Resource Monotype USM Viability Rankings

[Havens]

Just a quick nom:

Bronzong: D -> C (Steel)

This nomination is moreso for what it offers for one of its newer teammates, Stakataka. Being a natural Ground immunity and Fighting neutrality is a plus for Stakataka, taking on its two greatest weaknesses more reliably. It also functions as a secondary Trick Room setter for Stakataka to do damage under it immediately. With alternative functions as a screen setter, rocker, and just being a general defensive lead for Staka to go to work later on is quite important for it's success, as its most prominent set at the moment is OTR. That being said, Bronzong doesn't offer too much to steel teams that can't be outclassed by another, but I'd give it C rank for its usefulness when paired with a potentially growing threat.

 

[InsaneAssassin*]

Goodra (Dragon) D====>C

Personally as a Dragon Main I have a problem dealing with fairy types on water and electric teams. But with Goodra with Max SpD AV I don't have too many worries dealing with things such as Tapu Koko, Azumarill, Tapu Bulu(Even though it doesn't get fairy moves I can't hit it with Dragon), and every once and a while Tapu Fini. Goodra helps me to deal with these Pokemon considering tank a hit 90% of the time because of it's decent bulk it can take Play Rough from an Azumarill as well as it has some defense EVs. It easily tanks D-Gleam from Koko and Moonblast from Fini with an AV and then it can hit with Sludge Bomb or Sludge Wave (Your Choice I use Sludge Bomb). After hitting with Sludge Bomb if you can click another do so. If you can sac off the Goodra and go into a Pokemon that outspeeds (Kyurem Latios and Naganadel are the best choices as they easily outspeed often being scarfed.) With the set I use it can easily tank a Z-Move from Kommo-o with even going below half health
Anyway, That is why I personally believe that Goodra should be moved from the D rank to the C rank.

Set I use:
Goodra @ Assault Vest
Ability: Sap Sipper
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpD / 8 Def
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sludge Bomb/Sludge Wave (Depends on if you want Power or higher Poison Chance.)
- Dragon Pulse/Draco Meteor (Depends on whether you want More Power and are willing to take the SpA drop or less power without the SpA Drop.)
- Fire Blast/Flamethrower (Depends on if you want power or accuracy.)
- Ice Beam


(Reason I don't have to many issues with Fairy teams is Scarf Kyurem-B with Iron Head and Scarf Naganadel with Fire Blast for Klefki.)



If you agree with my nomination leave a like and if you disagree please tell me why. Thanks for reading :)

 

[GnralLao]

My first nominations here, so bear with me!


Naganadel (Dragon and Poison): S ---> Unranked

This shouldn't need an explanation. Moving on.


Buzzwole (Bug): A ---> B

Buzzwole isn't bad on its own, but compared to Heracross, it just feels a little underwhelming in most match-ups. They both fulfill the same role of a revenge killer, late-game cleaner and Fire-type offensive check with Stone Edge. However, Heracross has better STAB moves that are either more powerful or doesn't lower its own Atk stat (this is still somewhat alleviated by Beast Boost, but 2HKOes become much harder to obtain then). Moreover, Heracross' last moveslot generally offers more utility and coverage than Buzzwole's (Earthquake, Knock Off and Pursuit vs Earthquake (the prefered optionto take on Koko) and Leech Life) and can be adapted for the team's needs. The only things that stand out for Buzzwole is its great physical bulk and its far greater match-up against Dragon teams (troublesome for Bug teams) with Superpower + Ice Punch, but in all other match-ups, Heracross is usually the superior option, bringing more utility to the table and more speed too, which lets it outspeed base 80 and 81 mons at max speed (or at +1). Speaking of the Dragon match-up, now that Naganadel's gone and Kommo-o is relevant (outspeeds and OHKOes with boosted Clanging scales or Flamethrower while Buzzwole only 2HKOes with Ice Punch), Buzzwole's usefulness has come down to a point where I feel it needs to be dropped to the B rank.


Ditto: A ---> S

Be it in balance or HO teams (the latter archetype is rare, but it exists), I've yet to see a single competent Normal team without a Ditto. Why is it so good though? Well, it single-handedly threatens myriads of teams like Bug, Dragon, M-ZardX Fire, M-Gallade Fighting (only if it copies it though), etc. What's more is that it's really hard for most opposing sweepers to get past the infamous Chansey + P2 + BulkyRaptor defensive core without boosting their stats and getting counter-swept by Ditto. It's really that general pressure Ditto puts onto the opponent by discouraging the use of setup moves that makes it so threatening, and that, by its mere presence only!

However, if Ditto eventually goes to S, said rank might get a bit bloated though. Maybe drop M-Lopunny to A? Controversial, I know, but M-Pidgeot have seen uses as of late, and it didn't disappoint. This is not an official nomination though, just a discussion point.

Feel free to criticize and have a good day! Ü

 

[Haaku.]

Ditto: A ---> S

I have to agree that Ditto is a pretty amazing option on Normal teams. The fact that it discourages setup on basically everything is really good when paired with the rather passive Eviolite core. However, it’s nowhere near as influential for Normal as Chansey, Porygon2, Staraptor, or even Mega Lopunny who all offer invaluable roles to the team. Mega Lopunny shouldn’t drop just because another Mega that’s not as good can be used. With that logic, Mega Diancie should drop on Rock because Mega Aerodactyl is usable as a Mega slot. Ditto is very predictable, and teams playing against Ditto Normal will almost never set up in fear of getting “counter swept” by it. While this strengthens Ditto’s role, it also limits what it can do in a match if it can’t reverse sweep teams as easily as it wants to.

So the tl;dr is that I’m gonna disagree with Ditto rising to S. Ditto is currently in the same rank as Diggersby, an absolutely amazing Pokemon on Normal, and this makes sense since neither of them define the types that they’re on as well as the Eviolite core does.

 

[snow]

Another quick nom

Water: B ---> A

Don't really need to go to in detail with this. It is now allowed to run Sap Sipper with its Perish Trap set. This is another improvement to an already great mon for stall/balance water.

 

[zugubu royale]

I was recently looking at the viabilty rankings and noticed that Diggersby was in A so I want to address some points on why I think it should be ranked differently.

Normal: A --> S

Reasoning:
It's amazing wallbreaking potential adding up to its pretty good movepool define this mons role in any solid normal mono.
The choice band set being the main common set, but also sd variants being ran, while having Frustration / Return and Eq as the reliable stab designate it as the main offensive presence, which can be put to use via staraptors u-turn or on a double.

Matchups where I believe Diggersby is a must have to win:

• Poison

Everyone knows what this thing is capable of in this particular matchup: Clicking the Normal Stab and picking up kills.
Diggersby centralizes this matchup so much people even started running semi-viable sets like bunker on pex or bulky shuca nidoqueen.
Without a doubt one can somewhat argue by saying that meloetta + porygon z do an equally good job at winning vs this matchup, but meloetta is easily trapped by alolan muk and porygon z finds very few oppurtunities to setup and has the same alolan muk weakness( whatever its typing after z conversion may be doesnt matter in this case)

• Flying

Now this is certainly the matchup where diggersby is a necessity to pressure cores like celes + zapdos and punch holes in order to win.
Fire Punch 2hit koing celes and skarm, while return knocking out the rest is an unmatched role that only porygon z can possibly attain.

• Opposing Normal

This is a guaranteed loss if one doesnt have a diggersby on the team. Nothing threatens the defensive core of normal as much as a diggersby with rocks up. The normal-normal matchup is especially interesting because of the fact that its basically scripted:
1. Get Rocks up.
2. Bring Diggersby in by any means possible.
3. Opponent goes Raptor on the Return.
4. Opponent switches to p2 which is now able to check it.
Step 3 and 4 are both mandatory to keep this behemoth from running through your team, which is quite something to watch out for.

• Fairy

As far as this matchup is concerned, one can see that diggersby can stop koko from volting and a one time diancie moonblast eater.
More generally speaking, diggersby stops the volt part of any volt turn cores mono has to offer, (volt turn can get pretty annoying for normal, as the switching between walls + entry hazards + status can wear your defensive core down to an extent)
Further, Diggersby is able to pick up weakened foes with Quick Attack, so once bulu, koko or azu (which is a threat if you are stupid enough to not run ditto) are low you can just them pick them off that way.

• Psychic

Diggersby has very few chances to get in on any mon in this matchup and do work, since jirachi carries u turn and victini can v create first before you can bring it in (assuming band) and all the others straight up 2hit ko it, but it does see no switchins here either, slowbro* being 2hit koed, (again quick atk can potentially pick up a lati or a vic after some prior dmg aswell)
* 252 Atk Choice Band Huge Power Diggersby Return vs. 252 HP / 232+ Def Slowbro: 202-238 (51.2 - 60.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO


Conclusion
Diggersby is an unmatched presence on any good normal team and should not be disregarded for any unreliable z-conversion shenanigans that only worked in early sun moon. I mean, if you see any normal team without a diggersby, it probably has you thinking: "Oh it's one of those normal teams."

And if you think that those teams arent as viable as ones with diggersby, you are indeed correct.

 

[taide]

Mega Sableye S ----> A (Dark)
Pokemon in the S rank are supposed to define the type they are ranked on, and are essentially mandatory on any competetive team of that type. Mega Sableye, while undeniabley a great pokemon, is not a pokemon that defines dark, and in certian matchups (namely fairy), sableye pulls little or no weight. Using Mega Sableye is also very predictable as a lead, but if you don't lead with it, then it's main feature in magic bounce will not be available to use off the bat. Also, mega sableye can be a huge momentum drain, and offensive teams would opt not to use it in favor of more offensive megas like Sharpedo or Tyranitar.

The other S ranked pokemon, Greninja and Muk, are essential to every dark team, balanced or offensive, and provide use in every possible match up, and never feel like dead weight on a dark team. Fighting has fallen out of favor, and fairy continues to be a top tier type, limiting sableye's uses further. I prefer using mega sharpedo now even on balanced dark teams for its ability to completely negate Klefki's screens. I would compare sableye to the likeness of mandibuzz (although mandibuzz is far better), which is found in the A tier, where mega sableye should be.

 

[Wanka]

Mega Sableye S ----> A (Dark)
Pokemon in the S rank are supposed to define the type they are ranked on, and are essentially mandatory on any competetive team of that type. Mega Sableye, while undeniabley a great pokemon, is not a pokemon that defines dark, and in certian matchups (namely fairy), sableye pulls little or no weight. Using Mega Sableye is also very predictable as a lead, but if you don't lead with it, then it's main feature in magic bounce will not be available to use off the bat. Also, mega sableye can be a huge momentum drain, and offensive teams would opt not to use it in favor of more offensive megas like Sharpedo or Tyranitar.

The other S ranked pokemon, Greninja and Muk, are essential to every dark team, balanced or offensive, and provide use in every possible match up, and never feel like dead weight on a dark team. Fighting has fallen out of favor, and fairy continues to be a top tier type, limiting sableye's uses further. I prefer using mega sharpedo now even on balanced dark teams for its ability to completely negate Klefki's screens. I would compare sableye to the likeness of mandibuzz (although mandibuzz is far better), which is found in the A tier, where mega sableye should be.

I disagree with this completely. There is no precedent set for a mon to be mandatory on every type of team for that given type in order to be S rank. That being said, yes, there are mons for their respective types that u end up having on pretty much every team u build. Off the top of my head i think of mons like tapu koko who are S rank on both of their types and are pretty much needed on any team u build. However, you also can look at something like the rankings for fire and see that both charizard megas are indeed S rank. This is good because both mega's are premier megas and fill different roles for different types of fire teams. That doesn't make one any less useful than the other, which is why both are S rank. Yes, Mega sableye has no place on offensively oriented dark teams, but it holds an entire archtype together for dark (balance) as a mega, which makes it S rank. I'm not going to explain why it does this because it's been pretty self explanatory what it does for balance dark over the past 2 generations. You also say muk is mandatory on every dark team, which i also disagree with. I'd much prefer not to use muk on an offensive dark team where i could easily use it's slot to use a mon that will help me break down the meta easier. Greninja is arguably the best mon in the entire metagame so yeah ur going to see it on pretty much every dark team and water team, but that's just the outcome of being a top 5 mon in the meta. Being mandatory doesn't always=S rank.

 

[Havens]

More Quick Noms:

Dragonite: S -> A (Dragon)
Kommo-o: B -> A (Dragon; Restatement)

This mon did not get worse at all in any sense of the word. However, when you look at both S rank picks, it feels very obvious to me which Dragon is king. Dragonite, typically known for its incredible bulk, various options, amazing offensive prowess, reliable priority and everything in between was your first choice for destroying the metas bulkiest walls. However, the introduction of Kommonium-Z as well as Kommo-o's outstanding new movepool makes it such a more desirable option. Kommo-o now actually turns the tides on some really harsh matchups for Dragon, such as Normal, Rock, and Dark. Dragon now actually has a reliable option with STAB to break the bulky p2/chansey core, which was once incredibly difficult for Dragon to break with the lack of a good Knock Off user, or without the risk of being revenge killed by Choice Scarf Ditto. In terms of Rock, removing Mega Diancie or using your Z-Move at the right time meant you could proceed to sweep entire Rock teams w/ those stats; persay from Flash Cannon onto Diancie and then Close Combating the rest. Dark isn't that harsh of a matchup, but removing Mega Altaria meant that Dragon teams were incredibly pressured by Mega Sableye, or removing Kyurem-Black meant that Choice Scarf Greninja applied immense pressure. Now it's made much easier to chunk many other teams because of what that Z-Move offers to Kommo-o. It's quickly turning into an incredible late game cleaner and is definitely one that shouldn't be taken lightly.

tldr: Kommo-o and its new Z-Move is an incredible late game cleaner that is quickly becoming a dangerous option. Dragonite simply cannot parallel that kind of power and its uses, nor do I feel that it is as crucial for Dragon teams when compared to opposing S rank Dragon Kyurem-Black. Kyurem-Black honestly defines Dragon's best playstyle in HO; and is such an incredible difference maker in otherwise very unfavorable matchups. Henceforth, I'd bring down Dragonite to A rank, and Kommo-o rises to A rank.

 

[Rei]

More Quick Noms:

Dragonite: S -> A (Dragon)
Kommo-o: B -> A (Dragon; Restatement)

This mon did not get worse at all in any sense of the word. However, when you look at both S rank picks, it feels very obvious to me which Dragon is king. Dragonite, typically known for its incredible bulk, various options, amazing offensive prowess, reliable priority and everything in between was your first choice for destroying the metas bulkiest walls. However, the introduction of Kommonium-Z as well as Kommo-o's outstanding new movepool makes it such a more desirable option. Kommo-o now actually turns the tides on some really harsh matchups for Dragon, such as Normal, Rock, and Dark. Dragon now actually has a reliable option with STAB to break the bulky p2/chansey core, which was once incredibly difficult for Dragon to break with the lack of a good Knock Off user, or without the risk of being revenge killed by Choice Scarf Ditto. In terms of Rock, removing Mega Diancie or using your Z-Move at the right time meant you could proceed to sweep entire Rock teams w/ those stats; persay from Flash Cannon onto Diancie and then Close Combating the rest. Dark isn't that harsh of a matchup, but removing Mega Altaria meant that Dragon teams were incredibly pressured by Mega Sableye, or removing Kyurem-Black meant that Choice Scarf Greninja applied immense pressure. Now it's made much easier to chunk many other teams because of what that Z-Move offers to Kommo-o. It's quickly turning into an incredible late game cleaner and is definitely one that shouldn't be taken lightly.

tldr: Kommo-o and its new Z-Move is an incredible late game cleaner that is quickly becoming a dangerous option. Dragonite simply cannot parallel that kind of power and its uses, nor do I feel that it is as crucial for Dragon teams when compared to opposing S rank Dragon Kyurem-Black. Kyurem-Black honestly defines Dragon's best playstyle in HO; and is such an incredible difference maker in otherwise very unfavorable matchups. Henceforth, I'd bring down Dragonite to A rank, and Kommo-o rises to A rank.

I disagree with Dragonite. Dragonite is an important staple to dragons because of its mutiscale ability and it's raw power usually equipped with Choice Band. While dnite does help in the normal mu the megas such as mega altaria(with the right happiness that's opposite of ditto) or stored power refresh mega Latias put in a lot of work in the normal mu.

Dnite also aids against the threat of scarf ninja, as if mutiscale is still attached to dnite as seen here 252 SpA Protean Greninja Ice Beam vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Multiscale Dragonite: 252-296 (78 - 91.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO. It can live one and 252+ Atk Choice Band Dragonite Extreme Speed vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Greninja: 204-240 (71.5 - 84.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock. Dragon usually can find a way to set up mega altaria and sweep dark.

Extreme speed is dragon's only good(if only) priority move, which comes from dnite. I can think of many examples such as ss water (which isn't used much anymore) to help chip kingdra. In fairy/water it can help with azu. For the electric mu it ohkos Raichu A, and chips koko so that latios can kill it with psychic. Volcorona also gets 2ko from espeed and straight out ohkoed from outrage, which in my opinion, can become a huge threat for dragons.

It also breaks down walls with outrage, fire punch helps break down annoying walls such as steela and ferro. It also kills drill on ground as long as it doesn't get flinched by iron head.Superpower also helps break chansey on normal, and heatran on fire/steel.

I see no reason to move Dnite down to A, it's bulk, Espeed, power and it's ability is what makes it S on dragon. A dragon team without Dnite is not a good dragon team at all.

 

[Escavalier Royale]

Exeggutor-Alola: Unranked -> D (Dragon)

At first, it looks like there is no reason to use this giant palm tree that somehow got the Dragon typing. It is slow, its typing does not really help out Dragon that much, it isn't overly bulky, and its Special Attack isn't over-the-top high like the already rare Drampa. However, look a little closer, and you'll see that this thing has a few unique traits.

To begin with, it is the only Dragon-type that has access to Leech Seed, which makes it Dragon's only SubSeeder. However, this is not as important as Dragon usually goes for a more offensive playstyle that can't really afford a momentum-draining strategy like SubSeed. Despite this, more balanced builds can make use of this strategy, as Alolan Exeggutor has access to Harvest, which enables the SubSeed+SitrusHarvest strategy to be possible.

A second uniqueness to Alolan Exeggutor is that it's the only Dragon-type with a sleep move. It gets Sleep Powder (and Hypnosis if you want to target Grass-types so badly) to put threatening opponents to sleep on the switch. Although Exeggutor may not be the best user of this move because of its low speed and mediocre defensive typing, it doesn't have any competition on Dragon, so if your team really needs a Sleep user, you only have this as an option.

However, the third, and arguably most notable niche it has, is being Dragon's only non-Uber Pokémon with access to Trick Room. With a base 45 speed, Exeggutor can take advantage of it quite well, but other members on Dragon teams can benefit from it too. Examples are Dragalge, Druddigon, Drampa, and Goodra. Note that most of these mons are very uncommon. However, prime reasons for their rarity is their low speed, and Trick Room makes that a gift. Trick Room Alolan Exeggutor, or any Trick Room abuser, also usually runs a Speed-lowering nature, which means it can even go mixed without lowering its bulk, as both of its offenses are usable. It also has a decent movepool, including Grass STAB in Energy Ball, Wood Hammer and Giga Drain, Flamethrower, Earthquake, various Dragon moves in Draco Meteor and Dragon Hammer, and more niche options like Sludge Bomb for Fairy-types, Psychic, and Explosion. It can even pash Wishes or set Gravity, and it has recovery in Synthesis and Moonlight (which are largely the same move).

Despite all this, Exeggutor-Alola can be hard to fit on teams since Dragon doesn't always need things like Trick Room and Wish. Moreover, Exeggutor-Alola brings little defensive utility: a 4x resistance to Water doesn't really matter since it is also 4x weak to Ice, which most Water-types carry coverage of. Dragon also has a lot of Dragon/Flying types so the Ground resistance doesn't matter much either. It doesn't even resist Fire. Nevertheless, some teams may find some of Exeggutor-Alola's tools exactly what they are looking for, so I think it at least deserves a rank, be it the lowest possible.

 

[mushamu]

Alolan Marowak (Fire) B --> C

I don't think Alolan Marowak should have been ranked so high in the first place. On Fire teams it doesn't really provide anything else other than a pivot for Electric moves, and it proves to be a huge momentum sack aka dead weight in a lot of matchups not named Electric or Fairy because of its poor defensive typing. Unfortunately for Alolan Marowak, it neither has speed or bulk and because of this It's revenge killed way too easily and proves to be underwhelming when not facing Electric or Fairy type teams. Mega Charizard Y Fire teams faces huge competition with Mega Charizard X teams and Alolan Marowak's niche on Mega Charizard Y Fire teams really suffers because of that. With Blacephalon in the tier it's really hard to justify a slot for Alolan Marowak on Fire teams when Mega Charizard Y teams are losing popularity.

 

[Eidolon Stratagem]

Well, I've never done something like this, but I would like I want to make a nomination, so, here's what I got:

Aurorus (Ice): Unlisted -> D

Aurorus sits in a very awkward placing when it comes to team building in Ice. The main niche it has is to act as a pretty good lead, as it gets access to the blessed Snow Warning, but it also gets Stealth Rocks. Now, Aurorus does have plenty of downfalls, mainly it's meh special attack, meh bulk and what is probably one of the worst defensive typing paired with low speed. However, I feel as if the role that Aurorus plays should at least be considered for a team.

As I've said, Aurorus gets access to SR, which can allow for the foe to be slowly torn down from switching, and, for Ice, that's a pretty big deal. This means that the team can get access to KOs that they might not normally have. Aurorus, however, offers quite a bit of other potentially useful moves, such as Thunder Wave, Encore, multiple phazing moves in Roar and Dragon Tail, and Haze as well.

Now, it's clear that Alolan Ninetales is some stiff competition to deal with, as Alolan Ninetales is the obvious choice when it comes to hail setter, as it has access to Aurora Veil, but Aurorus still has things to let it shine in it's own way. Although it's hard to pass by Alolan Ninetales, as I've said before, it's best to concider what would fit the individual's team the best, and I feel like Aurorus is worth using on specific teams, so, I believe that it should at least be noted of and ranked, even if it's at the bottom of the barrel.

 

[roman]

hi monotype people

azumarill b -> a

1) lets suicune win even more
2) dragon immunity
3) whirlpool is like broken lol

--
azu is basically amazing support for fatter vincune teams because it provides a switch in to * massive * threats such as breloom and hydreigon among others. also traps nuisances such as toxapex, venusaur (only via switch in), cb dnite locked into outrage, bulu, ferro, etc

azu eases multiple matchups (water v psn, grass, idk lol) you would normally need to devote a teamslot. for example, you’d normally want one of z dig gren, gyara (this is more shaky), mana to make the mu vs poison a bit more manageable. azu takes out pex here and suicune wins pretty easily provided you’ve burned annoying mons like bat/muk and preserved suicune throughout the game.

1 2

--
azu is blessed with fairy-typing which allows it to switch in to former nuisances such as dd z kommo, specs hydrei, etc and discourages other scary dragons from clicking dragon stab as freely as they normally would.

1 2

--
i also wanted to touch on how good whirlpool is. literally like no defensive metagame staples (staraptor, venusaur mega, toxapex, chansey, mew (no taunt), mega sableye, celesteela, ferrothorn, the list literally doesnt end lol) have the luxury of switching in as they just drop to subsequent psong and even switchins which can force it out or pivot out -- alolan muk, rotom-w, koko, etc -- get chipped as fuck by stealth rock + two rounds of whirlpool.

no replays of this bc its like really self explanatory lol

--
i don’t really have much tournament replays to help back up this since im tourbanned lol but i managed to go 30-2 on my alt - Seaside Love - using the team below if that counts for anything xd

set:

Azumarill @ Leftovers
Ability: Sap Sipper
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Perish Song
- Whirlpool
- Rest
- Protect

team:


(btw toxic gren is bc i hate mantine its probably really bad llol)

 

[smub]

Well, I've never done something like this, but I would like I want to make a nomination, so, here's what I got:
View attachment 96574

Aurorus (Ice): Unlisted -> D

Aurorus sits in a very awkward placing when it comes to team building in Ice. The main niche it has is to act as a pretty good lead, as it gets access to the blessed Snow Warning, but it also gets Stealth Rocks. Now, Aurorus does have plenty of downfalls, mainly it's meh special attack, meh bulk and what is probably one of the worst defensive typing paired with low speed. However, I feel as if the role that Aurorus plays should at least be considered for a team.

As I've said, Aurorus gets access to SR, which can allow for the foe to be slowly torn down from switching, and, for Ice, that's a pretty big deal. This means that the team can get access to KOs that they might not normally have. Aurorus, however, offers quite a bit of other potentially useful moves, such as Thunder Wave, Encore, multiple phazing moves in Roar and Dragon Tail, and Haze as well.

Now, it's clear that Alolan Ninetales is some stiff competition to deal with, as Alolan Ninetales is the obvious choice when it comes to hail setter, as it has access to Aurora Veil, but Aurorus still has things to let it shine in it's own way. Although it's hard to pass by Alolan Ninetales, as I've said before, it's best to concider what would fit the individual's team the best, and I feel like Aurorus is worth using on specific teams, so, I believe that it should at least be noted of and ranked, even if it's at the bottom of the barrel.

I'm gonna have to disagree with this. Aurorus performs terribly at both its roles as a Stealth Rocker and Snow Warning setter. I'll go through each one on their own.

As a Stealth Rocker, both Mamoswine and Piloswine are far better. Mamoswine's far better offensive presence and access to priority make it a much more valued asset against both balanced and offensive teams. And while it also needs a Focus Sash, it makes much better use of it with Endeavor+ the aforementioned Ice Shard, capable of blanket checking a vast amount of offensive threats to Ice like Mega Gallade, Mega Lopunny, and Volcarona just to name a few. It also doesn't get easily halted by Taunt users like Deoxys-Speed and Heatran, whereas Aurorus gets trapped and removed by Heatran if it isn't carrying Earth Power. Even if you're using it more for its helpful utility, why not just run Piloswine. Piloswine offers the same phazing utility with Roar, while also serving as an effective check for threats like Nihilego, Volcarona, Heatran, Alolan Raichu, and more. Aurorus fails to provide the offensive presence that Mamoswine offers, and is absolutely useless defensively because of its god awful typing.

As a Snow Warning Pokémon, you yourself pointed out how much better Alolan Ninetales is. I don't really see what "specific teams" Aurorus is best suited for, since not only do you not provide a single example of this, but Alolan Ninetales offers irreplaceable utility that is important in EVERY matchup. It even possesses the same Encore utility, which it utilizes even better since it can actually outspeed setup sweepers like Bisharp, as well as Vincune, an especially dangerous threat behind a Sub. There's also of course it's Fairy typing, letting it set up a Veil in front of Gengar locked into Focus Blast, as well as checking Keldeo without the need of a terrible set like Scarf Kyub.

So between the 2 superior Stealth Rockers and the far superior Snow Warning Pokémon, the only slightly substantial thing Aurorus has to offer is....Thunder Wave and Haze. And it'll still very rarely be getting these off against threats like Double Dance Mew or Z-Celebrate Victini. It's not good role compression if it performs terribly at both roles, and because of that it deserves to stay unranked.

 

[mushamu]

Toxapex A --> S (Water)

Overview
Toxapex supports amazing (and endless) utility for both balanced and stall Water teams. Balanced water almost always carries Toxapex because of how much it offers to the playstyle with its utility and defensive typing. Not only does Toxapex offer Toxic Spikes along with reliably recovery, but also offers other utility moves such as Baneful Bunker and Haze that make it very hard to overcome. Toxapex's sky high defenses also allow it to act as a blanket check to both physical and special attackers, and cancels out other threats that try to set up on it with Haze. Taking down a Toxapex can be such a pain in the ass if you aren't carrying a super effective move or a wallbreaker, and Toxapex comes in on so much for free because of its defensive typing and starts scalding / laying down toxic spikes / hazing, while regenerating a third of its health every time it switches out thanks to its ability, Regenerator.
Toxapex defines 2 of Water's playstyles, stall and balance.
some reasons why I think toxapex is insanely good in this meta:
Toxic Spikes
Toxic Spikes are also so good in this meta because they put a timer and immense pressure on various types. Rapid Spinners such as Excadrill and Armaldo are forced to take a turn to Rapid Spin Toxic Spikes away in order to keep the rest of the team healthy. If the opposing team, namely Fairy teams, does not have hazard removal, it will have a very hard time with balanced water as most of their Pokemon are now put on a timer. Suicune is a very good example of something on Water that does very well with Toxic Spikes laid on the opposing side, and Toxapex does a very good job of supporting it. Many Defoggers that try to remove Toxic Spikes via Defog will find themselves getting threatened by getting burnt with Scald, and makes them think twice about staying in to pull Defog off.

Baneful Bunker
Baneful Bunker Toxapex is a good option on Toxapex at the moment because of its ability to poison physical attackers and scout for choiced attackers such as Diggersby and Tapu Bulu. Baneful Bunker in conjunction with Toxic Spikes has found its way into most balanced Water teams. Baneful Bunker is good because physical attackers now hesitate to hit Toxapex in fear of getting Poisoned, and Toxapex can scout on choice locked opponents such as Tapu Koko and Diggersby and switch out into an immunity if needed. Baneful Bunker allows Toxapex to handle and play around Pokemon that would normally be a threat, such as Diggersby that Toxapex can switch out of if it locks itself into Earthquake and Poisons if Diggersby chooses to use return.

Poison
Toxapex's Poison typing helps by giving it many useful resistances. Being part Poison not only removes Toxic Spikes on its side for the rest of its team, it also allows Toxapex to gain handy resistances in Bug, Fighting, Poison, Fairy, and being neutral to Grass type moves, making it one of the most consistent (if not the best) walls Water has access too and allows Toxapex to switch in to a variety of attacks for its team mates.

replays

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7monotype-675658148
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7monotype-682643529
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7monotype-686036413
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7monotype-685651009
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7monotype-674671992

Conclusion
With balanced water being very popular in USUM, Toxapex is the Pokemon that stands out as the main contributing factor to balanced and stall water's success. While having no place on Swift Swim teams (that are falling off), Toxapex and Toxic Spikes stand out on balance and stall archetypes more than any other Pokemon. Toxapex glues balance together, and does it so well that I would consider not using Toxapex on balance or stall crippling your team. Because of this, I believe that Toxapex should be moved up to S, as it is definitley a defining aspect of Water along with Greninja.

 

[LO Garchomp]

After being recently reintroduced to the Smogon Forums, I've been reading up on Viability rankings for the type that I play, Dragon, and have a few nominations I believe for various raises and drops for the type.

Raises:
Garchomp : A -> S
Mega Altaria : A -> S
Latias : B -> A

Drops:
Mega Latias : A -> B


Garchomp: A -> S

For Dragon, Garchomp provides many essential roles. The first is that it is the most useable Stealth Rocker and there is nothing that can set up Rocks better for Dragon. This means that, in many matchups, such as Flying, Bug, and Water, Garchomp is going to be essential is this regard. Not only this, but Garchomp takes matchups like Steel and gives Dragon much more of a chance to win simply because Garchomp is in the game. The next part is that the speed tier for Dragon is entirely required, being able to outspeed Landorus-Incarnate, Mega Zard Y, Excadrill, etc. etc. meaning that Dragon doesn't have to go into their scarf Lati to revenge kill a faster threat and risk locking themselves into the wrong move just because they need to take down this threat. Finally, for an offensive type such as Dragon, being a natural switch-in to Excadrill, being able to tank a hit that many other teammates really can't, and just having Ground STAB cements Garchomp as one of the key Pokemon to have on a Dragon team.

Based upon the mons around it in the viability rankings, Garchomp heavily outclasses the other A tiers, exception of Altaria, and stands its ground in terms of the viability of Kyurem-Black and Dragonite. There are no viable Dragon teams without Garchomp just like there's no viable Dragon teams without KB or Dragonite. It stands with them in terms of viability and so it should be S in the rankings.


Mega Altaria: A -> S

This is personally something I don't really understand on why it was dropped from S but here I am to nominate it back to S.

Mega Altaria is an absolutely necessity to Dragon and there is nothing that can fulfill the role that Altaria does. Altaria provides a Dragon immunity for Dragon, meaning that Outrage spam against Dragon can't happen in fear of being reverse swept, it provides Heal Bell support for Thunder Wave, Toxic, and Will-O that plagues Dragon so much, and takes so many unfavorable matchups for Dragon and makes them much more neutral/in Dragon's favor. Examples of these are Normal, Swift Swim Water, and Psychic.

Normal:
Porygon2 and Chansey is one of the toughest cores to break in Monotype and, for Dragon, it remains the worst enemy to face outside of Diancie. Mega Altaria takes this and spins the matchup to a more neutral ground, essentially coming down to whether the opposing Ditto is min or max happiness as well as the Ice Beam freeze coming off P2. A matchup like this one is something that, looking at the team, could easily be swayed by Altaria being in the metagame, this was 6 to 9 months ago by now, but the game came down to a pretty convincing loss. With the DDD set, however, Altaria can take a matchup that was so bad and make it so that Dragon can win as shown by this replay. It may not be entirely neutral and by no means guarantees a W but it means that Dragon has a shot against a type that, without Altaria, it doesn't.

Water (Swift Swim):
For Swift Swim Water, Kingdra and Swampert are often times regarded as the most threatening mons and for obvious reason. Specs Dragon Pulses and Draco Meteors from Kingdra tear through every mon on Dragon and Swampert can Ice Punch or Earthquake whatever it needs to. With Altaria in the matchup, the stress is weakened because Kingdra cannot spam Dragon moves and has to be worried about letting Altaria set up simply because it can reverse sweep offensive water.

Psychic:
For Dragon, facing Psychic is annoying. Victini is annoying to switch into, Latios can Draco the entire team, Gallade has a very easy time tearing through the team, and Sash Zam means that Dragonite can't ever sweep. Altaria solves all of these issues by joining the matchup. Out-offensing Dragon is impossible to do and Altaria makes sure that Psychic has a much harder time doing it. It is just one example of a difficult matchup that is much easier to play when Altaria is in the game.

These are just three matchups that Altaria helps Dragon with and there is no real end to its usefulness, even in other games. My point in showing all of this is that there isn't really a Dragon type without Altaria. It outclasses Latios in terms of general viability considering there is nothing that does what Altaria does better. Altaria has such an impact on Dragon as a whole that it fits right in with the staples KB and Dragonite. It has the same effect that Kyurem does, improving many matchups and outclassing every other mon that wants to do what Altaria does, being a set up sweeper that carries the backbone of the offensive type Dragon is while also nullifying a weakness that would otherwise be extremely potent.


Latias: B -> A

Latias is a very underrated Pokemon for Dragon. When using Altaria, I found that Dragon truly appreciates the support that Latias brings to the matchup. By using this example, I feel like the benefits of Latias is shown. Latias provides Defog for Dragon, being one of the most reliable defoggers the type has to offer, as well as usually donning the Choice Scarf like its brother, Latios, to revenge kill. Latias comes with the added benefit of Healing Wish that I feel, for Dragon, raises Latias' viability to that of A tier. Healing Wish, a move that, if you sacrifice Latias, allows you to bring back any threat that got weakened to full health while curing their status condition. This provides for a little more reckless play, a little more strategy when it comes to potentially spending Dragonite's Multiscale twice over against Water, healing Altaria back up against Dragon, or healing Garchomp back up against Steel. Things like this that are key for Latias while also not having many true downfalls. Both Pokemon in tier B, Hydreigon and Kommo-O, are fairly niche-y and don't fit well on every team, requiring some sort of solid support to find a use or their niche. The support that Latias brings, similar to that of Latios, means that it is so much better than the other B tier Pokemon.

Comparative to the other A tier mons, excluding Garchomp and Mega Altaria for obvious reasons, Latias fits right in. There is nothing that really makes Latios that much better than Latias except for the fact that it is slightly stronger. However, the bulk Latias has to check things like Keldeo, Scarf Greninja, and various Volt Switch mons isn't something to be counted out when building one's team.

Latias : 252 SpA Protean Greninja Ice Beam vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Latias: 200-236 (66.2 - 78.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Latios : 252 SpA Protean Greninja Ice Beam vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Latios: 230-272 (76.4 - 90.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

TL;DR Latias deserves to be on the same tier as Latios and rises far above the viability of the other B tier Dragon mons, Kommo-O and Hydreigon, simply because it fulfills every role that Latios does with the added benefit to most Dragon teams of Healing Wish support, turning the tides of any game you need it to.


Mega Latias: A -> B

I don't understand why it is that Mega Latias ended up in the A rank with Garchomp and Mega Altaria, but it did and so I want to nom it down to B.

There are very few matchups in which I would choose Mega Latias over something like Mega Altaria. I can only think of one, actually, and that's the balance/semi-stall balance water with Toxapex, Suicune, Mantine, etc. However, in other matchups like Dark and Dragon, this mon becomes absolute deadweight as compared to Mega Altaria that would absolutely dominate those matchups. It doesn't provide the same sort of support that Garchomp does for Dragon at all nor that of Mega Altaria, both currently A. Even with those potentially moving like I argued for them to do, Mega Latias doesn't work as well as Latios in the metagame since it doesn't fill the role of defogger or revenge killer that Dragon really needs with it.

Rather, it fits much better with the mons of the B tier. Hydreigon and Kommo-O are both useable and both have matchups that they help with. Kommo-O is much more compatible with Latias, Mega Latias also needing a strong set of team support behind it to function well on Dragon. It doesn't fall down to Salamence or Mega Chomp, however, obviously outclassing those two mons. Overall, it just doesn't fit in with the A tier and, instead, compares better to the B tier and the mons in it.


I know this was a long read but I really had some thoughts and I wanted to write them out in a post. Dragon is a type that I care about a lot and seeing what was going on in these rankings made me want to write something up. Hope I was able to help :] Responses appreciated and wanted lol.

~Chompy aka LowkeyMewtwo :]

 

[Rio Vidal]

Ribombee (Fairy): A to B

Ribombee is the premiere way to set up webs on Fairy-type teams however that is Ribombee's only niche on Fairy teams. While pokemon such as Tapu Bulu and Clefable can support all Fairy-type teams rather than one archetype. This while does not make Ribombee a bad choice for Fairy-type teams it just isnt as good as Tapu Bulu or Clefable. This is why I believe Ribombee does not fit with the other A rank pokemon on fairy.

Araquanid (Water): C to B

Araquanid due to the move tutors that USM has brought around brings a very important niche to Water-type teams being a reliable way to set up Sticky Webs. This opens up a whole new type of offensive water-type teams that was not previously available in SM. On top of being able to setup Sticky Webs Araquanid also can reliably deflect hazards and status moves with Magic Coat. With these 2 moves Araquanid becomes a very solid lead pokemon on offensive sticky web teams.

Mega Aerodactyl (Flying): C to B

Mega Aerodactyl has been seeing use on many more Flying-type teams as of lately and I believe it is partly due to Tornadus-Therian receiving Defog from the USM move tutors which makes a fantastic core with Mega Aerodactyl. Mega Aerodactyl is also the only other good mega on Flying-type teams aside Mega Charizard Y. Mega Aerodactyl can do a variety of things for Flying-type teams such as Pursuit trap Victini, setup rocks or act as a Hone Claws sweeper. All of these traits make Mega Aerodactyl a decent choice for Flying-type teams.

Tornadus-Therian: D to B

With the introduction of the USM tutors Tornadus-Therian has received Defog. With access to Defog Tornadus-Therian can become semi unpredictable and very customizable for a Flying-type team. Say a team lacks a dedicated defogger, Tornadus can not only Defog away the rocks set by the opponent but it can also Taunt it from setting up future hazards or spreading status. On top of all that its ability practically lets it switch in on rocks for free due to it only taking 25% from rocks but recovering 33% from regenerator. Tornadus-Therian can also be customized to help take on annoying matchups such as normal where it can use Taunt+Knock Off+Superpower which prevents pokemon like chansey from setting up rocks and can remove the infamous eviolite from the eviolite duo core with Knock off and generally be a pain to switch into with strong attacking moves in Hurricane and Superpower.

 

[taide]

Golisopod (Bug) Unranked --> D​

Its the big bad bug you all love: Golisopod

​

Golisopod is bug's best option of a spike setter, being able to threaten opposing leads with first impression/aqua jet and set up spikes. it also gets it's own pivot ability in emergency exit, allowing it to go into a teammate after setting spikes, or damaging the opponent. It also is an excellent partner for one of bug's best mons in Scizor, being able to eat weaker fire attacks, while scizor can take rock attacks. Scizor+Golisopod functions offensivley with golisopod setting spikes or weaking opposing walls and switching into scizor for a sweep, and also can don an assault vest and pair with defensive mega scizor for a double pivot core, with AV golisopod able to activate it's ability multiple times with leech life. Scizor's use in u-turn gives golisopod a free first impression, and golisopod is able to threaten fire types, such as victini, or bulky ground types like hippowdon that scizor can not beat.

Golisopod also has other moves that it can use such as swords dance, sucker punch, knock off, and taunt to catch opponents off guard. Overall, while not a top tier threat, it is a very fun mon to use and can fit relatively easy onto any bug team, and deserves at least a D rank, as it does have niche viability in this meta.

 

[snow]

Golisopod (Bug) Unranked --> D​

Its the big bad bug you all love: GolisopodView attachment 97917
​

Golisopod is bug's best option of a spike setter, being able to threaten opposing leads with first impression/aqua jet and set up spikes. it also gets it's own pivot ability in emergency exit, allowing it to go into a teammate after setting spikes, or damaging the opponent. It also is an excellent partner for one of bug's best mons in Scizor, being able to eat weaker fire attacks, while scizor can take rock attacks. Scizor+Golisopod functions offensivley with golisopod setting spikes or weaking opposing walls and switching into scizor for a sweep, and also can don an assault vest and pair with defensive mega scizor for a double pivot core, with AV golisopod able to activate it's ability multiple times with leech life. Scizor's use in u-turn gives golisopod a free first impression, and golisopod is able to threaten fire types, such as victini, or bulky ground types like hippowdon that scizor can not beat.

Golisopod also has other moves that it can use such as swords dance, sucker punch, knock off, and taunt to catch opponents off guard. Overall, while not a top tier threat, it is a very fun mon to use and can fit relatively easy onto any bug team, and deserves at least a D rank, as it does have niche viability in this meta.

Forretress is by far a better Spike stacker than Golisopod, that's not a very good point. Emergency Exit only benefits the team as a pivot maybe 1/10 times its activated. Araquanid and Armaldo are much better Pokemon for taking weak fire attacks than Golisopod. defensive cores are nearly non existent on bug teams so making them defensive really benefits no one when common Pokemon like Victini and Tapu Koko can still rip them apart.

The only part I really agree with is how good first impression can be when paired with insect plate/ Life Orb. It is really good for revenge killing Pokemon as well as getting a free kill against Psychic and Dark type team when it comes in other than a couple of exceptions. However, these are match ups that bug already have the type advantage on, sure victini is annoying against Bug but with webs up it is less of an issue. your golisopod nomination relies on it being a lead Pokemon and hazard setter meaning the team either loses a rapid spinner or loses alot of speed. I used to be for Golisopod having a rank but as the meta has developed my opinion has changed.

Not to mention how Golisopod is practically deadweight in the match ups versus balance water, poison and fairy

 

[superstrike66]

Golisopod UR => D

rgency exit, allowing it to go into a teammate after setting spikes, or damaging the opponent. It also is an excellent partner for one of bug's best mons in Scizor, being able to eat weaker fire attacks, while scizor can take rock attacks. Scizor+Golisopod functions offensivley with golisopod setting spikes or weaking opposing walls and switching into scizor for a sweep, and also can don an assault vest and pair with defensive mega scizor for a double pivot core, with AV golisopod able to activate it's ability multiple times with leech life. Scizor's use in u-turn gives golisopod a free first impression, and golisopod is able to threaten fire types, such as victini, or bulky ground types like hippowdon that scizor can not beat.

Golisopod also has other moves that it can use such as swords dance, sucker punch, knock off, and taunt to catch opponents off guard. Overall, while not a top tier threat, it is a very fun mon to use and can fit relatively easy onto any bug team, and deserves at least a D rank, as it does h

I disagree witn this nomination. Like DBW said, your better off using Forretress for spikes, & Emegency exit is more of a hinderance than a helpfull pivot, since if it switches back in, it could get koed or be left with 15% or less health by Stealth rocks (if they're up). Also, most fire teams run drought, which makes tanking fire hits much harder, as well as weakining its own water attacks. As a result, using Araquanid (who actually resists fire) or Armaldo to beat fire are better options.

 

[Escavalier Royale]

Golisopod (Bug) Unranked --> D​

Its the big bad bug you all love: GolisopodView attachment 97917
​

Golisopod is bug's best option of a spike setter, being able to threaten opposing leads with first impression/aqua jet and set up spikes. it also gets it's own pivot ability in emergency exit, allowing it to go into a teammate after setting spikes, or damaging the opponent. It also is an excellent partner for one of bug's best mons in Scizor, being able to eat weaker fire attacks, while scizor can take rock attacks. Scizor+Golisopod functions offensivley with golisopod setting spikes or weaking opposing walls and switching into scizor for a sweep, and also can don an assault vest and pair with defensive mega scizor for a double pivot core, with AV golisopod able to activate it's ability multiple times with leech life. Scizor's use in u-turn gives golisopod a free first impression, and golisopod is able to threaten fire types, such as victini, or bulky ground types like hippowdon that scizor can not beat.

Golisopod also has other moves that it can use such as swords dance, sucker punch, knock off, and taunt to catch opponents off guard. Overall, while not a top tier threat, it is a very fun mon to use and can fit relatively easy onto any bug team, and deserves at least a D rank, as it does have niche viability in this meta.

Lol defensive cores on Bug.
I haven't used Golisopod myself, but I've faced it multiple times and have to say it feally isn't good. Even the one time my Psychic team (which is really bad btw) faced one, it really didn't do much, as I blocked all but one of its First Impressions with Protect (for the last one I sacked a mon to gain momentum). It didn't even set Spikes since I just led with Metagross and Thunderpunched it below 50% health. The more defensive teams it can easily set up Spikes against usually have reliable hazard control anyway. I'd even go as far as saying Wimpod is a better Spikes setter (now don't use Wimpod) since its speed allows it to actually outspeed some relevant leads and set Spikes against them.

 

[superstrike66]

I think this nomination's gonna be a bit controversial:

Mega Charizard Y: S=>A (Fire)

Mega Charizard X has always been the superior mega in comparison to Mega Charizard Y, due to its effectiveness in far more matchups. However, in USUM, there's even more incentive not to use Mega Charizard Y.

I'll start with the increased viability of Rotom-H. Thanks to Defog, it's a much better option as not only a screens setter and bulky pivot, but also as a secondary hazard remover alongside Torkoal, a role that was previously filled by Mega Charizard Y. Mega Charizard X in particular benefits immensely from this screens support as a means of setting up with Dragon Dance, as do other setup sweepers like Z-Celebrate Victini and Volcarona. Rotom-H itself also possesses Mega Charizard Y's Ground immunity, while being able to switch into and generate momentum off of Tapu Koko, an especially important threat to Fire teams that don't carry Alolan Marowak. It additionally takes far less from Stealth Rock damage. While it is true that Rotom-H doesn't have nearly the offensive presence or access to Drought, the benefits it offers over Mega Charizard Y are most certainly notable, and encourages the use of Mega Charizard X much more.

Then there's the introduction of Blacephalon. While Blacephalon doesn't possess Mega Charizard Y's Ground immunity or access to Drought, it does possess a higher Speed tier, allowing it to revenge kill threats such as Landorus-I and Garchomp that Mega Charizard Y is incapable of revenge killing. This is especially important to note, as the Ground matchup is one of the very few matchups that Mega Charizard Y does better in than Mega Charizard X. Blacephalon is also a much more substantial threat in the Water matchup, specifically balance Water. With its Choice Specs set, both Swampert+Mantine and Empoleon+Gastrodon builds(Swampert+Mantine being much more prevalent) will be severely pushed for safe switch-ins to a Shadow Ball, especially after a Beast Boost:

Calcs vs Balance Water

252 SpA Choice Specs Blacephalon Shadow Ball vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Toxapex: 160-190 (52.6 - 62.5%) -- 99.6% chance to 2HKO after Black Sludge recovery
+1 252 SpA Choice Specs Blacephalon Shadow Ball vs. 252 HP / 40 SpD Suicune: 280-331 (69.3 - 81.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
Mega Swampert+Mantine:
252 SpA Choice Specs Blacephalon Shadow Ball vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Mantine: 163-193 (43.5 - 51.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery(Water isn't gonna be pushed to Defog, especially if they've already gotten up Stealth Rock against Fire)
+1 252 SpA Choice Specs Blacephalon Shadow Ball vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Swampert-Mega: 303-357 (75 - 88.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
Empoleon+Gastrodon:
252 SpA Choice Specs Blacephalon Shadow Ball vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Empoleon: 157-186 (42.2 - 50%) -- 0.4% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery(it can only come in once against an unboosted Shadow Ball)
+1 252 SpA Choice Specs Blacephalon Shadow Ball vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Gastrodon: 385-454 (90.3 - 106.5%) -- 75% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock

This set especially in tandem with Mega Charizard X can improve this matchup much more than Mega Charizard Y can. Overall, Mega Charizard Y is just not worth a spot in S rank alongside the far superior Mega choice, and a Pokemon that can provide such necessary role compression between hazard setting, hazard removing, and halting setup sweepers with Yawn. Therefore, it deserves a drop to A rank.

And if necessary, here are the sample sets for both Blacephalon and Rotom-H:

Sample Sets

Blacephalon @ Choice Specs
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Fire Blast
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Trick

Rotom-Heat @ Light Clay
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Light Screen
- Reflect
- Defog

Mega Charizard Y: S=>A (Fire)

I know this nomination is old, but I think this guy's in need of a drop. first, although a ground imunitiy is a nice thing to have on fire, a 4x weakness to stealth rocks isn't good at all on any type, especially fire. Also, like smub said, rotom has an imunity to ground, and only a 2x weakness to rocks, which is a good defoger, and can set screens. Next, the fact that 'Zard y has no viable boosting moves for it hurts, since although it has great special attack, its speed teir is mediocere at best, something that 'zard x and volcarona make up for with dragon dance/quiver dance. Finaly, Torkoal does a better job as a sun setter, since it can hold heat rock, making sun last 3 extra turns, as well as being a good hazard remover and sweeper stoper.'Zard y is by no means a bad 'mon, but it's outclassed as a special attacker by volcarona (who has a good boosting move), a drought setter by torkoal, and a 'mon that has a ground immunity by rotom-h, and, most importantly, a mega by 'zard x.

 

[Rei]

Porygon-Z A ----> C

Porygon Z was very great at the beginning of gen 7 since not everyone knew the the z-conversion set. Now everyone knows that is the common set and it is very hard to set up since it is very frail. On balance normal, it competes with ditto on that slot and overall ditto is a lot better in that slot. As for HO normal it has the support it needs from webs from Smeargle and then pZ can set up and sweep, but HO normal isn't common in this meta.

It fits well with the mons at C because it does have a niche like Smeargle, Bewear and Snorlax has for normal. While pZ is a special sweeper it is outclassed by other mons that can help support the team better such as Meloetta and Ditto. Overall it does not influence matches like Ditto does. pZ can also can set up only once, while Meloetta is less frail can can hold specs for more power.

 

[Tyke]

Porygon-Z A ----> C

Porygon Z was very great at the beginning of gen 7 since not everyone knew the the z-conversion set. Now everyone knows that is the common set and it is very hard to set up since it is very frail. On balance normal, it competes with ditto on that slot and overall ditto is a lot better in that slot. As for HO normal it has the support it needs from webs from Smeargle and then pZ can set up and sweep, but HO normal isn't common in this meta.

It fits well with the mons at C because it does have a niche like Smeargle, Bewear and Snorlax has for normal. While pZ is a special sweeper it is outclassed by other mons that can help support the team better such as Meloetta and Ditto. Overall it does not influence matches like Ditto does. pZ can also can set up only once, while Meloetta is less frail can can hold specs for more power.

I don't agree with this nomination.

It's set being common knowledge isn't relevant, since it's effectiveness is not dependent on surprise factor. I'd also note that Porygon-Z doesn't compete with Ditto on Balance Normal, but rather Diggersby, a more flexible teamslot.

But mainly, Porygon-Z isn't outclassed directly by anything on Normal; there is no other cleaner or sweeper that is as potent. It is flexible as well, able to assume a ghost or electric typing to target different matchups through conversion. Through Z-Conversion, Porygon-Z can put enormous pressure on a great number of types: such as Water, Flying, Steel, and Bug; which is valuable / relevant offensive utility for Normal teams. It's "frailty" (85/70/75 isn't terrible) is offset by the excellent support Normal offers it in creating safe set up opportunities.

All in all, Porygon-Z is still an exceptional set up sweeper and I fail to see how such a dramatic drop is warranted.