Metagross (Full Revamp) (QC 3/3)

[Colonel M]

Seems like this thing is pretty cursed since there has been two attempts at a revamp. Will the great Colonel M prove himself once more to the plebeians of Smogon, or will he too falter to the wrath of not finishing an analysis? Stay tuned.

Metagross more like Grossly Underrated

Berserk Lord's Thread (for reference with sets)

Also note he wrote the Trick+Iron Ball set I think.



[Overview]

• Using Metagross increases your manliness
• Clear Body is an awesome ability
• Smashing 135 Atk and 130 Def; making it capable of taking and dishing out physical attacks with a modest 80 HP and 90 SpD
• Steel/Psychic is only vulnerable to two weaknesses - one of them possibly weakened thanks to Drizzle's dominance in the OU metagame
• Wide enough movepool to take advantage of many different sets
• Mediocre STABs, 70 base Spe, four moveslot syndrome, and weaknesses that are fairly common hamper its usage

[SET]
name: Stealth Rock
move 1: Stealth Rock
move 2: Meteor Mash
move 3: Pursuit
move 4: Earthquake / Hammer Arm
item: Leftovers
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 96 Atk / 160 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]

• Arguably Metagross's best set in the OU metagame since its bulk and typing allows it to lay Stealth Rock with fair ease.
• Meteor Mash is Metagross's primary STAB move thanks to its high base power and off-chance to raise Atk.
• With Pursuit Metagross is able to check Latios, Latias, Gengar, and Celebi. Be careful about Celebi carrying Earth Power or Hidden Power Fire.
• Earthquake keeps Jirachi, Tentacruel, and Heatran from ruining Metagross's fun. Hammer Arm can be used to smash Ferrothorn and is Metagross's second best way to hit Rotom-W (the first being STAB Zen Headbutt).
• Leftovers are used primarily to keep Metagross healthy while doing its duties. Other item options listed in Additional Comments.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

• If you're wishing for more Attack, you can switch back to 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe.
• 60 EVs can be used to outspeed 0 Speed Heatran - thus giving Metagross the jump against Heatran and KOing it with Earthquake. Metagross can survive a Lava Plume with this EV spread and Earthquake it back, though.
• Occa Berry can be used to mitigate Heatran's Lava Plume (or prevent Metagross from dying to Fire Blast). If paired with Rock Slide, it can also prevent Volcarona from setting up and sweeping Metagross.
• With Shuca Berry and Ice Punch, Metagross can survive a Life Orb Landorus Earthquake (in Sandstorm) most of the time (81.6% - 96.4%) and KO it back with Ice Punch. Ice Punch also lets Metagross hit Dragonite, Haxorus, and Salamence locked into Outrage. For an added bonus, +2 LO Salamence fails to KO Metagross (57.1% - 67.6%), making Metagross a reliable check in that scenario. Gliscor is also deterred from switching into Metagross. This should only be considered if Metagross isn't being used to Pursuit Pokemon or you have solid checks to Calm Mind Jirachi.
• Air Balloon can be used instead of Shuca Berry to give Metagross a temporary immunity. Bear in mind that the Balloon pops if Metagross takes an attack.
• Normal Gem + Explosion can be considered instead to nearly KO Gliscor switch-ins (84.2% - 99.2% if Metagross runs max Atk) and KO Rotom-W switch-ins, though Explosion might be a bad idea since Metagross attracts Jellicent as it is.
• Lum Berry isn’t a terrible option since it allows Metagross to stay into Tentacruel easier thanks to preventing Scald burning Metagross at least once.
• Life Orb can be used to add juice behind Metagross's attacks, but the lack of Leftovers and Life Orb recoil make taking attacks seem a little harder to accomplish.
• Bullet Punch is an option to let Metagross revenge kill threats such as Mamoswine and Weavile. Unfortunately, it just doesn't hit very hard even behind that awesome 135 Atk stat and STAB factored in (4 HP Mamo takes 49.9% - 58.7% for example with max Atk Metagross).
• Skarmory and Forretress can set up with impunity while Metagross is out. As an added bonus, Forretress can simply spin away Metagross’s Stealth Rock.
• Donphan can switch into Metagross while being able to spin away Stealth Rock, set up its own rocks, or slam Metagross with STAB Earthquake.
• LO Starmie does 53.6% - 63.5% outside of the rain and does 80.2% - 94.8% in the rain. Metagross can leave Starmie severely crippled or even KOed if Sandstorm and Stealth Rock is in play, though.
• Bulky Water-types such as Vaporeon and Jellicent can take repeated Hammer Arms and Earthquakes and burn with Scald / Will-O-Wisp. Rain boosted Scalds make the situation a little worse.
• Volcarona resists Metagross’s moveset fairly well, though Offensive Volcarona can’t set up on Occa Metagross if Stealth Rock is in play as Earthquake does 60% damage minimum. It is very possible for Bulky Volcarona to set up on Metagross, though, as Earthquake maxes out at 38%.
• Gliscor doesn’t like taking Meteor Mash too much nor does it like thinking about taking Ice Punch in the face, but Meteor Mash isn’t 3HKOing any defensive Gliscor without an Attack boost while Earthquake is at worst a 3HKO.
• While not a counter, Thundurus-T can come into Metagross and set up Nasty Plot while being able to take an unboosted Meteor Mash. Choice Specs Thunder can OHKO Metagross unless it invests in SpD.
• Celebi is a great partner for Metagross as, with Hidden Power Fire, can handle Skarmory and Forretress while making Donphan and bulky Water-types less of a hassle. Tinkerbell doesn’t like the thoughts of Substitute, but if Celebi carries Psychic instead Gliscor shouldn’t be a problem whatsoever. Thunder Wave support helps alleviate Metagross’s Speed woes against offensive Pokemon such as Tornadus-T.
• If you’re playing with Metagross in the rain, Tornadus-T and Thundurus-T can shred most of these Pokemon with their STABs while possibly switching in freely thanks to their Earthquake immunity. If you’re using Tornadus-T, it needs Focus Blast for Skarmory.
• Choice Scarf Terrakion can revenge kill +1 Volcarona and can put some dents on some of the bulky Water-types.
• Rotom-W compliments nicely with Metagross – Rotom-W takes away some of the bulky Water-type’s pain while taking Metagross’s weaknesses and resisting Fire and immune to Earthquake. Meanwhile, Rotom-W appreciates Metagross’s easier handling with Grass-types such as Celebi that lack Earth Power or Hidden Power Fire.
• Possible additions – Wish support (Vaporeon, Latias), other entry hazards (Deoxys-D, Ferrothorn, Froslass), and spin-blocking (Jellicent, Sableye).

My initial thoughts:
- I kind of like the EV spread presented in the AC instead, though a minor swap with 96 Atk / 160 SpD seems a bit more fitting for Metagross.
- PKGaming wanted Hammer Arm > Earthquake, but I am kind of leery on it. While it does hit Rotom-W switch-ins as well as Ferrothorn (not that it can really do anything, but Leech Seed / setting up hazards can be annoying), Earthquake allows Metagross to keep Jirachi in check, which is a pretty big threat to a lot of teams too.

[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Meteor Mash
move 2: Bullet Punch
move 3: Hammer Arm
move 4: Zen Headbutt / Pursuit / ThunderPunch
item: Choice Band
nature: Adamant
evs: 164 HP / 252 Atk / 92 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

• Choice Band Metagross still hits like a nuke this generation.
• STAB Meteor Mash is Metagross’s primary STAB. The chance of raising Attack (though rare) makes taking it even scarier.
• Bullet Punch, while comparatively weak to Scizor’s is Metagross’s best way of bypassing its Speed woes. This also allows Metagross to double up with utility as a revenge killer for faster Pokemon such as Terrakion and Mamoswine.
• Hammer Arm is the main choice this time for hitting Jirachi as well as being able to beat Skarmory one-on-one. If Skarmory Roosts, it’s taking 62.9% - 74.3%.
• Zen Headbutt does nicely to beat Conkeldurr and bulky Water-types such as Jellicent and Rotom-W. It’s also Metagross’s best move, aside from Rock Slide, to throw Volcarona switch-ins off.
• Pursuit is a good option to improve Choice Band Metagross’s utility value – if opting to use it, max HP is recommended instead of the given spread.
• ThunderPunch is an option to 2HKO Slowbro and retains a 2HKO on Skarmory. This makes handling Gastrodon a bit harder, though.
• The given Speed EVs gives Metagross 200 Speed – enough to outrun Defensive Gyarados.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

• Ice Punch can be used if being stopped by Gliscor is a big deal for Metagross. This also gives Metagross a more reliable option to hit Dragon-types locked into Outrage.
• While the Explosion nerf stinks, it still can leave massive dents on Pokemon that don’t resist it.
• Trick can be used, but Metagross wants as much muscle as possible and the move is better served on a set with Choice Scarf.
• Slowbro is probably one of the best counters to Metagross, as it only fears ThunderPunch. Pursuit does mediocre damage unless Slowbro switches out. Regenerator also makes tackling Slowbro a lot more difficult. Even if Metagross is locked into ThunderPunch, Slowbro can switch out and regain most of its health back.
• Bulky Steel- and Water-types can still switch into predicted Meteor Mashes and Bullet Punches and take advantage of the situation quickly with their entry hazards / STAB Scalds / Will-O-Wisp. Heatran can easily incinerate Metagross with Fire Blast.
• This set is very susceptible to being revenge trapped by Magnezone, Magneton, Dugtrio, and Wobbuffet. Do whatever it takes to take these Pokemon out and prevent them from stopping Metagross.
• Hazard support, especially Stealth Rock, is important to help Metagross keep the pain train going.
• Celebi makes an awesome partner once again. It handles Slowbro and other bulky Water-types nicely thanks to STAB Leaf Storm or STAB Grass Knot. While Heatran can still prove to be a problem, Earth Power can be used to prevent Heatran from ruining Metagross’s day. Psychic can also be used to prevent Substitute + Protect Gliscor from going very far as well as hitting Pokemon that could set up on Metagross such as Bulk Up Conkeldurr.
• Rotom-W is another great partner since it cripples bulky Water-types as well as most Steel-types thanks to its great dual STABs. Being immune to Earthquake is another huge plus.
• Hydreigon is a nice offensive pairing. While Fire Blast can possibly be nerfed in the rain, Hydreigon carries two powerful STABs that rip through most of Metagross’s issues. In return, Hydreigon handles the faster, frailer Pokemon that threaten Hydreigon as well as taking Ice-type attacks. Surf can also be used if you’re pairing Metagross and Hydreigon with a rain team.
• While an awkward pairing, Magnezone can trap some of the troublesome Steel-types that plague Metagross’s stampede while handling bulky Water-types nicely.

[SET]
name: Agility
move 1: Agility
move 2: Zen Headbutt
move 3: Earthquake
move 4: Meteor Mash / Ice Punch
item: Life Orb
nature: Jolly / Adamant
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

• Jolly gives way to outspeeding Scarf Terrakion and neutral nature Venusaur after an Agility.
• Combined with Metagross’s awesome resistances to most priority attacks (bar Aqua Jet and Mach Punch), this makes Metagross very scary to handle if the opponent isn’t careful and running a fully offensive team.
• Meteor Mash is Metagross’s primary STAB option to hit Tyranitar, Mamoswine, Landorus, Thundurus, and the Lati twins for the best possible damage.
• Earthquake prevents Heatran and Jirachi from stopping the sweep.
• Zen Headbutt nails Thundurus-T, Rotom-W, Virizion and Keldeo-R while preventing Conkeldurr from setting up Bulk Ups.
• ThunderPunch is only listed because it hits Starmie and Slowbro harder than Zen Headbutt. The former is the only real noteworthy one since it can take an Earthquake and smash Metagross with Life Orb Hydro Pump since Slowbro and Skarmory pretty much “stop” Metagross’s sweep.
• Metagross isn’t a bad receiver of Baton Pass boosts such as Shell Smash, Swords Dance, or Substitute. If you’re Baton Passing Shell Smash, Agility can be removed for both Zen Headbutt and Thunderpunch. If you’re passing Agility to Metagross, Hone Claws isn’t a bad option. Hone Claws has the added benefit of making Zen Headbutt and Meteor Mash’s accuracy 100%.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

• Ice Punch is only noteworthy because Gliscor can be a major pain for a team to take out. It does have a negative side effect of leaving Keldeo-R without being hit by a SE attack as well as being equal to Meteor Mash’s base power if Meteor Mash hits neutral or Ice Punch hits for x2 SE damage. Don’t bother with other attacks aside from the ones listed here, and only use ThunderPunch over Zen Headbutt if you’re completely desperate with hitting bulky Water-types during the sweep or Starmie.
• Don’t even bother with other item options. While Lum Berry is nice for removing paralysis or burns, Air Balloon helps Metagross bypass its Ground-type weakness, and Shuca Berry allows Heatran to take an emergency Fire-type attack, Life Orb is too necessary for power since Metagross doesn’t have the option to go Adamant. While Adamant nature sounds VERY appealing with Jolly’s noticed power drop, an Agility still has Metagross slower than base 95s with a positive Speed nature and a Choice Scarf.
• Bulky Steel-types and bulky Water-types really prove to be a pain to this Metagross. This is emphasized heavily because this Metagross is attempting to sweep teams. In fact, any teams that have considerable amounts of bulk (i.e. Stall teams) are going to give Metagross hell.
• Gliscor, once again, sticks out its tongue at Metagross as this is the least flexible set to run Ice Punch with. Slowbro and Skarmory carry the award for “biggest blocks” to this Metagross set; especially without ThunderPunch.
• This set desperately needs entry hazards to help clear the way for the Metagross Meteor SMashing Express. A spinblocker will also be necessary to keep the hazards on the field.
• Celebi is great for handling bulky Water-types with relative ease. It can also set up Stealth Rock.
• Hydreigon can prove to be beneficial to Metagross since it’s an impressive wall-breaker on its own.
• Rotom-W can cripple a lot of physical Steel-types such as Scizor with Will-O-Wisp, thus helping create more setup fodder for Metagross. Being able to handle bulky Water-types and most Steel-types is a huge plus.
• When it comes to setting up Spikes Deoxys-D is probably your best bet. It doesn’t share the nasty weaknesses that Metagross, Hydreigon, and Rotom-W suffer from and can also set up Stealth Rock if necessary. As an added bonus, it can run Hidden Power Fire / Thunderbolt to take care of Ferrothorn or Skarmory. Superpower can also be used to dent Ferrothorn enough to start up Metagross’s sweep. Being Pursuit-bait is kind of an advantage here since it lets Metagross set up Agility easier; assuming they’re Choice-locked or Weavile of course.
• Magnezone can prove to be a huge help for Metagross since it traps the nasty Steel-types that otherwise nerf this set even harder. In fact, trappers in general aren’t a bad idea to carry for Metagross’s team since it can help make sweeps easier by removing most of the problematic Pokemon. Wobbuffet has an added bonus of using Encore to lock a Pokemon onto a move that Metagross can, more than likely, set up on.

[SET]
name: Mixed
move 1: Meteor Mash
move 2: Hidden Power Fire
move 3: Grass Knot
move 4: Zen Headbutt / Earthquake
item: Life Orb
nature: Naughty
evs: 252 Atk / 228 SpA / 24 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]

• Takes an interesting twist with Metagross and allows it to beat some of its counters.
• Hidden Power Fire handles most of the Steel-types that love switching into Metagross. It 2HKOes Skarmory and Ferrothorn while OHKOing Forretress and Scizor after Stealth Rock.
• Grass Knot handles Jellicent, Slowbro, and Hippowdon for a 2HKO.
• Zen Headbutt helps knock around Conkeldurr and Tentacruel while providing Metagross’s best option around Rotom-W.
• Earthquake can be used to eliminate Heatran and Jirachi.
• Speed EVs prevent Metagross from being outsped by Wobbuffet.

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

• You can remove Attack EVs and place more into Speed to outrun Special Defensive Heatran. 60 is the minimum necessary to outspeed 0 Speed Heatran.
• Ice Punch can be used instead of Zen Headbutt to hit Gliscor, but you lose to Rotom-W or become more susceptible to Heatran switch-ins without Earthquake. Choose wisely!
• Expert Belt can be used instead of Life Orb if you want to keep Metagross’s durability up.
• Heatran or Rotom-W will really hamper this set. Gliscor can too without Ice Punch, and lack of Zen Headbutt or Earthquake makes Tentacruel also a Pokemon that can laugh at Metagross.
• Tyranitar or Hydreigon can handle Heatran well enough while Celebi handles Rotom-W nicely. Tyranitar gets the added bonus of keeping Hidden Power Fire’s base power intact.

[Other Options]

• Gravity is gravy for letting Earthquake hit Skarmory, Rotom-W, and Bronzong while fixing Meteor Mash and Zen Headbutt’s accuracy.
• Trick can be utilized on either Choice Band or Choice Scarf, but Choice Scarf Metagross is rather mediocre since it loses to Jolteon by a single point and requires a Jolly nature to be effective. You can also Trick Iron Ball, but do bear in mind that it only removes Levitate, not Flying-type, from Pokemon.
• Hone Claws was briefly mentioned on the Agility set to use if a Pokemon is passing an Agility to Metagross. While it fixes Metagross’s accuracy and Attack issue, it certainly doesn’t fix its Speed issue. Be sure to have Thunder Wave / Thunder / Body Slam support if you use this option.
• Rock Slide
• Rest+Sleep Talk is best left to Pokemon that have the coverage moves. The new sleep mechanics hinder the viability of this set even more.
• Reflect+Light Screen is best left to other Pokemon such as Xatu and Espeon who can block Taunt.
• Magnet Rise sounds cool until you realize Metagross already suffers more than enough from four moveslot syndrome.
• If you’re really annoyed by Meteor Mash, you can choose two options. The first is using Iron Head, which has a considerable power drop. The second is Gyro Ball, which forces Metagross to use an Iron Ball and make it considerably slow.
• Block and Explosion w/Normal Gem can be used for a trapping Metagross.
• It can Calm Mind, but it’s too slow to really take advantage of it and severely lacks coverage moves to compliment the boosts. While STAB Flash Cannon and Psyshock / Psychic sound appealing, the only other options are Grass Knot, Shadow Ball, Icy Wind, Signal Beam, and Hidden Power. Aside from Hidden Power, a lot of Steel-types stop it cold too easily.

[Check and Counters]

• Slowbro probably stands as the ultimate counter – the worst it takes is a Choice Band ThunderPunch, and even then Regenerator can make the damage mostly look like a scratch. Slowbro can cripple Metagross with Thunder Wave or fire repeated Scalds for the chance of burning it. Fire Blast can also be used to severely damage Metagross.
• Skarmory definitely stands as a major threat to Metagross since it stops most of its sets while being able to set up hazards. To be fair, it can’t do much back since STAB Brave Bird has to pierce 80 HP / 130 Def and Metagross resists the attack. Whirlwind can stop Agility Metagross from sweeping the team.
• Gliscor can stop just about any set since it’s the only reason Ice Punch is really used on Metagross. With a powerful combination of Substitute, Protect, and Poison Heal Gliscor is hard for Metagross to take down without Ice Punch’s assistance. Choice Band Meteor Mash can clock in over 50% on Gliscor, though, so Gliscor does need to be careful if it lacks Roost.
• Rotom-W returns as twice the bugger that it originally was. Thanks to its typing switch, Metagross can hit Rotom-W with Hammer Arm. The bad news is that the typing switch and the dominant weather of rain make STAB Hydro Pump and STAB Thunder or Thunderbolt painful for Metagross to take. If that wasn’t enough, Will-O-Wisp can completely freeze any chance of Metagross carrying out a sweep. Zen Headbutt can be painful for Rotom-W to face, though, so bear that in mind.
• Heatran, while it can’t switch into Earthquake and Hammer Arm, can prove to be troublesome to Metagross. It can burn Metagross with Will-O-Wisp or STAB Lava Plume, or go for the kill on offensive sets with STAB Fire Blast.
• The trapping squad (Magnezone, Magneton, Dugtrio, Wobbuffet) can prove to be a huge nuisance to Metagross; especially Choice Metagross.
• Donphan can at least withstand a Meteor Mash from something not named the Choice Band set and scare it off with STAB Earthquake. Watch out for that nasty Grass Knot!
• Other bulky Water- and Steel-types can be a major pain to Metagross pending on its move choices. Rain-boosted Scalds can be annoying for Metagross to take; especially when there’s a 30% chance for Metagross to halve its Attack. Jellicent can Will-O-Wisp Metagross and use Recover to help keep itself alive. Steel-types such as Ferrothorn and Forretress can set up their entry hazards to further annoy Metagross’s team. Ferrothorn can be a major drag with Leech Seed and the occasional Thunder Wave.
• Sun teams, while partially beneficial to Metagross as it reduces Scald’s base power and boosts Hydreigon’s Fire Blast, can prove to be an absolute nightmare for Metagross. They commonly carry Heatran, Ninetales can threaten you with its STAB Flamethrower / Fire Blast boosted in sunlight, and Venusaur can cripple Metagross with Sleep Powder while setting up Growth.
• Don’t think sand teams aren’t that damaging to Metagross yet – Sandslash can at least revenge kill a lot of offensive Metagross sets as Jolly Earthquake does 93.4% - 109.9% to Agility, Choice Scarf, and Mixed Metagross. Landorus also gets a boost to its Earthquake thanks to Sand Force. Note that Agility can outspeed Sandslash most of the time if Mettagross has set up.
• Metagross's low Speed makes it easier to revenge kill. Just watch out for the usual Speed creep / Choice Scarf / Agility sets which do pack a lot of Speed.
• Max HP / max Def Impish Hippowdon can take most abuse from Metagross and either Slack Off the damage or threaten Metagross with STAB Earthquake.

[Colonel M]

Double post to explain what is going on:

- Order of sets (per Lamppost) will be

Stealth Rock
Agility
Choice Band
Mixed
Trick+Iron Ball

- Scarf will go into OO (it's not terrible, but it's really kind of weak and doesn't really play to Metagross's big perks).
- Hammer Arm to go over Earthquake on first set. - EDIT PKGaming I told you so!
- Zen Headbutt to replace Meteor Mash's slot (so Meteor Mash will be optional). I'm a little skeptical on this.
- I did forget to mention about Dual Screens being useful for the Agility set - I'll add them in when I get a chance.

[ThePillsburyDoughBoy]

It's actually been 3 Colonel_M!

• No slash for Trick on the Band set?
• I really really really think we should get rid of the Trick+Iron Ball set. It is relying on a mechanic flaw that is on the simulators. I posted the link in Harsha's thread but I guess I will post it again here. Just Ctrl+F Iron Ball. If anything Gravity should be the move used not Trick with Iron Ball.
• Possibly make an all-out-attacking set without SR or CB that isn't OO. I always found that to be its best set with a type resist berry :s

[Electrolyte]

I did some calculations, and found that Scarfed Metagross only needs 212 EV's and a positive nature to outspeed maxspeed Tornadus-T. The extra EV's only let you outspeed Weavile and Meloetta-P- both who are quite uncommon and not worth the extra 40 EV's on. You could move those to defense or HP to make Metagross slightly bulkier. You could even tweak it more and give it 252 Speed and Adamant, for added power. At 252 Speed EV's and Adamant, Metagross reaches 358.5 speed, enough to outspeed non choiced max speed base 113. That means that things like Dugtrio and Alakazam will start outspeeding you but you get quite a lot more power. Also mention Magnezone as a great partner for the Scarf set; all Metagross really should do is spam Meteor Mash and boost while KO'ing and the same time. Magnezone traps Steels and hits Flying and Water super effectively.

[frogoholic101]

Is there any scope for a Gravity set? Metagross gets EQ/Meteor Mash/DynamicPunch, all of which really like grounded flying types and better accuracy. It has the Atk stat to use them, too.

[Lord of Bays]

I used Metagross as a bulky Gravity setter earlier this gen. However, while I really like Gravity, it is probably OO material for basically any Pokemon, at least since Excadrill went away.

Metagross @ Leftovers
Trait: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Gravity
- Meteor Mash
- Bullet Punch
- Earthquake

This was the set I used.

[ShortsTheory]

Being the writer of the earlier Metagross analysis (which miserably failed ): ), I wish you the best of luck in getting this on-site!

I couldn't go through the whole skeleton, but whatever I read answers questions that I would have otherwise had, so good job there!

[Colonel M]

I do need some second opinions on the Trick+Iron Ball set maybe, if only because Pillsbury is right that it should not be able to beat Skarmory (it's Flying, it isn't a Levitating Pokemon).

[ThePillsburyDoughBoy]

Originally Posted by Fat frogoholic101

Is there any scope for a Gravity set? Metagross gets EQ/Meteor Mash/DynamicPunch, all of which really like grounded flying types and better accuracy. It has the Atk stat to use them, too.

If anything, Gravity deserves a mention on the SR set. It probably can't do a whole set based on Gravity though. The last slot on the SR set is sorta filler anyway. Where Gravity really shines is on a spike-stacking team where it provides a lot of utility by making spikes much more effective. It is also really handy for forcing SKarmory out. Observe especially turn 9 and after:

Log 1

---

Battle between The Kings -Test and DoughBoy Test started!

Tier: Wifi OU
Mode: Singles
Variation: +14, -18
Rule: Rated
Rule: Sleep Clause
Rule: Species Clause
Rule: Wifi Battle

Your team: Metagross / Jellicent / Forretress / Snorlax / Salamence / Infernape
Opponent's team: Hippowdon / Landorus-T / Heatran / Skarmory / Jellicent / Amoonguss

[Aquarius] Testing is watching the battle.
DoughBoy Test: test test test
The Kings -Test sent out Hippowdon!
DoughBoy Test sent out Forretress!
the foe's Hippowdon's Sand Stream whipped up a sandstorm!

Start of turn 1
The foe's Hippowdon used Earthquake!
Forretress lost 94 HP! (26% of its health)

Forretress used Spikes!
Spikes were scattered all around the feet of The Kings -Test's team!

The sandstorm rages!
Forretress restored a little HP using its Leftovers!

Start of turn 2
The foe's Hippowdon used Earthquake!
Forretress lost 105 HP! (29% of its health)

Forretress used Spikes!
Spikes were scattered all around the feet of The Kings -Test's team!

The sandstorm rages!
Forretress restored a little HP using its Leftovers!

Start of turn 3
The Kings -Test called Hippowdon back!
The Kings -Test sent out Jellicent!
The foe's Jellicent is hurt by spikes!

Forretress used Spikes!
Spikes were scattered all around the feet of The Kings -Test's team!

The sandstorm rages!
The foe's Jellicent is buffeted by the sandstorm!
The foe's Jellicent restored a little HP using its Leftovers!
Forretress restored a little HP using its Leftovers!

Start of turn 4
DoughBoy Test called Forretress back!
DoughBoy Test sent out Infernape!

The foe's Jellicent used Scald!
It's super effective!
Infernape lost 264 HP! (90% of its health)

The sandstorm rages!
Infernape is buffeted by the sandstorm!
[Aquarius] Testing: seriously fuck this game dude
The foe's Jellicent is buffeted by the sandstorm!
The foe's Jellicent restored a little HP using its Leftovers!

Start of turn 5
The Kings -Test called Jellicent back!
The Kings -Test sent out Hippowdon!
The foe's Hippowdon is hurt by spikes!
[Aquarius] Testing: my last battle i just did.. jolteon critted everything

Infernape used U-turn!
The foe's Hippowdon lost 12% of its health!
DoughBoy Test called Infernape back!
DoughBoy Test sent out Jellicent!
[Aquarius] Testing: how am i supposed to work with that?

The sandstorm rages!
Jellicent is buffeted by the sandstorm!
Jellicent restored a little HP using its Leftovers!
The foe's Hippowdon restored a little HP using its Leftovers!

Start of turn 6
The Kings -Test called Hippowdon back!
The Kings -Test sent out Amoonguss!
The foe's Amoonguss is hurt by spikes!

Jellicent used Will-O-Wisp!
The foe's Amoonguss was burned!

The sandstorm rages!
Jellicent is buffeted by the sandstorm!
The foe's Amoonguss is buffeted by the sandstorm!
Jellicent restored a little HP using its Leftovers!
The foe's Amoonguss restored a little HP using its Black Sludge!
The foe's Amoonguss is hurt by its burn!
[Aquarius] Testing: ....

Start of turn 7
Jellicent used Taunt!
The foe's Amoonguss fell for the taunt!

The foe's Amoonguss can't use Spore after the taunt!

The sandstorm rages!
Jellicent is buffeted by the sandstorm!
The foe's Amoonguss is buffeted by the sandstorm!
Jellicent restored a little HP using its Leftovers!
The foe's Amoonguss restored a little HP using its Black Sludge!
The foe's Amoonguss is hurt by its burn!

Start of turn 8
DoughBoy Test called Jellicent back!
DoughBoy Test sent out Metagross!

The foe's Amoonguss used Giga Drain!
It's not very effective...
Metagross lost 45 HP! (12% of its health)
Metagross had its energy drained!

The sandstorm rages!
The foe's Amoonguss is buffeted by the sandstorm!
Metagross restored a little HP using its Leftovers!
The foe's Amoonguss restored a little HP using its Black Sludge!
The foe's Amoonguss is hurt by its burn!

Start of turn 9
The Kings -Test called Amoonguss back!
The Kings -Test sent out Skarmory!

Metagross used Stealth Rock!
Pointed stones float in the air around The Kings -Test's team!

The sandstorm rages!
Metagross restored a little HP using its Leftovers!

Start of turn 10
The foe's Skarmory used Spikes!
Spikes were scattered all around the feet of DoughBoy Test's team!

Metagross used Gravity!
Gravity intensified!

The sandstorm rages!
Metagross restored a little HP using its Leftovers!

Start of turn 11
The Kings -Test called Skarmory back!
The Kings -Test sent out Hippowdon!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Hippowdon!
The foe's Hippowdon is hurt by spikes!

Metagross used Earthquake!
A critical hit!
The foe's Hippowdon lost 37% of its health!
The foe's Hippowdon fainted!

The sandstorm rages!
The Kings -Test sent out Jellicent!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Jellicent!
The foe's Jellicent is hurt by spikes!

Start of turn 12
DoughBoy Test called Metagross back!
DoughBoy Test sent out Infernape!
Infernape is hurt by spikes!
Infernape fainted!

The foe's Jellicent used Scald!
But there was no target...

The sandstorm rages!
The foe's Jellicent is buffeted by the sandstorm!
The foe's Jellicent restored a little HP using its Leftovers!
DoughBoy Test sent out Jellicent!
Jellicent is hurt by spikes!

Start of turn 13
Jellicent used Taunt!
The foe's Jellicent fell for the taunt!

The foe's Jellicent can't use Recover after the taunt!

The sandstorm rages!
Jellicent is buffeted by the sandstorm!
The foe's Jellicent is buffeted by the sandstorm!
Jellicent restored a little HP using its Leftovers!
The foe's Jellicent restored a little HP using its Leftovers!

Start of turn 14
Jellicent used Night Shade!
The foe's Jellicent lost 24% of its health!

The foe's Jellicent used Shadow Ball!
It's super effective!
Jellicent lost 162 HP! (40% of its health)

The sandstorm rages!
Jellicent is buffeted by the sandstorm!
The foe's Jellicent is buffeted by the sandstorm!
Jellicent restored a little HP using its Leftovers!
The foe's Jellicent restored a little HP using its Leftovers!
Gravity went back to normal!

Start of turn 15
Jellicent used Night Shade!
The foe's Jellicent lost 21% of its health!
The foe's Jellicent fainted!

The sandstorm rages!
Jellicent is buffeted by the sandstorm!
Jellicent restored a little HP using its Leftovers!
The Kings -Test sent out Amoonguss!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Amoonguss!
The foe's Amoonguss is hurt by spikes!

Start of turn 16
DoughBoy Test called Jellicent back!
DoughBoy Test sent out Forretress!
Forretress is hurt by spikes!

The foe's Amoonguss used Giga Drain!
It's not very effective...
Forretress lost 18 HP! (5% of its health)
Forretress had its energy drained!

The sandstorm rages!
The foe's Amoonguss is buffeted by the sandstorm!
The foe's Amoonguss restored a little HP using its Black Sludge!
Forretress restored a little HP using its Leftovers!
The foe's Amoonguss is hurt by its burn!

Start of turn 17
The foe's Amoonguss used Spore!
Forretress fell asleep!

Forretress is fast asleep!

The sandstorm rages!
The foe's Amoonguss is buffeted by the sandstorm!
The foe's Amoonguss restored a little HP using its Black Sludge!
Forretress restored a little HP using its Leftovers!
The foe's Amoonguss is hurt by its burn!

Start of turn 18
The Kings -Test called Amoonguss back!
The Kings -Test sent out Heatran!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Heatran!
The foe's Heatran is hurt by spikes!

Forretress is fast asleep!

The sandstorm rages!
The foe's Heatran restored a little HP using its Leftovers!
Forretress restored a little HP using its Leftovers!

Start of turn 19
DoughBoy Test called Forretress back!
DoughBoy Test sent out Snorlax!
Snorlax is hurt by spikes!

The foe's Heatran used Lava Plume!
A critical hit!
Snorlax lost 84 HP! (16% of its health)

The sandstorm rages!
Snorlax is buffeted by the sandstorm!
The foe's Heatran restored a little HP using its Leftovers!
Snorlax restored a little HP using its Leftovers!

Start of turn 20
The Kings -Test called Heatran back!
The Kings -Test sent out Skarmory!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Skarmory!

Snorlax used Curse!
Snorlax's Attack rose!
Snorlax's Defense rose!
Snorlax's Speed fell!

The sandstorm rages!
Snorlax is buffeted by the sandstorm!
Snorlax restored a little HP using its Leftovers!

Start of turn 21
DoughBoy Test called Snorlax back!
DoughBoy Test sent out Jellicent!
Jellicent is hurt by spikes!

The foe's Skarmory used Spikes!
Spikes were scattered all around the feet of DoughBoy Test's team!

The sandstorm rages!
Jellicent is buffeted by the sandstorm!
Jellicent restored a little HP using its Leftovers!

Start of turn 22
Jellicent used Recover!
Jellicent regained health!

The foe's Skarmory used Brave Bird!
Jellicent lost 117 HP! (29% of its health)
The foe's Skarmory is hit with recoil!

The sandstorm rages!
Jellicent is buffeted by the sandstorm!
Jellicent restored a little HP using its Leftovers!

Start of turn 23
Jellicent used Taunt!
The foe's Skarmory fell for the taunt!

The foe's Skarmory can't use Spikes after the taunt!

The sandstorm rages!
Jellicent is buffeted by the sandstorm!
Jellicent restored a little HP using its Leftovers!

Start of turn 24
The Kings -Test called Skarmory back!
The Kings -Test sent out Amoonguss!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Amoonguss!
The foe's Amoonguss is hurt by spikes!

Jellicent used Recover!
Jellicent regained health!

The sandstorm rages!
Jellicent is buffeted by the sandstorm!
The foe's Amoonguss is buffeted by the sandstorm!
Jellicent restored a little HP using its Leftovers!
The foe's Amoonguss restored a little HP using its Black Sludge!
The foe's Amoonguss is hurt by its burn!

Start of turn 25
Jellicent used Night Shade!
The foe's Amoonguss lost 0% of its health!
The foe's Amoonguss fainted!

The sandstorm rages!
Jellicent is buffeted by the sandstorm!
Jellicent restored a little HP using its Leftovers!
The Kings -Test sent out Landorus-T!
Pointed stones dug into the foe's Landorus-T!

The foe's Landorus-T intimidates Jellicent!
Jellicent's Attack fell!

Start of turn 26
The foe's Landorus-T used Earthquake!
Jellicent lost 210 HP! (52% of its health)

Jellicent used Will-O-Wisp!
The foe's Landorus-T was burned!

The sandstorm rages!
Jellicent is buffeted by the sandstorm!
Jellicent restored a little HP using its Leftovers!
The foe's Landorus-T is hurt by its burn!
The Kings -Test forfeited against DoughBoy Test!

The window was disabled due to one of the players closing the battle window.

[Electrolyte]

I can see Trick+Iron Ball working really well on a Trick Room team, but I'm still doubtful of it's viability. Sure, it checks Rotom-A and Bronzong fairly well, but nobody uses them any more, so chances are, you won't see them very often. It does kind of help with Metagross's speed issues, but it's a one time use strategy. As for grounding steel types immune to EQ, well Gravity is a much more beneficial and long term strategy. Iron ball+Trick is very situational.
If you do keep it though, at least give it Gyro ball in AC, since it hits a lot harder than MM if you have your iron ball.
Also, as I said before, please change the scarfer's evs to 252 HP / 44 Def / 212 Spe Jolly. Those extra EVs don't help you outspeed anything; might as well use it for bulk.

[ginganinja]

QC Approved 1/3

Based on the changes we talked about on IRC of course

Fixes

-Remove Scarf
-Remove Trick Iron Ball
-Slash Ice Punch with Meteor Mash on the Agility set.

[Pocket]

Yea, move TrickBall and Scarf into OO. Please make sure to reflect the changes on the Agility set in your set comments / AC.

~ AC mention Gravity in the Agility set. It's an extra turn of set-up, but it does provide Metagross with perfect coverage between MM + EQ.
~ Don't forget to mention that Adamant is great for the power, but must be wary of +ve base 95 Speed Scarfers and higher.

~ HP Fire from Mixed Metagross OHKOs even specially defensive Scizor after Rocks. You probably meant that it 2HKOs Skarmory.

[Checks and Counters]

~ Note that Gliscor not only hates taking Ice Punches but also loses 50+% health from CB Meteor Mash.

~ Caution readers that Rotom-W must be wary of Zen Headbutt, which is more-or-less a staple on Metagross

~ Note that Jolly Agility Metagross is faster than Sandslash in the sand.

~ Physically defensive (max HP / max+ Def) Hippowdon is a solid counter to all Hippowdon variants except for Mix Metagross.

QC Approved (2/3)

[Colonel M]

Changes made.

Fuck it I'm a rebel.

QC Approved 3/3

[alexwolf]

Does Metagross miss any ohkos/2hkoes with Expert Belt instead of LO on the mixed set? Because if no, then EB should definitely be slashed in the set first as it helps Metagross increase his bulk, which is already good, and EB works really well because 3 of 4 of your moves will be alwyas hitting your opponents super effectively (EQ, HP Fire and Grass Knot). And even if it doesn't take the first slash it should definitely go to the main set, as it offers better survivability, and the added benefit of choice item bluffing.

[Pocket]

I ran some calcs and mixed Meta @ EB still net the crucial O-2HKOs. It only loses out on the virtually guaranteed OHKO on specially-defensive Scizor after SR (79-95%).

[GatoDelFuego]

For metagross's first set, if you want to outspeed heatran you'll have to use more EVs than that. 0 spe heatran doesn't exist, and the slowest variant uses 8 speed EVs. Again, it takes a lava plume, but you don't want it to get burned.

[Colonel M]

Since Metagross is a rather "big" analysis (and by big I mean potentially long) and my schedule not allowing me to write often, I'm going to ask that someone take the reigns of it. Sorry guys; I didn't know 7 classes and work would weigh me down this much. @_@;

[ginganinja]

Metagross Curse~