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This team is built to read the opponent's leads and steamroll with high-value one-on-one pieces. In build order came Mega Delphox to menace the new Megas, then Kingambit for the Mega Starmie and Basculegion that Delphox hates, plus the Focus Sash Swords Dance three-attack Garchomp used since M-1. With leads too weak to Primarina and mirror Garchomp being silly, HB Leftovers Gyarados went in, followed by Life Orb Mimikyu as a flex piece and finally Mega Floette. In practice they almost never lead a Mega, picking three non-Megas with Gyarados usually leading and Garchomp sometimes. Gyarados uses Thunder Wave for Speed control, paralyzing enemy Dragon Dance Gyarados on the switch then pivoting to Garchomp to handle Mega Gyarados reliably. Mimikyu swaps Shadow Sneak for Wood Hammer to crush Hippowdon, a boosted hit KOing over half the time. The author says leads read easily here, but Mega Fl

This is a singles team rebuilt off last season's shell, which the author nicknames Floette plus Garchomp plus Aegislash, finishing 105th. With new Megas out, Choice Scarf Hydreigon runs well and Life Orb Aegislash has such clean coverage that he realized Floette can still come in even against Metagross or Mawile, so he rebuilt around these three. Floette runs Lum Berry Calm Mind Swords Dance as the win condition; Life Orb fast Aegislash was the season's best pick, using Ruination plus Shadow Sneak to blow up even Metagross, then sweeping with Swords Dance Shadow Sneak. Charizard is a bulky Y variant with defense investment for stability, and Hippowdon lays Stealth Rock and Earthquakes to push targets into Aegislash's kill range. Garchomp swapped to Lum Berry this time, and Earthquake plus Rough Skin plus Life Orb Close Combat can take out even Leftovers Umbreon. His toughest matchups areBuild article →

This is a singles poison-cycle team built around the newly unlocked Mega Delphox with chip damage, finishing 107th. Following an earlier builder, the author started from a Glimmora plus Delphox plus Umbreon shell. Delphox is the core: putting the whole opposing team into a range it can one-shot is a main win path, with Fire Blast guaranteeing kills on Gholdengo alongside Protect and Encore to grind poison damage. Umbreon comes out almost every game, wearing foes down with Taunt, Wish, and Yawn, and the author says he closed more games with Umbreon than Delphox. The second Mega is Mega Venusaur, which handles the Mimikyu and Primarina those three struggle with and synergizes with chip damage. Meowscarada is purely there to set Toxic Spikes, and Garchomp lays Stealth Rock plus Spikes to sustain the cycle. His hardest matchups are Swords Dance Garchomp, Mega Glimmora, and Iron Defense MetagBuild article →

The author's whole idea is to win with the Pokemon he likes, starting from the Mega Mawile he wanted to try and the Mega Dragonite he'd never used, going for an offense-leaning, low-cycle singles team that finished 112th. He deliberately picked the female Basculegion against the grain, and it's the team's selling point: Adaptability gives it top-tier power, it wins many one-on-ones, cut down countless Garchomp and Delphox, and specifically handled Hippowdon. Mega Dragonite runs a Timid four-attack spread that can flinch first with Multiscale and break through for free, with Air Slash for Grass coverage. Mega Mawile is Adamant Huge Power with Thunder Punch, Play Rough, Sucker Punch, and Iron Head for steady damage. Mimikyu pairs with Mawile to flip Gyarados leads via Trick Room, and Choice Scarf Garchomp cleans up. Archaludon uses its Sturdy-adjacent Ability to stay a tough Stealth Rock cBuild article →

This team is built to read the opponent's leads and steamroll with high-value one-on-one pieces. In build order came Mega Delphox to menace the new Megas, then Kingambit for the Mega Starmie and Basculegion that Delphox hates, plus the Focus Sash Swords Dance three-attack Garchomp used since M-1. With leads too weak to Primarina and mirror Garchomp being silly, HB Leftovers Gyarados went in, followed by Life Orb Mimikyu as a flex piece and finally Mega Floette. In practice they almost never lead a Mega, picking three non-Megas with Gyarados usually leading and Garchomp sometimes. Gyarados uses Thunder Wave for Speed control, paralyzing enemy Dragon Dance Gyarados on the switch then pivoting to Garchomp to handle Mega Gyarados reliably. Mimikyu swaps Shadow Sneak for Wood Hammer to crush Hippowdon, a boosted hit KOing over half the time. The author says leads read easily here, but Mega Fl

Feeling the format was full of Metagross, the author started from the Mega slot that best beats it, Delphox, and built outward, with two accounts peaking at 2561 and finishing around 120th. Delphox runs Fire Blast, Psychic, Nasty Plot, and Substitute; Hippowdon is Leftovers Impish with Earthquake, Yawn, Slack Off, and Protect as the defensive-cycle pivot. Choice Scarf Meowscarada carries Trick Flower, Triple Axel, Thunder Punch, and U-turn, and gets thrown at almost any team with Gyarados. Empoleon runs Shuca Berry for water control plus Vacuum Wave, while Focus Sash Garchomp sets Stealth Rock plus Stone Edge and Lum Berry Kingambit Swords Dances to close. The usual lead is Garchomp or Empoleon plus Delphox and Kingambit, with Hippowdon only coming out when cycling looks better. His heaviest matchup is Mimikyu, which he only realized was a problem in the last hour, and Hisuian Samurott iBuild article →

The author is upfront that this was thrown together on the last day and isn't a real build, just a record; still, it climbed from around 4000th to a double-digit push. The plan targeted the Mega Delphox metagame: a Choice Scarf Garchomp that eats coverage moves, switches in a second time, and cleans up from above, paired with a Life Orb Basculegion for extra pressure. Floette plus a bulky U-turn Scizor gives a safe answer to Hydreigon and Metagross cores. Pyroar rounds it out to beat Mimikyu and Metagross while cracking slow pivot teams and Leftovers-Substitute squads. The author admits the individual pieces were strong but the assembly was rough, with many matchups either flat losses or lucky escapes.Build article →

The author's starting point is a partner Infernape plus Whimsicott setup-enabler core: they found Whimsicott's Leech Seed and Encore pair beautifully with Stealth Rock, since both force switches and rack up rock chip. A Yache Berry Infernape lays Stealth Rock and drops attack with Will-O-Wisp, and can Encore-lock opponents into the Water and Ground moves aimed at it so Whimsicott's Leech Seed stays safe. The two setup sweepers are Dragon Dance Mega Gyarados and Iron Defense Mega Metagross; Gyarados flips games with Intimidate and super-effective coverage, while Metagross walls and grinds down Meowscarada, Umbreon, Scizor and the Metagross mirror. The last two are Life Orb Swords Dance Mimikyu and Focus Sash Aegislash to handle lead Greninja and Ceruledge, while baiting foes into thinking Aegislash lacks a Sash. The author's noted weakness is having few answers to Hippowdon's Yawn, so MetBuild article →

The author admits the team's completion isn't high but each slot packs a specific counter, winning on individual power. The centerpiece is an HA Starmie running a Bulk Up set; once it stacks even one boost the payoff is huge, and the unexpected set creates favorable reads only the pilot sees, like Bulking up into an Aegislash King's Shield or straight into a physically defensive Gyarados. AS Lopunny is dedicated to beating Archaludon, Greninja, Hydreigon and Meowscarada. A bulky Sylveon uses Yawn loops for board control and is nearly impossible to OHKO. Archaludon is the check to Mimikyu, Metagross, Gyarados, Starmie and Mawile. A Nasty Plot Substitute Hydreigon counters Skeledirge, Hippowdon, Aegislash and Umbreon, dodging Yawn in front of Hippowdon while keeping its Sub. Garchomp fills the last slot to handle Scovillain, Venusaur, Victreebel and Samurott. The author says the three hardBuild article →

Feeling the format was full of Metagross, the author started from the Mega slot that best beats it, Delphox, and built outward, with two accounts peaking at 2561 and finishing around 120th. Delphox runs Fire Blast, Psychic, Nasty Plot, and Substitute; Hippowdon is Leftovers Impish with Earthquake, Yawn, Slack Off, and Protect as the defensive-cycle pivot. Choice Scarf Meowscarada carries Trick Flower, Triple Axel, Thunder Punch, and U-turn, and gets thrown at almost any team with Gyarados. Empoleon runs Shuca Berry for water control plus Vacuum Wave, while Focus Sash Garchomp sets Stealth Rock plus Stone Edge and Lum Berry Kingambit Swords Dances to close. The usual lead is Garchomp or Empoleon plus Delphox and Kingambit, with Hippowdon only coming out when cycling looks better. His heaviest matchup is Mimikyu, which he only realized was a problem in the last hour, and Hisuian Samurott iBuild article →

The author felt Mega Raichu Y played great among the new M-3 mons, loving how No Guard removes accuracy worries and Zap Cannon lets you push luck, so it became the core. Raichu is shockingly frail after Mega, so it got a Corviknight to absorb physical threats like Garchomp and Meowscarada, and a Snorlax cushion for special ones like Archaludon and Hydreigon. On offense, Garchomp handles matchup pressure and Stealth Rock, Starmie punishes bulky rock-setting Garchomp and is favored into Fire types, and Archaludon rounds it out as a heavy special breaker. Raichu runs Zap Cannon, Focus Blast, Grass Knot for Hippowdon, and Substitute, while Corviknight sweeps late off Bulk Up. The author was thrilled to reach final Champion tier for the first time, though bulky Iron Defense Metagross kept feeding on the team down the stretch.Build article →

Seeing Mega Scolipede's stats in ZA, the author was sure that with Speed Boost it would be strong no matter its ability, and started the team from it. Shell Armor pairs perfectly with screens, and with Light Clay unbanned this season, Aurora Veil Alolan Ninetales plus Scolipede became the core. Screen teams like to grab numbers and info advantage in one-on-ones before setting screens, so easy leads Mimikyu and Ceruledge got the nod. Scolipede snowballs off Speed Boost, Swords Dance, and Drain Punch recovery, while Focus Sash all-out Ceruledge is the best Sash mon in MB. Life Orb Mimikyu carries Curse and Trick Room, Mega Blastoise handles Metagross, Corviknight and Fire types, and Mega Scovillain specifically fights the Metagross-plus-Primarina-plus-Hippowdon combo. Maushold was the offline-event slot for breaking Umbreon-plus-Hippowdon stall, and it won the offline event. The author sayBuild article →

Returning since USUM, the author's idea was to stack high-BST mons and then tune moves and EVs to the meta so there's a win path against anything. The Mega slot is 700-BST Mega Dragonite to answer M-3's strong new Fighters (Blaziken, Staraptor, Annihilape) and combos like Hydreigon-plus-Metagross, backed by Mega Starmie for absurd damage off Huge Power. A Will-O-Wisp Quiver Dance Volcarona, near-max in Defense, works into both physical and special and was the team MVP, racking up 3HKOs. A Choice Scarf Jolly max-Speed Garchomp serves as stopper and sweeper. A Substitute plus Sheer Cold Vanilluxe specifically breaks stall cores. The last slot is Aegislash aimed at Staraptor and Floette, later switched to Life Orb physical but rarely brought. Dragonite must lead or Stealth Rock kills Multiscale. The author says special-leaning Archaludon stayed a problem all season, and lead Glimmora and GrBuild article →

The author built around Mega Mawile, a favorite that hadn't seen play in seven years. The core is Mega Mawile plus Hydreigon and Gholdengo, three mons whose typings complement each other while covering cycling, wallbreaking, and one-on-one matchups. Scarf Hydreigon does damage and pivots, while a bulky Nasty Plot Gholdengo shreds walls like Venusaur and Corviknight. Hippowdon is the physical cushion versus Blaziken, and Mega Staraptor is a selection lure, stomping mid-speed threats like Garchomp and Archaludon with Close Combat while baiting out Mimikyu and Aegislash so Mawile can sweep. The last slot is a Focus Sash Meowscarada laying Toxic Spikes to raise Staraptor's cleaning power. The author admits Fairy types like Sylveon and Primarina are the weak spot, but reached Champion rank by minimizing coinflips and applying selection pressure.Build article →

The author runs a pure matchup-based team: lead with a Mega to grab a numbers advantage, then close with two mons that dominate one-on-one. The trio of Mimikyu, Kingambit, and Basculegion could handle almost any matchup by picking two, so he stacked three Megas to widen coverage. The three Megas are Blaziken, Mega Blastoise, and Mega Victreebel, mix-and-match as long as the coverage is there; Mega Victreebel had the highest usage, guaranteeing at least one trade with Grassy Glide and trading blows with Archaludon. Kingambit is the team's strongest piece, running Focus Sash with Kowtow Cleave, Guillotine, and Metal Burst, oppressive whenever it drops in; Basculegion sweeps after Kingambit clears out Dark and Ghost types. The author says Corviknight and Slack Off Hippowdon are the toughest, but the team is highly patterned and stable, netting his best-ever result.Build article →

The whole team is built around Mega Dragonite, a partner the author has raised since the RS era. The core is Mega Dragonite plus Gholdengo, complementing each other: Gholdengo covers the Fairy and Ice types Dragonite fears, while Dragonite handles the Ground and Fire Gholdengo dislikes. Dragonite's twist is Dragon Pulse over Draco Meteor: no Special Attack drop lets it spam attacks, and paired with Roost its longevity is huge, grinding down opposing lead Charizard or Hippowdon. Hisuian Samurott lays spikes while attacking with Ceaseless Edge and packs Encore, beating Basculegion, Mega Metagross, and stall teams. After tweaks, Focus Sash Mamoswine became the Ground lead, pressuring Garchomp, Glimmora, and Archaludon, and bulky Mega Scizor walls Mega Metagross while pairing with Dragonite. The author says rain teams and Archaludon setting up first are the hardest matchups.Build article →

The author built from Mega Gyarados, which can sweep almost anything given the right setup. Gyarados runs Dragon Dance to flip good/bad matchups and steal games with flinches; the key trick is holding the Mega Evolution as long as possible, using the typing change to keep forcing the opponent into guesses. For support, Volcarona covers the Grass, Fairy, Corviknight, and Umbreon that Gyarados fears, while Mimikyu handles Garchomp and Primarina. Two leads: Focus Sash Serperior was the season MVP, spamming Contrary Leaf Storm to crush Stealth Rock plus screens setups and Glimmora while pressuring Espathra and Vivillon; Garchomp sets Stealth Rock anonymously and uses Dragon Tail to bait setup mons. The final slot became Mega Raichu Y, forcing the opponent to keep a non-Mega and discouraging Primarina and Staraptor. The author says Meowscarada and Mamoswine heavily pressure the leads, and onlBuild article →