Update time!
Reasoning:
Sneasel is far and away one of the best Pokemon in the tier. With a moveset of Knock Off / Ice Punch / Ice Shard / Low Kick it has very few defensive answers that can stay reliable throughout the duration of a game, and offensive teams typically have to sac a Pokemon in order to bring in a revenge killer due its limited offensive switch-ins. Its main counter Poliwrath is a common Pokemon, but it is easily exploited by other top tier threats such as Musharna and Roselia. Another factor that contributes to Sneasel's placement in S Rank is that its defensive answers will likely lose their item when checking Sneasel, causing them to be less effective against the other Pokemon in the tier they are used as checks for. Additionally, the Eviolite Swords Dance set has been gaining popularity and is more effective against defensive teams, while the Life Orb variant takes on offensive teams well. Altogether, Sneasel is a powerful offensive Pokemon with utility against all styles of play, and deserves its current S ranking.
Scyther is another premier offensive Pokemon in PU. It is very fast and strong, with two main sets, Eviolite Swords Dance and Choice Band, both of which really appreciate Bug-type STAB to actually threaten Musharna, as well as Aerial Ace for Poliwrath, easily dismantling the popular defensive core. Its bulky Swords Dance set finds various setup opportunities, as does its SubSD set, and with only a few counters like Golem and Carracosta, it can be a devastating sweeper. While its main downfall is its Stealth Rock weakness and vulnerability to Ice Shard, it is one of the best setup sweepers in the tier and its STAB typing is brilliant in the PU metagame offensively, so it has moved up to A+.
Gourgeist-S deserves to be in the same rank as Gourgeist-XL mainly because they are very similar and each's advantages aren't really enough to distinguish themselves in the current metagame. Gourgeist-S is more effective against balances teams in order to get off fast Will-o-Wisps and Leech Seeds, while Gourgiest-XL's extra bulk comes in handy in a variety of situations. Therefore, Gourgeist-S is moveing up to A- Rank.
In a tier with few Fire-types, Ninetales really stands out. Its Speed is quite high for PU standards, and it is one of the fastest viable Fire-types (however slower than Simisear), notably outspeeding all of the Gourgeist formes. What really pushes it up though is its access to Nasty Plot and a strong STAB move in Fire Blast, which allows it to often sweep balanced teams really well. It has pretty good special bulk as well as Psyshock in order to take on Pokemon such as Flareon and Lickilicky after setup, so it has moved up to A-.
Throh's raise to A- is justified by the fact that it is as superb Sneasel check thanks to its rare Fighting typing and great 120 / 85 / 85 bulk, which is quite impressive invested. Knock Off gives it a way to harm things like Misdreavus and Haunter, unlike Poliwrath, and Guts is an excellent ability for absorbing Scalds and switching into Will-o-Wisps from the Gourgiest formes. Its competition with Poliwrath is a factor that must be thought of when considering a raise even higher.
With Adaptability, Basculin is one of the hardest hitters in the tier, and its Water typing lets it fit perfectly on the many teams with Water-type late-game sweepers such as Swift Swim Carracosta and Nasty Plot Simipour. It also possesses Aqua Jet which is a huge boon considering the lack of priority in the tier. It can also use a Mold Break set to OHKO lead Golem through Sturdy. It is moving up to B+, but it is not moving in any higher at the moment due to its unfortunate Speed and its inability to break one of the most prevalent defensive Pokemon, Tangela.
Gogoat is remaining in B+ for various reasons. While it has nice bulk and access to Bulk Up and Milk Drink, it has a huge 4MSS syndrome and struggles with common defensive Pokemon like Roselia and Tangela. It also fares poorly against common threats such as Sneasel and Musharna, while facing a lot of competition with faster offensive Grass-types such as Serperior.
Altaria is remaining in B rank for the time being, and it is very important to know that this is only temporary and it will almost definitely be moving in the next update. The council recognised that Altaria has a lot of potential, such as a Choice Specs set which is a fine switch-in to Poliwrath and a Dragon Dance set to sweep weakened teams, however the lack of experience with and against Altaria as well as its numerous flaws on paper halted us from making a strong decision immediately, however it is essential that this receives discussion before the next update.
While Avalugg walls a plethora of physical attackers, its helplessness against most special attackers in addition to its inability to really trouble spinblockers means that it is only rising to B Rank for now, but this could easily change in the future.
The only unanimous decision of every vote, Bastiodon is moving down to B Rank. It was agreed that while Bastiodon could wall some threats like Musharna and Chatot, it was typically a poor choice on stall teams due to its complete passiveness, lack of reliable recovery, and common weaknesses.
Mantine is moving down to B Rank. Its offensive Swift Swim set faces a lot of competition with Swanna, which boasts Hurricane and stronger power. It isn't that strong and its defensive sets lose a lot of momentum with RestTalk, which unlike Poliwrath, lacks the ability to do anything about the common switch-ins while it is asleep. Its defensive sets also have huge competition with Pelipper which has recovery, U-turn, and can check Sneasel far better.
Mightyena is an efficient late-game cleaner. However, it is staying in B Rank due to its very low power initially, frailty, and reliance on Sucker Punch against faster Pokemon which can easily be taken advantage of. Having Play Rough for Poliwrath is nice, but it doesn't do enough without STAB.
With Samurott's absence, Simipour is raising all the way up to B Rank. It is the best special Water-type in the tier with a great Nasty Plot set, which is benefited by Simipour's impressive Speed. However, it does have trouble with Pokemon such as Serperior, Raichu, and Rotom-F, which is why it hasn't raises further for now.
Swoobat can be a threat after a Calm Mind thanks to its high Speed and Stored Power, but it finds very very few setup opportunities with its poor bulk and can be revenge killed by almost any revenge killer. It may be more effective against balanced teams but it still lacks the crucial bulk necessary to setup often, so it is staying in B Rank.
Zebstrika is moving down to B Rank based on the premise that it is worse than Raichu and very frail. It has some plus points like Sap Sipper and Overheat, but they don't do enough to merit its previous ranking. It also faces heavy competition with Electrode.
Butterfree stays in B- rank as it is often too difficult to get a sweep with it. While it has interesting abilities and Sleep Powder, it is quite weak and easily revengable by the common Electric-types in the tier.
Electrode was very close to moving up to B Rank, but too many of the council were unsure of its placement. It has numerous advantages over Zebstrika though, so it is being highlighted for discussion.
Raticate and Gigalith are both remaining in C+ as they have very few advantages over higher ranked Pokemon with similar roles. Raticate has barely anything over Ursaring, and Gigalith has little over Golem including lacking a great Ground typing.
Quilladin and Scraggy retain their ranks due to little council experience with them, though they are likely going to move in the future, but they need much more discussion right now.
Here was the voting verdict:
I will update the thread soon. Keep discussing!
Code:
Sneasel remains in S
Scyther from A to A+
Gourgeist-S from B+ to A-
Ninetales from B+ to A-
Throh from B+ to A-
Basculin from B to B+
Gogoat remains in B+
Altaria remains in B
Avalugg from B- to B
Bastiodon from B+ to B
Mantine from B+ to B
Mightyena remains in B
Simipour from C+ to B
Swoobat remains in B
Zebstrika from B+ to B
Butterfree remains in B-
Electrode remains in B-
Raticate remains in C+
Gigalith remains in C+
Quilladin remains in C
Scraggy remains in C-Sneasel is far and away one of the best Pokemon in the tier. With a moveset of Knock Off / Ice Punch / Ice Shard / Low Kick it has very few defensive answers that can stay reliable throughout the duration of a game, and offensive teams typically have to sac a Pokemon in order to bring in a revenge killer due its limited offensive switch-ins. Its main counter Poliwrath is a common Pokemon, but it is easily exploited by other top tier threats such as Musharna and Roselia. Another factor that contributes to Sneasel's placement in S Rank is that its defensive answers will likely lose their item when checking Sneasel, causing them to be less effective against the other Pokemon in the tier they are used as checks for. Additionally, the Eviolite Swords Dance set has been gaining popularity and is more effective against defensive teams, while the Life Orb variant takes on offensive teams well. Altogether, Sneasel is a powerful offensive Pokemon with utility against all styles of play, and deserves its current S ranking.
Scyther is another premier offensive Pokemon in PU. It is very fast and strong, with two main sets, Eviolite Swords Dance and Choice Band, both of which really appreciate Bug-type STAB to actually threaten Musharna, as well as Aerial Ace for Poliwrath, easily dismantling the popular defensive core. Its bulky Swords Dance set finds various setup opportunities, as does its SubSD set, and with only a few counters like Golem and Carracosta, it can be a devastating sweeper. While its main downfall is its Stealth Rock weakness and vulnerability to Ice Shard, it is one of the best setup sweepers in the tier and its STAB typing is brilliant in the PU metagame offensively, so it has moved up to A+.
Gourgeist-S deserves to be in the same rank as Gourgeist-XL mainly because they are very similar and each's advantages aren't really enough to distinguish themselves in the current metagame. Gourgeist-S is more effective against balances teams in order to get off fast Will-o-Wisps and Leech Seeds, while Gourgiest-XL's extra bulk comes in handy in a variety of situations. Therefore, Gourgeist-S is moveing up to A- Rank.
In a tier with few Fire-types, Ninetales really stands out. Its Speed is quite high for PU standards, and it is one of the fastest viable Fire-types (however slower than Simisear), notably outspeeding all of the Gourgeist formes. What really pushes it up though is its access to Nasty Plot and a strong STAB move in Fire Blast, which allows it to often sweep balanced teams really well. It has pretty good special bulk as well as Psyshock in order to take on Pokemon such as Flareon and Lickilicky after setup, so it has moved up to A-.
Throh's raise to A- is justified by the fact that it is as superb Sneasel check thanks to its rare Fighting typing and great 120 / 85 / 85 bulk, which is quite impressive invested. Knock Off gives it a way to harm things like Misdreavus and Haunter, unlike Poliwrath, and Guts is an excellent ability for absorbing Scalds and switching into Will-o-Wisps from the Gourgiest formes. Its competition with Poliwrath is a factor that must be thought of when considering a raise even higher.
With Adaptability, Basculin is one of the hardest hitters in the tier, and its Water typing lets it fit perfectly on the many teams with Water-type late-game sweepers such as Swift Swim Carracosta and Nasty Plot Simipour. It also possesses Aqua Jet which is a huge boon considering the lack of priority in the tier. It can also use a Mold Break set to OHKO lead Golem through Sturdy. It is moving up to B+, but it is not moving in any higher at the moment due to its unfortunate Speed and its inability to break one of the most prevalent defensive Pokemon, Tangela.
Gogoat is remaining in B+ for various reasons. While it has nice bulk and access to Bulk Up and Milk Drink, it has a huge 4MSS syndrome and struggles with common defensive Pokemon like Roselia and Tangela. It also fares poorly against common threats such as Sneasel and Musharna, while facing a lot of competition with faster offensive Grass-types such as Serperior.
Altaria is remaining in B rank for the time being, and it is very important to know that this is only temporary and it will almost definitely be moving in the next update. The council recognised that Altaria has a lot of potential, such as a Choice Specs set which is a fine switch-in to Poliwrath and a Dragon Dance set to sweep weakened teams, however the lack of experience with and against Altaria as well as its numerous flaws on paper halted us from making a strong decision immediately, however it is essential that this receives discussion before the next update.
While Avalugg walls a plethora of physical attackers, its helplessness against most special attackers in addition to its inability to really trouble spinblockers means that it is only rising to B Rank for now, but this could easily change in the future.
The only unanimous decision of every vote, Bastiodon is moving down to B Rank. It was agreed that while Bastiodon could wall some threats like Musharna and Chatot, it was typically a poor choice on stall teams due to its complete passiveness, lack of reliable recovery, and common weaknesses.
Mantine is moving down to B Rank. Its offensive Swift Swim set faces a lot of competition with Swanna, which boasts Hurricane and stronger power. It isn't that strong and its defensive sets lose a lot of momentum with RestTalk, which unlike Poliwrath, lacks the ability to do anything about the common switch-ins while it is asleep. Its defensive sets also have huge competition with Pelipper which has recovery, U-turn, and can check Sneasel far better.
Mightyena is an efficient late-game cleaner. However, it is staying in B Rank due to its very low power initially, frailty, and reliance on Sucker Punch against faster Pokemon which can easily be taken advantage of. Having Play Rough for Poliwrath is nice, but it doesn't do enough without STAB.
With Samurott's absence, Simipour is raising all the way up to B Rank. It is the best special Water-type in the tier with a great Nasty Plot set, which is benefited by Simipour's impressive Speed. However, it does have trouble with Pokemon such as Serperior, Raichu, and Rotom-F, which is why it hasn't raises further for now.
Swoobat can be a threat after a Calm Mind thanks to its high Speed and Stored Power, but it finds very very few setup opportunities with its poor bulk and can be revenge killed by almost any revenge killer. It may be more effective against balanced teams but it still lacks the crucial bulk necessary to setup often, so it is staying in B Rank.
Zebstrika is moving down to B Rank based on the premise that it is worse than Raichu and very frail. It has some plus points like Sap Sipper and Overheat, but they don't do enough to merit its previous ranking. It also faces heavy competition with Electrode.
Butterfree stays in B- rank as it is often too difficult to get a sweep with it. While it has interesting abilities and Sleep Powder, it is quite weak and easily revengable by the common Electric-types in the tier.
Electrode was very close to moving up to B Rank, but too many of the council were unsure of its placement. It has numerous advantages over Zebstrika though, so it is being highlighted for discussion.
Raticate and Gigalith are both remaining in C+ as they have very few advantages over higher ranked Pokemon with similar roles. Raticate has barely anything over Ursaring, and Gigalith has little over Golem including lacking a great Ground typing.
Quilladin and Scraggy retain their ranks due to little council experience with them, though they are likely going to move in the future, but they need much more discussion right now.
Here was the voting verdict:
Pokemon to be discussed before the next update:
Code:
Throh from A- to A
Gogoat from B+ to A-
Altaria from B to A- / B+
Avalugg from B to A- / B+
Simipour from B to B+
Electrode from B- to B
Quilladin from C to C+
Simisage from D to C+
Solrock from C- to C+
Tropius from C- to C+
Wailord from C- to C+
Walrein from C- to C+
Dusclops from D+ to C
Vibrava from Unlisted to C
Dusknoir from D- to D+
Maractus from D- to D+
Regigigas from E to D
Cacnea from unlisted to D-
Corsola from D to E
Dunsparce from D+ to E
Illumise from C- to E
Minun from D- to E
Noctowl from D to E
Phione from D to E
Pidgeot from C to E
Plusle from D- to E
Stantler from D+ to E
Shedinja from D+ to E
Unfezant from D+ to E
Clefairy from D+ to unlisted
Pikachu from D- to unlisted
