Once again, the Smogon tiers have been updated according to the usage of Pokemon in the last three months. This update has shaken things up almost as much as the last, and it's about time to welcome a slew of new threats into the OU, UU and RU tiers.
Changes for OU
Dugtrio
The most noticeable and significant change of any Pokemon from any tier, ever. Trio shot straight up to OU from the nether regions of the Neverused, bypassing RU and UU on the way, and laughing at the faces of those tier's threats. The reasoning for this huge jump? Simple. Dugtrio is primed as one of the best trappers and revenge killers in OU, taking a top spot of eliminating opposing Tyranitars or Ninetails in a tier where weather teams stand just around every corner. Furthermore, it could also trap and dispatch of weaker threats such as Tentacruel or Magnezone who might otherwise ruin your team's fun. While 80 base Attack and a set of god-awful defenses that are so bad they won't even be mentioned plague the tri-mole, it is apparent that these assets of Arena Trap and 120 base Speed were enough to have folks using it endlessly in OU. But will it stay? We shall see.
Alakazam
A pretty big jump for the super-smart wizard as well, Zam's rise to OU really doesn't come as much of a surprise. It's very weak defensively, but with Magic Guard, excellent coverage moves, 120 Speed and 135 Special Attack, I think its assets far outweigh its set of cons. Personally, I am content with this jump, though using Zam in UU was no less fun.
Chansey
At long last, offensive players and stall-haters of UU can rejoice! After many, many months of dealing with Chansey's exceptional bulk in the Underused tier, it has finally been used enough in OU to the point where it has secured a slot in that tier. But with its older sister already in OU, how will the egg nurse fare against the tier's common share of threats?
Jolteon
A lot of things make Jolteon prominent in OU (arguably moreso than in the UU tier from which it came). Among these are the fact that it is extremely fast, has a good base Special Attack stat, and carries a STAB Electric typing, boasting moves like Volt Switch and 100% accurate Thunder in the rain. Volt Absorb doesn't make it any worse, either. Basically, this list details my speculation for why Jolteon has risen again to OU. I haven't really used it much myself this gen.
Donphan and Mamoswine
These two things are very similar, yet also very different, and I think they can both be used very effectively in the OU metagame. STAB Earthquake is never a bad thing, while Ice Shard for coverage (Mamo carries it with STAB) allows for an excellent way to outspeed and dispatch of certain Dragons. Furthermore, Stealth Rock is a very important component to have on any team, and Donphan's ability to Rapid Spin makes it that much more useful with Sturdy. This pair's rise spells good news for OU and bad news for those who loved using it in UU.
Tornadus
He's back! Just a few months after his twin brother's ban from the OU tier, Tornadus has claimed his spot as one of the tiers top genies. With amazing offensive stats, he's able to destroy a lot of the tiers common threats, and with a 100% accurate STAB Hurricane in the rain, he can blast holes in weakened teams with a Specs set. Look out for Tornadus on Rain and even non-Rain teams.
New in Underused
Swampert
Perhaps one of the most widely received drops from the OU tier, Swampert offers great bulk and decent offensive potential in the new UU. However, this might have come a little late, as with Roserade dominating the tier as high queen, Pert will be very limited in effectiveness and might not see too much usage despite its strengths.
Bronzong
An interesting new asset to the UU scene, Bronzong brings with it its awesome typing, great support movepool and solid defenses to take the cake as possibly one of UU's most potent Psychic types/defensive Pokemon. Try it out for yourself!
Sableye
Not unexpected here, Prankster Sableye makes its debut in a solid tier since its banishment from RU. This thing optimizes as one of the most annoying Pokemon to encounter in UU, but if you come prepared it shouldn't be all that difficult to fell.
Krookodile
Last but not least, Krookodile also rose to the ranks in UU, making up for the drop of its Ground type brethren Golurk. And with Moxie, great Speed with a Choice Scarf and good coverage in its STAB, Krook can be used as a very effective late-game sweeper in this tier.
RU Ready?
The RarelyUsed tier saw the most significant improvement, receiving mons from both UU and NU to make for a very crowded metagame. As there are several, I will only discuss the potentially most prominent new RU threats, and will list all the changes after.
Under UnderUsed
A lack of competent usage in UU sent things like Aerodactyl, Sigilyph, Golurk and Spiritomb down in rank. What's funnier, Whimsicott continues its decent down the tier ladder, falling now from UU to RU as well. And in other news, Cresselia, primed queen of RU before her banishment to UU a few months ago, is now back in RU and ready to wall the hell out of everything. I am not happy.
Never Say Never!
Quite a lot of things also got the ticket to the RU show, leaving their Neverused days behind. These Pokemon are very potent in RU (and possibly even UU) and come as really no surprise for rising.
Magneton
Great typing, faster Speed than its evolution, good defenses and Special Attack, and ability to wield Eviolitee all make Magneton an excellent Pokemon to use in any of the lower tiers. Don't underestimate it and use it as much as you can.
Smeargle
The most versatile movepool in the entire game! Smeargle really isn't all that bad, despite what its horrendous stats say. Just remember to put it on your team to serve a particular role and give it appropriate team support, and you've got yourself a shining star.
Roselia
With stats and movepool not far off its evolution, Rose is really as effective in RU as Rade is in UU. Remember that.
Others
The others to make the jump to the RU tier were Poliwrath, Rhydon, Lanturn, Slowking, Scolipede, Klinklang and Druddigon. Each of these has a potency worth using in the lower tiers, and has been bumped up for very good reasons.
I hope you will enjoy these new tier changes. As the tiers are updated every three months, let's see how things change from now until then. I will also update the tier list here on the site to match that of Smogon. Let's make an impact in the metagame! Don't be afraid to use things not commonly seen.
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