★Ranked Battle Series 12 Rules and Legal Pokemon
┗ Check out the Singles Tier List for April!
┗ Take a peek at the Doubles Tier List for April!
★ Participate in Global Challenge 2022 Spring Online Competition
This is our tier list for the strongest Pokemon for Ranked Battle in the games Pokemon Sword and Shield. If you're planning on getting into Ranked Battle, but don't know what Pokemon to start with, this list will get you started in the right direction. Read on for details about which Pokemon the strongest trainers are using in online play.
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List of Contents
Series 12 allows players to use two Legendary Pokemon per team for competitive play. These include the following:
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Ranked Battle Series 11 | Rules and Legal Pokemon
Tier | Changes |
---|---|
Tier 1 | No Changes |
Tier 2 | No Changes |
Tier 3 | No Changes |
Tier 4 | No Changes |
Delisted | No Changes |
Ranked Battle Series 12 | Rules and Legal Pokemon
This tier list is based on the Pokemon HOME Pokemon Rankings for Series 12, which began on February 1 and is ongoing. We update it daily, so check back for the best Pokemon in ranked battle as of May 2022!
Click a Pokemon to jump to their explanation.
Ranked Battle Series 12 is shaping out to be a hyper aggresive meta with the focus being on strong offensive legendary Pokemon as the main sweeper capable of Dynamaxing.
Moveset & Best Build for Zacian | |
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Nature | Jolly (+Spd, -Sp.Atk) |
EV Spread | Atk 252 / Def 4 / Spd 252 |
Final Stat Values | HP 167 / Atk 182 / Def 136 / Sp.Def 135 / Spd 209 (Hero of Many Battles) HP 168 / Atk 244 / Def 136 / Sp.Def 135 / Spd 209 (Crowned Sword) |
Ability | Intrepid Sword |
Held Item | Rusted Sword |
Moveset | ・Iron Head (Behemoth Blade) ・Close Combat ・Swords Dance ・Play Rough |
Zacian is one of the most powerful physical attackers in the game and is an oppresive force in competitive battle that pushed the metagame into its current state of hyper offense.
With the return of Dynamax, it will once again find a niche in offensive teams as the primary Dynamax counter, with its Behemoth Blade doing double damage against opposing Dynamax Pokemon.
Moveset & Best Build for Zapdos | |
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Nature | Timid (+Spd, -Atk) |
EV Spread | Sp.Atk 252 / Sp.Def 4 / Spd 252 |
Final Stat Values | HP 165 / Def 105 / Sp.Atk 177 / Sp.Def 111 / Spd 167 |
Ability | Static |
Held Item | Life Orb |
Moveset | ・Rising Voltage ・Hurricane ・Heat Wave ・Roost |
Zapdos' flagship defensive set makes a return in Sword & Shield. A combination of good dual typing, excellent support moves, and great abilities make it an excellent check to Fighting-type Pokemon and physical sweepers in general. It's also the best answer to its Galarian counterpart, who can't do much against it with its STAB moves.
Moveset & Best Build for Landorus (Therian Forme) | |
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Nature | Impish (+Def, -Sp Atk) |
EV Spread | HP 244 / Def 252 / Spd 12 |
Final Stat Value | HP 195 / Atk 165 / Def 156 / Sp.Def 100 / Spd 113 |
Ability | Intimidate |
Held Item |
Figy Berry Sitrus Berry Rocky Helmet |
Moveset | ・Earthquake ・Rock Tomb ・U-turn ・Stealth Rock |
Landorus Therian Forme's flagship offensive pivot set remains its most effective set, and its reintroduction pushed several weaker physical sweepers off the Metagame. As the all-in-one check to physical sweepers, Landorus also fills the role of a hazard setter with Stealth Rock.
It can also go on the offensive, eschewing it's usually defensive set for a Swords Dance physical sweeper set. Landorus' versatiltiy means teams must always have a check or counter for Landorus.
Although they can't top the Tier 1 Pokemon's elite status, the Pokemon in Tier 2 are essential to Ranked Battle.
Moveset & Best Build for Ditto | |
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Nature | Relaxed (+Def, -Spd) |
EV Spread | HP 252 / Atk 4 / Def 252 |
Final Stat Values | HP 252 / Atk 69 / Def 110 / Sp.Atk 58 / Sp.Def 68 / Spd 47 |
Ability | Imposter |
Held Item | Choice Scarf |
Moveset | ・Transform |
These values are from base stats with 0 Speed IVs, excluding external factors.
Ditto is a versatile Pokemon that is used as a clutch teammate, allowing you to copy an opposing sweeper and potentially turn the tide of the battle in your favor. As a result, it enjoys widespread usage in both offensive and defensive-oriented teams.
Moveset & Best Build for Kyogre | |
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Nature | Timid (+Spd, -Atk) |
EV Spread | Def 4 / Sp.Atk 252 / Spd 252 |
Final Stat Values | HP 175 / Def 111 / Sp.Atk 202 / Sp.Def 160 / Spd 156 |
Ability | Drizzle |
Held Item | Choice Scarf |
Moveset | ・Water Spout ・Thunder ・Ice Beam ・Origin Pulse |
Kyogre's flagship Choice Scarf set from the Advance Generation is still as potent as ever, and can now threaten opposing teams after getting worn down thanks to its Origin Pulse move.
Moveset & Best Build for Yveltal | |
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Nature | Timid (+Spd, -Atk) |
EV Spread | Sp.Atk 252 / Sp.Def 4 / Spd 252 |
Final Stat Values | HP 201 / Def 115 / Sp.Atk 183 / Sp.Def 119 / Spd 166 |
Ability | Dark Aura |
Held Item | Life Orb |
Moveset | ・Dark Pulse ・Oblivion Wing ・Heat Wave ・Sucker Punch |
Yveltal is a powerful special sweaper with access to great dual STAB and its signature move letting it stay in matches longer despite the recoil damage from Life Orb.
Moveset & Best Build for Calyrex (Shadow Rider) | |
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Nature | Timid (+Spd, -Atk) |
EV Spread | Def 4 / Sp.Atk 252 / Spd 252 |
Final Stat Values | HP 175 / Def 101 / Sp.Atk 217 / Sp.Def 120 / Spd 222 |
Ability | As One |
Held Item |
Life Orb Focus Sash |
Moveset | ・Astral Barrage ・Psychic ・Giga Drain ・Nasty Plot |
Calyrex's Shadow Rider form is one of the most threatening sweepers in the current metagame, capable of outrunning and knocking out many Pokemon with its STAB moves.
Moveset & Best Build for Necrozma (Dusk Mane) | |
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Nature | Adamant (+Atk, -Sp.Atk) |
EV Spread | HP 252 / Atk 252 / Spd 4 |
Final Stat Values | HP 204 / Atk 229 / Def 147 / Sp.Def 129 / Spd 98 |
Ability | Prism Armor |
Held Item | Weakness Policy |
Moveset | ・Sunsteel Strike
・Earthquake ・Psychic Fangs ・Rock Blast |
Necrozma's Prism Armor works well with Weakness Policy in that it takes reduced damage from super effective moves, but still benefits from the boost.
Moveset & Best Build for Tyranitar | |
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Nature | Adamant |
EV Spread | HP 252 / Atk 204 / Def 20 / Sp.Def 20 / Spd 12 |
Final Stat Values | HP 207 / Atk 198 / Def 133 / Sp.Def 123 / Spd 83 |
Ability | Sand Stream |
Held Item | Weakness Policy |
Moveset | ・Stone Edge ・Crunch ・Iron Head ・Rock Blast |
Thanks to the Special Defense boost it gets from Sandstream, Tyranitar is an effective user of Weakness Policy - surviving a super effective special attack and getting the attack boost.
Tyranitar's natural bulk also makes it a good lead, especially in dedicated Sand teams. While it has to contend with stronger Pokemon reintroduced in the current metagame, The Armor Pokemon is still a competent sweeper if used in the right team.
Moveset & Best Build for Quagsire | |
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Nature | Bold (+Def, -Atk) |
EV Spread | HP 252 / Def. 252 / Sp.Def. 4 |
Final Stat Values | HP 202 / Def. 150 / Sp.Def. 85 / Sp.Def. 86 / Spd. 55 |
Ability | Unaware |
Held Item |
Leftovers Rocky Helmet Kee Berry |
Moveset | ・Scald ・Recover ・Toxic ・Stockpile |
Moveset & Best Build for Porygon2 | |
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Nature | Bold |
EV Spread | HP 244 / Def 252 / Spd 12 |
Final Stat Values | HP 191 / Def 156 / Sp.Atk 125 / Sp.Def 115 / Spd 82 |
Ability | Trace |
Held Item | Eviolite |
Moveset | ・Recover
・Ice Beam ・Tri-Attack ・Discharge |
Porygon2's great natural bulk that's further boosted by Eviolite makes it a great defensive Pokemon in the current metagame. It's Trace Ability further boosts its defensive prowess, as it's able to copy an opposing Pokemon's Ability such as Heatran's Flash Fire.
Moveset & Best Build for Ferrothorn | |
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Nature | Relaxed (+Def, -Spd) |
EV Spread | HP 252 / Def 252 / Sp.Def 4 |
Final Stat Values | HP 181 / Atk 114 / Def 201 / Sp.Def 137 / Spd 36 |
Ability | Iron Barbs |
Held Item |
Leftovers Rocky Helmet |
Moveset | ・Gyro Ball ・Leech Seed ・Bullet Seed ・Protect |
Ferrothorn's strongest suit lies in its ability to absorb physical hits. Combined with Leech Seed, it can stack up massive total damage, so in a switch-heavy battle, Ferrothorn proves to be an invaluable asset.
With only two weaknesses in Fire and Fighting, Ferrothorn's excellent Grass/Steel typing goes a long way in making it a defensive powerhouse.
The Pokemon in Tier 3 are used frequently as counters to those in Tiers 1 and 2.
Moveset & Best Build for Ho-oh | |
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Nature | Adamant (+Atk, -Sp.Atk) |
EV Spread | Atk 252 / Def 132 / Spd 124 |
Final Stat Values | HP 181 / Atk 200 / Def 127 / Sp.Def 174 / Spd 126 |
Ability | Regenerator |
Held Item | Life Orb |
Moveset | ・Sacred Fire
・Brave Bird ・Earthquake ・Recover |
Ho-Oh is a threatening physical attacker in the current metagame. While most physical attackers aim to outspeed and overpower the opposing team, the Rainbow Pokemon functions more as a bulky offensive pivot that can threaten opposing physical sweepers with a burn from Sacred Fire.
Moveset & Best Build for Urshifu Single-Strike Style | |
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Nature | Jolly (+Spd, -SpAtk) |
EV Spread | HP 4 / Atk 252 / Spd 252 |
Final Stat Values | HP 175 / Atk 182 / Def 120 / Sp.Def 80 / Spd 163 |
Ability | Unseen Fist |
Held Item | Life Orb |
Moveset | ・Wicked Blow ・Close Combat ・Iron Head ・Aerial Ace |
Single-Strike Style Urshifu has great neutral coverage with its dual STAB, allowing it to hit the Ghost-type Pokemon common in the current metagame.
Moveset & Best Build for Mimikyu | |
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Nature | Jolly (+Spd, -SpAtk) |
EV Spread | HP 4 / Atk. 252 / Spd. 252 | Final Stat Values | HP 130 / Atk 142 / Def 100 / Sp.Def 126 / Spd 162 |
Ability | Disguise |
Held Item | Life Orb |
Moveset | ・Swords Dance ・Play Rough ・Shadow Sneak ・Shadow Claw |
With its Ability Disguise, Mimikyu is able to take one attack with damage equal to just 10% of its maximum HP. This ensures that Mimikyu can use at least one move in any situation, allowing it to pull off a Swords Dance without fail.
Mimikyu remains at the top of the metagame despite the reintroduction of several powerhouses in previous generations. The reintroduction of several pseudo-legendary Dragon-types mean that Mimikyu can now fill the role of Dragon counter - switching into a predicted Outrage or Draco Meteor and setting up with Swords Dance..
Moveset & Best Build for Cinderace | |
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Nature | Jolly (+Spd, -SpAtk) |
EV Spread | HP 4 / Atk 252 / Spd 252 |
Final Stat Values | HP 156 / Atk 168 / Def 95 / Sp.Def 95 / Spd 188 |
Ability | Libero |
Held Item | Life Orb |
Moveset | ・Pyro Ball ・High Jump Kick ・Sucker Punch ・Bounce |
With its new Hidden Ability Libero, Cinderace is now able to use every attack with STAB, giving 1.5x boost to all its attacks. In essence, this liberates it from STAB, as per its name - Cinderace has no incentive to use Fire-type moves over other types, as it can gain the same bonus with any type. This makes Cinderace equally threatening no matter what type of move throws out.
On top of that, it benefits from a wide movepool to counter a variety of potential opponents.
Its exclusive attack Pyro Ball is also a potent threat that's kept it in the metagame since before Libero. A 120-power Physical Fire move, it's a perfect fit for Cinderace's stat makeup to form a highly threatening fast attacker.
Moveset & Best Build for Hippowdon | |
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Nature | Impish (+Def, -SpAtk) |
EV Spread | HP 252 / Def. 252 / Sp.Def. 4 |
Final Stat Values | HP 215 / Atk 132 / Def 152 / Sp.Def 124 / Spd 67 |
Ability | Sand Stream |
Held Item | Rocky Helmet |
Moveset | ・Slack Off ・Yawn ・Earthquake ・Rock Tomb |
Hippowdon can use Yawn to force a switch, which can be an opportunity to set up Stealth Rock.
With its high Defense, it's also capable of taking hits from the variety of Physical attackers in the metagame.
Moveset & Best Build for Gastrodon | |
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Nature | Bold (+Def, -Atk) |
EV Spread | HP 244 / Def. 228 / Sp.Def. 36 |
Final Stat Values | HP 217 / Def. 128 / Sp.Atk. 112 / Sp.Def. 107 / Spd. 59 |
Ability | Storm Drain |
Held Item |
Sitrus Berry Rocky Helmet Rindo Berry Leftovers |
Moveset | ・Scald ・Clear Smog ・Recover ・Yawn |
A build which takes advantage of Gastrodon's high defensive stats and its lone weakness to Grass. While forcing difficult opponents to switch with Yawn, it can use its damaging attacks together with Recover to hold on and continue the fight.
Moveset & Best Build for Seismitoad | |
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Nature | Modest (+Sp.Atk, -Atk) |
EV Spread | HP 4 / Sp.Atk. 252 / Spd. 252 |
Final Stat Values | HP 181 / Def. 95 / Sp.Atk. 150 / Sp.Def. 95 / Spd. 126 |
Ability | Swift Swim |
Held Item |
Life Orb Expert Belt |
Moveset | ・Hydro Pump ・Grass Knot ・Earth Power ・Flash Cannon |
Seismitoad's destructive power comes from its quick special attacks and giving it a Life Orb will boost its overall attack power.
Moveset & Best Build for Eternatus | |
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Nature | Timid (+Spd, -Atk) |
EV Spread | HP 4 / Sp.Atk 252 / Spd 252 |
Final Stat Values | HP 216 / Def 115 / SpAtk 197 / SpDef 115 / Spd 200 |
Ability | Pressure |
Held Item |
Choice Specs Life Orb |
Moveset | ・Draco Meteor ・Sludge Wave ・Flamethrower ・Shadow Ball |
This build focuses on Eternatus' high Special Attack to take out its enemies. With its high speed it can easily get a headstart and hit its foes hard.
Moveset & Best Build for Chansey | |
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Nature | Bold (+Def, -Atk) |
EV Spread | Def 252 / Sp.Def 252 / Spd 4 |
Final Stat Values | HP 325 / Def 62 / Sp. Def 157 / Spd 71 |
Ability | Natural Cure |
Held Item | Eviolite |
Moveset | ・Seismic Toss ・Stealth Rock ・Thunder Wave ・Soft-Boiled |
This moveset is an extremely tanky one, especially with the Eviolite in tow. And while Chansey has a low base Defense stat, you can make up for it with 252 EVs in Defense and the Eviolite.
When Tier 4 Pokemon come out, we can start to see a bit of individuality in each team. The presence of these Pokemon shows what Tier 1 or 2 Pokemon the user is afraid of. Tier 4 boasts Pokemon who are strong on their own, those who are strong against those in Tiers 1 to 3, and those who are a pain to deal with for all other Pokemon.
Moveset & Best Build for Xerneas | |
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Nature | Timid (+Spd, -Atk) |
EV Spread | Def 4 / Sp.Atk 252 / Spd 252 |
Final Stat Values | HP 201 / Def 116 / Sp.Atk 183 / Sp.Def 118 / Spd 166 |
Ability | Fairy Aura |
Held Item | Power Herb |
Moveset | ・Geomancy
・Moonblast ・Thunderbolt ・Draining Kiss |
While it has to watch out for Zacian, Xerneas is a capable setup sweeper that has the potential to sweep unprepared teams thanks to Geomancy. With a plethora of powerful STAB and coverage moves, the Life Pokemon is very difficult to switch into once it gets a boost.
Moveset & Best Build for Zygarde | |
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Nature | Jolly (+Spd, -Sp.Atk) |
EV Spread | Atk 252 / Def 4 / Spd 252 |
Final Stat Values | HP 175 / Atk 202 / Def 141 / Sp.Def 120 / Spd 156 |
Ability | Teravolt |
Held Item |
Life Orb Weakness Policy |
Moveset | ・Bolt Strike
・Outrage ・Dual Wingbeat ・Dragon Dance |
Zekrom's unique dual typing makes it one of the more formidable physical attackers in Ranked Battle Series 8, and is one of the few that can threaten Lugia thanks to its Teravolt Ability.
Moveset & Best Build for Urshifu Rapid-Strike Style | |
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Nature | Jolly |
EV Spread | Atk 252 / Def 4 / Spd 252 |
Final Stat Values | HP 175 / Atk 182 / Def 121 / SpDef 80 / Spd 163 |
Ability | Unseen Fist |
Held Item | Choice Band |
Moveset | ・Surging Strikes ・Close Combat ・Aerial Ace ・U-turn |
Urshifu in its Rapid-Strike Style can break through Focus Sash and Mimikyu's Disguise with its multi-hit Surging Strikes, a hugely powerful move in its own right.
Moveset & Best Build for Grimmsnarl | |
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Nature | Impish (+Def, -Sp.Atk) |
EVs | HP 252 / Def 252 / SpDef 4 |
Final Stat Values | HP 202 / Atk 140 /Def 128 / Sp.Def. 96 / Spd 80 |
Ability | Prankster |
Held Item | Light Clay |
Moveset | ・Reflect ・Light Screen ・Taunt ・Spirit Break |
This set is built around setting up Reflect or Light Screen before its opponent can attack.
Taunt helps prevent the opponent from using their own status moves, while Spirit Break is a damage dealing move that reduces the special attack of its target too. This, together with Light Screen, will make it harder for Special Attackers to plow through Grimmsnarl's team.
Moveset & Best Build for Regieleki | |
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Nature | Modest (+Sp.Atk, -Atk) |
EV Spread | Sp.Atk 252 / Sp.Def 4 / Spd 252 |
Final Stat Values | HP 155 / Def 70 / Sp.Atk 167 / Sp.Def 71 / Spd 252 |
Ability | Transistor |
Held Item | Life Orb |
Moveset | ・Rising Voltage ・Thunder Cage ・Volt Switch ・Ancient Power |
Regieleki is a formidable mono-type sweeper in Doubles. When partnered with a Pokemon that can instantly set up Electric Terrain, it can fire Transistor boosted Rising Voltage at the opposing team - knocking out anyone that doesn't resist or is immune to Electric-type moves.
Moveset & Best Build for Mamoswine | |
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Nature | Jolly (+Spd, -Sp.Atk) |
EV Spread | HP 4 / Atk 252 / Spd 252 |
Final Stat Values | HP 186 / Atk 182 / Def 100 / Sp.Def 80 / Spd 145 |
Ability | Thick Fat |
Held Item | Choice Scarf |
Moveset | ・Icicle Crash ・Earthquake ・Stone Edge ・Superpower |
Mamoswine is a great revenge killer in the current metagame - boasting high attack, an Ice-type STAB to handle Dragons and fellow Ground-types, as well as great neutral coverage in Earthquake and Stone Edge.
Moveset & Best Build for Incineroar | |
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Nature | Impish (+Def, -Sp.Atk) |
EV Spread | HP 252 / Def 148 / Sp.Def 108 |
Final Stat Values | HP 202 / Atk 135 / Def 141 / Sp.Def 108 / Spd 80 |
Ability | Intimidate |
Held Item | Safety Goggles |
Moveset | ・Fake Out ・Flare Blitz ・Darkest Lariat ・Parting Shot |
Incineroar is a great offensive pivot and lead in the Doubles Metagame thanks to its great mixed bulk and ability Intimidate.
As the quintessential pivot, it can scout teams with Fake Out and cripple sweepers with Parting Shot.
Incineroar is one of the few support Pokemon that can threaten walls thanks to its naturally high attack stat using its powerful STAB moves, Flare Blitz and Darkest Lariat.
Moveset & Best Build for Celesteela | |
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Nature | Timid (+Spd, -Atk) |
EV Spread | HP 244 / Def 4 / Sp.Atk 4 / Sp.Def 4 / Spd 252 |
Final Stat Values | HP 203 / Def 123 / Sp.Atk 127 / Sp.Def 121 / Spd 124 |
Ability | Beast Boost |
Held Item | Leftovers |
Moveset | ・Air Slash ・Protect ・Substitute ・Leech Seed |
Access to speed boost via Max Airstream makes Celesteela's Leech Seed stall even more difficult to overcome and allows it to stall even more Pokemon.
Moveset & Best Build for Dialga | |
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Nature | Modest (+Sp.Atk, -Atk) |
EV Spread | HP 252 / Sp.Atk 252 / Sp.Def 4 |
Final Stat Values | HP 207 / Def 140 / Sp.Atk 222 / Sp.Def 121 / Spd 110 |
Ability | Pressure |
Held Item |
Weakness Policy Life Orb Assault Vest |
Moveset | ・Roar of Time ・Flash Cannon ・Earth Power ・Fire Blast |
Dialga's great typing and mixed defenses make it a great candidate for Dynamaxing. With Dynamax boosting its HP, the Temporal Pokemon can further boost its team's natural bulk with Max Steelspike and Max Wyrmwind.
Unlike in previous Pokemon metagames, there is no party or Pokemon that can defeat anything used against it. However, there are teams which can win consistently, as long as the right Pokemon are chosen for the battle.
Battles are not won by individual Pokemon. The team as a whole must be constructed to balance type strengths and weaknesses, and have built-in strategies to defeat opponents. In the current metagame, crafting a party that works together is more essential than ever.
It's no easy feat to make a killer team from scratch. It can be a good idea to start off with rental teams, which any player can download and use in Ranked Battle. This can help to understand how a team is built, how to select which Pokemon to use in a battle, and how to use the party's built-in strategies in battle to rack up wins.
Our Best Teams guide has all teams available for rental, so you can try out your favorites to get a feel for some of the most popular Pokemon and strategies in the metagame!
Best Teams for Ranked Battle
Series 12 gives players the opportunity to bring two restricted Pokemon to the team, which is one more compared to the previous season and opens up more possibilities for team synergy.
In the previous season, players would have to think twice sending out a restricted Pokemon to a match-up or risk losing them. Conversely, not having access to one of the restricted Pokemon puts the entire team at a disadvantage since most teams are built around it.
With Series 12, your second restricted Pokemon can assist the first one against poor match-ups. Not only can it fill the role of a solid defensive switch-in, it may also serve as a direct counter to the other restricted Pokemon's difficult matchups.
There is now more team variety with so many restricted pair combinations to choose from, although it's still important to consider both Pokemon's strengths and weaknesses when choosing pairs.
Zacian is quite possibly the breakout star of Series 12, fitting nicely into most teams thanks to its monstrous damage output. Having Pokemon that can take a +1 Behemoth Blade or reduce its damage output with Intimidate or Will-O-Wisp will help your team survive Zacian's onslaught.
Of course, outright knocking it out with a powerful super-effective move is also a good option. Do remember that not too many Pokemon can outspeed Zacian so positioning is important.
With so many powerful legendaries now available to use, there's a shift to a more aggressive playstyle. Even defensive teams need a powerful and fast sweeper in the team to keep up in this increasingly hyper offensive metagame!
And that's our latest Tier List of the current Best Pokemon for Ranked Battle. With Series 12 having just been released for Ranked Battle, we're excited to see how the metagame continues to reshape in the weeks to come.
If you're thinking of getting into competitive play, or if you're having trouble winning online, some of the Pokemon in this article might be just what your team needs.
Here's hoping you can have as much fun playing online as we have. Check back soon as we continue updating with tier upsets, new additions and more individual Build pages!
Best Pokemon Builds for Ranked Battle
Competitive Pokemon Battle Guides | |||||
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Best Pokemon Tier List For Ranked Battle: May 2022
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