pmerge should have an option to force just the max version solution instead of trying secondary solutions

[nus]

pquery --vdb --attr=alldepends coreutils
sys-apps/coreutils-6.9-r1 depends="sys-apps/acl >=sys-devel/gettext-0.15 !net-mail/base64 >=sys-libs/ncurses-5.3-r5 >=sys-devel/automake-1.10 >=sys-devel/autoconf-2.61 >=sys-devel/m4-1.4-r1 =sys-devel/automake-1.10* >=sys-devel/autoconf-2.61 sys-devel/libtool" rdepends="sys-apps/acl >=sys-devel/gettext-0.15 !net-mail/base64 >=sys-libs/ncurses-5.3-r5" post_rdepends=""

pquery --max --attr=alldepends coreutils
sys-apps/coreutils-6.11 depends="sys-apps/acl >=sys-devel/gettext-0.15 !<sys-apps/util-linux-2.13 !net-mail/base64 !sys-apps/mktemp >=sys-libs/ncurses-5.3-r5 app-arch/lzma-utils >=sys-devel/automake-1.10.1 >=sys-devel/autoconf-2.61 >=sys-devel/m4-1.4-r1 =sys-devel/automake-1.10* >=sys-devel/autoconf-2.61 sys-devel/libtool" rdepends="sys-apps/acl >=sys-devel/gettext-0.15 !<sys-apps/util-linux-2.13 !net-mail/base64 !sys-apps/mktemp >=sys-libs/ncurses-5.3-r5" post_rdepends=""

Notice !sys-apps/mktemp.

pquery --vdb --attr=alldepends mktemp
sys-apps/mktemp-1.5 depends=">=sys-apps/debianutils-2.16.2" rdepends=">=sys-apps/debianutils-2.16.2" post_rdepends=""
 pquery --max --attr=alldepends mktemp
sys-apps/mktemp-1.5 depends=">=sys-apps/debianutils-2.16.2" rdepends=">=sys-apps/debianutils-2.16.2 !>=sys-apps/coreutils-6.10" post_rdepends=""

pmerge -1p coreutils
 * Resolving...
[ebuild   R   ] sys-apps/coreutils-6.9-r1  USE="acl nls (-selinux) -static -xattr"

emerge -q1p coreutils
[uninstall    ] sys-apps/mktemp-1.5  
[blocks b     ] >=sys-apps/coreutils-6.10 (is blocking sys-apps/mktemp-1.5)
[blocks b     ] sys-apps/mktemp (is blocking sys-apps/coreutils-6.11)
[ebuild     U ] sys-apps/coreutils-6.11 [6.9-r1] 

pmerge -d1p coreutils
[snip]
inserting vdb node for blocker !sys-apps/mktemp MutatedPkg(built ebuild: sys-apps/mktemp-1.5, overrides=('depends', 'rdepends', 'post
_rdepends'))
none blocker !sys-apps/mktemp hit [<MutatedPkg pkg=<<class 'pkgcore.ebuild.ebuild_built.package'> cpv='sys-apps/mktemp-1.5' @0x98f4df
c> overrides=('depends', 'rdepends', 'post_rdepends') @0x98f770c>] for atom ( ( repo.livefs = False || ( category == virtual && packa
ge_is_real = False ) ) && ( package == coreutils ) ) pkg config wrapped(use): ebuild src: sys-apps/coreutils-6.11
choice for   ( ( repo.livefs = False || ( category == virtual && package_is_real = False ) ) && ( package == coreutils ) ), config wrapped(use): ebuild src: sys-apps/coreutils-6.11 failed: depends blocker: !sys-apps/mktemp conflicts w/ [<MutatedPkg pkg=<<class 'pkgcore.ebuild.ebuild_built.package'> cpv='sys-apps/mktemp-1.5' @0x98f4dfc> overrides=('depends', 'rdepends', 'post_rdepends') @0x98f770c>]
choose for   ( ( repo.livefs = False || ( category == virtual && package_is_real = False ) ) && ( package == coreutils ) ), config wrapped(use): ebuild src: sys-apps/coreutils-6.9-r1
depends:       ( ( repo.livefs = False || ( category == virtual && package_is_real = False ) ) && ( package == coreutils ) ): started: config wrapped(use): ebuild src: sys-apps/coreutils-6.9-r1

[snip]