Guts

[Hull City @HullCity]

1738

[The Real Tolmie's Hairdoo @RealTolmie]

Come the end of the window, City will again have the strongest midfield in the Premier League. Feel free to bookmark it 🎉

[` @blvkray]

“to make a run of victories you just need one win”

Naah Walker turned Pep into a philosopher 😭😭

[. @m0chatyme]

This is the releast shit I ever heard oh my god

[Geronimo Morgans @GeronimoMorgans]

This speech after the Leverkusen defeat last season brought me to tears. Pep was devoted to this club in ways we will never see again. Ever.

[Fabrizio Romano @FabrizioRomano]

🚨🔵 Manchester City are now set to close Ayyoub Bouaddi deal with Lille after selling Rodri to Barcelona. 🔜

The agreement on personal terms was reached days ago and the decision has been made: Bouaddi joins NOW, not in 2027. 🇲🇦

🎥➕ https://t.co/LCF5NZSz5m

[MichaelderBeste @MichaelderBeste]

AeroChu Team Report (built & used by @slucin03 )

Today, I am featuring a very strong Raichu team, piloted by Juan Lucin for a 2nd place finish at the latest VR tournament. It has very huge damage output while keeping solid bulk across the board.

Team: https://t.co/ahe2QBDRHW

Raichu:
Raichu has been popping off lately, making it at least a Top 5 Mega Pokémon in the current metagame. It's incredible speed tier paired with the crazy damage output is very dangerous for many teams. There are still some teams out there that have no electric resist, making Raichu even more powerful. Focus Blast is a good move to threaten Kingambit and deal some decent damage into Incineroar or Garchomp. Meanwhile, Fake Out can allow Kingambit to setup a Swords Dance or it can be used to reposition yourself nicely. While the spread looks like, it comes straight out of the recruitment screen, it is quite smart. Opposing Raichu is a nuisance for the team, so I figured that it is nice to outspeed it. Another cool tech is that you outspeed many Sylveon in Tailwind (they are around 95 speed) which allows you to Zap Cannon them before and follow up with a Wave Crash / Hyper Voice on your own. The bulk is also incredible. Surviving Life Orb Sucker Punch from Kingambit seemed very important to me (32+ Atk Life Orb Kingambit Sucker Punch vs. 32 HP / 1 Def Mega Raichu Y: 140-165 (83.8 - 98.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO). The one Special Defense point allows you to survive Earth Power from Life Orb Venusaur (32+ SpA Life Orb Venusaur Earth Power vs. 32 HP / 1 SpD Mega Raichu Y: 146-174 (87.4 - 104.1%) -- 18.75% chance to OHKO) better [31.75% chance otherwise] as well as Helping Hand Hyper Voice from Sylveon under Trick Room conditions for example (30+ SpA Fairy Feather Pixilate Sylveon Helping Hand Hyper Voice vs. 32 HP / 1 SpD Mega Raichu Y: 142-168 (85 - 100.5%) -- 6.25% chance to OHKO).

Sylveon:
One of the best partners next to Raichu is Sylveon. It appreciates the para support a ton and is able to threaten Garchomp, one of the most annoying Pokémon for Raichu. The moveset is incredibly strong. And yes, Detect is better if you run into Imprison + Protect stuff. The spread is pretty unusual though. Many Sylveon either opt for more bulk to survive Dire Claw from Sneasler or more Special Attack to get the knockout on Kingambit with Hyper Beam for example. The Sylveon usually run around 95 speed, just enough to outrun paralyzed Froslass / Sneasler. I went for 103 speed instead. Getting the jump on opposing Sylveon is nice obviously but you are also able to outrun some Basculegion (very slow ones such as the one on the ScovLass team usually) or Max Speed (Adamant) Kingambit. That way you can take games by surprise. I also really liked outspeeding Delphox & opposing Raichu in Tailwind. We still got enough bulk to withstand a Wave Crash from Choice Scarf Basculegion (32 Atk Adaptability Basculegion Wave Crash vs. 11 HP / 12 Def Sylveon: 154-182 (85 - 100.5%) -- 6.25% chance to OHKO) or Sludge Bomb from Venusaur (32+ SpA Life Orb Venusaur Sludge Bomb vs. 11 HP / 0 SpD Sylveon: 151-179 (83.4 - 98.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO).

Kingambit:
Another great Pokémon to take advanatge from Raichu's toolkit is Kingambit. I already explained that you can set a Swords Dance up due to Fake Out pressure but the paralysis is what pushes Swords Dance Kingambit to the next level. Being able to outspeed paralyzed (Modest) Floette or just Incineroar, it is all very beneficial. I decided to go with 79 speed to also outrun the 90 base Pokémon (Paralyzed or in Tailwind) such as Annihilape or Arcanine-Hisui. The one def point is also pretty important. It heavily increases the chance to survive Life Orb Earthquake + Rough Skin + Life Orb recoil, giving you an extra turn to attack (32 Atk Life Orb Garchomp Earthquake vs. 24 HP / 1 Def Kingambit: 140-166 (70.3 - 83.4%) -- 43.75% chance to OHKO) [otherwise 62.5% chance]. You are also always able to survive Wave Crash from Life Orb Basculegion + your own Life Orb recoil (32+ Atk Life Orb Adaptability Basculegion Wave Crash vs. 24 HP / 1 Def Kingambit: 151-179 (75.8 - 89.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO). Running max attack is important to secure some knockouts with +2 Sucker Punch on Charizard or Garchomp.

Sneasler:
The best friend of Kingambit? Sneasler! It threatens all Pokémon that resist your dark Moves (Fairies & Dark Types). It also gives you a second Fake Out option which makes it even harder for your opponent to Protect in front of it. That is because you threaten the switch into your second Fake Out user and if your opponent clicked Protect that turn, they are vulnerable the following turn. Poison Touch Sneasler is quite nasty, spreading poisons everywhere. Jolly Nature is the better option cause you need to outspeed Whimsicott and it's also another bonus to outrun all the 110s (Maushold, Staraptor, Metagross, Xchu).

Basculegion:
Basculegion pairs super well with the other physical attackers, threatening Delphox and being a great pick into Sand teams which your two megas can struggle against. Surviving Sucker Punch from non damage boosting Kingambit is more important than ever which is what the 11 Defense are for (32+ Atk Kingambit Sucker Punch vs. 0 HP / 11 Def Basculegion: 168-200 (86.1 - 102.5%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO). I did not want to drop too much Attack to still get the knockout on Careful Incineroar (-1 28+ Atk Mystic Water Adaptability Basculegion Wave Crash vs. 32 HP / 14 Def Incineroar: 204-244 (100.9 - 120.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO). The speed stat might seem random but outspeeding Adamant M-Tyranitar was on my checklist and since it hits 123, I just made the Basculegion two points faster than that, catching some opposing Basculegion or Charizard as well.

Aerodactyl:
I love M-Aerodactyl. I am very happy that it found it's place on a non Charizard team. I am quite aware that Raichu and Aerodactyl speedtie if you bring both of them and decide to Mega evolve your Raichu but I just could not ignore opposing M-Aerodactyl when creating the spread. We should talk first about its moves though. While Garchomp can be fairly annoying and you can make a case for Ice Fang, I am a big believer of Protect, making it harder for your opponent to get the knockout quickly on your Aerodactyl. The STAB moves should not be dropped since, Dual Wingbeat is just too important for Venusaur alone and Rock Slide is...well it's Rock Slide :] 12 Attack ensures a clean OHKO on Sneasler (12 Atk Aerodactyl Dual Wingbeat (2 hits) vs. 0 HP / 2 Def Sneasler: 156-184 (100.6 - 118.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO). Funnily enough, the damage from -1 Mega Dual Wingbeat is the same, so you also get the knockout in that scenario. There are some games you want to bring regular Aerodactyl next to your Mega-Raichu which is why I made the bulk based on some regular Aero calcs as well. You can take an Aqua Jet from Mystic Water Basculegion for example (32+ Atk Mystic Water Adaptability Basculegion Aqua Jet vs. 18 HP / 4 Def Aerodactyl: 148-176 (85.5 - 101.7%) -- 6.25% chance to OHKO). Being able to take a Close Combat from Sneasler is also very beneficial.

Matchups:
vs Big Six - One of the matchups where you can bring regular Aerodactyl and Mega-Raichu. Basculegion is a very important piece here. Try to use it to trade effectively. Alternatively, Swords Dance Kingambit is strong but you need to be wary of Floette & opposing Low Kick Kingambit which is why it's hard to execute. All Pokémon can be brought (I won with Aero + Basc, Raichu Sylv back but I also won with Sneasler + Gambit, Raichu Basc back)

vs Setup Balance - Non Blastoise versions struggle a lot into Aerodactyl + Basculegion + Sylveon. Sylveon removes Kingambit while Aerodactyl covers for Sneasler. Use Basculegion for their mega (Delphox, Floette). Raichu is not a bad pick either due to outspeeding Sneasler but it makes you matchup into Sinistcha quite awkward.

vs ZardVenu - It heavily depends on the comp. Against many, you can bring regular Aerodactyl and Mega-Raichu. Raichu is able to threaten Toxapex which is otherwise slightly annoying to deal with. Use Swords Dance Kingambit as well to take huge knockouts in the early game.

vs RaichuRaptor - Raichu mirrors are always annoying to play. With your Raichu most likely being faster, you got the advantage however. Use Sylveon and Raichu to break holes with Kingambit in the back to counter their Trick Room. I don't recommend bringing Aerodactyl, go with Basculegion instead.

Conclusion:
A team where you can bring all your Pokémon in many matchups has to be good. I am not entirely sure if the team will see much use at Worlds but you should play with it and see if you like it.
General advice: Don't get frustrated if you lose games early on. Understanding a team takes time and requires some practice first. Don't toss it immediately, just because the first games don't go your way. Use it as learning experience and improve that way!

[Antonie🇪🇸 @tip0DeIncogni]

Dios mío que recuerdos

[ふゆばれ @Huyubare_Poke]

シーズンM-4最終3位でした！！！
最後2522から潜って勝ってたら最終1位っぽかったからまじで悔しい〜〜〜
世界大会の練習も引き続き頑張ります🔥

[Len @LenVGC]

I have published a matchup guide for the Delphox and Blastoise team 🔥💧.

You will find the best leads and strategies against 14 teams currently dominating the metagame.

You can find the document in the first comment 🔽

[BTzzz【Yuta Ishigaki】 @BTrickroomZ]

配信あざした！最初負けまくったけど後半からエンジンかかってきて配信内でチャンピオン級へ！
元々メガフロル使いたくて組んだ構築のはずなのにフロルだけ弱すぎて大泣き、この枠変えたら構築完成かな？
レンタルと配分も出します！！使い方はリプとアーカイブから↓
https://t.co/pWtzUpnBni

[MichaelderBeste @MichaelderBeste]

Blaziken Froslass Team Report (used by @WhimsicottVG )

The Grand Champions Festival Encore featured many new teams in Top Cut. One team that caught my eye is the one from Zachary Weed, featuring not just two cool Mega Pokémon but also Life Orb Dragonite and Toxapex.

The Team: https://t.co/sFTfCye6Jn

Froslass:
I said in my latest video that I am shocked that Froslass is not performing as well as it used to. The biggest drawback for it is that it has to run a Timid Nature due to M-Metagross & M-Staraptor being common threats. That way you cannot ensure the important knockouts such as Shadow Ball on Basculegion and also maintaining enough bulk to take key hits. Nonetheless, it stays very strong and I am glad it had a deep finish with this team. The moveset is pretty standard as far as Froslass sets go. The spread is more than amazing. 181 Speed outruns the aforementioned Mega-Pokemon as well as Maushold and 90 speed Pokémon in Tailwind such as Kingambit or Sylveon. You are also one point faster than Garchomp in the rare case you use Mega-Blaziken and regular Froslass. 5 Special Attack guarantee the knockout on Basculegion after Wave Crash recoil (into any mon but Toxapex & Dragonite) or 2x Life Orb (5 SpA Mega Froslass Shadow Ball vs. 2 HP / 0 SpD Basculegion: 158-188 (80.2 - 95.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO). The magic lies in the bulk however. On the special side it's great to take a Heat Wave from Delphox (32 SpA Mega Delphox Heat Wave vs. 24 HP / 0 SpD Mega Froslass: 140-168 (82.8 - 99.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO). You also take a Heat Wave from Charizard (11+ SpA Mega Charizard Y Heat Wave vs. 24 HP / 0 SpD Mega Froslass: 138-164 (81.6 - 97%) -- guaranteed 2HKO). Keep in mind that the damage in sun behind Aurora Veil is the same! You also survive Moonblast + Dazzling Gleam from Modest Floette if you have the Veil set up. On the physical side, it is very important to survive the Wave Crash from Basculegion (32+ Atk Life Orb Adaptability Basculegion Wave Crash vs. 24 HP / 12 Def Mega Froslass in Snow: 140-166 (82.8 - 98.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO). As a bonus, you can also attack in front of Life Orb Kingambit (32+ Atk Life Orb Kingambit Sucker Punch vs. 24 HP / 12 Def Mega Froslass in Snow: 140-166 (82.8 - 98.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO).

Sneasler:
Sneasler might be the best partner for Froslass. It threatens Incineroar, Floette & Kingambit while Froslass threatens the Ghost Types & Garchomp. You also have the defensive tool of Fake Out + Aurora Veil available. I will not open the debate between Dire Claw and Poison Jab again but I really like Poison Jab here to not hinder your Toxapex. If you get a paralysis on Pokémon such as Ceruledge or Milotic, Toxapex suddenly does not beat them reliably. Poison also benefits a lot from the Aurora Veil Froslass sets. This another reason of Protect on Sneasler. But it also allows for easier repositioning. Yes, Coaching would be cool for the other three physical attackers but Protect on Sneasler is just insanely good into balance teams.

Kingambit:
Kingambit is also an incredible partner for Sneasler, punishing Intimidate and having a great matchup into Ghost Types. Iron Head is chosen here to threaten Floette & Sylveon next to Dragonite or Froslass. OHKOing M-Aerodactyl is also much appreciated. I was thinking about the spread for a long time. I considered going max speed to outspeed Sylveon, Sinistcha & Incineroar reliably. In the end, I settled for bulk cause you want to stay on the field as long as possible and it helps into Trick Room based teams as well. The bulk is good against Modest Delphox for example (32+ SpA Mega Delphox Heat Wave vs. 32 HP / 2 SpD Kingambit: 174-206 (84 - 99.5%) -- guaranteed 2HKO). I also recommend running 31 attack at least. If you thought about running 25 instead, that is also fine. It is just that there are many Basculegion EV'd for Sucker Punch from non damage boosting Kingambit and the chance gets worse if you drop any attack (31+ Atk Black Glasses Kingambit Sucker Punch vs. 2 HP / 14 Def Basculegion: 198-234 (100.5 - 118.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO). You also really want to OHKO Sylveon (31+ Atk Kingambit Iron Head vs. 5 HP / 21 Def Sylveon: 174-206 (99.4 - 117.7%) -- 93.75% chance to OHKO).

Dragonite:
When Life Orb got added, I had the thought that Inner Focus Life Orb Dragonite goes hard. I am very happy someone was able to pull it off. Fighting coverage once again is amazing next to Froslass or the Kingambit set. Dragon Claw hits a lot of meta threats really hard and Extreme Speed is a great priority. Inner Focus Dragonite also allows for one of the best leads in the game, double Fake Out immunity. I like that a lot. I was thinking really hard again whether I wanted a fast or a bulky Dragonite. I settled for bulk cause it is supposed to farm balance teams and I think it does that quite well. You always survive +2 Psyshock from Mega-Delphox, it's a roll after one Life Orb tick, depending on spread (+2 19 SpA Mega Delphox Psyshock vs. 31 HP / 0 Def Dragonite: 156-184 (79.1 - 93.4%) -- 25% chance to OHKO). Same can be applied to Blastoise (+2 32+ SpA Mega Launcher Mega Blastoise Dark Pulse vs. 31 HP / 0 SpD Dragonite: 154-182 (78.1 - 92.3%) -- 18.75% chance to OHKO). Black Glasses Kingambit also has a hard time getting the OHKO if you haven't taken any damage (+2 32+ Atk Black Glasses Kingambit Sucker Punch vs. 31 HP / 0 Def Dragonite: 169-199 (85.7 - 101%) -- 6.25% chance to OHKO). The speed is for Focus Sash Kingambit which should be a given. You could go a little faster if you want to outspeed other Pokémon with a similar reasoning (Sylveon, M-Scovillain, Incineroar etc.). I really like running Max Attack though. You can OHKO Kingambit even after Parting Shot (-1 32+ Atk Life Orb Dragonite Low Kick (100 BP) vs. 32 HP / 0 Def Kingambit: 192-229 (92.7 - 110.6%) -- 62.5% chance to OHKO). There are many calcs to show that you should run Max Attack but I'll leave it with this one (32+ Atk Life Orb Dragonite Dragon Claw vs. 32 HP / 32 Def Mega Charizard Y: 94-110 (50.8 - 59.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO) [You get the KO on 16/17 Zard with Dragon Claw + Extreme Speed].

Toxapex:
Toxapex can slow games down very nicely. It pairs well with Blaziken which can remove annoying Steel Types like Archaludon or Kingambit. It benefits from strong attackers (this team has 5 of them) the most. If you think Toxapex should be paired with other heavily defensive Pokémon, you really struggle to make progress. In this case, Blaziken can be used to trade 1 for 1. And this is what Toxapex wants. Many teams only have 1-2 Pokémon to break through Toxapex, so removing them early can win you games on the spot. I want to open another debate. Do you think Recover Toxapex is good? Let me know! Wide Guard here has many applications though. Denying Earthquake from Garchomp in Toxapex + Blaziken boards is huge. You can also shut down Charizard entirely if the snow is up. Blocking Dazzling Gleam, Water Spout, Make It Rain & Rock Slide is so incredibly powerful. The spread is lazy but good. I went for the second jump point in defense to survive full power Last Respects (32+ Atk Adaptability Basculegion Last Respects (200 BP) vs. 32 HP / 18+ Def Toxapex: 130-154 (82.8 - 98%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery) or 2x Earthquake from Life Orb Garchomp with Aurora Veil up (32 Atk Life Orb Garchomp Earthquake vs. 32 HP / 18+ Def Toxapex through Aurora Veil: 64-78 (40.7 - 49.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery). The latter one could come up if you lose Froslass early. You don't always want to click Wide Guard with Toxapex, so that is nice. The remaining points are all put into Special Defense. There is no specific calc to show but taking hits better from Sylveon, Floette & Venusaur is very good.

Blaziken:
Blaziken is slept on. What do you mean it has 160 Base Attack? It hits very hard and has a good typing into Kingambit and Charizard. The problem is that it has very destructive moves in Close Combat & Flare Blitz. This is why it is very hard to use efficiently. Rock Slide is needed to threaten Charizard and Delphox. Paired with Speed Boost, you can also win games by going for flinches (we've all been there x.x). EVing Blaziken properly is an interesting challenge though. Sometimes you want to run regular Blaziken & Mega-Froslass. First thought was to run Max Speed and Max Attack. The 12 HP are phenomenal though. Surviving Aqua Jet from Life Orb Basculegion (32+ Atk Life Orb Adaptability Basculegion Aqua Jet vs. 12 HP / 0 Def Mega Blaziken: 146-172 (87.4 - 102.9%) -- 6.25% chance to OHKO) or Earth Power from Life Orb Venusaur (32+ SpA Life Orb Venusaur Earth Power vs. 12 HP / 0 SpD Mega Blaziken: 148-177 (88.6 - 105.9%) -- 31.25% chance to OHKO) is game changing. 124/144 speed respectively is also nice. Against many weather teams, it is valid to go for the M-Froslass + regular Blaziken route. 124 speed outspeeds Adamant Mega-Swampert and Mega-Tyranitar. You are also faster than Whimsicott after a speed boost. Meanwhile, Mega-Blaziken has 144 speed which is one point faster than Jolly Basculegion. The benefit of running Max Speed is that you outspeed M-Aerodactyl after a speed boost, Choice Scarf Hydreigon and some Charizard as regular Blaziken. Decide for yourself what you prefer. I do not recommend dropping more attack, just look at these calcs (30+ Atk Mega Blaziken Flare Blitz vs. 2 HP / 0 Def Mega Floette: 145-172 (96 - 113.9%) -- 81.25% chance to OHKO) & (30+ Atk Mega Blaziken Rock Slide vs. 16 HP / 17 Def Mega Charizard Y: 172-204 (101.7 - 120.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO).

Matchups:
vs SunRain - Blaziken looks quite strong here. I'd use Mega-Froslass to take advantage of the weather and Kingambit to threaten Basculegion. Last should be either Dragonite or Sneasler. The biggest threat funnily enough is Pelipper with access to Fire Type Weather Ball and Wide Guard it is quite a threat offensively and defensively.

vs Setup Balance - Sneasler + Dragonite lead looks insanely strong. Toxapex as a lead can be used against non Delphox versions instead. Both megas can be used here but I would only bring one of them. Problem of Toxapex is that Sinistcha can cycle in and out, is immune to trapping and redirects Toxic or Infestation. If you bring it in the back, prioritize removing Sinistcha quickly.

vs M-Aero Sylveon (we still need name for this...) - I feel like this is just coinflips. I haven't played it but in theory you play a lot of mindgames, starting in the lead. Froslass + Sneasler is the best lead into Aerodactyl Kingambit cause you can click Fake Out + Blizzard. If they switch into Farigiraf, you get a Blizzard off which is good and their situation is pretty bad. Leading Toxapex results in your other slot just fainting. Max Speed Blaziken would help but you're still playing a mindgame if they Tailwind on your Protect or DWB on your attack, so yea glhf I guess LOL

Conclusion:
I think this team has many cool ideas and it works surprisingly well. I don't think it's going to be a meta staple because of the matchup into the M-Aero Sylveon team but it could also be me overlooking something. Let me know what you think of the team. I am trying it out myself right now in fact 🔽

[Guts @Only__l0v3]

@irushi @fullsense_gg @FrosTvsYou Hopefully Revenant do better than you. Easte of slot every year

[Out Of Context Football @nocontextfooty]

https://t.co/7z2Ob2sQOa

[Betchman @Betchman22]

This has been my favorite team as of late. Does very well into the current meta aside from things like Metagross and Mawile. Give it a shot for yourself!

[MichaelderBeste @MichaelderBeste]

Team Report Numéro Quatre. Today, I am featuring a heat Mega-Pyroar team. It is quite different than the common Pyroar teams cause it does not feature Ninetales, Torkoal or Sunny Day Whimsicott. It felt very strong and got me to a rating of 2140

The Team: https://t.co/HkeU6mgTy4

Pyroar:
Pyroar is a Pokémon that I would still consider underexplored. With its Ability Fire Mane, it deals huge damage with moves like Overheat, Heat Wave or Flamethrower. While Heat Wave & a strong single target move as well as Protect are mandatory, the 4th move can be almost anything. Hyper Voice gives you a 100% accurate STAB move, Solar Beam lets you hit Water Type Pokémon, Will-O-Wisp punishes Garchomp, Basculegion and physical Dragonite really well and Yawn can be used to create bad positions for your opponent. However, I decided to go with Taunt to deny opposing (non priority) Tailwind as well as Trick Room. It can also be used to "trap" Incineroar or Gholdengo on the field which is quite nice. As for the investment, I went for 192 speed to get the jump on all the 190s (some of those I featured myself x.x) and also outspeed Floette & Garchomp in the base form, if you decide to bring both Sceptile & Pyroar. We got enough Special Attack to knockout bulkless Garchomp with the combination of Heat Wave + Ice Punch / Moonblast. The roll on Kingambit with Heat Wave is also in your favour (23 SpA Fire Mane Mega Pyroar Heat Wave vs. 32 HP / 0 SpD Kingambit: 198-234 (95.6 - 113%) -- 68.75% chance to OHKO). The knockout on Metagross should be guaranteed (23 SpA Fire Mane Mega Pyroar Heat Wave vs. 0 HP / 0 SpD Mega Metagross: 158-188 (101.9 - 121.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO). The little bulk is not random either. It allows Pyroar to take a Kowtow Cleave into Sucker Punch from Kingambit most of the time which can come up against Focus Sash variants. Being able to reliably take an Earthquake from non damage boosting Garchomp is also very good (32+ Atk Garchomp Earthquake vs. 6 HP / 8 Def Mega Pyroar: 140-168 (83.8 - 100.5%) -- 6.25% chance to OHKO).

Whimsicott:
The first partner I added was Whimsicott. While I was thinking to run Sunny Day, I instead settled for the Encore + Protect set. Sunny Day is not a bad choice though but I really liked Encore to put your opponent into unfavourable positions and Protect is such a great tool when paired with Encore. I think that Whimsicott is one of the best partners for Pyroar as it matches up well into Garchomp & many Water Types. I was running the standard Focus Sash set in the beginning but once I added Glimmora, I felt like a bulky Fairy Feather set is the better choice. And honestly, I liked it a fair bit. With 8 SpAtk & Fairy Feather, you put Garchomp in range of Heat Wave which was the main calc I was going for. Funnily enough 8 SpAtk + Fairy Feather deals almost identical damage to 32 SpAtk Whimsicott. 173 speed is good for Adamant Sneasler & Modest Froslass. Outspeeding Staraptor would be nice as well but I haven't lost a single time to it, so I did not see the worth behind it. The reasoning behind the Special Defense investment is for the rain matchup. Surviving Flash Cannon from Archaludon turns the matchup into your favour (1+ SpA Archaludon Flash Cannon vs. 24 HP / 12 SpD Whimsicott: 134-162 (84.2 - 101.8%) -- 6.25% chance to OHKO). Surviving Moonblast from Timid Floette is something that is also beneficial (32 SpA Fairy Aura Mega Floette Moonblast vs. 24 HP / 12 SpD Whimsicott: 138-163 (86.7 - 102.5%) -- 18.75% chance to OHKO).

Basculegion:
Basculegion just makes sense as 3rd Pokémon. The first two really struggle hitting Fire Types and having a Fake Out immunity on a Tailwind Hyper Offense team feels very good. I decided to go with a Life Orb set to get the OHKO on Basculegion with no stacks (28+ Atk Life Orb Adaptability Basculegion Last Respects vs. 2 HP / 0 Def Basculegion: 203-244 (103 - 123.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO) as well as Incineroar (-1 28+ Atk Life Orb Adaptability Basculegion Wave Crash vs. 32 HP / 24+ Def Incineroar: 192-229 (95 - 113.3%) -- 75% chance to OHKO). I often led with Basculegion, just to click Wave Crash, so Life Orb was very worth it. Running max speed makes a lot of sense here. However, I really wanted to survive a Sucker Punch from Kingambit (32+ Atk Kingambit Sucker Punch vs. 1 HP / 11 Def Basculegion: 168-200 (85.7 - 102%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO) so that I can target the slot next to it and get a knockout that way potentially. Basculegion still outruns Max Speed Adamant Mega-Swampert & Mega-Tyranitar which felt good enough to me. Basculegion also pairs really well with the Final Gambit Lucario since you have the option to lead Lucario and trade 1 for 1 and have a boosted Lasted Respects immediately. They are also both immune to Fake Out which makes them a great pair into Trick Room based strategies.

Lucario:
As I just mentioned, Lucario is supposed to be used as a Final Gambit bot. I also often click Close Combat to either chunk Incineroar or threaten an OHKO on opposing Pyroar & Kingambit. Meteor Mash is a nice option for Fairy Types as well as having a move to hit the Ghost Types which are otherwise immune to Close Combat & Final Gambit. Once again, I struggled finding a good 4th move. I settled for Ice Punch to get Garchomp in range of Pyroar without clicking Final Gambit. I never clicked it though. Sunny Day, Helping Hand, Brick Break or Rock Tomb all provide decent utility as well. Bullet Punch can also be used to finish a Focus Sash Whimsicott for example. Bullet Punch also goes before Prankster cause of the Choice Scarf (if both or none have Tailwind) which can be pretty cool. This Lucario set caught many players off guard and it was one of the hidden MVPs of this team. I maxed out the speed stat to outspeed Vivillon and decided to go for Max HP to maximize the value of Final Gambit. Since you click Final Gambit most of the time, it does not make sense to invest too much into attack.

Glimmora:
I am very surprised nobody is using Glimmora anymore. I saw the WhimGlim teams in Regulation M-A but I was never able to try them out myself. So that's what I did here and I have to admit that Glimmora is incredible. It threatens many of the best Pokémon in the metagame for super effective damage while also providing pressure with Toxic Debris. I think Focus Sash Modest Glimmora is the best set. By running a Modest Nature, the double up of Moonblast & Earth Power knockouts many Kingambit. I really wanted to run Energy Ball to snipe Swampert and deal more damage to Basculegion. Although it would be a really nice tech, Earth Power is also needed for the rain matchup to threaten Archaludon while Power Gem is great into Charizard & Incineroar. Sludge Bomb is the best move Glimmora has, so the decision was between Spiky Shield and Energy Ball. I think that running 4 attacks on Sash Glimmora is allowed but I still wanted to run Spiky Shield, just to make it harder for my opponents targetting. It also greatly helps into opposing Tailwind or Trick Room teams.

Sceptile:
Once again, I was only missing the secondary M-B Pokémon. I was looking through the list and I realized something. Mega-Sceptile is an amazing partner for Mega-Pyroar. Pyroar keeps the Fairy & Ice Types in check while Sceptile can be brought into teams with a lot of Rock, Ground & Water Types. The rain matchup is a prime example where Pyroar does not have a good time (due to the team not having Sunny day to be fair).
Sceptile however outruns Choice Scarf Basculegion and many Swampert as well (they need 19 speed points to outspeed Sceptile in rain). Earth Power is great coverage for Fire & Steel Types and Dragon Pulse is the main STAB to threaten Garchomp or Hydreigon. I was looking through Grass Type moves and I did not like to run Energy Ball, Giga Drain or Grass Knot since they all seemed quite weak to me. That is why I decided to go with Leaf Storm and the choice was more than correct. Being able to KO Basculegion through Light Screen (31 SpA Mega Sceptile Leaf Storm vs. 2 HP / 0 SpD Basculegion through Light Screen: 204-240 (103.5 - 121.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO), or dealing the most damage possible into neutral targets such as Pelipper is amazing. While you could 31 speed and still be faster than Choice Scarf Basculegion, I'd just recommend to go for 32 speed then for the rare sceptile Mirror. There are also few Choice Scarf Pokémon running 144 speed such as Hydreigon which you would speed tie by running Max Speed. I went for 3 Defense points to increase the chance to survive a 100 Base Power Last Respects in case you miss Leaf Storm or have to target the other slot first (32 Atk Adaptability Basculegion Last Respects (100 BP) vs. 0 HP / 3 Def Mega Sceptile: 126-150 (86.8 - 103.4%) -- 18.75% chance to OHKO).

Matchups:
vs ZardY Standard - It is tricky once again. Pyroar matches up very well into the Megas while Sceptile can remove Basculegion & Garchomp. Glimmora is very good here which is why I usually lead with Whimsicott + Glimmora. Sceptile & Basculegion cover most possibilites while I was playing with the team. If you bring Pyroar, I would bring Basculegion still cause otherwise opposing Basculegion is too dangerous for your team.

vs Trick Room - Basculegion & Lucario can deny Trick Room to go up and then you can sweep with a Pyroar + Glimmora backline. Taunt helps if they decide to save their Farigiraf to shut down a later attempt. Against Kangaskhan teams, you should lead Glimmora + Lucario though cause they could Fake Out your Basculegion due to Scrappy. By leading Glimmora, you either get Toxic Debris up or threaten a knockout on Farigiraf once again. With Basculegion & Pyroar in the back, you can stall the one Trick Room and win pretty easily.

vs Setup - Just lead Lucario and get a knockout. Pair it with either Basculegion or Glimmora and bring Pyroar in the back. Matchup feels really good cause they have to Protect their Mega (Delphox, Staraptor or Floette) but their partner does not like to eat a Wave Crash or Power Gem. It is fine if you Final Gambit into a Protect cause you can then have the position of Glimmora + Basculegion which still destroys your opponent. Pyroar is able to clean the game due to outspeeding Sneasler and also taking hits from Delphox or Floette. Another matchup where Taunt is quite useful.

Conclsuion:
The matchup into opposing Basculegion can feel really bad at times. From the 4 teams featured, this one might be the worst? I am not entirely sure cause I was able to get a good win-streak on high ladder. Also, the screenshot was taken on Tuesday (I always try to get the streaks going a little before cause I want to have the team ready in time). I played some games together with @JoeyPokeaim on his channel and the games were a lot of fun. So yea, it is a fun team that can be weird to pilot sometimes. I really liked many pieces here however, and since I was able to get the winstreak, the team is still a success. I also really like that many games are over in less than 5 turns. Try it out yourself and let me know what you think!

[MichaelderBeste @MichaelderBeste]

It's time for another team report. Today I am featuring a Mega-Raichu-Y team which is similar to the one I used to top cut the biggest Regulation M-B tournament with. The team is unique again and tons of fun.

The Team: https://t.co/34mQAo4k3o
(inspired by Dawei Si's NAIC team)

Raichu:
I think the best Raichu set is one that enables its partners to shine even more. With Lightning Rod as Base Raichus ability, you can switch it into Electro Shot or opposing Raichu to not just protect your Ceruledge or Milotic, but also gain a huge Special Attack Boost. The team wants to boost as much as possible, so having two Fake Out users is essential to break through the Encore lock from Whimsicott. Raichu has the advantage that it is faster than Sneasler and it also threatens some knockouts on key threats like Charizard or Basculegion. Focus Blast is a key move cause it makes the rain matchup really good. Having a move to hit Garchomp or also OHKO Kingambit feels pretty good as well. The investment is simple, yet efficient. Raichu outspeeds Sneasler by one point and the rest is split between HP and Defense. On the special side, it is very valuable to take hits from Archaludon (+1 32+ SpA Archaludon Dragon Pulse vs. 30 HP / 0 SpD Mega Raichu Y: 139-165 (84.2 - 100%) -- 6.25% chance to OHKO) or Timid Floette (32 SpA Fairy Aura Mega Floette Moonblast vs. 30 HP / 0 SpD Mega Raichu Y: 147-174 (89 - 105.4%) -- 37.5% chance to OHKO). On the physical side there is a lot to survive as well but these are the main ones:
(32 Atk Adaptability Basculegion Last Respects (100 BP) vs. 30 HP / 13 Def Mega Raichu Y: 142-168 (86 - 101.8%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO),
(-1 32+ Atk Mystic Water Adaptability Basculegion Wave Crash vs. 30 HP / 13 Def Mega Raichu Y: 148-176 (89.6 - 106.6%) -- 37.5% chance to OHKO),
(32+ Atk Black Glasses Kingambit Kowtow Cleave vs. 30 HP / 13 Def Mega Raichu Y: 135-159 (81.8 - 96.3%) -- guaranteed 2HKO),
(-1 32 Atk Life Orb Garchomp Earthquake vs. 30 HP / 13 Def Mega Raichu Y: 151-179 (91.5 - 108.4%) -- 43.75% chance to OHKO),
(32 Atk Sneasler Close Combat vs. 30 HP / 13 Def Mega Raichu Y: 141-166 (85.4 - 100.6%) -- 6.25% chance to OHKO)

Milotic:
Milotic is really strong right now. With a Coil set, physical attackers have a really hard time breaking through it. The main special attackers have a really bad time into Ceruledge though (Floette, ZardY, Venusaur). After setting up Coil twice, you have a perfectly accurate Hypnosis which is really nasty. Protect is a move that is not super common on Milotic but it ensures getting around unfavourable positions such as Encore Whimsicott or when too much damage is on the field. I often lead Milotic with either Incineroar or Raichu to get a safe Coil off and then start putting things to sleep. It also punishes Intimidate users switching in which would otherwise be needed to keep Ceruledge in check. As far as spreads go, I did not do any calcs honestly. I just settled for a Calm nature and went for the first jump point to take a Solar Beam or Light of Ruin slightly better. I also realized that Milotic is quite an important piece into Froslass and Hydreigon, so I am quite happy with the decision. I chose the speed stat of 103 for two reasons. First, outspeeding max speed (Adamant) Kingambit is big to get a Hypnosis / Coil off before they can click Kowtow Cleave. The other reason has to do with Raichu. Against opposing setup teams, it is quite common that Raichu is able to get a Zap Cannon off into Delphox. Paralyzed Delphox hits the same speed stat as Kingambit, 102. Getting the jump on this one has huge upsides as well. The remaining 27 points are all put into Defense to help take physical hits before you have the increased defense.

Ceruledge:
I metnioned it briefly but Ceruledge is incredible against most special attackers. Your plan should always be to have Ceruledge next to a Milotic which got some boosts already. That is the perfect opportunity to setup your Ceruledge because your opponent does not want to go into their Intimidate Pokémon while Milotic is on the field. Shadow Sneak is also a very valuable move into Basculegion and Gholdengo, Pokémon that Milotic could struggle against time wise. Bulk Up is better than Swords Dance because you want your Ceruledge to not leave the field and the Defense boosts matter a ton into Kingambit, Garchomp & Basculegion. Colbur Berry is an amazing item against Kingambit. You can take a Kowtow Cleave or Sucker Punch better and heal back to full thanks to Bitter Blade. It's also quite helpful into Mawile and (Throat Chop) Sneasler. I decided to put a lot of Attack into this Ceruledge to threaten key knockouts quickly. The important ones are +1 Bitter Blade on Kingambit (+1 25+ Atk Ceruledge Bitter Blade vs. 32 HP / 0 Def Kingambit: 204-242 (98.5 - 116.9%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO) and +2 Shadow Sneak against Basculegion (+2 25+ Atk Ceruledge Shadow Sneak vs. 2 HP / 0 Def Basculegion: 200-236 (101.5 - 119.7%) -- guaranteed OHKO). The remaining 10 points I dumped into defense to take the biggest weaknesses from Ceruledge a little better (-1 32 Atk Life Orb Garchomp Earthquake vs. +1 31 HP / 10 Def Ceruledge: 81-96 (44.7 - 53%) -- 28.52% chance to 2HKO) & (-1 32+ Atk Mystic Water Adaptability Basculegion Wave Crash vs. +1 31 HP / 10 Def Ceruledge: 160-192 (88.3 - 106%) -- 31.25% chance to OHKO)

Incineroar:
Incineroar is important as Intimidate and Fake Out helps this team out greatly. You need Intimidate for Garchomp & Swampert especially. I think both attack moves in Flare Blitz & Throat Chop cannot be dropped. Throat Chop threatens Basculegion while Flare Blitz is needed for Kingambit and Mawile. I focussed heavily on its physical bulk since I realized, I almost exclusively use it for the Intimidate support which means that I am throwing it into mainly physical attacks. Super effective ones are very important to survive, so I settled for the stat to take Mystic Water Wave Crash from Basculegion most of the time (-1 32+ Atk Mystic Water Adaptability Basculegion Wave Crash vs. 32 HP / 24+ Def Incineroar: 180-212 (89.1 - 104.9%) -- 25% chance to OHKO), Close Combat from Sneasler without drops (32 Atk Sneasler Close Combat vs. 32 HP / 24+ Def Incineroar: 168-200 (83.1 - 99%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Sitrus Berry recovery). Being one point faster than your own Sinistcha is sweet cause that allows you to heal your partner (Raichu, Milotic, Ceruledge mainly) after Parting Shot. The remaining 8 points are dumped into Special Defense to take a few special moves better from Whimsicott, CharizardY, Archaludon and most importantly a Timid Light of Ruin (32 SpA Fairy Aura Mega Floette Light of Ruin vs. 32 HP / 8 SpD Incineroar: 184-217 (91 - 107.4%) -- 43.75% chance to OHKO). 43.75% chances are not something I base my gameplan on cause it's still far too risky but it can come up, so it helps to know that the odds are in my favour.

Sinistcha:
So, we have Intimidate, Double Fake Out and lots of setup. We do not have any recovery though. And this is where Sinistcha comes in. Hospitality and Life Dew are both far too good for this team. Even though Mawile is on the team, I do not recommend running Trick Room. Protect on this composition is essential, so are Rage Powder and Matcha Gotcha. Basculegion can be quite a big threat, so Kasib Berry is the item of Choice. I settled on quite a lot of Special Defense. Sinistcha is a very important piece in the rain matchup, so it made sense to me that I want to survive some hits from Archaludon and a Hurricane from Pelipper (32+ SpA Pelipper Hurricane vs. 32 HP / 30 SpD Sinistcha: 152-182 (85.3 - 102.2%) -- 12.5% chance to OHKO). Another upside is surviving Blizzard from Modest Froslass (30+ SpA Mega Froslass Blizzard vs. 32 HP / 30 SpD Sinistcha: 150-176 (84.2 - 98.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO). There is not a lot to say about Sinistcha. You have to indentify in Team Preview if the recovery of Leftovers & Bitter Blade are enough cause in some matchups Sinistcha feels like dead weight instead.

Mawile:
My tournament version had Floette over Mawile but I almost never brought it. Then I realized that I only really lost to Whimsicott + Floette cores, so adding another Fairy resist made a lot of sense to me. I also set myself the rule to use at least two new Regulation M-B Pokémon and since Mawile fit that criteria, I tried it out. It has been pretty decent. The team felt complete to me and Mawile actually addresses the few problems I had (Basculegion sometimes & the aforementioned Fairy spam). This is also why I trained this Mawile heavily in Special Defense. That way it always survives Moonblast into Light of Ruin from Timid Mega-Floette. I have never been a believer of Iron Head Mawile, Swords Dance gives it some sweeping potential which pairs greatly with Double Fake Out + Rage Powder. It still has enough attack to get big knockouts (6+ Atk Huge Power Mega Mawile Play Rough vs. 32 HP / 0 Def Fairy Aura Mega Floette: 183-216 (101.1 - 119.3%) -- guaranteed OHKO) & (+2 6+ Atk Huge Power Mega Mawile Play Rough vs. 32 HP / 0 Def Kingambit: 208-246 (100.4 - 118.8%) -- guaranteed OHKO). I went for Hyper Cutter as ability as I did not want to have two Intimidate Pokémon in a meta full of Contrary / Competitive / Defiant.

Matchups:
vs ZardY Standard - Ceruledge is a key piece here. The threats for it are Garchomp & Basculegion but you can keep those in check with Incineroar or Sinistcha. I often start with Milotic, either next to Ceruledge or Raichu. Ceruledge punishes the WhimFloette lead quite nicely while Raichu is a good shout into Basculegion Whimsicott. You should never bring Mawile in this matchup and decide between Raichu and Sinistcha, whichever you like more.

vs Rain - I usually start off with Incineroar and Milotic to get a Coil off and then start putting everything to sleep with Hypnosis. Sinistcha keeps Swampert in check while Raichu has to deal with Archaludon. You have to time your mega very well (usually when Archaludon is asleep with a count of 0). The biggest problem is that breaking through opposing Sinistcha takes a while but you are still the favoured player in the matchup.

vs Setup - This one feels really nice. You lead with Milotic which makes Incineroar switching in very hard for your opponent. Pair it with Raichu to get a paralysis on Delphox or a direct knockout on Staraptor. You also have a faster Fake Out than Sneasler which is the biggest game changer. I usually bring Ceruledge and Incineroar in the back. Keep in mind that your Raichu + Milotic board is really bad into base Floette spamming Calm mInd while Sinistcha spams Rage Powder because Flower Veil blocks status on it. This is why you need to use Ceruledge to beat Floette + Sinistcha boards and Incineroar can slow the game down with Fake Out & Parting Shot.

Conclusion:
I actually featured how to approach the setup & rain matchups in my latest video. I had no expectations going into the tournament but the team really blew me away. It felt like every matchup was in my favour and the only thing that can stop me is bad RNG. That's the teams biggest weakness. Your opponent gets some opportunities for critical hits, you can miss 80% accurate Hypnosis, sleep turns can change the outcome too. Nonetheless, if everything evens out, this is one of the best teams in the current format!

[Fairtree @Fairteew]

Forgot to post this

[VGC Pokepastes • Champions MB @VGCPastes]

Champions Regulation MB is now available in our Repository with both Pokepastes and Replica Codes to try out!

Feel free to let us know if you have a team to share!
Thank you to @CastorbrownVGC for the massive help converting replicas to pastes 🫡

Link:
https://t.co/hkZpeGdrEH