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The author's core lead is Archaludon + Basculegion + Mega Lopunny: Archaludon sets Stealth Rock and chips with Draco Meteor until the opposing team is in KO range for Basculegion and Lopunny, who then sweep with raw power. Mega Lopunny is invested in HP/Def to survive Garchomp's Outrage, runs enough Speed to outpace base 130s at neutral nature, and a +2 Triple Axel can roll past max Hippowdon. Basculegion started on Choice Scarf but was switched to a max Attack Wave Crash set so it could OHKO Hippowdon while still picking moves freely. Because Garchomp was such a headache, Corviknight (Brave Bird + Taunt) and Meowscarada were added later. In the last three days Mega Meganium was swapped for max-Speed Mega Glimmora with Energy Ball to punish the Hippowdon switch-ins and to stop losing to Mega Charizard X/Y and Gengar. The author admits the build was clearly targeted once it hit top-100 and bled rating from there.Build article →

The author reached a final rating of 2458 in M-1 singles with a Mega Floette + Mega Delphox dual-Mega team assembled hastily from May 4th after noticing Floette's standout performance at a tournament event. Floette runs max Speed with Oblivion Wing for maximum reach against Dragons and Garchomp; Delphox covers the Fire/Psychic angle that Floette cannot handle — namely Steel- and Poison-types — and uses Substitute plus Nasty Plot to sidestep status. Scarf Garchomp is the generalist sweeper and Basculegion check; Stamina Archaludon is described as probably the team's strongest individual and was used in most games. Ceruledge with Focus Sash handles Flying-type obstacles, and Camo Berry Primarina uses sleep to beat Yawn-loop strategies. The author notes that Archaludon and Garchomp carried the team, while Floette's clear weaknesses demanded careful team selection.Build article →

The author built a broadly adaptable standard team centered on priority moves. Dragonite leads with Multiscale plus Draco Meteor and Extreme Speed to win most openers, while Aegislash uses Swords Dance and Sacred Sword to beat Metagross after getting the speed advantage. Primarina acts as the defensive glue, countering Blaziken and Hydreigon while keeping pressure off the others. Mega Lopunny runs Fake Out plus Swords Dance for both aggressive and sweep modes, and Mimikyu closes games with Life Orb Swords Dance. Sylveon is the only non-priority member, providing hazard control and Roar to stop setup. The team's weaknesses are Gyarados (Mold Breaker breaks Mimikyu), Mega Venusaur, and especially Mega Scovillain, which the author admits to having no reliable answer for.Build article →

A full Steel-monotype team the author has used since Sword and Shield. Archaludon leads to set Stealth Rock or trade, then Mega Skarmory builds up Speed via its Weak Armor ability when hit and sweeps after Mega Evolution. Focus Sash Aegislash covers wide with Shadow Ball and Shadow Sneak at high Speed. Hisuian Goodra counters rain teams by KOing Pelipper with Thunderbolt, tanking Swampert's Earthquake with a Shuca Berry to Counter back, then finishing with Mud Shot and Draco Meteor. Mega Mawile targets Umbreon and Skeledirge; Metagross handles Mega Blaziken with Occa Berry plus Psycho Fang to break screens. The author identifies Scarf Hydreigon, Mega Staraptor, and Mega Delphox as consistent threats, and acknowledges that Fire-type pressure is an inevitable weakness of any pure Steel team.Build article →

The team was built around Sash Crabominable, a Rain team counter able to outspeed Pelipper, revenge-kill Mega Swampert with Close Combat plus recoil, and threaten Archaludon with Fighting moves. Volcarona runs Lum Berry with Quiver Dance and Substitute to sweep physical walls like Corviknight and Umbreon; Mega Starmie uses Rapid Spin to clear Stealth Rock and keep Volcarona healthy. The author notes the team excels at first-impression pressure but struggles with inconsistency, stall teams, Innate-ability Clefable, and Mega Gyarados.Build article →

Ponponpoke started from the classic Heat Rotom plus Metagross core from Gen 7, regarding Metagross as the undisputed best Mega this season. Rotom-Heat runs Pain Split for physical walling, pivoting, and softening targets into Bullet Punch range for Metagross, which uses Arm Hammer to break through Archaludon and Umbreon. Primarina adds Psychic Noise and Calm Mind to dismantle defensive teams, with Rotom's Will-O-Wisp into Primarina setup being a key win condition the opponent rarely anticipates. Meowscarada with Scarf handles various Greninja variants; Garchomp leads and lays Stealth Rock; and Staraptor (base form) with Acrobatics and Bulk Up was a last-minute addition that drew in Ghost-types and won around 20-30 games on the final day alone. The team excelled against defensive teams and never lost to Mawile-based builds.Build article →

Player 'matsubokkuru' peaked at 2550 and finished M-1 singles at 2456 using a Mega Starmie + special-attacking Mega Lucario dual-Mega team alongside Dragon Dance Dragonite, Hippowdon, Focus Sash Samurott-H, and Scarf Archaludon. After weeks of testing Starmie in cycle builds, the author switched to offense and climbed rapidly. Starmie's selection pressure draws out Archaludon, Kingambit, and Meowscarada — all prime targets for special Lucario. Dragonite sets up Dragon Dance off the Pokémon that stop Lucario (Basculegion, Aegislash, Scarf Garchomp); Hippowdon handles Stealth Rock and Yawn setup. Samurott-H covers Charizard-type Fire slots and Kingambit, while Scarf Archaludon stops Basculegion and Gyarados. The biggest weaknesses are Gyarados sweeping unopposed if it gets a single Dragon Dance, and Primarina having no clean answer across the roster.Build article →

After trying several Megas the author liked the feel of Wrap Mega Victreebel best and made it the core. Mega Victreebel runs the Cud Chew-style ability with Leaf Storm, Wrap, Encore and Power Whip, but it can't dent steels or bind Ghosts, so the build adds the format's king Garchomp as Ground coverage and Hisui Samurott as the Dark answer that also stops Basculegion. That still got pushed around by Corviknight and U-turn Scizor, so Volcarona joined as a regular Fire mon with STAB into Garchomp, locking the core. In practice Mega Victreebel could only one-for-one Mega Dragonite and Charizard, Primarina was hard to handle cleanly, and Mega Lopunny was a bit awkward, so the back Mega was tuned and eventually landed on bulk-invested Mega Glimmora. Finally Scarf Alola Ninetales was added to cut Dragon coverage and pivot into Garchomp, Glimmora's natural predator, completing the team.Build article →

Player 'rito.' reached rank 879 in M-1 singles at rating 2456 with a dual-receiver offense-defense cycle built around the pattern of one attacker plus two receivers. The starting point was finding a physical wall that could actually hit Hippowdon back — Slowbro qualifies, and with Iron Defense + Body Press it converts stall situations into clean wins against physical attackers. Glimmora handles the special-receiver slot: its Toxic Debris auto-lays poison spikes, while Rapid Spin clears the opponent's hazards to protect the receivers. Mega Charizard X serves as the sole attacker, sweeping via Dragon Dance when the cycle creates an opening. Scarf Meowscarada is the designated sweeper for Delphox, Gengar, and Basculegion. Galarian Slowking patches the team's Mega Floette weakness with Calm Mind and sleep recovery. Samurott-H with Focus Sash provides hazard-laying and Sacred Sword ignores Stamina boosts on Archaludon. The team's strength is its flexible selection patterns; weaknesses include accuracy-reliant moves and Aegislash's Poltergeist.Build article →

The keyword for this team is pressure: every member intimidates the opponent into freezing up, so you push one threat through, which is why nearly 40% of games went non-Mega. The core is Archaludon plus Hippowdon. Archaludon (Roar, Stealth Rock, Mirror Coat, Draco Meteor) sets rocks, avoids being a setup target, and Mirror Coats special hits; the author flat-out calls it a god Pokemon, and with Protect Hippowdon it forms a fortress Stealth Rock cycle while Hippowdon also beats Choice Scarf Basculegion head-on. Mega Lopunny abuses No Guard Close Combat plus Substitute, Encore, and Swords Dance to steal games off Yawn users and walls like Corviknight. Sash Swords Dance Garchomp with Fire Fang specifically answers Mega Scizor. Mega Floette is the strongest Mega when unprepared for but rarely got brought, and Choice Scarf Basculegion hits hard but is hardest to push through. The author's worBuild article →

Built on a core of Mega Delphox, Archaludon, Primarina, and Mimikyu that proved strong last month, the author swapped in Mega Staraptor and Kingambit to counter Mega Gyarados and add Dark-type coverage against Ghost threats. Mega Delphox runs a defensive support set with Will-O-Wisp and Encore and was the most-selected member; Archaludon lays Stealth Rock and uses Roar; Primarina sets up with Calm Mind. Kingambit with Black Glasses can near-guarantee an OHKO on uninvested Raichu with Sucker Punch and cleans up Gholdengo threats. The author admits the two replacement slots are not yet fully optimized, and Aegislash remains a team-wide problem.Build article →

Last season the author ran a physically defensive Pelipper with Dragon Tail Hisuian Goodra, but Pelipper was always too slow against its targets and got weather-overwritten by Hippowdon and Mega Charizard Y. This time Pelipper is Choice Scarf so it outspeeds and pressures threats like Garchomp, Sneasler, Charizard, Dragonite, Mega Lopunny and Mega Gengar with Hurricane and rain-boosted water moves. Hisuian Goodra is the special wall lead, running mixed Heavy Slam, Draco Meteor, EQ and Dragon Tail to break fairies, hit Hippowdon, and phaze setup or Dragonite's Multiscale. Mega Lopunny (Adamant) complements female Basculegion's coverage and cleans with Swords Dance. Mega Meganium breaks Bellibolt-style stall walls, and Hisuian Samurott with Sash sets Spikes to chip stall cores. The author admits female Basculegion struggles this meta because Scarf Meowscarada outspeeds it and Mimikyu/Ceruledge Shadow Sneak revenge-kill it, and the team goes 0% versus hazard setup teams.Build article →

The team centers on Mega Clefable's Unaware ability to wall setup sweepers and Life Orb Mimikyu, with Magic Mirror post-Mega blocking Taunt and Encore. Sneasler leads to spread Toxic Spikes and recover opposing Toxic Spikes as a Poison type; Mega Blaziken pairs with Clefable as a secondary Mega for offensive Fire-Fairy coverage. Garchomp lays Stealth Rock, Gholdengo beats stall with Substitute plus Nasty Plot, and Choice Scarf Ditto handles Mega Gyarados and other boosters. The author notes Clefable's base stats are modest and it can be KO'd by two strong hits before accumulating enough Cosmic Power, making precise play essential.Build article →

Player 'Suzuki Kei' built an M-1 singles rain team around Mega Starmie, also reaching top 8 at the Thunder Strike #7 tournament with the same team. The central concept: if Starmie can take a hit, max-Speed Archaludon gets to act second while still threatening fast opponents, making Pelipper + Starmie + Archaludon the rain core. Starmie runs physical-attack-oriented moves in the rain for devastating output. Archaludon holds a Shuca Berry and max Speed/SpA to lure Gyarados — letting it set up Dragon Dance before OHKOing with Thunderbolt. Pelipper provides priority U-turn and Weather Ball damage. Sableye with Mega Stone handles Gengar and Umbreon via Will-O-Wisp stall; Kingambit counters Basculegion; Espathra with Calm Mind and Leftovers sweeps at the end. The author notes Starmie felt stronger than expected, but the final day saw so much Starmie-targeted counterplay that it became hard to use.Build article →

The team is built around Mega Delphox as the ace of a dual-screens setup. With a base Speed of 134 in the current meta and Light Clay Grimmsnarl setting up both screens, Mega Delphox becomes unstoppable after one Nasty Plot. Primarina with Focus Sash handles leads like Garchomp and Staraptor while Encore disrupts setups; Archaludon checks Mimikyu and various special threats with great type synergy alongside Delphox; Mega Gyarados serves as a backup sweeper whose Mold Breaker ignores Mimikyu's disguise; and Scarf Meowscarada was added last to deal with water-types. The author notes that Mega Delphox had excellent matchup spread, but Hydreigon and Kingambit were persistent problems, and the dual-Mega restriction made team preview decisions difficult.Build article →

Player 'zawa' finished M-1 singles at rank 898 and rating 2455 using a cycle team centered on Dragonite, Hippowdon, Glimmora, and Mega Lopunny. The motivation was that Lopunny covers exactly the Pokémon that Dragonite struggles with — Umbreon, Greninja, and Meowscarada — while Mach Punch provides reliable late-game priority. The team adopted the Dragonite/Hippowdon/Glimmora framework from another player and added Lopunny plus Aegislash and Scarf Meowscarada. Lopunny's key technique is setting up Swords Dance in non-Mega form to avoid accumulating weaknesses before committing; Mega Kick is the high-damage finisher. Glimmora acts as the special wall and sets up toxic spikes for attrition cycling. Aegislash specifically targets Archaludon. The author notes weaknesses against Mega Venusaur as a lead, Dragonite mirror matchups, and Scarf Meowscarada creating dangerous King's Shield timing decisions against Aegislash.Build article →

The author is a veteran of the Mega era who wanted to use their most comfortable Venusaur and a beloved Gyarados; they love cycle teams but got crushed by setup last season, so this time they went for a matchup-based, low-brainpower plan, referencing a respected player's 19th-place build from last season. Mega Venusaur is the core, built for physical bulk to wall Lopunny, Kangaskhan, and Garchomp, then forcing Sleep Powder on a favorable matchup and grabbing advantage during the unexpected sleep turns; the author just calls it strong. Volcarona is a Sword/Shield-era mon, a bulky build that outspeeds Lopunny after one Quiver Dance, able to sweep or set up for teammates and even beat Charizard Y. Mega Gyarados is brutal even used carelessly, dancing and smashing, often coming out as a double Mega with Venusaur. Aegislash is the reliable cycle veteran, filling holes against Floette, ArchaluBuild article →

The hyper-offense team is anchored by Life Orb Mimikyu, whose Disguise ability ignores Stealth Rock damage and allows it to function as a lead, mid-game breaker, or late-game cleaner. Mega Delphox runs Substitute to bait switches and create openings, tolerating Stealth Rock chip better than Charizard. Sash Meowscarada leads against screens and Gyarados teams, also Knock Off to disrupt opponent setups. Mega Lucario surprised opponents with Rock Slide and Bullet Punch and ended up the team's strongest individual performer. The author acknowledges fast Sneasler and Mega Metagross as persistent threats the team struggles against.Build article →