Project Personal OU Viability Rankings

[Jordy]

As requested by a couple users, here's the Personal VR project for OU! This project will fill some downtime between now and when the VR finally gets sorted out and opens up again. The concept is very simple: post your own VR. Explanations for certain rankings are not necessary but ofcourse welcome!

 

[OvertoneSeries]

I'm not particularly great so take this with a grain of salt but:

S Maybe broken??

A+ Consistent top tier picks

(S)

A Top tier picks that put in work most of the time

A- Generally very effective but can sometimes be invalidated

B+ Good picks with noticeable drawbacks

(R)

B Solid niche picks that can put in a lot of work

B- Solid niche picks but inconsistent

Everything else is C or below

 

[ausma]

This looks like a lot of fun to do! I'll bite. If anybody has any questions as to my choices, I'll gladly explain in a followup post!

S Tier
(Pokemon I find to be S tier are Pokemon that are extremely splashable in the metagame, and able to be slotted onto nearly any team and work to great effectiveness in any game. Basically, the Pokemon I feel actually work the best and have the most application in the metagame, that should always be considered.)

Landorus-I

Zygarde

---
A Tier
(Pokemon in the A tier are Pokemon that I find to be really strong in the metagame, but have a couple noteworthy weaknesses that annoy them; though, they are potent Pokemon that should be considered for a team due to their generally good traits.)

A+ Tier

Landorus-T

Pheromosa

Kyurem-Black

Urshifu-S

A Tier

Garchomp

Dragapult

Corviknight

Heatran

Latias

Latios

Magearna

Tapu Fini

Clefable

Toxapex

Hippowdon

A- Tier

Excadrill

Tornadus-Therian

Cinderace

Tapu Koko

Regieleki

Blaziken

Zapdos

Swampert

Zapdos-Galar

Ferrothorn

Urshifu-R

Spectrier

---
B Tier
(Pokemon in the B tier are Pokemon that I find to have consistency in quality, but need support to work to their fullest due to some notable drawbacks.)

B+ Tier

Rillaboom

Mandibuzz

Tapu Lele

Blissey

Ninetales-Alola

B Tier

Aegislash

Grimmsnarl

Rotom-Heat

Blacephalon

Melmetal

Buzzwole

Ditto

Slowking

Moltres

Hydreigon

Seismitoad

B- Tier

Alakazam

Rotom-Wash

Slowbro

Dragonite

Pelipper

Kartana

Tapu Bulu

Thundurus-Therian

Kingdra

Barraskewda

Primarina

Marowak-Alola

---
C Tier
(Pokemon in the C tier have viability in the tier, however require a lot of team support and set up to work to their fullest, and are greatly held back by metagame trends to a point where they lack consistency.)

C+ Tier

Scizor

Nihilego

Zeraora

Quagsire

Magnezone

Crawdaunt

C Tier

Regidrago

Tyranitar

C- Tier

Celesteela

Suicune

Glastrier

Hatterene

---

Everything else I don't have enough data on, or I think it's unviable.

Thanks for reading! I'll probably amend this as I see fit.

 

[Katy]

This looks fun to do, thank you Jordy for posting this thread!

So here is my personal Viability Ranking as of now:

S




A+
(Single-Strike)




A










A-














B+



(Rapid-Strike)








B










B-














C+















C

















C-

 

[Arcueid]

My list is in no particular order and I'll describe what each rank means alongside it.
Note: Kyurem-B and Zygarde bans have not been implemented yet, and my list hasn't been updated since. I've only made a few preliminary changes to accommodate to what I think will rise/fall on paper.

S
These Pokemon can be fit on almost any team and their value on the team is usually the most important. In a highly offensive metagame, these Pokemon provide immense pressure on the opposing team and are the closest to being broken, if they aren't in fact broken already.​

Magearna
Heatran
Clefable

A
These Pokemon are quite similar to S in a sense that any team appreciates the offensive/defensive value they provide to a team with minimum team support provided.
Though from A+ to A-, the general trend of ranking refers to how easy they are to contain/check during a game. It also depends on how well a Pokemon does when compared to other viable Pokemon in the meta. Overall, these Pokemon have some flaws and A+ to A- also gauges the amount of support needed to cover the flaws.
​

A+

Pheromosa
Urshifu-Single
Ferrothorn
Tornadus-Therian
Spectrier

A
Latios
Cinderace
Landorus-Therian
Tapu Fini
Corviknight
Toxapex
Mandibuzz

A-
Latias
Blaziken
Kartana
Excadrill
Swampert
Zapdos
Zapdos-Galar
Tapu Koko
Dragapult
Melmetal

B
These Pokemon provide good value to a team, however, these Pokemon cannot fit onto a good portion of teams because of their relevant flaws or the specific niches they fill in the team. They do function quite well provided with good team support.
From B+ to B-, these Pokemon will generally be gauged more importantly on their general value on a team and then on how well they perform a certain niche on the team (i.e certain playstyles like Rain, Trick Room, Dual Screens etc)​

B+
Victini
Slowbro
Hippowdon
Tapu Lele
Buzzwole
Urshifu-Rapid
Tyranitar
Moltres

B
Regieleki
Kommo-o
Mew
Hatterene
Tapu Bulu

B-
Dracozolt
Barraskewda
Uxie
Cresselia
Pelipper
Marowak-Alola
Grimmsnarl

C
These Pokemon are almost always outclassed by other Pokemon in the tier and you can use other Pokemon over them to make the team better. These Pokemon can struggle a lot against a lot of matchups and are heavily reliant on their team.​

C+
Stakataka
Kingdra
Thundurus-Therian
Hawlucha

C
Skarmory

C-
Zeraora
Thundurus

I'll mention any changes I make later as I play more and see if any changes are to be made. Also, Pokemon that I haven't included are not included because I am not sure of my thoughts about them in the current meta, i.e big ones that I omitted were , , , , , etc.

edit: Landorus is gone, yay! Magearna feels like it might move to S for me, but I'll need to play the new meta once the changes are implemented.
edit2: made an update as of what the meta seems to me on paper after KyuB and Zyg ban

 

[Gomi]

Might as well. I'm prone to changing my opinions but I think this list will represent my general views p well, its just a bit of good fun afterall. It's important to keep in mind that just because I rank something low, doesn't mean I think its terrible automatically, sometimes they're just really specific.
The orders in the tiers themselves doesn't matter that much btw.
S
Absolute KINGS. Extremely self sufficient and meta defining. You'd have to try to not have at least one of these on your team.
S+

Versatile. Consistent. Extremely difficult to consistently check. Enormous set variety. Fits on pretty much every playstyle. If this isn't top tier, I just don't know what is. A constant threat in the builder and in battle, there is very little doubt in my mind this is currently the best Pokémon in the metagame, overall.
S
(Banned)
Extremely consistent in battle, easy enough to slot onto multiple playstyles, offers solid defensive utility, is reasonably difficult to OHKO, and has pretty solid set variety, also just one of the best breakers in the metagame period, if not THE breaker.

Screens Jesus. Difficult to revenge, huge power, titanic bulk, and counterplay that completely changes with the 4th moveslot and item choice (Earth Power=Steels, Ice Beam=Buzzwole, Sub=Eases Setup+Harder to RK). Really only lower than the other 2 due to not fitting onto everything super cleanly, bar HO.
S-

So good on pretty much everything but like stall, like wow this is really varied and bulky. Decent Kyube check at high health too, which is not something you'll find in a lot of mons.
A
Dominant but less so than S, really not much worse, just flawed to a more noticeable extent. Usually requires pretty minimal team support.
A+

Kept in check compared to the ones above by relying on pivots or KOs to actually get in and being walled by pretty good mons, as well as the high number of scarfers.



Single


A

Rapid


A-









B
Average, they likely don't fit very cleanly onto alot of teams, due to needing pretty noticable levels of support, or they compete with something very good.
B+

B
















B-

C
They either do one thing very well, but it isn't in very high demand, or they are largely outclassed by other things. Usually also requires heaps of care in the builder.

edit: trimmed it a lil and removed stuff.

 

[Monky25]

Thought it might be fun to do my own list, not gonna give too much descriptions of what each rank is since I think most of us know what they mean, especially since some of the above posts cover them really well. I'll also explain some of the more significant rankings at the end. these are in no particular order by the way. I'm gonna be a bit more conservative than others with this list.
S+ (meta defining, absolutely busted, in my opinion quick ban material)

S- (very good mons but not busted)

A+

(single strike)
A

A-

B+

B

(rapid strike)
B-

C+

C (prolly will be biggest tier because no C-)

 

[Spyro]

S

Zygarde: As others already said, this is the best Pokemon in the tier. It comes in on stuff it threatens and Glares whatever comes in as a response then it switches out and comes back in and chips things down with TA until it's able to safely set up and possibly sweep or break for it's other teammates to finish the battle.

Landorus-I: Almost unwallable with a troll speed tier which lets it outspeed base 100s and is only really outsped by Pokemon sitting in way higher speed tiers. Sheer Force prevents LO damage and has a great movepool providing it everything it needs. Gravity, Rock Polish, SR, Sludge Wave, Fblast etc.

Pheromosa: Amazing speed tier, amazing attack stats with a a lot of snowballing potential. Things that can stop it depends on what move it clicks or it's set. HDB is a god given for this as well.

Kyurem-B: Very dangerous wincon. HDB is a god given item for this on top of DD and Icicle Spear. Boltbeam is awesome coverage. Hard to check and counter because of it's ridiculous attack stat with titanic bulk + Substitute and Roost. And behind screens? yeah you can forget about it.

A+

Heatran: Thought your bulky water was a good switch in to this thing? think again because Magma Storm + Taunt + Earth Power + Toxic will delete your Slowbro/Toxapex or Blissey out of existence. Great defensive typing in Fire/Steel lets you wall Fairies forever. Leftovers specially will Protect ensure Heatran never dies. You might as well say Heatran is immortal.

Urshifu-S: This continues to be a very solid and consistent threat. Even things that should wall it on paper like Buzzwole can be dealt with by using Aerial Ace instead of U-Turn on CB sets.

Clefable: Although it defnitely doesn't appreciate the power creep of the metagame right now it is still a solid glue mon with 2 great abilities it can make use of. Unaware lets you check some top threats like Ushifu, Blaziken and Kyurem B.

Toxapex: This hasn't really changed much. Still a good a sponge wall that annoys the hell out of everyone. Toxic Spikes, Knock Off, Scald, Toxic. Regenerator+Recover makes it regen it's health better than Deadpool and Wolverine

Latios: Loss of Pursuit + new moves in Aura Sphere and Mystical Fire make it really hard to switch into. Reminds me of Lando-I.

Latias: Just as good as Latios but in a different way. Sponges Special Attacks better and has Healing Wish for monster reborn.

Tornadus-T: Amazing defogger + great speed tier + deadpool ability + NP + boots.

A

Dragapult: Haven't used this much but Specs is definitely the better set right now because of the fast paced metagame and power creep. You need all the speed and power you can get.

Garchomp: Outshined by Zygarde atm but this is still a very a solid pick. Great ability can sometimes mean the difference between winning or losing. It can also snowball and sweep with Scale Shot. Definitely a threat to watch out for.

Dracozolt: Almost nothing takes 2 hits from it's mixed set. Nuff said.

Tapu Fini: Does the same thing as last gen. Draining Kiss improves it's longevity so it can viably run Calm Mind now. It's ability is useful for all the mons that rely on status moves to beat you.

Melmetal: Trick Room is where it shines best but still really good as a standalone Pokemon.

Magearna: I would put this in A+ but the metagame right now is just not the best for it right now. This was banned for a reason.

Spectrier: Solid wincon. It's ability and high Special Attack is what sets it apart from Dragapult even though it has no coverage.

A-

Blissey/Chansey: The best special wall bar none with Teleport for momentum.

Excadrill: Same old same old. Solid Sand Rush sweeper.

Tyranitar: Solid sand setter + poor mans Blissey + Rocks + Ghost resist = awesome.

Cinderace: Still really solid just doesn't take advantage of the Metagame as well as before.

Urshifu R:

Tapu Koko: Screens setter + Terrain support. Solid mon.

Blaziken: Protect guarantees the Speed Boost which makes for a solid late game sweeper.

Zapdos Galar: Budget Urshifu check. 3 viable sets in CB, CS and BU. Enjoys the presence of Landorus-T and takes full advantage of Defog. Also sick design.

Victini: Great pivot special attacker with HDB. CB and CS work too.

Ferrothorn

Tapu Lele: Even though it doesn't get Expanding Force this remains a very solid mon that hits like a truck.

B+

Regieleki. This requires a good bit of support because of the Ground types but once that's out of the way this wreaks havoc.

Corviknight: Corviknight is still Corviknight. Doesn't appreciate all the electric spam and Heatran though.

Hippowdon: Great physical wall but faces competition from Ttar because of it's better match up against Pelipper,Torkoal and Spectrier etc. Can't really go wrong with Hippo though but gotta have some teammates that can deal with the aforementioned. Same vice versa.

Zapdos:

Swampert: The meta is really kind to it. Flip Turn is awesome.

Rillaboom: The meta is way less kind to it than before

Tapu Bulu: Good sponge wall with reliable recovery.

Hydreigon: Nasty Plot is nasty.

Mew: The Deoxys D of gen 8.

B

Mandibuzz

Aegislash

Buzzwole: Has a niche is being able to handle most Urshifu S, checking Kyurem B among other physical threats.

Blacephalon: Appreciates loss of Pursuit greatly.

Ditto: Good Mon and revenge killer that fits nicely on select teams.

Slowking: Haven't really used it but it's a good pivot sponge wall and handles Landorus

Dragonite: Good wincon and can also run special on rain teams.

Hawlucha: Good wincon

Pelipper: Go to for Drizzle teams

Ninetales A: Go to for Hail teams

Torkoal: Go to for Sun teams

Kingdra: Scary rain sweeper

Barraskewda: Scary rain sweeper

Omastar: Scary rain sweeper

Magnezone: Steel trapper

B-

Moltres:

Cresselia. Go to for Trick Room

Venusaur: Scary sun sweeper

Alakazam:

Tangrowth:

C+

Jirachi:

Raikou:

Marowak A:

Skarmory:

Grimmsnarl: Priority Screens

Crawdaunt: Hard hitter + Priority

Azumarill:

Gengar:

Gastrodon:

Rhyperior:

Moltres Galar:

Thundurus-T:

Quagsire:

Zeraora:

Regidrago:

Glastrier:

Hatterene:

Rotom-W:

Below C+

The rest.

 

[Zneon]

My personal VR is only going to stop at B+ or A- because right now its really hard to rank the meta below that. Keep in mind this is in no particular order except for the ones in S rank, and even those will be in alphabetical order. So anyway let's go, I'll be explaining them all afterwards.

S Rank:

S Rank

Landorus

Zygarde

A Rank:

A+ Rank

Clefable

Landorus-T

Kyurem-B

Magearna

Pheromosa

Urshifu-S

A Rank

Corviknight

Dragapult

Heatran

Latios

Tapu Fini

Toxapex

A- Rank

Blaziken

Cinderace

Ferrothorn

Latias

Spectrier

Swampert

Tornadus-T

Zapdos

Zapdos-Galar

B Rank:

B+ Rank

Buzzwole

Mandibuzz

Melmetal

Regieleki

Rillaboom

Tapu Koko

Tapu Lele

Anything important I missed is probably because I just forgot about them.
_ _ _

Okay reasoning time, its not gonna be for all of them but just the most notable ones imo.

I feel Zygarde and Landorus-I are comfortably the best Pokemon in the metagame. They are incredibly threatening, very splashable and adaptable and have pretty valuable defensive utility in some way, making them Pokemon that you overall cannot really ever go wrong with. Firstly, I'm going to start of with Zygarde because I feel that's the best Pokemon in the metagame currently simply because it just does so much for a team. It can sweep, it can be status spreader, a form of speed control in Espeed, a powerful CB user and more. Its amazing in a sense that you can always put it on your team, slap any viable move and stat spread onto it and Zygarde will be able to make it work, its not S rank because its broken, but its S rank because the tools it has and how well it uses them simply makes it better than anything in the metagame in terms of viability.

Next Landorus-I. I've talked about it a lot and I will not actually stop because its simply so damn good, its the perfect wallbreaker in my opinion because its lack of switch ins, great speed, amazing versatility and adaptability, how easy it is to slap on a team and how threatening it is to almost any team makes it a very easy S rank in my eyes. It has good defensive utility in being a Ground immune and Volt blocker, which are two incredibly valuable defensive traits for such a powerful wallbreaker, and the fact that its so hard to chip down outside of Stealth Rock and status is simply amazing. The main reason why its S rank however is how dangerous and adaptable it is, all you really need to do is run Life Orb 4 attacks or 3 attacks with your choice of Gravity / Stealth Rock / Calm Mind / Rock Polish and that set will never lose viability and effectiveness because of the fact that you only need Earth Power and arguably Sludge Wave as your required moves since they all hit almost all of the metagame for a 2HKO, from there the possibilities are endless. You can run a million moves on the last 2 or 3 moveslots depending on what your team wants and that, combined with all the other points makes it the single best offensive Pokemon in the metagame and the 2nd best Pokemon in OU overall. So that's a no-brainer S rank in my eyes.

Kyurem-Black, this thing isn't an S rank Pokemon, sorry. Kyurem-B is definitely a broken Pokemon in my opinion, but that doesn't make a Pokemon S rank, and I feel Kyurem-B has its flaws that make it more on the lines of the Pokemon in A+ rather than S. Now, while Kyurem-B is very hard to handle sometimes once it sets up, I feel getting that setup is pretty hard depending on the team. Pokemon like Pheromosa, Melmetal, Clefable, Urshifu-S and Magearna can deter this Pokemon from setting up, not to mention with Buzzwole being on the rise as a great defensive backbone for many teams, Kyurem-B can often struggle with them especially when you add the fact that they are also pretty common Pokemon. However its still amazing, those Pokemon are very much pressured into staying alive long enough so once it does set up a Dragon Dance, they are not easily put into range of one of its attacking moves and sometimes just lose the game, its incredibly hard to handle and its consistency and potency are just so high that I simply cannot find it to be anywhere lower than A+ right now.

I thought this would be beyond broken, I was very wrong. So, I feel Blaziken is not that good right now and its because this Pokemon simply just struggles to set up or find set up opportunities because its pretty much relies on forcing Pokemon out in order to get that turn of setup and successfully sweep, which is not ideal at all. This is probably an awful comparison, but I'm going to compare this to Kyurem-B, not only does it threaten almost the entire metagame with just its STABs, but its bulky and power after just 1 turn of setup is incredibly dangerous for almost any given team, and that point about how it threatens almost everything its STABs, its last two moves can be quite a lot of things, Substitute and Earth Power are the best ones. Blaziken doesn't really have this, because its very frail which makes getting that turn of setup is hard without risking losing more than half your health, and even when you get that turn of setup safely. Its still a very solid Pokemon but I do not think it has enough consistency to warrant it being higher on this personal VR.


I could probably add more but these are the most notable Pokemon that I want to talk about.

Thanks for reading!

 

[LpZ]

S Rank:





A+ Rank:




(S)





A Rank:








A- Rank:















B+ Rank:





(R)








B Rank:













B- Rank:













C+ Rank:


















C Rank

 

[VTMagno]

S Rank:
Zygarde
Kyurem-B

A+ Rank:
Clefable
Magearna
Pheromosa
Melmetal
Urshifu-S
Landorus-T
Heatran

A Rank:
Blissey

Spectrier
Toxapex
Moltres
Tapu Fini
Zapdos
Cinderace
Dragapult
Excadrill
Mandibuzz
Tyranitar
Pelipper

A- Rank:
Tornadus-T
Latios
Ferrothorn
Buzzwole
Slowbro
Swampert
Barraskewda
Regieleki
Garchomp
Urshifu-R
Hippowdon

B+ Rank:
Blaziken
Corviknight
Dragonite
Dracozolt
Kartana
Kingdra
Nidoking
Rillaboom
Slowking


B Rank:
Blacephalon
Victini
Zapdos-G
Zarude

B- Rank:
Aegislash
Celesteela
Cresselia
Gengar
Grimmsnarl
Hydreigon
Raikou
Skarmory
Togekiss
Torkoal
Venusaur

C Rank:
Everything else

 

[DetroitLolcat]

Tiers are sorta/kinda ordered?

S-Rank:
These are Pokemon who are featured on many teams and considered for nearly every team. Not only do they clearly rule the viability roost, other Pokemon in the metagame's viability is determined in large part by their matchup against these Pokemon. Suspect tests and quickbans typically come from this tier.

Zygarde
Landorus-Incarnate
Kyurem-Black

A-Rank:
Any team hoping to succeed at a high level will be using at least some of these Pokemon and will have answers for all of them. These Pokemon either provide solid role compression, perform one role extremely well without much team support, or provide significant team support for other Pokemon (typically found lower down the list).


A+

Pheromosa
(Single-Strike)
Heatran
Magearna
Clefable

A

Latios
Toxapex
Landorus-Therian
Garchomp

Spectrier
Tornadus-Therian
Blaziken

A-

Dragapult
Ferrothorn
Latias
Melmetal
Zapdos
Tapu Fini
Coriknight
Tapu Koko

Zapdos-Galar
Excadrill
(Rapid-Strike)
Swampert

B-Rank
B Rank Pokemon are usually on the fringe of whether they're considered OU, typically mons that can function in the tier with significant support or may be the linchpin of a more niche playstyle.

B+

Cinderace
Hippowdon
Blissey
Tapu Lele

Regieleki
Tyranitar
Rillaboom
Mandibuzz
Victini

B

Moltres
Kartana
Ditto
Dracozolt
Buzzwole
Blacephalon

B-

Pelipper
Mew
Dragonite
Hydreigon
magnezone
Kingdra
Aegislash
Slowking
Rotom-Heat
Tapu Bulu
Gengar

C Rank
C Rank Pokemon usually require significant team support to pull their weight, are only viable on a small number of niche teams, or are generally outpowered by the staples of the tier. These Pokemon are not worthless and can serve a significant purpose in the right situation or against an unprepared team.

C+

Slowbro
Grimmsnarl
Barraskewda
Tangrowth
Torkoal
Hawlucha
Volcarona
Thundurus-Therian
Hatterene

Glastrier
Gastrodon
Alakazam
Skarmory
Cresselia
Ninetales-Alola
Celesteela
Raikou
Venusaur
Marowak-Alola
Crawdaunt
Stakataka
Mantine
Nidoking

C

Togekiss
Rotom-Wash

Regidrago
Kyurem
Kommo-o
Zeraora
Jirachi
Azumarill
Moltres-Galar
Suicune
Scizor
Quagsire

 

[Ox the Fox]

S+:
Broken as shit, should be quickbanned


S:
Still broken as shit, should be quickbanned but has a few more reliable answers than S+ mons


S-:
Consistently strong top tier picks, borderline too strong


A+:
Consistent top tier picks
Spectrier

A:
Top tier picks that put in work in most games


A-:
Generally effective, but can sometimes be invalidated


B+:
Good picks with noticeable drawbacks
Zapdos-Galar
B:
Solid niche picks that can put in a lot of work
*
B-:
Solid niche picks but inconsistent
Regieleki

Stole the ranking definitions from OvertoneSeries so s/os him

 

[malomyotismon]

S-Rank:
These are Pokemon who are featured on many teams and considered for nearly every team. Not only do they clearly rule the viability roost, other Pokemon in the metagame's viability is determined in large part by their matchup against these Pokemon. Suspect tests and quickbans typically come from this tier.

Zygarde
Landorus-Incarnate
Kyurem-Black

A-Rank:
Any team hoping to succeed at a high level will be using at least some of these Pokemon and will have answers for all of them. These Pokemon either provide solid role compression, perform one role extremely well without much team support, or provide significant team support for other Pokemon (typically found lower down the list).


A+

Pheromosa
(Single-Strike)
Heatran
Magearna
Clefable
Latios
Landorus-Therian
Tornadus-Therian
Toxapex
Melmetal

A

Coriknight
Garchomp

Spectrier
Cinderace
Ferrothorn
Dragapult
Tapu Koko
Zapdos

Zapdos-Galar
Rillaboom

A-

Latias
Tapu Fini
Blaziken
Excadrill
Swampert
Blissey
Hippowdon
Tyranitar

B-Rank
B Rank Pokemon are usually on the fringe of whether they're considered OU, typically mons that can function in the tier with significant support or may be the linchpin of a more niche playstyle.

B+

(Rapid-Strike)
Tapu Lele
View attachment 287285Regieleki
Mandibuzz
Victini

B

Moltres
Kartana
Ditto
Dracozolt
Buzzwole
Blacephalon
Pelipper
Kingdra
Suicune


B-

Mew
Dragonite
Hydreigon
magnezone
Aegislash
Slowking
Rotom-Heat
Tapu Bulu
Gengar
Tangrowth
Slowbro
Skarmory

C Rank
C Rank Pokemon usually require significant team support to pull their weight, are only viable on a small number of niche teams, or are generally outpowered by the staples of the tier. These Pokemon are not worthless and can serve a significant purpose in the right situation or against an unprepared team.

C+

Grimmsnarl
Barraskewda
Torkoal
Hawlucha
Volcarona
Thundurus-Therian
Hatterene
View attachment 287286Glastrier
Gastrodon
Alakazam
Zeraora
Ninetales-Alola
Celesteela
Raikou
Venusaur
Marowak-Alola
Crawdaunt
Stakataka
Mantine
Nidoking
Scizor

C

Cresselia
Togekiss
Rotom-Wash
View attachment 287287Regidrago
Kyurem
Kommo-o
Jirachi
Azumarill
Moltres-Galar
Quagsire


My own thoughts

 

[Dreadfury]

I actually started writing this one out a bit before Naganadel and Genesect were banned, so I'm going to include where they were for consistency's sake.

Prepare yourselves, my friends, for some of the absolute fieriest takes the entire OU tier has to offer. I wouldn't be surprised if the entire thread got locked because of the heat I am about to post here. All of what I have listed here is loosely ordered by viability.

The Rank Formerly Known as G

This was the Genesect rank. Genesect was the king of the early DLC2 OU Metagame. It was the best. Period. It deserved its own rank.
Genesect (NOW BANNED)

The S-Ranks: The most powerful and/or splashable picks in the DLC2 OU Metagame. These threats are either so overwhelmingly good at one job, or incredibly good at a variety of different roles, that they will inevitably find their way onto a great many teams. Often, a team lacking an S-Rank threat is a team that will naturally be at a slight disadvantage simply by virtue of not having one of these.

S Rank:
The uncontested kings of the present OU Metagame. These are extremely splashable, borderline-oppressive threats

Landorus-Incarnate
Kyurem-Black

S- Rank:
Excellent, splashable, highly-threatening mons that are still truly exceptional in their own right. Mons in this rank may not necessarily be as exceptional as the threat(s) listed above, but are most certainly not to be trifled with. Some of these may be banworthy, while others are just excellent and splashable threats that are still healthy presences in the metagame but are just very, very good.

Zygarde

The OU Mon Formerly Known as Naganadel

Naganadel (NOW BANNED)

Garchomp
Landorus-Therian

The A-Ranks: The lower-top to lower-high tier picks. A-Rank threats are generally very diverse in terms of their set options, often enable a great deal of other top- and high-tier threats, and are quite splashable in their own right. These guys run the metagame, but don't necessarily lead it.

A+ Rank
Urshifu Single Strike
Pheromosa
Magearna
Heatran
Clefable
Latios
Toxapex

A Rank

Spectrier
Tornadus-Therian
Buzzwole

Zapdos-Galar
Dragapult
Blaziken
Corviknight
Amoonguss
Excadrill
Tyranitar
Melmetal

A- Rank
Hippowdon
Tapu Lele
Tapu Koko
Regieleki
Cinderace
Ditto
Zapdos
Ferrothorn
Tapu Fini
Moltres

The B-Ranks
Good, but not great. These guys excel at one or two things, but generally require a lot more support to function to their full effectiveness.

B+ Rank
Swampert
Rillaboom
Slowbro
Latias
Zarude
Blissey
Victini
Nihilego
Aegislash
Urshifu Rapid-Strike
Skarmory
Magnezone
Rotom-Heat

B Rank
Slowking
Volcarona
Slowbro-Galar
Blacephalon
Mew
Rhyperior
Gengar
Mandibuzz
Obstagoon
Thundurus-Incarnate
Diggersby
Shuckle
Ribombee
Araquanid
Slurpuff
Dracozolt
Crawdaunt
Alakazam
Gastrodon
Rotom-Wash

B- Rank
Hydreigon
Pelipper
Kingdra
Barraskewda
Togekiss
Hawlucha
Necrozma
Nidoking
Mamoswine
Kartana
Thundurus-Therian
Quagsire
Stakataka
Hatterene
Raikou
Kyurem

The C-Rank
They're okay, but require a lot of support or get blanked by some massively-monstrous metagame munchers.

Torkoal
Venusaur
Shiftry
Charizard
Zoroark
Druddigon
Moltres-Galar
Jirachi
Cresselia
Marowak-Alola
Weezing-Galar
Golurk
Suicune
Celesteela
Grimmsnarl
Nidoqueen
Azumarill
Comfey
Scizor
Articuno-Galar
Glastrier
Tapu Bulu
Zeraora
Chansey

 

[DuoM2]

Kind of a different post here, but today I decided to average all of the other posts in this thread, from OvertoneSeries's up to Dreadfury's. The way I did this was by getting everyone's lists, putting the data in a spreadsheet after tying each rank to a number, and averaging the numbers.

- For the numbers, I counted S as 1, A+ as 2, A as 3, A- as 4, B+ as 5...so on and so forth, until you hit C with 9. I counted S+ and S- as 1 and C- as 9 because there's too few of each. I then averaged each Pokemons' results, rounded that number, and found out where each of them placed.
- I had a ton of Pokemon in C+ and zero in C with these rules in place, so I just put them all in C rank.
- There are 15 lists total. If over half of all people put a Pokemon as unranked, I'll be leaving it off the list. Some people explicitly stated that certain Pokemon would be ranked if they had a better idea of where to put them, so I just put that as an "R" on my spreadsheet.
- Some people mistakenly put the same Pokemon on the list twice. For that, I just averaged their two placings. For example, someone put Victini in both A- (4) and B+ (5), so I counted that as 4.5. I don't want to assume anything.
- This is by no means a definitive ranking. I've done stuff like this before and the result is never perfect. It does typically give a good idea of what things are actually like, but there will always be some weird things about it, like for example the current listings lacking a few somewhat notable Pokemon like Mantine and Amoonguss that probably do have a niche.

With that out of the way, let's get into the listings...

The Rankings

S Rank

S Rank
Landorus
Zygarde
Kyurem-B

A Rank

A+ Rank
Pheromosa
Urshifu
Heatran
Magearna
Clefable
Landorus-T

A Rank
Toxapex
Latios
Dragapult
Garchomp

Spectrier
Tornadus-T
Corviknight
Tapu Fini
Melmetal
Blaziken

A- Rank
Ferrothorn
Zapdos
Cinderace
Latias
Excadrill
Tapu Koko
Hippowdon

Zapdos-G
Blissey
Swampert

B Rank

B+ Rank
Rillaboom
Urshifu-R
Tyranitar
Tapu Lele
Mandibuzz
Victini

Regieleki
Buzzwole
Ditto
Kartana

B Rank
Moltres
Aegislash
Dracozolt
Pelipper
Rotom-H
Mew
Slowbro
Dragonite
Slowking
Volcrona
Blacephalon
Magnezone

B- Rank
Tangrowth
Hydreigon
Kingdra
Gengar
Barraskewda
Tapu Bulu
Hawlucha
Skarmory
Celesteela
Thundurus-T
Gastrodon
Grimmsnarl
Raikou

C Ranks

C Rank
Alakazam
Hatterene
Rotom-W
Togekiss
Crawdaunt
Torkoal
Venusaur
Cresselia
Suicune

Glastrier
Marowak-A
Nidoking
Quagsire
Stakataka
Kyurem
Azumarill
Jirachi
Zeraora

Moltres-G

Regidrago

I may go back and make changes to this as more people post. The only case I can see myself making another one of these posts is if enough people who have already posted end up posting again following some new bans. DM me if you have any ideas on how I can change the algorithm for this.

If anyone wants the data, you can find it here - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1MIHxKg3VMrr_iiao7B_metA9vc04rQWkwc03LRJ8ueM/edit?usp=sharing

 

[Queenzz]

From my own experience. I left out a lot of mons I felt were kind of irrelevant, and probably forgot some that are relevant. Blaziken is broken, Nidoking is underrated and I ranked Genesect and Naganadel for fun.

S rank
(preban) Genesect

Explanation

Not quite meta defining in my eyes as some might think, but definitely too versatile. Specs, banded, scarf, mixed, shiftgear, and douse drive are all top tier sets that beat counters to other forms of Genesect. It just had too many tools and used them all way too well

Kyurem Black

Explanation

Kyurem Black is not a traditional S rank, as it is not super splashable, has an odd typing, is not versatile, and provides no utility. HOWEVER, this is all overshadowed by the how well it does what it is meant to do. It is shockingly bulky, giving it ample opportunities to Dragon dance and in turn very hard to revenge kill. It hits about as hard as the OU tier has ever seen and with a dragon dance it has an easy time wiping teams.

Landorus-I

Explanation

Landorus does the same thing it has always done, it can provide utility with rocks and knock off, or sweep with rock polish, but more than anything else it just hits way too damn hard. With Life orb+ sheer force it has no trouble 2hkoing most of the tier. It also sits at an extremely important speed tier at 101 edging out the extremely common 100 speed mons.

A+ Rank
Pheromosa
Zygarde

Explanation

Zygarde just outlasts everything, with glare/sub/coil/ThousandArrows it neuters checks with Glare and can easily fish for paras with sub. If counters get caught on the switch with a sub or glare, throughout the game they can easily be beaten.

(preban) Naganadel
Blaziken

explanation

I think many people are underestimating blaziken but I still think it is crazy good. I think SD/Flareblitz/Thunderpunch/CloseCombat is the best set. Playing offense is tough because Blaziken can struggle to find a free turn to either SD or attack and get its speed boost, but if it gets a single chance it is exceptional. Blaziken can preform as a breaker that becomes harder to revenge every turn it is given. After an SD it can OHKO slowbro after rocks damage, and can OHKO non fully invested Zygarde with CC. Quagsire takes about 70% from HJK or CC and cannot ohko back if HJK is chosen.

A Rank
Heatran

Explanation

Savior Heatran has come to destroy bulky cores. Heatran is just so tough to beat currently. It has so many useful resistances and so much ultility it can run. It can trap/Toxic/taunt defensive counterplay and burn other mons that would normally want to switch in.

Melmetal

Explanation

Please ban this thing. It is so bulky and hard to kill, and it practically gets at least a kill per game. Banded Double iron bash is so strong, and as one of the only current checks to Kyurem Black it definitely has a place on most teams

Magearna
Landorus-T
Tornadus-T

Explanation

When the meta calms down Tornadus will definitely be one of the most annoying pokemon to play. In past gens playing Tornadus without rocks would be a nightmare, now that boots have been introduced it will be one of the best abusers. It continues to be an amazing fast pivot that outlasts mosts mons and has great utility with broken knock off/uturn.

A- Rank
Cinderace
Latios
Clefable
Toxapex
Urshifu
Dragapult

B+ Rank

Spectrier
Garchomp
Aegislash
Buzzwole
Nidoking

Explanation

Definitely a sleeper pick under Lando-I right now but I think it will only get better as offensive mons are banned and defensive play becomes more popular. With easy switches on Tbolt/Moonblast clef, Buzzwole, and other defensive mons, It destroys bulk cores that were seen in DLC1 and are starting to come back.

Tapu Fini
Zapdos
Ferrothorn

Zapdos-G

B Rank
Rillaboom

Explanation

Definitely not as good as it was pre DLC2 but Priority grassy glide will forever be important

Volcarona
Mandibuzz
Urshifu-R
Tyranitar
Tapu koko
Jirachi
Regileiki no sprite:(
Kartana
Corviknight
Skarmory
Hydreigon

B- Rank
Hawlucha
Kingdra
Blissey
Tangrowth
Hippowdon
Ditto
Tapu lele
Pelipper
Celesteela
Victini
Moltres
Rotom Heat
Grimmsnarl
Dragonite
Gastrodon
Slowbro
Kyurem

C Rank
Quagsire
Torkoal
Venusaur
Cresselia
Zeraora
Tapu Bulu
Gengar
Suicune
Togekiss
Stakataka

 

[Pissog]

S+ (why tf is this shit in ou??)


S


A+


A
-S

B
-R (don't sleep on suicune!)

B-


C+


C

 

[Jordy]

This is a project I personally love too! My ranks are not ordered alphabetically, but specifically by how I rate the Pokemon.

S Rank

Landorus

Zygarde

Kyurem-Black

A+ Rank

Pheromosa

Heatran

Magearna

Clefable

Landorus-Therian

Urshifu-S

Melmetal

Tornadus-Therian

A Rank

Slowbro

Blaziken

Dragapult

Latios

Cinderace

Zapdos

Toxapex

Spectrier

Corviknight

Latias

Mandibuzz

Ferrothorn

A- Rank

Tapu Fini

Chansey

Tapu Koko

Celesteela

Slowking

Tyranitar

Excadrill

Victini

Ditto

Garchomp

Blissey

Tangrowth

Tapu Lele

Kartana

Zarude

B+ Rank

Scizor

Buzzwole

Kommo-o

Moltres

Swampert

Hydreigon

Zapdos-Galar

Magnezone

Rillaboom

Glastrier

Rotom-Heat

Dragonite

Aegislash

Crawdaunt

Cresselia

Hippowdon

B Rank

Dracozolt

Alakazam

Urshifu-R

Regieleki

Gastrodon

Volcarona

Reuniclus

Quagsire

Hatterene

Hawlucha

Shuckle

Togekiss

Pelipper

Barraskewda

Moltres-Galar

Tapu Bulu

===

So I sat around shifting Pokemon for a while and I think I'm finally pretty happy with it. I don't feel comfortable ranking stuff below B rank because the metagame isn't very mature yet. Do note that that is why B rank is a little bloated; I think a fair amount of the Pokemon there are viable and I wanted to note them, but in reality they're probably not B rank and should probably be B-. Anyways, I'll get into some of my ranks that I figure may need explanation.


Slowbro and Slowking are ranked pretty high here. I was honestly surprised to see where other people were ranking them, though. Future Sight is insanely good in tandem with powerful wallbreakers like Choice Band Zygarde, Melmetal, Pheromosa, etc. It is easily one of the best tools in this metagame, and both these Pokemon are definitely the best users of it.

Slowbro holds a unique niche as one of the best checks to Pokemon like Blaziken, Zygarde, Melmetal, and Excadrill. Although Slowking misses out on a lot of those feats, it manages to set itself apart by being a very good pivot into Landorus and Latios. Both these Pokemon deserve a lot more credit than they've been given so far.


I suppose people are probably a little confused about why I put Chansey over Blissey when Blissey has been so much better in recent history. The main reason I rate Chansey higher than Blissey right now is because the added bulk from Eviolite makes a genuine difference, the most notable calc is that Chansey is not blindly 2HKOed by Landorus. Ofcourse, Chansey does require some pretty good entry hazard removal but that is very plausible with Pokemon like Corviknight and Moltres around.

Zarude is honestly a really good Pokemon in this metagame. It is almost the perfect counter to Zygarde and when backed up by Spikes support, it is a really strong wincondition in general. Zarude has only been ranked by one person so far, which is really weird, so I figured it was worth pointing out.

I'm not entirely sure what else I'd need to talk about, but if there's anything in particular that you're curious about, feel free to shoot me a PM.

 

[AquaVanilla]

This was very fun to do!
S+++

S

(S)

A+

A

A-

B+

B

(R)

B-

C+

The rest are below C+

 

[Gross Sweep]

GS VR ​

I really liked the idea of this thread following the release of DLC 1, but did not find the time to create one myself. Which is a mistake I would like to correct this time around. I have been playing a lot, and so far have been enjoying the new meta and all the brokenness that has come with it. A little note about myself is that I tend to naturally gravitate towards bulky offensive teams, so my selections will probably show some kind of bias towards mons that I have enjoyed using on those types of teams. I only plan on ranking through B- with this post, as I feel ranking any lower is kind of a waste of time at this junction. That said I will be a little liberal when it comes to that B- rank allowing a few additional picks that serve a very specific stylistic niche on my VR, so they are not left off even though they would more than likely end up in C somewhere in an actual VR. Also I really want to write a few sentences per mon to justify their position and just give my general opinions on them all as the meta is still so new, but we will see how long that lasts as I continue writing this. Will at least do all of A rank, but will not fully commit to B and if I do I'll write significantly less for them.

S Rank

Kyurem-Black: Kyurem-B is the total package this generation. Kyurem-B has always been held back by its movepool, but with the additions of Icicle Spear and Dragon Dance it has reached juggernaut status. the loss of HP Fire is definitely noticed, but overall Kyurem-B is almost unwallable in practice and just steam rolls the tier. I do not see it as a super healthy addition to the metagame, but while it is here it deserves to be at the top in S.

Zygarde: On top of one of the best signature moves in Pokemon history (Thousand Arrows), Zygarde is a pokemon that has all the tools to switch up its set enough to break through would be counters. Zygarde is one of those special mons that gets to pick what beats it, and then has the added advantage of not revealing what that thing is that beats it until it comes out in the game. Making it an annoyance at preview. At the end of the day, Zygarde is simply a great pokemon that can adapt to fit on most teams in a beneficial manner with very little drawback.

A+ Rank

Heatran: Heatran has always been amazing, and this generation is no different. Heatran continues to be a flexible mon that can run offensive sets aimed at stallbreaking, as well as it can run bulky rocks sets. Heatran will definitely miss Z moves this generation as it was an amazing abuser, but it will also be happy with the loss of Hidden Power allowing it even more defensive utility completely walling mons like Volcarona. There is no doubt in my mind that Heatran will continue to be a great pick on a lot of teams that always seems to do something to help its team make progress towards winning.

Landorus-Therian: The king has returned. Landorus-T has been overshadowed by Landorus-I since release, but with it being banned Lando-T finally has the chance to shine. That said I still expect Lando to take a step back initially. Without HP Ice, or Z Moves to power SD sets Landorus-T finds itself a little short handed when it comes down to being the ultimate do it all Pokemon. I am positive people will try things out and Landorus-T will thrive, but for right now people have not had enough time to explore after Landorus-I being banned for Landorus-T to make the jump to S.

Magearna: Magearna is as solid as it ever was. With perhaps the best typing in the game and enough options to keep enemies guessing Magearna is still a monster. Between Shift Gear, Specs, and Bulkier sets Magearna can really do whatever is asked of it. I believe new toy syndrome has really stopped people from noticing Magearna is still amazing, but with new additions to the tier like Melmetal and Heatran it seems possible Magearna sticks around this time.

Melmetal: Melmetal is as much of a force as it ever was. After a fairly controversial banning earlier in the generation it has been given another chance and it making the most of it. That said with an influx of strong Ground and Fire types it has not been as problematic to deal with, at least in my experiences. Melmetal is also taking advantage of a large number of Trick Room setters returning to the tier and decimating opposing teams on those builds.

Pheromosa: It is definitely not as strong this generation as the last without Z Moves, but Pheramosa is still incredibly strong. With an elite speed tier and solid coverage it is hard to keep this bug contained. It recently started running Drill Run more often allowing it to better pressure some of its premiere checks earlier on like Toxapex and Aegislash. And is also shifting towards Triple Axel on some sets over Ice Beam to help against Sub Coil Zygarde, showing Pheramosa has flexibility to help make up for the raw power it lost with the removal of Z moves.

Urshifu-S: It still has enough power and coverage to be a huge threat in the tier. I don't know if it is quite as good as it was in the DLC 1 meta, but that is to be expected with all the new offensive toys that have flooded the tier. Urshifu is a very straight forward mon, so there is not a lot to say except for that it is still incredibly hard to wall Urshifu throughout the course of a game.

A Rank

Blaziken: This chicken had a lot of hype at release, and several people thought it was going to be broken (including myself). However, it really has not been that hard to deal with. Blaziken has struggled with 4mss a bit as I find myself really wanting Stabs + one coverage move and then both Protect and SD, which just does not add up. So until people find that really prime Blaziken set I am fine with it sticking around in OU, but I am skeptical that it stays healthy for long.

Cinderace: The new DLC brought a few new defensive Cinderace checks like Garchomp into the fold, but more importantly it brought plenty of faster mons. In the DLC1 meta Cinderace had an incredibly elite speed tier that made it difficult to revenge kill, but with tons of naturally faster mons like Koko and Pheramosa, weather abusers like Dracozolt, and solid scarfers it has become a lot easier to revenge kill Cinderace. That said Cinderace still has the ability to basically avoid chip with Heavy Duty Boots in an incredibly effective manner. Until more new toy syndrome wears off I do not really expect Cinderace to be on the radar of many people, but I would not be surprised to see it tested at some point this gen.

Clefable: Clefable really should be A+, but I have some bias. I am sick and tired of seeing this thing. On top of several Clefable answers coming into the tier like Heatran and Melmetal, on top of more competition from other fairies like Tapu Fini it's not impossible Clefable takes a step back. That said this pink blob always perseveres and ends up at the top, but I am hopeful it might finally take a step back.

Corviknight: Corviknight continues to be a solid choice in the metagame. It struggled a bit earlier on with Gravity Landorus-I and will continue to dislike Zygarde making Corv less of a Ground type answer, but it's still solid overall. The emergence of new steels competing for team slots is also annoying for Corviknight. That said Corviknight hasn't really gotten any worse at what it does, there are just more options in the new metagame that will probably put Corv's role as the primary catch all Steel in jeopardy as other options emerge. I would expect a decline in usage, but it will still be great when used.

Dragapult: This might be the best example of usage hindered by new toy syndrome in the entire tier. Dragapult is still a monster that can run multiple sets and be effective in the metagame. Especailly as it seems that Ghost types are still amazing to have. It will dislike sharing the role of offensive ghost with Spectrier but Dragapults defensive utility, coverage options, and general utility still give it a niche over the horse on a lot of teams. As teams start to actually run more ghost resists on a regular basis I think Dragapult will really start to seperate from the field again due to its flexibility in the builder.

Ferrothorn: Simply a solid mon. Great defensive typing and all the utility it needs to be successful. With all the offensive threats in the tier Spikes are extremely useful which only stands to benefit Ferrothorn as it's the best Spikes user in the tier.

Latios: Latios got some new toys this generation with Aura Sphere and Mystical Fire. Great coverage moves that will help Latios break past some of its more common checks, especially useful after the loss of HP Fire. Also Latios no longer has to worry about Pursuit, which will help its longevity overall, not worrying about getting into a 50/50 for survival everytime it comes in if the opponent has a Dark type like Ttar or Weavile.

Spectrier: Like most of the new mons in DLC2 Spectrier suffers from a lack of coverage. However, it makes up for it by making use of its Stab incredibly well. Between Specs and Sub Plot sets Spectrier has been a nearly unstoppable force in the OU metagame thus far. The lack of coverage makes it easier to adapt to, as it cannot switch up moves over and over to break past whatever beats it, but until the meta actually takes those steps to shut down this horse it will be a force. Also important to remember that the number of really solid Dark and Normal types isn't that large, which works in the favor of Spectrier. Also I feel really strongly about the viability of Tspikes in the metagame going forward, which only stands to benefit this strong Hex user.

Tapu Fini: Fini does a lot in the current metagame. It can serve as a solid Water resist, and provides teams with that coveted Fairy typing. Fini is also a fairly solid Zygarde checks, which you can never have to many of. Fini being a solid mon should not really be a surprise, in pretty much any tier in a modern gen fat waters have always been viable, and Fini is one of the best OU has to offer.

Tornadus-Therian: To this point I think Tornadus-Therian has under performed expectations as a breaker with Nasty Plot, but it is still an exceptional pivot. In past generations if Tornadus-T had a downside it was its weakness to Stealth Rock, which is now alleviated with Heavy Duty Boots. At this point Tornadus-T is almost the perfect pivot and will only have its success hampered by a Hurricane miss.

Toxapex: Da Pex is still a great choice in the metagame. With the tier favoring a more offensive approach right now it has taken a bit of a step back, but once a few more of the more broken mons in the tier exit I think Toxapex will be back in the spotlight. Also I think the tier is full of amazing Tspike abusers right now, and what better to set Tspikes than Toxapex.

Tyranitar: I am probably the biggest Tyranitar fan on the planet right now. I think it's a phenomenal choice in the current metagame. It gives teams a solid Ghost Resist and sets Sand which I am a big fan of right now. It can effectively run bulkier sets with Rocks + Twave or still put in work with offensive sets like Choice Band. Even without Pursuit Tyranitar can still help switch into Heatran, which is very appreciated. Tyranitar just seems to find a way to put in work and help pressure the opposing team every time I use it.

Zapdos: Zapdos is a Pokemon that I was fairly unsure of where it would best be ranked. It provides teams with a ground immunity, has Static to help punnish teams that spam U-turn, and was greatly boosted by the introduction of Heavy Duty Boots helping it keep up its health throughout a game. That said it did lose HP Ice which means it's not nearly as helpful with mons like Landorus-T and Zygarde. Plus a lot of the mons that Zapdos can be relied on to check like Kartana, Rillaboom, or Hawlucha have not really taken off in the tier at this point which makes their checks less important. So for right now this is definitely a potential pick, but I could see Zapdos easily slipping to A- in my eyes.

A- Rank

Excadrill: excadrill is still an amazing choice in the metagame, it just seems like every niche it can fill for teams is being challenged. Lead Excadrill is being challenged by Landorus-T, Sand Rush sets are competing with Dracozolt, more bulky steels have arrived like Heatran and Melmetal, and offensive grounds outside of sand like Garchomp and Zygarde compete for slots with Excadrill as well. So overall Excadrill is still good at what it does, it's just being challenged when it comes to whether or not it is the best at any of those roles.

Garchomp: Still no Dragon Dance, but Scale Shot is a step in the right direction. Garchomp is still able to run a variety of sets from TankChomp to Swords Dance sets. The lose of Z moves definitely hurts Garchomp, but it definitely hurts SD Landorus-T more which ends up being a net positive for Garchomp when it comes to who fills that role best. I do not think Garchomp will ever be metadefining this generation, but it will be a respectable breaker.

Hawlucha: I think a lot of people are sleeping on Hawlucha. This ties pretty closely to the Tapus and Rillaboom not getting a ton of usage. But whenever I just look at the builder of use a Hawlucha of my own it just seems like I'm always facing lucha food. I'm probably overstating how good Hawlucha is, but I still think it has a place as a Hyper Offense staple and can fit on some bulky offenses that use a Terrain mon. If you have not used Hawlucha yet this DLC, I strongly recommend you give it a try.

Kartana: Kartana is still a monster. It is not as game breaking as it was last gen as SD sets no longer have the ability to utilize Z moves to break past would be checks, but it is still a strong force. Band, Scarf, and SD sets are all good. That said I think Band is probably the best option for Kartana right now.

Latias: Latias is not as good as her brother, but Latias still definitely has a niche. The extra bulk on Latias can be appreciated, and Healing Wish is extremely useful to a lot of teams. I have mostly seen Latias running a scarf set at this point taking advantage of the defensive utility of Latias + Healing Wish to help more offensive teams with speed control + a second chance with one of their more threatening mons like Kyurem-B or Magearna. Latias might not be the most splashable mon in the current meta, but it definitely makes certain types of teams better.

Mandibuzz: Mandibuzz is in a pretty good spot right now as Dark types are at a premium. Being a good check vs Rillaboom, Cinderace, and the newly introduced Spectrier really ingrains Mandibuzz as a defensive staple in the tier again like it was pre-Cinderace ban. As new toy syndrome settles down, I expect this mon to get better and better.

Regieleki: Regieleki cannot help but drawn comparisons with Dracovish, and for good reason. That said Regieleki is truly hampered by a lack of coverage, and with Ground types being great in the meta it is not hard to naturally cover this mon when building. That said between the power and game breaking speed Regieleki provides teams with it is hard to pass up on this mons potential. It will require team support to work. If you want to build with Regieleki you will need be able to lure ground types and actually KO them, not just weaken them. If you can do that, the game gets pretty simple.

Rillaboom: Rillaboom is still a strong option in the metagame. Grassy Terrain is appreciated by a solid portion of the metagame. RillaTran is a core I have loved using. Providing utility like Knock Off, priority, and U-turn over Bulu really helps give Rillaboom a leg up. With other offensive Grass types like Kartana entering the tier the utility of Rillaboom also improves. At this point Rillaboom is a really strong glue mon for a variety of teams, and I expect it to do well for the entirety of the generation.

Slowbro: Future Sight + Teleport is still solid. Slowbro helps check several strong offensive Pokemon in the metagame like Zygarde, Blaziken, and Excadrill. On top of this all Slowbro has access to Regenerator, which allows it to stay healthy throughout a game and hold up vs all the offensive threats running around in the meta. Like I mentioned earlier with Fini, fat waters will always find a way to be successful in any tier, and Slowbro is one of the best options.

Tangrowth: This DLC brought several strong Ground and Electric types into the fold, and Tangrowth helps check both of those. On top of solid defensive typing Tangrowth can be extremely useful in Regen cores. Also the loss of HP Ice / Fire is annoying when it comes to checking stuff like Zygarde and Kartana respectively, but Tangrowth can still be useful and help. Tangrowth definitely has its issues, but might be the best actual defensive Ground resist, which is certainly something.

Tapu Koko: Koko has been a bit of a let down as many of us expected it to get Rising Voltage this generation, but it sadly was not meant to be. Koko still can set screens, run offensive sets, and is the best Electric Terrain setter in the tier which has several strong abusers. So far this generation people have not been depending on Terrain all that often, but it remain a strong option, and this rank on Koko reflects that.

Tapu Lele: Expanding Force was simply to good to be true. After that let down not many have used this mon, and it has actually fallen to UU. That said Lele is still strong and will be a good breaker going forward. I really think CM sets will terrorize fatter teams. Also Lele is by no means a bad scarfer.

Victini: Victini is pretty interesting. It has all the coverage in the world, and a great signature move. Without its omni boost I don't think it will be as devastating in the builder. But in a generation without the Z-Moves we've grown accustom to, V-Create acts as a great substitute. Victini will definitely be a bit of a matchup mon, you either have strong Fire resists or you lose a mon every time it comes in against bulkier teams.

B+ Rank

Aegislash: It is a ghost type so it is always going to find some use. That said it has been losing its niche as a good Pheromosa answer as it has started running Drill Run regularly which has hurt it. With other dominant Steels and Ghosts in the meta I see Aegislash taking a backseat for a while.

Blissey: Blissey overtook Chansey this generation with Heavy Duty Boots being deemed more important than the defense boost that Eviolite gave Chansey. However, some defensive calcs especailly concerning Zygarde give Chansey the edge, but for the time being I believe it is appropriate to give Blissey a slight edge. Not much to say except it is the ultimate special wall and a staple of fat/stall teams.

Buzzwole: Buzzwole is a cool mon that has the ability to check both Zygarde and Urshifu-S, which is pretty incredible. I have not had the easiest time coming up with defensive cores that work with Buzzwole, but when you do it's a great mon. With that in mind B+ feels right as it can wall several mons at the top of the meta, but it lacks the splashability over other more high profile mons.

Celesteela: How Celesteela learns to seperate itself from Corviknight will be a major factor in how this mon does throughout the generation. It has more coverage options like Flamethrower and Earthquake along with the ability to run some more offensive set up sets, but when it comes to balance/bulky offensive teams I really think Corviknight will be the better choice most of the time which hurts the viability of Celesteela.

Cresselia: The supreme bulk of Cresselia has allowed it to be a solid mon in the tier defensively early on, but as the metagame develops I expect this space duck to get phased out. Cresselia is also a Trick Room staple, which is a style that has seen some decent success early this generation which helps out Cresselia.

Ditto: Ditto does Ditto things. It can help vs fat teams with essentially infinite PP, and has the ability to revenge kill a large number of the offensive threats running around right now.

Dracozolt: I am really high on Dracozolt. I think it is truly a menace on this thing as a Sand abuser. Bolt Beak is no joke, and anything that is not immune/resist just drops. I really think mixed sets are the best way to go, Band just not get the job done having to rely on Outrage.

Hydreigon: As I have mentioned a lot now, Dark types are important. Hydreigon is also one of the best Heatran switch ins around right now. It is definitely hampered by less than ideal speed, and whilie it will never be as great as Dragapult or Kyurem-B it can definitely work.

Kommo-o: Kommo-o has good typing and can help check a good portion of the tier. Similar to Buzzwole I have not found it the easiest to fit, but when it does it always puts in work.

Magnezone: The ability to trap some steels in the tier, coupled with an already solid typing helps Magnezone stay relevant. It now struggles to trap Ferrothorn, Heatran, and Melmetal which leaves things looking a little gloom, but I think Magnezone will get along just fine. There are plenty of things that appreciate the removal of mons like Celesteela and Corviknight, and will capitalize just fine with the other steels still present.

Rotom-Heat: I have been extremely high on Rotom-H the entire generation. I posted about how great this thing is the day Dynamax was banned. That said King Tran has returned and Rotom-H will definitely take a step back. However, the Ground immunity will definitely be helpful, and its Electric typing allowing it serve as a Flying resist will also be appreciated by teams.

Slowking: Once again Future Sight + Teleport will always be nice. Slowking is a bit more specially bulky which allows it to help check a few mons that Slowbro would struggle against more like Tapu Lele or Latios, at the expense of not checking threats like Zygarde as well. The two are fairly interchangeable in my eyes, really depends what you need to check with the slot. I think Slowbro is the better option most of the time, but Slowbro definitely fits on some teams.

Swampert: Flip Turn has been a god send for pert. Great typing, the ability to set Stealth Rock, Toxic, and now the ability to grab momentum really helps Swampert stick out from the competition. In the past Swampert did not really do anything better than either of Gastrodon or Seismitoad, but that has now changed.

Zapdos-Galar: Good speed and power, along with strong offensive typing has set Gapdos up for success. On top of that Defiant helps deal with Defog users, and makes Landorus-T fear switching in throughout a game.

Zarude: Zarude is another Dark type that can function in the tier. Zarude also is a really strong answer to Zygarde as it resists Thousand Arrows and can heal off a Toxic with Jungle Healing if necessary. On top of all this is a decent speed tier and good enough coverage to make progress in a lot of match ups. There are definitely better options for everything this monkey likes to do, but Zarude provides some good role compression that will allow it to help a good amount of teams function.

B Rank

Alakazam: Alakazam has failed to live up to expectation all generation after acquiring Nasty Plot, but it is still a powerful mon with a good speed stat. Regular Zam is no Mega-Alakazam, but with Nasty Plot it will be interesting to see if Zam finds a way to function on Psychic Spam now that Lele has answered the fold. My hopes are not high, but this thing is to strong and to fast to be any lower.

Chansey: After being ousted by Blissey earlier this generation, the return of several strong offensive mons have made the bulk from Chansey more prevalent again. I still think Blissey is the better choice at the moment, but Chansey is definitely in a better spot than it was in the DLC1 meta, and we will have to see where metatrends take the two pink blobs.

Crawdaunt: Daunt is still a strong mon with priority. That said it simply feels like there are plenty of better options right now. I really do not know what to say except that it only feels like I use this mon if I really want to and build around it specifically, but I am never a few mons into a team thinking about how good Crawdaunt would be here.

Dragonite: Multiscale + Boots is a great combination. That said lackluster speed and eh stabs with Dual Wing Beat not being a great replacement for Z-Fly I still find myself a bit underwhelmed. However, I am positive some HO builds can make Dnite work if for the revenge killing abilities granted by Multiscale alone.

Hippowdon: Fat Ground type with recovery. Also can set sand, and if you are not using Ttar you are using Hippowdon. With Regieleki in the tier being able to conserve your Ground type for late game, and Slack Off allows Hippowdon to have the best longevity in the tier when it comes to Ground types.

Moltres: Pretty cool mon with good defensive typing. Really benefits from having Heavy Duty Boots, so will have to be careful as several of the mons this thing wants to check like Kartana and Rillaboom often carry Knock Off.

Pelipper: Pelipper is the one true staple of rain, and I think rain as an archetype is worth a B rank, so that is where Peli will land.

Scizor: Pretty cool anti offense mon on HO teams. Can act as a cool revenge killer, and has some actual breaking power on top of it all. I personally think it is going to drop off a bit as time goes on once some mons like Pheramosa and DD Kyurem-B get the boot.

Shuckle: Is the primary Sticky Web setter in the tier right now. And with how prevalent those teams are right now it makes sense their actual linchpin be ranked around where the style overall should be.

Tapu Bulu: Bulu is suffering a bit with the emergence of Rillaboom. That said Bulu still can provide a team with that coveted Fairy typing and is a fair bit bulkier than Rillaboom, so it can be more effective on certain bulkier teams. I think SpDef SD sets will be interesting to see in the metagame.

Urshifu-R: Having a move that always crits is pretty interesting, and Water/Fighting is pretty solid typing. A good mon in rain and outside of it. That said I would not be surprised to see this thing fall to UU eventually.

Volcarona: Walled by Heatran and the loss of Z moves means it does not have the means to 1hko tons of stuff like Zygarde and Garchomp. I think it will still be a threat, as it will have auto-win match ups, but it wont be as destructive as it has in the past, and Boots is not going to change that.

B- Rank

Barraskewda: A solid rain option, and for that niche I am throwing it on my VR even though it would probably actually be around C+ as that is where top end weather/niche offensive mons end up.

Gastrodon: Cool typing with the ability to recover. It seems like Gastrodon always has 2-3 separate months throughout a gen that it becomes the newest trend, that said Gastrodon has solid defensive utility and while it may not be OU by usage it is always a decent niche option for certain teams to fill out their defensive core. Also if you don't use the blue/green Gastrodon you are dumb.

Kingdra: A solid rain option, and for that niche I am throwing it on my VR even though it would probably actually be around C+ as that is where top end weather/niche offensive mons usually end up. I do think Kingdra is a bit more consistent than Barraskwda, but not my much.

Kyurem: Still has a lot of offensive potential with Specs sets, and bulkier Roost sets are interesting right now as I really am high on Tspikes, which this thing could benefit from immensely.

Nidoking: Nidoking is a cool offensive option, especially with Lando-I leaving a hole in the meta for a strong special attacker that spams Epower. Nidoking also gets Tspikes, which makes it an interesting pick in my eyes. I would consider Nidoqueen too, but it has 76 speed which is just unfortunate in a meta with Heatran and its 77 speed.

Quagsire: Unaware Clefable can now use Soft-Boiled, but stall will still need a Ground-type, and Quagsire is one of the best options for that position.

Reuniclus: Can run Future Sight abusing sets, but also has some bulky setup sets that can put in work. Another solid abuser of Tspikes I really wanted to throw on late.

Torkoal: Sun is fairly viable in the current meta, so I really wanted to include Torkoal as a reflection of the style being usable. As it is the primary Drought mon in the tier.

Uxie: Trick Room s fairly viable in the current meta, so I really wanted to include Uxie as a reflection of the style being usable. As it is one of the primary TR setters.

Venusaur: Top sun abuser in the tier. Without Venusaur sun takes a big step back, so it felt right ranking it alongside Torkoal as a representative of the style as a whole.

 

[Ruft]

Here are my personal rankings for now:

S Rank

Zygarde

Kyurem-Black

Heatran

A+ Rank

Slowbro

Clefable

Toxapex

Melmetal

Pheromosa

Magearna

Urshifu-S

Mandibuzz

A Rank

Tapu Fini

Buzzwole

Cinderace

Tornadus-Therian

Landorus-Therian

Latios

Dragapult

Spectrier

Zapdos

Tapu Koko

Ferrothorn

A- Rank

Moltres

Blissey

Amoonguss

Excadrill

Garchomp

Corviknight

Kartana

Tyranitar

Dragonite

Swampert

Slowking

Ditto

B+ Rank

Blaziken

Rillaboom

Victini

Tapu Lele

Celesteela

Zarude

Hydreigon

Aegislash

Magnezone

Latias

Hippowdon

Dracozolt

Kommo-o

Blacephalon

Zapdos-Galar

Regieleki

Rotom-Heat

Nidoking

B Rank

Pelipper

Urshifu-R

Kingdra

Thundurus-Therian

Gastrodon

Tangrowth

Suicune

Moltres-Galar

Hawlucha

Rotom-Wash

Scizor

Reuniclus

B- Rank

Hatterene

Cresselia

Marowak-Alola

Glastrier

Shuckle

Barraskewda

Volcarona

Tapu Bulu

Crawdaunt

Skarmory

Quagsire

Nidoqueen

Nihilego

Mew

Necrozma

Grimmsnarl

Ninetales-Alola

Raikou

Weezing-Galar

C Ranks (alphabetical)

Alakazam

Araquanid

Articuno-Galar

Azelf

Azumarill

Bisharp

Chansey

Charizard

Jirachi

Kabutops

Keldeo

Krookodile

Kyurem

Mamoswine

Mantine

Metagross

Omastar

Regidrago

Ribombee

Rhyperior

Salazzle

Slowbro-Galar

Stakataka

Terrakion

Thundurus

Togekiss

Torkoal

Toxtricity

Uxie

Venusaur

Volcanion

Weavile

Xatu

Zeraora

Zoroark

I'm too lazy to do write-ups, but I might update this with upcoming metagame shifts.

 

[The_Bookworm]

I guess I too, will apply my personal rankings here, as of 11/16/20.


S Rank

Zygarde

Kyurem-Black


A+ Rank

Heatran

Clefable

Landorus-Therian

Magearna

Melmetal

Pheromosa

Urshifu-SS


A Rank

Zapdos

Spectrier

Toxapex

Slowbro

Buzzwole

Tapu Fini

Swampert

Cinderace

Mandibuzz


A- Rank

Latios

Garchomp

Moltres

Tyranitar

Dragapult

Blissey

Rillaboom

Excadrill

Pelipper

Regieleki

Tornadus-Therian

Corviknight


B+ Rank

Ferrothorn

Blaziken

Tapu Koko

Dragonite

Celesteela

Urshifu-RS

Slowking

Kartana

Hydreigon

Amoonguss

Zapdos-Galar

Aegislash


B Rank

Nidoking

Kingdra

Latias

Barraskewda

Suicune

Victini

Zarude

Hawlucha

Magnezone

Crawdaunt

Blacephalon

Kommo-o

Tangrowth


B- Rank

Rotom-Heat

Hatterene

Cresselia

Reuniclus

Marowak-Alola

Moltres-Galar

Dracozolt

Uxie

Salamence

Tapu Lele

Rotom-Wash

Thundurus-Therian

Tapu Bulu

Gastrodon

Slowking-Galar

Volcarona

Ninetales-Alola



Everything below here is in alphabetical order.

C+ Rank

Araquanid

Articuno-Galar

Bisharp

Chansey

Ditto

Glastrier

Grimmsnarl

Mew

Nihilego

Omastar

Quagsire

Raikou

Scizor

Shuckle

Skarmory

Torkoal

Weezing-Galar

Zoroark


C Rank

Alakazam

Azumarill

Hippowdon

Jirachi

Keldeo

Mamoswine

Mantine

Metagross

Nidoqueen

Regidrago

Ribombee

Slowbro-Galar

Stakataka

Togekiss

Volcanion


C- Rank

Azelf

Charizard

Necrozma

Registeel

Rhyperior

Terrakion

Thundurus

Toxtricity

Weavile

Venusaur

Zeraora

 

[AM]

There’s no way you’re able to rank all of these accurately even if it’s more personal rankings but my S rank would be Zygarde, Magearna, Melmetal and on the lower end Kyurem only cause scoping out the set is the annoying part. Everything below kind of preference at this point.

 

[Cuddly]

SSS (aka likely to be banned):

Ok they got banned

S:


A+:


A:
(s)

A-:


B+:


B:



It’s essentially a Dragon type Kyogre if Kyogre was nerfed enough to be OU. It’s Timid Dragon Energy at full HP is capable of outdamaging Adamant LO Crab Hammer from Crawdaunt. Obviously it needs to be at full health, but it has decent speed, back up moves in Draco Meteor and Dragon Pulse, and not much outspeeds Scarf. The other problem is that you really require a Steel killer and Fairy killer on your team, as well as a blob killer if you go Special attacker. Then you also have possible physical sets too. It’s only held back by its terrible coverage, and despite the 200 HP, its defenses are pretty bad.

B-:

Spectrier is highly overrated. If your opponent has Chansey, Blissey, Tyranitar, Mandibuzz, Hydreigon, Incineroar, Zarude, Sucker Punch, Shadow Sneak, Grassy Glide, Bullet Proof, or can outspeed you such as Swift Swim, Choice Scarf, or Unburden, your sweep stops. Other NP abusers have ways around these answers or don’t have to deal with them in the first place, such as Psyshock, Dazzling Gleam, Focus Blast, ect. The only reason why I’m not putting it in D tier is because at least its immune to normal (aka Extreme Speed), has good speed, and hits neutral targets hard.
(r)

C+:



Honestly only have it ranked now because of Zygarde and Kyurem-B. With infiltrator, it can trick a choice scarf behind their subs, can use Stun Spore, and also has utility in defog and U-turn. When Kyu-B and Zygarde get banned, straight to UR.
Into the trash it goes.

C:


C-:


Everything else I either have no opinion on, forgot, or think is 100% unviable.