Hi everyone,
First off, thanks to the council for putting together the initial ability slate — this meta has been really fun to test, and it’s clear a lot of thought went into keeping things cohesive. After some games and teambuilding, I made a few
small ability tweaks in my Poképaste that I wanted to share, along with the reasoning behind them. None of these are meant as hard disagreements; they’re more about
role clarity and long-term viability based on how these mons actually play on teams.
I’ll go Pokémon by Pokémon and keep things focused.
Triage is interesting on paper, but in practice, it pushes Victreebel into a strange semi-support role that doesn’t really leverage its offensive stats. The set in my paste is built around
status pressure + forcing progress, and Corrosion fits that goal much better. Being able to Toxic traditional switch-ins like Steels gives Victreebel a real niche as a
progress-maker, rather than a middling attacker that occasionally heals first.
Compared to Triage, Corrosion actually encourages interaction: opponents have to think carefully about what they pivot into it, instead of comfortably sitting on it, knowing it lacks long-term pressure.
View attachment 795483
Victreebel-Mega (M) @ Victreebelite
Ability: Corrosion
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Grass
EVs: 144 HP / 252 SpA / 16 SpD / 96 Spe
Modest Nature
- Toxic
- Knock Off
- Encore
- Giga Drain
Malamar is one of those Pokémon that really lives or dies by how threatening its setup is. With the Bulk Up set in my paste,
Simple turns Malamar into a real win condition, not just a gimmick that needs multiple turns to matter. One boost actually forces responses, which is important in a meta this fast.
One additional reason I like Simple on Mega Malamar is how well it interacts with base Malamar’s Contrary. There’s a lot of healthy mind-game potential in choosing when to Mega Evolve — staying in base form lets Malamar threaten early Contrary Superpower boosts, which forces defensive responses even if you don’t commit to Mega immediately. From there, Mega Evolution transitions Malamar cleanly into a Bulk Up win condition rather than a one-note gimmick. I think this kind of sequencing depth is a positive for the metagame, since it rewards good timing and prediction while still leaving plenty of counterplay.
Importantly, this doesn’t remove counterplay — Malamar is still slow, still vulnerable to strong special attackers, and still needs positioning. Simple just ensures that when you give it a turn, it actually
does something.
View attachment 795487
Malamar (M) @ Malamarite
Ability: Simple
Tera Type: Dark
EVs: 248 HP / 88 Atk / 140 SpD / 32 Spe
Careful Nature
- Superpower
- Bulk Up
- Knock Off
- Psycho Cut
This is the change I feel most strongly about. If Staraptor keeps
Tough Claws, it would become the
sixth Mega in the format to receive that ability. At that point, it starts to feel oversaturated and honestly a bit lazy — especially when Staraptor already hits extremely hard without needing generic contact boosts.
Moxie gives Staraptor a much more
distinct identity as a snowballing breaker that rewards aggressive positioning and correct predictions. The set in my paste plays into this by forcing trades early and turning them into momentum later. If Tough Claws is removed, I also think
Intimidate or even
Oblivious could be interesting alternatives that differentiate it without just inflating damage numbers.
View attachment 795488
Staraptor (M) @ Staraptite
Ability: Moxie
Tera Type: Normal
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Bulk Up
- Brave Bird
- Close Combat
- Knock Off
Hawlucha’s niche has always been about committing to high-impact turns. No Guard supports that playstyle cleanly by letting it run
strong but imperfect coverage without turning games into coin flips. The set in my paste leans into that idea — if Hawlucha finds an opening, it should be allowed to capitalize, but it still has to earn that opening.
This feels more interactive than abilities that simply boost stats passively.
View attachment 795490
Hawlucha @ Hawluchanite
Ability: No Guard
Tera Type: Fighting
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Dual Wingbeat
- Cross Chop
- Stone Edge
Chesnaught really shines when it’s allowed to lean fully into being a
physical backbone. With Stamina, the defensive set in my paste becomes much more consistent at checking common physical threats over the course of a game, rather than being stretched thin between offense and defense.
I like this change because it doesn’t increase Chesnaught’s ceiling — it increases its
reliability, which feels healthier overall.
View attachment 795491
Chesnaught (M) @ Chesnaughtite
Ability: Stamina
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Grass
EVs: 252 HP / 28 Def / 228 SpD
Careful Nature
- Leech Seed
- Payback
- Spiky Shield
- Body Press
Tatsugiri is naturally opportunistic by design, and the ability reflects that. The set in my paste is not trying to brute-force wins; instead, Opportunist lets Tatsugiri
punish overextension and setup, turning opponent progress into its own. This keeps it reactive rather than oppressive, while still giving it a reason to be used over bulkier or stronger Megas.
View attachment 795492
Tatsugiri (M) @ Tatsugirinite
Ability: Opportunist
Shiny: Yes
Tera Type: Dragon
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Calm Nature
- Flip Turn
- Protect
- Surf
- Draco Meteor
Closing Thoughts
Overall, these changes are about
making each Mega feel purposeful, rather than just strong. I tried to avoid raw power creep and instead focused on abilities that create interesting decisions for both players. I’m very open to feedback — if any of these feel too strong, too weak, or redundant in practice, I’d love to hear about it and adjust.
Thanks for reading, and I’m looking forward to seeing how others are building and testing in this meta.
Chesnaught 
Falinks 
