Resource USUM AG Viability Rankings

[lotiasite]

I was actually going to nom Necrozma-DM to A+ myself about a week ago but never got to it. I just wanna say that it's what Solgaleo was basically hyped up to be when it was first revealed and never lived up to. This Pokemon is absolutely incredible. The potency of its SD set cant be overlooked; if you see the replay of my first game vs cromagnet for ag open, you'll see that it deals a shitton of damage and has almost no problem setting up. i definitely could've won that game with dusk if i wasnt stupid and saw that sunsteel made contact. it did 90% to darkceus at +2, which shouldnt be overstated. it's stupidly bulky as well even without defensive investment which makes setup really easy. dont even let me touch on the spdef set, which walls xerneas to hell (i feel as though its bad now just bc this mon exists) and shits on support arc, cm arc, deo-a, and more and sets up rocks with the most ease. dusk is just so good at all of its roles. all the hype was for ultra at the beginning, but i feel that dusk outshines it in offensive roles. dusk is just straight up better than the stuff in A, like xern, normalceus, fairyceus, etc. you can even run other options for offensive sets like sub, other attacks like stone edge, even weakness policy is cool. im rambling here but ive been using this mon so much lately and the amount of work it puts in against everything cannot be overstated. for people whove seen me in the ag room recently, ive been advocating this mon for a raise for ages.

edit: also gonna make this quick but drop arceus poison. B+ is overrating it cause it doesnt do the things its supposed to as well anymore and to be real i havent seen this in the past month or so. the hype for it has died down and should be dropped accordingly.

Edit 2: also drop ghostceus. Not on the level of other b+ mons. Unrank solgaleo as well. Legit zero reason to use it over dusk.

 

[Thimo]

Hi, since pg did his nom for mega venusaur, id like to do my nom for a mon i believe not only has a great niche, but also does what it does better than any other mon of its kind. Im nomming Vileplume from Unranked to D. Here are a few replays before i go into detail on why i believe vileplume deserves a rank.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7anythinggoes-685415757
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7anythinggoes-688455982
Vileplume in usum gained access to a unique move known as Strength Sap, which not only allows it to lower the opponents Attack by 1, but also heals it the same amount of HP as the opponents Attack stat. This is an amazing move to utilize in ag, where most mons even without running a physical set still have a large amount of attack already. Vileplume also has really good natural physical bulk, even though i prefer the special set its still another option. It also has two abilities that can both be utilized effectively. Chlorophyll allows vileplume to outspeed P-Don and put it to sleep with sleep powder. on the other hand, Effect spore has a very good chance of statusing a sweeper in some way such as mega rayquaza. now that we've gotten through the basics, lets move on to more of a competitive explanation.
Vileplume's stats allow it to be very bulky and tank support arceus's judgements, while still being able to deal damage efficiently. its base 110 sp atk is insane, and its 75/85/90 defenses are decent enough once i get into the next argument. We all know how good poison typing is in this tier, but grass/poison is even better, as it negates the ground weakness that poison normally has. with this typing, every support arceus form barring flying and fire (which are extremely uncommon) are neutralized by vileplume.
My last argument is that it does more than just wall arceus forms, it is able to deal hits effectively with its high spatk stat, and tank other mons hits such as bulky dusk mane, e-killer, xerneas, p-ogre, and a lot more.
Important Calcs:
196 SpA Vileplume Moonblast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Rayquaza-Mega: 176-208 (50.1 - 59.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
196 SpA Vileplume Moonblast vs. 0 HP / 0- SpD Yveltal: 202-238 (51.3 - 60.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
4 SpA Earth Plate Arceus-Ground Judgment vs. 180 HP / 132+ SpD Vileplume: 132-156 (39.2 - 46.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Black Sludge recovery
252 SpA Dread Plate Arceus-Dark Judgment vs. 180 HP / 132+ SpD Vileplume: 160-190 (47.6 - 56.5%) -- 32% chance to 2HKO after Black Sludge recovery
252+ SpA Kyogre-Primal Ice Beam vs. 180 HP / 132+ SpD Vileplume: 238-282 (70.8 - 83.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Black Sludge recovery
252+ Atk Arceus Extreme Speed vs. 180 HP / 0 Def Vileplume: 156-184 (46.4 - 54.7%) -- 9% chance to 2HKO after Black Sludge recovery
0 SpA Pixie Plate Arceus-Fairy Judgment vs. 180 HP / 132+ SpD Vileplume: 65-77 (19.3 - 22.9%) -- possible 6HKO after Black Sludge recovery
196 SpA Vileplume Sludge Bomb vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Arceus-Fairy: 216-254 (48.6 - 57.2%) -- 91.8% chance to 2HKO
+2 252+ SpA Fairy Aura Xerneas Moonblast vs. 180 HP / 132+ SpD Vileplume: 196-231 (58.3 - 68.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Black Sludge recovery
196 SpA Vileplume Sludge Bomb vs. 72 HP / 100 SpD Xerneas: 230-272 (55.9 - 66.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Eviolite Gloom Outclasses

 

[IronedSandwich]

Eviolite Gloom Outclasses

WRONG

252 SpA Gloom Moonblast vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Zygarde-Complete: 162-192 (25.4 - 30.1%) -- 0.5% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
196 SpA Vileplume Moonblast vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Zygarde-Complete: 184-218 (28.9 - 34.2%) -- 99.4% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery

 

[Lana]

WRONG

252 SpA Gloom Moonblast vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Zygarde-Complete: 162-192 (25.4 - 30.1%) -- 0.5% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
196 SpA Vileplume Moonblast vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Zygarde-Complete: 184-218 (28.9 - 34.2%) -- 99.4% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery

Gloom with Eviolite slightly outclasses Vileplume defensively.
0 SpA Arceus-Ground Ice Beam vs. 180 HP / 132+ SpD Vileplume: 132-156 (39.2 - 46.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Black Sludge recovery
0 SpA Arceus-Ground Ice Beam vs. 180 HP / 132+ SpD Eviolite Gloom: 100-118 (32.6 - 38.5%) -- 98.3% chance to 3HKO
4 Atk Zygarde Thousand Arrows vs. 180 HP / 0 Def Vileplume: 111-132 (33 - 39.2%) -- 10.5% chance to 3HKO after Black Sludge recovery
4 Atk Zygarde Thousand Arrows vs. 180 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Gloom: 87-103 (28.4 - 33.6%) -- 0.3% chance to 3HKO

 

[Thimo]

Gloom with Eviolite slightly outclasses Vileplume defensively.
0 SpA Arceus-Ground Ice Beam vs. 180 HP / 132+ SpD Vileplume: 132-156 (39.2 - 46.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Black Sludge recovery
0 SpA Arceus-Ground Ice Beam vs. 180 HP / 132+ SpD Eviolite Gloom: 100-118 (32.6 - 38.5%) -- 98.3% chance to 3HKO
4 Atk Zygarde Thousand Arrows vs. 180 HP / 0 Def Vileplume: 111-132 (33 - 39.2%) -- 10.5% chance to 3HKO after Black Sludge recovery
4 Atk Zygarde Thousand Arrows vs. 180 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Gloom: 87-103 (28.4 - 33.6%) -- 0.3% chance to 3HKO

Don't forget less overall HP = more recovery from Strenght Sap

 

[DoW]

>implying a slight defensive advantage on a mon that'll die if you hit it right anyway is more important than 2HKOing mray

 

[Lana]

>implying a slight defensive advantage on a mon that'll die if you hit it right anyway is more important than 2HKOing mray

You're also implying that gloom/vileplume can stay in and click moonblast vs Rayquaza and also that Ray is ever going to switch into gloom or vileplume. Almost every team has safer switch ins to both of them (Dusk mane, Ferrothorn, Primal Groudon, Celesteela, Mega Gengar and so on). There's almost no need to risk a sludge bomb poison or sleep powder (or moonblast if you already have scouted the set) on your rayquaza.

Oh and can we discuss something that actually might get ranked now?

 

[DoW]

You're also implying that gloom/vileplume can stay in and click moonblast vs Rayquaza and also that Ray is ever going to switch into gloom or vileplume. Almost every team has safer switch ins to both of them (Dusk mane, Ferrothorn, Primal Groudon, Celesteela, Mega Gengar and so on). There's almost no need to risk a sludge bomb poison or sleep powder (or moonblast if you already have scouted the set) on your rayquaza.

Oh and can we discuss something that actually might get ranked now?

No, I'm not saying vileplume would stay in against ray. I've seen multiple people not realise that vileplume would have moonblast, switch in the obvious answer to it, and watch as their ray is on 25% after rocks. That's big.
Of course there's good answers to vileplume. It's vileplume. And of course good players aren't going to fall for that. But good players aren't going to find gloom any harder to beat.

Saying "this stat is higher" or "that stat is higher" is meaningless. What's important is whether you hit or miss a 2HKO or 3HKO, or outspeed a mon, or have passive recovery or not.
Gloom gets 2HKO by everything that Vileplume gets 2HKO by. Gloom gets 3HKO by everything Vileplume gets 3HKO by, pretty much - those calcs were hand-picked to try and show off how big a difference there was, and the answer is "not much of one". For example, a set of calcs hand-picked to show how small the difference is:
4 Atk Zygarde-Complete Thousand Arrows vs. 180 HP / 0 Def Eviolite Gloom: 87-103 (28.4 - 33.6%) -- 98.5% chance to 3HKO after Stealth Rock
4 Atk Zygarde-Complete Thousand Arrows vs. 180 HP / 0 Def Vileplume: 111-132 (33 - 39.2%) -- 99.8% chance to 3HKO after Stealth Rock and Black Sludge recovery

And why do you think bdov chose those EVs anyway?
What I'm saying is that Vileplume mons that happily switch in on it, assuming they don't care about the sleep powder threat. Gloom has all of these, plus two more in Yveltal and Mray.

So yeah, my last post was a one-liner because that's all the attention I thought thimo's meme deserved. But don't think I didn't do multiple calcs and make sure I was correct before posting it.

 

[Chloe]

hi guys and gals its ur pal chlotad tryna pass some noms~

a -> a-
boo xern sucks now. it's hard to justify on any team at this point in the metagame. dusk mane and pdon are on (almost) every single team. you cannot geo up and sweep anymore, you cannot take out a mon, at most you deal damage to a dusk mane. there are much better set up sweepers. cm fairyceus is arguably just a much better version of this now, and i KNOW that sounds horrible to say since geomancy is arguably unmatched in terms of potency; but it's just that xerneas's lack of ways to hit dusk mane affects its viability to such an extent. its other sets do not justify a, or a- for that matter but baby steps i guess. i'd nom it for lower but you all don't want to admit it's bad yet :(

c -> d
unusable. does nothing. wastes mega slot. if you want a bouncer pick sab. if you want an yveltal check with a similar offensive presence cm rockceus. etc etc. i wanted to make a comment saying put every mega that isnt ray / gar / sab at d or unranked but figured that was too mean, eh. diancie could theoretically have use, but i think we can all agree that there's no reason to try.

d -> unr
i think i made a comment when someone nommed this higher a while back that it should be unranked. i stand by that statement. this is weak and puny by ag standards, its one semi viable set (that isn't a worse scoli) is a gimmick that most people will recognise and not fall for from the get go. little reason to use this on a serious team, bp or no bp.

also we're not ranking gloom why is this discussion happening ;w;

 

[Ejthewolfy]

hi guys and gals its ur pal chlotad tryna pass some noms~

a -> a-
boo xern sucks now. it's hard to justify on any team at this point in the metagame. dusk mane and pdon are on (almost) every single team. you cannot geo up and sweep anymore, you cannot take out a mon, at most you deal damage to a dusk mane. there are much better set up sweepers. cm fairyceus is arguably just a much better version of this now, and i KNOW that sounds horrible to say since geomancy is arguably unmatched in terms of potency; but it's just that xerneas's lack of ways to hit dusk mane affects its viability to such an extent. its other sets do not justify a, or a- for that matter but baby steps i guess. i'd nom it for lower but you all don't want to admit it's bad yet :(

c -> d
unusable. does nothing. wastes mega slot. if you want a bouncer pick sab. if you want an yveltal check with a similar offensive presence cm rockceus. etc etc. i wanted to make a comment saying put every mega that isnt ray / gar / sab at d or unranked but figured that was too mean, eh. diancie could theoretically have use, but i think we can all agree that there's no reason to try.

d -> unr
i think i made a comment when someone nommed this higher a while back that it should be unranked. i stand by that statement. this is weak and puny by ag standards, its one semi viable set (that isn't a worse scoli) is a gimmick that most people will recognise and not fall for from the get go. little reason to use this on a serious team, bp or no bp.

also we're not ranking gloom why is this discussion happening ;w;

What theoretical use does diancie even have? I am seeing none so I would just like to unrank it.

 

[SomeoneWhoExists]

I am nominating kommo-o to from unranked to D

It has a 185 power z move that boosts all of its stats
I think that is all I need to say

 

[DoW]

I am nominating kommo-o to from unranked to D

It has a 185 power z move that boosts all of its stats
I think that is all I need to say

0 SpA Pixie Plate Arceus-Fairy Judgment vs. +1 36 HP / 0 SpD Kommo-o: 388-460 (129.3 - 153.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+1 220 Atk Kommo-o Poison Jab vs. 252 HP / 64 Def Arceus-Fairy: 184-218 (41.4 - 49%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
I think that is all I need to say

 

[SomeoneWhoExists]

0 SpA Pixie Plate Arceus-Fairy Judgment vs. +1 36 HP / 0 SpD Kommo-o: 388-460 (129.3 - 153.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO
+1 220 Atk Kommo-o Poison Jab vs. 252 HP / 64 Def Arceus-Fairy: 184-218 (41.4 - 49%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
I think that is all I need to say

That is why I nominated it for D, It has a lot of counters but can be used
btw +1 252+ SpA Kommo-o Flash Cannon vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Arceus-Fairy: 204-242 (45.9 - 54.5%) -- 56.6% chance to 2HKO

 

[cromagnet]

I am nominating kommo-o to from unranked to D

It has a 185 power z move that boosts all of its stats
I think that is all I need to say

Kommo-o just does not cut it by AG standards. Yeah it has a base 185 Z move that boosts its stats but that's not the only criterion for a mon to be viable, even to D. Kommo-o doesn't have the attack, speed, or defenses to compete in AG, ESPECIALLY with the ubiquity of Arc-Fairy. Also, Kommo-o can get outpaced by common scarfers such as yveltal and rayquaza. Also, it sucks before setup, so it can get KO'd during that time AND can be phased easily. Also, its outclassed by other Z users such as Necrozma Dusk. Also if you're going off the power of a z move alone to rank a mon, Dusk's Z move is 200 bp.

 

[IronedSandwich]

regular Giratina B to B- if not C

1. Rest shuts it down completely (Toxic-immune mons to an extent too).
2. Xerneas and cm fairyceus can set up on it (unless Roar which is pretty rare on it - 13% usage) and while they don't like Toxic they'll still be scary to face at +2 or +3
3. it does nothing to stall/semistall whatsoever if said stall team has status control
4. it doesn't like the meta with ghosts, darks, fairies, dragons and steels (which can't be poisoned and resist dtail) running around

this being higher than Lunala is confusing and I'd say it's like Blissey in that it has a niche but it's rarely relevant in practise

(ps I still think Ferro should drop)

 

[MZ]

Necrozma-Dusk-Mane A to A+
Arceus Poison B+ to B
Xerneas A to A-
Mega Diancie C to D
Blaziken D to Unranked
Arceus Water B to B+
Tyranitar-Mega C to D
Salamence-Mega C to D
Solgaleo D to Unranked
Muk-Alola C to D
Mewtwo-Mega-X D to C
Necrozma-Dawn-Wings C to D

Rejected noms

Giratina B to B-/C
Giratina-O C to D
Tyranitar B to B+
Ranking Mega Venusaur
Ranking Vileplume
Ranking Kommo-O

We voted on several things not brought up in the thread but most changes should be fairly straightforward. Poisonceus suffers doubly from the Dusk Mane influx while Waterceus has benefitted from it, Mega TTar and Mence were just things we noticed were very hard to fit on any team, people have wanted Solgaleo unranked for a while, Alolan Muk is just mediocre, MMX is the most random but it's weirdly terrifying since nobody is really prepared for its unique attributes, and Dawn Wings is pretty much as hard to fit on a team as Mega Mence.
We also went 50/50 on a couple of nominations now that PurpleGatorade makes 6 on the council, so we'll be voting on these whenever the next update comes but in the meantime if anyone has opinions on Vivillon D to C or Arceus-Ghost B+ to B we'd love to see.
As for the rejected nominations, the stuff to get ranked was way too niche and the post above severely underrates how annoying Giratina can be when it's well supported.

 

[Xynix]

Tapu Lele B- to C

I'm sure people are beginning to think I have some massive vendetta against everything in B- but I promise this is the last one. Tapu Lele didn't get directly worse with the USUM transition persay, the issue is that the playstyle it represents, Psyspam, is becoming increasingly poor. I'm mostly going to speak about Tapu Lele in terms of Psyspam here because that is it's main niche, outside of that playstyle Lele hasn't proven to be all that potent. In terms of direct changes to Lele's viability, there's obviously the introduction of Dusk Mane Necrozma, which is a superb defensive check to Lele and its accompanying Deoxys hoard alike. That's not the main reason I think Lele should drop though, moreso the overall decline in Psyspam as a whole. Ransei in particular has been vocal about his dislike of Psyspam, and I think it's fair to say it's no longer a particularly threatening playstyle. The main reason for this decline is the rise in usage of Choice Scarf users, notably Mega Rayquaza and Yveltal but also Xerneas frequently carry the item. Because Psyspam has 0 defensive capability, once hazards and set against a Psyspam team a Scarfer often just wins with absolutely no effort at all. With such a simple gameplan being able to completely stop the playstyle, I think it's fair to say that it has diminished in strength. Because Choice Scarf users have become so common on all playstyles, Tapu Lele should drop to represent how niche a playstyle Psyspam has become.

Stop being playstylist against bp :(

 

[Tohru and the Adachi]

Stop being playstylist against bp :(

At least it's better than being awarded with a free -30 to your elo scoreboard by a Murkrow :/

 

[RR]

I really like these changes, however I would like to nominate slurpuff for d rank. It has access to sticky webs and yawn which you might think makes it just a Btech smeargle, however it has access to unburden so with a focus sash or something else you can make use of that and gain a big speed increase, or alternatively just make use of its superior bulk to smeargle in conjunction with something like sitrus berry.

sample set

Slurpuff @ Focus Sash
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Yawn
- Protect
- Play Rough
- Sticky Web

 

[IronedSandwich]

I'd like to add that Slurpuff also gets Sweet Veil if you hate Smeargle

 

[bdov]

I wouldnt say slurpluff is bad, but its definitely not worthy of a rank. the sets that it utilizes are webs variants, but every other web user outclasses it (smeargle, shuckle, and even ribombee to an extent). slurpluff can yawn, but whats to prevent continuous switching? besides it can be taunted and prevented from anything, and if you run mental herb you lose the sash set that uses endeavor. imo slurpluff is a good meme to ladder with, but it isnt vr worthy.

I really like these changes, however I would like to nominate slurpuff for d rank. It has access to sticky webs and yawn which you might think makes it just a Btech smeargle, however it has access to unburden so with a focus sash or something else you can make use of that and gain a big speed increase, or alternatively just make use of its superior bulk to smeargle in conjunction with something like sitrus berry.

sample set

Slurpuff @ Focus Sash
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Yawn
- Protect
- Play Rough
- Sticky Web

 

[bdov]

Hi, since pg did his nom for mega venusaur, id like to do my nom for a mon i believe not only has a great niche, but also does what it does better than any other mon of its kind. Im nomming Vileplume from Unranked to D. Here are a few replays before i go into detail on why i believe vileplume deserves a rank.
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7anythinggoes-685415757
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7anythinggoes-688455982
Vileplume in usum gained access to a unique move known as Strength Sap, which not only allows it to lower the opponents Attack by 1, but also heals it the same amount of HP as the opponents Attack stat. This is an amazing move to utilize in ag, where most mons even without running a physical set still have a large amount of attack already. Vileplume also has really good natural physical bulk, even though i prefer the special set its still another option. It also has two abilities that can both be utilized effectively. Chlorophyll allows vileplume to outspeed P-Don and put it to sleep with sleep powder. on the other hand, Effect spore has a very good chance of statusing a sweeper in some way such as mega rayquaza. now that we've gotten through the basics, lets move on to more of a competitive explanation.
Vileplume's stats allow it to be very bulky and tank support arceus's judgements, while still being able to deal damage efficiently. its base 110 sp atk is insane, and its 75/85/90 defenses are decent enough once i get into the next argument. We all know how good poison typing is in this tier, but grass/poison is even better, as it negates the ground weakness that poison normally has. with this typing, every support arceus form barring flying and fire (which are extremely uncommon) are neutralized by vileplume.
My last argument is that it does more than just wall arceus forms, it is able to deal hits effectively with its high spatk stat, and tank other mons hits such as bulky dusk mane, e-killer, xerneas, p-ogre, and a lot more.
Important Calcs:
196 SpA Vileplume Moonblast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Rayquaza-Mega: 176-208 (50.1 - 59.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
196 SpA Vileplume Moonblast vs. 0 HP / 0- SpD Yveltal: 202-238 (51.3 - 60.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
4 SpA Earth Plate Arceus-Ground Judgment vs. 180 HP / 132+ SpD Vileplume: 132-156 (39.2 - 46.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Black Sludge recovery
252 SpA Dread Plate Arceus-Dark Judgment vs. 180 HP / 132+ SpD Vileplume: 160-190 (47.6 - 56.5%) -- 32% chance to 2HKO after Black Sludge recovery
252+ SpA Kyogre-Primal Ice Beam vs. 180 HP / 132+ SpD Vileplume: 238-282 (70.8 - 83.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Black Sludge recovery
252+ Atk Arceus Extreme Speed vs. 180 HP / 0 Def Vileplume: 156-184 (46.4 - 54.7%) -- 9% chance to 2HKO after Black Sludge recovery
0 SpA Pixie Plate Arceus-Fairy Judgment vs. 180 HP / 132+ SpD Vileplume: 65-77 (19.3 - 22.9%) -- possible 6HKO after Black Sludge recovery
196 SpA Vileplume Sludge Bomb vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Arceus-Fairy: 216-254 (48.6 - 57.2%) -- 91.8% chance to 2HKO
+2 252+ SpA Fairy Aura Xerneas Moonblast vs. 180 HP / 132+ SpD Vileplume: 196-231 (58.3 - 68.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Black Sludge recovery
196 SpA Vileplume Sludge Bomb vs. 72 HP / 100 SpD Xerneas: 230-272 (55.9 - 66.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Ok so i know that vileplume originally when i posted this was mostly considered a meme if anything else, and that people assumed that it was outclassed by other things such as mega-venu or amoongus, but i think now that i have tested it for a long time and found success with it over and over that i can restate my claim. Vileplume is a mon that can very easily carry the team on its shoulders, with moves like sleep powder (which in ag is amazing), strength sap (the ability to heal while lowering attack is incredible), as well as natural bulk and special attack, vileplume is a mon that can very easily be used for multiple purposes. i also would like to provide several replays against well-known players that prove the usefulness of vileplume
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7anythinggoes-701892404
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7anythinggoes-703838812
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7anythinggoes-703701283
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7anythinggoes-704245431

196 SpA Vileplume Grass Knot (120 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Groudon-Primal: 183-216 (45.2 - 53.4%) -- 34.8% chance to 2HKO
252 Atk Life Orb Marshadow Spectral Thief vs. 180 HP / 0 Def Vileplume: 214-253 (63.6 - 75.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Black Sludge recovery
-1 252 Atk Life Orb Marshadow Spectral Thief vs. 180 HP / 0 Def Vileplume: 142-169 (42.2 - 50.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Black Sludge recovery
196 SpA Vileplume Moonblast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Marshadow: 192-228 (59.8 - 71%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
These calcs are actually quite important. Reminder that vileplume has chlorophyll, which allows it to outspeed every pdon but jolly, which is highly uncommon, without any speed investment at all. This allows it to put it to sleep, and more likely than not 2ko it with grass knot before it can wake up. the second and third calc show that it also 1v1's marshadow (proven by the replays above). The fact that vileplume can withstand almost any mon in the current metagame and even take out teams on its own without boosts in my opinion is enough of itself to rise its ranking to D. vileplume has so many uses, and can even 1v1 mons like ferrothorn, celesteela, and sp defensive dusk mane thanks to pp stalling. (vileplume has more pp than goth too when using grass knot). This mon is so versatile, i love its ability, its movepoll is phenominal for the tier, its stats are good enough for accomplishing all these things, and most importantly, its access to sleep is what makes it a force to be reckoned with. i believe a lot more people will agree with me now as to before, as i have shown more evidence as well as played more against some of the better players in the tier and they also believe in this mon now, Vileplume is a great mon overall in ag, just because its a lower tier mon and not used much doesnt mean it doesnt deserve credit when its due. i truly believe after testing it for months that vileplume is worthy of a rank, despite being rejected before. I hope people will find the replays and the analysis more convincing now that i have provided more proof and more experience with the mon itself. Nomming once again Vileplume from Unranked to D.

 

[billionbattler]

Ok so i know that vileplume originally when i posted this was mostly considered a meme if anything else, and that people assumed that it was outclassed by other things such as mega-venu or amoongus, but i think now that i have tested it for a long time and found success with it over and over that i can restate my claim. Vileplume is a mon that can very easily carry the team on its shoulders, with moves like sleep powder (which in ag is amazing), strength sap (the ability to heal while lowering attack is incredible), as well as natural bulk and special attack, vileplume is a mon that can very easily be used for multiple purposes. i also would like to provide several replays against well-known players that prove the usefulness of vileplume
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7anythinggoes-701892404
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7anythinggoes-703838812
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7anythinggoes-703701283
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7anythinggoes-704245431

196 SpA Vileplume Grass Knot (120 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Groudon-Primal: 183-216 (45.2 - 53.4%) -- 34.8% chance to 2HKO
252 Atk Life Orb Marshadow Spectral Thief vs. 180 HP / 0 Def Vileplume: 214-253 (63.6 - 75.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Black Sludge recovery
-1 252 Atk Life Orb Marshadow Spectral Thief vs. 180 HP / 0 Def Vileplume: 142-169 (42.2 - 50.2%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Black Sludge recovery
196 SpA Vileplume Moonblast vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Marshadow: 192-228 (59.8 - 71%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
These calcs are actually quite important. Reminder that vileplume has chlorophyll, which allows it to outspeed every pdon but jolly, which is highly uncommon, without any speed investment at all. This allows it to put it to sleep, and more likely than not 2ko it with grass knot before it can wake up. the second and third calc show that it also 1v1's marshadow (proven by the replays above). The fact that vileplume can withstand almost any mon in the current metagame and even take out teams on its own without boosts in my opinion is enough of itself to rise its ranking to D. vileplume has so many uses, and can even 1v1 mons like ferrothorn, celesteela, and sp defensive dusk mane thanks to pp stalling. (vileplume has more pp than goth too when using grass knot). This mon is so versatile, i love its ability, its movepoll is phenominal for the tier, its stats are good enough for accomplishing all these things, and most importantly, its access to sleep is what makes it a force to be reckoned with. i believe a lot more people will agree with me now as to before, as i have shown more evidence as well as played more against some of the better players in the tier and they also believe in this mon now, Vileplume is a great mon overall in ag, just because its a lower tier mon and not used much doesnt mean it doesnt deserve credit when its due. i truly believe after testing it for months that vileplume is worthy of a rank, despite being rejected before. I hope people will find the replays and the analysis more convincing now that i have provided more proof and more experience with the mon itself. Nomming once again Vileplume from Unranked to D.

Why would you ever run chlorophyll over its other ability effect spore which can punish physical attackers have they not already been put to sleep with paralysis which could change the match if the other team doesnt have a cleric which could ruin vileplume as a status user

 

[DoW]

Why would you ever run chlorophyll over its other ability effect spore which can punish physical attackers have they not already been put to sleep with paralysis which could change the match if the other team doesnt have a cleric which could ruin vileplume as a status user

Chlorophyll allows it to outspeed Pdon, letting it sleep it and potentially 2HKO with grass knot (I expect - I haven't actually calc'd)

 

[Zesty43]

Arc Water to A-

Alright so the prevalence of dusk mane in the current meta is insane, it is comparable if not surpassing the prevalence of Pdon. Now a lot of people like to use yveltal as their dusk mane check but i personally do not feel that it is extremely reliable because of the pressure that is put on by rocks and keeping yveltal at full all the time, and even if you are able to do that you still have to win the 50/50 with the Z move. Arc water is easily the best dusk mane check, it eats the +2 z move (+2 252+ Atk Necrozma-Dusk-Mane Searing Sunraze Smash vs. 232 HP / 252+ Def Arceus-Water: 262-309 (59.6 - 70.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO) this allows you to easily wisp after the Z move and be out of range of any following attack. arc water is also able to wall marsh, and Zyg the same things arc fairy takes on but it is at A and arc water is at B+. ill add some replays a bit later and maybe expand on this this a bit.

replays:
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7anythinggoes-707679950

MMX from C to B-

In the current meta there is and extreme abundance of dark types yveltal, arc dark, ttar to name a few so fighting in general is a decent typing. What the meta has just as much of however is fairy's weather it be Xern or arc fairy primarily. Now this for sure hurts fighting types but what is nice about MMX is that it learns taunt and toxic. this allows you to toxic on the switch to the fairy type and cripple it for the rest of the game. this pairs extremely well with things such as sub protect zyg allowing you to bait its biggest threats in with M2 and essentially render them useless to stop zyg in the late game. MMX also has access to taunt which is extremely helpful at breaking fat teams with mons like celes and skarm which you do not immediately force out with low kick. Now i will say that the particular set I am proposing (low kick, taunt, toxic, recover) is extremely weak to m-gar as it is easily trapped so i would advise pairing it with a pursuit trapper. MMX also has the bulk up 3 attacks set and one that I've been using a bit recently sub taunt low kick recover. with taunt it is also to 1v1 support dusk mane with some decent predicting and a lack of it having z as well as 2hko'ing defensive yveltal on the switch with rocks up.

calcs:
252 Atk Mewtwo-Mega-X Low Kick (120 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Yveltal: 195-231 (42.7 - 50.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Mewtwo-Mega-X Low Kick (120 BP) vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Necrozma-Dusk-Mane: 211-250 (53 - 62.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Mewtwo-Mega-X Low Kick (120 BP) vs. 32 HP / 124 Def Kyogre-Primal: 250-295 (71.6 - 84.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Replays:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7anythinggoes-699721498
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7anythinggoes-699232940
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7anythinggoes-698297256
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7anythinggoes-698149881

will get more replays i don't save a ton so this is what i had