Resource BW PU Viability Ranking Thread

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I'd like to make an announcement that a few other PU-related threads have been published regarding the exploration of various Pokemon and testing of their niches and roles. This will be useful to help determine rankings within various Pokemon that we may have not covered, whether it be sufficiently or haven't discovered enough data to have a more plausible placing for them. They will be automatically included to Untested-Rank if they haven't already.

I also would like to announce that JirachiCelebiMew has been included into the PU Viability Ranking Council.

Anyways, moving on towards the updates:

  • Punchshroom's write-up analysis on Beheeyem has been included into the OP.
  • Leafshield's write-up analysis on Fraxure has been included into the OP.

  • Swanna stays to A-rank. This was a tough decision to make here due to relatively strong points within both sides of the arguments for A or S-rank. Swanna is still a great Pokemon that definitely needs to be prepared for among most good teams, but there are a few designated problems that prevents it from carrying that "change the metagame" mentality from that of a S-rank Pokemon. First, Swanna's typing and abilities (or rather, lack of useful resistances, weakness to Stealth Rock, and lack of game-breaking abilities to add towards its versatility and sweeping potential unlike Golduck or Mantine), coupled with its paper-thin defenses leaves it a lot to be desired upon the grand scheme of situations. They tend to make it far too difficult to setup Rain or gain switch-in opportunities and causes Swanna to rely on the fact that it's one of the best Pokemon when it comes to forcing switches in PU since its offensive typing is amazing. As Audiosurfer stated, the omnipresence of Choice Scarf users, faster Pokemon, or things that can take a hit and deal significant damage in return gives it a rough time pulling off sweeps in general. A-rank is fine, for now.
  • Luxray moves to B-rank. I've been noticing a lot of other nominations, but I think this placing seems like a solid spot for Luxray since it's fairly versatile among its moveset and abilities, has the capabilities to go Physical, Special, or even Mixed, and can bypass some of the general traditional checks to Electric-types depending on the set. It's held back by the fact that it has a middling Speed stat (though not as bad as people are making it out to be. 70 Base is fairly common among a few potent threats in the metagame) and the fact that there are counters among each particular set it's running.
  • Tentacool moves to C-rank.

  • Porygon has been included to Untested-Rank
  • Carnivine has been included to Untested-Rank.


    The following Pokemon are pending for more discussion: Pupitar, Yanma.
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Great progress with the write-up analysis so far everyone. Feel free to publish more and discuss more potential nominations.
 
Might as well write a Chinchou one.
While Chinchou may not look like much, it's great typing and Volt Absorb make a great check to Rotom-Frost, one of the biggest threats in the Metagame. add a great Support Movepool consisting of Scald, Heal Bell, Thunder Wave, and other options such as Amnesia and Rain Dance, and you have a great Pokemon in your hands. great synergy with Grass-Types such as Vileplume and Carnivine also help, and many great cores can be made with the angler fish. However, even with Eviolite Chinchou doesnt have monster defenses, and pitiful attacking stats means you can't use it for much else. As well as that, Grass is pretty common in PU, leaving it with common weaknesses. That said, Chinchou is a good Pokemon in PU, and one of the better supporters in the metagame.

Did i do it right
 
You know, writing out synopses for a bunch of mons, followed by Chrome crashing without me copying it is the most disheartening thing of all time ;-;. Well, I guess I'll try and repost a few mons that I remembered before the... the incident! The horror!

Gastly

Similar to his eldest brother in OU, Gastly is a fast, frail, and powerful threat in PU. Sitting at a good speed tier at 80, with an astounding base 100 Special Attack, as well as access to all the coverage he needs as well as support options like Hypnosis and Disable, Gastly is most likely the best SubDisabler in the tier. Utilizing his speed, which is enough to outspeed the likes of Fraxure, Gastly can come in on nearly any Choice-Locked attacker (sans Scarves), Sub up, and Disable, forcing a Struggle. This allows you to rinse and repeat, making for a very annoying sweep buster. While SubDisable is most likely Gastly's most effective set, other sets can be run, such as an anti-lead set utilizing a Life Orb of Focus Sash, a Scarf set, and SubHypnosis (which can be paired easily with Disable, allowing for more entry hazard abuse.). The major flaw in Gastly, however, is that he cannot take any attack that he's not immune to. Like, at all. 30/30/35 is pretty damn bad. Not only that, but Gastly is hit Super Effectively by Sucker Punch, PU's most common form of priority. Gastly also fails to outspeed major threats such as Golduck (the most common variant is Scarf, which Gastly can't outspeed even with his own Scarf.) and Mr. Mime, allowing them to swiftly take him out. All in all, Gastly's a solid Pokémon, but he needs some support to pull off what he needs to consistently.

Stantler

When one looks at Stantler, the first thing that comes to mind is most likely, "What does this thing do that Stoutland can't?". But, first looks may be deceiving because, upon further investigation, Stantler is a hidden gem for sure. With a good base 95 Attack, decent base 85 Special Attack, and sitting at a decent Speed tier that allows it to speed tie with Golduck (a major threat in PU), Stantler becomes one of the more reliable revenge killers in the tier. With access to a good Attack stat, priority in Sucker Punch to counter Ghost-Types that effectively wall its STAB, as well as great coverage moves in Megahorn, Jump Kick, Wild Charge, and Earthquake, Stantler can easily take advantage of its ability in Sap Sipper to dent the opposition. On the other hand, Intimidate could be used to weaken scouts or hinder the sweeping capabilities of Fraxure and Muk, but Stoutland does this much better with his Bulky set. As mentioned before, Stantler's base 85 Special Attack can be utilized somewhat, with access to a good boosting move in Calm Mind and access to moves like Psychic and Thunderbolt, but its usually greatly inferior to the physical set due to Stantler not having a Normal-Type special STAB sans Round. In theory, a Work Up set could work with Thunderbolt to combat Physically Defensive Mantine over Jump Kick, but Stantler is much more effective utilizing a single attack stat. As far as sets go, Stantler's good coverage and alright speed bring a Life Orb set to light, allowing Stantler to easily revenge kill opposing mons with a boost in power (without having to lock himself into the unreliable Sucker Punch with a Choice item to hit faster pokes.). Band is a possibility, but keep in mind that it's severely outclassed by Stoutland. All in all, Stantler, if played to its strengths, is a great asset to a bulkier team who appreciates faster threats being picked off.

Well, here are two I remember. As far as ranks go, with my analyses in mind, I nominate Gastly for C-Rank and Stantler for B-Rank.

EDIT: I've edited Stantler's write up to be less exaggerated, so I would appreciate someone critiquing this for me to see what else I can fix. I would also like to see some discussion about Stantler so we can decide a good place for it on the viability ranking.
 
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Arbok

Arbok is arguably the most dangerous Poison-type in PU. That may not sound like much due to Poison's terrible coverage, but Arbok makes up for this with amazing abilities and workable movepool. Arbok's signature trait is that it has Coil, which combos fantastically with its strongest move in Gunk Shot, which is a powerful move in its own right. By boosting its power and accuracy, Arbok can boast some surprising power, and can take a physical hit or two with its Defense boost. It also has great coverage in Earthquake, Aqua Tail and Seed Bomb to go alongside its STAB and has Sucker Punch for faster but frailer threats, who are especially vulnerable to +1 boosted priority. Arbok's abilities are also a massive boon in easing its setup: Intimidate cushions physical blows from the likes of Fraxure or Stoutland easier for Arbok as well as the team, whereas Shed Skin allows Arbok to shrug off status and attempt Rest as a form of recovery. Arbok is rather lackluster as an attacker before a Coil though, with its STAB being unreliable, but if Arbok does manage to get a turn to do so, you'd better hope your physical wall is in good shape or Arbok will prove too strong and/or bulky to stop.
 
This seems like a fun idea. Will do more write-ups in the future if you guys like it.

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Swanna
Using Swanna is quite simple: spam her STAB moves, in the rain preferably, and watch her demolish teams that are unprepared from her unleashed fury. Her superb speed as well as near-perfect neutral coverage in only two STAB moves enables her to use the rest of the moves to support herself, and to an extent, her teammates as well. Rain Dance, Substitute, Roost, and Tailwind are really good options that should be considered on any Swanna set. Icy Wind, Endeavor, and Featherdance are usually inferior to the moves listed above, though they are still interesting options for Swanna to use.

But Swanna, just like any other Pokemon in the tier where even NU doesn't want them, still has flaws that prevent her from wrecking every team she encounters. The prevalence of Choice Scarf Electric types and Chinchou in the tier limit her switch-in opportunities. Her defensive typing isn't great either, with Stealth Rock promptly getting rid off 25% of her health, though Roost mitigates it somewhat. Mantine and Golduck deserve a mention as they compete with her in terms of sweeping prowess and versatility, as well as having superior abilities in Swift Swim and Cloud Nine . Even with the flaws mentioned, Swanna is a top-tier threat and one that should be prepared for on any team.



EDIT: I'm done and this is ready to be checked.
 
The A-Rank Normal-Types:

Ursaring

With a monstrous base 130 Attack, with access to Guts to further amplify it (of Quick Feet if you're okay with only hitting like a truck, and not a locomotive), Ursaring is far and away the best status abuser in the tier. With a great movepool, decent, but not great 90/75/75 defenses, and a pretty decent Normal-Typing, Ursaring has all he needs to be the best wallbreaker in the tier. Among his coverage moves are Close Combat, the elemental punches, Crunch, Earthquake, and Night Slash, but at times none of them are necessary due to how hard a STAB, Guts Boosted Facade hits everything in the meta, being able to 2HKO even some of PU's sturdiest walls. With everything he needs, as well as status being so common in PU to take down walls, Ursaring can easily abuse a Choice Band status absorber set in lieu of Heracross in UU. A major threat in this meta, it's no wonder Ursaring is one of the highest ranked Normal-Types in the tier. If you want to utilize Ursaring more as a cleaner than a wallbreaker, his secondary ability in Quick Feet boosts his speed as well as the power of his Facade, giving him a boost in speed and strength. Unfortunately, Ursaring has a priority weakness in Mach Punch/Vacuum Wave. This, paired with his not so great defenses, make him somewhat easy to pick of paired with Toxic damage. Not only that, but Ursaring has issues breaking through PU's most popular Fighting-Type, Throh, who can smack the bear hard with STAB Circle Throw.

Stoutland

Possibly the most versatile Normal-Type in PU, Stoutland works wonders as a bulky shuffler, T-Wave supporter, and tank. With good 85/90/90 defenses, a strong base 100 Attack, and a good base 80 Speed, Stoutland can fit a multitude of roles on a team. With access to great coverage moves in Wild Charge, Superpower, and Crunch,anything that switches in on the terrier risks the chance of getting hit pretty hard. Not only this, but Stoutland is the only Normal-Type in the tier with access to both Thunder Wave and Roar, giving it a niche as a shuffler and team supporter, pairing especially well with somewhat slow sweepers such as Whiscash and Fraxure, giving them ample time to set up. Most notably, however, is Stoutland's ability to run one of the most fearsome Choice Band sets in the tier, utilizing his amazing coverage, good speed, and decent bulk to dent unprepared teams. Overall, Stoutland is a threatening mon in PU with many roles, having a very solid niche as a bulky shuffler on more balanced teams, which are very common in PU.

Vigoroth

Not too many people expect the sloth to make an impression in battle, but Vigoroth can put in some serious work on balanced teams. Vigoroth is one of the most consistent, reliable Normal-Types in PU, with great bulk with Eviolite, good base 80 Attack, and an amazing base 90 Speed, allowing him to outspeed non-scarfed Golduck, an amazing trait in the meta. Vigoroth has an amazing movepool, with moves like Encore and Taunt, Knock Off, and offensive options ranging from Focus Punch to Earthquake, as well as an amazing set-up move in Bulk Up. This, coupled with his good bulk, speed and Attack, makes Vigoroth an amazing stallbreaker with a Bulk Up/Slack Off set with Taunt and Return, easily forcing switches and racking up hazard damage. On the downside, Vigoroth has pretty poor Special Defenses, making him easy to finish off, but he should seriously be considered for every team.
 
I want to point out that Ursarings write up contradicts itself calling its defenses decent early on and lackluster in the end. Otherwise good job on all these write ups everyone. I'm planning to make some later myself.
 
Nozzle said:
I want to point out that Ursarings write up contradicts itself calling its defenses decent early on and lackluster in the end. Otherwise good job on all these write ups everyone. I'm planning to make some later myself.
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Oh true. I'm gonna edit, saying that while Ursaring's defenses are decent, at times they aren't good enough to survive multiple hits along with Toxic damage.
 
Why wouldn't you mention that one of Stoutland's best sets is the Choice Band set? This isn't NU, where Stoutland needs to find a niche to compete with all the other powerful Normal-types in the tier. Down here in PU, Stoutland is one of the faster Normal types, and pretty powerful as well. Scrappy and Intimidate are excellent abilities for Stoutland, since they let it adjust its moveset slightly (with Scrappy), and/or possibly act as a very useful pivot (with Intimidate).

For Ursaring, you seem to mention Guts as the superior ability. While it is one of the best, if not the best, wallbreakers in the tier with that set I must say that the Quick Feet set is one of the best cleaners. Ursaring's major downfall is its low Speed, and QUick Feet remedies that, and it still has Swords Dance to boost its power to exceed the Guts set without a boost. Also there is a interesting bulky Ursaring set that utilizes Bulk Up and RestTalk I believe, which uses Guts and its decent bulk to become very difficult to break through indeed.

As for Vigoroth you need to point out that with its amazing Speed and bulk with Eviolite it can utilize a great Bulk Up Slack Off set that can clean whole teams. You don't actually mention how Vigoroth works after all, you just list its stats and significant moves.
 
Camerupt is one of the premier Fire-types in PU. Thanks to its Fire/Ground typing it is neutral to Stealth Rock, and its immunity to Electric and neutrality to Ice make it a great check to Rotom-F. A specially defensive set is very common as it can avoid the 2HKO from Scarf Blizzard, and proceed to set up Stealth Rock. Lava Plume and Will-O-Wisp are excellent ways to patch up its physical defense when running a specially bulky set. Camerupt however also has an amazing offensive typing with excellent neutral coverage between its STAB moves that allows it to seriously hurt its opponents. A Choice Specs set deals crippling damage between Fire Blast and Earth Power, which can switch in and out with far greater ease than other Fire-types, while a Rock Polish set with Life Orb patches up its low Speed and allows Camerupt to sweep.

It may not look it, but Jumpluff is one of the nastiest little sweepers that PU has to offer. Once you look past its obviously below average base Attack, you'll notice that Jumpluff is among the fastest Pokemon in the tier at 110 base Speed and has access to a colorful movepool including gems such as Sleep Powder and STAB Acrobatics. Thanks to its amazing Speed it can put practically any Pokemon that isn't carrying a Choice Scarf to sleep (preferably one that resists its STAB combination such as Klang), and then proceed to set up a Swords Dance. When backed up by a Flying Gem, Acrobatics reaches and amazing 165 BP on the first turn without counting STAB, and 110 BP after that. Seed Bomb is Jumpluff's secondary attacking move of choice to snipe down prevalent Water-types such as Golduck and Simipour. Jumpluff is also very good at setting up Sunny Day, thanks again to Sleep Powder and other cool support moves such as Encore.

It may look like a joke, but once Scraggy gets going it can be extremely hard to stop. Thanks to its decent bulk when considering Eviolite, Scraggy can often set up a Dragon Dance with ease and then proceed to wreck the tier with its unresisted STAB combination. High Jump Kick is incredibly powerful and can destroy all of the S rank Pokemon after a Dragon Dance (and Scraggy then outspeeds them too) while Drain Punch can be used to heal off the damage Scraggy took while setting up or possible HJK recoil. Crunch is the perfect move for disposing of the Psychic- and Ghost-types which resist Scraggy's Fighting moves. Scraggy also has three amazing abilities in Shed Skin (which allows Scraggy to not be crippled by Poison or Burn), Moxie (which can start a snowball effect after a kill and make Scaraggy nigh impossible to wall) and Intimidate, which facilidates setup opportunities. It can also go a more defensive route with maximum Special Defense and HP, with Rest, Bulk Up, Drain Punch and Payback when using Shed Skin.

EDIT: also proposing that Prinplup be moved to untested (dunno really how this works, since it's technically now in E rank as an "everything else").

If you're looking for a Pokemon that can set up Stealth Rock in PU that isn't weak to Ground or Fighting you could do far worse than Prinplup. It has solid stats especially with Eviolite factored in, and can run a tank set of Stealth Rock, Hydro Pump/Surf/Scald depending on how offensive you would like to go (personally I've found Surf to be the best middle ground), Ice Beam, Grass Knot and SR. Grass Knot hits Golduck for 80 BP, so its a superior choice to Hidden Power Grass. Prinplups EV spread can also be easily customized. Personally I'm going with max HP and quite heavy Special Attack investment, but you can just as easily invest in a defensive stat. Try it out! Its typing and coverage also means that it matches up well against other Stealth Rock leads
 
Linoone is one of the most dangerous set-up sweepers in the tier. After a Belly Drum, very little can stop its sweep unless they are Steel-types. Even then they need to be at relatively high HP or they will still risk being 2HKOed. It isn't as difficult as it is in the higher tiers to set up a Belly Drum, since Linoone can actually afford to run some bulk and it only really needs some Dual Screen support. It is also able to run a nice Choice Band set to take advantage of having one of the strongest priority moves in the tier (and the most reliable one at that). Base 70 Attack holds it back from being a huge threat without a boost, but with that boost it can steamroll whole teams; let's not ignore the fact that Linoone can now use an Adamant nature without regrets.

Rapidash is one of the most fastest Pokemon in the tier with its excellent base 105 Speed. Very little in the tier can reliably take a Flare Blitz, especially when boosted by Life Orb or Choice Band. It works very well on Sun teams as a wallbreaker because very little can take 2 Sun boosted hits, accounting for the item as well. It also has Morning Sun to mitigate the massive recoil and Stealth Rock damage somewhat; it also let's you play mind games with annoying Sucker Punch users. It can also go with a mixed set, and even set up Sun. Such a set lets Rapidash blast through many of its normal checks and counters. It is pretty frail, but its Speed and power lets it keep the pressure on the opponent.

Duosion is a pretty versatile Pokemon in terms of what role it can play for a team. With its excellent physical bulk with Eviolite, it can act as a physical wall and pivot for the early stages of a battle. At the end, it can easily pull a surprise sweep with Calm Mind and its decent two move coverage with Psychic and Signal Beam. It can also catch many of the Dark types in the tier off guard with a Signal Beam on the switch, which can OHKO many of them with a round of Stealth Rock damage. One can also consider its Trick Room set, which combines bulk and power; this set has the ability to destroy fast teams easily, but lacks the sheer physical bulk of the standard Calm Mind set. Such a set actually takes advantage of Duosion's low Speed. The main thing that makes Duosion even more of a threat is Magic Guard. It cannot be worn down by hazards or status, which removes a big problem that plagues most other set up sweepers. The ability to go from defensive to offensive, and the ability to ignore one of the biggest threats to sweeping makes Duosion a major player in the PU tier.
 
Alright everyone, thanks for the upcoming write-ups. I've been thinking of an idea for a while now that I've breifly discussed with a few people (WhiteDMist sort of ninja'd me on this with his previous post, so I might as well introduce it now), but I feel that it would be nice if I could introduce the addition of Write-Up Critique. What this means are that PU Viability Ranking Council members and myself will proof-read and provide feedback for future/potential write-up analysis and use their knowledge on said Pokemon to help fix any problems to further ensure that the analysis will be at a cohesive state. Since I can't get to all of these in one go all the time, I feel that this would be a good idea to make things easier for me to decide whether or fit they are sufficient for a placement into the OP.

Feel free to negotiate any at given request whenever you council members can invent time regarding this, and I will be looking forward for more write-ups coming soon. Now for the updates:


  • Write-up Critique:

    1. Bobbyvaporeon: Not a bad start, but there are a few problems that I think I should mention here. Considering that Chinchou on paper is a Pokemon that definitely doesn't look as high as the rank showcases, I believe that you need to provide a more throughout analysis on why exactly would it be worthy of the rank that it currently resides (B-rank). You have mentioned of it being a good check to Rotom-F because of it's "great" typing alone, but do you think that alone is what makes it B-rank? You should list a few other notable Pokemon here as to who it can solidly check, as they tend to be special attacking Pokemon that it resists numerous move of such as Golduck, Mantine, Combusken, Swanna, to name a few. I've also noticed that you may have listed either gimmicky or situational options that it can find its way upon utilizing (Amnesia and Rain Dance, among other things. I may be exaggerating about the latter, though). Overall, I think you should focus on listing more relevant and effective options while providing sufficient examples of Pokemon that it serves as a check/counter as. Also, you need to make sure that your write-up analysis are in hide tags (
      Analysis
      , for example). I'll get back to this one once you have addressed these following concerns.

    2. Leafshield: Your analysis on Gastly is solid, and based on my experience with the Pokemon, I would be more than happy to accept a C-rank nomination for it. Moving on afterwards, however, caused me to noticed a few problems (though WhiteDMist covered most of them, so you should be fine regarding your second post of write-ups). Maybe I could be overgeneralizing with this one, but I've noticed quite a bit of exaggeration within your analysis on Stantler, stating that an Attack Stat of 95 is "amazing" and mentioning an irrelevant move of Thunderbolt when you've proclaimed its ability to beat out its checks and counters. What does it specifically beat that it doesn't already and why would that move justify use over something else potentially useful? This is especially worth discussing about, seeing as its Special Attack stat is notable lower and its counters tend to be either Ghost types or physically defensive Pokemon that can avoid getting 2HKO'd by its STAB attacks like Vileplume. Needless to say, I think you should make a few fixes on this one. Seeing as this is the first nomination initiated regarding Stantler, I would like more discussion about the Pokemon before I can decide upon an official ranking.

      Moving on to your analysis on the A-ranked normal types, it appears that you've fixed virtually everything that was wrong with it thanks to the help of WhiteDMist. I, however, would like to nitpick on Ursaring for a bit. WhiteDMist did make a mention of how Quick Feet Ursaring is generally the superior set towards that of a Guts set with the offensive-induced nature of the metagame, but even then there was very little, if any notable existence of you mentioning its role of a threat within its Quick Feet set and why it would justify the most of its use over Guts Ursaring. I think you just went very generic on that one and you still didn't have any mention of Ursaring utilizing its effective Bulk Up set (though I suppose that WhiteDMist should be a bit specific about this one since not everyone is familiar). Overall, you're getting there, and everything else is good for me proceeding this one.

    3. JoshuaMunoz: Pretty accurate in terms of describing the Pokemon's strengths and flaws, while at the same time providing use of its viable but relatively unexplored options among other matters. Since you've pointed out a mistake here I'll wait until it's fixed.

    4. Cherub Agent: All of your analysis on that post is spot on and accurate, which seals the deal here with not much to comment against. One thing I was interested in particular regarding your Scraggy write-up analysis is how you've mostly mentioned it being utilized as a Dragon Dance sweeper as opposed to it's more widely know Bulk Up set. You have, however, recently mentioned that the metagame is far too offensive for its Bulk Up set to actually work towards great affect and that it's better off going more offensive so it can keep up with the Speed tiers better. Nice job with all of them.

    5. WhiteDMist: Well on-topic with the analysis under competitive settings, of course, and simplified it professionally enough for any reader to feel educated. Not much to say either other than great work here.

  • Leafshield's write-up analysis on Gastly, Stoutland, and Vigoroth has been included into the OP.
  • Cherub Agent's write-up analysis on Scraggy, Camerupt, and Jumpluff has been included into the OP.
  • WhiteDMist's write-up analysis on Linoone, Rapidash, and Duosion has been included into the OP.
  • Punchshroom's write-up analysis Arbok has included into the OP. Sorry I missed that one, but looks good so not much to say.

  • Gastly moves to C-rank.
  • Unfezant moves to D-rank (earlier discussion that I missed; my mistake on that).
  • Prinplup has been included to Untested-Rank.
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Alrighty, time to continue with the commencement of upcoming discussion, nominations, or write-ups of your desirse. Good work so far, everyone.

EDIT: Update
 
yay for writeups

Graveler:
In PU, Graveler can fulfill the role of great offensive Stealth Rock user in the metagame. While it does face competition from things such as Rampardos, Relicanth, and Gigalith, it has qualities that help separate it from each of them. It is bulkier than Rampardos is, especially with an Eviolite equipped (it can even live through an opposing Rampardos's Superpower with max HP investment), which prevents it from being overshadowed by Rampardos's superior offensive stats. Also, Sturdy gives it a niche over Relicanth since it can guarantee that Stealth Rock is set up or live a hit and retaliate with an attack of its own. While Gigalith also has these qualities, Graveler's access to Sucker Punch and its Ground typing that allows it to switch in and stop Electric types like Rotom-F from wreaking havoc gives it a reason to be used over Gigalith. Overall, despite weaknesses to common types such as Water and Grass, Graveler is a great Pokemon in the tier and can perform well when used properly.

Chinchou:
While it would seem like a Pokemon such as Chinchou has no reason to be used in the metagame, it retains a niche in being a strong answer to dangerous Fire, Water, and Electric types in the tier. A RestTalk set allows Chinchou to switch in and continuously wall Pokemon such as Golduck, Rotom-F, and Simisear throughout the game without being worn down easily. Also, its great typing paired with its useful abilities allow for it to be switched into these threats easily. Although it might seem as though Chinchou's got it all, RestTalk's unreliability in conjunction with Chinchou's poor offensive stats and lackluster Defense allowing it to be set up on by a variety of threats hamper its usability. Despite these things, Chinchou is a solid performer that can help patch up holes on a team when played to its strengths.

Shelgon:
Shelgon's useful resistances and good bulk, especially when equipped with Eviolite, help it to retain a niche in the PU metagame. One set it can use is a Resttalk Dragon Dance set, where it uses RestTalk in conjunction with its great bulk to set up multiple Dragon Dances and attempt a sweep. It can also be used as a pivot earlier in the match thanks to its good stats and resists. Another route Shelgon can go is a purely defensive route, where Shelgon uses its resists and physical bulk to wall many of the physical attackers that are in the tier. Not everything is great for the dragon though. It faces competition from other Dragons such as Zweilous. Also, Steel types such as Klang have nothing to fear from Shelgon, as it can't leave a scratch on them. In addition, even with Eviolite Shelgon's Special Defense isn't too great, so it is prey for revenge killers like Golduck and Rotom-F. Shelgon is still a great choice to consider on teams despite this though.
 
audino_tan_by_nebelstern-d3gxy5r.png


Audino without doubt is one of the best walls on the PU tier, with a great bulk and paired with an insane ability: Regenerator; that makes really hard to take. Also is a staple on defensive teams because Wish and Heal Bell is really neccesary on this teams and only in competition with Flareon. A big problem for Audino is that is a setup fodder for a lot of stuff, Double Edge and Encore are another decent options to prevent this. Finally, Audino hasnt a good defensive typing, this make Audino weak to Focus Blast which is a bit common on special sweepers and no resistance special only inmunity to ghost. This makes of Audino middle-tier mon.
 
Ugh, I was testing Carnivine for Research Week, and I must say, it is complete shit. It is extremely frail even for PU standards, has horrendous speed for something that is frail, and to top it all off, has a mediocre attack stat.

Its physical movepool consists of Power Whip, Return, Crunch, and (lol)Bug Bite, definitely not an all-star movepool. Its support options include Leech Seed, Swords Dance, and Sleep Powder, three moves that are better left off being relegated to other grass types (Jumpluff and Vileplume anyone?). It may seem to be able to use Swords Dance considering its decent Attack stat, however its unusable speed for a sweeper and is too frail to set up against almost everything in the tier besides pure support mons and non-poison grass types (not even water types or electrics as they often carry super-effective moves which can severely dent Carnivine).

The only reason to consider Carnivine over other grass-types would be its Choice Band set. Its okay base Attack combined with a powerful STAB move in Power Whip can put dents into any pokemon that doesn't resist the move. Even then, Carnivine is often forced to retreat to its pokeball due to its low speed and its inability to take most strong neutral hits.


For these reasons, Carnivine should be placed in D-Rank or possibly even E-Rank for being almost unusable and completely outclassed (if you want a levitating grass-type, PU still has Jumpluff, which outclasses Carnivine in every way, shape or form.).
 
REMOVE CHANGE COMMENTS

Hot N Cold said:
Audino without doubt is one of the best walls on the PU tier, with a great bulk and paired with an insane ability: Regenerator. that makes really hard to take down. Also it is a staple on defensive teams because Wish and Heal Bell isare really necessary on this teams and only in competition with Flareon. This isn't really necessary A big problem for Audino is that is a setup fodder for a lot of stuff,many Pokemon. Double Edge and Encore are another decent options to prevent this. Finally, Audino hasntlacks a good defensive typing, this makesince Audino is weak to Focus Blast which is a bit common on special sweepers and no resistance special only inmunity to ghost. This last part is redundant now. This makes of Audino middle-tier mon a solid B-rank Pokemon.
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You should also mention that Audino has equal defenses and can theoretically be a physical wall, but that its typing lends itself to Special Walling because it cannot reliably handle the more prominent physical attackers of the tier (Fraxure, Arbok, Linoone, Ursaring, etc.) as well as it can the special. It is also a momentum kill, but it is good at walling and passing Wishes (which is all it needs). Oh yeah, Audino generally run Fire Blast with Toxic and Double Edge with Heal Bell, but Encore is extremely rare. I'm not sure whether you should even mention it, but I'll let the others decide on that.

Punchshroom said:
Arbok is arguablyone of the most dangerous Poison-types in PU. That may not sound like much due to Poison's terrible coverage, but Arbok makes up for this with amazing abilities and a workable movepool. Arbok's signature trait is that it has Coil, which combos fantastically with its strongest move in Gunk Shot, which is a powerful move in its own right. By boosting its power and accuracy, Arbok can boast some surprising power, and can take a physical hit or two with itsa few Defense boosts. It also has great coverage inwith Earthquake, Aqua Tail and Seed Bomb to go alongside its STAB, and has Sucker Punch for faster but frailer threats, who are especially vulnerable to +1 boosted priority. Point is already made, so it becomes fluff. Arbok's abilities are also a massive boon in easing its setup:. Intimidate cushions physical blows from the likes of Fraxure orand Stoutland easier for Arbok as well as the team, whereas Shed Skin allows Arbok to shrug off status and attemptuse Rest as a semi-reliable form of recovery. Arbok is rather lackluster as an attacker before a Coil though, with its STAB being unreliable,. but ifIf Arbok does manage to get a turn to do soset up, you'dyour opponent better hope yourtheir physical wall is in good shape or Arbok will prove too strong and/or bulky to stop.
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Mention that with Psychic and Ground types being so common, an Arbok user must support it with teammates that can deal with these threats. You might also mention that it can use a semi-effective Choice Band set with Switcheroo as well, even if it faces competition from Muk. Otherwise good job!
 
My Swanna write-up is now complete, and ready for checks / to be listed in OP

Having used Pupitar quite extensively today, I nominate Pupitar for C-Rank, though D-Rank seems justifiable enough. Pupitar may look like an outclassed Graveler or Gigalith as a Stealth Rock setter, as they prove to have much more physical bulk, a better ability in Sturdy, as well as a better Attack stat, but this cocoon has niches that differentiates it from the aforementioned Pokemon, namely a more flexible base Speed stat and Taunt. Base 51 Speed stat is enough to outspeed Pokemon like Camerupt, Bearctic, and Lairon, who usually damage Graveler or Gigalith before they damage them. Taunt shuts down the likes of Audino and Vleplume before they status Pupitar, but even then, Pupitar has a pretty decent ability in Shed Skin, so it can come in as a semi-status absorber. (though it shouldn't stay in on Vileplume anyway). Pupitar also has interesting sweeping options in Dragon Dance and Rock Polish, but the likes of Fraxure and Rampardos usually fill the role better in terms of sweeping capabilities.

I even swept with Pupitar once because of a Rotom-F Tricking it to a Choice Scarf! (Replay is in the pu research thread)

Pupitar still has many flaws, such as not having Sturdy. Its Attack stat is sub-par, though its relatively high Base Power moves make up for it. It has many weaknesses to common types such as Water and Grass, but so does Graveler and Gigalith. Overall Pupitar is usually outclassed in some roles, though it has notable niches that still make it effective.
 
Dell, if you want to take a look at the revised Stantler write-up I did, I would greatly appreciate it. I think made it a little less exaggarative and a little more 'this is what this Pokémon can do' and less of 'look at this cool Pokémon!'

I'm also in the process of editing the A-Rank Normal-Types, but since you think Stoutland and Vigoroth are fine, I may just edit Ursaring.
 
Leafeon might just be one of the most interesting Pokemon around. With a great base 110 attack, good base 95 speed and a set-up move in the form of Swords Dance, it can act as a great physical attacker. Substitutes can absorb status efficiently if it doesn't run Heal Bell. Grass + Normal gives it very good neutral coverage, only missing out on a few Pokemon(Wormadam-T, Mawile, Drifblim, Shedinja, Klang, Bronzor, Lampent and Gastly). Alternatively, it can run Baton pass to pass its SD Boosts and/or Substitudes to it's allies, meaning that it can choose if wants to sweep itself, or support an ally. It also gets some useful utility options in Heal bell, Wish and Roar. This, along with its amazing base 130 defense and reliable recovery in Wish and/or Synthesis, gives it a useful niche as a defensive wall, with no unboosted physical attack in PU cleanly OHKOing it except for Rapidash's Flare Blitz. It can even act as a pretty good sun sweeper thanks to Chlorophyll. What places it in B-rank, however, is its atrocious base 65 HP and Special Defense stats, meaning that any neutral special attack will cripple it severely, or even OHKO it. It also faces a lot of competition from Vileplume, Tropius and Meganium as a defensive grass type, while simultaneously facing competition from Jumpluff as a offensive one. It also lacks Sleep Powder, which means that it will have a harder time setting up than, for instance, Jumpluff. All in all, Leafeon is still a big defensive and offensive threat that you shouldn't underestimate.

Let's do this! :)
 
Im going to try a right up.

Wormadam-T
Wormadam-Trash makes quite a good wall. It as one of the best defensive types in the game only weak to one type, Fire, and having 9 resistances and a Poison immunity. It is often used as a Stealth Rock setter as it can easily get it up if the opponent lacks a Fire type move in which it can easily scout for using its ability, Anticipation. It is good at absorbing status as it is immune to Toxic and being paralysed strengthens her main attack. Wormadam-T is not perfect as it doesn't have reliable recovery and has low offensive stats. Protect is great for scouting and racking a bit more Toxic. It is taunt bait as gyro ball isn't going to be doing much especially to slow taunters like Mawile.
 
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OneMightyparasect said:
Leafeon might just be one of the most intressting interesting Pokemon around. With a great base 110 attack, good base 95 speed and a set-up move in the form of Swords Dance, it can act as a great physical attacker. It also has Baton Pass, meaning it can pass its boosts if necessary. Grass + Normal gives it very good neutral coverage, only missing out on a few Pokemon. If youa re going to say this, list them. It also gets a lot of some usefull utility options in Heal bell, Wish and Roar. This, along with its amazing base 130 defense and reliable recovery in Wish and/or Synthesis, gives it a usefull niche as a defensive wall, with no unboosted physical attack in PU cleanly OHKOing it(except for Rapidash's flare blitz). What places it in B-rank, however, is its atrocious base 65 HP and Special Defense stats, meaning that any neutral special attack will cripple it severely, or even OHKO it. It also faces a lot of competition from Vileplume, Tropius and Meganium as a defensive grass type. All in all, Leafeon is still a big defensive and offensive threat that you shouldn't underestimate.
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Mention that the SubSD set with Baton Pass is one of its best sets because it both supports the team and can sweep on its own; Substitute also prevents status from hindering its duties without having to use Heal Bell. Don't forget that it can also be an excellent Sun Sweeper with Chlorophyll and decent bulk. It also lacks a decondary Flying-type and Sleep Powder when compared with Jumpluff as an offensive sweeper. That's about all I see that needs addressing, so good job.

anty208 said:
Wormadam-Trash makes quite a good wall. Its more of a tank since it lacks reliable recovery. It has one of the best defensive types in the game, only weak to one not very common type, Fire, and having 9 resistances and one immunity, a Poison immunity. She It is often used as a lead stealth rocker Stealth Rock setter as it can easily get one it up if the opponent has got lacks a Fire-type move in which she it can easily scout for using her its ability, Anticipation. She is good at absorbing statuses as she it is immune to Toxic and paralysis being paralyzed strengthens her main attack. She Wormadam-Trash is not perfect as she it doesn't have reliable recovery and her has low offensive stats aren't doing much especially against over walls who tend to be slower so her main STAB, gyro ball, won't be doing much damage. The rest is just fluff since it doesn't require explanation.
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Mention that it is a good scout with Protect and Anticipation. Also point out that it is Taunt bait since Gyro Ball is not very powerful if the opposing Pokemon is not extremely fast. Other than that, you summed it up pretty well (keep the pronouns genderless though).
 
JoshuaMunoz said:
My Swanna write-up is now complete, and ready for checks / to be listed in OP

Having used Pupitar quite extensively today, I nominate Pupitar for C-Rank, though D-Rank seems justifiable enough. Pupitar may look like an outclassed Graveler or Gigalith as a Stealth Rock setter, as they prove to have much more physical bulk, a better ability in Sturdy, as well as a better Attack stat, but this cocoon has niches that differentiates it from the aforementioned Pokemon, namely a more flexible base Speed stat and Taunt. Base 51 Speed stat is enough to outspeed Pokemon like Camerupt, Bearctic, and Lairon, who usually damage Graveler or Gigalith before they damage them. Taunt shuts down the likes of Audino and Vleplume before they status Pupitar, but even then, Pupitar has a pretty decent ability in Shed Skin, so it can come in as a semi-status absorber. (though it shouldn't stay in on Vileplume anyway). Pupitar also has interesting sweeping options in Dragon Dance and Rock Polish, but the likes of Fraxure and Rampardos usually fill the role better in terms of sweeping capabilities.

I even swept with Pupitar once because of a Rotom-F Tricking it to a Choice Scarf! (Replay is in the pu research thread)

Pupitar still has many flaws, such as not having Sturdy. Its Attack stat is sub-par, though its relatively high Base Power moves make up for it. It has many weaknesses to common types such as Water and Grass, but so does Graveler and Gigalith. Overall Pupitar is usually outclassed in some roles, though it has notable niches that still make it effective.
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Are you seriously kidding me? You're using Pupitar the wrong way, but really the wrong way. The reason why I've chosen him for Research Week was because I've tested him before. What Pupitar does is sweep lategame, not setup Stealth Rocks. How, you may ask? Pupitar has the very coveted Shed Skin ability, which allows him to shrug off any status, and allowing him to use Rest as a fully reliable recovery move. Dragon Dance allows it to remedy it's mediocre Speed and average Attack to sweet levels. He even gets STAB from EdgeQuake, which is really awesome. With that being said, I think I'll make a write-up on Pupitar.

Pupitar, at first look, has mediocre stats, with only its subpar Attack standing out. If you like harder though, you will notice it gets some really neat stuff, like Shed Skin and even Dragon Dance. Ground + Rock gives it near perfect coverage, as he gets STAB on this EdgeQuake combination. Rest and Shed Skin allows Pupitar to heal itself and wake up at the end of the turn. While all this may make Pupitar seem like a B-ranked Pokémon, it's not. Tyranitar's pre-evo sadly has some annoying flaws. It's Rock / Ground typing is the biggest of those flaws, as it curses Pupitar with weaknesses to some of the most common types in PU such as Grass and Water. It also makes it extremely hard to find a spot for a Stealth Rocker on your team, as you're almost always stuck with a Steel-type if you don't want synergy problems. Even then, you're stuck with two Pokemon with Ground and Fighting weaknesses. All in all, Pupitar is a great lategame sweeper and is a great C-rank Pokemon.

Yeah, Pupitar for B.

While Huntail is outclassed by Gorebyss and Carracosta in NU, it doesn't face any competition as a Shell Smash sweeper in PU at all, at the exception of the pathetic Clamperl, who cannot live a hit and fails to outspeed much even at +2. Huntail is extremely powerful in PU, as it's one of the tier's best lategame sweeper. After one Shell Smash with a Naive Nature, it outspeeds +1 positive-natured base 85s, which gives it the jump over Golduck, even it's Scarf variant. The eel's favorite set is a mixed set with Ice Beam, as it allows it to beat some of it's counters such as Vileplume. Return + Waterfall gives Huntail near perfect coverage, as it is only resisted by the rare Frillish, but it can run Crunch to beat it. Huntail can even run a fully special set, as it is no longer outclassed by Gorebyss. What doesn't place Huntail in a higher rank is Rotom-F, as its Scarf set outspeed it at +2 and proceeds to OHKO with Thunderbolt. This situation can be somewhat remidied by running Substitute over Ice Beam and Return over Crunch. All in all, Huntail is a fearsome sweeper, ready to take over the sea from the abyss.
 
I also updated mine. I did gender pronouns as wormadam is always female.

Reserved for peliper (if I can)
 
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