Lower Tiers RU Viability Rankings Thread

[TheWall]

Dugtrio A+->S: Disagree
Before I start let me say this: Dugtrio is a pain to face! Everytime i see a Dugtrio on the otherside of the field i feel like im 0-1 behind whenever I have a Registeel on my team.
Nevertheless I dont feel like Dugtrio deserves the S rank. It sits perfect at the spot it is now. Yes it outspeeds and traps alot of (weakened) pokemon, but most scarfers just beat it straigt up (medicham, drapion, delphox and even scarf emboar at -1) and priority is a also big problem for Dugtrio.
A versus between Registeel and Dugtrio also ends up with either Dugtrio losing or Dugtrio at a real small amount of health (depending on which player played the versus the best)

 

[atomicllamas]

Added Quagsire to new pkmn rank, it could probably go back to where it was before but I guess we can give it a week or so to see if its still the same.

 

[CluelessSKB]

Rhyperior to A+
While I wont get too wordy on this, rhyperior is the premier physical wall in the metagame with mega lix being gone. Yes, it does have a bad weaknesses to super effective special attackers, but nothing likes to switch into a rhyperior besides maybe verizon, which still has to be wary of ice punch. Rhyperior is an A+ pokemon in my opinion.

Added Quagsire to new pkmn rank, it could probably go back to where it was before but I guess we can give it a week or so to see if its still the same.

I agree, not enough has changed since quag has been in RU last for it to be a different rank

 

[MemeMeme Island]

Granbull should rise. There aren't a lot of Fairy types in the metagame in the meta right now, and it counters so much shit in the meta that it's not even funny. With Medicham, Sneasel, Hitmonlee, and etc all running rampant, Granbull is a wall like no other. It also can cripple its switch-ins with Earthquake and T-Wave, giving it few true counterplay. Also, not many teams really prepare for this Pokemon right now either. This Pokemon has been getting better ever since the ban of Mega Steelix and its viability is still increasing.

 

[ryan]

i think granbull is rly fine in B+. i agree that it's good in this meta, esp in a mola-less meta if the suspect results in a ban, but i think teams are kinda inherently "prepared" for it in that fat waters do well vs it, it's stupendously easy to wear down (if you pair it with mola, lots of stuff beat the things you mention including mola itself), and magneton and venusaur are both super common.

 

[MemeMeme Island]

and magneton is super common.

8 Atk Granbull Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Eviolite Magneton: 236-280 (97.9 - 116.1%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO

Also Venusaur hates T-Wave.

 

[phantom]

Magneton isn't that big of a con for Granbull since Granbull commonly carries EQ (or Fire Punch for Escav depending on the build) which prevents it from switching in unlike other Fairys, and it can Twave Venu if it isn't running Roar. The difference between it and other Fairys is that it doesn't stack weaknesses with Alo and other Water-types by virtue of its coverage, support moves, and offensive presence (mainly being the only defensive Fairy in the tier that can OHKO Virizion and prevent Mega Camel/Garbodor and other such Pokemon from switching in). That said, it is fine in B+ because it does require Wish support and is mainly stuck on stallish archetypes, although it does excel there.

Updates:

Torterra added to C+
Dugtrio up to S
Trevenant Unranked
Fletchinder down to A-
Registeel up to A+
Bronzong up to B+
Audino (mega) up to A-
Blastoise down to A-
Gurdurr up to B+
Uxie up to A-
Aggron down to B

Discussion Points:

Virizion down to A
Audino (mega) up to A
Aurorus up to C+
Abomasnow down to C+
Rotom-S Unranked
Rotom-F Unranked
Quagsire's Ranking

 

[Laurens]

Quagsire: New Pokemon rank -> C+ rank

With a good defensive typing and a great ability Quagsire fills a nice niche on defensive teams being able to beat Sub Bulk up Braviary and Fletchlinder.
However Quagsire faces fierce competition from other bulky water types and fails to beat the most common setup sweeper in this tier namely Virizion.
Because of this I feel like C+ is the right rank to place him in for now.

 

[Hilomilo]

Why are we all of a sudden so intent on dropping Virizion? It dropped from S a mere month ago, and really has no reason to drop from A+ when its one of the most consistent pokemon in the subrank with its SD set and special bulk that allows it to survive Meloetta's unboosted Psychic and Diancie's Moonblast. It's the tier's face of set up sweeping with the ability to pull of both Calm Mind and Swords Dance sets well and with relative ease, and has become even more reliable through the decline of Fletchinder. Most of what it suffers to KO can fall victim to Dugtrio, which is arguably one of the meta's most splashable mons at the moment by virtue of the so many things it checks. Don't understand this drop, since to can come in on 5 common attack types, things that can take it on almost always either lose to it when its boosted and Dugtrio can take care of most of its checks early game.

As for the rest of the slate, both Rotom variants could afford to go unranked considering how much better Rotom Mow is at a fairly similar role. Abomasnow and Aurorus don't really have any business being in the same subrank since the former doesn't require very balanced attack EVs to effectively perform the role of a mixed attacker, while the latter can't reliably set up rock polish or rocks with Registeel and scarfed Emboar flooding the tier, though both should rise/drop one subrank and not two. No opinion on Mega Audino, but Quagsire should go around B- or B, since unaware stalling dangerous mons in Diancie and Meloetta can be very valuable, though stuff like Virizion and Venesaur everywhere isn't too great for it.

 

[eren]

Discussion Points:

Rotom-S Unranked

As for the rest of the slate, both Rotom variants could afford to go unranked considering how much better Rotom Mow is at a fairly similar role

mowtom isnt similar at all to spintom D:. diogo and myself run fizikaly defenzive rotom-spin which fits a completely different role that any rotom-mow can do. it counters medicham (lo has only a 17% chance to 2hko with zhb and scarf only does 40 max with zhb.), virizion (zhb is more common), counters braviary, check emboar, counters fletchinder, checks sawk, counters gurdurr. rotom-mow does none of this. rotom-s provides a whole bunch of role compression that rotom-mow doesnt do and i think rotom-spin should remain ranked as it fits a niche role on certain bulky offense teams i.e diogo's and my clawitzer team. + it volt switches too, which is so nice to bring in hard hitters


Quagsire's Ranking:
this is the only quagsire one should ever run:

Quagsire @ Leftovers
Abiltity: Unaware
EVs: 252 HP / :} def / xd SpD
secret nature
- Encore
- Toxic
- Recover
- Scald

as many of the common set up sweepers normally circumvent quagsire (that could potentially be troublesome to some variants of stall see: sub cm meloetta, sub bu braviary, cm gk delphox, sub np / lo hoopa, ss hp grass omastar) can beat quagsire (which is supposed to normally beat boosters), i feel like this set is the most effective. it gives stall free turns to phaze, spike hazards, or simply give time for the stall player to react (a weakened registeel can seismic toss into toxic / twave vs a braviary stuck on any move). this set works vs melo esepcially well if you encore psychic, shadow ball, substitute, or calm mind and you have a pursuiter such as scarf drapion in the back.
this will force the meloetta / hoopa player into several scenarios:
a) kill quagsire and lose their very dangerous meloetta to pursuit or
b) be forced out because they are locked into substitute calm mind shadow ball or psychic (/ hyperspace hole) or hyper voice (on melo, which gives a free regi switch in), giving quag a free recover and getting more hazards damage versus the opposition + most things doubling into drapion or registeel are ground types, which quagsire is favorable versus, allowing you to throw out a scald or toxic versus the team

i generally dislike quagsire but i feel like it can do at least something on stall. i could see it in c or c-. (note: it doesnt need mola that badly to survive, which is definitely a plus considering the current suspect and usually how contingent stall is on mola)

 

[Take Azelfie]

Virizion A+ ---> A Disagree
Okay I know Dugtrio is a huge problem for it right now but it just has so much going for it that it could stay A+ despite probably being the worst one up there (bar possibly Sneasel) Virizion is more flexible than people give it credit for. It can even use its weakness to Dugtrio as an asset to some teams when using Coba Berry especially when they're defensive backbone doesn't have reliable recovery (Garbodor + Registeel for example) I also feel that the LO 4 Attacks set isn't getting enough credibility right now but it's cool for weakening the opposing team fast while also luring in specific things. Also ViriziKing is the best core in the meta and don't let anyone else tell you otherwise.

Audino (mega) A- ---> A Agree
I don't know why but this Pokemon just got extremely good. Mega Audino has really good bulk that allows it to take neutral hits very well similar to Mola and it is the only Pokemon that really plays mind games with you since you can choose to change your type once at any point during the battle. 49's team has had good success in the open as quite a few players have used it and its Calm Mind set is really hard to stop especially since most out Taunt users not makes Jelicent kind of just die to Dazzling Gleam. I have been using WishKit sets which is cool for balance teams as it has almost an infinite amount of utility in that lost slot. Between all of the options you have Knock Off, Thunder Wave, Heal Bell, Fire Blast/Flamethrower and more its absurd. Definitely ready to rise to A.

Abomasnow B ---> C+ Disagree
As probably the person that uses Abomasnow the most I really have to disagree here. Abomasnow has a few things in its kit that people often overlook. Snow Warning is amazing since it automatically HO to salvage there sash users till Snow dies which allows you to play more aggresively versus them since they are down a member. I also know that HO isn't the greatest playstyles but Snow Warning also has other applications like against Venusaur which limits its Synthesis to only 25%, even with the Black Sludge Venusaur can't get that chip recovery back due to the hall's natural effects. Next is its core breaking potential with Grass + EQ/Focus Miss coverage to beat RegiMola and still makes Flygon/Dugtrio/Venusaur stand back with a powerful Ice Shard. Although Abomasnow has issues with Stealth Rock it can recovery its HP back via Giga Drain if need be and it also has much better synergy with Flygon then Sneasel could wish for. Overall Abomasnow is relevant enough to B- imo and the meta is really against it too badly right now to suggest a drop

Poliwrath C+ ---> B-
Right now I wouldn't say the meta is too harsh versus spike stacking teams despite Garbodor being the best Spiked and Flygon being the best hazard remover. But outside of the Spike stacking effect Poliwrath is stupid to play around sometimes because if it clicks Circle Throw you never get to choose what Pokemon is coming in which means you could bring in Sneasel or Venusaur. Not to mention Piwrath is pretty anti meta since most stall builds run a slow bulky Calm Mind user which you just shuffle out. Congratulations you just successfully ruined they're game plan. Outside of that Poliwrath doesn't mind being in a rest state as much as it bothers other RestTalk users as both of its moves are good in every situation and give tge opponent a random chance of dining in hell.

Also you forgot to move Zong up oo

 

[MemeMeme Island]

Jolteon to A.

Jesus that Speed and power has been working really well in the current metagame.

Going through the S rank:
252 SpA Life Orb Jolteon Thunderbolt vs. 120 HP / 252 SpD Alomomola: 424-502 (84.6 - 100.1%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO
252 SpA Life Orb Jolteon Hidden Power Ice vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Dugtrio: 205-242 (97.1 - 114.6%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO
252 SpA Life Orb Jolteon Hidden Power Ice vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Flygon: 369-437 (122.5 - 145.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 SpA Life Orb Jolteon Hidden Power Ice vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Venusaur: 153-182 (50.8 - 60.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

It's faster than everything in RU bar Aerodactyl and Accelgor, and Jolteon has more firepower than both of those.

Also provides VoltTurn support, which is extremely useful right now with all the frail offensive threats running around right now to abuse it, and to pivot out of its counters. The only other Pokemon in S through A- that's capable of VoltTurn support is Magneton, which (usually) can't freely switch its moves and is beaten to death by Dugtrio, unlike Jolteon.

So yeah, this Pokemon can not only do a lot all by itself, but it also has good options to directly support its teammates (SubPassing, Volt Switch). This truly is a great Pokemon and definitely does not belong in the same rank as Sawk.

 

[-Tsunami-]

In honor of Omfuga's legendary NU open run with this behemoth....

I'm going to argue that Dusknoir is a decent Pokemon. Not amazing, but decent. Here lie my arguments for why Noir should be in B Rank (not any higher than B Rank, mind):

*Very few Ghosts to legitimately compete with in the tier. It shares a niche exclusively with Spiritomb as a Medicham counter. Cofagrigus present to compete with Noir in RU, albeit neither outclasses the other really because Dusknoir is to hit from the Physical spectrum whereas Cofagrigus would hit from the Special spectrum. Spiritomb works as a mixed defender, even having Mixed offensive stats. Speaking of, Spiritomb is really the only Ghost-type that Dusknoir is outclassed by.

*Base 100 Attack, and base 135 defenses. Compare this with 92 Atk and 108 defenses from Spiritomb. Spiritomb only beats it in HP by 5 points (45 HP from Dusknoir, 50 HP from Spiritomb), and in Special Attack by 27 (65 Sp. Atk. from Dusknoir compared to 92 Sp. Atk. from Spiritomb) while otherwise losing in Speed by 10 points (45 Speed from Dusknoir to 35 Speed from Spiritomb). Spiritomb also is Dark/Ghost, though, which means that its presence in B+ Rank is unmatched as a Ghost.

*An expansive Physical movepool for which it can counter more than just Medicham with. It has a good Special movepool as well, albeit 65 Sp. Atk. isn't doing it many favors admittedly. However, Noir's movepool does include, both Physical and Support moves involved:

**Fire Punch to give a more solid blow to Mega Glalie, as well as dismantle Escavalier.
**Ice Punch for a handful of Pokemon, namely Flygon and Virizion among many others.
**ThunderPunch for the likes of Braviary and other Flying-types, or for a majority of Bulky Waters who think they have a shot against Dusknoir.
**FocusPunch, a key move in some of Noir's sets
**Shadow Sneak / Shadow Punch - reasonably good STAB; the former serves as priority that Spiritomb also has, while Shadow Punch hits harder and doesn't care about accuracy
**DynamicPunch - which, when boosted by Gravity, becomes 83% accurate. Unless the analysis for Dusknoir in OU is currently incorrect...
**Earthquake - For those who are x4 weak to Ground, as well as for most Steel-types
**Rock Slide for Fliers and Pokemon x4 weak to Rock; while not that great compared to the Elemental Punches, it is still solid enough to warrant consideration in the movepool
**Return - Still decent, although you get nearly-perfect coverage from Fighting/Ghost attacks alone
**An array of support moves for full tank sets which are still effective:
***For example, it can help set up Trick Room or weather (Rain Dance/Sunny Day) so that other Pokemon on the team can triumph against your foes; the nefarious and notorious Torment which is uncommonly seen on Heatran in OU; Toxic, if you're not too fond of Will-o-Wisp; Pursuit, albeit Spiritomb is arguably better at that due to STAB; and last but certainly not least, Psych Up - so people don't just think they can spam Bulk Up/Calm Mind/Quiver Dance/Shift Gear on you without Noir getting the boosts, too

However, a lot of Dusknoir's Physical movepool is also shared by Golurk.

Again, while I do agree that Spiritomb is slightly better, Dusknoir is still a really good Pokemon in its own right and shouldn't be overlooked.

 

[passion]

In honor of Omfuga's legendary NU open run with this behemoth....

I'm going to argue that Dusknoir is a decent Pokemon. Not amazing, but decent. Here lie my arguments for why Noir should be in B Rank (not any higher than B Rank, mind):

*Very few Ghosts to legitimately compete with in the tier. It shares a niche exclusively with Spiritomb as a Medicham counter. Cofagrigus present to compete with Noir in RU, albeit neither outclasses the other really because Dusknoir is to hit from the Physical spectrum whereas Cofagrigus would hit from the Special spectrum. Spiritomb works as a mixed defender, even having Mixed offensive stats. Speaking of, Spiritomb is really the only Ghost-type that Dusknoir is outclassed by.

*Base 100 Attack, and base 135 defenses. Compare this with 92 Atk and 108 defenses from Spiritomb. Spiritomb only beats it in HP by 5 points (45 HP from Dusknoir, 50 HP from Spiritomb), and in Special Attack by 27 (65 Sp. Atk. from Dusknoir compared to 92 Sp. Atk. from Spiritomb) while otherwise losing in Speed by 10 points (45 Speed from Dusknoir to 35 Speed from Spiritomb). Spiritomb also is Dark/Ghost, though, which means that its presence in B+ Rank is unmatched as a Ghost.

*An expansive Physical movepool for which it can counter more than just Medicham with. It has a good Special movepool as well, albeit 65 Sp. Atk. isn't doing it many favors admittedly. However, Noir's movepool does include, both Physical and Support moves involved:

**Fire Punch to give a more solid blow to Mega Glalie, as well as dismantle Escavalier.
**Ice Punch for a handful of Pokemon, namely Flygon and Virizion among many others.
**ThunderPunch for the likes of Braviary and other Flying-types, or for a majority of Bulky Waters who think they have a shot against Dusknoir.
**FocusPunch, a key move in some of Noir's sets
**Shadow Sneak / Shadow Punch - reasonably good STAB; the former serves as priority that Spiritomb also has, while Shadow Punch hits harder and doesn't care about accuracy
**DynamicPunch - which, when boosted by Gravity, becomes 83% accurate. Unless the analysis for Dusknoir in OU is currently incorrect...
**Earthquake - For those who are x4 weak to Ground, as well as for most Steel-types
**Rock Slide for Fliers and Pokemon x4 weak to Rock; while not that great compared to the Elemental Punches, it is still solid enough to warrant consideration in the movepool
**Return - Still decent, although you get nearly-perfect coverage from Fighting/Ghost attacks alone
**An array of support moves for full tank sets which are still effective:
***For example, it can help set up Trick Room or weather (Rain Dance/Sunny Day) so that other Pokemon on the team can triumph against your foes; the nefarious and notorious Torment which is uncommonly seen on Heatran in OU; Toxic, if you're not too fond of Will-o-Wisp; Pursuit, albeit Spiritomb is arguably better at that due to STAB; and last but certainly not least, Psych Up - so people don't just think they can spam Bulk Up/Calm Mind/Quiver Dance/Shift Gear on you without Noir getting the boosts, too

However, a lot of Dusknoir's Physical movepool is also shared by Golurk.

Again, while I do agree that Spiritomb is slightly better, Dusknoir is still a really good Pokemon in its own right and shouldn't be overlooked.

i respectfully disagree and here r my top reasons.

• dusknoir is a ghost type which is resisted by dark and cannot touch normal that is bad
• dusknoir has 2 stats that are low (hp and spe)
• dusknoir is alomomola bait (big threat in current meta)
• learns rock smash, shadow punch, thunder punch but ghosts can't punch things because in my ghost headcanon every time a ghost touches a physical object it goes through it

ty for reading my post i hope you agree but if not don't bother replying because i will roast you.

 

[Miyami~~]

At first glance, Lapras looks like nothing special. However, Lapras fulfills a surprisingly important niche: Being an Alomomola killer that isn't weak to Dugtrio's coverage. In fact, it holds Weakness over Alomomola and Dugrtio with STAB Freeze-Dry or Ice Shard, and is capable of handling itself against every water in the tier while also being able to switch in for free on their water moves thanks to Water Absorb and force a switch or just outright KO them. In addition to this, Lapras has STAB water attacks and surprisingly wide coverage including Psychic, Ancient Power, Dragon Pulse, and Signal Beam or the ability to support your team with Heal Bell or force endgame scenarios and switches with Perish Song. Additionally, it can take on grasses well with either Twave support or Ice Shard to take on weakened threats by itself or beat Flygon 1v1 (Ice Shard 2HKOs while Flygon fails to OHKO back). However, Lapras is hardwalled by Steel types like Registeel, which makes Dugtrio a near necessity, but that's fine. All in all, Lapras is a unique choice for a water type that's capable of dealing severe damage or taking out to some of the most common Pokémon in the tier, and has a unique niche in being one of the best water-type killers in the tier, a role which I think is worthy of C rank or higher.

set

Shigura (Lapras) (F) @ Expert Belt
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 200 HP / 252 SpA / 56 Spe
Modest Nature
- Freeze-Dry
- Ice Shard
- Surf
- Perish Song

Perish Song is my personal choice, you can use others like Heal Bell or coverage moves if you so desire. However, Perish Song -> Dugtrio is a fun and deadly combination.

 

[phantom]

Not sure what I think of Lapras personally, but Miyami~~, you need to post at least 5 replays for it to be considered for a rank as outlined in the op.

 

[MagicHoraceGrant]

Virizion A+ ---> A Disagree
Virizon is a great set-up sweeper and is probably the only thing that break through the Alo Registeel core. SD is good late game sub calm mind is also a viable set. Its 108 speed is also great as it can outspeed a ton of threats in the meta. Literally the only thing holding it back from being S rank is duggie.

 

[Heroes and Cons]

Virizion A+ ---> A Disagree
Virizon is a great set-up sweeper and is probably the only thing that break through the Alo Registeel core. SD is good late game sub calm mind is also a viable set. Its 108 speed is also great as it can outspeed a ton of threats in the meta. Literally the only thing holding it back from being S rank is duggie.

Well, I'd say Venusaur also stops it pretty well too, but I digress.

Yeah Virizion should stay in A+, it just has a perfect balance of bulk, speed, complementary dual STAB and ability to boost and strike from both sides of the spectrum. Once it gets an SD or CM in, most anything in the tier can be threatened greatly, once its small number of reliable checks are removed.

 

[ChrystalFalchion]

It can bypass Venusaur with Zen Headbutt / Hidden Power Ice, although Stone Edge is usually a better option on the physical set.

 

[Trekkspill]

Qwilfish: B -> B+

Now this might seem like an odd nomination, since not much has changed for Qwilfish`defensive set. However, that is not the direction this nomination is going. Do you want Mega-Glalies spikes-stacking and explosion-blocking capabilities, but you cant fit it in your team? If that is the case, then this offensive Qwilfish might do the trick:

Qwilfish @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Spikes
- Poison Jab
- Aqua Jet
- Explosion

This set focuses on much the same as spikes-Glalie does: Stack some spikes, deal some damage, and block Spin/Defog with explosion;

Spikes is a mandatory slot for this set, as it is the main purpose of Qwilfish. Poison Jab is there for solid STAB, and it is necessary for Qwilfish as it allows it to reliably beat Virizion 1v1, occasionally even on switch-in, depending on Virizion`s set:

-1 252 Atk Virizion Leaf Blade vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Qwilfish: 97-115 (35.7 - 42.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 Atk Life Orb Qwilfish Poison Jab vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Virizion: 359-424 (111.1 - 131.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 SpA Life Orb Virizion Giga Drain vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Qwilfish: 200-238 (73.8 - 87.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Poison Jab also hits Rotom-C on the switch, a pokemon that usually can switch into any of Qwilfish moves. Also, keep in mind that this set can have a great surprise factor if you havent used anything else than spikes.

Speaking of surprise KOs, Aqua Jet is a STAB priority move that OHKOes Dugtrio, as well as Fletchinder after stealth rocks. Qwilfish`decent speed also allows it outspeed the latter. It is in general useful to pick off weakened fire-types, such as Emboar and Delphox.

Explosion is the explosive finish to the set, as it is excellent for spinblocking. This Qwilfish set outspeeds Blastoise and defensive Flygon, so that they cannot remove the spikes. And keep in mind that Offensive Flygon might want to switch into Qwilfish if the surprise factor is intact, and that Explosion easily OHKOes it. It also OHKO-es many of the offensive pokemon that has their speed stat in the 70-80s, such as offensive Venusaur, Medicham, Absol, and others. This particular Qwilfish also outspeeds all of these pokemon, barring the scarfed ones.

Final words: This Qwilfish set is an inferior set to that of Glalie, but the typings are completely different, and Qwilfish also offers better longevity, with its lack of SR weakness, and its ability Intimidate to soften physical hits. It doesnt require a mega spot either, and if the player uses it carefully, the surprise factor is another advantage Qwilfish can take use of. All of these traits should be enough to justify using this set, as well as potentially giving it a rise to B+

Replays:

Qwilfish lures and eliminates Dugtrio, making Magneton`s life a lot easier: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ru-426999249
An old replay, but it still shows off how the surprise factor really can mess up the opponent: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ru-310099668
Spikes-stacking and wall-denting = A drastic turnabout: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/rususpecttest-445897453

 

[MagicHoraceGrant]

Qwilfish: B -> B+

Now this might seem like an odd nomination, since not much has changed for Qwilfish`defensive set. However, that is not the direction this nomination is going. Do you want Mega-Glalies spikes-stacking and explosion-blocking capabilities, but you cant fit it in your team? If that is the case, then this offensive Qwilfish might do the trick:

Qwilfish @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Spikes
- Poison Jab
- Aqua Jet
- Explosion

This set focuses on much the same as spikes-Glalie does: Stack some spikes, deal some damage, and block Spin/Defog with explosion;

Spikes is a mandatory slot for this set, as it is the main purpose of Qwilfish. Poison Jab is there for solid STAB, and it is necessary for Qwilfish as it allows it to reliably beat Virizion 1v1, occasionally even on switch-in, depending on Virizion`s set:

-1 252 Atk Virizion Leaf Blade vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Qwilfish: 97-115 (35.7 - 42.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 Atk Life Orb Qwilfish Poison Jab vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Virizion: 359-424 (111.1 - 131.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 SpA Life Orb Virizion Giga Drain vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Qwilfish: 200-238 (73.8 - 87.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Poison Jab also hits Rotom-C on the switch, a pokemon that usually can switch into any of Qwilfish moves. Also, keep in mind that this set can have a great surprise factor if you havent used anything else than spikes.

Speaking of surprise KOs, Aqua Jet is a STAB priority move that OHKOes Dugtrio, as well as Fletchinder after stealth rocks. Qwilfish`decent speed also allows it outspeed the latter. It is in general useful to pick off weakened fire-types, such as Emboar and Delphox.

Explosion is the explosive finish to the set, as it is excellent for spinblocking. This Qwilfish set outspeeds Blastoise and defensive Flygon, so that they cannot remove the spikes. And keep in mind that Offensive Flygon might want to switch into Qwilfish if the surprise factor is intact, and that Explosion easily OHKOes it. It also OHKO-es many of the offensive pokemon that has their speed stat in the 70-80s, such as offensive Venusaur, Medicham, Absol, and others. This particular Qwilfish also outspeeds all of these pokemon, barring the scarfed ones.

Final words: This Qwilfish set is an inferior set to that of Glalie, but the typings are completely different, and Qwilfish also offers better longevity, with its lack of SR weakness, and its ability Intimidate to soften physical hits. It doesnt require a mega spot either, and if the player uses it carefully, the surprise factor is another advantage Qwilfish can take use of. All of these traits should be enough to justify using this set, as well as potentially giving it a rise to B+

Replays:

Qwilfish lures and eliminates Dugtrio, making Magneton`s life a lot easier: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ru-426999249
An old replay, but it still shows off how the surprise factor really can mess up the opponent: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ru-310099668
Spikes-stacking and wall-denting = A drastic turnabout: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/rususpecttest-445897453

Inferior sets do not deserve a B+ ranking. BTW who switches rotom-c into a poison type?

 

[Trekkspill]

Inferior sets do not deserve a B+ ranking. BTW who switches rotom-c into a poison type?

Qwilfish is one of those pokemon that has many moves it want to use, but cant fit all of them on a defensive set, and poison jab is usually not preferred over its other moves. Rotom-C is therefore often a good switch in, as it resist its water moves(which usually hits more pokemon than poison jab and therefore are used on defensive Qwilfish), and it is completely immune to thunder wave, by virtue of its electric typing. Its volt switch also OHKO-es Qwilfish, which puts the Qwilfish-user in a lose-lose situation, where either Qwilfish goes down, or Rotom gets the switch-initiative.(Unless you make the risky move into a ground-type). All of these factors make Rotom-C a great response to defensive Qwilfish, as it usually doesnt risk more than a scald-burn or a layer of spikes on the field on switch-in. So, the answer to "Who switches rotom-c into a poison type", where the poison type in question is Qwilfish, I would say: A considerable number of players. As for the "inferior-set"-issue I believe I explained my reasoning in the last part of my post.

 

[sand1234]

Scrafty B- -> B+/A-

There is only one set of scrafty worth using in the current metagame,DD rest which is a pretty scary set.

set

Scrafty @ Leftovers/chople berry
Ability: Shed Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Knock Off
- High Jump Kick
- Rest

This set sets up on pretty much every bulky water,registeel,bronzong,uxie,drapion,venusaur,defensive flygon which are on pretty much every team and is checked only by fairies,bulky fighting types such as gurdurr/hitmontop and faster fighting types which actually lose to chople berry set.It also likes the fact that the most common fairy,diancie,is worn down way to easily after one knock switch in,doesn't resist fighting and is trapped by dugtrio.While some teams do use other fairies like aroma,bull etc they are way too ez to pressure with something like a magneton or escav.Scrafty is actually terribly bulky even when uninvested surviving insane hits such as glalie double edge or camel fire blast from full health.Also it beats regimola and isn't trapped by duggy,this alone is enough to warrant a rise :P

 

[rau]

Scrafty B- -> B+/A-

There is only one set of scrafty worth using in the current metagame,DD rest which is a pretty scary set.

set

Scrafty @ Leftovers/chople berry
Ability: Shed Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Knock Off
- High Jump Kick
- Rest

This set sets up on pretty much every bulky water,registeel,bronzong,uxie,drapion,venusaur,defensive flygon which are on pretty much every team and is checked only by fairies,bulky fighting types such as gurdurr/hitmontop and faster fighting types which actually lose to chople berry set.It also likes the fact that the most common fairy,diancie,is worn down way to easily after one knock switch in,doesn't resist fighting and is trapped by dugtrio.While some teams do use other fairies like aroma,bull etc they are way too ez to pressure with something like a magneton or escav.Scrafty is actually terribly bulky even when uninvested surviving insane hits such as glalie double edge or camel fire blast from full health.Also it beats regimola and isn't trapped by duggy,this alone is enough to warrant a rise :P

While Scrafty excels at breaking Water-Steel-[insert non-fairy fight resist] cores and does well vs Dark-types such as Sneasel and Drapion, there are still a few things that must be considered. Scrafty's biggest flaw imo is how it doesn't fare well VS offensive pressure. As mentioned before, it isn't hard to Scrafty to get a boost on stuff like RegiMola cores, Uxie, darks, etc, but against offensive teams Scrafty really struggles finding opportunities to set up before it gets too worn down or outright KO'd. If you still manage to get a boost up, live a hit, and dent / KO something, the fact that you're still outsped and revenged by most Choice Scarf users and a few other fast attackers such as Aerodactyl and Accelgor is still problematic. Another thing to note is that Scrafty actually loses 1v1 versus Defensive Venusaur, as the combination of Leech Seed, Giga Drain, and Synthesis recovery is enough to sustain Venusaur and wear down Scrafty. You also argue how faster fighting-types lose to the Chople Berry set, but in reality, it only helps versus Virizion and Emboar to a lesser extent (both Medicham and Hitmonlee do too much damage with High Jump Kick).
Don't get me wrong here, I'm just saying Scrafty wouldn't really stand up in A-. Otherwise, I'm supporting this nom for Scrafty to rise to B+ or B at the very least. The amount of pressure Scrafty puts on Steel-Water cores with some bulky Psychic-type as a sole Fighting check (Take Tsunami's RegiMola team for example), is great on a meta where balance is the dominant playstyle. Rest is a great tool for outlasting these cores, but Iron Head is still a crucial tool for more easily getting past Fairy-types such as Aromatisse and Granbull (while mates can wear down Diancie, +1 HJK does 60% percent solo, meaning a full health Diancie will still win if it switches on a DD I-Head less Scrafty). While they might be more niche options, the 4th slot can be used for some surprise coverage moves such as Zen Headbutt and Head Smash for bulky Poison-types and Flying-types, respectively, or Drain Punch, for a weaker, yet safer Fighting-type STAB move that can be quite useful if the opponent has a Ghost-type they could force in on a predicted HJK.

 

[sand1234]

While Scrafty excels at breaking Water-Steel-[insert non-fairy fight resist] cores and does well vs Dark-types such as Sneasel and Drapion, there are still a few things that must be considered. Scrafty's biggest flaw imo is how it doesn't fare well VS offensive pressure. As mentioned before, it isn't hard to Scrafty to get a boost on stuff like RegiMola cores, Uxie, darks, etc, but against offensive teams Scrafty really struggles finding opportunities to set up before it gets too worn down or outright KO'd. If you still manage to get a boost up, live a hit, and dent / KO something, the fact that you're still outsped and revenged by most Choice Scarf users and a few other fast attackers such as Aerodactyl and Accelgor is still problematic. Another thing to note is that Scrafty actually loses 1v1 versus Defensive Venusaur, as the combination of Leech Seed, Giga Drain, and Synthesis recovery is enough to sustain Venusaur and wear down Scrafty. You also argue how faster fighting-types lose to the Chople Berry set, but in reality, it only helps versus Virizion and Emboar to a lesser extent (both Medicham and Hitmonlee do too much damage with High Jump Kick).
Don't get me wrong here, I'm just saying Scrafty wouldn't really stand up in A-. Otherwise, I'm supporting this nom for Scrafty to rise to B+ or B at the very least. The amount of pressure Scrafty puts on Steel-Water cores with some bulky Psychic-type as a sole Fighting check (Take Tsunami's RegiMola team for example), is great on a meta where balance is the dominant playstyle. Rest is a great tool for outlasting these cores, but Iron Head is still a crucial tool for more easily getting past Fairy-types such as Aromatisse and Granbull (while mates can wear down Diancie, +1 HJK does 60% percent solo, meaning a full health Diancie will still win if it switches on a DD I-Head less Scrafty). While they might be more niche options, the 4th slot can be used for some surprise coverage moves such as Zen Headbutt and Head Smash for bulky Poison-types and Flying-types, respectively, or Drain Punch, for a weaker, yet safer Fighting-type STAB move that can be quite useful if the opponent has a Ghost-type they could force in on a predicted HJK.

Firstly,HO is like incredibly rare in the current meta because most regimola breakers are trapped by dugtrio and BO always uses some mons which scrafty could setup on.Scrafty can actually set up on few offensive psychics like non air slash sigi,drap,etc and most choiced mons locked in the wrong move.Also when a teams only check to scrafty is scarfed hitmonlee/medicham,they have to switch directly into it because they can't revenge if scrafty sets up to +2 and could be badly crippled if u knock on the switch.Iron head is a useful tool I agree,but I have been using scrafty on a team with dual steels and no cleric so it is my status absorber so,I needed to run rest.That being said it requires a fair amount of support if using rest and can't set up freely on many defensive mons if using iron head so it
requires support either way and hence a rise to B+ seems better in the current meta.