Garchomp extends its lead to 37% while Meowscarada surges from 19% to 28%, triggering a wave of Fairy and Fire counter-picks across the ladder

The 2000+ bracket (26 teams) paints a distinctly different picture from the 1000-1999 range (126 teams). Metagross is the starkest example: 27% usage at the top versus just 13% in mid-range, suggesting it rewards the precise switching and prediction that stronger players excel at. Dragonite follows the same pattern at 23% versus 11%, and Samurott (Hisui) shows up at 15% among top players but only 4% below. Aegislash (19%), Delphox (19%), and Hydreigon (15%) also have notable top-band presence, pointing to a richer and more diverse metagame at higher ratings.

The mid-band skew is just as telling. Meowscarada sits at 30% in mid-range but only 12% at the top — the strongest players clearly have better tools for dealing with it. Charizard is even starker: 17% in mid-range and a flat 0% in the 2000+ bracket, meaning not a single top-rated team ran it this week. Blaziken tells a similar story at 20% versus 4%. The pattern is clear: straightforward breakers dominate mid-ladder, while the top of the rating distribution favors bulkier, more flexible picks that can navigate longer games.

The meta is actively self-correcting around its two biggest threats. Primarina climbed from 17% to 23% in the second half of the week, bringing Moonblast as a direct Fairy-type answer to Garchomp. Charizard rose from 10% to 15%, punishing Meowscarada's Grass typing with Flamethrower. Mimikyu ticked up from 25% to 29%, adding yet another Play Rough user to keep Garchomp in check. Even Lopunny (3% to 8%, peak rating 2214) and Umbreon (5% to 9%, peak 2204) are showing up on high-rated teams: Lopunny — as its Mega — is a fast Scrappy Fighting-type that muscles through the Ghosts and Steels this meta is stacked with, while Umbreon is a bulky support that heals with Wish and turns physical attackers' own power against them through Foul Play. Two very different answers, and a sign players are digging deeper into the toolbox for fresh ideas.

On the flip side, several picks faded as the week went on. Meowscarada itself slid from 31% early in the week down to 22%, likely squeezed by the rising Charizard numbers. Dragonite dropped hard from 19% to 9% within the week — still up from 13% last report overall, but the trajectory is clearly pointing down. Delphox (15% to 7%) and Greninja (14% to 7%) both lost ground fast.

The defining tension in this format remains Garchomp's crippling x4 Ice weakness. Meowscarada runs Triple Axel at a staggering 90% rate, meaning nearly every one on ladder is threatening to blow Garchomp clean off the field. That is exactly why Garchomp teams lean so hard on Steel-type partners — Metagross and Archaludon provide the Fairy and Ice resistances Garchomp desperately needs to function. With Rough Skin at 100% usage and Stealth Rock on 58% of sets, Garchomp is pulling its weight as both a hazard setter and a sweeper, but it lives or dies on the support around it.

There's a clear Speed story here too. The fast picks that both outrun and threaten Garchomp (Speed 102) — Meowscarada (123) and Greninja (122) — are the ones fading in the back half (Meowscarada 31% to 22%, Greninja 14% to 7%), while the answer that's actually rising, Primarina, sits at just 60 Speed. It checks Garchomp through bulk and Fairy typing — which is immune to Garchomp's Dragon STAB — rather than by outspeeding it, so this week the field is answering Garchomp with staying power, not more Speed.

Water leads all types at 78% team presence, powered by the trio of Primarina, Gyarados, and Greninja offering wildly different roles — from bulky Fairy-type wall to physical sweeper to special-attacking pivot. Steel is right behind at 76%, and its dominance is easy to explain: in a format where Fairy and Ice moves fly everywhere to answer Garchomp, you need Steel-types to absorb those hits. Metagross, Archaludon, and Aegislash each bring unique defensive profiles while hitting back hard on their own.

Ghost (71%) and Fairy (70%) are near-universal, with Mimikyu pulling double duty across both. Dark rounds out the top five at 70%, driven by Meowscarada, Greninja, and Hydreigon — all Pokemon that thrive on forcing 50/50s and pressuring passive play. Dragon (69%), Ground (67%), and Fire (65%) fill out the landscape, with Garchomp singlehandedly anchoring both Dragon and Ground representation across the format.