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The author began by identifying Corviknight as the most troublesome non-Mega threat in the environment, and chose a bulky Mega Dragonite with Roost as the starting point—something that pressures Corviknight while maintaining broad coverage. Sash Sneasler handles the Fairy threats that Dragonite struggles against, like Florges and Kangaskhan. Scarf Meowscarada deals with Dragonite mirrors and fast Garchomp. A Berry Corviknight handles the physical layer via Iron Defense plus Body Press. A Stealth Rock/Spikes Garchomp deals with cycle-oriented teams. Mega Glimmora fills the last slot specifically for Volcarona and stall builds. The author notes Glimmora ended up being used more often than Dragonite, as its Corrosion plus Mega power simultaneously solved two chronic problems: the team stalling to a draw against stall teams, and lacking ways to break through bulky late-game Pokémon. The main weakness is that draws against stall still happen, and the team struggles after Dragonite's Multiscale is broken.Build article →

The team is built around the author's favorite Pokémon Bellibolt with Leftovers, which cushions special attackers like Mega Dragonite and Mega Delphox and uses Volt Switch to bring in attackers safely with Slow-Speed Priority. Mega Starmie runs Adamant with its Huge Power ability doubling its Attack, creating a cycle of Quick Turn, re-entry via Volt Switch, and finishes with Aqua Jet. Mega Scovillain uses its Capsaicin Burst ability to inflict burns on physical attackers upon entry—switching in as Mega first and then using Protect on turn one enables this safely. Itemless Toxapex with Black Mist stops setup from Aegislash, Ceruledge, Florges, and Clefable. Lum Berry Swords Dance Garchomp serves as a specialist against Umbreon+Mega Gengar+Corviknight cores, capable of KOing Iron Defense Corviknight after two boosts with Fire Fang. The team's weakness is Mega Gengar, corrosive Glimmora, Iron Defense Gyarados, and Dragapult, which remain consistently problematic.Build article →

Runfon built a non-Mega sand team around Excadrill, using Hippowdon as the sand setter over Tyranitar due to the latter's weakness to Gliscor and Garchomp in the current meta. Mega Gyarados (Dragon Dance + wide coverage) and Mega Meganium (fire coverage to burn Steel-types, resists Water and Ground) serve as Mega aces for matchups where Excadrill cannot run. Aegislash fills in against Fairy-types and stall cycles; Sneasler provides speed control against fast Mega evolutions and Scarf Pokémon. Basic selection is Hippowdon + Excadrill + one Mega ace. Against matchups unfavorable for Excadrill, the team shifts to Mega ace + Hippowdon/Aegislash/Sneasler. Weaknesses: Fire-types overall (especially Charizard), Gyarados getting set up on, and Encore Primarina disrupting Aegislash's King's Shield and Gyarados's Dragon Dance. The author regrets never finding a good Scarf slot against Charizard.Build article →

Banatarou discovered a publicly shared team featuring Archaludon, Basculegion, and Lopunny three days before the season ended, found it climbed ratings fast, and decided to run it for the final stretch. The three core Pokémon essentially win on their own; the supporting slots mainly address Iron Defense Corviknight. Mega Garchomp with Flamethrower handles Corviknight and stall cycles, while Talonflame provides Stealth Rock setup for Dragon Dance sweeps. Archaludon leads most games at max Speed/SpAtk investment; the author regards it as the strongest individual Pokémon of the season. Glimmora's hazard combination pairs naturally with Talonflame. Basculegion was selected nearly every game and bluffed Scarf to force opponent misplays; Lopunny with Fake Out and Giga Impact was the late-game cleaner. Core selection: Archaludon or Glimmora lead + Basculegion + one Mega ace. Strengths: no team-building decisions needed mid-game, matches end quickly, zero time-out draws.Build article →

With Light Clay unbanned the author wanted a screens plus Baton Pass team, and picked Sableye over Grimmsnarl and Alolan Ninetales as the setter because its typing blanks both Psychic Fangs and Brick Break, it has Encore to shut down setup, and Fairy is its only weakness. Scolipede got the passing slot as the only Speed Boost passer that also learns Iron Defense, absorbs Toxic Spikes and has good resistances. The plan is Sableye screens, Scolipede stacks Iron Defense and Speed Boost behind a Substitute and passes, then any of the four receivers sweeps — Clefable is the real ace, since Magic Guard blanks Curse, Stealth Rock, Toxic Spikes and Leech Seed, while Mega Garchomp's Swords Dance Earthquake usually kills physically defensive Hippowdon and Corviknight can't switch in either. His blacklist is Perish Song Gengar and Primarina, Haze Milotic and Toxapex, and Roar or Whirlwind HippowdonBuild article →

The author adapted last season's #28 Mega Charizard X team, building around the loop "Stealth Rock → Yawn pivot → Dragon Dance Char X sweep." Sturdy Archaludon almost always leads to guarantee rocks, with Rock Tomb plus White Herb so it can flip a speed war against Glimmora. Hippowdon, the self-proclaimed MVP, walls physical attackers and yawns under Leftovers + Slack Off + Protect. Char X keeps the original spread, relying on chip from rocks and sand to sweep after one DD, with Roost handling Aegislash and priority. Scarf Mimikyu cleans, scouts Hisuian Samurott, and uses Trick or Curse to dismantle setup. Snorlax covers Ghost spam and patches the Primarina/Delphox matchup while still passing Yawn, and Mega Froslass is the secondary mega versus Hippo, Primarina, Gyarados and Archaludon cores. Weak points: Basculegion without Mimikyu, defensive Archaludon, Energy Ball Mega Glimmora, Aegislash, and SD Lucario.Build article →

The author has run a Mega Charizard X plus Primarina core for several seasons purely because he loves Charizard X, and kept it going here, copying an M-3 top-cut article that fit Garchomp and Archaludon around the same axis, then adding Meowscarada for Basculegion and Gyarados and Lucario for Clefable, Umbreon and Sylveon. His standard three are Garchomp, Primarina and Charizard, with the Charizard slot often becoming Archaludon instead; the highlight of his season was one-shotting a Sitrus Berry Garchomp that stayed in expecting the Y set. Primarina is deliberately built minimum Speed so it moves after Aegislash, and Misty Terrain is there so he can switch it into Hippowdon with confidence. His problem matchups are Focus Sash and max-Speed Choice Scarf Garchomp, which stop Charizard even after a Dragon Dance, plus screens and Baton Pass teams and Trick Room Basculegion, and he admits thBuild article →

The author decided that in a format with no broken standout, stacking raw base stats beats trying to metagame it, so he anchored on Mega Dragonite, a 700-total mon with the format's top numbers. Aegislash, with matching typing and great stats, locked in almost immediately. Since both are soft to wide-coverage attackers like Mega Lopunny, Mimikyu and mixed Garchomp, he added Hippowdon as a stat wall running Stealth Rock and Yawn for pivot rotations. To fix the low Speed and add a setup-stopper, a Choice Scarf Meowscarada applies pressure from the top with fast STAB and U-turn. A bulky Hisuian Samurott, tanky enough to switch in and spread spikes plus lock things with priority, synergizes well with the other four rotators. The team's big weakness is setup like Mega Clefable, so he finished with a Toxic Mega Glimmora that, paired with Mega Dragonite, fakes a Focus Sash set while breaking stBuild article →

Yosshi's build centers on Mega Pinsir as the unquestioned ace, backed by Gengar, Primarina, Archaludon, Kingambit, and Scarf Garchomp. Mega Pinsir sits at a tricky base-105 Speed tier that catches opponents off guard; Outrage enables fast wallbreaking; Rototiller is a niche pick that crushes Iron Defense Corviknight. Lacking Earthquake makes Aegislash problematic. Moxie was chosen over Intimidate because few Pokémon on the ladder carry Intimidate. Gengar's wide coverage makes it a flexible lead, with Focus Blast described as a necessary gamble. Primarina sets up Substitute to reach Torrent range against opposing Water Mega evolutions. Archaludon's default move against special attackers is Mirror Coat; Kingambit handles Umbreon-centered stall. Garchomp provides safe back-line coverage against Charizard. The author looks forward to Swampert's eventual addition to complete the classic Rain-Pinsir combination. Strengths: unusual Speed tier and unpredictable moves; weaknesses: Aegislash and stall counters.Build article →

Hayato's team is built around Umbreon as the most-selected Pokémon, with Mega Gengar and Focus Sash Garchomp present every game. Umbreon cycles with Wish + Protect + Yawn and synergizes with Gengar's Will-O-Wisp for chip damage. Mega Gengar uses Will-O-Wisp + Grudge + Shadow Ball + Focus Blast; Shadow Trapping is used to catch opposing Fairy-types for end-game attrition. Garchomp switched from Scarf to Sash midseason because Archaludon was too dangerous; Sash Garchomp excels at lead disruption with Stealth Rock. Mega Delphox came out heavily against Scizor, running Nasty Plot + Substitute for easy wins. Corviknight was adjusted from Brave Bird to Iron Head due to problems with Mimikyu, Glimmora, and Florges. Primarina ran every game with Sitrus Berry, using Misty Terrain to block Yawn loops and Perish Song to handle stall. Weaknesses after dropping Scarf Garchomp: Mega Lopunny, Basculegion, and Volcarona all became painful to deal with.Build article →

The author returned to competitive play after roughly three years and reached a peak of 2558 / final 2504 in singles Season M-1 using a hyper-offense face-to-face team. He opens by explaining why offense-forward play is harder in this game: no Choice Band/Specs/Life Orb means raw power is capped, accuracy-dependent moves cause more luck-based losses, and defensive walls are harder to break. His solution was inspired by his own old record: Mega Dragonite leads and scores at least one KO with Multiscale and Draco Meteor; Curse Mimikyu pivots in to counter setup and reverse bad situations; Sash Kingambit closes out with the surprise Metal Burst plus Guillotine package that punishes players who try to stall. Snorlax covers Florges and Lucario matchups, Archaludon handles defensive cores, and Mega Delphox was added last for the Lucario/Scizor/Mega Florges problem. He identifies Mega Florges and Hippowdon as the hardest matchups.Build article →

The author borrowed the Garchomp + Florges + Basculegion core from another player's stream, swapping the fire slot for Skeledirge, and finished 609th in singles Season M-1. The core works by having Garchomp lay Stealth Rock and Spikes to bring Florges or Basculegion into KO range; when opponents send out Aegislash or Ceruledge to answer Florges, Garchomp absorbs those hits; and scarf Basculegion-M cleans up with the powerful Ghost move. Florges was built physically bulky to stay healthy as a frontline threat, though the author reflects that extra Speed to outrun faster Archaludon would have been better. Kingambit mostly served as a deterrent on the teamsheet and rarely needed to battle. Gengar was the hardest to handle given uncertainty over Mega vs. Sash forms and Freeze-Dry, and fast Archaludon was another unresolved issue.Build article →

The author finished 610th at 2220. The build started from Archaludon being too strong to skip, paired with a Taunt/Will-O-Wisp/Encore Mega Delphox as the setup lead; since that pair lacked breaking power, a Calm Mind Primarina was added to close games. The remaining holes, stopping Basculegion/Blastoise/Gyarados, handling Mega Charizard X, breaking stall, and dealing with Floette, were covered by Scarf Meowscarada, Garchomp, and Scizor respectively. Mega Delphox leads often, chipping with burns and Magic Fire so teammates move freely while also trading head-on; it's strong at setup, slugfests and cleaning. Archaludon sets Stealth Rock and gets a hit in, is absurdly bulky, has great typing synergy with Delphox for safe entry, and carries Roar to avoid being a setup fodder. Primarina tanks and stacks Calm Minds, flipping would-be setup bait. Garchomp beats stall but fears Yawn and poison-sBuild article →

The author started from Lopunny's Guts + Mega Kick combo and Mirror Coat Archaludon, reaching peak 2554 / final 2503 in singles Season M-1. Lopunny's job is to nuke things with Guts-boosted Mega Kick and Close Combat; Mimikyu in the back ensures Lopunny can fire safely; Archaludon's Mirror Coat punishes Dragonite and reflected attacks from various specials. Pelipper was brought in to check Hippowdon rather than to run a dedicated rain team, with a Lum Berry set proving more practical as a solo pivot. Basculegion-M backs up the rain option but rarely found good matchups. The author assesses the rain lines as barely playable given how many common threats (Archaludon, Meowscarada) shut them down, and singled out Mega Gengar and Glimmora as consistent problems.Build article →

After trying Dragonite plus Aegislash and Metagross plus Hydreigon cores without much success, the author noticed Metagross and Hippowdon rising and simply brought back a team from an earlier season to grind out reps with it. Mega Scizor is the axis, strong against the common Steel and Fairy types and Meowscarada; its coverage slot is Knock Off, which hits Metagross, Aegislash and Basculegion while stripping items, and Roost is there so it can pivot repeatedly against Floette. Garchomp runs Sitrus with Stealth Rock and Dragon Tail specifically to refuse Baton Pass setups from Blaziken and Scolipede and Shell Smash Blastoise. Wash Rotom is the wallbreaker with Nasty Plot and Rest, turning Hippowdon and Umbreon's Yawn and Toxapex's Toxic into free setup. Mega Floette is the second Mega, exploiting how many teams leave all their Fairy checking to a single Steel, and Volcarona clears Steels Build article →