Resource VGC Regulation H Viability Rankings

zee

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regulation_h_en.jpg

These are the official Viability Rankings for VGC 2024 Regulation H. In this thread, we as a community will be ranking each and every usable pokemon into different tiers based on how viable we believe them to be. We encourage you to post your thoughts and opinions on on the various usable Pokemon in VGC and what tier you think they should belong in. Posts in this thread will be taken into consideration when deciding changes to the VR.

The general idea of this is to rank every usable Pokemon in VGC into different rankings that will go in descending order. Since we are evaluating the entirety of the metagame, we will not be splitting Pokemon based on their roles within teams - supportive and offe
nsive Pokemon will be ranked based on their impact that they have on the meta and the teams they will be brought for.

Finally, there will be a Council of experienced players who will discuss and vote on the ranking of each Pokemon. As the Series tend to be fairly short, we will be attempting to keep this up-to-date based on what's going on in the tournament scene and adapting our list based on both tournament results and ladder success as the metagame evolves. Keep in mind, your posts and insights are still very valuable to us and will be a factor in any changes that we make. This thread would be nothing without the community and all of your input, so if you feel you have a good grasp on the metagame and fully understand the forum rules, then don't be hesitant to post.

The voters for this thread were: zee, Finabas, Robbie35646, Borghi, sempra, Spurrific, and marcofiero. A thank you to these users for their participation!

VGC 2024 Regulation H Viability Rankings

S

:Gholdengo: Gholdengo
:Kingambit: Kingambit

A+
:Amoonguss: Amoonguss
:Annihilape: Annihilape
:Incineroar: Incineroar
:Rillaboom: Rillaboom
:Sneasler: Sneasler

A
:Archaludon: Archaludon
:Dragapult: Dragapult
:Dragonite: Dragonite
:Garchomp: Garchomp
:Pelipper: Pelipper
:Porygon2: Porygon2
:Volcarona: Volcarona

A-
:Basculegion: Basculegion-M
:Clefable: Clefable
:Dondozo: Dondozo
:Electabuzz: Electabuzz
:Maushold: Maushold
:Primarina: Primarina
:Tatsugiri: Tatsugiri
:Ursaluna: Ursaluna
:Ursaluna-Bloodmoon: Ursaluna-BM

B+
:Flamigo: Flamigo
:Glimmora: Glimmora
:Hydreigon: Hydreigon
:Indeedee-F: Indeedee-F
:Kommo-o: Kommo-o
:Magmar: Magmar
:Ninetales-Alola: Ninetales-A
:Pawmot: Pawmot
:Salamence: Salamence
:Sinistcha: Sinistcha
:Talonflame: Talonflame
:Typhlosion-Hisui: Typhlosion-H
:Tyranitar: Tyranitar
:Vivillon: Vivillon
:Whimsicott: Whimsicott

B
:Armarouge: Armarouge
:Corviknight: Corviknight
:Gallade: Gallade
:Grimmsnarl: Grimmsnarl
:Hatterene: Hatterene
:Indeedee: Indeedee-M
:Lilligant-Hisui: Lilligant-H
:Murkrow: Murkrow
:Tauros-Paldea-Aqua: Tauros-Aqua
:Torkoal: Torkoal

B-
:Baxcalibur: Baxcalibur
:Clefairy: Clefairy
:Farigiraf: Farigiraf
:Gastrodon: Gastrodon
:Gengar: Gengar
:Meowscarada: Meowscarada
:Sylveon: Sylveon
:Weezing-Galar: Weezing-G
:Zoroark-Hisui: Zoroark-H

C+
:Arcanine-Hisui: Arcanine-H
:Decidueye-Hisui: Decidueye-H
:Delphox: Delphox
:Dusclops: Dusclops
:Excadrill: Excadrill
:Garganacl: Garganacl
:Gothitelle: Gothitelle
:Palafin: Palafin
:Ribombee: Ribombee
:Smeargle: Smeargle
:Tauros-Paldea-Blaze: Tauros-Blaze
:Weezing: Weezing

C
:Drifblim: Drifblim
:Gyarados: Gyarados
:Jumpluff: Jumpluff
:Kilowattrel: Kilowattrel
:Mamoswine: Mamoswine
:Politoed: Politoed

C-
:Blaziken: Blaziken
:Mandibuzz: Mandibuzz
:Mimikyu: Mimikyu
:Ninetales: Ninetales
:Serperior: Serperior
:Toedscruel: Toedscruel
:Toxtricity: Toxtricity
:Tsareena: Tsareena

Please post intelligently or your post will be deleted and possibly infracted. If you disagree with a Pokemon's ranking, show evidence or make a strong argument to have it changed, "lol pikachu in A tier" will not be counted as an acceptable post. Happy posting!
 
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I forgot to nominate originally during voting but I think Sneasler should be A- or B+

An incredibly strong fighting type with great neutral coverage. Not to mention devious stuff it can pull off with Fake Out Poison Touch.

Dire Claw and CC does great into most of the balance cores running around, especially while running Tera Stellar. It is the only Pokémon that has this specific combination of tools. It can also run FlingsRock rocking the Salazzle outfit

Have been theorying it out with friends and watched one get it to top20 on ladder, as well as seeing some other notable players testing it out on ladder
 
I've noticed a few pokemon that were definitely forgotten, so figured I'd make a post about them so that people can see them.

Firstly, Araquanid. @sapphire.ai in the Smogon VGC discord confirmed it was forgotten, so not much needed to address here.

Second, Serperior. Serperior is really solid with three primary sets. Firstly, it can be run offensively alongside Grimmsnarl or Whimsicott as a lead, both of which can use Fake Tears to either bolster Serperior or enable easier KOs, alongside having additional tools to support it. Secondly, it can be run as a supportive pokemon itself, with access to Glare, Screens, a nuke button in Leaf Storm, as well as a great Speed tier. Finally, it can be run on Pledge teams as an alternative to Meowscarada, giving up Meowscarada's higher base speed in exchange for a much higher special attack stat that can be further bolstered by Leaf Storm.

Third, both Empoleon and Milotic are missing as well. Both have access to the Competitive ability, which in a format where you have 3 pokemon listed higher than B tier and 6 pokemon listed total with Intimidate is a valuable ability to have. Additionally, both offer important roles that are not otherwise covered by other ranked pokemon. Milotic can both run a bulkier general support set, as well as a Coil set that can abuse Hypnosis to sleep Grass types and pokemon wearing the Safety Goggles. Empoleon benefits from the Steel typing, solid bulk for Assault Vest, and a good speed tier for Tailwind, alongside being one of the only viable water types that can use a Grass move, let alone the only viable Grass Knot user. Additionally, Empoleon can uniquely check Gastrodon due to both Grass Knot cleanly answering it and Water Pledge ignoring redirection, something other water types in the format struggle with. Finally, similarly to Serperior it can be run on Pledge teams as an alternative to Primarina, giving up spread move access for the ability to very easily deal with Intimidate users, often discouraging them from being brought entirely.

Fourth, Venusaur. I found it strange that you listed Charizard who only exists as a niche option for Sun teams, yet left out the other and much better Sun starter in Venusaur. Venusaur has a much more valuable typing than Charizard does, as well as access to one of the fastest Sleep Powders in the game thanks to Chlorophyl. Additionally, Sludge Bomb is a clean OHKO on Rillaboom- a pokemon that you listed as the best pokemon in the format- often forcing Tera due to Venusaur outspeeding under Sun. It can also run Weather Ball to threaten Amoonguss, Gholdengo, and Kingambit, as well as Earth Power to deal significant damage to Archaludon.

Finally, Alolan Muk should be at least ranked somewhere on this list. While it's not as consistent as other strategies, and not as good as it has been in prior regulations due to how prevalent Haze is, it can still completely wipe out teams who are unprepared for the matchup. Additionally, it has consistently been present on the official in-game ladder both since the strategy was discovered and on the current Regulation H ladder. Finally, two of the mons most commonly paired with Alolan Muk (Smeargle and Flamigo) are already tiered, so with it's most common partners present I see no reason for it to also not be present.
 
Hello resident serperior user here confirming that this mon is pretty good. B-
People that have played/watched gens 5-7 OU will know that this thing is randomly bulky despite its low HP stat, and that glare is a disgusting move. Its speed lets it take over some matchups by just being able to glare everything. In particular its faster than maushold and can make the beat up go after its partner. Meanwhile its bulk plus a sitrus berry allows it to tank things like a tera dragon banded dragapult's dragon darts and glare it. In certain matchups you'll just be able to take over offensively with leaf storm + tera fire blast.
Anyways its a pretty niche mon, but the Yellow Color makes it never completely useless.

Hisuian Samurott deserves a mention at C'ish
Pretty good AV user that messes with gholdengo and h-typhlo. Sacred sword is an always useful move while ceaseless edge's spikes occasionally come through in clutch moments. It does struggle vs things like rillaboom and primarina even with tera poison mitigating it decently enough. That being said in terms of sharpness sacred sword users its completely outclassed by gallade.

Also echo'ing the statement of moving up sneasler that thing is strong.
 
Fourth, Venusaur. I found it strange that you listed Charizard who only exists as a niche option for Sun teams, yet left out the other and much better Sun starter in Venusaur. Venusaur has a much more valuable typing than Charizard does, as well as access to one of the fastest Sleep Powders in the game thanks to Chlorophyl. Additionally, Sludge Bomb is a clean OHKO on Rillaboom- a pokemon that you listed as the best pokemon in the format- often forcing Tera due to Venusaur outspeeding under Sun. It can also run Weather Ball to threaten Amoonguss, Gholdengo, and Kingambit, as well as Earth Power to deal significant damage to Archaludon.

I think the reason why Charizard was included because it was a niche sun sweeper than can actually damage Incineroar with Scorching Sands and isn't weak to Knock Off or ruined by it, unlike H-Typhlosion.
 
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H-Decidueye: C -> C+ or B-

I don't think the owl deserves to be with Chariard and Clefairy. Grass/Fighting is really deadly, and with Scrappy it can hit a lot of Pokemon with Triple Arrows, like Gholdengo, Kingambit, Archaludon, both Ursaluna formes, Hydreigon, Dondozo, and Tatsugiri. And speaking of Triple Arrows, with its high crit chance, H-Decidueye can run Scope Lens for stupid amounts of critical hits. H-Decidueye can fix its speed tier problem with Tailwind (although I don't really recommend it), and if it wants more bulk, Assault Vest can be used.
 
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Zoroark-H is probably better than B-, it's not just a gimmick it has a strong hyper voice, great threat against ghosts which are everywhere, and it's very difficult to predict. Plenty of move options as well, you can do hyper beam or trick for example. I would certainly call it better than gengar, which really only exists because of haze.

Amoonguss could possibly be one tier too high. There's too much counterplay now. Completely walled by gholdengo, most things run grass tera, lots of taunt and encore, plenty of ways to dodge spore, very easy to overwhelm offensively, etc. It's hard to say because it has so many options for items and moves to fulfil many different roles, but the meta is unkind to it. Would like to see discussion around this.

Otherwise very solid list
 
Zoroark-H is probably better than B-, it's not just a gimmick it has a strong hyper voice, great threat against ghosts which are everywhere, and it's very difficult to predict. Plenty of move options as well, you can do hyper beam or trick for example. I would certainly call it better than gengar, which really only exists because of haze.

Amoonguss could possibly be one tier too high. There's too much counterplay now. Completely walled by gholdengo, most things run grass tera, lots of taunt and encore, plenty of ways to dodge spore, very easy to overwhelm offensively, etc. It's hard to say because it has so many options for items and moves to fulfil many different roles, but the meta is unkind to it. Would like to see discussion around this.

Otherwise very solid list
Id say the zoroark tier is fine, if it was a gimmick it would be C-. Although the typing is cool and it can hit pretty hard with say specs and has a unexpected factor which can cause miss plays in front of it, it’s not very splashable on teams (it works on a few comps) and is also very frail (and cause it doesn’t have many resistances, this isn’t great). You always know H-Zoroark is there after the first turn (and sometimes before if the illusioned ability doesn’t activated).

I think amoonguss is fine in A+. I get what your saying with people are running goggles and Tera grass etc but that is cause amoonguss is warping the meta. If your opponent isn’t well prepared for amoonguss, it becomes very strong in the matchup. If you opponent is prepared for the matchup, you can always leave it behind, or amoonguss can support in other ways like clear smog pollen puff or sludge bomb, or position it against Pokémon that aren’t immune. If amoonguss doesn’t perform at big tournaments I’d be fine dropping it to A tier, but for now at least I think it should stay in A+.
 
regulation_h_en.jpg

These are the official Viability Rankings for VGC 2024 Regulation H. In this thread, we as a community will be ranking each and every usable pokemon into different tiers based on how viable we believe them to be. We encourage you to post your thoughts and opinions on on the various usable Pokemon in VGC and what tier you think they should belong in. Posts in this thread will be taken into consideration when deciding changes to the VR.

The general idea of this is to rank every usable Pokemon in VGC into different rankings that will go in descending order. Since we are evaluating the entirety of the metagame, we will not be splitting Pokemon based on their roles within teams - supportive and offe
nsive Pokemon will be ranked based on their impact that they have on the meta and the teams they will be brought for.

Finally, there will be a Council of experienced players who will discuss and vote on the ranking of each Pokemon. As the Series tend to be fairly short, we will be attempting to keep this up-to-date based on what's going on in the tournament scene and adapting our list based on both tournament results and ladder success as the metagame evolves. Keep in mind, your posts and insights are still very valuable to us and will be a factor in any changes that we make. This thread would be nothing without the community and all of your input, so if you feel you have a good grasp on the metagame and fully understand the forum rules, then don't be hesitant to post.

The voters for this thread were: zee, Finabas, Robbie35646, Borghi, sempra, Spurrific, and marcofiero. A thank you to these users for their participation!

VGC 2024 Regulation H Viability Rankings

S

:Rillaboom: Rillaboom

A+
:Amoonguss: Amoonguss
:Archaludon: Archaludon
:Gholdengo: Gholdengo
:Kingambit: Kingambit

A
:Basculegion: Basculegion-M
:Dondozo: Dondozo
:Incineroar: Incineroar
:Pelipper: Pelipper
:Tatsugiri: Tatsugiri
:Ursaluna-Bloodmoon: Ursaluna-BM
:Volcarona: Volcarona

A-
:Annihilape: Annihilape
:Armarouge: Armarouge
:Clefable: Clefable
:Dragapult: Dragapult
:Glimmora: Glimmora
:Maushold: Maushold
:Primarina: Primarina
:Talonflame: Talonflame
:Tauros-Paldea-Aqua: Tauros-Aqua
:Tauros-Paldea-Blaze: Tauros-Blaze
:Typhlosion-Hisui: Typhlosion-H
:Tyranitar: Tyranitar
:Whimsicott: Whimsicott

B+
:Dragonite: Dragonite
:Electabuzz: Electabuzz
:Gallade: Gallade
:Garchomp: Garchomp
:Hydreigon: Hydreigon
:Indeedee-F: Indeedee-F
:Kommo-o: Kommo-o
:Lilligant-Hisui: Lilligant-H
:Pawmot: Pawmot
:Porygon2: Porygon2
:Torkoal: Torkoal
:Ursaluna: Ursaluna

B
:Baxcalibur: Baxcalibur
:Farigiraf: Farigiraf
:Gengar: Gengar
:Hatterene: Hatterene
:Meowscarada: Meowscarada
:Murkrow: Murkrow
:Smeargle: Smeargle
:Sylveon: Sylveon

B-
:Arcanine-Hisui: Arcanine-H
:Excadrill: Excadrill
:Gothitelle: Gothitelle
:Grimmsnarl: Grimmsnarl
:Palafin: Palafin
:Sinistcha: Sinistcha
:Sneasler: Sneasler
:Vivillon: Vivillon
:Weezing: Weezing
:Zoroark-Hisui: Zoroark-H

C+
:Dusclops: Dusclops
:Garganacl: Garganacl
:Gastrodon: Gastrodon
:Magmar: Magmar
:Ninetales-Alola: Ninetales-A
:Salamence: Salamence

C
:Charizard: Charizard
:Clefairy: Clefairy
:Decidueye-Hisui: Decidueye-H
:Flamigo: Flamigo
:Gyarados: Gyarados
:Mamoswine: Mamoswine
:Weezing-Galar: Weezing-G

C-
:Ninetales: Ninetales
:Politoed: Politoed


Please post intelligently or your post will be deleted and possibly infracted. If you disagree with a Pokemon's ranking, show evidence or make a strong argument to have it changed, "lol pikachu in A tier" will not be counted as an acceptable post. Happy posting!
I think hisuian arcanine can definetely go up quite a bit - it hits very hard with choice band, is a valuable intimidator, and has a good set of moves in head smash/rock slide/close combat/extreme speed/flare blitz, and is also able to run a more supportive AV set with snarl or a different defensive item and will-o-wisp.

Also, i think mandibuzz has a case to be on this list -it does well into trick room, dondozo (somewhat), and physical and special attackers alike with snarl and foul play. It can set up tailwind and run protect or roost to keep itself healthy.
A few calcs:

252+ Atk Guts Ursaluna Facade (140 BP) vs. 188 HP / 132 Def Mandibuzz: 177-208 (84.6 - 99.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Sitrus Berry recovery (it's able to hit back HARD with foul play)

252+ SpA Charcoal Torkoal Eruption (150 BP) vs. 188 HP / 172+ SpD Mandibuzz in Sun: 115-136 (55 - 65%) -- 15.6% chance to 2HKO after Sitrus Berry recovery (can snarl, meaning it lives another eruption and can snarl again, bringing a big boost in survivability for the other teammates)

252+ SpA Life Orb Ursaluna-Bloodmoon Blood Moon vs. 188 HP / 172+ SpD Mandibuzz: 142-168 (67.9 - 80.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Sitrus Berry recovery (once again, can snarl - will usually faint if tera normal/helping hand is in play)

+2 100+ Atk Dondozo Wave Crash vs. 188 HP / 132 Def Mandibuzz: 139-165 (66.5 - 78.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Sitrus Berry recovery

+2 Mandibuzz Foul Play vs. +2 4 HP / 100+ Atk / 4 Def Dondozo: 58-69 (25.6 - 30.5%) -- 0.8% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery

It might not be A tier, but it is definetely worthy of a spot on the list in general, if not (at least) C+ due to its valuable support and being able to do good damage in some cases with foul play.
 
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Kilowattrel Untiered -> C
We are severely lacking in solid electric types right now, and Kilowattrel provides a solid speed tier, Competitive, and Tailwind. Hurricane in the ever-present Rain can force pins into Tera Grass Archaludon, Amoonguss, and Rillaboom, all top-tier mons right now.

Arcanine-Hisui B- -> B / B+
There is no way this Mon has the same viability as Vivillon. Choice Band Flare Blitz either in Sun or with Tera Fire cleanly OHKOes 252 / 252+ Def Indeedee-F. Banded Rock Slides are super spammable in this meta as well, as the only real resists are Kommo-o, the Tauroses, and Archaludon.

Armarouge A- -> B+
Does this Pokemon provide anything more than Indeedee-F, Lilligant-Hisui, or Torkoal to the Psyspam core? Why exactly is this Mon in A- when the entire Psyspam core is in B+? There could be the argument of Weakness Policy U-turn / Flip Turn shenanigans, but that's a gimmick.

Annihilape A- -> A
Anyone who has faced this Mon knows exactly how stupidly hard MausApe is to take down. The combination of Defiant + Tera + Rage Fist is basically unbeatable unless you're running double normal (Farigiraf + Ursaluna or something similar).

Tyranitar A- -> B+
Where are the Sand abusers? Excadrill (B-), Lycanroc-Midday (Untiered)? Tera Flying AV is a solid set, but is outclassed in damage by CB Hisui-Arcanine, outsped by basically everything, and is easily Intimidate cycled into a non-factor. Not to mention it is destroyed by Tera Gholdengo, Archaludon, and Rillaboom pre-Tera. Knock Off + Rock Slide + Tera Blast Flying is solid coverage, but it's just too slow and too weak to the top threats to do much.
 
Kilowattrel Untiered -> C
We are severely lacking in solid electric types right now, and Kilowattrel provides a solid speed tier, Competitive, and Tailwind. Hurricane in the ever-present Rain can force pins into Tera Grass Archaludon, Amoonguss, and Rillaboom, all top-tier mons right now.

Arcanine-Hisui B- -> B / B+
There is no way this Mon has the same viability as Vivillon. Choice Band Flare Blitz either in Sun or with Tera Fire cleanly OHKOes 252 / 252+ Def Indeedee-F. Banded Rock Slides are super spammable in this meta as well, as the only real resists are Kommo-o, the Tauroses, and Archaludon.

Armarouge A- -> B+
Does this Pokemon provide anything more than Indeedee-F, Lilligant-Hisui, or Torkoal to the Psyspam core? Why exactly is this Mon in A- when the entire Psyspam core is in B+? There could be the argument of Weakness Policy U-turn / Flip Turn shenanigans, but that's a gimmick.

Annihilape A- -> A
Anyone who has faced this Mon knows exactly how stupidly hard MausApe is to take down. The combination of Defiant + Tera + Rage Fist is basically unbeatable unless you're running double normal (Farigiraf + Ursaluna or something similar).

Tyranitar A- -> B+
Where are the Sand abusers? Excadrill (B-), Lycanroc-Midday (Untiered)? Tera Flying AV is a solid set, but is outclassed in damage by CB Hisui-Arcanine, outsped by basically everything, and is easily Intimidate cycled into a non-factor. Not to mention it is destroyed by Tera Gholdengo, Archaludon, and Rillaboom pre-Tera. Knock Off + Rock Slide + Tera Blast Flying is solid coverage, but it's just too slow and too weak to the top threats to do much.
I love the Kilowattrel nom, it has very good synergy with Garchomp with Earthquake and Discharge, offers tailwind support and has a good STAB in thunderbolt. Crucially, compared with other competitive users it doesn't rely on getting intimidated to do anything. I think C tier is fair for it, given it is lacking stat wise.

I agree with the point about Armarouge, I don't know why its not with the other psyspammers and hard trick room mons. If anything I think Indeedee-F and Armarouge should swap places, as Indeedee-F is much more spashable.

I don't see what merits Arcanine-Hisui going to B tier. To be honest, it just hasn't had particularly impressive tournament results, and I haven't seen it high on ladder either. Until it gets some better results I don't see it getting promoted.

I'd support Annihilape going up to A, it was pretty terrifying at the start of the format, and although I think people have developed a fair amount of counterplay for it, it's results at tournaments are still pretty strong.

I think you do Tyranitar an injustice by saying that the sand abusers aren't great (it works with or without sand abusers), it's much more than a supportive Pokemon that you just use to set up the sand. It's stats are incredibly strong (incorporating the effective sand special defence boost, it has the 2nd highest effective BST behind slaking) and it has a pretty deep movepool, Tera can help you get around it's bad defensive typing, or by removing it's checks it can win in the endgame. It's fairly spashable, so I think A- is fair.
 
I think you do Tyranitar an injustice by saying that the sand abusers aren't great (it works with or without sand abusers), it's much more than a supportive Pokemon that you just use to set up the sand. It's stats are incredibly strong (incorporating the effective sand special defence boost, it has the 2nd highest effective BST behind slaking) and it has a pretty deep movepool, Tera can help you get around it's bad defensive typing, or by removing it's checks it can win in the endgame. It's fairly spashable, so I think A- is fair.

Tyranitar isn't really that splashable - it doesn't really fit on Trick Room teams (Torkoal) while being outclassed by Glimmora on Tailwind HO teams. Balance teams would rather have Incineroar as a Dark-type that spams Knock Off, and Arcanine-Hisui provides Intimidate as well as a higher speed tier. Even if it has the moves to do something, its low speed tier and reliance on Tera to get out of common matchups (Rillaboom, Archaludon, Annihilape) makes it not as splashable as its stats may seem.
 
Would post sooner or later!

It's a good list, and I agree with lots of it. Just a few things I disagree with here and there, but council/the voters did a amazing job organizing and placing Pokemon in the tiers.

:ursaluna-bloodmoon:
A --> A+
This Pokemon feels criminally low, it nukes stuff really, really hard. Earth Power is able to nuke the likes of Gholdengo, Kingambit, and Archaludon. Blood Moon and Hyper Voice combined with Life Orb and Tera Normal can reach crazy heights as well, in terms of damage at least. This Pokemon also performs well on a lot of archetypes, some including Tailroom, Stormroom, and Sunroom. I do think running this Pokemon without Trick Room is a risk I know I'm not willing to take, and personally I don't recommend it.

:annihilape:+:maushold:
A- --> A OR A+
This is a very formidable duo, and I would enjoy to hear the reasoning for A-, as this feels really low. Being able to just create a plethora of mind games (if you've seen the flowchart you know what I'm talking about) can enable so many paths for victory. Rage Fist is also, like, really funny with Beat Up.

:tauros-paldea-blaze:
A- --> B OR B+
This one just, like, doesn't belong IMO. This just feels like it was grouped with the better Tauros lol. It is still good though, but feels random. Its defensive typing is OK, but not great. It has a good offensive type, but feels like it lacks power. Idk, I haven't used this, and I'd like feedback from someone who has used this Pokemon.

:primarina:
A- --> A
This is arguably the best Water-type (without the need of a specific pokemon *cough* tatsugiri and dondozo *cough*) at the moment, fitting on a load of archetypes. STAB Liquid Voice Hyper Voice, Moonblast, Dazzling Gleam, Ice Beam, and Energy Ball are all super strong offensive options and coverage, although some are niche. Haze works nicely to slow down Pokemon like Archaludon and Dondozo, while Calm Mind can turn Primarina into a nasty sweeper. I see that Rillaboom exists, but there are ways to get around that, like Tera.

I'll do some rapid fire ones now, if you want a explanation just let me know! (This is already too long lmao)

Rises:
:hydreigon:: B+ --> A-
:indeedee-f:: B+ --> A
:hatterene:: B --> A-
:arcanine-hisui:: B- --> A-
:sneasler:: B- --> B
:gastrodon:: C+ --> B
:politoed:: C- --> C+
:zoroark-hisui:: B- --> B+

Drops:
:pawmot:: B+ --> B-
:electabuzz:: B+ --> B
:porygon2:: B+ --> B
:smeargle:: B --> C+
:vivillon:: UR (why?)
:ninetales:: UR

Finally, I would like to address some Pokemon that were not added to the VR.
These will be shorter though

Take a look at Aereon767455 for some of them, I will cover some others not mentioned though.

Nominating: :chesnaught:
UR --> C
Sponsored by MoxieBoosted (lmao)
Inspired by the former mentioned creator's team, this Pokemon, with Bulletproof and Tera Steel, walls out Gholdengo, while setting up with Iron Defense and doing nicely into Kingambit. IDPress sets are pretty good right now tbh.

That's it for now! Would love some feedback.
 
Second post! Just replies.
Second, Serperior. Serperior is really solid with three primary sets. Firstly, it can be run offensively alongside Grimmsnarl or Whimsicott as a lead, both of which can use Fake Tears to either bolster Serperior or enable easier KOs, alongside having additional tools to support it. Secondly, it can be run as a supportive pokemon itself, with access to Glare, Screens, a nuke button in Leaf Storm, as well as a great Speed tier. Finally, it can be run on Pledge teams as an alternative to Meowscarada, giving up Meowscarada's higher base speed in exchange for a much higher special attack stat that can be further bolstered by Leaf Storm.
I actually don't think Serperior deserves a mention on the VR. Let's break it down (color coding)
First
While I do think this can work, it kinda gets stormed on by a lot of the top Pokemon. It also doesn't have the best coverage, which can make it difficult to turn it into a good sweeper. For example, Volcarona gets Giga Drain, or Gholdengo gets Thunderbolt, Dazzling Gleam, Focus Blast, Psyshock. Tera Blast exists, but dumping Tera into a bit of a volatile Pokemon can be iffy.
Second
I don't think a supportive set is great, especially with what you mentioned. Paralysis and Screens? I call it, Grimmsnarl! Speed also isn't a issue for Grimmsnarl due to Prankster, while using it as a bit of a nuke button makes it do too many things sometimes.
Last
Pledge teams don't need the higher special attack stat for Pledge, which is why you want the fastest or bullies available Pokemon.
Hello resident serperior user here confirming that this mon is pretty good. B-
People that have played/watched gens 5-7 OU will know that this thing is randomly bulky despite its low HP stat, and that glare is a disgusting move. Its speed lets it take over some matchups by just being able to glare everything. In particular its faster than maushold and can make the beat up go after its partner. Meanwhile its bulk plus a sitrus berry allows it to tank things like a tera dragon banded dragapult's dragon darts and glare it. In certain matchups you'll just be able to take over offensively with leaf storm + tera fire blast.
Anyways its a pretty niche mon, but the Yellow Color makes it never completely useless
I'm going too say similar things here, but dumping Tera into a niche Pokemon often isn't good. Bringing OU into the case isn't very helpful either, as the metagames are very different. Also, Maushold can just Follow Me, press bulk up with Annihilape, then cause a lot of trouble from there.
Zoroark-H is probably better than B-, it's not just a gimmick it has a strong hyper voice, great threat against ghosts which are everywhere, and it's very difficult to predict. Plenty of move options as well, you can do hyper beam or trick for example. I would certainly call it better than gengar, which really only exists because of haze.
While I agree with the statement f Zoroark-Hisui, I don't agree with the statement of Gengar. It doesn't exist just for Haze, but being a fast Ghost-type, notably hitting Gholdengo super hard, with Sludge Bomb covering stuff like Rillaboom and Primarina.
It might not be A tier, but it is definetely worthy of a spot on the list in general, if not (at least) B-.
Um, mandibuzz should absolutely NOT be B- tier. I'd say C/C+, as it doesn't feel very splashable and can't do enough damage to retaliate. It acts like a wall, which can be difficult to function in VGC with the faster paced meta.
 
Tauros Blaze in A-??? Am I missing something? I've barely seen this mon used at all, let alone at the same level as the other mons on the same tier, or even below it. Maybe this thing is a sleeper threat, but like I have no idea how it justifies being that high lol
 
I'm going too say similar things here, but dumping Tera into a niche Pokemon often isn't good. Bringing OU into the case isn't very helpful either, as the metagames are very different. Also, Maushold can just Follow Me, press bulk up with Annihilape, then cause a lot of trouble from there.

This is a strictly restricted mindset in regards to what serperior can do with just glare and leaf storm. By the time it can drop a tera fire onto a gholdengo it is most likely already set up with a few boosts. Its not a primary tera option, but it is helpful in a pinch. The OU mention wasn't a way of saying its good here because it was good there, just about its bulk and staying power. You're also bringing up the Maushold situation like its a 2v1. A paralyzed mouse is essentially useless for protecting ape on following turns, while a +1 Ape is not as threatening in return to serperior (and potentially its partner).

I do agree with your points on the other user's post. Serp should not be used as a primary sweeper or a primary support mon (and pledges are kinda strange and shouldn't be mentioned). Going all in on offense with serp makes it pretty squishy and it still doesn't provide as much damage as you want an offensive mon doing. Meanwhile screens also shouldn't be mentioned as they're a waste of a slot on serp. Comparing it to grimmsnarl with thunder wave is also doing it a disservice. Glare can't be shut down by psychic terrain, can hit ground types, is 100% accurate, and isn't tied to being grimmsnarl.

While I can agree that maybe it isn't a B- mon and is too "niche" and biased from me, to say it doesn't belong on the VR when much worse mons are being listed is ridiculous.
 
I forgot to nominate originally during voting but I think Sneasler should be A- or B+

An incredibly strong fighting type with great neutral coverage. Not to mention devious stuff it can pull off with Fake Out Poison Touch.

Dire Claw and CC does great into most of the balance cores running around, especially while running Tera Stellar. It is the only Pokémon that has this specific combination of tools. It can also run FlingsRock rocking the Salazzle outfit

Have been theorying it out with friends and watched one get it to top20 on ladder, as well as seeing some other notable players testing it out on ladder
Counter point:
IMG_2574.jpg

Sneasler moment smh smh
 
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Um, mandibuzz should absolutely NOT be B- tier. I'd say C/C+, as it doesn't feel very splashable and can't do enough damage to retaliate. It acts like a wall, which can be difficult to function in VGC with the faster paced meta.
Slightly edited to add a bit of text onto the end and change B- to C+.
Mandibuzz isn't just a wall, it provides very valuable support in the form of tailwind and snarl, helping the team deal with especially trick room teams much easier. In part due to it's (for this format) incredible bulk without boosts, it's able to do just that, and use snarl to hamper ursaluna-BM's momentum to help the rest of the team wait out trick room more comfortably. Its retaliating damage is in most cases not great, but can do a good deal of damage to both dondozo and ursaluna-hisui (in dondozo's case more valuable, since 40% on dondozo is a LOT if you consider its great natural bulk and +2 defenses, as well as it almost never having a tera type that resists dark, and forcing dondozo to target it twice due to it surviving one wave crash).
 
Feel like Incineroar being in A tier after being on only 1 team in top 8 at Worlds for masters division, and quite a few mons that just straight up threaten/ignore it in reg h is a pretty generous ranking.
 
Armarouge: A- -> B+

and

Indeedee (F): B+ -> A-

I don't know why Armarouge is higher than most of the Psyspam staples, especially when we have Hatterene (yes, i know about meteor beam, but i dont think it's super reliable and can miss). Hatterene IMO is more reliable as a psyspammer, as Incineroar can't easily switch into its Life Orb boosted Dazzling Gleams, unlike Armarouge.

As for Indeedee, I honestly think it should be higher. It's much more splashable on teams, Psychic Terrain is really helpful against Rillaboom, Follow Me will always be broken and helpful for set-up Pokemon, and Normal/Psychic is just solid typing, with its only weaknesses being Bug (realistically, U-turn) and Dark.
 
Garchomp: B+ -> A-

Despite having a mediocre to straight-up bad matchup into some of the most relevant mons like, Rillaboom, Primarina, and Peli, the way that it dominates nearly every mon outside of the top 15 makes it very splashable. Its bulk is surprisingly incredible and because the rest of your team can be filled out to counter top mons, it makes it really nice to have a garchomp that breaks thru every gimmick you run into.
 
Sneasler B- -> B+

I will also back up Borghi on Sneasler here and come out of posting retirement for it. This pokemon is extremely well positioned in the format as a wall breaker and general balance-buster in its ability to match up into Sand, invalidate tailwind for many compositions, and threaten not only RNG abuse with Dire Claw but also threaten clean OHKOs on viable Pokemon such as Rillaboom, Kingambit, Archaludon, Clefable, and Primarina to name a few. It is also versatile in its sets, offering both supportive sets with Coaching or Sunny Day on sash sets or Seed sets with Psychic Terrain or Grassy Terrain. It can cover for Gholdengo/Dragapult with Throat Chop, or it can go Acrobatics Tera Flying to clean up non-resisting threats. I've been floating around the top 100 or so of the ladder with it on several different comps, proving it is a meta threat given what I've experienced. This weekend may help to make its case if it does see play. I'm pretty confident it is worth an increase here.
 
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Second post! Just replies.

I actually don't think Serperior deserves a mention on the VR. Let's break it down (color coding)
First
While I do think this can work, it kinda gets stormed on by a lot of the top Pokemon. It also doesn't have the best coverage, which can make it difficult to turn it into a good sweeper. For example, Volcarona gets Giga Drain, or Gholdengo gets Thunderbolt, Dazzling Gleam, Focus Blast, Psyshock. Tera Blast exists, but dumping Tera into a bit of a volatile Pokemon can be iffy.
Second
I don't think a supportive set is great, especially with what you mentioned. Paralysis and Screens? I call it, Grimmsnarl! Speed also isn't a issue for Grimmsnarl due to Prankster, while using it as a bit of a nuke button makes it do too many things sometimes.
Last
Pledge teams don't need the higher special attack stat for Pledge, which is why you want the fastest or bullies available Pokemon.

I'm going too say similar things here, but dumping Tera into a niche Pokemon often isn't good. Bringing OU into the case isn't very helpful either, as the metagames are very different. Also, Maushold can just Follow Me, press bulk up with Annihilape, then cause a lot of trouble from there.

While I agree with the statement f Zoroark-Hisui, I don't agree with the statement of Gengar. It doesn't exist just for Haze, but being a fast Ghost-type, notably hitting Gholdengo super hard, with Sludge Bomb covering stuff like Rillaboom and Primarina.

Um, mandibuzz should absolutely NOT be B- tier. I'd say C/C+, as it doesn't feel very splashable and can't do enough damage to retaliate. It acts like a wall, which can be difficult to function in VGC with the faster paced meta.
Serperior is definitely still strong enough to be mentioned imo. Its def frail, but Leaf storm can get this thing to absolutely disgusting levels of damage, and Tera stellar tera blast lets it hit all teraed mons for super effective WHILE boosting. Its main problem is the fact that rilla is a resident grass and it creeps almost every single other one (my poor hydrapple boi). Serperior i believe can still give support however simply because of that absurd damage output, letting it smash through even resists like Gholdengo. Its coverage that you mentioned is also decently enough helped by Tera Stellar as with contrary its just a spammable 100 bp move that boosts stats, and theres very little that can survive +4/+6 leaf storm anyway.
 
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