📈 Ladder Top Builds

The author wanted to use new Mega Metagross and figured Charizard was its best Mega partner. Testing showed Mega Charizard X handles Archaludon while Y handles stall cycles, and since Archaludon is top-tier, he went with Y and cracked stall with other mons. Charizard fears Garchomp and Stealth Rock, both of which Primarina counters, so he ran a bulky Primarina to eat Garchomp's Earthquake, added Hippowdon as a strong partner, and Mimikyu for matchup coverage. Of these five, Metagross is fastest but still gets outsped by Greninja, Staraptor, Starmie, and Dragon Dance Mega Gyarados, so he added Choice Scarf Meowscarada as a stopper that also picks off fast frail mons. Hippowdon runs Protect over Stealth Rock to stop Yawn being broken by Quick Turn or U-turn; Metagross has wide coverage, using Bullet Punch priority and Thunder Punch on Corviknight. He finished 70th, making top 100 three seaBuild article →

The author built around three needs: reliably handling Garchomp and Archaludon, not stalling into draws against defensive cores, and dealing with Charizard-style guessing games. He started from a fast attacker and picked Mega Delphox (Nasty Plot 3-attacks), which dodges Chomp's Earthquake and hits Archaludon properly. Sash Garchomp goes lead to avoid mirror friction with opposing Chomp/Archaludon, laying Stealth Rock and cleaning with Swords Dance when needed. Kingambit pairs with Delphox to punish Scarf threats like Meowscarada, Basculegion, Garchomp, and Gholdengo, using them as setup fodder. Leftovers physically-defensive Sylveon uses Yawn/Protect/Wish for endless recovery and as a stopgap versus Chomp/Archaludon. Mega Gyarados is the second Mega option for Mimikyu+Basculegion or Hippowdon+Primarina+Metagross matchups. Archaludon fills the last slot to cover Starmie and physical pressure. The author admits Archaludon's set never clicked, and the late-meta matchup spread forced him to grind out wins on skill.Build article →

The premise is simple: Hippowdon is the best support Pokemon, so build around it with Mega Blastoise. Hippowdon sets Stealth Rock and Yawn while Blastoise gets Shell Smash up safely and then sweeps. Archaludon with Dragon Tail and Substitute pressures stall and Umbreon-based cycle teams. Mega Pinsir is the backup Mega for teams Blastoise cannot close out. Sash Glimmora handles Mega Charizard Y and also lays Stealth Rock and clears poison spikes. Choice Scarf Meowscarada rounds out the team for water-type physical threats like Gyarados. The author identifies Florges, Meowscarada, and Primarina as the team's three unresolved problem matchups.Build article →

Kagemiya wanted to run Mega Mawile but got stuck around 1800, so he went back to last season's team and rode it to 71st. It's almost unchanged: Gengar swapped to Will-O-Wisp plus Pain Split to better beat Alolan Ninetales and Sitrus Garchomp, and Rotom swapped to Umbreon to check Hydreigon-Metagross and Gyarados. Mega Lopunny's Fake Out plus Giga Impact forcing a numbers lead is unique, but with Metagross, Mawile, and Alolan Ninetales more common its usage dropped. Basculegion shines in a Hippowdon meta and hard-counters Blaziken (which both Lopunny and Gengar fear), so it went out constantly. Umbreon switched to Toxic plus Moonlight for instant recovery, pressuring Sazan-Cross plus Primarina; late-season Umbreon mirrors were survivable thanks to that instant heal. He rates the build as having too many hard counters, screens, Baton Pass, Fighting-move Metagross, the Greninja-Mimikyu-MawiBuild article →

This team started from Mega Metagross, which felt great to use, so the author built around it chasing a top-two-digit finish. Mixed Dragonite covers a wide range of threats solo, Scarf Hydreigon handles tough matchups like enemy Metagross and Mega Starmie while baiting Primarina, and Vanilluxe wins face-offs against Mega Gyarados, Umbreon, and Hippowdon. Sneasler switched from Scarf to Focus Sash late in the season for surprise Counter hits, and Mimikyu closes games out as the best one-on-one finisher. Umbreon, Sylveon, and Hippowdon stayed rough matchups all season.Build article →

The team was built to maximize a single Mega Starmie with heavy physical investment, which the author had been developing since early April and found dominant in head-to-head matchups. Hisuian Zoroark disguises as Starmie to force opponents into unfavorable exchanges while the real Starmie secures numerical advantage. Since Starmie loses to Archaludon, the other five members are all structured to deal with it: Choice Scarf Garchomp and fast Archaludon handle it directly, while Hisuian Zoroark's Focus Blast and Icy Wind also contribute. Volcarona handles Umbreon-based stall, and Conkeldurr was brought in late specifically for Gyarados via Thunder Punch. The author considers the team's speed control and adaptability to meta shifts its key strengths.Build article →

The team is built around Mega Delphox, which pairs naturally with Heliolisk that absorbs all the Water and Ghost moves that threaten Delphox. The core play is using Will-O-Wisp and Mystical Fire to chip through the field while Heliolisk's Glare slows opponents down. Garchomp with Lum Berry and Swords Dance, Primarina with Calm Mind, and Corviknight with Build Up fill the offensive and defensive slots. The final member, Alolan Ninetales, uses Calm Mind plus Baton Pass to boost both Delphox's Special Attack and Special Defense, enabling it to break through Florges-style walls. The author considers Ceruledge, Milotic, and Swords Dance Aegislash the three matches that were never fully resolved.Build article →

The team is Florges-based, with the author choosing the offensive side of the Florges mirror meta. The key addition is Calm Mind Baton Pass Archaludon: when Florges forces opponents to send in their Florges checks, Archaludon receives the Sp.Atk and Sp.Def boosts and sweeps through walls like HD Corviknight, Aegislash, and Slowking. Archaludon is also strong enough to run standalone in regular cycles. Sash Garchomp pairs naturally with Florges, Choice Scarf Basculegion handles cycle disruption, Mega Scizor is the anti-mirror and anti-Clefable option, and Volcarona deters Lopunny and Kangaskhan. The author notes Basculegion's 70% loss rate stems from only bringing it to already unfavorable matchups.Build article →

Ksun built around his favorite Basculegion, borrowing a top-cut Archaludon plus Mimikyu plus Basculegion shell and adding the strong offensive Mega Blastoise as a fourth core. While laddering he found five gaps: a fast mon, a setup move that breaks walls, a way to cut Dark-type spam (mainly Hydreigon), a stopper for Mimikyu-resistant sweepers like Mega Gyarados, and something to beat a last Mimikyu. So he added Mega Delphox to break walls with Nasty Plot plus Substitute and check Gengar, Meganium, Metagross, Staraptor, and Alolan Ninetales, plus Focus Sash Metal Burst Kingambit to cover Mega Gyarados and random threats. Archaludon holds White Herb so Draco Meteor keeps its power even when resisted, and can punch through Hippowdon while keeping Sturdy; Mimikyu runs Life Orb offensively with its disguise as a stopper. He admits Bellibolt cycle and Umbreon are rough, and among Megas he fearBuild article →