Effective cores are very important in competitive Pokemon, and any good player uses them, intentionally or not. Defensive cores rely on covering a lot of attacking types and common threats within the core, while also offering team support, so that the core is useful even when walled. On the other hand, offensive cores still like having the common attacking types covered between its members, but offensive synergy is most important. Be it one member of the core attracting Pokemon that another member can easily switch into and force out, one member luring and weakening the checks and counters of another, or one member being able to beat the Pokemon that the other can't, those are the characteristics that are wanted from a good offensive core. Finally, there are mixed or balanced cores, as well as support and pivoting cores, which blend in into offensive and defensive cores. Support or pivoting elements in cores aim to either provide easier switch-in and set up chances to offensive Pokemon, or help to wall and stall out the opponent in the case of defensive cores.
Noticed that a lot of cores from old thread are obsolete with introduction of new megas. Also, the thread in the normal OU forum has some pretty mediocre cores that were accepted. For now, I'll just steal the ones I think are good and add some of my own after, as well as obviously including what people post here.
Offensive Cores
Ok so the reason why Im posting this is because 1). It is extremely effective in the Metagame, and 2). This is a core that has been battle-hardened since the days of BW (with ninja being replaced by something else, ofc). Anyways, the whole point of this core is for Lando and Rotom to provide VoltTurn support to get Greninja into the battle safely, seeing as he has the defenses of a wet paper bag. Once inside though, hes a threat. As we all know, Greninja got a gem in ORAS in the form of Gunk Shot, which turned his former Fairy-type checks into liabilities. Aside from that, Greninja also has STAB everything to wreck havoc on opposing teams. The roles of Lando and Rotom boil down to switching into things that Greninja cant kill, and getting Greninja in safely. Its really self explanatory and this core just plays itself once you get a feel for it.
Additionally, good ways to use this are on offensively oriented balance teams and bulky offense teams, as the VoltTurn core provided by Rotom and Lando help to preserve momentum throughout the match. Also, Greninja can really be replaced with any hard hitter, like Mega Gardevoir or Mega Gallade, but I chose Greninja specifically because it doesnt tie you down to a specific Mega and is still a very potent threat in today's metagame.
Additionally, good ways to use this are on offensively oriented balance teams and bulky offense teams, as the VoltTurn core provided by Rotom and Lando help to preserve momentum throughout the match. Also, Greninja can really be replaced with any hard hitter, like Mega Gardevoir or Mega Gallade, but I chose Greninja specifically because it doesnt tie you down to a specific Mega and is still a very potent threat in today's metagame.
Rotom-Wash @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Will-O-Wisp
- Hydro Pump
- Pain Split
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 32 Def / 224 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Knock Off
OR
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Lefotvers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 40 Spe
Impish Nature
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Stealth Rock
Greninja @ Life Orb
Ability: Protean
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Gunk Shot
- Dark Pulse
- Ice Beam
- Spikes
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Volt Switch
- Will-O-Wisp
- Hydro Pump
- Pain Split
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 32 Def / 224 Spe
Jolly Nature
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Knock Off
OR
Landorus-Therian (M) @ Lefotvers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 40 Spe
Impish Nature
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Stealth Rock
Greninja @ Life Orb
Ability: Protean
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Gunk Shot
- Dark Pulse
- Ice Beam
- Spikes
The basic premise of this core is that Metagross and Talonflame both hate Heatran, even with the Hammer Arm on Gross which is w/e good coverage and all that. Dugtrio traps Heatran nicely so both of these (AgiliGross + Jolly SD Talon btw) can go to town. It also traps TTar for Talon which is nice because Talonflame kinda hates TTar, and potentially trapping the likes of Greninja on a revenge kill, Mega Diancie (another annoying Talon check), Bisharp (revenges Metagross with Sucker Punch and causes annoying mindgames with Talon), Jirachi (checks Metagross tanking its STABs and having annoying Body Slam paras plus the potential Fire Punch), and Magnezone (for obvious reasons) are all pretty great reasons to use Dugtrio with these two Pokemon. Obviously needs Defog support, but overall this can be a pretty devastating offensive core with Speed, power, and crucial trapping to take out some of these mons checks. I don't have many good replays because I usually don't say them, but I have this game against ABR which kinda showcases Dugtrio and how this core can work effectively.
The Metagross doesn't have to be Agility, I was just kinda intrigued by the ability to outspeed all the revenge killers and potentially smash through a lot of teams. Also gives it a bit more license to run Hammer Arm which is nice bc Ferro is annoying.
Metagross @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Zen Headbutt
- Hammer Arm
- Agility / Ice Punch
Dugtrio @ Focus Sash
Ability: Arena Trap
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 21 HP / 0 Def / 0 SpD
- Earthquake
- Reversal
- Memento
- Stealth Rock
Talonflame @ Sharp Beak
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- Roost
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpA / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Zen Headbutt
- Hammer Arm
- Agility / Ice Punch
Dugtrio @ Focus Sash
Ability: Arena Trap
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
IVs: 21 HP / 0 Def / 0 SpD
- Earthquake
- Reversal
- Memento
- Stealth Rock
Talonflame @ Sharp Beak
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Brave Bird
- Flare Blitz
- Roost
This FWG core is really cool and works very well, can absolutely rip through HO. Basically this core is extremely solid vs all team archetypes as greninja + sceptile is very strong vs ho and bulky offense, then theres taunt tran to deal with stall and more bulky teams in general. what i did with this core was backing it up with a voltturn core + spikes to have an easier time vs bulkier teams as heatran usually won't be enough to basically shut these kind off teams down. roar heatran is utilized so subdd mence won't setup on it as well as other DDers, while also having the ability to shuffle up hazard damage.
Sceptile @ Sceptilite
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 72 HP / 252 SpA / 184 Spe
Timid Nature
- Giga Drain / Leaf Storm
- Dragon Pulse
- Focus Blast
- Substitute
Greninja @ Life Orb
Ability: Protean
EVs: 44 Atk / 208 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Low Kick
- Gunk Shot
- Ice Beam
- Dark Pulse
Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 20 SpD / 240 Spe
Calm Nature
- Lava Plume
- Taunt
- Roar
- Stealth Rock
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 72 HP / 252 SpA / 184 Spe
Timid Nature
- Giga Drain / Leaf Storm
- Dragon Pulse
- Focus Blast
- Substitute
Greninja @ Life Orb
Ability: Protean
EVs: 44 Atk / 208 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Low Kick
- Gunk Shot
- Ice Beam
- Dark Pulse
Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 20 SpD / 240 Spe
Calm Nature
- Lava Plume
- Taunt
- Roar
- Stealth Rock
So these two guys compliment each other almost perfectly. Sub CM Keldeo is actually really underrated right now, and the great thing is that he can set up on almost all of Metagross's Checks / counters. Skarm, Mandibuzz, Mega Sableye, Mega Scizor, and Bisharp all lose to Keldeo easily, allowing the Pony to get up a free sub and potentially start setting up for a sweep. Of course, those things that wall Keldeo like the Latis, Venu / Amoonguss, and any fairy type bar azu are shredded apart by Megagross, which allows them to form a devastating offensive core. Specs is an option for Keldeo if setting up isnt your thing, but being choice locked may not be very ideal. idk. Personal preference.
Anyways, theres bound to be mons that give this core trouble, and those mons include the likes of Talonflame, Azumarill, Mega Sceptile, and Greninja (sometimes. Keldeo doesnt gaf if Ninja lacks Exrasensory / GK). Assault Vest Raikou makes for a fantastic partner, as it either hard or soft checks every aforementioned thread. Rotom-W also makes an excellent teammate, as he handles all the aforementioned threat bar Sceptile, which can be handled by numerous other things such as Talonflame. Of course, no matter what you do, Mega tablemence shreks this core, but it shreks everything so it doesnt matter.
Keldeo @ Leftovers
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
- Scald
- Secret Sword
Metagross @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear Body --> Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Earthquake / Hammer Arm
- Ice Punch/Pursuit
- Zen Headbutt
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Substitute
- Calm Mind
- Scald
- Secret Sword
Metagross @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear Body --> Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Meteor Mash
- Earthquake / Hammer Arm
- Ice Punch/Pursuit
- Zen Headbutt
Psychic/Fighting and Dark/Steel types make excellent partners to each other. Gallade quad resists fighting where Bisharp is 4x weak to it, Bisharp himself is immune to Psyshock and resists Flying and Ghost types that would give Gallade trouble. He can also Pursuit-trap the Lati twins to prevent 50/50s with Gallade in terms of Speed. Seeing as both of these mons are incredibly weak to both Talonflame and Scarf Lando-T (Bisharp can get the Defiant boost from Intimidate, but Lando needs to be at less than half for Sucker Punch to make a guaranteed kill). Raikou is a great addition to these three, as AV checks all Keldeo variants at least once, and stops birdspam.
Gallade @ Galladite
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Psycho Cut
- Close Combat
- Ice Punch/Knock Off/Shadow Sneak
Bisharp @ Black Glasses
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head
- Pursuit
Raikou @ Assault Vest
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 32 SpD / 224 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Shadow Ball/Extrasensory
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Volt Switch
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Psycho Cut
- Close Combat
- Ice Punch/Knock Off/Shadow Sneak
Bisharp @ Black Glasses
Ability: Defiant
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head
- Pursuit
Raikou @ Assault Vest
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 32 SpD / 224 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Shadow Ball/Extrasensory
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Volt Switch
Okay, becuase I've been laddering some with different teams, just to get a better hunch of the metagame, I've discovered a core I really really like. Mega Gallade is, in my opinion, one of the best mega evoltions out there. Good Speed tier, great Attack, access to Swords Dance, and decent movepool. It has a few answer though, such as defensive Landorus-T, Mega Sableye, Defensive Unaware Clefable and Mega Slowbro. SD LO Diggersby not only takes on these Pokemon, but also draws them in, which is why the core works out so well. Gallade also draws in Skarmory, which really troubles Diggersby. All in all, the two if them kind of function like Dragon Spam did in BW, they draw in each others "counters", and proceed to wear them down. Sadly though, the core lacks Speed, which really hurts, and cannot really touch Mega Salamence, if not running Ice Punch on Gallade. Thus, some good teammates are "reliable" answer to faster threats, such as the aforementioned Mega Salamence, but also Greninja, Mega Lopunny, Mega Pidgeot, and Scarf Landorus-T. Rotom-W excels at the rle of taking these on, as it checks everything decently enough. Oh, and, this destroys Stall too n_n
Gallade @ Galladite
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Zen Headbutt
- Close Combat
- Knock Off / Shadow Sneak / Ice Punch
Diggersby @ Life Orb
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant / Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Return
- Quick Attack
- Earthquake
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Zen Headbutt
- Close Combat
- Knock Off / Shadow Sneak / Ice Punch
Diggersby @ Life Orb
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Adamant / Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Return
- Quick Attack
- Earthquake
The idea for this offensive core arose when a few of us were discussing what would wall Mega Gallade + Mega Altaria on a defensive team and naturally we had a really hard time coming up with reliable answers by virtue of their offensive synergy. Terrakion jumped to mind as a fast Fighting type which could take on a similar role wallbreaking to Mega Gallade (despite occupying a slightly lesser speed tier). SD LO Terrakion easily powers through the defensive steel types which enjoy walling DD Mega Altaria without Fire Blast such as Skarmory, Jirachi, Ferrothorn and Bronzong (all ohko'd at +2) as well as hitting Landorus-T extremely hard, allowing Altaria to clean through whatever remains with mono Fairy stab later in the game. SD LO Terrakion will also break through Poison types such as Amoonguss at +2 which give Altaria a hard time.
This allows Altaria to run a bulky mono attacking DD set and attempt a late game sweep. Mega Altaria's typing and access to Heal Bell also provides a very reliable answer to Mega Sableye (which is currently the dominant form of stall on the ORAS ladder) and allows Terrakion to shrug off any potential status. Unaware Clefable is a reasonable answer to this core (but is taken out with SR up) while Slowbro requires a little prior damage + SR for the OHKO with +2 LO Stone Edge. At the same time, Heal Bell Altaria is able to setup all over Slowbro without Ice Beam (which i don't believe will be common once Mega Mence gets the boot). Greninja with Gunk Shot and Dark Pulse (or even Spikes) would supplement this core by dealing with the aforementioned 'checks'.
This allows Altaria to run a bulky mono attacking DD set and attempt a late game sweep. Mega Altaria's typing and access to Heal Bell also provides a very reliable answer to Mega Sableye (which is currently the dominant form of stall on the ORAS ladder) and allows Terrakion to shrug off any potential status. Unaware Clefable is a reasonable answer to this core (but is taken out with SR up) while Slowbro requires a little prior damage + SR for the OHKO with +2 LO Stone Edge. At the same time, Heal Bell Altaria is able to setup all over Slowbro without Ice Beam (which i don't believe will be common once Mega Mence gets the boot). Greninja with Gunk Shot and Dark Pulse (or even Spikes) would supplement this core by dealing with the aforementioned 'checks'.
(Advisable to run a bulkier spread but this was just a quick spread for testing with enough speed for Greninja at +1)
Altaria-Mega @ Altarite
Ability: Pixilate
Happiness: 0
EVs: 80 HP / 204 Atk / 224 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Frustration / Facade
- Dragon Dance
- Roost
- Heal Bell / Earthquake
Terrakion @ Life Orb
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Quick Attack
Altaria-Mega @ Altarite
Ability: Pixilate
Happiness: 0
EVs: 80 HP / 204 Atk / 224 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Frustration / Facade
- Dragon Dance
- Roost
- Heal Bell / Earthquake
Terrakion @ Life Orb
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Quick Attack
Defensive Cores
Mega Sableye and Tentacruel cover each other's weaknesses very well through both their respective defensive typings as well as Sableye's large physical defense and Tentacruel's great special defense. The two provide a large amount of utility on their own but are very weak to Mega Gardevoir, so Jirachi has been added, and the three blend beautifully. Be mindful of the shared ground weakness, however, so a mon such as Landorus-T, Gliscor, or Rotom-W does this core good.
Sableye @ Sableite
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Foul Play
- Knock Off/Taunt
- Recover
Tentacruel @ Black Sludge
Ability: Liquid Ooze
EVs: 252 HP / 236 SpD / 20 Spe
Calm Nature
- Acid Spray
- Scald
- Knock Off
- Rapid Spin
Jirachi @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 136 SpD / 120 Spe
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock/Wish
- Body Slam
- Iron Head
- U-turn
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
- Will-O-Wisp
- Foul Play
- Knock Off/Taunt
- Recover
Tentacruel @ Black Sludge
Ability: Liquid Ooze
EVs: 252 HP / 236 SpD / 20 Spe
Calm Nature
- Acid Spray
- Scald
- Knock Off
- Rapid Spin
Jirachi @ Leftovers
Ability: Serene Grace
EVs: 252 HP / 136 SpD / 120 Spe
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock/Wish
- Body Slam
- Iron Head
- U-turn
This is a ridiculously versatile core that can wall a ridiculous portion of the metagame in xy, but it can now check a lot of the new mega evolutions, while being able to use multiple ev spreads and sets. The zapdos set I'll give is a solid check to Salamence, with Return doing around 25%, and HP Ice taking out most bulky variants after rocks. The only big problems that this core has is Gallade with Ice punch, and Greninjas with HP Fire. The best way to check what gives this core problems would lead you to check them offensively rather than walling them. Talonflame would be a great partner for this core.
Zapdos @ Rocky Helmet / Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 44 Spe
Bold Nature
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Volt Switch / Thunderbolt
- Roost
- Defog / Heat Wave
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
IVs: 0 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Gyro Ball / Power Whip
- Leech Seed
- Protect / Thunder Wave
Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 204 SpD / 56 Spe
Calm Nature
- Lava Plume
- Toxic
- Protect
- Earth Power / Taunt
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 216 Def / 44 Spe
Bold Nature
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Volt Switch / Thunderbolt
- Roost
- Defog / Heat Wave
Ferrothorn @ Leftovers
Ability: Iron Barbs
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
IVs: 0 Spe
- Stealth Rock
- Gyro Ball / Power Whip
- Leech Seed
- Protect / Thunder Wave
Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 248 HP / 204 SpD / 56 Spe
Calm Nature
- Lava Plume
- Toxic
- Protect
- Earth Power / Taunt
This is really cool defensive core to use on balanced teams, featuring NastyPass physically defensive Celebi, SR + Roar Heatran, and mixed wall Alomomola. Those three Pokemon handle most top tier offensive threats in the metagame, such as SubDD Mega Salamence, Mega Lopunny, Mega Metagross, Mega Diancie, Greninja, and Mega Altaria, while providing excellent utility, namely Stealth Rock, phazing, Wish, and an excellent teammates to specially based Pokemon in NastyPass Celebi. The core is also very flexible and allows for aggressive play, thanks to Celebi having Baton Pass and Alomomola Regenerator. Some problematic Pokemon are SubDD Mega Gyarados, DD + EQ Mega Salamence, CM Mega Sableye, and SD Mega Scizor, so appropriate teammates are needed. Keldeo deals with Mega Gyarados and Mega Scizor and has excellent synergy with Celebi, Mega Diancie deals with Mega Sableye, and physically defensive Mega Altaria checks all three of Mega Sableye, Mega Salamence, and Mega Gyarados. All those teammates also benefit from Celebi's ability to Baton Pass Nasty Plot boosts.
Heatran @ Leftovers
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 216 SpD / 40 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Lava Plume
- Roar
- Taunt
Celebi @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 236 Def / 20 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Baton Pass
- Giga Drain
- Nasty Plot
- Recover
Alomomola @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 32 HP / 224 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Wish
- Protect
- Scald
- Toxic
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 HP / 216 SpD / 40 Spe
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Lava Plume
- Roar
- Taunt
Celebi @ Leftovers
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 236 Def / 20 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Baton Pass
- Giga Drain
- Nasty Plot
- Recover
Alomomola @ Leftovers
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 32 HP / 224 Def / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Wish
- Protect
- Scald
- Toxic
Balanced Cores
i'm not sure this core really needs much explanation, synergy-wise they're damn near perfect, and they handle a lot of threats really nice. i like the sr unaware + heal bell set as it keeps raik and gyara status free, but ur standard sr magic guard or even cm magic guard works hella nice as well. raikou is ass vest as ass vest is ass best. also it provides a secondary check to azu, meta, the latis, or venu/amoong, depending on the set. the gyara evs are different than the bulky analysis set as that set is fucking stupid (seriously who the hell needs to outspeed noivern at +1 when was that thing last relevant again?), anyway outspeeds ninja at +1 (altho you can run a lil more speed if you want to get the jump on weavile) and 2hkos offensive venu w/ crunch @ +1 (thank u gamefrick). rest is in hp because i like bulk. taunt is nice for shitting on mega sableye, sub is nice if you're a fan of being worn down quickly i guess and choose not to run heal bell on clef.
Clefable @ Leftovers
Ability: Unaware/Magic Guard
EVs: 248 HP / 236 Def / 24 SpD or 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 SDef
Bold/Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock/Calm Mind
- Moonblast
- Heal Bell/Fire Blast/Flamethrower
- Moonlight/Soft-Boiled
Gyarados-Mega @ Gyaradosite
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 120 HP / 176 Atk / 216 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Taunt/Substitute
- Dragon Dance
- Crunch
- Waterfall
Raikou @ Assault Vest
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 32 SpD / 224 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Shadow Ball/Extrasensory
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Volt Switch
Ability: Unaware/Magic Guard
EVs: 248 HP / 236 Def / 24 SpD or 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 SDef
Bold/Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock/Calm Mind
- Moonblast
- Heal Bell/Fire Blast/Flamethrower
- Moonlight/Soft-Boiled
Gyarados-Mega @ Gyaradosite
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 120 HP / 176 Atk / 216 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Taunt/Substitute
- Dragon Dance
- Crunch
- Waterfall
Raikou @ Assault Vest
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 SpA / 32 SpD / 224 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Shadow Ball/Extrasensory
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Volt Switch
These two are so good to have on a team to prevent losing to matchup because if you are playing against an offensive team, sharpedo only needs you to soften the team a little bit before the sweep. If its a defensive/stall team, stallbreaker talonflame easily takes on most members and in some cases can 6-0 a team straight away. I dont have a grass type in here to make it a nice clean fwg core, but honestly their typings are just convenient it doesnt really matter that they are fire and water. If I were to give a 3rd mon for this core it would be something like CM clefable or other mons that can setup on balanced teams. As for sharpedos last moveslot, its obviously up to you, posion jab for clefable and azumaril, zen headbut for keldeo, ice fang for dragonite salamence altaria etc... I myself am torn between poison jab and ice fang.
When playing this core if you realize your wincon is sharpedo make sure you dont send him out until it is time to sweep, because he usually has to have enough hp to take a priority move. Also he needs to be able to get the speed boost to sweep so if you mega earlier on then you wont be able to clean up. If talonflame is the wincon you can usually just throw him out there and start doing work, just make sure hazards are up. This core has a lot of possible teammates so it allows for some creative teams, Ill just leave you all to it.
I have had great success with this core and would love for you guys to try it out and let me know how it goes. I have a bunch of replays but its either sharpedo sweeping or talonflame stallbreaking, so you get the idea.
Sharpedo @ Sharpedite
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Protect
- Crunch
- Waterfall
- Ice Fang/Zen Headbutt/Poison Jab/Destiny Bond
Talonflame @ Leftovers
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Taunt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Roost
- Brave Bird
Ability: Speed Boost
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Protect
- Crunch
- Waterfall
- Ice Fang/Zen Headbutt/Poison Jab/Destiny Bond
Talonflame @ Leftovers
Ability: Gale Wings
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD
Careful Nature
- Taunt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Roost
- Brave Bird
I'll try to update the OP as quickly as I can.
If you have a good core, post it here in this format:
Pictures: Pictures go there, take them from the Serebii Dex
Description: Answer goes here
Usual Sets: Answer goes here in PS format
Description: Answer goes here
Usual Sets: Answer goes here in PS format
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