Warning: The following post contains thinly-veiled Grimmsnarl propaganda. Read at your own risk.
So I've been playing around with a team I built since even before the Dynamax/GMax ban and I'm pretty happy to say that despite Grimmsnarl losing its amazing Gigantamax form it still holds up very well thanks to the reduced power level of a post-Dynamax metagame. This may be more of a team showcase than anything, but I feel like this team's structure does a great job of reflecting every single top-tier trend I've bumped into thus far:
https://pokepast.es/c9d2a26dba052eca
So first off, while Specs Dragapult is arguably one of the bigger losers of the Dynamax ban since it loses a lot of its leeway to switch up its moves,
SubDisable+Hex Dragapult is arguably one of the biggest
winners of the ban because now it does a much better job at battering slower teams with its great typing, offensive spread, and utility movepool. There isn't too much in the tier that would appreciate eating a status-boosted Hex from Dragapult, and it's generally just extremely consistent at what it does: spread burns, cripple shit, and break down stuff that isn't extremely bulky.
G-Darm is G-Darm: regardless of whether or not the Dynamax ban benefits it, it's still very safe to say that it is far and away the best mon in the tier, and it's pretty safe to say that it's always been a contender for that title. The only time G-Darm
isn't consistent in its role as a Choice Scarfer is when it has to play the 50/50 against an opposing G-Darm lead, in which case an entire game can be determined during that very first turn. Protect scouting is invaluable against this thing whenever it comes out since it will literally always be Choice-locked unless it's running that gimmicky Zen Mode set. Any team that isn't full-blown Stall benefits from having Scarf G-Darm on it, without question: it's just that consistently good.
Corviknight is one of the biggest losers of the Dynamax ban, but it will always have a place in this tier as long as Excadrill has a place in this tier. It is one of our very few viable Defoggers and is our only true Excadrill counter, and it can provide invaluable U-turn support to get one of this team's other threats in. Its typing in a Zoneless meta is downright incredible, and while it can't set up entry hazards its setup sets are still a level of threatening that Skarmory could never quite match.
I hate to make these sorts of comparisons, but
I'd argue that Seismitoad is basically this generation's Walmart-brand Landorus-Therian in that it offers an absurd amount of utility to any team that opts to run it. It kept Toxic where tons of other defensive stuff lost Toxic, and in a metagame where random lures with Grass moves are few and far between it is able to spread its status, pivot in on stuff, and get up Stealth Rock on an incredibly consistent basis. It offers a ton of set diversity, too: I opt to run a defensive variant with a slightly specialized EV spread for this team, but it can function quite well as an
offensive Rocker on Rain teams, too. Getting Liquidation and Power Whip this generation expands its set diversity even further: now it can flex that higher Attack stat and punish would-be switchins to its special variants quite heavily, making its Swift Swim sets very difficult to check. It can force a ton of switches and get its Rocks up that way, and it can be quite tough to scout for. An Electric immunity, a Water immunity, a Dracovish check, a reliable Rocker, a physical or special sweeper, a tank... Toad can do it all - or it could do most of it with just one set - and it can do it all incredibly well.
Life Orb Clefable appreciates the removal of Dynamax somewhat since that effectively reduces the amount of things that can sponge hits from it while simultaneously reducing the number of things that can reliably 2HKO it drastically. That said, it also loses its ability to Dynamax as well, though this doesn't hurt it very much in the long run. This thing still wallbreaks like a champ, which is incredibly atypical of Clefable given its use as a predominantly-defensive mon in prior gens, but it's clear that offensive Clefable is here to stay. LO Clef is absolutely incredible and absurdly difficult to prepare for, and when it comes in cleanly it turns the game into an enormous prediction war since with a good prediction it can 2HKO anything in the tier.
Grimmsnarl is a weird case, in my opinion: it has tragically lost out on its amazing Gigantamax form, but the lowered power level of a Dynamaxless meta artificially increases Grimmsnarl's somewhat respectable bulk enough that it can flex its incredible support movepool much better. It still maintains the awesome utility of its Dual Screens set, but now it can better utilize Prankster Trick and Power Swap for additional shenanigans and its Bulk Up sets have a little extra staying power. The set I opted to run for this team combines the utility of its Taunt sets with the power of its Bulk Up sets and is to an extent the best of both worlds: Prankster Taunt+Sucker Punch is an
incredibly scary combination that gives offensive teams an incredibly hard time and after some boosts Grimmsnarl hits ludicrously hard with the move. Spirit Break punishes switchins, scares Hydreigon out, and gives Grimmsnarl a way to "boost" its Special bulk, thus granting it more opportunities to set up.
Overall, I'm a huge fan of this meta. Dynamax getting banned has opened the door for a metric ton of new and creative options. And speaking of new and creative options,
you guys need to start experimenting with Grimmsnarl some more. Though plenty of people have used it because of its utility sets, the thing's movepool is absolutely absurd and its amazing typing+ability give it some of the most incredible set diversity in this meta. Its potential is highly unexplored, in my opinion.