[Gen6] Viability ranks: Smogon Ver (Singles Ubers & OU updates, 03/28/16)

[RicePigeon]

For a much easier reference, the viability ranks for the various tiers will be listed here, as seen on Smogon.
 
Singles Ubers Viability: Smogon Version (Last updated 03/28/16)
Note: Pokemon in each subrank are listed from highest to lowest viability within that subrank.

Pokemon in the S+ and S ranks are Pokemon that are near flawless in the Ubers metagame. These Pokemon have a very low opportunity cost due to their low risk and high reward, and are able to either perform multiple roles very well or greatly excel at a single role. As such, these Pokemon can easily be put onto most teams.
S+ Rank

S Rank
(Normal)

 

Pokemon in the A+, A, and A- ranks are Pokemon that are fantastic, being able to support, sweep, or wall a significant portion of the Ubers metagame. These Pokemon are low risk, high reward with few flaws, but require more support than those Pokemon in the S rank.
A+ Rank
(Water)
A Rank
(Ground)(Ghost)
A- Rank
(Rock)
 

Pokemon in the B+, B, and B- ranks are Pokemon that are good in the current Ubers metagame. These Pokemon have flaws that hold them back, but their pros and cons are generally equal. Given the right amount of team support, these Pokemon can easily reach their full potential.
B+ Rank
(Dragon)
B Rank

B- Rank
(Dark)(Ice)
 

 

Pokemon in the C rank are Pokemon that have small niches in the Ubers metagame, able to perform specific roles that a team may require, but otherwise have numerous flaws. These Pokemon are high risk, and require a great amount of support in order to be truly effective. As such, these Pokemon usually cannot be slapped onto just any team. Pokemon that receive heavy competition from, or are partially outclassed by, Pokemon in the higher ranks can also be found in the C rank.
C+ Rank
(Fairy)
C Rank
(Grass)(Electric)(Fighting)(Poison)
C- Rank
(Steel)(Flying)
 

 

Pokemon in the D rank are Pokemon that are simply mediocre in the Ubers metagame, but are just barely viable enough to be used on very specific teams. These Pokemon are usually high risk, low reward, and usually can only pull off one very specific role and nothing more, thus they are heavily outclassed by other Pokemon in the higher ranks.
D Rank
(Bug)(Fire)(Psychic) 

 

Pokemon in the E rank are Pokemon that are completely unviable in the Ubers metagame and thus should never be used in serious competitive matches. Pokemon in the E rank are either banned from OU or are otherwise used more times in the Ubers metagame than they actually should. These Pokemon either have no niches in the Ubers metagame, are completely outclassed by Pokemon in the higher ranks, have very poor matchups against the majority of the Ubers metagame, or require an overwhelming amount of team support to the point where attempting to use these Pokemon in a serious competitive setting simply isn't worth it. The E rank, by definition, should be treated as an extension of the unlisted F rank, which consists of all Pokemon that are unviable in the Ubers metagame.
E Rank (a.k.a "Don't use these")
(M.Latias)(M.Latios)

[RicePigeon]

Singles OU Viability: Smogon Version (Last updated 03/28/16)
 

 

Pokemon in the S rank are Pokemon that are near flawless in the OU metagame. These Pokemon have a very low opportunity cost due to their low risk and high reward, and are able to either perform multiple roles very well or greatly excel at a single role. As such, these Pokemon can easily be put onto most teams.

S Rank

 

Pokemon in the A+, A, and A- ranks are Pokemon that are fantastic, being able to support, sweep, or wall a significant portion of the OU metagame. These Pokemon are low risk, high reward with few flaws, but require more support than those Pokemon in the S rank.
A+ Rank

A Rank
(M.Latias)
A- Rank


Pokemon in the B+, B, and B- ranks are Pokemon that are good in the current OU metagame. These Pokemon have flaws that hold them back, but their pros and cons are generally equal. Given the right amount of team support, these Pokemon can easily reach their full potential.
B+ Rank

B Rank

B- Rank


Pokemon in the C rank are Pokemon that have small niches in the OU metagame, able to perform specific roles that a team may require, but otherwise have numerous flaws. These Pokemon are high risk, and require a great amount of support in order to be truly effective. As such, these Pokemon usually cannot be slapped onto just any team. Pokemon that receive heavy competition from, or are partially outclassed by, Pokemon in the higher ranks can also be found in the C rank.
C+ Rank

C Rank

C- Rank

 

Pokemon in the D rank are Pokemon that are simply mediocre in the OU metagame, but are just barely viable enough to be used on very specific teams. These Pokemon are usually high risk, low reward, and usually can only pull off one very specific role and nothing more, thus they are heavily outclassed by other Pokemon in the higher ranks.
D Rank
(Super)

 

Pokemon in the E rank are Pokemon that are OU or BL by usage, but are completely unviable and should never be used on any serious competitive team.
E Rank
(M.Latios)

[RicePigeon]

Singles UU Viability: Smogon Version  (Last updated 09/03/15)
 
 

S Rank
Pokemon in the S rank are Pokemon that are near flawless in the UU metagame. These Pokemon have a very low opportunity cost due to their low risk and high reward, and are able to either perform multiple roles very well or greatly excel at a single role. As such, these Pokemon can easily be put onto most teams.

 

A+ Rank
Pokemon in the A+, A, and A- ranks are Pokemon that are fantastic, being able to support, sweep, or wall a significant portion of the UU metagame. These Pokemon are low risk, high reward with few flaws, but require more support than those Pokemon in the S rank.

A Rank

A- Rank

 

B+ Rank
Pokemon in the B+, B, and B- ranks are Pokemon that are good in the current UU metagame. These Pokemon have flaws that hold them back, but their pros and cons are generally equal. Given the right amount of team support, these Pokemon can easily reach their full potential.

B Rank

B- Rank

C Rank
Pokemon in the C rank are Pokemon that have small niches in the UU metagame, able to perform specific roles that a team may require, but otherwise have numerous flaws. These Pokemon are high risk, and require a great amount of support in order to be truly effective. As such, these Pokemon usually cannot be slapped onto just any team. Pokemon that receive heavy competition from, or are partially outclassed by, Pokemon in the higher ranks can also be found in the C rank.
(Super)
 

D Rank
Pokemon in the D rank are Pokemon that are simply mediocre in the UU metagame, but are just barely viable enough to be used on very specific teams. These Pokemon are usually high risk, low reward, and usually can only pull off one very specific role and nothing more, thus they are heavily outclassed by other Pokemon in the higher ranks. Pokemon that are UU by usage, but otherwise should never be used in a competitive scene, can sometimes be found in the D rank.

[RicePigeon]

Singles RU Viability (Last updated 09/09/15)

Pokemon in the S rank are Pokemon that are near flawless in the RU metagame. These Pokemon have a very low opportunity cost due to their low risk and high reward, and are able to either perform multiple roles very well or greatly excel at a single role. As such, these Pokemon can easily be put onto most teams.
S Rank

Pokemon in the A+ and A ranks are Pokemon that are fantastic, being able to support, sweep, or wall a significant portion of the RU metagame. These Pokemon are low risk, high reward with few flaws, but require more support than those Pokemon in the S rank.
A+ Rank

A Rank

Pokemon in the B+ and B ranks are Pokemon that are good in the current RU metagame. These Pokemon have flaws that hold them back, but their pros and cons are generally equal. Given the right amount of team support, these Pokemon can easily reach their full potential.
B+ Rank

B Rank
(XL)

 

Pokemon in the C+, C, and C- ranks are Pokemon that have small niches in the RU metagame, able to perform specific roles that a team may require, but otherwise have numerous flaws. These Pokemon are high risk, and require a great amount of support in order to be truly effective. As such, these Pokemon usually cannot be slapped onto just any team. Pokemon that receive heavy competition from, or are partially outclassed by, Pokemon in the higher ranks can also be found in the C ranks.
C+ Rank
(Small)
C Rank

Pokemon in the D rank are Pokemon that are simply mediocre in the RU metagame, but are just barely viable enough to be used on very specific teams. These Pokemon are usually high risk, low reward, and usually can only pull off one very specific role and nothing more, thus they are heavily outclassed by other Pokemon in the higher ranks.
D Rank

 

 

Pokemon in the E rank are Pokemon that are completely unviable in the RU metagame and thus should never be used in serious competitive matches. Pokemon in the E rank are either RU by usage, are banned from NU, or are otherwise used more times in the RU metagame than they actually should. These Pokemon either have no niches in the RU metagame, are completely outclassed by Pokemon in the higher ranks, have very poor matchups against the majority of the RU metagame, or require an overwhelming amount of team support to the point where attempting to use these Pokemon in a serious competitive setting simply isn't worth it. The E rank, by definition, should be treated as an extension of the unlisted F rank, which consists of all Pokemon that are unviable in the RU metagame.
E Rank (aka "Don't use these")

[RicePigeon]

Singles NU Viability: Smogon Version (last updated 04/21/15)


S Rank



A+ Rank

A Rank

A- Rank

B+ Rank
(Small)(Super)
B Rank

B- Rank



C+ Rank

C Rank

C- Rank


D+ Rank

D Rank

D- Rank

[RicePigeon]

Singles PU Viability (last updated 04/17/15)
 
S Rank

 
A+ Rank

A Rank

A- Rank

(XL)
 

 

B+ Rank

(Small)
B Rank

B- Rank

 
C+ Rank

C Rank

C- Rank

 
D Rank

(Medium)(Large)
 
 
E Rank (aka "Don't use these")

[RicePigeon]

Doubles OU Viability (Last updated 08/20/14)
 

Pokemon in Tier 1 are Pokemon that are near flawless in the Doubles OU metagame. These Pokemon have a very low opportunity cost due to their low risk and high reward, and are able to provide either excellent power or excellent team support. As such, these Pokemon can easily be put onto most teams.
Tier 1

 

Pokemon in Tier 1.5 are Pokemon that are good in the Doubles OU metagame. These Pokemon are strong, but can be dead weight versus certain match ups, are only useful for checking certain team styles, or do not have that great of a match up against most of the Pokemon in Tier 1.

Tier 1.5

 

Pokemon in Tier 2 are Pokemon that are good in the Doubles OU metagame, but either only fit on specific teams or require heavy support in order to be truly effective.

Tier 2

 

Pokemon in Tier 2.5 are Pokemon that are good in the Doubles OU metagame, and generally have unique match ups that allow them to excel when used on certain teams, but otherwise cannot be broadly used on just any team.

Tier 2.5

 

Pokemon in Tier 3 are Pokemon that are just viable enough to function in the Doubles OU metagame. Pokemon in Tier 3 either have good match ups against specific top threats, or fulfill some kind of valuable niche on specific team builds. In general, Pokemon in Tier 3 have the most flaws and, therefore, require the most support.

Tier 3

[RicePigeon]

Thread is now open for discussion

[Galvatron]

Awesome!

 

However I don't understand in the double Viables why Clefable be in the Low ranks. ?

 

considering its a fairy-type which has good bulk in recovery and defence especailly if it has Magic guard + holding Life orb to up its attack power.

[Xan]

It doesn't pack enough of a punch on its own and it doesn't fill a support role that works for its teammates as well as itself.

 

That and ganging up exists in doubles.

[RicePigeon]

Pretty much what Xan said. Clefable may be bulky enough for Singles, but not for Doubles. One look at its base stats should show you why.

 

That and anything it can do in Doubles, it's more than likely outclassed by another Pokemon.

 

ie: Mega Gardevoir and Choice Specs Sylveon are alot more useful in Doubles than Clefable, spamming Fairy Hyper Voice while Clefable has... Dazzling Gleam? and 90 base Sp.Attack?

 

And as for Clefable learning Follow Me, Togekiss is a much much better Fairy type user of Follow Me than Clefable will ever be.

[Galvatron]

It doesn't pack enough of a punch on its own and it doesn't fill a support role that works for its teammates as well as itself.

 

That and ganging up exists in doubles.

 

Pretty much what Xan said. Clefable may be bulky enough for Singles, but not for Doubles. One look at its base stats should show you why.

 

That and anything it can do in Doubles, it's more than likely outclassed by another Pokemon.

 

ie: Mega Gardevoir and Choice Specs Sylveon are alot more useful in Doubles than Clefable, spamming Fairy Hyper Voice while Clefable has... Dazzling Gleam? and 90 base Sp.Attack?

 

And as for Clefable learning Follow Me, Togekiss is a much much better Fairy type user of Follow Me than Clefable will ever be.

Ah! i see what you guys saying the fact Clefable can be targeted more easily especailly getting hit acouple times with steel-type attacks while it can be destracted with a pokemon "Follow-me" and leaves it open for an attack by the other pokemon Like Mega-Lucario using 'flash-cannon' which will be 2HKO or OHKO.

(learned that from the Last battles with Rice.) 

[RicePigeon]

Except if you're using Clefable, then odds are you're using Clefable specifically for Follow Me, which Togekiss can also do and is a much better user of the move just in terms of base stats:

 

 

Other factors why Clefable is outclassed by Togekiss in Doubles:

• Togekiss sports higher base speed and Sp.Attack stats, giving it more offensive presence with STAB Air Slash.
• Can provide additional support besides Follow Me, such as Speed control with Tailwind or Thunderwave and Helping Hand support.
• Better typing defensively, as Flying grants Togekiss an immunity to Earthquake, a common spread move.
• Magic Guard and Unaware aren't as useful in Doubles as they are in Singles, and Serene Grace actually allows Togekiss to flinch hax opponents with Air Slash under the speed control it provides.

[Galvatron]

Ah! I see the fact Togekiss is a fairy/Flying type It has great advantages against Fighting,dragon, ground, dark, bug, and grass pokemon. and has better defence to keep itself in battle for awhile. :-)

[RicePigeon]

So based on Showdown's usage of the new ORAS info, they decided on the following viability ranks for the new Megas in OU:

Mega Beedril: B
Mega Pidgeot: C-
Mega Slowbro: A
Mega Steelix: D
Mega Sceptile: A-
Mega Swampert: B+
Mega Sableye: A-
Mega Sharpedo: B-
Mega Camerupt: B
Mega Altaria: A
Mega Glalie: C
Mega Salamence: S
Mega Metagross: A+
Mega Latias: A
Mega Latios: B
Mega Lopunny: A
Mega Gallade: A+
Mega Audino: D
Mega Diancie: A

[RicePigeon]

Smogon's ORAS OU changes:

 

(MEGA): S -> S+

: S --> A+
: S --> A+
: A+ ---> S
: A+ ---> S
: A+ ---> A
: A+ ---> A
: A+ ---> A
: A+ ---> A
: A+ ---> B
: A+ ---> A

[RicePigeon]

XY RU Viability updates (final until ORAS):

 

: S -> A+ (-1)

: A -> S (+2)

: A -> A+ (+1)

: A -> A+ (+1)

: A+ -> A- (-2)

: A+ -> A (-1)

: A+ -> A (-1)

: A+ -> A- (-2)

: A- -> A (+1)

: A- -> A (+1)

: A -> A- (-1)

: A- -> A (+1)

: A -> B+ (-2)

: A- -> B+ (-1)

: B+ -> A- (+1)

: B -> B+ (+1)

: B+ -> B- (-2)

: B -> B+ (+1)

: B+ -> B (-1)

: B -> B+ (+1)

: C+ -> B (+2)

: B -> B- (-1)

: B- -> B (+1)

: C+ -> B- (+1)

(Small): B- -> C+ (-1)

(XL): B- -> C+ (-1)

: C+ -> B- (+1)

: B- -> C+ (-1)

: C+ -> C (-1)

: C+ -> C (-1)

: C+ -> C (-1)

: C+ -> C- (-2)

: C -> C+ (+1)

: C -> C+ (-1)

: C+ -> C (-1)

: C- -> C+ (+2)

: C -> C- (-1)

: C -> C- (-1)

: C -> C- (-1)

: C- -> C (+1)

: Unranked -> C- (+2)

: C- -> Unranked (-2)

: C- -> D (-1)

: C- -> D (-1)

: C- -> D (-1)

: Unranked -> D (+1)

: Unranked -> D (+1)

: Unranked -> D (+1)

: Unranked -> D (+1)

[RicePigeon]

Updated OU section with icons of the new Megas ripped by hackers who got their hands on the game early

[Galvatron]

Updated OU section with icons of the new Megas ripped by hackers who got their hands on the game early

Thanks! of course we know that was bound to happen. :-P

[RicePigeon]

With the new revelations regarding Mega Rayquaza's ability to hold any items, Mega Rayray now gets his own rank until Smogon gives him an official viability rank.

[Galvatron]

With the new revelations regarding Mega Rayquaza's ability to hold any items, Mega Rayray now gets his own rank until Smogon gives him an official viability rank.

S+ Rank

Indeed. as I predicted it would be. O_o

[RicePigeon]

So Smogon updated their Doubles Viability Ranks, with the addition of splitting the C rank into C+ and C:
 
: B -> S (+5)
: S -> A- (-3)
: A+ -> A (-1)
: A -> A+ (+1)
: C -> A+ (+7)
: A+ -> A (-1)
: A -> A- (-1)
: A -> A- (-1)
: A -> B+ (-2)
: B+ -> A (+2)
: A- -> B+ (-1)
: A- -> B+ (-1)
: Unranked -> A- (+8)
: C -> B+ (+5)
: B -> B+ (+1)
: Unranked -> B (+6)
: C -> B (+3)
(Small): B -> B- (-1)
: C -> B (+3)
: Unranked -> B (+6)
: Unranked -> B (+6)
: Unranked -> B- (+5)
: Unranked -> B- (+5)
: C -> C+ (+1)
: Unranked -> C+ (+4)
: C -> C+ (+1)
: C -> C+ (+1)
: C -> C+ (+1)
: C -> C+ (+1)
: Unranked -> C+ (+4)
: C -> C+ (+1)
: C -> C+ (+1)
: C -> C+ (+1)
: Unranked -> C (+3)
: Unranked -> C (+3)
: Unranked -> C (+3)

[RicePigeon]

With Mega Salamence being officially banned from Singles OU, the S+ Rank has been removed for Singles OU.

[RicePigeon]

Made the necessary changes to the UU, NU, and PU viability lists to reflect the recent tier updates (namely the removal of Metagross and Sableye from UU)

[RicePigeon]

Further changes to the UU Singles viability list. There are too many to list so Ill just post the old list with the new list next to this

 

S Rank (old)

S Rank (new)

 

 

A+ Rank (old)

A+ Rank (new)

 

 

A Rank (old)

A Rank (new)

 

 

 

A- Rank (old)

A- Rank (new)

 

 

 

 

B+ Rank (old)

B+ Rank (new)

 

 

 

 

B Rank (old)

B Rank (new)

 

 

 

 

B- Rank (old)

B- Rank (new)

 

 

 

 

 

C Rank (old)

C Rank (new)

 

 

 

 

D Rank (old)

None

D Rank (new)

 

 

EDIT: and no, thats not a typo, regular Swampert IS ranked higher than Mega Swampert.