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The author started from the Mega Lucario + Water Rotom core that season 1's champion had run; it felt great, so he added the familiar and complementary Hippowdon and Hydreigon to lock in four members. Hippowdon was his top pick every game, and this season he swapped Slack Off for Whirlwind to punish levitating Substitute teams and Sleep Talk + Swords Dance Garchomp. Water Rotom uses Pain Split to hugely boost its number of turns and is bulky on both sides. Mega Lucario with Adaptability and Extreme Speed impressed him on first use; he dropped its Speed to invest in bulk so it could come in off Volt Switch to handle Primarina. Mimikyu is a standard Life Orb set covering Fighting coverage and bad matchups like Delphox, Garchomp and Floette, while Mega Metagross handles Dragonite-Aegislash cores without clashing with Lucario's slot.Build article →

This team is a carryover from last season, since the switch to M-B actually favored it. The core Mega Scizor uses slow U-turn for pivoting, sending in a favorable attacker as a cushion, then converts into a Swords Dance + Bullet Punch sweeper once things are worn down; its bulk is invested to appear alongside Dragonite. Hippowdon sets Stealth Rock to support Scizor, usually led and built HD with Sitrus Berry to survive Charizard Y. Choice Scarf Hydreigon is the special sweeper launched into good matchups off high-power Draco Meteor, also covering Basculegion, Rotom and Delphox that Scizor dislikes. Mega Dragonite is the sub-Mega that breaks Corviknight cycles with Toxic Spikes plus Substitute, while Greninja holds a Focus Sash to lay Toxic Spikes and hit Fairies. The new addition Gholdengo is the breaker: Good as Gold ignores annoying moves, and Nasty Plot + Life Orb muscles through the Build article →

The author judged that in M-B Fairies had crashed and Steel types rose, so Umbreon, which beats Metagross and handles rain, became the strongest pick and the team was built around it. Umbreon does matchup control with Yawn, paired with Garchomp's Stealth Rock to force switches while chipping; Focus Sash Garchomp is the core that leads and sets rocks almost every game. The third slot, Grassy Glide Mega Meganium, is the sweeper: max Speed with Ancient Power lets it flip Charizard and this season's top Mega, Delphox. Primarina runs Misty Terrain to nullify Hippowdon's Yawn and covers the Fire and Ground that Metagross fears. He later reworked the team against Toxic Spikes and defensive Poisons by adding Corrosion Glimmora to poison roadblocks like Slowking and Vileplume, hugely widening Meganium's usage, then added Delphox to cover Staraptor and the Fairy gap. Primarina switched to a ChopleBuild article →

This is a sequel to last season's Charizard + Starmie high-power cycle team, aiming for a hybrid of strong offensive pivoting and direct one-on-ones. The core starts with Mega Starmie, which looks strong into the new Mega Blaziken, Mega Metagross and Mega Staraptor and also holds down the popular Mega Delphox and Charizard. Since Hydreigon-Metagross cores rose, he kept the physically bulky Umbreon as a stable, complementary partner; Umbreon is the team MVP and beats those cores. Mega Charizard Y is the key check to Archaludon and also favored against Hippowdon, Primarina and Staraptor, and can eat Stealth Rock then recover via Umbreon's Wish, making it the main Mega. Choice Scarf Garchomp is the mandatory Ground and always comes out against Blaziken. Focus Sash Vanilluxe carries Mirror Coat, with wide Freeze-Dry coverage and the ability to punish Fire types and Gholdengo that stay in. ThBuild article →

Kifuyu finished 54th by building around Mega Venusaur and Sylveon, aiming to get as many turns of action out of both as possible to grind small edges. Venusaur runs a physically bulky spread with three attacks plus Leech Seed to check Blaziken and Mimikyu, while Sylveon pressures Fairy and Fighting types and, paired with Stealth Rock, hard-counters Dragonite teams. Jolly Sash Garchomp works as both a first-turn lead and a cycle piece, and the author loves that it wins the opening matchup against Archaludon outright. Delphox is the backup Mega against Metagross, Blaziken, Staraptor and Gengar, and Sub-Nasty Plot Hydreigon breaks the Gengar + Umbreon core. On the last day he swapped in Life Orb Greninja to punish Hippowdon + Metagross + Primarina cores, but Body Press Metagross kept reading him out, so he admits that slot still needs work.Build article →

Nann took 56th building around Mega Charizard Y, chosen because it steals every weather and beats Steels, which mattered against the three dominant cores: Swampert rain, Metagross steel teams, and Delphox fire teams. Stealth Rock was solved by running Defog Scizor, and Timid Charizard Y was picked to out-speed and out-turn bulky support Garchomp. Scizor was the MVP, cutting Garchomp's momentum alongside Charizard and clearing both rocks and screens with Defog. Sash Swords Dance Garchomp leads or cleans up, Primarina hard-answers Hydreigon and Hippowdon, and Hisuian Samurott adds a Dark type to handle Delphox teams, Archaludon and Kingambit while walling Basculegion. Mega Gengar with Shadow Tag and Perish Song mops up Glimmora Toxic Spikes and Baton Pass teams. His toughest matchups: Stealth Rock plus Mega Gyarados, a faster Swords Dance Garchomp that sets up first, and an accurate sleep Build article →

pHpoke finished 58th around Leftovers Aegislash, prized for its Ghost/Steel typing, King's Shield plus Leftovers longevity, and Shadow Sneak cleanup so it never sits dead in a game. Dragonite used to be its partner but got broken by Scale Shot Swords Dance Garchomp, so this season he switched to newly unlocked Mega Staraptor, which outspeeds Garchomp, pivots into Swords Dance Chomp thanks to pre-Mega Intimidate, cycles cleanly with Aegislash, and complements its Ghost coverage with Fighting via Close Combat. Since Charizard and Delphox fire types are tough, a Careful bulky Sitrus Garchomp handles special attackers and lays Stealth Rock and Spikes to extend the offense. These three fear Greninja and Primarina and wanted Toxic Spikes, so Sash Meowscarada was added. Mega Gyarados covers hard-to-pivot Dragonite and Gholdengo teams and sets up on Ghosts, and Perish Song Primarina rounds it ouBuild article →

Note-chan finished 59th with the goal of squeezing the most out of Hippowdon and stacking many win conditions. The core is Leftovers Protect Hippowdon, strong against the new Mega Metagross, Blaziken and Mawile, plus the now-common Mimikyu. Its three weaknesses (slow execution, low damage, no answer to Lum-plus-setup) are solved by Sash Glimmora's Toxic Spikes, which also burns opposing Lum Berries so Yawn can force switches. Water types are rough, so among Venusaur, Victreebel and Meganium he chose Mega Meganium for its damage, immunity to his own sand, and a hit on Corviknight. These four can't touch Staraptor, so Spell Tag Aegislash was added as a breaker that pairs with Toxic Spikes and steals games via both Swords Dance and King's Shield. Mega Gyarados is the backup Mega, disguised as a non-Mega to catch opponents off guard, and Dragon Fang offensive Archaludon punches through the hBuild article →

作者以Mega巨金怪为核心，看中它连一致弱点技都能扛住、抗性优秀，还有先制技能收残局，能撑起正面互殴、有限循环、清场等多种打法。首先加河马兽处理天气、双打大嘴娃、双墙等套路队；再上西狮海壬负责压地面/恶/火，顺便崩掉河马兽、月亮伊布、钢铠鸦这些Mega巨金怪难啃的墙。为补高速位以及对付妖火红狐、耿鬼、幽尾玄鱼，选了讲究围巾的三首恶龙。第五只是气势披带烈咬陆鲨，负责铺隐形岩、应付喷火龙和火神蛾，靠地震+龙尾+岩石封锁灵活处理暴鲤龙。最后一格用Mega耿鬼，专门针对赛富豪那种切鋼技的Mega巨金怪镜像和大竺葵、皮可西这类墙子，兼当鏡像抓人手段。作者自评Mega巨金怪带铁臂膀是关键，能不放大力鳄、甲贺忍蛙、魔幻假面喵，也能给铝钢桥龙、巨钳螳螂大伤害；身代替西狮海壬多次靠激流+水舞+水水手裡剑线打崩月亮伊布+Mega耿鬼这种循环。短板是宝石海星+电肚蛙（三首恶龙受）几乎无解，以及魔幻假面喵+快龙+坚盾剑怪同框会让Mega巨金怪被剑怪挡死非常难选出。

The author built around his favorite Mega Lucario, leaning on Adaptability-boosted STAB to force damage while keeping just enough type-based switching. Alolan Ninetales anchors the dual-screens-plus-hazards line, using Encore and Pain Split to manage HP and lock down the opponent's setup. Hisuian Samurott was the MVP: heavily invested in Defense to eat Garchomp and Metagross, it lays Spikes and shreds half a team just by spamming Ceaseless Edge behind screens. Mega Delphox is the second Mega, a Fire-type faster than Metagross that, with Ninetales and Samurott, handles Metagross cores well. Scarf Garchomp cleans up as a sweeper and Sash Glimmora leads with Stealth Rock and speed control. He notes trouble with Mimikyu, Primarina, Gyarados, and priority moves; finished 61st.Build article →

This team is built on Mega Dragonite, prized for using Multiscale and its stats to shine at both direct matchups and cycling, letting it lead into almost anything. The cycle is filled out with Hippowdon as the physical wall and Aegislash as the special wall. To handle the late-season rise of Mega Delphox, Greninja and their supports, the author added Scarf Meowscarada as a stopper and reliable lead. Since cycling alone loses to setup, Sash Garchomp joins as the strongest one-on-one piece. Finally, a Calm Mind Psychic Mega Floette rounds it out, strong against the recurring Mega Venusaur plus Umbreon pairing and good at baiting Scizor and Aegislash. Dragonite's Speed is pushed to 156 to outrun the common Mega Metagross. He lists Meowscarada, Mega Lopunny, Umbreon plus Steel, and Mimikyu as hard matchups; finished 62nd.Build article →

The author was set on building around his old partner Mega Mawile, filling the team by three rules: non-Mega, versatile and never dead weight, and able to cover Mawile's weaknesses. Mawile has a 100% selection rate as the main attacker, aiming to KO the opponent through move combos with teammates while acting as little as possible; it deliberately runs no Swords Dance so opponents keep respecting a threat that isn't there while he avoids coin-flip turns. Heat Rotom complements its typing, aimed at Metagross and Scizor cores, and is a rare special attacker here. Primarina is strong on the switch-in with reliable moves and deters the Fire/Ground leads Mawile hates to face. Wide Lens Mimikyu spreads Thunder Wave to cripple Mega Grass-types and packs Curse and Destiny Bond for sub and Baton-pass teams. Lum Swords Dance Garchomp breaks physical walls and Yawn Hippowdon walls physically. He noBuild article →

The author calls this Aegislash-Dragonite, built around cycling those two. With new Megas up this season, strong Normals like Lopunny and Kangaskhan dropped off, so Aegislash could be brought to almost any team; when he Swords Dances and Hippowdon comes in, it usually Earthquakes, so he just Swords Dances again and often wins easily. Dragonite locks games down just by cycling Dragon Pulse and Roost, and its Fire move was switched from Fire Blast to Flamethrower to keep damage on Mawile and Metagross. Garchomp swapped Stone Edge for Stealth Rock on the final day because Mega Venusaur was too heavy; since the back is usually Aegislash-Dragonite, tanking a hit with the Sash then retreating to leave Rough Skin damage matters a lot. Meowscarada is the only reason he beats Mega Gyarados, which the core loses to, and Primarina's Encore handles annoying Lopunny, Kangaskhan, and Mamoswine. SpeciaBuild article →

Hiyopen kept last season's core almost untouched: lead with Basculegion or Archaludon to break the board open, use Perish Song Gengar to keep a numbers lead, then close with Umbreon. He prefers mastering one team over rotating, so it naturally beat Ninetales-Garchomp screen setups and Hydreigon-Metagross builds. Archaludon leads with Reflect against Mawile, then Luster Cannon plus Gengar's Shadow Ball handles steels; Gengar runs max Speed to widen Perish Song coverage and trade one-for-one or better off enemy setup mons. Umbreon uses Yawn for positioning and covers the fairies and fighters Gengar hates. He flags Life Orb Mimikyu, Grassy Glide Floette, Venusaur plus Umbreon, Blastoise, and Nasty Plot Gholdengo as his rough matchups, so he cut Lopunny for Toxapex to shore up bulk.Build article →

Otake's cycle team wears the opponent down with chip damage while pushing an ace through, and pressures picks at team preview to bait bad selections. He built around low-weakness, high-bulk cores: leftovers Hisuian Goodra as the special wall, weak only to Ground and Fighting (types with few strong special moves), so it plays like a wall with no real weakness, and its 600-stat base lets it fight back physically against Calm Mind sweepers. Sitrus Hippowdon is the physical wall, laying Stealth Rock and pairing with Dragon Tail to break things. Mega Blastoise is the ace; it usually fears Primarina, but Goodra dominates Primarina, so he cycles with others to open a lane. Late-added Mega Meganium baits fire types and locks with Encore; Toxapex spreads Toxic Spikes on Primarina and Meowscarada. He admits Choice Scarf Gholdengo had poor synergy and the lowest usage, barely seeing play.Build article →

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 →

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 →