Agree with pretty much everything said here and would give this a like but... Corv to S is an absolutely insane take. A or A+ is fine tho, Corv has been doing incredible lately.A- --> S
I can't live in denial anymore, Corviknight is up there with the GOATs. Its stellar performance in SPL has shown us it isn't trash like some people have claimed, and has successfully beaten the fraud allegations. Being a sturdy check to mons like Tusk, Gambit, Weav, Pecha, and Hydrapple if running Brave Bird among others I haven't named, Corv compresses the roles of a defogger, physical wall who can potentially sweep, ground immune, and pivot into one mon, freeing up lots of room in the builder. Yea sure Gholdengo prevents it from getting hazards off, but being able to pop its balloon unlike Skarmory, the steel bird who couldn't beat the fraud allegations, is usually enough to deter it from coming in freely, especially if Corv's paired with hazard stack, which greatly appreciates the cheese man taking Spikes chip.
B+ --> A
Gweezing's finally being respected in the builder for very good reasons. Exploits the tier's reliance on abilities to perform well throughout the game (Garg's Purifying Salt, Gholdy's Good as Gold, Gliscor's Poison Heal, and Ursaluna's Guts to name a few) and carves out a very interesting and wholly unique niche for itself. Being the only defogger who can actually defog in front of Gholdy is great at screwing over hazard stack builds, and can soak up attacks from Samurott as well as successfully 1v1 Lu. In a meta with Encore mons like Woger and Tink and Taunt mons like Lu and Lando, its impressive how it can work well with no attacking moves at all. Balance and stall teams have seen a major resurgence thanks to this mon, and I think this rise accurately reflects its impact on the metagame.
B+ --> A- or A
Speaking of balance teams being popular again, gotta shoutout the balance annihilator himself, Hydrapple. Aside from Corv and Glowking, balance has no real answer to HYdrapple, and Glowking can be walled if running Tera Steel, turning it into setup fodder. Hydrapple benefits from the recent Roaring Moon ban sicne that's one less mon who can reliably revenge it. Offensive NP sets are ofc great as always, but I've also been a big fan of physdef NP as of recent on fat teams, combining its naturally impressive physical bulk with the breaking power of NP to make it a deadly breaker who can shrug off attacks from passive mons. Apple also being one of, if not the best, mon into Ting-Lu is incredibly valuable in this metagame, healing off Ruination chip with Regen+Giga Drain recovery. The extra physdef also lets it more reliably check mons like Tusk, Gambit, Woger, SD Gliscor, and Sam. Offensive NP sets on more bulky offensive or straight up offensive builds is also extremely useful at preventing Garg from making progress, as just like with Lu, can shrug off Salt Cure chip with Regen+Giga Drain. So in short, setup in Nasty Plot combined with its nigh unparalleled longevity for a breaker make it a respectable threat in this metagame.
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Resource SV OU Indigo Disk Viability Ranking Thread - (update on post #927))
- Thread starter ausma
- Start date
A+ --> SThis is the best mon in the tier. Its versatility is unheard of and it does so much for any team it's on. Standard tera normal espeed sets remain an insane cleaner that obliterate sun and frail HOs, tera ground eq sets can run espeed, or ice spinner or stone edge to snipe. Can run encore to goob recovery, zama, or roost to get multiple dds, while both goob gambit. Can also viably run tb fairy/fly/ghost, with the 4th being encore/roost/sub/espeed/stone edge, legitimately whatever. Defensive dtail sets glue together slower teams and also clean way too efficiently vs offense. Not really a fun of scale shot or cb rn but they exist.
This guy is not even in the same league as bolt, lando or the inconsistent tera hog shitter that is kyurem. Gambit also probably doesn't deserve to be S- anymore, too slow and exploitable by encore/wisp to consistently sweep unlike dnite.
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This is the best mon in the tier.
-> B+So I won't hold ya'll - this mons stats can feel a bit ass by OU standards since its pretty slow + its bulk isn't too good anymore. That said, as a General Tera Steel Rocky Helmet pivot, its pretty good. It matches up well into a good swath of the metagame, checking most of the grounds (non CC-Tusk, Ting-Lu, Treads, Lando-T), Samurott-H, Dragonite, and Cinderace, while also packing Wisp + Helmet to chip away at Kingambit in the end-game (if it makes it that far). Packing a resistance to Fire is big IMO, since Cinderace can be annoying to switch into for certain teams. Unlike most of its competition, Rotom-W has the advantage of practically being immune to entry hazards, giving it a big advantage in longer wars of attrition while having a nice 32 PP recovery move in Pain Split to heal everything back. Tera Steel can also give it a fantastic defensive profile by making it immune to Poison damage and take even less damage from rocks.
Rotom-W is still a bit flawed though. Its got some pretty poor MUs into a few higher tier Pokemon like Gholdengo and Slowking-G. Additionally, it is not a very good Water Resist given how strong the primary Water-type breakers (Ogerpon-W and Walking Wake) are. It doesn't actually do too badly into Ogerpon-W - you can kinda play around it by catching it on the switch with Wisp + have Tera Steel + Helmet to chip it in a pinch. That said, I find Walking Wake very difficult for Rotom-W teams to handle. Lastly, unless it runs Tera Blast Fairy, it is setup bait for some very scary breaker Dragons like Raging Bolt, Hydrappl, and Kyurem.
EDIT: Main reason I think Rotom-W should rise RN is that teams focusing on longevity + hazards are stronger, and Rotom-W has good MUs into rising stars like Dragonite, Ting-Lu, Great Tusk, Corv, and Kingambit. Its Gliscor MU is a bit of a crapshoot, but I suppose it has its advantages there as well, potentially forcing a Tera or forcing Gliscor out.
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WCOP is coming soon, so I might as well dump my thoughts on what’s rising and what’s losing traction.
Notable Differences
-> S
These two should be with Zama at this point, forming the Big 3 of OU. They fit on all the common archetypes and function as defensive cornerstones of the tier. Teambuilding would be even more of a living hell without these three. Their impact can be seen by examining how the meta has shifted from HO to Spike Stacking BO or Balances. Dnite checks everything with Multiscale while the opponent has to guess one of billion of Dnite’s sets. Even if the opponent has the right counterplay, teams can very much account for the stuff that walls the Dnite set of choice
(ex: running SE Zama or Knock Tusk for DD EQ/Spinner Roost Nite)
Ting-Lu is self-explanatory. Lives everything, sturdy Ghost resist, vomits Spikes. Several specially offensive staples like Raging Bolt, Iron Crown, and Iron Moth have declined in usage, because in this meta, your valuable as a specially offensive threat is determined on whether or not you can consistently break past Ting-Lu. (Darkrai can Wisp and Ice Beam for big dmg/Pult has Wisp + U-Turn to rack up chip/Ghold can NP + Tera Fairy Gleam)
You’re very likely to find a team that has at least one or two, or even three of Zama/Nite/Ting because they complement each other’s short-comings so brilliantly and cover a majority of the meta on their own.
-> S-
Wellspring at this point should rise, not just because its the single most influential wallbreaker in the tier, but its a wallbreaker that can fluctuate into other roles such as a Ground resist, Wake/Prima deterrent, Knock clicker, Encore, and Spiker. Its role in softening Dnite/Corv/Zama/Pecha perfectly enables common partners like Zama, Gambit, and Dnite to go crazy in the lategame. Broken or not, Wellspring is at least top 5 rn.
-> A+
Gliscor feels like such an oddball in the S ranks, because I would argue its at its worst point rn, which is still really good. SD Gliscor isn’t the archetype-shattering demon it once was back when it was suspected. Double hazard removal cores are the hot new trend on Stall, so SD Gliscor’s main wincon (Knock Dozo’s Boots and click Facade til it dies to Spikes chip) is much easier to manage. Balance teams have very much adapted to Gliscor’s antics, with Corv and G-Weez receiving high usage during the Moon suspect, Weavile making a comeback, and Keldeo being a legitimate mon in the SV OU meta rather than just a fringe pick. SD Gliscor is often forced to Tera, leaving it vulnerable to Spikes, which can severely hinder it if Gliscor doesn’t win the game outright. SD Gliscor builds are also very exploitable by strong offensive pressure, since their teams are often meant to fish slower Balances and Stalls.
I find Waterpon to be the more splashable wallbreaker and the one that should be in the S ranks. Vs more aggresive structures, Wellspring can trade with Moth or Rai with Tera Water and has the defensive profile to punish Ting-Lu for setting hazards. SD Gliscor doesn’t have that immediate power. I actually find utility sets to be better and more hair-pulling than SD. Its bulky enough to eat a Cudgel just to Toxic Waterpon which is game-changing for the Balance/Stall teams it fits on.
-> A+
One of the biggest benefactors of the Roaring Moon ban. It’s close to Pecha in terms of bulky Fairy resists. HO is less popular, Balance/BOs are in the forefront, thus putting Gking back on the map. Not only does it enable strong offensive threats like Zama and Wellspring with its pivoting + Future Sight, but it can massively mess with Stall via Psychic Noise. I discussed how the value of special attackers is dependent on their Ting-Lu matchup, and Gking just so happens to sport a decent-to-good MU into most of them. Also Phys Def Gking is secretly goated. Can semi-check Wellspring and 1v1s Tusk.
252 Atk Great Tusk Headlong Rush vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Slowking-Galar: 330-390 (83.9 - 99.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Insane calcs.
-> A
Corviknight is on-par with the other birds as it checks similar things. It’s more comfortable with swapping into Knock Off, Waterpon, and AoA Zama. Even after Corv’s stellar performance in SPL, Corv continues to show how good it is at soft-checking offensive threats and generating momentum. It obviously hates Ghold, but forcing Ghold to pop its Balloon via U-Turn is huge for Ting-Lu, Tusk, Dnite.
Treads is debatably the 3rd best hazard lead in the tier, but the reason for this take is because the beyblade has found its way on slower structures with its SpD Set. Lacking the raw progress making and Dark resistance of Tusk, Treads more than makes up for that with a better matchup into the two best spinblockers in the format thanks to its immunity to Malignant Chain and better natural SpD. Thus it is more consistent as a Rapid Spin, enabling strong, but SR weak partners like Specs Kyurem, Volcanion, and AV Torn.
After the Roaring Moon ban, Weavile has found itself to be one of the scariest fast Knock spammers in the tier. Between the classic Boots Tera Ghost set, LO 4-attacks on offensive builds, or CB, Weavile is a consistent progress maker and a valuable form of speed control within the tier. The rise of double hazard removal Balances has also made it more doable for the more immediately threatening CB variants to find themselves onto team structures. Also it can swap into Kyurem Freeze Dry once or twice.
-> A
Regardless of whether you think Kyurem is fine or unhealthy for the tier, I don’t think its as splashable as the A+ ranking would suggest. Due to its lack of defensive utility compared to the premier wallbreaker of the tier (Wellspring), and inherent SR weakness, Kyurem is very support reliant. Needing consistent hazard removal and slow pivots to bring it in. Kyurem is also not unpredictable. DD sets, Specs, and Subtect fit on specific structures to the point where its not difficult to scout out the correct set. DD Kyu suffers from consistency issues and being Tera reliant, along with the usual Kyu weaknesses.
I’m a big fan of Lando, but Lando Offenses aren’t in the forefront rn. It could raise back up some day. Lando is one of the best mons at setting and keeping rocks up. G-Weez and Tusk don’t like eating EP. It doesn’t threaten Corv, but taunting the bird and forcing it to eat Helmet + Rock chip on it is huge for lategame scenarios.
-> A-
Geezing single-handedly revived Stall and allowed for more diverse Balance builds to form. Its unblockable Defog on top of its ability to force progress with status + Neutralizing Gas, has made it a fixture on defensive teams. Weezing also benefits from Ting-Lu’s dominance, discouraging the usage of Crown and Moth who’d otherwise easily abuse G-Weez teams.
-> A-
Hot take incoming. I’ve said this before in a previous set of noms, but I’ll give a legit explaination besides “lol 35% winrate”. Ting-Lu is everywhere, and even vs teams lacking it, Raging Bolt has several inherent flaws. Hates Spikes, lacks defensive utility, and is a major Tera hog. Its a shaky Waterpon check since it just clicks Cudgel + U-Turn for 50%, and Zapdos just U-Turns/Volt Switches out. Treads picking up in usage also worsens things for Bolt. Its not all bad for it though. Bolt is a huge threat to the birds and you can never go wrong with strong priority, even if its flawed and stuffed by random Tera Ground mons.
-> B+
A reminder that B+ mons to be are great but not easily splashable as the A tiers. With that said, Moth is overrated asf. It has most of the same issues as Bolt but even worse. Ting-Lu walls it 99% of the time, Gking is another big issue, Dnite is very common, and Speed Booster Moth is so fucking weak.
132 SpA Iron Moth Fiery Dance vs. 252 HP / 24 SpD Tinkaton: 240-284 (64.1 - 75.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
what is this shit? lmao
Super weak to hazards too, which hurts its ability to tank priority and its longevity. You gotta throw it out and hope it does something (i.e hope Fiery Dance procs). Moth is still good for role compression on HO, and Specs/Boots can do work on specific structures. Its also one of the better Valiant checks for HO.
Lokix is still goated and rly good, but I don’t see it often anymore. Corv and G-Weez usage is high, HO is less popular, and Moon’s departure also made Lokix’s valuable priority look less shiny.
-> B+
WASHTOM GLAZING INCOMING
I’m the one who convinced Magcargo that Washtom is a secret opp. Easily the most underrated mon in the tier, and I’m surprised it hasn’t been seen more. Rotom has a positive matchup into several staples of the format. One of the most consistent Dnite checks, period. Beats all the BS DD sets, even the Tera Blast ones. It messes up Ting-Lu with Wisp, Hydro, and Pain Split. Its also not too shabby into Aoa Zama and KG due to Wisp. Hard counters non-CC Tusk too. Compared to Mola, its less deadweight vs Waterpon since it can pivot out or threaten with Wisp. Washtom also has other notable advantages such as its Spikes immunity, letting it rock Helmet or Lefties, a great offensive typing which threatens Molt, Grounds, and Prima for huge damage. All these traits also make it a fantastic pivot since stopping it from spamming Volt Switch is very difficult. You can slap this on a good chunk of Balance/BOs. My favorite pairing is Washtom + Gking + Kyu + Treads.
Volcanion is underrated for more simpler reasons than Washtom. It hits really fucking hard. Water Absorb discourages Wellspring from clicking Cudgel, and conditioning it to not mindlessly spam its best move is huge for BO and Balance. It has a solid defensive profile into Cinderace, Iron Valiant, Moltres, Primarina, and even Keldeo. Volcanion is also fantastic into Nite/Zama/Ting cores, threatening burns on the former two, while the latter gets smoked by Steam Eruption. It even has some set variety which is uncommon for many B tiers. Specs is simple, 2HKOs everything in the tier and Tera Water Steam Eruption is one of the only special attackerd in the tier capable of OHKOing a healthy Ting-Lu. Volcanion ability to discourage rockers like Ting-Lu and solid bulk makes it great at trading in the early game to break teams down to open up late game scenarios for partners like KG, Zama, and Nite. The other, less flashy sets are Boots which can be slapped onto Boots Spam Spike Stack as a Cudgel/Prima switch-in and generally strong breaker, or lead variants on offensive teams that make use of its utility options (Wisp, Roar, Eject Pack Overheat). You could also mess with the EV spreads and go bulky due to Volcanion already being so strong offensively without a boost. I rock 248HP/116 Modest which lives Tusk HLR, letting you trade with it. Steam Eruption is a very consistent and spammable move in the tier due to its high power + its 30% burn chance. In short, Volcanion packs both defensive utility and insane damage output, making it one of the best mons at trading. Shout outs to volcanionisgood
-> B
More hot takes incoming. On paper Enamorus should be having a field day in this meta, being able to 1v1 Ting-Lu and Ironpress Zama. Scarf Moonblast also rkills several fast threats in the tier, but I can’t help but feel how inconsistent Enam is. Most good SR weak breakers tend to have absurdly spammable STAB moves (Freeze Dry on Kyu/Steam Erup on Volc). Moonblast seems very close to that, but it ends up flopping into Gking/Molt/Corv who are common defensive pieces in OU. Its good into teams’ who’s Fairy resists are the less specially bulky Pecha and Weezing though, but deadweight vs Molt (esp SpD variants). It’s also competing with other frail specially-oriented breakers like Darkrai, and Fairies such as Valiant or Primarina.
I was adamant about dropping Glimmora, but offense is less popular and Tspikes are pretty useless vs most builds. Not to mention it competes with other leads.
-> B
duckular be damned, Ribombee has shown during the WCOP qualifiers to be on par with Araquanid when it comes to setting Webs. Glimmora is less of a factor in the meta, and Ribombee can make a lasting impact in a game with Stun Spore, ruining a potential target….75% of the time.
-> B-
I’m on the Ceru hype train along with ausma . This mon is shisty. All those Weez/Ting/Corv/Mola builds, Ceru lowkey destroy them with Bitter Blade + CC. Its great on the cheese offense archetypes (Sun/Veil/Webs). BU Taunt Tera Grass is another dangerous set that shuts down Molt Balances. Tera Fairy Blast is kinda fire too Very legit mon rn.
-> B-
Crazy coming from the OKIDOGI NATION guy, but many of the traits that gave Dogi a niche in SV OU prior, are less valuable rn. It still counters Ironpress Zama (which is still a notable feat), but when so many teams have perfectly consistent checks to it, esp Pecha, Dogi has less of a reason to be used. Lacking a Fairy resist and being weak to Ground, Dogi can sometimes make builds feel clunky. BU sets can take a while to get going, while AV can feel inconsistent as a breaker. Corv comfortably eats Knock and doesn’t mind CC. Pecha 1v1s it even after eating a Knock. Awkward mon that can still do cool things in the tier.
-> C+
Strength Sap is a stupid fucking move.
- C
These two deserve a little more credit than they get. H-Arc is a rare Wisp immune physical attacker that can threaten all the birds with SE Head Smash or Flare Blitz. 90 is a nice speed tier for blitzing past base 80s such as Tusk, Samu, and Pecha. Can cripple Tusk on the switch with Wisp, enabling endgame scenarios. Also packs E-Speed for some semi-decent priority, especially with Tera Normal.
Chesnaught’s a Spiker that beats other common Spikers and 1v1s Tusk/Treads while packing Knock to cripple incoming birds and Ghosts that otherwise have a field day with it. Also checks Wellspring nicely (just dodge Play Rough).
-> C
Latias is a bum still trying to re-live the 1 month it was viable. If you lose to this, either the team is trash or you have a skill issue (like I do).
-> C
An unholy fusion of Ting-Lu and Okidogi. Its a Ghost resist not weak to Gholdengo’s Dgleam and checks other threats like Primarina, Valiant, Darkrai, Pult. Poison Touch Knock Off is scary for any team not running Corv or Gliscor. The biggest appeal of Alolan Muk is it hard walls Slowking-G, and with Protect, shuts down FS + Zama shenanigans via Poison/Dark (also hard switches into Pecha). Weak to hazards and hates Gliscor/Corv, but you can cover those weak points and the payoff is worth it.
- D
Coba’s a fringe rocker that checks Weavile/Gambit while switching into non-Focus Miss Rai.
Kilowattrel has a good speed tier, outspeeds Wellspring, Electric/Flying STAB is scary as demonstrated by Zapdos, and punishes Corv really hard for clicking Defog.
Gapdos also punishes Defog and Parting Shot, can run a semi-scary BU set with Thunderous Kick that could even break through Dondozo with defense drops.
Notable Differences
-> SThese two should be with Zama at this point, forming the Big 3 of OU. They fit on all the common archetypes and function as defensive cornerstones of the tier. Teambuilding would be even more of a living hell without these three. Their impact can be seen by examining how the meta has shifted from HO to Spike Stacking BO or Balances. Dnite checks everything with Multiscale while the opponent has to guess one of billion of Dnite’s sets. Even if the opponent has the right counterplay, teams can very much account for the stuff that walls the Dnite set of choice
(ex: running SE Zama or Knock Tusk for DD EQ/Spinner Roost Nite)
Ting-Lu is self-explanatory. Lives everything, sturdy Ghost resist, vomits Spikes. Several specially offensive staples like Raging Bolt, Iron Crown, and Iron Moth have declined in usage, because in this meta, your valuable as a specially offensive threat is determined on whether or not you can consistently break past Ting-Lu. (Darkrai can Wisp and Ice Beam for big dmg/Pult has Wisp + U-Turn to rack up chip/Ghold can NP + Tera Fairy Gleam)
You’re very likely to find a team that has at least one or two, or even three of Zama/Nite/Ting because they complement each other’s short-comings so brilliantly and cover a majority of the meta on their own.
-> S-Wellspring at this point should rise, not just because its the single most influential wallbreaker in the tier, but its a wallbreaker that can fluctuate into other roles such as a Ground resist, Wake/Prima deterrent, Knock clicker, Encore, and Spiker. Its role in softening Dnite/Corv/Zama/Pecha perfectly enables common partners like Zama, Gambit, and Dnite to go crazy in the lategame. Broken or not, Wellspring is at least top 5 rn.
-> A+Gliscor feels like such an oddball in the S ranks, because I would argue its at its worst point rn, which is still really good. SD Gliscor isn’t the archetype-shattering demon it once was back when it was suspected. Double hazard removal cores are the hot new trend on Stall, so SD Gliscor’s main wincon (Knock Dozo’s Boots and click Facade til it dies to Spikes chip) is much easier to manage. Balance teams have very much adapted to Gliscor’s antics, with Corv and G-Weez receiving high usage during the Moon suspect, Weavile making a comeback, and Keldeo being a legitimate mon in the SV OU meta rather than just a fringe pick. SD Gliscor is often forced to Tera, leaving it vulnerable to Spikes, which can severely hinder it if Gliscor doesn’t win the game outright. SD Gliscor builds are also very exploitable by strong offensive pressure, since their teams are often meant to fish slower Balances and Stalls.
I find Waterpon to be the more splashable wallbreaker and the one that should be in the S ranks. Vs more aggresive structures, Wellspring can trade with Moth or Rai with Tera Water and has the defensive profile to punish Ting-Lu for setting hazards. SD Gliscor doesn’t have that immediate power. I actually find utility sets to be better and more hair-pulling than SD. Its bulky enough to eat a Cudgel just to Toxic Waterpon which is game-changing for the Balance/Stall teams it fits on.
-> A+One of the biggest benefactors of the Roaring Moon ban. It’s close to Pecha in terms of bulky Fairy resists. HO is less popular, Balance/BOs are in the forefront, thus putting Gking back on the map. Not only does it enable strong offensive threats like Zama and Wellspring with its pivoting + Future Sight, but it can massively mess with Stall via Psychic Noise. I discussed how the value of special attackers is dependent on their Ting-Lu matchup, and Gking just so happens to sport a decent-to-good MU into most of them. Also Phys Def Gking is secretly goated. Can semi-check Wellspring and 1v1s Tusk.
252 Atk Great Tusk Headlong Rush vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Slowking-Galar: 330-390 (83.9 - 99.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Insane calcs.
-> ACorviknight is on-par with the other birds as it checks similar things. It’s more comfortable with swapping into Knock Off, Waterpon, and AoA Zama. Even after Corv’s stellar performance in SPL, Corv continues to show how good it is at soft-checking offensive threats and generating momentum. It obviously hates Ghold, but forcing Ghold to pop its Balloon via U-Turn is huge for Ting-Lu, Tusk, Dnite.
Treads is debatably the 3rd best hazard lead in the tier, but the reason for this take is because the beyblade has found its way on slower structures with its SpD Set. Lacking the raw progress making and Dark resistance of Tusk, Treads more than makes up for that with a better matchup into the two best spinblockers in the format thanks to its immunity to Malignant Chain and better natural SpD. Thus it is more consistent as a Rapid Spin, enabling strong, but SR weak partners like Specs Kyurem, Volcanion, and AV Torn.
After the Roaring Moon ban, Weavile has found itself to be one of the scariest fast Knock spammers in the tier. Between the classic Boots Tera Ghost set, LO 4-attacks on offensive builds, or CB, Weavile is a consistent progress maker and a valuable form of speed control within the tier. The rise of double hazard removal Balances has also made it more doable for the more immediately threatening CB variants to find themselves onto team structures. Also it can swap into Kyurem Freeze Dry once or twice.
-> ARegardless of whether you think Kyurem is fine or unhealthy for the tier, I don’t think its as splashable as the A+ ranking would suggest. Due to its lack of defensive utility compared to the premier wallbreaker of the tier (Wellspring), and inherent SR weakness, Kyurem is very support reliant. Needing consistent hazard removal and slow pivots to bring it in. Kyurem is also not unpredictable. DD sets, Specs, and Subtect fit on specific structures to the point where its not difficult to scout out the correct set. DD Kyu suffers from consistency issues and being Tera reliant, along with the usual Kyu weaknesses.
I’m a big fan of Lando, but Lando Offenses aren’t in the forefront rn. It could raise back up some day. Lando is one of the best mons at setting and keeping rocks up. G-Weez and Tusk don’t like eating EP. It doesn’t threaten Corv, but taunting the bird and forcing it to eat Helmet + Rock chip on it is huge for lategame scenarios.
-> A-Geezing single-handedly revived Stall and allowed for more diverse Balance builds to form. Its unblockable Defog on top of its ability to force progress with status + Neutralizing Gas, has made it a fixture on defensive teams. Weezing also benefits from Ting-Lu’s dominance, discouraging the usage of Crown and Moth who’d otherwise easily abuse G-Weez teams.
-> A-Hot take incoming. I’ve said this before in a previous set of noms, but I’ll give a legit explaination besides “lol 35% winrate”. Ting-Lu is everywhere, and even vs teams lacking it, Raging Bolt has several inherent flaws. Hates Spikes, lacks defensive utility, and is a major Tera hog. Its a shaky Waterpon check since it just clicks Cudgel + U-Turn for 50%, and Zapdos just U-Turns/Volt Switches out. Treads picking up in usage also worsens things for Bolt. Its not all bad for it though. Bolt is a huge threat to the birds and you can never go wrong with strong priority, even if its flawed and stuffed by random Tera Ground mons.
-> B+A reminder that B+ mons to be are great but not easily splashable as the A tiers. With that said, Moth is overrated asf. It has most of the same issues as Bolt but even worse. Ting-Lu walls it 99% of the time, Gking is another big issue, Dnite is very common, and Speed Booster Moth is so fucking weak.
132 SpA Iron Moth Fiery Dance vs. 252 HP / 24 SpD Tinkaton: 240-284 (64.1 - 75.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
what is this shit? lmao
Super weak to hazards too, which hurts its ability to tank priority and its longevity. You gotta throw it out and hope it does something (i.e hope Fiery Dance procs). Moth is still good for role compression on HO, and Specs/Boots can do work on specific structures. Its also one of the better Valiant checks for HO.
Lokix is still goated and rly good, but I don’t see it often anymore. Corv and G-Weez usage is high, HO is less popular, and Moon’s departure also made Lokix’s valuable priority look less shiny.
-> B+ WASHTOM GLAZING INCOMING I’m the one who convinced Magcargo that Washtom is a secret opp. Easily the most underrated mon in the tier, and I’m surprised it hasn’t been seen more. Rotom has a positive matchup into several staples of the format. One of the most consistent Dnite checks, period. Beats all the BS DD sets, even the Tera Blast ones. It messes up Ting-Lu with Wisp, Hydro, and Pain Split. Its also not too shabby into Aoa Zama and KG due to Wisp. Hard counters non-CC Tusk too. Compared to Mola, its less deadweight vs Waterpon since it can pivot out or threaten with Wisp. Washtom also has other notable advantages such as its Spikes immunity, letting it rock Helmet or Lefties, a great offensive typing which threatens Molt, Grounds, and Prima for huge damage. All these traits also make it a fantastic pivot since stopping it from spamming Volt Switch is very difficult. You can slap this on a good chunk of Balance/BOs. My favorite pairing is Washtom + Gking + Kyu + Treads.
Volcanion is underrated for more simpler reasons than Washtom. It hits really fucking hard. Water Absorb discourages Wellspring from clicking Cudgel, and conditioning it to not mindlessly spam its best move is huge for BO and Balance. It has a solid defensive profile into Cinderace, Iron Valiant, Moltres, Primarina, and even Keldeo. Volcanion is also fantastic into Nite/Zama/Ting cores, threatening burns on the former two, while the latter gets smoked by Steam Eruption. It even has some set variety which is uncommon for many B tiers. Specs is simple, 2HKOs everything in the tier and Tera Water Steam Eruption is one of the only special attackerd in the tier capable of OHKOing a healthy Ting-Lu. Volcanion ability to discourage rockers like Ting-Lu and solid bulk makes it great at trading in the early game to break teams down to open up late game scenarios for partners like KG, Zama, and Nite. The other, less flashy sets are Boots which can be slapped onto Boots Spam Spike Stack as a Cudgel/Prima switch-in and generally strong breaker, or lead variants on offensive teams that make use of its utility options (Wisp, Roar, Eject Pack Overheat). You could also mess with the EV spreads and go bulky due to Volcanion already being so strong offensively without a boost. I rock 248HP/116 Modest which lives Tusk HLR, letting you trade with it. Steam Eruption is a very consistent and spammable move in the tier due to its high power + its 30% burn chance. In short, Volcanion packs both defensive utility and insane damage output, making it one of the best mons at trading. Shout outs to volcanionisgood
-> BMore hot takes incoming. On paper Enamorus should be having a field day in this meta, being able to 1v1 Ting-Lu and Ironpress Zama. Scarf Moonblast also rkills several fast threats in the tier, but I can’t help but feel how inconsistent Enam is. Most good SR weak breakers tend to have absurdly spammable STAB moves (Freeze Dry on Kyu/Steam Erup on Volc). Moonblast seems very close to that, but it ends up flopping into Gking/Molt/Corv who are common defensive pieces in OU. Its good into teams’ who’s Fairy resists are the less specially bulky Pecha and Weezing though, but deadweight vs Molt (esp SpD variants). It’s also competing with other frail specially-oriented breakers like Darkrai, and Fairies such as Valiant or Primarina.
I was adamant about dropping Glimmora, but offense is less popular and Tspikes are pretty useless vs most builds. Not to mention it competes with other leads.
-> Bduckular be damned, Ribombee has shown during the WCOP qualifiers to be on par with Araquanid when it comes to setting Webs. Glimmora is less of a factor in the meta, and Ribombee can make a lasting impact in a game with Stun Spore, ruining a potential target….75% of the time.
-> B-I’m on the Ceru hype train along with ausma . This mon is shisty. All those Weez/Ting/Corv/Mola builds, Ceru lowkey destroy them with Bitter Blade + CC. Its great on the cheese offense archetypes (Sun/Veil/Webs). BU Taunt Tera Grass is another dangerous set that shuts down Molt Balances. Tera Fairy Blast is kinda fire too Very legit mon rn.
-> B-Crazy coming from the OKIDOGI NATION guy, but many of the traits that gave Dogi a niche in SV OU prior, are less valuable rn. It still counters Ironpress Zama (which is still a notable feat), but when so many teams have perfectly consistent checks to it, esp Pecha, Dogi has less of a reason to be used. Lacking a Fairy resist and being weak to Ground, Dogi can sometimes make builds feel clunky. BU sets can take a while to get going, while AV can feel inconsistent as a breaker. Corv comfortably eats Knock and doesn’t mind CC. Pecha 1v1s it even after eating a Knock. Awkward mon that can still do cool things in the tier.
-> C+Strength Sap is a stupid fucking move.
- CThese two deserve a little more credit than they get. H-Arc is a rare Wisp immune physical attacker that can threaten all the birds with SE Head Smash or Flare Blitz. 90 is a nice speed tier for blitzing past base 80s such as Tusk, Samu, and Pecha. Can cripple Tusk on the switch with Wisp, enabling endgame scenarios. Also packs E-Speed for some semi-decent priority, especially with Tera Normal.
Chesnaught’s a Spiker that beats other common Spikers and 1v1s Tusk/Treads while packing Knock to cripple incoming birds and Ghosts that otherwise have a field day with it. Also checks Wellspring nicely (just dodge Play Rough).
-> CLatias is a bum still trying to re-live the 1 month it was viable. If you lose to this, either the team is trash or you have a skill issue (like I do).
-> CAn unholy fusion of Ting-Lu and Okidogi. Its a Ghost resist not weak to Gholdengo’s Dgleam and checks other threats like Primarina, Valiant, Darkrai, Pult. Poison Touch Knock Off is scary for any team not running Corv or Gliscor. The biggest appeal of Alolan Muk is it hard walls Slowking-G, and with Protect, shuts down FS + Zama shenanigans via Poison/Dark (also hard switches into Pecha). Weak to hazards and hates Gliscor/Corv, but you can cover those weak points and the payoff is worth it.
- DCoba’s a fringe rocker that checks Weavile/Gambit while switching into non-Focus Miss Rai.
Kilowattrel has a good speed tier, outspeeds Wellspring, Electric/Flying STAB is scary as demonstrated by Zapdos, and punishes Corv really hard for clicking Defog.
Gapdos also punishes Defog and Parting Shot, can run a semi-scary BU set with Thunderous Kick that could even break through Dondozo with defense drops.
After almost a year of saying (actually, perhaps a whole year) that Alolan Muk is good I’m so happy more people are seeing its potential.
An unholy fusion of Ting-Lu and Okidogi. Its a Ghost resist not weak to Gholdengo’s Dgleam and checks other threats like Primarina, Valiant, Darkrai, Pult. Poison Touch Knock Off is scary for any team not running Corv or Gliscor. The biggest appeal of Alolan Muk is it hard walls Slowking-G, and with Protect, shuts down FS + Zama shenanigans via Poison/Dark (also hard switches into Pecha). Weak to hazards and hates Gliscor/Corv, but you can cover those weak points and the payoff is worth it.
I think that A-Muk has gotten better with every tier shift and it is gonna get even better over time. Poison Fang + Knock Off aganist any non Gliscor core forces so much progress with 0 effort
Bro, Lokix should go up to A tier instead of A-. Easily the best counter for Roaring Moon and Samurott-Hisui, the only thing it needs to do is use First Impression.
252+ Atk Lokix First Impression vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Roaring Moon: 362-428 (103.1 - 121.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Lokix First Impression vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Samurott-Hisui: 330-390 (102.8 - 121.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Lokix First Impression vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Roaring Moon: 362-428 (103.1 - 121.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Lokix First Impression vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Samurott-Hisui: 330-390 (102.8 - 121.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Roaring Moon is now banned. I would argue that Lokix should be moved down with the rise of Pokemon like Corviknight and Weezing-Galar.
I was thinking of Tera Blast Fire to finish off Corviknight, resist Weezing-Galar's attacks and attack the opposing Lokix, but i think it would be tera waste
Lokix is very inconsistent to be A. Tinkaton, Corviknight, Weezing, Moltres, Enamorus, Pecharunt (yes, its weak to Knock Off, but has huge bulk) and several other Mons fully wall it. The fact that it dies from everything doesn,t help. It does shit on Ting-Lu, but Ting-Lu has 5 teammates, its not hard to fit Lokix counterplay without even trying, since there are still many Dark physical Mons in the Tier that have to be covered.
I feel as though the rise in HDB sets alone warrant keeping its position in A- despite Roaring Moon’s ban. Even just having that reliable offensive pivot that can outspeed Lando/Tusk, unilaterally exert pressure, and make progress with Tinted Lens Knock Off is really neat and useful on bulkier teams that choose to forego reliable removal. It saw some solid use in the later stages of SPL; not sure about WCOP qualifiers since I’ve been extremely busy with school, but wouldn’t be surprised.
-> B+Want to third this nom, Rotom is incredibly underrated and I think it should definitely go in the UU-but-it's-kinda-cooking ranking. It's absolutely amazing into the Grounds of the tier who all blank into it. Offensive Great Tusk can get past it with 2 CCs but that's the goat so whatever. Volt switch is incredibly hard to block considering how little damage most Grounds can do to it. it can literally spam Volt Switch into Ground types because they're in danger, not Rotom. Pain Split is genuinely a good option on it because it chips things like Alo and Glowking which it otherwise would do very little to. Rotom is still a momentum king.
Addressing the Ogre in the room, Rotom actually doesn't mind Ogerpon that much. Volt Switch, Pain Split, and Wisp all dissuade Wellspring from coming in and paired with Pech and others, Rotom does much better into Wellspring than the other bulky Waters of the tier. It can also always Tera Steel and cripple Ogerpon whenever it wants.