Post by Corporal Levi on Jan 1, 2014 18:55:18 GMT -5
This is the BW OU viability ranking thread for reference.
Where do you think the Pokemon who got mega evolutions this generation will be in terms of viability? With a few exceptions, I feel as if most of these Pokemon will be between A and A+.
Lucario is one Pokemon I am almost entirely sure will be S rank. Between its excellent movepool and phenomenal damage output, there are absolutely no Pokemon that can wall every single Mega Lucario set. For instance, +2 Jolly Mega Lucario's Close Combat deals no less than 86.6 - 102.3% to physically defensive Hippowdon. That's a 56.3% chance to KO the gold standard for a physical wall in the metagame after one layer of spikes and a turn of Leftovers recovery. Pokemon that can withstand a Close Combat, which are few and far between, even among resistances, are quickly dispatched by either a +2 Bullet Punch, Crunch or Ice Punch. Although this does mean that depending on whether Lucario chooses Crunch or Ice Punch in the fourth slot, there will be a select few Pokemon that will be able to wall it, this still forces teams to run counters to both Crunch and Ice Punch variants. Setting up a Swords Dance will not be very difficult due to the numerous resistances that Lucario's Steel type carries. I should also mention that base 112 speed is incredible for a Pokemon that packs such power, outspeeding Latias and Infernape, among others, and cleanly OHKOing both with a boosted Close Combat. This isn't even taking into account Nasty Plot Lucario, which, although somewhat less potent than Swords Dance Lucario by most standards, is still threatening in its own right.
The other Pokemon I feel very strongly will be ranked S is Tyranitar. It was ranked S last generation, and although the weather nerf hurt its supporting capabilities, and the rise in Azumarill usage from the last generation will certainly be bothersome for Tyranitar, its many strengths remain. Assault Vest is wonderful on Tyranitar, ensuring that Tyranitar can always avoid the OHKO from Timid Life Orb Gengar's Focus Blast with a 252/4 spread outside of a critical hit, and the popularity of Talonflame gives Tyranitar an added niche. I don't see Mega Tyranitar being of note, at least compared to some of the other mega evolutions, but the boost in speed makes it a better Dragon Dancer.
Outside of Tyranitar and Lucario, I don't actually see many Pokemon being S rank. Charizard would probably be the next biggest candidate in my opinion, since both of its mega evolutions have hugely different counters, except that's a lie because Charizard X has no counters. The initial double weakness to Stealth Rock is hugely detrimental, but Defog from a teammate is always an option, and outside of that, when it comes to Dragon Dancing, Charizard X is essentially a superior Salamence in almost every scenario. Charizard X packs the same Outrage as Life Orb Salamence but without Life Orb recoil, and while also being immune to burn. Charizard X also has an equally powerful Flare Blitz at its disposal, and together with Outrage, every common Pokemon in OU except Azumarill is hit for at least neutral damage; even Azumarill cannot revenge-kill a +1 Charizard X most of the time if Charizard X runs Earthquake in the fourth slot and has not taken prior damage, since Azumarill is unable to OHKO Charizard X. Charizard X also takes much less damage from Ice Shard and Bullet Punch. Access to Will-O-Wisp also makes it a wonderful defensive pivot if need be, with solid defensive typing and access to reliable recovery, and a high special attack allows it to attack from the special side as well. Of course, Charizard X tends to die very quickly without Roost thanks to the negative effects of Outrage of Flare Blitz, and the weakness to Stealth Rock will always be an issue.
Where do you think the Pokemon who got mega evolutions this generation will be in terms of viability? With a few exceptions, I feel as if most of these Pokemon will be between A and A+.
Lucario is one Pokemon I am almost entirely sure will be S rank. Between its excellent movepool and phenomenal damage output, there are absolutely no Pokemon that can wall every single Mega Lucario set. For instance, +2 Jolly Mega Lucario's Close Combat deals no less than 86.6 - 102.3% to physically defensive Hippowdon. That's a 56.3% chance to KO the gold standard for a physical wall in the metagame after one layer of spikes and a turn of Leftovers recovery. Pokemon that can withstand a Close Combat, which are few and far between, even among resistances, are quickly dispatched by either a +2 Bullet Punch, Crunch or Ice Punch. Although this does mean that depending on whether Lucario chooses Crunch or Ice Punch in the fourth slot, there will be a select few Pokemon that will be able to wall it, this still forces teams to run counters to both Crunch and Ice Punch variants. Setting up a Swords Dance will not be very difficult due to the numerous resistances that Lucario's Steel type carries. I should also mention that base 112 speed is incredible for a Pokemon that packs such power, outspeeding Latias and Infernape, among others, and cleanly OHKOing both with a boosted Close Combat. This isn't even taking into account Nasty Plot Lucario, which, although somewhat less potent than Swords Dance Lucario by most standards, is still threatening in its own right.
The other Pokemon I feel very strongly will be ranked S is Tyranitar. It was ranked S last generation, and although the weather nerf hurt its supporting capabilities, and the rise in Azumarill usage from the last generation will certainly be bothersome for Tyranitar, its many strengths remain. Assault Vest is wonderful on Tyranitar, ensuring that Tyranitar can always avoid the OHKO from Timid Life Orb Gengar's Focus Blast with a 252/4 spread outside of a critical hit, and the popularity of Talonflame gives Tyranitar an added niche. I don't see Mega Tyranitar being of note, at least compared to some of the other mega evolutions, but the boost in speed makes it a better Dragon Dancer.
Outside of Tyranitar and Lucario, I don't actually see many Pokemon being S rank. Charizard would probably be the next biggest candidate in my opinion, since both of its mega evolutions have hugely different counters, except that's a lie because Charizard X has no counters. The initial double weakness to Stealth Rock is hugely detrimental, but Defog from a teammate is always an option, and outside of that, when it comes to Dragon Dancing, Charizard X is essentially a superior Salamence in almost every scenario. Charizard X packs the same Outrage as Life Orb Salamence but without Life Orb recoil, and while also being immune to burn. Charizard X also has an equally powerful Flare Blitz at its disposal, and together with Outrage, every common Pokemon in OU except Azumarill is hit for at least neutral damage; even Azumarill cannot revenge-kill a +1 Charizard X most of the time if Charizard X runs Earthquake in the fourth slot and has not taken prior damage, since Azumarill is unable to OHKO Charizard X. Charizard X also takes much less damage from Ice Shard and Bullet Punch. Access to Will-O-Wisp also makes it a wonderful defensive pivot if need be, with solid defensive typing and access to reliable recovery, and a high special attack allows it to attack from the special side as well. Of course, Charizard X tends to die very quickly without Roost thanks to the negative effects of Outrage of Flare Blitz, and the weakness to Stealth Rock will always be an issue.
