Beheeyem
Typing: Psychic -----> Psychic/Steel (like a UFO [LGM-->BEM-->UFO])
Abilities: Telepathy / Synchronize / Analytic -----> Analytic
BST: 75/75/75/125/95/40 -----> 75/120/79/150/123/38
Moves: Flash Cannon
Weeee, I'm back! (at least for this one). So here's Mega Beheeyem, a Pokemon based off of aliens (particularly those depicted in western media, such as little green men and "men in black"). A few months ago there was quite a bit of support for a Psychic/Steel Mega for Beheeyem based off of UFOs, that was unfortunately put aside due to not meeting the requirements set for the project (100 BST, no HP boosts, etc.) Now that Beheeyem is back on the slate, here's my take on that idea, and how it is intended to work in the metagame.
To start off, a major difference between how the project was at its start and how it is now is the simple fact that we've already created a bunch of new Megas, and many ideas intended for later generations have now been already done or outclassed by Megas from earlier generations (such a process is only natural, however--hence the reason why some new Pokemon compete for niches with older ones). Analytic is an ability that has been used quite often before, namely in three cases: Dodrio, Hitmonchan, and Slowking. How would Mega Beheeyem with Analytic be different from these previous Megas and earn itself a separate niche?
Well, for starters, Beheeyem uses Analytic entirely differently from Dodrio and Hitmonchan. The latter two are not particularly slow; they use Analytic to discourage the foe from switching, as the switch-in would be hit 30% harder. Mega Beheeyem, with its base 35 Speed on the other hand, is intended to use it against all foes, whether the opponent switches or not. This it has in common with Mega Slowking. Slowking, however, is intended to be far bulkier; 95/90/130 bulk with Slack Off orients it torwards defensive offense, and its Water-typing gifts it with a whole plethora of different strengths, weaknesses, checks, and counters from Beheeyem's Steel-type (Fire resistance rather than weakness, Grass weakness instead of resistance, and so on). Beheeyem also takes a more offensive route; sure, 123 Special Defense is nice, but 75 base HP and 79 base Defense isn't nearly as good. While Slowbro can afford to set up a Calm Mind or two thanks to its bulk, Beheeyem is designed to be a more straightforward attacker; while Nasty Plot is a decent move for it, its low Speed, mediocre Defense, and lack of priority or healing (there's a reason why I didn't give it Bullet Punch) makes setting up a very bad idea until one is sure the opponent's physical attackers all have been taken down. To compensate for this, however, is its 150 Special Attack and virtually guaranteed Analytic. This means its moves will be hitting with off of an effective 195 Special Attack (or a respectable 156 Attack if one is so inclined); what Mega Slowking has in survivability and bulk Beheeyem trades in for brute force.
The neat thing about Analytic rather than just straight-up boosting Beheeyem's offenses is that it gives Beheeyem more flexibility during team-building. Had I just given it raw attack power, it could have easily become broken by switching on a resisted Special Attack and then setting up Trick Room; Analytic, however, discourages the use of Trick Room on a pure attacking Beheeyem set, as the boost would be lost if Beheeyem moves first (which, based on its Speed, it almost always will). On the other hand, 120/150 offenses are still solid on their own, so Beheeyem could forgo its Analytic boost in favor of Trick Room and a set-up move. While Beheyeem is indeed capable of frightening power, however, it is offset by the fact that this Pokemon needs quite a bit of team support. Trick Room Beheeyem would likely need other Trick Room users, for example--while it sounds easy enough, the likely fact is that the most desirable Trick Room users in this metagame--Dimensional Warp Reuniclus and Field Warp Xatu--are incompatible with Beheeyem thanks to its Mega status. While this Pokemon seems strong in this current metagame, it likely won't be so in a Mega-filled one; auto- and 8-turn Trick Room will be tough things to compete with, particularly since the former two Megas can support a variety of non-Mega Pokemon whereas Beeheyem would likely require the opposite (multiple non-Mega Pokemon to support a single Mega). Analytic Beeheyem has to deal with the fact that it is both slow and average in the physical defense department; virtually all priority moves are physical anyways (sorry Vacuum Wave), making this really a problem for Trick Room Beheeyem as well. Beheeyem can't function at its full capacity until all physical threats are eliminated, since staying in on a variety of common physical OU threats would likely spell doom for it. A lack of priority compounds it, giving it no options besides switching or taking a hit when faced with a faster (read: any) foe. Additionally, dedicated Special walls are more commonly used than Physical ones, thanks to the pink blobs, making 150 Special Attack a bit less threatening than a similar Attack stat. Finally, Steel is ultimately a mixed bag for Beheeyem; thanks to the Gen VI changes, it no longer gifts it with the two neutralities it most desparately wants--Dark and Ghost, which would have been even more useful in today's metagame had it gained them. A Fire-weakness also doesn't help, particularly with Talonflame and Heatran running around in OU. A Bug resistance, while nice, doesn't really come up too often. Poison immunity is a small bonus in that it is now immune to the status itself, but as a Psychic-type Beheeyem didn't have much problem with Poison-types in the first place. Perhaps the biggest gift the Steel-type gave to it was a resistance and super-effective STAB against Fairy-types, a niche that no current Mega Analytic user boasts; it certainly has its uses, considering how prominent the type is in the metagame.
Beheeyem distances itself from other Analytic users by actually being able to take advantage of it the majority of the time, while maintaining an offensive bias rather than a defensive one. A need for substantial team support and stiff competition with similar Pokemon keeps it from being overly centralizing, while a lack of decent physical bulk and HP in combination with its low Speed and lack of priority or healing limits its ability to shine without some skilled prediction and strategy. Still, its raw power and strategic potential when placed in the right hands is tantalizing, and certainly makes Mega Beheeyem worth consideration for the Mega spot of some potentially great teams.
