Welcome to Smogon! Take a moment to read the Introduction to Smogon for a run-down on everything Smogon, and make sure you take some time to read the global rules.
Alright, so thanks to someone for deleting a ton of their posts, just about every core is now a page off and now located a page before from where the link sends you. So now, all of those cores (including ones from the ones located in the previous thread) need their links to be fixed, and I would greatly appreciate some help with that, cause there's 1 me, and a shit ton of cores with links to fix.
dont worry esteemed ou moderator team pokepals. I will help you later in your endeavor to set everything back into motion for the lovely good cores thread filled with only the finest of finest cores. It would be a terrible shame if this wasn't remedied otherwise we would feel the struggle of going to another page. The horror.
Sincerely,
The savior of oras ou from tdk's tyranny.
Balance core (it could potentially be call stall since all 3 mons have a recovery move ) : Talon flame + Mega-Sableye + Latios
Sableye-Mega @ Sablenite
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 100 Def / 156 SpD
Impish Nature
- Foul Play
- Knock Off
- Recover
- Will-O-Wisp
Talonflame @ Leftovers
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Brave Bird
- Will-O-Wisp
- Bulk Up / Swords Dance / Taunt (I would recommend Bulk up but its personal preference)
- Roost
Latios @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Defog
- Recover info about the core bellow
I'm really shocked that this core hasn't been made yet but lets get into it the main objective of this core is to keep hazards of your side of the field for talon flame and it also just so happens that these 3 mons cover each other weakness really well only being weak to 3 types being ghost dark and dragon and its a really good idea to add Bisharp as one of the other members of the team if you use this core since it resits all 3 types , this core also works really well with hazard stacking (so does bisharp) there really isnt much to say about the core so im just going to go straight to weaknesses since strengths are kind of clear but il list a few of many strength any way : Burn stuff , hazard control , all three mons have a recovery move with 16pp , good priority and revenge kill potential, has counters/semi counters to all 3 S ranks mons (torn-t keldeo clefable)
Weaknesses
-stealth rock clefable cause some issues because it can switch in and force out both of the hazard control mons
-latios/latias can both be rather problematic to the core especially if they are running Psychic over Psyshock because that means that talon cant just bulk up on it (another reason to run bisharp with this core ;)
-sand rush excadrill can cause a bit of a problem but its debatable
Disclaimer: these are the main weakness I have noticed there could be more
Rotom + Altaria is a very cool core, Rotom has a moveset very unexpected since it has hp fire which is a very unexpected baitkill. it hurts Ferrothorn and other mons. Thanks to its typing it helps the matchup vs skarmory and heatran, two main checks of altaria giving it the chance to stat-up and sweep, rotom also has twave, another quite unexpected move that allows you to paralyze some pokèmon faster than altaria thus allowing him to overtake. The altaria moveset, instead, is very standard. i would prefer refresh > heal bell in order to gain more PPs.
Hydro Spam - This core puts an enormous amount of pressure on any team
Keldeo gets rid of Ferro/Chansey/Clef + lures Slowbro + check Scizor/Weav/Ttar for Starmie
Starmie gets rid of Venu/Ammongus/Tornadus/Conk for Keld and RK Serp/Gengar
Both mons lures Lati/Celebi
Both mons overload Rotom/Azu/Sable/Raikou
And above all, having both allows you to let one getting paralysed or damaged as you wear down your checks. It also allows you to use Starmie and Keld as checks without compromising your sweep
I would suggest
1) Slash Thunderbolt on Starmie. This allows you to beat opposing Water-types like Azumarill, Slowbro and Manaphy easier.
2) Consider using Psychic over Psyshock. It still achieves the KOes against Mega Venusaur, Amoonguss and Gengar while also being more effective than Psyshock against Rotom-W.
Hydro Spam - This core puts an enormous amount of pressure on any team
Keldeo gets rid of Ferro/Chansey/Clef + lures Slowbro + check Scizor/Weav/Ttar for Starmie
Starmie gets rid of Venu/Ammongus/Tornadus/Conk for Keld and RK Serp/Gengar
Both mons lures Lati/Celebi
Both mons overload Rotom/Azu/Sable/Raikou
And above all, having both allows you to let one getting paralysed or damaged as you wear down your checks. It also allows you to use Starmie and Keld as checks without compromising your sweep
I would suggest
1) Slash Thunderbolt on Starmie. This allows you to beat opposing Water-types like Azumarill, Slowbro and Manaphy easier.
2) Consider using Psychic over Psyshock. It still achieves the KOes against Mega Venusaur, Amoonguss and Gengar while also being more effective than Psyshock against Rotom-W.
Honestly I think it should be HP Elec Keld+Psy Star because Celebi is beaten by beam already and you don't lose rhe SE coverage on Slowbro or Starmie's ability to handle Megasaur by carrying it as opposed to HP Bug+TBolt, making it more "efficient" (for lack of a better word) coverage than HP Bug.
Also Recover is an option if the team has Magic Bouncers on it as it gives Starmie's longevity a little boost (I really like Recover+3 attacks atm too so I'm kinda biased lol)
I tried to propose a really awful version of this core a while ago, but I'm back and I'm going to do the core justice this time, because it really is an effective core that's used everywhere, and definitely deserves a place in the cores archive
Basic synergy comprises of Tyranitar trapping the threats, and Mega Venusaur walling the rest of the team.
Other than the obvious downside of Tyranitar bringing sand which can limit Mega Venusaur's recovery, this core functions flawlessly in just about every other way.
Tyranitar deals with just about everything that gives Mega Venusaur problems, obviously a supreme Lati, and Hoopa-U trapper, Tyranitar has no problem removing problematic offensive Psychic types for Mega Venusaur. Tyranitar also deals reliably with a lot of Fire types like Talonflame, Zard Y, Zard X, Victini, and Volcarona. Mega Pinsir, and Kyurem-B are 2 more massive threats to Mega Venusaur that are adequately checked by Scarf Tyranitar
Mega Venusaur, on the other hand, pretty much walls everything once the threats are removed. Big threats like Keldeo, Azumarill, Manaphy, Mega Lopunny, and Breloom are all covered effortlessly by Mega Venusaur and is nice support for Scarf Tyranitar
tl;dr
Tyranitar traps Latis, and checks Fire, and Flying types
Mega Venusaur checks Waters, Fighting, and Grasses
Mega Venusaur generally walls pretty much everything once its checks are gone.
Sorry for double posting. For some reason Smogon decides to only let me do so many show/hide tags before its starts glitching out and giving me 4 show/hide tabs for every 1 input… I don’t know if anyone else gets that when they try to post, but it’s annoying.
Anyway, while we're on the topic of Grass-types and sand I thought I'd nominate another sand partner.
Tyranitar @ Chople Berry
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 248 HP / 80 Def / 180 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Stone Edge
- Pursuit
- Ice Beam
- Stealth Rock
Excadrill @ Air Balloon / Life Orb
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rapid Spin / Swords Dance
- Swords Dance / Rock Slide
Tangrowth @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Leaf Storm / Giga Drain
- Earthquake / Sludge Bomb / Rock Slide
- Knock Off
- Hidden Power [Ice] / Hidden Power [Fire]
The sets are kinda just filler to be honest, Tyranitar could be Choice Scarf if the team calls for it, and any type of Sand Rush Drill works there. I just threw on Chople Tyranitar, and Balloon Drill because it gives a Rocker, and a nice Ground immunity + wincon.
Anyways, so the basic sand core obviously stacks common weaknesses to Water, Ground, and Fighting. Tangrowth covers those weaknesses really well. Tangrowth checks Water types like Keldeo, Azumarill, Manaphy, and Rotom-W, Grounds like Landorus, Hippowdon, Gliscor, and Garchomp, and can also deal with some Fighting types like Breloom, and Mega Lopunny.
Regenerator on Tangrowth is nice here because you can keep pivoting it in and out on attacks + sand chip damage without fear of being worn down too quickly. The difference between Tangrowth and Amoonguss is the offensive presence. Tangrowth isn't anywhere near as passive as Amoonguss, and as such can more adequately check Pokemon such as Manaphy, which it can OHKO with Leaf Storm after Stealth Rock (0 SpA Tangrowth Leaf Storm vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Manaphy: 306-360 (89.7 - 105.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock)Also, Tang usually carries a pretty useful Hidden Power whether it be Fire or Ice. Fire can be nice to wear down Ferrothorn, Scizor, and some other Steels. Ice is nice to pave the way for Excadrill and can deal big damage to Pokemon like Landorus-T, Gliscor, and Garchomp.
Excadrill is nice for this core because it pressures offense as well as Pokemon like Clefable which can use Tangrowth and Tyranitar as setup fodder. Tyranitar brings the sand for Excadrill, and also checks Fires like Talonflame, Zard X, and Y.
These posts remind me of a Ttar + Amoonguss core I posted in the old thread but apparently wasn't archived. That post is a bit old featuring Scarftar and not mentioning Chople variants, so I'll probably edit this post with an updated version
Tyranitar @ Chople Berry / Smooth Rock
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 248 HP / 80 Def / 180 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Stone Edge
- Pursuit
- Ice Beam
Amoonguss @ Black Sludge / Rocky Helmet
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Spore
- Giga Drain
- Foul Play / Sludge Bomb
- Clear Smog / Hidden Power [Fire]
So yeah very similar to the VenuTar core posted by NotFalse, these two share excellent type synergy. Tyranitar beats Psychic, Fire, and Flying types for Amoonguss which beats Fairy, Fighting, and Water types for Tyranitar. Examples are Ttar beating Talonflame, Latios, Charizard, Manectric, and Kyurem-Black / Tornadus-T to some extent based on their sets. Amoonguss handles Breloom, Keldeo, Azumarill, Serperior, Diancie, Lopunny.
Notably Ttar can pursuit trap some of those things as well which alleviates pressure on Amoonguss. As you might notice some of the mons that Amoonguss checks are relatively big threats to sand offense archetypes so this core functions well on bulky offense. That said it also works well on slightly more defensive teams where Tyranitar can be a revenge killer with Choice Scarf for stuff like Gengar and Hoopa as well as removing Latios/Starmie. Amoonguss is nice for Regen so its not worn down too much by sand and if its sand offense then these teams are based on momentum and smart doubles so it fits in great with that. Rocky Helmet is sort of a nice item on it to wear down bunnies if that is really necessary, but Black Sludge is usually better to mitigate Sandstorm damage.
Chople Berry is a good option on Ttar if its gonna be a support set since it alleviates pressure from Zard Y, Alakazam, Hoopa, Torn-T and some other stuff.
Core's weak to stuff like Mega Metagross and some other powerful breakers so keep that in mind.
Balanced Core?: Dugtrio + SubTran (Someone can edit this for me)
Dugtrio @ Focus Sash
Ability: Arena Trap
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
IVs: 21 HP / 0 Def / 0 SpD
- Earthquake
- Rock Tomb
- Reversal
- Stealth Rock
Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Magma Storm
- Taunt
- Toxic
- Substitute
So the idea behind the Heatran set is to sub up on incoming switch ins like Keldeo and hit them with Toxic or w/e. Acts a stallbreaker against fatter teams normally where you can opt for more special attack but I find the HP more useful. The set itself is totally walled by other Heatrans which is where Dugtrio comes in. It provides trapping support to remove Heatran out of the picture. I pair this core up with a team of Latios, Diancie, Articuno, with a final slot still being tested to give you an idea of the application.
pretty broken offense core that utilizes rain manaphy and lo torn-t to form pretty much the best stallbreaking core in the entire tier. nothing that can stand up to manaphy can stand up to superpower taunt torn. the core has pretty solid synergy together with torn beating grass types that beat manaphy such as spdef celebi and serperior while manaphy sets rain for 100% accurate hurricanes and can usually switch into ground types like landt/chomp/hippo without risking a hurricane miss if rain isn't up. this core really brings out the best part of torn-t without being forced to run politoed and therefore, full rain.
balance core: mega slowbro + tyranitar
Slowbro @ Slowbronite
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 80 Def / 176 SpD
Calm Nature
- Scald
- Psyshock
- Calm Mind
- Slack Off
so stuff that annoy and beat slowbro - latis, electrics, celebi and other various things. tyranitar covers a lot of mega slowbros weaknesses very easily and can trap a lot of the stuff that prevents it from setting up and sweeping. ttar usually hates stuff like keldeo, clef and other fat things which slowbro can set up on or just scald burn to give ttar an easier time. not a lot to say about this core but its really nice and effectively removes a lot of slowbro answers which make for easy sweeps with it.
balance core: mew + togekiss
Mew @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 224 SpD / 32 Spe
Careful Nature
- Taunt
- Soft-Boiled
- Will-O-Wisp
- Knock Off
Togekiss @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 80 Def / 176 Spe
Timid Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Air Slash
- Roost
- Heal Bell
this core is really nice and the idea of it was brought up by Googly in the matchmaking thread so credit to him. so mew has trouble with sableye, heatran, and clef when it comes to stallbreaking and that's where togekiss comes in. togekiss sets up on everything that beats mew, apart from heatran and can even cure mew if it catches a burn or poison off stray scalds and sludge bombs. although heatran is a problem for the core, mew removing its leftovers is usually enough support for togekiss to eventually bs its way past with air slash. you pretty much auto win v stall if you don't play this core like ass which is really nice if you're higher up on the ladder.
Infernape @ Leftovers
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 248 HP / 88 Def / 124 SpD / 48 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Slack Off
- Taunt
- Low Kick
This a really fun balanced core I've been using on the ladder with good results. Mega Latias can have a lot of trouble with common Dark-types in the meta, including Weavile and Tyranitar, as while Thunder Wave is a bitch to them, Mega Latias can't really do much back to them other than that, and can be Pursuit bait. This is where defensive Infernape comes in, being an excellent counter to Dark-types like Bisharp (Unless it has the rare Psycho Cut) and Weavile, and also crippling them with Will-O-Wisp, or just plain killing them with it's Low Kick. The reason I like using Infernape over something like RestTalk Keldeo for Mega Latias is mainly it's ability to spread burns, but it can also stallbreak with Taunt, and has reliable recovery in Slack Off as well. It can also check Mega Scizor, which is a plus. Mega Latias also checks Water types like Keldeo and Ground types like Hippowdon for Infernape, while also contributing to the status spreading game with Thunder Wave, but you can also choose Calm Mind in the last slot as Mega Latias is a scary set-up sweeper, and it can capitalize on Infernape checking the Dark-types. Good partners for this core include a teammate who can handle Mega Sableye, who manhandles this core easily, so Pokemon like Togekiss and Clefable are good partners. Clefable can also use Calm Mind nicely for the core, and it also helps with Mega Latias' Thunder Wave slowing opponents like Mega Metagross down. Speaking of Mega Metagross, it's a pretty big threat to the core, so checks to it like Slowking are appreciated. A sweeper that can capitalize on the crippling the status moves of this core provides, like Sand Rush Excadrill and the aforementioned Calm Mind Clefable, make for great partners as well. Overall, this is a really fun balanced core that can really dismantle a lot of teams with the right support, and I hope you like it!
Tornadus-Therian @ Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 168 HP / 88 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hurricane
- Heat Wave
- U-turn
- Knock Off
I noticed there isn't a single Nidoking core in the OP, sooo here is a commonly used one with the big guy! With Nido being the focus of two OU threads this week, I figured now would be a good time to mention one. This core isn't mine by any means, but rather a pretty standard way of supporting Nido.
Nido is one of the most potent lower ranked Pokemon in OU, sporting a solid amount of power and coverage to threaten balanced builds nicely. It also has a cool niche as an offensive answer to Clef. While this is all good, Nido still has some problems. One is being unable to switch in on things very easily due to its frailty and weakness to common types. Because of this and its speed tier, Nido is also vulnerable to being revenged killed by several faster threats like Exca, Keldeo, and Mega Zam. This is where the other two core members come in to help patch these issues up.
Rotom-W is a naturally good partner with Nido. In addition to covering threats like Exca and Azu, Rotom-W provides the free switch in opportunities Nidoking loves with Volt Switch. Because Nido is able to take advantage of common Rotom-W switch ins like Clef, Mega Altaria, and Ferro, this becomes really nice to gain momentum on your side. When running Thunder Wave, it's also able to help Nido by slowing down faster threats like Latios and making them easier to revenge kill.
Because Nido + Rotom-W make up a slow core, some speed is appreciated even when the latter is using Thunder Wave. Torn-T provides this speed to help the core check otherwise troublesome threats, like Serp, Keld, Latios, and Mega Zam. Like Rotom-W, it's also able to U-turn Nido in for free. Overall, this core revolves around supporting Nido with pivots able to cover the threats Nido has a hard time, all while providing it with chances to come in unscathed. Nidoking really loves VoltTurn and although a few other Pokemon can provide this support, Rotom-W + Torn-T are among the best in this regard.
i noticed theres like zero balanced msciz cores which kinda surprised me... here is a core i made for my team.
Balance core: Mega Scizor, Rotom-W, and Heatran
similar to the scizor/rotom w/hippo core from the old cores, this core utilizes voltturn to the fullest and creates a good foundation to a good msciz team. so basically this is a good core supporting scizor because rotom wash takes care of counters like heatran and burns hard hitting mons like Lando-T which scizor can have trouble with. scizor can run U-turn to be a good pivot into either if it predicts a mon coming in that will counter it. while rotom w beats things like talonflame and cripples so many physical sweepers, heatran can set up rocks and also apply toxic/taunt to decimate stall. superpower can be run over u turn for scizor but its all up to your team. this core obviously has some struggles against keldeo and char y and other mons i cant think of at the top of my head, but combat that by adding mons to support the core. i personally run kyub, torn t, and latias for my other 3 mons. but yeah, this core is soley based around crippling the other team to allow scizor to have an easier time sweeping. its also great because hoopa u and kyu b, two common wallbreakers, are cancelled out by scizor. yeah, this core may have some mons that beat it but its very helpful for scizor. in general, watch out for special water types, rain, zard y, and some other mons i cant think of.
edit: if you want, clefable is a good replacement for tran. it beats msab and still sets up rocks, but it loses out on toxic and taunt. in return though you lose needed coverage against ferro and other scizors (even though rotom can take out sciz) but clef can actually beat tankchomp, unlike tran who cant even be near it. hope this helps.
Offensive Core: Mega Sharpedo , Klefki and Tornadus-Therian
So why does this core work? Well mega Sharpedo has many weakness one of them being that it can only get speed boosted and Mega once per game , but when it does Mega with speed its a great cleaner (late game sweeper) in fact id say it was one of the best around and if you couldn't tell already the main focus of this core is to help mega sharpedo since it is an underused mega that i think has a lot of unnoticed potential.
So how does Klefki help well klefki sets up spikes so things that can take a hit have to take damage and hopefully eventually get weak enough so that Mega sharpedo can one shot them also klefki's secondary job it just to thunder wave things so that even if Mega Sharpedo isn't speed boosted it can still out speed things and cause destruction .
So whats Torn-t's job one of torn's jobs is forcing out things like keldeo and ferrothorn or kill them so that they are either weakened or dead for Mega Sharpedo's late game sweep .Another job of Torn's is getting rid of the three most prominent hazard removal mons Latios , Latias and starmie , Torn doesn't strictly have kill them just prevent them from removing hazards his final job is being a good pivot with the ability to u-turn on predicted switch giving Mega Sharpedo a chance to switch in with out having to sack something, thanks for reading and hope it works for you.
252+ Atk Strong Jaw Mega Sharpedo Crunch vs. 4 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Chansey: 301-355 (46.8 - 55.2%) -- 71.9% chance to 2HKO
252+ Atk Tough Claws Mega Charizard X Dragon Claw vs. 4 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Chansey: 247-292 (38.4 - 45.4%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252 Atk Tough Claws Mega Metagross Zen Headbutt vs. 4 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Chansey: 244-288 (38 - 44.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
252+ Atk Pixilate Mega Altaria Return vs. 4 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Chansey: 280-331 (43.6 - 51.5%) -- 9.4% chance to 2HKO
I noticed that there were literally no Zygarde cores in this thread and from the other thread, so I'm deciding to add a really cool Zygarde core here, because Zygarde is a really cool and underrated Pokemon in general. This core utilizes Dragon Dance Zygarde, a pretty cool sweeper with his powerful STAB combination and a great move to pick off stuff in Extreme Speed. Zygarde does have trouble with stuff like bulky Water types (Slowbro can live a +1 attack and potentially burn Zygarde with Scald, Rotom-W can Will-O it) and Fairy types like Azumarill, so Mega Venusaur makes a great partner for Zygarde, checking both those types, and also being a bulky mon that can switch into types like Ground in a situation. It also can wear down some of this core's checks, like Skarmory, with Hidden Power Fire. Good partners for this core include teammates that can beat Skarmory, probably the biggest problem to the core if it's Specially Defensive, so teammates like Raikou and Rotom-Wash are good partners. Rotom-Wash also can check Talonflame and Ground-types really well, and can burn opponents to make them easier for Zygarde to set up on. This core is also troubled by Mega Gardevoir and the Lati's, so checks to them like Jirachi are recommended. Overall, this is a really cool core featuring one of the coolest and most underrated mons to use in OU in Zygarde, and I hope you all like it!
PS: Also SubCoil Zygarde can work in this core if you're running a more balanced team, and it also helps this core a lot against defensive teams.
Mega Houndoom + Latios Offensive Core
I was looking for a mega Houndoom core in this tread because I was feeling lazy and unoriginal but then I came to the socking reinitialisation that there were non so I deicide that is may as well make one my self .To be honest there isn't really much say other than houndoom doesn't like rocks and latios gets rid of rocks and also that they cover each others weakness very well. And that I think Mega Houndoom is an awesome nasty plot use that i felt like making a core for and so here it is ( i will post some replays with it when i get the time ,sorry)
Houndoom-Mega @ Houndoominite
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Fire Blast
- Dark Pulse
- Sludge Bomb
- Nasty Plot
Magnezone @ Choice Specs
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Volt Switch
- Flash Cannon
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Cb diggs can basically nuke the entire tier with an incredibly reliable dual stab in normal/ground, with a few exceptions being skarmory, 252/252 impish hippo, etc.
Having U-Turn over fire punch gives you the outplay potential to nab skarmory/ferro (and other walls) and either trap them with magnezone, or if they switch in like a hippowdon give yourself a free chance to boost up on gyarados
(Mega is slashed in, because the team I built it for runs reg. gyara)
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 24 Def / 232 SpD
Impish Nature
- Spikes/Stealth Rocks
- Protect
- Gyro Ball/Leech Seed
- Power Whip/Gyro Ball
Klassic Fire Water Grass Core! Two godly setup mons that can own half the meta on their own. Then you got ferro to take the hits the other 2 can't take. With volc and gastro you get the best of both world! Gastrodon lives any hit from Latios and then can recover off damage, with Lati now caught with their pants down you can set up. Volc is usually an offensive spread, but this give it multiple uses besides setup sweeper. The three mons work well together and way better than someone of the other god squads posted. anyways, Toodles~~ :]
Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 172 Def / 84 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunder Wave
- Moonblast
- Calm Mind
- Soft-Boiled
Hoopa-Unbanned the monster. We all know this thing gets kills with the click of the right button but the trick is getting it in safely. Rotom-Wash is a great partner as a pivot that can force out threats to Hoopa like Talonflame, Excadrill, Tornadus-T and Scizor. It helps that common switch-ins to Rotom are mons like Latios, Celebi, Amoonguss and Venusaur which Hoopa threatens with STAB after coming in from a Volt Switch.
Not exactly a ton to explain - the most brutal wallbreaker in the tier and a pivot that checks a lot of physical attackers that are a problem for it. Specs or Band or whatever set is fine really although Specs is definitely the best set, Band is helpful for one shotting stuff like Clefable which might come in on Rotom.
I mentioned Clefable as an optional partner because Hoopa + Rotom is kind of a self sufficient core, but Clefable does help with a lot of things. First of all, Thunder Wave crippling stuff lets Hoopa go nuts which is always a plus. But also Clefable is a great answer to many threats to this core like Mega Lopunny, Kyurem-Black, Mega Diancie, and also mons like Latios, Mega Zam and Thundurus if Hoopa isn't at full HP. Clefable also gives you a way to clean up late game which is nice with Hoopa's ability to lure and KO many of its common Steel-type checks.
Quick note on the spreads: the Rotom-Wash here outspeeds Bisharp to Will-O-Wisp it as it would otherwise be a threat. Depending on your team composition you can opt for a slower spread and should be fine. Clefable is given a standard spread here but if you see my post in the Sample Team thread I'm running 196 Def to more reliably beat Mega Lopunny, while many Kyurem-Blacks now run a +Spe nature so it still avoids that 2HKO.
You know those disgustingly fat teams that nobody wants to play against? Well this core destroys those said teams with the quickness. Mega Gardevoir, the beautiful yet powerful creature she is, breaks down so many fat things that trouble/annoy/shit on LandorusT, such as Rotom-w, (Mega) Slowbro, Suicune, Cresselia, Big Luvdisc Alomomola, Swagsire, opposing Defenisive LandoT (use lefties > rocky helmet imo), Chesnaught, Mandibuzz, and way more I don't feel like typing out. In return, Double Dance + Smack Down Lando can lure in Skarmory and Bronzong and crush their necks with a swift EQ, and it destroys stuff like Chansey, Steel types ( Bronzong, Skarmory, (Mega) Scizor, Jirachi, Klefki, (Mega) Metagross and more), and Fire types (Talonflame/ bird aids, Heatran (focus blast is a good move) + more). Rock Polish is used to clean up offensive teams, which Mega Gard has trouble with. Lando's spreads eats 2 iron heads from excadrill
Klefki @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Spikes
- Thunder Wave
- Magnet Rise / Toxic
- Play Rough
Little Baby (Azelf) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 28 Atk / 228 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly / Naive Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Explosion
- Iron Tail / Skill Swap
- Taunt / Fire Blast
I noticed the lack of Lucario cores on this thread, so I'm deciding to add a cool one I've been using. Lucario is a pretty cool and underrated late-game cleaner or wallbreaker that is pretty awesome thanks to Extreme Speed outspeeding the priority of moves like Talonflame's Brave Bird and Thundurus' Thunder Wave. Sadly, a +2 Extreme Speed won't always OHKO these mons, so Lucario likes hazard support in order to clean up late-game easier due to hazards softening up some of these mons, like Latios, so Extreme Speed can kill them. This is the core I've been using, with Klefki providing Spikes support to weaken some of Lucario's grounded checks, like Slowbro, and also provides Thunder Wave support against offensive teams for Lucario, and a switchin to the Lati's and Weavile. Azelf provides Stealth Rock support, which is really nice as Lucario is usually found on Hyper Offense teams that enjoy Azelf setting up Rocks pretty easily, and it can even get through Magic Bouncers like Mega Diancie with Iron Tail or Skill Swap to deal with Mega Sableye. Other hazard setters, like Landorus-Therian and Garchomp for Stealth Rock and Dragalge and Ferrothorn for Spikes or Toxic Spikes support, can also work, as all hazards help Lucario clean up easier. I hope you all like it n_n
A replay showcasing how hazards can help soften a team up so Lucario can take advantage of it, it sadly doesn't sweep, but weakens the opposing party so Latios can clean up. http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-348324944
The idea of this core is simple. The goal of the core is to keep hazards on the enemies side while keeping them off of mine. M-Sableye is a magic bouncer that can consistently switch-in to the stealth rockers in the tier. Diancie dies to Earthquake from both Landorus and Garchomp which is why I opted for Sableye. Sableye auto-loses to fairies so I chose Skarmory for it's defensive synergy with Sableye. It also provided a hazard stacker and a backup to bulky grounds that happen to carry SD since it can Whirlwind them out. Starmie provides hazard removal if they get up. Overall this core functions well with a really strong wallbreaker that can take advantage of the stacking damage (I prefer Dragonite for it's ability Multiscale) Since Sableye functions as a spinblocker a Defiant user like Thundurus or Bisharp can work well to pressure Defog. I don't know tbh I think the concept is nice. n_n
Sableye-Mega (M) @ Sablenite
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 112 Def / 144 SpD
Careful Nature
IVs: 0 SpA
- Knock Off
- Will-O-Wisp
- Recover
- Foul Play
Skarmory (M) @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
IVs: 0 SpA
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Roost
- Iron Head
This is a core I've been messing around with recently because I wanted to try and use an unpopular typespam, and so far its been working decently well so I decided to post it.
Offensive Core: Snakes in the Grass Credit for name goes to -Magic-
Mega Sceptile+Serperior GrassSpam is a bit of fun that I've been using on the ladder. The basic premise here is that they break down each-others checks to make the other more threatening (just like with any typespam core). Coba Berry Serperior is a pretty cool lure that allows it to beat out opposing Talonflame (Flare Blitz sucks, but more Talonflame will use flying due to the fact that SpD is mono-attacking, making Coba more consistent; that and SD variants have a tendency to just spam Brave Bird mindlessly). Only use HP Fire on Sceptile if you run Coba+HP Rock. Otherwise just stick with dual Grass coverage 'cause its better. Focus Blast beats Heatran, although if its SubSeed Serperior is able to cheese its way past non-Scarf/Roar variants to an extent. Don't use Coba+HP Rock with SubSeed because SubSeed really appreciates the extra recovery from Leftovers. Taunt nullifies Chansey and stops it recovering on you, although SubSeed variants can usually cheese their way past it anyway.
Metagross @ Assault Vest
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Atk / 96 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Pursuit
- Meteor Mash
- Bullet Punch
- Earthquake
These three pair pretty well together imo. Mega Diancie helps take care of things Metagross and Keldeo hate/are annoyed by, such as Talonflame (unless it carries Steel Wing), non-scarf Keldeo, Mega Charizard Y, and Dragonite. Assault Vest Metagross assists Diancie in taking care of fairies such as Clefable, and functions as a Mega Venusaur check. It also provides as a Pursuit trapper, helping Diancie take care of the Latis so Keldeo can go wild. Finally, Keldeo patches up some of the core's biggest issues, namely bulky grounds and Bisharp, due to Metagross just getting completely owned by both of those, and Diancie's lack of an ability to switch in to Bisharp. Generally, the core is weak to Serperior and other grass-types, so Talonflame makes for a good partner. This core also despises bulky water types, so Serperior can make for a decent partner, while also helping against fat teams. As for Keldeo's item, it depends on what your team needs. If you need a revenge killer, than the Choice Scarf is your best friend, but if you already have a revenge killer, then Choice Specs or Life Orb is the way to go.
