Offensive Cores in Monotype
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Art by BlueberryBlanket.
Introduction
In Monotype, balance and offense are the most popular archetypes, as most types can't effectively build fully defensive or hyper offensive teams. Thus, having a strong offensive core is a key part of building a successful team in Monotype. It is important to consider roles provided, typings, abilities, coverage moves, and support that can be brought to offensive teammates by breaking past mutual checks and counters. This article will explore a few popular offensive cores that are found on common types in the Monotype metagame.
Offensive Cores
Psychic
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Gallade @ Galladite
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Latios @ Choice Scarf
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Victini @ Choice Band
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At the beginning of the generation, Psychic was used as a hyper offensive type, but as the metagame developed more it has shifted towards balance teams with strong offensive cores such as this one. Mega Gallade, Choice Band Victini, and Choice Scarf Latios essentially form the staple core on Psychic teams today. The former two form an amazing physical wallbreaking core, sharing very few common checks, leaving many types unable to handle the offensive core. Mega Gallade can break through Pokémon that resist V-create for Victini, such as Garchomp and Tyranitar, with Close Combat, as well as remove other Pokémon's items such as Greninja's Choice Scarf with Knock Off and round out its coverage by hitting Psychic-type Pokémon such as Mew for super effective damage. Additionally, Mega Gallade fills the role of setup sweeper, which allows it to break past many premier defensive Pokémon in the tier such as Toxapex and Celesteela, making it an invaluable teammate. All of these allow it to carve a path for Latios to clean late-game. Choice Scarf Latios is the revenge killer for the core, being able to outspeed the entire unboosted metagame, allowing it to revenge kill key threats such as Choice Scarf Blacephalon and Volcarona. Latios also removes hazards in a flash with Defog, outspeeding every unboosted Pokémon in the metagame, allowing Victini and Mega Gallade to come in and wallbreak or set up more easily without having to worry about chip damage. However, being Choice-locked into Defog has its disadvantages, as it is super easy to take advantage of and reset Stealth Rock on Latios, so ideally hazards should be removed only once their setters have been removed. Choice Band Victini virtually has no switch-ins, being able to net a 2HKO on pretty much every Pokémon bar Water / Ground type Pokémon like Swampert and Gastrodon. This allows it to freely click V-create in an overwhelming number of matchups while nailing Pokémon such as Toxapex that resist V-create with Bolt Strike. Victini also is only Pokémon on Psychic teams that can handle Volcarona after it has set up. Additionally, Victini provides its offensive partners with pivot support, being able to safely bring them in with U-turn. Latios can also further cripple walls for Victini with Trick, locking them into one move, allowing Victini to more easily handle them. However, once it has Tricked away its Choice Scarf, it can be revenge killed by threats such as Zeraora and Mega Aerodactyl. This core makes for good offensive teammates on a balanced or offensive Psychic team and is pretty much a staple core on every Psychic team in the current metagame.
Water
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Sharpedo @ Sharpedonite
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Keldeo @ Waterium Z
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Greninja @ Choice Scarf
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Mega Sharpedo, Keldeo, and Greninja are perhaps the most common offensive core that balanced Water teams rely on, as they support each other very well and can break through many tough matchups such as Psychic, Dark, and Flying. Mega Sharpedo and Greninja are both fantastic late-game cleaners that appreciate Keldeo's ability to break through walls they struggle with, such as Celesteela and Toxapex. Keldeo is commonly the team's setup sweeper and stallbreaker and manages to do this pretty effectively thanks to Taunt and Calm Mind (RC) allowing it to fairly easily rip apart defensive cores such as Chansey and Porygon2, which its teammates struggle to break past. Waterium Z provides Keldeo with a one-time nuke in Hydro Vortex, allowing it to take on Pokémon such as Celesteela and Zapdos for its team, giving Greninja an easier time sweeping late-game. Ideally, you should save Keldeo's Z-Move for a Pokémon that Greninja and Mega Sharpedo want to be weakened so they can sweep after Keldeo is gone. Keldeo appreciates Mega Sharpedo's ability to break past common Ghost- and Psychic-type Pokémon such as Jellicent and Mega Latias, which Keldeo struggles to beat. Overall, Keldeo opens up holes for its teammates to better clean late-game. Mega Sharpedo is pretty middle ground between the two, as it can act as a mid-game cleaner or late-game sweeper, depending on how its teammates are used. Its attacks are all boosted thanks to Strong Jaw, turning it into a phenomenal wallbreaker and late-game cleaner. Mega Sharpedo can Crunch and Psychic Fangs its way around Greninja's checks such as Jirachi, Celesteela, and Mantine, leaving a path for Greninja to clean late-game. However, it can also wait until Keldeo and Greninja have broken down most of the opposing team and then collect Speed boosts and proceed to sweep the rest of the team. Substitute also allows Mega Sharpedo to avoid status and gain momentum against status users such as Mew and Chansey while also improving its matchup against offensive teams. Greninja is the premier revenge killer of the type, immediately being the fastest viable Choice Scarf user within the tier, being able to outspeed Pokémon such as Mega Aerodactyl. Its insane coverage allows it to cover a plethora of threats for Water teams such as Volcarona and Mega Charizard Y with Rock Slide as well as Tapu Bulu and Tapu Koko with Gunk Shot. Greninja can also pivot in Pokémon safely with U-turn on a predicted switch, allowing Water teams to pick up momentum and keep the advantage on their side of the field. Greninja is a fantastic lead Pokémon as it can safely switch out of any matchup with U-turn and bring out an appropriate teammate. This offensive Water core does a good job of breaking walls, allowing its late-game cleaner in Greninja to sweep through the opposing team, and is reliable against a solid chunk of the metagame.
Fairy
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Tapu Koko @ Magnet
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Diancie @ Diancite
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Tapu Bulu @ Life Orb
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Tapu Bulu and Tapu Koko are a timeless core for Generation 7 Monotype Fairy teams, covering each other's weaknesses and being able to take on a large chunk of top-tier types. Mega Diancie is another blessing to the Fairy type, as it fills so many roles, including hazard setter, Magic Bounce user that keeps the team status and hazard free, and mixed wallbreaker. It essentially is the centerpiece to Fairy teams. Its Stealth Rock notably allows Tapu Bulu to pick up the OHKO on Mega Venusaur with +2 Zen Headbutt and makes it way easier for Tapu Koko to clean late-game. Moonblast allows it to take on what Fairy teams are supposed to naturally beat, having absolutely no switch-ins on Dark, Fighting, or Dragon teams, essentially forcing them to check it offensively. It can also pressure Flying teams with Diamond Storm alongside Tapu Koko and hit Poison-type Pokémon for super effective damage with Psychic. These moves especially make fantastic counterplay against Poison teams, as the combination of the two can 2HKO every Pokémon on the type, which is phenomenal, to say the least. Tapu Koko is able to pressure Flying teams, especially threats like Celesteela, for Tapu Bulu, as Thunderbolt and Hidden Power Ice hit every Flying-type Pokémon for super effective damage, as well as check defensive Pokémon such as Chansey by preventing them from using its status moves or recovery thanks to Taunt. Tapu Bulu is also able to really easily break defensive teams, as it can easily set up a Substitute against a multitude of Pokémon and then set up Swords Dance or directly attack for damage. As a lead, Substitute + Swords Dance Tapu Bulu practically invalidates Water and Ground teams. This Tapu Bulu also particularly disturbs Poison teams, as it can easily set up on Pokémon such as Toxapex and proceed to clean through slower Pokémon such as Mega Venusaur. Tapu Bulu is the premier switch-in to Ground-type attacks for this core and Fairy teams in general. This Fairy core is very solid in the current Monotype metagame and a huge part of the reason the type is so dominant!
Bug
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Scizor @ Choice Band
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Volcarona @ Firium Z
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Heracross @ Choice Scarf
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Scizor, Volcarona, and Heracross are a tried-and-true Bug core. It is not hard to see why, as they share lots of synergy and form a great offensive core together, covering each other's weaknesses. Volcarona is the team's setup sweeper and a potent one at that. Once Volcarona gets the ball rolling and sets up a Quiver Dance, it suddenly becomes very hard to handle offensively and defensively. Volcarona can clean or at least severely weaken a large majority of teams, allowing Heracross and Scizor to clean up late-game. Volcarona can also take care of physical walls that trouble Scizor and Heracross such as Zapdos, Skarmory, and Hippowdon, which would otherwise wall them. Alongside Quiver Dance, Firium Z can let Volcarona blow past traditional checks such as Latios and Kyurem-B and defensive walls such as Porygon2. Giga Drain also allows Volcarona to put in work against Water- and Ground-type teams, being able to take on Pokémon such as Swampert, Gastrodon, and Hippowdon, while Hidden Power Ground allows Volcarona to cleanly sweep through Steel teams, namely beating Heatran. This allows Choice Scarf Heracross to clean late-game fairly easily. Choice Scarf Heracross can also threaten one of the biggest threats to Bug teams, Victini, as after Victini uses V-create, Heracross can trap and OHKO it as it switches out with Pursuit. This is a huge help to both of its teammates, as Victini can easily pick off Bug Pokémon one by one if Heracross does not Pursuit trap it. Scizor also helps Heracross by being a fantastic late-game cleaner, as with access to Knock Off, it can remove other Pokémon's items such as Latios's Choice Scarf and Chansey's Eviolite, allowing Heracross to clean more easily late-game. Scizor also assists Volcarona and Heracross by being able to beat Fairy-type Pokémon they struggle with such as Mega Diancie and Azumarill, which would otherwise cleanly sweep through Bug teams. Scizor can also safely bring in Volcarona and Heracross with U-turn, switching itself out of a bad matchup, and gaining momentum for the Bug team. Choice Scarf Heracross can outspeed and pick off a handful of weakened threats to the Bug-type such as Mega Aerodactyl and Keldeo. This only makes it a better late-game cleaner, as with each KO, Moxie boosts its Attack, only making it harder to wall. It can also take care of Pokémon such as Zapdos, Mantine, and Mega Charizard Y with Stone Edge. Overall, this Bug core backs each other up, as one opens up a path for the others to sweep, and each Pokémon covers a handful of threats and weaknesses for the others. This allows Bug to be a potent offensive typing when used correctly.
Electric
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Tapu Koko @ Choice Specs
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Raichu-Alola @ Aloraichium Z
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Zeraora @ Choice Band
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Blessed with a fantastic offensive core, unlike in previous generations, Electric teams have seen a surge in viability. Tapu Koko is the centerpiece of the core, as its Electric Terrain boosts the team's Electric STAB attacks to shocking levels and activates Alolan Raichu's ability Surge Surfer, which allows it to double its Speed in Electric Terrain. Tapu Koko also provides the team with a Dragon check, as with Choice Specs-boosted Dazzling Gleam it can break past all Dragon-type Pokémon aside from Dragalge. Hidden Power Ice also allows it to take on and OHKO threats such as Landorus and Garchomp. Alolan Raichu's Psychic allows it to threaten Poison-type Pokémon such as Mega Venusaur and Nidoking, threats to Electric teams, while Focus Blast targets Steel-type Pokémon such as Excadrill that do not mind Thunderbolt. Alolan Raichu also has access to a powerful nuke in Stoked Sparksurfer, which, in conjunction with Nasty Plot, allows it to break past Pokémon that would otherwise wall it such as Alolan Muk. Zeraora is the core's physical wallbreaker and is capable of breaking past many threats to Electric teams, being able to threaten to 2HKO Normal teams with the combination of Close Combat and Plasma Fists in Electric Terrain, remedying Electric's longtime weakness to these, and also being able to OHKO Tapu Bulu with Iron Tail with Stealth Rock chip. Zeraora should be used to break specially defensive walls that give Alolan Raichu and Tapu Koko trouble such as Chansey, while it appreciates their ability to muscle past physical walls that check it such as Mega Venusaur and Gliscor. With all the spark this core provides to Electric teams, it is easy to see why this core is so successful in the current metagame.
Ground
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Excadrill @ Choice Band
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Landorus @ Life Orb
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Dugtrio @ Focus Sash
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Ground has always been a great type with a strong defensive backbone in Hippowdon + Gastrodon / Seimsitoad backed by an even more amazing offensive core, allowing it to stay a relevant type throughout the past generations. Excadrill and Landorus are a timeless core on Ground teams, being able to support each other by breaking down each other's checks. Dugtrio is the last Pokémon of the core and finds its role as an emergency check to threats such as Keldeo and has the ability to trap Pokémon with Arena Trap. Landorus has a very wide movepool that allows it to hit every Pokémon for neutral damage, allowing it to become a very potent wallbreaker. Landorus also provides Gravity support for both Excadrill and Dugtrio, allowing them to hit Flying and Levitate users, noticeably Celesteela, which the latter can trap under Gravity and proceed to remove from battle. Excadrill acts as a sweeper in the sand and can take on faster Pokémon that give Landorus trouble such as Choice Scarf Tapu Bulu and Greninja. Excadrill also appreciates Landorus's ability to break its checks such as Skarmory. Dugtrio also can trap and severely chip threats such as Tapu Bulu with Sludge Wave, and in return it appreciates Excadrill's ability to clear hazards from the field with Rapid Spin, allowing it to keep its Focus Sash intact and better act as an emergency check to Pokémon such as Kyurem-B. Furthermore, Dugtrio can also pick off Pokémon with Sucker Punch late-game that Excadrill and Landorus have weakened such as Alakazam. While Ground, on the whole, might be underappreciated currently in Monotype, this core is no slack and is definitely worth using.
Closing Thoughts
Offensive cores are an important part of teambuilding in Monotype. Hopefully, this article gave you some ideas on what to consider using the next time you play Monotype. Get out there and try these offensive cores!
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