Pokémon Tier List: Which One You Actually Need
No single Pokémon tier list exists. Gen 9 OU usage for October 2026 puts Great Tusk at 28.32%, and official doubles runs Regulation M-C until December 2.
There is no single Pokémon tier list, and any page that gives you one ranking for all 1,000-plus Pokémon is answering a question nobody asked. Rankings only mean something inside a format. For competitive singles, the current reference is Smogon’s Gen 9 OU usage stats for October 2026, where Great Tusk leads at 28.32 percent, Gholdengo sits at 21.64 and Kingambit at 20.55, across 608,936 battles. For official doubles, the live format is Regulation Set M-C. Those are different games with different answers.
Key takeaways
Why a universal Pokémon tier list doesn’t work
Smogon’s tiers and a YouTube S-to-F chart are not the same kind of object, and conflating them is where most confusion starts. Smogon’s OU, UU, RU and NU are usage-based brackets: a Pokémon sits in a tier because of how often it’s played at that level, not because a panel decided it’s strong. Official Play! Pokémon rankings come from tournament results inside a numbered regulation set. A tier chart on a social post is one person’s opinion.
The practical test is simple. Ask what would change the ranking. If the answer is “a patch, a regulation change or a month of ladder data,” you’re reading a meta list. If the answer is “the author changed their mind,” you’re reading a preference chart. Both are fine. Only one tells you what to build.
Gen 9 OU usage, October 2026
This is the primary list for competitive singles, taken from Smogon’s monthly statistics for October 2026. Usage percentage is the share of teams a Pokémon appeared on, at the no-ratings-cutoff level, across 608,936 battles. It is not a quality score, but it’s the closest thing to a measured ranking that exists.
| # | Pokémon | Oct 2026 usage | Sep 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Tusk | 28.32% | 27.95% |
| 2 | Gholdengo | 21.64% | 20.87% |
| 3 | Kingambit | 20.55% | 20.62% |
| 4 | Dragonite | 15.72% | 14.84% |
| 5 | Ogerpon-Wellspring | 14.14% | 13.99% |
| 6 | Zamazenta | 13.80% | 13.68% |
| 7 | Iron Valiant | 13.80% | 13.71% |
| 8 | Gliscor | 13.17% | 13.25% |
| 9 | Dragapult | 13.09% | 12.96% |
| 10 | Corviknight | 12.51% | 12.73% |
Figures from Smogon’s October 2026 statistics, gen9ou at the 0 cutoff, with September 2026 from the same series.
One detail that shows how little a rank number is worth here. Zamazenta and Iron Valiant are separated by about two thousandths of a percentage point in October, 13.80227 against 13.80035. They swapped positions six and seven from September, and that swap means nothing at all. Treat anything inside half a point as a tie.
How the top ten moved
Over one month the shape barely changed, which is itself useful information. Dragonite gained the most ground at roughly nine tenths of a point, Gholdengo added about three quarters, and Corviknight was the only top-ten Pokémon to lose more than two tenths.
That stability is the argument for checking a date rather than a tier letter. A list built in July can still be roughly right in November. A list with no date at all could be from either.
Official doubles: Regulation Set M-C
Play! Pokémon’s competitive format is a different animal, and it’s currently Regulation Set M-C. Per The Pokémon Company’s press release dated August 30, 2026, M-C runs from September 9, 2026 at 02:00 UTC to December 2, 2026 at 01:59 UTC. It adds Rillaboom and Baxcalibur to the newly usable roster and allows six Mega Evolutions: the Z forms Mega Absol Z with Sharpness, Mega Lucario Z with Aura Guard and Mega Garchomp Z with Levitate, plus Mega Salamence, Mega Golisopod and Mega Baxcalibur. Two rules matter for teambuilding. A Pokémon has to hold its own Mega Stone, and only one Mega Evolution is allowed per battle.
Rankings for this format come from tournament results rather than a ladder, so the honest framing is usage and placement share across events, not an S-to-F chart. If you want the doubles side broken out properly, including role notes rather than raw percentages, we keep that in our Pokémon Champions tier list.
One caution on a source you’ll run into. The Play! Pokémon rules and formats document still served a version naming Regulation Set H with a 2024 publication date when we checked on November 6, 2026, so the press release is the better citation for M-C.
What kind of list are you actually looking at?
Several of the pages that rank for “pokemon tier list” aren’t competitive rankings at all. Here’s what the main ones are, checked November 6, 2026.
| Type of list | What it ranks | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Usage statistics | Share of teams on a ladder, by month | Knowing what you’ll face |
| Tournament database | Points and share from real events in one regulation | Official doubles teambuilding |
| General-purpose power list | All Pokémon on stats, typing and broad performance | Casual playthroughs, not formats |
| User-made templates | Whatever the creator uploaded | Fun, arguments, nothing else |
Two specific mix-ups are worth naming. A prominent “tier list” result is a Pokémon TCG Pocket deck ranking that scores archetypes by how often they appear in the latest 400 topping tournament decklists, with its newest set listed as First Partners on October 31, 2026. That’s the card game, not the video games. And a popular fan site that looks like a ranker is actually a favorites picker: you click through a filtered grid to choose Pokémon you like and export an image. No tiers involved.
Our take: bookmark one list per format and ignore the rest. Monthly usage for singles, a tournament database for doubles, and nothing undated. For how rankings work in other games, the method is the same in our AFK Arena tier list, and if you’re here for Pokémon GO instead, start with Eevee evolutions in Pokémon GO.
Questions people ask
What is the best Pokémon tier list?
The one matching your format. For Gen 9 singles, Smogon’s monthly usage statistics are the most verifiable reference. For official doubles, tournament results inside the current regulation set. There is no credible ranking that covers every Pokémon across every format at once.
What do S, A and B tiers mean in Pokémon?
They’re an informal scale borrowed from fighting games, with S above A. Smogon doesn’t use them. Its tiers are OU, UU, RU and NU, which group Pokémon by how heavily they’re used at each level rather than by a judgement of power.
Is Great Tusk the best Pokémon right now?
It’s the most used in Gen 9 OU at 28.32 percent for October 2026, which is not the same as best. Usage reflects reliability and how well a Pokémon fits common team structures. Official doubles under Regulation M-C looks quite different.
How often do Pokémon tier lists change?
Singles usage updates monthly, and the September to October 2026 top ten moved by under a point in most cases. Official formats change on a schedule instead, with Regulation M-C running September 9 to December 2, 2026 before the next set takes over.
Cassia Fenwick
Cassia Fenwick is a staff writer at Console Alley, covering console gaming from the latest hardware questions to the games players return to for years. Her work moves across news, practical guides, reviews, gaming gear, and the wider culture around games. Whether she is breaking down a new console feature or explaining a mechanic in a familiar favorite, she writes with a straightforward goal: help readers understand what matters and what to do next. She pays particular attention to the small details that shape the playing experience. A controller compatibility rule, a battery-life setting, a difficult-to-find resource, or a change introduced by a game update can make the difference between a frustrating evening and a rewarding one. Her published coverage includes Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 questions, Terraria, Stardew Valley, and The Sims 4, with explanations that welcome readers who may be discovering a game for the first time or returning after time away. Cassia's style is clear, patient, and grounded in practical examples. Rather than assuming readers already know the terminology, she begins with the question at hand, adds the context that genuinely helps, and keeps instructions easy to follow. She is interested not only in how a feature works, but also why its design matters—especially when a small interaction, interface decision, or unexpected mechanic changes how a game feels. Outside her gaming coverage, Cassia enjoys colorful postcards, making books, and noticing the shapes, colors, and details built into everyday objects. That curiosity carries naturally into her writing, where overlooked features and thoughtful design can provide a fresh way to look at a game. Her aim is for every article to be useful on its own: approachable enough for a newcomer, specific enough for someone looking for a quick answer, and enjoyable enough to leave readers with something new to explore.
