PRO PvP Viability Rankings (Updated on 04/07/2025)

[Jorogumo]

PRO PvP Viability Rankings

by @Aggs, @Cyanirl, @Jorogumo, and @Pisforpenguin

 

Welcome to the PRO PvP Viability Rankings thread! This thread is maintained by the PvP Coordinator team and will be updated regularly, but we want to hear your thoughts and opinions on both the metagame at large and specific Pokémon. Please understand that viability rankings are fundamentally a subjective matter — and as such, opinions may certainly differ. Please note the following:

• Usage is not the same as viability. Please do not nominate Pokémon on the grounds that they are frequently used.
• Be detailed when submitting nominations for changes. It is difficult to convince anyone, us included, to change their mind with a one-liner.
• All discussion is welcome, especially if you have personal experience laddering with a certain Pokémon for a substantial number of games.
• Remain civil. While spirited and contentious debate is encouraged, please do not resort to personal attacks.

The following Pokémon are ranked in alphabetical order within each sub-tier:

 

S Rank:

S Rank

 Clefable

 Landorus-T

 

A Rank:

A+ Rank

 Bisharp

 Kyurem

 Lopunny-Mega

 Serperior

 Tornadus-T

 Zapdos

 

A Rank

 Aegislash

 Azumarill

 Diancie-Mega

 Dragonite

 Ferrothorn

 Garchomp

 Heatran

 Keldeo

 Kyurem-B

 Latias-Mega

 Mawile-Mega

 Tangrowth

 

A- Rank

 Annihilape

 Blacephalon

 Excadrill

 Gliscor

 Latios

 Manaphy

 Metagross-Mega

 Ninetales-Alola

 Scizor-Mega

 Skarmory

 Slowbro

 Slowking

 Thundurus

 Victini

 Volcarona

 

B Rank:

B+ Rank

 Alakazam-Mega

 Alomomola

 Amoonguss

 Chansey

 Charizard-Mega-X

 Charizard-Mega-Y

 Greninja

 Jirachi

 Kommo-o

 Latias

 Latios-Mega

 Magnezone

 Pinsir-Mega

 Rotom-Wash

 Sableye-Mega

 Tyranitar

 Weavile

 

B Rank

 Breloom

 Gyarados-Mega

 Hippowdon

 Hoopa-U

 Hydreigon

 Medicham-Mega

 Mew

 Suicune

 Thundurus-T

 Tyranitar-Mega

 Venusaur-Mega

 Volcanion

 

B- Rank

 Altaria-Mega

 Crawdaunt

 Gastrodon

 Heracross-Mega

 Porygon-Z

 Reuniclus

 Ursaluna

 

C Rank:

C+ Rank

 Aerodactyl

 Alakazam

 Cresselia

 Diggersby

 Ditto

 Gallade-Mega

 Gengar

 Mamowsine

 Manectric-Mega

 Pelipper

 Porygon2

 Quagsire

 Ribombee

 Scizor

 Swampert-Mega

 Togekiss

 Uxie

 

C Rank

 Cloyster

 Conkeldurr

 Gardevoir-Mega

 Gyarados

 Hawlucha

 Kingdra

 Marowak-Alola

 Mimikyu

 Slowbro-Mega

 Terrakion

 Torkoal

 Venusaur

 

C- Rank

 Aerodactyl-Mega

 Azelf

 Blastoise

 Blissey

 Cofagrigus

 Garchomp-Mega

 Infernape

 Jellicent

 Kleavor

 Klefki

 Mantine

 Muk-Alola

 Nidoking

 Pidgeot-Mega

 Seismitoad

 Starmie

 Tentacruel

Edited April 7 by Jorogumo

[Pisforpenguin]

This is an example post

Please format any constructive posts in a similar manner, feel free to steal this formatting if you wish.

 

Blacephalon B+ > A-

 

Blacephaplon is one of the premiere fire types in the current meta. It boasts incredible offensive STAB combo in ghost/fire backed by an amazing ability in beast boost. At a base 107 speed it is one of the most potent scarfers we currently have most notably being faster than most rain teams outside of kingdra in rain. Often after netting a single kill and gaining a boost most teams are forced to revenge kill with some sort of priority or Blacephalon can just often sweep games. With access to trick it is also able to cripple one of its best counters in chansey.

 

 

The scarf set in particular is often able to force great progress on more offensive teams being able to 2hko most things before the boost.

 

252 SpA Blacephalon Shadow Ball vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Keldeo: 160-189 (49.5 - 58.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock

252 SpA Blacephalon Flamethrower vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Zapdos: 180-213 (46.9 - 55.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery

252 SpA Blacephalon Flamethrower vs. 248 HP / 252+ SpD Zapdos: 127-151 (33.1 - 39.4%) -- 16% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock

252 SpA Blacephalon Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Clefable: 219-258 (55.5 - 65.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

252 SpA Blacephalon Flamethrower vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Clefable: 178-211 (45.1 - 53.5%) -- 2% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

252 SpA Blacephalon Shadow Ball vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Garchomp: 168-198 (47 - 55.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock

252 SpA Blacephalon Shadow Ball vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Garchomp: 168-198 (40 - 47.1%) -- 0.4% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock

252 SpA Blacephalon Shadow Ball vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Tornadus-Therian: 160-189 (53.5 - 63.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 SpA Blacephalon Flamethrower vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Assault Vest Tornadus-Therian: 120-142 (33.1 - 39.2%) -- 17.6% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock

252 SpA Blacephalon Shadow Ball vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Heatran: 139-165 (43 - 51%) -- 52.3% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery

 

As you can see most of the top mons which one could consider switch ins are either cleanly 2HKOd or extremely close meaning if a boost is ever given this mon becomes extremely dangerous. It also shares a role with zard-y in being the strongest offensive fire type in the current meta, however it is able to trade off the drawback of holding a mega stone and either boaster its extremely high speed with a choice scarf or extremely high special attack with a choice specs giving it a unique place away from zard-y.

Edited January 25 by Pisforpenguin

[Lol1hp]

thanks, great job everyone. 

[Flipturniscoded]

Nice post. Would love to see some set recommendations if possible

[Jorogumo]

15 hours ago, Flipturniscoded said:

Nice post. Would love to see some set recommendations if possible

Hey. We'll work on a separate list of viable sets, but it'll take time. For now, if there is any Pokémon for which you'd like to know the set(s), please let us know.

[Yakuzah]

On 1/25/2025 at 6:23 PM, Jorogumo said:

Hey. We'll work on a separate list of viable sets, but it'll take time. For now, if there is any Pokémon for which you'd like to know the set(s), please let us know.

Personally I wont even overcomplicate it, start from top to bottom haha. ALl this is great information and I'm really happy we delivering this kind of info for everyone!

 

[Jorogumo]

The PvP Coordinator team has discussed some more changes to the Viability Rankings based on latest metagame trends and developments.

Rises:
 Bisharp: A → A+
A staple on BO and HO teams, Bisharp pairs well with other offensive threats, like Mega Lopunny and Mega Pinsir, to overwhelm physically defensive Pokémon that it would otherwise struggle to overcome by itself, such as Zapdos and Skarmory. It is also a top-tier teammate for Pokémon that appreciate the removal of commonplace walls like Clefable, the Slow twins, Chansey, and more.

 Zapdos: A → A+
In a metagame where it can check some of the most dangerous offensive threats, like Mega Lopunny, Bisharp, Tornadus-T, Mega Scizor, Mega Pinsir, and much more, Zapdos fits on many offensive, balanced, and defensive builds where it can provide much-needed Defog support, the possibility of chipping down physical assailants with Rocky Helmet, the chance to paralyze them with Static, and decent offensive pressure and momentum even without running HP Ice, thanks to Heat Wave, Hurricane, and Volt Switch.

 Kyurem-B: A- → A
Kyurem-B is a strong wallbreaker with a lot of set diversity and the ability to blow past some would-be checks, like Clefable and Ferrothorn, thanks to Icium Z. While it certainly has its own drawbacks, like its lackluster speed and vulnerability to Stealth Rock, its bulk allows it to stomach a hit and retaliate even in an offensively leaning metagame. 

 Slowbro: B+ → A-
Slowbro finally joins its specially defensive twin in the A ranks as a strong answer to some of the most prevalent offensive Pokémon in the tier: Mega Lopunny, Mega Metagross, Keldeo, and more. Thanks to Rocky Helmet in conjunction with Teleport, it can swiftly switch into a hit then generate momentum and recover health back with Regenerator. This makes Slowbro an option on more teams than just defensive and balanced structures.

 Breloom: B-  → B
Breloom is a valuable member of specific HO builds that appreciate its priority and ability to incapacitate an opposing Pokémon thanks to Spore and the safety net of Focus Sash. It also performs well against other offensive staples, like Bisharp, Mega Lopunny, and Azumarill just to name a few.

 Mega Pinsir: B- → B
Just like Breloom, Mega Pinsir finds home on some of the HO builds that heavily benefit from its unique offensive coverage, priority, and ability to overwhelm physical checks with the help of its teammates.

 Cresselia: C → C+

 Porygon2: C- → C+
 Uxie: C- → C+
Trick Room carves itself a notable niche in an offensively oriented metagame where it can turn the speed of opposing HO teams into a disadvantage. The addition of Ursaluna also means that TR builds now gain another valuable member that appreciates common setters like Cresselia, Porygon2, and Uxie.

Drops:
 Kyurem: S → A+
While Kyurem continues to be a force to be reckoned with in this metagame and can excel against specific team structures, it is decidedly less effective into most of the increasingly common offensive builds.

 Mega Medicham: A- → B
Mega Medicham continues to struggle in this metagame because wallbreaking requires the widespread presence of walls it can effectively break with its coverage. However, it is quite prediction-reliant against structures that revolve around the likes of Clefable, Landorus-T, Zapdos, the Slow twins, etc. Mega Medicham also suffers from 4MSS (4 Moveslot Syndrome) and must pick between Zen Headbutt, Thunder Punch, and Bullet Punch to round out its coverage. Even then, it is left completely walled by Pokémon like Mega Sableye and Aegislash, the latter of which it can only severely damage with Fire Punch, which it simply cannot afford to run.

 

 Pelipper: B+ → C+
 Mega Swampert: B+ → C+
 Kingdra: B- → C
In what is the steepest, longest overdue drop of this update, common Rain staples find themselves tumbling down the viability ranks for a multitude of reasons. Rain structures are not particularly effective against other offensive teams, like Breloom HO, Veil offense, or even Trick Room. Moreover, the matchup-fishy nature of this playstyle also makes it less reliable against Pokémon like Freeze-Dry Kyurem and Chilly Reception Slowking. The PvP Coordinator team believes that Rain has been ranked exceedingly generously for a while now, and this sudden drop seeks to correct a long-standing misperception.

 

Additions:
 Gengar: Unranked → C+
Gengar has a decent match-up against offense, thanks to its 110 base speed tier, offensive coverage, and access to utility options in Taunt and Destiny Bond. It also fits well on offensive builds, where it can spam Shadow Ball pretty freely while being able to hit common Dark-type switch-ins with Focus Blast and taking advantage of Focus Sash to fire off another hit or use Destiny Bond before fainting.

 

The PvP Coordintor team continues to monitor the VR in lights of the release of new Pokémon, such as Arcanine-Hisui and Ursaluna, and the addition of moves that potentially affect the viability of the likes of Alomomola, the Lati twins, Mega Charizard Y, and Skarmory. However, due to the recency of those events, we are choosing to wait a bit longer before making any further adjustments to the list.

Edited March 2 by Jorogumo

[Leo1019]

I think Tyranitar should go up in tier, probabily A
Tyranitar B -> A/A-
I see a lot of strength in this pokemon both as a wallbreaker, climatic sand teams, or even as a wall defensive/sp defense
It is very versatile, has good stats, and is present in the metagame.

I don't want to go into depth, but I also see a possible drop for landorus in the near future
 Landorus-T S -> A+
 

He hasn't been the king for a long time, since Scrappy and Inner Focus became immune to Intimidate, he lost strength.

Now new movements have arrived, and he hasn't benefited from anything.

 

[Cyanirl]

The PvP Coordinator team has discussed some more changes to the Viability Rankings based on latest metagame trends and developments.

 

 

No change:

Landorus-T: S → S
The PvP Coordinator team finds that Landorus-T is still an incredibly potent Pokémon in the current metagame. It can use a wide variety of sets that perform at a consistent level. While Intimidate no longer affects Scrappy Mega Lopunny or the rare Inner Focus Dragonite, it is still a useful Ability against potent offensive threats like opposing Landorus-T, Garchomp, Multiscale Dragonite, Breloom, Tyranitar, etc.

 

Tyranitar: B+ → B+
Tyranitar still more or less holds the same place in the metagame. Some of its key targets gained useful moves to escape Pursuit and generate momentum in Teleport, Chilly Reception, and more recently Flip Turn, or damaging moves that threaten it – most notably Aura Sphere for Mega Latias. It is still a strong Pokémon that can run offensive or utility sets and check the likes of Blacephalon, Heatran, non-Superpower Tornadus-T, Zapdos, and more.

 

 

Rises:

 

Azumarill: A- → A

Azumarill continues to be a staple on HO, where it commonly runs Belly Drum and threatens to sweep the opposing team with a well-timed use of the move. It is also found on BO, where it uses Belly Drum or Choice Band and can at times take advantage of its typing and a held Assault Vest to check specially offensive threats like Keldeo, Heatran, Kingdra, specially offensive Kommo-o, and much more.

 

Mega Latias: B+ → A
In an increasingly offensive metagame, Mega Latias stands out for its ability to check a wide range of threats, while also serving as a potent sweeper with Calm Mind. With the addition of Aura Sphere, Mega Latias can now run a Calm Mind set with Psyshock and Aura Sphere instead of Ice Beam and Thunderbolt. This new set allows it to break past some of its would-be Dark-type and Steel-type switch-ins.

 

Blacephalon: B+ → A-
Despite its Stealth Rock weakness, Blacephalon is a potentially terrifying sweeper and revenge killer. Its Choice Scarf set allows it to boost its Special Attack and finish off a weakened opposing Pokémon while threatening to sweep the enemy team. Its Ghostium Z set takes advantage of Substitute and Calm Mind to find more opportunities to set up, avoid status, and get a Calm Mind boost before firing off a strong Z-Move, picking up a KO, and boosting its Speed thanks to proper EV training. A few of the common Choice Scarf switch-ins, like Clefable, Heatran, and Chansey, can lose to Blacephalon and a well-timed Never-Ending Nightmare.

 

Latios: B+ → A-
Dear customer, would you like to spam Luster Purge or slowly kill Alolan Muk and Tyranitar with Flip Turn?

 

Skarmory: B → A-
With access to Iron Defense and Body Press, Skarmory is no longer the passive wall that it used to be and can now pose a legitimate offensive threat to many physical attackers, at times even becoming a win condition. It remains a reliable Spiker that fits well on many balanced and defensive teams.

 

Alomomola: B → B+
The Wish Fish rises from the depths of the sea to join the B+ ranks after a long-awaited update that grants it Flip Turn, a move that allows it to generate momentum and safely pass Wishes to its teammates while taking advantage of Regenerator. Alomomola is a viable defensive option for many defensive and balanced teams, as well as some niche bulky offense, thanks to its ability to check top threats like Bisharp, Mega Lopunny, non-Focus Blast Keldeo, Mega Metagross and Weavile.

 

Mega Latios: B → B+
To reiterate what was said about base Latios: gaining access to a spammable move in Luster Purge, a reliable way of killing Dark types in Aura Sphere, and a pivot move in Flip Turn has raised increased the viability of Mega Latios.

Mega Pinsir: B → B+
Mega Pinsir continues to be one of the staples and premier Megas on Hyper Offense teams with its threatening Flying/Fighting coverage, alongside strong priority in Quick Attack and the ability to take advantage of Swords Dance in conjunction with Hyper Cutter. Even with the ever-looming threat of Stealth Rock and the rise of some prominent defensive Pokémon, Mega Pinsir can still manage to cut through those defensive Pokémon after a Swords Dance.

 

 

Drops:

 

Aegislash: A+ → A

 

Mega Mawile: A+ → A

 

Mega Metagross: A → A-
This drop is mainly caused by the increase in play from the likes of Alomomola and Skarmory, as well as an uptick in play from Tangrowth, to help deal with Breloom teams. Mega Metagross does technically have coverage options for all these Pokémon, but it currently suffers from the inability to carry coverage for every Pokémon that it wants to hit. With the right matchup, it is still a massive threat, so Mega Metagross finds itself in the respectable A- tier for now.

 

Mega Alakazam: A- → B+

 

Mega Charizard Y: A- → B+
Mega Charizard Y finds itself in a position where it is still tied to traditional sand cores involving Tyranitar and Keldeo. With an increase in play from both Latias and Latios as checks to Mega Charizard Y and Keldeo, with both now having access to Aura Sphere to take out Tyranitar, it is difficult to justify using up your Mega slot on Mega Charizard Y, despite the recent addition of Scorching Sands, when you could just use a prominent Fire type in the meta such as Blacephalon or Volcarona and save your Mega slot for another Pokémon.

 

Rotom-Wash: A- → B+

 

Hoopa-U: A- → B

 

Ribombee: B- → C+

 

 

Additions:

Ursaluna: B-
In a not-so-distant past, some players were outraged at the thought of Ursaluna ever gracing the PvP stage, clamoring for its ban. This Pokémon may be dying to burn and chip from Rocky Helmet, Iron Barbs, and Rough Skin; it may only have 50 Base Speed; it may hate the increasing usage of Protect; it may even struggle to break stall cores consisting of Alomomola, Clefable, Mega Sableye, and Skarmory… but hey, it can OHKO Clefable on paper, so it must be broken!

 

Aerodactyl: C+
We shall simply pretend that this Pokémon was always ranked and that this oversight never happened. We all know what Aerodactyl does by now. But if your Aerodactyl has good enough IVs, perhaps consider dropping the anti-Mega-Lopunny tech (Protect) for a bulky and speedy Rocky Helmet variant that can more consistently punish it while always surviving Fake Out into High Jump Kick!

 

Terrakion: C

 

Blastoise: C-
In the wake of the Blastoisinite complex ban, regular Blastoise retains a niche over Mega Blastoise in the current metagame thanks to Shell Smash in conjunction with typical coverage options allowing it to hit most Pokémon – with the exception of Azumarill – for neutral or super effective damage. However, Blastoise comes with several drawbacks: it does not find many setup opportunities, suffers from the Defense and Special Defense drops of Shell Smash, is weak to priority spam, requires a Z-Crystal to break past bulkier Pokémon, and is, in most scenarios, outclassed as a Shell Smash user by Cloyster.

 

Kleavor: C-
Kleavor starts out in C- as we continue to monitor further developments. As a wallbreaker, Kleavor can slash its way through some bulky Pokémon thanks to Sharpness-boosted cutting moves. It can also set up Stealth Rock while dealing a potentially large amount of damage. Two sets have emerged: a suicide lead set able to set up Stealth Rock against Taunt Aerodactyl thanks to Stone Axe, making the Pokémon an appealing option for anti-HO offense; a Choice Scarf set that can do the same without being limited to HO, while being a decently speedy revenge killer. Kleavor does struggle to get through some of the rising defensive Pokémon, like Skarmory and Alomomola, hence the cautious placement in C- for the time being.