art by Gaboswampert | op mostly copied from here | previously hosted by Milo, slainey, Foufakirby, AyushKr_PKMN
A strong core is one of the single most valuable things to form when creating a new team. Cores are typically made up of a group of Pokémon that, when used together, work excellently toward accomplishing a specific goal, and any good player uses them, intentionally or not. The majority of cores have varying characteristics that allow them to triumph in different areas, and depending on your team, cores can be built to succeed offensively or defensively. An offensive core is a group of Pokémon that are both focused towards and designed to enable the team to break through most other team styles while being balanced for general play. A defensive core is a group of Pokémon chosen to give a team a solid set of resistances and the ability to switch into many of the common and threatening attacks in the metagame, allowing it to stick around long enough to win the match. Overall, cores function as a fantastic base or starting point for a wide range of teams and they are commonly used while teambuilding to achieve a specific goal.
Posting Guidelines- Any person can post a core in this thread. The cores are broken down into the following categories: offensive cores, balanced cores, and defensive cores. When posting your core, please make sure to state which one of these categories your core falls under.
- Although the way your core works may be obvious to you, this may not be the case for others. As such, when posting a core, please make sure to explain how the core operates and any other details you think are important to include. The explanations don't have to be essays; as long as your post has some substance and conveys the main idea behind the core, it's all good. Here are some things you may like to include when explaining your core:
- Offensive Core: Should your core be an offensive one, such as Dragapult + Kingambit, you could explain how those two Pokemon work together to break down their similar checks and any other synergistic traits. You could also mention any weaknesses the core has and any partners you believe work well with the core.
- Here is a good example of what we look for taken from the SS iteration.
- Defensive Core: Should your core be defensive, such as Slowking-Galar + Ting-Lu, you could explain their typing synergy allows them to cover problematic Pokemon for one another, or any other synergistic attributes you feel are relevant. You could also mention any weaknesses the core has and any partners you believe work well with the core.
- Here are a couple of example of what we look for taken from the current SM iteration.
- Offensive Core: Should your core be an offensive one, such as Dragapult + Kingambit, you could explain how those two Pokemon work together to break down their similar checks and any other synergistic traits. You could also mention any weaknesses the core has and any partners you believe work well with the core.
- This goes without saying, but do make sure your post includes the sets your core is using. In addition, please try to include an explanation of any EV spreads deviating from the standard 252 / 252. Replays are also very helpful and highly encouraged when posting cores.
- Please do not post a core that has more than 3 Pokemon because cores bigger than this can restrict building immensely.
- Please be respectful of the cores people post in this thread. If someone posts a core that you think is ineffective or just plain bad, there is no need to jump at their throats. With that said, constructive criticism is welcome and encouraged - simply be nice!
Core Selection Process- This thread is being run by SetsuSetsuna with feedback from several contributors. We will carefully monitor the cores posted in this thread. When the time comes, we will discuss the posted cores together and decide which ones will be featured in the archive.
- While the selection of good cores can often be subjective, we will take into consideration a variety of aspects before deciding which cores are featured in the archive. This includes quality of explanation, effectiveness of the core in the current metagame, and so on. We will carefully discuss everything and seek feedback from others to ensure the selected cores are of high quality.
- When we decide which cores will be featured in the archive, we will try to announce them and provide brief explanations behind why certain cores were selected and why certain cores weren't. This feedback can potentially help give people a clearer picture of what we are looking for.
- If a core is originally rejected from the archive, we can definitely provide some tips on how a set or spread can be tweaked so the core meets the standards we look for.
- Just like with anyone else who posts a core, please feel free to bring up any concerns you might have with our posts and/or the cores we select! However, please be sure to be polite, and if it is a simple question/concern, we'd prefer it being directed to us in a PM.
- NEW Selected cores will be featured in the OverUsed room on PS!
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Balanced core
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Balanced Core
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, 
, U-Turn 
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(Magma Storm)
(Earth Power)
(Alluring Voice, dies if it does not kill)
(Flower Trick)
(Triple Axel)
does 67%)
)
(
is the same silly mon it always was. Salt Cure is the simplest progress-forcing move of all time, and very few folks are running Covert Cloak to block the passive damage at the moment. It's super easy - especially if you're willing to Tera - to come in early against weather setters like 
, and start spamming Salt Cure until you're forced out. In endgame scenarios, setting up gives you an incredibly tanky cleaner that is a flat-out wincon in certain scenarios.
comes in. Scared of a Ground, Fighting, or Grass move from 
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that would otherwise beat you down.
,