Resource National Dex Viability Rankings

Imma be real with you...
:tapu-lele: A -> A+

It can at least destroy nearly every single top tier mon in this metagame.
S+
252 SpA Tapu Lele Moonblast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Dragapult: 392-464 (123.6 - 146.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO (scarf outspeeds)
252 SpA Tapu Lele Psychic vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Tornadus-Therian in Psychic Terrain: 210-247 (58 - 68.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

A+
252 SpA Tapu Lele Focus Blast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Kingambit: 596-704 (174.7 - 206.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 SpA Tapu Lele Psychic vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Lopunny in Psychic Terrain: 198-234 (73 - 86.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Tapu Lele Psychic vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Zamazenta in Psychic Terrain: 338-402 (87.1 - 103.6%) -- 18.8% chance to OHKO (IronPress set, ohkos otherwise)

A
252 SpA Tapu Lele Psychic vs. 240 HP / 252+ SpD Annihilape in Psychic Terrain: 296-350 (70.3 - 83.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery (BU Annihilape)

252 SpA Tapu Lele Hidden Power Fire vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Ferrothorn: 232-276 (65.9 - 78.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery (why?)
252 SpA Tapu Lele Moonblast vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Garchomp: 356-420 (84.7 - 100%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO (TankChomp)
252 SpA Tapu Lele Psychic vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Great Tusk in Psychic Terrain: 636-750 (171.4 - 202.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO (Also KOs with Moonblast)
252 SpA Tapu Lele Psychic vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Iron Valiant in Psychic Terrain: 576-678 (199.3 - 234.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO (Scarf set, Val doesn't kill with its strongest move, Moonblast)

252 SpA Tapu Lele Psychic vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Landorus-Therian in Psychic Terrain: 231-273 (60.4 - 71.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery (Defensive Set)

252 SpA Tapu Lele Hidden Power Fire vs. 248 HP / 128 SpD Scizor-Mega: 232-276 (67.6 - 80.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (Scizor's only moves in this scenario are U-Turn and CC, which do not OHKO)

252 SpA Tapu Lele Psychic vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Tapu Koko: 186-220 (66.1 - 78.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (risky since koko can 2hko back with bolt)


252 SpA Tapu Lele Moonblast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Tapu Lele: 138-163 (49.1 - 58%) -- 96.1% chance to 2HKO (Yes, it kills itself)

Say hello to god
 

Taka

coastin' like crazy
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Gonna make some noms i've been meaning to do for a while now:

:garchomp-mega: : C to B

With the mega slot not being super required on every team, Mixed Mega Garchomp can act as a midgame rocker/wallbreaker that has similar offensive potency to ChainChomp, while maintaining defensive longevity thanks to no Life Orb and higher defenses.

Garchomp-Mega @ Garchompite
Ability: Rough Skin
Tera Type: Dragon
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Fire Blast
- Draco Meteor

:iron moth: : B- to B/B+

Iron Moth is severely underrated, especially on Koko teams. All of its relevant checks are smashed by Tera Ground Tera Blast sets, and they aren't very hard to slot on these sort of teams. Moth is able to open up holes in defensive cores by taking out Skeledirge, Heatran, Toxapex, Garganacl, and Tyranitar, making it easier for teammates like Tapu Koko, Volcarona, and Iron Valiant to sweep late game.

:kingambit: : A+ to S

I don't think this mon deserves to be below Tornadus-T or Dragapult. Both offensively and defensively it always brings value to a team by either forcing progress through Knock Off, Pursuit, or just flatout sweeping through entire teams. Most revenge killing options can be powered through with just Tera and a boosting item, and being a solid trapper for other incredible threats like Tornadus-T, Gholdengo, and Dragapult deserves a mention.

:toxapex: : B+ to A-

Toxapex is still immensely valuable as a defensive pivot. Not much to be said, its still an incredible mon thanks to Scald and Knock Off.

:volcarona: : A- to A+

I don't think you can just call this a matchup moth anymore. Volcarona is THE defining sweeper of this metagame, and every team needs to have an answer to it including Terastallization options that beat its checks, such as Tera Ground, Tera Fairy, Tera Grass, and Tera Bug. Spreading Wisp and forcing defensive Tera is always a fantastic thing for other setup sweepers to come in later.

:tapu koko: : A to A+

I really just think we're exploring the tip of the iceberg on Eterrain offense. Tapu Koko teams have the potential to break through nearly every counterplay option in the metagame with the right team support and set, and we're slowly innovating the ways this happens (including Teras on Iron Moth, Z-moves on Moth/Valiant, different sets on Koko, support mons such as Iron Hands/Jugulis/Thorns). There is definitely way more potential to these guys, and Tapu Koko itself also fuels both Eterrain offense as well as most HO builds, so it deserves to rise.

Also want to just shoutout LBN and their comments on Moltres-G and Zapdos. Both of those mons are criminally underrated and deserve more use.
 

LBN

is a Top Tiering Contributor Alumnus
UPL Champion
Well considering how many i forgot, i'll do a VR noms part 2. Gonna ignore the person saying gambit sucks cuz its slow cuz the entire post was a word salad with no substance or correct things anywhere within it. Celebi is less viable than mega glalie im not gassing that.

B+ -> A-/A
Recovery nerf did not kill lord pex like yall thought it did. Zamazenta cannot freely spam CC while it's here, one of the few things you can chuck at Zard Y and leave the scenario positive, and nets overall positive MUs vs Rain and Sun. Tspikes are incredible rn imo, a good chunk of threats get effected by it and helps apply nice pressure. It still checks the same shit as before but not limited to Mega Lopp, Mega Scizor, Rapid Strike sometimes, Weavile, depending on item Garganacl, Volcarona kinda, Valliant, Walking Wake, etc. Overall the recovery nerf is tuff but Tera is also nice with. Becoming a pure water lets it check Tusk softly, and the other grounds alongside it. Tera Dragon is also nice, an underrated tera type with it's resistances, lets it keep its good rain / sun mu while adding Kartana grass spam to the mix, and removes the ground weakness in exchange for dying to fairies. Overall, great mon.

UR -> C
Rain Cope? Kinda but not really. Volcanion does the same thing as before. Offensive 3A defog, it can run specs as a slower walking wake clone, subtoxic can be annoying aswell. Imo boots defog is the best one, it's defensive profile is unique where it doesnt do a ton, but fairy and water checking is nice and being a defogger than kills gholdengo easily is a coin in its pocket. This replay in ssnl shows that defog shtick if little else, but that gives you at the least an idea of what i mean and puts it in criteria for ranking it. Tera Ground is a personal pick, boosting EP for pex and being a water immune ground is great alongside flipping the switch on Koko. It's natural bulk lets it usually take atleast one smack aswell, I'd say it's very nice into bulkier teams, but has some use vs offensive ones. It's better than Sandy Shocks cmon

C -> B-
This thing is great. Not the scale shot set i think that set blows and disappoints more than Sega. No the set on offer is the mixed rocker set. Did you know Draco just drops tusk from full? It does and it feels fantastic everytime. Alot of time you can stay in regular form for the speed, and then mega over when you need the bulk or power. Many times i've faced zard y tusk, stayed regular for rocks and then nuked it with draco right after when tusk first comes in. In that sense, it's Sun MU is great. Overall nice mon, and that tusk luring pairs it nicely with S rank valid Kingambit. (honestly more i use kingambit more i say it's top 1 this mon is amazing)

As a side note please use the new updated sprites these old ones feel so unpleasant to look at and a mismatch of the new ones and the SS ones would look so much better if you shrink them down (grab from serebii for them it's not that hard to do)
Examples:

cmon. u got this fr.
 
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about15guys

your favorite pop idol
is a Pre-Contributor
Shorter nom I just wanted to make

:cyclizar: from B+ to A-/A

This mon is stupidly good enabler with a great speed tier and good utility options, shed tail subs are insane on the right mons (Dnite, Mgyara, any mon with immunities) and become even stupider with screens, giving whatever comes in free turns to setup and sweep your team, and if you're not scarfed you also have the option of revenge killing certain mons like when it comes in due to its excellent speed tier (0 SpA Cyclizar Overheat vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Ferrothorn: 288-340 (81.8 - 96.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery, lmao) and with scarf this thing basically outspeeds everything relevant, giving you free switches and precious turns to set up. I think this and screens koko is what's keeping HO so relevant in the metagame rn, and I'm kinda half hoping for a potential ban/sus test in the future
 
It had to be done so I'll throw it in here.

:latios: from UR -> B-

Latios @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Levitate
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stored Power
- Aura Sphere
- Agility
- Calm Mind

s/o to Lameflame
This thing is really solid on screens HO, it takes advantage of weakness policy very well and once it gets a boost it can plow through teams with stored power. Tera Steel gives it an excellent typing for completing sweeps once it is boosted, resisting priority from Mega Lopunny, Dragonite, Mega Scizor, Weavile, Mega Medicham making it even more difficult to revenge kill.

Replays:

NatDex Rigged R2: Lameflame vs LBN
The match that inspired this post^

from hidin:
Cyclizar support helps against Kingambit
vs Rain
sweeps with very little effort
 
I would like to nominate a couple Pokemon, which I believe are underrated and should be tiered higher.

:sv/walking-wake:
B to S-

This Pokemon [without exaggeration] instantly made Sun shoot up in usage, and that is quite obvious when you look at its attacks. With Protosynthesis and its signature move, Hydro Steam, it reaches astronomical levels of power with a Choice Specs equipped. Its typing is almost perfect for Sun as well; any Sand users, such as Hippowdon and Excadrill, will be quickly shredded by this STAB super-effective move, and trying to use rain to usurp the sun only results in Hydro Steam still getting a boost from rain(!) Aside from that, the powerful STAB Water-type moves of Rain will also barely be able to hurt Walking Wake, due to its 4x resistance to Water! Walking Wake is even popular without a dedicated Sun team; pairing it with Mega Charizard Y would provide enough Special attacking power, even if one is not running Sun Pokemon like Venusaur and Scovillain.

:sv/tyranitar-mega:
B+ to A-

A sleeper pick at the moment [while everyone is still playing with new toys as a result of the similarly-named syndrome], Tyranitar checks a large amount of Pokemon well, including both Pokemon from the S tier along with quite a number of Pokemon from the A tier, being Heatran and Gholdengo. This Pokemon provides immense role compression, being able to set Sandstorm well for the weather war, along with using Stealth Rock. It also has Pursuit, being able to trap and remove above-mentioned Pokemon. Its Stone Edge is also massively powerful, dealing a large amount of damage to even resists [barring Great Tusk, for obvious reasons]. Its final slot is very flexible, and the reader may experiment with moves like Superpower and Earthquake, along with less common attacks like Ice Punch, Fire Blast, Ice Beam, and even [if the reader is so inclined] Rest.

:sv/iron-valiant:
A to A+/S

Amazing physical and special movepool, brilliant speed tier and being able to use Booster Energy: what's not to like for Iron Valiant? Being able to use many different sets well, such as Choice Specs, Calm Mind, mixed attacking sets and even, potentially, Choice Band, this Pokemon is built to succeed in the current metagame. With the rise of bulkier playstyles involving Hippowdon, Garganacl, Ferrothorn and Kingambit, this Pokemon is ready to take on the challenge, brutally smacking them in the face with Focus Blast, Energy Ball, Moonblast, Close Combat or Thunderbolt. It even has some defensive utility, doubly resisting Sucker Punch from Kingambit and being able to Terastallise into a defensive typing like Steel, along with being able to run attacks like Trick or Destiny Bond as utility moves! This Pokemon is truly the offensive titan of the generation, and should be recognised as one.
 

about15guys

your favorite pop idol
is a Pre-Contributor
Actually, I'll post a few more

:dragonite: from A- to A/A+
VERY good tera abuser, fits extremely well on most screens teams and multiscale+shed tail is a stupid combo, also gets all the coverage it could ever want to let you tailor the set to deal with problematic mons

:walking-wake: from B- to A-/A
single-handedly made sun teams not a joke, very good mon thats immediately threatening, only issue is its got shit coverage and struggles with some bulky waters, but it makes up for that with raw power, especially when paired with zardy

:tapu-koko: from A to A+
this mon basically made screens ho good, and it's got insane utility for a team with its great speed and movepool, alongside being able to catch people off-guard with the odd offensive set

:gyarados-mega: from B to B+/A-
very good mon when supported well, after 1-2 dragon dances it's able to basically nuke the entire tier and it's capable of haxxing out mons with the 20% flinch chance on waterfall

:rillaboom: from B- to B/A-
people undervalued this due to the glide nerf, but imo it's still a very good mon at patching up a rain mu, can also double as a wallbreaker for mons like garg and pex with cb sets, or setup with SD, very solid mon at doing multiple things and also function as a great late game cleaner with glide and chip, especially with tera

:clodsire: from B+ to B-/C
this mon sucks at what it tries to do, it just never feels bulky enough and is too easily forced into spamming recover, alongside being way too passive and not actually walling too much rn, most stuff that slots things for pex can usually just 2hko clod as a side benefit, just kinda outclassed by better mons rn

:ting-lu: from B+ to B/B-
this mon's got amazing defensive stats and ability, but the lack of reliable recovery absolutely kills it, incredibly weak to knock off or any other form of chip, incredibly weak to any magic bounce user and it can't really do anything other than set up hazards 95% of the time or click whirlwind trying to spread chip. alongside it's middling defensive typing, and its tendency to eat up your tera, this mon just doesn't do it for me
 
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Sulo

pure heroine
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hi hi my turn now


:kingambit: A+ -> S-

This is one of the best enablers in the tier by quite a large margin IMO. It being so defensively potent means it has a TON of chances to use Pursuit / Knock Off / Swords Dance, etc; the former lets you give offensive partners like Mega Medicham and Great Tusk much more freedom in clicking their STAB moves, while the latter two are excellent tools that make hefty progress or threaten the opposition heavily. Going back to its defensive utility: it checks OR forces out a boatload of Pokemon ATM, including (but not limited to) Choice Specs / Dragon Dance Dragapult, Gholdengo, Tapu Lele, utility-based Tornadus-T sets, Mega Diancie (if it isn't chipped itself ofc, but bulkier sets can probably still beat it), and more. I think being a safety net against Dragapult is the real kicker; you can't afford to ever click your STAB moves twice because the threat of losing your Dragapult is 100% real when this thing exists. It is slightly annoyed by a lot of defensive Tera types being Water and having a bad Speed tier, reliance on Sucker Punch, etc; though I think the upsides of this thing are so much greater than those downsides.

:toxapex: B+ -> A-

Toxapex still does Toxapex things, like everyone else has been saying. I would essentially be echoing their words at this point, but to sum it up, it is a very good stopgap to threats like Mega Scizor, Urshifu-R, Mega Charizard Y, and Iron Valiant, is bulky enough to take super effective hits from weaker Pokemon like non-Choice Specs Tapu Koko and defensive Ground-types not named Clodsire and Gliscor, realistically lacks a good pool of switch-ins due to the threat of Scald + aforementioned Toxic, and has Toxic Spikes to seriously annoy Pokemon that would otherwise deal with it (including non-HDB Great Tusk, Tapu Lele, and Tera Grass Heatran). The universal nerf to one-turn recovery did hurt it in that it can't spam Recover against Mega Charizard Y to stall out sun turns, and other similar situations. Not much else to say that hasn't been said, this thing is good.

:walking-wake: B -> A-

Tell me one Pokemon not named Chansey that switches in. Your counterplay is limited to stuff like specially defensive Toxapex (can lose to Choice Specs Tera Dragon), Tera Fairy Gastrodon (you just used your Tera), Tapu Fini (loses to entry hazards, also you're using Tapu Fini in a meta infested with Knock Off + Tera Water can do huge chunks of damage), and... a pink blob (lol). It's safe to say this thing is majorly under-ranked and I don't see it staying in B for the rest of this slate's duration. Substitute sets are absolutely fucking broken; you have so many chances to click the move, especially against Pokemon like Toxapex and Heatran, as well as against threats you force out like Dragapult, Great Tusk, Iron Valiant, you name it. It singlehandedly shot up sun in viability and it did so very well.

:cinderace: B- -> B

Swords Dance Cinderace is a sleeper threat. It's pretty good at dealing with a lot of things that would supposedly check it, including Toxapex and Rotom-W. Pivot sets are also good, since it can generally force out a good bit of Pokemon with the threat of its good coverage. It can still wear down bulkier Pokemon as well, including Great Tusk, Landorus-T, the aforementioned Rotom-W, etc. I don't think it's that good per se, but B- isn't representative of it too much to me.

I don't have anything else on my mind at the moment, but here's stuff I really agree with:

:kyurem: B- -> B+: Good breaker, Tera Ground good, Speed tier puts it barely above Great Tusk if running Timid which is good.

:gliscor: C -> B-/B: Invaluable longevity and Defog support for fat. You free up the Tornadus-T slot so well, letting it run Nasty Plot + Taunt sets (really good set omg its so good please use it more!!!), spreads Toxic quite well, etc.

:lopunny-mega: A+ -> S-: THE offense killer, one of THE best Mega Pokemon we have, an incredibly annoying STAB combo to switch into with how many people are using Tornadus-T as a Fighting-resistant Pokemon on a ton of teams. I think its really hard to not put this on a team if your Mega slot isn't taken up (unless its taken up by Mega Scizor, that thing is amazing enough too. not like they really compete though.); it is invaluable Speed control, an amazing pivot for wallbreakers like Kyurem and Dragapult, and, once again, is still very annoying to switch into without an actual check like physically defensive Toxapex.
 

adem

yap
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TUSK FUCKING SUCKS.
Okay I hope that grabbed your attention, because woah this post is gonna be fun. For the record, I dont think Tusk is bad, but I do think it is grossly overrated, and with this post aim to nom it to drop to B+ or A-. While this might come as a shocker to s lot of you, and I know a good bit are ready to tear into me for a Nom this low, just hear me out.

Tusk was initially a very popular mon, Offensive Ground with Spin and Rocks??? and a great ability under sun??? And bulky AF?? thats a bit crazy 2 me. Issue I have with tusk is it doesnt really perform these rolls well, bar a few, and only really offensive sets have merit. Defensive sets, while it does check stuff like Lop decently well. it becomes an incredibly poor Stealth Rocker or Spinner since its damage output is so low. It also, believe it or not, is really locked into 4 moves, as much as you deny it, it cant fit Knock Off at all, or Spin + Rocks on the same set, or other random moves, because without STABs + Spinner it really does not threaten anything, and struggles to actually do things at all. This will all be demonstrated in the replays ill share with you. Anyways, theres clearly a downtrend in Tusk usage as usage for it has dropped for every round of the Trios tour, with many preferring teams based om other grounds like Hippo and Lando instead. Tusk also happens to have a very very poor Win percentage in the tour, especially considering its usage, at: | 19 | Great Tusk | 22 | 12.09% | 27.27% |

Here are some analysed replays in the last few pages of the tour showcasing how tusk performs, and proving that most of the time it didnt do much, even when losing, so you cant justify it that way.

Ls

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nationaldex-1792507892 tusk kills ghold (which was not really useful in the matchup), then gets every turn wrong and dies

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nationaldex-1793332755-f01guzyzmyh7ev23snzosogtce7wpc8pw
Tusk did a net nothing, got toxiced and died

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nationaldex-1795036435
Tusk teraed crit and killed zapdos, which was useful for dnite i suppose? but team ended up getting reversed by garg anyways

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nationaldex-1800506945-9xguu6doa3ixa16yoyf78sso2p25ihipw
Tusk did nothing and died (although tbf pannu was using the worst tusk set known to mankind, so ill give it a pass this time)

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nationaldex-1790374307-xotl02lbiq1xov963z72j4q5j7kil5mpw
There Was A Slowbro and It Clicked Scald

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nationaldex-1790997475-f6pl2gu28utunfx8pvtk8elyv2ijcn7pw
Tusk killed the Gambit, finished off the Scarf Lando, and killed the chipped Rotom. However, their last 3 mons were Physdef Tang Bulky Tusk and Zama so Gambit was doing nothing, Rotom was doing nothing, and neither was a Scarf Lando at 20

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nationaldex-1792534955-haofutwroy3snk536zp3xeu4vjyb4i7pw
Tusk set rocks which got Defogged by the Pelliper like right after, and then died.

Ws

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nationaldex-1797731388-mv30wiez06geeippj89vegg4uyroauwpw
Tusk on hidins side greatly chipped Rotom W, and also traded with Lop which was good value, but the tusk on Jhos side did nothing and died (this one was a W and a L lol)

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nationaldex-1791675457-tk5s2qdq98zk378fy6nfyowxx6i55u5pw
Tusk traded with the Ting Lu, and traded Rocks, but the Ting Lu also chipped Lop and Val at the same time, didnt really do much here in the end since opponent sacked Dragapult lol
Building wise, personally, Ive strayed quite far away from tusk in the recent weeks preferring other offensive fightings as they generally compete slot wise, even if you dont think so, and most of the time I already rock a ground in Chomp, Gastro, Lando, Ting Lu, or even Hippowdon and struggle to justify it a slot. On sun teams its a solid mon, and its decent outside, but it has heavy competition with other grounds and offensive fights, and with the moveslot issue as well (see pannu replay) hard to justify considering the other competion is very good.

tldr: drop tusk it sucks
 
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LBN

is a Top Tiering Contributor Alumnus
UPL Champion
tldr: drop tusk it sucks
Before i get to anything else, i'll admit that some of this is correct and others are insane. First off, winrate means nothing on the VR tbh, that's something that isn't purely indicative of a mon's value, and especially since we've had no true team tours yet further exasperates this. 2nd off, I've personally had great success with 4A Icium-Z. It functions nicely as a bird lure and helps teammates like Rillaboom, while also being a ground type with Terrain Synergy, which isn't actually common. CB Boomer + Icium Tusk, Serp + Icium Tusk, this pokemon combos nicely with alot, and obviously this isn't the only set. I think Eject pack is interesting, there are a chunk of sweepers that like the invitations that tusk brings in, like Gmolt, Mega Gyara, etc. I think as a rocker it's... ok. It's not great but i like it on Eject Pack sets. Defensively.. meh. Not a fan, just use buzzwole or reconstruct your 6. But idt that this mon is A rank because of Versatility, nor is it meant to stick around. Longevity isn't its strong suit and thats more than fine. It's a threatening mon, very good on Sun, and has insane meta relevance regardless I can't support it dropping.

That aside, back for round 3, this time i have more replays and i'll go more in depth on drops aswell, and discuss what i want the full C ranks to look like, because spoilers, i think the way the meta is that's something we need, tiers are wildly varied in viability at the bottom. That said, time to begin.

-> C+/B-
This thing is truly amazing. Personally, I think it's the 2nd best stored power user behind Mew. Tera Poison Covert Cloak, much like Mew, functions are a Toxic immune Bulky setup sweeper with an immunity to Salt cure. While mew has better speed, body press and cosmic power, Cresselia exchanges these traits for better bulk, and Ground Immunity. This ground immunity is truly huge, naturally being a Counter to tusk is nothing to sneeze at, while also checking other things. It's matchup into sun is good too, put it infront of Great tusk and it goes to town with that 75% recovery it gets. Kingambit is an issue, but it's not a pokemon that's insurmountable with the rest of your team, which is why i like it paired with Skarmory, as helmet chip, body press and higher speed let's you basically check it, and if it's SD tera ghost.. well start hoping yu got a faster gambit yourself, since that's also a good partner. This thing is a great member of Fat, which is still plenty viable overall.

-> C+/B-
This thing is also nice. Decent secondary Koko check, checks Valliant nicely too. It's defensive profile is very good overall honestly, Zamazenta check and mega lopp soft check, and is fairly good at facetanking things. Sludge bomb/EP/HP Fire is fairly annoying to switch into, as torn gets poisoned and doesn't enjoy knock off, which is an alternative option if you want to run that aswell. It's actually a check to tera grass heatran, putting it in a catch 22 of do i take earth powers or sludge bombs, while barely leaving an exchange with any magma storms left in practice. It's got a decent sun MU, chlorophyll pre mega left it be able to revenge zard Y's pre mega, and 75% synthesis is always nice. Very good mon, I'm surprised its UR rn but after talking with ppl thats only because nobody fought for it, not that it's unviable. Try him out, he's nice.

-> B
Demon Mew has made it's return and it's got some new tricks. First is tera. Tera poison gifting it an easy Toxic immunity is huge in stuffing one of the ways you'd try to kill it. The other is Covert Cloak. This lets it sit on Garganacl all day, and removes yet another one of the ways you'd go about stuffing it, aka lucking through it becomes far less easy with something like Zen Mega Medi. With these buffs, and all the ground types on offer being naturally slower, tera poison demon mew clears games surprisingly easily. Unfortunately don't have replays since i want to actually have teams unrevealed left for ssnl smfh, but outside of that, even if you know the set is coming you have to play very aggressively to not let it get chances, because it's very good at running away with the game if given too much free time. (Copypasted thanks to previous deletion) (I have replays now SMH)


-> C
Yes I'm Serious. Tera Steel regidrago is self explanatory, threaten the steels or nuke with Dragon moves woo. It's gifts in Earth Power also make it so most steels don't want to deal with him either. Of course, this thing is mostly a matchup fish, but I think it's an acceptable fish, as most Fairies drop to Tera Blast anyways, and the amount of games it can sit back and clean are surprisingly numerous. Try him, he's no regieleki but he's strong and worth respecting. Worth respecting more than dondozo lmao

-> B
Hydreigon is a surprisingly good anchor for teams. Some people don't know it got rocks this gen, and it's a fine setter. Tusk wants little do to with Draco Meteors, and pairing this with Eject Pack allows you to not need to risk death from clicking it. Tera Steel is a given, steel type with levitate is a tried and true combo with Tera, and it makes good use of it, being a viable check to Kyurem with it, and catches stuff like Lele off guard if it Moonblasts (it will). Specs is also cool, as is NP Z sets, but i have less experience with those so i'll refrain. It's matchups are odd, losing to most at the top, but everything at the top isn't fiending to come in, Torn aside. EP Smacks Kingambit for roughly 40%, which is big chip for a mon like that.

-> A+/Ubers
This, if i had to call anything broken right now, it's truly this thing. Defensive counterplay to him relies on gimmick teras like tera fairy gastrodon which... is shit outside of Wake. I've seen ppl cope on discord on some Mega Altaria talk man. ALTARIA. Specs in sun, Dragonium in sun, all OHKO machines. Now, if that was it, that'd be fine. But, i've seen the light. Sub Sunny day 2A invalidates all defensive counterplay it'd have. Stuff like pex gets stonewalled and loses 1v1, and Tera dragon lets you beat most Ferrothorn 1v1 even without flamethrower, as seen here. Subsunny day singlehandedly brought me back into the running with this game. Item variety is high too. Leftovers is good, as is Dragonium-Z. Metronome is good aswell, letting you muscle past Toxapex without playing the recovery game without sacrificing the ability to tera. I'll note that in that replay, if i was leftovers the game was just straight up over. He was gonna lose. 6-0. Now imagine that set on sun, with it less telegraphed? This pokemon truly is broken, the surplus of priority in the tier barely keeps it in check, and the ladder being infested with Sun is entirely caused by this thing. It's broken, please, suspect this thing. Zama is fine, kingambit is not broken atall lmao, rain has fallen off, etc. This though? This thing is getting better. And we ain't got the tools for it. Send it outta here.

-> C-
I think this thing has very, very, few times it works. It's a fish that aims to mess with Kingambit/Zama/Mlopp lategames with all the sp attackers gone, and then curse up. The issue is, everybody knows that's the gameplan and thus tries to keep one in the back for later. That said, i do admit in the wake replay, it was very closing to actually putting me in that spot. But as you also see, it didn't so lmao. I think it can work, but it's extremely specific. Not great, but it has something.

-> A+
It just kills everything man. Imo, I think Kingambits presence turns me off tera psychic nuking, and instead look towards tera Fairy nuking. Psychic still hits very hard, but tera fairy has superior defensive value and is a better move to lock into overall. Overall, i think it's being done a disservice to be in A, and can easily go to A+. Not much to say for this one really, most steels aren't enough after one entry from tera psychic. Scarf is underutilized aswell mind you. Great revenge killer with Tera to lean to for more power.

006_3.png
-> A
Sun is peak danger right now. Switching into this thing without tera is a headache, but tera dragon pokemon like pex and rotom-wash have been seeing use. However, I think it has the capacity to adapt back by slotting Dragon Pulse into it's moveset and running 4A, what you lose is roost, which is a blow, but in exchange you gain a lot of reach, and i personally vouch for trying it. It's pairing with wake is deadly, and sun's promenance is fueled directly by Zard Y. I don't have much to say for this one, very godlike mon.

-> A-
Personally i find this thing not terribly threatening. Pokemon like mega venusaur, Toxapex, Skeledirge, and others pose a great grievance for it, and it faces competition as a fighting type from both Zamazenta and Mega Lopp, while best being locked to offensive teams, often with Koko. It's not bad, i think it's actually underexplored, but everything else in A ranks are so brutally good, that i find it rarely wins in my experience. Z moves are good with it, but i never really am like, "oh im fcked huh" when i face it. Good mon, but not as good as others in A rank imo.

-> B+
As i said earlier, i think rains fallen off a fair bit. Sun's prominence, as well as people getting more accustomed to building with fatter waters, like Toxapex washtom etc, and using Gastrodon, it's impact has most certainly lessened. Of course, I don't think Rain is out, and it's definitely good, but I don't think it's as good as it was at it's peak.

->B+
I find this is strictly a case of a hostile enviroment. Zamazenta, Mega Lopunny, Kingambit, etc. All of these are peak danger common mons, and weavile is a fan of none. Toxapex, Ferrothorn, Mega Scizor, Scarf Lele, Tera Garg, and more give it a tough time. It's not bad, but hostile conditions and tera not treating it as nicely as others make me find it undeserving of A-.

-> A-
Just echoing the other noms, nothing much to say that they havent. (I think Pex is A rank but hey i'm patient i can wait for next VR slate to fight that fight)

-> B+
More nom echoing, this thing was done a little dirty with the glide nerf, but CB is very good right now and doesn't mind Torn-T as much as people would think. Mega Latias and Corv's decline help tremendously, and Great Tusk is a fantastic partner for it, pressuring Torn together and being a ground that fits nicely on GT, which is a novelty.

-> C/B-
I find this two poor at their jobs. As ground hazard setters that lose to Tusk, they have a hard time justifying to be slotted onto a lot of teams, and their MU spread is very poor (ting lu only). Clodsire has it better, Unaware and a better compatibility with Tera lets it do neat stuff like function as a Mew check, Koko check, and a good ground on Fat teams, so I think he has merit. Ting lu on the other hand, is lacking recovery, loses to all our fighting types, which are both numerous and common. Vulnerability to hazards, fairly passive aside from WW, and sucks momentum when i could just use Garchomp to set spikes instead. Ting Lu sucks, Clodsire is aight. Ting lu to C-, Clodsire to B-.

-> B
As i said prior, rain has fallen off. Personally, aside from Floatzels tendency to off itself after taking 2 with it, I don't find barraskewda good enough to be a subrank higher than it, so they both head to the same spot. Not much to say tbh.

-> C+/B-/C
I Find these 3 are awkward to put onto teams, or require additional support to function. These suffer competition from Ferrothorn, and every other insane fighting type in the tier respectively. They have merit, they only see scarce usage overall. Tangrowth i find a little worse, as what it offers is less valuable than Hands. Thus, i think a drop to C+ is fine, and B- for hands. Hawlucha i find worse than others, finding itself less valuable than Valliant on Koko teams, and with the advent of Latios from lameframe cooking me, i find it'll stuggle even more to fit onto the already niche teams it fits on.

-> C-
This thing does so, SO little it's hilarious. Gholdengo has down irreparable damage by existing to this. Body press memes aren't possible w BU either, it's only feather is checking Tusk/Lopp and having U-Turn. Aside from that, this thing is truly terrible. If there's any mon that doesn't fit in OU proper by usage it's this, and we have Hoopa-U. (Iron Leaves don't count)

Now, there's alot here. And i mentioned the existence of C+/C- ranks being added in. So, for the help to visualize and because i don't wanna type for them (and i have no replays), i elected to make a tier list maker image instead for visual purposes. Now, there will be mons that aren't ranked rn on here that i am not nomming to the VR rn. They are just there to show my overall opinion, so please no deleting k thnx mods. With that out the way, i'll drop the image in a spoiler and then that'll be it for this behemoth of a post.

my-image (2).png
 

about15guys

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is a Pre-Contributor
I've seen the light

:hawlucha: from B to B+
this thing on screens offense is just comical in how stupid it is, elec seed gives it a def boost and powers up acrobatics to ungodly levels, unburden makes it the fastest thing on the field 99% of the time, and sd is prime setup for what this mon can do, which is tera flying and click acrobatics 6 times, getting 6 kos in the process, sometimes clicking cc instead if the target resists flying. The gaping holes this can punch into most teams is astounding, and the possibility for what it can run in the 4th slot is wild, it can run taunt to stop status moves, encore to lock people into recovery moves or the possibility of agility+mold breaker to dent dirge while still boosting your speed or you can just run plain ol' coverage moves to hit ghost types like gholdengo
 

Sputnik

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is a Contributor Alumnus
Couple of things

:ss/walking wake: B+ -> A

I really think this thing is going to end up being a serious problem as the metagame develops further, specs is hard enough to switch into even off of sun and then of course its usually backed up by that. SubSunny punishes common defensive Pokemon incredibly hard and beats other weather teams too, and I know Sunny Day+3a has been experimented with success as well. If you have anything that isn't super offense skewed you're probably very weak to off sun Wake sets, and even offenses get mowed down by Wake on sun teams. Seriously, just look at your teams. You're probably weak to SubSunny at the very least. Wake answers are actually quite difficult to naturally fit right now and it's becoming a major problem already. The only reason I'm not nomming it to A+ is because it isn't quite as splashable as others in that rank.

:ss/tapu fini: B- -> B

This might end up aging poorly but as the meta game stands it works as a nice anti-meta option, specifically the Choice Scarf set. You check and revenge Wake, Zama, Pult, Gambit, and other dangerous offensive threats while TrickScarf ruins the bulky CM and Idef sweepers that have become big threats. CM is a nice option too as having a fat sweeper with Draining Kiss that actually walls Wake is a unique trait right now. Cool mon.

:ss/sandy shocks: C -> UR

If you're using this on Sun over Wake and Tusk you are actively handicapping yourself. There's about 20 currently UR mons that are better than this get him outta here.
 
1679740204889.png
C -> B-

Slowking-Galar is a fantastic special wall thanks to its Assault Vest set. It can tank so many special hits in the tier, including super effective hits (calcs are below). Regenerator allows it to keep in the fight for even longer too, something almost all assault vest users lack after taking a few hits, improving its tanking ability significantly. Additionally, Glowkings movepool is nothing short of absolutely huge. It packs essentially any kind of coverage you'd ever desire: Blizzard/Ice Beam, Earthquake (not recommended due to low atk, but its certainly an option), Psychic/Psyshock/Future Sight/Expanding Force, Fire Blast/Flamethrower, Focus Blast, Foul Play, Grass Knot, Hex/Shadow Ball, Hydro Pump/Scald, Power Gem and Sludge Bomb/Sludge Wave. With this kind of movepool, and a special attack stat of 110, which isnt trash, you can customize its moveset according to your needs. Opting for other items lets it run its vast status movepool, including Chilly Reception, Slack Off, Thunder Wave, Toxic, Toxic Spikes, and Yawn.

Here are some calcs for special attackers vs this mon, going down in order of the VR. The set that i used in my ladder climb is as follows:

Bartholomew (Slowking-Galar) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 248 HP / 136 SpA / 120 SpD / 4 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psyshock
- Flamethrower
- Sludge Bomb
- Shadow Ball

252 SpA Choice Specs Dragapult Shadow Ball vs. 248 HP / 120+ SpD Assault Vest Slowking-Galar: 164-194 (41.7 - 49.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 SpA
Gholdengo Shadow Ball vs. 248 HP / 120+ SpD Assault Vest Slowking-Galar: 134-162 (34 - 41.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 SpA Heatran Earth Power
vs. 248 HP / 120+ SpD Assault Vest Slowking-Galar: 100-118 (25.4 - 30%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
252 SpA
Choice Specs Iron Valiant Psyshock vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Slowking-Galar: 149-176 (37.9 - 44.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 SpA Tapu Koko Thunderbolt
vs. 248 HP / 120+ SpD Assault Vest Slowking-Galar in Electric Terrain: 78-93 (19.8 - 23.6%) -- possible 5HKO
252 SpA Tapu Lele Psychic
vs. 248 HP / 120+ SpD Assault Vest Slowking-Galar in Psychic Terrain: 96-114 (24.4 - 29%) -- 99.5% chance to 4HKO (Note that Psyshock is a guaranteed 2HKO)
252 SpA Charizard-Mega-Y Weather Ball (100 BP Fire)
vs. 248 HP / 120+ SpD Assault Vest Slowking-Galar in Sun: 144-171 (36.6 - 43.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 SpA Rotom-Wash Hydro Pump
vs. 248 HP / 120+ SpD Assault Vest Slowking-Galar: 78-93 (19.8 - 23.6%) -- possible 5HKO
+1 252 SpA Volcarona Flamethrower
vs. 248 HP / 120+ SpD Assault Vest Slowking-Galar: 114-135 (29 - 34.3%) -- 3.3% chance to 3HKO
+1 252 SpA Skeledirge Shadow Ball
vs. 248 HP / 120+ SpD Assault Vest Slowking-Galar: 176-210 (44.7 - 53.4%) -- 28.1% chance to 2HKO
244 SpA Choice Specs Walking Wake Draco Meteor
vs. 248 HP / 120+ SpD Assault Vest Slowking-Galar: 154-183 (39.1 - 46.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Greninja Dark Pulse
vs. 248 HP / 120+ SpD Assault Vest Slowking-Galar: 168-200 (42.7 - 50.8%) -- 2.3% chance to 2HKO

In most of the matchups, it can additionally hit back with a SA move that can at the very least dent the attacker, and since its movepool is so broad, you can decide who exactly you want to spin back on. Here are some calcs against each of the aforementioned mons that it can tank hits from:

136 SpA Slowking-Galar Shadow Ball
vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Dragapult: 180-212 (56.7 - 66.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
136 SpA Slowking-Galar Flamethrower
vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Gholdengo: 172-204 (54.6 - 64.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
136 SpA Slowking-Galar Scald
vs. 252 HP / 232+ SpD Heatran: 102-120 (26.4 - 31%) -- 7.8% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
136 SpA Slowking-Galar Scald
vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Heatran: 136-160 (42.1 - 49.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
136 SpA Slowking-Galar Sludge Bomb
vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Iron Valiant: 360-426 (124.5 - 147.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
136 SpA Slowking-Galar Sludge Bomb
vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Tapu Koko: 302-356 (107.4 - 126.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
136 SpA Slowking-Galar Sludge Bomb
vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Tapu Lele: 212-252 (75.4 - 89.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
136 SpA Slowking-Galar Psyshock
vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Charizard-Mega-Y: 130-154 (43.7 - 51.8%) -- 9.8% chance to 2HKO
136 SpA Slowking-Galar Sludge Bomb
vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Rotom-Wash: 112-133 (36.8 - 43.7%) -- 99.5% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
136 SpA Slowking-Galar Psyshock
vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Volcarona: 151-178 (48.5 - 57.2%) -- 92.6% chance to 2HKO
136 SpA Slowking-Galar Shadow Ball
vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Skeledirge: 124-146 (30.1 - 35.5%) -- 24.2% chance to 3HKO
136 SpA Slowking-Galar Sludge Bomb
vs. 12 HP / 0 SpD Walking Wake: 139-165 (40.6 - 48.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
136 SpA Slowking-Galar Sludge Bomb
vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Greninja: 157-186 (55 - 65.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO


Next, another mon i believe should be moved up is:

1679744339931.png
B- -> B

Rillaboom (and ill be essentially only talking about CB rilla, SD just isnt as good) is a very solid Choice Band user that I have been using for a good bit. Its Grassy Glide, even though it has been nerfed slightly, is still a very potent priority option against many fast and frail options in the tier. Wood Hammer nukes almost any non resisted switch in, and heavily dents most resists. Superpower/Earthquake and Knock Off can be used to either power through Steel types, or force progress through item removal. Finally, it has access to U-Turn, letting it gather momentum if a heavy resist switches into it. Tera Grass lets it achieve absurd damage numbers with its stab options, letting it muscle through almost anything thats not a 4x resist. Additionally, its Grass typing lets it tank the occasional Ground type move (particularly Earthquake, which has its BP halved under Grassy Terrain), which gives it even more utility to the team than just wallbreaking.

Once again, here are some calcs to prove its offensive prowess against some notable targets. All calcs are under Grassy Terrain with CB, Adamant Nature and 252 atk EV's (Note that some of these are assuming that the mon is switching into rilla):

greenchain Supreme (Rillaboom) @ Choice Band
Ability: Grassy Surge
Tera Type: Grass
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Grassy Glide
- Wood Hammer
- Knock Off/Superpower
- U-turn

252+ Atk Choice Band Rillaboom Wood Hammer
vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Tornadus-Therian in Grassy Terrain: 243-287 (67.1 - 79.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (37% chance to OHKO with Tera)
252+ Atk Choice Band Rillaboom Wood Hammer vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Gholdengo in Grassy Terrain: 212-250 (67.3 - 79.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Grassy Terrain recovery (37% chance to OHKO with Tera)
252+ Atk Choice Band Rillaboom Superpower vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Heatran: 398-470 (103.1 - 121.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Rillaboom Wood Hammer
vs. 240 HP / 0 Def Annihilape in Grassy Terrain: 490-577 (116.3 - 137%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Rillaboom Superpower
vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Ferrothorn: 248-294 (70.4 - 83.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery and Grassy Terrain recovery
252+ Atk Choice Band Rillaboom Wood Hammer
vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Garchomp in Grassy Terrain: 424-501 (100.9 - 119.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Rillaboom Wood Hammer
vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Protosynthesis Great Tusk in Grassy Terrain: 372-440 (85.7 - 101.3%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO (Guaranteed OHKO with Tera)
252+ Atk Choice Band Rillaboom Grassy Glide vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Iron Valiant in Grassy Terrain: 222-262 (76.8 - 90.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Grassy Terrain recovery (Guaranteed OHKO with Tera)
252+ Atk Choice Band Rillaboom Wood Hammer vs. 252 HP / 164+ Def Landorus-Therian in Grassy Terrain: 340-402 (89 - 105.2%) -- 31.3% chance to OHKO (Guaranteed OHKO with Tera)
252+ Atk Choice Band Rillaboom Grassy Glide vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Tapu Lele: 199-235 (70.8 - 83.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (69% chance to OHKO with Tera)
252+ Atk Choice Band Rillaboom Wood Hammer vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Tera Fairy Garganacl in Grassy Terrain: 324-382 (80.1 - 94.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery and Grassy Terrain recovery (Guaranteed OHKO with Tera)

and my personal favourite calc of all time:

252+ Atk Choice Band Tera Grass Rillaboom Grassy Glide vs. 4 HP / 252 Def Cyclizar in Grassy Terrain: 141-166 (50 - 58.8%) -- 74.2% chance to 2HKO after Grassy Terrain recovery (Stops it from setting up a Shed Tail)
 
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1679863223179.png
A- -> A
Urshifu-Rapid-Strike @ Protective Pads
Ability: Unseen Fist
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Surging Strikes
- Close Combat
- Aqua Jet/Taunt
- Swords Dance

I think Urshifu is one of the most threatening wallbreakers in the Metagame. From A- Rank upwards, theres nothing that can switch into it repeatedly except Dragonite, which is easily 2HKO‘d by the uncommon Ice Spinner/gets completely destroyed after using Tera. The best Counter is Toxapex, which can be shut down by Taunt if it does‘nt have either scald or the combination of knock of and rocky helmet. It has a great matchup into some of the most defining Pokemon at the moment, being Great Tusk, Landorus, Heatran, Ferrothorn, Annihilape (which can‘t even make use of screen support against it), pre Tera Garganacl and most importantly Kingambit. Urshifu also provides a good amount of defensive utility, taking a few hits from Weavile, Mega-Scizor and the afore mentioned Kingambit. Aqua Jet also makes it harder to revenge kill for faster threats like Iron Valiant or Mega-Lopunny which, after a bit of chip cannot revenge kill it at all.

+2 252 Atk Tera Water Urshifu-Rapid-Strike Aqua Jet vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Iron Valiant: 192-226 (66.4 - 78.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

+2 252 Atk Tera Water Urshifu-Rapid-Strike Aqua Jet vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Lopunny-Mega: 184-218 (67.8 - 80.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

If used on a Rain-Team, Urshifus power is boosted to such an extreme Level, that it can essentially break through almost anything.
Even Pokemon like Tapu Fini, that resist both of Urshifus STABs get crushed by Surging Strikes under the Rain, as seen below.

+2 252 Atk Punching Glove Tera Water Urshifu-Rapid-Strike Surging Strikes (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Tapu Fini in Rain on a critical hit: 273-324 (79.3 - 94.1%) -- approx. 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

+2 252 Atk Punching Glove Tera Water Urshifu-Rapid-Strike Surging Strikes (3 hits) vs. 144 HP / 0 Def Multiscale Dragonite in Rain on a critical hit: 216-255 (60.1 - 71%) -- approx. 2HKO

+2 252 Atk Punching Glove Tera Water Urshifu-Rapid-Strike Surging Strikes (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Toxapex in Rain on a critical hit: 228-270 (75 - 88.8%) -- approx. 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

If running a Choice Banded set, it can even straight up 2HKO Pokemon like Rotom Wash or post Tera Skeledirge that could otherwise switch into the versions of Urshifu, that are carrying SD somewhat safely, though i do think the SD-set is superior in most cases.

In my opinion Urshifus good matchup into a lot of top tier Pokemon and its terrifying wallbreaking capabilities make it worthy of at least the A rank.

Also Trailblaze is bad, don‘t run it.
 
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:serperior: B- > C
This thing barely gets any good coverage, and it can be easily outsped by stuff like lando-t and killed easily. Contrary Leaf Storm is it's ONLY niche.
That’s pretty unfair considering that contrary leaf storm has ALWAYS been what makes serperior, and that really doesn’t matter because it’s so damn strong and fast. It does have variety in its sets too, between subseed, glare, and stallbreaker. It has lost some power due to tera grass heatran beating subseed and gholdengo doing well into glare, but it’s still absolutely a presence that needs respect in battle.
also only scarf lando outspeeds it which applies to every unbboosted Pokémon in the tier as well
 

adem

yap
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:serperior: B- > C
This thing barely gets any good coverage, and it can be easily outsped by stuff like lando-t and killed easily. Contrary Leaf Storm is it's ONLY niche.
i dont see…. why this is supposed to drop….? its coverage has been good enough for the past 3 generations, what changed this gen coverage wise? lando t is also…… slower than it…… and basically never runs scarf, and i dont see how lando is killing it easily either? i cant think of much that kill it easily too since its bulk is semi decent. also contrary lstorm has been what its doing for the past…. nearly 10 years? i dont see why that would make it fall. im sure there are other arguments you can make for it falling but i personally disagree with them, and think the changes this gen buffed it indirectly enough to make up for the fallbacks.

fall in recovery means mons like mega lati@s are not as relevant anymore and its lstorms cant be stalled out as easily, with less zapdos and fini/status absorbers as a whole, glare is mega broken spammable, and tera means its storms are actually scary pre boost, and very scary tm post boost / allows it to switch the matchup on shit like torn too (and with torn the best flying, forcing a glare on it is insane, especially for slower breakers that want to get past av variants of torn).
 
i dont see…. why this is supposed to drop….? its coverage has been good enough for the past 3 generations, what changed this gen coverage wise? lando t is also…… slower than it…… and basically never runs scarf, and i dont see how lando is killing it easily either? i cant think of much that kill it easily too since its bulk is semi decent. also contrary lstorm has been what its doing for the past…. nearly 10 years? i dont see why that would make it fall. im sure there are other arguments you can make for it falling but i personally disagree with them, and think the changes this gen buffed it indirectly enough to make up for the fallbacks.

fall in recovery means mons like mega lati@s are not as relevant anymore and its lstorms cant be stalled out as easily, with less zapdos and fini/status absorbers as a whole, glare is mega broken spammable, and tera means its storms are actually scary pre boost, and very scary tm post boost / allows it to switch the matchup on shit like torn too (and with torn the best flying, forcing a glare on it is insane, especially for slower breakers that want to get past av variants of torn).
Forgor this thing had 113 speed
Also Clodsire exists, where it has great SPD and can stall it out because Unaware.
 

Taka

coastin' like crazy
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Forgor this thing had 113 speed
Also Clodsire exists, where it has great SPD and can stall it out because Unaware.
Clodsire isn’t very good at the moment, and you could say the same thing about Clodsire vs Volcarona/Iron Moth, it doesn’t change the fact that those guys are incredible.

To keep this not a one liner, what do yall think about Toxapex’s current placement?
 
Imma be real with you...
:tapu-lele: A -> A+

It can at least destroy nearly every single top tier mon in this metagame.
S+
252 SpA Tapu Lele Moonblast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Dragapult: 392-464 (123.6 - 146.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO (scarf outspeeds)
252 SpA Tapu Lele Psychic vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Tornadus-Therian in Psychic Terrain: 210-247 (58 - 68.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

A+
252 SpA Tapu Lele Focus Blast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Kingambit: 596-704 (174.7 - 206.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 SpA Tapu Lele Psychic vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Lopunny in Psychic Terrain: 198-234 (73 - 86.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Tapu Lele Psychic vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Zamazenta in Psychic Terrain: 338-402 (87.1 - 103.6%) -- 18.8% chance to OHKO (IronPress set, ohkos otherwise)

A
252 SpA Tapu Lele Psychic vs. 240 HP / 252+ SpD Annihilape in Psychic Terrain: 296-350 (70.3 - 83.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery (BU Annihilape)

252 SpA Tapu Lele Hidden Power Fire vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Ferrothorn: 232-276 (65.9 - 78.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery (why?)
252 SpA Tapu Lele Moonblast vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Garchomp: 356-420 (84.7 - 100%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO (TankChomp)
252 SpA Tapu Lele Psychic vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Great Tusk in Psychic Terrain: 636-750 (171.4 - 202.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO (Also KOs with Moonblast)
252 SpA Tapu Lele Psychic vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Iron Valiant in Psychic Terrain: 576-678 (199.3 - 234.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO (Scarf set, Val doesn't kill with its strongest move, Moonblast)

252 SpA Tapu Lele Psychic vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Landorus-Therian in Psychic Terrain: 231-273 (60.4 - 71.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery (Defensive Set)

252 SpA Tapu Lele Hidden Power Fire vs. 248 HP / 128 SpD Scizor-Mega: 232-276 (67.6 - 80.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (Scizor's only moves in this scenario are U-Turn and CC, which do not OHKO)

252 SpA Tapu Lele Psychic vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Tapu Koko: 186-220 (66.1 - 78.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (risky since koko can 2hko back with bolt)


252 SpA Tapu Lele Moonblast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Tapu Lele: 138-163 (49.1 - 58%) -- 96.1% chance to 2HKO (Yes, it kills itself)

Say hello to god
echoing this, maybe even S tier

AV carries the crap out of psyspam since Lele can switch into things a la Walking Wake.
scarf checks huge threats like M-Lop, Pult (specs or not boosted ofc), and generally is one of the best cleaners due to Tera Psychic in Psychic Terrain. there's a reason tapus aren't coded into gen 9 (yet?). even the AV sets can do some Tera Psychic shenanigans and become a role compressor.

I've personally yet to explore Specs or Calm Mind+Z-Move or the rare DD Lele. but I think with just AV and Scarf you're pretty much set.
 

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