useful either as a defensive spinner / Spikes setter or as an offensive Shell Smash sweeper. Hasn't changed much but it's still excellent at both roles. Also one of the few ways the type has around Mega Scizor (and Steel as a whole).

B Rank
- Good wallbreaker for more offensive teams that attempt to optimize Ice's good matchups, and it's also able to run a funny Belly Drum set too. It's less splashable than the A Ranks, though.

- Legitimate physically defensive pivot and Defog user thanks to HDB and the Snow buff, which lets it consistently wall things like Mega Lopunny and Urshifu-R. It does invite things in and can oftentimes be too passive for Ice standards, however.

- SR lead that is unaffected by Taunt, and can trade with things in a pinch thanks to Ice Shard + Endeavor. Usually restricted to more offensive Ice teams though; sets like Band or Scarf are obsolete at this point in time.

- This is the type's fastest option for a Rapid Spin user, and one that can either double as a SD sweeper or compress roles thanks to its good support movepool. Similar to Mamoswine, however, it doesn't / shouldn't see a lot of use outside of HO teams.

C Rank
- It's a great wallbreaker under Snow, but it has almost no turns to actually perform. Outside of it, its subpar Speed leaves it easily revenge killed by a number of stuff.

- While the Snow buff makes this almost unkillable on the physical side, it also makes it outclassed by Articuno and defensive Cloyster for the most part. Not being super passive (thanks to Body Press) grants it a niche over them, though.

- Cool Spikes lead that sports a nice immunity to Fighting and can spinblock. However, doing nothing offensively doesn't do it any favors because Ice needs all six slots to compress offensive roles.

 

[RodentTamer]

Havent done one of these in AGES. Let me just do the types I KNOW how to use and go from there

Grounds

S+ Rank

Mega Garchomp is one of the BEST Pokemon that Ground has to offer, and there are several things to back this claim up, one of them
being Garchomp's beautiful array of coverage moves and STABs to help it resist and fight against all of Ground's weaknesses and preserve in battle, and not to mention that it can run physical, special, and sometimes mixed attacking sets to really keep opponents on edge and always guessing. It does have to worry about an Ice-type matchup, although it shouldn't really be an issue for Garchomp as long as it outspeeds, and avoids encountering Mamoswine and Weavile.

Landorus shouldnt really need that much of an explanation, but: Great abilities, great typing (not really for Ground), Sheer Force + Life Orb makes this thing a MENACE, impressive stats, DEMOLISHES Ting-Lu and Kyurem, and breaks Mega Sableye???? Guys, Gals, and Non Binary pals, we have found yet another GOAT of this type. Landorus does however have to rely on his temmates to handle his Rock, Water, and Ice weaknesses, and with them gone, Landorus can become a DANGEROUS sweeper that can break through nearly anything thats thrown at him.

S Rank

Hippowdon is Ground's best and only Sand Setter, and is quite physically bulky in comparison to other pokemon in said type. It can also run numerous different sets to shake up its playstyle, leaving it unpredictable and more of a coin flip to come in on, although to be fair, most normally run set up + Status. The only downisde that the hippo has to worry about is the fact that its SpD weak and has to leave the battlefield ASAP when a special attack comes out. It also hates status so be mindful of that too.

Great Tusk is a great answer to Ice-types with its great coverage moves and ability to set up on lot of things in the meta. It can also function as a great hazard controller being able to set and remove hazards from the field whenever it wishes to. Tusk can also run a lot of Z moves as well to further boost its offensive and defensive presence. It does have to be wary of when it decides to come in, as it has 6 weakness to worry about.

One of the fattest mons in the franchise and an astounding entry mon that can overwhelm a lot of other Pokemon, forcing them to set up or switch out on it, however, if they try, they might end up being punished by ruination, which would be a nightmare to other walls that try to scare it off.

This controversial menace isn't even worth the conversation. Gliscor always has a way to keep its health, and has numerous roles it can fill that make it outclass most other Ground types. However it's somewhat frail, and has to rely on teammates to handle its weakness if it doesn't get the chance to setup to take them head on.

A rank

Surprisingly, Golurk is actually not a bad Sash Lead that can set hazards and start attacking as soon as it's done setting them, it does a good job with that, and can threaten foes with possible confusion, and pressure a few Ice or Grass mons that can later become bigger issues. Unfortunately, it's outclasses by a lot of the aforementioned mons in this spoiler. However, if you want to use it, please do so!

One of the answers to Flying and a POWERFUL one at that. Wrecks Ogerpon-C with Superpower, and picks off faster foes with its priority move Ice Shard. Most of the time, Mamoswine is choice locked into Choice Band, so it becomes a bit harder for it to stay on the field for long, making it become vulnerable very quickly. Mamoswine is also very prone to entry hazards, so they need to be removed in order for Mamoswine to really reach out in what it wants to accomplish.

Clodsire is another good lead that can set hazards, deter Water pokemon, stall with its bull, and spread status to wear foes down for its teammates. I would consider Clod to be a staple for ND Mono Ground if it weren't for the fact that Clodsire if it weren't walled by a lot of "meta" mons in the other types, specifically Psychic, plus it's not that good into both Dragon and Fairy UNLESS it sets up T Spikes or Toxic spread. Overall, it's a great mon to have around, just be mindful when you send it in.

Another one of Flying's answers with a great movepool to boot, its speed and STAB combination really help to leave a dent inside of a lot of mons that don't resist them, often forcing switches. I would've ranked it S- or even S if it weren't so choice reliant most of the time so it can abuse either its Speed or SpA.

B Rank

I'm slowly starting to believe that Excadrill is starting to outclassed by Iron Treads due to how much more functional and durable it is than to Excadrill. The ONLY reason i'm ranking it higher is because of the fact that it has mold Breaker, and becomes more threatening in Sandstorm. Other than that I think Excadrill should be on the lookout for its competitors, because theyre coming in HOT.

Pretty much useless outside of rain on Ground, and like Gastrodon, has to be on the look for Grass pokemon, even though it has coverage for them. I don't think there's much else to say here. This would've gotten C if it weren't for the coverage
despsite how bad it is into Dragon.

Arguably a great mon that can delete with its STABS and Sig Move. The only issue i have is that it's relatively slow, making it more prone to dying to the notorious Water titans that wreak havoc in the metagame. Id rank it A if weren't for that stressful issue.

Nidoking is an alright mon with a great offensive and defensive typing to help it cover Ground's Grass problem. I dont really have much to say for him other than the fact that it has good potential to be a breaker with life orb to help its offensive stats.

 

[revolverhenry]

Haven't played this metagame consistenly as of late but I feel the way the meta has developed to a bulkier, less hyper offensively prone state does bring some interesting changes to the way Bug, a type with an interesting defensive profile by all accounts hampered by the... mechanic that is Stealth Rocks, plays, which I consider would reflect in a different VR than what we have currently.

Bug

S Rank

Kleavor - Insanely powerful scarfer that exchanges speed for ridiculously wallbreaking prowess, if Stone Axe was 95% accurate it would be totally ridiculous; aids Araquanid in the fire match up and makes any rock weak match up instantly easier while having good coverage all the same. Sadly somewhat inconsistent but, in the context of monotype, rock is hard coverage to defend against and Kleavor takes advantage of that like nobody else, given that even resisted hits still pack a reasonable punch, all while still having Night Slash to immensely bother Gholdengo and U-Turn to keep momentum on predicted switch ins.

Volcarona - The mental presence this mon has at any stage of the game is ridiculous and will always make it something to take into account; good coverage, bulk and speed make it terifying for bulky teams and Steel and Poison can lose in the spot if they lose their checks early on. Volcarona is insanely customizable as well with bulky sets with Will-o-Wisp, Roost or Substitute definitely having more of a place now that the pace of the metagame allows it while the QD + 3 Attacks is as good as ever. There's no type that is not slightly if ever so scared of Volcarona (even Electric and other seemingly hard match ups) and Bug has to always take advantage of it.

A+ Rank

Araquanid - Helpful in every possible match up to varying extents, Water, Fire, Ground and Ice being massive stand outs to me. Could be S-Rank with relatuve ease, but it can sometimes end up being an unneeded momentum sink. It is thankfully however not at all passive and able to exert many types of pressure with Magic Coat, Sticky Web, Toxic and ridiculously powerful Liquidations, almost obligatory to run and incredibly customizable. Definitely benifits from a slower pace as well and checks plenty of special attackers with minimal investment while always posing a threat, Would benefit from better recovery than Leftovers, Rest and the niche among niche options that Aqua Ring but its defensive profile is versatile enough for it to work nonetheless (Fire, Water, Ice, Fighting and Ground resistances are insane ones to have). He also can work as a semi decent trapper with Infestation + Rest, which is cool.

Buzzwole - Insanely underrated wall, wallbreaker and win condition, Steel, Poison and generally bulkier types should be scared of its Bulk Up + Substitute sets while its insane coverage make it so even types like Flying and Fairy are not safe it from its ridiculous 139 attack and exorbitant bulk. Is it outclassed by Kleavor as a scarfer? Definitely!, but Buzzwole is another mon down the line that has insane customization and can fit many roles. While sadly weak to status, it synergizes really well with Volcarona's strengths as a sweeper and probably benefits the most out of any mon in the type of the slower pace of the metagame.

Scizor - Still versatility incarnate, he can do anything and will probably do it well: priority, support, wallbreaking, sweeping. It can have the right tools for any situation and fit onto any structure, greatly underrated until now and quite definitely better than its mega.

A-Rank

Forretress - Cookie cutter spinner with incredible defensive profile and pivotting; linear and predictable rock, but it works fine and its two abilities are unimpressive, yet good and synergistic with what it wants to do. Not excessively passive, as well, which is good, thanks to Volt Switch and its good synergy with both Body Press and Gyro Ball.

Mega Pinsir - Meet potential man!, I don't like him, but it does its job fine, I guess, and definitely makes the Grass, Fighting and Normal match ups quite a lot better.

Vikavolt - Underrated; with serviceable bulk and insane power its help in the Electric, Ground, Water and Flying match ups can be truly invaluable. Better than Galvantula by a mile and just a great pivot and member of the defensive core that it can create with all the other defense inclined mons, such as Buzzwole and Araquanid. While its best set would be something along the lines of HDB + Volt Switch + Roost, there's some exploring to do on regards to Specs to act as an insane wallbreaker or Assault Vest to shit on the Electric match up. Really good mon and overall a beneficiary of the fatter metagame, for sure.

Ribombee - Third best special attacker in the type and good role compressor, allows Volcarona and Buzzwole to play more freely against status thanks to Aromatherapy and frees Araquanid from having to set Sticky Web. While definitely on the weaker inside, 95 SpAttack backed with an insane speed tier makes it legitimately threatening in its fair share of match ups (Dragon, Fighting and Dark are particulalry remakarble) while never making it truly deadweight against Steel and Fire through paralysis and HP coverage. Specs and QD can definitely pull its fair share of weight but Moonblast + HP Ground or Fire + Utility (Sticky Web, Defog, Stun Spore, Aromatherapy, Screens, Trick with Scarf) seems to me like a really good, consistent set. Really underrated mon.

B-Rank

Heracross - Undervalued stallbreaker and status absorber thanks to Guts and good enough coverage, with its middling speed more than made up for thanks to the slower pace of the meta. Can do great things and, while not as good as Buzzwole, can definitely scare some types on preview.

Lokix - Undeniably hard to fit but still a goated revenge killer that threatens many mons with an incredibly effective Bug/Dark/Fighting + Tinted Lens coverage. Definitely too fragile with a somewhat dysfunctional defensive profile but has a really well defined role that I believe makes it a respectable mon on the type.

Scizor-Mega - Good, but both overshadowed by Scizor and Pinsir-Mega. I don't think Bug loses much from not using megas most of the time, so Scizor-Mega exists in a really awkward position of being a superb mon with very little to do.

Heracross-Mega - The worst among the 3 worthwhile megas but just its attributes on paper are enough for it be this high, methinks; ridiculous power, good bulk and good match ups against the most defensive types, what is not to love (status vulnerability and really lacking speed).

C-Rank

Golisopod - My goat and probably the hardest mon to use effectively on the type but still with some ridiculous qualities like impressive bulk, good power, coverage, utility and a really unique ability that can give its user some interesting momentum manipulations strategies if with a good enough grasp of how to handle its bulk. Not going to say it's really good, but can put in the work.

Durant - Scary on paper and somewhat underwhelming on practice, running three Steel/Bug mons is not practical and thus he also feels thoroughly overshadowed by Forretress in terms of utility (of which Durant has none) and Scizor in everything else but raw power.

Galvantula - Fuckass nothingburger of a mon that doesn't do anything, only ranked because it seems to have things going for it only to not be able to give whatever tools it has in any meaningful way. Use Vikavolt for Special firepower, use Araquanid or Ribombee for webs, just use anything but.

Yanmega - A mon that can't be powerful enough because of Tinted Lens or fast enough because of Speed Boost. A tragedy.

Frosmoth - Scary under good circumstances but incredibly inconsistent and a liability on the steel match up, which you don't want in this meta.

Armaldo - The biggest fall from grace in this generation, under a similar position to Galvantula. Good tools and not single situation to use them in any meaningful way better than other mons such as Kleavor or Forretress, womp womp.

Scolipede - Lacking but can be good if it truly snowballs, being immune to Toxic and Toxic Spikes is nice and the Z Move sets have genuine merit, maybe can do something with a SD + Sub + Earthquake + Megahorn/Rock Slide set, but it has too many obstacles to properly do it. Cool mon, though.

Shuckle - Consolation prize; you know what it does, tread carefully and use Kleavor and Araquanid.