DOU Effective Cores

[Platinum God n1n1]

Hoopa-Unbound @ Maranga Berry
Ability: Magician
EVs: 100 Atk / 252 SpA / 156 Spe
Mild Nature
- Hyperspace Hole
- Hyperspace Fury
- Energy Ball/Thunderbolt
- Protect

100 attack allows you a guaranteed 2HKO on a Bold Max Def, Max HP Cress. I prefer Energy Ball over Thunderbolt to take out Rotom Wash but Thunderbolt can work if you need Electric typing since Ludicolo gives you a grass attack. Its best to have an item that gets used quickly so Hoopa can take advantage of its ability to steal the opponents item when it is not holding one. After eating Maranga Berry Hoopa becomes an incredible SpD tank. Physical moves will OHKO you but a fake out from Ludicolo will give you an extra move against a physical attacker before needing to switch out.

Weezing @ Black Sludge
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Toxic
- Will-O-Wisp
- Sludge Bomb
- Protect

Weezing is a defensive tank primary used for Will-o-Wisping Kang, Lando, ect. He also is a safe switch for Hoopa. Toxic can be switched for Fire Blast or Taunt.

Ludicolo @ Assault Vest
Ability: Own Tempo
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
Modest Nature
- Fake Out
- Giga Drain/Energy Ball
- Scald/Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam

Ludicolo supports Hoopa with fake out and is here for coverage.


This core needs a Steel type, Jirachi and/or Heatran to deal with Sylveon.

 

[megacyber]

Uh sorry to burst your bubble, but Weezing isnt a very good mon in general, and Ludicolo is pretty bad outside of rain. Ludicolo has very little power behind its moves, and is only good on rain because it outspeeds the entire meta under rain. In addition, Weezing isnt really a great check to Lando and Kang. It gets the job done, sure, but its special defense leaves a lot to be desired in this primarily specially based meta. It also has troubles mustering up some sort of offensive presence, with mediocre 85/90 attacking stats. Overall, Hoopa does better with partners that are more offensive, or partners that can set up Tailwind or Trick Room.

 

[Platinum God n1n1]

Weezing is just for support and does it's role pretty well. But I see your point, it's low SpD means it cant deal with SpA well and is crap offensively. But I do really like that it has levitate so there is no ground weakness.
But Ludicolo is still pretty awesome outside of rain. It probably makes the best use of assault vest out of any pokemon. Or you could go with Life Orb for more damage. But I like Assault vest because Ludicolo can switch into a lot of threats easily because of its typing

 

[Pastelle]

Heys guys lets get a cool core up in here

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Diancie @ Diancite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 208 Atk / 48 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Moonblast
- Diamond Storm
- Earth Power
- Protect

Volcarona @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 160 HP / 16 Def / 148 SpA / 184 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Heat Wave
- Bug Buzz / Giga Drain
- Quiver Dance / Rage Powder
- Protect

This was one of my favorite cores back in the Skymin meta, and even though I haven't tried it now, I'm sure it would still work effectively. Basically Volcarona sets up and both kills and resists bulky Steel-types and Grass-types for Diancie, while Diancie in return takes care of any opposing Flying-types for Volcarona. What Volcarona you use is up to you. I prefer bulky Quiver Dance with Bug Buzz, but the Rage Powder set or Giga Drain would also work here. I stole the EVs from the Quiver Dance set on the SmogDex. It survives Mega Kangaskhan's Return and a rain-boosted Hydro Pump from Ludicolo after one QD. The speed beats Adamant Banded Landorus-T after one boost. The rest is in special attack. Obviously both of these mons share a weakness of Water, so a good water resist or an Electric-type like Thundurus and Zapdos works well with this core.

 

[SpaceBass]

Ok this is all up to date again sorry for delays.

 

[xzern]

Hide

Serperior @ Life Orb
Ability: Contrary
EVs: 16 HP / 252 SpA / 240 Spe
Timid Nature
- Leaf Storm
- Dragon Pulse
- Hidden Power [Rock]
- Protect

Talonflame @ Life Orb
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naughty Nature
- Brave Bird
- Overheat
- Taunt
- Protect

Keldeo-Resolute @ Life Orb
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Secret Sword
- Quick Guard
- Protect

a strong hyperoffensive fwg core. I've seen serperior be referred to as a "budget skymin" in cases like these, but i feel like serperior deserves more than that. While having very little initial power, it can be very threatening if played correctly. For the core, it gets rid of mega diancie and water types like azumarill and rotom. Keldeo backs up serperior really well by killing heatran and anything else that serperior cant do enough damage to, like mega kangaskhan. It also provides quick guard support, letting serperior stand its ground against opposing talonflame. Talonflame ties up the core really nicely by beating grass types like amoonguss and steels like aegislash. The core needs support against thundurus and talonflame, so it pairs well with either mega diancie or landorus-therian. Support against dragons is pretty important too, so steels such as aegislash or fairies like mega diancie or sylveon complement this core nicely also.

 

[SpaceBass]

Trapping on a sun team (and weather teams in general) is valuable, and isn't often seen due to Mega Gengar taking up the mega slot that you'd use for Charizard-Y (lol ninetales). Waging weather wars is all well and good, but trapping Politoed (or even megasnow) in, bringing sun and removing them altogether is great. 252 HP / 4 SpD Politoed gets OHKO'd by Solarbeam 18.8% of time time or something, easily chipped off or finished off by Goth. Access to Trick Room also helps Charizard by letting it run Modest or a bulky set. The 3rd slot on Goth can either be Tickle, to act as a pseudo Intimidate and patch up Zards weak def stat and soften things up for a physical attacker to come in, and works well in combination with Psyshock, something like Heal Pulse to support the rest of the team, or Fake Tears to let Zard just destroy stuff. This core likes bulky Landorus-T, as the drops from Tickle can make up for bulky Lando's slight lack of attack power, and a slower U-Turn into Zard gets it in safe with the Intimidate padding. Also a strong Electric type is good here too as Lando-T / strong electric paired with Shadow Tag can make Zard's life alot easier.

Sets

NO SOUP FOR YOU (Gothitelle) @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Shadow Tag
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Trick Room
- Psychic / Psyshock
- Tickle / Heal Pulse / Fake Tears
- Protect

Hot Shit (Charizard) @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 148 HP / 252 SpA / 108 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Heat Wave
- Solar Beam
- Overheat / Hidden Power [Ground], Focus Blast
- Protect

 

[Yoda2798]

Scrafty + Cresselia

Scrafty @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 232 HP / 252 Atk / 24 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Fake Out
- Knock Off
- Drain Punch
- Stone Edge / Ice Punch / Iron Head

Cresselia @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Psyshock
- Calm Mind
- Moonlight
- Trick Room

Pretty standard full Trick Room core, Scrafty provides vital Fake Out utility while Cresselia provides a bulky Trick Room setter. Life Orb Scrafty does actual damage compared to Assault Vest, but you can still use that if you want. Standard Scrafty moveset with whatever last move your team needs, and standard CM Cress set. Other than just providing FO support, Scrafty can also beat down Steel-types such as Aegislash and Heatran that Cresselia struggle against. This core is overall pretty solid, but appreciates partners such as Heatran and Aegislash to help against Fairy-types and Talonflame.

Double Genie

Landorus-Therian @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- U-turn
- Superpower

Thundurus @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 84 Def / 16 SpA / 128 SpD / 28 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Thunder Wave
- Taunt

Double genie OP. (Credits to Kylecole posting this core first but with funkier sets). Both Landorus-T and Thundurus are great threats in the metagame, but can combine to create an even more potent duo through paraflinch good offensive synergy. Scarf Landorus-T checks a lot in the metagame, with Intimidate also helping out Thundurus defensively. Thundy can check the stuff that annoys Lando-T, such as opposing Landorus-T, Keldeo (especially if running offensive), Amoonguss, and (Wide Guard) Aegislash. Bulky Thundurus is the easier to use and more common set, but max speed offensive has large merits and is definitely an option depending on the team. This core is very splashable, but does appreciate some support in the form of things such as an Ice-type resist, and a partner which can do well against TR if it gets set-up; an example of this is Aegislash or Heatran. Although Thundurus does have priority Thunder-Wave, this core can struggle against rain teams as it doesn't freely switch in, meaning partners such as Kyurem-B or Hydreigon work well, with Hydreigon adding a Fire-type resist as well.

Mega Kangaskhan + Amoonguss

Kangaskhan @ Kangaskhanite
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Fake Out
- Return
- Power-Up Punch
- Sucker Punch

Amoonguss @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 184 Def / 72 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Giga Drain
- Rage Powder
- Spore
- Protect

A +2 Mega Kangaskhan is terrifying to face, and Amoonguss supports it greatly. Amoonguss helps Mega Kang against many of it's checks, such as Keldeo, Mega Diancie, Aegislash, and Landorus-T. Mega Kangaskhan should run its standard PuP set with either ability, same with Amoonguss and its general support set, although EVs can be tweaked depending on your needs or preference. Some Pokemon which do give trouble to this core are Safety Goggles users (in particular Jirachi and Togekiss) and Grass-types (Venusaur, Ludicolo) for their ability to ignore Amoon; Aegislash (which could be Substitute or Goggles), Taunt Keldeo, spread users such as Landorus-T, Mega Charizard-Y, and Heatran, and also Talonflame. However, some of these checks such as the spread move users are dependent on how much Kang has already set up when they come out. Landorus-T is a fantastic partner for the above reasons, with Talonflame and Thundurus also being great as well.

Mega Gardevoir + Infernape / Blaziken

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Gardevoir @ Gardevoirite
Ability: Trace
EVs: 148 Def / 252 SpA / 108 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast / Substitute / Ally Switch
- Protect

Infernape @ Life Orb
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 36 Atk / 220 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Overheat
- Close Combat
- Fake Out
- Encore / Protect

Blaziken @ Life Orb
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 168 Atk / 88 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Overheat
- Superpower
- Hidden Power [Ice] / Stone Edge
- Protect

Mega Gardevoir is a massive threat in the metagame boasting a spread Hyper Voice which hits like a truck. However, it faces massive problems against Pokemon such as Aegislash, Heatran, and to a lesser extent Mega Kangaskhan. With their Fire / Fighting typing, Infernape and Blaziken can both OHKO these threats to help Garde out. This is a bulkyish Garde spread which outspeeds base 70s but use whichever one you want. The third move is also up for grabs, but for Substitute this really appreciates Infernapes FO support since it can give vital opportunities to sub up. Standard movesets and spreads on Nape and Blaze to maximize speed and get the KOs. HP Ice or Stone Edge on Blaze depends on whether the team is more weak too Lando-T or to Char-Y. Both Variations of this core are very weak to Talonflame, while struggling a bit against mons such as Keldeo, Mega Diancie, and Mega Metagross (less so if using Blaziken). This core also isn't the most strong defensively, so bulky Water-type partners such as Suicune or Rotom-W make great additions.

 

[AuraRayquaza]

Yoda2798 make sure you change infernapes moveset. It currently has 2 overheats

 

[Checkmater]

courtesy of the sexiest global voice Hashtag who was too lazy to post this but I wanted the set so I went to his team he posted so now that I have it on cntrl c might as fucking well post it here

Azumarill @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Belly Drum
- Protect

Raichu @ Air Balloon
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Fake Out
- Volt Switch
- Encore
- Feint

Jirachi @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 164 SpD / 92 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Follow Me
- Icy Wind
- Iron Head
- Protect

So this core is an extremely powerful core that's proven itself pretty well. The triad supports azumarill in setting up and sweeping, raichu is fake out support and redirection, while also being a great pivot and bringing in rachi which redirects and it good enough for tier 1 so fuck the haters. It's also great in terms of typing with azumarill, poison immunity grass resist steel resist while azumarill has fire resist and fucks ground types.

 

[derivations]

Am here to confirm the core is decent but what the shit is that raichu set o_o

 

[Checkmater]

what would you use instead lol there's nothing wrong with the set @.@

like if you want twave go ahead

 

[derivations]

I wouldn't use Feint+Encore Raichu, you need Protect a lot to utilize one more effectively, having both doesn't work the same way (sure, it doesn't seem to mesh well with Fake Out on there already, but Raichu is one of a few that can get away with it imo).
Thunderbolt>Volt Switch is a nice option (not necessarily better, but it actually deals damage).
Focus Sash>Air Balloon is actually a swell set. Means you just invest completely in SpA making Thunderbolt/Volt Switch actually deal damage, and not wasting it on its rather low bulk.

Not relating to the Raichu at all, what does the Jirachi outspeed? It hits a good 92 speed, but it doesn't reach anything I know of, is that like a huge creep or did you invest in bulk first then dump into speed?

 

[Checkmater]

feint and encore do two very different things

volt switch because you're pivoting

air balloon forces the landot lock


Jirachi is the one in ev spread compendium, hits hoopa-u or just +natured base 80s

 

[derivations]

feint and encore do two very different things

so do taunt and quick guard on keldeo/terrakion/virizion, they're both good options but you don't drop protect to have both

 

[Checkmater]

This analogy isn't accurate at all. Raichu is not comparable to Keldeo or Terrakion. The added utility outweighs the loss of protect (see gengar) , and also having fake out allows you to do without protect (see scrafty or kang).

 

[Yoda2798]

Heatran + Amoonguss

Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 56 HP / 252 SpA / 200 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Heat Wave
- Earth Power
- Substitute
- Protect

Amoonguss @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 184 Def / 72 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 0 Spe
- Giga Drain
- Rage Powder
- Spore
- Protect

Part of the infamous CHALK, Heatran and Amoonguss form a strong core that fits on many teams. Standard sets, Heatran can be Safety Goggles and perform the same role. Heatran and Amoonguss have great defensive synergy, with Amoonguss covering Pokemon such as Keldeo, Landorus-T, Rotom-W, Mega Kangaskhan, and Terrakion. On the flip side, Heatran deals with Pokemon such as Aegislash, opposing Amoonguss, Mega Charizard-Y, Cresselia, Latios, and Talonflame. However, the main reason to use this core is how fantastically it counters full Trick Room, with most teams struggling to find answers to this combination. If you want to go for TR option of your own, Cresselia is a great partner (if you go this route then put min Speed on Heatran). This core is also weak to Hoopa-U and Kyurem-B, making Pokemon such as Keldeo, Sylveon and Mega Gardevoir also great additions.

Mega Gardevoir + Hoopa-U

Gardevoir @ Gardevoirite
Ability: Trace
EVs: 240 Def / 252 SpA / 16 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock
- Substitute / Ally Switch / Focus Blast
- Protect

Hoopa-Unbound @ Life Orb
Ability: Magician
EVs: 128 Atk / 140 SpA / 240 Spe
Mild Nature
IVs: 29 HP
- Hyperspace Fury
- Hyperspace Hole
- Substitute / Ally Switch / Drain Punch
- Protect

Only a few Pokemon can safely switch in to one of Mega Gardevoir's Hyper Voices, being Aegislash, Heatran and Jirachi. However, they all share a common weakness to Hoopa-U, who can hit them hard and stop opponents from trying to Protect themselves against one of Mega Gardevoir's powerful attacks. Mega Gardevoir takes care of the Dark-types such as Hydreigon which normally pose problems to Hoopa-U. The Mega Gardevoir spread could probably be more optimized, but currently it outspeeds neutral nature base 70s, with the reasoning being that it underspeeds Hoopa-U, so that it can OHKO Aegislash and break Wide Guard (s/o to kamikaze for the idea). Hoopa-U's spread could also be changed, and currently OHKOs Aegislash and Amoonguss, while outspeeding Heatran (29 HP IVs minimize Life Orb recoil). Substitute and Ally Switch both help against priority moves, in particular Sucker Punch, while Fighting-type coverage helps Mega Gardevoir against Heatran, and Hoopa-U against Dark-types. Since this core needs speed control to perform optimally, bulky Tailwind users such as Zapdos and Suicune make great additions, and also beat Talonflame, which is a threat to both these Pokemon. Otherwise, Intimidate users such as Landorus-T and Gyarados help the core against physical attackers in general, helping against Pokemon such as Talonflame, Mega Diancie, and Mega Kangaskhan which are massive threats.

Beat Up

Terrakion @ Lum Berry
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Rock Slide
- Close Combat
- Earthquake / Quick Guard
- Protect

Whimsicott @ Focus Sash
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Beat Up
- Tailwind
- Taunt / Encore
- Protect

A deadly duo that players dread facing, Beat Up is frowned upon as a gimmick by many, but is just consistent enough warrant some use. The idea is simple: use Beat Up on Terrakion to boost it to +6, set Tailwind, then sweep. This core is weak to certain Pokemon, (Wide Guard) Aegislash being the major one. Problems are also posed by priority users such as Talonflame, which can also set Tailwind, however Adamant Talonflame is slower than Jolly Whimsicott if you need to Taunt or Encore it. Trick Room can also cause trouble, as it removes the vital Speed of this core, with Cresselia even being bulky enough to eat a +6 Rock Slide even before spread reduction. For these reasons, Pokemon such as Mega Charizard Y, Gyarados, and Rotom-H can make good partners. A good TerraCott team should still work well regardless of whether you can setup and use Terrakion, while being able to support it as well.

 

[Heliosan]

Alright let's get some more strong cores in here

MEGAGROSS IS SHIT (Diancie) @ Diancite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpA
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Diamond Storm
- Moonblast
- Trick Room
- Protect

Roseli Berry (Scrafty) @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Drain Punch
- Knock Off
- High Jump Kick
- Fake Out

Minspeed base 110 for trick room.
Alright before everyone shits on me let me explain.

Mega Diancie can't be taunted or spore'd, two of setters' (especially secondary setters) biggest weaknesses. In its unmega form it has excellent bulk (see Stratos' normal diancie setter for reference). If you use another potential mega, then it can be incredibly difficult for your opponent to be able to tell what the fuck your team is, potentially giving you good leads / their mispredictions turn 1. 208 speed is enough to minspeed all the relevant meta threats except amoonguss (which you aren't going to be minspeeding anyways) and I guess sylveon.

I think the strongest aspect of this core is its surprise factor. Many people will just double tect cuz they don't expect a diancie to be setting any field conditions.
In addition, timing your mega-evolve rather than just auto-evolving first turn allows you to take advantage of your bulk AND your offensive capabilities, along with potentially bouncing a burn/taunt.

Incoming "Check you're batshit crazy"

Oh another thing to note is that you will be minspeeding your own Scrafty in non-mega form which means you need to watch out for proc'ing sitrus berry with diamond storm before using knock off.

What do you think of Super Fang over High Jump Kick / Drain Punch on Scrafty? I am not sure how much you really need that risky move and since Scrafty attacks before Diancie, Super Fang can chunk a lot of really fat Pokemon into Diamond Storm KO range or an ally's KO range.

 

[Checkmater]

it's been ages since I tried to build around this core, sorry fren can't really answer that question for you/test it for you. In general I think there's little reason to use super fang scrafty since it already have super good coverage on everything and there's no "really fat pokemon" in this meta imo. It could be an interesting anti-burn measure though, which I never thought about.

 

[AuraRayquaza]

Hide

Terrakion @ Focus Sash
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Rock Slide
- Quick Guard
- Protect

Hoopa-Unbound @ Life Orb
Ability: Magician
EVs: 252 Atk / 140 SpA / 116 Spe
Rash Nature
- Hyperspace Fury
- Hyperspace Hole
- Gunk Shot
- Protect

Latios @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Hidden Power [Ground]
- Protect

I really enjoy this core. I first decided to pair terrakion with hoopa u because terrakion beats dark types for hoopa. It also beats kangaskhan and has quick guard for pokes like talonflame and azumarill. Hoopa beats all sets aegislash can run and can ohko amoonguss. It also hits fairies (not diancie/mega gard) hard with gunk shot too. Latios beats keldeo and is another way to beat amoonguss. It hits bulky waters hard too with draco meteor. Hoopa supports this by beating aegislash as well as terrakion beating dark types. This core needs speed control and resists to fairy types, so pokes like aegislash and thundurus work well with it

 

[Platinum God n1n1]

Diancie @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 192 HP / 108 Atk / 208 SpA
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Diamond Storm
- Moonblast
- Trick Room
- Protect

Hoopa-Unbound @ Life Orb
Ability: Magician
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpA
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Hyperspace Fury
- Hyperspace Hole
- Drain Punch / Trick Room / Gunk Shot
- Protect

My favorite guys to use in trick room right now. I really like Hoopa's ability to break protection so they cant stall out trick room. Weakness policy diance is obviously super strong so these guys can sweep no problem. Pokemon that give diance problems like Jirachi and Aegishlash get easily taken care of by Hoopa. You need life orb or expert belt to take out an aegislash, sitrus berry or another item that does not boost its attack will not guarantee a OHKO. Both these pokemon benefit from redirection, I like Jirachi because it also can set TR and flinches. This core, along with a Jirachi, need to watch out for ground moves, particular Earthquake, Hoopa can deal with earth power but physical attacks will destroy it. Also I prefer drain punch on Hoopa because it can recoup life orb damage. And with Jirachi doing iron head, a Gunk Shot on Hoop isnt required for fairies. I guess I should have added Jirachi to this core, I took the typical build but moved the speed into SpD and Def. So good teammates for these guys will take out Lando and other EQ users, and fake out helps to set up TR. Just watch out for slower TR pokemon.

 

[Derivatives]

Really cool manual rain core, I've been using it on lots of teams lately.

The Core

Thundurus @ Damp Rock / Sitrus Berry
Ability: Prankster
EVs: whatever
whatever Nature
- Thunderbolt / Thunder
- Protect / Taunt / Hidden Power Ice
- Rain Dance
- Protect / Taunt / Hidden Power Ice

Ludicolo @ Life Orb
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Giga Drain
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Fake Out

I didn't include a spread for Thundurus because that changes with the surrounding Pokemon. I usually, though, EV for Mega Diancie Diamond Storm, because that's fucking annoying.

The cool thing about this core is what it is itself: manual rain. Rain itself is kind of a difficult pick because Politoed isn't that great, and it generally just sits there without providing much to the team, as once Rain is up it's pretty much just a crippled and far worse version of its most famous partner Ludicolo (which is utilized in this core). One thing that Stratos as well as a few others have mentioned in the past is that it's better to make that slot not be something that is just a copy/paste of another Pokemon with Rain Dance, and Thundurus gets to do just this. Not one thing on the team should be similar to the Thundurus, which is pretty simple because, on Rain, you will often see yourself spam water types, not electric types. Having Prankster Rain Dance over the ability Drizzle is far better imo because Rain Dance catches things like Mega Charizard Y by setting it up the same turn Charizard gets Drought. Ludicolo is by far the best Pokemon on a Rain team in general not only because of it 2HKOing bulky Waters (252+ SpA Life Orb Ludicolo Giga Drain vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Jellicent: 190-226 (47 - 55.9%) :^]), or because it outright beats all relevant non Kyurem-Black Dragons, but it gives Rain what it needs in strong and powerful Hydro Pumps with Swift Swim. Fake Out also helps a lot in setting up Rain against lots of things, and is just generally really good. The core does need a bit of help from Mega Kangaskhan, Ferrothorn, and Kyurem-B; a few things that this core enjoys as partners are dragons not named Kyurem-B.

 

[Stratos]

i have class soon but this post is reserved for bisharp + talon

 

[Roxer]

I'm surprised a few very good cores haven't come up yet so here they are

Keldeo + Bisharp

Mercury (Bisharp) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head
- Protect

Neptune (Keldeo-Resolute) @ Life Orb
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Scald
- Secret Sword
- Quick Guard
- Protect

Good overall core that can deal with a lot of threats at once, Bisharp covers Ghosts, Fairies and Rock types while providing strong priority whilst Keldeo beats Steels, Fire and Kangaskhan. They don't really directly support each other but they together deal with a wide range of threats and that makes it a good core.

Keldeo + Thundurus

C9 Incarnati0n (Thundurus) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 244 HP / 108 Def / 64 SpA / 72 SpD / 20 Spe
Calm Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Taunt

C9 Sneaky (Keldeo-Resolute) @ Life Orb
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Secret Sword
- Scald
- Quick Guard
- Protect

A good balanced core, Thundurus can shut down Amoonguss with Taunt, beat Talonflame and hurt bulky Waters, while Keldeo beats Rock spammers, Steel, Ice and Kangaskhan.

Charizard-Y + Landorus-T

Sagittarius (Charizard-Mega-Y) @ Charizardite Y
Ability: Drought
EVs: 252 HP / 64 Def / 88 SpA / 104 Spe
Modest Nature
- Heat Wave
- Solar Beam
- Flamethrower
- Protect

Capricorn (Landorus-Therian) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- U-turn
- Superpower
This is a good example of two mons that support each other well, Landorus-T can freely spam Earthquake to beat Rock and Electric types, destroy Heatran, snipe Thundurus with Stone Edge and have a chance to OHKO Kangaskhan and chunk Kyurem-Black, while in turn, Charizard-Y can finish Kyurem-Black off, chunk out bulky waters, beat Grasses that trouble Lando-T and is, in general, a great attacker. This core is also great if you want to spam spread moves.

Kyurem-B + Aegislash

Kyurem-Black @ Leftovers
Ability: Teravolt
EVs: 180 HP / 252 SpA / 76 Spe
Modest Nature
- Ice Beam
- Earth Power
- Substitute
- Protect

Aegislash @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Stance Change
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
Quiet Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Shadow Ball
- Flash Cannon
- Wide Guard
- King's Shield
While at first this core may not look much, they actually do great together. Kyurem-Black beats out FWG cores, which give Aegislash a lot of trouble, while also keeping big threats such as Landorus-T out of the field in fear of an Ice Beam, while Aegislash can beat Rock spammers, Fighting types and Kangaskhan can't really touch him without trigerring Weakness Policy and getting killed. The big flaw that this core has is that it's weak to Charizard-Y, as he can spam Heat Wave and leave mostly unscathed, Wide Guard does stop that threat, but the Charizard player can just use Overheat to OHKO Aegislash.

edit: do you guys live under a rock or something where are all the staple doubles cores rofl, i'm adding a few more which i believe are staple, you guys do the rest.

Azumarill + Amoonguss

Azumarill @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Play Rough
- Belly Drum
- Protect

Amoonguss @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Effect Spore
EVs: 252 HP / 184 Def / 72 SpD
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Rage Powder
- Spore
- Giga Drain
- Protect

Amoonguss can use sleep and redirection to help Azumarill setup Belly Drum and sweep, whilst Azumarill can donk Fire types that would otherwise donk Amoonguss. This core is not perfect and a proper team should be built around it to support Azumarill setting up and keeping Amoonguss alive to redirect for him.

Kangaskhan-Mega + Sylveon

HOW DID YOU GUYS MISS THIS ONE ROFL
Kangaskhan-Mega @ Kangaskhanite
Ability: Parental Bond
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Fake Out
- Return
- Power-Up Punch
- Sucker Punch

Sylveon @ Choice Specs
Ability: Pixilate
EVs: 56 HP / 200 Def / 252 SpA
Quiet Nature
IVs: 30 SpA / 30 SpD / 0 Spe
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Ground]

These two mons when combined together form an insane offensive powerhouse, Kangaskhan can 2HKO most Steels that trouble Sylveon with Power-Up Punch and Sylveon honestly can nuke most with HP Ground (Heatran), while in turn Sylveon keeps Fightinh types from switching in reliably. This core screams "kill or be killed" more than any other, as all it can really do is kill stuff before they get killed (no shit), and that is not really a hard task when you take in account how hard Kangaskhan and Sylveon can hit alone, their damage combined is sometimes enough to win a game on its own.

Terrakion + Deoxys-Attack

Terrakion @ Focus Sash
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Rock Slide
- Quick Guard
- Protect

Deoxys-Attack @ Focus Sash
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Psycho Boost
- Ice Beam
- Extreme Speed
- Protect

This core is a very good lead and they cover each other offensively pretty well, Terrakion can stop priority with Quick Guard and beat most users that run any strong priority (Think Kangaskhan Sucker Punch, Talonflame and Bisharp), while in turn Deoxys-Attack can outspeed and kill SCARF Landorus-T with Ice Beam and nuking everything else with Psycho Boost, the 3rd slot is team dependent, I've seen people run all sorts of things, from Dark Pulse to Superpower, most is viable, it depends on your team.

edit2: more cores i just remembered, won't be bothered to add more.

Rotom-W + Talonflame

Rotom-Wash @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 100 Def / 116 SpA / 40 SpD
Modest Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Thunderbolt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Protect

Talonflame @ Life Orb
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- Tailwind
- Protect

Talonflame supports Rotom-W pretty well, and the reciprocate is also true. Talonflame beats Grass types and most Pokemon that can give Rotom trouble, while in turn Rotom-W can beat most things that give Tflame trouble, such as Heatran and Landorus-T. This core has a few weaknesses to specific Pokemon, but it can do well versus most thing. On the Tailwind slot on Tflame, you can use Swords Dance so you can OHKO everything and make Rotom-W able to spam WoW and Tbolts freely.

Diancie Mega + Talonflame

Diancie-Mega @ Diancite
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 208 Atk / 48 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Diamond Storm
- Moonblast
- Earth Power
- Protect

Talonflame @ Life Orb
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- Tailwind
- Protect

Talonflame beats Steel and Grass types, all of which trouble Mega Diancie, while in turn Mega Diancie can dick on Electric and Fire types that trouble Tflame, it can also take a hit from Kangaskhan. While defensively they together don't do much, offensively they can do a ton. Landorus and Rotom-W absolutely dick on this core though.

Landorus-T + Latios

Landorus-Therian (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- U-turn
- Superpower

Latios (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 30 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Tailwind
- Protect

Not really a staple but one of my faves in general. Landorus-T beats everything that might give Latios trouble (except bisharp fuck that), while Latios can make full use of the threat of free EQ spamming Landorus-T by nuking stuff with Draco Meteor and dealing a ton with Psyshock. Bisharp and maybe Wide Guard Aegislash are the only things that really beat this core, and it is great on balanced offense teams, which do pretty well against both of those.

 

[talkingtree]

Let's get a few cores with lesser-used pokemon in here, shall we?

Genesect + Mega Diancie

Genesect @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Download
EVs: 252 Atk / 64 SpA / 192 Spe
Naive Nature
- U-turn
- Ice Beam
- Iron Head
- Explosion / Thunderbolt

Diancie-Mega @ Diancite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 208 Atk / 48 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Diamond Storm
- Earth Power
- Moonblast
- Protect

Nice Hyper-Offensive core that cover each other's threats well. Most obvious is Landorus-T, which normally ruins Diancie's day but with Genesect around, gets scared out by scarf Ice Beam. Genesect also takes care of opposing Mega Diancie, Grass-types, and potentially water-types if Thunderbolt is run over Explosion. Explosion provides tons of spread damage to the opponent, opening up the possibility for Diancie to clean up. In exchange, Diancie takes care of Fighting- and Fire-types that force out Genesect like Keldeo, Heatran, and Mega Charizard-Y. The core struggles with water-types like Suicune if Genesect is running Explosion like it usually should, and also with some steel types that don't mind taking one Mega Diancie Earth Power, like Aegislash and Ferrothorn. So keep that in mind when building around the core.

Mega Gardevoir + Landorus-I

Gardevoir-Mega @ Gardevoirite
Ability: Trace
EVs: 72 HP / 108 Def / 220 SpA / 108 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hyper Voice
- Psychic
- Substitute / Focus Blast / Hidden Power [Ground]
- Protect

Landorus @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Earth Power
- Sludge Bomb
- Rock Slide / Focus Blast / Hidden Power [Ice]
- Protect

Mega Gardevoir hates Steel-types, Landorus-I decimates Steel-types. Basically this core breaks down each others walls, with Landorus removing Heatran, Mega Charizard-Y, opposing Fairy-types, Mega Kangaskhan, and Aegislash for Gardevoir. Of course, this depends on its chosen coverage moves, which can also include Grass Knot, Psychic, or HP Fire, depending on what the team needs. Gardevoir helps out Landorus by removing Keldeo, Amoonguss, and Dragon-types. Gardevoir can also afford to run Psychic over Psyshock, since Landorus takes care of Sylveon and Mega Charizard Y. Landorus is max/max for the most fast wallbreaking power, and my personal favorite Mega Gardevoir spread outruns base 70s like Bisharp and Breloom, survives a LO Talonflame BB as well as Quiet Aegislash's Flash Cannon or Shadow Ball, with the rest dumped into SpA. The core in general is very adaptable to whatever the team needs covered, in both moves and EVs.

Also, I have no idea how this isn't here yet

Thundurus-I + Heatran

Thundurus @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 120 Def / 40 SpA / 72 SpD / 24 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Thunder Wave
- Taunt
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 56 HP / 252 SpA / 200 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Heat Wave
- Earth Power
- Substitute
- Protect

Skill-wave + Subtran is a potent wincon that all teams should prepare for. Thundurus-I runs bulk to be able to paralyze as much of the team as possible, removing Landorus-T and Water-types along the way. Heatran sets up substitute and cleans from safety, throwing out powerful Heat Waves to roast the opposing team. Thundurus acts more commonly early to mid-game, paralyzing faster threats to slow them down or hopefully immobilize them, using taunt to prevent field conditions, status, and gimmicks, and attacking when it needs to. Heatran acts best as a late-game cleaner, benefitting from the work that bulky Thundy puts in previously by being able to set up Substitutes on weakened foes and finish them off. The given Thundurus spread is one Hashtag suggested to me a while ago that I've stuck to. It creeps base 70s, survives Adamant Kangaskhan Return and LO Latios Draco Meteor, with the rest in SpA. These could be adjusted to survive a Mega Diancie Diamond Storm, but without Flash Cannon it's not going to be doing too much in return anyway. Heatran outspeeds base 70s, maxes out SpA, and dumps the rest into HP for bigger substitutes. It also underspeeds Thundurus by one point, so if the two are out together, Thundurus can finish off one of the foes to strengthen Heatran's Heat Wave by removing the spread deduction.