Resource SV Ubers Viability Rankings

:Ho-oh: -> S/S-

With the scifi lizard gone, it can finally be a good phaser defensively. I presume it can wall most of miraidon's attacks and phase it out with whirlwind.


EDIT: Ranking these other two
:Clodsire: and :Iron-Treads: -> UR

They we're kinda niche imo and especially with iron treads, and with e-terrain being almost non-existant, this will hurt treads even more as it can just easily get outsped without booster. Clod mostly get hurt by specs kyoger's ice beam if water absorb or gets hurt by kyoger's Origin Pulse if unaware.
 
1-i think DOZO stocks and CLOD stocks will go up
2-bundle, treads, lu and all the other shitmons to UR (maybe treads is a good HO lead?)
3-av mola any1 KEK mola stocks likely higher altho i think it was already not ranked good enough
4-HOOH is probably the biggest beneficiary of miraidon ban alongside KYOGRE these two probably become atleast top 5 mons
5-PALKIA-O and specs DIALGA have been overshadowed by miraidon i think those two and WALKING WAKE might rise aswell
6-ZEKROM has also been overshadowed for a long time he's going to have a fun time on HO i think
7-ETERNATUS is coming back maybe his stay in sv wont be all glorious as his ss ubers days but hes definitely getting way better
8-NDM will probably also get better if the meta settles down a bit and vause eternatus is probably getting more usage soon aswell
9- GLISCOR is about to become the most cancer mon to deal with hes gonna wall all your guys and toxic everything and set 8 billion spikes and knock 8 trillion boots im just gonna say beware the gliscor guy.....
10- DEFOG will probably get better aswell as mirai wont be here to abuse corv and tina-a but um still iffy on that
 
:Dachsbun:: With Koraidon now unquestionably the scariest threat in the tier, this should definitely be ranked somewhere in the C ranks. It's the only remotely complete Koraidon counter we have, and even though it's essentially useless outside of that niche, stopping Koraidon is so pivotal that it's worth considering for that use alone.

:Arceus-Fairy:: Speaking of fairy types, with Miraidon's ban Groundceus is significantly worse due to having an electric immunity not being required on every team anymore. With that, Arceus Fairy is poised to become the best Arceus type due to being able to at least give Koraidon pause and being a great defensive and offensive type in general, with only Eternatus, Zacian-Crowned, and some Dusk Mane Necrozma having STAB super effective moves against it. Groundceus won't become completely unviable, but I'm not sure it's even in the top 3 Arceus forms right now.

:Arceus-Water:: Arceus-Water has also improved immensely due to Miraidon's ban, and being able to beat Ho-oh and Kyogre, who are also projected to be much better, is very much appreciated. It also resists the steel STAB of Zacian-Crowned and Dusk Mane Necrozma, further boosting its defensive utility.

:Eternatus:: Finally, without having to compete with Miraidon as a special attacking dragon type, Eternatus is poised to become more valuable. Ho-oh being the second best Pokemon in the tier might seem to hurt it, but Power Herb Meteor Beam sets were used last gen to send it packing, and that could come back into vouge. Also, Demon Eternatus could make a resurgence, as setup Miraidon generally outclassed it before. Now that Miraidon is banned, Eternatus can take that role and pick and choose what it loses to more easily; tera Fire can turn the tables on Zacian-Crowned and Dusk Mane Necrozma, while Tera Fairy can score free turns against unsuspecting Koraidon.
 
:pmd/miraidon: Rest in piss u wont be missed.

Anyways with miraidon gone, here are some immediate shifts:

DROPS

:pmd/clodsire: B- -> UR

no more miraidon for you to check, self explanatory.

:pmd/ting-lu: A- -> UR

Same reason as above.

:pmd/arceus-ground: A+ -> A-

It's still a good Mon, but now that miraidon is gone it no longer has its main target to check, which means less reasons to use it, but still amazing with ddance and maybe cm.

:pmd/iron treads: B- -> UR

Fake ass Mon, now it can finally rot in UR.

RISES

:pmd/Ho-Oh: A+ -> S- or S


With its biggest check ejected from the tier, defensive and offensive variants of Ho-Oh no longer has to worry about miraidon breathing down its neck anymore, now substitute variants are gonna have a much easier time clapping.

:pmd/arceus-water: A -> A+

With miraidon gone, we can finally run this guy in peace, without you guys constantly worrying about mirai using it free entry.

:pmd/Kyogre: A+ -> S-

Not only does it not have to worry about taking 99999999999 pts of damage from an electro drift, it can now run resttalk just like in SS again! yay! no scald smh.

:pmd/eternatus: A- -> A+

Offensive eternatus could finally see more usage now that it does not have to compete with miraidon, and the fact that teams are not gonna have a ground everywhere also helps. It also helps check Ho-Oh, which is sure to rise.

:pmd/zekrom: D -> B

The superior electric dragon has been ejected, some people might still wanna use this now that it no longer competes with miraidon. It also has the use of checking Ho-Oh and Kyogre alike, so I would see it be used more.

:pmd/arceus-electric: D -> B or more idk

Similar to zekrom, it now lacks competition with miraidon and can finally have a niche of some kind.

:pmd/dialga: :pmd/palkia-origin: D -> B or more maybe idk

Also like above, miraidon outclasses them, but with them gone we can see them return.
 
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:pmd/miraidon: Rest in piss u wont be missed.

Anyways with miraidon gone, here are some immediate shifts:

DROPS

:pmd/clodsire: B- -> UR

no more miraidon for you to check, self explanatory.

:pmd/ting-lu: A- -> UR

Same reason as above.

:pmd/arceus-ground: A+ -> A-

It's still a good Mon, but now that miraidon is gone it no longer has its main target to check, which means less reasons to use it, but still amazing with ddance and maybe cm.

:pmd/iron treads: B- -> UR

Fake ass Mon, now it can finally rot in UR.

RISES

:pmd/Ho-Oh: A+ -> S- or S


With its biggest check ejected from the tier, defensive and offensive variants of Ho-Oh no longer has to worry about miraidon breathing down its neck anymore, now substitute variants are gonna have a much easier time clapping.

:pmd/arceus-water: A -> A+

With miraidon gone, we can finally run this guy in peace, without you guys constantly worrying about mirai using it free entry.

:pmd/Kyogre: A+ -> S-

Not only does it not have to worry about taking 99999999999 pts of damage from an electro drift, it can now run resttalk just like in SS again! yay! no scald smh.

:pmd/eternatus: A- -> A+

Offensive eternatus could finally see more usage now that it does not have to compete with miraidon, and the fact that teams are not gonna have a ground everywhere also helps. It also helps check Ho-Oh, which is sure to rise.

:pmd/zekrom: D -> B

The superior electric dragon has been ejected, some people might still wanna use this now that it no longer competes with miraidon. It also has the use of checking Ho-Oh and Kyogre alike, so I would see it be used more.

:pmd/arceus-electric: D -> B or more idk

Similar to zekrom, it now lacks competition with miraidon and can finally have a niche of some kind.

:pmd/dialga: :pmd/palkia-origin: D -> B or more maybe idk

Also like above, miraidon outclasses them, but with them gone we can see them return.

Nah, Dialga and Palkia are still ass. Zekrom, Kyurem-B and Kyurem-W etc are much better dragons.
 
Glimmora will be REAL fun now with the most important special attackers in the tier (bundle and he who must not be named) now irrelevant.

Edit: bundle probably won’t be irrelevant but it will very much suffer without eterrain
 
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Bundle is for sure not irrelevant. It still has a great speed tier (I expect scarf korai might see a minute drop off in usage) and still 2hkos almost the entire tier, especially with hazards. In a meta where we might see teams trend less offensively, I see no reason why Bundle would get worse. If anything, I'm expecting it to get better
 
:pmd/miraidon: Rest in piss u wont be missed.

Anyways with miraidon gone, here are some immediate shifts:

DROPS

:pmd/clodsire: B- -> UR

no more miraidon for you to check, self explanatory.

:pmd/ting-lu: A- -> UR

Same reason as above.

:pmd/arceus-ground: A+ -> A-

It's still a good Mon, but now that miraidon is gone it no longer has its main target to check, which means less reasons to use it, but still amazing with ddance and maybe cm.

:pmd/iron treads: B- -> UR

Fake ass Mon, now it can finally rot in UR.

RISES

:pmd/Ho-Oh: A+ -> S- or S


With its biggest check ejected from the tier, defensive and offensive variants of Ho-Oh no longer has to worry about miraidon breathing down its neck anymore, now substitute variants are gonna have a much easier time clapping.

:pmd/arceus-water: A -> A+

With miraidon gone, we can finally run this guy in peace, without you guys constantly worrying about mirai using it free entry.

:pmd/Kyogre: A+ -> S-

Not only does it not have to worry about taking 99999999999 pts of damage from an electro drift, it can now run resttalk just like in SS again! yay! no scald smh.

:pmd/eternatus: A- -> A+

Offensive eternatus could finally see more usage now that it does not have to compete with miraidon, and the fact that teams are not gonna have a ground everywhere also helps. It also helps check Ho-Oh, which is sure to rise.

:pmd/zekrom: D -> B

The superior electric dragon has been ejected, some people might still wanna use this now that it no longer competes with miraidon. It also has the use of checking Ho-Oh and Kyogre alike, so I would see it be used more.

:pmd/arceus-electric: D -> B or more idk

Similar to zekrom, it now lacks competition with miraidon and can finally have a niche of some kind.

:pmd/dialga: :pmd/palkia-origin: D -> B or more maybe idk

Also like above, miraidon outclasses them, but with them gone we can see them return.

Huge disagree on Clodsire and especially Arceus-Ground. Neither were very good at checking Miraidon, and Arceus-Ground's extremely good offensive capabilities and good matchup into steel types and the now-improved Eternatus are going nowhere. It's also pretty happy to see Ting-Lu gone, especially special sets. Clodsire is very good against Kyogre and Eternatus, both of which will likely thrive in this meta. Its home archetypes are Balance and Stall, which are also a lot better on paper with Miraidon gone.

Also gonna say that Zekrom is absolutely not improving much. Its direct competition is Kyurem-B and Koraidon, not Miraidon. It may also struggle with spikes in usage of Landorus-T and PhysDef Arceus-Ground.


Gonna second the pro Arceus-Electric posts here. It hated Ting-Lu and Iron Treads, and it was hard to justify an Arc slot on an electric special attacker before. However, electric Judgment and Ice Beam is super strong. It doesn't mind Landorus-T or Gliscor at all, and other potential dark horse PhysDef Grounds like Great Tusk and Groudon don't like it either.
 
Huge disagree on Clodsire and especially Arceus-Ground. Neither were very good at checking Miraidon, and Arceus-Ground's extremely good offensive capabilities and good matchup into steel types and the now-improved Eternatus are going nowhere. It's also pretty happy to see Ting-Lu gone, especially special sets. Clodsire is very good against Kyogre and Eternatus, both of which will likely thrive in this meta. Its home archetypes are Balance and Stall, which are also a lot better on paper with Miraidon gone.

Also gonna say that Zekrom is absolutely not improving much. Its direct competition is Kyurem-B and Koraidon, not Miraidon. It may also struggle with spikes in usage of Landorus-T and PhysDef Arceus-Ground.


Gonna second the pro Arceus-Electric posts here. It hated Ting-Lu and Iron Treads, and it was hard to justify an Arc slot on an electric special attacker before. However, electric Judgment and Ice Beam is super strong. It doesn't mind Landorus-T or Gliscor at all, and other potential dark horse PhysDef Grounds like Great Tusk and Groudon don't like it either.
Now that I think of it, while miraidon is gone things that were not as good before are gonna increase in usage, which means arc ground stays good as usual, I guess, so good points.

And since eternatus and Kyogre are still checked by clod (I forgor rip), I guess it stays ranked.

But at the very least I see zekrom going up to just maybe B-, idk.

good points that I forgot.
 
I'm only going to mention Pokemon I have used since Miraidon's ban, but obviously there will be a lot of other changes.

Gliscor A- to A: Physically defensive and fast stallbreaker sets are now easier to fit onto teams, and they can more comfortably perform their roles. It's still vulnerable to getting overwhelmed by offenses, but thats more easily managed by its teammates without Miraidon to worry about.

Arceus-Water A to A+: Wisp with Water-type Judgment is still incredibly good against nearly all physical attackers while no longer giving the tier's best wallbreaker a free switch in. Calm Mind is also much harder to break now without Miraidon.

Rayquaza B to B+: One less flying resist. Still faces a lot of competition for its role, but it does its job well. I was managing to get decent value out of Choice Scarf today as well.

Lunala C to B: With Ting-Lu disappearing, Moongeist Beam is an incredibly spammable attack. Boots + CM is very frustrating for a lot of offenses to deal with, and it can leverage Webs fairly well. I haven't experimented much with other sets, though.

Arceus-Electric D to B-: I would rather use other Arceus formes still, but I won't deny that it is offensively threatening after a CM.

Palkia D to C/C+: Okay hear me out. It switches into Kyogre, it's fast enough and strong enough to threaten some fatter teams, and Thunder Wave is incredibly free to click since Ground-types won't switch into you. Is it good? No. But it did get value for me in almost every game I used it. I preferred it over Palkia-O for the ability to hold items (specifically Boots).
 
if i knew miraidon was going to be suspected the day after i posted vr noms i wouldve waited but anyway, heres new ones

Rises
:ho-oh: Ho-Oh and:kyogre: Kyogre to S-
What everyone else has said pretty much sums these up. Both electric weak mons that were forced out by miraidon and now they no longer have to worry about their best switch-in. Im hesitant to put these in the same tier as koraidon though as they still feel like a tier below and the metagame isnt completely warped around them

:arceus-water:Arceus-Water to A+
Crazy good right now, and i could easily be convinced its the best arceus form right now. It checks pretty much all physical attackers with either wisp or water-stab (NDM, ho-oh, korai, lando, zacian, caly-ice). It no longer deperately wants ice beam to hit miraidon, and now it only sort of wants it to hit koraidon in sun. CM are also a really good way to deal with thunder kyogre and serve as a lategame wincon

:arceus-ghost: Arceus-Ghost to A+
Benefits a lot from less specially defensive mons (ting-lu) and less competition for the arceus slot. I dont think theres many good defensive checks to this right now so counterplay comes down to keeping up offensive pressure and not giving it too many setup opportunities

:eternatus: Eternatus to A+
Eternatus is better than ever, having more room to set up an agility and not having to deal with Ting-Lu anymore. I'm a big fan of scarf sets at the moment too since it compresses so many good qualities as well as classic spdef sets which are solid at dealing with kyogre and ho-oh and filling the defensive void left by miraidon on a lot of teams

:landorus-therian: Landorus-T to A+
Lando has already been rising in usage lately and i expect that trend to continue. Its a great check to pretty much every physical attacker in the tier, and now one of its best breakers has been removed. SV ubers has always been physically oriented imo, and the removal of miriadon makes it even more so. Scarf sets will probably die off a bit since the extra bulk is much more appreciated and its just less necessary for your ground type to be able to switch into and revenge kill miraidon

:blissey: Blissey, :skarmory: Skarmory, :Dondozo: Dondozo, :Dachsbun: Dachsbun and :skeledirge: Skeledirge to C+ or B-
I imagine that stall might drop a bit in popularity since its easier to build balance, but its gotten better regardless with the best stallbreaker in the tier gone now. Theres no longer a need to run spdef tera grass/electric ho-oh or dedicate 2/3 slots to handling miraidon, and dondozo can make use of rest and doesn't need to rely on wish passing to stay healthy so theres extra space to devote to handling other breakers

Drops
:ting-lu: Ting-Lu and :iron-treads: Iron Treads to Unranked
these guys functioned as spdef grounds to throw at miraidon and now have practically no use, especially with physically defensive grounds rising in demand so theyre also going to face steep competition from lando which just offers a much better defensive profile. i wont be surprised if i never see either of these again

:arceus-ground: Arceus-Ground to A or A-
I love arc ground and it pains me to say it but its gotten worse. DD sets are still great and a massive threat, but on most balance-ish teams it just doesn't provide the same defensive utility as water/fairy/ghost, especially when lando is so good right now and can slot in as a defensive ground type on every team
 
I think Zekrom will get a lot better (probably to B or B+). Kyogre, Waterceus and Ho-oh becoming more common and ting lu and groundceus being less common will make it a good dragon dance sweeper on offensive teams. It still faces heavy competition from koraidon which is why it shouldn't be A tier.
 
Bruh, everyone throwing shit at Ting-Lu, Clod and Treads. They are for sure worse now, but no way should be unranked. Miraidon wasn't even the only Mon each of them walled. Especially Clod, you are wanting this Water Absorb Mon suddenly unranked and then nominate Kyogre for S rank at the same time? Just listen to the above guy and close this thread for a week.
 
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C ->D

As much as I love Mewtwo as a Pokemon, I believe that the Miraidon ban has done far more harm than good to Mewtwo.

As a general rule, since Mewtwo lacks the necessary Abilities, Bulk, Typing, or Moves (having many decent moves and a terrible Ability will never be better than a few busted Moves with a broken Ability; e.g. Caly-I/Caly-S) to do any one thing amazingly, it is forced to flail about in an attempt to do many lesser things decently. Because of this, Mewtwo is highly contingent on having a stable Meta around itself, that it can pick the right "decent" moves--as well as being the fastest Pokemon on the field, to ensure it never has to confront its awful Defenses/Typing. As such, The two things that it hates the most are Instability, and Speed Control.

While the Miraidon meta was not particularly enjoyable from a personal standpoint: The constrictor that it placed upon the broader Meta arguably made it more stable. Assuming that Webs were active (which Mewtwo, as a C-Tier, always needs), it could:

1. If the Miraidon was scarfed: Tera Ground into a predicted Electro Drift--or come in after it K.O.'d something else, and potentially sweep

2. If the Miraidon had Boots: Wear it down through Ting-Lu/Team Support, or Tera Ground in an emergency

3. In the rare case that I had neither Item: Set up on something else--or possibly on the Miraidon if it wasn't running Specs, and potentially sweep

Since some Medley of Ho-Oh, Ting-Lu, Groundceus, and Koraidon were likely going to be on most Teams to manage Miraidon--or make their own progress: A set of Psystrike/Earth Power/Ice Beam/Nasty Plot allowed Mewtwo hit most of the Meta hard, while also exerting heavy Pressure upon many of the stall staples such as Gliscor (OHKO'd by Ice Beam), Blissey/Clod, and Alomomola/Dondozo, who--despite their advantageous Type-Matchup, could usually be defeated by Tera Ground Earth Power Mewtwo before they could defeat it.

1. 252 SpA Hadron Engine Miraidon Electro Drift vs. 0 HP / 56 SpD Mewtwo in Electric Terrain: 298-352 (84.4 - 99.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
  • Mewtwo could leverage its bulk to its advantage to potentially fend off Miraidon in emergencies, even without Terastalizing.
2. 200+ SpA Tera Ground Mewtwo Earth Power vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Miraidon: 314-372 (92 - 109%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO
  • Ideally, you would be using this move after setting up/dealing chip damage, but this has won me games in emergencies
3. +2 200+ SpA Mind Plate Mewtwo Psystrike vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Ho-Oh: 364-430 (87.7 - 103.6%) -- 25% chance to OHKO
A low chance of OHKO'ing Ho-Oh, but keep in mind that this is for its bulkiest common set, and it can be weakened over the course of the game

4. +2 200+ SpA Tera Ground Mewtwo Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Prism Armor Necrozma-Dusk-Mane: 495-582 (124.3 - 146.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 200+ SpA Tera Ground Mewtwo Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 204+ SpD Prism Armor Necrozma-Dusk-Mane: 375-442 (94.2 - 111%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO

5. 200+ SpA Tera Ground Mewtwo Earth Power vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Zacian-Crowned: 314-372 (96.6 - 114.4%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO

6. +2 200+ SpA Mind Plate Tera Ground Mewtwo Psystrike vs. 200 HP / 0 Def Arceus: 405-477 (93.9 - 110.6%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO


And keep in mind that these are all without taking the then, viable--Ting Lu's Hazard Stacking into consideration

Bonus for Stall Matchups

7. 200+ SpA Tera Ground Mewtwo Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Skeledirge: 450-530 (109.2 - 128.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
200+ SpA Tera Ground Mewtwo Earth Power vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Skeledirge: 306-362 (74.4 - 88%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

8. 200+ SpA Tera Ground Mewtwo Ice Beam vs. 244 HP / 12 SpD Gliscor: 592-700 (168.1 - 198.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
200+ SpA Tera Ground Mewtwo Ice Beam vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Gliscor: 408-484 (115.2 - 136.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO

Do remember that this is not an argument for why Mewtwo is good, because it isn't good; All of these strategies are dependent on the opponent either lacking matchup familiarity, or making incorrect plays (Scarf Miraidon invalidates this set with as much as a single U-Turn; Status/Chip Damage invalidates Mewtwo in general; Koraidon is also a problem, but I will speak more on it later)

Before the Miraidon Ban, Mewtwo was still a medicore Pokemon that no one lacking a personal interest in it should have run, but the Meta was at least stable enough that you could usually make the stars align 50% of the time and "justify" its place on your Team with enough work. Calyrex-Ice deleted it; Scarf Koraidon sent it back into the incubator, and E-Killer against a Mewtwo that wasn't already at +2, well... (it's in the name), but it was also consistent enough for me to consistently reach 1600+ (and sometimes higher) on the Ladder with it before the recent Legality Shifts.

Now that Miraidon is gone, however, that aforementioned Meta-Stability has all but vanished, and Mewtwo's viabiltiy has gone with it.

Just like other "bad" Pokemon--such as Ting-Lu and Treads, improved by--and were even dependent on Miraidon being in the Tier: Mewtwo was also another Pokemon that benefitted from its presence, as well as the effect that it had on the builder. It may have been noticed that I have not mentioned Koraidon very much throughout this post, and that is for the simple reason that, between the two, it is, by far, the more difficult matchup for Mewtwo. While Miraidon was arguably more toxic than Koraidon, it was much harder for it to snowball games in the same way that it's ancient counterpart could. It could still do it, but its relatively riskier moves in comparison to its counterpart generally caused Miraidon to prefer attacking its prey by dismantling their Team incrementally, rather than attempting to cleave through said Teams in a single assault--which Koraidon could do far more consistently. In regards to its more common Drift/Meteor sets: The higher risk of Meteor between the two moves, generally meant that opposing Miraidon players were more likely to attempt a Drift over Meteor in situations where both moves could reasonably K.O., to avoid ceding an excessive amount of ground to the anticipated switch-in.

Because of this aforementioned vulnerability, Miraidon gave Mewtwo a unique option which it didn't receive from any other relevant Pokemon, to set up a potentially game-ending Boost for free over the course of any given game, while, most importantly, improving its matchups against the rest of the Tier in the process.

Now that Mewtwo has lost the free "anchor" of Miraidon to potentially set up its mandatory Nasty Plot, it is forced to take the full force of whatever attack its opponents have prepared for it, since, Tera-Drain as it is: Tera Fire is ineffective in practice due to every Mon in the Tier already having a Fire-Contingency for Koraidon, and none of its other Tera Types outside of Ground allow it take on the Gauntlet of NDM/Zacian-Crowned, which it necessarily needs to at least be capable of OHKO'ing at +2: The bare minimum for what it must do to justify the Teamslot.

Mewtwo also suffers now because, with an apparent spike in the usage of Bee/Glimm, more Teams are beginning to run their own Glimm/Webs/Boots in an already infested Meta to get around those of their opponent's. This, in turn, has caused the aforementioned Mind Plate/Modest Set to become less reliable as the risk of getting hit/outsped starts to outweigh the already compromised "benefits", pressuring Mewtwo into capitulating in its own right by running a standard Timid/Boots set of its own--which is nearly an entire Life Orb weaker than the aforementioned set, so as to avoid becoming dead-slotted by the ubiquitous Glimm/Bee.

This has caused Mewtwo's damage output and K.O.'ing potential to tank against a large portion of the Tier, becoming even more Plot reliant than it already was, and most notably, makes Mewtwo completely incapable of OHKO'ing Ho-Oh, even with a Boost

+2 252 SpA Tera Ground Mewtwo Psystrike vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Ho-Oh: 286-337 (68.9 - 81.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Mewtwo cannot afford to take any hit from Ho-Oh, much less a Sacred Fire--and the Burn that accompanies it, but Ho-Oh is a ubiquitous, powerful Pokemon, and Mewtwo has to do something about it. Since Psystrike is necessary to insulate Mewtwo from becoming a perfect Tera-Drain, and Nasty Plot/Tera-Ground + Earth Power are also needed to cover the Meta-Threats: This only leaves Mewtwo with one Moveslot to either run Power Gem--itself not OHKO'ing until +2--for Ho-Oh, leaving your Mewtwo vulnerable to opposing Dragon Dance Rayquaza--alongside the rare--but still used Ting-Lu, Groudon, and most importantly, the very not-rare, Gliscor, impairing your ability to face Stall, or surrendering any hope of stability in the Ho-Oh Matchup to fortify your insurance against those aforementioned Matchups which can otherwise potentially K.O. your Mewtwo from Team Preview.

And even if you pick the right moves/items/EVs, you still get deleted by Koraidon...

In retrospect, I do not know why I ever entertained the thought, but whereas I had hoped that Scarf-Koraidon would perhaps see a slight drop in usage upon the Mirai ban: On the contrary, it almost feels as though its usage has gone up. It should be made abundantly clear that there is nothing Mewtwo can do to Scarf-Koraidon. (1) You cannot use Webs, because Speed Creep has turned Base 130 Speed into the new Base 110; (2) You cannot Tera, because Mewtwo needs Tera Ground--and even if you decided to use another Tera, good luck picking the right one! If you pick Tera Fairy, you can buy yourself some time as you flail into the rest of the Tier--or lose to the re-switch Tera Fire Flare Blitz if they didn't Outrage-lock themselves, or if you picked Tera Fire, you can either get 2-Shotted by Flare Blitz + Tera Fire Flare Blitz as you fruitlessly try to set up Nasty Plot (or simply use Psystrike on the first one and deal 0% to their Switch-In); Force a switch and eventually deal with problem "1" again, or you can run 50/50s with the rest of the Tier between clicking Fire Miss/Flamethrower and hoping they don't use their Tera (which they will), or using Midstrike and having it bounce off whatever proceeds to K.O. you.

If Miraidon is what elevated Mewtwo to the point where I would have even considered a potential B- Placement, had I posted here earlier: Koraidon's uncontested dominance will be what plummets Mewtwo into the depths of unranked. Koraidon is simultaneously oppressive enough to always subjugate Mewtwo, and just"manageable" enough compared to it and Miraidon together, that the Meta is able to more safely experiment with different Mons/Sets--and thus, destabilize, which is the last thing that an already Moveslot-Compressed Mewtwo would ever want to happen

Perhaps in a Miraidon + Koraidon Meta, Mewtwo could be usable, and perhaps, in a theoretical Miraidon only/Bikeless Meta, Mewtwo could even be good, but a Koraidon only Meta is the worst thing that could ever possibly happen to Mewtwo right now, and unless Yveltal somehow returns to the game, or Caly-S drops, I don't think that's going to change.
 
View attachment 683567C ->D

As much as I love Mewtwo as a Pokemon, I believe that the Miraidon ban has done far more harm than good to Mewtwo.

As a general rule, since Mewtwo lacks the necessary Abilities, Bulk, Typing, or Moves (having many decent moves and a terrible Ability will never be better than a few busted Moves with a broken Ability; e.g. Caly-I/Caly-S) to do any one thing amazingly, it is forced to flail about in an attempt to do many lesser things decently. Because of this, Mewtwo is highly contingent on having a stable Meta around itself, that it can pick the right "decent" moves--as well as being the fastest Pokemon on the field, to ensure it never has to confront its awful Defenses/Typing. As such, The two things that it hates the most are Instability, and Speed Control.

While the Miraidon meta was not particularly enjoyable from a personal standpoint: The constrictor that it placed upon the broader Meta arguably made it more stable. Assuming that Webs were active (which Mewtwo, as a C-Tier, always needs), it could:

1. If the Miraidon was scarfed: Tera Ground into a predicted Electro Drift--or come in after it K.O.'d something else, and potentially sweep

2. If the Miraidon had Boots: Wear it down through Ting-Lu/Team Support, or Tera Ground in an emergency

3. In the rare case that I had neither Item: Set up on something else--or possibly on the Miraidon if it wasn't running Specs, and potentially sweep

Since some Medley of Ho-Oh, Ting-Lu, Groundceus, and Koraidon were likely going to be on most Teams to manage Miraidon--or make their own progress: A set of Psystrike/Earth Power/Ice Beam/Nasty Plot allowed Mewtwo hit most of the Meta hard, while also exerting heavy Pressure upon many of the stall staples such as Gliscor (OHKO'd by Ice Beam), Blissey/Clod, and Alomomola/Dondozo, who--despite their advantageous Type-Matchup, could usually be defeated by Tera Ground Earth Power Mewtwo before they could defeat it.

1. 252 SpA Hadron Engine Miraidon Electro Drift vs. 0 HP / 56 SpD Mewtwo in Electric Terrain: 298-352 (84.4 - 99.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
  • Mewtwo could leverage its bulk to its advantage to potentially fend off Miraidon in emergencies, even without Terastalizing.
2. 200+ SpA Tera Ground Mewtwo Earth Power vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Miraidon: 314-372 (92 - 109%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO
  • Ideally, you would be using this move after setting up/dealing chip damage, but this has won me games in emergencies
3. +2 200+ SpA Mind Plate Mewtwo Psystrike vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Ho-Oh: 364-430 (87.7 - 103.6%) -- 25% chance to OHKO
A low chance of OHKO'ing Ho-Oh, but keep in mind that this is for its bulkiest common set, and it can be weakened over the course of the game

4. +2 200+ SpA Tera Ground Mewtwo Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Prism Armor Necrozma-Dusk-Mane: 495-582 (124.3 - 146.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 200+ SpA Tera Ground Mewtwo Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 204+ SpD Prism Armor Necrozma-Dusk-Mane: 375-442 (94.2 - 111%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO

5. 200+ SpA Tera Ground Mewtwo Earth Power vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Zacian-Crowned: 314-372 (96.6 - 114.4%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO

6. +2 200+ SpA Mind Plate Tera Ground Mewtwo Psystrike vs. 200 HP / 0 Def Arceus: 405-477 (93.9 - 110.6%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO


And keep in mind that these are all without taking the then, viable--Ting Lu's Hazard Stacking into consideration

Bonus for Stall Matchups

7. 200+ SpA Tera Ground Mewtwo Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Skeledirge: 450-530 (109.2 - 128.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
200+ SpA Tera Ground Mewtwo Earth Power vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Skeledirge: 306-362 (74.4 - 88%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

8. 200+ SpA Tera Ground Mewtwo Ice Beam vs. 244 HP / 12 SpD Gliscor: 592-700 (168.1 - 198.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
200+ SpA Tera Ground Mewtwo Ice Beam vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Gliscor: 408-484 (115.2 - 136.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO

Do remember that this is not an argument for why Mewtwo is good, because it isn't good; All of these strategies are dependent on the opponent either lacking matchup familiarity, or making incorrect plays (Scarf Miraidon invalidates this set with as much as a single U-Turn; Status/Chip Damage invalidates Mewtwo in general; Koraidon is also a problem, but I will speak more on it later)

Before the Miraidon Ban, Mewtwo was still a medicore Pokemon that no one lacking a personal interest in it should have run, but the Meta was at least stable enough that you could usually make the stars align 50% of the time and "justify" its place on your Team with enough work. Calyrex-Ice deleted it; Scarf Koraidon sent it back into the incubator, and E-Killer against a Mewtwo that wasn't already at +2, well... (it's in the name), but it was also consistent enough for me to consistently reach 1600+ (and sometimes higher) on the Ladder with it before the recent Legality Shifts.

Now that Miraidon is gone, however, that aforementioned Meta-Stability has all but vanished, and Mewtwo's viabiltiy has gone with it.

Just like other "bad" Pokemon--such as Ting-Lu and Treads, improved by--and were even dependent on Miraidon being in the Tier: Mewtwo was also another Pokemon that benefitted from its presence, as well as the effect that it had on the builder. It may have been noticed that I have not mentioned Koraidon very much throughout this post, and that is for the simple reason that, between the two, it is, by far, the more difficult matchup for Mewtwo. While Miraidon was arguably more toxic than Koraidon, it was much harder for it to snowball games in the same way that it's ancient counterpart could. It could still do it, but its relatively riskier moves in comparison to its counterpart generally caused Miraidon to prefer attacking its prey by dismantling their Team incrementally, rather than attempting to cleave through said Teams in a single assault--which Koraidon could do far more consistently. In regards to its more common Drift/Meteor sets: The higher risk of Meteor between the two moves, generally meant that opposing Miraidon players were more likely to attempt a Drift over Meteor in situations where both moves could reasonably K.O., to avoid ceding an excessive amount of ground to the anticipated switch-in.

Because of this aforementioned vulnerability, Miraidon gave Mewtwo a unique option which it didn't receive from any other relevant Pokemon, to set up a potentially game-ending Boost for free over the course of any given game, while, most importantly, improving its matchups against the rest of the Tier in the process.

Now that Mewtwo has lost the free "anchor" of Miraidon to potentially set up its mandatory Nasty Plot, it is forced to take the full force of whatever attack its opponents have prepared for it, since, Tera-Drain as it is: Tera Fire is ineffective in practice due to every Mon in the Tier already having a Fire-Contingency for Koraidon, and none of its other Tera Types outside of Ground allow it take on the Gauntlet of NDM/Zacian-Crowned, which it necessarily needs to at least be capable of OHKO'ing at +2: The bare minimum for what it must do to justify the Teamslot.

Mewtwo also suffers now because, with an apparent spike in the usage of Bee/Glimm, more Teams are beginning to run their own Glimm/Webs/Boots in an already infested Meta to get around those of their opponent's. This, in turn, has caused the aforementioned Mind Plate/Modest Set to become less reliable as the risk of getting hit/outsped starts to outweigh the already compromised "benefits", pressuring Mewtwo into capitulating in its own right by running a standard Timid/Boots set of its own--which is nearly an entire Life Orb weaker than the aforementioned set, so as to avoid becoming dead-slotted by the ubiquitous Glimm/Bee.

This has caused Mewtwo's damage output and K.O.'ing potential to tank against a large portion of the Tier, becoming even more Plot reliant than it already was, and most notably, makes Mewtwo completely incapable of OHKO'ing Ho-Oh, even with a Boost

+2 252 SpA Tera Ground Mewtwo Psystrike vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Ho-Oh: 286-337 (68.9 - 81.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Mewtwo cannot afford to take any hit from Ho-Oh, much less a Sacred Fire--and the Burn that accompanies it, but Ho-Oh is a ubiquitous, powerful Pokemon, and Mewtwo has to do something about it. Since Psystrike is necessary to insulate Mewtwo from becoming a perfect Tera-Drain, and Nasty Plot/Tera-Ground + Earth Power are also needed to cover the Meta-Threats: This only leaves Mewtwo with one Moveslot to either run Power Gem--itself not OHKO'ing until +2--for Ho-Oh, leaving your Mewtwo vulnerable to opposing Dragon Dance Rayquaza--alongside the rare--but still used Ting-Lu, Groudon, and most importantly, the very not-rare, Gliscor, impairing your ability to face Stall, or surrendering any hope of stability in the Ho-Oh Matchup to fortify your insurance against those aforementioned Matchups which can otherwise potentially K.O. your Mewtwo from Team Preview.

And even if you pick the right moves/items/EVs, you still get deleted by Koraidon...

In retrospect, I do not know why I ever entertained the thought, but whereas I had hoped that Scarf-Koraidon would perhaps see a slight drop in usage upon the Mirai ban: On the contrary, it almost feels as though its usage has gone up. It should be made abundantly clear that there is nothing Mewtwo can do to Scarf-Koraidon. (1) You cannot use Webs, because Speed Creep has turned Base 130 Speed into the new Base 110; (2) You cannot Tera, because Mewtwo needs Tera Ground--and even if you decided to use another Tera, good luck picking the right one! If you pick Tera Fairy, you can buy yourself some time as you flail into the rest of the Tier--or lose to the re-switch Tera Fire Flare Blitz if they didn't Outrage-lock themselves, or if you picked Tera Fire, you can either get 2-Shotted by Flare Blitz + Tera Fire Flare Blitz as you fruitlessly try to set up Nasty Plot (or simply use Psystrike on the first one and deal 0% to their Switch-In); Force a switch and eventually deal with problem "1" again, or you can run 50/50s with the rest of the Tier between clicking Fire Miss/Flamethrower and hoping they don't use their Tera (which they will), or using Midstrike and having it bounce off whatever proceeds to K.O. you.

If Miraidon is what elevated Mewtwo to the point where I would have even considered a potential B- Placement, had I posted here earlier: Koraidon's uncontested dominance will be what plummets Mewtwo into the depths of unranked. Koraidon is simultaneously oppressive enough to always subjugate Mewtwo, and just"manageable" enough compared to it and Miraidon together, that the Meta is able to more safely experiment with different Mons/Sets--and thus, destabilize, which is the last thing that an already Moveslot-Compressed Mewtwo would ever want to happen

Perhaps in a Miraidon + Koraidon Meta, Mewtwo could be usable, and perhaps, in a theoretical Miraidon only/Bikeless Meta, Mewtwo could even be good, but a Koraidon only Meta is the worst thing that could ever possibly happen to Mewtwo right now, and unless Yveltal somehow returns to the game, or Caly-S drops, I don't think that's going to change.

I feel like m2 definitely benefits from mirai's absence but then again I also think slotting m2 as a NP sweeper (on webs or in general) is to set it up for failure. I'm not sure where exactly I'd rate it atm (maybe somewhere in B?) but I've liked it as a breaker on teams with solid pivots. In the current ting-less environment, bulky offense ft taunt + recover + psystrike lorb m2, with a crumb of bulk and some team-dependent last move like Fire Blast, Earth Power, etc, has felt fun to play with - even if it maybe isn't quite optimal. Definitely could also get worse with an uptick in nala.

(I also wanna return to this post with some more preliminary thoughts but can't til later)
 
View attachment 683567C ->D

As much as I love Mewtwo as a Pokemon, I believe that the Miraidon ban has done far more harm than good to Mewtwo.

As a general rule, since Mewtwo lacks the necessary Abilities, Bulk, Typing, or Moves (having many decent moves and a terrible Ability will never be better than a few busted Moves with a broken Ability; e.g. Caly-I/Caly-S) to do any one thing amazingly, it is forced to flail about in an attempt to do many lesser things decently. Because of this, Mewtwo is highly contingent on having a stable Meta around itself, that it can pick the right "decent" moves--as well as being the fastest Pokemon on the field, to ensure it never has to confront its awful Defenses/Typing. As such, The two things that it hates the most are Instability, and Speed Control.

While the Miraidon meta was not particularly enjoyable from a personal standpoint: The constrictor that it placed upon the broader Meta arguably made it more stable. Assuming that Webs were active (which Mewtwo, as a C-Tier, always needs), it could:

1. If the Miraidon was scarfed: Tera Ground into a predicted Electro Drift--or come in after it K.O.'d something else, and potentially sweep

2. If the Miraidon had Boots: Wear it down through Ting-Lu/Team Support, or Tera Ground in an emergency

3. In the rare case that I had neither Item: Set up on something else--or possibly on the Miraidon if it wasn't running Specs, and potentially sweep

Since some Medley of Ho-Oh, Ting-Lu, Groundceus, and Koraidon were likely going to be on most Teams to manage Miraidon--or make their own progress: A set of Psystrike/Earth Power/Ice Beam/Nasty Plot allowed Mewtwo hit most of the Meta hard, while also exerting heavy Pressure upon many of the stall staples such as Gliscor (OHKO'd by Ice Beam), Blissey/Clod, and Alomomola/Dondozo, who--despite their advantageous Type-Matchup, could usually be defeated by Tera Ground Earth Power Mewtwo before they could defeat it.

1. 252 SpA Hadron Engine Miraidon Electro Drift vs. 0 HP / 56 SpD Mewtwo in Electric Terrain: 298-352 (84.4 - 99.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
  • Mewtwo could leverage its bulk to its advantage to potentially fend off Miraidon in emergencies, even without Terastalizing.
2. 200+ SpA Tera Ground Mewtwo Earth Power vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Miraidon: 314-372 (92 - 109%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO
  • Ideally, you would be using this move after setting up/dealing chip damage, but this has won me games in emergencies
3. +2 200+ SpA Mind Plate Mewtwo Psystrike vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Ho-Oh: 364-430 (87.7 - 103.6%) -- 25% chance to OHKO
A low chance of OHKO'ing Ho-Oh, but keep in mind that this is for its bulkiest common set, and it can be weakened over the course of the game

4. +2 200+ SpA Tera Ground Mewtwo Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Prism Armor Necrozma-Dusk-Mane: 495-582 (124.3 - 146.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 200+ SpA Tera Ground Mewtwo Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 204+ SpD Prism Armor Necrozma-Dusk-Mane: 375-442 (94.2 - 111%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO

5. 200+ SpA Tera Ground Mewtwo Earth Power vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Zacian-Crowned: 314-372 (96.6 - 114.4%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO

6. +2 200+ SpA Mind Plate Tera Ground Mewtwo Psystrike vs. 200 HP / 0 Def Arceus: 405-477 (93.9 - 110.6%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO


And keep in mind that these are all without taking the then, viable--Ting Lu's Hazard Stacking into consideration

Bonus for Stall Matchups

7. 200+ SpA Tera Ground Mewtwo Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Skeledirge: 450-530 (109.2 - 128.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
200+ SpA Tera Ground Mewtwo Earth Power vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Skeledirge: 306-362 (74.4 - 88%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

8. 200+ SpA Tera Ground Mewtwo Ice Beam vs. 244 HP / 12 SpD Gliscor: 592-700 (168.1 - 198.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
200+ SpA Tera Ground Mewtwo Ice Beam vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Gliscor: 408-484 (115.2 - 136.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO

Do remember that this is not an argument for why Mewtwo is good, because it isn't good; All of these strategies are dependent on the opponent either lacking matchup familiarity, or making incorrect plays (Scarf Miraidon invalidates this set with as much as a single U-Turn; Status/Chip Damage invalidates Mewtwo in general; Koraidon is also a problem, but I will speak more on it later)

Before the Miraidon Ban, Mewtwo was still a medicore Pokemon that no one lacking a personal interest in it should have run, but the Meta was at least stable enough that you could usually make the stars align 50% of the time and "justify" its place on your Team with enough work. Calyrex-Ice deleted it; Scarf Koraidon sent it back into the incubator, and E-Killer against a Mewtwo that wasn't already at +2, well... (it's in the name), but it was also consistent enough for me to consistently reach 1600+ (and sometimes higher) on the Ladder with it before the recent Legality Shifts.

Now that Miraidon is gone, however, that aforementioned Meta-Stability has all but vanished, and Mewtwo's viabiltiy has gone with it.

Just like other "bad" Pokemon--such as Ting-Lu and Treads, improved by--and were even dependent on Miraidon being in the Tier: Mewtwo was also another Pokemon that benefitted from its presence, as well as the effect that it had on the builder. It may have been noticed that I have not mentioned Koraidon very much throughout this post, and that is for the simple reason that, between the two, it is, by far, the more difficult matchup for Mewtwo. While Miraidon was arguably more toxic than Koraidon, it was much harder for it to snowball games in the same way that it's ancient counterpart could. It could still do it, but its relatively riskier moves in comparison to its counterpart generally caused Miraidon to prefer attacking its prey by dismantling their Team incrementally, rather than attempting to cleave through said Teams in a single assault--which Koraidon could do far more consistently. In regards to its more common Drift/Meteor sets: The higher risk of Meteor between the two moves, generally meant that opposing Miraidon players were more likely to attempt a Drift over Meteor in situations where both moves could reasonably K.O., to avoid ceding an excessive amount of ground to the anticipated switch-in.

Because of this aforementioned vulnerability, Miraidon gave Mewtwo a unique option which it didn't receive from any other relevant Pokemon, to set up a potentially game-ending Boost for free over the course of any given game, while, most importantly, improving its matchups against the rest of the Tier in the process.

Now that Mewtwo has lost the free "anchor" of Miraidon to potentially set up its mandatory Nasty Plot, it is forced to take the full force of whatever attack its opponents have prepared for it, since, Tera-Drain as it is: Tera Fire is ineffective in practice due to every Mon in the Tier already having a Fire-Contingency for Koraidon, and none of its other Tera Types outside of Ground allow it take on the Gauntlet of NDM/Zacian-Crowned, which it necessarily needs to at least be capable of OHKO'ing at +2: The bare minimum for what it must do to justify the Teamslot.

Mewtwo also suffers now because, with an apparent spike in the usage of Bee/Glimm, more Teams are beginning to run their own Glimm/Webs/Boots in an already infested Meta to get around those of their opponent's. This, in turn, has caused the aforementioned Mind Plate/Modest Set to become less reliable as the risk of getting hit/outsped starts to outweigh the already compromised "benefits", pressuring Mewtwo into capitulating in its own right by running a standard Timid/Boots set of its own--which is nearly an entire Life Orb weaker than the aforementioned set, so as to avoid becoming dead-slotted by the ubiquitous Glimm/Bee.

This has caused Mewtwo's damage output and K.O.'ing potential to tank against a large portion of the Tier, becoming even more Plot reliant than it already was, and most notably, makes Mewtwo completely incapable of OHKO'ing Ho-Oh, even with a Boost

+2 252 SpA Tera Ground Mewtwo Psystrike vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Ho-Oh: 286-337 (68.9 - 81.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Mewtwo cannot afford to take any hit from Ho-Oh, much less a Sacred Fire--and the Burn that accompanies it, but Ho-Oh is a ubiquitous, powerful Pokemon, and Mewtwo has to do something about it. Since Psystrike is necessary to insulate Mewtwo from becoming a perfect Tera-Drain, and Nasty Plot/Tera-Ground + Earth Power are also needed to cover the Meta-Threats: This only leaves Mewtwo with one Moveslot to either run Power Gem--itself not OHKO'ing until +2--for Ho-Oh, leaving your Mewtwo vulnerable to opposing Dragon Dance Rayquaza--alongside the rare--but still used Ting-Lu, Groudon, and most importantly, the very not-rare, Gliscor, impairing your ability to face Stall, or surrendering any hope of stability in the Ho-Oh Matchup to fortify your insurance against those aforementioned Matchups which can otherwise potentially K.O. your Mewtwo from Team Preview.

And even if you pick the right moves/items/EVs, you still get deleted by Koraidon...

In retrospect, I do not know why I ever entertained the thought, but whereas I had hoped that Scarf-Koraidon would perhaps see a slight drop in usage upon the Mirai ban: On the contrary, it almost feels as though its usage has gone up. It should be made abundantly clear that there is nothing Mewtwo can do to Scarf-Koraidon. (1) You cannot use Webs, because Speed Creep has turned Base 130 Speed into the new Base 110; (2) You cannot Tera, because Mewtwo needs Tera Ground--and even if you decided to use another Tera, good luck picking the right one! If you pick Tera Fairy, you can buy yourself some time as you flail into the rest of the Tier--or lose to the re-switch Tera Fire Flare Blitz if they didn't Outrage-lock themselves, or if you picked Tera Fire, you can either get 2-Shotted by Flare Blitz + Tera Fire Flare Blitz as you fruitlessly try to set up Nasty Plot (or simply use Psystrike on the first one and deal 0% to their Switch-In); Force a switch and eventually deal with problem "1" again, or you can run 50/50s with the rest of the Tier between clicking Fire Miss/Flamethrower and hoping they don't use their Tera (which they will), or using Midstrike and having it bounce off whatever proceeds to K.O. you.

If Miraidon is what elevated Mewtwo to the point where I would have even considered a potential B- Placement, had I posted here earlier: Koraidon's uncontested dominance will be what plummets Mewtwo into the depths of unranked. Koraidon is simultaneously oppressive enough to always subjugate Mewtwo, and just"manageable" enough compared to it and Miraidon together, that the Meta is able to more safely experiment with different Mons/Sets--and thus, destabilize, which is the last thing that an already Moveslot-Compressed Mewtwo would ever want to happen

Perhaps in a Miraidon + Koraidon Meta, Mewtwo could be usable, and perhaps, in a theoretical Miraidon only/Bikeless Meta, Mewtwo could even be good, but a Koraidon only Meta is the worst thing that could ever possibly happen to Mewtwo right now, and unless Yveltal somehow returns to the game, or Caly-S drops, I don't think that's going to change.
Since the Miraidon ban we've been seeing the first Mewtwo in high level tournament play in years as a fat breaker on offense (See Ox v. Strap SSNL Finals) taking a role which Miraidon would've otherwise. So I wouldn't be so sure.
 
Alright, now that all my team tours are out for now, I'll spill some takes.

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-> B-
Now that being a ground with bad sp def isnt a literal death nail, we can start discussing groudons qualities. SD Groudon being faster than alot of the defensive arc forms rn is quite nice, and landorus-t struggles to actually damage it back in any meaningful way. I think SD 3A with heat crash is the wave, you do roughly 68% to fat lando-t and threaten to drop it entirely if you sink tera. Item choice is flexible, lefties and boots are go-tos but frankly we can bring back the quick claw merchantry with groudon ala SS ogre, though I admit this needs testing. It's not bad, certainly better than C+ atm, good trade machine.

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-> D
I think its about time we actually have the conversation; when was the last time this thing did anything. Besides kyogre and I guess arc ground what is this things role? Ho-oh, Korai, Etern, NDM, Zacian-C, list goes on. Every team naturally ends up having like, 4 checks to it roughly and maybe.. 1 victim or 2 if your lucky to threaten something out before losing to eternatus 1v1. Defensive utility is barely worth it if i wanted cope kyogre checks im grabbing palkia-origin and not looking back. Grass is arguably the worst type in the tier rn just in general besides bug, so franlkly this thing has no real use case, especially with the drift resist no longer being useful.

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-> A/A+
Mirai left and nothing has changed for him besides less ting lu to give a shit about. Lunala has an actual job again (idk why it stopped btw yall just didn't wanna give it a try) but im glad that some things stay the same in this world. High-Quality HO bot, the slight spike in tera dark in response to their success sucks but its still manageable. Another IDCM Merchant option, and CM Agility has also been quite nice to use on offensive teams. I've also used defensive SR, as like a make-shift arc-water that trades the blitz resistance for a CC immunity, which screws over CB koraidons quite nicely, as well as NDM and Zacians by just using tera water. The 4th slot on HO for cm sets is quite varied, you can run aura sphere, i got blitzed by psyshock for tryna hubris stall 3 times in a row, grass knot, wisp, agility, its good. Very, very good.

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-> C+
2 Relatively niche arc forms have seen a rise with Miraidons ban. Arc-Flying now can function as a niche pick on webs, with either mono judge cm taunt or cm taunt 2a. It's not bad, and it has the benefit of being a webs mon that completely smashes opposing webs, and its fit on offense is decent enough to be worth mentioning. CC resistance is valuable, as is the ground immunity but beyond that your defensive utility is mostly null. Arceus-Electric is similar, whoever thought this thing was gonna like, B ranks is crazy but its not D rank trash. Boltbeam coverage is always nice, but when your defensive utility list begins and struggles to continue after ho-oh brave bird my questions of it being more useful than just slapping arc-ghost or just another arc-form on will be difficult to answer. That said, the real value it brings is the behemoth blade resistance. Checking zacian on offense can be annoying, and having a steel resist beyond NDM and the tera button is valuable.


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-> C+
Miraidon leaving definitely helped Dirge out alot, and Zacian being a solid #2 pokemon in the tier (spoilers), also helps matters. Eternatus taking Miraidons spot sucks a bit, but its not a taunt pokemon and eternatus doesnt rlly like taking random hex's in a longer game. This one is mostly self-sufficient I wont spend much time on this one.

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-> C/C-
Yes, the SS low-VR goat is returning to my nominations. While it lost toxic and roar, its still functions as a good etern check with magma storm taunt, and can also run scorching sands over EP for burn fishing duty. It can also trap Ho-ohs, with 3A taunt with power gem in the last slot. Tera fairy flash fire is also a nice utility for emergency koraidon response. Fucks with IDCM arc-fairy decently well though its not perfect, and Koraidon actually takes a good amount of magma storms, roughly 33% + the chip + hazards adds up pretty quickly on a mon with its worst trait being longevity. It can also sacrifice the ho-oh stopping for being the teams designated rocker. It's pretty specific but its got its uses. I don't have replays since I tested with friends with tour games to prep for, but just.. take my word on it we ranked Arctozolt in SS because FC won a 4v6 we can take a gambit on a mon with more precedent than that cmon.

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-> A+
To quote my last post since nothing has really changed in this regard, Miraidon leaving doesn't make this an S ranker either. Its too high before and its too high now. Etern rising in Miraidon's place definitely is nice for sp def sets, but thats still not an S. It's good, not that good.

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-> A+/S-
The biggest glowup from the miraidon ban by a decisive and considerable margain. It's just so good dude. Toxic sets, Offensive sets, Agility HO Sets they all kick ass and the defensive utility got better with Ho-ohs rise as well. Toxic'ing annoying mons like CM lunala in a pinch is great as well. I think this thing is either 3rd or 4th best pokemon in the tier, and either way I'd likely do an order like.
S rank: Koraidon, Zacian-Crowned
S- rank: Eternatus, Ho-oh

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-> A-/B+
The 2nd biggest glowup from the Miraidon ban, I dont rlly know why it took people this long to remember Lunala existed but w/e. Really good and annoying CM mon, Choiced sets are very good and the 66% moonlights in sun hit like crack. This take isn't particularly unpopular so I wont dwell on it long but the glowup is great. I don't care where it goes, but its not as good as Arc-Ghost so put it lower no matter what.

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-> S
2nd best mon in the tier and I don't think its close. This thing was already pretty cleanly 3rd place for most people, and now that Miraidons gone it can stop wasting time thinking about play rough and use clicks worth a damn. It's good, really good. Damn near mandatory on HO, excellent on teams not slapping Arc-Fairy on for their scale shot immunity. Ho-oh is a fake check and while NDM making a slight resurgence is annoying tera fighting CC already ripped it to shreds so frankly idrc.

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-> UR
No, fake checking kyogre when I can just use gastrodon again does not warrant a ranking. If i wanted a spiking ground I'm loading the slug again and the slug still sucks too so frankly this thing is a wash. Sorry clodsire I love you my beloved stupid fatty but you suck shit up here. Iron treads... I've seen people argue for suicide lead endeavor sets and im sorry I just don't see the point. It's like a shitty knockoff Deo-S glimmora fusion and if i'll be so honest I'd rather just use custap Forretress because who cares about just setting rocks I'd rather get spikes up for the mons actually vulnerable to hazards in the first place. Waste of an HO slot and its defensively utility genuinely doesn't exist anymore and thats not hyperbole.

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-> B
The hate was truly forced. Ironically I think its better with miraidon gone because now I can play this thing as recklessly as humanly possible and just stay in on koraidon U turns with zero shits to give. Alot of teams have started cropping up as self-proclaimed "no lu fishes" as seen for instance in my last PTPL game where Hoenn loaded Etern, Arc electric and a IDCM NDM. He froze my ting lu so im not linking that game, but thats besides the point. Lunala, Arc-Ghost, Arc-Electric kinda, Etern all give this thing a job to get done, and since our dark-type pool is a shallow puddle its nice to have one with a backbone. No necessary anymore, but it feels better to use than lying to yourself that it held Miraidon back.

To quote my older post since nothing changed for me on these 2:
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UR -> C-
How many times has that Dachsbun stall won? Too many, thats how many. This glorified pastry dish has seen multiple uses across tours like HPL, EPL, PTPL etc and it usually walks home with the win, and this thing is a part of that. Turns out doing nothing but checking an S rank on every team is actually a good enough trait to rank it who knew. Since ik yall want replays hey here go like my winpost vs skyiew i could use the interacts. https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/hpl5-week-5.3751341/post-10272022

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-> A
Do I even need to say anything on this one, Scarf and Helmet Lando is an excellent piece for offense, and chipping Scarf koraidon mostly for free, or atleast as free as u can get, is an incredible trait to have. NDM, Ho-oh (kinda), Zacian-C, it does all those and that's not where it ends. Scarf is a great measure vs Webs, easily the most favored archetype of HO around. It's really really good, and I swear on its qualities.

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-> C+
Truthfully, I think the possibility of Blissey Offense is not one doomed from the start now. Stall's uptick obviously helps, as does the ghosts, but the main prize is eternatus. Sure its passive but the lowered count of twave resists can atleast allow for some decent harassment games vs general builds. It also learns sing so now you can put Ho-ohs to bed instead!!! Regardless I think stalls slight uptick deserves this thing to get to C+, since its definitely the best mon on stalls to begin with.
 
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Idk but I think Zekrom has a chance as well in this format, not as a replacement for Miraidon as it never competed against it but mainly cuz it threatens many Koraidon checks (Kyogre, Ho-Oh, Arceus Water), it's immune to T-Wave and either by Tera or items like Lum Berry or Covert Cloke it can take (and switch into) Ho-oh's Sacred fires, sure Zekrom will rarely sweep but it can work very well with koraidon imo
 
I've been experimenting with Zekrom and I actually think it has some sauce:pimp:. For Hyper Offense teams, I think Zek is probably outclassed by Ray or Kyu-B, but particularly on Bulky Offense builds I think Zekrom can shine:
1730955635616.gif

Zekrom @ Covert Cloak / Lum Berry
Ability: Teravolt
Tera Type: Electric
EVs: 172 Atk / 84 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly/Naive Nature
- Bolt Strike
- Dragon Claw
- Dragon Dance
- Draco Meteor

Zekrom actually has pretty cool defensive utility, with Covert Cloak you are a strong check to any Ho-Oh lacking Earthquake and can set-up on it without worry. You can also work some magic on Kyogre and make it think twice about clicking Thunder Wave. It's also a rare Flying-type resist which is cool for those Tera Flying Ho-Oh and Arceus-Flying. The 84 Def EVs seems random but they actually let you handle Zacian in a pinch:
+3 252 Atk Zacian-Crowned Close Combat vs. 0 HP / 84 Def Zekrom: 289-340 (84.7 - 99.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
While you usually OHKO back (or can even set-up).

Now this calc seems pretty random but it gives Zekrom some utility in the HO matchup (for example, if you want to keep your Lando-T or NDM healthy for a different threat).

If you are wondering why Draco Meteor is there, it gives Zekrom a great option against Lando-T, having a 66% chance to beat Lando in two hits and guaranteed with any rocks up. On the first interaction, you can Draco Lando, cripple it, then proceed to Dragon Dance up and take Lando out with Draco the next time Zekrom comes in. Naive lets you not worry about making that 66% roll, but the lost Special Defense can be pretty bad when you're up against Kyogre and Arceus formes.

Lum Berry makes you safer against support Arceus forms, though Zekrom by itself does quite well already, as Arceus-Water gets bopped and Arceus-Fairy already prefers to Judgment to avoid Wisp accuracy (or is very likely running Thunder Wave in the first place). Tera Electric Bolt Stroke slams anything not resistant to it and lets Zekrom get rid of most of its weaknesses, particularly against Arceus-Fairy which now cannot OHKO or even use Tera to bail itself out (as it's likely Tera Water). It's kinda cool give it a try:heart:
 
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chi-yu.png.m.1716648629.png
C -> A-/B+

Given that Miraidon is gone and every team runs with a Koraidon, this Pokemon could be a lot more relevant in this metagame. It is probably the most damaging special attacker currently, more than Eternatus.

One of the biggest issue was that Miraidon could easily outspeed and kill Chi-Yu without much troubles.

Chi-Yu benefits a lot from the sun, that is present on every non-stall teams. An Overheat can OHKO Koraidon, without any hazard in the field. It can put pressure to the opponent forcing to sack or take an embarassing amount of damage at least on a pokemon.

If paired with a Sticky web strategy, and using the classic Feesh set, can outspeed most of the current metagame: Non-scarf Koraidon, Zacian-C, Non-Scarf/Non-boots Kyogre, Non-boots Eternatus and *all* the support Arceus(even without webs). Has the potential to stallbreak and destroy a lot of current stall teams, given that Tera can 2HKO(most of the times) Blissey, and spam Dark Pulse or fire against other team members.

It has a lot of checks currently, it hasn't enough of a bulkiness to be considered a top menace. Physical mons can easily OHKO it most of the time. Also, Ho-Oh can take a 2HKO from Dark Pulse, and 3HKO by fire attacks from non-tera, then getting an OHKO from brave bird.

I will provide some calculation that can depict the offensive potential from this Pokemon:

252+ SpA Choice Specs Beads of Ruin Chi-Yu Dark Pulse vs. 248 HP / 8 SpD Ho-Oh: 202-238 (48.6 - 57.3%) -- 94.1% chance to 2HKO

252+ SpA Choice Specs Beads of Ruin Chi-Yu Overheat vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Koraidon in Sun: 359-423 (105.2 - 124%) -- guaranteed OHKO

252+ SpA Choice Specs Beads of Ruin Tera Fire Chi-Yu Flamethrower vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Koraidon in Sun: 332-391 (97.3 - 114.6%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO

252+ SpA Choice Specs Beads of Ruin Tera Fire Chi-Yu Fire Blast vs. 4 HP / 252+ SpD Blissey: 316-372 (48.4 - 57%) -- 91.8% chance to 2HKO

252+ SpA Choice Specs Beads of Ruin Tera Stellar Chi-Yu Dark Pulse vs. 168 HP / 0 SpD Eternatus: 412-486 (88.9 - 104.9%) -- 31.3% chance to OHKO
 
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