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The author got hooked on U-turn Mega Blaziken from a stream and built around it. Mega Blaziken Protects to Speed Boost safely then hits from above, and once it has an edge it U-turns to keep the cycle rolling while chipping off Focus Sashes and Mimikyu's disguise; it runs High Jump Kick over Close Combat to avoid dropping defenses against Sturdy Archaludon and losing to Draco Meteor. Hippowdon is the reliable physical wall, tuned to survive +2 Close Combat from Mega Blaziken, +2 High Jump Kick from Mega Lopunny, and +2 Poltergeist from Aegislash. Gyarados with Leftovers is the cycle glue, using Intimidate plus Avalanche to handle Garchomp and Taunt against support. Mega Raichu Y was added for rain, hitting Archaludon and Hippowdon with Electro Ball, Focus Blast and Grass Knot. Gholdengo cuts Staraptor's Close Combat spam, and Hisuian Samurott with Focus Sash leads and completes the team;Build article →

The author started the season eyeing a Mega Mawile offensive team and a Mega Dragalge regen cycle, and while hunting partners found that base Slowbro walls Garchomp cleanly. So they locked Ice Beam, Scald and Slack Off, and slotted Trick Room in the last spot, which doubled as tech for the Mega Mawile team. Slowbro is the core and MVP: high physical bulk plus Regenerator lets it switch in and set Trick Room several times a game, keeping Mega Metagross, Mega Blaziken and Mega Delphox in check. The Trick Room sweepers are Mega Meganium, Mega Mawile and Ceruledge. Meganium beats Milotic, Hippowdon and Poison-Jab-less Garchomp; four-attack Mawile with Brick Break punishes screen teams and OHKOs Kingambit. Ceruledge runs Flash Fire plus Cursed Body Ward, baiting Charizard Y and Volcarona's Fire moves then punishing, and switching in to beat Garchomp with Ward Poltergeist plus Shadow Sneak aroBuild article →

The author, a devoted Whimsicott fan, built this Toxic Spikes team around the Hydreigon + Metagross core. Scolipede leads to set Toxic Spikes, then Whimsicott stalls turns with Substitute and Protect, grinding foes down with poison while also burning weather and Trick Room turns, which makes it strong against rain, dual screens, and Trick Room Mawile. Whimsicott's speed is invested enough to Moonblast Staraptor first and to Substitute ahead of Metagross's Bullet Punch. Hydreigon is a plain Scarf set, Metagross doubles as the third Toxic Spikes member absorbing ice and steel moves, Rotom-Wash shuts down Corviknight cycling, and Raichu strongly baits Garchomp and Hippowdon so Whimsicott moves freely. Strengths: consistent, low-skill-floor gimmick and readable matchups. Weaknesses: loses to opposing Hydreigon + Metagross, Dragonite + Aegislash, and Charizard, can't beat Venusaur + Umbreon, Build article →

This team was built around Mega Delphox, the author's favorite Mega design, using dual Mega synergy with Mega Mawile to lure out water-types for Mawile to sword dance sweep. Snorlax with Thick Fat and Leftovers acts as a pivot that resets Garchomp's Scale Shot setup with Yawn, and runs Fissure as a 30% shot in losing games. Primarina is tuned to outspeed its own Mawile by one point for mirror-match information advantages. The author admits Hydreigon rarely got selected despite good type synergy. Hard counters include Meganium-based teams (0% winrate) and rain teams (~30%).Build article →

The author started from longtime partner Glaceon, valuing its edge against screen teams, rain, and Mega Staraptor, and built around the returning Mega Mawile. Glaceon runs Chople Berry and always-crit Icy Wind to punch through screens, tanking Mega Staraptor's Close Combat behind the berry then finishing with Icy Wind. Mega Mawile is a Huge Power attacker; rather than always going for Trick Room, the author found reading the opponent's speed to decide whether to set it was stronger, so it's tuned to match Sinistcha's speed. Sinistcha handles Trick Room and pivoting, with absurd physical bulk that even eats Mega Blaziken's Flare Blitz. Greninja uses Protean and Life Orb to outspeed and OHKO top threats and pressures Hydreigon + Metagross builds. Sash Aegislash forces 1-for-1 trades against tough matchups, and Mega Gyarados serves as a second Mega, setting up on grounded Fire/Ground answerBuild article →

A veteran Whimsicott player wanted to run the newly added Mega Pyroar, valuing its Fairy/Fire resistances, Ghost immunity, and huge power boosted by its fire mane, which finally fills the Fire slot Whimsicott teams always lacked. Pyroar runs a Yawn + Protect set, using Yawn to dodge Kingambit and Mega Mawile's Sucker Punch, bait Choice locks, stall rain and screen teams, and even put Primarina or Mega Dragonite to sleep before blasting them with resisted fire. Whimsicott runs Leftovers with Cotton Guard as a physical wall to shut down the top-usage Garchomp and Mimikyu. Dragalge with Dragon Fang crushes rain: against Pelipper, one Dragon Fang Draco Meteor OHKOs the Swampert or Archaludon behind it. Tyranitar holds Shuca Berry to check Mega Dragonite, Azumarill runs Sitrus as a Blaziken check with Perish Song against baton teams, and Chimecho is the Tanabata mascot and stabilizer. The autBuild article →

The author started from a strong Mega slot, valuing Mega Gyarados for its post-Dragon-Dance sweeping power, wide coverage, and ability to break Mimikyu's disguise. Noticing that Spikes plus one Dragon Dance Aqua Tail nearly KOs bulky Hippowdon, they paired it with Hisuian Samurott, which sets Spikes while attacking (though Aqua Tail eventually got cut). Since opposing Ninetales was heavy, Scarf Archaludon was added to OHKO it out of nowhere. Staraptor was a problem, so Air Slash Mega Dragonite came in as a second Mega. The last two slots went to Aegislash and Hippowdon, a stable Ground with Stealth Rock. Gyarados switched to Ice Fang, using Mold Breaker Steel/Ground coverage plus Crunch to hit a huge swath of foes, racking up 2- and 3-kills when it connects. Samurott hits above its stats with Sharpness and lays Spikes while attacking, the team's near-MVP. Dragonite runs Thunderbolt for tBuild article →

A self-described battle beginner who couldn't handle cycle or setup teams, so he copied someone's Espathra face-off build and finished 723rd at 2314. The core is a Focus Sash Espathra lead using Lumina Crash to drop the foe's Sp. Def, forcing a switch or a kill, then handing off to Mega Greninja that can KO even without mega-evolving, with Mimikyu or Dragonite to close. To cover the Dark-types that wall Espathra (Umbreon, Kingambit, Tyranitar) he ran a special Focus Blast Mega Lucario; Garchomp set Stealth Rock and Spikes to chip and check Bellibolt; Dragonite with Expert Belt could Earthquake down Bellibolt or Low Kick a Kingambit. Mimikyu was bulked up with Scope Lens to survive Mega Gyarados and crit through Corviknight and Archaludon. He admits the whole team is paper-thin, and Dark-types, Archaludon and priority hitters give it real trouble.Build article →

A Palafin devotee built the whole team around it and hit 2313 at 725th. It started from thinking the new Mega Dragalge pairs well as Palafin's pivot. The star is a Leftovers Bulk Up Palafin (over 90% pick rate) that comes in off Grimmsnarl's dual screens and Parting Shot, then piles on Bulk Up in front of a weakened foe to become a triple-KO muscle dolphin; instead of Substitute it runs Taunt to turn Corviknight and Hippowdon into setup fodder. Dragalge is the glue, endlessly pivoting into Primarina with huge special bulk and Regenerator, wearing teams down alongside Grimmsnarl's Parting Shot; Shadow Ball covers Aegislash and Gholdengo, and Toxic is mandatory for Staraptor. Grimmsnarl is a standard Light Clay dual-screener that sets one screen then pivots with Parting Shot. Mega Metagross runs Iron Defense/Agility/Body Press to farm Umbreon+Venusaur cores, while Scarf Hydreigon and Mega Build article →

The author started on a Rain Swampert team but got wrecked by the Hydreigon+Metagross core in the last two days, dropping nearly 150 points in a day, so he dumped all three rain pieces. The reworked core is a Twitter-sourced Greninja + Mimikyu + Mega Mawile: Greninja chips in one-on-one, Mimikyu sets Trick Room then self-KOs, and Mega Mawile cleans with high power and wide coverage, running four attacks over Swords Dance this time, with Iron Head flinches bailing him out repeatedly. To patch the Hydreigon hole he added Mega Delphox + Vaporeon: Delphox sets up Nasty Plot off its speed, hitting Hydreigon with Dazzling Gleam and Metagross with Flamethrower to break whole teams alone. Water Absorb Vaporeon is the hidden MVP, with Wish+Protect+Leftovers longevity plus Flip Turn for pivoting and healing the backline, and Scald for burns. Grimmsnarl sets Reflect/Light Screen so Delphox can NastBuild article →

The plan is to lean on fast Mega mons plus priority moves so the team can scrap with anything. Mega Blaziken is the star: Speed Boost lets it hit hard from above, either raging from the lead slot or cleaning up after chip. It runs Flare Blitz, Close Combat, Thunder Punch (to pressure Azumarill and Primarina) and Protect. Mega Greninja's coverage fits the meta and never feels dead, though it's a touch short on power, so teammates set up its lanes first. Azumarill and Aegislash form the wallbreaking core, with Azumarill ending games out of nowhere via Belly Drum, and Aegislash built very fast to outspeed the Speed-invested crowd. Hippowdon soaks every physical attacker, and Archaludon is a throwaway lead for Stealth Rock or a Draco Meteor before clocking out.Build article →

This is a Hydreigon + Mega Metagross + Hippowdon cycle team built around clean type synergy, grinding out pivot-heavy attrition games. Hydreigon runs a Choice Scarf as the scout lead, but against Meowscarada teams Metagross leads instead to chip hard. Hippowdon is the key cushion: it soaks physical setup sweepers like Blaziken, scouts Garchomp and Archaludon sets, and disrupts Alolan Ninetales' Aurora Veil. Primarina handles Hippowdon-Hydreigon cores, Blastoise, and Delphox pairings, though sloppy pivoting drains its HP and breaks the cycle. Mega Delphox is the second Mega for grass Megas, Gengar-Umbreon, and stall, with Hydreigon and Hippowdon setting up its sweep. Overqwil was slotted purely to answer Meowscarada. The author found Mega Greninja, Mega Starmie (with Bellibolt behind it), and Gyarados the toughest matchups.Build article →

The team started with Focus Sash Volcarona, which the author found could punish Blaziken by simply using Psychic against those trying to set up Swords Dance — this became the catalyst for the team. Mega Gyarados has been the author's physical ace since launch; the combination of Intimidate, Dragon Dance, and Waterfall flinch chance accounts for roughly 20% of wins by the author's estimate. Garchomp with Sitrus Berry sets Stealth Rock and phazes with Dragon Tail. Grimmsnarl sets dual screens to support Gyarados sweeps. Mega Froslass serves as the second special attacker with blizzard's freeze chance adding further variance. Scizor with Life Orb was the solution to Clefable teams and the problematic Meowscarada. The author's main weaknesses are Primarina and bulky Gyarados.Build article →

This team is built around Whimsicott's Leech Seed plus Substitute stall loop, using Bellibolt and two Mega-evolution slots to control matchups and funnel opponents into positions where Whimsicott can activate. Cotton Guard allows Whimsicott to handle normally unfavorable matchups like Scarf Meowscarada and Mega Metagross. Mega Gengar's Shadow Tag plus Protect synergizes with Leech Seed to trap and drain, while also clearing Baton Pass chains. Meowscarada provides Toxic Spikes and copies opponent's Stealth Rock via Copycat. The author self-critiques the season's short length leaving the team unrefined, points to Aegislash and Gholdengo as clear structural weaknesses, notes the irony of a Toxic Spikes team being weak to Toxic Spikes, and admits all six Toxapex matchups ended in draws.Build article →

The author adopted Trick Room + Vivillon mid-season after identifying that it solved both the problem of being walled by defensive teams and the issue of getting no fast-Pokemon selection from opponents. Vivillon stacks Quiver Dance under Trick Room, benefits from sleep immunity to Toxic Spikes, and runs Leftovers for longevity. Archaludon with Sturdy hits the lead slot hard and uses Rock Tomb to cut Speed. Mega Greninja's type-changing ability twice over forces opponents into tricky decisions and helps draw out fast, frail targets for the Trick Room gameplan. Mimikyu sets Trick Room and uses Curse to exit while dealing chip; Kingambit is the Trick Room sweeper, boosted by Supreme Overlord and using Low Kick for coverage. The author notes that bulky Fire-types, burn Rotom, and priority-heavy teams are the main weaknesses.Build article →

The team's foundation is Mega Greninja with Sunny Day Weather Ball, a concept the author developed since Scarlet/Violet that finally came together with the new Heat Rock item and Greninja's new Mega form this season. Torkoal sets Stealth Rock and sun while Mega Greninja fires off sun-boosted Weather Ball from a speed tier of 142 — just below Mega Charizard Y's Flamethrower — catching opponents off-guard. Scarf Staraptor provides Brave Bird coverage and Intimidate support while luring in Gholdengo, Mega Metagross, and Skeledirge. Floette handles Glimmora and Archaludon matchups with its Sash while drawing out Mega Metagross. Mega Scizor fills a hidden-Mega slot against defensive teams. The author admits Gholdengo plus Umbreon/Skeledirge stall is unwinnable, Scarf users threaten Mega Greninja's speed advantage, and the team is fun but unstable.Build article →

The concept is cushion-based pivoting into high-powered special attacks. With no Choice Specs or Choice Scarf in the current item pool, and physical moves being constantly hampered by Intimidate and Rough Skin, the author chose to center on Mega Pyroar and Mega Floette as near-unresistable special attackers. Corviknight and Basculegion serve as the pivot duo to create favorable matchups for the aces; Garchomp with Focus Sash leads to set Stealth Rock; Mega Floette uses Calm Mind into Moonblast to sweep; and Primarina with Leftovers fills in as a flexible option with Perish Song against gimmick teams. The author's main weakness is having very little recoverability when the initial matchup goes wrong, since almost every member besides Corviknight is finite.Build article →

The author returned from Sword and Shield wanting a straightforward offensive team, and built around Archaludon out of fondness from the card game — finding an existing M-1 team article pairing it with Mega Lucario and using it directly. Archaludon sets Stealth Rock and chips with Electro Shot, then Mega Lucario cleans up weakened targets; the combination handles Pokémon that neither can finish alone. Mega Gyarados covers Lucario's bad matchups against Basculegion, Starmie, and Aegislash, and also gained Iron Head mid-season to handle Alolan Ninetales. Basculegion on a Sash blasts through with Water and Ghost attacks as a pressure pivot. Clefable self-sets up with Cosmic Power and Flamethrower to handle Meowscarada, Hisuian Samurott, and Mimikyu — the team's key threats. The author notes the team is beginner-friendly by design, but Meowscarada remains the hardest matchup and Gengar consiBuild article →

The team's starting point is Mega Charizard X as the author's signature pick, paired with Garchomp and Kingambit for a three-core offensive team. Garchomp leads with Stealth Rock and Dragon Tail to funnel opponents into Kingambit's post-Sword Dance Sucker Punch kill range. Mega Charizard X takes a free Dragon Dance turn and then sweeps with Flare Blitz and Dragon Claw, using Roost to stay healthy against priority. Kingambit carries a Life Orb and punishes Sucker Punch reads with Supreme Overlord's power boost. Greninja provides speed and coverage against matchups the core cannot handle, while Mega Lucario acts as a dual screens breaker. The author swapped Clefable mid-season for Primarina with Lum Berry and Calm Mind to counter status-based stall teams. The standard lead of Garchomp plus Charizard X plus Kingambit was highly reliable, but Scarf Meowscarada, physically defensive HippowdonBuild article →

The team is built around Scovillain with the Moody ability as a grass-type mono team, chosen partly because rain teams were common and grass types fared well against them. The core strategy uses Mega Victreebel or Meowscarada to set Toxic Spikes, Serperior to set up dual screens and spread paralysis, then Scovillain to farm stat boosts behind Leech Seed and Substitute; Torterra provides Stealth Rock and handles Charizard and Volcarona, while Mega Abomasnow is the answer to Skeledirge and Mega Staraptor. The author notes that mono-grass team composition naturally deterred opponents from bringing Primarina (a hard counter), but poison-immune walls like Dragalge and Toxapex, along with Dragonite using Clear Smog, were consistent problems.Build article →

Built around Life Orb Basculegion to counter the omnipresent Hippowdon, this team leverages Basculegion's threat presence to predict opponent team composition. Mega Gyarados handles the Mimikyu that Basculegion draws in, Choice Scarf Dragapult provides speed control against Meowscarada and Hydreigon, and Mega Meganium serves as the special attacker against rain teams and Archaludon. Focus Sash Mamoswine leads as a suicide lead with Endeavor plus Ice Shard, while Kingambit rounds out the team with wall-breaking and priority. The author acknowledges weaknesses in the Fairy coverage gap and the team being heavily physical, struggling against Mega Scovillain, Mega Venusaur, and Mega Floette.Build article →