Honestly I think aggron/aggron mega combo should get A rank
I once won a whole tour by just using aggrons meta burst, eq, stone edge, and heavy slam set.... It does so much damage to many Pokemon insanely so... And so many players fall for it... SO many players.... If you know when to mega right you can easily beat your opponents, it is handicapped due to mold breaker mons, but the biggest mold breaker user (excadrill) isn't just rarely seen but it is easy to wipe off... Honestly it's biggest counter is trace gardevoir and Alabaman mega as they trace the sturdy. Also wobbufett for obvious reasons but making one of the moves toxic fixes it,
All in all just straight up deadly
First of all, I once won a whole tour with a Riolu, so that doesn't say much.
Perhaps, but A rank isn't necessary, as it still loses in many situations. It can be easily countered by hundreds of different sets and Pokemon, and just the chance of surprise against new players isn't satisfactory for success. I believe it should remain B rank. "
These Pokemon are adaptable to the metagame."
Anyways, Sawk is quite an interesting Pokemon to take into account. Extremely similar to Aggron in many ways, it is capable of both throwing decent attacks with relevant typing, and on top of that run varying sets such as Counter and Custap Berry. With the all powerful Salamence-Mega, the combination of both defensive and offensive Flying typing, and Intimidate, Sawk got little time to shine it's full potential. Sawk is now capable of running many sets, to counter and demolish varying Pokemon throughout 1v1. Here are some of the more common sets:
Sawk @ Choice Scarf/Band
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe / 4 Def
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Elemental Punches (for example, Thunder Punch for Gyarados)
- Counter
- Stone Edge
My Sock Set @ Custap Berry
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 Atk / 248 HP / 8 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Reversal
- Counter
- Endure
- Stone Edge/Coverage
With these, and many more sets, Sawk is able to take down many offensive threats, such as Specs P-Z and Meloetta, other scarf Pokemon, and any other Pokemon it can 2hko/CounterKO. I can't supply exact examples now, but with Salamence-Mega gone, Sawk will have ever increasing viability throughout the metagame. (with more Meloetta, Pinsir, and other similar spam beginning to emerge)
B rank. "These Pokemon are adaptable to the metagame."
As for Pinsir-Mega, it's viability will begin to soar with Salamence-Mega out of the picture, in fact, with Salamence-Mega gone, it could become the most powerful physical attacker in the meta to date. The following set is just one example of how much pure power it could offer.
Pinsir @ Pinsirite
Ability: Hyper Cutter
EVs: 252 Spe / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Adamant/Jolly Nature
- Protect/Endure
- Substitute
- Flail (200 BP Aerilate boosted STAB... plus 155 base Atk and possible Swords Dance? HA)
- Quick Attack
This set, as mentioned, is capable of dealing extreme raw damage. On top of this, with access to move such as Swords Dance, it is capable of setting up and destroying plenty stall. (mold breaker available too)
What about beating offense? Hyper Cutter stops the common Intimidate users from weakening this threat. 120 Defense and access to Anti-HyperBeam/GigaImpact moves such as Endure and Substitute, Pinsir-Mega is given the chance to throw out a hit of raw power, and grab the win.
Now, enough about me and my claims, here's some solid proof.
252 Atk Aerilate Mega Pinsir Flail (200 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Multiscale Dragonite: 252-297 (78 - 91.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Aerilate Mega Pinsir Flail (200 BP) vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mega Slowbro: 228-268 (57.8 - 68%) -- guaranteed 2HKO (Eek raw power)
252+ Atk Teravolt Kyurem-B Outrage vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Mega Pinsir: 226-267 (83.3 - 98.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Aerilate Mega Pinsir Giga Impact vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Kyurem-B: 399-469 (102 - 119.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Counters? Well Aggron does a real good job at it if played correctly, and powerful Steel types such as Mawile can normally beat it.
Pinsir-Mega for minimum B rank. "These Pokemon are adaptable to the metagame."
But wait, there's more! As pokemon (more specifically Pinsir-Mega) begins to see more usage, it can, without a doubt, become A rank. "These Pokemon influence the metagame."