Here's what I think are the top 5 competitive starters. Just wondering if anyone has a different ranking.
1: Blaziken
No contest here I would think, this thing is Uber and a destructive one at that, thanks to its ability Speed Boost and access to a powerful Mega which also has Speed Boost as well as a powerful STAB combination in Fire/Fighting with powerful moves in Low Kick, High Jump Kick, Flare Blitz, Knock Off, and Stone Edge, as well as great offensive stats.
2: Greninja
This thing is just so versatile! There are no "true" counters to Greninja, thanks to its huge movepool, decent stats, and a vital ability Protean. This thing gets some amazing coverage boosted by Protean, like Ice Beam, Extrasensory, Low Kick, Gunk Shot, and U-Turn to be a pivot. This thing can run Scarf, Life Orb, Z-Move, Expert Belt, and so on. This thing is so versatile you can basically tailor it to take almost any offensive role, from sweeper to hazard setter. And of course, Greninja has it's infamous Battle Bond form (I refuse to call it Ash Greninja!). Arguably to most popular set, BB Greninja, with a pair of Choice Specs, rips through almost any mon. With STAB Hydro Pump and Dark Pulse, as well as an impressive priority 60 power Water Shuriken.
3: Mega Venusaur
This thing rests at #3 thanks to its ability to check common OU threats, such as Tapu Koko, Magearna, Kartana, Clefable, and many water types. It has a decent defensive typing in Grass/Poison and ability Thick Fat to kill its Fire and Ice weakness. It also gets some great defensive stats, as well as a decent healing option in Synthesis, as well as complementary healing options in Giga Drain and Leech Seed.
4: Mega Charizards
Charizard deserves #4 thanks to it's 2 Megas. X is a fearsome DD sweeper, with a great ability in Tough Claws and STAB options in Flare Blitz and Dragon Claw, as well as coverage moves in Thunder Punch as Earthquake, and of course Dragon Dance for setting up. Charizard Y is a strong special Wallbreaker, thanks to a sky high special attack stat and a rare and powerful ability Drought.
5: Mega Swampert
My personal favorite (I run a rain team!), Mega Swampert is a strong rain wallbreaker thanks to a great attack stat and ability Swift Swim. This thing, when in rain, has the rare ability to both hit extremely hard, 2hkoing most defensive threats with boosted Waterfalls and strong Earthquakes, this thing also gets enough speed to outpace every non boosted Pokemon. Thanks to it's decent bulk, it can also withstand hits from most scarfers, allowing it to retatiate with devastating hits. Mega Swampert also gets coverage in Ice Punch for most Grass types and Superpower for Ferrothorn, as well as arguable the most widely used and meta defining move, Stealth Rock.
That's it, and I'd love to see what everyone else's top 5 would be.
Please don't be mad if I left out your favorite!
1: Blaziken
No contest here I would think, this thing is Uber and a destructive one at that, thanks to its ability Speed Boost and access to a powerful Mega which also has Speed Boost as well as a powerful STAB combination in Fire/Fighting with powerful moves in Low Kick, High Jump Kick, Flare Blitz, Knock Off, and Stone Edge, as well as great offensive stats.
2: Greninja
This thing is just so versatile! There are no "true" counters to Greninja, thanks to its huge movepool, decent stats, and a vital ability Protean. This thing gets some amazing coverage boosted by Protean, like Ice Beam, Extrasensory, Low Kick, Gunk Shot, and U-Turn to be a pivot. This thing can run Scarf, Life Orb, Z-Move, Expert Belt, and so on. This thing is so versatile you can basically tailor it to take almost any offensive role, from sweeper to hazard setter. And of course, Greninja has it's infamous Battle Bond form (I refuse to call it Ash Greninja!). Arguably to most popular set, BB Greninja, with a pair of Choice Specs, rips through almost any mon. With STAB Hydro Pump and Dark Pulse, as well as an impressive priority 60 power Water Shuriken.
3: Mega Venusaur
This thing rests at #3 thanks to its ability to check common OU threats, such as Tapu Koko, Magearna, Kartana, Clefable, and many water types. It has a decent defensive typing in Grass/Poison and ability Thick Fat to kill its Fire and Ice weakness. It also gets some great defensive stats, as well as a decent healing option in Synthesis, as well as complementary healing options in Giga Drain and Leech Seed.
4: Mega Charizards
Charizard deserves #4 thanks to it's 2 Megas. X is a fearsome DD sweeper, with a great ability in Tough Claws and STAB options in Flare Blitz and Dragon Claw, as well as coverage moves in Thunder Punch as Earthquake, and of course Dragon Dance for setting up. Charizard Y is a strong special Wallbreaker, thanks to a sky high special attack stat and a rare and powerful ability Drought.
5: Mega Swampert
My personal favorite (I run a rain team!), Mega Swampert is a strong rain wallbreaker thanks to a great attack stat and ability Swift Swim. This thing, when in rain, has the rare ability to both hit extremely hard, 2hkoing most defensive threats with boosted Waterfalls and strong Earthquakes, this thing also gets enough speed to outpace every non boosted Pokemon. Thanks to it's decent bulk, it can also withstand hits from most scarfers, allowing it to retatiate with devastating hits. Mega Swampert also gets coverage in Ice Punch for most Grass types and Superpower for Ferrothorn, as well as arguable the most widely used and meta defining move, Stealth Rock.
That's it, and I'd love to see what everyone else's top 5 would be.
Please don't be mad if I left out your favorite!
