AG National Dex AG

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Kate

Metamodernity
is a Tiering Contributoris a Past SCL Champion
RBTT Champion


National Dex Anything Goes

This is a combined thread for all National Dex AG related discussions. This post contains all the resources along with the links to old discussion threads if you wish to have a look at them.
THIS is the thread which lists all the relevant National Dex Mechanics.

Archives
Team Bazaar Thread [OLD]
Viability Rankings Discussion Thread [OLD]
Metagame Discussion Thread [OLD]

Click on the sprites to access the importable.
Teams may have edits from the Anything Goes Resources Council.

Deo-S Lead Hyper Offense by Kate and WSun1
Double CM Balance by lotiasite
Ditto + LO Yveltal + Perish Arc Balance by Kate
Zacian-C + TSpikes Etern Balance by WSun1
Shuca TSpikes Etern + CM Steel Balance by Kate

The Pokemon in the sub-ranks are ordered alphabetically.

S Rank

S

:arceus: Arceus-Ground
:calyrex-shadow: Calyrex-Shadow
:yveltal: Yveltal
:zacian-crowned: Zacian-Crowned

S-


:necrozma-dusk-mane: Necrozma-Dusk-Mane
:rayquaza-mega: Rayquaza-Mega

A Rank

A+



:eternatus: Eternatus
:groudon-primal: Groudon-Primal
:xerneas: Xerneas
:zygarde-complete: Zygarde-Complete

A


:arceus: Arceus
:arceus: Arceus-Dark
:arceus: Arceus-Water
:ditto: Ditto
:marshadow: Marshadow

A-

:ho-oh: Ho-Oh
:kyogre-primal: Kyogre-Primal

B Rank

B+


:arceus: Arceus-Fairy
:arceus: Arceus-Steel
:gothitelle: Gothitelle
:kyogre: Kyogre
:smeargle: Smeargle


B

:arceus: Arceus-Rock
:chansey: Chansey
:deoxys-speed: Deoxys-Speed
:ferrothorn: Ferrothorn
:gengar-mega: Gengar-Mega
:giratina: Giratina
:lunala: Lunala
:necrozma-ultra: Necrozma-Ultra
:sableye-mega: Sableye-Mega
:zekrom: Zekrom


B-

:arceus: Arceus-Ghost
:arceus: Arceus-Poison
:tyranitar: Tyranitar



C Rank

C


:arceus: Arceus-Electric
:celesteela: Celesteela
:excadrill: Excadrill
:grimmsnarl: Grimmsnarl
:groudon: Groudon
:lugia: Lugia
:quagsire: Quagsire
:shuckle: Shuckle
:tyranitar-mega: Tyranitar-Mega

D Rank

D


:magearna: Magearna
:mewtwo: Mewtwo
:mewtwo-mega-y: Mewtwo-Mega-Y
:regieleki: Regieleki
:skarmory: Skarmory


Other Resources
Speed Tiers
Set Viability Rankings
Set Compendium
Core Compendium
 
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Ainzcrad

Smile of the Orchid
is a Tiering Contributor
yo whats up ainz here. Time to team dump all my old teams for good :D

:rayquaza::necrozma_dusk_mane::arceus_water::arceus_dark::arceus::groudon_primal:
:sableye_mega::arceus_fairy::chansey::giratina::lugia::necrozma_dusk_mane:
:xerneas::arceus_dark::arceus_water::ho-oh::necrozma_dusk_mane::yveltal:
:zygarde::yveltal::zacian_crowned::necrozma_dusk_mane::arceus_water::arceus_fairy:
:arceus_ground::arceus_dark::lugia::necrozma_dusk_mane::chansey::zacian_crowned:
:groudon_primal::necrozma_dusk_mane::arceus_water::ditto::lugia::arceus_ghost:
:groudon_primal::necrozma_dusk_mane::arceus_water::zygarde::zacian_crowned::arceus_dark:
:necrozma_dusk_mane::rayquaza::zygarde::arceus_water::ho-oh::arceus_dark:
:eternatus::necrozma_dusk_mane::xerneas::ditto::lugia::kyogre_primal:
:arceus_electric::rayquaza::necrozma_dusk_mane::zygarde::arceus_water::ho-oh:
:zacian_crowned::necrozma_dusk_mane::genesect::kyogre_primal::zygarde::lugia:
:zacian_crowned::zacian_crowned::necrozma_dusk_mane::lugia::groudon_primal::ho-oh:
:arceus_water::rayquaza::necrozma_dusk_mane::ho-oh::zygarde::eternatus:
:kyogre::necrozma_dusk_mane::zacian_crowned::arceus_dark::groudon_primal::ho-oh:
:arceus_water::zacian_crowned::necrozma_dusk_mane::lugia::eternatus::arceus_ground:

:arceus_water::zacian_crowned::necrozma_dusk_mane::lugia::mewtwo_mega_y::arceus_ghost:
:zygarde::rayquaza_mega::kyogre_primal::necrozma_dusk_mane::zacian_crowned::arceus_fairy:
:shuckle::kyogre_primal::groudon_primal::xerneas::arceus_ghost::rayquaza_mega:
:mewtwo_mega_y::necrozma_dusk_mane::ho_oh::eternatus::zygarde::arceus_ghost:
:arceus_ground::ferrothorn::kyogre_primal::necrozma_dusk_mane::ho-oh::arceus_fairy:
:groudon_primal::arceus_ground::necrozma_dusk_mane::ho-oh::ditto::arceus_dark:

And that is it, these are the teams i would consider to be worth it to post and those i build/build with so i hope u guys find this somewhat usefull kek. and these teams might be outdated idk but i promised a team dump all the way back at the end of agpl so here it is :D
 
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Hey, here's a set dump of Calyrex-S sets that I've dreamed up but mostly never tested.

An extremely important difference between galar dex and national dex ag is that national dex ag still has arceus formes, all of which are bulky enough to take a +0 not super effective astral. The fact darkceus exists means that yveltal is not required to play defensive roles nearly as much, though darkceus's lack of access to sucker punch and Calyrex's access to Pollen Puff kinda makes the matchup a bit more tense. Pollen Puff is only slightly weaker against Yveltal so Calyrex isn't losing very much in dropping it unless it dynamaxes.

Darkceus also makes Trick Calyrex a lot worse, which probably goes a bit to hurt the viability of specs sets.

Something else to consider is the fact that Calyrex, on paper at least, is an excellent Z-move user. Z-Move sets should be ran with substitute to take advantage of the fact that Z-Moves don't break your substitute, otherwise you're better off dynamaxing. Doing this also makes calyrex much less dependent on dynamax to sweep and lets it "waste" dynamax in more cases.
  • Ghostium Z lets it get some OHKOs that it wouldn't get otherwise without dynamaxing or running specs. Z-Astral hits slightly harder than LO Max Phantasm.
    • OHKO at +0 on 252 HP/0 SpD Pdon and guarenteed OHKO on all Pdon variants at +1
    • +2 OHKOes all pogre variants, all dmax necrozma-dm (max/max+ falls guarenteed after sr)
    • +0 252 SpA Calyrex-Shadow Never-Ending Nightmare (190 BP) vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Zacian-Crowned: 330-388 (101.2 - 119%) -- guaranteed OHKO
  • Fairium Z lets it access the same power move that dynamax would give without breaking your substitute, which can make matchups where you'd have to dynamax to beat yveltal or darkceus a lot safer for you and prevents punishing, though the fact remains that it still isn't very powerful.
  • Buginium Z at +2 OHKOes all mega Tyranitar variants at full HP. It also swats dynamax darkceus that is not specifically invested in special defense, while specially defensive ones that do dynamax are KOed by Pollen Puff the turn after. It also isn't much weaker against Yveltal, though the recovery potential of Draining Kiss is another factor to consider.
    • +2 252 SpA Calyrex-Shadow Savage Spin-Out (175 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Tyranitar-Mega in Sand: 386-456 (95.5 - 112.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
    • 252 SpA Calyrex-Shadow Savage Spin-Out (175 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Arceus-Dark: 390-460 (87.8 - 103.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
    • +2 252 SpA Calyrex-Shadow Savage Spin-Out (175 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Dynamax Arceus-Dark: 578-682 (65 - 76.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
      +2 252 SpA Calyrex-Shadow Pollen Puff vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Dynamax Arceus-Dark: 298-352 (33.5 - 39.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
      Combo -> 98.5-116.3%
    • +1 252 SpA Calyrex-Shadow Savage Spin-Out (175 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Yveltal: 347-409 (88.2 - 104%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
      • Compare to this: +1 252 SpA Calyrex-Shadow Twinkle Tackle / Max Starfall (100 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Yveltal: 396-468 (100.7 - 119%)
 
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Yeah, like many other borderline busted threats, Nat Dex AG can find ways to handle Calyrex-S. It's not going to be easy though...

The idea of running a Z-move on it intrigues me greatly, as Z-moves have often been at their most devastating in standard tiers when paired with a sweeper who naturally snowballs like Naga, Kartana, Moxie users and so on. But we haven't really seen a full-on legendary Pokemon who can do this. Dynamax has made snowballing much more accessible for a lot of Pokemon, but the raw power of a Z-move makes kicking off a snowball much easier. And now we have Calyrex-S with As One. With a Z-Crystal I think it will serve much of the same purpose as Mega Ray or Zacian-C, a deadly threat that forces Dynamax out to clear the way for a teammate, but its capabilities as a Dynamax user make it much less predictable in terms of whether it's the enabler or the wincon at Team Preview. It also leads to the tantalising prospect of being able to run it and Mega Ray and/or Zacian-C on the same team, brute forcing a way to glory while leaving Dyanmax free for the defensive core. Also, the question of Bugium VS Ghostium will doubtless leave people worrying whether their Darkceus/Ttar is about to get blown back, even more so than with Dynamax. The big downside of course is you have to commit to one or the other in the builder.
 
After actually testing out Z-Calyrex, I have determined it to be a contender for the most broken anti-lead ever. It's a lead, wallbreaker, revenge killer, and sweeper rolled into one, and requires neither a mega slot nor dynamax to do it. You give up a noticable amount of Calyrex's ability to actually force sweeps by restricting it to one turn of overwhelming power, but in exchange it costs you basically nothing and leaves you with a large deal of flexibility, leaving dynamax open to the defensive core or a dedicated dynamaxer while allowing use behind a substitute.

I think Buginium is a bust; you're betting on too specific a matchup to really expect it to do work anywhere aside from the Ditto+Darkceus MU where they somehow let you get a sub up, SSO their darkceus without it dynamaxing, and then laugh as they fail to revenge kill you with ditto. Life Orb is probably better here.

Calyrex-Shadow @ Ghostium Z
Ability: As One (Spectrier)
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Astral Barrage
- Substitute
- Nasty Plot
- Pollen Puff / Baton Pass / Draining Kiss / Psyshock (/ Leech Seed / Disable / Encore)

Because Never Ending Nightmare cleanly OHKOes common leads like Primal Groudon, NDM, Zacian-Crowned, and Mega Rayquaza, you can simply lead with Calyrex and force them into the deadly mindgame, also known as the "wtf is this calyrex running???" game, except with the addition of the question "will they try to delete me next turn?"
  • If Calyrex clicks Substitute the only possible way for the opponent to not lose momentum is if they immediately attack or phase it. Otherwise the cycle repeats except Calyrex can now be behind a substitute if it Z-Moves and deletes the opposing lead, preventing Ditto from actually revenge killing it.
  • If Calyrex clicks NEN the only possible way for the opponent to come out ahead is if they switch in their dedicated counter (in which case the counter will take a good amount of damage as well, which could very well matter later). If they leave their mon in, they can say goodbye to it.
  • If Calyrex clicks Nasty Plot on the switch they are in trouble. +2 Pollen Puff threatens an OHKO on non-specially defensive Darkceus, regular Ekiller and Chansey don't like psyshock one bit, and if the calyrex isn't actually NEN the opponent runs the risk of Calyrex Dynamaxing, and this threat will often get them to dynamax against Calyrex when they didn't really have to. Meanwhile, if Calyrex has baton pass it can just use it to pass to something equally as dangerous....
Meanwhile, it serves as an excellent anti-lead to Smeargle thanks to Substitute. Smeargle's only option when faced with a Calyrex is to click whirlwind; if they don't have it, the Smeargle user has to deal with Calyrex behind a Substitute.

You don't even have to lead with it, the Z-Move can be conserved for later to trigger a snowball through Ho-Oh or NDM or simply to revenge kill a Zacian, Mega Rayquaza, or Groudon. This thing puts in work almost everywhere, and the presence of a Calyrex in the back can lead to the opponent playing more defensively to try to preserve the mons that can actually stop it. It may even stop people from leading with their typical lead in fear that Calyrex will be your lead.

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8nationaldexag-1222226099 - Lead calyrex ohkoes lead pdon, preventing rocks from going up and preventing it from being used to punish my ttar or kyogre, winning me the game.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8nationaldexag-1220914440 - This was before I realized I could just lead with Calyrex and was against a mediocre opponent, but Calyrex put in work here by deleting the opponent's waterceus, crippling their counterplay to my ogre to the point where they forfeited on the spot.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8nationaldexag-1218792502 opponent misplayed their zygarde against me, letting me set up calyrex against it, culminating in me OHKOing their yveltal after rocks damage with a +3 NEN (NEN hits harder than SE draining kiss)
Edit: Added new replays:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8nationaldexag-1222499325 calyrex OHKOes opposing Zacian-C turn 2 with NEN, ultimately resulting in a narrow win.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8nationaldexag-1222301073 Stole a win from Pokevania by OHKOing his Zacian-C with Never Ending Nightmare on turn 18. I used my Dynamax turn 6 on Kyogre.

Edit 2:
+0 vs. 4 HP / 0 SpD Zacian-Crowned: 330-388 (101.2 - 119%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+0 vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Groudon-Primal: 403-475 (99.7 - 117.5%) -- 93.8% chance to OHKO
+0 vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Xerneas: 378-445 (96.1 - 113.2%) -- 75% chance to OHKO
+0 vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Necrozma-Dusk-Mane: 514-607 (129.1 - 152.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+0 vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Rayquaza-Mega: 372-438 (105.9 - 124.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO

+0 vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Zygarde: 385-454 (91.6 - 108%) -- 50% chance to OHKO (87.5% after rocks)
+0 vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Eternatus: 387-456 (91.9 - 108.3%) -- 50% chance to OHKO, guaranteed after stealth rock

Below are some threats that need to be weakened to 2/3 HP to KO or require +1:
+0 vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Zygarde-Complete: 385-454 (60.5 - 71.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO, 43.8% chance to OHKO from full at +1 (87.5% after rocks)
+0 vs. 252 HP / 52 SpD Ho-Oh: 246-289 (59.1 - 69.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO, 25% to OHKO at +1

+1 vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Groudon-Primal: 429-505 (106.1 - 125%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+1 vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Kyogre-Primal: 369-435 (108.2 - 127.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+1 vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Arceus-Ground: 475-559 (106.9 - 125.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+1 vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Ferrothorn: 360-424 (102.2 - 120.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+1 vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Dynamax Necrozma-Dusk-Mane: 771-909 (96.8 - 114.1%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO, guarenteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
+1 vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Shadow Shield Dynamax Lunala: 1044-1230 (109.2 - 128.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO (fun calc)

Do note that the above calc means that it can take +0 nen if it simply dmaxes, which has lost me games before if they dmax t1 for some weird reason.

+1 vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Multiscale Lugia: 382-450 (91.8 - 108.1%) -- 50% chance to OHKO (+0 OHKOes with multiscale broken)
+1 vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Yveltal: 282-333 (71.7 - 84.7%) -- 75% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
+1 vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Eternatus: 414-487 (85.5 - 100.6%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock


These require half HP removed or +2:
+2 vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Arceus-Fairy: 471-555 (106 - 125%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Dynamax Kyogre: 553-652 (81 - 95.6%) -- 56.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock, higher if considering LO recoil.

Lol.
vs. Chansey: 0 -- possibly the worst move ever

Edit 3:
Added Baton Pass to set, offers incredibly easy imposter-proofing via a normal type while opening up opportunities to pass special attack boosts or a sub to a dynamax-centric sweeper like Yveltal or Kyogre. Also allows easy escaping of pursuit from everything not named Marshadow.

Edit 4:
Added more alternate options to set, these aren't as good but they are intended to show the unpredictability of the last slot. Added ferrothorn and lugia to table (both require +1)
Disable can at least let you escape from pursuit trappers and punishes monoattacking arc formes, which can open a turn for a sub. It's probably outclassed by baton pass... Encore lets you waste sucker punches and force sr setters to waste a turn switching or dmaxing, on which you can nasty plot and potentially attempt to do something with it. Leech Seed bothers and chips switchins over time, doesn't do anything else really.
 
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Geysers

not round
is a Community Contributoris a Team Rater Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
Why is dusk Necrozma in S rank and ultra Necrozma in B rank?
This is primarily because defensive Necrozma-DM is one of the few reliable checks to Zacian-C, as well as being a reliable Stealth Rock setter and providing other invaluable defensive utility. Ultra Necrozma struggles to fit on any team that isn’t Hyper Offense because it would take the team’s Dusk Mane slot, severely restricting building. As a result, it’s much less commonly used than regular Dusk Mane.

Hopefully this answered your question!
 
Hey, I heard some talk about a possible update to the VR thread, so I wanted to contribute my thoughts on the matter. Despite the extreme centralization from the broken piece of garbage that is called Calyrex-Shadow, I feel the metagame is largely unchanged outside of its influence, though it's certainly less stable...

Calyrex-Shadow, as I have said often, was a mistake. This monster is the best revenge kiler in the tier, the best Z-Move user in the tier, one of the most dangerous dynamax users in the tier, and one of the best leads in the tier. In fact, it's such a good Z-Move user that it's worth considering, which is extremely impressive considering it can Dynamax; there's something to be said about the power of getting a turn 1 Primal Groudon/Necrozma-Dusk-Mane/Zacian-Crowned OHKO with Never Ending Nightmare, and the sheer amount of options Calyrex has at its disposal renders it extremely unpredictable. I have sets for Calyrex utilizing Life Orb, Ghostium Z, Choice Scarf, Choice Specs, Focus Sash, and even Big Root. Checking Calyrex is a gigantic hassle thanks to its access to just enough coverage to potentially break through the entire meta if given the chance, access to memes like Leech Seed and Trick to punish switch ins, SubPlot to steamroll passive Pokemon and hinder revenge killing attempts, and Baton Pass to pivot out of pursuit trappers and defensive dynamax while passing special attack boosts or substitutes to Pokemon that really shouldn't have them.
Calyrex's absurd speed lets it outspeed the entire metagame including Zacian-Crowned, and its natural power lets it actually check Zacian-Crowned by threatening an OHKO via various sets (specs, ghostium z, lo max phantasm). Immunity to Extreme Speed prevents Mega Rayquaza from easily revenge killing it, which only goes to force increasingly dedicated checks and counters to this monster. Access to Pollen Puff makes Darkceus a much shakier check than it should be. We should be concerned when we consider Arceus-Normal for its defensive typing.
Every single one of Calyrex's sets can easily sweep if given the chance, in many cases flipping the outcome of a game immediately. The fact that it is an excellent Z-Move user renders it extremely splashable on teams that worry about not being able to dedicate dynamax to it and allows it to contribute to absolutely brutal wallbreaking cores.
This thing is broken. All this and it still has sets I haven't brought up or mentioned.
Being the #1 check to Calyrex-Shadow is huge. Its access to Sucker Punch makes it extremely splashable as a Calyrex check without requiring large set changes. Even the old pre-dlc2 Life Orb Dynamax sweeper sets do just fine thanks to the increased bulk from dynamax. Likes the amount of pressure that Calyrex-Shadow exerts on typical checks in Zacian-Crowned, Xerneas, and Fairyceus (to some extent), and works well with Calyrex itself. I really don't see this doing much worse than in Galar Dex right now; the only development that is unique to National Dex AG that it doesn't appreciate is the presence of Arceus formes, which are already hard-pressed to check an ever-growing amount of broken threats in the metagame.
Is very scared of being anti-led by Calyrex-Shadow, which can deny it from setting hazards by simply oneshotting the standard 252HP/252+SpD set with Life Orb Astral Barrage and doesn't like its entry into the metagame. However, it remains the #1 defensive check to Zacian-Crowned and is still very splashable, though its passivity is more exploitable than ever.
Ultra Necrozma really does not appreciate the further rise of Dark/Ghost types in Calyrex-Shadow, Yveltal, Darkceus, Tyranitar, and Marshadow, all of which it has issues reasonably defeating. Calyrex-Shadow in particular can only be defeated by a boosted Light That Burns The Sky or the niche Knock Off or Moongeist Beam. All of these options (barring Knock Off) fail to OHKO a dynamaxed Calyrex-Shadow.
Calyrex-Shadow's Z-move utilizing sets give its primary gimmick a run for its money, meanwhile.
Suffers from the continued trend of inflation in speed tiers and the fact that Calyrex-Shadow both resists Psychic and OHKOes it with Astral Barrage. Is outsped by Calyrex-Shadow (and unlike Zacian-C Calyrex usually runs +speed) and OHKOed, though access to Ice Beam, Focus Blast, and Fire Blast and Mega Evolution disallowing Ditto dynamax distinguish it from Calyrex itself, though it should be kept far away from Calyrex.
Calyrex-Shadow kind of just outclasses this as a Dynamax Sweeper and easily revenge kills Mewtwo that aren't at +1 speed, though Mewtwo's coverage and access to Hurricane are enough to keep it out of the C ranks in my opinion. Like Ultra Necrozma, it also does not appreciate the further rise of Dark and Ghost types, especially specially defensive Arceus-Dark and Tyranitar that are immune to Psystrike. Dynamax does not particularly lend itself well to fighting coverage, either. I guess it can be useful as a complement to Calyrex-Shadow?
Being a psychic/ghost type without busted speed sucks in this meta. Does not like increased presence of Tyranitar in the tier, and is OHKOed by Calyrex-Shadow Astral Barrage through Shadow Shield.
One of the most reliable stops to Calyrex-Shadow in the tier thanks to Sandstorm-boosted special bulk and access to pursuit. The fact it doesn't need Dynamax to stop it is extremely useful, and it's bulky enough to stop most meta threats once if needed. Access to Thunder Wave is incredibly trolly in this fast-paced metagame. Increased bulk from Mega Evolution increases the amount of stuff it checks by a noticable amount, and makes it less prone to being overwhelmed than its base forme.

However, it's still got all of its flaws. It's not extremely splashable given its anti-synergies with Necrozma-Dusk-Mane, as Sandstorm prevents DM from stopping a Zacian who has switched directly into Tyranitar. It takes the mega slot, preventing the usage of Mega Rayquaza next to it. It also is easily worn down and is weak to ground, but its checking power is almost unmatched when it comes to beating Calyrex; there's a reason why leaf storm is sometimes considered on Calyrex, and even then Tyranitar-Mega takes it rather well. Pursuit is also somewhat of an inconsistent way of dealing with Calyrex; if Calyrex dynamaxes, it avoids the OHKO from pursuit and gets two chances to attack Mega Tyranitar with powerful max moves, which forces Mega Tyranitar to consider running Crunch to complement Pursuit to OHKO through dynamax, though this comes at the expense of other moves. In addition, use of the Mega slot prevents the use of Mega Rayquaza at the same time.
I believe it's A- worthy, but I feel there's room for disagreement given the sheer number of flaws Tyranitar sports.
Base tyranitar in my experience is a notably shakier check to Calyrex compared to its Mega Evolution thanks to lower attack and bulk but access to Dynamax and an item slot somewhat goes to offset this. Really loves continued access to pursuit, unlike its Galarian Dex AG counterpart, though its uninvested pursuit fails to OHKO calyrex-shadow consistently if it stays in, and more importantly can fail to 2HKO it when Dynamaxed.
It suffers from almost all of the flaws that I mentioned with its Mega Evolution, in particular the anti-synergy with Necrozma-Dusk-Mane that can force players to run a different or additional Zacian-C check, most of which do not have viable recovery options.
Blissey should be ranked somewhere imo, probably B/B-. Z-Teleport/HDB sounds intriguing as a pivot, though I haven't had a lot of experience with it as yet, though its results in National Dex OU I suppose are an argument. Being a stop to most of the special attackers in the tier is extremely valuable, and the ability to pivot out of hard switches into very dangerous threats can flip games. My experience with pivoting in this metagame has been very satisfying.
I guess it can also run Shadow Ball to help fight Substitute or Taunt Calyrex-Shadow that think that running those moves will nullify that annoying pink blob. Even chansey can run Shadow Ball thanks to Calyrex's double weakness to the move, it's enough to break a substitute.
0 SpA Blissey Shadow Ball vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Calyrex-Shadow: 180-216 (52.7 - 63.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Relatedly, even chansey's shadow ball is enough to break a calyrex substitute if you hate it that much, though a 3hko is much less inspiring than Blissey's 2HKO.
0 SpA Chansey Shadow Ball vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Calyrex-Shadow: 108-128 (31.6 - 37.5%) -- guarenteed break substitute

National Dex AG is far from a dead metagame; in fact, I think its playerbase is slowly growing again.
 
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If Pursuit still remains in National Dex AG, will it help against beating Calyrex-S as prevents it from switching? Also, what's the best Pursuit trapper?
Is it better to have a Leftovers Tyranitar or Mega-one when you have a free mega-slot?
 
If Pursuit still remains in National Dex AG, will it help against beating Calyrex-S as prevents it from switching? Also, what's the best Pursuit trapper?
Is it better to have a Leftovers Tyranitar or Mega-one when you have a free mega-slot?
I think I'm partial to Mega Tyranitar just for the increased bulk that's saved many a game for me (takes lo pollen puffs v well), but Tyranitar works very well as well. The issue with Pursuit is that it's pretty weak when they don't switch, which is only made worse if Calyrex dynamaxes instead of switching (for example usually when it has Pollen Puff); regular tyranitar will fail to 2HKO non-LO calyrex (though I suppose Life Orb is the real threat so it's not that big of a deal) while Max Flutterby (or the niche Max Overgrowth that only hits ttar for 10 BP more) threatens a 2HKO on base ttar.

That said, Tyranitar's ability to Dynamax means bulk is less of an issue (though dynamaxing ttar at the wrong time leads to a huge, huge loss of momentum), however, and access to Lefties does mean that it is far less suspectible to being worn down than its mega.

Another issue with Pursuit is that Baton Pass bypasses it, which means that an innovative Calyrex can simply escape pursuit trapping and put something in that threatens or lures the trapper. This fact makes Marshadow a surprisingly effective Pursuit trapper if you can actually get it in: they WILL switch under the threat of Shadow Sneak, making them Pursuit bait. The drawback of running pursuit on marshadow is that Calyrex is the only viable target of Pursuit, and Marshadow has other things it would rather run.

Other stuff I've seen (and laughed at) are Pursuit Darkrai, Pursuit Staraptor (which actually beats Ghost/Bug sets), and Pursuit Alolan Raticate.

So TLDR the most viable pursuit trappers in the metagame are Mega Tyranitar, Tyranitar, and Marshadow, unless you really want to try one of the memes I just mentioned.
 
Another issue with Pursuit is that Baton Pass bypasses it, which means that an innovative Calyrex can simply escape pursuit trapping and put something in that threatens or lures the trapper.
Why yes, this does also mean Calyrex can simply Baton Pass SpA boosts to things that have no business having them, such as Mixed Mega Ray (+2 Draco and possibly +2 Fire Blast kills basically any hope you had of checking it), Kyogre/Pogre (+2 Origin Pulse/Max Geyser?), Eternatus (+2 Inferno Overdrive bops pretty much all its checks) or even Xern...
Many of these threats can switch into Calyrex's counters relatively unimpeded, and proceed to use the free +2 SpA to blow heads off. Also, if Calyrex would go down after forcing a kill, it can also Baton Pass all SpA boosts it has acquired from its snowball (though it's unlikely to find anything it can't beat at +3 SpA, especially if it's already taken out its dedicated counter).
Calyrex-Shadow @ Leftovers
Ability: As One (Spectrier)
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Nasty Plot
- Baton Pass
- Astral Barrage
And I thought Magearna was a splashable Baton Passer...
 
Double post I know, but it's been a while and I've been debating what you'd actually ban from a hypothetical Nat Dex Ubers (aside from the obvious cheese strats). Calyrex-S probably, but I'm not even sure Dynamax would be banworthy in Nat Dex. I actually liked the way everything was pre-DLC 2. Thoughts?
 
Double post I know, but it's been a while and I've been debating what you'd actually ban from a hypothetical Nat Dex Ubers (aside from the obvious cheese strats). Calyrex-S probably, but I'm not even sure Dynamax would be banworthy in Nat Dex. I actually liked the way everything was pre-DLC 2. Thoughts?
In my opinion, dynamax would need to be banned; not only would not banning it mean that it would be almost indistinguishable from natdex ag, natdex does not possess anything to make dynamax any less broken than it is in galar dex. Dynamax makes megas and z moves less viable, not the other way around, and the mechanic has a habit of lowering the payoff of good play. Dmax yveltal, kyogre, and xerneas are incredibly oppressive forces in the metagame, and ones that I would hesitate to call healthy.
  • Calyrex-Shadow would need to be quickbanned regardless of whether or not dynamax is banned if you want a metagame that is at all playable. Z-Move-wielding Calyrex is desirable in a metagame with dynamax. Without dynamax, the amount of stuff that can deal with that set goes down drastically (this would also mean that ultra necrozma would see much more play in a dmax-less meta, dmax really fucks with it rn). Thing gets encore and disable too....
  • Mega Gengar may need to be banned as well, the only reason it isn't good in current natdex ag (in my opinion) that a lot of the stuff it would encore and exploit simply dynamaxes against Mega Gengar to nullify encore. Without Dynamax, there is absolutely nothing stopping Mega Gengar from stealing a game by switching into any support move, clicking encore, nasty plot, and then sweeping.
  • Mega Rayquaza would probably need to be banned, thing is too unpredictable and it steals the game way too easily.
  • Zacian-Crowned is probably fine, if anything it would be worse than in Galar Ubers because of the presence of Primal Groudon and Arceus.
I don't really see how this fits into the thread, but I'm fine discussing it if we're not going to discuss anything else.
 
In my opinion, dynamax would need to be banned; not only would not banning it mean that it would be almost indistinguishable from natdex ag, natdex does not possess anything to make dynamax any less broken than it is in galar dex. Dynamax makes megas and z moves less viable, not the other way around, and the mechanic has a habit of lowering the payoff of good play. Dmax yveltal, kyogre, and xerneas are incredibly oppressive forces in the metagame, and ones that I would hesitate to call healthy.
  • Calyrex-Shadow would need to be quickbanned regardless of whether or not dynamax is banned if you want a metagame that is at all playable. Z-Move-wielding Calyrex is desirable in a metagame with dynamax. Without dynamax, the amount of stuff that can deal with that set goes down drastically (this would also mean that ultra necrozma would see much more play in a dmax-less meta, dmax really fucks with it rn). Thing gets encore and disable too....
  • Mega Gengar may need to be banned as well, the only reason it isn't good in current natdex ag (in my opinion) that a lot of the stuff it would encore and exploit simply dynamaxes against Mega Gengar to nullify encore. Without Dynamax, there is absolutely nothing stopping Mega Gengar from stealing a game by switching into any support move, clicking encore, nasty plot, and then sweeping.
  • Mega Rayquaza would probably need to be banned, thing is too unpredictable and it steals the game way too easily.
  • Zacian-Crowned is probably fine, if anything it would be worse than in Galar Ubers because of the presence of Primal Groudon and Arceus.
I don't really see how this fits into the thread, but I'm fine discussing it if we're not going to discuss anything else.
Yeah, basically using pre-DLC 1 Nat Dex as a basis, minus the cheese and with added Species Clause sounds good to me.

The way I see it, Dmax Yveltal, Xern and Ogre actually kinda centralized the tier in a sort-of weirdly good way, by each being so far better than any other Dmax abuser you could name. One of the biggest complaints about Dmax in standard tiers was you didn't know what Pokemon was going to Dmax or when. Is that Lando-T suicide lead Rocks or SD Max AirQuake? Is the Kartana SD Aerial Ace or just Scarf? Pokemon like Gyarados were lethal with Dynamax, but still deadly without it. In old Nat Dex AG, if you had LO Yveltal on your team, that was your Dynamaxer and there wasn't much reason to deviate from that because of the huge opportunity cost of not getting access to Dynamaxed Yveltal. The only reason to do anything else was if your opponent forced you to Dynamax something else. LO Yveltal without Dmax is a pretty lame and easy-to-check mon (especially when every team has a check for it anyway), LO Ogre without Dmax is an actual joke, and GeoXern without Dmax loses easily to the Nec-DM that's on every team. You could run Brave Bird Ho-Oh, Arceus-Fly or Omastar (lol) to try and surprise your opponent with an unusual Dynamaxer, but most people simply didn't bother because they were just inferior to those top 3. So in a weird way, those "ideal" Dmax abusers stabilised the mechanic somewhat, just turning it into a more controversial version of Z-moves where you were committing to it in the builder. It also helps that Pdon, Zacian-C and Mega Ray physically cannot Dynamax, and those are 3 of the top 6 mons in the metagame.

While Z-moves have pretty much died out bar offensive Etern sets and the rare Ultra Nec, Mega Ray is in the top 3 mons on the VR and MMY is hardly bad with Nasty Plot. Though I agree Dmax makes Mega Gar better on paper than in practice, in a way that's good for the overall metagame, allowing more counterplay to trapping. Oh and Pdon (which is basically a Mega) is very good and POgre has always faced competition from offensive Ogre sets. So I'd say that Dmax hasn't really killed Megas, and has actually helped balance some of the worse cases. Z moves were obviously doomed, but have survived in small ways.

And yeah, Dmax also keeps quite a few mons in check... Don't hold your breath for Zacian-C staying in Dmaxless Nat Dex Ubers tbh.
+1 252 Atk Zacian-Crowned Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Groudon-Primal: 124-146 (30.6 - 36.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Stealth Rock
And you're pretty much forced to run Rest.
+1 252 Atk Zacian-Crowned Close Combat vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Necrozma-Dusk-Mane: 146-172 (36.6 - 43.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
Assuming it is the Boots version so it doesn't just get bopped by Assurance. In which case it does nothing back but sit there since Sunsteel is only a 50/50 to 2HKO after Rocks lol.
+1 252 Atk Zacian-Crowned Behemoth Blade vs. 252 HP / 240+ Def Arceus-Ground: 192-226 (43.2 - 50.9%) -- 50% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
The only Arceus form that resists Behemoth Blade while being not weak to Wild Charge or Close Combat is Fire. And we can both agree that is basically budget Pdon. The above happens to all those that don't resist it.
+1 252 Atk Zacian-Crowned Behemoth Blade vs. 252 HP / 208+ Def Zygarde-Complete: 195-231 (30.6 - 36.3%) -- 2.5% chance to 3HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
+3 252 Atk Zacian-Crowned Behemoth Blade vs. 252 HP / 208+ Def Zygarde-Complete: 324-382 (50.9 - 60%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
Assuming it transforms safely (Behemoth Blade is a 50/50 to transform it), ZyGod is pretty much the only reliable Zacian-C check and Zacian-C can choose to run Play Rough to bypass it, an especially attractive option without Dynamax around. It's the only switch-in it has that doesn't just fold to SD on the switch after chip, and it can either Glare it or use it as Dragon Dance fodder if it lacks SD.
So yeah Zac getting banned from a Dmaxless tier is pretty much a certainty. Think of every time you've had to Dmax your Nec DM to not instantly lose to it. Yeah. That.
 
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Kate

Metamodernity
is a Tiering Contributoris a Past SCL Champion
RBTT Champion
Hullo, I got eliminated from the last pre dlc 2 ndag tour, so as promised I'm doing a builder dump nwn

https://pokepast.es/687cc5e270e48d1e

Here are some highlights and personal favs:

:arceus: :necrozma-dusk-mane: :arceus-dark: :rayquaza-mega: :zygarde: :arceus:

I built this for my quarterfinal match vs Pichus, and I really like how it turned out. Arceus Ghost is a really underprepped for and deadly mon, and dropping coverage for recover allows it to set up on a lot more reliably. The rest of the team exerts offensive pressure with dd ray, while cm fairy shores up the darkceus matchup. The rest is just a reliable defensive backbone. I tend to really like defensive Zygarde in the current meta, as it neutralizes a lot of dangerous physical attackers without being the liability of something like skarmory.

:zacian-crowned: :arceus: :necrozma-dusk-mane: :zygarde: :ludicolo: :arceus:

Rather than this being actually good, it's more of just super fun and one of my favorite builds. There's not much unique here besides the toxic zygarde I spammed a bit in circuit playoffs. Toxic Zygarde is just absolutely excellent right now due to most of what checks it not being refresh users. However the real meat and potatoes is, of course, the ludicolo. A lot of people assumed this was my Kyogre check, and while that's partly true, it was more of me trying to figure out what could beat both groundceus and waterceus without being deadweight vs other defensive mons. The Ev's are in spdef except creeping defensive dusk mane, while the defense allows it to live jolly zacian c close combat from full.

:groudon-primal: :tyranitar: :necrozma-dusk-mane: :arceus: :rayquaza-mega: :arceus:

If you're looking for a team that benefits aggression and good prediction, this is the one for you. Theoretically, Band Ray + Groundceus + SD Erupt Don has pretty much zero counterplay, and that's what this team exploits. Mray invites in NDM, which is easily taken advantage of by the other two, while the grounds let in earth power waterceus, something smacked by band mray. The defensive core is not much, but it's a fine fallback if your offensive assault goes awry.

:groudon: :groudon: :rayquaza-mega: :groudon-primal: :arceus: :arceus:

It's triple don. What more do you want?

:groudon-primal: :arceus: :rayquaza-mega: :necrozma-dusk-mane: :arceus: :ho-oh:

It's consistent, it's meta, and I've used it a lot. There's nothing unique here, but it all meshes together really nice, giving a strong defensive core while still being extremely threatening offensively. Not much to explain here, it's just good, and if you want wins without too much experience in the tier, this is the one for you.

:lycanroc: :cloyster: :yveltal: :necrozma-dusk-mane: :marshadow: :kyogre:

It's not an exaggeration to say this is the team I'm most proud of. It's completely out of the box while still being amazingly consistent in its time. Free Wins will endure as long as I'm here to keep it around, and it's only fitting I end the dump on this.


It's been fun playing ndag. Frustrating a lot of the times, I took breaks from it but always returned. I put a lot of hard work into the meta during the later half. It's definitely disappointing to lose, especially when I could have had at least a shot at a game three, but at the end of the day you have to tip your hat to the better player. I'm upset that I could never win anything, but I don't think I'm as heartbroken as I would have been even six months ago. Anyone who knows me knows how in my own head I can get, along with looking for validation from others. But, really, as long as I tried my best, I have nothing to be ashamed of. I don't need to be validated by people who don't even like me. I have my friends, I have myself, and that's all I need. It's been a hell of a journey. Thank you all for reading, and peace.
Kate
 
Lugia VS Ho-Oh, which is better support?
Ho-Oh is a non-rock move Pdon check and also blanket checks every special attacker in the tier with Regen, as well as excelling at stalling Dynamax. It also helps pivot around Zac-C, punishing it if it chooses to drop Wild Charge. Finally, it excels as a Defogger, probably being the most reliable one in the game. Ho-Oh is very hard to not use on a balance team for these reasons.
Lugia is just a wall, and not a great one at that (loses to Zac-C, Cal-S and YGod). Its usage is mostly relegated to stall teams because it sucks momentum away like nothing else.
In future, the Simple Questions thread is the best place for questions like this.
 
Just wanted to share a tech I'm convinced is not being given its fair shake:

Rayquaza-Mega @ Life Orb
Ability: Delta Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Lonely Nature
- Dragon Ascent
- V-create
- Draco Meteor
- Scale Shot

For some reason I've gotten the impression that most people think this is a joke set. I've strongly disagreed with that, it simply does way too many unique things, while Extreme Speed's usefulness is at an all time given that virtually all of the stuff that outspeeds Mega Rayquaza naturally doesn't care about it very much or at all.
Mega Rayquaza is the best Scale Shot user in the Natdex AG metagame, if anything can run it, it's this monster. Lowering Defense isn't even that bad given that Rayquaza runs moves that lower its defenses already (if anything the fact it doesn't lower special defense is sometimes appreciated).

Here's some some stuff you can do with this set:
  • Grab Momentum Like Crazy
    • If they switch a wall in (Necrozma-DM, Arc forme, Tyranitar) and you get even a little lucky with scale shot hits, they can be put in KO range.
      • 252+ Atk Life Orb Rayquaza-Mega Scale Shot (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Necrozma-Dusk-Mane: 17.3 - 20.3% (Note +Atk LO V-Create does 82 minimum)
      • 252+ Atk Life Orb Rayquaza-Mega Scale Shot (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Arceus-Ground: 32.4 - 39.1%, and Draco Meteor does 59 minimum for a guaranteed KO if Arc started anywhere lower than 90%. Adding an extra hit will make that KO guarenteed.
      • 3 Hit Scale Shot does 50+ to Tyranitar, allowing it to be KOed consistently by Draco Meteor afterwards regardless of investment.
  • Makes Rayquaza threaten new targets and adds mind games.
    • Using Scale Shot on a revenge kill makes it much harder to revenge kill, as it now outspeeds Zacian, Calyrex, Marshadow, and Eternatus and can OHKO all of them with appropriate attacks. This also means it gets a free V-Create without needing to be forced out afterwards, reducing the opponent's ability to play around the move.
    • It also makes Rayquaza more dangerous to switch into, as while Zacian can indeed block it it really doesn't want to risk v-create on the switch. Against other targets, even if rayquaza is forced out scale shot did damage, and depending on the number of hits scale shot did Rayquaza may be able to use that chip to KO the target with an appropriate stab move.
    • Having the ability to go mixed means the sheer amount of targets Mray can threaten in a given game goes up, making it even more of an early-game powerhouse. Draco also makes up for scale shot's offensive shortcomings and disrupts a lot of physical walls expecting physical moves from Rayquaza, notably Primal Groudon and Zygarde (also Tyranitar to some degree given it resists the Flying/Fire combination). It also provides a consistent option to OHKO eternatus with.
    • Alternatively it can run Swords Dance, after a single Swords Dance Mega Rayquaza can easily up Scale Shot against all but invested physical walls, or simply use the power to wallbreak at +0. With both boosts achieved, Mega Rayquaza becomes almost impossible to deal with without priority or Ditto. However, the flip side it means that Rayquaza is more dependent on prior setup compared to if it were running Draco Meteor, especially when facing Primal Groudon, Zygarde, and Eternatus. It also has relatively low reward against anyone with priority, as they can just pick it off.
  • Greatly hinders sash users. While a lot of these calcs rely a lot on luck (especially the 4-5 hit calcs), note the alternative is a guaranteed 2HKO on these Pokemon. The first one against, however, is the the biggest draw here, making this set an extremely effective anti-lead to Smeargle.
    • 252+ Atk Life Orb Rayquaza-Mega Scale Shot (2 hits) vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Smeargle: 330-390 (105 - 124.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
    • 252+ Atk Life Orb Rayquaza-Mega Scale Shot (3 hits) vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Rayquaza-Mega: 453-537 (129 - 152.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
    • 252+ Atk Life Orb Rayquaza-Mega Scale Shot (4 hits) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Calyrex-Shadow: 364-436 (106.7 - 127.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
    • 252+ Atk Life Orb Rayquaza-Mega Scale Shot (4 hits) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Marshadow: 364-436 (113.3 - 135.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
  • Punishes substitute users. Unfortunately its prowess against defensive Zygarde is kinda sad, but anything less than full physdef that's substituted once or twice is easy prey (given about 4 hits). Also punishes sub-happy calyrex.
Edit:
Added Swords Dance to set, see posts #19 and #20
Edit 2:
Removed Swords Dance from set, see post #21
 
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Just wanted to share a tech I'm convinced is not being given its fair shake:

Rayquaza-Mega @ Life Orb
Ability: Delta Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Lonely Nature
- Dragon Ascent
- V-create
- Draco Meteor
- Scale Shot

For some reason I've gotten the impression that most people think this is a joke set. I've strongly disagreed with that, it simply does way too many unique things, while Extreme Speed's usefulness is at an all time given that virtually all of the stuff that outspeeds Mega Rayquaza naturally doesn't care about it very much or at all.
Mega Rayquaza is the best Scale Shot user in the Natdex AG metagame, if anything can run it it's this monster.

Here's some some stuff you can do with this set:
  • Greatly hinders sash users. While a lot of these calcs rely a lot on luck (especially the 4-5 hit calcs), note the alternative is a guaranteed 2HKO on these Pokemon. The first one against, however, is the the biggest draw here, making this set an extremely effective anti-lead to Smeargle.
    • 252+ Atk Life Orb Rayquaza-Mega Scale Shot (2 hits) vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Smeargle: 330-390 (105 - 124.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
    • 252+ Atk Life Orb Rayquaza-Mega Scale Shot (3 hits) vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Rayquaza-Mega: 453-537 (129 - 152.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
    • 252+ Atk Life Orb Rayquaza-Mega Scale Shot (4 hits) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Calyrex-Shadow: 364-436 (106.7 - 127.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
    • 252+ Atk Life Orb Rayquaza-Mega Scale Shot (4 hits) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Marshadow: 364-436 (113.3 - 135.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
  • Makes Rayquaza threaten new targets and adds mind games.
    • Using Scale Shot on a revenge kill makes it much harder to revenge kill, as it now outspeeds Zacian, Calyrex, Marshadow, and Eternatus and can OHKO all of them with appropriate attacks. This also means it gets a free V-Create without needing to be forced out afterwards, reducing the opponent's ability to play around the move.
    • It also makes Rayquaza more dangerous to switch into, as while Zacian can indeed block it it really doesn't want to risk v-create on the switch. Against other targets, even if rayquaza is forced out scale shot did damage, and depending on the number of hits scale shot did Rayquaza may be able to use that chip to KO the target with an appropriate stab move.
    • Having the ability to go mixed means the sheer amount of targets Mray can threaten in a given game goes up, making it even more of an early-game powerhouse. Draco also makes up for scale shot's offensive shortcomings.
  • Punishes substitute users. Unfortunately its prowess against defensive Zygarde is kinda sad, but anything less than full physdef that's substituted once or twice is easy prey (given about 4 hits). Also punishes sub-happy calyrex.
Couldn't you consider Swords Dance>Draco?
+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Rayquaza-Mega Scale Shot (2 hits) vs. 252 HP / 208+ Def Zygarde-Complete: 396-468 (62.2 - 73.5%) -- approx. 2HKO after Leftovers recovery (One hit breaks Sub)
+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Rayquaza-Mega Scale Shot (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 208+ Def Zygarde-Complete: 594-702 (93.3 - 110.3%) -- approx. 62.5% chance to OHKO
It would kinda function like SD SS Chomp in OU, where you SD if predicting a wall trying to come in on an attack, and SS if you predict an attempt to pivot a revenge killer into SD.
 
Couldn't you consider Swords Dance>Draco?
+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Rayquaza-Mega Scale Shot (2 hits) vs. 252 HP / 208+ Def Zygarde-Complete: 396-468 (62.2 - 73.5%) -- approx. 2HKO after Leftovers recovery (One hit breaks Sub)
+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Rayquaza-Mega Scale Shot (3 hits) vs. 252 HP / 208+ Def Zygarde-Complete: 594-702 (93.3 - 110.3%) -- approx. 62.5% chance to OHKO
It would kinda function like SD SS Chomp in OU, where you SD if predicting a wall trying to come in on an attack, and SS if you predict an attempt to pivot a revenge killer into SD.
Yeah that sounds really usable, boosted scale shot sounds absolutely hellish to deal with, and I'm fully aware how stupidly powerful boosted Rayquaza is. I noticed those calcs are zyg-complete, so I wanted to add this.

+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Rayquaza-Mega Scale Shot (2 hits) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Zygarde: 380-452 (90.4 - 107.6%) -- approx. 87.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Rayquaza-Mega Scale Shot (2 hits) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Kyogre: 330-390 (96.7 - 114.3%) -- approx. 93.8% chance to OHKO

+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Rayquaza-Mega Scale Shot (2 hits) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Yveltal: 312-370 (79.3 - 94.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Rayquaza-Mega Scale Shot (3 hits) vs. 248 HP / 208+ Def Ho-Oh: 363-432 (87.4 - 104%) -- approx. 6.3% chance to OHKO
+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Rayquaza-Mega Scale Shot (4 hits) vs. 252 HP / 240+ Def Arceus-Ground: 388-456 (87.3 - 102.7%) -- approx. 62.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
I think it also has a chance to get a KO on lugia from full if you get 4+ hits. It breaks even with ascent at 3 hits. Defensive Pdon takes 50+ from even a 2 hit scale shot at +2, so you can set it up on a chipped groudon if needed.

Also makes it much more consistent at breaking sash users if you somehow failed to get stealth rock up.
+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Rayquaza-Mega Scale Shot (2 hits) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Calyrex-Shadow: 362-428 (106.1 - 125.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Rayquaza-Mega Scale Shot (2 hits) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Marshadow: 362-428 (112.7 - 133.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO

From the calc wall above you can see that suddenly scale shot becomes rather easy to use after clicking swords dance as long as Zacian isn't in (which it shouldn't because it's terrified of every other move). Even changing to Jolly shouldn't really affect that, it's probably a reasonable alternative nature. Outside of scale shot, of course, you ohko everything with ascent so if scale shot isn't going to break something at +2 you can just delete it with the appropriate other move...

Certainly worth a go. If you can actually get both off you casually ohko zacian with dragon ascent, after all. Worse pdon matchup kind of sucks, but I think that's one of the only negative things I can say about this (aside from a possibly nightmarish ditto mu if you aren't running some sort of priority on your team, and even if you are you probably are going to lose a mon in the process).

I added it to my post, thanks.
 
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theotherguytm I've done some testing and thinking on SD/Scale Shot Mega Rayquaza and it's quickly become clear to me that it really isn't good at all. I came off of the relative success of the set I originally posted and took your post without really thinking over the implications.

The problem with your set is that while it may work well in OU for Chomp, Chomp does not have Dragon Dance, has a better relative speed to the rest of the tier, and (more importantly) it does not have to deal with Zacian-Crowned, Dynamax, or (to much a larger degree) Ditto.

Scale Shot's inconsistencies mean that it is a rather unreliable tool, and attempting to combo it with a second setup move is just asking to get screwed over. Its entire value is reliant on using Swords Dance followed immediately by Scale Shot; If you Scale Shot first, you will not be able to use swords dance later, which means that it becomes a wasted slot, and if you instead Swords Dance first but don't get a chance to use Scale Shot, you're easily revenge killed and you can't even use Extreme Speed because you're running Scale Shot over it. This makes the set extremely predictable if it is anticipated, and attempting to predict Zacian-C becomes less advantagous because doing so means that you give up that ability to boost your speed afterwards and thus will be immediately revenge killed (since you still don't have Extreme Speed).

Further, I've realized that my calcs in my previous post are almost all inconsequential. The interesting ones (Zygarde for example) don't matter since it will just dynamax in your face, and an unlucky Scale Shot will mean you just lost your Mega Rayquaza for basically no gain. Using up their Dynamax without using yours is nice, but that's kinda ruined because there's even more issues with the set: priority and Ditto.

Even if you do successfully get both boosts off, the set folds to any sort of priority. This is not unique to SD-SS, it's an issue with my set as well. The difference, however, is that my set loses nothing by switching out since it isn't reliant on prediction to do true damage to the opponent. SD, however, is very reliant on that boost and thus hates switching out. Its effectiveness is reduced after the first attempt to do its thing, unlike the Draco Meteor variation. This is very much not helped by Life Orb recoil. One could make the very strong argument that one could simply run Dragon Dance and make a serious effort to get Stealth Rock up and gain a lot more consistency in their Mega Rayquaza (and drastically reduce 4mss). You cannot argue that for the Draco Meteor variation, as it is automatically an excellent early-game breaker courtesy of being a variant of MixQuaza.

Ditto is also a large problem. Even with my set's inability to boost its Attack, Ditto has proven to be an issue. Without extreme speed and given that Rayquaza will have multiple defense drops, Ditto will almost always go for V-Create, which has forced me to run things like PhysDef arceus formes regardless of whether I want to or not. Adding +2 to the mix will mean that Ditto will essentially always achieve at least one KO (and it will probably escape with minimal damage to itself unless you are running unexpected sources of priority or a Pursuit trapper who is willing to be crippled for the rest of the match. My original set, as originally stated, is not immune to these problems, but at least Dittoed Rayquaza become actually possible to work around without losing multiple Pokemon every single time.

Now, if you were going to instead run Dragon Ascent / Extreme Speed / Swords Dance / Scale Shot, you run into a completely different (and yet at the same time very similar) issue: you are walled stone cold by Necrozma (an extremely common glue mon as we all know), and on top of that you become extremely reliant on having +2 attack to break virtually everything now that you have no coverage moves at all. You become a one-trick pony of sorts, and this begs the question of why exactly one is running Scale Shot over the much more consistently useful V-Create.

Perhaps it would be ok as a surprise, but the second it is revealed it loses all of its power simply because of how exploitable it is. I understand where it's inspired from, but by no means will I ever call it good in the future.
 
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Guard

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Hi everyone! It's been a long while since any effort was shown towards National Dex AG from leadership, so I wanted to give a heads up. We're currently in the process of revamping the National Dex AG council, viability rankings, and sample teams in order to cater towards National Dex World Cup players!

Here's a sneak peek:
1613513502631.png


We're hoping to at least have the VR out by the end of the weekend, so stay tuned! This is also the perfect time to make your own nominations!
 

Guard

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VR Update: Announcement

Hi! As promised, here's the long-awaited-for update to the National Dex AG Viability rankings. Huge shoutouts to Icemaster, Fardin, Nevelle, and pichus for helping me out with this!

As with the Galar AG VR, we're keeping the aspect of Baton Pass strictly to Calyrex-S. Baton Pass will have no effect on the viability of recipients such as Xerneas, Arceus forms, and Eternatus. Furthermore, rankings have been sorted alphabetically once again. We did not want to unnecessarily hold this up due to something as insignificant as that. Obviously, if you have any questions regarding individual viability inside a rank, you're free to shoot me a message.

Here's the slate! Reasoning will be enclosed in a post underneath this one.
 

Guard

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VR Update: Reasoning

RISES

:calyrex-shadow: UR to S+
:yveltal: A+ to S
:arceus: A to S- [Ground]
:arceus: A to A+ [Dark]
:eternatus: A to A+
:arceus: A- to A [Normal]
:ditto: A- to A
:marshadow: B to A
:tyranitar: B to B+
:arceus: B- to B [Steel]
:groudon: C to B-
:arceus: D to B- [Rock]
:arceus: D to C [Electric]
:grimmsnarl: D to C
:celesteela: UR to C
:shuckle: UR to C
:regieleki: UR to D

:ss/calyrex-shadow:
Calyrex-S is not comparable to anything else, it's as simple as that. Nasty Plot + Baton Pass sets sport the highest ceiling in the metagame by some margin. These sets have elevated the very definition of broken and centralizing by themselves, and it's even more evident in National Dex AG. This is due to two factors. Most importantly, the amount of receivers is incredibly large; anything from Xerneas, Eternatus, Arceus-Ground, Yveltal, Arceus-Water, Arceus-Fairy, Primal Kyogre, and even niche options in Arceus-Electric, Arceus-Steel, and Ultra Necrozma can wreck havoc after Calyrex-S passes a Nasty Plot boost.

Beyond that, Calyrex-S flaunts incredible versatility and unpredictability within just this one set, being capable of running anything from Life Orb Draining Kiss, Z-Pollen Puff, Z-Astral Barrage, and Life Orb Psyshock. All of these sets have their own hand at adding up to the pandemonium; Life Orb Draining Kiss plays lethal mind-games with Yveltal, Arceus-Dark, and a chipped Tyranitar; these variations always have the option of outright removing checks from the game with a boosted Max Starfall on top of already being capable of taking advantage of them with Baton Pass. The same dynamic can be observed between Z-Pollen Puff and Arceus-Dark, Tyranitar, and a chipped Yveltal; Z-Astral Barrage and Ho-Oh or bulky Eternatus; and Life Orb Psyshock and Arceus. Ghostium Z also comes with the benefit of discouraging the opponent from trading blows with Calyrex-S, cleanly taking out Pokemon such as fast Zacian-C, offensive Primal Groudon, and Necozma-DM before they can make a ballsy play and retaliate. The combination of these variations in conjunction with the slippery nature of Baton Pass makes it impossible to properly scout Calyrex-S without being punished, let alone properly checking it.

It doesn't stop here, either. Calyrex-S is also a great Choice Scarf user in a metagame where Speed control is pivotal, and can still operate as a dreaded stand-alone wincon with Leech Seed, Choice Specs, Substitute + Nasty Plot, and Nasty Plot 3-Attacks sets. All things considered, Calyrex-S makes its debut on the VR at S+.

:ss/yveltal: :ss/arceus-dark: :ss/tyranitar:
With Calyrex-S dominating the metagame, its checks naturally rise through the ranks as well.

Yveltal is the safest check, not fearing much Calyrex-S can dish out itself other than a boosted Max Starfall or Trick. Bulky Yveltal is also the most capable when it comes to disrupting Baton Pass variants; it has the option of softening the recipient up with Snarl or using U-turn and bringing out a form of speed control that can force Calyrex-S or said recipient out. On the other hand, offensive variants are capable of playing mind-games between Roost, Sucker Punch, and Dynamax, which usually favors the Yveltal user. The ability to take direct advantage of Calyrex-S is particularly noteworthy, as giving opportunities to an offensive Yveltal is just as dangerous as ever. Yveltal reclaims its spot in S as a result.

Arceus-Dark is the second profiteer of Calyrex-S's introduction, being a fairly good check altogether that's capable of forcing it out with its STAB moves and punishing Baton Pass with Thunder Wave or Perish Song. It is met with a raise to A+ in order to reflect the elevated relevancy. Not a whole lot has changed beyond that, Arceus-Dark is still the splashable Pokemon it was prior to DLC II, posing as a wincon between its Calm Mind and Perish trapper sets or providing utility as a Defogger.

Lastly, Tyranitar rises a subrank based on the same reasoning, i.e. limiting Calyrex-S with Rock Blast or Foul Play and disrupting Baton Pass with Roar or Thunder Wave. Tyranitar still faces the same flaws as before, however, limiting Necrozma-DM's form of recovery and being fairly passive due to an overreliance on Rest. It will modestly reside in B+ for the time being.

:ss/arceus-ground:
Arceus-Ground has truly taken off as an offensive presence, sporting a ridiculously high win-percentage in Snake (84.62%). Swords Dance sets are as dangerous as ever, taking advantage of just how common Necrozma-DM, passive Arceus forms, and Primal Groudon are; the ability to easily create continuous opportunities for itself against these Pokemon with Recover is a very intimidating trait for such a dangerous wallbreaker. Beyond that, the fact that its best check in Lunala is fairly limited in the context of a metagame dominated by Calyrex-S and Dark-types, as well as the fact that Arceus-Ground can break through other checks in Zygarde-C and bulky Arceus forms with Dynamax or Tectonic Rage all sum up to create an incredible wallbreaker.

It doesn't stop here, however. Ho-Oh's fall from its status as a universal glue has given room for Calm Mind Arceus-Ground to truly shine as a terrific wallbreaker and late-game cleaner for the first time in National Dex AG. Taking advantage of the same Pokemon as Swords Dance variants, Calm Mind Arceus-Ground faces no lack of opportunities either. The interchangeability between Swords Dance and Calm Mind variants on most builds combined with the fact that counterplay is wildly different between these two sets makes Arceus-Ground one of the top contenders in the metagame, resulting in a rise all the way to S-.

:ss/eternatus:
Eternatus has been another clear winner in Snake, boasting a win percentage of 72.73%. This is no surprise to anyone watching from the sidelines. Both specially defensive Toxic Spikes and offensive Life Orb sets are incredible wincons that benefit immensely from the prevalence of bulky Necrozma-DM and passive Dark-types as a result of Zacian-C and Calyrex-S's centralization. The specially defensive set is a great tool of progress-making; its enormous resiliency and proficiency as a Toxic Spikes user often makes it impossible to outlast the grip Eternatus exerts on almost any balanced team these days. As a wallbreaker, Eternatus is nothing short of amazing either. Outside of a few Pokemon that are quite hard to justify, e.g. Chansey and Tyranitar, nothing can really afford to switch into the combination of Life Orb boosted Dragon / Poison / Fire coverage. To add fuel to the fire, Eternatus itself can easily switch into a range of threats that's becoming wider with every passing day. The combination of these two traits establishes Eternatus as one of the most respected wallbreakers in the metagame. Consequently, it finally makes the jump to A+.

:ss/arceus: :ss/marshadow::ss/ditto:
Another development we've seen as a result of Calyrex-S is the emergence of speed control, with all of Arceus, Marshadow, and Ditto seeing significant usage and boasting very positive winrates, and rising to A as a result.

Arceus not only stands out as a form of speed control, it is also a good means of limiting Calyrex-S as a whole with Recover, not fearing much outside of boosted Max Mindstorms. This defensive utility has even resulted in experimentation with utility and Calm Mind variants wielding Shadow Ball as a way of checking or taking advantage of Calyrex-S. This increased versatility adds up to Swords Dance Arceus's already established position as a dreaded wallbreaker, late-game cleaner, and form of speed control.

Marshadow is another revenge killer that has skyrocketed in relevance. It is perhaps the most effective form of speed control in the current metagame, limiting everything from Calyrex-S, Swords Dance Arceus forms, Calm Mind Arceus forms, and Mega Rayquaza, and only really falling short of revenge killing Zacian-C, boosted Yveltal, and Eternatus. Beyond operating as a revenge killer, Marshadow is a terrific wallbreaker in its own right, capable of busting through the overmajority of bulky pivots with a well-timed Soul-Stealing 7-Star Strike or Life Orb boosted Max Moves that increase its snowballing potential between Max Phantasm dropping Defense and Max Knuckle raising Attack. Choice Scarf Marshadow is also worthy of a mention; it's the most foolproof way of patching up the matchup against any Calyrex-S variant by virtue of outspeeding it and finishing it off with Pursuit after minimal chip.

Ditto is another great way of limiting Calyrex-S, always forcing the latter to think twice before netting a KO and in general being a good way to limit most Baton Pass recipients in a pinch. Other than that, its previous qualities as a great way to punish Zacian-C and revenge kill hard to wall threats such as Eternatus, Swords Dance Arceus forms, and Marshadow definitely carry over to the post-DLC II metagame.

:ss/arceus-steel::ss/arceus-electric::ss/arceus-rock:
Arceus-Steel, Arceus-Electric, and Arceus-Rock all rise up to better reflect their overall prowess.

Arceus-Steel is a powerful wincon capable of shredding just about any team lacking Primal Groudon on the spot with its Calm Mind + Roar sets. The immunity to Toxic is especially a blessing, freeing up the crucial moveslot for Roar necessary to counteract Whirlpool Arceus forms and Whirlwind Ho-Oh after accruing a few Defense boosts with Dynamax.

Arceus-Electric is a powerful wallbreaker on Sticky Web teams, effortlessly scaring out most Defoggers and hitting large parts of the metagame for super-effective damage between Jugdment, Ice Beam, and Earth Power. Recover variants forgoing Earth Power are no slouch either, only really fearing Primal Groudon and Arceus-Ground, as well as posing as a clutch check to both Zacian-C and Mega Rayquaza.

Arceus-Rock, on the other hand, rises due to being the single-most reliable check to most Mega Rayquaza sets and providing a way to sponge Yveltal's Max Airstream. It is also a pretty great Stealth Rock setter, scaring out both Yveltal and Ho-Oh, and thereby a good way to enable both Necrozma-DM's Dragon Dance or Swords Dance sets and making Assurance Zacian-C that much more threatening.

:ss/groudon: :ss/grimmsnarl:
Groudon and Grimmsnarl are a few other Pokemon that were misrepresented in the previous VR.

Groudon really doesn't know any good checks at all and is more than capable of taking advantage of Necrozma-DM or bulky Primal Groudon and running away with the entire game by itself. However, it is still pretty hard to justify, not really adding any defensive utility to a team. It carves out a tentative spot in B- for now.

Grimmsnarl rises as a result of Dual Screens hyper offenses undoubtedly being in a better spot than is suggested by a D-ranking. Especially with the elevated speed tier in the current metagame, with various forms of speed control finding their way onto just about any team, Dual Screens can really go a long way in boosting a lot of hyper offensive staples to near-unbearable levels.

:ss/celesteela::ss/shuckle::ss/regieleki:
To finally wrap up the rises, we have Celesteela, Shuckle, and Regieleki making their debut in the VR. Celesteela is a product of Arceus-Ground breaking teams left and right. It is the best way of meaningfully limiting both Swords Dance and Calm Mind variants without giving away too much momentum courtesy of Leech Seed. Shuckle is a good Sticky Web setter that can also compress Stealth Rock, disrupt leads in a better fashion than Sticky Web Smeargle with Red Card, and keep up momentum with Final Gambit. Regieleki is a niche option for people looking for ways to limit Calyrex-S and Zacian-C, and can definitely clean up unprepared teams with relative ease. However, it fails to do anything to Ground-types and so will be placed in D for now.

DROPS
:rayquaza-mega: S to S-
:necrozma-dusk-mane: S to S-
:kyogre: A to B+
:chansey: B+ to B
:giratina: B+ to B
:arceus: B+ to B- [Ghost]
:lugia: B+ to B-
:necrozma-ultra: B to B-
:mewtwo-mega-y: B+ to C
:mewtwo: B to D
:gliscor: C to D
:magearna: C to D
:amoonguss: D to UR
:deoxys-attack: D to UR
:diancie: D to UR
:shedinja: D to UR
:toxapex: D to UR
:vivillon: D to UR

:ss/rayquaza-mega:
Mega Rayquaza suffers from the redefinition of Speed tiers yet again at the hands of Calyrex-S. Beyond that, the popularity of Swords Dance Arceus, Marshadow, Ditto, as well as Choice Scarf Calyrex-S gives more room than ever to limit Mega Rayquaza's attempts at cleaning up. None of these trends take anything away from Mega Rayquaza's wallbreaking prowess, however; it is still among the best of the best when it comes to finding ways to pave the path for a player to wrap up a match. All things considered, it will be dropping to S-.

:ss/necrozma-dusk-mane:
While still being close to as mandatory as ever, the metagame is becoming progressively more hostile to Necrozma-DM. Many popular and dangerous Pokemon such as Calyrex-S, Arceus-Ground, Eternatus, and Yveltal take enormous advantage of Necrozma-DM. Necrozma-DM also faces quite a lot of 4-move-slot-syndrome these days. It really wants to run Thunder Wave or Earthquake to limit Zacian-C and Eternatus, but is hopelessly taken advantage of by the dangerous Arceus-Ground if going that direction and cannot do anything meaningful to Defoggers. On the other hand, it may opt to run Toxic in order to at least beat Defoggers and punish Arceus-Ground, but must accept losing to any well-played Swords Dance Zacian-C and inviting Eternatus in for days in that case. These trends and struggles ultimately result in a drop to S-.

:ss/kyogre:
Kyogre has lost a great deal of its relevance. It may still be an incredibly powerful wallbreaker, but the fact that it takes up a slot without offering much of any utility is a major setback in such a constricted metagame, in which every slot has to be filled as efficiently as possible. Due to this, it's not really accurate anymore to place Kyogre at a rank that seems to convey it's still a staple in the metagame. It drops to B+ as a result.

:ss/chansey::ss/giratina: :ss/lugia:
Bulky balances and stall teams are severely hard-pressed between having to account for Calyrex-S and its Baton Pass shenanigans, Swords Dance Arceus forms, bulky Eternatus, and several traditional wallbreakers in Zacian-C, Yveltal, Mega Rayquaza, and Primal Groudon. The rise in Ditto usage does no favors to these sort of archetypes either; they fail to make meaningful progress against any well-played Ditto. Chansey, Giratina, and Lugia are some of the faces of these teams, and therefore drop from B+.

:ss/arceus-ghost::ss/necrozma-ultra::ss/mewtwo-mega-y::ss/mewtwo::ss/deoxys-attack:
Beyond defensive presences, a wide range of offensive presences drop due to Calyrex-S as well. Arceus-Ghost has no niche outside of a select few hyper offensive builds now. Not only does it suffer massively as an offensive Pokemon that is limited pretty easily by Calyrex-S and the rising Marshadow, it doesn't appreciate the influx of Yveltal and Arceus-Dark one bit either. Offensive Psychic-types face the exact same issues, but on top of all, all of them are also directly outclassed ánd soft checked by Calyrex-S itself. Arceus-Ghost, Mewtwo and its Mega form, Deoxys-Attack, and Ultra Necrozma drop accordingly due to all of these very notable short-comings.

:ss/gliscor::ss/magearna:
Gliscor and Magearna drop to D due to not holding too much of a relevant niche right now. Gliscor's ability to take advantage of most bulky Pokemon is a relic of the past; it cannot do so anymore against most Arceus forms and Yveltal, and doesn't appreciate many Primal Groudon being offensive. Beyond that, the bulky teams Gliscor fits on best are not representative of the metagame anymore either. Magearna may still be able to run away with a lot of games given Ho-Oh's rare presence, but pales in comparison to Baton Pass Calyrex-S.

:ss/amoonguss::ss/diancie::ss/shedinja::ss/toxapex::ss/vivillon:
The D-ranks have also been cleaned up as a result of the constricted nature of National Dex AG. None of these Pokemon hold a niche anymore and have lost their last bit of relevancy. Amoonguss cannot check what it's supposed to check anymore, Diancie's niche as a check to Yveltal is moot when there are tons of better ways to tackle the latter, Shedinja requires way too much maintenance to ever really justify, Toxapex is outclassed and limited by Eternatus, and Vivillon fails to overcome Perish Song's relevancy and cannot stick above Power Trip Smeargle.
 
I have an heat nom for y’all today
:muk-alola: to d rank
To start things of,alolan muk is able to pursuit trap calyrex shadow,which is the most dangerous threat of this metagame.
It also has access to shadow sneak which prevents caly-s from setting up and baton passing.in addition to this it also has access to clear smog which nullifies the nasty plot boosts recieved from calyrex.Due to its poison-dark typing it is able to take hits from z move sets like ghostium z and bugnium z.
Here is an snake replay which shows how dangerous bugnium z caly can be
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8nationaldexag-1277931138
Here are some calcs:
+2 252 SpA Calyrex- Shadow savage spin-out(175 bp) vs 248 hp/252+spdef muk-alola:219-258(53-62.5)-guaranteed 2hko
+2 252 SpA Calyrex-Shadow max flutterby vs 248 hp/252 spdef + muk alola:212-250(51.3-60.5)-guaranteed 2hko
Here the idea is to live one savage spin-out and max flutterby from caly and revenge kill it.

+2 252 SpA Calyrex-Shadow never ending nightmare (190 bp) vs 249 hp/252 spdef muk-alola:178-210(43-50.8)-3.1% chance to 2hko
Draining kiss and max starfall do lesser damage than this due to muk resisting fairy types.

It also can soft check :xerneas: lacking hp ground by clear smogging the geomancy Boosts(similar to how amoongus can check xern).
I hope these small niches can warrant :muk alola: to d rank although it has its fair share of flaws like lack of recovery, being harder to fit on teams etc.
 
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