Shoutout to
Aaronboyer for a fire format for me to steal!! Also another great piece of artwork from
Dibs The Dreamer!
Other Nominations
to A-: Yeah I've been hoping for this nomination for a while just because of how good that Null can be on bulky teams as a great wincondition. With the loss of Guzzlord, tones of new Psychic-types got a lot better, and a huge special wall just got removed from the tier. In this gap, I feel that Null can shine.
agree
to C+: I don't really agree with this at all. I've always felt that Wishiwashi in itself is really suboptimal just because it lacks both Speed and coverage (I'd always opt for Octillery in Trick Room just because of the coverage). While it can hit hard, I just don't personally see it as a great or even good Pokemon in the tier compared to other Water-types with better coverage and Speed.
disagree
to A-: Swanna is really great and I don't really know why this nomination hasn't happened yet. Swanna is one of the best removers in the tier, and it's one of the best offensive Fighting checks. Its speed tier is really solid and the SSSS sets are pretty sick since there aren't many great Flying-type checks which want to take a scald (fuq lanturn). I remember using a Swanna in a not open game and it getting about 5 kills since my opponent was unable to beat it and overall it's pretty splashable and works very well. I don't really think the Skuntank comparison is really valid since although they can both defog they do fufill a lot different roles.
agree
to B: Yeah I think this is a pretty solid nomination as I have seen Golem usage rising over the past month. It's a solid lead setter and the Specially Defensive set isn't bad at all. It's actually pretty hard to switch into without 50/50s. I also like the Choice Band set.
agree
to B: I really don't want to accept this nomination to be honest. I think that Raticate's sheer wallbreaking ability surpasses that of Absol, and as people have already mentioned, the secondary STAB is pretty killer (free double-edges!!). I also love that it has access to U-turn. I honestly think that Absol and itself both have so many things that work for each of them (unreliability could be bad but
HUSTLE) so I really think they should be ranked together.
disagree
Bronzor to C+: Yeah while Skuntank is very prevalant in the tier I think Bronzor carves out a bit of the niche in the tier enough to warrant this placement. It's really specially bulky and can even stall out a Skuntank without Taunt or Crunch. (Great archeops w/o knock counter as well)
agree
and
Swap: Yeah Zebstrika is so much more useful than Manectric in most matchups. Even with a higher Special Attack, Manectric is usually suboptimal when compared to the much faster Zebstrika. The speed really is important with pokemon such as archeops, pyroar, and Floatzel being pretty prevalant. Also, Sap Sipper allows Zebstrika to function as a solid offensive Lilligant answer.
agree
Sableye to A-: Honestly I can't really see this nomination happening. Sableye is still the premier Physically Defensive wall and Fighting-type check in my eyes and for good reason. Great typing, Prankster Wisp + Wisp, Recover, and workable stats just make it so good.
disagree
+
Swap: Yeah similar to the Zebstrika/Manectric thing, I think Zangoose is generally better due to its ability to switch up moves without being locked in and just its sheer power and spammability. While stoutland is a lot bulkier, it's also slower as well, missing Pokemon such as Skuntank, Qwilfish and Magmortar.
disagree
to S: Yeah while I think that there is definitely some counter-play to Carracosta in the tier I really think that it should be moved up because of how great it actually is. While I'd like to see more high level usage to convince me more I have no real reservations about this nomination due to how stupid smash can be late-game and just turn games around.
agree
to UR: Yeah personally I really disagree with this nomination since Silvally does still have a workable niche unlike things like Gumshoos which were unranked. The thing it has over Stoutland and Kangaskhan is its speed and ability to use Swords Dance, and it's much more bulky than Zangoose and has more longevity. I also think a Normal-type with Parting Shot is pretty great too. Overall, I think the Swords Dance Z Explosion set fufills a niche (i mean it can OHKO a weezing and demolish walls like Audino) and makes the mon deserving of at least D rank.
disagree
to A+: Yeah I can't really get behind this nomination because of how great Skuntank is in the current metagame, especially since Pokemon such as Mesprit are so widespread. Additionally, I'd argue it got even better with Guzzlord leaving, so I feel there's no real reason for it to drop at this current point. It's just such a useful Pokemon filled with potential in so many different areas.
disagree
Personal Nominations:
to S: I really think that Magmortar really is as metadefining as Archeops, Mesprit, and Skuntank. With Guzzlord leaving, it lost one of its best answers, and its strong Special Attack paired with workable speed and great coverage makes it really hard to switch into or play around.
to A: With Guzzlord leaving I really think that Alolan Raichu is probably the best offensive Electric-type in the tier, paired with great secondary STAB in Psychic to take on the everpresent Fighting-types. Instead of being forced to run Fightinium Z, Raichu is able to run a variety of other Z moves and has a lot of great sets such as Nasty Plot, choice item, and z. move
to B: I really think that Alolan Dugtrio is really solid currently in the metagame, working as an offensive check to Pokemon such as Archeops, Magmortar, Jynx, and Pyroar due to its great STAB coverage. It also has some options such as the popular Sub Toxic, Life Orb, Band, and something I've been playing around with, Choice Scarf. It also has some solid utility moves such as Memento which can help other teammates.
to D: Obviously, Zweilous was completely outclassed by Guzzlord as it was bulkier and way more reliable. However, with Guzzlord leaving, Zweilous has the ability to feel in the niche as a Pokemon which is able to counter Psychic-types as well as Water- and Fire-types due to its typing.
to C+: I really don't think that the Z Trick or Treat set is very good to begin with and would much rather use a better Grass-type such as Torterra or even Leafeon. I feel like its movepool does not allow for it to be very effective (especially since it has a wide array of weaknesses which can counteract the boosts form Trick or Treat)
to C+ or C: Yeah I don't really see much of a use for Ursaring that Zangoose, Stoutland, and Kangaskhan cannot fufill other than under Trick Room (which is a pretty mediocore archetype currently).
to B-: Yeah this might be more of a personal think but I think Audino got a lot better with Guzzlord, a Special tank, leaving the tier as Pokemon such as Pyroar, Raichu-A, and Magmortar got a lot better. I feel like Audino just has less competition and is able to stand up against top tier threats such as Mesprit.
Confusing Stuff:
why in the world is Throh B+ rank? I have seen minimal discussion or use about it. Was this put in place by the VR council or did someone actually nom this because I am genuinely confused why it is ranked so high. I have trouble understanding why the fourth best fighting-type is so high especially with Pokemon with Mesprit, Archeops and Raichu-Alola outspeeding it, hitting it super-effectively, and being so prevalent.
why are all of the viable Fairy-types grouped together into one rank (B)? I'd think that one of them has more distinguishing characteristics than another (I feel like Granbull is worse than both of them tbh), but I am unsure as to why they have been grouped in this way (also I potentially think that Clefairy could be able to move up a rank or so due to the lack of great Draco Meteor switchins).
why is Silvally-Ground even ranked? also Sivally-Water? What niches do they have other than Parting Shot, if any?