GSC In-Game Tier List Mark V

Alakazam doesn't exactly have "bad matchups", unless you count losing against very specific Pokemon "bad matchups". Anyways, from a run I did a long time ago, Alakazam truly loses only to Karen's Umbreon and Houndoom (maybe Archer's Houndoom too, though never confirmed it, since Team Rocket isn't considered relevant here), so something that can take care of them will be needed. Some examples are Ursaring and Machamp. Alakazam also won't necessarily sweep Will or Lance without healing (it should still take out a majority of their Pokemon in that case, though), so you can prepare something to finish the job or death fodders for safe healing.
I meant things Umbreon and Snorlax, forgot Houndoom. But Machamp is a good idea especially if I get the traded one, cheers.
 
Apologies for the delay, it gets tiresome to test so many mons so I need to get in the right mood for it. I'm currently at the E4 on one and en route in the other (prolly should've just finished the one I was closest to but it's too late now) but I decided to give my impressions anyway, considering I doubt my rankings will change in the end. Really the biggest discussion was around the Normal-types since the rest is pretty much set—although there is an argument to be made regarding how much investment Starmie needs to work.

I used Cyndaquil on the Crystal run and Chikorita on the Gold run, I won't share them since they're already set.

Clair (level 38): Both Strength and Return 2HKO the Dragonair and 3HKO Kingdra, Return does a little more but can put the latter in Hyper Potion range so it's a gamble. The Nair can para and do 34/130 with their elemental moves and Kingdra 2HKOs with Surf, luckily it likes to spam Smokescreen instead. With a ParalyzeCureBerry you can beat either the three Dragonair or one + Kingdra. Good matchup with some luck involved.

Victory Road Rival (level 39 - 40): Pink Bow Strength 2HKOs Sneasel, meanwhile Return OHKOs. It also 2HKOs Golbat, 3HKOs Magneton and Feraligatr and OHKOs Kadabra. Dig OHKOs Magneton on rolls and almost OHKOs Haunter which can Curse but likes to Mean Look. Worst that can happen is that you get confused, otherwise you should get a sweep just fine. CurlOut 2HKOs Sneasel, OHKOs Golbat and the fourth hit OHKOs Magneton (!) After beating Haunter you can OHKO Kadabra and 3HKO Gatr. Great matchup, Furret outspeeds everything.

Will (level 41): Pink Bow Return 2HKOs both Xatu, OHKOs Jynx, and 3HKOs Exeggutor and Slowbro (4HKOs if it Curses). The first Xatu 3HKOs but puts you in KO range from all other Psychics, and if you happen to live the second Xatu's it has Quick Attack. Spell Tag Shadow Ball is a little stronger, you can possibly 2HKO Exeggutor if it doesn't Reflect but Slowbro is still 3HKOed. CurlOut 2HKOs Xatu and then OHKOs Jynx, Exeggutor, and Slowbro. With a Bitter Berry you can get up to four KOs, solid matchup.

Koga (level 41 - 42): Pink Bow Return 2HKOs Ariados and Venomoth (if you have it, Swift guarantees the second hit after Double-Team). Fire Punch 2HKOs Forretress. Return then 2HKOs Muk on a roll, 3HKOs if it Acid Armors and 2HKOs Crobat which Double-Teams and Toxics. Very good matchup, you have a good chance to beat everything but Forretress by spamming Return and can sweep with Fire Punch. Biggest thing to worry about is Toxic. Only Crobat outspeeds.

Bruno (level 41 - 42): Pink Bow Return 2HKOs Top and Chan and is a roll to OHKO Lee. Dig does 23/140 and Mach Punch does 48/143 after leveling up so you can live all those hits, however Defense Curl helps take less damage (and your own Dig allows you to avoid Top's). If Lee survives a hit Hi Jump Kick will KO after some damage as it does 116/143. Machamp is 3HKOed (barely not 2HKOed) but with healing it becomes a 5HKO, meanwhile Cross Chop kills if it hits. Onix dies to Surf but takes little from anything else and you can't use Dig. Good matchup, can get up to four KOs with Defense Curl and Surf. Furret outspeeds everything.

Karen (level 42): Umbreon is 3HKOed by Pink Bow Return so it can Confuse Ray and Sand Attack, doing 35 damage with Faint Attack. Vileplume is 2HKOed and paras. Gengar is a roll for a 2HKO with Dig, it's also apparently a speedtie (I was at 103 Speed). Murkrow has a chance to live a Return and can finish you off with Faint Attack + Curse + Quick Attack so it's best to avoid one of the two. Houndoom is outsped and 2HKOed but does 106/143 with Flamethrower so any prior damage can put you in range. DynamicPunch almost 2HKOs Umbreon, and leaves Houndoom in red, you win if they hit themselves. Shadow Ball reliably 2HKOs Gengar. CurlOut 2HKOs Gar and then OHKOs Murkrow and Houndoom, however between Curse and D-Bond you're unlikely to sweep. You're better off just beating Krow and Doom. You're unlikely to get more than two KOs and Krow's Faint Attack will put you in range of Flamethrower if you don't OHKO. Not a great matchup, only Gengar can outspeed.

Lance (level 42 - 43): Pink Bow Return is a roll to 2HKO Gyarados as it sets up rain, if it lives rain-boosted Suf does 86/143. Dragonite is 3HKOed and can para or do 85 damage with Hyper Beam. The level 50 one almost OHKOs with Outrage, doing 105 damage. It likes to start with Safeguard tho so you can possibly beat it one-on-one. Avoid Aerodactyl, even rain-boosted Surf doesn't 2HKO. Charizard is then 2HKOed and finishes you off with Flamethrower, doing 106/143. Both ThunderPunch and NeverMeltIce Ice Punch fail to 2HKO Gyarados and Dragonite respectively so no point in using them. With CurlOut you 2HKO Gyarados, then OHKO both level 47 Dragonite and barely live a Hyper Beam from Aero at +1 after taking a rain-boosted Surf (you end up at 14/147 after leveling up). Charizard comes out and kills you afterwards. While not realistically a sweep since you take so much damage getting four KOs without healing is definitely remarkable. Without CurlOut you're only gonna be KOing either Gyara + the level 50 Nite or Gyara + Zard, in both cases dependant on getting the roll on Gyara. Only Aero outspeeds.


Clair (level 38):
As Gloom: Poison Barb Sludge Bomb 2HKOs the Dragonair which are faster and can para. The Ice Beam one does 52/111, 2HKO after the slightest damage. Kingdra is 3HKOed and does 55 damage with Hyper Beam but it likes to Smokescreen so it's possible to beat it if you put it to sleep and don't miss. Moonlight is helpful to heal the damage. Not super reliable but it can beat two Dragonair or Kingdra one on one.
As Vileplume: You're still slower and 2HKO the Dragonair but now the Ice Beam one only does 45/122 so you can potentially beat all three with sleep, especially if you have Moonlight. Kingdra is 3HKOed and does around 50 damage with Hyper Beam, put it to sleep so you can beat it more comfortably. Good matchup since with a ParalyzeCureBerry you can beat the three Nair or one + Kingdra.

Victory Road Rival (level 40 - 41):
As Gloom: Poison Barb Sludge Bomb 2HKOs Sneasel, 4HKOs Golbat and Haunter (2HKO after Curse), OHKOs Kadabra, and 3HKOs Feraligatr. Avoid Magneton since you can't touch it and likely Golbat and Haunter as well because you're bound to get weakened. Best to put Gatr to sleep so you don't take too much damage since Future Sight actually hurts, Moonlight helps. I tried SunnyBeam: with a MiracleSeed you can OHKO Sneasel, 2HKO Magneton and OHKO Feraligatr, cool. Avoid Haunter and Golbat as usual. Average matchup, you're slow and a lot of stuff resists you.
As Vileplume: Sneasel is now OHKOed and Golbat is 3HKOed so you can attempt to beat it with Sleep Powder. Magneton and Haunter are still too much. Gatr is close to a 2HKO, guaranteed with poison. With SunnyBeam you can 2HKO Magneton and Haunter (OHKO after Curse) and OHKO Feraligatr. I lived with 1 HP after Curse, Future Sight, and Gatr's Slash lol. Slightly above average matchup.

Will (level 41):
As Gloom: Xatu nº 1 barely doesn't kill, every other Psychic OHKOs. Poison Barb Sludge Bomb 2HKOs Exeggutor, you outspeed so you can put it to sleep first. Sludge Bomb barely doesn't 3HKO Slowbro so your best bet is to use SunnyBeam (or just Beam since it's still two turns) for the OHKO--guaranteed with MiracleSeed. At level 42 you still don't 3HKO but you can actually live Slowbro's Psychic. Petal Dance is unfortunately too far away to be reasonable, unlike Weepinbell's Razor Leaf. Bad matchup as expected, you'll need Sleep Powder to beat the two slower mons.
As Vileplume: Plume can live any Psychic from full but two KO, however if the first Xatu doesn't attack then Jynx is less likely to Psychic as well. Sludge Bomb 2HKO Xatu, is a roll on Jynx (depends on if you're holding Poison Barb or Bitter Berry) and leaves Exeggutor in red, meaning you'll still need to put it to sleep. Sludge Bomb then 3HKOs Slowbro. SolarBeam OHKOs Bro. Vileplume will struggle to get more than two KOs since it needs Sleep Powder to beat Eggy + Slowbro, however three is reasonable if you avoid the Xatu and don't get Psychic'd by Jynx.

Koga (level 41):
As Gloom: Lol no. Strongest move is Pink Bow Return which 3HKOs Ariados and 2HKOs Venomoth, the latter which outspeeds and 2HKOs with Psychic.
As Vileplume: Return still 2HKOs Ariados and Venomoth, now you can live two Psychics from full but you should still put it to sleep. Muk is outsped and 3HKOed so you have good chances to beat it as well. Slightly less bad but still awful matchup.

Bruno (level 41 - 42):
As Gloom: Poison Barb Sludge Bomb barely doesn't 2HKO Top but does 2HKO the other Hitmons. Machamp can live three hits and heal. SolarBeam is a roll to 2HKO the Hitmons so you can use it against Top as it goes underground. Absorb doesn't OHKO Onix, lmao. Gloom is slower than everything so it'll need to keep putting mons to sleep to defeat them. Dig does 23/122, Fire Punch does 33, Hi Jump Kick does 28, Cross Chop does 48/124 after leveling up and Earthquake from Onix does 34. It's very unlikely to get more than two KOs, however if you're at full health against Lee it tends to Swagger so you can take advantage of it with a Bitter Berry to OHKO it and 2HKO Machamp, barely living two Rock Slides. Moonlight helps as long as it's nighttime. You need to be careful of flinches, tho.
As Vileplume: Plume only outspeeds Machamp and 3HKOs with Sludge Bomb, Top also gets 2HKOed but outside of that the rolls are the same. Absorb now OHKOs Onix. Dig does 20/133, Fire Punch does 29, Hi Jump Kick does 25, Cross Chop does 37/136 after leveling up and Onix does 27. The Machamp matchup is significantly better since you can't get flinched but two hits will still proc healing so you need to put it to sleep. Again, you'll struggle to get even three KOs but you can take advantage of Lee with a Bitter Berry to get the Swagger boost and OHKO it and 2HKO Machamp with little risk. If you happen to have Moonlight there's a chance to sweep, just beware of Fire Punch burns. Good matchup overall, reliably beating Champ and possibly two more is fine.

Karen (level 42):
As Gloom: Umbreon is faster and can Sand-Attack or do 29/124 with Faint Attack, Poison Barb Sludge Bomb is a 4HKO. Houndoom is a no. Murkrow is 2HKOed and its Faint Attack does 39 damage. Vileplume can't touch you and you 3HKO. Gengar is lol, even SolarBeam is a 4HKO. Bad matchup, you can only take out Murkrow and Plume and you only outspeed the latter.
As Vileplume: Plume outspeeds and Poison Barb Sludge Bomb is a roll to 3HKO Umbreon which confuses or Sand-Attacks, you're better off putting it to sleep. Houndoom OHKOs with Flamethrower. The enemy Vileplume is 3HKOed by Sludge Bomb but can para you so again you should try to sleep it. Avoid Gengar as well, SolarBeam barely doesn't 3HKO but even with MiracleSeed and sun you need luck to win due to Curse and Destiny Bond. Murkrow is 2HKOed and does 34/136 with Faint Attack. Plume can get three KOs but it's annoying to get past both Umbreon and Vileplume so I think it's better to beat Umbreon + Murkrow. Average matchup, you only outspeed the lead and Plume.

Lance (level 42):
As Gloom: Lol. Poison Barb Sludge Bomb 3HKOs Gyarados which almost 2HKOs with rain-boosted Surf and Hyper Beam so you're forced to put it to sleep. Blizzard Dragonite OHKOs. Thunder Nite puts you in red with Hyper Beam and you only 4HKO back. Aero 2HKOs with Wing Attack and you need SunnyBeam to have a shot so no. Level 50 Nite and Charizard both OHKO with their Fire-type moves. Realistically you're only beating Gyara so horrid matchup.
As Vileplume: Sludge Bomb still 3HKOs Gyarados which does 62/136 with Hyper Beam. Blizzard Dragonite comes in and finishes you off, it does 115 from full. Thunder Nite does 77 damage with Hyper Beam so if you took a hit from Gyara you'll be dead. It's apparently a roll to 3HKO back. Level 50 Nite 2HKOs with Outrage, Aero 2HKOs with Aerial Ace and Charizard almost OHKOs with Flamethrower. Even after evolution you're still unlikely to beat more than one mon.


Clair (level 37 - 38): After getting the Amulet Coin I made sure to use it on every single fight because otherwise I didn't think I'd get enough money since I was like 30k short, after beating all trainers in the gym I was at 120k. Barely enough to buy a second GC TM without resorting to sell items.
As Staryu: NeverMeltIce Icy Wind doesn't even 2HKO lol. So pointless. Blizzard OHKOs them without a boosting item most of the time so with a ParalyzeCureBerry as insurance you can potentially beat all three. Kingdra seems to live three hits and does 64/82 with Hyper Beam. It does spam Smokescreen tho so you can try your luck with ThunderDance but you're bound to lose to Surf. Still passable matchup because if you don't miss more than once you can defeat the three Nair.
As Starmie: Blizzard and Thunder now 3HKO Kingdra, however Surf 3HKOs back in rain so it's tricky to use it. If you could fit both and Recover you can attempt to outlast it. I'd say you're more likely to win than lose but two hits can put Kingdra in Hyper Potion range which screws over your plan so it's a delicate balance. Solid matchup anyway even if a sweep relies on hitting a lot.

Victory Road Rival (level 39 - 40):
As Staryu: MysticWater Surf 2HKOs Sneasel, Magneton, Golbat, Haunter, and Kadabra. With Raind Dance you OHKO Sneasel, Magneton, Haunter and Kadabra with Surf and 2HKO Golbat and Feraligatr with Thunder. The biggest threat is Haunter Cursing when you have to reset rain, you're probably better off doing it against Kadabra. Future Sight + Slash hurts so be careful. Good matchup, Staryu outspeeds everything.
As Starmie: MysticWater Surf now OHKOs Sneasel on rolls, Magneton, Haunter, and Kadabra and 2HKOs Golbat as Bite does 27/108 (Thunder OHKOs). Gatr lives a Thunder in red. Excellent matchup, kinda feels a bit too much.

Will (level 41):
As Staryu: Surf 2HKOs Xatu which 2HKOs back with Psychic. Even the level 40 one can survive a Thunder. Jynx is only 3HKOed and almost OHKOs back. Thunder 2HKOs Slowbro but if you try to set up rain it can Amnesia and turn it into a 3HKO. Best you can do is set up rain before but it can be very risky since everything does so much damage. Exeggutor lives a Blizzard and almost OHKOs but if you're at full it likes to Leech Seed or Reflect. Bad matchup, it'll struggle to get more than one KO.
As Starmie: Surf still 2HKOs Xatu but Psychic only does 21/114 and 2HKOs Jynx, worst that can happen is getting put to sleep. Rain-boosted Surf OHKOs both Xatu but Jynx can live in red. Blizzard and Thunder OHKO the Xatu, Blizzard OHKOs Exeggutor and Thunder leaves Slowbro in red for Surf to finish it off. Great matchup, can get three KOs without a GC TM or sweep with both.

Koga (level 41):
As Staryu: MysticWater Surf 2HKOs Ariados, Venomoth, and Forretress and 3HKOs Muk and Crobat, these two 2HKO back with Sludge Bomb and Wing Attack respectively if they attack. Rain Dance doesn't change any roll except it now has a slim chance to 2HKO Muk. Thunder is a 2HKO on Crobat but can proc healing so you prolly want to Surf first. Good matchup since you can possibly beat four mons but a sweep is very rough.
As Starmie: MysticWater Surf still only 2HKOs the first three and 3HKOs Muk but Crobat is now 2HKOed, and more importantly it's outsped (!) (My Speed stat was 121). Rain-boosted Surf OHKOs Ariados, Venomoth, and Forretress and 2HKOs Muk and Thunder leaves Crobat in red. Very good matchup, especially since you are more free to run PoisonCureBerry to not get annoyed by Toxic and now Muk's Sludge Bomb and Crobat's Wing Attack only do 45/115 and 28/115 respectively.

Bruno (level 41 - 42):
As Staryu: MysticWater Surf 3HKOs the Hitmons and Machamp (if it doesn't proc healing) and OHKOs Onix. If you set up rain while Top is underground you can 2HKO both it and Chan. Staryu barely lives Dig + ThunderPunch + Mach Punch but Lee and Champ are too strong--Cross Chop is an OHKO from full. Average matchup, will only KO the three weakest mons. Staryu outspeeds everything.
As Starmie: MysticWater Surf now 2HKOs the Hitmon but still 3HKOs Machamp, however the Fighting resistance means you can possibly sweep. Dig does 18/115, ThunderPunch does 27, Hi Jump Kick does 21 and Cross Chop does 34/118 after leveling up so even without using Recover you can technically live a hit from each, however since you'll need three hits on Machamp you're gonna have to heal. Rain-boosted Surf 2HKOs Champ but puts it in healing range so it's a 3HKO, the issue is that if you have to set it up against Lee you'll risk taking two Hi Jump Kicks and being put into Cross Chop range so you'll likely need to heal. Excellent matchup since a full sweep is very likely, taking so little damage from Cross Chop is a real pleasure.

Karen (level 41 - 42):
As Staryu: MysticWater Surf 4HKOs Umbreon which Sand-Attacks or confuses and does 29 damage with Faint Attack. In rain it's a 3HKO so it's the same. Vileplume lives a Blizzard in low yellow and OHKOs back with Petal Dance. Gengar is only 3HKOed by Surf which means it can Curse and Destiny Bond. Murkrow and Houndoom are both 2HKOed, however since you outspeed you can set up rain and OHKO both, Murkrow only does arond 40 damage. It's also possible to set up against Gengar, however that's riskier since it's faster and can D-Bond. Not a good matchup since it's a gamble to beat more than two mons, that said beating Doom one-on-one is nice. Only Gar outspeeds.
As Starmie: MysticWater Surf 3HKOs Umbreon which 3HKOs back with Faint Attack, doing around 49/118 damage. Surf then OHKOs Murkrow and Houndoom on rolls and 2HKOs Gengar. Vileplume can live a Blizzard and para doing 74 with Petal Dance. If Murkrow lives it can do 69 (nice) with Faint Attack and Doom OHKOs with Crunch, so you should try to set up rain to KO them reliably. Not an amazing matchup but if you set up rain on Gar you get three KOs guaranteed at full health (and they're barely not KOs without rain), just stay away from Umbreon and Plume. Starmie outspeeds everything.

Lance (level 42 - 43):
As Staryu: Thunder is a roll to OHKO Gyarados and you barely live a Hyper Beam from full. Blizzard OHKOs both level 47 Dragonite on rolls but the level 50 one survives in red and OHKOs. Aerodactyl lives a Surf and 2HKOs with Rock Slide + Hyper Beam (HB alone does 75/93), you need to have rain up to have a shot. Charizard is outsped and 2HKOed, doing 67 damage with Hyper Beam. Even getting more than one KO is hard since you need Magnet to ensure the OHKO on Gyara and NeverMeltIce for the Dragonite (and the level 50 one can still live), not to mention that the 30% miss chance is looming. If you're lucky you can set up rain against Gyara as it Flails and OHKO it while living Aero's Hyper Beam but that's a big ask so you're better off going against Charizard as you can live a Surf outside of rain + its Hyper Beam. If you're feeling ballsy you can attempt to beat the Dragonite but you're gonna struggle. Only Aero is faster.
As Starmie: Thunder OHKOs Gyarados, Blizzard OHKOs all Dragonite and MysticWater Surf OHKOs both Aero and Charizard at level 43. Whether you win or lose depends on if you connect all three Blizzards or not since the Thunder Nite does 99/118 and Gyarados's Hyper Beam does 56/118 and Dragonite's does 67, meaning that you can't take both hits. No real point in trying Icy Wind since it's just too weak. Still at worst you're gonna get three KOs without Blizzard and that's more than good. Starmie outspeeds everything.


Clair (level 37 - 38): NeverMeltIce Aurora Beam leaves the Dragonair in red and 4HKOs Kingdra. Ice Beam on the other hand OHKOs them and 3HKOs Kingdra which does around 32/126 with DragonBreath or 49 with Hyper Beam, you can use Headbutt or Aurora Beam to avoid procing the Hyper Potion. Excellent matchup as long as you don't miss too much.

Victory Road Rival (level 39 - 40): Surf 2HKOs Sneasel, Magneton, Haunter, and Kadabra and Ice Beam OHKOs Golbat. Gatr seems like a 4HKO but it does too much so it's best to avoid (obviously you do better against the other starters). Magneton can para you and Haunter can Curse so you'll likely only beat four. Good matchup, only Sneasel outspeeds.

Will (level 41): Dewgong outspeeds Xatu nº 1 and Exeggutor and OHKOs with Ice Beam. Jynx is only 3HKOed and 3HKOs back while outspeeding. Xatu nº 2 is faster but only 4HKOs as you OHKO so you only need to worry about confusion. Slowbro is too much. Good matchup with 3 out of 5 KOs.

Koga (level 41 - 42): Surf and Ice Beam 2HKO Ariados and Venomoth, the latter needs a boosting item to be guaranteed and can be annoying with Supersonic or Toxic. Surf 2HKOs Forretress. Muk appears to be a 3HKO, however Minimize is likely to screw you over. Sludge Bomb does 50/141, a 3HKO back. Crobat lives even a NeverMeltIce Ice Beam in red and Double-Teams, your best strat is to weaken it without procing Full Restore so that you don't waste too much PP. Very good matchup, a sweep is unlikely but you should be able to get up to four KOs. Only Crobat outspeeds.

Bruno (level 42): NeverMeltIce Ice Beam barely doesn't 2HKO the Hitmons so Top will be able to use Dig twice putting you at 101/139. Lee's Hi Jump Kick will OHKO afterwards. Chan's Mach Punch does 41 damage and since it can live two hits it'll also finish you off. Machamp is a 3HKO but splits you in half with Cross Chop. Onix is obviously OHKOed. Awful matchup, will only get two KOs. Dewgong outspeeds everything.

Karen (level 42): NeverMeltIce Ice Beam 4HKOs Umbreon which confuses and Sand-Attacks. Vileplume lives in red and can paralyze doing a lot with Petal Dance (75/139 so a 2HKO), a Berry helps. Gengar is a roll to 2HKO as it Curses, if it lives a hit then Destiny Bond will take you out. Murkrow is OHKOed and does 30/139 with Faint Attack whereas Houndoom lives a Surf and its Flamethrower does 63 damage meaning it'll beat you after some chip. If you can set up rain then Crunch does 57/139 and Surf OHKOs back, pretty sweet. It's hard to do but with a ParalyzeCureBerry and Rain Dance you can beat Vileplume and then Murkrow + Houndoom as you live two Faint Attacks + Crunch. Average matchup, Dewgong only outspeeds Umbreon and Plume.

Lance (level 42 - 43): NMI Ice Beam barely doesn't 3HKO Gyarados which Surfs or does a lot with Hyper Beam. Ice Beam OHKOs all Dragonite and it outspeeds the level 47 ones (!!), I checked my Speed stat and it's 83 which is pretty high for base 70, for reference my Victreebel in another game only got to 76. At level 43 you also OHKO Aero with Ice Beam while living a Rock Slide in yellow. The level 50 Nite does less than half with Outrage so you can take one extra hit, unfortunately Charizard lives a Surf and does 57/142 with Flamethrower so it'll finish you off unless rain is up or the Nite used Safeguard. Pretty good matchup as you can KO all three Dragonite without healing, obviously if you're slower the Thunder one will put you in range of Outrage. Ice Beam is required because Aurora Beam fails to OHKO even the level 47 ones.


Clair (level 38): Pink Bow Hyper Fang 2HKOs Dragonair which paralyze and do 25/99 with their elemental moves (Hyper Fang + Quick Attack is a 2HKO). Kingdra is 3HKOed and 2HKOs back with Surf, although it likes to spam Smokescreen which gives you a chance. Return appears to be slightly stronger although the rolls are the same, however you can now use Return + Quick Attack + Return to avoid the heal. Raticate can attempt to beat either the three Dragonair or one Dragonair + Kingdra with a ParalyzeCureBerry. It outspeeds everything.

Victory Road Rival (level 39 - 40): Pink Bow Return OHKOs Sneasel and Kadabra, 2HKOs Golbat and Typhlosion and 3HKOs Magneton. Dig OHKOs Mag on a roll and leaves Haunter in red. Soft Sand ensures the OHKOs but means Sneasel might survive a Return. Realistically Golbat is the only threat to you due to confusion, otherwise you can beat everything else. Excellent matchup. Raticate outspeeds everything.

Will (level 41): Pink Bow Return 2HKOs both Xatu, OHKOs Jynx, 3HKOs Slowbro (Super Fang helps in case it Curses twice) and 2HKOs Exeggutor. Psychic 2HKOs back. Spell Tag Shadow Ball is stronger but doesn't change any range. With a Bitter Berry it can KO both Xatu, Jynx, and even Exeggutor if it doesn't Reflect since the AI likes to not attack you when you're at full health. Slowbro is a no after Leech Seed. Solid matchup, Raticate outspeeds everything.

Koga (level 41 - 42): Pink Bow Return 2HKOs Ariados and Venomoth, the former Double-Teams and the latter Supersonics or Psychics for a 34/107. Forretress is only 6HKOed, Super Fang helps but it's still gonna boom on you. Muk is 2HKOed and can Minimize or Acid Armor, turning it into a 3HKO. Crobat is also 2HKOed and Double-Teams, if it procs healing it becomes a 3HKO. Muk's Sludge Bomb does 59 damage and Crobat's wing Attack does 41 so you can barely live both hits. It's obviously an RNG-heavy matchup but Raticate can get up to four KOs so it's pretty solid. Only the bat outspeeds.

Bruno (level 41 - 42): Pink Bow Return 2HKOs Hitmontop, if you have Dig you can use it to beat it unscathed. Hitmonlee is a roll to OHKO and OHKOs back with Hi Jump Kick. Hitmonchan is 2HKOed and does 54/109 with Mach Punch, a virtual 2HKO. Quick Attack can help you win more reliably. Machamp is 3HKOed but OHKOs with Cross Chop. Avoid Onix, it can KO you with Earthquake while underground and the best move against it is Super Fang. Not a good matchup even if you can technically beat all three Hitmon as long as you have Quick Attack and get the roll against Lee. Raticate outspeeds everything.

Karen (level 42): Pink Bow Return 3HKOs Umbreon and 2HKOs Vileplume. Dig barely doesn't 2HKO Gengar, Shadow Ball does the trick. Umbreon Sand-Attacks and confuses and does 26/109 with Faint Attack. Vileplume paras and 2HKOs with Petal Dance. Gengar can Curse or lower your PP with Spite. Murkrow can barely live Pink Bow Return and does 35 damage with Faint Attack. Houndoom is 2HKOed but does 73 damage so you might not be able to KO both Murkrow and it. While with the correct moveset (Bitter Berry/ParalyzeCureBerry for Umbreon/Plume and Shadow Ball for Gar) you can get up to four KOs you're generally gonna struggle to get more than two--especially when taking Curse into account. Rough matchup even tho Raticate outspeeds everything. Super Fang is fine for Umby but not really needed.

Lance (level 42 - 43): Pink Bow Return is a good roll to 2HKO Gyarados which sets up rain and does 70/109 with Surf. The Dragonite are 3HKOed and almost OHKO back with Hyper Beam doing about 102, I tried but they wouldn't use T-Wave so you can only beat one (and can Super Fang another mon before falling). The level 50 one OHKOs for sure so no Safeguard either. Aero is a no. Charizard is 2HKOed and 2HKOs back with Flamethrower. As long as you get the roll on Gyara you can 2HKO it and one of the level 47 Dnite and gnaw half of the level 50 one or just two-shot Gyara and Zard, not a great matchup. Only Aero outspeeds.


Clair (level 38): Poison Barb Sludge Bomb 2HKOs all Dragonair which paralyze, the Tbolt one 2HKOs back. Kingdra is 3HKOed and almost 2HKOs with DragonBreath. Poison can help turn it into a 2HKO. You can either beat the two Dragonair that lack Tbolt or one Nair + Kingdra with a ParalyzeCureBerry although it's a bit iffy since without PB you'll struggle more against the ace. Qwilfish outspeeds everything.

Victory Road Rival (level 39 - 40): Poison Barb Sludge Bomb OHKOs Sneasel and Kadabra. Surf 2HKOs Magneton, Haunter, and Typhlosion and 3HKOs Golbat. Mag paralyzes and Golbat confuses so you're unlikely to beat more than five. You can't really use Rollout because you 2HKO Sneasel and then Mag comes in and stops you in your tracks. Good matchup, Qwilfish outspeeds everything.

Will (level 41): Poison Barb Sludge Bomb 2HKOs both Xatu, OHKOs Jynx, leaves Exeggutor in red and 3HKOs Slowbro. Any Psychic OHKOs back so you're only beating Jynx, sadly. Bad matchup even though Qwilfish outspeeds everything.

Koga (level 41 - 42): MysticWater Surf barely 2HKOs Ariados and 3HKOs Venomoth while Return 2HKOs Ariados and Venomoth, the former Double-Teams or Giga Drains and the latter 2HKOs with Psychic so avoid it. Surf 3HKOs Forretress, it either Swifts for 22 damage or booms to OHKO. Muk is 5HKOed by Surf and 3HKOed by Return before Acid Armor, however you should still win since it doesn't threaten you with Sludge Bomb doing 23/119. Crobat is also 3HKOed and can proc healing, between Double-Team and Wing Attack doing 33 damage it's prolly gonna win. Not a great matchup, will at most beat Ariados, Forretress and Muk. Only Crobat is faster.

Bruno (level 41 - 42): Poison Barb Sludge Bomb 2HKOs the Hitmon and 3HKOs Machamp (with poison it's close to a 2HKO). Surf OHKOs Onix. Top's Dig does 38/119, Chan's ThunderPunch does 48 damage, Lee's Hi Jump Kick does 25 and Machamp's Rock Slide does 39/122. With Harden/Defense Curl you can take little from physical hits but you still won't be able to sweep, your best bet is to avoid Hitmonchan and setting up again against Lee. At +1 Dig does 28, HJK does 15 and Rock Slide does 28/122 so you can live two. With a Bitter Berry you can avoid getting screwed over by Swagger and in turn easily 2HKO Machamp. Great matchup even if it won't be sweeping. Qwilfish outspeeds everything.

Karen (level 42): Poison Barb Sludge Bomb 3HKOs Umbreon and is a roll to 2HKO Vileplume. Gengar is only 4HKOed by Surf and can Curse and Destiny Bond. Murkrow is 2HKOed by Sludge Bomb and does 44/122 with Faint Attack and Houndoom outspeeds and does 82 damage with Crunch while only being 2HKOed, meaning that even if you'd OHKOed Murkrow you still wouldn't beat it. Considering Girafarig and Golduck, who are also base 85 Speed, were faster than Doom it might've had a shot without the bad DVs. I tried at level 43 (96 Speed, same as the other two) and Qwil can then outspeed and 2HKO while living a hit. Sadly, Murkrow still lives and puts you in range of Crunch. I tried CurlOut and Qwil can live two Faint Attacks without being in range of Quick Attack if at full health so it can 2HKO Krow and the third hit will beat Houndoom. Setting up on Gengar is not really feasible between Lick para and Destiny Bond. You're unlikely to get more than two KOs, it's up to you if you prefer to beat Umbreon or Houndoom. Rough matchup. Gengar and Doom outspeed, depending on DVs.

Lance (level 42 - 43): Poison Barb Sludge Bomb almost 2HKOs Gyarados which Hyper Beams for about half. The Dragonite are 3HKOed and finish you off. Both Aero and Charizard die to two Surfs, you can barely live a Hyper Beam from each but if they use another move you'll lose. If you try CurlOut against Gyarados you 2HKO after taking 42/122 from Hyper Beam and then OHKO the three Dragonite. Since Charizard outspeeds if it comes out you might lose as it 2HKOs with Flamethrower, however against Aero you can try to re-setup to 2HKO it and then at level 44 you'll be faster than Zard. Excellent matchup with CurlOut, even if you can't sweep getting up to five KOs is great. Without it it's more meh as you struggle to KO both Aero and Zard as a regular Water-type would. Qwilfish outspeeds Gyarados and the three Dnite.


Clair (level 37 - 38): The three Dragonair are 2HKOed by Strength and paralyze, doing 30/119 with their elemental moves. Kingdra is 3HKOed but 2HKOs back with Surf, you need it to Smokescreen first to have a chance. Strength + Confusion + Strength means you don't proc the Hyper Potion. Good matchup, you can either beat the three Dragonair or one + Kingdra if you're lucky holding a ParalyzeCureBerry. Girafarig outspeeds everything.

Victory Road Rival (level 39 - 40): Pink Bow Strength 2HKOs Sneasel, Golbat, and Typhlosion, 3HKOs Magneton and OHKOs Kadabra. Confusion OHKOs Haunter. Golbat can hurt with Bite doing 36/126 and Magneton can para. Return is slightly stronger but the rolls appear to be the same, however it has higher odds to 2HKO Typhlosion without Pink Bow. Earthquake OHKOs Magneton. Golbat and the magnet are annoying but you should be able to defeat four to five mons easily. Girafarig outspeeds everything.

Will (level 41): Pink Bow Return 2HKOs both Xatu, OHKOs Jynx, 3HKOs Exeggutor and 3HKOs Slowbro (4HKOs if it Curses twice). Even Exeggutor's Psychic only does 36/128 so Girafarig can take three Psychics from full, meaning you should get four KOs guaranteed with a Bitter Berry. Leech Seed or Reflect from Eggy will mean a sweep is cut short, unfortunately. Shadow Ball turns Exeggutor into a 2HKO although Reflect will turn it again into a 3HKO. Great matchup, Girafarig outspeeds everything.

Koga (level 41 - 42): Both Pink Bow Return and Psybeam 2HKO Ariados and Venomoth, the former Double-Teams while the latter can confuse or Toxic. Forretress is too bulky, even Earthquake only 5HKOs. Muk can barely live two Returns and Psybeams and Minimize, doing 51/132 with Sludge Bomb. Crobat is 3HKOed by Return but 2HKOed by Psybeam, 3HKOed if it procs healing. It'll Double-Team and do 39 damage with Wing Attack so you should beat it, you can even Agility to outspeed it. Earthquake guarantees the 2HKO on Muk even after Acid Armor. While beating both Muk and Crobat requires a bit of luck Girafarig should get four KOs most of the time, pretty solid fight especially with a PoisonCureBerry. Only the bat is faster.

Bruno (level 42): Both Return and Psybeam 2HKO the Hitmon, Psybeam also two-shots Onix and is a roll to 2HKO Machamp. Top's Dig does 21/132, Chan's Mach Punch does 25, Champ's Cross Chop does 89 and Lee's Hi Jump Kick does 54 damage so you can barely take on all three Hitmon. Earthquake KOs Top underground and 2HKOs Onix, however I'd advise you to avoid the rock snake because Sandstorm will weaken you too much. You definitely won't get more than three KOs but if you don't fight Chan and go directly against Lee you can take advantage of Swagger with a Bitter Berry so that you can defeat it and Machamp. There's also the chance that you survive Double Kick + Cross Chop from full but you need EQ so that Hitmontop didn't hurt you. Average matchup as you'll only KO three mons at most. Girafarig outspeeds everything.

Karen (level 42): Pink Bow Return 3HKOs Umbreon which confuses or Sand-Attacks and does 59/132 with Faint Attack. Murkrow lives a Return and its Faint Attack does 85 damage, better avoid these two. Vileplume is 2HKOed by Psychic and paralyzes or does 44 damage with Petal Dance. Houndoom lives a hit and OHKOs with Crunch. Gengar outspeeds and Curses before dying to Psybeam. Earthquake leaves Houndoom in red, not worth to run it. Not a great matchup, it'll generally beat Vileplume and Gengar and barely Murkrow with a ParalyzeCureBerry. Only Gar outspeeds.

Lance (level 42 - 43): Pink Bow Return fails to 2HKO Gyarados which does 78/132 with rain-boosted Surf. The level 47 Dragonite are 3HKOed (without Pink Bow it's a roll) and can para and do 87 damage with Hyper Beam. Avoid Aerodactyl as it's only 4HKOed by Psybeam and does 71 damage with Hyper Beam so a 2HKO. After leveling up Charizard is outsped and 2HKOed and does 80-90 with Flamethrower. Note that at level 42 Return isn't quite strong enough and Charizard can speed tie (Girafarig sits at 96 Speed). The level 50 Dragonite is a roll for the 3HKO and 2HKOs back with both Outrage and Hyper Beam, doing about 100 damage. There's a chance you win if it Safeguards and you get the rolls. Unfortunately it's very hard for Girafarig to get more than one KO since its Return isn't strong enough. Only Aero outspeeds, and Charizard maybe.


Clair (level 38): The Dragonair live even NeverMeltIce Ice punch with a sliver of health and can paralyze back, the Tbolt one does 47/124. Golduck lives two Hyper Beams from Kingdra from full but can barely 4HKO back with Strength, meaning it's very unlikely to win that fight after Hyper Potion. At most it'll beat the three Dragonair with a ParalyzeCureBerry, first not great matchup for the duck.

Victory Road Rival (level 39 - 40): MysticWater Surf 2HKOs Sneasel and Golbat and OHKOs Magneton on rolls, Haunter, Kadabra, and Typhlosion. If you set up rain against Sneasel you outspeed and OHKO everything. Excellent matchup, perfect with RD (obviously it's not as good with another starter).

Will (level 41): Surf and Ice Punch 2HKO both Xatu, Ice Punch 2HKOs Exeggutor and Surf cleanly 2HKOs Jynx. Slowbro is a no. Rain-boosted Surf OHKOs Xatu but Jynx lives. Leech Seed from Eggy will allow Jynx to live two Surfs so rain helps there. Golduck can only live two Psychics from full since the level 40 Xatu does 44/134 and the rest is stronger. Solid matchup, with a Bitter Berry Golduck should be able to get up to four KOs even if three are more likely. Nothing outspeeds it.

Koga (level 41 - 42): MysticWater Surf 2HKOs Ariados, Venomoth, and Forretress and 3HKOs Muk. Ice Punch 2HKOs Crobat. Ariados Double-Teams or Giga Drains, Venomoth confuses or Psychics for 30 damage and Forretress Spikes, with Muk using Minimize or Acid Armor. Sludge Bomb does 54 damage. Crobat Double-Teams or Toxics and does 35/137 with Wing Attack. If you set up Rain Dance the first three are OHKOs and Muk is 2HKOed (Veno and Muk have a low chance of living) so you should be able to sweep more often than not. Solid matchup without RD, excellent with. Only Crobat outspeeds.

Bruno (level 41- 42): MysticWater Surf 2HKOs the Hitmon, 3HKOs Machamp and OHKOs Onix. Dig does 21 damage, ThunderPunch does 29, Hi Jump Kick does 58 and Machamp does 78/137. With rain the Hitmon are still 2HKOed but Machamp now becomes a 2HKO (3HKO if it procs healing). While you can technically live hits from Top, Chan, and Champ you likely won't have rain up for the ace so you're better off just beating the three Hitmon + Onix. Good matchup since you can beat four but Lee and Champ just do too much. Golduck outspeeds everything.

Karen (level 42 - 43): MysticWater Surf is a roll to 3HKO Umbreon which Sand-Attacks and confuses. Ice Punch 2HKOs Vileplume who can paralyze and 2HKO with Petal Dance. Surf 2HKOs Gengar (OHKO after Curse) and is a roll to OHKO Houndoom, Ice Punch cleanly OHKOs Murkrow. In rain Surf is a roll to 2HKO Umbreon, barely doesn't OHKO Gengar and OHKOs Murkrow and Houndoom. Murkrow's Faint Attack does 32/140 and Houndoom's Crunch does 58 so it can live a hit from both as long as it's not Cursed. DynamicPunch barely doesn't 2HKO Umbreon, "guaranteed" if it hits itself. While it can technically beat up to four mons it's more likely only gonna defeat three, generally Vileplume and both Murkrow and Houndoom. Still a pretty good matchup, only Gengar is faster.

Lance (level 42 - 43):
Avoid Gyarados since you can't do enough damage. The Dragonite are all 2HKOed by Ice Punch and they can para and do 94/137 with Hyper Beam while the Thunder one almost OHKOs back, doing 111 damage. I tried to bait the level 50 to Safeguard but it either Hyper Beams if you're weakened or Outrages if at full for the 2HKO, dealing 78/137. Blizzard obviously OHKOs them but have fun hitting. Both Aero and Charizard are 2HKOed by Surf (barely living a hit) or OHKOed in rain, so with a ParalyzeCureBerry you can reliably beat the Blizz Nite and those two. More than that would need freeze luck since Outrage puts you in Aero range. Good matchup overall, only Aerodactyl outspeeds.


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:sentret: Sentret is the closest to A of the Normals, however I'm still leaning toward B. The early part wasn't as rough as I thought since I only needed two trips to heal while fighting Sages, and once it evolved it became pretty solid. Bugsy isn't necessarily a win because you need either Swift or to have set up Defense Curls first but Whitney is excellent, Morty is great with Dig and Pryce is good. Jasmine is sadly not great since Steelix does too much with Iron Tail and Surf only 3HKOs (Chuck is Chuck). The Clair matchup isn't super solid since Kingdra can 2HKO but you still are favored to win. In the E4 it generally struggles to get more than three KOs due to taking so much damage until the Lance matchup where it can beat up to four mons with CurlOut. Its special movepool is nice but due to its low Special Attack it can't do much except for beating Forretress and Onix I haven't tried out Teddiursa in a long while so I can't vouch for its earlygame but the level 30 one was really solid all-around so I don't think I can put Sentret in the same level (although the Lance matchup is definitely really solid). Strong contender for A even if I ultimately go for B.

:oddish: Oddish (Vileplume) is D. To start off I wanna say there's something really weird about using this instead of Bellsprout which comes earlier and doesn't require you to skip all the Fishermen and Hikers to train. Lacking Growth also means it'll struggle more against the rival's Croconaw and will be unable to do anything against Whitney since Absorb is just that weak. Outside of that they perform pretty much the same, with both struggling until they get the Sludge Bomb TM and then doing decently against Chuck, Pryce, and Clair (Jasmine is a damp squib). In the old thread the differences in Speed and Attack would make me consider Vic a tier ahead, but since Vileplume is way better than E (unlike Bellossom) it's fine that they're both D. At least it can still outspeed stuff like Exeggutor, Machamp, or Umbreon to beat them one-on-one, unlike Gloom which is worse in every way. I'm fine with them sharing a rank tho since it can still technically beat Chuck, Clair's Kingdra and possibly Bruno's Machamp. Oh, and while there is an argument to keep Weepinbell unevolved until it learns Razor Leaf at level 42 it isn't the same case with Gloom since Petal Dance comes at level 44 so at most you should hold off on evolution until Moonlight at level 35.

:staryu: Staryu (Starmie) is A but honestly could be B. Getting both the Good Rod and the Water Stone is already a hassle from the get go since you need to keep moving back and forth, but at least the immediate power of its Surfs make up for it. Morty is an excellent matchup, Chuck is good even without Thunder (although you'll need the Rain Dance TM to win more reliably, which again is a backtrack), Pryce definitely needs Thunder to sweep and Jasmine is just clicking Surf three times. Clair is an interesting matchup because you definitely need Blizzard for the Dragonair, however you can potentially beat Kingdra with ThunderDance as you 3HKO and avoid SmokeScreen hax. We know what it does in the E4 and it's excellent generally, being strong against both Will and Bruno due to its Psychic-type and even KOing Houndoom before it KOs you back. Its Lance matchup is also great since even without Blizzard it's still getting three KOs. To top it off, Starmie has the honor of outspeeding even Crobat and Aerodactyl which is something that I only saw Electrode doing. At the end of the day tho, the level of backtrack involved plus the two costly TMs (which I could barely afford in time for their respective times of need) makes me think it has a real case for dropping to B. Other great Water-types such as Lapras or Tentacruel can get by with only one GC TM, investing more than one is a big sink even if the results are amazing. That said, it works just fine without Blizzard since it's only needed for the Dragons, Exeggutor, and Vileplume. Oh, and if we drop Starmie Staryu should definitely fall to D since it's much more reliant on the GC TMs to do work, plus its Chuck, Jasmine, Clair and E4 matchups are all significantly worse due to its paper-thin bulk.

:seel: Seel is D. Surprisingly I didn't have many issues getting it on par with the rest of my team since I could afford to leave the Lighthouse for it (even though you won't always be able to, I'd say in a four-man squad it's a real possibility) so it gained three levels. That's where the positives ended tho because Seel was unable to do much against Chuck and Jasmine was just sad, since Steelix could actually beat you between Screech and Iron Tail and Surf only 5-6HKOing after sun and healing. After getting Ice Beam (fundamental imo, Aurora Beam is too weak) evolving the Clair matchup was nothing short of excellent tho, showing that the little seal doesn't have much to envy from Lapras. The Will and Koga fights are great and it can even do work against Karen. Lance is a special case because my Dewgong managed to outspeed the two level 47 Dragonite which was something I didn't expect since fellow base 70 Speed Victreebel only reached 76 Speed at level 42. That meant it could get easily get three KOs. Although I prolly had really good DVs the fact that that's possible without giving it vitamins means its viability rises a lot, and perhaps Cloyster's too. At the end of the day, the rough time getting to it and the laughably bad performance prior to evolving leads me to believe that even tho it can put in solid work D is a good place for it.

:rattata: Rattata is B. The rat performs very similarly to Sentret all around, having a better start due to being faster and not having to wait so much for Quick Attack but in exchange performing worse against Bugsy. Beating Whitney felt really nice, and Dig + a great Speed stat is always great for Morty. Chuck and Jasmine are bad matchups (you can technically beat Poliwrath if it keeps missing but so that everything else) and Pryce is only a sweep if Pilo misses. You barely don't 2HKO Kingdra with Return and get 2HKOed back, luckily it likes to Smokescreen. The E4 continues that trend, like Furret also struggling to get even three KOs but worse due to lacking special coverage. Karen is especially bad because it can't take hits from both Murkrow and Houndoom. Against Lance it improves a bit due to getting two KOs and a half thanks to Super Fang. The common thread in these fights is that the offenses seem to come short often for the awful defenses, but that doesn't mean Raticate is bad. It can still pull its weight due to outspeeding most enemies, I think for the whole game the only mons faster were Bugsy's Scyther, Koga's Crobat, and Lance's Aerodactyl so it felt very easy to use. Definitely a step below its furry brethren tho.

:qwilfish: Qwilfish is C. It starts a bit weird because even though it has really high Attack and Speed stats its best moves have rather low BP, and being on the Medium-Fast group means it'll need a lot of investment to catch up since it's found at level 5—backtrack required for DST trick. Bugsy isn't great and against Whitney you need Rollout you have a shot. Even when it gets Surf it's not super good, having a Special Attack comparable to Croconaw or Chinchou. That takes a turn once you get Sludge Bomb, which is an actual nuke that can beat Chuck's Poliwrath, Pryce's Dewgong, and even has a chance to 2HKO Clair's Kingdra. Jasmine is definitely bad since the Magnemite OHKO and Steelix can be a 5-6HKO after Hyper Potion. The E4 is a rollercoaster since both Will and Koga are bad but Bruno is very strong similar to fellow Poison-types, and although Karen was mid the fact that it can potentially sweep with CurlOut (sidebar: getting the DCurl TM is a real hassle since it's post Clair only) gave me a very good impression since even Furret failed. I find it funny how in the mid-to-lategame Qwil becomes less and less a Water-type, with Surf only hitting Bruno's Onix and Lance's Aerodactyl harder than its Poison STAB. Still, it does have utility as a Water-type since it's one of the few that learns all three HMs and resisting Kingdra's and Gyarados' Surf.. At the end of the day, its less than great Jasmine combined with its questionable E4 but solid Lance rounds it out at a C-tier. Still pretty fun to use tho. Oh, I should mention that if you don't mind missing out on the Whitney matchup you can catch it at level 20 with a Good Rod.

:girafarig: Girafarig is B, close to A but worse than Furret at the end of the day. It starts off great against Morty but afterwards the Psychic STAB feels more like an afterthought, only being used against the rival's Haunter since Strength does about the same to Chuck's Fighting-types. The neutrality there is definitely nice but Girafarig has surprisingly mediocre bulk considering it's found midgame (70/65/65 is better than Raticate's 55/60/70 specially but worse than Furret's 85/64/55, although the rolls will generally be similar). Additionally its Speed is somewhat of a letdown, though I guess Agility makes up for that. Jasmine is an obvious loss but Pryce's Piloswine and Clair's Kingdra are gambles since they are only 3HKOed while 2HKOing back—Pilo with previous damage. In the E4 the Psychic typing helps tank extra hits from Will and Bruno (plus hitting Poison-types harder than Return) at the cost of doing worse against Karen's Dark-types. The fact that it was caught later than the other two Normals meant that it missed out on a lot of rolls, for example being unable to 2HKO Lance's Gyarados and therefore not defeating more than one mon there. I guess a case could be made for catching it with a Friend Ball but that would mean giving up its excellent Morty matchup so I'm not sure it's a good tradeoff. To summarize Girafarig is a very unique mon which I enjoyed using but I don't think it's quite A-tier level.

:golduck: Golduck is B. From the moment of capture this felt eerily similar to GS Magmar, and not just because both are anthropomorphic ducks: you could immediately teach it Surf, Ice Punch, and Strength and have a fully functional attacker without needing to waste a valuable TM. Golduck had good-to-amazing matchups against Chuck, Jasmine, and Pryce, with focus on its ability to OHKO all three Steel-types. Clair was sadly not as great since Kingdra proved too much for this special-based Feraligatr. Still, its great Special Attack and solid Speed were sure to give it a good performance in the E4, being solid against Will, Koga, and Karen with a not great Bruno (still beating everything but the ace). Lance was a weird one because since Ice Punch didn't KO the Dragonite it meant that it had to choose between beating them and Aero + Zard, but it still could defeat the Blizz Nite and the other two with a ParalyzeCureBerry. I guess it's also worth mentioning that it gets all three water HMs + Strength so you can use it for that if you really dislike the Red Gyarados fsr.

Funnily enough, all four Water-types I used could learn the three water HMs lol. I hadn't noticed before starting the tests but it was helpful because I could save up a slot instead of needing to use the Red Gyarados too.

I realize my test prolly won't be valid because I couldn't finish in time so I apologize again, these past few days I've had a lot on my mind because my phone died and I couldn't focus as much as I thought I could. I had fun either way so there's no waste in sharing, and if you keep the thread open a few more days I'll edit the last fights.

I noticed after I'd finished writing this that you'd actually made some of the changes I talked about here, lol. I agree with dropping both Staryu and Girafarig but I don't think Raticate's lategame is so bad so as to keep it from B, its Speed stat is so good. It's like a reverse Graveler where although its typing sucks it can put in work by virtue of hitting harder faster. Since I didn't finish my run I don't know if I'll still think the same lol
Also I saw that Tentac(rue)l was noticeably absent, I know it was a mon argued between B and C, since Starmie dropped it prolly will too but I'll say that beating Clair's Kingdra and Bruno's whole team with Barrier does give it a shot at staying B. Its Lance matchup isn't as great as I'd like because it's hard to set up to avoid being KOed by Aero (which you want your Water-type to beat) but it can still do work with Blizzard, and obviously outspeeding both Houndoom and Charizard is very good.

Great work you guys!! I wish I could have contributed more but it was a fun time reading all of your tests.

EDIT: As I'd finally finished my run I realized I had way too many characters and there's no point in double posting so I'm just gonna add in the E4 and delete everything else before Clair presuming the rest is known. In any case the noms contain info either way.
 

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