Resource National Dex UU Viability Rankings

[Arishem]

A+ -> S-

Melmetal's ban was pretty good for Scizor imo. Choice Band sets have one less "check" now, and basically every single check is in a bad situation after Knock Off (Moltres, Rotom-H, Celesteela). Skarmory being less popular than Celesteela is also epic for Scizor. Revenge killing most sweepers with Bullet Punch is especially good rn especially after Light Clay ban. SD sets or even 3A Pads are good too, this should definetely be S-.

to S

Echoing and expanding on what was said above, the amount of roles this thing can perform is just flatout insane. Scizor has cemented itself as an incredibly diverse threat with a huge array of offensive tools combined with great defensive utility, and between the potency of its many attacking sets; Choice Band which also possesses some neat spread flexibility to play as an effective pivot while having some other cool options in Pursuit to trap Nihilego and Slowking on Offense, Bulky SD with Roost to comfortably set up on the majority of the defensive tier, and the many sub-iterations, namely Buginium to lure Amoonguss on VoltTurn or Protective Pads to avoid Flame Body Moltres and KS Mindgames from Aegislash (which are both cool and should be used more imo), simply nothing can claim to be safe against Scizor's grasp on the tier, leaving it as an integral and centralizing force that has recently both defined what has gotten better and what has gotten worse in the metagame with just its presence in both the teambuilder and in battle. Even a simple set of SD, Bullet Punch, Superpower, and Dual Wingbeat in the last slot to snipe Buzzwole and Grasses or Quick Attack (which I also think is pretty solid for finishing off weakened Steel-resists) with Life Orb on HO is able to dismantle most teams when positioned correctly, but it also happens to check what feels like, half of the meta, MAltaria, Nihilego, boosted Azumarill, Terrakion, Roserade, as well as helping to make other threats such as GMoltres and DD Salamence non-problems in mirror matchups. Recent metagame shifts being more favorable alongside Scizor's absurd consistency with barely any downsides to speak of ultimately combine to make it more than deserving of the esteemed S Rank alongside MAltaria.

 

[Niadev]

Small announcement time, we decided to add descriptions to each of the ranks to better outline what they represent. The current descriptions were written by N_Mareanie .

They are as follows:

S: Top of the top. Rulers of the metagame. These Pokemon fit on most playstyles and need minimal support to function, if any at all.
A: Meta defining, but not to the extent of the Pokemon in S Rank. These Pokemon need minimal support to function.
B: Solid Pokemon, but they don't shape the meta like S and A Rank. They have a defined role which is often applicable and usually quite valuable. These Pokemon always need some support to bring out the best in them.
C: Niche Pokemon that have little to no effect on the metagame, being rarely applicable, highly specific or simply not that valuable in the current meta. Using these Pokemon requires you to focus most of the team on supporting it. Oftentimes when a Pokemon only fits on one specific archetype, they'll reside in this tier.

 

[Sliceofbread96]

I feel stoutland should be added to the VR as on Sand teams it destroys most things that Dracozolt which is generally its partner on Sand have different as a replay is mandatory here is one:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8nationaldexuu-1574098890

 

[Niadev]

It is time for a VR update, and this time we have a special announcement: We will be reintroducing C+ to the VR (but not C-) as we feel there are now enough Pokemon in that general area of viability to merit its return. We are also bringing back D rank as NDUU has a somewhat unique situation: Normally, VRs only have D rank as a sort of blacklist in the event discussion is repeatedly derailed to discussing an unviable Pokemon, but in order to attempt to help with the ladder quality, we will be introducing it as a sort of "don't use these" to inform newer players. Like most previous D ranks, it will initially only contain Pokemon that are NDUU by usage but not actually viable. We may also add blacklisted Pokemon to it should the need ever arise.

In more unfortunate news, we are removing Baker from the VR council due to inactivity.

The current D rank is as follows:

Beedrill-Mega (spoilers, we URed it)

Reasoning

While its Adaptability boosted STABs, high speed and solid attack initially make it seem like it should be broken, the reality couldn't be any further from the truth. It suffers from a similar, but not as extreme, issue to Breloom where most teams are prepared for it naturally, such as with Scizor, Amoonguss, Celesteela, Hippowdon, Buzzwole, Skarmory, and more, but by far its biggest issue is Stealth Rock. Being a Pokemon that will use U-turn 90% of the time due to how often there is a defensive check to it is not good when Stealth Rock takes 25% from you every time, and NDUU is not a meta with a plethora of hazard control options to begin with, and most of the few ones we have are not very good. This mandates stacking multiple Defog users and almost always a Hatterene to try and keep rocks off of Mega Beedrill's side, but these team compositions still often lose to common offensive rocks setters like Nihilego, Rhyperior and Terrakion anyways.

Worse still, many of its defensive checks often run Rocky Helmet, punishing it even more for using the only move it realistically can in most situations. Its former only niche was Pursuit trapping Alakazam and not sucking, but Alakazam has since been banned, so this is no longer relevant. While U-turning in breakers with it may seem appealing, the things Mega Beedrill needs on its team to function mean the selection of breakers it can run while still not being weak to 5 different Pokemon is extremely limited. In general, Mega Beedrill is outclassed both as a U-turn spammer and speed control by Scizor, who boasts considerable defensive utility, does not mandate that half the team support it, and is far more flexible in the builder. Bullet Punch also lets it revenge kill several sweepers Mega Beedrill can't, especially with Choice Band or Life Orb Scizor. Fell Stinger has been experimented with but was determined that it should be avoided as Mega Beedrill will never be in a position to kill something with it, and any scenario where it wins with the boost is a scenario where it won unboosted. For this reason, Swords Dance is not much better. It's not Breloom awful, but it's not viable.

Breloom

Reasoning

Completely walled by multiple top tier defensive mons, often multiple on a team (namely Mega Altaria, Aegislash, Amoonguss, Moltres, Tangrowth, Salamence, Buzzwole, Skarmory, Slowbro-Galar and Roserade, but this isn't the entire list, far from it), and offensively checked by faster Mach Punch resists that are on almost every team (Mega Altaria, Moltres, Salamence, Buzzwole, Roserade, and more), the number of teams that Breloom can do anything against, even with the other team not considering it at all in the builder (ie. it gets walled/checked by accident while checking top threats), is laughably small. While Rockium should theoretically help against one or two of these checks, Rockium is well known by now and will fail to break past the second defensive check anyways due to being a one time use. It only helps against Moltres and Salamence anyways.

The absolute best case scenario for it is it Spores something and then is sacked later, which is generous given the prevalence of bulky grass types like Amoonguss and Tangrowth. If you want a Spore mon, just use Amoonguss, who is just as effective as a Spore user and not completely useless outside of Spore - it is genuinely much more of an offensive presence in most games. Sets such SD Poison Heal Facade and Natural Gift Fire have been explored but do not beat anywhere near enough defensive mons to justify it, or worse, opens it up to even more checks, and does not get past its issue of being revenge killed by a plethora of faster Mach Punch resists. If you are thinking about running Breloom in a serious competitive team, don't. You will be severely underwhelmed at best.

Donphan

Reasoning

Donphan is outclassed by Hippowdon in every way, and the role compression Ice Shard and Rapid Spin theoretically give is made useless by the fact that Donphan cannot effectively use either of them, negating what niche its role compression could have given it. Hippowdon is bulkier, only slightly weaker, also has Stealth Rock and, most importantly, has a recovery move in Slack Off, making it not reliant on Leftovers for recovery. Ice Shard might seem appealing at first, but it fails to come close to OHKOing any relevant sweeper. Even Dragon Dance Salamence, the frailest relevant sweeper that Ice Shard should be useful against, avoids being OHKOd, only having a slight chance of being KOd after Stealth Rock, mandating you either play super agressively vs Salamence (which Ice Shard is supposed to eliminate the need of in the first place) or sack two Pokemon to it before you have a chance to kill it.

As a Rapid Spin user, it fails to beat any relevant Stealth Rock user aside from Terrakion and Nihilego, the former being able to Swords Dance on the switch in and potentially OHKO with Close Combat if Donphan takes even the slightest chip and the latter being able to threaten being the Meteor Beam set which runs Grass Knot, preventing Donphan from coming in until after Stealth Rock goes up and Nihilego's set is revealed. Even if the Donphan user is sure, it still risks being poisoned by Sludge Bomb, on top of taking damage it can't heal off due to lacking a recovery move, and generally speaking Nihilego will outlast Donphan. You are actively shooting yourself in the foot by using Donphan instead of Hippowdon.

Regieleki (also spoilers)

Reasoning

Regieleki had a niche as a suicide lead screens setter before Light Clay was banned, making the playstyle much less practical and reliable, and killing what little niche Regieleki had. As any role other than a screen setter, it is woefully ineffective. Thanks to its absolutely awful coverage, it is hard walled by any volt immune, which is mandatory on any serious team to prevent or at least significantly deter Volt Switch spam from much more viable Pokemon, namely Zeraora and Mega Manectric. While Normalium Hyper Beam may seem appealing at first, most volt immunes are more than bulky enough to weather it, and most just heal it off anyways. Additionally, many players know to expect the Normalium set from the outset, and will play accordingly. Worse, even if you get rid of the steel, you aren't getting past any of the numerous electric resists we have any time soon without Choice Specs, which is essentially a meme set. Physical sets are no better. Don't bother with it, if it was going to pull a Spectrier, it would have already.

Quagsire

Reasoning

Quagsire itself isn't actually a bad mon and is pretty good on stall. The problem is stall isn't very good. Outside of stall, there are no less than three Pokemon who completely outclass it as a water/ground type - Swampert, Seismitoad, and Gastrodon. Even with Unaware, it is generally too passive to be useful outside of stall, even if none of these other Pokemon were relevant.

Now, without further ado, let's get to the actual rises and drops.

[NOTE: I will not be explaining the shifts from C to C+. Generally speaking it's just separating the upper half of the former C from the lower half. This post is already really long as is and I don't think I did some Pokemon justice]

Rises:
Scizor - A+ -> S-
Amoonguss - A+ -> S-
Nihilego - A -> A+
Salamence - A -> A+
Mienshao - A- -> A
Moltres-Galar - A- -> A
Rhyperior - A- -> A
Bisharp - B+ -> A-
Keldeo - B+ -> A-
Manectric-Mega - B+ -> A-
Roserade - B+ -> A-
Terrakion - B+ -> A
Nidoking - B -> B+
Porgyon-Z - B -> B+
Azelf - B- -> A-
Cobalion - B- -> B+
Nidoqueen - B- -> B
Steelix-Mega - B- -> B
Tentacruel - B- -> B
Zygarde-10% - B- -> B
Arctozolt - C -> C+
Diggersby - C -> C+
Mandibuzz - C -> B-
Ninetales-Alola - C -> C+
Ribombee - C -> C+
Starmie - C -> B
Infernape - UR -> B
Scolipede - UR -> C+
Sharpedo-Mega - UR -> B-
Aggron-Mega - UR -> B+
Staraptor - UR -> C+
Klefki - UR -> C+
Diancie - UR -> C+
Crobat - UR -> C
Salazzle - UR -> C+
Conkeldurr - UR -> C+
Barraskewda - UR -> C+
Pidgeot-Mega - UR -> C
Sneasel - UR -> C
Sceptile-Mega - UR -> C+

Reasonings

Scizor has greatly appreciated the ban of Melmetal, allowing Scizor to reign as the best steel type in the meta once again. No longer is there a Melmetal to punish Bullet Punch locked Choice Band Scizors, or paraflinch bulky sets into oblivion, or take any one hit bar +2 LO Superpower and cripple it with Thunder Wave, significantly freeing up Scizor's set diversity. Bulky Scizor running Knock Off acts as a fantastic answer to SubTox Aegislash, being able to boost past King's Shield's attack drop and Roost off anything but a SpDef drop from Shadow Ball, among many other threats such as any non Meteor Beam Nihilego, Zeraora (if you don't mind losing your item), non-Fire move Mega Altaria, and more. Choice Band is now also a much more deadly form of speed control, capable of revenge killing most sweepers with minimal chip damage, get offensive Pokemon in with U-turn, cripple Celesteela with Knock Off, and generally be a menace. LO SD is also still a dangerous sweeper, though it has become slightly less useful with the fall off of Screens thanks to the Light Clay ban. Its large set diversity and the effectiveness of each of these sets has merited its rise to S-.

Amoonguss is without question the best defensive Pokemon in the meta right now, often feeling unkillable in most games and additionally carrying the threat of Spore and Sludge Bomb poisons, making it threatening enough to allow it to fit on Bulky Offense teams, a feat not many defensive Pokemon can claim and preventing it from becoming a momentum sink. It checks a plethora of top tier Pokemon, such as Mega Altaria, Urshifu-Rapid-Strike, Zeraora, Primarina and Mienshao, and the list of Pokemon that reliably break it is short. The bans of Melmetal and Alakazam, both Pokemon who significantly threatened Amoonguss, has done nothing but benefit it. Its presence and influence is unquestionable, and a rise to S- was deemed appropriate.

Nihilego was already easily one of the most threatening Pokemon in the meta, and Melmetal's ban has served only to increase that threat. The Rocks Three Attacks set is the most effective Stealth Rock user in the meta right now while also checking meta threats like both Moltres and Defog Salamence, while the Meteor Beam sweeper is still extremely dangerous to face. Without question a top threat right now, and it has risen to reflect this.

Salamence is one of the most splashable Pokemon around right now, being able to check Urshifu-Rapid-Strike, threaten Amoonguss, check Mienshao, and be an acceptable Defogger. Generally just it doing what it has been doing but better now that there's no Melmetal to threaten to abuse it for a cheeky kill.

Without question, Mienshao is the best (and arguably only genuinely good) Choice Scarf Pokemon around right now thanks to its speed tier, decently powerful STAB, coverage and Knock Off. Regenerator makes it feel borderline unkillable and can often threaten to clean lategame with its Close Combat or cripple checks with Knock Off. Additionally, its Life Orb wallbreaker set uses its seeming unkillability to repeatedly threaten to punch holes in walls and negate the downside of Life Orb or attempts to weaken it with Rocky Helmet, cripple checks with Knock Off, and U-turn on the few Pokemon that don't mind it into another Pokemon.

Light Clay's ban has done surprisingly little to keep Moltres-Galar from being a top threat. While it still remains to be seen if it is still broken without the possibility of hiding behind screens and tanking every hit and then some, it is regardless still a dangerous sweeper and wallbreaker. Aegislash becoming one of the top Pokemon in the meta has also benefitted it greatly, as it abuses and threatens virtually every set. RestTalk is also still more than usable, utilising its ability to repeatedly trigger Berserk to turn into a dangerous balance breaker, while shutting out Aegislash even harder.

Rhyperior is arguably the best bulky non passive rocker in the meta right now, being able to check almost every Defog user bar Rotom-Wash, as well as break several slow defensive cores with Swords Dance and its dual STAB.

With Amoonguss being as dominant as it is, Mega Manectric's ability to weaken it significantly with Overheat is quite valuable to many teams. Zeraora is incapable of doing much more than mildly inconvenience Amoonguss without giving up its Volt Switch and Knock Off spamming offensive utility and longevity, making Mega Manectric much more worth considering now as, while it cannot cripple things like Zeraora, it instead has a respectable damage output. It of course still maintains its dislike of Stealth Rock, however, preventing it from rising any further, and in any non Amoonguss matchup Zeraora is still generally much better.

With the vastly improved teambuilder breathing room, and generally much bulkier and slower metagame created by the ban of Melmetal and Alakazam, teams can teams account for its lack of defensive utility without breaking its back, and it is no longer as easily pressured by faster Pokemon due to the speed tiers being generally lower now, Terrakion has begun to thrive as a terrifying wallbreaker that defines one of the most important speed tiers of the meta right now. However, its flaws, namely lack of defensive utility meaning it demands a significant amount of support, meaning that it must usually be built around rather than just slapped on any old team like other wallbreakers, and prevalence of Scizor's Bullet Punch, keep it from A+.

Roserade continues to prove itself the single best Spikes mon in the meta right now, compressing several roles like Urshifu-Rapid-Strike and Mega Altaria check while not being passive like Skarmory. Generally this rise is a continuation from the previous one, so there isn't much else to say.

Nidoking is a dangerous offensive rocks setter that no Defog user even wants to attempt to switch into, additionally doubling as a threatening wallbreaker capable of turning balance cores into mush. It also deters Choice Band Terrakion from clicking its STABs, as Nidoking can easily exploit a Choiced Terrakion for a free kill, and is a very effective Nihilego check, making it an answer to two very threatening Pokemon. That said, it still needs prediction to truly shine, keeping it from going any higher, and offers little defensive utility. It's also a somewhat sketchy volt immune as it doesn't like losing Life Orb to Zeraora and has no recovery.

Azelf is an effective form of speed control and potential win condition that benefits from Terrakion being a dominant threat that must be checked offensively. The general set you'll see is a Heavy-Duty Boots Knock Off + U-turn pivot in a similar vein to Zeraora. It is effective at compressing roles for teams, as it also packs a ground immune and a resistance to Mienshao's CC, making a lategame CC cleanup harder to pull off.

Cobalion has a valuable niche in compressing a Nihilego, Scizor and Zarude check, a rocker and a pivot in one slot. A more offensive SD set can also sometimes put in work with Stone Edge over Volt Switch.

Nidoqueen is the bulkier alternative to Nidoking that can also be a passable Toxic Spikes user, and is also a more reliable check to Nihilego and Choice Band Terrakion. It's not as powerful as Nidoking, however, as it never runs Life Orb.

Melmetal no longer exists to give it huge competition, and it additionally checks Nihilego and Zeraora, being a solid volt immune. However, it is still a mega that isn't Mega Altaria, and Mega Aggron is generally superior.

Zygarde-10% appreciates Tangrowth generally falling off in favour of Amoonguss, who does not resist Thousand Arrows. The existing steels now also do not threaten to turn it into a free kill like Melmetal did, and Gligar falling off is quite good for it too.

Starmie is an effective form of speed control that also spins on a lot of rockers, being akin to a Levitate-less, Knock-less and U-turnless Azelf. Its typing also lets it punish Choice locked Urshifu-Rapid-Strike and check Scizor mid sweep. Analytic also lets it hit reasonably hard against the Pokemon it forces in, keeping it from being passive.

We banned Blaziken a while ago so Infernape is no longer hideously outclassed. It's still lackluster and generally outclassed by Terrakion as a Swords Dancer, and Nasty Plot generally really needs the boost to be effective, not to mention it's also checked by Nihilego, Moltres and Mega Altaria anyways. Mixed sets are generally too weak. Thus, it will not be returning to its previous rank.

Melmetal was an enormous threat to any Scolipede sweep, threatening to vaporise it with Double Iron Bash and eating any hit Scolipede could throw at it with ease. Now, with Melmetal gone, Skarmory at a low, and a slight decline in Bulky Scizor (if mostly because it has more options now), Scolipede is actually capable of being effective now.

Sharpedo-Mega greatly appreciates the teambuilder freedom letting it fit on Spike stack BO and Balance much more easily, no longer confining it to HO. With correct play with pre-mega Sharpedo (ie. killing something weakened as base then protecting), you can reach +2 speed and outspeed Scarf Mienshao and kill it, something that's neat in the current meta.

With no Melmetal to completely outclass it in every way except Stealth Rock, Mega Aggron is once again a respectable SpDef steel that checks several important special threats and sets rocks. In addition, it isn't particularly passive either, but its lack of recovery holds it back significantly, much like with Mega Steelix.

Melmetal being banned lifts an enormous roadblock for Staraptor, as not only did Melmetal make Staraptor a liability, it also restricted teambuilding to the point where it was extremely difficult to make an effective team with it, let alone justify running it due to the prevalence of other strong wallbreakers. Staraptor is once again freed from BL Hell.

Klefki is a somewhat irritating to deal with spiker and utility Pokemon, crippling sweepers with Prankster Thunder Wave and checking Moltres-Galar and Nihilego.

Diance is a bulky rocker that checks Moltres and Moltres-Galar more reliably than Nihilego, while also being able to switch into Salamence with much less fear of Earthquake than Nihilego.

Crobat is a decent speed control/pivot that checks Mega Altaria, Amoonguss (once Spore is used), and Mienshao. It's an awful Defogger though, so don't bother.

While it's speed control that can't check Terrakion, its real strength lies in being able to completely abuse Amoonguss post-Spore to Toxic just about everything and its nearly unresisted STABs, as well as being able to spread Knock Offs. It checks a lot of things that aren't Terrakion too, so if you just pack a second speed control Pokemon you'll generally be fine anyways.

Similar to Terrakion, but much more extreme, Melmetal's ban has freed up teambuilding to the point where it's actually possible to build a team with Conkeldurr. While still generally outclassed by Urshifu-Rapid-Strike, Terrakion and Buzzwole (among many other fighting types), its Guts boosted Facade lets it break Amoonguss and Mega Altaria much more easily (ie. without predicting with coverage it just Regens off anyways or using a Z-Move), while still being an obscenely strong wallbreaker, giving it a solid enough niche it merits ranking. Mach Punch is also slightly more valuable now, nailing Terrakion and weakened Nihilego. However, it is important to remember it still suffers from several issues - while its stats imply it is bulky, its typing leaves it with no defensive utility to speak of, and its low speed and exactly negative passive recovery exaggerates this issue even more - while it's possible to build with it, it is still very difficult. It can't even really run Drain Punch as it needs Close Combat, Facade, Mach Punch and Knock Off (Knock Off being for bulky psychic types and Aegislash). Regardless, it can be a terrifying wallbreaker in the right matchup.

Barraskewda is a respectable offensive speed control Pokemon that can check Terrakion and notably outspeeds Mega Manectric, making it dangerous for BO teams running it for Amoongus to face.

Mega Pidgeot is a solid form of speed control with a powerful hurricane and high speed stat, with a heat wave just strong enough to bother the meta's non-Celesteela steel types. Additionally, its Roost + Refresh (with Hurricane and Heat Wave) set is decent pivot to Aegislash with Stealth Rocks removed, but it must be careful of Close Combats as it roosts, though it can just about eat one and retaliate against the now much frailer Aegislash with a Heat Wave. That said, its rocks weakness, usage of the mega slot, and general competition faced from Tornadus keeps it from moving any further up.

Sneasel is a respectable offensive Pursuit trapper with offensive presence that can spread fairly strong Knock Offs and deters common Knock Off absorbers with its Ice STAB.

Mega Sceptile is respectable speed control option that completely exploits Rotom-Wash and to a lesser extent Zeraora, and can reliably revenge kill Terrakion. It still faces many issues, namely Celesteela, Amoonguss and Mega Altaria still being dominant, but other dominant steel types such as Scizor and Aegislash are either weak to Hidden Power Fire or quick to be worn down.

Umbreon is an acceptable Wish passer on Mega Aggron/Mega Steelix balance teams that also need a decent check to Moltres-Galar and Aegislash. It still remains very passive, however, so you definitely shouldn't slap this on any old team, and it does lose to Aegislash if it gets Close Combat-ed on the switchin with rocks up so don't bank on this being your only answer.

Drops:
Urshifu-Rapid-Strike - S- -> A+
Tangrowth - A+ -> A
Deoxys-Defense - A -> A-
Azumarill - A- -> B+
Krookodile - A- -> B+
Gligar - B+ -> B-
Grimmsnarl - B+ -> UR
Alomomola - B -> C+
Jellicent - B -> B-
Lycanroc-Dusk - B -> B-
Seismitoad - B -> B-
Toxtricity - B- -> C+
Weezing-Galar - B- -> C+
Arctovish - C -> UR
Beedrill-Mega - C -> UR (D rank)
Ditto - C -> UR
Regieleki - C -> UR (D rank)

Reasonings

While still a dominant wallbreaker, teams have generally prepared for it to the point it is no longer an S- Pokemon. In particular, the dominance of Amoonguss as of late has made its Taunt+U-turn set far less consistent, as Amoonguss doesn't run Synthesis anyways and has so many opportunities to Spore that it isn't fazed by not being able to Spore once. As a result, it will generally struggle to do anything if there is an Amoonguss on the other team. Additionally, many players are adapting to it in their play by simply healing the Taunted Pokemon on something else, for example by Roosting with Skarmory on Hippowdon, making its big benefit over Choice Band somewhat moot.

Amoonguss is generally preferred over Tangrowth now. Many of the special attackers that Assault Vest checked either fell off or are checked by Amoonguss too, and PhysDef was niche to begin with. The meta has also shifted slightly more towards balance, which Tangrowth doesn't fit as well on.

The rise of Aegislash and Zarude, as well as the return of Choice Band Scizor to dominance, the prevalence of Amoonguss, and continued rise of Moltres-Galar has generally hindered Deoxys-Defense significantly. Generally, it struggles to sweep now.

Belly Drum Azumarill was a prominent Screens sweeper, but now that the playstyle has generally been kneecapped, its relevance at this has diminished significantly, as it not only needs to get in safely, but it needs to set up too before screens end. It simply hasn't got the time generally. Choice Band is still alright, but there are generally easier to fit options for physical wallbreakers right now.

Other, bulkier grounds are generally preferred right now, as it doesn't check as many relevant defoggers. It's still solid, but it generally fails to trap Aegislash reliably thanks to King's Shield.

While Aegislash is still here, we have much better answers to it now, and given it mostly rose because of Melmetal to begin with, there's not much reason to not return it to its previous rank.

Once the best screens setter in the meta, the Light Clay ban has made screens as a playstyle inconsistent at best and generally no longer an effective playstyle. Thus, Grimmsnarl has no reason to remain ranked, especially as being a slow bulky screens setter is antithetical to how post Light Clay ban screen setters must operate.

Jellicent was mostly risen last slate due to the fact it completely walled Urshifu-Rapid-Strike, which simply isn't as necessary anymore, as we have generally adapted to Pads + Taunt.

In a bulkier meta like this, Terrakion is usually better. It certainly has some niches, such as Accelerock negating some forms of Terrakion revenge killing, and the ability to itself revenge kill Terrakion, but Terrakion is the better option most of the time now.

A large part of Seismitoad's niche other than Knock Off crippling things was Refresh checking every Melmetal variant other than the rare Choice Band, which isn't necessary anymore, and we have much more plentiful options for rockers now.

Arctovish's big reason for being ranked was due to enabling the Double Arcto Hail archetype, a sort of band-aid fix for the archetype during the Melmetal meta as Melmetal meant these teams would always be weak to multiple Pokemon - as a result, Double Arcto instead prioritised overwhelming the opponent too fast for Melmetal or the other threats to win. However, with the ban of Melmetal, Hail teams no longer need this, as they can now account for most threats to the archetype much more easily, and thus Double Arcto Hail, and by extension, Arctovish, loses a lot of its niche.

While still a good Defog user, its whole thing of checking Pads + Taunt Urshifu-Rapid-Strike isn't as necessary anymore.

Mega Beedrill's entire niche was pursuit trapping Alakazam and not being a generally pathetically weak pick like Scarf Krookodile. As Azelf has proven to not be anywhere near dominant enough to the extent that this is needed, and being an ineffective Pursuit trapper against every other relevant Pursuit-trappable threat bar Slowking, namely Aegislash and Deoxys-Defense, it is being unranked once again.

What HO? What Stall to eternally PP stall with repeated Impostor switchins?

Regieleki's niche was being a suicide lead dual screens setter. Much like Grimmsnarl, with Light Clay banned, screens as a whole has generally taken a nosedive, and so Regieleki, who was already a niche option over Grimmsnarl, sinks into irrelevance once again. That said, of the two, it can now be considered the generally superior pick due to being a suicide lead which is what dual screens setters ideally should be now.

 

[Arishem]

A couple noms to make and get my own thoughts out on what's been going on for a while:

A- -> A
Buzzwole's arguably the best it's ever been lately. Between its ability to compress an absolute ton of utility against the rises of tier king Scizor, Mienshao, Zarude, and many more that have since come to prominence themselves, the slew of physical threats this thing can afford to cover in one slot should not be dismissed in a metagame where said usual checks to these Pokemon often come under the issues of being easily overwhelmed by other means. Whether that would be from a lack of raw bulk and resistances, common weaknesses to entry hazards in the tier, and the like, Buzzwole easily stands out among its competition as a premier answer to these Pokemon that is significantly more resilient against these common annoyances, an invaluable trait to have in allowing teams to more comfortably focus on handling other threats, while Buzzwole's offensive potential in this role even allows it to bring over this important defensive niche onto more fast-paced teams as well, increasing its overall viability and splashability tremendously. With the lack of reliable defensive answers to its Roost + 3 Attacks set in the current meta being complemented quite handily by its expansive coverage options against common resists and plethora of switch-in opportunities against the increased pool of Pokemon simultaneously checked by it, I find Buzzwole to be an incredibly well-rounded and reliable pick at the moment.

B -> B+
While Grassy Terrain is very useful in itself for the plethora of Steels and Grounds that can benefit from the extra recovery, among other notable recipients such as Aegislash and Grassy Seed Calm Mind Galarian Slowbro. Tapu Bulu's Swords Dance set is also a terrifying wallbreaker in its own right that most bulky cores in the tier want absolutely no part of, benefiting greatly from the addition of several great entry points afforded to it in a metagame filled with more offensive and defensive staples alike that it can easily find opportunities against, as Tapu Bulu can easily setup on the more popular defensive Waters and Grounds of the tier that plague most offensive options, while doubling as a very situational but useful offensive check to the likes of Zeraora, Keldeo, Zygarde-10%, and many others that it can also use as entry to make progress. Although several factors, such as being prediction reliant with coverage moves against several of its checks (namely being able to land the boosted Zen Headbutt on Amoonguss or Stone Edge on Salamence as examples), and being easily revenge killed by common prevalences such as Scizor's Bullet Punch, keep it from being any higher.

C -> B-
Even with Salamence being as important as it is, Noivern's Speed tier has actually proven itself to be quite the significant benefit over it in a metagame often struggling in this regard, and serves as a more than justifiable trade-off for this excellent benefit that far surpasses the limiting factors of the C Ranks in my opinion. Whereas Salamence would otherwise be outsped by and forced out by the myriad of faster Pokemon in the tier, thus leaving itself and its teammates vulnerable to being torn apart by offensive threats such as Keldeo and Zygarde-10% that have since exploded in usage because of other trends, the offensive metagame being largely centered around this benchmark in general makes Noivern's ability to outspeed and bombard the slew of these Pokemon much more valuable in being able to preserve offensive momentum for its team, which is something that I find to be extremely convenient in the current metagame. While Salamence's Intimidate and higher power inevitably makes it easier to fit on teams due to it being more sustainable defensively against the Pokemon checked by its typing, such as Urshifu-RS and Scizor, Noivern's additional access to a speedy Roost and access to U-turn to better take advantage of these varied matchups alongside other things does still give it enough merit to warrant rising it for the genuinely worthwhile niche that it occupies on more offensive stuff currently.

A -> A-
The metagame has strayed far and away from needing what it offers at the moment - Nasty Plot sets generally struggle to make progress now with the rise of many offensive threats that can easily outspeed and overwhelm it before it can afford to get going in a metagame without Screens, and the banning of Melmetal in particular has greatly diminished much of what Rotom-Heat had over Moltres as the defensive pick between the two, as the unfortunate opportunity cost only exemplifies itself as it also suffers massively from being an unreliable check to the likes of Scizor and Salamence that it should only really be beating in theory over its competition, while struggling to accomplish much more offensively or defensively due to its poor longevity and overall passivity against much of the metagame. The long and short can only really be described as Moltres's overall superiority compared to it right now.

 

[TheShowdownHoedown]

Ima also post some thoughts



C+ to UR

This mon is honestly not good at all lmfao. The departure of Moltres-Galar is a big L for this mon as it lost something it could check. Justifying Klefki on offense is also quite annoying as other offensive spikers like Roserade which more often than not contribute more to a game than Klef will. On balance-y spikes builds, Klef is a giant no-no as Skarm and Deo have infinitely more longevity than this and are more defensively prepared to take stuff on long-term. This is also kind of a fake steel, loses to MAlt, its not a good hurricane switchin as Mence/Torn/MPidge just hit it with coverage, and the prevalance of Ground-types hampers the prospect of prio TWave. There is little to no reason to rly use this rn and I have 0 clue why this shit was put anywhere above C in the first place.



C+ to UR

Another case of GMolt leaving hurting it. Nihilego does the whole "consistently rocking vs Molt/Mence/Mandi" thingy while also being much less passive. The only things it rly has are being even more consistent vs them and having HBell, which isn't rly an amazing reason to keep the mon ranked imo.

 

[3MoreMinutes]

I haven't done any VR noms in a while, there are a few I've been sitting on and a few I've recently decided to make.

to A+
To me, Hippo is clearly the best ground type in the tier. It's the only prominent one with recovery, and sand chip is often very useful. Being a decent Terrakion check has become increasingly important, and the common mons annoyed by Hippo are as relevant as ever. Being as splashable as it is, I have Hippo in the same rank as other similarly common mons (Zarude, Salamence, Nihilego, etc).

to A-
This is a difficult one since I still think Rhyperior is amazing. It's still a very unique ground type, and has a place on teams which are looking to avoid passivity. Its struggles come from the fact it has no recovery. Rhyperior has a lot of weaknesses, but it's often able to eat one from full thanks to Solid Rock. The problem is that once it does this, it can't switch into anything. It has to choose between switching into the mons it's meant to switch into, and trading HP to remove a threat. Recently I've found it sometimes gets outpaced by the many fast, offensive mons which have 4x effective moves. Rhyp dislikes the rises of Keldeo and Mega Manectric (another Electric Rhyperior isn't safe against), as well as the removal of one of its main victims in Goltres.
to A
Moltres remains a scary breaker, but it's not quite the dominant force it once was. Nihilego and Rhyperior's increases in popularity are difficult for it. Plenty of teams have at least one of Nihilego, Rotom-Wash, and Rhyperior, which means Moltres often runs into difficult matchups. Even when you've avoided the counters, you usually have to hit multiple Hurricanes to take advantage of it. It's not necessarily bad to have low accuracy moves, but this inconsistency compounds with the matchup fishing to give Moltres a tough time. Moltres is also not a great defogger, and typically Defog is the easiest reason to fit it on teams. Of course, I'm only highlighting the negatives here, but I do believe Moltres is flawed enough that it does not deserve A+.


to A
I'm of the opinion that this mon has been underrated for months. Calm Mind sets are devastating, with answers to Sludge Bomb + Scald being limited. It has the freedom to run Rocky Helmet to fit on teams as an excellent Urshifu switch in, or a Z-move/resist berry to mimic Glowking. Calm Mind sets can also run different moves which give it the ability to remove common answers (Psyshock + Flamethrower for Aegislash, Nihilego, Scizor is my favourite). Goltres being gone is also great for it, since Rest Goltres was the only switch in able to deal with potential status. AV Glowbro is now a better blanket check to special attackers without Goltres, and enjoys the same ability to fish for status in a rest talk Goltres-less meta.

to A
Azelf has been on a meteoric rise since Alakazam was banned. I agreed with A- when the last changes were made, but since then I've used a lot more sets with Z-moves. Psychium on the standard pivot set is great, it comes in handy surprisingly often to nuke neutral targets. It notably OHKOs Salamence, offensive Moltres, and literally everything faster than Azelf (preventing them from being one time switch ins). Psychium also puts extreme pressure on the common specially defensive mons used to check Azelf, such as Hippowdon and Swampert. Electrium is no longer able to lure Goltres, but it still smashes Slowking, Mandibuzz, Celesteela, and Primarina. Goltres ban also means non Electrium Azelf sets lose an answer. When no Z-move is available other sets (Boots, Ebelt, Twisted Spoon) are very good, but I think the development of Z-move sets is why it should rise.

to A-
I thought B+ was the floor for this mon last shift, but it arguably should be even higher. Its ability to break consistently makes it deserving of a spot in the A ranks. Its best answers in Tangrowth and Buzzwole are relatively uncommon, and every other switch in struggles to do so long term. This in addition to a great speed tier and a surprisingly useful defensive typing (Manectric, Rotom-Heat) make it an elite threat. Zygarde does the same things here as in SSUU, with the only relevant differences between the tiers being NDUU having Buzzwole (good mon but not on a ton of teams) and NDUU having better speed control (doesn't prevent Zydog from claiming one). This should at the very least rise to B+, but A- makes the most sense to me.

to B
I meant to nom this before it got ranked, but I think it's a whole lot better than C rank. Hurricanes that can't miss put a ton of pressure on, because abusing confusion becomes much more plausible. Having a great speed tier also differentiates it from other Hurricane users, even able to outspeed Azelf and Zygarde-10%. Being a very simple mon there isn't a ton to discuss regarding Pidgeot, but I'll mention its impressive 64% (9/14) winrate so far in the NDUU SSNL as evidence of its relevance. Pidgeot is a solid mega, and deserves to take its place among the other uncommon but useful pokemon in the B rank.

There are a lot more differences between my opinions and the current VR so I'll post my version. It's in order, but I've spent much more time determining which tier each mon should be in than I've spent ordering the tiers.
I also have Crobat/Umbreon/Barraskewda ranked but couldn't find their sprites

 

[Niadev]

VR Update time! This time around I won't be covering as many mons in the reasonings, just the important ones (A ranks + B+ as well as ranks/unranks), so if you want to know why a mon that hasn't been touched on has changed, feel free to ask! ... Is what I'd say if epic VR council member N_Mareanie didn't do the lower ranked ones.

Rises:
Scizor - A+ -> S
Celesteela - A -> A+
Hippowdon - A -> A+
Terrakion - A -> A+
Azelf - A- -> A
Buzzwole - A- -> A
Keldeo A- -> A
Roserade A- -> A
Slowbro-Galar A- -> A
Cobalion B+ -> A-
Dragonite B+ -> A-
Mamoswine B -> B+
Nidoqueen B -> B+
Zygarde-10 B -> B+
Sharpedo-Mega B- -> B
Diggersby C+ -> B-
Noivern C -> C+
Chesnaught UR -> C+

Reasons

Scizor - Whatever team you are running, there is probably a Scizor set out there for it. Extremely diverse and effective, and a dangerous wincon with SD no matter the set, it is definitely the top mon now that Mega Altaria has fallen from grace. U-turn is capable of bringing in a lot of things, and its +2 Z move can deal with Amoonguss even on defensive SD sets, Choice Band will revenge most sweepers with only a bit of chip.
Celesteela - Celesteela checks Scizor, Mega Altaria, Azelf and Roserade, not to mention that it abuses Hippowdon, making it an extremely solid balance pick. Fire types in general falling off thanks to Hippowdon has helped it too, and notably HippoSteela is an extremely solid balance core.
Hippowdon - A much more consistent electric check and bulky enough to take one hit from +2 Terrakion, it's by far the best ground type in the meta right now. While more passive than its contemporaries, it is certainly not going to be abused for an easy setup any time soon, being stronger than Swampert and having tools to deter most ground immune Pokemon that would try and set up on it.
Terrakion - A +2 Terrakion is nigh impossible to handle defensively, and Choice Band has no switchins. It is the official benchmark for what is considered 'fast' in this meta, and will absolutely tear you a new one if you let it go off. While relatively prepared for now, and still suffering from notable issues such as no defensive utility forcing it to come in via pivots, its sheer threat value makes it A+ worthy.
Azelf - Strong offensive pivot that deals with Terrakion and isn't abused by Scizor. Nasty Plot is scary too, and little short of Celesteela will deal with it defensively. Coincidentally, Knock Off also cripples Celesteela, and will often lure it in with the threat of Nasty Plot.
Buzzwole - Defensive sets have seen a resurgence, in part because of people realising Drain Punch kind of sucks on it and Close Combat lets you actually beat Roost Scizor. It's a good Terrakion check if it's full, and walls a number of annoying physical attackers. Offensive sets are also still good too, boasting extremely powerful Close Combats that additionally let it switch moves.
Keldeo - AV Tang usage falling in favour of Amoonguss is great for Specs, which can hit Amoonguss with Air Slash more easily. Solid speed tier letting it tie with Terrakion, and abusing some of Urshifu-Rapid-Strike's common, much more physdef oriented checks is cool too. It's difficult to consistently switch into at times, partly due to sheer power and funny Scald burns.
Roserade - Roserade is the uncontested best Spiker in the metagame, and offensive sets are additionally extremely nasty to switch into. Its additional tendency to spread poisons, ability to heal, and ability to wallop steels with what is effectively a Flamethrower via Technician HP Fire has more than made it worth it. Probably the single biggest driving factor of Spikes being so good.
Slowbro-Galar - CM is very difficult for defensive teams to stop due to a lack of a Toxic immunity, ability to spread poisons with Sludge Bomb. It's like Slowking-Galar but if it needed a CM to get to Glowking's +0 SpDef and had a bit more physdef. It greatly appreciates the increased relevance of Buzzwole and Roserade as it abuses the both of them for free setup, on top of what it already did.
Cobalion - Cobalion checks Scizor, Nihilego, Zarude, and is a solid Z move wincon, as well as being a great deterrent to Knock Off users. It can additionally also pivot around with Volt Switch if there is no Hippowdon on the other team.
Dragonite - Dragonite is a generally more impactful Dragon Dance user than Dragon Dance Mega Altaria while being able to run boots and answer most of the things Mega Altaria is run to check, actually making it more long term effectively anyways. It misses out on electrics but that's all really. It's a good wincon on Mega Aggron balances too.
Mamoswine - Mamoswine has always been an underrated threat, and lately people have realized how dangerous the pig can actually be. Ice + Ground STAB is still really hard to wall if you're not carrying a Rotom-W or H. Skarmory and Buzzwole can take a hit, but are one flinch away from Icicle Crash to suddenly lose the matchup. Mamoswine can also run moves like Knock Off to cripple the Rotom-forms trying to switch in, or Stealth Rock on a forced switch, chipping its own checks. Ice Shard is also incredibly valuable vs sweepers such as Mega Altaria, Salamence and Dragonite. Niadev note: And unlike a certain D rank trashmon, it's actually capable of killing Salamence with it.
Nidoqueen - Nidoqueen offers excellent role compression for many bulkier teams, as it's able to be a really good Ground-type defensively and Stealth Rocker, all while maintaing excellent offensive pressure. Being able to check all of Zeraora, Mega Manectric, Nihilego, Mienshao, Terrakion and even soft-checking Aegislash in a pinch is super valuable and can be found with no other Pokemon in the tier. Sludge Wave + Earth Power + Fire Blast only really invites Slowking, as it hits the rest of the tier quite hard.
Zygarde-10 B -> B+ - With Terrakion defining the new speed control, Zygarde-10% offers an excellent teamslot in the current meta. Being faster than a large portion of the unboosted metagame, and its best STAB move having no immunities is all incredible. Banded ESpeed picks off a decent portion of the faster Pokemon that want to revenge kill it, though chip damage will be necessary often.
Sharpedo-Mega - We live in a Spikes metagame, where Mega Sharpedo obviously thrives, as the people who played SMUU should know. A simple set of Crunch / Psychic Fangs / Ice Fang is able to sweep a lot of weakened teams in the meta. As long as there is no Skarmory on the opposing team, there is a way.
Diggersby - Choice Scarf Diggersby has been a more recent thing, and despite failing to outspeed Zeraora, it does well in any non-Zeraora matchup (duh). Spikes are actually used on it sometimes, due to the many switches it forces because of Diggersby's insane damage output. Knock Off + U-turn is never a bad combo to have, and since Diggersby tends to lure in Pokemon like Skarmory, Buzzwole and Hippowdon, it is quite good to remove those items to allow a different breaker in the back to go ham. The tier was also desperate for better Scarfers, so yeah.
Noivern - Small rise within the C ranks, but Noivern has proven that its base 123 speed is quite valuable in the meta. Having the jump on common offensive 'mons like Azelf, Zygarde-10%, Keldeo and Terrakion, which Salamence can't do, you find yourself having a lot more opportunities to break teams. Reliance on Hurricane sucks however, and Noivern is still not the bulkiest thing around. Wanting Boots also means no boosting item, which means the damage can be quite lacking on occasions.
Chesnaught - Bulletproof lets it turn Amoonguss, Tangrowth and HP Fireless Roserade into an opportunity to stack spikes, as well as completely bodying most Nihilego variants, all while checking Zarude and Rotom-Wash.

Drops:

Altaria-Mega - S -> A+
Amoonguss - S -> A+
Moltres - A+ -> A
Nihilego - A+ -> A
Rhyperior - A -> A-
Rotom-Heat - A -> A-
Bisharp A- -> B+
Azumarill B+ -> B
Infernape B -> B-
Necrozma B -> B-
Gligar B- -> C+
Lycanroc-Dusk B- -> C+
Alomomola C+ -> C
Diancie C+ -> UR
Klefki C+ -> UR
Weezing-Galar C+ -> C
Vanilluxe C+ -> UR

Reasons

Altaria-Mega - While Mega Altaria has been the undisputed king for the majority of the meta, it has at long last fallen from grace. Due to its lack of passive recovery and inability to wear Heavy Duty Boots, it is limited significantly in what it can do and check. Its defensive sets additionally have tendency to be overwhelmed and comparative passivity, while its Dragon Dance sets struggle to check much outside of sweeping and is prepared for to the extent it rarely gets to go off (largely due to Scizor, Amoonguss and Celesteela among others), and, while easily its best set, the special sets suffer from a similar lack of defensive utility. Definitely one of the best mons in the meta for sure, but no longer S rank in our eyes.
Amoonguss - While easily the best defensive mon in the meta still and arguably the best mon in A+, there is no longer such a divide between A+ and S that an S- rank is necessitated, and Amoonguss does not qualify as S in our eyes. It's a lot less free to run options other than Hidden Power Fire, and Terrakion, a physical fighting Amoonguss struggles to check, is much more relevant now.
Moltres - While the rise of Pokemon like Scizor, Celesteela and Amoonguss would have you think it would be better than ever, in reality just as many, if not more things have gone against it. It is forced out and pressured by Nihilego and Terrakion, limiting its ability to wallbreak in the case of the former and turning it into a liability against the latter, and Hippowdon walls it till the cows come home. It simply lacks its previous consistency as a wallbreaker and is limited much more as a pivot.
Nihilego - Scizor and Hippowdon are both very bad news for Nihilego - both can check non Meteor Beam variants with ease, and the former can completely cut off Nihilego's sweep, especially bad given that Scizor is extremely easy to fit on teams right now. Additionally, it faces some competition from Terrakion as a fast offensive rocks setter, who can punch holes much more easily nowadays..
Rhyperior - For bulky grounds, most teams prefer Hippowdon nowadays, who, while more passive, fares much better against the things Rhyperior wants to check. Electrics almost universally carry a Grass or other super effective move against it (such as Zeraora's CC), and Rhyperior hurts much more against the former and cannot heal off the chip from the latter. SD sets can be an extremely powerful wallbreaker, however, keeping it from dropping further.
Rotom-Heat - Hippowdon laughs in its face and Terrakion/Nihilego abuses it. With less Rhyperior to wallop with HP Grass at +2, and the fact that it is a notoriously awful defogger outside of NP (Skarmory is literally the only hazard setter you don't get insta shafted against without NP, which you can't fit because you need Defog, STABs and Pain Split on Defog sets), it is simply not as useful anymore.
Bisharp - Scizor is the best mon in the meta and often runs Z move on its bulky sets specifically for Knock, which is bad news for Bisharp. Trapping Aegislash is still useful, but Aegislash itself has mostly been adapted to at this point. Defensive Buzzwole's return has also been awful news for it, as it completely hard walls any and all Bisharp variants.
Azumarill - Unfortunately, Azumarill simply does not receive much usage anymore, for good reason. With the Light Clay ban, Belly Drum sets have pretty much completely died out. Choice Band still sees occasional usage, and can still plough through many unprepared teams - though, the high usage of Skarmory and Amoonguss does not do it much favour either. It also faces much competition from more consistent and faster physical Water-type breakers such as Urshifu-RS.
Infernape - Just like Azumarill, Infernape barely saw any usage in the latest seasonal, and performed pretty miserably the times it did get used. Infernape simply struggles too much with Mega Altaria, Moltres, Salamence, Hippowdon and much more, all maintaining high usage within the top 10. The power is lacking and with much more powerful threatening Fighting-type breakers such as Terrakion, Keldeo, Mienshao, Urshifu-RS and Buzzwole at the tiers disposal, finding a spot to use Infernape over any of these is an immensely difficult task.
Necrozma - Necrozma is simply too slow and too fragile to consistently abuse every Defog user in the tier. The most common hazard removers - Salamence, Moltres and Rotom-Wash - all do immense amounts of damage to Necrozma on the switch with either Flying STAB from the former two or a Volt Switch, Hydro Pump or Trick from the latter. There are simply better offensive Stealth Rockers out there, such as Terrakion.
Gligar - After the ban of Melmetal, Gligar sees little relevancy in the current meta. Its job as a Ground-type is eclipsed by the far superior Ground-types within the tier, such as Hippowdon (which also rose this update, which means the competition is getting even better), Rhyperior and Nidoqueen. Gligar's overreliance on Eviolite means it is easily exploitable by continuing it to pressure with common Knock Off users in the tier like Scizor. It remains ranked because of its ability to still compress some Balance builds due to being an Electric immune + Ground immune + Toxic immune + Aegislash check in one slot.
Lycanroc-Dusk - With Terrakion fully taking the stage among the best Pokemon of the tier, there is sadly little reason to use Lycanroc-Dusk. Accelerock is cool until you realize it hits literally one sweeper super effectively of the A ranks, being Salamence, of which its sweeping set is quite uncommon. Base 110 speed is sort of nice for revenging Terrakion itself, as it gets the kill from full with Close Combat, but this is not particularly unseen - Azelf and Zygarde-10% are Pokemon who also accomplish this task. The poor dog also suffers immensely of 4MSS - little is going well for our favourite good boy.
Alomomola - Stall continues to not exist, and very little amount of balance builds resort to Alomomola. Its simply too abused by Pokemon like Zarude, Heal Bell Mega Altaria, Substitute Aegislash, Rotom-Wash, Heal Bell Dragonite, free Future Sights from Slowking etc. etc. Outside of some fringe balance builds with decent success here and there, there is very little Alomomola to be seen, nor is there much reason to.
Diancie - Galarian Moltres' ban means Diancie has completely lost any niche it had in the first place. It still has a good matchup vs hazard removers such as regular Moltres and Salamence, but Nihilego simply does that job way better. Niadev note: Moltres-Galar is gone, it can't hurt you anymore.
Klefki - C+ was arguably already kind of high for Klefki, but just like with Diancie, Galarian Moltres' ban means Klefki has lost pretty much the tiny niche it previously had. Prankster Spikes are nice, but with Spikers such as Roserade, Skarmory and the newly ranked Chesnaught, there is simply too much competition for Klefki. Niadev note: Moltres-Galar is gone, it can't hurt you anymore.
Weezing-Galar - Too overwhelmed too quickly, overreliance on Pain Split and doesn't actually beat any Rockers. Hooray for Neutralizing Gas stopping Regenerator spam!
Vanilluxe - It got hype for exactly 2 weeks and then literally no one ever talked about or used it again. Bonus Niadev explanation: Scizor and Aegislash moment on top of not being easy to build at the best of times has made it simply not worth it other than to tour meme. Celesteela also unfun for it.

 

[Lupla]

Prepare for a long ass post because i wanna give my thoughts on some of the current VR changes since there are a few interesting picks that i wanna point out this time.

Rises
​

From A+ to S:
The debate on who was gonna be the S tier mon from the meta was quite large (Amoonguss, Urshifu-RS, Aegislash, Mega Altaria kinda on S-) and this one was the one all of us agreed the most. After a never ending success on SSNL that outshined almost all the other picks, i don't have anything new to say that wasn't established already, this mon is super good and splashable but not really broken either.


From A to A+:
Two pieces of defense that had to rise on the top finally did it. Hippowdon has always been a great bulky ground type because of how much it's able to check with 1 variant alone and the amazing core that it makes alongside Guss that covers most of its weaknesses and eases its job agaisnt Electrics (Especially Toxic Zeraora). Celesteela is also on a similar boat but without the same longevity as Hippowdon, sure Leech Seed + Protect keeps it alive a lot and it's also the most threatning user of the move atm but the real deal is the fact that both sides of Defense and Offense are able to take advantage of Celesteela's trades without drawback. Bulky Offense and Balance get the important Aegislash check as well as a great sponge agaisnt mons like Mega Altaria or Hippowdon while more agressive teams can just call Autosteela out for either the lure of electrics of a cleaner that gives them an important defensive profile.


From A to A+:
I'd like to hear the real thoughts of 3MM on this mon because i think i kind of understood why it could of had stayed on A but also why it shouldn't. Terrakion has been overlooked for a while due to the amount of broken threats post M-Sableye meta but when things settled in, the metagame changes benefited Terrakion hugely. Speed Control has been changing a lot as to what benchmark it should reach and right now that benchmark is Terrakion due to how powerful SD and CB sets are to contest defensively, the rise of Hippowdon is also related to Terrakion since its the reason as to why Physically Defensive oriented Hippo was rising over the Specially Defensive oriented ones which were important for Electrics. Many of the current meta rises such as Scizor, Scarf Wash, Hippowdon and more are related to Terrakion in one way or another.


From A- to A:
Spikes Roserade has been a controversial discussion for a while, the amount of times its able to put them down and make quick progress is insane and it's not even relegated to Spikes alone, if Guss was considered to be annoying to switch into (even with Spore used) then Roserade just makes it worse because it's not only a stronger version but HP Fire being Technician boosted basically makes it harder for even Aegislash or M-Aggron to come in while the others are just roasted. Spikes Stacking has raised mainly because of this mon and the experiments with other Spikers is also related to it but with Roserade being able to easily use a lot of the common defensive cores into an opportunity of Spikes as well as not being useless agaisnt offense with a typing that carries it (it's the same as Sussus Mongus yknow) makes it by far the most threatning one.

Glowbro also comes in as another Regenerator mon with important defensive utility that covers resists such as Roserade or M-Altaria as well as almost any neutral Special Attacker with AV sets such as the Rotoms, Salamence, Moltres, Nihilego, Celesteela and more. Being able to stay alive without wasting turns on recovery is important since it allows these walls to actually make progress and Glowbro combines Poisoning and Burns together as well as free Future Sight which can turn offensive threats like Urshifu-RS or Zeraora even more scary than before, all of this forms a disgusting Special Sponge that blendes in well with Offense. CM sets aren't that far either and they might be more threatning than AV sets because they take the resistances, the ability to take on passive walls and status fishing into an opportunity of a demonic setup that's hard to contest when most of your physical attackers like Bisharp, Scizor, Krookodile and others are gonna be fearing burns by switching in, meaning they have to play carefully and take their time which means Glowbro is gonna be able to mess the opposing team while the CM boost just brings the benefits of AV back but with more longevity.


From B+ to A-:

Cobalion is a steel type with lots of utility beyond rocks support and a good defensive typing for the meta, which allows it to deal or pivot around things like Scizor, Zarude, Mono Fairy M-Alt as well as scaring koff users while SD variants take the rocks support to lure in pokemon like Rotom-Wash or Salamence and blast them off once boosted.

Dragonite has been on the rise because DD sets have an argubly better impact on matches than DD M-Alt because its inmune to hazards with Boots and that means you won't be overwhelmed long term and actually check what you're supposed to (you miss out on Zera but that's a small price to pay for the hazard inmunnity in a meta with Spikes Offense being so good).


From B to B+:
Another mon that has been discussed a lot so im not gonna talk about it other than the fact that OUTRAGE SUCKS and that you should run more coverage options instead.

Drops

​

From S to A+:
Sorry Fluffy Boy except that im also not sorry! The amount of hazards is a death sentence for this mon as it makes it more and more passive due to the fact it has to heal every single goddamn turn which kills most of its defensive utility that we were all so used to. Another issue is in how most of the stuff it checks or counters such as Urshifu-RS, Zarude, Zeraora, Mienshao, M-Manectric and the Rotoms also have momentum to rack up the chip damage even more which makes it really unreliable considering how much it is tasked to fend off agaisnt.

Amoonguss could of had been S- ngl (even thought i voted A+ fuck me) since while it got slightly worse due to Roserade becoming better as well as more ways to lure or pressure it, the defensive core of Amoonguss and Hippowdon has been amazing and argubly at its peak rn due to Hippo shifting some of the tasks that made this iconic duo more effective. Again it got worse but i feel like S- could be its placement considering the presence of Rotom-Wash atm.

im

From A+ to A/A to A-:
Scizor got better and Cobalion raised a lot which is not good news for Nihilego because it can't really do much to fight back agaisnt that and the fact that more checks to it like Zygarde-10%, Celesteela, Hippowdon, Keldeo, Glowbro or Azelf raised to handle it both defensively and offensively.

Rhyperior just gets pressured a lot, it has important defensive trades such as being a ground that sits on fires that lack coverage, those being Moltres and most Rotom-H variants, while also being a good neutral pick agaisnt most threats as well as playing around Electrics. The problem is that Hippo and Rose raised, Hippowdon is gonna be sitting on it forever and Roserade keeps laying down Spikes and this leaving Rhyperior unable to consistantly deal with the threats that's supposed to handle.

still

From A to A-:
Can we kick this mon out? if i hear Defog Rotom-Heat being decent because of its role compression again im gonna increase the population of bad ladder picks. The pivoting sets are sort of fine but they aren't amazing right now, even if they are able to spread Toxic decently and NP sets are the same as they were before but the problem is that you can just outplay this mon really easily due to Overheat not being a reliable stab as well as any Special Sponge or Bulky Ground being a massive pain to deal with. The defensive trades are fine but it's a lot more scared of getting knocked which makes it a pretty mid Scizor check and unlike Wash, trying to pivot in and out is harder because it can't bring passive recovery and it gets stopped easily. Defog Rotom-Heat is just a neccesary evil, sure it counters Skarm and checks Rose (not really kek) but it's a mediocre and really abusable defogger outside of that since it struggles to make progress and gives even more free switches due to the lack of Toxic.

not

From A- to B+:
Another surprising drop but much more understandable given the raise of Terrakion, Cobalion, Keldeo and Buzzwole. It's still a good pursuiter and with great power but the amount of fighting types that are able to come into Knock Off without much problem has raised a lot atm.

done...

From B+ to B:
If anyone remembers using Azu then congratulations because i don't, even when it was suspect tested everyone ignored the hell out of it and dropped to ND RU in the end. All of its sets of Belly Drum, Choice Band and Assault Vest are just really mid at everything they do, Belly Drum has the best use out of the 3 but the amount of faster water resists that are able to kill it like Zarude, Rotom-Wash, Roserade and the ones that kill it once Bdrum was used like Salamence, Urshifu-RS, M-Altaria or Keldeo as well as CB Scizor being able to revenge it doesn't help at all, the other sets aren't rewarding enough to justify its use.

my...

From C+ to UR:
Honestly out of these drops, everything below Infernape (and that mon included) deserved to drop due to meta changes making them worse such as the melm or goltres ban but out of these picks id say vanilluxe could had stayed on C instead. It's really complicated to build around it but id say the rewards of being a powerful Blizzard spammer with ways to deal with resists and not having the drawbacks could maybe just leave it at C and never be looked on again but it ended up being UR, its understandalbe but maybe it could had ended differently.


And that's it, unfortunately there's not really anything interesting in this post but i wanted to share some thoughts about the changes, have a nice day and see y-PREY!!

¿A or A+?

​

Cry about my cringe introduction all you want, i don't care, but this is the mon i wanted to talk about the most for a LONG time. Moltres has been a great choice in general but just sadly it's fate ended up being to slowly drop off but at least not out, It's typing is great defensively but the problem comes with how vulnerable it is to Knock Off which makes it really bad at dealing with Scizor since one Knock Off can seal what would had been a counter back into the furnance. My problem comes with how Moltres was dropped, the rocks are a problem that's for sure (Terrakion, Nihilego and Rhyperior) but making those the main point but next to Moltres you mention how the rocks had also fallen off just doesn't make much sense, the main culprits of this drop are the pokemon used in this meta and how they had been changing throught time.

Moltres used to be an offensive threat with good utility that could take advantage of most of the switchins into an opportunity to throw out Hurricanes for the entire game, mainly Mega Altaria, as well as not always fearing the bad MUs with offensive threats since they weren't as common as now and others like Cobalion not packing what it needs to beat it and most importantly, the meta wasn't as opressive as it is now so Moltres could take advantage of its decent natural bulk a lot. At first the current drops and raises seem promising for Moltres but in reality it hurts it more due to the fact that the stuff that it always abused dropped and while some raises like Hippowdon or Celesteela were fine it's not gonna compensate in how the meta evolved in a way that it gives Moltres trouble around every corner, the raise of Terrakion, Keldeo, AV Glowbro, Zygarde-10% and others doesn't help it.

Many of the good matchups it had before are kind of dissapearing such as Cobalion running Stone Edge more since it hits Salamence for good damage and the presence of Rotom-Wash right now has left a meta pick with lots of role compression that cannot be ignored which means most teams have a way to answer it as well as power creep making most neutral attackers able to threaten Moltres a lot which limits the opportunities it has to come in and attack. The Defog apartment is still nice but there are still some road blocks on it with SD Terrakion being the main culpirt and while Nihilego & Rhyperior dropped, they aren't out so you are gonna get abused hard anyway. It's not a terrible choice right now since it's not like it has no good MUs right now, M-Altaria is still decently common and others like Buzzwole, Hippowdon, Celesteela, Roserade and more could be abused if played properly but it has taken a lot of steps down to ever come back to its former glory, people are still deciding whether this mon is good or not because of how questionable its viability is right now, its better than most of the stuff on A but its not near the level of A+ either.


Anyway now i finished this post, i just wanted to leave my thoughts on the VR changes AND Moltres in general because of how much weird stuff i have been noticing whenever people discuss about this mon since its a weird pick to define, doing this while sick might had left some questionable parts on the post but i hope this is fine, have a nice day and hype up for NDPL.

 

[Shandeur]

After laddering with teams for a bit, I've decided to make a quick VR post.

To B+

When looking at the VR, I'm noticing a lot of things can't take both Shadow Ball and Fire Blast, most things are smacked hard by one or the other, or both. The things that don't get 2HKO'd by either STAB can get packed by Energy Ball, such as Primarina. One of the exceptions is Nihilego, but that can get worn down quickly due to repeated Shadow Balls. Very few things like eating hits from Chandelure, and they don't want to switch into it due to fear of being hit by the other STAB. There's two problems though.

1. Its speed. It's quite slow, being the same speed as Jolly Mega Altaria, and is outsped by faster threats that it would usually scare from coming in, such as Zarude.

2. Prediction Reliant. It can be hard to pilot Chandelure if you can't get your predictions right. However, in the hands of a skilled trainer, it can be absolutely destructive, laying waste to nearly every mon in the tier.

That's all I have for right now.

 

[N_Mareanie]

Some thoughts...

Rises

A- --> A
I was the only one who voted for its rise previous slate and was quite surprised. With Scizor rising to the top of the meta again and taking over Mega Altaria as the ruler of the tier, Skarmory's importance skyrocketed as Skarmory is one of (if not the only) Pokemon capable of handling every single Scizor set out there. It's a great roadblock vs other physical attackers as well obviously, such as Zarude, non-Fire move Mega Altaria, Mienshao, Bisharp and others. Not to mention that alongside Roserade, Skarmory contributes immensely to the Spike heavy metagame. Spikes are an essential part of the meta and personally think largely defines the tier as it is - every team loves to have Spikes, and can often be seen to be just as important as Stealth Rock. For these reasonings, Skarmory should rise to the same level as Roserade. All of this is supported by the fact that Skarmory was the 4th most used Pokemon in SSNL - right behind Scizor, Mega Altaria and Hippowdon, all of which reside in either S or A+ rank.

B+ --> A-
Porygon-Z has never gotten that much attention, and especially since the Light Clay ban it's been overlooked for a good while now. However, I've recently started to use Porygon-Z more and can say it's a threat and a half vs almost every team. Z-Conversion with a set of Shadow Ball / Ice Beam / Recover / Conversion literally dismantles every bulky team out there as long as you avoid being Toxic'd. You beat every single Choice Scarfer in the tier currently (Mienshao, Keldeo, Rotom-Wash), as Choice Scarf Zarude has basically died out completely. This means that offensive counterplay basically just does not exist and you have to keep your SpDef Swampert or Hippowdon high enough health to be able to Toxic it and then pivot like crazy. Chip damage doesn't matter since Porygon-Z can easily Recover it off vs bulkier teams, as the passive Pokemon can't break PZ with boosted defenses. I think this has the potential to be higher, but it needs to be experimented with more, but all I can say is that it is insane right now and pairs really well with other sweepers such as Celesteela, as they can overwhelm each others checks very easily and plough through teams like it's nothing.

B- --> B
It rose last update but I personally believe that B- doesn't suffice and Diggersby is loads better than every single Pokemon sitting there. Choice Scarf Diggersby is really good in any non-Zeraora matchup (it fails to outspeed it lol) and its Ground-typing is really good for offensive teams to deal with Mega Manectric. It can switch in on a Volt Switch and grab its own momentum on the next turn with U-turn, or set up Spikes on a predicted switch, or get off a Knock Off - all very solid options in its arsenal. There's not much here to say for me as nothing technically changed since last update, I just personally believe that Diggersby is simply underranked at the moment and should receive a small rise to B rank.

Drops

A+ --> A
Voted A on the last slate and still convinced it should drop. Its immense usefulness and importance has dropped a fair bit compared to its prime. Choice Scarf Rotom-Wash is significantly more common and always runs Trick, which is a great tool to cripple Zarude. It has also been proven that it fails at checking every Aegislash set out there, and is only really save vs SubTox (though, with correct prediction, the Zarude user can be stalled out of Jungle Healing). Other meta trends such as the immense Skarmory usage, and Buzzwole + Cobalion rising in the most recent update - all hard stops to Zarude - just doesn't help. Saying Zarude can simply U-turn out vs these ignores the fact that all the aforementioned Pokemon commonly run Rocky Helmet, and Zarude doesn't love not being at 100%, as health is quite important on it vs some sweepers like Porygon-Z. Zarude is still great but for me fails to see the same level as consistency, threat level or anything else as every single other A+ Pokemon.

B --> B-
Starmie was originally thought of to be quite good after the Alakazam ban, as we all figured it'd ''replace'' the fast Psychic-type slot - with utility in Rapid Spin and Flip Turn, and a good offensive movepool in Hydro Pump, Psychic and Thunderbolt, Starmie has some good potential. The problem here is just that most teams heavily prefer Azelf. Azelf is a far superior Psychic-type in todays meta because of its combination of Knock Off + U-turn alongside Fire coverage. The rest of B rank actually possess their own significant niche and have actual showings in tour, whereas Starmie is lacking and gets little use, since Azelf is just a lot better. It still has a niche for sure but a slight drop is warrented here.

 

[TheShowdownHoedown]

A to A+

This mon is OBNOXIOUS. This mon does not die lmfao. Mienshao is among the best and most easily splashable options for speed control in this tier. A lot of the time it is free to spam its U-Turn as it does not care whatsoever abt helmet chip from Buzz/Amoong/Hippo/etc; thanks to Regenerator. Moltres can punish the U-Turning but it will die if Shao predicts and clicks SEdge, making its constant U-turning even more free, gaining momentum in a tier where VoltTurn is quite prevalent. Additionally, the rise of Spikes is also great for Mienshao as switching into it with them up is more annoying for usual switchins like the aforementioned Buzz/Amoong/Hippo. It also does not care about Spikes being on its side that much due to Regen asw. This combined with the extremely high usage makes me feel as if this mon not being in A+ is a crime tbh.



C to B-

Speaking of obnoxious mons, this thing is criminally underrated. Its speed is thoroughly excellent, outspeeding much of the offensive metagame, including other known speedsters like Azelf and Zydog, and then being able to put a decent dent in them. Its speed also goes perfectly with another amazing tool it has: Taunt. Crobat has one of the fastest users of Taunt in the tier, allowing it to crucially shut down hazards from the likes of Hippo, Skarm, and Pert, which is especially helpful in a tier where Rocks and Spikes are not only prevalent, but expected to go up and stay up for a bit. It also provides crucial defensive utility against mons like Buzzwole, MAlt, Rose, and Amoong after it pops Spore. Lastly, Speedy U-Turn is always nice, especially after it uses Taunt, forcing a passive mon out to gain momentum. Mon should be explored more.

 

[N_Mareanie]

hello PL time has kinda passed by so here are some noms

Rises


A --> A+
i agree with this. mienshao has been an important cornerstone of the metagame for quite some time now, and there are no signs of this stopping in the near future. being the single best choice scarfer in the tier (by a long mile) has completely changed teambuilding and significantly helps so many builds stick together. u-turn + knock off + regenerator alone is super deadly to deal with in every game, as unlike with urshifu-rs, rocky helmet chip doesn't matter to mienshao. LO attacker is also quite threatening, trading the ability to outspeed a good portion of the offensive metagame for the insane wallbreaking capabilities it possesses. close combat, knock off, u-turn and a coverage move in stone edge, blaze kick or poison jab is super deadly from a game to game basis. even if you pack the wrong coverage, u-turn + knock off is a good enough combo alone so it doesn't rlly matter much at the end of the day. this pokemon definitely deserves A+ now.


A- --> A
mega manectric has proven that even with hippowdon's reign it will always put in work. hidden power grass hits most other grounds anyway (barring nidoqueen (gligar isnt relevant)) and tech moves like toxic or roar on spike stack teams can overwhelm hippowdon sometimes. mega manectric currently is also an integral part of the ever thriving voltturn playstyle. crazy speed tier + intimidate + strong fire coverage to not get walled by amoonguss is huge - mega altaria and av tangrowth have also seen a slight dip in usage, which is great for mega manectric.

regarding skarmory, here's what i wrote for a past nomination:

I was the only one who voted for its rise previous slate and was quite surprised. With Scizor rising to the top of the meta again and taking over Mega Altaria as the ruler of the tier, Skarmory's importance skyrocketed as Skarmory is one of (if not the only) Pokemon capable of handling every single Scizor set out there. It's a great roadblock vs other physical attackers as well obviously, such as Zarude, non-Fire move Mega Altaria, Mienshao, Bisharp and others. Not to mention that alongside Roserade, Skarmory contributes immensely to the Spike heavy metagame. Spikes are an essential part of the meta and personally think largely defines the tier as it is - every team loves to have Spikes, and can often be seen to be just as important as Stealth Rock. For these reasonings, Skarmory should rise to the same level as Roserade. All of this is supported by the fact that Skarmory was the 4th most used Pokemon in SSNL - right behind Scizor, Mega Altaria and Hippowdon, all of which reside in either S or A+ rank.

B --> B+
mega sharpedo has been going crazy in the current ndpl. its ability to heavily damage most defensive cores when there's no skarmory or defensive tangrowth is insane, since all of slowking, galarian slowbro, amoonguss, mega altaria, hippowdon, buzzwole and salamence for super effective damage. even other defensive staples like rotom-wash or swampert take a huge chunk from crunch. watch these two replays to see what i mean...

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen8nationaldexuu-648049
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen8nationaldexuu-646797


B- --> B
just like skarmory, i'll refer to a different nom i made a couple posts ago:

It rose last update but I personally believe that B- doesn't suffice and Diggersby is loads better than every single Pokemon sitting there. Choice Scarf Diggersby is really good in any non-Zeraora matchup (it fails to outspeed it lol) and its Ground-typing is really good for offensive teams to deal with Mega Manectric. It can switch in on a Volt Switch and grab its own momentum on the next turn with U-turn, or set up Spikes on a predicted switch, or get off a Knock Off - all very solid options in its arsenal. There's not much here to say for me as nothing technically changed since last update, I just personally believe that Diggersby is simply underranked at the moment and should receive a small rise to B rank.

mandibuzz has continuously shown that it offers great role compression in the current meta, especially since the departure of galarian moltres, a pokemon which often overshadowed mandibuzz due to having the same typing. however, mandibuzz's great defense allows it to check pokemon like scizor, aegislash, bu zarude, dd dragons (dragonite & salamence) and bisharp. the ability to pivot into so many powerful wallbreaker and often have a slower u-turn to an offensive check is insane valuable in a meta where keeping up momentum is everything. not to mention it's one of the rare mons able to pivot into the super hard to switch into azelf, as even if rocks are up, azelf can't do much to touch you with the standard boots pivot set.


C+ --> B-
hail currently gets significantly more usage than literally any C ranked pokemon in both tours and friendlies - it's even on the sample team forum! seasonal has shown that hail has a pretty impressive success rate, cause even despite being used only 8 times, it won 7 out of those 8, which shows a decent form of consistency. since B- isn't anything crazy and because hail has proven that it can go crazy sometimes it should get a small rise.


C --> B-
will quote 3mm here but instead of rising to B it should just be B-

I meant to nom this before it got ranked, but I think it's a whole lot better than C rank. Hurricanes that can't miss put a ton of pressure on, because abusing confusion becomes much more plausible. Having a great speed tier also differentiates it from other Hurricane users, even able to outspeed Azelf and Zygarde-10%. Being a very simple mon there isn't a ton to discuss regarding Pidgeot, but I'll mention its impressive 64% (9/14) winrate so far in the NDUU SSNL as evidence of its relevance. Pidgeot is a solid mega, and deserves to take its place among the other uncommon but useful pokemon in the B rank.

Drops


A+ --> A
again, gonna quote this from a previous post:

Voted A on the last slate and still convinced it should drop. Its immense usefulness and importance has dropped a fair bit compared to its prime. Choice Scarf Rotom-Wash is significantly more common and always runs Trick, which is a great tool to cripple Zarude. It has also been proven that it fails at checking every Aegislash set out there, and is only really save vs SubTox (though, with correct prediction, the Zarude user can be stalled out of Jungle Healing). Other meta trends such as the immense Skarmory usage, and Buzzwole + Cobalion rising in the most recent update - all hard stops to Zarude - just doesn't help. Saying Zarude can simply U-turn out vs these ignores the fact that all the aforementioned Pokemon commonly run Rocky Helmet, and Zarude doesn't love not being at 100%, as health is quite important on it vs some sweepers like Porygon-Z. Zarude is still great but for me fails to see the same level as consistency, threat level or anything else as every single other A+ Pokemon.

A- --> B+
literally everyone has figured out how to deal with this pokemon at this point. demon deoxys-defense is rarely ever consistent with bu zarude being able to take full advantage of it, and deo-d's unability to break through regen cores (which are very common in the tier) as well as faster toxic mons (e.g. zeraora) and sludge bomb poisons from amoonguss and tangrowth completely ruin this, as it forces too many recovers. it's just a matchup fish mon that goes crazy when you have nothing but is super limited if you do have something for it (which is like, pretty much always). spikes is also nothing special and roserade and skarmory are heavily preferred over it most of the time at that job.


B+ --> B
hatterene rarely sees use as there are so many steel-types roaming around that just completely stop it from sweeping (spdef steela, aegislash). other psychics like azelf or galarian slowbro just often so much more most of the time and stacking double psychics just isnt the best play. its slow speed and no instant recovery can make it very hard to get going, especially if you aren't boosted yet.

krookodile just ain't that good - lets in so many mons for free. its pretty much completely overshadowed by every scarfer in the tier, every ground rocker in the tier and there are also better dark types like zarude and bisharp.


B --> B-
no one will ever convince me dracozolt is good - it's actually so depressingly inconsistent. the abundance of spdef hippo, spdef swampert, mega altaria and AV tang still seeing decent enough use will mean dracozolt has an incredibly hard time to literally do anything. you need to be life orb, which chips you away so fast, especially since you're kinda forced to click the right button every single time.

personally i believe mega steelix doesn't hold up to other ground and steel types that are currently thriving. hippowdon, swampert, celesteela - they're all just so easy to slap onto teams, which leaves little room for megalix oftentimes. it's not exactly bad or anything, just kinda doesnt offer enough over other enough.


B --> C+
quote from previous post, but to C+ instead of B-

Starmie was originally thought of to be quite good after the Alakazam ban, as we all figured it'd ''replace'' the fast Psychic-type slot - with utility in Rapid Spin and Flip Turn, and a good offensive movepool in Hydro Pump, Psychic and Thunderbolt, Starmie has some good potential. The problem here is just that most teams heavily prefer Azelf. Azelf is a far superior Psychic-type in todays meta because of its combination of Knock Off + U-turn alongside Fire coverage. The rest of B rank actually possess their own significant niche and have actual showings in tour, whereas Starmie is lacking and gets little use, since Azelf is just a lot better. It still has a niche for sure but a slight drop is warrented here.

B- --> C+
gastrodon simply isnt used much anymore except for some balance builds out there and generally just is outclassed by swampert or even seismitoad.

literally no one has done anything remotely successful with infernape in the past 2 years and literally no one can tell me otherwise.

what i said abt infernape goes for necrozma too.

tornadus boots is a cool pivot but needs to rely on hurricane as stab. NP sets are alright and can be scary but zeraora being everywhere and never dying because of boots is just horrible and makes tornadus incredibly inconsistent.


C+ --> C

chesnaught is a super niche spiker which has a decent matchup 1/10 games and sets some spikes and helmet chip some physical attackers - wall amoonguss i guess.

noivern just is so weak im sorry. it actually lets in everything for free like steela, spdef cm prim and others and gets abused.

webs isn't consistent and hasnt been since galar zapdos ban, stop dreaming

salazzle also isnt used and there's little reason to atm, same applies for toxtricity


--> Unranked

stall is still not successful and alomomola is like, never seen on other playstyles, bye bye

why did we rank barraskewda again?

lycanroc-dusk is just a terrakion for furries

sneasel has gotten one use in both seasonal and NDPL combined and the only thing that happened was that it got sacked

what goes for alomomola also goes umbreon, literally just sits there and does nothing lol

DISCUSSION POINTS
A+ --> S- / S

B+ --> B

B+ --> A-

C --> somewhere higher​

S-Rank
Top of the top. Rulers of the metagame. These Pokemon fit on most playstyles and need minimal support to function, if any at all.

S

• 
  Scizor

A-Rank
Meta defining, but not to the extent of the Pokemon in S Rank. These Pokemon need minimal support to function.

A+

• 
  Aegislash
• 
  Altaria-Mega
• 
  Amoonguss
• 
  Celesteela
• 
  Hippowdon
• 
  Mienshao
• 
  Rotom-Wash
• 
  Salamence
• 
  Terrakion
• 
  Urshifu-Rapid-Strike
• 
  Zeraora

A

• 
  Azelf
• 
  Buzzwole
• 
  Keldeo
• 
  Manectric-Mega
• 
  Moltres
• 
  Nihilego
• 
  Primarina
• 
  Roserade
• 
  Skarmory
• 
  Slowbro-Galar
• 
  Slowking
• 
  Swampert
• 
  Tangrowth
• 
  Zarude

A-

• 
  Cobalion
• 
  Dragonite
• 
  Rhyperior
• 
  Rotom-Heat

B-Rank
Solid Pokemon, but they don't shape the meta like S and A Rank. They have a defined role which is often applicable and usually quite valuable. These Pokemon always need some support to bring out the best in them.

B+

• 
  Aggron-Mega
• 
  Bisharp
• 
  Deoxys-Defense
• 
  Mamoswine
• 
  Nidoking
• 
  Nidoqueen
• 
  Porygon-Z
• 
  Sharpedo-Mega
• 
  Volcanion
• 
  Zygarde-10%

B

• 
  Azumarill
• 
  Chandelure
• 
  Diggersby
• 
  Hatterene
• 
  Krookodile
• 
  Mandibuzz
• 
  Reuniclus
• 
  Tapu Bulu
• 
  Tentacruel

B-

• 
  Arctozolt
• 
  Dracozolt
• 
  Jellicent
• 
  Ninetales-Alola
• 
  Pidgeot-Mega
• 
  Seismitoad
• 
  Steelix-Mega

C-Rank
Niche Pokemon that have little to no effect on the metagame, being rarely applicable, highly specific or simply not that valuable in the current meta. Using these Pokemon requires you to focus most of the team on supporting it. Oftentimes when a Pokemon only fits on one specific archetype, they'll reside in this tier.

C+

• 
  Conkeldurr
• 
  Gastrodon
• 
  Gligar
• 
  Infernape
• 
  Necrozma
• 
  Sceptile-Mega
• 
  Scolipede
• 
  Staraptor
• 
  Starmie
• 
  Tornadus

C

• 
  Chesnaught
• 
  Crobat
• 
  Noivern
• 
  Ribombee
• 
  Salazzle
• 
  Toxtricity
• 
  Weezing-Galar

 

[Arishem]

sneasel has gotten one use in both seasonal and NDPL combined and the only thing that happened was that it got sacked

Regarding Sneasel’s place in the metagame, I have to concede that it’s easily one of the tougher wallbreakers to switch into, and has enough of an offensive niche to be worth using on occasion. Most notably, Sneasel’s near-unresisted STAB combo has huge threat potential at the moment, as its excellent speed tier becomes even more valuable in a tier where Terrakion has become a top threat, which when combined with a highly important list of tier staples (Hippo, Amoonguss, M-Altaria, Salamence, Roserade, Nihilego, the Slowtwins, and Zarude to name a few) that all risk dying horribly to Choice-Band boosted STABs, gives it many (and arguably even more) opportunities to threaten teams as a whole, especially against certain offensive structures that opt for Aegislash or Celesteela as their Steel, and thus, do not pack a resist to Sneasel’s now incredibly spammable Knock Off, which additionally has the side-effect of crippling nearly everything that chooses to take it. Most of the few switchins I will mention that can fit onto most teams aren’t even guaranteed to be consistent long-term, as most Scizor sets risk being outright 2HKOed by Knock if it attempts to Roost instead of Bullet Punch, while standard Buzzwole and Skarm are both 2HKOed by Axel after Rocks should they lose their item, which they will against the aftermentioned Knock Off. Now, it is reasonable to make a point about it being inherently flawed; building around its complete lack of defensive utility can still be excruciatingly difficult at times, as it necessitates both proper pivoting supporting to get it into the Pokemon it wants to force out and good hazard removal to outlast most checks, while also not being great into the increasingly common RestTalk Primarina and Mega Aggron balance builds. But regardless, I do believe its pros still far outweigh the cons, and makes it more than worth keeping in C Rank.

 

[Meminger21]

Introduction:

After reaching finals in the NatDex UU seasonal I got really excited to play this tier again. I had only played this tier on the previous seasonal where I got knocked out on Round 1 and this tier was really different compared to the ones I'm used to play so it took a while to build some good teams and the gameplay was a bit hard at the start too, but now I can build teams that I think are really great and I feel like my games are much better played. Well, unfortunately we got knocked out already from the NDPL, we ended up messing up at the 2 last weeks after having a good score. I am really frustrated by my last 2 games since I felt like I could've played them better, but overall I think I played most of my games really well and I went 4-3, which is pretty great for a second time playing this tier. I decided to make this post to nominate some Pokemon on the VR, show the teams I used and give some shoutouts for the people that helped me throughout this tour.

Metagame:

Most of my thoughts are put in my noms, but I'll give my thoughts on some pokemons and archetypes here:

This Pokemon is simply way too broken and in my opinion there should be a suspect test, its checks are either bad or they can't check it at all, Mandibuzz and Zarude are its main checks, but they can barely live +1 Ice Beam and Mienshao needs a lot of chip to ko it with knock off. Natural Sp. Def. mons also can't check it, Slowking dies, Amoonguss needs AV or hope it doesn't have subs (in case of Spore), Hippowdon needs to be alive to deal with Necrozma, Nihilego and Celesteela (in case it's Whirlwind). In short, I think HO is broken because of Porygon-Z and something should be done about it.


HO is broken. It's really hard to make a good team that can deal with HO, being able to deal with Celesteela, Necrozma and Porygon-Z at the same time is near impossible. Salamence + Dragonite is also a strong combo but I think it's more manageable than those 3.

I'm not sure about Hydreigon honestly, it can in fact help dealing with Porygon-Z and HO in general, but it looks stupidly strong too. Scarf sets maybe help relieve teams, but Specs looks scary and Hydreigon on HO can be just as broken as Porygon-Z, it's way easier to revenge kill, but if it gets one turn right it can tear apart most teams. I honestly prefer a Porygon-Z suspect instead of a Hydreigon suspect, but I can see either one being the best course to take.


The combo of Slowking with Urshifu-R has gained a bit of popularity in this NDPL, it's a nice pair, but it needs proper positioning to work. It's really good to break fat teams but can struggle vs more offensive oriented teams. Here's some replays:

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen8nationaldexuu-648765
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen8nationaldexuu-650923
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8nationaldexuu-1681187649
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen8nationaldexuu-652897 (features Terrakion instead of Urshifu-R)
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen8nationaldexuu-653074 (Another Terrakion)


It's nearly impossible building a stall team that is good in this tier. There are too many threats and too many archetypes, being able to deal with Terrakion, Spikes, Future Sight + Shifu, Primarina, HO is way too much. I think being passive in this metagame is the way to lose, most teams are way to offensive to afford playing passively.

Nominations:

Rises:

A+ -> S
In my opinion, Hippowdon is the best pokemon in the tier right now as it has so many relevants roles that building without it, even if totally possible, is a pretty difficult task. It's simply the best rock setter in the tier and gives the team a ground type in which is an essential type in all non-HO teams in the tier. It also checks a bunch of really important mons suchs as Electric-types, Moltres, Salamence, Nihilego, Slowbro-G, Cobalion, Dragonite, Scizor and much more with the combination of Earthquake and Toxic/Whirlwind or even Yawn. Its bulky also allows it to trade toxic on the opponent fairly easy and with Rocky Helmet it can chip prenty of mons. It obviously has its downsides since it's very slow and always carries only Earthquake as the attack, this way it can lose momentum very easily vs mons such as Celesteela, Rotom-W, Zarude and Skarmory. It's also completely walled by really niche mons such as Xatu and Crobat (also the aformentioned Skarmory and Celesteela). Even with all the downsides I believe that Hippowdon is the best pokemon in the tier and should be ranked higher.

A+ -> S-
Rotom-W has also seen plenty of use as it's one of the best pivot mons in the tier, while also keeping plenty of very good mons in check. Its combination of Water/Electric STABs allows it to hit ground-types, which would be immune to Volt Switch otherwise, while also only being resisted by Dragon and Grass-types. Not only that but it also has access to moves such as Pain Split, Will-O-Wisp and Defog, while having a pretty good speed tier making Choice-Scarf sets a really great glue to a lot of teams. It's also a really good Z-move user being able to get koes on mons like Hippowdon, Celesteela, Moltres and Nihilego before they can cripple Rotom-W with their moves. Some of the mons it is able to keep in check are Celesteela, Salamence, Moltres, Dragonite, Rhyperior, Skarmory and others. Among some of the downsides are the fact that Swampert has also been rising in usage which really affects its pivot function, it also lacks a realiable way to recover its HP and although its speed tier is good it doesn't outspeed most of the boosted meta.

A- -> A+
Skarmory is an incredible mon and one of the best physical wall in the tier, if not the best, it's ability to check so much while also being able to set Spikes, spread toxic and chipping the opponent with Rocky Helmet is incredible. Something that I think makes Skarmory really stand out is its ability to set Spikes in front of the some of the best Stealth Rockers in the tier, Hippowdon and Swampert, allowing the team to easily accept Stealth Rocks in exchange of a layer of Spikes. Suffers a lot from a bad Special Defense and not being able to deal with some of the best Flying-types in the tier, Moltres and Salamence, but I think it deserves much more than A- tier.

B+ -> A
Porygon-Z is easily one of the most threatening pokemon in the tier, after using Z-Conversion it can easily sweep through unprepared teams. Only a few pokemons can check it realiabily and some others pairtialy check it, among its checks are Zarude, Mandibuzz, Scizor, Celesteela, Nihilego, AV Amoonguss and Umbreon, in which most gets 2HKOed (Shadow Ball+Ice Beam) and can't threaten a KO back needing a support from a Choice Scarf user, such as Zarude or Mienshao. It's also fairly easily to position yourself in front of the mon you want to setup in if you're using HO so the opponent many times can't have the opportunity to Toxic it or deal enough damage to it. Note that I'm talking to the Porygon-Z with the Ghost-type, the Electric one is ok, but it's just outclassed by the ghost one. By the way this thing is broken.

B+ -> A-
Ground-types are essential for all teams and Nidoqueen is immune to Toxic, being able to check Subs Toxic Aegislash, Electric-types with no fear of being toxiced and is really good offensively. It also sets rocks pretty well vs Salamence and Mandibuzz.

B -> A-
If Sharpedo-M had an unlimited movepool it would be broken, but it needs to choose between Liquidation, Hydro Pump, Psychic Fangs, Icy Fang and Close Combat as its 3rd and 4th moves, since Crunch and Protect are mandatory. So you basically need to choose which pokemon you can afford lose to, Zarude, Salamence, Hippowdon, Amoonguss or Skarmory.

B -> B+
I like Chandelure, It's really theatening and has access to Energy Ball to hit Hippowdon. Fire Blast/Shadow Ball/ Energy Ball/Sleep Talk is really all you need. Kinda slow tho and not really that powerful, but it checks Amoonguss!

B- -> B+
Checks Sharpedo-M and Porygon-Z (kinda), is a decent Deffoger, mainly vs Roserade, has U-Turn and can also check Amoonguss if you run Brave Bird.

Drops:

S -> S-
Scizor is a really good pokemon having a strong priority and being able to pivot really easily or make progress through Knock Off, it is also a really dangerous pokemon offensively with SD sets being able to do a lot of damage mainly if it has a Z-move. But it just doesn't fit in that many teams in my opinion, the value you get using Hippowdon is much higher than by using Scizor and for this reason I think that Hippowdon should be higher on the VR. Another thing is that all teams are way too prepared for Scizor to do anything relevant, among some of its checks are Celesteela, Cobalion, Skarmory, Salamence, Moltres, Slowbro-G, Urshifu-R and Keldeo. Scizor also suffers a lot from hazards and passive damage from rocks and possible Flame Body from Moltres meaning it needs HDB and Protective Pads. Scizor is also a pretty mediocre Z-move user in my opinion, it can in fact use Bugnium-Z or Fightinium-Z to go through its checks but you'll usually prefer your Z-move on another mon without needs to sacrifice Scizor's move slot.

A+ -> A
Here we go, Celesteela one of the best walls in the whole game, a pokemon whose offensive set many thought was too broken to be kept in this tier, then why am I nomming it to rank below? Well first I'll talk about the offensive set that is Autotomize + Meteor Beam. This set is in fact really good, but I don't think it's on the same level as mons such as Terrakion or Urshifu-R, it needs way to many turns to setup and it's simply so easily revenge killed by Mienshao, Rotom-W, Zarude and even Fire-types, such as Moltres and Volcanion, after the Meteor Beam was used. It also struggles so much vs Slowking, Rotom-W, Whirlwind Hippowdon and Zeraora that I don't think it deserves A tier. Now, regarding its defensive set it's very simple, although it can in fact check a good portion of the metagame, it makes literally Zero progress, you give up on momentum way too easily in order to recover a fraction of its HP. It's that simple, it checks a lot but does nothing, can't spread damage unless it's running Toxic, can't get hazards up, doesn't have a pivot move nor a decent recovery move.

Teams used:

Week 1: vs avarice


Replay: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen8nationaldexuu-646797 WIN

Week 2: vs Fogbound Lake


Replay: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen8nationaldexuu-648765 WIN

Week 3: vs tlenit


Replay: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen8nationaldexuu-651213 LOSS

Week 4: vs Micaiah


Replay: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen8nationaldexuu-651593 WIN

Week 5: vs Elfuseon


Replay: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen8nationaldexuu-654224 WIN

Week 6: vs Dunoks


Replay: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8nationaldexuu-1687386177-d4u47unrmso0vd40c0tr8i2m061x49lpw LOSS

Week 7: vs Royal1604


Replay: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen8nationaldexuu-656411 LOSS

Shoutouts:
Thanks ez and JP192 for drafting me and zeno for indicating me to them. Also thanks for all of my teammates for being nice and supporting me, I hope we can team up again in the future. Thanks for Runoisch for all the test games we had, hope you can be drafted in future team tours.
And a special thanks for R1C3M4N for all the help building and testing, you were incredible and I wish you the very best.
Edit: pinorska tested with me a lot too, thank you a lot (sorry for forgetting you)

 

[Runo]

Good day everyone, NDPL is coming to a close with only 2-3 weeks left a lot of eyes have been on Porygon-Z (who's broken ass got banned), Sharpedo, Necrozma and just Hyper Offence in general. This is gonna be my first VR post so I wanted do something easy and agreeable for the most part
C+ -> C/UR

Reasoning

Despite being one of my favorite mons of all time, it pains me to say that I no longer believe that Scolipede is cut out for C+. It's incredibly unpopular with the playerbase, having a staggering usage of ONE in both UU Seasonal and NDPL combined (It was only used by me and I used it as an Anti-Lead to bait Rhyperior). Now why is it that people don't use Scolipede on teams?

they're all basically the same mon with slight variance tbh
Like most of the unviable bugs, Scolipede suffers from consistency issues that make not worth using on teams.

Its bulk is mediocre, which means that it rarely gets an opportunity to setup against big ticket threats like Zeraora or Buzzwole and struggles to hit the field often due to its unfortunate hazard weakness.

Scolipede is also torn between running Jolly to out run threats like Terrakion and Mienshao or Adamant for consistent damage, the former is weak as hell and the latter misses the point on why Scolipede holds a niche here (its incredible speed tier letting it outpace powerful threats and invalidate most forms of speed control via Speed Boost).

It's also heavily reliant on the use of Z-moves to nuke threats like Skarmory and Celesteela which can also result in consistency issues because A) It's deathly afraid of hazards now and B) It can't break through secondary checks like Scizor should Scolipede use its Z-move. It's overreliance on Z-moves also makes it unpopular on HO because said playstyle wants to use stronger abusers like Zeraora or Salamence. Mind you that HO is the only playstyle where Scolipede can truly pop off, so if it's nearly unused there then why is it even here?

No serious team wants Scolipede on their crew and if they so happen to fit it, they'll be disappointed more often than not.

tldr: mon gets like 1 good game for every 10 dogshit ones and nobody uses this thing anyways. You want a Speed Boost cleaner? Run Sharpedo.

Other noms that I'll go into less detail about

A -> A+ This mon a kinda scary atm. Assault Vest is cool with Future Sight, but the real beast lies within the Calm Mind sets that can serve as a brutal win condition for Fat and Balance teams. Checks such as Bisharp, Chandelure, and Zygarde-10% can be inconsistent depending on the berry and if it lands a scald burn in Bisharp and Zydog's case. It might be to the point where this mon might be unhealthy because it can have great games where it just wins on the spot by invalidating its checks.

s/o to the one game where it was CM Glowbro vs. a mirror and it lost to a crit Scald.

A -> A+ Basically just gonna echo what everyone else is saying. It's a great scarfer, doesn't care about hazards, heals off chip damage, and it just doesn't die. It's a very annoying mon to deal with.

UR -> C/C+ I believe you guys were wrong to unrank this thing. Even with mons such as Scizor and Maggron being increasingly popular, Vanilluxe can still manage to put in the work when it manages to get on the field. Despite being incredibly predictable and obvious about its intentions, it only really needs to click Blizzard or Freeze-Dry because a lot of teams neglect to add sturdy Ice checks (that aren't fat waters like Slowking) which allows it to force a ton of progress by being incredibly difficult to switch into. And while it doesn't appreciate hazard stacking being common place, it loves the amount of options volt-turn has to safely get it in the game and wreak havoc.

Replays + Analysis

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen8nationaldexuu-653074
tlenit

vs

Fogbound Lake

Seems like a typical game, then Vanilluxe hits the field. All of a sudden there's no counter play outside of outrunning it, so Fogbound is forced to take massive damage or sacrifice a mon in order to send in a faster threat. Vanilluxe preyed on the fact that Fogbound's defensive core was slow and horrendously Ice weak, which let Vanilluxe throw off powerful Freeze-Dries and force massive amounts of progress.

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen8nationaldexuu-1687386177-d4u47unrmso0vd40c0tr8i2m061x49lpw
Meminger21

vs

Dunoks
Hehe, I watched this game live so I thought it was quite thrilling when my two favorite players clashed. I only watch NDPL to see Meminger, Dunoks and R1C3M4N win. And since Meminger and R1C3M4N are out, I'm rooting for Dunoks all the way. I'll go more into detail here because I rewatched it multiple times.

Not even 5 turns and Vanilluxe is already on the field thanks to Dunoks's solid volt-turn core. Vanilluxe forces out Rhyperior and deals a relatively gross chunk of damage to Primarina on the switch. Dunoks throws away Scizor while Primarina sets up Calm Mind, but Vanilluxe still manages to force out Prima and deal massive damage to Moltres on the switch along with a Freeze. Fast forward to Vanilluxe vs Prima again, but this time Prima's HP is too low to be salvageable so Meminger lets it die. Another fast forward to a Choice locked Mienshao vs Vanilluxe. Unfortunately Mienshao is locked into Knock Off, which doesn't kill. Meminger is forced to switch Amoonguss into a devastating Blizzard. At this point, Meminger can't win against Mandibuzz so Dunoks wins.

and just for fun I'm gonna post my Personal VR made from Google Sheets because the Tiermaker is outdated

Hide

UU stall is fun (it's absolutely an mu fish tho) #freemegasableye

Alright that's all for now, take care and be sure to spam "Free Thundy" in chat.

 

[latios777]

I notice that the majority of sample teams have trouble facing regidrago because only 2/10 use a fairy type.
https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/national-dex-uu-sample-teams.3672486/
With that in mind maybe Regidrago should ranked because if oponent don't bring any fairy is really good. The problem is if your oponent has a fairy of course, in this case is like playing with 5 mons in most cases but lures exist.
Scarf or specs in particular are devastating against some samples but physical sets can use moves that aren't dragon (ancientpower and hyper beam are bad).

 

[Niadev]

Welcome Meminger21 to the VR council!

 

[3MoreMinutes]

I said I'd post my thoughts after NDPL so here I am, also gonna include some noms I've seen other people talk about which I haven't seen in this thread yet.

to A
I think Hydreigon is somewhere between A and A+, but I'm leaning towards A for now. As expected, NP sets are pretty manageable assuming you have a well built team. Choice Scarf is great role compression and I've been liking it, definitely competes with Mienshao and mostly outclasses scarf Rotom-Wash. Specs and LO 3a sets are both terrifying, our Draco switch ins are extremely limited, but I'm not convinced they're consistent enough to say the mon is A+.

to A
This is a pretty simple case of the meta being relatively hostile towards it. Zarude struggles with clicking U-turn since Helmet adds up really fast on it. Jungle Healing heals less than 2 rounds of Helmet, and if you're even switching into weak moves you have to choose between losing momentum every turn or being unable to outheal the constant chip. The physically defensive helmet mons (Amoonguss, Buzzwole, Cobalion) are all amazing right now, and Zarude is hopeless vs all of them.

to A+
The obvious reason Primarina has gotten better is the addition of Hydreigon. Both Nasty Plot and Choice Specs Hydreigon tear apart most common defensive cores, and Primarina is the best answer to both of these. I also think Primarina has been underrated for a while now, RestTalk sets have great defensive utility while SubCM is an amazing wincon vs the common Amoonguss BO/balance teams in the tier. I've also used a bit of offensive CM, which was used in NDPL with success. Specs is scary as ever but not A+ worthy by itself.

to A
I wouldn't say much has changed about Terrakion. It's still an insane breaker, with an elite STAB combination and a good place within the meta. I just never agreed with it rising to A+, and I think its awful NDPL performance has backed up that take. Terrakion got 5 games and lost all of them, which isn't enough of a sample size to be evidence on its own but I think does make sense given the type of mon it is. It seems that at a high level of play, Terrakion doesn't get enough free turns to wreak havoc.

to A+
I'm putting Mienshao here because of its Choice Scarf set being the safest, most reliable, and most splashable form of speed control in the tier. It fits on any sort of offensive team, and it reliably provides utility through unblockable pivoting, Regenerator, and a strong STAB in CC. Unlike other choices of speed control, Mienshao is actually running Choice Scarf, which allows it to revenge much more than mons relying on pure base stats. I think Life Orb Mienshao is the scarier set, but I think it isn't quite fast enough to dominate games like it should on paper.

to A+
This is the mon that I think would have dominated NDPL if it wasn't for the discovery of Porygon-Z's absurdness. Calm Mind sets are insanely splashable, and have ways around all of the common counterplay. Safety Goggles is a set I've grown on since seeing it in NDPL, turning Amoonguss from a roadblock to setup fodder. Goggle also ignore Sandstorm chip from Hippowdon, which is more significant than you'd think. Shuca is also demonic, which is able to beat the Physically Defensive Hippowdons even without a burn. Waterium Z, Rocky Helmet, Colbur, and Grassy Seed (with Tapu Bulu) are all excellent, and the few mons which Slowbro-Galar cannot beat through item variation it can with its movepool. There's no real drawback to putting this mon on teams, and it's only really limited by hazards.

to B
Haven't seen this mentioned but Necrozma was one of the scariest parts of the HO meta in NDPL. Psychic Fire is great coverage, especially on HO. Being a beamer that blows by Celesteela is great, and checking Necrozma defensively is almost always done by trading its HP. It's easiest to fit on HO teams as a rocker, but you can also run Autotomize to erase all revenge killing possibilities outside of priority. I'd have put it B+ but in Hydreigon we've finally got a solid Psychic/Fire resist.

to B

Yeah I already nommed this and the mon hasn't changed, but it got a few games in NDPL so I thought I'd mention it again. Here's one of its games, it had a 60% WR in 5 (which is a decent number of games, more than lots of high tier threats) games and I can say it was also considered in prep for multiple other games. This thing isn't a bad mon, and given that it's now been used in serious tournament play I see no reason for it to stay in C. B- would be ok but B is where I see it.

to A-
Not NDPL related because I don't remember seeing this mon at all, but Volcanion is a menace rn. The STAB combo is insane and Toxic/Sludge Bomb annoy anything able to take both. Even the best answers get forced into passivity by status.

Also wanted to say I think Bisharp and Zygarde-10% should be A-, Skarm should be A, Tapu Bulu should be B+, and Mega Sharpedo should be at least A- (this mon is literally jesus). See you guys in SV.

 

[Arishem]

Hey everyone. With the generation closing out via the recent conclusion of NDPL, we've decided to release one final VR Update.

New Additions

UR -> A+
UR -> C+
UR -> C

Reasoning

Despite the initial backdrop behind its presence, Hydreigon has managed to firmly establish itself as one of the very best and most diverse threats around, ranging from its capabilities as one of the fiercest breakers in the tier between its Life Orb and Choice Specs sets, to the massively adept speed control and role compression provided by Choice Scarf and/or Defog sets. There are simply very few teams which can’t be open to considering some form of Hydreigon at the moment, and thus it will reside in the upper echelons of the metagame’s rankings.

Porygon-Z’s ban has greatly opened up options for other Z-Move users, which has since worked in Polteageist’s favor to bring it into the spotlight as a key component of the continuously successful HO teams of the generation. After a Shell Smash boost, it notably exploits the lack of offensive revenge killing options outside of priority attacks (beaten by Sub) to flatten weakened offensive teams after setup, and can also frequently abuse the prevalence of common physical stalwarts such as Buzzwole and Skarmory to use as setup fodder beforehand, two very welcome traits to currently have on the archetype. Although its lack of bulk and initial power can often leave less room for error against the few things it struggles to OHKO.

Froslass is a more specialized alternative to Deoxys-D on Spikes HO which trades additional bulk and Stealth Rock for extra speed and fast Destiny Bond/Icy Wind to help better enable setup sweepers after fainting, while also being able to opt for STAB Poltergeist to beat annoying Magic Bouncers. A perfectly fine addition to the VR in the mists of HO’s dominance for the time being.

Rises

A+ -> S-
A -> A+
A- -> A
A- -> A
B+ -> A-
B -> B+
B- -> B
C -> C+

Reasoning

Aegislash has completely taken the metagame by storm in the wake of Moltres-Galar’s ban. The amazing all-around applicability it has against a multitude of important matchups with its extremely resilient Leftovers + King’s Shield sets and ability to force incremental progress with Toxic have proven enough to land it an important use in nearly every situation. But the continued importance of Pokemon such as Celesteela and Zarude to attempt to check Aegislash, in addition to the prevalence of Pokemon such as Slowking and Cobalion for it to exploit, have undoubtedly made a case for it to be one of, if not, the most centralizing and important assets of the tier, and merits a significant rise above of the rest of A+ to reflect this.

Mienshao is without question, the most notable and important form of offensive speed control in the metagame, differing from the electrics with an unblockable U-turn and Regenerator to last throughout the match in situations where they can’t, effectively being undeterred by the same prevalence of spikes that it hugely benefits from itself. Additionally, its Life Orb set has cemented itself as an offensive threat on par with the likes of Urshifu-RS and Terrakion, being a perfectly capable sidegrade on account of its aforementioned longevity alongside expansive coverage options and access to Knock Off to wear down and remove its few switchins on demand.

Despite the popularity of Hippowdon as the Ground of choice on most teams, Mega Manectric has still absolutely proven itself to be worth using over Zeraora in a Spikes-centric metagame. The overall decrease in Mega Altaria and AV Tangrowth usage in tandem with various options such as Toxic and Roar to wear down its few remaining counters have proved to be a worthwhile boon to its consistency in most other matchups, warranting a rise to A.

Similar to the above, but with the proliferation being on Aegislash over Hippowdon, Skarmory has received a surprisingly high amount of usage in recent times, and it’s not hard to see why that is. Between its immense durability as a spikes setter and important defensive typing, it’s still able to consistently switch into and take advantage of a shocking large list of defensive staples, from Hippowdon to Tangrowth all game long to support its team, on top of being a very suitable answer to the likes of Scizor, Cobalion, and Mamoswine.

Lots of teams have been relying on the newly discovered RestTalk Primarina to act as a specially defensive status absorber along with Hippowdon and Nihilego to act as Stealth Rocking Fire-type checks, making Volcanion a big threat to these archetypes in general. It can also choose to opt for Defog in tandem with Heavy-Duty Boots for additional role compression, SubToxic to play the longer game and take advantage of forced switches, or Choice Specs for more immediate power.

Mega Sharpedo continues to prove itself to be quite the vicious cleaner with next to no safe switch-ins in the Spikes-centric metagame; The few exceptions in Buzzwole and Skarmory can often find themselves being a Crunch defense drop or two away from being 2HKOed on the switch. While it also preys on various metagame staples, such as the Slowtwins and Grasses, and easily picks off weakened teams with the lack of scarfers or speed control that’s capable of outspeeding it after a boost, with the exception of Scarf Mienshao and the very rare Scarf Krookodile, which can both be beaten if it grabs a kill in base form before getting to +2. Definitely something that’s been deserving of a rise in recent weeks.

Being one of the strongest, and arguably only viable Scarfers with a speed tier below the incredibly prominent Zeraora. Scarf Diggersby has continued to see success as one of the better, more reliable options available in a wider variety of matchups, with BO in particular being up the creek thanks to the Knock Off + U-turn combination and lack of resists to its STABs, which it is definitely adept at spamming on the prominence of forced switches. There’s not much to add onto this other than that it was mostly underranked to begin with.

Mega Pidgeot has always been a fringe albeit potentially rewarding pick, but some success with it in recent tours along with its increasingly useful speed tier and superior firepower to some of the other options available has lended it a strong enough niche to lift it further into prominence.

Drops

A+ -> A
A -> A-
A- -> B+
A- -> B+
B+ -> B
B+ -> B
B -> B-
B -> C+
C+ -> C
C+ -> C
C+ -> C
C+ -> C
C -> UR
C -> UR
C -> UR

Reasoning

While Zarude still retains an important place on most teams for its offensive role compression, it has fallen slightly out of favor and generally struggles to retain the overall effectiveness that it had previously; Most Aegislash sets have shifted towards revolving around King’s Shield and CC, a combination which Zarude’s weak unboosted Darkest Lariat is wholly unequipped to consistently deal with, while the rises of Pokemon such as Cobalion, Skarmory, and Buzzwole have come to prominence and often run Rocky Helmet to punish U-turn, significantly limiting its opportunities to take advantage of the Pokemon it needs to. Having to rely on Jungle Healing’s meager 25% recovery on top of this can be similarly unreliable and exploitable long-term. Still, one of the most valuable Pokemon to have in the tier, but just not that all-around encompassing to use anymore.

Much like with Rhyperior, Swampert seriously struggles to keep up with the dominance of Hippowdon, which while tougher to justify on more offensive teams in its ability to conserve momentum, has the significant benefit of an instant recovery in addition to a lack of quadruple Grass-weakness, making it better equipped to handle the plethora of Electric and Flying-types in the tier that it is tasked with checking over the course of a game, as opposed to being worn down and having to fear coverage moves and Knock Off from the likes of Zeraora and Mega Manectric. Swampert still remains a useful asset for its pivoting capabilities and water neutrality against the prominence of Rotom-Wash, but continues to have more and more straying away from it.

Too much support required to function, too abusable by too much of the metagame, too hampered by status and the prominence of Regenerator cores without hazards. Demon sets have also long since been adapted to, which was a large part of its rise to begin with. In other words, you are much better off using a different type of defense than Deoxys-Defense.

Rotom-Heat continues to fall out of favor and simply can’t find the slots on most teams right now. The metagame’s increasingly offensive direction with additional threats such as the everpresent Hydreigon and Sharpedo HO only continues to limit its defensive niches or prevent it from making progress in the same vein with Nasty Plot sets, it is dropping another rank to reflect its lack of success since the onset of its decline.

Hatterene still retains an interesting niche by virtue of being a setup sweeper with Magic Bounce, but is just too vulnerable to being worn down by most of our rockers due to its lack of recovery and generally struggles to put up with the current flow of offense. Which largely consists of VoltTurn spam with Spikes Roserade, a hazard setter that Hatterene is completely unable to deal with.

Krookodile sees little justification over the prominence of other Ground and Dark-types in the tier. Simply put; Choice Scarf sets struggle to find much use over Zarude, which despite lacking a Pursuit and a Volt-immunity, has the increasingly relevant niche of being able to threaten most Ground or Water-types with Power Whip, and can maintain momentum with U-turn on the highly aggressive teams it fits on. In addition, it is also generally outclassed by Bisharp as a Pursuit trapper, which can actually trap SubToxic Aegislash by virtue of Defiant and its better power, and Zygarde-10% as an offensive Choice Bander, which has priority and a much better Speed tier to abuse. Combine this with its significant lack of defensive utility as the team’s Ground-type slot over the other options, and a case could very well be made for it to drop further in the near future.

Teams simply struggle to fit it right now and overlying on Sand to act as speed control makes it all the worse. The rise in both Hippowdon sets is also largely unfun for it too.

Starmie has severely struggled to keep up with the rise of Azelf, which while lacking in Recovery and Rapid Spin, notably has access to Knock Off for Boots and AV users, in addition to the ability to run Nasty Plot sets and an easier time fitting super-effective coverage moves to take out the specially defensive Pokemon it needs to, being a much stronger wallbreaker and overall pivot as a result.

As an already niche pick, Chesnaught’s issues with passivity and better competition on both the spiking and walling departments have supplied it with additional difficulties in being able to fit on teams. Dropping it to C seems more appropriate to reflect its fringe viability.

Much of the reasoning Gligar rose to begin with has since been constantly undermined by the metagame shifting away from it once again, and the following premise continues to be no exception.

Webs generally has difficulty in being able to conserve momentum via its offensive options and this has resulted in it being largely passed over in favor of the more reliable Spikes versions to date. As such, the main enabler drops in accordance.

Toxtricity has simply lacked enough merit to be worth using over the other wallbreakers of its offensive caliber, as its issues with the omnipresent Hippowdon, low speed and frailty are too far severe as downsides to have with the prominence of faster and more reliable options available, such as Keldeo. Shift Gear sets similarly struggle to setup and sweep consistently for many of the same reasons.

These Pokemon all have and will continue to see little justification over more reliable options in the metagame, either their distinctive traits are too insignificant to truly stand out in comparison, or simply aren’t necessary on most teams.