Resource AG Viability Rankings

I've got 2 new nominations:
1) Tyranitar | B--->B+at least
:ss/Tyranitar:

Set:
Tyranitar @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock/Thunder Wave/Toxic
- Stone Edge
- Foul Play
- Rest

Tyranitar is pretty underrated right now, as Yveltal completely overshadows it as a Dark type. However, here are a few reasons i think it should shift up a bit. It completely walls Special Life Orb Yveltal and Calyrex-S, as with max SpDef investment and Sandstorm boosting it's SpDef even further, both of those 2 Pokemon can barely dent it, even with Yveltal's massive coverage in Max Flare, Max Airstream and Max Darkness and Calyrex-S's Draining Kiss, Pollen Puff, and Giga Drain. In fact, Tyranitar might be even better at countering Calyrex-S, as Sandstorm always KOs it, even with Sash. It also checks Eternatus and Ho-Oh quite decently, although it hates a burn from either Flamethrower or Sacred Fire. It's most obvious weakness is it's Rock/Dark typing, which gives it pretty useless resistances like Normal and Poison, and give it horrible weaknesses like Water (Kyogre is still really threatening rn), Fighting, Steel, Fairy (almost Zacian-C's entire moveset), and Ground (Zygarde and Groudon). However, these weaknesses can easily be patched up with team support from other Pokemon, most notably Necrozma-DM, which is the best check to Zacian-C, Tyranitar's biggest enemy thanks to it's lack of Defense investment. In return, Tyranitar deals with Necrozma-DM's common switch-ins, Yveltal and Calyrex-S. The two can form a solid defensive core, checking most big threats in the metagame. Add on another Special Wall like Blissey to deal with Kyogre and others, and they can check almost all the significant threats. It also pairs well with Calyrex-S, as Tyranitar can deal with Yveltal, Calyrex-S's biggest roadblock, opposing Calyrex-S, and even Imposter-proof Calyrex-S. This enables Calyrex-S to run Choice Specs instead of Focus Sash, to become a even bigger sweeping menance. Another small but notable thing Tyranitar can do is enable Sand Rush Choice Band Dracovish, which paired with it's base 170 Fishious Rend, it can smash a massive hole into the enemy's team. But that's not all, Tyranitar's moveset is quite useful, as it can set up Stealth Rock, Thunder Wave or Toxic the enemy, and also Taunt the enemy. It's weaknesses are still there, and are pretty big issues, like the mentioned Zacian-C, but even Tyranitar has ways to deal with them. Zacian-C and other physical attackers like Dragon Dance Weakness Policy Necrozma-DM like to switch into Tyranitar, but a Foul Play can really dent them. It also has an issue in recovery, as Rest is unreliable, but Aromatherapy from Calyrex-S or Heal Bell from Blissey/Chansey can take care of that issue. In conclusion, Tyranitar has it's problems, and isn't anything game-changing, but it can counter the 2 biggest threats in the metagame, and it can do it reliably.

2) Regieleki | C-->B-
:ss/Regieleki:

Set:
1) Offensive Specs Pivot
Regieleki @ Choice Specs/Magnet/Life Orb/Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Transistor
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt/Thunder
- Explosion
- Rapid Spin

2) Screen Lead (Niche)
Regieleki @ Focus Sash/Light Clay
Ability: Transistor
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Light Screen
- Reflect
- Explosion
- Wild Charge

This might seem like a pretty big leap, but hear me out. It's blazing speed and access to Volt Switch makes it a incredible pivot. With Choice Specs/Magnet/Life Orb, it can deal a massive chunk of damage to the enemy, even if it's neutral. It can stay in and use Thunderbolt, although not recommended, or even run Thunder to take advantage of Kyogre's rain. It can Rapid Spin away hazards, and it can even use Explosion on big threats or when it's low on health. With Volt Switch, it can keep up offensive momentum, and constantly pressure the enemy. It doesn't check alot of Pokemon, but things like Yveltal, Kyogre, Necrozma-DM hate taking a Volt Switch, as it affects them greatly. It can fit on a team easily as a fast offensive pivot, and provide support to teammates that would normally get walled, such as Zacian-C against Necrozma-DM, and help break through them more easily. It can also function as a Screen Lead, and although niche, Regieleki's pure electric typing makes it hard to KO, especially after a screen is up. It can immediately Explosion afterwards, or Wild Charge against Pokemon that resist Explosion. It's biggest problem, however, is finding opportunities to switch in. It's pure Electric typing here is it's downfall, as it doesn't give much resistances, and paired with Regieleki's natural frailty, it can very rarely switch in. It's only chances to switch in are against walls like Blissey and Necrozma-DM, but support from Blissey/Chansey with Teleport works fine as well. It's other problem is that it gets worn down quickly by hazards, and although Defog support from Ho-Oh and Yveltal can help, Regieleki often has to run Heavy-Duty Boots, cutting it's damage significantly. Overall, Regieleki is a good Pokemon that can really dent teams, but requires proper team support to work.

Calculations:
(Tyranitar)
252+ SpA Life Orb Dark Aura Yveltal Dark Pulse vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Tyranitar in Sand: 60-70 (14.8 - 17.3%) -- possible 9HKO after Leftovers recovery (without Sand 5HKO)
252+ SpA Life Orb Yveltal Oblivion Wing vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Tyranitar in Sand: 45-55 (11.1 - 13.6%) -- Rip Oblivion Wing
252+ SpA Life Orb Yveltal Heat Wave vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Tyranitar in Sand: 36-43 (8.9 - 10.6%) -- Heat Wave is even worse, as no STAB
252+ SpA Life Orb Dark Aura Yveltal Max Darkness vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Tyranitar in Sand: 97-116 (24 - 28.7%) -- possible 5HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Life Orb Yveltal Max Airstream vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Tyranitar in Sand: 74-87 (18.3 - 21.5%) -- possible 7HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 Atk Tyranitar Stone Edge vs. 0 HP / 0- Def Yveltal: 320-380 (81.4 - 96.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after sandstorm damage
252+ SpA Life Orb Yveltal Max Flare vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Tyranitar in Sand: 49-58 (12.1 - 14.3%) -- rip max flare
(against Calyrex-S)
252 SpA Choice Specs Calyrex-Shadow Astral Barrage vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Tyranitar in Sand: 84-99 (20.7 - 24.5%) -- possible 6HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Choice Specs Calyrex-Shadow Giga Drain vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Tyranitar in Sand: 142-168 (35.1 - 41.5%) -- 77% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Choice Specs Calyrex-Shadow Pollen Puff vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Tyranitar in Sand: 170-200 (42 - 49.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Calyrex-Shadow Max Phantasm vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Tyranitar in Sand: 66-78 (16.3 - 19.3%) -- possible 8HKO after Leftovers recovery (rip no specs)
252 SpA Calyrex-Shadow Max Overgrowth vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Tyranitar in Sand: 164-194 (40.5 - 48%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery ( 68.4% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery and Grassy Terrain recovery )
252 SpA Calyrex-Shadow Max Flutterby vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Tyranitar in Sand: 164-194 (40.5 - 48%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
0- Atk Tyranitar Foul Play vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Calyrex-Shadow: 384-456 (112.6 - 133.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0- Atk Tyranitar Foul Play vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Dynamax Calyrex-Shadow: 384-456 (56.3 - 66.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after sandstorm damage
(against other Pokemon)
+1 252+ Atk Tyranitar Foul Play vs. 184 HP / 0 Def Zacian-Crowned: 138-163 (37.1 - 43.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO (Close Combat and Behemoth Blade guarenteed OHKO)
0 Atk Tyranitar Foul Play vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Prism Armor Necrozma-Dusk-Mane: 139-163 (34.9 - 40.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO (Defensive)
252+ Atk Tyranitar Foul Play vs. 80 HP / 0 Def Prism Armor Necrozma-Dusk-Mane: 240-283 (67.6 - 79.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (Dragon Dance)
(Sunsteel Strike OHKOs)
0 Atk Tyranitar Stone Edge vs. 248 HP / 208+ Def Ho-Oh: 444-528 (106.9 - 127.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Regieleki)
(against Random notable ones) (only going to do Volt Switch cause i have a headache lol)
252+ SpA Choice Specs Transistor Regieleki Volt Switch vs. 184 HP / 0 SpD Zacian-Crowned: 171-202 (46 - 54.4%) -- 55.1% chance to 2HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Transistor Regieleki Volt Switch vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Calyrex-Shadow: 235-277 (68.9 - 81.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Transistor Regieleki Volt Switch vs. 248 HP / 52 SpD Ho-Oh: 312-368 (75.1 - 88.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Transistor Regieleki Volt Switch vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Kyogre: 354-416 (103.8 - 121.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Transistor Regieleki Volt Switch vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Necrozma-Dusk-Mane: 219-258 (55 - 64.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Transistor Regieleki Volt Switch vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Yveltal: 480-566 (122.1 - 144%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Transistor Regieleki Volt Switch vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Yveltal: 342-404 (75.1 - 88.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (SpDef)
thats alotta damage
 
I've got 2 new nominations:
1) Tyranitar | B--->B+at least
:ss/Tyranitar:

Set:
Tyranitar @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock/Thunder Wave/Toxic
- Stone Edge
- Foul Play
- Rest

Tyranitar is pretty underrated right now, as Yveltal completely overshadows it as a Dark type. However, here are a few reasons i think it should shift up a bit. It completely walls Special Life Orb Yveltal and Calyrex-S, as with max SpDef investment and Sandstorm boosting it's SpDef even further, both of those 2 Pokemon can barely dent it, even with Yveltal's massive coverage in Max Flare, Max Airstream and Max Darkness and Calyrex-S's Draining Kiss, Pollen Puff, and Giga Drain. In fact, Tyranitar might be even better at countering Calyrex-S, as Sandstorm always KOs it, even with Sash. It also checks Eternatus and Ho-Oh quite decently, although it hates a burn from either Flamethrower or Sacred Fire. It's most obvious weakness is it's Rock/Dark typing, which gives it pretty useless resistances like Normal and Poison, and give it horrible weaknesses like Water (Kyogre is still really threatening rn), Fighting, Steel, Fairy (almost Zacian-C's entire moveset), and Ground (Zygarde and Groudon). However, these weaknesses can easily be patched up with team support from other Pokemon, most notably Necrozma-DM, which is the best check to Zacian-C, Tyranitar's biggest enemy thanks to it's lack of Defense investment. In return, Tyranitar deals with Necrozma-DM's common switch-ins, Yveltal and Calyrex-S. The two can form a solid defensive core, checking most big threats in the metagame. Add on another Special Wall like Blissey to deal with Kyogre and others, and they can check almost all the significant threats. It also pairs well with Calyrex-S, as Tyranitar can deal with Yveltal, Calyrex-S's biggest roadblock, opposing Calyrex-S, and even Imposter-proof Calyrex-S. This enables Calyrex-S to run Choice Specs instead of Focus Sash, to become a even bigger sweeping menance. Another small but notable thing Tyranitar can do is enable Sand Rush Choice Band Dracovish, which paired with it's base 170 Fishious Rend, it can smash a massive hole into the enemy's team. But that's not all, Tyranitar's moveset is quite useful, as it can set up Stealth Rock, Thunder Wave or Toxic the enemy, and also Taunt the enemy. It's weaknesses are still there, and are pretty big issues, like the mentioned Zacian-C, but even Tyranitar has ways to deal with them. Zacian-C and other physical attackers like Dragon Dance Weakness Policy Necrozma-DM like to switch into Tyranitar, but a Foul Play can really dent them. It also has an issue in recovery, as Rest is unreliable, but Aromatherapy from Calyrex-S or Heal Bell from Blissey/Chansey can take care of that issue. In conclusion, Tyranitar has it's problems, and isn't anything game-changing, but it can counter the 2 biggest threats in the metagame, and it can do it reliably.

2) Regieleki | C-->B-
:ss/Regieleki:

Set:
1) Offensive Specs Pivot
Regieleki @ Choice Specs/Magnet/Life Orb/Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Transistor
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt/Thunder
- Explosion
- Rapid Spin

2) Screen Lead (Niche)
Regieleki @ Focus Sash/Light Clay
Ability: Transistor
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Light Screen
- Reflect
- Explosion
- Wild Charge

This might seem like a pretty big leap, but hear me out. It's blazing speed and access to Volt Switch makes it a incredible pivot. With Choice Specs/Magnet/Life Orb, it can deal a massive chunk of damage to the enemy, even if it's neutral. It can stay in and use Thunderbolt, although not recommended, or even run Thunder to take advantage of Kyogre's rain. It can Rapid Spin away hazards, and it can even use Explosion on big threats or when it's low on health. With Volt Switch, it can keep up offensive momentum, and constantly pressure the enemy. It doesn't check alot of Pokemon, but things like Yveltal, Kyogre, Necrozma-DM hate taking a Volt Switch, as it affects them greatly. It can fit on a team easily as a fast offensive pivot, and provide support to teammates that would normally get walled, such as Zacian-C against Necrozma-DM, and help break through them more easily. It can also function as a Screen Lead, and although niche, Regieleki's pure electric typing makes it hard to KO, especially after a screen is up. It can immediately Explosion afterwards, or Wild Charge against Pokemon that resist Explosion. It's biggest problem, however, is finding opportunities to switch in. It's pure Electric typing here is it's downfall, as it doesn't give much resistances, and paired with Regieleki's natural frailty, it can very rarely switch in. It's only chances to switch in are against walls like Blissey and Necrozma-DM, but support from Blissey/Chansey with Teleport works fine as well. It's other problem is that it gets worn down quickly by hazards, and although Defog support from Ho-Oh and Yveltal can help, Regieleki often has to run Heavy-Duty Boots, cutting it's damage significantly. Overall, Regieleki is a good Pokemon that can really dent teams, but requires proper team support to work.

Calculations:
(Tyranitar)
252+ SpA Life Orb Dark Aura Yveltal Dark Pulse vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Tyranitar in Sand: 60-70 (14.8 - 17.3%) -- possible 9HKO after Leftovers recovery (without Sand 5HKO)
252+ SpA Life Orb Yveltal Oblivion Wing vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Tyranitar in Sand: 45-55 (11.1 - 13.6%) -- Rip Oblivion Wing
252+ SpA Life Orb Yveltal Heat Wave vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Tyranitar in Sand: 36-43 (8.9 - 10.6%) -- Heat Wave is even worse, as no STAB
252+ SpA Life Orb Dark Aura Yveltal Max Darkness vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Tyranitar in Sand: 97-116 (24 - 28.7%) -- possible 5HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Life Orb Yveltal Max Airstream vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Tyranitar in Sand: 74-87 (18.3 - 21.5%) -- possible 7HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 Atk Tyranitar Stone Edge vs. 0 HP / 0- Def Yveltal: 320-380 (81.4 - 96.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after sandstorm damage
252+ SpA Life Orb Yveltal Max Flare vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Tyranitar in Sand: 49-58 (12.1 - 14.3%) -- rip max flare
(against Calyrex-S)
252 SpA Choice Specs Calyrex-Shadow Astral Barrage vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Tyranitar in Sand: 84-99 (20.7 - 24.5%) -- possible 6HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Choice Specs Calyrex-Shadow Giga Drain vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Tyranitar in Sand: 142-168 (35.1 - 41.5%) -- 77% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Choice Specs Calyrex-Shadow Pollen Puff vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Tyranitar in Sand: 170-200 (42 - 49.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Calyrex-Shadow Max Phantasm vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Tyranitar in Sand: 66-78 (16.3 - 19.3%) -- possible 8HKO after Leftovers recovery (rip no specs)
252 SpA Calyrex-Shadow Max Overgrowth vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Tyranitar in Sand: 164-194 (40.5 - 48%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery ( 68.4% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery and Grassy Terrain recovery )
252 SpA Calyrex-Shadow Max Flutterby vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Tyranitar in Sand: 164-194 (40.5 - 48%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
0- Atk Tyranitar Foul Play vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Calyrex-Shadow: 384-456 (112.6 - 133.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
0- Atk Tyranitar Foul Play vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Dynamax Calyrex-Shadow: 384-456 (56.3 - 66.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after sandstorm damage
(against other Pokemon)
+1 252+ Atk Tyranitar Foul Play vs. 184 HP / 0 Def Zacian-Crowned: 138-163 (37.1 - 43.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO (Close Combat and Behemoth Blade guarenteed OHKO)
0 Atk Tyranitar Foul Play vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Prism Armor Necrozma-Dusk-Mane: 139-163 (34.9 - 40.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO (Defensive)
252+ Atk Tyranitar Foul Play vs. 80 HP / 0 Def Prism Armor Necrozma-Dusk-Mane: 240-283 (67.6 - 79.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (Dragon Dance)
(Sunsteel Strike OHKOs)
0 Atk Tyranitar Stone Edge vs. 248 HP / 208+ Def Ho-Oh: 444-528 (106.9 - 127.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Regieleki)
(against Random notable ones) (only going to do Volt Switch cause i have a headache lol)
252+ SpA Choice Specs Transistor Regieleki Volt Switch vs. 184 HP / 0 SpD Zacian-Crowned: 171-202 (46 - 54.4%) -- 55.1% chance to 2HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Transistor Regieleki Volt Switch vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Calyrex-Shadow: 235-277 (68.9 - 81.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Transistor Regieleki Volt Switch vs. 248 HP / 52 SpD Ho-Oh: 312-368 (75.1 - 88.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Transistor Regieleki Volt Switch vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Kyogre: 354-416 (103.8 - 121.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Transistor Regieleki Volt Switch vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Necrozma-Dusk-Mane: 219-258 (55 - 64.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Transistor Regieleki Volt Switch vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Yveltal: 480-566 (122.1 - 144%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Choice Specs Transistor Regieleki Volt Switch vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Yveltal: 342-404 (75.1 - 88.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (SpDef)
thats alotta damage
The issue with Tyranitar is that Yveltal is leaps and bounds better and is pretty much mandatory on a balance team anyway. Yeah, TTar is better at checking offensive Yveltal, which is valuable, but I feel like your building is super restricted if you choose TTar over Ygod. You need a defogger but you don’t want to duplicate roles so you’re almost forced to run Ho-oh, you still need backup Caly support so you need either offensive YGod, Marsh, Blissey, or Ditto, you still need NDM as you mentioned, and you still need a Kyogre check, even if you’re running Blissey. The number of consistent teams that can be built if you’re using TTar goes pretty far down in my opinion. Also, Caly-S gets access to Leaf Storm, so if it gets to +2 and is for some reason running Leaf Storm, TTar doesn’t have a prayer. Zacian-C is extra troublesome in my eyes because it can come in on a TTar switch and completely halt your momentum, because your plays are pretty much forced at that point. I just can’t see TTar being justified as a B+ Pokémon, and I think B- is probably a good spot for it. Also your Eleki nom looks kind of like mine.
 
The issue with Tyranitar is that Yveltal is leaps and bounds better and is pretty much mandatory on a balance team anyway. Yeah, TTar is better at checking offensive Yveltal, which is valuable, but I feel like your building is super restricted if you choose TTar over Ygod. You need a defogger but you don’t want to duplicate roles so you’re almost forced to run Ho-oh, you still need backup Caly support so you need either offensive YGod, Marsh, Blissey, or Ditto, you still need NDM as you mentioned, and you still need a Kyogre check, even if you’re running Blissey. The number of consistent teams that can be built if you’re using TTar goes pretty far down in my opinion. Also, Caly-S gets access to Leaf Storm, so if it gets to +2 and is for some reason running Leaf Storm, TTar doesn’t have a prayer. Zacian-C is extra troublesome in my eyes because it can come in on a TTar switch and completely halt your momentum, because your plays are pretty much forced at that point. I just can’t see TTar being justified as a B+ Pokémon, and I think B- is probably a good spot for it. Also your Eleki nom looks kind of like mine.
What you say makes a lot of sense, but I won't delete my post or anything, cause I still think that Tyranitar can be justified as B+, or at least good enough to not drop.
 
( i think im posting here too much lol)
:ss/Kyurem-White: | B--->A

This is kind of a rushed post lol
Kyurem-White has been rising in usage at an incredible rate lately, and it's performance has been increasing too. I've seen it on tons of matches, and I've got a few speculations why:
1) Offensive Kyogre Counter
The title is pretty self-explanatory. Unlike other common Kyogre counters and checks like Ferrothorn and Blissey, Kyurem-White is unique in that it can not only counter Kyogre, but also apply offensive pressure as well. It's SpDef moveset counters Kyogre well, but can also do decent damage against the rising Pokemon like Zygarde and Zekrom, and it's common switch ins, Zacian-C and Necrozma-DM dislike a Fusion Flare, especially since Utility Umbrella nullifies the Fire type damage lower. In short, it has more offensive capabilities than Blissey and Ferrothorn, which is what some teams might want.
2) Rise in Dragon types
Again, a self-explaining title. Dragon types like Zygarde and Zekrom, along with Eternatus and also Kyurem-White itself, have been rising in popularity. Kyurem-White counters them hard, especially Zygarde, hitting them with supereffective moves off it's enormous SpATK, effectively killing them. It's new Specs and Scarf sets that are showing up more OHKO any Dragon types, and deal heavy damage to other Pokemon, provided it's supereffective.
3) Massive Flexibility
The biggest reason to me, and the reason I'm writing this, is that Kyurem-White has a lot of flexiblity. It can run a SpDef set to help teams that struggle with Kyogre, run Specs to supplement damage on a more passive team while still checking Kyogre, or use Scarf as speed control and a revenge killer. It has a vast movepool, with Dragon, Ice, Steel and Fire hitting every Pokemon at least neutrally. These, combined with it's useful typing, makes it easy to fit on a team, whether as a semi-offensive Kyogre check, or a full on Choice sweeper.

Here I have the sets mentioned above:
1) Specially Defensive
:ss/Kyurem-White:
Kyurem-White @ Utility Umbrella / Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Turboblaze
EVs: 40 SpA / 216 SpD / 252 Spe / 4 HP / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sheer Cold / Draco Meteor
- Freeze-Dry
- Fusion Flare
- Roost

The standard Specially Defensive set. An alternate set of 4 HP, 252 SpDef and Speed can be used for maximum bulk, while still outspeeding non-Scarf Kyogre. Sheer Cold is obviously amazing if it hits, but I prefer Draco Meteor to hit opposing Kyurem-White hard. The drawback from Sheer Cold missing is potential chip damage lost and loss of momentum, which is pretty bad for a 30% chance to hit. Freeze-Dry is mandatory for hitting Kyogre supereffectively, but it also hits Groudon, Zygarde, Zekrom and others hard. Fusion Flare is decently powerful, and hits Steel types, it's biggest roadblock, supereffectively, and Kyurem-White doesn't care about rain thanks to Utility Umbrella. Roost provides passive recovery, and keeps Kyurem-White healthy reliably. Utility Umbrella is the go to item, as it stops Kyogre's Water Spout from denting it severely, and prevents Fusion Flare from being weakened. Heavy-Duty Boots can also be used to not be worn down, but Utility Umbrella is generally better. The first EV spread gives Kyurem-White some damage, while still tanking hits from Kyogre, while the other is full on defense. Absolutely amazing in providing it's team with defensive utility, while offering some offense. It can fit on teams easily, as any team needs a sturdy Kyogre check.

2) Choice Specs
:ss/Kyurem-White:
Kyurem-White @ Choice Specs
Ability: Turboblaze
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Freeze-Dry
- Flash Cannon
- Earth Power

A powerful Specs set. It deals massive damage to anything, and it's coverage is perfect too, aside from Shedinja. Draco Meteor is STAB, and hits opposing Kyurem-White hard, along with other Dragon types, although Freeze-Dry is still preferred. Freeze-Dry is also STAB, and hits Kyogre and Dragon types hard. Flash Cannon hits Fairy types supereffectively, making Xerneas users wary of switching in. Earth Power is used over Fusion Flare, since it isn't weakened by rain, has a nice side effect of a chance to lower SpDef, and hits Kyogre neutrally, making it a safer choice to click over Fusion Flare. Choice Specs jacks it's power up to astronomical levels, hitting anything for massive damage. The EV spread gives maximum damage, while still outspeeding key targets like unboosted Zekrom and Zygarde. The main issue with this set is that it's harder for Kyurem-White to switch in to Kyogre, as it's lack of SpDef investment and loss of Utility Umbrella makes it take a decent chunk. But with team support, it is absolutely worth it to use Specs Kyurem-White, as the offensive prowess it offers is incredible.

3) Choice Scarf (my personal favourite lol)
:ss/Kyurem-White:
Kyurem-White @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Turboblaze
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Freeze-Dry
- Flash Cannon
- Earth Power

A strong revenge killer that can also act as speed control. This set is incredible in it's ability to get a jump on unsuspecting foes. It's Scarf makes it outspeed any unboosted threat(except for Regieleki and Pheromosa), and it's already high SpATK makes the enemy take a decent chunk. The moveset is exactly the same as the Specs one, as well as the nature and EV spread. For more info, you can go check out my RMT post: https://www.smogon.com/forums/threa...arf-kyurem-w-and-zacian.3691300/#post-8985046 .

CONS:
With every good side to a Pokemon, there's always a bad side. Kyurem-White's typing is great offensively, but horrible defensively. Being weak to the best Pokemon, Zacian-C, along with other strong types in the meta like Dragon and Fairy, it's easy to KO. It's lack of resistances makes it hard to switch in to anything either. The weakness to Stealth Rock doesn't help matters much. Although it has great coverage, it requires prediction to properly utilize.

Overall, I think Kyurem-White has improved recently, showing itself to be more than just another Kyogre check. That's why I think it should rise back to it's former glory.

Calcs!
SpDef Kyurem-White
(Defending) (Only writing Kyogre(Scarf) since it checks nothing much well, overall it can live a hit from non supereffective hits most of the time)
252 SpA Kyogre Water Spout (150 BP) vs. 0 HP / 216 SpD Kyurem-White in Rain: 166-196 (42.4 - 50.1%) -- 0.4% chance to 2HKO
252 SpA Kyogre Origin Pulse vs. 0 HP / 216 SpD Kyurem-White in Rain: 123-144 (31.4 - 36.8%) -- 76% chance to 3HKO
252 SpA Kyogre Ice Beam vs. 0 HP / 216 SpD Kyurem-White: 90-106 (23 - 27.1%) -- 48.7% chance to 4HKO
252 SpA Kyogre Thunder vs. 0 HP / 216 SpD Kyurem-White: 54-64 (13.8 - 16.3%) -- possible 7HKO
(Offending*gasp*)
40 SpA Turboblaze Kyurem-White Freeze-Dry vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Kyogre: 186-218 (54.3 - 63.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
40 SpA Turboblaze Kyurem-White Draco Meteor vs. 252 HP / 164 SpD Eternatus: 404-476 (83.4 - 98.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Black Sludge recovery
40 SpA Turboblaze Kyurem-White Freeze-Dry vs. 252 HP / 164 SpD Eternatus: 218-260 (45 - 53.7%) -- 2.3% chance to 2HKO after Black Sludge recovery
40 SpA Turboblaze Kyurem-White Draco Meteor vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Zekrom: 458-540 (134.3 - 158.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
40 SpA Turboblaze Kyurem-White Freeze-Dry vs. 204 HP / 0 SpD Zygarde: 516-612 (126.4 - 150%) -- guaranteed OHKO
40 SpA Turboblaze Kyurem-White Draco Meteor vs. 204 HP / 0 SpD Zygarde: 476-564 (116.6 - 138.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
40 SpA Turboblaze Kyurem-White Freeze-Dry vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Yveltal: 182-216 (40 - 47.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
40 SpA Turboblaze Kyurem-White Freeze-Dry vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Yveltal: 252-296 (64.1 - 75.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
40 SpA Turboblaze Kyurem-White Fusion Flare vs. 184 HP / 0 SpD Zacian-Crowned: 208-246 (56 - 66.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
40 SpA Kyurem-White Fusion Flare vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Prism Armor Necrozma-Dusk-Mane: 163-193 (40.9 - 48.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Specs Kyurem-White
(Defending)
252 SpA Kyogre Water Spout (150 BP) vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Kyurem-White in Rain: 204-240 (52.1 - 61.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Kyogre Origin Pulse vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Kyurem-White in Rain: 149-176 (38.1 - 45%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 SpA Kyogre Ice Beam vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Kyurem-White: 109-129 (27.8 - 32.9%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
252 SpA Kyogre Thunder vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Kyurem-White: 66-78 (16.8 - 19.9%) -- guaranteed 6HKO
(OOFending)
252 SpA Choice Specs Turboblaze Kyurem-White Freeze-Dry vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Kyogre: 314-372 (91.8 - 108.7%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Turboblaze Kyurem-White Draco Meteor vs. 252 HP / 164 SpD Eternatus: 690-812 (142.5 - 167.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Turboblaze Kyurem-White Freeze-Dry vs. 252 HP / 164 SpD Eternatus: 372-438 (76.8 - 90.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Black Sludge recovery
252 SpA Choice Specs Turboblaze Kyurem-White Draco Meteor vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Zekrom: 780-918 (228.7 - 269.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO(so much damage it dies twice)
252 SpA Choice Specs Turboblaze Kyurem-White Freeze-Dry vs. 204 HP / 0 SpD Zygarde: 880-1036 (215.6 - 253.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Turboblaze Kyurem-White Draco Meteor vs. 204 HP / 0 SpD Zygarde: 812-956 (199 - 234.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Turboblaze Kyurem-White Freeze-Dry vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Yveltal: 306-362 (67.2 - 79.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Turboblaze Kyurem-White Freeze-Dry vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Yveltal: 426-504 (108.3 - 128.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Not going to show Scarf cause it's basically the same as the SpDef version (totally not because im lazy)

Thanks for reading this stupidly long post! Probably wont post anymore until mid next month unless i find something amazing lol
 

cromagnet

I pledge allegiance to the grind
is a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Staff Alumnus
Turboblaze ignores Wonder Guard so you don’t have to worry about Shedinja. Also no fusion flare? And what do flash cannon and earth power hit exactly?
All you need is sheer cold, why hit dm for 40 when you can ohko. Over all Kyurem just got dropped, which reflects is not being as good as it once was in the meta, so it likely won't be rising in the very next update.
 
Turboblaze ignores Wonder Guard so you don’t have to worry about Shedinja. Also no fusion flare? And what do flash cannon and earth power hit exactly?
i removed fusion flare because it gets weakened by rain. Flash Cannon hits Xerneas and Earth Power hits Eternatus and Zekrom. The moves here aren't really to hit them specifically, it really depends on the situation to determine what you click
 
i removed fusion flare because it gets weakened by rain. Flash Cannon hits Xerneas and Earth Power hits Eternatus and Zekrom. The moves here aren't really to hit them specifically, it really depends on the situation to determine what you click
Unfortunately, I don't really see an opportunity where you would need flash cannon for xerneas. Due to ice beam stab, you would be hitting it for almost the same amount of damage anyway. Additionally, Ice beam would hit etern and zekrom both for more damage than earth power due to the stab Kyureum-white gets on ice beam.
 
Unfortunately, I don't really see an opportunity where you would need flash cannon for xerneas. Due to ice beam stab, you would be hitting it for almost the same amount of damage anyway. Additionally, Ice beam would hit etern and zekrom both for more damage than earth power due to the stab Kyureum-white gets on ice beam.
These moves are there since in some cases, they do better in certain situations. Earth Power, like I said before, can hit Eternatus and Zekrom, although not as hard compared to Freeze-Dry(don't know why you said Ice Beam, must have been a mistake lol), but in some cases, it works better since if they switch to Zacian-C instead, it also hits them supereffectively. Basically. these moves don't normally get used, but they are there so that Kyurem-White can hit the opponent supereffectively more often.
 
These moves are there since in some cases, they do better in certain situations. Earth Power, like I said before, can hit Eternatus and Zekrom, although not as hard compared to Freeze-Dry(don't know why you said Ice Beam, must have been a mistake lol), but in some cases, it works better since if they switch to Zacian-C instead, it also hits them supereffectively. Basically. these moves don't normally get used, but they are there so that Kyurem-White can hit the opponent supereffectively more often.
Ice beam was not a mistake; it’s an excellent Stab option on offensive kyu-w. It hits harder than freeze dry, and it pairs well with freeze dry so you can still hit ogre. Running both is definitely viable, or even just ice beam as your only coverage.
 
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Kyurem-White, albeit nice, just isn't A- material right now. It has a few gaping shortcomings that prevent it from getting higher than B+. Yeah it had a period of stardom during April-July iirc, and it was good, but then people just found ways to get past it and it became obsolete.

1) Offensive Kyogre Counter
The title is pretty self-explanatory. Unlike other common Kyogre counters and checks like Ferrothorn and Blissey, Kyurem-White is unique in that it can not only counter Kyogre, but also apply offensive pressure as well. It's SpDef moveset counters Kyogre well, but can also do decent damage against the rising Pokemon like Zygarde and Zekrom, and it's common switch ins, Zacian-C and Necrozma-DM dislike a Fusion Flare, especially since Utility Umbrella nullifies the Fire type damage lower. In short, it has more offensive capabilities than Blissey and Ferrothorn, which is what some teams might want.
Actually, Necrozma-DM and Zacian-C, though disliking Fusion Flare, can come on a free switch on it as you'll bee keen on keeping the Kyurem healthy (especially if hazards are on your field) and so you'll be clicking Roost or doing skilled plays with Sheer Cold. Even though yes, the aforementioned Pokémon do dislike a Fusion Flare, they can come easily on a Kyurem-W if you check it practically. And Necrozma-DM isn't even 2HKO'd by Fusion Flare :0.

2) Rise in Dragon types
Again, a self-explaining title. Dragon types like Zygarde and Zekrom, along with Eternatus and also Kyurem-White itself, have been rising in popularity. Kyurem-White counters them hard, especially Zygarde, hitting them with supereffective moves off it's enormous SpATK, effectively killing them. It's new Specs and Scarf sets that are showing up more OHKO any Dragon types, and deal heavy damage to other Pokemon, provided it's supereffective.
Yeah the first sentence is true, but not the rise in Kyurem-White usage part. In fact, its usage has been declining since the sixth month of the year whatever it's called. Now, Kyurem-White doesn't "counter" any of these Pokémon. It gets finished off by Dynamax Cannon from Eternatus, Dragon Claw from Zekrom and Outrage, albeit rare, from Zygarde. It "checks" unboosted Zygarde and Zekrom only, as it can outspeed them and attempt for a KO with Ice Beam, for instance. Eternatus just fucks it lol. I recommend a read of this article, it explains checks and counters pretty well.

3) Massive Flexibility
The biggest reason to me, and the reason I'm writing this, is that Kyurem-White has a lot of flexiblity. It can run a SpDef set to help teams that struggle with Kyogre, run Specs to supplement damage on a more passive team while still checking Kyogre, or use Scarf as speed control and a revenge killer. It has a vast movepool, with Dragon, Ice, Steel and Fire hitting every Pokemon at least neutrally. These, combined with it's useful typing, makes it easy to fit on a team, whether as a semi-offensive Kyogre check, or a full on Choice sweeper.
Yeah that's nice but not nice. I've personally never seen Choice Specs Kyurem-White. It's so damn rare, even on the ladder which likes to experiment a lot. Its only viable set is the SpDef Kyogre counter set. Its typing isn't useful, in fact, it hinders it (as an offensive Pokémon). A weakness to Stealth Rock is extremely shit and stupid and it'll hate coming in when hazards are down, meaning an over-reliance on Heavy-Duty Boots, which means that you don't hit hard enough. Yeah it has a vast movepool, but Yveltal + Necrozma-DM are quite enough for it, and Ho-Oh has no issue switching around its moves. It actually needs a nice amount of support, especially anti-Zacian-C and anti-Hazard support so that it isn't fucked before doing anything.

1) Specially Defensive
:ss/Kyurem-White:
Kyurem-White @ Utility Umbrella / Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Turboblaze
EVs: 40 SpA / 216 SpD / 252 Spe / 4 HP / 252 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Sheer Cold / Draco Meteor
- Freeze-Dry
- Fusion Flare
- Roost

The standard Specially Defensive set. An alternate set of 4 HP, 252 SpDef and Speed can be used for maximum bulk, while still outspeeding non-Scarf Kyogre. Sheer Cold is obviously amazing if it hits, but I prefer Draco Meteor to hit opposing Kyurem-White hard. The drawback from Sheer Cold missing is potential chip damage lost and loss of momentum, which is pretty bad for a 30% chance to hit. Freeze-Dry is mandatory for hitting Kyogre supereffectively, but it also hits Groudon, Zygarde, Zekrom and others hard. Fusion Flare is decently powerful, and hits Steel types, it's biggest roadblock, supereffectively, and Kyurem-White doesn't care about rain thanks to Utility Umbrella. Roost provides passive recovery, and keeps Kyurem-White healthy reliably. Utility Umbrella is the go to item, as it stops Kyogre's Water Spout from denting it severely, and prevents Fusion Flare from being weakened. Heavy-Duty Boots can also be used to not be worn down, but Utility Umbrella is generally better. The first EV spread gives Kyurem-White some damage, while still tanking hits from Kyogre, while the other is full on defense. Absolutely amazing in providing it's team with defensive utility, while offering some offense. It can fit on teams easily, as any team needs a sturdy Kyogre check.
It has a jarring weakness to every hazard. It takes a big L from Stealth Rock every time it's switching in on Kyogre, and even though you can do Heavy-Duty Boots, Kyogre is just gonna fuck it, as there's no Umbrella. The Umbrella sets take twenty five from Rocks, and with some sane doubles (like to Zacian-C nyaa) and predicts, the Kyurem-White is gonna go home for the day. Blissey's usage is also rising, and Eternatus is an amazing Pokémon as a whole which doesn't make you lose momentum if you don't win the 30/70's, and Kyurem-White also dies to the Substitute + Thunder Wave set which is getting a little uncommon now, though. And no it can't provide any offense, if it's not hitting super-effectively, it hits like a noodle. To fit it, you'll need some sturdy anti-hazard support (I've said this before? idk), and it's just setup fodder for the likes of Xerneas and all.

2) Choice Specs
:ss/Kyurem-White:
Kyurem-White @ Choice Specs
Ability: Turboblaze
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Freeze-Dry
- Flash Cannon
- Earth Power

A powerful Specs set. It deals massive damage to anything, and it's coverage is perfect too, aside from Shedinja. Draco Meteor is STAB, and hits opposing Kyurem-White hard, along with other Dragon types, although Freeze-Dry is still preferred. Freeze-Dry is also STAB, and hits Kyogre and Dragon types hard. Flash Cannon hits Fairy types supereffectively, making Xerneas users wary of switching in. Earth Power is used over Fusion Flare, since it isn't weakened by rain, has a nice side effect of a chance to lower SpDef, and hits Kyogre neutrally, making it a safer choice to click over Fusion Flare. Choice Specs jacks it's power up to astronomical levels, hitting anything for massive damage. The EV spread gives maximum damage, while still outspeeding key targets like unboosted Zekrom and Zygarde. The main issue with this set is that it's harder for Kyurem-White to switch in to Kyogre, as it's lack of SpDef investment and loss of Utility Umbrella makes it take a decent chunk. But with team support, it is absolutely worth it to use Specs Kyurem-White, as the offensive prowess it offers is incredible.
Choice Specs Kyurem-White is a little stupid because of its lack of recovery, it gets worn down extremely quickly, especially with hazards. It also gets revenge killed extremely easily, through the likes of Marshadow, Zacian, Zacian-Crowned, Necrozma-DM, Xerneas, Eternatus and whatnot. Flash Cannon isn't required on this set as Freeze Dry hits Xerneas for 59 anyways, and you kind of need Ice Beam somewhere here, so that you can do something to chipped Ho-Oh. Shedinja does nothing here as Turboblaze ignores Wonder Guard. This is actually an outclassed set, as Ice-, albeit a good offensive type, isn't that good "defensively", per se, as you're dumped by a lot of common mons and take a lot of damage from hazards. You need a good defensive core to support it, it actually requires a ridiculous amount of support. Draco Meteor is also a risky move (with Specs) as things like Zacian-C and Xerneas can switchin and setup, and, coupled with its mediocre speed, you're gonna loose some momentum with it. Calyrex-Shadow is so much better as a Specs wallbreaker, though Kyurem-White and ShadowRex aren't comparable in some ways.

The Choice Scarf set also has similar issues, but it outspeeds things like Marsh, Zacian-C, Xerneas, Eternatus etc., but hits worse. As a revenge killer, its nice but again, gets worn down extremely quickly. Overall, it's pretty much outclassed as a special wallbreaker and you'll usually be using the SpD set if you do use it.

Tl;dr: Kyurem-White sux lel ecks dee lole haha.
And oh you might want to put the calcs in a Spoiler, it looks better and not crumped together.

thanks for reading nyaa :3 mrrow uwu owo :3 nyaa mrrow :3
 
Kyurem-White, albeit nice, just isn't A- material right now. It has a few gaping shortcomings that prevent it from getting higher than B+. Yeah it had a period of stardom during April-July iirc, and it was good, but then people just found ways to get past it and it became obsolete.


Actually, Necrozma-DM and Zacian-C, though disliking Fusion Flare, can come on a free switch on it as you'll bee keen on keeping the Kyurem healthy (especially if hazards are on your field) and so you'll be clicking Roost or doing skilled plays with Sheer Cold. Even though yes, the aforementioned Pokémon do dislike a Fusion Flare, they can come easily on a Kyurem-W if you check it practically. And Necrozma-DM isn't even 2HKO'd by Fusion Flare :0.


Yeah the first sentence is true, but not the rise in Kyurem-White usage part. In fact, its usage has been declining since the sixth month of the year whatever it's called. Now, Kyurem-White doesn't "counter" any of these Pokémon. It gets finished off by Dynamax Cannon from Eternatus, Dragon Claw from Zekrom and Outrage, albeit rare, from Zygarde. It "checks" unboosted Zygarde and Zekrom only, as it can outspeed them and attempt for a KO with Ice Beam, for instance. Eternatus just fucks it lol. I recommend a read of this article, it explains checks and counters pretty well.


Yeah that's nice but not nice. I've personally never seen Choice Specs Kyurem-White. It's so damn rare, even on the ladder which likes to experiment a lot. Its only viable set is the SpDef Kyogre counter set. Its typing isn't useful, in fact, it hinders it (as an offensive Pokémon). A weakness to Stealth Rock is extremely shit and stupid and it'll hate coming in when hazards are down, meaning an over-reliance on Heavy-Duty Boots, which means that you don't hit hard enough. Yeah it has a vast movepool, but Yveltal + Necrozma-DM are quite enough for it, and Ho-Oh has no issue switching around its moves. It actually needs a nice amount of support, especially anti-Zacian-C and anti-Hazard support so that it isn't fucked before doing anything.


It has a jarring weakness to every hazard. It takes a big L from Stealth Rock every time it's switching in on Kyogre, and even though you can do Heavy-Duty Boots, Kyogre is just gonna fuck it, as there's no Umbrella. The Umbrella sets take twenty five from Rocks, and with some sane doubles (like to Zacian-C nyaa) and predicts, the Kyurem-White is gonna go home for the day. Blissey's usage is also rising, and Eternatus is an amazing Pokémon as a whole which doesn't make you lose momentum if you don't win the 30/70's, and Kyurem-White also dies to the Substitute + Thunder Wave set which is getting a little uncommon now, though. And no it can't provide any offense, if it's not hitting super-effectively, it hits like a noodle. To fit it, you'll need some sturdy anti-hazard support (I've said this before? idk), and it's just setup fodder for the likes of Xerneas and all.


Choice Specs Kyurem-White is a little stupid because of its lack of recovery, it gets worn down extremely quickly, especially with hazards. It also gets revenge killed extremely easily, through the likes of Marshadow, Zacian, Zacian-Crowned, Necrozma-DM, Xerneas, Eternatus and whatnot. Flash Cannon isn't required on this set as Freeze Dry hits Xerneas for 59 anyways, and you kind of need Ice Beam somewhere here, so that you can do something to chipped Ho-Oh. Shedinja does nothing here as Turboblaze ignores Wonder Guard. This is actually an outclassed set, as Ice-, albeit a good offensive type, isn't that good "defensively", per se, as you're dumped by a lot of common mons and take a lot of damage from hazards. You need a good defensive core to support it, it actually requires a ridiculous amount of support. Draco Meteor is also a risky move (with Specs) as things like Zacian-C and Xerneas can switchin and setup, and, coupled with its mediocre speed, you're gonna loose some momentum with it. Calyrex-Shadow is so much better as a Specs wallbreaker, though Kyurem-White and ShadowRex aren't comparable in some ways.

The Choice Scarf set also has similar issues, but it outspeeds things like Marsh, Zacian-C, Xerneas, Eternatus etc., but hits worse. As a revenge killer, its nice but again, gets worn down extremely quickly. Overall, it's pretty much outclassed as a special wallbreaker and you'll usually be using the SpD set if you do use it.

Tl;dr: Kyurem-White sux lel ecks dee lole haha.
And oh you might want to put the calcs in a Spoiler, it looks better and not crumped together.

thanks for reading nyaa :3 mrrow uwu owo :3 nyaa mrrow :3
really true lol, rip kyurem-white. im not going to delete my post since its awkward that you guys are replying to nothing lol
 
:ss/Aerodactyl: UR -> D

I think Aerodactyl is a fantastic suicide lead. It's the fastest rocker in the format with a blistering 130 base speed, access to Taunt and Rock Tomb, and even access to Defog to keep opposing hazards off the field to support getting yours up. It's basically faster Lycanroc without Endeavor and with an admittedly unfortunate weakness to Rock Tomb. Regardless, I think it's very much worthy of a spot on the VR, D rank at least.
 

SussyElmo2d

Banned deucer.
:arcanine: Arcanine is an underrated mon imo i think it should atleast be Ranked at D.
Arcanine @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Teleport
- Will-O-Wisp
- Morning Sun
- Overheat
This is the set im using atm.
Arcanine has the ability to check some dangerous threats like : Zacian-Crowned , Defensive DD NDM , and Lorb Marshadow and thats a very unique aspect that no other mon can do, While NDM can check zacian , and itself it struggles alot with Lorb marshadow.

Teleport - This is an AMAZING tool for arcanine its great pivot move to scout out switches, it also allows big threats to come in safely like Calyrex-Shadow, Marshadow, etc.

Will-O-Wisp - This is great move to have for a defensive mon, You can burn physical attackers thinking they can setup against you and overpower you.

Morning Sun - This is self explanatory, its a healing move that will help you stay alive through out the game.

Overheat - I Specifically chose Overheat as an attacking move Simply because it can ohko zacian at -1 SPD.
8 SpA Arcanine Overheat vs. -1 184 HP / 0 SpD Zacian-Crowned: 374-444 (100.8 - 119.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO



You might think how can ARCANINE check these dangerous threats? Intimidate.

Zacian is forced to use Close Combat, which arcanine can take
252+ Atk Zacian-Crowned Close Combat vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Arcanine: 147-173 (38.3 - 45.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252+ Atk burned Zacian-Crowned Close Combat vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Arcanine: 73-86 (19 - 22.4%) -- possible 5HKO


How about NDM? it can run EQ for steels right? it simply doesn't do much damage
-1 4 Atk Necrozma-Dusk-Mane Earthquake vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Arcanine: 120-142 (31.3 - 37%) -- 76.1% chance to 3HKO
-1 4 Atk burned Necrozma-Dusk-Mane Earthquake vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Arcanine: 60-71 (15.6 - 18.5%) -- possible 6HKO

Lorb marshadow, a mon very hard to deal with. Well arcanine avoids the 2hko
-1 252+ Atk Life Orb Marshadow Close Combat vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Arcanine: 152-179 (39.6 - 46.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
-1 252+ Atk Life Orb burned Marshadow Close Combat vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Arcanine: 75-90 (19.5 - 23.4%) -- possible 5HKO


Pardon me for this bad post, its my first VR post.
 
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:arcanine: Arcanine is an underrated mon imo i think it should atleast be Ranked at D.
Arcanine @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Teleport
- Will-O-Wisp
- Morning Sun
- Overheat
This is the set im using atm.
Arcanine has the ability to check some dangerous threats like : Zacian-Crowned , Defensive DD NDM , and Lorb Marshadow and thats a very unique aspect that no other mon can do, While NDM can check zacian , and itself it struggles alot with Lorb marshadow.

Teleport - This is an AMAZING tool for arcanine its great pivot move to scout out switches, it also allows big threats to come in safely like Calyrex-Shadow, Marshadow, etc.

Will-O-Wisp - This is great move to have for a defensive mon, You can burn physical attackers thinking they can setup against you and overpower you.

Morning Sun - This is self explanatory, its a healing move that will help you stay alive through out the game.

Overheat - I Specifically chose Overheat as an attacking move Simply because it can ohko zacian at -1 SPD.
8 SpA Arcanine Overheat vs. -1 184 HP / 0 SpD Zacian-Crowned: 374-444 (100.8 - 119.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO



You might think how can ARCANINE check these dangerous threats? Intimidate.

Zacian is forced to use Close Combat, which arcanine can take
252+ Atk Zacian-Crowned Close Combat vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Arcanine: 147-173 (38.3 - 45.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252+ Atk burned Zacian-Crowned Close Combat vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Arcanine: 73-86 (19 - 22.4%) -- possible 5HKO


How about NDM? it can run EQ for steels right? it simply doesn't do much damage
-1 4 Atk Necrozma-Dusk-Mane Earthquake vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Arcanine: 120-142 (31.3 - 37%) -- 76.1% chance to 3HKO
-1 4 Atk burned Necrozma-Dusk-Mane Earthquake vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Arcanine: 60-71 (15.6 - 18.5%) -- possible 6HKO

Lorb marshadow, a mon very hard to deal with. Well arcanine avoids the 2hko
-1 252+ Atk Life Orb Marshadow Close Combat vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Arcanine: 152-179 (39.6 - 46.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
-1 252+ Atk Life Orb burned Marshadow Close Combat vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Arcanine: 75-90 (19.5 - 23.4%) -- possible 5HKO


Pardon me for this bad post, its my first VR post.
Your bigger concern vs NDM is not actually EQ; it's Knock Off or T-Wave, which are arguably a lot more common now, since EQ NDM really doesn't do much vs Zekrom if Dyna is in the picture. You absolutely don't want this Knocked at any point in the game, and paralysis often requires you to run clerics if you plan to use this vs NDM.

But the biggest thing is the lack of item usability. NDM checks Zacian just fine but also can either gain residual damage via Leftovers or chip Zacian with Rocky Helmet. You also require Intimidate to function upon switch-in, which means if you are at ~60, Zacian and Marshadow are going to claim your life, something NDM tends to not worry about too much. Not saying this shouldn't be considered, but it seems like there's enough reason for it to be considered unviable.
 

SussyElmo2d

Banned deucer.
Your bigger concern vs NDM is not actually EQ; it's Knock Off or T-Wave, which are arguably a lot more common now, since EQ NDM really doesn't do much vs Zekrom if Dyna is in the picture. You absolutely don't want this Knocked at any point in the game, and paralysis often requires you to run clerics if you plan to use this vs NDM.

But the biggest thing is the lack of item usability. NDM checks Zacian just fine but also can either gain residual damage via Leftovers or chip Zacian with Rocky Helmet. You also require Intimidate to function upon switch-in, which means if you are at ~60, Zacian and Marshadow are going to claim your life, something NDM tends to not worry about too much. Not saying this shouldn't be considered, but it seems like there's enough reason for it to be considered unviable.
Thats True but, its still usable also Arcanine pairs great with ferrothorn which can tank the knock off from ndm. Ferrothorn can stop the water types, ground types that arcanine is scared of.So its reasonable to pair Ferrothorn.But you do bring up a valid argument.
 
Back and decided to keep only the relevant mons.


A --> A+
This thing is 100% underrated right now. Like honestly, it doesn't even need the right support to break teams. You can slap this on most teams and the LO set breaks things and just gives so much flexibility and Ghost-priority is just very relevant. For reference, the common Physical walls in the tier are Zygarde, Groudon, Dusk Mane, Ferrothorn, Lunala, Ho-oh and Kyogre (to some extent). The most common bad switch-ins to Marshadow tend to be Eternatus or Yveltal despite that, because you want to catch the Marshadow player on the wrong predict.

252+ Atk Life Orb Marshadow Poltergeist vs. 240 HP / 0 Def Eternatus: 261-308 (54.2 - 64%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Black Sludge recovery
252+ Atk Life Orb Marshadow Close Combat vs. 248 HP / 8 Def Yveltal: 282-333 (61.9 - 73.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Both of them get promptly 2HKOd by the relevant move. Zygarde should almost never come in the first time around because of Ice Punch, and Ho-oh should be afraid of random Rock Tombs. Regardless, it needs neither of those moves as its best set currently is definitely Bulk Up. With Bulk Up, you can plow through so many teams after just 1 boost and rocks. And it's so easy to get that +1, since forcing switches is so easy with this mon. It puts the opposition in such a rough checkmate position, where until you figure out what the fourth moveslot is, you're going to be playing sub-optimally the entire game.

It can also run a slurry of other (admittedly worse) sets such as Choice Band, sub-swagger (as shown by Fc during AGLT) [honestly, you should know how to play around this lmao], Focus Sash in Kate's infamous Lycanroc HO team, Choice Scarf among others.

The best counter to this mon is Air Balloon Xerneas. But the fact that we even have to run Air Balloon on def Xerneas to not get 2HKOd by Poltergeist is insane and you can still lose to Dmax once the balloon pops, if needed.

There are of course drawbacks to Marshadow such as its frailness or its 1-dimensionality of just being an offensive mon, but it doesn't really need the surprise factor. You see it come in on something like a Ferrothorn, and you start questioning how you deal with this mon, only to arrive on the conclusion of wasting its PP or double-switching until you can get a better position. Fighting and Ghost STAB is a massive threat in this current metagame, and you'd be lying if you think Marshadow is not on the level, if not better than the other two mons in A+ right now.


A- --> A
I'll make this one short. With the advent of Paraflinch Dusk Mane, Offensive Zyg/Groudons, less Ice-coverage on Kyogre, and a bunch of other small meta shifts, Zekrom is just a monster to deal with nowadays. Even if your NDM is running EQ, you actually still lose 1v1 on a switch-in. The biggest thing stopping this from seeing more usage is simply that it's one of those mons that require really good Dyna timing. The opponent double switching on its two unfortunately abusable STABs means that you have to get your positioning just right. That doesn't mean it doesn't stomp through every team that doesn't have a scarf Ditto (which you can easily play around with the same abusable STAB immunity argument) and Ferrothorn (a bit harder, but honestly, Ferro balance can be overwhelmed with double dragon teams).

Less convinced about this one, but I think it's a step above Ho-oh right now.
 

Pokemh

Banned deucer.
Hey! I’d like to make some noms. :ss/(Xerneas:
Xerneas to S- Although xern is already very high on the vr the fact that it can run Scarf defensive geo and lefties/balloon to check most of the meta, defensive geo being able to set up on yveltal and a tombed non sludge bomb etern/ paralyzed etern and marsh to an extent is very huge in this meta since ndm can’t really win the 1v1 unless it crits zacian easily chipped by helm gets koed safely around 80ish depending on evs and only really threatened by a very well hid scarf kyogre (and steels but you tend to switch-out unless its a burned clearly not offensive ndm) as well as scarf xern with a pivot giving a free cleric turn or forcing out kyurem white if you’re really weak to it’s sheer cold set.

+2 252+ SpA Xerneas Max Lightning vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Dynamax Necrozma-Dusk-Mane: 312-368 (39.1 - 46.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

+2 252+ SpA Xerneas Max Lightning vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Dynamax Necrozma-Dusk-Mane in Electric Terrain: 406-478 (51 - 60%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
After rocks or forced chip you have a pretty good shot at 2hkoing ndm and you live quake into steelspike w/o a steelspike crit getting rid of rocks if not defensive dd
0 Atk Necrozma-Dusk-Mane Max Steelspike vs. 0 HP / 168 Def Dynamax Xerneas: 366-432 (46.5 - 54.9%) -- 62.9% chance to 2HKO


:ss/(Kyurem-White:

Kyuw to b- This thing fell off alot also making games very unfun when it comes down to kyuw hitting multiple sheer colds or freezing while being unable to get frozen. Turn 4


Turn 4


Dugtrio used Stone Edge!
It's super effective!
A critical hit!
(The opposing Kyurem lost 95% of its health!)

The opposing Kyurem used Sheer Cold!
Dugtrio avoided the attack!

Turn 5
☆acspina: u win
acspina has 120 seconds left.

(Dugtrio's Dynamax!)

Dugtrio used Max Quake!
(The opposing Kyurem lost 5% of its health!)
Dugtrio's Sp. Def rose!

The opposing Kyurem fainted!
(LOL)



:ss/(Dugtrio:

This mon makes for some very fun defensive cores and not being forced into helm ndm for zacian since dugtrio should KO after a cc drop into sunsteel. Pretty sure sedge drops spd ho oh and always wins the 1v1 with some investment vs eternatus because you literally never ohko etern unless you crit or somehow find a way to fit something like specs kyogre w/ duggy and have etern either frozen which can still t1 unfreeze and completely mess you up and you get ohkoed by even uninvested cannon and any good player will probably save 4 or 3 cannons so in order for this to work you need to have very good hazard control probably taunt ygod you are a scarf dugtrio that should outspeed everything so about 100 spd or hp iirc anything above 306 speed should do it should probably be running memento somewhere sedge and its stab eq. Beat up for sub calyrex and toxic if you arent toxic yveltal or etern. Def not the most viable mon but if you want to mess with offensive trapping this is def a mon to consider.
https://pokepast.es/ddea5e775d2b6650 Kyuw sets probably aren’t ideal because I dont use this mon, xern could use some creeping and dug set could probably be more ideal. Erm I just think this should be included somewhere in the vr sorry for missing this out I just got done studying.


That’s gonna be my three noms since the meta pretty much has been figured out and the vr looks quite literally perfect in showing all the niche and viable mons.
 

MAHOH

is a Former Smogon Metagame Tournament Circuit Championis a Former Other Tournament Circuit Champion
UPL Champion
Here we go baby

Zyg to go Up
Etern to go Down


Everyone knows it, Zygarde is broken. You are never going to stop it from setting up on NDM without wasting dyna. Life Orb to destroy your opponents instantly, Sub DD Dtail/Glare/Toxic to give them a slow death. Dynamax has never been more unfair with a mon. It already had so much HP but now you can x2 and give it a SpD boost with Max Quake so now Xerneas and Kyogre don't beat it. Unless you have Calyrex-Ice and Dynamax left (It's dying to Max Rockfall if you don't Dyna back at it), you legitimately can not kill this thing in one shot.

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen8anythinggoes-600301 Zygarde won the game

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen8anythinggoes-599483 Zygarde almost brought it back, could win/make it way closer if it didn't get crit

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen8anythinggoes-599043 Zygarde won the game

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen8anythinggoes-601001 Zygarde forced dyna into a winning endgame

As for Eternatus... It's Kyogres bitch and everyone knows it. I lose braincells watching these Block or Sub Kyogres win games. It happens in such a way that there's nothing the Eternatus user can even do about it. Eternatus is still the goat glue for teams but I think it's reasonable to put it with Groudon and Xerneas in A+


This is what I'd suggest


S

:blobthumbsup: Delete S+, make it S



S-


- >
Instead of raising Zygarde to S (leaving Eternatus the only one in S-), make Kyogre/NDM/Zac S-



A+


->
Lower Eternatus to A+



Another random nom then I'm done here


B to B+


It obviously doesn't deserve to be grouped with unviables like Kyu-W and Gira-O

145 Atk Stab EQ w/ Stone Edge to hit the birds, can run Lefties for longevity, Defogs against NDM and Groudon, can set Stealth Rock, U-Turn, dumb ability, checks all of these in 1 mon



Looking at the Ubers VR, if this got more usage in AG you could probably make a case for A-. I'm not too convinced with offensive sets but they can be threatening as well. Pce
 

Will

about you
is an official Team Rater
OMPL Champion
VR Update!

Hey! It's been a while. The tier has seen some creative development in this almost past half a year with the several tournaments and most importantly, circuit championship playoffs. We hope that this viability ranking update will be able to encapsulate all of the change we've seen. As per usual, the voting slate for the latest update can be found here. Enjoy these reasonings courtesy in part of lotiasite baconeatinassassin Kate!

Rises

:Eternatus: S- to S

:Zygarde: S- to S

:Ditto: A to A+

:Ho-Oh: A- to A

:Landorus-Therian: B to B+

:Urshifu: C to C+

:Butterfree: UR to C+

:Regieleki: C- to C

:Dugtrio: UR to D

:Tapu Fini: UR to D

:Heatran: UR to D

:Polteageist: UR to D

S- to S

Eternatus's immense capabilities have been brought to light lately as new sets emerge and people figure out how to optimize its role compression. Developments in defensive sets such as Cosmic Power and Light Screen have reshaped the way Eternatus handles all of the new and innovative offensive Kyogre sets while developments in offensive sets such as Power Herb + Meteor Beam have reshaped the way Eternatus interacts with its defensive checks. A midground between defensive and offensive Eternatus sets which allows Eternatus to retain some of its defensive capabilities while making progress by dealing significant damage to metagame staples such as Necrozma-Dusk-Mane and other defensive Eternatus has been gaining traction lately as well. Zygarde has been tearing up the tournament scene with its many new unpredictable offensive sets, making it arguably the most threatening offensive force in the metagame. There is virtually no singular solid check to Zygarde's many offensive sets ranging from Life Orb to Glare Sub Coil. Due to its daunting ability of making or breaking a game with a single sequence, Zygarde deserves to rise from S- to S.

A to A+

As metagame threats begin to diversify and develop, one thing remains unchanged — Ditto's amazing reliability for punishing and revenge killing with opponents' sweepers. The unparalleled stability that it's able to bring to any team in this uncertain bulky offense metagame mandates its rise to A+.

A- to A

Ho-Oh has been making a resurgence as it enables offensive Yveltal, has emerging innovative offensive sets, and provides excellent role compression. Offensive Yveltal has always been extremely threatening but limited by its need to check Calyrex, so the fact that Ho-Oh allows for the creation of a viable bulky offense team structure that deviates from the omnipresent Necrozma-Dusk-Mane/Yveltal/Eternatus is perplexing. Offensive Ho-Oh sets that utilize Paralysis to weaken its primary check, Eternatus, have also been emerging and showing promise. Additionally, due to Ho-Oh's ability to Defog on and force out the tier's premier Stealth Rock setter, Necrozma-Dusk-Mane, Life Orb Ho-Oh is possible to get away with.

B to B+

As Zekrom and Groudon rise in popularity, so does Landorus-T. Landorus-T's natural ability to check Zekrom and Groudon due to its excellent typing and ability adds to the utility it provides as a Stealth Rocker that is able to threaten Defoggers with Toxic/Stone Edge. Its role compression abilities make it a popular niche pick which also enables one to run Dragon Dance Necrozma-Dusk-Mane without having to forgo Stealth Rocks. Its offensive Swords Dance Life Orb set should also not be forgotten; with Dynamax, Landorus-T's excellent flying typing is put to use by allowing it to increase its speed with STAB moves. The sheer power output allows Landorus-T to pretty much OHKO anything the tier has to offer, even max defense Zygarde.

C to C+

Slight shifts in the metagame towards more offensive Eternatus and Zygarde sets have benefitted Urshifu in recent times, but not a whole lot else has changed for it. Its rise mostly reflects its increased usage in tournament play as a niche breaker that 2HKOs most of the metagame, while also possessing defensive traits that allow it ample opportunities to come into the game.

UR to C+

Butterfree is the essentially the child of Vivillon from earlier generations of Anything Goes. If you allow it to come in on something it's faster than, it will sleep your Pokémon with a Compound Eyes boosted Sleep Powder that clocks in at 97.5% accuracy, set a Substitute up, Quiver Dance to high heaven, and then sweep your team with Hurricane. Butterfree is especially scary when used on a Sticky Web offense team as incoming grounded Pokémon automatically start at -1 Speed. On offense teams without Sticky Web, it can be used as an efficient stat passer as it gains access to Baton Pass which it can utilize in tandem with Quiver Dance and Focus Sash. While it's possible to overcome Butterfree with priority as it's frail, Stealth Rocks to limit its HP, and Electric/Misty terrain set up by Dynamax moves that blocks status, its unexpected ability to turn a game around at a moment's notice warrants its rise out of the unranked pool.

C- to C

Although quickly dropped by many within weeks of the metagame's release, Regieleki is being picked up once again as sets are being developed to overcome its worst enemy: Ground types. Choice Specs and Life Orb sets featuring hard-hitting special attacks such as Hyper Beam have made appearances throughout tournaments, yielding decent results. Left unchecked by a Ground type, Regieleki is a menace with its pivoting capabilities compounded by its incredible Speed and Special Attack stats. Aside from breaking and pivoting, Regieleki can also act as a possible hazard spinner and speed control as it edges popular base 99 speed Pokémon Yveltal and Xerneas at +1 without any special nature or item.

UR to D

Dugtrio joins the D-rank as a trapper able to remove two of the most prevalent Pokemon in the metagame, Zacian-C and Eternatus, with its Choice Scarf set. Given teams often rely on Zacian-C as a wallbreaker and to check dangerous breakers, and many defensive cores depend on Eternatus, when Dugtrio is paired with threats such as offensive Yveltal, Marshadow and Kyogre, there is often not much the opponent can do to stop the aforementioned Pokemon from tearing through them after their checks are taken out of action. While it does have many shortcomings, we felt it overall deserved a place on the VR.

Tapu Fini finds itself in D rank due to a few unique set of traits. Misty surge is a fantastic ability that grants status immunity to grounded mons for a limited time, which can be extremely useful for balances that rely less on status themselves. Additionally, Fini possesses a potent move in Nature's Madness, which nothing likes switching into. Its excellent typing allows it to threaten Yveltal, Eternatus without Sludge Bomb, and survive Necrozma-Dusk-Mane. Combined with its solid bulk, good typing, and progress making in Taunt, Whirlpool, and Knock Off, Tapu fini justifies a rise.

Heatran’s niche is as a Stealth Rock user able to check Eternatus and most variants of Ho-oh, as well as threaten Necrozma-DM, Ferrothorn and Yveltal with the combination of Magma Storm, Earth Power and Taunt/Toxic. Even though it can be taken advantage of easily by much of the offensive metagame, its unique ability to pressure the aforementioned Pokemon warrants a ranking.

Last but not least, Polteageist has been making a name for itself as a notorious Shell Smash + Baton Pass abuser. If the opportunity arises for it to come in unharmed on anything without immediate phazing abilities, there's a high chance that it will be able to successfully set up a stat transfer thanks to Focus Sash and its ability which allows it to out speed the entire meta after getting hit.

Drops

:Tyranitar: B to B-

:Kyurem-White: B to C+

:Palkia: C+ to D

:Reshiram: C+ to D

:Skarmory: C to D

:Gastrodon: C- to UR

:Lapras: C- to UR

:Solgaleo: D to UR

B to B-


Tyranitar has taken a drop due to its diminishing relevance as a Calyrex-S check compared to Yveltal. It is very difficult to fit on teams due to requiring another Defogger and often becomes a sitting duck when recovering with Rest or when Tricked. Yveltal is becoming more and more difficult to forgo on most balance teams in this metagame because of it all offers between Defog, Knock Off, momentum with U-turn, a Groudon check with Foul Play, etc. That said, Tyranitar still has a niche because it generally checks Calyrex-S more reliably, being crippled by Trick less than Yveltal and tanking +2 LO Max Starfall, which Yveltal cannot do.

B to C+

Kyurem-W has simply not kept up with the metagame as of late. Sheer Cold sets are extremely luck based and inconsistent, while other sets such as Life Orb and Choice Specs lack the offensive presence of other available attackers like Calyrex-S and Kyogre. It is crippled by Stealth Rock if using Utility Umbrella and struggles to check Choice Specs Kyogre if using Heavy-Duty Boots. Kyurem-W is heavily outclassed by Eternatus as a Kyogre check and the tried-and-true core of NDM-Yve-Etern has only gotten stronger, which necessitates a drop for the competition.

C+ to D


Palkia has always been extremely mediocre - it is essentially Kyurem-W but worse. Its niche as an offensive option that checks Kyogre is basically useless, since between Thunder paralysis, Thunder Wave, CM Ice Beam, Specs Ice Beam, and Palkia's lack of recovery, Palkia is losing to Kyogre one way or another. Palkia requires a litany of correct predictions to work effectively, especially around Dynamax and Ditto, which leaves it outclassed by many other offensive options. It still has a small niche, since its coverage is quite difficult to switch into, but developments in Kyogre's set versatility has only meant that Palkia has gotten worse and is incredibly difficult to justify on most teams.

C+ to D

Reshiram suffers from many of the same issues as Palkia but without the smidge of defensive utility that Palkia provides. Reshiram can be scary if given the chance to set up, but even the Pokemon it likes to set up on the most, Necrozma-DM, can cripple it with Earthquake or Thunder Wave. Like Palkia, it takes correction predictions to use and suffers from Ditto if using Dragon Dance sets. Due to its lack of defensive utility, it is hard to use on balance teams that often now require NDM/Yve/Etern/Scarfer + 2 Attackers with defensive utility, which leaves limited spots for something like Reshiram. As such, it drops for the time being.

C to D

Skarmory has become largely outclassed by physically defensive Ferrothorn as a defensive Spiker. Skarmory's lone niche comes in its ability to check Groudon slightly better, but Ferrothorn has far greater utility in checking Zygarde and Zekrom and not folding like a wet paper bag to special attacks. Skarmory retains a slight niche on teams that have solid Zygarde and Zekrom counterplay and are overly weak to Groudon, so it drops to D.

to UR


These 3 Pokemon suffer from similar issues in that they are all alternate options to Yveltal/Necrozma-Dusk-Mane/Eternatus that are largely useless and completely outclassed. Gastrodon is a sturdier Kyogre check that falls flat to everything else, not offering the defensive utility that Eternatus does in absorbing Toxic and Knock Off and spreading status. Solgaleo is worse NDM that can use Future Sight and pivot with Teleport, but it is extremely difficult to make this work in practice. Lapras is a relic of the bygone Kyurem-W era — OHKO moves are still extremely inconsistent and Lapras falls to Specs Thunder and the recently rising CM Thunder Kyogre. As such, they have all been unranked.
 
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Well following the new VR updates, I’d like to make a nom of my own

:ss/Xerneas:
Xerneas: A+ -> A

In my opinion, Xerneas has only diminished as time has gone on. With the prevalence of NDM, bulky Zacian, Ho-oh, and Ditto, this Mon just doesn’t pose the threat it once did when +2 Starfalls and Lightnings could rip open the meta the way it once could. It gets forced out way too often in my opinion and leaves it far too vulnerable to being revenged by Ditto, Marshadow, and scarf Caly-S after hazard chip or chip from other passive attacks such as sub zygarde’s thousand arrows. I also just don’t think it poses more of an impact on the current meta than any of the mons currently in A rank, and honestly I think it’s impact is less than most if not all of them. For these reasons, I nominate that Xerneas drop from A+ to A.

Edit: I also don’t think defensive or scarf sets provide sufficient force or role compression to perform consistently and be worth a team slot.
 
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Oh boy my first ever nomination and I am choosing a UR mon for it. But hear me out here.

ribombee-totem.gif

Ribombee: UR ->D
Set:
Bee (Ribombee) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Shield Dust/Sweet Veil
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stun Spore/Imprison/Reflect/Moonblast/Defog
- Sticky Web
- Quiver Dance/Light Screen
- Baton Pass/Stun Spore

Ribombee here is a sticky web setter, which this meta has no shortage of whether it be the premier setter Slurpuff or Shuckle who can also set Stealth Rocks. Now what does Ribombee offer over these two? Screens support, potential to pass Quiver Dances over to some of your offensive teammates like Specs Kyogre or Life Orb Yveltal. On top of that it also has paralysis support with Stun Spore potentially letting it grab a Quiver Dance. Imprison to completely screw Slurpuff up. Sweet Veil is the preferred ability for the Imprison set as it can prevent Puff from putting Ribombee to Sleep with Yawn. Also it's faster than Yveltal so it can reliably set up webs in its face whereas Slurpuff has to depend on awkward predictions with Magic Coat. Ribombee can also threaten it with Moonblast so there is that. Now I will talk about Ribombee's unique traits in detail. Starting with its Quiver Dance Baton pass set (dance pass) This is in my opinion Ribombee's main draw as a webs setter and the reason I am making this nom. Passing Quiver Dance to things like the aforementioned Specs Kyogre or even Assault Vest Dialga is no joke and can end games on the spot. With Quiver Dance's Special Defense Boost in conjunction with Dynamax helps improof said recipients from Ditto, enemy number one for hyper offense teams. After Ditto is out of the way u can Either win right then and there or break large enough holes in your opponents team that any sweeper u have can clean up. Next up we got Screens Support Bee. This set is not as explosive as the Dance pass set but is incredible role compression as you don't have to open up a team slot for Grimmsnarl (Screens leki is cringe and bad imao). In particular this can help bulky boosters like Dragon Dance Necrozma-Dusk-Mane, Dragon Dance Zekrom or LO Calm Mind Kyogre. Screens makes these mons incredibly hard to take down in 2 hits and all of the aforementioned mons appreciate webs support as It allows them to run a non speed boosting Nature. Dusk Mane in particular is a huge benefactor as it is unable to outspeed Adamant Zacian-Crowned after a Dragon Dance if it runs Adamant. The last set I tested out was the Imprison set. This is specific but helps out a ton if you are weak to opposing webs hyper offense teams as Imprison prevents webs from going up you gain a game changing advantage over the opponent. It is specific and Shuckle can still set up rocks but Slurpuff is completely walled by this set either forcing it to explode or being forced to switch out both of which is good. Now I did not save a lot of the replays with this mon as this nom idea was kind of a impulse thing but I do have 2 which I would like to share

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8anythinggoes-1505877689 vs Shuckle ho this is not a really good representation of Ribombee's skills but still

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8anythinggoes-1505867244 vs Flynn Watson

Now this mon obviously has some downsides one is obviously heavy competition from Slurpuff. Not being able to stop the opponent from littering your field with hazards is really bad. Ribombee can attempt to run Defog but it is easily exploited and offers no other utility to justify itself. Specific things like Taunt Calyrex-Shadow can just straight up nuke it. But a good hyper offense team has sufficient Calyrex counterplay. Despite all that it's role compression in my opinion makes it deserving of a spot in the VR.

Ok this took too much time to be true so I will nom the rest of the mons sometime later. Thanks for reading.
 
Kyurem-W to C/C-

Kyurem-W’s niche in AG is checking Kyogre, and it’s not even the best at it. Special walls like Utility Umbrella Blissey, Chansey, and Eternatus perform this role much better, yet Chansey sits below Kyurem-W in the C tier. Its poor defensive typing and mediocre speed tier also leaves it easily revenge killed by AG’s premier threats like Marshadow and Zacian-C.

Kyurem-W can run an offensive set to some degree of success, although it’s hard to justify using it over other ice type wallbreakers like Calyrex-I and Darmanitan-G, the latter sitting below Kyurem-W in the C tier. Calyrex-I, despite its poor defensive typing, usually has the bulk to do its job well, while Darmanitan-G’s standard set has the power and speed to wallbreak and revenge kill effectively.

In conclusion, Kyurem-W isn’t bad. It’s just facing stiff competition and a hostile metagame.
 
I’m pretty new to smogon, but what’s the reasoning for Ditto being in A+? I’ve used him in AG and found that he reliably counters the S+ and S tiers(Especially Zacian-C, whose standard set doesn’t have choice scarf). Again, sorry if this question sounds dumb.
:worrywhirl:
 
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cromagnet

I pledge allegiance to the grind
is a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Staff Alumnus
I’m pretty new to smogon, but what’s the reasoning for Ditto being in A+? I’ve used him in AG and found that he reliably counters the S+ and S tiers(Especially Zacian-C, whose standard set doesn’t have choice scarf). Again, sorry if this question sounds dumb.
:worrywhirl:
I think you pretty much answered your own question. Along with dragon dance Zygarde, Zekrom, Groudon, Xerneas, and the list goes on.
 

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