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Based on a standard Kangaskhan team the author found comfortable mid-season, he swapped Mega Kangaskhan for Mega Lopunny and replaced Primarina with Gyarados to counter opposing Primarina. Mega Glimmora was added last as a wallbreaker and generally flexible slot. Lopunny leads aggressively — against Garchomp it goes straight to Ice Punch rather than fake-out, tanking Choice Scarf Garchomp's Outrage plus rough skin to win the trade; Hi Jump Kick over Close Combat was chosen specifically to pressure Archaludon. Choice Scarf Hydreigon outspeeds fast water-types like Starmie and Basculegion. Gyarados and Aegislash form a reliable cycle core, with Aegislash achieving the highest usage rate. The team's weaknesses are opposing Lopunny, Gengar, and Delphox; Venusaur is also a known problem. Final placement: 58th at 2685.Build article →

The team revolves around Mega Starmie (swapped on the final morning for Mega Lucario), Umbreon, Corviknight, Primarina, and Garchomp. The core design insight is that Floette and Archaludon force opponents to bring steel, poison, or fire types — all of which Primarina beats handily. Umbreon provides physical bulk and wish support to handle Basculegion and Gyarados; Corviknight counters Mega Lopunny and Mega Scizor. Focus Sash Garchomp sets Stealth Rock and pressures with scale shot. On the final morning the author decided that Archaludon was rendering Starmie unusable, so he replaced it with special Mega Lucario: Aura Sphere reliably KOs Archaludon, Vacuum Wave picks off Mega Lopunny and Greninja. The team's strength is its flexible selection options; the weaknesses are an incomplete answer to opposing Mega Gengar and Iron Defense-Body Press Corviknight. Peak 2697, final placement 59th.Build article →

The team starts from Floette plus Basculegion, both of which cannot be defensively tanked and must be answered by type, making opponent team-building predictable in the shallow Season 1 pool. Mega Gengar handles the steel and poison types Floette summons, and the burn-plus-pain split combination is a clean solution against Archaludon. Umbreon fills the dark-type role needed to keep the three-Mega structure functional against Basculegion and Gyarados. Mega Charizard Y covers Scizor, Corviknight, and Mimikyu that Floette forces in. Garchomp holds Sitrus Berry as a flexible back-line pivot that also spreads Stealth Rock and Spikes. From 5 AM on the final day the author swapped Garchomp for Araquanid on impulse and maintained a 2700 rating with it. Weaknesses are Mega Lopunny, Mimikyu, Ceruledge, and Meowscarada. Final placement 62nd, peak placement top 10.Build article →

The team centers on Mega Gengar supported by Umbreon, Garchomp, Mega Scizor, Primarina, and Water Rotom, finishing at 63rd place. Gengar's signature role is to use Protect on turn one to safely Mega Evolve, then cycle with Shadow Ball, denying opponents a free turn. Will-O-Wisp plus Curse disables physical attackers and grinds down defensive builds. Umbreon is the team's absolute anchor, running maximum physical defense with Wish to sustain teammates and Yawn to force switches; the author considers it the hardest member to play well. Focus Sash Garchomp was reworked into an all-out attacker on the final morning to swiftly handle Archaludon and Floette. Scizor's resistances and priority Bullet Punch manage Mimikyu, Mega Floette, and Meowscarada. Primarina's Perish Song seals exhibition-style builds, and back-pivot Aqua Jet into Mega Gengar is the team's strongest sequence. Water Rotom was the final piece, cutting the ground-type line and checking Lopunny and Delphox; the rating climbed from 2500 to 2600 after it was added.Build article →

Built around the author's long-time favorite Espeon-Umbreon combination, the full team is Espeon, Umbreon, Mega Gengar, Focus Sash Garchomp, Mega Charizard X, and Blastoise. Umbreon with maximum physical defense, Wish, and Yawn is the backbone of the whole structure. Mega Gengar uses Shadow Tag to prevent escapes; Nasty Plot lets it overpower Primarina even after Primarina gets an Aqua Ring turn, and it accelerates after a Yawn lead. Garchomp runs Poison Jab instead of a rock move, hitting a wide range of targets and synergizing with Gengar's curse-pressure. Espeon with Twisted Spoon was designed for opposing Mega Clefable builds and Vivillon but barely saw play on the final day. Blastoise with Sitrus Berry uses Rapid Spin to clear Stealth Rock for Charizard X and handles Lopunny and Disguise threats. Charizard X's main role is Dragon Dancing against Floette, which ordinary teams struggle to break through. The author notes clear weaknesses: no clean answer to opposing Umbreon, and dependence on Blastoise alone for Lopunny.Build article →

The team is built around Mega Skarmory, chosen for its well-rounded stats across all dimensions. The second Mega slot goes to Lopunny, whose presence alongside Skarmory can bait opponents into thinking the Skarmory is staying non-Mega, making it easier to land Mega Skarmory. Bellibolt and Hippowdon provide high-recovery pivot support that pairs well with toxic spikes laid by Sash Meowscarada. Glimmora with Choice Scarf rounds out the team to pressure Charizard and Volcarona while picking up enemy poison spikes. Bellibolt was the MVP, winning the vast majority of games, while Lopunny's reliance on the inaccurate High Jump Kick was the main source of inconsistency.Build article →

The team starts from a Sash Basculegion, banking on opponents over-respecting the Choice Scarf version and getting caught off guard. The two Mega slots go to Dragonite for breaking tanky teams and Lopunny with Fake Out plus Megaton Kick for softer targets. Primarina, Archaludon, and Lucario fill out the roster, with Lucario specifically assigned to counter Meowscarada that Basculegion draws out, and to clean up Charizard teams with Aura Sphere and Rock Slide. The author notes Lopunny's unreliable Megaton Kick was the biggest flaw and the root cause of inconsistent results, while the overall team maintained solid stability across the final ladder.Build article →

The team centers on Mega Gengar running Clear Smog and Nasty Plot, designed to beat defensive setups that Florges forces into the field. Corviknight with Leftovers handles physical hits and enables pivoting, while Choice Scarf Hydreigon covers the dark-type slot and pairs with Corviknight to manage Gliscor leads. Sash Garchomp and pivot Primarina round out the offensive core. Mega Lucario was added last to solve the otherwise problematic Charizard matchup, and swapping in Rock Slide immediately improved that win rate. The author notes Hydreigon was selected in roughly 90% of games, and the team's main unresolved weakness was Mega Heracross, against which no good answer existed.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 →

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 →

The team runs Mega Dragonite and Mega Gengar as its two Mega slots. Dragonite handles the bulk of matchups through Multiscale durability and Extreme Speed cleanup, while Gengar is reserved for Florges-based teams, trading one-for-one with Shadow Trapping Destiny Bond. Mimikyu with Lum Berry and Swords Dance finds setup opportunities off opponents' locked moves or Hippowdon's Yawn. Hippowdon with Leftovers and Slack Off stalls opponents out and creates favorable positioning for Dragonite and Mimikyu. Choice Scarf Meowscarada locks out Gyarados and Florges with enough physical bulk to take at least one Basculegion hit. HD Iron Defense Corviknight was added last to manage Ceruledge and limit Archaludon's action economy. The main unresolved weakness is Dragon Dance Gyarados, against which the team has limited offensive coverage.Build article →

The team centers on Mega Kangaskhan with Scrappy, whose Double-Edge paralysis and freeze fishing is the primary win condition, backed by Sucker Punch for finishing. Mega Gengar is the secondary Mega, reserved for matchups like Primarina and Delphox that bother Kangaskhan, using Destiny Bond for forced one-for-one trades. Primarina covers physical threats and provides Encore disruption at lower speed. Choice Scarf Garchomp handles speed control, Corviknight with Iron Defense and Body Press anchors physical cycling, and Mega Charizard Y was added purely for the select screen pressure against Archaludon — the author acknowledges it was rarely brought and often lost when it was. The persistent weak points all season were Mirror Coat Archaludon, Kingambit, and Meowscarada.Build article →

The team is built around Mega Lopunny as the high-pressure lead, valued for its Fake Out plus Mega Kick burst and type resistances. Hippowdon handles physical threats and sets Stealth Rock; Aegislash was retooled from a defensive Leftovers set to a Swords Dance attacker, since passive play proved ineffective. Basculegion provides hitting coverage complementary to Lopunny, with its Mystic Water Wave Crash hitting surprisingly hard, and Avalugg uses Snow-boosted bulk to handle Gyarados. The last slot went to Mega Charizard Y, which the author admits was mostly dead weight and should be replaced. The main weaknesses were Dragonite and a lack of reliable options against Charizard-Y's checks.Build article →

The team is built around Florges and Ceruledge as a complementary pair: Florges handles the common counters to Ceruledge such as Skarmory and Galarian Slowking, while Ceruledge handles Garchomp and Hippowdon that trouble Florges. Scarf Garchomp stops fast Mega threats, Leftovers Archaludon walls physical attackers, Mega Delphox breaks defensive cores that the main pair cannot, and Mystic Water Primarina provides a second win condition against Gengar-centric cycles. The author structures the six as three mirrored pairs to create unpredictable team selection patterns. Chief weakness: a Cursed Body-Spell Tag Basculegion hard-counters most of the team, and certain Archaludon leads remain unsolved.Build article →

Built entirely around Mega Gengar, the author discovered that Will-O-Wisp combined with Pain Split gives Gengar match-up flexibility even against offensive teams—something traditional Gengar sets lacked. The standard three are Gengar, Primarina (Calm Mind set), and Garchomp for Stealth Rock and clean-up. Corviknight provides pivot play and draws in Gengar's checks, Kangaskhan covers face-up matchups, and Mimikyu acts as a revenge killer against physical threats. The author admits this team has too many hard weaknesses and too many threatening Pokémon it simply cannot handle, relying on skilled play to reach 85th. The standout strength is how Gengar's Will-O-Wisp line catches opponents completely off guard.Build article →

The team uses a physically bulky Florges alongside Houndoom and HB Garchomp as a stable defensive backbone. Lucario was originally run with Earthquake to lure Aegislash, but the author found the other four Pokémon already handle Aegislash fine, so Meteor Mash was adopted to punish lazy opponents. Toxapex checks Volcarona and Primarina drawn in by Florges, while Scarf Basculegion presses damage on predicted switches and sets Stealth Rock. Three win conditions are maintained: sweep with Lucario, sweep with Florges, or grind through cycles. The main weakness is Galarian Slowking hard-locking the team's selection, and tech-guessing against various Archaludon sets.Build article →