Hi everyone!
Back to finish this, after peaking #1 in 2025.
The team is built around solid synergy and consistent offensive pressure, while still having enough defensive backbone to handle common threats in the metagame. I tested this team quite a bit on the ladder and had decent success. So I think that is APPROVED.
The main goal of the team is to keep momentum early-game and open paths for a late-game win condition with Weavile plus Keldeo. Each member was chosen to cover specific threats by Zarude ban and support the rest of the team as efficiently as possible. I’ll go over each Pokémon, their roles, and my reasoning below.
Team Overview:
This team is a balanced structure focused on long-term pressure through hazards, status spreading, and strong win conditions. It aims to control the pace of the game by stacking Spikes and Stealth Rock, forcing chip damage, and creating opportunities for setup sweepers to take over in the mid- to late-game.
The primary win conditions are Calm Mind Keldeo and Swords Dance Weavile. Keldeo functions as a bulky setup sweeper that can exploit passive Pokémon with Substitute + Calm Mind, while Tera Steel helps it flip key matchups and set up more safely. Weavile provides strong offensive presence, speed control with Ice Shard, and the ability to punish bulky teams once checks are weakened.
Defensively, the team relies on a solid core of Skeledirge, Clodsire, and Skarmory. Skeledirge acts as a reliable Unaware wall, stopping setup sweepers and spreading burns to wear down physical attackers. Clodsire offers crucial utility with Water Absorb, Toxic, and reliable recovery, helping the team handle special attackers and bulky Water-types. Skarmory rounds out the core by setting Spikes, checking physical threats, and phazing with Whirlwind to rack up hazard damage.
Tinkaton provides Stealth Rock support, Knock Off utility, and Encore to disrupt opposing setup attempts, while also serving as a glue Pokémon that helps maintain momentum and defensive stability.
Overall, the team focuses on wearing the opponent down through hazards and status before cleaning with its offensive threats, rewarding patient play and careful positioning.
Team Members:
serves as one of the team’s primary win conditions and special setup sweepers. The Calm Mind + Substitute combination allows it to take advantage of passive Pokémon and defensive cores, especially once hazards are up. Surf is chosen for reliability and consistent damage, while Secret Sword lets Keldeo bypass special walls by targeting their Defense, making it much harder to wall. Leftovers provides passive recovery, synergizing well with Substitute and Calm Mind. Tera Steel is a key choice that improves Keldeo’s defensive profile, granting useful resistances and allowing it to set up more safely against Fairy-, Flying-, and Psychic-type attacks. The EV spread maximizes Speed and Special Attack to maintain offensive pressure after boosting. Modest nature is a very good option that works to improve the offensive power in set up.
acts as the team’s main physical breaker and late-game cleaner. I’ll say it now! It’s the best breaker around — I really don’t understand why it hasn’t moved up to UUBL! With Swords Dance, it can quickly become overwhelming once bulky checks have been weakened by hazards and status. Triple Axel is its strongest Ice-type STAB, while Knock Off provides invaluable utility by removing items and hitting Psychic- and Ghost-types. Ice Shard offers important priority, allowing Weavile to revenge faster threats and clean weakened teams. Heavy-Duty Boots ensures Weavile isn’t worn down by hazards, which is crucial given its frailty. Tera Ghost helps it avoid Fighting-type attacks and spin-block in emergency situations, while also improving its matchup against priority moves for example vs Conkeldurr with Mach Punch.
Skeledirge is a cornerstone of the team’s defensive core, functioning as a reliable check to setup sweepers thanks to Unaware. This ability allows it to ignore stat boosts and consistently stop threatening sweepers that could otherwise overwhelm the team. Torch Song provides both damage and Special Attack boosts, allowing Skeledirge to become progressively harder to break. Will-O-Wisp cripples physical attackers and synergizes with Hex, which becomes much stronger against statused targets. Slack Off gives Skeledirge longevity, enabling it to repeatedly switch in throughout the game. Tera Fairy improves its matchup against Dark- and Dragon-type threats as Lokix or Latios.
provides important defensive utility and acts as the team’s main Water-type immunity thanks to Water Absorb. This makes it a strong answer to opposing Water-types like Rotom-W and allows it to switch in freely on common Water-type attacks like Manaphy or Azumarill. The combination of Toxic and Recover enables Clodsire to wear down bulky Pokémon over time while maintaining its own longevity. Earthquake is its primary STAB move, offering consistent damage, while Poison Jab prevents it from being completely passive and helps against Fairy-types. Tera Dark helps Clodsire handle Psychic-type attacks as Psychic Noise and improves its matchup against certain special attackers.
functions as the team’s main physical wall and primary Spikes setter. Its excellent defensive typing and access to Roost allow it to repeatedly come in on physical attackers and generate long-term value. Whirlwind is crucial for phazing setup sweepers like Weavile, Revavroom, Excadrill and synergizes well with hazard stacking, forcing the opponent to take repeated chip damage. Body Press gives Skarmory a way to deal damage using its high Defense stat and prevents it from being completely passive vs Steel. Rocky Helmet punishes contact moves, while Tera Ghost removes its Electric- and Fighting-type weaknesses and helps in emergency situations in situation when the opponent is forced to use Rapid Spin.
acts as a glue Pokémon, providing Stealth Rock support while offering valuable utility. Gigaton Hammer gives it a powerful offensive option that prevents it from being ignored, while Knock Off removes key items from opposing Pokémon. Encore is especially important, allowing Tinkaton to lock opposing Pokémon into setup moves or recovery, creating opportunities for teammates like Keldeo and Weavile to capitalize. Leftovers improves its longevity, and Pickpocket can occasionally punish contact moves by stealing items. Tera Ghost gives Tinkaton an emergency immunity to Fighting-type attacks and improves its defensive flexibility.
Threats for this team to deal with:
Replay #1:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9uu-2506873736-6pamgga4f58jmfc6ii96gg06beuej38pw
I chose to post only one replay since the other games were played against opponents around the 1400s (still with a 100% win rate).
This replay better showcases the team being used on high ladder.
Anyone who ran into me on the ladder had some unpleasant losses
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9uu-2507176631-y2y24ej86vighuvhtm4vdld6ydckchxpw
Happy holidays!
P.S.
Second Peak of the year
https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/how-become-gol-d-peak-1-1697-elo-86-6-gxe.3768324/
Back to finish this, after peaking #1 in 2025.
The team is built around solid synergy and consistent offensive pressure, while still having enough defensive backbone to handle common threats in the metagame. I tested this team quite a bit on the ladder and had decent success. So I think that is APPROVED.
The main goal of the team is to keep momentum early-game and open paths for a late-game win condition with Weavile plus Keldeo. Each member was chosen to cover specific threats by Zarude ban and support the rest of the team as efficiently as possible. I’ll go over each Pokémon, their roles, and my reasoning below.
Team Overview:
This team is a balanced structure focused on long-term pressure through hazards, status spreading, and strong win conditions. It aims to control the pace of the game by stacking Spikes and Stealth Rock, forcing chip damage, and creating opportunities for setup sweepers to take over in the mid- to late-game.
The primary win conditions are Calm Mind Keldeo and Swords Dance Weavile. Keldeo functions as a bulky setup sweeper that can exploit passive Pokémon with Substitute + Calm Mind, while Tera Steel helps it flip key matchups and set up more safely. Weavile provides strong offensive presence, speed control with Ice Shard, and the ability to punish bulky teams once checks are weakened.
Defensively, the team relies on a solid core of Skeledirge, Clodsire, and Skarmory. Skeledirge acts as a reliable Unaware wall, stopping setup sweepers and spreading burns to wear down physical attackers. Clodsire offers crucial utility with Water Absorb, Toxic, and reliable recovery, helping the team handle special attackers and bulky Water-types. Skarmory rounds out the core by setting Spikes, checking physical threats, and phazing with Whirlwind to rack up hazard damage.
Tinkaton provides Stealth Rock support, Knock Off utility, and Encore to disrupt opposing setup attempts, while also serving as a glue Pokémon that helps maintain momentum and defensive stability.
Overall, the team focuses on wearing the opponent down through hazards and status before cleaning with its offensive threats, rewarding patient play and careful positioning.
Team Members:
serves as one of the team’s primary win conditions and special setup sweepers. The Calm Mind + Substitute combination allows it to take advantage of passive Pokémon and defensive cores, especially once hazards are up. Surf is chosen for reliability and consistent damage, while Secret Sword lets Keldeo bypass special walls by targeting their Defense, making it much harder to wall. Leftovers provides passive recovery, synergizing well with Substitute and Calm Mind. Tera Steel is a key choice that improves Keldeo’s defensive profile, granting useful resistances and allowing it to set up more safely against Fairy-, Flying-, and Psychic-type attacks. The EV spread maximizes Speed and Special Attack to maintain offensive pressure after boosting. Modest nature is a very good option that works to improve the offensive power in set up. acts as the team’s main physical breaker and late-game cleaner. I’ll say it now! It’s the best breaker around — I really don’t understand why it hasn’t moved up to UUBL! With Swords Dance, it can quickly become overwhelming once bulky checks have been weakened by hazards and status. Triple Axel is its strongest Ice-type STAB, while Knock Off provides invaluable utility by removing items and hitting Psychic- and Ghost-types. Ice Shard offers important priority, allowing Weavile to revenge faster threats and clean weakened teams. Heavy-Duty Boots ensures Weavile isn’t worn down by hazards, which is crucial given its frailty. Tera Ghost helps it avoid Fighting-type attacks and spin-block in emergency situations, while also improving its matchup against priority moves for example vs Conkeldurr with Mach Punch. Skeledirge is a cornerstone of the team’s defensive core, functioning as a reliable check to setup sweepers thanks to Unaware. This ability allows it to ignore stat boosts and consistently stop threatening sweepers that could otherwise overwhelm the team. Torch Song provides both damage and Special Attack boosts, allowing Skeledirge to become progressively harder to break. Will-O-Wisp cripples physical attackers and synergizes with Hex, which becomes much stronger against statused targets. Slack Off gives Skeledirge longevity, enabling it to repeatedly switch in throughout the game. Tera Fairy improves its matchup against Dark- and Dragon-type threats as Lokix or Latios. provides important defensive utility and acts as the team’s main Water-type immunity thanks to Water Absorb. This makes it a strong answer to opposing Water-types like Rotom-W and allows it to switch in freely on common Water-type attacks like Manaphy or Azumarill. The combination of Toxic and Recover enables Clodsire to wear down bulky Pokémon over time while maintaining its own longevity. Earthquake is its primary STAB move, offering consistent damage, while Poison Jab prevents it from being completely passive and helps against Fairy-types. Tera Dark helps Clodsire handle Psychic-type attacks as Psychic Noise and improves its matchup against certain special attackers. functions as the team’s main physical wall and primary Spikes setter. Its excellent defensive typing and access to Roost allow it to repeatedly come in on physical attackers and generate long-term value. Whirlwind is crucial for phazing setup sweepers like Weavile, Revavroom, Excadrill and synergizes well with hazard stacking, forcing the opponent to take repeated chip damage. Body Press gives Skarmory a way to deal damage using its high Defense stat and prevents it from being completely passive vs Steel. Rocky Helmet punishes contact moves, while Tera Ghost removes its Electric- and Fighting-type weaknesses and helps in emergency situations in situation when the opponent is forced to use Rapid Spin. acts as a glue Pokémon, providing Stealth Rock support while offering valuable utility. Gigaton Hammer gives it a powerful offensive option that prevents it from being ignored, while Knock Off removes key items from opposing Pokémon. Encore is especially important, allowing Tinkaton to lock opposing Pokémon into setup moves or recovery, creating opportunities for teammates like Keldeo and Weavile to capitalize. Leftovers improves its longevity, and Pickpocket can occasionally punish contact moves by stealing items. Tera Ghost gives Tinkaton an emergency immunity to Fighting-type attacks and improves its defensive flexibility.Threats for this team to deal with:
- Taunt users that also spread status can disrupt the team’s defensive flow by limiting recovery and setup. Pokémon that prevent Skeledirge, Clodsire, or Skarmory from healing can force unfavorable trades if not handled carefully.
- Teams that heavily stack hazards while preventing removal can be difficult to face, as this team lacks hazard removal. Although all members are relatively resilient and several carry Heavy-Duty Boots, long games against strong hazard pressure can become uncomfortable. Winning these matchups often requires aggressive use of Encore and Whirlwind to deny free turns.
Replay #1:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9uu-2506873736-6pamgga4f58jmfc6ii96gg06beuej38pw
I chose to post only one replay since the other games were played against opponents around the 1400s (still with a 100% win rate).
This replay better showcases the team being used on high ladder.
Anyone who ran into me on the ladder had some unpleasant losses
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9uu-2507176631-y2y24ej86vighuvhtm4vdld6ydckchxpw
Happy holidays!
P.S.
Second Peak of the year
https://www.smogon.com/forums/threads/how-become-gol-d-peak-1-1697-elo-86-6-gxe.3768324/
Last edited: