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The team is built around a Stealth Rock + Spikes Garchomp, which the author likens to the dominant threats of previous metas—able to pressure through Rough Skin chip damage and set entry hazards while still winning direct matchups. Mega Scizor covers Garchomp's weaknesses (Ice/Fairy/Dragon), provides Roost recovery, and its priority-plus-setup combination locks a wide range of opponents. Umbreon rounds out the core by using Wish to heal Garchomp and other members, and Yawn to force turn-1 setups for Scizor. Substitute Aegislash was added to exploit physical walls like Corviknight; Scarf Meowscarada handles fast threats such as opposing Garchomp and Primarina; and Mega Glimmora rounds out the six by targeting Volcarona and Charizard. The author notes that managing Garchomp's HP efficiently is the hardest part of piloting this team, and the Garchomp + Hippowdon combination is a clear weakness.Build article →

This is a pure one-way setup team with zero switching, built to sweep with boosts. The concept is safe setup via Encore plus a relay of setup sweepers: Whimsicott uses priority Taunt to block Stealth Rock, then Encore or Memento to open a window. The main sweeper is Dragon Dance Mega Gyarados, which pressures Hydreigon, rain, and Greninja teams after a single boost, with Dragon Dance Mega Charizard X added for grass matchups; running both makes opponents misread it as Charizard Y. Backup sweepers are Leftovers Vivillon to close and Belly Drum Azumarill to eat priority, plus Electric Ball Annihilape for Gholdengo and Stealth Rock. He says the main aces are so strong Vivillon often survives as the last mon to snowball endlessly; weak points are fast Mega Raichu Y and Focus Sash Meowscarada, and Azumarill overlapping typing with Gyarados.Build article →

The author's team-building rules are: no half-baked walls, win with raw power, end games early, and avoid shaky-accuracy moves for consistency. The first lock was Choice Specs Hisui Samurott, whose Ceaseless Edge spike-stacking plus Sacred Sword punches through most things, backed by Sucker Punch and Swords Dance for ongoing pressure. Mega Glimmora leads to apply pressure with Needle Guard reserved specifically for breaking Mega Lopunny, while Sash Whimsicott uses Prankster Tailwind to give the slow team speed and Encore to shut down setup. Mega Starmie is the Huge Power physical attacker, Corviknight tanks physical hits and does pivot control, and Bellibolt brings high special bulk plus Volt Switch and a Ground immunity to patch the team's Ground weakness. The whole premise is power plus reproducibility, dragging games into a favorable spot through play rather than luck.Build article →

The author started from a standard stall skeleton of Tyranitar, Corviknight, and Toxapex, then kept Mega Meganium after discovering its surprisingly high power level—it can handle Lucario directly, threaten Starmie with a weather-boosted attack, and still restore large amounts of HP via Synthesis even under sand. Excadrill (Sleep Berry) was added to deal with Florges and Archaludon, using sand speed combined with Rapid Spin and Dig to bypass Toxic Spikes. Toxapex (no item) runs Black Mist to neutralize setup sweepers like Swords Dance Aegislash and Calm Mind Florges or Clefable. The team's strengths are Tyranitar's dominance over Dragonite and Meganium's ability to recover freely under sand; the main weaknesses are sand teams built around Hippowdon and Pelipper, plus Mega Gengar as the persistent stall nemesis.Build article →

The author hit Champion rank for the first time with a team built around two physical Megas, Mega Metagross and Mega Blaziken. Hippowdon runs a physical-wall spread, tanking physical hits and cycling with Substitute and Yawn, with extra Speed and Substitute tuned against Bellibolt. Choice Scarf Hydreigon sets Stealth Rock, huge against teams with Delphox or Charizard. Sitrus Berry Primarina is praised as bulky and hard-hitting, speed-crept to win the mirror. Vanilluxe is the surprise pick, using Snow plus a monster Blizzard and Taunt to beat Toxapex and Umbreon. Mega Metagross carries Grass Knot to punish Hippowdon, and Mega Blaziken copies a known bulky spread to survive enemy Blaziken's Close Combat. He notes the team struggles with Mega Charizard, Mega Delphox, Mega Staraptor, Basculegion, and Bellibolt, and loses outright to Quaquaval baton teams.Build article →

Stuck around 1900 to 2100 mid-season, the author went looking for something that felt good and settled on Mega Lopunny for the reliability of its moves. Female Basculegion came second as a switch-in to the Hippowdon and Skeledirge that Lopunny cannot chew through, and it also pressures the back line; Life Orb Mimikyu came third to cut Dragon coverage while Disguise guarantees a turn. Focus Sash Espathra was added for Glimmora and Clefable, Vivillon uses Sleep Powder to grind down annoying walls like Umbreon and Sylveon, and Mega Abomasnow went in half as a joke but the snow Defense boost let it eat Close Combat from Mega Lopunny and Staraptor and beat Gyarados and Mimikyu reliably, so it stayed to the last day. The author says male Basculegion is the worst matchup since only Mimikyu and Abomasnow beat it head-on, with both Charizard formes, Hisuian Samurott and Blaziken also difficult.Build article →

This is a Dragon monotype, based on someone's M-2 build using a lead Mega Dragonite plus Iron Defense Hisuian Goodra. The plan is to cycle with ground/fighting-blocking Mega Dragonite and physically bulky Archaludon, then break through with Choice Scarf Garchomp or the fortress Hisuian Goodra. The control core is Careful Hisuian Goodra, whose Shell Armor blocks crits so it can safely stall PP and flip games with Iron Defense plus Rest; the author says whether it can close out directly decides the match, especially against the late-meta surge of Hippowdon. Archaludon is invested heavily into physical defense to wall Meowscarada and Mimikyu, and carries Dark Pulse for Aegislash and Gholdengo. Life Orb Dragapult is the fast attacker, and Hydreigon breaks stall teams. He admits the biggest weakness is Hippowdon's Stealth Rock and Yawn setup, plus trouble handling Mega Floette, Aegislash, GhoBuild article →

The author built around his favorite pairing, Lucario and Mega Charizard X, after seeing a Lucario-Charizard-Hippowdon-Mimikyu themed tournament. The core is a Choice Scarf Greninja that leads with U-turn to scout the opposing Garchomp, Hydreigon or Archaludon and open a favorable path. The real sweeper is a special Nasty Plot Lucario with Focus Blast and Vacuum Wave, using Hippowdon's Stealth Rock and Yawn as setup fodder. Hippowdon runs a mixed bulk spread as the team's cushion, and when Lucario can't break Aegislash, Gholdengo or Skeledirge, he brings Swords Dance Tough Claws Mega Charizard X instead. Mimikyu and Water Rotom round it out as a filler and a Mega Starmie cushion. He says Greninja is the MVP but is forced onto Sludge Bomb to KO the Primarina that keeps showing up, and warns to be careful of a lead Scarf Meowscarada.Build article →