Good Cores (ORAS)

[henry]

thanks to anundeaboy for picture​

Effective cores are very important in competitive Pokemon, and any good player uses them, intentionally or not. Defensive cores rely on covering a lot of attacking types and common threats within the core, while also offering team support, so that the core is useful even when walled. On the other hand, offensive cores still like having the common attacking types covered between its members, but offensive synergy is most important. Be it one member of the core attracting Pokemon that another member can easily switch into and force out, one member luring and weakening the checks and counters of another, or one member being able to beat the Pokemon that the other can't, those are the characteristics that are wanted from a good offensive core. Finally, there are mixed or balanced cores, as well as support and pivoting cores, which blend in into offensive and defensive cores. Support or pivoting elements in cores aim to either provide easier switch-in and set up chances to offensive Pokemon, or help to wall and stall out the opponent in the case of defensive cores.

Noticed that a lot of cores from old thread are obsolete with introduction of new megas. Also, the thread in the normal OU forum has some pretty mediocre cores that were accepted. For now, I'll just steal the ones I think are good and add some of my own after, as well as obviously including what people post here.


Offensive Cores

Rotom-w+Landorus+ Greninja

Ok so the reason why Im posting this is because 1). It is extremely effective in the Metagame, and 2). This is a core that has been battle-hardened since the days of BW (with ninja being replaced by something else, ofc). Anyways, the whole point of this core is for Lando and Rotom to provide VoltTurn support to get Greninja into the battle safely, seeing as he has the defenses of a wet paper bag. Once inside though, hes a threat. As we all know, Greninja got a gem in ORAS in the form of Gunk Shot, which turned his former Fairy-type checks into liabilities. Aside from that, Greninja also has STAB everything to wreck havoc on opposing teams. The roles of Lando and Rotom boil down to switching into things that Greninja cant kill, and getting Greninja in safely. Its really self explanatory and this core just plays itself once you get a feel for it.

Additionally, good ways to use this are on offensively oriented balance teams and bulky offense teams, as the VoltTurn core provided by Rotom and Lando help to preserve momentum throughout the match. Also, Greninja can really be replaced with any hard hitter, like Mega Gardevoir or Mega Gallade, but I chose Greninja specifically because it doesnt tie you down to a specific Mega and is still a very potent threat in today's metagame.

Usual sets

Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Will-O-Wisp
- Hydro Pump
- Pain Split

Landorus-Therian (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 32 Def / 224 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Knock Off

OR

Landorus-Therian (M) @ Lefotvers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 40 Spe
Impish Nature
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Stealth Rock

Greninja @ Life Orb
Ability: Protean
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Gunk Shot
- Dark Pulse
- Ice Beam
- Spikes

Mega Metagross+ Talonflame+Dugtrio

The basic premise of this core is that Metagross and Talonflame both hate Heatran, even with the Hammer Arm on Gross which is w/e good coverage and all that. Dugtrio traps Heatran nicely so both of these (AgiliGross + Jolly SD Talon btw) can go to town. It also traps TTar for Talon which is nice because Talonflame kinda hates TTar, and potentially trapping the likes of Greninja on a revenge kill, Mega Diancie (another annoying Talon check), Bisharp (revenges Metagross with Sucker Punch and causes annoying mindgames with Talon), Jirachi (checks Metagross tanking its STABs and having annoying Body Slam paras plus the potential Fire Punch), and Magnezone (for obvious reasons) are all pretty great reasons to use Dugtrio with these two Pokemon. Obviously needs Defog support, but overall this can be a pretty devastating offensive core with Speed, power, and crucial trapping to take out some of these mons checks. I don't have many good replays because I usually don't say them, but I have this game against ABR which kinda showcases Dugtrio and how this core can work effectively.

The Metagross doesn't have to be Agility, I was just kinda intrigued by the ability to outspeed all the revenge killers and potentially smash through a lot of teams. Also gives it a bit more license to run Hammer Arm which is nice bc Ferro is annoying.

Usual Sets

Metagross @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Zen Headbutt
- Hammer Arm
- Agility / Ice Punch

Dugtrio @ Focus Sash
Ability: Arena Trap
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 21 HP / 0 Def / 0 SpD
- Earthquake
- Reversal
- Memento
- Stealth Rock

Talonflame @ Sharp Beak
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- Roost

Mega-Sceptile+Heatran+Greninja

This FWG core is really cool and works very well, can absolutely rip through HO. Basically this core is extremely solid vs all team archetypes as greninja + sceptile is very strong vs ho and bulky offense, then theres taunt tran to deal with stall and more bulky teams in general. what i did with this core was backing it up with a voltturn core + spikes to have an easier time vs bulkier teams as heatran usually won't be enough to basically shut these kind off teams down. roar heatran is utilized so subdd mence won't setup on it as well as other DDers, while also having the ability to shuffle up hazard damage.

Usual Sets

Sceptile @ Sceptilite
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 72 HP / 252 SpA / 184 Spe
Timid Nature
- Giga Drain / Leaf Storm
- Dragon Pulse
- Focus Blast
- Substitute

Greninja @ Life Orb
Ability: Protean
EVs: 44 Atk / 208 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Low Kick
- Gunk Shot
- Ice Beam
- Dark Pulse

Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 20 SpD / 240 Spe
Calm Nature
- Lava Plume
- Taunt
- Roar
- Stealth Rock

Mega-Metagross+Keldeo

So these two guys compliment each other almost perfectly. Sub CM Keldeo is actually really underrated right now, and the great thing is that he can set up on almost all of Metagross's Checks / counters. Skarm, Mandibuzz, Mega Sableye, Mega Scizor, and Bisharp all lose to Keldeo easily, allowing the Pony to get up a free sub and potentially start setting up for a sweep. Of course, those things that wall Keldeo like the Latis, Venu / Amoonguss, and any fairy type bar azu are shredded apart by Megagross, which allows them to form a devastating offensive core. Specs is an option for Keldeo if setting up isnt your thing, but being choice locked may not be very ideal. idk. Personal preference.

Anyways, theres bound to be mons that give this core trouble, and those mons include the likes of Talonflame, Azumarill, Mega Sceptile, and Greninja (sometimes. Keldeo doesnt gaf if Ninja lacks Exrasensory / GK). Assault Vest Raikou makes for a fantastic partner, as it either hard or soft checks every aforementioned thread. Rotom-W also makes an excellent teammate, as he handles all the aforementioned threat bar Sceptile, which can be handled by numerous other things such as Talonflame. Of course, no matter what you do, Mega tablemence shreks this core, but it shreks everything so it doesnt matter.

Usual Sets

Keldeo @ Leftovers
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
- Scald
- Secret Sword

Metagross @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear Body --> Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Earthquake / Hammer Arm
- Ice Punch/Pursuit
- Zen Headbutt

Mega Gallade+Bisharp+Raikou

Psychic/Fighting and Dark/Steel types make excellent partners to each other. Gallade quad resists fighting where Bisharp is 4x weak to it, Bisharp himself is immune to Psyshock and resists Flying and Ghost types that would give Gallade trouble. He can also Pursuit-trap the Lati twins to prevent 50/50s with Gallade in terms of Speed. Seeing as both of these mons are incredibly weak to both Talonflame and Scarf Lando-T (Bisharp can get the Defiant boost from Intimidate, but Lando needs to be at less than half for Sucker Punch to make a guaranteed kill). Raikou is a great addition to these three, as AV checks all Keldeo variants at least once, and stops birdspam.

Usual Sets

Gallade @ Galladite
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Psycho Cut
- Close Combat
- Ice Punch/Knock Off/Shadow Sneak

Bisharp @ Black Glasses
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head
- Pursuit

Raikou @ Assault Vest
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 32 SpD / 224 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Shadow Ball/Extrasensory
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Volt Switch

Diggersby+Mega Gallade

Okay, becuase I've been laddering some with different teams, just to get a better hunch of the metagame, I've discovered a core I really really like. Mega Gallade is, in my opinion, one of the best mega evoltions out there. Good Speed tier, great Attack, access to Swords Dance, and decent movepool. It has a few answer though, such as defensive Landorus-T, Mega Sableye, Defensive Unaware Clefable and Mega Slowbro. SD LO Diggersby not only takes on these Pokemon, but also draws them in, which is why the core works out so well. Gallade also draws in Skarmory, which really troubles Diggersby. All in all, the two if them kind of function like Dragon Spam did in BW, they draw in each others "counters", and proceed to wear them down. Sadly though, the core lacks Speed, which really hurts, and cannot really touch Mega Salamence, if not running Ice Punch on Gallade. Thus, some good teammates are "reliable" answer to faster threats, such as the aforementioned Mega Salamence, but also Greninja, Mega Lopunny, Mega Pidgeot, and Scarf Landorus-T. Rotom-W excels at the rle of taking these on, as it checks everything decently enough. Oh, and, this destroys Stall too n_n

Usual Sets

Gallade @ Galladite
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Zen Headbutt
- Close Combat
- Knock Off / Shadow Sneak / Ice Punch

Diggersby @ Life Orb
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant / Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Return
- Quick Attack
- Earthquake

Terrakion+Mega Altaria

The idea for this offensive core arose when a few of us were discussing what would wall Mega Gallade + Mega Altaria on a defensive team and naturally we had a really hard time coming up with reliable answers by virtue of their offensive synergy. Terrakion jumped to mind as a fast Fighting type which could take on a similar role wallbreaking to Mega Gallade (despite occupying a slightly lesser speed tier). SD LO Terrakion easily powers through the defensive steel types which enjoy walling DD Mega Altaria without Fire Blast such as Skarmory, Jirachi, Ferrothorn and Bronzong (all ohko'd at +2) as well as hitting Landorus-T extremely hard, allowing Altaria to clean through whatever remains with mono Fairy stab later in the game. SD LO Terrakion will also break through Poison types such as Amoonguss at +2 which give Altaria a hard time.

This allows Altaria to run a bulky mono attacking DD set and attempt a late game sweep. Mega Altaria's typing and access to Heal Bell also provides a very reliable answer to Mega Sableye (which is currently the dominant form of stall on the ORAS ladder) and allows Terrakion to shrug off any potential status. Unaware Clefable is a reasonable answer to this core (but is taken out with SR up) while Slowbro requires a little prior damage + SR for the OHKO with +2 LO Stone Edge. At the same time, Heal Bell Altaria is able to setup all over Slowbro without Ice Beam (which i don't believe will be common once Mega Mence gets the boot). Greninja with Gunk Shot and Dark Pulse (or even Spikes) would supplement this core by dealing with the aforementioned 'checks'.

Usual Sets

(Advisable to run a bulkier spread but this was just a quick spread for testing with enough speed for Greninja at +1)

Altaria-Mega @ Altarite
Ability: Pixilate
Happiness: 0
EVs: 80 HP / 204 Atk / 224 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Frustration / Facade
- Dragon Dance
- Roost
- Heal Bell / Earthquake

Terrakion @ Life Orb
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Quick Attack

Defensive Cores

Mega-Sableye+ Tentacruel+ Jirachi

Mega Sableye and Tentacruel cover each other's weaknesses very well through both their respective defensive typings as well as Sableye's large physical defense and Tentacruel's great special defense. The two provide a large amount of utility on their own but are very weak to Mega Gardevoir, so Jirachi has been added, and the three blend beautifully. Be mindful of the shared ground weakness, however, so a mon such as Landorus-T, Gliscor, or Rotom-W does this core good.

Usual Sets

Sableye @ Sableite
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Foul Play
- Knock Off/Taunt
- Recover

Tentacruel @ Black Sludge
Ability: Liquid Ooze
EVs: 252 HP / 236 SpD / 20 Spe
Calm Nature
- Acid Spray
- Scald
- Knock Off
- Rapid Spin

Jirachi @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 136 SpD / 120 Spe
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock/Wish
- Body Slam
- Iron Head
- U-turn

Zapdos+Ferrothorn+ Heatran

This is a ridiculously versatile core that can wall a ridiculous portion of the metagame in xy, but it can now check a lot of the new mega evolutions, while being able to use multiple ev spreads and sets. The zapdos set I'll give is a solid check to Salamence, with Return doing around 25%, and HP Ice taking out most bulky variants after rocks. The only big problems that this core has is Gallade with Ice punch, and Greninjas with HP Fire. The best way to check what gives this core problems would lead you to check them offensively rather than walling them. Talonflame would be a great partner for this core.

Usual Sets

Zapdos @ Rocky Helmet / Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 44 Spe
Bold Nature
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Volt Switch / Thunderbolt
- Roost
- Defog / Heat Wave

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
IVs: 0 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Gyro Ball / Power Whip
- Leech Seed
- Protect / Thunder Wave

Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 204 SpD / 56 Spe
Calm Nature
- Lava Plume
- Toxic
- Protect
- Earth Power / Taunt

Heatran+Alomomola+ Celebi

This is really cool defensive core to use on balanced teams, featuring NastyPass physically defensive Celebi, SR + Roar Heatran, and mixed wall Alomomola. Those three Pokemon handle most top tier offensive threats in the metagame, such as SubDD Mega Salamence, Mega Lopunny, Mega Metagross, Mega Diancie, Greninja, and Mega Altaria, while providing excellent utility, namely Stealth Rock, phazing, Wish, and an excellent teammates to specially based Pokemon in NastyPass Celebi. The core is also very flexible and allows for aggressive play, thanks to Celebi having Baton Pass and Alomomola Regenerator. Some problematic Pokemon are SubDD Mega Gyarados, DD + EQ Mega Salamence, CM Mega Sableye, and SD Mega Scizor, so appropriate teammates are needed. Keldeo deals with Mega Gyarados and Mega Scizor and has excellent synergy with Celebi, Mega Diancie deals with Mega Sableye, and physically defensive Mega Altaria checks all three of Mega Sableye, Mega Salamence, and Mega Gyarados. All those teammates also benefit from Celebi's ability to Baton Pass Nasty Plot boosts.

Usual Sets

Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 216 SpD / 40 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Lava Plume
- Roar
- Taunt

Celebi @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 236 Def / 20 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Baton Pass
- Giga Drain
- Nasty Plot
- Recover

Alomomola @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 32 HP / 224 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Wish
- Protect
- Scald
- Toxic

Balanced Cores

Clefable+Mega-Gyarados+Raikou

i'm not sure this core really needs much explanation, synergy-wise they're damn near perfect, and they handle a lot of threats really nice. i like the sr unaware + heal bell set as it keeps raik and gyara status free, but ur standard sr magic guard or even cm magic guard works hella nice as well. raikou is ass vest as ass vest is ass best. also it provides a secondary check to azu, meta, the latis, or venu/amoong, depending on the set. the gyara evs are different than the bulky analysis set as that set is fucking stupid (seriously who the hell needs to outspeed noivern at +1 when was that thing last relevant again?), anyway outspeeds ninja at +1 (altho you can run a lil more speed if you want to get the jump on weavile) and 2hkos offensive venu w/ crunch @ +1 (thank u gamefrick). rest is in hp because i like bulk. taunt is nice for shitting on mega sableye, sub is nice if you're a fan of being worn down quickly i guess and choose not to run heal bell on clef.

Usual Sets

Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware/Magic Guard
EVs: 248 HP / 236 Def / 24 SpD or 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 SDef
Bold/Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock/Calm Mind
- Moonblast
- Heal Bell/Fire Blast/Flamethrower
- Moonlight/Soft-Boiled

Gyarados-Mega @ Gyaradosite
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 120 HP / 176 Atk / 216 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Taunt/Substitute
- Dragon Dance
- Crunch
- Waterfall

Raikou @ Assault Vest
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 32 SpD / 224 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Shadow Ball/Extrasensory
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Volt Switch

Mega-Sharpedo+Stallbreaker Talonflame

These two are so good to have on a team to prevent losing to matchup because if you are playing against an offensive team, sharpedo only needs you to soften the team a little bit before the sweep. If its a defensive/stall team, stallbreaker talonflame easily takes on most members and in some cases can 6-0 a team straight away. I dont have a grass type in here to make it a nice clean fwg core, but honestly their typings are just convenient it doesnt really matter that they are fire and water. If I were to give a 3rd mon for this core it would be something like CM clefable or other mons that can setup on balanced teams. As for sharpedos last moveslot, its obviously up to you, posion jab for clefable and azumaril, zen headbut for keldeo, ice fang for dragonite salamence altaria etc... I myself am torn between poison jab and ice fang.

When playing this core if you realize your wincon is sharpedo make sure you dont send him out until it is time to sweep, because he usually has to have enough hp to take a priority move. Also he needs to be able to get the speed boost to sweep so if you mega earlier on then you wont be able to clean up. If talonflame is the wincon you can usually just throw him out there and start doing work, just make sure hazards are up. This core has a lot of possible teammates so it allows for some creative teams, Ill just leave you all to it.

I have had great success with this core and would love for you guys to try it out and let me know how it goes. I have a bunch of replays but its either sharpedo sweeping or talonflame stallbreaking, so you get the idea.

Usual Sets

Sharpedo @ Sharpedite
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Protect
- Crunch
- Waterfall
- Ice Fang/Zen Headbutt/Poison Jab/Destiny Bond

Talonflame @ Leftovers
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Taunt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Roost
- Brave Bird

I'll try to update the OP as quickly as I can.

If you have a good core, post it here in this format:

Format

Pictures: Pictures go there, take them from the Serebii Dex
Description: Answer goes here
Usual Sets: Answer goes here in PS format

 

[Arcanine is Regal]

+

Ill just repost this here I guess, I have used alot of cores in ORAS and this one is by far the most effective. I just came up with it, so atm it is pretty unprepared for. These two are so good to have on a team to prevent losing to matchup because if you are playing against an offensive team, sharpedo only needs you to soften the team a little bit before the sweep. If its a defensive/stall team, stallbreaker talonflame easily takes on most members and in some cases can 6-0 a team straight away. I dont have a grass type in here to make it a nice clean fwg core, but honestly their typings are just convenient it doesnt really matter that they are fire and water. If I were to give a 3rd mon for this core it would be something like CM clefable or other mons that can setup on balanced teams. As for sharpedos last moveslot, its obviously up to you, posion jab for clefable and azumaril, zen headbut for keldeo, ice fang for dragonite salamence altaria etc... I myself am torn between poison jab and ice fang.

When playing this core if you realize your wincon is sharpedo make sure you dont send him out until it is time to sweep, because he usually has to have enough hp to take a priority move. Also he needs to be able to get the speed boost to sweep so if you mega earlier on then you wont be able to clean up. If talonflame is the wincon you can usually just throw him out there and start doing work, just make sure hazards are up. This core has a lot of possible teammates so it allows for some creative teams, Ill just leave you all to it.

I have had great success with this core and would love for you guys to try it out and let me know how it goes. I have a bunch of replays but its either sharpedo sweeping or talonflame stallbreaking, so you get the idea.

Sets

Hide

Sharpedo @ Sharpedite
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Protect
- Crunch
- Waterfall
- Ice Fang/Zen Headbutt/Poison Jab

Talonflame @ Leftovers
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Taunt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Roost
- Brave Bird

EDIT:http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/orasou-182212788(I mean he cleaned up like 5 mons at -2 attack, just madness)
I had to post this, I didnt think I would pull of the sweep as I didnt play sharpedo too well but he still pulled through. I guess Ill just post occasional replays as I get them.

Other Replays will go here:

Hide

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/orasou-181918974
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/orasou-181914108
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/orasou-181912330
(my fav replay ever with the trapper p2 lol)http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/orasou-182422500

Edit 2: Started using this team again and it is still effective, got another replay against a standard Mega Sableye stall team. Shows how nicely these two can take down stall, because whatever sharpedo doesnt 2hko(which is basically nothing) talonflame beats it. http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ou-190818764

 

[TheEnder]

Shameless repost from non-VR thread;

+

Okay, becuase I've been laddering some with different teams, just to get a better hunch of the metagame, I've discovered a core I really really like. Mega Gallade is, in my opinion, one of the best mega evoltions out there. Good Speed tier, great Attack, access to Swords Dance, and decent movepool. It has a few answer though, such as defensive Landorus-T, Mega Sableye, Defensive Unaware Clefable and Mega Slowbro. SD LO Diggersby not only takes on these Pokemon, but also draws them in, which is why the core works out so well. Gallade also draws in Skarmory, which really troubles Diggersby. All in all, the two if them kind of function like Dragon Spam did in BW, they draw in each others "counters", and proceed to wear them down. Sadly though, the core lacks Speed, which really hurts, and cannot really touch Mega Salamence, if not running Ice Punch on Gallade. Thus, some good teammates are "reliable" answer to faster threats, such as the aforementioned Mega Salamence, but also Greninja, Mega Lopunny, Mega Pidgeot, and Scarf Landorus-T. Rotom-W excels at the rle of taking these on, as it checks everything decently enough. Oh, and, this destroys Stall too n_n

Sets

Gallade @ Galladite
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Zen Headbutt
- Close Combat
- Knock Off / Shadow Sneak / Ice Punch

Diggersby @ Life Orb
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant / Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Return
- Quick Attack
- Earthquake

 

[daftmau5]

+

SD TerrakTaria
The idea for this offensive core arose when a few of us were discussing what would wall Mega Gallade + Mega Altaria on a defensive team and naturally we had a really hard time coming up with reliable answers by virtue of their offensive synergy. Terrakion jumped to mind as a fast Fighting type which could take on a similar role wallbreaking to Mega Gallade (despite occupying a slightly lesser speed tier). SD LO Terrakion easily powers through the defensive steel types which enjoy walling DD Mega Altaria without Fire Blast such as Skarmory, Jirachi, Ferrothorn and Bronzong (all ohko'd at +2) as well as hitting Landorus-T extremely hard, allowing Altaria to clean through whatever remains with mono Fairy stab later in the game. SD LO Terrakion will also break through Poison types such as Amoonguss at +2 which give Altaria a hard time.

This allows Altaria to run a bulky mono attacking DD set and attempt a late game sweep. Mega Altaria's typing and access to Heal Bell also provides a very reliable answer to Mega Sableye (which is currently the dominant form of stall on the ORAS ladder) and allows Terrakion to shrug off any potential status. Unaware Clefable is a reasonable answer to this core (but is taken out with SR up) while Slowbro requires a little prior damage + SR for the OHKO with +2 LO Stone Edge. At the same time, Heal Bell Altaria is able to setup all over Slowbro without Ice Beam (which i don't believe will be common once Mega Mence gets the boot). Greninja with Gunk Shot and Dark Pulse (or even Spikes) would supplement this core by dealing with the aforementioned 'checks'.

Sets

(Advisable to run a bulkier spread but this was just a quick spread for testing with enough speed for Greninja at +1)

Altaria-Mega @ Altarite
Ability: Pixilate
Happiness: 0
EVs: 80 HP / 204 Atk / 224 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Frustration
- Dragon Dance
- Roost
- Heal Bell

Terrakion @ Life Orb
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Quick Attack

 

[alexwolf]

+

+

This is really cool defensive core to use on balanced teams, featuring NastyPass physically defensive Celebi, SR + Roar Heatran, and mixed wall Alomomola. Those three Pokemon handle most top tier offensive threats in the metagame, such as SubDD Mega Salamence, Mega Lopunny, Mega Metagross, Mega Diancie, Greninja, and Mega Altaria, while providing excellent utility, namely Stealth Rock, phazing, Wish, and an excellent teammates to specially based Pokemon in NastyPass Celebi. The core is also very flexible and allows for aggressive play, thanks to Celebi having Baton Pass and Alomomola Regenerator. Some problematic Pokemon are SubDD Mega Gyarados, DD + EQ Mega Salamence, CM Mega Sableye, and SD Mega Scizor, so appropriate teammates are needed. Keldeo deals with Mega Gyarados and Mega Scizor and has excellent synergy with Celebi, Mega Diancie deals with Mega Sableye, and physically defensive Mega Altaria checks all three of Mega Sableye, Mega Salamence, and Mega Gyarados. All those teammates also benefit from Celebi's ability to Baton Pass Nasty Plot boosts.

Usual sets

Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 216 SpD / 40 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Lava Plume
- Roar
- Taunt

Celebi @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 236 Def / 20 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Baton Pass
- Giga Drain
- Nasty Plot
- Recover

Alomomola @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 32 HP / 224 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Wish
- Protect
- Scald
- Toxic

 

[henry]

Will be adding all of these now, thanks.

daftmau5 mind if i leave an option for altaria to run facade instead of return, and ditch heal bell for earthquake? Burning altaria is more or less the only way to stop it once it reaches +1, and facade is essentially 40% stronger than return when the user is burned, no wasted turn for heal bell is needed.

 

[daftmau5]

Will be adding all of these now, thanks.

daftmau5 mind if i leave an option for altaria to run facade instead of return, and ditch heal bell for earthquake? Burning altaria is more or less the only way to stop it once it reaches +1, and facade is essentially 40% stronger than return when the user is burned, no wasted turn for heal bell is needed.

I can understand the appeal in certain situations (EQ to hit Heatran is quite nice) but i don't feel as though it's as consistent. You lose immediate power (136 vs 198 after stab + pixilate) and Heal Bell allows Altaria to play around getting hit by Thunder Wave and Altaria also isn't put on a timer by Toxic. Heal Bell also supports other members of the team since Mega Altaria is a great pivot early-mid game due to its defensive typing, access to roost and pixilate boosted Frustration.

Either way, it doesn't really change how the core itself functions and everyone is free to flavour movesets how they wish so i'll leave it up to you. Heck, you can even use DD 3 atks Altaria (though i would argue it isn't as good).

 

[Clone]

+

I've been using this offensive core lately and I have to say that I've been impressed with how well it's been working. Back when Mawile was still legal, she paired up well with Greninja due to her being able to handle defensive teams easily while Ninja could handle offensive ones. Well the same idea comes into play here. Diggersby only got better in the ORAS meta imo, as he's one of the few things that can break Mega Sableye. I've recently been experimenting with. Lum Berry > Life Orb / Sash, and it's definitely allowed me to get those clutch SDs that can win me the game, due to being able to set up on forced switches, and then proceeding to 2HKO common wispers like mew and Sableye without being crippled. As for Greninja, though, he still does what he does best, which is plowing through offensive teams. He's able to break former offensive and defensive checks like Azu and Clef thanks to Gunk Shot, and his coverage is still as good as ever. Ice Beam / Dark Pulse / HP Fire / Gunk Shot has been incredibly effective as of late, as it hits every notable thing in the tier bar Heatran, which Diggersby easily beats.

Anyways, these two break down teams so that a mega sweeper like DD Mega Gyara or Mence (lol) or RP Diancie or Gross can sweep late game once these two break down offensive and defensive teams alike. Other teammates like VoltTurners and things that can handle Priority and DD Sweepers are appreciated, such as Rotom and Zapdos or Landorus T. Hazards are also cool to break Sashes and turn 2/3HKOes into 1/2HKOes. Problems for these guys are priority such as Talonflame, as well as DD sweepers like Xard, Gyara, and Mence.

usual sets

Diggersby @ Lum Berry
Ability: Huge Power
EVs/ 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Return
- Quick Attack / Knock Off (depends if you want utility or the ability to do work vs. offense)
- Earthquake

Greninja @ Life Orb
Ability: Protean
EVs: 40 Atk / 212 SAtk / 244 Spe
Naive Nature
- Gunk Shot
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Dark Pulse

edit: finally added the sprites

 

[X5Dragon]

+

or

Hi there, I started my ORAS experience by bashing everything to a pulp with Mega Sally, but as soon as I had my fun I had to try the Mega Bro. Basic analysis shows that this dudes weakness are mostly on the special side (Electric, Grass, Ghost) while the most common Dark move is Knock off which does nothing to this defensive behemoth and bug moves are rare but you still need to account for them. The other thing that you need to consider is status which gets in the way or even destroys any attempt to boost off and start sweeping, so basically I'm paring the bro with a special wall that can either Aroma or Bell.

While I'm more inclined to use Chansey, Sylveon with its dark and bug resistances are also handy as well. The two pokemon that can this core trouble for me are Thundrus (especially the mixed kind) if you are going the BroChan approach or Magnezone if you are trying FairyBro instead. I recommend rocks first and foremost to wear the enemy down and it will kill off LO Thundy way early in the much so it can't switch in anymore, and fast attackers like MixNinja do well to wear down the other threats especially with it's newly found Low Kick and Gunk Shot.

Sets

Slowbro @ Slowbronite
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 200 Def / 56 SpD
Bold Nature
- Calm Mind
- Scald
- Psyshock
- Slack Off


Chansey (F) @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Aromatherapy
- Soft-Boiled
- Seismic Toss
- Toxic

or

Sylveon @ Leftovers
Ability: Cute Charm
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Heal Bell
- Protect/Substitute
- Wish
- Hyper Voice

 

[jpw234]

+

Been experimenting with this defensive core over the past two days. It started off when The DragonKnight gave me this set:

Altaria @ Altarite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 28 SpD / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
- Hyper Voice
- Roost
- Heal Bell / Flamethrower / Earthquake
- Haze / Perish Song

This does pretty well against a lot of the new threats, as well as some old ones. Mega-Mence, Keldeo, Baton Pass, both Charizard forms, Thundurus, Mega-Sableye and all of stall's boosting wincons go down pretty hard to this Pokemon, and he hits reasonably hard, as well. He does have his fair share of issues with some of the more immediately threatening physical attackers, along with a bunch of steel types, and doesn't really do too much against the backbones of opposing stall teams.
A Pokemon that patches up some of those weaknesses is Gourgeist. I've been interested in this guy since early in XY as one of the two Pokemon that got access to Leech Seed + Will-o-Wisp, but his niche wasn't really big enough with Knock Off everywhere, along with Aegislash holding him down. ORAS really helped this guy out. First off, he got access to Synthesis, and reliable recovery is always nice on a defensive mon. More importantly though, the metagame has shifted quite a bit in his favor - Knock Off is much less prevalent, and Gourgeist can wall a good chunk of the new physical threats while being very annoying with Substitute and Leech Seed/Will-o-Wisp.

Gourgeist-Super @ Leftovers
Ability: Frisk
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Substitute / Synthesis
- Leech Seed
- Will-O-Wisp
- Rock Slide / Synthesis / Seed Bomb / Shadow Sneak

The biggest Gourgeist is pretty slow, but gets a lot of additional bulk to tank hits from some big threats. Here are some examples:
252+ Atk Tough Claws Metagross Ice Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Gourgeist-Super: 164-194 (43.8 - 51.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Tough Claws Metagross Meteor Mash vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Gourgeist-Super: 147-174 (39.3 - 46.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Swampert Ice Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Gourgeist-Super: 126-150 (33.6 - 40.1%) -- 35% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Huge Power Azumarill Play Rough vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Gourgeist-Super: 112-133 (29.9 - 35.5%) -- guaranteed 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Choice Specs Keldeo Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Gourgeist-Super: 169-199 (45.1 - 53.2%) -- 0.4% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+1 252+ Atk Mold Breaker Mega Gyarados Crunch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Gourgeist-Super: 306-362 (81.8 - 96.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

And of course, WoW Gourgeist still has big game against Pokemon like Excadrill, Landorus-T, Mega-Scizor and Dragonite. What's more, he has the ability to pose a major difficulty to a lot of stallmons with the disruptive combination of Leech Seed/Will-o-Wisp and the ability to avoid status with Substitute. Rock Slide takes advantage of G-Super's additional attack stat to hit some of the more common switch-ins to Gourgeist (Fire, Flying and Ice types like to come in). However, Synthesis, Seed Bomb and Shadow Sneak are very real options, along with the use of a quicker Gourgeist form (sacrificing some bulk) if you really need to outspeed something.

The combination of the two is pretty good against any style of play - against stall, Altaria stops their wincons while Gourgeist whittles down their team with residual damage; against offense, they put up a strong defense against a bunch of common physical and special attackers while constantly wearing down opponents.

Some Pokemon that this core has trouble with are Greninja, Heatran (unless running EQ on Altaria), Ice types, and Bisharp. I run it with SpD Alomomola (a pretty good answer to all of the above), who provides additional Wish support for Gourgeist.

 

[Clone]

going with a tried and true classic core thats been around since day one of XY and is extremely standard:

Rotom-W + Landorus-T + Greninja

Ok so the reason why Im posting this is because 1). It is extremely effective in the Metagame, and 2). This is a core that has been battle-hardened since the days of BW (with ninja being replaced by something else, ofc). Anyways, the whole point of this core is for Lando and Rotom to provide VoltTurn support to get Greninja into the battle safely, seeing as he has the defenses of a wet paper bag. Once inside though, hes a threat. As we all know, Greninja got a gem in ORAS in the form of Gunk Shot, which turned his former Fairy-type checks into liabilities. Aside from that, Greninja also has STAB everything to wreck havoc on opposing teams. The roles of Lando and Rotom boil down to switching into things that Greninja cant kill, and getting Greninja in safely. Its really self explanatory and this core just plays itself once you get a feel for it.

Additionally, good ways to use this are on offensively oriented balance teams and bulky offense teams, as the VoltTurn core provided by Rotom and Lando help to preserve momentum throughout the match. Also, Greninja can really be replaced with any hard hitter, like Mega Gardevoir or Mega Gallade, but I chose Greninja specifically because it doesnt tie you down to a specific Mega and is still a very potent threat in today's metagame.

sets

Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Will-O-Wisp
- Hydro Pump
- Pain Split

Landorus-Therian (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 32 Def / 224 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Knock Off

OR

Landorus-Therian (M) @ Lefotvers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 40 Spe
Impish Nature
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Stealth Rock

Greninja @ Life Orb
Ability: Protean
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Gunk Shot
- Dark Pulse
- Ice Beam
- Spikes

 

[TaBuu]

The Double Bunny Core

​

Mega Lopunny is arguably one of the OU's top offensive Pokemon thanks to its fantastic STAB coverage and sheer utility that it can provide. Thanks to Scrappy and a much needed Attack and Speed buff, Mega Lopunny can hit hard against a majority of OU with its two STAB moves alone, since Normal + Fighting coverage with Scrappy hits everything neutrally. Diggersby is a terrifying Swords Dance sweeper thanks to its ability Huge Power and strong STAB coverage in Normal and Fighting. With an immunity to Thunder Wave and access to Quick Attack, SD Diggersby can really be a threat for offensive teams that lack an appropriate answer.
The basic premise is that SD Diggersby will dish out heavy hits, preferably from a +2 condition, which shouldn't be all too hard with Focus Sash. Even without +2, Diggersby can hit hard, especially against more offensive teams. Mega Lopunny can assist greatly by taking down Gengar that completely shuts down Diggersby and also by hitting Landorus-T hard with Ice Punch, another Pokemon Diggersby likes to have out of the picture.
Once the opposition has been weakened, Mega Lopunny can use Healing Wish to revive Diggersby back to full health and if played accordingly, Diggersby can clean quite easily late game.

Of course the two Pokemon alone are not sufficient enough on their own. A third member is usually needed to take down Skarmory, a Pokemon neither can really touch. Mega Slowbro is also slightly problematic so a Pokemon that can deal with it, is also helpful. I find that Greninja is a solid pick thanks to its ability to fight off Skarmory and Mega Slowbro with ease.

Hide

Lopunny (F) @ Lopunnite
Ability: Limber
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Return
- Healing Wish
- Ice Punch

Diggersby (M) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Return
- Quick Attack

​

 

[henry]

+

I've been using this offensive core lately and I have to say that I've been impressed with how well it's been working. Back when Mawile was still legal, she paired up well with Greninja due to her being able to handle defensive teams easily while Ninja could handle offensive ones. Well the same idea comes into play here. Diggersby only got better in the ORAS meta imo, as he's one of the few things that can break Mega Sableye. I've recently been experimenting with. Lum Berry > Life Orb / Sash, and it's definitely allowed me to get those clutch SDs that can win me the game, due to being able to set up on forced switches, and then proceeding to 2HKO common wispers like mew and Sableye without being crippled. As for Greninja, though, he still does what he does best, which is plowing through offensive teams. He's able to break former offensive and defensive checks like Azu and Clef thanks to Gunk Shot, and his coverage is still as good as ever. Ice Beam / Dark Pulse / HP Fire / Gunk Shot has been incredibly effective as of late, as it hits every notable thing in the tier bar Heatran, which Diggersby easily beats.

Anyways, these two break down teams so that a mega sweeper like DD Mega Gyara or Mence (lol) or RP Diancie or Gross can sweep late game once these two break down offensive and defensive teams alike. Other teammates like VoltTurners and things that can handle Priority and DD Sweepers are appreciated, such as Rotom and Zapdos or Landorus T. Hazards are also cool to break Sashes and turn 2/3HKOes into 1/2HKOes. Problems for these guys are priority such as Talonflame, as well as DD sweepers like Xard, Gyara, and Mence.

usual sets

Diggersby @ Lum Berry
Ability: Huge Power
EVs/ 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Return
- Quick Attack / Knock Off (depends if you want utility or the ability to do work vs. offense)
- Earthquake

Greninja @ Life Orb
Ability: Protean
EVs: 40 Atk / 212 SAtk / 244 Spe
Naive Nature
- Gunk Shot
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Dark Pulse

The Double Bunny Core

​

Mega Lopunny is arguably one of the OU's top offensive Pokemon thanks to its fantastic STAB coverage and sheer utility that it can provide. Thanks to Scrappy and a much needed Attack and Speed buff, Mega Lopunny can hit hard against a majority of OU with its two STAB moves alone, since Normal + Fighting coverage with Scrappy hits everything neutrally. Diggersby is a terrifying Swords Dance sweeper thanks to its ability Huge Power and strong STAB coverage in Normal and Fighting. With an immunity to Thunder Wave and access to Quick Attack, SD Diggersby can really be a threat for offensive teams that lack an appropriate answer.
The basic premise is that SD Diggersby will dish out heavy hits, preferably from a +2 condition, which shouldn't be all too hard with Focus Sash. Even without +2, Diggersby can hit hard, especially against more offensive teams. Mega Lopunny can assist greatly by taking down Gengar that completely shuts down Diggersby and also by hitting Landorus-T hard with Ice Punch, another Pokemon Diggersby likes to have out of the picture.
Once the opposition has been weakened, Mega Lopunny can use Healing Wish to revive Diggersby back to full health and if played accordingly, Diggersby can clean quite easily late game.

Of course the two Pokemon alone are not sufficient enough on their own. A third member is usually needed to take down Skarmory, a Pokemon neither can really touch. Mega Slowbro is also slightly problematic so a Pokemon that can deal with it, is also helpful. I find that Greninja is a solid pick thanks to its ability to fight off Skarmory and Mega Slowbro with ease.

Hide

Lopunny (F) @ Lopunnite
Ability: Limber
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Return
- Healing Wish
- Ice Punch

Diggersby (M) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Return
- Quick Attack

​

I'll be updating the thread in a bit.

Regarding the lopunny+diggersby and diggersby+ Greninja core: i don't see either of them as being adequate enough in terms of being able to kill a significant portion of meta, so I'm going to consolidate the two and make a core of all three together.

 

[henry]

+

Been experimenting with this defensive core over the past two days. It started off when The DragonKnight gave me this set:

Altaria @ Altarite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 28 SpD / 16 Spe
Bold Nature
- Hyper Voice
- Roost
- Heal Bell / Flamethrower / Earthquake
- Haze / Perish Song

This does pretty well against a lot of the new threats, as well as some old ones. Mega-Mence, Keldeo, Baton Pass, both Charizard forms, Thundurus, Mega-Sableye and all of stall's boosting wincons go down pretty hard to this Pokemon, and he hits reasonably hard, as well. He does have his fair share of issues with some of the more immediately threatening physical attackers, along with a bunch of steel types, and doesn't really do too much against the backbones of opposing stall teams.
A Pokemon that patches up some of those weaknesses is Gourgeist. I've been interested in this guy since early in XY as one of the two Pokemon that got access to Leech Seed + Will-o-Wisp, but his niche wasn't really big enough with Knock Off everywhere, along with Aegislash holding him down. ORAS really helped this guy out. First off, he got access to Synthesis, and reliable recovery is always nice on a defensive mon. More importantly though, the metagame has shifted quite a bit in his favor - Knock Off is much less prevalent, and Gourgeist can wall a good chunk of the new physical threats while being very annoying with Substitute and Leech Seed/Will-o-Wisp.

Gourgeist-Super @ Leftovers
Ability: Frisk
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Substitute / Synthesis
- Leech Seed
- Will-O-Wisp
- Rock Slide / Synthesis / Seed Bomb / Shadow Sneak

The biggest Gourgeist is pretty slow, but gets a lot of additional bulk to tank hits from some big threats. Here are some examples:
252+ Atk Tough Claws Metagross Ice Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Gourgeist-Super: 164-194 (43.8 - 51.8%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Tough Claws Metagross Meteor Mash vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Gourgeist-Super: 147-174 (39.3 - 46.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Swampert Ice Punch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Gourgeist-Super: 126-150 (33.6 - 40.1%) -- 35% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ Atk Huge Power Azumarill Play Rough vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Gourgeist-Super: 112-133 (29.9 - 35.5%) -- guaranteed 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Choice Specs Keldeo Hydro Pump vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Gourgeist-Super: 169-199 (45.1 - 53.2%) -- 0.4% chance to 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
+1 252+ Atk Mold Breaker Mega Gyarados Crunch vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Gourgeist-Super: 306-362 (81.8 - 96.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

And of course, WoW Gourgeist still has big game against Pokemon like Excadrill, Landorus-T, Mega-Scizor and Dragonite. What's more, he has the ability to pose a major difficulty to a lot of stallmons with the disruptive combination of Leech Seed/Will-o-Wisp and the ability to avoid status with Substitute. Rock Slide takes advantage of G-Super's additional attack stat to hit some of the more common switch-ins to Gourgeist (Fire, Flying and Ice types like to come in). However, Synthesis, Seed Bomb and Shadow Sneak are very real options, along with the use of a quicker Gourgeist form (sacrificing some bulk) if you really need to outspeed something.

The combination of the two is pretty good against any style of play - against stall, Altaria stops their wincons while Gourgeist whittles down their team with residual damage; against offense, they put up a strong defense against a bunch of common physical and special attackers while constantly wearing down opponents.

Some Pokemon that this core has trouble with are Greninja, Heatran (unless running EQ on Altaria), Ice types, and Bisharp. I run it with SpD Alomomola (a pretty good answer to all of the above), who provides additional Wish support for Gourgeist.

There is unfortunately way too many attackers(both wallbreakers and anti-offense mons) that can rip through this core. If you could add something else to deal with the things that kill these two, I'll add it in OP.

 

[Vert]

Extremely Offensive core

I never really like the idea of running Stallbreaker Talonflame or Heatran to be honest. First of all, not being able to threaten Slowbro is a big deal considering Scald can burn Sharpedo on the switch. In addition to this, Talonflame doesn't lure in Fairy-types, but actually forces them out and combining this with the presence of Sharpedo make offensive teams hesitant to bring them in. Tornadus-T as your stallbreaker was able to fix the problem. Its ability to 2HKO threats like Clefable and do extreme pivotal damage to Assault Vest Azumarill allows Mega Sharpedo to be used to its full potential. Tornadus-T gets many oppurtunities to force Thundurus-I, Azumarill, and checks to Mega Sharpedo and can wear them while no being a downfall due to Regenerator, its power Flying-STAB paired with its high speed. Against stall teams, you can Taunt Sableye, so it will be forced to Mega evolve to avoid broken stall teams meaning Mega Sharpedo can 2HKO it next time it switches in (not like LO Hurricane doesn't do it itself). Quagsire and Clefable are free switch ins for Tornadus-T to wreck havoc for either destroying the switch in or just eliminating Mega Sharpedo's counters. U-turn also provides it the ability to ease prediction and get Mega Sharpedo in safely. Spikes and Stealth Rock make this core even more deadly because hazard damage + U-turn on its checks it lures in = happy sharpedonite. Breloom, Greninja, Talonflame, and Mega Lopunny are really annoying dismantle this core, so teammates are needed to deal with them. Defensive Gliscor, Landorus-T, and Thundurus-I can work well. Generally, offensive Pokemon like these have little oppurtunity to switch in otherwise they take massive damage, and can be crushed by Mega Sharpedo late-game, but they are annoying early game, so keeping these in check is important for this core to function. They both easily fit on HO teams because Tornadus-T keeps immense pressure with Hurricane + Coverage + U-turn. After you hit + hit + hit + wear. Mega Sharpedo can clean easily.

lol edit forgot sets

Sharpedo @ Sharpedonite
Ability: Speed Boost ==> Strong Jaw
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Nature: Naughty
- Crunch
- Hydro Pump
- Poison Fang
- Protect

Tornadus-T @ Life Orb / Assault Vest
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Nature: Hasty
- Hurricane
- Superpower
- Taunt
- U-turn

 

[TaBuu]

Hide

Clefable (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 SpD
Calm Nature
- Calm Mind
- Moonblast
- Soft-Boiled
- Flamethrower

Latios (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Psyshock
- Earthquake
- Defog

Keldeo @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Scald
- Secret Sword
- Hidden Power [Ice]

How it works + Why it works
This core was originally built around Calm Mind Clefable and therefore should be played to support Clefable sweep the opposition. With near perfect coverage in Moonblast and Flamethrower, Clefable only needs to have certain threats eliminated before it can pump up Calm Minds and dish out KOs. That being said Heatran is a huge thorn in Clefable's side and that's where Latios comes in. With a Life Orb + Earthquake, Latios can severely weaken defensive Heatran variants while outright KOing offensive variants. Latios makes for a perfect lure and is quite effective at eliminating Heatran. Bisharp is also another Pokemon Latios tends to lure in ; with Earthquake it can deal a hefty amount of damage (63.9 - 75.3%) and render it incapable of even checking Latios anymore (assuming you don't get Pursuit'd expecting a Sucker Punch after the Bisharp switches in on Earthquake #mindgames). Even so, Latios isn't always the best switch-in for such Steel-type Pokemon and this is where Keldeo shines. With the ability to outright KO Heatran and Bisharp with its STAB moves, Keldeo makes for a perfectly safe answer for the aforementioned Pokemon. Also, when equipped with a Scarf, Keldeo becomes a deadly late-game cleaner capable of running through the remains of a team after Clefable has put in the necessary work. Specs Keldeo loses out on the ability to clean but becomes a much better answer for Mega Scizor, which proves to be a bit problematic.

This core struggles with ...
Azumarill and Talonflame are two Pokemon that give this core a lot of issues. They don't fear much and can seriously dent the core with their STAB moves. Fast, strong and bulky Steel types such as Mega Scizor and Mega Metagross are also problematic if not dealt with correctly. Thundurus-I isn't too much of a problem for CM Clefable but parahax suck and Latios/Keldeo don't appreciate the Thunder Wave.