So two days ago (now three and a half after writing up, lol), I was bored as fuck with ladder, and I thought I'd give myself a challenge in taking cores that caught my eye from here and building around them. The results of which I'll be posting here. In the importable hide tags you'll find a link to the original posts for each of the cores, should you want to give this a go to.
rock waifu (Diancie) @ Diancite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Diamond Storm
- Heal Bell / HP Fire / HP Ice
- Moonblast
- Protect
glow up (Manaphy) @ Leftovers
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Rest
- Scald
- Tail Glow
- Rain Dance
just dancin (Volcarona) @ Leftovers
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 240 HP / 208 Def / 60 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Roost
- Quiver Dance
- Fiery Dance
- Giga Drain
is this it (Latios) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Defog
- Surf / Roost
- Psychic / Roost
heh (Landorus-Therian) @ Yache Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 188 HP / 20 Atk / 252 Def / 48 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Stone Edge
ok (Jirachi) @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 248 HP / 236 SpD / 24 Spe
Careful Nature
- Iron Head
- Thunder Wave
- U-turn
- Healing Wish
original core post found hereLooking at the original core of Diancie+Manaphy, I'd already decided that Talonflame was not going to be much of an issue, so I decided to add bulky Volcarona as a third member, partly because I really like the 'Mon, partly because of the great offensive presence that it+Manaphy+Diancie have together; they're like chalk and cheese and a little more cheese. It also added a great Serperior answer, which the core (along with myself), loathes entirely. From there on out, I added Latios as a solid Keldeo, Volcanion, Manaphy (which the core itself is kinda weak to), Rotom-W and Zard Y check; Surf is my move of choice the majority of the time on Latios, as it draws in Heatran and weakens it for both Diancie and Volcarona, Roost can be used as a means of adding longevity, which I like on this team, as it's more of a balance/bulky offense build. Yache Lando-T was added next as a necessary rocker for the team and a physical sponge, beating things which the previous 4 members crumble to, such as Zard X (no, M-Diancie is not a reliable answer to that) and Sand; it also acts as a momentum grabber to bring Volcarona and Manaphy in on stuff like SpD Skarmory, which stops Diancie in its tracks. Excellent blanket check for a hell of a lot of the meta, with very little reason, if any at all, to not use on a team such as this; the 20 Attack EVs are to ensure the kill on Thundurus-Broken after one round of Life Orb damage, the Speed is to hit 230, outpacing Crawdaunt and getting off a hell of a lot with U-turn, as it's quite the threat to this team. At this point, the team had a crippling weakness to Lati@s and Fairies in general, so SpD Jirachi was added, which is, in my opinion the best Fairy counter in the meta right now; Thunder Wave is used for the juicy ParaFlinch, and to increase the odds greatly of beating Thunder Wave Clefable.Not many threats come to mind or have been encountered, really, other than maybe Life Orb Tornadus-Busted, as both Jirachi and Mega Diancie are prone to being worn down by it. Faster Mons could also be quite and issue, but the team checks them more defensively with the likes of Jirachi and Lando.1 this is more of a joke replay, only added it to show that Jirachi is a god tbh.
2 more of a serious game here with an actual competent opponent, very good game to play, was incredibly fun. This game was the first one I played after having a real hard time against stall and deciding to change Manaphy set from TG+3 attacks to RestDance, which came through clutch here, breaking through Chansey, giving me an actual chance of winning. Diancie, Manaphy and bulky Volc are not only great offensively, but also defensively, which is shown in this game perfectly.
wow (Manectric) @ Manectite
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Flamethrower
- Hidden Power [Ice]
wows (Hydreigon) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Flamethrower
- Dark Pulse
- U-turn
wowsers (Tyranitar) @ Choice Band
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 160 HP / 252 Atk / 96 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Pursuit
- Stone Edge
- Crunch
- Ice Punch
landowows (Landorus-Therian) @ Yache Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 188 HP / 20 Atk / 252 Def / 48 Spe
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- U-turn
- Stealth Rock
wowlonflame (Talonflame) @ Salac Berry
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Roost
- Natural Gift
- Swords Dance
wowias (Latias) @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 188 HP / 68 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Psychic
- Defog
- Healing Wish
original core post found hereMega Manectric+Life Orb Hydreigon was the original core, but I changed Hydreigon to Specs because such power on Hydreigon is hard to resist these days, 2HKOing max HP Heatran is just too juicy to give up on. I added Banded Tyranitar, and this, along with forming an extremely potent Darkspam core with Hydreigon, destroying the majority of defensive teams out there, it acts as a trapper for Lati@s, which love to come in on Manectric and are some of the best offensive ways to deal with Hydreigon, it also comes in on Chansey after Manectric Volt-Switches out of it, which gives it free reign to fire off Banded attacks against fat teams, which is where Banded Tyranitar is in its element, Pursuiting/weakening Chansey allows Hydreigon to pull through most of the time against fat afterwards. After this, once again, Yache Lando-T was added, with the same spread for the exact same reasons as before, generating momentum to bring in either one of the Dark breakers or Manectric. Considering I had means to weaken teams beyond salvation with the afformentioned Pokemon, next up I wanted to add a reliable cleaner which can also support Manectric, so I went with the niche set of Natural Gift Salac, this allows Talonflame to break past both Tyranitar and Heatran, two of the biggest roadblocks for Mega Manectric. Talonflame is supported greatly by Specs Hydregon, as nobody really expects it to hit as hard as it does against both Lando-T and Rotom-W, weakening them drastically. Having Talonflame, a means of removal was needed, as well as a Keldeo, Volcanion, and Rotom answer, so I went with Colbur Berry Latias. Colbur is used as to evade pursuit considering how vital it is for removal to be available for as long as possible throughout the game, healing wish is also great for Talonflame and Manectric.Fairies are a problem for this team, but the can be played around if you keep up offensive pressure. When facing Mega Diancie, get off Manectrics Mega as soon as possible, as it will find itself being forced to come into Latias and Hydreigon a lot, whittling it down to Thunderbolt range. Clefable is the other prominent threat with which this team struggles somewhat, though Volt-Switch+Banded Stone Edge kills it, and Talonflame is a good check1 Specs Hydreigon broke down the team to the point that either it won, or Talonflame did. It shows the real strength of Specs Hydra and why you should all be using it. Tyranitar did its job in trapping Latios so the opponent had no real answers to Hydreigon that didn't necessitate sacking a 'Mon each time it came in.
2 Once again, after Latios was trapped, Hydreigon was free to break for Talonflame to sweep thanks to the opponents lack of solid Dark resists. Dropping Lando-T was huge for Talonflame.
justice (Lopunny-Mega) @ Lopunnite
Ability: Scrappy
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Return
- Fake Out
- Heal Bell / Baton Pass / Ice Punch / Healing Wish
doesn't (Manaphy) @ Leftovers
Ability: Hydration
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Tail Glow
- Energy Ball
- Scald
- Ice Beam
flow (Tornadus-Therian) @ Life Orb
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Hurricane
- Knock Off
- Superpower
- Heat Wave
from (Latias) @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 188 HP / 68 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Psychic
- Defog
- Healing Wish
police (Landorus-Therian) @ Yache Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 216 HP / 244 Def / 48 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Stone Edge / Hidden Power Ice / Toxic
- Earthquake
- U-turn
guns (Tyranitar) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Crunch
- Pursuit
- Stone Edge
- Iron Head
original core post found hereWith the core of Lopunny of Manaphy, I wanted to go with a team that would appreciate their offensive presence and not give up on maintaining pressure, so this is about as offensive as my teams usually get. Life Orb Tornadus-T was added for it's insane coverage and breaking abilities, in conjunction with Manaphy and Lopunny it makes bulky offence builds that follow the standard Lando+Lati+Heatran+Keldeo+Filler or bulky offence such as Blunder's Mega Medicham team a foolproof matchup. Next up are the obligatory Colbur Latias and Yache Landorus, both of which doing the exact same things as in the previous teams. Finally I wanted to go with Scarf Tyranitar as I felt the power from Band wasn't really necessary with Lopunny spamming HJK anyway, and the Speed is greatly appreciated, it a crucial switchin to Lati@s, and traps them to support Manaphy. Iron Head is used in an attempt to mitigate the horrible matchup against mega Diancie this team has.Once again, Fairies are a thorn in the side of this team, but Manaphy can break through Clefable and Mega Gardevoir is checked by Lopunny with Fake Out+Return. Other than that, the team is pretty solid. Potential fix could be running bulky RestDance CM Manaphy if you want, certainly a viable change.Could only be bothered getting one replay with this team as ladder was annoying me so so much whilst playing with this (losing to random jank is and hax is not fun), be that as it may, the replay is ok. Here it is, showing Manaphy breaking through Clefable after I realised that it was completely necessary to Healing Wish Manaphy back up if I had any real chance of winning. This is what, in the end, allowed Lopunny to clean up.
what the (Gardevoir) @ Gardevoirite
Ability: Trace
EVs: 8 HP / 16 Def / 232 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast / Substitute
- Will-O-Wisp / Taunt / Calm Mind
news calls (Diggersby) @ Choice Band
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Return
- Earthquake
- Quick Attack
economics, i (Talonflame) @ Sky Plate / Choice Band
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Swords Dance
- Roost / Tailwind
- Flare Blitz / Will-O-Wisp
still call (Latios) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Thunderbolt
- Defog
- Roost
it violence (Rotom-Wash) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 32 Def / 224 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Will-O-Wisp
- Thunder Wave
and lando (Landorus-Therian) @ Yache Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 208 HP / 20 Atk / 232 Def / 48 Spe
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- U-turn
- Stealth Rock
original core post found hereConsidering the pressure that Mega Gardevoir and Diggersby place upon common defensive backbones, I wanted to add a 'Mon that would appreciate this and the dismantling it brings. Offensive SD Talonflame came to mind, as Diggersby is incredibly effective when it comes to wearing down defensive Lando-T and, you'd never guess, Heatran. Talonflame also gives a necessary counter to Serperior, which steamrolls the whole team otherwise. From here on, the team just built itself, with fast Rotom-W stopping the team from being 6-0d by bisharp, and acting as a Flying counter (most importantly Tornadus-T), Lando-T beating all things it beats, most notably on this team, Sand and Scarf drill, whilst setting rocks. Latios brings all of the defensive utility it usually does, which was desperately needed on this team, it also brings necessary hazard removal to support Talonflame. Thunderbolt is used to lure in Skarmory for both Diggersby and Gardevoir. All-in-all, the last 3 members are just extremely reliable blanket checks.Guess what this team has a less-than-ideal matchup against? Yeah, you got it, Mega Diancie, basically don't let Rotom or Lando get too weakened or you lose. Suicune is another issue I encountered, though this can be remedied with Calm Mind on Gardevoir. Lati@s are an issue, basically getting a kill each time they come in once Gardevoir is weak, but after that they should be in range of Brave Bird anyway.1 The Hydro Pump miss made me almost throw my laptop out of the window considering Talonflame had such and incredible matchup after Lando dropped. CB Diggersby and Yache Lando really came through in this game.
2 ok so this is more of a joke replay, but it was the funniest game I've played against Rain in a hell of a long time.
3 Very good game, shows perfectly Banded Diggersby's ability to wear down Talonflame's counters such as Lando-T, which inevitably lead to a Talonflame sweep.
guydevoir (Gardevoir) (M) @ Gardevoirite
Ability: Trace
EVs: 8 HP / 16 Def / 232 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hyper Voice
- Psyshock
- Focus Blast / Substitute
- Will-O-Wisp / Thunderbolt / Taunt / Calm Mind
bishlarp (Bisharp) (F) @ Black Glasses
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 40 HP / 252 Atk / 216 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Sucker Punch
- Knock Off
- Swords Dance
- Iron Head
keeldeo (Keldeo) @ Leftovers
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Scald
- Secret Sword
- Substitute
no (Latias) @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 188 HP/ 68 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Psychic
- Defog
- Healing Wish
once again (Landorus-Therian) @ Yache Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 188 HP / 20 Atk / 252 Def / 48 Spe
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Stealth Rock
- U-turn
hot meat (Heatran) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Overheat
- Flash Cannon
- Earth Power
- Stone Edge
original core post found hereMega Gardevoir paired with Bisharp puts serious holes in fat teams, and pair really nicely considering a double from Gardevoir to Bisharp on Skarmory or Jirachi really really works well, giving free Knock Offs, and allowing Gardevoir to muscle past itemless SpD burnt Skarmory. I wanted a 'Mon that could take advantage of the Pokemon that Gardevoir and Bisharp both beat/severely weaken on bulky builds such as fat Grasses like Amoonguss and Tangrowth, and bulky Waters, most notably both Slow evolutions and Rotom-W (+2 Adamant Glasses Knock Off always kills after rocks lol). Keldeo also supports Gardevoir and Bisharp by taking on issues such as fast Heatran, Mega Scizor, Ferro, and Weavile, all of which Gardevoir and Bisharp have a hard time with. The next two members, once again, are pretty self explanatory, Latias and Lando-T, once again, blanket checks for some of the most prominent threats in the meta. One thing to note is that Pursuit-weak 'Mon paired with something to take advantage of Pursuit-locked Tyranitar is really, really potent, see: Sub CM Keldeo. After all of this, the team was looking incredibly Fairy-weak, Serperior-weak, Lati@s weak, it lacked Fire STAB, which I really hate, and it was looking really weak to Mega Pinsir, and to remedy this I added a set that I think is usually pretty dong, but fits very well here: Scarf Heatran. This remedies the aforementioned problems.Really this team is solid overall, but there are a few notable threats, the first of which being Mega Lopunny; not letting Latias or Keldeo get weakened or revealing ScarfTran too early is crucial when facing this. Another threat would be a well-played max Attack Mega Diancie, as Tran is clean 2HKOed by Diamond Storm, and they can Protect to scout for the Scarf, though most of the time it isn't a set that pops up in people's minds too often.1 Against a pretty cool Dugtrio+Serp+Mega Pidgeot team. I knew not letting Heatran get trapped this game would be crucial, so forcing as many Spins from Starmie to get free turns was pivotal. Really, it was Tran being Scarf and my opponent knowing this that made this winnable in the end, as the constant Spinning from Starmie and Starmie having to be brought in so many times gave Keldeo the opportunity it needed to wrap things up. Note that Defensive Starmie without Psychic coverage is NOT a Keldeo answer lol.
2 Keldeo pulled through on this team once it'd been battered down by Gardevoir.
we (Breloom) @ Life Orb
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Spore
- Mach Punch
- Bullet Seed
- Swords Dance
could (Tyranitar) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Crunch
- Pursuit
- Stone Edge
- Ice Punch
set (Manectric) @ Manectite
Ability: Lightning Rod
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Thunderbolt
- Flamethrower
ourselves (Latios) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Psychic
- Roost
- Defog
on (Landorus-Therian) @ Yache Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 188 HP / 20 Atk / 252 Def / 48 Spe
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- U-turn
fire (Volcanion) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 72 HP / 252 SpA / 184 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Steam Eruption
- Flamethrower
- Sludge Bomb
- Sleep Talk
original core post found hereImmediately, looking at a core of Specs Volcanion+SD Breloom, pursuit trapping came to mind, so the first member I added was the obligatory Tyranitar. I went with Scarf over Band because the power from Band wasn't really needed and the Scarf has the better chance against the ubiquitous Surf Latios, especially if rocks are up. After this, I added Mega Manectric as it also appreciates breakers+Pursuit greatly (it's honestly the only way to make Mega Manectric effective right now), it's also fast as hell, and a solid bird and Mega Scizor check. Next up is, once again, Lando-T, having a solid sand answer is so important for Mega Manectric and Volcanion, and it forms a nice Volt-Turn core with Mega Manectric+breakers. After this, Latios was added as the real Keldeo check (Volcanion isn't one of those please I see so many bad teams on ladder relying on 50/50s to straight up not lose to Keldeo), it also does all the other things you'd expect from Latios, removing hazards, etc.Ha ha... guess what it's weak to again, Mega Diancie. Mega evolve Manectric asap to get off a Thunderbolt on this threat and put it into range of Breloom's Mach Punch, or hit it with an Edge from Tyranitar. Band Tyranitar is funnily enough a threat too, but it can be played around.
NO (Lucario) @ Life Orb
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- Swords Dance
- Extreme Speed
- Iron Tail
PLEASE (Latios) @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Psychic / Thunderbolt
- Surf / Psychic / Thunderbolt
- Roost
STOP (Skarmory) @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 248 HP / 56 Def / 196 SpD / 8 Spe
Careful Nature
- Iron Head
- Roost
- Whirlwind
- Spikes
HELP ME (Tornadus-Therian) @ Life Orb
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Heat Wave
- Superpower
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Hurricane
OH GOD IT'S... (Landorus-Therian) @ Yache Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 188 HP / 20 Atk / 252 Def / 48 Spe
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- U-turn
- Stone Edge
FABIO (Ampharos) @ Ampharosite
Ability: Static
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Dragon Pulse
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
original core post found hereOk so basically, Lucario, as with most cleaners, absolutely loves Spikes support, and the core of Lucario+Latios is incredibly Fairy-weak, considering these two fator, I added SpD Skarmory. The given spread on Skarmory allows it to be Knocked Off by CB Weavile and still survive two Icicle Crashes later on, whilst still taking on Fairies other than Thunderbolt Mega Gardevoir and CM Thrower/Thunderbolt Clefable. Next I added Life Orb Tornadus-T, to aid Lucario in breaking down fatter teams, because it can't do it on its own unless you're playing against a rock, along with this, it adds something to double out into on Magnezone and Tyranitar, which is the initial reason I picked it. Tornadus-T also adds a vital Serperior check, and nice Speed. Sigh Lando-T is next. You know the drill (currently resisting the urge to make a really bad Sand-related pun), but seriously, Lando-T does its job incredibly well, acts as a great bulky pivot, stops Zard X from 6-0ing, forms a nice Volt-Turn core with the final member. Fabio was a great addition to the team, acting as a backup answer to Keldeo, countering Tornadus-T, checking Volcanion more reliably that Latios, acting as a status absorber, and a secondary bird counter, as Skarmory falls to Talonflame and is prone to being far too pressured by Mega Pinsir.This team is actually really solid, thanks to the addition of Fabio, but Band Tyranitar is a serious menace. Ferrothorn is troublesome should you lose Lucario or your opponent not be a rock and leave it in against Tornadus. Weavile is an issue, too, hence the Skarmory spread and Yache Lando-T
These teams aren't perfect, but honestly, I'm not really looking for suggestions or fixes. They all cover most of the major threats in the meta effectively, and they're all really fun to play with. I'd seriously recommend doing what I did and picking out cores and forcing yourself to build because I certainly feel like I'm a better builder now, and it was actually really fun.
I might do this again in the future, with less Lati@s and Lando-T, and maybe even some fatter teams, but god it's been a grind to do this all. All in all, from building, to testing, to writing this up, I've put nearly 20 hours into it. If I do end up doing another one, it might not be for a while, for that exact reason. It's been worth it, though.
If anyone ever wants to CT me, here's a tip: use Diancie.
Enjoy and shouts to the Good Cores thread and its contributors. Also shouts to the OU room.
These teams are all really solid, Digging the Manec+Dark spam one. Though wouldnt dual punches metagross just be better?
