Resource SS RU Viability Rankings [Post-DLC1]

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Expulso

Morse code, if I'm talking I'm clicking
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A few quick nominations:

:bewear: Bewear: A -> A+

Bewear is a god right now, p much nothing switches in; common fighting resists like Dragalge, Mantine, and Galarbro are slower so you can just boost up and claim one with Double-Edge. Bulky offensive teams also love its typing (switch into Knock and Poltergeist) and general defensive utility due to Fluffy. Chople Bewear makes this even better, letting it beat things like +2 Virizion which is super funny.

:Virizion: A+ -> B+ Mostly agree (I'd prefer A-, but B+ works too).

Seconding everything Hot N Cold said, except that I find that teams without Slowbro-Galar aren't as good against Viriz as he implies. Besides Galarbro and Dragalge (which is very prone to getting chipped), there aren't that many options to take on +2 Viriz. It does have the problem of not being able to OHKO much, but can still be a dangerous late-game cleaner against non-Galarbro teams, and they struggle to deal with it in a way better than sacking something and then going to the Scarfer once general walls like Dragalge / Chople Bewear are chipped into range. It helps it that the only common mons faster than it are Scarfers or unable to switch in (see: Barraskewda, Inteleon, Lycanroc; Salazzle ~can~ switch in but it dies to a good prediction and is very frail anyways). However, vs Galarbro, one of the best mons in the tier, you basically play down 5-6 every time; even without it, Viriz needs a decent amount of support to wear down walls into its range.

:inteleon: I'll just say that Inteleon = Barraskewda, imo; Inteleon -> A. Its ability to break through fat teams with the Focus Energy set is something Barra lacks, which makes up for Barraskewda having better coverage with its Choice set (and thus not being walled by Vaporeon as badly as Specs Inteleon is, though its U-turn compensates for that a little.)

:bronzong: Bronzong: A- -> A, imo it is super useful on offensive teams as the best switch-in to Garde, Goodra, Dragalge, and Exploud; Copperajah is a far more shaky answer to them, and while Bronzong has way less offensive presence I find it easier to make up for Bronzong's lack of offensive presence with the rest of my team than to make up for Copperajah's insufficiency as a check to those special wallbreakers.

:Exploud: Exploud: B -> B+ (or A- even honestly!)
Despite having very little defensive utility Exploud is an awesome mon in this meta even outside of webs, its 238/259 Speed lets it outspeed and threaten out tons of opposing Pokemon with an incredibly strong Boomburst, such as Dragalge, Scrafty (though SpDef BU takes one), Golurk, Slowbro-Galar, and (if Timid) Centiskorch and Bewear. Its coverage can break through switch-ins like Jah, Bronzong, Steelix, and Rhyperior, although even Boomburst does a ton. Its bulk really helps; you can get in situations where Exploud threatens out faster Pokemon that are unable to OHKO it due to its impressive HP (for example, Centi's Fire Lash does like 60% max). Really good breaker with a better speed tier than most, deserves to rise.


Lightning Round of ones i dont wanna type out reasoning for:
Drapion prob B -> B+, maybe also Vapo and Arcanine
Xatu and Centiskorch A- -> B+
Lycanroc A -> A-, I find it super super hard to build around and its many weaknesses mean it rarely threatens things out to get a SD off (and it isn't quite strong enough at +0 to KO any mon with respectable bulk).
 

HailFall

my cancer is sun and my leo is moon
:sigilyph: A- -> A or A+
Sigi is extremely good right now, both life orb and flame orb sets being major threats that also have different checks. Its speed tier is quite good and it has incredible coverage. Magic guard is broken.

B+ -> A-
Indeedee is quite powerful as a wallbreaker. While Garde generally provides more, Indeedee's massively spammable expanding force makes it a total nightmare to switch into. Teams without Umbreon or Bronzong generally don't do very well against it.

:druddigon: B- -> C
Drudd provides very little beyond mold breaker rocks. Offensive sets are pretty much entirely outclassed by goodra and defensively its lack of much in the way of natural bulk or recovery means it struggles to check much of anything beyond Barraskewda and Centiskorch. Its just very outclassed by other dragons at the moment and I don't think its easy to justify on a team.

:milotic: B+ -> A-
Very splashable mon that can keep up momentum and blanket check almost half the metagame with its bulk. I've been using it a lot and it functions very nicely. If you havent yet make sure to give it a try.

A- -> A: Agree

Inteleon has proven to be a major threat with focus energy sets that are almost impossible to answer defensively. Specs sets can also u-turn on Mantine whereas Skewda has its momentum totally denied. Its definitely at least as good as Skewda, if not better.
 
Last edited:
Hello everyone, new update to the VR! As always, you can check all the votes here. Ill try to give a brief explanation of the few rises / drops whenever possible / needed.

Rises:
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A -> A+
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A- -> A
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C+ -> B-
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D -> C+ : Probably an overreaction from us, but Coalossal has clearly showed to be viable, checking Sigilyph, Gardevoir and Salazzle while giving good hazard support with Spikes and Rapid Spin.
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B -> B+
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B- -> B : Abuses teams that use Bronzong as their steel decently enough + decent speed.
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B+ -> A-
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B -> B+
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B+ -> A
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B- -> B+
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B+ -> A-
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A- -> A
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B+ -> A-
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B+ -> A-
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B+ -> A- : Band is an extremely scary wallbreaker while Utility sets with Knock Off Toxic and Stealth Rock have been popping up too.
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A- -> A+
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A+ -> S
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B- -> B
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B+ -> A-
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B -> B+
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C -> C+
Drops:
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A- -> B+
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B- > C+
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C -> UR : We actually have steel types now.
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B-> B-
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A -> A-
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A -> A-
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C+ -> C
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B+ -> B
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B -> B-
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A -> A-
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B- ->C+
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C+ -> C
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B+ ->B
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A+ -> A- : mfw when the best mon in the tier completely walls you
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A- -> B+
New additions:
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(Ground) UR -> B: Strong Ground stab + U-turn with decent bulk and speed
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UR -> C+ : decent pick on stall teams
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UR -> B+ : best physical sponge in the tier + amazing support moves in sleep powder / knock off / stun spore + regenerator and its not passive.
Discussion Points:

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UR -> ?
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UR -> ?
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UR -> ?
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(Steel) UR -> ?
Whatever you can think of

Ty for reading!
 

GoldCat

BOSSARU CUP WINNER
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:ninjask:
UR to B / B+ Rank
Ninjask's blitzing Speed and Speed Boost makes it virtually impossible to revenge kill with conventional methods like Choice Scarfers. The scarcity of priority in the tier further complicates this issue. The inability to easily revenge kill Ninjask makes it a great anti-offense pick. Not only that but it's also a pivoting fiend being able to come in plenty of times throughout the battle and with Heavy-Duty boots it doesn't have to care about Stealth Rock. Do note that by going with HDB comes with a downside of limiting Ninjask's offensive presence by having it use the significantly weaker Dual Wingbeat over Acrobatics, but the tier's limited hazard control doesn't favor itemless sets. Ninjask has some big flaws such as being rather weak when unboosted, awful defenses and typing, and mediocre offensive typing that leaves it struggling to even scratch common walls. Its low Attack is mostly salvaged by it being able to run Adamant and Swords Dance. Ninjask can take advantage of walls by chipping them down and pivoting in wallbreakers, however. Ninjask is overall a very obnoxious Pokemon to face and will provide multiple free switches for your wallbreakers or clean through frailer HO teams.
:rotom:
UR to B- Rank
Rotom is picking up a bit where its lawnmower brother left off as an offensive Scarfer. While Rotom's very weak, it makes up for it with its pivoting. The Ground-types in the tier heavily dislikes getting crippled by Trick and Rotom can afford giving up its Scarf due to its good natural Speed tier. After Tricking, it's able to put more offensive pressure with a boost from Nasty Plot. Rotom is can also run other sets like NP + WoW / Defog with HDB / Colbur / itemless and Choice Specs.
:Silvally-Steel:
UR to B- Rank
Silvally-Steel distinguishes itself from the Steel crowd with its high Speed stat, two great pivot options in Parting Shot / U-turn, and Defog. These qualities make Silvally-Steel a great fit mainly on VoltTurn teams that appreciate the team compression of having a Steel-type that keeps up the momentum and can Defog. It also has a neat quirk of blocking Trick. The big flaw with Silvally-Steel is that it can't comfortably switch into Gardevoir, Dragalge, and Indeedee-F like Bronzong and AV Copperajah can. However, this can be patched up by having additional checks to Psychic- and Dragon-types like Drapion and Porygon2 as seen on atmoicllamas' week 2 snake team. Another flaw with Silvally-Steel is that it's a Defoggers that is heavily worn down by Spikes. Overall, Silvally-Steel has enough desirable traits over its competition to be considered for a spot on a good amount of teams.
:malamar:
UR to C+
Malamar is similar to Bulk Up Scrafty, but it isn't x4 weak to Fairy so it can survive a Moonblast from Choice Scarf Gardevoir and 2 Dazzling Gleam from Scarf Indeedee-F even after Rocks if it's a bulkier spread. Its considerably higher Speed means that Malamar can invest to outspeed Adamant Golurk without losing too much bulk. It takes advantage of the best mon in the tier in Slowbro-G. Contrary makes Malamar a great Defog deterrent on hazard stacking teams, as the evasion boost could potentially give you the win on the spot. Malamar also has a good matchup against Defoggers like Sigilyph and Mantine. However, Malamar's way lower bulk and reliance on the inconsistent RestTalk makes it a niche alternative to Scrafty when Malamar attributes like non x4 weakness to Fairy and Speed, are more favorable to the team.
Malamar @ Leftovers
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 252 HP / 232 SpD / 24 Spe
Careful Nature
- Knock Off
- Superpower
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
The Speed EVs are for outspeeding Modest Specs Draglage so you can Knock it and survive Draco and then proceed to heal up with Rest.
Malamar @ Leftovers
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 192 HP / 204 SpD / 112 Spe
Careful Nature
- Knock Off
- Superpower
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
Speed is for Adamant Golurk and bulk means you avoid the 2HKO from Specs Hyper Voice from Indeedee-F.
:decidueye:
UR to C+ / B-
I'm going to keep this short, as I don't have much of an opinion on Decidueye due to my lack of recent experience using it. Despite my lack of first-hand experience I know it's viable due to its good offensive Grass / Ghost typing and versatility with SD and NP sets to set it apart from Dhelmise and Gourgeist-Small. If nothing else it should be at least ranked together with Gourgeist-Small in C+.
:torkoal:
UR to C+ Rank
Torkoal faces stiff competition from Ninetales as a sun setter on something like semi-sun so it is only seen on hard sun teams, which is a rather underexplored ( but potentially really potent ) archetype rn so C+ for now. However, if sun starts picking up steam in either the Grand Slam playoffs or Snake with good results then obviously it should be ranked like B / B+.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen8ru-516729
The only sun team that has been seen so far in snake/Grand slam.
 
Friday at 8:58 AM
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    :decidueye:
    UR to C+ / B-
    I'm going to keep this short, as I don't have much of an opinion on Decidueye due to my lack of recent experience using it. Despite my lack of first-hand experience I know it's viable due to its good offensive Grass / Ghost typing and versatility with SD and NP sets to set it apart from Dhelmise and Gourgeist-Small. If nothing else it should be at least ranked together with Gourgeist-Small in C+.
I'd like to second this (probably for C+). Decidueye has proven to be one of the most variable pokemon in the tier - despite not having a unique typing due to the presence of Dhelmise and Gourgeist. One thing in particular I would like to mention is the choice scarf mixed set.

Decidueye @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Long Reach
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Poltergeist
- U-turn
- Brave Bird
- Leaf Storm

This set is very interesting because it is able to check, in my opinion, one of the biggest threats in the metagame - Sigilyph, with it's poltergeist and higher speed stat. As long as you haven't missed with Poltergeist, it does 108% minimum to max HP variants (max hp max defense Sigilyph is a whole different breed, and probably loses valuable other assets such as speed to check this niche pokemon). It also has semi favorable matchups vs the other high tier pokemon, such as 2hkoing a Slowbro Galar while comfortably living a +2 sludge bomb, Poltergeist ohkos all Gardevoir variants, and Decid lives any move from Scarf Gardevoir and kills in return. Leaf Storm has a pretty obvious usage, it deters any of the fraught water types in the tier, as well as checking some of the ground and rock types - mainly Lycanroc. If nothing else, Leaf Storm works as a big source of damage against pokemon immune to Poltergeist - namely Bewear and Heliolisk. Decidueye also has the privilege of being one of the only scarfers in the tier to also pack u-turn, making it a faster u-turn option than specs/focus energy Inteleon, and therefore one of the fastest pivot options in the tier. Brave Bird is a super secret tech, but can also be replaced with another move such as leaf blade to hit grass-susceptible pokemon on the physical side. This set is the consummate Virizion check, as when you switch it in on a close combat and then outspeed it and brave bird, the opposing player nearly always forfeits (poor Virizion, it can't catch a break). There are probably more applications that I am either forgetting or unaware of, so please feel free to add on to this.

The reason I recommend this pokemon for C+ instead of B- is because, while this anti-meta scarf set pairs nicely with the swords dance and nasty plot sets, all Decidueye sets share one thing in common - they really struggle to get in. Decidueye is best utilized as a revenge killer - bringing it in after something dies usually nets you forward progress - but you won't always have that option, and Decidueye is a situational pokemon for this reason. A pokemon that you have to build around to reach its full potential will never reach past C+ tier in my eyes, but as I said, feel free to add on to this. All in all, I think Decidueye deserves to join the ranks of its fellow grass/ghost brethren in RU, but its situational viability that forces it to be built around hampers its ability to climb higher than C+.
Shoutouts to Natan for passing me the Decidueye team I used to gain information about the pokemon!

- Bolivia
 
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--> S Rank

Sigilyph is probably the best mon in the tier atm to me. While splashability is an issue, Sigilyph is not only versatile, but can provide utility with Defog sets or a wincon with Calm Mind sets. When looking through the tier, there isn't much that can handle Sigilyph's sets, especially when you factor in Flame Orb Psycho Shift, completely screwing over would-be answers like Gigalith. Galarian Slowbro is easier to fit on teams, yes, but Sigilyph is not only immediately threatening, but can break past pretty much all of its answers and do it well. Calm Mind sets can also ravage through the tier, even the offensive ones. Sigilyph is one of, if not the best offensive threat in the tier and its extremely straining to consider in the builder as well. I'm going to copy Expulso's format a bit from his np thread post here and list defensive and offensive answers to Sigilyph. You'll notice quickly that they are quite limited and plenty aren't even reliable. The defensive answers through a quick glance appear to be:

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- Gets worn down quickly and can barely switch into Life Orb sets.
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- Same as Coalossal in that it can get worn down fast. Also it loses to Psycho Shift.
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- I'm grouping these two together since they can both annoy Sigilyph with Haze. However, both are passive by using Haze and Psyshock Sigilyph can also break through Mantine. Milotic fairs a little better since it can Flip Turn out into a revenge killer, but it still must take a boosted hit. At the very least these fare fine vs Psycho Shift.
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- Pivots in and pivots out into a revenge killer with Teleport, but is prone to getting worn down if it's the only reliable switch-in.
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- Swords Dance can break past the burn from Psycho Shift, but it's laughably easy to chip down. Also cannot take Life Orb Psychic and gets blown away by a potential Energy Ball.
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- Is actually free setup bait for Psycho Shift but is somewhat ok vs Calm Mind barring Air Slash cheese or burn from a teammate.
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- It just sucks :haha: and also I'm pretty sure it takes a lot from Psyshock anyway.

So those were the defensive answers, as you can see they are rather limited, easy to chip, or just straight up lose to one of its sets entirely. Now let's get to the offensive answers:

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- Cannot switch-in safely, but can get a teammate to pivot it in or come on via a predicted Roost if necessary. You'll be seeing "cannot switch-in safely" a lot here.
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- Is very shaky vs Psycho Shift, but ok vs offensive provided it hasn't gotten potential boosts yet.
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- Choice Scarf, otherwise Psycho Shift will beat you.
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- Can somewhat come in on Heat Wave, but not really. Also can be shaky vs Psycho Shift if it starts boosting.
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- First Impression won't kill without prior chip.
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- Cannot revenge reliably once Sigilyph gets going.
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- Probably the best check to Psycho Shift here, especially if running Boots, but is a bit shakier to switch in vs LO sets.
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- Can actually break past a boosted Sigilyph, but will probably die to Psychic or Air Slash in the process (unless you fish for Dark Pulse flinch)
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- Same as Barraskewda (unless you are cheeky and come in on Air Slash or Heat Wave)
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- ^ but can actually lose to Psycho Shift depending at how much HP its at
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- Just completely loses if Sigilyph has literally any boost or is out of range lol.

There's some other stuff like Scarf Goodra that I neglected to mention but I think the point is across. Sigilyph's answers, both offensive and defensive, are very limited and have plenty of variables to consider - what if it's Psycho Shift? What if it's already gained a boost, etc. I believe that it's easily on the same level as Galarian Slowbro, if not just the slightest bit better. Sigilyh influences building to a ridiculous degree, has the tools to tear through the entire tier, and all of its would-be checks both offensive and defensive have plenty of variables that can make them not as reliable on paper than in practice. This mon is ridiculous and it should be shown with an S rank.
 

Aquarius Ghost ❤

Banned deucer.
Hi everyone, it's Aquarius Ghost back with another Vr post.
My first nomination is:
:ss/Klefki: Klefki + to A-/ B+
Well, most of you may ask why I making a nomination for Klefki from A+ to A-. The main reason is because I find it so easy to handle, the main things it is able to do is status or set up spikes. I feel like hazards in a boots meta is really bad, Ru is also filled with clerics such as Vaporeon, Umbreon, Aromatisse, Plume, etc. Usually many people feel like its a pain in the ass to go agasint, however, if you have a knock off user or something that can hit hard such as Rhyperior and Copperajah makes it much easier to go against. Its main stab is dazzling gleam which is super underwhelming in power, while also being very frail in physdef. Sure it walls gardevoir or dragalge, but it can't really do anything in return besides twave / toxic. Overall, its just a useless Pokemon that sets up hazards when Heavy-Duty-Boots is a thing, not to mention this tier has elite hazard removals. Klefki for A-/ B+. Now on to numero dos!

:ss/Umbreon: From B to A-
Umbreon is truly an underrated pokemon. Umbreon is one of the best WishPasser in the RarelyUsed Metagame. With its amazing Spdef it allows it wall pokemon such as Espeon, Indeedee-f, and Goodra which some spd walls strugggle against. With Synchronize as one of its abilitys with Heal Bell allows Umbreon not to become frail to toxic like Porygon 2 instead it helps Umbreon because the foe becomes statused. Umbreon is an Elite wishpasser and is one of the best spdef walls in RU. Foul play also gives Umbreon a bit of niche, while not making it too passive. Umbreon to A-.

Anyway thats all I have for now I may edit this post tmr and make another 2 nominations.
See ya next time!
 

HailFall

my cancer is sun and my leo is moon
Klefki has a massive amount of utility and can be truly frustrating to shut down. It will almost always be able to get up a layer or two of spikes. Prankster twave makes it one of the best forms of speed control in the tier, making it an amazing safety net against stuff like inteleon. On top of this, it provides a good amount of defensive utility with its excellent typing. Boots does not make klefki useless. Knock off support exists and plenty of things dont want to sacrifice their item for boots (typically offensive mons who run choice items or LO). Hazard removal isnt as good as you imply here either. Mantine is decent, but is easily crippled by status. Dhelmise isn't bad, but can be pressured heavily by the spikes it tries to spin away unless boots. Zard relies on toxic to beat rockers like rhyperior and gigalith and isn't the greatest right now. Most other hazard removal in the tier is mediocre. The clerics you mention are almost all niche mons, and vileplume would do much better to run corrosive gas or sleep powder on most teams. Regardless, if klefki can pressure fat teams to use up precious heal bell PP, its already putting in work against them.

Umbreon is far too passive to fit on most teams and a momentum black hole. I wouldnt even consider using it on anything faster than fat balance and slower playstyles like stall arent that viable right now in the first place. Ironic you mention klefki being bad above when its one of the many mons that can take advantage of how passive umbreon is and spike for free. It lets major threats that are difficult to switch into like bewear/scrafty in for free and the wishpass utility simply isnt necessary for most teams right now.
 

Aquarius Ghost ❤

Banned deucer.
Klefki has a massive amount of utility and can be truly frustrating to shut down. It will almost always be able to get up a layer or two of spikes. Prankster twave makes it one of the best forms of speed control in the tier, making it an amazing safety net against stuff like inteleon. On top of this, it provides a good amount of defensive utility with its excellent typing. Boots does not make klefki useless. Knock off support exists and plenty of things dont want to sacrifice their item for boots (typically offensive mons who run choice items or LO). Hazard removal isnt as good as you imply here either. Mantine is decent, but is easily crippled by status. Dhelmise isn't bad, but can be pressured heavily by the spikes it tries to spin away unless boots. Zard relies on toxic to beat rockers like rhyperior and gigalith and isn't the greatest right now. Most other hazard removal in the tier is mediocre. The clerics you mention are almost all niche mons, and vileplume would do much better to run corrosive gas or sleep powder on most teams. Regardless, if klefki can pressure fat teams to use up precious heal bell PP, its already putting in work against them.

Umbreon is far too passive to fit on most teams and a momentum black hole. I wouldnt even consider using it on anything faster than fat balance and slower playstyles like stall arent that viable right now in the first place. Ironic you mention klefki being bad above when its one of the many mons that can take advantage of how passive umbreon is and spike for free. It lets major threats that are difficult to switch into like bewear/scrafty in for free and the wishpass utility simply isnt necessary for most teams right now.
1. Prankster is not speed control its Priority.
2. Status doesn't even shut down any of the hazard removals since mantine will chip keys enough + scald brn which stops its lefties recovery, mantine also has roost for recovery
3. I like how u said dhelmise can be pressured by spikes unless it hdb, providing more reasoning why klefki is not as good as u think it is.
4. Idk why u brought rockers into this, im mainly talking about keys not rockers stay on topic.
5. I can provide u with 1000 replays where keys doesn't pressure fat teams, fyi.
6. You know most teams have a knock absorber right?
Now lets m0ve on to Umbreon
1. How is stall not viable, when it 6-0s u every time
2. Now when u say," It lets major threats that are difficult to switch into like bewear/scrafty in for free." Um, yeh no shit sherlock, thats what team support is for.
3. Umbreon is meant for wish support, while being able to chip pokemon with foul play so its not that passive.
4. Umbreon is not nesscary for HO or BO you are totally right, but it is nesscary for balance since your teammates don't get chipped away by toxic spam.
From your response I understand what you mean, I just wanted to point a few things out.
 

HailFall

my cancer is sun and my leo is moon
:heliolisk: Helio to A or A-
Helio has been gaining a lot of traction lately with its pivoting power. It easily comes in on stuff like mantine to grab momentum, and very little in the tier can actually prevent that. We're even seeing some new experimentation like av popping up. It's a critical, highly splashable pivot in the meta atm and the VRs should reflect that.
 
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I want to nominat drapion from B+ to A-
I find it to be one of the most consistent, if not the best, scarfers in the tier atm, outspeeding most of the common scarfers (passimian, braviary, gardevoir) while running an Adamant nature (before it was forced to run timid for outspeeding rotom M, leaving it as a really weak revenge killer). Covering most of the tier with just its STABS leaves space fot t-spikes for suppporting the team and a customizable fourth slot (usually for EQ or aqua tail, but taunt is also an option).
That doesn't mean its other set is less effective (SD is still really effective as a breaker), just that the choice scarf set became more viable after the departure of Rotom M.

Also, I disagree with the nomination of Klefki, though I agree the hazard stacking set is the least effective atm. klefki excels the most as a screen setter (espeon dies too easily while vainilluxe has trouble setting veil late game or against weather teams) and as a late game setup swepper. Once the inmediate answers to it are gone (say, rhyperior, copperajah and mantine) its really hard to stop a sweep without sacking half your team, and it is amost guaranteed to get up screens against most types of teams. Klefki has always struggled against balance, and nothing has really changed to promt a drop in ranking.

Finally, I agree with the umbreon nomination. It is an excellent glue mon and a shutdown against psychic spam teams. It is hard to chip down with proper support for offense, forcing a lot of unfavorable situations

As for the discussion points:


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UR -> UR. I have not seen this thing once, and I find it hard to fit on any team arquetype (even with boots, it requires heavy support to work)
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UR -> A- and drop Ninetales to B+. Torkoal makes sun a pretty decent offensive playstyle while not being dead weight for most of the match. Having rocks + spin is invaluable, while yawn allows for easy sweeping chances by the sun abusers. It is a lot better than ninetales in the role of sun setter, and deserves to be a rank above it.
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UR -> B. Pretty uncommon, but effective on balance and stall teams, either as a breaker or as a pivot. Hard to fit on offense and pretty easy to chip once his boots are knocked off, but an effective mon regardless.
 

Katy

Banned deucer.
UR -> A- and drop Ninetales to B+. Torkoal makes sun a pretty decent offensive playstyle while not being dead weight for most of the match. Having rocks + spin is invaluable, while yawn allows for easy sweeping chances by the sun abusers. It is a lot better than ninetales in the role of sun setter, and deserves to be a rank above it.
The thing about Ninetales is it is a wallbreaker on its own, while Torkoal is stuck in its only role of setting sun, whereas Ninetales can do much mor. Torkoal might be the better sun-setter but Ninetales can set sun and is able to fullfill other roles too, like a offensive Nasty Plot-Sweeper and it is a dangerous wallbreaker on its own. I def think Ninetales is better than Torkoal in the ru metagame as Ninetales has on its own breaking power which Torkoal lacks. And i dont think just because Ninetales is "a worse sun-setter" than Torkoal doesnt justify that it should drop because Ninetales can - unlike Torkoal - act as a standalone pkmn whereas Torkoal is compressed into 1 Role, Drought. Therefore Ninetales should stay A- and Torkoal should be B+ as Ninetales offers much more.
 
The thing about Ninetales is it is a wallbreaker on its own, while Torkoal is stuck in its only role of setting sun, whereas Ninetales can do much mor. Torkoal might be the better sun-setter but Ninetales can set sun and is able to fullfill other roles too, like a offensive Nasty Plot-Sweeper and it is a dangerous wallbreaker on its own. I def think Ninetales is better than Torkoal in the ru metagame as Ninetales has on its own breaking power which Torkoal lacks. And i dont think just because Ninetales is "a worse sun-setter" than Torkoal doesnt justify that it should drop because Ninetales can - unlike Torkoal - act as a standalone pkmn whereas Torkoal is compressed into 1 Role, Drought. Therefore Ninetales should stay A- and Torkoal should be B+ as Ninetales offers much more.
I find ninetales hard to justify as a wallbreaker, as most balance teams have ways to shut it down while offense usually has enough priority or a scarfer to nutter it. It requires proper (if not too much) support as a walbreaker and as a sun setter, while torkoal stands out as a mon of its own (torkoal outside of sun teams is also pretty good). I wouldn't be opposed to having both of them in the same rank, as having more niches than torkoal is indeed something to consider, but not torkoal below ninetales
 
I very much agree that Torkoal is way better as a sun setter than Ninetales, and that Ninetales aint that great as a wallbreaker either. Torkoal defensive utility, momentum with Explosion and emergency hazard control with Rapid Spin makes it way better and a more consistent pick on Sun teams. Wouldnt be opposed to rank Torkoal, Charizard and Heliolisk in the A ranks, as i believe thats where sun currently stands as a playstile. Just to not make this post useless, i will make some noms on my own.

1601390477802.png
C -> B-
I believe Weezing is a really good pick in this meta, being able to stop Tangelas Regenerator with Neutralizing Gas or spreading status around. Corrosive Gas is also a cool move that can annoy most teams.


1601390699748.png
B- -> B
I think Rapid Spin sets arent that bad. Flip Turn makes it actually pretty decent, and Toxic to annoy all the Water Absorb mons is always good.


As for the discussion points, both Ninjask and Decidueye should be around B rank, while Steelvally has a decent niche in being a Steel type with momentum, so it can prob be ranked around C+ / B-. Everything else i believe is currently ranked where they deserve to be.
 
I very much agree that Torkoal is way better as a sun setter than Ninetales, and that Ninetales aint that great as a wallbreaker either. Torkoal defensive utility, momentum with Explosion and emergency hazard control with Rapid Spin makes it way better and a more consistent pick on Sun teams. Wouldnt be opposed to rank Torkoal, Charizard and Heliolisk in the A ranks, as i believe thats where sun currently stands as a playstile. Just to not make this post useless, i will make some noms on my own.

View attachment 278776C -> B-
I believe Weezing is a really good pick in this meta, being able to stop Tangelas Regenerator with Neutralizing Gas or spreading status around. Corrosive Gas is also a cool move that can annoy most teams.


View attachment 278778B- -> B
I think Rapid Spin sets arent that bad. Flip Turn makes it actually pretty decent, and Toxic to annoy all the Water Absorb mons is always good.


As for the discussion points, both Ninjask and Decidueye should be around B rank, while Steelvally has a decent niche in being a Steel type with momentum, so it can prob be ranked around C+ / B-. Everything else i believe is currently ranked where they deserve to be.
1601390477802.png
C -> B
To add onto the Weezing nom, he is also one of the sturdier answers to Virizion who just received the happy news of G-Slowbro leaving the tier. With Levitate (which is in my opinion the better ability) Weezing is able to run itemless in order to switch into Poltergeist mons such as Golurk, Gourgeist, and Dhelmise, as well as Fighting-types with Knock Off. He has a decently-hitting STAB, access to Fire-coverage, Toxic Spikes, WoW, alright recovery via Pain Split, and even the possibility of stealing items with Thief should he not need to stay itemless. Personally I'd bump him up to B with mons like Vileplume and Sneasel than B- which houses significantly more questionable mons like Sableye, Blastoise, Ribombee, or pretty much almost anything else in there. I'm also against the Blastoise nom to B since that Pokemon is supposed to be a defensive one, but it lacks dual-type resistances, recovery, and even stats.

A- -> A+/S
I don't mind some time passing before suggesting rises on the basis of other Pokemon leaving, however, this is a very clear-cut case from what I can tell. The only reason this lightning-fast powerhouse with great defensive utility that's been so dominant in the previous gen hasn't been at the top of the foodchain is because it was being hard countered by the literally most splashable and best Pokemon in the tier, G-Slowbro. On top of that, Sigilyph also just got removed from the RU tier. I'm fully confident in Viriz to reclaim his spot as the premier Fighting-type of the tier & even serve as some sort of Knock-Off absorb this generation, combining his Dark-resist with Justified.
 
hey, with the new dlc coming soon i figured it would be nice to make a post to finalize the meta - i agree with goldcat and charm's noms so not gonna speak on those.

- the more i use this mon the more i kinda realize it fucking sucks, even in a post slowbro-g and sigi meta. compared to the other steel type sr setters like zong and lix the bulk is just like...not really there. it cant really pressure things that well as opposed to zong which has the always annoying toxtect, while lix has body press and deceptively good coverage overall. copper is arguably a better answer to dragalge than both these mons but you are hard pressed to go into it every time and it just flip turns on you and then they go into, like any physical attacker lol. this is obviously true for the other two but the difference is that they have way better mixed bulk (a term that i hate because i cant articulate it well but you can imagine what i mean). despite its good coverage that in theory lets you be more a threatening offensive presence, but ends up kind of falling flat because you end up wishing you had one more coverage move over sr, the meta is just not that good for it rn. beyond the other two sr setters having copper means that you wont be able to run klefki, which also sucks because klefki synergizes well with a lot of setters (mainly toad) and, like lix and zong, has defensive utility beyond just switching into things and being a momentum suck. id probably put this down to a- or even b+ but ill be generous and settle for the former.

- in the current meta vileplume has started to rise up again imo. the combination of strength sap, corrosive gas, and sludge bomb makes it an annoyance for most common teams and effect spore makes it awkward for things that grab momentum easily like scarf passi or barraskewda to do their thing. of course dragalge is still annoying for it but it checks such a large variety of physical mons, alongside having a ton of other utility moves to still be obnoxious that id think b+ is pretty good for it. its also notable that unlike tangela, you can actually afford to switch it in on knock off which is nice cause knock sponges are something every team appreciates.

- speaking of momentum grabbers, this thing has reared its head and proven itself to be very effective. boots with volt / hvoice / gk / literally anything is really nice in this meta - it doesn't really offer much at all defensively besides the water immunity, but that in itself is great because fuck scald. being able to volt switch semi-freely thanks to its ability to threaten most if not all sr setters is such a boon wrt current meta trends. it's slowly being adapted to, kind of, but it's really annoying to directly answer to it. prob a-is good.

there are also things that i feel like would be accurate like goodra to a-, passimian to a, and charizard to b+ / a- but i dont feel too strongly about those, thanks for reading
 
Hello! With DLC2 coming out very soon, we decided to do a last update to the VR, hopefully reflecting what meta we are leaving behind. No sheet this time, dont really have a lot of time personally and working on this post is alredy taking me a lot of time. So, heres the update!

Rises:
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B+ -> A-
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B -> A-
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C+ -> B-
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B+ -> A-
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B -> A-
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A- -> A
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A -> A+
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B+ -> A
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A- -> A
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A- -> A
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A- -> A+
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B -> A-
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A- -> A
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A- -> A
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B -> B+
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A- -> A+
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A- -> A
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C+ -> B-
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B -> B+
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A- -> A
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C -> C+
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B+ -> A-
Drops:
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A -> A-
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B- -> C+
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B- -> C+
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A -> B+
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A- -> B+
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A+ -> A
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B- -> C+
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B -> B-
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B -> B-
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B- -> C
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A+ -> A
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C+ -> UR
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A- -> B
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B- -> C+
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(Ground) B -> C+
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B -> B-
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B -> B-
New additions:
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UR -> B
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UR -> B+
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UR -> C+
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UR -> C
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UR -> B
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UR -> B
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UR -> C+
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(Steel) UR -> B
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UR -> B-
Have fun with DLC2!
 
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