Resource VGC 2019 Ultra Series Viability Rankings

[Adamant Zoroark]

Primal Groupon: S to A. Although it continues to be a prominent force in the meta, the increasingly popular RayOgre has taken its toll on it.

Only if Primal Kyogre drops as well. You actually cannot tell me with a straight face that Primal Groudon should be ranked below Primal Kyogre. Groudon has more CP than Kyogre for a reason; just look at the dynamics of the matchup (going past the 1v1 because we need to look at this beyond the vacuum). If Kyogre switches in on Groudon, Precipice Blades is unaffected by Primordial Sea. If Groudon switches in on Kyogre, Water Spout / Origin Pulse / Scald etc. fails. As I think you can see here, one of these is more readily able to switch in. Another thing is that resisting Xerneas is a huge asset to have, given that Xerneas is the only Restricted to outrank Groudon in total CP earned.

On the topic of Restricted pairs, Pokemon that used to be paired next to Kyogre are now largely teaming up with Groudon; just look at Xerneas and Lunala.

I'll hold off on saying whether or not Groudon should be S, but there is absolutely no way it should be ranked below Kyogre. Groudon is simply better, end of discussion.

 

[TPO3]

Shedinja:UR to B-
Ditto: UR to C

Lopunny-Mega C2 ——> B-

I agree with all of these. Ditto doesn't have the tournament results yet, but I feel like it's only a matter of time. As small of a niche as it has, you have to respect it when you see it in teambuilder, and the potential for 3 restricteds in a match means it has a very high ceiling.

The other two pokemon DO have significant tournament results to back up these placements, especially Shedinja which has multiple regional top 8 finishes now. It was already gimmicky-viable in previous formats, but access to Ally Switch and Soak support has given this mon a completely new outlook on life. It is a legitimate threat that needs to be prepared for. I honestly wouldn't mind seeing it rise as high as B+, as its tournament results reflect similar accomplishments to the mons in that tier than the ones below it (other than maybe Crobat.)

 

[Theorymon]

I'm gonna make a small suggestion just because me testing it out in the May IC sorta alerted me to its existance...

Ribombee for C2

So basically, Ribombee is an alternative to Crobat for Tailwind. Shield Dust means it can't be flinched by Fake Out, much like Crobat. However, its got some neat tricks over it: it has Skill Swap so it can reset primal weathers (thats the major reason I used it over Crobat, I wanted it on a Rayogre because I wanted another skill swapper besides Bronzong. Also, unflinchable Primal Kyogre has been surpsingly neat lol). Pollen Puff is neat for restoring the health of your mons, and especially useful for Primal Kyogre. It also has STAB Moonblast which does a good chunk to Mega Rayquaza (in fact it usually OHKOs with Fairy Aura, but that didn't come up too often for me).

However, it obviously isn't as good as Crobat for a few reasons. Lack of Taunt is a bummer and makes it pretty easy Xerneas bait (Moonblast does chunk it sorta ok if you got a teammate that can do good damage to it tho), and while its fast, getting outsped by Tapu Koko, Crobat, and Ultra Necrozma has been problematic. Also, unlike Crobat, it doesn't have somthing like Super Fang to deal some nice consistent damage with.

checking VGC tournament stats, Ribombee has 100 CP. Not really good, but its pretty comparable to several other C2 Pokemon such as Excadrill and Mewtwo. It's certainly a niche Tailwinder that you'd only use for pretty specfic reasons, but it seems on par with a lot of other C2 stuff to me at least.

(Also it got me past the 1700s for the IC. Not impressive or anything but that pleased me LOL)

 

[Gotheru]

I have been very inactive due to school stuff and now I'll be inactive again, sorry

Well, before I go on vacation I'll make some noms:

Rayquaza-Mega from A+ to S

Rayquaza has proven to be one of the most dangerous and versatile Pokémon in the Ultra series metagame. Its wide movepool, in combination with incredible stats and a helpful ability makes Mega Rayquaza a Pokémon to keep in mind when teambuilding.

Mega Rayquaza is broken because there isn't a single Pokémon that can counter every single one of its sets, and you will almost lose a Pokémon in the process of scouting. Incineroar is not a switch-in, as a -1 Choice Band-boosted Dragon Ascent 2HKOes it, and if Rayquaza is AV, Incineroar will lose a lot of health with Earth Power. Groudon-Primal also suffers from Earth Power, and has to be careful for a Water-type move like Waterfall. Lunala can't OHKO Rayquaza with Menacing Moonraze Maelstorm if Rayquaza is AV, and Crunch can 2HKO it (Adamant Crunch OHKOes it).

We have seen new Rayquaza sets appear, like Icy Wind AV (from Wolfey's NAIC team), or Pinch Berry SD, that takes advantage from the opponent scouting with a free SD. There are even more possibilities, like Draco Meteor, Earthquake, Overheat, Tailwind... And I'm not even mentioning its ability, that can take surprise KOes with Kyogre/Fini or reduce damage from Water Spout/Eruption/etc.

However, Mega Rayquaza suffers from the 4MSS and is not such a threat when its set is revealed, as the opponent will know how to deal with that specific Rayquaza. Xerneas is also a big threat for Rayquaza, but as long as you have a good Xerneas counter as its teammate, you're OK with it.

Ferrothorn from C to B?

Don't get me wrong, Ferrothorn sucks and is the worst Pokémon of all time. But I think that C is too low for Ferrothorn. For example, C-rank Pokémon are Zygarde (lul), Alolan Persian or Suicune. Even B- rank has HItmontop or Gothitelle, which don't see much usage nowadays.

Yes, Ferrothorn loses all of your momentum, but it's a great tanky mon that has some type of offensive pressure with Gyro Ball or Power Whip. Its Incineroar weakness can be covered with Primal Kyogre, and Ferrothorn is a great switchin for Tapu Koko or Xerneas which otherwise would be difficult for Kyogre to deal with.

Other minor noms:

Tapu Koko from A- to A (has proved to be really good)

Cresselia from B to C/C2 (unmon)

Manectric-Mega from B+ to B/B-

Crobat from B to B+

Hitmontop from B- to C2

Nihilego from UR to B/B+

Kommo-o from UR to C/B-

Solgaleo from C to B- (won Japan Nats but I think that's all)

Lopunny-Mega from C2 to B- (really cool offensive mon)

Tornadus from C2 to B (is a metagame staple)

Shedinja from UR to C/B- (why is this mon UR?)

 

[nightwolf]

Lopunny-Mega from C2 to B- (really cool offensive mon)

Cool offensive mon=/=good. What kept M-lopunny down in ORAS is still prevalent in USUM

 

[Gotheru]

Cool offensive mon=/=good. What kept M-lopunny down in ORAS is still prevalent in USUM

I think that Lopunny got much better from VGC16 because of the Mega Kangaskhan nerf and the addition of Incineroar. I said that it is a "cool" mon because it has many supportive options for an HO build: fast Scrappy Fake Out, Encore, Fake Tears, After You, Helping Hand, Entrainment (to take away Desolate Land from Groudon)... While also has Fighting STAB to deal with Incineroar or Stakataka.

 

[nightwolf]

I think that Lopunny got much better from VGC16 because of the Mega Kangaskhan nerf and the addition of Incineroar. I said that it is a "cool" mon because it has many supportive options for an HO build: fast Scrappy Fake Out, Encore, Fake Tears, After You, Helping Hand, Entrainment (to take away Desolate Land from Groudon)... While also has Fighting STAB to deal with Incineroar or Stakataka.

What if I told you that kangaskhan was not the only reason why it was down? Its incredibly frail where it flatout dies against Rayquaza or kyogre. It also loses in a 1v1 against m-salamence

 

[NestorKennard]

I'm no VGC expert, but I'm surprised to see Gyarados-Mega unranked. (And I would also have expected to see Xerneas, Lunala and Necrozma-Dusk higher, too ; but...)

I guess Gyarados suffers the competition from other intimidate mons, but I feel Mold breaker allowing it to bypass Shadow Shield (and Mystic Guard for Soaked Shedinja) give it a nice niche. And of course you could pair it with cloud nine to beat P-Groudon.