Welcome to MrTankerson's full Pokemon Tier List. Before we get started, I want you to know that this is completely based off of my opinion, and should not be taken as fact. Even I find myself amazed at the strength of some underused Pokemon as my days playing the game continue.
*Note: This list is subject to change with Buffs and Nerfs, alongside finding out more about each Pokémon.
List updated 9/10/18
Things to Know[]
There are a couple of things that I need you to be aware of before we get started with this tier list:
- Only Pokémon's final evolutions will be taken into account (unless otherwise stated).
- I do not own every single Pokémon, some of the placements are made based off of speculation and game knowledge.
- Since I do not own every Pokémon, all of these tier placements will not take into account the "Break" feature (at least until we have the ability to see all of them without owning them). Especially for reds, most of you would not get more than one for a while anyway, so this will make this tier list more appropriate for newer players. (If there is a specific Pokémon that I know the Break power of, and it would cause me to move it up a tier (would have to be actually obtainable, i.e., not a base red Pokémon), then I will include that in an * next to the listing with a reasoning, along with a separate tier listing for the non-Break version of the Pokémon.)
- Not all Pokémon will have explanations (although most in the top tiers will).
- In order to make this non-VIP and new player friendly, I will categorize a lot further than just your typical "F" class. Since there are 178 final evolutions, I don't want to just throw 100 in an "F" class and be done with it, I would rather make a full list that extends a bit further so you can have a bigger gap in between tiers.
- Because of this, please note that Tier "D" is not actually bad, there are just more tiers available to be in than a normal list. The rarity tier starts are:
- Red- S+
- Orange- D
- Purple- G
- Blue- I
- Green- J
- Higher tiers will still have less Pokémon in them than the lower tiers.
- Pokémon are listed in no specific order in their tiers.
- Cannot be overstated that this is completely opinion based.
As of the 9/10/18 update of the tier list, I am including what I call "ideal team" rankings to the tier list. These are how strong the Pokémon is in their absolute ideal team. There will only be a few of these that actually modify their position, and they will be noted as "Ideal Team *Pokémon*". There will be a separate listing for a "normal" team version of the Pokémon. These Pokémon on their ideal team will all be listed together because they all work together to make the team great. Note that this will not always be a 6-Pokémon team, some have room for a filler or two, or even three (usually healers). Also, there is a "secret" ideal team I have in mind that I'm not yet ready to share yet, but influences one specific shown Pokémon's tier placing (makes him pretty much break every rule I have for the list)
I have been asked a lot how I am coming up with these ratings. I value certain things over others (some of which some people may disagree with). Note that the differences between 1 through 3 are not very large, but they do exist. If you have any questions as to why I rank this way, don't hesitate to ask. My value rankings are this:
- Team synergy
- Moveset
- Raw power
S+ Tier[]
The god's of Micromon Adventure. You get one of these, you put it in your team (almost) no matter what.
- Legend Kyogre: Aqua Tail is hand's down, the absolute best move in the entire game. You will notice later that I will reduce some Pokemon's tier level simply because they are countered by one item, and while Kyogre's freeze can be countered by one item, he can still do massive damage with crits from his passive, so he doesn't move to useless if he does get countered by an item, he still remains one of the strongest Pokes in the game.
- Legend Mewtwo: A unique combination of AOE, massive damage capabilities, bulky stats, and a form of self-sustain makes this ultimate legendary stand up to its name.
S Tier[]
You are very lucky to get one of these, and they will likely be in your team all the time.
- Legend Celebi: The only reason this beast isn't S+ tier is because of its limited move pool. At standard Break, Celebi can't use a physical attack for two rounds in a row unless you have a White Herb. Because of this, her power level suffers, and her passive gets real awkward if you score a crit and then can't use a physical move the next round.
- Legend Groudon: True damage alone is insane, but the fact that this also reduces the targets P and S ATK makes this an absolute monster.
- Ideal Team Darkrai: This Pokémon is the strongest Pokémon in the Single-Target + Status team that has the potential to be incredibly strong. AOE CC that doesn't actually deal damage is the name of the game for this team. Darkrai has not only that, but the strongest base single target power move in the entire game backed up by the highest base S atk in the game as well. A true monster.
- Ideal Team Legend Mew: While his AOE CC does deal damage which is annoying for hypnotize, it also has the chance to hypnotize itself. This will likely be a lead off one and done move, but has the potential to just win you the game off the start. Make sure your Mew is your fastest poke on your team or it could mess up your other hypnotize's
- Ideal Team Mega Ampharos (break 3): This one might be a surprise to many, but Mega Ampharos is an absolute beast in the single-target status team. Since you don't want your pokes damaging the enemies in order to CC them, Ampharos passive is one of the best in the entire game. A %44 chance to paralyze when attacked ruins AOE teams (which are by far the majority), and he even has the %70 chance to paralyze for 2 rounds with a single target attack as well. Sleeper OP here.
- Legend Jirachi: The best healer in the game. I was hesitant at first, but %35 extra hp on all your Pokes is no joke. Combine that with the ability to heal for %20 max hp on every Poke and you have a true legend right there. Combine Jirachi with some other healers (Magikarp, Milotic, etc.), and you have yourself a real backbone for your team. Also, side note, best Poke in the game for getting through Gyms.
- Break 3 VAR Magikarp: Yes, I have VAR Magikarp in my S tier. This is one of the exceptions where the Break 3 version of the Pokémon is so good that I have to include it. VAR Magikarp is the best support in the game. A two round, 40% (that's freaking huge) P and S DEF buff that ALSO heals for 10% of VAR's max HP. And that's just one move. He also has a full team AOE attack that reduces enemy speed by 25% for two rounds. That not enough support for you? How about a single target 70% chance to Freeze for not just one, but two rounds? Did I mention that he also increases his back-breaking 220 base speed by over 50% after he makes a move? If you spend money, use those EX shards here, you won't regret it.
- Break 3 Mega Gengar: The highest jump on the list for my first edit in my opinion. This Poke is so good, it makes Darkrai sit in assist for me. Putting it in my team made me jump about 600 stages in the matter of a couple of days. Reducing an enemies SP by 20 is crazy good, reducing ALL enemies SP by 20 with a chance to reduce it by 36 is the absolute nuts. Slap a white herb on this thing and watch your enemies do nothing after the first turn. Then you can still reduce their hit rate and dodge them while you recharge. Every player should go after a break 3 Mega Gengar, no excuse. Sit in map 3 early, or map 18 late and farm them up, you won't regret it.
A Tier[]
Some of the strongest Pokémon in the game, but don't necessarily have anything "special" about them.
- Ash's Greninja
- Mega Milotic
- Darkrai: Sue me. This Poke actually legitimately doesn't make my team. Don't get me wrong, Darkrai is an insanely strong Poke, but when you hit the late game, the way your team works together is better than just an insanely strong Poke. Probably the highest of the A Tier pokes, maybe could even be in S tier, but I pride myself on being harsh here. I expect to see a lot of these when server wars start, and I expect to smash them all with my Mega Gengar.
- Ideal Team Mega Lucario: Ahh the dodge team. My favorite team that will sadly never actually be a competitive thing. Mega Lucario can legitimately take down an entire team literally by himself by doing absolutely nothing. Pair him with some good supports and you have one of the most broken teams in the entire game... If it wasn't countered by one single item. If Ring Target didn't exist, this team would be S++ Tier. I'll show it anyway because it can get you through gyms, stages, expeditions and what not, but be careful because almost this entire team becomes useless if other players on your server simply slap a Ring Target on each of their Pokes. (Ideal Team Celebi is not shown here because she is higher on the tier list, but she would fit this team)
- Ideal Team Ash's Greninja
- Ideal Team Mega Lilligant: The passive healing is great, but her dispel ability not only dispels, but also gives a %10 dodge buff
- Ideal Team Mega Gallade: Break 2 is where you really get good with Gallade. Being able to heal every time you dodge makes Gallade a force that is very hard to deal with.
- Legend Lugia
- Legend Ho-oh
- Regigigas (this is a support... not a damage dealer)
B Tier[]
Strong Pokémon that don't match up to the intense top competition. Will likely be mid-VIP player's best Pokémon.
- Rayquaza
- Giratina
- Kyurem
- Keldeo
- Y Charizard
- Legend Mew: Mew fanboys out there are yelling at me, but the fact is that Hypnotize is trash in any team besides a single-target team. Mew makes a higher tier in it's ideal team but just throwing it in a random team won't do you too much good.
- Mega Lucario
- VAR Gyarados
- Mega Gyarados
- Mega Abomasnow
- Mega Blissey
- VAR Electrode
- VAR Dragonite
- VAR Magikarp
- VAR Altaria: Great for a strong counter to debuff teams. Probably won't fit the lineup of most "normal" teams, but if theres a strong team you can counter that's ahead of you in arena, swapping this in can take them down better than most other things in the game.
- Mega Suicune: Wannabe VAR Magikarp, but still good.
- Ideal Team Gengar: WTF? Typo? Misclick? MrDrunkerson? No. Gengar. Secret Team. Figure it out, it's the nuts. Good Luck. Only reason it's B tier is because It's too hard for me to test right now, so I can't actually use it. If you think you can put it together, send me a message, I'll be impressed.
C Tier[]
Still strong Pokémon that don't have a special niche, but can still be the forefront of an early team.
- Mega Venasaur
- Mega Blastoise
- Mega Houndoom
- Mega Gengar
- Mega Pinsir
- Mega Aerodactyl
- Mega Pika
- Mega Heracross
- Mega Tyranitar
- Mega Absol
- Mega Garchomp
- X Charizard
- Mega Beedrill
- VAR Ninetails
- Ash's Charizard
- Vanilluxe
- VAR Arcanine
- VAR Machamp
- Mega Ampharos
- Mega Zapdos
- Mega Dragonite
D Tier[]
Pretty much here just because it's a red Pokémon. (Still strong, just the worst of the reds.) Also, strongest orange Pokémon make the list starting here.
- Mega Pidgeot
- Mega Alakazam
- Mega Scizor
- Mega Mawile
- VAR Steelix
- VAR Metagross
- VAR Haxorus
- Mega Blaziken
- Mega Glalie
- Mega Steelix
- Mega Sableye
- Mega Gallade
- Mega Gardevior
- Mega Salamence
- Mega Articuno
- Mega Moltres
- Mega Raikou
- Mega Entei
- Gyarados
- Milotic
- Snorlax: In a super weird stall team, but it's out there.
- Kingdra: Can be subbed in for the Single-Target team if missing a Pokemon.
- Latias
- Latios
- Lilligant
E Tier[]
Strong orange Pokémon, some with a niche.
- Raichu
- Exeggutor
- Crobat
- Shiftry
- Salamence
- Metagross
- Rhyperior
- Magmortar
- Dusknoir
- Frost Rotom
- Confagrigus
- Snowy Form
- Porygon Z
F Tier[]
Mid-tier orange Pokémon, most have some kind of niche.
- Arcanine
- Drifblim
- Magnezone
- Tornadus
- Thundurus
- Landorus
- Shedinja
- Banette
- Weavile
- Lapras
- Altaria
- Hydreigon
- Volcarona
G Tier[]
Orange Pokémon, nothing really special about them (this list is longer because most of them are just copies of each other with a few different stats).
- Ninetails
- Poliwrath
- Kangaskhan
- Vaporeon
- Jolteon
- Flareon
- Meganium
- Typhlosion
- Feraligatr
- Politoed
- Espeon
- Umbreon
- Houndoom
- Sceptile
- Swampert
- Gardevoir
- Sableye
- Wailord
- Glalie
- Infernape
- Empoleon
- Electivire
- Togekiss
- Leafeon
- Glaceon
- Gallade
- Froslass
- Wash Rotom
- Fan Rotom
- Mow Rotom
- Heat Rotom
- Serperior
- Emboar
- Samurott
- Golurk
- Chesnaught
- Delphox
- Greninja
- Rainy Form
- Sunny Kid
- Hitmonlee- crit buff
- Hitmonchan- crit buff
H Tier[]
High-tier purples.
- Fearow
- Arbok
- Sandslash
- Vileplume
- Dugtrio
- Persian
- Primape
- Victreebel
- Rapidash
- Slowbro
- Dodrio
- Dewgong
- Cloyster
- Hypno
- Electrode
- Weezing
- Seaking
- Starmie
- MrMime
- Tauros
- Omastar
- Kabutops
- Camerupt
- Druddigon
I Tier[]
Low-tier purples + some blues.
- Butterfree
- Raticate
- Nidoqueen
- Nidoking
- Clafable
- Wigglytuff
- Parasect
- Venemoth
- Golduck
- Machamp
- Tentacruel
- Golem
- Magneton
- Muk
- Kingler
- Marowak
- Tangela
- Jynx
- Farfetch'd
J Tier[]
Bottom of the bottom, just don't use these.
- Lickitung
- Ditto
And that's everything. If I missed something or you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask, thanks! If you want a specific explanation of why a certain pokemon is placed in a lower or higher tier than you expected, feel free to ask, and I'll include the explanation in an edit.