Resource SS OU Good Cores


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A strong core is one of the single most valuable things to form when creating a new team. Cores are typically made up of a group of Pokémon that, when used together, work excellently toward accomplishing a specific goal, and any good player uses them, intentionally or not. The majority of cores have varying characteristics that allow them to triumph in different areas, and depending on your team, cores can be built to succeed offensively or defensively. An offensive core is a group of Pokémon that are both focused towards and designed to enable the team to break through most other team styles while being balanced for general play. A defensive core is a group of Pokémon chosen to give a team a solid set of resistances and the ability to switch into many of the common and threatening attacks in the metagame, allowing it to stick around long enough to win the match. Overall, cores function as a fantastic base or starting point for a wide range of teams and they are commonly used while teambuilding to achieve a specific goal.

:corviknight:Posting Guidelines
  • Any person can post a core in this thread. The cores are broken down into four categories: offensive cores, balanced cores, defensive cores, and weather cores. When posting your core, please make sure to state which one of these categories your core falls under.
  • Although the way your core works may be obvious to you, this may not be the case for others. As such, when posting a core, please make sure to explain how the core operates and any other details you think are important to include. The explanations don't have to be essays; as long as your post has some substance and conveys the main idea behind the core, it's all good. Here are some things you may like to include when explaining your core:
    • Offensive Core: Should your core be an offensive one, such as Clefable + Dragapult, you could explain how those two Pokemon work together to break down their similar checks and any other synergistic traits. You could also mention any weaknesses the core has and any partners you believe work well with the core.
      • Here is a good example of what we look for taken from the ORAS iteration.
    • Defensive Core: Should your core be defensive, such as Seismitoad + Corviknight, you could explain their typing synergy allows them to cover problematic Pokemon for one another, or any other synergistic attributes you feel are relevant. You could also mention any weaknesses the core has and any partners you believe work well with the core.
      • Here is a good example of what we look for taken from the ORAS iteration.
  • This goes without saying, but do make sure your post includes the sets your core is using. In addition, please try to include an explanation of any EV spreads deviating from the standard 252 / 252. Replays are also very helpful and highly encouraged when posting cores.
  • Please do not post a core that has more than 3 Pokemon because cores bigger than this can restrict building immensely.
  • Please be respectful of the cores people post in this thread. If someone posts a core that you think is ineffective or just plain bad, there is no need to jump at their throats. With that said, constructive criticism is welcome and encouraged - simply be nice!
:dragapult:Core Selection Process
  • This thread is being run by ausma. I will carefully monitor the cores posted in this thread. When the time comes, I will discuss the posted cores together with the OU mod team and decide which ones will be featured in the archive.
  • While the selection of good cores can often be subjective, we will take into consideration a variety of aspects before deciding which cores are featured in the archive. This includes quality of explanation, effectiveness of the core in the current metagame, and so on. We will carefully discuss everything and seek feedback from others to ensure the selected cores are of high quality.
  • When we decide which cores will be featured in the archive, we will try to announce them and provide brief explanations behind why certain cores were selected and why certain cores weren't. This feedback can potentially help give people a clearer picture of what we are looking for.
  • If a core is originally rejected from the archive, we can definitely provide some tips on how a set or spread can be tweaked so the core meets the standards we look for.
  • Just like with anyone else who posts a core, please feel free to bring up any concerns you might have with our posts and/or the cores we select! However, please be sure to be polite, and if it is a simple question/concern, we'd prefer it being directed to us in a PM.

Offensive Cores


Balanced / Defensive Cores
 
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ithrowrocksatkids

Banned deucer.
Dugtrio @ Focus Sash
Ability: Arena Trap
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Reversal
- Stone Edge
- Stealth Rock

Clefable @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 172 HP / 252 SpA / 84 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Moonlight
- Flamethrower
- Thunderbolt

This is an offensive core usually found on fatter teams. Duggie and clef synergies well together because generally stuff that check clef consist of fires and poisons which duggie can trap.
 
:mandibuzz: :Polteageist:
Polteageist @ Focus Sash
Ability: Cursed Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Shell Smash
- Shadow Ball
- Stored Power
- Giga Drain

Mandibuzz (F) @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Overcoat
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
IVs: 30 Spe
- Knock Off
- Roost
- Defog
- U-turn
Heres a simple balance core around sash polteageist.
Mandibuzz provides good hazard control for polt, and completely imposter proofs it.
The spreads are not tailor-made, [so are the dex ones for that matter], so they are just simple 252/252/4 spreads.
I would recommend a fighting or fairy type as a partner, as both can struggle with darks.​
 
Balanced Core:
1575955342266.png1575955357840.png1575955450948.png
A commonly known core that rose in popularity in USUM being Reuniclus + Toxapex. With the addition of Stored Power to Reuniclus' arsenal of moves, Acid Armor + CM becomes an even more threatening set. Toxapex provides Toxic Spikes support which plays a big part when it comes to making Reuniclus as effective as possible. However, another potential Pokemon that could aid both Reuniclus and Toxapex is Dugtrio. Arena Trap was previously banned last generation, however with the new generation, Dugtrio is free once again. This Pokemon is able to trap offensive threats such as Tyranitar and Toxtricity as well as Toxapex if Reuniclus isn't able to get any previous boosts. Toxapex is mentioned as a potential Pokemon for Dugtrio to check because of Stored Power low initial base power, Toxapex becomes an effective check with Haze. EV Spreads are standard, only thing worth mentioning is the 44 Speed on Reuniclus which allows Reuniclus to outspeed Toxapex and KO it, if it was to have any initial stat boosts before Toxapex can use Haze.

Defensive Core:
1575955375167.png1575955395280.png
While this is your typical bulky water + Ferrothorn core, what sets Milotic apart from other bulky waters is its mixed bulk giving it the ability to check a large variety of threats ranging from Galarian Darmanitan to Hydreigon and Dragapult. While the core itself is a defensive core, it can serve as the backbone of some Balanced and Bulky Offense teams simply because of how much these two Pokemon can cover within the metagame. While Milotic lacks Toxic, Ferrothorn makes up for it whether it would be residual damage from hazards such as Spikes or Leech Seed. When building, you have a lot of freedom to use what you'd like. Taking an offensive approach, Pokemon like Hydreigon, LO Clefable, and Galarian Darmanitan are great additions and defensively, Corviknight, Mandibuzz, and Ditto are usable.

Offensive Core:
1575983138627.png1575983153610.png
While this is slower than your typical offensive core, these two Pokemon are able to break a large portion of the meta. Both of these Pokemon are incredibly difficult to effectively switch into. Clefable is a great partner with Toxtricity because it is able to defeat Pokemon such as Tyranitar and Ferrothorn. Since this core is a lot slower than your typical offensive core, adding Pokemon like Dragapult or Choice Scarf Galarian Darmanitan could be really useful as they provide reliable speed control and they both also have access to U-turn which allows you to pivot in either one of Toxtricity or Clefable in.
 
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Here is one of my favorite Offensive Cores this gen:

Hydreigon + Aegislash

This core has a few benefits going for it. First and foremost, these mons, between each of them, have perfect resistances between the two. on top of this, this core is very malleable, with Hydreigon being able to fulfill many roles for the core while Aegislash is able to run a few decent sets as well. As far as role compendium, Aegislash is one of the premier mons to deal with Hawlucha, EQ-less Conkeldurr, and alleviates the pressure Galarian Darmanitan puts on Hydreigon if it is not Scarf. Aegislash is also able to be a wallbreaker, a balance breaker with Sub sets, and can deal with offense due to its bulk, access to priority, and power. Hydreigon, in turn, can handle, if not counter, most mons that could scare Aegislash out, such as Rotom Heat and Cinderace. Hydreigon is also a decently fast pokemon, which helps offset Aegislash's low speed. There can be many setups for this core to be used, but the main ones I'd argue for would be:

Sub Hydreigon + Banded Aegislash: Banded Aegislash can lure in OHKO the one mon who can usually wall both Hydreigon and Aegislash in Mandibuzz. This allows Hydreigon to break past any remaining fat on the team with relative ease. The Banded set also carries Shadow Sneak in over to revenge kill faster mons, which comes in handy vs Offense or setup mons.

Scarf Hydreigon + Sub Aegislash: Hydreigon makes for an excellent Scarfer due to its Speed and power. It also has U-Turn, allowing Aegislash to come in for free. Aegislash can very easily set up a sub on most mons, and start throwing Shadow Balls and Flash Cannons from behind. King's Shield for bulk and extra recovery. This setup can really use any Aegislash set you want, since Hydreigon very easily bring the mon in. Setup Aegislash could easily go here as well.

I have found this core to be an excellent core, and definitely worth a look.
 

ThelordofbadRNG

Banned deucer.
Though unconventional, I've been using this core for quite a while and this core has quickly become my favorite wallbreaking core.

https://pokepast.es/5d6b90010622499a

The basic concept of this core is that Sirfetch'd struggles to break past Toxapex, which duggy can trap. It may have problems with reuni too which is where Grimmsnarl comes in. Grimmsnarl also gets access to a neat support move in thunder wave which can slow down opponent mons and let Sirfetch'd spam banded cc even more freely. You could also run spirit break over Thunder Wave if you're having problems with Hydreigon. Lum Berry is quite a neat option on duggy too as it let's you 1v1 pex for sure and not worry about burn. Bulk up Grimmsnarl is a nice wincon which appreciates Sirfetch'd punching holes and yeah, that's about it for this core.
 
Time to post some nice cores. Unfortunately most of the ones i came up with have already been posted so oh well ill just post what i dont see. Apologies for no pictures/importable. Forgot how to do those after not posting for a while. Ill just link a pokepast instead.


Conkeldurr+Fast lorb Aegislash

https://pokepast.es/c2347de4955c8605

Messed around with this core while attempting to ladder for reqs. This core absolutely eats away at slower teams because of how powerful Lorb fast aegi is. Conks set is pretty straight forward with drain/mach/eq/facade. You smack pex with EQ and hit everying that resists both with facade. In most cases facade hits stuff like rotom harder then drain punch but drain punch provides nice recovery here and there allowing conk to stay alive a bit longer. Close combat or hammer arm can probably be used over drain but i havent tested those two options out. Fast lorb aegi is great at breaking down stuff simply because you not only outspeed things now but it comes with quite a bit of surprise factor since fast aegislash isnt exactly common. with 219 speed with a rash nature you pretty much outspeed things like ttar (assuming not ada max speed), clefable with minor speed investment and quite a few other things. This core also has the benefit of coming with dual priority. Overall a strong core great at dismantling slower teams that rely on things such as Darm as their sole fast mon. This core preforms especially well vs seis+rotom-heat cores which are very popular currently. Fast cleaners like dragapult or darm work well here.

Electric spam Ft: offensive np rotom-h and Specs toxtricity

https://pokepast.es/03b9a67b41cc734a

Pretty straight forward. Rotom-h has issues dealing with stuff like seis and tox just so happens to have a obscenely powerful Specs punk rock boosted boomburst to cleave right through it. Many teams rely on seis to check rotom and toxtricity helps to overload seis since specs boomburst is stronger then overdrive. Just make sure you pack something for Strong grounds like excadrill as both mold breaker and sand rush kinda destroy you. This tends to make corviknight a pretty good teammate. Something fast to clean up the mess these two leave like dragapult works well here too.
 
https://pokepast.es/2873f2bcdc6d619c

Here's an offensive core I've been thinking about for a friend's team. Specs hatterene can smash through ferrothorn, toxapex, corsola, corviknight and other big time walls that give cleaner excadrill trouble. Likewise, sand rush lets drill control fast offensive threats that can revenge kill hatterene, plus drill can switch in on hatterenes poison and steel weaknesses. Pair with ttar for a consistent sand setter, or just have drill set it itself with Max Rockfall.
 
Dracovish + Ferrothorn + Mimikyu

An offensive core that serves me well in singles and doubles. Dracovish is generally known to shatter any defensive Pokémon not immune to Fishious Rend, while Ferrothorn can slap down any Pokémon with a water-stopping ability. The Assault Vest makes it really hard to put down as many Pokémon running Fire Blast for coverage cannot OHKO it. The other moves are mostly filler - Knock Off can disrupt Eviolite tanks/walls and Explosion lets you pivot. Mimikyu deals with popular fast Pokémon such as Scarf Hydreigon and Dragapult as well as provide priority to finish off targets Dracovish and Ferrothorn weakened. Disguise is very tricky to deal with as it cannot be hit by Fake Out.
 
Offensive Cores:

cinder.png dug.png
Cinderace and Dugtrio form an alright offensive core, Cinderace is mainly used to pivot around Toxapex to trap it with Dugtrio, Court Change allows to prevent Dug's Focus Sash from breaking. And Cinderace can help Dugtrio with Ferrothorn and Corviknight, two Pokémon it struggles with. This core obviously need a Water-type check like Rotom-W or Ferrothorn to help out against threats like Gyarados or opposing Rotom-W respectively.


toxtricity.png pelipper.png
Toxtricity and rain fit really well together, as Toxtricity can put on some good pressure on usual rain checks, such as Ferrothorn and Seismitoad while also destroying usual Water-types like Toxapex and Jellicent. In another hand, Toxtricity and Pelipper can also make a decent Volt-Turn core, the latter can also check Ground-types like Excadrill and Hippowdon. Rain obviously needs Swift Swimmers like Drednaw or Barraskewda to abuse it as much as possible.


gar.png kommo-o.png
Kasib Berry Gengar is a pretty good way of luring Ditto, Kommo-o's main revenge killer, it also breaks a lot of the Pokémon in the tier thanks to Nasty Plot and allows Kommo-o to have an easier time sweeping later on, Gengar can also somewhat check Fairy-Types. This core fits well on offensive teams, they either need some defensive backbone to check some mons like Scarf Darmanitan, or can go with a Hyper Offensive team to some really good pressure, which I think this core really needs.
 

ThelordofbadRNG

Banned deucer.
Your favorite trash teambuilder is back at it again with probably a core equally as trash as myself.

https://pokepast.es/ce407abc0f1b1e35

This here is a simple VoltTurn offensive core featuring Corviknight and Toxtricity, a simple concept in all honesty. Toxtricity struggles with Excadrill which Corviknight can pivot into. Specs Toxtricity puts a lot of pressure on Corviknight checks such as Aegislash and whatnot. Ditto can work especially well with this core as Corviknight can easily pivot into Ditto on Exca with U Turn and then force it out, gaining momentum. This core can also work well with basically any wallbreaker thanks to the momentum volt switch and u turn gives. One can opt to run bulk up Corviknight here as well as it takes advantage of Ferro, a Toxtricity counter while also taking advantage of Toxtricity punching holes in for it, making a late game bulk up clean with Corvi much easier. It also has an easier time with Exca which is pretty neat I'd say.
 
Back at it with another offensive core I've been playing with.

https://pokepast.es/8bb46efae280b6a5

Dracovish is great at breaking all kinds of bulky mons, but at this point it's practically impossible to find a team that doesn't have a dedicated counter in a physically defensive Toxapex or a Water Absorb user, many of whom are Water/Ground type. Rotom-Mow is the best offensive Grass type available right now and an LO boosted Leaf Storm easily rips through Seismitoad, Gastrodon, Vaporeon, Jellicent and Lapras, while Thunderbolt easily 2HKOs Toxapex.

252 SpA Life Orb Rotom-Mow Thunderbolt vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Toxapex: 242-289 (79.6 - 95%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Black Sludge recovery

Ferrothorn is the only bulky mon that can give this core any trouble at all, and only if it's running max def with Leech Seed + Protect and Leftovers. Most other Ferrothorn variants get 2HKOd by Dracovish, especially with burn support from Rotom. Regardless, this duo pairs great with fast Flamethrower users like Hydreigon or Dragapult, who can both take on Ferrothorn and protect these slower wallbreakers from offensive threats.
 
Yo, this is one of my first posts on Smogon. So I'll post some nasty cores I've been cooking up recently.
Balance/Defensive Cores
Rotom-Heat+Ferrothorn

Rotom  sprite from Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire
Ferrothorn  sprite from X & Y


Surprised this wasn't posted already, this core is simply amazing. First of all, this core has amazing type synergy with nearly perfect resistances. Secondly, Rotom-Heat pressures a lot of common defoggers which shut down Ferrothorn such as Corviknight and Mandibuzz while doubling as a pivot to other top tier threats such as Clefable and Galarian-Darm. Ferrothorn can switch into Rotom's checks such as Seismitoad and is immediately able to lay down hazards and force a switch. Threats to this core include Dragapult, Hydreigon, Excadrill,Aegislash and opposing Rotom-Heat so Pokemon such as Kommo-O, Mandibuzz, Corviknight, Toxapex, Sylveon, Seimsitoad, Hydreigon and Clefable will greatly improve the defensive backbone of this core. Toxapex, Kommo-O, and Seismitoad in particular stand out as all 3 form a hazard stack core with Ferrothorn and are amazing pivots in their own right as Seimsitoad and Kommo-O can pivot into things such as opposing Rotom-Heat and get up rocks while Toxapex creates perfect type synergy with the two and Toxic Spikes are an amazing hazard. Overall, I think this is one of the best cores in OU and will remain a staple on teams to come.

Importable of the sets I use:
https://pokepast.es/82fd33dcbe548ad2



Sylveon+Kommo-O
Sylveon  sprite from X & Y
Image result for kommo-o sprite

This core is really solid as both Pokemon serve as effective pivots against offensive teams and have utility as a WishPasser and a Rocker respectively. Sylveon and Kommo-O form a really good defensive core as they check a wide range of top tier threats such as Dragapult,Hydreigon,Excadrill and Clefable respectively. Kommo-O beats the steels that Sylveon fears while Sylveon pivots quite nicely into to the threats that scare out Kommo-O, while also being able to heal it up so that it can be effective later in the game. Checks to Galarian-Darm, Corviknight, and Toxapex are needed for this core so Pokemon such as Rotom-Heat, Cinderace, Seismistoad, Hydreigon, Corviknight and Ferrothorn are needed. Corviknight and Ferrothorn deserve special shoutouts as they form nice FairySteelDragons core with these two. Corviknight serves as consistent hazard removal and as the glue of the team while Ferrothorn provides hazard support and perfect type synergy with these two.

Importable of the sets that I use: https://pokepast.es/25d02d7ae2938c23

Offensive Cores
Conkeldurr  sprite from X & Y
Clefable  sprite from Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire
Aegislash  sprite from Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire

Conkeldurr+Clefable+Aegislash

This is such a nasty fucking core omg...But seriously Clefable+Conkeldurr+Aegislash form a disgusting wallbreaker core that threatens most of the meta. Aegislash beats down the Fairies that can switch into Conkeldurr such as Hat and Sylveon while Conkeldurr is able to reliably damage anything that dares coming in including things like opposing Clefable while Clefable acts as the special breaker of the core. Since naturally this core is really slow, having a scarfer such as Hydreigon or Galarian Darm would be useful. This core would also like setup sweepers as all 3 mons wallbreak effectively. Good setup sweepers include Gyarados, Hydreigon,Corviknight and Grimmsnarl. A special mention goes out to Hydreigon as it provides this core with some important resistances (mainly Ghost) while also being one of if not the best sweeper in the tier.

Importable of the sets that I use: https://pokepast.es/f31ae00fb850f512

Edit: CB Aegislash should have CC over Sacred Sword,Clefable should have Flamethrower and Kommo-O should have Taunt slashed on the first move slot
 
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Weather Core (Rain)

https://pokepast.es/2646da8ec4ec1d46

Ferrothorn serves as the main resistance switch in against the two glaring type weaknesses of rain teams being electric and grass, while also providing support with spikes and power whip to hit opposing water types. Seismitoad not only provides an electric immunity and stealth rocks but is also an amazing special attacking swift swim user (this is important because most rain abusers are physically offensive) in the meta gaining access to stab hydro pump+earth power, and even focus blast which OHKOs Hydreigon and deals a massive chunk to Ferrothorn. Pair up this core with mons like Dracovish, Barraskewda, Drednaw, Gyarados, or Crawdaunt and you'll have a deadly team.
 

peng

fuck xatu
is a Community Contributoris a Forum Moderator Alumnus
Just posted this in the Darm-G potential suspect discussion but I think this is one of the better "just let Darm do as much work as possible" cores around.

:darmanitan-galar::xatu::dugtrio:
https://pokepast.es/201900d05d838161
This core enables Scarf Darmanitan to fairly easily get around its various counterplay. Scarf Darm is of course very very good against offensive teams, though needs good prediction to get around defensive cores. When well played, a defensive core containing a couple of Ice resists (Jellicent, Toxapex), and bulky SR mons (Ferrothorn, Corsola-G, Seismitoad) can be really tough to break through before hazards beat Darm down. However, Xatu and Dugtrio allow Darmanitan to break past these defensive cores with little to no prediction.

The way this works: Darmanitan spams any attack. The vast majority of defensive answers are a free switch-in for Xatu, which can prevent entry hazards from going up by things like Ferrothorn/Seismitoad, but also deprives Jellicent or Corsola from recovering by bouncing Strength Sap. Basically, you're chipping away at your opponent whilst then preventing them from taking a step forward themselves. Teleport Xatu then gives you back the momentum and oftentimes gives you a free switch back to Darm, just to go all over again.

Dugtrio isn't essential here but it massively streamlines the process. As soon as Jellicent is under 40ish% its done for. You can now break Toxapex with a U-turn or Teleport rather than a hard read with Earthquake. I used it here to also deal with Tyranitar early so that Sand Rush Excadrill couldn't be relied on as a Darmanitan check later in the game. It also has some utility in getting rid of random offensive mons like Cinderace. You can use more standard sets like Choice Band or Focus Sash here - I used a Life Orb + Protect set because specifically on this one team because I appreciated the immediate power for Toxapex, but then also wanted to scout something like Scarf Dracovish or opposing Darm that might want to revenge kill you.
 
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Offensive Core


Indeedee @ Choice Specs
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Psychic
- Dazzling Gleam
- Mystical Fire
- Trick

Hawlucha @ Psychic Seed
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Acrobatics
- Close Combat
- Thunder Punch

Now that Dynamax is gone, Hawlucha can no longer summon its own terrain through Max Lightning or Max Mindstorm.
The current legal terrain setters are Indeedee, Pincurchin and Weezing, and in an offensive core the best one is probably Indeedee.
Hawlucha is especially useful for Indeedee for its Dark resist and a double resistance to Bug.

The sets are particularly simple, I opted for Specs Indeedee because his Special Attack is very lacking, along with the weak coverage moves it gets. Most of the times Psychic Terrain-boosted STAB Psychic is the way to go, with the coverage moves being only used for Pokemon that resist or are immune to Psychic.
Smogon's suggested set puts 4 EVs into Special Defense, but in this core I found this unnecessary due to the synergy Hawlucha provides, and putting the investment in Defense gives Indeedee a 12.5% chance to survive Scarf G-Darmanitan's U-Turn from full health.
Choice Scarf can be an option on Indeedee to speed tie with opposing Scarf Darmanitan, but this is useless since it is lacking the power to OHKO it.
The last move is pretty flexible, you can choose to run Energy Ball if Gastrodon and Seismitoad are a problem for your team, but Trick is far more useful, especially against Assault Vest/Weakness Policy Tyranitar.

Hawlucha, on the other hand, has your classic terrain sweeper set. It has now access to Close Combat, a more reliable option than High Jump Kick.
With the removal of Dynamax, running Brave Bird for a more powerful Max Airstream is no longer needed, so Acrobatics is preferred instead.
Hawlucha immensely enjoys Psychic Seed's Special Defense boost, allowing it to live Rotom's attacks, threatening it with a 2HKO (or a OHKO after Swords Dance) with Close Combat.

Overall, the removal of Dynamax benefits Hawlucha more than it harms, since you can no longer Dynamax to live its attacks.

Defensive Core


Toxapex @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpD / 252 Def
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Toxic / Toxic Spikes
- Haze
- Recover

Ferrothorn @ Leftovers / Rocky Helmet
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Leech Seed
- Spikes
- Gyro Ball
- Protect / Knock Off

FerroPex is a really common defensive core in the current metagame. These two Pokemon cover each other's weaknesses efficiently, but they get threatened by Rotom-Heat, as such it is recommended to pair these two with Seismitoad or Gastrodon.
Regarding the second moveslot on Toxapex, one could choose to run Toxic to stack the damage with Leech Seed, or Toxic Spikes to make the opponent think twice before switching out a leeched Pokemon.
Running a physically defensive Toxapex is preferred to be able to live Darmanitan and Excadrill's Earthquake more easily, and the specially defensive Ferrothorn is used to complement it.

Overall, this is a very simple core, as Ferrothorn covers Toxapex's Electric and Ground weaknesses, while Toxapex takes care of Fire-type moves and can eat physical Fighting-type moves.
 

Scarfire

is a Community Contributoris a Tiering Contributoris a Smogon Discord Contributor Alumnus
MPL Champion
I have two good cores I'd like to share. Firstly, a more standard, sand core;

Balance Core: Tyranitar + Excadrill + Jellicent

Tyranitar @ Smooth Rock
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 148 HP / 252 SpD / 108 Spe
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Crunch
- Rock Blast
- Taunt

Excadrill @ Air Balloon
Ability: Sand Rush
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Earthquake
- Iron Head
- Rock Slide

Jellicent @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Will-O-Wisp
- Strength Sap
- Taunt
- Night Shade


This is a core I've been using as a base for sand teams. Smooth rock ttar for the long term sand and rocks to help excadrill break teams easier with or without SD. Jellicent covers both of their water and fighting weakness, while ttar and drill help vs the ghost and electric onslaught for jellicent. Sets can change around ofc, a more bulky ttar with EQ/Fire Punch > Taunt (Mine outspeeds seismitoad), a life orb exca, and maybe scald > night shade on jelli (Shade was to prevent being hydrei setup fodder). This core can struggle with balance teams involving ferro + pex, and a well played clefable can beat down the walls, so running extra checks alongside them would be helpful (Rotom heat covers all 3 problems mentioned)



And now, a less common, more fun webs core;

Offence Core: Cinderace + Ribombee + Toxtricity

Cinderace @ Life Orb
Ability: Blaze
Happiness: 160
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Pyro Ball
- Sucker Punch
- High Jump Kick
- U-turn

Ribombee @ Focus Sash
Ability: Shield Dust
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Sticky Web
- U-turn
- Moonblast
- Protect

Toxtricity @ Choice Specs
Ability: Punk Rock
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Boomburst
- Overdrive
- Volt Switch
- Snarl


This core is incredibly powerful at both breaking down offence and balance teams. A mix of volt-turn and webs, using the power of life orb cinderace as its main offensive presence. Its coverage dishes powerful hits to a lot of current meta pokemon. It can OHKO ferro, ttar, LO clefable, hydrei, drgapult (might require some chip), toxitricity, aegis...and yeah the list goes for a bit. Pair that with webs and its speed and power really shine. Uturn+protect on ribombee help with plays vs scarf darms, exca and cinderace, to make sure you always are in a proper position, as to not be pivoted/spun/court changed on easily. Toxtricty helps break bulky waters for cinderace, while cinder beats the grasses and such for tox. Both help getting the other in safely with their pivot moves. A fast and powerful core. Pair it with a spin blocker of your choice and go nuts.
 

Cheryl.

Celesteela is Life
Offensive Core

dracozolt.gifcorviknight.gif

Dracozolt is pretty great at saucing up typical fat cores like FerroPex and taking advantage of stuff like Rotom-Wash but it often struggles to get a free switchin without taking a lot of unnecessary chip damage. Thus, pairing a slow U-turn user like Corviknight with it is a pretty simple but effective strategy, as Corvi naturally attracts stuff like Rotom-W/Rotom-Heat that it can U-turn on and get a free switchin for Dracozolt to start wreaking havoc on the opposing team. Corvi also checks a lot of stuff that Dracozolt hates fighting, namely Excadrill and Clefable, so it's a nice mutual benefit. The only downside is that it's a little hard to justify running Bulk Up on Corviknight here since it would have to sacrifice U-turn for it unless you wanna run Bulk Up with no Substitute (bleh), but that can be remedied by pairing this with another sweeper/cleaner that enjoys Dracozolt destroying fat cores. Sand Rush Excadrill is a pretty great choice for this imo because it loves having stuff like Rotom-W, Corviknight, and Ferrothorn weakened for it's eventual lategame cleaning, but you can go pretty wild with this.
 
Toxtricity+ Conkeldurr

Toxtricity deals with Flying-types like Corviknight and Fairy-types like Clefable, as well as dealing with Toxapex. Because Conk doesn't necessarily need to run Tpunch or PJab, it can use defog instead. Conk deal nicely with Ferro and Exca for Toxtricity.

Simple stuff but pretty nice. Toxt can Volt on an incoming Ferro and bring in Conk to potentially throw off an unguardable Drain Punch.
 
681 (1).png+hatterene.png+mandibuzz.pnghttps://pokepast.es/a97f3f7a47b907f6

This is a pretty fun double-Choiced balance core I have been messing around with since the start of this gen. With the insane amounts of offensive presence in this gen, it's only fitting to add more to the pool.

With Banded Aegis, you have a means of exploiting weakly defensed mons that try to switch in on you, and you will be guaranteed to hit something on a switch. Specs Hatterene adds pressure to your opponents by covering opposing Mandi and Hydreigon. Let's not even get started on the Magic Bounce ability that Hatterene is blessed with.

Together they cover many threats such as Pex, T-Tar, the aforementioned Mandibuzz and Hydreigon, and G-Corsola. Odds are, of you can outspeed stally mons, you will get a kill.

Finally, Mandibuzz provides some much needed special bulk (and to some extent physical defense on this set). It can block the ground-type weakness of Aegis and the Ghost-type weakness of Hatterene while being one of the best Defoggers in the game.
 

Attachments

No jelicent cores. Oof well heres one


Jelicent+Corviknight Defensive core
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https://pokepast.es/6f2de3baffef719a

This is something i've been using a huge amount on mostly Balance/Bulky offense teams. Basically Jelicent switches into vish/darm (to some extent) but also cripples Seis and opposing corviknight. Meanwhile Corviknight takes on Excadrill and the other usual stuff corviknight switches into. The main reason to use this over the typical Seis+corv cores is because Jelicent cripples opposing seis/Corv cores which are very popular right now. Ev wise Jelicent is Ev'd to outspeed both corviknight and Seis that run 0-8 speed evs thus allowing you to taunt and cripple it preventing seis and corv from doing anything. (corv can u turn out but you still gain momentum)

Partner wise this is a pretty flexible core. You can pair these two up with defensive pokemon such as physically defensive kommo-o and Sylveon.
 
I noticed a gross lack of Grimmsnarl cores in this thread so I figured I'd contribute a core I personally built and opted to run on the ladder.

Bulk Up Grimmsnarl+SubDisable Dragapult!

While this offensive core compounds a Fairy weakness (which a Steel type like Corviknight can cover as needed), the defensive synergy between this duo is still quite formidable; most notably, Grimmsnarl can deal with opposing Dragapult or Choice Scarf Hydreigon very well, which are often used to pressure this Dragapult set. This Grimmsnarl set usually does its most dastardly work against balance teams courtesy of its access to Prankster Taunt, but the addition of Sucker Punch gives offense an incredibly hard time as well. Dragapult, in return, spreads status to aid in Grimmsnarl's setup against physical sets and can even beat Clefable in the head-to-head with good prediction and can beat down physically-defensive threats that Grimmsnarl would normally struggle against.
 
No jelicent cores. Oof well heres one


Jelicent+Corviknight Defensive core
View attachment 215075View attachment 215076
https://pokepast.es/6f2de3baffef719a

This is something i've been using a huge amount on mostly Balance/Bulky offense teams. Basically Jelicent switches into vish/darm (to some extent) but also cripples Seis and opposing corviknight. Meanwhile Corviknight takes on Excadrill and the other usual stuff corviknight switches into. The main reason to use this over the typical Seis+corv cores is because Jelicent cripples opposing seis/Corv cores which are very popular right now. Ev wise Jelicent is Ev'd to outspeed both corviknight and Seis that run 0-8 speed evs thus allowing you to taunt and cripple it preventing seis and corv from doing anything. (corv can u turn out but you still gain momentum)

Partner wise this is a pretty flexible core. You can pair these two up with defensive pokemon such as physically defensive kommo-o and Sylveon.
Something to note is that both are weak to Volt Switch, and since both washtom and heattom are rising in popularity, this is perhaps not so great.
 

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