Mega Metagross

Mega Metagross is a metagame-defining threat in 1v1 thanks to its impressive offensive, defensive and Speed stats, useful pre- and post-Mega Evolution abilities and a good defensive typing in Steel / Psychic. It is also the single most reliable counter to Kyurem-B in the meta, and checks other top-tier threats such as Mega Gyarados and Tapu Koko. A diverse movepool lets it bypass what may be perceived as checks such as using Magnet Rise with Substitute to beat Donphan. Mega Metagross's relative lack of counters leaves you with very little reason to avoid using it, but common weaknesses to Fire- and Ground-type attacks can hold it back to a degree, as those are common offensive types, which can leave it vulnerable to Pokemon such as bulky Mega Charizard X and Blaziken.
=Physically Defensive=
Metagross-Mega @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 136 Atk / 28 Def / 20 SpD / 72 Spe
Impish Nature
- Thunder Punch
- Meteor Mash
- Hammer Arm / Bullet Punch
- Zen Headbutt / Bullet Punch / Earthquake / Magnet Rise
==Set Comments==
===Moves===
Thunder Punch is quintessential, as it allows Mega Metagross to 2HKO the majority of Mega Gyarados most of the time. Meteor Mash is the preferred Steel-type STAB move because of its higher Base Power when compared to Iron Head. It also has a nifty 20% chance to boost Mega Metagross's attack by 1 stage. Hammer Arm is generally the best option for slot three, as it eliminates any rolls against Mega Gyarados. Hammer Arm also has several other notable targets such as Magnezone, Snorlax and non-Counter Chansey. Zen Headbutt is an option that is used primarily to nail Mega Venusaur and Mega Heracross and provide a Psychic-type STAB move. Bullet Punch is useful against Curse Mimikyu as well as other miscellaneous faster Pokemon and priority users such as physical Tapu Koko and Mega Mawile; it is great for surprising Sucker Punch users such as Mega Mawile, as it will cause Sucker Punch to fail provided that Mega Metagross outspeeds. It also lets Metagross reliably pick off weakened foes. Earthquake is another option for the fourth slot that is useful against Magearna and Mega Mawile as it does not rely on rolls and cannot miss. In addition, it is useful against opposing Mega Metagross. Magnet Rise may be used to avoid powerful Ground-type attacks from Pokemon such as Donphan and Landorus-T. Be wary of speedy Landorus-T and Counter Donphan if you choose to use this.
===Set Details===
252 HP and 28 Defense EVs with an Impish nature allows Mega Metagross to survive a +1 Crunch from Mega Gyarados. 72 Speed EVs ensure that Metagross will be able to outspeed maximum-Speed base 75s such as Smeargle and Mega Heracross. 20 Special Defense EVs paired with the given HP allows Metagross to survive a Gigavolt Havoc from Magnezone; however, if you're not running Hammer Arm or Earthquake, these EVs may be moved elsewhere. The remaining EVs are put into Attack to pick up various KOs such as the ever-important Gyarados. Clear Body allows Metagross to evade Intimidates Attack drop prior to Mega Evolution. After Mega Evolution, Tough Claws post-mega boosts the power of Mega Metagross' contact moves such as Meteor Mash and Thunder Punch.
===Usage Tips===
Use this set against teams that have Pokemon such as Gyarados, Donphan (if running Magnet Rise), and Mega Venusaur (if running Zen Headbutt), as it can act as a psuedo-lure despite the fact that none of these options deviate from the standard set. When against Magnezone, Metagross should Mega Evolve and use Hammer Arm or Earthquake, and follow with Bullet Punch; however, if Metagross is not running Bullet Punch, use Thunder Punch prior to using Hammer Arm or Earthquake and if you believe they will use Electroweb, don't Mega Evolve on turn 1 to avoid the Speed drop with Clear Body. Against Chansey, don't Mega Evolve so as to prevent Charm from lowering Metagross's attack, spam Meteor Mash, and wait for an Attack boost. Avoid missing Meteor Mash and Hammer Arm; if a more accurate move will get the KO, be sure to use that. Against Counter users such as Crustle and Sawk, you should use a weaker attack such as Bullet Punch before going in for the KO to secure the win.
===Team Options===
Pokemon that can take on Fire types like Charizard, such as Terrakion and Primarina, and Ground types like Donphan (if not running Magnet Rise) as well as Aegislash, such as Mega Gyarados and Jumpluff, are greatly appreciated. Strong special attackers can also be troublesome, so Pokemon with good special bulk like Snorlax have great utility. Teammates that lose to Mega Gyarados are preferable so that this set can act as a proper lure. Chansey and Blissey in particular serve as great Mega Charizard Y, Donphan, Aegislash, and special attacker checks; Blaziken and Tapu Koko can prove to be troublesome for them, however. Donphan and Golem are other great options as they can take on both Mega Charizard X and Y, Blaziken, Aegislash, and Tapu Koko.
=Specially Defensive=
Metagross-Mega @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 232 HP / 72 Atk / 132 SpD / 72 Spe
Careful Nature
- Bulldoze / Earthquake
- Meteor Mash
- Magnet Rise / Bullet Punch / Zen Headbutt
- Hammer Arm / Bullet Punch / Zen Headbutt / Thunder Punch
==Set Comments==
===Moves===
Meteor Mash is the preferred Steel STAB because of its higher power as compared to Iron Head. It also has a nifty 20% chance to boost Mega Metagross' attack by 1 stage. Bulldoze 2HKOs and lowers the speed of Tapu Koko and Magnezone, allowing it to outspeed them on the second turn. Alternatively, Earthquake paired with Bullet Punch gets the same kills, but requires 2 moveslots. Earthquake and Bullet Punch should always be used in conjunction. Bullet Punch is useful against Curse Mimikyu and priority users like Mega Mawile (as it causes Sucker Punch to fail) as well. Magnet Rise temporarily makes Mega Metagross immune to ground, allowing it to beat pokemon like Donphan and slow Landorus-T. Be wary of speedy Landorus-T and counter Donphan if you use this. Hammer Arm provides valuable coverage against pokemon like Charm Chansey, Snorlax and Kartana among others. Zen Headbutt reliably 2HKOs Mega Venusaur and Mega Heracross. Thunder Punch is an option that allows Metagross to beat non-Crunch Mega Gyarados. Substitute may also be used in conjunction with Earthquake, Bullet Punch and Magnet Rise in order to beat Aegislash as well as more reliably deal with Donphan, Golem and Landorus-T.
===Set Details===
228 HP lives physical Tapu Koko's Gigavolt Havoc. 112 Special Defense with a Careful nature paired with the given HP investment survives special Tapu Koko's Gigavolt Havoc. 72 Speed insures that Metagross will be able to outspeed base 75s with maximum speed investment such as Smeargle and Mega Heracross. The remaining EVs are added to HP, Attack and Special Defense to improve rolls, most notably against Magearna. Clear Body is the pre-mega ability of choice as it allows Metagross to evade Intimidates Attack drop. Though Claws post-mega boosts the power of Mega Metagross' STAB attacks, Thunder Punch and Hammer Arm.
===Usage Tips===
If your opponent has a Tapu Koko, they don't know what set you are, and the rest of your team loses to Tapu Koko, you should almost always click Mega Metagross. Unless the rest of your team really needs the specific coverage Hammer Arm, Magnet Rise, Zen Headbutt and Thunder Punch provides, you can swap up these moves depending on what people are using at the time. Against Chansey, don't mega evolve so as to prevent Charm from lowering your attack. Spam Meteor Mash and wait for an attack boost. Avoid missing Meteor Mash and Hammer Arm. If a more accurate move will get the KO, be sure to use that. Additionally, always use Thunder Punch to break Mimikyu's Disguise. Bullet Punch is great for surprising Sucker Punch users such as Mega Mawile as it will cause Sucker Punch to fail provided that you outspeed.
===Team Options===
Pokemon that can handle Mega Gyarados such as Tapu Koko are important as this set is unable to reliably deal with it. Pokemon that can take on Fire types like Charizard, such as Terrakion, and Ground types like Donphan (if not running Magnet Rise) as well as Aegislash, such as Mega Gyarados are greatly appreciated. Teammates that lose to Tapu Koko like Mega Pinsir are ideal so as to make this set an effective lure. Chansey and Blissey make for a good teammates as they can deal with Charizard, Donphan, Aegislash and non-Taunt Mega Gyarados while still losing to Tapu Koko.
=Offensive=
Metagross-Mega @ Metagrossite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Meteor Mash / Iron Head / Magnet Rise / Ice Punch / Hammer Arm
- Rock Tomb
- Substitute
- Earthquake
==Set Comments==
===Moves===
Meteor Mash boasts 90 BP and a 20% chance to boost Mega Metagross' Attack by 1 stage. Iron Head has 80 BP and a 30% chance to flinch. Because of the maximum attack investment, the power difference is less relevant, so pick your poison for the Steel STAB. Rock Tomb is used to hit Mega Charizard Y and Mega Pinsir, and also is helpful against Mega Charizard X that choose to either not mega evolve or to use Dragon Dance. Substitute is used to force Aegislash into blade form and to make Mega Charizard X take Flare Blitz recoil. It can also block status moves from defensive pokemon like Snorlax and Ferrothorn and scout for Z-moves from slower attackers like Magnezone. Earthquake KOs Charizard X after Flare Blitz recoil and Aegislash while in blade form. It also 3HKOs Kartana. Magnet Rise in conjunction with Substitute allows Mega Metagross to reliably take on Donphan, Golem and Landorus-T. Ice Punch is great for nailing Landorus-T, Garchomp, Dragonite, and if Mega Metagross wins the speed tie, Jumpluff. Hammer Arm beats Snorlax and Chansey. These last three options have a very high opportunity cost at they leave you without a steel STAB. This opportunity cost is slightly mitigated, however as Mega Metagross still beats many of Meteor Mash's targets such as Tapu Lele by virtue of typing. Rock Slide may be used in place of Rock Tomb as it OHKOs even the bulkiest variants of Mega Charizard Y, but leads to a less reliable matchup against Mega Charizard X. It is also often not necessary to win against Mega Charizard Y as they will typically use Blast Burn against your Substitute, forcing them into a recharge turn.
===Set Details===
252 Attack and Speed maximize offensive potential. A Jolly nature is crucial to outspeed pokemon like Charizard, Garchomp, Mimikyu, Kartana and also to speed tie with Jumpluff. Clear Body is the pre-mega ability of choice as it allows Metagross to evade Intimidates Attack drop.
===Usage Tips===
When facing Charizard, use Substitute immediately. If they are a Mega Charizard Y, use Rock Tomb to KO it. If it turns out to be Mega Charizard X, spam Substitute until you've dropped to 1% and then attack with Earthquake. If Mega Charizard X uses Dragon Dance, use Rock Tomb in return. Similarly, if it doesn't mega evolve, you may have to use Rock Tomb. If the opponent has a Charizard, the rest of your team loses to Charizard, and they don't know what set you are, you should usually pick Mega Metagross. It should be noted that this set cannot beat bulky Mega Charizard X and Flame Charge variants so long as they play correctly.
===Team Options===
Pokemon that can handle Mega Gyarados such as Tapu Koko are important as this set is unable to reliably deal with it. Pokemon that can take on Ground types like Donphan such as Mega Gyarados are greatly appreciated. This set's niche comes in the form of beating the Charizards, so it's important to have teammates that lose to Charizard like Magearna to make sure your lure works properly. In particular, Shuca Berry Magearna both loses to Charizard and beats problematic Ground types such as Donphan and Golem.
=Strategy Comments=
==Other Options==
Ice Punch can be used to nail pokemon like Landorus-T and Dragonite, but this is generally outclassed by Magnet Rise. Substitute is useful for evading status and Z-moves. When paired with Earthquake, it can also let Mega Metagross beat Aegislash. In conjunction with Magnet Rise, it is also able to counter Donphan. Iron Head may be used instead of Meteor Mash for its perfect accuracy and 30% flinch chance, but the drop in power is quite noticeable. Giga Impact hits harder than any of Metagross' other attacks, but due to Metagross' excellent coverage, it's generally not too useful. Custom EV spreads are both viable and recommended. Thanks to Metagross' massive stats, it can be built to do a lot more than is practical to showcase here.
==Checks and Counters==
*Set-Dependant Counters: The defensive sets lose to Charizard and Aegislash, all but the specially defensive set loses to special Tapu Koko and Primarina and all but the physically defensive loses to Crunch Mega Gyarados. Sets lacking Magnet Rise are also beaten by Groundium Ground types like Donphan, Golem and Landorus-T.
*Physical Walls: Physical walls are able to simply tank and heal off Mega Metagross' attacks. Mega Slowbro is the most notable of them as there is almost no way Metagross can beat it. Others include Mega Sableye, Celesteela and Mega Aggron.
*SubSeeders: Babiri Berry Whimsicott and Leech Seed Celesteela provide reasonable checks to Mega Metagross. In addition, Jumpluff beats most common Mega Metagross variants, but can lose to max speed with Ice Punch provided that either Mega Metagross wins the speed tie or Jumpluff misses Sleep Power.
*Fire Types: Bulky Mega Charizard X, Blaziken, Alolan Marowak, Victini, Mega Camerupt and Salazzle are all capable of OHKOing Metagross with ease.
Category:Analyses