nomming mr lurkingtons to C+
kinda like alternate ursaluna, the ghost typing punishes rapid spin attempts, walls coba and drain punch/tpunch kommo sets, the speed tier lets it outspeed 200 speed creepers such as mandi, sinis, and some metas, also has more longevity due to no burn chip
agree with the rises but I think you're underselling the electrics here. Zapdos blanket checks plenty of physical threats while threatening static on contact and has powerful volt switch's and hurricanes. I'd argue the only reason it's only S- is because it competes with tornadus(who is also scared of it.)
S- > A+
meta defining mon, just don't think it's significantly better enough to warrant an entire subrank of its own above the three in A+.
B+ > B
where has this been? no, really, i have seen ZERO on the ladder lately. i get what this does in theory, it's a fat(?) water that can threaten with reasonable chip while still being able to pivot like slowking, and it also kinda helps against sand rush exca? low base hp pain split is also always nice, but man, i am just not seeing what this does in a world where our best ground has mold breaker and slowking exists. you get turbo goobed by kommo too, if that's still here by the time the next slate happens. AV torn makes your life pretty miserable too since you're not carrying an electric move aside from volt switch and it's kinda just free real estate to let it knock/fish for poisons/farm regen heals. ability shield is cool conceptually but unfortunately just ends up being a waste of your item slot on a on that really wants the passive recovery from leftovers and is very likely going to be a prime target for knockers anyway. twave/willo mindgames are cool but i don't think this offers enough compared to the other waters to justify the placement.
agreed i feel like its so easily pressured by exca and hazards, even teams that theoretically struggle with it can just keep voltturning with hazards up and especially once it takes status and/or gets knocked (it will take status if it keeps switching into torn and slowking) it just like dies
B+ > B
where has this been? no, really, i have seen ZERO on the ladder lately. i get what this does in theory, it's a fat(?) water that can threaten with reasonable chip while still being able to pivot like slowking, and it also kinda helps against sand rush exca? low base hp pain split is also always nice, but man, i am just not seeing what this does in a world where our best ground has mold breaker and slowking exists. you get turbo goobed by kommo too, if that's still here by the time the next slate happens. AV torn makes your life pretty miserable too since you're not carrying an electric move aside from volt switch and it's kinda just free real estate to let it knock/fish for poisons/farm regen heals. ability shield is cool conceptually but unfortunately just ends up being a waste of your item slot on a on that really wants the passive recovery from leftovers and is very likely going to be a prime target for knockers anyway. twave/willo mindgames are cool but i don't think this offers enough compared to the other waters to justify the placement.
so fun fact after i made this post i saw like 4 washing machines on ladder LOL
hard agree, being a pivot and being forced to run lefties cause that's your only recovery is kinda tough and you can just whittle it down with hazards until lategame when you clean with mienshao or something
B+ > B
where has this been? no, really, i have seen ZERO on the ladder lately. i get what this does in theory, it's a fat(?) water that can threaten with reasonable chip while still being able to pivot like slowking, and it also kinda helps against sand rush exca? low base hp pain split is also always nice, but man, i am just not seeing what this does in a world where our best ground has mold breaker and slowking exists. you get turbo goobed by kommo too, if that's still here by the time the next slate happens. AV torn makes your life pretty miserable too since you're not carrying an electric move aside from volt switch and it's kinda just free real estate to let it knock/fish for poisons/farm regen heals. ability shield is cool conceptually but unfortunately just ends up being a waste of your item slot on a on that really wants the passive recovery from leftovers and is very likely going to be a prime target for knockers anyway. twave/willo mindgames are cool but i don't think this offers enough compared to the other waters to justify the placement.
B+ -> A-
Okidogi rarely gains much traction on the ladder, even when it used to be really really good, but I think it is a solid Pokemon rn. Great check to Rockpon, Ttar, and most Kommo-o. Can be difficult to wear down with a strong Drain Punch coming off it + the upside of potentially putting Pokemon like Zapdos, Slowking, etc. on a timer is massive. Very customizable for what you want it to achieve and can either be a strong wallbreaker with CB or a win-con with BU.
B -> B-
Feel like this is the same as Bisharp, the meta just doesn't seem kind to it at all. I think Scarf is awful personally so the only real set I see value in is the BU/SD set, which needs a lot of support and can be extremely Tera reliant to pop off.
A > A-
Hurt by Kommo-o becoming insanely more common and Cobalion's rise to fame, and while it's still a better sand setter than Hippowdon in a majority of cases thanks to access to Knock Off and being able to do actual damage, I still feel like it's not quite on par with the rest of A considering how many things have the potential to completely goob it.
B+ -> A-
Okidogi rarely gains much traction on the ladder, even when it used to be really really good, but I think it is a solid Pokemon rn. Great check to Rockpon, Ttar, and most Kommo-o. Can be difficult to wear down with a strong Drain Punch coming off it + the upside of potentially putting Pokemon like Zapdos, Slowking, etc. on a timer is massive. Very customizable for what you want it to achieve and can either be a strong wallbreaker with CB or a win-con with BU.
Ladies and gentlemen I think its time we discuss a true threat. Bellibolt. Has anyone ever even seen a Bisharp? A Terrakion? I can't even tell you what Bisharp even does. Can we stop disrespecting a goat? Now I understand Zapdos exists, and I understand Slowking exists but Bellibolt is capable of keeping Torn and Zapdos in check, threaten defensive waters like Slowking, Toxapex, and Empoleon (does anyone use this guy? Rotom-Wash too while we're at it) while also demonically monstering Lokix out of a job. Tinkaton doesn't even feel comfortable fighting it, reliant on encoring it into stats moves/Slack and running the risk of Static from its Knock Off. Scizor? Ate for breakfast. Azumarill? Awhomarill (Ngl I don't think Bellibolt can handle a BD one but that doesn't fit my narrative). Wanna deal with Latios? Tera Fairy Tera Blast. Gone. Muddy Water 2HKO's Ground switch ins like Excadrill and Mamoswine while also making Rhyperior terastalise into a Martian so not even they can feel comfortable switching in on it. It can even run SpDef or even AV sets, with AV allowing it to lean into its epic ability Electromorphosis with some lovely SpA investment and actually become a major heater threat. I even OHKO'd a Hydrapple with Ice Weather Ball one time. The only reason this guy isn't top of the pickrates is because people are still coping that Zapdos is still good with its Hurricanes and Heat Waves that NEVER land. ok zapdos is pretty good but like still. Anyway I could definitely keep going but I will allow you guys to consider the information presented above. I am 100% unbiased you can trust me.
C > B-/B ok probably B- but a girl can dream
Honestly just put him in S tier.
100 percent agree
Ladies and gentlemen I think its time we discuss a true threat. Bellibolt. Has anyone ever even seen a Bisharp? A Terrakion? I can't even tell you what Bisharp even does. Can we stop disrespecting a goat? Now I understand Zapdos exists, and I understand Slowking exists but Bellibolt is capable of keeping Torn and Zapdos in check, threaten defensive waters like Slowking, Toxapex, and Empoleon (does anyone use this guy? Rotom-Wash too while we're at it) while also demonically monstering Lokix out of a job. Tinkaton doesn't even feel comfortable fighting it, reliant on encoring it into stats moves/Slack and running the risk of Static from its Knock Off. Scizor? Ate for breakfast. Azumarill? Awhomarill (Ngl I don't think Bellibolt can handle a BD one but that doesn't fit my narrative). Wanna deal with Latios? Tera Fairy Tera Blast. Gone. Muddy Water 2HKO's Ground switch ins like Excadrill and Mamoswine while also making Rhyperior terastalise into a Martian so not even they can feel comfortable switching in on it. It can even run SpDef or even AV sets, with AV allowing it to lean into its epic ability Electromorphosis with some lovely SpA investment and actually become a major heater threat. I even OHKO'd a Hydrapple with Ice Weather Ball one time. The only reason this guy isn't top of the pickrates is because people are still coping that Zapdos is still good with its Hurricanes and Heat Waves that NEVER land. ok zapdos is pretty good but like still. Anyway I could definitely keep going but I will allow you guys to consider the information presented above. I am 100% unbiased you can trust me.
C > B-/B ok probably B- but a girl can dream
Honestly just put him in S tier.
to A+: Zapdos has been falling off a good bit lately to where I don’t really think S- is necessary for it and it can just join A+. In addition to Zapdos not being that much better than Lokix/Slowking/Apple to be in a separate subrank, being rather close in usage to them, I also think Zapdos has been kinda flopping as a whole lately. Between the lack of Speed to get the jump on the likes of Latios and Ogerpon-Cornerstone and no Regenerator, Zapdos’s downsides have come to be a lot more apparent in tournament games lately compared to Torn, where not only does it struggle in matchups against some of the most deadly threats like Greninja and Latios that Torn handles more easily, it also gets put in weird situations like having its Heavy-Duty Boots removed rather quickly and generally being limited in its chances to click Roost, especially in a more offensive oriented metagame. We’re not in an era where it can Roost on a lot of the team and still function as both a wallbreaker and a defensive Pokemon, rather now Zapdos feels stretched thin and generally gets overwhelmed by the amount of breakers present in the metagame as well as stuff like Excadrill and Hydrapple that it doesn’t comfortably want to take on even. The sheer dominance of Ursaluna as well as HO both don’t do it any favors either
to A-/A: Ursaluna has been really potent lately with both Bulk Up and Flame Orb set in tournaments absolutely feasting on common playstyle like sand and regen spam while generally being difficult to stop and trading with a lot of the threats in the tier. Ursaluna is actually stupidly tanky and oftentimes underprepared teams have to dedicate several mons to taking it down. If this wasn’t enough, it also has some pretty nice Tera flexibility in options like Dragon, Ghost, or Fairy to subvert counterplay attempts into Pokemon just to take them out. It’s been on a good range of play styles from HO to BO to more offensive oriented balance and generally feels like a main player of the metagame to break into A- or even A. There's a growing movement arguing its broken even, and while I myself think its a bit premature, I cannot deny how good Ursaluna has looked lately and how it should rise into the A ranks
to B+: This mon got just one use in WCOP pools LOOOL why is this in the A ranks still, even the clanger ban didn't save this
to B: Mienshao hasn’t really been present at the level a B+ Pokemon should be, notably lacking in usage on both the ladder and tournaments greatly compared to the other Pokemon in B+. While liking the ban of Kommo-o, Mienshao still suffers from being a bit too awkward as a progress maker, generally relying on clicking the right coverage at the right time to do anything and largely just ends up as a U-turn bot in the little games it does show up. Alternatives like Okidogi and Hoopa-U have been the more prevalent alternative Choice Scarf users, and while they don’t outright revenge kill +1 Excadrill, they still exert offensive pressure as a whole throughout the match more reliably and have various ways to make up for that issue, not to mention fast Mon + priority is as present as always. Mienshao is still a solid option to use but it’s fallen off a good bit from its peak where it’s no longer part of the meta so to speak and fits better in B tier
to B: Skeledirge was already difficult to fit in the metagame with the vast majority of offensive threats powering through it, but the departure of our dear Kommo-o has left Skeledirge with seldom reasons to be used. The natural typing is pretty eh with foes like Comfey and Iron Crown using Tera to bypass you anyway while others like Okidogi can now ruin you with just a simple coverage move. The truth is having such a major tera sink is really detrimental to building and Skeledirge wants multiple tera types to cover a range of threats but can’t get everything it wants. For example, Tera Fairy is a good counter to Hydrapple, but at the same time adopting other Tera Types like Water or Steel to handle other threats like Greninja or Latios is also good and each tera type honestly fails to give enough value across the board as a whole. Not really part of the tier and as such does not deserve the B+ rank
to B/B+: Stupidly good scarfer due to the sheer power it packs especially against offensive teams. A lot of our dark resists largely just lack longevity and Hoopa-U being able to come in, get that nice damage on the Tinkaton or Cobalion, and come back later in the game to make progress is key in enabling other teammates to win the game. Just partner with Excadrill and Lokix insurance and you’re good. Its usage across WCOP and UULT has been incredible and while a rise to B certainly is needed at minimum, there's a pretty great case you can justify a rise to B+ to B-: Idc if it’s a Steel with longevity this fucker has been in the single digits usage wise since like UUPL we cannot keep letting this Mf get away with being ranked so highly. Specs Latios and Greninja have been meta for ages now so you’d think you’d actually see it but you don’t because it’s not good. Legit 0 uses across WCOP and UULT this mon is so fraudulent
Be so fr when was the last time you saw this relevantly used. Coba being a borderline A+ Pokemon right now is a death sentence
Enamorus kinda just does the offensive Fairy-type job better despite lower Speed and requiring Boots thanks to the raw power + coverage it instead brings, the usage shows all there is to know
While the whole special attacking Ghost-type role seems cool and all, Gengar has failed to get actual relevant usage for the entirety of DLC 2. Choice Specs, while fine objectively, often just fails to really distinguish itself from Latios and Greninja due to the former's better bulk and typing and the latter's Speed and is left to the wayside as a whole. Hex status stuff seem promising on paper but has never really been made to work and like the other Pokemon in this section is too on paper and not enough in practice to really have a spot on the VR that much longer 
While Booster Speed to be the fastest threat in the metagame at +1 seems nice, the reality is you also just are too weak to really do anything even with that colorful movepool. AV Torn, defensive Zapdos, Tyranitar, Tinkaton, revenge killers like Lokix, the list goes on really of very common answers in the metagame you can't handle. Greninja and Iron Crown kinda just do the job fast special attacker that much better on HO, and with the HO infestation in WCOP there’s so much competition shown to where Iron Jugulis is just not worth it 
Ass base typing, pretty awkward MUs into a lot of the top tiers without Tera, which by then again ask yourself why you aren’t using the multitude of other sweepers we have
Stall is pretty bad right now and I don’t think the archetype even runs Quagsire so not sure if there’s a real reason to keep this ranked
This hasn’t been used in ages and while the typing + Encore is really nice, especially for the likes of Hydrapple, Latios, and Greninja, it’s just so damn passive and really difficult to build with. Certainly useable but not enough to have a rank
Let’s not lie to ourselves and say we actually use this over Slowking, I don’t deny the extra physical defense has perks but the pivoting is just too difficult to give up and the usage shows
-> A+: While its pretty good idt its S, sure its nice vs stuff like CM tera elec latios, being able to pressure rotom-w and threaten spin, having SD for late game sweeps are all good things but the meta is 1. liking to just like to nuke it 2. has mons that make it regret choosing rock slide or iron head one way or another. S mon is smth i wouldnt regret putting on a team and it would put in constant work and depending on the MU it can be less than ideal. I dont think we have an S tier mon in SV UU because even excadrill feels just like a good mon here instead of smth like iron treads or torn-t in the past
-> A+: As with exca idt its S tier... zapdos is annoying to any standard set while its coverage moves always make it smth u have to worry about vs a mon for ex. ttar, rhyperior, sandy shocks vs heat wave torn-t, Bunker pex being annoying asf, pickpocket tink also being annoying and often losing its av, also often times doing good things but like relying on exca to remove rocks is like convincing uu cord of a certain mon being viable... its unlikely, exca is a meh spinner and often times trades its own health for it (you have to be tinkaton to really give it more than 1 opportunity to spin). I think it fits in A+. -> A+: With rhyperior, shocks, thundy-t on the rise and with in general i dont feel like its S-. Often times there are weird situations where often times you feel you are switching into knock, and roosting more often and relying on static. Nor do i think its really better than slowking/hydrapple/lokix. -> B+: Ass mon that wishes it had 20 diff moves, spiky shield is good for lokix and while tera solves that problem you are burning tera vs a mon that can come in and out and in general smth like superpower, knock off, etc all are options that are good but if you run knock/shield into coba, tink, meta (with shield), iron crown it isnt gonna be fun.
-> B+: Fuck exca, but also coba is in general very annoying and often times ive seen just teal mask replace it as an encore user or coba and slowking using t wave to help against the offense MU. Still good but requires way more anti exca mons (helmet hydrapple) due to just giving free spin
-> B: one of the greatest MU fishes into teams that are slower and have like slowking, hydrapple, sp. def ttar, coba, and in general just fat teams giving tail glow a free turn is prob one of the worst things ever... despite a lot of things like shocks, thundy-t, lokix being able to revenge it after some chip done to it, ogerpon + encore shutting down some attempts it still feels like the times it faces teams with those mons it likes or doesnt face ogerpon/thundy-t/specs latios it is a field day for it.
-> B-: Despite it being called a worse latios in every way i like how spammable dark pulse is. Just like the quote below most of our dark resists are temporary at best or dont like eating a fire blast (tinkaton, coba) or draco (ttar, mandibuzz, okidogi, keldeo). It is always nice when ur luster purge isnt flopping into iron crown and instead u can just dark pulse into it even if you are threatened in return as you at least have the threat of "what if they specs dark pulse my iron crown" compared to latios not having that option. Also its great into slowking + another mon as latios often times just has slowking eat the hit and then pivot out to smth else which often times delays specs latios progress well enough. The speed is an issue and that is smth that u have to work with but that is the choice of diff mons that u have to make
-> UR: use ogerpon, lokix, double prio teams, haze pex, etc why ditto.
-> B: IDT it deserves to drop... the less viable a mon is, the harder it is to use and in general more niche mons are less likely to be used, like if it is so bad it gets used once then why not drop it to C? its clearly still full of potential esp after a clanger ban. Esp since kommo o was a big stop to it that zapdos and thundy-t dont face (hurricane and tera blast flying / just strong hits). I feel it benefits a lot more from a kommo o ban cuz raikou is just a fast mon that outruns ogerpon (who is annoying asf)
-> C: ass mon that loses ot like every top tier... coba is free against it and often times tera electric zapdos can still beat it 1v1 esp if it CM's on switch or just fires smth at it, its so reliant on eviolite that it just dies and losing knock off makes it so that smth like hydrapple can shake it off, zapdos, pex, eat its ass while off mons really just threaten it since it wants to have its hp be high for latios (which we have many ways to fuck over like sp. def ttar)
-> B-
-> C
->B-frail, slow, not the best movepool, mid typing.
Raikou lacks usage on ladder and was used once in wcop, and it didn't even win. there's a lot of competition for electrics and generally raikou struggles to compete. it lacks longevity and struggles with coverage. Its also pretty reliant on setup for power. Its mostly outclassed by thundy-t, who has similar traits but a better typing and more power.
I agree that the kommo-o ban did help raikou, and thundy-t should rise. It definitely still has a decent spot in the meta, but
