Season M-5 Week 1 Meta Report: M-4 wrap-up and M-5 meta predictions
By ChampTeams Editorial
Season M-4 has ended and Season M-5 begins, still on Reg M-B. This report looks at how M-4 finished and what should shape M-5. Reg M-C is confirmed to not be part of Season M-5; it is expected to arrive with Season M-6 on September 2, so Reg M-B is the format to build for through the rest of this season. The board reads the last three weeks of results, 50 tournaments and 2,868 player entries. Kingambit still holds number one and the top of the board is settled. The one change in S is Staraptor-Mega, which climbs in as Sneasler drops to the top of A, even though snow kept winning events. Here is where Reg M-B stands going into Season M-5, what moved, and the teams winning events.
The tier list is recency-weighted and normally reads the last two weeks. This time it reads the last three, which keeps the sample large while the newest August teamlists finish posting on Limitless. Everything below is from real Reg M-B tournament results in that window.
Meta score is a results-led composite from every 30+ player Champions Reg M-B tournament on Limitless in the window. It blends tournament usage, win rate (shrunk toward the mean so small samples are not over-rewarded), top-cut conversion, and event wins, each weighted by how large the event was. Tiers come from the natural gaps in score.
The Season M-5 Week 1 tier list
| Pokémon | Tier | Win rate | Meta score |
|---|---|---|---|
 Kingambit | S | 54.1% | 171.6 |
 Charizard-Mega-Y | S | 52.7% | 163.1 |
 Basculegion | S | 52.5% | 159.1 |
 Garchomp | S | 50.5% | 158.2 |
 Staraptor-Mega | S | 53.1% | 154.5 |
 Farigiraf | S | 51.3% | 153.8 |
 Sinistcha | S | 50.3% | 152.5 |
 Incineroar | S | 49.4% | 151.1 |
What moved in S
The top of the board did not move. Kingambit is the number one Pokémon at 171.6 on a 54.1% win rate, ahead of Charizard-Mega-Y at 163.1, Basculegion at 159.1 and Garchomp at 158.2. The one change lower in S is Staraptor-Mega, which climbs in at 154.5, while Sneasler drops just under the line to the top of A. Farigiraf, Sinistcha and Incineroar hold the rest of S. Sneasler did not fall because snow got worse. Snow won several events this window, but Sneasler's usage and win rate across the whole field settled a fraction under the S cut.
Staraptor-Mega rises on sand and Tailwind
Staraptor-Mega is the riser, and it moved on two archetypes at once. Philip9804 won the 198-player Regulation M-B: Open League #3 on a sand team with Staraptor-Mega alongside Tyranitar-Mega, Excadrill, Gholdengo, Milotic and Sinistcha, and LenVGC won the 97-player VGC Trainer School #3 on the same six. Staraptor-Mega also anchors the Charizard-Mega-Y Tailwind teams that fill the most-played list. Its Close Combat and Brave Bird off Intimidate make it a fast, immediate threat whether it is setting Tailwind or cleaning up under sand. Sand as a whole posts the best win rates outside S: Tyranitar-Mega at 53.5% and Excadrill at 54.4%.
S · 53.1% WRStaraptor-Mega
IntimidateThe one new face in S. Intimidate softens the physical side on the way in, and Close Combat and Brave Bird make it a fast, immediate threat at the top of the speed tier. It slots into both the Tailwind teams with Charizard-Mega-Y and the sand teams that won this window, which is how it climbed into S at a 53.1% win rate.
A · 53.5% WRTyranitar-Mega
Sand StreamThe sand setter behind the biggest win of the window. Its Sand Stream powers Excadrill and wears down the field, and Rock Slide plus Knock Off give it real offense of its own. Sitting at the top of A on a 53.5% win rate, it anchors the sand core that took the 198-player Open League #3.
What is winning tournaments
Three archetypes split the recent trophies. Sand took the largest event, snow kept winning mid-size ones, and rain converted a couple. Read the winners below as the recent results the board is weighing.
| Player | Event | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Philip9804 | Open League #3 (198p) | Staraptor-MegaTyranitar-Mega Excadrill Gholdengo MiloticSinistcha |
| Esquie | Sitrus-Series (157p) |  Froslass-Mega SneaslerBasculegionKingambit Lycanroc-Dusk Scovillain-Mega |
| TimmyInAnAlleyway | Champions Reg M-B (132p) | Froslass-MegaSneaslerBasculegionKingambitLycanroc-DuskScovillain-Mega |
| Wb_vg | Talon's Fight Club #95 (98p) | Charizard-Mega-Y Pelipper Archaludon Venusaur Swampert-Mega Grimmsnarl |
| LenVGC | VGC Trainer School #3 (97p) | Staraptor-MegaTyranitar-MegaExcadrillGholdengoMiloticSinistcha |
Movers in A
Sneasler sits right at the top of A after dropping out of S, still the snow core's main attacker. Sand posts the best win rates in the tier: Excadrill at 54.4% and Tyranitar-Mega at 53.5%, backed by two event wins. Froslass-Mega, the snow setter, holds a 54.9% win rate, one of the highest outside S. Archaludon (51.6%) and Pelipper (51.2%) both sit mid-A as rain won a couple of events without breaking through. Venusaur (53.3%) and Gholdengo (53.1%) round out the strong marks.
Cores that showed up
- Floette-Mega + Kingambit: the single most-used pair, the goodstuffs backbone that fits almost any shell.
- Tyranitar-Mega + Excadrill + Sinistcha: the sand core, the best win rates outside S, behind the 198-player Open League #3 win.
- Staraptor-Mega + Gholdengo / Excadrill: Staraptor-Mega slotting into the sand teams that won this window.
- Staraptor-Mega + Charizard-Mega-Y: the Tailwind core on the most-played goodstuffs teams.
- Blastoise-Mega + Delphox-Mega + Incineroar: the redirection and speed-control shell, one of the most-run full teams.
What to expect in Season M-5
Kingambit is still the safest pick in the format: it anchors the most-used pairs and fits every shell. The team to watch going into Season M-5 is sand, which took the largest recent event and posts the best win rates outside S through Tyranitar-Mega and Excadrill, now with Staraptor-Mega on top. Snow is not gone; it kept winning mid-size events even as Sneasler slipped to the top of A. Rain is a step behind, converting the odd event without breaking into S.
This week's board sits at 8 S, 37 A, 17 B, 64 C and 42 D across 168 ranked Pokémon. It reads three weeks rather than two so it stays full while the newest teamlists catch up. The live tier list keeps rolling forward as results land. Season M-5 runs on Reg M-B, and with Reg M-C not expected until Season M-6 on September 2, this is the format to keep building for.