BH BH Central Resources Thread

So following the ban of Calyrex SR there is going to be a dramatic shift in viablity. So I created a potential tier list to reflect some of the major changes to the metagame:

S

Zacian
Chansey (Imposter)
Blissey(Imposter)

A+

Xerneas
Zamazenta- C

A

Giratina
Ho-Oh
A-

Regigigas
Eternatus

B+

Dialga
Zygarde
Reshiram
Palkia
Zekrom
Kyogre

B

Groudon
Cramorant
Pheromosa
Magearna
Ferrothorn
Tapu Fini
Blacephelon
Yveltal
Calyrex IR
Regileki

B-

Swampert
Kyurem Black
Kyurem White
Kartana
Solgaleo

C+
Lunala
Suicune
Chansey(Defensive)
Registeel
Necrozma DM
Type: Null
Zamazenta
Tyranitar
C
Aegislash
Pikachu

C-

Spectrier
Giratina O
Lugia

D.

Xurkitree
Mewtwo
Melmetal
Doublade
Heatran
Volcanion
Dragapult
Zacian
Landorus T
Umbreon
Major Changes to the Meta:

Increases in Viability:

*Mixed Dragons: With the banning of Calyrex SR slower threats such as Palkia, and Reshiram spiked in viablity since they not longer feared being revenge killed by the faster and stronger Calyrex SR.

*Zacian: Zacian regained it's crown as the fastest attacker in BH with the Calyrex ban and now only fears being revenge killed by Choice Scarf users and the rare Regileki.

*Fairy and Steel walls : The rise of mixed Dragons also has lead to increased usage of their corresponding walls, such as Flash Fire Ferrothorn, Tapu Fini and Magearna

Decreases in Viability

*Eternatus: With Calyrex gone more teams are able to run Ice Scales steel types. Additionally Increased usage of Fairy types such as Zacian and Magearna cut greatly into it's ability to wallbreak.

*Dark Types: With the Banning of Calyrex SR Dark Types such as Yveltal lost thier niche as effective special walls. The only remianing Moongeist user is Blacephelon which is rare and is better handled by Tyrantitar anyhow.
 
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Since I want the VR to be revamped asap, I don't think I'd make a brand new vr off the new meta, plus I don't even know what is actually good given ladder is not reliable and tour games are simply dragon spam, drum spam and gambit spam.
Green = Rise, Red = Drop
S Rank
Zacian @ Rusted Sword

A+ Rank
Imposter (Blissey)
Xerneas
Zamazenta-Crowned

A Rank
Giratina
Ho-Oh
Imposter (Chansey)
Regigigas
Zygarde-C

A- Rank
Eternatus
Palkia
Yveltal
Zekrom

B+ Rank
Kyogre
Pheromosa
Tapu Fini
Rayquaza

B Rank
Darmanitan-Z
Dialga
Groudon
Heatran
Kartana
Kyurem-B
Reshiram
Solgaleo


B- Rank
Calyrex-I
Kyurem-W
Magearna
Registeel
Volcanion

C+ Rank
Ferrothorn
Giratina-O
Necrozma-DM
Snorlax
Steelix
Swampert
Umbreon
Zamazenta
Tapu Koko

C Rank
Melmetal
Type: Null
Suicune
Regieleki

C- Rank
Buzzwole
Celesteela
Cramorant
Dragapult
Golisopod
Incineroar
Lugia
Nihilego
Imposter (Pikachu)
Tyranitar
Urshifu
Victini

screw d rank aha...
- I dropped all the Dark-types, namely Yveltal and Umbreon, also I duplicated Regigigas in the last post where it was meant to be A+, and now it's A. Obviously due to the loss of defensive utility against Calyrex, but I think Regigigas has not dropped in its breaking power, while Yveltal is kinda unexplored so I put it in A- for now.
- Some notable meta rises are Imposter Blissey which even I enjoyed using it (anyone who know me know that I never use imposter fsr) and Chansey kinda dropped off for a bit, so I seperated the two mons.
- Palkia is really really good on both dragon spam and rain, even without these archetypes it's one of the best FC user by resisting Sunsteel Strike and forcing out basically everything with Scald and Core Enforcer, acting as one of the best checks to Zacian-C.
- FC Giratina is another incredible physical wall, often taking only ~30% from Glacial Lance from strong breakers like Zacian-C and Kartana. PHeal sets are a great asset to stall teams, being incredibly hard to wear down while having room for utility like Spikes, Teleport, Scald etc. Also benefits from Calyrex's ban greatly.
- Reshiram and Solgaleo are another two winners from the ban, the former being an incredible asset on dragon spam due to Fire typing and having great general defensive utility, while the latter is a great FC wall with good utility options.
- Magearna is one of the sturdiest options you can have against dragon spam, being immune to Dragon means you can opt to run Flash Fire for V-create on draon spam, since even Zama-C has to run Ice Scales to reliably check Dragon's Maw boosted Dragon Energy. Also immune to Eternatus Sludge Wave, which is usually used to dismantle Fairy-types like Xerneas.
- I kinda forgot Ferrothorn's existence in the first post, and it's another good defensive pivot, namely in Magic Bounce sets. Flash Fire sets also work, and can help in checking dragon spam. Both sets can check Zacian-C given the right set.
- Cramorant was brought up a week or so ago and it has the niche of giving a bunch of recoil + Paralysis via Gulp Missile and Rocky Helmet, and I believe that physically defensive sets can make it worth a spot in C-. Could rise to C if more cool sets are discovered.
- Lastly, I've discovered Tapu Koko as a super super cool offensive cleaner with the combination of Magnet Bolt Beak + Pixilate Boomburst synergizing extremely well. Boomburst kills FC Dragons while Beak deals with Scales Steels. This combination forces out the majority of the meta and 2HKO's even Regigigas and Zama-C, which also gives it a lot of turns to use Rapid Spin. XxSevagxX back me up for this :)
Rises
Imposter (Blissey) A --> A+
Giratina A- --> A
Palkia B+ --> A-
Solgaleo C+ --> B
Reshiram C- --> B
Magearna C+ --> B-
Ferrothorn UR --> C+
Tapu Koko UR --> C+
Cramorant UR --> C-

Drops
Yveltal A+ --> A-
Umbreon B --> C+
Incineroar C --> C-
Calyrex-Shadow S --> UR
Zarude C- --> UR
Again, this is just my personal vr, so feel free to suggest changes to it. thanks for reading
 
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I support lph with his nomination of koko to C+. Electric + Fairy is super strong in the meta, and Tapu Koko works great as a midgame disrupter / late game sweeper. It is outclassed by Xerneas and Magearna in these roles, but has the niche of resisting bolt beak and out speeding base 100 mons even with a neutral speed nature allowing it to take full advantage of its stab bolt beak (hits harder than Zeraora and is faster than Zek)
 

cityscapes

Take care of yourself.
is a Tiering Contributoris a Community Contributor Alumnus
Hello Crewmates! It has come to my attention that among all the Pokemon on the VR, there is one that truly deserves the title of "Unviable Loser".....I wasn't sure who it was but thanks to the help of a certain Pokemon I was able to figure it out.............


:xerneas: UNVIABLE LOSER. B+ RANK. ph xern simply does not feel very relevant right now, spikes are easy to remove especially from him, scales sends him directly to hell. pixilate is a little better but still isnt exactly a mon you can invest in. counters are everywhere and are very diverse including hooh, steels, numerous regenvest users and of course scales. just doesnt feel as flexible as it should be.
:amoonguss: to c cause hes a good poison

:cramorant: to c. unironically pretty solid and a tremendous pain to play against. gulp missile maintaining gorging on switch is a really jank mechanic and i would like this to get tested on cart if possible
:slowking-galar: to b-. this is the best poison in the meta, i ran regenvest with sludge bomb/spectral/spin/uturn, you can threaten giras with a sludge bomb poison to get em out of there. hes not super fragile and prone to randomly dying like nihilego, while at the same time he is beefy enough to withstand hits from the more offensive xerns.
:spiritomb: to c. ph sab!!!!!!!!! he is back
:zarude: directly to hell. rip monke

HIGH RANKED NOMINATIONS (NOT FOR PLAYERS BELOW ELO 1700)
:ho-oh: down to b. really not feelin this mon, he really lacks flexibility due to being locked into boots and simply is not posing enough of a threat offensively. at best you can do like 3atks bolt vcreate glance which still loses to any fc. not happy at all with this pokemon
:yveltal: maybe down to b? not sure at all cause triage feels like it should never be below a, but non triage sets simply do not feel on the same level unless loser is working his dark magic with them.
:zygarde-complete: down to b for sure. this mon feels terrible and unreliable considering any physical attacker can run glacial lance to instantly kill you. not sure what this is supposed to check at all. i guess you beat spectrier and can gambit guys? idk
:regigigas: maybe up to a. not certain on this. im not super big on regi cause he resists nothing, but ph does have a pretty great range of flexibility and spdef probably still finds niches despite bozo being gone.
:solgaleo::necrozma-dusk-mane: maybe up to b. again not sure but they are nice as alternatives to zamac with fc (fc zamac feels dumb, these feel a lot less dumb)
:calyrex-ice: up to c? this guys solid and can be really annoying to take down especially when hes burning all your spectral users and spamming spikes. think the hype might be a bit too far cause he cant do everything in 1 set (glance/spear/sacred fire/wisp/spikes/shield/uturn/pblades all feel necessary)
 
:cramorant: to c. unironically pretty solid and a tremendous pain to play against. gulp missile maintaining gorging on switch is a really jank mechanic and i would like this to get tested on cart if possible
I normally don't (feel informed enough to) post here, but I already asked the SwSh mechanics guys to test Cramorant-Gorging on cart, and their results in https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/sword-shield-battle-mechanics-research.3655528/post-8714324 indicate that Pokemon Showdown has hacked-in Cramorant-Gorging behaving correctly, including always switching in as Gorging.
 

Yubellia

Banned deucer.
A-> S
Quite literally the most splashable defensive threat in the tier rn. Between Ice Scales, Fur Coat, Magic Bounce, and RegenVest sets, Zama-C can check a slew of threats and can be slapped on practically any team to account for big time offensive threats such as Zacian-C, Regigiggas, Eternatus, Palkia and many other miscellaneous pokemon makes it quite invaluable in the tier right now. Its typing and stats allows it to run a wide array of coverage option that makes it quite annoying to switch into and make progress against. While its defensive qualities alone should warrant a rise to S rank, offensive sets are also noteworthy (more specifically Belly Drum + Unburden sets) and just adds to its versatility and unpredictability as defensive / offensive threat. Overall, people have already stated what already needs to be said regarding this nomination but I wanted to emphasize my support for this.

B -> A
While Zama-C, Zygarde-C, and Giratina are all common defensive pivots that can check Regi, I still believe that it is one of the best wincons in the tier. While its movepool options are not as customicable as other pokemon in the A rankings as Facade, Shift Gear and even Spore are quite hard to forego, the last moveslot really enables Regi to beat certain checks depending on what it chooses to run. Knock Off is the most common last option seen for sure, but other options like Avalanche, Earthquake and Substitute all have merit and make Regi really hard to deal with when trying to deal with its boosted attacks.

A ->B
Agree with this nomination too. Ho-Oh just struggles with the uptrend of threats like Palkia, Barraskewda, and Zekrom just makes Ho-Oh harder to function in general. I still think Aerilate sets have a lot of merit and definitely brought some overall viability to its arsenal, however it still does not justify it being as high as it is considering recent meta trends being unfavorable to it.

C -> B

Really been liking this pokemon and the array of sets it can run. Fur Coat and Poison Heal sets being the main ones of course since they are quite annoying to switch into without hard checks such as Tapu Fini and niche sets like Dry Skin Magearna thanks to the STAB it gains from great moves like Fishious Reind, Core Enforcer, and Dragon Energy. Its also an excellent Rain abuser (a playstyle that is surprisingly picking up in usage) which just further amplifies its impact on the tier. I can see this threat rising in due time, but for now, I think a rise in B is more then justified.

I dont want to make a super long post, but I also want to show support for nominations in lowering Zygarde-C, ranking Cramorant (really annoying mon btw and janky as hell), and a rise for Calyrex-I.
 
Some nominations I have:

Palkia C --> A- Easily the best water pokemon in the tier. Water is one of the best offensive typings, but because of how prominant dragons are in this meta there are lot of mons which can resist it. But, because Palkia has dragon stab as well, it is able to hit these pokemon super effectively. In omwc, Palkia was often the start and wincon on many teams, and was a strong performer in such a role. In ladder as well I've seen many teams crumble to this mon, and when teambuilding I now often find that I'll ask myself "what is my Palkia" counter and often times I'll have to tweak my teams to be more prepared. Its pheal, swift swim, adaptability, and fc sets have all been shown to be really effective and are very much representative of an A- mon.

Registeel D --> B- This mon somehow landed its way into D tier, the lowest it's ever been in bh if I'm not mistaken during Caly meta. I don't think it's a B tier mon anymore, because many of its sets, bounce, regen, prank, and flash fire are all still very capable and have seen an increase in usage to counter Xerneas. Registeel is still deserving to be on teams instead of Zamazenta at times b/c of the very valuable fairy resist.

Giratina B --> B+ Giratina is just too bulky to be in B. It's fc sets can't be 2hkoed by Zacian-C, and its prankster sets offer a valuable fighting immunity against final gambit spam from sweepers. I'm not entirely sure why it wasn't used as much in omwc, but it (prankster giratina) would have been very useful in a lot of teams to stop bdrum final gambit zyg varients.

Xerneas A --> A- It is tru that the meta has grown to counter many of Xerneas' sets but even so, it's pheal sets are still extremely strong and versatile, with the options to run thunder cage / ep / lava plume to beat out bouncers or flash fire pokemon. Core enforcer immunity is still great, and it can make solid progress in any team. Pixilate sets are still extremely deadly being able to beat Zamazenta at times, and specs pixixern always puts in work for me. Down to A- b/c the meta is very prepared for it, but it still provides a large strain on teambuilding, and the pokemon is multi-faced enough to break through teams which have prepared for it. (P.S. AV. & FC Xerneas sets are p saucy and annoying to play against).

Zygarde A --> B Glacial lance ughhhhhhhhh. Zyg hates this move and every physical attacker at this point has a chance of running it making Zyg obsolete in a team at times. Dragon and fairy are still rlly common offensive types, which can break through its scales sets. Extremely inconsist, by either being a great mon or a useless mon in a game. Kinda feels like defensive match up fishing when I use it, which isn't ideal. Still incredibly bulky so it shouldn't go lower than B.

Groudon C --> D This mon is extraordinarily average. Rarely puts in work, and will often just tickle offensive team. Pheal shift gear sets w/ arrows & lance can sometimes be good, but fur coat steels can still wall it and times. Hard to get this mon into the game b/c it doesn't resist any big types. Can be good in a team but totally out classed by Regigigas, Zekrom, Palkia, and Xerneas a pheal set. Choice band adapt is kinda cool, but very inconsistent. (Imo landorus is better b/c it has 91 bst speed)

Imposter A / B --> S I don't see how imposter should ever be below S. It is meta defining and more free to come into other offensive mons now that Caly is gone. Scouting is invaluable. Can feel match up fishy sometimes, especially w/ rise in popularity (i think it's a rise at least that's how it feels like?) of orb / shed imposter can feel match up fishy, but extremely potent, and can wreck teams sometimes.

Zacian-Crowned A --> A+ Sucks to improof tbh, but the pokemon is so versatile, it can make free progress and is now officially again the Best fastest mon . Fur coat sets can wall it, but then again V-create can just run through them if u play it right. 2 attack / 3 attack / 4 attack all play a variety of roles, and the mon is just too metadefining to be good. The strain it puts on team building is immense, because there's always a Zacian-Crowned set out there which can run you over.

Solgaleo C --B Fighting resist is really good on this mon, and fc sets are super good. Anchor shot hits p hard, and the pokemon can perform a variety of roles in a team that Zamazenta may not have been able to.

Calyrex-Ice D --> B If you ask who has been over hyping this mon it is me. It is sooo good. Pheal sets are extremely strong in the meta. The pokemon is super slow so you underspeed every core enforcer. Low kick can 2hko Zamazenta-Crowned (non fc) and Regigigas when Anchor shot and Facade wouldn't 2hkoe respectively. Can be a super strong sweeper w/ simple shift gear, and refrigerate sets are funny. Can 1v1 a lot poison heal pokemon, and is a very strong non-passive support pokemon to have. If you haven't tried out Calyrex-Ice TRY IT. pheal adament min speed, low kick / icicle spear / wilo / spikes, and watch as you 1v1 fur coat giratina and regigigas only to lose when icicle spear only hits twice :)))

Regieleki C--> C Transistor bolt beak can seem crazy strong at first (ohkoes regigigas 2hkoes tina under terrain), but it's super one dimenstional and kind of match up fishy. A fc resist nullifies it, and ground pokemon are very hard to play around. Requires a lot of support to make work. Should stay exactly at C.

Zamazenta C --> B Poison heal sets are still really strong. I've seen a sword dance / close combat / glacial lance / wilo terrorize a lot of well built teams among other many strong pheal set. Mold breaker & tough claws sets form very strong late game sweepers. I don't think it should be in C.

Pheramosa D--> B- Magic guard, tough claws, adaptability is still incredibly strong. It's ability to outspeed Zacian can be oh so important, and it can gain a lot of momentum for free. It still hits really hard. Mixed sets imo are best (mind blown mguard) but tc w/ cc / lance / beak / u-turn is still very strong. Hits the majority of the meta supereftively and outspeeds it, should not be D, B- minimum.

Ho-Oh A --> B I agree with SL. Ho-oh feels a bit underwhelming and a simply designed team will usually be prepared. It can resist fairy, but the rest of its typing imo can be a liability. I can see it rising back to A / A- tbh, but more sets have to be explored (desolate land / aerilate / mguard / regen / mold breaker) in different team structures. Magic bounce & ice scales currently are just not it and it currently is a solid B.

Yveltal A --> B Basically same reason as Ho-oh. Very little exploring around it. Pheal and Adapt should be really solid in the right team, but the only one who has used adapt successfully is loser. Regenvest isn't that great and triage feels a bit underwhelming (although it is heat). Aerilate is good but should be explored more. Could climb to A- but currently a solid B.

Reshiram D --> C Fire type is still good in this meta. Kinda burned out from writing these noms so ima leave it at that. (regen & mguard are dope).

Blacephalon UR --> C Good specs / scarf mon. Hits the majority of the meta p hard. Cool mon to use and is effective. Can be unreliable at times, and soft check by Palkia, Kyogre, Xerneas, and Zyg.
 
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Sweet Jesus

Neal and Jack and me, absent lovers...
Nihilego D --> Unranked
I can't think of a single thing nihilego can do that eternatus can't do better except power herb meteor beam which is a garbage set I just invented trying to come up with something eternatus doesn't do better. All his advantages over eternatus are completely shut down by it's horrible defence.

Yveltal A --> B
With calyrex-S gone, yveltal has lost it's niche as best counter to the best mon in the tier. Now that just about everything offensive carries glacial lance or bolt beak, I feel yveltal is often a weak link in a defensive core. Offensive sets are the reason I don't recommend C rank and even then, prankster users often carry haze or D-bond which bypass dark protection and wallbreaker sets face fearce competition with rayquaza.

Swampert C --> B
It seems absurd to nominate a pokemon with mediocre stats for B rank in a tier where you can use any legendary with any move, but his typing is just that good. The fact there is so much to cover in this tier means you usualy can't afford to run a grass move just for swampert, which makes him basicaly the only mon in the tier without a weakness. Pokemon with few weaknesses are often cursed with few resistances or a terrible STAB movepool, but not swampert! Those facts combined with his decent bulk, low speed (for pivoting and not getting core enforced) and not so horrible attack really makes him one of easiest walls to fit in a team on which you can easily afford to run magic bounce, prankster or assault vest regen without leaving you with a big type weakness.

Regielki C --> A
Who even put this in C-tier? The fact the fastet mon in the tier (by far) has such an amazing stab move and an amazing coverage move (glacial lance) means regielki still has 2 moveslots and an ability to work as a painful support (spore, hazards, taunt, etc.) while still posing an offensive threat. Early game, this might not seem like enough to kill a wall, but it will force your opponent to swtich out anything that can't tank one of those two moves while you spread the pain. Regielki can also fake the support set and pull off insane guaranteed OHKOs such as xerneas with a CB and transistor. The fact mold breaker and transistor sets have competely different counters really makes regielki an actual threat. With cramorant now in the tier, regielki is also one of the rare offensive threats that can safely kill him without running poison heal. (Ironicaly, cramorant's presence has made me really fond of aromatherapy which is a mediocre move on teams that also run poison healers).

252+ Atk Choice Band Transistor Regieleki Bolt Beak (170 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252 Def Xerneas: 466-549 (102.1 - 120.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO

Zygarde-C A --> B
This guy is all about bulk, but his weakness to glacial lance and dragon moves make him weak to half the offensive threats in the tier if not more. Most of them don't ohko because he's that bulky but that's not enough for A rank.

Palkia C --> B
I would maybe even consider A-rank. Water dragon is a great offensive combination and palkia can mix it with it's 2 STABs spread on both atk and sp.a and fishious rends raw power. Swift swim sets with drizzle support can often cause huge damage without the need to set up. Palkia can also function as a decent physical wall with fur coat and isn't deadweight on the ofensive side like a lot of other walls.
 
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a loser

I'm a loser, baby, so why don't you kill me?
is a Tiering Contributoris a Contributor to Smogonis a Community Contributor Alumnus
Futile? Maybe.
Helpful? Hopefully!

I know a suspect test vote is looming next week and could shake everything up, but I hate how outdated the VR has been so we've updated the VR for now. Thanks to everyone who posted their thoughts and nominations! Hopefully this will be a useful resource for newer players getting to know the meta as it currently is. Here's a summary of the changes:

Rises
:Chansey:Chansey (Imposter) A -> A+
:Xerneas:Xerneas A -> A+
:zacian::rusted-sword:Zacian @ Rusted Sword A -> A+
:Zamazenta-Crowned:Zamazenta-C A -> S
:Blissey:Blissey (Imposter) B -> A
:Eternatus:Eternatus B -> A-
:Giratina:Giratina B -> A
:Regigigas:Regigigas B -> A
:Zekrom:Zekrom B -> B+
:Kartana:Kartana C -> B-
:Kyurem-Black:Kyurem-Black C -> B-
:Kyurem-White:Kyurem-White C -> B-
:Necrozma-Dusk-Mane:Necrozma-Dusk-Mane C -> B-
:Palkia:Palkia C -> A-
:Regieleki:Regieleki C -> B-
:Solgaleo:Solgaleo C -> B
:Swampert:Swampert C -> B
:Calyrex-Ice:Calyrex-Ice D -> C
:Darmanitan-Zen:Darmanitan-Zen D -> C
:Magearna:Magearna D -> C
:Pheromosa:Pheromosa D -> C
:Registeel:Registeel D -> C
:Reshiram:Reshiram D -> C
:Tapu Fini:Tapu Fini D -> C

Drops
:Calyrex-Shadow:Calyrex-Shadow S -> Shadow Realm
:Ho-Oh:Ho-Oh A -> A-
:Yveltal:Yveltal A -> A-
:Zygarde-Complete:Zygarde-C A -> A-
:Zarude:Zarude D -> UR
:Incineroar:Incineroar D -> UR
:Nihilego:Nihilego D -> UR

New Additions
:Cramorant-Gorging:Cramorant-Gorging UR -> C
:Ferrothorn:Ferrothorn UR -> C
:Lunala:Lunala UR -> C
:Tapu Koko:Tapu Koko UR -> C
:Landorus-Therian:Landorus-T UR -> D
:Blacephalon:Blacephalon UR -> D
:Chansey:Chansey UR -> D
:Marshadow:Marshadow UR -> D
:Slowking-Galar:Slowking-Galar UR -> D
:Spectrier:Spectrier UR -> D
 
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Sweet Jesus

Neal and Jack and me, absent lovers...
That was a much needed update and I agree with the great majority.

I would consider getting cramorant a little higher. Good players have started to really adapt to him, but one use cramorant might not yet be known for is he is probably the best spin “blocker” in the tier. Cramorant doesn't spin block in itself, but in a tier where rapid spin can be changed to ice, fairy, flying or electric, nothing really does. Rocky helmet cramorant however can damage anything trying to spin with 41,67%damage and a paralysis. Not only that, but rapid spin won't actualy remove the hazards if the user dies from the residual damage.

Since bolt beak will probably be gone in a week, cramorant will probably become even more relevant.
 

a loser

I'm a loser, baby, so why don't you kill me?
is a Tiering Contributoris a Contributor to Smogonis a Community Contributor Alumnus
After some discussion, the council has decided to update the VR with a separate ranking of Imposter users. Once Chansey and Blissey were reintroduced this generation, it has been difficult to nail down their VR rankings and whether or not they should be grouped together or looked at separately. We think this ranking will show players the viable options for Imposter users and their place in the metagame. Currently, "Imposter" is ranked as A+ and you can see the rankings for each user in the spoiler tag on the VR list. A preview of the ranking is below.

Imposter Viability Rankings
S Rank

:Chansey: / :Blissey:Chansey / Blissey @ Shed Shell
:chansey:Chansey @ Eviolite

A Rank
:Chansey: / :Blissey:Chansey / Blissey @ Toxic Orb
:Chansey: / :Blissey:Chansey / Blissey @ Choice Scarf

B Rank
:Chansey: / :Blissey:Chansey / Blissey @ Heavy-Duty Boots
:Pikachu:Pikachu @ Light Ball
 

Sweet Jesus

Neal and Jack and me, absent lovers...
I think the following changes are justified, many because of the bolt beak ban.

Tapu-Koko C -> D
Zekrom B+ -> B
Regielki B- -> C

Loss of bolt beak hit all of these hard, tapu-koko and regielki barely have any offensive presence anymore. They do however gain a niche with their natural immunity to paralysis in cramorant meta.

Swampert B -> B-

Although I was the one to advocate for putting this guy in B tier, I don't think that can be justified anymore without bolt beak in the tier. Although swampert hasn't changed, his niche was being possibly the best mon to tank bolt beak without fearing the usual coverage moves. The absence of BB also might provoke a rise in grass type moves since no other electric move comes close to dealing as much damage to water types. I still think swampert is good enough not to fall to C tier, he's still an excellent prankster, poison healer or bouncer that's nearly impossible to ohko on the physical side without sacrificing important coverage and there's a high demand for moves that ohko cramorant (which swampert usualy resists).

Reshisram C -> B

Very surprised this guy is in C tier. Fire + dragon is a great dual-Stab and reshiram has the stats to pull off a mixed attacker set. Reshiram can sucessfuly run poison heal QD sweeper, fur coat tank, adaptability/mold breaker wallbreaker, chlorophyl sweeper and some gimmicky sets like no guard. This should grant him a higher ranking.

Kartana B- -> B/B+

I feel kartana is among the most underated mons in the tier. It faces good competition from zacian-c in terms of heavy attacking steel type, but it's free ability and item slot let it run sets like steelworker + life orb/iron plate which guarantees a 2hko with sunsteel strike on fur coat giratina (max damage SStrike from zacian-C doesn't even deal 50% with a high roll). It's immunity to spore is also very nice since you can run it yourself without fearing it being bounced and cover all opposing viable grass types with thunderous kick. Kartana can also run the triage set I posted here. Although it's much slower than zacian-C, kartana still outspeeds the main speed tier of 90/95/97/99/100, often without running+spe nature (which you usualy have to run on zacian-C). Stabbing Grav apple is also a little better than it may seem with steel + thousand arrows coverage. Kartana also counters nearly every regigigas set perfectly which is rare for a defensive mon but even rarer for an offensive mon.

Cresselia Unranked -> D

Cresselia needs a little love. It's mostly overshadowed by giratina, but most people prepare for giratina with glacial lance, moonblast or core enforcer, none of which really harm cresselia. The fact it's slower than giratina also let's it win the slow pivot/core enforcer war against it. Resisting psychic and rare scrappy fighting types are also small bonuses cresselia has over giratina although they're more likely to serve as improofing your own offensive mons.

Chansey (non-imposter) D -> C/B-

Chansey is basicaly the only mon in any tier I know of you can just throw as a wall and expect to wall anything on one side of the attacking spectrum (special) even with a +1 or even +2 boost! The fact special fighting types are basicaly non-existant coupled with the fact no decent special sweeper is immune to spectral thief make chansey such a hard wall to break on the special side. Regenerator and prankster chansey are among the most common mons I use and it can actualy pull off great pivot, wish passing and sub passing sets. Fur Coat offers a decent niche as well. Pair chansey with flash fire ferrothorn for mixed palkia and reshiram and griseous orb giratina for everything physical and trick/knock off users and you've got yourself a very solid defensive core.

Shuckle Unranked -> D

I've always hated shuckle and it always will be a gimmick to me, but I was forced to reckon it's not utter trash when I tried it as an improof to one of my offesnive mons. I used this set:

Shuckle @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Body Press
- Parting Shot/Teleport
- Leech Seed
- Baneful Bunker

Poison heal is nice on shuckle since you are slower than literally everything that runs core enforcer. Shuckle is probably the best seeder around since it's bulk doesn't rely on HP at all meaning the HP you suck is always way more valuable on shuckle than on the opposing mon. Body press is the only move that shuckle can run for consistant decent damage and it just so happens to kill all three viable mons naturaly immune to leech seed, leaving magic bounce/guard as only proper switch-ins. I usualy never run baneful bunker on poison healers with contact moves since I don't want to poison imposters, but with shuckle I don't even care since leech seed already drains chansey WAY more than it drains shuckle which lets shuckle still improof itself after poison and diminishes the need to use baneful bunker against chansey. Shuckle also offers the slowest pivot in the game and will always seed an opponent after they've used their pivot move (except teleport) guaranteeing at least one drain. Many offensive wallbreakers also carry strength sap since they happen to run mold breaker for offesnive purposes. Shuckle fills a unique niche in this regard as your opponent will only heal 22 HP on the first strength sap and you haven't wasted your ability on something that fails to counter it (very useful for improofing). Overall, shuckle revealed itself to be way more than an improof to my set and an utter pain to any player not running magic bounce/guard on something that isn't weak to fighting. I guess shuckle can run other sets that could justify a D-rank but this one seems to take advantage of all of shuckle's strengths more than anything else I can think of.
 
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I think the following changes are justified, many because of the bolt beak ban.

Tapu-Koko C -> D
Zekrom B+ -> B
Regielki B- -> C

Loss of bolt beak hit all of these hard, tapu-koko and regielki barely have any offensive presence anymore. They do however gain a niche with their natural immunity to paralysis in cramorant meta.

Swampert B -> B-

Although I was the one to advocate for putting this guy in B tier, I don't think that can be justified anymore without bolt beak in the tier. Although swampert hasn't changed, his niche was being possibly the best mon to tank bolt beak without fearing the usual coverage moves. The absence of BB also might provoke a rise in grass type moves since no other electric move comes close to dealing as much damage to water types. I still think swampert is good enough not to fall to C tier, he's still an excellent prankster, poison healer or bouncer that's nearly impossible to ohko on the physical side without sacrificing important coverage and there's a high demand for moves that ohko cramorant (which swampert usualy resists).

Reshisram C -> B

Very surprised this guy is in C tier. Fire + dragon is a great dual-Stab and reshiram has the stats to pull off a mixed attacker set. Reshiram can sucessfuly run poison heal QD sweeper, fur coat tank, adaptability/mold breaker wallbreaker, chlorophyl sweeper and some gimmicky sets like no guard. This should grant him a higher ranking.

Kartana B- -> B/B+

I feel kartana is among the most underated mons in the tier. It faces good competition from zacian-c in terms of heavy attacking steel type, but it's free ability and item slot let it run sets like steelworker + life orb/iron plate which guarantees a 2hko with sunsteel strike on fur coat giratina (max damage SStrike from zacian-C doesn't even deal 50% with a high roll). It's immunity to spore is also very nice since you can run it yourself without fearing it being bounced and cover all opposing viable grass types with thunderous kick. Kartana can also run the triage set I posted here. Although it's much slower than zacian-C, kartana still outspeeds the main speed tier of 90/95/97/99/100, often without running+spe nature (which you usualy have to run on zacian-C). Stabbing Grav apple is also a little better than it may seem with steel + thousand arrows coverage. Kartana also counters nearly every regigigas set perfectly which is rare for a defensive mon but even rarer for an offensive mon.

Cresselia Unranked -> D

Cresselia needs a little love. It's mostly overshadowed by giratina, but most people prepare for giratina with glacial lance, moonblast or core enforcer, none of which really harm cresselia. The fact it's slower than giratina also let's it win the slow pivot/core enforcer war against it. Resisting psychic and rare scrappy fighting types are also small bonuses cresselia has over giratina although they're more likely to serve as improofing your own offensive mons. Personaly I would use cresselia over darmanitan-zen (C rank)/victini (D rank) nearly all the time.

Chansey (non-imposter) D -> C/B-

Chansey is basicaly the only mon in any tier I know of you can just throw as a wall and expect to wall anything on one side of the attacking spectrum (special) even with a +1 or even +2 boost! The fact special fighting types are basicaly non-existant coupled with the fact no decent special sweeper is immune to spectral thief make chansey such a hard wall to break on the special side. Regenerator and prankster chansey are among the most common mons I use and it can actualy pull off great pivot, wish passing and sub passing sets. Fur Coat offers a decent niche as well. Pair chansey with flash fire ferrothorn for mixed palkia and reshiram and griseous orb giratina for everything physical and trick/knock off users and you've got yourself a very solid defensive core.

Shuckle Unranked -> D

I've always hated shuckle and it always will be a gimmick to me, but I was forced to reckon it's not utter trash when I tried it as an improof to one of my offesnive mons. I used this set:

Shuckle @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Body Press
- Parting Shot/Teleport
- Leech Seed
- Baneful Bunker

Poison heal is nice on shuckle since you are slower than literally everything that runs core enforcer. Shuckle is probably the best seeder around since it's bulk doesn't rely on HP at all meaning the HP you suck is always way more valuable on shuckle than on the opposing mon. Body press is the only move that shuckle can run for consistant decent damage and it just so happens to kill all three viable mons naturaly immune to leech seed, leaving magic bounce/guard as only proper switch-ins. I usualy never run baneful bunker on poison healers with contact moves since I don't want to poison imposters, but with shuckle I don't even care since leech seed already drains chansey WAY more than it drains shuckle which lets shuckle still improof itself after poison and diminishes the need to use baneful bunker against chansey. Shuckle also offers the slowest pivot in the game and will always seed an opponent after they've used their pivot move (except teleport) guaranteeing at least one drain. Many offensive wallbreakers also carry strength sap since they happen to run mold breaker for offesnive purposes. Shuckle fills a unique niche in this regard as your opponent will only heal 22 HP on the first strength sap and you haven't wasted your ability on something that fails to counter it (very useful for improofing). Overall, shuckle revealed itself to be way more than an improof to my set and an utter pain to any player not running magic bounce/guard on something that isn't weak to fighting. I guess shuckle can run other sets that could justify a D-rank but this one seems to take advantage of all of shuckle's strengths more than anything else I can think of.
Shuckle can also be a decent Spike setter due to being able to abuse Body Press to hurt steel types and Pain Split'/Will-O-Wisp to whittle foes down.Shuckle also has the niche of geting reliable recovery in Pain Split, while still remaining self improofed.
This is set I used on one of my random meme teams:
BIGMANONCAMPUS (Shuckle) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Def / 252 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Body Press
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
- Spikes

Despite this small niche that Shuckle has it probably deserves to remain unranked as it's generally outclassed by Calyrex which has a sronger offensive presence and better defenses.
 
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:cramorant-gorging: Cramorant-Gorging from C to B
With Bolt Beak being banned causing Electric types to decline in usage, Cramorant has proved itself to be a serious threat to consider in both teambuilding and in battle. While it has matchups where it's deadweight, when Cramorant works, it works. Even with its mediocre bulk, the ability to paralyze and chip almost any Pokemon allows it to cripple and revenge kill the opponent's win condition, whether it's a Reshiram or Imposter Chansey, is invaluable, and it can often serve as glue to a variety of teams, especially offense, that appreciate speed control.

:magearna: Magearna from C to B-
Magearna's great Special Attack and solid bulk makes it both a useful utility Pokemon and a good Pixilate user. As a utility mon, being immune to both Poison and Dragon allows it to wall offensive Eternatus sets, and with Flash Fire / Primordial Sea / RegenVest, it can even switch in on non-STAB Blue Flares. However, I'd argue that its greatest set is Pixilate: while it's slower than Xerneas, it's a much more consistent abuser of Pixilate Rapid Spin since it resists Stealth Rocks and Toxic Spikes, which can wear a spinner Xerneas down much more quickly throughout the course of a game. Its Boombursts also fire about as hard, with a 130 base SpA compared to Xerneas's 131. I've found that if my team has ways to deal with Fire and Ground, Magearna's better longetivity as a hazard controller combined with its typing letting it switch into things like Eternatus and Kyurem-W, makes it often be even better than Pixilate Xerneas.

:tapu_fini: Tapu Fini from C to B / B+
With Bolt Beak being banned, Tapu Fini's solid bulk and excellent typing has made it into a great defensive pivot and/or Poison Heal user. With its key resistances to Fire, Water, and Ice paired with its immunity to Dragon, Fini can survive hits from both physical attackers using V-Create, Fishious Rend, and Glacial Lance and Special Attackers like Palkia and Reshiram with its immunity to Dragon Energy and resistances to their Fire and Water attacks. Also, being immune to Core Enforcer means that Poison Heal can give it very high longetivity, which is appreciated on stallier teams.
 
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a loser

I'm a loser, baby, so why don't you kill me?
is a Tiering Contributoris a Contributor to Smogonis a Community Contributor Alumnus
Gonna share my thoughts on the VR, as we are needing some updates to better reflect the post Bolt Beak metagame.
Mons that should obviously drop
:Zekrom:Zekrom
:Regieleki:Regieleki
:Tapu Koko:Tapu Koko

We all saw this coming, but the reality hit me harder than I expected. Bolt Strike is by no means a bad move, but we've been spoiled by Bolt Beak for almost a year and a half so it seems really bad in comparison.:Zekrom:Zekrom is still a fine mon and:Regieleki:Eleki still has Speed at least, but sadly I think:Tapu Koko:Tapu Koko's fifteen minutes are up.

Mons that could drop
:Yveltal:Yveltal
:Zygarde-Complete:Zygarde-C
:Swampert:Swampert
:Snorlax:Snorlax

I'm torn on these guys. Personally I love:Yveltal:Yveltal and I also think it is a solid mon, but I haven't found myself racing to put it in the teambuilder lately either.:Zygarde-Complete:Zygarde-C still hates Glance and one of the better reasons to use it is no longer now that Bolt Beak is gone. Zygarde-C is still a good mon though outside of random Glance and Xerneas being everywhere. I haven't used much:Swampert:Swampert lately but its defensive typing is still solid enough for it to pull off a variety of roles. It was most notable as a Bolt Beak check, but maybe this is purple frog's real time to shine?:Snorlax:Snorlax has been really fun to use this generation and has given me a new outlook on the mon in general, but I really don't see many reasons to use it right now.

Mons that should definitely rise
:zacian-crowned:Zacian-Crowned
:Palkia:Palkia
:Cramorant-Gorging:Cramorant-Gorging
:Reshiram:Reshiram
:Tapu Fini:Tapu Fini
:Groudon:Groudon
:Suicune:Suicune
:Ferrothorn:Ferrothorn

There isn't much higher that:zacian-crowned:Zacian-C can go, but I believe this mon, along with Zama-C, is the face of the metagame. It is just like, sooo good. I'm not sure why I initially slept on the:Palkia:Palkia hype, but this mon is very good. Ferro and Fini can check it, but sometimes they actually can't which is wack.:Cramorant-Gorging:Cramorant is another mon I was slow to come around to, but it really is solid on offensive teams.
"Someone will build something really good with this, and the only Pikachu on the team will be the one in Cramorant's mouth" - xavgb
After we got Chansey back in Isle of Armor, I had reservations about:Reshiram:Reshiram since it didn't appreciate fatter Imposters being able to take advantage of it. I think we are past this point, to an extent, and that Resh has reestablished its footing as a very good mon in the metagame. Lately, I've found that a lot of my teams struggle to break past:Tapu Fini:Tapu Fini, and this is annoying. It can run PH, Bounce, Prankster, and pulls off other sets well too all while being a good check to Palkia, so it deserves a rise.:Groudon:Groudon has also finally found a good place in the meta with Adaptability and Mold Breaker sets being solid. Water-types are happy in general, and:Suicune:Suicune is happy too. Solid bulk, competes with Tapu Fini in some ways but also doesn't mind losing the Fairy typing in some cases. I feel like:Ferrothorn:Ferrothorn has to rise just cause it is a viable Palkia check that doesn't just lose on a 50/50 to Specs Eternatus (looking at Fini here).

Mons that could rise, but need more usage/testing
:Lunala:Lunala
:Magearna:Magearna
:Celesteela:Celesteela
:Golisopod:Golisopod
:Heatran:Heatran
:Volcanion:Volcanion

I've been using Fur Coat:Lunala:Lunala again lately and its a solid mon, especially with a rise in Imprison + Transform lately, but still has downfalls like few useful resistances and some crippling weaknesses. I feel like:Magearna:Magearna gets a lot of hype, but when I use it I find that 4MSS is a big thing and also I want like two or three different items on it. Its typing is great, though.:Celesteela:Celesteela is something I haven't used this gen, but Bolt Beak being gone is a great opportunity for it to see more usage. It doesn't mind Glance too much and its stats and typing leave room for creativity.:Golisopod:Golisopod loves that Bolt Beak is gone and the old PH set seems like it could be useful again, although Goli really hates Xerneas. Like, it hates it a lot.:Heatran:Heatran and:Volcanion:Volcanion are in an interesting place right now as they don't need to run Volt Absorb anymore and are somewhat unique as Fairy and Ice resistant mons. They also have 4MSS though and can struggle with Imposter, especially ones with Shed Shell.

Mons that aren't ranked but could sneak in
:urshifu-rapid-strike:Urshifu-Rapid-Strike
:necrozma-dawn-wings:Necrozma-Dawn-Wings
:thundurus-therian:Thundurus-Therian
:cresselia:Cresselia

I haven't used:urshifu-rapid-strike:Urshifu-Rapid-Strike yet, but I think now is the perfect time with Bolt Beak gone. Fur Coat and Poison Heal sets seem interesting, but overall I think this mon has potential.:necrozma-dawn-wings:Necrozma-Dawn-Wings got the axe after Calyrex-S was introduced, but with it gone and Lunala back in the picture, I think Dawn Wings could find a place on BCO teams (Bulky Cramorant Offense). I've used Triage:thundurus-therian:Thundurus-Therian a little in testing, and it really isn't bad. It is still kinda weaker than you'd want, but makes for a decent late game cleaner with the right team support. The key here is to use basically any other Electric STAB move that isn't Parabolic Charge and you'll have a decent set. I haven't used:cresselia:Cresselia this gen, but there is no denying its stats and if Lugia is somehow still in the VR, I don't see why Cress couldn't join it as another passive Psychic-type wall.
 
Gonna share my thoughts on the VR, as we are needing some updates to better reflect the post Bolt Beak metagame.
Mons that should obviously drop
:Zekrom:Zekrom
:Regieleki:Regieleki
:Tapu Koko:Tapu Koko

We all saw this coming, but the reality hit me harder than I expected. Bolt Strike is by no means a bad move, but we've been spoiled by Bolt Beak for almost a year and a half so it seems really bad in comparison.:Zekrom:Zekrom is still a fine mon and:Regieleki:Eleki still has Speed at least, but sadly I think:Tapu Koko:Tapu Koko's fifteen minutes are up.

Mons that could drop
:Yveltal:Yveltal
:Zygarde-Complete:Zygarde-C
:Swampert:Swampert
:Snorlax:Snorlax

I'm torn on these guys. Personally I love:Yveltal:Yveltal and I also think it is a solid mon, but I haven't found myself racing to put it in the teambuilder lately either.:Zygarde-Complete:Zygarde-C still hates Glance and one of the better reasons to use it is no longer now that Bolt Beak is gone. Zygarde-C is still a good mon though outside of random Glance and Xerneas being everywhere. I haven't used much:Swampert:Swampert lately but its defensive typing is still solid enough for it to pull off a variety of roles. It was most notable as a Bolt Beak check, but maybe this is purple frog's real time to shine?:Snorlax:Snorlax has been really fun to use this generation and has given me a new outlook on the mon in general, but I really don't see many reasons to use it right now.

Mons that should definitely rise
:zacian-crowned:Zacian-Crowned
:Palkia:Palkia
:Cramorant-Gorging:Cramorant-Gorging
:Reshiram:Reshiram
:Tapu Fini:Tapu Fini
:Groudon:Groudon
:Suicune:Suicune
:Ferrothorn:Ferrothorn

There isn't much higher that:zacian-crowned:Zacian-C can go, but I believe this mon, along with Zama-C, is the face of the metagame. It is just like, sooo good. I'm not sure why I initially slept on the:Palkia:Palkia hype, but this mon is very good. Ferro and Fini can check it, but sometimes they actually can't which is wack.:Cramorant-Gorging:Cramorant is another mon I was slow to come around to, but it really is solid on offensive teams.
After we got Chansey back in Isle of Armor, I had reservations about:Reshiram:Reshiram since it didn't appreciate fatter Imposters being able to take advantage of it. I think we are past this point, to an extent, and that Resh has reestablished its footing as a very good mon in the metagame. Lately, I've found that a lot of my teams struggle to break past:Tapu Fini:Tapu Fini, and this is annoying. It can run PH, Bounce, Prankster, and pulls off other sets well too all while being a good check to Palkia, so it deserves a rise.:Groudon:Groudon has also finally found a good place in the meta with Adaptability and Mold Breaker sets being solid. Water-types are happy in general, and:Suicune:Suicune is happy too. Solid bulk, competes with Tapu Fini in some ways but also doesn't mind losing the Fairy typing in some cases. I feel like:Ferrothorn:Ferrothorn has to rise just cause it is a viable Palkia check that doesn't just lose on a 50/50 to Specs Eternatus (looking at Fini here).

Mons that could rise, but need more usage/testing
:Lunala:Lunala
:Magearna:Magearna
:Celesteela:Celesteela
:Golisopod:Golisopod
:Heatran:Heatran
:Volcanion:Volcanion

I've been using Fur Coat:Lunala:Lunala again lately and its a solid mon, especially with a rise in Imprison + Transform lately, but still has downfalls like few useful resistances and some crippling weaknesses. I feel like:Magearna:Magearna gets a lot of hype, but when I use it I find that 4MSS is a big thing and also I want like two or three different items on it. Its typing is great, though.:Celesteela:Celesteela is something I haven't used this gen, but Bolt Beak being gone is a great opportunity for it to see more usage. It doesn't mind Glance too much and its stats and typing leave room for creativity.:Golisopod:Golisopod loves that Bolt Beak is gone and the old PH set seems like it could be useful again, although Goli really hates Xerneas. Like, it hates it a lot.:Heatran:Heatran and:Volcanion:Volcanion are in an interesting place right now as they don't need to run Volt Absorb anymore and are somewhat unique as Fairy and Ice resistant mons. They also have 4MSS though and can struggle with Imposter, especially ones with Shed Shell.

Mons that aren't ranked but could sneak in
:urshifu-rapid-strike:Urshifu-Rapid-Strike
:necrozma-dawn-wings:Necrozma-Dawn-Wings
:thundurus-therian:Thundurus-Therian
:cresselia:Cresselia

I haven't used:urshifu-rapid-strike:Urshifu-Rapid-Strike yet, but I think now is the perfect time with Bolt Beak gone. Fur Coat and Poison Heal sets seem interesting, but overall I think this mon has potential.:necrozma-dawn-wings:Necrozma-Dawn-Wings got the axe after Calyrex-S was introduced, but with it gone and Lunala back in the picture, I think Dawn Wings could find a place on BCO teams (Bulky Cramorant Offense). I've used Triage:thundurus-therian:Thundurus-Therian a little in testing, and it really isn't bad. It is still kinda weaker than you'd want, but makes for a decent late game cleaner with the right team support. The key here is to use basically any other Electric STAB move that isn't Parabolic Charge and you'll have a decent set. I haven't used:cresselia:Cresselia this gen, but there is no denying its stats and if Lugia is somehow still in the VR, I don't see why Cress couldn't join it as another passive Psychic-type wall.
i’ll briefly add stuff to this, i’m tired and on phone (below are all my personal opinions)

:zekrom: is still very strong and underrated esp post beak ban, keep b+/ drop to b

i cant find a niche to :regieleki: really except low ladder veil setters, drop to c

sigh rip :tapu-koko: there isn’t really a way for it to survive this meta now. unrated is the only solution

:zacian-crowned: i have 0 idea how this isn’t s in the first place, no beak is sad but it still has a million coverage + taunt and jungle healing and imprison transform etc more and more techs come out and building around it doesn’t really use up that much improofing spaces as people said. rise to s

:palkia: mixed pheal glare is so strong, it’s been well established for quite a few months now. rise to a/ keep a-

:cramorant-gorging: is such a great fit on most offense and balance teams, more and more options are continually discovered like scarf encore trick etc and it pressures offensive stuff so hard to avoid para. as long as there’s appropriate team support like anti heal bell it can even rival the splashability of a rank mons. rise to b+

i’ve been trying to build with :reshiram: lately and it offers super cool coverage/ defensive utility, no real experience on it tho so cant really elaborate. at least rise to b

what the fuck is :tapu-fini: even doing in c it’s such a great defensive glue and are one of the few consistent checks to palkia reshiram random glances etc, i’m p sure i nommed it to a- pre beak ban and it gets even better now. rise to a-/ a

:magearna: is basically the best option available to dragon spam, scales regenvest ff bounce are all common and viable sets rn and i haven’t even seen a pixilate. being immune to both etern stabs is an incredible asset. rise to b/ b+

for others i’ve basically never used them post beak ban so i cant give input rn, but that might also be due to their loss in viability giving me less chances to try them out (mainly :yveltal: :zygarde-complete: :swampert:, mostly agreeing on these 3 dropping a tier or two). i’ve seen :urshifu-rapid-strike: usage and it’s a cool fc mon and i think i’ve been underestimating :groudon: band power, so i’d agree on these 2 as well

adding one more thing :kyogre: is the superior defensive water, fc scales ph bounce are all incredibly versatile vs :suicune: cant really run scales and ph, and doesn’t hit 90 speed mark. my previous b+ nom should still stand with beak ban and palkia usage
 
Pretty much all the rises I would've suggested have already been stated in a LOSR's post. However I think there's a few underrated mons that probably should see an increase or inclusion on the tier list.

Darmanitan UR - - > D
Darmanitan has the highest attack stat of any fire type in the game and with it's good 95 speed and sun support it can OHKO or 2HKOs the entire meta.

252+ Atk Choice Band Tinted Lens Darmanitan V-create vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Fur Coat Swampert in Harsh Sunshine: 296-350 (73.2 - 86.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Tinted Lens Darmanitan V-create vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Giratina in Harsh Sunshine: 486-572 (96.4 - 113.4%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Tinted Lens Darmanitan V-create vs. 252 HP / 252 Def Reshiram in Harsh Sunshine: 302-356 (74.7 - 88.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Tinted Lens Darmanitan V-create vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Zygarde-Complete in Harsh Sunshine: 482-568 (75.7 - 89.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Choice Band Tinted Lens Darmanitan V-create vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Fur Coat Giratina in Harsh Sunshine: 244-288 (48.4 - 57.1%) -- 41% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Choice Band Darmanitan V-create vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Fur Coat Zamazenta-Crowned in Harsh Sunshine: 426-504 (109.7 - 129.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Choice Band Darmanitan V-create vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Fur Coat Doublade in Harsh Sunshine: 276-326 (85.7 - 101.2%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO

Doublade UR - - > C
I don't know how Doublade is still unranked it's literally the physically bulkiest pokemon in the tier and has an immunity to trapping, and has the STAB boost on Spectral Thief. Not to mention it has the coveted steel typing which makes it an excellent check to both Imprison Trap Zacian and Kartarna unlike it's cousin Giratina. In addition to these notable boons it's also easier to Improof than Giratina all you need is a Poison Heal Pokemon or a strong fire type.

Torkoal UR - - > D
Torkoals mono fire typing makes it the one of the single best physical walls at the moment. Since fewer Zacian have been running Fishious Rend Torkoal really shines since both V-Create and Close Combat two of the most common moves used to bypass Zacians walls simply don't work against Torkoal. In addition to that Torkoal also beats powerful V-Create use such as Ho-Oh, which Zamzenta normally struggles with.

Dusclops/Type Null UR - - > C
Since Anti-Meta Banded Mold Breaker and Adaptability sets have been on the rise Prankster users that can take all of their relevant moves neutrally and simply recover off the damage are becoming much more useful.
 
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I'll throw in my personal take on some VR changes due to beak ban or just being outdated. A lot of pokemon were either nerfed/buffed significantly or just downright misplaced in my opinion.
:Zacian-Crowned: to S, Absolutely terrifying pokemon overall and puts immense pressure on teams. I also think that my imprison trapping set is downright disgusting and decimates teams without proper pivots.

:Xerneas: to S, Very adaptable and puts immense pressure on teams with metronome, and has other very good sets like pheal.

:Palkia: to A, Swift swim and adaptability are very fearsome sets on this pokemon and can run fishious rend for mixed very easily causing it to be very difficult to be walled except for by a very strong scales wall or Tapu Fini.

:Reshiram: to A, Like Palkia Reshiram can run chlorophyll or adaptability and be a menace with mixed v-create and dragon energy or weather, but can also run sets like magic guard, fur coat, or mold breaker that make it very unpredictable.

:Solgaleo: to A-/B+, Very strong fur coat wall and can also serve as a partial wall to Xerneas at the same time.

:Cramorant-Gorging: to B+, Cramorant puts enormous pressure on a team and can swap into weak offensive moves like anchor shot, spectral thief, knock off, etc and punish heavily for it with helmet and 25% + paralysis. Cramorant can serve as an improof for multiple pokemon that are hard to improof normally and also stop sweepers dead in their tracks.

:Darmanitan-Zen: to B-, Poison Heal is a pretty solid set and has decent bulk, allowing it to wall all Xerneas sets that are not running rend along with still having a very good special attack stat for lava plume or core enforcer.

:Groudon: to B+/A-, A lot of the walls in the current meta are weak to ground type, and Groudon with mold breaker and a strong ground stab move and glacial lance can absolutely shred a lot of teams and is incredibly powerful.

:Tapu Fini: to B/B+, Tapu Fini has very good defensive typings and is one of the few walls against the weather dragons, with bolt beak gone it isnt nearly as threatened and also was pretty underrated to begin with in my opinion.

:Suicune: to B-, Suicune also benefits from no longer fearing from bolt beak and is a pretty nice defensive pokemon, overall not as good as Tapu Fini as a general prankster/pheal wall but I think its still a good fur coat option.

:Blacephalon: to C/B-, Blacephalon is a pretty good special sweeper and is pretty useful as a scarfed pokemon overall to get surprise kills on the fast steel dogs that plague the metagame.

:Golisopod: to C/B-, I started using Golisopod on a team not too long ago and despite being weak on the special side it actually was a very amazing physical wall and I think it has a lot of potential for pheal/prankster but more importantly fur coat.

:Heatran: to C, Overall Heatran is pretty good as a wall with offensive options and magic guard is actually a pretty decent set to run on it making it immune to hazards and able to nuke fairies and steels with mind blown and steel beam.

:Landorus-Therian: to C, Pretty similar to Groudon, good as a ground type sweeper and its flying type gives it immunity to spikes, not quite as good as Groudon in my opinion but still a very fearsome sweeper for a lot of teams.

:Thundurus-Therian: to D, As a triage user Thundurus-T is pretty decent honestly and the fact that it can at least pose a significant threat to some teams should earn it a D rank, not that good but good enough to be a viable option.

:Urshifu-Rapid-Strike: to D/C, Urshifu Rapid Strike has a pretty decent typing honestly and functions above average as a fur coat wall. Basically an alternative to Zamazenta-C that is 4x more suited against V-Create.

:Doublade: / :Aegislash: to D/C, Ghost and steel is a very good typing for defense and helps walls fairies and Zamazenta-C while keeping it from being trapped. Doublade has a very high physical defense with eviolite but is outclassed by Aegislash in the spdef side due to its super low spdef stat. They are not the best overall and are overshadowed by other walls in a lot of respects but still have a unique niche that they fill pretty well.

:Cresselia: to D, Pretty solid neutral prankster defensive pokemon and has better physical bulk than Lugia while being less weak to glacial lance.
:Zamazenta-Crowned: to A+, Honestly despite being a very good pokemon Zamazenta-C just isn't quite as good as its usage suggests. I don't have much else to add really it just is outperformed by a lot of other pokemon in several respects and doesn't have too many unique niches to itself.

:Zekrom: to C, Without bolt beak Zekrom is underwhelming at best and doesn't have any powerful niche to make it stand out.

:Regieleki: to D, The only thing Regieleki has going for it now is being the new Deoxys-Speed, which just honestly isn't that needed right now especially due to hazards and screens nerfed due to court change.

:Tapu Koko: to D/UR, Tapu Koko wasn't very good to begin with in my opinion and now all of its niches are completely overtaken by other pokemon and there is little to no reason to ever use it on a team now that bolt beak is gone.

:Tyranitar: to UR,Bbeing weak to steel fighting ground and fairy just really hurts justifying any usage for Tyranitar, it doesn't have any niche that it fulfills and it just has too many weaknesses to be viable as a defense. Its offense is nowhere near on the level of other pokemon like Yveltal.

:Snorlax: to UR, Nothing it really accomplishes that I have ever seen and its usage is at an all time low of 0%, I don't think I have seen a single Snorlax in the last two thousand games I have played.

:Victini: to UR, There is absolutely nothing that Victini accomplishes that Reshiram, Darm-z or Ho-Oh cant do several times better. I have only fought a team with Victini once or twice before and it wasn't able to pull its weight on any of the teams.

:Yveltal: to B/B+, Yveltal is a pretty cool pokemon and despite benefiting from the beak ban defensively I do not think it is really that good in terms of defense anymore, especially with fairies/ice on the rise and glacial lance still shredding it.

:Zygarde-Complete: to B+, Zygarde-C is well known for being the tankiest pokemon stats wise but being limited by its typing and my reasoning is as expected, there are a lot of dragon, fairy, and ice type sweepers right now and the odds are getting pretty stacked against it right now. I still think it is a very good wall but I don't think its usefulness qualifies to be in the A category anymore.
 
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Here's a more in depth analysis of Torkoal:
So Torkoal apparently. It has a pretty garbage special defense and will be annihilated by water but has enough defense to wall resists and it’s speed tier I wouldn’t consider absolutely horrendous. It has a relatively decent HP stat so if it’s a non-special attacker with no water moves not named Landorus T or Groudon you are guaranteed to survive some hits. I’m actually going to take this time to point out a funny meme is Water Absorb Torkoal with Water Gun because most people foolishly assume Torkoal isn’t Water Absorb and Xerneas is because they are racist to Fire Type pokemon. Anyway Torkoal has some semi-viable sets including Water Absorb and the ole Fur Coat set that’s way better than Fur Coat Darmanitan. I always like it when people keep their Zacain in on Torkoal and then they get Zacian burned. Then they get all mad saying stuff like “Who the hell runs Torkoal on any serious team” and I’m like it’s a Fire Type with 140 defense bro.
 
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I'd like to nominate Tapu Fini to A-. It is probably the best "glue pokemon" in the metagame right now. It is able to effectively wall many of the sets designed to hurt the steel focused meta such as Palkia and Reshiram. It also provides many handy resists which a majority of the popular defensive pokemon are lacking such as fire, ice, dragon (immunity), fighting and water. The best Tapu Fini sets are Poison Heal, which provides great longevity and Prankster which provides amazing reliability. These sets have been used effectively and have proven to be extremely useful tools in many stall builds and balanced teams. However, at times Tapu Fini can be a bit frail and is susceptible to chipping against certain teams since its defensive stats aren't the best for the bh meta (70 / 115 / 130) and being weak to electric can mean that it will drop to a stray bolt strike. For these reasons I believe that Tapu Fini should be A-.
 
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Sweet Jesus

Neal and Jack and me, absent lovers...
Here's a more in depth analysis of Torkoal:
So Torkoal apparently. It has a pretty garbage special defense and will be annihilated by water but has enough defense to wall resists and it’s speed tier I wouldn’t consider absolutely horrendous. It has a relatively decent HP stat so if it’s a non-special attacker with no water moves not named Landorus T or Groudon you are guaranteed to survive some hits. I’m actually going to take this time to point out a funny meme is Water Absorb Torkoal with Water Gun because most people foolishly assume Torkoal isn’t Water Absorb and Xerneas is because they are racist to Fire Type pokemon. Anyway Torkoal has some semi-viable sets including Water Absorb and the ole Fur Coat set that’s way better than Fur Coat Darmanitan. I always like it when people keep their Zacain in on Torkoal and then they get Zacian burned. Then they get all mad saying stuff like “Who the hell runs Torkoal on any serious team” and I’m like it’s a Fire Type with 140 defense bro.
Entei isn't that much less bulky than torkoal on the physical side and is better in every other aspect unless you're aiming for the slow pivot or core enforcer (and darmanitan zen actualy has the sp.a to make core enforcer and volt switch decent coverage moves). Entei's 100 speed is actually on the higher end of the 90/91/95/97/99/100 speed tier giving entei the edge on many of the things it's supposed to wall and forcing a lot of hard switches from mons that would have pivoted on torkoal. His significantly higher attack also gives him some sort of offensive momentum with v-create or sacred fire. Entei doesn't outshine torkoal completely, but I'd probably run fur coat entei over fur coat torkoal. In my opinion, the competition from entei combined with ho-oh, darmanitan-zen and arguably reshiram really reduces the chances of torkoal being the optimal fire wall to an insignificant level that doesn't justify D-rank.

Other people have also suggested rising volcanion, but I'd use the same arguments to keep him unranked although I'd replace entei by reshiram as competing fire types. I'd even add a couple of water types like swampert as potential competing walls since they also resist all the strong steel types and v-create which is what fire walls are generally meant to do. Entei, torkoal, volcanion and victini all share a niche made very small by the presence of 3 generaly superior fire types and arguably some water types and to me they should all either be D-rank because we consider that niche big enough to rise all 4 or all be unranked because we consider that shared niche is too small to justify any of them being D-rank. Personnaly I'd go with the second option. If all 4 niches were combined in a single pokemon, it would be worthy of a ranking, but the fact they are 4 competing for a small niche reduces their respective chances of being the optimal fire type to a level unworthy of being ranked.

I would accept the argument that it is somewhat illogic to prevent unranked mons from being ranked because they are competing with other unranked pokemon.
 
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Yubellia

Banned deucer.
Ye as previously mentioned there are some VR changes that could occur:

:zacian-crowned: A+ -> S
Even after the Bolt Beak ban, Zacian-C still dominates the metagame to an alarming degree. Its STAB coverage + moves like V-Create and Glaical Lance makes switching into this beast a nightmare for most teams not carrying dedicated checks like FC Ho-Oh, Zama-C and and other more nichec checks. The rise of paralysis spread thanks to Cramorant does hamper it from just clicking buttons sometimes, however the subsequent rise in Jungle Healing / Heal Bell support helps alleviate this constraint. The Imprison sets are also very good as well, catching its usual checks off guard and removing them with ease and enabling Zacian's teammates to just go in. The only real downside really is that it may be hard to improof properly at times and also residual damage thanks to RH damage and Spikes can limit the amount of times it can come in properly, but besides that its an amazing offensive threat and should definitely go alongside its Shield brother in the S-Ranks.

:Groudon: C -> B-/B
Thanks to a loser amazing Adaptability spam team, I truly have come around to see the true potential of Groudon. As an offensive wallbreaker, it can really break through most defensive cores with its Ground-STAB + Ice coverage alone, threatening the likes of Zama-C, Zygarde-C, Giratina, and Eternatus. It also provides some nice defensive utility thanks to its amazing physical bulk that can let it come in on a few moderately strong physical attacks and threaten out the opposing threat. It's quite slow and does not like all the Lance + Fishious Reind coverage being spammed around, but despite these flaws, I think Groudon is rising as a great threat in this metagame. Defensive sets either using FC or Poison Heal also have some merit, albeit being slightly outclassed by Zygarde-C.

C -> B+
Yes this is quite a rise but I wanna jump on the Cramorant bangwagon and suggest that this mon is really shaping the meta to quite a marginally high degree. The ability to spread paralysis is insurmountable when paired with slower, powerful wallbreakers like the aforementioned Groudon, Kyurem-W and B, Dialga, and Zekrom. The amount of Heal Bell support and Jungle Healing being slapped on teams as of recent shows how much this mon has an impact on the current meta and how facing an opposing Cramorant should be taken with the upmost caution. Of course it has its drawbacks, namely being its abysmal bulk relative to the other high BST mons and its weakness to a common offensive type in Electric (although much less so thanks to the Bolt Beak ban). However, despite this Cram is quite flexible with its moveslots, running moves like Encore, Strength Sap, Spikes, Court Change and a slew of other options that can make it quite annoying while the opponent tries to play around its Gulp Missile.

B -> C
I feel this mon quite a bit of defensive utility with the Bolt Beak ban. Although it does have an amazing defensive typing and usable defensive stats to compliment this, its harder to justify using Pert in the current meta when options like Giratina, Zyg-C, Zama-C and Groudon are more viable and can have more impact in a game. The rise of Tapu Fini also competes for Pert's role as a defensive water on most teams too, as Fini can actually check threats like Palkia, Barraskewda, and Kyurem-B much better.

/
/
D -> UR
Just wanna nom these mons off the VR cause realistically they do not pose any advantage compared to mons ranked higher in the rankings, so it seems futile to keep them ranked even in D.
 
nominations

ries:
Landorus-t D -> C: having a speed faster than Groudon, comparable attack, and an extra available STAB move in Dragon Ascent gives Landorus-T legit niches as a Ground-type wallbreaker over Groudon. The problem is the much worse bulk and a nasty double weakness to Ice that makes it harder to bring in, but with paralysis and hazard support, Landorus-T can really rip through teams. Both Adapt and mold Breaker are great abilities, and Flying actually complements ground pretty well since it lets Lando hit Bug and Flying types well, meaning Lando can skip running the weaker Thousand Arrows and go for Bonemerang or Precipice Blades, though Arrows is still great because it is easily spammable.
Kyogre B -> B+: This mon is definitely slept on too much. It has really solid bulk, especially on the special end, meaning it can run itemless and give your team a trick/switcheroo immunity without feeling the bulk loss too badly. Rain sweeper sets are also pretty solid and bulky.
Cram-G C -> B or even B+: I agree with the previous poster that Cram-G has become the face of offensive teams trying to get a leg up. Having guaranteed paralysis just for switching in is, in my opinion, borderline uncompetitive because it creates extremely dangerous 50-50's that are often in the cram user's favor. Even worse, the consequences are often even more 50-50's during the rest of the game as the paralyzed mon hopes to be able to move. Even if the team or mon in question has heal bell or jungle healing support, they still have to either get that heal bell user in safely, or fight through the paralysis to get the Jungle Healing off, still leaving the advantage to the cram user. Poison Heal mons and electric types are better off, but still, taking 25%, even if half of it is healed off, is definitely annoying. Kram-G also acts as a switchin to entrainment ghosts, since you can get rid of gulp missile.
Torcoal Ur -> D: Fur Coat is a unique Zacian-C counter, only really fearing Fishious Rend, and also counters a good variety of other physical attackers that don't run Ground coverage such as Kartana.

drops
Victini D -> Ur: Outclassed on the offensive end by Blacephelon and on the defensive end by Darmanitan-z. This is probably an E rank mon because there are a few legit uses for Victini such as a clorophyll sweeper that can break through scales mons with Geyser and V-create, but that niche is pretty tiny.
Zamazenta C -> D or ur: there is literally no reason to use this over Pheromosa, unless you really really need the extra bulk.
Tapu Koko c -> ur: sucks
Steelix D -> Ur: Has too many weaknesses to be used as anything but an improof to certain things.
 

a loser

I'm a loser, baby, so why don't you kill me?
is a Tiering Contributoris a Contributor to Smogonis a Community Contributor Alumnus
The council has reviewed all the community nominations since the Bolt Beak ban and have updated the Viability Rankings! We'd like to thank everyone who contributed their thoughts as this greatly helps our decision making in the end. Below are a summary of the rises and drops along with my quick thoughts on each.
:Zacian-Crowned:Zacian-Crowned A+ → S
Zacian-C's impact on the meta is undeniable. Imprison + Transform, three attacks + Sap, two attacks + utility, and more make this mon very hard to deal with​
:Solgaleo:Solgaleo B → B+
Solgaleo makes a name for itself as a Steel-type that isn't Zama-C that actually resists Xerneas's STAB​
:Groudon:Groudon C → B
Groudon has finally found a real niche in the metagame with its strong Choice Band sets and also offers some decent defensive utility​
:Kyurem-Black:Kyurem-Black B- → B
STAB Glacial Lance is great and its Mold Breaker Shift Gear sets put a lot of pressure on traditional defensive cores​
:Cramorant-Gorging:Cramorant-Gorging C → B+
The rise of Cramorant is impossible to ignore. The support it offers to offensive teams is one of a kind​
:Darmanitan-Zen:Darmanitan-Zen C → B-
Darm-Z's Fur Coat sets can check variants of Zacian-C, Zama-C, Xerneas, and other guys like Kyurem-B. It can run Poison Heal and other sets decently too, but is held back by its weakness to entry hazards and reliance on Heavy-Duty Boots or team support to check threats reliably​
:Reshiram:Reshiram C → B
Reshiram's offensive sets are in a much better spot now thanks to a strong Dragon Energy and the ability to go mixed with V-create. It also has some nice defensive utility​
:Tapu Fini:Tapu Fini C → B+
Tapu Fini loves the Dragon heavy metagame and its utility sets offer great counterplay to threats like Palkia, Reshiram, and Kyurem-B. Bolt Beak being gone means it can even pester Zacian-C​
:Landorus-Therian:Landorus-T D → C
Along the same lines as Groudon, Ground STAB is great right now and hard to come by. Lando-T offers a secondary STAB as well​
:Suicune:Suicune D → C
Suicune is riding the coattails of other Water-types that are enjoying Bolt Beak's ban but lacks the offensive presence of Kyogre and the nice secondary typing of Tapu Fini​
:Zamazenta-Crowned:Zamazenta-Crowned S → A+
Not much has changed for Zama-C as it is still an incredibly useful mon and super easy to fit on teams, but the offensive meta has done a decent enough job of adapting to it to warrant a slight fall from S Rank​
:Yveltal:Yveltal A- → B
Yveltal isn't in a great place right now thanks to Zacian-C, Zama-C, Xerneas, and Glacial Lance being basically everywhere​
:Zygarde-Complete:Zygarde-Complete A- → B+
Without Bolt Beak to choose from, physical attackers have little reason not to run Glacial Lance and Zyg-C hates this​
:Zekrom:Zekrom B+ → B
Zekrom doesn't need Bolt Beak to be threatening, but it was definitely a whole lot better when it had it​
:Swampert:Swampert B → C
Swampert's edge over other Water-types has faded since Tapu Fini and Suicune resist Glacial Lance, but still has a nice defensive typing​
:Regieleki:Regieleki B- → D
Losing its best STAB move means Regieleki has gone from "insanely fast and pretty strong" to just "insanely fast" and this doesn't do much for it​
:Tapu Koko:Tapu Koko C → UR
Koko's niche disappeared as soon as Bolt Beak was banned​
:Tyranitar:Tyranitar D → UR
Dark-types aren't in a great place, see Yveltal, and Tyranitar's plethora of weaknesses combined with an offensive typing that doesn't offer much warrants a drop out of the rankings​
:Cresselia:Cresselia UR → D
:Dusclops:Dusclops UR → D
Dusclops and Cresselia fill a role of Prankster support mons that aren't weak to big moves like V-create, Fishious Rend, Glacial Lance, and Dragon Energy​
:Doublade:Doublade UR → D
Doublade's typing and Eviolite-boosted bulk make it a solid check to Imprison + Transform Zacian-C as well as more offensive sets with V-create if running Flash Fire or Fur Coat​
:Thundurus-Therian:Thundurus-T UR → D
Thundurus-T has carved a niche as a decent Triage attacker that can annoy walls with boosted Oblivion Wing and trap them with Thunder Cage​
:Urshifu:Urshifu-Rapid-Strike UR → D
Urshifu-R’s interesting Water / Fighting typing makes it a decent Fur Coat option thanks to useful resistances to Steel, Ice, Fire, and Water​
Your thoughts on the new rankings are more than welcome, and of course the meta is always changing so let us know your thoughts on what should rise or fall and things continue to develop.

Also, I want to remind everyone that Pokemon ranked S through A are available to reserve and write analyses for by posting your reservation here. For now we are sticking with the sample sets for these mons, which can be found here. About half the mons have been started so far, but anyone wanting to write is free to join us.
 

cityscapes

Take care of yourself.
is a Tiering Contributoris a Community Contributor Alumnus
:entei: to d

this guy is honestly pretty useful as a vcreate user. hooh obviously has numerous issues with elecs and physical attacks in general making it quite a specialized mon, and in its place entei provides a solid mon that still leaves a bit to be desired but can also get things done. my favorite set is adamant charcoal desolate land, which gives it a much needed power boost and lets it do better at emulating the pdon sets of old. defensive entei is also quite a cool mon because you do a great job vs xern and can run stuff like lava plume to annoy dragons (though this does make you a fair bit more passive vs ph).
 

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