Garchomp holds at 37% as Gardevoir, Corviknight, and Skarmory surge to punish the top three while stall claims the ladder summit

The 2000+ band paints a strikingly different picture from mid-ladder. Garchomp sits even higher at 48%, but the real story is the supporting cast: Corviknight and Hippowdon both land at 30% in the top band versus just 3% and 11% in the 1000-1999 range, and Torterra appears at 17% above 2000 while registering 0% below. These are slow, bulky picks — Hippowdon at base 47 Speed, Corviknight at base 67 — built to win through hazard pressure and residual damage rather than raw offense. The mid-ladder, by contrast, leans on speed: Meowscarada hits 25% (vs 13% high), Mimikyu 22% (vs 9%), and Delphox 16% (vs 0%), all picks that want to outpace opponents and force quick knockouts.

Corviknight's 30%-to-3% skew is the week's most dramatic skill divide and the clearest sign that stall rewards precise, patient play in ways mid-ladder teams struggle to replicate. Torterra's complete absence below 2000 tells the same story — it needs a tailored gameplan to function, and right now that gameplan exists almost exclusively at the top. On the other end, Delphox's 16%-to-0% reverse skew suggests it thrives as a fast breaker in less optimized fields but loses its niche against tighter defensive cores.

Every major riser this week has the same job description: punish the top three. Gardevoir jumped from 8% to 14%, threatening Garchomp with Moonblast. Skarmory climbed from 3% to 10% and Corviknight from 9% to 14%, both exploiting Steel's advantage into Mimikyu's Fairy typing — Skarmory pressures it directly with Flash Cannon, while Corviknight walls it behind Iron Defense and shrugs off Play Rough. Gengar rose from 7% to 13% as another Mimikyu check via Shadow Ball, and Volcarona went from 5% to 11%, using Quiver Dance to set up on Meowscarada and punish it with super-effective Bug STAB. Garchomp's ×4 Ice weakness remains the format's biggest exploitable pressure point, and the rising Fairy and special-attacking threats only make it harder to build around.

On the flip side, Blaziken dropped hardest within the week, falling from 12% to 5%. Meowscarada opened strong at 24% but slid to 17% as the counter-picks caught up. Umbreon halved from 12% to 6%, squeezed out by the Ghost and Fairy types gaining ground. Charizard eased from 15% to 11%, and Ceruledge dipped from 10% to 6%. Week over week, several former mainstays also shed share — Gyarados fell from 19% to 13%, Primarina from 18% to 14%, and Archaludon from 15% to 11% — clearing room for the new counter-pick wave.

Flying and Steel share the top line at 69% each, though they arrive there differently — Flying runs on the offensive versatility of Dragonite, Charizard, and Gyarados, while Steel thrives on the defensive backbone of Corviknight, Archaludon, and Scizor. Water and Fire follow at 68%, reflecting the format's appetite for both defensive Water pivots and offensive Fire coverage. Ghost rounds out the top five at 66%, powered by Mimikyu's steady presence and Gengar's rise.

The tight five-point gap across the top eight types reflects how evenly the meta distributes its coverage obligations. No single type monopolizes team slots, which rewards flexible, pivot-heavy builds over teams that commit to one defensive identity.