I want to start by qualifying my annotations. I have not used every Pokemon in this VR, and I have used even fewer if you limit me to only my tournament games. I’m pretty sure I only used about ten unique Pokemon in the tournament; that’s just how I prefer to play. As such, a lot of my analysis will be a combination of opinions developed from friendlies, the games of other players, the thoughts of other players, and just general theorycrafting. This becomes increasingly true as you work your way down the VR.
#1 Tauros
Unsurprisingly, Tauros was given the top spot on every submitted VR, except my own (on which it was placed second). Tauros is an excellent revenge killer and arguably the most reliable Explosion user in the tier, thanks to great Attack and Speed stats. Tauros is ultimately as valuable as it is simply because there isn’t much of a reason not to use it. Even in the rare bad matchup, it can still use Explosion. It should at least trade in basically every game if played properly. Getting more than just a trade is more than just possible.
Tauros’s set has become rather streamlined as of late, with Slash, Earthquake, Recover, and Explosion emerging as the default. Glare is a good option as well, but can be difficult to fit. Swords Dance sets have majorly fallen out of favor, given their unreliability, lack of immediate presence, and susceptibility to Explosion. Swords Dance sets are not very good in my opinion, but I will admit that they are probably worth mixing into your rotation every once in a while just to get the jump on Snorlax and Kangaskhan looking to wall you.
#2 Starmie
Starmie is the best Pokemon in the tier without Explosion, and will often be the only Pokemon on a team without the move. I, and I alone apparently, consider it to be the tier’s strongest Pokemon simply because it really doesn’t have any solid checks. Exeggutor can get worn down because it lacks recovery. Vaporeon can usually paralyze it, but it struggles somewhat to have an impact after that. Chansey is just a generally exploitable Pokemon that doesn’t really have room to run any moves to threaten Starmie beyond Thunder Wave / Glare. With so few reliable checks, Starmie is an awesome breaker capable of obliterating the otherwise tyrannical Normal-type Pokemon and occasionally sweeping outright.
Run Starmie on every team. Run Crabhammer, Thunderbolt, Recover, and Thunder Wave / Blizzard. Recover is droppable, but I don’t think I recommend it. Reject the temptation to use it as a lead.
#3 Exeggutor
Exeggutor is an excellent utility Pokemon with a powerful Razor Leaf, access to Sleep Powder, access to Explosion, and the ability to check Starmie. Stun Spore is good for supporting teammates, especially Snorlax, Kangaskhan, Golem, and Rhydon. Psychic is good for hitting Gengar. Exeggutor covers so many roles very well that there isn’t much of a reason to drop it. I'd say it's a little easier to drop than Tauros and Starmie, but that doesn't mean you should. Sleep is also just excellent in this tier, so no reason not to take full advantage of it.
Agility is an interesting option but hard to fit. Amnesia is unfortunately a waste. Don't use Exeggutor as a lead. It is too valuable to use so early and is helpless against Gengar and especially Jynx.
#4 Snorlax
Snorlax ended up a bit higher than I expected. I think Gengar and Kangaskhan are firmly stronger options. A lot of the interesting sets Snorlax liked to play with back in the day, such as those with Swords Dance, have largely died out because they are so susceptible to Explosion. Snorlax, compared to Tauros, especially struggles to get away with Swords Dance because it is so slow. This isn’t to say Swords Dance is useless, but it is not standard. Nonetheless, it is a very reliable Explosion user itself and a decent check to Tauros, other Normal-type Pokemon, and Exeggutor in a pinch. I recommend Slash, Earthquake, Recover, and Explosion, just like Tauros. Body Slam, Glare, and Counter are all also on the table. Quick Attack is a fun novelty, but it's hard to earnestly advise using it. I saw Reflect in use as well, but I haven’t really determined how viable it is yet.
#5 Gengar
Gengar is an excellent Pokemon in STABmons, despite not really getting anything aside from the mildly useful Sludge. Gengar excels thanks to an excellent degree of role compression. It packs a Normal-immunity, sleep-inducing move, Explosion, speed control, and Thunderbolt all in just one Pokemon. Considering the stupidly high power level in this tier, it is nice to knock out all these essential roles in a single Pokemon to make room for as many potent teammates as possible. It can also lead, so that eliminates another common challenge in building teams. I think the core of Tauros, Starmie, Exeggutor, and Gengar is among the most reliable in the tier and a really solid start to just about any team idea. It was the basis for many of my strongest teams during
Saber.
I want to briefly stress the importance of Gengar's immunity to Explosion. Most teams run at least four or so Explosion users, so without a Gengar on your team, your opponent can very quickly and easily use Explosion repeatedly to trade away Pokemon and force a lopsided endgame as soon as they gain a full Pokemon advantage. Gengar can stymie this, so it's oddly enough one of the best comeback Pokemon in the tier. Rock-type Pokemon can accomplish a similar feat but Gengar works much better. Rock-type Pokemon still take a fair amount of damage from Explosion, especially critical hits, so they can still be worn down and/or revenge killed, meaning not much may actually be lost by using Explosion into them. The two most resilient Rock-type Pokemon, Rhydon and Golem, are also very slow, so they are especially vulnerable to revenge killing and can cede a lot of ground to Starmie or Exeggutor. Gengar, especially given that it won't lose any health, is one of the better Pokemon to have out on the field on a turn when a foe faints.
I recommend Thunderbolt, Night Shade, Hypnosis, and Explosion, with Psychic and Sludge being options over Night Shade. I want to reiterate the importance of Thunderbolt for pressuring Starmie (and Vaporeon) in endgames. A strong Thunderbolt is a really good and somewhat uncommon trait in this meta.
#6 Jolteon
Jolteon is definitely not as good as Kangaskhan if you ask me, but here it is. Jolteon is a heavily flawed Pokemon that works way better than it seems like it should. It’s conventionally used as a lead, opting to run Thunderbolt, Thunder Wave, Super Fang, and Explosion. And it’s a damn good lead, with an argument for being the best because it can pretty much always at least get one hit off before it goes down. Non-lead Jolteon, while potentially inferior on average, started to gain some traction throughout the tour because of its ability to offensively check Starmie. This is a very important feature of Jolteon given how shaky defensive checks to Starmie can be. Jolteon's traits enable it to maintain momentum very well and make it a shockingly easy addition to any team. A high Speed stat and good moves are more than enough to make up for its flaws.
Recover is an option for Jolteon, but it's hard to fit. Obligatory mention of Rhydon and Golem being checks.
#7 Kangaskhan
Kangaskhan was a huge part of my run in
Saber, so I obviously think very highly of it. It’s a strong defensive answer to Tauros that can still dish out a ton of damage to it or anything that tries to switch in. While they play a similar role, I ultimately find Kangaskhan to be superior to Snorlax because of the Speed stat; the guaranteed critical hit on Slash and ability to outspeed key Pokemon like Exggutor and Vaporeon should not be understated. Kangaskhan will run the same sets as Snorlax, except I find it usually wants to use Glare over Earthquake (and Body Slam isn’t really worth considering on Kangaskhan unlike how it is on Snorlax). While running Glare over Earthquake ostensibly leaves Kangaskhan walled by Gengar and Rock-type Pokemon, it really doesn’t matter. Gengar can be a bit annoying, but if you can paralyze it, it’s usually a worthwhile interaction. After paralyzing it, something else can usually take care of it. The Rock-type Pokemon, on the other hand, are very likely to get worn down and just faint eventually. While Slash doesn’t do much, Kangaskhan has Recover and they don’t, so Kangaskhan will always win in the long run, especially if they’re paralyzed and Kagaskhan isn’t. As a side note, this is one of the reasons why Kangaskhan can more easily afford to run Glare than Snorlax can; Kangaskhan can more reliably win against Golem and Rhydon in situations where both parties are paralyzed thanks to its higher Speed stat. Kangaskhan is really good and ended up very underrated here.
Anyone else remember when Kangaskhan ran Defense Curl just to check Swords Dance Snorlax? Simpler times.
#8 Jynx
Jynx is very simple. It is often a lead, but not always. It usually runs Lovely Kiss, Blizzard, Psychic, and Amnesia. It aims to put something to sleep and fire off strong attacks. While Jynx is generally considered the best Amnesia user, it can drop the move for something else, most often Counter. Counter is good on anything, and Jynx is no exception. Amnesia is a very strong option for Jynx, but Starmie can still give Jynx a lot of trouble, even after a boost, so it’s not always worth trying, at least not right away.
#9 Vaporeon
I don’t much like Vaporeon. I used it zero times in my run through
Saber. That said, it’s hard to deny that it’s a solid Pokemon. It’s easily the second best Water-type Pokemon in the tier. It is one of two fully-evolved Water-type Pokemon capable of using Recover and one of two fully-evolved Water-type Pokemon capable of using Explosion. Slap on Crabhammer and Glare, and you have yourself a tank capable of pressuring Starmie and Normal-type Pokemon. Blizzard and some random Normal-type moves are other options, but Explosion is almost always the better option. The only real issues with Vaporeon are its middling Speed and redundant typing with Starmie. There’s a general principle in RBY STABmons that states that you should run two Water-type Pokemon at maximum, because as you run more, you start to get a bigger weakness to Thunderbolt users and miss out on the momentum-maintaining power of Normal-type Pokemon.
#10 Alakazam
Alakazam is a pretty decent Pokemon, but I am surprised to see it end up this high. Alakazam coasts primarily on its Speed stat in this tier. Outspeeding Tauros and Starmie is huge and the combination of Psychic and Thunder Wave is actually pretty tricky to switch into. Starmie and Exeggutor are the only really common Pokemon in STABmons that comfortably take Psychic, but the former generally wants to avoid taking paralysis and the latter wants to avoid taking damage so it can face opposing Starmie. Alakazam typically wants Psychic, Thunder Wave, Recover, and one of Counter, Amnesia, or Seismic Toss. Amnesia is seemingly the default choice for most players, but Counter might be better given how much damage Alakazam can do if it comes in after its teammate faints to a Slash or Explosion and the foe switches out from fear of Psychic or Thunder Wave.
Lead Alakazam isn't nearly as prominent in STABmons as it is in OU, largely because Counter and Amnesia are weaker options early in a game and Alakazam is just generally considered less viable here. But perhaps it should be more common, given how popular and powerful Gengar is in the lead slot.
#11 Zapdos
Zapdos was on the radar for a while, but it only really rose to prominence about halfway through
Saber. Zapdos was always seen as potentially good, but it was hardly ever used, either because it seemed outclassed by Jolteon or simply because no one ever got around to trying it. Zapdos gets no new moves aside from Mirror Move, which it really doesn’t want to run over any of the moves on its traditional OU set. Despite this, Zapdos fits comfortably in the STABmons metagame because of its strong matchup into many key Pokemon in the tier, most notably Starmie and Exeggutor. Zapdos is an incredibly potent setup sweeper with Agility and its bulk is sufficient that it can survive two Crabhammers from Starmie. Rock-type Pokemon being much less reliable and common than they are in OU is also a major boon for Zapdos. It’s such a benefit in fact, that running Zapdos and Jolteon on the same team isn’t even really that irresponsible in this meta. The only real issue with Zapdos is that STABmons has a power level above that of even Ubers, so it has to compete with many very strong and versatile Pokemon. Making room for a Pokemon without Explosion or Recover puts a fair bit of strain on teambuilding. Zapdos is the quintessential high B-rank Pokemon. It is something that you need to respect when building a team and you should look to incorporate it in your own teams every once in a while to keep yourself from being exploited. The rise of Zapdos over the course of
Saber was likely the most important meta development of the tournament.
#12 Chansey
Chansey was easily the most polarizing Pokemon on the VR, being ranked at #4 by one player and at #18 by another player. I personally am more sympathetic to the latter opinion. Chansey is a solid defensive answer to Starmie, but unlike Exeggutor and Vaporeon, Chansey simply is not offensively threatening. In a metagame where Normal-type Pokemon can cleanly 2HKO it and heal off all damage with Recover, Chansey struggles. Its only real way to threaten Pokemon in practice is through Thunder Wave (or Glare, if you have nightmares of Golem). This is admittedly somewhat useful, but fairly limited as paralyzed Normal-type Pokemon can still go on to knock something out with Explosion after slaying Chansey. As such, Chansey requires a firm defensive backbone to function, which unfortunately often means compromising on incorporating some offensive threats into the team. Chansey is certainly workable, but it can often be exploited with proficient play.
Chansey has about a dozen moves it wants to run. Typically, the set of Super Fang, Seismic Toss, Thunder Wave, and Recover is seen. However, Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, Sing, and Counter are all acceptable options. Transform is also an option, but certain game mechanics keep it from being very effective; I don’t recommend it.
#13 Golem
Golem is a mixed bag. I didn’t like it at first, grew to appreciate it, only to largely fall out of love with it again. Golem has a very clear niche in walling Electric-type Pokemon and catching Explosions. This is a very good niche, especially considering Golem can keep up momentum with Explosion once it has done its job or if it has little to do in a game. The unfortunate part of Golem is that it loses to just about every Pokemon in the tier aside from Zapdos and Jolteon (and even then, Jolteon can do a number with Super Fang). Water-type Pokemon obliterate it with Crabhammer, obviously. Razor Leaf enables Exeggutor to do the same. Tragically, Normal-type Pokemon, even those with only Slash as an attacking move, will also usually defeat it via attrition. Tauros and Kangaskhan cannot be knocked out from full health via Explosion and Golem has no way to spread status. Therefore, they can enter the field against it and click Recover repeatedly, only attacking when they have full health. The Normal-type Pokemon will win this exchange, and Snorlax can as well if Golem is paralyzed. Golem can thus be a bit tricky to maximize in value. It usually needs a fair amount of paralysis support and careful positioning to get going. It is absolutely worth using, especially with Zapdos on the upswing, but it isn’t overly reliable. Golem also has a decent matchup against Gengar, but repeated hits will wear it down. Golem usually runs its typical OU set, though it can switch out Body Slam or Rock Slide for Substitute if it wants. Given how comfortable most Normal-type Pokemon are with switching into Golem, Body Slam seldom nets a paralysis.
#14 Dodrio
Dodrio is a terrifyingly strong Normal-type attacker. Dodrio harbors the best Explosion in the game in terms of sheer power alongside options such as Slash, Drill Peck, Mirror Move, Agility, and more. Its raw power and good Speed stat make it a competent lead and decent wall breaker or sweeper. Despite this, Dodrio struggles a bit for several reasons. Dodrio has an awful defensive profile and typing (though it does helpfully resist Razor Leaf), so it has virtually no longevity. Options like Recover and Swords Dance thus aren’t really on the table for it. It also lacks any coverage, making it more predictable than something like Tauros. And finally, the tier is already quite saturated with strong Normal-type Pokemon in Tauros, Kangaskhan, Snorlax, and the occasional Clefable. Finding a slot for Dodrio and a team that wants it more than one of those can be difficult sometimes. At the end of the day, however, Dodrio is still stupidly strong, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it was underrated. Also, if you face a Gengar in the lead slot, successfully returning a missed Hypnosis via Mirror Move is sensational.
#15 Persian
Normal-type Pokemon are pretty much going to be decent by default. Persian’s only distinguishing trait amongst the sea of normality is the high Speed stat, which gifts Persian the fastest STAB Explosion and the third fastest Explosion overall. A fast Explosion and the ability to outspeed Tauros are nice traits, but that’s basically the end of the positives. Like Dodrio, Persian is simply too frail to run moves like Recover reliably. However, unlike Dodrio, Persian is very weak. Persian’s Slash is, well, the same as it has always been. Its strength is not impressive in the context of STABmons. Persian also lacks good coverage, and it is pretty much completely walled by the very common Gengar.
#16 Clefable
Snorlax is notable for comfortably taking Exeggutor’s Razor Leaf, which is something Tauros and Kangaskhan can’t exactly do. However, Snorlax is slower than Exeggutor, so switching in to face it can be dangerous. In comes Clefable, which can similarly tank Razor Leaf while also outpacing Exeggutor. This is the bulk of Clefable’s niche. Access to moves like Thunder Wave, Sing, and some decent Special moves are nice as well, but it doesn’t totally make up for the major drop in power Clefable faces when compared to Snorlax and the rest of the Normal-type Pokemon. Clefable is a totally serviceable Normal-type Pokemon with a fair amount of longevity and a decent Explosion, but it often struggles to fit on a team due to competition from its colleagues. It is pretty good overall though.
Clefable usually runs the same sets as Tauros, Kangaskhan, and Snorlax, though Thunder Wave is normally preferred to Glare. Moves like Sing are nice, but it is genuinely challenging to make room for them on a set given all four moves are close to non-negotiable.
#17 Rhydon
I presently agree with the consensus that Golem is superior to Rhydon in RBY STABmons. The momentum-preserving power of Explosion is a lot to give up in this tier. That said, I’m not totally convinced of this conjecture. While Rhydon’s additional bulk is, as far as I can tell, irrelevant, the extra power behind its Earthquake is quite nice. Rhydon has a much better chance at breaking paralyzed Normal-type Pokemon, especially Snorlax, than Golem does, which is good for shaking up an otherwise fairly poor matchup. It also just generally punishes foes harder when it scares out Zapdos. As with Golem, stick to the OU set. Rest can be funny if you manage to draw a really good matchup.
#18 Aerodactyl
Aerodactyl has many very nice traits including a solid defensive typing, high Speed, and excellent STAB-boosted options in Rock Slide and Drill Peck. It can even snatch Recover via Mirror Move. Unfortunately though, Aerodactyl just doesn’t work that well most of the time. Here’s a quick tutorial for how to beat it. Switch in a healthy Normal-type Pokemon and use Recover until you reach full health. It doesn’t matter if Aerodactyl heals as well. Use Glare if you have it and hope it hits. If it does, you’ve basically won. If it misses, you may want to switch to something unafraid of paralysis and then switch back in (Aerodactyl is very likely to try to return the Glare via Mirror Move). Once Aerodactyl is paralyzed, you can easily wear it down even if Slash is your only attacking move. It will eventually be fully paralyzed on a turn in which you use Recover and it will fall irreparably behind in health. If you have no tools to paralyze Aerodactyl, simply hit it until you can comfortably predict when it will click Mirror Move to snag Recover. You can then go to Starmie and drop a Crabhammer for an OHKO or massive damage on whatever switches in (or use any move really; Thunder Wave, Blizzard, and Thunderbolt all hamper Aerodactyl if it stays in). Aerodactyl is legitimately decent in some matchups and endgames, but it honestly can be circumvented at little cost via competent play in at least as many scenarios.
Its fourth move slot is pretty open. Fire Blast is especially nice for burns because those can hinder the ability of a Normal-type Pokemon to use Explosion later on.
#19 Dragonite
Dragonite is a pest with Agility + Wrap. Dragonite has a cool new tool in Drill Peck, which allows it to comfortably dispatch Gengar. It has the always valuable Thunder Wave as well. It also can be a decent defensive answer to Starmie lacking Blizzard and a strong answer to Exeggutor lacking Psychic. But at the end of the day, Dragonite still wants to abuse APT. Finding a set-up opportunity in this tier can be a little tricky, because a lot of Pokemon run paralysis-inducing moves and players are generally careful about sending in sleeping Pokemon too often because they can be setup fodder for the small handful of setup sweepers that still roam the tier (sleeping Pokemon do like to come in when Explosion is likely, however, so keep that in mind as a possible opportunity). But if Dragonite does find that turn to set up, trouble begins. I’d recommend Agility, Wrap, Drill Peck, and one of Thunder Wave, Surf, or Blizzard. I suppose you could try to be tasteful and run Thunder Wave over Agility and keep two attacks, but I think embracing the demon is usually the better choice.
#20 Cloyster
Cloyster has actually kind of surprised me in this meta. I didn’t think it was on anyone’s radar, but it showed up a few times during
Saber and it actually looked… alright. Water-type Pokemon, including the good ones like Vaporeon, tend to have an issue with killing the user’s momentum. While they can be adept walls and sweepers (given proper preparation), using them in the mid-game can have varied results because they can be met with answers like Exeggutor, Vaporeon, or Chansey — all of whom have status moves to slow down your team — or start to get worn down when they would prefer to stay healthy to face Normal-type Pokemon in the endgame. Cloyster, however, is a bit interesting because it supplements a respectable Crabhammer with two great moves for preserving momentum, Clamp and Explosion. So while Cloyster doesn’t have the movepool or stats of a Pokemon like Gyarados, it may actually end up being the better choice because of these options. That all being said, Cloyster still has major issues. As with OU, Starmie is a big roadblock for Cloyster, made even bigger by its even higher usage rate in STABmons. On the positive side though, nailing it with Explosion is a better trade now. Additionally, it has major longevity issues, not unlike Golem. Despite its high defenses, Cloyster is still 3HKOed by most relevant Slash users in the tier, so it won’t be switching in against them and using Rest. And, of course, Cloyster will not help very much against Zapdos and Jolteon, so adding one to your team can create a significant vulnerability. Cloyster seems very matchup-dependent and a bit inconsistent, but I think it has a small amount of potential.
#21 Victreebel
In practice, Victreebel will probably always be a second Grass-type Pokemon used in addition to Exeggutor, considering the latter is simply much stronger in pretty much every way. Considering Exeggutor gets Razor Leaf now and Swords Dance is less than practical, Victreebel only really has Wrap as a distinguishing feature. This is definitely valuable though, as it complements access to sleep- and paralysis-inducing moves quite nicely. Victreebel can genuinely be tricky to play around sometimes. Victreebel, as with a lot of Pokemon in this tier, just doesn’t get a lot of tools (its only new option is the largely useless Sludge), so it is at a distinctly lower power level than a lot of key Pokemon. Combine this with competition from Exeggutor and you get a decent Pokemon that just doesn’t fit well on very many teams.
#22/#23 Hypno
Hypno can function as a lead, I suppose. Hypno gets Amnesia, but it doesn’t necessarily want to use it, given its underwhelming speed and longevity. Psychic, Thunder Wave, Hypnosis, and Counter, among other moves, are all just quite useful options in the context of STABmons. I don’t think Hypno is a particularly strong choice and I don’t have much to say about it, but it doesn’t feel terribly out of place in the meta at least.
#22/23 Gyarados
Gyarados was identified alongside Aerodactyl as among the biggest winners in the STABmons environment early on. Crabhammer and Drill Peck ostensibly turn Gyarados into a menacing wall breaker with basically no checks. Tragically, Gyarados’s reputation has soured. Gyarados does indeed have impressive damage output, but it isn’t the most functional Pokemon. Its awkward speed tier and lack of Explosion make it very difficult to claim more than one knock out in a game, if that. Moreover, it is quite susceptible to Explosion itself. Once again, Gyarados is a Pokemon that is often just better replaced by a strong offensive Normal-type Pokemon. A massive weakness to Thunderbolt and the inability to reliably spread any status also hinder it significantly. Gyarados can’t support its teammates very well beyond pure damage and can, of course, widen a vulnerability to Zapdos and Jolteon, like any Water-type Pokemon. This is why stacking many Water-type Pokemon just doesn’t work as well as it seems like it should. While I don’t think Gyarados is particularly good, I do think it may have ended up slightly underrated, as I will say its attacks do genuinely sting and basically nothing solidly switches in without needing to predict at least a little bit.
#24 Slowbro
Slowbro is terrible. I have no idea how it ended up on this VR at all, let alone this high. Slowbro has only a few positive traits, but those traits have negative synergy with each other. Amnesia is already difficult to use in STABmons and Slowbro stands as one of the worst candidates to use the move, as it lacks Recover and has a dismal Speed stat, leaving it wide open for Explosion and revenge killing. Its defensive traits are frankly irrelevant as Normal-type Pokemon will claim a consistent 3HKO with Slash and anything with Thunderbolt will pressure it easily. Slowbro gains Crabhammer, but its low Speed prevents the move from always landing a critical hit. However, the move can still land critical hits fairly often, meaning it won’t mesh well with Amnesia either. So ultimately, Slowbro is a Crabhammer user with an underwhelming Special stat and very few other useful tools beyond Thunder Wave. I can’t see any justification for running Slowbro over Vaporeon and running both doesn’t sound much more appealing.
#25 Fearow
If you ever wanted to run six Pokemon with STAB Explosion, you probably considered Fearow, because it's genuinely in the running for being the sixth best Pokemon in that field. That's its whole niche. Otherwise, run Dodrio.
#26 Haunter
Haunter is, obviously, to be treated like a second Gengar. Running a second Gengar as opposed to a Rock-type Pokemon as an Explosion answer or Normal-type check honestly makes a fair amount of sense on paper, because Haunter can endure these attacks indefinitely, while Rhydon, Golem, and Aerodactyl will eventually fold to chip damage even in the best cases. That being said, Haunter has two huge problems, one obvious and one less obvious. First, Haunter is a Haunter. It’s an NFE Pokemon with the stats of an NFE Pokemon. Almost everything about it is underwhelming. Second, is Gengar really something you need two of? Gengar can catch infinite Explosions on its own already, so a second one isn’t really necessary. It’s important to remember that Gengar is more of a defensive or utility Pokemon than an offensive Pokemon. Using multiple similar offensive Pokemon is a good strategy to overload your opponent. Using multiple similar defensive Pokemon just means you have a very non-diverse core. Because of this Haunter only really does one valuable thing well. If your opponent sees your Gengar faint, they will probably be more liberal in using Explosion, as it’s unlikely anything left on your team will be able to take the hit and survive. This can be exploited by using Haunter. That’s Haunter’s best trait. You might get one opposing Pokemon to knock itself out at the cost of using an NFE Pokemon. I can’t believe I wrote this much about Haunter. At least it’s probably better than Slowbro.
#27 Lapras
Lapras was an unfortunate victim of being underutilized. As far as I know, Lapras hasn’t really ever been tested in an RBY STABmons game. This makes judging its value difficult. Many players have alleged that its combination of Crabhammer, Blizzard, and Thunderbolt should probably put it somewhere around Gyarados in terms of viability, if not exceeding it. However, given Gyarados’s underperformance in the tier, I suspect that we may not be missing much. Maybe it’s worth trying, or you can just slap a Normal-type Pokemon on your team and carry on.
#28 Articuno
I don’t think Articuno has seen much use, not unlike Lapras. Articuno gains Drill Peck and Mirror Move, and that’s about it. The popularity of Starmie and Vaporeon makes Zapdos a much more enticing legendary bird than Articuno. Articuno has genuinely solid bulk and retains access to its nuclear winter in Blizzard, so it can potentially do something. I imagine it ends up somewhat like Gyarados where it can threaten a lot of Pokemon, but it has to reckon with its middling Speed and weakness to revenge killing and Explosion. On the bright side, Articuno gets Agility to patch up the Speed problem if it can find a free turn. On the bleak side, Articuno struggles a lot against Water-type Pokemon, even with Drill Peck added to its arsenal.
#29 Flareon
Flareon gets all the benefits of being a Normal-type Pokemon in STABmons without actually being a Normal-type Pokemon. The unfortunate thing is that this isn’t a good trait. Flareon has a STAB-boosted Fire Blast and a resistance to Razor Leaf. In turn, Flareon gains a weakness to Crabhammer and Earthquake and has a much lower damage output than its Normal-type compatriots. Even with a Base 130 Attack, Flareon’s Normal-type moves are only just barely stronger than those of Persian. Given this, a mediocre defensive profile, and a middling Speed stat, Flareon isn’t much more than a novelty.
#30 Kabutops
Kabutops is yet another “cool on paper, poor in practice” Pokemon. Access to Crabhammer is nice alongside a Rock-typing, but it suffers in the meta due to its underwhelming Speed, lack of longevity, and inability to use Explosion or any status-inducing moves. Like many of the aforementioned underwhelming Water-type Pokemon, Kabutops struggles with Starmie, Zapdos, and Jolteon and is just generally not a good producer of momentum. One thing I will say though is that Kabutops ended up a lot lower than I expected. Even though I don’t think very highly of Kabutops, I would venture to call it the best or second best Pokemon in this VR’s D Rank (it's competing with Lapras in my mind). It might be awkward to use, but it is still a Pokemon that can take an Explosion and then dish out a respectable Crabhammer. It’s probably more flexible and harder to answer than something like Flareon or Articuno.
#31 Moltres
Moltres has basically all the same issues as Articuno, but it can’t even stomach a Crabhammer. Some stronger Crabhammer users, like Vaporeon, have a chance to OHKO it. Access to STAB-boosted Fire Blast is not particularly valuable in this tier and Fire Spin isn’t overly consistent. Being able to spread burns is nice, but not overly practical considering Water-type Pokemon will be the most frequent answer to Moltres and they don’t really mind being burned. I don’t see much of a niche for Moltres.
#32 Omastar
Omastar is similar to Kabutops, featuring a stronger Crabhammer and a greater resilience in the face of Explosion. Which Pokemon is better is probably debatable, but Kabutops’s higher Speed and Attack stats give it a nice edge in a few matchups. Yet another slow Pokemon that will likely be worn down with little recourse. It’s probably better than Moltres, Flareon, and a few other of these poorly-ranked Pokemon though, so there’s that. Knowing what we’ve covered about other Rock- and Water-type Pokemon, it should be pretty guessable how Omastar functions at this point.
HM#1 Wigglytuff
Wigglytuff is a Normal-type Pokemon with Counter.
HM#2 Tentacruel
Tentacruel’s Crabhammer is the strongest special attack in the tier and it is supported by a decent Speed stat. Tentacruel remains extremely underutilized, so it’s very hard to make any claims about its viability. It’s been on my radar for a while, but I’ve just never gotten around to it. I could see it being potentially useful, but I think it will struggle to compete in the tier because of the other, stronger Water-type Pokemon available. Wrap is a nice tool too. I think Tentacruel can probably, at best, aspire to be like Cloyster, a decent pivot with a strong special attack at its disposal. Unfortunately, Tentacruel is saddled with a worse typing, no access to Explosion, and the same frustrating Starmie problems.
HM#3 Raticate
Raticate is a Normal-type Pokemon with, uh… surely it has something?
HM#4 Poliwrath
Poliwrath has big "new toy" energy. Crabhammer, High Jump Kick, and Hypnosis are all really cool options, but Poliwrath just does not have any other strong attributes. Its typing has many weaknesses, it has mediocre stats across the board, and it has no survivability or access to Explosion. We have covered so many stronger, and yet still underwhelming, Water-type Pokemon that it is hard to imagine working your way all the way down and settling on Poliwrath as your choice. I’m glad this is the last Pokemon. I think I started to repeat myself at least fifteen entries ago.
Yes, I am aware that the Yellow sprites for Jolteon and Raticate are screwed up. No, I do not know why.
1v1
STABmons
Hitmonlee
Venusaur
Raichu
Sandslash
Golduck
Electabuzz
Primeape
Nidoking
Nidoqueen
Articuno
Zapdos
Exeggutor
Gengar
Aerodactyl
Jynx
Scyther
Rhydon
Cloyster
Lapras
Victreebel
Tentacruel
Chansey
Slowbro
