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lol... Mega Gyarados is a complete check against Mega Metagross. The Gross can't touch him.
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lol... Mega Gyarados is a complete check against Mega Metagross. The Gross can't touch him.
Thunderpunch?
You can't make a blanket statement like that but disregard a clear possibility. This is a different metagame to OU, TPunch is more than viable in a 3v3. Gyra & Skarm are only two opponents it could hit for good damage. With Megagross's attack, it could at least surprise any electric-weak type.
Hmmmm Thunder Punch does seem like a good option on Metagross but if you add it to the moveset then 'Gross loses coverage against certain threats. Assuming that Bullet Punch / Meteor Mash is compulsory, that leaves 3 slots for all of Zen Headbutt (secondary STAB), Earthquake (for Camerupt), Grass Knot (Swampert), Ice Punch (Salamence) and Thunder Punch (Gyara / Skarm). So it really depends on what you need Metagross to deal with. I'd probably roll with Bullet Punch / Grass Knot / Ice Punch / Thunder Punch. Zen Headbutt doesn't hit anything of note and Earthquake really only hits Camerupt (and random Magnezones). The problem with Metagross though is that it 2hko's all those threats and they can all ohko back with a super effective move (or 2hko in the case of Mega Gyara / Mence but they outspeed after Dancing / Evolving respectively), so in a lead or 1v1 situation 'Gross loses every time, he will probably work best as a back up / revenge killer imo
I use Regirock to counter MegaMence. None of Mence's unboosted attacks go beyond a 3HKO (Yes, even 252 SpA Hydro Pump). Furthermore, if Salemence goes for the Earthquake or the Hydro Pump, Regi's weakness policy activates, at which point he can OHKO with Explosion or Stone Edge (Stone Edge is a OHKO before the boost anyways, Explosion does 84-99% before the boost). Not only that, but Regirock has clear body, which makes him immune to intimidate's attack drop. Here's his set, hope this helps.
Regirock @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Clear Body
Level: 50
EV's: 252 HP/ 252 Atk / 4 Def
Nature: Careful
-Stone Edge
-Earthquake
-Hammer Arm
-Explosion
Note: Kill Skarmory first
Regirock @ Weakness Policy
Ability: Clear Body
Level: 50
EV's: 252 HP/ 252 Atk / 4 Def
Nature: Careful
-Stone Edge
-Earthquake
-Hammer Arm
-Explosion
Note: Kill Skarmory first
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Interesting idea. I'm not sure if he hits hard enough to be worth it. Gallade could be an alternative, but he may be too fast with all the Donphans in this meta.
If you're still using this, note that an ev spread of (252 HP / 156 Atk / 4 Def / 92 SpD / 4 Spe) with Adamant Nature gives it 2 extra points in atk and 1 extra in speed :)
I'm having a hard time making a team for this as I'm unfamiliar with Hoenn-dex.
I've got the following 'mons bred:
Mega-Mawile
Gyrados (@ Lum)
Kingdra (@ Razor Claw)
and am thinking that I'm too slow overall...
To take a Gyrados partner I was thinking Flygon which helps me on the speed side. Someone though said Donphan is popular in this meta, if so I'd love to use my favorite tyrephant but I'm skeptical that slowness is desired.
Then I was also thinking of Mega-Alakazam or Gardevoir as another mega to build a group of three around around. Perhaps a Prankster Sableye or at least something with Magic Coat to counter Sableye.
I've got the following 'mons bred:
Mega-Mawile
Gyrados (@ Lum)
Kingdra (@ Razor Claw)
and am thinking that I'm too slow overall...
To take a Gyrados partner I was thinking Flygon which helps me on the speed side. Someone though said Donphan is popular in this meta, if so I'd love to use my favorite tyrephant but I'm skeptical that slowness is desired.
Then I was also thinking of Mega-Alakazam or Gardevoir as another mega to build a group of three around around. Perhaps a Prankster Sableye or at least something with Magic Coat to counter Sableye.
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I think Mega-Mence and Mega-Mawile are going to be the go-to megas for this meta.
As such I'm planning on using a bulky DD'ing Mega-Altaria with Return, DD, EQ and Roost. With smart play and good team-mates this thing can take on a lot of the meta solo as it's natural bulk allows it to set up, Roost and go to town.
Good partners include: Thick Fat Hariyama and Magnezone.
Also, with Gorebyss and Masquerain present in the meta, the chances are you'll run up against one of them Smash/Quiver - passing to powerful Mega-Evolutions, so be prepared!
As such I'm planning on using a bulky DD'ing Mega-Altaria with Return, DD, EQ and Roost. With smart play and good team-mates this thing can take on a lot of the meta solo as it's natural bulk allows it to set up, Roost and go to town.
Good partners include: Thick Fat Hariyama and Magnezone.
Also, with Gorebyss and Masquerain present in the meta, the chances are you'll run up against one of them Smash/Quiver - passing to powerful Mega-Evolutions, so be prepared!
I've been getting a lot of use out of a Focus Sash Technician Breloom since I started last night; Spore/BulletSeed/MachPunch rips through a lot of things here, with the last move being open depending on what you want to counter. Started using Low Sweep earlier today to ensure I win the Breloom vs Breloom match-up, but Rock Tomb also worked wonders for Salamence if I got Breloom in at full hp. Biggest threat to the set is Skarmory, as you can't do any damage to it and if rocks/spikes go down you lose your Sash.
Speaking of M-Mence I've found him to be less of a threat than M-Manectric, though both get handled pretty well by Donphan as long as he can switch in without taking a hit (Dragon Dance, Volt Switch, etc)
Speaking of M-Mence I've found him to be less of a threat than M-Manectric, though both get handled pretty well by Donphan as long as he can switch in without taking a hit (Dragon Dance, Volt Switch, etc)
Friendly reminder that signups begin tomorrow! It was delayed for one day. Since Japan and Korea aren't playing we might have a chance :P Japan will not be competing. I haven't quite gotten #1 on Showdown (Sejun's been there since the ladder opened ._.) but just hit 1325 elo to get 39th. Lately I've been playing with this Sableye set in particular and want to post it here to share and maybe get some feedback:
Sableye @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Recover
- Will-O-Wisp
- Foul Play
- Taunt
It's as standard is as it gets except for the Safety Goggles. I used to put Lum Berry on some other Pokemon as a status absorber but found that Breloom's Spore is the only devastating one. Although Dusclops/Sableye WoW can also be pretty bad too. This was Mega Sableye before I gave my second mega slot to another Pokemon (Running double megas for this team) but really missed Prankster upon evolving so this was my compromise. Any thoughts on this? What status absorbers have you found useful? Do you think that they're even necessary in this meta?
Sableye @ Safety Goggles
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Recover
- Will-O-Wisp
- Foul Play
- Taunt
It's as standard is as it gets except for the Safety Goggles. I used to put Lum Berry on some other Pokemon as a status absorber but found that Breloom's Spore is the only devastating one. Although Dusclops/Sableye WoW can also be pretty bad too. This was Mega Sableye before I gave my second mega slot to another Pokemon (Running double megas for this team) but really missed Prankster upon evolving so this was my compromise. Any thoughts on this? What status absorbers have you found useful? Do you think that they're even necessary in this meta?
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Safety Goggles is interesting but I'm not totally sold on it. I mean it's cool for switching in on predicted Spores, but how many times do you think you will have to actually do that in one battle? I would rather have the Lum berry so you can still switch in on the Spore but you can also do it on other stuff like WoW. You have Taunt which shuts down stuff that tried to Spore you anyway, and Mega Sableye just bounces it back. I just think it's a waste of an itemslot to stop one move (there's no other powder moves or auto sand/hail to stop).
On a personal note, I'm not sure I'll be competing in this since I'm still SRing Terrakion on my current Sapphire save and will be restarting to replay the game immediately after. This means I'll have to breed stuff in Y (if I have time) and ask to borrow mega stones / get moves tutored that I need. If it comes down to it I may just enter a few funmons so I can earn the pokemiles lol. I'm also having a really hard time teambuilding, I'm at the bottom of the rankings on PS! :(
For Safety Goggles, I've seen them put to great use as bait for Breloom's Spore, especially for 'mons Breloom has a tough time beating otherwise. Metagross/Gyarados/Salamence, for example, can set-up or outright KO non-sashed variants as he attempts to Spore them.
Roserade is a great offensive anti-Breloom choice as well, as it resists Breloom's two STABs and ignores Spore, while OHKOing back with Sludge Bomb. It's reliant on Hidden Power for coverage but Grass/Poison hits a lot at least neutrally anyway.
I've got half of my team bred up for this competition (I just spent yesterday getting two of them bred, thankfully I don't have to cross-breed across egg groups for anything else >.>), still trying to decide on a proper Mence check though. Might go for Donphan after all, Rapid Spin is non-existent and Adamant 252 attack Ice Shard doesn't care if Mence has set-up already.
Roserade is a great offensive anti-Breloom choice as well, as it resists Breloom's two STABs and ignores Spore, while OHKOing back with Sludge Bomb. It's reliant on Hidden Power for coverage but Grass/Poison hits a lot at least neutrally anyway.
I've got half of my team bred up for this competition (I just spent yesterday getting two of them bred, thankfully I don't have to cross-breed across egg groups for anything else >.>), still trying to decide on a proper Mence check though. Might go for Donphan after all, Rapid Spin is non-existent and Adamant 252 attack Ice Shard doesn't care if Mence has set-up already.
Those are good points about 'Gross, Gyara and 'Mence actually, I might have to give them a try!
I'm not so sure on Donphan as a revenge killer though, the 2hko from Ice Shard isn't guaranteed (unless you have Never-melt Ice), and you'll be taking a fair chunk of damage in return:
252+ Atk Donphan Ice Shard vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Mega Salamence: 80-96 (47 - 56.4%) -- 71.5% chance to 2HKO
252+ Atk Never-Melt Ice Donphan Ice Shard vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Mega Salamence: 92-112 (54.1 - 65.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Aerilate Mega Salamence Return vs. 0 HP / 252 Def Donphan: 87-103 (52.7 - 62.4%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
252 Atk Aerilate Mega Salamence Double-Edge vs. 0 HP / 252 Def Donphan: 102-120 (61.8 - 72.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
So if you do manage to get the 2hko, you're gonna be left with a pretty damaged Donphan that struggles to do much else after taking 'Mence out. Just make sure 'Mence is heavily damaged I guess...
Looking at this, the only Ice Shard users are the aforementioned Donphan and Glalie. I've been liking the look of Mega Glalie in this meta but am yet to try it myself (gave Moody a go, it was fun but so unreliable). It does 63% minimum with Ice Shard so 'Mence can have a little more health and still be revenge killed in one hit. It also has that huge Explosion which is way more viable here than in 6v6. I mean just look at this:
252 Atk Refrigerate Mega Glalie Explosion vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Mega Sableye: 162-192 (103.1 - 122.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
I suck at killing Sableye so maybe this is my answer (please no Protect / Will-o-wisp tho)
I hadn't run calcs on Donphan when I suggested 252+ attack earlier, I had assumed damage output would be better (I forgot just how bulky M-Salamence is). If I'm bringing Donphan it would definitely have SR though, hopefully finding a chance to set up earlier in the match. With SR on the field, Donphan fares far better as a revenge killer against Mence, since even uninvested attack with Adamant nature still guarantees a 2hko with Ice Shard after SR damage, and 252hp/252def prevents a 2hko from unboosted Return barring crits (+1 Return is a solid 2HKO). Still not the greatest counter, but considering what is available in Battle of Hoenn Donphan is still looking solid.
Mega Glalie is looking very nice provided you're willing to take in another Mega, Adamant Mega Glalie does 70.5 - 84.7% with Ice Shard so with any damage on Mence it can be a proper revenge kill even without SR. Jolly still does 63.5 - 77.6% if you want the speed for Explosion, but I don't know how handy the extra speed is since only base 87-100 pokemon are now gaining the speed advantage over you, and of the currently available 'mons only a handful fall into that speed range: Roserade, unboosted Sharpedo, Ninetales (Who speed ties with Jolly anyway), and the biggest threat of them all Pikachu.
Mega Glalie is looking very nice provided you're willing to take in another Mega, Adamant Mega Glalie does 70.5 - 84.7% with Ice Shard so with any damage on Mence it can be a proper revenge kill even without SR. Jolly still does 63.5 - 77.6% if you want the speed for Explosion, but I don't know how handy the extra speed is since only base 87-100 pokemon are now gaining the speed advantage over you, and of the currently available 'mons only a handful fall into that speed range: Roserade, unboosted Sharpedo, Ninetales (Who speed ties with Jolly anyway), and the biggest threat of them all Pikachu.
I thought we already solved the salamence problem?
+1 252 Atk Mega Salamence Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 16+ Def Filter Mega Aggron: 60-72 (33.8 - 40.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
4 SpA Mega Salamence Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 140 SpD Filter Mega Aggron: 75-88 (42.3 - 49.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
0 Atk Mega Aggron Ice Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Mega Salamence: 124-148 (72.9 - 87%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
+1 252 Atk Mega Salamence Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 16+ Def Filter Mega Aggron: 60-72 (33.8 - 40.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
4 SpA Mega Salamence Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 140 SpD Filter Mega Aggron: 75-88 (42.3 - 49.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
0 Atk Mega Aggron Ice Punch vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Mega Salamence: 124-148 (72.9 - 87%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Nice prize
What? Holy crap, Gamefreak is not shy about favoritism.
This seems really odd to me, to delay the registration and now include Japan but not Korea, and also give Japan a pretty dope entry prize! What's weirder is that it's the Battle of Hoenn competition, why are they getting a Kalos 'mon with its hidden ability? It's also being reported that the Tyrunt being given away has Rock Head and not Sturdy (its actual HA). It could just be confusion between it and Tyrantrum (does have Rock Head as HA) but it's pretty shaky reporting going on, even if it is Serebii who's doing it...