USM CAP Viability Rankings v2

[Jordy]

Welcome to the official USM CAP Viability Rankings. In this thread, we as a community will rank every single usable Pokemon into ranks. In this thread, you're encouraged to post your thoughts and opinions on the various Pokemon that are usable in CAP and what rank they should fall under. The general idea of the topic is to rank each Pokemon under "rankings" that go in descending order. Please keep in mind that the viability rankings are only for reference, they should not be treated as a fact or anything more. Keep in mind that this thread will be heavily moderated, so please stay on topic and keep discussion on relevant Pokemon.

These users make up the viability council and have the final say on what gets moved in the ranking list. It is also their responsibility to gather community input and to make sure discussion remains on topic.

G-Luke
Jho
Jordy
quziel

Some general rules we expect everyone to follow are:

• Posts are to follow CAP and Smogon rules; you should all know what is and is not acceptable.
• Be respectful to other users. That means no ad hominem arguments or anything else attacking character.
• Back up all your arguments with evidence where possible, calculations and relevant replays do wonders for supporting nominations.
• Speaking of nominations, we'll be holding all posts that make nominations for unranked Pokemon to a higher standard than other posts. This means high level and relevant replays with solid reasoning. Anything less will be ignored by the ranking team and may be deleted.
• Similarly, any post advocating a change of two ranks or more for an already ranked Pokemon will also be held to a higher standard. We expect high level and relevant replays along with solid reasoning, and anything less may be subject to deletion.
• Lastly, keep your reasoning to the CAP Metagame. A Pokemon's performance in OU or any other official tier is irrelevant and posts using that as reasoning will be moderated.

S Rank: Reserved for Pokemon who shape and define the CAP metagame and are a clear-cut above the rest. These Pokemon are typically very powerful offensive threats that are difficult to prepare for or are phenomenal support and defensive threats that provide significant utility or defensive potential, respectively. Also the home of Pokemon who can easily perform multiple roles effectively, increasing their versatility and unpredictability. If the Pokemon in this rank have any flaws, those flaws are thoroughly mitigated by their substantial strengths.
S Rank

Jumbao
Tornadus-T
Toxapex

A Rank: Reserved for Pokemon that are fantastic in the CAP metagame, and can sweep, support, or wall significant portions of the metagame. These Pokemon require less support than most others to be used effectively and have few flaws that can easily be overlooked when compared to their positive traits.

A+ Rank

Celesteela
Equilibra
Heatran
Kartana
Mega Tyranitar

A Rank

Mega Alakazam
Arghonaut
Ferrothorn
Krilowatt
Landorus-T
Mega Latias
Necturna
Reuniclus
Tapu Lele
Tomohawk
Weavile

A- Rank

Caribolt
Colossoil
Excadrill
Gliscor
Greninja
Kyurem-B
Mega Lopunny
Mega Mawile
Mega Medicham
Pajantom
Rotom-W
Tangrowth
Tapu Koko
Victini
Volcarona

B Rank: Reserved for Pokemon that are good in the CAP metagame. These Pokemon have more notable flaws than those above them that affect how they function in the metagame. Their positive traits still outshine their negatives, but they require a bit more team support to bring out their full potential. Their niches are often smaller than those that are in A and S rank, which leads them to face some competition for a teamslot.

B+ Rank

Chansey
Clefable
Mega Garchomp
Gyarados
Hoopa-U
Kommo-o
Mega Latios
Magearna
Magnezone
Manaphy
Pelipper
Mega Scizor
Mega Swampert
Syclant
Tyranitar

B Rank

Aurumoth
Mega Charizard X
Mega Charizard Y
Cyclohm
Ditto
Fidgit
Mega Gallade
Garchomp
Gastrodon
Ash-Greninja
Jirachi
Mamoswine
Mega Pinsir
Mega Sableye
Serperior
Suicune
Slowking
Tapu Bulu
Tapu Fini
Zapdos

B- Rank

Amoonguss
Cawmodore
Mega Diancie
Hawlucha
Naviathan
Skarmory
Slowbro

C Rank: Reserved for Pokemon that have notable niches in the CAP metagame, but have just as many notable flaws that prevent them from being effective. Pokemon in the C tier often require significant support to be effective. Pokemon from this rank tend to face a lot of competition with the more commonly used Pokemon.

C Rank

Mega Aggron
Hippowdon
Kitsunoh
Moltres
Mega Slowbro
Smokomodo
Stratagem
Mega Venusaur
Volkraken

D Rank: Reserved for CAP Pokemon that are considered unviable in the current CAP metagame, but an argument can be made for their viability.

D Rank

Crucibelle
Mega Crucibelle
Kerfluffle
Malaconda
Mollux
Plasmanta
Pyroak
Revenankh
Snaelstrom
Voodoom

 

[Jordy]

Hey everyone, Equilibra has massively shaken up the metagame over the past few weeks, so here's an update!

Ranking Update

Rises:
Tornadus-T S- → S
Celesteela A → A+
Landorus-T A → A+
Tapu Koko A → A+
Tapu Lele A → A+
Colossoil A- → A
Jumbao A- → A+
Mega Medicham A- → A
Toxapex A- → A
Gliscor B+ → A-
Mega Latias B+ → A-
Mega Charizard X B → B+
Gyarados B → B+
Tomohawk B → B+
Victini B → B+
Mega Charizard Y B- → B+
Mega Garchomp B- → A-
Mega Lopunny B- → B
Mamoswine B- → B
Manaphy B- → B+
Kommo-o C → B-
Slowbro C → B-
Mega Slowbro C → B-

Drops:
Magearna S → B+
Aurumoth S- → B
Heatran S- → A+
Mega Alakazam A+ → A-
Arghonaut A+ → A-
Garchomp A+ → B
Volkraken A → A-
Kitsunoh A → A-
Rotom-W A → A-
Tangrowth A → A-
Mega Diancie A- → B
Mega Latios A- → B+
Tyranitar A- → B+
Mega Crucibelle B+ → B-
Naviathan B+ → B
Smokomodo B+ → D
Clefable B → B-
Moltres B- → C
Mega Camerupt C → UR
Crawdaunt C → UR

===

Equilibra UR → S
Mega Gallade UR → B+
Skarmory UR → C

Rises

Tornadus-T S- → S

Tornadus-T has been dominating the metagame for months now, and with Equilibra's release, it has only gotten better. Particularly, its Fightinium Z set poses a great threat to the majority of the metagame right now, allowing it to deal with many of its usual checks such as Equilibra, Mega Tyranitar, and Heatran.

Celesteela A → A+

Celesteela's seen a pretty significant surge in usage since Equilibra's release, as one of the best counters to Equilibra and Psychic-types.

Landorus-T A → A+

Landorus-T is an exceptional Stealth Rock setter right now, being capable of setting Stealth Rock reliably against almost all the removal, which is amazing right now because most of the Stealth Rock setters in CAP are in an awkward position due to Equilibra.

Tapu Koko A → A+

Tapu Koko is a key enabler for Pokemon such as Mega Medicham, Mega Gallade, and Victini to take advantage of Equilibra. On top of that, Tapu Koko is one of the best checks to Fightinium Z Tornadus-T, which is really good right now.

Tapu Lele A → A+

Tapu Lele abuses the current non-Flash Cannon Equilibra trend really well, as it can power through Equilibra relatively easily with Choice Specs-boosted Psychic-type moves. On top of that, the rise of Pokemon like Toxapex and Mega Garchomp mean that it gets a lot of opportunities in the current metagame.

Colossoil A- → A

Since CAPTT, Colossoil has seen a resurgence as a powerful wallbreaker that is basically impossible to handle defensively. It's also quite good as a Pursuit trapper, as it is capable of forcing Equilibra out with relative ease.

Jumbao A- → A+

Jumbao has reestablished itself as the best defensive Grass-type in the current metagame, thanks to its amazing typing, versatility in abilities, and access to Wish. Jumbao has also established itself as one of the most frightening wallbreakers right now, with its amazing Fairy / Fire / Ground coverage, allowing it to hit almost the entire metagame super effectively, while still providing a ton of defensive utility.

Mega Medicham A- → A

Mega Medicham excels at taking advantage of Equilibra, which is everywhere right now. Because of that, we believe that it deserves a slight rise form A- to A.

Toxapex A- → A

Toxapex has seen much more usage since Equilibra dropped, as it's a great check to many rising Pokemon such as Mega Charizard Y and Victini, which often aim to abuse Equilibra. Additionally, Toxic Spikes are great in the current metagame, putting a lot of pressure on many teams.

Gliscor B+ → A-

Gliscor has experienced a pretty significant boost in usage on stall teams as a Defogger that can check Equilibra. On top of that, its Swords Dance set is particularly potent right now, with the decline of Arghonaut.

Mega Latias B+ → A-

Although its Calm Mind sets struggle a bit right now, Mega Latias has seen an uptick in usage, forming one of the toughest cores to break with Equilibra.

Mega Charizard X B → B+
Mega Charizard Y B- → B+

Mega Charizard X and Y are both very potent wallbreakers right now that aim to take advantage of Equilibra.

Gyarados B → B+

Gyarados thrives in the current metagame as one of the most efficient Pokemon that can take advantage of Equilibra by itself.

Tomohawk B → B+

Not much has changed for Tomohawk, but it's recently been seeing a bit more usage, so we believe that it deserves a rise to B+.

Victini B → B+

Similarly to Mega Charizard X and Y, Victini also aims to take advantage of Equilibra. On top of that, its typing grants it a rather interesting niche as a soft-check to Tapu Lele, which is very important within the current metagame.

Mega Garchomp B- → A-

Mega Garchomp is one of the best balance breakers and Stealth Rock setters in the current metagame. It serves as a great check to Heatran, and does a very good job at pressuring all forms of removal. It's a pretty splashable Pokemon right now, which is why it warrants such a big rise in our eyes.

Mega Lopunny B- → B

Mega Lopunny brings an amazing Speed tier to the table, basically diminishing the need for a Choice Scarf user, and can be quite frightening to face, as many teams run Tornadus-T as their primary Fighting-type resist right now.

Mamoswine B- → B

Mamoswine preys on many of the slower balance teams that are running around right now. It's also a great offensive check to Tapu Koko.

Manaphy B- → B+

Manaphy has proven to be instrumental to rain teams in CAP, as it can easily beat Arghonaut with the combination of Rest and Toxic, and from there, it can often go in.

Kommo-o C → B-

Throughout CAPTT, Kommo-o saw a significant increase in usage as a good check to Equilibra, while being generally annoying to face.

Slowbro C → B-
Mega Slowbro C → B-

Both Slowbro and Mega Slowbro are really good options in a metagame where wallbreakers such as Mega Medicham, Mega Gallade, Victini, and Mega Charizard X thrive, which is why they deserve to rise.

Equilibra UR → S

Equilibra's impact on the metagame has been massive, easily securing it a spot in S.

Mega Gallade UR → B+

Mega Gallade has made a quick rise to stardom in the CAP metagame. It fits exceptionally well alongside Tapu Koko to take advantage of Equilibra, and it brings a lot of useful utility to the table with its great Speed tier and access to Knock Off.

Skarmory UR → C

Skarmory has found a niche as a Spikes setter that also functions as a strong check to Pajantom, Necturna, Mega Mawile, and Kartana.

Drops

Magearna S → B+

Magearna has suffered massively from Equilibra's release. Its defensive sets are completely walled and simultaneously outclassed by Equilibra. Its Shift Gear sets really struggle in the current metagame, as they have only 1 shot to actually hit Bulletproof Equilibra. Because of this, Magearna also faces significant competition from Celesteela on hyper offense teams as a Steel-type.

Aurumoth S- → B

With the loss of Quiver Dance, Aurumoth lost a lot of its usage and it's in a very awkward limbo right now, where nobody really knows what it does best, though its Tail Glow set is an amazing wallbreaker.

Heatran S- → A+

Heatran isn't significantly better than anything else in A+ like it did before, warranting a small drop from S- to A+.

Mega Alakazam A+ → A-

Mega Alakazam has taken a pretty significant hit from Equilibra's release; it struggles to break walls as efficiently as it did before.

Arghonaut A+ → A-

Arghonaut struggles in the current metagame; it'll often end up getting crippled by Equilibra and it's quite easy for common Pokemon such as Tornadus-T, Tapu Koko, and Mega Gallade to abuse it.

Garchomp A+ → B

Levitate Equilibra has made it very very difficult to use Garchomp without Magnezone support right now.

Volkraken A → A-

Volkraken struggles a lot with the current influx of Toxapex, and it's quite easy to dance around with Protect users such as Equilibra, Heatran, and Celesteela.

Kitsunoh A → A-

With Equilibra's addition to the metagame, less teams are in need of Kitsunoh's defensive typing.

Rotom-W A → A-

Because of the rise of All-out Pummeling Tornadus-T, Rotom-W isn't the strong check to Tornadus-T that it once was. Additionally, it struggles a lot to check Equilibra in the long term.

Tangrowth A → A-

Tangrowth faces severe competition from Jumbao as a Grass-type in the current metagame, and a small drop reflects that.

Mega Diancie A- → B

Mega Diancie struggles a lot with Equilibra in the metagame now.

Mega Latios A- → B+

With Equilibra's introduction, Mega Latios is quite strapped on moves right now.

Tyranitar A- → B+

With Mega Tyranitar being such an excellent sand setter, Tyranitar has become a bit less generally useful.

Mega Crucibelle B+ → B-

Mega Crucibelle has a hard time dealing with the many Steel-types that the current metagame has to offer. On top of that, there's a lack of Pokemon that it can safely abuse right now.

Naviathan B+ → B

It's hard to justify Naviathan on hyper offense over the plethora of other setup sweepers right now.

Smokomodo B+ → D

Equilibra does everything Smokomodo did and way more.

Clefable B → B-

Clefable struggles a lot with Equilibra.

Moltres B- → C

Moltres has struggled to find a place on stall teams for a while now.

Mega Camerupt C → UR
Crawdaunt C → UR

Neither of these Pokemon are used anymore. Mega Camerupt is simply outclassed by Mega Mawile as a mega evolution on Trick Room, while Crawdaunt is just a worse Colossoil and Trick Room doesn't have the space for it.

 

[Jordy]

We're working on the final update now so expect one soon!

 

[Jordy]

Ranking Update

Rises:
Jumbao A+ → S
Kartana A → A+
Mega Alakazam A- → A
Arghonaut A- → A
Mega Latias A- → A
Kommo-o B- → A-
Kyurem-B B+ → A-
Mega Lopunny B → A-
Rotom-W A- → A
Victini B+ → A-
Clefable B- → B+
Ditto C → B
Seismitoad UR → C

Drops:
Equilibra S → A
Landorus-T A+ → A
Tapu Koko A+ → A
Mega Mawile A → A-
Mega Medicham A → A-
Fidgit A → B+
Ash-Greninja A → B+
Mega Garchomp A- → B+
Magnezone A- → B+
Cyclohm B+ → B
Mega Gallade B+ → B
Hawlucha A- → B
Volkraken A- → B
Zapdos B+ → B
Kitsunoh A- → B-
Naviathan B → B-
Snaelstrom B- → C
Mega Crucibelle B- → D
Kerfluffle C → D
Pyroak C → D
Mega Heracross C → UR
Hydreigon C → UR
Mew C → UR

I don't really feel like doing extensive explanations for every single change this time around so just PM me or @ me in the CAP Discord if you have any questions.

 

[Jordy]

I took some time together with Jho, G-Luke, and quziel to revamp the SM CAP VR, as it could use some updates following the developments from CAPPL. This is the new CAPVR!

S Rank: Reserved for Pokemon who shape and define the CAP metagame and are a clear-cut above the rest. These Pokemon are typically very powerful offensive threats that are difficult to prepare for or are phenomenal support and defensive threats that provide significant utility or defensive potential, respectively. Also the home of Pokemon who can easily perform multiple roles effectively, increasing their versatility and unpredictability. If the Pokemon in this rank have any flaws, those flaws are thoroughly mitigated by their substantial strengths.

S Rank

Jumbao
Tornadus-T
Toxapex

A Rank: Reserved for Pokemon that are fantastic in the CAP metagame, and can sweep, support, or wall significant portions of the metagame. These Pokemon require less support than most others to be used effectively and have few flaws that can easily be overlooked when compared to their positive traits.

A+ Rank

Celesteela
Equilibra
Heatran
Kartana
Mega Tyranitar

A Rank

Mega Alakazam
Arghonaut
Ferrothorn
Krilowatt
Landorus-T
Mega Latias
Necturna
Reuniclus
Tapu Lele
Tomohawk
Weavile

A- Rank

Caribolt
Colossoil
Excadrill
Gliscor
Greninja
Kyurem-B
Mega Lopunny
Mega Mawile
Mega Medicham
Pajantom
Rotom-W
Tangrowth
Tapu Koko
Victini
Volcarona

B Rank: Reserved for Pokemon that are good in the CAP metagame. These Pokemon have more notable flaws than those above them that affect how they function in the metagame. Their positive traits still outshine their negatives, but they require a bit more team support to bring out their full potential. Their niches are often smaller than those that are in A and S rank, which leads them to face some competition for a teamslot.

B+ Rank

Chansey
Clefable
Mega Garchomp
Gyarados
Hoopa-U
Kommo-o
Mega Latios
Magearna
Magnezone
Manaphy
Pelipper
Mega Scizor
Mega Swampert
Syclant
Tyranitar

B Rank

Aurumoth
Mega Charizard X
Mega Charizard Y
Cyclohm
Ditto
Fidgit
Mega Gallade
Garchomp
Gastrodon
Ash-Greninja
Jirachi
Mamoswine
Mega Pinsir
Mega Sableye
Serperior
Suicune
Slowking
Tapu Bulu
Tapu Fini
Zapdos

B- Rank

Amoonguss
Cawmodore
Mega Diancie
Hawlucha
Naviathan
Skarmory
Slowbro

C Rank: Reserved for Pokemon that have notable niches in the CAP metagame, but have just as many notable flaws that prevent them from being effective. Pokemon in the C tier often require significant support to be effective. Pokemon from this rank tend to face a lot of competition with the more commonly used Pokemon.

C Rank

Mega Aggron
Hippowdon
Kitsunoh
Moltres
Mega Slowbro
Smokomodo
Stratagem
Mega Venusaur
Volkraken

D Rank: Reserved for CAP Pokemon that are considered unviable in the current CAP metagame, but an argument can be made for their viability.

D Rank

Crucibelle
Mega Crucibelle
Kerfluffle
Malaconda
Mollux

Plasmanta
Pyroak
Revenankh
Snaelstrom

Voodoom

--

Here's a summary of all changes!

Rises:
Toxapex from A to S
Equilibra from A to A+
Mega Tyranitar from A to A+
Weavile from A- to A
Reuniclus from B+ to A
Tomohawk from B+ to A
Hoopa-U from B to B+
Mega Scizor from B to B+
Gastrodon from B- to B
Skarmory from C to B-
Smokomodo from D to C

Drops:
Ferrothorn from A+ to A
Necturna from A+ to A
Tapu Lele from A+ to A
Colossoil from A to A-
Greninja from A to A-
Pajantom from A to A-
Rotom-W from A to A-
Tapu Koko from A to A-
Kommo-o from A- to B+
Syclant from A- to B+
Mega Charizard X from B+ to B
Mega Charizard Y from B+ to B
Ash-Greninja from B+ to B
Fidgit from B+ to B
Mega Sableye from B+ to B
Slowking from B+ to B
Tapu Bulu from B+ to B
Amoonguss from B to B-
Mega Diancie from B to B-
Hawlucha from B to B-
Volkraken from B to C
Kitsunoh from B- to C
Mega Slowbro from B- to C
Mollux from C to D
Seismitoad from C to UR
Snaelstrom from C to D

I don't know if anyone's still going to be interested in posting here, but this thread has hereby been updated and is open for discussion!