It brings many relevant attackers. Let’s see here:
Psychic:
Azelf: Outclasses Alakazam entirely, that is, with Confusion and Future Sight. And unfortunately for Alakazam, it can learn both. It still won’t be better than Mewtwo however, because Mewtwo is just “that good.”
Normal:
Porygon-Z: A generalist that will rival the big Dragons (Dragonite, Salamence, Garchomp, Palkia, Dialga, Rayquaza) in Partly Cloudy weather, which is extremely common. (With Normal type moves, Tackle and Hyper Beam)
Regigigas: Unnerfed, it will be better than Porygon-Z (It probably will get nerfed) providing that it gets Zen Headbutt And Hyper Beam, it will also top the Partly Cloudy generalist DPS charts, and have monstrous TDO, rivaling Lugia.
Poison:
Roserade: Muk was never really a viable option. Roserade brings the first viable Poison attacker to PoGo, after 3 long generations, outperforming Steel types and Gengar (Yes, including Dialga) VS Fairy targets such as Azumarill and Granbull, and pure Grass types should they ever become raid bosses. With good moves, it will rise to the top n Grass DPS (Razor Leaf/Grass Knot) as well. It will be a force to be reckoned with.
Grass:
Tangrowth: Sporting a slightly lower DPS for a little less than double the bulk of Venusaur, (With Vine Whip and Power Whip or Grass Knot) it will be great against all Grass type targets. (Without the Poison typing, which hurts performance VS Ground types)
Celebi: Why you may ask? Because if there is a move rebalance and Celebi gets Grass Knot and a decent Grass fast move, it will become one of the better Grass types. It’s TDO will be about that of Tangrowth, albeit with less DPS. (Grass Knot should replace the absolutely horrible Hyper Beam)
Sceptile: It deserves a mention. When it does get Frenzy Plant, it’ll outclass Venusaur.
Fighting:
Gallade: More useful in gyms, as it’s slightly worse DPS is compensated by the resistance to Psychic, of which 3 of the bulkiest Gym defender’s move sets revolve around. Still, a great Machamp alternative, up there with Hariyama and unnerfed Regigigas. (Provided that it has Counter and Dynamic Punch) That reminds me...
Regigigas: (Unnerfed) As this Pokemon may very well fly under the radar, (because Normal does not deal SE damage to anything, and it’s Fighting set already holds it back) we will get yet another great Machamp alternative, sporting higher DPS than Close Combat Machamp and a 50% TDO upgrade to Hariyama! Even better, it is not dragged down VS the fat Normal types, as it has no weakness to Psychic nor Fairy moves. It’s Fighting weakness brings little to no consequences as it’s bulk can more than compensate, making this mechanical behemoth able to hold its own among the other Fighting types.
Water:
Floatzel: If it learns Waterfall and Hydro Pump and is relatively common, it’ll be a solid budget option for lower tier raids. (Gyarados requires 400 Magikarp candy for that niche alone)
Palkia: Provided that it learns a Water type quick move, it may outclass Kyogre, and be good against targets weak to Water that have Solar Beam, as well as Fire types. However, if Palkia does get a water fast move, Niantic will probably make Whirlpool worse than the already existing Waterfall, and give it a lackluster charge move that isn’t Hydro Pump or Surf, it will be nothing to write home about. On the contrary, it will be better than the aforementioned Pokémon, and Vaporeon, even without a Water type fast move.
Electric:
Electivire: If this beast gets Wild Charge, Raikou will be dethroned, slightly earlier than expected. (Zekrom was coming anyway) however, Raikou’s bulk remains supreme, still almost eclipsing Electivire VS bosses that deal lots of damage. (Kyogre with Hydro Pump, and if it happens to get Origin Pulse) If it gets anything worse then... well, you all saw what happened to Zapdos.
Magneton: It’s typing is what really makes it stand out. With a double resistance to Flying and overall better stats than Alolan Golem, plus access to the coveted Thunder Shock/Wild Charge moveset, it will be a good tank in those situations. It’s other resistances around the board help too, with an immunity to Poison and resistances to 11 other types. Magnet Bomb is also one of the best moves in the game, and it will be a pretty cool Steel attacker as well, albeit not as powerful.
Rock:
Rampardos: Being the top part of the bread sandwiching Tyranitar in the middle, it will be the undisputed DPS king of Rock types on release. (Unless it gets Metal Claw/Rock Tomb, which I don’t see happening) “It’s only shortcoming is it’s bulk, which is comparable to Alakazam.” says Gamepress.
Rhyperior: Provided that it gets Smack Down, (And not the Rhydon situation) it’s well rounded stats have its TDO skyrocket. Basically, Rampardos will have the best DPS, able to overcome double weaknesses in Partly Cloudy weather, Rhyperior will have monstrous TDO, and Tyranitar will be in the middle, still being a great pick. If it gets Rock Wrecker, then it’s all over for Tyranitar. (Unless if the evolution it’s or way to evolve is ridiculously hard to do) If it gets Drill Run, it can rival Groudon VS Poison, Rock and Steel types, but it’s unlikely.
Dragon:
Palkia: It will surely challenge Rayquaza, but in quite a few situations, it comes out below in DPS. It’s TDO is great though, being about on par with Dialga and Garchomp.
Dialga: Being the first Dragon that isn’t weak to Dragon attacks makes it an excellent attacker into every Dragon type available. (Except itself) It finds itself behind Palkia and Rayquaza as the nerf hit it quite hard, but it’s niche puts it higher VS Dragon types. It will also rule Steel types if it gets a decent set.
Garchomp: Better than Dragonite and Salamence, this Dragon shines where it has a triple resistance to Electric moves. It’s Ground Side is also solid, especially VS Electric type raid bosses. (It’s the better Flygon)
Fire:
Magmortar: Better than Entei (Not in TDO but that doesn’t matter as Heatran already will outclass it) and Flareon with Fire Spin and Overheat. Depending on how long Heatran is available, Magmortar may get the niche of being easier to obtain. It’ll still be a solid pick, albeit outclassed.
Heatran: The Pokemon to end the debates on who is the best Fire type. Not Magmortar, Moltres, or Entei. Heatran boasts great stats as well as double resistances to every type Fire deals super effective damage to. It’s TDO is about 20% higher than Entei, and while it may lag behind Moltres in neutral DPS, it makes no room for anything else in specialist matchups. It’s also a solid counter to Blissey, double resisting Dazzling Gleam (A bonus) and sporting a resistance to it’s Normal and Psychic set, dealing good damage with Fire Spin and Overheat. (Resists Snorlax’s Hyper Beam, Heavy Slam, Body Slam and Zen Headbutt, plus Slaking’s Yawn and Play Rough) However, it’s DPS crown may not last as long as expected. If and when Blaziken gets Blast Burn, it will rule Fire type DPS thanks to its better than Charizards attack stat. But not to worry, as it’s bulk is only about as good (if not, worse) than Flareon.
Ghost:
Mismagius: Since it doesn’t learn Shadow Claw, it’s only use is being a bulkier Banette with a lower Attack stat and DPS. It’s passable VS Psychic and Ghost raid bosses with Focus Blast, but there are better options.
Flying:
Straptor: Access to Wing Attack and Sky Attack, and an Attack stat above 220? It will Double Flying Rayquaza easily, however Rayquaza still has better TDO vs Fighting and Grass types.
Honchcrow: While it will probably only rule one category, Flying or Dark, it certainly does well in this role too.
Togekiss: More tank than anything, it’ll serve well as an anchor, but nothing more.
Dragonite: If it somehow gets a good Flying fast move, it may challenge some of the above picks!
Fairy:
Togekiss: If it recieves Fairy Wind and Dazzling Gleam, it’ll instantly outclass Gardevoir, provide that the move isn’t really bad. (luckily Kirlia can evolve into Gallade too) It’ll earn the title of tankiest Dragon slayer, better than the Normal Dragons. It isn’t of much use though, as Rayquaza is double weak to Ice and Dialga takes neutral damage from that set. (Thank the Steel typing) It will be really good against Palkia though.
Bug:
Yanmega: Unfortunately, Yanmega cannot learn X-Scissor, putting it behind Pinsir in DPS. It’s kind of like a Frenzy Plant Venusaur to Tangrowth, as Yanmegas TDO is vastly superior.
Dark:
Weavile: With Snarl and Foul Play, Weavile surpasses Tyranitar in DPS, but it’s bulk isn’t great. (Especially VS Focus Blast Gengar, Mewtwo and Alakazam) Since there are higher DPS options, Weavile should be more suited as an Ice type specialist.
Darkrai: You will probably only get 1, but it’s power rivals that Dragonite in a vacuum as a generalist. (Only Fighting, Dark and Bug resist t) It competes against Gengar as a Glass countr and usually comes out on top, except versus Focus Blast rivals. Again, you only get one, so Gengar keeps the niche of being easier to obtain.
Honchcrow: Another canaditate that can learn Snarl and Foul Play, it will pass Tyranitar in DPS if it gets those moves, only coming behind Gengar and Darkrai for DPS versus Psychic and Ghost types. It’s really glassy though, even with a double resistance to Psychic and taking neutral damage from Focus Blast. (Worse than Weavile in TDO)
Ice:
It’s the type that changes the most.
Mamoswine: Remember the old days of when Ice types were balanced out? Prepare for change, Mamoswine packs a bigger punch than quite a few legendaries. It tops quite a few DPS charts, and unlike Ice types of before, it doesn’t need a double weaknesss to be the best. Even with a weakness to Grass, it still does better than the other two Ice types of this generation, by a landslide. It can also do well in a Ground type standpoint, but it’s only a bit better than Rhydon, even with Bulldoze.
Weavile: Weavile and Glaceon will share a Machamp-Hariyama relationship, with Mamoswine mastering both. Weavile has more DPS, and Glaceon has higher TDO. The latter is easy to obtain, and the former, while not impossibly hard to get, is less common. They will serve players well, for those who don’t have Mamoswine yet.
Glaceon: Avalanche is in its movepool! If somehow the aforementioned better picks to do not recieve it, Glaceon will best the Ice department.
Either way, the top Ice types now, (Articuno, Jynx, Walerin) will no longer be viable. In the end, in the absolute worst case scenario, most Pokemon we know of as the best will be outclassed. Only Groudon, Mewtwo, and surprisingly, Pinsir remain unchanged. (Kyogre and Raikou are still pretty safe bets though)
And don’t get me started on the new gym defenders.
