Project Personal UU Viability Rankings

[Sickist]

Approved by the UU mod team
OP shamelessly copy/pasted from the OU variant

After shamelessly robbing the idea from OU, here's the Personal VR project for UU! This project will fill some downtime between now and when the VR finally gets sorted out and opens up again. The concept is very simple: post your own VR. Explanations for certain rankings are not necessary but of course welcome! Happy posting!

 

[Monky25]

Welp, time to take a shot at giving my own personal viability rankings. I can say for sure the tier has gotten a lot better after the recent bans as its easier to account for the remaining top threats. Wont go too in depth with the ranking definition, if you are familiar with the VR you should know what ranks like S, A+, A-, B, etc mean. Also wont go too in depth with why the mon is ranked for most of them, generally the positions of the mons on this list don't stray far away from common views (ex: celesteela in S, regidrago in something niche like C).
S rank

A+

A

A-

B+

B

B-

C+

C

 

[Twilight]

S

Aegislash

S-

Celesteela

Zeraora

A+

Tapu Bulu

Hippowdon

Gengar

Hydreigon

Victini

Gyarados

Azumarill

Latias

Jirachi

A

Scizor

Alakazam

Thundurus

Thundurus-Therian

Volcarona

Terrakion

Tapu Lele

Amoonguss

Incineroar

Kommo-o

Primarina

Bisharp

Keldeo

Rotom-Heat

Conkeldurr

Tangrowth

Diggersby

A-

Salamence

Rotom-Wash

Volcanion

Haxorus

Nihilego

Ninetales-Alola

Rhyperior

Crawdaunt

Mamoswine

Skarmory

Chansey

Kyurem

B+

Hatterene

Slowbro-Galar

Diancie

Lycanroc-Dusk

Magnezone

Mew

Tentacruel

Suicune

Mimikyu

Slowking

Togekiss

Scolipede

Necrozma

B

Noivern

Cobalion

Arctozolt

Grimmsnarl

Moltres-Galar

Torkoal

Venusaur

Toxtricity

Zarude

Araquanid

Krookodile

Slowking-Galar

Nidoqueen

Porygon-Z

Chandelure

Obstagoon

Durant

I spent a little while shifting around some of these Pokemon within the A ranks and even now I can't say I am 100% content with it but this is a decent enough reflection of my thoughts on most of these Pokemon. I didn't bother ranking stuff below B because I don't think it's that easy to do so right now. I added an S- rank not because I'd push for the actual VR to have one but just to reflect that I think these Pokemon have felt a step above the rest but I'm not certain if I would call them S ranks. No ordering with this list e.g. I'm not saying Tapu Bulu is better than the other A+ mons etc. Brief explanations below of the stuff from S to A+ from my point of view.

Explanations

Aegislash - It's quite apparent that Aegislash is a step above the rest. Very versatile Pokemon with a great defensive and offensive typing making it difficult to switch into and break unless it is in Shield form.

Celesteela - It is a defensive check to a vast majority of the top threats in the tier and is capable of running offensive sets well. I do think it is a little overhyped in terms of it being some unbreakable monster though.

Zeraora - This Pokemon is crazy good imo. One of the best pivots in UU capable of annoying a vast majority of teams with Knock Off. Its Speed tier allowing it to naturally outspeed everything gives it a phenomenal matchup against offense. Mixed sets can break past stuff like Hippowdon. Bulk Up sets aren't bad but just harder to make work.

Tapu Bulu - It provides so much utility through its typing and Grassy Terrain. Helping mons take Ground moves better, passive recovery, and enabling a lot of Grassy Seed sets cement itself as a top Pokemon. It has the coverage to break past conventional checks depending on which ones you opt for.

Hippowdon - Best Ground-type in the tier capable of stomaching hits from a lot of shit. SpD sets with Rock Slide can beat Volcarona, Phys Def takes on stuff like Terrakion better, and then you can run mixed variants to have the best of both worlds.

Gengar - STABs + Focus Blast has no counters so it is not the easiest Pokemon to switch into. Great Speed tier and newfound access to NP let it decimate fat builds. I'd say the biggest issue it has is the offensive metagame making it harder to find ideal opportunities to set up.

Hydreigon - This Pokemon is as versatile as it was last gen though no Z-moves do limit this somewhat. Nasty Plot Hydreigon is ridiculously difficult to wall thanks to its great coverage. Taunt and Defog are great utility moves. The main thing holding it back is the Speed tier.

Victini - Solid Pokemon that clicks V-create or pivots around. Boots sets have a lot of versatility in terms of what it can run to break certain Pokemon. It's typing also has a good amount of merit too.

Gyarados - DD sets are difficult to wall and it has nigh perfect coverage for this tier to snowball out of control. This being further exemplified by its bulk and typing to set up on stuff like Volcarona and Keldeo.

Azumarill - Very scary wallbreaker with a CB that usually results in you losing a Pokemon if you predict wrong. BD sets are good wincons also. It's Speed tier and reliance on Aqua Jet does hold it back though.

Latias - This is a weird Pokemon for me right now but it doesn't fail to put in work. It has a lot of flexibility with its sets and Mystical Fire being a huge buff for it. Great defensive typing and Choice Scarf sets revenge a good portion of the tier.

Jirachi - Just like most of these mons it's very flexible. Defensive sets are great as is Choice Scarf. It can run options to Fire Punch, Thunder Punch, and Thunder to break past conventional responses to it. Thunder Wave is also obnoxious in tandem with Serence Grace Iron Head.

Scizor - I didn't put it in A+ but I'll talk about it. For me, I think Scizor has a fair amount of issues about it. Choice Band sets don't feel as great due to the loss of Pursuit. There are also a lot more defensive checks to Scizor this gen to handle offensive Scizor with most pretty much mandating Knock Off right now (which isn't necessarily a bad thing). Offensive Psychic-types like lele and zam kinda make it hard not to want to run bulkier Scizor's. Terrain from the former also being obnoxious for it. Still, it's a great Pokemon, but I dunno if I'd put it in A+ personally.

 

[Adaam]

S

A+

A

A-

B+

B

B-

C

S rank reasoning:

Aegislash is probably the best pokemon in the tier right now, and it's easy to see why. It's stupid splashable and checks a lot of boxes while also being demonic to handle defensively. Hippowdon is the flagship balance/BO mon being a stupid good rocker, weather stopper, Zeraora counter, and soft checking so many things. Volcarona is IMO the most terrifying sweeper to face and the one pokemon that can turn the game around with a single turn. Fire/Psychic/Grass coverage is surprisingly tough to deal with, and you cannot discount its ability to run Bug Buzz or bulky Roost as well. Volcarona's presence is why I have Azumarill two ranks higher than Primarina. CB sets have literally 0 switch ins, and Aqua Jet is so so nice for Volcarona (among others).

Other things (not gonna talk about all mons): Terrakion is somehow even better and borderline broken despite the severe power creep. The lack of Slowbro and Palossand is noticeable, as Hippowdon/Aegi are no checks to this behemoth. Tapu Bulu brings insane support with Grassy Terrain and can be a fearsome breaker with CB. I would put it in S, but terrain can work against you, and it always is walled by a select set of mons depending on its coverage. Steela/Guss are the faces of balance, but Steela is hard stopped by Magnezone, and finds itself spamming Leech Seed more often than I'd like. Gengar is broken.

Stall is scary good right now, and while stuff like Terrak/Conk will always threaten it, I find it to be extremely versatile and can outlast most teams. That's why I have Chansey at A. Bisharp and Mamoswine are also two pre-DLC mons that got better. Cobalion is unseen, and most teams use Steela > Skarmory which makes Mamoswine a lot tougher to handle. Victini is also the best scarfer ever and I love it.

Alakazam has been underwhelming. It's cool under Psychic Terrain, but stacking it with Lele just opens up a bad Steela/Sciz/Tini weakness that's hard to cover. The Thundy twins also kinda suck. I think Thundy-I is better cause that speed tier is clutch. Being revenged by Terrak is simply unviable. Keldeo has been scary to deal with since Slowbro left and Vern vanished. Salamence is slower and hit hard by Specs Hydro, and CM 3 attacks (Air Slash) kinda snuffs teams relying on Grass-types to check it. Tentacruel is jesus and owns Celesteela.

Sun is alright and struggles mightily with opposing Victini and Rock-types. They often rely on like, Hat to check Terrak/Lycanroc which is a joke. Hydreigon/Latias make Venusaur a lot less scary too. Hippo also owns it. Rain outright sucks. Hail is neat cause Veil is Veil and Arctozolt can be really annoying. But without Hawlucha, Veil has gotten a lot easier to deal with.

Glowbro/Glowking are uncommon but annoying as hell to deal with. Same with Suicune/Toge. Staka is a shitty Steela but TR can fuck up an overzealous offense. Webs are annoying to deal with but often lose to lead Aegislash. Lastly, MMQ sucks now and that makes me sad.

 

[BigFatMantis]

CELESTEELA+ RANK:



-

S Rank:



-

A+ Rank:



-

A Rank:



-

A- Rank:



-

B+ Rank:



-

B Rank:



-

B- Rank:



-

C Rank:



-
-

Brief explanation: Celesteela I think is the most centralizing mon in UU atm - you can put one on any team and instantly make it better. Hippo and Aegislash are right behind it though. Pyukumuku needs no explanation obviously.

 

[Notily]

(no ordering)

S

A+

A

A-

B+

B

B-

C

s tiers:
aegislash's versatility makes it extremely hard to play around and guessing the wrong set can lose you the game. has a sick typing both defensively and offensively and will never be deadweight in a game. volc and gyara are the 2 most dangerous sweepers in the tier. running mons that give these 2 free turns mandates you use of their select few counters which is annoying af

other stuff:
celesteela is really good atm but i think it'll get worse (like A instead of A+) as the tier develops. steela + hippo core is splashable on a lot of teams and any team that doesnt threaten it well is unviable. i feel that zam is underrated rn because ppl are trying to a) use np and b) force it onto psyspam teams. lo 3 atks (psychic move / shadow ball / focus blast) has a lot of utility it can run in the last moveslot like knock off, twave, and recover. knock in particular is really good because most switchins will struggle to check it long term without their item. also sash counter is still really good on more traditional ho. gengar is broken. hydreigon is the scariest mon on paper outside the s-tiers, gengar, and terrak, but it runs into 4mss problems.

lycanroc's priority is almost valuable enough for me to put it in a- but hippo being so common keeps it in b+. i think spikes are really good rn but all of our spikers either dont have room for it or suck, skarm and mew being the only exceptions. spikes ho is also why i have shark in b. rhyp / nidoqueen / krook are all decent mons but you need a distinct reason to use them otherwise hippo is just better as the ground.

 

[Sickist]

Now that the meta's settled a little bit, I wanted to share my personal VR, cuz that's what this threads for. Ranking alphabetically in each rank.

S Rank

A+ Rank

A Rank

A- Rank

(

sun)
B+ Rank

B Rank

B- Rank

Some explanations

S ranks -
Tapu Bulu and Kommo-o are both the top pokemon in the metagame at the moment. Tapu Bulu finds itself being able to support itself and teammates with it's terrain (that nothing viable can change), while also having a couple of sets that it's pretty good at. Choice Band Wood Hammer hurts almost everything, and other sets always put in work no matter what matchup Tapu Bulu is in. Kommo-o is probably the most versatile pokemon in the tier, providing an answer to many dangerous UU threats, and can also be one itself. Like Bulu, Kommo-o is almost putting in work every single game, regardless of the set you choose.

A+ ranks
These 6 are the mons I feel most strong about in the UU metagame. While they either aren't splashable enough or have a major flaw holding them back, these 6 are the most metagame-defining pokemon in my eyes. Stuff I will mention is Celesteela, who is prepped for and still is annoying as hell with leech seed, and is usually still doing work in games where the opponent has sufficiently prepared for it. I also placed the "controversial" pokemon in this tier, because these pokemon may be broken, but they're hardly splashable half the time.

A ranks
This is basically the "metagame mons", what I like to call this group of pokemon you're more then likely to run into. Now you may be asking - "why is slowking even on my screen?" and the answer is that Slowking can run physdef and spdef sets that handle a lot of mons, while also forming regen cores with shit. Slowking also has FuturePort, which is lowkey broken, and other cool options like Twave that it can abuse. Slowking is good, ya'll just haven't tried it. Other than that, mostly standard UU mons.

A- ranks
All of these are still good, but less common then those in A ranks. They're mainly harder to fit on a lot of builds, and you won't see them as often as the A rank mons. They're all still good, albeit harder to build with.

B+ ranks
A bunch of decent, yet really uncommon and really hard to build with mons. Not much else to say other then that. Mew could probably go higher once it gets explored some, but yea.

B ranks
The "I thought I was gonna be really good but im actually dogshit" club. Zone is slow, can't kill half the steels, including fucking Celesteela. I'd D rank Magnezone if I were more tired. Zam is kinda choked out in the current metagame, can't really get any setup, and just gets smashed by anything faster then it, including priority. Pretty sure Burned CB Azumarill's Jet still OHKOs Zam..Other shit like Volcanion are okay, just struggle in the current metagame cuz either their stats are kinda not great (volcs speed) or they have a hard time putting in work consistently in games (haxorus and zarude). Also Chansey is easy as fuck to pressure cuz every other mon in the tier learns Knock Off or Corrosive Gas, and Trick is pretty common. Stall in general is pretty ass right now.

B- ranks
mons that probably have niche's but either haven't been explored, have been explored and kinda suck ass, or Trick Room, because despite getting good shit this gen, its still somehow ass. Everything below this I havent used, or is extremely ass, especially Cobalion. This gen it's below sewage, real NU mon.