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Resource XY RU Tier List (RU Viability Ranking itt)
- Thread starter Molk
- Start date
- Status
I based it of his post
That is the original poster lol, pretty much llamas is wondering why you pretty much copied his post?
tbh, I really just needed a bg for my post, I honestly would be happy to delete that part of it and leave barbaracle.
Drop accelgor down to B, despite how much I love it Omastar is just so much better as a hazard stacker with SR. It also has good offensive sets in Shell smash and Specs (rain obv) over accelgor. . Accelgor should not drop lower becasue it shits on meloetta and can actually outspeed +2 pedo with unburden and rek its life with bug buzz. also defeating Rhyperior is nice
48 SpA Accelgor Energy Ball vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Rhyperior: 436-516 (100.4 - 118.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
EDIT: Im stupid and Molk is a cool d00d.
48 SpA Accelgor Energy Ball vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Rhyperior: 436-516 (100.4 - 118.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO
EDIT: Im stupid and Molk is a cool d00d.
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Just something to note, most Rhyperior run *significantly more Special Bulk than that, and in fact the standard Rhyperior EV spread easily survives even max Special Attack investment Energy Ball from Accelgor =/.
252 SpA Accelgor Energy Ball vs. 248 HP / 220 SpD Solid Rock Rhyperior: 288-342 (66.5 - 78.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
As for Accelgor itself, i'm really not to sure whether i want to drop it or not. Having Stealth Rock and Spikes in one teamslot is a really really important thing going for Omastar, but Accelgor has its own perks that separate it from Omastar such as its *MUCH* Higher Speed stat to get extra layers of Spikes up, an incredibly fast Encore to force switches and grab more opportunities to set up hazards even outside of the lead slot, and Final Gambit which prevents both Rapid Spin and Defog for one turn and grants the Accelgor user a free switch to an offensive threat, something Omastar can't do (although it can OHKO Gligar with Ice Beam for sure).
I won't comment on the other sets since i havent seen either of them in action for a while.
I'm not completely opposed to dropping it down to B, but i know Accel definitely isn't outclassed by omastar as a hazard setter, and i'm definitely opposed to dropping it anywhere lower than B.
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Registeel: Kinda feel Registeel should stay where it is. I mean, it's still a solid special wall that you need to make sure you can beat since it can reliably check / counter anything that can't hit it for super effective damage, and even some things that do. It's also got a Mono-Curse set that can be a useful win-con for stall teams.
Clawitzer: Ever since I created my Balance Claws team a couple of months ago, I've been a big fan of Clawitzer. While it is in no way the best wallbreaker in the tier (Moltres / Meloetta) it is perhaps the most annoying thing ever to switch into. While Moltres and Meloetta are good enough to get by with their STABs alone in most cases, Clawitzer makes up for this with more powerful coverage options thanks to Mega Launcher. (pseudo-STAB on Dark Pulse and Aura Sphere) It has just about 0 defensive counters whatsoever, but to acheive this, it has to give up longevity and use Life Orb since Choice Specs restricts its coverage a bit. That, and it's slow as fuck, barely outspeeding Golbat with Modest max Speed. Even so, the sheer power of its attacks and coverage is enough to make it A- imo.
Accelgor: This thing should definitely stay in B+ imo. I've been using it a lot lately and I can honestly say it never has let me down. I think the issue with Accelgor is how people use it. Sure it's got Spikes, shit defenses, and a p. bad defensive typing. But that doesn't mean you have to lead with it. Honestly, that's what the opponent expects. Accelgor works best with a Volt Switch / U-turn user that can create an opportunity early-game (like around turn 3-5) for an easy Spike opportunity. While Accelgor may not be able to blow up a Defog or Rapid Spin user with a powerful Ice Beam / Scald its Final Gambit is usually enough to keep the Defogger or Rapid Spinner from getting rid of your hazards until it's already too late to make a difference. There's probably more I'm missing, but it's 2:45 am as I type this up. So if I miss something, deal with it.
Clawitzer: Ever since I created my Balance Claws team a couple of months ago, I've been a big fan of Clawitzer. While it is in no way the best wallbreaker in the tier (Moltres / Meloetta) it is perhaps the most annoying thing ever to switch into. While Moltres and Meloetta are good enough to get by with their STABs alone in most cases, Clawitzer makes up for this with more powerful coverage options thanks to Mega Launcher. (pseudo-STAB on Dark Pulse and Aura Sphere) It has just about 0 defensive counters whatsoever, but to acheive this, it has to give up longevity and use Life Orb since Choice Specs restricts its coverage a bit. That, and it's slow as fuck, barely outspeeding Golbat with Modest max Speed. Even so, the sheer power of its attacks and coverage is enough to make it A- imo.
Accelgor: This thing should definitely stay in B+ imo. I've been using it a lot lately and I can honestly say it never has let me down. I think the issue with Accelgor is how people use it. Sure it's got Spikes, shit defenses, and a p. bad defensive typing. But that doesn't mean you have to lead with it. Honestly, that's what the opponent expects. Accelgor works best with a Volt Switch / U-turn user that can create an opportunity early-game (like around turn 3-5) for an easy Spike opportunity. While Accelgor may not be able to blow up a Defog or Rapid Spin user with a powerful Ice Beam / Scald its Final Gambit is usually enough to keep the Defogger or Rapid Spinner from getting rid of your hazards until it's already too late to make a difference. There's probably more I'm missing, but it's 2:45 am as I type this up. So if I miss something, deal with it.
Going to post my opinion on the pastebin nominations, since I was active when those were made, which means I might be able to give some input. Keep in mind that my opinion on some of those has changed slightly since then, but most remain the same. I'll bold my own nominations and italic the ones that I had a decent impact on:
B-
Moltres is at its best right now. Skuntank is, arguably, the strongest Moltres partner, having both Pursuit and Defog. This should be enough to instantly move it up honestly. But besides that, it does have some cool tools, such as Fire Blast (not bad at all), Haze, Foul Play and Punishment, and the fact Dugtrio can't trap it at all make Skuntank a really strong support Pokemon. I think the best term to describe it would be jack of all trades, since it does a lot of stuff at the same time but doesn't really excel at anything, in the sense that it checks Psychic-types, supports with Defog, supports with Pursuit and so on, but there are better options for dedicated Pokemon on those roles, and Skuntank should only be used under specific circumstances. I actually wouldn't mind seeing it in B, but baby steps are the best steps.
B-
Solid Hitmonlee counter. It's also a Fairy-type with mild offensive presence, giving few switch in opportunities for a mostly defensive Pokemon, thanks to Thunder Wave and Earthquake. It has Roar and Heal Bell too. Biggest problem with this one is that the metagame is extremely unkind to it, with a lot of the most threatening Physical threats being able to bypass it one way or another (Doublade shits on it, Cobalion, Escavalier, and Durant too. Sharpedo can go Special so Granbull sucks as an initial switch and so on), but it still doesn't seem too out of place in B-.
B-
Sort of lacking in experience with this one, but the offensive Stealth Rock setter set is really solid from what I've seen. It wins vs Gligar and can lure Shiftry with Sludge Wave. It can also serve as a decent Rain sweeper, but I'm not too sure, although I don't think it'd hurt moving it up.
C+
Competition for a Grass-type is just either too high or nonexistent, since Virizion, Shiftry, Rotom-C, and Amoonguss leave pretty much no niche for Sceptile to fulfill. It'll get time for revenge during ORAS though.
C+
Wish + Regenerator is big (see: Alomomola). It's a soft Moltres check (if it manages to Knock Off its item it'll be way more powerless), and that's good too. It has Heal Bell over Alomomola, and the typing differentiates them as well. Lickilicky's got nothing on Regenerator too. In general, I think Audino is a good addition to some stall and balanced teams, but the fact that it's a niche Pokemon for the most part mean that it shouldn't be considered for a rank in B for now, so C+ isn't bad at all.
C
This is one of the few Pokemon I've changed my mind on. I think it gets a lot of shit because it's one of the ladder's favorites outside of the classical Claydol / Hitmonchan / Ambipom trilogy (almost as good as twilight). However, I think people are failing to see outside of the Dragon Dance set, which is obviously weak because it can't get past Doublade, and has a hard time in general, since it's not the fastest thing in the world. However, it's a soft check to Moltres, and Choice Band Crunch actually destroys the aforementioned Doublade, making it a not so bad lure. It's also a Physical Sweeper that can get past Gligar. I think it wouldn't hurt keeping it at C+, until someone actually feels like actually testing it in this metagame.
C+
Was actually a joke if I recall correctly, but it's actually not a bad Pokemon by any means, with the only drawback being the fact it's a weak partner for other Water-types, which might potentially be needed. However, in return, it's, in my opinion, one of the strongest Rhyperior partners in RU, creating a solid hazard control core, which also manage to soft check the entire S Rank. Overall, I think Pelipper is fine in either ranks, so I'm not going to develop this any further.
Moving up a rank (or more)
These are pretty much in the same boat, with Cradily being the one that stands out the most, which you can see in Meru's nomination. Cradily has a lot of things going on for it, including Storm Drain, Stealth Rock and Recover, while remaining a solid Moltres check. Regirock and Carbink also have that last perk, although they don't have much besides that, except for the Fairy-type and Thunder Wave respectively. However, I think that this is enough to move them up. I'd say Cradily to B-, Regirock to C+ and Carbink to C-.
I'm really short on time right now, so in order to keep the quality decent with this one, I'll leave everything else for another day.
Moltres is at its best right now. Skuntank is, arguably, the strongest Moltres partner, having both Pursuit and Defog. This should be enough to instantly move it up honestly. But besides that, it does have some cool tools, such as Fire Blast (not bad at all), Haze, Foul Play and Punishment, and the fact Dugtrio can't trap it at all make Skuntank a really strong support Pokemon. I think the best term to describe it would be jack of all trades, since it does a lot of stuff at the same time but doesn't really excel at anything, in the sense that it checks Psychic-types, supports with Defog, supports with Pursuit and so on, but there are better options for dedicated Pokemon on those roles, and Skuntank should only be used under specific circumstances. I actually wouldn't mind seeing it in B, but baby steps are the best steps.
Solid Hitmonlee counter. It's also a Fairy-type with mild offensive presence, giving few switch in opportunities for a mostly defensive Pokemon, thanks to Thunder Wave and Earthquake. It has Roar and Heal Bell too. Biggest problem with this one is that the metagame is extremely unkind to it, with a lot of the most threatening Physical threats being able to bypass it one way or another (Doublade shits on it, Cobalion, Escavalier, and Durant too. Sharpedo can go Special so Granbull sucks as an initial switch and so on), but it still doesn't seem too out of place in B-.
Sort of lacking in experience with this one, but the offensive Stealth Rock setter set is really solid from what I've seen. It wins vs Gligar and can lure Shiftry with Sludge Wave. It can also serve as a decent Rain sweeper, but I'm not too sure, although I don't think it'd hurt moving it up.
Competition for a Grass-type is just either too high or nonexistent, since Virizion, Shiftry, Rotom-C, and Amoonguss leave pretty much no niche for Sceptile to fulfill. It'll get time for revenge during ORAS though.
Wish + Regenerator is big (see: Alomomola). It's a soft Moltres check (if it manages to Knock Off its item it'll be way more powerless), and that's good too. It has Heal Bell over Alomomola, and the typing differentiates them as well. Lickilicky's got nothing on Regenerator too. In general, I think Audino is a good addition to some stall and balanced teams, but the fact that it's a niche Pokemon for the most part mean that it shouldn't be considered for a rank in B for now, so C+ isn't bad at all.
This is one of the few Pokemon I've changed my mind on. I think it gets a lot of shit because it's one of the ladder's favorites outside of the classical Claydol / Hitmonchan / Ambipom trilogy (almost as good as twilight). However, I think people are failing to see outside of the Dragon Dance set, which is obviously weak because it can't get past Doublade, and has a hard time in general, since it's not the fastest thing in the world. However, it's a soft check to Moltres, and Choice Band Crunch actually destroys the aforementioned Doublade, making it a not so bad lure. It's also a Physical Sweeper that can get past Gligar. I think it wouldn't hurt keeping it at C+, until someone actually feels like actually testing it in this metagame.
Was actually a joke if I recall correctly, but it's actually not a bad Pokemon by any means, with the only drawback being the fact it's a weak partner for other Water-types, which might potentially be needed. However, in return, it's, in my opinion, one of the strongest Rhyperior partners in RU, creating a solid hazard control core, which also manage to soft check the entire S Rank. Overall, I think Pelipper is fine in either ranks, so I'm not going to develop this any further.
These are pretty much in the same boat, with Cradily being the one that stands out the most, which you can see in Meru's nomination. Cradily has a lot of things going on for it, including Storm Drain, Stealth Rock and Recover, while remaining a solid Moltres check. Regirock and Carbink also have that last perk, although they don't have much besides that, except for the Fairy-type and Thunder Wave respectively. However, I think that this is enough to move them up. I'd say Cradily to B-, Regirock to C+ and Carbink to C-.
I'm really short on time right now, so in order to keep the quality decent with this one, I'll leave everything else for another day.
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Hey this was nominated by New Breed back on Page 1 but it apparently never happened, but I definitely think that Exploud should move up to A- Rank.
I see Exploud to be quite a bit like Aggron from BW RU. It's pretty hard to get into the battle (mostly because it's slow and not that bulky), but once it does get in, it can do quite a lot of damage. The raw power of Specs Boomburst is astounding. It is quite hard to actually switch into, and this means that Exploud can put incredible amounts of pressure on slower teams. This also makes it difficult for any faster Pokemon to freely come in, and leaves Exploud with not that many counters. Scrappy is also awesome, so no Pokemon is immune to its Specs Boomburst. Exploud also has quite a good offensive movepool, with gems like Fire Blast, Focus Blast, and Surf, so Exploud has ways to donk many of the Pokemon that actually can switch in on Boomburst. Surf basically smashes Rhyperior, Fire Blast and Focus Blast take care of Steel-types like Registeel and Doublade quite nicely. Did I not mention this thing pairs up quite well with some other common Pokemon like Whimsicott and Fletchinder (both of these do pretty well against offense)? It performs fantastically against bulky offense and balance in particular, among other slower playstyles because of its raw wallbreaking ability, and in general is one of the better wallbreakers in the tier.
It still has a few flaws, like its low Speed leaving it pretty easy to revenge kill, plus it's not exactly all that bulky. A Normal-typing doesn't do much for it defensively. However, with its wallbreaking power, giving Exploud that opportunity to get in (which isn't too hard) can lead to you getting wrecked by it. It deserves A- imo. Especially since the meta has largely shifted in Exploud's favor.
Already posted my opinion on the other noms so yeah.
I see Exploud to be quite a bit like Aggron from BW RU. It's pretty hard to get into the battle (mostly because it's slow and not that bulky), but once it does get in, it can do quite a lot of damage. The raw power of Specs Boomburst is astounding. It is quite hard to actually switch into, and this means that Exploud can put incredible amounts of pressure on slower teams. This also makes it difficult for any faster Pokemon to freely come in, and leaves Exploud with not that many counters. Scrappy is also awesome, so no Pokemon is immune to its Specs Boomburst. Exploud also has quite a good offensive movepool, with gems like Fire Blast, Focus Blast, and Surf, so Exploud has ways to donk many of the Pokemon that actually can switch in on Boomburst. Surf basically smashes Rhyperior, Fire Blast and Focus Blast take care of Steel-types like Registeel and Doublade quite nicely. Did I not mention this thing pairs up quite well with some other common Pokemon like Whimsicott and Fletchinder (both of these do pretty well against offense)? It performs fantastically against bulky offense and balance in particular, among other slower playstyles because of its raw wallbreaking ability, and in general is one of the better wallbreakers in the tier.
It still has a few flaws, like its low Speed leaving it pretty easy to revenge kill, plus it's not exactly all that bulky. A Normal-typing doesn't do much for it defensively. However, with its wallbreaking power, giving Exploud that opportunity to get in (which isn't too hard) can lead to you getting wrecked by it. It deserves A- imo. Especially since the meta has largely shifted in Exploud's favor.
Already posted my opinion on the other noms so yeah.
Going through the rest of the nominations. Bold are my nominations, Italic are nominations I heavily backed up. I might also add some others that were either previously mentioned in this thread, briefly mentioned on IRC or just some things that were forgotten by others.
C+
I'm actually a bit unsure about this one, but the spot for a Water-type is pretty crowded, with Slowking, Alomomola, Sharpedo and Clawitzer to an extend get the spot for the most part, depending on whether you need a Special Wall (or, in real words, a Moltres counter), a Physical Wall, a Late Game cleaner or a Wallbreaker. However, I think that Gastrodon, unlike fellow outclassed Pokemon Sceptile, has some reasons that justify its use, including its Ground-type, Recover, and mild base Special Attack. All in all, I think both C+ or B- would fit it well, with C+ being probably better, as Seismitoad brings Stealth Rock to the table besides its typing, and Gastrodon doesn't really offer much as far as utility goes (that is, unless you use the sick Block + Yawn + Memento + Rindo Berry)
C+
Choice Band Gallade is not bad at all at breaking teams apart, and even Bulk Up and Swords Dance can find place in some teams. All in all, I think its versatility is enough to give it a rank in B-, but the fact the metagame in general is not the kindest to it (Doublade and Gligar make you go around in circles about coverage, offense makes you want to have Shadow Sneak, you get the point by now, it has a huge 4MSS) means that Gallade going higher than B- is a no-no, especially with the existence of other really good Fighting-types, such as Cobalion, Virizion, Hitmonlee, Gurdurr and even Sawk. And speaking of Sawk...
B-
Not going too in-depth with this one, but Choice Band Sawk really pressure a lot of common RU teams, nuking Gligar with Ice Punch, Doublade with Knock Off, and Aromatisse with Poison Jab, as well as having a ridiculously strong Close Combat and a mild amount of opportunities to be brought in. I'd say it's probably as worthy of B- as Gallade, if not even more.
A-
Quoting myself right here:
C+
Besides being ridiculously cute, it's also a really interesting Pokemon. However, it's sort of one dimensional, with the biggest change in its sets being either Choice Band over Life Orb and Knock Off as a coverage move. It really struggles against Doublade without the later too, which is an undesired trait on a Physical Sweeper. All in all though, I think that it's a fine B- Pokemon, since it's an excellent lure against Rock typed Pokemon, which are basically at a viability peak due to Moltres' presence. It also gives offense a run for its money, although that's already a playstyle in decay. There's also the fact that Rough Skin (Druddigon, BULKY WATER SHARPEDO) and Rocky Helmet (Alomomola and Amoonguss sometimes, as well as more defensively oriented variants of Druddigon) massively destroy it. I'm actually pretty unsure about it in the end.
C+
Another unfortunate victim of excessive competition. However, I actually think that this one has some hidden potential in its offensive sets, which range from Choice Specs, Swords Dance, Life Orb (Special or Mixed), as well as Assault Vest. In general, my opinion is that the biggest trait Tangrowth has going for it is the surprise factor and the sheer amount of sets it can run, even in a less friendly metagame. It's also a victim of the ladder scrubs running defensive sets on it, thus leaving a bad impression of the Pokemon. It's probably deserving of B-, but I guess it could use some testing in general.
B+
I'm actually like: What the fuck is this nomination doing here? It's a Defog user that loses to the most common Stealth Rock setters (it's even easier to wear down than Gligar actually, due to its weakness to the hazard), including Rhyperior, Cobalion and Omastar, and it's also massive set up bait for Doublade. As an alternative, you can use the "Stallbreaker" set that gets walked all over by Slowking and Aromatisse, and doesn't even have enough Speed to Taunt some key Pokemon without Speed investment, such as Drapion. And speaking of Drapion: It has 75/70/75 bulk once you Knock Off its Eviolite, which is going to happen a lot, as it's an usual answer to Hitmonlee. So in the end, I'd say that it should actually be moved down to B-, also because its niche as a Yanmega check is longtime gone by now too.
B-
Don't know if this is enough to stress out how much I'd like this to happen, but I think that it's one of those Pokemon that really loses a lot of reputation thanks to people on the ladder running non optimal builds on it. To begin with: It's the only defensive Rapid Spin user in the tier, and Foresight actually means it's a decent lure to Doublade, with a 0 Attack EVs Close Combat 3HOKing, and while this doesn't seem good at all, it's actually pretty decent for a Pokemon that apparently can't do anything against the aforementioned Doublade. It also has Intimidate, making it a soft check to a decent amount of Physical attackers, such as Rhyperior (also stopping it from laying down Stealth Rock), Cobalion, Durant and probably some more. 110 Special Defense isn't too shabby either, and it can actually cripple common switch ins through Toxic (which, by the way, should always be the 4th move on Hitmontop, since Sucker Punch and Stone Edge are piss weak. Rest doesn't look bad on paper, but it's usually better to offset the lack of recovery through Wish support). This one seems like a B- Pokemon to me actually, but I'll probably not get too much support regarding it.
B+
I think this is one of the most supported nominations by now, wondering why it's yet to happen. With that in mind, I'll just quote one of my older posts again:
B+
In my opinion, Registeel just isn't in its glory days anymore. Of course it's not bad by any means, but its offensive presence leaves a bit to be desired (it's complete set up bait for Doublade, unless you're real and use Zap Cannon), it loses to Gligar as a Stealth Rock setter, is susceptible to Dugtrio trapping and some of the main Pokemon it's supposed to set, such as Exploud and Meloetta, can play around it with the proper coverage or set. B+
B
Emboar needs to be cleaned off B+ Rank. It's not really a bad Pokemon, but it sort of falls short as a wallbreaker in comparison to Exploud and Clawitzer, and doesn't have the utility off Omastar, Accelgor or even Combusken to make up for it. I don't think that B+ Rank is where it should be, unless someone can make me change my opinion about it. B it is until then, though.
Alright. So, since I'm tired by now and there's a lot I want to talk about the last two Pokemon left, (Exploud and Clawitzer) I'll leave it for my next post.
I'm actually a bit unsure about this one, but the spot for a Water-type is pretty crowded, with Slowking, Alomomola, Sharpedo and Clawitzer to an extend get the spot for the most part, depending on whether you need a Special Wall (or, in real words, a Moltres counter), a Physical Wall, a Late Game cleaner or a Wallbreaker. However, I think that Gastrodon, unlike fellow outclassed Pokemon Sceptile, has some reasons that justify its use, including its Ground-type, Recover, and mild base Special Attack. All in all, I think both C+ or B- would fit it well, with C+ being probably better, as Seismitoad brings Stealth Rock to the table besides its typing, and Gastrodon doesn't really offer much as far as utility goes (that is, unless you use the sick Block + Yawn + Memento + Rindo Berry)
Choice Band Gallade is not bad at all at breaking teams apart, and even Bulk Up and Swords Dance can find place in some teams. All in all, I think its versatility is enough to give it a rank in B-, but the fact the metagame in general is not the kindest to it (Doublade and Gligar make you go around in circles about coverage, offense makes you want to have Shadow Sneak, you get the point by now, it has a huge 4MSS) means that Gallade going higher than B- is a no-no, especially with the existence of other really good Fighting-types, such as Cobalion, Virizion, Hitmonlee, Gurdurr and even Sawk. And speaking of Sawk...
Not going too in-depth with this one, but Choice Band Sawk really pressure a lot of common RU teams, nuking Gligar with Ice Punch, Doublade with Knock Off, and Aromatisse with Poison Jab, as well as having a ridiculously strong Close Combat and a mild amount of opportunities to be brought in. I'd say it's probably as worthy of B- as Gallade, if not even more.
Quoting myself right here:
All of these points are still true, except for the obviously outdated stuff, but I also think it's not on par as a metagame-defining threat compared to everything else in A Rank, and should be moved down as a consequence. Durant is by no means a bad Pokemon, and A- is not a bad rank either, but in the end, it has really underwhelming bulk, which means it can't really afford to miss and depends on setting up in a decent amount of situations. Those problems make it unworthy of being A Rank, in my opinion.Pearl. said:
Besides being ridiculously cute, it's also a really interesting Pokemon. However, it's sort of one dimensional, with the biggest change in its sets being either Choice Band over Life Orb and Knock Off as a coverage move. It really struggles against Doublade without the later too, which is an undesired trait on a Physical Sweeper. All in all though, I think that it's a fine B- Pokemon, since it's an excellent lure against Rock typed Pokemon, which are basically at a viability peak due to Moltres' presence. It also gives offense a run for its money, although that's already a playstyle in decay. There's also the fact that Rough Skin (Druddigon, BULKY WATER SHARPEDO) and Rocky Helmet (Alomomola and Amoonguss sometimes, as well as more defensively oriented variants of Druddigon) massively destroy it. I'm actually pretty unsure about it in the end.
Another unfortunate victim of excessive competition. However, I actually think that this one has some hidden potential in its offensive sets, which range from Choice Specs, Swords Dance, Life Orb (Special or Mixed), as well as Assault Vest. In general, my opinion is that the biggest trait Tangrowth has going for it is the surprise factor and the sheer amount of sets it can run, even in a less friendly metagame. It's also a victim of the ladder scrubs running defensive sets on it, thus leaving a bad impression of the Pokemon. It's probably deserving of B-, but I guess it could use some testing in general.
I'm actually like: What the fuck is this nomination doing here? It's a Defog user that loses to the most common Stealth Rock setters (it's even easier to wear down than Gligar actually, due to its weakness to the hazard), including Rhyperior, Cobalion and Omastar, and it's also massive set up bait for Doublade. As an alternative, you can use the "Stallbreaker" set that gets walked all over by Slowking and Aromatisse, and doesn't even have enough Speed to Taunt some key Pokemon without Speed investment, such as Drapion. And speaking of Drapion: It has 75/70/75 bulk once you Knock Off its Eviolite, which is going to happen a lot, as it's an usual answer to Hitmonlee. So in the end, I'd say that it should actually be moved down to B-, also because its niche as a Yanmega check is longtime gone by now too.
Don't know if this is enough to stress out how much I'd like this to happen, but I think that it's one of those Pokemon that really loses a lot of reputation thanks to people on the ladder running non optimal builds on it. To begin with: It's the only defensive Rapid Spin user in the tier, and Foresight actually means it's a decent lure to Doublade, with a 0 Attack EVs Close Combat 3HOKing, and while this doesn't seem good at all, it's actually pretty decent for a Pokemon that apparently can't do anything against the aforementioned Doublade. It also has Intimidate, making it a soft check to a decent amount of Physical attackers, such as Rhyperior (also stopping it from laying down Stealth Rock), Cobalion, Durant and probably some more. 110 Special Defense isn't too shabby either, and it can actually cripple common switch ins through Toxic (which, by the way, should always be the 4th move on Hitmontop, since Sucker Punch and Stone Edge are piss weak. Rest doesn't look bad on paper, but it's usually better to offset the lack of recovery through Wish support). This one seems like a B- Pokemon to me actually, but I'll probably not get too much support regarding it.
I think this is one of the most supported nominations by now, wondering why it's yet to happen. With that in mind, I'll just quote one of my older posts again:
The amount of tools it has when compared to the other competitors for the lead slot actually put Qwilfish on par with them, and even if it didn't, there's also the defensive set. Easily a B+ in my opinion.Pearl. said:
In my opinion, Registeel just isn't in its glory days anymore. Of course it's not bad by any means, but its offensive presence leaves a bit to be desired (it's complete set up bait for Doublade, unless you're real and use Zap Cannon), it loses to Gligar as a Stealth Rock setter, is susceptible to Dugtrio trapping and some of the main Pokemon it's supposed to set, such as Exploud and Meloetta, can play around it with the proper coverage or set. B+
Emboar needs to be cleaned off B+ Rank. It's not really a bad Pokemon, but it sort of falls short as a wallbreaker in comparison to Exploud and Clawitzer, and doesn't have the utility off Omastar, Accelgor or even Combusken to make up for it. I don't think that B+ Rank is where it should be, unless someone can make me change my opinion about it. B it is until then, though.
Alright. So, since I'm tired by now and there's a lot I want to talk about the last two Pokemon left, (Exploud and Clawitzer) I'll leave it for my next post.
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Alrighte, time to update!
I'd like more discussion on Exploud and Sawk before moving them up (personally i think if Clawitzer deserves A- then Exploud prolly does too, but i want to see everyone else's thoughts), and i'm not 100% sure what do with Lickilicky or Tangrowth either.
If you don't agree with a change that was made, just speak up!
Something to note is that C+ rank is getting a little big atm.
On another note, combusken worth B+ or no?
Sceptile down to C+ rank
Skuntank up to B- rank
Audino up to C+ rank
Regirock up to C+ rank
Carbink up to C- rank
Granbull up to B- rank
Zweilous added to D
Cradily up to C+ rank
Qwilfish up to B+ rank
Bronzong up to B rank
Durant down to A- rank
Seismitoad up to B- rank
Clawitzer up to A- rank
Emboar down to B rank
Skuntank up to B- rank
Audino up to C+ rank
Regirock up to C+ rank
Carbink up to C- rank
Granbull up to B- rank
Zweilous added to D
Cradily up to C+ rank
Qwilfish up to B+ rank
Bronzong up to B rank
Durant down to A- rank
Seismitoad up to B- rank
Clawitzer up to A- rank
Emboar down to B rank
I'd like more discussion on Exploud and Sawk before moving them up (personally i think if Clawitzer deserves A- then Exploud prolly does too, but i want to see everyone else's thoughts), and i'm not 100% sure what do with Lickilicky or Tangrowth either.
If you don't agree with a change that was made, just speak up!
Something to note is that C+ rank is getting a little big atm.
On another note, combusken worth B+ or no?
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Exploud: Forgot to talk about it in my last post, but if Clawitzer gets A-, so should Exploud. I feel they're on equal footing and just as good for different reasons. Clawitzer has actually useful resistances to nab a couple of extra switch-in opportunities and has amazing coverage. On the other hand, Exploud has a little bit more Speed (really nice for Golbats that creep Modest Clawitzer) and an absolute nuke in Boomburst that you absolutely need a bulky Rock- or Steel-type for. To put the power of Boomburst in perspective, it cleanly 2HKOs Support Cobalion, which is arguably the most common bulky Steel-type for offensive teams. All it really needs for coverage is Surf and Fire Blast, allowing it to run shit like Focus Blast, Ice Beam, or if the user is REAL, Work Up in the last slot. Easy A- rank imo.
Oh yeah, i almost forgot that i wanted to make a nom too.
------>B+
This thing is really cool imo, and when you look at its unique set of traits it's not hard to see why. First off, you'll notice that Eelektross's bulk is quite good, especially when you consider that its a good holder of Assault Vest (one of the few mons in RU i'd advise you use it on tbh) and that it just happens to be blessed as the only fully evolved Pokemon that doesn't have even a single weakness to prey on as of XY, which of course makes this fish incredibly hard to OHKO under normal conditions. Combine this amazing bulk with Eelektross's solid base 105 Special Attack stat and great coverage, and you have a Pokemon that can get quite annoying quite fast. As mentioned before its really hard to one shot for most teams, and because of Eelektross's solid movepool it can nail quite a few of RU's most common threats hard in return (Slowking, Amoonguss, Doublade, Moltres, Rhyperior, Cobalion, Shiftry, Alomomola, and Escavalier are just a few examples of Pokemon that have trouble against Eelektross's coverage). Of course Eelektross's coverage isn't perfect and there are quite a few Pokemon that aren't hit super effectively by any move that Eel can throw at them, but almost all of these Pokemon are either frail enough to be 2HKO'd by Eelektross's Thunderbolt/other coverage moves, can't do enough damage to eel in return, or can simply be Volt Switched out of. Speaking of Volt Switch, this move makes Eelektross a *great* pivot imo. That same movepool that lets Eelektross threaten a significant portion of the tier also makes it force quite a few switches, letting it utilize its slow Volt Switch to the fullest to give its team tons and tons of momentum, and because of Levitate it's completely immune to Spikes and Toxic Spikes, making it a bit harder to wear down than the average Volturn user. On top of this, most Pokemon used to absorb Volt Switch usually (bulky Grass- and Ground-types) don't want to get hit by Eelektross's coverage moves (Flamethrower, Giga Drain), making VSwitch quite spammable.
So, thoughts on Eel? B+ worthy or not? If not, why not?
This thing is really cool imo, and when you look at its unique set of traits it's not hard to see why. First off, you'll notice that Eelektross's bulk is quite good, especially when you consider that its a good holder of Assault Vest (one of the few mons in RU i'd advise you use it on tbh) and that it just happens to be blessed as the only fully evolved Pokemon that doesn't have even a single weakness to prey on as of XY, which of course makes this fish incredibly hard to OHKO under normal conditions. Combine this amazing bulk with Eelektross's solid base 105 Special Attack stat and great coverage, and you have a Pokemon that can get quite annoying quite fast. As mentioned before its really hard to one shot for most teams, and because of Eelektross's solid movepool it can nail quite a few of RU's most common threats hard in return (Slowking, Amoonguss, Doublade, Moltres, Rhyperior, Cobalion, Shiftry, Alomomola, and Escavalier are just a few examples of Pokemon that have trouble against Eelektross's coverage). Of course Eelektross's coverage isn't perfect and there are quite a few Pokemon that aren't hit super effectively by any move that Eel can throw at them, but almost all of these Pokemon are either frail enough to be 2HKO'd by Eelektross's Thunderbolt/other coverage moves, can't do enough damage to eel in return, or can simply be Volt Switched out of. Speaking of Volt Switch, this move makes Eelektross a *great* pivot imo. That same movepool that lets Eelektross threaten a significant portion of the tier also makes it force quite a few switches, letting it utilize its slow Volt Switch to the fullest to give its team tons and tons of momentum, and because of Levitate it's completely immune to Spikes and Toxic Spikes, making it a bit harder to wear down than the average Volturn user. On top of this, most Pokemon used to absorb Volt Switch usually (bulky Grass- and Ground-types) don't want to get hit by Eelektross's coverage moves (Flamethrower, Giga Drain), making VSwitch quite spammable.
So, thoughts on Eel? B+ worthy or not? If not, why not?
This thing has needed to move up for a while, glad people are finally catching onOh yeah, i almost forgot that i wanted to make a nom too.
------>B+
This thing is really cool imo, and when you look at its unique set of traits it's not hard to see why. First off, you'll notice that Eelektross's bulk is quite good, especially when you consider that its a good holder of Assault Vest (one of the few mons in RU i'd advise you use it on tbh) and that it just happens to be blessed as the only fully evolved Pokemon that doesn't have even a single weakness to prey on as of XY, which of course makes this fish incredibly hard to OHKO under normal conditions. Combine this amazing bulk with Eelektross's solid base 105 Special Attack stat and great coverage, and you have a Pokemon that can get quite annoying quite fast. As mentioned before its really hard to one shot for most teams, and because of Eelektross's solid movepool it can nail quite a few of RU's most common threats hard in return (Slowking, Amoonguss, Doublade, Moltres, Rhyperior, Cobalion, Shiftry, Alomomola, and Escavalier are just a few examples of Pokemon that have trouble against Eelektross's coverage). Of course Eelektross's coverage isn't perfect and there are quite a few Pokemon that aren't hit super effectively by any move that Eel can throw at them, but almost all of these Pokemon are either frail enough to be 2HKO'd by Eelektross's Thunderbolt/other coverage moves, can't do enough damage to eel in return, or can simply be Volt Switched out of. Speaking of Volt Switch, this move makes Eelektross a *great* pivot imo. That same movepool that lets Eelektross threaten a significant portion of the tier also makes it force quite a few switches, letting it utilize its slow Volt Switch to the fullest to give its team tons and tons of momentum, and because of Levitate it's completely immune to Spikes and Toxic Spikes, making it a bit harder to wear down than the average Volturn user. On top of this, most Pokemon used to absorb Volt Switch usually (bulky Grass- and Ground-types) don't want to get hit by Eelektross's coverage moves (Flamethrower, Giga Drain), making VSwitch quite spammable.
So, thoughts on Eel? B+ worthy or not? If not, why not?
Quoting myself from my nom in the last thread:
Not like I made this suggestion 2 months ago, Sigh.
Nominating Mesprit for C+
Healing Wish is a ridicolously good move in this metagame healing back to 100% threatening Pokemon such as Doublade, Sharpedo (who can wreak havoc twice!), Clawitzer, and Druddigon (and many more you can figure out for sure) that many opponents rely on switching around and wearing them down to beat and Mesprit is probably the best user of the move for offensive teams because of its sizable bulk and not so horrible typing. While i feel like this niche alone might be worth of C+ Mesprit is also a surprisingly decent Stealth Rock setter thanks to its Stat spread and with an offensive spread and a Life Orb as it is capable of beating most Defog users with the combination of Ice Beam and Psychic and to threaten Rapid Spinners (both Sandslash and Hitmonlee are weak to either move). I find it certainly more useful and splashable than most of the C rank Pokemon too so i think moving it up is justified.
I am also a fan of Eelektross so i'll just say i 100% justify it moving up
Healing Wish is a ridicolously good move in this metagame healing back to 100% threatening Pokemon such as Doublade, Sharpedo (who can wreak havoc twice!), Clawitzer, and Druddigon (and many more you can figure out for sure) that many opponents rely on switching around and wearing them down to beat and Mesprit is probably the best user of the move for offensive teams because of its sizable bulk and not so horrible typing. While i feel like this niche alone might be worth of C+ Mesprit is also a surprisingly decent Stealth Rock setter thanks to its Stat spread and with an offensive spread and a Life Orb as it is capable of beating most Defog users with the combination of Ice Beam and Psychic and to threaten Rapid Spinners (both Sandslash and Hitmonlee are weak to either move). I find it certainly more useful and splashable than most of the C rank Pokemon too so i think moving it up is justified.
I am also a fan of Eelektross so i'll just say i 100% justify it moving up
Backing up Exploud for A- EonX explained it really well in his post. Exploud has great coverage and has Scrappy. With Focus Blast and Scrappy, Exploud can OHKO Doublade, while OHKOing Banette with BoomBurst. Not to mention, Specs Exploud can do shit tons of damage.
http://pastebin.com/kJh2ZPvG
Oh yeah, just like before, i got a PM on irc with a list of proposed changes to make (not sure if the user in question wants their name publically mentioned). Just like last time there are definitely some changes that i agree with (Eelektross, Gorebyss, Vivillon, maybe Sawk), and there are also a few i'm not really too sure about (i personally think B is fine for Golbat, Cradily, Whimsicott). What are everyone's thoughts on these possibles changes? If you disagree with them, why do you?
Oh yeah, just like before, i got a PM on irc with a list of proposed changes to make (not sure if the user in question wants their name publically mentioned). Just like last time there are definitely some changes that i agree with (Eelektross, Gorebyss, Vivillon, maybe Sawk), and there are also a few i'm not really too sure about (i personally think B is fine for Golbat, Cradily, Whimsicott). What are everyone's thoughts on these possibles changes? If you disagree with them, why do you?
Out of those, I most agree with Fletchmurder
It's really strange how versatile that mon despite only running one set. Hell, I frequently use it on stall simply so that I can tailor the rest of the team to take on stronger wallbreakers on the team (making the team slightly more prone to offense, but Fletchmurder saves the day).
To be fair, Fletchinder fares well against most playstyles, and her main stops are all harmed by will-o-wisp anyways. I never understood why Bird dropped from A- in the first place n_n
As for the rest.. I think Cobalion definitely can sit atop the throne of S rank mons. I'm not gonna explain why tho, cuz I imagine EonX will probably post six paragraphs about that. And I'll agree with that.
I don't agree with Golbat dropping tho. SpDef Golbat is one of stall's best options against Clawitzer (aside from SpDef Aromatisse, switching around like a mad man or Assault Vest Max SpDef Meloetta(Don't use that.)) due to being able to outpace Modest Claw and Roost away in his face (and if it's timid, it loses to both Alomomola and PhysDef Aromatisse anyways). Which is a pretty big deal, actually. It's also a really good tool to have against SubRoost Moltres which is a problem for Stall teams that lack Rhyperior.
It's really strange how versatile that mon despite only running one set. Hell, I frequently use it on stall simply so that I can tailor the rest of the team to take on stronger wallbreakers on the team (making the team slightly more prone to offense, but Fletchmurder saves the day).
To be fair, Fletchinder fares well against most playstyles, and her main stops are all harmed by will-o-wisp anyways. I never understood why Bird dropped from A- in the first place n_n
As for the rest.. I think Cobalion definitely can sit atop the throne of S rank mons. I'm not gonna explain why tho, cuz I imagine EonX will probably post six paragraphs about that. And I'll agree with that.
I don't agree with Golbat dropping tho. SpDef Golbat is one of stall's best options against Clawitzer (aside from SpDef Aromatisse, switching around like a mad man or Assault Vest Max SpDef Meloetta(Don't use that.)) due to being able to outpace Modest Claw and Roost away in his face (and if it's timid, it loses to both Alomomola and PhysDef Aromatisse anyways). Which is a pretty big deal, actually. It's also a really good tool to have against SubRoost Moltres which is a problem for Stall teams that lack Rhyperior.
If anything Golbat should move up, in addition to being the best response to claw (if SpD) or the best response to fighters (Def). Infiltrator toxic that never misses is an invaluable tool against stall breakers like Sub CM Meloetta, Sub CM Cresselia, Sub BU Gallade, and Sub BU Braviary. It is also immune to poison unlike defog gligar, making it harder for teams that rely on toxic to get rid of defoggers to function. I doubt it's going to move up cause iirc I've proposed it before and it never happened, but moving it down is dumb.
Okay so I'll reply to this list of noms (again).
Mesprit deserves to move up imo, C is actually an insult to it and its capabilities. It has a definable niche in RU as the best offensive Healing Wish user in the tier and packs a nice punch as an offensive Psychic-type while providing Healing Wish, which is clutch to essentially give a second life to many dangerous threats. It's a decent offensive Stealth Rock user (and being an offensive SR user is something that no other Psychic-type in RU can lay claim to), and can lay SR up and still pack a punch against teams. As galbia said, Mesprit also performs fantastically against the hazard removers in the tier with Psychic+Ice Beam, and can beat many of them one-on-one, the only one it can't beat is Skuntank and maybe Shiftry (the latter can't switch in). It has very well rounded stats to use, as it's decently bulky and packs a solid offensive presence. Thunderbolt can also be used to hit Moltres, Fletchinder, and Slowking. All in all, Mesprit's niches and advantages over its competition are definitely that good for Mesprit to be moved up to at least C+ (I could see it higher but whatever lol). It certainly deserves to be in the league of things like Chatot, Dragalge, and Tyrantrum, ie Pokemon that have definable niches and aren't actually outclassed.
Already made my point on Hitmontop on like the previous page.
Sawk is kinda cool imo. CB Sawk is an absolute monster, its Close Combat hits like a truck full of bricks and it is an incredible wallbreaker thanks to its sheer power. Sawk also packs awesome coverage, which is an extra bonus to it. Knock Off is awesome to hit Psychic-types and strip Pokemon of their items, Ice Punch is definitely really cool to hit Gligar and Golbat hard and is something Hitmonlee wishes it could do, and Poison Jab or Earthquake is useful to hit certain Pokemon such as Aromatisse or Weezing (Mold Breaker!!!). Mold Breaker is definitely a really cool ability too. It could definitely be up there in B-, it's at least on par with Gallade imo.
Skuntank should be B Rank imo. It is a bit unique as a Defogger because it packs decent offensive capabilities and defensive use combined, unlike other Defoggers in RU who are either heavily offensive (Shitry) or defensive (Gligar, Golbat, Togetic). It does fine overall as a Defogger too, it Defogs reliably thanks to its decent bulk and typing, which allows it to check threats such as Reuniclus, Spiritomb, and Doublade to an extent. In addition to that, it also poses a threat with Sucker Punch, Pursuit, and Punishment to play heavy mindgames with anything it faces, and packs a decent punch overall. It has Aftermath too which is cool to heavily weaken a physical attacker. Overall a pretty good and tricky Pokemon to play around so it should be B Rank imo.
I like Gurdurr quite a bit and it should rise back to B+ imo. It's impressively bulky and even though it doesn't have Zoroark to check anymore, it's still a very useful and threatening Pokemon. It has nice physical bulk and good overall bulk to take on things like Doublade, Drapion, Sharpedo, etc. It's a decent bulky Fighting-type that can make up of Bulk Up and Drain Punch to deal heavy damage and heal itself, so it can hang around for a while. Mach Punch is also very useful to destroy Sharpedo and Heliolisk, which is awesome, and Gurdurr has bulk unlike Hitmonlee. Knock Off is nice too to hit Doublade and other Pokemon that resist Drain+Mach Punch, in general has good coverage outside of Aromatisse and other Fairies so yeah. Very good mon imo and should be up there in B+, not quite sure why it isn't already RU.
Eelektross is a very excellent Pokemon that should definitely move up. Its Assault Vest set is very good right now, and is an excellent bulky pivot that provides a slow Volt Switch which is just quality useful. It packs a decent punch with Flamethrower, Giga Drain, and Knock Off, allowing it to handle typical Electric-type switch-ins while healing itself and having the utility of stripping off items from Pokemon. A slow Volt Switch is always clutch too, and if you need a stronger Electric STAB, Thunderbolt does quite well, and hits pretty hard from Eelektross. Having nice bulk and no weaknesses are both great for a bulky pivot which make it difficult to KO and allow it to nab some easy momentum. Overall it's a great pivot and deserves B+ imo.
Idk if Whimsi should move up, though I like it a bit. Its LO set is definitely decent right now, it's a decent anti-meta mon that does very well against offense with a nice defensive typing and good STABs to handle a lot of top mons such as Clawitzer, Hitmonlee, Sharpedo, Spiritomb, Virizion, etc. That said it's kind of weak and it's very frail, plus support sets don't pack any offensive presence, so it may be okay in B, but I wouldn't mind if it goes up to B+, it's a good mon.
I like Heliolisk tbh and I kind of like the idea of moving Heliolisk to B+. I know it's been commonly seen as a worse Jolteon, but imo the two are really just Pokemon with glaring similarities with clear cut advantages over each other. Heliolisk definitely has some really cool things going for it. It has good coverage, with Grass Knot to OHKO Rhyperior, Seismitoad, etc, plus HP Ice to hit Gligar. I know Jolteon has HP Water but it doesn't OHKO Rhyperior so it needs to predict the switch-in, plus it doesn't even come close to OHKOing Gligar, let alone 2HKOing. Heliolisk also has cool other options like Focus Blast to smash Mega Aboma and Registeel if you want. Overall it's a decent Electric-type too, as it's fast, decently strong, and has good coverage+Volt Switch. Being able to check Doublade and Mismagius is really nice too and Dry Skin is nice to take advantage of some Water-types, yes Clawitzer and Slowking have coverage options but now they can't make liberal use of Scald. I wouldn't mind if it stays B, but putting it in B+ wouldn't be a bad idea at all.
Made my point on Exploud, read my previous post which is here.
Fletchinder should move up imo. It is just an excellent Pokemon overall. Priority Acrobatics is just clutch, and Fletchinder is a fantastic stop to offense, being an excellent revenge killer that can also cripple its counters with Will-O-Wisp which is a great move. It has decent defensive utility with its resistances despite being really frail and it checks offense. Plus it also sweeps excellently in the late-game, after its counters are gone, it is almost impossible to stop. Just an incredible Pokemon, A- definitely. It's no smogon bird, but NOW YOU LOSE is still very good.
I don't like the idea of dropping Mismagius tbh. Its NP set is definitely decent right now, as it has a decent typing and with NP+Shadow Ball and Dazzling Gleam it has very good coverage and it also has decent utility in either Taunt or Destiny Bond. It's one of the few spinblockers that is faster than both Hitmonlee and Kabutops and it can come at them with a +2 Shadow Ball or even an unboosted one. Taunt is cool to make Mismagius an okay stallbreaker except against Aromatisse, and it sweeps decently well. Destiny Bond is also a clutch move at its disposal, and allows Mismagius to go out with a bang against Dark-types such as Drapion, or even OHKO Hitmonlee if the need arises. It's sort of weak and it's pretty frail but I think B suits it well.
I kinda think Barbaracle is eh. It's something I've been trying for a while to like, but it's just really kind of underwhelming. It has major 4MSS, and it wishes it could run three items and six moves. It's pretty easy to revenge kill, with Mach Punch and the like and its typing is kind of eh so it has a pretty hard time setting up, and even then its reliance in inaccurate moves sucks tbh. If I wanted a late-game cleaner Slurpuff, Fletchinder, and Tyrantrum are all much more effective imo and can actually do a bit of work while the former two at least have decent typings and the latter good bulk.
atomicllamas and Kawaii Kyouko explained my stance on Golbat perfectly, idk about Banette and Registeel, Gorebyss is eh, indifferent on many of the others since I have little experience with them. Oh and add Spritzee to the Wobbuffet rank too pls.
Just some thoughts, sorry for this long wall of text lol.
Mesprit deserves to move up imo, C is actually an insult to it and its capabilities. It has a definable niche in RU as the best offensive Healing Wish user in the tier and packs a nice punch as an offensive Psychic-type while providing Healing Wish, which is clutch to essentially give a second life to many dangerous threats. It's a decent offensive Stealth Rock user (and being an offensive SR user is something that no other Psychic-type in RU can lay claim to), and can lay SR up and still pack a punch against teams. As galbia said, Mesprit also performs fantastically against the hazard removers in the tier with Psychic+Ice Beam, and can beat many of them one-on-one, the only one it can't beat is Skuntank and maybe Shiftry (the latter can't switch in). It has very well rounded stats to use, as it's decently bulky and packs a solid offensive presence. Thunderbolt can also be used to hit Moltres, Fletchinder, and Slowking. All in all, Mesprit's niches and advantages over its competition are definitely that good for Mesprit to be moved up to at least C+ (I could see it higher but whatever lol). It certainly deserves to be in the league of things like Chatot, Dragalge, and Tyrantrum, ie Pokemon that have definable niches and aren't actually outclassed.
Already made my point on Hitmontop on like the previous page.
Sawk is kinda cool imo. CB Sawk is an absolute monster, its Close Combat hits like a truck full of bricks and it is an incredible wallbreaker thanks to its sheer power. Sawk also packs awesome coverage, which is an extra bonus to it. Knock Off is awesome to hit Psychic-types and strip Pokemon of their items, Ice Punch is definitely really cool to hit Gligar and Golbat hard and is something Hitmonlee wishes it could do, and Poison Jab or Earthquake is useful to hit certain Pokemon such as Aromatisse or Weezing (Mold Breaker!!!). Mold Breaker is definitely a really cool ability too. It could definitely be up there in B-, it's at least on par with Gallade imo.
Skuntank should be B Rank imo. It is a bit unique as a Defogger because it packs decent offensive capabilities and defensive use combined, unlike other Defoggers in RU who are either heavily offensive (Shitry) or defensive (Gligar, Golbat, Togetic). It does fine overall as a Defogger too, it Defogs reliably thanks to its decent bulk and typing, which allows it to check threats such as Reuniclus, Spiritomb, and Doublade to an extent. In addition to that, it also poses a threat with Sucker Punch, Pursuit, and Punishment to play heavy mindgames with anything it faces, and packs a decent punch overall. It has Aftermath too which is cool to heavily weaken a physical attacker. Overall a pretty good and tricky Pokemon to play around so it should be B Rank imo.
I like Gurdurr quite a bit and it should rise back to B+ imo. It's impressively bulky and even though it doesn't have Zoroark to check anymore, it's still a very useful and threatening Pokemon. It has nice physical bulk and good overall bulk to take on things like Doublade, Drapion, Sharpedo, etc. It's a decent bulky Fighting-type that can make up of Bulk Up and Drain Punch to deal heavy damage and heal itself, so it can hang around for a while. Mach Punch is also very useful to destroy Sharpedo and Heliolisk, which is awesome, and Gurdurr has bulk unlike Hitmonlee. Knock Off is nice too to hit Doublade and other Pokemon that resist Drain+Mach Punch, in general has good coverage outside of Aromatisse and other Fairies so yeah. Very good mon imo and should be up there in B+, not quite sure why it isn't already RU.
Eelektross is a very excellent Pokemon that should definitely move up. Its Assault Vest set is very good right now, and is an excellent bulky pivot that provides a slow Volt Switch which is just quality useful. It packs a decent punch with Flamethrower, Giga Drain, and Knock Off, allowing it to handle typical Electric-type switch-ins while healing itself and having the utility of stripping off items from Pokemon. A slow Volt Switch is always clutch too, and if you need a stronger Electric STAB, Thunderbolt does quite well, and hits pretty hard from Eelektross. Having nice bulk and no weaknesses are both great for a bulky pivot which make it difficult to KO and allow it to nab some easy momentum. Overall it's a great pivot and deserves B+ imo.
Idk if Whimsi should move up, though I like it a bit. Its LO set is definitely decent right now, it's a decent anti-meta mon that does very well against offense with a nice defensive typing and good STABs to handle a lot of top mons such as Clawitzer, Hitmonlee, Sharpedo, Spiritomb, Virizion, etc. That said it's kind of weak and it's very frail, plus support sets don't pack any offensive presence, so it may be okay in B, but I wouldn't mind if it goes up to B+, it's a good mon.
I like Heliolisk tbh and I kind of like the idea of moving Heliolisk to B+. I know it's been commonly seen as a worse Jolteon, but imo the two are really just Pokemon with glaring similarities with clear cut advantages over each other. Heliolisk definitely has some really cool things going for it. It has good coverage, with Grass Knot to OHKO Rhyperior, Seismitoad, etc, plus HP Ice to hit Gligar. I know Jolteon has HP Water but it doesn't OHKO Rhyperior so it needs to predict the switch-in, plus it doesn't even come close to OHKOing Gligar, let alone 2HKOing. Heliolisk also has cool other options like Focus Blast to smash Mega Aboma and Registeel if you want. Overall it's a decent Electric-type too, as it's fast, decently strong, and has good coverage+Volt Switch. Being able to check Doublade and Mismagius is really nice too and Dry Skin is nice to take advantage of some Water-types, yes Clawitzer and Slowking have coverage options but now they can't make liberal use of Scald. I wouldn't mind if it stays B, but putting it in B+ wouldn't be a bad idea at all.
Made my point on Exploud, read my previous post which is here.
Fletchinder should move up imo. It is just an excellent Pokemon overall. Priority Acrobatics is just clutch, and Fletchinder is a fantastic stop to offense, being an excellent revenge killer that can also cripple its counters with Will-O-Wisp which is a great move. It has decent defensive utility with its resistances despite being really frail and it checks offense. Plus it also sweeps excellently in the late-game, after its counters are gone, it is almost impossible to stop. Just an incredible Pokemon, A- definitely. It's no smogon bird, but NOW YOU LOSE is still very good.
I don't like the idea of dropping Mismagius tbh. Its NP set is definitely decent right now, as it has a decent typing and with NP+Shadow Ball and Dazzling Gleam it has very good coverage and it also has decent utility in either Taunt or Destiny Bond. It's one of the few spinblockers that is faster than both Hitmonlee and Kabutops and it can come at them with a +2 Shadow Ball or even an unboosted one. Taunt is cool to make Mismagius an okay stallbreaker except against Aromatisse, and it sweeps decently well. Destiny Bond is also a clutch move at its disposal, and allows Mismagius to go out with a bang against Dark-types such as Drapion, or even OHKO Hitmonlee if the need arises. It's sort of weak and it's pretty frail but I think B suits it well.
I kinda think Barbaracle is eh. It's something I've been trying for a while to like, but it's just really kind of underwhelming. It has major 4MSS, and it wishes it could run three items and six moves. It's pretty easy to revenge kill, with Mach Punch and the like and its typing is kind of eh so it has a pretty hard time setting up, and even then its reliance in inaccurate moves sucks tbh. If I wanted a late-game cleaner Slurpuff, Fletchinder, and Tyrantrum are all much more effective imo and can actually do a bit of work while the former two at least have decent typings and the latter good bulk.
atomicllamas and Kawaii Kyouko explained my stance on Golbat perfectly, idk about Banette and Registeel, Gorebyss is eh, indifferent on many of the others since I have little experience with them. Oh and add Spritzee to the Wobbuffet rank too pls.
Just some thoughts, sorry for this long wall of text lol.
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