Overview
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Mega Lopunny stands out in Battle Spot thanks to its excellent combination of a high Speed stat, a high Attack stat, and an unresisted STAB combination thanks to its ability, Scrappy. Fake Out is a great move that Lopunny possesses, which allows it to safely Mega Evolve and deal damage in the process. The two top threats of the tier, Mega Kangaskhan and Aegislash, both fall to Mega Lopunny's powerful attacks; however, Aegislash can create mind games with King's Shield. Mega Lopunny is capable of weakening the foe with its powerful attacks so that its partner has an easier time to sweep. However, Mega Lopunny does come with an opportunity cost to using it. You're giving up the ability to run many other great Mega Evolutions, namely Mega Kangaskhan, Mega Salamence, and Mega Mawile, by choosing to run it. Mega Lopunny is powerful, but not as powerful as the aforementioned threats and will fall short at times. Mega Lopunny's bulk is not outstanding either, and it will fall to powerful hits. To put it into perspective, whatever Mega Lopunny does not KO will KO it in return. Common Pokemon such as Rotom-W, Landorus-T, Mega Mawile, and Talonflame are threatening and are too hard for Mega Lopunny to handle.
Physical Attacker
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name: Physical Attacker
move 1: Fake Out
move 2: Return
move 3: High Jump Kick
move 4: Ice Punch / Baton Pass / Substitute
ability: Limber
item: Lopunnite
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly
Moves
========
Fake Out is an excellent move because it allows Lopunny to rack up damage the turn it Mega Evolves and safely allow it to gain a new, faster Speed tier. Fake Out's damage comes in handy because it makes Return and High Jump Kick much more likely to KO the foe after it's lost a bit of health from Fake Out. Return is a solid move because it is a powerful STAB move that has no drawbacks, and its power is usually solid enough to safely use against most Pokemon. High Jump Kick is more powerful than Return and smacks Steel-types such as Heatran and Mega Mawile, both of which shrug off Fake Out and Return. Ice Punch hits the incredibly common Landorus-T and Dragon-types such as Garchomp and Mega Salamence for solid damage, thus rounding out Mega Lopunny's coverage. However, Ice Punch is unable to OHKO all three of these Pokemon without prior damage, preferably from a teammate. Baton Pass allows Mega Lopunny to safely pivot into a teammate and come back in later to abuse Fake Out again; however, it's a risky move because Landorus-T's or Mawile's Intimidate will punish Lopunny for using it. Substitute is an excellent choice in the last slot so that Mega Lopunny can avoid Intimidate and status, and it can be used on predicted switches. Mega Lopunny takes advantage of Encore due to its high Speed stat, eliminating mind games, and can lock opposing Pokemon into unfavorable moves, such as Aegislash with King's Shield. Mega Lopunny's last moveslot is very flexible and is suited to fit your team's needs. Utility moves such as Healing Wish or other coverage moves such as Fire Punch or Thunder Punch could be used if the need arises. Healing Wish, in particular, is useful for bringing in a weakened teammate with full health and giving them a second chance to sweep the opposing team.
Set Details
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Lopunnite is the only item Lopunny should ever run, as it allows Lopunny to Mega Evolve and gain a large boost in Speed and power, along with an excellent ability in Scrappy. Limber prevents paralysis on Lopunny before it Mega Evolves, which means Lopunny could create potential mind games with Thunder Wave users. After Mega Evolving, Lopunny gains Scrappy, which is an excellent ability because it allows Mega Lopunny to use High Jump Kick without fearing Ghost-type Pokemon. A Jolly nature is chosen over an Adamant nature so that Mega Lopunny can get the jump on base 100 Speed Pokemon before Mega Evolving and outspeed Greninja after Mega Evolving. An Adamant nature could be used if your team packs Icy Wind, Rock Tomb, or Thunder Wave support in some form, as this nature does increase Mega Lopunny's damage output quite a bit, but it's generally unadvised. The only notable difference an Adamant nature makes is that Porygon2 falls to the combination of Fake Out and High Jump Kick, but it's left at a low amount of health either way. In the long run, a Jolly nature will almost always be more beneficial to Mega Lopunny than an Adamant nature.
Usage Tips
========
Mega Lopunny does well as a lead because it can weaken the opposing team so that more powerful teammates can come in later and take advantage of the worn-down team. Thanks to Scrappy, Fake Out is almost always guaranteed to break Focus Sash, further adding to the excellence of Mega Lopunny in the early-game. Random Protects ruin Mega Lopunny's day because it means that High Jump Kick will crash, so it's always best to scout for these Protects before using High Jump Kick if possible. Limber is very situational, and it's very risky to stay in base Lopunny forme, but it can fish for a Thunder Wave. It's often best to Mega Evolve regardless and inflict damage with Fake Out, then switch into a Ground-type partner to take the incoming Thunder Wave. The greatest use for Limber is when Lopunny is not in the lead position so that it can switch into Porygon2's Thunder Wave with impunity. Mega Evolve Lopunny as early in the match as possible, because without being Mega Evolved, Lopunny is less bulky and its Speed tier is much worse than Mega Lopunny's. Do note that using Mega Lopunny early in the game does not mean that you should sacrifice it. Mega Lopunny can be useful later in the match because of its Speed, allowing it to clean up teams itself. Realize the difference in power between High Jump Kick and Return. Return's power is solid, but High Jump Kick is much higher in Base Power, and it will do a lot more on neutral hits. This can be something players forget because High Jump Kick has risky accuracy, but the risk is almost always worth it in the end. Ghost-types are also unable to switch directly into High Jump Kick because of Scrappy, so teams with Mega Lopunny don't have to fear Ghost-types switching in! Always use Fake Out first; it only works on the first turn that Lopunny is sent out and will provide excellent chip damage. Fake Out is also great because it allows a turn for Lopunny to Mega Evolve, thus gaining a huge boost in Speed.
Team Options
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Landorus-T is a good partner because it softens up attacks for Mega Lopunny and takes any Thunder Wave aimed at Mega Lopunny. The two create a powerful core that weakens physical walls together because of their high Attack stats. Landorus-T can even U-turn to get Mega Lopunny in safely! Aegislash has good synergy with Mega Lopunny, taking on Fighting-, Psychic-, and Fairy-type attacks with ease while Mega Lopunny is able to take on Dark- and Ghost-type attacks. Aegislash beats Cresselia, in particular, which is beneficial for Mega Lopunny. Later on, Mega Lopunny can bring in Aegislash back at full health via Healing Wish. Rotom-W safely pivots into Mega Lopunny via Volt Switch and is able to spread around burns, while taking on Landorus-T and Talonflame easily. Garchomp is also a good partner for Mega Lopunny thanks to its ability to set up Stealth Rock to cripple Talonflame, which Mega Lopunny greatly appreciates. Although running Tyranitar creates a double Fighting weakness, Tyranitar helps take down pesky Psychic-types with Pursuit or can set up a Dragon Dance against a weakened team. Sylveon is a powerful wallbreaker that has decent synergy with Mega Lopunny and appreciates the removal of Steel-types before attempting a sweep. Talonflame takes advantage of the removal of Steel- and Rock-type Pokemon on the field to spam Brave Bird without worry, and it beats Blaziken, a pesky revenge killer. Bisharp is a great partner because it dissuades Intimidate and can prey off of weakened teams via Sucker Punch or Knock Off.
Other Options
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Drain Punch provides a means of reliable recovery and has decent power, but Mega Lopunny is mainly used for demolishing the opposing team with High Jump Kick. Substitute + Encore allows the use of Focus Punch and can be very annoying to deal with because Mega Lopunny's high Speed ensures that it will likely lock a foe into a move. Substitute provides immunities to Will-O-Wisp, Thunder Wave, and Intimidate. Power-Up Punch has the potential to turn Mega Lopunny into a near-unstoppable wallbreaker, but then Mega Lopunny sacrifices valuable coverage, and the raw power that Mega Lopunny packs is usually enough. Toxic cripples Cresselia, which annoys Mega Lopunny. Quick Attack helps pick off Choice Scarf Pokemon once they've been weakened, but Mega Lopunny is quite fast as it is and Quick Attack is generally not going to be used. Facade takes advantage of status to make Mega Lopunny insanely hard to wall; however, it's very dependent on the opponent's team and is generally an inconsistent move. If Ditto is a large concern, or you just stress about it coming in and taking Lopunny's Return, you could potentially run Frustration over Return, but this situation is quite uncommon. A set consisting of Klutz + Assault Vest is very unadvised in terms of other sets to use because this set wastes all of Lopunny's potential. Mega Lopunny is the main reason why normal Lopunny is viable.
Checks & Counters
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**Physically Defensive Pokemon**: Cresselia is extremely common in Battle Spot and completely shrugs off anything Mega Lopunny can throw at it thanks to its neutrality to Return, resistance to High Jump Kick, and high physical bulk. Other physical walls, such as Mega Slowbro, Clefable, Mandibuzz, Quagsire, Skarmory, Hippowdon, and Suicune, are able to take Mega Lopunny's hits. These Pokemon all have a high Defense stat, are neutral to one or both of Mega Lopunny's STAB moves, and carry a form of recovery. Mega Lopunny will be unable to break through these Pokemon, although all of them dislike Toxic. These Pokemon can typically beat Mega Lopunny with a Scald, Psychic, Moonblast, Earthquake, or Toxic of their own. The best way to check Mega Lopunny with a defensive Pokemon is with a reliable wall that has a solid form of recovery; otherwise, Mega Lopunny could potentially wear them down.
**Intimidate**: Landorus-T is very common and can weaken Mega Lopunny with Intimidate, which lowers Mega Lopunny's Attack. Despite being four times weak to Ice Punch, Landorus-T can survive the hit and smack Mega Lopunny with Earthquake. Mawile, another Pokemon with Intimidate, can tank a High Jump Kick and OHKO in return with Play Rough. Salamence can come in on Fake Out, Mega Evolve, survive Ice Punch, and choose between setting up on Mega Lopunny and OHKOing it with Return. These Pokemon all tank Mega Lopunny's hits and soften up its attacks for teammates to have a much easier time taking it on. Mega Lopunny's only way to prevent Intimidate is through Substitute, which all Intimidate users are able to break through regardless.
**Revenge Killing**: Talonflame is the most common priority user in the tier and is capable of revenge killing Mega Lopunny easily with a powerful Brave Bird. Talonflame doesn't like Return too much, however, but it can switch in and revenge kill if need be. Choice Scarf Rotom-W can tank a hit and proceed to 2HKO Mega Lopunny with Hydro Pump. Choice Scarf Landorus-T 2HKOes with Earthquake and shrugs off Return with ease thanks to Intimidate. Garchomp can revenge kill with a Choice Scarf Outrage, but it heavily dislikes Ice Punch and is thus best to come in after another Pokemon has fainted. Blaziken is an excellent check thanks to Speed Boost and its ability to make High Jump Kick crash via Protect, and it can OHKO Mega Lopunny with Superpower easily. Choice Scarf is the best way to revenge kill Mega Lopunny, while priority is a viable method as well.
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Mega Lopunny stands out in Battle Spot thanks to its excellent combination of a high Speed stat, a high Attack stat, and an unresisted STAB combination thanks to its ability, Scrappy. Fake Out is a great move that Lopunny possesses, which allows it to safely Mega Evolve and deal damage in the process. The two top threats of the tier, Mega Kangaskhan and Aegislash, both fall to Mega Lopunny's powerful attacks; however, Aegislash can create mind games with King's Shield. Mega Lopunny is capable of weakening the foe with its powerful attacks so that its partner has an easier time to sweep. However, Mega Lopunny does come with an opportunity cost to using it. You're giving up the ability to run many other great Mega Evolutions, namely Mega Kangaskhan, Mega Salamence, and Mega Mawile, by choosing to run it. Mega Lopunny is powerful, but not as powerful as the aforementioned threats and will fall short at times. Mega Lopunny's bulk is not outstanding either, and it will fall to powerful hits. To put it into perspective, whatever Mega Lopunny does not KO will KO it in return. Common Pokemon such as Rotom-W, Landorus-T, Mega Mawile, and Talonflame are threatening and are too hard for Mega Lopunny to handle.
Physical Attacker
########
name: Physical Attacker
move 1: Fake Out
move 2: Return
move 3: High Jump Kick
move 4: Ice Punch / Baton Pass / Substitute
ability: Limber
item: Lopunnite
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly
Moves
========
Fake Out is an excellent move because it allows Lopunny to rack up damage the turn it Mega Evolves and safely allow it to gain a new, faster Speed tier. Fake Out's damage comes in handy because it makes Return and High Jump Kick much more likely to KO the foe after it's lost a bit of health from Fake Out. Return is a solid move because it is a powerful STAB move that has no drawbacks, and its power is usually solid enough to safely use against most Pokemon. High Jump Kick is more powerful than Return and smacks Steel-types such as Heatran and Mega Mawile, both of which shrug off Fake Out and Return. Ice Punch hits the incredibly common Landorus-T and Dragon-types such as Garchomp and Mega Salamence for solid damage, thus rounding out Mega Lopunny's coverage. However, Ice Punch is unable to OHKO all three of these Pokemon without prior damage, preferably from a teammate. Baton Pass allows Mega Lopunny to safely pivot into a teammate and come back in later to abuse Fake Out again; however, it's a risky move because Landorus-T's or Mawile's Intimidate will punish Lopunny for using it. Substitute is an excellent choice in the last slot so that Mega Lopunny can avoid Intimidate and status, and it can be used on predicted switches. Mega Lopunny takes advantage of Encore due to its high Speed stat, eliminating mind games, and can lock opposing Pokemon into unfavorable moves, such as Aegislash with King's Shield. Mega Lopunny's last moveslot is very flexible and is suited to fit your team's needs. Utility moves such as Healing Wish or other coverage moves such as Fire Punch or Thunder Punch could be used if the need arises. Healing Wish, in particular, is useful for bringing in a weakened teammate with full health and giving them a second chance to sweep the opposing team.
Set Details
========
Lopunnite is the only item Lopunny should ever run, as it allows Lopunny to Mega Evolve and gain a large boost in Speed and power, along with an excellent ability in Scrappy. Limber prevents paralysis on Lopunny before it Mega Evolves, which means Lopunny could create potential mind games with Thunder Wave users. After Mega Evolving, Lopunny gains Scrappy, which is an excellent ability because it allows Mega Lopunny to use High Jump Kick without fearing Ghost-type Pokemon. A Jolly nature is chosen over an Adamant nature so that Mega Lopunny can get the jump on base 100 Speed Pokemon before Mega Evolving and outspeed Greninja after Mega Evolving. An Adamant nature could be used if your team packs Icy Wind, Rock Tomb, or Thunder Wave support in some form, as this nature does increase Mega Lopunny's damage output quite a bit, but it's generally unadvised. The only notable difference an Adamant nature makes is that Porygon2 falls to the combination of Fake Out and High Jump Kick, but it's left at a low amount of health either way. In the long run, a Jolly nature will almost always be more beneficial to Mega Lopunny than an Adamant nature.
Usage Tips
========
Mega Lopunny does well as a lead because it can weaken the opposing team so that more powerful teammates can come in later and take advantage of the worn-down team. Thanks to Scrappy, Fake Out is almost always guaranteed to break Focus Sash, further adding to the excellence of Mega Lopunny in the early-game. Random Protects ruin Mega Lopunny's day because it means that High Jump Kick will crash, so it's always best to scout for these Protects before using High Jump Kick if possible. Limber is very situational, and it's very risky to stay in base Lopunny forme, but it can fish for a Thunder Wave. It's often best to Mega Evolve regardless and inflict damage with Fake Out, then switch into a Ground-type partner to take the incoming Thunder Wave. The greatest use for Limber is when Lopunny is not in the lead position so that it can switch into Porygon2's Thunder Wave with impunity. Mega Evolve Lopunny as early in the match as possible, because without being Mega Evolved, Lopunny is less bulky and its Speed tier is much worse than Mega Lopunny's. Do note that using Mega Lopunny early in the game does not mean that you should sacrifice it. Mega Lopunny can be useful later in the match because of its Speed, allowing it to clean up teams itself. Realize the difference in power between High Jump Kick and Return. Return's power is solid, but High Jump Kick is much higher in Base Power, and it will do a lot more on neutral hits. This can be something players forget because High Jump Kick has risky accuracy, but the risk is almost always worth it in the end. Ghost-types are also unable to switch directly into High Jump Kick because of Scrappy, so teams with Mega Lopunny don't have to fear Ghost-types switching in! Always use Fake Out first; it only works on the first turn that Lopunny is sent out and will provide excellent chip damage. Fake Out is also great because it allows a turn for Lopunny to Mega Evolve, thus gaining a huge boost in Speed.
Team Options
========
Landorus-T is a good partner because it softens up attacks for Mega Lopunny and takes any Thunder Wave aimed at Mega Lopunny. The two create a powerful core that weakens physical walls together because of their high Attack stats. Landorus-T can even U-turn to get Mega Lopunny in safely! Aegislash has good synergy with Mega Lopunny, taking on Fighting-, Psychic-, and Fairy-type attacks with ease while Mega Lopunny is able to take on Dark- and Ghost-type attacks. Aegislash beats Cresselia, in particular, which is beneficial for Mega Lopunny. Later on, Mega Lopunny can bring in Aegislash back at full health via Healing Wish. Rotom-W safely pivots into Mega Lopunny via Volt Switch and is able to spread around burns, while taking on Landorus-T and Talonflame easily. Garchomp is also a good partner for Mega Lopunny thanks to its ability to set up Stealth Rock to cripple Talonflame, which Mega Lopunny greatly appreciates. Although running Tyranitar creates a double Fighting weakness, Tyranitar helps take down pesky Psychic-types with Pursuit or can set up a Dragon Dance against a weakened team. Sylveon is a powerful wallbreaker that has decent synergy with Mega Lopunny and appreciates the removal of Steel-types before attempting a sweep. Talonflame takes advantage of the removal of Steel- and Rock-type Pokemon on the field to spam Brave Bird without worry, and it beats Blaziken, a pesky revenge killer. Bisharp is a great partner because it dissuades Intimidate and can prey off of weakened teams via Sucker Punch or Knock Off.
Other Options
########
Drain Punch provides a means of reliable recovery and has decent power, but Mega Lopunny is mainly used for demolishing the opposing team with High Jump Kick. Substitute + Encore allows the use of Focus Punch and can be very annoying to deal with because Mega Lopunny's high Speed ensures that it will likely lock a foe into a move. Substitute provides immunities to Will-O-Wisp, Thunder Wave, and Intimidate. Power-Up Punch has the potential to turn Mega Lopunny into a near-unstoppable wallbreaker, but then Mega Lopunny sacrifices valuable coverage, and the raw power that Mega Lopunny packs is usually enough. Toxic cripples Cresselia, which annoys Mega Lopunny. Quick Attack helps pick off Choice Scarf Pokemon once they've been weakened, but Mega Lopunny is quite fast as it is and Quick Attack is generally not going to be used. Facade takes advantage of status to make Mega Lopunny insanely hard to wall; however, it's very dependent on the opponent's team and is generally an inconsistent move. If Ditto is a large concern, or you just stress about it coming in and taking Lopunny's Return, you could potentially run Frustration over Return, but this situation is quite uncommon. A set consisting of Klutz + Assault Vest is very unadvised in terms of other sets to use because this set wastes all of Lopunny's potential. Mega Lopunny is the main reason why normal Lopunny is viable.
Checks & Counters
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**Physically Defensive Pokemon**: Cresselia is extremely common in Battle Spot and completely shrugs off anything Mega Lopunny can throw at it thanks to its neutrality to Return, resistance to High Jump Kick, and high physical bulk. Other physical walls, such as Mega Slowbro, Clefable, Mandibuzz, Quagsire, Skarmory, Hippowdon, and Suicune, are able to take Mega Lopunny's hits. These Pokemon all have a high Defense stat, are neutral to one or both of Mega Lopunny's STAB moves, and carry a form of recovery. Mega Lopunny will be unable to break through these Pokemon, although all of them dislike Toxic. These Pokemon can typically beat Mega Lopunny with a Scald, Psychic, Moonblast, Earthquake, or Toxic of their own. The best way to check Mega Lopunny with a defensive Pokemon is with a reliable wall that has a solid form of recovery; otherwise, Mega Lopunny could potentially wear them down.
**Intimidate**: Landorus-T is very common and can weaken Mega Lopunny with Intimidate, which lowers Mega Lopunny's Attack. Despite being four times weak to Ice Punch, Landorus-T can survive the hit and smack Mega Lopunny with Earthquake. Mawile, another Pokemon with Intimidate, can tank a High Jump Kick and OHKO in return with Play Rough. Salamence can come in on Fake Out, Mega Evolve, survive Ice Punch, and choose between setting up on Mega Lopunny and OHKOing it with Return. These Pokemon all tank Mega Lopunny's hits and soften up its attacks for teammates to have a much easier time taking it on. Mega Lopunny's only way to prevent Intimidate is through Substitute, which all Intimidate users are able to break through regardless.
**Revenge Killing**: Talonflame is the most common priority user in the tier and is capable of revenge killing Mega Lopunny easily with a powerful Brave Bird. Talonflame doesn't like Return too much, however, but it can switch in and revenge kill if need be. Choice Scarf Rotom-W can tank a hit and proceed to 2HKO Mega Lopunny with Hydro Pump. Choice Scarf Landorus-T 2HKOes with Earthquake and shrugs off Return with ease thanks to Intimidate. Garchomp can revenge kill with a Choice Scarf Outrage, but it heavily dislikes Ice Punch and is thus best to come in after another Pokemon has fainted. Blaziken is an excellent check thanks to Speed Boost and its ability to make High Jump Kick crash via Protect, and it can OHKO Mega Lopunny with Superpower easily. Choice Scarf is the best way to revenge kill Mega Lopunny, while priority is a viable method as well.
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