Resource NU Viability Rankings

[etern]

Welcome to the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet NeverUsed Viability Rankings!

In this thread, we, as a community, will be ranking every single justifiably usable Pokemon into "tiers" ranking their viability in the metagame. You're encouraged to post your thoughts and opinions on the various Pokemon that are viable in NU and what tier they should fall under. Posts in this thread will be taken into account when deciding rank changes, especially when nominating unranked pokemon to be evaluated for the VR.

The general idea of the topic is to rank each NU Pokemon under "rankings" that go in descending order. Since this is a tier list for the entire metagame, everything is lumped together. There won't be any segregation between offense, defense, and supportive presences in the metagame within this thread. For example, Klefki can be ranked in the A- tier as a supportive presence, Toxtricity can be ranked in the A- as an offensive presence, and Avalugg can be ranked in the A- tier as a defensive presence. While these three examples can also be found in the initial rankings, the viability of Pokemon and their roles within the metagame can and will change over time, so we will be sure to keep an open mind to this as well and adjust the thread accordingly during each update.

Finally, there will be a council of experienced players who will discuss and vote on the ranking of Pokemon. Depending on how the metagame is developing, we could update the thread every couple of weeks or every month+. Despite the fact that voting is limited to these players, posts with either complete VRs or individual nominations are very much appreciated and will be taken into account, especially when the tier is changing so rapidly due to the constant DLC releases. The council currently consists of the users below, but note that there will occasionally be rotational members that are added to vote on slates based on recent activity or results. The council currently consists of the following users:

• Danny
• Dr. Phd. BJ
• Elias PSY
• etern
• GXE
• Kiyo
• Phantomistix
• Pokeslice
• Rabia
• skierdude101
• Tuthur
• zS

Last Updated: April 8th, 2024

Pervious Slates

April 8th 2024

New

Nothing

S Rank

Lycanroc-Dusk
Slowbro

A Rank

A+

Cloyster
Flygon
Krookodile
Mew
Mienshao
Muk-Alola
Tsareena

A

Brambleghast
Diancie
Dragalge
Registeel
Reuniclus
Rhyperior
Talonflame
Thundurus

A-

Feraligatr
Gallade
Galvantula
Infernape
Klefki
Lucario
Ninetales
Noivern
Quagsire
Swampert
Venusaur
Vileplume

B Rank

B+

Avalugg
Brute Bonnet
Chandelure
Copperajah
Gastrodon
Incineroar
Magnezone
Oricorio-Pom-Pom
Porygon-Z
Rotom-Heat
Scrafty
Sylveon
Torterra
Typhlosion-Hisui

B

Basculegion
Cetitan
Drednaw
Iron Thorns
Munkidori
Raikou
Toxtricity
Vaporeon

B-

Abomasnow
Bellibolt
Charizard
Espeon
Exeggutor-Alola
Florges
Gligar
Houndstone
Inteleon
Kilowattrel
Kingdra
Meloetta
Milotic
Minior
Mudsdale
Rotom-Mow
Slowbro-Galar
Tentacruel
Umbreon

C Rank

Ambipom
Arcanine
Bronzong
Duraludon
Flamigo
Golurk
Goodra
Grimmsnarl
Hitmonlee
Pawmot
Salazzle
Sandslash-Alola
Sceptile
Smeargle
Thwackey

Whenever making a tiering post, please avoid one-liners such as "I don't think this mon is good" or "This mon is better than this mon, so it should be ranked higher". Also, when responding to other people's nominations or to how certain Pokemon are ranked, please be respectful and do not flame other users. Any posts like this will be removed, and if multiple of your posts need to be deleted, it may lead to further action. This post will be constantly updated to reflect the current state of the meta, and the meta is rapidly developing, so please keep that in mind!

 

[Rabia]

The viability list got an update! Naturally, there were quite a lot of changes (including the addition of a new subrank), so I won't summarize them here. Instead, you can view how we voted by clicking right here.

 

[Rabia]

VR has been updated once again! There will be an upload tonight from me talking about the rankings if you'd like to know why Pokemon are where they are :] now that we've pivoted into a more traditional VR format, the thread is open to people nominating new Pokemon and discussing currently ranked Pokemon for drops or rises. Remember, though, that when nominating something to be newly ranked, you MUST support your post with replays.

 

[Ninja]

wo chien to B+
80/100/135 stats w/ tablets of ruin is insane bulk and means that's it's very hard to kill in one hit, and while its typing does give some weaknesses to common types, resistances to electric, grass, dark, ghost, and ground are super useful, and it pairs extremely well with the best mon in the meta (slowbro)
seed + knock make progress vs nearly everything, and coupled with ruination it can annoy bulky setup sweepers like scrafty/slowbro
psychic immunity, much higher bulk and access to knock are the reasons to use it over plume. there's also competition from bonnet, but bonnet is completely useless if it gets burned while wo-chien can still do progress with leech and ruination. now if you need removal, it's tough to justify using it over tsar/bramble, but it's still good enough to be in VRs and above stuff like houndstone, kilowattrel and tentacruel
replay from later seasonal rounds
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen9nu-759222
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nu-2091197109
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen9nu-753548?p2
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen9nu-753558?p2

there's also this replay from old meta where it lost to tera grass rampardos, but it'd probably win if it was foul play over tect or ruination
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen9nu-750596

 

[JoeMama]

B- to B/B+

New meta who dis? Imo Rotom Mow is slightly underrated, although not perfect nor iron clad you do check some of the better mons in the tier such as Tier King Slowbro, the plethora of water-grounds running around and can slow down some physical attackers like Lycanroc and bulky mons like Muk in a pinch. While yes it does compete with its bro Rotom Heat, the water and ground checking ability is going slightly unnoticed as of rn at least in my opinion.

 

[LessThanThreeMan]

On the whole, I think this viability ranking is really solid! I wanted to share my thoughts on a few mons that could be updated for the current meta.

Magnezone B+ to A
Magnezone is easily the best steel type right now and it has gotten so much better as the meta has shifted. Generally speaking Zone is really good at gaining momentum for teams and leveraging its typing, natural bulk, and power all at the same time. Assault vest sets are great pivots and still do good damage with analytic boosts on the switch. Specs analytic volt switches are really powerful and if you click the right move you either get a kill or good chip and momentum. Iron Press sets are really great too, if a bit unexplored.

Registeel A to B+
As much as I like registeel it really kills your momentum every time it comes in. Sets lacking iron press are just really passive. My favorite moveset currently is Iron Defense | Body Press | Earthquake or Heavy Slam | Thunder Wave or Stealth Rocks. It's functional but I just dont think it's good enough to be in the A ranks any more.

Munkidori B to A-
Munkidori is a bit of a polarizing mon currently. Some people are big fans of it, some don't think it's great. It is most known for trick scarf sets that can poison switch ins (not named muk-A) on the u-turn. It is a good scarfer, but I feel like it misses a lot of KOs that other scarfers (mostly shao) would have picked up. Then I tried specs Munkidori and saw a new side of it. This thing is very powerful, has a great speed tier, and specs gets a lot of the kills scarf misses out on. Instead of relying on the poison chance to do passive damage to checks with scarf u turn, specs sets use the poison chances to nab 2 hit KOs that it otherwise shouldn't get. Also krookodile isn't a switch in. It can get ohkoed by focus blast or nearly 2 hit by sludge wave (additionally pressured by the poison chance). Munkidori also pairs very nicely with some of the other top tiers, namely shao, krook, and flygon.

Chandelure B+ to A
Honestly I'm not sure why chandy was ever in B rank. Early on in the DLC2/March drops meta people though chandy would be replaced by typh-h with its better speed and matching typing. Sure scarf typh-h may be a better set but I don't think scarf is what either of them do particularly well. Chandelure is one of the best breakers in NU right now. Specs sets are extremely powerful, and even things like Muk-A don't take overheat/fire blast very well. Calm Mind 3 attack sets are also really strong. Energy ball has a lot of important targets now and I really thing we are underrating its power here by having it in B+.

 

[Shengineer]

I mostly agree with the current VR, but I have a few suggestions. Here are the major ones I feel strongly about:

Magnezone B+ to A
I agree with LTTM that Magnezone is the best steel type, I've found success with both specs and AV sets. Not a whole lot can switch into specs analytic, and with AV its nice to have a spdef steel that can preserve momentum with volt switch.

Munkidori B to A-
Munkidori has excellent synergy with the top offensive mons, and can help make progress against bulky teams via toxic chain and crippling walls with a switcheroo scarf. Hits a very nice speed tier (faster than Mienshao). U-turn is incredible at bringing in breakers, Focus Blast or Tera Blast Ground can help dispatch lured in steel types that may stand in the way of your team. It even has a bit of defensive utility with a quad fight resist and fairy resist.

Heracross UR to B-
I think the current meta is quite favorable to Heracross, and that a lot of people are sleeping on what he can do. Offensively, he is incredibly hard to switch into and can oneshot the best defensive core (MukBro) with guts boosted Megahorn. He also has a nice selection of coverage including Knock Off to make consistent progress and Stone Edge to hit Flying types. He's got a decent speed tier (faster than Gallade), and also brings surprisingly decent defensive utility as a switch-in against Krookodile, Flygon, and Muk-A, and is hard to revenge kill by Fighting types like Mienshao. He's best off with some sort of wish support as lack of longevity is his primary weakness. Struggles into HO/weather matchup, make sure your team has it covered. I think there's also potential to use him as a Spikes setter.

Obliterating Slowbro and forcing an early tera in NU SSNL: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen9nu-760334?p2

edit: added thorns

Iron Thorns B to A-
Thorns is a bit of a tera hog, but with tera, he's still doing what he did before he was previously banned. Hits INSANELY hard with booster attack and often only needs one turn of DD to sweep through weakened teams, but you can often get a second one for free with tera. B tier feels like a slap on the face for what I feel is still one of the scariest sweepers.


These could all be knocked down a peg. Raikou and Heattom are increcibly underwhelming, while I haven't seen much Charizard on his own archetype (sun). The dog has had his day, but now that we have two somewhat common defoggers, his usefulness feels quite limited.

 

[Phantomistix]

Some thoughts on some mons that I've been meaning to share

A+ to S
By far the best offensive tool in the tier. Does it all; speed control, breaking power, cleaning, self sustain. I think people are starting to agree with this take a lot more and I don't doubt that if we were to vote tonight on this mon alone it would rise.

Remains S
Might not be as feared as he once was, Duskanroc remains a premier breaking/cleaning tool, one that does not rely on other mons for coverage. It has fell off a bit yes, but I still firmly believe it's an S rank mon.

B+ to A-
Mon has one switchin(that it can trick or burn), really enjoys Mienshao and Flygon as partners. Very solid abuser of those pesky choice locked Fighting types (and fimp Flygons).

B+ to A-
Mon has even less switchins than Chandelure lmao. Stop running those goofy defensive sets and start nuking enemies.

B+ to A-
I can't mention Chandelure without shouting out this demon too. It's even stronger and while it has more initial switchins, Tera Blast being a Normal type move initially is a boon. So what if the Registeel switched into your Tera Blast, you can just Tera Ground the next turn and it dies (assuming download boost + Specs). Even if it isn't in range, it doesn't want to stay in and eat 65% from TBlast, and you can always just take the chip from the attack and any hazards you set and dip on out. Muk-Alola isn't even a switchin if you have a download boost, and without the boost its still a very clean 2HKO with TBlast Ground, even with a double protect for lefties and no hazards. Having access to Trick, Nasty Plot and very good coverage is only the icing on the cake for what is a very solid mon.

B to A+
No, I am not exaggerating. This was somehow voted in B, I still don't know why but I'm glad people are starting to come around. Munkidori is even better than what people are seeing now. It fits seamlessly with the best mons in the tier and has amazing power. This thing has the same SpA stat as Magnezone yall. Throwing off strong STAB attacks or luring in potential switchins with Focus Blast or TBlast Ground is just the start. It can act as a wincon with NP, or be a constant nuisance, chipping with U-turn and poison while always threatening a potential KO if the opponent overplays their hand with a wrong prediction. It also has very solid utility options; Trick, Psychic Noise and Parting Shot are all very decent options on the teams that suit them. I've also been experimenting with Hex on status spam teams as a niche pick, and it's surprisingly solid.

A to B+/B
Passive, weak, no sustain, hates facing 5 of the top 6 mons in the tier (and even then the sixth mon, Muk, doesn't have to stay in to deal with it and can get on out after knocking it). Setup sets are garbage in this Slowbro meta.

 

[Lucario]

I was doing some thinking and decided to write my thoughts on some changes to the VR that would better reflect today's NU. I'm not going super in-depth for these since there's a lot, but you will still get enough info.

Rises
A+ --> S
This is a no brainer. Mienshao is the best Scarf user, best pivot, and a great late game sweeper. It fits on so many teams and enables so many breakers, sort of like Rotom-C last gen. Mienshao has always been S-rank worthy, but I think that it hasn't seen the use or discussion it deserves until recently, mostly due to last month's heavy use of offense.

A- --> A
These three are simply just underrated/not properly ranked. Gallade has seen an uptick in usage recently, rightfully so because of how strong it is. Lucario and Noivern (biases aside) are just so much better than the rest of the A- ranked Pokemon, and are better than some of the A-rank Pokemon, too. As I mentioned, Gallade is strong, fitting mostly on balance teams as a wallbreaker. Agility sets are good, SD sets are hard to switch into, and AV sets exist. Lucario is one of the best sweepers on HO, being on 90% of HO teams thanks to strong priority that is hard to switch into. It can even run special sets to exploit Slowbro as it's Luc's best check (Unless it used Tera Fairy lol). Lucario defines Webs HO alongside Lycanroc-D and deserves to be higher because of the threat it poses in battle. Noivern should be higher because it's arguably better as a Defog user than Talonflame. Noivern also has the scary Specs set that you never expect until you lose your switch-in. These 3 being ranked alongside Klefki and Sun just feels weird.

B+ --> A-
Brute Bonnet has risen a lot as a great special wall thanks to AV, but is able to threaten faster Pokemon thanks to Sucker Punch, something Muk-A cannot do. Chandelure has seen a lot of hype recently, mostly by Etern. It's a good Pokemon that is really scary with Specs, Scarf, and CM sets all being relevant. Chandelure has very few switch-ins, often those Pokemon hate being hit by the move that was not predicted to be clicked. If you want to know more about Incineroar, read Phantom's post. This Pokemon is really good and loves Knocking everything, but nobody is using the right set. Magnezone is finally seeing the light of day. Specs sets hit hard, and with the drop off in Water + Ground typed Pokemon, it can freely click whatever it wants and only needs to worry about Tera users. Not having to waste Tera on Magnezone anymore makes it a scary threat.

B --> A-
I'm finally hopping on the Munkidori train (you're welcome, Danny). Stop using Scarf, the 4a pivot set and even NP 3a are strong sets that synergize greatly with other scarfers like Mienshao and Flygon. Clicking U-turn and spreading Toxic to a Rhyperior that switches in is really powerful. Munkidori beinng ranked alongside Vaporeon and Raikou is sad, and it being ranked under Typh-H and Rotom-H is also sad. Munkidori breaks through a lot of balance structures, please bump it up a couple subranks.

B --> B+
I lost to Scarf Toxtricity yesterday, idk how, but Scarf hits unexpectedly hard. This guy is just like Magnezone, Gallade, Chandelure, and Porygon-Z, it hits hard and you will have no counterplay after a few turns of it being out. I would rank this A- but for now I think just B+ is good enough.

B- --> B
With the best Water-type being Slowbro, followed by Swampert, Inteleon and Kingdra are able to rise to do what they do best. Clicking a strong Hydro Pump has never felt better because Vaporeon, Milotic, and Gastrodon do not exist. Inteleon really only has its Specs set, which is still great and can fit Dark Pulse for Slowbro, but honestly, just run Mystic Water or Boots on it to bluff Specs and to pivot. Kingdra also loves the fact that Fairy-types do not exist. Diancie loses to your Water STAB and Klefki cries at the sight of Substitute. CritDra is incredibly strong and is great on Webs teams.

Drops
A --> A-
Brambleghast is just worst Tsareena, it's frail and weak to Knock Off; A is a little too high for it. Diancie is a Pokemon I love on HO because Rock Polish sets blast through those that don't expect it. OTR Diancie also exists but idk if it's still good, same with bulky setup. My issue with Diancie is that it has stiff competition with Rhyperior. Diancie isn't too threatening anymore because it doesn't take hits like it used to. Being a Fairy-type that doesn't resist Fighting-type moves is not great, especially since it is weak to Ground- and Water-type moves. Reuniclus has fallen off big time, I used to be its biggest fan, but that title now goes to Shengineer. If I wanted a Reuniclus on my team I would use Slowbro because Slowbro is just so much better.

A- --> B+
Infernape sucks. The one thing it has over Mienshao is with Scarf it outspeeds Venusaur under the Sun, which really isn't worth it because Sun is mid. 104 Atk/SpA is too low these days, if I want a Fighting-type with SD I'll use Mienshao, Lucario, or Gallade; if I wanted a Fighting-type with NP I'll use Lucario or Specs Chandelure because it essentially fills the slot. Gyarados was banned a month ago, there's no reason to use Quagsire. Slowbro exists and so does Swampert.

B+ --> B/B-
Just like Quagsire, there is no reason to use this. It is far too passive of a Pokemon. It's weak, doesn't threaten much, and is often just set up fodder for 99% of the tier.

B --> B-
We live in a timeline where Raikou is better in UU than NU, lol. In theory this mon should be good, but it isn't. The only reason I would use it is when I question myself with, "Has this shitter been fully explored?" idk the answer to that because CM and Specs exist, pivot sets exist, but y'know what else exists? Thundurus (and Jolteon). Re: Vaporeon- Just like Quagsire Gastrodon, there is no reason to use this. It is far too passive of a Pokemon. It's weak, doesn't threaten much, and is often just set up fodder for 99% of the tier.

B- --> C
Why is Houndstone ranked in the first place? It was ok in previous metas, but should not exist currently. Just like Raikou, Kilowattrel sucks and is a worse version of Thundurus, if anything it should be UR. Umbreon is just Alolan Muk + Vapo, but even more passive. Maybe if Wish Passing teams were better I would consider using it, but they are not good, so bye bye Umbreon.

C --> UR
Yeah I don't need to explain these. Besides Rabia's latest video which he uses Flamigo to showcase a Pokemon that has fallen off, when have you seen either of these 3 Pokemon? When would you use these 3 Pokemon? Thank you, next.

I was considering talking about Sun and how it should fall, but I haven't used it recently. I also haven't seen much use of it recently, so, yeah.

 

[Pika134]

Rises

-> S
I think it's universal agreed that Mienshao is best pokemon in NU. It's also so easy fit on so many teams and I nothing else that's been said it's a excellent pokemon.

-> A
Lucario in my opinion deserves a lot more respect since it might be the most scariest setup sweepers. The Ekiller sets can snowball a game unless you have a Tera Ghost user and it fits great on many HO teams.

-> A-
Brute Bonnet actually got a lot better since it's been rising as a special wall and having Sucker Punch is a great advantage over Alolan Muk. Chandelure is still a menace with Specs and Scarf sets being a pain to switch-in into many of the checks don't like taking it stabs. I like Munkidori a lot more I thought it was a mid pokemon but after using Munkidori it's pretty good. I don't think it deserves to rise to A+ since it's typing isn't great, but A- fits Munkidori fine.

-> A
Magnezone might be one of the best Steel-type in NU. Due to how much it's a pain to check Ground-types don't like to switch into Analytic Flash cannon nor Tera Blast Grass. I think the AV set deserves more attention sure isn't strong as Specs sets. However it gives Magnezone some bulk allowing to tank hits from Dragalge and Munkidori, and it doesn't have the Choice lock effect of Specs allowing Magnezone freely used another move without making it walled against its checks.

-> A-
I like Copperajah a lot more than Registeel since it can do more on a team then just standing there to get up rocks. Knock Off allows it to get rid of held items and Whirlwind to prevent setup sweepers to snowball a game and at the end of the day it's Copperajah it does the same thing it has been since the beginning of the tier.

Drops

-> A- / B+
Brambleghast in my opinion just got a bit worse since it's bulk is just trash and having only Poltergeist as your only Stab Ghost move makes it a lot more easier more physical walls to beat it on 1 v 1.

-> B+ / B
Truth be told I just fell out of love with Registeel sure it has better bulk than Copperajah, however; it's extremely passive it just makes variable against many of top tier pokemon.

-> A-
I think Reuniclus is still great, but it has fallen off a lot. Not like it's a bad pokemon far from it but with the recovery nerf it makes it a lot more passive against many attacks and it face competition against Mew and Slowbro both are just better to used on a team.

 

[Heatranator]

Going to quickly rise and drop some mons.

Rises
-> A-/A
Lucario already talked about it, but gallade is an amazing mon. It has decent special bulk (though AV is amazing, so that's where they were wrong, start using it sheeple, you can switch into so many special hits) and truly disgusting breaking power. It's only issue is its mid speed tier (which is not bad for a mon with this power) and poor defense stat, but that can be overcome by using agility or webs for the former and by just hitting things first for the later.
-> B/A-
Other people have already spoke about it, but I would like to talk about a set that I have been using to great success, choice specs. TLDR, but unless you are immune to it, the move will hurt. This allows it to clean up slightly chipped teams, and boosted future sights can help break open some mons that try to switch between resists. I haven't been using u-turn, but that would probably elevate the set further.
-> C/B
I am bronzong's biggest beliver, and have used it in every tier (except ubers, I may be crazy but I'm not that crazy) and bronzong is genuinelly good here bias mostly aside. People are using bronzong purely as a defensive answer (which it is good at) or purely as a id sweeper (which it is also good at), but you should be doing both. By using a set of id, bp, rocks and a coverage move, you can switch in early to get up rocks and maybe wall something, and late game go for a sweep. Some options of a coverage move are: heavy slam, payback, e-quake and grass knot. You can mix and match the coverage for the situation, and it can wall a lot of physical attackers with levitate. Please stop pigeonholing bronzong into one role, make it defensive without being passive and offensive without it having early game utility. It should not be among the ranks of stuff like smeargle, ughh.

Drops
-> A+/A
Hot take, but idk why people are hyping up flygon. On paper, its a great mon, but when I'm looking for a ground type for the team, I always choose either krook or rhyperior. They offer a lot more offense for the team and while flygon does have dd, its not breaking through most things after one boost, it needs two at least and that is somewhat exploitable. Choice band sets are decent and probably where it is best, but that's mainly because of first impression, which you can only click once. Choice scarf sets are entirely outclassed by scarf krook in my opinion, knock is such a good tool. On its own merits, flygon is fine, but competition is stiff.
-> A-/B+
I do think that quagsire is pretty good in this meta as it is able to stonewall a lot of set up sweepers and either get up spikes, use recover or toxic something, which differeniates itself from the competition, but A- is just too high for it. This is mainly just competition as a bulky ground type, but it does have good differeniating factors.