etern
NU Leader
Artwork by Bummer
Welcome to the official NU Viability Ranking thread. These rankings have been revamped to meet a new stricter set of criteria as to avoid over inflation and Pokemon being placed in a rank that doesn't denote their appropriate abilities. The concept of this thread is that we will organize the Pokemon in our tier into ranks, varying on how good they are. You are encouraged to post your thoughts on where Pokemon should be ranked. Please note that each section is going to be in alphabetical order; getting any more precise than that isn't really worth the effort when trends change all the time.
The NU Viability Council will consider points brought up in this thread and decide which to implement and which to leave alone; you can find a list of all the council members here:
To make ranking these Pokemon easier the NU Viability Council has come up with a list of positive and negative attributes each Pokemon should meet to fit a certain rank. Positives: Threat level, Splashability, Consistent, Effect on the metagame, Reliability. Negatives: Passive, Outclassed, Weak to Hazards, Speed, General Bulk, Matchup. However, something to remember while ranking is that filling criteria is not a black and white process. Pokemon A might have a stronger effect on the metagame compared to Pokemon B, but Pokemon B might still influence teambuilding a lot. Take into account the varying degrees of these criteria as you reflect on a nomination.
Please do not bandwagon post. Unless you have new or different experiences to share, you are defending a nomination, or if the nomination has not been discussed for ~3 days, try to avoid repeating the same information someone else said before you. Posts asking for your favorite Pokemon to jump ranks and don't fill the above criteria will be deleted. Lastly, if you are nominating an unranked Pokemon to be ranked, you must provide replays to back up your argument.
If you click on a sprite it will take you to the Smogon dex page :)
NU Rankings
Welcome to the official NU Viability Ranking thread. These rankings have been revamped to meet a new stricter set of criteria as to avoid over inflation and Pokemon being placed in a rank that doesn't denote their appropriate abilities. The concept of this thread is that we will organize the Pokemon in our tier into ranks, varying on how good they are. You are encouraged to post your thoughts on where Pokemon should be ranked. Please note that each section is going to be in alphabetical order; getting any more precise than that isn't really worth the effort when trends change all the time.
The NU Viability Council will consider points brought up in this thread and decide which to implement and which to leave alone; you can find a list of all the council members here:
To make ranking these Pokemon easier the NU Viability Council has come up with a list of positive and negative attributes each Pokemon should meet to fit a certain rank. Positives: Threat level, Splashability, Consistent, Effect on the metagame, Reliability. Negatives: Passive, Outclassed, Weak to Hazards, Speed, General Bulk, Matchup. However, something to remember while ranking is that filling criteria is not a black and white process. Pokemon A might have a stronger effect on the metagame compared to Pokemon B, but Pokemon B might still influence teambuilding a lot. Take into account the varying degrees of these criteria as you reflect on a nomination.
Please do not bandwagon post. Unless you have new or different experiences to share, you are defending a nomination, or if the nomination has not been discussed for ~3 days, try to avoid repeating the same information someone else said before you. Posts asking for your favorite Pokemon to jump ranks and don't fill the above criteria will be deleted. Lastly, if you are nominating an unranked Pokemon to be ranked, you must provide replays to back up your argument.
If you click on a sprite it will take you to the Smogon dex page :)
---NU Rankings
S Rank:
Pokemon in this rank fill all of the main criteria and then some with a strong proficiency in one or more of the positive traits. If a Pokemon in this rank has any downsides, they are usually tame or eclipsed by their obvious assets.
S
Mesprit
Tauros
Vileplume
Xatu
A Rank:
Pokemon in this rank may fill the majority or all of the positive criteria. These Pokemon may have one major or a handful of minor negative characteristics that could set them back.
A+
Archeops
Rhydon
Garbodor
Hariyama
Rotom
Steelix
A
Barbaracle
Kangaskhan
Lanturn
Liepard
Magmortar
Pelipper
Pyroar
Shiftry
Skuntank
A-
Charizard
Hitmonchan
Ferroseed
Jynx
Malamar
Mantine
Piloswine
Samurott
Swellow
Vivillon
Weezing
B Rank:
Pokemon in this rank do an alright job fulfilling criteria, albeit not as convincingly. These Pokemon will have some issues you should be accounting for while building your team.
B+
Audino-Mega
Aurorus
Gurdurr
Clefairy
Kabutops
Lilligant
Ludicolo
Pinsir
B
Gastrodon
Haunter
Floatzel
Mismagius
Regirock
Golurk
Poliwrath
Scyther
Torterra
B-
Abomasnow
Aggron
Altaria
Articuno
Camerupt
Miltank
Quagsire
Zangoose
C Rank:
Pokemon in this rank do a mediocre job at filling criteria. The sizable amount of negative characteristics associated with these Pokemon are something to weigh against their positives before you fit one on a team.
C+
Bronzor
Carracosta
Claydol
Combusken
Electivire
Gourgeist-XL
Kecleon
Klinklang
Omastar
Primeape
Victreebel
C
Grumpig
Sliggoo
Dusknoir
Kadabra
Lapras
Solrock
D Rank:
Pokemon in this rank have been found to generally be more trouble than they're worth. Any NU or BL4 Pokemon that aren't good enough for a higher rank will go here.
D
Cradily
Linoone
Manectric
Musharna
Throh
Sandslash
Vigoroth
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