Resource NU Viability Rankings

[Birdbrain103]

Nominating the bird

UR > B/B+
The effects of the tier shift was the best gift this mon could ever ask for. 4 mons which presented huge issues to Staraptor's usability are now gone.
moved from NU to RU
Fat, splashable 4x Flying resist that poses a massive offensive threat if Staraptor ever clicked brave bird at all. Being paired with fat mons to scout close combat like Slowbro did Staraptor no favors
moved from NU to RU
Fat, splashable regenerator pivot that could easily scout out a move from Staraptor with ease and wear it out with recoil, even more so if it ran helmet.
moved from NU to UU
Super fat rock type that set rocks and could threaten the bird with a OHKO while taking peanuts from it's stabs and coverage while threatening hazard removers.
moved from NU to RU
Faster electric pivot that could easily take a brave bird and OHKO in return.

All of this leaves the tier with few strong flying resists, and even those that resist it don't want to take a hit from a banded or tera flying staraptor. Resisting the attack alone is not enough. Splashable defensive pivots balance enjoys drop in two hits or less like , , ,
252 Atk Choice Band Reckless Staraptor Brave Bird vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Copperajah: 225-266 (50.2 - 59.3%)
252 Atk Choice Band Reckless Staraptor Brave Bird vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Klefki: 179-211 (56.2 - 66.3%)
252 Atk Choice Band Reckless Staraptor Brave Bird vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Kilowattrel: 251-296 (89.3 - 105.3%) -- 37.5% chance to OHKO
252 Atk Choice Band Reckless Staraptor Brave Bird vs. 248 HP / 28 Def Talonflame: 424-501 (118.1 - 139.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Choice Band Reckless Staraptor Brave Bird vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Swampert: 256-303 (63.3 - 75%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
-1 252 Atk Choice Band Reckless Staraptor Brave Bird vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Incineroar: 243-286 (61.6 - 72.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Replays:

Despite this, I will admit the mon has some of it's issues such as being stealth rock weak and being weak to priority, however I think the sheer power is well worth the cost given that this Pokemon hits a type that's hard to resist, and in most matchups basically cripples whatever it hits and terrorizes slower teams.

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nu-2154815302-ays9i1zn60jeklwj6sbie2evtthfw7kpw (Vs Balance)

Commentary

Staraptor did amazing this game. It did massive damage to Swampert, Lycanroc Dusk, and managed to knock out a Terastilized Breloom and finally a scary cosmic power Deoxys Defense set for the win. It effectively took the Lycanroc dusk out of commission early on which helped a lot late game. It truly did everything.

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nu-2154764802?p2 (Vs Balance)

Commentary

Staraptor did massive damage to the opponent's somewhat physically invested Diancie and knocked out the bulky spin Tsareena, it also one shot the opponent's Deoxys defense in just one hit.

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nu-2154795405-vwzqupkd97lgm8tx79nn2d8p2f17ftnpw?p2 (Vs HO)

Commentary

Staraptor knocked out the opponent's red card Deoxys Defense in a single blow. This had huge ramifications as it meant no hazards for the opponent so Staraptor could claim a 2nd and 3rd bonus kill before succumbing to the recoil.

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nu-2154826884-xdsu7tqft6s6sa0a52wcp7fwi2zhhzupw?p2 (Vs Balance)

Commentary

Brave Bird did how much to Copperajah?

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nu-2154838354-wyf712xp7xtahfrvdf685ya0zyddum7pw (Vs Trick Room)

Commentary

An end game brave bird lured in the opponent's TR diancie to prevent a comeback from happening with a mighty 2HKO?

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nu-2154855425-1talygq1losgn5xi1whyh3nyy4u9zt0pw?p2 (Vs HO)

Commentary

Staraptor comes in clutch even against the bulkiest of HO mons

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nu-2154864854-mptuvjwa5lj4buadrpnx9mms3zlcbpapw (Vs Balance)

Commentary

Staraptor wipes out Flygon in one shot and cripples Vaporeon's ability to tank moves from Dragalge

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nu-2154869803-zihft49maxe9b45i07adi41c024g2zkpw (Vs Balance)

Commentary

Staraptor 2HKOs a supposed resist while clutching in the end game by removing Milotic from play without even spending a tera, which was then used by Basculegion to go for the win

 

[Heatranator]

Nominating the bird

UR > B/B+
The effects of the tier shift was the best gift this mon could ever ask for. 4 mons which presented huge issues to Staraptor's usability are now gone.
moved from NU to RU
Fat, splashable 4x Flying resist that poses a massive offensive threat if Staraptor ever clicked brave bird at all. Being paired with fat mons to scout close combat like Slowbro did Staraptor no favors
moved from NU to RU
Fat, splashable regenerator pivot that could easily scout out a move from Staraptor with ease and wear it out with recoil, even more so if it ran helmet.
moved from NU to UU
Super fat rock type that set rocks and could threaten the bird with a OHKO while taking peanuts from it's stabs and coverage while threatening hazard removers.
moved from NU to RU
Faster electric pivot that could easily take a brave bird and OHKO in return.

All of this leaves the tier with few strong flying resists, and even those that resist it don't want to take a hit from a banded or tera flying staraptor. Resisting the attack alone is not enough. Splashable defensive pivots balance enjoys drop in two hits or less like , , ,
252 Atk Choice Band Reckless Staraptor Brave Bird vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Copperajah: 225-266 (50.2 - 59.3%)
252 Atk Choice Band Reckless Staraptor Brave Bird vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Klefki: 179-211 (56.2 - 66.3%)
252 Atk Choice Band Reckless Staraptor Brave Bird vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Kilowattrel: 251-296 (89.3 - 105.3%) -- 37.5% chance to OHKO
252 Atk Choice Band Reckless Staraptor Brave Bird vs. 248 HP / 28 Def Talonflame: 424-501 (118.1 - 139.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 Atk Choice Band Reckless Staraptor Brave Bird vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Swampert: 256-303 (63.3 - 75%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
-1 252 Atk Choice Band Reckless Staraptor Brave Bird vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Incineroar: 243-286 (61.6 - 72.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Replays:

Despite this, I will admit the mon has some of it's issues such as being stealth rock weak and being weak to priority, however I think the sheer power is well worth the cost given that this Pokemon hits a type that's hard to resist, and in most matchups basically cripples whatever it hits and terrorizes slower teams.

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nu-2154815302-ays9i1zn60jeklwj6sbie2evtthfw7kpw (Vs Balance)

Commentary

Staraptor did amazing this game. It did massive damage to Swampert, Lycanroc Dusk, and managed to knock out a Terastilized Breloom and finally a scary cosmic power Deoxys Defense set for the win. It effectively took the Lycanroc dusk out of commission early on which helped a lot late game. It truly did everything.

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nu-2154764802?p2 (Vs Balance)

Commentary

Staraptor did massive damage to the opponent's somewhat physically invested Diancie and knocked out the bulky spin Tsareena, it also one shot the opponent's Deoxys defense in just one hit.

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nu-2154795405-vwzqupkd97lgm8tx79nn2d8p2f17ftnpw?p2 (Vs HO)

Commentary

Staraptor knocked out the opponent's red card Deoxys Defense in a single blow. This had huge ramifications as it meant no hazards for the opponent so Staraptor could claim a 2nd and 3rd bonus kill before succumbing to the recoil.

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nu-2154826884-xdsu7tqft6s6sa0a52wcp7fwi2zhhzupw?p2 (Vs Balance)

Commentary

Brave Bird did how much to Copperajah?

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nu-2154838354-wyf712xp7xtahfrvdf685ya0zyddum7pw (Vs Trick Room)

Commentary

An end game brave bird lured in the opponent's TR diancie to prevent a comeback from happening with a mighty 2HKO?

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nu-2154855425-1talygq1losgn5xi1whyh3nyy4u9zt0pw?p2 (Vs HO)

Commentary

Staraptor comes in clutch even against the bulkiest of HO mons

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nu-2154864854-mptuvjwa5lj4buadrpnx9mms3zlcbpapw (Vs Balance)

Commentary

Staraptor wipes out Flygon in one shot and cripples Vaporeon's ability to tank moves from Dragalge

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nu-2154869803-zihft49maxe9b45i07adi41c024g2zkpw (Vs Balance)

Commentary

Staraptor 2HKOs a supposed resist while clutching in the end game by removing Milotic from play without even spending a tera, which was then used by Basculegion to go for the win

Would like to second this nom. Staraptor could already do well before the tier shifts, but those mons leaving absolutely helped it a ton. Nothing really compares to the power of cb staraptor and unlike the usual 'powerful, but has other bad stats' mons, staraptor has decent enough speed to outspeed a lot of the meta, with 8 mons outspeeding it naturally, and non of those want to take staraptors hits. Longevity is an issue for raptor, but usually when its been ko'd its opened massive holes for its team to take advantage of, which allows scarfers (who also help it against faster mons) can easily clean up.

 

[Yoshi]

Hello everybody, Smogon Tour 24 competitor Yoshizilla315 here, back and better than ever or whatever. This metagame is genuinely enjoyable (unlikely a certain generation 8) and I've been having a blast with this ladder tour, so naturally I've collected some thoughts that I'd like to share.

A to A+
This Pokémon is absolutely heat. My limited experience with this meta has already taught me this. Sure, Slowbro just rose but with Drought gone, as a Poison-type I think it's way easier to slot on a team + poison other mons, and no doubt the best Dark-type in a tier that we know needs more. I've been cooking with the sauce on the ladder with this guy courtesy of PowerOfMemes the goat. Also, he shits down Cresselias' and some Deo-D sets necks', so that's a big positive.

B+ to A-
A lot of people have been talking about this guy in the Showdown chat and it's been easy for me to see why. Focus Sash sets with Poltergeist + Spikes is a perfect lead, as it 2HKOs almost anything that doesn't resist or isn't immune. I recognize things like Slowbro and Rhyperior rose, making this seemingly less necessary, but I'd like to add that a lot of its threats rose in conglomerate, and many new targets (see: Deoxys-D, Cresselia) fell. And those new targets are making a lot of waves. Also, as I said with Muk, Drought being banned makes it way easier to fit on teams because it's not getting outsped, countered, or outclassed by Sun / other Grass-types. Just all around really great utility in this meta.

B+ to A-
He tears ass up. No further recommendation required. (+2 252 Atk Life Orb Sheer Force Feraligatr Crunch vs. 248 HP / 160+ Def Deoxys-Defense: 278-328 (91.7 - 108.2%) -- 50% chance to OHKO)

NEW to A+
EVERYBODY knows this Pokémon goes crazy. The utility is off the charts: Psychic Noise, Taunt, Spikes, Stealth Rock, Thunder Wave, Trick, Knock Off, AND not to mention both Cosmic Power and Iron Defense. It's quite possibly one of the easiest Pokémon to slap on a team right now just because of how good it is as a utility sponge, never mind a late-game win condition with Cosmic Power + Tera Steel to dodge Toxic from Alolan Muk. He laughs in the face of Vaporeon. He eats the spawn of pivoters with the help of Rocky Helmet. AND despite his bulk, he has more than enough Speed to recover in the face of, say, a Breloom, if he has a Cosmic Power up. If he gets poisoned, Dark-types are amuk (pun intended), or there's a Specs Chandelure, things obviously get a little dicey. But there's no doubt that this mon isn't fantastic.

NEW to A-
I think some of you guys are sleeping a little too hard on this young GOAT. If I've learned anything these past several days, its that this little scrapper hits, while not fast, very very hard. There are very few things you don't just blow away with a Close Combat or Bullet Seed, and the things you don't, don't take kindly to Aerial Ace and/or Rock Tomb. Plus Mach Punch makes Breloom another mon forcing set-up sweepers into running the ever-predictable Tera Ghost. If you can get Breloom in on a mon slower than it, 7 times out of 10 in your head you say "pick one". And to be quite frank the 50/50s you often face with banded are exhilarating.

Also +2 to the Staraptor nom. Huge wallbreaker.

 

[PowerOfMemes]

While our Dark-types are good, they all have annoying downsides, making fitting one difficult on some teams that'd love its utility otherwise. Incineroar and Alolan Muk are blown back by an Earthquake, and, with how easy it is to gain a Ground weakness on teams in this metagame, these Pokemon can be more detrimental than beneficial at times. Umbreon isn't as slappable as the first two and is quite passive, so it gets relegated to bulky balance or fatter teams. And, while Brute Bonnet may be tempting with priority and a Scald switch-in on Covert Cloak sets, it's easily annihilated by the omnipresent U-turn, as it's OHKOed, if not 2HKOed, by it from offensive and defensive Pokemon alike. So, I continued rummaging through the tiers until I found an old NU relic of a bygone era.

UR -> B-

set

Bombirdier @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Big Pecks
Tera Type: Steel / Poison
EVs: 248 HP / 180 SpD / 80 Spe
Careful Nature
- Knock Off
- U-turn / Parting Shot
- Roost
- Stealth Rock

Bombirdier can provide many traits that the other Dark-types simply cannot. First off, for those otherwise Ground weak teams, it provides an immunity which helps it check against Swampert and Choice Scarf Flygon alike. It also has Knock Off, which to of our other Dark-types have access to but, they can't take advantage of it as easily as Bombirdier can, thanks to its movepool blessing it with Stealth Rock. Its part Dark typing, combined with the aforementioned traits (Knock Off + Stealth Rock), allows it to cripple Incineroar for teammates like Chandelure, Brambleghast, or Munkidori. Its pivoting is also immensely useful to not become passive and let it be taken advantage of as easily as Umbreon, Alolan Muk, and Brute Bonnet are. Bombirdier also has a leg, or talon (badum tss), up on Incineroar with its access to healing, granting it true longevity. As for my EVs, I ran enough Speed investment to outpace Adamant Incineroar while being as specially defensive as possible.

theorymonning a bit

I could also set other sets existing with Bombirdier however. Due to how we loss our best offensive Dark-type, Krookodile, in the last shifts, I think a Choice Scarf set could work well with its decent Speed tier (outpaces Choice Scarf Basculegion and base 80s) and access to high-Base Power moves like Brave Bird, Stone Edge, and (boosted) Knock Off. Utility sets could also opt for Taunt to annoy walls like Quagsire, Vileplume, Vaporeon, and Umbreon.

Replays

vs Hazard Stack Offense (I had Scald by accident)
vs Shengineer's CB LycanDusk
vs Wadley's Bulky Balance
Rabia and Pokeaim's Live

Now, onto normal nominations.

New -> A-
This thing has only two main sets: Choice Band and Swords Dance. And, both are very scary to face. Choice Band obviously requires prediction, but it also has the coverage to hit all of its checks even if it's forced to pick only one of Rock Tomb, Aerial Ace, and Bulldoze. Also, if it doesn't want to risk contact punishment, it can click Bullet Seed, which does a disgusting 10% per hit to Talonflame and Galarian Slowbro. Mach Punch is also very powerful and easy to clean with in some games. While Swords Dance also has to pick its coverage, it can switch up its moves. However, it's usually left to predict or is forced to Terastallize against a Talonflame. Breloom's many Tera types are also annoying to deal with. Tera Fire can both let Breloom absorb Will-O-Wisp while letting it eat one Fire-tyoe attack, Tera Rock gives it a Brave Bird resistance and boosts Rock Tomb, Tera Steel can easily flip the Vileplume matchup, and Tera Fighting isn't fun taking Close Combat or Mach Punch from.

New -> A+
Everyone's raving about the Cosmic Power set and especially Taunt variants, but I don't really think it's a pain to handle overall. If you have a Pokemon that checks Cresselia, which you should, you should hace one that checks Deoxys-D. Sure, Deoxys-D can Taunt slow Haze users or Toxic attempts, but, if it's Taunt, then it's taken advantage of by a fair bit in my opinion. While not broken, this Pokemon isn't very healthy for the metagame either, but its healthier sets I believe can counteract it's more annoying ones at the moment. Spikes, Knock Off, Psychic Noise, Taunt, Stealth Rock, Thunder Wave, Night Shade, Teleport—what more utility could you want?

B+ -> A-
With the loss of Slowbro, it might seem Inteleon lost its niche, but, if anything, its just become nore dominant overall. Choice Specs set are just annoying to switch in to, and they easily farm Water-immune Pokemon by clicking U-turn and bringing in something to abuse them *cough* Toxicroak *cough*. With how Cresselia and Deoxys-D seem to be wanting to boost up their defenses, Scope Lens has even gained viability and traction, as it eases prediction and can ignore boosts (on a coinflip). Choice Scarf sets are still very potent and great for surprising people, thanks to its rarity and fondness of opting for Choice Specs often instead.

UR -> A-
There was already a nomination above, but this thing is very good right now. Alolan Muk, Vileplume, Vaporeon, Inteleon, Tsareena, and Basculegion are going amok and a check to all of these is amazing. With Drain Punch, it also has some longevity against these Pokemon as well. The combination of its ability to be Water-immune and access to priority that pairs well offensively with its STABs, alongside beating the very good and common Grass- and Dark-types in this metagame definitely warrants it a spot among the best.

Replays

I'm just linking the post because it's 1 am, and I can't be bothered to put the actual games in at this point.

New -> A-/B+
This feels strong and weak all at once. And, just to make matters worse, it has the worst four moveslot syndrome known to man—it can't even decide what ability and item it should have. It wants all of Tail Slap, Bullet Seed, Rock Blast, Triple Axel, Tidy Up, Knock Off, Encore, and Tera Blast (but that's a bit greedy) to be threatening, but I always feel underwhelmed when it tries to have all of its coverage at once. Protective Pads + Skill Link is very powerful, however, and, with Encore + Tidy Up, one coverage move is very strong and makes Cinccino great a breaking mid-game or cleaning late-game. Normal is also a decent typing to be right now with mono attack Night Shade + Taunt on Cosmic Power Deoxys-D existing :pepecringe:.

New -> A
I don't get people shoving this away like it's mid or saying it's not threatening. This is scarier than Cosmic Power Deoxys-D sets. Both are handled the same way, but this is actually threatening offensively compared to how Deoxys-D can be more easily stalled out of attacking or healing PP. Choice Scarf Trick + Calm Mind sets are also very funny to just ruin some checks for Cresselia or a partner. The lack of set diversity however forces me to place it lower than Deoxys-D—this still isn't very healthy either, though.

B -> B+
Its Volt Switch isn't fun to block first of all. Second, its access to a fast Trick is very nice when we're surrounded by both Cresselia and Deoxys-D on both sides (if you want to be dramatic about it). STAB Leaf Storm is also very nice with how defensive and offensive Water-types alike are improving immensely in this meta. It also is good as a plain bulky Nasty Plot + Pain Split set to whittle away at and break teams that rely on Swampert + Talonflame + Grass-type as their defensive core. Will-O-Wisp can also provide strong utility for theae bulky sets.

C -> B
After losing Noivern, we're left with Talonflame, Tsareena, and Avalugg as good defensive spinners. Tentacruel is an unmon, make it B minus rank at this point. The fact that you can compress so many roles like spinner, entry hazard setter, Knock Off user, Steel-type, specially defensive wall—and priority if you're desperate—in one Pokemon is truly a sight to see. It also excels at setting and keeping up Spikes in this meta with the lack of great removal, meaning it supports our one billion wallbreakers immensely.

 

[Segetarius]

Tis' I, that once active user that took 2 weeks off only to come back to a NU tier with Deo-D in it >:(. Figured I'd write a bit to talk about some of the new drops as well as other mons I feel have had a change in their place in the meta and haven't really gotten a ton of recognition for it. I'm gonna preface this by saying that I really have nothing to add to the conversation surrounding Cress and Deo-D, and frankly I'm of the opinion that neither are going to be healthy presences in the meta long-term. On to the other noms:

NEW -> A
I rate Loom a bit higher than others so far, and much of that stems from the fact that I acknowledge how much shit this thing can do that aren't CB and Sash SD. Sure, those are great sets and all, but can we really ignore just how obscene of an ability Poison Heal actually is in a gen where there are no Clerics outside of the Chansey line? Don't get me wrong, Loom is not that bulky, but its defensive profile is nice and with some investment as well as taking advantage of the other options in its movepool, the possibilities are there given time to explore. Besides the obvious good moves like Mach Punch, CC, Bullet Seed, Rock Tomb, Bulldoze, Aerial Ace, and SD that you would expect on Technician sets, let's not ignore options like Sub, Leech Seed, Protect, Toxic, Facade, etc. I guess what I'm trying to say is, there's a lot of depth to explore with Loom, and I for one cannot wait to bow before our bulky SD Facade Loom overlord. Shoutout to Shengineer for shalacking me with ProTox, that was one possibility I hadn't considered.

NEW -> B+
This mon hasn't really changed besides the obvious of losing Expanding Force because GF is full of cowards. Unfortunately for Indeedee, the meta isn't super kind to it. As a terrain setter, it's certainly our best choice, but the terrain abusers are decidedly lacking atm and the playstyle feels like a matchup-fish at best, though it does tear into a lot of traditional HO structures if you can set up. As a Scarfer, Indeedee is fine, but that base 95 speed really lets it down in Flygon's tier, not to mention the plethora of other faster Scarf options. Really was expecting this mon to be better given how dire our Steel situation is, speaking of Steels...

C -> B
Seconding this rise for Slash-A. The role compression is really nice (Steel, Spin, hazards, Knock if ya want, etc.), and while it certainly isn't dethroning Tsar as the best Spinner available to us, it is certainly worth considering on some structures. Main thing holding it back is the agonizing 4MSS that it faces, as well as the slightly problematic 4x fighting weakness, though it is very satisfying to watch the Loom that thought it had a free switch drop to your Ice STAB.

A- -> A
It's no secret that the cat is up there competing for a spot as the new best Dark. Certainly not clear-cut, as Muk-A is also good, but I personally find Incin easy to fit on teams and more useful on a game-to-game basis. SD really helps Incin differentiate itself, as it can pose an immediate threat to the setup Psychics. There's also something to be said for the flexibility that Incin has in its spread, being able to go SpDef or fully offensive as the teambuilder demands.

B- -> B
A lot of people have been hopping on the offensive water train, and early on I heard whispers of Vap being better as a result, but I find Vap to be way too passive, so I picked the alternative Water type Water-immune, Gastro. Obviously it blows that Gastro lost Scald (though it is fun to Ice Beam cocky Looms), but Gastro has many other excellent qualities. It boils down to Gastro feeling much less passive due to a variety of things. Instant recovery means no telegraphed Protects, Ground STAB means you don't lose to Croak, Storm Drain means that if you catch the Water move you pose a legit threat, and there's some flexibility in the last slot. I like rocks because I never thought I'd say this, but fitting rocks on non-offense teams outside of Flygon is surprisingly tricky, but you could also go for Spikes or Clear Smog. Deserving of a small rise to B, where Vap is, definitely feel this mon is at least on par with the water dog.

B+ -> A-
I wasn't sure about making this nom, but I'm sticking to my guns on this. There's been a discussion in the meta thread discussing the problems of building non-offense teams in the tier atm due to how many things there are to cover and the lack of consistent defensive structures, and Umbreon is the closest thing that I've found to a semi-reliable anti-HO mon. Your bulk is good enough to take on just about anything 1v1 and STAB Foul Play really shits on HO bc they can no longer set up in your face. Obviously, the passivity that comes with Wish/Protect recovery blows, but the team support is nice in longer games. Finally, I'd like to say that Toxic is not mandatory on Umbreon, most of the things you want to Toxic run Tera Steel/Poison anyways, so try something different. I've been using Taunt personally, but I could also see Roar or TWave being fine, hell, you could resort to CM/Dark Pulse if you wanted to be really greedy. I encourage you to try this mon out.

Anyways, that's all I've got for now, thanks for reading!

 

[hammer798]

UR -> B-

Pawmot kinda disappeared a while ago under our avalanche of Ground-types, but the rise of Krookodile and Rhyperior have really opened the way for it. As a scarfer, it speed ties Mienshao, and Ice Punch OHKOs Flygon and does a good chunk to Vileplume. Unlike most of our physical scarfers, it pivots with Volt Switch, avoiding Rocky Helmet damage and Effect Spore/Flame Body procs. Paired with some Grass-type coverage to hit the Water / Grounds and you can clear the way pretty cleanly.

 

[Stories]

You thought you saw the last of me, but here's a mid-July VR Update, presented by Phantomistix and yours truly:

New Additions

Araquanid UR -> B - Solid addition that gives more options for webs teams, especially to help in the Cinccino matchup.
Articuno-Galar UR ->B- - Versatile mon that can act as a breaker-pivot hybrid or a setup sweeper.
Breloom UR -> A - Strong AF with decent coverage, PHeal sets are good at stalling out checks and can act as status absorbers if needed.
Cinccino UR -> A- - Great speed, decent coverage, decent utility options, very good as an anti HO option.
Cresselia UR -> A - Setup sets are constricting in the builder and can snowball out of control very quickly.
Deoxys-D UR ->A+ - Best hazard setter in the tier with options like Taunt and Knock Off to enable this, setup sets are just as constricting as Cresselia, if not more.
Decidueye UR -> C - SD and choice sets are decent.
Dudunsparce UR -> B- - Can set up both with Coil and Calm Mind, has good options to help stall out teams with Toxic and Roost.
Grafaiai UR -> B- - Unburden sweeper that was already solid with GTerrain, enjoys PTerrain too.
Hitmonlee UR -> B- - Likes psychic seed a lot more than grassy seed, and blocking terrain enables it even more.
Indeedee-M UR -> B - Terrain setter and solid breaker with specs.
Sceptile UR -> C - Weaker than the other two unburden sweepers, but still a threat.
Staraptor UR -> B- - Where is your switchin?
Toxicroak UR -> A- - Vaporeon is good = Croak is good.

Rises and Drops:

Rises:
Flygon A+ -> S
Lycanroc-Dusk A+ -> S
Talonflame A+ -> S
Basculegion A- -> A
Incineroar A- -> A+
Oricorio-Pom-Pom A- -> A
Swampert A- -> A
Sylveon A- -> A
Diancie B+ -> A-
Feraligatr B+ -> A
Inteleon B+ -> A-
Porygon-Z B+ -> A-
Umbreon B+ -> A-
Slowbro-Galar B -> A
Tentacruel B -> B+
Vaporeon B -> A
Avalugg B- -> B
Wo-Chien B- -> B
Bronzong C -> B
Gligar C -> B-
Heracross C -> B-
Kilowattrel C -> B
Meloetta C -> B+
Thwackey C -> B

Drops:
Mienshao S -> A+
Scovillain A -> UR
Venusaur A -> C -
Copperajah A- -> B+
Tsareena A- -> B+ -
Typhlosion-Hisui B+ -> B
Bellibolt B -> B-
Cetitan B -> B-
Drednaw B -> B-

Rises and Drops (explanations):

Rises:
Flygon A+ -> S - Most used mon in NUPL for a reason. Very versatile and has a solid typing, and we lost the best initial scouting mon (Slowbro).
Lycanroc-Dusk A+ -> S - The raw power helps in breaking a lot of the bulkier stuff that's popping up, can pick and choose its checks.
Talonflame A+ -> S - Second fastest unboosted mon in the tier, best removal in a tier with very lacking options and 2 new setters.
Basculegion A- -> A - Idk tbh, Vileplume is better and Vaporeon is everywhere. I guess it should have been A to begin with?
Incineroar A- -> A+ - Strongest Knock Off in the tier on a physical attacker that doesn't hate Talonflame and Vileplume, and beats Cresselia.
Oricorio-Pom-Pom A- -> A - Really enjoys Reuniclus leaving as it is a noise user that can very comfortably trade with the bird.
Swampert A- -> A - Less competition with Slowbro leaving, slow flip turns are very good rn.
Sylveon A- -> A - Benefits a lot from Magnezone and Reuniclus leaving as they are two mons that could trade with it.
Diancie B+ -> A- - Krook, Zone and Rhyperior are all threats that left the tier, and Reuni often ran coverage for it too.
Feraligatr B+ -> A - Slowbro could annoy it with Colbur berry and Tera + Scald, was underrated to begin with.
Inteleon B+ -> A- - A U-turn spammer that isn't punished by Talonflame, fastest scarfer in the tier.
Porygon-Z B+ -> A- - Reuniclus, Rhyperior, Magnezone could all switch in relatively safely and trade, Krook could revenge kill.
Umbreon B+ -> A- - Umbreon's sheer bulk lets it facetank a lot of matchups, using Toxic and Foul Play to wear down anything that can't directly 2HKO it while passing Wishes to Pokemon that got better this shift like Registeel.
Slowbro-Galar B -> A - As direct a form of competition as one could get just rose to RU, the formerly best Pokemon in the tier Slowbro. Slowbro Galar was already good in the tier even before Slowbro dropped to NU, so it only makes sense for it to take back its rightful place, with a good matchup into Breloom, Vileplume, and being a good generic physical wall.
Tentacruel B -> B+ - Tentacruel is amazing compression featuring a Toxic Spikes absorber, Knock Off user, Rapid Spinner, and pivot with Flip Turn. Liquid Ooze does great into the current Leech Seed spam from Vileplume, Breloom, and Wo-Chien.
Vaporeon B -> A - Slowbro and Magnezone leaving are both amazing for it as it has an easier time wishing and spreading burns now.
Avalugg B- -> B - Gets better with Krook and Slowbro leaving as it can spin much more freely now, and Krook was a physical threat that can knock it and threaten it after tera.
Wo-Chien B- -> B - Amazing stats and utility with Leech Seed, Knock Off, Foul Play, Ruination.
Bronzong C -> B - Gaining popularity as it can set up alongside Cress and Deo and pressure them, very decent as a generic steel with actual abilities it can use.
Gligar C -> B- - Rhyperior was better as a ground that threated Slowbro switchins, Magnezone and Krook leaving both benefit it a lot too.
Heracross C -> B- Despite its terrible longevity, Heracross has next to zero switchins and isn't affected by Talonflame's Flame Body.
Kilowattrel C -> B Kilowattrel was one of the biggest winners from July's tier shifts, seeing its main competition in Thundurus rise to RU, as well as some checks like Reuniclus, Krookdodile, and Rhyperior.
Meloetta C -> B+ Meloetta is a pure bundle of stats with an amazing movepool featuring Knock Off and U-turn, making it an amazing Assault Vest pivot. For some reason the Psychic singer does not get Psychic Noise but c'est la vie.
Thwackey C -> B Thwackey is the monkey behind the scenes for enabling powerful setup sweepers like Grafaiai, Hitmonlee, and Oricorio-Pom-Pom. Its ability to pivot and surprisingly decent movepool and bulk means its not completely useless in that regard, either.

Drops:
Mienshao S ->A+ - Contact punishment from a ever-popular Talonflame and Vileplume and an influx in Tera Ghost users aimed to combat the many Fighting-types in the tier.
Scovillain A -> UR - Drought was banned.
Venusaur A -> C - See above ^ Discount Vileplume at this point.
Copperajah A- -> B+ - Copperajah's lack of recovery is a huge detriment, and this metagame is simply very physically-oriented, making a special wall like Copperajah less valuable.
Tsareena A- -> B+ - With as much contact punishment as there is in the tier, this drop was inevitable. Tera Ghost is omnipresent now which does Tsareena no favors as a Rapid Spinner, and its middling bulk cannot rely on a good typing alone anymore.
Typhlosion-Hisui B+ -> B - Middling in both speed and damage, at least Chandelure is an absolute powerhouse. Drought being banned was no help to it either but Typhlosion-H was admittedly overrated to begin with.
Bellibolt B -> B- - Its passivity lends it to be taken advantage of by new faces such as Cresselia and Poison Heal Breloom. Toxic is simply less valuable in a metagame without two S-tier Regenerator Pokemon.
Cetitan B -> B- - Snow as a playstyle is inconsistent, and we're seeing more forms of speed control like Unburden users, Lucario and Breloom, and Intimidate Incineroar is more common.
Drednaw B -> B- - Still a great Pokemon but thoroughly outclassed by other setup sweepers like Cloyster, Torterra, and even Minior. Drednaw's main boon was a positive matchup against Slowbro which is no longer relevant.

You can find the voting slate here.

 

[Rabia]

-> A
Really strong in this metagame with the prevalence of bulky setup Pokemon it has a free Trick against and Vileplume. It's the best enabler of a lot of our wallbreakers too, with options including Breloom, Mienshao, and even some more niche Pokemon like Paldean Tauros-W.

-> A-
Setup Bronzong is phenomenal in this metagame, and B is not enough of a rise to solidify its place in current tier. It beats Cresselia one-on-one pretty easily, it's the best Flygon counter available, and it's a naturally Toxic-immune bulky setup sweeper, meaning natural counterplay is a bit more limited to Encore and Trick. Other very relevant Pokemon it checks: Cloyster, Sylveon, Cinccino, Torterra, and many more.

-> A-
Great hyper offense Pokemon, whether it's on Sticky Web or whichever Terrain you feel like loading on any given day. My only qualms with it are a reliance on having the right Tera type and coverage move in any given game, but it's been ridiculously easy to run down non-Swampert teams with Iron Thorns for awhile now, and with Krookodile and Magnezone gone, it's even better now.

 

[Yoshi]

Good update!

-> B
I wanna reiterate this nomination from earlier seeing as it wasn't voted on. With Torn, Noivern, etc. gone there is a lot more room for Flying-types and Dark-types are also sparse. I've been running PowerOfMemes' Stealth Rock set with U-Turn and Roost and it's been fantastic as a Knock Off pivot, keeping Cress and Deo-D in check and potentially forcing them to tera. I haven't run any offensive sets but I think CB with U-Turn could be (again) a really solid slow pivot. It's obviously not the easiest Pokemon to put on a team when you want Pokemon like Incineroar and perhaps a rocker with a little more defensive oomph, but I think this is a solid option for anyone building offense in this meta.

(I honestly thought I had some replays when I wrote this but see pom's post above lol).

-> B+
I don't think this is nearly as good as people are making it out to be. Skill Link really isn't all that flashy now that Loaded Dice exists and you can really feel the effects of that in practice with Cinccino's base 95 Attack. A +1 Tail Slap honestly doesn't hit that hard and sets like Power Herb + Dig, I've found, to be far too memey. I guess the Speed is a benefit but idk Inteleon is really good and splashable and is just generally better than Cinccino (these two aren't as incomparable as they seem at a first glance). It's hazard removal? It's HO? It's anti-HO? Idk, it's hard to build with and kinda weak. Steel-types kinda just hard wall it lmao.

Hard agree with these rising.

 

[quziel]

About Cinccino. I spent an hour or two laddering with Cinccino HO yesterday, and it feels, sorta decent, but overall limited. I'd not mind a drop to B+, but I do want to push back against a bit of reasoning from the above post. Skill Link indeed isn't that good now that Loaded Dice exists, however I should point out that Cinccino also gets Technician, and Loaded Dice + Technician means you have a 150-187.5 BP stab rather than the previous 125 BP stab.

I was running it on a "dual mode" HO, which is a concept I've seen thrown about a bit whereby your team is equally happy with your hazards up, and no hazards at all up, and just wants to avoid having opposing hazards up. In that kinda context Cinccino does make sense. There's a fair few mons (see CM Chandy in my team) that really want no rocks on the field, and also fit very well onto hyper offense, and Cinccino does provide fairly solid support for them.

As a final note please run Encore on Cinccino, being able to effectively deny scouting, trap an opponent into recovery (8 pp doesn't go very far), or even Encore into Sucker Punch is valuable as can be, especially on HO where getting a single free turn can become game. You want more coverage, but honestly speaking there's not a ton of Rocks in the tier, and you don't really have coverage for Steels regardless, so you don't really miss having Bullet Seed.

Aka drop Cinccino for being a fairly limited mon in terms of the archetypes it fits on, its bulk making it a bit hard to switch in, and moderate moveslot issues, not because of a Skill Link.

 

[Diamonds_realm]

The C tier is looking quite barren, and I'd like to make a few nominations, as I had spammed quite a bit of electric terrain over the last few days I feel comfortable enough nominating a few mons to at least C

C
This is purely reflective of E-terrains viability not the mon itself, pincurchin is quite bad otherwise

C
The calm mind strength sap set has a niche over other unburden sweepers in being harder to immediately knock out, however lacking in immediate power in return, I posted a few of my many drifblim replays on my team bazaar post and it can most certainly run through hyper-offense teams lacking the ability break through it fast enough before it sets up 2-3 CMs, lycanroc-dusks ban should be additionally helpful for this

C
Immediate speed in terrain is the main appeal, outpacing most relevant weather sweepers and unburden users, with timid outpacing adamant grafaiai and sceptile, the main drawback being, outside of terrain boosted thunderbolts, the immediate power can feel lacking without managing a nasty plot boost and frailty makes it hard to set up safely as well as easy for priority to pick off. Still, worthy of at least consideration for C tier IMO.

A-
Rabia already explained quite a bit of the reasoning behind iron thorns in his post so I won't repeat what he said, but wanted to add that this by far was the most consistent mon on electric terrain, not needing to hold booster energy to activate quark drive opens up plenty of other options for its held item, loaded dice with pin missile, electric seed for more bulk to set up with, air balloon for the initial ground immunity, iron thorns was almost always either sweeping or breaking a considerable hole in the opposition

Overall, E-terrain is still fairly niche so I'm unsurprised if this post goes overlooked, but wanted to give it a shout at the very least because I do believe it's solid enough to at least have ranked on the VR

 

[658Greninja]

Been playing some NU and having a blast. Here’s my loosely based takes on the tier.


A > A+/S-
Lucario has been tearing up NU for a while now. Teams either need to pray for Flame Body procs with Talonflame, or exhaust a Tera Ghost. Little to nothing in the tier can survive a +2 hit, and the Steel typing gives it ample opportunities to set up. It deserves a higher ranking off its impact on SV NU alone.


B > A
Bronzong achieved staple status through its SR sets, but more prominently, the Double Dance set. With its Steel typing and more immediately threatening Body Press, I actually find it more consistent at cleaning than Cress. It also finds itself being one of tier’s most consistent Flygon checks. Not having to compete with Deodorant anymore is a huge boon. It’s not A+ material due to its vulnerability to Knock and lack of recovery, but Zong can be accompanied by Wish Passers like Vapo.


B > B+
I agree this thing is goated. The most common checks are Pert and Scarf Gon, both of which can be setup on with a well-timed Tera Flying which also has the benefit of resisting Loom’s Mach Punch. Thorns’ solid natural physical bulk means it can shrug off priority from the likes of Lucario and Croak. Losing competition with Gatr is another plus.


A > A+
A+ tier is looking barren, so let’s do something about it, starting with proposing a rise for Glowbro. Glowbro can pivot around dangerous Fighting types like Mienshao, Gallade, and Breloom, letting its teammates such as Talonflame keep Boots up. Its solid offenses and wide movepool lets it hit a majority of the NU meta for big dmg. Glowbro remains verdatile with a 3-attacks Slack Off set, AV, CM, or Double Dance set while remaining healthy thanks to Regenerator. Having such a reliable defensive backbone eases the damage dealt to offense and defensive teams alike.


A > A-
The tier is littered with Poison and Steel types, many of which eat Sylveon alive. It faces competition for Wish Passing with fellow Eeveelution Vaporeon and has a fair bit of competition with its Specs set. Sylveon’s middling speed means it gets shafted by other special breakers like Munki, Chandy, Intel, and PZ who boast better speed tiers in NU’s offensively-oriented environment. Offensive Sylv also faces competition with Offensive Diancie who packs rocks and Trick Room to patch its awful speed tier. That being said, Sylveon is still good. Specs Hyper Voice is still a big fat nuke button and it can find opportunities off Choice-Locked Flygon and Mienshao.


A- > B+/B+ > A-
I think these two should swap, and the main reason being Lucario. Hyphlosion is one of the few mons that can rkill Lucario and in this meta without burning Tera, that’s a major boon. The speed difference also helps in other matchups. Outpacing Bramble, PZ, Gallade, Melo, and Bombirdier. With how common Incineroar is and its access Focus Blast to smack it, Hyphlosion fits with the meta more than Chandelure does. However Chandy threatens the bulky waters of the tier more easily, so the comparison is not one-sided, but still.

 

[Phantomistix]

UR -> B/B+

I've been using it a ton for a while now and it's impressed me a lot. The 2 sets I've tried are specs and Sub + 3 Attacks. I've also ran into the Knock Off + Toxic + Draco/DTail disrputor set and that hasn't looked too bad either, but I haven't been personally tempted to use it since it takes too long to be useful in a very fast paced meta, and that set specifically competes with Incin which is very hard to drop rn.

Specs

Goodra @ Choice Specs
Ability: Sap Sipper
Tera Type: Dragon
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Flamethrower
- Thunderbolt
- Surf / Slude Bomb / Dragon Pulse

Nothing crazy, just utilizes Goodra's very respectable base 110 SpA and deep movepool to break teams. Muk-A is barely a one time switchin (and gets 2HKO'd by Tera Dragon) from full. Even full SDef Umbreon can drop from full from 2 tera dragon Dracos, but the chance for that is incredibly slim. The great natural special bulk and ability provide it with many opportunities to switch in, and it pairs excellently with the various cleaners we have available.

Sub + 3 Attacks

Goodra @ Leftovers
Ability: Sap Sipper
Tera Type: Poison
EVs: 252 SpA / 64 SpD / 192 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Draco Meteor
- Acid Spray
- Flamethrower

This set has done me wonders whenever I've used it. I've ran it exclusively on my LT run so far this cycle, and it has put in work in almost every game, carrying me to 20-1, 1445 elo. There are many scenarios where you can get a sub up, again due to your bulk and ability, and once you are behind one you are VERY scary. Acid Spray + Draco kills everything in the tier. Even in matchups where you don't get to sub up, you are still a very threatening mon as you OHKO virtually every offensive threat that tries to hard switch into you, and AS + Draco takes care of every single defensive tool in the tier.

Overall the mon does very well to abuse common options like Choiced fire types, Vileplume, Cresselia, Muk-A, Vaporeon, Umbreon and many more, and is most definitely a solid, consistent option that needs to be used a lot more.

 

[LessThanThreeMan]

Tauros-Paldea-Aqua UR -> A-

Water Tauros massively benefits from slowbro rising to RU, is no longer competing with feraligatr (even though it was a good gatr check too), and most importantly it is really strong into the top tier incineroar. Band has few switch ins if you click the right move (notably banded zen headbutt 2 shots plume), and bulk up is very strong as well. I think the water bull is one of the better offensive mons in the tier right now and is ladder is starting to catch on as well. Aqua jet is great priority to have and it is also worth noting that it soft checks flygon as well.

Replays: 1, 2, 3, 4

Relevant Calcs

Vileplume
252 Atk Choice Band Tauros-Paldea-Aqua Zen Headbutt vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Vileplume: 186-220 (52.5 - 62.1%) -- 98.8% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

Vaporeon
252 Atk Choice Band Tauros-Paldea-Aqua Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Vaporeon: 256-303 (55.1 - 65.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Flygon
252 Atk Choice Band Tauros-Paldea-Aqua Close Combat vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Flygon: 313-370 (103.9 - 122.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
(band flygon is a roll to 2 hit but it can come in on any other physical set) -1 252 Atk Choice Band Flygon Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Tauros-Paldea-Aqua: 130-154 (44.6 - 52.9%) -- 23.8% chance to 2HKO

Amuk
252 Atk Choice Band Tauros-Paldea-Aqua Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Muk-Alola: 331-391 (79.9 - 94.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
-1 4 Atk Muk-Alola Poison Jab vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Tauros-Paldea-Aqua: 58-69 (19.9 - 23.7%) -- possible 5HKO

Brambleghast
252 Atk Choice Band Tauros-Paldea-Aqua Wave Crash vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Brambleghast: 174-206 (69.3 - 82%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Dragalge
252 Atk Choice Band Tauros-Paldea-Aqua Zen Headbutt vs. 252 HP / 200+ Def Dragalge: 190-224 (56.8 - 67%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Choice Band Tauros-Paldea-Aqua Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 200+ Def Dragalge: 236-278 (70.6 - 83.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Choice Band Tera Water Tauros-Paldea-Aqua Wave Crash vs. 252 HP / 200+ Def Dragalge: 141-167 (42.2 - 50%) -- 34.4% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery

Slowbro-Galar
252 Atk Choice Band Tauros-Paldea-Aqua Wave Crash vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Slowbro-Galar: 195-229 (49.4 - 58.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock

Also

Tauros-Paldea-Blaze UR -> B
I know I don't have replays here, but a lot of the relevant calcs from above still apply here. Notably you trade your plume weakness for a talonflame weakness. It is still a good check to Incineroar (but it has to worry a little about earthquake instead of wisp) and still a great knock switch in. You do lose access to priority which is another reason why I think the aqua form is better, but blaze is still good enough to warrant a spot on the VR as well in my opinion.

 

[LessThanThreeMan]

Some other thoughts that I won't elaborate too much on:

Talonflame S -> A+
Talonflame is still the best removal but it feels more exploitable now. Incin being on almost every team isn't helping it either (and they are competing for the fire slot)

Incineroar A+ -> S
Incin is easily one of the most splashable mons in the tier right now, and it is the best dark type in a tier where that feels more and more like a requirement.

Brambleghast B+ -> A-
I think bramble is the second best removal in the tier currently and while it may not be the most reliable spinner of all time, it is just a really good offensive mon.

Toxtricity B+ -> A-
Easily one of the best special breakers in the tier. It would be even higher with a little more speed.

Bronzong B -> A-
Demon sets 1v1 cresselia, it is a solid flygon check (which we are short on), is becoming a staple on boots spam teams (which as removal gets worse is an archetype that is getting better in my opinion), and I think it is our best bulky steel alongside klefki.

Iron Thorns B -> B+
I just think we had this rated too low. Very solid and scary mon on HO. I don't think it is as splashable as some of the other HO mons which is why I didn't nom it higher. It could easily be A- as well.

 

[Stories]

UR -> C
So there's been a lot of (justified) discussion about Flygon, particularly the Dragon Dance set. I already posted a team with this Pokemon, but I think Orthworm is a pretty legit Pokemon, similar to Bronzong in that it's a Steel-type immune to ground. Although Bronzong has Future Sight and better special bulk, Orthworm has a faster and stronger Body Press to hit threats to Bronzong like Incineroar, as well as access to Spikes. While I don't think Orthworm is some meta-defining wall, but it should at least be considered in a similar vein to Bronzong.

 

[PowerOfMemes]

UR -> B-
With Knock Off + Stealth Rock, Bombirdier can force progress for itself, and it can keep up the momentum with U-turn. I still believe in the specially defensive set on the post that I did earlier, but recently, I've been experimenting with a lead set that's similar to the ones we ran earlier in the generation.

Lead Bombirdier Set

Bombirdier @ Focus Sash
Ability: Rocky Payload
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Rock Tomb / Rock Blast
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt
- Memento

Unlike any other lead, Bombirdier can simultaneously set up Stealth Rock and bother opponents with both Rock Tomb Speed drops and Taunt—all while not sacrificing momentum thanks to Memento, easing set up for a partner. Rock Blast could also be used to deal with Galvantula on lead, but Rock Tomb provides more utility overall. And, Bombirdier enjoys having Brambleghast as a second lead option for these matchups anyways. The team I built and used specifically was this one. In no way am I saying that this is an optimal team, but in the replays below, Bombirdier is shown to be a good lead. Also, there are some older replays there using stories's hyper offense as well.

Replays

current meta:
#1
#2
#3
#4
gatr + deod meta:
#1
#2
#3
#4

 

[Shagg51]

I’ve been playing nu for some time now, but I haven’t made any nominations for the viability rankings yet. I’m looking to change that today.

UR->B/B-

Scream tail manages to make itself a very decent support pick in the current meta. It is one of the only Pokémon in the tier with the ability to regularly stand up to the powerful gallade, as even crit night slashes only do around 40 percent. It’s also very fast, capable of getting the jump on and encoring set up sweepers such as cresselia, diancie, porygon z, bronzong, and sylveon. Its bulk also allows it to get on the field rather safely for the most part. Its primary flaw is its passivity. The support set lacks the power that something like sylveon or florges would have. Scream tail trades this power for a unique choice of support options(I prefer encore, but Rocks and T wave are also usable) and a unique matchup spread, which it earns through its speed, bulk and typing. Hell, there might be room for offensive sets in this meta. I have yet to try them, but a booster scream tail is capable of outspeeding things as fast as a +2 cloyster. I do not know how viable offensive sets are, but there could be some potential.

Replays

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nu-2172748445

In this game against Yahboyomi, you can see how effective scream tail was at keeping things in check. While it had a rough start against bronzong, it was able to come back and keep all of incineroar, bronzong and even iron thorns at bay, with the rock slide lock in being very important for the win. The combined defensive prowess of scream tail, vileplume and incineroar was able to defend against their team, even if they admittedly got greedy with wish passing.

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nu-2173330697?p2

This match against bda is the one that allowed me to qualify for playoffs and I can thank the entire team, including scream tail, for it. Scream tail starts off strong, by locking the heracross into knock off in order to keep it from setting up spikes. From here, it is able to 1v1 the heracross easily and force it out, chipping Cincinno before being forced out. Scream tail makes its return at the end of the game. Despite getting tricked a choice scarf by gallade, it still out damages it and brings it down. It even outspeeds and kills the cloyster after a shell smash thanks to the scarf! Both florges and sylveon would struggle to switch into the gallade, but scream tail is able to take the game due to it’s unique traits.

A+->S

I agree with this nomination. Incineroar is phenomenal. The swords dance set in Particular is great for powering through things like cresselia for example. It’s typing, access to great moves like knock off and u turn, bulk, and power all combine to make an amazing and splashable Mon.

A->A-

great Pokémon and all, but it feels a bit too flawed for A. Steels are becoming more defined in the meta and it is easily revenged and forced out by the omnipresent flygon. It’s still a great and scary wall breaker, but not an A rank Pokémon in my opinion.

A->A+

I agree that A+ rank could use more mons and these 4 are the perfect candidates if you ask me. Cloyster and lucario are the strongest mons on hyper offense currently with Lucario being a check demanding, Tera forcing breaker/cleaner, and cloyster being a powerful cleaner with a plethora of options for it’s 4th move. Gallade has risen to dominance as the best balance breaker the tier has to offer with tons of good sets like sd, agility, scope lens, and scarf. Vileplume feels amazing right now, being able to handle most of the physical attackers in the tier quite easily while chipping switch ins with sludge bomb. Plume feels less overworked without feraligatr in the tier too, meaning it can check other threats on some physically intensive teams more often. Tera steel also allows it to be a great cloyster check.

 

[Pika134]

Rises

-> A+
I think Slowbro-Galar is the best physical wall in NU. It checks many of the physical wallbreakers and Fighting-types is really useful. CM sets are really good with the combination of Sludge Bomb and Flamethrower hitting many of Pokemon in NU. Other sets like AV or Double Dance are solid and with regenerator it let's it maintain being healthy to still check of the physical wallbreakers.

-> A+
Despite Vileplume facing competition with Slowbro-Galar I think it's still a respectable threat that can still destroy any opponents team. It pairs well with Talonflame making any Pokemon that used any connect moves a pain since they have to worried about both having to deal with Effect Spore or Flame Body.

-> A+
Vaporeon is the best bulky Water in the tier. Having Haze is really useful for stopping bulky setup users like Cresselia is really useful. It also helps that Vaporeon fits on many balance and stall teams for its massive Wishs and checking many of the offensive Water-types is really appreciated in this meta game.

-> A-
Bronzong has gotten a lot better as the premier Flygon check. The Double Dance sets are really good it can snowball a game when it gets going and Stealth Rock sets are really solid with the combination of Psychic Noise and Body Press.

-> A-
I absolutely agree with LessThanThreeMan that Tauros-Paldea-Aqua is really good. It checking Incineroar is very huge since most of the common pokemon don't like the combination of Flare Blitz and Knock Off. Bulk Up sets can make Tauros a lot harder to revenge kill, but the Choice Band sets is definitely the best for its sheer power with a spammable Close Combat and Wave Crash makes it even more harder for bulky waters to switch in.

Drops

-> A-
While Cresselia is definitely scary when it gets going, but I think there many flaws that made Cresselia a bit worse. Being weak to the common Dark-types of Incineroar and Alolan Muk isn't the greatest and you don't do a lot of damage. It doesn't help that with the rise of Bronzong being a better bulky setup and Vaporeon running Haze making it a lot more harder for Cresselia. I want to mention Cresselia is still scary Pokemon when it gets going, but there are many problems that makes Cresselia not broken.

-> A-
The more I think about Breloom the more I think it's kinda mid. It suffers from the four moveslot syndrome from both CB and SD sets. It struggles against Slowbro-Galar, Vileplume, and Talonflame since if it chooses a coverage move like Bulldoze for Slowbro-Galar then it struggles against the other two. Even as a SD sweeper Toxicroak is just a better version of Breloom, since it has better coverage, and it's water immunity is very useful for many teams. Breloom is still a scary wallbreaker, but I don't feel like it deserves to be on the A ranks.

 

[aim]

Raikou is ass, respectfully. down to C

 

[Spiny-Z]

C -> B+

Defensive Pivot Milotic

Milotic @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Marvel Scale
Tera Type: Electric
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Dragon Tail
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Despite suffering constant comparison with , I think is definitly under rated.
Its bulk (both Physical and Special) is equal to Vapo, and his physical bulk greatly surpass him when Multiscale gets activated.
On top of that, this set allows it to completely ignore Status and flips lots of matchups that would otherwhise be not favorable.
Not mentionning its above average speed for a Defensive Pivot, that can even allow for some nasty Sleep Talk Dragon Tail + Hazard Spam shenanigans.
Bonus Satisfaction Points : Taking a Cinccino tail slap on switch and inflicting 66-83% of his HP with Rocky Helmet

 

[PowerOfMemes]

UR -> B-

With the rise of Toxicroak, I feel that Palossand itself is now becoming more viable as a Ground-type due to being able to counter it. It also provides more support than just this, though. Obviously, it has entry hazard support in Stealth Rock, but it can also spread status somewhat annoyingly with Scorching Sands and Sludge Bomb. Also, unlike every other one of our Ground-types, it actually has longevity, thanks to Shore Up. Now, I haven't got a chance to amass replays, and if this gets ignored because of that, it's fine; I'll make another post. But, I truly believe Palossand has a spot here in NU.

palossand set

Palossand @ No Item / Leftovers / Rocky Helmet
Ability: Water Compaction
Tera Type: Dragon / Fairy / Water
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
- Scorching Sands / Earth Power
- Shadow Ball / Sludge Bomb
- Shore Up
- Stealth Rock

No item gives you an immunity to Poltergeist, which means Tera Dragon can wall Brambleghast, and it decreases Knock Off damage. Leftovers means you don't have to waste as many turns healing, though, and Rocky Helmet is nice to punish physical attackers. Scorching Sands + Shadow Ball ensures you only fish for burns whereas Earth Power + Sludge Bomb goes for poisons. Night Shade can be used for consistent damage, but I'm not sure of its overall effectiveness.

 

[Rabia]

New Additions

-> C Acceptable pivot alternative to Incineroar mostly due to Roost, Stealth Rock opens up other options for teammates
-> B- Knock Off and Toxic are good progress-making tools even against its best checks. Decent special bulk insurance to check foes like Chandelure and Porygon-Z in a pinch.
-> B- Cool Bronzong alternative that has Spikes and heals off the Earthquakes it catches, also not being weak to Dark or Ghost is helpful.
-> B- Choice Scarf is a good pivot, Revival Blessing still has some fringe use to support bulky setup Pokemon like Cresselia and Bronzong. Better at wallbreaking with bulky Ground- and Grass-types at a low point.
-> C Toxicroak stomper, good pivot punisher.
-> C Electric Terrain teams are viable.
-> B- Good disruptor with Encore, good Wish passer, probably the best defensive Gallade answer available, passable HO weapon with Calm Mind + Speed Booster Energy.
-> B+ Great setup sweeper with Bulk Up as Vileplume's usage trends down and nothing has truly been capable of replicating what Slowbro did. Banning of competition further solidifying its spot, and Choice Scarf sets even are good. Positive Incineroar matchup is more important than ever.
-> B- Lots of similar traits to Water Tauros except it's an even better Incineroar answer.

Rises

A -> A+ Insane wallbreaker with minimal reliable defensive counterplay. Offensive counterplay can get run down by Agility sets or Swords Dance + Shadow Sneak.
A- -> A One of the fastest unboosted Pokemon available, so offensive checks are pretty limited. Defensively, Vaporeon and some other special walls with good Tera types suffice, but U-turn does make them a bit less consistent than you'd like.
A- -> A Even with a lot of the Fighting-types banned, we still have a million! And Munkidori happens to enable them super effectively. Choice Scarf sets with Trick are peaking.
B -> A Great Flygon answer, and IronPress in general shuts down a good amount of physical wallbreakers. Double dance sets can beat Cresselia one-on-one.
B+ -> A- Has a decent Speed advantage against some of the mid-tier wallbreakers like Gallade, Breloom, Heracross, etc.. Was probably better in the Lucario metagame.
B -> B+ As more physical setup sweepers get banned, there's a bit more space for Iron Thorns on such builds. Also, Electric Terrain seeing at least marginal usage helps give it another archetype that it can thrive on and opens up other item options.
B -> B+ Still getting better post-tier shifts. Very hard to stop pivot, with Competitive sets punishing Defog Talonflame teams pretty well.
B- -> B Reaction to certain attackers like Inteleon, Kilowattrel, and Hisuian Typhlosion seeing a bit more usage.
B- -> B Psychic Terrain is better now.
B- -> B Continues picking up momentum because it beats most traditional Fighting-type checks and doesn't care about Talonflame's Flame Body. It can beat Cresselia pretty much regardless of what Tera type the duck uses.
B- -> B It is awful, but it's a mainstay on Psychic Terrain.
B- -> B Mostly was just originally underranked for its role on rain teams.
C -> B- Fine enough functionally, doesn't HATE being statused, Recover being instant is good, pivoting support is always appreciated. Pretty much just a matter of there's so much competition that Milotic's ceiling is pretty low.

Drops

S -> A+ Not even entirely because it's worse so much as Flygon being so clearly the best Pokemon in the tier that nothing should share the S rank. However, teams are adjusting to its presence more with Pokemon like Incineroar, Tera Steel + Substitute Flygon, and Agility Gallade posing greater issue for it and forcing it to deviate from the once standard Brave Bird / Roost / Defog / Will-O-Wisp or U-turn sets.
A+ -> A It's a lot worse of a pivot than it used to be. Close Combat checks are plentiful, and ceding free setup to foes like Cresselia, Tera Fairy Flygon, Tera Ghost Cinccino, etc. is brutal.
A -> A- It may've been a bit overranked after last update, as we still wanted to respect manual rain but were a bit late. This more adequately reflects Vaporeon's rise and how that impacts Basculegion's place in the tier.
A -> A- Calm Mind sets are really not as consistent as you'd expect, especially due to Incineroar's dominance and other common stops like Roar Sylveon, Haze Vaporeon, and Alolan Muk beating it or forcing an early Terastallization. It's seeming more likely that Choice Scarf utility sets may be superior because they have impact each and every game.
A -> A- Hard to justify keeping in A when its usage has been waning for awhile now, overly reliant on Flip Turn to not momentum sink into a lot of common Steel-types or Pokemon Terastallizing into one.
A -> A- Honestly unsure why it dropped, but there's a lot of Wish passer competition and enough Fairy-resistant checks exist to give its sets issue.
A -> A- The best Fighting-type is a Psychic-type. Choice Band Flygon murks it. Mienshao is trending down. Breloom can tech well enough to beat it. Bronzong is far more common. Maybe Paldean Tauros-W rising will keep it from dropping too much more.
A -> B+ Really needs Taunt now and that drastically lowers its threat level compared to the two attacks variants that maximize its potential with Terastallizing.
B+ -> B Incineroar, Umbreon, and Alolan Muk are preferred for the Dark-type slot, and Grass-types overall have been suffering for a bit. Risers like Breloom and Toxicroak worsen its wallbreaking potential, and the Cresselia matchup is awkward to say the least.
B+ -> B So Many Wish Users, and Sylveon is generally just better at this point.
B+ -> B It should go lower. You cannot convince me this Pokemon has been a meaningful component of any team in the past several months. What does it do better than its competition? Be trash? Yeah.
B+ -> B It randomly got overranked and people corrected its placement. Pivot sets are likely not bad, but Munkidori is seeing the usage for now.
B+ -> B It sees close to no usage, and Talonflame falling off somewhat doesn't help. Needs to run Will-O-Wisp all the time to avoid being close to deadweight against Flygon/Swampert/Gastrodon.
B -> B- The hyper offense builds seeing use now aren't good for Ditto, and the archetype isn't so dominant that Ditto is worth ranking too highly.
B -> B- Ludicolo and Kingdra basically compete for the last rain slot, and Ludicolo has too much of a use case by being a third rain setter to put Kingdra ahead of it.
B -> B- Stall isn't amazing, and Quagsire is otherwise mostly outdone by Swampert on the non-stall teams.
B -> B- It's always been ranked based on vibes more than anything and because the tier sort of looked like SS NU at a point.
B- -> C Too much competition, and it really hasn't showcased itself at all in a long time. Dragon Dance + Encore could still be cool?
C -> UR There's some hyper offense niche for it, but that's about it.
C -> UR PERSONALLY, I like it on Sticky Web. But, it has a greater chance of being messed up by Taunt, and Araquanid adds even more competition.
C -> UR Manual sun is not good.

You can find the voting slate here.

 

[658Greninja]

New Additions

-> C Acceptable pivot alternative to Incineroar mostly due to Roost, Stealth Rock opens up other options for teammates
-> B- Knock Off and Toxic are good progress-making tools even against its best checks. Decent special bulk insurance to check foes like Chandelure and Porygon-Z in a pinch.
-> B- Cool Bronzong alternative that has Spikes and heals off the Earthquakes it catches, also not being weak to Dark or Ghost is helpful.
-> B- Choice Scarf is a good pivot, Revival Blessing still has some fringe use to support bulky setup Pokemon like Cresselia and Bronzong. Better at wallbreaking with bulky Ground- and Grass-types at a low point.
-> C Toxicroak stomper, good pivot punisher.
-> C Electric Terrain teams are viable.
-> B- Good disruptor with Encore, good Wish passer, probably the best defensive Gallade answer available, passable HO weapon with Calm Mind + Speed Booster Energy.
-> B+ Great setup sweeper with Bulk Up as Vileplume's usage trends down and nothing has truly been capable of replicating what Slowbro did. Banning of competition further solidifying its spot, and Choice Scarf sets even are good. Positive Incineroar matchup is more important than ever.
-> B- Lots of similar traits to Water Tauros except it's an even better Incineroar answer.

Rises

A -> A+ Insane wallbreaker with minimal reliable defensive counterplay. Offensive counterplay can get run down by Agility sets or Swords Dance + Shadow Sneak.
A- -> A One of the fastest unboosted Pokemon available, so offensive checks are pretty limited. Defensively, Vaporeon and some other special walls with good Tera types suffice, but U-turn does make them a bit less consistent than you'd like.
A- -> A Even with a lot of the Fighting-types banned, we still have a million! And Munkidori happens to enable them super effectively. Choice Scarf sets with Trick are peaking.
B -> A Great Flygon answer, and IronPress in general shuts down a good amount of physical wallbreakers. Double dance sets can beat Cresselia one-on-one.
B+ -> A- Has a decent Speed advantage against some of the mid-tier wallbreakers like Gallade, Breloom, Heracross, etc.. Was probably better in the Lucario metagame.
B -> B+ As more physical setup sweepers get banned, there's a bit more space for Iron Thorns on such builds. Also, Electric Terrain seeing at least marginal usage helps give it another archetype that it can thrive on and opens up other item options.
B -> B+ Still getting better post-tier shifts. Very hard to stop pivot, with Competitive sets punishing Defog Talonflame teams pretty well.
B- -> B Reaction to certain attackers like Inteleon, Kilowattrel, and Hisuian Typhlosion seeing a bit more usage.
B- -> B Psychic Terrain is better now.
B- -> B Continues picking up momentum because it beats most traditional Fighting-type checks and doesn't care about Talonflame's Flame Body. It can beat Cresselia pretty much regardless of what Tera type the duck uses.
B- -> B It is awful, but it's a mainstay on Psychic Terrain.
B- -> B Mostly was just originally underranked for its role on rain teams.
C -> B- Fine enough functionally, doesn't HATE being statused, Recover being instant is good, pivoting support is always appreciated. Pretty much just a matter of there's so much competition that Milotic's ceiling is pretty low.

Drops

S -> A+ Not even entirely because it's worse so much as Flygon being so clearly the best Pokemon in the tier that nothing should share the S rank. However, teams are adjusting to its presence more with Pokemon like Incineroar, Tera Steel + Substitute Flygon, and Agility Gallade posing greater issue for it and forcing it to deviate from the once standard Brave Bird / Roost / Defog / Will-O-Wisp or U-turn sets.
A+ -> A It's a lot worse of a pivot than it used to be. Close Combat checks are plentiful, and ceding free setup to foes like Cresselia, Tera Fairy Flygon, Tera Ghost Cinccino, etc. is brutal.
A -> A- It may've been a bit overranked after last update, as we still wanted to respect manual rain but were a bit late. This more adequately reflects Vaporeon's rise and how that impacts Basculegion's place in the tier.
A -> A- Calm Mind sets are really not as consistent as you'd expect, especially due to Incineroar's dominance and other common stops like Roar Sylveon, Haze Vaporeon, and Alolan Muk beating it or forcing an early Terastallization. It's seeming more likely that Choice Scarf utility sets may be superior because they have impact each and every game.
A -> A- Hard to justify keeping in A when its usage has been waning for awhile now, overly reliant on Flip Turn to not momentum sink into a lot of common Steel-types or Pokemon Terastallizing into one.
A -> A- Honestly unsure why it dropped, but there's a lot of Wish passer competition and enough Fairy-resistant checks exist to give its sets issue.
A -> A- The best Fighting-type is a Psychic-type. Choice Band Flygon murks it. Mienshao is trending down. Breloom can tech well enough to beat it. Bronzong is far more common. Maybe Paldean Tauros-W rising will keep it from dropping too much more.
A -> B+ Really needs Taunt now and that drastically lowers its threat level compared to the two attacks variants that maximize its potential with Terastallizing.
B+ -> B Incineroar, Umbreon, and Alolan Muk are preferred for the Dark-type slot, and Grass-types overall have been suffering for a bit. Risers like Breloom and Toxicroak worsen its wallbreaking potential, and the Cresselia matchup is awkward to say the least.
B+ -> B So Many Wish Users, and Sylveon is generally just better at this point.
B+ -> B It should go lower. You cannot convince me this Pokemon has been a meaningful component of any team in the past several months. What does it do better than its competition? Be trash? Yeah.
B+ -> B It randomly got overranked and people corrected its placement. Pivot sets are likely not bad, but Munkidori is seeing the usage for now.
B+ -> B It sees close to no usage, and Talonflame falling off somewhat doesn't help. Needs to run Will-O-Wisp all the time to avoid being close to deadweight against Flygon/Swampert/Gastrodon.
B -> B- The hyper offense builds seeing use now aren't good for Ditto, and the archetype isn't so dominant that Ditto is worth ranking too highly.
B -> B- Ludicolo and Kingdra basically compete for the last rain slot, and Ludicolo has too much of a use case by being a third rain setter to put Kingdra ahead of it.
B -> B- Stall isn't amazing, and Quagsire is otherwise mostly outdone by Swampert on the non-stall teams.
B -> B- It's always been ranked based on vibes more than anything and because the tier sort of looked like SS NU at a point.
B- -> C Too much competition, and it really hasn't showcased itself at all in a long time. Dragon Dance + Encore could still be cool?
C -> UR There's some hyper offense niche for it, but that's about it.
C -> UR PERSONALLY, I like it on Sticky Web. But, it has a greater chance of being messed up by Taunt, and Araquanid adds even more competition.
C -> UR Manual sun is not good.

You can find the voting slate here.

Where’s the Raikou drop?

 

[PowerOfMemes]

Your favorite unmon believer is back at it again with a new nomination, and it’s for Salazzle!

UR -> C/B-

lazzle is back from ss nu >:)

Salazzle @ Heavy-Duty Boots / Focus Sash
Ability: Corrosion
Tera Type: Grass
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Overheat / Fire Blast
- Sludge Bomb
- Nasty Plot
- Encore

With demon Bronzong becoming more popular alongside how the tier is becoming less offensive in nature, thankfully, Encore is a tool that has become quite powerful on every Pokemon with access to it. For example, Cinccino is one of the most threatening setup sweepers because of it. And, Salazzle can be just as threatening. Nasty Plot lets it take advantage of Encore locking walls into recovery, status moves like Toxic or Will-O-Wisp, or Protect, in Umbreon's, Sylveon's, and Vaporeon's cases. Encore or forced switches also opens up Salazzle an opportunity to fish for poisons with Sludge Bomb, or it can fire off its high-Base Power Fire STAB move of choice (Overheat or Fire Blast), which makes great progress as well. It also can switch in quite often, as it takes advantage of common physical walls and Steel-types like Vileplume, Orthworm, and Bronzong. Tera Grass is what I prefer, as it provides a resistance to Water- and Ground-type attacks, letting it resist Wave Crash and Earthquake. Other options like Tera Steel, Flying, and Dark could also work, but the resistance to Paldean Tauros-W's priority Aqua Jet is very useful. Heavy-Duty Boots is for balances while Focus Sash is for hyper offensive teams that can keep off entry hazards.

replays & team

vs Plume
vs Umby + Regi(steel)
vs Avalugg
vs Plume + Alolan Muk

not a Lazzle game, but proof team works vs offense

Lazzle + Intel Balance
I'm currently working on a different Salazzle team too with Be13costa, so I might post that later in the bazaar.