[DISCUSSION] Reborn Monotype Viability Rankings

[pyrromanis]

Camerupt is really good early/mid game especially on ground monorun (I don't know about fire though). It gets really strong STABS pretty early and is the best pokemon out there to destroy fileds. Tangrowths= Set up as many Amnesias you want and you can KO any time with fire STAB + change the field to your advantage. Florinia is a piece of cake for Numel. In Corey's mist field a flame burst is really usefull since no other ground type can get rid of it. Shelly just cries in the corner with the Lava Plume-Rock Slide combo. Against Cal it can tank and KO any of his pokemon. For old Serra (haven't tried her new field yet) is going to be your lifesaver since most of the ground types have serious problems. Against Noel it can only provide field destruction but it can still do some pretty serious damage. It's spread damaging moves in the many double battles we face can always came in handy. Charlotte isn't really a threat for a monoground team but what is better than fight fire with fire . And last in the worst possible battle for ground types against Blake Camerupt or another teamate can set up the sun to get rid of the Hail and Blizzard spam, Earthquke destroys the field and it can sweep anything with Lava Plume-Rock Slide especialy if it gets a Trick Room Support from Claydol.

I do agree that is super slow but so are most of the ground types! The fastest options are Dugtrio and Flygon, with Krookodile and Excadrill coming behind them. Then the faster pokemon you can get are Nidoking, Mamoswine and Diggersby wich are not that fast at all! So I don't think its speed hinders it with other ground since most of the times you WILL go second no matter what. Also its typing sure is bad but it can cover Grass and Ice weakness and with solid rock it can take some Super Effective hits
For me, Camerupt is a tier A pokemon for ground monorun and it would be S if between Noel and Charlotte wasn't so awfull!

[Srewop]

Yeah tbh

I think Tangrowth is either A rank or B rank I'm doing a grass run atm and Tangrowth has been the MVP of the run

with Giga Drain, Ancient Power, Growth and I would have loved to have Knock Off but I have a minus attack nature

does damage to almost all the leaders that I have faced and not to mention that Tangrowth rarely gets 2ohko by any Physcial moves.

The only down side is the SpD anything that runs something special does a lot of damage to it.

Tangrowth should be A or B rank merely for the Bulk and that you can run mixed even with a minus Attack or Special Attack Nature

Moves Knock Off, Giga Drain/Powerwhip, Growth, Ancient Power as main moves but you could run the Powders moves also

[Revman]

Camerupt is really good early/mid game especially on ground monorun (I don't know about fire though). It gets really strong STABS pretty early and is the best pokemon out there to destroy fileds. Tangrowths= Set up as many Amnesias you want and you can KO any time with fire STAB + change the field to your advantage. Florinia is a piece of cake for Numel. In Corey's mist field a flame burst is really usefull since no other ground type can get rid of it. Shelly just cries in the corner with the Lava Plume-Rock Slide combo. Against Cal it can tank and KO any of his pokemon. For old Serra (haven't tried her new field yet) is going to be your lifesaver since most of the ground types have serious problems. Against Noel it can only provide field destruction but it can still do some pretty serious damage. It's spread damaging moves in the many double battles we face can always came in handy. Charlotte isn't really a threat for a monoground team but what is better than fight fire with fire . And last in the worst possible battle for ground types against Blake Camerupt or another teamate can set up the sun to get rid of the Hail and Blizzard spam, Earthquke destroys the field and it can sweep anything with Lava Plume-Rock Slide especialy if it gets a Trick Room Support from Claydol.

I do agree that is super slow but so are most of the ground types! The fastest options are Dugtrio and Flygon, with Krookodile and Excadrill coming behind them. Then the faster pokemon you can get are Nidoking, Mamoswine and Diggersby wich are not that fast at all! So I don't think its speed hinders it with other ground since most of the times you WILL go second no matter what. Also its typing sure is bad but it can cover Grass and Ice weakness and with solid rock it can take some Super Effective hits

For me, Camerupt is a tier A pokemon for ground monorun and it would be S if between Noel and Charlotte wasn't so awfull!

Camerupt on a Ground Monotype is a VERY different story than for Fire. Being able to handle Grass and Ice types is a definite plus. If you submit a full analysis of it including Moves, Ability and why it should be A Rank or whatever you think it should be and I'll add it to the OP and credit you fully.

Yeah tbh

I think Tangrowth is either A rank or B rank I'm doing a grass run atm and Tangrowth has been the MVP of the run

with Giga Drain, Ancient Power, Growth and I would have loved to have Knock Off but I have a minus attack nature

does damage to almost all the leaders that I have faced and not to mention that Tangrowth rarely gets 2ohko by any Physcial moves.

The only down side is the SpD anything that runs something special does a lot of damage to it.

Tangrowth should be A or B rank merely for the Bulk and that you can run mixed even with a minus Attack or Special Attack Nature

Moves Knock Off, Giga Drain/Powerwhip, Growth, Ancient Power as main moves but you could run the Powders moves also

Good point, it's a very useful Physical Wall. I'll add it to A for Grass.

[LeafAlcor]

Torterra for A/S rank

Ability: Shell Armor

Type: Ground

Moves: Wood Hammer, Earthquake, Crunch, Curse/Leech Seed

Item: bright powder, sash, anything that raises power of any of its attacking moves

Reason: Torterra has a good typing to assist in a ground mono-type run having 95/105/85 is fairly decent defensive stats especially on defence, its ability Shell Armor is excellent giving it complete immunity to critical hits making it much easier to avoid RNG hax especially with breaking through stat bonuses which you can gain in defence with curse while simultaneously increasing your attack further, Torterra has an above average attack of 109 once again can be further increased by curse making its powerful STAB Wood Hammer and Earthquake even more formidable. Leech Seed is also a viable option if setting up will not work allowing it to recover hp or help allies even after fainting, Crunch is a bit of a filler move but it has decent power can lower opponents defence and is learned naturally by leveling like the rest of its set. Despite Torterra being a bulky strong STAB monster for ground it has a couple of minor short comings which makes it potentially only A rank, one of which is its typing which while good for countering water leaves it easily open to most ice type attacks if outsped which is sadly common due to its second shortcoming a low speed stat, Torterras last and largest problem is a lack of rock type attacks which it would usually get through Stone Edge or Rock Slide but are not available TM's at this time which would otherwise allow it to counter its personal weakness of flying types, and the mono-types general weakness to ice. Overall Torterra is a strong bulky Pokemon if a little slow and disadvantaged to ice, deserving a high A rank or low S rank in my opinion.

Edited June 5, 2015 by LeafAlcor

[Fumble]

Alright, time for me to tell y'all some of my Dark Monotype experiences.

Malamar for A/S Rank:

Ability: Contrary is the best, but Infiltrator could also be used.

Moves: Psycho Cut, Night Slash, Superpower (goes well with Contrary), Hypnosis/Pluck (for those berries)/Light Screen/Destiny Bond

Malamar has the coveted Ability Contrary, which makes it an absolute beast if it can set up while still doing some very nice damage with Superpower. It also has Psycho Cut and Night Slash as its two best STABs as of right now. Those three moves just simply must be on your Malamar. Your fourth move slot if your choice, however. Hypnosis, while having low accuracy, could be useful for Pokemon that are particularly annoying. Pluck gives some decent coverage while also stealing any opponent's berry, which could be useful for the early game, when Sitrus Berries are still being used. Light Screen is just there to boost your team's Special Defense, and Destiny Bond is very nice, since Malamar doesn't have the best Defenses. Overall, this Pokemon has quite a bit of utility if it manages to set up.

Greninja for S Rank:

Ability: Protean

Moves: Surf/Hydro Pump/Waterfall, Dark Pulse/Night Slash, Extrasensory, Spikes/Toxic Spikes/Haze/Mat Block/Acrobatics

Greninja is probably one of the best Dark types ever. With the great insta-STAB ability, Protean, this Pokemon can be a menace as a Physical, Special, or Mixed Attacker! The first three moves are pretty obvious things you'd want to have one a Greninja. As for the last one, Spikes and Toxic Spikes are great for setting things up, but you probably want to kill things before they kill you. Haze is only for the situation where Pokemon can set up. Mat Block is more used for Doubles, since most people know what big trainers' teams are and don't need to scout, and Acrobatics can just be used for coverage. Greninja is definitely a great glass cannon for a Dark Monotype!

Liepard for C/B Rank:

Abiltiy: Prankster

Moves: Fake Out, Night Slash/Sucker Punch, Play Rough, Sand Attack/Taunt/Attract/Charm/Yawn/Encore

Liepard is a very fast Pokemon with decent offenses. Plus, most of its moves gain some form of Priority. Fake Out is a first-turn attack, Night Slash or Sucker Punch is Liepard's best STAB, Play Rough is for coverage and that slight chance of lowering Attack, and those last few moves all are moves that have Priority from Prankster, each being useful in some way. Attract and Yawn are for stopping the opponent, Taunt and Encore are for Pokemon setting up, Charm is simply for lowering Attack, and Sand Attack, my personal favorite, can be used to try to make the opponent miss every attack. Liepard was especially useful for those battles meant to be lost or just hard battles in general, seeing that Sand Attack has priority and can be used so that every boss could potentially miss. In addition, Liepard is one of the earliest Pokemon you can get, so it's great for the beginning-middle of the game!

[Revman]

Alright, time for me to tell y'all some of my Dark Monotype experiences.

Malamar for A/S Rank:

Ability: Contrary is the best, but Infiltrator could also be used.

Moves: Psycho Cut, Night Slash, Superpower (goes well with Contrary), Hypnosis/Pluck (for those berries)/Light Screen/Destiny Bond

Malamar has the coveted Ability Contrary, which makes it an absolute beast if it can set up while still doing some very nice damage with Superpower. It also has Psycho Cut and Night Slash as its two best STABs as of right now. Those three moves just simply must be on your Malamar. Your fourth move slot if your choice, however. Hypnosis, while having low accuracy, could be useful for Pokemon that are particularly annoying. Pluck gives some decent coverage while also stealing any opponent's berry, which could be useful for the early game, when Sitrus Berries are still being used. Light Screen is just there to boost your team's Special Defense, and Destiny Bond is very nice, since Malamar doesn't have the best Defenses. Overall, this Pokemon has quite a bit of utility if it manages to set up.

Greninja for S Rank:

Ability: Protean

Moves: Surf/Hydro Pump/Waterfall, Dark Pulse/Night Slash, Extrasensory, Spikes/Toxic Spikes/Haze/Mat Block/Acrobatics

Greninja is probably one of the best Dark types ever. With the great insta-STAB ability, Protean, this Pokemon can be a menace as a Physical, Special, or Mixed Attacker! The first three moves are pretty obvious things you'd want to have one a Greninja. As for the last one, Spikes and Toxic Spikes are great for setting things up, but you probably want to kill things before they kill you. Haze is only for the situation where Pokemon can set up. Mat Block is more used for Doubles, since most people know what big trainers' teams are and don't need to scout, and Acrobatics can just be used for coverage. Greninja is definitely a great glass cannon for a Dark Monotype!

Liepard for C/B Rank:

Abiltiy: Prankster

Moves: Fake Out, Night Slash/Sucker Punch, Play Rough, Sand Attack/Taunt/Attract/Charm/Yawn/Encore

Liepard is a very fast Pokemon with decent offenses. Plus, most of its moves gain some form of Priority. Fake Out is a first-turn attack, Night Slash or Sucker Punch is Liepard's best STAB, Play Rough is for coverage and that slight chance of lowering Attack, and those last few moves all are moves that have Priority from Prankster, each being useful in some way. Attract and Yawn are for stopping the opponent, Taunt and Encore are for Pokemon setting up, Charm is simply for lowering Attack, and Sand Attack, my personal favorite, can be used to try to make the opponent miss every attack. Liepard was especially useful for those battles meant to be lost or just hard battles in general, seeing that Sand Attack has priority and can be used so that every boss could potentially miss. In addition, Liepard is one of the earliest Pokemon you can get, so it's great for the beginning-middle of the game!

Those were some awesome analysis', thank you! I decided to make Liepard B rank due to it being one of the few Pokemon Dark can use to beat those "impossible" boss battles.

Torterra for A/S rank

Ability: Shell Armor

Type: Ground

Moves: Wood Hammer, Earthquake, Crunch, Curse/Leech Seed

Item: bright powder, sash, anything that raises power of any of its attacking moves

Reason: Torterra has a good typing to assist in a ground mono-type run having 95/105/85 is fairly decent defensive stats especially on defence, its ability Shell Armor is excellent giving it complete immunity to critical hits making it much easier to avoid RNG hax especially with breaking through stat bonuses which you can gain in defence with curse while simultaneously increasing your attack further, Torterra has an above average attack of 109 once again can be further increased by curse making its powerful STAB Wood Hammer and Earthquake even more formidable. Leech Seed is also a viable option if setting up will not work allowing it to recover hp or help allies even after fainting, Crunch is a bit of a filler move but it has decent power can lower opponents defence and is learned naturally by leveling like the rest of its set. Despite Torterra being a bulky strong STAB monster for ground it has a couple of minor short comings which makes it potentially only A rank, one of which is its typing which while good for countering water leaves it easily open to most ice type attacks if outsped which is sadly common due to its second shortcoming a low speed stat, Torterras last and largest problem is a lack of rock type attacks which it would usually get through Stone Edge or Rock Slide but are not available TM's at this time which would otherwise allow it to counter its personal weakness of flying types, and the mono-types general weakness to ice. Overall Torterra is a strong bulky Pokemon if a little slow and disadvantaged to ice, deserving a high A rank or low S rank in my opinion.

Not too sure about Torterra being S for Ground since it literally dies from Powder Snow, but the ability to handle Water types, having pretty decent bulk and setting up with curse whilst draining with Leech seed definitely makes him a high ranking Pokemon in Reborn imo. Still solid Analysis, thank you!

[Noir]

I agree with the Fighting STAB part, that's true; Poison does appreciate Drain Punch in a mono run for Steel/Rock types and for coverage. However I really don't think that Poison particularly needs a Water immunity. For instance, Poison has Venusaur, Vileplume and Dragalge in Reborn, all of which completely laugh off any Water attacks on either attacking spectrum. (Phys/Special) Gonna have to agree to disagree with you on S rank, I think Drapion can function just fine if not better as a Physical attacker for Poison in Reborn due to Hone Claws, any of the Fangs as coverage and knock off utility if you choose to use it. Another thing about Toxicroak is that it can't learn Ice Punch without Tutor or Earthquake without TM so until it either gets set up in Bulk Up/Swords dance or more coverage made available to him, that's what will hold him back from being a top ranking Poison type threat. Gonna list Toxicroak as A Rank.

While it doesn't need it in particular, do keep in mind we have this giant power creep called fields sometimes -- this isn't to give insult towards their usable Special Defense, but I'm pretty sure you'd prefer the immunity and the heal towards things like Surf, and again, this is a pretty big niche you get-- healing from Water attacks, passive terrain or rain, and Drain Punch. Resistance doesn't mean you take the hit well especially with these fields, although in the case of the Grass types I suppose their recovery makes up for it somewhat. This probably won't be that relevant until Amaria, though. I'd agree that Drapion's Dark typing alone merits it for S, but I'd again disagree that it outclasses Toxicroak as an attacker simply because it lacks a boosting move. It's not like Toxicroak is heavily reliant on it. Drapion's BP moves are generally pretty low and has lower attack as well, so Hone Claws won't make up for it -that- much, considering Drapion at +1 is still weaker than a Life Orb Toxicroak (and Drain Punch/rain whatever makes the recoil manageable, so it goes well, whereas Drapion's set up turn can wear it down despite decent defense). Drapion also doesn't have -that- good coverage; don't expect Fire Fang to hurt Steel types as desirably as Toxicroak's STAB would even with a boost, nor is Toxicroak inferior in terms of coverage even with the seemingly limited options it gets. I guess I'm missing the critical hit aspect, though, but the 50% only works on like say Cross Poison/Night Slash with Scope Lens, whereas Crunch/Knock Off will have their crit chance dropped significantly. Both of them pretty much gain "optimum" coverage with three moves of the same type, but one has a better STAB against Steels and has priority, whereas the other is crit reliant to do serious damage. I'm not sure if you missed Brick Break on Drapion as an option.

Rambling aside, though, here's more. No offense for the disagreement. I think you've not added it yet, but I suppose I won't object further at this point.

Garbodor: B/C

Moves: Acid Spray, Toxic Spikes, Spikes, Sludge Bomb/Sludge Wave, Gunk Shot, Hidden Power Fire/Ground, Toxic, Body Slam.

Ability: Aftermath

Garbodor as an early game grab (Trubbish) offers pretty nice utility in the form of Toxic Spikes, which is really helpful in wearing down important people such as gym leaders. It's particularly useful in Doubles due to Acid Spray support that means your Special Attackers will do much more damage to a select Pokemon. If you do breed it, it also gets Spikes which again can rack up damage for easier kills. If Toxic Spikes support is undesirable, it can directly use Toxic or attempt a Paralyze with Body Slam. Garbodor's effectiveness diminishes as you proceed into the mid-game where it's utility is no longer as appreciated with the threats being more powerful and things growing to be more fast paced, and Spikes support isn't that good of a thing as it comes to the later stages.

Edited June 6, 2015 by YagamiNoir4896

[Revman]

While it doesn't need it in particular, do keep in mind we have this giant power creep called fields sometimes -- this isn't to give insult towards their usable Special Defense, but I'm pretty sure you'd prefer the immunity and the heal towards things like Surf, and again, this is a pretty big niche you get-- healing from Water attacks, passive terrain or rain, and Drain Punch. Resistance doesn't mean you take the hit well especially with these fields, although in the case of the Grass types I suppose their recovery makes up for it somewhat. This probably won't be that relevant until Amaria, though. I'd agree that Drapion's Dark typing alone merits it for S, but I'd again disagree that it outclasses Toxicroak as an attacker simply because it lacks a boosting move. It's not like Toxicroak is heavily reliant on it. Drapion's BP moves are generally pretty low and has lower attack as well, so Hone Claws won't make up for it -that- much, considering Drapion at +1 is still weaker than a Life Orb Toxicroak (and Drain Punch/rain whatever makes the recoil manageable, so it goes well, whereas Drapion's set up turn can wear it down despite decent defense). Drapion also doesn't have -that- good coverage; don't expect Fire Fang to hurt Steel types as desirably as Toxicroak's STAB would even with a boost, nor is Toxicroak inferior in terms of coverage even with the seemingly limited options it gets. I guess I'm missing the critical hit aspect, though, but the 50% only works on like say Cross Poison/Night Slash with Scope Lens, whereas Crunch/Knock Off will have their crit chance dropped significantly. Both of them pretty much gain "optimum" coverage with three moves of the same type, but one has a better STAB against Steels and has priority, whereas the other is crit reliant to do serious damage. I'm not sure if you missed Brick Break on Drapion as an option.

Rambling aside, though, here's more. No offense for the disagreement. I think you've not added it yet, but I suppose I won't object further at this point.

Garbodor: B/C

Moves: Acid Spray, Toxic Spikes, Spikes, Sludge Bomb/Sludge Wave, Gunk Shot, Hidden Power Fire/Ground, Toxic, Body Slam.

Ability: Aftermath

Garbodor as an early game grab (Trubbish) offers pretty nice utility in the form of Toxic Spikes, which is really helpful in wearing down important people such as gym leaders. It's particularly useful in Doubles due to Acid Spray support that means your Special Attackers will do much more damage to a select Pokemon. If you do breed it, it also gets Spikes which again can rack up damage for easier kills. If Toxic Spikes support is undesirable, it can directly use Toxic or attempt a Paralyze with Body Slam. Garbodor's effectiveness diminishes as you proceed into the mid-game where it's utility is no longer as appreciated with the threats being more powerful and things growing to be more fast paced, and Spikes support isn't that good of a thing as it comes to the later stages.

Yeah I've been thinking about Toxicroak and I'm still unsure as to whether it really does merit S which is why I haven't posted it yet; not because of the fact I fully disagree with your opinion but rather that I believe that a Water immunity isn't exactly what Poison needs and Toxicroak has a cripplingly small Movepool without Tutors and relevant TMs. Since S tier heavily insinuates that these Pokemon are perfect or have little to no draw backs, I'm not 100% sure that Toxicroak deserves it since it lacks Bulk Up/Swords Dance, Ice Punch, Rock Slide/Stone Edge. I've added it as A, and if it gets any of those a fore mentioned moves then I'll jump it to S.

As for Garbodor, I've added your analysis for it too; thanks!

[Noir]

Yeah I've been thinking about Toxicroak and I'm still unsure as to whether it really does merit S which is why I haven't posted it yet; not because of the fact I fully disagree with your opinion but rather that I believe that a Water immunity isn't exactly what Poison needs and Toxicroak has a cripplingly small Movepool without Tutors and relevant TMs. Since S tier heavily insinuates that these Pokemon are perfect or have little to no draw backs, I'm not 100% sure that Toxicroak deserves it since it lacks Bulk Up/Swords Dance, Ice Punch, Rock Slide/Stone Edge. I've added it as A, and if it gets any of those a fore mentioned moves then I'll jump it to S.

As for Garbodor, I've added your analysis for it too; thanks!

Why is "a small movepool without TMs" a drawback? I wouldn't call it "very crippling" either -- what does it lack when it can hit everything but itself for neutral damage with just three moves? The only setup move a physical Poison type can have at the moment is Hone Claws which is usable for only Drapion, which I've said doesn't hit as hard as a Life Orb Toxicroak without critical hits into the equation, which is only relevant on Cross Poison most of the time. Drapion's access to the elemental fangs and Brick Break alongside Hone Claws doesn't necessarily make it a better physical attacker than Toxicroak, especially considering Toxicroak still outdamages it at +1.

Toxicroak reaches near perfect coverage with it's Dual STAB and Sucker Punch alone -- it doesn't exactly need anything else, on a playthrough anyway, noting that Toxicroak does have the highest Attack amongst all obtainable Poison types, apart from the all-important Fighting trait. Sorry if I'm a bit adamant -- I just know from experience it's that good.

I'll go write up some more, though -- particularly about say Muk, Weezing, Skuntank and Scolipede.

[Revman]

Why is "a small movepool without TMs" a drawback? I wouldn't call it "very crippling" either -- what does it lack when it can hit everything but itself for neutral damage with just three moves? The only setup move a physical Poison type can have at the moment is Hone Claws which is usable for only Drapion, which I've said doesn't hit as hard as a Life Orb Toxicroak without critical hits into the equation, which is only relevant on Cross Poison most of the time. Drapion's access to the elemental fangs and Brick Break alongside Hone Claws doesn't necessarily make it a better physical attacker than Toxicroak, especially considering Toxicroak still outdamages it at +1.

Toxicroak reaches near perfect coverage with it's Dual STAB and Sucker Punch alone -- it doesn't exactly need anything else, on a playthrough anyway, noting that Toxicroak does have the highest Attack amongst all obtainable Poison types, apart from the all-important Fighting trait. Sorry if I'm a bit adamant -- I just know from experience it's that good.

I'll go write up some more, though -- particularly about say Muk, Weezing, Skuntank and Scolipede.

Hitting everything for neutral damage and hitting more Pokemon for Super Effective damage are two VERY different things. Maybe it's not crippling but it has its full potential limited by the lack of Tutors/TMs. It's not S rank material, it's just plain not good enough without set up, you also keep mentioning Life Orb Toxicroak, why does that even matter Life Orb's not available in the game? I've used Toxicroak too though, in both Reborn AND Rejuvenation. In Rejuvenation it has Bulk up and it's significantly better when it's able to actually boost its attack stat as opposed to Reborn where it has no set up. Lastly, there's no major NPCs aside from Luna currently in which Fighting STAB would make a major difference in victory and even then you can use Venomoth and stuff like Moonblast Vileplume for her. I wouldn't be this opposed to it being S Tier unless I'd used it and was fairly certain that it didn't fit the bill.

[Noir]

Hitting everything for neutral damage and hitting more Pokemon for Super Effective damage are two VERY different things. Maybe it's not crippling but it has its full potential limited by the lack of Tutors/TMs. It's not S rank material, it's just plain not good enough without set up, you also keep mentioning Life Orb Toxicroak, why does that even matter Life Orb's not available in the game? I've used Toxicroak too though, in both Reborn AND Rejuvenation. In Rejuvenation it has Bulk up and it's significantly better when it's able to actually boost its attack stat as opposed to Reborn where it has no set up. Lastly, there's no major NPCs aside from Luna currently in which Fighting STAB would make a major difference in victory and even then you can use Venomoth and stuff like Moonblast Vileplume for her. I wouldn't be this opposed to it being S Tier unless I'd used it and was fairly certain that it didn't fit the bill.

Well, they're your rankings, so I won't argue this further. Apart from the validity that Life Orb is in the game (well, I saw something about all items such as LO being implemented but I could be wrong), and in that Venomoth/Vileplume are more effective than Toxicroak against Luna.

Pursuing on topic.

Muk

Ranking: A

Moves: Gunk Shot, Curse, Shadow Punch, Shadow Ball, Flamethrower, Brick Break, Sludge Bomb, Sludge Wave, Acid Spray, Acid Armor

Ability: Poison Touch

Muk's an odd Pokemon but surprisingly strong under the right hands. With high HP, Attack, and Special Defense, Muk is debatably one of if not the best Curse user on a Poison type run. With acquirable physical moves such as Gunk Shot, Shadow Ball and Brick Break, as well as an array of Special moves like Flamethrower and Acid Spray, it can act as an offensive force from both spectrums as a bulky tank. Acid Armor can make it borderline unbreakable as a tank, but is otherwise inferior to Curse which also boosts Attack.

Skuntank

Ranking: D

Moves: Flamethrower, Night Slash, Crunch, Play Rough, Iron Tail, Toxic.

Skuntank is cursed as a Poison type without an effective Poison STAB, but some neat moves like Play Rough, Iron Tail and a Dark STAB to complement it. It's got Flamethrower for Steel back up, and high HP and decent Attack/Speed makes it seem fair for a run. Skuntank doesn't particularly offer a lot apart from it's slightly more diverse physical movepool and typing, and is heavily outclassed by a lot of physical Pokemon in undertaking roles for your team, particularly Drapion. It would have far more merit if you bred it pre-13, but otherwise it's options are very limited.

Edited June 6, 2015 by YagamiNoir4896

[Revman]

Well, they're your rankings, so I won't argue this further. Apart from the validity that Life Orb is in the game (well, I saw something about all items such as LO being implemented but I could be wrong), and in that Venomoth/Vileplume are more effective than Toxicroak against Luna.

Pursuing on topic.

Muk

Ranking: A

Moves: Gunk Shot, Curse, Shadow Punch, Shadow Ball, Flamethrower, Brick Break, Sludge Bomb, Sludge Wave, Acid Spray, Acid Armor

Ability: Poison Touch

Muk's an odd Pokemon but surprisingly strong under the right hands. With high HP, Attack, and Special Defense, Muk is debatably one of if not the best Curse user on a Poison type run. With acquirable physical moves such as Gunk Shot, Shadow Ball and Brick Break, as well as an array of Special moves like Flamethrower and Acid Spray, it can act as an offensive force from both spectrums as a bulky tank. Acid Armor can make it borderline unbreakable as a tank, but is otherwise inferior to Curse which also boosts Attack.

Skuntank

Ranking: D

Moves: Flamethrower, Night Slash, Crunch, Play Rough, Iron Tail, Toxic.

Skuntank is cursed as a Poison type without an effective Poison STAB, but some neat moves like Play Rough, Iron Tail and a Dark STAB to complement it. It's got Flamethrower for Steel back up, and high HP and decent Attack/Speed makes it seem fair for a run. Skuntank doesn't particularly offer a lot apart from it's slightly more diverse physical movepool and typing, and is heavily outclassed by a lot of physical Pokemon in undertaking roles for your team, particularly Drapion. It would have far more merit if you bred it pre-13, but otherwise it's options are very limited.

I'm inclined to disagree with D ranking for Skuntank for the sole reason that it naturally learns Flamethrower upon evolution and that Poison doesn't have many other options for Fern's Ferrothorn/Ferroseed until it becomes a TM for the Nidos or until you get Hidden Power, otherwise I agree completely. I'm gonna put Skuntank in C for that sole reason. No problem about disagreements, this thread should double as a forum in which people can voice their opinons on Pokemon in Monotype so it's all good.

Thanks for another few solid analysis'! I appreciate it.

Edit: Also, I checked on the hunt and from what it says there presently, Life orb is not available to the player as a usable item. (I saw like at least 4 Life orbs being used by the AI in Ep 15 tho, they're everywhere now)

[Ninjarisu]

Electric Mono

Ampharos S Rank

The only Electric pokemon I have at the time (between Radomus and Luna) that can not only live a hit with enough HP to not be 2HKO'd but also with enough power to but a dent in the opp. team with moves like signal beam for grass types which only 2 pokemon can handle and access to cotton guard, confuse ray thunder wave/discharge, charge beam and power gem. He almost solely swept Radomus and has been a great asset to the team since I saved him in Jasper

Current moves: Charge beam, Rock Gem, Signal Beam, Confuse Ray

Emolga A Rank

Ok, listen to me here. The Flying typing that Emolga brings is a must on any Electric mono team. Combined its acrobatics move with trolling with double team (trust me you need to use it in Electric mono) Emolga has been a great weapon to use. It took me 3 days of trying to get past Ferns team in Route 1 (Its a straight electric mono counter) I rank Emolga above Pokemon like Intimdate Luxray and Sturdy Magnezone because early and current game for me, there is no better option to beating grass types than Emolga

Current Moves: Acrobatics, Electro Ball, Charge Beam, Double Team

Luxray A Rank

Intimidate. Need I say more when it comes to a frail type like Electric. The team support Luxray brings to help mons like Ampharos and Stunfisk (yes stunfisk) is a must to defeat some rivals and bosses in the game. Combined that with spark, swagger and bite and the opp. rarely moves and you change from getting your ass handed to you to putting up a good fight. And you need a strong physical attacker and electric isnt full of them with only the Pikachu line and Luxray being able to be strong physical attackers

Current Moves: Swagger, Spark, Bite, Crunch

Magnezone B Rank

Electric terrain coupled with sturdy and a steel type gives a reasonable tank. Hes no where near Ampharos levels but you gotta take what you can get with such a limited number of pokemon. I solely rank Magnezone a B because I had high hopes for him but in terms of bulk and with added field damage, Stunfisk has just been a better choice. Its a must to have on your team, but sadly without breeding for hidden power and with it as one of the only mons to get electric terrain, I had to use it in that manner. But I can see as a full on attack the potential for being an A rank with flash cannon/discharge/chargebeam/hiddenpower. But again, in a team where almost every pokemon is special, you need to use there hidden talents more.

Current Moves: Electric Terrain, Charge Beam, Discharge, Flash Cannon

Stunfisk B/C Rank

This little gem. You have no idea how much you need a water move (muddy water and soon surf) and ground move (mud bomb) until you have played so long without either. His insane bulk without any EV training has jumped him up from a "I'll try him out" to a must have. If he got access to moves like earth power (tutor only) and wasnt as slow as he is, he would be a great chance for A Rank. But with mud bomb as his strongest ground attack its hard to give him even a B Rank.

Current Moves: Sludge Wave, Mud Bomb, Muddy Water, ThunderBolt

Rotom To Be Decided

Since I have not had access to his formes yet, I'll leave him out for now. But I do see him easily being a S Rank with finally bringing either a fire, water or grass stab move to the team. But without using him yet I feel like it'll more be about talking about him in a competitive scene and we all know what hes like there anyway.

Edited June 7, 2015 by Ninjarisu

[ShadowStar]

Magnezone learns Magnet Rise naturally. Would that be good to support the rest of the team?

[Ninjarisu]

Magnezone learns Magnet Rise naturally. Would that be good to support the rest of the team?

Simply because of the fact it takes a turn to set up and only effect Magnezone it doesnt help out the team at all and swapping into Emolga would do the job much better

[ShadowStar]

Yeah Emolga is great w/ Ground Immunity and all.

Edited June 7, 2015 by ShadowStar77

[Revman]

Electric Mono

Ampharos S Rank

The only Electric pokemon I have at the time (between Radomus and Luna) that can not only live a hit with enough HP to not be 2HKO'd but also with enough power to but a dent in the opp. team with moves like signal beam for grass types which only 2 pokemon can handle and access to cotton guard, confuse ray thunder wave/discharge, charge beam and power gem. He almost solely swept Radomus and has been a great asset to the team since I saved him in Jasper

Current moves: Charge beam, Rock Gem, Signal Beam, Confuse Ray

Emolga A Rank

Ok, listen to me here. The Flying typing that Emolga brings is a must on any Electric mono team. Combined its acrobatics move with trolling with double team (trust me you need to use it in Electric mono) Emolga has been a great weapon to use. It took me 3 days of trying to get past Ferns team in Route 1 (Its a straight electric mono counter) I rank Emolga above Pokemon like Intimdate Luxray and Sturdy Magnezone because early and current game for me, there is no better option to beating grass types than Emolga

Current Moves: Acrobatics, Electro Ball, Charge Beam, Double Team

Luxray A Rank

Intimidate. Need I say more when it comes to a frail type like Electric. The team support Luxray brings to help mons like Ampharos and Stunfisk (yes stunfisk) is a must to defeat some rivals and bosses in the game. Combined that with spark, swagger and bite and the opp. rarely moves and you change from getting your ass handed to you to putting up a good fight. And you need a strong physical attacker and electric isnt full of them with only the Pikachu line and Luxray being able to be strong physical attackers

Current Moves: Swagger, Spark, Bite, Crunch

Magnezone B Rank

Electric terrain coupled with sturdy and a steel type gives a reasonable tank. Hes no where near Ampharos levels but you gotta take what you can get with such a limited number of pokemon. I solely rank Magnezone a B because I had high hopes for him but in terms of bulk and with added field damage, Stunfisk has just been a better choice. Its a must to have on your team, but sadly without breeding for hidden power and with it as one of the only mons to get electric terrain, I had to use it in that manner. But I can see as a full on attack the potential for being an A rank with flash cannon/discharge/chargebeam/hiddenpower. But again, in a team where almost every pokemon is special, you need to use there hidden talents more.

Current Moves: Electric Terrain, Charge Beam, Discharge, Flash Cannon

Stunfisk B/C Rank

This little gem. You have no idea how much you need a water move (muddy water and soon surf) and ground move (mud bomb) until you have played so long without either. His insane bulk without any EV training has jumped him up from a "I'll try him out" to a must have. If he got access to moves like earth power (tutor only) and wasnt as slow as he is, he would be a great chance for A Rank. But with mud bomb as his strongest ground attack its hard to give him even a B Rank.

Current Moves: Sludge Wave, Mud Bomb, Muddy Water, ThunderBolt

Rotom To Be Decided

Since I have not had access to his formes yet, I'll leave him out for now. But I do see him easily being a S Rank with finally bringing either a fire, water or grass stab move to the team. But without using him yet I feel like it'll more be about talking about him in a competitive scene and we all know what hes like there anyway.

Awesome, do let me know when you've completed your Rotom analysis, I'd love to hear it. Also, thank you for your Electric mono analysis, hopefully you'll be able to give us a few more!

[ArthurZH]

Some updates:

Greninja : A > S Rank

At first I assumed Greninja was not OP, but I'd like to rectify it: It's not so OP early game. Extrasensory at lvl 49 and eventually Dark Pulse after Ame fixed the stuff regarding it really helped a lot. However, I would still not rank it as a must take mon, but rather a very nice option to have as you will need the extrasensory coverage for Roserades, Vileplumes etc Grass/Poison types which might be a little troublesome, not to mention a big help in the form of Dark Pulse coverage. Do keep in mind that if you take this, you're stuck with Whiscash or Lanturn for your Electric Counter, as Swampert isn't available.

Clawitzer : Edit movepool to include Sludge Wave.

Surprising? Yes, this monster learns Sludge Wave, which might be helpful depending on your roster. Naturally, one would take Clawitzer of Swampert as the candidate for a Poison move, which helps in hitting those fairies hard (I'm looking at Togekiss in particular, stupid paraflincher....). Also, thanks to Dark Pulse being a TM, you can safely swap out Dark Pulse for Sludge Wave and vice versa when you're done with a particularly annoying battle where you think Dark Pulse is useless against and you need Sludge Wave. Not to mention you probably already have Greninja.

[Imperial]

Torterra for A/S rank

Ability: Shell Armor

Type: Ground

Moves: Wood Hammer, Earthquake, Crunch, Curse/Leech Seed

Item: bright powder, sash, anything that raises power of any of its attacking moves

Reason: Torterra has a good typing to assist in a ground mono-type run having 95/105/85 is fairly decent defensive stats especially on defence, its ability Shell Armor is excellent giving it complete immunity to critical hits making it much easier to avoid RNG hax especially with breaking through stat bonuses which you can gain in defence with curse while simultaneously increasing your attack further, Torterra has an above average attack of 109 once again can be further increased by curse making its powerful STAB Wood Hammer and Earthquake even more formidable. Leech Seed is also a viable option if setting up will not work allowing it to recover hp or help allies even after fainting, Crunch is a bit of a filler move but it has decent power can lower opponents defence and is learned naturally by leveling like the rest of its set. Despite Torterra being a bulky strong STAB monster for ground it has a couple of minor short comings which makes it potentially only A rank, one of which is its typing which while good for countering water leaves it easily open to most ice type attacks if outsped which is sadly common due to its second shortcoming a low speed stat, Torterras last and largest problem is a lack of rock type attacks which it would usually get through Stone Edge or Rock Slide but are not available TM's at this time which would otherwise allow it to counter its personal weakness of flying types, and the mono-types general weakness to ice. Overall Torterra is a strong bulky Pokemon if a little slow and disadvantaged to ice, deserving a high A rank or low S rank in my opinion.

I would rather say S rank for Torterra. It's indeed useless against Serra or Blake, but if you can set it up against a physical mon, or at least not a special sweeper, 6 curses (with synthesis to survive the time to use them) and you can solo many leaders. Flying type ? If you can set up before it comes (so not Ciel) they are easy to deal with since they are often physical. Remember Noel's terrifying Swellow ? Its Brave Bird took my Torterra a very few HP, then I OHKO it with a Wood Hammer.

It's not OP like Blaziken, but a pokemon able to solo many Reborn leaders deserve a S rank imo. With Synthesis in its moveset, it's better than leech seed while setting up

[AndrewErblak]

Pyroar: Fire B Rank

Abilities: Moxie/Rivalry/Unnerve

Sets: Flamethrower/Hyper Voice, Noble Roar, Work Up, filler (can me strength)

Braveheart comes out to play in Pokemon Reborn. Being able to be picked up as early as Julie when received in a trade from an NPC it is a massive early game player. But as the game goes on it's use drops off. It can cripple Pokemon with the use of Noble Roar which will lower Atk and SpAtk down by one stage when used. The Boost its own Atk and SpAtk with the use of Work Up. This is amazing early game when Pokemon are weaker and slower. As the game goes on Pyroat becomes frail with poor defenses and the ability to really set up becomes limited, having to rely on recovering and crippling to have a chance. The 3 abilities don't help it much either, Moxie boosting a base 68 Attack stat when its special attack is a lousy 106, Rivalry being situational as all hell and Unnerve only effecting a small number of battles leave it hanging. A shame how a great Pokemon at the start of the game falls by the wayside so quickly.

Houndoom: Fire Rank B

Abilities: Early Bird. Flash Fire, Unnerve

Sets: Nasty Plot, Flamethrower, Dark Pulse, Filler (HP/Thunder Wave/Foul Play)

Amazing for the Psychic gym when running a Fire mono with immunity to Psychic. What hurts Houndoom is the timing in which you get it. Needing to have access to 7th Street and to join the Magma Gang and finish their story the Dark/Fire dog isn't able to be used to destroy Shelly, FloBot and Serra as it could easily do. What saves it from being C is the learning of Nasty Plot at level 52 as a Houndour and as a relearn move when it evolves. Pair a x2 SpAtk with a 110 Base Special attack and a lot of things will be 2HKO'ed. 95 Speed doesn't go too far astray either. But the rather pathetic 50 base Defense and 80 Special Defense leave it frail and ripe for an easy knock out if unable to KO.

[Revman]

I would rather say S rank for Torterra. It's indeed useless against Serra or Blake, but if you can set it up against a physical mon, or at least not a special sweeper, 6 curses (with synthesis to survive the time to use them) and you can solo many leaders. Flying type ? If you can set up before it comes (so not Ciel) they are easy to deal with since they are often physical. Remember Noel's terrifying Swellow ? Its Brave Bird took my Torterra a very few HP, then I OHKO it with a Wood Hammer.

It's not OP like Blaziken, but a pokemon able to solo many Reborn leaders deserve a S rank imo. With Synthesis in its moveset, it's better than leech seed while setting up

To be honest, OHKOing Swellow with a +2 STAB move is nothing special; Swellow basically has no defenses. S rank implies that this Pokemon is unparalleled and should be chosen over any other Pokemon on its type except for other S-Ranks. We don't have any S-Ranks yet but Torterra doesn't scream S to me although it could help slightly with a Water weakness. Keep in mind that the definition for S tier is:

These Pokemon are unparalleled on a team; bordering on broken-ness for their type, being able to preform whatever role it is the Pokemon is meant to preform with almost 0 downside whether it be Offensively or Defensively. These Pokemon need no support or very little in order for them to slot into your team and can fulfill a ton of roles for your team or one exceptionally well whilst even providing some utility themselves. Comparatively to other Pokemon on their type, there is no other Pokemon which should be used over it. When playing, these Pokemon should definitely be used.

Personally I think Torterra does it's job pretty well, but it only has one job and I don't think that it does it EXCEPTIONALLY well such as how after 2 bulk ups Blaziken can run down an entire team, or how Greninja on Dark can beat most Fighting types using Extrasensory/Shadow Sneak.

Edit: Also, this is a ground monotype team we're talking about; it's more than likely that the user could have Curse Steelix to deal with stuff like Weavile and Mamoswine that Torterra couldn't. Minus the leech seed part, Steelix out classes Torterra as a curse tank due to its crazy physical bulk and neutrality to ice.

Pyroar: Fire B Rank

Abilities: Moxie/Rivalry/Unnerve

Sets: Flamethrower/Hyper Voice, Noble Roar, Work Up, filler (can me strength)

Braveheart comes out to play in Pokemon Reborn. Being able to be picked up as early as Julie when received in a trade from an NPC it is a massive early game player. But as the game goes on it's use drops off. It can cripple Pokemon with the use of Noble Roar which will lower Atk and SpAtk down by one stage when used. The Boost its own Atk and SpAtk with the use of Work Up. This is amazing early game when Pokemon are weaker and slower. As the game goes on Pyroat becomes frail with poor defenses and the ability to really set up becomes limited, having to rely on recovering and crippling to have a chance. The 3 abilities don't help it much either, Moxie boosting a base 68 Attack stat when its special attack is a lousy 106, Rivalry being situational as all hell and Unnerve only effecting a small number of battles leave it hanging. A shame how a great Pokemon at the start of the game falls by the wayside so quickly.

Houndoom: Fire Rank B

Abilities: Early Bird. Flash Fire, Unnerve

Sets: Nasty Plot, Flamethrower, Dark Pulse, Filler (HP/Thunder Wave/Foul Play)

Amazing for the Psychic gym when running a Fire mono with immunity to Psychic. What hurts Houndoom is the timing in which you get it. Needing to have access to 7th Street and to join the Magma Gang and finish their story the Dark/Fire dog isn't able to be used to destroy Shelly, FloBot and Serra as it could easily do. What saves it from being C is the learning of Nasty Plot at level 52 as a Houndour and as a relearn move when it evolves. Pair a x2 SpAtk with a 110 Base Special attack and a lot of things will be 2HKO'ed. 95 Speed doesn't go too far astray either. But the rather pathetic 50 base Defense and 80 Special Defense leave it frail and ripe for an easy knock out if unable to KO.

Awesome as, thanks for contributing again!

Some updates:

Greninja : A > S Rank

At first I assumed Greninja was not OP, but I'd like to rectify it: It's not so OP early game. Extrasensory at lvl 49 and eventually Dark Pulse after Ame fixed the stuff regarding it really helped a lot. However, I would still not rank it as a must take mon, but rather a very nice option to have as you will need the extrasensory coverage for Roserades, Vileplumes etc Grass/Poison types which might be a little troublesome, not to mention a big help in the form of Dark Pulse coverage. Do keep in mind that if you take this, you're stuck with Whiscash or Lanturn for your Electric Counter, as Swampert isn't available.

Clawitzer : Edit movepool to include Sludge Wave.

Surprising? Yes, this monster learns Sludge Wave, which might be helpful depending on your roster. Naturally, one would take Clawitzer of Swampert as the candidate for a Poison move, which helps in hitting those fairies hard (I'm looking at Togekiss in particular, stupid paraflincher....). Also, thanks to Dark Pulse being a TM, you can safely swap out Dark Pulse for Sludge Wave and vice versa when you're done with a particularly annoying battle where you think Dark Pulse is useless against and you need Sludge Wave. Not to mention you probably already have Greninja.

Changes added fam, thanks for some more input on Water; I appreciate it!

[CompetitiveEdge]

Pokemon: Greninja

Ability Protean

Move Set: Hydro Pump/Surf, Extrasensory, Smack Down, Shadow Sneak/Lick/Grass knot

Rank: S

Analysis: By far the best Dark Pokemon available in Reborn, Greninja Boasts a stellar 122 Base speed stat, which just about out speeds anything and everything, so all you need to focus on is raw power. Coupled with a great learn set for a dark type, Greninja is a staple for any Dark Monotype.

Hydro Pump/Surf is a move that should be on every Greninja and is self-explanatory.

Extrasensory is another important move for Greninja, as it essential for taking down Dark Monotypes greatest threat, Fighting Pokemon. With Protean making all of Greninja’s receive a STAB bonus, an extrasensory will lay waste to any fighting Pokemon that doesn’t have a secondary type to help deal with the attack.

Smack Down is required to make short work of Bug Type Pokemon, which is another major problem for Dark Monotypes, It will also come in handy for Charlotte and the newly introduced Ciel, who are arguably the hardest leaders in the game as of Episode 15.

A ghost type move is generally preferred for the final slot, this is simply for gaining an immunity to fighting type moves/pokemon and finishing them off with an extrasensory or a hydropump, although this move can be swapped out for grass knot just for coverage.

Pokemon: Houndoom

Ability: Flash Fire

Move Set: Flamethrower, Dark Pulse, Nasty Plot, Thunder Fang

Rank: A

Analysis: Houndoom’s role in a Dark Monotype is very simple, to make the threat of Bug Monotypes non-existent. It’s powerfull flamethrower will OHKO nearly every bug in the game.

It’s base speed stat of 95 makes it out speed, again, nearly every bug in the game, and it is a good speed stat to have in general. Dark Pulse is purely for anything that resists a fire attack as flamethrower is Houndoom’s primary move.

Nasty Plot, is good for situations in which you know your opponent will use a potion, in which case you could set up and proceed to swiftly kill everything in one shot, that doesn’t kill you first.

Thunder Fang, is preference move, and it’s just to pinch a bit of damage on water types.

Pokemon: Honchkrow

Ability: Moxie

Move Set: Sucker Punch, Night Slash, Brave Bird/Drill Peck/Fly/Wing Attack, Swagger

Rank: S

Analysis: Despite being an exceptional Pokémon over all, being able to deal with Fighting Monotypes and Bug Monotypes while being able to sweep entire teams by itself, Honchkrow is a hard Pokemon for any Dark Monotype user to look past.

Sucker Punch, is Honchkrow’s primary move, with a strong 80bp and priority if the opponent uses a damaging attacking, it is a move that noone should turn down.

With very predictable AI, you will know there will be times when the opponent will not attack you and will use a potion or tries to use a non-damaging move. This is the time when you use Night slash, a sure fire a way to get off a STAB dark type attack.

Wing Attack remains Honkrows main flying stab, it is the only physical move I learns via level up and despite only having a 60bp, it is better than nothing .Brave Bird, Drill peck are both egg moves, so unless you want to train a Honchkrow from lvl 1, these moves aren’t for you. Fly has been released in reborn as of episode 15, and you will not be able to use it until you are up to Ciel in game, which is nearly the end of episode 15.

Swagger is purely filler and you can be replaced with anything of the players choice.

And finaly, The cherry on the cake, Moxie. This ability will rip any team through shreds. Getting a +1 attack boost for every kill paired with sucker punch, very few Pokemon will stand in its way once Honchkrow gets going.

Pokemon: Crawdaunt:

Move Set: Crab Hammer, Crunch, Dragon Dance, Super Power

Ability: Adaptability

Rank: S

Analysis: Crawdaunt is preety much the definition of a glass cannon. With below average defenses, it cannot take a lot of hits. But paired with 120 base attack and adaptability, it will be very hard for any pokemon to take more than 2 hits from this beast.

Crab Hammer and Crunch paired with Adaptability will punch gaping holes in any pokemon and team, and need no explanation as to why they are used on Crawdaunt.

One of the main thing that stops Crawdaunt from becoming an unstoppable powerhouse is it’s poor speed. But this can be fixed by breeding dragon dance on to it. With the speed boost as well as an attack boost from dragon dance, nothing is safe from Crawdaunt.

Super Power is simply used when there are pokemon that you think can take a hit or 2 from Crawdaunt, despite that being a very few pokemon, there are some out there such as Ferrothorn. These pokemon generally don’t tend to appreciate a Super Power to the face

[Revman]

Pokemon: Greninja

Ability Protean

Move Set: Hydro Pump/Surf, Extrasensory, Smack Down, Shadow Sneak/Lick/Grass knot

Rank: S

Analysis: By far the best Dark Pokemon available in Reborn, Greninja Boasts a stellar 122 Base speed stat, which just about out speeds anything and everything, so all you need to focus on is raw power. Coupled with a great learn set for a dark type, Greninja is a staple for any Dark Monotype.

Hydro Pump/Surf is a move that should be on every Greninja and is self-explanatory.

Extrasensory is another important move for Greninja, as it essential for taking down Dark Monotypes greatest threat, Fighting Pokemon. With Protean making all of Greninja’s receive a STAB bonus, an extrasensory will lay waste to any fighting Pokemon that doesn’t have a secondary type to help deal with the attack.

Smack Down is required to make short work of Bug Type Pokemon, which is another major problem for Dark Monotypes, It will also come in handy for Charlotte and the newly introduced Ciel, who are arguably the hardest leaders in the game as of Episode 15.

A ghost type move is generally preferred for the final slot, this is simply for gaining an immunity to fighting type moves/pokemon and finishing them off with an extrasensory or a hydropump, although this move can be swapped out for grass knot just for coverage.

Pokemon: Houndoom

Ability: Flash Fire

Move Set: Flamethrower, Dark Pulse, Nasty Plot, Thunder Fang

Rank: A

Analysis: Houndoom’s role in a Dark Monotype is very simple, to make the threat of Bug Monotypes non-existent. It’s powerfull flamethrower will OHKO nearly every bug in the game.

It’s base speed stat of 95 makes it out speed, again, nearly every bug in the game, and it is a good speed stat to have in general. Dark Pulse is purely for anything that resists a fire attack as flamethrower is Houndoom’s primary move.

Nasty Plot, is good for situations in which you know your opponent will use a potion, in which case you could set up and proceed to swiftly kill everything in one shot, that doesn’t kill you first.

Thunder Fang, is preference move, and it’s just to pinch a bit of damage on water types.

Pokemon: Honchkrow

Ability: Moxie

Move Set: Sucker Punch, Night Slash, Brave Bird/Drill Peck/Fly/Wing Attack, Swagger

Rank: S

Analysis: Despite being an exceptional Pokémon over all, being able to deal with Fighting Monotypes and Bug Monotypes while being able to sweep entire teams by itself, Honchkrow is a hard Pokemon for any Dark Monotype user to look past.

Sucker Punch, is Honchkrow’s primary move, with a strong 80bp and priority if the opponent uses a damaging attacking, it is a move that noone should turn down.

With very predictable AI, you will know there will be times when the opponent will not attack you and will use a potion or tries to use a non-damaging move. This is the time when you use Night slash, a sure fire a way to get off a STAB dark type attack.

Wing Attack remains Honkrows main flying stab, it is the only physical move I learns via level up and despite only having a 60bp, it is better than nothing .Brave Bird, Drill peck are both egg moves, so unless you want to train a Honchkrow from lvl 1, these moves aren’t for you. Fly has been released in reborn as of episode 15, and you will not be able to use it until you are up to Ciel in game, which is nearly the end of episode 15.

Swagger is purely filler and you can be replaced with anything of the players choice.

And finaly, The cherry on the cake, Moxie. This ability will rip any team through shreds. Getting a +1 attack boost for every kill paired with sucker punch, very few Pokemon will stand in its way once Honchkrow gets going.

Pokemon: Crawdaunt:

Move Set: Crab Hammer, Crunch, Dragon Dance, Super Power

Ability: Adaptability

Rank: S

Analysis: Crawdaunt is preety much the definition of a glass cannon. With below average defenses, it cannot take a lot of hits. But paired with 120 base attack and adaptability, it will be very hard for any pokemon to take more than 2 hits from this beast.

Crab Hammer and Crunch paired with Adaptability will punch gaping holes in any pokemon and team, and need no explanation as to why they are used on Crawdaunt.

One of the main thing that stops Crawdaunt from becoming an unstoppable powerhouse is it’s poor speed. But this can be fixed by breeding dragon dance on to it. With the speed boost as well as an attack boost from dragon dance, nothing is safe from Crawdaunt.

Super Power is simply used when there are pokemon that you think can take a hit or 2 from Crawdaunt, despite that being a very few pokemon, there are some out there such as Ferrothorn. These pokemon generally don’t tend to appreciate a Super Power to the face

Awesome as, thanks a ton although Aqua Jet can be bred on to Crawdaunt as well so you may wanna edit your comment or something; but I still agree even without it it's still S because of the fact it can just blatantly rip holes in things.

[Mimmu]

Honchkrow A-S Flying Rank

Combining Moxie with STAB Sucker Punch and an overall outstanding Atk Stat is what makes Honchcrow such a good Pokemon. While it's movepool doesn't have that much of a variety it doesn't actually need any. Brave Bird and Sucker Punch are moves made for (revenge) KOing the opponent and getting that one boost to sweep the rest of the opponents team. While it might be a little slow it is quite bulky and can take a hit or two, making it able to use Swagger to cripple your opponents Pokemon and making a guaranteed kill. As for the 4th slot I went with Night Slash since Sucker Punch doesn't have a lot of PP but Tail Wind is also a viable option to support your team and you moxie-streak.

Noivern (C-)B Flying Rank

Noivern is quite fast and has a somewhat good Sp Atk. but it is quite a pain to train. It isn't a sure to kill Pokemon, but rather a sure to die Pokemon...
I dunno where I was going with this.. But still Noivern actually can do some work if it's used the right way. It's movepool is quite good so using it to deal the finishing blow isn't that hard. Also with Super Fang it can deal more dmg than other Flying types on all these Boss-Opponents (yes I'm looking at you swalot! <~<)
Well It's a Dragon this does give it some special points, I guess?~

I'll do Yanmega, Charizard, Crobat, Emolga, Staraptor and Butterfree tonight or tomorrow.. still have other stuff 2 do :x

[Revman]

Honchkrow A-S Flying Rank

Combining Moxie with STAB Sucker Punch and an overall outstanding Atk Stat is what makes Honchcrow such a good Pokemon. While it's movepool doesn't have that much of a variety it doesn't actually need any. Brave Bird and Sucker Punch are moves made for (revenge) KOing the opponent and getting that one boost to sweep the rest of the opponents team. While it might be a little slow it is quite bulky and can take a hit or two, making it able to use Swagger to cripple your opponents Pokemon and making a guaranteed kill. As for the 4th slot I went with Night Slash since Sucker Punch doesn't have a lot of PP but Tail Wind is also a viable option to support your team and you moxie-streak.

Noivern (C-)B Flying Rank

Noivern is quite fast and has a somewhat good Sp Atk. but it is quite a pain to train. It isn't a sure to kill Pokemon, but rather a sure to die Pokemon...

I dunno where I was going with this.. But still Noivern actually can do some work if it's used the right way. It's movepool is quite good so using it to deal the finishing blow isn't that hard. Also with Super Fang it can deal more dmg than other Flying types on all these Boss-Opponents (yes I'm looking at you swalot! <~<)

Well It's a Dragon this does give it some special points, I guess?~

I'll do Yanmega, Charizard, Crobat, Emolga, Staraptor and Butterfree tonight or tomorrow.. still have other stuff 2 do :x

Awesome as, can't wait for those analysis; I really appreciate it!

Oh also to anyone else who's following this thread, I will be starting a Mono run of Bug since I just finished Poison last night. When I do bug I'll put in some more useful stuff, not just what's good but what's not at all.