>>44938891Barbaracle is my favorite Pokemon, and I'd say it does about as well as can be expected for a Rock-type with a BST of 500. It's been RUBL ever since it picked up a viable contact STAB in Liquidation, and I could see it moving up to UU if it didn't have to rely on Stone Edge for a backup STAB. Power Trip and Power Whip are both stronger and more accurate than STAB Stone Edge after a Shell Smash boost, for instance. It also wants a priority move, with both Aqua Jet and Accelerock being STAB Tough Claws boosted priority moves
fuck Lycanrock for hogging Accelerock that would let it pick off faster threats without having to Smash every time. Barbaracle would also benefit from a slight Speed boost, to bring it to an appreciable base 78 tier before setting up
The biggest thing that could be done to buff the B-men, though, would've been to give it/them Burny's gimmick. Barnacles can colonize a variety of surfaces IRL, and Binacle have been shown separating themselves from their rocks in the anime, so letting the Pokemon attach itself to different surfaces depending on what's around would've let it take on more viable typings for its game plan
>no Grass/Water Barbaracle that colonizes driftwood and abuses TC Wood Hammers>no Steel/Water Barbaracle that colonizes scrap metal and can use Bullet Punch or Meteor Mash for secondary STABsRock just sucks so hard in its current iteration for anything that wants to boost. Numerous common weaknesses makes it hard for Rock-types to set up safely, while a dearth of accurate STABs leaves them vulnerable to missing at crucial points during a sweep.
