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The author built a three-Mega offensive team anchored by Mega Victreebel and reached 457th place with a 2518 rating in Champions S1. The team started as a four-Mega concept that was too inflexible in team selection, so Stealth-Rock White Herb Archaludon and Mega Scizor were added to bring it to three Megas. Mega Victreebel's Innards Out ability punishes the opponent regardless of the matchup by dealing damage equal to its remaining HP before fainting, making it an almost universal lead; Strength Sap hard-counters setup sweepers by recovering HP while depleting Swords Dance PP. Primarina (Leftovers) uses Calm Mind and Misty Terrain to set up on Umbreon and handle sleep tactics. Basculegion with a Sash runs Agility for a surprise finish instead of the expected Scarf, and was used in almost every game. Mega Dragonite brings broad coverage and handles matchups where Archaludon and Corviknight are problematic. Mega Scizor was slotted in only for the final seven games and never actually sent out, but its presence alone was enough to significantly deter opponent Florges selection.Build article →

The team is built around Mega Banette, designed to use Destiny Bond on the lead turn to trade 1-for-1, effectively turning the match into a 3-vs-2 advantage. Archaludon and Scarf Pelipper form the backbone, with Pelipper using Hydro Pump over Weather Ball to retain damage output even without rain. Hisui Samurott is brought as a fake Scarf Water ace that actually leads with Spikes to support Banette. Mega Scizor with Curse fills a second Mega slot with a completely different win condition from Banette, while Eternal-Flower Mega Florette is the counter to Umbreon. The team's fatal flaw is extreme Fire-type weakness — the moment a Fire user appears in team preview, both Scizor and Florette are effectively locked out, reducing the functional team to four members, which ultimately cost the author dearly on finals day.Build article →

Finishing 18th with a team centered on Mega Gengar and Corviknight attack cycling. Gengar's Shadow Tag traps physical walls, while Corviknight's U-turn safely delivers Gengar to favorable matchups. Sash Garchomp provides Stealth Rock and covers the fire-type threats dangerous to Corviknight. Scarf Hydreigon checks both Mega Gengar mirrors and Basculegion, its typing complementing both Mega slots' blind spots. Obon Primarina handles Delphox, Hipowdon, and Mega Dragonite. Mega Lucario was the last addition, targeting Mimikyu-laden offense teams and handling the Charizard Y plus Volcarona angle with Rock Slide — on the final day, the Corviknight plus Garchomp preview routinely baited opponents into bringing Charizard, and then Lucario's Rock Slide finished them off unexpectedly. The author cites broad, flexible team selection as the key strength, with Mega Lopunny handling and Aegislash suppression as remaining weak points needing improvement.

The team is built around Mega Scizor running Calm Mind, an idea the author picked up from a streamer's video. Scizor uses an HB investment to comfortably take physical hits, and once Calm Mind stacks accumulate, even super-effective physical moves like Sword Dance Ceruledge's Bitter Blade can be walled. Archaludon leads to lay Stealth Rock and chip Fire types, Basculegion-F (Choice Scarf) pivots out with Flip Turn after those Fire types come in. Corviknight with Corrosion can poison targets like Archaludon or Skeledirge that Scizor can't finish alone. Mega Florette and Garchomp served mainly as team preview threats; they were barely selected in the final two days but kept opponents honest. The team's main weaknesses are Mega Blastoise with Shell Smash, special-set Lucario, and Kingambit.Build article →

A pure stall team where every member has a recovery move. The author rebuilt from a flawed earlier version after identifying four specific weaknesses: Spikes+Stealth Rock Garchomp was dealt with by adding Poison-Heal Gliscor (Sub+Protect stalling); Sword Dance Mimikyu was addressed by switching Toxapex to a no-item set with Haze; Archaludon's Thunderbolt pressure was solved by replacing Skarmory with Mega Chesnaught (Iron Defense + Body Press), which resists Thunderbolt and ignores Silver Powder with Bulletproof; and Corrosion Glimmora was countered by Gliscor itself. Mega Slowbro (Critical-hit immune after Mega evolving) is the dedicated Mega Starmie check. Galarian Slowking (HeatWave + Calm Mind) handles Florette and Ursaluna. Tyranitar covers Delphox and Dragonite. The author is satisfied with the outcome, noting the team achieves reliable win rates against the most common meta builds.Build article →

The team was designed for fast game resolution and high reproducibility. Sword Dance + Acrobatics Sneasler was chosen first for its wide coverage that doesn't require external setup support. Mega Gyarados was added as a second sweeper with the same self-sufficient setup capability. Snorlax (Focus Sash) was chosen as the lead for its Yawn-into-Self-Destruct sequence, which functions like a pseudo-Flip Turn to safely land Sneasler or Gyarados onto the field. Aegislash (Focus Sash) is a fourth member that can go first against Electric threats and pressure opponents quickly. Charizard (Mega) rounds out the backup Mega slot against threats like Corviknight. Froslass was added specifically to counter Garchomp. The author considered this a satisfactory comeback season result, with the main shortcoming being incomplete coverage against certain top-tier threats.Build article →

Quaquaval (Focus Sash) is the lead, designed to pressure Archaludon and Garchomp with Triple Axel and lock down setup moves with Encore. Ceruledge (Leftovers, Armor ability) is carried over nearly unchanged from SV to sweep Corviknight, Florette, and their counters like Delphox and Volcarona. Mega Victreebel, with Strength Sap and Encore, performed far better than expected — even without a direct damage option it can force trades. Gyarados (Kee Berry, Intimidate) is the dedicated Basculegion-F check, able to win one-on-one with Power Whip. Hisui Goodra uses Acid Spray plus Thunderbolt to break through Toxapex and Corviknight, and holds a Yache Berry to survive Lucario and Empoleon's Fighting moves. The team's consistent weaknesses are Basculegion-F and the Mega Starmie plus Corviknight combination.Build article →

Reaching 16th, the author scrapped Stealth Rock plus setup-relay builds in favor of three pure attackers running together. The triple core of Swords Dance Mega Lopunny, Mystic Water Basculegion, and Swords Dance Curse Mimikyu was chosen because each draws out different defensive answers and weakens them for the others: Basculegion forces out Umbreon and Corviknight who cannot take its hits; Lopunny bullies Hipowdon and Aegislash to open lanes for Mimikyu; Mimikyu's Curse exit forces the opponent to choose between taking a KO or suffering major chip to the back line. Mega Scovillain covers the Corviknight and Hipowdon cycles Lopunny struggles with, leaning on its random stat boost ability plus poison chip. Sleep Berry Rotom-Wash blocks Garchomp's attack angles and handles physical walls. Scarf Garchomp rounds out the team for Charizard and Gyarados matchups. The author calls the forced-damage synergy the team's defining strength while cautioning that Scovillain needs careful positioning against Charizard and Gengar cores.

Mega Froslass forms the core, inspired by a build seen in a prominent player's video that paired Froslass with Emolga and Azumarill. The author kept that trio and rebuilt the remaining three slots. Froslass is a dual-role attacker and screen-setter that can use Blizzard offensively or set up Light Screen and Reflect. Garchomp (Focus Sash) lays Stealth Rock and uses Rock Tomb to limit opponent speed, covering matchups where Meganium struggles to come in. Mega Meganium (HB) walls Fighting and physical attackers and uses Giga Impact as a surprise pressure tool. Hisui Samurott patches the Psychic vulnerability and resists Bullet Punch and Sucker Punch while countering Basculegion-F. Three-move Volcarona (Fiery Dance, Bug Buzz, Psybeam plus Quiver Dance) can OHKO Mega Starmie, Mega Empoleon, and Mimikyu after one Quiver Dance, and Psybeam allows it to hit Meganium and Toxapex. Azumarill (Belly Drum) invests heavily in Speed EV to outspeed Corviknight, Skeledirge, and similar mid-Speed targets. The result met the author's expectations.Build article →

The primary game plan centers on Garchomp (Stealth Rock lead), Mega Florges (Grass Oath for Speed boosting), and Choice Scarf Basculegion as a straightforward offensive trio. Against teams that hold Basculegion for last, a secondary plan runs Basculegion plus pivot Corviknight. Facing a proliferation of anti-Florges techs late in the season, Mega Lucario was added as the second Mega: its All-Out Pummeling has a similar damage profile to Florges's Ruination and handles Scizor and similar threats that Florges loses to. The fifth slot went to a bulky Leech Seed plus Substitute Meowscarada, extremely effective against Starmie-Umbreon-style cores and Mega Gengar teams. The author's most painful weakness is Sash Ceruledge—nothing on the team deals with it cleanly and the only answer is to get Stealth Rock up first.

Frustrated by Archaludon's constant pressure, the author built around Mega Charizard Y as a special attacker that dominates Steel types in general and handles both Archaludon and Corviknight. The Will-O-Wisp set lets it deal with a large number of physical attackers like Lopunny, Lucario, and Meowscarada. Corviknight (Leftovers) is paired specifically to use Defog to remove Stealth Rocks, enabling Charizard to use its defensive investment fully. Meowscarada (Choice Scarf) outspeeds Basculegion-F and naturally draws out Steel types for Charizard. Mega Dragonite backs up against Fire matchups and uses Aqua Jet to pin Ceruledge. Garchomp (Focus Sash) was added for Mega Charizard X and Volcarona. Primarina (Kee Berry) was meant as the Houndoom and Hippowdon counter but almost never saw play — the author acknowledges this slot needs replacement. The team's consistent weaknesses are hit-rate-dependent moves and stall-style Umbreon plus Hippowdon combinations.Build article →

Built to counter the common Archaludon and Corviknight pressure through a Mega Charizard Y plus Corviknight hazard-clearing cycle, the team reached 503rd place and 2512 rating in Champions S1. Mega Charizard Y runs Will-o-Wisp and Roost with a physically-defensive stat spread, delivering enough fire damage without special investment in sun and making it very easy to burn Garchomp switch-ins. Corviknight (Leftovers) clears Stealth Rock for Charizard and uses Mirror Armor to absorb stat-drop moves like Moon Force and Mystical Fire; it appeared in virtually every game. Scarf Meowscarada out-speeds Scarf Basculegion, cleans up Delphox and Dragonite that threaten Charizard, and uses Flip Turn to maintain momentum. Mega Dragonite handles Incineroar and specially-focused Mega matchups where Charizard struggles. Sash Garchomp lays Stealth Rock and hits hard with Rock Slide. Primarina (Sitrus Berry, Misty Terrain) was intended to handle Umbreon and sleep cycles but was rarely selected; the author acknowledges this slot should become a more naturally integrated wallbreaker.Build article →

Using Mega Florges and Mega Kangaskhan as the double-Mega pair, the author reached 504th place and 2512 rating in Champions S1. Mega Florges anchors the team, with Mega Kangaskhan plus Sash Garchomp as the backbone after accounting for Florges's four weakness categories: Steel, Fire, Poison walls, and fast physical threats from above. Kangaskhan's moves are entirely targeted at anti-Florges lines: Earthquake and Fire Punch handle Corviknight and Aegislash, Ice Punch beats Garchomp and Dragonite, while Double-Edge punishes frail Mega Charizard and Florges mirrors. The author avoids Fake Out plus Sucker Punch mind games as a stylistic preference. Archaludon was the strongest team member, running Specs plus Focus Energy to fake out opponents with a two-stage drop, then land guaranteed crits to bypass Poison immunity and Stockpile stacking — a threat the author almost never lost to even against stall teams. Scarf Basculegion and Mega Skarmory (Brave Bird, Swords Dance, Roost, Taunt) were finalized after extensive testing. The author identifies insufficient late-season reps as the main shortcoming.Build article →

Driven by a love of Pelipper's Electro Beam animation, the author built a rain-core team around Pelipper and Archaludon that reached a peak 2556 and a final 2511 rating in Champions S1. Both Pelipper (Sash) and Archaludon (Scarf) appeared in 100% of games; Archaludon's Draco Meteor threatens nearly every target when boosted by rain, while Pelipper's Hurricane hits reliably and delivers near-Specs damage under rain with a Choice Specs-like boost. Mega Starmie leverages rain speed to clear Archaludon mirror matchups and creates Flip Turn momentum. Mega Lucario was added to counter the proliferation of HD Archaludon, with its special Wave Crash (dubbed the author's personal nickname) one-shotting even specially-invested Archaludon, and its Iron Head Cannon also handles Hippowdon and Primarina. Mega Glimmora spreads Toxic Spikes before Mega evolving, then uses Adaptability to burst through Primarina and Sturdy-Archaludon. Hydreigon was slotted last to deter opposing lead Gengar but achieved a 0% usage rate; the author admits Gengar still won those games regularly. The team's strategy is blunt: run the three-piece core, break the Ground types, and win — except Bellibolt, which the author identifies as a completely unworkable matchup.Build article →

This team is built around Mega Scizor as the primary Mega evolution, supported by rain elements, finishing Season 1 at rank 510. The author assessed the new environment and concluded that Mega Florges and Mega Gengar dominate the Tier S Mega slots, that stacking moves are the most efficient way to break through bulky Pokemon without Choice items in the pool, and that cycle-based teams hold a structural advantage. Mega Scizor fits naturally into a cycling strategy through Roost, remains non-disadvantaged against Florges and Gengar, and covers the top non-Mega threats well, making it the ideal core. Pelipper and Archaludon were added for rain setup and Stealth Rock, Mega Starmie was brought in as the second Mega slot to handle dragons and Charizard-Y that trouble Scizor, Umbreon provides full-team sustainability via Toxic and Wish, and Glimmora with Corrosion handles Archaludon and the Corviknight matchup. The team's major self-assessed weakness is Mega Blastoise, which nobody on the team can reliably stop.Build article →