XY MONOTYPE CORES THREAD
(approved by The Eevee General)
Welcome to the Monotype cores thread! With the new unbanning, many new threats have been introduced into the XY Monotype metagame! With these new threats around, and many already existing threats still thriving in the Monotype metagame, I decided to make a cores thread to see how many Monotype players play around common threats on the Ladder, by showing us the cores that lead them to victory! But before you start posting, read the rules, and what's expected to be posted when showcasing your core. This is a thread made to give people ideas to build new teams around, and to help out new players learn the metagame, and so they know what to build teams around. There are several cores that can bring you success in this Metagame. Balanced cores go well with types like Steel, Water, and Flying, while Offensive cores would go better with types like Swift Swim Water, or Fighting. Defensive cores might be used the best on bulky types like Normal, or Water too.
What is a core?
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. - alexwolf
RULES
1. Please remember to keep discussion civil, no NSFW posts, don't begin flame wars in this thread, and remember to stay on topic! Any rude/irrelevant posts will be deleted, and if you continue to post posts like that, you will be infracted.
2. Creative, unknown cores and original, common cores are always accepted! Just remember that your post will be deleted if you post an unviable core that doesn't help new players at all.
3. Please remember to use sprites when posting your core, so your core can look nice and presentable.
4. Name what type of core your core is when posted. (Balanced Core, Offensive Core, Defensive Core.)
(more rules will be added when necessary)
GUIDE TO POSTING:
No need to post your core in Hide, I'll post it in Hide in the Archive for you. Remember to add some threats to your core, and remember to add how to beat them. If they're unbeatable, feel free to elaborate on how they it is able to destroy this core, and how you might be able to play around it. Happy posting!
Big thanks to Anttya and All Falls Down for helping me out with developing this thread!
SEE POST #2 FOR ARCHIVE V.1
SEE POST #19 FOR ARCHIVE V.2
(approved by The Eevee General)
Welcome to the Monotype cores thread! With the new unbanning, many new threats have been introduced into the XY Monotype metagame! With these new threats around, and many already existing threats still thriving in the Monotype metagame, I decided to make a cores thread to see how many Monotype players play around common threats on the Ladder, by showing us the cores that lead them to victory! But before you start posting, read the rules, and what's expected to be posted when showcasing your core. This is a thread made to give people ideas to build new teams around, and to help out new players learn the metagame, and so they know what to build teams around. There are several cores that can bring you success in this Metagame. Balanced cores go well with types like Steel, Water, and Flying, while Offensive cores would go better with types like Swift Swim Water, or Fighting. Defensive cores might be used the best on bulky types like Normal, or Water too.
What is a core?
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. - alexwolf
RULES
1. Please remember to keep discussion civil, no NSFW posts, don't begin flame wars in this thread, and remember to stay on topic! Any rude/irrelevant posts will be deleted, and if you continue to post posts like that, you will be infracted.
2. Creative, unknown cores and original, common cores are always accepted! Just remember that your post will be deleted if you post an unviable core that doesn't help new players at all.
3. Please remember to use sprites when posting your core, so your core can look nice and presentable.
4. Name what type of core your core is when posted. (Balanced Core, Offensive Core, Defensive Core.)
(more rules will be added when necessary)
GUIDE TO POSTING:
DEFENSIVE CORE
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 252 HP / 236 Def / 20 Spe
Bold Nature
- Sludge Bomb
- Synthesis
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Giga Drain
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed
- Power Whip/Protect/Knock Off
- Gyro Ball
Venusaur-Mega+Ferrothorn is a very popular Grass monotype core that aids Grass with setting up Stealth Rock/Spikes while giving it immunities/resistances to many of the types that threaten many Grass-type Pokemon, Poison and Fire/Ice. Fire/Ice are covered by Thick Fat Mega-Venusaur, and Poison moves are covered by Ferrothorn. Things like Scizor are checked by Mega-Venusaur's Hidden Power [FIRE] and Ferrothorn is a good switch-in to things like Gengar and various Dragons that spam Outrage, like Dragonite or Garchomp, but beware of Fire Blast. Ferrothorn is good for setting up rocks and supporting offensive teammates like Shaymin-sky, and it helps rack up damage on Fire-types and Flying-types, which generally have an amazing match up VS Grass.
Here are some replays of this core doing work: Anttyazvs a decent Bug user. He didn't carry a Genesect, but he did have many big threats to Grass team, like Galvantula, Scarf Heracross, and Yanmega. The Bug user also scored a lot of paralyze hax on Ferrothorn, but Ferrothorn still did his job in setting Stealth Rock multiple times throughout the game. He did make some bad plays, like keeping Volcarona in on the kind of obvious Scarf Virizion, but some people wouldn't have expected that, since Virizion isn't used much in Monotype, or most other tiers.
This is AnttyazVS a really good Steel user before the banning/unbanning. He did make some really bad plays, like keeping Aegislash in on Shiftry, and allowing his Heatran to take even more damage, even when the Shiftry was obviously Physical, so Skarmory was a good switch-in. Ultimately, Anttyaz 's Ferrothorn + Mega-Venusaur core powered through the Steel Monotype, and honestly, without it she would've lost completely.
Pair this core up with offensive Pokemon that benefit from hazards and priority using threats being dead, like Shaymin-sky, Breloom, or Scarf Rotom-Mow. Shiftry and Sceptile are good choices as well.
BIG THREATS TO THIS CORE:
Charizard-Mega-X & Y - Charizard-Mega-X & Y give this core trouble because of their sheer power. Tough Claws Flare Blitz, unfortunately, does a number to Venusaur-Mega,, resulting in a clean 2HKO. Charizard-Mega-Y does the same. It OHKOes Ferrothorn with Fire Blast, and 2HKOes Venusaur-Mega.
How to beat it?: You can defeat Charizard-Mega-X by wearing him down with Ferrothorn to the point where Mach Punch Breloom easily kills, and if you have Stealth Rock up, he might die upon re-entry. You can defeat Charizard-Mega-Y with Specially Defensive Cradily, but Focus Blast still does a number. You can also use Choice Scarf Rotom-Mow to kill it with Thunderbolt.
Landorus-Incarnate - Life Orb Sheer Force Landorus-Incarnate breaks through this core easily with the Psychic+Focus Blast combination.
How to beat?: You can defeat Landorus-Incarnate with Focus Sash Breloom's Bullet Seed+Mach Punch combination, or you can easily switch into Focus Blasts/Psychics/Earth Powers, and kill Landorus-Incarnate with Hidden Power Ice. If it's a Ground Monotype, you can also predict Mamoswine/Gastrodon and use Leaf Storm, or if it's a Flying Mono, you can predict a Charizard/Skarmory and Thunderbolt/Volt Switch. BUT BEWARE when switching into Landorus-Incarnate, cause you might need Rotom-Mow for late game, and you don't want him to take prior damage, and then have him die to Stealth Rock.
Those are some threats to this core.
EVs: 252 HP / 236 Def / 20 Spe
Bold Nature
- Sludge Bomb
- Synthesis
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Giga Drain
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Leech Seed
- Power Whip/Protect/Knock Off
- Gyro Ball
Venusaur-Mega+Ferrothorn is a very popular Grass monotype core that aids Grass with setting up Stealth Rock/Spikes while giving it immunities/resistances to many of the types that threaten many Grass-type Pokemon, Poison and Fire/Ice. Fire/Ice are covered by Thick Fat Mega-Venusaur, and Poison moves are covered by Ferrothorn. Things like Scizor are checked by Mega-Venusaur's Hidden Power [FIRE] and Ferrothorn is a good switch-in to things like Gengar and various Dragons that spam Outrage, like Dragonite or Garchomp, but beware of Fire Blast. Ferrothorn is good for setting up rocks and supporting offensive teammates like Shaymin-sky, and it helps rack up damage on Fire-types and Flying-types, which generally have an amazing match up VS Grass.
Here are some replays of this core doing work: Anttyazvs a decent Bug user. He didn't carry a Genesect, but he did have many big threats to Grass team, like Galvantula, Scarf Heracross, and Yanmega. The Bug user also scored a lot of paralyze hax on Ferrothorn, but Ferrothorn still did his job in setting Stealth Rock multiple times throughout the game. He did make some bad plays, like keeping Volcarona in on the kind of obvious Scarf Virizion, but some people wouldn't have expected that, since Virizion isn't used much in Monotype, or most other tiers.
This is AnttyazVS a really good Steel user before the banning/unbanning. He did make some really bad plays, like keeping Aegislash in on Shiftry, and allowing his Heatran to take even more damage, even when the Shiftry was obviously Physical, so Skarmory was a good switch-in. Ultimately, Anttyaz 's Ferrothorn + Mega-Venusaur core powered through the Steel Monotype, and honestly, without it she would've lost completely.
Pair this core up with offensive Pokemon that benefit from hazards and priority using threats being dead, like Shaymin-sky, Breloom, or Scarf Rotom-Mow. Shiftry and Sceptile are good choices as well.
BIG THREATS TO THIS CORE:
How to beat it?: You can defeat Charizard-Mega-X by wearing him down with Ferrothorn to the point where Mach Punch Breloom easily kills, and if you have Stealth Rock up, he might die upon re-entry. You can defeat Charizard-Mega-Y with Specially Defensive Cradily, but Focus Blast still does a number. You can also use Choice Scarf Rotom-Mow to kill it with Thunderbolt.
How to beat?: You can defeat Landorus-Incarnate with Focus Sash Breloom's Bullet Seed+Mach Punch combination, or you can easily switch into Focus Blasts/Psychics/Earth Powers, and kill Landorus-Incarnate with Hidden Power Ice. If it's a Ground Monotype, you can also predict Mamoswine/Gastrodon and use Leaf Storm, or if it's a Flying Mono, you can predict a Charizard/Skarmory and Thunderbolt/Volt Switch. BUT BEWARE when switching into Landorus-Incarnate, cause you might need Rotom-Mow for late game, and you don't want him to take prior damage, and then have him die to Stealth Rock.
Those are some threats to this core.
No need to post your core in Hide, I'll post it in Hide in the Archive for you. Remember to add some threats to your core, and remember to add how to beat them. If they're unbeatable, feel free to elaborate on how they it is able to destroy this core, and how you might be able to play around it. Happy posting!
Big thanks to Anttya and All Falls Down for helping me out with developing this thread!
SEE POST #2 FOR ARCHIVE V.1
SEE POST #19 FOR ARCHIVE V.2
Last edited:
