NuttyRabbit
Banned deucer.
NUTTY'S GOATED AND OBJECTIVELY CORRECT PERSONAL VR
S Rank
S
Landorus-T
Clefable
S-
Heatran
A Rank
A+
Corviknight
Garchomp
Gliscor
Greninja-Ash
Kartana
Mawile-Mega
Tapu Fini
Tapu Koko
Toxapex
A
Diancie-Mega
Ferrothorn
Garchomp-Mega
Kyurem
Latias-Mega
Lopunny-Mega
Magnezone
Rillaboom
Tapu Lele
Tyranitar
Tyranitar-Mega
Weavile
A-
Gastrodon
Manaphy
Medicham-Mega
Scizor-Mega
Serperior
Slowking
Tangrowth
B Rank
B+
Aegislash
Amoonguss
Blissey
Excadrill
Gengar
Hydreigon
Jirachi
Kommo-o
Melmetal
Pelipper
Reuniclus
Skarmory
Slowbro
Slowking-Galar
Swampert-Mega
Victini
Volcarona
Zapdos
B
Bisharp
Buzzwole
Chansey
Charizard-Mega Y
Ditto
Gallade-Mega
Greninja
Gyarados-Mega
Hawlucha
Mew
Rotom-Wash
Sableye-Mega
Urshifu-Rapid Strike
Zeraora
B-
Blaziken
Charizard-Mega X
Gyarados
Heracross-Mega
Latios-Mega
Shuckle
Slowbro-Mega
Tapu Bulu
Thundurus-T
C Rank
C
Alomomola
Camerupt-Mega
Crawdaunt
Dracozolt
Grimmsnarl
Hippowdon
Hoopa-U
Moltres
Necrozma
Quagsire
Shedinja
Zarude
Zapdos-Galar
EXPLANATIONS:
Okay this shit's gonna be hella long so I'm gonna separate it into two readmores
Fuck me that took almost 2 hours to write but goddamn was it worth it. Hope y'all enjoyed my insane ramblings about the GOAT VR!
Also please stop trying to make Kommo-o A- it's not that good'
EDIT: Added l;ong overdue rises in Glowking and Gastrodon
Addl Sidenote: I'm still undecided on whether Pex belongs in S- or at the top of A+ and the placement of the Slowtrio in general but everything else is generally set
S Rank
S
Landorus-T
Clefable
S-
Heatran
A Rank
A+
Corviknight
Garchomp
Gliscor
Greninja-Ash
Kartana
Mawile-Mega
Tapu Fini
Tapu Koko
Toxapex
A
Diancie-Mega
Ferrothorn
Garchomp-Mega
Kyurem
Latias-Mega
Lopunny-Mega
Magnezone
Rillaboom
Tapu Lele
Tyranitar
Tyranitar-Mega
Weavile
A-
Gastrodon
Manaphy
Medicham-Mega
Scizor-Mega
Serperior
Slowking
Tangrowth
B Rank
B+
Aegislash
Amoonguss
Blissey
Excadrill
Gengar
Hydreigon
Jirachi
Kommo-o
Melmetal
Pelipper
Reuniclus
Skarmory
Slowbro
Slowking-Galar
Swampert-Mega
Victini
Volcarona
Zapdos
B
Bisharp
Buzzwole
Chansey
Charizard-Mega Y
Ditto
Gallade-Mega
Greninja
Gyarados-Mega
Hawlucha
Mew
Rotom-Wash
Sableye-Mega
Urshifu-Rapid Strike
Zeraora
B-
Blaziken
Charizard-Mega X
Gyarados
Heracross-Mega
Latios-Mega
Shuckle
Slowbro-Mega
Tapu Bulu
Thundurus-T
C Rank
C
Alomomola
Camerupt-Mega
Crawdaunt
Dracozolt
Grimmsnarl
Hippowdon
Hoopa-U
Moltres
Necrozma
Quagsire
Shedinja
Zarude
Zapdos-Galar
EXPLANATIONS:
Okay this shit's gonna be hella long so I'm gonna separate it into two readmores
A+-> S : I have no idea why this thing wasn't S already. It's insanely splashable thanks to its ability to check a ridiculous amount of stuff in one slot, can run 10 million fucking sets from Utility to Unaware to CM to even LO 3a and almost all of them are really good. CM Clef alone is one of, if not the best wincons in the tier. It's the definition of versatile and honestly even moreso than Lando, always finds a way to put in insane work no matter what situation it's in. The definition of an S rank in my eyes and arguably the top mon in the meta rn.
A+-> S- : I'm lowkey torn on Heatran. On one hand, I think it's clearly better than a lot of things in A+ because of just how much of a pain in the ass it is to check longterm, the variety of stuff it can run, and how much utility it packs into a single slot. On the other hand, I don't think it's as good as Lando and Clef. As such, I've made a preliminary S- rank to indicate where I think it stands in the meta. I think it's a bit closer to A+ than S but honestly can swing eithe way
A -> A+ : Fini is so fucking good now holy shit. It checks half the tier, it's annoying as shit to wittle between Taunt, Misty Terrain, that defensive typing, and Lefties, and it's deceptively versatile. Defog is really good but CM Fini and even Trapper Fini are shockingly good rn and can just fuck up common builds like nothing else. Love Fini
A -> A+ : Koko is so, so good rn. Specs Koko can just rip through teams with proper prediction and most teams not running Gastro basically have to make 50/50s to prevent it from breaking their shit open and pivoting for free. But even outside of pivoting Specs is just a hella scary set in general that u always have to account for in building. It's the reason u have to have a Ground rn imo. Even outside of Specs it's a good Screener and can even run a surprisingly okay CM set. This shit's just tops rn
A- -> A : I'm officially on board the Mega Diancie train because this shit is damn good rn. Putting aside the decent defensive utility this thing's offensive power combined with its coverage and speed makes it really hard for many teams to switch into, especially since its last move can be literally goddamn anything, from EP (with Zone support STABs+ Ep rips so many teams apart) to Mystical Fire to even stuff like Encore and Explosion. The amount of longterm checks this thing really has can be counted on one hand and even then it's very set dependant. Oh and that's ignoring the excellent Rocks utility it provides and the fact that Magic Bounce means it doesn't give a shit about coming in on stuff like Toxics and T-waves and Spores and other status moves unlike most rockers not named Gliscor (Rocks Glisc is bad anyways) It's a bit hard to get in owing to its frailty but once it's in it's scary as hell and way better than a lot of stuff in A- imo and certainly on par with most of A (Fitting since its two best partners in Rillaboom and Zone are also A. This thing fits obscenely well on those kinds of builds)
Gastrodon B+ .> A- : Gastrodon feels like such a great pick rn, checking not only Gren and Tran like it always has, but countering rising metagame superstars in Koko, Volc, CM Fini, and CM Clef and hard checking Mega Diancie and Mega Latias. It's super passive yeah but who gives a shit when thanks to Clear Smog+ Toxic most of the tier can't even set up on you without getting into PP wars. While it's very passive and can get 4MSS-y at times (EP to better hit Pex vs Quake to hit Tran better vs Scald for neutral coverage all in slot 1) the sheer amount of stuff it can check in a single slot and its ability to pair extremely well with top tier defensive mons in Clef and Corviknight makes it more than worthy of A- right now
B+ .> A- : There was a time where it made sense to rank this alongside the rain mons, but that time has passed because this shit has surpassed the need for rain, finding a wonderful place on not only standard HO but its sub-archetypes like Screens and even Webs. In doing so, it has gained so much freedom in what it can run. This shit can run so many different spreads, items, moves, etc, but I really do think the Tail Glow 3a set with TG/Surf/Beam/Energy with your choice of Wacan, Rindo, Lum, or Quick Claw (which is the best item for it imo) is such a stupidly good set rn, possessing basically no counterplay outside of Pex and Chansey/Blissey, and of course, revenge killers, and even Pex is iffy because depending on the team you can just as easily slot Psychic onto the last slot. But even revenge killing it is iffy if you go with Quick Claw because that shit gives u a 20% chance of annihilating any revenger not named Rillaboom with ur boosted STABs, it's absolutely fucking nutty. People talk up how Cloyster is the king of RNG but QC Manaphy puts that shit to shame. It's absolutely bonkers and this shit alone makes it A- in my books.
Slowking-Galar : B- ->B+ :This is the most dramatic rise in my VR for any ranked mon and the most recent one but it's for very good reason. This thing is so goddamn good right now, acting as a great check to damn near every special attacker in the tier (Including Koko!) while also being able to fire off nuclear Future Sights and hitting most of the tier neutrally at worst with FS/Sludge/Scald/Flame. AV is its best set rn imo but NP or even Z sets are also viable and make this thing a legitimate threat in its own right. Honestly could see either this going to A- even or regular Slowking dropping to B+ because I think this thing is almost on par with its Kantonian bretheren. Of course being Ground/Dark weak and having no Teleport makes it less outright splashable/more reliant on actually predicting than both K-King and even K-Bro but its ability to force progress more easily and its greater offensive potential make up for that. Given all of these things I think it's far more fitting amongst the generally good but not immediately hyper-splashable mons of B+ than the really niche stuff in B- and below (Seriously why the fuck is this in the same tier as goddamn Mega Hera and Shuckle?)
UR - > B : Probably sounds crazy to jump an UR mon to B but this mon checks so many physical mons rn it's insane. Like where else can u get something that checks the SD Grounds, Kartana, Rillaboom, Lop, Weavile, and Drill in one slot while also acting as either a breaker with an offensive spread and 3 attacks (Usually CC/Leech/Ice and Roost last) or as a lowkey disgusting bulky wincon with Drain Punch/Ice Punch/Bulk Up/Roost. It's got issues for sure, like how it really needs support for Serp and it struggles with bulky Waters like King/Pex/Fini but honestly it's just really nice rn and I feel like we haven't even begun to unearth this thing's true potential as people are still finding new spreads and even moves for it every time it's brought up. If not B then this thing is B- minimum it's solid shit.
B- -> B : No fucking way this thing should be in the same rank as regular Gyarados and Mega Heracross. Urshifu-RS is super nice. Surging+ CC has really decent neutral coverage and thanks to the meta trending further towards its bulky Waters being special checks, it finds it just a bit easier to break past those longterm. Of course it can also just U-turn out of all its checks and pivot around relatively freely thanks to being rocks neutral. Also this thing abuses FS support from the likes of Slowking and Glowking like nothing else in the tier possibly can. Oh, and it can revenge Volc with Banded Jet which is always nice. It still has issues like needing support or longterm chip to break past bulky Waters, Grasses, and stuff like Latis, an awkward speed tier that leaves it below stuff it wishes it could outspeed, and being prone to Helmet/Rough Skin/Iron Barbs (though BU Protective Pads may be worth looking into) but honestly I like this thing rn. It feels way better than anything in B- and feels on par with the stuff in B that's generally decent-to- good but has some glaring flaws holding it back
UR -> B- : Welcome to the tier, Blaziken! Shame you're kinda bad. Yeah this thing's not great. In theory it can break teams apart with the right Z-move and in the right matchups it can end up being seriously threatening after an SD, but the issue is that it has so much trouble setting up outside of HO teams (And even then only Screens gives it a great shot of setting up) thanks to its pitiful bulk and poor starting speed tier, it's easy to revenge thanks to being slow as dicks at +1 with even stuff like Scarf Lando outspeeding it, and it really relies on having the right Z move (Normalium for Latis, Electrium for Waters, Firium for Grounds) in the right matchup otherwise it just cries. Most teams pack checks to it by default and honestly I never feel like u gotta prep for this thing. I still think this thing is viable on HO teams and even something like Banded could maybe work on BO, and in general I feel like it's better than anything in C. But at the same time I don't think it's as good as anything in B and it's just kinda niche and needs a lot of support and/or the right MU like most shit in B- so that's where I'll throw it.
C -> B- : Okay so this thing still isn't great, but after using it for a bit I do think it's better than most shit in C. While it's overshadowed by its big sister in Mega Latias in many regards, Mega Latios can fit pretty well as an offensive check to stuff like Tran, the Fightings, Kartana, Rillaboom, Pex, and Gliscor on more offensively oriented BO teams. While PSychic/Aura/Mystical/Roost is its best set imo since it just hits a lot of shit for neutral at worst, Ice Beam is also a viable option to make Gliscor hurt even worse. That being said I'd only ever really use it if I needed that specific kind of role compression and generally the teams it fits on are kinda weird anyways, and it isn't as versatile in terms of sets and shit as Mega Latias so I wouldn't put it any higher than B- but like I said, I think it's way better than anything in C.
UR -> C : And here's where we get into heat territory. Anyone who's seen me on the Discord knows I've been a huge fan of Mega Camerupt for a while, and that's because it has some kickass role compression. Compressing a hard check/soft counter to Electrics, Rocker, check to CM Clef, ClefCorvPex breaker, and general Ground into a single slot is awesome already, but what's even more awesome is that this is one of only two Grounds (the other being Gastrodon), that can fit onto Rillaboom/Bulu teams since their ground STABs aren't affected by Terrain and unlike Gastrodon, this thing is far from passive, with Fire Blast (or Flamethrower)/EP being hard for much of the tier to stomach, and the few mons that can switch in like Latis/Slowking/Spdef blobs either getting murked by Pursuit support (which Camel both loves and helps since it breaks the main checks to the Pursuiters), or getting crippled by Toxic. Speaking of, an underrated aspect of Camel is its great 4th moveslot versatility, since it can fit anything from Toxic to Yawn to Nature Power (on Rilla teams or even Fini teams to overwhelm checks) to even Rock Slide to serve as a makeshift Volc check (since even Modest OHKOs from full). This thing's really damn cool and honetsly more people should use it. Granted it does have issues such as being Water weak, Ground weak, having no reliable recovery, needing either pivot support or Pursuit support to really thrive, and being really, really goddamn slow. All of these are things that prevent it from going any higher than C, but honestly given that it has such a strong, defined niche that teams can make use of (especially ones that revolve around two A rank Pokemon), I think Camel more than deserves a spot in C
UR -> C : Only ranking this because I think Zolt has a niche and this is practically required alongside it. Would throw it into C- if I could because it is complete dick otherwise
UR - > C : The last of the rises, Necrozma is a fucking demon on HO holy shit. It can run 10 million sets from Autotomize WP 3a special(My favorite set, which usually runs Auto/Photon/EP/Heat Wave) , Auto 3a WP physical, DD, Auto CM Stored Power, Meteor Beam, etc, and they are all deceptively hard to play around, each of them having very different checks/counters and all being hard to scout from team preview. This thing's stats, ability and typing are lowkey perfect for this role, giving it just enough bulk to take neutral hits (and even weak supereffective hits like Lop U-turns or Ferro Knocks, both of which proc WP sets) to let it set up , just enough speed to outspeed a ridiculous amount of shit at +2 if ur using Autotomize (Modest/Adamant Nec for reference is 3 points faster than Timid Mage and way stronger, and +2 Timid/Jolly outspeeds the entire unboosted metagame barring Jolly Sand Rush Drill and Unburden Lucha). It has great coverage, great offensive stats, and it's just hella nasty if you get the right matchup. That being said sets can run into coverage issues and stuff like WP 3a can run into issues if nothing procs it, leaving it prone to getting walled out. It also only really fits on HO in my opinion where it can run into some slot competition. But given it's sheer power, versatility, and generally good attributes as an HO mon, I think it fits great in C
A+-> S- : I'm lowkey torn on Heatran. On one hand, I think it's clearly better than a lot of things in A+ because of just how much of a pain in the ass it is to check longterm, the variety of stuff it can run, and how much utility it packs into a single slot. On the other hand, I don't think it's as good as Lando and Clef. As such, I've made a preliminary S- rank to indicate where I think it stands in the meta. I think it's a bit closer to A+ than S but honestly can swing eithe way
A -> A+ : Fini is so fucking good now holy shit. It checks half the tier, it's annoying as shit to wittle between Taunt, Misty Terrain, that defensive typing, and Lefties, and it's deceptively versatile. Defog is really good but CM Fini and even Trapper Fini are shockingly good rn and can just fuck up common builds like nothing else. Love Fini
A -> A+ : Koko is so, so good rn. Specs Koko can just rip through teams with proper prediction and most teams not running Gastro basically have to make 50/50s to prevent it from breaking their shit open and pivoting for free. But even outside of pivoting Specs is just a hella scary set in general that u always have to account for in building. It's the reason u have to have a Ground rn imo. Even outside of Specs it's a good Screener and can even run a surprisingly okay CM set. This shit's just tops rn
A- -> A : I'm officially on board the Mega Diancie train because this shit is damn good rn. Putting aside the decent defensive utility this thing's offensive power combined with its coverage and speed makes it really hard for many teams to switch into, especially since its last move can be literally goddamn anything, from EP (with Zone support STABs+ Ep rips so many teams apart) to Mystical Fire to even stuff like Encore and Explosion. The amount of longterm checks this thing really has can be counted on one hand and even then it's very set dependant. Oh and that's ignoring the excellent Rocks utility it provides and the fact that Magic Bounce means it doesn't give a shit about coming in on stuff like Toxics and T-waves and Spores and other status moves unlike most rockers not named Gliscor (Rocks Glisc is bad anyways) It's a bit hard to get in owing to its frailty but once it's in it's scary as hell and way better than a lot of stuff in A- imo and certainly on par with most of A (Fitting since its two best partners in Rillaboom and Zone are also A. This thing fits obscenely well on those kinds of builds)
Gastrodon B+ .> A- : Gastrodon feels like such a great pick rn, checking not only Gren and Tran like it always has, but countering rising metagame superstars in Koko, Volc, CM Fini, and CM Clef and hard checking Mega Diancie and Mega Latias. It's super passive yeah but who gives a shit when thanks to Clear Smog+ Toxic most of the tier can't even set up on you without getting into PP wars. While it's very passive and can get 4MSS-y at times (EP to better hit Pex vs Quake to hit Tran better vs Scald for neutral coverage all in slot 1) the sheer amount of stuff it can check in a single slot and its ability to pair extremely well with top tier defensive mons in Clef and Corviknight makes it more than worthy of A- right now
B+ .> A- : There was a time where it made sense to rank this alongside the rain mons, but that time has passed because this shit has surpassed the need for rain, finding a wonderful place on not only standard HO but its sub-archetypes like Screens and even Webs. In doing so, it has gained so much freedom in what it can run. This shit can run so many different spreads, items, moves, etc, but I really do think the Tail Glow 3a set with TG/Surf/Beam/Energy with your choice of Wacan, Rindo, Lum, or Quick Claw (which is the best item for it imo) is such a stupidly good set rn, possessing basically no counterplay outside of Pex and Chansey/Blissey, and of course, revenge killers, and even Pex is iffy because depending on the team you can just as easily slot Psychic onto the last slot. But even revenge killing it is iffy if you go with Quick Claw because that shit gives u a 20% chance of annihilating any revenger not named Rillaboom with ur boosted STABs, it's absolutely fucking nutty. People talk up how Cloyster is the king of RNG but QC Manaphy puts that shit to shame. It's absolutely bonkers and this shit alone makes it A- in my books.
Slowking-Galar : B- ->B+ :This is the most dramatic rise in my VR for any ranked mon and the most recent one but it's for very good reason. This thing is so goddamn good right now, acting as a great check to damn near every special attacker in the tier (Including Koko!) while also being able to fire off nuclear Future Sights and hitting most of the tier neutrally at worst with FS/Sludge/Scald/Flame. AV is its best set rn imo but NP or even Z sets are also viable and make this thing a legitimate threat in its own right. Honestly could see either this going to A- even or regular Slowking dropping to B+ because I think this thing is almost on par with its Kantonian bretheren. Of course being Ground/Dark weak and having no Teleport makes it less outright splashable/more reliant on actually predicting than both K-King and even K-Bro but its ability to force progress more easily and its greater offensive potential make up for that. Given all of these things I think it's far more fitting amongst the generally good but not immediately hyper-splashable mons of B+ than the really niche stuff in B- and below (Seriously why the fuck is this in the same tier as goddamn Mega Hera and Shuckle?)
UR - > B : Probably sounds crazy to jump an UR mon to B but this mon checks so many physical mons rn it's insane. Like where else can u get something that checks the SD Grounds, Kartana, Rillaboom, Lop, Weavile, and Drill in one slot while also acting as either a breaker with an offensive spread and 3 attacks (Usually CC/Leech/Ice and Roost last) or as a lowkey disgusting bulky wincon with Drain Punch/Ice Punch/Bulk Up/Roost. It's got issues for sure, like how it really needs support for Serp and it struggles with bulky Waters like King/Pex/Fini but honestly it's just really nice rn and I feel like we haven't even begun to unearth this thing's true potential as people are still finding new spreads and even moves for it every time it's brought up. If not B then this thing is B- minimum it's solid shit.
B- -> B : No fucking way this thing should be in the same rank as regular Gyarados and Mega Heracross. Urshifu-RS is super nice. Surging+ CC has really decent neutral coverage and thanks to the meta trending further towards its bulky Waters being special checks, it finds it just a bit easier to break past those longterm. Of course it can also just U-turn out of all its checks and pivot around relatively freely thanks to being rocks neutral. Also this thing abuses FS support from the likes of Slowking and Glowking like nothing else in the tier possibly can. Oh, and it can revenge Volc with Banded Jet which is always nice. It still has issues like needing support or longterm chip to break past bulky Waters, Grasses, and stuff like Latis, an awkward speed tier that leaves it below stuff it wishes it could outspeed, and being prone to Helmet/Rough Skin/Iron Barbs (though BU Protective Pads may be worth looking into) but honestly I like this thing rn. It feels way better than anything in B- and feels on par with the stuff in B that's generally decent-to- good but has some glaring flaws holding it back
UR -> B- : Welcome to the tier, Blaziken! Shame you're kinda bad. Yeah this thing's not great. In theory it can break teams apart with the right Z-move and in the right matchups it can end up being seriously threatening after an SD, but the issue is that it has so much trouble setting up outside of HO teams (And even then only Screens gives it a great shot of setting up) thanks to its pitiful bulk and poor starting speed tier, it's easy to revenge thanks to being slow as dicks at +1 with even stuff like Scarf Lando outspeeding it, and it really relies on having the right Z move (Normalium for Latis, Electrium for Waters, Firium for Grounds) in the right matchup otherwise it just cries. Most teams pack checks to it by default and honestly I never feel like u gotta prep for this thing. I still think this thing is viable on HO teams and even something like Banded could maybe work on BO, and in general I feel like it's better than anything in C. But at the same time I don't think it's as good as anything in B and it's just kinda niche and needs a lot of support and/or the right MU like most shit in B- so that's where I'll throw it.
C -> B- : Okay so this thing still isn't great, but after using it for a bit I do think it's better than most shit in C. While it's overshadowed by its big sister in Mega Latias in many regards, Mega Latios can fit pretty well as an offensive check to stuff like Tran, the Fightings, Kartana, Rillaboom, Pex, and Gliscor on more offensively oriented BO teams. While PSychic/Aura/Mystical/Roost is its best set imo since it just hits a lot of shit for neutral at worst, Ice Beam is also a viable option to make Gliscor hurt even worse. That being said I'd only ever really use it if I needed that specific kind of role compression and generally the teams it fits on are kinda weird anyways, and it isn't as versatile in terms of sets and shit as Mega Latias so I wouldn't put it any higher than B- but like I said, I think it's way better than anything in C.
UR -> C : And here's where we get into heat territory. Anyone who's seen me on the Discord knows I've been a huge fan of Mega Camerupt for a while, and that's because it has some kickass role compression. Compressing a hard check/soft counter to Electrics, Rocker, check to CM Clef, ClefCorvPex breaker, and general Ground into a single slot is awesome already, but what's even more awesome is that this is one of only two Grounds (the other being Gastrodon), that can fit onto Rillaboom/Bulu teams since their ground STABs aren't affected by Terrain and unlike Gastrodon, this thing is far from passive, with Fire Blast (or Flamethrower)/EP being hard for much of the tier to stomach, and the few mons that can switch in like Latis/Slowking/Spdef blobs either getting murked by Pursuit support (which Camel both loves and helps since it breaks the main checks to the Pursuiters), or getting crippled by Toxic. Speaking of, an underrated aspect of Camel is its great 4th moveslot versatility, since it can fit anything from Toxic to Yawn to Nature Power (on Rilla teams or even Fini teams to overwhelm checks) to even Rock Slide to serve as a makeshift Volc check (since even Modest OHKOs from full). This thing's really damn cool and honetsly more people should use it. Granted it does have issues such as being Water weak, Ground weak, having no reliable recovery, needing either pivot support or Pursuit support to really thrive, and being really, really goddamn slow. All of these are things that prevent it from going any higher than C, but honestly given that it has such a strong, defined niche that teams can make use of (especially ones that revolve around two A rank Pokemon), I think Camel more than deserves a spot in C
UR -> C : Only ranking this because I think Zolt has a niche and this is practically required alongside it. Would throw it into C- if I could because it is complete dick otherwise
UR - > C : The last of the rises, Necrozma is a fucking demon on HO holy shit. It can run 10 million sets from Autotomize WP 3a special(My favorite set, which usually runs Auto/Photon/EP/Heat Wave) , Auto 3a WP physical, DD, Auto CM Stored Power, Meteor Beam, etc, and they are all deceptively hard to play around, each of them having very different checks/counters and all being hard to scout from team preview. This thing's stats, ability and typing are lowkey perfect for this role, giving it just enough bulk to take neutral hits (and even weak supereffective hits like Lop U-turns or Ferro Knocks, both of which proc WP sets) to let it set up , just enough speed to outspeed a ridiculous amount of shit at +2 if ur using Autotomize (Modest/Adamant Nec for reference is 3 points faster than Timid Mage and way stronger, and +2 Timid/Jolly outspeeds the entire unboosted metagame barring Jolly Sand Rush Drill and Unburden Lucha). It has great coverage, great offensive stats, and it's just hella nasty if you get the right matchup. That being said sets can run into coverage issues and stuff like WP 3a can run into issues if nothing procs it, leaving it prone to getting walled out. It also only really fits on HO in my opinion where it can run into some slot competition. But given it's sheer power, versatility, and generally good attributes as an HO mon, I think it fits great in C
Okay so since writing the rises took forever I'm gonna lightning round these
A -> A- : Feels like a fake check to a ton of stuff. Most Grasses can punish it via pivoting, HP Fire, or status, Kyurem can cheese past it with Specs, Kart can cheese it with SD Fight-Z, and it just finds itself getting worn down way too fast between hazards and general chip damage. It's not great rn
A- -> B+ : I'm not a sand user but honestly this thing just doesn't feel as great as it once was. Feels like it struggles vs a lot of builds as a sand sweeper and as a suicide lead it can feel p awkward. Also doesn't feel as splashable as the mons in A-
A- -> B+ : I can't be the only one who thinks this feels like another "fake check" mon right? Half the shit it's supposed to check punishes it super hard, it feels like it's forced out by so much shit in general and it's easier to deal with in practice than on paper. Still pretty good in certain matchups and can serve as a decent check to the shit it's supposed to, but it ain't A- material to me
A- -> B+ : This thing's still decently good, but I feel like it's not as great a check to stuff like Lop, Medi, and Chomp as it should be, havign to run another dedicated Ash Gren check since this thing barely serves as a Hydro resist sucks, and it just feels like ur better off running Slowking+Tang most of the time. It's still decent at checking what it has to check and it can work p well on some teams, esp if u go Ice Beam to make it a "check" to Mega Chomp, but u can do better nowadays imo.
B -> B- : When was the last time u saw this thing in any relevant capacity? Zard-X just feels really awkward rn, like if u took all of the bad parts of Zard-Y but without any of the good parts save for nuclear STAB. This thing has stupid bad 4MSS since it really wants DD/Roost/Blitz/D-claw/T-Punch/EQ but because it has to forego at least one of those it ends up losing to something really common whether that be bulky Waters, bulky Dragons, Grounds, or even stuff like Heatran. 3A may be worth but at that point just use Zard-Y. Honestly I'm contemplating dropping it to C it's just super mid and really hates a lot of shit rn, especially since even the Grasses it should set up on punish it hilariously hard.
B -> B- : Take what I said about regular Bro and add the fact that it uses up ur Mega slot, sacrifices ur longevity, and only really accomplishes checking physical attackers a bit better and maybe acting as a surprise lategame wincon with CM (but even that can get shut down pretty quick depending on the set). It can do that and it can serve as an emergency check to Mega Chomp which is nice so it just barely avoids the C rank for me but it just kinda fits in with the other niche Megas of B-. I think it's better than Zard-X but below something like Mega Latios
C - > UR : What the fuck does this even do? Why is it even ranked? I mean ig NP hits hard but it gets revenged by like 10,000 things. This ain't no fuckin Mega Zam get out of here
C - > UR : This mon checks Mawile...and nothing else. It's the definition of a fake check because in theory it checks half the meta but in reality it's so easy to wear down thanks to a mediocre defensive typing, a weakness to every hazard in the game bar T-spikes, and a lack of any recovery outside of Leech Seed (which it can rarely afford) and Synthesis. Combine that with the fact it has awful 4MSS that can leave it outright helpless in many MUs, the fact that Corvs are running BB more these days, and just its absolute shit splashability and longevity compared to comparable mons in Tangrowth and Amoonguss, and terrible matchups vs literally every weather, and frankly I see no reason to use this thing. In theroy this thing can dominate certain MUs but in reality it's just terrible. Don't use it, it's bad
C -> UR : R8 said this thing was dogshit and since I don't play Stall I'll take his word on it
A -> A- : Feels like a fake check to a ton of stuff. Most Grasses can punish it via pivoting, HP Fire, or status, Kyurem can cheese past it with Specs, Kart can cheese it with SD Fight-Z, and it just finds itself getting worn down way too fast between hazards and general chip damage. It's not great rn
A- -> B+ : I'm not a sand user but honestly this thing just doesn't feel as great as it once was. Feels like it struggles vs a lot of builds as a sand sweeper and as a suicide lead it can feel p awkward. Also doesn't feel as splashable as the mons in A-
A- -> B+ : I can't be the only one who thinks this feels like another "fake check" mon right? Half the shit it's supposed to check punishes it super hard, it feels like it's forced out by so much shit in general and it's easier to deal with in practice than on paper. Still pretty good in certain matchups and can serve as a decent check to the shit it's supposed to, but it ain't A- material to me
A- -> B+ : This thing's still decently good, but I feel like it's not as great a check to stuff like Lop, Medi, and Chomp as it should be, havign to run another dedicated Ash Gren check since this thing barely serves as a Hydro resist sucks, and it just feels like ur better off running Slowking+Tang most of the time. It's still decent at checking what it has to check and it can work p well on some teams, esp if u go Ice Beam to make it a "check" to Mega Chomp, but u can do better nowadays imo.
B -> B- : When was the last time u saw this thing in any relevant capacity? Zard-X just feels really awkward rn, like if u took all of the bad parts of Zard-Y but without any of the good parts save for nuclear STAB. This thing has stupid bad 4MSS since it really wants DD/Roost/Blitz/D-claw/T-Punch/EQ but because it has to forego at least one of those it ends up losing to something really common whether that be bulky Waters, bulky Dragons, Grounds, or even stuff like Heatran. 3A may be worth but at that point just use Zard-Y. Honestly I'm contemplating dropping it to C it's just super mid and really hates a lot of shit rn, especially since even the Grasses it should set up on punish it hilariously hard.
B -> B- : Take what I said about regular Bro and add the fact that it uses up ur Mega slot, sacrifices ur longevity, and only really accomplishes checking physical attackers a bit better and maybe acting as a surprise lategame wincon with CM (but even that can get shut down pretty quick depending on the set). It can do that and it can serve as an emergency check to Mega Chomp which is nice so it just barely avoids the C rank for me but it just kinda fits in with the other niche Megas of B-. I think it's better than Zard-X but below something like Mega Latios
C - > UR : What the fuck does this even do? Why is it even ranked? I mean ig NP hits hard but it gets revenged by like 10,000 things. This ain't no fuckin Mega Zam get out of here
C - > UR : This mon checks Mawile...and nothing else. It's the definition of a fake check because in theory it checks half the meta but in reality it's so easy to wear down thanks to a mediocre defensive typing, a weakness to every hazard in the game bar T-spikes, and a lack of any recovery outside of Leech Seed (which it can rarely afford) and Synthesis. Combine that with the fact it has awful 4MSS that can leave it outright helpless in many MUs, the fact that Corvs are running BB more these days, and just its absolute shit splashability and longevity compared to comparable mons in Tangrowth and Amoonguss, and terrible matchups vs literally every weather, and frankly I see no reason to use this thing. In theroy this thing can dominate certain MUs but in reality it's just terrible. Don't use it, it's bad
C -> UR : R8 said this thing was dogshit and since I don't play Stall I'll take his word on it
Fuck me that took almost 2 hours to write but goddamn was it worth it. Hope y'all enjoyed my insane ramblings about the GOAT VR!
EDIT: Added l;ong overdue rises in Glowking and Gastrodon
Addl Sidenote: I'm still undecided on whether Pex belongs in S- or at the top of A+ and the placement of the Slowtrio in general but everything else is generally set
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