Battle Spot Singles Viability Rankings!

[Feliburn]

Approved by Hulavuta .
Some parts were stolen from Age of Kings ' XY viability thread who took it from other thread.

Battle Spot Viability Rankings

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(Art will be implemented soon)​

Welcome to the Battle Spot ORAS Viability Rankings thread. Here, we as a community will rank every single usable Pokemon into ranks. You're encouraged to post your thoughts and opinions on the Pokemon that are usable in the metagame and what rank they should fall under. The general idea of the topic is to rank Pokemon based on their effectiveness in the Battle Spot singles metagame.

Finally, here are the people that have the final say on what gets moved in the ranking list (as in, the people that gather the community's input to make final decisions, as well as being well informed players themselves):

• cant say
• DragonWhale
• ethan06
• Feliburn
• Jibaku
• NOVED

Battle Spot ORAS Ranking List:
(In alphabetical order)

S Rank:
Reserved for Pokemon that are amazing in the Battle Spot singles metagame. These Pokemon are usually able to perform a variety of roles effectively, or can just do one extremely well. Their use has low risk involved and high reward exerted. Pokemon in this rank have very few flaws that are patched up by numerous positive traits.

S rank:

Aegislash

Garchomp

Gengar (Mega)

Kangaskhan (Mega)



A Rank:
Reserved for Pokemon that are fantastic in the Battle Spot singles metagame, and can sweep, support, or wall significant portions of the metagame. These Pokemon require less support than most others to be used effectively and have few flaws that can easily be overlooked when compared to their positive traits.

A+ rank:

Azumarill

Blaziken

Blaziken (Mega)

Gengar

Rotom-Wash

Salamence (Mega)

Thundurus


A rank:

Breloom

Charizard (Mega X)

Charizard (Mega Y)

Cresselia

Ferrothorn

Greninja

Heatran

Landorus-Therian

Lopunny (Mega)

Mawile (Mega)

Slowbro (Mega)

Talonflame

Zapdos


A- rank:

Clefable

Gliscor

Gyarados (Mega)

Hippowdon

Lucario (Mega)

Mamoswine

Mandibuzz

Porygon2

Sableye

Sableye (Mega)

Slowbro

Suicune

Tyranitar

Tyranitar (Mega)



B Rank:
Reserved for Pokemon that are great in the Battle Spot singles metagame. These Pokemon have more notable flaws than those above them that affect how they function in the tier. Their positive traits still outshine their negatives, but they require a bit more team support to bring out their full potential.

B+ rank:

Dragonite

Gardevoir (Mega)

Gyarados

Hydreigon

Klefki

Manectric (Mega)

Metagross (Mega)

Quagsire

Rotom-Heat

Skarmory

Terrakion

Volcarona

Weavile


B rank:

Aerodactyl (Mega)

Aggron (Mega)

Altaria (Mega)

Bisharp

Chandelure

Excadrill

Gallade (Mega)

Glalie

Latias

Latios

Raikou

Scrafty

Sharpedo

Sharpedo (Mega)

Swampert (Mega)

Sylveon

Venusaur (Mega)

Whimsicott


B- rank:

Blastoise (Mega)

Clawitzer

Feraligatr

Infernape

Magnezone

Pinsir (Mega)

Reuniclus

Serperior

Togekiss


C Rank:
Reserved for Pokemon that have notable niches in the Battle Spot singles metagame, but have just as many notable flaws that prevent them from being effective. Pokemon in the C tier often require significant support to be effective. Pokemon from this rank tend to face a lot of competition with the more commonly used Pokemon.

C+ rank:

Cobalion

Diggersby

Espeon

Houndoom (Mega)

Lucario

Noivern

Rhyperior

Starmie

Tornadus-Therian

Wobbuffet


C rank:

Beedrill (Mega)

Glalie (Mega)

Pidgeot (Mega)

Vaporeon

Vivillon


C- Rank:

Escavalier

Scolipede

D Rank:
Reserved for Pokemon that are mediocre in the Battle Spot singles metagame, but are viable enough to justify their use on select teams. These Pokemon are either usable but have no real niche, or are only capable of doing their specific task and fail at doing anything more than that. Pokemon from this rank have multiple crippling flaws that prevent them from being successful a majority of the time, and are often severely outclassed because of it.

D+ rank:

Drifblim

Honchkrow

Steelix (Mega)


D rank:

Camerupt (Mega)

Omastar


Please: Remeber that this initial list wasn't the work of just one person, a group of users helped contribute to the initial list before it was publicly posted based on our experience with each pokemon, if you don't agree with any of the pokemon listed you are free to post an argument for what ranking you think it belongs in.

Rules

• Post intelligently. Posts like "I think Pokemon X should be in this tier" without giving any reasoning will not be tolerated
• Usage statistics may be used to support an argument or a claim, but avoid basing your entire argument around them.
• No flaming
• No one-liners or useless comments

 

[Feliburn]

Reserved.

 

[Misaka Mikoto]

Tbh I believe that Aegislash should be A Rank. I don't think its really S Rank worthy now though due to the new megas and toys the previous pokemon got as well. I know I haven't played Battle Spot for months now but I still think that its overall viable to the format considering Weakness Policy or the ToxicShield was quite common. I often used it and I found Aegi to be a huge asset. There's many Pokemon that causes super effective damage against Aegislash cause usually they run Quiet Nature on it decreasing its speed allowing it to attack second. Take Lando-T for example, it uses EQ while Aegislash is in Shield Forme. Weakness Policy activates. Pretty much a Shadow Ball or a Flash Cannon will OHKO it for example. ToxicStall omfg its the most annoying set I've ever played in Battle Spot. Cause it runs Substitute, Toxic, Kings Shield, and Flash Cannon/Sacred Sword.
While in Shield Forme, you'll have to deal with its bulk and "two shields" along with it recovering from Leftovers while you're under toxic status.

 

[iPlum]

I think Rotom-w should be in A rank. It can perform a variety of sets well such as a TrickScarf set or a defensive leftovers set if talonflame is a problem; especially since it has a fairly uncommon grass weakness and no others. Mega venausaur counters pretty much all variants and it can't damage grass types at all but otherwise its a big threat.

 

[HydreigonIsOP]

Aegislash for S rank. Extremely unpredictable, with great stats, and movepool, its no wonder Aegislash is one of the top used pokemon in BS at the moment. While the most common set is the WP+ KG/SS/SB/FC set, it can run a bunch of different coverage moves to compensate for its checks/counters. Bisharp? Sacred Sword. Zards/Talon? Rock Slide. Garchomp? HP Ice. It can also go SubToxic, SD, full on mixed, and probably more.

Also want to nominate Chandelure for B: Really amazing TR user, since unike Cress or P2, it can actually deal some serious damage and not realy on Toxic or CM boosts to do any damage. Can also run a Scarf set to outspeed quite a lot, and with its great coverage not much can deal with it. Specs is nice for completely obliterating everything, but is mostly only effective with speed control. Trick and WOW are also worth mentioning since they allow Chandy to bypass P2 and Sucker Punch users that can counter it pretty well.

 

[GateCreeper]

I think Mega Altaria should be in B rank. It resists many type combos of many pokemon, such as Breloom, Rotom-W, Zapdos that refuse to run HP Ice, and many more. It can use these resists to get a chance to set up with Dragon Dance and attempt to sweep the opponent's team. Return+EQ with Fire Blast or Roost is a very common set, which covers a majority of pokemon in the Battle Spot Metagame. If a team is unprepared for it, it can sweep quite easily. It can also run a bulky set with Toxic / Hyper Voice / Roost / Fire Blast, which manages to tank hits well if it's physically defensive, or even specially defensive. Mixed sets can also be run with Mega Altaria, to take care of multiple threats with certain moves. Mega Altaria has a certain unpredictability to it, as it can run many sets, ranging from offensive DD sets to bulky attacker sets. However, it simply can't be A rank because it can be checked by common pokemon in the metagame, such as Mega Metagross, Greninja, Heatran if you lack EQ, Mega Venusaur, and many more pokemon. Also, its sets can be run by pokemon who do the job better. For example, Mega Salamence will do an offensive DD set better than M-Altaria, with its superior Attack and Speed. Lastly, M-Altaria happens to lack Heal Bell often in the 3v3 format, so it is easily neutered by any forms of status, depending on the set.

I also agree with Aegislash being A rank like Lucina09 stated, as the ORAS metagame has introduced more threats to it, such as M-Lopunny and M-Sableye. It doesn't deserve to be S rank, but it is still a great poke with its high offensive and defensive sets, plenty of resists, and its unpredictability on movesets and switching from Sword or Shield Stance.

 

[Feliburn]

Updated guys, also I just wanted to say that you are free to nominate pokemon for +/- ranks (A+ or B-), main reason I didn't add them at the beggining is because we didn't have a big initial list, also if you don't agree with any of the nominations listed don't be afraid to post your opinion!

 

[Ares]

Gonna keep my reasoning short as I'm nomming a lot and don't have to much time, if you disagree feel free to quote me and I'll reply with a more indepth thing for the mon in question.

Feliburn you should put all of your changes in your post so we can see what happened and post if we agree or not. Ex:

Aegislash A ==> S

==> A rank : Breloom is hard hitting, has priority, has spore, has coverage.

==> A rank : 120 bp priority, nuff said

==> C+ / B- rank : has great coverage as well as two amazing additions in ORAS Gunk shot and (forgetting the other one rofl), has difficulty hitting hard and getting OHKOs on some mons.

==> B rank : Priority Twave as well as decent offenses, can check top tier threats like mega mence with HP Ice.

==> A rank : Amazing defenses as well as Rocky Helmet + Iron Barbs to destroy physical attackers, has leech seed for recovery.

==> A rank : Its incredibly unpredictable and versatile and has great offenses

==> A rank : same as above, its incredibly versatile and fast, has the ability to get past most of its checks and counters with a variation on its moveset

==> A rank : Really fast and powerful with good coverage and interesting sets like sub disable

==> A rank : I'll start off with nomming this to A rank, but I could see it possibly being S rank in the future, its ability to trap and take out key members of your team is to good.

This seems like a good start now, and a good way to spark discussion on these mons.

 

[xastify]

Landorus-T for A rank
Really nice in battle spot singles varying from its ability, Intimidate, to its nice stats. Very nice pivot and thanks to its ability it can sponge some its on the physical side. Landorus-T can also run offensive sets (Scarf mainly from what i've seen) which are also very nice. I've also seen some pretty cool rock setting+explosion action once with Lando. It also checks quite a few mons in general like Garchomp, Talonflame, Charizard X, etc.

/

For B+/A- rank
Gyarados is also a pretty cool pokemon in battle spot singles, and much like Salamence, sets up pretty easily thanks to intimidate. Mega Gyarados has some pretty cool things like Mold Breaker Earthquake to hit Rotom-W and is pretty powerful in general. Gyarados also gets Crunch in ORAS now which is pretty good for it. Twave is also a pain to deal with on some sets, and it is pretty common now in ORAS (or at least from what I've seen)

for A/A- rank
Charizard-X is an excellent mon imo and the typing really helps it set up from what I've been seeing while using it. It also has nice coverage and strong STAB's+ Tough Claws to break walls and/or sweep very nicely

for A-
Charizard-Y is also pretty nice in bss. From its great ability to its nice movepool, it does pretty well in the meta. Especially when mega evolving/switching in, summoning sun is a great utility to have. It replaces current weather in general (like sand from Tyranitar), allows access to Solarbeam (which gives it good coverage), and weakens water type moves (which can be good in some cases)

 

[Misaka Mikoto]

Okay here goes



Sableye-Mega --> A+ (For now)

My thoughts: Despite having terrible Speed, Mega Sableye is a threat to Battle Spot. With excellent 50/125/115 bulk. It's pretty hard to take down (unless you have a fairy type). It also has three immunities meaning that it's immune to Normal-, Fighting-, and Psychic-types, meaning for example, Mega Kanga would have to rely on non STAB moves to get rid of it. It also has access to Magic Bounce bouncing back not only hazards, but status moves, taunts, and any non damaging attack that's being targeting right back at the foe making great use for stall. It great in providing excellent utility such as Knock Off also, it has access to Will-O-Wisp so it can burn and punish physical attackers making it much more difficult to take down. Also, it has access to Recover, replenishing its HP along with Calm Mind which boosts its Special Attack and Special Defense making it a possible sweeper.


Landorus-T --> A Rank

My thoughts: Lando-T, I didn't expect it to shine at all to be quite honest. But this Pokemon is really worth using especially as an Intimidator considering there's many physical attackers that's pretty viable in the metagame. It can be either Choice Scarfed or Banded. It also has access to hazards such as Stealth Rock to keep the opponent from switching as much. Its Attack is amazing standing at a base 145 with decent Speed at 91 making it an excellent Choice Scarf user gaining momentum with U-Turn along with utility Knock Off. It also has access to coverage moves like Superpower, Stone Edge and gets STAB Earthquake putting huge dents in many foes. Clearly, it can also act as a bulky mon with Intimidator.


Mega Manectric --> B Rank

My thoughts: There really isn't much to say about Mega Manectric though. But being a mega, it has access to the ability, Intimidate, lowering physical attacker's attack stat. That provides some use because it has the move Volt Switch that acts as a pivot and gains momentum off of it dealing a nice amount of damage against the target for you to switch into a much bigger threat. It also has nice access to Overheat and can make use of Hidden Power Ice as i can possibly OHKO Garchomp. Speed and Special Attack are a force to be reckon with.


Mega Mawile --> A Rank

My thoughts: I'll just start making my explanations shorter. Before Mawile Mega Evolves, it has Intimidate crippling physical attackers. Mega Mawile has amazing Fairy/Steel typing leaving it with two weaknesses along with being pretty bulky. It has access to Huge Power making it an enormous powerhouse. It has Swords Dance, Play Rough and Iron Head for STAB, and Fire Fang for type coverage. It also has priority to Sucker Punch getting not only coverage, but a lot of damage.

Azumarill --> A+ Rank

My thoughts: Azumarill has very nice Water/Fairy typing compimented with bulk and power. It acts as a deadly threat to the metagame with Sitrus Berry Belly Drum, Choice Band, and also has the ability Huge Power to deal even more damage. It has priority such as STAB Aqua Jet despite being pretty slow.

Hydreigon --> B ( Or B+) Rank

My thoughts: I remember using Hydreigon a lot as a Choice Specs or Choice Scarf user ( usually switch between the two items ). Very good for using Draco Meteor and getting rid of some inucense It has excellent type coverage along with great Special Attack. Not to mention its Dark typing allows it to take Sucker Punches from Bisaharp and Mega Mawile.

I guess that's all I have after a few battles I did. >.<

 

[Feliburn]

Updated not even a day and it already looks awesome, regarding Aegislash, I'd like to see some more discussion about it before giving it a definite rank.

Aegislash: None ----> A rank
Rotom-Wash:  None ----> A rank
Breloom: None ----> A rank
Talonflame: None ----> A rank
Ferrothorn None ----> A rank
Garchomp: None ----> A rank
Mega Lopunny: None ----> A rank
Gengar: None ----> A rank
Mega Gengar: None ----> A rank
Landorus-Therian: None ----> A rank
Mega Sableye: None ----> A+ rank
Azumarill: None ----> A+ rank
Mega Gyarados: None ----> A- rank
Mega Mawile: None ----> A rank
Chandelure: None ----> B rank
Mega Altaria: None ----> B rank
Thundurus: None ----> B rank
Gyarados: None ----> B+ rank
Hydreigon: None ----> B+ rank
Greninja: None ----> B- rank
Mega Manectric: None ----> B rank
Mega Charizard Y: None ----> A- rank
Mega Charizard : None ----> A rank

This is how future updates will look like.

 

[Ares]

Thanks for actually making stuff presentable, smh it was like pulling teeth with you to get you to do it though.

Gonna do another dump of stuff that hasn't been added so we can get a bit more flesh on these rankings. Also, A rank is getting a bit clunky might wanna move some things up to A+ or down to A-.

==> A - : Good offensive / defensive typing as well as priority and the ability to get past Focus Sashes with a multi hit move. Also takes on Dragons fairly well.

==> B / B+ : The ability to recover, lay hazards, and then phase is pretty decent. Could go a little bit lower, probably not higher.

==> A+ : God this thing is so bulky, once it gets up a boost its ridiculously hard to break through seeing as it can't be critted. Also a great check to mega mence and some other top tier threats.

==> A : God damn this thing tore me a new one, its ridiculously bulky as well as being immune to spore and other powder moves. Rocky Helmet gives it the ability to check physical attackers and good defensive typing.

==> B+ : Fantastic offensive check to Talonflame, ability to set sand for other teammates, could possibly see a rise but B+ seems like a good starting point.

==> C : Once it gets up a Leaf Storm its really good, the problem is getting up that first Leaf Storm and the fact that it struggles against Talonflame.

==> B : Strong Knock Off, access to a boosting move and priority, seems like a solid B to me.

Anyways thats it for now, I'll probably do another one of these preliminary dumps in a couple of days.

 

[HydreigonIsOP]

Vivillion for C+/C
Really good QD sweeper. While at first glance outclassed my Volcarona, Vivillion has a few neat tricks up its sleeve (or should i say wing?). Compound eyes boosts accuracy, allowing Vivillon to use moves like Hurricane, a very strong and spammable STAB move, and Sleep Powder, which is practically Spore now and can easily get you extra QDs. Extremely Talon weak and Volcarona even existing, as well as Requiring a boost to do anything, will probs keep Vivillion from going any higher buts its a solid mon that can provide you with a very threatning sweeper if given the opportunity.

 

[skeletons]

Here are some of my thoughts.

==>B/B+ rank : Extremely fast and versatile. Not only that but it has the ability to hit Pokemon that would normally wall it EX: Gengar. It can out speed many threats like Crobat and Greninja who would normally 2HKO or OHKO it. On the downside though, it's usually stopped by Aegislash due to that if it runs a fully attacking set, a King shield will stop it in its tracks of sweeping. Mega-Lopunny also gets walled by common megas like the common Mega-Mawile and Mega Metagross. With an inability to hurt those Pokemon it still has some notable features such as it's move set and speed which if used correctly can create a whole in an opponents team since Mega-Lopunny causes a lot of switch ins to a wall or at least something to take a hit, formally wearing it down slowly.

==> A+/S Rank: Aegislash plays a giant role in Battle Spot. With its fantastic versatile sets being from sub toxic to fully offensive Aegislash you can never be sure which you're up against. It can take at least one hit from practically anything that is non boosted with the correct investments that when paired up with Weakness Policy is an absolute monster. King shield is another thing that makes this Pokemon play such a great role in how this is shaped, being able to stop any Scrappy users (Mega-Lopunny) from just spamming one move entirely and stopping many others like most major threats to Battle Spot - Mega Salamence and Mega Kangaskhan. Aegislash with Weakness Policy can inflict a lot of damage for the reason mentioned above that it can live most non-boosted moves that including super effective moves just so it can retaliate back and possibly OHKO. You can never be sure what set Aegislash runs or what it packs just to ruin what you run making you be extremely careful to what you switch into this. That is why I personally think it's perfectly viable to be risen to a higher rank than just A.

==> B/B+ Rank: Porygon2 is amazing. With its amazing bulky stats that can be used to stop Mega Salamence right in its tracks and being able to 2HKO it with Ice Beam, Porygon2 is surely a great Pokemon. Porygon2 is one of the best Eviolite users in Battle Spot being able to tank a lot of hits and retaliate with a status move or an attacking move to wither down your pokemon to the suitable point . With two amazing abilities - Analytic and Trace, it's quite a pickle to decide which to run. You can run Trace to find out what ability of sorts your opponent has to so you can take advantage from it to Analytic which can take advantage of Porygon2's slow speed to hit even harder. Porygon2 has some notable flaws as any status like burn or toxic can slowly wither down until it's forced to switch out and/or stall out recover until it subsequently faints. Porygon2 also can't take a fighting hit that well being OHKO'd by most fighting type moves especially by the likes of Mega Lucario and Mega Lopunny. Another enemy of Porygon2 is Aegislash, being able to take all hits that poor Porygon2 can inflict. The fact that Porygon2 holds Recover is able to rub off any or in some occasions most damage done to it overall. Porygon2 also takes advantage of trick room and is a Trick Room setter. Overall Porygon2 is a bulky pokemon,despite its slow speeds that may cause it some issues as to being inflicted with a status or be damaged before its time of need, it can take the hits you want it to and can work well despite these notable flaws.

 

[Jibaku]

Quick thoughts

Greninja ==> A
The simple addition of Gunk Shot makes it extremely difficult to wall at times, tearing apart former popular checks such as Azumarill and Sylveon. Furthermore, it can now more effectively smash through Tyranitar, Kangaskhan, and Ferrothorn with Low Kick. Kept in check by its 4 moveslot syndrome, but it's still incredibly scary.

Mega Metagross ==> B+
Stats are nice but then you realize Aegislash exists which not only checks it but also gives it severe teamslot competition (and doesn't take a mega slot).

Mega Charizard Y ==> A
One of the best wallbreakers available, and many have gone around to use HP Ice to make Salamence and Garchomp miserable. One of the few non Fighting attackers than can blast through Porygon2 with sheer power, which is quite a feat in itself.

Mega Sableye ==> A-
Pretty solid stallbreaker but sometimes relies on many Calm Minds too much since its Special Attack isn't great and people run Snarl on it for easier setup/utility. Gets wrecked by most fairies/Blaziken, and opposing Calm Minders such as Suicune and Raikou will also give it a rough time.

Rotom-W ==> A+
Still an incredibly solid and ironically consistent Pokemon and ORAS didn't introduce anything that would give it issues except maybe Mega Lopunny. Can check Salamence too

 

[Feliburn]

Updated, as you can see Aegislash finally raised to S rank, some good arguments were presented.

Greninja: B- rank ----> A rank
Mega Metagross: A rank ----> B+ rank
Mega Charizard Y: A- rank ----> A rank
Mega Sableye: A+ rank ----> A- rank
Rotom-Wash: A rank ----> A+ rank
Porygon2: B rank ----> B+ rank
Aegislash: A rank ----> S rank
Mamoswine: None ----> A- rank
Vivillon: None ----> C rank
Skarmory: None ----> B+ rank
Mega Slowbro: None ----> A+ rank
Mandibuzz: None ----> A rank
Tyranitar: None ----> B+ rank
Serperior: None ----> C rank
Bisharp: None ----> B rank

 

[Acrological]

Porygon2 ==> A
This pokemon is basically one of the most common walls on battle spot. It can be physically defensive or specially and checks basically everything while it has eviolite still being held. It can Check physical threats with foul play. It can thunderwave things and recover on things such as a talonflame to make it kill itslef through recoil. It has a nice moveset with ice beam for all the popular dragon types and tri-attack for stab. It checks Mega salamence and Kangaskhan with foul play and such. It can also get trace and download as its abilities which it can trace intimidates and get sp.Atk boost for KOing which can make it a problem since nothing can 1HKO it. Although it can be set up on by the likes of a azumarill. You can easily pack the thunderbolt just for those belly drum users to be KOed immediately after going for the BD. It only has one weakness and so this is why i feel porygion 2 should be A rank just because of its class of being a wall. Also one of the most annoying pokemon to deal with x)

 

[GateCreeper]

Updated guys, also I just wanted to say that you are free to nominate pokemon for +/- ranks (A+ or B-), main reason I didn't add them at the beggining is because we didn't have a big initial list, also if you don't agree with any of the nominations listed don't be afraid to post your opinion!

Oh, we were allowed to do that? I guess I'll recommend changing Mega Altaria to at least B+ or at the least A-, based on my points I made earlier.

----> D/D- Rank: Honestly, I didn't expect Slaking to be viable at all in Battle Spot Singles. This poke needs real team support in order to function well. With Traunt, a pokemon can easily set up on it, or just use protect on it. However, if you pack checks to these pokemon such as Scarfed Garchomp to a +1 Mega Charizard X, or a Physically Defensive Rotom to check a +2 Talonflame, Slaking can actually do it's job well in wallbreaking. It can OHKO a ton of pokemon with a banded Giga Impact, and its speed tier allows it to out many bulky pokemon, and at least dent them, if it's not an OHKO. Unaware pokes like Clefable and Quagsire also help Slaking, to defend against pokes who choose to setup on it. It can even run a Scarfed set to revenge kill many threats with Retaliate. Traunt really lets Slaking down, as it helps the opponent more than player using it, and it takes serious teambuilding to work around it. Honestly, you should never use this thing when there are far better Scarfers and Wallbreakers in this metagame, but it deserves a mention because it can really put a dent in one's team if you're not prepared for a strong hit.

----> A-/B+ Rank: Clefable is a nice and really bulky Fairy. It takes care of many threats that are present in the metagame, such as Rotom-W, Mega Slowbro, and Hydreigon if you choose to run a Calm Mind set with Magic Guard, and it takes care of boosting sweepers like Mega Sableye, Azumarill, and Mega Charizard X if you run Unaware. Magic Guard also makes it immune to pokemon who rely on status, from WoW users and Toxic users, and use this chance to set up Calm Minds. However, since Soft-Boiled isn't allowed in Battle Spot, it has to rely on Wish+Protect for recovery, which takes up two moveslots, or Moonlight, which is unreliable under certain weather and has low PP. It also lacks the bulk to take really strong hits, from the likes of Mega Kanga, Mega Mence and Mega Metagross. Aegislash also puts a stop to anything Clefable does, and it's very common as well.

----> B/B+ Rank: Quag is your typical bulky water, but has a niche in Unaware. This allows it to take care of many physically boosting sweepers in the meta. Quagsire is also slower than Aegislash, so it can simply tank anything that is thrown at it from Aegislash, and OHKO in return with EQ, which makes it an effective check to Aegi. It spreads status around well with Scald and Toxic, and can simply recover stall for damage. It also makes for an effective Garchomp check, besides the banded variants. Its special defensive isn't too great, and it gets overwhelmed by strong physical attackers like its unaware friend, Clefable. Any grass type easily checks Quag as well, as it can't do much in return.

Slaking doesn't have to be put on the list, but I feel we need more D ranked pokemon here. Anyone can discuss with me if they think that Slaking is unviable in Battle Spot Singles, although I'll be easily convinced b/c it really is terrible from my experience :D

 

[Misaka Mikoto]

Starmie --> B Rank ( For now )

My thoughts: I have to say that I actually underestimated Starmie in Battle Spot. It is proven its worth of being pretty viable imo. It has a niche that lies with its Special Attack and Speed. From what I saw, I see that Starmie is a deadly Choice Scarf user outspeeding threats such as Lando-T, Garchomp, and acts as a check to Greninja and Mega Salamence. It also acts as a Rapid Spinner and Choice Specs user. The only things that Starmie is vunerable against are priority Sucker Punch users such as Bisharp and Mega Kanga. It also can't stand against Ferrothorn either. It does have Reflect Type which it can use as a fake out to Bisharp but nonetheless, its very good offensive and has very nice coverage moves.

 

[DD321123]

Reading it over quick, the one question I have is Pory2.

I know it was raised to B+, but I think it deserves a place in A-.

As many others have said, its bulk is great combined with the ability to Toxic, use Recover, Ice Beam for Chomp/MMence, combined with the ability to use Foul Play. It has a great moveset and great bulk with Eviolite, and can even force some switches to get a free Toxic. Its one downside is Focus Blast and fighting moves, though MMence/Chomp don't use them frequently if at all.

 

[HydreigonIsOP]

Hydreigon for A/A-
Very little can switch into Specs:
252+ SpA Choice Specs Hydreigon Flash Cannon vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Azumarill: 88-104 (42.5 - 50.2%) -- 0.4% chance to 2HKO
EDIT: SpDef P2 gets 2HKOd my Focus Miss Blast
If your looking for an offensive switch:
252+ SpA Choice Specs Hydreigon Flash Cannon vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Mega Gardevoir: 114-136 (79.7 - 95.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO Can than outspeed and OHKO

Nothing really wants to switch in, and the Scarf set is viable to patch up its lower speed. Not S material tho, lower speed and requiring Bulk on Specs sets can be a hinderance. Also you cant run 5 moves, so if you want to run Flash Cannon, you need to give up on most likely Heatran coverage (Earth Power), or Fire coverage but thats way too valuable. B+ just seems a little low...

 

[Feliburn]

Hydreigon for A/A-
Very little can switch into Specs:
252+ SpA Choice Specs Hydreigon Flash Cannon vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Azumarill: 88-104 (42.5 - 50.2%) -- 0.4% chance to 2HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Hydreigon Draco Meteor vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eviolite Porygon2: 90-106 (46.8 - 55.2%) -- 69.5% chance to 2HKO (Thank you SpA drops)
If your looking for an offensive switch:
252+ SpA Choice Specs Hydreigon Flash Cannon vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Mega Gardevoir: 114-136 (79.7 - 95.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO Can than outspeed and OHKO

Nothing really wants to switch in, and the Scarf set is viable to patch up its lower speed. Not S material tho, lower speed and requiring Bulk on Specs sets can be a hinderance. Also you cant run 5 moves, so if you want to run Flash Cannon, you need to give up on most likely Heatran coverage (Earth Power), or Fire coverage but thats way too valuable. B+ just seems a little low...

I agree that Hydreigon might be deserving of A- rank because of its awesome coverage and with a choiced set it wrecks but I just wanted to clarify this, if it's running specs + modest nature then I fail to see how it can outspeed Mega Gardevoir, and Porygon2 can easily take Hydreigon's Draco Meteors because of the special attack drops, so a second Draco Meteor would deal 23.4 - 28.1% damage.

Btw expect updates later.

 

[cant say]

I think the examples were of the few things that can actually switch in and win, not examples of Hydreigon's power (which is a weird approach to nominating something but whatever). I think he should be B+ imo, 4MSS really holds him back from having great coverage, and the choice sets can be played around and just force him out anyway. The whole A tier is getting very cluttered anyway. Please remember that just because a Pokemon is good / you like it, doesn't mean it is A worthy!

A Rank:
Reserved for Pokemon that are fantastic in the Battle Spot singles metagame, and can sweep, support, or wall significant portions of the metagame. These Pokemon require less support than most others to be used effectively and have few flaws that can easily be overlooked when compared to their positive traits.

B Rank:
Reserved for Pokemon that are great in the Battle Spot singles metagame. These Pokemon have more notable flaws than those above them that affect how they function in the tier. Their positive traits still outshine their negatives, but they require a bit more team support to bring out their full potential.

I feel like Hydreigon fits the description for B rank most, hence a B+ nom from me...

 

[HydreigonIsOP]

I agree that Hydreigon might be deserving of A- rank because of its awesome coverage and with a choiced set it wrecks but I just wanted to clarify this, if it's running specs + modest nature then I fail to see how it can outspeed Mega Gardevoir, and Porygon2 can easily take Hydreigon's Draco Meteors because of the special attack drops, so a second Draco Meteor would deal 23.4 - 28.1% damage.

Btw expect updates later.

Mega Gardevoir would outspeed since with a neutral nature and 252 speed Hydreigon reaches 150 speed, while Mega Gardevoir reaches 152. btw cant say now that i think about it your post made me rethink a bit. I mostly posted my nomination after me and a few others on showdown were doing some calcs which really surprised me.
btw did calcs on P2, would have to get an absolute minimum roll to NOT get a 2HKO on PhD variants

 

[cant say]

Do you mean to not get a 2HKO? Using the median damage percentage, you do 108% to P2 so it's basically a guaranteed 2HKO unless you get really unlucky and roll min damage twice... But then you end up with a -4 Hydreigon that isn't staying in on anything. And if you do get unlucky, then P2 can just Recover off the damage and start stalling stuff out