Resource Monotype SM Viability Rankings

[Wanka]

Tapu Fini: I mentioned it for Fairy, not Water. On Water, I agree with your statement said. On fairy though, other Pokemon can take on its roles with ease, and I've noticed it to be somewhat difficult to fit onto a team.

Alolan Muk: Fair Enough.

Skuntank: The main reason to use this would be for better priority. Shadow Sneak simply does cut it enough, especially in checking Alolan Raichu, which is a massive threat to Poison teams.

Landorus-T: I can agree with that, however, the fact that outside of Lando-I the pool of special attackers is pretty suboptimal (Nidoking, Seismitoad, and Gastrodon), that's where I would unfortunately have to disagree with you. Opportunity cost is huge in this senario.

Scolipede: Me saying it can solo Psychic is not naive in the slightest, I actually have a replay to prove it to you. http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7monotype-499326560 If I set SR up, Scolipede could of kept going so long as it didn't miss. Additionally, Poison is a type that lacks good Physical Wallbreaker, which Scolipede fits the bill pretty well, with the ability to 2KO P2 (after SR and T-Spikes, even after the drops), Rotom-W, Chansey, check Air Balloon Heatran, have a chance to OHKO Zapdos after SR, just to name a few. If anything, Scolipede's viability has actually gone up this generation with Gengar's nerf, and how common Psychic is right now especially.

Dugtrio: (This is not a snarky comment or remark, I'm being dead serious here) I'd actually love to know why Dugtrio is as good as a lot of people claim to be, because in my experience trying it, I've personally found it to be underwhelming, and a lot of times not play a significant role in a match.

Are you kidding me stun. The only reason you won that game was because you crit burn that metagross with toxapex. You aren't helping your argument with a dumb replays like that. Gengar's nerf has nothing to do with scolipede's viability either.

In regards to lando T, I would agree with you that the opportunity cost would be too much to warrant an A rank if what you said about ground teams not being good without lando I was true. It isn't true though, the opportunity cost can't be as high as you think it is and it isn't because you can make effective teams without lando I. They may function differently but they are still good. Think about the situation with goodra and dragon last year. The opportunity cost to use goodra and not something like a lati, hydreigon, or dragalge made it hard for goodra dragon builds to be as effective as builds without it. And there simply were no meta defining builds with goodra on it, therefore goodra was held where it was. In this case, Lando T ground builds can be very effective and have already been proven to be meta defining in this gen, therefore lando has the rank that it has even though you can't use arguably grounds most defining mon.

In regards to fini, sorry im blind. I have to look into its effect on fairy more.

I'll work on duggy as well for you.

 

[Misaka Mikoto]

Tapu Fini: I mentioned it for Fairy, not Water. On Water, I agree with your statement said. On fairy though, other Pokemon can take on its roles with ease, and I've noticed it to be somewhat difficult to fit onto a team.

Well, I actually use Fairy-types often and I very much think that Tapu Fini deserves A Rank. In my opinion, I think it's better to focus more on what assets Tapu Fini brings to Fairy-types than what Pokemon takes its roles with ease because I know for certain Togekiss can't be bothered to run a Defog set because many (and Togekiss itself) prefer to make full use of Choice Scarf + Serene Grace to hax with Air Slash and other offensive coverage moves such as Fire Blast and Aura Sphere to check other types. Unlike Togekiss, Tapu Fini can switch into Stealth Rock much more comfortably and doesn't have to take 24-25% damage each time it switches in. With Misty Surge as its ability, Tapu Fini becomes a great status absorber and Fairy teams appreciate that (with the exception of Toxic Spikes it switches into) and many Fairy-types such as Azumarill don't enjoy having their longevity shortened or become less useful from poison and burns and surely enough Togekiss doesn't want to find some way to switch-in and use up a turn to cure its team of status with Heal Bell and the same goes for Sylveon and Clefable because they're more focused on dealing a lot of damage with Choice Specs and setting up with Calm Mind or Cosmic Power, respectively. Nature's Madness, which acts as a Super Fang is also a great way to deal with annoying walls, especially those that tend lack reliable recovery such as Heatran for its teammates to deal with much easier.

With Tapu Fini's Water / Fairy typing, you have another Pokemon that takes neutral damage from Steel-type attacks and I actually find it useful for a decent special attacker like Tapu Fini to utilize Hidden Power Fire much more effectively than having to rely on Togekiss Fire Blast against a Mega Scizor or having to worry about a Heatran switching in to gain a Flash Fire boost. In my opinion, Tapu Fini helps push Togekiss into running a Choice Scarf set without having to be pressured to take damage from Stealth Rock or switch-in for Heal Bell. That's just wasting moveslots for something better that it can use and I don't think it's difficult at all. I run both Azumarill and Tapu Fini and together and my team works perfectly fine.

Edit: I forgot to mention, having Trick Togekiss also helps cripple annoying defensive Pokemon such as Chansey, Porygon2, etc.

 

[Eien]

Dece1t, I wanted to try to help explain Dugtrio because I've used it a ton both back in ORAS but more importantly so far in SuMo every week.

Dugtrio is one of the best Pokemon Ground has access to because it can remove Pokemon with certainty. As you should know, Ground teams are incredibly very vulnerable to Ash-Greninja, but it doesn't transform without a KO. If they get their KO with any move other than Water Shuriken (and U-turn, obviously), Focus Sash Dugtrio can instantly come in and revenge kill with Reversal, removing the biggest threat to Ground teams. When Ash-Greninja is such a monster in the current metagame, this trade is worth it every time, especially because Dugtrio is still alive and has its maximum power Reversal ready. Having a reliable Ash-Greninja revenge killer single-handedly makes it A in my opinion.

But it's not deadweight in other matchups at all: if you're facing Alolan Raichu, it really isn't such an easy threat to beat. Access to Grass Knot + Focus Blast, and potentially even Surf over Focus Blast, can be a huge problem with the right team support. Dugtrio comes right in and revenge kills it, though. In fact, if Alolan Raichu has taken random prior damage, you can use Sucker Punch to preserve your Focus Sash and save it for another occasion (trapping Xurkitree, possibly?)

If you're battling Ice Punch + Grass Knot Mega Metagross, Dugtrio just handles it completely. Even that if they have Bullet Punch (in addition to two anti-Grass moves, mind you), that also loses to Earthquake -> Sucker Punch after Stealth Rock damage / any recoil.

Let's also not forget that Dugtrio uses Memento, too. So Dugtrio literally cannot be useless because it always has the option to cripple a target and give a teammate, say Rock Polish Landorus or Swords Dance Mega Garchomp, that great support.

Almost every team has something that Dugtrio can trap (obviously barring Flying and Ghost), and both Memento and maximum power Reversal are nothing to scoff at. Dugtrio was a lot better with the Zygarde formes, as Skarmory using Whirlwind always has to be afraid of phazing into a Dugtrio that traps and beats it. It was also better when Kartana was a huge threat and Dugtrio was perhaps the most reliable answer the type had access to. Nevertheless, being able to beat Ash-Greninja in the current metagame cannot be understated. I hope that helps explain things.

 

[Dece1t]

Dece1t, I wanted to try to help explain Dugtrio because I've used it a ton both back in ORAS but more importantly so far in SuMo every week.

Dugtrio is one of the best Pokemon Ground has access to because it can remove Pokemon with certainty. As you should know, Ground teams are incredibly very vulnerable to Ash-Greninja, but it doesn't transform without a KO. If they get their KO with any move other than Water Shuriken (and U-turn, obviously), Focus Sash Dugtrio can instantly come in and revenge kill with Reversal, removing the biggest threat to Ground teams. When Ash-Greninja is such a monster in the current metagame, this trade is worth it every time, especially because Dugtrio is still alive and has its maximum power Reversal ready. Having a reliable Ash-Greninja revenge killer single-handedly makes it A in my opinion.

But it's not deadweight in other matchups at all: if you're facing Alolan Raichu, it really isn't such an easy threat to beat. Access to Grass Knot + Focus Blast, and potentially even Surf over Focus Blast, can be a huge problem with the right team support. Dugtrio comes right in and revenge kills it, though. In fact, if Alolan Raichu has taken random prior damage, you can use Sucker Punch to preserve your Focus Sash and save it for another occasion (trapping Xurkitree, possibly?)

If you're battling Ice Punch + Grass Knot Mega Metagross, Dugtrio just handles it completely. Even that if they have Bullet Punch (in addition to two anti-Grass moves, mind you), that also loses to Earthquake -> Sucker Punch after Stealth Rock damage / any recoil.

Let's also not forget that Dugtrio uses Memento, too. So Dugtrio literally cannot be useless because it always has the option to cripple a target and give a teammate, say Rock Polish Landorus or Swords Dance Mega Garchomp, that great support.

Almost every team has something that Dugtrio can trap (obviously barring Flying and Ghost), and both Memento and maximum power Reversal are nothing to scoff at. Dugtrio was a lot better with the Zygarde formes, as Skarmory using Whirlwind always has to be afraid of phazing into a Dugtrio that traps and beats it. It was also better when Kartana was a huge threat and Dugtrio was perhaps the most reliable answer the type had access to. Nevertheless, being able to beat Ash-Greninja in the current metagame cannot be understated. I hope that helps explain things.

I understand what you're saying, but there's a small problem that I'm noticing. I'm assuming your doing this based off of the moves EQ/Sucker/Reversal/Memento. What about Stone Edge? Without that, you're lacking a bit in coverage, and you're gonna get walled by Flying types. Other than that though truthfully, I'd imagine once Greninja and Mega Meta gross are banned (and room the trend going on rn, it looks like they will potentially), there's not much else of a reason to use it. Thank you so much though for explaining Eien, that really helps my understanding of it.

As for Wanka, I'm more than willing to get a better replay to prove my argument once I get the moment to. For rn though, I'll just tell you through my personal experience, as Poison is the type is very been using the most frequently so far, the Psychic teams I've ran into, Scolipede is able to completely plow through them, only exceptions being you need SR to gaurentee a KO on Victini, and Metagross (if that is the Mega of the team) needs to be weakened prior, which as the "dumb" replay I posted actually proves. As for Mega Alakazam, once you're passed +1 it's over, Alakazam would need protect (which is now a suboptimal option due to the Mega mechanic buff), and even with that it would need to come in on the same turn as Scolipede to check it (which a smart person would stay in to sack their Scolipede, as you can imagine). I also want to draw a comparison to what Eien mentioned about Greninja: the sole fact that Scolipede affects how that match up works as heavily as it does, that should actually justify it's rank further. Along with that, I want to reiterate again that it is Poison's best Physical Wallbreaker to run, which is a pretty big role to fill in itself. That's why I believe it is still S rank as it was last gen, and believe me, space is not an issue once so ever. As I said though, I can get a better replay showcasing Scolipede, but honestly, it isn't very different compared to last gen besides the addition of Mega Metagross.

 

[Haaku.]

I understand what you're saying, but there's a small problem that I'm noticing. I'm assuming your doing this based off of the moves EQ/Sucker/Reversal/Memento. What about Stone Edge? Without that, you're lacking a bit in coverage, and you're gonna get walled by Flying types. Other than that though truthfully, I'd imagine once Greninja and Mega Meta gross are banned (and room the trend going on rn, it looks like they will potentially), there's not much else of a reason to use it. Thank you so much though for explaining Eien, that really helps my understanding of it.

As for Wanka, I'm more than willing to get a better replay to prove my argument once I get the moment to. For rn though, I'll just tell you through my personal experience, as Poison is the type is very been using the most frequently so far, the Psychic teams I've ran into, Scolipede is able to completely plow through them, only exceptions being you need SR to gaurentee a KO on Victini, and Metagross (if that is the Mega of the team) needs to be weakened prior, which as the "dumb" replay I posted actually proves. As for Mega Alakazam, once you're passed +1 it's over, Alakazam would need protect (which is now a suboptimal option due to the Mega mechanic buff), and even with that it would need to come in on the same turn as Scolipede to check it (which a smart person would stay in to sack their Scolipede, as you can imagine). I also want to draw a comparison to what Eien mentioned about Greninja: the sole fact that Scolipede affects how that match up works as heavily as it does, that should actually justify it's rank further. Along with that, I want to reiterate again that it is Poison's best Physical Wallbreaker to run, which is a pretty big role to fill in itself. That's why I believe it is still S rank as it was last gen, and believe me, space is not an issue once so ever. As I said though, I can get a better replay showcasing Scolipede, but honestly, it isn't very different compared to last gen besides the addition of Mega Metagross.

Stone Edge covers Flying types mainly, who can already switch out of Arena Trap. Sucker Punch, on the other hand, helps with a lot of threats, specifically psychic types like Latios, which Ground doesn't really like switching anything into.

 

[-Vivian J. K]

With a nice amount of experience playing Mono-Ice in Gen VI and trying just about everything in the limited pool for Ice, I actually wanted to introduce a Pokemon that I didn't see ranked.

Articuno (Unranked) => (I'm unsure)

While it's true things have changed with this being a new gen, I feel like Articuno still has at least some relevance. Let's start by getting the very worst of this out of the way: Ice is a terrible defensive typing, and Ice/Flying gives Articuno a 4x weakness to Stealth Rocks. Despite this, Articuno has a lot of underlying merits about it that caused me to leave it on my team and see good use out of it. Stat wise, it's one of the more balanced defensive Ice-types with 90/100/125 stats, as well as access to reliable recovery in Roost. Move-wise it offers good utility moves like Defog, Haze, and Heal Bell - granted I'm not sure where it learns that last one from, since Serebii doesn't seem to have it noted. Lastly is the ability Pressure. I had numerous games where this came into play, be it to run opposing Pokemon out of weather setting moves, recovery moves, or perhaps the most annoying of all: an Umbreon with Foul Play/Wish/Moonlight/Protect. Crits spared me having to make that thing struggle.

So while it suffers majorly from that 4x Rock weakness, it can serve a meaningful role as a cleric, stallbreaker, or wall. The absolute best partner for it has to be Avalugg for clearing hazards and serving as a physical wall. If threatened with special attacks, Articuno could switch in and tank hits Avalugg can't stomach. Even managed to tank a Seperior's +4 Leafstorm and took only 41% damage, granted that's on a resisted hit.

 

[Shahdow]

Araquanid A⇒S (Bug) - I feel that Araquanid is essential on Monobug, similar to Heatran on Monosteel, since it's the only Bug type that actually resists fire thanks to Water Bubble, and it can either run CB to wallbreak or AV to easily tank Fire Blasts.

 

[RadiantLuna]

Krookodile B=>A (Dark) Krookodile is a viable Stealth Rocks alternative to Bisharp and Tyranitar, having a faster Taunt and maintaining similar offensive presence. Krookodile's Ground typing is very useful in the current meta since it stops the very common Volt Switch spam with proper prediction. Krookodile is a pretty versatile Pokemon- it can run Scarf, Band, Sash, even a bulky set with Intimidate which can make it difficult to stop.

 

[Wanka]

I understand what you're saying, but there's a small problem that I'm noticing. I'm assuming your doing this based off of the moves EQ/Sucker/Reversal/Memento. What about Stone Edge? Without that, you're lacking a bit in coverage, and you're gonna get walled by Flying types. Other than that though truthfully, I'd imagine once Greninja and Mega Meta gross are banned (and room the trend going on rn, it looks like they will potentially), there's not much else of a reason to use it. Thank you so much though for explaining Eien, that really helps my understanding of it.

As for Wanka, I'm more than willing to get a better replay to prove my argument once I get the moment to. For rn though, I'll just tell you through my personal experience, as Poison is the type is very been using the most frequently so far, the Psychic teams I've ran into, Scolipede is able to completely plow through them, only exceptions being you need SR to gaurentee a KO on Victini, and Metagross (if that is the Mega of the team) needs to be weakened prior, which as the "dumb" replay I posted actually proves. As for Mega Alakazam, once you're passed +1 it's over, Alakazam would need protect (which is now a suboptimal option due to the Mega mechanic buff), and even with that it would need to come in on the same turn as Scolipede to check it (which a smart person would stay in to sack their Scolipede, as you can imagine). I also want to draw a comparison to what Eien mentioned about Greninja: the sole fact that Scolipede affects how that match up works as heavily as it does, that should actually justify it's rank further. Along with that, I want to reiterate again that it is Poison's best Physical Wallbreaker to run, which is a pretty big role to fill in itself. That's why I believe it is still S rank as it was last gen, and believe me, space is not an issue once so ever. As I said though, I can get a better replay showcasing Scolipede, but honestly, it isn't very different compared to last gen besides the addition of Mega Metagross.

252 Atk Choice Band Scolipede Megahorn vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Metagross-Mega: 172-204 (57.1 - 67.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO Unless ur stealth rocks do 40%+ to steel types then idk how the fuck ur ohkoing a metagross after rocks. Please think about the things you type before you type them. And yes it's a dumb replay because I cant take any psy team seriously that can't even fucking kill a toxapex because it has no psychic stab outside of 1 mon.

I will gladly battle you with psychic to help figure this out, but I can't help you if you actually think the replay you put forth was good.

 

[iLlama]

I'm pretty much going to only list Pokemon that aren't currently on the list.

(Water) - Unranked -> C - A pretty decent wall-breaker for Water even with all the powerful Pokemon running around right now. Helps Water to go toe-to-toe in the Grass matchup and helps exacerbate advantaged matchups; Steel, Bug, etc.

(Normal) - Unranked -> C - Functions as a part of Normal's Eviolite Defensive core as a Resttalk Status/Phazer similar to that of Defog-less Giratina. It has pretty decent bulk with Eviolite overall and can maintain a presence throughout the entire match.

(Normal) - Unranked -> D - Works as a Defensive pivot and Wish passer for Defensive Normal. It also has access to Rapid Spin which can give you another option on Staraptor over Defog, i.e. Toxic, Feather Dance, etc.

(Ghost) - Unranked -> B - Still Ghost's premier Scarfer and a great threat as a Special Wallbreaker. Alolan-Marowak is the more useful Fire/Ghost mon as of late, but you can't really compare them that much since they both serve pretty different roles. Also can use/abuse TR which is a pretty decent Ghost variant running around in this speed heavy meta.

 

[Dece1t]

252 Atk Choice Band Scolipede Megahorn vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Metagross-Mega: 172-204 (57.1 - 67.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO Unless ur stealth rocks do 40%+ to steel types then idk how the fuck ur ohkoing a metagross after rocks. Please think about the things you type before you type them. And yes it's a dumb replay because I cant take any psy team seriously that can't even fucking kill a toxapex because it has no psychic stab outside of 1 mon.

I will gladly battle you with psychic to help figure this out, but I can't help you if you actually think the replay you put forth was good.

Metagross (if that is the Mega of the team) needs to be weakened prior. I hate to be mean, but I feel like you're not even reading what I'm writing here, and its beginning to get on my nerves. Ofc you aren't going to OHKO it after SR, it's neutral to MegaHorn, and it has 80/150 bulk, so I'm not sure what you're taking me for there.

Stone Edge covers Flying types mainly, who can already switch out of Arena Trap. Sucker Punch, on the other hand, helps with a lot of threats, specifically psychic types like Latios, which Ground doesn't really like switching anything into.

I'm aware of that, however, w/o Stone Edge it's gonna be dead weight against Flying Teams as a whole, which an A ranked Pokémon really shouldn't be completely useless in a matchup, minus disadvantages, but even that oftentimes really is pushing it.

 

[Wanka]

Metagross (if that is the Mega of the team) needs to be weakened prior. I hate to be mean, but I feel like you're not even reading what I'm writing here, and its beginning to get on my nerves. Ofc you aren't going to OHKO it after SR, it's neutral to MegaHorn, and it has 80/150 bulk, so I'm not sure what you're taking me for there.


I'm aware of that, however, w/o Stone Edge it's gonna be dead weight against Flying Teams as a whole, which an A ranked Pokémon really shouldn't be completely useless in a matchup, minus disadvantages.

I'm more so trying to get you to see that the replay was horrendous. Instead of nitpicking at words, think about why I think the replay blows. Think about how you weakened the Metagross (a crit burn), think about the fact that your opponents psy team got walled by your toxapex and was sincerely crippled by it because you opponent didn't have psy stab on any of his mons outside of one.

Regardless of my autism, that replay sucks ass and it only hinders your argument. Again, I will gladly play you myself.

 

[scpinion]

Araquanid A⇒S (Bug) - I feel that Araquanid is essential on Monobug, similar to Heatran on Monosteel, since it's the only Bug type that actually resists fire thanks to Water Bubble, and it can either run CB to wallbreak or AV to easily tank Fire Blasts.

I agree most bug teams will want this thing and it probably warrants the S rank (as the meta settles, I only see this thing getting better). While CB is useful for offensively oriented Bug teams, I think AV is completely outclassed by RestTalk as a defensive/utility set.

(not sure who came up w/ this first, but it is definitely a nice set)

Araquanid @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Bubble
EVs: 248 HP / 184 Atk / 76 SpD
Careful Nature
- Liquidation
- Toxic
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

Most notably, this set can switch in on CharY (with SR up) and proceed to Rest the damage off:

252 SpA Charizard-Mega-Y Fire Blast (in Sun) vs. 248 HP / 76+ SpD Water Bubble Araquanid: 106-126 (31.2 - 37.1%) -- guaranteed 4HKO after Leftovers recovery

In general, it makes for a nice special wall that can consistently annoy the opponent's team. 248 HP/ 76+ SpD is the minimum investment you need to switch in on CharY (assuming my calc is working >_>). There might be a better/bulkier benchmark you want to hit (Magearna? Hoopa?). Regardless, Liquidation still hits for respectable damage if you dump the remaining ev's into attack or you can invest them in physical defense. This thing also relieves pressure on Armaldo, which lets it: 1) Forego AV, 2) run SR, and 3) Spin more consistently.

The biggest knock against Araquanid is its tendency to kill momentum, which could be problematic given Bug has previously preferred a more offensive playstyle. That is a fair critique, and might limit it to A rank for a while. However, as I said earlier, I see this thing being a must have on Bug teams once the metagame settles down, possibly allowing Bug to viably run a balanced/bulky offense build.

 

[Arash]

I was trying to stay out of this until the meta settles down a little as these are typically volatile for a while after releas,e (esp with quickbans on a weekly basis).... However, the poison ranking looks pretty spot on for today's metagame (Nihilego may be the only iffy one but imo either S or A rank suits it; the metagame would have to evolve more to really see where it belongs).

I'm posting to address some arguments i've seen for poison mons:

- Skuntank is fine at B, mostly because A-Muk exists now. It is most comparable to Tentacruel, in that there is a new pokemon introduced in Gen7 that basically is a better version of it (A-Muk for Skuntank, Toxapex for Tentacruel), and unless you really need 1-2 specific moves on your poison/water or poison/dark (in Tenta's case, rapid spin / acid spray; in Skunk's case, defog / sucker punch), there is no reason to run it. Regarding A-Raichu, Skuntank does beat it but so does Muk:

252+ SpA Life Orb Raichu Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 128 SpD Assault Vest Muk: 144-172 (34.7 - 41.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO (electric terrain active)

A-Muk can switch in on it, power through with over 1/2 health, and pursuit Raichu on its way out or smack it with Knock-Off for a clean OHKO. Skuntank does about the same w/ Sucker Punch / Pursuit games, so A-Raichu doesn't justify using Skuntank over Muk. Also, as Raichu is never seen on psychic teams, chances are that Raichu is the only source of psychic attacks on the electric team, and once gone, Muk can rest assured that it has done its job as a dark type.

- Scolipede is fine at A atm mainly because of Megagross; it is still poison's best physical attacker but this gen (at least so far) it feels less necessary for a successful poison team, as does Gengar (both A rank atm). If/when Megagross is banned this may need to be revisited. However, Gengar still exists and the fact that it doesn't levitate anymore doesn't make it any worse at harassing psychic types..

- Salazzle probably belongs in B rank, but again this is mainly because of Megagross and how well Salazzle can force it out / kill it. If/when this thing is banned, B rank still sounds right for it as it is closer to the likes of Dragalge than Toxicroak and friends. HO poison isn't really a thing yet (RIP mega-beedrill) and on the more balanced / bulky poison builds, there isn't really a place for Salazzle on the team. 3 S-ranks and one of the poison/darks are a lock for your team at this point, with the remaining two slots having fierce competition between the likes of Gengar, Nidos, Scoli, Crobat... you'd have to have a really good reason to use Salazzle over any two of these (which right now is basically only Megagross, as without that steel isn't a huge hassle for poison teams..)

 

[juleocesar]

Alright, more Grass VR changes! These aren't really big changes but I believe they are worth mentioning.

Lurantis (Grass) D => Unranked

Honestly, I can't see why Lurantis is even worth using in first place, since it is outclassed in every single niche it has. As an ''offensive threat'' (if you even can call it by that), it trades all the speed Serperior has for a sightily increase in special attack and bulk, which's simply horrendous considering its awful coverage (yes, its worse than that of Serperior's). As a support, it only gets Defog and Aromatherapy in its arsenal, which are better performed by Pokemon like Tsareena (which I totally believe it should take its D rank spot instead). Having this ranked is totally misleading, as it implies Lurantis has any use, when there are loads of Pokemon that can do a better job than it and outclass it entirely.

And as I have mentioned, I would like to nominate Tsareena (Grass) for D rank to take Lurantis's place.

Ok I think this is extremely easy to explain. It has got an usable speed tier (at least faster than Dhelmise), decent bulk, and access to Rapid Spin (only dhelmise gets it besides Tsareena on Grass), as well as good attack stat, all of which are already better than Lurantis. Besides, it has got access to an useful ability in Queenly Majesty, even though it lacks the tools to make good use of it. Even still, I believe it deserves to be Ranked due to its niche as a priority stopper and as a faster hazard removal, and it also has got useful movepool on moves like High Jump Kick, Play Rough, U-turn and even Aromatherapy. Unfortunately that's pretty much the only thing it can do and not so valuable for Grass teams, but at least make it deservable to have a rank due to its unique traits.

Again its much better than Lurantis and it at least has got a niche.

 

[Aaronboyer]

Mega-Gyarados (Water) B-----> A
I am not a huge Monotype player, but I decided to give it a shot during the last few days, and I've been wondering why Mega-Gyarados has been ranked so low for Water. I've went 29-3 and have reached Top 250 on the Monotype Ladder on PS (may change by the time you read this post) using this team, created by Alpha-Harpeet. After one Dragon Dance, it puts a lot of pressure on otherwise huge threats poised towards Mono-Water teams. This includes things like Defensive Mega-Venusaur and Life Orb Tapu Koko.

+1 252+ Atk Mold Breaker Gyarados-Mega Crunch vs. 252 HP / 132 Def Venusaur-Mega: 184-217 (50.5 - 59.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+1 252+ Atk Mold Breaker Gyarados-Mega Waterfall vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Tapu Koko: 280-331 (99.6 - 117.7%) -- 93.8% chance to OHKO

Another huge plus is that before Mega-Evolving, it can pull off an Intimidate, giving it even easier time to Substitute up against passive threats such as Chansey, Toxapex, Klefki, and Mega-Sableye.

Some negatives include the fact Mega-Gyarados really appreciates Heal Bell support so that once it gets statused, it doesn't become dead weight. Luckily Mono-Water teams can fit in Lanturn, which has good bulk and Volt Absorb, which any Mono-Water team can appreciate. Mega-Gyarados also has issues with Fairy types such as Azumarill, Tapu Fini, Klefki and Tapu Bulu. However, Mega-Gyarados has a wide range of options to run instead of Crunch, such as Ice Fang or Earthquake to better beat those threats. Overall, I think Mega-Gyarados has enough of a running in Monotype to warrant a raise to A.

 

[Arash]

^not that i'm an expert on water or anything, but mega-gyara's rank seems strictly based on opportunity cost and team synergy. Nobody is going to doubt that mega-gyara is a great pokemon, but running it prevents you from running Mega-Sharpedo and Mega-Slowbro, which are both excellent options. Additionally, Ash-Greninja is an amazing pokemon and running it will double up on water/dark typing (which isn't as big of a deal with Sharpedo because it can protect to nab a +1 speed then start crunching things; Mega-Gyara isn't as effective without at least 1 DD under its belt)

 

[Tyke]

Araquanid A⇒S (Bug) - I feel that Araquanid is essential on Monobug, similar to Heatran on Monosteel, since it's the only Bug type that actually resists fire thanks to Water Bubble, and it can either run CB to wallbreak or AV to easily tank Fire Blasts.

I'm not certain it's an S-ranked pokemon.

Despite offering a legitimate Fire and water resist to bug it's still a huge momentum drain that offensive builds struggle to fit into teams. And though it can wallbreak with choice Band sets, Araquanid is very slow and it's offenses are one-dimensional: thus easily played around.

While it single-handedly puts Balanced / Defensive Bug on the map, I don't think that's enough to warrant S-rank.

 

[Tyke]

Alright, Buckle in folks, because this is going to be a long post :D

Apologies if any of my suggestions / notes have already been covered or are trivial and not worth discussing.

EDITED: Put the minor nominations for unranked/C/D pokemon at the bottom.

(Water)
Golisopod | C ---> B: An incredible asset with it's powerful priority, Golosipod offers powerful Bug STAB in First Impression and Leech Life and can carve Dark, Psychic, and Grass teams to pieces. Golisopod also sports a bulky ground resist and can even set spikes using the switches it forces. Thus, I think it's more in line with the B-ranked mons.

Araquanid | B ---> C: This Pokemon's one-dimensional offenses are really transparent on water: it's also very slow and contributes little to the type defensively with unremarkable typing and unreliable recovery. Definitely a C, if not D ranked pokemon, despite it's powerful water STAB.

Slowbro | B ---> A: Slowbro is as dependable as ever as a physical wall, despite new additions like Toxapex. It's markedly less passive than Toxapex, for one, with a wide variety of coverage moves and crippling status to choose from. I think it still deserves an A ranking on Water.

---

(Normal)
Drampa | C ---> B: Drampa is underwhelming, but it's still an excellent win-condition against some of the best types right now (electric, psychic, water) by abusing Calm Mind, Roost, and Berserk Boosts. Drampa boasts much more offensive presence than your typical Normal-type and has a movepool as wide as the horizon. It's not perfect, but it deserves a B ranking alongside other underwhelming additions like Bewear.

---

(Ghost)
Golurk | A ---> B: I think with the addition of Alolan Marowak, Golurk has found itself outclassed on most fronts. Since Marowak hits significantly harder and has more useful resists (Fire, Fairy, Grass, Ice, Steel), Golurk's only real defining feature is Dynamic Punch; and even that was indirectly nerfed this gen with the reduced confusion chance. Rocks resistance is handy, but I think Golurk is better suited to B-ranking now.

---

(Ice)
Cloyster | B ---> A: While playing around with Aurora Veil and set up, I found Cloyster was a far more potent abuser of screens than Sandslash or Beartic. With Screens Cloyster has much more freedom in item (not having to run Sash) and can run King's Rock or Life Orb or even Z-moves. I think Cloyster's blossomed into an A-rank threat.

Beartic | A ---> B: I was hugely underwhelmed with Slush Rush Ice Offense; i feel it doesn't outperform pre-existing offensive Ice Builds. But while Alola-Sandslash offers a plethora of resists, ground coverage, and rapid spin; Beartic is slower, frailer (on special side), and is all around crap. Even with Slush Rush, I believe Beartic is a B-rank at best.

---

(Fairy)
Clefable | S ---> A: With the mounting power creep and general shift to offense this generation, Clefable isn't as effective in the metagame as it once was. Clefable is still excellent, whether utilized as a rocker, a Calm Mind Win-condition, an Unaware set-up counter or some combination of the 3. But it's not a S-rank anymore, I feel: it's not as meta-defining and essential to the type as the others of that rank.

Ninetales-Alola | C ---> B: While Alola-Ninetales may not seem to offer Fairy much, powerful ice STAB and Weather Disruption gives Fairy a large advantage against Ground Teams (and SS water) while serving as a strong lead and Screens Setter. I feel these attributes put Ninetales on similar ground as other B-ranked mons for Fairy.

---

(Flying)
Togekiss | A ---> B: Togekiss isn't as great a Special Wall as it once was, now competing with not only Zapdos but Mantine as well. It simply isn't as effective in the current meta-game, especially with so much Steel afoot. Stallbreaker sets may have some use, but Delta Airlines isn't worth A rank anymore.

---

(Poison)
Salazzle | C ---> B: As much as I dislike Salazzle, it's not a C-rank. Salazzle's handy fire STAB allows it to check troublesome pokemon for poison, namely Mega-Metagross and Celesteela. It's also capable of crippling defensive threats like Heatran, Toxapex, Mega-Venusaur, and Celesteela with Toxic, thanks to it's ability Corrosion (though doing so without taking heavy damage is tricky). It's worthy of a B-ranking.

Nihilego | S ---> A: This might be a contentious opinion, but I don't feel Nihilego is S-rank worthy on Poison. It's strong, versatile, and offers the type a lot of bulk and offensive presence. But it isn't essential for a Poison team, facing stiff competition from Gengar, Salazzle, and the Nidotwins. Nor is Nihilego as Meta-Defining as Mega-Venusaur or Toxapex. A-rank is far more suiting, IMO.

Dragalge | B ---> C: Dragalge offers little to Poison: Toxapex surpassing it as a T-spike setter, Phazer, and Fire resist. It can Wallbreak, but Drag's woeful speed and impotence against Steel-types make it difficult to support or abuse. It's more fitting as a C-rank.

​

The Minor Suggestions​

Galvantula | D ---> C: (Electric) Sticky Webs alone should be enough to elevate Galvantula to C-rank IMO, given the highly offensive nature of Electric Teams this gen.

Rotom-Mow | UR ---> C: (Electric) Rotom-Wash is generally superior to Mow, but Mow offers useful Grass STAB to help deal with Water and Ground team's respective immunities more effectively. It is immune to Leech Seed, which can help when dealing with pesky Ferrothorns. It's not much, but it's enough to warrant some ranking.

Articuno | UR ---> C: (Ice) Articuno struggles to find a place on Ice teams in gen 7 with their heavy offensive bent, but as Ice's premiere Defogger, Fighting Neutrality, and Cleric, Articuno is definitely still worth ranking a C, or potentially D.

Virizion | UR ---> C: (Grass) Virizion is still worthwhile for all the same reasons as Gen 6. It's significantly faster than Breloom, can hit relatively hard with Close Combat and Stone Edge, and offers taunt/mixed utility. Put all that together and you get a solid C or D rank Mon.

Tsareena | UR ---> D: (Grass) Rapid Spin, U-turn, and an immunity to Priority make Tsareena worth mentioning in the Rankings for it's use against Dark and Ice.

Gigalith | C ---> D: (Rock) I'm not sure why this pokemon is even ranked at all. Sure, it got the ability Sand Stream, but there's no good reason to use it over the far superior Sand-setter Tyranitar. I don't see any niche appeal to consider with Gigalith.

Golem-Alola | C ---> B: (Rock) Alolan Golem's capacity to trap and dispose of annoying Steel-types like Skarmory, Ferrothorn, and Scizor warrants the mon a solid B-ranking.

Archeops | UR ---> C: (Rock) Decent special offense, Flying STAB, blazing speed, and access to U-turn and Defog make Archeops worth a mention on the Rock Monotype Rankings.

Silvally | UR ---> D: (Normal) Silvally normal is another underwhelming pokemon who epitomizes Gen 7's motto: "it's a shame that...". Nonetheless Scarf Parting Shot is worthy of some recognition on Normal, with it's ability to debuff opponents to soften blows against Staraptor, Porygon2, and Chansey. Unfortunately, it can't do much more than that, so a D (maybe C) ranking is apt.

Incineroar | UR ---> B: (Dark) Incineroar is the only Pokemon on Dark who can handle a rampaging Magearna, which is valuably to start with. But Incineroar is all around a good bulky defensive check and pivot with a neutrality to Fairy and Bug on top of many other useful resists. A solid B-rank pokemon.

Gyarados | UR ---> B: (Flying) Gyarados-Mega may no longer be usable on flying, but Gyarados is still a meaty ice neutrality with a lot more offensive presence than Mantine. With a wide variety of attacks, utility, and set up; Gyarados is a cozy B.

Wobbuffet | UR ---> D: (Psychic) Wobbufet isn't amazing, but it's probably worth mentioning for it's capacity to trap a broader range of threats than Gothitelle to remove checks for sweepers/cleaners like Mega-Slowbro, Mega-Metagross, Victini, Happy-Hour Jirachi, etc.

 

[-Vivian J. K]

(Ice)
Cloyster | B ---> A: While playing around with Aurora Veil and set up, I found Cloyster was a far more potent abuser of screens than Sandslash or Beartic. With Screens Cloyster has much more freedom in item (not having to run Sash) and can run King's Rock or Life Orb or even Z-moves. I think Cloyster's blossomed into an A-rank threat.

Beartic | A ---> B: I was hugely underwhelmed with Slush Rush Ice Offense; i feel it doesn't outperform pre-existing offensive Ice Builds. But while Alola-Sandslash offers a plethora of resists, ground coverage, and rapid spin; Beartic is slower, frailer (on special side), and is all around crap. Even with Slush Rush, I believe Beartic is a B-rank at best.

Articuno | UR ---> C: Articuno struggles to find a place on Ice teams in gen 7 with their heavy offensive bent, but as Ice's premiere Defogger, Fighting Neutrality, and Cleric, Articuno is definitely still worth ranking a C, or potentially D.

From trying out Sandslash-A, I can absolutely agree. Slush Rush seems good until you come across other weather setters, especially when it comes to Torkoal and Charizard-Y.

 

[its.huey]

I'm more so trying to get you to see that the replay was horrendous. Instead of nitpicking at words, think about why I think the replay blows. Think about how you weakened the Metagross (a crit burn), think about the fact that your opponents psy team got walled by your toxapex and was sincerely crippled by it because you opponent didn't have psy stab on any of his mons outside of one.

Regardless of my autism, that replay sucks ass and it only hinders your argument. Again, I will gladly play you myself.

Honestly no need for this kind of language or intensity. We're theory monning lol. No need to attack each other or blame autism. In any case, Dece isn't a brand new monotype player with no experience or ability to put together a post. Let's agree that there are better replays but this one is meant to show how scoliosis sweeps after wearing down everything a bit.

On a different note, support Arachnid staying in A. It's got great utility for that fire resist but in turns of doing anything back besides powerful water attack, it's just kinda limited. Thus, it's not too hard to play around

 

[Dece1t]

From trying out Sandslash-A, I can absolutely agree. Slush Rush seems good until you come across other weather setters, especially when it comes to Torkoal and Charizard-Y.

There are some key differences though between Sandslash and Beatric that makes Sands lash a much more superior abuser. First off, Beartics base 50 speed is a pretty big issue, where your almost forced to run Jolly to reach an optimal speed teir, whereas Sandslash you arent. Secondly, pure ice typing doesn't provide any significant buffs, at least with part Steel typing Sandsladh is neutral to Steel attacks, and it can threaten Rock and Fairy teams. I'm not saying Beartic is bad, however, it is kinda clear that as a hail abuser is kinda sub optimal.

Alright, Buckle in folks, because this is going to be a long post :D

Apologies if any of my suggestions / notes have already been covered or are trivial and not worth discussing.
UR = Unranked

(Water)
Golisopod | C ---> B: An incredible asset with it's powerful priority, Golosipod offers powerful Bug STAB in First Impression and Leech Life and can carve Dark, Psychic, and Grass teams to pieces. Golisopod also sports a bulky ground resist and can even set spikes using the switches it forces. Thus, I think it's more in line with the B-ranked mons.

Araquanid | B ---> C: This Pokemon's one-dimensional offenses are really transparent on water: it's also very slow and contributes little to the type defensively with unremarkable typing and unreliable recovery. Definitely a C, if not D ranked pokemon, despite it's powerful water STAB.

Slowbro | B ---> A: Slowbro is as dependable as ever as a physical wall, despite new additions like Toxapex. It's markedly less passive than Toxapex, for one, with a wide variety of coverage moves and crippling status to choose from. I think it still deserves an A ranking on Water.

---

(Normal)
Drampa | C ---> B: Drampa is underwhelming, but it's still an excellent win-condition against some of the best types right now (electric, psychic, water) by abusing Calm Mind, Roost, and Berserk Boosts. Drampa boasts much more offensive presence than your typical Normal-type and has a movepool as wide as the horizon. It's not perfect, but it deserves a B ranking alongside other underwhelming additions like Bewear.

Silvally | UR ---> D: Silvally normal is another underwhelming pokemon who epitomizes Gen 7's motto: "it's a shame that...". Nonetheless Scarf Parting Shot is worthy of some recognition on Normal, with it's ability to debuff opponents to soften blows against Staraptor, Porygon2, and Chansey. Unfortunately, it can't do much more than that, so a D (maybe C) ranking is apt.

---

(Electric)
Galvantula | D ---> C: Sticky Webs alone should be enough to elevate Galvantula to C-rank IMO, given the highly offensive nature of Electric Teams this gen.

Rotom-Mow | UR ---> C: Rotom-Wash is generally superior to Mow, but Mow offers useful Grass STAB to help deal with Water and Ground team's respective immunities more effectively. It is immune to Leech Seed, which can help when dealing with pesky Ferrothorns. It's not much, but it's enough to warrant some ranking.

---

(Ghost)
Golurk | A ---> B: I think with the addition of Alolan Marowak, Golurk has found itself outclassed on most fronts. Since Marowak hits significantly harder and has more useful resists (Fire, Fairy, Grass, Ice, Steel), Golurk's only real defining feature is Dynamic Punch; and even that was indirectly nerfed this gen with the reduced confusion chance. Rocks resistance is handy, but I think Golurk is better suited to B-ranking now.

---

(Ice)
Cloyster | B ---> A: While playing around with Aurora Veil and set up, I found Cloyster was a far more potent abuser of screens than Sandslash or Beartic. With Screens Cloyster has much more freedom in item (not having to run Sash) and can run King's Rock or Life Orb or even Z-moves. I think Cloyster's blossomed into an A-rank threat.

Beartic | A ---> B: I was hugely underwhelmed with Slush Rush Ice Offense; i feel it doesn't outperform pre-existing offensive Ice Builds. But while Alola-Sandslash offers a plethora of resists, ground coverage, and rapid spin; Beartic is slower, frailer (on special side), and is all around crap. Even with Slush Rush, I believe Beartic is a B-rank at best.

Articuno | UR ---> C: Articuno struggles to find a place on Ice teams in gen 7 with their heavy offensive bent, but as Ice's premiere Defogger, Fighting Neutrality, and Cleric, Articuno is definitely still worth ranking a C, or potentially D.

---

(Grass)
Virizion | UR ---> C: Virizion is still worthwhile for all the same reasons as Gen 6. It's significantly faster than Breloom, can hit relatively hard with Close Combat and Stone Edge, and offers taunt/mixed utility. Put all that together and you get a solid C or D rank Mon.

Tsareena | UR ---> D: Rapid Spin, U-turn, and an immunity to Priority make Tsareena worth mentioning in the Rankings for it's use against Dark and Ice.

---

(Rock)
Gigalith | C ---> D: I'm not sure why this pokemon is even ranked at all. SUre, it got the ability Sand Stream, but there's no good reason to use it over the far superior Sand-setter Tyranitar. I don't see any niche appeal to consider with Gigalith.

Golem-Alola | C ---> B: Alolan Golem's capacity to trap and dispose of annoying Steel-types like Skarmory, Ferrothorn, and Scizor warrants the mon a solid B-ranking.

Archeops | UR ---> C: Decent special offense, Flying STAB, blazing speed, and access to U-turn and Defog make Archeops worth a mention on the Rock Monotype Rankings.

---

(Fairy)
Clefable | S ---> A: With the mounting power creep and general shift to offense this generation, Clefable isn't as effective in the metagame as it once was. Clefable is still excellent, whether utilized as a rocker, a Calm Mind Win-condition, an Unaware set-up counter or some combination of the 3. But it's not a S-rank anymore, I feel: it's not as meta-defining and essential to the type as the others of that rank.

Ninetales-Alola | C ---> B: While Alola-Ninetales may not seem to offer Fairy much, powerful ice STAB and Weather Disruption gives Fairy a large advantage against Ground Teams (and SS water) while serving as a strong lead and Screens Setter. I feel these attributes put Ninetales on similar ground as other B-ranked mons for Fairy.

---

(Dark)
Incineroar | UR ---> B: Incineroar is the only Pokemon on Dark who can handle a rampaging Magearna, which is valuably to start with. But Incineroar is all around a good bulky defensive check and pivot with a neutrality to Fairy and Bug on top of many other useful resists. A solid B-rank pokemon.

---

(Flying)
Gyarados | UR ---> B: Gyarados-Mega may no longer be usable on flying, but Gyarados is still a meaty ice neutrality with a lot more offensive presence than Mantine. With a wide variety of attacks, utility, and set up; Gyarados is a cozy B.

Togekiss | A ---> B: Togekiss isn't as great a Special Wall as it once was, now competing with not only Zapdos but Mantine as well. It simply isn't as effective in the current meta-game, especially with so much Steel afoot. Stallbreaker sets may have some use, but Delta Airlines isn't worth A rank anymore.

---

(Psychic)
Wobbuffet | UR ---> D: Wobbufet isn't amazing, but it's probably worth mentioning for it's capacity to trap a broader range of threats than Gothitelle to remove checks for sweepers/cleaners like Mega-Slowbro, Mega-Metagross, Victini, Happy-Hour Jirachi, etc.

---
(Poison)
Salazzle | C ---> B: As much as I dislike Salazzle, it's not a C-rank. Salazzle's handy fire STAB allows it to check troublesome pokemon for poison, namely Mega-Metagross and Celesteela. It's also capable of crippling defensive threats like Heatran, Toxapex, Mega-Venusaur, and Celesteela with Toxic, thanks to it's ability Corrosion (though doing so without taking heavy damage is tricky). It's worthy of a B-ranking.

Nihilego | S ---> A: This might be a contentious opinion, but I don't feel Nihilego is S-rank worthy on Poison. It's strong, versatile, and offers the type a lot of bulk and offensive presence. But it isn't essential for a Poison team, facing stiff competition from Gengar, Salazzle, and the Nidotwins. Nor is Nihilego as Meta-Defining as Mega-Venusaur or Toxapex. A-rank is far more suiting, IMO.

Dragalge | B ---> C: Dragalge offers little to Poison: Toxapex surpassing it as a T-spike setter, Phazer, and Fire resist. It can Wallbreak, but Drag's woeful speed and impotence against Steel-types make it difficult to support or abuse. It's more fitting as a C-rank.

I actually covered a good chunk of these funny enough, but I did want to address address couple of the ones you mentioned. I do realize Drampa is a pretty cool mon, however, there's address key difference between it addressed addressed not her special attacker such as Melodtta: what buffs their secondary typing gives. Meloetta being part Psychic helps significantly against fighting, but Dragon, unfortunately, you're not getting much. That's one of the biggest reasons why I would keep it at C, especially considering how slow it it's it's the currently offensive metagame. Incineroar is another one I have reservations on, the situation being once again, it's speed. It's actually a pretty underwhelming Pokemon, especially without priority, and it lacks some good coverage to well round it. That's why if anything, I would put it at D if not unranked. The rest of these though I think you're making some valid points, so props to you!

 

[Tyke]

I actually covered a good chunk of these funny enough, but I did want to address address couple of the ones you mentioned. I do realize Drampa is a pretty cool mon, however, there's address key difference between it addressed addressed not her special attacker such as Melodtta: what buffs their secondary typing gives. Meloetta being part Psychic helps significantly against fighting, but Dragon, unfortunately, you're not getting much. That's one of the biggest reasons why I would keep it at C, especially considering how slow it it's it's the currently offensive metagame.

Yes, but unlike Meloetta, Drampa has reliable recovery.

Also resists to Fire, Water, Electric, and Grass are pretty handy. With Berserk and Calm Mind Drampa ends up a much more formidable Win-con than Meloetta, posing a real, but very different, kind of threat. It's definitely the kind of thing you need to see in practice in appreciate.

Incineroar is another one I have reservations on, the situation being once again, it's speed. It's actually a pretty underwhelming Pokemon, especially without priority, and it lacks some good coverage to well round it. That's why if anything, I would put it at D if not unranked.

In addition to Fire STAB, Incineroar also has Fake Out and U-turn to build momentum as well as Cross Chop / Low Sweep to help break Steel with. I think the fact Incineroar can handle Magearna is worth at least a C-ranking, given nothing else on Dark reliably can.

 

[Shadestep]

Cloyster | B ---> A: While playing around with Aurora Veil and set up, I found Cloyster was a far more potent abuser of screens than Sandslash or Beartic. With Screens Cloyster has much more freedom in item (not having to run Sash) and can run King's Rock or Life Orb or even Z-moves. I think Cloyster's blossomed into an A-rank threat.

mmmmnah. If you're going to use Cloyster, please don't try to encourage the use of uncompetitive and frankly stupid items. Life Orb Mixed is cool though, i'll give you points for that. Hydro Pump is great for the match-up vs Steel which isn't all that fantastic otherwise, but I still think White Herb is the way to go if you're not using Avalugg on your team.

Anyways, I completely agree with your Wobbuffet nomination and would like to bump it up to C even. It's a great Pokemon to get guaranteed kills with, just like Dugtrio on Ground. The ability to not have to completely rely on Slowbro / Victini as your Megagross checks gives them a lot of breathing space and trapping Mega-Metagross early-game gives the Psychic-type user always a great advantage. Granted it obviously has quite some flaws like having to decide between Encore and Counter / Mirror Coat / Destiny Bond when faced up against a Set-up Sweeper, and it basically being sack-fodder after it traded a kill pretty much. However, with good team support (HWish Latias / Jirachi), and excellent playing, it can be rather annoying to play against.

Lastly, I wanted to make (probably) quite a controversial nomination which is:

Magearna A -> S-rank (Steel)
Magearna has become pretty much a must on any Steel-team. It boasts great stats, both offensively and defensively, has a great movepool which covers quite a lot of weaknesses Steel has, and offers a great general pivot with Volt Switch to bring in the big guns like Mega Metagross (ban please!!), Bisharp, Magnezone, etc. The AV set is probably the best set, as it provides non-Ferrothorn Steel-teams with a Pokemon that can live a Specs Ash-Greninja-hit and RK it with any move it so desires to. Magearna is also fantastic on Steel vs Steel mirror-matches as its coverage is something most Steel-teams can't really handle offensively. It can easily live attacks from Heatran and break its balloon, can switch in vs Skarmory for free, and isn't walled by the only thing that could ever Volt-block Magearna, being Excadrill. Here's a set I recommend running:
DIAMONDS (Magearna) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fleur Cannon
- Flash Cannon
- Aura Sphere
- Volt Switch
I tried running a significant amount of Speed on Magearna before (something like 164 EVs) but I found out that it wasn't really worth it, as the investment doesn't really allow you to outspeed top-tier threats, and you'd most often want to get a slow Volt Switch off anyways in those scenarios. Fleur Cannon is great as it will heavily dent almost anything that doesn't resist is, and is easily the most spammable move vs Dragon and Dark match-ups. The fact that you'll only be at -1 after you faint a Pokemon with Fleur Cannon even adds up to it. Oh and, another great thing about Magearna, is that it's one of the few (if not the only) Pokemon on Steel that can take on CM Mega Sableye, which has proven to be a huge pain in the ass for a lot of teams since nobody seems to really be preparing for it. Bump it up to S-rank on steel, please.

 

[scpinion]

On mobile, but I want to comment on the Slowbro B=>A nomination for water.

I just don't see a need for Slowbro in A rank when Toxapex and Mantine are excellent options on a water team. I typically ran it for 3 reasons in oras:
1) physically defensive wall with regen
2) defensive mon that could take ground type attacks
3) as a win con

Toxapex is a great physical wall with regen, plus it has a great defensive typing, good mixed bulk, and tSpikes. Mantine gives you a defensive ground immunity that can also check lando-i, offers Defog support, and has the ability to check venu.

If I'm running Slowbro in SM it is because I want to use it as a wincon (but then mega bro is much better) or in some other niche role. It is still a cool mon, but it doesn't stack up to the new defensive additions on water teams and our viability rankings should reflect that.