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The author had been running a Gengar slow-pivot cycle but stalled against screens and setup, so they trained the setup archetype they were weak at to understand it. The starting point was Taunt Mega Gyarados plus screens plus hazards: a Spikes Klefki that pairs screens and hazards in one slot and reliably sets for three-plus turns is the anchor. The core structure is hazards plus Yawn plus a setup sweeper. Mega Gyarados uses Mold Breaker Taunt to shut down pivoting and defensive setup, forcing two Dragon Dances for power, and closed out most games. A Focus Sash Garchomp on a Swords Dance plus Dragon Tail set keeps its matchup value while interrupting Bulk Up Corviknight and Baton Pass, the single most important piece. Sylveon is the overworked bulky Yawn/Wish pivot, checking screen teams, Staraptor, Meowscarada and assorted dragons. Mega Glimmora is the back Mega for Fairies, Mega DragonBuild article →

The team is a defensive cycle built around a core trio of Mega Chesnaught, Galarian Slowking, and Umbreon, designed to exploit what the author knows best. Chesnaught runs Earthquake as a surprise move to punish switches; Slowking uses Calm Mind and Flamethrower to beat Corviknight and win special matchups through accumulation; Umbreon with Leftovers and Substitute handles Hippowdon yawn loops and physical threats. Scarf Basculegion lures Delphox away; Sash Garchomp covers Charizard; Mega Scizor checks Gengar and Mimikyu. The author acknowledges weaknesses to Gengar teams and Corviknight, but the team went Best 32 at an offline tournament and reached rank 2604 (236th).Build article →

The team's axis is a bulky Mega Charizard-Y paired with Hippowdon and Alolan Ninetales. The idea: Charizard-Y's overwhelming fire power forces opponents into direct confrontation, and adding Roost lets it pseudo-negate Stealth Rock damage. Alolan Ninetales runs a Scarf to outspeed opposing Scarf users under snow, and uses Moonblast to turn Garchomp into setup fodder. Hippowdon sets Stealth Rock and uses Yawn for tempo. A second attack route uses Mega Gyarados (with Taunt and Dragon Dance) and Corviknight (Whirlwind+U-turn) for slow-cycle opponents. Curse-Plate Aegislash provides physical bulk and chip damage. The team's standout strength is fast Archaludon removal; the author placed 2604 (rank 241).Build article →

The team is built around Garchomp, Floette, and Aegislash as a core trio, inspired by a Stealth Rock + Spikes Garchomp video. Aegislash serves as a switch-in for special Ice and Fairy moves, and was eventually retooled into a pure Ghost-type moveset: if the opponent uses HiDef Iron Defense Corviknight, Calm Mind Floette handles it; if they run HiDef Iron Head, Swords Dance Aegislash breaks through. Basculegion with Choice Band is the lure/pressure piece; Mega Blastoise handles Kangaskhan, Gengar, Mimikyu, Delphox; Archaludon provides presence through its reputation alone. The author admits weak team-selection flexibility and a tendency to spread hazards too eagerly; developing the all-Ghost Aegislash was the season's highlight, ending at 2603 (rank 245).Build article →

This is a poison-based stall team; the author started from last season's core and rebuilt it around the new format's threats, aiming to give minimal answers to every popular mon. Toxapex is the dual-defensive core, spreading poison to the back with Toxic Spikes and pairing beautifully with Meganium, shifted to an HB spread to wall Life Orb Mimikyu. Slowbro is the main physical wall, locking down crit-fishing opponents with Iron Defense plus Shell Armor and eating a huge range of physical attackers like Blaziken, Metagross and Mamoswine. Meganium ignores weather on its recovery thanks to Mega ability, one-shots Mawile with Weather Ball, and pairs Substitute with the Toxic Spikes to freeload against Stealth Rock Garchomp. Snorlax is the special wall and anti-draw insurance, using Smack Down plus Fissure on floating, hard-to-break mons, and the author calls it MVP. Choice Scarf Hisuian SamuBuild article →

The team is built around Mega Froslass, adopted to deal with popular Mega Kangaskhan and Mega Dragonite teams of the mid-season meta. Froslass combines Aurora Veil with Pain Split: by equalizing HP, it can push through damage under screens—as illustrated with Archaludon taking two hits while one Pain Split is used, leaving the screen up. Sash Gengar fills in when Froslass can't lead. Kingambit has offensive and defensive utility; Azumarill's Belly Drum under screens delivers burst damage with priority; Garchomp covers Fire-type threats; Corviknight with Iron Defense and Body Press closes out games. The author considers the build underpowered overall but says Mega Froslass's individual set is worth studying; final rating 2600 (rank 246).Build article →

It took the author three months to stick at Champion rank, with the team built around an Iron Defense-Body Press Mega Metagross that muscles into bad matchups, hard-counters Archaludon, and creates win conditions the opponent cannot see. It runs a Choice Scarf Hydreigon and an HB Sitrus Primarina as the glue that handles Garchomp, Mega Blaziken and Hippowdon that both Metagross and Hydreigon fear. The fourth slot is an HD Leftovers Heat Rotom to answer high-power special Fire mons like Mega Charizard Y and Mega Meganium, and it also switches into Mega Raichu Y. The second Mega is an Ice Spinner Mega Starmie, covering Fire Megas and Mega Dragonite for the games where Metagross is hard to bring. Last is a Lum Berry Swords Dance Poison Jab Garchomp to check Hippowdon, Charizard and Mega Raichu Y. The author says Metagross tanks even max-roll Flare Blitz from Mega Blaziken and is absurdly buBuild article →

The team's double core is Toucannon and Mega Excadrill. Toucannon leads and functions as an offensive presence: Beak Blast+Seed Flicker pierce Focus Sash, and Encore prevents setup sweeps. Mega Excadrill cleans up after Toucannon has pressured the opposing team, sweeping with Swords Dance. Sash Clefable opens games by setting Stealth Rock, Thunder Wave, and Encore to make Garchomp and Charizard into setup fodder. Umbreon is Toucannon's fallback defensive partner; Scarf Leafeon brings speed and impersonation tricks against Mega Lopunny and Mega Lucario; Mega Blastoise uses Shell Smash as a final breaker. The author identifies Primarina+Iron Defense Corviknight as the team's biggest flaw, and finished at 2603 (rank 247).Build article →

Ryusei, a Korean player, could only start the season in May due to personal circumstances. He initially prepared a stall-oriented team around Venusaur and Skeledirge, but the revised draw rules made it unplayable, so he rebuilt from scratch after three days. Observing that Corviknight, Bellibolt, Umbreon, Hippowdon, and Slowking were dominating as cushion Pokemon, he built around Basculegion (Mystic Water) as an immediate high-power threat whose Aqua Burial power scales up after allies faint. White Herb Archaludon fills the lead role, able to voluntarily collapse to trigger Basculegion. Espathra + Mega Clefable Baton Pass provides misdirection, while Mega Lopunny handles Ghost and Fighting threats at lead, with Mimikyu as the back-line anchor. His self-assessed weaknesses are that a missed Giga Impact from Lopunny often means a lost game, and the Espathra-Clefable combination rarely saw play. Final result: 2603 rating, 248th place, Champion rank.Build article →

The author, Shie, struggled against offensively dominant Pokemon, so instead built a team designed to absorb hits and win through counter-damage. The plan is straightforward: Kingambit with Focus Sash + Metal Burst takes one Pokemon down, a Mega attacker (primarily Mega Victreebel or Mega Scovillain) forces a 1-for-1 trade, and Vanilluxe closes out the final matchup. Basculegion acts purely as a decoy: its presence on the team sheet forces opponents to bring counters, creating favorable final matchups for Vanilluxe against Garchomp, Meowscarada, and Hydreigon. Mega Emboar handles the Steel, Normal, and Dark types that Basculegion's Aqua Burial cannot hit. The team collapsed from 2400 to under 2000 late in the season until Vanilluxe was added, after which the author climbed back to 2600. The team's strength is its clear, readable game plan requiring no complex prediction; the weakness is reliance on Kingambit's Focus Sash going live. Final result: 2603 rating, 249th place.Build article →

这套队伍出发点是想换掉上期的大竺葵，改用其他Mega，正好群里都在玩长耳兔，作者就跟着试了「猫骗+剑舞」两开花的混合型长耳兔，再用前期表现不错的吃剩饭烈咬陆鲨和钢铠鸦给它铺路。后来看到一篇文章学到怎么保住苍炎刃鬼的气势披带，便参考着把Mega皮可西和幽尾玄鱼也加进来，结果Mega皮可西+陆鲨的组合强到长耳兔几乎不用派了。皮可西是魔法反射+稳重，能扛Mega喷火龙Y的过热和耿鬼的毒推，首发电磁波麻痺对手，再用鹦鹉学舌锁住强化招、月光回血给后续铺场；陆鲨双钉子（隐形岩+撒菱）配吃剩饭物耐很厚，跟皮可西属性互补，是全队MVP。收尾手有三个：幽尾玄鱼高速移动后连发墓碑挖掘最常用；苍炎刃鬼靠破碎铠甲+剑舞抜群，有皮可西在披带不容易被消；钢铠鸦留给对面有妙蛙花或河马兽+耿鬼+魔幻假面喵的场合，但容易TOD和平。最难处理的就是魔幻假面喵的三连冰柱，以及披带耿鬼、披带晶光花这种正面单挑型。Build article →