Lvl 3 0- SpA Life Orb Abra Psychic vs. Lvl 5 252 HP / 252 SpD Eviolite Venipede: 10-16 (45.4 - 72.7%) -- 12.1% chance to 2HKO
technically...
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Resource SWSH LC Viability Rankings
- Thread starter Fiend
- Start date
- Status
Lvl 3 0- SpA Life Orb Abra Psychic vs. Lvl 5 252 HP / 252 SpD Eviolite Venipede: 10-16 (45.4 - 72.7%) -- 12.1% chance to 2HKO
technically...
hey, this is a more nitpicky nom, but I think that wynaut deserves to go from unranked to C, because some hail structures use it to beat ponyta (dig can do this, but wynaut pivots into a trap, and hail cannot usually afford to sack) especially, as well as some other threats/tanks such as porygon, staryu, and ferroseed as well as the ability to secure major damage/kos when in on mienfoo especially against teams without a ghost. it does struggle with being counter trapped by diglett, as beat up has only the last hit countered, and fits near exclusively on hail since diglett and trapinch are far better thanks to being more generally useful with a good speed and priority respectively, as well as their ability to trap pawniard and enable the psychics and porygon.
I agree, Wynaut has a niche. But if you look closely, Wynaut is ranked in the D rank, and I think that's perfect. It's a pokémon that has a place in extremely specific team structures, I think C rank is a bit too high, D rank seems fine to me
I'd like to nominate 
to be put somewhere on the VR (My suggestion would be C-tier)
The set that I used:
Morelull @ Eviolite
Ability: Effect Spore
Level: 5
EVs: 196 HP / 236 Def / 76 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Giga Drain
- Spore
- Synthesis
It's a very nice physical wall that's able to wall the fighting mons aswell as Grookey (without Acrobatics), Diglett (the non-Sludge Bomb variant) and the Carvanha that's everywhere atm. In comparison to other fighting-resistances, what stands out is that mons like Mienfoo and Carvanha can't just click U-Turn/Flip Turn for free on a switch cause they have to fear Effect Spore.
Yes, Carvanha can 2HKO it after it got knocked off, but you have to keep in mind that doing that puts Carvanha into danger aswell as any of the three status options from Effect Spore hurts it a lot.
At full it can even tank an Iron Head from a Pawniard and put it to sleep with Spore and then heal up again.
156 Atk Pawniard Iron Head vs. 196 HP / 236+ Def Eviolite Morelull: 14-18 (60.8 - 78.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
One of the main flaws I had while using Morelull is that it invites Ferroseed/Foongus in for free since it can't damage those nor put them to sleep, so it needs teammates to deal with them.
Overall, I am aware that it's not the most amazing mon ever but considering that it checks a handfull of mons that are seen in a lot of teams atm, I think it deserves a rank on the VR and I suggest giving it the C-rank
to be put somewhere on the VR (My suggestion would be C-tier)The set that I used:
Morelull @ Eviolite
Ability: Effect Spore
Level: 5
EVs: 196 HP / 236 Def / 76 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Giga Drain
- Spore
- Synthesis
It's a very nice physical wall that's able to wall the fighting mons aswell as Grookey (without Acrobatics), Diglett (the non-Sludge Bomb variant) and the Carvanha that's everywhere atm. In comparison to other fighting-resistances, what stands out is that mons like Mienfoo and Carvanha can't just click U-Turn/Flip Turn for free on a switch cause they have to fear Effect Spore.
0 Atk Mienfoo High Jump Kick vs. 196 HP / 236+ Def Eviolite Morelull: 4-6 (17.3 - 26%) -- 0.1% chance to 4HKO
0 Atk Mienfoo High Jump Kick vs. 196 HP / 236+ Def Morelull: 6-8 (26 - 34.7%) -- 0.7% chance to 3HKO
236 Atk Mienfoo High Jump Kick vs. 196 HP / 236+ Def Eviolite Morelull: 5-6 (21.7 - 26%) -- 73.8% chance to 4HKO
236 Atk Mienfoo High Jump Kick vs. 196 HP / 236+ Def Morelull: 8-9 (34.7 - 39.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
196+ Atk Life Orb Carvanha Psychic Fangs vs. 196 HP / 236+ Def Eviolite Morelull: 6-9 (26 - 39.1%) -- 84.5% chance to 3HKO
196+ Atk Life Orb Carvanha Psychic Fangs vs. 196 HP / 236+ Def Morelull: 10-13 (43.4 - 56.5%) -- 51.2% chance to 2HKO
0 Atk Mienfoo High Jump Kick vs. 196 HP / 236+ Def Morelull: 6-8 (26 - 34.7%) -- 0.7% chance to 3HKO
236 Atk Mienfoo High Jump Kick vs. 196 HP / 236+ Def Eviolite Morelull: 5-6 (21.7 - 26%) -- 73.8% chance to 4HKO
236 Atk Mienfoo High Jump Kick vs. 196 HP / 236+ Def Morelull: 8-9 (34.7 - 39.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
196+ Atk Life Orb Carvanha Psychic Fangs vs. 196 HP / 236+ Def Eviolite Morelull: 6-9 (26 - 39.1%) -- 84.5% chance to 3HKO
196+ Atk Life Orb Carvanha Psychic Fangs vs. 196 HP / 236+ Def Morelull: 10-13 (43.4 - 56.5%) -- 51.2% chance to 2HKO
At full it can even tank an Iron Head from a Pawniard and put it to sleep with Spore and then heal up again.
156 Atk Pawniard Iron Head vs. 196 HP / 236+ Def Eviolite Morelull: 14-18 (60.8 - 78.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
One of the main flaws I had while using Morelull is that it invites Ferroseed/Foongus in for free since it can't damage those nor put them to sleep, so it needs teammates to deal with them.
Overall, I am aware that it's not the most amazing mon ever but considering that it checks a handfull of mons that are seen in a lot of teams atm, I think it deserves a rank on the VR and I suggest giving it the C-rank
I'd like to nominate
The set that I used:
Morelull @ Eviolite
Ability: Effect Spore
Level: 5
EVs: 196 HP / 236 Def / 76 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Giga Drain
- Spore
- Synthesis
It's a very nice physical wall that's able to wall the fighting mons aswell as Grookey (without Acrobatics), Diglett (the non-Sludge Bomb variant) and the Carvanha that's everywhere atm. In comparison to other fighting-resistances, what stands out is that mons like Mienfoo and Carvanha can't just click U-Turn/Flip Turn for free on a switch cause they have to fear Effect Spore.
Yes, Carvanha can 2HKO it after it got knocked off, but you have to keep in mind that doing that puts Carvanha into danger aswell as any of the three status options from Effect Spore hurts it a lot.0 Atk Mienfoo High Jump Kick vs. 196 HP / 236+ Def Eviolite Morelull: 4-6 (17.3 - 26%) -- 0.1% chance to 4HKO
0 Atk Mienfoo High Jump Kick vs. 196 HP / 236+ Def Morelull: 6-8 (26 - 34.7%) -- 0.7% chance to 3HKO
236 Atk Mienfoo High Jump Kick vs. 196 HP / 236+ Def Eviolite Morelull: 5-6 (21.7 - 26%) -- 73.8% chance to 4HKO
236 Atk Mienfoo High Jump Kick vs. 196 HP / 236+ Def Morelull: 8-9 (34.7 - 39.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
196+ Atk Life Orb Carvanha Psychic Fangs vs. 196 HP / 236+ Def Eviolite Morelull: 6-9 (26 - 39.1%) -- 84.5% chance to 3HKO
196+ Atk Life Orb Carvanha Psychic Fangs vs. 196 HP / 236+ Def Morelull: 10-13 (43.4 - 56.5%) -- 51.2% chance to 2HKO
At full it can even tank an Iron Head from a Pawniard and put it to sleep with Spore and then heal up again.
156 Atk Pawniard Iron Head vs. 196 HP / 236+ Def Eviolite Morelull: 14-18 (60.8 - 78.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
One of the main flaws I had while using Morelull is that it invites Ferroseed/Foongus in for free since it can't damage those nor put them to sleep, so it needs teammates to deal with them.
Overall, I am aware that it's not the most amazing mon ever but considering that it checks a handfull of mons that are seen in a lot of teams atm, I think it deserves a rank on the VR and I suggest giving it the C-rank
Super vouch, I think this mon is insanely underrated, it's like Larvesta and Foongus had a baby and that baby was better than both of the parents
Was mentioned in some previous posts which I agree with the sentiment of but no1 actually made an official nom so.
A- -> B+
Foongus feels like a relic of the past in LC at the moment. While it's still a solid defensive glue for teams, on paper it looks considerably better than it plays out in practice. Unlike previous metas, Foongus has incredibly consistent defensive counterplay right now in 2 top 10 mons in Ferroseed and Natu both hard walling it and often gaining momentum when they come in, and the meta has 2 other extremely viable and frankly more consistent poison types in Koffing and Mareanie. Even the things that Foongus is supposed to defensively check in builder like Mienfoo, Grookey or Carvanha among others while yes it does check them, all of them can very easily pivot out and foongus loses all momentum. Other offensive threats currently such as Ponyta, Porygon, Abra, and Hail to name a few all prey on foongus balances anytime the mushroom is on the field. While I don't think Foongus is just suddenly unviable, it's the worst it's been in a long time due to a variety of factors and it still being in the same tier as Ponyta and Trapinch is very wrong.
B+ -> A-
Tyrunt is one of the best wincons in the tier and is both easy to consistently set up and has defensive and offensive versatility even when not set up. After a DD Tyrunt becomes virtually impossible to defensively check and has the bulk to eat strong priority moves from pokemon like Grookey, Pawniard and Trapinch. Even without a DD up strong jaw psychic fangs is surprisingly hard to switch into and options like close combat, rock blast cruch or fire fang all threaten various common defensive mons extremely well even at +0. In a pinch Tyrunt can consistently be used as a soft check for offense against pokemon like Ponyta, Porygon and the Poisons and more if the situation is right which is extremely valuable. To me the immense power after one DD combined with the variety of ways to consistently set it up while also having the bulk and power to still be an asset in games it can't DD makes Tyrunt worthy of surpassing mons like Mudbray and Onix.
Not much else think this VR is good just gonna clean up D a bit with some stuff I know specifically is just unviable
D -> UR
Webs are gone, if it were faster it could have some cool stuff but as it stands extremely outdated strong water in a tier where there are 2 fantastic offensive waters already, Dewpider just doesn't have a niche. I'd sooner put a crab on my team than the spider.
D -> UR
Kinda like a Foongus with rocks LOL. Wayyyyyy too passive you invite the by far best mon in the tier in Mienfoo in, Grass type that can't wall Carvanha, Rock type that loses to Porygon not much to say just way too passive loses way too hard to top meta picks.
D -> UR
Steels and poisons are in their hayday and Togepi is not a fan of that. It's got fine bulk and fire coverage to actually hit Ferro unlike Spritz but it's hilariously slow and weak to the point it is not doing threatening damage to quite literally any pokemon that is not weak to fairy.
A- -> B+Foongus feels like a relic of the past in LC at the moment. While it's still a solid defensive glue for teams, on paper it looks considerably better than it plays out in practice. Unlike previous metas, Foongus has incredibly consistent defensive counterplay right now in 2 top 10 mons in Ferroseed and Natu both hard walling it and often gaining momentum when they come in, and the meta has 2 other extremely viable and frankly more consistent poison types in Koffing and Mareanie. Even the things that Foongus is supposed to defensively check in builder like Mienfoo, Grookey or Carvanha among others while yes it does check them, all of them can very easily pivot out and foongus loses all momentum. Other offensive threats currently such as Ponyta, Porygon, Abra, and Hail to name a few all prey on foongus balances anytime the mushroom is on the field. While I don't think Foongus is just suddenly unviable, it's the worst it's been in a long time due to a variety of factors and it still being in the same tier as Ponyta and Trapinch is very wrong.
B+ -> A-Tyrunt is one of the best wincons in the tier and is both easy to consistently set up and has defensive and offensive versatility even when not set up. After a DD Tyrunt becomes virtually impossible to defensively check and has the bulk to eat strong priority moves from pokemon like Grookey, Pawniard and Trapinch. Even without a DD up strong jaw psychic fangs is surprisingly hard to switch into and options like close combat, rock blast cruch or fire fang all threaten various common defensive mons extremely well even at +0. In a pinch Tyrunt can consistently be used as a soft check for offense against pokemon like Ponyta, Porygon and the Poisons and more if the situation is right which is extremely valuable. To me the immense power after one DD combined with the variety of ways to consistently set it up while also having the bulk and power to still be an asset in games it can't DD makes Tyrunt worthy of surpassing mons like Mudbray and Onix.
Not much else think this VR is good just gonna clean up D a bit with some stuff I know specifically is just unviable
D -> URWebs are gone, if it were faster it could have some cool stuff but as it stands extremely outdated strong water in a tier where there are 2 fantastic offensive waters already, Dewpider just doesn't have a niche. I'd sooner put a crab on my team than the spider.
D -> URKinda like a Foongus with rocks LOL. Wayyyyyy too passive you invite the by far best mon in the tier in Mienfoo in, Grass type that can't wall Carvanha, Rock type that loses to Porygon not much to say just way too passive loses way too hard to top meta picks.
D -> URSteels and poisons are in their hayday and Togepi is not a fan of that. It's got fine bulk and fire coverage to actually hit Ferro unlike Spritz but it's hilariously slow and weak to the point it is not doing threatening damage to quite literally any pokemon that is not weak to fairy.
C to Unranked or D rankWith a brilliant 0% usage at the last LPL and an incredible 0.1% usage on the ladder behind nincada and bergmite, the biggest achievement of the little cup of Little Cup is probably being ranked as a more or less viable pokemon when no one plays it and no one thinks it's playable. It was very funny in the zigzagoon meta but it's still been several months, and I think everyone just forgot that this pokemon still existed in the Viability Ranking.
I don't think I really need to explain why this pokémon is bad, but just in case: has trouble defeating Pawniard despite wow, doesn't defeat Porygon at all, gets revenge killed easily, predictable, hard to integrate into a somewhat serious team, very bad spinblocker. Only had a small niche for a few months in some very specific HO teams thanks to Zigzagoon. This pokémon has almost no niche even in HO: all pokémon listed in C are better without exception, most pokémon listed in D have a better niche and are more played, and many pokémon that are not even listed have a better niche in Little Cup like Cubone
B- to CA pokémon that I typically find strong in theory, but not very good in practice. Its first problem is that it is almost only playable in fightspam. Its second problem is that it has a lot of competition even in this niche because of Pancham, especially because it has trouble passing Koffing and lacks a good recovery. Close Combat also leaves him very vulnerable to RK. It has a real niche and I'm not saying that the pokémon is bad, but the C rank just seems more appropriate given its very low usage rate and its viability which is closer to that of a Pancham than a Timburr.
B- to BIt is clearly not the best pivot on earth but it must be acknowledged that team structures with Slowpoke exist and are successful in tournaments. Proof in LPL with 4% of the uses for a winrate of 66%. Its uses are more or less the same as those of the previous LPL (where its winrate was even better) so it seems to show that it is not an isolated case, the pokémon remains quite constant. Slowpoke allows to vary team structures and is the only good Teleport user in the entire metagame. It's a pokémon that has a lot of flaws in theory, but does quite well in practice. I think it deserves better than being ranked behind Magby. It's also pretty good vs Pony and vs Tyrunt which is trendy right now
B+ to BThe problem with Magnemite in my opinion is mainly its unreliability: scarf needs to win a lot of 50/50s to be effective, the trapper set is only used to fish very precise match-ups and is useless if it fails, the Recycle set suffers from the number of pokémon using Knock Off in the metagame. The winrate of the pokémon in the last LPL was simply abysmal, which seems to reflect the difficulties of this pokémon in practice. I think this pokémon is a notch below B+ rank personally.
A+ to AYou see, in this world, there's two kinds of people : those who thinks that Abra is super strong in SWSH LC, and the others.
I personally don't like Abra in the current metagame. It's typically the kind of pokémon that looks amazing on paper but struggles in practice. At the moment, the metagame is definitely not in its favour. Abra relies way too much on predicts, and easily can kill the momentum you have if you make the wrong predict. Yes, it's quite versatile and tricky to deal with since you never know if it's life orb, sash or shed shell. But the sash downgraded : Tyrunt is one of the most common set-up sweeper, Carvanha can break its sash and sometimes even switch in on a psychic / sball. And anyways you can still run Beat Up Diglett is you really want to get rid of a sash Abra. Once you know the set of the opponent's Abra, it's often way less dangerous. Finally, Abra also suffers more from opportunity cost than the others A+ rank mons. I feel it does not belong anymore to A+ rank.
A- to AI just don't understand why this pokemon is A-, I don't have much more to say and I don't really see how to argue. This pokémon is far more played than any A- rank, its winrate is pretty good. I just think it's a very good pokémon and an objectively better pokémon than Frillish or Foongus.
I hope it's not too long.
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Dropping a nom + my thoughts on some of the other noms.
-> A or A-
Little birdie and what used to be one of my favorite Pokémon in the tier took a hit in light of recent trends in my opinion. Dark-types such as Pawniard and Carvanha being more prevalent than ever hurt its capabilities over the course of the game. Pawniard being the main Steel-type on opposing teams makes Natu's niche as a hazard denier more shaky whereas Carvanha can come in on anything that isn't U-turn and use Natu as a sitting duck for whatever move it is planning. Moreover, the rise in sweepers such as Ponyta, Porygon or Tyrunt using Natu as setup bait isn't great for the bird. It can incorporate Thunder Wave to check them but it comes at the cost of not packing U-turn and being worthless against Bulky specially-defensive Pokémon, which are nice picks in the meta. It also struggles to check even stuff it checks: it takes Knock Off from Ferroseed, limiting it over the course of the game, takes a hefty chunk of damage and can get Poisoned by Koffing and has to risk the speed tie with Mienfoo to dispatch it. All in all, it is still a great Pokémon that finds its place on a lot of my team due to bringing an invaluable Ground immunity and being a Psychic-type, but it has really fallen out of flavor recently and isn't on par with everything else in A+ anymore in my opinion.
Seconding the points on
and
to A as well. Agree with shitmon
in B+, the D-rank cleanup proposed by Plas,
's raise and the points on
.
Unsure with
in B as the Sturdy Juice set with Acehunter's new investment can do wonders in the department of soft-checking a myriad of threats, including Carvanha. Scarfed sets can still use their raw power to plow through teams once the immunity has been counter-trapped by Trace Porygon or Balloon Diglett. I don't really think it is on par with Pokémon such as Archen which really struggle in the meta, but a Steel without Knock and Rocks can still be awkward to fit in a team.
About
, I think that while once set up, it is one of the absolute best sweepers in the metagame, only being revenge killed by repeated chip in the form of Pawniard, Grookey, Mienfoo or Timburr's priorities or by Pokémon that are able to take a boosted hit such as bulky Ground-types and Staryu, setting it up against a well constructed team can be very tough. I have been seeing more and more teams incorporate ways to deny Tyrunt free set up, which makes its effectiveness more unsure unless it benefits from great support. Such changes include the aforementioned Thunder Wave on a plethora of Pokémon, Will-O-Wisp Koffing, or even Scarfers such as Scarf Pawniard which has risen a bit lately. Nowadays, more Pokémon that would normally be sitting ducks for Tyrunt are prepared to deny it a sweep, which is why I am against it rising to A-.
Little birdie and what used to be one of my favorite Pokémon in the tier took a hit in light of recent trends in my opinion. Dark-types such as Pawniard and Carvanha being more prevalent than ever hurt its capabilities over the course of the game. Pawniard being the main Steel-type on opposing teams makes Natu's niche as a hazard denier more shaky whereas Carvanha can come in on anything that isn't U-turn and use Natu as a sitting duck for whatever move it is planning. Moreover, the rise in sweepers such as Ponyta, Porygon or Tyrunt using Natu as setup bait isn't great for the bird. It can incorporate Thunder Wave to check them but it comes at the cost of not packing U-turn and being worthless against Bulky specially-defensive Pokémon, which are nice picks in the meta. It also struggles to check even stuff it checks: it takes Knock Off from Ferroseed, limiting it over the course of the game, takes a hefty chunk of damage and can get Poisoned by Koffing and has to risk the speed tie with Mienfoo to dispatch it. All in all, it is still a great Pokémon that finds its place on a lot of my team due to bringing an invaluable Ground immunity and being a Psychic-type, but it has really fallen out of flavor recently and isn't on par with everything else in A+ anymore in my opinion.
Seconding the points on
Unsure with
About
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I agree with all of these noms excepts for keeping Tyrunt B+. many of the methods such as wow koff you mentioned that can deny a tyrunt 6-0 risk losing to other threats; for example many tyrunt teams carry grookey, be it acrobatics on HO or eviolite pivot on bulky teams make it a big risk to click wisp, since psy fangs puts slightly chipped or knocked koff out of commission. T wave from mons such as ferroseed and trace gon is much more effective and practical against most runt structures, can still lose if CC is clicked when they are chipped, and they are unreliable/useless as a resource to prevent runt sweeps. while the metagame has evolved to the point where it is uncommon to see a structure where runt 6-0's for free, it has not been very effective at preventing tyrunt from clicking psy fangs or CC since more speed control and preventing setup are the most common countermeasures.Dropping a nom + my thoughts on some of the other noms.
-> A or A-
Little birdie and what used to be one of my favorite Pokémon in the tier took a hit in light of recent trends in my opinion. Dark-types such as Pawniard and Carvanha being more prevalent than ever hurt its capabilities over the course of the game. Pawniard being the main Steel-type on opposing teams makes Natu's niche as a hazard denier more shaky whereas Carvanha can come in on anything that isn't U-turn and use Natu as a sitting duck for whatever move it is planning. Moreover, the rise in sweepers such as Ponyta, Porygon or Tyrunt using Natu as setup bait isn't great for the bird. It can incorporate Thunder Wave to check them but it comes at the cost of not packing U-turn and being worthless against Bulky specially-defensive Pokémon, which are nice picks in the meta. It also struggles to check even stuff it checks: it takes Knock Off from Ferroseed, limiting it over the course of the game, takes a hefty chunk of damage and can get Poisoned by Koffing and has to risk the speed tie with Mienfoo to dispatch it. All in all, it is still a great Pokémon that finds its place on a lot of my team due to bringing an invaluable Ground immunity and being a Psychic-type, but it has really fallen out of flavor recently and isn't on par with everything else in A+ anymore in my opinion.
Seconding the points onandto A as well. Agree with shitmonin B+, the D-rank cleanup proposed by Plas,'s raise and the points on.
Unsure within B as the Sturdy Juice set with Acehunter's new investment can do wonders in the department of soft-checking a myriad of threats, including Carvanha. Scarfed sets can still use their raw power to plow through teams once the immunity has been counter-trapped by Trace Porygon or Balloon Diglett. I don't really think it is on par with Pokémon such as Archen or Onix which really struggle in the meta, but a Steel without Knock and Rocks can still be awkward to fit in a team.
About, I think that while once set up, it is one of the absolute best sweepers in the metagame, only being revenge killed by repeated chip in the form of Pawniard, Grookey, Mienfoo or Timburr's priorities or by Pokémon that are able to take a boosted hit such as bulky Ground-types and Staryu, setting it up against a well constructed team can be very tough. I have been seeing more and more teams incorporate ways to deny Tyrunt free set up, which makes its effectiveness more unsure unless it benefits from great support. Such changes include the aforementioned Thunder Wave on a plethora of Pokémon, Will-O-Wisp Koffing, or even Scarfers such as Scarf Pawniard which has risen a bit lately. Nowadays, more Pokémon that would normally be sitting ducks for Tyrunt are prepared to deny it a sweep, which is why I am against it rising to A-.
Hey everyone, today i made a personal VR for the tier as of now, thanks to a few people (specially wesh papillon and Shandeur) for some insight to some of the mons on this tier list (NOTE: Not ordered within tiers) also imagine farfetched-galar was in B- I FORGOT TO ADD IT LOL
S: Needed on most, if not all, viable teams
A+: Very viable, tier staples teams should be preped for
A: Same as A+, but not as good in my opinion. Teams should be preped for these mons tho.
A-: Viable, pretty solid but has flaws that stop these pokemon from being A or A+
B+: These mons have good use cases, and are viable without a doubt, though they have notable majors flaws
B: Viable, but has larger flaws than higher tier mons
B-: Bit on the niche side, but can work on the right team
C+: Niche-ish Mons, but can work on the right structure.
C: Limited use case, but still work fairly well
C-: Mediocre but workable, but still has major issues and against some teams is just death fodder.
D: 1-2 Small Niches, but bad overall.
Some insight on mons on the VR and why they are ranked as so:
and 
. I feel like both of these pokemon have fell off a bit. Both still work, but Especially in the foongus case, on paper they are better than they are in serious matches and practice. Both shouldnt go lower than B+ however.
this mon is lowkey crazy with its LO set. Ive been running it with solid success in this team recently, and really isnt A B- imo.
either make this D or UR it lol, literally no one runs the cup anymore, has 1 tiny niche on some HO teams, and even prio kills it with pawn and diggy throwing sucker punches all over the place, and with Grooks grassy glide get braindead spammed, its not good at all anymore.
Im very much a believer in "Mag Bad". Its scarf set can be good against some teams, but its a death fodder on others. The BJ recycle set is kinda outclassed by munch at this point, and also gets screwed by knock. Its trap set loses to pawn and relies on seed being in teams, which to be completely honest, it does sorta work now with seed being more used to check the carv everyone and their mother is using, but if your trying to use a mon to beat seed, its not the best at it. Very matchup dependant, drop to either C or C+.
Lol read this to understand why its ass
Why did we drop this thing? its better than Mareanie rn imo, why is it in A- with fril lol
Low ladder 1200s players will say its good. its not no more. its D.
alright thats all, my hand hurts so im going to stop writing lol
S: Needed on most, if not all, viable teams
A+: Very viable, tier staples teams should be preped for
A: Same as A+, but not as good in my opinion. Teams should be preped for these mons tho.
A-: Viable, pretty solid but has flaws that stop these pokemon from being A or A+
B+: These mons have good use cases, and are viable without a doubt, though they have notable majors flaws
B: Viable, but has larger flaws than higher tier mons
B-: Bit on the niche side, but can work on the right team
C+: Niche-ish Mons, but can work on the right structure.
C: Limited use case, but still work fairly well
C-: Mediocre but workable, but still has major issues and against some teams is just death fodder.
D: 1-2 Small Niches, but bad overall.
Some insight on mons on the VR and why they are ranked as so:
and . I feel like both of these pokemon have fell off a bit. Both still work, but Especially in the foongus case, on paper they are better than they are in serious matches and practice. Both shouldnt go lower than B+ however. this mon is lowkey crazy with its LO set. Ive been running it with solid success in this team recently, and really isnt A B- imo. either make this D or UR it lol, literally no one runs the cup anymore, has 1 tiny niche on some HO teams, and even prio kills it with pawn and diggy throwing sucker punches all over the place, and with Grooks grassy glide get braindead spammed, its not good at all anymore. Im very much a believer in "Mag Bad". Its scarf set can be good against some teams, but its a death fodder on others. The BJ recycle set is kinda outclassed by munch at this point, and also gets screwed by knock. Its trap set loses to pawn and relies on seed being in teams, which to be completely honest, it does sorta work now with seed being more used to check the carv everyone and their mother is using, but if your trying to use a mon to beat seed, its not the best at it. Very matchup dependant, drop to either C or C+. Lol read this to understand why its ass Why did we drop this thing? its better than Mareanie rn imo, why is it in A- with fril lol Low ladder 1200s players will say its good. its not no more. its D.alright thats all, my hand hurts so im going to stop writing lol
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Hey everyone, today i made a personal VR for the tier as of now, thanks to a few people (specially wesh papillon and Shandeur) for some insight to some of the mons on this tier list (NOTE: Not ordered within tiers)also imagine farfetched-galar was in B- I FORGOT TO ADD IT LOLView attachment 430975
S: Needed on most, if not all, viable teams
A+: Very viable, tier staples teams should be preped for
A: Same as A+, but not as good in my opinion. Teams should be preped for these mons tho.
A-: Viable, pretty solid but has flaws that stop these pokemon from being A or A+
B+: These mons have good use cases, and are viable without a doubt, though they have notable majors flaws
B: Viable, but has larger flaws than higher tier mons
B-: Bit on the niche side, but can work on the right team
C+: Niche-ish Mons, but can work on the right structure.
C: Limited use case, but still work fairly well
C-: Mediocre but workable, but still has major issues and against some teams is just death fodder.
D: 1-2 Small Niches, but bad overall.
Some insight on mons on the VR and why they are ranked as so:
alright thats all, my hand hurts so im going to stop writing lol
Hey, here is my take on the post I am quoting:
I agree with most of this post except for seed dropping below A; almost all teams that are not HO, which admittedly has gotten better, need to include either Pawniard or Ferroseed, and Ferroseed has the very important upside of checking waters better as well as being able to more easily fit t-wave to cripple foo and occasionally get turns slower teams (mareanie seed) need to click whatever support moves they need for what offense they do have to get going. Pawn to A feels a bit more fitting since checking waters has become more important, although its priority and offensive potential are still bigger upsides than checking waters better I feel like.
I hard agree with Grookey going to the A+ rank and by proxy Larvesta going A- as the rise of Carvanha and HO make it very tempting to slot the strongest priority that is incidentally a water pivot onto your team. it is quite premium to have your team be more than perfectly okay and a solid even mu, and Ponyta and Larvesta can do that, with pony being somewhat splashable and Larvesta teams pretty much just winning against Grookey if they can prevent rocks, which Staryu + Natu can do against both Ferroseed and Pawniard if you are okay with sacrificing their eviolite to knock.
Staryu to A+ and keeping Abra A+ I don't really have opinions on but both enjoy the rising HO trend and star is just an overall solid and bulky fast mon while Abra is nuclear if you have the right coverage on it.
This is less about noms and more of just funny stuff to me, but I have heard many people say why is pony in the same tier as frillish, and while I agree with the sentiment its funny how Frillish tier is an insult yet nobody has nommed it to B+. It has the best MU spread in the game against B+ tier and below while it is somewhat awkward against the A tiers as it relies on cursed body and wow and is only really good at trading it's eviolite for a burn, being a spin blocker, and being a more sturdy although far slower and weaker Staryu that cannot take on Carvanha.
Quick nomination bc I’m on a phone right now:
should drop from A to A-. It’s still insanely good at walling stuff such as Carvanha and Ponyta, but the amount of bad matchups it has (Abra, Staryu, Diglett, Magnemite, Grookey) seems to advent it dropping a tier. Additionally, the amount of Knock Off spam makes it so that it’s bulk usually isn’t augmented by Eviolite due to it being Knocked.
should drop from A to A-. It’s still insanely good at walling stuff such as Carvanha and Ponyta, but the amount of bad matchups it has (Abra, Staryu, Diglett, Magnemite, Grookey) seems to advent it dropping a tier. Additionally, the amount of Knock Off spam makes it so that it’s bulk usually isn’t augmented by Eviolite due to it being Knocked.
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I agree with 
to A-. While it is without a doubt one of the top checks to Fighting-types thanks to Regenerator and a great glue thanks to Regenerator + Covet (I play this on my Mareanies not to get hampered to hard by switching on repeated Knock Offs as Mareanie doesn't like it) meaning it can act as a Pawniard soft-check on matchups where retaining Mienfoo's Eviolite is important, Mareanie suffers from a number of bad matchups as explained earlier such as the Psychics, Diglett being the top trapper once again, being a Poison which doesn't check Grookey... However, Mareanie sometimes has trouble even checking what it is supposed to check, as when Knocked Off, Mareanie takes 1/3 of its health on Mienfoo's High Jump Kick and cannot check Fire-types such as Ponyta reliably anymore. This often means Mareanie's Recover can be telegraphed, making it all the harder to maneuver around opposing Koffing and Diglett. Since Mareanie, as said earlier, is a Poison-type which doesn't check Grookey and can get trapped unlike Koffing (and shitmon ), it mandates support from other Grookey soft-checks such as Ponyta or Natu not to make the team too Grookey-weak and from other ways to soft-check Mienfoo to really be an effective slot.
Since people have been dropping rankings according to them, guess I'll do the same. Pokémon are not classfied in order from better to worst inside their tier.
S
(obviously)
A+
A 
A-
B+
B
B-
C
D
About, it has a niche as a specially-defensive bulky Wish-passer that can help Koffing retain health to repeatedly check Mienfoo, and Cloud Nine helps against Weather, so I think it should definitely at least be ranked in D, which is the rank for Pokémon carrying a niche but that shouldn't be used most of the time.
Notably, to me, barely makes the cut in C because it can hit very hard but is very imprecise and ends up being a worse Staryu oftentimes and therefore pretty hard to justify. It can still act as a fringe Ground-type immunity, but doesn't have the bulk to perform greatly in that role either. also barely makes the cut in D, due to being a Morelull alternative that trades recovery for Knock off support on the Poison-types it baits in, which can be nice in some matchups, but it being outclassed by the Alolan mushroom in the wide majority of cases. barely drops to me as I have never really felt it was that menacing against a lot of teams. But that may be because teams have been adapting.
People should know I have been testing recently, but I won't advocate for a rise in B-, as it doesn't really perform consistently, but it boasts a useful array of resistances in this tier that can help pull some weight off of other Pokémon to act as a soft-check to opposing Carvanha, Grookey, Fighting-types and as such. I intend on discussing it in more detail in another post, as Croagunk definitely seems interesting to me in this meta.
to A-. While it is without a doubt one of the top checks to Fighting-types thanks to Regenerator and a great glue thanks to Regenerator + Covet (I play this on my Mareanies not to get hampered to hard by switching on repeated Knock Offs as Mareanie doesn't like it) meaning it can act as a Pawniard soft-check on matchups where retaining Mienfoo's Eviolite is important, Mareanie suffers from a number of bad matchups as explained earlier such as the Psychics, Diglett being the top trapper once again, being a Poison which doesn't check Grookey... However, Mareanie sometimes has trouble even checking what it is supposed to check, as when Knocked Off, Mareanie takes 1/3 of its health on Mienfoo's High Jump Kick and cannot check Fire-types such as Ponyta reliably anymore. This often means Mareanie's Recover can be telegraphed, making it all the harder to maneuver around opposing Koffing and Diglett. Since Mareanie, as said earlier, is a Poison-type which doesn't check Grookey and can get trapped unlike Koffing (and shitmon ), it mandates support from other Grookey soft-checks such as Ponyta or Natu not to make the team too Grookey-weak and from other ways to soft-check Mienfoo to really be an effective slot.Since people have been dropping rankings according to them, guess I'll do the same. Pokémon are not classfied in order from better to worst inside their tier.
S
(obviously)A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C
D
About
, it has a niche as a specially-defensive bulky Wish-passer that can help Koffing retain health to repeatedly check Mienfoo, and Cloud Nine helps against Weather, so I think it should definitely at least be ranked in D, which is the rank for Pokémon carrying a niche but that shouldn't be used most of the time.Notably, to me,
barely makes the cut in C because it can hit very hard but is very imprecise and ends up being a worse Staryu oftentimes and therefore pretty hard to justify. It can still act as a fringe Ground-type immunity, but doesn't have the bulk to perform greatly in that role either. also barely makes the cut in D, due to being a Morelull alternative that trades recovery for Knock off support on the Poison-types it baits in, which can be nice in some matchups, but it being outclassed by the Alolan mushroom in the wide majority of cases. barely drops to me as I have never really felt it was that menacing against a lot of teams. But that may be because teams have been adapting.People should know I have been testing
recently, but I won't advocate for a rise in B-, as it doesn't really perform consistently, but it boasts a useful array of resistances in this tier that can help pull some weight off of other Pokémon to act as a soft-check to opposing Carvanha, Grookey, Fighting-types and as such. I intend on discussing it in more detail in another post, as Croagunk definitely seems interesting to me in this meta.
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I have a nomination to the VR
Morelull to B tier.
AceHunter showed off its potential in a few sample teams. Its typing is pretty phenomenal, as it has no psychic weakness, which means it can check Tyrunt, Carv and non life orb Abra unlike its most similar competition in Foongus. It has a Dark resist, meaning that knock off deals less damage. Morelull has a more active passive role than Foongus due to Effect Spore. Foo can't simply knock it off on entry, then u turn out into a counter. It risks 2 30% chances of getting sleep, paralysis or poison, all of which are good for lull in shutting down foo. Effect spore also means that possible weak stray hits into lull can gain lot of advantage. It can spread a lot of status very quickly, which can let set up sweepers like Magby or Tyrunt run wild and let Carvanha get a free speed boost.
Its not without flaws. The quad weakness to poison moves can make it easy to predict, as it can never stay in on an poison type foo counter, unlike Koffing who can threaten offensively. This necessitates a poison switch in during team comp, which can be manageable, but is still concerning. A lack of regenerator means it will get worn down by rocks and would have to waste turns using synthesis instead of being able to switch into another mon to gain momentum and HP.
Feel free to add more context on whether or not morelull is good or dog water.
Morelull to B tier.AceHunter showed off its potential in a few sample teams. Its typing is pretty phenomenal, as it has no psychic weakness, which means it can check Tyrunt, Carv and non life orb Abra unlike its most similar competition in Foongus. It has a Dark resist, meaning that knock off deals less damage. Morelull has a more active passive role than Foongus due to Effect Spore. Foo can't simply knock it off on entry, then u turn out into a counter. It risks 2 30% chances of getting sleep, paralysis or poison, all of which are good for lull in shutting down foo. Effect spore also means that possible weak stray hits into lull can gain lot of advantage. It can spread a lot of status very quickly, which can let set up sweepers like Magby or Tyrunt run wild and let Carvanha get a free speed boost.
Its not without flaws. The quad weakness to poison moves can make it easy to predict, as it can never stay in on an poison type foo counter, unlike Koffing who can threaten offensively. This necessitates a poison switch in during team comp, which can be manageable, but is still concerning. A lack of regenerator means it will get worn down by rocks and would have to waste turns using synthesis instead of being able to switch into another mon to gain momentum and HP.
Feel free to add more context on whether or not morelull is good or dog water.
I'd nom it higher, maybe to C, or even C+, but no way is it good enough to breach B. It stops carv dead in its tracks and has effect spore, but it also folds to Poisons on every team, loses to Natu very hard which is on most non-abra and even some Abra teams, loses to both Steels, especially ferroseed which resists everything it can do, while pawn still get chunked by moonblast.I have a nomination to the VR
AceHunter showed off its potential in a few sample teams. Its typing is pretty phenomenal, as it has no psychic weakness, which means it can check Tyrunt, Carv and non life orb Abra unlike its most similar competition in Foongus. It has a Dark resist, meaning that knock off deals less damage. Morelull has a more active passive role than Foongus due to Effect Spore. Foo can't simply knock it off on entry, then u turn out into a counter. It risks 2 30% chances of getting sleep, paralysis or poison, all of which are good for lull in shutting down foo. Effect spore also means that possible weak stray hits into lull can gain lot of advantage. It can spread a lot of status very quickly, which can let set up sweepers like Magby or Tyrunt run wild and let Carvanha get a free speed boost.
Its not without flaws. The quad weakness to poison moves can make it easy to predict, as it can never stay in on an poison type foo counter, unlike Koffing who can threaten offensively. This necessitates a poison switch in during team comp, which can be manageable, but is still concerning. A lack of regenerator means it will get worn down by rocks and would have to waste turns using synthesis instead of being able to switch into another mon to gain momentum and HP.
Feel free to add more context on whether or not morelull is good or dog water.
All in all I'd say up to C+, but i'd be okay with B-. Not B tho, its not good enough for that
Non scarf mienfoo just uses fake out + knock off to kill wynaut and while it can trap some offensive Pokemon and ko them like carvanha and non sd grookey, it is completely useless against defensive Pokemon carrying status moves like wil-o-wisp koffing and leech seed ferroseed. A lot of Pokemon can also pp stall either counter or mirror coat by spamming boosting/status moves, allowing them to just kill wynaut immediately afterwards.
Trick room is also a fairly inconsistent strategy which relies on dealing a lot of damage in a short amount of time, so having a Pokemon that might take out 1 Pokemon, maybe 2 is a bad pick for a tr team.
Please Read:
"The intent is to rank more Pokemon to indicate that they have been considered and are less good than a few ladder games may indicate"
The most important line^
I would like to nominate 
to C. Why, you ask? While Slowpoke-G doesn’t have Teleport for Regenerator activation, it does not suffer from the Electric weakness that Slowpoke does. Additionally, it can run Calm Mind in place of Teleport to become a very bulky Eviolite boosted wall, and run Ice Beam to take care of trappers such as Diglett or Trapinch. For these reasons, I think it deserves a spot next to its Kantonian brother.
EDIT: Thanks Aqua Jet. Slowpoke-Galar has much higher bulk and reliable recovery in Slack Off over Ponyta-Galar, which I think merits a C rank.
(Calcs will come later.)
to C. Why, you ask? While Slowpoke-G doesn’t have Teleport for Regenerator activation, it does not suffer from the Electric weakness that Slowpoke does. Additionally, it can run Calm Mind in place of Teleport to become a very bulky Eviolite boosted wall, and run Ice Beam to take care of trappers such as Diglett or Trapinch. For these reasons, I think it deserves a spot next to its Kantonian brother.EDIT: Thanks Aqua Jet. Slowpoke-Galar has much higher bulk and reliable recovery in Slack Off over Ponyta-Galar, which I think merits a C rank.
(Calcs will come later.)
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I think you should answer this question: Why am I using Slowpoke-Galar over Ponyta-Galar, the current standard Calm Mind user? I feel that Ponyta-Galar almost always outclasses Slowpoke-Galar because it's significantly faster and as a result can threaten foes like the omipresent Mienfoo after a boost, whereas Slowpoke-Galar just gets Knocked and/or U-turned on.
Both of these win the 1v1 if Diglett is holding a Focus Sash or Eviolite (with Stealth Rock up), both of which are more common than Life Orb, based on these replays from the first week of LCPL. That's not to say Life Orb doesn't exist -- it does and has been used in LCPL. However, when the base of your argument relies on beating two trappers and it can't even do that, your argument sort of falls apart.
Instead of calcs, post replays. This shows that the Pokémon can actually do things in battle instead of theoretically on paper.
Delayed update:
A+ --> A Abra has had an issue of underperforming in tours for awhile, and the offensive structures tend to require Abra to pack the appropriate moves to make progress, making it arguably too matchup dependant to be ranked in A+.
A --> A+ Ferroseed is such an important defensive resource. Being stifled by Natu is pretty frustrating, though many have adapted to limit this well enough. Overall trends are favorable to Ferroseed.
A --> A- Clicking Hydros is pretty good, but missing them during the Vullaby retest had me losing my mind. Additionally, Staryu is only a half measure against Carvanha. This overall is detrimental to Staryu as many teams are prepared for a fast water-type out of necessity. Likely a controversial move. Related to this is the ranking of Frillish, which we have opted to leave where it is.
B+ --> A- Tyrunt is a monster. People have called it broken. I think A- might be too low for it. Thunder Fang is pretty fun for deleting Staryu.
A- --> B Mushroom
B+ --> B Trapper sets are what they are. Berry Juice is a decent Porygon answer but have a few issues, and Scarf feels bad to use due to the prevalence of Grounds. None of these sets are particularly strong, though Salac Mag can be if the opponent lets it go off. None of these sets are particularly bad either. They do tend to make you search for a different rocker, which can put your team structure into some dark places.
B --> C Mixed sets briefly seemed good enough to somewhere in B, but I think that was more hope than sense.
B- --> C I no longer support this Pokemon. I could not tell you why it seems to do nothing all the time.
B- --> B Moved up for parity with other Curse monster. It's arguably better than Munchlax as well.
D --> B Rocks on Natu. Switches in on Koffing. Can Spin. Scottie's LC open run and ladder exploits are ample cause for this raise.
D --> B- Mushroom
D --> C Trubbish gets a raise because, quoting tazz, "someone found a use for it"
A+ --> A Abra has had an issue of underperforming in tours for awhile, and the offensive structures tend to require Abra to pack the appropriate moves to make progress, making it arguably too matchup dependant to be ranked in A+. A --> A+ Ferroseed is such an important defensive resource. Being stifled by Natu is pretty frustrating, though many have adapted to limit this well enough. Overall trends are favorable to Ferroseed. A --> A- Clicking Hydros is pretty good, but missing them during the Vullaby retest had me losing my mind. Additionally, Staryu is only a half measure against Carvanha. This overall is detrimental to Staryu as many teams are prepared for a fast water-type out of necessity. Likely a controversial move. Related to this is the ranking of Frillish, which we have opted to leave where it is. B+ --> A- Tyrunt is a monster. People have called it broken. I think A- might be too low for it. Thunder Fang is pretty fun for deleting Staryu. A- --> B Mushroom B+ --> B Trapper sets are what they are. Berry Juice is a decent Porygon answer but have a few issues, and Scarf feels bad to use due to the prevalence of Grounds. None of these sets are particularly strong, though Salac Mag can be if the opponent lets it go off. None of these sets are particularly bad either. They do tend to make you search for a different rocker, which can put your team structure into some dark places. B --> C Mixed sets briefly seemed good enough to somewhere in B, but I think that was more hope than sense. B- --> C I no longer support this Pokemon. I could not tell you why it seems to do nothing all the time. B- --> B Moved up for parity with other Curse monster. It's arguably better than Munchlax as well. D --> B Rocks on Natu. Switches in on Koffing. Can Spin. Scottie's LC open run and ladder exploits are ample cause for this raise. D --> B- Mushroom D --> C Trubbish gets a raise because, quoting tazz, "someone found a use for it"
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To be honest, i dont understand why we keep at C. with a 0% usage rate in both LCPL and LCSL, and with a 1.6% usage on ladder (not bad, but consider thats about the same as Treecko and Tirtouga, 2 pretty mediocre mons). I think in the current meta, its just insanely hard to justify a Normal type in a tier where a fighting type is a staple on everyteam. "but Porygon is one of top Pokemon in the meta?????" Porygon is also lucky enough to have coverage to beat fighting types, which bunny dosnt have. The fact its a worse Mincinno is just saying something about how mediocre it is, considering mincinno isnt amazing as is. also, Bunnelby cant reach 17 Speed. I think its deserves a knock down to D, maybe even UR (though, i probably wouldn't go that far).
TLDR: Bunny Bad
at C. with a 0% usage rate in both LCPL and LCSL, and with a 1.6% usage on ladder (not bad, but consider thats about the same as Treecko and Tirtouga, 2 pretty mediocre mons). I think in the current meta, its just insanely hard to justify a Normal type in a tier where a fighting type is a staple on everyteam. "but Porygon is one of top Pokemon in the meta?????" Porygon is also lucky enough to have coverage to beat fighting types, which bunny dosnt have. The fact its a worse Mincinno is just saying something about how mediocre it is, considering mincinno isnt amazing as is. also, Bunnelby cant reach 17 Speed. I think its deserves a knock down to D, maybe even UR (though, i probably wouldn't go that far). TLDR: Bunny Bad
After my LCSL run and observing games from my team "OM NOM SNOM" (Goated Name btw) in LCPL after getting drafted midseason, I've decided to make some nominations.
Nominating Tyrunt to A
This thing is a beast at +1, and it's not hard to grab a Dragon Dance, especially with some support. Recent discoveries from Freezai, LCPL, and LC Open has expanded its coverage further, with Ice Fang being an option to possibly OHKO Trapinch and the rising star that is Drilbur. Same goes for Thunder Fang, which can hit Pokemon such as Frillish and Staryu. Hell, even Crunch was used at one point. The increase in coverage can make Tyrunt more unpredictable, which can take your opponent by surprise. Even with the standard set of Rock Blast, Psychic Fangs and Close Combat, it's still naturally quite strong. However, with the increase of coverage, I believe it should be nominated higher.
Nominating Larvesta to A-
A bit of a controversial pick, the fire bug has shown some good placements in LCPL and SL. It's a deterrent to Mienfoo's Fake Out, which is huge. It's able to spread burns easily, and can check Fighting types relatively well. Another point in its favor is that it's a defensive Pokemon that can pivot out of counters with U-turn, and has reliable recovery in Morning Sun. In a meta so heavily filled with Koffing, Larvesta is a good alternative that can help by providing support in different ways. Unfortuantely, hazard removal is bordeline mandatory with Larvesta, which can lead to a bit of teambuilding issues. However, this can be remedied with good play.
Demoting Trapinch to B+
Trapinch has been getting worse overtime slowly. It used to be a good Grookey revenge killer, but those generally survive now due to Eviolite, or they just click Protect and nullify Trapinch entirely. This goes even further due to the recent discovery of Focus Sash + Protect Diglett as a potential way to remove Grookey that's more reliable, as it can't be blocked by Protect. Tyrunt, a previously free target, being able to run Ice Fang to OHKO Trapinch doesn't help matters either. Diglett generally outclasses Trapinch because of it's utility and versatility, with moves such as Stealth Rock and the aforementioned Anti-Grookey moveset. The standard set is also walled by Natu, one of the best Pokemon in the metagame currently. The only thing Trapinch has over Diglett is Superpower, which can crush Ferroseed.
Honorable Mentions:
B+ -> A-
Scarf is a blanket check to Magby and a great cleaner, RestTalk is a good wincon that can abuse things such as Ponyta and weak Knock Offs, and Stealth Rock Mudbray can work as role compression to allow free moveslots on other possible rockers. All three sets are able to help vs Ponyta, and it's probably the best Koffing counter in the game.
B -> B+
Mach Punch is still great priority vs Carvanha and weakened Porygon, has semi-reliable recovery and utility with Drain and Knock respectively. Bulk Up is a fun set that can punish people autopiloting screens. (lol.)
Anyways, that all I have for right now, Hope this helps improve the meta!
Nominating Tyrunt to A
This thing is a beast at +1, and it's not hard to grab a Dragon Dance, especially with some support. Recent discoveries from Freezai, LCPL, and LC Open has expanded its coverage further, with Ice Fang being an option to possibly OHKO Trapinch and the rising star that is Drilbur. Same goes for Thunder Fang, which can hit Pokemon such as Frillish and Staryu. Hell, even Crunch was used at one point. The increase in coverage can make Tyrunt more unpredictable, which can take your opponent by surprise. Even with the standard set of Rock Blast, Psychic Fangs and Close Combat, it's still naturally quite strong. However, with the increase of coverage, I believe it should be nominated higher.
Nominating Larvesta to A-
A bit of a controversial pick, the fire bug has shown some good placements in LCPL and SL. It's a deterrent to Mienfoo's Fake Out, which is huge. It's able to spread burns easily, and can check Fighting types relatively well. Another point in its favor is that it's a defensive Pokemon that can pivot out of counters with U-turn, and has reliable recovery in Morning Sun. In a meta so heavily filled with Koffing, Larvesta is a good alternative that can help by providing support in different ways. Unfortuantely, hazard removal is bordeline mandatory with Larvesta, which can lead to a bit of teambuilding issues. However, this can be remedied with good play.
Demoting Trapinch to B+
Trapinch has been getting worse overtime slowly. It used to be a good Grookey revenge killer, but those generally survive now due to Eviolite, or they just click Protect and nullify Trapinch entirely. This goes even further due to the recent discovery of Focus Sash + Protect Diglett as a potential way to remove Grookey that's more reliable, as it can't be blocked by Protect. Tyrunt, a previously free target, being able to run Ice Fang to OHKO Trapinch doesn't help matters either. Diglett generally outclasses Trapinch because of it's utility and versatility, with moves such as Stealth Rock and the aforementioned Anti-Grookey moveset. The standard set is also walled by Natu, one of the best Pokemon in the metagame currently. The only thing Trapinch has over Diglett is Superpower, which can crush Ferroseed.
Honorable Mentions:
B+ -> A-
Scarf is a blanket check to Magby and a great cleaner, RestTalk is a good wincon that can abuse things such as Ponyta and weak Knock Offs, and Stealth Rock Mudbray can work as role compression to allow free moveslots on other possible rockers. All three sets are able to help vs Ponyta, and it's probably the best Koffing counter in the game.
B -> B+
Mach Punch is still great priority vs Carvanha and weakened Porygon, has semi-reliable recovery and utility with Drain and Knock respectively. Bulk Up is a fun set that can punish people autopiloting screens. (lol.)
Anyways, that all I have for right now, Hope this helps improve the meta!
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- Status