Post-ban field map
Published ranks, July preparation targets, and the lines between fact and inference.
The published viability ranking was set on December 22, 2025:
| Rank | Pokémon |
|---|---|
| S | Raichu, Rapidash |
| A+ | Politoed, Xatu, Poliwrath, Victreebel, Hitmonchan |
| A | Meganium, Banette |
| A- | Aggron, Clefable, Whiscash, Cacturne, Pidgeot, Stantler, Kabutops |
| B+ | Metang, Azumarill, Golbat, Haunter, Primeape, Swalot, Camerupt |
| B | Pikachu, Mantine, Persian, Chimecho, Mr. Mime, Roselia, Pineco |
| B- | Shiftry, Sableye, Relicanth, Magmar |
| C | Pupitar, Ninetales, Octillery, Sneasel, Exploud, Shuckle, Sharpedo, Torkoal, Huntail, Wailord |
| D | Absol |
Hypno entered RU in February and remains listed separately as new. Manectric entered with it, then moved to RUBL in June. The table is useful history and a rough priority list. The council has not published a July replacement. Read the ranking update and February shift.
Six post-ban adjustments
This revision makes six post-ban recommendations:
- Hitmonchan should start bulkier than before;
- Spikes deserve more weight;
- Double-Edge is Aggron’s safer middle click, with Focus Punch reserved for a harder call;
- mixed Rapidash deserves the default slot over a purely physical line;
- Hypno with Whiscash will be hard to break;
- Banette is even more of a menace.
The January samples and July logs support some more directly than others. None of them replaces a council ranking. The evidence or tradeoff for each appears beside the recommendation.
Five primary preparation targets
Raichu
Raichu sets the common fast Electric line, pressures Water-types, and can change its counterplay through Surf, Hidden Power, Encore, Toxic, Thunder Wave, Wish, or pinch-berry sets. One set cannot fit all of those moves. Scout the fourth move and item before spending the team’s Electric answer.
Rapidash
Rapidash reaches the highest common unboosted Speed line after the ban. Three January samples use Silk Scarf mixed sets with Double-Edge, Overheat, Hidden Power, and Quick Attack. A fourth uses Choice Band while keeping Fire Blast and Hidden Power Ground. Start with the mixed line unless the team can name what the Choice Band lock buys. Water-types check the Fire move; Double-Edge, Hidden Power, Toxic, and setup choices determine whether they hold.
Aggron
Aggron supplies Normal and Flying resistance while threatening damage or paralysis. Double-Edge is the safer middle click on attacking sets because it resolves immediately and catches more neutral switches than Focus Punch. Focus Punch still has a job against a called Aggron or another Fighting-weak target. Three January samples pair Double-Edge with either Brick Break, Thunder Wave, or Focus Punch; the dedicated Substitute set keeps Focus Punch and drops Double-Edge. Its Ground and Fighting weaknesses keep it from acting as a passive blanket check.
Hitmonchan
Hitmonchan can supply Fighting damage, Mach Punch, coverage, setup, or Rapid Spin. Four non-Choice Band January samples invest 252 HP and only 68 to 172 Speed EVs. A bulkier default follows the same direction: preserve Hitmonchan for repeated entries, Mach Punch, and a possible Spin instead of paying for Speed without a named target. The exact defensive split still belongs to the team. Treat priority as the common floor and confirm whether the set can remove Spikes before building a hazard plan around it.
Banette
Banette blocks Rapid Spin and Normal or Fighting attacks, then threatens immediate physical damage, burn, paralysis, Taunt, Knock Off, or Destiny Bond. Nine of 38 sides in the July ledger revealed Banette and three led with it. The exposed items included Leftovers and Salac Berry, so one answer cannot assume a slow utility set. Aggron can take Shadow Ball but must respect Hidden Power Fighting, Will-O-Wisp, and Destiny Bond. Faster pressure must account for Salac.
The support group still attacks
Politoed, Clefable, Hypno, Roselia, Meganium, and Stantler fill defensive or utility jobs without giving up pressure.
- Politoed covers Fire interactions, attacks immediately, and may use Damp to deny an Explosion trade.
- Clefable combines mixed bulk, recovery, status, Encore, or Calm Mind options.
- Hypno checks special pressure and can carry Wish, paralysis, Seismic Toss, Calm Mind, or less common tech. It has no settled published rank.
- Roselia sets Spikes while covering Water and Electric interactions. It pays for that compression with exploitable physical matchups.
- Meganium supplies longevity and Grass-type defensive value, then threatens Swords Dance or status.
- Stantler turns Intimidate and broad physical coverage into an aggressive lead or midgame breaker.
The May ADVPL team posts are the best source for Hypno’s early development, but they belong to the Manectric metagame. Eeveeto’s team dump and nominations document Wish, Thunder Wave, Calm Mind, and Counter experiments without settling one required set.
July signals
The post-source public window repeatedly paired Aggron with Raichu, Clefable, Meganium, Hypno, or Roselia. Its reveal floors are descriptive, not usage rates. The dated ranking and current Speed receipts keep Raichu and Rapidash as the first Speed checks in this builder. Eleven sides revealed Hypno, a useful current set sample even though it has no published rank.
Six sides revealed Xatu and three revealed Cacturne. Both were frequent Manectric partners in ADVPL, but the complete tournament table and concentrated public film room are not comparable frequency samples. Their post-ban position is a question for Cup evidence, not a decline established here.
Use these as working bands:
- Prepare directly for Raichu, Rapidash, Aggron, Hitmonchan, and Banette.
- Expect Politoed, Clefable, Hypno, Roselia, Meganium, and Stantler to combine glue with a win path.
- Check the matchup effects of Victreebel, Whiscash, Xatu, Poliwrath, Ninetales, Cacturne, Pidgeot, and Kabutops.
- Identify structure-dependent threats from the opposing lead and early reveals rather than dismissing them by rank.
These bands guide preparation. They do not replace the community ranking.