Haven't done some nominations in a while, so let's go
Jirachi: B=>A (Steel)
Jirachi builds have been seeing some solid tournament success as of late, and it's not hard to see why. Calm Mind sets in particular prove to be an extremely helpful asset against balance types that Steel tends to have a hard time with, specifically Water, Flying, and Poison. The most common set for it is the Substitute+Calm Mind set, which finds some good setup opportunities against passive Pokemon like Toxapex, Mantine, and Mega Venusaur, as well as gaining setup opportunities by forcing out Pokemon like Nidoking and Gyarados. While this set has definitely been the most successful, I'd also like to talk about the 3 Attacks set with Psychium Z. In this set, Substitute is replaced with Hidden Power Ice as a means of hitting Gliscor and non-Scarf Landorus-T. A +1 Shattered Psyche can break past certain defensive checks like Zapdos, Swampert, and more, although some require Spikes chip to remove. Here are some calcs:
And here are some replays:
Overall, because of this solid role that Jirachi is able to fill, I think it's worthy of A rank on Steel
Froslass: B=>C (Ice)
Froslass's main niche was as a lead Spikes setter, with nice utility such as Taunt and Destiny Bond, and especially its Fighting immunity. However, Fighting as a whole has completely dropped off this generation, making its Fighting immunity a much less valuable asset. It isn't even that consistent against a few of the current relevant Fighting-types. Some examples being Heracross and Mega Gallade, where Heracross can very easily trap it with Pursuit, while it's forced to risk a speed tie against Mega Gallade. There's also its incredibly lacking offensive presence to take into account, not being able to KO any relevant Psychic-type with a Shadow Ball. Lastly, it fails to provide similar value to that of its fellow B ranks, Walrein and Rotom-Frost, both of which have had increased viability since the start of USUM. Walrein provides an incredibly helpful Scarf Blacephalon check for more offensive Ice teams, while Rotom-Frost's access to Defog grants the type with an extra hazard remover with an immunity to all grounded hazards and the ability to pivot with Volt Switch. Froslass just doesn't provide very much for Ice in the current metagame, which is why it should drop to C rank.
Jirachi: B=>A (Steel)
Jirachi builds have been seeing some solid tournament success as of late, and it's not hard to see why. Calm Mind sets in particular prove to be an extremely helpful asset against balance types that Steel tends to have a hard time with, specifically Water, Flying, and Poison. The most common set for it is the Substitute+Calm Mind set, which finds some good setup opportunities against passive Pokemon like Toxapex, Mantine, and Mega Venusaur, as well as gaining setup opportunities by forcing out Pokemon like Nidoking and Gyarados. While this set has definitely been the most successful, I'd also like to talk about the 3 Attacks set with Psychium Z. In this set, Substitute is replaced with Hidden Power Ice as a means of hitting Gliscor and non-Scarf Landorus-T. A +1 Shattered Psyche can break past certain defensive checks like Zapdos, Swampert, and more, although some require Spikes chip to remove. Here are some calcs:
+1 252 SpA Jirachi Shattered Psyche (175 BP) vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Swampert-Mega: 328-387 (81.1 - 95.7%) -- 81.3% chance to OHKO after 2 layers of Spikes
+1 252 SpA Jirachi Shattered Psyche (175 BP) vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Swampert: 388-457 (96 - 113.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
+1 252 SpA Jirachi Shattered Psyche (175 BP) vs. 252 HP / 188 SpD Zapdos: 321-378 (83.5 - 98.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
+1 252 SpA Jirachi Shattered Psyche (175 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Azumarill: 297-349 (73.5 - 86.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock, 2 layers of Spikes, and Leftovers recovery
+1 252 SpA Jirachi Shattered Psyche (175 BP) vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Swampert: 388-457 (96 - 113.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
+1 252 SpA Jirachi Shattered Psyche (175 BP) vs. 252 HP / 188 SpD Zapdos: 321-378 (83.5 - 98.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
+1 252 SpA Jirachi Shattered Psyche (175 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Azumarill: 297-349 (73.5 - 86.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock, 2 layers of Spikes, and Leftovers recovery
And here are some replays:
Vs Poison (MWP): https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7monotype-688517186
Vs Water (MWP): https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7monotype-695539626
Vs Water again: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7monotype-696284426
Vs Flying: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7monotype-696341261
Vs Water for the 3rd time: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7monotype-696352926
Vs Water (MWP): https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7monotype-695539626
Vs Water again: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7monotype-696284426
Vs Flying: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7monotype-696341261
Vs Water for the 3rd time: https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7monotype-696352926
Overall, because of this solid role that Jirachi is able to fill, I think it's worthy of A rank on Steel
Jirachi @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt
- Calm Mind
- Substitute
Jirachi @ Psychium Z
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Calm Mind
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt
- Calm Mind
- Substitute
Jirachi @ Psychium Z
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Calm Mind
Froslass: B=>C (Ice)
Froslass's main niche was as a lead Spikes setter, with nice utility such as Taunt and Destiny Bond, and especially its Fighting immunity. However, Fighting as a whole has completely dropped off this generation, making its Fighting immunity a much less valuable asset. It isn't even that consistent against a few of the current relevant Fighting-types. Some examples being Heracross and Mega Gallade, where Heracross can very easily trap it with Pursuit, while it's forced to risk a speed tie against Mega Gallade. There's also its incredibly lacking offensive presence to take into account, not being able to KO any relevant Psychic-type with a Shadow Ball. Lastly, it fails to provide similar value to that of its fellow B ranks, Walrein and Rotom-Frost, both of which have had increased viability since the start of USUM. Walrein provides an incredibly helpful Scarf Blacephalon check for more offensive Ice teams, while Rotom-Frost's access to Defog grants the type with an extra hazard remover with an immunity to all grounded hazards and the ability to pivot with Volt Switch. Froslass just doesn't provide very much for Ice in the current metagame, which is why it should drop to C rank.
Last edited: