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This team centered on Mega Lopunny finished Season 1 at rank 516 (R2511). The author found that an Adamant Mega Lopunny with Mega Kick is extremely powerful: underpowered Primarina, Florges, and Charizard can be KO'd outright with Fake Out into Mega Kick or Fake Out into Close Combat, drastically reducing the need for switch prediction. The supporting cast includes HB Leftovers + Lazy Hippowdon for physical sponge and setup, Primarina with Calm Mind and Sleep Berry to break physical walls and handle Hippowdon and Corviknight, a specially defensive Mega Scizor to check Florges' Dazzling Gleam and Mega Dragonite, Archaludon with Focus Lens and Focus Energy to guarantee critical hits against Clefable and other defensive boosters, and Lum Berry Swords Dance Quaquaval to sweep off Hippowdon and Corviknight as setup fodder. The author self-critiques Quaquaval as underperforming due to needing support to handle fast threats; Volcarona is identified as the hardest counter, with its Flame Body deterrent and sun-boosted Morning Sun making it nearly impossible to handle.Build article →

This team, dubbed 'Kouichi Idai-Ette' (well-known powerhouses), placed highest at R2526 and finished at R2510, built around the dual core of Florges and Basculegion-M. Florges was the starting point: it avoids disadvantage against Clefable and Umbreon, its high-power Fairy moves pass cleanly through many matchups, and it reduces forced switch reads. To address the weakness of Florges getting overwhelmed by fast Megas like Gengar, Lucario, and Starmie, Choice Scarf Basculegion-M was added to lure dark-type responses and strike first. Garchomp with Dragon Tail and Stealth Rock prevents steel and fire types from forming stable defensive layers against Florges. Kingambit with Choice Specs serves as the Basculegion-M check, handles Greninja and Meowscarada leads, and pressures Garchomp and Venusaur cycles that trouble Florges. The back slots include Mega Delphox and Gyarados to address Corviknight (which Choice Scarf Garchomp could not handle) and to provide speed control. The author candidly notes this team has many disadvantaged matchups, with Lopunny and Choice Scarf Garchomp being the most problematic.Build article →

This team built around Mega Skarmory finished Season M-1 at rank 527 (R2510). The author chose Mega Skarmory because its Flying plus Ground coverage looked straightforwardly strong, and its pre-Mega Sturdy ability enables a distinctive double-boost line: take a physical hit to activate Weak Armor, boosting Speed, then Mega evolve to combine that with Swords Dance-boosted Brave Bird for a sweep. Gardevoir was the team's MVP: Trace to verify Greninja's ability, Pixie Plate to punish overconfident poison types, Vacuum Wave for revenge KOs, and high bulk in head-to-head leads, enabling wins against Garchomp, Archaludon, Greninja, and Mega Dragonite — appearing in 140 of 207 victories. Basculegion-F with Cursed Body Orb covers leads Gardevoir cannot handle. Emolga's type immunities completely shut down Quick Turn and priority Ghost/Water moves. Mega Glimmora acts as a second Mega to shape opponent selection while Incineroar handles fire-type threats and uses Swords Dance off Charizard as a setup target. The hardest matchups are Mega Delphox and Aegislash.Build article →

Built entirely around a setup-chain relay concept with five sweepers, the team reached 529th place and 2510 rating in Champions S1. Meowscarada leads to disrupt opponent setup with Taunt, then the team transitions to Polteageist, which either Baton Passes its boosts or sets up independently as a mid-game attacker. Mega Florges becomes unstoppable after a Baton Pass chain, Gyarados sweep from a pass is nearly uncounterable, and Basculegion handles cleanup. Volcarona is the only member without a setup move and instead acts as both insurance and support, burning physical threats like Kangaskhan and Lopunny with Flame Body contact damage; it is also a personally hatched Shiny that the author is very attached to. Standard selections are Meowscarada plus Volcarona plus Gyarados or Florges, or Polteageist with two sweepers. The author openly acknowledges the team hard-loses the moment its offensive momentum is broken, calling the approach extremely all-in. The lineup will be disbanded next season after being built solely for this run.Build article →

Alice* built around a hyper-offense concept aimed at ending matches quickly with Garchomp (Focus Sash), Mimikyu (Sitrus Berry), and Mega Charizard Y as the three-core. Charizard Y leads to disrupt opponents and uses the sun to boost Flame Fang coverage, making it easy to break through most Corviknights; Mimikyu has no Fairy move so Garchomp is a mild threat, but Shadow Claw lets it fight back even through Iron Defense stacks. The remaining three slots are Mega Lucario (pressures Florges and Umbreon), Mega Florges (deters opposing Umbreon), and Hydreigon with Leftovers (dedicated anti-stall, walling the Mega Slowbro + Toxapex receive-loop). Strengths: clean decision-making and fast match pace; the author regrets not refining the supporting three members further.Build article →

Tama_pokem's team centers on Vanilluxe setting Aurora Veil for Mega Blastoise and Weavile to sweep. The author originally tried a pure face-to-face Vanilluxe build, but adding Aurora Veil mid-season proved so effective that the team became fully screen-oriented. Vanilluxe is praised as the season's best Pokémon both for screen-setting and raw combat ability. Under screens, Mega Blastoise runs Shell Smash and tears through nearly everything—Fairy-types being its main problem. Weavile benefits from the screens too and goes ham with Swords Dance, though opponents began respecting the Sitrus Berry set. Glimmora handles Talonflame and Charizard with Stealth Rock and Toxic Spikes. Lopunny almost never got selected; Basculegion was mostly filler. Weakness: insufficient counters to Fairy-types and Scarf Basculegion.Build article →

The team is built around Mega Froslass, leveraging her high Speed and wide coverage — Ice hits Flying types that resist Sticky Web, Electric covers Water — to threaten nearly all meta Pokemon. The main weakness is faster Choice Scarf users (Garchomp, Basculegion, Meowscarada) and faster Mega evolutions (Lopunny, Greninja, Delphox, Gengar) that outspeed her. To address this, Araquanid sets Sticky Web to drop opponent Speed by one tier, letting Froslass reliably move first. The standard lead is Araquanid + Mega Froslass + Garchomp; Araquanid also packs Aqua Break as a damage tool and Mirror Coat for pressure. The remaining three slots are Mega Lopunny (handles Scizor and entry-hazard setters), Corviknight (physical wall, eliminates Ground-type coverage), and Glimmora (wears down stall teams with Toxic Spikes and Needle Guard). The author notes the Froslass + Araquanid core performed excellently, but the back three needed more refinement.Build article →

The team centers on Mega Sharpedo combined with Toxic Spikes from Glimmora. The concept is using Toxic Spikes to chip opponents down for Mega Sharpedo — whose Speed Boost ability makes it unmatched in physical sweeping — to clean up. After losing progress to Sturdy Archaludon, the author pivoted: Glimmora now Mega-evolves itself, leveraging Adaptability Sludge Wave for massive immediate power while Earth Power covers Archaludon. The remaining slots are Mamoswine (Focus Sash, Stealth Rock + Icicle Spear to KO Mega Dragonite), Corviknight (physical wall for Scizor and Archaludon), Gyarados (Intimidate + Dragon Dance sweeper), and Sneasler (Black Belt, Poison Touch for status damage). The author highlights Mega Glimmora's surprise factor as the key strength — opponents rarely anticipate it and get swept before adjusting — while Mega Gengar and Archaludon remain persistent threats.Build article →

The team is built on HB-oriented entry hazard Garchomp as its spine, designed to work across all three major archetypes: offensive, setup, and cycle. Garchomp spreads Stealth Rock and Spikes to punish switches, then Mega Florges provides the special offense. Mid-build additions include Adamant Swift Swim Basculegion (male) with Agility for snowball sweeping after hazards, and Kingambit with Black Glasses to specifically wall Choice Scarf Basculegion mirrors. Mega Lucario was added later for physical wall-breaking, and Archaludon (Sturdy) with Thunder Wave handles fast threats like Starmie and Greninja. Standard lead is Garchomp + Mega Florges or Mega Lucario + Basculegion — lay hazards, then unleash the fish. Persistent weaknesses include Choice Scarf Basculegion speed ties, Whimsicott, and Diggersby.Build article →

The team's foundation is Mega Starmie for immediate high-pressure offense: Ice + Psychic coverage lets it KO most threats within two hits, and Quick Turn maintains momentum across the cycle. Bellibolt partners with it — Electromorphosis-boosted Sludge Bomb for powerful direct offense, Soak + Toxic to pierce Steel and Poison-type walls. Hydreigon handles the types that pressure Starmie (Aegislash, Kingambit, Gengar); Corviknight absorbs Garchomp and Meowscarada switch-ins; Mega Venusaur covers Archaludon and stall-loop teams; Ditto copies setup Mega sweepers like Blastoise or Mega Charizard X. Selection rule: default to Mega Starmie lead; bring Mega Venusaur when Archaludon or stall is present; bring Ditto when setup Mega threats appear. Weaknesses include the inability to reliably get Hydreigon into Archaludon, and Ceruledge after a Swords Dance plus armor break is nearly unstoppable without Corviknight.Build article →

The team builds on the Mega Starmie + Bellibolt cycle: Ice Spinner specifically handles Garchomp, Quick Turn gets Bellibolt in safely, and Bellibolt's Electromorphosis makes every Volt Switch hit hard. Corviknight is the universal Garchomp answer covering all three variants (Hasty / Focus Sash / Choice Scarf). The second Mega is max-Special Attack Mega Glimmora, whose Adaptability Sludge Wave provides raw power against teams Starmie struggles with (Mega Scovillain, Mega Clefable), and since almost no one expects Glimmora to Mega evolve, the surprise factor produced many instant wins. Choice Scarf Florges rounds out the team: Mystical Blast disrupts opponent cycles while applying Speed pressure to Garchomp-type threats. Weaknesses include Archaludon as a persistent problem and situations where Rapid Spin removes Sticky Web just as the cycle is building momentum.Build article →

Returning after two years, the author built the team around Choice Scarf Archaludon forcing advantage from turn one: the Sturdy ability means almost nothing can directly nullify it without a specific matchup, and with Scarf it guarantees an action before anything KOs it, letting it cripple the lead so Blastoise or Mimikyu can clean up. Mega Blastoise is the primary sweeper — Torrrent-boosted Hydro Pump finishes anything Archaludon chips, and once the author gained confidence in it, Blastoise was selected even into fire-type-heavy teams. Mega Charizard X handles the Florges and Venusaur cores. Mimikyu (Belly Drum + Swords Dance + Lum Berry) covers sleep setters, Encore leads, and mopping up the residual damage Archaludon causes. Snorlax and Aerodactyl see limited play — Snorlax mainly bait-selects and Aerodactyl clears hazards/fog when needed. Weakness: Choice Scarf Hydreigon disrupts Charizard X timing, and Mega Gyarados turns Archaludon into a setup target.Build article →

Unable to play anything but stall, the author built a regeneration-based defensive loop specifically tuned to survive Stealth Rock and Spike-stacking teams. The core three are Mega Slowbro (physical wall), Galarian Slowking (special wall, Shuca Berry to stay in against Garchomp's Earthquake and fire off Blizzard), and Toxapex (mixed-wall, no item to prevent Aegislash's Poltergeist from triggering). Regenerator auto-recovers chip from hazards, keeping the loop alive longer than standard stall. Back three: Tyranitar (Leftovers, blocks Mega Delphox and Mega Charizard Y), Corviknight (handles Kingambit and Basculegion), and Mega Sableye (dedicated answer to the Garchomp + Gengar + Corviknight core). The author noted that Slowbro lacks Body Press to actively threaten Corviknight-based teams, and Galarian Slowking should have kept Flamethrower for Corviknight-heavy matchups instead of Blizzard.Build article →

The team started as a rain team with Pelipper + Starmie, eventually shifting to Pelipper + Choice Scarf Adaptability Basculegion (male) as the rain ace because Basculegion functions outside of rain too. Archaludon (Choice Scarf Thunder) forms a powerful secondary attacker alongside it. Mega Florges handles the Dragon-type threats that typically counter rain teams. Because the combination tends to invite Gengar and Aegislash, Mega Lopunny was added to cover those angles. Garchomp rounds out the team as a versatile insurance against Charizard cores, carrying Stealth Rock and Rock Tomb. Selection is highly flexible across six possible three-slot combinations based on opponent composition. The author acknowledges losing every single Speed tie against Choice Scarf Basculegion mirrors, frustration with unpredictable Meowscarada, and concedes stall teams are nearly impossible to break within the time limit.Build article →

Shima's concept: bait opponent team selection with a rain squad, then have Mega Lopunny sweep everything. The team has two selection patterns—against a specific list of threats (Ninetales, Gengar, Dragonite, Umbreon, Aegislash, Dragapult, Hydreigon, Kingambit, Archaludon, Meganium) use the three-person face-to-face core; otherwise go rain. Mega Lopunny runs Swords Dance with High Jump Kick (75% accurate, chosen over Triple Axel because it hits Fairies and Water-types and is psychologically steadier), backed by Fake Out support. Corviknight in a physically defensive set with Taunt, Bulk Up, U-turn, and Roost repeatedly swept 3-for-3 cleaning up after Lopunny. Ceruledge is an excellent partner—cutting Mach Punch means opponents lower their guard against Fighting coverage. The rain trio (Starmie, Pelipper, Archaludon) is used for matchup manipulation. Weaknesses: accuracy variance and dealing with certain strong leads.Build article →

The team is built around a Stealth Rock + Spikes Garchomp, which the author likens to the dominant threats of previous metas—able to pressure through Rough Skin chip damage and set entry hazards while still winning direct matchups. Mega Scizor covers Garchomp's weaknesses (Ice/Fairy/Dragon), provides Roost recovery, and its priority-plus-setup combination locks a wide range of opponents. Umbreon rounds out the core by using Wish to heal Garchomp and other members, and Yawn to force turn-1 setups for Scizor. Substitute Aegislash was added to exploit physical walls like Corviknight; Scarf Meowscarada handles fast threats such as opposing Garchomp and Primarina; and Mega Glimmora rounds out the six by targeting Volcarona and Charizard. The author notes that managing Garchomp's HP efficiently is the hardest part of piloting this team, and the Garchomp + Hippowdon combination is a clear weakness.Build article →

The author started from a standard stall skeleton of Tyranitar, Corviknight, and Toxapex, then kept Mega Meganium after discovering its surprisingly high power level—it can handle Lucario directly, threaten Starmie with a weather-boosted attack, and still restore large amounts of HP via Synthesis even under sand. Excadrill (Sleep Berry) was added to deal with Florges and Archaludon, using sand speed combined with Rapid Spin and Dig to bypass Toxic Spikes. Toxapex (no item) runs Black Mist to neutralize setup sweepers like Swords Dance Aegislash and Calm Mind Florges or Clefable. The team's strengths are Tyranitar's dominance over Dragonite and Meganium's ability to recover freely under sand; the main weaknesses are sand teams built around Hippowdon and Pelipper, plus Mega Gengar as the persistent stall nemesis.Build article →