u/brocll

Hey everyone, I wanted to share a dual-mode Sun + Trick Room (SunRoom) squad featuring all three fully evolved Kanto starters and get your feedback on how to optimize it.

The Core Idea & Gameplan The goal is to provide two distinct modes depending on matchup: a high-speed offensive Sun mode and an explosive Trick Room mode, with Farigiraf tying everything together by blocking priority (Fake Out, Prankster).

Fast Sun Mode (Charizard-Y + Chlorophyll Venusaur): Charizard sets immediate Drought on Mega Evolution. Venusaur outspeeds the vast majority of the unboosted metagame under Sun, firing off high-damage Solar Beams, Sludge Bombs, and Earth Power for coverage. Charizard acts as a heavy special cannon while supporting with Helping Hand.

Trick Room Mode (Farigiraf + Torkoal / Mega Blastoise / Sylveon): Farigiraf guarantees Trick Room setup thanks to Armor Tail shutting down opposing priority. Once Room is active, Torkoal drops devastating full-HP Eruptions in the Sun, while Mega Blastoise dishes out spread Water Spouts (or mega-boosted Aura Sphere/Dark Pulse) and provides Fake Out utility. Sylveon adds consistent Fairy spread damage with Pixilate Hyper Voice and disruption via Yawn.

What are your thoughts on this team? Where i can improve my synergy?

Hey everyone, I’m a huge Venusaur fan, and I’ve been testing out various ways to play with its Mega form in the M-A tier. I’ve mainly played with sandstorm and rain teams, and I’ve also tested the standard form on sunny teams. But one playstyle that’s been really fun for me lately is taking advantage of the CTS ladder format to play this “fake” sun team with Mega Charizard or Mega Venusaur. Since everyone expects a classic Mega Charizard Y team when they look at the team preview, it gives me the option to choose between Mega Charizard X or Venusaur depending on the matchup.

My team-building process was quite simple: I used Pokémon commonly found in Sun-based teams, but with different strategies.

The initial idea was to build a viable team with both Mega Evolution options. In the case of Venusaur, it works very well regardless of the teammates alongside it, needing only coverage against certain threats—an area I believe can still be greatly improved in this team’s composition. OBS, venusaur third move is actually earth power now.

From there, I added Basculegion to complete the FGW core options, serving as a great fast starter with a pivot on the flip turn, or a late-game sweeper with Last Respects, but that slot is still open—I’m still considering whether it would be interesting to have another Pokémon like a Rotom-Wash Scarf in that slot...

Sneasler runs a build with Fake Out and Coaching to be Charizard’s best partner, whether to help him set up Dragon Dance with the flinch, or to use Coaching alongside Zard’s Protect in more dangerous situations; It’s also very useful alongside Venusaur against that common duo of Glimmora + Whimsicott and other meta threats like Sylveon, Floette, Ttar, and Kingambit, as well as being useful alongside Kingambit against the classic Incineroar + Gengar starter in Perish Song teams. I could possibly replace him with another fake-out player to improve the team's coverage, but so far I haven't liked any of the options. OBS The ability is unburden, pressure was a missclick

Kingambit is a Pokémon I’ve really enjoyed using in this tier; it’s a major threat against Intimidate users, handles fast Ghost and Psychic-type Pokémon like Basculegion and Delphox very well, and performs exceptionally well against teams that rely on Perish Song and Trick Room. I don't plan on replacing it because it works so well in many situations. Im thinking about Brick Break over low kick to deal with screen setters...

And finally, Aerodactyl with the Sash comes in as a speed control option with Tailwind, and really helps create the illusion of a fake Sun Team. It’s been quite useful in various matchups, both for its speed control and its ability to cause flinches with Rock Slide. I don’t think I’d remove it from the team, but I’m always torn about its moveset between Dual Wingbeat, Wide Guard, and Protect.

So far, I’ve had pretty decent success with this team. I play about six matches a day and usually end the day with a 4-2 or 5-1 record. The matchups I’ve been struggling with the most right now are offensive Sand teams starting with Tyranitar + Excadrill, and Rain teams focused on protecting Archaludon with Sableye, Pelipper, Sinistcha, and Scizor/Venusaur/Dragonite as Mega Evolutions. I’m still unsure about what I can do to improve these matchups; maybe swapping out Basculegion really is a good idea...

I just joined the VGC with the release of Champions. My only previous experience with competitive play was messing around in random battles on Showdown and a bit of singles in Generations 5 and 6, also on Showdown.

My peak rating hit 1900, playing about 2 to 6 games a day, with a few exceptions where I played more or didn’t play at all. I started my first 10 games and reached Great Ball using a Trick Room team with Torkoal, but from there I felt dealing with the counters was too much of a headache, so I switched to a Hyper Offense team with Mega Zard Y and Venusaur (my favorite Pokémon), which took me all the way to the Master Ball, and I even participated in a tournament with 600 people where I reached rank 84, but I admit that I found the gameplay with that team a bit frustrating, with moves I might have been using incorrectly and the frequent counters to Mega Zard.

From there, I started studying the game more, looking into team archetypes, and tried to find something that suited me better. I succeeded in finding the Bulky Offense archetype, and through that, I decided to start playing with Mega Venusaur, since it’s my favorite, and I decided to test a team I’d seen on X, using it in the rain alongside Archaludon and Sableye, finishing with Kingambit, Basculegion, or Pelipper, and man, I really liked that playstyle—it felt like everything just clicked from there

I am really happy with my performance this season. I’m not among the best, but I think I did well for a first-time experience, and I managed to establish my own identity as a player. I hope that for the upcoming Regs, I’ll be able to find teams that suit my playstyle just as well as this Mega Venu Rain team did, and that I can perform even better—maybe one day I’ll reach Champion level.

And for you guys, how did you feel about this first season in Pokémon Champions?