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The author wanted a high-stat standard team he could grind mastery on, built around moves that lock the opponent down for natural upside. The core is a Jolly Mega Metagross that is tough, fast, and hits hard: Bullet Punch for priority, Thunder Punch for waters, and Ice Punch or Psychic Fangs sharing the last slot. Choice Scarf Hydreigon outspeeds and deletes Mega threats, running Fire Blast to punish the Mawile and Primarina that often drop their bulk. Hippowdon is the do-everything physical wall and lead, backup Calm Mind Primarina breaks walls, and Mega Delphox wins the fire mirror. Life Orb Mimikyu is the stopper for Staraptor and Blaziken. He admits Hydreigon is weak and mostly just clicks U-turn, and Delphox became droppable late.Build article →

Hotategai's team is built around a type-synergy-focused offense that can flexibly switch between straight face-to-face and a short cycle. The base is Garchomp + Florges + Basculegion. Mega Charizard Y was added for Steel-type wallbreaking under Sun; Scarf Meowscarada was added to check Dragon Dance Gyarados and Scarf Garchomp, and Basculegion switched from Scarf to Sea Incense, which proved even more threatening. Roles: Garchomp is the sturdy physical lead with hazard duties; Mega Florges runs Moonblast with Ruination as a better choice against Archaludon; Charizard Y is tuned to survive Basculegion's Wave Crash and Mega Starmie's Aqua Break; Corviknight manages Garchomp and Primarina endgames with Bulk Up + U-turn + Roost; Sea Incense Basculegion uses Quick Attack + Wave Crash to prevent safe switch-ins; Meowscarada with Scarf and Play Rough proved excellent for the final two days. Weaknesses: Mega Lopunny, all Archaludon variants, and Mimikyu.Build article →

作者的出发点就是"想把Mega快龙用强"，围绕它搭起这套毒菱展开队。Mega快龙走特殊准速配置（羽栖+流星群+空气斩+十万伏特），速度线卡在超越准速谜拟丘和铝钢桥龙、晶光花上，靠多重鳞片和羽栖赚残伤，把对手压进斩杀线。首发几乎固定魔幻假面喵，用气势披带撑住一回，靠毒菱铺场再用绝招花或拍落制造节奏，是全队的开关。Mega火焰鸡拿来补打击面并靠加速兜住速度线，烈咬陆鲨吃缄默果+替身+剑舞专抓河马兽/超坏星做逆起点。最终日临时换上的物特耐西狮海壬（冥想+睡觉+朗德之果）救了队，专门解决河马兽、仙子伊布、月亮伊布、铝钢桥龙这些原本很烦的对手；坚盾剑怪替下仆刀将军后能稳接Mega花叶蒂，配合国王盾牌吃毒伤，胜率暴涨。作者自评短板是暴鲤龙、皮可西、Mega快龙镜像、袋兽都很吃紧，快龙没有隐形岩和三重轴、火焰鸡没带剑舞导致对受队破盘手段偏弱。Build article →

Inaf designed the team around combining face-to-face offense with sweep-recovery mechanics. The core trio is Garchomp with Sitrus Berry (Stealth Rock + Dragon Tail + Rock Tomb + Earthquake; Speed tuned to outrun Archaludon), Mega Scizor (Swords Dance + Bullet Punch + Knock Off + Roost; defense spread calculated to avoid Archaludon's Earthquake changing damage rolls), and Mimikyu (Lum Berry + Swords Dance as a versatile face-off/setup Pokémon). Mega Charizard Y is the second Mega ace, used mainly to bait Stealth Rock and apply early pressure. Meowscarada (Focus Sash) has wide type coverage as a lead, set up Dragon Dance lures and OHKOs. Primarina (Leftovers + Calm Mind) was added last to reliably beat Skeledirge and provide passive recovery through Drain Kiss. Strengths: simple select patterns, not prone to suddenly falling apart. Weaknesses: no reliable way to beat Mega Kangaskhan in a straight fight, Mega Starmie is a big threat, paralysis and freeze chip erode win rates, Archaludon's Mirror Coat disrupts momentum.Build article →

The author built around a white-herb Archaludon sweeper he found effective mid-season, pairing it with Vivillon after seeing buzz on Twitter. Rock Slide Mega Lucario was added to set up Vivillon by handling Dragon Dance Gyarados and faster threats. When that core struggled against faster megas like Delphox, Gyarados was added as an alternate win condition alongside Mimikyu. Sylveon filled the last slot to handle Sash Garchomp and Lopunny, though it rarely delivered. After stalling near 2400, the author replaced Mega Lucario with Scarf Lucario for surprise speed and finished at 2502 (635th). Weaknesses included no answer to Taunts or Skeledirge, and Vivillon's limited reliability late-season.Build article →

The author started with Mega Delphox, judging that its unusual mega form would catch opponents off-guard in a meta full of Florges. Garchomp with Stealth Rock, Spikes, and Dragon Tail was added to wear down HB Umbreon in two hits alongside Fire Blast. Mega Florges came next to dominate the preview screen and telegraph opponent team selection. Scarf Archaludon filled several roles at once (sweeper, anti-Basculegion, steel coverage), while Mystic Water Basculegion handled water-cycle teams. Lastly, Defiant Kingambit addressed Baton Pass and Stealth-Rock-Aegislash teams. Final result: 2502, 636th. Strengths were the unexpected Scarf Archaludon; main weaknesses were Aegislash, opposing Delphox, and Kingambit's low reliability.Build article →

The author has used Umbreon as his partner pokemon for years; with Umbreon drawing heavy counter-play this season, he paired it with Mega Gengar to fully exploit the curse-mark plus Hex offensive core. Garchomp was added for Stealth Rock and general utility. To handle Mega Lopunny, Mega Delphox, and Mega Lucario that suppress Umbreon, Slowking was eventually chosen for its ability to counter all three and its synergy with Gengar's catch. Mega Florges served as a secondary win condition when Gengar couldn't break through. Corviknight removed the Ground-type vulnerability that threatened Garchomp and blocked incoming Ice attacks. Flexibly choosing which of Gengar, Florges, or Corviknight to push through each game was the key strategic thought. Final: 2502 (peak 2587), one win short of Champion tier. Primary weakness was Scarf-wielding pokemon consistently breaking through.Build article →

The author finished 637th. He had climbed to 2200 on a Mega Lopunny core but stalled out against too many Primarina and rough Lopunny mirrors, so he rebuilt by swapping the Mega slot to Mega Pinsir. The new theme is speed plus Swords Dance: Mega Lopunny brings a STAB Mach Punch priority hit, while the late-added Pinsir, after a Swords Dance, hits scary hard with Quick Attack and uses Stomping Tantrum to break Bulk Up Corviknight. Both turn poison and burn into setup fuel, and Facade also pressures stall. Scarf Garchomp saw little play but delivered when used. Corviknight runs Taunt, Bulk Up and Leftovers, letting others chip first so it sweeps. The Focus Sash Basculegion reuses last season's reliable set. Archaludon went Timid this time, still setting Stealth Rock and getting one hit in. Standard selection is Archaludon plus a Mega plus Basculegion, with Corviknight and Garchomp as needeBuild article →

The author plays a matchup-first, pick-what-stings style, and the finished core is Kingambit with Mega Gyarados and Delphox. The Delphox borrows a fast Agility spread that balances bulk, power, and enough speed to outrun Adamant Garchomp, countering Hydreigon/Metagross, Mawile, Kingambit, and Archaludon. Kingambit is the team MVP: a Swords Dance sweep three-for-oned constantly, and a +2 Sucker Punch even sniped a Sneasler on the last day. Sash Glimmora leads as a shield, chipping Archaludon early and setting Spikes to pair with Kingambit's Sucker Punch. Life Orb Mimikyu swapped to Wood Hammer to feed on the Hippowdon and Primarina that trouble Delphox. Rum Berry Garchomp is a stable lead answering Hippowdon, Venusaur, and Umbreon, while Mega Gyarados cleans up opposing Mega Gyarados that lack Focus Blast.Build article →