Hey guys, pretty big VR update, glad we can clean out some of the lower ranks.. thanks to everyone that helped with the update!
Ranking Updates
Code:
Rises:
Virizion A --> A+
Registeel A --> A+
Toxicroak A- --> A
Mandibuzz B+ --> A-
Slowbro C+ --> B
Tsareena C+ --> B-
Stoutland C --> C+
Ribombee C --> C+
Xatu C- --> C
Drops:
Roserade S --> A+
Milotic A+ --> A
Mantine A- --> B+
Yanmega B+ --> B
Vanilluxe C+ --> C
Hoopa C+ --> UR
Jellicent C --> UR
Kingdra C --> C-
Minior C --> UR
Bruxish C --> UR
Mega Banette C- --> D
===
Gastrodon --> B-
Steelix --> C
Golbat --> C
Reasoning
Rises
Virizion up to A+ for its fantastic offensive presence as well as great utility if it goes for the Synthesis route that lets it switch in and punish some of the bigger threats such as Mega Blastoise and Choice Band Zygarde-10%. Virizion also gained a lot of traction due to the loss of Doublade and even Gligar (specifically physically defensive U-turn -> pivot out to revenge killer) and has the potential to go for a more offensive set with coverage to take out splashable "checks" such as Noivern.
Registeel has only gotten better since the recent rises as well as the Stakataka ban, it's able to effectively pressure the most popular forms of hazard removal thanks to Toxic + Protect, flat out wall a plethora of special attackers, and abuse its typing to act as a switch in to some physical attackers like Tyrantrum.
Toxicroak is one of the biggest nuisances for balance teams thanks to its typing and ability and now even offensive teams are forced to prepare for it because it can freely run Sucker Punch. It's also got the option to run Poisonium Z to flat out invalidate Life Orb checks such as Slowbro, Brave Bird Mandibuzz, and even Cresselia provided Stealth Rock is up.
With Gligar gone, Mandibuzz is the best form of hazard removal bar Mega Blastoise and, unlike the other Defog users, can stand a chance against the defensive Stealth Rock users thanks to Taunt and is workable against offensive ones like Necrozma and Metagross thanks to its bulk and typing. However, Mandibuzz has a glaring issue with its moveset - you'll want all of Taunt, Knock Off, Foul Play, Brave Bird, and potentially Toxic while being forced to run Roost and Defog unless paired with hazard removal, which forces it to fold to a bunch of Pokemon.
Slowbro's got a niche over other bulky Water-types like Milotic thanks to its immense Defense stat that lets it take on a ton of physical attackers like Zygarde-10% and Life Orb Toxicroak. Regenerator is also fantastic for keeping up with the more offensive metagame, as with other Water-types you'll be forced to heal to consistently check Pokemon whereas you can more freely make double switches with Slowbro. It's also got creative options like Colbur / Rindo Berry to deal with more threats such as Machamp and Virizion.
Tsareena's risen as a niche Rapid Spin user that's able to outright beat some Stealth Rock users and cripple the defensive ones with Knock Off. Queenly Majesty lets it check Pokemon like Guts Machamp and Swords Dance Pangoro and lets it force Zygarde-10% into Outrage / blow it's Z-Move, which is pretty useful. It's also got access to moves like U-turn, Play Rough, Aromatherapy, and High Jump Kick that can make it difficult to play around.
Stoutland's gotten some use as a weather sweeper with Sand support (typically from Gigalith) as seen on SPL builds created by EviGaro and Ajna. It's also able to trap and remove Pokemon like Roserade thanks to Pursuit.
With Grass-types like Virizion being better than ever, Choice Specs Ribombee has found a niche as a revenge killer and can provide U-turn support as well. It's also got the potential to break down defensive cores that lack solid switch ins to its coverage (ie Bronzong / Steelix as the Steel-type) and has a decent enough defensive typing that allows it to act as a 1-time switch in to Pokemon like Zygarde-10% and Shaymin.
Xatu has a flawless matchup against defensive Stealth Rock users, notably Registeel and Bronzong, which is really important, especially in a metagame with scarce hazard removal that consistently beats aforementioned Stealth Rock setters.
Drops
Roserade is as hard to switch into as ever and it's very hard to find Pokemon that remove against it but it just isn't S rank material anymore - the fast-paced metagame gives it even fewer turns than before and the defensive utility other Grass-types like Shaymin and Virizion provide is frequently too important to justify using Roserade, especially with so many threats like Zygarde-10% that heavily restrict teambuilding.
Milotic simply can't keep up with the metagame as it's easily overwhelmed by rising Pokemon like Guts Machamp and lets a bunch of threats in for free. It's also got competition with other Water-types that can provide more utility - Mega Blastoise / Mantine both with hazard removal etc. It also forces the Milotic user to play passively and stay healthy constantly to make up for somewhat lackluster physical bulk while other bulky Water-types like Regenerator Slowbro can be played much more offensively.
Mantine is simply not an effective Defog user against any of the defensive Stealth Rock setters and the couple that it would in theory be fine against still have good options to beat it (CM Necrozma / Toxic / Thunder Punch Metagross). It's also forced to nearly always run the same set or drop Air Slash at the cost of making a bunch of matchups awful (Grass-types, Guts Machamp etc) which makes it very predictable and easy to play around.
With hazard removal being scarce, it's difficult to justify using Yanmega when it's so weak to Stealth Rock, especially since you'll be forced to support it with strong (lol) hazard removal and pivots to give it turns. At the end of the day you'll be better off going with other wallbreakers or cleaners that don't require such support to function.
Vanilluxe / Kingdra are dropping down because recent trends go against them but they've still got potential to tear down opposing team provided they get a good matchup. For example, Registeel rising hurts Vanilluxe and the rise of more offensive teams cuts into Focus Energy Kingdra's viability, but Vanilluxe can rip through teams lacking a sturdy Steel-type and Kingdra can still set up all over passive Water-types like Milotic, so they'll stay ranked.
The VR council has worked through C rank and we've decided to remove all of Hoopa / Jellicent / Minior / Bruxish / Mega Banette (going to D because it's still RU by usage). They've been pretty terrible for a while and many of them are outright outclassed (Jellicent), completely lost any niche they had because of the recent tier shifts (Minior), or are just terrible.
New Rankings
Gastrodon faces strong competition but stands out with its unique set of resists and access to recovery. Its solid bulk on both sides allows it to reliably check a fair amount of top threats such as Mega Blastoise, Choice Scarf Tyrantrum, Metagross, Noivern, and Barbaracle.
Regular Steelix has a fantastic typing that lets it switch into Rock-types like Tyrantrum and check Fairy-types like Gardevoir and Florges. It's also a decent Stealth Rock user able to pressure common forms of hazard removal thanks to Toxic.
Golbat rises as a solid counter to Fighting-types that can pressure them with a surprisingly strong Flying-type STAB in Brave Bird. It has access to several utility moves that makes it appealing, but its reliance on Eviolite to maintain solid bulk also means it's easily pressured.
Discussion Points
Seismitoad A- --> B+
Florges B --> B+
Slowbro B --> B+
Cresselia B --> B+
Necrozma B --> B+
Ditto
