Enough time has passed since the latest bans and I feel that we're close to a more stable metagame, so I wanted to give my top 5 best Pokemon in the metagame right now ~
#1
Big bad
Primal Groudon ranks at #1, and it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that plays this metagame. This Pokemon got enormous buffs this generation, both defensively in the form of Spikes / Will-O-Wisp and offensively in the form of Terastal and the fact that Arceus cannot outstall Precipice Blades with Recover anymore. From defensive Spikes / Stealth Rock + Toxic to mixed Tera Fire Fire Blast / Eruption to the countless Swords Dance variations, this Pokemon can truly do it all and you can never go wrong with one in your team.
#2
Arceus-Ground comes in second, being the clear-cut best Arceus form in this metagame. Traditional sets such as Swords Dance, Calm Mind, and bulky Stealth Rock / Defog continue to define large portions of the tier. However, Arceus-Ground received three meta-defining new toys that truly cement it as one of the top dogs. Dragon Dance allows Arceus to invalidate revenge-killing attempts from Marshadow and Zacian-C completely, whilst retaining crazy offensive power with Tectonic Rage / Tera Ground. Power Gem invalidates Ho-Oh, priorly known as the single best check to specially offensive Arceus-Ground sets. And last but not least, Taunt shuts down stray Toxic and Whirlwind, fundamentally redefining counterplay for both offensive and bulky sets.
#3
Necrozma-DM is back in style, being the stellar glue it has always been. Whilst not as omnipresent anymore due to the Zacian-C nerf, its utility remains nigh-unmatched as a Stealth Rock setter, status spreading machine, and Xerneas / Zacian-C check. Now that it can invest in SpD again, Dragon Dance sets become all the scarier, using the likes of bulky Arceus-Ground and Arceus-Dark as setup fodder, especially when combined with a favourable Tera type such as Grass or Fairy. Solgalium Z sets add to its repertoire as well, trading the ability to Terastallize for a one-time nuke that severely dents the likes of Arceus-Dark, Primal Kyogre, and Arceus-Ground.
#4
Ho-Oh clocks in at number 4, courtesy of gluing together a very large amount of teams at the moment. Ho-Oh basically checks half the tier, including titans such as Koraidon, most Necrozma-DM, non-Rock move Primal Groudon, Zacian-C, Xerneas, Dragon Dance Arceus, and Eternatus. This list expands when you factor in Tera types; e.g. Tera Grass Ho-Oh is a solid check to the likes of Primal Kyogre and Zygarde-C, while keeping Xerneas and Zacian-C on their toes due to now being resistant to Electric. Ho-Oh frees up the Defog slot from Arceus formes as well, allowing the latter to run far more dangerous Taunt or setup sets.
#5
Choice Scarf
Koraidon is the best revenge killer in the metagame, limiting the likes of Zacian-C, the Necrozma formes, Xerneas, and Dragon Dance Arceus formes and Mega Salamence. After all, no other revenge killer is capable of outspeeding +1 Arceus and Mega Salamence, whilst being capable of retaining momentum with U-turn and maintaining a good amount of damage output (especially with Tera Fighting). However, Koraidon is not just a revenge killer; sets such as Swords Dance Tera Fire and Swords Dance Z-Dragon are insanely difficult to check properly, as demonstrated in the calcs posted above this post. This makes Koraidon an elite wallbreaker on top.
Numbers 6-10 are more subjective in my opinion. Mine at the moment would probably be something like #6. Eternatus - #7. Arceus - #8. Xerneas - #9. Zygarde-C - #10. Zacian-C. Besides these, stuff like Mega Salamence, Ultra Necrozma, Arceus-Fairy, and Yveltal also hold top spots in my eyes. Overall, I really enjoy building / playing in the current metagame, and while I do think there are a few problematic aspects still (Taunt Arceus and Terastal come to mind), the diversity is a real treat.
We will be working on the Viability Rankings, Sample Teams, Speed Tiers, and Set Compendium threads in the upcoming period so stay tuned for that!