I nominate Sandslash for A-tier.
It's a really solid spinner that has been getting a lot of use now that people realize how good it is.
Versatile, being able to run either a defensive or offensive set and getting it's spinning job done. And even on a defensive set, if it runs SD, it can still pretty easily 2HKO most anti-spinner, without much issue.
It's defensive set walls a lot of common Physical pokemon, such as Aero, Druddigon, Absol, Drapion, Evire, Aggron, and Durant, and threaten to kill almost all of them with a Stone Edge or Earthquake, or widdle down with Toxic.
It's offensive set is usually still bulky, and I believe the more preferred of the two sets. With Mixed EVs in HP, ATK, and DEF, it can wall things almost just as well. Coming in a physical wall and SDing with a Lum berry, it can take a burn or a sleep and still deal good damage to whatever was trying to status him.
Overall he's a very good pokemon for RU, and I'd even go as far to say as the second best spinner behind Kabutops, but even then there's reasons to pick Slash over him on teams.
Sandslash in A is wrong. Sandslash is pretty bad in this metagame.
Anyways I would like to propose Articuno be placed into the D Rank. Articuno simply has nothing going for it. Slowking either roasts it with fire blast, tricks it specs, or thunder waves it. While articuno... uses ice beam. How does it do against other top pokemon? Uxie sets up stealth rock for it to switch in on. Escavalier rocks it with an iron head. Durant actually sets up on defensive articuno. Moltres roasts is with fire blast and sceptile nails it with HP rock, if some prior damage is taken. As an ice type it is totally outclassed by everything, like freaking regice. The horrible typing, 4X rock weakness, unimpressive SpA do not warrant it any usage. Any steel type switching in for free and any fire type beating it just don't make it good at all.
Top tier Pokemon such as Sceptile and Nidoqueen go into S
This is from the OP. You may want to fix this.
You're looking at Articuno's bad set. It's C-Rank not for its shitty defensive set, but rather its offensive set. Two solid STAB moves in Ice Beam and Hurricane, along with reliable recovery in Roost, make it a solid offensive threat in RU. Articuno can put some real hurt on the opposition with Ice Beam and Hurricane off of a decent 95 Special Attack. It can hit rather hard and can put some holes in teams. Articuno has flaws in massive SR weakness and rival in Moltres, but thanks to its solid power and bulk to stand out, it's a pretty solid C-Rank, and a High C-Rank too.
- The power isn't there, at least Moltres has the ability to get past Slowking sometimes, and can easily get past stuff like Druddigon anyway even without a super effective hit. Most Lanturn have Tbolt and most Slowking should be carrying Fire Blast anyway.
- The Speed is actually a huge deal. Being able to actually outspeed Lilligant when it counts (cuz of the IV Speed drop) is a major selling point of Moltres.
- The typing is a huge deal. Not being able to take hits from stuff like Klinklang, Fighting-types, and the extra damage from Grass-type attacks makes a difference in the long-run.
- Finally, the difference in power is actually extremely significant. Base 90 to Base 125 is a HUGE leap, leaving even the chip damage from Moltres to be far more significant than that from Articuno.
Dusknoir needs to be dropped into E-Rank. The fact that it shows up in Team Preview is an immediate sign of a bad player and it does not do its job very well at all. Not to mention there's absolutely zero reason to use Noir over any Ghost-type available.
Dusknoir is the most physically bulky Ghost in RU, even if by a small marigin. Its probably the only one that stands a chance against both Kabutops and Cryogonal, as most are specified to blocking one of them. Even if it usually loses to Kabutops, its not like any of the other Ghosts can actually defeat it. For example, Golurk gets OHKOed by both (its not a spinblocker as much as a tank but w/e). It has a good (not great) bulk, Fire Punch, and Will-O-Wisp makes it a good check to Fighting-types and Escavalier. Unlike the others it can actually hurt Escavalier (I guess Golurk can too). Its also a lot bulkier than Spiritomb, and Spiritomb having no weaknesses is pretty irrelavent because it has only one resistance anyway. Its probably the only Ghost to do both, and although its not great at either, it has that going for it. Along with the fact Dusknoir is locked into D as it is, it doesn't deserve to be with Munchlax - while it slowly dies it can do a few disruptive things to the opponent.
Removing Natu, Ninjask and Glalie from the Ranking.
Linoone and Vanilluxe down to D Rank
updates said:Added Basculin to low C rank
Added Vanilluxe to low C rank
Moved Linoone to D rank
Moved Golem to D rank
Moved Hitmonchan to C rank
Moved Druddigon to top S rank
Added Victreebel to mid C rank
Moved Regirock to top C rank
Moved Articuno to D rank
Moved Scolipede to Mid B Rank
I know that cbt is going to shout at me on irc for this, but would quagsire going up to low, possibly mid B be unreasonable?
Quagsire has such good defensive typing for RU it's not funny, and the defense and HP stats it possesses are just amazing. It takes out a LOT of physical threats in RU, minus, like, gallade. Couple it with a special wall and you have a great core right there. The amount of physical attackers in RU really help quagsire, since if you manage to dispatch the 2 special attackers on your opponent's team (and gallade if he has it) then quagsire can just stand there with his derpy face walling the opponents.
C Rank: Reserved for Pokemon that have notable niches in the RU metagame, but have just as notable flaws that prevent them from being effective. Pokemon in the C tier often require significant support to be effective in RU. C rank Pokemon tend to face a lot of competition with the more commonly used Pokemon.
I'm looking to test out all the Untestedmons as RU used to be my favorite tier and im trying it out again. The first Pokemon i tested was Flareon and let me just say, D-rank for days.
I didn't have the highest hope for Flareon going in, its never had much to go off. I tested its recommended bulky set as well as a Choice Band set and LO mixed set. All i found is that Flareon cannot take any unstabbed EQs. It already has issues dealing with most of The S/A rank Pokemon more then throwing a Toxic at them, but the few things it can touch won't stay in, being Exca, Accelgor, Cryogonal, Sigilyph and the Rotoms. Even then, it cant switch in on these mons more then once besides Cryognal if rocks are up.
The CB set was rubbish as expected, Entei did everything I ever could better, and the LO mixed set was pretty well the same story. Defensively, its a decent Pokemon i'll admit. But it just cant seem to do more then any other defensive Pokemon can do back to it. But having to use both Wish and Protect to heal makes its moveset miss opportunities. Running just Flamethrower/Toxic makes you setup bait for Substituting waters, Lava Plume/Roar lets SLowking, the number 1 RU mon switch into you with no fear at all, and Toxic/Roar doesnt work great together and means a Taunt will make you take more SR damage.
I almost want to call it E-rank its so unable to do things. However, with proper team support it can patch a weakness to the Pokemon i mentioned earlier to a decent extent. But it requires a LOT of babying.
Have you also considered running its spdef variant with heal bell? I can see its use as a specially defensive cleric. With Lava plume for burn (and STAB move i guess), heal bell to heal of all status conditions and Wish+Protect for recovery and to pass wishes to give its teammates safer switch ins. I have seen this set working perfectly fine. It may be outclassed by other clerics but i still think its an option worth trying out.
You're wrong: doesn't matter if there are Pokemon Flareon can't touch, such as Slowking, Lanturn or Clefable, because this isn't his job. Flareon, thanks to the combination of great special bulk, Flash Fire and great supports moves like Wish or Heal Bell, has an unique niche, making it great answer to Fire and Grass-types and supporting mon for stall teams. The aim of Flareon is stop mons like Rotom-C or Typhlosion and supporting the team with wish, not sweeping teams. Because of this is irrelevant if its hard walled by something. Flareon has 2 real problems: SR is one of those, with SR Flareon has much more difficult of checking some threats like Sceptile, Rotom-C or Magmortar, secondly is Moltres. In BW1 Flareon was able to take Moltres very well, but the introducion in BW2 the Hurricane Moltres, make it unreliable answer to Moltres. Flareon isn't bad Pokemon by any means, but isn't not that great it was in BW1 meta :<Its smogon analysis set is sp. def. Heal Bell doesnt help out any of the problems I've found with Flareon itself. Its not a bad option per se, but you are 100% walled by any other fire type, or any of the Magic Guard RU Pokemon who cant be burned. Heal Bell is nice for team support yes, but it may be the only thing Flareon can do once its in before it dies or has been set-up fodder.
You're wrong: doesn't matter if there are Pokemon Flareon can't touch, such as Slowking, Lanturn or Clefable, because this isn't his job. Flareon, thanks to the combination of great special bulk, Flash Fire and great supports moves like Wish or Heal Bell, has an unique niche, making it great answer to Fire and Grass-types and supporting mon for stall teams. The aim of Flareon is stop mons like Rotom-C or Typhlosion and supporting the team with wish, not sweeping teams. Because of this is irrelevant if its hard walled by something. Flareon has 2 real problems: SR is one of those, with SR Flareon has much more difficult of checking some threats like Sceptile, Rotom-C or Magmortar, secondly is Moltres. In BW1 Flareon was able to take Moltres very well, but the introducion in BW2 the Hurricane Moltres, make it unreliable answer to Moltres. Flareon isn't bad Pokemon by any means, but isn't not that great it was in BW1 meta :<