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In teambuilding, a Good core is a key component to make the process easier, and give the team a good back bone. This thread shall be used for the purpose of showing off some great cores! With Kickoff already started and all the other tournaments about to start, feel free to post some cores that you've used or seen while building or watching tour games. You may like this thread to show off some cool mons that you put together, or just to steal some ideas for your own teambuilding, whatever works for you.
So what constitutes a good core?
An offensive core utilizes two or three Pokemon that are able to work together to break through whatever Defensive Pokemon the opponent is using, allowing the rest of the team to support those two Pokemon as the focal point. A good defensive core is a combination of two Pokemon that are able to switch into or check a good chunk of the offensive Pokemon in the meta, serving as the backbone of the team. Balanced cores a mix of these definitions, being able to check almost all Pokemon while still carrying some type of offensive presence.
Please label your core with the tag 'Offensive' / 'Balanced' or 'Stall' in bold so that I don't have to try and decide where your core goes, also, explain how your core works.
Ting-Lu @ Leftovers
Ability: Vessel of Ruin
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 124 Atk / 204 SpD / 180 Spe
Careful Nature
- Earthquake
- Throat Chop
- Ruination
- Taunt
While they dont really cover each other weaknesses at all (they actually just stack them), i think this is an amazing core. They dismantle balances and stall with their strong attacks and taunt, while Iron Bundle itself can deal with HO with its high speed. Obviously they don't beat HO on their own, but with 4 other mons covering for their weaknesses this core is really amazing. Ting-Lu's Speed makes it faster than Corvi.
This one is honestly on the verge of viability, and while i still have to succesfully make a good 6, the core itself has been working very well. Slowking walls those Koraidon without Dragon move ive seen around and gives Cetitan a free switchin. Cetitan itself is decently strong, and nothing decently takes on its coverage outside Dondozo. Koraidon cant also remove snow safely after a Belly Drum. Aboma is just there to get snow up a few times.
EXPLAINATION:
very simple but effective core in my opinion while great tusk is not as great as koraidons other partners such as fluttermane or chi-yu he is a mon that looks cool when you use it but it is no pushover it is a genuine threat with choice band in sun the elephant is a force to reckon with as it ohkoes the entire meta (except like corv who still takes 80-90 from cc and great tusk who just gets weakened for korai) the elephant loves the sun support from korai as it gets a boost in its already mahooosive attack korai is also a good partner in the sense that the elephant can get free entry on the skeledirge and force a big hit in the opponent core with the help of u-turn and as mentioned before it can help break defensive cores which can help koraidon to sweep corv is the biggest threat that lives hit by elephant dude but he dies to terra cc or flare blitz from korai so they compliment each other in that sense too personally tho i think the choice scarf set is very good on elephant as well i know this becaue of all the close calls and L's i took on ladder from ox04 if timed correctly scarf great tusk can 2hko corv if it gets proto boost but the real thing about scarf is that it becomes deadly in latter half of the game if corv/other flyer is gone and god is it painful to deal with if you are not running a flying mon overall solid core ive had good success with it hope you all like it i didnt wanna post something like chiyu korai or something else thats too common this one is a bit unexplored so i hope yall enjoy it
dug traps miraidon / koraidon with tera fairy, assuming that they both have not terastalized. cm bliss tries to check flutter mane, non cm parabolic charge miraidon, iron bundle, skeledirge, etc, while corvi just sits on grounds and strong physical attacks and defogs hazards from the likes of glimmora away. corv can run some spd to better check the likes of iron bundle.
balance core
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Ting-Lu @ Leftovers
Ability: Vessel of Ruin
Tera Type: Water
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Spikes
- Protect
- Earthquake
- Ruination
Garganacl @ Leftovers
Ability: Purifying Salt
Tera Type: Fairy
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Salt Cure
- Recover
- Heavy Slam
- Stealth Rock
Corviknight @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
Tera Type: Dragon
EVs: 248 HP / 52 Def / 208 SpD OR EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Careful Nature
- Roost
- Defog
- U-turn / Iron Defense / Protect
- Iron Head / Body Press
ting lu soft checks specs miraidon while setting up spikes and chipping away the enemy team with ruination. garganacl is a pretty cool mon that gives you essentially free momentum with salt cure, while also countering mons like flutter mane, iron moth also helping ting lu better check cm tera fairy miraidon, etc. corvi does corvi things. this is a pretty solid 3 that a lot of balance / bulky offense teams will love to use.
Bulky Offense Cores: Ting-Lu + Gholdengon + Great Tusk
Ting-Lu @ Leftovers
Ability: Vessel of Ruin
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Earthquake
- Spikes
- Protect
- Ruination
Great Tusk @ Leftovers
Ability: Protosynthesis
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Rapid Spin
- Headlong Rush
- Close Combat
Gholdengo @ Air Balloon
Ability: Good as Gold
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Nasty Plot
- Shadow Ball
- Recover
- Make It Rain
Hazard spam is incredible rn, and I think Ting-Lu probably does the best job at it. Ruination is great overall, and its sp.def enables you to actually use Great Tusk. I think support Great Tusk is horrible, it's a ground that can't check Miraidon reliably so it essentially will collapse teams if it's the only support ground. Offensive, on the other hand, is super good imo. Stealth Rock can be changed for BU on quite a few teams, but for the purpose of this core you want to be able to set as many hazards as possible while clearning them from your own side. Gholdengo prevents Defog and with Balloon it can actually stop offensive Great Tusk sets 100% unless they're carrying Knock Off, so it's one of the best anti-hazard removal measures that have ever existed.
Slither Wing @ Choice Band
Ability: Protosynthesis
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Close Combat
- U-turn
- First Impression
- Wild Charge
Chi-Yu @ Choice Specs
Ability: Beads of Ruin
Tera Type: Fighting
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Fire Blast
- Dark Pulse
- Flamethrower
- Tera Blast
I think stacking all 3 is a pretty big defensive liability and a huge commitment to just like losing to Flutter Mane, but semi-sun is a pretty potent style with Protosynthesis being great. Sliter Wing does some crazy damage, CC can OHKO Corv after rocks and Wild Charge takes care of pex with some hazards. Spamming U-turn between korai, slither, and getting hazards up can decimate a lot of fatter teams rn. Chi-Yu doesn't need the sun but in sun it can 2HKO even Blissey and MAX SP.DEF GARGANACL. One of the bulkiest Rock-types we have just gets dropped in 2 by Fire Blast. You can go Modest on that set too, I just used Timid on ladder for stuff like Jolly Great Tusk. Alternatively, the Korai can be something like SD tera steel and the Chi-Yu scarf(rough sets), customizable core.
Arboliva @ Leftovers
Ability: Seed Sower
Tera Type: Steel
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Strength Sap
- Dazzling Gleam / Earth Power / Encore
- Leaf Storm
- Leech Seed
This core is a bit of a stretch for viability, but I think it's an insanely annoying core to take down. As long as you have something like Scream Tail in the back for Great Tusk and any semi-decent way to kill Iron Bundle (or just tera the Arboliva and blow it up) then this core can be a struggle to break through. Setting terrain is really strong in this meta, and spamming Leech Seed on potential switchins like Koraidon just applies chip, which Helmet Pex can add more to. The only issues with this core is that you probably need Scream Tail because of the huge Great Tusk weakness as well as a good defensive ground. That, and the fact that it's still Arboliva and pex lol, but I like the core.
Probably the best defensive core you can ask for a bulky offense team, add to this a breaking core and you get pretty much a solid team.
Ting-Lu is your answer to Miraidon, Corviknight is your ground immunity and it can check Flutter Mane, Toxapex helps against Koraidon but it can also take hits from Chien-Pao.
Aerial ace on Scizor gives it a good matchup against Koraidon as 2x Aerial ace into Bullet punch is a guaranteed kill. 252 HP and 252 Def is to give Scizor best odds of living 2 close combats from max attack Koraidon in sun. Tera flying could be used at well, though I have not tested it yet. Blissey is self-explanatory. Everyone knows what Blissey does.
These two have been working very well for me alongside big threats like Koraidon, Miraidon, and Flutter Mane.
Corviknight @ Leftovers
Ability: Mirror Armor
252 HP / 160 Def / 96 SpD
Impish Nature
- Body Press
- Iron Head / Drill Peck
- Defog
- Roost
Ting-Lu @ Leftovers
Ability: Vessel of Ruin
252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Earthquake
- Ruination
- Spikes
- Protect
These two are the most useful defensive mons for several different reasons. Corviknight is here not just because it's the best Defog user in the tier by far, but also because it checks several different threats in one slot. The mixed EVs above allow Corviknight to not be 2HKO'd by Flutter Mane's LO Shadow Ball, and Mirror Armor ensures that Shadow Ball and Mystical Fire drops get reflected back to Flutter Mane. The rest of the investment into Defense allows Corv to switch into Band Chien-Pao's Ice Spinner without being two shot. As for general utility, its typing is also just useful; it's the only real Ground-type immunity in the tier, which can be helpful to pivot against Great Tusk, and it's the best defensive Steel as well. With the special defense investment, Corv makes for a good pivot against Bundle, taking most hits well except Specs Pump. if you run something like Dondozo, you can even run full SpD Corv with Protect, letting you avoid the 2HKO from Specs Bundle Pump. You already know what Ting-Lu does, it checks Mirai and other special threats such as Iron Moth. Yeah, it doesn't have reliable recovery but it's generally so damn bulky that between Lefties and Protect you'll be staying around for a long time regardless. Stealth Rock Ting-Lu is pretty cringe unless you are using something like Chien-Pao which wants chip damage on Corviknight; Flying-types and Levitate mons are so rare that Spikes will almost always provide more utility (it's also way easier to fit rocks on another mon too). Ting-Lu will also be your best bet against Chi-Yu squads if you lack Dachsbun or Umbrella Blissey (make sure your tera type resists fire!).
Cores of Three:
Of course, with just the above two, we don't have any check to Koraidon. There are several different options for this so let's go through them:
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Skele is prolly the most well-known option here, and it's pretty good thanks to having WoW and Slack Off. Skele can be a good option for stuff like Chien-Pao teams which want a switch-in for Corv. Additionally, Torch Song can make it a wincon in certain situations. I prefer Earth Power as the secondary attack, as you are otherwise complete set-up fodder for Garganacl or those Sub SD Korai sets. You typically don't spam status enough for Hex to really make waves anyway.
The problem for this type of core is Great Tusk, since Headlong Rush and CC beats everything above; packing tera Flying on something is a useful countermeasure. Tera Water Skele is also a beast in general, checking a ton of different things.
Weak to: Chi-Yu, Great Tusk, Band Korai, Waters
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Scream Tail is pretty damn underrated. Yes, it is passive but Rocky Helmet does help that, and Wish passing can be pretty useful for the rest of the team. I really like Perish Song as the last option since it can absolutely cuck stuff like Garganacl, Anhilape, Moody Scovillain, Bulk Up Palafin, and Korai that get too comfortable boosting in your face. It also helps against Ting-Lu that come in trying to set a ton of hazards, since you can bring in Corv after without worrying about playing mindgames. That being said, other stuff like Twave or Rocks can be run too. Scream Tail doesn't check Korai as well as Dachsbun does since a boosted Tera Fire Flare Blitz can be quite annoying, but you gain the benefit of being a really solid switch-in to Great Tusk, since Protosynthesis will boost your Defense. Tera Poison on something can be useful so you're not too afraid of TSpikes.
Weak to: Chi-Yu, Bundle, Steel move Korai
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Dachsbun is pretty similar to Scream Tail above, but it has some benefits despite worse overall stats. For one, its ability to absorb Fire-type attacks gives it great utility against Chi-Yu and makes it a more reliable overall check to Korai. It's also less passive than Scream Tail thanks to its higher attack stat and good defense for Body Press. Not having Protosynthesis will mean Great Tusk presents an issue, so you'll definitely want a tera flying mon, and you have less general bulk for stuff like Palafin.
Weak To: Tusk, Waters, Steel move Korai, Tera Fairy Valiant
STOP USING THIS SHIT:
Defensive
Guys, pls stop using this, it's bad. Yes, it does set rocks and it does have spin, and it can check Korai, but that's pretty much all it does. As a spinner, it's vulnerable to Tspikes which sucks, and it doesn't have any recovery outside of Leftovers. This lack of recovery means Korai + another physical attacker (like opposing Great Tusk!) will overwhelm your defenses pretty quickly. As a ground-type, it means you're stacking types on your defensive core with Ting-Lu, so you're going to be even more weak to Water-types. It can't do jack to Corviknight, so Corv can come in and Defog for centuries on you. It doesn't really check Korai without Play Rough meaning you lose access to Knock Off, making it more passive than you need to be. Its special defense is also atrocious so it doesn't have nearly the same amount of cross-over utility as the above mentioned mons do. If you want a good defensive spinner, use Treads; if you want a good spinner in general, use offensive Great Tusk, it's a great breaker against the majority of teams and its offensive presence makes it a lot more useful overall (just make sure you can hit Balloon Gholdengo!)
Good 4th defensive mons to run:
@ Rocky Helmet / Utility Umbrella / Boots
Blissey is underrated and a great 4th mon to run to complete your defenses. It's by far the best check to Bundle in the whole tier, provides a back-up check to Mirai and Flutter Mane, and it works fantastically against Chi-Yu if you run Umbrella and/or tera a fire resist. You might think I'm batshit for putting Rocky Helmet on Blissey of all things, but trust me when I say it's actually good. This is because Bundle runs Flip Turn and Mirai runs U-Turn, so those common momentum teams will get chipped really quickly. Mirai's Electro Drift also makes contact, so you can sit on it especially easily. I've honestly not found myself needing to run Boots at all, unless I'm against a pure hazard-spamming team with Gholdengo, so I think Helmet and Umbrella are both good and viable options. CM Blissey is meh and loses too much momentum unless on pure stall, I much prefer trying to get as much momentum as possible with stuff like Rocks, Twave, and Healing Wish. If you're really worried about those Agility CM Mirai, Tera Ground is an option to cuck them out of their healing with Parabolic Charge.
Lacks recovery but is bulky as fuck, so pretty similar to Ting-Lu in that way. Dondozo works great against HO since once you get rid of the special attackers, you can sit there and set-up Curses in any physical attackers face and sweep. EQ and tera ground mean you can punish Mirai pretty hard as well. Dondozo works nicely as a 4th since it checks Chien-Pao and Tusk pretty well, which allows you to run a fully invested SpD Corv, which works even better against Flutter Mane and can take on Bundle too.
Can make your team a bit weak to Bundle since you'll probably have to rely on tera to beat it, but Garganacl is a beast otherwise. It can be an extremely threatening wincon as it's immune to all status (seriously, GF made some broken abilities this gen) and can boost up with Iron Defense or Curse. Salt Cure ensures you won't be passive while a boosted Body Press will do massive damage after only a few boosts. As a special wall, 100/90 are good enough, especially with its status immunity and reliable recovery. It just barely doesn't tank Specs Chi-Yu in sun, but is still a useful option for it, and the Ghost resist from its ability makes you a great Flutter Mane check. You can even do some stuff to Anhilape if you run something like Tera Fairy (which is super useful to let you sit on Korai and Tusk switch-ins and boost up with Iron Defense). Against hazard spam teams it's also pretty good since Glimmora can't poison it and Gholdengo takes massive damage from Salt Cure. Using it made me realize how good it was outside of dedicated sand teams.
I like it mainly for the poison type, absorbing t spikes provides nice utility against Glimmora teams, and setting t spikes yourself can be quite useful. Otherwise, it's really damn passive which is why I don't run it so often. In theory it should check Chien-Pao, but you do not threaten it at all so SD sets can just sit there and boost on you for days, or power through you with a SD on the switch if you decide to Haze. Same thing can go for Korai, depending on the set. Still, in combination with the Corv and your main Korai check, it works pretty well. The water-type can be nice against Palafin/rain squads and taking Pump from choiced Bundle (although freeze dry annihilates you), so that's something else that is useful.
Good defensive mon with great support movepool. EQ/Knock/SR/Spin hits everything you want it to hit, notably cucking Balloon Gholdengo while being immune to Glimmora's TSpikes and resisting Rocks 4x. In combination with Ting-Lu, you'll have an extremely solid MU against any Mirai team, and the two work great together as a hazard-stacking core. Two Ground-types can be annoying against the Waters though, especially Bundle. I don't get why people run Speed on this thing, I like running full SpD with 16 Def IVs so you can check those CM Mirai better. You'll also tank a non-Specs Overheat, too, and maybe even take a hit from Bundle and get some damage on it.
Why Does everyone keep using Mirrorarmor Corviknight when Pressure is Much Better? (Outside of The fringe Case of Mystical fire speciall attacker Drops(From misdreavys)?)
Why Does everyone keep using Mirrorarmor Corviknight when Pressure is Much Better? (Outside of The fringe Case of Mystical fire speciall attacker Drops(From misdreavys)?)
Because it's not just Mystical Fire, a Shadow Ball Special Defense drop (which is 20% so pretty likely on repeated hits) means you die to Flutter Mane. If you run Corv with Garganacl I think Pressure is fine though.
Hello everyone, this thread is updated for post home now! I'm going to give my reasonings for the example cores here, feel free to post any other cores that you like in the meta!
This core is generally good on offense, both koraidon and Arceus taunt skeledirge to prevent healing it from healing to eventually break. Preferably, koraidon breaks and Arceus normal cleans with dd. Koraidon has evs to take play rough from Tusk and rest is dumped into speed. Arceus has enough speed to outspeed base 405 scarfers after 2 dragon dances.
This core has the general idea of spikes stack + dragon tail
Clodsire also appreciates giratina being immune to it's ground weakness whereas gira appreciates clodsire's support of walling non specs miradon.
Standard clodsire + defense invested gira to beat dd Arceus forms
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Skeledirge @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Unaware
Tera Type: Flying
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Torch Song
- Will-O-Wisp
- Hex
- Slack Off
Ting-Lu @ Leftovers
Ability: Vessel of Ruin
Tera Type: Ghost
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Spikes
- Ruination
- Earthquake
- Whirlwind
This is a standard defensive core that's been doing well. Skeledirge walls most of the physical attackers present in the meta, whereas tinglu walls miradon. Skeledirge is also immune to ting lu's fighting weakness.
68 speed is opted for to outspeed faster landorus-therian taunts, such that defog isn't prevented. Maximum defense is being used to better tank physical threats like arceus, arceus ground and groudon. 64 is dumped into spa for doing greater damage with hex. However, 64 speed and max def rest in hp is also usable
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Gholdengon + 
Great Tusk
Koraidon + 
Slither Wing / 
Chi-Yu
Toxapex + 
Arboliva
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