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The team runs a setup-cycle strategy anchored by Glimmora with Focus Sash as the entry hazard setter, Mega Gyarados as the primary setup sweeper, and four other setup attackers to supplement it. Glimmora's Toxic Debris produces poison spikes passively and delays opponents before the Focus Sash kicks in. Mega Gyarados drops Ice Fang in favor of Power Whip to hit Water-types, sweeping after Dragon Dance. Volcarona uses Sitrus Berry and physically bulky investment to set up Quiver Dance while probing for Flame Body burns. Aegislash with Cursed Body item combines Stealth Rock damage with Sword Dance plus Shadow Sneak to crack sturdy targets. Garchomp uses Haban Berry to bait and set up against Dragon callers, with Scale Shot providing both damage and Speed boosts. Mega Clefable closes the team as a Calm Mind backup answer to defensive foes. The author notes the concept was easy to pilot but personal play skill was the limiting factor. Final: 733rd.Build article →

The team started with Focus Sash Volcarona, which the author found could punish Blaziken by simply using Psychic against those trying to set up Swords Dance — this became the catalyst for the team. Mega Gyarados has been the author's physical ace since launch; the combination of Intimidate, Dragon Dance, and Waterfall flinch chance accounts for roughly 20% of wins by the author's estimate. Garchomp with Sitrus Berry sets Stealth Rock and phazes with Dragon Tail. Grimmsnarl sets dual screens to support Gyarados sweeps. Mega Froslass serves as the second special attacker with blizzard's freeze chance adding further variance. Scizor with Life Orb was the solution to Clefable teams and the problematic Meowscarada. The author's main weaknesses are Primarina and bulky Gyarados.Build article →

This team is built around Whimsicott's Leech Seed plus Substitute stall loop, using Bellibolt and two Mega-evolution slots to control matchups and funnel opponents into positions where Whimsicott can activate. Cotton Guard allows Whimsicott to handle normally unfavorable matchups like Scarf Meowscarada and Mega Metagross. Mega Gengar's Shadow Tag plus Protect synergizes with Leech Seed to trap and drain, while also clearing Baton Pass chains. Meowscarada provides Toxic Spikes and copies opponent's Stealth Rock via Copycat. The author self-critiques the season's short length leaving the team unrefined, points to Aegislash and Gholdengo as clear structural weaknesses, notes the irony of a Toxic Spikes team being weak to Toxic Spikes, and admits all six Toxapex matchups ended in draws.Build article →

The team builds around a three-member cycle of Mega Delphox, Archaludon, and Primarina, with Kingambit as the Swords Dance sweeper set up via Delphox's Will-O-Wisp. Delphox outspeed Mega Gengar, using Fire Blast and Psycho Shock as primary coverage and Will-O-Wisp to cripple physical attackers for Kingambit. Archaludon absorbs physical hits and runs Dragon Pulse, Flash Cannon, Thunderbolt, and Foul Play to handle various threats. Primarina cuts Dragon and Dark coverage with Encore to disrupt setup Pokémon like Aegislash. Garchomp provides general high-stat coverage against Volcarona and Glimmora. Kingambit is the endgame sweeper capitalizing on burnt opponents; Iron Head was kept over Low Kick for Primarina matchups. Mega Florges is an invitation-bait for opponents' Scizor, enabling Mega Delphox to function more freely. The author regrets missing Champion-rank opportunities due to mental fatigue. Final: 2472.Build article →

The author adopted Trick Room + Vivillon mid-season after identifying that it solved both the problem of being walled by defensive teams and the issue of getting no fast-Pokemon selection from opponents. Vivillon stacks Quiver Dance under Trick Room, benefits from sleep immunity to Toxic Spikes, and runs Leftovers for longevity. Archaludon with Sturdy hits the lead slot hard and uses Rock Tomb to cut Speed. Mega Greninja's type-changing ability twice over forces opponents into tricky decisions and helps draw out fast, frail targets for the Trick Room gameplan. Mimikyu sets Trick Room and uses Curse to exit while dealing chip; Kingambit is the Trick Room sweeper, boosted by Supreme Overlord and using Low Kick for coverage. The author notes that bulky Fire-types, burn Rotom, and priority-heavy teams are the main weaknesses.Build article →

The team's foundation is Mega Greninja with Sunny Day Weather Ball, a concept the author developed since Scarlet/Violet that finally came together with the new Heat Rock item and Greninja's new Mega form this season. Torkoal sets Stealth Rock and sun while Mega Greninja fires off sun-boosted Weather Ball from a speed tier of 142 — just below Mega Charizard Y's Flamethrower — catching opponents off-guard. Scarf Staraptor provides Brave Bird coverage and Intimidate support while luring in Gholdengo, Mega Metagross, and Skeledirge. Floette handles Glimmora and Archaludon matchups with its Sash while drawing out Mega Metagross. Mega Scizor fills a hidden-Mega slot against defensive teams. The author admits Gholdengo plus Umbreon/Skeledirge stall is unwinnable, Scarf users threaten Mega Greninja's speed advantage, and the team is fun but unstable.Build article →

The team centers on the Hippowdon and Toxapex dual-wall core, winning through poison and sandstorm chip combined with Stealth Rock and Earthquake in one of three ways: grinding the opponent down with passive damage, sending in the third member behind the cycle to clean up, or stalling to a draw via recovery and Baneful Bunker. The third member slot required high Speed above Mega Gengar, the ability to KO Corviknight and Scizor, resistance to Delphox's offense, and coverage to cut off Mourning's immunity. This led to Choice Scarf Hydreigon and a Protect-using Mega Delphox filling those slots. Aegislash with Swords Dance handles opponents the dual wall cannot break. Mega Gyarados was added as a side squad to specifically handle setups that hard-counter the main core. Author notes the core felt strong but genuine answers to Mega Lucario, Mega Gyarados, and Mega Gengar were never found. Final: 742nd / 2476.Build article →

The concept is cushion-based pivoting into high-powered special attacks. With no Choice Specs or Choice Scarf in the current item pool, and physical moves being constantly hampered by Intimidate and Rough Skin, the author chose to center on Mega Pyroar and Mega Floette as near-unresistable special attackers. Corviknight and Basculegion serve as the pivot duo to create favorable matchups for the aces; Garchomp with Focus Sash leads to set Stealth Rock; Mega Floette uses Calm Mind into Moonblast to sweep; and Primarina with Leftovers fills in as a flexible option with Perish Song against gimmick teams. The author's main weakness is having very little recoverability when the initial matchup goes wrong, since almost every member besides Corviknight is finite.Build article →

The team is structured around single-Mega Florges as a selective pressure tool—the author reasons that opponent team selection will always over-rotate to counter Florges, opening up favorable answers. Garchomp and Basculegion (male) complement Florges's coverage, the latter with Choice Scarf for speed control. Hisuian Samurott is called the team's best performer: Ceaseless Edge lays Iron Barbs damage, and Sucker Punch provides a wide trapping range, seeing use in nearly every game. Toucannon cuts coverage runs and rotates with U-turn plus Encore to trap setup attempts. Aegislash with Leftovers is primarily deployed for Florges mirror matchups and Mega Clefable. Key weaknesses: Primarina checks are limited to Florges or Aegislash, forcing luck; Corviknight is handled by brute-forcing with Florges plus Basculegion; Espathra-Clefable baton-pass sequences are manageable but unreliable. Final: 751st.Build article →

The author returned from Sword and Shield wanting a straightforward offensive team, and built around Archaludon out of fondness from the card game — finding an existing M-1 team article pairing it with Mega Lucario and using it directly. Archaludon sets Stealth Rock and chips with Electro Shot, then Mega Lucario cleans up weakened targets; the combination handles Pokémon that neither can finish alone. Mega Gyarados covers Lucario's bad matchups against Basculegion, Starmie, and Aegislash, and also gained Iron Head mid-season to handle Alolan Ninetales. Basculegion on a Sash blasts through with Water and Ghost attacks as a pressure pivot. Clefable self-sets up with Cosmic Power and Flamethrower to handle Meowscarada, Hisuian Samurott, and Mimikyu — the team's key threats. The author notes the team is beginner-friendly by design, but Meowscarada remains the hardest matchup and Gengar consiBuild article →

The author originally built around a bulky Mega Gengar abusing Will-O-Wisp + Hex with Shadow Tag, paired with Hippowdon and Umbreon for a status-based semi-stall cycle. Mega Florges covered water/special threats Umbreon hates, Skeledirge filled in vs Volcarona and Mega Mimikyu, and male Basculegion was added last specifically to handle Delphox. In practice the ghost-type overlap, Meowscarada matchup, and the awkwardness of leading Mega Gengar into Garchomp pushed him to swap Mega Gengar for Mega Venusaur, whose Leech Seed cycle felt so stable he abandoned the original concept. Umbreon runs Toxic to break opposing walls and pairs with Skeledirge against Aegislash. Mega Florges and Basculegion are selection-pressure pieces that bait steels and grass/water/dark mons into Umbreon's poison and Venusaur's seed. He admits both Megas lean special, so Umbreon could shift bulk to Defense, and the team's weakness is losing Gengar's hard win condition.Build article →

The team's starting point is Mega Charizard X as the author's signature pick, paired with Garchomp and Kingambit for a three-core offensive team. Garchomp leads with Stealth Rock and Dragon Tail to funnel opponents into Kingambit's post-Sword Dance Sucker Punch kill range. Mega Charizard X takes a free Dragon Dance turn and then sweeps with Flare Blitz and Dragon Claw, using Roost to stay healthy against priority. Kingambit carries a Life Orb and punishes Sucker Punch reads with Supreme Overlord's power boost. Greninja provides speed and coverage against matchups the core cannot handle, while Mega Lucario acts as a dual screens breaker. The author swapped Clefable mid-season for Primarina with Lum Berry and Calm Mind to counter status-based stall teams. The standard lead of Garchomp plus Charizard X plus Kingambit was highly reliable, but Scarf Meowscarada, physically defensive HippowdonBuild article →

The team is built around Scovillain with the Moody ability as a grass-type mono team, chosen partly because rain teams were common and grass types fared well against them. The core strategy uses Mega Victreebel or Meowscarada to set Toxic Spikes, Serperior to set up dual screens and spread paralysis, then Scovillain to farm stat boosts behind Leech Seed and Substitute; Torterra provides Stealth Rock and handles Charizard and Volcarona, while Mega Abomasnow is the answer to Skeledirge and Mega Staraptor. The author notes that mono-grass team composition naturally deterred opponents from bringing Primarina (a hard counter), but poison-immune walls like Dragalge and Toxapex, along with Dragonite using Clear Smog, were consistent problems.Build article →

Built around Life Orb Basculegion to counter the omnipresent Hippowdon, this team leverages Basculegion's threat presence to predict opponent team composition. Mega Gyarados handles the Mimikyu that Basculegion draws in, Choice Scarf Dragapult provides speed control against Meowscarada and Hydreigon, and Mega Meganium serves as the special attacker against rain teams and Archaludon. Focus Sash Mamoswine leads as a suicide lead with Endeavor plus Ice Shard, while Kingambit rounds out the team with wall-breaking and priority. The author acknowledges weaknesses in the Fairy coverage gap and the team being heavily physical, struggling against Mega Scovillain, Mega Venusaur, and Mega Floette.Build article →

The team is built around a setup sweeper concept: Pixie (Mega Clefable) opens to set Stealth Rock and paralyze, then Hawlucha runs a Taunt + Work Up set to sweep using its Acrobatics/Brave Bird after activating Unburden via Oran Berry consumption. Hawlucha outspeeds all 102-speed-tier and below physical attackers once it has one boost, bypassing Umbreon/Hippowdon stall. Kingambit and Basculegion form the backup offensive pair—Basculegion specifically counters Scarf Garchomp plus Primarina, the main threat to the Hawlucha line. Espathra sits as a pure selection-pressure slot. The author notes Hawlucha provided a winning path in almost every matchup, while Mega Blastoise and priority moves were identified as the team's clearest weaknesses.Build article →

After struggling with Mega Lopunny-based cycle offense, the author pivoted to a team anchored by a specially tanky Mega Charizard Y. The core is Charizard Y plus Corviknight, Primarina, Meowscarada, and Basculegion. Charizard Y was retooled with BS investment to survive physical water moves, running Fire Blast, Air Slash, Overheat, and Solar Beam; Corviknight walls threats and removes Stealth Rock; Primarina counters Hippowdon/Umbreon stall; Meowscarada handles Gyarados and Dragonite; Basculegion absorbs Water-type Pokémon. The author identifies Gyarados at +2, Tinkaton, and Scarf leads as the hardest matchups, while praising Charizard Y's versatility and the team's overall performance beyond expectations.Build article →

This began as a manual Psychic-Terrain team of Armarouge, Mega Alakazam and Mega Blastoise, but the author found manual terrain too hard to pilot, cut the field tactics, kept the gimmicks, and invested every member heavily into Speed. Mega Alakazam runs Nasty Plot and Encore to break stall behind Magic Guard; Mega Tyranitar replaced Armarouge, popping Multiscale just by switching in and beating even Substitute Dragonite with Dragon Dance plus Rock Blast. Ninetales sets Aurora Veil to open for the setup Megas, surviving Hippowdon's Earthquake to OHKO back, and brings Rain Dance to weaken Charizard Y and boost Blastoise. Hyper-fast Corviknight is favorable into both Floette and Garchomp, PP-stalling with Taunt, Bulk Up and Roost. The standout is Choice Scarf Chesnaught: at 190 Speed it outspeeds and OHKOs Mega Lopunny, Mega Starmie, Lucario, Glimmora and Charizard Y, with Bulletproof blockBuild article →

The author argues that a C-invested Mega Delphox outperforms setup variants by denying the opponent the chance to punish setup turns—Fire/Psychic/Fairy coverage backed by Psyshock cuts through specially defensive walls and Calm Mind users. The team commits to a single-Mega structure to force predictable opponent selections; Delphox was fielded in over 90% of matches. Partners include Garchomp with Dragon Breath and Poison Jab (replacing Earthquake) to shut down Pixie setups; Umbreon as a pivot with Yawn control; Toucannon as pressure against Lopunny and Starmie; Mimikyu to handle priority and setup threats; and Basculegion to break Starmie/Corviknight/Bellibolt cycles. Identified weaknesses are Scarf Basculegion, entry-hazard setup teams, and skilled players who can maneuver around Delphox using Starmie-based teams.Build article →

This team was built around Mega Delphox, the author's favorite Mega design, using dual Mega synergy with Mega Mawile to lure out water-types for Mawile to sword dance sweep. Snorlax with Thick Fat and Leftovers acts as a pivot that resets Garchomp's Scale Shot setup with Yawn, and runs Fissure as a 30% shot in losing games. Primarina is tuned to outspeed its own Mawile by one point for mirror-match information advantages. The author admits Hydreigon rarely got selected despite good type synergy. Hard counters include Meganium-based teams (0% winrate) and rain teams (~30%).Build article →