After some time since our last update, we are back yet again with our final update for this era of the metagame as tier shifts are just right around the corner. Reasoning for the various rises and drops that took place are down below. This time I will try to have shorter reasoning but if any explanation feels like it needs more elaboration feel free to ask in the viability discussion channel in the UU discord. We hope you enjoy this update!
Rises
from A- to A: Utility beast and just brings insanely useful role compression for so many offense and BO builds prevalent in the metagame. Rocks, Thunder Wave, pivoting, and being a physical wall are all great combined, and the offensive check to so many foes like Lokix, Ogerpon-Cornerstone, Excadrill, and Ursaluna is really nice to have in just one slot. It’s pretty easily a top 10 Pokémon right now and gets really high usage to where A rank is more than justified
from A- to A: No clanger means Superpower or Spiky Shield is more easier to run thus making Cornerpon a more versatile and deadly sweeper able to subvert checks like Cobalion/Lokix. HO has been very prominent in WCOP which Cornerpon is very potent on and it’s gotten a good amount of usage to make the rise to A deserved
from B+ to A-: The Okidogi hype has fully taken off as it really has become a full fledged metagame staple. Okidogi is insanely difficult to swap into with Toxic Chain ruining the most common defensive cores in the metagame and with very useful set versatility of Bulk Up, Substitute + Bulk Up, Choice Band, and Choice Scarf, Okidogi is not only very difficult to tell on preview with the right building but also can be tailored to fit your team’s needs. The raw bulk and defensive utility is what sets Okidogi apart, being very useful into many foes like Lokix, Scizor, Cornerpon, Grasspon, and Cobalion while even handling super scary offensive threats like Greninja and Belly Drum Azumarill now. Any team weak to Okidogi is not a good team, and the mini Iron Hands finally breaks into the A ranks to show just how potent it is in the UU metagame.
from B+ to A-: Anyone who’s been playing the tier at all lately knows how deadly Ursaluna is. Balance is absolutely terrified to take it on with its nuclear Flame Orb set while Bulk Up remains one of the best wincons in the tier. It’s been used on a lot of diverse styles and always puts in insane work each game to where it’s clearly one of the best Pokemon in the tier and breaks into the A ranks. I believe the team held off on A rather than A- with it still being a developing presence and we didn’t want to overshoot Ursaluna’s placement on the VR
from B to B+: Continues to rise into meta staple status as more and more people use pivot and NP sets, both of which excel in this more offensive metagame as deadly progress makers able to just overwhelm the metagame with only a select few coverage moves. With the decline of Zapdos, this more offensive variant has certainly become a lot more preferential as of late
from B to B+: SD Zarude has continued to see a lot of experimentation as a ferocious SD wincon, really having no true switch-ins apart from Cobalion which can be circumvented rather easily with Tera. Jungle Healing lets it be a rather good status absorber and being an offensive Grass-type that beats Zapdos and Tornadus-T while being bulky enough to checks Excadrill is very good to have in the metagame.
from B- to B+: Top 2 choice scarfer right now with insanely high usage in UULT playoffs and WCOP, Hoopa breaks into the meta staple rank with its Choice Scarf set being an insanely valuable asset to offensive teams with its nuclear Dark-type moves and great special bulk.
Comfey from B- to B: Continues to be a prevalent wincon on HO builds in the tier right now with Triage Draining Kiss and a right timed Tera proving to be deadly for so many builds still
from B- to B: Enamorus-T has broken out lately as a really solid offensive option thanks to naturally countering Hydrapple, amazing coverage, and the ability to just overwhelm foes like Slowking and AV Torn with its deadly Moonblast. Slow Speed and being awkward to build around holds it back but it’s still a good option to use right now
from B- to B: HO is doing better so Mimikyu naturally rises thanks to its important role on Mew entry hazard stack builds as a spinblocker that provides essential defensive support between its typing, Disguise, and Red Card ultimately backed by a great STAB combo.
from B- to B: As a whole Pecharunt has been more useful lately with its status spreading capabilities and more builds using its strengths being optimized as UULT went on. It messes with the Regenerator mons well and finds itself on a good bit of diverse styles that gives it a bump back up the VR
from B- to B: Having stayed B- due to a tiebreak last vote, Volcanion finally manages to rise back into B as a powerful wallbreaker with limited switch-ins that can take advantage of Slowking really well as well as the fact that AV Torn can be overworked often as well. It’s naturally bulky enough to eat most neutral hits and it’s a pretty useful offensive check to some foes like Scizor and Azumarill
from C to B-: Being less vulnerable to Knock Off while having Toxic and the ability to function a slow pivot has allowed Bellibolt to get some usage as of late as a useful alternative to Zapdos that also happens to counter it on certain teams. Beyond this, it even runs into matchups where it’s better than Zapdos such as Rhyperior dropping to Muddy Water and having a neutrality to Ice Beam from Greninja. Still pretty mid but a lot better than the stuff in C
from C to B-: Terrain is still kinda mid but it’s not that bad to be stuck in C as compared to being in B- with Hawlucha
from C to B-: HO is great and this is arguably the best lead to use thanks to dual hazards and extremely customizable utility moves
from UR to C: Has been getting use for the better portion of a month now by a good amount of the players as as an alternative to Ursaluna and Mamoswine, packing a nuclear Poltergeist to take advantage of the lack of Ghost-resists in tandem with its very dangerous STAB Earthquake. The ability to spinblock as well as wall Cobalion sets itself apart defensively to warrant a placement on the VR
from UR to C: Gets some usage here and there on offensive builds as a DD sweeper with access to BoltBeam coverage as well as a naturally useful check to foes like Zapdos and Tornadus-T, fine enough to be ranked at C
and 
from UR to C: Something something offensive Ice-types under weather good, has gotten some usage in Open with semi snow Slowking cores and performed to decent enough success to be ranked
from UR to C: While its therian counterpart is generally better, the greater Speed tier on Nasty Plot sets on HO in particular does make a notable enough difference against to warrant a rank on the VR, as getting the jump on many foes like Latios and the Ogerpons can be key in bringing success to certain HO builds in the tier right now
from UR to C: What Double Dance Crown does to a tier
Drops
from S- to A+: People just realized that Zapdos can’t wall the enemy team and wallbreak at the same time, leaving it stretched thin while being taken advantage of and overwhelmed in this offensive tier by many rising foes like Ursaluna, Okidogi, and Thundurus-T. Even though it’s gotten amazing usage still, the in-game performing is lacking to where it doesn’t deserve its own rank of S-
from A to A-: Sand isn’t as good anymore with the noticeable weaknesses the archetype has to a lot of threats like Ursaluna, Okidogi, Enamorus-T, and many more becoming a lot more apparent throughout recent tournaments with the nature of type stacking that the archetype falls victim to. More bulky variants of sand have been used to adapt to these issues which in turn utilize Hippowdon over Tyranitar, ultimately contributing to a drop in viability
from A- to B+: Not too appealing as a whole with a somewhat weak Extreme Speed, unreliable Head Smash, and just generally lacking that oomph seen in other breakers right now. Still hasn’t gotten usage all too much and it’s clear that even post Kommo-o A- is an overranking
from A- to B+: Ursaluna generally has ruled the offensive Ground-type role for some time, leaving Mamoswine with some heavy competition and a fall in usage. Its Ice-type STAB was very nice in a more Hydrapple dominated metagame but with the shift to Tera Fairy on Apple plus the aforementioned Ursaluna rise, Mamoswine’s still good offensive combo and priority access can’t save it from a drop to B+
from A- to B+: Since Zapdos is less good, the hard counter to Zapdos also falls in viability. It's been trailing a bit in usage with players realizing that we can beat Zapdos without needing Rhyperior, meaning while still a solid B+ Pokémon, Rhyperior isn’t up to caliber to be in the A ranks.
from A- to B+: I’m not too exactly sure why this ended up dropping but Tinkaton does have a tendency to get worn down quickly admittedly and in a time where Excadrill averages nearly 50% in tournaments, it can be really tough to justify Tinkaton to where many don’t see it on the level of what an A- Pokémon should be
from B+ to B: Very Overdue drop, it's just been really lacking in usage and doesn’t offer enough to justify B+ and no longer part of the tier
from B+ to B: Washer as a whole feels a lot less effective to warrant B+. It gets dropped by powerful breakers like Latios, Greninja, and Hydrapple, loses to Mold Breaker Excadrill outright, has no real way to punish Torn without Twave which in turn means no Wisp, and generally struggles to be justified over other Electric- and Water-types like Zapdos and Slowking to be considered super meta right now
from B to B-: We all knew this was coming
from B- to C: I do not know what I would use this for compared to Cornerpon or Tyranitar or even Hisuian Arcanine except maybe a suicide lead but yeah this Mon is bad
from C to UR: Barely anyone has relevantly used this to where it’s just yet another fringe offensive option sitting in RU or NU wherever that largely works off of theory in UU
from C to UR: The usage stats don’t lie, there’s just very little reason to consistently justify Slowbro over Slowking and while it’ll always have a place technically, the inability to cross that usage barrier means it can’t end up with a rank any longer
Rises
from A- to A: Utility beast and just brings insanely useful role compression for so many offense and BO builds prevalent in the metagame. Rocks, Thunder Wave, pivoting, and being a physical wall are all great combined, and the offensive check to so many foes like Lokix, Ogerpon-Cornerstone, Excadrill, and Ursaluna is really nice to have in just one slot. It’s pretty easily a top 10 Pokémon right now and gets really high usage to where A rank is more than justified from A- to A: No clanger means Superpower or Spiky Shield is more easier to run thus making Cornerpon a more versatile and deadly sweeper able to subvert checks like Cobalion/Lokix. HO has been very prominent in WCOP which Cornerpon is very potent on and it’s gotten a good amount of usage to make the rise to A deserved from B+ to A-: The Okidogi hype has fully taken off as it really has become a full fledged metagame staple. Okidogi is insanely difficult to swap into with Toxic Chain ruining the most common defensive cores in the metagame and with very useful set versatility of Bulk Up, Substitute + Bulk Up, Choice Band, and Choice Scarf, Okidogi is not only very difficult to tell on preview with the right building but also can be tailored to fit your team’s needs. The raw bulk and defensive utility is what sets Okidogi apart, being very useful into many foes like Lokix, Scizor, Cornerpon, Grasspon, and Cobalion while even handling super scary offensive threats like Greninja and Belly Drum Azumarill now. Any team weak to Okidogi is not a good team, and the mini Iron Hands finally breaks into the A ranks to show just how potent it is in the UU metagame. from B+ to A-: Anyone who’s been playing the tier at all lately knows how deadly Ursaluna is. Balance is absolutely terrified to take it on with its nuclear Flame Orb set while Bulk Up remains one of the best wincons in the tier. It’s been used on a lot of diverse styles and always puts in insane work each game to where it’s clearly one of the best Pokemon in the tier and breaks into the A ranks. I believe the team held off on A rather than A- with it still being a developing presence and we didn’t want to overshoot Ursaluna’s placement on the VR from B to B+: Continues to rise into meta staple status as more and more people use pivot and NP sets, both of which excel in this more offensive metagame as deadly progress makers able to just overwhelm the metagame with only a select few coverage moves. With the decline of Zapdos, this more offensive variant has certainly become a lot more preferential as of late from B to B+: SD Zarude has continued to see a lot of experimentation as a ferocious SD wincon, really having no true switch-ins apart from Cobalion which can be circumvented rather easily with Tera. Jungle Healing lets it be a rather good status absorber and being an offensive Grass-type that beats Zapdos and Tornadus-T while being bulky enough to checks Excadrill is very good to have in the metagame. from B- to B+: Top 2 choice scarfer right now with insanely high usage in UULT playoffs and WCOP, Hoopa breaks into the meta staple rank with its Choice Scarf set being an insanely valuable asset to offensive teams with its nuclear Dark-type moves and great special bulk. Comfey from B- to B: Continues to be a prevalent wincon on HO builds in the tier right now with Triage Draining Kiss and a right timed Tera proving to be deadly for so many builds still
from B- to B: Enamorus-T has broken out lately as a really solid offensive option thanks to naturally countering Hydrapple, amazing coverage, and the ability to just overwhelm foes like Slowking and AV Torn with its deadly Moonblast. Slow Speed and being awkward to build around holds it back but it’s still a good option to use right now from B- to B: HO is doing better so Mimikyu naturally rises thanks to its important role on Mew entry hazard stack builds as a spinblocker that provides essential defensive support between its typing, Disguise, and Red Card ultimately backed by a great STAB combo. from B- to B: As a whole Pecharunt has been more useful lately with its status spreading capabilities and more builds using its strengths being optimized as UULT went on. It messes with the Regenerator mons well and finds itself on a good bit of diverse styles that gives it a bump back up the VR from B- to B: Having stayed B- due to a tiebreak last vote, Volcanion finally manages to rise back into B as a powerful wallbreaker with limited switch-ins that can take advantage of Slowking really well as well as the fact that AV Torn can be overworked often as well. It’s naturally bulky enough to eat most neutral hits and it’s a pretty useful offensive check to some foes like Scizor and Azumarill from C to B-: Being less vulnerable to Knock Off while having Toxic and the ability to function a slow pivot has allowed Bellibolt to get some usage as of late as a useful alternative to Zapdos that also happens to counter it on certain teams. Beyond this, it even runs into matchups where it’s better than Zapdos such as Rhyperior dropping to Muddy Water and having a neutrality to Ice Beam from Greninja. Still pretty mid but a lot better than the stuff in C from C to B-: Terrain is still kinda mid but it’s not that bad to be stuck in C as compared to being in B- with Hawlucha from C to B-: HO is great and this is arguably the best lead to use thanks to dual hazards and extremely customizable utility moves from UR to C: Has been getting use for the better portion of a month now by a good amount of the players as as an alternative to Ursaluna and Mamoswine, packing a nuclear Poltergeist to take advantage of the lack of Ghost-resists in tandem with its very dangerous STAB Earthquake. The ability to spinblock as well as wall Cobalion sets itself apart defensively to warrant a placement on the VR from UR to C: Gets some usage here and there on offensive builds as a DD sweeper with access to BoltBeam coverage as well as a naturally useful check to foes like Zapdos and Tornadus-T, fine enough to be ranked at C and from UR to C: Something something offensive Ice-types under weather good, has gotten some usage in Open with semi snow Slowking cores and performed to decent enough success to be ranked from UR to C: While its therian counterpart is generally better, the greater Speed tier on Nasty Plot sets on HO in particular does make a notable enough difference against to warrant a rank on the VR, as getting the jump on many foes like Latios and the Ogerpons can be key in bringing success to certain HO builds in the tier right now from UR to C: What Double Dance Crown does to a tierDrops
from S- to A+: People just realized that Zapdos can’t wall the enemy team and wallbreak at the same time, leaving it stretched thin while being taken advantage of and overwhelmed in this offensive tier by many rising foes like Ursaluna, Okidogi, and Thundurus-T. Even though it’s gotten amazing usage still, the in-game performing is lacking to where it doesn’t deserve its own rank of S- from A to A-: Sand isn’t as good anymore with the noticeable weaknesses the archetype has to a lot of threats like Ursaluna, Okidogi, Enamorus-T, and many more becoming a lot more apparent throughout recent tournaments with the nature of type stacking that the archetype falls victim to. More bulky variants of sand have been used to adapt to these issues which in turn utilize Hippowdon over Tyranitar, ultimately contributing to a drop in viability from A- to B+: Not too appealing as a whole with a somewhat weak Extreme Speed, unreliable Head Smash, and just generally lacking that oomph seen in other breakers right now. Still hasn’t gotten usage all too much and it’s clear that even post Kommo-o A- is an overranking from A- to B+: Ursaluna generally has ruled the offensive Ground-type role for some time, leaving Mamoswine with some heavy competition and a fall in usage. Its Ice-type STAB was very nice in a more Hydrapple dominated metagame but with the shift to Tera Fairy on Apple plus the aforementioned Ursaluna rise, Mamoswine’s still good offensive combo and priority access can’t save it from a drop to B+ from A- to B+: Since Zapdos is less good, the hard counter to Zapdos also falls in viability. It's been trailing a bit in usage with players realizing that we can beat Zapdos without needing Rhyperior, meaning while still a solid B+ Pokémon, Rhyperior isn’t up to caliber to be in the A ranks. from A- to B+: I’m not too exactly sure why this ended up dropping but Tinkaton does have a tendency to get worn down quickly admittedly and in a time where Excadrill averages nearly 50% in tournaments, it can be really tough to justify Tinkaton to where many don’t see it on the level of what an A- Pokémon should be from B+ to B: Very Overdue drop, it's just been really lacking in usage and doesn’t offer enough to justify B+ and no longer part of the tier from B+ to B: Washer as a whole feels a lot less effective to warrant B+. It gets dropped by powerful breakers like Latios, Greninja, and Hydrapple, loses to Mold Breaker Excadrill outright, has no real way to punish Torn without Twave which in turn means no Wisp, and generally struggles to be justified over other Electric- and Water-types like Zapdos and Slowking to be considered super meta right now from B to B-: We all knew this was coming from B- to C: I do not know what I would use this for compared to Cornerpon or Tyranitar or even Hisuian Arcanine except maybe a suicide lead but yeah this Mon is bad from C to UR: Barely anyone has relevantly used this to where it’s just yet another fringe offensive option sitting in RU or NU wherever that largely works off of theory in UU from C to UR: The usage stats don’t lie, there’s just very little reason to consistently justify Slowbro over Slowking and while it’ll always have a place technically, the inability to cross that usage barrier means it can’t end up with a rank any longer
As much as i love tinkaton i have to agree with the drop. Coba can do a lot of the same things while not giving drill the freest switch ever. tink can deal with latios at least
- A-/B+
- B-/C
- D
A- > A
A- > A
B- > C
C > UR
from New to B+: Truthfully this Mon has performed better than what I expected but I still find B+ the highest it can go. Serperior offers a pretty great Speed tier and very useful supportive capabilities in broken Glare, not to mention there are games where it can run away with taking advantage of foes like Hydrapple and Cobalion, but I think there’s still too many common checks on almost every team to really rank it much higher. Tornadus-T, Scizor, Lokix, Zapdos, Okidogi, Mandibuzz, Skeledirge, Sinistcha, Zarude, Enamorus-T, and Hoopa-Unbound are all notable metagame presences that really tie Serperior down one way or another and keep it from immensely snowballing with Leaf Storm. It’s kinda bulky but not enough to really be used beyond swapping into unboosted Excadrill once or twice and there’s been a good bit of games where I just click Glare, Leaf Storm once or twice, and just end up sacking Serperior. There’s still room for it to be explored between Tera types, EV spreads, and utility options like Synthesis but it’s week 1 showing + personal testing hasn’t particularly made me confident ranking Serperior higher than B+ for now
from New to C: This is like, usable? Insane Speed and offensive Fairy-type can’t be bad truly with Choice Specs being alright to use. It’s pretty poor still and probably falls to RU next shift but I think it’s good enough to still be C
from New to D: Sun is pretty terrible and this Pokémon dropping did nothing to really change that
from A to A+: Greninja is probably the best it’s ever been and is pretty easily the second most scary Pokemon in the entire tier, really abusing the offensive metagame Ursaluna forces with its high Speed and insane coverage making it very difficult to answer. A lot of the defensive outs used for it largely struggle to fit on offense, meaning that only a select pool of Pokemon really can stop it on the archetype and thus allows Greninja to get great value pretty much every game while enabling other teammates to finish the game off or vice versa. Its flaws are pretty easily subverted these days and right now its splashability and dominance means it should probably rise into A+ to highlight its peak. 
from A+ to A: I feel this Mon has really fallen off as of late. The heavy shift towards an offensive metagame has really hindered the ability of Nasty Plot sets to get going without being scared out and in general feels more necessary to commit Tera than ever before. Zapdos has made a good comeback, Okidogi, Scizor, and Greninja are at their peaks, and other mons like Ursaluna and Thundurus-T continue to get great usage to just overwhelm it. By nature of it being a Mon slower than Ursaluna the teams it excelled on like BO and balance are a lot more flawed and it doesn’t really provide any support capabilities to find itself on more offensive teams. I think A is a more accurate placement for sure
from B- to B: Ursaluna is broken. Still offers a useful enough defensive profile into some foes like Excadrill and Azumarill and likes the drop off in Hydrapple to thus find itself back on more teams as of late 
and 
from C to UR: I do not think anyone has actually relevantly used rain since the Pelipper ban nor thinks it’s actually good
: B -> B+
& 
should rise somewhere in the B-Ranks. I'll admit, these mons and the teams they are used on are pretty exploitable, but Dual Screens support is arguably the best support an Ursaluna user can ask for, right next to Healing Wish. Makes it a lot easier for it to get the ball rolling to setup Bulk Ups + deny revenge killing attempts. 
, I think, should also rise seeing how easily Calm Mind sets can get out of hand and how well it breaks through the standard UU cores like 
. I've been running Ice Beam over Draco Meteor + a bulky spread, and its been very nice against these bulky cores + Lokix due to being more difficult to revenge kill with Tera Electric + Ice Beam dealing reliable damage to opposing Ursaluna, Latios, Hydrapple, etc. without lowering your stats (which can feel like a momentum sink on screens where every turn is important).
to A+
-> B-
-> C
from B to B+: Very good against Greninja + Ursaluna teams with the ability to snowball out of control thanks to Moxie Aqua Step rather quickly. Likes a lot of bulkier Pokemon that answered it being pushed out of the meta, meaning that not much can really stop a sweep beyond taking Quaquaval out before it gets going. 
from UR to C: Great check to Serperior, Lokix, and even Greninja with the right EV spreads that likes Cobalion being the most common Steel-type, resulting in an ability to also spread poison with Toxic Chain fairly well. Being a defensive Fairy is always nice
from UR to C: Clicks shift gear and kills everything. Even with an Adamant nature, it outspeeds everything at +2 and in general hits hard, packs a good STAB combo + coverage, and offers valuable niches like a Lokix check + speed boosting sweeper on HO to find a spot on the VR 
from A- to B+: While always potent, Azumarill drops due to a very poor showing as of late, getting just one use across the 24 games (and 48 possible teams) of UUBD so far which is just unacceptable for something in the A ranks. It’s hard to fit on teams as a whole with how slow it is and generally a lot of teams just lack the tools to make up for Azumarill being a momentum sink at times. The return of Zapdos is also not the best as well as most Greninja these days carrying Sludge Wave on Choice Specs
from B+ to B: Basically the same reasons as above. Hippowdon is generally the worse setter than Tyranitar and if Tyranitar falls, so should Hippowdon to be a subrank below it
from B+ to B: The Metagame has been a bit hostile towards Grasspon with so many rising metagame presences like Okidogi, Zapdos, Cobalion, and Scizor giving it troubles as of late. Zarude has pretty clearly made itself the superior option between the ability to shrug off Zapdos’s Static and Slowking’s Scald, utilize STAB Knock Off, and just is a more consistent wincon with Swords Dance. Even Choice Scarf Zarude is better due to a) being able to hard into Dark-type moves from Greninja and Hoopa and force them out and b) not having to burn Tera to revenge kill these threats. Serperior also gives it competition as a Grass-type on teams
from B to B-: Truthfully I think barely anyone has actually given this legitimate consideration over either Thundurus-T or Zapdos or even Rotom-Wash on the vast majority of teams out there 
from B- to C: HO is a little bit weaker as a whole and the arrival of Serperior is a massive hindrance to the Sticky Webs archetype 
from B- to C: ^ 
from C to UR: This Mon will somehow find its way back onto the VR in three months just watch 
from C to UR: Idk why this didn’t get removed last time but HO is a bit worse without Iron Crown and each slot really has to count to amplify the archetype. Cobalion is as good as always and other prevalent Pokemon like Rhyperior and Zapdos don’t do it any favors either
from C to UR: I think we finally accepted that Ditto’s theoretical niche will always fall flat judging by the fact it gets used like twice a year at best, meaning we just can’t keep it ranked on the VR any longer
from C to UR: Most of the VR team would rather use literally anything else over this
from C to UR: It turns out the Steel-type trapper is not that great when the most common two Steel-types outspeed and KO you. Doesn’t really enable anything either with Latios packing Flip Turn to get momentum on its checks, Enamorus having natural coverage in Earth Power, and Comfey wanting to use Tera anyway to a point where you’d just use an actual Pokemon over Magnezone
from C to UR: If you thought Stall was bad already I’d hate to tell you what it’s like in a metagame with A+ Ursaluna
from C to UR: I also do not know why this didn’t get removed last time
UR --> C
A- --> A
A- -> A
A+ -> A
A -> A-
B -> B+
B+ -> B
B+ -> B
B+ ->B
B -> B-
B -> B-
B- -> C
C -> B-
UR -> C/B-
C -> UR
