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Serene Grace
- This Pokemon's secondary effect chances are doubled.
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Level 100 Statistics (see level 5, 50, 100)
|
Min- |
Min |
Max |
Max+ |
| HP |
100
|
- |
341 |
404 |
- |
| Atk |
77
|
171 |
190 |
253 |
278 |
| Def |
77
|
171 |
190 |
253 |
278 |
| SpA |
128
|
262 |
292 |
355 |
390 |
| SpD |
128
|
262 |
292 |
355 |
390 |
| Spe |
90
|
194 |
216 |
279 |
306 |
Overview
Facing a Meloetta is like biting into a Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Bean—you will never what know exactly it could do. Indeed, out of the new additions to grace Pokemon, Meloetta is arguably the most interesting of them all, albeit the most overlooked. What makes her so unique is the ability to change between two formes which both have almost opposite counters, and in the hands of a skilled player, this can cause huge problems for their opponents. One thing that does frustrate a lot of players is that fact that Meloetta cannot start in Pirouette forme immediately, which is arguably her more threatening forme. However, her Aria forme is far from useless, and can easily function as either an offensive or defensive Pokemon, depending on whatever you need. Her lack of physical bulk and relatively low Speed might make the other Psychic-types of OU more attractive, so always remember to play to Meloetta's strengths. In short, we might not be able to grasp the full extent of Meloetta's abilities for some time to come, but there is one thing we do know, and that is that she can be devastating in the right hands.
The purpose of this set is to fully exploit Meloetta's forme-changing abilities. The idea is to, with prediction, stay a step ahead of your opponent by continuously switching between Aria and Pirouette formes. It is especially convenient when a forme's counter is weak to the other forme, which means if Meloetta stays in the advantageous forme, it will retain offensive momentum in a similar way to VoltTurn cores. For example, Skarmory switches out of Aria forme as it fears Thunder, but as your opponent switches in Blissey, Meloetta uses Relic Song to transform into its Pirouette forme, and Blissey has to switch out again in fear of Close Combat. With entry hazard support, this can force a lot of switches and cause a lot of damage very quickly.
Relic Song is obviously the integral part of this set, as it facilitates the forme-changing that is unique to Meloetta. It is a decently powerful STAB move backed by base 128 Special Attack, while having a 20% chance to put an opponent to sleep, which is always helpful. Close Combat is Meloetta's main STAB attack while in Pirouette forme. Thunder is preferred in the third slot since firstly, rain is extremely common, while secondly, its power can help Meloetta get some crucial KOs, such as on Tornadus-T while in Pirouette forme. It also lands 2HKOs on Jellicent and Sableye while in Aria forme, two Pokemon which block Relic Song. Its 60% paralysis rate (due to Serene Grace) is also a huge bonus to have, letting you give Jirachi that try to counter you a dose of its own medicine. However, if you prefer reliability, then Thunderbolt is a perfectly legitimate option. The last move is a toss-up. With a Life Orb equipped, Psychic is a powerful STAB move to hit many physically defensive Pokemon hard, while Hidden Power Ice lets Meloetta nail Gliscor and Dragon-types.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
The EVs given allow Meloetta to outspeed Adamant Landorus-T in Aria forme, while outspeeding Tornadus-T in Pirouette forme. Max Special Attack is used as the majority of the time will be spent in Aria forme. The rest go into Attack to power up Close Combat. A Naive nature is generally preferred over Hasty due to most priority attacks being physical, therefore it's more acceptable to lower Special Defense rather than Defense. With Aria forme's huge base 128 Special Defense, Meloetta is generally not in short supply of Special Defense anyway.
The held item is quite a tough choice. Life Orb is preferred because of the sheer power that it brings. However, as Meloetta is all about keeping offensive momentum, it is nice if she doesn't take recoil damage so she can keep that momentum for as long as possible, hence Expert Belt being a decent alternative, especially if you are running Hidden Power Ice. As for other moves, U-turn can be used in the last slot, especially if you're using Meloetta on a VoltTurn team. It is also Meloetta's best way of hurting Latias and Celebi, which both of which take little damage from any of Meloetta's other attacks.
The most important thing to remember when using this set is to use both of Meloetta's formes. One common misconception is to send Meloetta out, get to Pirouette forme straight away and start spamming Close Combat, when instead most of the time Meloetta will be attacking in Aria forme. It is usually better to use Thunder when you send in Meloetta as it 2HKOes Sableye and Jellicent trying to block Relic Song and it hits about just about everything that doesn't resist it reasonably hard, while threatening a 60% chance of paralysis.
Teammates that fit well with Meloetta are generally entry hazard users and physically defensive Pokemon. As Meloetta is forcing a lot of switches by changing formes, Pokemon that can set up Spikes are an excellent asset, with Ferrothorn, Skarmory, and Forretress all being good choices. It follows that spinblockers are good teammates to Meloetta. Gengar is probably the best offensive spinblocker to use alongside Meloetta, although Sableye and Jellicent are still good choices. Some more obscure yet effective spinblockers also include Froslass, which can set up Spikes while blocking Rapid Spin at the same time, and Choice Scarf Rotom, which can use Volt Switch while blocking Rapid Spin. On the other hand, Toxic Spikes cut down on Meloetta's effectiveness dramatically. Tentacruel is an excellent Poison-type to absorb them, while other Rapid Spin users, such as Starmie, Forretress, and Donphan, can also remove them from the field. Physically bulky Pokemon are important as Meloetta is quite frail on that side. Gliscor, the aforementioned Skarmory, and Forretress are all very physically bulky Pokemon that can take hard physical hits from Terrakion and Outrage-wielding Dragon-types.
Celebi, Latias, and, to an extent, Latios all pose a threat to Meloetta since they resist all of her attacks, although if she carries U-turn, they may be in trouble. Latias and Latios also need to watch out for paralysis from Thunder. Scizor easily puts pressure on these three Pokemon (though it will need to watch out for Hidden Power Fire). Tyranitar is also good to Pursuit fleeing Latias and Latios. Lastly, Politoed is a key partner to Meloetta. As Meloetta prefers to use Thunder for its power and debilitating side effects, eternal rain provided by Politoed will take her a long way.
Meloetta does not need to be able to switch formes to carve herself a niche in OU. Her Aria forme boasts titanic special bulk, as well as having an interesting set of resistances. With access to Perish Song, she is easily the best Reuniclus counter in the game, and can easily stop last Pokemon Calm Mind Reuniclus that try to sweep stall teams. She is also an excellent Gengar and Alakazam counter. She can take most special attacks with no problem at all and paralyze opposing threats with Thunder Wave or Thunder. Unlike Blissey and Chansey, however, Meloetta can still pack a punch with her attacks, even with uninvested Special Attack. Psyshock is Meloetta's main STAB, which allows her to easily OHKO Gengar, while preventing setup from Pokemon such as Calm Mind Keldeo and Virizion.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
The last moveslot depends on what you need more. U-turn is the overall best option, as it allows Meloetta to escape from Tyranitar's clutches as the T-Rex switches in as well as scouting opposing switches. It also allows Meloetta to escape from Dugtrio and Pokemon with Shadow Tag which might try to trap Meloetta after it has used Perish Song. Focus Blast can be used to severely damage Tyranitar switch-ins. The EVs used are to make sure that Meloetta is as bulky as possible. Other support options that Meloetta can use include Heal Bell and Light Screen, but she is generally short on moveslots as it is.
As Perish Song is a major attraction of this set, please note to use it wisely. If you are not using U-turn, it would be prudent to not spam Perish Song if you see opposing Dugtrio, Gothitelle, or Wobbuffet on Team Preview!
Specially defensive Meloetta is a fit on more defensive teams needing a win condition, and she generally is not at home on offensive teams. As Meloetta's Defense is her (much) weaker side, physically defensive Pokemon such as Gliscor, Tangrowth, and Skarmory are all good for tanking strong physical attacks that are thrown at Meloetta. As Meloetta is probably most fittingly used on a stall team, entry hazards are important to her success, not only for the team, but also because Perish Song forces switches. Forretress, Skarmory, and Ferrothorn are all excellent Spikes users. Tentacruel can use Rapid Spin to clear away entry hazards and absorb Toxic Spikes that would hinder Meloetta's defensive ability, all while setting up Toxic Spikes of its own.
Meloetta's 128 Special Attack and access to good coverage moves can make her a surprisingly hard Pokemon to switch into, while her equally excellent 128 Special Defense allows her to be an excellent specially oriented tank. With a Calm Mind up, anything slower than Meloetta will be taking a huge hit. Depending on your team, Psychic or Psyshock will be Meloetta's main STAB attack. Psychic is preferred due to its extra power, as well as being able KO more physically defensive threats which Meloetta should not be having trouble with. Psyshock should generally only be used if your team has trouble with Blissey and Chansey. Focus Blast allows Meloetta to hit most Pokemon that are immune to or resist Psychic, most notably Tyranitar. Thunder is preferred in the last slot due to its general coverage, as well as 60% paralysis rate, but Shadow Ball is another option to get the super effective hit on Celebi, Latias, and Latios, which would otherwise resist all of Meloetta's attacks.
Team Options & Additional Comments >>>
Another STAB attack Meloetta has in her arsenal is Hyper Voice. While it does work relatively well with Focus Blast and Thunder, it does not really add any coverage that Psychic does not already provide. The EVs used are obvious; max Special Attack and a Modest nature for maximum power, while max Speed allows Meloetta to outspeed as many things as possible.
Never forget that Meloetta is bulky on the special side and not the physical. This means that Pokemon that can take physical attacks are always welcome on Meloetta's team. Gliscor, Skarmory, Tangrowth, Slowbro, and Forretress are all excellent teammates. Other Pokemon that work well with Meloetta are Pokemon that can take down its counters, namely Celebi, Latias, and if Meloetta lacks Psyshock, Blissey and Chansey. Tyranitar, and Scizor are all relatively good at dispatching Celebi and Latias, although Scizor has to watch out for Hidden Power Fire and Tyranitar needs to watch out for Leaf Storm from Celebi. Strong physical attackers such as Terrakion, Dragonite, Salamence, Gyarados, and Haxorus all scare away the pink blobs, which gives you an easier time to set up. Of course, if Meloetta is using Thunder, Politoed support is helpful, making the attack 100% accurate.
Other Options
Meloetta has a number of other options that she can run. With max HP investment, Meloetta can use a Substitute + Calm Mind set with 101 HP Substitutes to set up on Blissey and Chansey, but she is generally outclassed in this role by Jirachi, which boasts better overall bulk, typing, Stealth Rock resistance and Toxic Spikes immunity. Choice Specs and all-out special attacking sets can work, but Meloetta doesn't have very good spamming STABs, while being weak to Pursuit is never good on any Choice set. She is also too slow to pull off such sets. A purely physical set (with Relic Song, of course) which focuses on the Pirouette forme is plausible, but it is generally walled by physically bulky Pokemon while being outclassed by other physical attackers such as Terrakion. Her Aria forme would also be completely useless with such a set. Finally, a mixed set with Work Up or Hone Claws, coupled with Close Combat, Thunder, and Psychic seems usable, but is outclassed by most mixed attackers in OU, and this is not to mention that the Relic Mixed set does this just as well anyway.
Checks and Counters
Celebi probably stands out as the best all-round counter to Meloetta, resisting most of the moves that she carries, while not fearing paralysis due to Natural Cure. However, Celebi does need to watch out for U-turn, as well as boosted Shadow Ball from the Calm Mind set. Latias with Substitute or Refresh is also a decent counter, although if she lacks Refresh, she must be very careful in switching into Thunder, lest she get paralyzed by it.
Otherwise, Relic Mixed Meloetta can be surprisingly hard to counter, due to its forme-changing nature, it's almost like fighting two Pokemon at once. If she is in the right forme, she will generally be able to either hurt your switch-in extremely badly, or switch to the other forme to keep momentum. The best thing to try and do would be to outpredict her and catch her in the wrong forme, although this is easier said than done. If you are able to get your bulky Ghost-type into her Pirouette forme, or something such as Scizor into her Aria forme, you would have pretty much killed her momentum entirely. If you cannot do that, fast physical attackers such as Choice Scarf Salamence, Landorus, and Haxorus, can take down Meloetta quite easily, whichever forme she is in, while Pokemon with strong priority, such as Breloom, Scizor, and Dragonite, also do very well against both formes. In terms of Meloetta's other sets, the specially defensive set is generally quite easy to counter due to its lack of offense, and the Calm Mind set is walled by Blissey and Chansey if it lacks Psyshock. Other specially defensive Pokemon like Latias and Jirachi are also good at taking on Calm Mind Meloetta.
