Pre-bank Doubles Viability Rankings (outdated)

[Audiosurfer]

Welcome to the official Doubles Viability Rankings topic. In this thread, we as a community will rank every single usable Pokemon in the doubles metagame into "tiers".You're encouraged to post your thoughts and opinions on the various Pokemon that are usable in doubles and what tier they should fall under. The general idea of the topic is to rank each pokemon under "rankings" that go in descending order. Since this is a general tier list, everything is lumped together. There won't be any segregation between offense & defense threats. This list is for nonbank at the moment. In addition, it is a work in progress, with some of the new mons simply not being tested enough to see how viable they are. If you have a good case to add something to a tier, please provide god reasoning and evidence (although same goes for if you want to move something). Good luck and happy posting :)


S Rank

Reserved for the top threats in the Doubles metagame. The pokemon in this tier are able to perform multiple roles to tremendous effect, whilst having few to no flaws. Support Pokemon in this tier can easily create free turns for their teammates without creating clear openings for the opponent. Any flaws that these Pokemon have can be taken care of with little to no team support.

Kangaskhan*

Tyranitar

Mawile*

Rotom-W

Charizard*​

A Rank

Reserved for Pokemon that function very well within the current Doubles metagame. The pokemon in this tier are either able to perform multiple roles to great effect, or execute one extremely well. Support pokemon in this tier can create free turns, but not as easily as those in the S Rank.The flaws that the pokemon in this tier may have are usually mitigated by their positive traits, or with minimal team support.

Politoed

Talonflame

Togekiss

Hitmontop

Gardevoir

Scizor

Rotom-C

Aromatisse

Azumarill

Scrafty

Excadrill

Garchomp

Volcarona

Hydreigon

Gyarados

Salamence​

B Rank

Reserved for Pokemon that can fulfill a viable role in the Doubles metagame, but are either somehwat outclassed by Pokemon in a higher rank, or have notable flaws that prevent them from filling their role to full extent.The pokemon in this tier are usually predictable, and either require team support to work to it's full potential, or might provide free turns for the opponent. The flaws that the pokemon in this tier have are sometimes mitigated by their positive traits, or can be patched with some team support.

Amoonguss

Gastrodon

Metagross

Abomasnow

Musharna

Manectric*

Meowstic-M

Trevenant

Reuniclus

Dusclops

Bisharp

Mamoswine

Blastoise*

Ludicolo

Aegislash

Chandelure

Klefki

Gengar*

Breloom

Ampharos*

Bronzong

Kingdra

Goodra

Slowking

Heracross

Hariyama

Zygarde
​

C Rank

Reserved for pokemon that can work within the Doubles metagame, however, they either have crippling flaws that prevent consistent performance, or require too much specific team support to synergize with most teams. Support Pokemon in this tier have a hard time creating free turns, and often allow the opponent to capitalize on the opportunity to create free turns for themselves. Pokemon that are completely outclassed by those of the upper tiers, may also be placed within this tier.

Sylveon

Ninetales

Medicham*

Arcanine

Banette*

Escavalier

Sableye

Noivern

Pinsir

Malamar

Exploud

Blaziken

Gourgeist

Toxicroak

Yanmega

Gallade

Venusaur​

D Rank

Reserved for Pokemon that do not work well in the current Doubles metagame, either requiring full team support to function, or having huge flaws that can result in a loss if anything goes wrong. Gimmicks can also be found here.

Alakazam

Absol

Chansey

Blissey

Shuckle

Espeon

Haxorus

Granbull

Weavile​

E Rank

Everything Else​

 

[BlankZero]

My thoughts:

S RANK

-Yes. It's borderline though due to predictability.

-Yes. 700BST is too stronk

-No. Harvest is too risky to warrant S and too frail to just live everything. A Rank best.

Mawhile-Unsure. It's super powerful and good typing, but haven't tested enough to know.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A RANK

-Oh how the mighty have fallen. Think it could be S Rank though. Swift Swim still stronk as fuck.

-Yes. Wallbreaker extraordaire.

-Yes. Good as fuck typing and FM

-Unknown. Good starting spot though.

Gardevoir-Unknown. Haven't seen a good one yet.

-Yes. Scizor stronk

-Maybe. B Rank seems better.

-Yes. Yes. Yes. Too stronk with Ghost not resisted by Steel anymore.

-Only if HailRoom is viable now. Otherwise B.

-Still amazing, but lots of Mold Breaker Excadrill around.

-No. Nerfed a lot by Grass=/=Spore nerf and several new Ghosts added.

-Yet to be seen, but Steel nerf hurts it.

-Still good as fuck. Yes. (Now with Quick Guard)

-S Rank material, A Rank bulk. Borderline S?

-S Rank Mega. Seriously. It's fucking too strong with Sand Force and Tailwind is easy as fuck to set up now.

-Yes, but less usage with Genies gone.

-Still amazing as always.

-Yes. Strongest Dragon we have access to, even though Jigglypuff shits on it now.

-Maybe. great on paper but I've yet to see a really good one in action. Non-STAB EQ isn't great.

Salamence-LOL NO. B Rank best.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
B RANK

-Yes. Grass nerf sucks

-Yes, but it could go A Rank. Drought on a mon that can actually abuse it is pretty awesome.

-It's got a good Mega, so B is good.

-NO. A Rank pls. So Trick. Very Room. Such Power.

-Yes.

-Eh, sure.

-Unknown.

-Til Hidden Ability works on PS, I'm reserving judgement.

-Fuck the what? A Rank

-Yes. But Infiltrator is fucking awesome for dealing with Trevenant. and Flash fire is still great.

-A RANK FUCKERS. If it got Taunt like Thundy, it'd be S.

-A Rank. Trapping is awesome, but LO Gengar can bluff Megastone and wreck face.

-such Majesty. Needs Borderline A/B.

-Yes.

-Fuck You. A Rank at very least.

-Very Bulk. Dragon nerf sucks but still good.

-Yes.

-A Rank material.

-Fucking Return spam on this guy. B Rank suitable.

-Immune to SLEEP AND PARALYSIS ARE YOU KIDDING ME? A Rank.

-Yes.
Zygarde- LOL. Box Legendary in B rank with awesome shit going for it? A Rank.
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You forgot A/B Rank Gastrodon. It fucks up rain still, eats Rotom-W alive, and just generally shits on anything not Grass type.

 

[Ultimathunder]

I agree with Trevenant in A- rank. It has decent bulk, but investing in it reduces its offense, and increasing offense reduces bulk to unacceptable levels.

Also nominating Charizard for A rank. Mega Zard Y has drought and ridiculously high power and a STAB spread move.

Also, doesn't Escavalier deserve a rank? It has very high power and works well in trick room, but is competing with other bugs like Scizor and Heracross.
I would say C or D rank.

Also, does Chansey not deserve D tier even though Blissey is in it?

 

[kingofmars]

I'm pretty certain that you made a post this wrong just to spark discussion.

Well it'll work.
Going to only mention things I disagree with because otherwise it'd take too long to comment on.

S Rank
Reserved for the top threats in the Doubles metagame. The pokemon in this tier are able to perform multiple roles to tremendous effect, whilst having few to no flaws. Support Pokemon in this tier can easily create free turns for their teammates without creating clear openings for the opponent. Any flaws that these Pokemon have can be taken care of with little to no team support.

- Could arguably be moved down to A Tier but given its usage S Tier isn't unreasonable

-I get that tree has been super successful for you but it's not by any merit one of the best pokemon in the game, hell no. I'd argue that it doesn't even deserve A Tier, send it to B. You have to be able to look past your biases on something like this

A Rank
Reserved for Pokemon that function very well within the current Doubles metagame. The pokemon in this tier are either able to perform multiple roles to great effect, or execute one extremely well. Support pokemon in this tier can create free turns, but not as easily as those in the S Rank.The flaws that the pokemon in this tier may have are usually mitigated by their positive traits, or with minimal team support.

- Get that there's a lack of good trick room pokemon but honestly, musharna isn't top of the measly pile we have anyways

- Aegislash is super overrated imo. Yes it has great attack in Sword mode, but it's strongest STAB is 80 base power, and to do anything before it's killed, often needs to use shadow sneak or have large amounts of trick room support. And even then it doesn't do enough damage in comparison to something like mega mawile to make it worth it.

- Is Mega Abomasnow cool? Yes. Is it one of the best pokemon in the meta? not by a long shot

- This is the best pokemon in the meta easily, should be S-Tier

- Was it A tier in gen 5? absolutely. Now? not really.

- Sorry Mamoswine we have better ways to kill dragons now it's called fairy type

B Rank
Reserved for Pokemon that can fulfill a viable role in the Doubles metagame, but are either somehwat outclassed by Pokemon in a higher rank, or have notable flaws that prevent them from filling their role to full extent.The pokemon in this tier are usually predictable, and either require team support to work to it's full potential, or might provide free turns for the opponent. The flaws that the pokemon in this tier have are sometimes mitigated by their positive traits, or can be patched with some team support.

- Mega Charizard Y is way way way too good to be in B Tier. It does as much damage as the other two megas in S Tier, it has to be at least A Tier.

- By far the best trick room setter right now. (Rip Cress) It's immune to taunt and resists most physical attacks, this thing is ay too good.

- Who the hell uses Pinsir? C-Tier or lower easily

- Rotom-Cut has the distinction of being the best counter to the best pokemon in the game, rotom-w. It also has will o wisp. This thing is a tier.
C Rank

Reserved for pokemon that can work within the Doubles metagame, however, they either have crippling flaws that prevent consistent performance, or require too much specific team support to synergize with most teams. Support Pokemon in this tier have a hard time creating free turns, and often allow the opponent to capitalize on the opportunity to create free turns for themselves. Pokemon that are completely outclassed by those of the upper tiers, may also be placed within this tier.

- The metas new most annoying pokemon, should be B tier.

- What the hell does granbull even do?

- Choice band Azumarill ohkos everything. This thing rivals the attacking power of Mega Mawile but with amazing Water offensive STAB as opposed to Steel. How is this not A tier?​

D Rank

Reserved for Pokemon that do not work well in the current Doubles metagame, either requiring full team support to function, or having huge flaws that can result in a loss if anything goes wrong. Gimmicks can also be found here.​

- Venusaur should be C Tier if only for it's ability to punish anyone who uses charizard y, or use the sun from your own. Fast sleep powder is deadly with a partner that can do as much damage as Charizard Y does.

 

[Audiosurfer]

updated w/ kingofkong's changes since they were agreed to be pretty sound. for future changes there will be more discussion though, so try to focus more on supporting your individual nominations as opposed to having one liners on many mons that are light on information. things like that won't be considered in terms of tier placement in the future. continue to discuss now

 

[BlankZero]

updated w/ kingofkong's changes since they were agreed to be pretty sound. for future changes there will be more discussion though, so try to focus more on supporting your individual nominations. continue to discuss now

I made a huge edit to my post. Please be advised.

 

[Expulso]

Beeheeyem for D rank.

- Ally Switch: GIMMIKZ. dark is SE on Psychic, switch with a Justified partner, perhaps?
- Telepathy: This is a good ability if your partner's spamming Surfs, EQ's, et al.
- Trick Room: Can set it up passably.
- Skill Swap: GIMMIKZ. *take Pokemon with offensive ability, give them Synchronize.* It'd be better if that weren't a decent ability.
- Analytic: Without Trick Room, this can be used on offensive sets (which are probably pretty bad, but 30% boosted Psychic coming from 125 SpA + STAB might hurt.

 

[Deoxymoron]

-S Rank Mega. Seriously. It's fucking too strong with Sand Force and Tailwind is easy as fuck to set up now.

You know it ;D

Hippowdon deserves B-rank because it's bulky, has access to Earthquake and Rock Slide as well as recovery and beats Tyranitar 1-on-1. Also, it's better at dealing with physical attackers than Tyranitar. I would argue that sand is the best weather in the tier right now, due to Excadrill and Garchomp being great both in and out of weather, whereas Kingdra, Megazard Y and other weather-dependent mons don't really pull their weight outside of rain/sun.

Also, I think Noivern should be B-rank as well. Is it amazing? No. Does it have access to Taunt, Tailwind, decent coverage, a 140 BP spread move (with admittedly bad typing) and two good abilities in Frisk and Telepathy? Yes.

 

[youngjake93]

I haven't played a whole lot of gen 6 yet, but so far Scizor seems to stand out above all the rest of the A rankers. Life Orb, CB, Mega, SD and probably even more sets are all very threatening.
Notable changes over Gen V Scizor:
Feint having +2 priority is pretty clutch against new priority users and new Wide Guard/Quick Guard mechanics, Knock Off is useful for some sets, Bullet Punch has better coverage, Mega Scizor

Kingdra still seems as viable as last gen if not then way moreso now that it can spam Focus Energy+Scope Lens for 2.25x dmg Draco Meteors even from -4.

Not much more I can say that hasn't already been noted.

 

[Pocket]

kingofkongs and I are questioning Gardevoir's A rank status. From a mega perspective, it has stiff competition from Kangaskhan, Mawile, Charizard, all of them arguably better choices. As a Fairy-type, it is somewhat outclassed by Togekiss, imo, which offers the crucial Follow Me support. Gardevoir is probably one of the better special Fairy Pokemon, but I don't know if that alone warrants its A status rank. I definitely think Gardevoir's niche is a lot \narrower than some of the mons that are in B rank, such as Aegislash and Abomasnow.

 

[Arcticblast]

A suggestion: denote Pokemon that are ranked high solely due to a Mega Evolution with an asterisk*.

Anyway, for now I'm going to focus on a small handful of Pokemon.

- Eh. Combined with the Grass nerf, the introduction of Fairies and the general upswing in Ghost-types (as well as Talonflame), I'd argue that Breloom no longer has a place in A-rank.

- has anybody used this at all yet I mean really what does it even do without Tailwind now anyway
---

- I honestly think A-rank is better for Trevenant. Sure it has flaws, but its ability to withstand some pretty damn powerful attacks and potentially get 50% passive recovery through Harvest is sweet. It also counters two S-rank Pokemon (Kangaskhan and Rotom-W) and cripples the other two (Tar and Mawile), and checks a fair few of the current A-rank Pokemon.

- YOU FUCKING CUNT AMPHAROS IS THE BEST I'm not quite sure Ampharos should be in B-rank either. All it needs to succeed is Rain and Trick Room, and being weak to Earthquake is in no way stopping it. The Dragon typing gives it some handy resists that a lot of other Pokemon would kill for; particularly notable are Fire and Water. Mold Breaker gets past one of the biggest issues its Electric STAB had in Lightningrod. Priority, one of the biggest thorns in the side of Trick Room, barely scratches Ampharos's 90/105/110 bulk, especially since Talonflame is in and Ice Shard users are out. Its lack of effective spread moves is a problem though, and Mold Breaker only makes that worse (you need a Ground-type to soak up that Discharge). Even so, its niche as a slow but bulky single attacker should be reason enough for it to move up to A-rank. (Side note: I can't wait for this thing to take a massive shit on Thundurus-T.)

- basically just putting Zyggy here so it doesn't look like I'm doing changes only. I personally agree with Zygarde in B. It has a ton of potential - Sub Protect Zygarde has the sheer bulk to take on crazy physical attacks, and when it can get a Sub up you know you're in trouble. On the other hand, its weaknesses aren't exactly rare, and its low Attack stat can be taken advantage of with ease. It's a great Pokemon - in the right situation.
---
Everything else looks pretty good right now. I could see a case being made for Talonflame or Charizard to move up to S and for Hitmontop to drop to B, although I'm not endorsing any of those for now.

 

[kingofmars]

kingofkongs and I are questioning Gardevoir's A rank status. From a mega perspective, it has stiff competition from Kangaskhan, Mawile, Charizard, all of them arguably better choices. As a Fairy-type, it is somewhat outclassed by Togekiss, imo, which offers the crucial Follow Me support. Gardevoir is probably one of the better special Fairy Pokemon, but I don't know if that alone warrants its A status rank. I definitely think Gardevoir's niche is a lot more narrower than some of the mons that are in B rank, such as Aegislash and Abomasnow.

I wasn't questioning it, I just told you to post it so I could give my case for why gardevoir should be in A Tier.

You're missing the whole point if you're using mega gardevoir. Outside of one pixelate hyper beam its not a very good mega compared to the ridiculous stuff you could be using instead.

Scarfdevoir on the other hand has the advantage of outspeeding and one hit koing a ton of pokemon in the meta:

Garchomp, Gyarados, Gengar, Goodra, Hydreigon, Greninja, Hitmontop, Breloom, Scrafty, Salamence, Heracross, Zygarde(not entirely sure if this is a clean ohko), kingdra outside of rain, Noivern, Malamar, Blaziken, Toxicroak, Haxorus, Mega Ampharos

And those are just the pokemon that are on this tier list and things that are guaranteed ohkos. This thing is a freaking beast, and the damage output is amazing. It has better non STAB options than scarf togekiss, it picks up kos on things togekiss doesn't, and reaches a much greater speed tier, outrunning even mega manectric and friends.

 

[sarysa]

I'd like to nominate Meowstic-M for the A rank. Not only does it counter A-rank Hitmontop nicely (and fills some of its roles), it has a decent enough moveset that you can't be certain what it will do. (much like Rotom) That element of uncertainty is what makes it dangerous...and that goes against your description of the B-rank.

I'm currently running a status-fuck (Thunder Wave mostly) Meowstic to support my mostly mid-speed team, with FO/QG support as well. But I've also seen Meowstic running Safeguard + Swagger on their physical attack buddy (usually Kangaskhan), and others run priority dual screens on it...there've been at least one or two OTHER effective sets I've been on the blunt end of...so it should usually be treated as a serious threat, even though it's pretty weak as an attacker.

 

[BlankZero]

Nominating Gastrodon for B Rank because if your opponent doesn't have a grass type, it's especially hard to kill it.

Also walls S Rank Rotom-W not carrying HP Grass (which is exceedingly rare) and is a very handy Rain Check for any and all Sand teams that want to easily check Politoed.

 

[youngjake93]

Everything else looks pretty good right now. I could see a case being made for Talonflame or Charizard to move up to S and for Hitmontop to drop to B, although I'm not endorsing any of those for now.

I'll officially make the case for Charizard to S. Charizard has been brought up several times in this thread.
The simple primary justification is that Mega Charizard Y's Heat Wave is ridiculous. It does like 50% to Cresselia, most resists lose a significant chunk of health and it straight up OHKOS things like Lando-T. And this is a spread move... and this is 100 base speed Timid.

Secondly, it can fit well with most teammates. It is similar to Tyranitar in that the passive bonus/ability to screw up weather is good enough that you don't have to build a SUN team(unlike Ninetales). Also, because Heat Wave threatens EVERYTHING not named Heatran/Chandelure, synergy is rarely a problem, you can even spam Heat Wave against Politoed for example with little repercussions. Support mons help Charizard by extending its longevity, offensive mons help by turning its 2hkos into ohkos, and bulky mons help to use as offensive pivots when you need to avoid a Rock Slide or scarfer.

Third, look at that movepool. You have several options for fire STAB, Sunny Day, Air Slash, Solarbeam Dragon Pulse, HP Ground and lots of physical options to go mixed such as Thunderpunch and EQ. Speaking of which, Zard X and regular Zard offering even more options although they are let downs in comparison.

Finally, Sun support is obvious. I nearly peaked in the top 5(on the pokebank ladder mind you) with a simple set up of Charizard+Scarf Modest Chandy Heat Wave spam. It is simply too overwhelming to 80% of the meta. Solarbeam becomes viable, Thunder and Hurricane miss a lot, you shrug off Scalds like Water Guns, etc.


Side note: CB Talonflame Brave Bird is pretty freaking awesome, but it has its fair share of problems.

 

[Arcticblast]

Yeah, after playing around with it a bit I can easily support Charizard for S tier. There's not much I can say that youngjake didn't cover already, but what I can say relates to his last point: Sun support. To put it simply, Sun is now more viable than Rain. Last generation, Sun was basically unviable, but now it's difficult to build a Rain offense team because Mega Charizard Y's Sun support is so useful and it has the raw stats to more than back it up. It's almost too good.

Charizard to S.

 

[Darkflagrance]

I'll vouch for Yzard too. Running a lead of TopZard to fake-out and Wide guard rock slides or focus sash Volcarona-Yzard for double heat waves got me 2000+ rank in pre-pokebank. Yzard is reminiscent of a Kyogre-lite.

 

[BlankZero]

The only thing keeping CharY from S Rank is Mega(and Normal)TTar. Not only does it change the weather and have not great effectiveness against Rock types, but TTar can and will OKHO CharY with Rock Slide. ScarfTar might even make a comeback to deal with this (and Talonflame and Volc), and I expect Scarf Terrakion will be amazing after its release as a check.

 

[Jec]

I have been trying to run a RainRoom team and a sun team. CharY is really giving my Rain+TR team a problem, but he is amazing under the sun. After taking care of his checks and counters, I can just spam heat wave for those who are neutral and SE, and then solarbeam and focus blast for coverage. It hits really hard!

 

[The Leprechaun]

Arcanine for B. Pretty straightforward this one. Arcanine boasts good defences of 90/80/80 but this really shines with the combination on intimidate and snarl, which effectively raises its defences to really high levels. It also has above average attacking stats and fantastic movepool with moves like extreme speed, heat wave wild charge and close comabat all of which can be very useful in checking weathers other than sun. The fact that it also gets morning sun makes it a fantastic choice for any sun team.

Noivern for B. At this point, our options for tailwind are very limited and this guy helps in a big wway to rectify this. With access to boomburst, decent Spa, great speed and u-turn for support of other mons, Noivern becomes very useful. Good point blank.

Banette for B. If it wasn't for the fact that you use up your mega by using this, it would easily be A rank in my eyes. TR, prankster will-o, d-bond, taunt, sucker punch, shadow sneak, big attack stat, a great doubles support/ offensive mon.

Edit: I feel like Diggersby really needs a mention as well as it can really punch holes in the opposite team with access to an earthquake comparable to Groudon's, stab quick attack and rock slide for coverage. All in all, a great poke. I know i've already suggested 3 other mons for B rank but i honestly think that diggersby deserves the same treatment, if not, A rank.

 

[BlankZero]

No over as a Tailwind setter is completely outclassed by Talonflame (Priority Tailwind) and Togekiss (Bulky Setter). If you want to nominate it for B, don't go by something that it is outperformed by.

 

[youngjake93]

The only thing keeping CharY from S Rank is Mega(and Normal)TTar. Not only does it change the weather and have not great effectiveness against Rock types, but TTar can and will OKHO CharY with Rock Slide. ScarfTar might even make a comeback to deal with this (and Talonflame and Volc), and I expect Scarf Terrakion will be amazing after its release as a check.

The funny thing about that is that because this is doubles you can beat most Mega Tyranitar with very simple prediction.

Using Protect without Mega Evolving and then Mega Evolving+Focus Blasting turn 2 gets rid of Sand and KOs the other team's best check against you.

With 104 base attack you can go mixed with Brick Break or even Focus Punch. Wide Guard or Fake Out eleminates the threat of Charizard being targeted as it destroys Tyranitar. Of course you should scout with Protect first to see if he has Stone Edge instead.

Finally, all you have to do is run a Tyranitar check and switch out/Protect with Charizard. I have been running Scizor, but you could run Hitmontop or Terrakion when it's released(which would check opposing Charizard too).

It's really helpful that Rock Slide is only a 75 bp spread because you can switch in almost anything into it, so while it threatens Charizard, it doesn't do much to lower the other team's momentum/advantage. In fact, being able to relatively safely switch in a wide range of Pokemon into Tyranitar gives the opponent plenty of room to gain even more momentum.

In conclusion, Charizard is a Pokemon that provides phenomenal support, is very threatening offensively, can get past its checks/counters on its own but EASILY with a partner, can be thrown onto almost any team and can become very very scary with any sort of team support. I'd almost go as far to say that Charizard transcends the S rank, but the meta is still too fresh and I haven't seen enough high ladder/tourney matches to see what sort of ways people are dealing with it. I've got several soft checks to it on my team for example.

 

[cxinlee]

Just curious how exactly does Charizard check rain?

Once it mega evolves, Politoed can switch in safely, and even better catch it going for Solarbeam

Same goes for ttar, even though yeah Focus Blast is scary

Sand has Exacdrill, and Rain has Ludicolo and Kingdra. Sun has always had the problem of not having a good Chlorophyll user.

Youngjake93 while I agree with most of your points,
"Any flaws that these Pokemon have can be taken care of with little to no team support."
Do take this into account.

 

[Pocket]

Yea, Charizard Y has everything going for it - that priority weather summoning essentially always lets Charizard Y guarantee Sun the turn it mega evolves. Furthermore it can go straight-up offensive on that same turn, taking advantage of Sun-boosted Heat Waves and SolarBeams coming out of a monstrous 159 base SpA from the get-go.

I think we're overhyping it a little bit, though. In actual practice I never had too much problems with it, but that could just be because I recognize it as a threat and play aggressively against it. It's only barely S rank IMO. I think it is a lot better than Mawile, though, which is already in S rank.

That said, I question Mawile's S-Rank status. Outside of the initial Intimidate before it mega evolves, it does not offer much support to the team - it's not a Pokemon that you can simply slap on any team and your team is automatically better because of it. These differences sets it apart from the other S rank mons, which are spashable onto most teams without much repercussions while bringing great benefits. If you want Mega Mawile to be a productive team member, you want Trick Room support with the ability to eliminate Steel- and Fire-types. You're also using up your mega slot for it, which means you lose access to mons like Mega Kangaskhan. Mawile's low base HP impairs its bulk, making it relatively easy to eliminate imo. Admittedly, Steel / Fairy is a good typing, though

 

[BlankZero]

Mawhile is a top-tier wallbreaker/sweeper with just the right moveset, bulk and power to really accomplish what it needs to do, which is break things in half. S Rank is a good fit because it is just so damn threatening. Attack it outright? Suckerpunch. Statusing it with WoW can work, but it's still pretty damn strong, and Steel/Fairy Typing plus its natural bulk make it pretty hard to kill outright.

CharY has a lot going for it yes, but if we can't say Volcarona is S Rank with similar speed, the best boosting move in the game (apart from maybe Shift Gear), the ability to check other weathers efficiently with coverage (Giga Drain and Bug Buzz are amazing), then I don't think CharY will carry itself to S, especially having to use a terribad mon in Charizard, not getting the benefit of other Megas, and the ease of guessing what Mega you're using.