Anything Goes Resources

[Chloe]

Approved by The Immortal
Art by Sapphire.

Attention
Any general Anything Goes discussion belongs in the Anything Goes Ladder Thread.
This thread should be for discussing the resources only (viability, sample teams, etc).

Where do I discuss my Anything Goes related content?:

Index​

• Summary, Banlist and Resources
• Viability Rankings
• Sample Teams
• Threatlist
• Speed Tiers
• Role Compendium
• Set Viability Rankings

What is Anything Goes?

Anything Goes (AG) is a 6v6 singles metagame that has the fewest restrictions found in any of Smogon's formats. Every Pokémon from all tiers are allowed, and because the Species Clause is lifted, you can have up to six of the same Pokémon on your team. In fact, all clauses besides Endless Battle are gone, so strategies that are generally deemed unsportsmanlike such as Moody and Swagger are completely usable here.

Banlist​

Anything that would not be obtainable through legitimate methods.

Anything that deters battles of a fair length. This Endless Battle Clause has been modified for the AG metagame to allow a bit more freedom:​

• Leppa Berry + Recycle / Harvest
• Leppa Berry + Assist (Recycle) / Trace (Harvest)
• Leppa Berry + Trick / Switcheroo / Bestow
• Leppa Berry + Fling
• Magician + Skill Swap

• You cannot have more than one Kyurem-Black/Kyurem-White.

Room
Anything Goes Room on Pokémon Showdown.

Resources
Main Thread
Metagame Creation Reasoning
Team Building Synergy
SweeperCalc
September Usage Stats
September Moveset Usage Stats

Articles
The Creation of Anything Goes
Baton Pass in Anything Goes
Copy Paste: Breaking the Species Clause in Anything Goes
AG: Don't Use That, Use This!
AG Spotlight: Mega Rayquaza
AG Spotlight: Xerneas
Gen 7 AG Predictions
​

Projects
Anything Goes Community Create-A-Team

Tournaments
Anything Goes Minitour - Won by Chloe
Anything Goes Tournament - Won by Chloe
There Goes AG - Won by Thimo

OMPL IV - Won by Five-Bidoof Fighting Battalion (AG Players: DontStealMyPenguin and Transcendent God Champion)

Ladder Milestones​

Miscellaneous:
Highest Elo: 2229 by stag klan
Longest Winstreak: 165-0 by Cryptis
Highest GXE: 97.0% by ADF Test

Playstyle Based:
Highest Elo with Offense: 2168 by thelinearcurve
Highest Elo with Balance: 2229 by stag klan
Highest Elo with Stall: 2081 by Fardin

Highest Three Elo Rankings:
1) stag klan - 2229
2) thelinearcurve - 2168
3) HunterStorm - 2154

Longest Three Winstreaks:
1) Cryptis - 165-0
2) Fardin - 142-0
3) Thimo - 113-0

 

[Chloe]

Artwork by imas, Previous Thread by Funbot28, Parts of OP stolen from boltsandbombers.

Welcome to the official Anything Goes Viability Rankings. The concept of this thread is that we will organize the Pokémon in this metagame into ranks, varying on how good they are. You are encouraged to post thoughts on where each Pokémon should be ranked; however, there are a few regulations we follow:

Firstly, nominations without context or supporting evidence will be ignored. Providing replays and usage stats are excellent ways to display your nominated Pokémon in action; although, this is not required and should not be the basis of your argument.
Secondly, be civil when debating with other users. Nothing makes your argument seem more invalid than when you begin to insult another user instead of actually debating the topic at hand.
Thirdly, ensure any replays provided are against skilled opponents with actual teams. If your opponent has a Choice Specs Raichu, this is a clear indication that this is not the case.

Current Viability Council
Chloe
Megazard
Thimo

The Pokemon in the sub-ranks are fully ordered in alphabetical order.
If a pokémon's name is hyperlinked, it means an AG analysis has been created on the Smogon Dex. Click on the name to access the analysis.

~
​

S Rank

S Rank

Arceus

Darkrai

Groudon (Primal)

Rayquaza (Mega)

Xerneas​

A Rank

A+ Rank

Arceus (Ghost)

Gengar (Mega)

Ho-Oh
​

A Rank

Arceus (Fairy)

Arceus (Ground)

Arceus (Water)

Klefki

Yveltal​

A- Rank

Arceus (Rock)

Arceus (Steel)

Diancie (Mega)

Kyogre (Primal)

Lugia

Mewtwo​

B Rank

B+ Rank

Arceus (Dragon)

Deoxys (Attack)

Giratina (Origin)

Groudon

Skarmory​

B Rank

Dialga

Ferrothorn

Giratina

Sableye (Mega)​

B- Rank

Arceus (Poison)

Deoxys (Speed)

Jirachi

Kyogre

Mewtwo (Mega-Y)

Salamence (Mega)

Smeargle​

C Rank

C+ Rank

Blissey

Bronzong

Chansey

Clefable

Ditto

Genesect

Mewtwo (Mega-X)
​

C Rank

Arceus (Dark)

Drifblim

Espeon

Glalie

Kyurem (White)

Landorus

Quagsire

Scizor (Mega)

Scolipede

Shaymin (Sky)

Terrakion

Tyranitar

Zekrom
​

C- Rank

Aegislash

Alomomola

Excadrill

Latias

Lucario (Mega)

Rayquaza

Wobbuffet

​

D Rank

D Rank

Amoonguss

Arceus (Fighting)

Cloyster

Gliscor

Latios

Palkia

Shedinja

Tyranitar (Mega)

Whimsicott

​

========================================

Blacklisted Discussion
Please refrain from discussion on ranking these Pokémon.

FEAR Mons (Aron, Magnemite, Probopass, e.t.c.)
After hexandwhy's valiant quest to get Magnemite ranked, discussion on ranking these Pokémon has been banned as they are gimmicky options with more flaws than advantages. Their guaranteed loss after Stealth Rock only further demonstrates their uselessness.

Numel
This Pokémon offers one thing, the checking of SwagPlay Klefki. Although this is a nice trait to have, it's still completely and utterly unviable. It gets OHKOed by the whole entire metagame (bar non HP Water Klefki, which is a thing on full Klefki teams), it's dead weight if an opponent doesn't have a Klefki, Diancie checks Klefki and many other Pokémon simultaneously. This Pokémon is only used on joke teams.

 

[Chloe]

Deoxys-S Hyper Offense by Thimo

Importable

Rayquaza @ Life Orb
Ability: Air Lock
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Dragon Ascent
- Extreme Speed
- V-create

Arceus-Ground @ Earth Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Extreme Speed
- Swords Dance
- Stone Edge

Deoxys-Speed @ Light Clay
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Light Screen
- Reflect
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt

Groudon @ Red Orb
Ability: Drought
EVs: 104 HP / 252 Atk / 96 SpD / 56 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Claw
- Precipice Blades
- Rock Polish
- Stone Edge

Xerneas @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Fairy Aura
EVs: 28 Def / 244 SpA / 236 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Sleep Talk
-

Xerneas @ Power Herb
Ability: Fairy Aura
EVs: 152 HP / 28 Def / 252 SpA / 76 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Aromatherapy
- Focus Blast
- Geomancy
- Moonblast

Description

This team made by Thimo is possibly one of the easiest ways to start playing the metagame. It functions off a simple concept of Screens Hyper Offense, functioning by setting both screens and utilising the heavy hitting set-up sweepers in the back. Life Orb Mega Rayquaza is a somewhat unique set, although effective at eliminating Physically Defensive threats such as Giratina and Support Dragon Arceus. Choice Scarf Xerneas aims to eliminate Darkrai without any issues, with the use of only Moonblast and Sleep Talk to increase efficiency at this function. Aromatherapy GeoXern is a potent threat due to the amount of status spreaders in the current metagame and the enabling of setup against commonly used Pokémon Klefki and Support Arceus. Rock Polish Primal Groudon helps deal with Kyogre and Xerneas, while setting up against them and absorbing their weak attacks. Arceus-Ground helps patch the team from any remaining weaknesses in Primal Groudon and Ho-Oh, while allowing for yet another opportunity to set up. Overall, while being simple, this team is quite effective in the current state of the metagame.

Excadrill Hyper Offense by Gunner Rohan

Importable

Rayquaza @ Choice Band
Ability: Air Lock
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Ascent
- Waterfall
- V-create
- Extreme Speed

Excadrill (M) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic
- Earthquake
- Rapid Spin

Arceus @ Life Orb
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 184 HP / 252 Atk / 72 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Extreme Speed
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge

Arceus @ Lum Berry
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Extreme Speed
- Shadow Claw
- Magic Coat

Arceus-Ghost @ Spooky Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Shadow Claw
- Shadow Force
- Brick Break

Darkrai @ Leftovers
Ability: Bad Dreams
EVs: 128 Def / 128 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Dark Void
- Substitute
- Taunt
- Dark Pulse

Description

This Hyper Offense team by Gunner Rohan features a rare lead of Excadrill, providing immense levels of support for the rest of the team to have Stealth Rock up without worrying about removal. taunt Darkrai's capabilities enable it to prevent Defog Support Arceus formes, Latis and Giratina. While the remainder of the team provides enough offensive pressure to break any Pokémon within the metagame. Taunt Darkrai disables the use of Sleep Talk on regular Darkrai checks, becoming such an unpredictable threat. Extreme Killer Arceus is an extremely useful Pokémon within the metagame, as with such a strong priority, it can revenge kill with ease and provide a stop for almost every threat even after setup.

Quagsire Stall by HunterStorm

Importable

Sableye @ Sablenite
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe
Impish Nature
- Fake Out
- Foul Play
- Will-O-Wisp
- Recover

Quagsire @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- Recover
- Toxic
- Earthquake
- Counter

Ho-Oh @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 200 Def / 52 SpD
Impish Nature
- Recover
- Toxic
- Sacred Fire
- Brave Bird

Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Moonblast
- Wish
- Protect
- Heal Bell

Giratina @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe
Impish Nature
- Defog
- Toxic
- Dragon Tail
- Rest

Groudon @ Red Orb
Ability: Desolate Land
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpD / 8 Spe
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Rest
- Earthquake
- Roar

Description

Arguably the most effective stall team in the Anything Goes metagame, the team listed above by HunterStorm provides a solid answer for the majority of the metagame, covering areas other stall teams fail to provide an answer to, such as Banded Rayquaza or Life Orb Yveltal. Each Pokémon provides a vital role in the longevity of the team within a match. With multiple answers to the most common Pokémon in the metagame, Arceus, the team takes an all-rounded approach to the effective stall playstyle. With dual unaware users, set up sweepers such as Geomancy Xerneas and Extreme Killer Arceus no longer present any threat to the team. The most important usage tip is probably not to sack off Pokémon before being aware of what Arceus formes or sets the opponent has not revealed yet, as sometimes this can catch the remaining team members off guard.

Darkrai Stall by hexandwhy

Importable

Arceus-Steel @ Iron Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Judgment
- Earth Power
- Recover

Arceus @ Leftovers
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 204 HP / 176 Def / 40 SpD / 88 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Recover
- Toxic
- Roar

Darkrai @ Leftovers
Ability: Bad Dreams
EVs: 220 HP / 36 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Dark Void
- Dark Pulse
- Substitute
- Taunt

Ho-Oh @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 244 HP / 216 Def / 48 SpD
Impish Nature
- Sacred Fire
- Brave Bird
- Toxic
- Recover

Giratina @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 220 HP / 216 Def / 72 SpD
Impish Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Defog
- Dragon Tail
- Rest

Clefable (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 212 HP / 80 Def / 216 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Wish
- Protect
- Heal Bell
- Moonblast

Description

This stall team by hexandwhy is quite efficient and unique due to its use of a Clefable-Giratina core, backed up by Taunt Darkrai which due to the presence of Bad Dreams and the limited amount of options that can break this team in the metagame, allow for a competent backbone to the stall playstyle. Wish/Defog support allows the alternative Pokémon namely Arceus, Steel Arceus and Ho-Oh to continue to stall without much worry at all. Quite an effective stall team, while being not so difficult to use.

RMTs:

Hide

Note: These are sorted by Elo and are often not an accurate representation on the strength of the team. If you see your team here and you don't want it here, just leave a message on my profile and I'll remove it.

Offense
2076 - Drayden8437 [Here]
2066 - thelinearcurve [Here]
2052 - Yuga42 [Here]
2040 - Gunner Rohan [Here]
2036 - Yuga42 [Here]
2032 - HunterStorm [Here]
2014 - Synoptic [Here]
1983 - Synoptic [Here]
1959 - oosty [Here]
1929 - Kaushik [Here]
1924 - megaqwer:D [Here]
1894 - iLlama [Here]
1825 - TheHungrySage [Here]

Balance
2057 - Chloe [Here]
1990 - Chloe [Here]
1983 - PurpleGatorade [Here
1955 - Quantum Tesseract [Here]
1954 - Dream Eater Gengar [Here]
1909 - TheTiksiBranch [Here]
1902 - Chloe [Here]
1897 - Transcendent God Champion [Here]
1896 - Cryptis [Here]
1871 - Dream Eater Gengar [Here]

Stall
1983 - Quantum Tesseract [Here]
1977 - Transcendent God Champion [Here]
1971 - hexandwhy [Here]
1976 - HunterStorm [Here]
1905 - Yuga42 [Here]

 

[Chloe]

Aegislash

Arceus
Smogon Analysis by Megazard
Mini Analysis by baconbagon

Arceus-Grass

Arceus-Dragon

Arceus-Fairy
Smogon Analysis by Quantum Tesseract

Arceus-Ghost

Arceus-Ground
Smogon Analysis by InfernapeTropius11
Mini Analysis by InfernapeTropius11

Arceus-Poison

Arceus-Rock

Arceus-Steel

Arceus-Water
Smogon Analysis by Josh and p2

Blaziken
Mini Analysis by TheHungrySage

Clefable

Darkrai
Smogon Analysis by Megazard
Mini Analysis by michaeloche
Substitute Darkrai by Chloe
Really Niche Checks by Chloe

Deoxys-Attack

Deoxys-Speed

Diancie
Smogon Analysis by InfernapeTropius11
Diancie-Mega Mini Analysis by InfernapeTropius11

Ditto

Drifblim
Mini Analysis by TheTiksiBranch

Espeon
Smogon Analysis by Josh
Baton Pass in Anything Goes Article by Josh & Chloe

Ferrothorn
Smogon Analysis by Josh

Genesect
U-turn and Bug Buzz by Chloe

Gengar

Giratina

Giratina-O

Groudon
WIP Analysis by Kris

Ho-Oh
WIP Analysis by Chloe

Jirachi

Klefki
Smogon Analysis by p2
A+ Rank Reasoning (Outdated) by DoW

Kyogre
Smogon Analysis by Megazard

Kyurem-White
Smogon Analysis by DoW

Latias
Smogon Analysis by DoW

Lugia

Mewtwo

Palkia

Quagsire

Rayquaza
Smogon Analysis by Funbot28
Spotlight Article by TheTiksiBranch
Items Index by Chloe

Sableye
Smogon Analysis by Josh

Shaymin-Sky

Shedinja

Skarmory
Smogon Analysis by Josh

Xerneas
WIP Analysis by Whis
Spotlight Article by Megazard & Dream Eater Gengar

Yveltal
Mini Analysis by Blaze8437

Threats Information:
Links to data will be added as soon as analyses are compeleted for each Pokémon. Additional data will be added to provide for a library of information for each pokémon.

 

[Chloe]

Anything Goes has a variety of residing Pokemon located at different Speed stats. I have conveniently listed all of the important speeds in decreasing order, in order to help you in your teambuilding.
September 5 2015 - InfernapeTropius11 made the list much more comprehensive.
December 30 2015 - Megazard corrected the ranks to disregard uncommon/unviable threats.

Speed / Pokemon / Base Speed / Nature (+Spe, -Spe, or Neutral) / EVs / +Boost / IVs (where applicable)

532 / Scolipede / 112 / +Spe / 252 / +1
504 / Deoxys-Speed / 180 / +Spe / 252 / 0
493 / Mega Rayquaza / 115 / Neutral / 252 / +1
492 / Jirachi / 100 / +Spe / 252 / +1
490 / Primal Groudon / 90 / Neutral / 116 / +2
490 / Xerneas / 99 / Neutral / 44 / +2
489 / Genesect, Xerneas / 99 / +Spe / 252 / +1
445 / Xerneas / 99 / Neutral / 252 / +1
438 / Deoxys-Attack / 150 / +Spe / 252 / 0
433 / Kyurem-White / 95 / Neutral / 252 / +1
426 / Blaziken / 80 / +Spe / 252 / +1
421 / Deoxys-Attack / 150 / +Spe / 188 / 0
418 / Kyogre, Zekrom / 90 / Neutral / 252 / +1
416 / Mega Mewtwo Y / 140 / +Spe / 252 / 0
399 / Deoxys-Attack / 150 / Neutral / 252 / 0
397 / Mega Tyranitar / 71 / +Spe / 252 / +1
394 / Mewtwo, Mega Mewtwo X, Mega Gengar / 130 / +Spe / 252 / 0
388 / Shaymin-Sky / 127 / +Spe / 252 / 0
383 / Darkrai / 125 / +Spe / 252 / 0
377 / Greninja / 122 / +Spe / 252 / 0
372 / Arceus / 120 / +Spe / 252 / 0
361 / Mega Rayquaza / 115 / +Spe / 252 / 0
355 / Mega Lucario, Scolipede / 112 / +Spe / 252 / 0
350 / Espeon, Latios, Mega Diancie / 110 / +Spe / 0
339 / Arceus / 120 / Neutral / 252 / 0
331 / Landorus / 101 / +Spe / 252 / 0
330 / Latias, Mega Diancie / 110 / +Spe / 176 / 0
329 / Mega Rayquaza / 115 / Neutral / 252 / 0
328 / Mega Kangaskhan, Palkia / 100 / +Spe / 252 / 0
326 / Yveltal / 99 / +Spe / 252 / 0
317 / Kyurem-White / +Spe / 252 / 0
306 / Primal Kyogre, Primal Groudon, Zekrom / 90 / +Spe / 252 / 0
301 / Landorus / 101 / Neutral / 252 / 0
299 / Palkia / 100 / Neutral / 252 / 0
297 / Xerneas, Yveltal / 99 / Neutral / 252 / 0
289 / Kyurem-White, Rayquaza / 95 / Neutral / 252 / 0
284 / Blaziken / 80 / +Spe / 252 / 0
279 / Ho-Oh, Primal Kyogre, Primal Groudon, Zekrom, / 90 / Neutral / 252 / 0
276 / Arceus / 120 / Neutral / 0 / 0
273 / Smeargle / 75 / +Spe / 252 / 0
265 / Mega Tyranitar / 71 / +Spe / 252 / 0
257 / Yveltal / 99 / Neutral / 92 / 0
256 / Lugia / 110 / Neutral / 0 / 0
245 / Primal Groudon / 90 / Neutral / 116 / 0
245 / Xerneas / 99 / Neutral / 44 / 0
234 / Xerneas, Yveltal / 99 / Neutral / 0 / 0
219 / Dialga, Giratina-Origin, Ho-Oh, Primal Groudon, Primal Kyogre / 90 / Neutral / 12 / 0
218 / Diancie / 50 / +Spe / 252 / 0
216 / Giratina / 90 / Neutral / 0 / 0
186 / Klefki, Mega Scizor, Smeargle / 75 / Neutral / 0 / 0
176 / Skarmory / 70 / Neutral / 0 / 0
158 / Tyranitar / 61 / Neutral / 0 / 0
156 / Clefable / 60 / Neutral / 0 / 0
112 / Aegislash / 60 / -Spe / 0 / 0 / 0 IVs
76 / Mega Sableye / 20 / Neutral / 0 / 0
63 / Bronzong / 33 / -Spe / 0 / 0 / 0 IVs
40 / Ferrothorn / 20 / -Spe / 0 / 0 / 0 IVs

 

[Chloe]

Last updated by Megazard, original by Chloe

Mega Pokemon:

Stealth Rock:

(Normal, Water, Ground, Poison, Steel)

Spikes:

Toxic Spikes:

Hazard Removal:

(Normal, Fairy, Ghost, Ground, Water, Rock, Dragon, Poison)

Suicide Leads:

Wish:

Heal Bell / Aromatherapy:

Healing Wish:

Magic Bounce:

U-turn / Volt Switch / Baton Pass:

Baton Pass Teams:

Wallbreakers / Stallbreakers:

Mega Rayquaza Checks:

(Fairy, Rock, Dragon)

Arceus (Extreme Killer) Checks:

(Normal, Ghost)

Darkrai Checks:

(Fairy)

Xerneas Checks:

(Steel, Poison)

Primal Groudon Checks:

(Water, Dragon, Ground)

Ho-Oh Checks:

(Normal, Ground, Water, Rock)

Klefki Checks:

Priority Users:

(Normal, Ghost, Ground, Steel)

Choice Scarf:

Choice Band:

Choice Specs:

Setup Sweepers
Swords Dance:

(Normal, Ground, Ghost, Poison, Steel)

Calm Mind:

(Fairy, Ground, Steel, Ghost, Rock)

Double Team / Minimize:

Moody:

Other:

Nasty Plot

Geomancy

Dragon Dance

Rock Polish

Bulk Up

 

[Chloe]

Created by Catalystic, Chloe, Cryptis, DontStealMyPenguin, Megazard & Yuga42

Set Viability Rankings

S Rank

S
Arceus (Normal)
Extreme Killer: S
Support: B+

Darkrai
Substitute Sleep Inducer: S
Offensive Life Orb: B+
Focus Sash: C-

Groudon (Primal)
Defensive Stealth Rock: S
Offensive Stealth Rock: S
Rock Polish: A+
Paradancer: A

Rayquaza (Mega)
Dragon Dance: S
Choice Band: S
Life Orb Mixed: A
Swords Dance: A-
Choice Specs: B

Xerneas
Geomancy Sweeper: S
Choice Scarf: S
Life Orb: B
Choice Specs: B
Defensive: C+

A Rank

A+
Arceus (Fairy)
Support: A+
Calm Mind: A

Arceus (Ghost)
Swords Dance: A+
Support: A
Calm Mind: A

Gengar (Mega)
Offensive Trapper: A+
Perish Trapper: B-

Ho-Oh
Tank: A+
Choice Band: A+
Defensive: B


A
Arceus (Water)
Support: A

Klefki
SwagPlay: A
Spikes: A-
Dual Screens: C

Yveltal
Defensive: A
Offensive: A
Scarf: C+

A-
Arceus (Ground)
Swords Dance: A-
Support: A-
Calm Mind: A-

Arceus (Steel)
Calm Mind: A-
Swords Dance: C
Support: D

Diancie (Mega)
Offensive Support: A-
Defensive Utility: B-

Kyogre (Primal)
Offensive: A-
Defensive: B-
Physical: C+

Lugia
Great Wall: A-

Mewtwo
Offensive: A-
Stalltwo: C

B Rank

B+
Arceus (Dragon)
Support: B+

Arceus (Rock)
Support: B+
Calm Mind: B+

Deoxys (Attack)
All-Out Attacker: B+
Hazard Lead: C+
Specs: E

Giratina (Origin)
Hex: B+
Offensive Defog: B
Defensive Defog: C-

Skarmory
Physically Defensive: B+
Specially Defensive: C+

B
Ferrothorn
Specially Defensive: B

Giratina
The Great Wall: B

Sableye (Mega)
Support: B

B-
Arceus (Poison)
Support: B-
Swords Dance: C+

Deoxys (Speed)
Dual Screens: B-
Stealth Rock Lead: B-

Groudon
Defensive Support: B-

Mewtwo (Mega-Y)
Taunt: B-
Calm Mind: C+

C Rank

C+
Blissey
Standard Wall: C+

Chansey
Standard Wall: C+

Clefable
Unaware: C+

Ditto
Choice Scarf: C+

Genesect
Choice Scarf: C+
Offensive: D

Jirachi
Choice Scarf: C+
Utility: C


C
Quagsire
Unaware Wall: C
Stockpile: C-

Shaymin-Sky
Life Orb: C
SubSeed: C
Choice Scarf: C-

C-
Aegislash
Specially Defensive: C-
Offensive: D


D Rank

D
Palkia
Offensive: D

Shedinja
Support: D

 

[Josh]

Here's that updated ditto analysis you wanted.
Added
Removed
Comments on removed.

Ditto

Type: Normal
Ability: Imposter, Limber
Ditto carves a small, yet unique, niche in the AG metagame: its ability Imposter allows it to completely copy the foe, including their stats (except for HP), their Ability, and any boosts that they have acquired. This is true for every tier and is worded poorly imo. In AG Ditto, like in all other tiers, holds a unique niche in that it can blanket check all set-up sweepers due to it's unique ability in Imposter. When equipped with a Choice Scarf, Ditto is able to deter setup on the opposing team and revenge kill Pokemon that have already acquired boosts, such as Xerneas, Rock Polish Not really run without SD and falls under double dance anyways Double Dance Primal Groudon, Dragon Dance Primal Rayquaza, and weakened EKiller Arceus. Unfortunately, Ditto loses to Arceus Rock and Arceus Steel because Judgement does not copy the plates and will just be normal, and Arceus-Ghost can also easily deal with it via Shadow Force, because it will be the slower user of it therefore only hitting Ditto and not taking damage. Overall, Ditto is decent in the AG meta however it can be dead weight against a lot of teams which is why it will never be that viable.

Excellent thread goose, the analyses I wrote are better, and I hope it helps grow AG. o3o.

 

[AWILDBIBAREL]

Threat List

Arceus

Type: Normal
Ability: Multitype
With the strongest priority in the Anything Goes tier, excellent stats and a wide array of moves, Arceus makes for a fantastic late-game sweeper that can easily set up and sweep mid- or late-game once its checks and counters have been even slightly weakened. Most offensive Arceus are EKiller, a breed of Arceus known to fire out heavy attacks at +2 priority. These are extremely dangerous without a reliable check.

Arceus (Fairy)

Type: Fairy
Ability: Multitype
Calm Mind and Recover are moves that allow Arceus-Fairy to stay in the battle for a long period of time. This provides some much needed stability to a team that is hyper offensive in nature. Judgment OHKOs Mega Rayquaza if the Arceus-Fairy has a decent amount of Special Attack investment. Also, Yveltals and Terrakions (? this is stating the obvious, in addition, terrakion is only semi-common because of your RMT and is outclassed by several other late-game sweepers) should know better than to face this thing head on, due to its strong Fairy-typed attacks.

Arceus (Ghost)

Type: Ghost
Ability: Multitype
Arceus-Ghost is a great win-con if all EKillers / Dark types on the opposing side have fainted. Arceus-Ghost is one of the foremost Arceus formes due to its slew of positive traits. Its excellent typing (and stats, I wouldn't call Cofagrigus a big offensive threat), both defensively and offensively, allows it to take on a number of different roles, with support, Calm Mind, and Swords Dance sets all being viable. Imposter Ditto is also unable to damage it if it runs a Judgment / Focus Blast set. Finally, Arceus-Ghost is quite powerful, as it can OHKO much of the metagame with a +2 Shadow Force. Whatever team it’s on, Arceus-Ghost should be treated as a true threat.

Arceus (Ground)

Type: Ground
Ability: Multitype
Arceus-Ground is an excellent Pokemon in Anything Goes, checking two top threats in Klefki and Primal Groudon while packing a punch offensively and being able to consistently set up Stealth Rock. With enough Special Attack investment, Judgment can OHKO Primal Groudon, and Arceus-Ground can easily outspeed it. Contrary to what you might think SD is more common (at least in Uber) and is considered standard Its typing also grants it an immunity to Thunder Wave, leaving it less open to hax from Klefki than most other Pokemon. It can run a variety of sets effectively, including a physical sweeper set, a special attacker set, and a support set that can handle Primal Groudon and be an effective lead. Overall it is a top-notch Pokemon, and worthy of consideration on teams that need a check to top metagame threats.

Arceus (Poison)

Type: Poison
Ability: Multitype
+InfernapeTropius11: xerneas exists
+InfernapeTropius11: therefore arceus poison is a thing
Drayden8437: that can be about the only reason :P
Arceus-Poison is a unique Pokemon in Anything Goes, as it is the only viable Poison-type with access to a recovery move. Poison is usually a lackluster typing both defensively and offensively, however the prevalence of Xerneas gives Arceus-Poison a niche. With full Attack and HP investment, it has enough bulk to live the very very rare, albeit noteworthy, +2 Psychic or Psyshock from Modest Xerneas, while it does a large amount of damage in return with Poison Jab. The weakened Xerneas can then easily be picked off with a teammate’s priority or even Arceus-Poison’s own Extreme Speed. It can be considered as a very viable alternate check to Xerneas over Arceus-Steel due to its lack of Fire and Fighting weaknesses, allowing it to check Pokemon such as Terrakion, which makes it a great partner for the standard EKiller Arceus. It can also fulfill a support role nicely, without having to sacrifice its ability to check Xerneas. Overall Arceus-Poison is a neat Pokemon that checks one of Anything Goes' top threats.

Arceus (Steel)

Type: Steel
Ability: Multitype
Arceus-Steel is a great Pokemon for nearly any team to have. It has a nice niche in being able to deal solid damage to opposing Xerneas with Iron Head, which does ~80%. Iron Head also has a 30% flinch rate, which can occasionally be helpful when you find yourself in a sticky situation. Its decent power makes it a decent physical and special wall-breaker, but has plenty of potential to play other roles as well.
I once said that Arceus Steel ironically LOSES to Geoxern with Focus Blast, since Iron Head doesn't OHKO, letting Xerneas setup, then KILL WITH FOCUS BLAST PEWPEWPEW

Darkrai

Type: Dark
Ability: Bad Dreams
Darkrai continues its reign as a potent offensive threat in the Anything Goes meta, having access to the sleep-inducing Dark Void and the Special Attack-boosting Nasty Plot, which work together formidably well. Being capable of putting a target to sleep with reasonable consistency makes checking Darkrai a challenge, with Sleep Talk making an appearance on viable Pokemon such as Ho-Oh and Xerneas. However, if these Sleep Talk users are removed, Darkrai can become nearly unstoppable thanks to Dark Void and its high speed. Not just Sleep Talk, Lum Berry! That's found on almost every Arceus-Normal here.

Deoxys (Attack)

Type: Psychic
Ability: Pressure
Possessing a blistering 180 Attack and Special Attack, combined with a high base 150 Speed and one of the most powerful STAB moves in the game in Psycho Boost, Deoxys-A is no slouch in the AG metagame. Thanks to its expansive movepool, it is able to hit almost every Pokémon in the meta like a truck. Offense isn't the only thing Deoxys-A can do; it has the ability to function as a great lead, which can lead to some very interesting mind games with the opponent during Team Preview, and it's also capable of putting in work against all playstyles. Unfortunately, Deoxys-A is horrendously frail, so keep in mind that it can almost never take a hit from an opposing Pokemon without fainting. In particular, it is very vulnerable to every priority user and is forced a 50/50 or being rendered setup fodder.

Diancie (Mega)

Type: Fairy/Rock
Ability: Magic Bounce
Mega Diancie is a top threat in the AG metagame, sporting incredible offensive stats in base 160 Attack and Special Attack and base 110 Speed. You got to mention that being a troll counter is Diancie's main niche, not sweeping alone. Furthermore, it has access to boosting moves such as Rock Polish and Calm Mind that can skyrocket its already high offensive stats. Upon Mega Evolving, Diancie receives Magic Bounce as its ability, granting it an immunity to status moves such as Thunder Wave and Will-O-Wisp as well as the ability to reflect opposing entry hazards. Lastly, its unique typing allows it to easily come in on Dragon, Fire, and Flying-type attacks, all of which are moderately common.

Ditto

Type: Normal
Ability: Imposter, Limber
In AG Ditto, like in all other tiers, holds a unique niche in that it can blanket check all set-up sweepers due to it's unique ability in Imposter. When equipped with a Choice Scarf, Ditto is able to deter setup on the opposing team and revenge kill Pokemon that have already acquired boosts, such as Xerneas, Double Dance Primal Groudon, Dragon Dance Primal Rayquaza, and EKiller Arceus. Unfortunately, Ditto loses to Arceus Rock and Arceus Steel because Judgement does not copy the plates and will just be normal, and Arceus-Ghost can also easily deal with it via Shadow Force, because it will be the slower user of it therefore only hitting Ditto and not taking damage. Overall, Ditto is decent in the AG meta however it can be dead weight against a lot of teams which is why it will never be that viable. Many players term Ditto as a "lazy teambuilding" mon. No one in his right mind (unless it's me) would let his sweeper set up to full unless he had a counter/something able to counter sweep, therefore, Ditto is usually more like a roadblock for sweepers to setup.

Ferrothorn

Type: Steel/Grass
Ability: Iron Barbs, Anticipation
Ferrothorn has solid defensive stats and a good defensive typing which gives it many resistances. It is commonly seen on teams as a strong check to Kyogre. Ferrothorn’s supportive movepool is very large, containing helpful moves such as Stealth Rock, Thunder Wave, Spikes, and Leech Seed. Its decent Attack stat, along with the high-powered Gyro Ball, allows it to check many fast threats such as Mega Gengar and Xerneas. However, Ferrothorn is rendered useless by bulky Yveltal Yveltal can Taunt and wall this forever but it doesn't like coming in on Leech Seed. IDK if Seeded Yveltal beats Ferro 1v1 tho. , is very slow, and has a nasty 4x weakness to Fire-type moves.

Giratina

Type: Dragon/Ghost
Ability: Pressure
Giratina's extremely high defensive stats make it one of the bulkiest walls in the metagame. Its Ghost / Dragon typing proves useful against some common Pokemon such as EKiller Arceus and Primal Groudon, though it also leaves Giratina with annoying weaknesses to Fairy and Dark type moves, both of which can be easily exploited.

Giratina (Origin)

Type: Dragon/Ghost
Ability: Levitate
Giratina-O is an effective Defogger that can check a lot of the physically oriented Pokemon in the Ubers metagame. It has solid 150 /100/ 100 bulk and a good typing that offers six resistances and three immunities counting its ability, Levitate. This allows Giratina-O to check Primal Groudon, EKiller Arceus, Mega Kangaskhan, some Mewtwo variants, Mega Blaziken, and other Fighting-types. true

Groudon (Primal)

Type: Ground/Fire
Ability: Primordial Sea
ORAS blessed Groudon with a Primal Reversion that turned it from a top metagame pick to possibly one of the best Pokemon in the AG meta. The added Fire typing and Water immunity courtesy of Desolate Land allow Primal Groudon to fulfill many vital roles in one: it can check top metagame threats such as Xerneas and Kyogre, it can set up Stealth Rock and spread status, and it can threaten most switch-ins with extremely powerful physical and special STAB moves and sweep. When you consider that Primal Groudon can do all of these things in one set, it should come as no surprise as to why it takes a spot on most AG teams.

Ho-Oh

Type: Fire/Flying
Ability: Regenerator, Pressure
Ho-Oh is very underrated in the AG metagame. It performs its role as a bulky offensive Pokemon better than most other bulky attackers. Ho-Oh is an excellent check to Xerneas, Darkrai and Klefki, which are Pokemon that are well-known to ‘hax tf’ out of players without one on their team. With 248 EVs invested in HP, Ho-Oh can live a +2 252+ SpA Thunder from a Xerneas. Please do the calc before you say these things, Xerneas has a 25% chance to OHKO. the spread is actually 252 HP and 52 Sp.Def, with some Speed to EQ non-megad diancie. Rest into attack. Overall, Ho-Oh is one of those legendaries that gets minimal usage but performs a great role on many teams.

Klefki

Type: Steel/Fairy
Ability: Prankster, Magician
The most fair pokemon in the metagame? No. This thing is the devil if you're unprepared. It will haunt you in your sleep as you dream of losing matches even though you thought you played better than your opponent. The thing about Anything Goes is, that if you're unprepared for something, you shouldn't blame it on how 'cheap' their strategy is. If you can't kill Klefki, and instead succumb to its Swagger-induced confusion and paralysis, your loss was completely fair. Unfortunately, this is a major turn-off for many potential AG players as they feel like Klefki is over-centralising. Run a Numel imo, lol. There is one almost surefire counter to Klefki, however; NUMEL. With Oblivious, Immunity to Thunder Wave and taking little from Foul Play, it can easily beat Klefki... most of the time. Numel is absolutely useless elsewhere and dies to HP Water variants. Therefore, using Numel is discouraged.

Kyogre

Type: Water
Ability: Drizzle
One of the best special sweepers in the game - regular Kyogre. Why not Primal, you ask? Being in regular form allows it to run a Choice Scarf, which allows it to outspeed and OHKO a large portion of the AG metagame. This Pokemon works best after you have eliminated its only 200% counter, Primal Groudon. (It is also unwise to stay locked into Water Spout when you are facing an opposing EKiller Arceus, because an Extreme Speed will deal around 40% and Origin Pulse will be more powerful. ) Too specific? Scarf Kyogre also works against evasion-boosting Pokemon, because Thunder is incapable of missing in the rain. As for checks to Scarf Kyogre, Pokemon with powerful priority work, as does Primal Groudon. Otherwise, you're in trouble. This Pokemon’s only viable set is its Choice Scarf set, so it will always run any 4 of these moves: Water Spout, Origin Pulse, Scald, Thunder, Ice Beam, Sheer Cold.

Kyogre (Primal)

Type: Water
Ability: Primordial Sea
With a base SpA of 180, this thing hurts. Primal Kyogre is a powerful threat in AG. It counters one of the biggest threats in the meta, Primal Groudon, and checks another, Mega Rayquaza. This has me facepalming so VERY HARD >_< (sorry) Primal Groudon that outspeed Primal Kyogre (in other words most offensive ones) do MASSIVE damage with Precipice Blades; even having a chance to OHKO it. Defensive variants can switchin to take one, but it still takes about 60%. A "counter" is something that can beat a Pokemon 100% of the time, and thanks to the nuances of Heavy Weather, neither shall be a counter to each other forever.
Defensive P-Ogre is a good check to Mega Ray however, it takes one Bird Combat and OHKOS back with Ice Beam. However, Ice Beam fails to OHKO Mega Ray (even Modest 252) while Mega Ray can OHKO offensive variants. It has the same decent movepool as regular Kyogre, a decent speed tier, a monstrous Special Attack stat, and decent bulk.

Landorus

Type: Ground/Flying
Ability: Sheer Force
Landorus functions as a strong wallbreaker in AG thanks to Sheer Force, which provides it with an excellent level of power while negating Life Orb recoil. It also has many coverage moves, making it difficult to switch into; however, it cannot run all of its coverage moves at the same time. Landorus' typing gives it an immunity to Spikes, Toxic Spikes, and Ground-type attacks, as well as a neutrality to Stealth Rock. It has a decent base 101 Speed, which allows it to outspeed the many Uber Pokemon that have base Speed stats between 90 and 100, such as Primal Groudon, Primal Kyogre and Xerneas. quite niche, but I can't say you are wrong

Lugia

Type: Flying/Psychic
Ability: Multiscale, Pressure
In Anything Goes, Lugia stands alone at the top, as King of Stall and some Balances' main Mega Ray and Arceus Check. With an absolutely ridiculous amount of HP, Defense and Special Defense, along with the Ability Multiscale and base 110 Speed, it's no wonder how Lugia can effectively wall 75% of the AG metagame. Using a standard Toxic + Roost set, Lugia can slowly wear down a large amount of Pokemon while it obnoxiously heals back to full health. Not even Taunt can put a stop to Lugia's lethal Toxic cycle, with useful moves such as Dragon Tail at its disposal. The only strategies that can put a stop to Lugia are putting it to sleep, which can only be done by Darkrai due to Lugia's superior speed; walling its Toxic, which may only be done by Steel types; or by possessing Mold Breaker or its clones Teravolt and Turboblaze, which ignore Multiscale. However, thanks to Lugia’s incredible defensive stats, these Mold Breaker users will still need decent stats and high-powered moves to defeat it. More Facepalm (sry again) We all know exactly what Teravolt and Turboblaze users are viable in this meta, and all of them can 2HKO/OHKO 252/252/4 Bold Lugia.

Mewtwo

Type: Psychic
Ability: Unnerve, Pressure
Mewtwo has exceptionally high base offensive stats and two separate Mega Evolutions which grant it great versatility and unpredictability to the point where it is nearly impossible to counter before its forme is revealed. Furthermore, Mewtwo sits at a Speed tier where it can outspeed the majority of the unboosted AG metagame bar some Deoxys formes. It also has access to a wide movepool, with many viable coverage moves in addition to moves such as Taunt and Calm Mind, which further its versatility. Mewtwo's abilities, while not particularly great, are all situationally useful. All this makes Mewtwo a formidable mid-game Pokemon that can break down opposing teams, with the potential to clean late-game as well.

Mewtwo-Mega-X

Type: Psychic/Fighting
Ability: Steadfast
Low Kick is a powerful STAB move that reliably hits with 120 Base Power thanks to the general weight of the Pokemon in the AG metagame. Taunt allows for a way to block Will-O-Wisp, paralysis, and other status, or force out some walls that may threaten to stop Mewtwo. Earthquake is a nice coverage move to hit Aegislash and Groudon pretty hard, as well as Mega Gengar and some Steel- and Rock-types which are neutral to Low Kick or very light such as Jirachi, Klefki, and Diancie, respectively. Ice Punch hits Flying-types such as Rayquaza, Yveltal, and Lugia. With this amount of coverage, it’s hard to believe that MMX doesn’t get that much usage.

Mewtwo (Mega-Y)

Type: Psychic
Ability: Insomnia
Mewtwo-Mega-Y is often seen to be useless to many top players due to it being outclassed by Life Orb Mewtwo. The only reason one would use their Mega slot on such a Pokemon would be to obtain an excellent Ability. Insomnia is a great way to prevent Dark Void, and MMY outspeeds Darkrai, allowing the MMY to defeat the Darkrai in most 1v1 matchups. However, if Darkrai has a Substitute up or MMY's Focus Blast misses, MMY will lose. [Darkrai has a very small chance to OHKO this however] This may be useful for teams that get swept by the powerful ‘Rai'.

Palkia

Type: Water/Dragon
Ability: Pressure, Telepathy
Although Palkia is generally outclassed in Ubers, it has found a unique niche in Anything Goes: it can effectively wall any attack that Kyogre-Primal can drop. While it takes minuscule damage from Origin Pulse thanks to its 4x resist to Water, Palkia can hit back with Spacial Rend, which makes critical hits alarmingly often. Outside of the Scope Lens set, Lustrous Orb cranks up Palkia’s power on Dragon and Water type attacks, and can allow it to dish out powerful neutral hits on almost the entire tier. Unfortunately for Palkia, Fairy types completely smash through it, making it vulnerable on teams with Xerneas, or even Clefable. Unfortunately for Palkia, Lati@s and Primal Groudon almost completely outclass it as a Primal Kyogre check. Without sufficient hax, Palkia may sometimes lose to CM variants.

Rayquaza-Mega

Type: Dragon/Flying
Ability: Delta Stream
Mega Rayquaza’s incredible offensive stats, decent defences, and high speed brought upon the birth of the meta known as AG. This was banned from Ubers for a very good reason, that being its impeccable strength and mind-blowing ability. Its movepool is absolutely excellent, and Rayquaza is definitely spoilt for move choice. Dragon Ascent, V-Create, Draco Meteor, Outrage, ExtremeSpeed, Earthquake, Waterfall, Dragon Dance, Swords Dance, omg stahp!

Shaymin (Sky)

Type: Grass/Flying
Ability: Serene Grace
The main reason Shaymin is not ruling over the meta with his 60% flinch and 80% SpD -2 drop is due to the amount of priority coming from other top tier pokemon such as Rayquaza and EKiller Arceus. Shaymin-S has a very high base Speed stat, which combined with Choice Specs allows it to easily KO slower pokemon, notably some dangerous walls. However, Shaymin-S does heavily rely on RNG, making it unreliable.

Skarmory

Type: Steel/Flying
Ability: Sturdy, Weak Armor, Keen Eye
Skarmory is by far one of the best physical walls in the entire meta. With its natural resistance to Flying, Dragon and Normal, and immunities to Ground and Poison, Skarmory is able to completely shut down any physical Arceus without Overheat, physical Rayquaza without V-Create, and most other physical attackers. This of course brings up it major weaknesses: strong Fire-type attacks and most special attacks. However, with good predictions, it is often easy to know when to switch and when not to, depending on what the enemy is running. Lots of withouts here, Skarm isn't very consistent apparently

Smeargle

Type: Normal
Ability: Moody, Own Tempo, Technician
This Pokemon, as good as it may sound, only really performs on Baton Pass teams. Moody is a useful ability, but Smeargle usually requires a few turns to actually do anything significant with its Moody boosts. Evasion is the only thing that benefits Smeargle, but after a Baton Pass the incoming pokemon can be set for the game.

Xerneas

Type: Fairy
Ability: Fairy Aura
The best special attacker in the meta, Xerneas has a great SpA Mixed Offensive, CC is relevant stats, a great Ability, a great typing, cool movepool, and everything else you'd want in it. Xerneas takes down Rayquaza in one hit this is pretty obvious, and is almost unstoppable after a Power Herb Geomancy. Most high ladder teams are good at stopping Mega Ray, but terrible at stopping GeoXern. This makes Xerneas a highly viable force to be reckoned with.

Yveltal

Type: Dark/Flying
Ability: Dark Aura
As a very versatile attacker, Yveltal or “Ygod” is a dominant force within AG. It has two main uses, both being extremely viable. The first use is as a bulky tank with Foul Play to catch Swords Dance Arceus off guard. It is a great wall, as a lot of people state it outclasses Skarmory due to its typing no, what differentiates it is its powerful Foul Play mostly and of course not being Fire weak. The second use is as a mixed not special, you need Sucker Punch usually attacker that dominates and deals damage to everything. This monster uses its massive Special Attack stat, Dark Aura and usually a Life Orb to hit everything like a truck. Both sets may be accompanied by Taunt, which aids in completely stopping some defensive threats Yveltal checks.

Zekrom

Type: Dragon/Electric
Ability: Teravolt
With the turn of the ORAS metagame Zekrom has become one of the most reliable revenge killers available to the meta. With an excellent offensive Electric typing, Zekrom can come in on a Pokemon and deal a large amount of damage about 70% of the time. This isn’t something that isn't to be laughed at was anyone laughing when BW came out lol, considering Zekrom's formidable Attack stat. With a Choice Scarf, Zekrom also outspeeds any unboosted unscarfed mon, including Deoxys-Speed HEARSAY, deoxys-s reaches a max of 504 speed, whereas scarfed Jolly krom reaches ~450 max. As if this wasn't enough, Zekrom also has access to useful utility moves, such as Tailwind, Volt Switch and Haze, which can move Zekrom from a lethal revenge killer to a Pokemon that can hold a team together the word you're searching for is "glue" and prepare for an offensive Primal Groudon or Primal Kyogre sweep. Items such as Choice Band and Life Orb give Zekrom further potential in this meta Items give Electivire further potential in this meta A.K.A this sentence is redundant, making its Attack stat soar sky-high and consequentially allowing it to OHKO some of the metagame’s bulkiest walls. when it hits them SE/said wall is a fat pink blob; anyways killing stuff is not always advisable, you can Volt Switch to a sweeper

More To Come! Including:

• Checks and Counters
• Movesets A.K.A a very fun day of copypasting from Smogon analyses

My corrections in BOLD. Sorry for being critical and don't chide poor old me strongly for any mistakes I've made.
edit: In addition, "anything not legally obtainable" is pretty much a requirement for every tier besides BH, thus is rather redundant.

 

[InfernapeTropius11]

Hey Zang, idk if I have mentioned this to you before, but I think the speed tiers should follow the standard format used by other tiers, for consistency and formality. For convenience I've redone the ones you already had listed (you could add your stars thingy as another slash if you want :])

Current ones redone

Speed / Pokemon / Base Speed / Nature (+Spe, -Spe, or Neutral) / EVs / +Boost / IVs (where apllicable)

588 / Shaymin-Sky / 127 / +Spe / 252 / +1 (I added Scarf Skymin)
504 / Deoxys-Speed / 180 / +Spe / 252 / 0
493 / Mega Rayquaza / 115 / Neutral / 252 / +1 (and +1 Adamant MegaRay)
445 / Genesect / 99 / +Spe / 252 / +1
438 / Deoxys-Attack / 150 / +Spe / 252 / 0
418 / Kyogre / 90 / Neutral / 252 / +1
416 / Mega Mewtwo Y / 140 / +Spe / 252 / 0
399 / Deoxys-Attack / 150 / Neutral / 252 / 0
394 / Mewtwo / 130 / +Spe / 252 / 0
394 / Mega Mewtwo X / 130 / +Spe / 252 / 0
394 / Mega Gengar / 130 / +Spe / 252 / 0
388 / Shaymin-Sky / 127 / +Spe / 252 / 0
383 / Darkrai / 125 / +Spe / 252 / 0
372 / Arceus / 120 / +Spe / 252 / 0
372 / Mega Salamence / 120 / +Spe / 252 / 0
361 / Mega Rayquaza / 115 / +Spe / 252 / 0
339 / Arceus / 120 / Neutral / 252 / 0
329 / Mega Rayquaza / 115 / Neutral / 252 / 0
326 / Xerneas / 99 / +Spe / 252 / 0 (this was 328, it's actually 326)
326 / Yveltal / 99 / +Spe / 252 / 0 (that ^)
306 / Primal Groudon / 90 / +Spe / 252 / 0
306 / Primal Kyogre / 90 / +Spe / 252 / 0
297 / Yveltal / 99 / Neutral / 252 / 0
297 / Xerneas / 99 / Neutral / 252 / 0
289 / Rayquaza / 95 / Neutral / 252 / 0
279 / Primal Groudon / 90 / Neutral / 252 / 0
279 / Primal Kyogre / 90 / Neutral / 252 / 0
279 / Groudon / 90 / Neutral / 252 / 0
276 / Arceus / 120 / Neutral / 0 / 0
245 / Xerneas / 99 / Neutral / 44 / 0
216 / Primal Groudon / Neutral / 0 / 0
216 / Primal Kyogre / Neutral / 0 / 0
216 / Ho-Oh / Neutral / 0 / 0
216 / Groudon / Neutral / 0 / 0
40 / Ferrothorn / -Spe / 0 / 0 / 0 IVs

There are some other mons that need to be added, but that can be done later--for now I just wanted to redo the current ones in the standard format :]

 

[mertyville]

I am happy to see the AG community to growing like that. Hopefully we can even get to a "Don't use this, use this instead" kind of thread.

 

[Chloe]

Here's that updated ditto analysis you wanted.

Hey Zang, idk if I have mentioned this to you before, but I think the speed tiers should follow the standard format used by other tiers, for consistency and formality. For convenience I've redone the ones you already had listed.
There are some other mons that need to be added, but that can be done later--for now I just wanted to redo the current ones in the standard format :]

Thanks to both of you for the help, I really appreciate it. I was actually unaware there was a standard format the official tiers followed, but I should probably use that for newcomers. I guess I'll look into it. Scarf Skymin, lol.

I am happy to see the AG community to growing like that. Hopefully we can even get to a "Don't use this, use this instead" kind of thread.

Seems possible. I might just add it at the bottom of the viability rankings rather than using one of the reserved posts up, but idk. I really like that idea though.

 

[TheHungrySage]

Nominating Arceus-Ice to B- rank.
Ice is almost unrivaled as an offensive type. Ice Arceus can check a ton of common threats, and get's coverage to beat it's checks like Steelceus as well. Don't count Iceceus out, it can even blend in as an Arceus Water and get people to misplay.

Nominating Arceus-Dragon to B- rank.
This thing is essentially Arceus-Water, but with more resistances etc. It's role as a bulkceus is quite good and it's judgement allows it to remove most major threats, such as mega Ray Ray. Once you've eliminated Xerneas and Fairyceus, this thing is almost unkillable. It isn't quite as good as Arceus-Water, which occupies the B+ rank, however it fits in B- perfectly. And despite a lot of arguments, Arceus Dragon is not outclassed.
Uber VR had a lot more points on this topic, and while AG is obviously quite different a lot of it remains true. And I encourage you to look at your teams, a lot of them are weak to Arceus-Dragon despite it's unviable ranking.

Alright, rebuttal time. Arceus-Ice is almost unrivaled as an offensive type, but is quite frankly shit at being defensive. It loses the defensive versatility of other arc forms such as Normal and Ghost, sacrificing it for Ice typing, which leaves more lost than gained.

Arceus Dragon may be a good defensive type in some other metas, but I believe that, with threats such as Xerneas and Diancie Mega loose in the meta Dragon is a far less defensive type than would be liked.

With the above said, I still believe that these two should be promoted, I was just providing reasons for rebuttal to allow for these two to be argued about well.

 

[AWILDBIBAREL]

Alright, rebuttal time. Arceus-Ice is almost unrivaled as an offensive type, but is quite frankly shit at being defensive. It loses the defensive versatility of other arc forms such as Normal and Ghost, sacrificing it for Ice typing, which leaves more lost than gained.

Arceus Dragon may be a good defensive type in some other metas, but I believe that, with threats such as Xerneas and Diancie Mega loose in the meta Dragon is a far less defensive type than would be liked.

With the above said, I still believe that these two should be promoted, I was just providing reasons for rebuttal to allow for these two to be argued about well.

?? On the Arceus-Dragon thing, I agree with Joshz besides his first statement. You fail to mention Arceus-Dragon's main benefits over Arceus-Water, which is what you should be doing. Namely, said benefits are able to actually HURT Primal Groudon and Kyogre with its Judgment and thus isn't forced to waste an extra moveslot on Ice Beam (Arceus-Water REALLY wants to not be setup fodder for certain flying Dragons). In addition, Arceus-Water may not exactly be OHKO'd by any fairies, but it is still setup fodder for stuff like Klefki and GeoXern.
That said, Arceus-Water is still a lot better, so I think C+ to B would be appropriate.

 

[Chloe]

Arceus-Dragon
The problem I see with your defensive argument Joshz , is that there aren't any pokemon in the metagame that really suffer against pure dragon typing. It's severely crippled by many top tier threats. Due to Steel and Poison being less common that Fairy, I can't see a way in which Dragon benefits more defensively. In your comparison to Arceus-Water, notice that Grass and Electric are both very rare types within the meta. Fairy is on every team almost. You did mention that Dragon wasn't as great, so I'm glad. Not sure if I understood your arguments fully.

Offensively however I can agree. Arceus-Dragon can act as a decent powerhouse which hits everything but Fairy-type and Steel-Type, which should be taken care of before entrance, similar to the way bulky CM Arceus-Fairy is ran.
Spin Da (Pig) , Arceus-Water doesn't mind being set-up "fodder" due to its access to Iron Defense and Cosmic Power. Although due to the low usage of said moves, I can see your point. I definitely agree with Arceus-Water being better.

By comparing offensive and defensive traits this pokemon definitely holds a unique and fairly viable niche. Either way, I don't feel comfortable keeping it ranked with the likes of Tentacruel, so I 100% support a boost to Arceus-Dragon.

VERDICT = Supporting rank elevation, although undecided on by how much.

Arceus-Ice
Arceus-Ice follows a similar argument in my opinion. Great offensively, although Ice is even worse than Dragon defensively. Its offensive pressure may be enough to boost it up, although I can't really see how Arceus-Water with Ice type coverage doesn't outclass it in almost every way, other than missing the OHKO on Mega Rayquaza.

VERDICT = Want to hear more discussion before decision.

Mewtwo-Mega-X
MMX has been regarded as too low on the Viability Rankings due to its ability to decimate opponents after a Bulk Up. It does lose to some major threats (most noticeably Xerneas and Kyogre).
Tagging: Gunner Rohan
Should it be grouped with the likes of Espeon and Greninja, or should these pokemon get a lowering? Discuss.

 

[AWILDBIBAREL]

look above

The main problem I see with your argument is that Arceus-Water and Arceus-Ice (and Arceus-Dragon which is different) commonly run different types of sets due to their typing. Arceus-Water is commonly seen as a support mon due to great synergy with P-don; while Arceus-Ice is terrible defensively and thus usually runs CM sets with the goal of checking stuff like Ray and other mons weak to Ice.
Arceus-Dragon is destroyed by a few common Pokemon, sure, but as I said in my previous post what you should really look at is the benefits of Arceus-Dragon OVER Arceus-Water, as the sudden niche is the support set basically.
Nothing else to say, Zang i think maybe it can go to C+. Seems more accurate than B-.
I feel a need to repost one of my previous noms because of the dearth of the attention it received when I first did due to some person treating the viability rankings like a Simple Q & A thread.
OK, I am going to make a nom. This seems a little bit radical, but I think Mega Salamence should move up a notch. I know it's severely outclassed by Mega Ray and has gigantic opportunity cost considering all the great Megas, but the defensive and defensive setup sets are really bulky with Intimidate and can setup on many things that it checks e.g. P-don and Arceus (for reference it takes 40% max from offensive P-don's Stone Edge!). In addition, one more reason is that Mega Salamence is a better 'mon compared to a similarly ranked mon, Landorus-T. It has better physical bulk with Intimidate, has recovery, and can abuse its setup abilities.
edit: thanks hungrysage!! also wanted to say that bulky sets are probably mega mence's main niche due to mray.
edit 2: too lazy to reason much but arceus-fairy should drop, checked by primals, ho-oh, steels. outclassed by xerneas and other (superior) arceus formes to some extent. really, its best niche is being a fairy defogger. in addition just because Transcendent God Champion made it super common doesn't equate to very good because copiers are everywhere (me).

 

[Josh]

approved by our lord Eevee General & with help from Zangooser ofc
AG will now be doing semi-full Analyses to put in the threat section. See this post for more details, but basically, any mon that was deemed by myself and Zangooser notably different in AG than in any other tier, we are looking for analyses for. For other things like Zekrom, we just took the Ubers analyses because they work the exact same way in AG. If you want to write an analysis just contact me first, I'll accept anyone pretty much, it's just to prevent people working on things at the same time.
If you feel an analysis is worthy for something we didn't list, speak up. We are happy to hear it.
Thanks, hope to see a lot of help. Writing good analyses and giving good input will help you towards earning pre-contributor and community contributor, for all of you who want to be badged. How much it counts depends on the quality of your work, which is up to Eevee General 's discretion

TI says: My discretion too!

Josh says: Wow just noticed this, ye yurs too :p

 

[AWILDBIBAREL]

in the speed tiers, I am pretty sure that Jolly DD Ray is a thing?

approved by our lord Eevee General & with help from Zangooser ofc
AG will now be doing semi-full Analyses to put in the threat section. See this post for more details, but basically, any mon that was deemed by myself and Zangooser notably different in AG than in any other tier, we are looking for analyses for. For other things like Zekrom, we just took the Ubers analyses because they work the exact same way in AG. If you want to write an analysis just contact me first, I'll accept anyone pretty much, it's just to prevent people working on things at the same time.
If you feel an analysis is worthy for something we didn't list, speak up. We are happy to hear it.
Thanks, hope to see a lot of help. Writing good analyses and giving good input will help you towards earning pre-contributor and community contributor, for all of you who want to be badged. How much it counts depends on the quality of your work, which is up to Eevee General 's discretion

rn i feel like Waterceus is too good a Pokemon NOT to be given an analysis especially with some barely viable mons there, it makes a great partner with P-Don as I said earlier and P-don greatly decreases the presence in the match and usage of various mons that beat Waterceus.

 

[Josh]

in the speed tiers, I am pretty sure that Jolly DD Ray is a thing?

rn i feel like Waterceus is too good a Pokemon NOT to be given an analysis especially with some barely viable mons there, it makes a great partner with P-Don as I said earlier and P-don greatly decreases the presence in the match and usage of various mons that beat Waterceus.

The reason mons were selected was because they were different in ag than in other tiers, not because they were great. Drifblim and Espeon are very important to most baton pass teams, which is a viable playstyle in AG (unfortunately). That's why they were listed, for example. Waterceus is good, yes, but does it do anything different in AG than it does in Ubers? If you can say yes to that, and explain why, then we'll happily add it to the list and/or let you write it when you're done the one you reserved.

 

[AWILDBIBAREL]

The reason mons were selected was because they were different in ag than in other tiers, not because they were great. Drifblim and Espeon are very important to most baton pass teams, which is a viable playstyle in AG (unfortunately). That's why they were listed, for example. Waterceus is good, yes, but does it do anything different in AG than it does in Ubers? If you can say yes to that, and explain why, then we'll happily add it to the list and/or let you write it when you're done the one you reserved.

Oh, I misread your post. I understand.

 

[Chloe]

in the speed tiers, I am pretty sure that Jolly DD Ray is a thing?

rn i feel like Waterceus is too good a Pokemon NOT to be given an analysis especially with some barely viable mons there, it makes a great partner with P-Don as I said earlier and P-don greatly decreases the presence in the match and usage of various mons that beat Waterceus.

Usually Jolly is ran with Swords Dance. The reason adamant ray is ranked with +1 is scarf ray and no one mentally stable ever runs jolly scarf. There are still many things non-existent on speed tiers that I must add. 493 is enough speed anyway :| Scarf Adamant Ray is rare enough in the first place anyway.

 

[AWILDBIBAREL]

first analysis yay
OVERVIEW
Since ORAS came out, the former King Of Ubers has fallen far from its throne due to the introduction of its biggest counter: Primal Groudon. Kyogre's offensive and defensive capabilities have been vastly reduced by this Water-immune behemoth; it is rendered deadweight and being setup fodder for Primal Groudon. In addition, ORAS also released Primal Kyogre and Mega Rayquaza, the former nearly totally outclassing it and the latter easily checking it due to not being OHKO'd by Ice Beam. However, Kyogre has one major niche aiding in its late-game cleaning and revenge killing abilities: Choice Scarf.

SET
Kyogre (Choice Scarf)
- Water Spout
- Origin Pulse/Surf
- Thunder/Sheer Cold
- Ice Beam/Sheer Cold
item: Choice Scarf
ability: Drizzle
nature: Modest
evs: 4 Def / 252 Sp. Atk / 252 Spe

SET COMMENTS

Moves
========
Water Spout should always be the move of choice once bulky Water resists have been removed, as it has great power and accuracy which can easily OHKO many common threats such as Darkrai. Origin Pulse is a secondary STAB option if Kyogre has taken a lot of residual damage from entry hazards, status, and other miscellaneous damage. If Origin Pulse's imperfect accuracy bothers you, Surf can be used instead. However, it is much less powerful, thus, Origin Pulse is usually advised over it. Thunder provides coverage against opposing Water types such as Palkia and opposing Kyogre. Ice Beam is the only way Kyogre can reliably hit Primal Groudon (although it should only be used if it is on low health) and hits Mega Rayquaza, Mega Salamence, Latios and Latias for a solid amount of damage. Sheer Cold can be used over either Thunder or Ice Beam as it is Kyogre's only way of killing Primal Groudon.

Set Details
========
Choice Scarf greatly increases Kyogre's mediocre speed, enabling it to be a fast and powerful cleaner and revenge killer. The EVs are standard, minimizing damage from entry hazards such as Stealth Rock and maximizing power and speed. Modest is chosen as the nature as nothing significant is outsped with Timid and Kyogre prefers the extra power to the speed regardless.

Usage Tips
========
Kyogre is a effective revenge killer against common, frail threats, such as Darkrai. However, it needs Primal Groudon and other checks out of the way before it can sweep or even be safely used, so using a Water-type move early-game is definitely not advised as this may lead to a Primal Groudon sweep. Kyogre can instead chip away at common switchins with Ice Beam.

Team Options
========
Good Primal Groudon checks are necessary in order to use Kyogre well. Such checks include Ground Arceus, which can swiftly 2HKO all Primal Groudon variants with Earthquake, and Mega Rayquaza, who resists all of Primal Groudon's commonly seen moves (with the exception of Dragon Claw and Dragon Tail) and can use it as setup fodder. Giratina-O and Latias also perform very well in this role, as they simultaneously
check P-don and provide Defog support to maintain the power of Water Spout. Some Steel-types, such as Ferrothorn and Aegislash, appreciate Kyogre's ability to lessen the power of Fire-type attacks as well.

STRATEGY COMMENTS
Other Options
=============
Primal Kyogre outclasses Kyogre in most aspects, as it can potentially beat Primal Groudon and has superior stats. A Choice Specs set with Water Spout may seem plausible as it is even more powerful than Primal Kyogre, but it suffers the same problems with P-Don.
Checks and Counters
===================
**Primal Groudon** By far the biggest threat to Kyogre, Primal Groudon always forces out Kyogre with the threat of its powerful Precipice Blades and can setup on the switch as it takes no damage from Water and Electric-type moves and takes little from Ice Beam. However, Primal Groudon should be wary of setting up on Sheer Cold variants.

**Mega Rayquaza** While this is easily 2HKO'd by Ice Beam, DD variants can check Kyogre by setting up on it then promptly OHKOing with a +1 Dragon Ascent.

**Latias and Latios** These two threats resist both Water and Electric and can 2HKO with a Psyshock. However, Latios is 2HKOd by Ice Beam.

**Zekrom** Cannot switchin safely on all of Kyogre's moves, but survives at least 1 and OHKOs with Bolt Strike.

**Ferrothorn** Like Primal Groudon, Ferrothorn takes little damage from all of Kyogre's attacks and can stall it out with Leech Seed or 2HKO with Power Whip.

**Palkia** Palkia resists Water Spout and is neutral to Ice Beam and Thunder, and can 2HKO with either Spacial Rend or Thunder.

 

[dsm77773]

I just started playing the tier, impressive work you've done here. It is very helpful.
However I'm not posting here to thank you (or it is not my main reason). What I want to suggest is that Glalie gets an analysis too. It works in a very different way in AG than in Ubers (lol it's totally unviable in Ubers!) and Moody is banned everywhere but not here. It is ranked under B- so I suppose is has a niche big enough for an analysis to be done imo.
Also why is Numel getting an analysis? It is a gimmick, nothing else, not an actually viable mon.

 

[dusk raimon]

You did so much work omg, I wish I'd helped, but I'll contribute, especially on viability, reading it now, great job gooser and co!

 

[dsm77773]

(approved by Joshz)
NUMEL'S AG ANALYSIS
"It's not very effective... Numel lost 100% of its health!"

OVERVIEW
Numel can counter Klefki, because of its immunity to both Thunder Wave (due to its Ground typing) and the confusion inflicted by Swagger (thanks to its ability Own Tempo).
However, while this is great if you really hate Klefki, Numel is totally uncapable of doing anything else. In fact, it can't even beat Klefki if it's running Hidden Power Water. All in all, Numel is as bad as it looks, and thus it shouldn't be considered for any serious Anything Goes team.

SET
name: Klefki counter
move 1: Lava Plume / Fire Blast
move 2: Will-O-Wisp
move 3: Toxic
move 4: Protect
item: Eviolite
ability: Own Tempo
nature: Bold
evs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpA

SET COMMENTS
Moves
========
Lava Plume is the main STAB attack and it's super-effective against Klefki, and packs a 30% burn rate that might discourage the opponent from switching a powerful physical attacker in. Fire Blast, however, it is a more powerful option, although the reduced burn rate makes it easier for the opponent to hard switch on it and start setting up or attacking. Will-O-Wisp burns the opponent, reducing the damage Numel takes from Klefki's Foul Play, as well as burning whatever the opponent sends in, provided they don't hold a Lum Berry. Toxic is used to cripple and wear down bulky Pokémon or special sweepers in general if they're hit on the swap. Protect allows you to stall for more burn or poison damage.

Set Details
========
The EVs, a Bold Nature and 0 Attack IVs minimize the damage Numel takes from Klefki's Foul Play. Own Tempo makes Numel immune to confusion, so Klefki can't resort to Swagger to break through it. 248 HP EVs also reduces Stealth Rock damage at no cost. The leftover EVs are placed in Special Attack so Numel can hit Klefki harder, as they won't be useful when placed in any other stat. Eviolite greatly increases Numel's bulk, again to take as many Foul Plays as possible. Passho Berry is an option if Hidden Power Water Klefki scares you, however the loss of bulk is very noticeable and Hidden Power Water Klefki is very rare.

Usage Tips
========
You must bring Numel in without taking any damage at all. Any hit will dent Numel and it might not be able to take on Klefki at low health. The first thing you should always try to do when Numel is facing Klefki is to burn it, reducing its damage output and overall usefulness. Despite having multiple options to cripple whatever the foe sends in, Lum Berry is extremely common in the metagame, so most of the time the wisest option is to double switch. Don't be predictable when using Protect, as the opponent might set-up or send something in for free while you waste a turn.

Team Options
========
Numel can't take hits at all, so a wall that can sponge hits for it it's recommended. Giratina-O has excellent synergy with Numel, as it resists Water and it's immune to Ground thanks to Levitate, so it's a great partner for it. Lugia is also a good option, while it does not resist Water, it is still immune to Ground and has reliable recovery. Both can provide Defog support as well.
A status absorber can take the status that Numel hates. Refresh Silk Scarf Arceus is great at this and can beat Darkrai easily. Zekrom can't absorb status unless it is running Sleep Talk, but can force out Lugia, which would wall Arceus forever. However, it shares a Ground weakness with Numel.
A way to bring Numel in safely is almost compulsory. Baton Pass, U-turn or Volt Switch are all safe ways to do so. Smeargle is a great Baton Pass user for Baton Pass teams, and can pass Numel Moody boosts, although Numel won't take advantage of them. VoltTurn partners include Zekrom again and Landorus-I, but they stack a Ground and a Water weakness respectively.
Sweepers that appreciate Klefki gone are obvious partners, any Swords Dance Arceus forme or Mega Rayquaza are some examples, especially if they lack Lum Berry or a way to hit Klefki for super-effective damage.

STRATEGY COMMENTS
Other Options
=============
Incinerate is a gimmicky option that can burn the opponent's Lum Berry on the switch while dealing a bit of damage, but Will-O-Wisp or Toxic are superior options most of the time as they also consume the opponent's Lum Berry while statusing the switch-ins not holding one. Stockpile + Eviolite might allow Numel to take some hits, but the only thing Numel can really do is countering Klefki so it is not worth it. One can also put the universal Stealth Rock on Numel, but it won't be able to set it up on most matches. Yawn can force switches. Mud Slap can be used to annoy switch-ins, while Sleep Talk might score you a surprise burn or toxic poison on Darkrai. Both options are unreliable though. Numel has access to Charm and Scary Face too to cripple whatever the opponent might switch in, but Toxic it's a better option overall.

Checks and Counters
===================
**Hidden Power Water Klefki**: While it is rare, some Klefki run Hidden Power Water to nail Numel. Numel is especially weak to it if it's not holding a Passho Berry.
**Direct attacks**: Even with Eviolite, Numel has pathetic bulk and it will fall to any decently powered attack.
**Status**: Numel doesn't usually run a Lum Berry, which makes it very weak to status, such as sleep from Darkrai or Toxic from Lugia.

EDIT: Fixed a small error.