RU National Dex RU

I’m interested in ND RU, but I’d be more inclined to play the tier if there was an actual ladder for it, so I don’t actively have to search for someone to play with me and ultimately wait hours. :/
maybe it’s just me.
Edit: Is a there a discord or something that I don’t know about?
https://discord.gg/VRusfUaW

This is the NatDex RU discord, it can also be discussed in the regular NatDex discord
 
i think viable pick in ru would be mega houndoom in sun but idk
Manual Sun is just not a good playstyle at all and people do have some ways to handle Mega Houndoom offensively and defensively like Zygarde-10%, Diancie, Milotic, etc. Sure it can be a huge breaker alongside Venusaur but longevity becomes even worse than before. Mega Houndoom by itself does better than in Sun and Nasty Plot is enough.
 
Manual Sun is just not a good playstyle at all and people do have some ways to handle Mega Houndoom offensively and defensively like Zygarde-10%, Diancie, Milotic, etc. Sure it can be a huge breaker alongside Venusaur but longevity becomes even worse than before. Mega Houndoom by itself does better than in Sun and Nasty Plot is enough.
Ok so there no setter in ru? (Ninetales exists)
 

Gangsta Spongebob

"Mama I'm a Criminal" - Badass Smoking Caterpillar
is a Site Content Manageris a Forum Moderatoris a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Top Contributor
I’m interested in ND RU, but I’d be more inclined to play the tier if there was an actual ladder for it, so I don’t actively have to search for someone to play with me and ultimately wait hours. :/
maybe it’s just me.
Edit: Is a there a discord or something that I don’t know about?
Along with the goated N_Mareanie providing the link, I'd like to add that there is a #matchmaking channel in the ND RU Discord. You can receive and ping a role that alerts others if you want to play. We also have an upcoming Tournament with sign ups open, so I recommend signing up if you're interested - https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/national-dex-ru-seasonal-tournament-signups.3702323/.
 

Dorron

BLU LOBSTAH
is a Top Social Media Contributoris a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Top Contributoris a Smogon Media Contributoris a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a defending World Cup of Pokemon Champion
New usage stats mean new drops and rises!

In a normal month with rises (which won't happen fortunately):
- :gastrodon-east: :gastrodon: would have risen with | 34 | Gastrodon | 4.83326% | 2085 | 4.729% | 1716 | 4.898% |

And this month with the 2.28% hard drop:
| 101 | Cresselia | 1.20318% | 433 | 0.982% | 337 | 0.962% |
:cresselia: Cresselia is once again allowed in NDRU!
 
Hello everyone! i am here to announce that Mega Aggron is banned from National Dex RU!


:ss/aggron-mega:



Mega Aggron has been hyped up ever since it dropped, opinions were mixed but later on its presence became too suffocating on building and in battle. The sheer bulk of this mon was already stupid for the metagame and despite things like no reliable recovery or even passive recovery, both Rest and Wish Cleric paired alongside Sylveon or Togekiss that cover each other weaknesses nicely resulted in games taking a minimum of 50 turns. Its not passive either, this thing is the definition of a tank as Heavy Slam and Body Press are great while paired with other options like Earthquake for Electrics or Toxic if they are available to win long term vs waters which can't switch into BPress or else they get worn down really quickly alongside Toxic and Stealth Rock. This mon by itself could be manageable but the defensive cores it forms are one of the most obnoxious things in the metagame for many people, even when you have stuff like Volcanion or Mega Houndoom, you never have a perfect matchup because of how easy it is to cover the few weaknesses this kind of core has with stuff like Flygon, Noivern and Bulky Waters like Milotic or Seismitoad. There are many ways to use this mon like Taunt denying Gligar completely and if i had to mention them i would be here forever but to put it short, it was one of the most splashable choices that defined the metagame with many great cores and ways to win most bad matchups.

In order to not leave the post kind of empty, i will be mentioning the winners and losers from this ban so you can stop reading from this point onwards if you want to.


Winners:

:ss/registeel: :ss/steelix-mega: :ss/bronzong:


These three steels serve the same purposes as M-Aggron, they were never bad but usually ignored because of its presence.

Registeel is a well known bulky steel that, while it doesn't have the titanic physical bulk or the offense, it has more longevity thanks to the passive recovery of Leftovers as well as higher Special Defense that allows it to check stuff that M-Aggron usually couldn't or the ones that just chipped it away slowly such as Toxtricity, Noivern, Raikou, Roserade, etc. The difference in power was huge as it made M-Aggron less exploitable agaisn't Waters or Fires like Seismitoad, Volcanion, Mega Houndoom or Gastrodon that can switch into Registeel most of the time (only fearing Toxic and BPress for Houndoom). Without M-Aggron around Registeel seems to return back to where it was as an excellent bulky steel.

M-Steelix is the one that people REALLY talked about in how it disliked M-Aggron's presence but in my opinion it has some key differences that always put it near it. While the Grass and Ice neutrality and the Water weakness isn't really good, the Electric inmunnity is definitely a big one that sets it up apart from the other steels. Blocking Volt Switch as well as having a strong STAB Earthquake makes it both a bulky steel and a Steel and Electric killer, even if some electrics like Raikou are able to hit it hard its still gonna be there and block any attempt at keeping momentum from the opponent. Curse is a move that it uses more effectively than M-Aggron and it allows it to be a decent wincon and greatly improving matchups like Rhyperior, Cobalion, Gligar, etc as well as some setup mons like Demon Gross. While M-Aggron was more offensively threatning since its bulk and moves were better progress makers and not having common weaknesses helped on that as well, M-Steelix wasn't even close to outclassed and imo it doesn't deserve to be looked down upon.

Bronzong is probably the mid pick that suffered a lot through shifts (BIsharp and M-Aggron kek) but its probably the most unique steel out of the bunch. It has many more exploitable things on it like a Dark weakness and lack of offense but it has the best longevity with its Spikes inmunnity thanks to Levitate that also allows it to check or counter Grounds like Flygon or Rhyperior. it sort of shares the same trades as Registeel but more exploitable in terms of weaknesses and recent developments but its still a decent pick.

Other Winners: :crobat: :empoleon: :zarude: :togekiss: :roserade: and more



Losers:

:ss/sylveon: :ss/volcanion: :ss/seismitoad:


Surprisingly there aren't many huge losers because most of these are still top picks even without M-Aggron around but there is one that got killed by this ban.

Sylveon was perhaps the best M-Aggron partner in the tier, a Fairy that covers its mid special defense as well as pivoting between Fires alongside a Bulky Water on the back. It was basically the partner that M-Aggron wished for but now that its gone, Sylveon is most likely dropping like 2 ranks since that's where most of its niche resided. Physical attackers were on the raise a bit as they mostly disliked M-Aggron always being there to check them, from setup sweepers like Feraligatr or Barbaracle to offensive threats like Crobat, Zarude, Arctozolt, Obstagoon, etc. While Sylveon can still pair up with other steels, they aren't as dominant as M-Aggron and have some weaknesses that aren't easy to cover up. Sylveon unfortunately falls off hard in this ban and while its not downright terrible because of it, it really hurts its viability a lot.

Both Volcanion and Seismitoad were the best checks to M-Aggron and even if its gone, they won't change much. Volcanion is one of the best pokemon in the tier with a lot of utility, offense and defense going for it and Seismitoad is a great Water Ground with cool trades over Gastrodon like Refresh or Knock Off. M-Aggron was probably one of their best assests for both but they aren't their main objective or niche.

Other Losers: :magneton: :florges: :gligar: and more

Long ass post for no reason now that i think about it but as always thanks for sticking around here and see yall next time! Take Care.
 
Losers:

:ss/sylveon: :ss/volcanion: :ss/seismitoad:
Other Losers: :magneton: :florges: :gligar: and more
No, the real loser is me for having 48 different techs lying around in my builder, all gathering dust because Maggron left the tier. Where else will I use my trademarked choice band super fang crobat???

But to avoid making this a one-liner, here are my thoughts on the Maggron ban.

Thoughts:
Mega Aggron being banned was partly surprising, partly expected. You see, my main guy here is the one and only Dorron and when I played him back in the day he hated M-Aggron. So I figured, "right, when's magg getting the boot". If anything, I was more surprised it got the boot mid-way through the Seasonal (the Mienshao treatment). Definitely not as flashy as something like Necrozma where you get cleanly 6-0'd if you don't prepare, or if you prepare for the wrong set.

Lupla touched on the key issue which is that Maggron shifts the hand of the meta towards an unhealthy trend of bulky, unbreakable cores. Another However, the post underestimated just how M-Aggron overshadowed the other steels and the Megas in this tier from a team-building perspective. It's not that Maggron directly outclassed them or made their niches obsolete (even niche picks as Bronzong can adapt around it), it's the fact that M-Aggron was a no-brainer. For the Megas, it's fairly straightforward. M-Aggron is simply a better pick for the mega slot for bulky offence and balance than the rest, and doesn't fit on the same structures you find M-Doom on. I'll illustrate this with a teambuilding example. I hope on Pokemon Showdown and make a fresh team. Chances are if I am making anything remotely bulky, M-Aggron would be the guaranteed second or third pick.
Need a bulky steel type? Check.
Need a defensive stealth rocker that can last to the mid-late game? Check.
Need something to patch out my weakness on defence but not give me a noticeable special defence weakness? Check.
Need a bulky steel type that isn't too passive? Check.
Dodgy composition needs glue? Check.
Struggling to find the 6th mon and you have a spare mega slot? Check.

If you paid attention, you would notice none of these traits are inherent to M-Aggron. Registeel, MLix and the other steel types can overlap significantly in performing these roles but none of them do it as well as Magg does it. Filter is the biggest (and the only unique) trick up Magg's sleeve. The typing + filter lets you can do really crazy stuff, like catching gligar on the switch and beating it 1v1 via Ice punch with 0 invested EVs. This allows M-Aggron to have significantly fewer drawbacks than its steel-type competition. If you're not careful with Registeel, you could end up with a much more passive team. Slapping on MLix could expose your teams to weaknesses to Volcanion or even grass types if you're not careful. M-Agg doesn't have this issue to the same extent as its competitors. These are top pokemon being shafted, by the way, imagine the fate forniche steel types!

Another tipping point is MAgg's flexibility. I can attest to winning with a rest-talk roar set to reverse sweep the opponent (with the help of spikes) simply because of the surprise factor that it offered. Even if a rest-talk roar set seems a bit unrealistic, I would argue that rest, rest-talk and even roar aren't inherently bad picks for Maggron's final slot(s). Other status moves could include toxic, curse, iron defense, taunt, thunder wave, protect and even block or spite. The most common set was heavy slam + eq or heavy slam + body press but other possible options can include fire punch, ice coverage, iron head, mono-steel, body press + toxic, counter and the list goes on.

Sure, rocks or curse sets are the two overwhelmingly commonly run varieties but even that binary has dilemmas. Is that M-Agg going to set up rocks or set itself up? Should I let this Magg in or not? And that's not even mentioning the potential coverage it has tailored to snipe checks like Chesnaught or Gligar.

0 Atk Chesnaught Drain Punch vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Filter Aggron-Mega: 63-73 (18.3 - 21.2%) -- possible 5HKO after Stealth Rock
0 Atk Gligar Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Filter Aggron-Mega: 63-73 (18.3 - 21.2%) -- possible 5HKO after Stealth Rock

0 Atk Aggron-Mega Ice Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Gligar: 136-164 (40.7 - 49.1%) -- 68% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
0 Atk Aggron-Mega Ice Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Gligar: 68-82 (20.3 - 24.5%) -- 4.4% chance to 4HKO after Stealth Rock (Grounded)
0 Atk Aggron-Mega Fire Punch vs. 244 HP / 252+ Def Chesnaught: 90-108 (23.8 - 28.5%) -- 0.2% chance to 4HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery (Outdamaged Ches + Burn/Freeze fishing)

Winners and Losers:
Winners = the majority of the tier. I can't think of many mons that I won't use now that Magg has left. The opposite seems more true.

Losers - Sylveon was a good shout. The others are fairly lukewarm on Magg leaving.

Magneton is a better off since it was a horrible Magg trapper bar specs. If MLix becomes the new dominant steel type, I can see Magg doing well against it (and Empo) but if it splits this bill with Registeel then it's probably taking a huge hit.
 

pinorska

Banned deucer.
No, the real loser is me for having 48 different techs lying around in my builder, all gathering dust because Maggron left the tier. Where else will I use my trademarked choice band super fang crobat???

But to avoid making this a one-liner, here are my thoughts on the Maggron ban.

Thoughts:
Mega Aggron being banned was partly surprising, partly expected. You see, my main guy here is the one and only Dorron and when I played him back in the day he hated M-Aggron. So I figured, "right, when's magg getting the boot". If anything, I was more surprised it got the boot mid-way through the Seasonal (the Mienshao treatment). Definitely not as flashy as something like Necrozma where you get cleanly 6-0'd if you don't prepare, or if you prepare for the wrong set.

Lupla touched on the key issue which is that Maggron shifts the hand of the meta towards an unhealthy trend of bulky, unbreakable cores. Another However, the post underestimated just how M-Aggron overshadowed the other steels and the Megas in this tier from a team-building perspective. It's not that Maggron directly outclassed them or made their niches obsolete (even niche picks as Bronzong can adapt around it), it's the fact that M-Aggron was a no-brainer. For the Megas, it's fairly straightforward. M-Aggron is simply a better pick for the mega slot for bulky offence and balance than the rest, and doesn't fit on the same structures you find M-Doom on. I'll illustrate this with a teambuilding example. I hope on Pokemon Showdown and make a fresh team. Chances are if I am making anything remotely bulky, M-Aggron would be the guaranteed second or third pick.
Need a bulky steel type? Check.
Need a defensive stealth rocker that can last to the mid-late game? Check.
Need something to patch out my weakness on defence but not give me a noticeable special defence weakness? Check.
Need a bulky steel type that isn't too passive? Check.
Dodgy composition needs glue? Check.
Struggling to find the 6th mon and you have a spare mega slot? Check.

If you paid attention, you would notice none of these traits are inherent to M-Aggron. Registeel, MLix and the other steel types can overlap significantly in performing these roles but none of them do it as well as Magg does it. Filter is the biggest (and the only unique) trick up Magg's sleeve. The typing + filter lets you can do really crazy stuff, like catching gligar on the switch and beating it 1v1 via Ice punch with 0 invested EVs. This allows M-Aggron to have significantly fewer drawbacks than its steel-type competition. If you're not careful with Registeel, you could end up with a much more passive team. Slapping on MLix could expose your teams to weaknesses to Volcanion or even grass types if you're not careful. M-Agg doesn't have this issue to the same extent as its competitors. These are top pokemon being shafted, by the way, imagine the fate forniche steel types!

Another tipping point is MAgg's flexibility. I can attest to winning with a rest-talk roar set to reverse sweep the opponent (with the help of spikes) simply because of the surprise factor that it offered. Even if a rest-talk roar set seems a bit unrealistic, I would argue that rest, rest-talk and even roar aren't inherently bad picks for Maggron's final slot(s). Other status moves could include toxic, curse, iron defense, taunt, thunder wave, protect and even block or spite. The most common set was heavy slam + eq or heavy slam + body press but other possible options can include fire punch, ice coverage, iron head, mono-steel, body press + toxic, counter and the list goes on.

Sure, rocks or curse sets are the two overwhelmingly commonly run varieties but even that binary has dilemmas. Is that M-Agg going to set up rocks or set itself up? Should I let this Magg in or not? And that's not even mentioning the potential coverage it has tailored to snipe checks like Chesnaught or Gligar.

0 Atk Chesnaught Drain Punch vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Filter Aggron-Mega: 63-73 (18.3 - 21.2%) -- possible 5HKO after Stealth Rock
0 Atk Gligar Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Filter Aggron-Mega: 63-73 (18.3 - 21.2%) -- possible 5HKO after Stealth Rock

0 Atk Aggron-Mega Ice Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Gligar: 136-164 (40.7 - 49.1%) -- 68% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
0 Atk Aggron-Mega Ice Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Gligar: 68-82 (20.3 - 24.5%) -- 4.4% chance to 4HKO after Stealth Rock (Grounded)
0 Atk Aggron-Mega Fire Punch vs. 244 HP / 252+ Def Chesnaught: 90-108 (23.8 - 28.5%) -- 0.2% chance to 4HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery (Outdamaged Ches + Burn/Freeze fishing)

Winners and Losers:
Winners = the majority of the tier. I can't think of many mons that I won't use now that Magg has left. The opposite seems more true.

Losers - Sylveon was a good shout. The others are fairly lukewarm on Magg leaving.

Magneton is a better off since it was a horrible Magg trapper bar specs. If MLix becomes the new dominant steel type, I can see Magg doing well against it (and Empo) but if it splits this bill with Registeel then it's probably taking a huge hit.
loved the analysis, what are your thoughts on mlix vs regi vs bronzong now
 
Gangsta Spongebob (Sponge/SSJ/Anything) Is gonna be inactive for a month due to limited wifi which leaves him in a rough spot and temporally leaves his Tier Leader status and now he gave me the new dictator Tier Leader status for ND RU until he comes back.

1656180485746.png


I will be having the ownership for the thread until he comes back so its not left abandoned. Take care SSJ :pray: and hope you all have a nice day now.
 
loved the analysis, what are your thoughts on mlix vs regi vs bronzong now
Imo mlix is the best of the 3 atm but has different uses than the others ofc. I like to use a spdef Lix set which is useful over other steels as a voltblocker/ Raikou check, although other people have used a curse set that can be pretty annoying depending on the matchup. Registeel is pretty close behind mlix but it is a bit more passive, it still has massive bulk though so it is pretty annoying to deal with. Bronzong is honestly a bit niche but has useful traits, most notably being able to check Flygon for massive role compression. The main other steels are Empoleon, Cobalion,and Metagross. Empoleon is really useful for utility of knock off but has serious flaws from the fact that it can be abused by grass types pretty easily. Metagross is nice as bulky rocker that is less passive than other options, but is much worse off in mus like vs goon than other steels because of how free goon can come in. Coba is the least conventional of the steel type rockers because unlike the others, it isnt very good for checking sylveon or crobat, but is still the best steel in the meta rn imo because it has really good breaking power with fightz (only real wall is glig) and can check Zarude.

In other news, I have some VR noms:

:ampharos-mega: UR to A-
This is one of my favorite mons to use in the meta atm, and it is unfortunate that it still hasnt been ranked. The role compression is great, it can check Volcanion and flying types. Its also a great breaker. The only walls are Sylv and good prediction with a ground type. That isn't to say it doesn't have some flaws ofc such as being slow and prediction reliant, but the positive traits outweigh these.
Epic Amphy team: :ampharos-mega: :golisopod: :crobat: :diancie: :zarude: :medicham: https://pokepast.es/c7934dad00b409c4

:Rhyperior: A- to A
Bulky rock sets haven't been the best for a while due to competition with Mlix and being bad vs grasses, but cb can be a nasty breaker with almost no resists and gets in easily with partners like crobat.
Epic CB Rhyp team: :sceptile-mega: :registeel: :togekiss: :toxtricity: :golisopod: :rhyperior: https://pokepast.es/fc573a6631d12901

:Tentacruel: C to B
I honestly didn't think this mon was worth using for a long time, but on further testing, it is very useful as a check for special attackers like Volcanion and Houndoom, along with having knock to annoy rockers. Unfortunately it does have some flaws such as limited recovery and awful physdef, but it is definitely still usable.

Epic Tenta Team: :tentacruel: :chesnaught: :metagross: :houndoom-mega: :flygon: :togekiss: https://pokepast.es/3f5e06a7e3d2e46a

:seismitoad: B to B+
Really nice as a rocker that can beat Glig, and it also checks Raikou and Volcanion, which makes it pretty splashable.
Epic Seis team: :drapion: :togekiss: :seismitoad: :celebi: :raikou: :goodra: https://pokepast.es/9d9011059d59a160

:drapion: UR to B-
Can be threatening as a breaker with darkinium z and checks grasses pretty well. Honestly pretty easy to get an sd off, and Darkz can catch people off guard. It can struggle a lot with steels like Coba though.
Epic Drap team: use the seis one lol

:Milotic: A to A-
Pretty hard to justify using a team slot on this considering it loses to subtox Volcanion unlike other waters, and it can't safely come in on Coba anymore now that it has started using Fightz. It's still useful as a pivot, but it is just harder to fit on teams.
Epic (untested) Milo team: :steelix-mega: :crobat: :zarude: :milotic: :gardevoir: :toxtricity: https://pokepast.es/5c69e473294fa505

:Darmanitan: B+ to B
This mon really isn't good at all tbh. Most teams have a check to it either in bulky waters or a mon like Flyg / Glig, and it is rocks weak, overall there are better speed control options and it isn't good at breaking.

I dont have any good Darm teams lol
 
Hello everyone! Shifts for July are finally here! this is gonna be a 4.52 cutoff with no raises after the general decision made to not raise anything due to the generation's time. If you wanna know more about it then read this https://www.smogon.com/forums/posts/9227645/show

Code:
+ ---- + ------------------ + --------- +
| Rank | Pokemon            | Usage %
+ ---- + ------------------ + --------- +
| 1    | Scizor             | 22.83623% |
| 2    | Altaria-Mega       | 20.33839% |
| 3    | Celesteela         | 20.11003% |
| 4    | Amoonguss          | 19.16697% |
| 5    | Urshifu-Rapid-Strike | 18.12698% |
| 6    | Hippowdon          | 16.64407% |
| 7    | Salamence          | 16.12732% |
| 8    | Aegislash          | 14.36134% |
| 9    | Skarmory           | 13.71701% |
| 10   | Moltres            | 13.44456% |
| 11   | Swampert           | 13.10013% |
| 12   | Nihilego           | 12.12324% |
| 13   | Beedrill-Mega      | 11.60933% |
| 14   | Krookodile         |  9.89034% |
| 15   | Manectric-Mega     |  9.85524% |
| 16   | Rotom-Wash         |  9.50096% |
| 17   | Slowking           |  9.35377% |
| 18   | Rotom-Heat         |  9.25696% |
| 19   | Dragonite          |  8.07852% |
| 20   | Breloom            |  7.92524% |
| 21   | Zeraora            |  7.46403% |
| 22   | Nidoking           |  7.11448% |
| 23   | Donphan            |  6.98903% |
| 24   | Hatterene          |  6.78681% |
| 25   | Mienshao           |  6.42420% |
| 26   | Regieleki          |  6.28328% |
| 27   | Mandibuzz          |  6.23244% |
| 28   | Keldeo             |  6.15688% |
| 29   | Chandelure         |  6.03952% |
| 30   | Rhyperior          |  5.97807% |
| 31   | Aggron-Mega        |  5.91957% |
| 32   | Volcanion          |  5.84947% |
| 33   | Zarude             |  5.62704% |
| 34   | Quagsire           |  5.57592% |
| 35   | Deoxys-Defense     |  5.54198% |
| 36   | Conkeldurr         |  5.38492% |
| 37   | Pidgeot-Mega       |  5.18433% |
| 38   | Azumarill          |  5.17553% |
| 39   | Infernape          |  5.13177% |
| 40   | Alomomola          |  4.76072% |
| 41   | Dracozolt          |  4.68989% |
| 42   | Muk-Alola          |  4.61523% |
| 43   | Darmanitan         |  4.56702% |
| 44   | Houndoom-Mega      |  4.29103% |
| 45   | Tangrowth          |  4.17745% |
| 46   | Klefki             |  4.14113% |
| 47   | Mantine            |  4.00802% |
| 48   | Moltres-Galar      |  3.89674% |
| 49   | Venusaur           |  3.88419% |
| 50   | Gastrodon          |  3.87785% |
| 51   | Mamoswine          |  3.85498% |
| 52   | Absol-Mega         |  3.70100% |
| 53   | Sceptile-Mega      |  3.63929% |
| 54   | Azelf              |  3.61239% |
| 55   | Terrakion          |  3.35065% |
| 56   | Ribombee           |  3.28652% |
| 57   | Haxorus            |  3.11743% |
| 58   | Ninetales-Alola    |  3.01548% |
| 59   | Umbreon            |  2.68402% |
| 60   | Nidoqueen          |  2.67587% |
| 61   | Porygon2           |  2.63937% |
| 62   | Arctozolt          |  2.63283% |
| 63   | Porygon-Z          |  2.59890% |
| 64   | Togekiss           |  2.46809% |
| 65   | Roserade           |  2.41787% |
| 66   | Gligar             |  2.40049% |
| 67   | Bisharp            |  2.38552% |
| 68   | Sharpedo-Mega      |  2.37390% |
| 69   | Buzzwole           |  2.28459% |
| 70   | Xatu               |  2.25341% |
| 71   | Diggersby          |  2.15847% |
| 72   | Feraligatr         |  2.13915% |
| 73   | Cloyster           |  2.06041% |
| 74   | Indeedee           |  2.04462% |
| 75   | Necrozma           |  2.03942% |
| 76   | Dhelmise           |  1.90024% |
| 77   | Slowbro-Galar      |  1.77859% |
| 78   | Pyukumuku          |  1.67417% |
| 79   | Lycanroc-Dusk      |  1.66362% |
| 80   | Flygon             |  1.65248% |
| 81   | Uxie               |  1.64282% |
| 82   | Audino             |  1.63243% |
| 83   | Stoutland          |  1.63117% |
| 84   | Tapu Bulu          |  1.61009% |
| 85   | Camerupt-Mega      |  1.57897% |
| 86   | Marowak-Alola      |  1.53600% |
| 87   | Charizard          |  1.52304% |
| 88   | Articuno           |  1.41833% |
| 89   | Mimikyu            |  1.36673% |
| 90   | Primarina          |  1.35072% |
| 91   | Cobalion           |  1.29968% |
| 92   | Abomasnow-Mega     |  1.28650% |
| 93   | Polteageist        |  1.28365% |
| 94   | Espeon             |  1.25295% |
| 95   | Decidueye          |  1.24741% |
| 96   | Sylveon            |  1.19625% |
| 97   | Regidrago          |  1.17956% |
| 98   | Zygarde-10%        |  1.11465% |
| 99   | Cresselia          |  1.09434% |
| 100  | Banette-Mega       |  1.07549% |
| 101  | Starmie            |  1.06252% |
| 102  | Steelix-Mega       |  1.05747% |
| 103  | Chesnaught         |  1.05242% |
| 104  | Honchkrow          |  1.04165% |
| 105  | Incineroar         |  0.97809% |
| 106  | Rotom-Mow          |  0.95455% |
| 107  | Galvantula         |  0.94314% |
| 108  | Magneton           |  0.90368% |
| 109  | Metagross          |  0.88324% |
| 110  | Crobat             |  0.88264% |
| 111  | Florges            |  0.87497% |
| 112  | Reuniclus          |  0.86703% |
| 113  | Tornadus           |  0.85863% |
| 114  | Typhlosion         |  0.80672% |
| 115  | Forretress         |  0.80630% |
| 116  | Whimsicott         |  0.76605% |
| 117  | Araquanid          |  0.74671% |
| 118  | Glastrier          |  0.73508% |
| 119  | Stakataka          |  0.72628% |
| 120  | Blastoise          |  0.70155% |
| 121  | Zangoose           |  0.69160% |
| 122  | Weezing-Galar      |  0.66029% |
| 123  | Hoopa              |  0.64322% |
| 124  | Eldegoss           |  0.63221% |
| 125  | Talonflame         |  0.63164% |
| 126  | Noivern            |  0.59524% |
| 127  | Goodra             |  0.58772% |
| 128  | Crawdaunt          |  0.58328% |
| 129  | Rampardos          |  0.55965% |
| 130  | Eelektross         |  0.54422% |
| 131  | Minior             |  0.54272% |
| 132  | Shaymin            |  0.53130% |
| 133  | Empoleon           |  0.53035% |
| 134  | Diancie            |  0.52553% |
| 135  | Kingdra            |  0.52017% |
| 136  | Druddigon          |  0.51003% |
| 137  | Hitmontop          |  0.50913% |
| 138  | Cradily            |  0.49163% |
| 139  | Ambipom            |  0.47874% |
| 140  | Corsola-Galar      |  0.47619% |
| 141  | Avalugg            |  0.47343% |
| 142  | Vileplume          |  0.47204% |
| 143  | Registeel          |  0.46101% |
| 144  | Gardevoir          |  0.45628% |
| 145  | Vikavolt           |  0.45200% |
| 146  | Meloetta           |  0.44900% |
| 147  | Tsareena           |  0.44841% |
| 148  | Venomoth           |  0.44794% |
| 149  | Staraptor          |  0.44738% |
| 150  | Hitmonlee          |  0.44467% |

Drops:

:tangrowth: Tangrowth dropped from UU to RU
:umbreon: Umbreon dropped from UU to RU
:porygon2: Porygon2 dropped from UU to RU
:bisharp: Bisharp dropped from UU to RU

Raises If it was regular shifts:

:rhyperior: Rhyperior would rise from RU to UU
:volcanion: Volcanion would rise from RU to UU
:zarude: Zarude would rise from RU to UU
:Quagsire: Quagsire would rise from RU to UU
:alomomola: Alomomola would rise from RU to UU
:muk-alola:
Alolan Muk would rise from RU to UU
:darmanitan:
Darmanitan would rise from RU to UU



:ss/bisharp: :ss/tangrowth: :ss/umbreon:

Bisharp has been controversial for the tier the last time it arrived, at first it was overlooked because the meta was busy with things like Zeraora or Nihilego but when things settled, it was not only a mon that denied psychics from ever stepping into this tier but also being one of the most dangerous breakers around with decent defensive utility and demonic stabs that very few pokemon resist which can fall down to coverage (coba takes more than half with a chople vs banded low kick lol i have My Post here about it.

Tangrowth is by far a big one but because of how Amoonguss outshines it in ND UU, its not that surprising that it could drop at any moment. A bulky grass type that not only has regenerator but can also cover on both sides of defense and spread status or knock off with decent coverage? It kind of outlasts everything and there are potential partners for it like Alomomola, Noivern, Seismitoad, etc. Its unclear if this is gonna be broken or not but we will see.

We may have not gotten Donphan but Umbreon finally got rid of the ladder chains and returned to ND RU safely, it might make stall better since compared to the other wish passers, the dark typing covers psychics while also just being a neutral wall that doesn't have a exploitable defense (outside of passivity). Not really that great but maybe someone will make it work

That's it for today and i hope yall have a nice day and maybe coping with how bad the ladder can be sometimes.
 
Double posting here but last time i was allowed to if it was related to meta changes and stuff like that.

:ss/bisharp: :ss/tangrowth:
Bisharp and Tangrowth have been Quickbanned from National Dex RU!

1656815745086.png

Bisharp has already been discussed on the days where we were inactive a lot but it naturally rose up by usage so now we're just taking the same action as nothing really changed so that the meta could actually handle it.

Tangrowth is a new addition to the roster but even so we decided to quickban it as well, its pretty much a bulky Grass type with Regenerator that can cover on both sides and also do disgusting progress between things like Knock Off or Sleep Powder as well as Sludge Bomb poison fishing, if we really wanted to it could be re-tested but no one is really up for it.

Short post i know but there really isn't much to mention right now (Its mostly for the tournament).
 
Having built and played this tier again for a while now (and also to prevent lupla from triple posting kek), I'd like to share some thoughts on a few key aspects of the metagame that I've been enjoying as of late.



Ampharos-Mega @ Ampharosite
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 128 HP / 252 SpA / 128 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Dragon Pulse
- Focus Blast
- Volt Switch

Mostly echoing the statements made above, but M-Ampharos is definitely a threat and a half, and shows no sign of slack despite its recent addition to the tier. Base 165 SpA alongside Electric + Dragon + Fighting coverage is super deadly against a majority of bulkier teams when positioned correctly, and also made better by M-Ampharos's surprisingly good bulk and useful set of resistances, as with additional Pivot support, you can very easily exploit common bulky waters, other offensive Pokemon such as Zarude, and practically most other defensive staples for a free kill. Still relatively awkward to use as a breaker at times given its minimalistic speed tier and occasional reliance on prediction against more fast-paced teams that can easily limit its opportunities, meaning you often have to build around it instead of putting on teams most of the time, but it definitely puts in work.


https://pokepast.es/6633e089b00f6253 - Use Z-Azelf to surprise kill SpDef walls and other faster midground threats like Draco Noivern, which will enable M-Ampharos + NP Wish Togekiss to break down bulkier stuff much more effectively.



Ninetales-Alola @ Icy Rock
Ability: Snow Warning
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Freeze-Dry
- Aurora Veil
- Pain Split
- Encore / Hypnosis

Arctozolt @ Heavy-Duty Boots / Leftovers / Life Orb
Ability: Slush Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 60 SpA / 196 Spe
Naive Nature
- Bolt Beak
- Blizzard
- Freeze-Dry
- Substitute

Hail's Public Enemy #1 in M-Aggron being gone essentially makes it one step closer to free reign for this absurdly dangerous duo, and I'll be the first to say that it's quite strong currently. Arctozolt's BoltBeam STAB coverage has essentially perfect coverage against the overall metagame and threatens to destroy absolutely anything that isn't the occasional M-Steelix or Rhyperior on the switch, and this is of course complemented quite handily by its amazing Speed stat of 430 under Hail, letting it outpace and destroy the increased amount of Pokemon sitting in that category, from M-Sceptile to Crobat, and making the reward of supporting the risky nature of Hail more than worthwhile should the user get their turns right with it. Admittingly dislikes the common Scarfers in Zarude and Flygon being everywhere to stop it from entirely tearing open teams a new one, but that's why AVeil is the goated move.


https://pokepast.es/78f853d4c08e8951 - Some powerful Hail offense I made.



Obstagoon @ Flame Orb
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Bulk Up
- Knock Off
- Facade
- Close Combat

Obstagoon was previously something that I've never had too much of an interest in using despite being somewhat overlooked, but having tested it for a while now, I can say that it's finally in a really good spot, and seriously appreciates the hell out of M-Aggron leaving. Lots of teams can't handle Guts-boosted STABs that well given the lack of resists in the tier (Cobalion technically walls both and outspeeds, but one CC on the switch does enough to prevent it from wanting to come in), and BU sets being much easier to set up with the additional status immunity definitely helps with improving its consistency and giving it an edge over other breakers as more of an automatic KO machine against bulkier stuff. Definitely something that's solid in its own right and worth looking out for in this meta.



Porygon2 @ Eviolite
Ability: Trace
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Teleport
- Recover
- Ice Beam / Foul Play
- Toxic

P2 was last here when Spikes were the dominant force which unfortunately cut into its longevity a lot as a special tank, but the most prominent setter in DeoD being banned since alongside its access to Teleport will definitely be huge for it this time, still interesting to compare it to other special walls (Sylveon, Dragalge) that can also fit on BO and offer other forms of utility + resistances to certain types, but we'll see.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

There's certainly more to look forward to, but having gone through some of the bigger ones already, I'll leave it here so that other people can come together and help maintain the activity in this thread. Thanks for reading and have a nice day.
 
National Dex RU Role Compendium

In this resource we are gonna be explaining about the Roles of each mon in the metagame, which will be organized from viable mons to the most niche ones with the role or in general (The ones that cross this bar \ will be the niche ones and the ones with () means the section is niche). This is helpful for both new players and ones that already play the meta to find specific roles for their team. All the pokemon mentioned are viable, even in the smallest part. There are 3 sections that contain roles related to each other and it goes like this:​

1. Utility (Hazard Setters and Removers)

2. Offensive Roles (Wallbreakers, Choice Users, and Setup Sweepers)

3. Defensive Roles (Walls)

4. Extras (Hail, Trick Room and Electric Terrain)


Utility:

Entry Hazards:



Stealth Rock:
1659901277455.png
1659899922719.png
1659903073030.png
1659900687532.png
1659901643996.png
1659900674398.png
1659903523392.png
1659900788477.png
1659900722900.png
1659901125231.png
\
1659901929587.png
1659903482453.png
1659900404818.png
1659899714014.png
1659903494088.png


Spikes:
1659900739613.png
1659901338084.png
\
1657211537919.png
1659902172409.png


Toxic Spikes: (
1659903388895.png
1659899930015.png
1659900762033.png
1663793272001.png
)

Sticky Web: (
1659899066891.png
1659899097069.png
)


Hazard Control:


Defog:
1659899200126.png
1659900161026.png
1659900400683.png
1657214487123.png
1659900959899.png
1657214495811.png
\
1662835299427.png
1657213197399.png
1659901381069.png
1659901396031.png


Rapid Spin:
1659899787830.png
1659899893052.png
\
1657241255717.png
1657241269967.png


Magic Bounce: (
1659903366851.png
)


Trapping:

Pursuit: (
1661003585020.png
1657215725007.png
1662835037624.png
)

Magnet Pull: (
1659899870668.png
)



Offensive Roles


Wallbreakers:

Physical:
1659901269920.png
1657213068971.png
1659902043724.png
1659902906807.png
1657216265469.png
1657213085511.png
1659900131797.png
1657211680858.png
1657213048530.png
1659903084731.png
1659900670157.png
1659901141074.png
1659901454778.png
1659902578435.png
1659903340837.png
1659900824526.png
1659901880275.png
\
1659902796633.png
1657241087267.png
1661003564730.png
1659902504149.png
1659901305278.png
1659901820291.png
1659901788650.png
1659901375265.png
1659901940905.png
1659902657630.png
1659901186376.png
1657211724490.png
1659902464573.png


Special:
1659901691518.png
1659899917600.png
1659900473388.png
1659903140292.png
1657213138216.png
1657212067167.png
1659900933446.png
1659902969061.png
1659901061544.png
1657213163312.png
1657213493148.png
1657213484011.png
1657215468036.png
1659899837965.png
1657215480645.png
1659901467246.png
\
1662835330216.png
1659901505077.png
1657215504962.png
1659902683086.png
1661003644691.png
1659901597530.png
1659902146595.png
1659899873510.png
1657215491066.png
1657212866574.png


Mixed:
1659902028473.png
1659900548949.png
1659903330390.png
\
1657212062323.png



Choice Users:

Choice Band:
1659902895880.png
1659902756959.png
1659903292518.png
\
1661003560731.png
1659902574039.png


Choice Specs:
1657212057349.png
\
1661003661763.png
1659901521782.png
1659902138252.png
1657214385510.png
1657214393624.png


Choice Scarf:
1657213500102.png
1659900594803.png
1659902052071.png
1659901146616.png
\
1659902554210.png
1659902141298.png
1662835342138.png



Setup Sweepers:


Agility/Autotomize/Rock Polish/Shift Gear:
1657212074334.png
\
1659902976603.png


Beast Boost: (
1659901949382.png
)

Bulk Up: (
1659902069166.png
)

Curse:
1659903098761.png
\
1659903064544.png

Calm Mind:
1659900513748.png
1657214040605.png
1659900490715.png
\
1659902696740.png


Celebrate:
1659901321497.png


Dragon Dance:
1659902901048.png
1659900029105.png
\


Nasty Plot:
1659903133194.png
1659900967176.png
1659901804290.png
1659901066713.png
\
1662835356289.png
1659900043039.png


Shell Smash:
1657213409437.png


Speed Boost:
1659900573184.png


Swords Dance:
1659901264741.png
1659900835511.png
1659901867993.png
1659900906058.png
\
1659901312718.png
1659902752847.png
1659902498587.png
1659901369973.png
1659902643542.png
1659901182555.png



Priority:


Bullet Punch:
1657216294887.png
1657216322605.png
1659900654165.png
\
1659902746810.png
1657241102622.png


Ice Shard:
1659903324447.png
1661003555433.png
\
1661003674389.png


Shadow Sneak:
1659901861638.png
\
1659902473396.png


Aqua Jet:
1657214266337.png


Extreme Speed:
1659902888145.png
1657216324716.png


First Impression:
1659902827191.png


Vacuum Wave:
1659900860920.png



Pivoting:

U-turn:
1659900141513.png
1659902087835.png
1657213231601.png
1657213219176.png
1659901072449.png
1659900346777.png
1659901498576.png
\
1659901829965.png
1659901364879.png
1657213276381.png
1657213264089.png


Volt Switch:
1657213333858.png
1657213351537.png
1659901257260.png
1659902990251.png
1662835373435.png
1659901496837.png
\
1657241188359.png


Teleport:
1657211983660.png
1657211992103.png


Flip Turn:
1659910855279.png
1659902584580.png
1659901483350.png
\
1659910940904.png


Parting Shot:(
1659902596013.png
1659902620740.png
)


Defensive Roles:


Physical

Walls:
1662835409840.png
1657216345287.png
1659900359934.png
1657215039786.png
1659903043833.png
1657215001077.png
1659901251173.png
\
1659902723979.png
1659902651227.png



Special

Walls:
1659900696351.png
1659901530586.png
1657214994900.png
1659901655017.png
1659900799483.png
1659903048736.png
1657211741448.png
1659899990670.png
1659900190986.png
1659903397535.png
\
1659901475851.png
1659902451609.png
1659901582166.png
1659901403952.png



Mixed

Walls:
1659900506035.png
1659900619015.png
1657214982067.png
1659900699251.png
1659901659843.png
1659903057070.png
1659900194776.png
1659900644091.png
1659899994517.png
1657214049349.png
1659900715094.png
1659901536306.png
1659900897316.png
1659899818208.png
1659900355876.png
\
1659901916054.png
1659901407989.png
1657214082246.png
1659901212946.png
1657214096089.png
1657241195007.png



Clerics


Wish:
1659901543440.png
1659900198552.png
\
1657216354378.png


Heal Bell:
1659901545195.png
1659900201412.png
1659901672244.png


Healing Wish/Lunar Dance:
1657213887149.png
\
1657213976470.png



Extras:


Hail

Setters:
1657214593744.png


Abusers:
1657214682703.png
\
1657214698515.png



Trick Room (Niche playstyle in general so every abuser and setter are considered niche in the category)



Setters:
1657214032902.png
1657214870581.png
1657214877374.png
1657214887260.png
1657214831470.png


Abusers:
1657214714304.png
1657214845137.png
1657214922218.png
1657214739792.png



Electric Terrain

Setter:
1659902263399.png


Abuser:
1659902280453.png
 

Attachments

Last edited:
:crobat:National Dex RU: Rounds 1-9:crobat:
Code:
+ ---- + ------------------ + ---- + ------- + ------- +
| Rank | Pokemon            | Use  | Usage % |  Win %  |
+ ---- + ------------------ + ---- + ------- + ------- +
| 1    | Crobat             |   68 |  30.36% |  45.59% |
| 2    | Zarude             |   55 |  24.55% |  40.00% |
| 3    | Flygon             |   51 |  22.77% |  45.10% |
| 4    | Raikou             |   49 |  21.88% |  46.94% |
| 5    | Volcanion          |   47 |  20.98% |  46.81% |
| 6    | Cobalion           |   46 |  20.54% |  60.87% |
| 6    | Sylveon            |   46 |  20.54% |  50.00% |
| 8    | Noivern            |   40 |  17.86% |  55.00% |
| 8    | Milotic            |   40 |  17.86% |  40.00% |
| 10   | Registeel          |   32 |  14.29% |  46.88% |
| 11   | Gligar             |   28 |  12.50% |  53.57% |
| 12   | Roserade           |   26 |  11.61% |  53.85% |
| 12   | Steelix            |   26 |  11.61% |  34.62% |
| 14   | Rhyperior          |   25 |  11.16% |  56.00% |
| 15   | Bronzong           |   24 |  10.71% |  62.50% |
| 15   | Azelf              |   24 |  10.71% |  58.33% |
| 17   | Togekiss           |   23 |  10.27% |  39.13% |
| 18   | Nidoqueen          |   22 |   9.82% |  50.00% |
| 19   | Aggron             |   21 |   9.38% |  42.86% |
| 20   | Medicham           |   20 |   8.93% |  50.00% |
| 20   | Dragalge           |   20 |   8.93% |  45.00% |
| 22   | Toxtricity         |   19 |   8.48% |  52.63% |
| 23   | Zygarde-10%        |   17 |   7.59% |  76.47% |
| 23   | Golisopod          |   17 |   7.59% |  64.71% |
| 23   | Camerupt           |   17 |   7.59% |  58.82% |
| 23   | Metagross          |   17 |   7.59% |  52.94% |
| 27   | Mimikyu            |   16 |   7.14% |  75.00% |
| 28   | Barraskewda        |   15 |   6.70% |  53.33% |
| 28   | Gardevoir          |   15 |   6.70% |  46.67% |
| 28   | Chesnaught         |   15 |   6.70% |  33.33% |
| 28   | Pangoro            |   15 |   6.70% |  26.67% |
| 32   | Rotom-Mow          |   14 |   6.25% |  57.14% |
| 32   | Suicune            |   14 |   6.25% |  50.00% |
| 34   | Sharpedo           |   13 |   5.80% |  76.92% |
| 34   | Tsareena           |   13 |   5.80% |  69.23% |
| 34   | Seismitoad         |   13 |   5.80% |  53.85% |
| 34   | Machamp            |   13 |   5.80% |  46.15% |
| 38   | Zarude-Dada        |   12 |   5.36% |  66.67% |
| 38   | Empoleon           |   12 |   5.36% |  66.67% |
| 38   | Obstagoon          |   12 |   5.36% |  58.33% |
| 38   | Alomomola          |   12 |   5.36% |  33.33% |
| 42   | Barbaracle         |   11 |   4.91% |  72.73% |
| 42   | Diancie            |   11 |   4.91% |  36.36% |
| 44   | Meloetta           |   10 |   4.46% |  70.00% |
| 44   | Golurk             |   10 |   4.46% |  60.00% |
| 44   | Sceptile           |   10 |   4.46% |  40.00% |
| 47   | Feraligatr         |    9 |   4.02% |  44.44% |
| 48   | Froslass           |    8 |   3.57% |  75.00% |
| 48   | Ampharos           |    8 |   3.57% |  62.50% |
| 48   | Hoopa              |    8 |   3.57% |  62.50% |
| 48   | Incineroar         |    8 |   3.57% |  62.50% |
| 48   | Glalie             |    8 |   3.57% |  50.00% |
| 48   | Pincurchin         |    8 |   3.57% |  50.00% |
| 48   | Raichu-Alola       |    8 |   3.57% |  50.00% |
| 48   | Houndoom           |    8 |   3.57% |  37.50% |
| 48   | Umbreon            |    8 |   3.57% |  37.50% |
| 57   | Cresselia          |    7 |   3.12% |  71.43% |
| 57   | Stakataka          |    7 |   3.12% |  42.86% |
| 57   | Regidrago          |    7 |   3.12% |  42.86% |
| 60   | Vanilluxe          |    6 |   2.68% |  66.67% |
| 60   | Vileplume          |    6 |   2.68% |  66.67% |
| 62   | Ninetales-Alola    |    5 |   2.23% |  60.00% |
| 62   | Arctozolt          |    5 |   2.23% |  60.00% |
| 62   | Gastrodon          |    5 |   2.23% |  60.00% |
| 62   | Vaporeon           |    5 |   2.23% |  40.00% |
| 62   | Xatu               |    5 |   2.23% |  40.00% |
| 62   | Starmie            |    5 |   2.23% |   0.00% |
| 68   | Marowak-Alola      |    4 |   1.79% |  50.00% |
| 68   | Darmanitan         |    4 |   1.79% |  50.00% |
| 68   | Tentacruel         |    4 |   1.79% |  50.00% |
| 68   | Talonflame         |    4 |   1.79% |  50.00% |
| 68   | Celebi             |    4 |   1.79% |  25.00% |
| 68   | Weezing-Galar      |    4 |   1.79% |  25.00% |
| 74   | Uxie               |    3 |   1.34% |  66.67% |
| 74   | Araquanid          |    3 |   1.34% |  66.67% |
| 74   | Drapion            |    3 |   1.34% |  66.67% |
| 74   | Dhelmise           |    3 |   1.34% |  66.67% |
| 74   | Shaymin            |    3 |   1.34% |  33.33% |
| 74   | Magneton           |    3 |   1.34% |  33.33% |
| 74   | Escavalier         |    3 |   1.34% |  33.33% |
| 74   | Salazzle           |    3 |   1.34% |   0.00% |
| 74   | Florges            |    3 |   1.34% |   0.00% |
| 83   | Accelgor           |    2 |   0.89% | 100.00% |
| 83   | Yanmega            |    2 |   0.89% | 100.00% |
| 83   | Cofagrigus         |    2 |   0.89% | 100.00% |
| 83   | Copperajah         |    2 |   0.89% | 100.00% |
| 83   | Lucario            |    2 |   0.89% | 100.00% |
| 83   | Blastoise          |    2 |   0.89% | 100.00% |
| 83   | Swellow            |    2 |   0.89% | 100.00% |
| 83   | Doublade           |    2 |   0.89% |  50.00% |
| 83   | Delphox            |    2 |   0.89% |  50.00% |
| 83   | Mantine            |    2 |   0.89% |  50.00% |
| 83   | Articuno-Galar     |    2 |   0.89% |  50.00% |
| 83   | Mismagius          |    2 |   0.89% |  50.00% |
| 83   | Klefki             |    2 |   0.89% |  50.00% |
| 83   | Jellicent          |    2 |   0.89% |   0.00% |
| 83   | Aerodactyl         |    2 |   0.89% |   0.00% |
| 83   | Cloyster           |    2 |   0.89% |   0.00% |
| 83   | Indeedee           |    2 |   0.89% |   0.00% |
| 83   | Quagsire           |    2 |   0.89% |   0.00% |
| 83   | Palossand          |    2 |   0.89% |   0.00% |
| 83   | Gigalith           |    2 |   0.89% |   0.00% |
| 83   | Braviary           |    2 |   0.89% |   0.00% |
| 104  | Klinklang          |    1 |   0.45% | 100.00% |
| 104  | Jolteon            |    1 |   0.45% | 100.00% |
| 104  | Charizard          |    1 |   0.45% | 100.00% |
| 104  | Absol              |    1 |   0.45% | 100.00% |
| 104  | Indeedee-F         |    1 |   0.45% | 100.00% |
| 104  | Decidueye          |    1 |   0.45% | 100.00% |
| 104  | Tyrantrum          |    1 |   0.45% | 100.00% |
| 104  | Grimmsnarl         |    1 |   0.45% | 100.00% |
| 104  | Forretress         |    1 |   0.45% | 100.00% |
| 104  | Togedemaru         |    1 |   0.45% | 100.00% |
| 104  | Comfey             |    1 |   0.45% |   0.00% |
| 104  | Honchkrow          |    1 |   0.45% |   0.00% |
| 104  | Ribombee           |    1 |   0.45% |   0.00% |
| 104  | Shedinja           |    1 |   0.45% |   0.00% |
| 104  | Goodra             |    1 |   0.45% |   0.00% |
| 104  | Appletun           |    1 |   0.45% |   0.00% |
| 104  | Sneasel            |    1 |   0.45% |   0.00% |
| 104  | Abomasnow          |    1 |   0.45% |   0.00% |
| 104  | Sandslash-Alola    |    1 |   0.45% |   0.00% |
| 104  | Mudsdale           |    1 |   0.45% |   0.00% |
| 104  | Silvally           |    1 |   0.45% |   0.00% |
| 104  | Oricorio-Pom-Pom   |    1 |   0.45% |   0.00% |
| 104  | Persian-Alola      |    1 |   0.45% |   0.00% |
| 104  | Bewear             |    1 |   0.45% |   0.00% |
| 104  | Venusaur           |    1 |   0.45% |   0.00% |
| 104  | Drifblim           |    1 |   0.45% |   0.00% |
| 104  | Stoutland          |    1 |   0.45% |   0.00% |
| 104  | Tangela            |    1 |   0.45% |   0.00% |
| 104  | Guzzlord           |    1 |   0.45% |   0.00% |
| 104  | Ditto              |    1 |   0.45% |   0.00% |
| 104  | Altaria            |    1 |   0.45% |   0.00% |
The recent tour is almost over and we finally have a reasonable amount of high-quality matches to draw conclusions from. The metagame is sure to change within these next few weeks and I figured it would be interesting to list a few of its notable developments. You can also just view the usage stats above, I doubt they've been compiled elsewhere.

:crobat:Crobat ended up being the most used Pokemon this season, which is likely a testament to the recent emphasis being on offensive role compression post M-Agg. Between its high speed, good bulk and resistances, and favorable matchups against the majority of the offensive metagame, it's able to find success as the anchor of many bulky offense and balance teams alike, being a reliable pivot into the likes of Zarude, Roserade, and many other faster threats in the tier, with a fair amount of additional utility options in Defog, Taunt, U-turn and even moves such as Super Fang being added onto the mix, which is greatly appreciated.

:zarude::flygon: THE definitive (and arguably only good) Scarfers in the metagame, the various key resistances and crucial speed tiers that Zarude and Flygon occupy will always give them a useful standalone niche in the tier as powerful revenge killers against many offensive threats, with less promient but no less formidable set variations only being passed over because of how important these two have proven to be in their main role.

:medicham::toxtricity::zygarde-10%: With the vastly improved teambuilder space created by the bans of Mega Aggron and Deo-D, and a much larger selection of pivots to help account for their lack of defensive utility, these hefty hitters have begun to thrive as terrifying wallbreakers that threaten much of the metagame and define much of the tier's offensive landscape, being a very big influence themselves as teams continue to experiment on how get the most out of their potential, making the risk of supporting them more than worthwhile.

:raikou: High speed, STAB Volt Switch, and good power make this Pokemon wanted on many offensive teams. Heavy-Duty Boots Pivot sets are just extremely consistent and hard to kill, and will always be reliable at allowing Raikou to pick and choose its spots in games. Calm Mind sets have also seen some sparing usage, taking advantage of Raikou's good coverage and aforementioned blazing speed tier.

:milotic::cobalion::togekiss::noivern::roserade: A couple prime examples of prominent bulky offense/balance staples that were used a lot this season, with how much they can generally offer to teams in both offensive and defensive aspects, its no doubt that these Pokemon will continue to see high amounts of usage and success moving forward.

:rhyperior::steelix-mega: The Grounds have struggled to keep up with the recent pacing of the metagame, as their lack of reliable recovery often forces them to choose between switching into the threats they are meant to check or trading their HP to remove threats, and their defensive utility can easily be misleading (ps: being unable to Volt Block the incredibly common Raikou) - As such, we've been seeing a steady rise in more offensive sets for these two in response, making use of their immense Attack stats, boosting options, and expansive coverage to deal significant damage to the opposition instead.

These were some of the general highlights that I wanted to point out, lots of different teamstyles are consistent and fun to use right now, and it's always great to see these changes play out in a more healthy direction. Hope you enjoyed the tour as much as I did everyone!
 
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Ok so after having what's probably the most bs day of the month i wanna wrap up some of my thoughts in the Seasonal Tournament and how did it feel for me to host one for the first time.

The Mons

:ss/volcanion::ss/medicham::ss/nidoqueen::ss/zygarde-10%:

Breakers are absolutely borked in the meta because everything tends to be slow (which is why HO could have its revival by just throwing the pressure off). Volcanion is just the best pokemon in the tier without any doubts, it brings everything that the meta struggles with and either fixes it or abuses it by itself, Fire/Water is a great typing offensively and defensively that compliments with the Water Inmunnity from Water Absorb so well since most Waters can't really hurt Volcanion back without Toxic while as Volcanion can Toxic the waters and always pivot in for free healing, Defog sets are amazing hazard removals since they have either good or decent matchups with most hazards setters while SubToxic takes the whole Water abusing aspect even further since most teams probably have a water like Milotic, Starmie or their own Volcanion to handle it, its one of the reasons that you bring a backup that won't be stopped due to passivity and also why Noivern is really good. Medicham unsurprisingly got a good amount of usage since it came from a sample that was used a lot in the tournament, compared to SM RU it really does feel like the things that usually stopped it like Slowbro were really impactful and the meta being slower, usually forcing kills or trades. Nidoqueen has probably one of the best STAB combinations in the tier alongside great movepool and role compression, its fairly balanced on her roles as a Ground type and a Rocker with huge damage output or just as an All-Out Attacker that really only needed 3 moves in the first place. Zygarde-10% not having high usage is a crime, sure this mon doesn't seem that good when most of the meta is able to check it but it has so much going for it that the few weaknesses that it can be irrelevant, Thousand Arrows alone is a fantastic move to spam and whenever you don't use shitass Outrage on Choice Band sets you have the freedom to use more coverage for matchups like Togekiss, Zarude or Chesnaught while still being really threatning against offense as well with the crowded base 115 speed tier.


:ss/diancie: :ss/obstagoon: :ss/houndoom-mega:

Its pretty sad to see these mons with low usages but at the same time its understandable to see why in two of them. Diancie is a great rocker in general with unique defensive utility and support moves while also not being totally passive but even things like Nidoqueen or Cobalion would still come in to ruin your day anyway but the stuff that it checks is quite valuable. The darks here are really hard to slap on teams, they may be some of the scarier breakers in the tier but they have so many problems in terms of longevity that it makes it difficult to build around them. Obstagoon dislikes having to face Chesnaught or Cobalion as that makes it a lot more prediction reliant which it can't afford to be when it has to dish out damage as much as it can due to hazards and Flame Orb, M-Houndoom on the other hand is actually decently bulky for such an offensive menace but its held back by its rocks weakness and the amount of bulky waters that can play around it. These are all good mon and they really deserved better.


:ss/glalie-mega:
:ss/vanilluxe:


The icies have been really fun experiments on the meta considering this one is filled with steels. M-Glalie not only has a decent speed tier and strong STAB Ice moves thanks to Refrigerate but also Priority and Spikes which means even on matchups where its either too bulky or too offensive to deal with, its able to make some sort of progress regardless. Vanilluxe is the one i have been using in a Barraskewda core based on the ones that were attempted on National Dex UU and they are hella fun to mess around with, STAB Specs Blizzard and Freeze-Dry dish out some crazy damage, even when M-Aggron was around you can just spam your moves and have a nice day.

:ss/togekiss:

Can you really tell how Togekiss just fell off? It may be able to check a lot of the meta but being tasked with so much will always end up being terrible in the long run. The main problem comes in that its just not threatning at all, sure NP Sets have enough variety to mess you up and Thunder Wave can be annoying but its not only unable to fit all it wants into one moveset but even the right moves won't save you from your bad matchups that are as meta defining as ever like Raikou, Registeel, Nidoqueen, Toxtricity and even Zarude can just use you for momentum because you're unable to punish the opposing team that hard, its not that this mon became terrible but its just not A+ anymore.

The Tournament Itself

I'd love to talk more about the cool picks and underrated stuff but i wanna get straight with this topic. Hosting a tournament sounded fun at first, i knew it would have been hard to manage without having the knowledge and when i thought things were doing well and that i had obtained enough learning, between R2 and R3 is where i started to face down the reality that is my feeling of satisfaction with anything i make. I started to get DMs from the Players in the tournament that were asking why they didn't get notified about it, why did they got flipped and more, i didn't knew that the mentions straight up didn't worked and i realized i had more problems hiding in the shadows, even when i kept fixing certain problems i eventually would find worse ones that were all just from my own stupidity for this. The fact that i haven't done something as simple as checking how active the users were at first was just dumb and it was that alongside the lack of notifications for the tournament that many people just lost without even knowing the tournament has started or anything, despite all of that i somehow managed to somewhat fix things after R5 but the damage has already been done already, it was sad to see how much of a disaster the tournament was because of my inexperience on it and i still had a few issues afterwards. Im really sorry for everyone that got involved in the tournament and had one problem due to me being an idiot, the whole thing was just a mess and im just waiting for it to finish so that i can forget about it, there were other problems like the builder not being updated and more but those were nothing compared to the disaster in the early rounds. I know it was just my first attempt and that errors are bound to happen but i feel like things could have been much better than this.
If you somehow managed to not get bored by reading this manifesto of funsies and character development my experience for the first time then congratulations! I hope you haven't suffered due to my stupid management skills and that you somehow enjoyed this, a VR Update is gonna be coming with some good feedback from the tournament (for me at least) and that's about it, have a good day! or good night if you used this to sleep.
 
Its been a long time and while it is late, The VR Update is Here! There's probably a lot of stuff to discuss about thanks to the horrible tournament so i might not be able to cover everything here but if you have any questions then you can talk about it either on the main ND Server or the ND RU Server!.

:crobat: From A+ to S
:noivern: From A to A+
:nidoqueen: From A- to A+
:arctozolt: From B+ to A
:ninetales-alola: From B+ to A
:barbaracle: From B+ to A-
:obstagoon: From B+ to A-
:sceptile-mega: From B+ to A-
:salazzle: From B+ to A-
:steelix-mega: From B+ to A-
:metagross: From B- to B+
:seismitoad: From B to B+
:suicune: From B to B+
:pincurchin: From C to B
:raichu-alola: From C to B
:tyrantrum: From B- to B
:camerupt-mega: From C to B-
:glalie-mega: From C to B-
:dhelmise: Added to C
:sneasel: Added to C
:vanilluxe: Added to C

:sylveon: From A+ to A
:diancie: From A- to B+
:toxtricity: From A- to B+
:alomomola: From B+ to B
:shaymin: From B+ to B
:jellicent: From B- to C
:stakataka: From B- to C
:vileplume: From B- to C
:virizion: From B- to C
:aerodactyl: From C to UR
:crabominable: From C to UR
:decidueye: From C to UR
:entei: From C to UR
:klefki: From C to UR
:linoone: From B- to UR
:quagsire: From C to UR
:xatu: From C to UR
:yanmega: From C to UR

:ss/crobat:
One of the most consistent pivots in the tier that fits in almost every playstyle, brings a lot of utility for the team (Defog, Taunt or Super Fang), speed control, fantastic typing, easiest mon to use that checks a lot of the tier and abuses it for momentum, eats grasses and most fairies for days, etc. It's basically the glue of the tier (perhaps even more than Volcanion) and it's always doing something in every match regardless of what its facing.

:ss/ninetales-alola: :ss/arctozolt:
Hail has been really powerful but kind of held back when M-Aggron was here but once that era finished, it became as powerful as before, Veil support on Arctozolt can just go stupid in most Matchups while also somewhat covering the defensive utility that the ice duo brings, Zolt is really hard to wall because of how dumb BoltBeam as a stab is and Veil forces you to constantly try to outplay it so that a revenge killer can come in once its chipped.

:ss/pincurchin: :ss/raichu-alola:
One of the earliest bans and while it is weird to see ETerrain being decent, well its actually more than that. Alolan Raichu takes advantage of the meta being a slow one and setting up on the passive walls that either can't hurt it, cant OHKO it or fear death like Milotic, Starmie, Crobat, Volcanion, Togekiss, etc. Unlike on SS it actually gets Z-Crystals and Hidden Power back and while HP Ice is a decent option, Fightinium Z allows you to nuke your way through most ground or grass checks like Flygon or Zarude, you could say its similar to Zolt but with a higher risk.

:ss/sylveon:
The days where you can wish pass for free are slowly dying as the meta tries to move on from the M-Aggron meta and while it is still on an awkward spot with breakers currently being extremely good, the M-Aggron ban itself is what hurt this mon a lot. In my opinion it could of had dropped further but its still fine however it certainly doesn't like the current meta trends.

:ss/glalie-mega: :ss/vanilluxe: :ss/sneasel:
Ice types are always the high risk high reward ones in ND RU and these aren't the exception, they're all decent in their own rights with unique trades that leave them a spot in the meta. M-Glalie has Spikes, Vanilluxe pairs well on voltturn cores to throw out disgusting Blizzards and Sneasel has the 115 crowded base speed tier with great stabs and able to revenge kill chipped sweepers.
 
I wonder what caused the rises to Mega Camerupt, Metagross, and Dhelmise. I also wonder what's caused Klefki to get unranked, the others that went UR I can understand easier.
I'll share my thoughts rq.

Dhelmise is a spinner with decent MUs vs rockers and handles electrics quite nicely but it struggles much besides that.

Metagross is another steel that appreciates M-Aggron being gone, id say that Rocks Meta is actually really good and options like CB or even Demon Gross are really nice tho i didn't expect the B+ raise (i was the only one who voted B lol)

M-Camerupt i have no idea as to why it raised LMFAO this mon can do damage but its not like the tier is THAT dry, there's a lot of Waters around and yet this somehow raised.

Klefki is just a Spikes machine that gets overwhelmed a lot, it could probably have stayed on C but it ended up like this
 
M-Camerupt i have no idea as to why it raised LMFAO this mon can do damage but its not like the tier is THAT dry, there's a lot of Waters around and yet this somehow raised.
1660873875632.png

I think B- is fitting, if a tad high, for the camel. One of the strengths of Camerupt is simply the sheer damage it can dish out to would-be walls on the switch. On one hand, it doesn't really like the presence of Volcanion causing a surge in bulky water-type counters. But on the other hand, these self-same counters need to be careful in switching in themselves. Every hit they take from Camerupt could inch them just a little closer to the Azelf, Starmie, Nidqueen or Flygon in the back. If you're partnered with a Raikou or a Noivern, you can even afford to play a little aggressively and go for chip damage or a toxic on the flip turn, toxic or coverage move and force the opponent hand's in the long term. Keep in mind, that not all teams can afford to run bulky water types and pretty much anything else gets 2HKO'd.

I won't sugarcoat it though, M-Camerupt has little else going for it outside its ridiculous power. It can Stealth Rock and function as a tank but this is a case of it dabbling in these trades rather than meaningfully mastering any of them. It suffers from the main problem of being a ground type that cannot switch into electric- and rock-typed attackers at all and a fire type that doesn't like switching into the likes of Zarude and Roserade. Volcanion has the same issue but makes up for it with Water Absorb. As for Camerupt being a rocker, there are two facets to this. M-Rupt is too slow and most hazard control can afford to trade to keep rocks off (if not beat it 1v1 outright). However, the more compelling argument is that running Camerupt as a dedicated Stealth Rocker means that you are constrained on a play-to-play basis. The question becomes not "can Mega Camerupt click STAB or toxic here?" but rather "should I go for rocks here or not?" which cuts into Mega-Rupts potential for spamming attacks - its best trait.

Bottom line: Pair the Dromedary with slow u-turn, volt switch, flip turn or teleport support (or Trick Room if you're so inclined) and watch it pay dividends clicking Earth Power and Fire Blast. Your job here isn't to tank hits or click stealth rocks, your job is to break and break hard - rocks and tanking hits are perks at best.

252+ SpA Sheer Force Camerupt-Mega Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Milotic: 141-166 (35.7 - 42.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252+ SpA Sheer Force Camerupt-Mega Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Vaporeon: 169-201 (36.4 - 43.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Sheer Force Camerupt-Mega Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Gastrodon: 186-220 (43.6 - 51.6%) -- 10.2% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Sheer Force Camerupt-Mega Fire Blast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Noivern: 166-196 (53.3 - 63%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Sheer Force Camerupt-Mega Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Starmie: 259-306 (79.9 - 94.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Sheer Force Camerupt-Mega Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Seismitoad: 288-340 (69.5 - 82.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Sheer Force Camerupt-Mega Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Suicune: 202-238 (50 - 58.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery

I am assuming the worst-case scenario for the bulky waters listed above with the exception of bulky Starmie, Seismitoad and Suicune which typically invest into physical bulk.

"Quick" run down on the VR changes:
1660867357774.png
:noivern:
: Both are excellent defoggers and pivots. Noivern is really easy to slap on many offensive and bulky offensive teams due to its utility as a Volcanion check that can beat the usual defog and SubTox sets (although you do need to be careful about the odd Specs Volc). I'm not sure if Crobat is strictly speaking better as a defogger but it is a very valuable one that has the distinct advantage of preserving turn-to-turn momentum unlike something like Togekiss. Unlike Noivern, it isn't pressed for moves either with a pretty straightforward suite that can be tailored for match-up (taunt works wonders against would be set up and denies entry hazards, super fang chips Rhyperior, Bronzong and M-Lix, etc.)

:nidoqueen:
: GOAT. Functionally has no safe switch-ins since it can lure bulky waters for Volcanion or ZyDog in the back.
:arctozolt:
:ninetales-alola:
:pincurchin:
:raichu-alola:
: Hail is a pretty domineering force in the metagame; I would wager that even A+ wouldn't be a bad nomination. As defence, you definitely need a check or two to hail (which is usually bulky steels like mega Steelix or toxic + protect antics). Offence mandates a scarfer as fast as Roserade, ideally faster, or Scarf-Gardevoir (without either of these you lose to naive Zolt). There are no "safe" arctozolt switch-ins, just temporary measures and soft checks that one can only ascertain through careful scouting. I would say there are enough countermeasures to hail in practice that prevent it from being broken (for now) but it's on thin ice. Electric terrain offers a similar catch-22 on paper but unlike Hail, Raichu-A is easier to switch into since ground types need to be hit by coverage (which they aren't hit as hard by) and by the fact that electric terrain has no chip damage. Both archetypes have galvanised HO as a viable archetype post M-Aggron but whether they melt in the face of adaptation or winter on in the metagame can only be answered by time.

:barbaracle:
: You think you have switch-ins to this? You don't. You may fall under the delusion that your scarf Zarude outspeed this. It doesn't. If this thing sets up to +2 and has the right coverage on the fourth slot, be prepared to sac.

:obstagoon:
: Absurdly strong breaker which thrives in a metagame where Cobalion is overloaded as a defensive pivot and Rhyperior is on a decline. With a flexible last move, you can be prepared to trip up underprepared teams. An anticipated and welcomed rise for sure.

:sceptile-mega:
: Decent, if not perfect, speed control. It has been getting usage since the Necrocma days and the Maggron's ban has skyrocketed this mon's viability as one of the premier Mega Evolutions. Sub+Seed antics are where it excels but 4 attacks and even Swords Dance have room for exploration.

:salazzle:
: Another Poke I was counting on to rise. B rank really undersells how tricky this mon is to play around for bulkier teams - particularly RegiWater cores and Furret's Stall - without a dedicated status absorber. Against offence, nasty plot sets are alright but the pressure you force is relegated to the mid-end game when all the waters are weakened and when scarf gon takes enough chip.

:steelix-mega:
:metagross:
: MLix was expected. If you have been following the meta for long enough, you probably already know what this does. As for Metagross, I strongly disagree with the B- rank during the Maggron era and I think B+ is underselling it even now.

I'm nominating Metagross to A- or even A. The utility this pokemon brings is incredible. It's a bulky steel type that checks a lot of stuff flying around in this tier like Azelf, Mega Sceptile, Gardevoir, Roserade, Sylveon, Togekiss and Noivern. Not only is this pokemon (as mentioned by Furret) incredibly versatile with the capacity to run: Stealth rocks, Choice band, Toxic + Protect (demon gross) and Cosmic Power to incredible success. But the real kicker is that you can customise the movesets, itemslot and most importantly EVs to hit whatever benchmark you desire (min speed gligar and milotic benchmarks are what I run for offence-oriented teams). With Stealth Rock, you can run the traditional leftovers set with meteor mash or Eq but you can substitute that with bullet punch, body press and the odd pursuit to check relevant threats to your team. Or you can run life orb/expert belt grass knot to beat Gastrodon or Seismitoad. Choice Band needs two moves (Meteor Mash and Earthquake) and the rest is up to you. Trick, Pursuit, Bullet Punch, Explosion, Ice Punch, Zen Headbutt and Toxic are all viable options as coverage and/or crippling tools. The main downside is that it is fairly slow and competes with Registeel and Mega Steelix for a slot. However, I believe Metagross has a distinct enough niche to separate itself from the competition and isn't as prone to passivity.

:seismitoad:
: Good change. Solid water absorber and stealth rocker. 50/50 on this mon being a Volcanion check since SubTox exists.
:suicune:
: Tad confused on this one since I haven't seen it in effect. I assume this might be related to its performance in the tour games and if that is the case, yes I agree. I think nomming this to B was a bit of a lurch but understandable given how Zarude dominated the climate. But now that the Zarude hype has died down, I reckon that is solid bulky water/game ender. In my tour game against Nezloe (I believe), Suicune was a pain to deal with for my teams since I needed chip for Scarf Zarude to KO. Keep in mind, scarf Zarude could easily get stalled out behind a substitute with the fabled sub + protect + miss combo (I love 85% accuracy :psysly: ).

:tyrantrum:
: Hmm. I am unconvinced by this. I suppose this is on the merits of its set-up variants because choice band suffers from it:
1) Needing to run Jolly for Volcanion
2) being locked into head smash
But I can imagine +2 speed tyrantrum cleaning up weakened teams with Head Smash and CC. Just keep enough HP to outlast the Scarf Zarude in the backseat.

:glalie-mega:
:sneasel:
:vanilluxe:
: Deserved. Most teams here don't particularly like ice-type moves. Crabominable being ranked is a testament to that. However, I feel these 3 do Mr Krabbs's job a lot better by packing more speed and more utility in exchange for obscene power. Sneasel in particular is interesting since I used band Sneasel when Mienshao was legal and it made for quite a partner to Shao. I have also been experimenting with Mega Abomasnow which may have a niche in this tier as an SD user that can chunk Registeel. I suppose I would tentatively nominate it to the C ranks. Right now, I haven't had the results I wanted and Mega Abomasnow is constrained by a lot of significant issues.

:toxtricity:
: I would disagree with this nomination given the performance Toxtricity is having in the tour. It's less a pokemon and more of a wake-up slap against teams that over-prep for Raikou but are underprepared for this mon. Defensive stats are lacklustre but they serve well enough against more defence-oriented teams. Nomming arguably one of the strongest breakers in the tier to the B ranks is something that deserves a little clarification, surely.

:shaymin:
: Good riddance. Sceptile is simply the better SubSeeder and the life orb + choices sets are awkward to use and require Meloetta levels of support to make work. (i.e. at least two extra partners to carry its slack). Shaymin's like a loudmouthed lawyer: Shaymin in builder turns any team into Shaymin and Associates Pty. Ltd. but refuses to carry the burden for the rest of the team.


:sylveon:
:diancie:
:alomomola:
:jellicent:
:vileplume:
: Passive blobs. Jellicent is a pretty lacklustre Volcanion check (although it could make a nice anti-bulky water mon). Sylveon has definitely seen better days. Diancie and Alomomola were never my things. Vileplume is probably the one I'm most on the fence about but I don't usually need to run a bulky grass on builder since Zarude/Roserade and Noivern have the tools needed to check the relevant bulky water types. Even if you're checking something like Barraskewda, there are better options available.

:stakataka:
: This thing really misses Mega Pidgeot. I would say it still has a niche by virtue of its lethal Trick Room sets, the odd specially defensive rocker that can withstand flamethrowers and the surprise Choice Band truck. However, it is definitely the bottom rung of the viable defensive steels (yes, I would probably use Escavalier over this).

:aerodactyl:
:klefki:
:xatu:
:quagsire:
: Most of these guys were barely viable to begin with or highly situational. Aero is supposed to be a sash lead but we don't really have any of those. Pursuit and DD suck since this thing has no bulk. Klefki is a garbage spiker since you know damn well that those spikes are getting cleared after it's gone. Xatu could be explored more in the future but it lets in too many dangerous things like boots or Darkinium Zarude and CM Raikou for free. Quagsire is a stall staple and only one person in this entire tier willingly runs stall.

:linoone:
:entei:
:decidueye:
:crabominable:
: I still think these guys have a semblance of a niche but I will concede that they aren't great. Linoone has potential for belly drum antics but only two teams make that work. Neither of those are aurora veil and one makes use of the already unviable Weez-G. Entei has the potential to rip teams apart with Band Sacred fire but the metagame gearing up to contain Volcanion from all possible angles. Entei might be a good example of where the size of the dog in the fight really does matter. Decidueye sucks but grass/ghost coverage is really good. I have even run Trevenant because it gets natural cure and Band Poltergeist has nifty calcs against Registeel. I am willing to keep my options open with the Grass/Ghost brigade as such. Crabominable arguably has the least potential of these four since it's a garbage mon outside of this metagame and was only considered for a rank because of how badly team compositions here are weak to ice. That alone could give it a niche (Ice/Fighting is impressive coverage-wise) but the three C-ranked Ices all have solid niches over it.

:yanmega:
: Adamantly disagree here. Yanmega certainly has the potential to disrupt a lot of Bulky Offensive teams in this metagame even with Registeel and Crobat being common. Crobat is a pretty shaky switch and the incoming Brave Bird or Roost are pretty telegraphed. Registeel is probably a case where you can't win all your battles so best u-turn out to the appropriate check. Aside from those two, teams relying on scarf Flygon and scarf Zarude for speed control are placed in uncomfortable positions and have to deny Yanmega a free switch-in. Stealth rocks are perhaps its greatest Achilles heel but smart teambuilding is able to surmount this issue. To me, the risk-reward nature of Yanmega as a pokemon was worth it being ranked but it's difficult to contest the UR further when it is such an experimental mon in the first place.

I was going to comment on the tour usage a week back. Time and Smogon being finicky about saving drafts have stymied my progress so I will finish up the draft when the touring business is finished.
 

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