Resource SV National Dex Monotype Viability Rankings [May 2025]

[Saltyape]

Is Walking Wake banned because I don’t see it on the banlist but it isn’t on the water or dragon vr list. Also I don’t see ogerpon wellspring on the water vr.

 

[Neko]

Is Walking Wake banned because I don’t see it on the banlist but it isn’t on the water or dragon vr list. Also I don’t see ogerpon wellspring on the water vr.

this is a bug, I'll fix it
Thanks for notifying me

 

[AzsaZazsa]

Alrighty! I spent the majority of the past two days playing around on the ladder with Fairy after taking a huge break from Monotype in Gen 9 due to the new mons killing a lot of the fun for me. Really glad to see things have mellowed out. Here are my thoughts on the meta having used any Fairy I could reasonably slot. Made it to 1500 on my main using some of these, will post my team as a sample soon.

A -> A+ / S
Honestly, I've yet to come across a Fairy team without this guy, and for good reason. I use him on every one of mine. Fairy tailors highly to HO which means Klefki is a must-have with a combo of Prankster screens and Spikes. You're almost guaranteed to get off both screens since very few things OHKO an HP+Def Klefki through the relevant screen, and Prankster allows you to set that screen before you get hit. Prankster Thunder Wave can be used to cripple a lot of the meta as well, and is valuable speed control. Defog and Foul Play are great utility as well.

What holds Klefki back is a combo of Taunt and 4MSS. You want both screens, you want Thunder Wave, and there are three moves that all fight for that last spot. I've found Spikes can be a bit tough to pull off for Fairy, but Foul Play is amazing and although I usually run Defog, I often run into "I would be winning if I had Foul Play" situations since Klefki is easy to set up on for Electric types. The issue of Electric is partially solved by pairing with though, since when the opponent sets their terrain they're risking a sweep from it the second goes down.

That being said, I still consider him to be one of the most integral parts of a Fairy team. He pairs amazingly with the fast powerful threats of the type, and Thunder Wave lets you very easily run without while still being near guaranteed the speed advantage. becomes a near-unbreakable wall for 6 turns depending on the type matchup, and especially against a special attacker can set up Calm Mind with very little danger since even a crit typically can't kill. can also worry less about the loss of bulk after Mega Evolving, and is usually a pretty easy switch directly out of Klefki. can capitalize on its deceivingly solid bulk behind the safety of the screens, and live hits from Pokemon like and kill, even after Disguise breaks.

C -> D / UR
Contrasting , I've yet to come across a Fairy team WITH this guy. I toyed around with him on the ladder and he was very consistently deadweight, and is really hard to justify slotting over the mons that do Tinkaton's job but way more effectively. The cuteness factor can't save it from being sub-mediocre. I'm actually unsure why it's ranked to begin with. If somebody could give me information I might be missing I'd appreciate it, but as far as I'm concerned it's basically impossible to run him above like 1300 ELO without coping with your wasted team slot.

D -> C
This is probably the weak link on this list since it's pretty inconsequential in general, but if you have a personal disdain for Klefki he's a great alternative with Parting Shot for great pivoting, and can be better than Klefki in very specific circumstances. I wouldn't run him, but I understand why someone would and I think he's lower than he should be here. He also packs a punch and can catch an unprepared team off guard as such.

C -> UR
Stick to Ice, Ninetales-A, because you're nearly unusable on Fairy. With so few variation on Fairy teams it can be really hard to use Ninetales, even given its speed and Aurora Veil, since every team that's making it anywhere has Diancie-Mega and more than one quad-weakness to Steel is pushing it on the ladder. Especially since as a lead it's pretty hit or miss, with the main lead for half of the types directly countering it. especially underspeeds even at max Speed investment to set Sand and sends you into either a forced switch or desperado under the threat of Stone Edge, and since a lot of Fairies really can't handle that without the screens that Ninetales is supposed to set that becomes a problem really quickly. I'd suggest D-tier if it weren't for DLC2 bringing in even more reasons to avoid this mon with and all posing a threat.

UR -> D
A decently potent wallbreaker and can even be a sorta 2.0 with the buff of Calm Mind it got in Gen 9. Recovery being limited to Wish + Protect unfortunately holds Sylveon back a lot though, and basically means it has to choose between having Mystical Fire or Calm Mind (both of which are very necessary) so I think D-tier is more appropriate. Either way I think untiered isn't really fair when STAB Pixilate Hyper Voice can tear through teams that don't resist it, and it can even double as a wish passer in some situations.

UR -> C
With parading around as a Dragon check to Fairy, I think it's time we re-establish who's boss here. It also has the fun side-job of walling , though that's less valuable here since a few Fairies have that covered. Specs boosted Moonblast and Surf are very helpful, and Psychic Noise completely shuts down as well as being a 2HKO. The reliance on Specs to hit its targets hard enough can be an issue, along with the subpar Speed tier, but it comes in use a lot in the current meta in my experience. Very likely gonna hold a spot on my main ladder team for now. A world where Primarina gets a good ability is one I dream of frequently, but even without one, it's a great tool in Fairy's arsenal.

B -> A-
Everyone meet Junior! A staple of both of its types since release, and with good reason. One of the best mons for cleanup in the type and ends up being a powerhouse in nearly every game it plays. Valiant has outclassed it a bit, but STAB Shadow Sneak at +2 is gonna hit hard in any situation, and with Fairy starving for good physical attackers (that aren't too good, ) it's still a mainstay despite Valiant.

 

[Neko]

VR update post MWP (sans the tiebreaks) is up!

->B I know Greninja exists but as a mega evolution for mono dark teams I believe this might be the best. The problem with Mega Tyranitar is that A it's always at risk of being Killed by a fighting coverage and B unlike mono rock Tyrantair's sand stream doesn't benefit the team infect it hinders the team since you have to consider sandstorm damage potentially putting your teammates in potential Ko range of certain moves. mega Houndom while fire coverage against bug types struggles to fit on teams especially since it makes moats dark teams more weak to ground. I'm not mentioning mega Absol since that mon is to frail and doesn't have a secondary typing to bring to the table. Mean while with mega sharpedo it has good water coverage with bonus stab on biting moves like crunch, ice fang and even psychic fangs thanks to strong jaw giving strong coverage against threats like Garchomp, Toxapex and even mega Altaria. sharpedo also benefits from the presence of alolan Muk protecting it from grass types.

The issue with sharpedo is that Ice Coverage is usually done better by Weavile, while breaking Toxapex is done by Hydrei/Goltres. Currently denied, but maybe if there's a time where one can fit M.Shark on a team without losing too much (note that M.Ttar shines in HO teams, while balance teams will almost always use M.Sab, so) its ranking can be revisited

(Water) -> C

yea

-> A

yes

(Bug) -> A

eeh, the point of bug is go brr and not live too long. Galvantula's speed tier edges Vika out in this case. Aside from the elec matchup, Vika is outshined by the spooder

A -> A+ / S

yea

C -> D / UR

D -> C

the council preferred these to stay as it is for now

C -> UR

Its highly likely that Alolan Ninetales teams are the teams with Tinkaton, but C and below ranks are mons that "you can use them, but it'll outshine the higher rankers on very specific interactions only"

UR -> D

its not really good, its lower bulk and lack of coverage is...scary

UR -> C

Directly competes with Fini aside from this breaks Toxapex while Fini has somewhat ok speed, we'll revisit it some other time. We did bumped it to being ranked in the mean time though (D)

B -> A-

anti-synergy with lele and Valiant and Bulu existing makes Mimi's rank unlikely to get higher, sorry.

Thank you for your submissions and see you when the VR updates again >:3

 

[TDLoriat]

Durant (BUG) D -> C
I believe that the utility and immediacy from Durant match up to be equivalent to something like Golisopod or Frosmoth.
Pros

• Durant has a stealth rock neutrality, allowing it to switch in and out to utilize its strong stabs and coverage more effectively.
• Hustle gives you budget gorilla tactics that can be completely negated by one turn of hone claws set up which also would give an attack stat of over 700 (252 evs on jolly)
• With scarf Durant outspeeds many competent threats such as greninja, iron boulder, roaring moon, and blacephalon at plus 1 (neutral natures on all)
• Durant has access to stab first impression and potential swarm boosts to combo off of its 112 defense stat
• Good coverage with ground, rock, dark, and fighting moves

Cons

• Overlaps with other better steel/bug types
• Hustle is luck reliant
• 58/112/48 bulk is not good in most standards
• Lacks access to u turn
• Does not mitigate bugs crippling fire weakness (unless youre lucky in which case "0 Atk Durant Stone Edge vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Blacephalon: 256-302 (103.6 - 122.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO")

Overall, I find Durant's prowess to outshine the likes of other D rank Pokémon, which have far more limited use cases or are outclassed much more thouroughly.

 

[revolverhenry]

First of all, and before I am to nominate anything, I'd like to point out that the VR update was all around absolutely fantastic and that the council and VR Team have been doing an tumost wonderful job for what has been already a whole year of the generation. While I might disagree regarding some key points, I wanted to get it out of the way before nominating a couple of mons for some types I've been playing as of late.

in Bug, from B to (at the very least) A -> I'm terribly sorry, but when I first saw the update I just couldn't believe this; Araquanid is an absolutely great mon in Bug, bringing forth to the table an absolutely wonderful ability that grants a fire resistance (which is something greatly appreciated in the context of bug) and incredibly powerful water attacks with very little investment, tremendous utility in the form of Magic and Mirror Coat, Webs, Toxic and even trapping if feeling cheeky (I do believe that Araq is by far the best web setter for Bug) and a mindbogglingly good special bulk that, together with mons such as Scizor, Forretress or even Buzzwole, create surprisingly decent defensive backbones for Bug teams. While I can evidently see that it isn't a perfect mon, the lack of reliable recovery besides Leftovers definitely hurts and its physical bulk is frankly far from the best, and I wouldn't go as far as to call it a S rank mon in the metagame, Araquanid in Bug plays a crucial role and is definitely leagues above mons akin to Armaldo or Galvantula.

in Bug, from B to A -> Another mon that I feel has been unfairly demoted; while the scarf sets are fairly worse than Kleavor's, they are still far from bad and create a still wonderful synergy with Volc's strengths; beyond that, though, Buzzwole, through its amazing physical bulk and peculiar defensive typing, is and interesting presence in Bug teams that can singlehandedly make some match ups, such as Steel, Dark, Rock with HArc, Fighting or Poison far more Bug favored, as sets with Substitute and Bulk Up absolutely destroy Stall and slower forms of Balance and its great coverage (Including STABs, Flying, Ground, Rock and Flying coverage) allows it to selectively decide which mons it wants to screw over with. Yet again, and while not a defining presence, Buzzwole is in my eyes a far batter mon than a B Rank would imply.

in Bug, from C to B -> My poor, poor boy; excuse me, but I don't any way see how Galvantula (a mon I've been falling off for more as of late) actually outshines this mon in any meaningful capacity. Galvantula is a mon that is simultaneously not as fast as it wants to be and not powerful enough to take advantage of 91% Thunders, I'm sorry to say, and its frailty usually means that it isn't as good in the Ground, Water and Flying match ups as one might initially think, as it dies to as light breeze and oftentimes misses important damage thresholds. Vikavolt, even when accounting for Bug's preferred playstyle of living little and dying young, has the bulk and outstanding power to always make important progress against any team it might match up against, be it by KOing things from attacks coming out of a 145 Special Attack or providing momentum though slow Volt Switches, as well as surviving some truly impressive hits (such as having a positive chance of withstanding Jolly Barraskewda's Liquidation under Rain and always being able to one to one M Swampert with fairly little defensive investment) and not allowing dangerous electrical attackers such a Regieleki, Zapdos, Tapu Koko and Thundurus Therian of making any meaningful progress against Bug teams while keeping itself healthy with Roost, giving the type an important defensive tool and space to breath in what would be otherwise some truly agonizing match ups against Flying and Electric. Through the use of perfectly functional coverage such as HP Ice, HP Ground, Energy Ball, Air Slash and Flash Cannon (these last two if feeling cheeky), Vikavolt is a thoroughly underrated mon that definitely grants Bug similarly useful benefits and tools akin to mons such as Ribombee (another mon I feel is a bit low but that I haven't used much, sadly) and Lokix.

in Flying, from B to A -> I'm somewhat flabbergasted that this mon is not higher, actually; while I'll admit is a little bit too passive, Mantine is probably the type's best, most consistent defogger and a greatly appreciated Water immunity that pretty much makes the Rain match up flying favored. Through proper investment and with the help of Haze and Roost, many match up sweepers are just invalidated by Mantine's existence, and seeing it this low in the VR seems kind of odd, given how common and generally well regarded it is.

I have a couple more nominations I'd like to make, but four already seems like big enough of a number and these are the ones I wanted to get the more out of my chest, I'd say. Yet again, feel free to disagree and argue whatever you might see as incorrect, there are some factors I might have missed and I'll admit some of my views are greatly biased.

 

[TheShowdownHoedown]

(Rock)

A+ -> S

There is no reason to EVER drop, under any circumstance, the mon on this type. It does way too much for Rock. Being a Psychic type that doesn't suck allows you much more room to outplay several different types, especially Fighting. Scarf outspeeding several dangerous things like Sneasler/Meow/Eleki is invaluable and the SD sets, especially with RockZ, mop the floor with Poison and Tusk and help pressure Corv and other things, this mon is high key half the reason to use Rock rn and its VR placement should reflect that.



B -> A-

This guy is something I have unfairly slept on and I believe it brings Normal a lot of benefits that B rank doesn't reflect. Being a one time check to various things, especially Fightings, is good as as of recent I feel as if Staraptor often is too overencumbered with other things. Its also a super dangerous win condition especially as its 4th slot can be a mystery and Tera Starstorm even unboosted hits very hard, its also not hard to fit onto teams and it synergizes very well with Lopunny, raise this.

 

[DimLug]

What rank is for Grass? I can't imagine it's not good enough to be ranked, I would've guessed C or B.

 

[TheShowdownHoedown]

What rank is for Grass? I can't imagine it's not good enough to not be ranked, I would've guessed C or B.

is currently URd on Grass it seems, but I think this is silly as the niche it occupies is still there imo as it's a very good lure for Corv and also rips apart Poison no matter what bulky core it attempts to use, its almost like a physical version of NP Celebi, imo C rank is fitting

 

[boomp]

Heyyy NDM Fam I'm here to say a few things in the vr <3
C -> B on Dark
Overqwiliam might not seem like a strong pick, but it does allow the user in dark to ease certain matchups combine with Intimidate + forming a strong core with Mandibuzz and M Sab. It also allows it to potentially stop Iron Valiant and M Lop which Dark teams appreciates. Rather you run a defensive or SpD Set, I feel Overqwilliam Barb Barrage its way to B!


A to A+ on Steel
Honestly what sets this different from Exca is its speed tier and access to Ice Spinner. Its speed tier allows for it to potentially take out landorus Regardless if Treads is running scarf or not. Steel teams appreciates this, as this allows Hoodra to not have to tank a e power and retaliate back with Ice Beam. Treads also can Role compress with removing hazards which frees up a slot for corviknight to potentially to go for more of a Iron Defense set. I believe Treads Ice Spinner its Way to A+ !

Also i know this was b4 gouging was banned but is still there remove it whenever yall get the chance.
Lastly yall are doing great, keep it up it is most appreciated <3

 

[Neko]

New VR update because NDMPL done

Bug
Araquanid B->A: With double steel bug on the rise and Galvantula being so-so, Araquanid becomes the premier Sticky Web setter for Bug teams. Its great bulk + Mirror Coat also helps the type in a pinch.
Vikavolt C->B: Decent bulk, levitate, and longevity in Roost in exchange for Speed differentiates it from Galvantula, making it a notable option for Bug teams.

Dark
-> A+: Initial Ranking

Dragon
Mega Altaria S->A+: She's still good, but based on NDMPL usage she's not as vital as she was due to defensive walls like Archaludon and Hisuian Goodra being able to take Dragon STAB moves with ease, and its speed isn't really good anymore.
Mega Latias B->A: Thoroughly explored this NDMPL, she provides lots of flexibility for Dragon teams due to her unique defensive profile and wide coverage which lets her be a decent setup sweeper in the right conditions.

Fairy
Iron Valiant S->A+: Its good, but its not as meta-defining as the other S tiers in Fairy. Though its synergy with Tapu Koko makes it too good to be dropped, its still droppable if you really wanted to and the resulting Fairy team would still be ok.

Fighting
Keldeo B->A: What Vacuum Wave does to a horse. Also, its higher speedtier and status as a Special attacker makes it easier to slot in compared to the bear.
Urshifu-R A->B: With Keldeo on the rise, the Bear finds itself out of work.

Fire
C->B: Its ability to nuke boosted Kommo-o with Dazzling Gleam is pretty cool, aside from its ability to outspeed Mega Swampert under the rain with Choice Scarf.

Flying
A+->A: The reduced usage and its mediocre speed has caught up to it. Its still great, but consider Tornadus-T next time maybe?
A->A+: The speed, flexibility of moves to use, and cleaning potential makes Mega Aerodactyl really good right now. Also, its weaknesses are a bit more easier to account for due to its lack of very crippling weakness to rocks.

Ghost
B->A: Amazing mon that solves Water and Ground matchups that are annoying for Ghost to handle.
B->C: Gholdengo happened.
UR->D: It might have a niche nowadays due to Poltergeist and Encore and Shadow Sneak and Destiny Bond and...a lot of stuff actually.Just a bit hard to justify because Mega Sableye is op

Grass
C->B: Amazing Spinblocker and setup sweeper for Grass teams, though Brambleghast's utility holds it back from getting a higher ranking.
UR->C: We forgot.

Normal
C->D: Who? PorygonZ and Hisuian Zoroark and maaaybe Terapagos all outclass her on the special attacking niche.

Psychic
->A: Initial ranking.

Rock
A+->S: Its a must have on rock, solving lots of Rock's speed issues by just existing. Z-Moves also make its attack not as "weak" too.

Steel
Iron Treads A->A+: Ice Spinner dealing with Landorus and its generally higher speed offsets its relatively weak attacks, making it more used than Excadrill.

Water
Ogerpon-W A->A+: Excellet speedtier with a colorful movepool lets it pick and choose how to help water teams. For example, Superpower deals with Ferrothorn and Archaludon, Play Rough for Kommo-o, Encore for Raging Bolt. Also has Spikes and U-turn to murk defensive counterplay like Celebi :)

Thank you for your support once again and feel free to comment on these new changes or suggest stuff we might have overlooked.

 

[Bows]

BUG
B -> A/A+
I cannot stress enough how underrated this pokemon is, the Scarf set has been powercrept by Kleavor yes but the bulk up sets are incredible. So many physical attackers that Bug teams normally can't switch into safely like Iron hands, Roaring moon, Mega pert and Ogerpon-C are just hard walled by it. Matchups like Steel, Poison, Ground, Rock, Fighting and especially Dark become so much more favorable and it's extremely easy to fit on both balanced and offensive teams. It's movepool is great and has options like Ice punch for Dragon, Flying and Ground types, Taunt to stop hazards or set up, and Edgequake. Excellent Sticky web abuser as well with it's decent speed and beast boost making it incredibly easy to snowball. It's much better than every mon in B tier and it's not even close

Replay where Sub Buzzswole forces progress on Mega sableye (a mon that is often hard for bug teams to break) and later wins me the game with it's absurd bulk (the crit on hydreigon did'nt matter btw)
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/...-2153467297-yt1uivin63hb6obdt1qxf1ga0m5qu48pw

Replay where Buzzswole is the only thing that prevents Mega Swampert from running over my team then cleans up
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nationaldexmonotype-2160014101

(both are tour games btw)

B ->C
Washed. You have no reason to ever use this now that Kleavor exists. It's just a momentum sink and if you want a Rapid spinner Forretress is right there.

B -> C
It's just not strong enough to be a good sticky web abuser even with Swords dance Darkium-Z and Choice band sets are incredibly exploitable. I could see it having uses on more balanced teams for the benefits of the typing and First impression's revenge killing power but it's really too niche to be above C tier. The stealth rock weakness and it's frailty making Life orb unviable doesn't help either.

DRAGON

B ->A
One of Dragon's best and most versatile win conditions in comparison to everything else in B tier which is more niche. Kommo-o is incredible easy to fit on teams and matches incredibly well into Steel and Dark teams. It's great coverage in Taunt and Flamethrower make it difficult to stop without dedicated checks like Z Haze.

FIGHTING
I actually don't have any mons to talk about here I just noticed you forgot to write the + in the A+ tier lol

GRASS
A+ -> S
She's nearly a requirement on Grass teams, the neutrality to Fire and Flying and Sturdy make her a crucial part of Grass' defensive core. Offensively she makes the Bug, Fire and Ice matchups much more favorable with her great speed and Ivy cudgel being so spammable. Play Rough and Low kick/Superpower are useful coverage as well.

 

[Neko]

VR Update because MWP is coming up

Bug
B->A : Sub BU sets have become a bit normalized and its honestly kinda scary to see how effective it is in messing up Dark, Normal, and some Steel teams lacking Celesteela. Its also part of the screw pex gang which is kinda nice in the Water mu.
B->C : Washed. You have no reason to ever use this now that Kleavor exists. It's just a momentum sink and if you want a Rapid spinner Forretress is right there.

Dark
B -> A - good bulky rocks setter that blanket checks many things in bulky offensive teams. DD sets got super buffed by knock off as well, and are the premier sweepers on HO screens

C->B - cb sets force great amounts of progress thanks to powerful koffs or outrages, and its dd sets aren't too shabby either as late-game sweepers against offensive types like Electric or Dragon

Dragon
B->A: CC-Vac Wave sets do be pretty strong, its a great cleaner in mus even outside of Normal and Dark

S->A+:You dont need Kyurem, its great, but Latios, M.Latias, and RM+Kommo-o can still break through fat, and the two steel mons take on the "eating Ice moves" niche

A+ -> A - It's reliable, but competition is coming for its spot as of late which is the very reason we believe A suits it better

A+ -> S - premier defensive switch-in to just about anything that threatens this type + isn't a sitting duck in the slightest. We think most Dragons have it as of current, and for good reason

Electric
B->A - Its much better than Magnezone/Rotom-C, the thunderclap is op and so is Dragonium brute forcing all grounds except Ting-Lu and Clodsire

S -> A+ - out of the S ranks, this is the weakest link. Too one-dimensional compared to the big three, and would suit the A+ rank better because of just how great zap/hands/koko are

C -> B - Groundium Z sets are surprisingly good setters because of how many removers the mon beats, and the type's best way to get around Poison (which is otherwise super hard to get by). Hard to fit, but the type certainly likes hazards which makes it more worth considering than C would suggest

Fairy
D -> C - just a good mon w/ a good movepool that ppl have started to explore more; while mildly outclassed by Tapu Fini due to Fini's better bulk, Psychic noise and Primarina's much better SpA is worth noting

Fire
A -> S - why would you not run Heatran on Fire? The sheer amount of usefulness it compresses by having an Air Balloon, Taunt, Stealth Rock, and Flash Cannon/HP Ice is too good to pass up on.

A -> A+ - too good of a late game sweeper to really pass up 9/10 times.

Ghost
A->A+: Its so good a wincon that even mono Matcha Gotcha can even be more stabler since that lets you keep Sub and Strength sap to massacre Water and Ground

A+->A: Not used as much because Ceruledge

B->A: Special Wall + Entry Hazards makes it great with Gholdengo.

S->A+: Just to debloat S-rankers, but its really great still.

B->A: What Rapid Spin + reliance on a good Sash mon (Ceruledge) does to a mon. Or type

Ground
A+ -> S - currently the near-definite Water immunity for good reason. It's everywhere, and we think it's more of a staple than Lando is

A -> A+ - Mamo is just great on this type between the typing, power, and matchups it can make a difference on

Grass
A+ -> S: She's nearly a requirement on Grass teams, the neutrality to Fire and Flying and Sturdy make her a crucial part of Grass' defensive core. Offensively she makes the Bug, Fire and Ice matchups much more favorable with her great speed and Ivy cudgel being so spammable. Play Rough and Low kick/Superpower are useful coverage as well.

Ice
D->C: It's the fastest remover on the type, and it can compress loads of utility roles for more offensive teams

Normal
S -> A+ - less essential than Ditto and faces its share of competition from the other megas, though its still the "best"

Psychic
B->A : Ground resist thats able to tech itself to outlast matchups like Water and Electric at the same time. Its great role compression but at the same time not the best hardstop for these types does make it a master of none, but its helpful with the rise of Oger-W Waters that murder Slowbro

S->A+: In case you really want to keep using Slowbro though, Mega Gallade is a rather poor choice of Mega considering Slowbro's weakness to Pons + getting nommed by CB Earthquakes at some point. This leads us to using M.Latis which are a serviceable swap in to non-PR pons, or Mega Zam if you choose to outoffense it. Also 350 Speed is kinda washed too...

A+->A: He's a fraud, dont think we actually saw Deo-S do stuff every time its used. Latios, M.Latias, and M.Gallade are better at pressuring stuff and are more splashable because they do other stuff too

D->C: Best Steel partner for Celebi, checks Kyurem, M.Altaria, and CB Exca. Access to Toxic makes it less passive, but its still worse than Jirachi since it cant pivot out of a rather free gholdengo swap-in

Water
A+ -> S: It's just very versatile as a glue on the type and great because of how many holes it potentially patches in a single slot

B -> D - why would you run this on Water? I feel like we forgot about this for some time

B -> C - Being restricted to rain (and now facing competition as a special attacker there) makes it worse than other B ranks

B -> A - role compression guy. Setting spikes while wallbreaking/rkilling/serving as a blanket check to things is very valuable


Thank you for your support! OP is updated with the new rankings

 

[Wafflecopter2000]

I've come to argue for Walking Wake to return to a reasonable position on the water viability rankings: C.
Now, there are some obvious reasons why on water is a bit awkward. It's a special attacker with no setup options, and its most attractive coverage options (fire moves) are nerfed by rain, water's main game plan. Considering a basic rain structure, it feels very hard to slot Wake as a special breaker when /// are right there.

However, there is one water archetype where Walking Wake is actually worth serious consideration: rainless. With no rain, Wake's fire coverage becomes a lot more valuable for Water. Rainless also needs to rely on handling electric types with some defensive options, not straight offense. And breakers like water-z keldeo and manaphy really rely on rain boosting their power to break through annoying defensive mons like mega venusaur and sinistcha.

Walking Wake sports a better speed tier than its peers bar Greninja, with solid bulk (99/91/83) and a stellar typing for monowater (grass + electric neutral). 125 special attack is also quite nice! With a dragoniumz set, Wake can immediately threaten most defensive staples with a nuclear z-draco meteor, access to knock off to annoy mons that dont fear dragoniumz like hoodra, flip turn to generate momentum, and its solid coverage moves like hurricane and flamethrower.

Walking Wake also has some reasonable defensive utility from it's typing, which is more important for rainless, since it can't rely on the sheer offensive power of rain to muscle past fast electrics and grass types like tapu koko, meowscarada, and wellpon. Notably, it tanks power whip from wellpon and threatens back an ohko with dragoniumz draco meteor or boosting item (Expert belt/lorb) hurricane. Walking Wake can pick from various water stabs, but access to hydro steam is also a pretty funny option to help the fire matchup, since rainless doesn't have rain to counter sun.

Keldeo is the most analogous mon to Wake, with very similar offensive + defensive stats and similarly scary z-move breaking prowess. However, I think Wake is a reasonable option to choose over Keldeo on rainless structures due to the power of both hurricane and draco meteor. Keldeo can break hoodra and the pink blobs (/) better, but walking wake's typing makes it less prone to revenge killers and breaks fighting resistant mons better with fire and dragon moves: , , , , , etc. Defensive mons not threatened by either keldeo or wake have to still fear knockoff from wake. The 1 point difference in speed almost never matters, but being able to outspeed opposing keldeos and GALVANTULA (handsome and beautiful mon!!!!) is a very nice advantage. Being able to threaten alolan ninetales with a speed tie can be nice too.

TLDR; Walking Wake has a solid niche on rainless water and is comparable to Keldeo in that respect. Keldeo is still more viable due to how much better it is for rain water, the main way to play water; however, Walking Wake's typing and movepool let it answer some very annoying mons better than other special attackers on rainless water. It also has enough coverage to threaten different sets like specs/scarf/boots/alternative z-move. I think this is enough to warrant a C rank on the water viability rankings.

 

[Mateeus]

Hello everyone! With NDMPL and Stellar Cup coming to an end, we present you the first VR update of the calendar year. Our main goal in this slate was to update rankings based on metagame trends that have taken place in the last batch of tours (NDM Circuit, NDMPL, and Stellar Cup), and clear, for once, the debris remaining from the olden DLC releases updates (which we did via spreadsheets). Without further ado, here are the updates, over a hundred of them:

Bug

Rises
A -> A+
B -> A+
B -> A
D -> C

- Has been the mega behind the type's resurgence, and one that is able to sweep a large portion of the metagame once properly setup. The lack of a SR weakness lets the teams its in not need to run hazard removal, which has been huge for the type to get that extra slot it always wanted to have.

- Proven to be too good of a sweeper these last months, and one that makes the type get out of sticky situations vs types like Ground, Steel, Water, and Normal. Another rise should reflect that.

- It's the type's best offensive Webs setter thanks to its well-known traits, which have been evidenced lately.

- Whether it's revenge killing with its heaps of priority attacks or wallbreaking with SD + Darkinium Z, Lokix's been such a great asset for Bug teams in almost every matchup. Much more frequently seen on competitive Bug teams as of late because of that.

Drops
A+ -> A
B -> C
C -> D
C -> UR
D -> UR

- Mega's usefulness certainly eclipses this, as its restricted to the less-seen Mega Pinsir teams. Its offensive potential is less expressive than its mega form too, thanks to CB sets being easy to stop and SD sets not getting opportunity to get a boost off as often. A newfound bulky Defog set has prevented it from further dropping, though.

- Just like that, it's now outclassed by Scizor as a remover; Spikes are its main niche now, but that requires more commitment in the builder than B rank would expect.

- Better Webs setter exist, and the flagship SR setter is... an S rank.

Dark

Rises
B -> A
C -> B

- Its speed and wide amounts of coverage has been enough to justify its presence on a variety of teams, separating itself from the other special attackers on the type.

- Has been more commonly found on a variety of Dark teams recently, and is just a solid sweeper / win condition thanks to its typing and bulk. Synergizes well with the type's stackier nature within the recent months.

Drops
A+ -> A
B -> C
D -> UR

- Dark's ways of dealing with Fairy are now more centralized on hazard-stacking offense and Meowscarada rather than pivoting into this. As a result, its lesser popularity should be reflected with a slight drop.

- Quite hard to place on a team nowadays thanks to Ting-Lu being more consistent as an entry hazard setter, Alolan Muk having a better typing as a specially defensive pivot, and its own Mega performing both of its offensive and defensive duties in a similar fashion. Probably as Tyranitover as it's ever been.

Dragon

C -> A - Its versatility as a wallbreaker and a Ground immunity at the same time has propelled its usage in the last months, courtesy of it being potentially able to put massive work against a lot of types depending on the coverage it chooses to run. Because of that, it's now widely considered a sidegrade to Mega Altaria, so it makes sense to share them both a rank.

A -> B - In the megas' race, Latias is the biggest loser as both Latios and Altaria fit better within Dragon builds thanks to their roles being more practically relevant nowadays.

Electric

Rises
A -> A+ - It's more popular now as the terrain abuser/revenge killer on the type, which should put it on level with Alolan Raichu.

Drops
C -> D
D -> UR

- Almost useless aside from Intimidate making it barely passable as a pivot. The lack of coverage (and of power by today's standards) is certainly a death sentence for it; basically hangs on by a thread.

- You do NOT need Webs on this type.

Fairy

A+ -> S - Building a team without Iron Valiant is putting yourself into a disadvantageous position at this point; its multitude of sets all provide something relevant for Fairy to cover, with or without Terrain up.

B -> A - Recent tournament usage and results have been on its side, mainly because it's able to pull its weight in problematic matchups for Fairy teams, such as Steel, Poison, and Ground, very consistently.

Fighting

Rises
B -> A
D -> C
UR -> D

- Its rise makes sense considering the matchups its good at (namely Dragon, Water, and Ground) are on an all time high in usage.

- Provides useful role compression and has a great defensive typing along a passable speed tier, and access to TWave. It's obviously not great but it's surely a step above what's in D.

- This is the type's best Scrappy wallbreaker, and is able to make the type capitalize on the matchups its supposed to be efficient against like Dark, Steel, and Normal by completely bombing their immunities. That should be enough to get it ranked.

Drops
D -> UR

Fire

Rises
B -> A - Its crucial Speed tier and great coverage moves in Dazzling Gleam, Energy Ball, and Discharge have made it place on more Fire teams as a scarfer lately; notably, it outspeeds and beats boosted Kommo-o and Gyarados, and Mega Swampert under Rain. Also the type's sole Toxic Spikes setter.

Drops
A+ -> A
D -> UR

- Amazing as it is as a cleaner, it's less consistent than the other three A+ ranks because of how Fire struggles to properly support it (mainly in the hazard removal department). As a result, it has been less popular over the recent tours.

- Unviable megas, I'm sorry. Run Alolan Marowak for an Electric immunity, or just about any other ranked special attacker instead. Ultimately the opportunity cost of not running Zard X is too big, too.

Flying

Rises
A -> S
A -> A+
UR -> D

- Out of the myriad of great Pokemon in this type, we think Gliscor deserves the most attention when building because its levels of versatility are just unparalleled. While not a must-have in the slightest, it can perform or/and compress a lot of roles viably - it can be a remover (that beats Gholdengo), a bulky wallbreaker with SD, a hazard setter, and the list goes on. Because of that, it's the most common Electric immunity, and deserves to share the top spot with Torn-T.

- It's the most popular Steel-type on Flying because, unlike Corviknight and Skarmory, it can hit hard from the get-go with its solid raw attacking stats and Heavy Slam. Leech Seed + Protect also makes it annoying for types that dislike dealing with it (two of them being Ground and Dragon!), and lets it be a great scouter to go alongside the type's defensive backbones.

- Has a legitimate niche in setting Rain to weaken Fire-type attacks (which the Steels and Articuno appreciate) and being a serviceable physically defensive pivot in a single slot.
Drops
A+ -> A
D -> UR

- Its time as Flying's flagship Defogger is now over, largely because it's too passive to do the job well and taken advantage of by too much. Still solid in its own right, but it's much less seen on teams nowadays as compared to last slate.

Ghost

Rises
A -> A+
B -> A
UR -> C

- It's now popping off again, this time as a specially defensive wall that is able to trap annoyances like Heatran and Lando-I and 1v1 them. Also the most reliable SR setter the type has.

- A mainstay on the traditional balance/semi-stall Ghost teams at this point. It's able to take on big threats to the type like Mega Lopunny and Mega Charizard Y and act as a wincon with Torch Song. Unaware also lets it blank notable sweepers like Mega Scizor, Volcarona, and SD Iron Hands.

- Screens Ghost has been a real alternative over the classic teams now, to the point a C rank is deserved for its enabler.

Drops
S -> A+
C -> D
D -> UR

- While it's undoubtedly the mega Ghost should be running most of the time, it doesn't feel as deserving of the top as Gholdengo or Mimikyu nowadays thanks to the influx of HO / Screens builds, which drop it entirely.

- Worse Blacephalon.

Grass

Rises
C -> A
C -> B
D -> C

- It sets Spikes, shuts down threats like Zapdos and Torn-T, is the most viable form of hazard removal for this type, AND hits hard too. Has been in need of a rise long ago, it should be given justice; its big popularity in the scarce Grass usage definitely backs it up.

- Has gained its space as the flex slot on Grass teams thanks to it being a solid SD user that's very different from Meow on how it plays out. Zarude's potent neutral coverage and good enough Speed tier lets not be fodder against offense, which is big for a wallbreaker.

- Yes, we all think it stinks, but what Cradily does is more significant than what D would suggest. Has all the weaknesses of a momentum drain, but it facilitates teambuilding to a degree thanks to the roles it can compress, and more teams with it have been built as of late because of these traits. Still a very very niche option, however.

Drops
S -> A+
A -> B
B -> C
C -> D
C -> UR
D -> UR

- Increased competition from Wellspring as of late makes Cornerstone, who's amazing on its own right, fit better into A+ as the other three S ranks on the type feel mandatory.

- It's less seen than its fellow fighter nowadays thanks to a worse Speed tier, and Hisugant's better matchup spread into the metagame right now. Even then, other physical attackers like Wellspring and Zarude have become more popular than it, too.

- You only use this to drum through Ground, Water, and Rock, which... are already good matchups without it. Such a type capitalizer deserves the drop.

- Rillaboom, minus Grassy Glide plus Stone Edge. So, worse Rillaboom, therefore this also drops here.

- Spreadsheet brainrot lmao. We should apologize for having let these remain on the VR list for so long (and that includes the other three not sprited here)...

Ground

Rises
UR -> D
UR -> D

- It's a mega that's definitely not far from consideration when building, having a small but legit niche as a wallbreaker that's able to threaten Steel-types without the need to set Gravity up, and as a trading machine against more offensive teams thanks to its bulk. (Seriously can't believe this was ranked on Fire but not on here...)

Drops
A+ -> A
A -> B

- Despite being an excellent Pokemon, it has been relegated as a lesser option because the roles it fills can be largely redundant when compared to Garchomp, Mamoswine, or Excadrill; it rather competes with the other A ranks.

- Sand teams have almost no place for it considering Exca compresses the removal job there, and Mega Steelix is next in line as a more useful win condition. As such, it's relegated to the lesser seen sandless teams, where it still faces competition from both the mole and the steel snake.

Ice

C -> B - HO Ice teams have been more popular lately, and Alolan Sandslash is the archetype's go-to remover, while doubling as either a hazard setter or cleaner with Swords Dance. Fits a lot more alongside fellow HO Ice mainstay Mamoswine.

B -> C - A ranking remniscent of a time where we didn't realize Icy Rock's ban would cause this to simply disappear from the metagame. We think experimentation can be done with it, but at least a drop is needed.

D -> UR - Above statement, but applied to a much worse Pokemon.

Normal

A -> A+ - It is Normal's most reliable way to progress through bulkier archetypes which famously give it trouble, and it has become very popular because of it. Also not useless versus offense because of how it trades, thanks to its great bulk.

A -> B - Compared to the other A ranks, it's just too one-dimensional in what it does, and really not as important when building a team; that reflects on its absence from most of the recent Normal teams.

Poison

Rises
B -> A - It got quite the amount of steam in the most recent NDM tournaments because of Dragon being omnipresent, Dark being more and more popular, and its bulk + typing making a big difference in checking threats like Kommo-o, Dragonite, and RM.

Drops
S -> A+
A+ -> A
A -> B
B -> C
D -> UR

- While it's the most reliable out of the Ground immunities and compresses speed control + beating important threats to the type in one slot, Crobat is not as required as the other two S ranks and now faces more competition from the bulkier Weezing.

- It's great in its own right, but slotting it is harder than the other A+ ranked stuff because Poison can't afford dropping its core roles. The rise of more balanced teams with Nidoking and Sneasler have also hit its placement on teams.

- Sneasler + Nidoking has cemented itself as an offensive core that cover a lot of what these would, which relegates both Okidogi and Nihilego more nicheful reasons to justify on a team.

- Being a mostly worse Nihilego (bar Corrosion) warrants a drop if the better version also does.

- While we realize its full potential is yet to be seen, fitting it on teams and making it work is certainly a huge task at this point thanks to its shallow movepool, Poison's teamslot drought, and Ghost being a worse typing than Dark defensively. A drop is warranted here.

Psychic

Rises
B -> A
UR -> C

- Psychic teams have been running one of the Eon duo more frequently, and largely because of the good stuff they offer; Latios's newfound Flip Turn access lets it run its traditional Choiced sets more viably, making it much more considered when building, while Latias has been a key part of the popularized Screens HO teams thanks to it compressing HWish and speed control into a single slot.

- Its niche as a setup sweeper that's good into Electric and Water has been evidenced by its usage the last few months. Won't go higher (for now) because it's not at all viable outside HO.

Drops
D -> UR

Rock

Drops
B -> C
C -> D
C -> UR
D -> UR

- Doesn't offer a lot in terms of matchup coverage, and setting SR while attacking is obviously not worth a penny here...

- Use regular Tyranitar + one of the better megas instead. Incredibly difficult (if not impossible) to justify its placement on a team nowadays. It's Mega Tyranitover :(

- Strictly worse copies of Omastar.

Steel

Rises
A -> A+
B -> A
D -> C

- We all know how annoyingly awesome it is, and it's been on pretty much every Steel team the past few months with very few exceptions. While Mega Scizor's traits are, well, the same as ever, they're enough to make it a top threat in this metagame once more.

- It's been the most popular (and arguably the best) Spikes setter on the type now, and being a capable wincon with its Iron Defense + Body Press set or a reliable phazer with Whirlwind only adds to Skarmory's viability.

- Screens Steel, while not as great as bulkier teams, is better than what it is given credit for, especially with the type having a handful of abusers and a removal denier in Gholdengo.

- Decent Defog deterrent that has seen use on both balance and HO Steel teams. Still no Kingambit, but surely a step above the other D ranks.

Drops
A+ -> A
B -> C
D -> UR

- A great Pokemon in its own right, but Treads is just more common and arguably more useful right now thanks to its faster Speed and broader coverage which lets it outspeed and hit the likes of Volcarona, Garchomp, and Landorus.

- Rarely worth considering when there's Heatran and Hisuian Goodra as competition. Sure, it has Flip Turn and reliable recovery going for it, but they barely set it apart in practice because of how inferior it is otherwise.

- Outclassed by z-hh rachi as a sweeper on standard balance teams, and pretty restricted to Screens HO here. Don't get me wrong, we all know how good it is, but it basically needs Klefki support to work on Steel, so it only makes sense to pair them together.

- Straight up dollar copies of more viable stuff.

Water

Rises
B -> A+
B -> A
D -> C

- Has gone through a resurgence in the last few tournaments courtesy of people exploring its most recent addition of Vacuum Wave, which notably lets it destroy threats like Greninja and Meowscarada before they can type change while also just picking off faster weakened 'mons after a CM boost. Otherwise, it's still as good as ever into the ubiquitous Steel, and does benefit from the increased popularity of Dark; overall in a better position than its main Fighting-type competitor.

- It makes rain Water teams incredibly reliable into Dragon and Dark, and is very versatile in what it can do + the moves it is able to viably run. Got a slight usage hit lately, but it's been very strong throughout the generation and often competes with the other A ranks for a slot.

- Works as a breaker thanks to psynoise, and the extra power (and access to the aforementioned move + Encore) sets it apart from Fini in the CM department. Has a bigger niche than a bottom rank would reflect.

Drops
S -> A+
A+ -> A
C -> D
D -> UR

- Water is a type that has no mandatories, but I think Empoleon should stay on S because of how universal of a glue it possibly is, no matter the build one attempts. It's different with Toxapex, which feels harder and harder to fit, especially on Rain teams which compound the vast majority of Water builds.

- We all know how good it is, but its role isn't as broad as what the other A+ ranks have to offer.

- It isn't as encountered on teams as it once was, mostly due to Keldeo's increase in popularity.

- Much of vanilla Slowbro's usage is tied to games where Regenerator is used to pivot in and out before it mega evolves; the mon itself faces huge competition from physically defensive pivots with better typing for Water.

- The other fighters are better most of the time, leaving this really only viable when compressing hazard removal. (I guess Brave Bird is cool too...)

- In the pecking order of Water archetypes, Webs comes last. And the last rank should fit it.

- Dollar store Barraskewda.