AAA Almost Any Ability Resources

:Ferrothorn: from B+ to A-
ferro's current place in the meta is very good from my experience, and i feel like it should get bumped up a bit. for one, it checks most variants of the electrics(zapdos and koko), while also being good against other big threats like azelf, no fire move genesect, lando, and prima. it can check a ton of other stuff depending on the ability, too. it beats non-hjk ace and non-moldy tran with flash fire, lele with bulletproof, and becomes much sturdier with regen. ferro isnt exactly passive to these mons, either. gyro/power whip can chip them decently well, with the exception of heatran, and iron defense body press sets can help in this regard. even if you cant do direct damage, you can get leech seed or spikes up, which is massive for making progress against the opponent's team. its not flawless, of course; it struggles against anything with fighting coverage like terrak/bulu/zarude, and depends on its ability to check certain mons, but its still a great asset for most teams. i feel like A- would represent its place in the meta more fairly than B+.
 
hey, im back and ready for more vr nominations. took a small break from aaa since i felt burnt out but now im back in full swing and ready to try and improve the meta. so first up, lets completely ignore whatever the last post said but also not ignore it

:ferrothorn: from B+ to A
same reasoning as above post. however, looking at it overall, i think its better than A- and on the same level as mons such as terrakion in my eyes. speaking of A tier...

:azelf: from A to A-
my current issue with azelf in the meta is that it feels like it gets walled by so much so often. mew, flash fire steels, and jirachi all answer it very well, and are quite common atm. its not hard to outspeed it either with koko, cinderace, or talonflame. if its running scarf, the mons that wall it will have an even easier time. i feel like atm, azelf is around the same level as lando and bulu: definitely good, but not exactly what you would call great.

:mew: from A+ to S
this has already been THOROUGHLY discussed in the oms discord, so i dont need to go very in depth here. tl;dr mew is extremely splashable, fits on most styles perfectly, and does so much for a team. if you want to go in depth, you can go to oms discord.

other potential noms that im not very sure on and shouldnt be taken seriously atm but i may edit into this post in the future:
:corviknight: from A to A+
:cinderace: from A- to A
:primarina: from B+ to A-
:zapdos-galar: from B+ to A-
:volcarona: from B+ to A-

tl;dr ferrothorn A, azelf A-, mew S
 

Ducky

Aw Phooey
is a Contributor to Smogon
Was looking through the set compendium and thought a few things should be changed a little.
Sheer Force (typically + Life Orb) - :Genesect: :Tapu Lele:
Niche -:cinderace::Hydreigon::volcarona:
Where is Chandelure? I also may be wrong but I have never seen or heard of SFLO Cinderace
Water Absorb - :landorus-therian::palossand:
Niche - :mamoswine:
IMO if Water Absorb Corviknight can make it onto a sample, it at least deserves a mention in the Niche section
Physical Magic Guard (typically + Life Orb) - :salamence::Talonflame::zapdos-galar:
Niche - :Arcanine::Barraskewda::darmanitan-galar::Entei::Tapu Koko:
I think Cinderace deserves a mention, I would also argue that Entei isnt niche but w/e
Special Magic Guard (typically + Life Orb) - :Genesect::latias::Tapu Koko::volcarona:
Niche - :heatran: :lucario: :thundurus:
Volcanion in the Niche section?
Dragon Dance - :Kommo-o: :Salamence: :zygarde-10%:
Also here's a mention of Kommo-o that should probably be deleted
 

hayedenn

forgotten me already?
is a Community Contributoris a Contributor to Smogon
VR noms woooo. Gonna keep explanations short, can obviously elaborate more on Discord if people want (please do not ask me to do this).

:tapu koko: :mew: :garchomp: :genesect: to S - These four really are my go-to mons whenever I'm building a team or trying to develop a new core. I believe no matter matchup (unless it's REALLY bad for some reason) they will always do something. They centralize the meta around them, and every team has to make sure they have a check to them. All of their sets are good, whether it's Pixi/MGLO/CM on Koko, Scarf/Offensive (very underrated, physical or special)/DShield/Bounce on Mew, Defensive/Offensive on Chomp, or like literally any of the 1 million sets Gene can run. All of these mons really represent the meta at the moment and deserve S :-]

:azelf: to A- - Azelf is just....kinda whelming. It can definitely put in work and is valuable in certain mus like against offense, but sometimes it just feels like dead weight, especially against fat. With Kommo-o now banned I have started to see a few games where fat is now stronger due to it no longer having to worry about Kommo-o, and because of that I do not think Azelf is in a strong a place as it once was. There is also some 4MSS when it comes to Trick/Knock/Fire Blast where Azelf struggles to be able to get past certain checks to help its teammates if it lacks the correct coverage. Azelf definitely isn't bad, just not as good as it was.

:terrakion: to A- - I think it just struggles a bit too much with Gapdos as people's go-to fighting. Still strong, just not as strong as it was.

:zapdos-galar: to A - TC is strong af and MGLO is a nice secondary option, however, while it is the premier breaker-breaker (like Koko is a breaker but it takes longer to wear down teams), it can get worn down pretty easily if your opponent knows how to prep for it. It's fantastic at breaking but honestly I think people need to prep better, which is why it seems so insane sometimes

:cinderace: to A - Deso is broko.

:zygarde-10%: to A - Both Adapt and PC sets are strong and are underprepped for.

:ferrothorn: to A - Regen Ferro is just in a very strong position right now as people's go-to Koko check that is also able to pressure offensively with SD sets while ALSO getting hazards up. Just splashable and consistent

:toxapex: to A - Same deal as Ferro. May be a bit less good now that Kommo-o is gone as it was the best Drum check but I still think Pex is great. Has great utility moves in Knock/TSpikes as well as Bounce sets with Infestation being fantastic lures. Again, may fall off a bit but I doubt it will be severe enough to drop it below A.

:inteleon: to A- - Broken fast primsea mon does primsea things

:moltres: to B+ - Molt is underrated af as a strong Deso mon with role compression as a Fogger/pivot mon with recovery. STAB Weather Ball hits super strong and it is great at getting other broken walls in with U-Turn.

:salamence: to B+ - Aerilate sets go brrrr

:chandelure: to B - Deso sets have become the wave, just showing how versatile this mon is (and SFLO sets are no slouch either)

:alakazam: :zamazenta-crowned: :regieleki: to C - fell off

:claydol: :dragalge: :Pikachu: :toxtricity: to UR - fell off

:suicune: to B- - I think Suicune is in a really cool place atm as a bulky Water that is a consistent physical DesoLand check (not weak to U-Turn) that is moderately fast and can threaten with setup. I've been running Regenerator sets with Sub/CM/Scald and then one of Roar/Weather Ball (WBall lets you hit Deso mons for some damage). The set is fairly consistent at spreading status through Scald and pressuring the opponent with spamming Sub/CM and is an underrated defensive Water-type option atm.

Replays: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8almostanyability-1589898065
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8almostanyability-1600447516-18vyfa3elr8zz9ri7rdzwqjzg9joeqopw

:raikou: to C - Raikou is definitely not vying with Koko as being AAA's premier electric type, but it does have a niche as a fast ESurge mon that fires off powerful Rising Voltages while having Scald to hit ground-types such as Lando-T and Garchomp and threaten burns. Pairing Raikou with Koko gives you a nice Electric spam core where both threaten the others checks (Raikou threatens physdef Ferrothorn w/ Rising Voltage at +1, doing 61-71 while Koko threatens special walls such as Blobs and helps wear down common checks such as Jirachi). It's definitely niche but I think it's solid.

Replays: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8almostanyability-1600443794-ams0k1a2vrtbqdmp5q88jg19gnqdzcjpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8almostanyability-1599215608
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8almostanyability-1599194325-wgqqrtopzwz6a5pz1g2ct79typt4oqdpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8almostanyability-1599172024-1l0gpj7v0is7z2hk2bbbdb2vhm0w0tvpw
 
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UT

I chose this cyclone with you
is a Site Content Manageris a Top Team Rateris a Battle Simulator Administratoris a Top Social Media Contributoris a Member of Senior Staffis a Community Contributoris a Smogon Discord Contributoris a Top Contributoris a Top Smogon Media Contributoris a Dedicated Tournament Hostis a Tiering Contributor Alumnus
Appeals + C&C Lead
Hello friends! We have updated the VR and are in the process of updating the sample sets/recommended abilities as well; hopefully those will be out early next week! If we missed anything too badly, let us know!

Rises
Mew to S
Tapu Koko to S
Garchomp to A+
Genesect to A+
Chansey to A
Ferrothorn to A
Mandibuzz to A
Zapdos-Galar to A
Zygarde-10% to A
Inteleon to A-
Latios to A-
Toxapex to A-
Moltres to B+
Salamence to B+
Volcanion to B+
Chandelure to B
Doublade ro B
Mamoswine to B
Nidoqueen to B
Nihilego to B
Slowbro to B
Charizard to B-
Darmanitan-Galar to B-
Suicune to B-
Celesteela to C+
Raikou to C+

Drops
Tapu Fini to A
Zapdos to A
Azelf to A-
Swampert to B+
Tapu Bulu to B+
Entei to B
Silvally-Dragon to B-
Alakazam to C+
Bisharp to C+
Cobalion to C+
Golisopod to C+
Palossand to C+
Regieleki to C+
Stakataka to C+
Zamazenta-C to C+
Necrozma to C
Arcanine to C-
Heliolisk to C-
Milotic to C-
Pangoro to C-
Porygon2 to C-
Scizor to C-
Claydol to UR
Conkeldurr to UR
Dragalge to UR
Pikachu to UR
Tornadus-T to UR
Toxtricity to UR
 
623E5786-79F5-4CF7-8F11-52FBEFAC0BD9.gif

Nominating Primarina to A-. I've been using this thing recently, it's a great mon and I believe it should be higher.

Primarina @ Choice Specs
Ability: Primordial Sea
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Moonblast
- Scald / Flip Turn
- Ice Beam / Weather Ball

The mermaid has some great traits when building a team.
1. The power is RIDICULOUS. Specs Hydro Pump in Primordial Sea does a billion to whatever switches in. It's the biggest selling point for Primarina, she just has a really powerful specs Hydro Pump. (Literally Fairy Type Keldeo.) Scald is also boosted by Rain, and can spread burns against physical attackers that try to abuse her lower defense stat. Moonblast is great secondary stab, and Ice Beam can help vs Grasses.

2. When in doubt, you can Flip Turn out. She can help gain momentum against more defensive teams, that try to switch to say, ferrothorn to wall Prim. You can flip turn out and go to another one of your devastating teammates, say, Choice Band Terrakion. Having an offensive mon that can pivot is great.

3. Water / Fairy is a kickass typing offensively and defensively. Few things resist both, and since Prim got Flip Turn this gen, she can punish the few things that can take its hits well. Having a dragon immunity and fighting resist is great in a world with Adaptability Garchomp throwing off Banded Outrages.

There are a few flaws that Primarina has, however.

1. She moves at a glacier's pace. It's pretty easy to revenge kill Primarina, however, this can be remedied by either a strong defensive backbone on balanced/bulky offense teams, or Sticky Web support on more offensive teams. When in position however, (which is easy to do nowadays because there's a LOT of U-Turn and Volt Switch.) nothing wants to switch in and eat a hit comfortably. Even physically defensive Toxapex can get 2HKO'd.

252+ SpA Choice Specs Primarina Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Toxapex in Heavy Rain: 160-189 (52.6 - 62.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

2. She has a low defense stat and can be revenge killed by things like Grassy Surge Zarude. Granted Zarude doesn't want to switch-in, since it'll get mauled by a potential Moonblast, but yes, it's pretty easy to revenge kill her. However, that means Primarina has already killed or put a huge chunk into something so it's not all bad.

3. It can be prediction reliant against mons with Desolate Land. (if not running weather ball) If you're good at predicting, you can definitely put it a lot of work. Flip Turn doesn't work in Dland, so you have to hard switch which can be exploited.

That's all I have for now, cya.

PS: Sorry for the errors, I wrote this at around 4 am
 
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What are the Salamence EVs for? I would have thought max speed would be helpful to outspeed stuff like Gene and Lele, even if you’ll be trying to DD most of the time.
 
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AAA Pokemon Viability Rankings
[last updated July 15th, 2022]
Click on the link of each Pokemon's name to see sample sets.

S Rank:
:Mew: Mew (Dauntless Shield, Regenerator, Magic Bounce, Unaware, Magic Guard)
:Tapu Koko: Tapu Koko (Magic Guard, Pixilate, Magic Bounce, Primordial Sea, Levitate, Refrigerate)

A Rank:
A+

:Garchomp: Garchomp (Regenerator, Magic Bounce, Skill Link, Magic Guard)
:Genesect: Genesect (No Guard, Regenerator, Tinted Lens, Guts, Sheer Force, Serene Grace, Magic Guard, Galvanize, Refrigerate)
:Heatran: Heatran (Desolate Land, Mold Breaker, Bulletproof, Regenerator, Magic Guard)

A
:Chansey: Chansey (Magic Bounce, Unaware, Regenerator, Sticky Hold, Magic Guard)
:Corviknight: Corviknight (Intimidate, Wandering Spirit, Volt Absorb, Flash Fire, Primordial Sea, Regenerator, Unaware, Drizzle, Drought)
:Ferrothorn: Ferrothorn (Regenerator, Flash Fire, Bulletproof)
:Mandibuzz: Mandibuzz (Unaware, Dauntless Shield, Magic Bounce, Flash Fire, Volt Absorb)
:Talonflame: Talonflame (Magic Guard)
:Tapu Fini: Tapu Fini (Regenerator)
:Tapu Lele: Tapu Lele (Sheer Force, Triage, Tinted Lens)
:Terrakion: Terrakion (Adaptability, Sniper, Download, Tough Claws)
:Zapdos: Zapdos (Primordial Sea)
:Zapdos-Galar: Zapdos-Galar (Tough Claws, Magic Guard, Regenerator, Tinted Lens)
:Zygarde-10%: Zygarde-10% (Adaptability, Power Construct)

A-
:Azelf: Azelf (Psychic Surge)
:Barraskewda: Barraskewda (Primordial Sea, Magic Guard)
:Blissey: Blissey (Regenerator, Magic Bounce, Unaware, Magic Guard)
:Cinderace: Cinderace (Desolate Land, Tinted Lens, Magic Guard, Sheer Force)
:Dhelmise: Dhelmise (Grassy Surge, Tinted Lens, Adaptability)
:Inteleon: Inteleon (Primordial Sea)
:Jirachi: Jirachi (Regenerator, Magic Guard)
:Landorus-Therian: Landorus-Therian (Regenerator, Water Absorb, Flash Fire, Wandering Spirit, Aerilate)
:Latios: Latios (Adaptability, Tinted Lens, Magic Guard, Dragon's Maw)
:Toxapex: Toxapex (Prankster, Volt Absorb, Regenerator)
:Zarude: Zarude (Grassy Surge, Tough Claws, Adaptability)

B Rank
B+
:Moltres: Moltres (Magic Guard, Desolate Land)
:Primarina: Primarina (Primordial Sea, Triage)
:Salamence: Salamence (Aerilate, Magic Guard)
:Skarmory: Skarmory (Dauntless Shield, Wandering Spirit, Delta Stream, Mold Breaker, Flash Fire, Intimidate, Magic Bounce, Volt Absorb, Water Absorb)
:Swampert: Swampert (Regenerator)
:Tapu Bulu: Tapu Bulu (Triage, Magic Bounce)
:Togekiss: Togekiss (Triage)
:Volcanion: Volcanion (Magic Guard, Desolate Land, Primordial Sea, Swift Swim)
:Volcarona: Volcarona (Desolate Land, Magic Guard, Sheer Force)

B
:Chandelure: Chandelure (Sheer Force, Desolate Land, Magic Guard)
:doublade: Doublade (Regenerator)
:Entei: Entei (Desolate Land, Magic Guard, Refrigerate, Galvanize, Pixilate)
:Latias: Latias (Magic Bounce, Regenerator, Magic Guard)
:Lucario: Lucario (Magic Guard, Tough Claws, Adaptability, Sheer Force, Refrigerate, Galvanize)
:Mamoswine: Mamoswine (Adaptability, Water Absorb, Sheer Force)
:Nidoqueen: Nidoqueen (Regenerator, Dry Skin)
:Nihilego: Nihilego (Regenerator, Unburden)
:Slowbro: Slowbro (Magic Bounce, Dauntless Shield, Regenerator)
:Vaporeon: Vaporeon (Regenerator, Corrosion)

B-
:Charizard: Charizard (Unburden)
:Darmanitan-Galar: Darmanitan-Galar (Unburden, Zen Mode, Magic Guard)
:Heracross: Heracross (Tinted Lens)
:Hippowdon: Hippowdon (Dauntless Shield, Magic Bounce, Wandering Spirit, Intimidate, Water Absorb)
:Hydreigon: Hydreigon (Dragon's Maw, Galvanize, Mega Launcher)
:Mienshao: Mienshao (Tinted Lens)
:Moltres-Galar: Moltres-Galar (Primordial Sea)
:Silvally-Dragon: Silvally-Dragon (Regenerator)
:Slowking-Galar: Slowking-Galar (Dauntless Shield, Lightning Rod)
:suicune: Suicune (Regenerator)
:Thundurus: Thundurus (Magic Guard)
:Xurkitree: Xurkitree (Surge Surfer, Electric Surge, Magic Guard)

C Rank
C+

:Alakazam: Alakazam (Psychic Surge, No Guard, Tinted Lens)
:Bisharp: Bisharp (Adaptability)
:Celesteela: Celesteela (Steely Spirit, Flash Fire)
:Cobalion: Cobalion (Regenerator, Magic Guard)
:Golisopod: Golisopod (Tinted Lens, Regenerator, Triage)
:Palossand: Palossand (Magic Bounce, Water Absorb, Dauntless Shield)
:raikou: Raikoiu (Electric Surge)
:Regieleki: Regieleki (Refrigerate, Magic Bounce, Electric Surge)
:Stakataka: Stakataka (Steelworker, Tinted Lens, Levitate, Regenerator)
:Zamazenta-Crowned: Zamazenta-Crowned (Dauntless Shield)

C
:Blastoise: Blastoise (Regenerator)
:Celebi: Celebi (Magic Bounce, Triage)
:Diancie: Diancie (Regenerator, Triage)
:Hatterene: Hatterene (Triage)
:Incineroar: Incineroar (Regenerator)
:Marowak-Alola: Marowak-Alola (Adaptability, Magic Guard)
:Necrozma: Necrozma (Unburden, Magic Bounce)
:Polteageist: Polteageist (Queenly Majesty)

C-
:Arcanine: Arcanine (Magic Guard)
:Heliolisk: Heliolisk (Lightning Rod)
:Milotic: Milotic (Regenerator, Dauntless Shield, Prankster, Corrosion)
:Pangoro: Pangoro (Triage, Technician)
:Porygon2: Porygon-2 (Dauntless Shield, Magic Bounce, Regenerator, Sticky Hold)
:Scizor: Scizor (Flash Fire, Regenerator)
why is eleki so low?
 

UT

I chose this cyclone with you
is a Site Content Manageris a Top Team Rateris a Battle Simulator Administratoris a Top Social Media Contributoris a Member of Senior Staffis a Community Contributoris a Smogon Discord Contributoris a Top Contributoris a Top Smogon Media Contributoris a Dedicated Tournament Hostis a Tiering Contributor Alumnus
Appeals + C&C Lead
why is eleki so low?
Hey, thanks for asking! A big part of Regieleki's problem is it already has a really good ability in Transistor, so it gives up a lot of power by taking another ability. If you say, take Refrigerate to be able to hit Ground-types, you're now much easier to wall with bulky neutral walls like RegenVest Jirachi.

Speaking of RegenVest, special walls are a lot more varied in general since they can run Regenerator and Assault Vest to still have great longevity and increased bulk. It's hard for Regieleki to keep up with the defensive power increase, especially without Transistor.

AAA also has a ton of priority with Grassy Glide, Triage, and even occasionally -ate Speed, all of which make Regieleki's Speed tier less valuable.

I hope that makes sense, feel free to ask other questions about placement!
 
9D639E53-D3A4-46F2-B35B-EA81BFB7DB14.gif

Today, I'll be talking about Bewear and how I believe that it should be Nominated to C rank on the Viability Rankings.

Swords Dance (Bewear) @ Life Orb
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Double-Edge
- Drain Punch
- Darkest Lariat

A +2 Tough Claws Life Orb Bewear is an absolutely destructive force that is incredibly hard to stop defensively, as its flawless coverage helps it break down walls, such as Toxapex. Speaking of Toxapex, I'll give some calcs that shows how Bewear smacks some of the best walls in the tier.

Vs :toxapex:

+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Tough Claws Bewear Double-Edge vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Toxapex: 376-445 (123.6 - 146.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO

At Neutral, it does enough damage to outdamage Recover, meaning it beats Pex one on one. You also barely take recoil due to Pex's Low HP Stat.

Vs Intimidate :corviknight:

+1 252+ Atk Life Orb Tough Claws Bewear Drain Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Corviknight: 231-274 (57.7 - 68.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

Alternatively, if running Close Combat, it's a guarantee OHKO after Stealth Rock or Slight Chip.

+1 252+ Atk Life Orb Tough Claws Bewear Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Corviknight: 368-434 (92 - 108.5%) -- 50% chance to OHKO

Vs :jirachi:

+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Tough Claws Bewear Double-Edge vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Jirachi: 352-416 (87.1 - 102.9%) -- 18.8% chance to OHKO

Look me in the eyes and tell me this is okay. Darkest Lariat does a minimum of 166 percent, with Drain Punch doing 110 minimum.

Vs :mandibuzz:

252+ Atk Life Orb Tough Claws Bewear Double-Edge vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Mandibuzz: 247-292 (58.3 - 69%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

You completely obliterate non-Unaware variants. That's why I'm calcing without boosts, and we can see that Mandibuzz isn't a good switch-in at all, due to Bewear being faster than Min Speed Mandibuzz.

Vs Dshield :slowbro: and Dshield :mew:

+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Tough Claws Bewear Darkest Lariat vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Slowbro: 455-536 (115.4 - 136%) -- guaranteed OHKO

Thanks to Darkest Lariat's side-effect of bypassing enemy stat changes, Bewear easily rips through Slowbro. The same goes for Mew.

+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Tough Claws Bewear Darkest Lariat vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mew: 484-569 (119.8 - 140.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO

Vs Eviolite :doublade:

This is one of the very few mons that Bewear cannot OHKO...reliably at least. It's a roll.

+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Tough Claws Bewear Darkest Lariat vs. 252 HP / 16+ Def Eviolite Doublade: 283-335 (87.8 - 104%) -- 25% chance to OHKO

Vs Dshield :hippowdon:

Due to Dauntless Shield, Bewear doesn't OHKO Hippo. However, it's not only very close to OHKOing Hippo, but can also Drain Punch it for some recovery if it is needed.

+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Tough Claws Bewear Double-Edge vs. +1 252 HP / 252+ Def Hippowdon: 302-356 (71.9 - 84.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

Triage (Bewear) @ Leftovers
Ability: Triage
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Bulk Up
- Facade
- Drain Punch
- Darkest Lariat

The other set, Triage, doesn't have the Raw Power as Swords Dance, but it can become a great late-game win condition due to Drain Punch's priority. Facade is used over Double-Edge, which gives Bewear a spammable STAB even when Burnt.

The Downsides

Some of Bewear's downsides, hold it back on the other hand. Raw Power isn't everything, and Bewear is very slow to make up for this raw power. It's bulk is also not that great and has a typing that's weak to common attacks. *ahem* :zapdos-galar:

It's also not very good vs offensive teams. However, getting it in on a Pokemon that can't really hurt it can potentially put another Pokemon out of commission.

Bewear's biggest selling point is that it easily crushes defensive cores. No wall bar Eviolite :doublade: and Dshield :hippowdon: can take its hits reliably. And those two can't even respond back because they're being outsped.

For all these reasons, I believe Bewear deserves to be ranked on the AAA VR at least at a C tier, possibly higher.
 
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UT

I chose this cyclone with you
is a Site Content Manageris a Top Team Rateris a Battle Simulator Administratoris a Top Social Media Contributoris a Member of Senior Staffis a Community Contributoris a Smogon Discord Contributoris a Top Contributoris a Top Smogon Media Contributoris a Dedicated Tournament Hostis a Tiering Contributor Alumnus
Appeals + C&C Lead
Hello friends, quick update.

The VR, Setpedia, and Role Compendium have all been updated to remove references to Magic Bounce and Unburden. If you see any others, please let us know.

No ranking updates were done today, other than slapping Kommo-o in A- more as a placeholder than anything else. Once the ladder is updated and we start seeing games, please feel free to give us VR noms about how you think the meta has shifted.

Thanks!
 
you know what, it's about time I nom some of the mons that got me to number 1 in the tier

they aren't exactly secret knowledge but I feel they deserve a spot on the rankings and quite high as well, I might even have to write out an entry on them for the strategy dex anyways

runerigus.gif

runerigus regen to A, regenerator fixes all the problems runerigus had, one of the only mons in the entire tier that counters terrakion, and gives you free hazards vs it, will o wisp t spikes great typing, bulk matches skarmory, powerful earthquake, this thing is a menace and almost all teams aren't prepared for it, a brick wall of runes

umbreon.gif

umbreon unaware to A, maybe more of a niche choice for offensive teams but with unaware and its massive statpool and typing umbreon is hell for the entire tier of boosters, I've outstalled life orb drain punches from kommo o, it laughs at non lorb sets, the stored power sweepers are walled, all of them, it's much harder to find a booster that beats umbreon than it is to find the sea of them it beats

cofagrigus.gif

honorable mention cofagrigus with regen B
I haven't used cofagrigus in the tier yet but with my success using runerigus I have a strong feeling that cofagrigus is one of the best unused pivots in the tier, it has a huge boon over runerigus with knock off and a 95 special attack hex

zapdos.gif

one thing I think should be added for zapdos is water absorb in the viability rankings, maybe no guard as well but I've never used it

walls skuda, golis, and any other water spam you're unfortunate enough to face, slows down swampert without toxic, checks galar zap, after knock off walls it, everyone always thinks offense first but defensively nothing else can really do what zap does
 
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It really surprises me to see the lack of Haxorus appreciation! I think any team with weather or electric terrain should ALWAYS consider throwing him on with his speed doubled. He just comes out and smeshes everything, even has poison jab for fairies and close combat for steel. I been toying with sash and swords dance, or you can always just band him for instant nuclear level damage! Aqua tail is a great option for 4th move if you are swift swim, in my testing I’ve done so far I think he fits best on a rain team or an electric terrain team with surge surfer.
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—watch out for pesky corvanight and skarmory as they can still potentially wall you pretty hard! You can also consider earthquake for toxapex as I am right now :blobthinking: Lmao the most success I’ve had with him is on my electric surge team, that also has Desolate land Heatran and another surge surfer in Xurketree to cover all 3 of those annoying mons :totodiLUL:
 
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runerigus regen to A, regenerator fixes all the problems runerigus had, one of the only mons in the entire tier that counters terrakion, and gives you free hazards vs it, will o wisp t spikes great typing, bulk matches skarmory, powerful earthquake, this thing is a menace and almost all teams aren't prepared for it, a brick wall of runes
Interesting, I had a team where Runerigus fit perfectly, and I was trying a weird prankster set and trying to trick iron balls onto opposing flying types but it was gimmicky and really was only good against like or something Zapdos if you could trick on it coming in lol. Might have to try a regenerator set and revise that team now, seems pretty nice
 
Interesting, I had a team where Runerigus fit perfectly, and I was trying a weird prankster set and trying to trick iron balls onto opposing flying types but it was gimmicky and really was only good against like or something Zapdos if you could trick on it coming in lol. Might have to try a regenerator set and revise that team now, seems pretty nice
I faced at least 1 person on aaa ladder using a prankster suicide hazard lead but I feel it has so much more to offer than that, think what toxapex did in ou, can take a hit from pretty much anything that isn't abusing weather as long as it's a physical attack, you sit infront of swampert from full, you sit in front of corvik and chansey and don't really care, the opportunities are really endless for it, if you want to burn things will o wisp is much better than scald fishing, I just took 55% from a +2 garchomp, this guy has to be running a weird set but the point is you can really take almost anything and then wisp or tspike
 
:raikou: C+ to B - raikou has some really great traits that set it apart from the other electrics. it has calm mind, scald, and is really fast and strong. with that being said, its very frail and needs quite a bit of careful positioning to work. if you can manage, though, it's definitely a great choice for a sizable amount of teams
:entei: B to B+ - ever since i discovered sub lefties entei, i've been in love. sacred fire spreads extremely consistent burns, fire/fairy or fire/rock are really hard to switch into for a lot of mons, and sub can ease prediction against some really annoying pseas like zapdos or inteleon. even if it faces pretty stiff competition from cinderace and heatran, i still think its well worth moving up a tier. also unbold mg and bold pixi because my god pixi is so good
:zarude: A- to A - genesect's ban is a gigantic win for zarude. no need to worry about regenscarf u-turning and killing you, you can just click buttons and watch things drop! it does so much now. if you can remove a corv, what actually stops cb zarude from just clicking moves and winning? not much. therefore, i think its A material
:corviknight: A to A+/S - one of the best glues in the tier, hands down. there's a reason that on almost every single balance team you commonly see, there's a corv right at the center. whether you're running ff for an extremely consistent heatran counter, intimidate to answer 90% of the physical attackers in the tier, va for those pesky electrics, or even more niche options like water absorb or wandering spirit, corviknight will work 100% of the time.
:zapdos: / :zapdos-galar: A to A+ - turns out that the best wallbreaker in the tier and the best (special) electric in the tier are pretty good. you already know how good both of these are, do i even need to explain? cb tc gapdos kills quite literally everything not named doublade, and zapdos has barely any losing mus, and the ones that it does lose are beatable with parafusion
 
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Grim_Blazer

Banned deucer.
I cant believe quick feet hydreigon hasn't been put on the VR yet, gonna go ahead and nominate that set as an option for hydreigon, nasty plot means it's still super strong, roost means it still has longevity, fire blast lets it hit steels, and it is finally able to outspeed things now with quick feet.
Hydreigon @ Flame Orb
Ability: Quick Feet
EVs: 184 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 68 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast
- Dark Pulse
- Roost
- Nasty Plot
this is the set I've been running but I can't remember where I got the ev's from so that may be able to be optimized lol

One other set I feel should be added to the VR is an unaware suicune set, I've been trying to make it work since I started playing aaa and I think that it has a pretty nice niche in the tier, it's probably worse than regen cune on most teams but it still has a niche as a stall wincon with pretty good bulk.
Suicune @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Scald
- Calm Mind

Jolteon also seems pretty good too, I havent used it a lot but it feels like it's just as good as, if not better than fridge eleki since it actually has a good special normal move and doesnt have to run mixed so it can invest fully into special attacks. It may not be able to use rapid spin, but it can toxic its checks like blissy or chansey.
Jolteon @ Life Orb
Ability: Refrigerate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hyper Voice
- Thunderbolt
- Toxic
- Volt Switch
 

Glitchwood High

formerly Err0r Mobutt
AlleyCat and CodenameCAT's posts inspired me to take a look at the (solid) VR myself, especially since genesect being banned warrants some kind of meta-shift, right? For reference's sake, this is the image (taken from SS UU VR) that I'll be using as a basis for the tiers and what they represent, and Im 99% sure other tiers use this as well:
(also shoutout to CAT for running the two legendary dogs like crazy on ladder and then asking for a nom. i see you :mad:)

:entei: B to C+/C/C-. This may seem like a rather harsh drop (I'm aiming for C but you could justify a lower rating) but I thoroughly believe that the fire dog sucks quite a bit, for a few reasons:
(TL;DR chandelure and alakazam deserve more respect)
  • It has insanely stiff competition with each and every Cinderace set. That mon is faster, has a much better moveset, has much more power (especially with banded tinted lens), is far more unpredictable, has far more flexibility, has u-turn, et cetera. Entei is quite a bit bulkier, but most Cindy sets have either boots or magic guard, which can ironically make Cindy better in the long game. Being an almost objectively inferior version of an A- Pokemon is already grounds for B-, but then there's:
  • Heatran! Another premier fire-type. Admittedly Heatran doesn't overlap nearly as much as Cinderace does with Genesect, but it's still not great that Heatran is better nine out of ten times as well (and the tenth time was the primsea gensect teams, which no longer exist). While it admittedly has a poor speed tier, it makes up for it with vastly increased defensive use, far more utility, loads more power, magic guard, etc. This means that Entei is almost always worst than some of the best Pokemon in the metagame. Being so much worse is definitely grounds for 'restrictions preventing consistent usage', but there's more!
  • In terms of priority, Zarude and Barraskewda (aside from being twice as good) are far stronger and more consistent than any pixilate/galvanize that Entei could run, and that priority is virtually it's only niche.
    • Do note that I think Entei ever being in B is odd to begin with since it's always been severely outclassed and has no ladder nor tour usage to support otherwise.
  • Genesect being banned makes Entei even worse, as a chipped-down Genesect was one of the main targets for it's galvanize set, and it had some use as a mon that threatened gene out and could switch into scarfturn (even though heatran did this job six times as good lmao). But now it doesn't even have that.
    • It Alternatively, Genesect was the most annoying Pokemon Zarude had to deal with, which makes zarude even better priority, which makes Entei even worse to use.
  • Even if you put other Pokemon aside (which you shouldn't for a VR), Entei is pretty bad. It's leftovers set significantly lacks breaking power and is extremely easy to switch into (all the FF steels, toxapex, DS Mew, Tapu Fini, Swampert, specially defensive Swampert,). Every single balance team can hard-check/counter Entei without giving it any thought because otherwise they'd lose hard versus heatran/cinderace.
  • Obviously, "this Pokemon is better, UR" isn't how things are supposed to be tiered; every Pokemon in S is better than the ones in A+, but those A+ mons are still that good. My problem comes from the fact that Entei is worse in every single way than extremely common, great Pokemon and can't even stand on it's own that much. Even when you go to the very bottom rungs of the tierlist, you still find Pokemon with genuinely unique attributes (Porygon has trick room, Polteageist can be funny due to it's priority immunity, Blastoise can be a bad spinner) but all of those Pokemon still suck and are in C or lower, and Entei has less of a reason to exist than them.
:talonflame: A to A-/B+. Not a bad Pokemon by any means, but not nearly so centralizing and strong that it starts hanging out with galarian zapdos and tapu fini, geez. From my experience it is at best worst than every Pokemon in A. As far as wallbreakers go, it's a definitely fast pivot with good recovery but doesn't seem...that great? 'A solid, but not as defining place in the tier' fits the bird well.

:Blissey: A- to A. Heavy-duty boots is a godsend. Hazard-stack teams are everywhere nowadays and the lack of the extra bulk doesn't ruin it so much that it goes a whole tier under Chansey.

:Barraskewda: A- to A.
What it lacks in any bulk whatsoever it makes up for with unbelievable offensive power. It has enough base speed to outspeed literally everything bar regieleki, allowing it to perform miracles like revenge-killing talonflame and tapu koko. When backed up with a slow pivot (or good prediction), primsea is fantastic for annoying the life out of the fire-type pokemon crawling through the tier, especially since water immunities are very rare and generally bad. It OHKOs every single offensive Pokemon in the tier bar very few, and 2hkos most of the walls they'd switch out too, or clicks close combat to kill the (few) liqqidation switch-ins, or click flip turn to pivot on those. Then on top of that it has Aqua Jet, which can be fantastic insurance against H.O. vagabonds like Volcarona (and most of everything else, because nothing likes rain boosted stab aqua jet). Though it dislikes desoland pokemon, is quite predictable and is prone to chip, it's gigantic power and extremely helpful niches more than make up for it.

:Zarude: A- to A seems fair given the reasons that Codename C.A.T provided. Great mon all around.

:Hydreigon: getting a rank seems quite fair given that Blastoise of all things does. From the few games I've played against it the surprise factor is pretty strong but once you start expecting it, it falls off a bit. Dpulse/FireBlast seems awful because you have terrakion of all things comfortably switching in and you don't want that.

I'm not gonna extend a hand to :Jolteon: though. Toxic does shit-all to chansey because they have regenerator, soft-boiled and teleport to just laugh at that. Eleki has the benefit of outspeeding barra, koko and even the occasional scarfer. It also has great choices for utility, as explosion to deal huge damage/keep momentum, rapid spin to keep hazards off, espeed and screens to be bad tapu koko. Jolteon has literally none of these in exchange for not beating the blobs and getting chipped down horribly quickly. Not enough of a niche for C-, imo.

:Alakazam: C+ to B. This mon is severely underrated. After one nasty plot boost it's strong enough to shit on the pink blobs with either EForce or SFLO Focus Blast. That in combination with a decent moveset, fantastic speed and priority immunity makes it easily better than every Pokemon in C+ and B- and arguably most of the Pokemon in B.

:Swampert: B+ to A-. Swampert is a really consistent pivot that can run either a great regenvest set or a great physdef helmet set. Good pivot, great bulk, neat versatility and above all else, excellent consistency. Swampert will always be useful in a game.
 
mew can drop to an A
I don't understand the fascination with dauntless, it doesn't wall anything it needs to wall if hazards are up and you have any chip, no I don't think mew can switch into banded adaptability mons, even with dauntless, mew is more of a surprisingly good dragon dancer, cosmic power sweeper, or a hazard stacker/disrupter with trick

tapu koko can go to A, specs sets, is that a thing, are all walled by regen chansey, facade sets are walled by ferrothorn and heatran which are on every team, 1 dimensional

heatran can drop to an A, any competent builder has something that makes heatran irrelevant, heatran's main role as a stall breaker is dubious at best now

corviknight can go to A+ or S; kind of self explanatory, but since I don't want this to be a one liner, I guess having corviknight be your volcarona counter and heatran with mold breaker counter helps to explain it, in addition to everything it already does

ferrothrorn can go to S, I know I said runerigus is the best hazard setter in the tier in my previous posts but ferrothorn is probably the best wall in the tier everything considered, being immune to all status barring paras and freeze is useful, knocks off items, everyone thinks they can switch into ferrothorn freely, I have no idea why that is, everyone thinks they can just spam fire moves on it, once again free turns, everyone also thinks it's dead when it's below 40 percent, that's why I have rest my guy, gg no re my guy

I agree with many of my fellow commenters on general metashifts

free jolteon, C

hopefully this isn't a one liner
 
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UT

I chose this cyclone with you
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Appeals + C&C Lead
Hello friends, exciting news!

We have updated the Viability Rankings, and moreso, the links now go directly to the Pokemon's SmogDex page, where they now have analyses and/or sample sets! We plan to use the SmogDex for sample sets going forward, as they are much easier to maintain and any badgeholder can suggest updates and/or new sample sets directly! This should dramatically streamline the process of keeping up to date sample sets and better integrates our resources going forward.

How everyone voted, if you want to yell at us, can be found here.

If you see a sample set you think can be improved, or is missing, feel free to make the change directly if you're a badgeholder or ask here if not!
 
Time for some noms, which I don't even know if anyone cares at this point:
First, I'd like to propose C- rank, as some mons in C right now are clearly not on the same level as others.
Additions:
Magnezone C- This Pokemon is a combination of small niches. It can be a terrain/weather setter with Teleport/Volt Switch, but a Levitate or Refrigerate set can also catch teams off guard.
Arctozolt C- This is the toughest Pokemon to deal with in Trick Room due to its insane dual STAB and options like Low Kick for Ferro. Beyond that, it's also a decent Surge Surfer users with BoltBeam and even Low Kick for Ferro if needed considering Volt Absorb dropped in usage.
Dracozolt C Ok hear me out, RegenVest Dracozolt is THE TRUTH. It actually checks a fair share number of special mons like Zapdos and Inteleon, in addition to some physical mons like Talonflame. Mixed Adapt has merits as well for a pure walbreaker. Surge Surfer is also a thing I guess.
Celesteela C- What it has over the 2 Steel birds is its offensive presence, with wide coverage on both physical and special side. It can't cover for everything though, but between Flash Fire/ Regen and more offensive abilities like Sheer Force, it can really put in work. Leech Seed can also help it make progress, though inconsistent if your opponent has Magic Guard Chansey.
Venusaur B/B- I have found Regen Venusaur to actually be pretty good and easy to just slap on teams. A switch-in to SFLO Lele, Koko, Bulu and Barraskewda, an acceptable midground against Terrakion, Adapt Zydog and TC Zarude, Venusaur also discourages its supposed answers like Heatran from switching in with Knock Off and Earth Power, on top of its ability to spread poison with Sludge Bomb.
Crobat C- Inconsistent due to low damage and no setup like Talonflame, but it can really make progresses while being a decent form of Speed control. Its unique typing is also good defensively, so I can see this a good alternative to Talonflame, especially if you plan to run Mono Brave Bird.
Metagross C I like Metagross in conjunction with Azelf. Tinted Lens wallbreaks much better than Alakazam. While its Speed is a letdown, it has no actual switch-in unlike Alakazam who can't do much against Jirachi or blob while still getting outsped by Koko and the likes. The defensive utility is a bonus as well. After experimenting with other abilities Tough Claws, I'd say it's a fearsome wallbreaker in general.
Umbreon C It's a more passive Mandibuzz, but pure Dark can be better since Mandibuzz tends to switch into Knock Off often, and it also has mo. No U-turn, Defog and having to resort to WishTect for reliable recovery are big downsides that lower its viability, but Heal Bell and ability to Wishpass somewhat make up for it.
Bewear C Somebody already nommed this for C but I want to back them up and agree Bewear can be hard to deal with. The main sets worth highlighting are Triage and Tough Claws. What differentiates it from being a random Fighting-type is the fact that it has STAB Facade, which means it can use burn to its advantage against the like of Scarf Mew that forces Terrakion out for example. Its natural bulk is also nice to compensate for its poor Speed. It's definitely better in practice than on paper.
Pangoro C- Choice Band Technician is really hard to bear if I'm being honest. Storm Throw dunks on Intimidate/Dauntless, Beat Up covers Mew and Ghost, Gunk Shot is a bit short on KOing Fini but still heavily damages it and might even come with a poison to guarantee it can spam its STAB on its next switch-ins provided that it hits. It's still slow and needs some buildaround for Beat Up to pack a punch, though not too much. Triage should be decent enough still I'd think considering its good overall matchup and ability to damage switch-ins like Azelf.
Snorlax C It seems inferior to blobs, but having actual offensive presence helps it maintain some pressure, especially since being slow does prevent opposing offensive foes from coming in freely. Between spreading paralysis with Body Slam or poison with Gunk Shot and potentially leveraging its position with Power Up Punch, it has enough tools to prevent double Regen or Intimidate to endlessly pivoting. Seed Bomb or Heat Crash can also nail Swampert and Ferrothorn.
Tyrantrum C- A very niche wallbreaker that's pretty similar to Terrakion with their strong Rock-type STAB, however Magic Guard Tyrantrum, in exchange for being slower and worse offensive dual typing, is more resilient against chip damage and has a stronger Rock STAB, allowing to spam it more often without fearing immunities like Terra. It also has some defensive utility to force out mons like Talonflame and non-Weather Ball Zapdos and if opting for Dragon Dance LO, can even take advantage of Corviknight while still surviving attacks like Grassy Glide from Zarude.
Lanturn C Lanturn does a lot of things Dracozolt does but also has Volt Switch. In this regard, it also competes with Swampert. Both have access to a blockable pivot, though they all can limit them somewhat, with Swampert having a Ground STAB move and potentially Stone Edge for DesoLand users while Lanturn threatens most Ground with Scald and Ice Beam. Lanturn is kinda a midground between Dracozolt and Swampert, it's harder to get cheesed by Hurricane confusion, can spread Para with Discharge and check stuffs like Mence and Talonflame better, in exchange for matchups against Ground-types and inability to block Volt Switch.
Avalugg C/C- Ice-type is obviously what holds it back the most, but its physical bulk is enough to offset some of it. Dauntless Shield is the most common ability to augment its bulk but Refrigerate can be a cool option to have an unblockable Spin. Flash Fire, Scrappy and Magic Guard are other niche options but they all have their merits.
Glastrier C+ Glastrier is severely underexplored and underrated. We have seen others yield successful results with it, with Isaiah having an interesting Sticky Hold application on stall for a reliable late game wincon that also prevents Trick from disrupting defensive backbone. Then we had DeepFriedMagikarp with Water Absorb that is a massive pain thanks to its natural bulk letting it Sub almost effortlessly against passive walls. Personally I also had successes with Regen as well. It can eat some hits you really don't expect like DesoTran's Magma Storm or Zarude's CC all while preventing pivot from easily getting breakers in due to its low Speed.
Vikavolt C+ Imo the best Web setter if you don't go full HO, in which case Ribombee is preferred. However, I find Web to be very hard to keep on the field if your Web mon just dies, especially when you have to commit to slower teammates to make full use of it. Flash Fire Corviknight can easily clear Rock against Azelf and other Fire mons that you use to control Barraskewda, and Flying/Boots mon can really screw the Speed tiers, especially if you face Defog Zapdos or Talonflame (Granted, they are rare, but they do exist). As such, Vikavolt's bulk and its natural offense even without investment can set Web pretty consistently even if it does get cleared. Its Electric typing also means it threatens most common Defoggers, unlike Ribombee which just has to sack itself against Corvi or Moltres to guarantee it. Besides that, it can hold loose ends to check Zarude, Talonflame and other mons depending on ability, as well as slow pivot.

Changes:
Terrakion A -> A- Gapdos is favored for a wallbreaker now thanks to Brave Bird's higher damage and Stone Miss being unreliable.
Barraskewda A -> A+ This thing can be slapped on just about anything related to offense and balance as Speed control and to check stuffs like Volcarona that 6-0s more teams than it should. Despite its basically nonexistent bulk, it can still switch into Fire types like Heatran so never deadweight in any matchup.
Talonflame A -> A- Sorry UT, but this thing has consistently failed to OHKO stuffs it should, like it can't even OHKO Vikavolt with Flare Blitz. With Koko and Skewda being more common, on top of the fact it barely outdamages Swampert and Chomper's Regen makes this really bad at forcing progress against anything other than Toxapex, which can still outlast it if it has Knock Off.
Mandibuzz A -> A- I think everyone can agree towards the end of gen 8 how detrimental Mandibuzz's Rock weakness can be, especially in situations it has to take Knock Off or Trick/Switcheroo. It's a great mon still, but it's tricky to clear hazards with it sometimes.
Cinderace A- -> A Cinderace has been a pillar for offense teams after Super Fang got traction. It means Fire immunities like Corviknight and Zapdos can be kept low when coupled with Taunt. And its other moves like Court Change, U-turn still provide immense value for offense, notably the former to discourage hazards just with its existence.
Landorus-T A- -> A RegenVest Landorus-T only became more and more popular, and for a good reason. It has all the utility attacks in the world, and its typing + special bulk is just enough to fill that RegenVest role well. Offensive lead is a thing that's kind of overlooked as well, since no Bounce means getting Rock + 1 for 1 becomes that much easier.
Moltres B+ -> B Being immune to Water/Ground is nice with DesoLand until you realize Swampert can pack a Rock move or Toxic. Volt Absorb SpDef has some value in dealing with Koko and SF Lele but it still loses to Pixi Koko with Taunt and also relies on Boots, meaning it can't even stay in against full health Ferrothorn.
Chandelure B -> B+ Chandelure feels pretty easy to slap on offense, though it struggles compared to Cinderace primarily due to its Speed. However, hardwalling Barra as it switches in is neat, as is its capability to dunk on blobs with SubCM. Ghost also gives it a Fighting immunity and all the defensive value so worthy of a rise.
Moltres-G B -> B-/C+ The only thing this is good for is fishing for hax with flinch/confusion but otherwise taking 2 turns to set up and still having meh damage is too painful. It does have defensive role on offense but other than that it's not worth trying to make it work.
Togekiss B -> B-/C+ Tapu Lele is better than Togekiss most of the time, especially with Psyshock to damage blobs, the better defensive utility isn't really enough.
Volcanion B -> B+ Mixed Volcanion is such a self sufficient breaker that I think warrants a rise. It is immune to passive chip damage while also not easy to deal with via Regen scouting. It can also spread status and has respectable defensive utility. Desolate Land can also tech Heat Crash for blobs which is pretty neat.
Volcarona B -> B+ I swear this just 6-0s so often that it warrants a rise. It also provides a switch-in to SF Lele with small investment and Barra if DesoLand.
Doublade B- -> B Having a switch-in to Gapdos and Terrakion alongside some other Pokemon depending on EVs makes this pretty flexible, to me at least. It also deals respectable damage, especially with Swords Dance, enough to not just let foes cycle Regen while discouraging foes like Zarude from just getting in due to its coverage. Again, being slow is great to just prevent opposing pivot from going to their breaker.
Entei B- -> C+ This just doesn't feel good to use or stick on a team. DesoLand feels worse than Cinderace without U-turn to get out of PSea and is weaker although it comes with high burn chance. Ate is just meh and only decent if it's paired with another Fire with DesoLand.
Cobalion, Conkeldurr, Darmanitan-G, Diancie, Milotic, Pikachu, Porygon2, Raikou, Zamazenta-C, Stakataka C -> C- These should not be in the same tier as others in C. Cobalion is just bad, weak, and hard to fit without Weavile. Conkeldurr, Porygon2 and Stakataka are hurt by Magic Bounce ban nerfing Trick Room, and Conkeldurr is not even better at Triage than Pangoro or Bulu. Darm-G is a pure mu fish, and not even a good one. Diancie is really hard to justify taking a Regen slot when many mons it's supposed to check like Zapdos and Heatran can get around it. Milotic's higher SpD is not enough to justify over Blastoise who has Spin and EQ to punish DesoLand. Pikachu, like, who even uses it? Absolutely 0 defensive utility. Raikou has Scald, sure, but you'd rather use Xurkitree which already has tools to get past Garchomp and Swampert while Raikou just doesn't even do much to Swampert, much less blobs. Zamazenta-C in theory is ok, but really it turns into Rest bot way too often.
Will edit in replays later, too many old accounts and games to post them all now.
 

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