Resource SM Good Cores

Status
Not open for further replies.
But to Zard-Y in particular, why would you use this above special Primal-Groudon? The tiny jump in speed, not enough to outspeed fast Arceus-formes doesn´t really seem attractive enough.

And a thing with the posted team, Zard-Y has drought on its own, why even forego PDon? You are just left with a strong attacker with no defensive utility whatsoever and 4times Rocks weakness that can´t dent Kyogre coming in on it, made worse in your team by not even having a PDon.

I think if you want to convince people of "unique" mons like Zard-Y, "Charizard-Mega-Y is an amazing fire type and is potent when used correctly." isn´t going to cut it. Provide some detailed insight why you would pick that apart from having fun.
 
HYPER OFFENSE CORE
+

Forretress @ Red Card
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 SpD
Brave Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Spikes
- Gyro Ball
- Explosion
- Rapid Spin

Aerodactyl-Mega @ Aerodactylite
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Rock Tomb / Stone Edge
- Taunt
- Pursuit / Earthquake


This core its pretty good and old, the first time this core appeared was in XY times, becoming famous thanks to Dice's team, but the term "Old" doesn't make it bad, it is actually good on this metagame vs some Hyper Offense teams thanks to Forretress + Taunt Aerodactyl, being able to set up hazzards and thanks to Sturdy, Red Card its a Item that helps vs Baton Pass, also helps vs Xerneas boosted, Aerodactyl Mega can set up Stealth Rocks in the field and can switch in one time vs Ho-Oh or Salamence-Mega on the roost, Taunt its for some walls and stuff that try to Thunder Wave, Rock Tomb is used to drop speed vs faster stuff, making easy to revenge kill, Stone Edge its a better option if u want damage with Aerodactyl and take down Salamence, Pursuit its a choice to stop Lunala non-scarf from switch and Deoxys-Attack non-full speed, Earthquake its another choice to hit hard Primal Groudon and Solgaleo, pretty useful core that has been used on SPL Match Astounded vs Sin Victim.

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen7pokebankubers-233853
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: mtr
Updated the OP. I took out some cores from the archive and added a more concrete definition for what a core should represent.

Have fun posting cores, and try not to post anything unviable.
 
HO CORE
+

Mewtwo @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Taunt
- Fire Blast
- Psystrike
- Ice Beam

Dugtrio @ Groundium Z
Ability: Arena Trap
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Stone Edge
- Memento / Toxic


Pretty easy to use and fun, Mewtwo Taunt helps vs Stall teams, hitting hard and prevents defog, Mewtwo have a few walls that LO Taunt set can't stop, like Muk-Alolan and stuff, but Dugtrio can! Dugtrio its a bit useful because Arena Trap can trap Alolan-Muk, Primal-Groudon, etc, and can KO them with Groundium Z, its a guaranted KO to Pdon and can set up rocks, the problem its alolan muk with pursuit, but u can double switch predicting the muk using mewtwo and dugtrio, anyways it still hits hard and prevents Geomancy, Defog and stuff, Memento Dugtrio for Ekiller or Xerneas, Toxic can be used for Lugia (if its seen) and Yveltal.
 
Here's a pretty solid Offensive Core that can work on both bulky and hyper offense though it generally works better on hyper offense.

+

Gengar-Mega @ Gengarite
Ability: Shadow Tag
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Will-O-Wisp
- Hex
- Sludge Wave
- Taunt

Yveltal @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Dark Aura
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Heat Wave
- Dark Pulse
- Oblivion Wing
- U-turn

The main function of this core is to use Yveltal to U-Turn on things that would switch in and wall it and then go to mega gengar and trap them. Things like Xerneas, Arceus-Fairy, Ferrothorn, Celesteela, and Skarmory all don't like getting U-Turned on and can easily be exploited by this core. On a different note of what threats each pokemon checks, Mega Gengar helps to check Ekiller and most Fairy types while Yveltal helps clean up the weakness of most ghost and dark types checking things like Scarf Lunala, Ghostceus, and other Yveltal. This core heavily dislikes Ho-oh, so it would be wise to get some sort of way to break through ho-oh or cripple it. The core also isn't too solid vs certain bulky support Arceus, mainly Darkceus, Dragceus, and Waterceus since they can just toxic you and recover spam. Solid choices to support this core are strong physical attackers that don't mind having bulky steels gone or fairies. Two good examples are SD Primal Groudon and SD Groundceus, which both benefit either from steels being gone, fairies, or both and at the same time can also pressure support Arceus forms and Ho-oh.
 
Last edited:

eren

je suis d'ailleurs
run foul play over heat wave on yveltal so u can check like groundceus + then trap w gengar or ohko ghostceus since im pretty you'd rather uturn into pdon or trap with gengar on magearna than heat wave it as it's not a great move to be locked into.

also might as well post some cores

HO

wolves (Aerodactyl-Mega) (M) @ Aerodactylite
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Rock Tomb
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Taunt

silver surfer (Cloyster) (M) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Skill Link
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Icicle Spear
- Shell Smash
- Spikes
- Rapid Spin

this is the best core suited to utilizing cloyster in the curent metagame, which unlike forretress is ranked and actually does something during games. simple premise, set up spikes with cloyster while using taunt aerodactyl to prevent defog or vice versa - set up rocks with aerodactyl and applying hard offensive pressure to prevent defog. team options include ekiller, ghostceus, xerneas, rp pdon, and lunala. also, ive been finding cloyster can actually sweep some unprepared teams so it fulfill that role in a game too need be.

BO

monster (Dialga) @ Shuca Berry
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 168 HP / 252 SpA / 88 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Fire Blast / Thunder
- Flash Cannon
- Stealth Rock

teeth (Groudon-Primal) @ Red Orb
Ability: Desolate Land
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 168 HP / 252 Atk / 32 SpD / 56 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Rock Polish
- Stone Edge / Fire Punch
- Precipice Blades
- Swords Dance

simple combo, dialga is able to check common rp pdon checks such as mence and waterceus while also setting up rocks, freeing up pdon's moveslot for a team. as we all know, pdon is a vicious sweeper and can be dangerous in any game. mixed rock polish pdon is also an option for this core as is toxic or roar somewhere on dialga. partners include stuff that can handle opposing pdon such as groundceus and a secondary check to xerneas such as ho oh. also get a groundceus check o,o
 
Last edited:


Physically-defensive Ho-Oh is a double-sided wall which can counter many Pokémon in the Übers metagame, and its longevity is further augmented by its insane healing potential thanks to Recover and Regenerator. Giratina makes an excellent Defog user thanks to its Pressure Ability, which allows it to outstall the opponent's Stealth Rock in most cases. As such, it synergizes extremely well with Ho-Oh, which really appreciates having Stealth Rock off its side of the field. With its incredibly huge physical bulk, it can take powerful physical attacks aimed at Ho-Oh and Clefable, while its resistance to Water also allows it to take attacks of such a type aimed at Ho-Oh somewhat. In turn, Ho-Oh, with its high Special Defense, can take super effective special attacks aimed at Giratina, such as Moongeist Beams, Moonblasts, Ice Beams and Dark Pulses. Clefable's immunity and resistance to Dragon- and Dark-type attacks respectively aimed at Giratina is awesome. Heal Bell can wake Giratina up from its sleep when it uses Rest, and cure Ho-Oh of undesirable status effects such as Toxic. Finally, with its Unaware Ability, Clefable can counter most Calm Mind or Swords Dance Arceus Formes, as well as Geomancy Xerneas.

Clefable (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware
EVs: 212 HP / 80 Def / 216 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Heal Bell
- Moonblast
- Protect
- Wish

Ho-Oh @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 244 HP / 216 Def / 48 SpD
Impish Nature
- Brave Bird
- Recover
- Sacred Fire
- Toxic

Giratina @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 220 HP / 216 Def / 72 SpD
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 30 Spe
- Defog
- Dragon Tail
- Rest
- Toxic


Credits go to Sage Hane/hexandwhy for creating this core (originally in Anything Goes, but it certainly also works amazingly in Übers).
 

New World Order

Licks Toads
is a Team Rater Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
Lets do one for each playstyle:

Primal Force Awakens: Hyper Offense


Lucario @ Lucarionite
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
-Close Combat
-Iron Tail
-Bullet Punch
-Swords Dance

Groudon @ Red Orb
Ability: Drought
EVs: 52 Atk / 240 SpA / 152 SpD / 64 Spe
Rash Nature
-Precipice Blades
-Fire Blast
-Hidden Power [Ice]
-Rock Polish

On the surface this just looks like two of the strongest sweepers in the tier slapped together, but they actually have a surprising amount of synergy together. Mega Lucario and physical RP Groudon share a lot of similar checks, but mixed RP Groudon can lure a number of those such as Mega Salamence and Landorus-Therian to make it easier for Luke to sweep later on. Many RP Groudon checks such as Support Arceus are setup fodder for Mega Luke. More importantly, the two of them cover each other's status weaknesses, with P-don absorbing T-Wave and Will-o-Wisp for Luke, and Luke returning the favour by taking Toxic for P-don. Just make sure to pack a good Zygarde-C answer because even with Hidden Power Ice, the fat raid boss dragon can take a beating from these two all day long.

E-God Y-God: Bulky Offense

Arceus @ Life Orb
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 184 HP / 252 Atk / 72 Spe
Adamant Nature
-Extremespeed
-Shadow Claw
-Recover
-Swords Dance

Yveltal @ Life Orb
Ability: Dark Aura
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Mild Nature
-Dark Pulse
-Oblivion Wing
-Sucker Punch
-Knock Off

Simple concept. Ekiller struggles to deal with ghost-types, which Y-God can come into with impunity and proceed to get off chip damage to ease the late game Arceus sweep. Yveltal can also Knock Off to get rid of Leftovers, Choice Scarfs etc that can annoy Arceus. While Arceus doesn't offer Yveltal much in terms of team support, it helps finish off fast sweepers such as Xerneas who can easily set up on Yveltal. The utility of two STAB priority options between them can get you out of many desperate situations. Both can keep themselves relatively healthy between Recover and Oblivion Wing, though it is recommended to keep around a status absorber as Toxic will take its toll.
Status Spam: Balance

Ho-oh @ Life Orb
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 208 Atk / 52 SpD
Adamant Nature
-Sacred Fire
-Brave Bird
-Toxic
-Roost

Gengar @ Gengarite
Ability: Cursed Body
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
-Hex
-Focus Blast
-Will-o-Wisp
-Substitute

Ho-oh is one of the best status spreaders in the tier and between Sacred Fire and Toxic, you can get a status condition on pretty much any common Ho-oh switch in. This allows Mega Gengar to trap and annihilate many of them with Hex, such as support Arceus and Lugia. It also has the capacity to traps many Stealth Rock setters to allow Ho-oh to switch in freely as the game progresses. In return, Ho-oh is immune to the plethora of ground-type coverage moves aimed at Gengar and although it can't beat powerful ground types like Primal Groudon and Arceus Ground on its own, it can put them on life support via Toxic. Defog/Rapid Spin support is mandatory with the inclusion of Ho-oh.
 
Last edited:

keys

It's Prime Time
is a Forum Moderatoris a Social Media Contributor Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Top Dedicated Tournament Host Alumnus
Talking about Stall Cores, this one seems to be pretty popular right now, and for good reason:


Chansey, as we all know, is extremely reliable when dealing with the majority of the special attackers in the tier. It can cover pretty much all of your team's specially oriented weaknesses, but struggles with both physical attackers and Lunala/Gengar. Arceus-Ground covers the former by being able to provide a solid check to Primal Groudon, Mence and other physical attackers while still being able to Defog and cripple switch-ins with Toxic. Chansey can, in return, check special attackers that might give Arceus-Ground problems and its ability to serve as a cleric further aids Arceus-Ground by getting rid of annoying status conditions that could otherwise trouble it. With Arceus-Ground being able to check Primal Groudon and somewhat check threats like Lucario, Muk-A has a lot more breathing room to work with and can do what it does best, that being pursuit trapping (Gengar, Lunala, Deoxys, etc.) and overall checking most of the Ghost and Psychic (and sometimes even Dark) type Pokemon in the tier for Chansey. The core is overall extremely balanced and reliable, but it still struggles with some Pokemon, such as some Steel-types (Celesteela, Ferrothorn, Skarmory, etc.) and can't break down some teams on it's own. Despite those hindrances, it's an extremely effective starting point for stall teams, being able to patch up a large number of holes and lay down a solid foundation.

If anyone wants to add/change anything to this, feel free to do so.

Chansey @ Eviolite
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 Def / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
- Protect
- Wish
- Toxic / Seismic Toss
- Heal Bell

Arceus-Ground @ Earth Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 HP / 64 Def / 192 Spe
Bold Nature
- Judgment
- Toxic / Ice Beam
- Recover
- Defog

Muk-Alola @ Assault Vest
Ability: Poison Touch
EVs: 252 HP / 80 Atk / 176 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Pursuit
- Knock Off
- Poison Jab
- Shadow Sneak
 
Last edited:
Figured I'd drop some cores as well, looks like this thread could use them.


About as solid as it gets when it comes to defensive cores on balance.
Primal Groudon takes care of pretty much anything that Celesteela doesn't like to deal with, bar fast Primal Groudon with a fire move.
Celesteela @ Leftovers
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Impish Nature
- Leech Seed
- Toxic
- Heavy Slam
- Protect

Groudon-Primal @ Red Orb
Ability: Desolate Land
EVs: 252 HP / 212 SpD / 44 Spe
Careful Nature
- Stone Edge
- Precipice Blades
- Stealth Rock
- Roar


Another one that I am fond of myself.
Trout used it in SPL as well.
Calm Mind + Judgement gives you something to abuse the amazing offensive typing that is Dark, while Magearna keeps the things that Arceus Dark doesn't like to deal with (mainly Xerneas) at bay.
Magearna-Original @ Leftovers
Ability: Soul-Heart
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Heart Swap
- Fleur Cannon
- Shadow Ball
- Pain Split

Arceus-Dark @ Dread Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Judgment
- Calm Mind
- Recover
- Refresh
 
Last edited:

AbrarWasee

formerly Train All
Some straightforward yet effective core I've found.
+

Deoxys-Attack @ Life Orb
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Rash Nature
- Psycho Boost
- Ice Beam
- Superpower
- Extreme Speed

Groudon @ Red Orb
Ability: Drought
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Precipice Blades
- Roar
- Lava Plume


A pretty good HO core imho. Deoxys-A hits incredibly hard with Psycho Boost, thus helps in softening up the opponent's team before a teammate could sweep. Ice Beam hits Dragon and Flying types. Superpower is for coverage against Steel types and Extreme Speed is a priority move. So, Deoxys-A fears status like burn and paralysis. It also fears Pursuit trappers like Mega Scizor, Aegislash and Alolan Muk. The most common Pokemon in the tier can easily solve this problem. Primal Groudon can take the burns and paralysis intended against Deoxys. It is also able to kill the common Pursuit trappers, as Groudon has a good matchup against them. Also, it can set up Stealth Rock, which helps Deoxys to get some significant KOes.


Bulky Offense

+

Giratina-Origin @ Griseous Orb
Ability: Levitate
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpA
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Hex
- Toxic/ Thunder Wave
- Draco Meteor
- Defog

Gengar-Mega @ Gengarite
Ability: Cursed Body
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Focus Blast
- Hex
- Sludge Wave


This is actually a pretty common core. Giratina-O is a good Primal Groudon counter and a hazard removal in BO teams. It gives quite the trouble to the opposing team with Toxic and Hex. Mega Gengar doubles it up and forms a good Hex spam core. Also, Gengar can trap the opposing Fairy types which give Giratina trouble.

Balance
+

Arceus-Water @ Splash Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 248 HP / 136 Def / 124 Spe
Bold Nature
- Defog
- Ice Beam
- Judgement
- Recover

Ho-Oh @ Life Orb
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 208 Atk / 52 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Sacred Fire
- Recover
- Substitute


Arceus Water is a great hazard removal for balanced teams, and can fit in many as it has good synergy with other defensive Pokemons. Ho-oh is Pokemon is a Pokemon who is also good in balance teams due to Regenerator. The two pair extremely well together as Arceus gives it Defog, thus mitigating Ho-oh's 4X weakness to Stealth Rock, and checking physical attackers such as Salamence, Arceus-Ground, Primal Groudon and opposing Rock types since Ho-oh lacks Earthquake. In return, Ho-oh checks Xerneas and Steel types in general. Substitute is used since Ho-oh is pretty efficient in forcing switches.


No stall core since I don't play it.
 
I'm gonna start posting here despite not truly believing in the concept of "cores". Good combinations of mons are generally arbitrary in size and sometimes a "core" could be considered almost an entire team. I will not that, obviously, and instead focus on 1by1 relationships between certain mons. Also I don't do pictures or sets because the former is a pain and the latter defeats the purpose of fully describing the nuances of a combination.

Celesteela+Arceus-Water
While Arceus-Water is undeniably worse off in today's metagame, it finds itself having a reliable partner in Celesteela. Celesteela absorbs Toxics from Pdon and handles some troublesome threats like SD Arceus. Exactly how this core handles Salamence depends on the set-up you choose but needless to say it does job really well. In return the idea is that Arceus-Water should handle Fire move PDon and Ho-oh (which unfortunately it doesn't do that well due to Toxic). There are some different set-ups to the sets one can try when using these. I'll just analyze their strengths and weaknesses accordingly below.

A. Heavy Slam Celes+Slow Arceus-Water (Judgment+Defog)
+STAB on Arceus increases offensive presence vs mons such as Ho-oh and Msab.
+Z Xern proof
-Ferrothorn weak
-Lucario problems

Team options: Msab (shuts down Ferro, provides mindgame potential vs mons, keeps Lucario on its toes), Lunala (specifically scarf helps with Lucario), Ho-oh (phys def checks Lucario well).

B. Heavy Slam Celes+Fast Arceus Water (Fire Blast and/or Judgment, Defog likely)
+Fire Blast helps in the Ferro match up
+Handles Lucario better regardless of choice of attacking move
+Z Xern proof
-No judg sucks vs Ho-oh
-General bulk issues but trading for speed

Team options: Gengar ("fixes" bulk issues by trying to end games faster), Xerneas (clerics are always an option with bulky Arceus)

C. Fire Celesteela+Slow Arceus-Water (Ice Beam and/or Judgment and/or Defog)
+Proficient Ferrothorn lure in Celesteela. Good synergy of Leech Seed+Fire move in general
+Celesteela hits Lucario with something nasty
-If Defog Arceus-Water, this permutation is significantly weaker to Gengar
-Ice Beam Arceus-Water is in general a bit less reliable vs Mence, still, this isn't to say Celes is bad vs Mence just because it lacks slam
-Z Geo check is gone

Team options: Blissey (clerics are important when going more passive), Ho-oh (phys def for Lucario), scarf Lunala/Lele (Lucario help)
 
BO core:

I made this core during the “break this team” competition, it break the team vario made by Minority . But after playing with it a few times, I feel this core is good not only for vario, but a variety of HO and BO teams. So this is my core:



Giratina-Origin @ Griseous Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 225 Def / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Hex
- Toxic
- Draco Meteor

Ho-Oh @ Life Orb
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 248 HP / 208 Atk / 52 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Sacred Fire
- Recover
- Earthquake/Toxic


Ho-oh is a very powerful mon. With great attack and decent bulk, it makes it a threat to many teams. It can wall special attacking mons like xerneas and yveltal, and can do a lot of damage to them, with stabs such as sacred fire and brave bird.

Griatina-origin, on the other hand, is a good defogger and with the evs I’ve given it, can take a few hits from many physically attacking mons. It can also check pdon really well, thanks to its ability levitate.

Now how do these mons go well together? Well, as we all know, ho-oh is really weak to sr, and loses 50% of its health if rocks r set. This can easily be removed by defog, which gira-o has on its moveset. Ho-oh is also a bit weak to physical mons, like salamence or ekiller, or stone edge/rock slide pdon. Since the evs added to gira-o make it physically bulky, it can easily switch in to such mons and deal great damage to them. Its ghost typing also gives it a chance to switch in to ekiller when one predicts an espeed. Thunder wave is there to slow down mons so that ho-oh to do great damage to them without getting hit much.

And ho-oh is just like I’ve mentioned above, with great attack and decent bulk, enough to take hits from various special attacking mons, which could be a threat to gira-o (such as yveltal or xerneas). Ho-oh can be a huge problem to teams if they are not ready for it. Thus these two mons go really well together.


To build around this core may not be a very easy task, but it is very useful, if made well. hope u like it and gl.
 
I want to post a core that I used lately alot, with success
Offense: Tapu Lele+Pheromosa

Pheromosa @ Life Orb
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naughty Nature
- U-turn
- High Jump Kick
- Ice Beam
- Poison Jab

Tapu Lele @ Terrain Extender
Ability: Psychic Surge
EVs: 248 HP / 8 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Psychic
- Toxic
- Taunt


This is honestly a core that is uncommon, yet could be surprisingly effective against most of the metagame. With Priority out of the picture, Pheromosa can deliver annoying STAB U-turns to the enemy teams without fear of being killed first. Tapu Lele can deal with some Pheromosa checks, making this team a nightmare to behold. Tapu Lele also taunts stall teams, which kills Pheromosa using a High Jump Kick on a protect. If properly played, it easily deals with arguably the best pokemon in the tier, Primal Groudon. It is not particularly difficult to build a team with it, but it might be difficult to use Pheromosa if you are a beginner.
 

kilometerman

Banned deucer.
Balance

+


This is a core that works around scouting Primal Groudon and dealing with it appropriately based on which set it's using. Groudon usually runs Pblades and either Lava Plume/Fire Blast or Stone Edge. One of the hardest parts about using Ho-Oh or Celesteela is hoping that Pdon doesn't have the coverage moves that kills it, but if you use both than that's not an issue. Unless you're facing someone running 2 coverage moves, this is a solid solution to beating it. This core also does more than check Pdon. Most offensive threats bar Zekrom cannot kill both of these mons, and neither can toxic spammers since Celesteela is immune to them. It checks Yveltal, Xerneas, Groundceus, Mega Luke, Deo-A, Magearna, Fairyceus, etc. Its main weakness is Sneaky Pebbles and Xerneas carrying Thunder.

Edit: I do realize some Pdons run 3 attacks but in general I feel like it's not very common, so this core is still solid.

Ho-Oh @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 204 Def / 52 SpD
Impish Nature
- Sacred Fire
- Brave Bird
- Toxic
- Recover

Celesteela @ Leftovers
Ability: Beast Boost
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- Leech Seed
- Toxic
- Protect
- Heavy Slam
 
Last edited:
Bulky Offense

+


Dialga @ Shuca Berry
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpA
Modest Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Draco Meteor
- Flash Cannon
- Fire Blast/Toxic/Thunder

Giratina-Origin @ Griseous Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Shadow Sneak
- Dragon Tail
- Shadow Force/Earthquake
- Defog/Earthquake


To me, this is the classic bulky offense combination--given it's a decade old team--its simplicity has given me countless edges in battle, and with their superb stats in Attack and Special Attack, respectfully, they're quite the combo.

A near staple in most teams as a bulky Stealth Rock setter, Dialga has more than enough Special Attack power to double as a wallbreaker against other weaker Pokémon leads. Checking both Mega-Salamence and Pogre, and while resisting Stealth Rock, switching Dialga in liberally to non-threatening mon, using Draco Meteor(be wary if your opponent still has a Fairy, though) and switching out to prevent getting setup on, your opponent can become quickly hard pressed. Coupled with the Shuca Berry, even the mighty Pdon can't overwhelm it, giving Dialga either a Draco Meteor counter or a SR setup. With only TWO weaknesses, Ground and Fighting, it's difficult to pressure Dialga.

But, with decent prediction skills, both weaknesses are completely nullified by switching into Giratina-O. Hard checking Pdon, Ground-Arceus, and nearly all Fighting types(albeit Marshadow now), Giratina-O covers Dialga's two glaring weaknesses, while Dialga is able to--not counter--mitigate Dragon, Fairy and Ice types through Draco Meator and Flash Canon. If running Earthquake on Giratina-O, Pdon quickly becomes far less threatening, so keeping Giratina-O healthy until its target's gone is a must. And after Dialga uses Draco Meteor, leaving only a little bit of the opposing mon's health, if Giratina-O resists a predicted move, then feel free to throw it out on the battlefield and assassinate the opposing mon with Shadow Sneak.

This decade-old duo is practically complete, though, if Primal Groudon is your third leg, being able to hard counter the ever present Fairy type(Xerneas, in particular), as well as the now popular Marshadow(which decimates both Dialga and Giratina-O, sadly). Pdon also greatly appreciates Dialga taking up the Stealth Rock role, giving it more of wall breaker moveset. That, and Giratina-O can target opposing Pdons so your own doesn't have to be greatly weakened taking it down.
 
Last edited:

AM

is a Community Leader Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnusis a Past WCoP Champion
LCPL Champion
Hyper Offense: Mega Lucario + Marshadow

+

Marshadow @ Life Orb
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Spectral Thief
- Close Combat
- Shadow Sneak
- Hidden Power [Ice]

Lucario-Mega @ Lucarionite
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Iron Tail
- Bullet Punch
- Swords Dance
Basic hyper offensive core. M-Lucario and Marshadow have similar checks so in a lot of cases the checks be overloaded trying to handle both of them at once. The Marshadow set can be changed to Bulk Up Z-Move or Rock Tomb based on team but on the Webs team I use this is the core utilized. As mentioned prior this core works well with Webs. Packing some checks to Psyspam archetypes that halt their priority usage, a consistent rock user to keep Defensive Ho-Oh at bay, and ironically Marshadow is important so keep that in mind.

It would also be nice for this thread to be updated a bit with new stuff arriving and the meta changing.
 
I dislike that combination for many reasons. Lucario isn't the most effective mon in the current meta either. But that's too simple so my argument basically comes down to the false notion of sharing an abundant number of checks just because sharing a type. Let me break it down:

Lucario has few troubles with bulky mons, it is mildly troubled with certain specialised tanks/walls such as Giratina, Zygarde, Mence and Lugia. It has no big issues with Fighting resists coming from Fairys either, for obvious reasons. It is instead mostly revenge killed by faster Arceus and Marshadow.

Marshadow lacks the immediate breaking power of Lucario and with that set it isn't boosting either. It tends to have bigger issues with walls that aren't as bulky, Mega Sableye being a prime example. It also loses to most fairy types, either by revenge kill (scarf Xerneas) or tanking (Arceus-Fairy, defensive Xerneas). Another prime check is scarf Yveltal.

The issue is that Lucario will never attract a Fairy for Marshadow's benefit, and neither will Marshadow attract the aforementioned Ghost/Ice weak mons that check it.

Now, there are two exceptions to this: Toxapex and Ho-oh. Neither of the above sets can exactly break down these mons sufficently. If Marshadow+Lucario would be useful for each other's benefit I would focus on ways to damage Toxapex and Ho-oh beyond repair with moves like Rock Tomb or HP Electric (Marshadow) or Stone Edge (Lucario). Either way which, there seems to be such a big issue with attracting other checks and it makes it impossible to see how these two would complement each other fully.
 

AM

is a Community Leader Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Tiering Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Moderator Alumnusis a Past WCoP Champion
LCPL Champion
I dislike that combination for many reasons. Lucario isn't the most effective mon in the current meta either. But that's too simple so my argument basically comes down to the false notion of sharing an abundant number of checks just because sharing a type. Let me break it down:

Lucario has few troubles with bulky mons, it is mildly troubled with certain specialised tanks/walls such as Giratina, Zygarde, Mence and Lugia. It has no big issues with Fighting resists coming from Fairys either, for obvious reasons. It is instead mostly revenge killed by faster Arceus and Marshadow.

Marshadow lacks the immediate breaking power of Lucario and with that set it isn't boosting either. It tends to have bigger issues with walls that aren't as bulky, Mega Sableye being a prime example. It also loses to most fairy types, either by revenge kill (scarf Xerneas) or tanking (Arceus-Fairy, defensive Xerneas). Another prime check is scarf Yveltal.

The issue is that Lucario will never attract a Fairy for Marshadow's benefit, and neither will Marshadow attract the aforementioned Ghost/Ice weak mons that check it.

Now, there are two exceptions to this: Toxapex and Ho-oh. Neither of the above sets can exactly break down these mons sufficently. If Marshadow+Lucario would be useful for each other's benefit I would focus on ways to damage Toxapex and Ho-oh beyond repair with moves like Rock Tomb or HP Electric (Marshadow) or Stone Edge (Lucario). Either way which, there seems to be such a big issue with attracting other checks and it makes it impossible to see how these two would complement each other fully.
Hm this is true. Maybe I oversold the sharing checks thing too much. But by this logic wouldn't most cores have certain issues that would have to be remedied by other mons anyways when combating threats and playstyles? I think a lot of these cores you could say the same for having issues although I agree maybe sharing checks was not the best way to emphasize this core or perhaps highlighting partners for them instead of each other would be better. Thanks for your input Hack it's appreciated in a forum that I'm not seeing a lot of discussion about current trends on.
 
Hm this is true. Maybe I oversold the sharing checks thing too much. But by this logic wouldn't most cores have certain issues that would have to be remedied by other mons anyways when combating threats and playstyles? I think a lot of these cores you could say the same for having issues although I agree maybe sharing checks was not the best way to emphasize this core or perhaps highlighting partners for them instead of each other would be better. Thanks for your input Hack it's appreciated in a forum that I'm not seeing a lot of discussion about current trends on.
I agree. Most combinations are inefficient in a vacuum, that probably goes for other tiers too so it's nothing new. I'm always extra careful with offensive combinations in Ubers for two reasons. Firstly, from what I see in most lower tiers is there being a larger degree of freedom in building, i.e. it's fine to forgo defensive inefficiency for overlapping in types. Second, it's not easy enough to break certain walls by just attacking/setting up. Toxic finds its way onto many offensive teams just for this reason, otherwise teams would just hit with no avail on mons like Arceus-Ground/Lugia. This is also very different from other tiers it seems, at least to me. In general check overlapping is a hard strategy to exploit due to the existance of Arceus-Ground, strong Regenerator mons, and Lugia+Mega Sableye.
 

kilometerman

Banned deucer.
Balance: Ho-Oh + Groundceus
+


Pretty simple defensive core that fits well on balance. Both mons compliment each other by being able to handle each of their checks. Ho-Oh handles Xerneas, Yveltal, Ferrothorn, Celesteela, and RP fire blast Pdon, while Groundceus gets rid of stealth rock, handles physical Pdon with rock moves, Zygarde-100, Mega Mence, and rock tomb Marshadow. Like I said it's a simple defensive core that's real easy to fit on balance teams.

Ho-Oh @ Life Orb
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 224 HP / 212 Atk / 72 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Brave Bird
- Sacred Fire
- Recover
- Toxic

Arceus-Ground @ Earth Plate
Ability: Multitype
EVs: 252 Def / 64 SpA / 192 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Judgment
- Ice Beam
- Defog
- Recover
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 1, Guests: 0)

Top