Ok, im gonna be throwing my 2 cents onto the table here on rock mono and some of the tier's ive seen just.....dont make a ton of sense.
Ill start with the big one for me: Rhyperior B--->A
Rhyperior being in B tier with the likes of m-aerodactyl and tyrantrum (more on that one later) is confounding. If you want a scizor check and you dont want to run M-Aggron, you have rhyperior in your team. period point paragraph. This pokemon is the reason we are even allowed to use mega diancie and mega aerodactyl as other viable team mega options. the WP set checks rocks major physical threats decently (Scizor, m-medicham, excadrill) while at the same time dealing solid damage to them if not blatantly OHKO'ing them with the weakness policy boost after taking whatever super effective hit they throw out (Superpower/bullet punch, HJK, EQ/Iron head respectively) Couple this with rhyperior's solid (no pun intended) ability and ridiculous physical bulk and raw damage and you have a lesser m-aggron that checks the same threats just as well. Does rhyperior deserve S rank?......no, m-aggron does the job better, as much as i dislike using the thing. But Rhyperior does deserve a Solid A Ranking and nothing less than that.
Archeops: D--->C--->B (Maybe, but definitely deserves C, B being questionable)
Archeops i feel is the one theres gonna be some debate on, and the prime reason i know is gonna be its ability: Defeatist. Ah defeatist, the thing that stops archeops from being a perfectly good A tier rock mon. its sad but for now we have to live with it. But the question is why bring this up from D to C (maybe B): Raw stats and versatility of sets and movepool. Archeops brings to the table a very hefty movepool, with stats to back up any playstyle that isnt being a wall (140 atk, 112 spatk, 110 speed) Archeops has access to amazing moves such as head smash, heat wave, EQ, acrobatics (for when you lose sitrus from spamming head smash) shadow claw, outrage, endeavor, quick attack, SR, taunt, tailwind, knock off, dragon pulse, focus blast, earth power, crunch , zen headbutt, all generic rock moves and even opting to ruin any mega venusaurs day with power herb sky attack that no other rock mon in the game can do out of the gate: 252+ Atk Archeops Sky Attack vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Mega Venusaur: 332-392 (91.4 - 107.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
You can be a physical maniac, you have a solid enough movepool and special attack to warrant use of special attacks on it or even a full special attack set, and it can be used as a suicide lead and as a revenge killer via endeavor/QA
That is MUCH more than any of the other mons in D can even hope to bring to the table for rock mono. D is about being used for one specific thing, but archeops proves it does WAY more than 1 thing. Archeops for C, a possible B rank due to what im about to discuss next.
Tyrantrum: B--->C
Tyrantrum....how did you find your way into B? What? I never see you used in either of your typings! We are comparing tyrantrum with rhyperior, the back up check to the things that shut down rock as a whole? No. No. No. Absolutely not.
enough of the rant, getting to the point: Tyrantrum does not belong in B tier at all, it tries to do what terrakion used to do as a scarfer, spamming head smash and stuff, but it just doesnt do the job well enough to outclass terrakion OR archeops. Terrakion and archeops both have amazing speed tiers (108 and 110 respectively) and tyrantrum has a......71....thats pitiful. Terrakion and archeops BOTH outspeed it, and BOTH have higher attack stats than it (129 and 140 respectively), archeops has head smash, the same as tyrantrum and terrakion now runs choice band, giving it more damage than it as well. the dragon typing is....there, to be honest. its a shiny title that doesnt really help it except against grass and water. water has access to ice beam on the literal everything and grass can just toss m-venusaur in front of it and wait its tiny dino rampage out with leech seed, giga drain and synthesis. This thing needs to be scarfed to be useful, maybe if youre feeling ballsy you can choice band it and try for some cheese kills, but dont fool yourself, this thing does not warrant being in B tier at all. Tyrantrum to C rank.
Quick addendum on why im pushing for archeops' possible B tiering and the massive jump is the tyrantrum argument really, its blatantly outclassed by archeops at the thing tyrantrum does best: hit things hard with its face and hope it dies. Archeops can perform the feat nothing else in rock mono can pull off: OHKO'ing defensive m-venusaur without a crit. Literally nothing else can do it. a M-aerodactyl if given brave bird and adamant nature STILL doesnt OHKO this thing. That in and of itself is a feat for rock monotype. If the first thing youre thinking about when you think about archeops is defeatist, you should go back and look at those....amazing defensive stats that dont exist. If that thing is in range for defeatist to go off one of 3 things has happened: 1. youve actually head smashed so much youve popped sitrus berry and are back under half from going so ham on the opposing lineup. good job there. 2. your opponent is being so bad that they cant take out something that makes the term "glass cannon" seem underwhelming. or 3. youre running sash set and about to do the endeavor cheese kills. Archeops deserves at least a thought of going to B rank for rock.
Ill start with the big one for me: Rhyperior B--->A
Rhyperior being in B tier with the likes of m-aerodactyl and tyrantrum (more on that one later) is confounding. If you want a scizor check and you dont want to run M-Aggron, you have rhyperior in your team. period point paragraph. This pokemon is the reason we are even allowed to use mega diancie and mega aerodactyl as other viable team mega options. the WP set checks rocks major physical threats decently (Scizor, m-medicham, excadrill) while at the same time dealing solid damage to them if not blatantly OHKO'ing them with the weakness policy boost after taking whatever super effective hit they throw out (Superpower/bullet punch, HJK, EQ/Iron head respectively) Couple this with rhyperior's solid (no pun intended) ability and ridiculous physical bulk and raw damage and you have a lesser m-aggron that checks the same threats just as well. Does rhyperior deserve S rank?......no, m-aggron does the job better, as much as i dislike using the thing. But Rhyperior does deserve a Solid A Ranking and nothing less than that.
Archeops: D--->C--->B (Maybe, but definitely deserves C, B being questionable)
Archeops i feel is the one theres gonna be some debate on, and the prime reason i know is gonna be its ability: Defeatist. Ah defeatist, the thing that stops archeops from being a perfectly good A tier rock mon. its sad but for now we have to live with it. But the question is why bring this up from D to C (maybe B): Raw stats and versatility of sets and movepool. Archeops brings to the table a very hefty movepool, with stats to back up any playstyle that isnt being a wall (140 atk, 112 spatk, 110 speed) Archeops has access to amazing moves such as head smash, heat wave, EQ, acrobatics (for when you lose sitrus from spamming head smash) shadow claw, outrage, endeavor, quick attack, SR, taunt, tailwind, knock off, dragon pulse, focus blast, earth power, crunch , zen headbutt, all generic rock moves and even opting to ruin any mega venusaurs day with power herb sky attack that no other rock mon in the game can do out of the gate: 252+ Atk Archeops Sky Attack vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Mega Venusaur: 332-392 (91.4 - 107.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
You can be a physical maniac, you have a solid enough movepool and special attack to warrant use of special attacks on it or even a full special attack set, and it can be used as a suicide lead and as a revenge killer via endeavor/QA
That is MUCH more than any of the other mons in D can even hope to bring to the table for rock mono. D is about being used for one specific thing, but archeops proves it does WAY more than 1 thing. Archeops for C, a possible B rank due to what im about to discuss next.
Tyrantrum: B--->C
Tyrantrum....how did you find your way into B? What? I never see you used in either of your typings! We are comparing tyrantrum with rhyperior, the back up check to the things that shut down rock as a whole? No. No. No. Absolutely not.
enough of the rant, getting to the point: Tyrantrum does not belong in B tier at all, it tries to do what terrakion used to do as a scarfer, spamming head smash and stuff, but it just doesnt do the job well enough to outclass terrakion OR archeops. Terrakion and archeops both have amazing speed tiers (108 and 110 respectively) and tyrantrum has a......71....thats pitiful. Terrakion and archeops BOTH outspeed it, and BOTH have higher attack stats than it (129 and 140 respectively), archeops has head smash, the same as tyrantrum and terrakion now runs choice band, giving it more damage than it as well. the dragon typing is....there, to be honest. its a shiny title that doesnt really help it except against grass and water. water has access to ice beam on the literal everything and grass can just toss m-venusaur in front of it and wait its tiny dino rampage out with leech seed, giga drain and synthesis. This thing needs to be scarfed to be useful, maybe if youre feeling ballsy you can choice band it and try for some cheese kills, but dont fool yourself, this thing does not warrant being in B tier at all. Tyrantrum to C rank.
Quick addendum on why im pushing for archeops' possible B tiering and the massive jump is the tyrantrum argument really, its blatantly outclassed by archeops at the thing tyrantrum does best: hit things hard with its face and hope it dies. Archeops can perform the feat nothing else in rock mono can pull off: OHKO'ing defensive m-venusaur without a crit. Literally nothing else can do it. a M-aerodactyl if given brave bird and adamant nature STILL doesnt OHKO this thing. That in and of itself is a feat for rock monotype. If the first thing youre thinking about when you think about archeops is defeatist, you should go back and look at those....amazing defensive stats that dont exist. If that thing is in range for defeatist to go off one of 3 things has happened: 1. youve actually head smashed so much youve popped sitrus berry and are back under half from going so ham on the opposing lineup. good job there. 2. your opponent is being so bad that they cant take out something that makes the term "glass cannon" seem underwhelming. or 3. youre running sash set and about to do the endeavor cheese kills. Archeops deserves at least a thought of going to B rank for rock.