Resource SV UU DLC 2 Viability Rankings- Update at Post #232

[Goro Yagami]

it struggles to do much against darks.

It 1v1's Lokix and Tyranitar with Strength Sap and with Tera, it's able to play around mons like Weavile or Zarude.
Ofc it would rather not face dark types in general, but its rarely useless if it ever runs into one (apart from like Mandibuzz, which I hope is an uncommon mon)

 

[Tree69420]

Noms: Slowbro, Magnezone to B-
Slowbro is significantly better than Slowking at taking on Dogi, and the increased physical bulk can be useful vs Weavile and Exca as well. I've been running scald/psynoise/fsight/slack which feels pretty good on certain teams. Obviously, slowking having chilly is way better vs some stuff but the physbulk is much nicer in certain matchups
People have been glazing Magneton, but I think Magnezone is a B- mon in its own right. Run Timid Specs, it picks up a lot more ranges than Magneton does. Tera Blast Ground OHKOs Heatran and Exca, and since Zap left many teams aren't running proper voltblockers or even voltblockers at all, and while Grass types are fine into weaker mons like boots shocks and washtom, Magnezone does a ton of damage with its Flash Cannon, or even resisted Volt. It also picks up KOs vs washtom at solid %s and can ohko many elec weaks. The increased bulk by 20 in each stat compared to Magneton lets it take many hits such as Latios Draco significantly better, and lets it function as a semi defensive piece on your team. You could arguably drop Magnet Pull for Analytic, but I think trapping Skarm and Tink consistently as well as the occasional Tran, Exca, Meta, Sciz, etc is more useful.

 

[Goombatower69]

Nobody seems to mention it, so here it is:

B- -> B
Keldeo ate like a king these shifts. Loosing a major roadblock in Zapdos (can live most of Kelds attacks, paras on flip turn, one shots if left alive) is so good for it. Additionally it gained new victims in Heatran, Blissey and skarmory, while also switching in and killing Non-tera Weavile with priority is insanely valuable. Clodsire is a problem of course, but one that is rectified rather easily with teammates likes Excadrill.

 

[Magcargo]

-> B

Skarmory and Weavile are amazing new partners for Reuniclus. Having Magic Guard in this climate is simply too good in a metagame full of passive damage between Toxic,, Spikes, etc and Reuniclus winds up outlasting many of its checks in the course of an actual game. Magic Guard is also amazing since it lets Reuniclus run items besides Boots, like Colbur. This also makes it a great Weavile lure in general, as it can weaken Knock Damage with Colbur and KO back with Focus Blast. I also believe other options such as Thunder Wave and Knock Off are great in this metagame, but haven't expiremented with those as much. Lastly, Reuniclus is a fantastic check to Okidogi, which is typically very difficult to check otherwise. I think the presence of Hoopa does limit it a bit, but it is nonetheless a decent option in the current format.

-> B

With Zapdos gone, Sinistcha is significantly better. Stun Spore Hex is amazing now, crippling many of Sinistcha's common switch-ins like Heatran and Tornadus-T while getting off big burst damage in the long term with Hex. Skarm is an amazing new partner for cha, as it can help relieve the pressure from the likes of Weavile or Lowkix, while also setting up Spikes for Cha to spinblock. Preventing Spikes from getting off is extremely powerful in the format where some of the breakers like Hoopa-U are difficult to have a "hard" switch-in for so Sinistcha's utility in-battle winds up being highly useful in practice imo. Weavile might seem like a bad addition for it, but its actually one of cha's best partners since it can help pivot around some of its bad match-ups like Torn-T and opposing Dark / Ghost-types. Cha does a great job checking a lot of weavile's more common checks like Keldeo, Quaquaval, etc. I've been liking Tera Dark on Cha to screw over Skeledirge, Hoopa-U, and Weavile + boost Foul Play (if you elect to run that move).

-> S-

A strong sniper rifle. Compared to the likes of Hoopa-U, it certainly is a bit less "free" since it has to pick its spots and doesn't have the raw bulk, but the combination of Speed and Power in this metagame combined with its reliability makes it a powerful end-game piece if played well on a hazard stack team. When supplemented by Hazards and status support, a well played weavile will be a top tier progress maker. I'd argue its defensive utility isn't even half bad thanks to its strong priority Ice Shard and ability to pivot into Ghost / Dark moves (which can still be difficult to switch into imo). I think a lot of Teras work well on it, but I've been liking Stellar to give all its moves a bit more reliability vs those one or two checks in the end-game.

-> A+

I've been seeing some players call this mon mid which is laughable. Bro checks a good chunk of the metagame, has Whirlwind to prevent dangerous setup from the likes of Zarude, Non-guard dog Okidogi, Some Serps, Revaroom, Lokix, etc. This mons Spikes are putting the tier in a stranglehold and that will be the case regardless of whether Weavile stays or not. Being able to setup Spikes on everything while also being immune to Spikes and only neutral to Rocks gives this Pokemon too much control over the hazard metagame while bolstering its partners like Weavile, hence why it should be A+, if not S-Rank. Weavile is only as strong as it is because of a Pokemon like Skarmory to support it.

-> B+ Rank

Skarmory is an amazing partner for Gastrodon - two form a great hazard stacking core and have powerful defensive synergy. Really helps patch up some of the defensive issues it had otherwise. Very little else to say on the matter. I'd also say Clodsire chould be in a similar rank for similar reasons, esp since its also immune to Toxic and not vulnerable to random Grass coverage like Thundy-T GKnot as much.

 

[Gross Sweep]

Thought I'd share a few opinions before the next vote slate based off my mid ladder experiences.

As much of a fan that I am of the Future Sight + Pivot move team model, I have to say this thing has come across as fairly lackluster in my experiences. Plenty of common Pokémon pressure Slowking and don't allow for 2 turns to get the combination off, and it's facing a lot of competition for the bulky water role on teams (though plenty of teams can fit two right now). Even with the benefits of helping against the Water/Fighting types you frequently find on offensive teams I still think a drop would be appropriate for Slowking. Would Drop.

I am a huge fan of the washing machine. A ground immunity (minus Mold Breaker Exca/Haxorus), and a flying resist is a really nice combination. Has the ability to spread status, and helps form potent VoltTurn cores in the current metagame. Rotom-W also just has a knack for eating that one hit you need it to, and getting off a burn or hitting a strong attack. Also has some flexibility with Trick sets that can be annoying when met, as they're often still run fairly bulky and function the same after a Trick. Would be on board with this getting a rise. Would Raise.

Sneakily good speed tier, strong setup move, and provides teams with both a Ground and Electric immunity. I think this Pokémon is going to be extremely strong/influential in the next few months. I can understand if it's a bit to early for a rise without many great results yet, but I think this thing is great. Would Raise.

Really solid mon on hyper offensive teams. With Weavile in the metagame having something that resists both of its stabs and doesn't greatly fear Low Kick is extremely nice. Taunt sets also help in the stall matchup which can be a little tricky for some hyper offensive teams. Also has a bulkier Rapid Spin set that while a bit niche can be beneficial with the correct team. Would Raise.

I started really getting into UU after Zapdos left the tier. With that in mind I have not seen a metagame where Rhyperior is strong. Every time I have seen this thing it usually gets rocks, gets off one or two strong hits and dies. I can still imagine a few scenarios where this thing is helpful, but a lack of recovery really makes it hard to make this thing last. Especially when it's not outrageously bulky to take on Hyper Offense, and has to contend with Regenerator cores that don't have a ton of trouble outlasting it. Would drop.

I try my best to not get to caught up in some of the lower rankings as I have found the difference between a B- and B Pokémon is a bit inconsequential, and a bit more subjective. With that in mind I am going to look at these ranks with a bit more of a blanket perspective.

When I look at the viability ranking the biggest drop off in ranks in my eyes is the difference between B+ and B. With B rank being filled with mons that are only useable on certain more rigged structures like Hyper Offense, or the type of mons that are really only good on very specific teams that used the mon as a focal point. These three have enough power and splashability that I would give them the bump. left to right is who I'd recommend the most. Gastrodon is a nice Spiker/Rocker and has access to recovery. Ogerpon is a Pokemon with a solid Tera ability, decent coverage options, and Encore is a cool filler move. Shocks is a nice more offensive rocker and not much can take on its dual STABs, and most of those fear Tera Ice (Hydrapple and Latios). Would Raise.

Keldeo has enjoyed the shifts from what I can tell, and is doing rather well on Hyper offense as well as Bulky Offense. Having a Pokemon that can switch into some of the tiers Dark Types like Weavile once or twice throughout a game is very nice for Offensive teams, and with the pressure of a super effective priority + a generally strong dual stab option that can hit on both the physical and special side is really cool and can put opponents on the back foot fairly quickly. I honestly wouldn't be mad at seeing Keldeo make a jump to B+. The other two are high performing members for Hyper Offensive teams, and lining up along Teapot seems a bit more appropriate for them in my opinion. Would Raise.

 

[cheru]

to B+
I know this is kinda wild for me to say as a pex hater the entire time it has dropped, but now that Zapdos has left, it has pretty good matchups that it can take advantage of. It’s very good into non-Tera Electric Quaquaval and Keldeo. It has a far better matchup into AV Torn, and likes Scarf Okidogi becoming more popular as of late.

to A
The broken croc strikes again. It’s been having great success in basically every tournament at the moment. It’s able to stifle Weavile very well after Tera, takes most neutral hits well enough, and just does dirge things well.

to A-
Zapdos was the main thing holding Quavo back, and now it’s truly shining once again. It’s always super tricky for it to be stopped, since it is able to find an entry point pretty nicely against Weavile, while also getting the jump on basically everything at +1 besides Tera Ogerpon, Sand Rush Excadrill, and the very rare Unburdon Hawlucha. Both Tera Steel for defensive purposes and Tera Electric help it out in different ways. The final moveslot is where it can get super dangerous. Triple Axel destroys Latios, Clodsire, and Sinistcha, Tera Blast Electric smashes Slowking, Toxapex, and Azumarill, Taunt is able to shut down the aforementioned Toxapex and Skeledirge.

 

[Monky25]

Like said in a prior post, we’ve decided to run a VR update after analyzing meta trends and developments over these last three weeks, and now it is complete! Below are the changes made for this update. I don’t feel like writing the reasoning for each change so I’m opening the thread up for 48 hours to ask questions; after that, the thread will be open for nominations again. Be mindful of the current Weavile suspect test when making your future nominations, and just as a reminder that Pokémon who are UR require replays to be nominated on the VR. Please follow the same rules as usual, and we hope you enjoy this update!

New Additions
to A+
to A
to B+
to B+
to C

Rises
from A to A+
from A- to A
from B+ to A-
from B to B+
from B to B+
from B- to B
from B- to B
from B- to B
from B- to B
from C to B-
from C to B-
from UR to B
from UR to C
from UR to C
from UR to C
from UR to C
from UR to C
from UR to C
from UR to C
from UR to C
from UR to C

Drops
from S to S-
from A to A-
from A to A-
from B+ to B
from B+ to B-
from B to B-
from B to B-
from B to B-
from B to B-
from B to B-
from B- to C
from B- to C
from C to UR
from C to UR

 

[bumboclaat]

Woo VR update time is the best time. Was wondering if any of the UR -> C ranks was anything beyond these mons being a part of a single good team? If there are any you think are neat and want to elaborate on Im always down to learn a bit more about the metagame. Also was wondering more specifically about Mence, Beli, and Gastro

 

[HydreigonTheChild]

from UR to C
from UR to C
from UR to C
from UR to C
from UR to C

Curious about all these shifts... 90% of them feel like they had 0 tour use to back them up esp ones like palo, golurk, and zapdos-g

from C to UR
from C to UR

Also this... ive been seeing a lot of people going for reqs with a grim screens team, and cycliczar stall isnt dead in the water and was smth tree used back then i think

 

[haunted paper]

zapdos-g

Beli

There's been a lot talk about these 2 mons, mainly saw it the chatroom on showdown.

Zapdos-G really appreciates Zapdos leaving, as it could handle both STABs very easily while risking paralysis. It's a solid scarfer that has great damage output to back up the speed. Not only that, but it can be decent at late game clean up, depending on what's left. Not weak to first impression, resists sucker punch, and doesn't insta-die to ice shard if at full with no CC drops. Not much (if at all) can handle both STABs, so there are 50/50s mix-ups that tend to be in Zap-G's favor. Usually used as speed control on balance or fat teams.

Belibolt checked some of what Zapdos checked, but was unranked because Zapdos was the superior mon by a landslide. Now that Zap is gone, Beli's niches have gone up in viability. It has a solid static ability for physical attackers (like Zap) and recovery. Its capable of checking Scizor, Weavile (to an extent), and Cobalion. Belibolt is also a fantastic tera abuser that can help broaden what it can check and handle. Usually found on voltturn teams.

 

[Twilight]

Woo VR update time is the best time. Was wondering if any of the UR -> C ranks was anything beyond these mons being a part of a single good team? If there are any you think are neat and want to elaborate on Im always down to learn a bit more about the metagame. Also was wondering more specifically about Mence, Beli, and Gastro

I can comment on a few of them:

from UR to C - Has some defensive value but mostly due to Misty Terrain HO seeing a small uptick of usage from a few members
from UR to C - No Zapdos means it can click its STABs more often without as much punishment.
from UR to C - This thing just gets ranked every other slate. It's just hard to pivot into, wouldn't be surprised to see it UR again...
from UR to C - Trap Skarm and Sciz. Profit.
from UR to C - I was informed it does well into Okidogi + sets rocks and recovery etc. I didn't vote on it so someone else can chime in if there is more to say.

Mence appreciates Zapdos leaving and takes up the role of kinda replacing the slot. Ofc nothing can fully replace Zapdos but the role of a flying-type special attacker with a good defensive typing/ability opened up. DD sets are also technically better with Zapdos going and Skarm isn't a big issue as it has Temper Flame.

The slug just checks several mons like Greninja, Washer, Thundy, and Heatran well and has access to Spikes to wear down the opposing team. It is exploitable and naturally some of those Pokemon can carry Grass coverage to nail it but it's in an okay spot right now

I am not a huge believer in this Pokemon but Zapdos is gone and it is the only thing that genuinely punishes Tornadus-T so it just rises off that + losing competition.

Anything else someone else can probably chime in on as I have not used them enough.

from UR to C
from UR to C
from UR to C
from UR to C
from UR to C

Curious about all these shifts... 90% of them feel like they had 0 tour use to back them up esp ones like palo, golurk, and zapdos-g

from C to UR
from C to UR

Also this... ive been seeing a lot of people going for reqs with a grim screens team, and cycliczar stall isnt dead in the water and was smth tree used back then i think

Tours aren't the only means to justify ranking something. When community members nom something there is no expectation to have tour replays. Ladder replays would suffice too. Though ofc that doesn't mean it is guaranteed to be ranked. Cyclizar is more of a relic and is not really used on stall much now. Grimm is probably fine but overall Serperior just does the role a bit better while being a threat itself.

 

[HydreigonTheChild]

Tours aren't the only means to justify ranking something. When community members nom something there is no expectation to have tour replays. Ladder replays would suffice too. Though ofc that doesn't mean it is guaranteed to be ranked. Cyclizar is more of a relic and is not really used on stall much now. Grimm is probably fine but overall Serperior just does the role a bit better while being a threat itself.

Isn't tour usage the main metric to determine if smth is good or not? ladder for all i know has been deemed a bad way to tell if smth is good or not, and any ladder games can be chalked up to good luck, a bad opponent, or a bad team from them

I think all throughout SV UU lifespan, the uu ladder has been looked down upon as a way for a user to voice their nomination on a pokemon

 

[ThatOneApple]

from UR to C

Palossand essentially functions like a gligar for fatter teams. Checking Okigdogi and walling Coba while setting a hazard. The primary differences are that it can heal but lacks a way to pivot or Toxic things, meaning that it lasts longer but is much more passive, hence why it mostly fits on fat. Its a bit of a specific mon but it serves its purpose decently.

 

[ASKOV]

Since i was one of the people that supported a Golurk ranking might as well drop my two cents on it

It was already mentioned that it's a strong wallbreaker that is surprisingly annoying to switch into between its strong ass STABs + coverage for stuff like Zarude and Mandibuzz, but what is a bit underrated about is its ability to get free turns on some of the pokemon running around, Cobalion being the main one but also it's a fairly decent switch to Okidogi since BU sets tend to drop Knock Off and it can take advantage of choice locked CCs/Gunks, come on some Thundurus sets and monopress Skarms, while still having decent bulk to hard switch once or twice on more passive stuff like Clodsire

 

[Goombatower69]

The Manaphy rise is insane, is Zapdos leaving really all it needed to become that much better?

 

[dingbat]

The Manaphy rise is insane, is Zapdos leaving really all it needed to become that much better?

there were a couple of very recent high level tournament matches with it straight up 6-0ing opposing teams with tail glow 3 attacks, which more than proved that it's a threat that should be at least somewhat respected on the builder again

 

[Moutemoute]

The Manaphy rise is insane, is Zapdos leaving really all it needed to become that much better?

To add on what dingbat said, I would also say that common bulky cores are shredded by Manaphy after a single Tail Glow. They can struggle to put immediate pressure on Manaphy which also ease its setup. The fact that Manaphy can also run multiple great Tera (Poison, Fairy or Electric) adds to the previous points.

 

[Phillip Blevin]

from UR to C
What niche does golurk even have? It's too slow to be a good scarfer and the faster mons like gren and weav just out speed and kill
from UR to C
I have never seen this mon on ladder, did it rise up as a spin blocker that also threatens drill?

 

[Jonbot]

from UR to C
What niche does golurk even have? It's too slow to be a good scarfer and the faster mons like gren and weav just out speed and kill
from UR to C
I have never seen this mon on ladder, did it rise up as a spin blocker that also threatens drill?

Do you mean C to UR?

 

[seiuqq]

IRON JUGULIS STOCKS LETS GOOOOOO

 

[MonoCats]

Quaquaval rising is definitely fitting, and something I've thought about posting towards. I haven't done this in a month or so, but I found SD less effective because of the lack of initial speed. I ran Tera Water Life Orb Quaquaval as a wallbreaker capable putting serious holes into a lot of teams. If Tera was used, even defensive staples like bulky Zapdos couldn't switch into it without risking an extremely likely 2HKO from Aqua Step, and common defensive Teras don't resist water. Quaquaval can also run adamant and be fine for most matchups, since there's nothing relevant it outspeeds at +1 jolly that it doesn't at +1 adamant. A single Aqua Step with that much power behind it puts a lot of pressure on the opponent, and with it's coverage moves it can outspeed and OHKO the majority of the game at +1 attack/+1 speed.

As far as direct counterplay goes, some things you'd expect to counter that set just... Don't. Manaphy can't set up on it at all, and can't beat it even if it's already at +3 unless it's running Tera Electric (which has a low chance of OHKOing at base). Azumarill and Skarmory have a >50% chance of being 2HKOed by Close Combat on the switch, guaranteed with stealth rock, and both can nearly be OHKOed at +1. Latios is obliterated if it switches into Knock Off or Triple Axel, and is outsped at +1 speed unless it holds Scarf. Skarmory's Brave Bird does not OHKO, nor does a +6 Aqua Jet from Azumarill. Lokix does not OHKO even with Tera Bug and is easily OHKO'd back.

A hilarious comedy option (that I'm now tempted to come back and try tomorrow..) is to run just Aqua Step to get the +1 speed and chip damage, and Last Resort with Tera Normal. This can lure in and obliterate almost everything without a normal resistance even without a Moxie boost, and Rock/Steel types are not keen on switching into a Water/Fighting mon. At +1, even Toxapex has a chance of getting OHKOed, and UU lacks any mons that resist both Water and Normal.

Quaquaval is just a fantastic pressure mon right out of the box. It's just not direct offense either, as you can drop a coverage move and run something like Encore or Endeavor as a surprise, or even go bulky and run Counter. It has just enough bulk to take a plethora of hits from key enemies, and a lot of viable set options at it's disposal, which is very valuable in a metagame where most mons have predictable sets.