Two New Cores for VGC 2018!

[0kamii]

Hey, everybody! It's 0kamii, and I want to bring to light some common pokémon I've seen lumped together on the ladder.

Now it's hard to say exactly if these two sets of three can be officially declared 'new' cores, but they seem to be codependent on one another. Where there's one, the others seem to follow, with a few exceptions as you'll see. So I thought I'd bring these mons to light, and try to speculate why they're in circulation, how they play off each other (synergize), and if they'll continue to see use throughout the season. The first of these cores is:

The "Endgame" core:

   

 

Going to assume this core was named after the fact that 2/3 of it is only obtainable in the endgame of Gen 7, or the creator was really cocky and thought this was the core to end all cores. All the same, the core composition here is Fini, presumably Choice Specs for special damage (likely against Landorus-T and MegaZard Y), Incineroar for Fake Out, Knock Off, and Fire-Type answers to Ferrothorn, Metagross, Aegislash, Bulu, etc., and Kommo-o as the omni-boosted Z-move user capable of filling in whatever coverage the rest of your team lacks (Flamethrower, Poison Jab, Earthquake, Rock Slide, Aqua Tail, Ice Punch, the list goes on).

As to why the Endgame core is in circulation, I think the answer to that is fairly obvious. Fini is one of the best answers to Landorus-T as of right now, and Water-Type STAB is ruthless against Heatran, MegaZard Y, Volcarona, Tyranitar, and more. Having Fake Out is never a bad idea, and Incineroar's role on this team providing a threatening Knock Off with Low Kick and the potential for various support moves like Snarl, Taunt, Throat Chop, or U-turn makes it a difficult mon to pin. Also helps to counter several of Fini's weaknesses, like Celesteela, Kartana, Amoonguss, so on. Kommo-o is there as a reliable Z-move user, capable of dealing solid damage with Clangorous Soulblaze, and then getting a strong omni-boost to hit just about anything hard with its wide variety of coverage. The core does struggle against Lele + Zapdos comp, but teambuilding can work around that. As of now, this core seems strong, and I'm curious to see how it develops throughout the season.

The second new-ish core featured today is—

The "HAL" core:

 

  

 

Thus far, I don't believe this core has a name, so for now I'm referring to it as HAL. Comprised of a mixed-supportive Hawlucha, a highly offensive Lele, and bulky Aegislash, this is a core meant for those players that love an absolute beatdown strategy. Hawlucha's set may vary, as I've seen Tailwind, Encore, Low Kick, Sky Drop, even Helping Hand and Quick Guard. However, it always runs at least one attack, usually Acrobatics to take advantage of that Psychic Seed consumption. Aegislash is the Z-move user here, and I needn't describe the damage that can cause. With Tailwind support from Hawlucha it can outspeed a lot and hit hard, while also providing options with Wide Guard. Lele also takes advantage of Tailwind for a fast, STAB Psychic or Moonblast that few would like to stay in on.

However, there's a few apparent issues with this one, least that I noticed. First, there's a lack of efficient synergy within this comp, as they don't seem to cover each others' weaknesses very well. Another issue with HAL is the lack of answer to Landorus-T, as HP - Ice on Lele is both very niche and situation, not to mention that even with a Life Orb it doesn't OHKO. Of the two new cores featured today, this one is the weaker of the two, but if you've been watching battles on Battle Spot or in Showdown, you would've seen these three together, and somehow (beyond my ability to comprehend it seems), the trainers using it seem to make it work. As there's a lack of response to Landorus-T, I doubt we'll be seeing this core progress further into the meta, but it's nice to see Hawlucha get some spotlight. I really do think it has potential thanks to Unburden.

That's all the info I have today. I'm debating which pokémon I should do for my first VGC 2018 analysis, and I have a few candidates, but I'd rather let the metagame develop a little bit more before I feel comfortable doing another analysis. If you're familiar with either of these cores, let me know in the thread below, especially if you've incorporated them into your teambuilding comps. I'd be curious to know the intricacies of these particular cores!

Thanks so much for reading everyone! Battle onwards, friends!

- 0kamii

[PerchPond]

I guess Hawlucha is the Drifblim of 2018

[RetroTyphlosion]

(Jan 24, 2018, 04:30 AM)PerchPond Wrote: I guess Hawlucha is the Drifblim of 2018

Well, both are easy to counter with a standard Koko/Xurxitree/Porygon2, so.....