I'll second this for sure, it does get walled by some mons in theory like Vaporeon but all it needs is a good team comp or the right move set for the scenario. C or B- is perfectYour favorite unmon believer is back at it again with a new nomination, and it’s for Salazzle!
UR -> C/B-
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.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
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.
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Resource NU Viability Rankings
- Thread starter etern
- Start date
According to the slate, most of the council voted to keep it in B, so clearly they see something in Raikou that you and Joey don't kekw
-> B+ Decent sidegrade to Bronzong,compress a lot of utility,being one of the few spikes setter,check special attackers while having better edge vs physical ones like Flygon who barely hit it without Tera Fire.
-> B Toxic is great to force tera on the like of Cresselia,Flygon...It kinda checks physical attackers with static and pair well with balanced staples like Slowbro-G and Bronzong.Volt switch+Toxic can be hard to play around if you don't pack any rest-talk shenanigan.
-> A+ Best balance staple,has a wide variety of moves to hit whoever the team need to check.Threaten both balances and HO with toxic or twave respectively.AV sets aren't simple to switch into too.He's only held back by Flygon preminence which can easily be patched with stuff like Bronzong,Orthworm,Avalugg,Milotic.
-> A+ Miscellanous threats who are above others B rank.Iron thorns find a lot of setup opportunities with standard tera grass and dice tera bug.The few grounds who can stomach supercell slam need to watch out for coverage.Kilowattrel thrives on HO with Competitive to abuse Incineroar and Talonflame.Tauros has been good since Slowbro departure and has less competition with Feraligatr gone.Vileplume being uncommon help as well.-------
-> C Meta has adapted to Muk-A on a way teams became more fast paced to deal with it.He's suprisingly weak to physical attackers he's supposed to check.Incineroar just knock it and kill it later,Breloom 2HKO with Band,ice coverage from thorns and shao make it think about twice before switch-in,Tauros-Aqua just do not care about it and most importantly DD Flygon can freely set-up after Tera Steel which is not the best for a physical wall.
-> C Snow hasn't seen relevant perfs for a while.
-> B- Too slow,easy to revenge it with scarfs and priority,get chipped during set-up ,competing with Flygon which is barely weaker and has better setup opportunities with Levitate + Tera.
-> B+/B Not only Toxicroak being great again,Balanced is on awkward position when you need 3-4 mons for your defensive core and they sorta compress roles to fit rocks+spin/defog .Vapo doesn't add much outside of Inteleon match-up (Rain isn't that common rn).Haze is potent against slow setup (Cresselia) not that much against offenses who outlast it.On teams without removal,Milotic feels better rn being able to compress instant Healing + haze/dtail.
Minior UR -> B / B-
As a HO enjoyer, after Cloyster's ban I was looking for a new shell smash mon to abuse and so far minior has been my favorite. I don't think there was much of an argument to be made to use it over cloyster before, but it is a very solid shell smash user! They set I have used and recommend is shell smash | acrobatics | earthquake | substitute. Minior's ability is a bit of a double edged sword. While it may be tricky to navigate at times, it helps give it more set up opportunities in the meteor form and it is also immune to status during these turns. Substitute gives you control over switching forms and can potentially stop a round of priority attacks from hitting it (which is its main weakness.) Minior does a good job of setting up on several meta threats including incineroar, talonflame, and muk-alola. It gets a free shell smash vs the traditional gligar and quagsire (barring water moves) sets with its immunities to earthquake and toxic (quagsire you have to stall out of recovers but it can't do anything back usually.) With tera steel it can set up on vileplume too. This set does fold into the common bronzong (and orthworms) but I haven't found it too hard to pressure these mons with team support.
Replays: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Incineroar (meteor form is immune to wisp)252+ Atk Incineroar Knock Off vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Minior-Meteor: 108-127 (41.3 - 48.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO (after white herb is consumed)
+1 252+ Atk Minior Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Incineroar: 328-386 (99 - 116.6%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO
+1 252+ Atk Minior Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Incineroar: 328-386 (83.2 - 97.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Muk-Alola+2 252+ Atk Minior Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Muk-Alola: 506-596 (122.2 - 143.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
4 Atk Muk-Alola Knock Off vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Minior-Meteor: 75-88 (28.7 - 33.7%) -- 0.3% chance to 3HKO (after white herb is consumed)
Talonflame0 Atk Talonflame Brave Bird vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Minior-Meteor: 54-64 (20.6 - 24.5%) -- guaranteed 5HKO
Cresselia+2 252+ Atk Minior Acrobatics (110 BP) vs. 252 HP / 200+ Def Cresselia: 231-273 (52 - 61.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+2 0 SpA Cresselia Stored Power (100 BP) vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Minior-Meteor: 169-199 (64.7 - 76.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Vileplume0 SpA Vileplume Giga Drain vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Tera Steel Minior-Meteor: 44-52 (16.8 - 19.9%) -- guaranteed 6HKO (can tera and sub on it)
+2 252+ Atk Minior Acrobatics (110 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Vileplume: 524-620 (148 - 175.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Flygon252 Atk Flygon Outrage vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Minior-Meteor: 163-193 (62.4 - 73.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Flygon Stone Edge vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Minior-Meteor: 182-216 (69.7 - 82.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Flygon Scale Shot (4 hits) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Minior-Meteor: 136-168 (52.1 - 64.3%) -- approx. 2HKO
+2 252+ Atk Minior Acrobatics (110 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Flygon: 396-466 (131.5 - 154.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
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Sandaconda UR -> B-/C
I believe Sandaconda is a solid niche pick in the current meta, and deserves to have a place on the VR.
First and foremost, it is a reliable switch-in for Alolan Muk. This mon is the doom of many fat balances as it can very consistently spread poison throughout your team while removing items. With Shed Skin and/or Rest, Sandaconda can shrug off repeated hits while making progress against the enemy team via Stealth Rock and Glare. More on that later. The usefulness does not stop with Muk, as Sandaconda is also excellent at handling the ever-present Incineroar (which it often outspeeds), as well as taking stray neutral hits from many physical attackers.
Glare is an incredible move. A move that inflicts paralysis, which cannot miss and can also hit Ground types can come in very clutch. To my knowledge, no other Ground type (usable in NU, at least) has this capability. With Sandaconda's natural bulk it can slow down many physical setup sweepers for its team to deal with.
In terms of Ground type competition, it does have to contend with the likes of Flygon, but if a bulky ground is what you seek, the competition looks more like Swampert and Gligar. Though it lacks momentum-grabbing moves, It has more bulk than Swampert and misses its item a whole lot less than Gligar, while having more staying power than both with Rest.
If it sways your opinion any further, I did reach Rank 1 on the NU ladder, and used a Sandaconda team to do so.
take that, Diamonds_realm!
Additional feelings from this climb on some mons.
B -> B+
The rise of Kilowattrel and Bronzong should warrant this mon to get used more, it is a very potent breaker with Nasty Plot and very annoying to remove. It also checks Flygon in a pinch with Tera - this mon is a very good tera abuser in general.
A -> A+
A cornerstone
of balance teams. This mon can run whatever moves or items it wants and your opponent has no clue what they are. Very reliable fighting check including the popular Tauros Forms. Has really picked up the torch from when his cousin left the tier, and why would I ever use Vileplume over this absolute beast.
A -> A-/B+
This mon just ain't it anymore. Feels increasingly easy to break (loses to SD Incin), is a bit pressed for moveslots with Wish + Protect, and Toxicroak has gained a LOT of popularity to the point where the matchup becomes very difficult.
...
A+ -> S
This thing is so damn strong, offensively and defensively. The king deserves to sit atop his throne.
I believe Sandaconda is a solid niche pick in the current meta, and deserves to have a place on the VR.
First and foremost, it is a reliable switch-in for Alolan Muk. This mon is the doom of many fat balances as it can very consistently spread poison throughout your team while removing items. With Shed Skin and/or Rest, Sandaconda can shrug off repeated hits while making progress against the enemy team via Stealth Rock and Glare. More on that later. The usefulness does not stop with Muk, as Sandaconda is also excellent at handling the ever-present Incineroar (which it often outspeeds), as well as taking stray neutral hits from many physical attackers.
Glare is an incredible move. A move that inflicts paralysis, which cannot miss and can also hit Ground types can come in very clutch. To my knowledge, no other Ground type (usable in NU, at least) has this capability. With Sandaconda's natural bulk it can slow down many physical setup sweepers for its team to deal with.
In terms of Ground type competition, it does have to contend with the likes of Flygon, but if a bulky ground is what you seek, the competition looks more like Swampert and Gligar. Though it lacks momentum-grabbing moves, It has more bulk than Swampert and misses its item a whole lot less than Gligar, while having more staying power than both with Rest.
If it sways your opinion any further, I did reach Rank 1 on the NU ladder, and used a Sandaconda team to do so.
take that, Diamonds_realm!
Additional feelings from this climb on some mons.
B -> B+The rise of Kilowattrel and Bronzong should warrant this mon to get used more, it is a very potent breaker with Nasty Plot and very annoying to remove. It also checks Flygon in a pinch with Tera - this mon is a very good tera abuser in general.
A -> A+A cornerstone
of balance teams. This mon can run whatever moves or items it wants and your opponent has no clue what they are. Very reliable fighting check including the popular Tauros Forms. Has really picked up the torch from when his cousin left the tier, and why would I ever use Vileplume over this absolute beast. A -> A-/B+This mon just ain't it anymore. Feels increasingly easy to break (loses to SD Incin), is a bit pressed for moveslots with Wish + Protect, and Toxicroak has gained a LOT of popularity to the point where the matchup becomes very difficult.
...
A+ -> SThis thing is so damn strong, offensively and defensively. The king deserves to sit atop his throne.
I wanna share my disagreement with dropping vaporeon and gligar, I think the two especially together have been a solid duo for relatively bulkier teams that are built around spike stack whether it be a balance, bulky offense, or just a generally fat build. wish + slow flip turn to safely pass to a teammate can be a game saver that other wish options don't have, and in gligars case I've found it preferable to other spikers on bulkier teams and it pairs great with vaporeon on said teams as they help each other out quite well, gligar stops opposing toxicroak from taking much advantage of vaporeon, as toxicroak often has a hard time trying to drop any of its usual moves, being SD dual stab + sucker punch, for options like ice punch or knock off and croak even considers EQ for opposing croak at times, while vaporeon supports gligars lack of reliable recovery and blanks inteleon who is a common toxicroak partner. I think vaporeon is still fine in A and gligar might even be arguable to rise to B for me. I've been using the team I submitted to NUTC for gallade week a fair amount over the last week which uses both vaporeon and gligar as a defensive backbone along with incineroar to pivot around and abuse spike stack and have stayed around the top of ladder with it.
MY SPOT Shengineer
The are just my feelings and to each their own but I wanted to give my stance on these two.
-> B+Ambitious nom from C to B+ especially with top dogs like incin and muk running rampant but i'm really high on this mon. The combination of typing and unique wincon with sd + sneak is super undervalued i feel. Positive matchups vs all our top psychic types, can't get burned from flame body, softcheck/check to a variety of mons like gon, loom, water types like vap, pert, intel. Although im less fan of cb uturn offers good chip on aforementioned dark types (incin is very easy to chip anyway). +2 tera sneak also just murks so many fast frail mons bar like cinccino and that's it. It got some use in the last rounds of nult playoffs + helped eternal ocean reach #1 on ladder so people know its potential.
B- -> B+this metagame has been so kind to our good friend articuno-g. pairs extremely well with the most threatening set of the tiers best mon; banded flygon and also pairs well with every single fighter in the tier. also a tier with so much intimidate especially our best dark type really lets this mon be able to use competitive. easily deserves a raise
B- -> Bthis mon is one of the coolest steel types. bronzong is usually better but this mon hits a lot harder with body press and heavy slam; but the spikes this mon provides is the main reason you’ll use it. taking spikes damage does suck but spikes is genuinely such a godsend in this meta. also this mon has better matchups into cinncino and breaking swipe flygon which is kinda cool. 4th best steel.
B+ -> B-this mon has been overrated for a min. 5th best steel. despite its better special defense I’d rather use orthworm or bronzong for the iron defense sets because the ground immunity is so valuable. plus this thing has been overrated for forever
B- -> B+
everyone else talking about wetbull as they should be but this mon got a lot of distinct advantages. fire typing is super nice in not getting flame body burns and for not having to use zen headbutt to ko vileplume. and it has the same raw power and high power moves as it’s water variant. scarf+band+bulk up sets are all good and definitely warrant a rise.
September update time, you can find voting slate here (Shame danny for voting in lowercase AGAIN).
Duraludon: -> C Desparate times call for desparate measures, and the lack of steel types combined with the offensive nature of the tier provides an environment where Duraludon can fill a niche without any real competition. Still, the weak special bulk holds it back as a steel type, and being slower than a variety of offensive threats hinders its offensive presence. It does provide some good role compression and set versatility, which are the main reasons for its entrance to the VR.
Minior: -> C Minior has seen some recent use in both tournament play and on ladder, especially with the departure of Cloyster opening up room on HO structures for a shell smash mon. Its ability is a double edged sword though, and while that can be alleviated by running substitute, that takes away a coverage option on a pokemon that often finds itself lacking in the power department, failing to brute force OHKOs.
Salazzle: -> C Salazzle contests a very valuable speed tier, while providing some great versatility and utility with its superb movepool. With options like Knock Off, Taunt, Encore, Endeavor and a plethora of status moves, Salazzle can be tuned to best provide utility for its teammates while maintaining a very respectable offensive threat.
Sandaconda: -> C Despite the tier having more ground types than ever before, there aren't really any that have truly solidified themselves in the classic defensive ground type role. Sandaconda is another option that has been getting more use lately to try and fill that hole.
Mienshao A -> A+ This is more a case of the council voting it down too harshly in the last slate. Mienshao is still a top 2 scarfer in the tier, and other sets have been seeing a ton more use recently. Life Orb sets in particular are gaining a lot of traction as excellent breakers and speed control options with Fake Out.
Munkidori A- -> A+ Munkidori has solidified itself as the best choice scarfer in the tier, synergizing well with virtually every single offensive option in the tier. Beyond that, other sets are just as threatening as they always were, if not more so. Munkidori is a pokemon that in practice, has almost zero bad matchups, and will always put in work, even against teams that are theoretically sound against it.
Slowbro-Galar A -> A+ Slowbro-Galar continues to shine, seeing more use by the day. Being able to regenerate HP while maintaining momentum is incredibly valuable for a defensive option in a meta that is this offensive and fast paced. Slowbro-Galar can also pick and choose what switches into it, with options like Flamethrower and Earthquake being very common. It can also act as a breaker or late game wincon with setup options like Iron Defense, Nasty Plot and Calm Mind.
Porygon-Z A- -> A Porygon-Z has often been criticized as more of a teambuilder threat than an in game one, but that notion is slowly being disproved with more people using it in tournaments. PZ has breaking power that is near unmatched in the tier, and it also most of the coverage it needs. The rise of Bronzong in particular as the best steel type is a boon for it as it no longer needs to commit tera to beat the most common steel.
Toxicroak A- -> A This is also a case of council underrating it in the previous slate, as well as less competition with Gallade leaving. Toxicroak is seeing more usage now too as more people pick up other scarfers over Mienshao, freeing up the fighting type slot on a team. It also enjoys the resurgence of Vileplume as it beats it 1v1.
Vileplume A- -> A Gallade was the main thing holding Vileplume back. With it gone, as well as the surge in Tauros-Aqua usage, Vileplume is once again rising in popularity to be one of the premier physical walls in the tier.
Kilowattrel B+ -> A Kilowattrel continues to impress in both tournament play and on ladder. With a near unbeaten speed stat, Kilowattrel is very good at punishing slower teams and keeping them on the back foot. It has 2 very good abilities, one of which is extremely nice to enable the hazard stack teams that are surging in use with the tier's removal situation being very pathetic and more players adopting no removal structures.
Tauros-Paldea-Aqua B+ -> A Tauros continues to climb the rankings as it sees more and more usage by the day. Gallade leaving means less competition too. The tier is starting to adapt heavily with options like Vileplume, Brambleghast and Decidueye gaining popularity, but even then the bull remains a very strong threat with great set variety.
Brambleghast B+ -> A- The most common (and best) spinner in the tier with positive matchups against most hazard setters. Offensive sets are not as strong with Incineroar spiking in use, but they remain a very potent threat if not prepped for adequately.
Iron Thorns B+ -> A- Previously underrated and very undervalued, it is now seeing more use. Despite HO structures falling in popularity, the ones that are still seeing use often include Iron Thorns as it is just so strong. It also offers great variety with which tera types it runs.
Milotic B- -> B+ Milotic is gaining a lot of popularity as people shy away from wishpass structures and pick it up over Vaporeon. The main benefit it provides is the extra moveslot over Vaporeon, and it also acts as a powerful status absorber. It has a lot of valuable moves it can use in that 4th moveslot, ranging from Ice Beam coverage to haze to even Tera Blast occasionally.
Rotom-Heat B -> B+ Gaining popularity as a very nasty breaker with NP sets, and also has great defensive merit as a ground immune and consistent answer to options like Kilowattrel.
Articuno-Galar B- -> B Steadily climbing the rankings as more people explore the variety of sets it can run. Pivot sets with Future Sight in particular are getting a lot of discussion as they can often disrupt enemies' momentum and help facilitate a lot of other offensive options.
Drednaw B- -> B Seeing more use to try and fill the void that Cloyster left. Just an HO bot really nothing more to it.
Gligar B- -> B Gligar is seeing a lot of use as a response to the surge in Bronzong usage as it has a very positive matchup into it. Gligar also has a very wide range of utility tools it can use to enable whatever team it's being used in. The lack of reliable recovery still holds it back, espeically with the tier becoming more hostile to wishpassers like Vaporeon and Umbreon.
Goodra B- -> B Goodra is seeing more usage as more people turn to it for its incredible offensive profile as well as utility with very good special bulk and plenty of utility tools like Knock Off, Toxic and Dragon Tail. Does particularly well into many of the more popular options that are seeing use like Bronzong, Vileplume, Vaporeon and more.
Orthworm B- -> B Flygon has like a 1235% usage rate rn, please convince council to ban Flygon so we can remove this ugly thing from the VR.
Quagsire B- -> B Idk why they voted this thing up tbh. HO is seeing less use and nothing really changed with common non HO threats. Ig Gallade isn't here to Leaf Blade it anymore?
Tauros-Paldea-Blaze B- -> B A Tauros that doesn't actually get blanked by Vileplume and Brambleghast.
Decidueye C -> B- Decidueye has been seeing more usage as a sleeper threat with great physical and special options, as well as the ability to dodge contact punishers.
Scrafty C -> B- Scrafty is seeing use as Knock Off is extremely valuable in the meta, and also due to its positive matchup into bulky waters and as a status absorber. Also has a solid Slowbro-G matchup.
Vaporeon A -> A- Vaporeon finds itself suffering from success yet again, as the entire meta seemingly seems designed to beat it. We see an influx of usage in Pokemon like Toxicroak, Kilowattrel, and Decidueye. Rises and drops throughout a generation are nothing new to Vaporeon, and we'll see it float back up to the top eventually, but for now the metagame is quite hostile to it.
Dragalge A- -> B+ Dragalge is everything on paper, but its defensive profile falls short after a glance at its stats you can understand why its a bit underwhelming. Not to mention the current types its meant to beat have coverage for it, Tauros Aqua has Earthquake, Inteleon has a strong Ice Beam, Munkidori has Psychic. Dragalge CAN be strong or CAN be bulky but it can never do both with its stats.
Klefki A- -> B+ Klefki is wholly too passive for a metagame where games can end in a single turn. Thunder Wave and Foul Play are just barely enough to offset this, and although a Spike-setting Steel-type sounds like quite the dream, Klefki's poor MU into common Pokemon like Flygon and Incineroar make it not worth it.
Galvantula B+ -> B Webs are generally not worth it in this metagame, although Galvantula is the best setter of them. Its damage output is respectable at best but dedicating an entire teamslot to a hazard that is often removed or not effective on a majority of teams is not worth it.
Tsareena B+ -> B Tsareena is a Rapid Spinner in a world full of contact deterrent. Rocky Helmet and Flame Body around every corner, and a losing matchup against types it should be beating, taking considerable damage from Flygon U-turn and Tauros Aqua CC as examples. It also struggles with its moveset as it wants all of STAB, Knock Off, Rapid Spin, U-turn, High Jump Kick, Triple Axel, and Synthesis all with a myriad of items and tera types. It's simply stretched too thinly.
Grafaiai B -> B- Terrain as a playstyle is less consistent than in previous metagames, owing largely to the influx of Intimidate users like Incineroar and Tauros Aqua and priority seen from Tauros Aqua and Flygon.
Hitmonlee B -> B- ^
Indeedee-M B -> B- ^
Thwackey B -> B- ^
Qwilfish-Hisui B -> B- Qwilfish no longer has a solidified slot on Rain teams, especially with options like Toxicroak and Kilowattrel becoming much more common to help facilitate tough matchups like Vaporeon.
Brute Bonnet B -> C Grass-type weak to Scald, no real Dark STAB, poor coverage and typing in the current metagame.
Dudunsparce B- -> C Vulnerable to Poison, TrickScarfing, Encore, Phasing, etc.. Typically these bulky setup sweepers can shrug off at least one of these, but not Dudunsparce, making it more inconsistent than other choices like Cresselia or Scrafty.
S/O Stories for helping
Duraludon: -> C Desparate times call for desparate measures, and the lack of steel types combined with the offensive nature of the tier provides an environment where Duraludon can fill a niche without any real competition. Still, the weak special bulk holds it back as a steel type, and being slower than a variety of offensive threats hinders its offensive presence. It does provide some good role compression and set versatility, which are the main reasons for its entrance to the VR. Minior: -> C Minior has seen some recent use in both tournament play and on ladder, especially with the departure of Cloyster opening up room on HO structures for a shell smash mon. Its ability is a double edged sword though, and while that can be alleviated by running substitute, that takes away a coverage option on a pokemon that often finds itself lacking in the power department, failing to brute force OHKOs. Salazzle: -> C Salazzle contests a very valuable speed tier, while providing some great versatility and utility with its superb movepool. With options like Knock Off, Taunt, Encore, Endeavor and a plethora of status moves, Salazzle can be tuned to best provide utility for its teammates while maintaining a very respectable offensive threat. Sandaconda: -> C Despite the tier having more ground types than ever before, there aren't really any that have truly solidified themselves in the classic defensive ground type role. Sandaconda is another option that has been getting more use lately to try and fill that hole. Mienshao A -> A+ This is more a case of the council voting it down too harshly in the last slate. Mienshao is still a top 2 scarfer in the tier, and other sets have been seeing a ton more use recently. Life Orb sets in particular are gaining a lot of traction as excellent breakers and speed control options with Fake Out. Munkidori A- -> A+ Munkidori has solidified itself as the best choice scarfer in the tier, synergizing well with virtually every single offensive option in the tier. Beyond that, other sets are just as threatening as they always were, if not more so. Munkidori is a pokemon that in practice, has almost zero bad matchups, and will always put in work, even against teams that are theoretically sound against it. Slowbro-Galar A -> A+ Slowbro-Galar continues to shine, seeing more use by the day. Being able to regenerate HP while maintaining momentum is incredibly valuable for a defensive option in a meta that is this offensive and fast paced. Slowbro-Galar can also pick and choose what switches into it, with options like Flamethrower and Earthquake being very common. It can also act as a breaker or late game wincon with setup options like Iron Defense, Nasty Plot and Calm Mind. Porygon-Z A- -> A Porygon-Z has often been criticized as more of a teambuilder threat than an in game one, but that notion is slowly being disproved with more people using it in tournaments. PZ has breaking power that is near unmatched in the tier, and it also most of the coverage it needs. The rise of Bronzong in particular as the best steel type is a boon for it as it no longer needs to commit tera to beat the most common steel. Toxicroak A- -> A This is also a case of council underrating it in the previous slate, as well as less competition with Gallade leaving. Toxicroak is seeing more usage now too as more people pick up other scarfers over Mienshao, freeing up the fighting type slot on a team. It also enjoys the resurgence of Vileplume as it beats it 1v1. Vileplume A- -> A Gallade was the main thing holding Vileplume back. With it gone, as well as the surge in Tauros-Aqua usage, Vileplume is once again rising in popularity to be one of the premier physical walls in the tier. Kilowattrel B+ -> A Kilowattrel continues to impress in both tournament play and on ladder. With a near unbeaten speed stat, Kilowattrel is very good at punishing slower teams and keeping them on the back foot. It has 2 very good abilities, one of which is extremely nice to enable the hazard stack teams that are surging in use with the tier's removal situation being very pathetic and more players adopting no removal structures. Tauros-Paldea-Aqua B+ -> A Tauros continues to climb the rankings as it sees more and more usage by the day. Gallade leaving means less competition too. The tier is starting to adapt heavily with options like Vileplume, Brambleghast and Decidueye gaining popularity, but even then the bull remains a very strong threat with great set variety. Brambleghast B+ -> A- The most common (and best) spinner in the tier with positive matchups against most hazard setters. Offensive sets are not as strong with Incineroar spiking in use, but they remain a very potent threat if not prepped for adequately. Iron Thorns B+ -> A- Previously underrated and very undervalued, it is now seeing more use. Despite HO structures falling in popularity, the ones that are still seeing use often include Iron Thorns as it is just so strong. It also offers great variety with which tera types it runs. Milotic B- -> B+ Milotic is gaining a lot of popularity as people shy away from wishpass structures and pick it up over Vaporeon. The main benefit it provides is the extra moveslot over Vaporeon, and it also acts as a powerful status absorber. It has a lot of valuable moves it can use in that 4th moveslot, ranging from Ice Beam coverage to haze to even Tera Blast occasionally. Rotom-Heat B -> B+ Gaining popularity as a very nasty breaker with NP sets, and also has great defensive merit as a ground immune and consistent answer to options like Kilowattrel. Articuno-Galar B- -> B Steadily climbing the rankings as more people explore the variety of sets it can run. Pivot sets with Future Sight in particular are getting a lot of discussion as they can often disrupt enemies' momentum and help facilitate a lot of other offensive options. Drednaw B- -> B Seeing more use to try and fill the void that Cloyster left. Just an HO bot really nothing more to it. Gligar B- -> B Gligar is seeing a lot of use as a response to the surge in Bronzong usage as it has a very positive matchup into it. Gligar also has a very wide range of utility tools it can use to enable whatever team it's being used in. The lack of reliable recovery still holds it back, espeically with the tier becoming more hostile to wishpassers like Vaporeon and Umbreon. Goodra B- -> B Goodra is seeing more usage as more people turn to it for its incredible offensive profile as well as utility with very good special bulk and plenty of utility tools like Knock Off, Toxic and Dragon Tail. Does particularly well into many of the more popular options that are seeing use like Bronzong, Vileplume, Vaporeon and more. Orthworm B- -> B Flygon has like a 1235% usage rate rn, please convince council to ban Flygon so we can remove this ugly thing from the VR. Quagsire B- -> B Idk why they voted this thing up tbh. HO is seeing less use and nothing really changed with common non HO threats. Ig Gallade isn't here to Leaf Blade it anymore? Tauros-Paldea-Blaze B- -> B A Tauros that doesn't actually get blanked by Vileplume and Brambleghast. Decidueye C -> B- Decidueye has been seeing more usage as a sleeper threat with great physical and special options, as well as the ability to dodge contact punishers. Scrafty C -> B- Scrafty is seeing use as Knock Off is extremely valuable in the meta, and also due to its positive matchup into bulky waters and as a status absorber. Also has a solid Slowbro-G matchup. Vaporeon A -> A- Vaporeon finds itself suffering from success yet again, as the entire meta seemingly seems designed to beat it. We see an influx of usage in Pokemon like Toxicroak, Kilowattrel, and Decidueye. Rises and drops throughout a generation are nothing new to Vaporeon, and we'll see it float back up to the top eventually, but for now the metagame is quite hostile to it. Dragalge A- -> B+ Dragalge is everything on paper, but its defensive profile falls short after a glance at its stats you can understand why its a bit underwhelming. Not to mention the current types its meant to beat have coverage for it, Tauros Aqua has Earthquake, Inteleon has a strong Ice Beam, Munkidori has Psychic. Dragalge CAN be strong or CAN be bulky but it can never do both with its stats. Klefki A- -> B+ Klefki is wholly too passive for a metagame where games can end in a single turn. Thunder Wave and Foul Play are just barely enough to offset this, and although a Spike-setting Steel-type sounds like quite the dream, Klefki's poor MU into common Pokemon like Flygon and Incineroar make it not worth it. Galvantula B+ -> B Webs are generally not worth it in this metagame, although Galvantula is the best setter of them. Its damage output is respectable at best but dedicating an entire teamslot to a hazard that is often removed or not effective on a majority of teams is not worth it. Tsareena B+ -> B Tsareena is a Rapid Spinner in a world full of contact deterrent. Rocky Helmet and Flame Body around every corner, and a losing matchup against types it should be beating, taking considerable damage from Flygon U-turn and Tauros Aqua CC as examples. It also struggles with its moveset as it wants all of STAB, Knock Off, Rapid Spin, U-turn, High Jump Kick, Triple Axel, and Synthesis all with a myriad of items and tera types. It's simply stretched too thinly. Grafaiai B -> B- Terrain as a playstyle is less consistent than in previous metagames, owing largely to the influx of Intimidate users like Incineroar and Tauros Aqua and priority seen from Tauros Aqua and Flygon. Hitmonlee B -> B- ^ Indeedee-M B -> B- ^ Thwackey B -> B- ^ Qwilfish-Hisui B -> B- Qwilfish no longer has a solidified slot on Rain teams, especially with options like Toxicroak and Kilowattrel becoming much more common to help facilitate tough matchups like Vaporeon. Brute Bonnet B -> C Grass-type weak to Scald, no real Dark STAB, poor coverage and typing in the current metagame. Dudunsparce B- -> C Vulnerable to Poison, TrickScarfing, Encore, Phasing, etc.. Typically these bulky setup sweepers can shrug off at least one of these, but not Dudunsparce, making it more inconsistent than other choices like Cresselia or Scrafty.S/O Stories for helping
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-> A-I know I’m been a defender for the steel elephant, but I think Copperajah is now the 2nd best Steel-type in NU. It has a lot of useful tools and some advantages over Bronzong sure it has it flaws, but I truly believe the steel elephant deserves a bit more respect.
-> B+I think Tauros-Paldea-Blaze deserves a bit more respect in my opinion. While Agua form is a lot better for typing and access to priority move, but being a immune to burns and threatening Vileplume is very notable in my books.
-> B+Gligar is seeing a bit more usage for a good reason since it’s really picking up steam. It pairs well with other Steel-types like Copperajah or Klefki to spam Hazards. In general I believe Gligar is in the top 3 best Ground-types in NU.
-> A-Pretty simple nom to me: the teams Alolan Muk feasts versus are at a low point right now. Dark-type competition is super high too, as all of Incineroar, Umbreon, and Scrafty (the latter is a bit more niche sure) see good use or have now increased reason for use, whereas Muk is trending in the opposite direction. It's still a really annoying Pokemon in some matchups and almost an autowin in other matchups, but generally speaking A is an oversell right now.
-> BMuch like Alolan Muk, there are some matchups Registeel just wins on its own. It's probably an even scarier IronPress user than Bronzong just by virtue of not having the super bad Ghost-type matchup; at least you can paralyze them or chunk them with an Earthquake. Bronzong doesn't really have the moveslot flexibility like that. Registeel's otherwise just kind of... there as a Steel-type. It's not helped that a lot of wallbreakers you'd rely on Steel-types for are either 1) handled by Dark-types and generic special walls pretty well or 2) not very present in the metagame (options like Choice Specs Dragalge and even Sylveon).
-> CRelic of a past metagame. I see minimal reason to use Avalugg anymore beyond it being one of the most reasonable Tera hogs available for defensive purposes. It's certainly still functional enough to stay ranked and likely should never be unranked, but its current placement is just really reeking of cope.
I'd like to politely disagree with this nom although I definitely understand the sentiment. I think that Muk-A was so overrated that it became underrated and we've forgotten that this mon has almost no proper switch ins because of Knock + P Touch. Yes it has crazy competition and can be hard to fit on teams, but the more I build and play, the better and better I think this mon is. It feels currently A to me still. Use more Scrafty though its fantastic
Pretty simple nom to me: the teams Alolan Muk feasts versus are at a low point right now. Dark-type competition is super high too, as all of Incineroar, Umbreon, and Scrafty (the latter is a bit more niche sure) see good use or have now increased reason for use, whereas Muk is trending in the opposite direction. It's still a really annoying Pokemon in some matchups and almost an autowin in other matchups, but generally speaking A is an oversell right now.
Oh for sure it has pretty poor switch-ins overall. A lot of Pokemon are like that, though, when you view them in a vacuum. The context of where the metagame is at right now is why I'm voting it down, not because of its personal performance. If you take a look at the rest of what's in A, I think it's pretty hard to rate Muk at their level. They have much clearer niches and other than like, Vileplume, all fit quite well in this metagame wrt what's good and what's not.
Rabia posting has inspired me to give some thoughts on the VR. I should probably vote next time....
Rises
A -> A+/S - This mon being in A is kind of criminal. As people once again realize the importance of a Steel and the power of DD Flygon, Bronzong is being slapped onto a majority of balance teams out there as the rocker while acting as a pretty interesting win con in its own right. I don't feel the need to elaborate much on this mon, but anything lower than A+ feels really really wrong.
B+ -> A- - I think it's easy to downplay Copper because it can be hard to fit (a Steel that loses to DD Flygon when ones Steel has become the DD Flygon check) and it's lost some cool coverage like Power Whip, but I like it a lot as a mon currently because of it's a Steel that can punish the mons that would take advantage of other Steels with Knock Off and a higher Attack stat. Options like WW and Protect are still really cool as well. I guess I just really like how much less passive it feels than Zong sometimes, it just needs to be paired with a DD Flygon check, but those don't exist....
B+ -> A-/A - I think Milo and Vap should probably both be A tier as I've felt they've both become more mainstream and meta, but either way, there's no reason for them to be in separate tiers. Both play similar roles, but while Vap is for fatter teams and Wishes up everything, Milo has the ability to run a free move for teams who want the bulky water role without the slow pace of Wish. Options like Haze or Ice Beam are much easier to run on Milo and it's a much better Incin check than Vap. I dig this mon a lot
B+ -> A - The best breaker in the tier is in B+ right now lmao. The slowing down of the meta and Gallade ban have made this a menace because it naturally feasts on balance builds that are super prevalent currently. I think it was already an underrated mon, but now it's finally showing how threatening it is with skyrocketing usage across NULT, SCL, and I assume Seasonal. It's like PZ, but if PZ had any sort of defensive utility and pivoting options (it's an upgrade from that guy Phantomistix), and I think people are realizing this.
there's probably a ton more guys in the lower tiers who deserve to move around, but I'm not going to spend time talking about them. Honorable mention though
B- -> B+/A- - If you want to abuse the meta as it stands, use Scrafty and profit. This guy eats teams alive right now and has a legitimate niche among the many fantastic Dark-types as a scary win con, answer to Glowbro + Umbreon cores, as a Muk-A switch, a fat Water beater, and so much more.
Drops
A -> A- - I'm not really sure what Inteleon is doing here. Bulky Water-types are better than ever, Croak is seeing a surge in usage, and Kilo, Talon, and a plethora of Scarfers are everywhere to revenge it. I think it's good into certain match ups, but it struggles a lot more now than it did.
A -> A- - I think Swampert is in a weird place right now. On the one hand, Flip, Knock, Rocks, but on the other hand, it's a Ground-type who competes with the best mon in the tier by virtue of typing and it's super chippable/doesn't really wall much. I think it's pretty cool on some builds, but really lackluster on others. It feels a little bit like a relic of a past meta to me.
A- -> B+ - I bet zS loves this mon, but it's clearly the worst eeveelution when compared to the ridiculously annoying Umbreon and Vaporeon. It's weird to fit on teams and this meta is run by Poison-types, like Munki and Glownro, and a Steel-type. I don't know if the strength of Specs can even help it, but I'm open to the idea if someone can prove it's worth anything. For now, this feels like a clear drop to me.
C -> UR - stfu phantom this guy stinks
Rises
A -> A+/S - This mon being in A is kind of criminal. As people once again realize the importance of a Steel and the power of DD Flygon, Bronzong is being slapped onto a majority of balance teams out there as the rocker while acting as a pretty interesting win con in its own right. I don't feel the need to elaborate much on this mon, but anything lower than A+ feels really really wrong. B+ -> A- - I think it's easy to downplay Copper because it can be hard to fit (a Steel that loses to DD Flygon when ones Steel has become the DD Flygon check) and it's lost some cool coverage like Power Whip, but I like it a lot as a mon currently because of it's a Steel that can punish the mons that would take advantage of other Steels with Knock Off and a higher Attack stat. Options like WW and Protect are still really cool as well. I guess I just really like how much less passive it feels than Zong sometimes, it just needs to be paired with a DD Flygon check, but those don't exist.... B+ -> A-/A - I think Milo and Vap should probably both be A tier as I've felt they've both become more mainstream and meta, but either way, there's no reason for them to be in separate tiers. Both play similar roles, but while Vap is for fatter teams and Wishes up everything, Milo has the ability to run a free move for teams who want the bulky water role without the slow pace of Wish. Options like Haze or Ice Beam are much easier to run on Milo and it's a much better Incin check than Vap. I dig this mon a lot B+ -> A - The best breaker in the tier is in B+ right now lmao. The slowing down of the meta and Gallade ban have made this a menace because it naturally feasts on balance builds that are super prevalent currently. I think it was already an underrated mon, but now it's finally showing how threatening it is with skyrocketing usage across NULT, SCL, and I assume Seasonal. It's like PZ, but if PZ had any sort of defensive utility and pivoting options (it's an upgrade from that guy Phantomistix), and I think people are realizing this.there's probably a ton more guys in the lower tiers who deserve to move around, but I'm not going to spend time talking about them. Honorable mention though
B- -> B+/A- - If you want to abuse the meta as it stands, use Scrafty and profit. This guy eats teams alive right now and has a legitimate niche among the many fantastic Dark-types as a scary win con, answer to Glowbro + Umbreon cores, as a Muk-A switch, a fat Water beater, and so much more.Drops
A -> A- - I'm not really sure what Inteleon is doing here. Bulky Water-types are better than ever, Croak is seeing a surge in usage, and Kilo, Talon, and a plethora of Scarfers are everywhere to revenge it. I think it's good into certain match ups, but it struggles a lot more now than it did. A -> A- - I think Swampert is in a weird place right now. On the one hand, Flip, Knock, Rocks, but on the other hand, it's a Ground-type who competes with the best mon in the tier by virtue of typing and it's super chippable/doesn't really wall much. I think it's pretty cool on some builds, but really lackluster on others. It feels a little bit like a relic of a past meta to me. A- -> B+ - I bet zS loves this mon, but it's clearly the worst eeveelution when compared to the ridiculously annoying Umbreon and Vaporeon. It's weird to fit on teams and this meta is run by Poison-types, like Munki and Glownro, and a Steel-type. I don't know if the strength of Specs can even help it, but I'm open to the idea if someone can prove it's worth anything. For now, this feels like a clear drop to me. C -> UR - stfu phantom this guy stinkssmall vr nom list
B- -> B+ this mon has really liked the metas trends at this moment. being an offensive dark type in this meta is super good with stab knock. other tools like encore and shed skin make this thing even scarier. not to mention the fact tera Posion sets up on half the tier.
B -> B- don’t worry you’ll get to C eventually. but this Mon isn’t it and hasn’t been it in forever. not on par with anything in b move him down.
UR -> C/B- this mon is legitimately good. takes on incen, a-muk, non bullet seed cinncino, staraptor, and iron thorns multiple times throughout a match using regenerator. sometimes feels likes a tera hog but never completely useless in any matchup. pairs super well with glowbro + one of the tiers defensive steels.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nu-2206820975-xpk2yiruddbazyhye4vuqoref4a5tqvpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nu-2206824614-jsewhyxt4akfruekswxde5kfonjtubkpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nu-2206828199-k3ebetf2dopmqy13fjzvftx5jgrzc6epw
https://pokepast.es/3431398ae6186653
here’s the replays and a klawf team
B- -> B+ this mon has really liked the metas trends at this moment. being an offensive dark type in this meta is super good with stab knock. other tools like encore and shed skin make this thing even scarier. not to mention the fact tera Posion sets up on half the tier.B -> B- don’t worry you’ll get to C eventually. but this Mon isn’t it and hasn’t been it in forever. not on par with anything in b move him down.UR -> C/B- this mon is legitimately good. takes on incen, a-muk, non bullet seed cinncino, staraptor, and iron thorns multiple times throughout a match using regenerator. sometimes feels likes a tera hog but never completely useless in any matchup. pairs super well with glowbro + one of the tiers defensive steels.https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nu-2206820975-xpk2yiruddbazyhye4vuqoref4a5tqvpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nu-2206824614-jsewhyxt4akfruekswxde5kfonjtubkpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nu-2206828199-k3ebetf2dopmqy13fjzvftx5jgrzc6epw
https://pokepast.es/3431398ae6186653
here’s the replays and a klawf team
A- --> A
Reason:
Brambleghast is a great, if not the best, hazard user and remover of the NU Tier.
It blocks enemy spin with ghost typing and dishes out its own spike. Furthermore, if enemy ghost type tries to come in to block Brambleghast's spin, it threatens an OHKO with its STAB Poltergeist.
Aside from entry hazards, its typing provides it useful resistance as well. It can safely switch in on fighting and normal moves like
It does have its weaknesses.
It is weak to dark type. Thus it wants nothing from
It is not fast enough. Thus it is naturally out-speed by fast pokemons like
All in all, Brambleghast always find easy slots on various kinds of teams, because it can check the strongest pokemon of the tier,
Attachments
With all due respect I think Bramble is fine where it is.
Resistances to common priority/moves is good, and rapid spin is nice but it doesn't really handle the Pokemon you're talking about as well as you'd think. Almost every game it's one good prediction from the opponent away from dying and it has poor synergy with knock off users in the tier. Pokemon you mentioned like
and KO it in one hit with their super effective moves unless you heavily invest in bulk and realistically it doesn't really counter as well as you'd think given that scarf flygon can U-Turn on it for a hefty chunk, putting it in range of almost anything afterwards.252 Atk Flygon U-turn vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Brambleghast: 85-101 (33.8 - 40.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
I think the new rising
is competing with bramble for a team slot, having better synergy with strong knock off users like Incineroar but I will admit that the hazard spinning niche keeps it up, and sash bramble is a nice lead.Also, I'm not exactly sure how choice scarf
entered the conversation given that I barely see it, let alone a scarf variant has me confused.
UR -> B- / BSo I’m been using a bit of Magneton and I’m not going to lie Magneton was actually really good. This is the only set that I consider really good for Magneton.
Magneton @ Choice Specs
Ability: Analytic
Tera Type: Grass
Evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Flash Cannon
- Volt Switch
- Tera Blast
I will say it doesn’t have the set diversity and lacks general bulk of Magnezone; however, I think it recaptures it as a strong choice specs wallbreakes. Plus being a bit faster than both Incineroar and Sylveon is a huge advantage, as it doesn’t get worried about getting outsped by base 60 Pokemon. I think Magneton has a solid niche in NU don’t get me wrong it does face some competition as a special wallbreaker and doesn’t have the same excellence of Magnezone, but I believe its a good and respectable wallbreaker in my opinion.
Replays:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nu-2214493465-nxa9jlhta6c7pdoag7x2a2oj3fnfp0rpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nu-2214496433-2s1w3c1qja8sw08mrbl36x0y3tf9cnnpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nu-2214500296-mfy6esz433bnoo605xawra43klbzfrxpw
Metal sound with eviolite and msgneton is really cool tech aswell . shoutout to Birdbrain103 for that set.
So I’m been using a bit of Magneton and I’m not going to lie Magneton was actually really good. This is the only set that I consider really good for Magneton.
Magneton @ Choice Specs
Ability: Analytic
Tera Type: Grass
Evs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Flash Cannon
- Volt Switch
- Tera Blast
I will say it doesn’t have the set diversity and lacks general bulk of Magnezone; however, I think it recaptures it as a strong choice specs wallbreakes. Plus being a bit faster than both Incineroar and Sylveon is a huge advantage, as it doesn’t get worried about getting outsped by base 60 Pokemon. I think Magneton has a solid niche in NU don’t get me wrong it does face some competition as a special wallbreaker and doesn’t have the same excellence of Magnezone, but I believe its a good and respectable wallbreaker in my opinion.
Replays:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nu-2214493465-nxa9jlhta6c7pdoag7x2a2oj3fnfp0rpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nu-2214496433-2s1w3c1qja8sw08mrbl36x0y3tf9cnnpw
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9nu-2214500296-mfy6esz433bnoo605xawra43klbzfrxpw
I have tried that set and its pretty decent.Eviolite with metal sound lets it have a better mu into zong with magnet pull and just useful at annoying mons like cresselia.
I support this nom.
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UR -> C I believe the recent shifts give some potential for sun teams to resurface as a way to punish bulkier teams and venusaur is a large part of that. Venusaur hits incredibly hard after a growth and losing talonflame makes dropping sludge bomb to wield both earth power and weather ball an easier choice to make, allowing venusaur to easily hit both the steel types immune to earth power as well as incineroar + alolan muk. Umbreon leaving also removes a pokemon that could withstand even a neutral +2 tera fire weather ball in sun giving bulkier teams an even harder time trying to withstand its attacks. now while the changes help sun punish the slower paced hazard stack oriented teams in the meta overqwils drop also gives room to see more rain teams which gives sun a harder time, but as I believe sun still has potential to be viable in the meta regardless, I believe the C tier is a good placement for now to give time for people to experiment more with manual sun in the new meta and come to a more definite conclusion of its place in the metagame.
Replay of a ptpl game vs Tuthur, ignoring the unfortunate double flinch, venusaur showed its potential to dominate slower teams.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen9nu-795718
+2 252+ SpA Life Orb Tera Fire Venusaur Weather Ball (100 BP Fire) vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Muk-Alola in Sun: 421-497 (101.6 - 120%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ SpA Life Orb Venusaur Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Muk-Alola: 338-398 (81.6 - 96.1%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO after 1 layer of Spikes
+2 252+ SpA Life Orb Venusaur Earth Power vs. 248 HP / 212+ SpD Incineroar: 374-442 (95.1 - 112.4%) -- 75% chance to OHKO
+2 252+ SpA Life Orb Tera Fire Venusaur Weather Ball (100 BP Fire) vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Flygon in Sun: 347-409 (115.2 - 135.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252 SpA Life Orb Tera Fire Venusaur Weather Ball (100 BP Fire) vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Flygon in Sun: 317-374 (105.3 - 124.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO - don't have to predict it coming in as it ohkos anyway even if timid
+2 252+ SpA Life Orb Venusaur Earth Power vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Muk-Alola: 338-398 (81.6 - 96.1%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO after 1 layer of Spikes
+2 252+ SpA Life Orb Venusaur Earth Power vs. 248 HP / 212+ SpD Incineroar: 374-442 (95.1 - 112.4%) -- 75% chance to OHKO
+2 252+ SpA Life Orb Tera Fire Venusaur Weather Ball (100 BP Fire) vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Flygon in Sun: 347-409 (115.2 - 135.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252 SpA Life Orb Tera Fire Venusaur Weather Ball (100 BP Fire) vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Flygon in Sun: 317-374 (105.3 - 124.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO - don't have to predict it coming in as it ohkos anyway even if timid
UR -> B-
With the loss of two hyper offense staples, the teamstyle has struggled a slight bit in finding more setup sweepers, and Scyther, a more recent discovery, has been seen to be quite good, finding success in tournaments as well, which can be seen with Danny's game below. The bulk it gains with Eviolite gives it easy opportunities to set up especially when paired with Cinccino to remove Stealth Rock beforehand. This, on top of the fact that it can boost its Speed with Trailblaze to complement Swords Dance; has great coverage with Close Combat, Dual Wingbeat, and Trailblaze; and already has a great Speed and Attack stat, make it a surprisingly good setup sweeper in NU. Tera Electric is certainly noteworthy as well, letting it turn the tables on Kilowattrel and a lead, Galvantula.
Scyther @ Eviolite / Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Tera Type: Electric / Fighting
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Dual Wingbeat
- Close Combat
- Trailblaze
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Tera Type: Electric / Fighting
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Dual Wingbeat
- Close Combat
- Trailblaze
New VR update who dis? This should be the last full slate for a while unless meta changes significantly. Continue to submit individual noms and we will vote on them as they come in. Shoutouts to Stories for helping.
Overqwil UR -> A+ Overqwil has an amazing typing which lets it excel in two completely different ways. While Overqwil is a great bulky Spikes setter with other utility moves like Barb Barrage, Haze, and Taunt, Overqwil also uses its typing to be an amazing setup sweeper on Rain teams. Being great at two different roles places Overqwil in A+.
Whimsicott UR -> B- Whimsicott serves as a pivot into top tier breakers like Flygon and Tauros Paldea Aqua. It counters HO teams with Prankster Encore while also being a great facilitator of the playstyle itself as a Sunny Day or Tailwind setter.
Uxie UR -> B+ Uxie's bulk almost compares to Cresselia, but it has even more utility. Stealth Rock, Knock Off, Thunder Wave, Trick Room, Memento. Uxie can also be a very potent setup sweeper with Tera Draining Kiss and Nasty Plot, using a surprisingly fast Encore or Substitute to shut down traditional counterplay.
Venusaur UR -> C Although Venusaur's days in the sun are over, it's defensive qualities are quite on par with Vileplume, but the key difference is Venusaur's ability to make progress against Poison- and Steel-types with Knock Off and Earth Power.
Mienshao A+ -> S With Talonflame and Cresselia gone, Mienshao is virtually impossible to pivot into, much less punish on its way out. Mienshao can now freely run Ice coverage over Stone Edge to smack Vileplume and others, and Life Orb recoil is completely offset by Regenerator.
Bronzong A -> A+ Bronzong has cemented itself as the best Steel in the tier, namely for its positive matchup against Flygon but also its ability to take over games with IronPress + Psychic Noise. Although it's a defensive Pokemon, it's attacks are quite strong as Body Press is easy to boost and Heavy Slam and Gyro Ball are often max power.
Kilowattrel A -> A+ The recent shifts help Kilowattrel a lot, as a lot of special walls rose to RU. Kilowattrel's uncontested speed and amazing typing make it a great pivot in VoltTurn cores with others like Mienshao and Flygon.
Tauros-Paldea-Aqua A -> A+ Admittedly underrated to begin with, Tauros Aqua is quite difficult to defensively manage, as even bulky Water-types like Vaporeon and Milotic hate taking a +1 Close Combat. Intimidate makes Tauros Aqua a great defensive piece even as an offensive Pokemon, checking Flygon and Mienshao in a pinch. Aqua jet is a great splashable (pun intended) priority move for teams too.
Toxicroak A -> A+ When Vaporeon rises, Toxicroak follows.
Basculegion A- -> A Rain is getting more use with Overqwil dropping, and there has been exploration into other sets such as sub + Phantom Force and Endeavor which has opened up a lot of matchups.
Vaporeon A- -> A Best WishPasser now and generally amazing matchup into Rain and shut down setup stuff with Roar / Haze.
Oricorio-Pom-Pom B+ -> A This bird has next to zero counterplay :D
Milotic B+ -> A- Arguably more proactive version of Vaporeon. Instant recovery is a gamechanger.
Registeel B+ -> A- Registeel is somehow even bulkier than Bronzong, and with the classic IronPress combo it's not nearly as passive as it may seem. It's also a great Thunder Wave spreader.
Toxtricity B+ -> A- Strong.
Gligar B -> A- Gligar has amazing bulk and utility moves like Knock Off, Stealth Rock, Taunt, Toxic, and Spikes all while having a great speed stat and pivoting move. It pairs amazingly with Vaporeon as a Toxic immune Toxicroak check.
Articuno-Galar B -> B+ Great Defog / Intimidate punisher with insane setup potential and amazing stats. Future Sight and Psychic Noise make dealing with this defensively a real pain and it has reliable recovery too.
Gastrodon B -> B+ Water immune with hazards is great for role compression. It started running Sludge Bomb more to be less passive while still hitting Grass-types.
Tauros-Paldea-Blaze B -> B+ While it is generally worse than Aqua form, access to Will-O-Wisp and beating Grass-types like Vileplume is very nice.
Decidueye B- -> B+ Very positive matchup into the omnipresent Waterbull, previously underrated.
Grafaiai B- -> B Grassy Terrain is getting more usage and Grafaiai is a staple on those teams. Also seeing more usage as a standalone mon with 2 good abilities, Knock Off and plenty of utility.
Kingdra B- -> B Weather forecast says Rain is to be expected.
Scrafty B- -> B Knock Off switchin with recovery (Also gets Knock Off too!).
Scream Tail B- -> B CM sets are surging in use as a psuedo answer to opposing HO as well as generic sweepers. Very solid as a fighting type answer with a good matchup into all but 1. Good flexibility with utility moves.
Thwackey B- -> B Despite the Cresselia ban, Grassy Terrain is getting more usage as more people pick up on how busted certain animals of the bird variety are (Also GTerrain teams are v good at forcing opponents' tera out and playing out games from there).
Dudunsparce C -> B- Very flexible pokemon that can act as a wincon or a simple hazard setter and generic wall. Getting more usage in tournaments.
Palossand C -> B- Very good answer to many of the physical threats that are surging in popularity
Sandslash-Alola C -> B- Seeing more tournament use in both Hail and as a standalone steel type. Provides valuable role compression with both hazards and Rapid Spin.
Munkidori A+ -> A Overqwil dropping directly affects it as a psychic immune that resists poison and doesn't mind being tricked a scarf.
Slowbro-Galar A+ -> A- Struggles in a very fast paced hazards meta to keep its health up, even with Regenerator. Overqwil's arrival in the tier is also a factor as it is a direct threat with potential to abuse the free turn when the Slowbro switches out.
Inteleon A -> A- The shift away from Swampert to Vaporeon, Milotic and Gastrodon hurts it massively, as does the surge in Gligar usage which is a very solid answer to the pokemon Inteleon frequently partners with.
Porygon-Z A -> A- More people are picking Toxtricity over it due to the better defensive typing and its ability to pivot.
Swampert A -> A- Vaporeon, Milotic and Gastrodon are all surging in use, with the first 2 also being able to pivot. Lack of recovery is a big negative in a hazard heavy meta, especially for a physical tank that likes to come in on pokemon that often run Knock Off and U-Turn to chip.
Dragalge B+ -> B Often struggles with making progress in games and is easily worn down by hazards and the countless fighting types it wants to come in on.
Rotom-Heat B+ -> B Gligar and Bronzong have taken over as the premier ground immunes, and other fire types have more of an immediate impact on games which is more desirable in a fast paced meta.
Drednaw B -> B- Waterbull sends its regards.
Infernape B -> B- The other fighting types are much more consistent and provide more initial power. Usually relegated to a scarfer or lead, not what you would want from a fighting type.
Tsareena B -> B- This mon has been cheeks for a long time, it just took longer for some people on to vote it down. Next stop: C rank.
Wo-Chien B -> B- Cresselia leaving is just the newest hit to its viability. Tier is moving away from bulky setup sweepers that Wo-Chien beats towards others like Pompom that it has a very rough time dealing with.
Pawmot B- -> C Other fighting types are just as good in the short term and much better in the long term over the course of a game.
Rotom-Mow B- -> C Very niche option with most people turning towards other pivoting options or electric types.
Qwilfish-Hisui B- -> UR Use its older brother 
Brute Bonnet C -> UR Bonnet has been tumbling down the rankings for a while now as the meta shifts towards fighting types and other mons with very solid matchups into it such as Incineroar. New Dark type competition in Overqwil also hurts its viability.
Pincurchin C -> UR Electric terrain as an archetype never took off and with Iron Thorns gone, there is little to no reason to use it over Grassy and Psychic terrain.
You can find the voting slate here.
Overqwil UR -> A+ Overqwil has an amazing typing which lets it excel in two completely different ways. While Overqwil is a great bulky Spikes setter with other utility moves like Barb Barrage, Haze, and Taunt, Overqwil also uses its typing to be an amazing setup sweeper on Rain teams. Being great at two different roles places Overqwil in A+. Whimsicott UR -> B- Whimsicott serves as a pivot into top tier breakers like Flygon and Tauros Paldea Aqua. It counters HO teams with Prankster Encore while also being a great facilitator of the playstyle itself as a Sunny Day or Tailwind setter. Uxie UR -> B+ Uxie's bulk almost compares to Cresselia, but it has even more utility. Stealth Rock, Knock Off, Thunder Wave, Trick Room, Memento. Uxie can also be a very potent setup sweeper with Tera Draining Kiss and Nasty Plot, using a surprisingly fast Encore or Substitute to shut down traditional counterplay. Venusaur UR -> C Although Venusaur's days in the sun are over, it's defensive qualities are quite on par with Vileplume, but the key difference is Venusaur's ability to make progress against Poison- and Steel-types with Knock Off and Earth Power. Mienshao A+ -> S With Talonflame and Cresselia gone, Mienshao is virtually impossible to pivot into, much less punish on its way out. Mienshao can now freely run Ice coverage over Stone Edge to smack Vileplume and others, and Life Orb recoil is completely offset by Regenerator. Bronzong A -> A+ Bronzong has cemented itself as the best Steel in the tier, namely for its positive matchup against Flygon but also its ability to take over games with IronPress + Psychic Noise. Although it's a defensive Pokemon, it's attacks are quite strong as Body Press is easy to boost and Heavy Slam and Gyro Ball are often max power. Kilowattrel A -> A+ The recent shifts help Kilowattrel a lot, as a lot of special walls rose to RU. Kilowattrel's uncontested speed and amazing typing make it a great pivot in VoltTurn cores with others like Mienshao and Flygon. Tauros-Paldea-Aqua A -> A+ Admittedly underrated to begin with, Tauros Aqua is quite difficult to defensively manage, as even bulky Water-types like Vaporeon and Milotic hate taking a +1 Close Combat. Intimidate makes Tauros Aqua a great defensive piece even as an offensive Pokemon, checking Flygon and Mienshao in a pinch. Aqua jet is a great splashable (pun intended) priority move for teams too. Toxicroak A -> A+ When Vaporeon rises, Toxicroak follows. Basculegion A- -> A Rain is getting more use with Overqwil dropping, and there has been exploration into other sets such as sub + Phantom Force and Endeavor which has opened up a lot of matchups. Vaporeon A- -> A Best WishPasser now and generally amazing matchup into Rain and shut down setup stuff with Roar / Haze. Oricorio-Pom-Pom B+ -> A This bird has next to zero counterplay :D Milotic B+ -> A- Arguably more proactive version of Vaporeon. Instant recovery is a gamechanger. Registeel B+ -> A- Registeel is somehow even bulkier than Bronzong, and with the classic IronPress combo it's not nearly as passive as it may seem. It's also a great Thunder Wave spreader. Toxtricity B+ -> A- Strong. Gligar B -> A- Gligar has amazing bulk and utility moves like Knock Off, Stealth Rock, Taunt, Toxic, and Spikes all while having a great speed stat and pivoting move. It pairs amazingly with Vaporeon as a Toxic immune Toxicroak check. Articuno-Galar B -> B+ Great Defog / Intimidate punisher with insane setup potential and amazing stats. Future Sight and Psychic Noise make dealing with this defensively a real pain and it has reliable recovery too. Gastrodon B -> B+ Water immune with hazards is great for role compression. It started running Sludge Bomb more to be less passive while still hitting Grass-types. Tauros-Paldea-Blaze B -> B+ While it is generally worse than Aqua form, access to Will-O-Wisp and beating Grass-types like Vileplume is very nice. Decidueye B- -> B+ Very positive matchup into the omnipresent Waterbull, previously underrated. Grafaiai B- -> B Grassy Terrain is getting more usage and Grafaiai is a staple on those teams. Also seeing more usage as a standalone mon with 2 good abilities, Knock Off and plenty of utility. Kingdra B- -> B Weather forecast says Rain is to be expected. Scrafty B- -> B Knock Off switchin with recovery (Also gets Knock Off too!). Scream Tail B- -> B CM sets are surging in use as a psuedo answer to opposing HO as well as generic sweepers. Very solid as a fighting type answer with a good matchup into all but 1. Good flexibility with utility moves. Thwackey B- -> B Despite the Cresselia ban, Grassy Terrain is getting more usage as more people pick up on how busted certain animals of the bird variety are (Also GTerrain teams are v good at forcing opponents' tera out and playing out games from there). Dudunsparce C -> B- Very flexible pokemon that can act as a wincon or a simple hazard setter and generic wall. Getting more usage in tournaments. Palossand C -> B- Very good answer to many of the physical threats that are surging in popularity Sandslash-Alola C -> B- Seeing more tournament use in both Hail and as a standalone steel type. Provides valuable role compression with both hazards and Rapid Spin. Munkidori A+ -> A Overqwil dropping directly affects it as a psychic immune that resists poison and doesn't mind being tricked a scarf. Slowbro-Galar A+ -> A- Struggles in a very fast paced hazards meta to keep its health up, even with Regenerator. Overqwil's arrival in the tier is also a factor as it is a direct threat with potential to abuse the free turn when the Slowbro switches out. Inteleon A -> A- The shift away from Swampert to Vaporeon, Milotic and Gastrodon hurts it massively, as does the surge in Gligar usage which is a very solid answer to the pokemon Inteleon frequently partners with. Porygon-Z A -> A- More people are picking Toxtricity over it due to the better defensive typing and its ability to pivot. Swampert A -> A- Vaporeon, Milotic and Gastrodon are all surging in use, with the first 2 also being able to pivot. Lack of recovery is a big negative in a hazard heavy meta, especially for a physical tank that likes to come in on pokemon that often run Knock Off and U-Turn to chip. Dragalge B+ -> B Often struggles with making progress in games and is easily worn down by hazards and the countless fighting types it wants to come in on. Rotom-Heat B+ -> B Gligar and Bronzong have taken over as the premier ground immunes, and other fire types have more of an immediate impact on games which is more desirable in a fast paced meta. Drednaw B -> B- Waterbull sends its regards. Infernape B -> B- The other fighting types are much more consistent and provide more initial power. Usually relegated to a scarfer or lead, not what you would want from a fighting type. Tsareena B -> B- This mon has been cheeks for a long time, it just took longer for some people on to vote it down. Next stop: C rank. Wo-Chien B -> B- Cresselia leaving is just the newest hit to its viability. Tier is moving away from bulky setup sweepers that Wo-Chien beats towards others like Pompom that it has a very rough time dealing with. Pawmot B- -> C Other fighting types are just as good in the short term and much better in the long term over the course of a game. Rotom-Mow B- -> C Very niche option with most people turning towards other pivoting options or electric types. Qwilfish-Hisui B- -> UR Use its older brother Brute Bonnet C -> UR Bonnet has been tumbling down the rankings for a while now as the meta shifts towards fighting types and other mons with very solid matchups into it such as Incineroar. New Dark type competition in Overqwil also hurts its viability. Pincurchin C -> UR Electric terrain as an archetype never took off and with Iron Thorns gone, there is little to no reason to use it over Grassy and Psychic terrain.You can find the voting slate here.
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we forgot to put qwilfish hisui unranked. it was voted on for unranked.
A+ -> A- I genuinely don't understand the hype on this mon. I've been messing with multiple different sets for two weeks now and I've yet to feel like this mon is capable of being an A+ addition to this tier on anything except for paper. Utility sets are frankly awful with its poor longevity, poor special bulk, and 4mss out the wazoo. In my opinion, the best set for me has been Crunch / Toxic / Spikes / Split, but just like other utility sets, I think it's kind of garbage. The only real sets are offensive ones, specifically on Rain, but it's most definitely not an A+ tier mon for that alone nor is it the best mon on rain. Other SD sets like the one we saw in my game today + CB/Scarf sets probably have real merit, especially on HOs, but A+? nah.
I should have voted on the VR (again), oops
Double posting because I forgot but
B+ -> A-
I've wanted to talk about this mon for weeks because I believe that it's one of the great anti-meta mons currently available in the tier after Umbreon rose, but I also knew I wanted to use it in SCL, so I'm only talking about it now. To keep it frank, Calm Mind sets are insanely good. I've flip flopped between max hp and max spa being better constantly, but both have the ability to absolutely blank and break SO many defensive teams based off nothing more but pure stats. It's a Psychic that beats the Intimidating Dark-types and Bronzong + naturally hits extremely hard with its STAB moves. I cannot recommend enough not using those FS + U-Turn sets that seem fun on paper because they're a waste of a good Galarcuno. The real sauce is Calm Mind. Just calc and play with it a bunch and watch teams crumble I promise it's epic.
B+ -> A-I've wanted to talk about this mon for weeks because I believe that it's one of the great anti-meta mons currently available in the tier after Umbreon rose, but I also knew I wanted to use it in SCL, so I'm only talking about it now. To keep it frank, Calm Mind sets are insanely good. I've flip flopped between max hp and max spa being better constantly, but both have the ability to absolutely blank and break SO many defensive teams based off nothing more but pure stats. It's a Psychic that beats the Intimidating Dark-types and Bronzong + naturally hits extremely hard with its STAB moves. I cannot recommend enough not using those FS + U-Turn sets that seem fun on paper because they're a waste of a good Galarcuno. The real sauce is Calm Mind. Just calc and play with it a bunch and watch teams crumble I promise it's epic.