Altaria [QC: 2/3]

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Altaria

[OVERVIEW]
+ Great defensive typing gives it an impressive 7 resistances and 1 immunity, including to common offensive types such as Fire and Dragon.
+ Good bulk with 75/115/105 defensive stats after Mega Evolution.
+ Base forme has two good abilities and a useful immunity to Ground-type attacks.
+ Pixilate boosts Mega Altaria's decent 110 base Attack to good levels, particularly after a Dragon Dance or two. Fairy STAB is also a great offensive type in CAP, hitting many common threats such as Tomohawk, Colossoil and Cyclohm super effectively.
+ Good offensive and support movepool, with access to moves such as Dragon Dance, Roost, Cotton Guard, Refresh, Earthquake, Hyper Voice and Fire Blast.
+ Good defensive stats with 125 base Defence and 115 base Special Defence.
- 80 Speed is relatively quite slow for a sweeper in the Gen VI CAP metagame, forcing Mega Altaria to rely on Dragon Dance to sweep while leaving it susceptible to revenge kills even after a boost.
- Somewhat suffers from 4MSS, leaving it checked by certain Pokémon if it does not run certain moves
- Base forme is weak to Stealth Rock, meaning that Altaria can be worn down relatively easily.

[SET]
name: Clouds of Glory (Offensive Dragon Dance)
move 1: Dragon Dance
move 2: Return
move 3: Earthquake / Fire Blast
move 4: Roost
item: Altarianite
ability: Natural Cure / Cloud Nine
nature: Adamant / Jolly
evs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
- Dragon Dance boosts Altaria's speed and attack simultaneously, allowing it outspeed Pokémon which would otherwise check while boosting its already strong Attack to higher levels.
- Pixilate turns Return into a Fairy-type move whilst also boosting its power, giving Mega Altaria a powerful Fairy-type STAB move. After a single Dragon Dance, Altaria can outspeed and OHKO Aurumoth and physically defensive Cyclohm, as well as physically defensive Rotom-W and Necturna after Stealth Rock. Frustration can be used to catch out Transforming Pokemon such as Ditto.
- Earthquake allows Altaria to hit Steel-, Poison- and Fire-type Pokémon such as Mollux, Naviathan and Volkraken which resist its Pixilate-boosted Return, while also giving Altaria a super effective coverage move to deal with Electric- and Rock-type Pokémon such as Mega Diancie and Krilowatt. Alternatively, Fire Blast allows Altaria to lure in and KO would-be checks such as Cawmodore, Scizor, Ferrothorn and Skarmory.
- Roost gives Altaria a form of reliable recovery, boosting its longevity and increasing the range of Pokémon it can set up on. Without Roost, Altaria is easily worn down.
- In addition to these moves, Altaria has access to many alternative options which can be used to certain Pokémon. For example, Dragon Claw allows Altaria to hit Pokemon such as Talonflame, both Mega Charizard formes and Mega Venusaur harder. Outrage and Double-Edge are stronger alternatives to Dragon Claw and Return, respectively, and significantly increase Mega Altaria's damage output. However, both have nasty side-effects, with Outrage locking Altaria into a single move and then confusing it, while Double-Edge's recoil wears down Altaria very fast in return for OHKOs on the likes of Chansey and uninvested Landorus-Therian. Altaria's movepool also contains support options such as Substitute, which allows Altaria to tank otherwise fatal hits and a useful immunity to status, while Refresh and Heal Bell can be used to remove status. Refresh has more PP, while Heal Bell can be used to support teammates.

Set Details
========
- Altarianite is necessary for Altaria to Mega Evolve.
- Natural Cure is preferred as it allows Mega Altaria to absorb status before Mega Evolution, preventing burns and other status conditions from crippling Altaria while it is still in its base forme. Cloud Nine can be used to avoid being 2HKO'd by Modest Mega Charizard Y's Fire Blast, while also negating abilities such as Swift Swim and Chlorophyll which are important components of weather teams.
- An Adamant nature is recommended to maximise damage output. A Jolly nature can be used to outspeed Pokemon such as Mega Beedrill, Mega Lopunny and Choice Scarf Mollux after a single Dragon Dance, preventing them from revenge killing Altaria. However, the loss of power is greatly missed.
- 224 Speed EVs with a Jolly nature allow Mega Altaria to outspeed Choice Scarf Mollux after a single Dragon Dance and OHKO with Earthquake.
- For greater bulk, EVs can be taken out of Speed while still outspeeding important threats after a single Dragon Dance. After a boost, 220 Speed EVs are needed to outspeed Tornadus-Therian 184 EVs for Starmie, 160 EVs for Thundurus-Therian, and 152 EVs for Pokemon with base 110 speed and maximum Speed investment.

Usage Tips
========
- A single Dragon Dance is usually enough for Altaria to sweep, and attempting to acquire more boosts may result in Altaria being worn down. Therefore, it is usually not recommended to Dragon Dance more than once, except when it allows Altaria to beat a Pokemon which would otherwise check or revenge kill it, and only if there is sufficient health and opportunity in which to pull off the extra boost.
- Similarly, Roost should only be used on weak attacks or predicted switches.
- Altaria is easily worn down, so it is best to bring it using Slow VoltTurn users such as Colossoil or Rotom-Wash, or after a teammate has fainted.
- This set can be used at any time during a match, whether that be early on to break a team down or late-game to clean up the weakened opponent.
- Altaria will often lure in Steel-types which look to check its powerful Pixilate-boosted Return, and Fire Blast variants can catch these Pokemon out and hit them hard.
- If the opponent has a Pokemon which can revenge kill or hard check Altaria, it is generally advised to not attempt a sweep.

Team Options
========
- A great addition to both Balanced and Offensive teams.
- Altaria requires Pokemon which can remove the Steel-types that hinder its sweep, such as Keldeo and Volkraken. In particular, Magnezone and Magneton can trap these Steel-types with their ability Magnet Pull, guaranteeing the removal of checks such as Scizor, Ferrothorn and Skarmory if used correctly.
- Slow VoltTurn users such as Rotom-Wash and Colossoil are great teammates, as they allow Altaria to come in safely. In particular, Steel-types users such as Jirachi and Scizor have good defensive synergy with Mega Altaria, as they resist all of Mega Altaria's weaknesses, while Mega Altaria can set up on certain Fire- and Fighting-types which check them.
- Altaria is weak to Stealth Rock before Mega Evolution and hates getting worn down by entry hazards after it, so hazard removal is a must on Mega Altaria teams. In particular, Pokemon which have Volt Switch, Baton Pass or U-turn, such as Tomohawk, Scizor or Colossoil are good partners as they can support Mega Altaria in more than one way. Likewise, Healing Wish Latias and Memento Latios can give Altaria another attempt at sweeping or a opportunity to set up, respectively, as well as removing entry hazards with Defog.

[SET]
name: King DDD (Defensive Dragon Dance)
move 1: Return
move 2: Dragon Dance
move 3: Roost
move 4: Heal Bell / Substitute / Earthquake
item: Altarianite
ability: Cloud Nine / Natural Cure
nature: Careful
evs: 248 HP / 204 Def / 28 SpD / 28 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
- As single-move coverage goes, Pixilate-boosted Fairy-type Return is a powerful and spammable option, even without Attack investment or Dragon Dance boosts.
- Dragon Dance allows Altaria to sweep, utilising its great defensive typing and decent bulk to set up on a variety of Pokemon. As it boosts both of the two relevant areas Altaria has not put significant investment into, Speed and Attack, simultaneously, Altaria becomes a fearsome sweeper after a few Dragon Dances.
- Roost gives Altaria a form of reliable recovery, boosting its longevity and increasing the range of Pokémon it can set up on.
- Heal Bell allow Altaria to cure status, giving it even less to worry about while setting up. You can opt for Refresh over Heal Bell as it has more PP, but it has less utility overall as it only effects Altaria. Substitute is another option to remove Altaria's weakness to status ailments, while also allowing Altaria to set up or KO Pokemon it would otherwise lose to, at the cost of not being able to remove status once it has been inflicted. Earthquake allows Altaria to hit Steel-, Poison- and Fire-type Pokémon such as Mollux, Crucibelle and Volkraken which resist its Pixilate-boosted Return, while also giving Altaria a super effective coverage move to deal with Electric- and Rock-type Pokémon such as Mega Diancie and Krilowatt. However, running Earthquake leaves Altaria weak to status. In addition, a 2x resisted Return is just as powerful as a neutral Earthquake.

Set Details
========
- The given EV spread gives Altaria good physically defense while still being able to tank important special attacks, allowing Mega Altaria to avoid 2HKOs by +1 Flare Blitz from Jolly Mega Charizard X, Hidden Power Ice from Life Orb Thundurus and Fire Blast from Mega Charizard Y as well as OHKOs by Poison Jab from Mega Beedrill, non-Life Orb Ice Beam from Syclant and Play Rough from non-Choice Band Azumarril.
- 28 Speed EVs are used to allow Mega Altaria to outspeed Mega Lopunny and Mega Manectric after two Dragon Dances.

Usage Tips
========
- This set takes advantage of Mega Altaria's great bulk and defensive typing, but it lacks outstanding power, so it is essential that Altaria be given offensive support to help it deal with its checks.
- Hence, Mega Altaria is best used as a pivot and cleric early game, as its still threatening even without Attack investment, and can use Heal Bell to cure teammates of status conditions. It is best to only try and set up after all its checks and counters are dealt with, but after that, if it gets an opportunity to set up, Altaria is a formidable sweeper.
- The biggest downside to this set is that Altaria lacks power and speed, as it has no Attack or Speed investment, so it needs to set up multiple boosts to have any chance of sweeping.
- However, Mega Altaria's excellent defensive typing and bulk allows for it to set up on many Pokemon, such as Rotom-W, Chansey, and Necturna, and it is much less susceptible to being crippled by status since it has reliable methods of removing status conditions.

Team Options
========
- Altaria appreciates hazard removal, particularly because it is weak to Stealth Rock before Mega Evolution, but it is otherwise self-sufficient defensively.
- Mega Altaria's lack of speed, power and coverage (particularly on sets without Earthquake) means that it requires significant offensive support to deal with its checks.
- If it lacks Earthquake, Mega Altaria needs teammate that can take care of Steel-, Poison- and Fire-types that resist its mono-Fairy coverage. Magnezone and Magneton can trap Steel-types with their ability Magnet Pull, guaranteeing the removal of checks such as Scizor, Ferrothorn and Skarmory if used correctly.
- Notably, Cawmodore is able to set up on this set, so Altaria appreciates Pokemon such as Scarf Keldeo and Volkraken which can deal with it. These can also lure in and deal significant damage to Mollux with Hidden Power Ground and Power Gem, respectively.


[SET]
name: Special-biased Mixed Attacker
move 1: Hyper Voice
move 2: Fire Blast
move 3: Roost
move 4: Earthquake
item: Altarianite
ability: Cloud Nine / Natural Cure
nature: Modest
evs: 248 HP / 164 SpA / 100 Spe

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
- Pixilate-boosted Hyper Voice not only boasts great power and coverage, but also the ability to hit through Substitutes.
- Fire Blast hits the Steel-types which resist Pixilate-boosted Hyper Voice super effectively, giving Altaria the ability to hit all but Fire-types neutrally.
- Roost gives Altaria a reliable form of recovery, allowing it to heal off damage and preventing it from being worn down.
- Earthquake allows Altaria useful coverage for hitting Pokemon such as Crucibelle, Mollux and Plasmanta.
- Altaria also has access to a couple of other supporting moves, generally used in place of Earthquake. Heal Bell allows Altaria to support its teammates if needed, as Altaria forces switches and has opportunities to use it freely - it's one of the few offensive Pokemon capable of utilising the move effectively. Altaria also has access to moves such as Tailwind which make cleaning up weakned teams easier, both for Altaria and for its teammates. Roar is also a nice option, as it can be used to stop sweepers from setting up on it and even be used to phaze potential switch-ins whilst stacking up some entry hazard damage.

Set Details
========
- The EV spread given grants Mega Altaria the bulk to deal with threats like Mega Charizard Y and Mega Lopunny, while also having a considerable offensive presence.
- To maximise its power, a Modest nature is preferable, as Earthquake still 2HKOs Mollux, Crucibelle, Heatran and Plasmanta even with a negative nature.
- 100 Speed EVs allows Mega Altaria to outspeed defensive Lando-T, Rotom-W and Jolly Azumarril.
- By giving up precious bulk, more Speed EVs can be used to allow Altaria to outpace certain threats. For instance, 176 Speed EVs can be used to outspeed Adamant Bisharp. A Timid nature boosts Mega Altaria's speed further still, at the cost of power. With a Timid nature, Mega Altaria can outspeed Mega Heracross (216 Speed EVs), Adamant Excadrill (220 Speed EVs) and Mew (216 Speed EVs).
- Cloud Nine is used on this set so as to allow Altaria to be able to switch into Mega Charizard Y, and generally helps Altaria to beat weather-focused teams and cores. Natural Cure is also an option if you are worried about being statused.

Usage Tips
========
- This Altaria set is used mostly to support your team by acting as a pivot using its great defensive typing, coverage, bulk and reliable recovery, which allow it to check many common threats such as Mega Sableye and Rotom-W.
- However, Mega Altaria lacks the sheer power and speed to act as a sweeper. It may be used as a late-game cleaner, but only when opposing special walls have been removed or weakened and/or with the help of speed control.
- If Earthquake is revealed first, a physically offensive set can be bluffed, allowing you to lure in physical Altaria checks and nail them with a powerful Hyper Voice or Fire Blast.

Team Options
========
- Mega Altaria only really needs offensive support to deal with specially defensive walls such as Jirachi, Clefable and Chansey. Pokemon which can threaten stall and cripple special walls, such as Mew and Heatran, are good teammates. Ferrothorn can provide entry hazard support, check the Fairy-types that Mega Altaria is checked by and also offers speed control. Mollux is also a good Fairy-type check, and can cripple special walls using Trick. Excadrill also threaten Fairies, and can provide both Rapid Spin and Stealth Rock support.
- Altaria also appreciates speed control in the form of Sticky Web and Tailwind from Necturna and Fidgit, respectively.
- Due to Mega Altaria's ability to lure in and KO common Steel- and Poison-types such as Heatran, Mollux and Scizor, Pokemon who appreciate their removal are good teammates. Pokemon such as Dragonite, Talonflame, Serperior, Aurumoth, and Cawmodore can pair well with Altaria, because Altaria can deal with their checks, allowing them to sweep.

[SET]
name: Support
move 1: Roost
move 2: Body Slam / Hyper Voice
move 3: Heal Bell
move 4: Earthquake / Fire Blast
item: Altarianite
nature: Bold / Impish
evs: 248 HP / 104 Def / 156 SpD

[SET COMMENTS]
Moves
========
- Roost is a form of reliable recovery that gives Altaria added longtevity.
- The second moveslot is a choice between two Pixilate-boosted Fairy-type STAB moves. Body Slam has the added utility of having the chance to paralyze your opponent, while Hyper Voice is marginally more powerful.
- Heal Bell allows Mega Altaria to support its team by healing any status they may have picked up, as well as making itself less susceptible to being worn down by status.
- The last moveslot choice is dependant on which Pokemon Altaria needs to hit in order to best support its team. Fire Blast allows it to hit Scizor, Ferrothorn and Skarmory, preventing the former from setting up on it and the latter two from setting up entry hazards. Earthquake allows Altaria to hit Pokemon such as Crucibelle, Mollux and Heatran super-effectively on the switch.

Set Details
========
- 104 Def EVs allow Mega Altaria to avoid the 2HKO from Icy Wind Keldeo and Fire Blast Mega Charizard Y, while 156 SpD EVs avoid the 2HKO from Adamant Landorus-T's Earthquake and LO Latios.
- It is recommended to use a Impish nature if using Body Slam, and a Bold Nature if using Hyper Voice, so that the nature doesn't diminish the power of your Fairy-type STAB attack.
- Cloud Nine is used to avoid being 2HKO'd by Modest Mega Charizard Y's Fire Blast, while also negating abilities such as Swift Swim and Chlorophyll which are important components of weather teams

Usage Tips
========
- This set is best used as a defensive pivot and cleric, although Pixilate and its great coverage means that Mega Altaria has a good offensive presence even without investment.
- Make sure to keep Altaria healthy through regular use of Roost and making sure that entry hazards are removed.

Team Options
========
- Mega Altaria is best used as a cleric and a pivot on a balanced team but can also have its uses on stall if needed.
- Mega Altaria has an amazing defensive typing, good bulk and reliable recovery. However, it does have three weaknesses, Poison, Steel and Ice, which requires teammates who can deal with these types. Steel-types generally resist all three, and so make good partners. An example of a good teammate is Ferrothorn, as it provides great defensive synergy, as well as providing the team with hazard support and speed control. Mega Altaria also pairs well with Jirachi, as it can provide Wish support in addition to either speed control or Stealth Rock support, while Altaria can heal any status that Jirachi picks up.
- Mega Altaria also appreciates hazard removal, as Altaria is weak to Stealth Rock before Mega Evolution, and all other hazards wear it down after Mega Evolution. Assault Vest Colossoil can deal with Pokemon such as Mollux and Jirachi which would otherwise check Mega Altaria, as well as providing Rapid Spin suport and the ability to absorb status or bounce it back should you want to preserve Heal Bell's PP. Alternatively, Excadrill is another good teammate, threatening the Poison-, Steel- and Fairy-types that check Mega Altaria with powerful STABs in addition to being able to spin away hazards.

[STRATEGY COMMENTS]
Other Options
=========
- Non-Mega Altaria is horrible in CAP and should not be used.
- A physical version of the special attacker set lacking Dragon Dance can be used, performing much the same role.
- Cotton Guard allows Mega Altaria to deal with physical attackers much better, allowing it to deal with Pokemon such Mega Lopunny, Scizor and Cawmodore after a boost. However, this is at the cost of precious coverage and still leaves it weak to special attacks, meaning that it is outclassed by other options.
- Body Slam has a decent Base Power and a fairly high chance of paralyzing foes, while Facade allows Altaria to take advantage of status. However, Facade is very situational as it requires Altaria to be suffering from a status ailment, and is weak and useless otherwise. Body Slam is also outclassed by Return due to the latter's higher Base Power, but both Body Slam and Facade can be used on any set utilising Return.
- Roar and Perish Song can be used to force out opposing foes, while Haze offers a way of dealing with set-up sweepers without forcing Altaria to move last and take a boosted attack.
- Draco Meteor and Dragon Pulse can be useful, for example against Mega Charizard X and Talonflame, but are both redunant coverage-wise. Draco Meteor is more powerful but reduces Altaria's Special Attack by two stages, while Dragon Pulse is a more consistent but weaker alternative.
- Ice Beam can be used to OHKO Pokemon such as Landorus-T and Gliscor which would otherwise be able to deal significant damage to Altaria.

Checks and Counters
==============
**Fairy-types**: Bulky Fairies such as Sylveon can take a hit, sometimes even after a Dragon Dance, and retaliate with a powerful super effective STAB atack. Unaware Clefable can be used to ignore the boosts of a sweeping Altaria, although Mega Altaria with maximum investment in either Attack or Special Attack can 2HKO with Return and Hyper Voice, respectively. Mega Gardevoir and Mega Diancie are able to outspeed Mega Altaria when it is unboosted and revenge kill it.
**Steel-types**: Steel-types can often check Mega Altaria, but change depending on what coverage the set is or isn't running. If it lacks Fire Blast, Scizor can set up on Mega Altaria and do considerable damage with Bullet Punch, while Ferrothorn and Skarmory can set up entry hazards. If it lacks Earthquake, Heatran can switch-in freely on Altaria and use Flash Cannon or cripple it with Toxic. Some steel-types, such as Mega Metagross and Jirachi, can take hits from both Fire Blast and Earthquake. Mega Metagross can OHKO with Meteor Mash, or revenge Altaria on low health with Bullet Punch, while Jirachi avoids the 2HKO from Fire Blast and has a chance to 2HKO itself with STAB Iron Head.
**Fire-types**: Fire-types resist Mega Altaria's Pixilate-boosted Fairy STAB attacks, leaving most sets lacking Earthquake without a good way of dealing significant damage to them. In retaliation, they can burn Altaria with Will-O-Wisp or simply deal a lot of damage to it. Pyroak can also wall Altaria and set up Stealth Rock, but have to rely on Leech Seed and Toxic to do damage to sets which lack Substitute, Heal Bell or Refresh. Talonflame and Mega Charizard Y are both immune to Earthquake and resist Fire Blast and Fairy-type attacks, meaning that Altaria cannot do much damage to either of them with its most common attacks. Talonflame can cripple Mega Altaria with Will-O-Wisp, set up with Bulk Up or Swords Dance and deal significant damage with Brave Bird. Mega Charizard Y threatens offensive sets with a powerful sun-boosted Fire Blast. Mega Charizard X also warrants a mention for being neutral to Altaria's Fairy-type STAB, allowing it to set up on sets without Earthquake or Draco Meteor and do some serious damage in return.
**Poison-types**: Faster Poison-types such as Crucibelle, Plasmanta and Choice Scarf Mollux can outspeed Mega Altaria and nail it with a powerful Poison-type STAB attack, and also don't a lot of damage from over coverage moves except Earthquake. Mega Venusaur deserves a special mention for being able to comfortably take all of Altaria's coverage moves and 2HKO with Sludge Bomb.
**Revenge Killers**: Choice Scarf abusers such as Mollux, Excadrill, Heatran and Kitsunoh can revenge kill Altaria, and sometimes outspeed even after a Dragon Dance boost. Pokemon such as Klefki and Thundurus can also cripple Mega Altaria with a Prankster Thunder Wave if it isn't carrying Heal Bell or Refresh.
 
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cbrevan

spin, spin, spin
is a CAP Contributoris a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnus
KhosroTheGreat its been a month since you've last worked on this. Please get a move on with this and get it out of WIP as soon as possible or I'll reassign it.

Like you got 48 hours to get this done or else you're not writing this analysis anymore; we're being incredibly lenient with you since there have already been three bumps in this thread with no replies.

seconding. we had a thread at QC 2/3 ready to be written up, there's no reason for this to have multiple unfinished/blank sections two months later. -spark
 
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I finally finished Altaira. It's now 22 past midnight, so I'm going to go to sleep and get to work on Sableye tomorrow.
Ready for QC or whatever.

misty told me to keep it in bullet form so I did.
Happy times.
 

cbrevan

spin, spin, spin
is a CAP Contributoris a Site Content Manager Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnus
Let me check that the content was all transferred correctly before you write it up, since you told me you were changing and adding stuff to it.
 
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