USUM UU Viability Ranking Thread V3

[avarice]

agree w most of the discussion points but,

B- -> C+

B- -> C+

I think these two deserve their spots in B-. Jellicent's typing is great compared to the pure psychic Mew and Mew struggles to fit Will-o-wisp on the Taunt set already. Jellicent also has options like Scald Toxic > Hex Willo to use on certain teams to help against Hydreigon-- something stallbreaker mew doesn't do well against esp vs roost variants. Rotom-C imo still does its job well and can go well with mmq, either paralyzing mons so hydreigon doesnt pop disguise or just breaking fat grounds for mmq lategame. rotom c can even run z dream eater to remove amoonguss for mmq or scarf, dont count it out.
scald toxic jelly

S -> A+

Latias has so many sets and maybe I'm just reading it wrong but I don't fully understand the reasoning behind a drop. Stuff like AV Bisharp exists mainly because of this mon, and it plays into the viability of stuff like Krookodile too (making it weird to put them same rank imo). Maybe it seems less of a point because of Mew's presence, but Latias's coverage options are on par with Scizor, something Altaria can't brag about. Latias also just significantly better than the rest of A+ really and I don't think making S+ shit is needed.


C- -> UR

NOOOO MY GHOSTS REALLY DROPPING TO SHADOW REALM END OF SPOOKY SEASONNN. Cofa I really wanted to be good but w the new broken ghost mmq in town it just doesn't cut it so I can't really defend it ;_;. Alolwak on the other hand is definitely usable outside of full TR, even if it can be hard to build around. Options like Protect can be annoying for Scarf Dark teams too and its raw power is not to be underestimated. Electric Immunity + beat non knock sciz / edge coba + immediate power are all cool too. Though of course I'd pair it with another ground that's just more shaky vs stuff like Mane ie offensive Nidoqueen or Zygarde 10%. And fwiw it can bop Mega Altaria that lack Earthquake too.
beats malt lategame for drei


C+ -> B-

on the merit of DD rather than SD, as with the rise of MMQ Mold Breaker can now be more useful in the offense match up as Poison Jab can smack MMQ through its disguise. It can also do pretty well against teams that use weaker steels like Doublade for Mega Altaria mu.
DD vs non MMQ

 

[Christo]

S -> A+ Agree
Altaria was at its peak during SPL when the typical UU team did not prepare for the Refresh variant. Since then, the meta adapted to Altaria to make it less effective. Sludge Bomb Tentacruel became mandatory, a good pivot like Rotom Heat is more relevant, Mimikyu entered the tier and Scizor stays being the tiers most common mon.

S -> A+ Agree & Disagree
I agree that latias has been less of a threat as of recent. In the earlier stages on SM people used a variety of latias sets, a decent amount being defog variants. Since around when UU Open began, 3 attack z Draco variants with HP Fire and Psyshock became more popular. At the time HP Fire was more of a tech set rather than a common set so people got by using Scizor as a check. HP Fire z Draco exploited common cores and allowed it to ravage through teams easily. Similarly to Altaria, Latias' effectiveness peaked and the meta adapted to it with mons like Stakataka, and Steel + Fairy + Krook cores. Although, I agree with other users in this thread that Latias is still considerably better than any other A+ mon.

I believe the most objective ranking would include Scizor alone at S+ rank while Latias should stay in S rank by itself.

 

[Twilight]

Just dropping some of my thoughts on the state of the current VR about clearing up some of the stuff lingering in C as well as my thoughts on some of the discussion points.


Mega Altaria S -> A+ Agree

Mega Altaria really isn't at its peak anymore like it used to be a while ago. It is still a potent threat with a fair amount of versatility, which is shown by how easily it can act as a glue for a variety of BO and Balance teams. No other Pokemon really accomplishes this (Other than Scizor ofc) so it still remains as one of the top dogs of UU but with recent changes in the meta it struggles to fulfill its role of a sweeper as easily. Bulky Steel-types like Mega Steelix and Aggron are becoming a lot more popular, which imo Mimikyu plays a part in, thus making it a lot harder for Mega Alt to sweep. As Christo said Pokemon like Tentacruel and Amoonguss tend to run Sludge Bomb now to pressure Mega Altaria. Mimikyu's addition gives HO another way to prevent Mega Altaria sweeping through their teams, which previously were reliant on Scizor to do so. While Facade + Fire Blast has finally been seeing more usage, I still don't think this changes the fact that Mega Alt struggles in the metagame and this shift in sets is a result of this.

Latias S -> A+ Mixed

Personally I don't think Latias is as dominant of a force as it used to be, but dropping it into the same rank as the Mons in A+ just doesn't distinguish the difference between them and it well enough imo. Latias is definitely a step above them in terms of what roles it can fulfill in the meta, so I don't agree with the idea of dropping it. CM sets are as strong as they have always been with Dragonium Z going back to having more usage than Electrium Z. Latias is extremely difficult to predict in this regard, given its ability to run a multitude of sets effectively without revealing the nature of it until a move is clicked. Specs Latias has also seen some usage, as a strong wallbreaker capable of punishing the bulky Steel-types and threaten Blissey better. Ideally, I would put Latias in an S- rank (Maybe Malt can even go here too) to separate them even if I am personally not a fan of dividing S ranks. If this wasn't considered then keep Latias in S along with Scizor and while I do think there is a big gap between it and Scizor it isn't enough for me to feel it should drop into the same category of Mons in A+.

Okay, so some of these are discussions while the rest are just my general thoughts because I really do think the depths of C is just cluttered with stuff that doesn't need to be there. While these Pokemon did have a niche not all of them really do now and even if they do, I personally don't think there is an ideal scenario where you resort to using them unless you have some specific hole you want to be patched in a team. In which case the team is most likely flawed if you are so weak to X mon.

UR

Shaymin - This Pokemon is just garbage lol. Shaymin has a bad 4MSS and even after using its mono boost it is unbelievably weak, which prevents it ever realistically sweeping a team. It has to resort to HP Fire as its ways to beat Steel-types, because without it you simply lose to Scizor, which isn't ideal given how popular Mega Aggron etc. is becoming. If you want a Grass-type capable of sweeping you use Celebi, it's as simple as that.

Cresselia - Cresselia is a weird Pokemon that doesn't really belong on any specific team. Originally, it found its place on Stall but every other alternative simply outclasses it. I can understand the appeal of being a Fighting check that beats Nidoqueen and Nidoking but if you are so unbearably weak to these Pokemon then I see this as one of those moments where something should be fixed with the team. It is an overly passive CM user that has to take up the Z-Move to even have a chance to remove threats like Malt + being walled by Scizor LUL

Cofag - Yeah I don't have much to say on this its just below subpar rn. As a Ghost-type there isn't really a point where Cofag is what you want to fulfill the role. Unlike other Ghost-types in this tier it does get Nasty Plot, but its lack of coverage forcing it to run HP Fighting really hurts its credibility. Pokemon like Gengar can threaten bulky teams well enough through Ghostium Z or Fightinium Z. And as an OTR user I see little reason where I would consider it over something like Reuni for instance, even if OTR itself isn't nearly that popular anymore.

Porygon2 - Another omni booster, which you are never using unless you tell yourself you want to build around it. BoltBeam coverage gives it some edge, I'd even prefer to run this over Shaymin but it still has so many issues. Being a sweeper that has to become an Electric-type and is then slower than Scarf Krookodile is awful lol. Rotom-H is as prevalent as it has always been and it is a special sweeper unable to pressure any SpD Mon in Blissey and Florges.

Ferroseed - I have been of the opinion that this is a shit Mon the moment it got ranked lol. Sure I get the appeal of it pivots into Prima, Malt, and Lati but it can't beat them reliably at all. It will simply lose to Malt with Fire coverage and even +1 Frustration 3HKOs it. You can't beat Latias without the combination of Toxic + Leech Seed and bulky Primarina just sits on your ass until you get Scald burned. It is an overly passive Steel-type that lets too many Pokemon in and get reliably keep its hazards up vs anything bar Starmie. A Steel-type that also loses to Scizor doesn't make it any more appealing to resort to.

Metagross - Hilomilo pls bro

Alowak - Personally, I am only fond of this Pokemon cos Viv told me to use it. The Trick Room sets is garbage, same can be said for the playstyle itself. The wallbreaker set is cool, but trying to support around this Pokemon is tedious. It requires so much to accommodate for it, that you are really better off using Infernape. Alowak attempts to be a Scizor, Coba + Ape, MegaMane + Rotom-H (Lightning Rod is bad btw) check all in one while still trying to act as a wallbreaker and Stealth Rock user, which it just isn't capable of doing all. Sure you can build around it to fix this, but that is the only way this Mon is working. Maybe keep it ranked for Viv's sanity otherwise yeah it's just one of those Mons that should be unranked.

Hoopa - Again another Pokemon I am fond of, but I'm realistic enough to acknowledge how much it struggles rn. Pursuit is everywhere, making it near impossible for this Pokemon to switch out once it comes in. Personally running Sub on it is a waste of time cos you are going to die anyways, so I'd just run an AoA set with LO but yeah. With Mimikyu dropping that is just another Ghost-type it has to compete with and is revenge killed by. It still has the stall breaking capabilities that all of them lack, but it should be unranked.

Palossand - Palo is just bad lol. I remember the huge wave of it checking Terrakion, which even then it will lose to Rockium Z variants. Since the last time it soar in usage, I have never found a reason to consider using it over Hippowdon or Gligar. It has a Ghost-typing that doesn't really matter aside from checking Cobalion better. You still lose to Infernape, NP Lucario, and Terrakion as I previously said. I just don't value it over the other bulky Ground-types at our disposal that can do everything it does and provide more utility.

Mega Absol - lol

There are other Pokemon like Barbaracle, but I dunno about this personally. I think C is too high for them and would drop it to C- or UR if others believed this. Though I run into Barbaracle once in a 100 games and it always sweeps my ass so...

Also drop Tornadus lol, why is that shit the same rank as Reuni and Jelli. Anyways other discussion points I agree with but am too lazy to repeat my agreeance about:

• Nihilego B+ -> B
• Froslass B -> B+

Thanks for reading if you made it this far!

 

[vivalospride]

listen, idfc about this lati and malt shit, idc.

what I do care about tho is the heinous crime that Sage and Hilomilo have committed. WHERE is my boy GLALIE at?? WHERE. I am absolutely seething with pure anger and rage at this discovery, "unfortunate" doesn't begin to describe the ignorance of the vr jerk.

nomming the big boy Glalie to C+/B-
Over the months, hazards offense has started to snowball into the powerhouse that it is rn. Starting with acquisitions such as Bisharp, and Mamoswine coming back, hazard offense big dawgs joined the ranks of the Under Used tier. Then we stopped being braindead headasses and realized that it's borderline fuckin impossible to stop Froslass from doing whatever the fuck it wants t1-2/3, which led to use realizing that Taunt is a broken ass move. So now, in a meta where building is a painstaking gauntlet, people with 1/5th of a brain cell can easily build a snake level UU team by following this simple format of:

Froslass / Sharpedo-Mega / Rocker / Latias / Mimikyu / filler (usually mamo/bish/scizor)

Listen idiots, just because this is the case does not mean that this is the only viable form of hazard offense. I for one think webs is p fuckin nasty rn but ik none of you give a FUCK about that rn, what I'm saying is that with assets like Mega Mewtwo Q, there's still room to break the mold and be innovative, or at least just branch off of the bog standard w/o sacrificing quality. If glalie didnt take up a mega slot it'd be like A/A+ ngl, but it does :( so no sharpedo + glalie cores. Doesn't rule it out at all, I have come here to share something with you all.

>:O

UU Majors Pools: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-987634833-noawsqnmaza8hv42cb9ddf1axrovr3upw
Ladder Mirror Match vs my boy FUCKLE: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-994469742
UU Fake PL: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-996991319
The Last Time Pif Laddered :(: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-998161860
UU Majors Pools: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-988800927-r2duya4cr0gylpfsxomiw39h80v0nbbpw

This has been prolly one of the most fun, efficient, successful, and solid teams I've used on the ladder in quite a while. Glalie's damage output is pretty impressive even with a weird variety of coverage of choice on this team. STAB Glaciate anything is gonna pressure removers quite well and it does a very solid job of breaking early, it has even been a cleaner in the late game on many occasions for me. To say Glalie is less viable than literally fuckin everything in C-/C is absolutely insane, and to I'd say there's a solid argument for it being more viable than the majority of C+ and possibly B-. Spike setter that keeps em up and acts as a breaker w a decent speed tier, cmon. Toxicroak has nothing on this thing LMAO.

I've said my piece, I feel I really channeled 2017 viv in this post so I think it's a good one. A few other random thoughts that I'm too lazy to explain but I definitely have opinions on:
- Don't drop nihi, good rocker, even on HO
- Rise araq, things broken, runs thru a lot of HOs following the adaam format
- Rise bear, that things nice as fuck
- Rise metagross, viable offensive steel rocker and cb is underrated, MILES better than everything else in C-
- if you unrank alowak I will be absolutely livid.
- Rank Galvantula

s/o Amane Misa bc she pointed out Glalie's absence from this thread to me.

 

[scorbunnys]

B to A
The truth is that I have used these two mons a lot and I conclude that it must be in A rank, now I will give my verdict.
Sylveon: He has a great hp and has a great ability, the reason why Sylveon deserves to go up, is because B rank does not go with the description of either, basically they are mons with a niche but nothing more, Sylveon the truth is that has that and the real reason, avoid many 2hko to several physical offensive mons, here I will give an example
+1 252 SpA Latias Psyshock vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Sylveon: 163-193 (41.3 - 48.9%) -- 16.4% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
+1 252 SpA Latias Psyshock vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Florges: 160-189 (44.4 - 52.5%) - 80.9% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
Currently Sylveon has something more than a niche (I will not deny that it was very bad when I was Kommo-O), but for me Sylveon deserves to climb to A.
Florges: Florges shows that a sylveon changing hp, defense and power in exchange for special bulk, reliable recovery and higher speed, can be just as good as Sylveon, here because, Florges has a better special bulk, this allows you to counter many mons , Hydreigon LO, Latias CM Psychic, etc ... B or B+, are not ranges that deserve, because your support is very valuable for balanced teams or more offensive teams, although it may not carry wish, Toxic and Defog are good , deserves to go up to A rank.
+1 252+ SpA Latias Psychic vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Florges: 148-175 (41.1 - 48.6%) -- 13.3% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
+1 252+ SpA Latias Psychic vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Sylveon: 172-204 (43.6 - 51.7%) -- 67.6% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery

C to B
Umbreon: This mon has a great niche, Roseli Berry + Curse and Payback (I know it's not a metagame set, but now you'll see why this set), makes it a good Mimikyu check, which is good, since Mimikyu is in the entire UU metagame. Although it is surpassed by Alomomola, Sylveon / Florges and Blissey, this mon is not bad. Apart from the aforementioned Roseli Curse, it has a slight, but noticeable greater versatility, for me it must be minimal B+ or A-, but for the moment B.
Umbrito (Umbreon) (M) @ Roseli Berry
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 SpA / 0 Spe
- Payback
- Curse
- Moonlight
- Taunt

Snorlax: Well, it really has a large bulk with curse and iapapa berry with gluttony, it has a good defensive typing with only one weakness, it really has good stats, in the UU it has the niche of stopping many mons, see Doublade, since it has TQuake or Fire Punch, Mimikyu (only if snorlax is boosting, but in the end it ends up stopping him), Blissey, etc ... really deserves to climb to B, because he has a solid niche in this metagame, would I say that B rank would be fine.

B- to B
The reason to get on Bewear, is that his ability Fluffy, is excellent, since this makes it a good physical wall, the truth is that I have a bulky set for Bewear, can count on several threats, see Bisharp for example, B- Rank is very little, I would say that this mon must be for all this, B rank at least, to get up Bewear.
Mami (Bewear) (F) @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Fluffy
EVs: 252 HP / 152 Atk / 104 Def
Impish Nature
- Ice Punch
- Focus Punch
- Bulk Up
- Substitute
This makes Bewear a mon more than decent, his typing is not bad, for me it deserves to be up to B+ in the future, but for now B rank is not bad.

A+ to S-
The reason to upload it, is that very few things manage to enter safely, really the amount of counters that it has is limited, Choice Specs is 2hko to much of the metagame, it's like when sylveon specs centralized in the UU, but now it's Primarina, really its water and psychic coverage, it is interesting, Energy Ball for some threats, etc ... The reason why it would rise to S- and not to S rank from the front, is that it still has a hard time dealing with its low defense and speed, but even so S-rank would be your perfect range, climb Primarina.

A- to S+
I know, it's a very big change, but the reason is that Mew today, however weak to Scizor, has NP and is not weak to fairy like Latias is, this is a very large niche, since Mew It may be a better bulky sweeper, apart from learning NP and WoW, in my opinion they should ban it, but I take Scizor out of the way, for me it is S + rank, since in itself this thing should never have come down, but if they give me to choose a range, S +, since it is higher than Latias (by far) and has WoW and flamethrower for scizor.

Slate Noms

S to A+ Super Mega Strongly Disagree
I wouldn't want to offend you, but I think it's a very unfair drop in rank, now I will give my verdict.
Altaria-Mega: You say that Scizor and poisons are a problem, Altaria-Mega Fire Blast and TQuake fix this and almost certainly, apart from forgetting that Altaria Mega can be support, it is very scary, apart from its versatility makes entering from Surely it is too difficult, because you have to predict his set very well and not even that, since Malt has a special set, although uncommon, it is very efficient, it really is a mon which goes down deservedly, keep in S, maybe S-
Latias: Latias must be maintained for the same reason as Malt, he is very versatile with his Z-Moves, CM Bulky, etc ... Scizor stops him with HP Fire and CM, the truth is that he is also very versatile on the special side, too He has HW, he is a mon with many options that deserves to stay, just like Malt, maybe even S-rank by Scizor, but nothing beyond that, go down to S- or stay in S.

B to A- / A Strongly Agree
Houndoom-Mega is perhaps, Scizor´s best check, it is faster than him and if he carries flamethrower it is safer, A-rank would be very good, since it is also true that it breaks stall, being a nice wallbreaker for the tier, this makes mons like blissey or Quagsire, victims, really deserves to climb to A, but for now to A-. #FreeDoom

A to A+ / S- Super Mega Strongly Agree
The reason to upload it, is obviously because disguise achieves a lot, I know it has counters, but nothing that is not solved with Drain Punch and Swords Dance, for me it really is S-, although A + rank would be a good range, up to A + or S-

B+ to B Disagree
I know that your mega is better, but I don't think I deserve to go down, since you can take another mega, Regen AV Slowbro is a variant that I invented and is very good, it allows you to better tell Celebi or Primarina for example, it is in my opinion , its niche on the mega, B + rank fits very well, lowering B+ to me does not seem good, since as I say, AV Slowbro may be uncommon, but well used is dangerous.
My set:
Slowbro @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 156 Def / 100 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Grass Knot
- Flamethrower
- Ice Beam
- Scald

B to B+ Agree
Well, now HO is very common, it is the best playstyle just behind stall, Froslass is simply very common in HO, for me it would not go up from B +, due to the fact that Froslass has no niche in any other team, but nevertheless if I agree to go up to B +, go up to Froslass.

C- to UR Agree
I will only say this, it has no niche, basically you will never want cofagrigus in your team, that is UR, Hoopa the same, they are outclassed by other mons, Hoopa by Houndoom-M, their niche was to stop Blissey, but with Doom, it is difficult, Cofagrigus, by other physical walls (I will not be able to name all, they are too many), but for example, Quagsire, which has Unaware or Pyukumuku that is more resistant, both up to UR (mainly Cofagrigus)

C- to UR Disagree
The truth is that yes, it keeps a niche in TR teams, for me maybe it should be a D rank, but as I say, it stays a little, it's pretty bad, but it still deserves to stay in C- or go down to D maybe.

Other Nom:

C- to UR Disagree
Do I have to explain this ?, Cresselia maintains a great niche in TR, this thing has a niche even, there are also reasons to use it, it has a good special and physical bulk, it really seems silly to lower it to UR, keep Cress in C- or maybe D

UR to C-
Well, it has Explosion + Refrigerate and Spikes, this makes it a decent lead in the tier, its bad typing and not being able to be focus sash gives it disadvantages, but even so its niche remains in specific equipment, said B- / C +, but for now I see it C-, Glalie Mega is viable.

And to close

UR to B- / C+ / C
I do not have replays, so I will give a reasonable explanation, Stoutland is a good wall breaker in the tier, since next to Hippowdon he achieves a great speed and is immune to a guy, to the ghost, this takes advantage of it, since he can count on Mimikyu, It can be Scrappy and Scarf too, it has things that make it worth having a niche in the UU, even B- because it's more than a niche, it's a place in the metagame, because your support is valuable in many teams, that's why even above, maybe C + or C.

I hope it turned out well, see you in the eighth generation .

 

[Nichiru]

Latias : S -> A+ Disagree. While I do agree latias is not as much of a threat as it used to be, It still doesn't warrant the drop to A+. While a multitude of latias combinations were used early on in the meta, from Z Psychic,HP fire 3 attacks, defog and specs to now Electrium, Colbur, Z draco and the occasional scarf, latias's impact in every game hasn't changed at all. Just because it doesn't get every kill each game like it used to and doesn't win on its own doesn't mean its lost the overbearing presence it used ( and still does) have. The meta adapting in such a way that teams are now forced to run dual steel or dual dark, even at the odd times both, just to counteract latias proves it still has tremendous worth. It provides way more than the other mons in A+, and putting it their honestly falls a little short on insulting. I agree with the points stated above, and even though it is not as dominant as it used to be, for the reasons stated above I do not believe it warrants a drop to A+. As Christo mentioned as well, I also do think Scizor should be the only S+.

 

[HydreigonTheChild]

can we still chat here while uu still is not in gen 8 if so i wanna nominate mega shark to A+ because of how good it is in late game and on HO. Shark also hits the entire meta game with crunch,eq,ice fang. mega shark is a force to be reckoned with and it also outspeeds almost the enitre tier due to speed boost and protect. i think mega shark is a mega that overshadows mega aero and is better than A tier in general because of its sheer power and speed that makes it such a big threat to the metagame. Paired with frosslass they form a amazing offensive core with spikes up getting it certain ko's

 

[Hilomilo]

Hey everyone! I'm aware this thread has been pretty dead for a while now but I wanted to provide some information on how we're looking to close out the generation with the viability rankings. Right now Sage and I are working on a slate that should be looking to take a 'cleanup' type of approach for this next update. We have a few ideas as to how we want to do this, but ultimately we'll be trying to get as accurate a result as possible, since it's more than likely we're looking at our final update for this thread.

I'd encourage anyone to get in any lost nominations of the generation they'd like. It'll be at least until after this Thanksgiving weekend until we begin putting together the full details of our approach to this last update. On another note, I'd like to thank UU's lovely community for their enthusiasm and energy when contributing to this thread from the bottom of my heart. It's been lovely being this project's host for the past two years and I'm still grateful for this position everyday. It's thanks to our avid posters that I've been able to grow as both a project host and user on this site. You guys are awesome and have been great in keeping both the VR and our overall subforum lively for the entire generation. Thanks so much, and let's hope that no matter what happens next generation we'll have just as great a ride! I'll see y'all for the update in roughly two weeks or so.

 

[Hilomilo]

Here's our final update for the generation. Thanks again for all the great contributions that have been made to this thread and all our other viability rankings across the generation! We couldn't have done it without our lovely community :) hope y'all enjoy. Here's what changed:

changelog

Rises

B+ -> A-

Drops

S -> S-

B+ -> B

C+ -> C

C+ -> C

C -> C-

C -> UR

C- -> UR

C- -> UR

C- -> UR

Rise Reasonings

• Starmie has a lot of value in the teambuilder right now thanks to being able to compress some key roles super well. It can provide spin without losing offensive momentum thanks to its great damage output, while naturally outrunning and cleanly KOing top threats in Infernape, Terrakion, and Gengar is also an extremely valuable tool. It has a lot to love right now and can consistently perform in several matchups, warranting a bump into the A ranks.

Drop Reasonings

• Mega Altaria is still a defining presence but no longer possesses the same stranglehold it had on the meta during its peak. Between Mimikyu emerging as previously nonexistent competition for a physical Fairy, strong checks like Aggron and Nidoqueen further integrating themselves into the meta, and Pokemon like Tentacruel running Sludge Bomb to deny easy setup, Altaria is faced with a metagame far more prepared for it than previously. S- was decidedly the best spot for it to land to close out the gen, reflecting that Altaria may not be as dominant as Scizor or Latias but still remains defining enough to stay just above A+.
• Feraligatr is still a devastating sweeper under the right conditions but has suffered from screens offenses generally dying off due to the potency of Froslass/Mimikyu-based hyper offenses. While applicable on other builds, it is still generally more niche and less consistent than the other Pokemon in B+, making B a more suitable placement to end the generation.
• Tornadus doesn’t compare to more proven threats in C+ given its sparing usage across the entire generation, serious longevity issues, and high opportunity cost as Togekiss and Moltres remain strong picks. It is also harder to justify than a fairly similar C+ Pokemon in Mega Pidgeot, which lacks the same fire power but has greater consistency and defensive utility thanks to its ability and access to recovery. It has its uses and can definitely be an unpredictable presence, but is too disadvantaged and unexplored to justify a C+ ranking.
• Although Zygarde-10% can thrive in certain offensive matchups, it can be hard to justify in a metagame with such tight teambuilding. Its lack of defensive utility for either a Ground- or Dragon-type can strain builders in that roles usually designated to those types will have to be found elsewhere, while its niche on offenses has dwindled since more worthwhile picks in Mamoswine and Mimikyu have decreased its opportunities for a slot.
• Palossand is an extremely niche Pokemon that will almost always be outperformed by the many other Ground-types available in the tier. Its stronger matchup against Terrakion is really its only clear use and is usually only needed in tight teambuildling situations. It is too hard to justify to the point where it really is on the cusp of viability, justifying placement in C-.
• Shaymin, Cofagrigus, Alolan Marowak, and Hoopa were all unranked this slate due to having too specific of niches to justify consistent usage. Shaymin is very easy to work around and requires often strenuous conditions to actually sweep in the late-game. Celebi also offers a much more consistent and versatile option with much more impressive additional utility. Cofagrigus lacks usage and fails to maintain any consistency or value given its demanding sweeping conditions, poor matchups against several top threats, and the competition other options in Gengar and Chandelure provide. Alolan Marowak is heavily hindered by its several drawbacks, including a situational typing and awful Speed, which prevents it from capitalizing on any of its niches. Hoopa suffers competition from Mimikyu and Gengar and is hurt badly by its awful defensive utility in a metagame filled to the brim with Pursuit.

Thanks again to all of our dedicated contributors for helping make this thread so great! I'll see y'all again in a few months for gen 8. This generation's VR will live on through Ruins of Alph in time, though in the meantime we'll be paying pretty close attention to the growth of the new metagame. I hope you enjoyed our final update for the USUM metagame and hope you'll stick around for what SS has in store! :)

 

[ehT]

major shoutouts to this gen's vr hosts Hilomilo Sage pokeisfun Pearl and me y'all killed it god bless