Hey is it because I'm shit at this format or is 
good? Also want to give a shout-out to 
good? Also want to give a shout-out to 
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Resource National Dex Viability Rankings (Pre Tera Ban)
- Thread starter Kyo
- Start date
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It's good at trading 1 for 1 in most games at worst, though can struggle with more offensive metagames like the one we have now. It's effective on voltturn style teams (pivot move heavy teams), using teammates to draw in pokemon Luna threatens to KO and thus forcing favorable trades. Partners like Galar Slowking can even support it with Trick Room, making a "Semi TR" core which lets it do better into offense. Tricky to pilot though. It's also good on Alomomola teams but those are less common because fat teams are less common. There is also the option for BU sets which I think are underexplored and have potential, but yeah.
Anyways now that I'm actually more awake, I do have a couple actual noms
A+ -> S-
Somewhat bold take but I think Darkrai is legit a top 5 minimum pokemon right now. Very fast (3rd fastest naturally in the tier), hugely versatile (specs, scarf, NP+LO, NP+Z, Boots+3A+Wisp/Knock/TWave, I've even seen Expert Belt on ladder more than a few times), making answering it challenging. It's a very splashable pokemon that performs well on most teams, and brings value in just about every game (unless move accuracy trolls you).
B- -> B
Honestly an underrated pick on offense. Surprisingly practical typing and wide movepool make it good at threatening offensive, while fiery dance lets it also wallbreak when necessary. Rather strong on Koko teams too.
Anyways now that I'm actually more awake, I do have a couple actual noms
A+ -> S-Somewhat bold take but I think Darkrai is legit a top 5 minimum pokemon right now. Very fast (3rd fastest naturally in the tier), hugely versatile (specs, scarf, NP+LO, NP+Z, Boots+3A+Wisp/Knock/TWave, I've even seen Expert Belt on ladder more than a few times), making answering it challenging. It's a very splashable pokemon that performs well on most teams, and brings value in just about every game (unless move accuracy trolls you).
B- -> BHonestly an underrated pick on offense. Surprisingly practical typing and wide movepool make it good at threatening offensive, while fiery dance lets it also wallbreak when necessary. Rather strong on Koko teams too.
With how much talk has been in the VR lately, might as well throw this out there too:
C -> C+/B-
Ok, B- might be a slight stretch, but lets do this.
I’ve been experimenting with skarmory a bit lately, mostly with this set:
Skarmory @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Sturdy
Tera Type: Dragon
EVs: 252 HP / 192 Def / 64 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Iron Defense
- Body Press
- Spikes
- Roost
This set is a potential wincon against what I found to be a physically biased metagame. Yes, there are many good special attackers (rbolt, koko, lele) with high usage stats, the average team may have a hard time answering skarmory after a game of spike pressure. While the set has quite a few good answers, specifically electric types and ghosts (mostly in the form of tera), the theoretical checks dont do amazingly well in practice, mainly due to the spikes chip accumulated over the course of the game, or due to their cost to check skarm being too high (burning boosters, choice locks, allowing ground types in for free), while skarm’s commitment to the sweep is minimal.
I guess everyone’s question is “why not corviknight?”.
While corviknight has better special bulk and many more set options and cool tricks up its sleeve (agility, bulk up, sub pressure), each of these sets is sometimes game winning but other times impossible to sweep with. In those cases, instead of your corviknight being dead weight, or defogging and uturning in a better scenario, skarmory has spikes, an amazing progress making tool. So, even in a bad matchup for ironpress, skarmory can make progress with spikes and sometimes open up sweeping opportunities later or force an early commitment of otherwise threatening resources. Its most common check, heatran, is anything but safe in the long term.
And, at the end of the day, skarm is skarm. A great physical wall, which will make that lopunny’s life miserable. Added benefit, its also able to check a lot of setup sweepers due to iron defense. Its amazing physical bulk means that it can find many entry points to lay spikes or boost up. Just dont expect it to take special hits.
C -> C+/B-Ok, B- might be a slight stretch, but lets do this.
I’ve been experimenting with skarmory a bit lately, mostly with this set:
Skarmory @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Sturdy
Tera Type: Dragon
EVs: 252 HP / 192 Def / 64 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Iron Defense
- Body Press
- Spikes
- Roost
This set is a potential wincon against what I found to be a physically biased metagame. Yes, there are many good special attackers (rbolt, koko, lele) with high usage stats, the average team may have a hard time answering skarmory after a game of spike pressure. While the set has quite a few good answers, specifically electric types and ghosts (mostly in the form of tera), the theoretical checks dont do amazingly well in practice, mainly due to the spikes chip accumulated over the course of the game, or due to their cost to check skarm being too high (burning boosters, choice locks, allowing ground types in for free), while skarm’s commitment to the sweep is minimal.
I guess everyone’s question is “why not corviknight?”.
While corviknight has better special bulk and many more set options and cool tricks up its sleeve (agility, bulk up, sub pressure), each of these sets is sometimes game winning but other times impossible to sweep with. In those cases, instead of your corviknight being dead weight, or defogging and uturning in a better scenario, skarmory has spikes, an amazing progress making tool. So, even in a bad matchup for ironpress, skarmory can make progress with spikes and sometimes open up sweeping opportunities later or force an early commitment of otherwise threatening resources. Its most common check, heatran, is anything but safe in the long term.
And, at the end of the day, skarm is skarm. A great physical wall, which will make that lopunny’s life miserable. Added benefit, its also able to check a lot of setup sweepers due to iron defense. Its amazing physical bulk means that it can find many entry points to lay spikes or boost up. Just dont expect it to take special hits.
UR—> CAt a glance, this Pokemon looks fairly decent because of its unique typing and movepool combined with regenerator. However, stats are fairly mediocre and it’s 4x weakness to ice can be frustrating since it is susceptible to many different Pokemon that could randomly slot ice coverage. The payoff is not always rewarding which is why I’m not ranking this any high.
THE SETHydrapple @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 44 SpD
Bold Nature
- Energy Ball
- Fickle Beam
- Dragon Tail
- Earth Power
AV + Dragon Tail allows you to phase many threatening setup sweepers. Pokemon such as Iron Crown, Volcarona, Darkrai (without Ice Beam), Urshifu, Wellspring, Ceruledge and Serperior. Also, AV Hydrapple is a great Heatran switch, shrugging off Magma Storm and can Dragon Tail if the Heatran uses Tera. Stab is necessary to hurt both flying types and threaten what it wants to switch in on. Hydrapple is a decent pivot with enough bulk to support your teammates against setup sweepers but due to its mediocre stats and unfortunate typing, it holds it back from a higher ranking for me.
(More replays soon after this post)
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nationaldex-2162695405
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imo
At a glance, this Pokemon looks fairly decent because of its unique typing and movepool combined with regenerator. However, stats are fairly mediocre and it’s 4x weakness to ice can be frustrating since it is susceptible to many different Pokemon that could randomly slot ice coverage. The payoff is not always rewarding which is why I’m not ranking this any high.
Hydrapple @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 44 SpD
Bold Nature
- Energy Ball
- Fickle Beam
- Dragon Tail
- Earth Power
AV + Dragon Tail allows you to phase many threatening setup sweepers. Pokemon such as Iron Crown, Volcarona, Darkrai (without Ice Beam), Urshifu, Wellspring, Ceruledge and Serperior. Also, AV Hydrapple is a great Heatran switch, shrugging off Magma Storm and can Dragon Tail if the Heatran uses Tera. Stab is necessary to hurt both flying types and threaten what it wants to switch in on. Hydrapple is a decent pivot with enough bulk to support your teammates against setup sweepers but due to its mediocre stats and unfortunate typing, it holds it back from a higher ranking for me.
(More replays soon after this post)
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nationaldex-2162695405
should run giga drain as a burst recovery option or leaf storm for more damage. also if you run tera steel your vulnurable to 
which you said should be able to shrug off magma storm. iirc tera fairy is better as a better defensive teraGiga Drain is too weak without investment. Leaf Storm PP + Special Attack drop is undesirable. You wouldn’t tera into Heatran of course. I chose steel because I felt weak to Lele on this team and it was a solid scout since Corviknight is required for other purposes many times. Thanks for mentioning that because tera fairy is the better option.imo
Hello hello, got another VR update here. Thanks again to omarsgarciav and Lameflame for contributing to this one!
Full voting doc is available here as always
Code:
New:
Iron Treads: UR -> C+
Ogerpon: UR -> C+
Torkoal: UR -> C
Hoopa-Unbound: UR -> C-
Sinistcha: UR -> C-
Volcanion: UR -> C-
Rises:
Darkrai: A+ -> S-
Gouging Fire: A -> A+
Raging Bolt: A -> A+
Urshifu-Rapid-Strike: A -> A+
Iron Crown: A- -> A
Barraskewda: B+ -> A-
Charizard-Mega-Y: B+ -> A-
Dragonite: B+ -> A-
Garganacl: B+ -> A-
Pelipper: B+ -> A-
Kyurem: B -> B+
Iron Moth: B- -> B
Kommo-o: C+ -> B-
Tangrowth: C+ -> B-
Blissey: C -> C+
Drops:
Gliscor: S- -> A+
Mawile-Mega: A- -> B+
Scizor-Mega: A- -> B+
Zapdos: A- -> B+
Latias-Mega: B+ -> B
Dondozo: B -> B-
Rotom-Wash: B -> B-
Skeledirge: B- -> C+
Excadrill: C+ -> C
Manaphy: C+ -> C
Greninja-Ash: C -> C-
Iron Hands: C -> C-
Mega-Banette: C- -> UR
Charizard-Mega-X: C- -> UR
Garchomp-Mega: C- -> UR
Magnezone: C- -> URFull voting doc is available here as always
POG, peolpe will stop using m banette
it's so over banettebros... was a hell of a ride
also why did hoopa rise that mon is such a fraud
LETS GO KOMMO-O C+ to B-!!
Mega Banette dropping to UU in September because of this ranking change is grade-a hopium. The mon was OU before the council got Stockholm syndromed into ranking it, and it will likely remain OU for a few more months if not the rest of the generation.
If
was even ranked before then what was that thing that made ppl think; hey I should try this Mon?
access to priority encore and destiny bond, along with new ghost stab 110 bp phys ghost off of 165 base attack 2hkos most non resistsIf
ngl yall hating on my son the buffs banette has been getting over generations has to be studied big stab move and sd + encore are good buffs. Encore imo is the reason you can even use this guy in ou to begin with. Banette also is a very good hazard blocker outside of it being a ghost type due to it having a very powerful move people never mention infestation + encore makes banette into a trapper even with the limited turns of trapping 165 attack and 110 bp stab is more then enough to get the trap so if you try and get a defog off thinking ur safe sure u get the defog but now you lost ur corv lando zap molt etc and the banette still has destiny bond + encore to stop set up. I havent played much at all since the zama ban which banette was a good answer to it but during that time the darks either had to trade with the banette or had to get it lower and finish it off with priority. So the issue is booster energy/terrain seed mons but worst case you still get the trade or force them into a status move and get a free switch. I do want to mention scizor has its a really good answer to the non willo variants but really fast banette still should be able to trade/prevent set up. This mon is super fucking niche and shouldnt just be slapped on to any team and there are better megas but banette has a role that no other mon can do what banette does only thing that comes close is iron valiant. PEOPLE OF NATDEX you should at least try and use mega banette. Yall think he is a destiny bond merchant in reality he is an encore merchant get into the gen 9 banette mind set not the gen 6 banette mind set!!!
the buffs banette has been getting over generations has to be studied big stab move and sd + encore are good buffs. Encore imo is the reason you can even use this guy in ou to begin with. Banette also is a very good hazard blocker outside of it being a ghost type due to it having a very powerful move people never mention infestation + encore makes banette into a trapper even with the limited turns of trapping 165 attack and 110 bp stab is more then enough to get the trap so if you try and get a defog off thinking ur safe sure u get the defog but now you lost ur corv lando zap molt etc and the banette still has destiny bond + encore to stop set up. I havent played much at all since the zama ban which banette was a good answer to it but during that time the darks either had to trade with the banette or had to get it lower and finish it off with priority. So the issue is booster energy/terrain seed mons but worst case you still get the trade or force them into a status move and get a free switch. I do want to mention scizor has its a really good answer to the non willo variants but really fast banette still should be able to trade/prevent set up. This mon is super fucking niche and shouldnt just be slapped on to any team and there are better megas but banette has a role that no other mon can do what banette does only thing that comes close is iron valiant. PEOPLE OF NATDEX you should at least try and use mega banette. Yall think he is a destiny bond merchant in reality he is an encore merchant get into the gen 9 banette mind set not the gen 6 banette mind set!!!
It was less known before and the bag of tricks it has were good enough to keep it relevant. Being a Ghost type gave it one of the few rare trades of being excellent into most of the Zamazenta variants seen around (Iron Defense + Body Press but it did well into Boots and sometimes CB).If
The niche died as soon as Zamazenta got banned with the fact people were aware of how this mon works for a good while (the raise of M-Tyranitar and Darkrai didn't help either).
A true Gigachad has spoken. Imo the reason why Mega Banette dropped is because most players in ladder just don't know how to make the most of it. To me, Mega Banette is a mon with a high skill sealing, of which most ladder players know very little of. Getting that read of a Quiver Dance Volcarona or Stealth Rocks from Ferrothorn is a very satisfting feeling with M-Banette, but most of ladder players just use it as an emergencyngl yall hating on my son
This was my initial belief with Mbanette, hell I made a whole discussion of why I tought Mbanette was nothing but a ladder terror back then. But now, that is no longer my belief, while I do think he is flawed for sure, in the right hands, this thing can shred threw teams. 165 atk for one is no joke, and a 110 base power Ghost move isn't either. And while he is slow at 75 speed, it's made it for with Prankster, with he can use to disrupt offensive treads. So it has the capabilites of being a Wallbreaker that can also be an offensive disruptor, which imo is really good role compreshion for offensive and balaced teams. #Encore4MegaBanette
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It aint truly over, my Banettebro. This is only but a phase.
ngl yall hating on my son
right I guess I’ll just be THAT guy again…
People know how to use it. They’ve explored it for a while at this point: we’ve seen what it can do and what options are there, and it just does not work in practice. Rather than repeat what I’ve said about this Mon again, I’ll just-
So it’s not niche, it’s awful and hopefully will find its way to a lower tier where it may be useful. Maybe. Also no, infestation sets are not good either. They’ve been tried. They do not work.
yep, it just helped spur the movement along. poltergeist is nasty
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