Spikes + Roar Spam looks pretty good
oh wait, no spikes user in the tier?
i guess sunny day could be busted or the standard resttalk curse on 4/6 mons team
well, we have to wait for RBY ZU then, i predict that it will be the best ZU meta of all time (RBY > ADV > DPP > SM > GSC > ORAS > BW)
oh wait, no spikes user in the tier?
i guess sunny day could be busted or the standard resttalk curse on 4/6 mons team
well, we have to wait for RBY ZU then, i predict that it will be the best ZU meta of all time (RBY > ADV > DPP > SM > GSC > ORAS > BW)
Oh hey it's Christmas, so let's talk about Fire and Ice-types in ORAS. 
I hope this holiday you can enjoy yourself with family among the madness that is 2020. Hopefully 2021 will be a brighter year for everyone, including ZU as older generations are explored and newer ones evolve. 
Torterra from A to S
Golem from A+ to A
Silvally-Dragon from A+ to A and 
Bouffalant from A to A+
Mareanie from A to A+
Lairon A to A+: Lairon has been a staple for years now. It is a premier Stealth Rock user that provides teams with excellent defensive support and offensive capabilities. Beyond its ability to blanket check notable threats such as Normal-, Ice-, and Flying-types, Lairon can pretty much cater its set to whatever the team needs. For example, it can tweak its move pool and EVs to act as a phazer with Roar, a tank variant with Toxic, a sweeper+SR setter with Rock Polish, and a wallbreaker with Choice Band.
Servine A to A+: Servine carves an incredible niche for itself with Contrary Leaf Storm, reliable recovery, and solid Speed and mixed bulk. Simply put, Servine can muscle past most of the metagame with minimal support and it provides teams fantastic role compression between the support moves it can run.
Purugly A to A+: This rise is a no brainer because Purugly is the top revenge killer in the metagame. Base 112 Speed means Purugly outpaces pretty much all relevant threats bar Swoobat, which is incredibly useful considering Electabuzz, Simipour, Simisage, and Jumpluff are top Pokemon. Purugly also wears down pretty much all Pokemon thanks to Knock Off and Fake Out, and it provides great pivot support to boot.
Regigigas A- to A: Regigigas really showcased itself this past ZUPL and ORAS Cup. Most attackers don't 2HKO or 3HKO Regigigas, and it capitalizes on most walls or passive Pokemon. Regigigas can sit there behind a Substitute and spread paralysis so easily thanks to its immense bulk. Teams tend to struggle to break through Regigigas, which we saw quite a bit of.
Frogadier A- to A: Frogadier excels in the current meta because of its ability to threaten a wide range of Pokemon, pivot with U-turn, and set Toxic Spikes. Frogadier sits in a great spot in this meta because of these traits.
Dusclops B+ to A-: Despite the prevalence of Krokrorok and Knock Off, Dusclops is one of the best walls in the metagame. Dusclops's fantastic Eviolite-boosted bulk make it very difficult to break through, which is really valuable for defensive and balance teams. It also pretty easy to support and forms reliable backbones for teams, something that is not that easy to accomplish for teams.
Hippopotas B+ to A-: Put simply, Hippopotas is the premier defensive Stealth Rock setter. It blanket checks physical attackers, has reliable recovery, can phaze, and is one of the few rockers that reliably checks Electabuzz. Has tremendous upside and little competition.
Scraggy B+ to A-: Scraggy is a premier setup sweeper. Bulk Up Scraggy has plenty of setup opportunities and is incredibly consistent, and it forces teams to always pack one or two dedicated checks. DD sets are less viable, but still pack a punch and allow Scraggy to play around faster checks.
Vibrava B+ to A-: Vibrava is arguably the best entry hazard remover in ORAS ZU. Great defensive typing + Roost + U-turn means Vibrava checks common entry hazard setters really well and provides great support for teams. No other entry hazard remover matches Vibrava's effectiveness.
Whirlipede B+ to A-: Whirlipede does an exceptional job at wearing down teams with entry hazards and Toxic/poison. It is one of the main reasons why Dustox, Pidgeot, and Natu are that much better now at entry hazard removal/prevention. In addition, Whirlipede is one of the few entry hazard setters that checks Grass-types, which is highly valuable.
Wigglytuff B+ to A-: Wigglytuff's set diversity and effectiveness between sets make it a cut above B+. Wigglytuff can run a multitude of offensive and defensive sets that allow it to fit on pretty much all teams. Moreover, being one of the only Fairy-type Pokemon gives Wigglytuff an excellent niche.
Bronzor B to A-: Bronzor jumps to A- mainly because it blanket checks a wide range of relevant attackers and has great matchups against most entry hazard setters and entry hazard removers. While Bronzor is weak to a handful of common attackers such as Krokorok, Magmar, and Scraggy and dislikes how common Knock Off is, its defensive capabilities are greatly valued in this meta and it pairs well with a number of bulky Pokemon.
Meganium B to B+: Meganium's defensive support is highly valued as it checks numerous top threats such as Simipour, Krokorok, Purugly, etc and provides cleric support, which is uncommon. Meganium's great mixed bulk and base 80 Speed also differentiate it from other bulky Grass-types such as Gourgeist-L, Servine, and Quilladin.
Swalot B to B+: Swalot is the only Simisage counter and that alone makes it highly valuable. Furthermore, Swalot is more valuable now as a bulky Poison-type because of the increased viability of Grass-types, the increased prevalence of Toxic Spikes, and effectiveness as a tank or win condition.
Carbink B- to B: Carbink's fantastic bulk and defensive typing is especially valued in the current metagame because it is the only Stealth Rock setter that can check Scraggy, Magmar, Pignite, Pidgeot, Purugly, Regigigas, and so on in one slot.
Chimecho C+ to B-: Chimecho provides fantastic offensive support with Healing Wish sets and has good versatility across Healing Wish, Choice Specs, and Cosmic Power sets. Chimecho also brings added utility through Knock Off and Thunder Wave as well as through its ability to check Scraggy and Krokorok thanks to Dazzling Gleam+Colbur Berry.
Chinchou B- to B: Chinchou niche is more relevant now as more Electabuzz sets pack Toxic to wear down Ground-types and Pokemon like Frogadier, Magmar, NP Simipour, and Glaceon are increasingly viable/common.
Dragonair B- to B: Dragonair has gotten better due to its ability to find setup opportunities against top Pokemon such as Electabuzz, Simipour, Simisage, Servine, and so on. While Carbink and Wigglytuff are more common, Dragonair has Iron Tail.
Dustox B- to B+: Dustox is one of the more popular Defoggers nowadays because of its defensive capabilities and ability to bring in breakers off a slow U-turn. Dustox also checks Grass-types and a range of special attackers, something that other entry hazard removers usually cannot do as effectively.
Furfrou B- to A-: Furfrou makes a significant rise mainly because Choice Band and Leftovers pivot sets are so effective. Furfrou is a pivot with above average bulk and base 102 Speed, which is really valuable because Furfrou threatens top threats and has the bulk to tank hits.
Meowstic-F B- to B: Entry hazard stack teams are quite viable and Meowstic-F acts as a good Defog deterrent thanks to Competitive, making it a great choice on those teams. Meowstic-F sits in a great Speed tier and has solid coverage, allowing it to threaten much of the metagame after a boost.
Palpitoad B- to B: Palpitoad rises because of the role compression and positive matchups it brings to teams. It is a Stealth Rock user that checks non-Hidden Power Grass Electabuzz, threatens Lairon/Hippopotas/Krokorok, and soft checks Politoed, Golduck, Pignite, etc.
Whiscash B- to B+: Choice Specs Whiscash is an excellent breaker with plenty of switch-in opportunities thanks to its typing and bulk. Whiscash takes advantage of and/or threatens top Pokemon such as Electabuzz, Klang, Krokorok, Pignite, and so on. Moreover, Whiscash can pick and choose its counterplay to a large degree because of its ability to run Choice Specs, Dragon Dance, and Substitute+Toxic sets.
Illumise UR to B-: TWiTT initially used Choice Specs Illumise and since then, it has risen as a solid anti-meta breaker thanks to Tinted Lens and U-turn. In addition to STAB Bug Buzz and Tinted Lens, Illumise has the Speed and coverage to tear through unprepared and slower teams.
Trubbish UR to B-: Trubbish carves a niche for itself as a defensive Poison-type with access to Spikes and Toxic Spikes. Unlike Whirlipede, Trubbish has Sticky Hold and Pain Split, which means it is not vulnerable to Knock Off/Trick and has greater longevity. In addition, Trubbish has access to Drain Punch and Haze, allowing it to hit Lairon as well as help against setup sweepers.
Ariados E → C+: While this may confuse some, Ariados has proven itself to be one of the best Sticky Web setters alongside Kricketune. Toxic Spike allows for Ariados to not only pressure teams lacking a Poison-type, but also can heavily pressure teams along with Sticky Web for slower teammates such as Luxray or Krokorok. Additionally, it also heavily pressures hazard removal with a powerful STAB Megahorn that can be further boosted when in Swarm range.
Gothitelle C- → C+: Gothitelle’s combination of bulk and Competitive allows it to pressure popular Defog users such as Vibrava and Dustox, and can pressure opponents by setting up a Calm Mind or fire off hits from its 95 Special Attack. It can also opt for support options such as Heal Bell, Taunt, Thunder Wave or Trick Room.
Kricketune C → C+: With Sticky Web’s resurgence, Kricketune has seen more exploration thanks to its support move pool. Taunt is invaluable as a lead to prevent opposing hazards, and Endeavor + Knock Off can weaken switch-ins such as Natu that try to bounce back Sticky Web.
Meditite C → C+: Thanks to an anti-meta STAB Psychic/Fighting combination and Pure Power, Meditite can easily pressure bulkier builds. Trick can also be invaluable for disabling walls, and Choice Scarf can catch offensive threats such as Simipour and Furfrou off guard.
Solrock C → C+: Thanks to Levitate, Solrock can act as a niche alternative to Bronzor or Carbink that can spread Will-O-Wisp burns. Morning Sun recovery also gives it more longevity than its Stealth Rock competition.
Beedrill D → C: Beedrill’s special bulk alongside access to Defog and Toxic Spikes allow for it to be a bulky hazard setter and remover that can pivot thanks to STAB U-Turn. Choice Band sets are also dangerous to switch into thanks to the threat of a CB boosted Knock Off and U-Turn.
Corsola E → C: While Water/Rock may not be the best type combination currently, Stealth Rock and Regenerator more than make up for this. With Rocky Helmet and Toxic, it can continually wear down Flying and Normal-types such as Pidgeot and Purugly.
Dunsparce C- → C: Glare is amazing support on top of hazard setting and recovery, which is excellent for Dunsparce. Serene Grace boosted Headbutts can also turn matches lucked based in tandem with paralysis. This can be rather inconsistent however, which is why the council opted for a single sub-rank rise.
Grotle UR → C: Grotle’s mixed bulk and access to Stealth Rock as a bulky Grass-type gives it a niche over Quilladin, allowing it to better check Electric-types like Electabuzz and Pikachu. Superpower or Toxic can also improve its overall matchup against opposing Stealth Rock setters.
Magnemite C- → C: Choice Specs has seen renewed interest as a reliable check to prevalent Steel-types thanks to Magnet Pull. In addition, key resistances allow Magnemite to act as a slow, but powerful Volt Switch user to partner with Normal-type wall breakers.
Mothim E → C: In the wake of Illumise, Mothim has also seen an uptick in use as a powerful Choice Specs wall breaker thanks to Tinted Lens. Bug/Flying are difficult to switch into coverage wise, and it can easily U-Turn out into dangerous partners.
Pancham UR → C: Thanks to Smogon user czim, Pancham has seen some use for the first with a newly realized tech: Parting Shot! Thanks to this and its Eviolite boosted bulk, Pancham can easily soften the blows of physical breakers or set-up sweepers for bulkier teammates to abuse.
Stunky UR → C: Stunky’s Poison/Dark typing allows for it to act as a Psychic-type check that can not only Defog away hazards, but also absorb Toxic Spikes. Aftermath and Toxic can also be handy for chipping away at physical threats.
Lickitung D → C-: Although a bit contentious, Lickitung’s Eviolite bulk alongside Wish, Oblivious and support options such as Dragon Tail, Seismic Toss and Knock Off can make it a niche pick for stall teams.
Phione D → C-: Phione’s combination of utility options in Knock Off, U-Turn or Heal Bell and decent bulk allows it to be a reliable pivot to bring in powerful breakers like Magmar and Simisage.
Wartortle A+ to B: Wartortle is now a subpar choice for entry hazard removal. It lacks recovery and is affected by all forms of entry hazards, unlike Vibrava, Dustox, and Pidgeot. This makes Wartortle incredibly easy to wear down. Wartortle also struggles against Gourgeist-L and Dusclops and needs Foresight as a result, which restricts it from running options such as Haze, Toxic, Rest, or Seismic Toss.
Huntail A+ to A: Huntail drops down to A mainly because it has more difficulty setting up and sweeping because it is threatened by a number of common Pokemon such as Politoed, Choice Scarf Simisage, Electabuzz, Meganium, and so forth.
Murkrow A+ to A-: A+ greatly overrates Murkrow's capabilities. Murkrow is easily threatened by faster Pokemon such as Electabuzz, Furfrou, Frogadier, etc and wears itself down quickly because of Brave Bird and Life Orb recoil. Metagame trends such as Carbink and Wigglytuff also give it trouble defensively.
Lopunny A- to B: Without Baton Pass, Lopunny's viability plummets. It is still an okay choice for something that can disrupt teams and provide Healing Wish support, but faces too much competition from Normal-types.
Gogoat A- to B+: Gogoat faces considerable competition as a bulky Grass-type from Meganium and Servine. Gogoat is also inconsistent as a setup Pokemon because it is easily walled or threatened by common Pokemon such as Gourgeist-L, Bronzor, Quilladin, Jumpluff, Magmar, Vanilluxe, and so forth.
Gigalith A- to B+: The primary reason for this drop is that Lairon gives Gigalith strong competition as a Stealth Rock setter. Moreover, Gigalith's pure Rock typing and low Speed leave it weak to common attackers such as Simisage, Simipour, and Krokrok. Gigalith also does not appreciate trends such as Hippopotas, Bronzor, and Vibrava.
Luxray B+ to B: Luxray fell off somewhat as an attacker mainly because many offensive Pokemon such as Krokorok, Furfrou, Simisage, etc outpace and threaten to OHKO it (outright or after minimal chip). Luxray also doesn't appreciate the rise of Hippopotas, Palpitoad, Whiscash, and Vibrava.
Girafarig B to B-: Girafarig drops down slightly because it dislikes meta trends such as Bronzor, Furfrou, and Dusclops. Also, Girafarig lacks the firepower to threaten teams and is too inconsistent as a setup sweeper due to its lack of setup opportunities. In addition, the Baton Pass ban removed Girafarig's central niche as a stat passer.
Mightyena B to B-: Mightyena has dipped in viability because it does not appreciate how well the metagame prepares for Krokorok and Scraggy. As a result, Mightyena requires significant support to function and is also less consistent now.
Slaking B to B-: Slaking in B overrates its capabilities slightly because many teams naturally prepare for Slaking's STAB and coverage. In addition, the rise of Bronzor, Carbink, Lairon, and Dusclops makes Slaking that much more prediction reliant and less effective.
Honedge B- → C+: While unique offensively thanks to an excellent Ghost/Steel typing, it lacks much of the offensive presence without a Swords Dance. On top of a poor speed tier, common weaknesses to Dark, Fire and Ground pressure its ability to get a sweep going.
Mienfoo B+ → C+: Among one of the largest drops in terms of rankings, Mienfoo has not performed as well over the years. Increased competition from Fighting-types and faster wall breakers have not been too kind to it, in addition to Baton Pass’s banning preventing it from supporting set-up sweepers as consistently. It’s still perfectly usable, but the council felt its rank was too inflated for its niche.
Noctowl B- → C+: While still relatively bulky as a Defog user, increased competition from Vibrava, Pidgeot and Dustox have left Noctowl to the wayside. Offensive sets are also not worth the hassle of use when there are more consistent Choice Specs users.
Banette C+ → C: Between its slowness, lack of strong STAB options and frailty, Banette has simply not held up as a wall breaker. Better Ghost-types exist, and much better wall breakers are widely available to warrant Banette to drop to C.
Hypno C+ → C: With Baton Pass banned, players will have to be committed to sweeping with Hypno. It’s not necessarily terrible, choosing between Belly Drum or Nasty Plot under Trick Room. But on top of being slow, it’s also susceptible to constant chip damage that can hamper its set-up opportunities.
Octillery C+ → C: Although a Choice Specs boosted Water Spout is not something to underestimate, Octillery’s lackluster speed and bulk tends to hold it back from tearing teams apart. Increased Water-type competition has also put question into its worth as Choice Specs Politoed and Whiscash continue to see renewed interest.
Persian C+ → C: Persian has continued its fall from grace with the looming presence of Purugly in the tier, and although Nasty Plot and specially offensive variants have seen experimentation, it’s too largely outclassed by many mainstays such as Simipour and Swoobat to justify staying in C+.
Carvanha C+ → C-: Speed Boost and Destiny Bond can make for interesting trades, but it’s so heavily outclassed by most offensive Water-types that not only have staying power, but assert much more pressure on the opponent.
Masquerain C → C-: Masquerain has greatly fallen out of favor as a Sticky Web setter thanks to the increased interest in Ariados and Kricketune. In addition, it's outclassed by a myriad of special attackers such as Butterfree and Illumise as an offensive threat.
Anorith C → UR: Similarly to Staryu, increased hazard removal competition has only shown how poorly it performs as an offensive spinner. Even on rain centric teams, it tends to not be needed due to being heavily overshadowed by Beartic. We’ll choose to let this fossil sink in the sand.
Cherrim D → UR: Access to Healing Wish does appear on paper to be a big benefit in using Cherrim, but it’s admittedly the weakest user of the move. Chimecho and Lopunny provide far better support and offensive utility, and other Grass-types such as Simisage and Servine are far better Grass-types for Cherrim to be worth using.
Shedinja D → UR: Although Wonder Guard does allow opportunities for Shedinja to check various threats such as Klang, Fufrou, Gogoat, and non-Toxic carrying Whiscash, It simply requires too much team support to gain any semblance of success. Many things that it would check otherwise have a tendency to tack on Knock Off or Toxic that naturally deter Shedinja to check them. Additionally, its weighty vulnerability to hazards requires ludicrous amounts of hazard removal to function as a spotty check to a handful of threats.
Spritzee C- → UR: Aroma Veil alongside Eviolite bulk does look viable on paper, but in practice it tends to underperform. Fairy-types such as Wigglytuff, Carbink or the more obscure Snubbull are far better defensively, and Spritzee’s status as a Dark and Fighting-type check is unreliable due to the abundance of Knock Off and Switcheroo/Trick. The increased viability of Poison-types also greatly hinder its defensive niche.
Staryu C+ → UR: Absolutely no one is using Staryu as their hazard removal, and the increased experimentation in that field has further shown Staryu’s mediocrity. It’s too weak to break anything and too frail to take a hit, meaning Staryu will be dropping from 2.5 to 0 Michelin Stars.
Tropius C+ → UR: Tropius has just not been the same since the banning of Arena Trap. Moreover, increased competition offensively from Jumpluff and Whiscash, to defensively from Dustox and Meganium has led to the council deeming Tropius unfit to stay on the viability rankings.
Unfezant D → UR: While it does have a meaty Attack stat and a decent speed tier, Unfezant just doesn’t have the move pool to truly make use of its assets. Far too many Flying and Normal-types provide more offensive utility and wall-breaking potential to warrant any continued ranking.
Venipede C → UR: Just use Whirlipede.
Wailord D → UR: Wailord has failed to truly stand out defensively and offensively in the metagame for a considerable amount of time. Countless Water-types from Simipour to Bibarel are worth your time to use or build around, and it just doesn’t compare to the many defensive options available in the tier to see ranked.
Wormadam-S D → UR: Despite having a unique Bug/Ground typing and decent defenses, Wormadam-S fails to deliver defensively. The amount of options available for Ground-types such as Hippopotas and Palpitoad provide more consistent defensive utility. In addition, its susceptibility to chip damage and lack of recovery result it in being a rather shaky check to many popular offensive threats in the tier.
Quilava's excellent Firepower between Fire Blast and Hidden Power Grass is very strong in the metagame and its decent bulk and speed gives it several opportunities to come in and break, while overshadowing all the other Fire-types in the tier. Wartortle has been pretty much the only safe defensive check to it and the fact that Wartortle is on this slate pushes Quilava to be in it as well, while other defensive checks like Togetic and Croconaw can be overwhelmed by Sun and HP Grass respectively.
9 ban votes - Banned
8 ban votes, 1 abstain - Banned
very quick gsc nominations 
UR -> Low
UR -> Low
Low -> UR
Low -> UR
Low -> UR
A > A+
B+ > A
B > B+
B- > B+
B- > B+
C+ > B
C > B
C > B-
C- > B
C- > B-
S > A
A+ > A
A+ > A-
A+ > A-
A > A-
A- > B
A- > B-
B+ > C
B > UR
B > B-
B- > C
C+ > C
C+ > C-
C+ > C
C+ > C
C > C-
C > UR
A > A
A- > A-
B > B
B > B
B- > B-
C+ > C+
C > C
C- > C-
in like 2 minutes and somehow won a zu room tour with it, even with the smoochum, bayleef, diglett weaknesses being deplorable, i don't advise using this but it is somewhat fun
