Resource USUM NU Viability Rankings (Old)

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Love the VR update but a few changes (also why Absol? However I haven't tinkered with it)

Exeggutor-Alola
B => B-/C+
Our good ol' tree is a shell of its former self. Ranked B way before the days of Mega-Audino was a thing and now that Aromatisse has pretty much overtaken its spot as the best OTR mon in the tier, it's only got a stronger STAB (worse coverage however) but without a set up move or as good as a defensive typing while setting up the room. Coupled that and the ability to get freshly killed by the now S-rank Sneasel in TR and we can see it's fallen from grace.

Froslass
C+ => B-/B
While it has a shitty matchup vs Sneasel, this gets plenty of free spikes/taunts(/even D-bonds are tricky to play around) against many slower bulkier builds. Pretty much any Cryogonal/Altaria/Xatu/Articuno balance/stall struggles to effectively stop it from spiking up except if Sneasel gets in. Like even when against Sivally-Steel or smth, won't kill and gets taunted if it ever tries to fog away. Definitely not C+ material imo.

Scrafty
B => B-/C+ (I really want this lower but others can chime in)
I really try not to view this as a low ladder meme but it seems like it cannot pull off a sweep nearly as consistently as other set up mons like Klinklang or Toxicroak and it cannot hold its own in a meta where if non z-iron tail, invites a free Aromatisse sweep in return and if iron tail, misses out on recovery or high burst damage with a worse generalist z crystal. It's always just been a lackluster mon in my eyes as it simply CANNOT break the most prominent wall in Mega-Audino while gets cleanly 2HKO'd not to mention stuff like Whimsicott and Scarf Dazzling Gleam Delphox have always been around. And anything involving shed skin & rest is a MEME

Sandslash-Alola
UR => C/C+
Sandslash has been (kinda) officially free! I think we've all see the good ol' Z+V1 hail HO or variations of hail HO in general and this thing is a lot harder to wall/outspeed than one would imagine. After an SD, it can crush pretty much most defensive cores (think about it, even the super fat physdef mons like Steelix/Rhydon/Regirock get chipped hard by hail as is and can be brought into +2 EQ range) and is excellent against both of the BIG drops in Venusaur and Heliolisk being able to cleanly KO both. I'd argue it's more consistent than Ludicolo due to hail itself being a simply more consistent style with an auto setter of its own and walled a bit more across the board.

Typhlosion
B- => C+/C
Typhlosion hits hard and that's about it. It's very difficult to keep it at an effective health range throughout the course of a battle to justify this over options. Stealth Rock? Well now it's essentially a worse Delphox. They have a healthy fire check? Well shit not like it has secondary STABs. It can't even stay in against mons that it can kill but outspeed and do a chunk to itself. And with Altaria graciously flying about, it can't hope to ever break that (I guess you can choice lock yourself into HP ice on the switch but how good does specs HP ice sound against Klinklang or Aromatisse). Something like Fightinium Z Magmortar that serves a similar role can bluff A-vest and still take special hits if need be while Typhlosion is extremely high maintenance and has only one set.

Virizion
Stay where it is
I feel like the last person to argue for Virizion however people are undermining the fact that this really annoys several balances especially ones that revolve around Heliolisk breaking and overestimate how well Venu can take a +2 Cont Crush (like cmon it does like 68% min and almost dies after rocks after a high roll while sludge bomb isn't a be all end to it either all doing like 48-57%). Xatu/Garbodor is being played less and this forces Type:Null right back into the ball. Now obviously it will struggle against Druddigon and forced out by stuff like Scarfboar but it should retain its position not really as a pure breaker but a mid/late-game sweep mon with many decent set up opportunities.
I disagree with Exeggutor dropping. It has Sludge bomb for Mega Audino and other fairies for solid damage, and why is Sneasel a new issue? It has always had trouble with Sneasel. Sure Aromatisse may have stole some it's thunder as OTR attacker, but it's still B material. Keep it at B.
 
1516398192302.png

UR - - > B-/B

good typing + natural bulk lets it switch into dangerous mons like heliolisk, toxicroak, mismagius, special fire types without grass types and can even soft check physical attackers thanks to its typing. recover lets it stay healthy and can be annoying to break through without toxic. calcs below

252 SpA Life Orb Heliolisk Hyper Voice vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Gastrodon: 138-164 (32.3 - 38.4%) -- 2.1% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Delphox Psychic vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Gastrodon: 109-130 (25.5 - 30.5%) -- 2.4% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 252 SpA Mismagius Shadow Ball vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Gastrodon: 184-217 (43.1 - 50.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
+2 252+ SpA Toxicroak Acid Downpour (175 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Gastrodon: 194-228 (45.5 - 53.5%) -- 1.2% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+1 252+ Atk Klinklang Corkscrew Crash (180 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Gastrodon: 276-325 (64.7 - 76.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
0 SpA Gastrodon Earth Power vs. 88 HP / 0 SpD Klinklang: 206-246 (72.7 - 86.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

PS: this is my first post so i would gladly take any constructive critisicm if there is any :]
 
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quziel

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To be honest, the more important changes for it are:

1)
Type:null doesn't die to draco + z-draco, and can abuse rest to stall you to kingdom come

2)
The grass types that it used to set up for free on, rotom-mow and sceptile are either out of the tier, or nowhere near as relevant as its heyday, and the ones that have replaced them, whimsicott and venusaur straight up prevent it from setting up with SE attacks.

This both removes its easiest ways of setting up, and heavily prevents it from accomplishing its main goal of a sweep. It still has a niche in the meta, which is why only a slight drop is probably warranted to B- or C+, but it def should drop.

I am sorry I can't say much more, as there's a bunch of stuff that needs more testing in the current meta, but hope I cleared stuff up.

This is about eggy btw
 
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Yoshi

IT'S FINK DUMBASS
to S

Klinklang is such a great Pokemon right now, and has proven so with the absence of Seismitoad. This leaves only a few real checks, in Steelix and Slowbro. Even then, Slowbro can lose to some sets, as well as that non-Roar Steelix (which all should run Roar at that) can also lose to Klinklang as well. Also with the tier changes, it is important to note that Venusaur's dropping gives Klinklang another Pokemon to set up on, so I think that's something that also pushes Klinklang's viability forward. All in all, Klinklang has become a great Pokemon with the new tier changes, and is a worthy contender of S rank. (p.s. give gear grinder on Discord)

to A-

To point out the elephant in the room, Venusaur's drop is terrible for non Z-Zen Headbutt sets (even though it's the best one), and walls both of Virizion's STABs. It is also important to mention that Virizion struggles to break through teams with Scarf Fires such as Houndoom, Delphox, and Emboar, as well as already common Pokemon like Sneasel and Whimsicott as well. To echo what was said above, Virizion faces competition from increasingly popular Fighting types like Toxicroak and Medicham. With this in mind, I feel that A- suits Virizion perfectly.

to B+

Vikavolt has already been declining in my opinion, and the Heliolisk drop gives it more competition as an Electric type. It’s still a great Pokemon on struck Room though, as well as having a good STAB combo + Levitate. I still think Vikavolt is a decent Pokémon, and B+ works fine for it. Oh yeah and Fire types suck for it too.

Sorry for this sounding similar to jord-e’s post, but I do agree with a lot of what he said, and had it in mind myself.
 

Shadestep

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to S

Klinklang is such a great Pokemon right now, and has proven so with the absence of Seismitoad. This leaves only a few real checks, in Steelix and Slowbro. Even then, Slowbro can lose to some sets, as well as that non-Roar Steelix (which all should run Roar at that) can also lose to Klinklang as well. Also with the tier changes, it is important to note that Venusaur's dropping gives Klinklang another Pokemon to set up on, so I think that's something that also pushes Klinklang's viability forward. All in all, Klinklang has become a great Pokemon with the new tier changes, and is a worthy contender of S rank. (p.s. give gear grinder on Discord)
I don't think Klinklang should rise to S. It's definitely very good in the current meta, but it's definitely not meta-defining, and/or does not cut the description of an S-rank Pokemon. While it does easily set up on plenty Pokemon in the current meta, it needs major team support to fully do its job, while the other S-rank Pokemon don't have this flaw. Klinklang also fails to threaten most teams immediately, it always needs set-up to do so. But the main counter-argument I have to not moving Klinklang up to S, is that every well-built team has a solid Klinklang check, without actually meaning to prepare for it. Reason for that is that a lot of the most used Pokemon easily check it. Slowbro, Delphox, Steelix, etc.
 
-> S Disagree
I highly disagree with this because of a couple of reasons:
1. Steelix and Slowbro just rised in popularity and in the VR itself, you also can't beat steelix if it's low with Magnet Rise because Curse Steelix is rising in popularity as well.
2. It has it's offensive checks which two of those are in S rank itself (Delphox and Emboar), more Fire popularity with Incineroar and houndoom which hurts it as well.
3. People say it sets up on venu which is not true because the last moveslot is either Earthquake, Sleep Powder or HP Fire. Which all are able to beat Klinklang in some way.
4. People keep saying this set beats this and this set beats this etc. etc. Like that isn't wrong but Klinklang can't do everything in one, so it still needs support, from that support you're 9 out of 10 times able to see what it's running. Do you not see a reliable Slowbro counter you can probably guess it's Toxic or Z-Wild Charge etc.
These factors are enough for me to say it isn't S worthy.
I would like to second this, seemingly unpopular, opinion on klingklang. Yes, one of it's best checks is gone. There are however, enough left. Bulky water types (Slowbro, vaporeon, jellicent, slowking, lanturn, pyukumuku, and silvally water) generally wall it (even if they do carry wild charge, +1 doesnt do that much, they take recoil and the water type has a chance to burn with scald), and z wild charge isnt eally a thing. If it was, it misses out on KOs it would otherwise get from steelium Z. Then theres the toxic set that only sorta takes on water types, but not really.

Is klinklang good? Absolutely. S-rank worthy? Nope.
 
I agree. Yeah Toad is gone but mons like lix, togedemaru and toxicroak rise in popularity which is annoying for klinklang. Also having gear grind as a main attacking move isnt helpful as it isnt really reliable due to its miss chance and the popularity of helmets in the tier.
 
Just a small nom this time around:


Sceptile to A-
It's just excellent at what it does best: spamming leaf storms and having convenient speed tier and coverage. I think after Mow left the tier, Sceptile had already lost one of its larger competitors and after the new drops and shifts (although Venu sucks), it really can put in work through many teams and cores. Life Orb Earthquake at this speed tier cannot be more valued as a grass type rn with the rising popularity of Togedemaru, Steelix, Slowbro and the monster that is Heliolisk. As well as the decline in mons such as Scarf Delphox, Guzzlord, Garbodor and Virizion. To top it off, the Grassy Seed SD meme set used in SPL might be the future but idk.
Best set imo and some calcs:
Sceptile @ Life Orb
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Giga Drain
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Ice]

252 SpA Life Orb Sceptile Leaf Storm vs. 248 HP / 104 SpD Cryogonal: 169-200 (46.5 - 55%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
(Just to show how much harder Sceptile's grass STAB compared to something like Whimsicott not to mention Overgrow shenanigans)

4 Atk Life Orb Sceptile Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Heliolisk: 278-328 (104.9 - 123.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO (This is rather important)
4 Atk Life Orb Sceptile Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Delphox: 216-255 (74.2 - 87.6%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
4 Atk Life Orb Sceptile Earthquake vs. 156 HP / 4 Def Klinklang: 146-174 (48.6 - 58%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
4 Atk Life Orb Sceptile Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Incineroar: 179-213 (45.4 - 54%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock

4 Atk Life Orb Sceptile Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Toxicroak: 234-276 (76.2 - 89.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
4 Atk Life Orb Sceptile Earthquake vs. 64 HP / 0- Def Magmortar: 252-299 (82 - 97.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
4 Atk Life Orb Sceptile Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Silvally-Steel: 172-203 (43.6 - 51.5%) -- 57.4% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock


252 SpA Life Orb Sceptile Hidden Power Ice vs. 252 HP / 100 SpD Altaria: 260-307 (73.4 - 86.7%) -- 75% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
(most Altarias run less Spdef)
252 SpA Life Orb Sceptile Hidden Power Ice vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Venusaur: 146-174 (48.5 - 57.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
(although it can't hope to crack defensive Venu, offensive Venus are up for grabs)
252 SpA Life Orb Sceptile Hidden Power Ice vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Druddigon: 161-190 (44.9 - 53%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
(it doesn't do the most but not completely helpless either)


 
Rotom-F Unranked --> C-/C
Rotom Frost with icium is a great substitute to the once prevelant mowtom, while it does have a nasty rocks weakness and isn't as stable as mowtom when taking hits due to its poor defensive typing, the combination of Ice/Electric is almost impossible to switch into in the current meta outside of a few anomalies such as Piloswine. It also serves as a great back-up hazard remover due to the sheer threat this thing has that forces switches whenever it comes in.

Torterra Unranked --> C+
Torterra is a great option for balance teams looking for a rocker, it beats almost every defensive rocker excluding piloswine while also offering great utility in its great defensive typing as well as reliable recovery. Heliolisk and Whimsicott struggle to hurt spdef Torterra and risk further damaging themselves with life orb recoil by staying in. It's a great sponge for defensive venusaur as it beats it 1v1 while also preventing a mon from going to sleep. While it does struggle with xatu a lot, the recent decline in its usage has really helped Tort become a reliabe rocker as well as great offensive threat with grass/ground stab.

Throh Unranked --> C-
Throh is quite the boring mon to look at, while it has good defensive stats, it lacks in the offensive area that its brother sawk excels in. However, Throh is a very threatening pokemon to the tier while it may be hard to tell why. Throh possesses great defensive capabilities, with a resttalk set it is able to provide a reliable special wall or check to a plethora of mons in the tier such as houndoom, guzzlord, vikavolt and venusaur. What makes this thing such a hidden threat is its ability to phase, while constantly forcing your opponent out into a less desirable mons who are at the risk of taking damage from rocks. Throh can run a bulkup sleeptalk set along with circle throw which can be used a wincon, but is usually more helpful in whittling down your opponents team for mons like Sneasel to clean up late game easily. It can also run knock off over bulk up to further damage opposing teams that possess a ghost type and this partners well with Null, however, the aforementioned Sneasel can always help by trapping ghost types. In terms of defensive counterplay to Throh, the main answer is Slowbro, and while it does constantly regenerate its health, it struggles to damage Throh with psychic and in return, Throh can circle throw, constantly whittling away at your opponent with hazards.
Example of the bulky teams Throh works best against.

Palossand C- --> C+
Palossand with a passho berry is a really cool rocker as it provides a reliable check to Heliolisk while also having reliable recovery and a way to threat Slowbro and Xatu with a fairly strong shadow ball. Its physical bulk is quite similar to Slowbro, and offers a good blanket check to most normal and fighting types such as toxicroak and emboar amonst other things. While it also doesnt beat Null 1v1, it can be used a pivot around it to avoid any unnescessary. While it is quite easy to overwhelm with strong special attackers, it is a good option for balance teams in particular need of a rocker while also being a cool check to heliolisk.
passho berry water compactions beats sd samurott 1v1 lol
 
Typhlosion B- to C+/C
While Specs Eruption is hard to switch in if you don’t have a bulky Fire, Rock, or Water, I don’t think it’s enough to warrant it this high. It’s hard to splash on teams due to it being highly dependent on hazard removal and very vulnerable to any form of chip damage. Though USUM brought in some new viable Defoggers, it was also the time when threats like Type: Null and Altaria started to rise in viability and usage which don’t get 2HKO’d by Specs Eruption. Though granted, it does have an almost guaranteed chance of 2HKOing it with Focus Blast. Delphox, Emboar, and Houndoom are usually better suited as offensive Fire types but I will say it does have a niche even though it mostly sucks.
884CA332-3D74-4DB0-86F7-E413B57CC0B5.jpeg


Passimian B to B+
The meta doesn’t have many switch ins to Passimian rn besides Slowbro, Venusaur, Garbodor and Altaria (But Passimian can run Earthquake or Rock Slide to hurt those two of it really wanted to and the rest it can just U-Turn on). I feel like the continuous rise of Type: Null and Klinklang is beneficial to it. Not to mention it’s a good Klinklang check being able to shrug off a +1 Gear Grind and being able to OHKO it back which offensive teams lack at the moment (Keep in mind if it uses a Z-move on it then your primate is dead). I know this thing has some problems like speed and low special bulk, but it serves as a decent Klinklang check and a good wallbreaker/pivot.

View attachment 100690
 

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etern

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NU Leader
Small update this time

Code:
Rises:
Aggron: UR > C-
Sceptile: B+ > A-
Torterra: UR > C-
 
Drops:
Vikavolt: A- > B+
Exeggutor-Alola: B > B-
Typhlosion: B- > C+
No major discussion points for now, feel free to discuss anything you feel is relevant.
 
1518207551994.png
S --> A+

So this ones been on my mind for awhile but now with some recent meta trends I've felt likes its a good time to nom it down. Right now there is a very extreme divide in the power level of the S ranks. The difference in strength between this and the rest of S is so huge that I think its a pretty far reach to put this in the same class. With the recent meta shifts of Sneasel on basically every team and Slowbro being a staple in building you have a meta where Delphox almost never wants to click Stabs. We even have stuff like AV Slowbro popping up which only adds to the problems for it. Scarf just isn't the set it used to be which has left CM to be the scariest set in the metagame, but that has its own problems. I think it might be time for it to drop a bit.



1518207567493.png
B+ --> A-

Vikavolt shouldn't have dropped. I've been using it since the start of NUL both before and after Heliolisk dropped and honestly, the mon isn't out classed like people are saying it is. The people who have gone out and tested it in this meta have come to the same opinion that first and foremost its a bug type wall breaker, not some volt switch spamming thing that people make it out to be. Bug resist that beat this just aren't a thing right now, so more often then not you're just firing off either bug buzzes or Z-bug buzz to nuke out teams early and opening up holes in your opponents team for the rest of your team to do their thing. I think the people who think that Heliolisk out classes it are stuck on the fact both are Electric types that learn Volt Switch. (replay below!)



1518196173930.png

C- --> C+

People are catching on to Palosand. Its gotten a lot of hate but slowly people are starting to understand it does a lot of cool stuff in the meta like checking Emboar and Klinklang inside of your rocker slot which is really really nice. Reliable recovery is also huge for it because unlike say a Druddigon it doesn't have to worry about chip damage which gives it a solid niche on more defensive teams.



1518207584883.png

C --> UR

If you want a pursuit trapper that doesn't trap as well as other trappers that can also double as a defogger that loses to every rocker then I guess this might have a niche, but honestly there isn't a reason to run this in NU; Skunk really isn't a viable option.



1518197614227.png

UR --> C/C+

The only replay I was able to save from NUL using this was last weeks match, so apologies for only having 1 replay, but hopefully the fact its from week 4 of NUL will make up for it! Cradilly is a generic special wall with recovery that gets rocks, which on its own is really nice but its also a great check to scarf fires such as Delphox and Houndoom (you also beat their CM/NP sets but you take 80-90% doing it so you're generally just trading 1 for 1). Its also nice for things like Haunter, Venusaur, and scarf Rotom on account of it just being a bulky generic Sp.D wall.

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7nu-697585390 (replay also doubles for a reason Vikavolt shouldn't have dropped.)
 
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Yoshi

IT'S FINK DUMBASS
to A-
As the NU tier’s best Defogger, Altaria has recently found its way on many teams, and it’s no shock why. The recent tier changes have Altaria a new Pokemon to check in Heliolisk, as it only does about 35 with any attack to Spdef. The changes also brought Emboar to life, which Altaria also checks, with th the exception of CB Head Smash. While Altaria is quite the passive Pokemon, I do believe the recent changes are enough to put Altaria just a tier higher. Not to mention, the definition of a B ranked Pokémon goes as follows: “Pokemon in this rank do an alright job fulfilling criteria, albeit not as convincingly.” This most certainly shouldn’t apply to Altaria, as it’s one of if not the best Defogger in the tier, with its only real rival being Xatu. I feel as if we’re going by the characteristics of what fits a certain Pokemon in a certain rank, higher than B is definitely right for Altaria. So, with that in mind, I think Altaria should rise to A-.

to C+
I think Gourgeist’s viability is highly underestimated, especially on stall where it’s one of the only Virizion checks stall has. After Heliolisk dropped, it gave stall another huge reason to use Gourgeist, as stall is often massacred by Heliolisk if it is a Focus Blast variant. Other than that, I don’t really see much else to use Gourgeist for honestly, but I think the fact that it’s one of the only ways stall stops an S rank mon is a great reason for it to rise, as well as the rising popularity in LO Virizion.
 
MAGNEMITE TO C-

ok hear me out. probopass is in C+. magnemite fulfills the exact same role as probopass (steel trapper, fairy switch-in, good viv answer) except for 1 key distinction:

it trades rocks for the ability to trap klinklang.
+1 252+ Atk Klinklang Corkscrew Crash (180 BP) vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Magnemite: 90-106 (35.5 - 41.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
+1 252+ Atk Klinklang Frustration vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Magnemite: 68-80 (26.8 - 31.6%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
252+ SpA Magnemite Thunderbolt vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Klinklang: 150-177 (57.4 - 67.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+1 252+ Atk Klinklang Corkscrew Crash (180 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Probopass: 292-345 (90.1 - 106.4%) -- 75% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock

w/ klinklang being really good right now, being able to trap both lix and kk gives magnemite a small enough niche to rank it in C-

e: kiyo used this to ladder for suspect reqs so he can atone to how effective it is

we can make it happen guys, i believe
 
absol.gif
Absol to B/B+

A good pokemon against balances and stalls teams, a spammable knock off that hit hard and cripple pokemons like slowbro, steelix, altaria, venusaur who can not touch him hard with a good coverage (superpower for steelix, zen headbutt to lure toxicroak on switch or irontail to hit harder aromatisse) and sucker punch that hit hard the most used pokemons like heliolisk,delphox and medicham recently.

252+ Atk Life Orb Absol Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 232 HP / 104 Def Venusaur: 234-277 (65.1 - 77.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Black Sludge recovery
252+ Atk Life Orb Absol Superpower vs. 244 HP / 252 Def Steelix: 177-211 (50.2 - 59.9%) -- 82.8% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Life Orb Absol Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 200+ Def Altaria: 183-216 (51.6 - 61%) -- 92.6% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Life Orb Absol Iron Tail vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Aromatisse: 408-481 (100.4 - 118.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ Atk Life Orb Absol Iron Tail vs. 252 HP / 252 Def Audino-Mega: 211-250 (51.4 - 60.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Life Orb Absol Sucker Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Heliolisk: 274-325 (103.3 - 122.6%) -- guaranteed OHKO
If you run swords dances:
+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Absol Sucker Punch vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Sneasel: 261-308 (103.9 - 122.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Absol Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Druddigon: 348-411 (97.2 - 114.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Absol Sucker Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Vanilluxe: 374-441 (132.1 - 155.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO

0 SpA Altaria Flamethrower vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Absol: 73-86 (26.9 - 31.7%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
0 SpA Slowbro Scald vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Absol: 130-154 (47.9 - 56.8%) -- 89.1% chance to 2HKO
0 SpA Cryogonal Freeze-Dry vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Absol: 109-129 (40.2 - 47.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252+ Atk Piloswine Ice Shard vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Absol: 91-108 (33.5 - 39.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
0 SpA Venusaur Sludge Bomb vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Absol: 145-172 (53.5 - 63.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
 

Disjunction

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A+ --> S

I genuinely believe Mega Audino is one of the most dominant Pokemon in the tier. MDino, alongside slowbro, enforces this ridiculous meta trend of having to toxic stall everything before your opponent can toxic stall you. It's ridiculous past just that because it can still circumvent this trend with regen or even heal bell if you have the right team support. It is effectively able to check almost every offensive mon in the tier and the stuff that pressures it back, such as garb, lix, kk and other toxic mons, are extremely easy to cover for. It's the penultimate mon for balance, being able to cover any remaining holes in any defensive back bone and provides the obnoxious wish support that keeps mons like steelvally, rhydon, etc going for far longer than they need to. Whittling it down hardly happens unless you have an excess of breakers, are able to force it to mega, and are able to consistently keep your hazards up throughout the entire match.

A+ --> S

See above. This mon isn't just lazy teambuilding, it's practically required on balance to keep your defensive backbone afloat in our current meta. Between scald/ice beam/toxic/slack it's simultaneously the hardest mon to switch into while being the hardest mon to whittle. Regardless of how easy it is to kill on the special side, the absurd benefits you reap from its ability to check just about EVERY physically offensive pokemon at almost 0 cost is not something to be understated. It defines the stupid balance trends that the tier has settled into and it's obvious by the trend of absurd special wallbreakers how much people recognize this thing's suffocating presence in the tier.

A+ --> S

This thing does everything and then some. It's horrible to prepare for in the builder because you usually need to bend backwards in multiple slots to be comfortable with what it does against every playstyle. It's honestly very centralizing with its ability to circumvent would-be 3HKOes with Sleep Powder and its variance in special and physical wallbreaking prowess. You also need to be wary of Scarf, Sunny Day, and Z-Celebrate because of how threatening it is for offensive teams.

S --> A+

Definitely a mon to prep for, but I've found it's much easier to check defensively than people have been making it out to be. It's easy to whittle, life orb or not, and it struggles to really set itself up as the wallbreaker everyone is making it out to be when it needs to be matched against a bulky water or flying type in order to ohko anything. Its frail stats and lackluster defensive typing also make it an extremely awkward pick for a team considering a lot of other mons do the "offense killer that comes in on bulky water types" niche better. Just don't think it's on the same level as sneasel, the regenners, and venu rn.

S --> A+

I know kay brought this up but I just wanted to put my support behind it. It's relatively slow as a breaker and its niche as an emboar/vanilluxe check on offense isn't as cherished nowadays as offensive teams are becoming more scarce in lieu of teams that appreciate mons that have more lasting presences on the field. It's still threatening, but it's hard to get past the multiple walls that put pressure on it and the rocks weakness definitely extenuates that as it often feels like every Delphox set is on a timer from turn 1.

A --> A+

Best grass-type wallbreaker rn. The bulk, typing, and diversity between edge and zen is invaluable in a metagame where Slowbro and Venusaur are the most common fighting type resistances. The positive matchup against Heliolisk is a good bonus too.

A- --> A+

The best way to beat this on balance is doubling around with Slowbro to try and avoid getting smashed by Thunder Punch, mons like Spiritomb and Sableye not withstanding. With how slow everything is now, Medicham really shines considering the horrible strain it puts in the builder and on the field.

That's all for now. tl;dr regen is ruining nu
 
Because of multiple ''recent'' trends;

Gourgeist-Super from C mid -> B-

Gour has mostly been forgotten the longer the meta went down as virizion lose tracks, Barb got banned and everything just became more Emboar/Sneasel/Vanilluxe oriented. Its good bulk wasn't as needed for the lesser type for current metagame. However with Heliolisk in the tier, a rise in Virizion and Medi finally getting the recognition it deserved it now consistenly walls 2 of the metagame defining pokemon and virizion as it always did. Helio legit can't hurt it enough without running the pretty obscure Dark Pulse, Virizion never stood a chance besides spamming SD while burned and Medi needs major chip before it can 2HKO. Besides this it still remains an amazing blank wall to a vareity of pokemon such as lead Rockers thanks to ground resistance and spreading sick burns. However this mon isn't without drawnbacks as it's special defense leaves much to desire, it's typing only enhances Sneasel's ability to pursuit trap and houndoom(Which I legit have only seen run Scarf at this point) can come in even on a Seed Bomb taking nothing and threatening with a powerfull Fire Blast. And lastly it's Offensive pressence at this point is literally a weak Seed Bomb and we all know what happens to Physical Grass types in a generation with Scald.

0 Atk Gourgeist-Super Seed Bomb vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Heliolisk: 145-172 (54.7 - 64.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Heliolisk Thunderbolt vs. 248 HP / 8 SpD Gourgeist-Super: 123-144 (32.9 - 38.6%) -- 5.4% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery

+2 252 Atk Virizion Continental Crush (180 BP) vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Gourgeist-Super: 191-225 (51.2 - 60.3%) -- 89.5% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

0 Atk Gourgeist-Super Seed Bomb vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Medicham: 109-130 (41.7 - 49.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 Atk Life Orb Pure Power Medicham Zen Headbutt vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Gourgeist-Super: 133-156 (35.6 - 41.8%) -- 80.9% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
 
Accelgor> B-/C+: It's a free switch in for meta defining Pokemon like Toxicroak and Emboar, and fails to do anything what so ever versus balance teams. Medicham and Toxicroak prevalence really hurt it, as it completely drops to their priority after some chip. It's no longer that great as a spikes setter as Xatu has become increasingly less common, and it falls flat versus the new defoggers, plus you should probably pick a spiker that is likely to have a longer life span, as Silvally-steel and Altaria can stick around for quite a long time and in turn you'd want a hazard setter that also can stick around for a long time.... not Accelgor
 
Some new nominations I brainstormed that i wanted to share:

Vanilluxe to S
There may be a lot of checks to this vanilla ice cream, but with losing arguably it's best check, Emboar, Vanilluxe is downright terrifying, even with preparation. It puts a huge strain on teambuilding and hits extremely hard with 100% accurate Blizzard. Specs is an amazing wallbreaker while scarf is an excellent revenge killer, and with hidden power ground, Vanilluxe can muscle pass it's steel and fire counters. It hits so many top threats for so much damage and defines the meta in a type of way which feels like it just has to be S rank with the big boys (and girls i'm not sexist lel)

Toxicroak to A+

Without Emboar, Toxicroak is simply an excellent pokemon. The additional poison typing is really nice in this meta allowing it to hit annoying fairy and grass types hard like Aromatisse, Mega Audino, Virizion, Sceptile, and Whimsicott, and helps it stand out from other fighting types. Both Nasty plot and SD sets are extremely potenr and can easily sweep teams without proper preparation for it. Vacuum wave in particular, is extremely potent at revenge killing, especially at +2. On top of all of this, Toxicroak can switch into water attacks AND has an excellent movepool to boot physical and special moves off of. An extremely potent and underrated pokemon atm.

Druddigon to A-
Unfortunately for this dragon, it has sort of fallen from grace in USM meta. The recent departure of Emboar sure didn't help it either, as one of it's roles was to check emboar with it's ability, rocky helmet, and typing that allowed it to resist Boar's main attack. Rock sets aren't as effective now that hazard removal is much easier to come by, and Ice and fairy types being top tier really doesn't help it. Certain Offensive sets can be fun but they are rather niche and despite sheer force off of a 120 base attack, there are better options thanks to it's abysmal speed. Overall Druddigon is still a solid mon but not quite A material anymore, and should drop to A-.

Aggron to C:
While Aggron definitely has some flaws, it is an extremely scary wallbreaker with choice band if played right. STAB head smash with no recoil is extremely powerful, and does over 70% to Slowbro, and OHKOes practically anything weak to it. A nice set of 9 resistances lets it switch into big threats like Mega Audino, Vanilluxe, Sneasel, Whimsicott, and Type Null. Solid coverage moves make it hard to predict and hard to switch into. It often can do a huge chunk to teams that don't have a good answer to it. Solid mon atm and is due for a rise.

Incineroar to B
Ok, Ok, Ok. I know I have nominated this mon up many times before and people probably think I am being biased but I now have a decent explanation instead of mindlessly nominating it to a higher rank. Incineroar is a lot better without the competition of Boar as a physically offensive fire type and doesn't have to be worried about getting switched into and crushed by boar. SD roar is a very potent set that can crush stall and more defensive oriented teams. It can also check key threats like Sneasel, Vanilluxe, Venusaur, Xatu, and Slowbro. Good natural bulk lets it take a hit or two as well before going down. Strong base power stabs off of a strong 115 base attack also makes it so SD is really gonna hurt. Hard to switch into and a great mon rn imo. However, Incineroar does have downsides, like a lack of reliable recovery and a weakness to stealth rocks hinders its ability to switch in and out. Also don't use AV
 
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Some new nominations I brainstormed that i wanted to share:

Vanilluxe to S
There may be a lot of checks to this vanilla ice cream, but with losing arguably it's best check, Emboar, Vanilluxe is downright terrifying, even with preparation. It puts a huge strain on teambuilding and hits extremely hard with 100% accurate Blizzard. Specs is an amazing wallbreaker while scarf is an excellent revenge killer, and with hidden power ground, Vanilluxe can muscle pass it's steel and fire counters. It hits so many top threats for so much damage and defines the meta in a type of way which feels like it just has to be S rank with the big boys (and girls i'm not sexist lel)

Toxicroak to A+

Without Emboar, Toxicroak is simply an excellent pokemon. The additional poison typing is really nice in this meta allowing it to hit annoying fairy and grass types hard like Aromatisse, Mega Audino, Virizion, Sceptile, and Whimsicott, and helps it stand out from other fighting types. Both Nasty plot and SD sets are extremely potenr and can easily sweep teams without proper preparation for it. Vacuum wave in particular, is extremely potent at revenge killing, especially at +2. On top of all of this, Toxicroak can switch into water attacks AND has an excellent movepool to boot physical and special moves off of. An extremely potent and underrated pokemon atm.

Druddigon to A-
Unfortunately for this dragon, it has sort of fallen from grace in USM meta. The recent departure of Emboar sure didn't help it either, as one of it's roles was to check emboar with it's ability, rocky helmet, and typing that allowed it to resist Boar's main attack. Rock sets aren't as effective now that hazard removal is much easier to come by, and Ice and fairy types being top tier really doesn't help it. Certain Offensive sets can be fun but they are rather niche and despite sheer force off of a 120 base attack, there are better options thanks to it's abysmal speed. Overall Druddigon is still a solid mon but not quite A material anymore, and should drop to A-.

Aggron to C:
While Aggron definitely has some flaws, it is an extremely scary wallbreaker with choice band if played right. STAB head smash with no recoil is extremely powerful, and does over 70% to Slowbro, and OHKOes practically anything weak to it. A nice set of 9 resistances lets it switch into big threats like Mega Audino, Vanilluxe, Sneasel, Whimsicott, and Type Null. Solid coverage moves make it hard to predict and hard to switch into. It often can do a huge chunk to teams that don't have a good answer to it. Solid mon atm and is due for a rise.

Incineroar to B
Ok, Ok, Ok. I know I have nominated this mon up many times before and people probably think I am being biased but I now have a decent explanation instead of mindlessly nominating it to a higher rank. Incineroar is a lot better without the competition of Boar as a physically offensive fire type and doesn't have to be worried about getting switched into and crushed by boar. SD roar is a very potent set that can crush stall and more defensive oriented teams. It can also check key threats like Sneasel, Vanilluxe, Venusaur, Xatu, and Slowbro. Good natural bulk lets it take a hit or two as well before going down. Hard to switch into and a great mon rn imo. However, Incineroar does have downsides, like a lack of reliable recovery and a weakness to stealth rocks hinders its ability to switch in and out. Also don't use AV
Most of these come off as far too early expectations;
-Druddigon still provides a highly usefull list of resists and now got widend up the freedom to use Sheer Force sets(including the lure sets for whimsi), Moldbreaker now is given more space to do work and the Rough Skin set still serves as a major hinderance to any U-turn using pivot. I am not even mentioning how it can finally take a possition with a more special defensive set without being ashamed of itself for running a nice and comfy red vest or utilizing a thing people often expect pink skinned stuff for.
-Vanilluxe I can see the point of but is possibly one of the most prepaired for pokemon in this meta with Miltank being more spashed on, Silvally-Steel showing it's stats pride and one of our less specific special walls like Type: null/Audino/AV King are just as heavily impossing on what it tries to abuse the most. Not even going into mentions like Cryogonal or Delphox who might as well be used more if emboar were to be so dominant in that possitioning.
-Toxicroak, as much as this mon can be a pain to face it has too much holding it back. From the constant consistency issues of a Physical/Special advantaging over the other to the requirment of set up when it lacks the bulk to do so reliably. While it does boost the damn usefull Z-gunk which at +2 is basically a free OHKO(exept if they have a golbat).


On semi-related note, golbat deserves to rise to B-. Taunt bat is so though to deal with when using slower balance and Bulky Offense teams as it also serves as a reliable answere to pokemon such as Type: Null, Venusaur, Toxicroak, (M-)Audino, Yama and Hitmonlee. Unlike S/M it no longer needs to both keep itself healthy and the team when it can just be a pain to the opponent and prevent most of what they did like to be doing.
 
Incineroar C+ to B-/B

I think it is about time for Emboar to leave the tier but it is also time for Incineroar to potentially shine. It’s a great Delphox, Sneasel, Klinklang, and Vaniluxe. It can Choice between a bulky pivot or a wallbreaker with the Assault Vest or Incinium-Z and losing a mon that resists it’s stab is also helpful.

Hariyama B to B+

Losing competition from Emboar benefits its role as a wallbreaker and its AV set is a force to be reckoned with, sponging a good majority of NU even taking super effective hits. Balance getting better with Emboar gone and Hariyama can either be apart of it or shred Balance apart.

Mega-Audino A+ to S

Speaking of Balance getting better, Mega-Audino should’ve been S rank a long time ago. It’s amazing bulk and wide supportive movepool makes it an essential part of defensive teams and can choose between higher physical defense, higher special defense, or serve as a mixed wall. The main issue with Mega-Audino’s lack of instant recovery is backed up by its tremendous bulk.
 

0NI

j'arrive
Chatot
UR > C- : this thing is not played but after some calcs and 20 battles in NULT, it ohkoes/2hkoes all the mons in the tier with 1 move except Silvally Steel / Steelix with Spdef spread / Rhydon Spdef / Slowking AV. It often kills between 1 and 3 bulky mons. Still weak and easy to rk.

252 SpA Choice Specs Chatot Boomburst vs. 252 HP / 240 SpD Eviolite Rhydon: 114-135 (27.5 - 32.6%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Chatot Boomburst vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Eviolite Rhydon: 168-198 (47.8 - 56.4%) -- 85.9% chance to 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Chatot Boomburst vs. 244 HP / 12 SpD Steelix: 189-222 (53.6 - 63%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Choice Specs Chatot Boomburst vs. 244 HP / 128 SpD Steelix: 161-189 (45.7 - 53.6%) -- 2.3% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Choice Specs Chatot Boomburst vs. 244 HP / 252+ SpD Steelix: 127-150 (36 - 42.6%) -- 94.9% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Choice Specs Chatot Boomburst vs. 248 HP / 104+ SpD Cryogonal: 175-207 (48.2 - 57%) -- 90.6% chance to 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Chatot Boomburst vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Slowking: 166-196 (42.2 - 49.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Chatot Boomburst vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Silvally-Steel: 101-119 (25.6 - 30.2%) -- guaranteed 4HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Chatot Heat Wave vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Silvally-Steel: 182-216 (46.1 - 54.8%) -- 62.1% chance to 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Chatot Boomburst vs. 0 HP / 252 SpD Assault Vest Hariyama: 195-231 (45.4 - 53.8%) -- 42.6% chance to 2HKO

Chatot @ Choice Specs / Choice Scarf
Ability: Tangled Feet
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Boomburst
- Heat Wave
- U-turn / Hidden Power Grass
- Chatter / Hidden Power Grass

or

Chatot @ Silk Scarf / Life Orb / Random Z move
Ability: Tangled Feet
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Boomburst
- Heat Wave
- Hidden Power [Grass] / Chatter

 
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Finchinator

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Hate to say this because he’s usually a ‘bad’ mon, but Incineroar should rise to at least B+, probably. With Emboar banned, this Fire type starter lost one of its few offensive checks and it now has much more opportunities to find its way onto teams. Additionally, it’s one of the better core breakers and even stall breakers in the tier depending upon the set and the stall. SR weakness and speed tier are disappointing, but the latter is at least kept in check by a slowing down metagame and the nature of balance/semi-stall teams being predominantly slow anyway. All in all, decent enough natural bulk and high attack let Incineroar pick off a lot of things and the recent metagame shifts favor it a ton. Move him up

Also don’t use Chatot ffs
 
Got a big opinion for ya bois.

Absol from B- to B/B+
It's a bit bold but anyone who's used this of recent realizes how hard an Adamant LO knock is from this sucker (punch intended) and at +2, it becomes essentially a god amongst men with 70 Base STAB Priority and a decent speed tier. After the Emboar ban, there's no longer a soft faster dark check that can easily be splashed onto any squad. Popular walls fall to this at the moment (Last move superpower only leaves you open to Aromatisse) and many frail mons get killed from even full after a boost if not a little bit a chip (+2 sucker kills Sneasel without prior damage and does like 71% min to Whimsi). . You don't even need the SD either, spamming knock on a free switch nabs free kills on teams that do not have dedicated dark resists (which atm is pretty much limited to Mega-Audino which has to force mega to rid of regenerator).

Venusaur from A+ to S
Another bold claim but this in my eyes is essentially the Lando-T of the tier. It truly can fill so many roles from LO, defensive, specs, scarf, celebrate, and can even be customized to any of your wants or needs (I personally enjoy Meadow Plate knock off). Aside from weird stuff like Golbat (which should also rise imo) and Cryogonal (actually this kind of still loses to growth celebrate), there's just no clear cut counter to this monster tbh. In short does anything and everything well and leads the metagame.

Guzzlord from A- to A
In a Slowbro meta, this has never been as useful imo. This can come in on so many things and can act like a light Venu check if need be. Coupled along with the fact that it has virtually unresisted coverage and a decent amount of experimentation has been done with techs like Dragonium Z and Knock Off, teams are incredibly unprepared to face this beast.

Sandslash-Alola rightfully ranked C
It's been blacklisted, my requests were denied from the unjust council, it's been sent to the shadow realm of PU, but it's a hard fighter and made it onto the big stage of SPL allowing the whole world to gasp in the glory of its beautiful icy mane. For real though, it's a spinner with a convenient typing and movepool in the meta atm (can check vanilluxe, sneasel and non hp fire venu) and its use on hail teams have shown in the past as consistently effective. I think it's finally time to give the pangolin a shot since it has results. (cause we're also giving fucking magnemite and chatot a shot)

Crabominable to C/C-
I was always skeptical of this mon and its practicality and usefulness in theory always outperformed it in practice. It very simply is not splashable and fails to do much more than getting the occasional frag. Its typing is also horrible defensively which makes its abysmal speed that much worse. Sorry just not a strong believer when there are more practical beaters (shoutouts to SD Incineroar).

All these mons to C-/Unranked
These mons are making C rank kind of thicc and are extremely situational or outclassed for the role they try to fill. I wouldn't be against them being sent to the gulag (unranked) but C- will suffice. To go over it very quickly Granbull is outdone offensively (pretty much any wallbreaker but physical Fairy STAB is legit) and defensively (Mega Audino) and will lose consistently to Venusaur, Vivillion will much more consistently sweep or break a team than Liligant ever could, Skuntank's defog utility has never been more worthless in a metagame with much better options. Jynx has its STABs resisted by Delphox and Sneasel and has 4MSS issues not to mention outclassed by similar sweepers in this regard.

Torkoal to Unranked
Absolutely worthless in every regard. Weak to rocks, no reliable recovery, not to mention incredibly passive. And please don't give me the "it checks Sneasel shit" if you want to redeem this.

Pinsir to Unranked
Not as much as a travesty as above however its role as an offensive mold breaker rocker is just not good especially since Drudd isn't even forced to run max/max defense any more and lures like yache berry/roseli berry drudd are more effective than people give credit for. Xatu is not the hottest mon right now (still excellent however) meaning Pinsir's usefulness in return has diminished. Being outclassed in every other role it tries to achieve, I think this is a safe unrank.
 
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