Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon UU Viability Ranking

[pokemonisfun]

Next update after tier shifts - it will be big (all Pokemon case by case looked at).
Some people have had trouble with images - if in doubt, use the name of the Pokémon to check ranking, not image.

Credits for this amazing banner go to user: monomite! Make sure to check his stuff out :)

Welcome to the Ultra Sun and Moon Viability Ranking Thread!

As always, I'll be assisted a team of players with extensive knowledge of the current metagame, who will help me going through nominations made in this thread, as well as metagame shifts caused by drops and successful retests. This group consists of (in no real order):

• Hikari
• Hilomilo
• Cynde
• meepsvictory
• Hogg
• Sacri'
• dodmen
• Amaroq
• Christo
• Eyan
• Ark
• TDK
• Tony

So where do you come in? In light of our current rankings, it's the community's duty to refine them in order to more accurately reflect the true viability of all relevant Pokemon in the UU metagame. Because our guesses will come before much meaningful experience using Pokemon will have occurred, we can't be accurate enough without your help. Post about the Pokemon that you have experience with, but try not to let your personal bias oversell any Pokemon.

The S tier contains a select few metagame-defining Pokemon, the best of the best. The A tiers reflect on the Pokemon which are extremely effective but flawed in some aspects. The B tier is slightly more expansive, with the B+ tier representing Pokemon that are fairly common and threatening but don't quite make the cut for A-, while the B- tier represents Pokemon who fill minor, but relevant, niches. Below the B tier, the generic C tier displays the rest of the Pokemon that are usable in UU, but don't have a niche that is appreciated by most UU teams. Finally, the D rank will only include Pokemon that are tiered in UU by usage, but have no viable niche in the metagame. Furthermore, discussion on D-ranked Pokemon is NOT ALLOWED in this thread.

S Rank

Azumarill

Gliscor

Latias

Scizor

Serperior

A+ Rank

Altaria Mega

Aerodactyl Mega

Cobalion

Manectric Mega

Rotom-Wash

A Rank

Amoonguss

Beedrill Mega

Heracross

Hydreigon

Infernape

Mamoswine

Primarina

Sharpedo Mega

A- Rank

Aggron Mega

Alomomola

Blissey

Empoleon

Klefki

Muk Alola

Sceptile Mega

Seismitoad

Starmie

Suicune

Tentacruel

Togekiss

B+ Rank

Azelf

Blastoise Mega

Crobat

Doublade

Hippowdon

Krookodile

Kyurem

Moltres

Nidoking

Nihilego

Pidgeot Mega

Swampert

Sylveon

Terrakion

B Rank

Absol Mega

Sandslash Alolan

Aurorus

Chandelure

Cofagrigus

Crawdaunt

Florges

Jellicent

Magneton

Mantine

Mandbuzz

Quagsire

Snorlax

Volcanion

Zygarde 10%
B- Rank

Abomasnow Mega

Bewear

Celebi

Entei

Gastrodon

Haxorus

Kommo-o

Lucario

Metagross

Necrozma

Porygon-2

Raikou

Rotom-Cut

Salazzle

Steelix Mega

Toxicroak

C+ Rank

Darmanitan

Decidueye

Feraligatr

Froslass

Hoopa

Linoone

Mienshao

Ninetales

Reuniclus

Talonflame

Umbreon

Venomoth

C Rank

Araquanid

Barbaracle

Bronzong

Chesnaught

Gigalith

Kabutops

Nidoqueen

Slowbro

Smeargle

Stoutland

Tornadus

Tsareena

Venusaur

C- Rank

Aerodactyl

Cloyster

Honchkrow

Slowking

Roserade

Xatu

D Rank

Arcanine

Forretress

 

[pokemonisfun]

This second post will be edited to have blurbs for all the B to S rank Pokemon and links to all the updates.

List of previous Generation 7 UU Viability Theads:

• Version 1 last edited April 22nd, 2017
• Version 2 last edited August 8th, 2017
• Version 3 last edited November 17th, 2017

List of all updates:

• November 17 to November 25

 

[pokemonisfun]

Update for November 17th to November 25th

New Pokemon / Newly Ranked

Hide

Azumarill UR → A

Ranked mainly for CB, also ranked for Belly Drum but that set lacks good immediate power and for Sap Sipper but that set has Alomomola levels of offensive presence. In addition to very high power, Azumarill provides slightly above average bulk and phenomenal typing, both defensively and offensively, checking many threats like Hydreigon and Mega Aerodactyl.

Scolipede UR → A+

Swords Dance plus Z moves or Life Orb are extremely dangerous and can sweep even prepared teams after a single free turn. Also a very good lead with hazards, Endeavour, and Focus Sash. It has fairly bad defenses but it still can find set up chances on many Fairy types and defensive Pokemon, not even being too bothered by Klefki’s Thunder Wave.

Serperior UR → A+

It has a variety of sets that can sweep and overcome supposed checks, most notably Z Hyper Beam, but the one variable all Serperior sets have in common is Leaf Storm which gives good power to Serperior after a single boost. It has enough speed to sweep even offensive teams but lacks immediate power and coverage.

Kommo-o UR → A+

Z Clanging Scales has given Kommo-o new life in the tier making it a fast, bulky, and strong sweeper after a single turn of setup that also serves as a very strong attack. With access to other set up moves in conjunction with Z Clanging Scales like Belly Drum and Dragon Dance, Kommo-o has no counters in UU and can set up nearly every game to aim for a sweep. In many ways, Kommo-o is a worse version of Z Happy Hour Jirachi.

Necrozma UR → C+
Swords dance sets and Stealth Rock sets have seen a small surge because of Necrozma's new movepool. It is not as weak to Scizor as might be expected since it has access to Heat Wave and a +2 Z Earthquake can potentially OHKO most Scizor sets. Good stats and movepool aside, Necrozma does have bad typing.

Araquanid UR → C

In some ways Araquanid can act like a Assault Vest user with such good special bulk and power in Water STABs, while still having access to key utility moves like Sticky Web. However, apart from this small niche, it has trouble differentiating itself from other Water types, most notably Azumarill. Spider Web sets can trap and KO most walls so it can function as a stallbreaker if the match up is right.

Rises

Hide

Azelf B → B+

Azelf was underrated before as it really has been one of the top leads for Hyper Offense. While Focus Sash, Taunt, and Stealth Rock are usually mandatory (although not always, Life Orb can sometimes be abused) the rest of the moves give Azelf just enough versatility to always keep your opponent guessing. For example, with Fire Blast it KOs most Steels like Scizor and Cobalion while Knock Off is a decent general crippling move.

Blissey B → B+

Definitely underrated before, Blissey is the face of stall with basically every single competitively relevant stall team using Blissey because of her great utility and ability to counter many special threats. Stall itself is a perfectly viable playstyle and has been seeing plenty of usage in tournament games, winning almost all of the time.

Crobat B- → B

Better because of the unbans as it is one of the few counters to Serperior and can check, to some extent, Scolipede. It can also take advantage of the very common specially defensive Stealth Rock Toxic Gliscor, because it is one of the only Pokemon that can Defog / Rapid Spin against it (although it will need Taunt to win).

Moltres B- → B

Moltres still is not really mainstream UU but its typing, while horribly weak to SR, lets it beat a number of threats offensively and defensively, most notably Scizor. Offensively, Moltres can abuse Z moves to blast through teams when Rotom Wash is weakened because of Hurricane's good power (and also bypass the shaky accuracy for a turn) while defensively, Pressure stall teams are trending and Moltres is often an integral player. B is quite fair in reflecting all these traits while still acknowledging Moltres has a big SR issue.

Drops

Hide

Celebi B → B-

Serperior is often superior. Celebi does add a few nice traits, particularly Stealth Rock, which is why Celebi is still certainly viable. However in terms of sweeping, Serperior is giving Celebi huge competition as its significantly faster in terms of the base stat and in terms of boosting, since Serperior can combine damage with a boosting move.

Haxorus B- → C+

Haxorus has big issues with Kommo-o which is bulkier and much more reliable in terms of sweeping. Kommo-o can even wall break nearly as well as Haxorus because it can bash Quagsire for good damage with Z Clanging Scales. Haxorus still has more power and speed though, and does not require a Z move to sweep, so it still has use in the tier.

 

[pokemonisfun]

Okay feel free to post in this thread now if you have any thoughts if something should be changed. You're very welcome to talk about whatever you have experience in so there aren't really any discussion points for this still relatively new metagame. Thanks for any contributions, I appreciate it and will take them all seriously.

 

[Tenebricite]

Totally agree with Gliscor in S rank now. Stops so many things and can perform a variety of useful roles. However, I'm not quite sure I agree with MBee at A, as burns ruin it and it also misses out on a few more KOs than someone would expect, and it also has a hard time against a few of the tiers higher mons (Scizor, Gliscor, etc.) Then again, it is pretty deadly on volt turn as well, so I'd honestly put it at A-minus for the reasons above. It can also break past quite a few mons that have been worn down to even a small etent, making it a pretty solid threat, but not as solid as some of the other As.

 

[MC Squared]

Since the Kommonium Z got banned in RU, is Kommo-o too broken with it in UU? Because if it is and it ends up getting banned, it would affect Kommo-o's viability and it would probably drop to A- or something. Can someone inform me please??

 

[Graecus]

Since the Kommonium Z got banned in RU, is Kommo-o too broken with it in UU? Because if it is and it ends up getting banned, it would affect Kommo-o's viability and it would probably drop to A- or something. Can someone inform me please??

The viability of Kommo-o is based on the Kommonium-Z. If the Kommonium-Z is ban, Kommo-o returns to the rank it had in SM. In the case of UU, UR.

 

[MC Squared]

The viability of Kommo-o is based on the Kommonium-Z. If the Kommonium-Z is ban, Kommo-o returns to the rank it had in SM. In the case of UU, UR.

Really? So it doesn't have other sets that are viable in UU? Just one?

 

[SnowyOP]

Really? So it doesn't have other sets that are viable in UU? Just one?

Correct, the only reason for Kommo's rise in rank is due to it's new z-move. Any other sets it can run in UU are just outclassed by other mons in the tier. Without that it would most likely fall back into UR.

 

[bsu]

I think a rise for Mega Alt to A+ is in order

to briefly summarize
Pros:
-Many different sets, a lot of them capable of sweeping
-shares similar checks/counters as azumarill and serperior making them great teammates to help wear down
-also can check said serperior as well as appreciating mons like rotom and hydreigon (being used to check kommo)
- can also check bd azu and kommo too kinda lol
-also can setup decently vs gliscor and latias (2 S mons)

Cons:
-doesnt appreciate scizor altho I've seen very few in my recent laddering??
-pretty much has to setup in order to even think about sweeping

being able to pose both a defensive and offensive threat is really nice for altaria, as it can somewhat absorb status with pre-mega natural cure, can roost up and then sweep late game. being able to run facade is also really handy especially in this status heavy meta.
most like influentially tho is how it fares vs the new drops and rises (kommo) and it's ability to hard check serperior and BD azu, and other things that may be rising in popularity (mega sceptile, kommo, stall i guess idk)

I can definitely see it being just as good as like cobalion and maybe mega mane at least

 

[LoneMonkey]

I think a rise for Mega Alt to A+ is in order

to briefly summarize
Pros:
-Many different sets, a lot of them capable of sweeping
-shares similar checks/counters as azumarill and serperior making them great teammates to help wear down
-also can check said serperior as well as appreciating mons like rotom and hydreigon (being used to check kommo)
- can also check bd azu and kommo too kinda lol
-also can setup decently vs gliscor and latias (2 S mons)

Cons:
-doesnt appreciate scizor altho I've seen very few in my recent laddering??
-pretty much has to setup in order to even think about sweeping

being able to pose both a defensive and offensive threat is really nice for altaria, as it can somewhat absorb status with pre-mega natural cure, can roost up and then sweep late game. being able to run facade is also really handy especially in this status heavy meta.
most like influentially tho is how it fares vs the new drops and rises (kommo) and it's ability to hard check serperior and BD azu, and other things that may be rising in popularity (mega sceptile, kommo, stall i guess idk)

I can definitely see it being just as good as like cobalion and maybe mega mane at least

I agree with most of this, but I don't think there are that many different sets? The only good one I've seen is Ddance/Equake/Return/Roost

 

[SnowyOP]

I agree with most of this, but I don't think there are that many different sets? The only good one I've seen is Ddance/Equake/Return/Roost

A special variant 252spattk/252spe with Hyper voice/Fire blast/Heal bell/Roost is very underrated and still hits fairly hard, as well as providing solid cleric support. Some forms of stall also run this set with a bulkier spread. As it gives mons like Blissey room to drop heal bell and provides a boatload of resistances to common attacking types (Dark/Dragon/Fighting/Fire/Water).

 

[bsu]

u can run cotton guard dd roost mono attack
special offensive
defensive with like heal bell or something
dd fire blast eq fairy move
various versions of bulk and shit
they're all pretty viable, especially when most people don't expect most of them

 

[Sage]

Nomming Mantine for B+



Mantine @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP/ 4 SpD / 252 Def
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Air Slash
- Haze
- Roost

Y'all need a Kommo-o check, this guy has you covered. Notably, it's a good answer for Z Move 3 Attacks (please don't run this), Z Move DD, and Belly Drum, the real sleeper threat.

Calcs vs various things

56 SpA Kommo-o Clangorous Soulblaze vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Mantine: 157-186 (41.9 - 49.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
+1 56 SpA Kommo-o Clanging Scales vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Mantine: 141-166 (37.7 - 44.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery

+6 252 Atk Kommo-o Poison Jab vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mantine: 279-329 (74.5 - 87.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

+2 252 Atk Scolipede Rock Slide vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mantine: 246-290 (65.7 - 77.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

Pros:

- Provided you keep it healthy (not hard to do, Mantine can switch into a large variety of threats and gets opportunities to Roost.), you are pretty much guaranteed to get the Haze off and prevent Kommo-o from sweeping your team.

- Kommo-o isn't the only new threat it handles, non Rock Slide Scolipede variants are countered, and you can even take one +2 Rock Slide, Air Slashing for 70-80% damage. It resists Infernape's STABs, making them much less spammable and allow you to abuse your opponent clicking thunder punch on scarf sets and the like, 2hkoes nape cleanly.

- Haze has other applications too, in emergencies can prevent a Serperior sweep, Belly Drum Azu (immunity to Aqua Jet, so can Haze regardless of health) among others.

- Has Roost to keep it healthy whenever it causes a switch, this is its main draw over the similar Tentacruel.

Cons:

- Rotom-W mainly, and other Electrics abuse the hell out of it, the most Mantine being able to do is Toxic on the switch if you choose to opt for that over Scald/Air Slash.

- Passive as all hell, failing to do much other than low chip damage unless hitting super effectively.

- Keeping Rocks off the field for it to safely Haze against some sets is mandatory, and obviously recommended for all.

- Susceptible to early game status.

Despite its flaws, I think its performance vs some of the tiers top new threats, as well as general splashability as a bulky water/haze user can grant it a rise to B+. For anyone wanting to build with it, anything that deals with Rotom-W and Mega Mane is a major plus, I've had success with Mega Sceptile, who doubles by revenging kommo after it's been hazed.. Also appreciates good hazard removal, of which we now have plenty thanks to all these shiny Defog users.

 

[yeezyknows]

Azu

A --> A+


Azu's role in the tier isn't solely confined to that of a breaker (cb) or late game sweeper (bd), as sap sipper whirlpool/tox/perish is incredibly viable on a large degree of bulkier/stall builds. Its versatility in the tier 100% warrants a raise. Its power and the pressure it applies as a breaker alone can be seen as worthy of A+, but the unique niche of having a powerful trapping/defensive set that counters serp and pressures balance/bulky builds should ultimately confirm a boost to A+, or even possibly S.

 

[LORD HELIX 65]

Nomming Mantine for B+

View attachment 91574

Mantine @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP/ 4 SpD / 252 Def
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Air Slash
- Haze
- Roost

Y'all need a Kommo-o check, this guy has you covered. Notably, it's a good answer for Z Move 3 Attacks (please don't run this), Z Move DD, and Belly Drum, the real sleeper threat.

Calcs vs various things

56 SpA Kommo-o Clangorous Soulblaze vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Mantine: 157-186 (41.9 - 49.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
+1 56 SpA Kommo-o Clanging Scales vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Mantine: 141-166 (37.7 - 44.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery

+6 252 Atk Kommo-o Poison Jab vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mantine: 279-329 (74.5 - 87.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

+2 252 Atk Scolipede Rock Slide vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mantine: 246-290 (65.7 - 77.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

Pros:

- Provided you keep it healthy (not hard to do, Mantine can switch into a large variety of threats and gets opportunities to Roost.), you are pretty much guaranteed to get the Haze off and prevent Kommo-o from sweeping your team.

- Kommo-o isn't the only new threat it handles, non Rock Slide Scolipede variants are countered, and you can even take one +2 Rock Slide, Air Slashing for 70-80% damage. It resists Infernape's STABs, making them much less spammable and allow you to abuse your opponent clicking thunder punch on scarf sets and the like, 2hkoes nape cleanly.

- Haze has other applications too, in emergencies can prevent a Serperior sweep, Belly Drum Azu (immunity to Aqua Jet, so can Haze regardless of health) among others.

- Has Roost to keep it healthy whenever it causes a switch, this is its main draw over the similar Tentacruel.

Cons:

- Rotom-W mainly, and other Electrics abuse the hell out of it, the most Mantine being able to do is Toxic on the switch if you choose to opt for that over Scald/Air Slash.

- Passive as all hell, failing to do much other than low chip damage unless hitting super effectively.

- Keeping Rocks off the field for it to safely Haze against some sets is mandatory, and obviously recommended for all.

- Susceptible to early game status.

Despite its flaws, I think its performance vs some of the tiers top new threats, as well as general splashability as a bulky water/haze user can grant it a rise to B+. For anyone wanting to build with it, anything that deals with Rotom-W and Mega Mane is a major plus, I've had success with Mega Sceptile, who doubles by revenging kommo after it's been hazed.. Also appreciates good hazard removal, of which we now have plenty thanks to all these shiny Defog users.

Not anymore. Kommo-o is gone.

 

[explodingdaisies]

Hoopa @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Magician
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Blast
- Substitute
- Nasty Plot

I want to nominate hoopa to at least C+. Probably even B-. While the omnipresent pursuit is here and puts a damper on hoopa, it remains quite the potent breaker. Substitute aids in avoiding being pursuit trapped or statused. Nasty Plot transforms hoopa into a fearsome breaker. Alomuk takes a minimum of 74% from a +2 AoP and blissey is OHKO'd 94% of the time. Rotom-w can NOT break hoopa's sub if it is non-SpA invested.

Edit: Blissey is OHKO'd after +2 just noticed i put 2

 

[GyroNutz]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it's been over 72 hours since the kommo-o (z crystal) and scolipede bans. Why isn't there an update, if only to unrank the previously banned mons?

Though since the bans, Haxorus and Mega Altaria should get rises imo. Haxorus no longer faces competition from Kommo-o due to kommoium z being banned, nor scolipede as a physical sweeper, and the main reason for it going down was because of Kommo-o. Mega Altaria is in a similar boat, but most of the reasons are listed above.

 

[pokemonisfun]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it's been over 72 hours since the kommo-o (z crystal) and scolipede bans. Why isn't there an update, if only to unrank the previously banned mons?

Though since the bans, Haxorus and Mega Altaria should get rises imo. Haxorus no longer faces competition from Kommo-o due to kommoium z being banned, nor scolipede as a physical sweeper, and the main reason for it going down was because of Kommo-o. Mega Altaria is in a similar boat, but most of the reasons are listed above.

Yeah you're not wrong. Sorry for the delay, I did move Scoliepede off just because it's illegal now but a real update is coming in 48 hours. The way it works is I make a draft of what I think the update should be based on my experience and what people post here, I give the ranking team 24 hours to look over it and then I post it here.

Right now I'm still in the stage of making the first draft.

I'm thinking (without imput from the council yet)

• Keep Scolipede removed
• kommo o goes to C because I've seen it used effectively with SR and DD and SD sets (even combined)
• Azu might rise to A+ because it got the new perish toy
• Kyurem has seen an increase in sub and specs set so it might rise
• luke seen an increase to combat stall
• stall is becoming dominant so Blissey and maybe other stall staples rise
• Haxorus might rise for reasons you mentioned, someone on the council was opposed to Altaria rising but I think it should rise too, dangerous even on stall
• There was an interesting Hoopa post above
• Rotom cutter as a defogger is good

Drops I'm not as certain but perhaps:

• Already mentioned Kommo o
• Klefki might go down as Spikes isn't being used as much
• Swampert might drop and be replaced by Seismitoad I think Rotom water got more dominant

Obviously this is very informal post and none of it is set in stone and no promises, I just felt bad that I'm late so if you want a preview that's probably at least 50% accurate then here you go. Real update will be done in 48 hours, again I'm sorry.

 

[Monz]

This isn't a straight up nomination but I can definitely see this boy rising to A. With the drops of Azu and Serp this thing popped as one of premier measures of dealing with them, where Azu is straight up walled (with the exception of Ice Punch Azu, but giving up Knock Off would not be the best decision since it will leave you hanging against the likes of Tentacruel and Empoleon), and Serp will have a tough time breaking past it without the Z-Hyper Beam. Also it is the best check to one of the top sweepers in the tier, M-Altaria, and it can also deal with M-Sharpedo, as long as u don't switch in directly onto the Psychic Fangs. It's typing is also in a good position right now, since there's basically only one fire type that's relevant, and flying types have dropped in usage since the introduction of Rotom-Wash leaving the mushroom to reign freely.

 

[dingbat]

Only a couple things to note since I haven’t played this enough lately

Gastro B- —> C: Fallen a bit out of favor especially now that Rotom-W’s presence in this tier isn’t as magnified as it was pre-USM (even after defog) and it faces some competition from Toad, but it still has a niche

Slowbro B- —> C: Every shift is literally making this mon worse

Also don’t think Toad should rise but I do agree that Pert should drop

 

[LORD HELIX 65]

Yeah you're not wrong. Sorry for the delay, I did move Scoliepede off just because it's illegal now but a real update is coming in 48 hours. The way it works is I make a draft of what I think the update should be based on my experience and what people post here, I give the ranking team 24 hours to look over it and then I post it here.

Right now I'm still in the stage of making the first draft.

I'm thinking (without imput from the council yet)

• Keep Scolipede removed
• kommo o goes to C because I've seen it used effectively with SR and DD and SD sets (even combined)
• Azu might rise to A+ because it got the new perish toy
• Kyurem has seen an increase in sub and specs set so it might rise
• luke seen an increase to combat stall
• stall is becoming dominant so Blissey and maybe other stall staples rise
• Haxorus might rise for reasons you mentioned, someone on the council was opposed to Altaria rising but I think it should rise too, dangerous even on stall
• There was an interesting Hoopa post above
• Rotom cutter as a defogger is good

Drops I'm not as certain but perhaps:

• Already mentioned Kommo o
• Klefki might go down as Spikes isn't being used as much
• Swampert might drop and be replaced by Seismitoad I think Rotom water got more dominant

Obviously this is very informal post and none of it is set in stone and no promises, I just felt bad that I'm late so if you want a preview that's probably at least 50% accurate then here you go. Real update will be done in 48 hours, again I'm sorry.

>Real update will be done in 48 hours, again I'm sorry
It's been more than 48 hours

 

[pokemonisfun]

Update for December 8th

Scolipede will be unranked since it was banned.

Thanks for being patient.

As always, feel free to discuss if you feel like your points were not fairly addressed. The next update is going to be very big most likely, since we have never went through the whole list one by one as we will be doing next time. This will be after the tier shift. Feel free to discuss anything, no main discussion points. Two new S rank Pokemon are obviously the biggest changes in this update.

Rises

Hide

Azumarill A → S
Rising because it has a new toy in Perish Song + Whirlpool + Sap Sipper, which individually is easily enough dealt with, but when considering it has the extremely dangerous Huge Power sets, Azumarill becomes a guessing game for its first turn. Meanwhile, all sets can abuse its nice typing both offensively and defensively.

Serperior A+ → S
Like Azumarill it has a combination of sets that leave it no reliable switch ins, apart from random Sap Sipper Pokemon. The lack of initial power is made up from the good power after a boost and average bulk at onset.

Blissey B+ → A-
Stall is becoming dominant and Bissey is the queen of stall, basically used on 100% of all stall teams. She fits so easily because she can provide either Heal Bell or Stealth Rock support in addition to walling a large amount of special attackers, which gives near perfect synergy with Alomomola and Quagsire, two other (slightly less common) stall staples.

Amoonguss A- → A
It checks or counters many of the top Pokemon like Rotom-Wash and Serperior and can be used on a wide variety of styles since its ability and movepool lets it keep up a relatively fast paced for a defensive Pokemon. Appreciates to some extent a fall in Klefki.

(Alolan Sandslash) UR → A-

Auroros UR --> A-
Aurora Veil teams are popping up again and these two Pokemon are integral to their success to set up the screens. This is a strong style because it allows easy set up for dangerous threats like Scizor, Latias but also lesser used Pokemon like Kommo-o.

Rotom Cutter C+ → B-
Defog is a new and good option for Rotom-Cut since it beats most of the SR users with a few notable exceptions (Gliscor, Blissey). Besides that, it still functions on Volt-Turn cores well despite competition from mainstream Electric types.

Altaria Mega A → A+
Newfound place on some stall teams, a stall Pokemon that can beat Whirlpool Azumarill is quite interesting. Refresh sets and different types of DD sets in general are seeing something of a resurgence, and since they are more dangerous than nonboosting sets, Altaria is rising.

Seismitoad B+ → A-
Eclipsing Swampert in terms of roles because of the good matchup versus Rotom-Wash.

Kyurem B → B+
Two main sets are responsible for the rise - Choice Specs and Substitute Roost. Both can easily wear down and outlast typical checks, particularly if they try to counter you. Scizor, Muk Alolan and Azumarill all are easily worn down. Also, Kyurem has a relatively easy time coming in because of how common Gliscor and a few other Pokemon are.

Moltres B → B+
Rising again because the potency of its defensive sets and offensive sets, which are still trending.

Florges B- → B

Florges is quicker and does not waste as much time as compared to Sylveon, HP Fire can really hurt Scizor which can outspeed and U-Turn on Sylveon. Kommo-o still exists and can potentially wall Sylveon. Overall, nearly as good as Sylveon.

Lucario C+ → B-
A very good wallbreaker hich is important because stall is rising. Nasty Plot sets in particular are hard to wall and can OHKO Quagsire with Z Focus Blast or even Life Orb Focus Blast with a little damage. Other sets are still viable. The problem is lack of bulk, average speed, and lack of power before boosting.

Hoopa C → C+
Substitute Nasty Plot sets are rising somewhat, and Hoopa in general are liking a small rise in Sticky Web teams.

Haxorus C+ → B-
Benefits from Kommo-o gone, breaks stall.

Drops

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Sharpedo Mega A+ → A

It is seeing increased competition from Megas, Manectric in particular has been rising. Also, Spikes is not as good as before which deprives Sharpedo of some support.

Swampert A- --> B+
Switching places with Seismitoad since it cannot deal with Rotom-Wash as easily.

Klefki A → A-


Spikes offense is falling out of popularity, proabbly because of increase in Defog. Klefki's defensive utility is good, but often not totally reliable due to lack of good recovery.

Slowbro B- → C+

Nobody uses it and it will fall more unless somebody defends it. Screwed up by Volt-Turn.

Kommo-o A+ → B-

It can still do work despite losing Z-Clanging Scales. It is especially good as a boosting attacker on Aurora Veil. However, SR is also a nice support move which it can even use in conjunction with boosting moves a la Cobalion.

Zygarde B+ → B

Two reasons for the drop - VoltTurn is relying more and more on Manectric Mega over Rotom Wash, which is a much worse matchup for Zygarde since they run HP Ice most of the time. Also, Spikes offense which Zygarde enjoys being placed on is falling as a playstyle.

 

[bsu]

how does stall altaria beat whirlpool azu?

also i haven't been playing much recently but are veils that good that sandslash and auroras are A-???

 

[Machiavelli]

woah woah slow down, Unranked to A- in one shift? That is way too high, Aurorus and sandslash should be like a safe C+ right now. It's not even that amazing of a playstyle, and the fact that you need to use both to function is so far from A-. If anything Sandslash should be above Aurorus because you can at least use it with Abomasnow somewhat (despite it not getting icy rock or stealth rock, it's still a better pokemon offensively), but Aurorus cannot really be used without sandslash.

I still dont think seismitoed is better than swampert, they should be around the same because Roar is really useful and it can get ice beam so it doesnt lose to gliscor like seismitoed does. I dont think you guys fully considered seismitoed as a whole and just saw that it beats rotom - which it doesnt do reliably, it just gets rocks up and blocks switch, but still gets toxiced - so you decided to put it above swampert. I still think swampy should drop though so if they could both be B+ that would make a lot of sense, since theyre essentialy analogous of eachother, it really depends what your team needs.

Rotom wash is still really high on the usage statistics, but it's really not amazing enough to invalidate any particular pokemon. Even azumarill, which loses to rotom if not banded, still rose to S, and I think it's because rotom wash's presence isn't clearly defined, where sometimes it's overrated and sometimes it's underrated.