Resource SM OU ULTRA Cores

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Naganadel+ Mega lopunny

Naganadel is a broken pokemon cause of its speed and special attack. Its coverage is really good but it fears stuff like tyranitar and heatran, so mega lopunny is a good partner since it can just click hjk on those pokemons.
Also the most threats for lopunny are mainly fairy types, so naganadel takes momentum versus them.

Naganadel @ Dragonium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Sludge Wave
- Fire Blast
- Nasty Plot

Lopunny-Mega @ Lopunnite
Ability: Pure Power
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Fake Out/ Quick Attack
- High Jump Kick
- Frustration
- Ice Punch/ Fake Out
(Sorry for the short description and no imagines but I'm writing with phone)
 
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latios-mega.png
+
blacephalon.png

Latios-Mega @ Latiosite
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Psychic
- Earthquake
- Recover

Blacephalon @ Choice Scarf / Choice Specs
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Flamethrower
- Fire Blast / Mind Blown
- Trick
If you've been playing on the ladder, you should really be noticing the common trend of T-tar lure + Blacephalon. People for some reason still like to call Blacephalon bad because of simply being walled by one Pokemon, but fortunately Tyranitar is super easy to wear down. I was using a team ABR passed me which featured Mega Latios with HP Fight + Scarf Blacephalon; Mega Latios being able to often lure in AV T-tar only to be smacked by it. However, the only reason it was HP Fight > EQ was because of Bulu being on the team as well, but while using the team, I found that when I needed to use Earthquake, Grassy Terrain was rarely ever a factor, so I just decided on using Earthquake instead. EQ can 2HKO most of the AV T-tars running around after SR, and even if you happen to get low rolls, if T-tar chooses to stay in and try to Pursuit you, Mega Latios will win 1v1. After T-tar is heavily weakened, T-tar is no longer a reliable switch-in, and it allows your Blacephalon to go to town afterward. Personally I like Scarf with this set, just cause it's a really cool cleaner vs these Naga offenses running around, and can still really mess up AV T-tar balances because most people wont be running a secondary dedicated Blacephalon check on those teams. Specs is also good too just because it runs through balances after T-tar is weakened or killed, and Pex is unfortunately not the best switch-in.

I've seen a lot of other T-tar lures with Blacephalon such as like Tectonic Rage or Hydro Vortex Latios, Steelium Heatran, etc. I just like Mega Latios a lot in this meta because of all the T-tars, AV Magearna, and SpD Heatrans running around, and how easy it is to lure those in with Quake.
 
The battlefield got weird!

tapulele.png
blacephalon.png

Tapu Lele @ Twisted Spoon
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Psyshock
- Moonblast
- Focus Blast/Hidden Power Fire
- Taunt

Blacephalon @ Firium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Mind Blown
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power Ice/Hidden Power Ground
- Flame Charge

Hey everyone how are you all doing? Im here posting my favorite offensive core of the Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon metagame! It is an offensive core between Tapu Lele and Blacephalon.

Now i love this core because Blacephalon is my new favorite Ultra Beast, but its super weak to being revenge killed by priority moves like sucker punch, shadow sneak, and aqua jet. Due to this weakness i figured that Tapu Lele would a great partner because it provides Psychic Terrain for Blacephalon allowing it to snowball the opponent without fear of being revenge killed by priority.

As for the sets. I really like taunt + 3 attacks lele with a twisted spoon. With this set lele is able to take care of Chansey (a pokemon that gives Blacephalon a hard time) with Psyshock + Taunt. The twisted spoon also gives Tapu Lele the liberty to switch moves. Being the fact that faster scarf users like Scarf Koko, Greninja, and Kartana exist scarf lele isn't a great choice in my opinion. Psyshock with the twisted spoon is extremely powerful under psychic terrain. Taunt is always a great utility move that shuts down walls like Chansey and prevents set up Pokémon from doing their thing. Moonblast is an obvious STAB and the final move it can be either Focus Blast for Heatrans or HP fire to catch Scizor and Kartana on a predicted switch.

With the help of Psychic Terrain provided by Tapu Lele, Blacephalon can sweep without fear from being revenge killed by priority moves. Flame Charge may not sound like a powerful move, but with a 127 attack stat it can do a bit of damage. The main reason to use Flame Charge is for the speed boost you gain from it. If you manage to pull off 2 flame charges you can outspeed scarf koko, gren, and kartana. Firium Z is my preferred item. With it you can nuke the opponent 3 times (1 inferno overdrive and 2 Mind blowns) and because of Beast Boost you get stronger and stronger. Shadow Ball is just great STAB and hase great coverage with Mind Blown. The final move is personal preference and depends on what the rest of your team needs to get rid of. HP Ice for Zygarde, Landorus, Garchomp, and Naganadel. HP Ground for nailing Heatran, and hitting Tyranitar at least a little. Personally I'd go with Hidden Power Ice.

Due to the fact that both Tapu Lele and Blacephalon are weak to Ghost types a strong pursuit user is recommended. I personally like using Mega Tyranitar. It sets up rocks, pursuit traps, and is bulky enough to take on opposing Blacephalons.

- I would also recommend a pokemon that is able to get rid of opposing Tyranitars and Heatrans for Blacephalon. In this situation Tapu Lele is great because it wears Tyranitar down easily with focus blast or moonblast. Heatran gets hit hard by Focus Blast.
- Another Pokémon that is great is Keldeo. It resists both Tyranitar's and Heatran's STABs and can hit it hard with Secret Sword. All in all have partners that wear down or outright KO Tyranitar for Blacephalon to sweep.

Here are a couple of battles i had not too long ago that shows off the core and how powerful they are both together and individually.

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-662505573

https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7ou-662509295

Enjoy! And i hope to hear your thoughts!
 
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ULTRA OFFENSIVE BEASTS

UBBurst.png + 250px-798Kartana.png

Blacephalon + Kartana

Hi Smogon, first time Core poster here, so apologies if there's some huge stand out issue I have missed. I'm Altervisi a long-time lurker and I've recently wanted to get more involved and give back to the forums I've taken so much from, I've played Pokemon since Gen 3 and Smogon OU on and off since a couple of months before the release of ORAS. I peaked at 1650 ELO recently but a few drunk play sessions and I'm back on the low mid-ladder. So I'm trying to build a new team to reclimb, which is how I thought of this core. I know there's been a lot with Blacephalon recently but he's incredibly fun to use now Naganadel is gone (thank God). Anyway I hope this Core post is up to standard and please PM me if I need to amend anything.

Kartana @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Leaf Blade
- Sacred Sword
- Smart Strike/Knock Off/Defog

Last slot depends on your team, I would highly recommend Defog if you have no other harzard removal, this is due to Blacephalon's weakness to Stealth Rocks. Knock Off can be used to get rid of Assault Vests so Blacephalon doesn't have to carry Mind Blown for AV Magearna. Smart Strike is the STAB option if you already have Defog and Knock Off covered by team mates.

Blacephalon @ Choice Specs/Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast/Flamethrower
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Mind Blown/Explosion/Trick

Blacephalon can carry Scarf or Specs depending on if you want to use it as a late game cleaner or a mid-to-late game wallbreaker (be wary of speed creep scarfers like Latios, Keldeo and the occasional Gengar). Mandatory STAB, decide whether you prefer power or accuracy. HP Ice to hit your Landorus, Garchomps and Zygardes with. Last slot depends, Trick can alleviate the Toxapex menace (I'll get onto that later) and Chansey/AV users if Kartana has failed in handling them. Mind Blown is Mind Blown and I love it, it hits like a Z Move when paired with Specs and can be that extra push you need to pave the way for Kartana, same case with Explosion if you're still worried about Special Defense walls or Fire resistance.

Benefits:
- Awesome type synergy
Kartana's main two weaknesses in Fighting and Fire come as an immunity and a resistance for Blacephalon, meaning both take care of the other's checks very well once you have momentum in the game.

Blacephalon's strong Fire type attacks tear common Kartana answers (Bulky Steel and Grass types) to shreds and in turn Fightium Z takes care of SpD walls that check Blacephalon such as Heatran and AV Tyranitar.

- Special and physical covered:
Kartana and Blacephalon hit incredibly hard in physical and special attack respectively, which means together they can dismantle even the most defensive teams with a little support, this is also greatly helped by Kartana's immunity to Toxic and access to Defog if needed. Kartana can deal with Chansey and Quagsire with ease (as long as you avoid Thunder Wave) and Blacephalon handles almost any Defensive wall, not to mention the ever present Steel types (Celesteela, Skarmory and Ferrothorn).

Problems:
- Faster Attackers
Faster attackers can cause issues, both Greninja variants can be troublesome, Dark Pulse on Battle Bond and HP Fire on Protean can OHKO their respective targets.

- Defence
Neither of these Pokemon have anything worthwhile in terms of Special Defense and Kartana's good Defence is mitgated by it's typing, there's nothing to see with Blacephalon there either.

- Toxapex
Neither Blacephalon nor Kartana have any reliable way to break through Toxapex unless you've managed to get a couple of dances up on Kartana.

Potential Team Mates:
I find this core works best on balanced and bulky offensive teams, there certainly is huge benefit to having a defensive backbone to support these two in your team. Helping with the problems listed above.

- Landorus-T
Landorus-T fits on every team, as we know, but here it stands out as a stellar team mate. Hitting Toxapex, utilising slow U-Turn to bring your core members in safely, and setting as well as now removing hazards as needed. The only thing to watch out for here is that there can be a serious problem with lackluster Special Defence among these three, which is why I didn't include Landorus as part of the core.

- Tapu Lele
Tapu Lele brings plenty to the table, starting with decent Special Defence and type synergy with the core. Kartana is immune to Poison and resists Steel and Blacephalon takes care of the Bullky Steel types that plague Tapu Lele. The Psychic Terrain is great for preventing priority revenge killers, particularly stopping Water Shuriken for Scarfed Blacephalon. The best thing about Lele being is able to hit Toxapex though.

- Toxapex
OK it may be pretty obvious I'm not a fan of this spiky asshole but he is undoubtedly S-Tier for a reason. He completes the Fire/Water/Grass trinity in the core and provides that defensive backbone it is begging for.

- Magearna
Another great Pokemon, it's AV build once again stands out here filling that hole that is potentially a worry for many, it can also provide a slow Volt Switch in a similar way to Landorus-T's U-Turn and indeed works well with the tier's best Pokemon, tanking hits for the core while not being too passive.

252 SpA Choice Specs Blacephalon Fire Blast vs. 200 HP / 252+ SpD Assault Vest Magearna: 264-312 (75.2 - 88.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 SpA Choice Specs Blacephalon Mind Blown vs. 200 HP / 252+ SpD Assault Vest Magearna: 356-422 (101.4 - 120.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO

252 SpA Choice Specs Blacephalon Hidden Power Ice vs. 252 HP / 24 SpD Landorus-Therian: 512-604 (134 - 158.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO

252 SpA Choice Specs Blacephalon Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 24 SpD Landorus-Therian: 351-414 (91.8 - 108.3%) -- 50% chance to OHKO (100% after rocks)

+2 252 Atk Kartana Sacred Sword vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Eviolite Chansey: 668-786 (95 - 111.8%) -- 68.8% chance to OHKO

+4 252 Atk Kartana Leaf Blade vs. 252 HP / 192+ Def Toxapex: 313-370 (102.9 - 121.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO
 
blacephalon.gif
tapukoko.gif

Blacephalon @ Choice Specs / Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Fire Blast / Overheat
- Flamethrower / Overheat
- Trick / Explosion / Hidden Power [Ice] / Hidden Power [Ground] / Hidden Power [Grass]

Tapu Koko @ Choice Specs
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe OR 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Dazzling Gleam
- Hidden Power [Ice] / Hidden Power [Fire] / Grass Knot / Defog

====================

Blacephalon @ Choice Specs / Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Fire Blast / Overheat
- Flamethrower / Overheat
- Trick / Explosion / Hidden Power [Ice] / Hidden Power [Ground] / Hidden Power [Grass]

Tapu Koko @ Electrium Z
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe OR 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Wild Charge
- U-turn
- Taunt / Defog / Roost
- Hidden Power [Ice]

====================

Blacephalon @ Choice Specs
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Fire Blast / Overheat
- Flamethrower / Overheat
- Trick / Hidden Power [Ground] / Hidden Power [Grass]

Tapu Koko @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe OR 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch / U-turn
- Thunderbolt / Thunder Punch
- Defog
- Hidden Power [Ice] / Brave Bird
Other Blace/Koko sets are also valid here (see: SubCM Blace, Z move Koko) but the concept is more what I'm going for here. Tapu Koko is a magnet for stuff like Mega Venusaur, Ferrothorn, Tangrowth (if ppl still run that), all of which Blacephalon is able to very easily take advantage of to severely dent its opponent. Tapu Koko is also able to force out a number of fat Water-types that Blacephalon can't force out (see: Toxapex), which is also a useful asset to it. Z-Wild Charge variants can also lure and eliminate Chansey for Blacephalon, which is extremely useful to help it wallbreak more efficiently. Really nice core in general, whereas Scarf Defog Tapu Koko helps compress roles while allowing for a bit of extra speed control alongside Specs Blace.
 
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Gliscor is in general not a standout mon, but this core has been a pretty good balance core that's quite frustrating and seems to be defining a lot of balance. I haven't got replays for this, but Gliscor + Toxapex creates a solid backbone for a lot of balance teams and helps Toxapex deal with annoying mons like Defensive Lando and Heatran. Toxapex deals with Pokemon such as Greninja, Magearna, Celesteela, Scizor, and a variety of other nuisances.

gliscor.gif
+
toxapex.gif

Gliscor @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Poison Heal
EVs: 244 HP / 152 SpD / 112 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Knock Off / Taunt / Toxic
- Roost
- Defog

Toxapex @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 20 Def / 240 SpD
Calm Nature
- Scald
- Knock Off
- Haze
- Recover

Alomomola > Toxapex is certainly usable too.

Good further points to expand upon are Scizor as your steel to check strong Grass-types like Tapu Bulu and Kartana or Scarf Magnezone to trap the latter as well as check Mega Pinsir and trap Ferrothorn which all harass the core.

I'll update the OP with standout cores when I get a chance.

Edit: Updated some cores
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alright, we've been in usum for a while: the vr rankings thread has reopened, naganandel's been banned, it's about time i go through the standard cores that have been posted and begin to select which ones will possibly be inducted into the general archive.

you can safely assume that if I don't quote your post and offer potential changes, it's fine and is going to be considered on whether or not it will go into the archive. some cores that are posted will be a bit more controversial; I will speak with sedertz on those cases.
Mega Pinsir + Zygarde
pinsir-mega.gif
zygarde.gif


Pinsir @ Pinsirite
Ability: Hyper Cutter
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Return
- Quick Attack
- Close Combat
- Swords Dance

Zygarde @ Choice Band
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Thousand Arrows
- Outrage
- Extreme Speed
- Toxic

This is a really common and good core with tons of different variations like Dragon Dance Variants or the rare Coil, but you should fix up your Zygarde spread b/c as far as i know, CB variants run maximum speed. i'd also like to see you implement the offensive dd set.
View attachment 91176 + View attachment 91177

SD bulu + Ghostium z Burst work together, beating eacher others counters. Burst beats bulky steels like Celesteela and Ferrothorn for Bulu, and Bulu beats sp.def walls like Ttar, Toxapex to an extent and Mantine (barring scald burn). Bulu also helps beat Zygarde, and has Zen headbutt to beat Venu. Grassy terrain is helpful for Burst to recover some health while behind a sub.
A good partner for this core would be AV ttar. Being able to take on things like Heatran and Naganadel.

Blacephalon @ Ghostium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Substitute
- Flamethrower
- Shadow Ball
- Calm Mind

Tapu Bulu @ Life Orb
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Substitute
- Swords Dance
- Horn Leech
- Zen Headbutt
i don't exactly like this core because it seems like you just lumped together two sweepers with slight type synergy between them. the premise is fine though, blace breaking bulu's steel and grass-type checks. you could have done the core a bit differently with maybe choice scarf blace and sd tapu bulu, but i'll talk with someone about this.
The battlefield got weird!

tapulele.png
blacephalon.png

Tapu Lele @ Twisted Spoon
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Psyshock
- Moonblast
- Focus Blast/Hidden Power Fire
- Taunt

Blacephalon @ Firium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Mind Blown
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power Ice/Hidden Power Ground
- Flame Charge
another weird core. the premise is admirable, but the execution seems spotty. i myself, am not too sure on the merits of flame charge blace and considering its analysis in progress doesn't include it. overall i'm rather hesitant on it since because, again, the premise is good. i'll talk to someone about this one as well and possible variations.
ULTRA OFFENSIVE BEASTS

View attachment 91518 + View attachment 91519

Blacephalon + Kartana

Kartana @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Leaf Blade
- Sacred Sword
- Smart Strike/Knock Off/Defog

Blacephalon @ Choice Specs/Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast/Flamethrower
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Mind Blown/Explosion/Trick
this also seems like a core where you just lumped together two hard hitting mons and called it a core. not much can actually prevent kartana from putting in work and if blace were to break kartana's defensive "checks" like ferrothorn or skarmory then you're technically getting rid of kartana's setup bait which defeats the purpose.
blacephalon.gif
tapukoko.gif

Blacephalon @ Choice Specs / Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Fire Blast / Overheat
- Flamethrower / Overheat
- Trick / Hidden Power [Ice] / Hidden Power [Ground] / Hidden Power [Grass]

Tapu Koko @ Choice Specs
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe OR 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid / Jolly Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Dazzling Gleam
- Hidden Power [Ice] / Hidden Power [Fire] / Grass Knot / Defog

====================

Blacephalon @ Choice Specs / Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shadow Ball
- Fire Blast / Overheat
- Flamethrower / Overheat
- Trick / Hidden Power [Ice] / Hidden Power [Ground] / Hidden Power [Grass]

Tapu Koko @ Electrium Z
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe OR 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid / Jolly Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Wild Charge
- U-turn
- Taunt / Defog / Roost
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Other Blace/Koko sets are also valid here (see: SubCM Blace, Z move Koko) but the concept is more what I'm going for here. Tapu Koko is a magnet for stuff like Mega Venusaur, Ferrothorn, Tangrowth (if ppl still run that), all of which Blacephalon is able to very easily take advantage of to severely dent its opponent. Tapu Koko is also able to force out a number of fat Water-types that Blacephalon can't force out (see: Toxapex), which is also a useful asset to it. Z-Wild Charge variants can also lure and eliminate Chansey for Blacephalon, which is extremely useful to help it wallbreak more efficiently. Really nice core in general.
great core with a ton of flexibility. i'd make note of choice scarf tapu koko w/ defog since it brings a lot of role compression while still working as a good pivot that brings in blace an ample amount of times. nice.

if i ask you to make some changes, i'd be nice if you did so as i do plan on linking entries in the archive to the sets presented throughout the thread. for some of the entires i'll be making posts to fill in the inconsistencies of sets. so as a recap these are the cores that are being added to the general ULTRA core archive as of now:

Greninja + Excadrill
Mega Alakazam + Tapu Lele
Mega Charizard X + Ferrothorn + Mantine
Mega Medicham + Ash-Greninja
Tyranitar + Keldeo
Tapu Bulu + Heatran
Mega Charizard X + Tapu Koko
Mega Pinsir + Magnezone
Tapu Koko + Mega Scizor
Keldeo + Tapu Lele
Mega Diancie + Volcarona
Mega Camerupt + Tapu Koko
Ferrothorn + Heatran
Mega Venusaur + Heatran
Blacephalon + Tapu Koko
Mega Latios + Blacephalon

thank you for all the support, and if your core wasn't chosen, don't take it personally and become discouraged! we appreciate you!
 
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heracross-mega.gif
and
rotom-wash.gif


Bulky Offense Core: Fat Sub+SD Mega Heracross and Offensive Waterium-Z Rotom-Wash

Fat Mega Heracross is a pretty nice Mega in the metagame, being able to set up on stuff like Defensive Lando-T (without Toxic preferably), Ferrothorn, non-Haze Toxapex, Mantine, Mega Scizor, Chansey, Gliscor, and AV Bulu. The rise of Tyranitar and Bisharp also please Mega Heracross, as this set eats them alive (sans Iron Head flinches). However, Mega Heracross still has big issues: it's slow, and has common weaknesses in Flying, Fire, Fairy, and Psychic. It also doesn't like hazards, since that undercuts its ability to avoid the OHKO from nearly anything and fire off a powerful CC/Rock Blast in return. Enter Offensive Defog Rotom-Wash. This set, originally posted by LL in the USUM Metagame Discussion thread, uses Waterium-Z Rotom to do major damage to common hazard setters like Ferrothorn, Heatran, Excadrill, Landorus-T, and Clefable, while also being able to clear hazards with Defog. A relatively slow pivot is also greatly appreciated by Mega Heracross, which very often then blow past a weakened Celesteela/Clefable/etc. with a CC or just Sub up as they switch out.

This core is good against fatter teams, which have trouble against Heracross since it can tank anything they throw at it and usually just set up, and Rotom-Wash removes hazards while bringing in Heracross easily. However, it struggles against fast and powerful special attackers, such as Specs Tapu Lele, Mega Alakazam, Volcarona, and Hoopa, in addition to strong Flying types like Mega Pinsir. A reliable way to revenge kill or counter those threats is needed (AV/Banded Tyranitar gets a mention for being able to patch up the weakness to Flying/Fire/Psychic types simultaneously, and it defensively complements both Rotom-W and Mega Heracross, while putting tons of pressure on Celesteela/Clefable/other things that can check this core).

Heracross @ Heracronite
Ability: Guts
EVs: 248 HP / 148 Def / 88 SpD / 24 Spe
Impish Nature
- Substitute
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Rock Blast

I'm a big proponent of running a ton of bulk on slower, fatter, very-hard-hitting mons like Mega Heracross and Mega Garchomp. In XY/ORAS, I helped create and optimize the bulky Mega Heracross spread as well as RestTalk Defensive Mega Garchomp. The basic principle was that these mons already hit absurdly hard, and their defensive typing and stats are actually quite solid, so play around those factors. With Mega Heracross, its speed tier is pretty bad. Yes, Adamant Max Speed does hit nice benchmarks like outspeeding Defensive Zapdos, Modest Magearna, and Defensive Rotom-Wash, but you still miss out on stuff like Defensive Mew (which runs SOME speed) and Timid Heatran, which are not uncommon (especially the latter) and cripple or OHKO you back. If you run Jolly, you really have a much harder time wallbreaking, and even with Adamant Max Attack, you need EQ (or hazards) to OHKO stuff like Shift Gear Magearna.

So instead, I decided to focus on hitting key benchmarks that lets Mega Heracross dodge the OHKO from powerful special attacks such as Specs Koko's Dazzling Gleam, dodge the 2HKO from some common physical attacks (Banded Kartana's Smart Strike), and stop its Sub from being broken by some common attacks (Banded Tyranitar's Crunch, Scarf Lando-T's EQ, Mantine/Toxapex Scald, Mega Scizor's Bullet Punch). A bunch of calcs are below that showcase this things bulk: it's REALLY hard to OHKO if you keep hazards off the field and fat teams really have a tough time dealing with it since Mantine/Pex/Ferro/Gastro can't even break the Sub.

Meanwhile, 24 Speed means you 192 Speed, outspeeding 0 Speed Heatran (fully Specially Defensive ones, that is), and stuff like Defog Mega Scizor. It's also slow enough to let you still kinda benefit from Trick Room while not being shafted outside of it (plus, you just Sub up on Uxie and set up for free). Even with 0 Atk investment and a neutral nature, you still hit 406 attack, and at +2, you OHKO stuff like Defensive Celesteela (after Rocks). That's still impressive.
252 Atk Choice Band Kartana Smart Strike vs. 248 HP / 148+ Def Heracross-Mega: 157-186 (43.2 - 51.2%) -- 5.5% chance to 2HKO

252+ Atk Life Orb Mamoswine Icicle Crash vs. 248 HP / 148+ Def Heracross-Mega: 142-168 (39.1 - 46.2%) -- 19.1% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock

252+ Atk Life Orb Bisharp Iron Head vs. 248 HP / 148+ Def Heracross-Mega: 130-153 (35.8 - 42.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

+2 252+ Atk Life Orb Bisharp Iron Head vs. 248 HP / 148+ Def Heracross-Mega: 257-304 (70.7 - 83.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock

252+ Atk Choice Band Tyranitar Stone Edge vs. 248 HP / 148+ Def Heracross-Mega: 195-231 (53.7 - 63.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252+ Atk Choice Band Tyranitar Crunch vs. 248 HP / 148+ Def Heracross-Mega: 78-92 (21.4 - 25.3%) -- 0.1% chance to 4HKO

252 Atk Lopunny-Mega Return vs. 248 HP / 148+ Def Heracross-Mega: 123-145 (33.8 - 39.9%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

+1 252 Atk Lopunny-Mega Return vs. 248 HP / 148+ Def Heracross-Mega: 184-217 (50.6 - 59.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 Atk Pure Power Medicham-Mega Zen Headbutt vs. 248 HP / 148+ Def Heracross-Mega: 308-366 (84.8 - 100.8%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO

252 Atk Landorus-Therian Earthquake vs. 248 HP / 148+ Def Heracross-Mega: 63-75 (17.3 - 20.6%) -- possible 5HKO

252 Atk Landorus-Therian Explosion vs. 248 HP / 148+ Def Heracross-Mega: 209-247 (57.5 - 68%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

0 Atk Ferrothorn Gyro Ball (63 BP) vs. 248 HP / 148+ Def Heracross-Mega: 46-55 (12.6 - 15.1%) -- possible 7HKO

252 Atk Teravolt Kyurem-Black Subzero Slammer (200 BP) vs. 248 HP / 148+ Def Heracross-Mega: 283-334 (77.9 - 92%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

64+ Atk Technician Scizor-Mega Bullet Punch vs. 248 HP / 148+ Def Heracross-Mega: 76-90 (20.9 - 24.7%) -- guaranteed 5HKO

252+ Atk Choice Band Tapu Bulu Wood Hammer vs. 248 HP / 148+ Def Heracross-Mega in Grassy Terrain: 171-202 (47.1 - 55.6%) -- 20.7% chance to 2HKO after Grassy Terrain recovery

252+ Atk Zygarde Thousand Arrows vs. 248 HP / 148+ Def Heracross-Mega: 48-57 (13.2 - 15.7%) -- possible 7HKO

+1 252+ Atk Zygarde Devastating Drake (190 BP) vs. 248 HP / 148+ Def Heracross-Mega: 301-355 (82.9 - 97.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252+ Atk Stakataka Continental Crush (180 BP) vs. 248 HP / 148+ Def Heracross-Mega: 231-273 (63.6 - 75.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252+ Atk Stakataka Gyro Ball (77 BP) vs. 248 HP / 148+ Def Heracross-Mega: 100-118 (27.5 - 32.5%) -- guaranteed 4HKO

252+ Atk Life Orb Mimikyu Play Rough vs. 248 HP / 148+ Def Heracross-Mega: 234-276 (64.4 - 76%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252+ Atk Life Orb Mimikyu Shadow Sneak vs. 248 HP / 148+ Def Heracross-Mega: 52-62 (14.3 - 17%) -- possible 6HKO

+2 252+ Atk Mimikyu Never-Ending Nightmare (140 BP) vs. 248 HP / 148+ Def Heracross-Mega: 277-327 (76.3 - 90%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Tapu Koko Dazzling Gleam vs. 248 HP / 88 SpD Heracross-Mega: 278-330 (76.5 - 90.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

0 SpA Mantine Scald vs. 248 HP / 88 SpD Heracross-Mega: 64-76 (17.6 - 20.9%) -- possible 5HKO

0 SpA Toxapex Scald vs. 248 HP / 88 SpD Heracross-Mega: 46-55 (12.6 - 15.1%) -- possible 7HKO

0 SpA Gastrodon Scald vs. 248 HP / 88 SpD Heracross-Mega: 72-85 (19.8 - 23.4%) -- possible 5HKO

252 SpA Life Orb Protean Greninja Extrasensory vs. 248 HP / 88 SpD Heracross-Mega: 257-304 (70.7 - 83.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 SpA Choice Specs Greninja-Ash Hydro Pump vs. 248 HP / 88 SpD Heracross-Mega: 268-316 (73.8 - 87%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 SpA Choice Specs Greninja-Ash Water Shuriken (20 BP) (3 hits) vs. 248 HP / 88 SpD Heracross-Mega: 153-180 (42.1 - 49.5%) -- guaranteed 3HKO

252 SpA Heatran Fire Blast vs. 248 HP / 88 SpD Heracross-Mega: 318-374 (87.6 - 103%) -- 18.8% chance to OHKO

252+ SpA Heatran Corkscrew Crash (160 BP) vs. 248 HP / 88 SpD Heracross-Mega: 253-298 (69.6 - 82%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 SpA Tapu Lele Moonblast vs. 248 HP / 88 SpD Heracross-Mega: 272-324 (74.9 - 89.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 SpA Keldeo Hydro Pump vs. 248 HP / 88 SpD Heracross-Mega: 159-187 (43.8 - 51.5%) -- 9% chance to 2HKO

252 SpA Diancie-Mega Moonblast vs. 248 HP / 88 SpD Heracross-Mega: 320-378 (88.1 - 104.1%) -- 25% chance to OHKO

252 SpA Choice Specs Latios Draco Meteor vs. 248 HP / 88 SpD Heracross-Mega: 280-331 (77.1 - 91.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

0 SpA Tangrowth Hidden Power Ice vs. 248 HP / 88 SpD Heracross-Mega: 42-50 (11.5 - 13.7%) -- possible 8HKO

Rotom-Wash @ Waterium Z
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 192 HP / 252 SpA / 64 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Hydro Pump
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Defog

Honestly, LL said it best, so I'll just quote him from the post he made in the USUM thread I linked.

"With an offensive set, Rotom can still get hazards off the field vs Lando-T, Toxapex, and Heatran while actually having an offensive presence to properly threaten some of the tier's bulkier hazard setters that otherwise would be able to get free hazards vs it in Ferrothorn and Clefable. Aside from just pressuring bulkier hazard setters more, Rotom-Wash can also wear down defensive Pokemon that don't mind taking Volt Switches that much like Toxapex a lot faster with its increased damage output. Additionally, this set can be huge in late game scenarios where you can't afford to miss Hydro Pump or you just need to snipe an offensive threat coming in to get the advantage in the sac game. Obviously you only get one Hydro Vortex per game, but I really want to stress its ability to completely wipe offensive threats off of the board later in games."

Relevant calcs below.
252+ SpA Rotom-Wash Volt Switch vs. 252 HP / 124 SpD Celesteela: 192-228 (48.2 - 57.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Rotom-Wash Hidden Power Fire vs. 252 HP / 168 SpD Ferrothorn: 192-228 (54.5 - 64.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Rotom-Wash Hydro Vortex (185 BP) vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Lopunny-Mega: 295-348 (108.8 - 128.4%) -- guaranteed OHKOalth Rock
252+ SpA Rotom-Wash Hydro Vortex (185 BP) vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Magearna: 253-298 (84 - 99%) -- 37.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
252+ SpA Rotom-Wash Hydro Vortex (185 BP) vs. 40 HP / 0 SpD Mawile-Mega: 298-352 (118.7 - 140.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Rotom-Wash Hydro Vortex (185 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Medicham-Mega: 327-385 (125.2 - 147.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Rotom-Wash Hydro Vortex (185 BP) vs. 248 HP / 16 SpD Scizor-Mega: 280-331 (81.6 - 96.5%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
252+ SpA Rotom-Wash Hydro Vortex (185 BP) vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Tapu Koko: 363-427 (129.1 - 151.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252+ SpA Rotom-Wash Hydro Vortex (185 BP) vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Tapu Lele: 253-298 (90 - 106%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
252+ SpA Rotom-Wash Volt Switch vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Toxapex: 122-146 (40.1 - 48%) -- 66.8% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
 
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Kartana @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Leaf Blade
- Sacred Sword
- Knock Off / Swords Dance
- Defog

Charizard @ Charizardite X
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Dragon Claw
- Earthquake
- Roost

This is pretty simple: two super strong physical attackers fire off attacks and wear down physical walls. Even if one dies attacking something, the other will break through because the walls are down ideally. Kartana also defogs away hazards which is support that Charizard desperately needs. Against most teams this core basically consists of overwhelming bulky Landorus-T, but there are lots of other situations where they can work together to wear something down. Charizard can come in pretty freely on Zapdos that comes in on Kartana (barring Discharge paralysis..) and then go to town. Really bulky waters that wall Charizard are also destroyed by leaf blade.

I've been trying out 3 moves + fightinium Z Kartana, and it's been working pretty well. Even when you're forced out by a counter, you can knock them off on the switch in which does a lot of damage and permanently cripples the switch in. Swords dance is really nice but not always usable, and being able to knock stuff off provides so much team support that it is hard to give up.

This core has somewhat lacking defensive synergy and obviously needs switch ins to big threats in the metagame. The fact Kartana is SD not scarf and that Charizard has roost kind of lends this core to balance, so typical Landorus-T crap will work pretty well with it. Probably want to stay away from spikestacking, but Ferrothorn and Kartana on the same team seems kind of dumb anyways. Probably want some Celesteela Magearna style stuff for Latios and Tapu Lele. While Charizard-X has some decent defensive applications you can't really rely on him alone to deal with Tapu Koko or special fire types at all.

I don't know where to get sprites anymore let me know because the ones I posted are huge and weird.
 
Haven't seen anyone bring these back to the USUM thread, and you're missing the weather section of cores, so I might as well bring back the rain cores.

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koko + kingdra + pelipper
Pelipper @ Choice Specs
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Knock Off
- Hydro Pump
- Hurricane
- U-turn
or
Pelipper @ Damp Rock
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 248 HP / 236 Def / 24 SpD
Impish Nature
- Scald
- U-turn
- Roost
- Defog

Tapu Koko @ Magnet
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunder
- Thunderbolt
- U-turn
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Kingdra @ Choice Specs
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Surf
- Draco Meteor
- Ice Beam

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pelipper + swampert
Pelipper @ Choice Specs
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Knock Off
- Hydro Pump
- Hurricane
- U-turn
or
Pelipper @ Damp Rock
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 248 HP / 236 Def / 24 SpD
Impish Nature
- Scald
- U-turn
- Roost
- Defog

Swampert-Mega @ Swampertite
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Earthquake
- Rain Dance/Stealth Rock/Power-up Punch
- Ice Punch/Superpower

Both of these cores have the same general aim, have peli set rain, then u-turn into a sweeper to sweep out your opponent. both of these cores generally struggle against grass types like ferrothorn, and water absorbers like gastrodon and mantine. ash gren is another mon that can go into a core with pelipper, but kingdra and ash on the same team is rather redundant

and the defensive one
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rain + ferrothorn + sweepers
Pelipper @ Damp Rock
Ability: Drizzle
EVs: 248 HP / 236 Def / 24 SpD
Impish Nature
- Scald
- U-turn
- Roost
- Defog

Ferrothorn (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 148 Def / 108 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Spikes
- Knock Off
- Power Whip

With rain up, ferrothorn becomes extermely hard to break through, and can use this as an advantage to set up hazards for the rest of the team to sweep. Ferrothorn also covers rain's big problems of opposing grass and water types, which it can deal with itself or at least provide a semi-reliable switchin.
 

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Deceivers: You can't trust these two!
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Blacephalon @ Choice Specs
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Trick
- Fire Blast
- Shadow Ball
- Hidden Power Ice/Overheat

OR

Blacephalon @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Flamethrower/Hidden Power Ice
- Fire Blast
- Shadow Ball
- Trick

+

Mawile-Mega @ Mawilite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 40 HP / 252 Atk / 216 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Play Rough
- Sucker Punch
- Thunder Punch/Knock Off/Iron Head

OR

Mawile-Mega @ Mawilite
Ability: Hyper Cutter/Intimidate
EVs: 92 HP / 252 Atk / 164 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Play Rough
- Sucker Punch
- Thunder Punch
- Fire Fang/Power-Up Punch

This is a core I've honestly come to enjoy. With Naganadel having been banned to Ubers, Tyranitar's usage has dwindled a slight bit allowing Blacephalon to shine a wee bit more. The offensive core between Blacephalon and Mawile hit a lot of the OU Pokémon rather hard. Blacephalon taking on the many Physical walls for Mawile and Mawile taking on the special walls for Blacephalon. Blacephalon also attracts Tyranitar into the field and pursuit traps it. Many of the Tyranitar sets are choice banned so the majority of the time Tyranitar will be locked into Pursuit. This gives Mawile a free opportunity to come in and set up.

Specs Blacephalon hits like a nuke OHKOing or 2HKOing many Pokémon in the tier asside from Chansey and Tyranitar and Blacephalon (depending on special bulk). Even Chansey and Toxapex need to be careful to not lose their item and become choice locked by Blacephalon using Trick. Fire Blast and Shadow Ball are Blacephalon's STABs and have great coverage. Overheat is a stronger Fire-type STAB move that drops Blacephalon's Special Attack by 2 two stages when used, which means that Blacephalon will be usually forced out after using it, but guarantees an OHKO on some Pokemon like defensive Landorus-T and Clefable. Hidden Power Ice can be used instead of Overheat if you'd like more coverage to hit Pokémon like Zygarde, Landorus-T, and Garchomp hard if not OHKOing them.

Scarf Blacephalon is mainly for late game cleanning. It cleans the remains of an opponents team after Mega Mawile is done with them. It doesn't hit as hard as the specs set so wearing down the opponent as much as possible is advised. The moves are generally the same as the specs set, but Flamethrower is the secondary fire STAB because if you're attempting to sweep and clean up with Blacephalon you wouldn't want to miss a Fire Blast.

Mega Mawile is hard hitting Pokémon in the tier that can either run an all out attacking set or boost its attack with Swords Dance. Blacephalon draws in Tyranitar and can Pursuit traps it. If it is a choice banned set Mawile can come in and take advantage of a Pursuit locked TTar and set up Swords Dance and punch massive holes in the opponent's team. Swords Dance grants a +2 boost to Mega Mawile's already sky high attack allowing it to OHKO many Pokémon in the OU tier. Play Rough is your main STAB and Suck Punch grants Mawile a form of priority and can even stop opposing Blacephalon when given a free switch in. The final move is up to wjat you need for your team. Thunder Punch is used because Mawile baits out Toxapex only to get hit hard or OHKOd if Mawile is boosted by swords dance. Knock Off is for for the utility to remove the opponent's item and has decent coverage along with Play Rough. Iron Head gives Mawile a secondary STAB option mainly to be able to hit Mega Venusaur and the new fairies gen 7 brought to the battle field.

Mawile can also run an AOA set and forego swords dance for fire fang to gain additional coverage. Fire Fang hits Pokémon like Scizor, Ferrothorn, and Kartana really hard and eases the burden on Blacephalon in having to take those Pokémon on. If you feel you're ok with not needing Fire Fang you can run Power-Up Punch. PUP not only gives you fighting type coverage for Pokémon like Heatran, Bisharp, and Tyranitar, but it gives Mawile a +1 in attack everytime it's used. Despite the 40 BP PUP can do damage comming off Mega Mawile's massive attack stat already. Not only that, but the AOA set can't fall victim to taunt. The STAB of choice is Play Rough. Sucker Punch for obvious reasons. Thunder Punch is a great option to have to hit Toxapex, and Celesteela.

252+ Atk Huge Power Mawile-Mega Thunder Punch vs. 248 HP / 8+ Def Toxapex: 194-230 (64 - 75.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Huge Power Mawile-Mega Thunder Punch vs. 252 HP / 192+ Def Toxapex: 172-204 (56.5 - 67.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Huge Power Mawile-Mega Thunder Punch vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Toxapex: 166-196 (54.7 - 64.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252+ Atk Huge Power Mawile-Mega Power-Up Punch vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Heatran: 158-186 (41 - 48.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery

252 SpA Choice Specs Blacephalon Shadow Ball vs. 248 HP / 8 SpD Toxapex: 160-190 (52.8 - 62.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Blacephalon Overheat vs. 252 HP / 24 SpD Landorus-Therian: 415-489 (108.6 - 128%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Blacephalon Hidden Power Ice vs. 252 HP / 24 SpD Landorus-Therian: 512-604 (134 - 158.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Blacephalon Hidden Power Ice vs. 240 HP / 152 SpD Zygarde: 392-464 (94 - 111.2%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO
252 SpA Choice Specs Blacephalon Hidden Power Ice vs. 240 HP / 152 SpD Zygarde: 392-464 (94 - 111.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO after 1 layers of Spikes
252 SpA Choice Specs Blacephalon Overheat vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Clefable (Unware Set): 387-456 (98.2 - 115.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO after 1 layer of Spikes

Zygarde is a Pokémon that threatens both Blacephalon and Mawile, however it is unable to stomach Mawile's Play Rough and is almost always OHKOd by a Specs Hidden Power Ice from Blacephalon (depending on Zygarde's Bulk).
*Best advice is to not allow Zygarde to come in for free*

Toxapex is another Pokémon that gives this core trouble if Mawile is not running Thunder Punch. Just by its bulk alone it is able to stomach all of Blacephalon's moves (when max Sp.Def and max HP). It is also able to wall Mega Mawile with Haze, and Scald.

Tyranitar is the best counter to Blacephalon. It is able to Pursuit trap Blacephalon and hit Mawile with Earthquake. Choice Band sets can be beaten with Mawile when Tyranitar is locked into Pursuit or Crunch. It also gives Mawile the opportunity to set up should Tyranitar switch out.
 
Last edited:
I'm kinda surprised this core hasn't been posted yet since it seems pretty obvious to me

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Code:
Volcarona @ Psychium Z 
Ability: Flame Body 
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe 
Timid Nature 
IVs: 0 Atk 
- Quiver Dance 
- Fire Blast 
- Bug Buzz 
- Psychic 

Kartana @ Choice Scarf 
Ability: Beast Boost 
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe 
Jolly Nature 
- Leaf Blade 
- Sacred Sword 
- Knock Off 
- Defog

Volcarona is an excellent sweeper right now, however it requires a ton of support and is very difficult to build around. One Pokemon I've always found myself using alongside Volcarona is Choice Scarf Kartana, the two have such excellent synergy with each other that it's hard for me to not use it.

The most obvious thing Kartana does for Volcarona is Defog, it's arguably the best hazard remover in the tier especially if you're running offense. It also switches into things that Volcarona has trouble against such as Chansey and to a lesser extent Mantine, and all in all acts as a great revenge killer and cleaner which can take care of a lot of stuff that oustpeeds Volcarona and threatens it out. Additionally, Volcarona often forces scarfers to lock themselves into moves that Kartana can easily take (specifically Rock moves), which can very easily be taken advantage of.

But I think the real appeal of this core is how well Volcarona supports in Kartana in return. It has real trouble with Steels like Magearna, Scizor, Celesteela, Skamrory, and Magnezone, and can also struggle against Grasses like Ferrothorn, Mega Venusaur and Tapu Bulu. Volcarona effortlessly sets up on all of those while also doing a decent job of setting up on Zapdos which is one of the primary Kartana switchins. Almost anything that can take advantage of Kartana being locked into Leaf Blade acts as setup fodder for Volcarona.

The big issue with this core is that it's very weak to Heatran, that being said there's plenty of stuff that wears it down so I don't think it's a huge problem. You could run HP Ground over Bug Buzz on Volcarona, especially since Kartana deals with Tyranitar very well, however Bug Buzz is such a broadly good move that I'd advise against that. I suppose the Zards can be a problem too but they aren't too common and Voclarona just breaks through them with Shattered Psyche anyway.

Oh yeah the core also loses to Hawlucha but so do most offensive cores lol, that thing is so stupid for offense to deal with
 
Sorry if I overlooked something, but could anyone explain to me what the difference between the cores in sedertz ' OP and the "Ultra" cores in Ramses 's second post are? Is the first section "outdated" (from normal SM) and the second one recent from USUM?
 
Sorry if I overlooked something, but could anyone explain to me what the difference between the cores in sedertz ' OP and the "Ultra" cores in Ramses 's second post are? Is the first section "outdated" (from normal SM) and the second one recent from USUM?
There's no difference, it was just there for sed to go off of when filling in the OP. I simply forgot to delete it. Soon we'll begin our Standout Posts which will be lodged in my post.
 
Pseudo Dark-Spam

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Greninja-Ash @ Choice Specs
Ability: Battle Bond
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Dark Pulse
- Water Shuriken
- Spikes

Mawile-Mega @ Mawilite
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 40 HP / 252 Atk / 216 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Play Rough
- Sucker Punch
- Knock Off

The offensive synergy between these two is insane, and this iconic duo has proven to be one of the strongest offensive cores in the metagame. Not only do they eliminate many of each other's answers, but they also share some checks (notably Toxapex). They can also facilitate each other's roles, with Mawile-M removing assault vests, eviolites, and recovery items to ease a transformation for Greninja, while the frog can lay down spikes to pressure Mawile-M switch-ins further and ease breaking them.

The core relies a lot on priority to deal with very fast offensive threats, so Lele spells trouble to either Ash Gren or Mawile-M depending on the set. Venusaur-M can also be troublesome, but the combination of hazard stacking or just +2 Knock Off into Sucker Punch can assist with that. Lopunny-M also offensively checks both of these, though it cannot withstand the powerful priority for long and must be kept very healthy.
 
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Rotom-Wash @ Iapapa Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 196 Def / 64 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hydro Pump
- Volt Switch
- Will-O-Wisp
- Defog

Volcarona @ Buginium Z / Psychium Z
Ability: Flame Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Quiver Dance
- Fire Blast
- Bug Buzz / Hidden Power Ground
- Psychic

Rotom-W s able to check many threatening physical attackers for Volcarona and can remove Stealth Rock from the field with Defog, it's also able to lure in Grass-types and switch out with Volt Switch to grant Volcarona set up opportunities. Volcarona compliments Rotom-W relatively well because of its ability to beat many of Rotom-W's checks like Tapu Bulu, Choice Scarf Kartana, and Tangrowth.
 
Offensive Core: Mega Diancie+Tapu

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tapukoko.gif
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The terrain by certain tapus provided allows nature power to turn into moves to hit pokemon that could wall diancie. Grassy terrain helps diancie hit gastrodon. Grassy terrain also can weaken earthquakes and gives diancie a little bit of recovery. Psychic terrain helps diancie hit venusaur and toxapex. Psychic terrain also helps block priority moves like bullet punch from hitting diancie. Electric terrain helps diancie hit celesteela. (Diancie needs Nature power but the rest of the set doesn't matter and the Tapu can run any set to support it)

Tapu Koko @ Choice Specs
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Dazzling Gleam
- Thunderbolt

Diancie-Mega @ Diancite
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Diamond Storm
- Moonblast
- Nature Power
- Earth Power

Defensive Core: Mega Sableye+Ferrothorn+Celesteela

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Double steels to take on fairies for sableye, ferrothorn can take on electrics for celesteela and sableye can take on fighting types for ferrothorn. However, the worst part of this core is how quickly it will wear your pokemon down with the combination of ferrothorn hazards, sableye burn, double leech seed and sableye knocking off leftovers. Sableye also helps by bouncing back hazards that would be used to pressure ferrothorn and celesteela. This core needs a fire resist and struggles against specs hp fire koko. (Ferrothorn and celesteela can run different spreads and ferrothorns moveset can be anything but I prefer protect to abuse leech seed and burn more)

Celesteela @ Leftovers
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 248 HP / 104 Def / 156 SpD
Relaxed Nature
- Leech Seed
- Protect
- Heavy Slam
- Flamethrower

Sableye-Mega @ Sablenite
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Knock Off
- Will-O-Wisp
- Protect
- Recover

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 48 Def / 208 SpD
Careful Nature
- Power Whip
- Leech Seed
- Protect
- Spikes
Defensive Core: Tapu Bulu+Toxapex

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Bulu's grassy terrain gives toxapex 6.25% more recovery every turn allowing it to be even more unkillable. Also, the weakening of earthquakes from grassy terrain allows toxapex to straight up wall pokemon like scarf landorus. They also cover each other's weaknesses pretty nicely. Bulu can take on electric and psychic types for pex while pex can take fire, steel and poison moves for bulu.

Toxapex @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Scald
- Knock Off
- Toxic Spikes
- Haze

Tapu Bulu @ Assault Vest
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 60 Atk / 56 SpD / 144 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Wood Hammer
- Horn Leech
- Superpower
- Nature's Madness
Defensive Core: Mantine+Heatran

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These two form a basic defensive core as they do a good job of bouncing each other's weaknesses off of each other. They also bring a lot of support to a team in a rocker, defogger, hazer and toxic spreader.

Mantine @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 248 HP / 52 Def / 208 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Roost
- Scald
- Defog
- Haze

Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 212 SpD / 44 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Lava Plume
- Earth Power
- Stealth Rock

Ramses I've also fixed up my old post and added some more cores to it so pleace reconsider adding it to the archive/showcase thing. Also delete AM's post since I fixed my error.

Mega Venusaur is bad
 
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Tapu Fini @ Leftovers
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Hydro Pump
- Moonblast

Tapu Koko @ Magnet
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 30 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- U-turn
- Taunt

Whimsicott @ Life Orb
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid / Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nature Power
- Moonblast
- Hurricane
- Psychic
Here is a fun offensive core Tapus + Nature Power Whimsicott. So the idea is pretty straightforward, Fini and Koko provide terrains so Whimsicott can spam priority Moonblasts and Thunderbolts. Fini has got HP Fire in its moveset to beat or severely damage some of Whimsicott's checks/counters, such as Mega Scizor and Ferrothorn. Hydro Pump kills unsuspecting Heatrans. Now you probably think what the fuck is a Whimsicott doing in OU, well it is actually quite strong with a Life Orb and it has got decent coverage to beat some common switch-ins:
252 SpA Life Orb Whimsicott Psychic vs. 252 HP / 64 SpD Toxapex: 127-151 (41.7 - 49.6%) -- 21.9% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Black Sludge recovery
252+ SpA Life Orb Whimsicott Psychic vs. 252 HP / 64 SpD Toxapex: 140-166 (46 - 54.6%) -- 98% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Black Sludge recovery
252 SpA Life Orb Whimsicott Nature Power vs. 252 HP / 64 SpD Toxapex in Electric Terrain: 190-226 (62.5 - 74.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Whimsicott Hurricane vs. 248 HP / 156+ SpD Venusaur-Mega: 151-179 (41.5 - 49.3%) -- 81.3% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252+ SpA Life Orb Whimsicott Hurricane vs. 248 HP / 156+ SpD Venusaur-Mega: 166-198 (45.7 - 54.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252 SpA Life Orb Whimsicott Hurricane vs. 248 HP / 56 SpD Assault Vest Tapu Bulu: 146-172 (42.5 - 50.1%) -- 32.4% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Grassy Terrain recovery
252+ SpA Life Orb Whimsicott Hurricane vs. 248 HP / 56 SpD Assault Vest Tapu Bulu: 161-190 (46.9 - 55.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Grassy Terrain recovery
252 SpA Life Orb Whimsicott Nature Power vs. 252 HP / 124 SpD Celesteela in Electric Terrain: 239-283 (60 - 71.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Life Orb Whimsicott Nature Power vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Heatran in Electric Terrain: 129-152 (39.9 - 47%) -- 39.5% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252+ SpA Life Orb Whimsicott Nature Power vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Heatran in Electric Terrain: 142-168 (43.9 - 52%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252 SpA Life Orb Whimsicott Nature Power vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Scizor-Mega in Electric Terrain: 136-161 (39.6 - 46.9%) -- 37.1% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252+ SpA Life Orb Whimsicott Nature Power vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Scizor-Mega in Electric Terrain: 149-177 (43.4 - 51.6%) -- 98.8% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
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Obviously Chansey walls everything in this core. Koko can Taunt it and Fini can block its Toxic but that's about it.

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Ferrothorn walls Koko and Whimsicott. Fini has like 55% chance to 2HKO with HP Fire after SR, but Ferrothorn can beat it with Power Whip.

Both of these threats can be covered by adding something like SD Kartana to your team.
 
hello everyone. at any rate, all the recently submitted cores bar one I will address, will more than likely be added to the archive.

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Tapu Fini @ Leftovers
Ability: Misty Surge
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Hydro Pump
- Moonblast

Tapu Koko @ Magnet
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 30 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- U-turn
- Taunt

Whimsicott @ Life Orb
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid / Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nature Power
- Moonblast
- Hurricane
- Psychic
Here is a fun offensive core Tapus + Nature Power Whimsicott. So the idea is pretty straightforward, Fini and Koko provide terrains so Whimsicott can spam priority Moonblasts and Thunderbolts. Fini has got HP Fire in its moveset to beat or severely damage some of Whimsicott's checks/counters, such as Mega Scizor and Ferrothorn. Hydro Pump kills unsuspecting Heatrans. Now you probably think what the fuck is a Whimsicott doing in OU, well it is actually quite strong with a Life Orb and it has got decent coverage to beat some common switch-ins:
252 SpA Life Orb Whimsicott Psychic vs. 252 HP / 64 SpD Toxapex: 127-151 (41.7 - 49.6%) -- 21.9% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Black Sludge recovery
252+ SpA Life Orb Whimsicott Psychic vs. 252 HP / 64 SpD Toxapex: 140-166 (46 - 54.6%) -- 98% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Black Sludge recovery
252 SpA Life Orb Whimsicott Nature Power vs. 252 HP / 64 SpD Toxapex in Electric Terrain: 190-226 (62.5 - 74.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 SpA Life Orb Whimsicott Hurricane vs. 248 HP / 156+ SpD Venusaur-Mega: 151-179 (41.5 - 49.3%) -- 81.3% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252+ SpA Life Orb Whimsicott Hurricane vs. 248 HP / 156+ SpD Venusaur-Mega: 166-198 (45.7 - 54.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252 SpA Life Orb Whimsicott Hurricane vs. 248 HP / 56 SpD Assault Vest Tapu Bulu: 146-172 (42.5 - 50.1%) -- 32.4% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Grassy Terrain recovery
252+ SpA Life Orb Whimsicott Hurricane vs. 248 HP / 56 SpD Assault Vest Tapu Bulu: 161-190 (46.9 - 55.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Grassy Terrain recovery
252 SpA Life Orb Whimsicott Nature Power vs. 252 HP / 124 SpD Celesteela in Electric Terrain: 239-283 (60 - 71.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 SpA Life Orb Whimsicott Nature Power vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Heatran in Electric Terrain: 129-152 (39.9 - 47%) -- 39.5% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252+ SpA Life Orb Whimsicott Nature Power vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Heatran in Electric Terrain: 142-168 (43.9 - 52%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252 SpA Life Orb Whimsicott Nature Power vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Scizor-Mega in Electric Terrain: 136-161 (39.6 - 46.9%) -- 37.1% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
252+ SpA Life Orb Whimsicott Nature Power vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Scizor-Mega in Electric Terrain: 149-177 (43.4 - 51.6%) -- 98.8% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock
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Obviously Chansey walls everything in this core. Koko can Taunt it and Fini can block its Toxic but that's about it.

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Ferrothorn walls Koko and Whimsicott. Fini has like 55% chance to 2HKO with HP Fire after SR, but Ferrothorn can beat it with Power Whip.

Both of these threats can be covered by adding something like SD Kartana to your team.
whimsicott is an extremely poor choice to pick with so many different options for an offensive fairy type. and while whimsicott may be a special attacking grass-types, it faces immense competition from other grass-types like kartana and more similarly serperior. i myself haven't really used offensive tapu fini, but i like others, seriously doubt its effectiveness compared to other more relevant sets.

since this thread has dropped a bit in activity, i'll be posting a few cores of my own;

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Kartana @ Darkinium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Leaf Blade
- Knock Off
- Sacred Sword
- Swords Dance

Gyarados @ Gyaradosite
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Crunch
- Earthquake / Waterfall
- Substitute
mega gyarados may not be the hottest metagame pick atm, but it's served me rather well overall. considering the obstacles mega gyarados faces such as mega venusaur, tangrowth, defensive lando (w/o waterfall), ferrothorn, etc. SD Kartana came to mind as an excellent partner that slices through a majority of what ails gyarados. with such teambreaking support, sweeping late-game becomes a much easier undertaking. i myself prefer darkinium z since it's good, powerful coverage in knock off and a one-time nuke wrapped in one slot.

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Lopunny @ Lopunnite
Ability: Limber
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick
- Return
- Power-up Punch
- Fake Out / Ice Punch

Hoopa-Unbound @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Magician
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Focus Blast
- Psychic / Psyshock
- Dark Pulse
- Nasty Plot
this core isn't anything new, but it's held up over the years quite nicely. nasty plot hoopa-u is a total savage and just plows through anything slower than it after a boost. it works exceptionally well alongside mega lopunny, as anything hoopa finds itself destroying, mega lopunny appreciates it being gone, so cleaning up late-game would be a much easier task. these two don't have any defensive synergy, so a sturdy backbone is always worth addressing. defensive landorus-t, ferrothorn, av magearna, these are all excellent examples to incorporate when building.
 
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Offensive core: Mamoswine + Magnezone

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Mamoswine is criminally underused in OU for a mon that beats both Toxapex AND Landorus-T in one set. Though it needs a little help to do both in the same game, threatening both at the same time severely restricts your opponent's options as well as rethink their insta-lead Lando.

As I was wondering about why Mamo is so unseen in OU and discussing it with others, KuraiTenshi26 mentioned how there are just too many checks and counters to justify bringing it to a game - Celesteela, Jirachi, Scizor and Ferrothorn (to name a few) all check or counter Mamo depending on their spreads and sets. So how do we fix this?

Well, Magnzeone can help.

Trapping those pesky Steel-types that Mamo can't quite muscle through and checking most defensive Water-types makes this a solid offensive core that can function with minimal external support.

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Mamoswine @ Focus Sash / Life Orb
Ability: Oblivious
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Ice Shard
- Icicle Crash
- Stealth Rock

I like the Focus Sash set as a dedicated lead to get guaranteed rocks with Oblivious, but Life Orb can help nab some crucial damage to net important 1-2HKOs. The item is pretty interchangeable depending on how much you value this extra damage over guaranteed rocks and a bit of survivability.

-1 252 Atk Life Orb Mamoswine Ice Shard vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Landorus-Therian: 255-302 (79.9 - 94.6%) -- 50% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
-1
252 Atk Life Orb Mamoswine Icicle Crash vs. 252 HP / 212+ Def Landorus-Therian: 390-458 (102 - 119.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO

Offensive Landorus can never come in against this. Even if Lando is defensive, you'll outspeed and guarantee OHKO with Crash, though it'll take some scouting to identify the set.

252 Atk Mamoswine Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Toxapex: 176-210 (57.8 - 69%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Life Orb Mamoswine Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Toxapex: 296-351 (97.3 - 115.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock

Even without a Life Orb, Mamo still guarantees the 2HKO on max Def Pex, while Orb completely shuts down SpD Pex.

Other Calcs:

252 Atk Mamoswine Icicle Crash vs. 248 HP / 240+ Def Zapdos: 224-266 (58.4 - 69.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
-1
252 Atk Life Orb Mamoswine Earthquake vs. 40 HP / 0 Def Mawile-Mega: 237-281 (94.4 - 111.9%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
252 Atk Life Orb Mamoswine Icicle Crash vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Tangrowth: 299-354 (74 - 87.6%) -- 6.3% chance to OHKO after Stealth Rock
252 Atk Mamoswine Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Magearna: 290-344 (96.3 - 114.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock

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Magnezone @ Air Balloon / Assault Vest
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Volt Switch
- Magnet Rise / Flash Cannon

Air Balloon + Magnet Rise GUARANTEE that Magnezone can revenge or come in on a Celesteela (actually a Weakness Policy Fire Blast set could still beat it actually, ban Celesteela). EQ is the standard tech preventing Magnezone and Heatran from trapping it, so we're going to take advantage of that. We can immediately Magnet Rise so that even if the Balloon is popped by a 252+ Speed Flash Cannon Celesteela we're still safe in our little bubble - we might even get lucky and Rise on a Protect!

However reminiscent the double levitate set might be (lookin at you, Randoms), sometimes it isn't necessary, especially if we're more scared of Tapu Lele and friends. If Lele is a bad matchup for your team, AV + Flash Cannon is recommended.
Problems:
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Obviously this isn't the 100% perfect core that will snag you an easy peak. It has a few things that are hard to deal with without some help - specifically offensive Fire-, Water-, and Fighting-types.

Partners:

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Mantine @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Scald
- Toxic / Haze
- Roost

Mantine checks almost all of these difficult mons and can Toxic stall most them out (bar Electric coverage and Sub Keldeo) or prevent setup with Haze, all while being another Ground switch-in for Magnezone. As an added bonus, obvious anti-Magnezone tech on steel types it wants to trap will barely touch Mantine, resisting Fighting and Fire, and being immune to Ground. However, if you feel like tearing your eyes out, Toxapex can fill a similar roll.

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Tapu Koko @ Shuca Berry / Magnet
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Thunderbolt
- U-turn
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Taunt

If you want to really double up on your LandoPex hate and your Electric offense and momentum all at the same time, Tapu Koko is ya boi. Being in more of a utility role, Koko can run tech moves and items to unexpectedly KO, disrupt or survive, leaving most of the heavy hitting to Mamozone.

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Dragonite @ Flyinium Z
Ability: Multiscale
EVs: 60 HP / 252 Atk / 196 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Fly

Dragonite can take on most Fire-types in the tier thanks to Multiscale, and with that extra 60 HP investment it can take one Ice Punch from Jolly Medicham-M and set up in return, hopefully facilitating a sweep.

252 Atk Pure Power Medicham-Mega Ice Punch vs. 60 HP / 0 Def Multiscale Dragonite: 284-336 (84 - 99.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

I know shoving calcs and theories down OU's metaphorical low-elo throat isn't going to make Mamoswine rise in viability, but I hope that you, the sophisticated, high-elo reader, can recognize that this thing is definitely usable and deserves a chance at a bit more experimenting in the metagame.
 
Some cores:

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Stakataka @ Rockium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Lonely Nature
IVs: 15 Def / 0 Spe
- Stone Edge
- Gyro Ball
- Superpower
- Trick Room

Tapu Bulu @ Assault Vest
Ability: Grassy Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 60 Atk / 56 SpD / 144 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Horn Leech
- Wood Hammer
- Superpower
- Nature's Madness

There were no Stakataka cores in the archive so I figured I would post one. That's a pretty simple core: Stakataka is the offensive trick room with Rockium Z set which is an effective wallbreaker and cleaner thanks to it's good atk stat, strong stabs and good coverage. Tapu Bulu is here to support it with it's grassy terrain which helps Stakataka to stay healthy, and by checking water types which annoy Stakataka. Tapu Bulu can also weaken things like Celesteela and M-Scizor with Nature's Madness and put them in range of Z-Stone Edge.

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Landorus-Therian (M) @ Leftovers / Rocky Helmet
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 120 Def / 136 Spe
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- U-turn
- Stealth Rock

Jirachi @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 192 SpD / 64 Spe
Careful Nature
- Iron Head
- U-turn
- Wish
- Protect

Jirachi is a pretty cool mon that has been rising in usage lately. It's super useful to check psychic types like Lele and many other special attackers. Wish + Protect helps it to stay healthy but it can also pass wishes to it's teammates thanks to U-Turn. Paired with Landorus-T, it forms a pretty solid core as Landorus-T is able to check a lot of physical attackers such as Kartana and Zygarde which threaten Jirachi, provides rocks support and maintains the volt-turn core. The Jirachi spread could probably be improved a bit but that's the one I use as it outspeeds max speed timid Magearna and Pelipper (Specs).

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Kartana @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
- Leaf Blade
- Knock Off / Smart Strike
- Sacred Sword
- Defog

or

Kartana @ Fightinium Z / Darkinium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Leaf Blade
- Sacred Sword
- Defog / Night Slash

Magnezone @ Electrium Z / Steelium Z
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Substitute

or

Magnezone @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Quite surprised this core wasn't already on the archive as it's been really common since late SM. Kartana can run either Scarf or SD depending on what you need on your team. Scarf is used as a revenge killer / cleaner while SD is used as a strong wallbreaker that can bust through many teams. Magnezone is here to help it by removing Steel types such as M-Scizor, Celesteela and opposing Kartana which annoy Kartana. It can run Scarf to be able to trap SD Kartana more easily or Electrium to ensure that Celesteela gets killed. Steelium can also be used to lure things like M-Venusaur, Landorus-T and Latios / M-Latios.

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Tapu Koko @ Choice Specs
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Dazzling Gleam

Magnezone @ Steelium Z
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Substitute

or

Magnezone @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Fire]

Pretty cool Electric Spam core. It's concept is pretty much the same as the core above: Koko is here to bust through teams with it's insanely powerful moves while Mag is here to remove Ferrothorn which annoys Tapu Koko but also benefits from the Electric Terrain. Here, if you're gonna use a Z-Move I'd recommend Steelium rather than Electrium in order to lure M-Venusaur and Ground Types.

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Mawile-Mega @ Mawilite
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 88 HP / 252 Atk / 168 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Iron Head
- Fire Fang
- Thunder Punch
- Ice Punch

Tapu Koko @ Choice Specs
Ability: Electric Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Dazzling Gleam

Again, a super cool core. Tapu Koko is here as a powerful wallbreaker that can also send in M-Mawile safely thanks to Volt Switch. M-Mawile's set is pirely a lure set and it's pretty good because it can lure most of Tapu Koko's checks and counters: M-Venusaur with Iron Head, Ferrothorn and M-Scizor with Fire Fang and Ground Types with Ice Punch. Thunder Punch is also boosted up by Electric Terrain.
 
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M.Diancie + Magnezone + Dragonite

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Diancie-Mega @ Diancite
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Moonblast
- Diamond Storm
- Earth Power

Magnezone @ Choice Specs
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Flash Cannon
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Volt Switch

Dragonite @ Flyinium Z
Ability: Multiscale
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Fly
- Earthquake
- Extreme Speed

Sample team, click here
A core from the past, M.Diancie, Magnezone and Dragonite, share nice type synergy, forming the Steel Fairy Dragon core, but also synergy in offensive utility. M.Diancie pairs with Dragonite exceptionally well, helping keep Rocks off the field, allowing Dragonite to keep multiscale intact longer, but also helping keep Rocks up vs the opposing side, as it can get them up Vs M.Sableye but more importantly, when paired with Magnezone, can beat many of the common bulky Defog users. Since M.Diancie hits both physical and special side, it often brings in Dragonites checks and significantly weaken them for late game, but also luring in key Steel types to be trapped, further benefiting Dragonite. Magnezone traps key defensive Steel types for both M.Diancie and Dragonite, allowing both to go unchecked, but also deterring Scarf Kartana from trying to revenge M.Diancie, only making it harder to revenge. Due to both Magnezone and M.Diancie being weak to Scarf LandoTs Eq, LandoT is quite often put in a position late game where it cant revenge either, as Dragonite can come to get off 2 DDs, as multiscale will be kept intact.


Band Zygarde + M.Scizor

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Zygarde @ Choice Band
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Thousand Arrows
- Outrage
- Extreme Speed
- Toxic / Superpower / Iron Tail

Scizor-Mega @ Scizorite
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP / 176 Def / 20 SpD / 64 Spe
Impish Nature
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Roost
- Swords Dance
Surprised no one else grabbed the opportunity to do this core, as Band Zygarde seems to be rising in popularity. At the moment, its by far my favourite core, cuz fuck Pex. M.Scizor works brilliantly with Zygarde as it often brings in bulky Steels or Fire types and Toxapex just to get U-Turned on. This brings Zygarde in to fire off a 1k Arrows free of charge. M.Scizor also appreciates these Pokemon being broken down, allowing for Bullet Punch to clean up. M.Scizor can also come in on the Grass types that threaten to wall Zygarde, such as Av Bulu and Av Tangrowth, not allowing Bulu to recover through Horn Leech, keeping it low for Zygarde. It does have to fear the Hp Fire or Natures Madness wearing it down however. Zygarde can also work somewhat as a Fire resist for M.Scizor, due to its bulk and typing, while M.Scizor resists Fairy, Ice and Dragon for Zygarde.
 
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Kartana @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Leaf Blade
- Sacred Sword
- Smart Strike

Greninja-Ash @ Choice Specs
Ability: Battle Bond
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Dark Pulse
- Water Shuriken
- Ice Beam

Blacephalon @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Flamethrower
- Fire Blast
- Trick

This is my favorite offensive core for Singles OU. These three Pokèmon have amazing offensive synergy; almost every single relevant switch-in to one of these Pokèmon is covered by another of them. However, this core obviously needs some strong support, namely VoltTurn and Defog/Rapid Spin, and can struggle with stall. But, with the proper support, this core is absolutely ridiculous and will shred opposing teams. Not to mention how fun it is.
 
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+
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Kartana @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Sacred Sword
- Knock Off
- Swords Dance
- Leaf Blade

Zygarde @ Leftovers
Ability: Aura Break
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe or
Jolly Nature
- Thousand Arrows
- Substitute
- Toxic
- Dragon Dance

This core exists to break common walls for other sweepers, not necessarily to sweep on their own. Partners like Tapu Bulu, Specs Koko, and Mega Scizor really appreciate this core's ability to break the opponent's defensive Landorus-T, Tapu Bulu, and Heatran, who may otherwise be able to wall you. Mega Scizor and Koko get special mention for their ability to provide free momentum and Tapu Bulu gets a special mention for providing extra healing for Sub Zygarde and a boost to Leaf Blade.

Zygarde lures and spreads Toxic to Landorus-T, Tapu Bulu, Tangrowth, and bulky Water types as well as keeping Zapdos, Heatran, and Toxapex out of play. Maximum speed lets Zygarde stall more things, block Explosions from lead Landorus-T, eliminate Excadrill, and hope for speed ties in the worst case with Tapu Lele and Kyurem-B. Of course, a bulkier Zygarde can better annoy Ferrothorn and give Zygarde some bulk to handle offensive Heatran better if your team wants that.

Kartana does what you'd expect, boosting to break the tier's bulkier walls like Toxapex, M-Scizor, and defensive Landorus and carrying a nuke Fightinium-Z attack to blow Ferrothorn out of the water. It can Knock Off Zapdos' Leftovers and in the process it can bluff Choice Scarf, giving it a better chance to set up later in the game. It loves Zygarde's ability to wear down Tangrowth and Tapu Bulu with status and check Heatran.

This core does have a couple weaknesses - without proper team support it struggles with Zapdos and Tapu Koko, both of whom pack the firepower to break this core once they're in play. Sweepers like Ash-Greninja, Mega Lopunny, Mega Medicham, and Gyarados can similiarly tear into these two, meaning you've got to either have great offensive presence or enough walls to protect your team from their assaults. Last, neither of these Pokemon are particularly good at swapping in against Tapu Bulu, giving you another reason to pick up Mega Scizor (assuming you can handle having two pokemon with 4x Fire weakness).
 
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Mega Scizor+Heatran

Scizor @ Scizorite
Ability: Light Metal
EVs: 248 HP / 64 Atk / 124 Def / 16 SpD / 56 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Bullet Punch
- Knock Off/U-turn (Knock Off cripples alot of Scizor's common switch-ins but some teams need the pivot from U-turn)
- Roost

Heatran @ Firium Z
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Magma Storm
- Earth Power
- Toxic
- Taunt

OR

Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Magma Storm
- Earth Power
- Taunt
- Toxic

Use Leftovers Tran if you're already running a team member w/ a Z-Move on your team and feel that team member is a better Z Move user than Tran, or need the bulk. Otherwise, Z Tran is the better choice.

Heatran eats Fire moves for Scizor, stall/wallbreaks, as well as traps and defeats Scizor's main checks (excluding opposing Heatran), such as Zapdos, Celesteela, or any other bulky Steel type. Scizor has a good shot at switching in on Ground-type moves, and can stand up against or defeat Heatran's checks, I.E Tyranitar or Landorus-T. Scizor is a very flexible Pokèmon that can either wall break or sweep late game, and it has amazing offensive and defensive synergy with Heatran. These two make a great core for either Bulky Offense or Balance teams.
 
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