u/LukaMiniGamerNo1

Dumping all those stat boosts is soooo satisfying

If it's a pokemon I really like, I might end up using it

What are some other bad level up movesets you can think of?

I love this romhack btw

In my opinion, Leavanny is super awesome and really underrated.

Personally, I really liked using Jolteon

As long as the pokemon is available in the game, it's all good

I really liked my team, what do you think about it?

Didn't know this was a thing...

After a short visit to Kukui's house, we then go to the school to get an Exp. Share, a TM for Work Up, and a couple of new Pokémon:

-Alolan Persian

-Alolan Muk

-Magnezone

-Zoroark

So, what do we think of these Pokémon?

TIER DROPS:

Ledian: C- > D-

PREVIOUS DAY VOTING RESULTS:

Slowbro/Slowking (D+ tier):

POSITIVES: Catching Slowpoke this early means you have an easy answer to the first kahuna. Both Slowbro and Slowking have pretty solid bulk, and also have pretty high special attack. They gets some good status moves, like Calm Mind and Yawn. They also have a surprisingly wide movepool, which also helps with matchups that they would struggle with. They can help quite a bit in the late game, with favorable matchups against the totem Kommo-o (watch out for Thunder Punch though...), Hapu, and some of Hau's Pokémon.

NEGATIVES: The primary reason why Slowbro and Slowking are this low on the list is because of their ABSOLUTELY ATROCIOUS mid game. Slowpoke doesn't evolve until level 37, or until you get the King's Rock. The former is quite late, and the latter requires you to be lucky with fishing (and trading too!). Across Akala and Ula'ula Island, it's good against Olivia, but it loses to Guzma and FIVE TOTEMS IN A ROW. It doesn't evolve before any of those totems, making Slowpoke basically useless. Slowbro and Slowking don't do that great in the league either, only being good against Olivia again, and they should not be used against Acerola...yeah, they're not that great in these games.

Pelipper (A+ tier):

POSITIVES: Pelipper has Water/Flying typing, both of which are excellent in the Alola games, giving you type advantages for majority of the game. That's pretty good on it's own, but the biggest buff that it got hands down is its new ability Drizzle. NOW WE'RE COOKING. Rain is such a good weather condition: it halves Fire type damage, doubles Water type damage, makes Hurricane and Thunder never miss, and more...that's so many benefits! Not only does that mean Pelipper can put it's generally unimpressive offense into good use, but it also provides support for the rest of your team. I feel like I need to use Pelipper myself at some point. It really shows that all a Pokémon needs is that one missing piece.

NEGATIVES: However, there are still some noticeable flaws. First of all, it's stats aren't great, only having a BST of 440, second, it has a pretty shallow movepool, not getting many coverage moves, and third, it's level up moveset is also surprisingly bad (for example, it doesn't get Hurricane until level 55). These flaws just barely keep it out of the S tier in my opinion, but it's probably going to be at the top of A tier for a really long time.

Malamar (S- tier):

POSITIVES: As soon as you catch Inkay, you get access to a bunch of nasty stuff: Reflect, Foul Play, Swagger and most importantly, Topsy-Turvy. All before level 15. YEP! After that, it gets Hypnosis, Switcheroo and Light Screen at pretty reasonable levels as well. Catching one with Contrary makes break the game almost completely, since the trainers don't know how to deal with it. They'll just keep using stat lowering moves on you without even paying attention to the ability, and Intimidate also becomes no problem. Malamar also gets Superpower at level 48, essentially giving you a free attack and defense boost every time you attack. But were not done, because what makes Malamar so good in these games is the totems. For example: Oh, the Kommo-o has a +1 boost in every stat? Topsy-Turvy. Cool, it's at -1 in every stat now. Ultra Necrozma got an omni boost? Topsy-Turvy again. Awesome, not it's an omni drop. It's not even about the matchups at this point. It about sending a message, and that's making everyone's day as miserable as possible.

NEGATIVES: There are some minor problems though. It's stats are okay, but not good; at least one triple digit stat would be nice. It's typing is also lackluster, having a 4x bug weakness and no resistances. No resistances. NO RESISTANCES. It's movepool also takes so time to get used to.

Alright, we're done with that, so let's move on.

Of course, the ranking are decided by you guys. Discussions, debates and upvoted will shape up the final ranking. I'll also do a summary of voted Pokémon based on what you think about them.

RANKING CRITERIA:

All Pokémon obtainable in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon are ranked based on their contribution to the journey until becoming the Champion. You're also allowed to comment if you think one of the Pokémon should be in a different tier and why.

Investment means experience, TMs and items that cost BP. All Pokémon can be eventually good after a lot of investment, but we're talking strictly about casual play here.

Pokémon that evolve by trading are ranked based under the assumption that the played has access to trading through emulators or other methods. If you can't trade, you can rank their pre-evolutions instead (Kadabra and Haunter for example).

If a Pokémon is available on the route, no matter it's spawn rate, it doesn't matter. As long as the Pokémon is available on that route, it's all good.

SOS ENCOUNTERS: After the first trial, many Pokémon can call allies for help. Some Pokémon can only be obtained this way. These Pokémon can rarely have their Hidden Abilities, so while you CAN consider them, you should heavily penalize them for the grind required to obtain them.

ISLAND SCAN ENCOUNTERS: These Pokémon can only be found using Island Scan on a specific route at a certain day of the week, after getting at least 100 points from scanning QR codes. Once Island Scan starts, you have 1 hour to catch the Pokémon. If you KO them, they don't respawn, so be careful about that.

TIER DEFINITIONS:

You can vote for + and - subtiers, and they will be taken into account. After the final round, I'll break the infographic into subtiers as well.

S TIER (Excellent): Pokémon that are simply amazing. They have excellent stats, movepools and sweep through most of the game effortlessly. They are available for most of the playthrough and don't require much investment to keep up.

A TIER (Great): Pokémon that are reliable and easy to use, but lack a major advantage which keeps them from the S tier.

B TIER (Good): Pokémon that are good for playthroughs, but have some noticeable flaws (for example, limited movepool and late availability).

C TIER (Alright): Pokémon that are generally ok but are strictly inferior to others, mostly due to average stats, not being available early and/or a shallow movepool.

D TIER (Mediocre): Pokémon that aren't bad per se, but tend to be a liability for most of the playthrough. However, they possess a unique utility or specific strategy that allows them to bypass their drawbacks.

E TIER (Bad): Pokémon that are difficult to use effectively due to a combination of bad stats, typing and movepools.

F TIER (No): Pokémon that have basically no redeeming qualities. THEY SUCK. DON'T USE THEM.

Alright, after the festival, we go to Hau'oli Outskirts to see what's in store.

The Pokémon we have are:

-Slowbro

-Slowking

-Pelipper

-Malamar

What do we think of them? You decide!

PREVIOUS DAY VOTING RESULTS:

People had different opinions about basically every Pokémon, so I've decided to round them down. If you aren't happy with the placements, vote to change them.

Butterfree (C+ Tier):

POSITIVES: Since it reaches it's final stage at only level 10, it will put in a lot of work for the first few major fights. If you delay Caterpie's evolution until level 9, you can get Bug Bite as early stab. It will continue getting better Bug moves by level up, including Bug Buzz at level 31. With TMs and Move Tutors, you can teach it plenty of coverage moves: Psychic, Shadow Ball, Giga Drain, and so on. Finally, the main strategy that makes Butterfree reasonable to use is Compound Eyes and Sleep Powder, making the move much easier to land. As for the matchups, it beats Hala immediately, a couple of totems, like Araquanid and especially Lurantis, Nanu and more.

NEGATIVES: Unfortunately, it's stats do not keep up in the late game. It's BST is only 395, which is very bad. 90 base special attack, while not bad, is still lower than most other Pokémon, and 70 speed is also kinda poor. Air Slash also comes pretty late (at level 43), meaning it's stuck using Acrobatics for a long time. Butterfree also struggles in some major fights, like Olivia, the totem Togedamaru, and Kahili in the Elite Four.

Alolan Raticate (D tier):

POSITIVES: Alolan Raticate has some moves it can use effectively. Sucker Punch is an all around great Dark type move, U-turn is a good pivot, and stab Return is always nice to have. Bulk Up (by TM) is also a good setup move. It also has some use against the league, like Acerola's Ghost types and some of Hau's team...and that's about it.

NEGATIVES: The first issue is the stats. The spread is somehow worse than Kantonian Raticate, losing 20 speed and 10 attack in exchange for more bulk. That sounds good on paper, but it's Dark/Normal typing says otherwise, having a nasty 4x weakness to Fighting (It gets Zen Headbutt via Move Tutor, but again, the 20 speed lose is massive). Additionally it's abilities are also worse, having Hustle and Gluttony instead of Guts. Hustle's 20% accuracy drop is super annoying, and Gluttony doesn't come in play very often.

Alolan Raichu (B+ tier):

POSITIVES: Catching a Pichu this early on means you can start raising it's friendship very reliably, since it'll be only level 2-4. It gets Nasty Plot at just level 13, which is a big deal, and it gets Brick Break for the first totem. It then goes on to help with the totem Araquanid, and since you will only have a Pikachu at that point, you don't have to worry about Leech Life OHKOing you. It gets Psychic as an evo move when fully evolved which is good for the totem Kommo-o, and it gets plenty of useful support moves, like Light Screen, Thunder Wave and/or Nuzzle. It also has 110 speed, which means you'll going first a lot. As for coverage, you have Focus Blast and Grass Knot, which cover it's Dark and Ground type weakness respectively.

NEGATIVES: Since getting the Thunder Stone takes some time, having a Pikachu in the mid game will be no good. Alolan Raichu's Psychic type hinders more than it helps, since it gives you way more weaknesses. The aforementioned coverage moves also suffer from inconsistent damage or poor accuracy. It's stone evolution means you'll have to be careful with it's level up moveset, because you may miss out on better Electric type moves. The stats also aren't that great; it's offenses are okay but that's it, and it's bulk (especially physical defense) stinks. Also it's signature ability, Surge Surfer, sounds like a good ability, but it basically never occurs in a serious playthrough.

Ledian (C- tier):

POSITIVES: Bet you weren't expecting that one, huh? Well, one comment gave a good arguement. Ledyba gets Reflect and Lightscreen at level 12, which is great for the totem fights. It gets Mach Punch at level 15, which can help despite the poor attack stat. It also has a surprisingly wide movepool, learning lots of other punching moves.

NEGATIVES: To start, it's stat spread is absolutely atrocious. It's offenses are terrible, and it's bulk is largely unimpressive (That's what the double screens are for!). It's base 85 speed is generally fine, but that alone won't be enough. If it moves second, it WILL faint. All three of it's abilities are also extremely underwhelming. Using Ledian in the late game is equivelent to a death sentence, but it's early game usefulness is what keeps it from the lower tiers.

Ariados (E- tier):

...Jesus this was painful.

POSITIVES: One of the biggest buffs that Ariados got is learning Swords Dance as an evo move. This means it can use Sucker Punch way more effectively, which is nice since it has abysmal 40 base speed. It's best ability is Insomnia, so you don't have to worry about being put to sleep. It also gets some good coverage moves, such as Smart Strike, Bounce and...that's it. That's all Ariados has. Sigh...

NEGATIVES: The problems begin with Spinarak. It doesn't get a good move until Shadow Sneak at level 19, so using it early on will be miserable. But wait, it gets a signature move, Toxic Thread! At level 63. SIXTY. THREE. And it's not even that great of a move in general. It's Bug/Poison typing isn't the worst, but it's still not a great type combination. The stats are also poor; we already mentioned the bad speed, but it's bulk is mediocre and it's attack is only average. The positives are literally the only thing keeping it out of F tier, and I am upset. :(

Lopunny (C tier):

POSITIVES: Similar to Pichu, catching Buneary early makes it much easier to reach it's friendship evolution. Lopunny's movepool is quite good: stab Return, Jump Kick, Bounce, elemental punches, Drain Punch, Iron Tail, etc. This makes it easy to use for future fights of the game. It's stats are alright as well; 84 defense and 96 special defense may not seem like a lot, but since Normal only has one weakness, that's way more significant than you think. It's also fast, having 105 base speed.

NEGATIVES: Since it's a pure normal type, the Lopunny line has almost no good matchups. Unlike Pichu however, Buneary starts with 0 friendship once you catch it. This means you can use Frustration very effectively early on, but it will become significantly weaker later, and also makes it's evolution a lot of work. It's offenses are poor as well, having 76 attack and 54 special attack. Also, whatever you do, do NOT get one with Klutz. Other than that, there's not a darn thing to say. It's probably the most average Pokémon for an Ultra Alola playthrough.

Toucannon (B tier):

POSITIVES: Pikipek starts with 75 attack, which is quite high this early, and gets Brick Break for the first totem fight. It being a Flying type means it helps a lot against the future major fights. It evolves pretty quickly; into Trumbeak at level 14, then Toucannon at 28. It also gets Skill Link, making moves like Fury Attack and Bullet Seed much more reliable. You also get the Flyinium Z much sooner, making it's Flying type moves much stronger, much faster. Toucannon has great offense, with 120 attack. It also has a surprisingly good movepool, getting stuff like Seed Bomb, Steel Wing, Flame Charge, and so on. It's signature move, Beak Blast, guarantees a burn against contact moves while being very strong itself.

NEGATIVES: Toucannon's other stats don't seem to impress as much, though. It's only kinda bulky, and 60 base speed isn't doing it any favors. Beak Blast being a two-turn attack also means there is a chance it gets KOd before the move is executed. Flying types also just don't excel in the mid game, given the many bad matchups we talked about earlier. Toucannon could also really use a better setup move than Work Up.

Gumshoos (E tier):

POSITIVES: Gumshoos also has a really high attack stat, being 110. It's ability, Strong Jaw, boosts biting moves by 50%, such as Crunch and the elemental fangs. It's hidden ability, Adaptability, boosts it's Normal type stab to 2x, though this one will take a while to get. It also has a respectable movepool, getting Crunch and the elemental fangs mentioned earlier, Iron Head, Zen Headbutt, and more.

NEGATIVES: Sadly, being a pure Normal type once again means you are neutral in basically every fight. It's other ability, Stakeout, does more damage to the target that switches in. However, the Trainers almost never switch their Pokémon, so this ability is almost completely useless here. It could really use a priority move, since it's stats don't keep up later on. 45 speed is slooow, and it's bulk is mediocre as well.

This is getting boring (for me), I've been typing for almost 2 hours now, but we're almost done.

Vikavolt (C- tier):

POSITIVES: Once Grubbin evolves into Charjabug, it gains the Electric type, which is an excellent combination with Bug. Vikavolt has and INCREDIBLE base 145 special attack (for context, this is the same as Chandelure), and gets Thunderbolt as it's evo move (No TM required!). As for it's movepool, it gets Bug Buzz, Zap Cannon, Air Slash, Flash Cannon, and Energy Ball. Flash Cannon is especially nice to have against Rock types. Additionaly, the elctric field was moved to Blush Mountain, meaning you can use Vikavolt for a lot more of the playthrough. Overall, Vikavolt really excels at what it does best; KOing other Pokémon in just a few hits.

NEGATIVES: However, Charjabug's switch from a physical to a special attacker is really awkward, since up to this point, you were mostly using physical moves. Vikavolt's evolutionary line also doesn't excel in as many fights as other Bug types, being only really good against the totem Araquanid, Lurantis and Nanu. It's biggest problem by far is the stats: while it's special offense is excellent, it's physical offense is subpar and it's bulk is kind of meh. Don't even get me started on the speed stat... So yeah, it really sucks that it's not higher. Vikavolt has been done really dirty.

Okay, NOW we're done. Back to our regularly scheduled crap.

Of course, the ranking are decided by you guys. Discussions, debates and upvoted will shape up the final ranking. I'll also do a summary of voted Pokémon based on what you think about them.

RANKING CRITERIA:

All Pokémon obtainable in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon are ranked based on their contribution to the journey until becoming the Champion. You're also allowed to comment if you think one of the Pokémon should be in a different tier and why.

Investment means experience, TMs and items that cost BP. All Pokémon can be eventually good after a lot of investment, but we're talking strictly about casual play here.

Pokémon that evolve by trading are ranked based under the assumption that the played has access to trading through emulators or other methods. If you can't trade, you can rank their pre-evolutions instead (Kadabra and Haunter for example).

If a Pokémon is available on the route, no matter it's spawn rate, it doesn't matter. As long as the Pokémon is available on that route, it's all good.

SOS ENCOUNTERS: After the first trial, many Pokémon can call allies for help. Some Pokémon can only be obtained this way. These Pokémon can rarely have their Hidden Abilities, so while you CAN consider them, you should heavily penalize them for the grind required to obtain them.

ISLAND SCAN ENCOUNTERS: These Pokémon can only be found using Island Scan on a specific route at a certain day of the week, after getting at least 100 points from scanning QR codes. Once Island Scan starts, you have 1 hour to catch the Pokémon. If you KO them, they don't respawn, so be careful about that.

TIER DEFINITIONS:

You can vote for + and - subtiers, and they will be taken into account. After the final round, I'll break the infographic into subtiers as well.

S TIER (Excellent): Pokémon that are simply amazing. They have excellent stats, movepools and sweep through most of the game effortlessly. They are available for most of the playthrough and don't require much investment to keep up.

A TIER (Great): Pokémon that are reliable and easy to use, but lack a major advantage which keeps them from the S tier.

B TIER (Good): Pokémon that are good for playthroughs, but have some noticeable flaws (for example, limited movepool and late availability).

C TIER (Alright): Pokémon that are generally ok but are strictly inferior to others, mostly due to average stats, not being available early and/or a shallow movepool.

D TIER (Mediocre): Pokémon that aren't bad per se, but tend to be a liability for most of the playthrough. However, they possess a unique utility or specific strategy that allows them to bypass their drawbacks.

E TIER (Bad): Pokémon that are difficult to use effectively due to a combination of bad stats, typing and movepools.

F TIER (No): Pokémon that have basically no redeeming qualities. THEY SUCK. DON'T USE THEM.