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Author Chandy finished fourth in the M-1 doubles ladder (rating 2672) and also went 19-1 in the Global Challenge to qualify for PJCS. The team was built around the observation that most common generalist slots are physical attackers, so a Pokemon that walls the physical game broadly would win many matchups. Early Archaludon tests failed against Mega Floette supported by rage powder; a Mega Floette plus Volcarona core got swept by Mega Scovillain. That loss revealed Mega Scovillain as the ideal anti-physical pivot, and Sylveon replaced Floette as the Fairy-type damage dealer — Scovillain's burn ability makes Sylveon remarkably hard for physical attackers to remove. Aerodactyl became the second Mega for fire-type matchups, using Rock Slide to pressure while Sylveon fires Hyper Voice. When Whimsicott-Charizard compositions surged, Sneasler was replaced by Garchomp, sharply raising the team's overall polish. The author considers the team still improvable but is satisfied with results across both official and ranked play.Build article →

A doubles team that reached 11th place, built around Mega Florges with a Tailwind strategy. The team was designed around two key principles: Mega Evolution is the strongest damage source given restricted items, and Aerodactyl's Rock Slide needs a counter through Tailwind or priority. Whimsicott leads with priority Tailwind plus Encore to disrupt Aerodactyl. Mega Florges sweeps from the back once a front mon falls, leveraging Magical Shine and Doomsday Light at speed advantage. Basculegion serves as the main sweeper, mopping up after Florges softens the field. Mega Charizard Y counters steel and poison matchups. Glimmora and Whimsicott form the standard lead, with Toxic Spikes enabling back-half cleanup. Garchomp covers Trick Room and Mega Gengar Perish Song comps with Dragon Tail. The author credits early identification of the Glimmora plus Whimsicott pairing as the season's key insight, though finals qualification slipped away.Build article →

This doubles team is built around Mega Scovillain, whose ability and Overheat proved stronger than expected from the start. Aerodactyl was added to handle Charizard, Scovillain's fire-type weakness. The initial roster of Scovillain, Aerodactyl, Basculegion-M, Sneasler, Kingambit, and Kommo-o evolved as Kommo-o underperformed and Dragonite with Focus Blast replaced it for rain matchups, then Kleavor replaced Kingambit due to Florges pressure. For the final day, Sylveon replaced Mega Florges to synergize better with Scovillain, and Farigiraf with Choice Scarf at max speed replaced Kleavor to check Talonflame and Fake Out users. Farigiraf mostly used Psychic and Thunderbolt. The author is satisfied with the overall concept but notes rain teams remain a weakness; the Global Challenge was cleared 22-5 but PJCS qualifying ended 12-8, with a final ladder rank of 25th.Build article →

This doubles team uses a Mega Kangaskhan Fake Out lead combined with Farigiraf's Amnesia Baton Pass to reliably set up a fortified Archaludon as the main sweeper. Blastoise was the original Fake Out user but often fainted by turn two, disrupting the baton timing; Kangaskhan replaced it by surviving through turn three more consistently. Farigiraf invests heavily in bulk so it can take hits before and after passing, leaving Archaludon to stack special defense via Stamina and sweep with Electro Beam. Primarina holds Mirror Coat to both shield Archaludon from physical hits and push damage through rain-boosted Hyper Voice; Kingambit handles Gengar and Froslass; Charizard X is reserved for Gengar-Kommo-o pairings. The author considers the concept genuinely original, notes a friend cleared the PJCS qualifier with the team, and finished 27th on the ladder, though in the main event Archaludon was knocked out by two critical Roar hits — resulting in an audible shout of disbelief.Build article →

This doubles team settles on Whimsicott plus Mega Charizard Y, Choice Scarf Garchomp, Archaludon with White Herb at max speed, Basculegion-M, and Kingambit. The original framework of Aerodactyl plus Garchomp was abandoned because tailwind mirror matchups were too inconsistent, and Whimsicott took over the wind role. Charizard Y was chosen specifically for meeting all three requirements of wide special coverage, fairy resistance, and steel-type moves, while Whimsicott naturally checks Garchomp and sun reduces opposing water damage. Archaludon holding White Herb efficiently chips opponents with Dragon Pulse, while Kingambit provides answers against trick room and Leafeon setups. The author highlights Whimsicott's Encore as a strong tool against opposing tailwind teams. The Global Challenge was cleared in the top 30 at rating 2500-plus, the PJCS qualifier was entered with this team, and the final rated standing was 2603 at 32nd place.Build article →

This is a doubles team. Starting from Corviknight and Glimmora as the core pair, the author noticed the environment was flooded with the pattern of Mega Pokemon plus Focus Sash Basculegion plus Kingambit in the back. Glimmora's coverage hits Mega Aerodactyl, Mega Charizard Y, and Mega Florges, while its Toxic Debris ability can destroy opponent Focus Sashes passively; combining this with Mega Charizard Y's well-rounded back-row damage proved very powerful. Garchomp was added to chip the opponent's Dragonite and beat Tailwind mirrors. Mystic Water Basculegion filled the last slot for coverage and Garchomp counter-play. Corviknight's Encore can lock opponents into passive moves during Tailwind races, freeing other members to attack freely. The team was tuned by four players; one member ran a modified version substituting Fairy Feather on Corviknight and Poison Jab replacing Protect on Garchomp, finishing first overall. The team's acknowledged weakness was an inability to find consistent answers to Lapras and Blastoise builds with Vivillon.Build article →

The team is built around Mega Tyranitar with Dragon Dance, inspired by a reference build that used Rotom to set up paralysis and burn then swept with tailwind — but the author felt the tailwind sweeper lacked the necessary power. By having Tyranitar set up Dragon Dance instead, the team no longer needs tailwind to act first. Rotom disrupts the opponent, Corviknight sets tailwind or bulk-up, Sneasler applies fake-out pressure and can boost teammates with coaching, and Gallade runs Focus Sash with taunt to shut down trick room and Sableye, then one-shots Archaludon with Sacred Sword. The author rates the team highly for its explosive upswing plays but notes Tyranitar's many weaknesses and reliance on shaky-accuracy moves make every match mentally exhausting; surging Whimsicott teams late in the final day dropped the finish to 2560.Build article →

The team is built around Trick Room, a format the author has long favored. The main damage-dealers are Camerupt and Crabominable. Farigiraf sets up Trick Room reliably thanks to its Armor Tail ability blocking fake-out in a crowded fake-out meta; Camerupt under Trick Room hits with massive power — a helping hand-boosted Earth Power KOs Garchomp and Basculegion outright, earning the description of a Therian Landorus-equivalent ace. Crabominable cleans up after Trick Room with priority Mach Punch, Ice Hammer covers Garchomp, and drain punch handles Kingambit. Gallade is the secondary ace, cutting through Archaludon with Sacred Sword and hitting Water-types with Leaf Blade. The team's strength is that Farigiraf plus Camerupt is almost unbeatable under Trick Room; the weakness is that Camerupt collapses when Trick Room expires. Final placement: 54th at Rating 2557.Build article →

This doubles team uses two Mega evolutions that both have access to spread moves, with a Ghost-type Mega being another stated requirement alongside a way to trap Incineroar. Mega Floette and Sneasler form the core front row; Floette's Moonblast and Dazzling Gleam deal reliable damage and the exclusive move Oblivion Wing one-shots Kingambit and Basculegion. Mega Froslass under snow weather can survive Mega Charizard Y's Heat Wave and return a Shadow Ball to eliminate opposing Ghost Megas. Sneasler leads with fake-out into Rock Slide for Charizard pressure. Kingambit runs Black Glasses and outruns Mega Gengar under tailwind. Basculegion holds Namo Berry for physical bulk. The author rates the double Mega spread combination as the team's chief strength; weaknesses are limited fire power against opposing Charizard and slow Kingambit matchups. Final placement 61st, and the team also cleared the Global Challenge.Build article →

This was the team used for the Global Challenge and PJCS qualifiers, built around Sash Glimmora as the entry point. Glimmora reliably pressures the meta's key Megas in Charizard Y and Florges, uses Killer Spin to shut down redirection strategies, and covers wide offensive angles with Power Gem plus Earth Power. Kingambit exploits poison chip damage with Sucker Punch to clean up. Mega Froslass deals unavoidable damage with its never-miss Blizzard while lowering opponent speed for cleaner priority follow-up. Sneasler and Basculegion add multiple layers of priority attack to seal games. Dragonite with Dragon Fang closes out with Dragon Claw plus Extreme Speed. The author notes the flexible team has no fixed lead formula, which requires adaptable decision-making.Build article →

The team is built around Mega Blastoise as the sole win condition, using Shell Smash followed by Hydro Cannon. The core lead is Meowstic plus Orthworm: Orthworm's Tail Whip brings in Blastoise behind a Substitute, while Meowstic's Yawn buys the turn needed to safely use Shell Smash. Sneasler acts as sub-attacker and support, with Feint to destroy Wide Guard and break Focus Sash users. Sinistcha recovers Blastoise's health with Rage Powder to redirect attacks. Scizor was added last to handle Farigiraf and Sylveon. The author considers the team's overall quality solid but acknowledges that high execution difficulty led to key misplays that cost a Preliminary qualification.Build article →

The team funnels Calm Mind plus two Speed Boosts from Espathra into Archaludon via Baton Pass, then has Politoed copy those stat boosts with Heart Swap to double the payoff. The author used rain during the qualifying grind but found it underwhelming in Championship-tier play; Shandhi's streamed version of this Baton Pass concept convinced them to switch. To shore up weaknesses against Trick Room and Flying types—especially Talonflame—the final two slots went to Sylveon (Calm Mind anti-Trick Room) and Mega Aerodactyl (Whirlwind to break Shadow Tag). Even when the combo fails, the team can still fight on raw stats. The author's regret was sleep deprivation hurting execution during the main event.Build article →

Yamasho used Maushold plus Mega Gardevoir in Doubles, reaching the Global Challenge finals at 144th and ranking 103rd in the M-1 season. The gameplan is straightforward: Maushold supports with Follow Me while Mega Gardevoir chips with Hyper Voice spread damage, then back-row sweepers clean up. The team naturally fits Trick Room, which was uncommon early in the format and caught opponents off guard. For the Global Challenge, Talonflame and Kingambit filled the back row; for the season proper, Kingambit was replaced by Hisui Samurott, whose Sharp Quill ability boosts Slash and Sacred Sword to 1.5x, giving reliable damage into Archaludon and both common back-row sweepers. Incineroar was added to handle Fairy leads via Fake Out plus Throat Chop. Garchomp leads alongside Maushold against Charizard Y and Glimmora, using Rock Slide to lower opponent speeds and help Gardevoir's follow-up. The author identifies Vivillon plus Sylveon as the most problematic lead combination.Build article →

Finishing 109th in Doubles, the author adapted their SV Regulation H core of Tyranitar, Excadrill, and Kommo-o for Champions. Without Terastallize, they added Mega Froslass to pair with Kommo-o, using Assist Power and Blizzard in the lead to build a damage advantage. Kommo-o is the front-row anchor, tanking almost everything and looping Scale Noise; Mega Froslass deals spread Blizzard damage and uses Protect to buy time and boost Kommo-o's attack with Assist Power. Choice Scarf Tyranitar is a fixed back-row sweeper, and its Sand Stream enables Excadrill's Sand Rush speed doubling. Sneasler subs for Kommo-o against Fairy types, using Fake Out, Fatal Claw, and Feint. Hisuian Zoroark is a niche lead disguised as a slow Trick Room or Scizor counter, used in about 10% of games. Near season's end, Mega Lopunny was added to handle the rising Charizard plus Aerodactyl combination. Key strengths are Blizzard plus Rock Slide flinch turning losing games around; main weaknesses are Delphox and Mega Clefable.Build article →

This is a doubles team built around Mega Blastoise and Whimsicott, inspired by the author's 2018 World Championship team pairing Blastoise with Swellow. Whimsicott sets Tailwind for Blastoise to fire Water Spout at full power; Sneasler covers unfavorable matchups against Mega Talonflame, Mega Florges, and Archaludon; Tsareena provides priority move blocking and offensive power; Pelipper with a Choice Scarf both attacks under Tailwind and lowers Speed with Icy Wind; Weavile with a King's Rock uses Fake Out and Fling to lock opponents down for two turns while also handling Trick Room leads. Standard lead is Whimsicott plus Blastoise with Sneasler or Tsareena in back; versus Sneasler or Aerodactyl teams, Tsareena leads alongside Sneasler. The author notes the team handled most formats well and believes it was competitive enough to have cleared PJCS qualifiers with better play.Build article →