Resource VGC 2024 Regulation G Viability Rankings

[Sapphire]

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These are the official Viability Rankings for VGC 2024 Regulation G. In this thread, we as a community will be ranking each and every usable pokemon into different tiers based on how viable we believe them to be. We encourage you to post your thoughts and opinions on on the various usable Pokemon in VGC and what tier you think they should belong in. Posts in this thread will be taken into consideration when deciding changes to the VR.

The general idea of this is to rank every usable Pokemon in VGC into different rankings that will go in descending order. Since we are evaluating the entirety of the metagame, we will not be splitting Pokemon based on their roles within teams - supportive and offe
nsive Pokemon will be ranked based on their impact that they have on the meta and the teams they will be brought for.

Finally, there will be a Council of experienced players who will discuss and vote on the ranking of each Pokemon. As the Series tend to be fairly short, we will be attempting to keep this up-to-date based on what's going on in the tournament scene and adapting our list based on both tournament results and ladder success as the metagame evolves. Keep in mind, your posts and insights are still very valuable to us and will be a factor in any changes that we make. This thread would be nothing without the community and all of your input, so if you feel you have a good grasp on the metagame and fully understand the forum rules, then don't be hesitant to post.

VGC 2024 Regulation G Viability Rankings

Restricteds

S
Calyrex-Ice
Calyrex-Shadow

A
Miraidon
Zamazenta-Crowned
Koraidon
Terapagos

B
Zacian-Crowned
Kyogre
Lunala
Groudon

C
Ho-oh
Palkia-Origin
Rayquaza

-----------------------------------------------

Non-restricteds

S
Incineroar
Raging Bolt

A+
Rillaboom
Urshifu-Rapid-Strike

A
Amoonguss
Chi-Yu
Chien-Pao
Flutter Mane
Tornadus
Urshifu
Whimsicott

A-
Farigiraf
Ogerpon-Cornerstone
Pelipper

B+
Clefairy
Gholdengo
Iron Hands
Mienshao
Ogerpon-Hearthflame
Ogerpon-Wellspring
Ursaluna-Bloodmoon

B
Dondozo
Indeedee-F
Iron Bundle
Landorus
Tatsugiri
Volcarona

B-
Kingambit
Latios
Regidrago
Ninetales-Alola
Smeargle
Ting-Lu

C+
Archaludon
Glimmora
Gothitelle
Grimmsnarl
Landorus-Therian
Ursaluna
Walking Wake

C
Annihilape
Entei
Gouging Fire
Moltres-Galar
Porygon2
Roaring Moon
Scream Tail
Suicune
Torkoal
Umbreon

C-
Gallade
Hatterene
Kommo-o


Please post intelligently or your post will be deleted and possibly infracted. If you disagree with a Pokemon's ranking, show evidence or make a strong argument to have it changed, "lol pikachu in A tier" will not be counted as an acceptable post. Happy posting!

 

[Fangame10]

UR -> C

I didn't see any CalyrexS above 23rd at Indianapolis.......

 

[4Kuser]

YAY NEW VIABILITY RANKINGS!! The non-restricteds ranking seems pretty good, so imma rant about the restricteds roster.

C -> UR

Why is Rayquaza in this tier list? It didn't see any Day 2 or Day 1 usage during the Bogolna Special Event or Japan Nationals (AFAIK), and it just sucks in general IMO. The fact that we have better dragons like Raging Bolt, and it generally gets outclassed by Dragonite (which is sucking wind), really tells you how wasteful it is to have on a team. Yes, you can make it work with Swords Dance or CB ESpeed with Chien-Pao, what I'm saying is it just doesn't deserve to be on this list, especially when other restricteds like Dawn Wings or Kyurem-W saw more usage than Rayquaza.

UR -> C

With Snow being viable, and seeing decent usage, Kyurem-W could be on the rankings as a snow sweeper that people should prepare for, and although Dawn Wings is less seen, Dawn Wings psyspam is a legit archetype (reached Top 4 at Japan Nats).

C -> UR

Honestly have no idea why this is here, it seems so out of place. No significant usage or relevant placing I could find, it looks like you guys picked it as a filler, Palkia-O has no right being there.

That's pretty much all I have to say, everything else is understandable or good. Thanks for the rankings!

 

[LovelyLuna]

Your yappuccino is ready.

Restricteds:
Rayquaza from C -> UR

This Pokemon is so bad idk why it's ranked. Statwise, it has a severe lack of power, bulk, and speed in comparison to other restricteds. While still needing Clear Amulet to not fold to Incineroar. It resorts to Swords Dance Espeed to make up for all this but fails miserably as it can only shoot out single target attacks and loses all of its resists, on an already relatively frail Pokemon. The cherry on top though, its restricted match ups. It can't touch Calyrex-S, barely damages Calyrex-I and gets one shot, god forbid they have Farigiraf. Miraidon deletes Rayquaza and almost always uses Farigiraf. Terapagos 2HKOs you and eats everything, forces Rayquaza to not Tera early like it wants to. Zamazenta-C walls Rayquaza to hell and back, just pray they aren't Iron Defense. Zacian-C also walls you, but can also OHKO you early. The ultimate weather counter when Kyogre Ice Beam. Lunala says hi as a Ghost-type with Meteor Beam. Oh but hey, that's where it ends, at least its good into the sun setters.... Yeah you have to work extremely hard to make this thing work and can't bring it to half of your match ups, Rayquaza is very similar to a regular Pokemon rather than a Restricted.

Reshiram from UR -> C

This Pokemon has a really good meta matchup, with Assault Vest it simply doesn't die and makes the life of Caly-S and Terapagos painful, especially with Turboblaze ignoring Clefairy's Friend Guard and Terapagos's Tera Shell. Even After Tera Fairy the Pokemon eats a Tera Electric Electro Drift or two Bloodmoons. Doesn't make it any harder when the top physical Restricteds do not want to eat a Blue Flare or Draco Meteor. It does lack the 'broken' element everything has, but Overheat without the SpA drop threatens all the OHKO/2HKOs it could ask for. Tailroom is goated enough to make up for the speed and damage it it comes down to it. Would love to put this higher honestly, especially with how Rayquaza was considered, but lacks enough results for me to make the judgement.

Also, this is just a question but what does Palkia-O do? Can't find a reason to use it, especially in single restricted.

Other than that, I like the Restricted Tierlist.

Regular Pokemon:

Raging Bolt from S -> A+

I don't think it's Incineroar level unfortunately, competing with Rillaboom for the Assault Vest slot is tough, and Incineroar's toolkit makes it much more appealing to more restricteds. I can't think of a single restricted that doesn't want Incineroar's Fake Out and Parting Shot support, while Raging Bolt can't fit with Miraidon or Kyogre. Rillaboom S makes more sense but even that is pretty shaky, as it still competes with Raging Bolt and Amoonguss, while not fitting on Miraidon. The two have done well together but a lot of the time you wont be able to use their best sets.

Amoonguss from A -> A+

Broken, great Calyrex-Ice partner and Calyrex-Ice answer. Does the same thing it did in Regulation F except being able to buy those few turns with Spore and Rage Powder is even more valuable in a Restricted format, and can usually be slapped on any composition along with Incineroar and Urshifu-R, I assure you it's going to work.

Whimsicott from A -> A-

This is definitely better next to Farigiraf and Pelipper, as the majority of its success comes from one composition, the same team as Farigiraf for the record. . Notably a lot less flexible and threatening than others in the A tier, like Chi-Yu, Tornadus, or Flutter Mane, which have a place on a variety of comps and are a bigger impact on the game. At least when I play against Whimsicott, its job is only to set Tailwind and occasionally Light Screen, and can't do this for a second time in the game unlike Tornadus.

Urshifu-S from A -> A- / B+

Heavily competes with Urshifu-R and Chien-Pao. In Reg F, it only dominated on teams with extremely strong speed control, but now that it's pretty much mandatory on every team, Urshifu-S has a much harder time succeeding and standing out. Restricteds don't want what Urshifu-S offers, as there are plenty of Dark-types available that don't require as much support and don't prevent you from running Urshifu-R. Of course it has still got a place in the metagame, Unseen Fist will always get you somewhere, that somewhere currently being on Calyrex-Ice.

Landorus from B -> B+

Ground-types are very valuable rn, and this is one of them. Good on Miraidon as an alternative to Ursaluna-B on teams with less speed control, and Tera Poison Sludge Bomb is relatively good Rillaboom deterrent. Kyogre and Calyrex-Ice love a Pokemon that threatens both Miraidon and Zamazenta regardless of their most common Tera. Can't forget that one Scarf Landorus Zacian-C team either. Not a mainstay on any of these Restricteds but brings a lot to the table as an alternative on many teams. Fits better with the Ogerpons and Mienshao over Indeedee-F and Volcarona.

Tatsugiri from B -> B- / C+

Dozogiri is just very mid right now. Gets worse as the power level grows higher, and many teams are plenty prepared for it without considering it. Inconsistent composition. Not to mention that Restricteds usually taking Tera makes it even harder for Dozogiri to clean up. I'd drop Dondozo too but it had some success alone, with the old Yawn set, so I'm less confident in the nom.

Ditto from UR -> B-

Two restricteds broken haha, half of them threaten the mirror so you vibe with Scarf. The other half it might even feel like a useless slot, especially when you're essentially building with 5 Pokemon. Transform can only get you so far.

Iron Valiant from UR -> C

Basically what I've been saying all year but even more. Miraidon is amazing for it, providing Valiant with Focus Sash or Clear Amulet and the Speed boost. Wide Guard is great and fixes half of Miraidon's match ups, making the Calyrex formes and Groudon much easier. Encore fixes the other half, making it much harder for Rillaboom to Fake Out pivot. Offers what Farigiraf does but with offensive pressure, another Pokrmon that threatens an OHKO on Incineroar and Koraidon, considering how hard the sun match up is. Niche option on Miraidon teams that has seen more success than half of the C tier anyway.

 

[Mr.GX]

UR -> C

I didn't see any CalyrexS above 23rd at Indianapolis.......

Indianapolis was the first regional of the format and players haven't yet figured out a suitable team composition or playstyle for CalyS as the meta didn't quite exist. Winning 2 big tournaments (A regionals and special event) back to back is a testament to it's strength and shows why CalyS is always considered top tier. It's also the only restricted to win 2 major events in reg G, iirc.

On another note:

& -> C

NDM is a valid threat in Psyspam team compositions as shown in Japan Nats, which is why I believe it deserves a spot on the list. Kyurem-W has the potential to work as a potent bulky snow sweeper along with Ninetales with Aurora Veil, and is currently rather underexplored.

 

[Pengu]

Okay, here we go.


UR->C
Definitely overseen, as this Pokémon is a good Sash Tailwind setter, with Snarl and Hurricane for damage+support. It outspeeds Urshifu-R and OHKOs it, alongside walking the other Urshifu. Also beats Caly-S, with Snarl also beating Substitute from setup Terapagos. Speaking of, this Pokémon beats Specs and Setup Terapagos, just not Meteor Beam. With Tailwind support, your partner Miraidon can now outspeed and OHKO opposing Koraidon.

and
B->C+
Dozogiri just isn’t doing great right now, with Zamazenta with just one Iron Defense just walls this, alongside the likes of Koraidon, Miraidon, and even just a Amoonguss. It does have its perks, like OHKOing stuff like Ho-Oh and Incineroar (with Clear Amulet). Maybe even C/C- tier.

Restricteds:

B->A
I think this Pokémon is under-explored and underrated. Super powerful, with great Defiant partners and supportive partners like Howl Gouging Fire and Follow Me Ogerpon-Teal Mask. It also outspeeds and OHKOs Koraidon and Miraidon, while holding up and even beating Zamazenta and Terapagos when carrying Sacred Sword or Close Combat. Not to mention it can abuse Kyogre and Pelipper’s rain to not lose to fire types.

and
C->UR
These two haven’t really seen much usage or success and are just outclassed, as Dragonote overrides Rayquaza and any other bulky and strong Trick Room setters like Hatterene can get the job done. They do have their niches, but they’re not enough to make C Tier, more like D Tier for Palkia, but a C- for Rayquaza.

 

[Nexmind]

Okay, here we go.


UR->C
Definitely overseen, as this Pokémon is a good Sash Tailwind setter, with Snarl and Hurricane for damage+support. It outspeeds Urshifu-R and OHKOs it, alongside walking the other Urshifu. Also beats Caly-S, with Snarl also beating Substitute from setup Terapagos. Speaking of, this Pokémon beats Specs and Setup Terapagos, just not Meteor Beam. With Tailwind support, your partner Miraidon can now outspeed and OHKO opposing Koraidon.

Think the placement is correct but the reasoning is not. has seen success exclusively outside of Miraidon comps such as the Tang Kyogre comp or the recent Japan Nats Lunala team. Those teams like the Tailwind and Snarl support along with a Caly-S resist whereas Miraidon wants instant Tailwind like on because it can make its targets explode without the need of damage reduction or extra damage to grass types.

 

[Holy Gerbil]

Palkia sucks. C -> UR

Want a strong special attacker? Use miraidon, it's faster and can hit much harder. Want a water type? Use kyogre, it has good spread moves and drizzle in order to improve its power even more. Want a horse for some reason? Use a calyrex, they both have amazing stats and have 2 abilities instead of palkia's half an ability, and they also have trick room if that's why you really wanted palkia. Want a water dragon specifically? Use walking wake, at least it can actually hit its moves and doesn't cost your restricted slot. Palkia literally comes up when you search 'terrible regulation g pokemon' on google.

 

[Loataee]

I think latios should be in C tier there's like one team it works on. While yes that team is good, it's still a very niche pokemon and is overall not very slappable on a team most of the time. Also it only really helps against koraidon and groudon (who is trash anyways) and semi helps against zamazenta. I think it's niche is way too small for it to be this high.

YAY NEW VIABILITY RANKINGS!! The non-restricteds ranking seems pretty good, so imma rant about the restricteds roster.

C -> UR

Why is Rayquaza in this tier list? It didn't see any Day 2 or Day 1 usage during the Bogolna Special Event or Japan Nationals (AFAIK), and it just sucks in general IMO. The fact that we have better dragons like Raging Bolt, and it generally gets outclassed by Dragonite (which is sucking wind), really tells you how wasteful it is to have on a team. Yes, you can make it work with Swords Dance or CB ESpeed with Chien-Pao, what I'm saying is it just doesn't deserve to be on this list, especially when other restricteds like Dawn Wings or Kyurem-W saw more usage than Rayquaza.

UR -> C

With Snow being viable, and seeing decent usage, Kyurem-W could be on the rankings as a snow sweeper that people should prepare for, and although Dawn Wings is less seen, Dawn Wings psyspam is a legit archetype (reached Top 4 at Japan Nats).

C -> UR

Honestly have no idea why this is here, it seems so out of place. No significant usage or relevant placing I could find, it looks like you guys picked it as a filler, Palkia-O has no right being there.

That's pretty much all I have to say, everything else is understandable or good. Thanks for the rankings!

 

[Loataee]

Groudon should be in UR. Precimiss blades is as inconsistent as ever with horrible matchups everywhere. It loses to any team with pelipper who is really popular especially against calyrex ice. Thanks to Tera, koraidon outclasses it and can offer more damage. If you use clear amulet, you barely live special hits at best, and if you use assault vest, you get intimidate cycled. It's also got bad movements. Precimiss blades is mandatory for throwing with this pokemon. Heat crash is debating with fire punch for which move will disappoint you and it has to choose between rock slide or Swords Dance for his last move to still do nothing.

Palkia sucks. C -> UR

Want a strong special attacker? Use miraidon, it's faster and can hit much harder. Want a water type? Use kyogre, it has good spread moves and drizzle in order to improve its power even more. Want a horse for some reason? Use a calyrex, they both have amazing stats and have 2 abilities instead of palkia's half an ability, and they also have trick room if that's why you really wanted palkia. Want a water dragon specifically? Use walking wake, at least it can actually hit its moves and doesn't cost your restricted slot. Palkia literally comes up when you search 'terrible regulation g pokemon' on google.

I think latios should be in C tier there's like one team it works on. While yes that team is good, it's still a very niche pokemon and is overall not very slappable on a team most of the time. Also it only really helps against koraidon and groudon (who is trash anyways) and semi helps against zamazenta. It's not

I think latios should be in C tier there's like one team it works on. While yes that team is good, it's still a very niche pokemon and is overall not very slappable on a team most of the time. Also it only really helps against koraidon and groudon (who is trash anyways) and semi helps against zamazenta. It's not

 

[LovelyLuna]

Okay, here we go.


UR->C
Definitely overseen, as this Pokémon is a good Sash Tailwind setter, with Snarl and Hurricane for damage+support. It outspeeds Urshifu-R and OHKOs it, alongside walking the other Urshifu. Also beats Caly-S, with Snarl also beating Substitute from setup Terapagos. Speaking of, this Pokémon beats Specs and Setup Terapagos, just not Meteor Beam. With Tailwind support, your partner Miraidon can now outspeed and OHKO opposing Koraidon.

and
B->C+
Dozogiri just isn’t doing great right now, with Zamazenta with just one Iron Defense just walls this, alongside the likes of Koraidon, Miraidon, and even just a Amoonguss. It does have its perks, like OHKOing stuff like Ho-Oh and Incineroar (with Clear Amulet). Maybe even C/C- tier.

Restricteds:

B->A
I think this Pokémon is under-explored and underrated. Super powerful, with great Defiant partners and supportive partners like Howl Gouging Fire and Follow Me Ogerpon-Teal Mask. It also outspeeds and OHKOs Koraidon and Miraidon, while holding up and even beating Zamazenta and Terapagos when carrying Sacred Sword or Close Combat. Not to mention it can abuse Kyogre and Pelipper’s rain to not lose to fire types.

and
C->UR
These two haven’t really seen much usage or success and are just outclassed, as Dragonote overrides Rayquaza and any other bulky and strong Trick Room setters like Hatterene can get the job done. They do have their niches, but they’re not enough to make C Tier, more like D Tier for Palkia, but a C- for Rayquaza.

Tbh I think most of these suggestions make sense, but I'm not the biggest fan of the reasoning. Iron Jugulis has only seen success on AV Kyogre teams, because Miraidon wants instant tailwind as clarfied earlier. Dozogiri is actually one of the best archetypes into Zamazenta and Koraidon because of Unaware, It can just sit on them and boost with Order Up. It fell off primarily due to the higher power level, which makes it significantly easier to play against Dozogiri without considering it in the teambuilder. Zacian never partners with those two because they aren't great Pokemon themselves, you usually accept the Intimidate and use Swords Dance while keeping up the pressure with Urshifu. Zacian also almost never runs both Sacred Sword and Play Rough for what you suggested to apply, I also don't think opposing Kyogre will be carrying a Fire-type threatening you. Rayquaza isn't outclassed by the equally bad Dragonite, it's just weak, frail, and slow, with a horrendous meta match up. Palkia-O vs Hatterene doesn't really make sense IMO, vastly different roles and match ups thanks to typing, Palkia-O probably doesn't even use Trick Room.

Palkia sucks. C -> UR

Want a strong special attacker? Use miraidon, it's faster and can hit much harder. Want a water type? Use kyogre, it has good spread moves and drizzle in order to improve its power even more. Want a horse for some reason? Use a calyrex, they both have amazing stats and have 2 abilities instead of palkia's half an ability, and they also have trick room if that's why you really wanted palkia. Want a water dragon specifically? Use walking wake, at least it can actually hit its moves and doesn't cost your restricted slot. Palkia literally comes up when you search 'terrible regulation g pokemon' on google.

This also bothers me, Miraidon doesn't invalidate every other special restricted, or honestly any other restricted because it 'hits faster and hits harder' The two have different typings and play differently, different partners and counters. The only similarity is that they're both relatively fast Dragon-types. Walking Wake is significantly weaker, trailer, and misses out on a notable speed tier (Neutral 135s.). It's like saying use Flutter Mane instead of Calyrex-S or or Kommo-o over Zamazenta-C.

I think latios should be in C tier there's like one team it works on. While yes that team is good, it's still a very niche pokemon and is overall not very slappable on a team most of the time. Also it only really helps against koraidon and groudon (who is trash anyways) and semi helps against zamazenta. I think it's niche is way too small for it to be this high.

Groudon should be in UR. Precimiss blades is as inconsistent as ever with horrible matchups everywhere. It loses to any team with pelipper who is really popular especially against calyrex ice. Thanks to Tera, koraidon outclasses it and can offer more damage. If you use clear amulet, you barely live special hits at best, and if you use assault vest, you get intimidate cycled. It's also got bad movements. Precimiss blades is mandatory for throwing with this pokemon. Heat crash is debating with fire punch for which move will disappoint you and it has to choose between rock slide or Swords Dance for his last move to still do nothing.

Both of these are just untrue. Latios also helps with Amoonguss, preventing Zamazenta from always burning Tera, as well as opposing Iron Defense Zamazenta, especially prevalent if you're using Wide Guard Zamazenta. Not to mention that Latios also walls both horses with the Wide Guard support. It's in general a pretty nice Pokemon into the meta and is strong on the Zamazenta team.

Groudon provides a handful of pros over Koraidon, such as extra physical bulk, spread damage, better synergy with Raging Bolt, being less Tera reliant, and a better match up into Flutter Mane, Zacian-C, and Calyrex-S. I don't get why we're bringing up Pelipper when Koraidon loses to it just as hard. Groudon has constantly been there results wise because of the different playstyle and unique attributes. I'd personally put it at C but it definitely has advantages that make it a more viable restricted than anything Unranked or in the C tier.

 

[Loataee]

Tbh I think most of these suggestions make sense, but I'm not the biggest fan of the reasoning. Iron Jugulis has only seen success on AV Kyogre teams, because Miraidon wants instant tailwind as clarfied earlier. Dozogiri is actually one of the best archetypes into Zamazenta and Koraidon because of Unaware, It can just sit on them and boost with Order Up. It fell off primarily due to the higher power level, which makes it significantly easier to play against Dozogiri without considering it in the teambuilder. Zacian never partners with those two because they aren't great Pokemon themselves, you usually accept the Intimidate and use Swords Dance while keeping up the pressure with Urshifu. Zacian also almost never runs both Sacred Sword and Play Rough for what you suggested to apply, I also don't think opposing Kyogre will be carrying a Fire-type threatening you. Rayquaza isn't outclassed by the equally bad Dragonite, it's just weak, frail, and slow, with a horrendous meta match up. Palkia-O vs Hatterene doesn't really make sense IMO, vastly different roles and match ups thanks to typing, Palkia-O probably doesn't even use Trick Room.


This also bothers me, Miraidon doesn't invalidate every other special restricted, or honestly any other restricted because it 'hits faster and hits harder' The two have different typings and play differently, different partners and counters. The only similarity is that they're both relatively fast Dragon-types. Walking Wake is significantly weaker, trailer, and misses out on a notable speed tier (Neutral 135s.). It's like saying use Flutter Mane instead of Calyrex-S or or Kommo-o over Zamazenta-C.



Both of these are just untrue. Latios also helps with Amoonguss, preventing Zamazenta from always burning Tera, as well as opposing Iron Defense Zamazenta, especially prevalent if you're using Wide Guard Zamazenta. Not to mention that Latios also walls both horses with the Wide Guard support. It's in general a pretty nice Pokemon into the meta and is strong on the Zamazenta team.

Groudon provides a handful of pros over Koraidon, such as extra physical bulk, spread damage, better synergy with Raging Bolt, being less Tera reliant, and a better match up into Flutter Mane, Zacian-C, and Calyrex-S. I don't get why we're bringing up Pelipper when Koraidon loses to it just as hard. Groudon has constantly been there results wise because of the different playstyle and unique attributes. I'd personally put it at C but it definitely has advantages that make it a more viable restricted than anything Unranked or in the C tier.

OK I admit I was too harsh to latios and maybe groudon, I still think groudon is bad due to it also being even more screwed over by pelipper than koraidon. While yes koraidon still loses to pelipper, pelipper has wide guard which really annoys any groudon moveset which consists of precimiss blades a fire attack, swords dance or rock slide, meaning pelipper can enable a whole team to wall groudon, compared to koraidon still chunking some pokemon with collision course. What's worse is tornadus is really common with urshifu rapid strike and carries rain dance, which most groudon hate due to usually run Tera fire which is useless against this. Yes you can use bolt but urshifu still pressures groudon a lot. But it still struggles a lot vs legends like miraidon who can knock it out. Plus it always struggles against kyogre teams which koraidon still has the favored matchup in. I do admit those upsides you mentioned are good enough to carve a niche, but I think the weaknesses outweigh the strengths. I think overall I was too harsh on both latios and groudon but latios deserves to stay while groudon should be C tier.

 

[Loataee]

I think I also made a bad point about the calyrex ice matchup since koraidon also loses to it and has an arguably worse matchup overall I was too hasty with my statements but yeah groudon does have some advantages that make it at least viable

 

[Holy Gerbil]

This also bothers me, Miraidon doesn't invalidate every other special restricted, or honestly any other restricted because it 'hits faster and hits harder' The two have different typings and play differently, different partners and counters. The only similarity is that they're both relatively fast Dragon-types. Walking Wake is significantly weaker, trailer, and misses out on a notable speed tier (Neutral 135s.). It's like saying use Flutter Mane instead of Calyrex-S or or Kommo-o over Zamazenta-C.

My point isn't 'hahah miraidon is special and so is palkia, therefore palkia bad'. The overlap goes further than that. With palkia, you lack a truly reliable water type move, making it feel like you're either a spacial rend button, missing hydro pump, or hitting your allies with surf. Miraidon has more special attack (with ability), hits the 135 speed tier and can have an item like specs or life orb, where palkia is forced to run lustrous core, meaning miraidon does more overall damage with its dragon moves. But in addition to that, it also has electro drift, volt switch, and electric terrain to support the team in more ways than simply doing damage.

Also, my point about walking wake is that if you want a dragon water type, you could probably get away with just using wake instead of palkia. Wake is only noticeably frailer on the special side, but on physical it's actually pretty on par with palkia. It may be slower and less hard hitting than palkia, but you're disregarding that it has an ability that actually does something. You could use a booster or use sun to surpass palkia in either speed or power, or use a scarf or specs to far surpass it. Also, wake has the absolute blessing that is a water move that can actually hit, instead of just using hydro miss.

 

[LovelyLuna]

My point isn't 'hahah miraidon is special and so is palkia, therefore palkia bad'. The overlap goes further than that. With palkia, you lack a truly reliable water type move, making it feel like you're either a spacial rend button, missing hydro pump, or hitting your allies with surf. Miraidon has more special attack (with ability), hits the 135 speed tier and can have an item like specs or life orb, where palkia is forced to run lustrous core, meaning miraidon does more overall damage with its dragon moves. But in addition to that, it also has electro drift, volt switch, and electric terrain to support the team in more ways than simply doing damage.

I don't think this is being looked at very fairly, Draco itself is a pretty inaccurate move, Kyogre loves doing things, Chi-Yu is infamous for missing, just accepting Hydro goes a long way. I'd also argue that Lustrous is better than Life Orb, as both run STAB moves anyway and the lack of recoil gives your main piece significantly more staying power. Miraidon does more damage with its Dragon moves once. You have to usually switch out after a Draco, or shoot out a mediocre attack. Palkia-O can spam it so it doesn't; lose nearly as much momentum trying to get rid of opposing Dragons or Rillaboom. This also goes onto another point, match ups, Miraidon hates the aforementioned two a lot, losing more than half of its value with either on the field. Miraidon is also pressured by stuff like Ice rider. Palkia-O threatens a handful of Pokemon more reliably with Spacial Rend and Hydro Pump.

Also, my point about walking wake is that if you want a dragon water type, you could probably get away with just using wake instead of palkia. Wake is only noticeably frailer on the special side, but on physical it's actually pretty on par with palkia. It may be slower and less hard hitting than palkia, but you're disregarding that it has an ability that actually does something. You could use a booster or use sun to surpass palkia in either speed or power, or use a scarf or specs to far surpass it. Also, wake has the absolute blessing that is a water move that can actually hit, instead of just using hydro miss.

I think Walking Wake and Palkia-O are just too different, they don't function the same. Walking Wake with sun support can match it offensively, but Palkia-O doesn't need that support and doesn't get disrupted by some of the most common Pokemon in the format: Rain Dance Tornadus and Pelipper. Also this is a nice little thing, but Specs and Booster Wake don't surpass it offensively, needs a damage boosting item and the sun boost on Hydro Stream. Not to mention, only one of these has a spammable Dragon move for the top tier Pokemon. Again with Hydro Pump, tbh I'd use this over a regular 80/90 BP move if Palkia-O got one because of the context, missing the OHKO on Incineroar (Walking Wake) is really bad

 

[Pengu]

Okay okay, hear me out.

A -> A-
Underwhelming performance at NAIC, with only ONE in Top 16. This seems fine, until you realize that there are more Dittos than there are Chien-Pao. It just isn't as good anymore. Still a great Pokemon, yeah sure. But it just doesn't synergize well with majority of restricteds, or at least it doesn't compare to other replacement Pokemon. Calyrex-Ice generally doesn't like its defenses lowered, and that's why we saw some innovative tech in Coaching Urshifu (and the fact that you stack ice types which isnt great at all). Any Special-Attacking Pokemon generally don't like Chien-Pao, but the only Chien-Pao in Top 16 was paired with Miraidon, but it was probably for either A: Removing Rillaboom and others that can disrupt the speed/terrain or B: Power up Iron Hands. Koraidon pairs amazingly with SPECIAL ATTACKING partners such as Chi-Yu and Flutter Mane, and Koraidon doesn't really need the boost. We did see players like Luka Trejut try this, and it isn't bad. But Chien-Pao has a preffered partner: Zacian. Zacian, after it's nerf and inability to hold Clear Amulet to block Intimidate, can feel underwhelming at times. But with Chien-Pao, your attacks do more damage, which is great for a generally underused Pokemon this generation. Chien-Pao is also a helpful Pokemon for Zamazenta and for the Zamazenta matchup, boosting Behemoth Bash / Heavy Slam and Body Press, while for the Zama matchup, Sacred Sword ignores the defense buffs. Chien-Pao is overall still a great Pokemon, just I don't think it belongs among top performers like Amoonguss and Tornadus.

 

[LovelyLuna]

Okay okay, hear me out.

A -> A-
Underwhelming performance at NAIC, with only ONE in Top 16. This seems fine, until you realize that there are more Dittos than there are Chien-Pao. It just isn't as good anymore. Still a great Pokemon, yeah sure. But it just doesn't synergize well with majority of restricteds, or at least it doesn't compare to other replacement Pokemon. Calyrex-Ice generally doesn't like its defenses lowered, and that's why we saw some innovative tech in Coaching Urshifu (and the fact that you stack ice types which isnt great at all). Any Special-Attacking Pokemon generally don't like Chien-Pao, but the only Chien-Pao in Top 16 was paired with Miraidon, but it was probably for either A: Removing Rillaboom and others that can disrupt the speed/terrain or B: Power up Iron Hands. Koraidon pairs amazingly with SPECIAL ATTACKING partners such as Chi-Yu and Flutter Mane, and Koraidon doesn't really need the boost. We did see players like Luka Trejut try this, and it isn't bad. But Chien-Pao has a preffered partner: Zacian. Zacian, after it's nerf and inability to hold Clear Amulet to block Intimidate, can feel underwhelming at times. But with Chien-Pao, your attacks do more damage, which is great for a generally underused Pokemon this generation. Chien-Pao is also a helpful Pokemon for Zamazenta and for the Zamazenta matchup, boosting Behemoth Bash / Heavy Slam and Body Press, while for the Zama matchup, Sacred Sword ignores the defense buffs. Chien-Pao is overall still a great Pokemon, just I don't think it belongs among top performers like Amoonguss and Tornadus.

Gm! Chien-Pao's #1 fan here! I don't like the idea of looking at such a narrow sample size for this, it's like suggesting that Talonflame and Overqwil are better Pokemon than Ogerpon-C and are as good as Chien-Pao. I also think you're over focusing on Sword of Ruin, Chien-Pao is its own fast Ice-type monster as well. Miraidon and Kyogre appreciate the strongest available Ice-type, so even if they don't use Sword of Ruin, they can force out resists like Raging Bolt and the Grass-types. Partners like Iron Hands in Miraidon's case, and Urshifu-R in Kyogre's case, can also be the ones to take advantage of Sword of Ruin like you mentioned. Koraidon does indeed not need the boost, but a quarter of the day 2 Koraidon teams at NAIC used Chien-Pao anyway to threaten problems like Calyrex-S and Raging Bolt. The two also were able to slot in Entei thanks to Chien-Pao, not to mention that it greatly appreciates the anti-Incineroar from Clear Amulet Koraidon. Chien-Pao is excellent for Zamazenta-C yeah, not just for the boost to Body Press, but because Zamazenta-C is great into Incineroar and appreciates how Chien-Pao can threaten Calyrex-Shadow, Miraidon, Koraidon, and on a Wide Guard Zamazenta-C team, is reliable for opposing Iron Defense Zamazenta-C. I agree it isn't on the level of Amoonguss but honestly think nothing in A is up there with Amoonguss. (Move Mushroom up!!)

While, I'm at it, a few noms.

Terapagos from A -> S

Terapagos is especially strong into the current Calyrex-S Miraidon metagame, and has gotten even better with the fall of Zamazenta-C and rise of Kyogre. All the pieces are in line and it was shown especially well with how it dominated NAIC. Not much to say about the Pokemon, incredibly flexible so it fits on a variety of teams and is very strong with a great meta match up.

Grimmsnal from C+- -> B+

Really good Pokemon right now, works on multiple restricteds because of how valuable prankster screens are in this nuke meta. This is also while functioning as speed control and soft check to either the Calyrex formes or Koraidon and Terapagos depending on your attacking move. Has more than twice as much success as everything in the tiers below to top it off.

Iron Hands from B+ -> A

People realized how broken Raging Bolt with Fake Out is. Restricteds in the picture mean there is a lot more room to deal with Incineroar, Miraidon's nuke power being a prime example. Iron Hands also offers nice BoltBeam coverage for Calyrex-I alongside Fake Out to help set up Trick Room. Don't ask me why Terapagos stuff started using it over Raging Bolt but they do so that has to be worth some points ig!

Annihilape from C -> B-

110 HP Scarf Final Gambit is a really valuable threat with the ability to remove a crucial piece early on, especially a restricted. But this really shines on Annihilape, as its immune to Fake Out and can threaten the Ghost-types immune to Final Gambit like Calyrex-S for an OHKO. Not to mention how it's further bolstered by Defiant, which also enables Annihilape to threaten Incineroar with Close Combat. If worst comes to worst, it can use the final moveslot for Coaching Support or U-turn momentum, which can abuse forced switches due to Final Gambit.

 

[flutterfan]

Another viability rankings thingy, oh boy it’s time for some sauce from Flutter.

My big nomination...

Amoonguss from A > A+

While Amoonguss certainly struggles a tiny bit more with Miraidon being around with Electric Terrain, it still certainly causes problems. It’s a great redirector, very bulky, has a lot of resists in the meta, and Spore is still such a broken move that it can sometimes win you games. It definitely struggles with some mons(Specifically the Raidons, with Koraidon being able to OHKO it with Flare Blitz unless you Tera, and Miraidon blocking Spore) but lots of Amoonguss teams are teching answers such as Rillaboom to reset Terrain, or Indeedee for Trick Room control and Terrain control.

Another reason why Amoonguss is so good is that it single-handedly beats Trick Room teams, which are starting to see a bit more usage in Regulation G. Amoonguss is also a great TR redirector for Pokémon such as Farigiraf, Indeedee, Lunala, Calyrex Ice, or other Pokémon that like to be in a Trick Room environment. Amoonguss is also quite good on balance teams, due to its bulk, redirection, sleep, and healing back HP with its ability Regenerator. Which makes it have great synergy with Pokemon such as Rillaboom and Incineroar that like to repeatedly switch.

In conclusion, I think Amoonguss would certainly be A+ and see more usage if Miraidon wasn’t around with counters. It’s still so good in Regulation G and pairs well with a lot of different restricteds.

Now on to some of my smaller nominations, first up.…

Iron Hands from B+ to A-:

Iron Hands is still such a great Pokémon, despite its lack of usage throughout Regulation F. Fake Out is a strong move, it’s very bulky, has great synergy with Miraidon and under TR, and can also put out a lot of offense. Drain Punch provides some valuable healing as well. On top of Wild Charge for consistent damage, Volt Switch for pivoting, and Heavy Slam for coverage. Iron Hands certainly belongs higher than B+.

Groudon from B to C:

Groudon is just a fraud at this point. It’s fallen off quite hard from when Reg G first started and it’s probably gonna fall off more as the Regulation goes on… It had no Day 2 placements at NAIC, on top of not really being consistent with Precipice Blades. And while sure, +2 Heat Crash can certainly pick off a lot of things under sun. Flare Blitz from Koraidon is so much better with consistent damage. Generally, Groudon is just simply outclassed by Koraidon. On top of just not being that consistent. Koraidon is a much better option if you want sun nowadays.

Alolan Ninetales from B- to C+/C/C-, I really don’t know:

Ok, I‘m gonna be completely honest with you, I have not seen this Pokemon at all for like a month. This Pokémon is mainly run with Kyurem White, which isn’t even on these rankings. Also, it’s quite hard to get Aurora Veil up in Regulation G, as you can easily double into Alolan Ninetales unless there’s redirection on the field. Grimmsnarl is simply a better option if you want screens.

Clefairy from B+ to A-:

Now I think a lot of people will disagree with me on this, but Clefairy has redirection that just cannot be ignored(I’m just making this worse aren’t I…) It’s very bulky with Eviolite, on top of having a lot of support with Heal Pulse, After You, and many others that might come in handy. I don’t really know, I haven’t seen a lot of Clefairy gameplay in Reg G. I just think it’s a little bit underplayed.

So yeah! These are my thoughts on the VRs. Feel free to agree or disagree, but please don’t say anything that may attack me in any way please.

 

[elpepeetesechtilin]

First of all, i would suggest a D tier, since there are lots of mediocre C tier things that would fit way better on D tier rather than low c.

C -> UR
Ho-oh sounds really great when you are teambuilding but it lacks results. Less than 1% usage in ladder and featured in only 4 teams, considering every team from regionals/special events and NAIC, and its best result is top 64.

C -> UR
There are no reasons to use palkia. Calyrex-S and Miraidon are better special attackers. Kyogre is a better water type. Raging bolt is a better dragon. Walking wake shares its typing with a better ability and without wasting the restricted slot. If you want a restricted bulky dragon run dialga-origin. There is no reason to use palkia right now.

C -> UR
Ray is just worse dragonite. Don't use it.

A+ -> S
Urshifu Rapid-Strike is a stupid pokemon that is stronger than any other non-restricted pokemon and is even stronger than some restricteds because of the combination of unseen fist, surging strikes and being able to run an object that isn't clear amulet with no drawbacks, unlike most physical restricteds.
In showdown ladder it is only behind incineroar by less than 2%, being the second most used pokemon. There are almost no drawbacks on using it, and fits well in any archetype that isn't sun and has almost zero competition for the water type slot, the fast and strong physical attacker slot or the scarf/mystic water slot.

 

[elpepeetesechtilin]

Another viability rankings thingy, oh boy it’s time for some sauce from Flutter.

My big nomination...

Amoonguss from A > A+

While Amoonguss certainly struggles a tiny bit more with Miraidon being around with Electric Terrain, it still certainly causes problems. It’s a great redirector, very bulky, has a lot of resists in the meta, and Spore is still such a broken move that it can sometimes win you games. It definitely struggles with some mons(Specifically the Raidons, with Koraidon being able to OHKO it with Flare Blitz unless you Tera, and Miraidon blocking Spore) but lots of Amoonguss teams are teching answers such as Rillaboom to reset Terrain, or Indeedee for Trick Room control and Terrain control.

Another reason why Amoonguss is so good is that it single-handedly beats Trick Room teams, which are starting to see a bit more usage in Regulation G. Amoonguss is also a great TR redirector for Pokémon such as Farigiraf, Indeedee, Lunala, Calyrex Ice, or other Pokémon that like to be in a Trick Room environment. Amoonguss is also quite good on balance teams, due to its bulk, redirection, sleep, and healing back HP with its ability Regenerator. Which makes it have great synergy with Pokemon such as Rillaboom and Incineroar that like to repeatedly switch.

In conclusion, I think Amoonguss would certainly be A+ and see more usage if Miraidon wasn’t around with counters. It’s still so good in Regulation G and pairs well with a lot of different restricteds.

Now on to some of my smaller nominations, first up.…

Iron Hands from B+ to A-:

Iron Hands is still such a great Pokémon, despite its lack of usage throughout Regulation F. Fake Out is a strong move, it’s very bulky, has great synergy with Miraidon and under TR, and can also put out a lot of offense. Drain Punch provides some valuable healing as well. On top of Wild Charge for consistent damage, Volt Switch for pivoting, and Heavy Slam for coverage. Iron Hands certainly belongs higher than B+.

Groudon from B to C:

Groudon is just a fraud at this point. It’s fallen off quite hard from when Reg G first started and it’s probably gonna fall off more as the Regulation goes on… It had no Day 2 placements at NAIC, on top of not really being consistent with Precipice Blades. And while sure, +2 Heat Crash can certainly pick off a lot of things under sun. Flare Blitz from Koraidon is so much better with consistent damage. Generally, Groudon is just simply outclassed by Koraidon. On top of just not being that consistent. Koraidon is a much better option if you want sun nowadays.

Alolan Ninetales from B- to C+/C/C-, I really don’t know:

Ok, I‘m gonna be completely honest with you, I have not seen this Pokemon at all for like a month. This Pokémon is mainly run with Kyurem White, which isn’t even on these rankings. Also, it’s quite hard to get Aurora Veil up in Regulation G, as you can easily double into Alolan Ninetales unless there’s redirection on the field. Grimmsnarl is simply a better option if you want screens.

Clefairy from B+ to A-:

Now I think a lot of people will disagree with me on this, but Clefairy has redirection that just cannot be ignored(I’m just making this worse aren’t I…) It’s very bulky with Eviolite, on top of having a lot of support with Heal Pulse, After You, and many others that might come in handy. I don’t really know, I haven’t seen a lot of Clefairy gameplay in Reg G. I just think it’s a little bit underplayed.

So yeah! These are my thoughts on the VRs. Feel free to agree or disagree, but please don’t say anything that may attack me in any way please.

clefairy is definitively A- at least. It got 10% usage in both ladder and NAIC, and solid results in other tournaments.

 

[Pengu]

First of all, i would suggest a D tier, since there are lots of mediocre C tier things that would fit way better on D tier rather than low c.

C -> UR
Ho-oh sounds really great when you are teambuilding but it lacks results. Less than 1% usage in ladder and featured in only 4 teams, considering every team from regionals/special events and NAIC, and its best result is top 64.

C -> UR
There are no reasons to use palkia. Calyrex-ice and Miraidon are better special attackers. Kyogre is a better water type. Raging bolt is a better dragon. Walking wake shares its typing with a better ability and without wasting the restricted slot. If you want a restricted bulky dragon run dialga-origin. There is no reason to use palkia right now.

C -> UR
Ray is just worse dragonite. Don't use it.

A+ -> S
Urshifu Rapid-Strike is a stupid pokemon that is stronger than any other non-restricted pokemon and is even stronger than some restricteds because of the combination of unseen fist, surging strikes and being able to run an object that isn't clear amulet with no drawbacks, unlike most physical restricteds.
In showdown ladder it is only behind incineroar by less than 2%, being the second most used pokemon. There are almost no drawbacks on using it, and fits well in any archetype that isn't sun and has almost zero competition for the water type slot, the fast and strong physical attacker slot or the scarf/mystic water slot.

Ho-Oh belongs in C-Tier, and there are way worse. Calyrex-I as a special attacker? lol. Palkia in comparison to Wake is kind of unfair, as they fulfill completely different roles. And Palkia offers a better matchup into Calyrex-I and Koraidon. Rayquaza yet again feels like a C-Tier Pokémon. Rapid Strike in S doesn’t feel quite right. It gets beat by two of the most popular Pokémon in Rillaboom and Raging Bolt, with restricteds like Miriadon and Draining Kiss Calyrex-S provide a scare. Sure, it’s good but not S tier.

 

[LovelyLuna]

First of all, i would suggest a D tier, since there are lots of mediocre C tier things that would fit way better on D tier rather than low c.

C -> UR
Ho-oh sounds really great when you are teambuilding but it lacks results. Less than 1% usage in ladder and featured in only 4 teams, considering every team from regionals/special events and NAIC, and its best result is top 64.

This feels a bit too dismissive, top players don't have to succeed with something to prove its good. Ho-Oh walls 3/4 of the physical restricted and has a monstrous Special Defense Stat. Yes the Pokemon it doesn't wall is the most relevant one, but it threatens huge damage and a burn with Sacred Fire (broken move) anyway. Flying STAB is also really strong right now.

C -> UR
There are no reasons to use palkia. Calyrex-ice and Miraidon are better special attackers. Kyogre is a better water type. Raging bolt is a better dragon. Walking wake shares its typing with a better ability and without wasting the restricted slot. If you want a restricted bulky dragon run dialga-origin. There is no reason to use palkia right now.

"There are no reasons to use Zacian-C, Koraidon and Calyrex-Ice are better physical attackers, Zamazenta-C is a better Steel-type, and Calyrex-S is a better set up sweeper." This just looks for similarities and refuses to acknowledge Palkia-O 's strengths, like Spacial Rend, which allows it to 2HKO Raging Bolt without dropping its SpA twice. Palkia-O also has a generally good meta match up looking outside of restricted.

A+ -> S
Urshifu Rapid-Strike is a stupid pokemon that is stronger than any other non-restricted pokemon and is even stronger than some restricteds because of the combination of unseen fist, surging strikes and being able to run an object that isn't clear amulet with no drawbacks, unlike most physical restricteds.
In showdown ladder it is only behind incineroar by less than 2%, being the second most used pokemon. There are almost no drawbacks on using it, and fits well in any archetype that isn't sun and has almost zero competition for the water type slot, the fast and strong physical attacker slot or the scarf/mystic water slot.

This is showdown bo1 ladder, in bo3 ladder, Urshifu-R is over 10% below Incineroar. And while it doesn't have direct anti-synergy, Many Zamazenta-C and Miraidon teams stray away from it because Urshifu-R doesn't bring what they're looking for. Match ups are also a huge factor, restricted wise, Urshifu-R really only helps with Terapagos, and if Tera Ghost, Zamazenta-C. It does pretty nicely into Kyogre and Calyrex-I too but doesn't do a lot against any other restricted. Regular Pokemon wise, over half of the A and S tiers are equipped to handle Urshifu-R, the Pokemon feels a bit too flawed to earn an S-tier position next to Incineroar imo.

 

[flutterfan]

This feels a bit too dismissive, top players don't have to succeed with something to prove its good. Ho-Oh walls 3/4 of the physical restricted and has a monstrous Special Defense Stat. Yes the Pokemon it doesn't wall is the most relevant one, but it threatens huge damage and a burn with Sacred Fire (broken move) anyway. Flying STAB is also really strong right now.

Flutterfan: Definitely agree, Ho-Oh is very underexplored and is one of the most underrated restricteds right now. More people should pick it up.


This is showdown bo1 ladder, in bo3 ladder, Urshifu-R is over 10% below Incineroar. And while it doesn't have direct anti-synergy, Many Zamazenta-C and Miraidon teams stray away from it because Urshifu-R doesn't bring what they're looking for. Match ups are also a huge factor, restricted wise, Urshifu-R really only helps with Terapagos, and if Tera Ghost, Zamazenta-C. It does pretty nicely into Kyogre and Calyrex-I too but doesn't do a lot against any other restricted. Regular Pokemon wise, over half of the A and S tiers are equipped to handle Urshifu-R, the Pokemon feels a bit too flawed to earn an S-tier position next to Incineroar imo.

Just saying that Stellar Tera/Water Tera Urshifu-R does OHKO Caly-S with Surging. But Urshifu-R is definitely more of a check than a counter to Caly-S tbh, as Caly-S can KO it with Astral Barrage unless you run Sash. Otherwise, I agree with basically everything Luna is saying here.

 

[LovelyLuna]

Just saying that Stellar Tera/Water Tera Urshifu-R does OHKO Caly-S with Surging. But Urshifu-R is definitely more of a check than a counter to Caly-S tbh, as Caly-S can KO it with Astral Barrage unless you run Sash. Otherwise, I agree with basically everything Luna is saying here.

This is true, Scarf Urshifu is punishing to offensive Caly-S, but the Pokemon has actually started going for a more bulky spread from what I'm seeing, a lot of Sitrus and Cloak designed to set up and snowball with As One. My Caly-S spread survives -1 Incineroar Knock Off and Surging Strikes in rain without a Berry!

 

[flutterfan]

This is true, Scarf Urshifu is punishing to offensive Caly-S, but the Pokemon has actually started going for a more bulky spread from what I'm seeing, a lot of Sitrus and Cloak designed to set up and snowball with As One. My Caly-S spread survives -1 Incineroar Knock Off and Surging Strikes in rain without a Berry!

That sounds like a good idea, I should try that the next time I run Caly-S.