Prince of the Skies: Mega Salamence in Ubers

By Krauersaut. Art by Sparkl3y.
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Mega Mence by Sparkl3y

Taking Flight

One of ADV's pseudo-legendaries, Salamence has always been a dominant presence in the metagame it called home. 135 / 110 / 100 offensive stats and a fantastic typing gave the behemoth everything it needed to dissolve the poor sap playing against it. In DPP, new toys and the physical/special split gave it even more power, bumping it up to Ubers by suspect test. BW, however, was a rocky transition for the dragon. Even though it got Moxie, a fantastic ability, it was largely outclassed by fellow Dragons such as Hydreigon and Dragonite and was revenge killed with relative ease by several threats in OverUsed. In XY, things only got worse for Salamence. Fairy-types joining the fight, as well as a lack of powerful Flying-type STAB moves, dropped the once-mighty force to UU by usage. However, this all changed with ORAS. The flying basilisk was given a Mega Evolution, and it benefited arguably more than any other Pokémon from it. It was given mind-numbing 95 / 145 / 130 / 120 / 90 / 120 stats, putting it in the same Speed tier as Arceus and giving it comparable physical bulk as well. This, in tandem with its base forme's ability, Intimidate, gave it everything it needed to set up on the plethora of physical threats in OU and even Ubers. As if that wasn't enough, Game Freak decided to give Mega Salamence one of the best offensive abilities in the game—Aerilate. Now opening its movepool up to virtually perfect coverage with incredibly powerful STAB moves, Mega Salamence reigns supreme as one of the biggest offensive threats in Ubers, being #2 in usage for good reason.

Liftoff

As mentioned above, 95 / 145 / 130 / 120 / 90 / 120 stats are nothing to giggle at. Mega Salamence's fantastic Speed tier allows it to outrun the metagame's smorgasbord of base 90 Speed Pokémon with merely 126 Speed EVs, or it can run Jolly to, at worst, Speed tie with opposing maximum Speed Arceus formes. The 50 additional points in Defense it received are what allow it to perform so well in Ubers—they give it the ability to switch in on Primal Groudon, Swords Dance Arceus formes, and even itself repeatedly, along with many other relevant physical threats. The Special Attack increase wasn't particularly necessary, although you can play around a bit with Draco Meteor or Hyper Voice Mega Salamence as a lure to beat those pesky physical walls. The +10 boost to its Attack is like an oil painting you got from your mom's sister's grandson's cousin thrice removed's birthday—you really don't need or care about it, but hey, it's nice to have anyway. Its Special Defense is lackluster, which is to be expected—everything has to have a weakness, right? <insert a joke about Mega Rayquaza here>

Airborne

Mega Salamence Mega Salamence

Mega Salamence's most popular sets are a bulky Dragon Dance set featuring Refresh and a fully offensive spread, and for good reason. +1 Double-Edge from Adamant Mega Salamence is a guaranteed OHKO on any 248 HP / 0 Def Arceus forme after Stealth Rock or Spikes damage, a feat not many Pokémon can claim. A bulky Dragon Dance set can go to work on Choice Band Ho-Oh, one of the scariest wallbreakers in the tier. It cannot be understated how much of a boon Intimidate is for Salamence—it allows it to safely Mega Evolve against so many foes and further its bulk alongside the +50 boost to its Defense. Mega Salamence should be used to pivot on hard-hitting physical attackers often, as it can Roost off the majority of the damage taken; however, do not overestimate Mega Salamence's bulk if you're running the offensive spread. Do not make the mistake of setting up Dragon Dance too soon—it needs its checks to be worn down to sweep, and if Mega Salamence is forced to switch out by, say, a previously unrevealed Arceus forme, it will cost you hugely in terms of momentum.

Clipping the Wings

Should you find yourself facing this terror, there are very few Pokémon that can stop it from Rotom-Mow'ing down your team. Slapping a Shuca Berry on Pokémon such as Dialga and Tyranitar allows them to tank a +1 Earthquake and retaliate with a status move, a phazing move, or, in the case of Dialga, Draco Meteor, which OHKOes Mega Salamence. The old adage 'the best defense is a good offense' rings particularly true in the ORAS Ubers metagame; often, offensively oriented teams find that their best option versus Mega Salamence is simply to apply and maintain pressure, not allowing a chance for Mega Salamence to set up a Dragon Dance. This can be done by avoiding weaker physical attackers without status or phazing such as Excadrill and instead forgoing a certain defensive backbone for balls-to-the-wall offense. If you find your team leaning towards a balance or stall build, some good answers to the Frisbee include Tyranitar, Dialga, Skarmory, Lugia, and Rock / Water / Fairy / Dragon / Electric / Ice Arceus, in that order.

Destination

When it comes to Mega Salamence, the name of the game is wallbreaking. All you need is for a path to not even be paved, merely lightly brushed, and Mega Salamence will send teams to the nether realm. It can't possibly be understated what a threat Mega Salamence is, and the aspects of that carry over to the inherent psychological warfare in Pokémon even more so than usual. When your opponents see Salamence in Team Preview, they're going to shape every move they make with the knowledge that it's lurking in the background, waiting to strike. With that knowledge, offensive variants of Mega Salamence appreciate teammates that can capitalize on that offensive pressure and assist it in weakening and dealing with its checks. This makes Pokémon such as Rayquaza fantastic partners—although the two have little to no defensive synergy, their checks are almost identical, and most balance and stall teams find that they have trouble dealing with the two together. Other great partners for the offensive spread include Rapid Spin users, Latios and Latias (Latios in particular can use Memento to turn Pokémon such as opposing Rayquaza into setup fodder), and entry hazard setters (particularly Spikers) such as Klefki, Ferrothorn, Primal Groudon, and even a lead such as Cloyster. The increasingly popular bulky Dragon Dance and support Mega Salamence sets require entry hazard support (unless, of course, Mega Salamence is your Defogger), so it must be reiterated that the Eon twins are great partners. Defensively inclined Salamenci (I'm so powerful that I can invent pluralized proper nouns) can switch into Ho-Oh and Primal Groudon, among other physical threats, relatively easily, which makes Ferrothorn and Klefki in particular adore it. It also loves defensive variants of Primal Groudon, which can deal with opposing Fairies while providing Stealth Rock support. Defensive Primal Kyogre isn't a bad partner either, tanking Ice-type attacks with easily and appreciating Mega Salamence's capability to switch into several of its checks. A noteworthy core is Aegislash + Primal Kyogre + Mega Salamence—all three can switch into or eradicate a plethora of threats to the others. Aegislash removes Lugia, Latios, and Latias for Primal Kyogre and Salamence, while Primal Kyogre and Salamence together form a strong defensive bond against Ho-Oh and can make it a bit easier to play versus Primal Groudon. When the three are put together, they have impressive type synergy and can provide strong offensive and defensive reinforcement to a team.

Landing

Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We are about to begin our final descent into Smogon International Airport. Currently in Ubersville, Smogon, the weather seems to be fluctuating rapidly and without warning, so tread carefully. If you look out your window, you could catch one of the plethora of fiery dinosaurs that have been sighted recently battling with glowing whales, so get that camera out! Don't worry though; everything's okay. My buddy Rayquaza and I will take care of it soon. It has been our pleasure to have you on board today, and we hope to serve you more in the near future. Thanks again from Aerilate Airlines!

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