Overview
########
Rayquaza has gained many new abilities upon returning to its home of yore in ORAS. Having been bestowed its own signature move, Dragon Ascent, Rayquaza can wallbreak much more efficiently without relying on V-create, something it greatly appreciates. Air Lock has also gotten a buff, being able to quell Desolate Land and Primordial Sea, something which is valuable for teams that need a soft check to both Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre. As a wallbreaker, Rayquaza is more than happy to help the whole new slew of Mega Evolutions, particularly Mega Salamence, giving them more opportunities to fill up teamslots. Another unseen boon for Rayquaza is that most of its original checks and counters have decreased dramatically in usefulness due to the addition of Primal Reversion, letting it rip through teams all the easier. However, most of Rayquaza's old flaws are still noticeable. Most notably, its Stealth Rock weakness coupled with its iffy overall bulk leaves it prone to being revenge killed. Furthermore, its Speed stat is relatively mediocre, leaving it outsped by a multitude of offensive threats such as Latios, Latias, and the base 100 Speed tier. However, don't discount Rayquaza's power for a second, for it could be your team's last flight of glory.
MixQuaza
########
name: MixQuaza
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Earthquake / Fire Blast
move 3: Dragon Ascent
move 4: Extreme Speed / Earthquake
ability: Air Lock
item: Life Orb
evs: 252 Atk / 40 SpA / 216 Spe
nature: Naive
Moves
========
Draco Meteor is what makes MixQuaza what it is, as it is deadly against physical walls, support Arceus, and even Primal Groudon, smacking them for massive damage. Earthquake rounds out the coverage with Dragon Ascent, hitting Aegislash, Klefki, and Heatran hard in addition to having a large amount of super effective targets. Fire Blast is also a nice choice over Earthquake if Skarmory, Bronzong, Ferrothorn, and Scizor are major hindrances to a sweeper on Rayquaza's team. Dragon Ascent is Rayquaza's obligatory STAB move and provides a strong physical attack for Rayquaza to utilize alongside Draco Meteor. Extreme Speed is a very helpful tool against offensive teams if revenge killing is lacking on Rayquaza's team at the cost of losing a coverage move for stall or balance teams.
Set Details
========
The above EV spread provides the ability to outspeed positive-natured base 90 Speed Pokemon, including both Groudon and Kyogre, while donating some power to Special Attack to boost Draco Meteor. However, the Special Attack and Attack EVs can be flipped to do more damage with Draco Meteor to snipe bulky Primal Groudon and support Arceus formes at the cost of decreasing Dragon Ascent's power. A Naughty or Rash nature can also be utilized for extra power, as Rayquaza gets outsped by support Arceus formes anyway while being naturally faster than other walls it can break.
Usage Tips
========
Rayquaza is first and foremost a wallbreaker, so smash down walls when you get the chance and pave the way for a sweeper. However, a crucial factor when playing MixQuaza is watching its HP bar from Life Orb recoil, something that leaves it open to being revenge killed by the base 100 or higher Speed tier if it gets too low, so try to keep Rayquaza healthy by the occasional double switch or pivoting with other team members. Also, don't feel too pressured to choose between using Dragon Ascent and Draco Meteor, as neither completely force Rayquaza out and both 2HKO most of the metagame anyway, taking a nice chunk out of tanks and walls.
Team Options
========
If the team's Mega evolution slot is open, Mega Salamence is without a doubt one of Rayquaza's best partners, as the two apply ludicrous offensive pressure on multiple team archetypes, though the two have little defensive synergy. Stealth Rock support is also a major factor of Rayquaza's overall success as a wallbreaker, as Stealth Rock breaks Lugia's Multiscale; Primal Groudon, Dialga, and Landorus-T are great partners for MixQuaza. In order to give opportunities for Rayquaza to come in safely, users of Volt Switch and U-turn, such as Genesect, Zekrom, and Mega Scizor, allow Rayquaza to come in on a switch and likely snag a KO. Defog users such as Latios, Latias, Giratina-O, and Arceus can remove Stealth Rock for Rayquaza, relieving the pressure of losing a quarter of its health every time it switches in. Mega Gengar can cripple support Arceus formes with Taunt, giving an opportunity for Rayquaza to come in on them without fearing a stray Will-O-Wisp, and can also trap and KO faster revenge killers that can threaten Rayquaza.
Dance Dance Rayvolution
########
name: Dance Dance Rayvolution
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Dragon Ascent
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Extreme Speed / Dragon Dance
ability: Air Lock
item: Life Orb
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant / Jolly
Moves
========
Swords Dance turns Rayquaza into an extremely powerful wallbreaker in a single turn and absolutely smashes walls combined with Dragon Ascent. Earthquake is extremely potent with Dragon Ascent in terms of coverage, hitting Aegislash, Heatran, Klefki, and Rock Arceus where it hurts. Extreme Speed specifically functions as a backup revenge killer against offensive teams, and it can even OHKO most frail offensive Pokemon after a single Swords Dance, such as Darkrai. However, Dragon Dance is a viable alternative to Extreme Speed to be more flexible against offense, something that Swords Dance lacks. V-create can also be used over Extreme Speed or Earthquake if Steel-types such as Scizor, Skarmory, Bronzong, and Ferrothorn are of concern to Rayquaza's team.
Set Details
========
Max Attack and Speed EVs are imperative for Rayquaza's wallbreaking efficiency, and an Adamant nature maximizes Rayquaza's power output with Swords Dance and/or Dragon Dance. However, a Jolly nature is an acceptable alternative to Adamant in order to outspeed positive-natured base 90 Speed Pokemon. The 4 EVs in Special Defense give Genesect an Attack boost from Download, giving it an incentive to use U-turn instead of Ice Beam, lowering the risk of Rayquaza being revenge killed.
Usage Tips
========
If Dragon Dance is used over Extreme Speed, boost appropriately with either Dragon Dance to clean offensive teams or Swords Dance to wallbreak balance and stall. Given the possibility that Extreme Speed is used instead, don't attempt to clean with it unless the opponent's team is sufficiently weakened; Dragon Ascent is Rayquaza's most powerful attack, so use it as such. Also, Dragon Ascent doesn't always force Rayquaza out like V-create does, as Dragon Ascent only lowers Rayquaza's defenses, but be wary of Rayquaza's HP bar and possible Choice Scarf carriers or revenge killers after Dragon Ascent has been used.
Team Options
========
Mega Salamence is one of the best teammates to Rayquaza in general, as both can put extreme amounts of pressure on the opposing team's walls at the cost of not offering that much defensively to the team and having difficulty switching with each other. Primal Groudon is also a solid support partner for Rayquaza, as it can set up Stealth Rock and can run Fire Punch to cover Skarmory and Scizor for Rayquaza. Other Stealth Rock users such as Landorus-T, Dialga, and Ferrothorn also assist Rayquaza in wallbreaking or cleaning with either Swords Dance or Dragon Dance. Klefki in particular also has great type synergy with Rayquaza in addition to checking Latios, Latias, support Arceus formes, and Xerneas, along with Spikes support. Volt Switch or U-turn support from Pokemon such as Mega Scizor or Zekrom respectively can bring in Rayquaza safely on a predicted switch while keeping its health in pristine condition. Defog users such as Latios, Latias, Giratina-O, and Arceus also help out Rayquaza in coming in on a Stealth Rock-free field, and Latias can help bring back Rayquaza's HP and remove a possible status condition with Healing Wish. Mega Gengar can trap support Arceus formes or sacrifice itself against non-Scarfed revenge killers, lessening the threat of having Rayquaza picked off.
Choice Band
########
name: Choice Band
move 1: Dragon Ascent
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: V-create
move 4: Extreme Speed
ability: Air Lock
item: Choice Band
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant / Jolly
Moves
========
Choice Banded Dragon Ascent is the main draw of this set, as it nearly annihilates anything other than dedicated physical walls such as Lugia and support Arceus formes. Earthquake can also cover grounded Steel-types and Primal Groudon without resorting to Dragon Ascent in addition to rounding out the majority of Rayquaza's coverage. V-create incinerates the targets that Earthquake can't, which includes Skarmory, Scizor, and the occasional Genesect. Extreme Speed is also very threatening with a Choice Band, cleanly 2HKOing speedy attackers such as Shaymin-S and Darkrai; it even has a chance to 2HKO Mega Mewtwo X after Stealth Rock. Waterfall is a possible choice over V-create or Extreme Speed to immediately OHKO Primal Groudon with little to no risk, and it can deal with Landorus-T and Hippowdon without using Dragon Ascent or V-create.
Set Details
========
An Adamant nature maximizes Choice Band's power and makes Dragon Ascent hit as hard as it can get unboosted. A Jolly nature can also be an option to outspeed positive-natured base 90 Speed Pokemon, and Speed tie with maximum Speed Kyurem-W. Maximum Attack and Speed EVs assist all of the aforementioned attributes, letting Rayquaza be as powerful and as fast as possible.
Usage Tips
========
Locking into Dragon Ascent isn't as reckless a move as one would think, as even resisted hits do savage amounts of damage. V-create and Earthquake on the other hand need to be used wisely and sparingly, as a single V-create will force you out after a Speed drop, while Earthquake can be taken advantage of by Flying-types or levitating Steel-types. Also, the lack of Life Orb recoil is very nice for Rayquaza's efficiency, but still pay attention to Rayquaza's health, especially if Stealth Rock is up on Rayquaza's side of the field. Extreme Speed is a very deceiving move in terms of power; if the opposing team is weak enough, cleaning up with Choice Banded Extreme Speed is a cinch late-game.
Team Options
========
Mega Salamence is a solid partner to Rayquaza, especially becuase Rayquaza can run all of its coverage options, so both can wallbreak whatever they wish while exhuming a large amount of offensive pressure. Primal Groudon and other Stealth Rock setters such as Dialga and Landorus-T can help Rayquaza seize some OHKOs on frailer Pokemon with Extreme Speed or 2HKO Lugia with Dragon Ascent. Klefki also provides solid type synergy and Spikes support, letting Rayquaza wreck support Arceus formes with a single Dragon Ascent. Defog users such as Latios, Latias, Giratina-O, and Arceus let Rayquaza worry little about residual damage as a whole, letting it spam Dragon Ascent to its heart's content. Mega Gengar can trap and KO support Arceus and other Pokemon faster than Rayquaza, which can safeguard Rayquaza from a Will-O-Wisp out of left field.
Other Options
########
Rayquaza's movepool and item choices are relatively straightforward, but there are some options for those who wish to go off the beaten path. Tailwind is a devious support move for Rayquaza, and it can be used on the boosting wallbreaking set to either clean or help a sweeper at the cost of not increasing Rayquaza's power in any way. Dragon Claw and Outrage are also acceptable STAB moves to use, but their targets and objectives are mostly overshadowed by Dragon Ascent. Iron Tail can immediately dent Fairy-types and Rock Arceus without using Earthquake, but the accuracy and coverage of this move is very poor. Surf is an optional coverage move on MixQuaza to immediately OHKO Primal Groudon, but it overlaps with Draco Meteor in terms of utility. Dragon Tail can be utilized against Mega Sableye defensive cores to pressure walls with residual damage and dupe Lugia's Multiscale on a switch, but doesn't offer as much coverage and can be troublesome with its negative priority and Rayquaza's minor bulk issues.
Choice Scarf Rayquaza can be very useful for revenge killing with Dragon Ascent, but the lack of power is extremely glaring when using it. Lum Berry can also help Rayquaza shake off a burn or paralysis immediately, but it also has a large lack of power that Life Orb or Choice Band offers. Focus Sash makes Rayquaza function as an anti-lead, limiting most dedicated leads to a single layer of entry hazards, but power is everything when Rayquaza is involved, and Focus Sash restricts Rayquaza's role as a wallbreaker.
Checks & Counters
########
**Lugia**: Lugia can take any hit Rayquaza has to offer and either force it out with Whirlwind or 2HKO it with Ice Beam. However, Rayquaza can 2HKO Lugia after Stealth Rock with Dragon Ascent, and Lugia absolutely needs Multiscale to check Rayquaza.
**Support Arceus**: Support Arceus formes such as Rock Arceus and Fairy Arceus can outspeed Rayquaza and either cripple it with Will-O-Wisp or outright KO it with a super effective Judgment. MixQuaza can bypass the burn and 2HKO most support Arceus formes with Draco Meteor and Dragon Ascent, leaving only the aforementioned formes as the most effective checks.
**Primal Groudon**: Though it does not like particularly taking any hit Rayquaza has to offer, Primal Groudon can immediately threaten to OHKO Rayquaza with Stone Edge, cripple it with Lava Plume, or set up Stealth Rock as Rayquaza gets forced out, discouraging it from switching back in.
**Revenge Killers**: Due to Rayquaza's average bulk, faster Pokemon such as Darkrai, Mewtwo, Mega Gengar, Latios, Latias, Palkia, and Choice Scarf Genesect can outspeed and OHKO Rayquaza with the right coverage move. None of these Pokemon can switch into Rayquaza safely, however.
Overview
########
+ Dragon Ascent is gud, much more reliable spam than V-create
+ Air Lock negates Desolate Land and Primordial Sea
+ Fantastic wallbreaker; more Megas to support
+ Most of its checks and counters have dropped in viability due to Primal activity
- SR weak
- Offers little type synergy
- Frail-ish
- In loving memory of Mega Rayquaza
MixQuaza
########
name: MixQuaza
move 1: Draco Meteor
move 2: Earthquake / Fire Blast
move 3: Dragon Ascent
move 4: Extremespeed / Earthquake
ability: Air Lock
item: Life Orb
evs: 252 Atk / 40 SpA / 216 Spe
nature: Naive
Moves
========
- Draco Meteor immediately differentiates MixQuaza from other sets, turning Rayquaza into a threatening mixed wallbreaker
- Earthquake for Heatran and other non-levitating Steels such as Aegislash and Klefki
- Fire Blast is an alternative to specifically target Skarmory, Bronzong, Ferrothorn and Scizor
- Dragon Ascent is Rayquaza's no-negotiation STAB move, and absolutely stings on the physical side
- Extremespeed gives MixQuaza more of an edge against offense, at the cost of a coverage move which could be used against balance or stall
Set Details
========
- EVs give Draco an edge while still donating power to Dragon Ascent
- Max SpA sets can be used to do more damage to support Arceus and PDon with Draco
Usage Tips
========
- Wallbreak with extra enthusiasm, though watch out for Rayquaza's HP bar, as it is prone to being revenge killed by base 100's and higher if it gets too low, so double switching or pivoting is very important to getting Rayquaza in safely
- The combination of Draco Meteor+Dragon Ascent can 2HKO most walls, so don't be afraid of using either one of them the wrong way, especially if the opponent does not have many walls or tanks with reliable recovery
Team Options
========
- Mega Salamence is Rayquaza's number 1 partner in crime, as the two wreck each others counters, especially with MixQuaza's coverage, which only leaves Lugia and support Arceus formes at large
- SR setters can help break Multiscale for Lugia as well as Focus Sashes to exploit Extremespeed. Dialga, Primal Groudon, and Lando-T are prime examples
- U-turn from Scizor+Genesect and Volt Switch on Thundurus can bring in Rayquaza in on opposing walls to snap them in half
- Defog users such as the Latis, Arceus and Giratina-O can keep SR off the field and Rayquaza in fighting shape
Dance Dance Rayvolution
########
name: Dance Dance Rayvolution
move 1: Swords Dance
move 2: Dragon Ascent
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Extremespeed / Dragon Dance
ability: Air Lock
item: Life Orb
evs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant / Jolly
Moves
========
- Dragon Ascent is best move
- SD for wallbreaking power
- ESpeed bc ESpeed
- EQ pairs well with Dragon Ascent, breaks former checks such as Rockceus+Heatran
- Dragon Dance allows Rayquaza to have flexibility against both offensive and defensive styles: simply use SD against balance or stall and wallbreak or DD against offense, outspeed, and clean
- V-create can be used over Espeed for specific Steels (MegaZor+Ferro)
Set Details
========
- Adamant gives the overall best wallbreaking power that SD and DD provide for teams, but Jolly is applicable to outspeed Jolly base 90s and Lugia unboosted
- The 4 SpD EVS prevent Genesect from getting a SpA boost from Download, coaxing Choice sets to U-turn out, allowing Rayquaza to capitalize on momentum given to it
Usage Tips
========
- If using Swords Dance and Dragon Dance together, boost appropriately against either offensive or defensive archetypes, and Dragon Ascent away if needed
- Don't use ESpeed as a cleaning tool unless the opposing team is ripe for cleaning; only use it for revenge killing, as it lets Rayquaza come in after a mon has been sacked
- Dragon Ascent actually won't immediately force Rayquaza out like V-create does, but be extremely cautious about potential priority or Scarf carriers after using Dragon Ascent
Team Options
========
- Mega Salamence is still the best overall offensive team partner for Rayquaza due to the two's offensive synergy, and Rayquaza's ability to wallbreak combined with Salamence's sweeping potential is very potent
- Primal Groudon is a very nice teammate for Rayquaza, as it sets up SR and eliminates most Steel-types with Fire Punch, leaving room for Rayquaza to run Extremespeed
- Klefki is a great partner to Rayquaza, as it not only checks Xerneas and the Latis, but sets up Spikes for Rayquaza to abuse
- VoltTurn is gud
- Defog users such as Gira-O, Latis, and Arceus also help out Rayquaza's wallbreaking endeavors
Choice Band
########
name: Choice Band
move 1: Dragon Ascent
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: V-create
move 4: Extremespeed
ability: Air Lock
item: Choice Band
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant / Jolly
Moves
========
- CB Dragon Ascent hits like a very large, hell-spawned truck (2HKOs support Arc; 2HKOs Lugia after SR)
- Earthquake covers grounded Steels+Dialga+Pdon
- V-create rams Skarmory and Scizor (including cheeky Genesects)
- ESpeed is gud
- Waterfall is a preference to OHKO PDon right off the bat, and can also deal with bulky Grounds (and other misc. walls with flinchhax)
Set Details
========
- Adamant for the power, Jolly can outrun Primals and Kyu-W
- Max Atk, Max Spe for maximum output
Usage Tips
========
- Locking into Dragon Ascent isn't really scary, as even resists take a buttload from it. V-create and Earthquake, however, need to be used sparingly, as the former lowers your invaluable Speed, while Earthquake can just be taken advantage of
- Still be wary of your current health when using CB Ray, but it doesn't need as much attendance as LO due to the lack of recoil
- ESpeed all the things if the time calls for it
Team Options
========
- Obligatory MMence mention
- Pdon (Sr setters in general, Dialga, Landoge blabla)
- Keys
- Defog support
Other Options
########
- Tailwind
- Choice Scarf
- Lum Berry
- Sash leads
- Iron Tail
- Dragon Claw / Outrage
- Surf
Checks & Counters
########
- Lugia
- Bulky Support Arceus
- Revenge Killers
- Primal Groudon
Last edited:
