📈 Ladder Top Builds

The author anchored on the veteran Glimmora + Umbreon pair and crammed four Megas in to reach 157th (2432). The idea: keep the core on two non-Megas so the game plan stays stable no matter which Mega you swap in, and four Mega options beat the opponent's usual two in the selection mind game. Sash Glimmora sets Stealth Rock and attacks, while Umbreon backstops with Wish plus Foul Play cycling. Each Mega has a job: Mega Gengar's Shadow Tag walls Primarina, Clefable, and Floette; Mega Gyarados uses Taunt to break stall and beat Delphox; Mega Meganium runs Substitute and Synthesis, going undefeated versus Mawile; Mega Metagross adds a Psychic answer. The author admits the biggest flaw is that three of four Megas lose to Delphox, and Starmie should have been added earlier to cover Blaziken.Build article →

A newcomer who started on the Champions platform reached 158th (2432) with an Espathra all-hands lineup. Roughly 80% of games ran Espathra, Mega Greninja, and Mimikyu: Espathra chips with Lumina Crash while dropping Special Defense, Greninja's wide coverage and Protean STAB extends the damage, and Mimikyu's Disguise sweeps the leftovers. Sash Espathra accelerates and crushes the Hydreigon + Metagross core; Greninja capitalizes on the Sp. Def drop from Lumina Crash, with timing the Mega and when to reset its type via Protean being the key skill; Life Orb Mimikyu leans on Disguise for matchup wins. Bench options include Mega Blaziken to deter Mega Gyarados and Kingambit, Vivillon for selection pressure, and Archaludon versus Kingambit. The author flags Mega Gyarados, Kingambit, and Volt Switch Bellibolt as the hardest to deal with.Build article →

The team is built around the author's favorite, Mega Charizard Y, with the central question being how to keep Stealth Rock from crippling it. Three solutions were pursued simultaneously: removing rocks via Scizor's Rapid Spin, not letting the opponent set them by threatening setup leads, and using Hippowdon as a setup target for Hatterene. Scizor carries Rapid Spin and U-turn to clear hazards and cycle; Choice Scarf Meowscarada handles pivoting and late-game sweeping; Hatterene with Magic Mirror blanks status moves and can sweep with Calm Mind once Hippowdon is out of the way. Garchomp holds a Focus Sash for Swords Dance pressure via lead matchup ambiguity; Mega Lopunny covers fast threats like Mega Dragonite with Ice Punch plus Swords Dance. The author identifies Primarina as the team's main persistent weakness and notes dissatisfaction with the final structure despite reaching Champion tier.Build article →

The author built around last season's proven Hippowdon + Archaludon + heavy-hitting Mega core. Mega Florges was chosen as the main Mega for its Fairy Aura-boosted power and selection pressure, with bulky leftovers Hippowdon handling physical attackers and Assault Vest Archaludon providing Stealth Rock, Thunder Wave and chip damage. Mega Delphox is the second Mega, covering Mega Metagross and Mega Gengar that Florges struggles with while using Magical Flame to set up teammates. Black Glasses Kingambit patches the shared weakness to Mega Starmie and Basculegion, and its Sucker Punch range under Supreme Overlord plus Swords Dance often sweeps once Delphox opens a path. Chesto Berry Primarina with Calm Mind + Rest handles Hippowdon stall and Garchomp + Sylveon builds. The author calls the team flexible between cycling and offense, but flags Mega Raichu Y, Mega Lucario, Taunt Mega Gyarados and Hisuian Samurott as very tough matchups.Build article →

This team starts with Mega Gengar to handle Primarina, the toughest matchup now: its STAB hits weaknesses and its ability traps foes, wrecking cycle teams one-sided. Gengar is fearsome with a good matchup but weak head-on, so bulky Corviknight backs it against Garchomp and Mimikyu, though that pair folds to setup sweepers, so Dragon Tail plus Stealth Rock Garchomp phazes boosters instead. Since the core still loses to Mega Greninja teams, Mega Lopunny joins as a second Mega to punish Swords Dance Kingambit and worn-down Mimikyu, Calm Mind Primarina mops up walls, and Choice Scarf Hisuian Samurott finishes off Delphox and Basculegion. The build has almost no unwinnable matchups, so it comes down to selection and play, with picking Gengar's Destiny Bond target correctly as the key skill.Build article →

The team ran Mega Kangaskhan, Tsareena, and Swords Dance Garchomp for most of the season, but the author dropped Kangaskhan shortly before the final day because Stamina Archaludon counts were surging. Mega Lopunny with Fake Out and Giga Impact was slotted in as a last-minute replacement, and it worked better than expected against both Archaludon and the field. The lead play is to use Fake Out to gauge the opponent's HP investment, then decide whether to commit Giga Impact. Garchomp is described as dramatically stronger once the author reframed Scale Shot as a speed-raising move and paired it with Outrage, functionally acting like a Choice Scarf user that can still pick moves. Gengar is characterized as unstoppable once Will-O-Wisp connects. Corviknight handles physical threats, and a Corrosion Choice Scarf Glimmora rounds out the final slot vacated by Kangaskhan. The author acknowledges the composition was not fully satisfying and suspects Kangaskhan might still be better if Stamina Archaludon becomes less common.Build article →

The author climbed to a final 2432, rank 161 with a home-built single matchup team led by Mega Delphox, whose post-Mega Speed lets it check most of the new Mega threats. Will-O-Wisp is the key: since boosts add rather than multiply, burning off an opponent's big first boost lets Delphox tank comfortably, and Taunt shuts down setup. Annihilape walls physical attackers and can Bulk Up into a wincon against defensive teams, while Kingambit is the MVP, timing Sucker Punch and outspeeding even Clefable. Vanilluxe looks like support but hits hard enough that even resisted Blizzard-Ice Shard chunks foes, scaring off rain. Garchomp with Roseli Berry handles Fairies, and Gyarados serves as the backup Mega, using Dragon Dance to flip games. The author calls it his most polished from-scratch build, briefly touching single digits.Build article →

The author first tried a dual-screens Mega Scolipede but got walled by Hippowdon, whose surge in usage killed the team's flexibility. He rebuilt around his favorite Mega Froslass, using it both as a screener via Snow Warning and as a sweeper with Nasty Plot—the ice+ghost coverage lined up well against the popular Dragonite+Aegislash core. Primarina came next to cover fire and dark hits and blank Hippowdon builds, followed by Kingambit as a screens-abusing setup sweeper with strong defensive synergy. Mega Delphox (bulky HB with Will-O-Wisp/Encore) handles fire Megas and Metagross while punishing setup mons that assume it can't stay in. Sash Garchomp is the anti-lead and Charizard Y check, and Sub+Unburden Sneasler with Oboin Berry mops up Greninja/Meowscarada/Lopunny and dodges Yawn cycles. Strengths: any member can snowball via setup, and Hippowdon teams are completely shut down. Weaknesses: Baton Pass, Rotom-W builds, and Grimmsnarl dual-screens teams.Build article →

This build grew from an early Mega Gyarados + Mega Lucario core that stalled around 2200 rating, losing mostly to Mega Lopunny + Basculegion. Having run that exact core in M-4, the author revived it for M-5, swapping Stealth Rock-weak Charizard for a Mega Delphox aimed at the dreaded Mega Scovillain + Tyranitar pair. Glimmora leads with Toxic Spikes for Lopunny's priority sweeps, Primarina stalls via Protect and Perish Song, Basculegion's power narrows opposing picks, and Archaludon covers the Trick Room weakness. It hit final Champion rank for the first time in five seasons, finishing 163rd with a top-100 goal next.Build article →

Built around wanting to use Mega Metagross, the author's snappy single matchup team reached final rank 163. Metagross is the clear core with Bullet Punch and Ice Punch locked, plus Psychic Fangs against screens teams and Thunder Punch for the surging Gyarados, balancing bulk and power. The other Mega slot is Pyroar, which nullifies Ghost moves and outspeeds Mega Staraptor and Mega Metagross; it's the go-to against Aegislash and uses Yawn to disrupt. Archaludon packs physical and special bulk plus power, running Foul Play for Meowscarada, Greninja and Scizor. Hydreigon breaks Umbreon defensive cores, tanking Yawn with Lum Berry then Nasty Plot plus Draco Meteor to blow them away, unread since most Hydreigon carry Scarf. Mystic Water Basculegion is a star that shreds Hippowdon (the author claims 300 kills), and Choice Sash Garchomp leads to set Stealth Rock. He admits a final-day collapse Build article →

The author reached final 2431, rank 164 and his first Champion tier with an Iron Defense BatonPass Scolipede plus matchup Gardevoir core. Max-Speed, max-HP Scolipede tanks Mega Metagross Psychic Fangs and Mega Starmie Psycho Cut after Iron Defense, giving near-startless passes; its last slot runs Earthquake to break Sashes and clean up. Ceruledge receives the pass and uses Flash Fire to switch into Mega Charizard Y and Delphox for free setup. Gholdengo is the main pass recipient, snowballing off Hippowdon, with Curse Amulet to chip Skeledirge. Mega Gyarados runs standard Dragon Dance with Ice Fang for Dragonite. Meganium was a long-debated slot, able to outspeed and remove opposing Meganium. Sash Gardevoir is the matchup piece with strong STAB Psychic plus Fairy coverage, and Trace lets it steal Speed Boost, Lightning Rod or Swift Swim to flip games — the author calls it his best fit forBuild article →