5 Teams for Regulation I
Regulation I · Feb 2026 archive5 Teams for Regulation I
Restricted Pairs, Gameplans, and Spreads
Regulation I · Feb 2026 archive. The team comps and speed benchmarks below were tuned for that regulation and may be stale — the targeting and gameplan reasoning still holds.
Miraidon + Calyrex-Ice
Screens BalanceA screens-powered balance team that grinds wins through Leech Seed cycling. Miraidon trades aggressively to clear threats, Grimmsnarl sets dual screens, and Calyrex-Ice accumulates an unrecoverable HP lead behind the wall.
Choice Specs
Electro Drift
Draco MeteorVolt Switch
Dazzling Gleam
Leftovers
Glacial Lance
Leech Seed
Trick Room
Protect
Covert CloakLight ScreenReflectThunder WaveSpirit Break
Assault VestFake Out
Knock Off
U-turn
Flare Blitz
Mystic Water
Surging StrikesAqua Jet
Close CombatDetect
Life Orb
Earth Power
Sludge BombSandsear StormProtectTeam Theory
This team's identity is inevitability. While most restricted pairs try to overwhelm opponents in the first few turns, this team invests in a slower engine: get Calyrex-Ice on the field, seed something, and get control of the game.
- T1: Fake Out biggest threat, Leech Seed the other slot
- T2: Switch into Grimmsnarl, set screens while Caly-Ice seeds
- T3: Protect + screens = Leech Seed clock running. Grind out HP lead
- T1: Light Screen + Electro Drift / Thunder Wave speed threat
- T2: Reflect + Miraidon fires nukes to remove Caly-Ice blockers
- T3: Calyrex-Ice enters behind dual screens to close it out
The endgame is Calyrex-Ice under dual screens with Leech Seed active. Screens halve incoming damage, Leech Seed drains the opponent while recovering HP — the compounding advantage is unrecoverable. Alternative win conditions: Tera Fairy Dazzling Gleam Miraidon can sweep, and Landorus-I Sandsear Storm cleans up weakened boards.
Caly-Ice takes full damage before it can seed. The Leech Seed engine stalls — opponents deal too much damage per turn to sustain the HP advantage.
Nothing clears the threats that wall Caly-Ice. Shadow Rider, bulky Incineroar, and opposing restricted pairs all hard-stop the Leech Seed engine without Miraidon's pressure.
No safe entry for Caly-Ice. Every switch-in eats a hit. Lose Fake Out pressure and Intimidate cycling — Miraidon gets targeted before it can fire.
Leech Seed's HP drain scales with the target's max HP. Seeding a full-HP Incineroar or Koraidon generates massive recovery. Prioritize seeding the bulkiest thing on the opponent's side — Miraidon handles threats, Leech Seed handles sustainability.
EV Spreads
Calyrex-Shadow + Koraidon
Fake Out SweepA Fake Out cycling team built to create free turns for Calyrex-Shadow's Nasty Plot. Koraidon is the backup plan when Shadow Rider gets pinned.
Life Orb
Astral BarrageNasty PlotPsychicProtect
Clear AmuletFlare BlitzFlame ChargeProtectLow Kick
Assault VestGrassy GlideFake OutU-turnWood Hammer
Focus SashIcy WindMoonblastShadow BallProtect
Safety GogglesFake OutKnock OffParting ShotHelping Hand
EvioliteFollow MeAfter YouHelping HandProtectTeam Theory
This team is built around one question: how do we guarantee Calyrex-Shadow gets a Nasty Plot off? The answer is redundant Fake Out pressure, redirection, and Friend Guard bulk.
- T1: Fake Out biggest threat, Nasty Plot
- T2: Pivot Clefairy in, sweep with +2 Astral Barrage under Friend Guard
- T3: Helping Hand from Clefairy pushes damage over OHKO thresholds
- T1: Helping Hand + Flare Blitz to push early damage
- T2: Flame Charge to build Speed, Helping Hand for KO thresholds
- T3: Shadow Rider enters to clean once Koraidon has cleared the path
The endgame is a Nasty Plot Calyrex-Shadow with Friend Guard support from Clefairy. At +2 with Life Orb, Astral Barrage OHKOs most of the format. Fake Out buys the setup turn, Follow Me keeps Shadow Rider alive, and Helping Hand pushes borderline KOs over the threshold.
Shadow Rider has no Friend Guard bulk and no After You control. It gets picked off before sweeping — fast threats move first and it dies before it can attack.
No free setup turns. Shadow Rider has to Nasty Plot while taking hits from both opponents — it rarely survives to sweep without that free turn.
No backup plan when Shadow Rider is countered by Tera Dark or Dark-type builds. The team becomes completely one-dimensional.
Clefairy's After You makes Shadow Rider move first in Trick Room — bypassing the speed reversal so your sweeper always goes first.
EV Spreads
Clefairy's After You makes Shadow Rider move first in Trick Room. That's the key interaction — it bypasses the speed reversal so your sweeper always goes first.
Terapagos + Calyrex-Shadow
Calm Mind SweepAlways lead Terapagos. Tera Shell halves super-effective damage at full HP, Calm Mind stacking turns it into an unkillable sweeper, and five flexible partners provide the right support for any matchup.
LeftoversTera StarstormEarth PowerCalm MindProtectFocus SashAstral BarragePollen PuffWill-O-WispProtect
Rocky HelmetFake OutWill-O-WispParting ShotKnock Off
Booster EnergyIcy WindThunder WaveTauntMoonblast
Cornerstone MaskFollow Me
Ivy CudgelKnock OffSpiky ShieldAssault VestGrassy GlideFake OutU-turnWood HammerTeam Theory
This team has one constant: Terapagos is always on the field. Every other Pokemon exists to answer the question — what does Terapagos need next to me right now?
- T1: Fake Out biggest threat, Terapagos Calm Mind for free
- T2: Parting Shot cycles Incin out — bring in next support
- T3: Terapagos at +1 or higher begins sweeping with Tera Starstorm
- T1: Follow Me + Calm Mind — Ogerpon redirects the attack, Terapagos stacks
- T2: Sturdy guarantees Ogerpon survives hit; continue boosting
- T3: Sweep with Tera Stellar Starstorm once +2, hits everything for spread
At +2 SpA/SpD, Terapagos OHKOs most of the format. When you Tera (Stellar), you do less single-target damage but gain spread damage — 2HKOing most of the format with Tera Starstorm. Teraform Zero timing is the single most important skill with this team: knowing when to Tera Terapagos, and equally important, when NOT to Tera.
Terapagos takes a hit every time it tries to Calm Mind. The setup window disappears — you can't stack boosts if you're eating damage every turn.
Opposing setup goes unchecked (no Taunt), fast threats outpace Terapagos before it can stack. No Thunder Wave to handle speed leads.
No backup win condition if Terapagos goes down early. Also lose Pollen Puff healing — a critical recovery tool that resets Tera Shell.
Tera Shell only works at full HP. Even small chip from sandstorm or residual damage shuts it off. Protect stalling for Leftovers ticks to recover to full before the biggest incoming attack is a core piloting pattern for this team.
EV Spreads
Tera Shell only works at full HP. Once Terapagos takes any chip damage, the ability is inactive until you heal back to full through Leftovers, Pollen Puff, or Grassy Terrain recovery. Protect stalling for Leftovers ticks to recover to full before the opponent's biggest attack is a core piloting pattern.
Calyrex-Shadow + Zamazenta
Whimsicott OffenseAn offensive trading team that positions aggressively instead of cycling defensively. Whimsicott is the engine — Prankster Tailwind, Fake Tears for OHKO thresholds, and Encore to lock opponents out. Don't switch. Trade damage. Outpace.
Life OrbAstral BarragePollen PuffPsyshockProtect
Rusted ShieldBody PressWide Guard
Behemoth BashProtect
Covert Cloak
TailwindFake TearsEncoreMoonblast
Booster EnergyThunderclapThunderboltDragon PulseProtect
Focus SashIce SpinnerSucker PunchProtectTaunt
Hearthflame MaskFollow MeHelping HandIvy CudgelSpiky ShieldTeam Theory
CSR and Zamazenta cover each other's weaknesses perfectly. CSR handles Ghost, Poison, and Psychic types while Zamazenta removes Dark and Normal types that wall Astral Barrage. Whimsicott ties the pair together with speed control and damage amplification.
- T1: Tailwind + Astral Barrage (or Fake Tears + Astral if already outspeeding)
- T2: Fake Tears drops SpDef by 2 — turns 2HKOs into OHKOs immediately
- T3: Encore locks Protect / Calm Mind users; sweep freely
- T1: Follow Me + Astral Barrage — CSR fires freely with redirection up
- T2: Helping Hand pushes damage over OHKO thresholds
- T3: Whimsicott enters for Tailwind or Encore in the endgame
Calyrex-Shadow behind Tailwind with Fake Tears support. Modest CSR after -2 SpDef on the target OHKOs everything not immune to Ghost. The golden rule: commit to trades, never switch. Whimsicott + Zamazenta in the endgame is extremely hard to break — Encore controls the opponent while Body Press deals consistent damage.
No Tailwind, no Fake Tears amplification, no Encore. CSR and Raging Bolt lose their damage multipliers and the team can't outpace faster archetypes.
Nothing handles Dark types that wall Astral Barrage. No Wide Guard for spread moves. CSR gets walled by Tera Dark and has no safe partner for defensive coverage.
Ghost types freely switch into Body Press. Electric/Grassy Terrain goes uncontested — Miraidon keeps its Electric Terrain bonus and Rillaboom keeps Grassy Glide priority.
This team punishes defensive play from both sides. If your opponent Protects, Encore locks them in for 3 turns. If you switch, you waste Tailwind turns and lose the damage race. Commit to trades. Trust the bulk calcs. The spreads are built to survive the hits you're going to take.
EV Spreads
This team punishes defensive play from BOTH sides. If your opponent plays defensively, Encore locks them in. If you play defensively, you waste Tailwind turns and lose the damage race. Commit to trades. Trust the bulk calcs. The spreads are built to survive the hits you're going to take.
Team 4 is based on Michael's work. Full original post: https://x.com/MichaelderBeste/status/2033910061693587675
Calyrex-Ice + Koraidon
Leech Seed GrindA grind team that chips opponents into Glacial Lance range through Leech Seed sustain and Smeargle's Ruination. Koraidon and Landorus exist specifically to remove opposing Incineroar — the biggest obstacle to the Leech Seed engine.
LeftoversGlacial LanceLeech SeedTrick RoomProtectClear AmuletFlare BlitzFlame ChargeProtectLow KickSafety GogglesFake OutFlare BlitzKnock OffParting ShotAssault VestGrassy GlideFake OutU-turnWood Hammer
Focus SashSporeRuinationFollow MeSpiky ShieldLife OrbEarth PowerSludge BombSandsear StormProtectTeam Theory
Calyrex-Ice is the win condition — Leech Seed for sustain, Glacial Lance for closing. Every other piece exists to get opponents into Glacial Lance KO range or to keep Calyrex-Ice alive long enough to finish the job.
- T1: Fake Out biggest threat, Leech Seed the other slot
- T2: Protect + accumulate Leech Seed drain + Leftovers recovery
- T3: Glacial Lance when opponent is in KO range
- T1: Ruination halves target HP — one hit puts them in Glacial Lance range
- T2: Spore removes a threat OR Follow Me redirects while Caly-Ice seeds
- T3: Glacial Lance closes after Leech Seed + Ruination chip
The KO sequence is Leech Seed → Ruination → Glacial Lance. Three actions across 2-3 turns. Ruination halves current HP, Leech Seed drains residual, Glacial Lance closes. Even 252 HP defensive builds hit 50% from Ruination — they're all in Glacial Lance range after that.
No Ruination chip means Glacial Lance doesn't KO bulky targets from full. The grind takes too long and opponents recover between turns.
No free Leech Seed turns. Calyrex-Ice eats a hit every time it tries to seed — the HP grind works against you instead of for you.
Opposing Incineroar Intimidate-cycles freely. Calyrex-Ice's Glacial Lance hits like a pillow after Intimidate stacks — the physical offense becomes unusable.
Ruination halves the target's current HP. On a full-HP target, that's 50%. After Leech Seed drain and one Ruination, most Pokemon are in Glacial Lance KO range — even bulky ones that would normally survive.
EV Spreads
Ruination halves the target's current HP. On a full-HP target, that's 50%. After Leech Seed drain and one Ruination, most Pokemon are in Glacial Lance KO range — even bulky ones that would normally survive it. The sequence is: Leech Seed → Ruination → Glacial Lance.
Both teams run the same Calyrex-Ice spread and the same Leech Seed grind engine. The difference is how they chip opponents into Glacial Lance range. Team 1 uses Miraidon as a nuclear option behind screens — slower but safer. Team 5 uses Smeargle's Ruination to halve HP directly — faster but more fragile. Pick Team 1 for long games against bulky boards. Pick Team 5 when you need to reach KO thresholds quickly.