Project ORAS OU Core Building Competition V2 (Round 30: Stalkers) Results

[nameless90]

Core 3
Core 6

 

[Gotham-Mimiqui]

Core 4
Core 8. Love the Jirachi/Hydreigon synergy :)

 

[sparktrain]

Core 3
Core 8

 

[Martin]

OK voting is now closed. Congratulations to -Magic- for winning this week by a landslide, and shoutouts to ethanlol generously dropping the reservation when he realised he didn't have the time to post and allowing -Magic- to take it.
You should have just done it instead of letting this scrub take the win imo

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Week 14: "Skill"
Building condition: At least one Pokémon in the core must use a move with a ≥30% rate to activate a secondary effect before consideration of Serene Grace.

This week we've decided to take inspiration from our lord and saviour Jirachi by having a hax-themed week. I want to see all of your creative methods of enraging your opponents, or it can just be a generally good core that happens to use something with a ≥30% hax rate. Whatever works!

 

[Ramses]

sets

Breloom @ Fist Plate
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Force Palm
- Mach Punch
- Spore
- Bullet Seed

Volcanion @ Wacan Berry
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Steam Eruption
- Fire Blast
- Sludge Bomb
- Toxic

Yes, yes, very original core, do not steal! (obligatory Starmei tag) Force Palm Breloom + Steam Eruption Volcanion form a really solid core together due to their amazing synergy. Force Palm is a really good move on Breloom since blows past a lot threats ready to soak up a Mach Punch and has the nifty paralysis chance, but hey, Scald has a 30% chance to burn so it's obviously balanced right? Volcanion is Volcanion, but with a little twist of Wacan Berry. Wacan Berry is Martin.'s lovechild and it allows Volcanion to lure in Mega Manectric or Thundurus by absorbing a hit and blowing them back with a Steam Eruption. Very nice and straightforward core overall.

martin is a weeb btw and i'm the good kind of scrub

 

[Sun]

Sets

Tyranitar @ Choice Band
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 100 HP / 252 Atk / 156 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stone Edge
- Crunch
- Superpower
- Pursuit

Togekiss @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 76 Def / 4 SpD / 176 Spe
Timid Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Air Slash
- Thunder Wave
- Roost

I love this core, because it is very synergistic, Togekiss eliminates Keldeo, and fast threat to ttar, thus making easier the job, ttar helps Togekiss against mega mane, raikou, inflicting enormous harm from Band pursuit when using volt switch, these two powerful pokemon also manage to have a good match up against stall and fats team.

 

[Dr Ciel]

Reserving Sub Rachi + Mega Venusaur

This is a pretty cool core for balanced teams & it works really well due to the excellent synergy the two share. SubToxic Jirachi is an insanely annoying Pokemon if it manages to get a Substitute up. Once set up, the combination of Iron Head + Toxic will most likely drive your opponent crazy, causing them to click the X button. Mega Venusaur is a solid partner for Jirachi as it takes care of faster Water type Pokemon, most of which can 2HKO Jirachi, including Keldeo and Starmie. In return, Jirachi can take care of common Flying types, while also being able to set up Substitutes on and beat common Psychic types such as Latios and Mega Gardevoir while also being able to annoy Chansey.

Sets

Jirachi @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Atk / 96 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Iron Head
- Toxic
- Substitute
- Fire Punch

Venusaur @ Venusaurite
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 232 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 20 Spe
Modest Nature
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power Fire
- Synthesis

 

[SP458]

Tornadus-Therian @ Life Orb
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 76 Atk / 180 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Hurricane
- Superpower
- Knock Off
- U-turn

Manectric-Mega @ Manectite
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Thunderbolt / Thunder
- Volt Switch
- Flamethrower
- Hidden Power Ice

A nice VoltTurn core to use, notably in rain teams where they check the Swift Swim users' worst nightmares (Grass-types for Tornadus-T, Electric-types and priority for Mega Manectric). Even Flying resists risk, in rain, 100% accurate Hurricanes with their silly confusion rate. If you have some balls, you can even give Thunder to Manectric to spam paralysis on top of confusion (only in rain). Superpower with 76 EVs keeps Tyranitar at bay.

 

[HailFall]

RNGesus (Pidgeot-Mega) @ Pidgeotite
Ability: Tangled Feet
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hurricane
- Heat Wave
- Work Up
- Roost

Keldeo @ Choice Specs
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Scald
- Secret Sword
- Focus Blast

Keldeo + Mega Pidgeot is a neat core because they share great synergy both offensively and defensively. Work up two attacks roost pidgeot is a good set that tears apart a lot of balance thanks to how much power is behind those +1 hurricanes. The 30% confuse chance backed by 100% accuracy also gives pidge the ability to hax itself out of sticky situations, even being able to beat stuff like tran, rotom, and ttar provided you get lucky enough. Keld is there to support pidge by breaking down all its common checks like ttar, tran, and weavile. Its running focus blast in its last slot to reliably ohko rotom-w foolish enough to stay in (after rocks) while also being super unprepared for. Keldeo itself also has a pretty haxy move in scald that can be a huge headache to come in on. You can also run resttalk keld here if you need a more reliable answer to stuff like bish too. These two murder 90% of balance and are really solid to run right now with so many fat teams going around.

Edit: whoops secret sword > sacred sword on keld

 

[MegaStarUniverse]

Hide

Manaphy @ Leftovers
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 96 HP / 252 SpA / 160 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Tail Glow
- Scald
- Psychic
- Rain Dance

Weavile @ Choice Band
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Icicle Crash
- Ice Shard
- Pursuit

This offensive core is quite good in breaking down each others counters and checks and has a very good match up versus stall and balance. First off Weavile can kill grass types, pursuit and kill latios, weaken Keldeo, Rotom-W, Azumarill etc and in return Manaphy can check Steels and weaken bulky waters and other pokemon that check weavile allowing for some good breaking ability. This core does not even have a bad match up versus offense because of Weaviles fast and hard hitting ability and Manaphys bulk and decent below average speed. this core is best paired with healing wish allowing more punishment and support from your team to take hits.

 

[Infernal]

Entei @ Choice Band
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Sacred Fire
- Extreme Speed
- Stone Edge
- Bulldoze

Azumarill @ Choice Band
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Play Rough
- Waterfall
- Aqua Jet
- Superpower

Entei isn't the best Pokemon, but it's a fun pick for this theme! There are several ways this core works together to overload their checks and cover weaknesses for one another. For starters, Entei usually invites in and burns Pokemon like Rotom-W and Slowbro. Even though they take a good chunk from Play Rough already, they will have to carefully reconsider switching in on Azu when they are burned by Sacred Fire. Similarly, even when burn-free, something like Rotom-W will have a much harder time switching in on Entei after taking a Play Rough from CB Azu. Quag and Volcanion are two other waters these two can help weaken for one another. In Quag's case, it doesn't like Sacred Fire burns and can't take a Play Rough from Azu well whatsoever. Volcanion has to be careful switching in on Azu with SR up, as Play Rough and Superpower will do a sizeable chunk. From there, it'll have a hard time coming in on Entei. Similarly, a well timed Stone Edge or Bulldoze from Entei can render Volcanion incapable of switching in on Azu later. This all applies to a few other water types too and demonstrates how Azu and Entei can overload a good portion of them for one another.

Aside from weakening things for one another, Entei and Azu can also help each other deal with a couple of problematic Pokemon. For instance, Azu dislikes Pokemon like Amoonguss, Mega Venu, and Tangrowth. Others like Skarm, Ferro, and Mega Sciz can also be a nuisance. These are all Pokemon Entei can threaten well with Sacred Fire. In exchange, Azu is able to threaten Pokemon like Hippo and Gliscor, which is nice because Entei doesn't like facing them 1v1. It's also able to threaten Tar and Exca too, useful considering Entei's mediocre match up versus sand. Further, Azu's ability to pressure Tran is appreciated here because it's immune to the main move Entei will be clicking. Azu being able to pressure Keld and dragon types like Lati@s is also useful because they can all heavily threaten Entei.

All in all, Azu and Entei work together okay. They help break down each others checks and also help one another deal with several problematic Pokemon. They both provide a team with two strong forms of priority with Aqua Jet and Extreme Speed, respectively, which is always nice for a build to have for revenge killing purposes.

 

[MANNAT]

Core

Metagross-Mega @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Zen Headbutt
- Thunder Punch
- Pursuit

Volcanion @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid/Modest Nature
- Steam Eruption
- Fire Blast
- Sludge Bomb
- Toxic

This is a pretty neat core that I thought of while thinking about building with Volcanion and I've used it to great success. Basically Volcanion is annoyed by bulky waters, the lati twins, and special sponges. Mega metagross is amazing at pressuring all of those mons, especially with thunderpunch. This may not be the standard set, but it works quite well on the build that I've used it on. Tpunch pressures shit like cune, jelli, and others that pressure volc. Metagross is still annoyed to death by shit like mega scizor, gastrodon, RH Lando, MSab, etc. All of these mons are dunked on by volc and give it free chances to come in and fire off a steam eruption. I really like using this core and I recommend you check it out. Also, Offensive tank volcanion is really fucking good, so please use that over specs.

 

[Tressed]

Hide

Jirachi @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Atk / 96 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Iron Head
- Toxic
- Substitute
- Fire Punch

Talonflame
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpD / 8 Spe
Careful Nature
- Acrobatics
- Roost
- Bulk Up
- Taunt

Gross little core that can fit into balance teams well enough, with the end goal of breaking down Talonflame's checks and counters. SubToxic Jirachi is pretty much the most obnoxious thing on the face of the earth, abusing that stupid 60% chance to flinch with Iron Head through Toxic damage. Mutual switch ins, such as Landorus-T, Garchomp, Hippowdon, Slowbro, and Rotom-W (as well as the offensive electrics) can all be poisoned and locked down with a little luck. Wearing down these threats allows Talonflame much more room to breathe, making it a lot easier to boost with Bulk Up and land those KOs against mons that would otherwise be a huge headache for it. This isn't a one-way street though, as Talonflame can switch into a variety of Pokemon that Jirachi struggles to work against, such as Skarmory, Mega Charizard Y, and Mega Sableye, while also providing a little utility by being able to revenge kill faster threats.

If you're looking to build with this, defensive Lando-T sets Rocks and can switch into Ground types when / if Iron Head doesn't flinch them and Jirachi's sub goes down. Knock Off is huge with this kind of core, removing Leftovers is a big deal when your main method of wearing out a check is residual damage, and getting rid of TankChomp's Rocky Helmet will save Jirachi a ton of health of the course of a match. You're running Talonflame so obviously you'll want hazard removal, something like Latios or (ugh) defensive Starmie can help you out there. You're also gonna need an electric switch in since this core has nothing to deal with that, stuff like Gastrodon or Amoonguss can help you out there.

 

[Martin]

SHINEH!!!

Stunfisk @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Static
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 44 HP / 224 Def / 240 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Discharge
- Earth Power
- Stealth Rock
- Pain Split / Yawn / Toxic

Gyarados @ Chesto Berry
Ability: Intimidate
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Waterfall
- Bounce
- Dragon Dance
- Rest

RestoChesto Gyarados is a set that I first used around three months back because I wanted to be able to have the utility that you get from pairing it with a Healing Wish user without it being on a team with a Healing Wish user and because it means that I can heal up to full without needing to set up again. In particular, its useful for accuring multiple boosts, because you can be weakened or burned or whatever and all of a sudden click Rest, heal back to full (including your burn) and proceed to deal heavy damage to the opposing team. Dual STABs provide the most useful coverage for this set 'cause it lacks STAB on Crunch and because Ice Fang is both weak as shit and kinda redundant alongside Waterfall given that TankChomp is on the decline in favor of Lando-T and offensive Chomp. Now, what does Gyarados hate more than anything else? Why Electric-types of course! Stunfisk has been a favorite of mine for around 7 months now, with it fitting onto a deceptively high number of offense builds for its good role compression between passive pressure/support, Electric-type counter, bird counter, speed control (through paralysis) and fat Stealth Rock user. The fourth slot is very much team-dependent, but basically if your team is reliant on Stunfisk to do a lot then Pain Split is preferred, if your team needs a way to PHaze and deter Defog users that like to come in on it then use Yawn and if you want help break down fatmons that come in on it while improving its presence versus certain builds then Toxic is your best bet. Its a good partner for Gyarados because Gyarados forces out things like Lando-T and Gliscor who give Stunfisk trouble while also sharing checks like Latios (who even then doesn't enjoy coming in on Stunfisk due to the paralysis rate on Discharge).

 

[Lemon Ginger]

OK if we're doing the hax week, then I'm going to introduce this stupid core.

Snore Mega Gardevoir + RestTalk Volcanion

sets

Gardevoir-Mega @ Gardevoirite
Ability: Trace
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Rest
- Snore
- Psyshock

Volcanion @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Flamethrower
- Scald
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

This is a nice core that can slot into balance and bulky offense teams that can be a real PITA for other balance teams, while providing a nice win condition against stall. The goal is to get mega-gard a safe switch and then start setting up calm minds. With pixelate, snore becomes a ~70BP fairy move with that tasty 30% flinch rate. Psyshock handles the poison types that would otherwise be bothersome, though focus blast is still a choice to bop bisharp/skarm. Bulky garde has surprising longevity, since once it gets to +1, it becomes difficult for special attackers to 2HKO before rest, leaving only SE and very powerful physical attacks as the major blocks to this set.

This is where Volcanion comes in. Defensive volcanion doesn't give a crap about physical attackers outside of strong EQs and stone edges, so it makes a great partner to mega-gard, dealing with steels, fat fires, and most other physical attackers. Volcanion is rather easily worn down, under normal circumstances, so RestTalk lets it outlast most checks and is a nice way of managing status. As the obligatory hax move, scald is run over steam eruption for PP, while flamethrower is favored over fire blast for accuracy. There is probably some space for fire blast or EV tweaking to nab some specific 2HKOs, but I have had decent success with this fully defensive spread. This set is hardwalled by dragons and other waters, but nothing particularly likes risking switching in on a scald, and gardevoir can plunder most dragons.

Biggest threats to this core would be Lando, offensive chomp, and anything that can take advantage of a Rest turn to setup.

I should note that Meloetta is an option in place of gardevoir. It can run a similar set of Rest/Snore/CM/ShadoBall. It has considerably less power behind its attacks, but has a lot more physical bulk 100/77 vs 68/65 and gets serene grace to make snore a 60%(!) flinch. Also an effective set, but it has real issues with dark types, which are currently pretty common, so I recommend Gardevoir for the time being.

 

[Jaguar360]

Agiligator + Sky Plate Talonflame + PJab Weavile

sets

Feraligatr @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 56 HP / 252 SpA / 200 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Agility
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Focus Blast

Talonflame @ Sky Plate
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- Roost

Weavile @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Icicle Crash
- Ice Shard
- Poison Jab

The core is based around Feraligatr, an underrated Special sweeper and Ferrothorn lure with Agility. Special Gatr struggles with OU's Water-types, Clefable and Chansey mostly and appreciates having Electric and Grass-type Pokemon weakened as well.

Weavile is where the hax comes into play thanks to IC and PJab and it's useful in the core for weakening Keldeo and Ferrothorn, while also boasting good matchups against Starmie, Thundurus-I, non-Mega Slowbro and Celebi among others. Poison Jab lets it lure Azumarill and Clefable for Gatr as well, though Pursuit is also a really good option to ensure that the four aforementioned Pokemon stay out.

Sky Plate Talonflame with U-turn is there mainly to wear down Slowbro and Electrics, getting chip damage on them throughout the game with Brave Birds and U-turns. It also takes advantage of the alleviated pressure from Hippowdon, Garchomp and Landorus-T since Gatr and Weavile beat them pretty cleanly. The combination of Weavile and Talonflame is particularly against Offense, since between the two of them, only Mega Manectric, healthy Mega Diancie, Rotom-W and Tyranitar stand out as common offensive threats that neither of them have a good matchup against.

 

[Ramses]

It's voting time! Nice cores all around everyone :)

Here are your choices

Core 1

Sets

Breloom @ Fist Plate
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Force Palm
- Mach Punch
- Spore
- Bullet Seed

Volcanion @ Wacan Berry
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Steam Eruption
- Fire Blast
- Sludge Bomb
- Toxic

Yes, yes, very original core, do not steal! (obligatory Starmei tag) Force Palm Breloom + Steam Eruption Volcanion form a really solid core together due to their amazing synergy. Force Palm is a really good move on Breloom since blows past a lot threats ready to soak up a Mach Punch and has the nifty paralysis chance, but hey, Scald has a 30% chance to burn so it's obviously balanced right? Volcanion is Volcanion, but with a little twist of Wacan Berry. Wacan Berry is Martin.'s lovechild and it allows Volcanion to lure in Mega Manectric or Thundurus by absorbing a hit and blowing them back with a Steam Eruption. Very nice and straightforward core overall.

Core 2

Sets

Tyranitar @ Choice Band
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 100 HP / 252 Atk / 156 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stone Edge
- Crunch
- Superpower
- Pursuit

Togekiss @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 76 Def / 4 SpD / 176 Spe
Timid Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Air Slash
- Thunder Wave
- Roost

I love this core, because it is very synergistic, Togekiss eliminates Keldeo, and fast threat to ttar, thus making easier the job, ttar helps Togekiss against mega mane, raikou, inflicting enormous harm from Band pursuit when using volt switch, these two powerful pokemon also manage to have a good match up against stall and fats team.

Core 3

Sets

Jirachi @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Atk / 96 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Iron Head
- Toxic
- Substitute
- Fire Punch

Venusaur @ Venusaurite
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 232 HP / 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 20 Spe
Modest Nature
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power Fire
- Synthesis

This is a pretty cool core for balanced teams & it works really well due to the excellent synergy the two share. SubToxic Jirachi is an insanely annoying Pokemon if it manages to get a Substitute up. Once set up, the combination of Iron Head + Toxic will most likely drive your opponent crazy, causing them to click the X button. Mega Venusaur is a solid partner for Jirachi as it takes care of faster Water type Pokemon, most of which can 2HKO Jirachi, including Keldeo and Starmie. In return, Jirachi can take care of common Flying types, while also being able to set up Substitutes on and beat common Psychic types such as Latios and Mega Gardevoir while also being able to annoy Chansey.

Core 4

Sets

Tornadus-Therian @ Life Orb
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 76 Atk / 180 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Hurricane
- Superpower
- Knock Off
- U-turn

Manectric-Mega @ Manectite
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Thunderbolt / Thunder
- Volt Switch
- Flamethrower
- Hidden Power Ice

A nice VoltTurn core to use, notably in rain teams where they check the Swift Swim users' worst nightmares (Grass-types for Tornadus-T, Electric-types and priority for Mega Manectric). Even Flying resists risk, in rain, 100% accurate Hurricanes with their silly confusion rate. If you have some balls, you can even give Thunder to Manectric to spam paralysis on top of confusion (only in rain). Superpower with 76 EVs keeps Tyranitar at bay.

Core 5

Sets

RNGesus (Pidgeot-Mega) @ Pidgeotite
Ability: Tangled Feet
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hurricane
- Heat Wave
- Work Up
- Roost

Keldeo @ Choice Specs
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Scald
- Secret Sword
- Focus Blast

Keldeo + Mega Pidgeot is a neat core because they share great synergy both offensively and defensively. Work up two attacks roost pidgeot is a good set that tears apart a lot of balance thanks to how much power is behind those +1 hurricanes. The 30% confuse chance backed by 100% accuracy also gives pidge the ability to hax itself out of sticky situations, even being able to beat stuff like tran, rotom, and ttar provided you get lucky enough. Keld is there to support pidge by breaking down all its common checks like ttar, tran, and weavile. Its running focus blast in its last slot to reliably ohko rotom-w foolish enough to stay in (after rocks) while also being super unprepared for. Keldeo itself also has a pretty haxy move in scald that can be a huge headache to come in on. You can also run resttalk keld here if you need a more reliable answer to stuff like bish too. These two murder 90% of balance and are really solid to run right now with so many fat teams going around.

Core 6

Sets

Manaphy @ Leftovers
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 96 HP / 252 SpA / 160 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Tail Glow
- Scald
- Psychic
- Rain Dance

Weavile @ Choice Band
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Icicle Crash
- Ice Shard
- Pursuit

This offensive core is quite good in breaking down each others counters and checks and has a very good match up versus stall and balance. First off Weavile can kill grass types, pursuit and kill latios, weaken Keldeo, Rotom-W, Azumarill etc and in return Manaphy can check Steels and weaken bulky waters and other pokemon that check weavile allowing for some good breaking ability. This core does not even have a bad match up versus offense because of Weaviles fast and hard hitting ability and Manaphys bulk and decent below average speed. this core is best paired with healing wish allowing more punishment and support from your team to take hits.

Core 7

Sets

Entei @ Choice Band
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Sacred Fire
- Extreme Speed
- Stone Edge
- Bulldoze

Azumarill @ Choice Band
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Play Rough
- Waterfall
- Aqua Jet
- Superpower

Entei isn't the best Pokemon, but it's a fun pick for this theme! There are several ways this core works together to overload their checks and cover weaknesses for one another. For starters, Entei usually invites in and burns Pokemon like Rotom-W and Slowbro. Even though they take a good chunk from Play Rough already, they will have to carefully reconsider switching in on Azu when they are burned by Sacred Fire. Similarly, even when burn-free, something like Rotom-W will have a much harder time switching in on Entei after taking a Play Rough from CB Azu. Quag and Volcanion are two other waters these two can help weaken for one another. In Quag's case, it doesn't like Sacred Fire burns and can't take a Play Rough from Azu well whatsoever. Volcanion has to be careful switching in on Azu with SR up, as Play Rough and Superpower will do a sizeable chunk. From there, it'll have a hard time coming in on Entei. Similarly, a well timed Stone Edge or Bulldoze from Entei can render Volcanion incapable of switching in on Azu later. This all applies to a few other water types too and demonstrates how Azu and Entei can overload a good portion of them for one another.

Aside from weakening things for one another, Entei and Azu can also help each other deal with a couple of problematic Pokemon. For instance, Azu dislikes Pokemon like Amoonguss, Mega Venu, and Tangrowth. Others like Skarm, Ferro, and Mega Sciz can also be a nuisance. These are all Pokemon Entei can threaten well with Sacred Fire. In exchange, Azu is able to threaten Pokemon like Hippo and Gliscor, which is nice because Entei doesn't like facing them 1v1. It's also able to threaten Tar and Exca too, useful considering Entei's mediocre match up versus sand. Further, Azu's ability to pressure Tran is appreciated here because it's immune to the main move Entei will be clicking. Azu being able to pressure Keld and dragon types like Lati@s is also useful because they can all heavily threaten Entei.

All in all, Azu and Entei work together okay. They help break down each others checks and also help one another deal with several problematic Pokemon. They both provide a team with two strong forms of priority with Aqua Jet and Extreme Speed, respectively, which is always nice for a build to have for revenge killing purposes.

Core 8

Sets

Metagross-Mega @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Zen Headbutt
- Thunder Punch
- Pursuit

Volcanion @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid/Modest Nature
- Steam Eruption
- Fire Blast
- Sludge Bomb
- Toxic

This is a pretty neat core that I thought of while thinking about building with Volcanion and I've used it to great success. Basically Volcanion is annoyed by bulky waters, the lati twins, and special sponges. Mega metagross is amazing at pressuring all of those mons, especially with thunderpunch. This may not be the standard set, but it works quite well on the build that I've used it on. Tpunch pressures shit like cune, jelli, and others that pressure volc. Metagross is still annoyed to death by shit like mega scizor, gastrodon, RH Lando, MSab, etc. All of these mons are dunked on by volc and give it free chances to come in and fire off a steam eruption. I really like using this core and I recommend you check it out. Also, Offensive tank volcanion is really fucking good, so please use that over specs.

Core 9

Sets

Jirachi @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Atk / 96 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Iron Head
- Toxic
- Substitute
- Fire Punch

Talonflame
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 248 HP / 252 SpD / 8 Spe
Careful Nature
- Acrobatics
- Roost
- Bulk Up
- Taunt

Gross little core that can fit into balance teams well enough, with the end goal of breaking down Talonflame's checks and counters. SubToxic Jirachi is pretty much the most obnoxious thing on the face of the earth, abusing that stupid 60% chance to flinch with Iron Head through Toxic damage. Mutual switch ins, such as Landorus-T, Garchomp, Hippowdon, Slowbro, and Rotom-W (as well as the offensive electrics) can all be poisoned and locked down with a little luck. Wearing down these threats allows Talonflame much more room to breathe, making it a lot easier to boost with Bulk Up and land those KOs against mons that would otherwise be a huge headache for it. This isn't a one-way street though, as Talonflame can switch into a variety of Pokemon that Jirachi struggles to work against, such as Skarmory, Mega Charizard Y, and Mega Sableye, while also providing a little utility by being able to revenge kill faster threats.

If you're looking to build with this, defensive Lando-T sets Rocks and can switch into Ground types when / if Iron Head doesn't flinch them and Jirachi's sub goes down. Knock Off is huge with this kind of core, removing Leftovers is a big deal when your main method of wearing out a check is residual damage, and getting rid of TankChomp's Rocky Helmet will save Jirachi a ton of health of the course of a match. You're running Talonflame so obviously you'll want hazard removal, something like Latios or (ugh) defensive Starmie can help you out there. You're also gonna need an electric switch in since this core has nothing to deal with that, stuff like Gastrodon or Amoonguss can help you out there.

Core 10

Sets

Stunfisk @ Rocky Helmet
Ability: Static
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 44 HP / 224 Def / 240 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Discharge
- Earth Power
- Stealth Rock
- Pain Split / Yawn / Toxic

Gyarados @ Chesto Berry
Ability: Intimidate
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Waterfall
- Bounce
- Dragon Dance
- Rest

RestoChesto Gyarados is a set that I first used around three months back because I wanted to be able to have the utility that you get from pairing it with a Healing Wish user without it being on a team with a Healing Wish user and because it means that I can heal up to full without needing to set up again. In particular, its useful for accuring multiple boosts, because you can be weakened or burned or whatever and all of a sudden click Rest, heal back to full (including your burn) and proceed to deal heavy damage to the opposing team. Dual STABs provide the most useful coverage for this set 'cause it lacks STAB on Crunch and because Ice Fang is both weak as shit and kinda redundant alongside Waterfall given that TankChomp is on the decline in favor of Lando-T and offensive Chomp. Now, what does Gyarados hate more than anything else? Why Electric-types of course! Stunfisk has been a favorite of mine for around 7 months now, with it fitting onto a deceptively high number of offense builds for its good role compression between passive pressure/support, Electric-type counter, bird counter, speed control (through paralysis) and fat Stealth Rock user. The fourth slot is very much team-dependent, but basically if your team is reliant on Stunfisk to do a lot then Pain Split is preferred, if your team needs a way to PHaze and deter Defog users that like to come in on it then use Yawn and if you want help break down fatmons that come in on it while improving its presence versus certain builds then Toxic is your best bet. Its a good partner for Gyarados because Gyarados forces out things like Lando-T and Gliscor who give Stunfisk trouble while also sharing checks like Latios (who even then doesn't enjoy coming in on Stunfisk due to the paralysis rate on Discharge).

Core 11

Sets

Gardevoir-Mega @ Gardevoirite
Ability: Trace
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Rest
- Snore
- Psyshock

Volcanion @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Flamethrower
- Scald
- Rest
- Sleep Talk

This is a nice core that can slot into balance and bulky offense teams that can be a real PITA for other balance teams, while providing a nice win condition against stall. The goal is to get mega-gard a safe switch and then start setting up calm minds. With pixelate, snore becomes a ~70BP fairy move with that tasty 30% flinch rate. Psyshock handles the poison types that would otherwise be bothersome, though focus blast is still a choice to bop bisharp/skarm. Bulky garde has surprising longevity, since once it gets to +1, it becomes difficult for special attackers to 2HKO before rest, leaving only SE and very powerful physical attacks as the major blocks to this set.

This is where Volcanion comes in. Defensive volcanion doesn't give a crap about physical attackers outside of strong EQs and stone edges, so it makes a great partner to mega-gard, dealing with steels, fat fires, and most other physical attackers. Volcanion is rather easily worn down, under normal circumstances, so RestTalk lets it outlast most checks and is a nice way of managing status. As the obligatory hax move, scald is run over steam eruption for PP, while flamethrower is favored over fire blast for accuracy. There is probably some space for fire blast or EV tweaking to nab some specific 2HKOs, but I have had decent success with this fully defensive spread. This set is hardwalled by dragons and other waters, but nothing particularly likes risking switching in on a scald, and gardevoir can plunder most dragons.

Biggest threats to this core would be Lando, offensive chomp, and anything that can take advantage of a Rest turn to setup.

I should note that Meloetta is an option in place of gardevoir. It can run a similar set of Rest/Snore/CM/ShadoBall. It has considerably less power behind its attacks, but has a lot more physical bulk 100/77 vs 68/65 and gets serene grace to make snore a 60%(!) flinch. Also an effective set, but it has real issues with dark types, which are currently pretty common, so I recommend Gardevoir for the time being.

Core 12

Sets

Feraligatr @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 56 HP / 252 SpA / 200 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Agility
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Focus Blast

Talonflame @ Sky Plate
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- Roost

Weavile @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Icicle Crash
- Ice Shard
- Poison Jab

The core is based around Feraligatr, an underrated Special sweeper and Ferrothorn lure with Agility. Special Gatr struggles with OU's Water-types, Clefable and Chansey mostly and appreciates having Electric and Grass-type Pokemon weakened as well.

Weavile is where the hax comes into play thanks to IC and PJab and it's useful in the core for weakening Keldeo and Ferrothorn, while also boasting good matchups against Starmie, Thundurus-I, non-Mega Slowbro and Celebi among others. Poison Jab lets it lure Azumarill and Clefable for Gatr as well, though Pursuit is also a really good option to ensure that the four aforementioned Pokemon stay out.

Sky Plate Talonflame with U-turn is there mainly to wear down Slowbro and Electrics, getting chip damage on them throughout the game with Brave Birds and U-turns. It also takes advantage of the alleviated pressure from Hippowdon, Garchomp and Landorus-T since Gatr and Weavile beat them pretty cleanly. The combination of Weavile and Talonflame is particularly against Offense, since between the two of them, only Mega Manectric, healthy Mega Diancie, Rotom-W and Tyranitar stand out as common offensive threats that neither of them have a good matchup against.

 

[Ramses]

4 & 7

See Martin. I did it lol

 

[Martin]

6 7

 

[Cheryl.]

8 and 10

 

[Sun]

core 4 and 7

 

[Eclipse]

Core 7 & 10

 

[micahclay]

1 & 5

 

[Aragorn the King]

Core 7
Core 5

 

[Jamel]

Core 2 & 5