Tier List Change Log
New Sync Pair: Elesa & Zebstrika now available! Placement is detailed below, along with additional Tier List rework / changes.
New Sync Pair Placements
Elesa & Zebstrika placed near bottom of Tier 2.
Elesa & Zebstrika's performance is great for encounters that require an Electric-type Physical Striker. However, she suffers from her primary damage-dealing move having Recoil, and does not have as many HP recovery options as other Recoil damage dealers such as Hilda. Her HP recovery move is also tied to a Sure Critical buff, which ends up being an opportunity cost decision the player will have to make. As a result she can be more of a liability and can fall prematurely if the player does not plan out for her Recoil damage carefully, and is targeted by enemies or hit by an AoE move.
Physical Striker Tier Changes
As Tier 2 getting crowded, we have decided to split Tier 2 into separate tiers by splitting the Tier Point assignment as follows (for Physical Strikers):
- >32 = Tier 2; >30 = Tier 3; >27 = Tier 4; >0 = Tier 5
Overall Physical Striker Tier Changes
T1
Noland & Mega Pinsir
Olivia & Lycanroc (Midnight Form)
Brendan & Treecko
T2
Korrina & Mega Lucario
Hilda & Emboar
Kris & Feraligatr
Norman & Slaking
Elesa & Zebstrika
T3
Kahili & Toucannon
Bugsy & Mega Beedrill
Roark & Cranidos
Bruno & Machamp
Roxie & Whirlipede
T4
Marshal & Conkeldurr
Tate & Solrock
T5
Sygna Suit Brock & Tyranitar
Wulfric & Avalugg
Iris & Haxorus
Hapu & Mudsdale
Hilda & Emboar - Currently the best Recoil-based damage dealer due to multiple ways of regaining lost HP, including an auto-activating Passive that will heal Emboar at low health.
Kahili & Toucannon - Solid counterattack damage, the ability to Endure, self buffs for Attack, and guaranteed critical hits make this pair a decent performer as a Physical Striker.
Kris & Feraligatr - Damage from this Sync Pair's moves (particularly Mega Kick, which despite its accuracy issues is still a strong source of damage) is great enough to warrant placement into Tier 2.
Norman & Slaking - Due to being such a hard hitter despite having access to only Normal moves (i.e. no Supereffective attacks), and their F2P availability, Norman & Slaking have been moved to T2.
Roark & Cranidos - Its primary damage dealing move has very high base power. Combined with self Attack buffs, self move gauge replenishment and sure hit capability, the main thing holding this Sync Pair back is the high amount of Recoil damage (33% dealt to the target).
Bruno & Machamp - Still decent as a Fighting-type Striker, however the F2P available Korrina and Lucario are strong contenders with a 3-bar move that has higher overall power, and better accuracy. They are still capable of landing strong critical hits by merit of their kit. As a result, this pair is shifted to Tier 3 during the split.
Roxie & Whirlipede - A solid Poison-type Striker, the only thing keeping this Sync Pair out of the upper tiers is its lower base Attack stat. Poison as a status condition itself, however, is not wielded by this Sync Pair as effectively as Koga & Crobat (who is a Tech Sync Pair).
Bugsy & Beedrill - This Sync Pair’s moveset is somewhat awkward to use in practice. As a result, they have been moved down due to their low power moves and their setup time making them somewhat less effective than they appear on paper.
Tate & Solrock - This Sync Pair boasts an array of buffs that can allow it to quickly reach buff caps. However, their lower power moves keeps them out of the upper tiers, and their accuracy is also a liability. They are still very useful in Co-op situations, but less so in Single Player situations.
Sygna Suit Brock & Tyranitar - Unfortunately in the current state of the game, AoE damage receives a sizable penalty. As Tyranitar’s main source of damage is AoE, their performance will end up lacking as a Physical Striker. They still maintain the position of being one of the few AoE Physical Strikers in the game, although they unfortunately do not currently perform very effectively.
Tech Tier Changes
Blaine & Ponyta Tier 2 > Tier 1 - Sunny Day has a plethora of useful effects. In light of the latest EX Challenge quests, their ability to block weather changes that are unfavorable, in addition to powering up all Fire-type moves with their weather effects is invaluable, and their placement has been improved.
Acerola & Palossand moved to top of Tier 4, but not quite upgraded - Sandstorm has some unexpectedly beneficial effects (due to the weather glitch during earlier forms of the EX Flannery challenge). However, due to Sandstorm not quite having the same effect as other types of Weather (Rainy = Water damage up, Sunny = Fire damage up), she was not quite moved up a tier yet. It is yet to be confirmed whether Sandstorm can boost Sp.Def for Rock-type Sync Pairs in Pokemon Masters, although Palossand cannot take advantage of those benefits anyway as they are Ground-Type.
Winona & Pelipper moved Tier 4 > Tier 2 - As the current sole user of Rain Dance, we have decided to move Winona & Pelipper up due to the dual utility of her ability to block unfavorable weather changes and power up Water-type moves, similar to Blaine. She also has the added bonus of gaining additional Move Gauge quickly while the weather is Rainy. She has moved up two tiers.
Special Striker Tier Changes
Barry & Empoleon Tier 2 > Tier 3 - Unfortunately their damage is subpar for the Special Striker category. The probability of the Speed debuff on Bubble / Bubble Beam is only 10%, which was not correctly considered in the initial tier placement. As a result, they have been moved down a tier.
Tier List Links
About the Author(s)
