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[Gen6][Meta] UnderUbers discussion (05/09: Tier Shifts)


RicePigeon

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So this idea came to me and a someone else I talked to on Skype; what if Ubers was a usage based tier just like all the other tiers in competitive battling? How would the OU metagame look? To simulate this, I figured using this idea as a tournament might bring something new.
 

Also because there's been some confusion regarding this tier, allow me to say, this is NOT an official tier on neither Smogon nor Pokemon Online, and is not officially supported on any simulators. Furthermore, this tier is not officially endorsed by Nintendo/Gamefreak/TPCi. I'm not sure what would make you think the latter was the case, but people have asked me that.

 

For those who wish to play this tier on simulators, you can do so as either under the  Singles Ubers option or, on Showdown, under "Custom Battle" under the Singles Battle option.

General Rules

  • All Battles will be done as 6vs6 Single battles or 6v6 Doubles. Participants will be required to post battle videos as proof of their victories/losses.
  • Battles must be done on either Pokemon Omega Ruby or Pokemon Alpha Sapphire, or on a battle simulator capable of showing replays (either Pokemon Showdown or Pokemon Online).
  • Single Elimination style: if you lose, you cannot progress to the next round of the tournament
  • Item Clause: OFF (you may use any number of the same item).
  • Species Clause: ON (You cannot use two of with the same Pokedex number).
  • Sleep Clause: ON (only one Pokemon may be put to sleep at any given time. This does not include sleep induced by the move Rest)
  • Evasion Clause: The moves Double Team and Minimize cannot be used.
  • OHKO Clause: The moves Fissure, Guillotine, Horn Drill, and Sheer Cold cannot be used.
  • Self-KO Clause: In the event of a tie caused by the use of Selfdestruct, Explosion, Destiny Bond, Perish Song, Memento, Final Gambit, or any similar suicidal move, the user of these moves will be considered to have lost the match. Self-KOs caused by recoil moves and Life Orb also fall under this category.
  • Arceus Clause: Arceus may be used, but must be holding a plate item. In addition, Arceus cannot be holding the Spooky, Earth, Stone, or Splash plates.
  • Eligible Pokemon must have attained no more than 3.41% usage in the Ubers metagame, according to Smogon's 1630 ladder stats.
  • Tier shifts will every 3 months, just like every other tier.
  • Pokemon listed as D-rank in Smogon's Single Ubers Viability ranking thread at the time of a tier shift update are not banned, regardless of their usage, unless that Pokemon has explicitly been banned from the UnderUbers tier (Kyogre).

 

List of Banned Pokemon
The following Pokemon are banned from the tournament as per their Ubers 1630 use stats for the past three months (February, March, & April 2016);

  • 681.png Aegislash
  • 493.png493.png[IMG][IMG][IMG][IMG] Arceus-Normal, Arceus-Fairy, Arceus-Ghost, Arceus-Ground, Arceus-Rock, & Arceus-Water
  • 257.png257-m.png Blaziken & Mega Blaziken
  •  491.png Darkrai
  • 386a.png386s.png Deoxys [Attack forme] & Deoxys [speed forme]
  • 483.png Dialga
  • 719-m.png Mega Diancie
  • 132.png Ditto
  • 598.png Ferrothorn
  • 094-m.png Mega Gengar
  • 487.png487o.png Giratina [both formes]
  • 658.png Greninja
  • 383-p.png Primal Groudon
  • 250.png Ho-oh
  • 115-m.png Mega Kangaskhan
  • 707.png Klefki
  • 382.png382-p.png Kyogre & Primal Kyogre
  • White Kyurem Kyurem [White Forme only]
  • 380.png380-m.png Latias & Mega Latias
  • 381.png381-m.png Latios & Mega Latios
  • 448-m.png Mega Lucario
  • 249.png Lugia
  • 150.png150-mx.png150-my.png Mewtwo, Mega Mewtwo X, & Mega Mewtwo Y
  • 384.png384-m.png Rayquaza & Mega Rayquaza
  • [IMG]  Mega Sableye
  • [IMG]  Mega Salamence
  • Sky Forme Shaymin [Sky forme]
  • 716.png Xerneas
  • 717.png Yveltal
  • 644.png Zekrom

 

List of Banned Items

  • Earth Plate
  • Pixie Plate
  • Splash Plate
  • Spooky Plate
  • Stone Plate
  • Red Orb
  • Blue Orb
  • Griseous Orb
  • Diancite
  • Gengarite
  • Kangaskhanite
  • Lucarionite
  • Mewtwonite X
  • Mewtwonite Y
  • Sablenite
  • Salamencite

 

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To keep consistent with the "official" tiers, I decided to add a viability ranking for UUbers Singles. Keep in mind this is only a preliminary list and subject to change
 
Singles UUbers Viability Rankings (last updated 05/09/16)
 

Pokemon that have not yet been ranked are recent additions to the metagame, and have not yet enough time to determine an adequate rank placement for them. Use and/or discussion about these Pokemon are highly encouraged in order to determine the appropriate ranking for each of them.
Not Yet Ranked

[IMG](Dark)[IMG](Fighting)[IMG](Flying)036.png302.png227.png248-m.png721.png

Pokemon in the S rank are Pokemon that are near flawless in the UUbers 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
383.png303-m.png484.png

Pokemon in the A+ and A ranks are Pokemon that are fantastic, being able to support, sweep, or wall a significant portion of the UUbers metagame. These Pokemon are low risk, high reward with few flaws, but require more support than those Pokemon in the S rank.
A+ Rank
[IMG](Dragon)184.pnghttp://www.serebii.net/pokedex-xy/icon/006-mx.png386.pngIncarnate FormeTherian Forme
A Rank
[IMG](Psychic) [IMG](Steel)386d.png643.pnghttp://www.serebii.net/pokedex-xy/icon/212-m.png[IMG]642.png

Pokemon in the B rank are Pokemon that are good in the current UUbers 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

[IMG](Grass)625.png006-my.png530.png205.png649.png094.pngHoopa Unboundhttp://www.serebii.net/pokedex-xy/icon/376-m.png080.pnghttp://www.serebii.net/pokedex-xy/icon/080-m.png248.pnghttp://www.serebii.net/pokedex-xy/icon/003-m.png
B Rank
[IMG](Electric)[IMG](Ice)[IMG](Poison)113.png395.png[IMG][IMG]485.pngWash Rotom545.png199.png663.png202.png

Pokemon in the C rank are Pokemon that have small niches in the UUbers 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
[IMG](Fire)http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-xy/icon/009-m.png242.png563.png630.png715.png[IMG]213.png235.png121.png

Pokemon in the D rank are Pokemon that are simply mediocre in the UUbers 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
[IMG](Bug) 719.png196.png

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  • 3 weeks later...

After some discussion with a few interested people on Skype, I've decided to expand this into Doubles as well. As a result, this will be less of a tournament and moreso its own little metagame/league/etc whatever you want to call it.
 

With that I bring you...

 

The Doubles UUbers banlist (updated 05/09/16):

  • 681.png Aegislash
  • 493.png[IMG]493-steel.png Arceus-Normal, Arceus-Ghost, Arceus-Steel
  • 386a.png Deoxys [Attack forme]
  • 483.png Dialga
  • http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-xy/icon/719-m.png Mega Diancie
  • 598.png Ferrothorn
  • 649.png Genesect
  • Origin Forme Giratina [Origin Forme]
  • 658.png Greninja
  • 383-p.png Primal Groudon
  • 237.png Hitmontop
  • 250.png Ho-oh
  • 115-m.png Mega Kangaskhan
  • 382-p.png Primal Kyogre
  • 646-w.png White Kyurem
  • 645-s.png Landorus [Therian forme]

  • 510.png Liepard

  • 249.png Lugia
  • http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-xy/icon/303-m.png Mega Mawile
  • 151.png Mew
  • 150-mx.png150-my.png Mega Mewtwo X, & Mega Mewtwo Y
  • 484.png Palkia
  • 384-m.png Mega Rayquaza
  • 643.png Reshiram
  • 302.pnghttp://www.serebii.net/pokedex-xy/icon/302-m.png Sableye & Mega Sableye
  • http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-xy/icon/373-m.png  Mega Salamence
  • 492-s.png Shaymin [sky forme]
  • 235.png Smeargle
  • 663.png Talonflame
  • 642.png Thundurus [incarnate forme]
  • 547.png Whimsicott
  • 716.png Xerneas
  • 717.png Yveltal
  • 644.png Zekrom

 

List of Banned Items

  • Iron Plate
  • Spooky Plate
  • Red Orb
  • Blue Orb
  • Blazikenite
  • Diancite
  • Griseous Orb
  • Kangaskhanite
  • Mawilite
  • Mewtwonite X
  • Mewtwonite Y
  • Salamencite
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Doing a bit more theorymoning here, but taking a second look at Reshiram for a minute.

 

reshiram.gif

One thing I overlooked were its 100/100/120 defensive stats. If we compare this to the only other Dragon/Fire type, Mega Charizard X, who has 78/111/85 defensive base stats, you can tell that Reshiram also has some bulk behind it, allowing it to run a defensive set rather than an offensive set. Mega Charizard X also has the ability to run either offensive or defensive, but unlike Reshiram, using it consumes your Mega Slot, so running Reshiram on stall teams allows you to reserve your Mega Slot for another defensive Pokemon such as Mega Venusaur.

 

Singles UUbers Moveset: Defensive

643.png

Ability: Turboblaze / Item: @Leftovers
Nature: Modest w/ EVs: 248 HP / 124 Sp.Defense / 130 Speed
Move #1: Blue Flare or Fusion Flare
Move #2: Dragon Pulse or Draco Meteor
Move #3: Will-o-Wisp
Move #4: Roost

 

The given EV spread listed above allows Reshiram to reach the same speed tiers as standard defensive Mega Charizard X, but with better special bulk while the higher HP makes up for the lower physical Defensive. Aside from not costing the Mega Slot, Defensive Reshiram has several notable advantages over Mega Charizard X, the most prominent being the ability to hold Leftovers, which gives it passive recovery. The other notable difference is Turboblaze, which prevents Reshiram from being stopped cold by Heatran. Unlike Mega Charizard X, who must either drop one of its STAB options to run Earthquake or rely on a teammate, Turboblaze negates Heatran's Flash Fire. For reference, the above EV spread allows Reshiram's Blue Fire to 2HKO specially defensive Heatran 12.5% of the time after Stealth Rock damage, these EVs can easily be adjusted to guarantee the 2HKO if needed, while offensive Heatran sets are always 2HKOed. Unlike Mega Charizard X, however, defensive Reshiram can't muscle past Chansey, so it will require support in that regard.

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Smogon's use statistics for Singles Ubers is now out. Using the past two months as reference, with the most recent month being weighted at 20/23 and the month before being weighed at 3/23, we have the following 2-month use statistics for Singles UUbers;

 

Groudon 0.646635278

Xerneas 0.482652748

Arceus 0.364093339

Kyogre 0.272034274

Darkrai 0.23452527

Salamence 0.217563196

Yveltal 0.216727504

Mewtwo 0.215977961

Ho-oh 0.182395635

Lugia 0.174480357

Deoxys-A 0.14049183

Rayquaza 0.107705591

Giratina-O 0.097794483

Gengar 0.0975831

Genesect 0.097026183

Kangaskhan 0.094953204

Aegislash 0.093462852

Deoxys-S 0.091116226

Latias 0.090419148

Klefki 0.084376487

Blaziken 0.083566322

Dialga 0.071577248

Ferrothorn 0.068001365

Zekrom 0.061375704

Latios 0.0611366

Ditto 0.056017065

Greninja 0.055271722

Kyurem-W 0.054117874

Giratina-A 0.052813452

Shaymin-S 0.052747278

Smeargle 0.047943961

Palkia 0.045740839

Diancie 0.040363709

Lucario 0.039947087

Scolipede 0.039047417

Sableye 0.036451309

 

545.png

Effective immediately, Scolipede is now part of the Singles UUbers banlist.

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Just finished the calculations for Doubles Ubers stats for the past two months;

 


Name    April    May    Avg
Groudon     54.68%    55.75%    55.61%
Xerneas    52.30%    54.06%    53.83%
Kyogre    46.72%    44.61%    44.88%
Rayquaza     24.90%    35.57%    34.18%
Arceus    16.96%    21.25%    20.69%
Mewtwo    16.26%    17.31%    17.18%
Kangaskhan    26.84%    15.66%    17.12%
Ho-Oh    8.52%    17.11%    15.99%
Mew    6.92%    13.36%    12.52%
Lugia    12.36%    11.87%    11.93%
Yveltal    6.44%    10.53%    10.00%
Zekrom    12.72%    8.22%    8.80%
Dialga    9.29%    8.19%    8.33%
Aegislash    7.14%    8.26%    8.11%
Salamence    6.35%    8.06%    7.83%
Whimsicott    8.48%    7.61%    7.72%
Klefki    8.07%    6.98%    7.12%
Hitmontop    9.17%    6.79%    7.10%
Shaymin-Sky    10.53%    6.58%    7.09%
Darkrai    5.08%    6.79%    6.57%
Palkia    7.26%    6.41%    6.52%
Thundurus    8.10%    6.18%    6.43%
Sableye    6.39%    5.98%    6.03%
Togekiss    7.09%    5.57%    5.77%
Greninja    7.16%    4.95%    5.24%
Reshiram    5.39%    5.16%    5.19%
Garchomp    5.50%    4.60%    4.72%
Latios    5.02%    4.41%    4.49%
Kyurem-White    4.80%    4.24%    4.31%
Deoxys-Attack    4.08%    4.00%    4.01%
Gengar    4.34%    3.91%    3.97%
Genesect    6.54%    3.48%    3.88%
Talonflame    3.75%    3.72%    3.73%
Blaziken    4.10%    3.53%    3.60%
Landorus-Therian    2.76%    3.71%    3.58%

;----------------------------------------------------
Amoonguss    1.54%    3.60%    3.33%
Gardevoir    4.70%    2.88%    3.12%
Cresselia    4.39%    2.89%    3.08%
Jirachi    5.69%    2.60%    3.01%
Meowstic    3.53%    2.58%    2.70%
Sylveon    5.20%    2.27%    2.65%
Thundurus-T    3.49%    2.28%    2.44%
Smeargle    4.01%    1.87%    2.15%
Mawile    3.82%    1.86%    2.11%

 

The following Pokemon now allowed in Doubles UUbers:

488.png282.png282-m.png385.png303.png303-m.png678.png678-f.png235.png700.png642-s.png

 

The following Pokemon are now banned from Doubles UUbers:

645-s.png

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  • 2 weeks later...

So in an effort to bring some more life and for purposes of quality control, I decided to implement the following changes;

  • Initial banlist will now be based on March, April, and May's usage stats in the ratio of 1/24, 1/8, and 5/6, respectively.
  • Usage statistics will now be based on the upper Ubers ladder (1760 stats) instead of the 1630 stats

That being said, the banlist for Singles UUbers now includes the following:
 


Name        March    April    May    Avg
Groudon        75.73%    74.11%    73.97%    74.06%
Xerneas        49.44%    50.05%    45.89%    46.56%
Arceus        44.13%    42.76%    40.13%    40.63%
Salamence    32.65%    29.70%    27.47%    27.96%
Yveltal        25.28%    27.83%    27.16%    27.17%
Ho-oh        25.27%    23.07%    24.20%    24.11%
Kyogre        19.08%    19.58%    21.86%    21.46%
Darkrai        25.10%    23.08%    18.50%    19.34%
Mewtwo        13.54%    16.78%    19.99%    19.32%
Deoxys-A    13.42%    14.47%    13.24%    13.40%
Klefki        12.44%    12.75%    12.54%    12.56%
Latias        14.42%    11.58%    12.54%    12.50%
Lugia        14.99%    12.78%    11.95%    12.18%
Giratina-O    10.82%    11.41%    11.33%    11.32%
Rayquaza    10.38%    11.70%    10.33%    10.51%
Gengar        9.92%    8.53%    10.53%    10.26%
Ferrothorn    7.66%    9.87%    10.00%    9.88%
Deoxys-S    9.11%    10.60%    9.60%    9.70%
Genesect    6.83%    6.07%    6.63%    6.56%
Kangaskhan    6.49%    6.61%    6.52%    6.53%
Ditto        9.21%    7.44%    6.15%    6.44%
Latios        7.86%    6.74%    6.25%    6.38%
Aegislash    5.19%    7.46%    6.26%    6.37%
Dialga        9.77%    6.52%    6.07%    6.28%
Kyurem-W    6.59%    6.40%    6.02%    6.09%
Sableye        5.75%    5.44%    5.96%    5.88%
Smeargle    5.57%    3.80%    5.57%    5.35%
Diancie        7.23%    8.22%    4.73%    5.27%
Giratina-A    5.82%    6.48%    4.21%    4.56%
Tyranitar    2.30%    3.23%    4.77%    4.47%
Zekrom        4.03%    5.34%    4.24%    4.37%
Blaziken    5.00%    4.35%    4.25%    4.29%
Scolipede    1.42%    2.16%    4.46%    4.04%
;---------------------------------------------------------
Shaymin-S    3.49%    3.42%    3.11%    3.17%


 
The following Pokemon now allowed in Singles UUbers:
492-s.png658.png448.png448-m.png484.png
 
The following Pokemon are now banned from Singles UUbers:

248.png248-m.png

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Its not so much that its broken, it was just up there in usage. Remember, the banlist for this "tier" is based on usage, just like UU and all lower tiers, and not necessarily on brokenness.
 
More theorymonning;
 
palkia.gif
Palkia lost a lot of usage in Ubers due to the fact that Kyogre isn't as much as a prevalent threat as it once was, and even though Primal Kyogre still sees a ton of usage, Palkia now had to contend with Latios and Latias for the role of Kyogre check. With Latios and Latias banned from UUbers, Palkia stands as one of two base 680 Pokemon allowed in UUbers, the other being Reshiram. Sporting a solid base 100 speed and 150 base Sp.Attack, it should stand as no surprise that Palkia is a threat. With a decent Water/Dragon typing that grants it a plethora of resistances, Palkia can easily stand as a bulky wallbreaker. Not much can stand in its path, with Ferrothorn gone, the only solid check is Azumarill, who still falls to Thunderbolt. However, it has issues getting past Chansey.

 

Notable moves: Hydro Pump, Spacial Rend, Draco Meteor, Fire Blast, Aura Sphere, Focus Blast, Dragon Tail, Earth Power, Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, Thunder Wave, Toxic

 

lucario-mega.gif

It's been a long time since OU last saw Mega Lucario. Mega Lucario was banned not only due to its sheer power, but its unpredictability, making it a surefire sweeper or wallbreaker depending on the team's needs. At the time of its ban, it dwarfed the 100 speed benchmark. However, new threats of 110 base speed introduced in ORAS have raised the bar. While Mega Lucario still outspeeds them by 2 base points, it still poses a significant threat to UUbers due to the sheer power of Adaptability Close Combat and dual 145/140 offense stats, allowing it to punish even those that resist its moves. When it comes to UUbers, there isn't anything new added to the tier that can safely tank its moves. The only significant new threat that can take a hit from Mega Luke may very well be Mega Slowbro, as not even a +2 Crunch can 2HKO 100% of the time, but falls victim to the special set's +2 Dark Pulse. Will Mega Lucario come out on top as UUber's premier threat, or will it find its way back to Ubers?

 

Notable moves: Close Combat, Aura Sphere, Iron Tail, Flash Cannon, Bullet Punch, Vaccuum Wave, Extreme Speed, Crunch, Ice Punch, Dark Pulse, Shadow Ball, Swords Dance, Nasty Plot

 

greninja.gif

Greninja wasn't banned from OU until the early days of ORAS, and two moves were responsible for its ban; Gunk Shot and Low Kick. What was once a great Pokemon walled by Fairy types and Black Kyurem suddenly became the most dangerous Pokemon in OU with no switch ins, and the ability to punish switch ins with its Spikes set didn't help matters either. What Greninja lacks in raw base stats outside of speed, it more than makes up for in Protean, giving it STAB on all of its moves. Now that Greninja has been allowed in UUbers, will it terrorize UUbers just as it did OU?

 

Notable moves: Hydro Pump, Dark Pulse, Ice Beam, Gunk Shot, Low Kick, Hidden Power [Fire], Hidden Power [Grass], Grass Knot, Spikes, Toxic Spikes

 

 

charizard-mega-y.gif

Though Mega Charizard Y has always been consistently OU, it always had to deal with Latios, Latias, Tyranitar, and Chansey to check it. With the most recent tier shift, only one of those four Pokemon is still UUbers legal, giving Mega Charizard Y a huge amount of leeway. Or at least it would seem that way, if Reshiram and Palkia weren't around. For reference, Mega Charizard Y fails to 2HKO Palkia with any of its moves, while a Choice Specs Palkia OHKOs with Draco Meteor. Mega Charizard Y isn't a safe switch either, as Specs Palkia can still OHKO with Hydro Pump, rain or shine.

 

Notable moves: Fire Blast, Solar Beam, Focus Blast, Roost, Will-o-Wisp

 

 

landorus.gif

Landorus-Incarnate recently made headlines in OU for being banned for the second generation in a row. Aside from being the most notable user of Sheer Force + Life Orb, which grants a x1.67 boost to any move with a secondary effect while having no recoil, Landorus-I's movepool was wide enough where it can easily adapt to any of its threats. But OU exists in another world, and Lando-I was spared this fate in UUbers. With new powerful wallbreakers such as Reshiram, Palkia, and Mega Lucario being present, will Lando-I carve a niche to continue to stand out as it did in OU prior to its ban?

 

Notable moves: Earth Power, Sludge Wave, Focus Blast, Psychic, Knock Off, Rock Slide, Rock Polish, Hidden Power [ice], Calm Mind

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Its not so much that its broken, it was just up there in usage. Remember, the banlist for this "tier" is based on usage, just like UU and all lower tiers, and not necessarily on brokenness.

True.. :-P

I need to remind myself to keep that in mind!

 

 

greninja.gif

Greninja wasn't banned from OU until the early days of ORAS, and two moves were responsible for its ban; Gunk Shot and Low Kick. What was once a great Pokemon walled by Fairy types and Black Kyurem suddenly became the most dangerous Pokemon in OU with no switch ins, and the ability to punish switch ins with its Spikes set didn't help matters either. What Greninja lacks in raw base stats outside of speed, it more than makes up for in Protean, giving it STAB on all of its moves. Now that Greninja has been allowed in UUbers, will it terrorize UUbers just as it did OU?

 

Notable moves: Hydro Pump, Dark Pulse, Ice Beam, Gunk Shot, Low Kick, Hidden Power [Fire], Hidden Power [Grass], Grass Knot, Spikes, Toxic Spikes

In mind opinion it will.  I mean  since it has the ability 'Protean'+ its Great speed-stat Fairy-types can't see this as a laughing matter considering most them can't out speed it in battle. and to make matters worse Gunk-Shot and HP-Fire with Protean ability effect grants it defence against fairy-type moves so it won't get knocked out easily in battle.

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To keep consistent with the official tiers, I've added a preliminary viability list for Singles UUbers. So far I'm only focusing on S and A+, basically the top threats of the metagame. If you have any suggestions for rank changes, including Pokemon not already on the list, feel free to nominate them and explain your reasoning.

 

EDIT: Just to give a rough guideline on submissions:

 

  • Actual tiers should not be used as an argument for ranking. Remember, this is not Ubers or OU, so whatever works in those tiers may not necessarily work here.
  • Try to use concrete examples to back up your arguments. Replays and damage calculations help in this regard.

 

With that said, here are the preliminary S & A+ ranks:

 

 

S Rank

  • 386.png: Great mixed attacking potential and base speed to back it up. Typing leaves alot to be desired, but I can easily see this on the same level as Greninja.
  • 658.png: More or less what it was back in ORAS OU before it was banned; it still has very few switch ins and harasses offense.
  • 448-m.png: Pretty much the same reasons as Greninja; very few switch ins and sheer offensive power, and can run either physical or special, both of which have different set of checks and counters.
  • 484.png: Bulky water and wallbreaker, has wide coverage options. 100 base speed isn't bad for a wallbreaker either.

A+ Rank

  • 334-m.png: Typing makes it a great check to Reshiram and Mega Charizard Y, and can check any Palkia that doesn't run Ice Beam.
  • 184.png: Typing makes it probably the best check to Palkia and Reshiram, Assault Vest variants avoid the OHKO from Palkia's Thunderbolt while Specs Reshiram cannot 2HKO.
  • 006-my.png: Placed in the same rank as Reshiram, as while it costs the Mega slot, it has some advantages over Reshiram, such as being able to better handle Azumarill and 10 more base speed.
  • 386d.png: Probably the best hazard lead for hyper offense teams, as its guaranteed to get up at least one set of hazards. Defog is almost nonexistant with Latios & Latias gone.
  • 303-m.png: Excellent defensive typing, Intimidate pre-mega, and hits like a truck. Slow as all hell though. Can easily move up to S.
  • 643.png: Basically a lesser Palkia, Stealth Rock weakness and lack of coverage holds it back, which warrants 1 subrank less. Can fit on a variety of teams though and has access to Roost. It's pretty much comparable to Mega Charizard Y.

 

 

With that in the way, I'd like to bring up some Pokemon for discussion on where they should be placed in the rankings:

  • 647.png: Has very few switch ins outside of Azumarill, and even then Azumarill hates being burned by Scald. Looking for either A+ or S here.
  • 492s.png: Fast, faster than Greninja even, and Seed Flare + Serene Grace's 80% Sp.Def drop rate is sure to punch holes. Only real issue is its coverage options. Probably A+ but could work in S as well.
  • 645-s.png: Scarf sets check Mega Lucario and Reshiram, and more bulky sets can check Mega Mawile. Also a momentum grabber and Stealth Rocker, like in OU. Looking to put this doge in A+ or A.
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  • 3 weeks later...

Sorry for the delay, but with June's stats out on Showdown, we have another tier shift. To make the meta more stable, tier shifts will now only occur every 2 months, but will still use 3 month usage;

Singles Ubers 1760 Usage (April-June 2015)

Pokemon    March    April    May    June    Average Use
Groudon        74.11%    73.97%    73.41%    73.506%
Xerneas        50.05%    45.89%    52.07%    51.215%
Arceus        42.76%    40.13%    39.79%    39.955%
Yveltal        27.83%    27.16%    28.20%    28.058%
Salamence        29.70%    27.47%    26.49%    26.746%
Darkrai        23.08%    18.50%    24.63%    23.799%
Ho-oh        23.07%    24.20%    23.72%    23.751%
Kyogre        19.58%    21.86%    22.17%    22.021%
Mewtwo        16.78%    19.99%    18.73%    18.805%
Lugia        12.78%    11.95%    13.39%    13.182%
Deoxys-A        14.47%    13.24%    12.18%    12.404%
Ferrothorn        9.87%    10.00%    11.43%    11.183%
Deoxys-S        10.60%    9.60%    11.25%    11.013%
Klefki        12.75%    12.54%    10.28%    10.665%
Latias        11.58%    12.54%    9.95%    10.342%
Rayquaza        11.70%    10.33%    9.71%    9.873%
Giratina-O        11.41%    11.33%    8.40%    8.889%
Gengar        8.53%    10.53%    8.17%    8.480%
Ditto        7.44%    6.15%    8.59%    8.241%
Kangaskhan        6.61%    6.52%    8.31%    8.013%
Aegislash        7.46%    6.26%    6.81%    6.766%
Sableye        5.44%    5.96%    6.75%    6.594%
Dialga        6.52%    6.07%    6.01%    6.036%
Genesect        6.07%    6.63%    5.73%    5.860%
Smeargle        3.80%    5.57%    5.94%    5.801%
Latios        6.74%    6.25%    5.19%    5.388%
Diancie        8.22%    4.73%    5.27%    5.322%
Kyurem-W        6.40%    6.02%    4.87%    5.079%
Tyranitar        3.23%    4.77%    5.06%    4.949%
Blaziken        4.35%    4.25%    4.91%    4.806%
Zekrom        5.34%    4.24%    4.26%    4.302%
Lucario        2.71%    3.11%    4.28%    4.070%
Scolipede        2.16%    4.46%    3.94%    3.930%
Shaymin-S        3.42%    3.11%    3.84%    3.733%
Chansey        2.75%    2.81%    3.79%    3.621%
;------------------------------------------------------
Giratina-A        6.48%    4.21%    3.13%    3.403%


 

Pokemon that are now banned from Singles UUbers:
113.png448.png448-m.png492-s.png

Pokemon that are now allowed in SIngles UUbers:
487.png

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With that, some viability ranking changes to Singles UUbers:

 

643.png: A+ -> S

  • Chansey is now banned from UUbers, so it has a much easier time wallbreaking. Blissey isn't quite up to par and Outrage can easily 2HKO the blob.

http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-xy/icon/006-mx.png: Added to A+:

  • Checks non-Scarf Reshiram, speed ties with Palkia, powerful setup sweeper, or can run defensive set.

[IMG]: Added to A:

  • Decent wallbreaker & Stealth Rock setter, naturally outspeeds and OHKOs both Reshiram and Palkia, Scarf sets can even out revenge kill Scarf variants of the Dragons and even Greninja as well.

[IMG]: Added to A-:

  • Speed ties with and beats Palkia 1-on-1, and can also hold its own against Mega Altaria, but Reshiram gives it problems and Greninja just KOs with Gunk Shot.
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643.png: A+ -> S

  • Chansey is now banned from UUbers, so it has a much easier time wallbreaking. Blissey isn't quite up to par and Outrage can easily 2HKO the blob.

If only Blissey was made part Fairy-type it would had save-it... :-P

 

http://www.serebii.net/pokedex-xy/icon/006-mx.png: Added to A+:

  • Checks non-Scarf Reshiram, speed ties with Palkia, powerful setup sweeper, or can run defensive set.

Yeah Iv been dealing with alot Charizards like that as of late..... Powerfull sweeper indeed...

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

July use statistic for Ubers are out. No tier shifts have occurred for UUbers yet since we're going on a 2 month basis, but it should give an indication of what to expect:


Name    May    June    July    Avg
Groudon    73.97%    73.41%    76.97%    76.40%
Xerneas    45.89%    52.07%    53.28%    52.82%
Arceus    40.13%    39.79%    40.97%    40.79%
Salamence    27.47%    26.49%    29.60%    29.13%
Yveltal    27.16%    28.20%    27.55%    27.62%
Darkrai    18.50%    24.63%    24.41%    24.19%
Ho-oh    24.20%    23.72%    22.26%    22.52%
Kyogre    21.86%    22.17%    19.93%    20.29%
Mewtwo    19.99%    18.73%    19.68%    19.57%
Latias    12.54%    9.95%    14.06%    13.48%
Klefki    12.54%    10.28%    13.30%    12.89%
Deoxys-A    13.24%    12.18%    12.25%    12.28%
Lugia    11.95%    13.39%    11.41%    11.68%
Deoxys-S    9.60%    11.25%    11.19%    11.13%
Ferrothorn    10.00%    11.43%    9.69%    9.92%
Gengar    10.53%    8.17%    9.09%    9.04%
Ditto    6.15%    8.59%    8.88%    8.73%
Kangaskhan    6.52%    8.31%    8.27%    8.20%
Giratina-O    11.33%    8.40%    7.84%    8.05%
Rayquaza    10.33%    9.71%    7.53%    7.92%
Sableye    5.96%    6.75%    6.82%    6.78%
Aegislash    6.26%    6.81%    6.68%    6.68%
Diancie    4.73%    5.27%    6.41%    6.20%
Latios    6.25%    5.19%    5.96%    5.87%
Dialga    6.07%    6.01%    5.77%    5.81%
Genesect    6.63%    5.73%    4.88%    5.06%
Kyurem-W    6.02%    4.87%    4.53%    4.64%
Tyranitar    4.77%    5.06%    4.46%    4.54%
Smeargle    5.57%    5.94%    3.96%    4.27%
Blaziken    4.25%    4.91%    4.10%    4.21%
Lucario    2.96%    4.28%    4.14%    4.11%
Skarmory    3.16%    2.47%    4.06%    3.82%
Scolipede    4.46%    3.94%    3.62%    3.70%
Zekrom    4.24%    4.26%    3.26%    3.43%
;----------------------------------------
Chansey    2.81%    3.79%    3.34%    3.38%

 

 

Pokemon which might be allowed in UUbers:
113.png492-s.png

Pokemon which might be banned from UUbers:
227.png

 

If the use trends continue, we might see Chansey joining UUbers again, which will grant us with a hard check to Palkia, Reshiram, and Mega Charizard Y, along with Shaymin-S, while UUbers will lose Skarmory in exchange, meaning that stall and balance teams will be using a reliable Spikers & Defogger.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hoopas been added for a while now.

Making some adjustments to the viability ranks after those matches I had earlier. Note that as of now, the A, B, and C ranks no longer have subranks associated with them. This should make placement easier. Everything in the current A and A- ranks have been bumped down to B.;

Rises
303-m.png: A -> S

Drops
386.png: S -> A

Additions
Added to A: Incarnate Forme
Added to B: 663.png

 

Reasonings:

386.png: Although it sports offensive presence, its just too frail to take a hit. Great suicide lead, but not worth being S rank.
303-m.png: Very powerful hitter with very few switch-ins. That number becomes even fewer with a Swords Dance under its belt.
Incarnate Forme: Its former job from before its ban in OU is more or less unchanged, and one of the few checks to Reshiram and Mega Mawile. Still does its job decently as a wallbreaker and cleaner.
663.png: Defensive sets can check Mega Mawile under the right conditions, but still a shaky check at best. Specially defensive sets can switch in against Reshiram, but recoil hurts its survivability. Coupled with the fact that there are close to no offensive Defoggers in UUbers, it's forced to rely on Rapid Spin for hazard control.
 

 

Current Pokemon to discuss:
Altered Forme

Haven't tested Giratina-A yet but it has poor matchups against all of the current S rank (Greninja, Palkia, Reshiram, and Mega Mawile all beat it 1-on-1) and doesn't have much offensive presence. On the flip side, its great defensively, both as a wall and as a spinblocker, and also gets access to Defog, but its lack of reliable recovery hurts it.

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Hoopas been added for a while now.

Tempted to make some adjustments to the viability ranks after those matches I had earlier.

Cool!

I need to figure out some good move sets for Hoopa. I know its very offensive but his physical defense on both forms are the downer I guess 'protect' could be one of them. though i'm still figuring it out. :-P

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Forgot this in the last post, but also adding Blissey to B rank

 

Reasoning:
242.png: Nice defensive check to Palkia and Reshiram, and can also halt Greninja depending on whether or not its running Low Kick. Has little offensive presence, though, and flat out loses to Mega Mawile, while even the S ranks that it does check has ways around it (Greninja and Reshiram can 2HKO with Gunk Shot and Outrage, respectively, with Rocks up). Unlike Chansey in OU, Blissey isn't screwed over by Landorus-I that carry Knock Off, who can't even 2HKO 0/252 Blissey, so it does have that going for it.

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I've probably said this before, but I think Greninja is just about everything I hate about the metagame. Every flipping time some absolutely hideous stick-figure Pokemon gets made, what do you know, it ends up being ridiculously overpowered too. Protean basically means EVERYTHING is STAB! I mean, if they can survive an attack from Greninja, they can kill him without too much problem (because he's pretty frail), but still. Game Freak, not everyone likes spindly-ass stick-figure types, some people like big and bulky Pokemon: Pokemon that look like they can actually hurt you instead of just run around you constantly and taunt you. Yet there are almost NONE of those in the OU Metagame except Venusaur and (while he's technically a speedy glass cannon type (Like Greninja), his design is still relatively chunky) Gengar, and that is pretty much it. And, yeah, there are "OU Useable" Pokemon that are big and bulky, but they're not truly OU Pokemon, they're just barely usable in that tier. ...What? Conkeldurr? Big deal.

 

On another note, I get why the others are in Uber tier, but... Why Scolipede? Last I checked, wasn't he in UU or Borderline (like most Pokemon I like)?

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This is UUbers, not OU or Ubers, and isn't an official tier. Basically, its the UU of Ubers.

The reason Scolipede is banned from UUbers is because it reached at least 3.41% usage in the Ubers tier (the same use cutoff that Smogon uses when determining if a Pokemon is OU or UU). This is the same reason why other non-Uber Pokemon like Ferrothorn, Tyranitar, Latias/os, and Klefki are banned as well.

That being said, I want to bring the discussion point to something I briefly covered in the viability rank updates:

 

Ability: Gale Wings / Item: @Leftovers or Rocky Helmet
Nature (1): Impish w/ EVs: 248 HP / 252 Defense / 4 Speed
Nature (2): Jolly w/ EVs: 172 HP / 244 Defense / 92 Speed
Move #1: Brave Bird
Move #2: Will-o-Wisp
Move #3: Roost
Move #4: Taunt

I briefly mentioned Talonflame as a nomination for B rank for its ability to check Mega Mawile. As I was looking for something to check Mega Mawile, I thought about using a physically defensive version of the standard OU Stallbreaker set. Fully defensive, Talonflame avoids a 2HKO from any attack Mega Mawile can throw at it, unless said Mega Mawile is at +2, but a burn from Will-o-Wisp will easily remedy that. The second spread I found later on Smogon's Battle Spot Analysis, which allows Talonflame to reach 342 speed while still reaching the defensive benchmark to comfortably check Mega Mawile (only being 2HKOed by Sucker Punch, but Brave Bird mitigates that issue by going first). Even with no attack investment, Talonflame can still revenge kill any Greninja at half health, and still shuts down common stall Pokemon like Blissey and Giratina-A.

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On another note, I get why the others are in Uber tier, but... Why Scolipede? Last I checked, wasn't he in UU or Borderline (like most Pokemon I like)?

More lilkly because of its speed. Scolipede is one of the fast bug types to deal with even though its Frail on the Sp.def. part (gets OHKO by Psychic and Flamethrower users)

but it can outspeed bunch of OU pokemon plus others like Gengar if Scolipede has Hidden ability: Speed boost (if it can survive). Plus it has good attack base power so having it learn the move 'aqua tail' can help it check some of its threats.

Also since it learns 'Baton-pass' it play a boost-support role in battle especially with Speed boost ability while using Iron-defence.

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Also since it learns 'Baton-pass' it play a boost-support role in battle especially with Speed boost ability while using Iron-defence.

Sadly, the Speed Boost + other boosting move + Baton Pass ban from the official Smogon tiers carries over to here (since it applies to Ubers as well). It can still Baton Pass its Speed Boosts, it just won't be able to use Iron Defense or Swords Dance alongside it.

It is possible that Scolipede may drop next month due to this, so he'll be allowed in UUbers again if that happens.

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Going back to my original discussion point;

[IMG]

Giratina-A. Its easy to see why this thing would fall out of favor in Ubers when Giratina-O more or less outclasses it in pretty much everything. In UUbers, it pretty much loses against 3/4 of the current S rank (Mega Mawile, Reshiram, and Palkia all OHKO it at best, and 2HKO it at worst). The only S-rank Pokemon Giratina-A has a favorable matchup against is Greninja; but running a Specially Defensive set, it avoids the 2HKO from anything Greninja can throw at it.

Giratina-A may lack offensive presence but it does have access to the handy Defog, allowing it to provide its team with entry hazard control. What's more is that due to its Ghost typing, it's also a nice spinblocker, capable of handling both Excadrill and Starmie with minimal investment, burning the former while forcing the latter to switch out with Dragon Tail. It can also spread status, which is always handy. However, what holds it back is its vulnerability to all forms of entry hazards, and lack of reliable recovery, having only to rely on Leftovers and Rest. As such, don't expect this thing to accomplish much on Hyper Offensive teams.

I'm thinking perhaps a B ranking for the Ghost/Dragon is fitting, no?

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